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mac-and-thefox · 7 months

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Strong for Somebody Else

Chp 2 - So It's True

Mountain confesses his feelings about his visit with Omega and Aether learns the truth about something he's been denying to himself.

Some sweetness but also A LOT of feelings. Enjoy guys!

@autumnblooms

Also below the cut!!!

Aether looked at the clock on the wall of his office in the Infirmary, tiredly rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms. It wasn’t often that he pulled all nighters; only when necessary. He had been on his way out at the end of a busy day when two Siblings had rushed into the Infirmary with their child cradled in their arms. The little girl, only 7 years old, had wandered out unsupervised onto the frozen surface of the Abbey pond and had fallen through the too-thin ice. The poor little thing had arrived still and cold, her lips and fingers blue, her skinny chest rising and falling with extremely shallow breaths. The siblings that worked in the Infirmary had already gone home for the night, and while the ghouls had been experiencing unkind and dismissive treatment from the Siblings of Sin since their return from tour with Papa's disappearance, Aether would never deny his help to a child in need.

Outside the window, the Abbey clock tower tolled out 6 chimes. The sun was rising over the trees of the forest outside the ancient stone walls, bathing the interior of the Infirmary with trace watercolors of orange and purple. Aether left his office, padding quietly into the main space where the young girl lay sleeping, looking all too small in the Infirmary cot. In the cot with her were Ifrit and Zephyr, curled around the child like two guard dogs protecting precious cargo. The Fire and Air ghouls had graciously offered to help Aether with the little girl upon hearing that their packmate would not be able to return to the ghouls’ den that night after working a full day. Ifrit had snuggled the small child into his chest, warming her up and gradually raising her core temperature to a less dangerous range, pulling her out of hypothermia. Zephyr was settled on the other side of her, encouraging her oxygen levels to rise by gently influencing warm, moist air in and out of her lungs, aiding her shocked respiratory system.

Aether approached the dozing Fire ghoul, gently touching his shoulder and giving it a squeeze. Ifrit gave a sharp inhale through his nose, eyes blearily blinking open as he peered up at the Quintessence ghoul standing above him. He gave Aether a sleepy smile, careful to not wake the little girl as he stretched and sat up beside her small frame.

“Hey, Stardust.”

“How is she doing?” Aether asked quietly, whispering in an effort to not wake the sleeping child.

“She stopped shivering a while ago, her body temperature is almost normal.” Ifrit whispered back, letting out a small chuckle as the little girl shifted to snuggle under his arm and into his stomach, chasing the warmth in her sleep. Ifrit’s tail was firmly grasped in her tiny hands, the spade pressed against her cheek.

On the other side of the cot, Zephyr stirred. The Air ghoul was a light sleeper and was roused back to consciousness upon hearing their packmate’s voices and feeling the shifting of the cot’s mattress. They reached across, loosening one of the child’s hands from Ifrit’s tail and placing two fingers on the pulse point of her wrist, tilting their head. After a moment, they nodded to themselves, placing the little girl’s hand back, which quickly latched back onto the Fire ghoul’s tail.

“O2 levels are looking good, Aeth,” the Air ghoul murmured.

Aether leaned over to place a hand lightly on the girl’s forehead, the other resting on her sternum. A purple glow radiated from his palms as he closed his eyes, his Quintessence flowing through her small body doing an internal systems check-in. He made a satisfied chirp to himself as he found that her circulation was greatly improved, with no lasting damage to her internal organs or extremities. Aether sat back on his haunches and looked over to Ifrit and Zephyr, watching the two ghouls attempting to stifle yawns and blinking sleep from their eyes.

“You two should go home and get some real sleep. Thank you for staying with me to help her, I can take it from here. I should be back soon.” Aether smiled at his packmates, watching them delicately extricate themselves from the sleeping child’s grasp.

Once the Fire and Air ghouls were gone the small girl began to stir restlessly, sensing the absence of Ifrit’s infernal warmth in the cot. Aether tucked a stuffed Baphomet plush that the girl’s parents had left for her into her arms, petting her hair soothingly and sending a small wave of Quintessence into the child’s mind to help lull her back to sleep after being disturbed by Ifrit and Zephyr’s departure. He lifted her chart out of the holder at the foot of the bed, taking it back to his desk to update and track her vitals, leaving the door open to keep an eye on the girl from his office. Aether moved on to finishing some paperwork, waiting for the first Sibling of Sin that worked in the Infirmary to come in and take over for the upcoming day shift before he could finally go home and fall into bed.

A soft knock on the door roused Aether from his concentration. He looked up from the patient charts on his desk to see Mountain hovering in the doorway holding two steaming cups of tea. Mountain gave a crooked smile, making his way across the room and setting the tea on the desk. He leaned down to give Aether a kiss between his horns before sitting down across from him. Aether looked down at the mugs, and then back at the Earth ghoul.

“What are you doing here, Mount? It’s barely sunrise.”

“Zeph and Ifrit told me you’ve been here all night. I thought this might help a little until you’re able to come home.” Mountain looked over his shoulder at the sleeping child and pushed one of the mugs across the desk.

Aether took the offered tea, bringing it to his lips and sipping the steaming liquid. Warmth slowly spread through his body, settling in his chest and stomach with a comforting embrace around his heart. White tea with blood orange and rose hips, brewed just the way he liked it with wildflower honey harvested from Mountain’s personal beehives. Aether looked over his mug at Mountain sipping his own tea and marveled with affection at the kindness and thoughtfulness of his packmate. As he watched the Earth ghoul enjoying his drink, Aether noticed a preoccupied look take root in Mountain’s eye as he gazed out the window at the light filtering through the pine trees. He reached across the desk for Mountain’s hand and laced their fingers together, squeezing softly.

“Do you have something you want to talk about, Mossling?” Aether asked gently.

Mountain looked away from the window, called back to attention. He turned back to Aether, pulling his hand away to grip his mug tightly in both hands. “Uh–yeah. It’s just…Dew and I went to see Omega yesterday.”

Aether nodded, taking another sip from the mug, “I’m glad you two were able to give him some company for a little bit. How did it go?”

Mountain shifted in his seat, looking down at the tea in his hands, “Um–it was fine. He seems…very lonely.”

Mountain looked out the window for a moment before setting his mug down, leaning forward in his seat.

“Aeth, I’m worried about him. Something happened while we were visiting and I’m not sure how to feel about it.”

Aether leaned back in his seat, taking a sip of tea, “Tell me about it.”

“The visit was going fine until Dew left to get some drinks and snacks to share. After he left, Meg started talking about how he was doing okay in isolation because Papa had been…spending time with him recently.”

Aether made a noise of acknowledgment in the back of his throat, watching Mountain’s face and eyes as he spoke. Mountain sat for a moment, fiddling with the spade of his tail before continuing.

“Omega was acting like Papa was in the room with us the entire time we were there. He even pointed out to me where he was supposedly standing during our conversation, but there was nobody there,” Distress began tinging Mountain’s scent as a faint green flush appeared on his cheeks. His breaths began coming more rapidly as he continued.

“I’m worried about his mind. He hasn’t been right since we have been home, especially since you had to…you know. I’m scared that Papa’s disappearance might be causing him to slip away from us too…that he is too trapped in his grief.”

Aether scooted his chair closer and reached out to cup Mountain’s face in his hands.

“Breathe, Mossling. Deep breaths in, and deep breaths out. That’s better,” Aether murmured as he exaggerated his breathing for Mountain to follow, guiding the Earth ghoul back from the brink of panic and anxiety.

“It’s been two weeks since we’ve been home and Meg has been unwell. Grief is a fickle thing, Mount. His mind is probably trying to process the fact that we still don’t know where Papa, his mate, is right now.” Aether caressed Mountain’s cheek with a thumb before sitting back in his chair, taking his tea back.

“Until we learn more about what happened at our last Ritual and what’s going on here at home, there’s no harm in allowing him to try and cope in this manner as long as he’s not a danger to himself or anyone else.”

Mountain tilted his head, processing what Aether was saying to him. After a moment, he sighed, running a hand back through his chestnut waves.

“Yeah…I suppose you’re right. It was just…really hard to see him like that.”

Aether nodded in agreement, watching as the Earth ghoul drained the last dregs of tea from his mug before pushing the chair back and standing.

“I need to go, Frit offered to help me burn the last of the Fall clippings and weeds before the wind starts picking up for this storm that’s supposedly coming. We’ll see you at home?”

“Yes, hopefully it won’t be too much longer,” Aether reached up to pull the Earth giant back down by his collar, pressing a gentle, chaste kiss to Mountain’s lips. “I’ll see you later.” He whispered against Mountain’s lips.

Mountain chirped, cupping Aether’s face as he bumped their horns gently together. He quietly made his way out of the Infirmary, careful to not disturb the little girl who had slept through their entire exchange. Aether watched him go, left with the residual scent of wet pine and juniper in the air around him.

The door clicked shut and Aether groaned, holding his head in his hands. He rose from his chair, walking back to check on the child in the cot, still holding tightly to her Baphomet plushie. Aether sat down in a chair next to the bed, placing his hand on the girl’s forehead for one last check before he was relieved of his charge. Everything looked good, and Aether could see little flickers of the girl’s dreams as her eyes danced behind her eyelids.

Aether sat back in the chair, looking up at the being across the bed. Seated in the chair on the other side of the little girl was Papa, gazing down at her. Terzo reached out with a gloved hand to softly stroke the girl’s hair, standing watch over her as she slept. He looked up from the child to meet Aether’s eye. Aether made a noise in his throat, a pained expression flicking across his face as Papa gave him a small, sad smile, having been present for Mountain's visit and subsequent confession. Aether stood, moving to the window and rocking restlessly from one foot to the other, chewing on his lower lip, desperately trying to avoid the eyes following him.

The ability for Quintessence ghouls to commune with departed souls was not common knowledge among the members of the Clergy. Aether himself had only learned about this ability when he had finished his training with Omega after being summoned, having proved the mastery of his powers to his mentor and guide. Omega had sat him down after his final assessment and told him that because of their connection to the Void, their kin had the ability to see souls that had passed on to the other side of the Veil. Not all Quintessence ghouls possessed this ability, and Omega had stressed the importance of keeping this knowledge in confidence between the two of them, as the only two Quintessence ghouls at the Ministry. For most of his time Topside, Aether had never experienced this ability for himself and had always assumed that he was simply not one of those that possessed this gift.

The dreams had started the night Aether was made to subdue Omega; the night he had been forced to drug his trusted mentor for his own safety and the safety of everyone around him. In his dreams, he had seen his Papa standing over him as he laid in his bed, reaching out to him as if trying to tell him something, but unable to let the words escape from his mouth. He would dream that he was walking the corridors of the Ministry and find Terzo standing at the end of a dark hallway watching him, a ring of light around his neck, his infernal eye glowing in the shadows. Aether would wake in a cold sweat, finding nothing but a foreboding sense of dread and soul-deep sadness. Initially, he had believed that it was just his mind processing his own grief and confusion over the events that had ended their last tour. It had, after all, been a traumatic experience for everyone involved. Surely, the dreams were just…dreams. Nothing more.

The day that Terzo had actually approached him, Aether had shook his head at the sight, in denial of the entity standing before him. It was just his mind reacting to stress, reacting to the dark changes that had overtaken their home, to the coldness and fear and frankly, discrimination, that the Siblings and Clergy members had begun showing the pack upon their return to the abbey. Aether had simply decided to ignore Terzo, had refused to acknowledge him as he lingered near the Quintessence ghoul, watching him go about his duties as the days went by. But now…with what Mountain had just confessed regarding his visit with Omega, Aether realized he could no longer run away from what was standing right in front of him. He sighed heavily, resignation sitting heavy in his chest, over his heart. If Omega, who was the greatest and most powerful Quint the Ministry had ever summoned, was seeing their beloved Papa, even under the influence of the sedative the Siblings had been administering to him, Aether himself could no longer deny the truth he had been trying to hide from.

Aether felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned to see Terzo joining his side at the window. Aether took a steadying breath and reached up to place his hand over his Papa’s, feeling the solidness but realizing for the first time that there was no warmth, no humanity in his touch.

“So…it’s true then.”

Terzo nodded, looking out the window and watching the Abbey slowly begin to wake with the rise of the sun. Aether turned to look at him more closely, finally letting himself see. Terzo, dressed in his fine silks and satins as always, had marks visible beneath the paint on his face. Bruises and sore skin around his wrists peeked out from his sleeves. Aether mentally recoiled at the sight of an angry, jagged line encircling his Papa’s throat, weeping small pearls of blood when he shifted. Aether tentatively reached out to touch, but was stopped by Terzo grasping his hand, bringing it down to his side and keeping it clasped in a gentle grip.

“Did–did it hurt?”

Terzo turned to face Aether, neither nodding or shaking his head, instead giving a small sad smile. His eyes told a story of pain and fear, and Aether’s eyes filled with tears at the knowledge that their Papa, a man infamously known for his confidence and swagger, had spent his last moments afraid and alone. The tears spilled down Aether’s cheeks and he sank slowly to the floor, his knees giving way under the tremendous burden of truth he now carried with him.

“I–I’m so sorry…we were supposed to protect you, and–and we failed…”

“We–we’ve been trying to find you since we got home…and the answer w–was staring me in the face the entire time…” Aether cried softly into his hands.

Aether felt Terzo crouch down to sit beside him, laying a hand on his shoulder as the Quintessence ghoul wept. After a short time, Aether’s tears dried, having purged the fear and doubt of the last couple weeks. He sniffed, wiping his face on his sleeve before shifting to face the man beside him.

“Papa, what is going to happen now? We can’t be without–the Church needs a leader.”

Terzo looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before shaking his head, brows furrowed. Aether breathed out a sigh, looking down at his hands in his lap. A gloved hand reached out, gently turning Aether’s face back towards his Papa. Terzo looked him square in the eye, a pensive look on his face as if he were also searching for answers. Aether reached up to cover the gloved hand on his cheek.

“A–are you at least at peace now?” He asked quietly, sniffling.

This time when Terzo smiled, it was one of contentment; a smile that reached his eyes and drove away the haunted look. Terzo leaned forward, touching his forehead to that of Aether’s; a gesture that, usually only shared between pack members and loved ones, told Aether that Terzo was in a good place now, with the Lords below. Aether stood, dusting off his pants.

“Thank you, Papa, for helping me see the truth. I–I think I need to speak with Omega. The pack deserves to know…”

Terzo smiled again, standing and reaching across to take both of Aether’s hands in his, squeezing one last time before dissipating in front of Aether’s eyes. As if on cue, the door to the Infirmary opened and a very tired-looking Sister of Sin shuffled in, gripping a thermos of coffee in her hand. Aether filled her in on the little girl’s condition, who was just beginning to wake, and quickly slipped out of the Infirmary, finally free to go home and get some well deserved rest. As he made his way through the corridors to the ghouls’ den, something in the back of his mind told him that the visit to Omega needed to happen soon, that it couldn’t wait. Aether trudged down the hallways stifling yawns and rubbing his eyes as the collective fatigue from the morning and the night before began encroaching on his mind. After a nap, he resolved, he would go visit Omega and ask about telling the pack about Papa.

***

Later, Aether walked down the corridor towards Omega’s chambers, trying to work out in his mind how he was going to explain to his mentor that he had discovered that he also possessed the ability to see departed entities and needed permission to tell their pack about their Papa’s demise now that he knew the truth. As he approached the door, a Sibling exited the room, a tray containing an empty syringe in hand.

“You can’t come in. He’s just had his medicine.”

Aether looked between the Brother of Sin and the closed door behind him, “I won’t be long and I won’t disturb him, I just need to see him for a moment, please?”

The brother crossed his arms, taking a wide-legged stance and blocking the door.

“I said no, ghoul. He is resting, and is not taking visitors. You cannot go in.”

Aether took a small step forward, to which the Brother reached into his robes and pulled out a phone.

“If you do not turn around and go back the way you came, I will have to call Sister Imperator. Do not make me report you for insubordination.”

Aether froze, ears drooping against his head, tail swishing anxiously behind him. A visit to Imperator wouldn’t do him any good, especially alone without Mountain or Ifrit. Aether dropped his head, holding up his hands in defeat and slowly backing away.

“Okay, I understand, I don’t want to cause any trouble. I’ll go now, I’m sorry.”

Aether turned around and left, accepting defeat and resigning to return earlier the next day. Glancing over his shoulder he saw that the Brother remained in front of the door watching him as he retreated down the hall, shadow shrouding his face.

***

The Brother watched the Quintessence ghoul retreat back down the hallway. Upon seeing the ghoul disappear around the corner, the Brother turned around and slipped back inside the room, locking the door behind him. Omega sat passed out slumped over his desk, Terzo’s ever-present Grucifix next to his head. A woman dressed in a gray suit stood next to him, looking down at the hulking figure unconscious in the desk chair. She made for an imposing figure, with her tense, straight posture and silver hair pulled back in a severe, tight bun at the nape of her neck. Her sharp, dark eyes looked up from the ghoul to the Brother approaching from the doorway.

“Is the ghoul gone?” She asked, pursing her lips into a thin line.

“Yes, Sister Imperator,” The brother replied, setting the tray in his hand on the desk.

“Good,” Sister Imperator picked up the Grucifix from the desk, turning it over in her hands before tossing it dismissively onto the bare bed next to her, “You’re sure that this one won’t fight back now?”

The Brother of Sin shook his head, “No, Sister, the toxin in the sedative has weakened him enough that it should involve minimal effort.”

Sister Imperator sniffed, looking down her nose at the Brother shifting from one foot to the other, “Good, we would hate to have to make more of a mess than what is necessary,” she gestured behind the Brother.

The Brother let out an audible swallow, glancing over his shoulder at the large figure lurking in the shadows that engulfed the corner of the room, “Y–yes, as you say, Sister.”

Sister Imperator made a come hither gesture towards the figure. It stirred, tilting its large head towards the two humans, a yellow eye glowing from beneath its hood, before slinking out of the shadows towards the two Clergy members and the unconscious ghoul between them.

#mac writes #ghost fanfiction #mountain ghoul #aether ghoul #ifrit ghoul #zephyr ghoul #omega ghoul #deep suspense

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l00na24 · 2 months

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I Got Your Six - Chapter 6

Warnings: From this chapter onwards, there will only be a general warning to avoid spoilers! The story contains mature content and if you keep reading, you agree that you can handle it!

Word Count: 11.5k

A/N: We're back :D This time with a huuge one thanks to me not being able to keep the intro as short as I wanted and just couldn't cut the entire thing for reasons... you will probably see why 😅

Enjoy reading! 😋

29 Minutes later, 7:01 PM, Brazil

After I don’t know how many miles because I eventually stopped counting, we finally reached the place we agreed to meet. It seemed an eternity away with how long the drive still was until we were there, not helping my thinning patience at all.

I couldn’t remember the last time when I was so on edge than right now and I hadn’t even met them yet. Every nerve in my body was literally on fire and my stress level past every limit already, like we were on a mission completely gone out of control. For those who knew me absolutely no good conditions for a confrontation like this, especially with my past. But I covered it with the masquerade I had improved to perfection, to hide my rapidly diminishing confidence and all my previous accumulated anger turning into an even faster rising anxiety with each passing second. I wouldn’t let anyone see my weakness.

When our vehicle came to a slow stop, I wished we would have had at least still hours to drive instead of being here. Not making an effort to move when the three boys exited, I drew in shorter breaths and flinched slightly when I heard the car doors closing. My head coming up with something I thought I had buried a long time ago only to surface in the worst possible moment.

Loud shouts, motor sounds, car doors opening and closing with a bang from the force, the movements of a car…

Shit. I couldn’t get a panic attack right now. I’d get through this, whatever it took. It’s just a job like any other.

Lying to yourself won’t help you.

It was far from it.

Willing my breathing to even out a bit and shaking my head to get rid of these unnecessities, I opened my door and got out after I had unbuckled my seatbelt. The men of our team were patiently leaning against one side and the hood of the car, giving me the needed time until I was ready to make the first step.

As soon as they heard me leaving the last temporary safe space I’d get for tonight and shutting my only opportunity to escape, their eyes shifted to me. Ignoring the discomfort it caused, I tried to act totally unfazed by the very situation I had tried to run from for all these past years because I knew I couldn’t face it.

The truth was: I was scared shitless. How they would react, how they would look at me, what they would say, if they would do anything at all…

With an unusual hesitation I forced my feet step for step forward, fighting with all the strength I had left against the impulse to run away yet again, but with the significant difference it was amplified at least ten times more now than before. An unmistakable red flag of my body I was about to cross a line I shouldn’t, under no circumstances.

You can’t always run away. No one will come to help you, this is alone YOUR own fault.

It was an open secret that my boys could see right through the false facade I had put up and the smallest movements I made, from the uneven rise and fall of my chest to my fingers starting to nervously twitch and shake.

Sensing the waging battle the girl of their group was fighting with herself internally when she followed soundless behind them, Alex wanted nothing more than to put her out of this agony she carried with her for far too long. Hating to see the various indicators written all over her and being forced to helplessly watch how it continued to destroy what was left of her, if there even was still something. He had enough about pretending that everything was ‘okay’ when they could see it clearly wasn’t. Not this time and not now in this absurd situation they had been thrown in.

Normally he was the person instilling fear on his enemies but right now he felt it creeping up his spine and every thought went in circles around the most important question: What if this broke her for good? If she wouldn’t recover from this?

There was no way in hell he would let that happen, Alex owed it to his best friend he had known since childhood to protect his girl and be there for her. Maybe he wasn’t doing it entirely for him if he was honest but a little for himself too… but this wasn’t important right now.

The top priority was to shield her from the possible damage these five people could cause. And he’d do everything in his power to make sure of it. He wouldn’t let anyone hurt her even more than she already had been.

“We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to…” Our group halted when Alex turned around to me, gaining the attention of his brothers beside him and mine. The care on honest display, unfortunately for him, hit a nerve because I couldn’t stand it in my current state, not able to accept it.

“You can’t protect me from everything!” I blew up at him with a hateful glare before he had fully ended, the pressure I was under mixed with my anxiety getting the best of me and announcing itself in an uncontrolled outburst. Immediately regretting my reaction, I cast my sight downwards to avoid the result edged on his face. I didn’t intend to strike right the point I knew would hurt him the most but it was my natural defense mechanism kicking in.

“Sorry.”

They shouldn’t care about me at all and they shouldn’t hold onto me so much like they did, trying with everything they had to keep me off the ledge I was continuously seeking. They deserved everything but me. If I wasn’t here, they would probably live a happy life and their best friend would be still alive. I never wanted to drag them down with me in this hellhole but fate obviously had a different opinion, wanting to punish them for not giving me up and yet none of the boys did even consider it in the slightest. How could they be so foolish?

Sometimes these three were too smart for their own good, the cracks in my defense visible to them as if a light would make me stand out to call out my false play.

It took not more than a short exchange of their sights to have the same thought.

“Come ‘ere.” Mick spoke up and beckoned me with a hand gesture over to him, spreading his arms to the sides in the process.

Not sure what he aimed to accomplish with this, I stood there a little baffled while I contemplated what I should do and trying to gauge his intentions behind it. I was in no mood for any kind of empathy.

“You really wanna leave me hanging here?” He asked when I still hadn’t made a move, pulling up his best sad look and tilted his head with raised eyebrows in hopes it would convince me. He knew exactly what he did. Little shit.

There was nothing I hated more than to see them sad or hurt, especially if it was because of me and if he had gambled on that, his plan was working.

Reject him. Don’t. Give. In.

Letting out a huff, I came to him and put my arms hesitantly around his body. Laying the right side of my face carefully on his chest, assuming he offered himself for a hug.

“See? Isn’t that bad, is it?” Putting one hand on the back of my head to stroke it slowly and the other respectfully on the side of my waist with the utmost care to not place it too far backwards to keep the lines in which I allowed them to touch me.

I couldn’t deny his simple gesture was actually relaxing my nerves a little bit.

“So… we all know I’m not good with this emotional stuff but…-” Mick began after a moment, only to be cut off by Luc.

“Horrible is more accurate.” He corrected him with a smile directed toward me, making a little wink at the end.

“I’m trying to cheer her up, dude! Can you not butt in?” The man currently holding me to his large body retorted in a fake offended tone before he continued, focusing back on me.

“Where was I? Ah! Right, as I was saying… regardless what they say or do, it will not change anything between the four of us. You have my word, okay? Forever and always. Like we promised, little wolf.”

At the mention of the nickname my gaze shot up in lightning speed till it met his, my face blank. I could feel him tensing up a bit, probably because he wasn’t sure how I would take what he said and if he was overstepping a forbidden boundary.

I hadn’t been called this term in literal ages, but it was engraved in my brain for eternity. The very name he had used to tease and mock me in the beginning or when he made fun of me or… to express his affection between the lines.

Mick felt my hold tighten slightly and took it as a good sign, also since I hadn’t pushed him away from me yet, which was very likely to happen at any given moment depending on what he would do. The odds for it happening were even increased given the situation, so he had to navigate his every move very carefully if he wanted to avoid this scenario and ruin everything.

“Remember what he used to say? ‘The strength of the wolf is the pack.’ And we’ve been one ever since you came to us. That’s exactly what we gonna show them. We are all standing behind you on this and won’t leave your side.” It wasn’t a common occurrence of somebody making me speechless but right now Mick had managed to do exactly that. I had forgotten how good with words he actually could be if he wanted, reminding me not to underestimate his diplomacy skills similar to Luc’s.

But what was a pack without its true leader?

The ‘goofball’ out of the four, as she had so fittingly named him after his best and also worst trait, couldn’t watch her struggle any longer. If he could take the smallest amount of weight off her she carried, he would do it without a second thought and give her some air to breathe to keep her from drowning.

He had made it his personal mission straight from the start, but even more so after the tragic loss they had suffered - especially her, to preserve and keep that spark inside they had seen in her. Even if it was through the faintest hint of a smile, real or not, all effort put in was worth it regardless. And whatever he or his brothers had to do to stoke those flames their former leader had ignited in her, they would be there to keep them alive, 100%. They would keep her alive.

That’s why he was the self-proclaimed backbone of the team, with his ever positive and lively personality but also blunt directness. Always a cheeky comment on his lips to lift the mood of the situation and his teammates. He was the unmatched motivator out of them, despite his comical and non-serious, or what some people called annoying, appearance. The lightness he carried with himself a huge benefit for everyone when they needed it, as well as his seemingly unlimited energy that had been equal with their captain’s, after their girl had enhanced it in Vic.

“You know, you could at least pretend I’m doing a good job here.” Mick whispered lowly to me, attempting to convey his message inconspicuously, so nobody would notice but being caught red handed the second he opened his mouth, not acting suspicious at all of course.

“Feel the fear, let it be your friend and it will guide you. Don’t be afraid of it.”

It didn’t take long till I couldn’t tolerate his hug any longer, retreating myself from his embrace without a word when he got the hint and reluctantly withdrew his arms to give me space. The second person close to me I disappointed in a matter of seconds. I could make a world record with this.

“You’re right. Let’s show them that no one fucks with us.” I said when I had brought some distance between us and walked past him down the way leading to the bar. Letting them know I was done talking.

Mick blinked a few times in her direction, not quite sure if it was the reaction he had been aiming for. He had believed he had done everything right, had been careful enough, well, maybe he shouldn’t have mentioned the last part, but how fast the situation had taken a complete turn and his well-meant support ricochet back left him dumbfounded. He should have been used to it by now since it wasn’t the first occasion this happened, but none of them probably would ever get used to her unpredictable, fast-switching duality from one moment to the other.

“You only wanted to help, she knows that. It’s not on you.” Luc followed his friends’ gaze to the back of their girl with concern in his narrowed eyes. His sneaking suspicion, he had hoped would prove itself wrong, turning out to be true more and more. There would be nothing they could do to prevent the inevitable if it was what he thought, from his knowledge all the signs she had shown pointed to it so far. Her more frequent, sudden mood changes out of the blue, the tension and nervousness in her body language, her touchiness in general, as well as most importantly, she shared way more physical contact with them than she would under normal circumstances. And this fact alone was more than worrying.

“Let it fulfill you.”

It had been the most terrifying lesson a certain person taught me, but it gave me the needed courage to fight back my anxiety as best as I could for now. To use it as a weapon instead of being used by my fear.

I hadn’t been on an endless amount of battlefields, ran too many times into hails of bullets, put my life on the line for enough people that weren’t even worth it, had made friends with death more times than I could count, ended lives without giving a shit about them and the amount of blood I had on my hands and hadn’t done unspeakable things, only to be brought to my knees now by the very men of my old team.

Nobody in the entire world would ever get me to break the one holy oath I’d die for before desecrating it: I wouldn’t kneel for anyone. Only my enemies will.

Entering the area of what I presumed was an outside bar, the first thing I did was carefully assessing the place. Spotting not much besides a lit-up area on the right looking like a combination of a bar and a market stall with two people sitting at the back of the bar and the barkeeper standing behind the counter. Regals full of various bottles lining the wall behind him just as a multitude of vegetables and fruits on the ground on the opposite side. Whoever would buy these things in the middle of literal nowhere.

To my left the actual bar, built on a wooden construct and a stairway on the right with some fairy lights hanging from the edge of the roof to give this shady appearing place a more trustworthy look. Its height and a fence made of thin planks of wood allowing to overlook the whole area from each table.

And then a car parked in between. The same car we had seen not too long ago.

Its sight alone making my stomach churn and heighten my senses to full alert. Not wanting to give it any more attention than I had, I kept moving forward while making sure to stay close to the bar to avoid getting noticed just yet from above.

As if on queue when I had crossed over half of the way, loud laugher from multiple people suddenly filled the air that instantly stopped me when I jerked away from the sound of the familiar voices and stripped me of every false confidence I had managed to gather up. Feeling the anxiety skyrocketing but also shifting into a mix of fierce anger and hatred directed at myself because I couldn’t even do the simplest thing. I was so pathetic.

“Is this all you got? Do you give up that easily?”

“Stop being so mean to her, Vic. Can’t you see she’s trying her best?”

“Trying is not enough, we’re not in kindergarten here. Do it better!”

My nails dug themselves into my palms at the memory.

Movement in my periphery snapped me back into the present, registering Luc, Alex and Mick who had walked past and blocked my way with their bodies. It was so unnatural to see them this tense, especially about the awaiting situation, both their posture and faces didn’t have the usual relaxedness I was used to and it stressed me out even more.

They were ready for battle and wanted to make sure I was too with this silent conversation between us before they would allow me to continue. My very last chance to back out of all this.

As always, the first nod came from Mick, shortly followed by Alex and then Luc, giving me their affirmation that they were only waiting for my “Go”. It was like they had known I had exactly needed this to give me the drive to move on and spur the wolf to get ready to pounce.

With the encouragement through my team, I took the time to take in a long, deep breath to gather myself before I gave them my confirmation with a firm nod of my head and sharing a last sight with each other for assurance about our next step.

Our engineer decided to take the lead as ‘the first line of defense’, Luc taking the second position after checking me up and down with his scrutinizing gaze before he left Alex with me who was waiting until I got going too before he went ahead last.

I couldn’t thank them enough for not forcing me into another verbal conversation and instead choosing the option that conveyed so much more than any word ever could and taking a bit of the pressure from me to have to express myself.

Just when we had reached the stairway, I came to a halt and looked upwards.

You finally get what you wanted…

Please be with me. I need you, I can’t do this without you.

Accepting I couldn’t delay the confrontation I had wanted to avoid ever since any longer, I forced myself to tear my sight away even if every fiber in my body resisted doing it. The emptiness I continuously felt came crashing down like a tidal wave above me without mercy, pushing me back under far out of anyone’s reach to the place I just couldn’t get out of no matter what I did. The very place I had never wanted to be in again after I was shown how it was to touch the sky on the other side. Until I got pulled back under and buried at the bottom with no life left to fight for.

Three sympathetic smiles were directed at me when I looked to the stairs in front, noticing a hand stretching out to me in the same moment. First I wanted to refuse Alex’ gesture but thinking for a second about it, what a bitch I was earlier and what it meant that he was still showing how much he cared about me when he offered to be the anker I could ground myself on – knowing what it took for me to even make this step – I didn’t have it in me to deny him.

Without much protest I reciprocated his gesture, feeling the warmth of his skin seep into mine and giving me some safety. The smile on his face stretched a tad wider when he had my physical assurance I wouldn’t shut him out again and let him help, returning it with his own and brushing a few times over my hand. We are here. You are not going through this alone.

“Don’t jump at each other’s throats.” With a quiet but steady voice I gave them my permission to engage, steeling myself and shoving all emotions in the dark corner where they belonged.

A quiet snort escaped Mick’s lips, conjuring a grin about the irony of my words. There were only two ways this was gonna go, either war or peace. There was no in between.

And knowing my boys, they wouldn’t even let them anywhere near me - not that I wanted it anyway.

I could only hope for the best and that they could control their temper because I would fight tooth and nail for those three and protect them with my life no matter who I was up against.

If any of my ex-mates dared to pick a fight with them, they had to survive the feared wolf first and then things would get ugly very fast – for them.

Let’s not get started if they found any of my triggers…

Before my thoughts could come up with every possible scenario, I chose to distract myself with something way more important, to check I had everything covered I didn’t want them to see while we were slowly ascending the stairs step by agonizing step. Making sure my braided ponytail was hiding most of the unmistakable, angry red scar on the right side of my throat before everyone’s eyes and my two necklaces were concealed under my black shirt. Going lower till the waistband of my jeans in the same color to find my gun and knife in the places where I had put them, ready to use in case anything should happen.

The grip on each other’s hand hardened when we reached the end and entered the bar, sharing a tight squeeze while we walked one after another in a row. All my senses automatically zeroed in on this very moment, making it almost impossible to keep up the mantra I was telling myself over and over.

I can do this. I can do this… I can… do this… I-

I stayed as close to Alex as I physically could to hide myself behind him in hopes it would give me more time until they realized who I was.

The paralyzing fear I had tried to fight in vain before came stabbing me in the back harder than ever and turned my body against me. Feeling like someone was squeezing my throat so tight I could barely breathe. Every step forward being at least a hundred backwards for my strength and self-consciousness which had been so laboriously built up. My muscles moving on their own despite the weight manifesting on my feet.

“FIGHT! FIGHT BACK!!”

“Vic, it’s ENOUGH!”

“You’re so pathetically weak…”

Not daring to take a look from behind his back, I kept facing away from the scene to not cave in now and show everyone present how weak I indeed really was.

The atmosphere shifted as soon as we had stepped foot into the place, the one before a storm was about to break lose any minute with us in the epicenter. The hot and cold signals my body was sending me together with the humid climate didn’t do me a favor at all, the sweat clinging to me grossing me out and I wondered why Alex hadn’t let go yet and didn’t seem to care about the stickiness of my hand.

Was he regretting being here? Was he rethinking his choice of agreeing to this? Was he already hating me for dragging them into things they didn’t have to do anything at all with? Would they leave me as soon as we were done here to deal with my past alone? Were they only still with me because they thought they owed it to their dead friend?

What was I doing here? I should have never suggested this mission. What did I thought it would do? I should have ignored this god damn letter. I wasn’t supposed to even be here. Why couldn’t I just go back??

“Y/N?”

The moment my very name shot through the silence like a bullet, the chaotic whirlwind of thoughts was gone and I instantly froze into place. Not making any movement and praying I was mostly hidden for them, so they would hopefully ignore me thinking they had mistaken me.

But luck – fate – wasn’t on my side as always.

Of course they wouldn’t give me more time.

I couldn’t delay the inevitable any longer. It was over.

As slowly as I could I moved around, the hold on me tightening while I revealed myself and shared a fleeting glance with Alex who had his eyes already on me from over his shoulder.

I had to do this now. I wouldn’t cave.

I couldn’t run away anymore.

My pulse accelerated with every passing second and the only thing I wanted was to disappear, desperately clinging to my anker.

It was never meant to happen like this. In fact, it was never meant to happen at all if I could have helped it.

Forced to face the five men from my past after so many years spent to run from them, I hesitantly looked in their direction and deeply regretted it when five sets of eyes found mine. Bringing back up everything again, first and foremost the day I had left them.

Ben, Will, Santiago, Frankie and Tom were also brought back to the fateful events leading to the loss of the most important part of their team at the sight of the person they had never expected to see ever again before their very eyes…

8 years ago…

5:09 AM, Central America, Nicaragua

Moving uncomfortably around on the chair he was sitting in, Ben woke slowly from his sleep, stretching his limbs and blinking a few times with his eyes. It wasn’t definitely the best idea to try to sleep on the piece of furniture that was too small for his large body.

Noticing the room was still dark, he guessed it was still night, maybe close to early morning.

Trying not to be too loud and wake the other person in the room with him, he tried to shift into a more comfortable position and ease his muscles up he could feel hurting already from laying in this awkward position for probably a few hours.

Ben’s eyes automatically went straight ahead to the bed in front of him, checking if their girl was sleeping soundly under the covers he draped over her before he took the first shift of watching her. That in case something happened or she had a nightmare, one of them was there to help. Just in case. They would make sure they would be there this time.

Still mostly asleep and wanting to close his eyes and turn around again to get a bit more sleep, he listened for anything that would indicate a nightmare or that she wasn’t okay but the room was silent and he also couldn’t make out any violent movement on the bed through his half closed eyes. He was nearly off to sleep again as a thought hit him like a lightning strike.

The bed was empty.

His blue eyes shot open wide and his body followed, nearly tumbling to the floor in the process from jumping abruptly out of his seat in his sleeping but now wide awake state.

The dirty blonde’s gaze shot to the bathroom next, spotting the door wide open and no light shining. Looking back at the bed and trying to figure out if he was dreaming or not.

“Honey?” he asked in his rough and raspy morning voice, waiting for any form of response that never came.

Faster than light he ran over to the switch next to the door and flipped it on. The whole room illuminating and confirming his fear that felt like someone had just poured a bucket of ice water over him. There was no way she was gone.

Frantically he searched the room for anything that belonged to her, like her baggage she brought with her the first day but came up emptyhanded. Nothing. Not a single thing.

Ben had never felt anything like he was feeling now. First the whole thing hours ago and now this? It couldn’t get any more worse, right?

His heart was pounding hard against his chest as he ripped open the door, not caring about anything but her right now and bounding out to the one next to it.

“Guys! Open the fucking door! Wake up!” He screamed loudly, waking the whole hotel in the process.

His knocking only stopped when the door opened and his brother Will was standing before him, not knowing what happened to have Ben this wound up in the early morning hours but already on high alert.

“What the fuck, dude? What’s going on?” Blue eyes already searching each other.

“She’s fucking gone, man!” His little brother was not even waiting a moment to respond.

The opening of another door not far away could be heard and another voice joined them.

“Can you tell me, what you think you’re doing? You’re waking the entire complex, Ben!” Tom’s annoyed voice sounded from the other side of them.

“I just woke up and wanted to check she was okay but she wasn’t there!” Ben explained, making wild gestures with his hands and arms.

“Let’s not discuss this out here, come in.” Will said quietly and gestured with his head to Tom and Frankie to come over in his and Santiago’s room, who followed his request and walked over.

“You better have a good reason for this, hermano.” Santiago warned, sitting on the front of the bed he was previously sleeping till he got so rudely awakened by the young man’s screaming voice.

“We need to go look for her. Something could have happened or what if someone-?” Ben started again but was halted by his brother.

“Calm down, okay? Maybe she has taken a walk or just needed some fresh air.” He suggested, going already over all possible options in his head.

“What is even happening?” Frankie, the only one of the group that still hadn’t really caught on at was happening asked, leaning against the table on the wall and folding his arms.

“Y/N’s gone! That’s what’s happening and all her stuff too!” Benny shouted back, nervously running a hand through his strands.

Frankie’s eyes grew wide at the reply.

“Her stuff too?” He asked, not believing what he was hearing.

“Yes! Like she was never there in the first place!” The dirty blonde said, shifting constantly around on his feet.

Well, a walk was off the table with that. Will grinded his teeth together hard. This was not good, it was far from good actually. The way things had developed in the past hours only increased the boiling inside him further. Not knowing what was going on, being kept in the dark and things happening that were so out of character for the girl they were serving with for years now. Nothing of all this was making sense.

“Okay, we get it. Let’s all not make any hasty assumptions here.” Will tried to reason and keep everyone from panicking.

Santiago shook his head and angrily spoke something while standing up and shuffling around, probably some curse in Spanish.

“What are you doing?” Frankie eyed his brother.

“Getting ready to look for her, pendejo. What else?” He replied back and unzipped his bag on the ground in the corner to get some clothes.

“Fucking finally!” Ben breathed out and was ready to go, not wanting to waste any more time than they already had. Too much in his opinion.

“You can’t just walk out there like this. We’re still on a fucking mission!” Their captain decided to join in on the conversation to remind them that their reason for being here was not a vacation but way more serious and they still needed to be careful even if they were leaving today, or so it was planned.

“He’s right. We don’t know where she is right now and we can’t just aimlessly walk around here. And we also have a flight to catch.” Will backed up Tom’s opinion on their plan, looking around the group.

“What do we do then? I ain’t fucking sitting around waiting if she comes back or not and I don’t give a shit about that flight, I’m not leaving without her!” His little brother was clearly done with talking, his decision what he’d do already written on his face.

“If she left, someone must have seen her. Let’s try asking around first and see if we can find out anything that will help, okay? She couldn’t have used the car because I still have the keys, so she could’ve only left by foot or a cab.” The other Spanish man in the room voiced his thoughts to the group, trying to intervene before it escalated into a more heated argument.

Everyone looked at each other for a moment, exchanging looks before Tom nodded and straightened his position.

“Alright. Let’s get ready and meet downstairs in 10 minutes.” He confirmed with one more look around them before starting to move toward the door with Frankie and Ben in tow.

Not needing the full 10 minutes to get ready, the group met 5 minutes later in the lobby of the hotel.

“So what’s the plan now?” The younger Miller wanted to know, already scanning the environment around them in search of their missing girl.

“We split up and try to ask around. Stay in the building, we’ll meet back here in 20.” Tom explained and everyone nodded as confirmation before they began to split, each one taking a different direction to begin their search.

The Minutes passing by and still no success for each of them, Ben stormed annoyed past the lobby a second time. Huffing from the frustration that grew bigger by the second. They needed to find her. Right fucking now.

“Excuse me? Are you looking for something?” He heard a voice from behind.

Halting his steps, he turned around.

“Yes! Have you seen the girl that was with us when we checked in?” He immediately answered. Registering the female receptionist not far from him now, that was also there when they checked in the first day.

“Yes, of course I did. She paid and checked out already 4 hours ago. Said that someone would still be in her room that was supposed to check out today.” The young brown-haired woman answered politely, offering him a slight smile.

“She- What?!” Ben felt like his legs would give out underneath him at the revelation he just heard and all color left his face.

“Do- do you know where she went?” He choked out, trying to get as much information as he possibly could.

“She took one of the cabs outside but I don’t know where she wanted to go. Probably the airport with the baggage she had with her if you ask me. But that’s all I can give you, I’m sorry.” She elaborated and gave him an apologetic look. Sensing that there was probably a not so nice reason for her leave alone but not wanting to interfere with their privacy.

“That’s enough already, thank you so much!” He thanked the receptionist, turning around and walking a few steps back, tapping his feet impatiently while waiting for the boys.

A few minutes later, the rest of the group turned up at the lobby again where Benny was already burning holes in the floor with his shoes, finally stopping when his brothers came into view.

“She checked out 4 hours ago!” He told them before any of them could ask something.

Not expecting something like this all of them needed a second to process what they just heard. They felt like someone had punched them in the gut.

“Checked out?” Frankie repeated in complete disbelieve.

“Yeah, the receptionist there told me that she paid for the room already too and that she took a cab. Probably to the airport or somethin’.”

“She’d never go alone on a fuckin’ plane, man.” Santiago joined their conversation. Not believing their female teammate would go voluntarily near anything like that because of her anxiety.

“Where else would she go with all her stuff? Another hotel?” The younger Miller shot back.

“You said she took a cab, let’s go and ask the drivers then. I saw some standing outside.” Will said, already turning around to go outside and ask there.

Without protest the others followed hot on his heels, marching out with quick steps and looking for the cabs that waited outside the entrance of the building.

Starting with the first to their left, they moved down the line as a group, asking each driver if they had driven a woman from the hotel somewhere in the last few hours.

Ready to nearly give up, they came to the last one in line. Stopping and repeating their questions for the fifth time now in a matter of minutes, not really believing this one would turn out any different than the others.

“Let me think… hm, yes. I did, actually.” The driver, an older man answered, leaned next to his car.

“Where did you drive her?” Ben wasn’t sure if he should be happy or not, that they at least had a lead where she was now.

“She’s your girl?” The man eyed him questioningly, not sure if he could trust the men in front of him, considering the woman they were looking for seemed to have left them without their knowledge. Normally a clear sign to what this could be leading to.

“Yes, she is.” He answered without hesitation, not needing to think over what he was saying. For him she was and always would be his. No question. She always had been and he wouldn’t let anything change that. Even if he’d never admit it.

Catching the other guys a little bit by surprise upon his answer, they tried to compose their faces, so the man couldn’t see their reactions. All of them knew how Ben was feeling about the only girl in their team, there was enough history between them to tell what was going on. But hearing him saying it out loud, even in a different context, still caught them a little off guard.

“I really hope for you, that you and your friends didn’t do something to her. Otherwise I have to call the police.” The driver threatened them, narrowing his eyes at the group.

“We’d never, I swear! She’s important to all of us and we just wanna know where she went, so we can go and look for her.” Ben answered honestly and looked the man in the eyes with a seriousness you only see when he was in mission mode.

“You’d better. I took her to the airport, looked a bit off and wasn’t really paying much attention, being quiet the whole drive.” He finally told them, adding the little details he had noticed.

The boys exchanged worried and confused looks at that, giving them pause for a moment.

“Thank you, sir. You really helped us a lot!” The younger Miller thanked him and walked back in the hotel followed by the others, making a straight beeline to the elevator.

“Any ideas?” Santiago asked while pressing the button of their floor.

“Our flight’s supposed to be in 5 hours.” Will informed, always the one in the group to rely on when it came to numbers. Her time missing making his stomach turn more with each second he counted passing by.

“Fuck that, we’re going to the airport now!” Ben huffed, slamming his fist against the wall of the elevator in frustration.

“She’ll be alright, okay? It won’t help if we’re loosing it.” Frankie jumped in, patting his friends’ back reassuringly a few times.

“Fish’s right. We’ll get our things packed up and go to the airport. But there won’t be a guarantee that we’ll get another flight.” The older Miller brother confirmed while stepping out and walking to their rooms.

“We meet at the car in 10.” They heard Tom’s voice in the distance while everyone spread out to their respective rooms, packing up everything in record time.

Before Benny could enter the empty room he carelessly left behind an hour ago, he was stopped by his brother.

“Y/N’s gonna be alright. Whatever is going on with her, we’ll find it out, okay? Everything’s gonna be fine, Ben. There will be an explanation to all of this.” Will came closer and brought him in a tight brotherly hug, holding his little brother to him. Trying to sooth his strained nerves and allowing him to finally break down and let out everything he desperately tried to hold back.

Feeling Benny slowly pulling back, he looked at him intently, not once breaking eye contact.

“Can you help Fish load the car while I get everything sorted with our checkout?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Okay, I’ll see you downstairs in a few.” Will gave him a slight smile and a last pat on the back before walking off to his room.

After everything was taken care of and their luggage packed in the car in an amount of mere minutes, they were off to the airport.

Under normal circumstances Frankie would drive safely, but their situation was far from anything close to it and he drove a bit faster than he should and “missed” a few stop signs along the way till they stopped after a 10 minute drive in the large parking lot of their destination.

Each of the Delta soldiers was practically jumping out of the car when they were parked, grabbing their things and speeding off, minus Tom, who’s mood had soured over the course of their not planned way back to base.

“She’ll better have a very damn good excuse for this.” He grumbled annoyed while they were on the way through the building, but the rest decided to ignore his comment. There were more important things to be concerned of right now than his pissed-off mood.

“I’m gonna go over to the counter and see if I can rebook our flight to an earlier one. Maybe someone has seen her too.” Will announced shortly after they stopped in front of a few seats.

“I’ll come with you.” His little brother said and was right beside him in an instant, needing some closeness to him right now to keep him grounded.

Already knowing what was going on, the older blonde accepted his silent request without any protest and gave him a quick nod before walking off together to the ticket counter.

“Hello, how can I help you?” A red-haired woman in probably her 30’s greeted them with a smile.

“Hello, excuse me but we’re looking for a woman that probably booked a flight here to North Carolina a few hours ago. Have you seen anyone maybe?” Will greeted her.

“Wait, I have a photo of her.” Benny added and took it out of the pocket of his blue shirt, showing it to her.

It was a group photo, made when they were back at base after their first mission together, all of them exhausted but happy and smiling. The boys were standing in a line, arms over each other’s shoulders with their girl in front of them, having the brightest smile on her face they’d ever seen toward the camera. The colonel had taken it for them, being very proud of his best team he had in Delta Force. He had given all of them a copy of it after. Everyone knew from that moment on that they would be a team forever. Ben would never forget that day, would never forget that smile she had back then. The need he felt there to always make her smile like that again.

The woman behind the counter looked at it for a few seconds until she gave it back to him.

“Yes, she wanted the earliest flight when she arrived here.” She answered, remembering her from before.

The Miller brothers shared an alarmed look. She really must have taken a plane on her own, besides her really bad fear of heights.

“Thank you really much for the information ma’am.” Benny thanked her after breaking eye contact and looking back at her with a slight smile.

“No problem. Is there something else I can help you with?” The woman wanted to know and looked at them questioningly.

“Yes, we have a flight that was booked for later. Would it be possible to rebook it to an earlier one?” Will asked and handed her the tickets and his passport to confirm his identity.

“Let me see… yes, the last free possible flight will be in an hour. Will that be okay with you?” The woman said while looking at her computer, typing away and back up when she found something.

“That would be nice, we take it.” Will answered, letting out a breath of relief. Thank god, they didn’t have to wait for hours here or otherwise we wasn’t sure if he could stay calm any longer. He was close to the line he not wanted to cross and didn’t want to risk overstepping it. He needed to stay strong for Benny and the rest of his brothers, be the rock they needed right now, even if it wasn’t easy despite his own worries for their girl and the anger against himself for letting something happen like that. He’d make sure they got on that plane and do everything he needed till they knew she was okay and she was safe. Till he could hold her in his arms again and apologize for what they had done.

“Here you go, just look out for the announcement. The gate is down the hallway and then to your left. Have a safe flight and a good day.” She smiled and handed him the new tickets and the passport.

“Thank you for everything. Have a good day too.” He said goodbye, giving her a fake smile.

“Do you really think she would go on a plane without us?” Ben asked unsure out of nowhere, looking at Will with stormy blue eyes, that grew darker by the second like his brother’s.

The older man wished he would know the answer himself but every information they had gathered so far was pointing toward it. There was no other possible option in this moment. Why did she come here asking for the earliest flight she could get then? It wouldn’t make sense if she went somewhere else and the woman on the counter would have probably told them if she left without taking her new-booked flight. But she’d never go on a plane without at least one of them, hell it was even a thing on its own to even get her to go into it. And now she should have done that alone all of a sudden? Out of nowhere, like it wasn’t bothering her in the slightest and her anxiety didn’t exist? Will’s head started to hurt from all the overthinking he wasn’t able to stop.

“I don’t know, bro. The only thing I can say is, that everything looks like it.” He answered his brother’s question after a short silence with a sigh.

“How did it go?” Frankie greeted them and searched both of their faces for answers.

“Our flight’s in an hour.” Will answered and handed out the tickets.

“Anyone seen her?” Santiago followed with his question, hoping they’d get more information.

“The woman on the counter said Y/N wanted the earliest flight when she arrived here.” Ben explained trying to temper his mood, lifting his backwards cap to run a hand through his hair and putting it down again.

All of their movements halted and their eyebrows rose comically high on their foreheads.

“Imposible. (Impossible.)” Frankie grunted out in Spanish, not able to hold in his disbelieve any longer at the thought. Turning around with a shaking head while walking a few steps and crossing his arms over his chest.

What made her do that? What was going on with her that she would do something like that? It was so unlike her and in this moment, they felt like they didn’t even know her.

“So, what you wanna tell us is, that she went on a plane all by herself with her anxiety? The same girl that needs at least an hour till we can convince her to get into a fucking thing like that? That would rather walk by foot instead of flying?” The other Spanish man in the group spoke up to voice his thoughts about their newly found out information. Sharing the same feeling with the pilot.

“Look man, I don’t know what the fuck is going on but that is the only thing we’ve got right now and you’re not the only one who thinks how fucked up all this is. All of us know she’d rather die than go near anything that can fly but what if she really did it? There’s no other option what she could have done, otherwise that woman would have told us if she didn’t take her flight.” Will countered with slight agitation in his voice.

“All we can do now is wait anyway.” The captain of the group added and leaned back in his seat.

Not wanting to fuel the tension, the rest of the boys decided to follow Tom’s example and take a seat and wait till their flight would be announced. They’d have 6 long hours ahead of them where they could do nothing but wait and maybe try to get some more sleep.

8 PM, North Carolina, Fort Bragg

When they arrived back at the familiar soil of the Delta Force base 6 hours later, they didn’t know what bomb would be waiting there for them, ready to leave a devastation in its wake none of them could have been prepared for.

“Look who finally decided to join us!” Deryll piped up smiling upon seeing the missing Delta soldiers returning, still on the security shift with his best friend Marc.

“Did they jail your asses in that airport?” Marc joined his friend, greeting the boys laughing and giving them a wave with his hand.

Quick hugs among the men were exchanged, giving each other a pat on the back.

“The fuck are you talking about?” Ben asked afterwards, not knowing what they meant.

“We were worried we had to take care of your girl now.” Mark continued with a wide grin on his face.

The group of five exchanged confused looks for a moment. Knowing they were clearly missing something here.

“You better watch your mouth, hermano.” Santiago threatened him with a serious gaze.

“So you’re letting her fly on her own now, hm?” Deryll threw in while also grinning at his friend across.

“What is this all about?” Tom asked, having enough of being kept out of whatever this was.

“You’re joking right?” Marc said, still amused over the reaction of the men in front of them, not believing their seriousness.

Another round of looks among the boys was exchanged.

“No, we’re not. So would you mind telling us what’s going on here?” Ben spoke up, making his point clear that he wasn’t joking.

That took the two security men by surprise. Sharing a weird look with each other.

“Y/N said there was an issue with your flight, so she took the earlier one when she turned up alone here a few hours ago and we asked her about you.” Deryll explained, his smile slowly fading.

“An issue with our flight?!” Will repeated, making sure he heard correctly.

“Yeah, why?” Marc confirmed it almost in an instant, getting serious now too upon their reactions.

“Where is she?” The younger Miller brother butted in, his voice growing more desperate and serious.

“Calm down man, she’s somewhere in there.” Deryll told him, making a motion with his head toward the entrance of the base.

“Was talking and joking around with us when she arrived here, so no need to worry, dude.” Marc added to his friend’s comment, hoping it would ease up the sudden tension.

“This just gets better and better.” Tom commented sarcastically, shaking his head heavily and running a hand over his face.

“I don’t know what you’re on about but get your asses in there and look for yourself if you don’t believe us. We’ll see you later.” Marc said, crossing his arms now and opening the door for them.

“Yeah, shouldn’t keep your girl waiting!” Deryll shouted after them as loud as possible with a laugh after they walked through the entrance.

“The fuck was that?” Frankie asked confused as they walked through the base toward their bunks.

“Don’t have a fucking clue.” Will replied, shaking his head at him and shouldering his luggage a bit higher on his shoulder.

“Whatever it was, I don’t like it.” Benny commented quietly and mostly more to himself, clenching his jaw.

“We should probably teach them a lesson next time if we get a chance.” Santiago added, letting his sight wander around the base.

“There’s time for that after we reported back to the colonel. Drop off your stuff and meet at the colonel’s office.” Tom ordered and broke off to his bunk when they reached them.

“Yes, sir.” All of them said in unison before splitting and going to their own.

A few minutes later, the boys met in front of the building the colonel was in.

“Let’s get this over with.” Tom sighed and walked in first, followed by Will, Santiago, Ben and Frankie.

The group stopped again at his office, waiting patiently while Tom knocked a few times at the door.

Being beckoned in with a “Come in!”, they all entered and shut the door behind them.

“They finally let you go, hm?” They got greeted by Colonel Sanders, standing up from his chair and nodding at them. Motioning for them to take a seat if someone wanted but all declined his offer, making themselves comfortable while standing next to each other.

“I’m sorry?” Tom asked, surprised by his greeting.

“I heard about your ‘flight issues’.” The colonel elaborated, closely observing his boys.

Their once blank faces changed slightly at that and of course Sanders noticed it right away. There was something wrong, just like he had supposed before.

Standing there in silence for a very long moment, he decided to continue.

“I guess by your reactions that there weren’t any, right?”

The Delta soldiers didn’t quite know how to respond, not knowing themselves what this was all about.

“No, sir?” Ben decided to speak up but actually cringing at how it sounded.

“I thought so. You’re here to report back then?” The colonel answered, walking away a few steps from his desk, his gaze still fixated on them.

“Yes, sir.” Will confirmed, giving him a nod.

“Is there anything you wanna tell me first?” Sanders carefully asked, straightening his position and eyeing them more intently than before.

The boys’ faces immediately fell when they thought back to what they had witnessed in the smuggler’s hide-out.

“There was a little ‘incident’ when we cleared the hide-out of the smugglers.” Tom answered, trying to not make a big deal out of it.

“A ‘little incident’?!” Ben shouted out angrily and glared at their captain, not believing how he could downplay so easily what they actually had seen.

Colonel Sanders heard enough to know it must have been something really serious, for Ben and the others to act like this.

“Y/N didn’t tell me anything when I asked her. So I wanna know from you what’s going on.”

“Where is she?” The younger Miller asked with worry in his voice, ignoring the comment from the colonel and only thinking about their girl in this moment.

“None of you is leaving this office before someone has told me what the fuck happened on your mission!” Sander’s voice grew louder, making it clear how serious this conversation was and catching the guys off guard by the tone of his voice.

“We… don’t really know.” Frankie answered after a moment, looking to the ground with a guilty expression on his face.

“You don’t know?!” The colonel repeated, not knowing what he should think about it.

“We had cleared the building up to the 6th floor and were checking the 7th. Everything looked clear, we even checked it twice each but then she told us to hold our position because she thought it was not clear. We were convinced that the floor was safe too after checking it multiple times and decided to move on despite her warning and not responding through her com anymore. We got to the last floor without any problems or encounters on the way. There were just a few more guys and our target on the last one that we took care of. After making sure we were done, we headed back down where we were coming from and then… we found her on the floor below.” Will explained cautiously, fully knowing what the colonel’s reaction would be.

“Found her?” Sanders calmly asked, hating where this was going.

“She… was just laying there… with all those bodies and the blood around the floor.” Ben tried to get out, the same feeling he had back there, creeping up his body and making him sick to his stomach again.

The older gray-haired man in the room tried to keep his composure upon hearing the revelation, going back to his chair and needing to sit down for a moment.

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He trusted his boys with his life, they were his best team for a reason. How could they let something like this happen?

“When we got to her, we immediately checked if she was alive and if she had any serious injuries but we found nothing. She only had an anxiety attack and a complete breakdown right after but besides that, she physically was fine somehow. Only a slight scratch on her throat. She slept through the whole drive back to the hotel, where we took care of her gear and cleaned her up a bit since she and her clothes were completely soaked in blood. After, we decided that each of us would take turns to watch her till the next morning to make sure she was okay. Ben woke us a few hours later in the middle of the night, saying that she was gone. That’s all we knew until we tried to find her. We decided to ask around for her in the hotel first and the receptionist informed us that she had paid and checked out already hours ago and took a cab. So we asked some of the drivers outside if they had seen her and one of them said that he took her to the airport, so we went there next after we got everything sorted. My brother and I went to the ticket counter to try and ask for her, which turned out positive. The woman explained that she had been there, wanting the earliest flight when she arrived. That’s everything until we landed and went straight back here.” The older Miller continued his report, making sure to tell everything he knew and lowering his head with an almost pained look.

Now her behavior made at least a little bit more sense but still didn’t explain why she not wanted to be with them anymore.

Colonel Sanders let out a heavy sigh, folding his hands in front of him, trying to think about the best way to tell his boys what their girl had requested from him.

A deathly silence settled over the office until he decided to speak.

“I… have to tell you something.” His gruff voice already a bad omen, sounding like he was about to tell them about her death.

The rest of the men in the room all immediately picked up on the sudden change in his voice, not being used to that kind of tone but already feeling fear creeping up their spines. Not able to say something.

Sanders looked around at each of them before continuing. Making himself ready to drop the already ticking bomb over their heads to explode.

“She requested… to be moved to another team. Immediately.”

Right as the last word had left him, Benny nearly lost it completely. Clearly not expecting anything like this.

“What?!” It was the only word he was able to choke out before he felt his legs nearly giving out under him. He felt like someone had forcefully ripped his heart right out of his chest and left him to die.

His brothers didn’t take it in any different, the ground having been pulled away from right under their feet quite literally. Each of them taking in a sharp breath and needing some support from the wall behind them to keep them upright on their feet. Frankie and Santiago grabbing their caps and lowering them slowly from their heads in front of their bodies.

“This… is all just a bad joke from you and her to get back at us for what happened, right?” Ben tried to convince himself, denying this could be actually true. There was no way in hell that she actually had meant what she said.

“Do I look like I’m joking?” The colonel asked him, his expression unchanged and the same seriousness in his voice than before.

“No…. no, no, no, no, no! That’s- that can’t be…” The devastation was crystal clear in Benny’s voice. His mind completely blanked. He didn’t know what to do with what he had been told a few seconds ago.

All of their faces had turned deathly pale, completely drained from their color in a matter of a second. None of them knew what to say, what to do with that information. They just felt like someone had shot them straight in the head. Never once had any of them even thought about the one impossible thing happening.

“Why?!” The younger Miller screamed and sank on his knees to the floor with tears in his once bright blue eyes that were now swallowed whole by the same darkness that crept up inside of him in that very moment.

“Did… she say anything?” Will didn’t know how he managed to get any words out right now but somehow, they left his mouth without fully registering it.

Colonel Sanders left another heavy sigh and hung his head, knowing full well how his Delta boys must be feeling right now.

“I can’t tell you anything more than this. I’m sorry.” He apologized, hating to have to keep the promise he had given their girl.

“This must all be a mistake! This can’t… be…!” Ben continued sobbing, not being able to hold in his emotions any longer and starting to hit the ground with his right fist he had curled so tight, he could feel the nails digging in his palm and drawing blood.

“I’m so sorry. I wish I didn’t have to tell you this.” Sanders apologized again, not knowing himself what he could do to be there for them.

“Where…? Where… is she?” Having released some of his anger, Ben looked up at the colonel, tears still running down his cheeks.

“I don’t think this is a good idea right now.” The colonel sighed, knowing they probably all wanted to see her but it wouldn’t lead to something good until they at least had cooled off.

“I don’t fucking care! I wanna see her right fucking now!” Benny screamed again, raising suddenly with lightspeed to his full height with his completely shaking body.

Before he did anything he’d regret later, Will was by his side and tried to hold him back and appease him.

“Ben. You need to calm down.”

“No! How can you even stay so fucking calm after this?! Do you even fuckin’ care at all about her?!” His little brother knew fully well that he was crossing a line with this that he shouldn’t but his emotions were all over the place and he couldn’t think straight.

It was the last thread that Will had been hanging on the entire trip back. He couldn’t restrain himself any longer and finally snapped too thanks to his little brother accusing him of not caring for their girl, that was way too precious to him as well.

“You really think, I don’t fucking care about her too?!” He wasn’t able to control his rage anymore, that had been building up gradually more and more inside of him in the last minutes.

Santiago, Frankie and Tom snapped out of their paralyzed state when both of the Miller brothers were about to charge at each other. The look in their eyes one, that promised nothing but death and destruction. But before anything could happen, they intervened. Frankie grabbing and holding back Ben with all his strength and Santiago did his best together with Tom to keep Will separated from his brother.

“You gotta stop, hermano. It’ll be okay. It’ll be fine.” The pilot reasoned with him, looking him dead in the eyes.

“Stop! It won’t help if you jump at each other’s throats! You know that!” Santiago on the other side tried to get through to his friend, knowing he was the more reasonable one of the two right now.

“Enough!” Before anything more could happen, the colonel raised his voice loudly enough to get the attention of all.

“You can be thankful that this has no consequences because of her! Y/N defended all of your stubborn asses with her life when I asked her about what had happened! She even said that it wasn’t your fault!”

His statement felt like another heavy punch in the gut for the boys. Coming back to their senses again, Ben and Will looked guilty to the ground and stopped fighting against the hold of their friends that loosened their grip on them when they felt them relaxing.

None of them dared to say another word, feeling like absolute shit. So the older gray-haired man took it upon himself to continue and try to soothe them at least a little with his words, even if it wouldn’t help the deep gaping wound each of them now had inside.

“Do you think it was an easy decision for me? You think I don’t know how you feel right now too? I tried to convince Y/N to think about her decision at least for a day but she insisted and I can’t deny her that. But we all know that this girl would go through hell and back for you. She’d do anything for her possible to save your asses from whatever mess you drag yourself into. So please try to accept her decision and give her some space and time to think about it. I know it’s a lot right now but you can’t change anything about it in this moment. Go to your bunks and get some rest after all you’ve been through in the last hours. Give yourself some time to process everything and try to stay away from her for the time being. I will keep an eye on Y/N until she decides that she wants you back, you have my promise.”

The boys knew he was right, rationally. But emotionally this whole ordeal was a completely different thing. Especially for Ben, not being able to be with her, hear her voice he loved so much and could listen to from day to night and her laugh that would make his entire day when he heard it, feel and touch her soft skin on his and assured him that she was there with him, to see her smile and knowing it was because of him. All of it had been violently ripped away in a matter of seconds. He never wanted to be a second without her, always wanted to have her by his side and being reminded that someone cared about him, that she was happy and safe. Ben didn’t know if he was able to live without her, how he was supposed to continue from this.

The colonel stood up from his seat and rounded the table to give each of them a long hug, letting them know they weren’t alone in this.

“I’ll see you back here in the morning.” He said and walked back behind his table, watching them as they slowly made their way out with hanging and defeated postures. None of them capable of more than a nod as goodbye.

They went back to their bunks and waited…

…for 8 long years.

A/N: The flashback part had been sitting in my drafts for ages ever since I wrote it along the first chapter of this fic because I wasn't sure when it would fit nicely into the story or if I even wanted to incorporate it at all. But I'm excited to share it with you now and hope it was a good choice to place it here and shed some light to what actually happened from the boys' side of things! 🥰

Buckle up because we are about to go down the rabbit hole! 😎

If you enjoyed feel free to reblog, like and comment! 🥰

Masterlist

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#benny miller #benny miller x reader #will miller #william miller x reader #santiago garcia #santiago garcia x reader #francisco morales #frankie morales x reader #triple frontier x reader #triple frontier #triple frontier fanfiction #garrett hedlund #charlie hunnam #oscar isaac #pedro pascal #IGotYourSix

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dreamtydraw · 8 months

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i wanna know more about erinna! what's her story like (｀∇´)! and what's something about her that most other characters don't know?

*crack knuckles*

Tw: abusive relationship ,depression and parental neglect

Erinna Alphonse ( full name ) 's parents died when she was a baby and she ended up in the orphanage. She was lucky to get adopted young by a lovely couple who wanted to have a daughter.

All her childhood, she was pampered like a princess. It all was going well until she tuner 6 years old. After years the couple finally managed to have a legitimate child.

A majority of the family didn't consider Erinna as legitimate in the family but it's wasn't too serious because she was young and the subject didn't come back often. With the arrival of a « legitimate » child the question came up again, they had no valid reason to not count her as a family now they did. It’s simple, outside of her grandparents most of them started to simply tolerated her « when will you send her back ? »

Little iris is now the center of the family and takes all of her parent’s attention.That created the syndrome of the King child. You give everything to Iris the younger because we are so proud to have her, after all, she is the little one of the family, we must pamper her. Erinna is old enough, she can understand, right?

Erinna Understood very well that we favorise the youngest, after all, it is a baby and she has no rancor. She loves her little sister, she looks after her, she takes care of her... So why would she hold a grudge against her?

Years pass and her parent enrolled her in multiple private lessons because failing to grant her their presence in her life, they wanted her to do big and great language studies. In some way, it was for them the only reason she was worth getting attention.

For that, she started an international program in middle school with English for history and literature, added Latin optional, Spanish in LV2, and the following years a study of Russian, Japanese, Polish, German, and in the end Finnish, switching constantly when her level isn’t judged good enough to begin with.

Just by reading it, you can feel how much this program looks heavy for a midlescholer and it is. Above it, she takes care of herself since her parents trust her to be big enough to do it alone. They are too busy and they didn't want to waste money on a nanny when Erinna is capable enough to do everything alone.

growing up too early ruins a childhood and at the age of 15, she is already in Burnout.

No time to make friends you have to work, no time to sleep you have to do your dinner, no time to go out you have to clean your house.

As she’s busy, her parents take even less time for her, ut's a pitty excuse as they are the ones overlooking her and then complain. They go on vacation with the youngest one and leave her the keys for her to study at home because exams go first, they go see the family without her because she's not that welcome now that grandpa is gone. They do not celebrate her birthday because it is too close to Christmas and after all, they can just mix the two and that if they remember to wish her a good day.

The problem is, nothing is all bad or all good for her, it’s a gray area in the heart of the girl.

They are neither bad nor good with her, it's neglect. She’s just so tired, the simple idea of opening a book makes her want to cry. she’s tired of it all but doesn’t want to complain because she doesn’t see the injustice. For her, it's just that she’s rubbing herself for nothing and her parents are doing a lot of stuff so she should stop complaining.

During her last High school year, a person who draws her attention, a boy named Ricky.

Ricky is nice to her, he remembers their little discussions, she gets along well with him and it’s a light of comfort in the ocean of her life. He always try to reach out to her, sometimes walked her home. So when he asks her out she happily says yes, she feels loved for the first time in a while.

No one gives her attention, apart from asking for homework, she has no interaction with the people in her class. She is alone, she is tired, but it is the end of her white exams, which means it's the Christmas holidays and soon her birthday. she will turn 18 and she thought that for the occasion her parents would prepare something, after all, Iris got a giant event for her 10 years.

Their answer to her question :

Oh, we thought you wanted to celebrate it with your friends, we won’t here here for the holidays.

She didn't recover from their answer and that’s the last time she’ll talk to her parents face-to-face because she snapped. She can't handle the pressure anymore, she’s heartbroken, tired and upset.

Ricky moved in his appartement and freshly 18, she takes all her belongings and move in with him.

(This part is about mental and physical abuse)

At first, everything was nice, just a little couple living together. Erinna is at the lowest of her depression, she don’t go out, she sleeps all day, she takes little care of herself and simply loose her sense of time.

Ricky who was once a loving boyfriend is more and more controling. At first it felt genuine but it slowly grew on possessiveness and control, she can’t do anything on her own and he makes sure she can’t. At some point he doesn’t bother no more, simply locking her in the appartement.

The relationship grew violent, he got irritated, she got scared and it escalated in the bedroom.

One days where she cries about her life she thinks about it and how she dosent want to live, not like that, not here, not that way.

So she escapes.

She search for one of her blood relative, she finds the manor and that where her story starts.

#doodle #my art #my oc #erinna alphonse #ask about my oc #dreamty’s ramble #tw depression #tw abuse #paranormal club #original character

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nicolesainz · 5 months

Text

Within the limits (Ben Chilwell x Jenson Button x OC) Chapter 6

Author’s note: First chapter of 2024!! Happy new year babes! So, unfortunately, the updates on the story won’t be very regular given it’s exam season and school is sucking the life out of me, but I will try my best to update as regularly as possible!

Warnings: fluff, angst

next chapter

“I am so on the Messi hype train. Can’t imagine how buzzed I was when France started missing the penalties at the World Cup.”

“I thought you’d be more of a Ronaldo girl, given you live in Manchester.”

“My parents house is in London. That’s where I grew up. I moved to Manchester in 2022.”

“So, here’s a question for you. Where does the name ‘Chelsea’ come from? When Mase told me I was shocked.”

“So, my dad is a massive fan of the club. Always attending the games whether that’s Premier League, FA cup, Carabao cup, Champions league games, name it. He has pictures of John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba on his office walls and replicas of signed shirts.”

“And then you were born, giving your father the perfect opportunity to name you Chelsea.”

“Exactly.”

“The name really suits you. Royal blue vibes. Which leads me to my next question, which club do you support?”

The drive to Manchester was one of the most enjoyable I’ve ever had, with Ben on the line, talking about our lives and getting to know each other. I feel like it would’ve been better if we were face to face but things have their time.

He was so keen on getting to know me better and I was too. I’ve been a fan of his for so many years, something I haven’t admitted yet, and learning more things about his life brings a smile to my face.

“A professional never reveals their favorite team. I have to remain unbiased, impartial and fair to every team.”

“But now you’re not being fair! Come on, it’s just the two of us. I swear I won’t tell a soul.”

“Look, here’s a deal. If you score a goal at the next match that I will happen to commentate on, I will tell you my favorite club. Deal?”

“Fine, you win. A goal for the club it is. You have a deal.” I can hear him groaning annoyed at the offer I made.

Sometimes life is not jolly for footballers either.

“It was lovely talking to you Benjamin. I have to go now unfortunately, just arrived home and I need to prepare my notes for Manchester’s next game.”

“Oh yes, I fully understand. I enjoyed our conversation and getting to know you better. Talk to you later, blue.” I smile at the nickname ‘blue’. It’s not the usual ‘chels’ but I very much like it.

When I open the door I instantly kick off my shoes and drop on the couch as if I am a human slushee. Every inch of my body hurts. And my heart as well. How can Jenson say such nasty things in front of my face?

Does he think I’m a slut? After all we’ve confessed to each other? Do these ‘I love you’s mean nothing to him?

———————————————————————————-

“In two games we play against each other, come on let me score a goal!”

“I love you and I appreciate your effort but no. We’ve been on a massive losing strike and I should be the one asking you to let me score a goal.”

“What if we both score? Game ends up 1-1, shared points?”

“Score all the goals you want against Palace all you want tomorrow. I’m sure she’ll be tuned in.”

“You can’t imagine how happy I was while we were talking. It felt good chatting again with a girl that was genuinely interested in getting to know me and not simply looking to fuck me.”

Being a footballer at the highest level, an England international and presumably one of the most handsome players in the league, can earn you the attention of many women. It’s just shame that most want to be with you simply for publicity reasons.

Chelsea was asking me questions that none of my previous girlfriends had ever bothered to ask me. What was my life in high school like? My favorite position to play in as a child? Favorite memory with friends from high school or teammates? I was stunned and touched by how much she was focused on detail.

“Chelsea is a good one. I’ll just warn you to be careful around the loverboy she’s with. Seems like a feisty one.”

“I wanna be her friend first and foremost. I want to get to know her and get close to her. It’ll be good to add another person to my inner circle and have a laugh with.”

Mason stops talking abruptly, I hear him opening his front door and quietly walking outside. He takes his keys with him and I am assuming he is afraid that something is going on.

"Everything okay mate?" I ask from the other line of the phone but Mason hushes at me really quickly.

"I can hear yelling from Chelsea's apartment. I can see two cars parked in front of her house, but I can't tell who is the person standing in front of her door."

"Is she alright? Is it her father?" worry rushes through me and my heartbeat is rising extremely fast.

"It looks like Jenson. Wait, I will call you back, I'm going here to help her get rid of him."

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

"I need to be alone right now Jense, what can't you understand?" It's incredible how I am literally begging for a few days of sanity.

"I can't live on the other side of England, knowing that my girlfriend is angry at me." The word 'girlfriend' almost made me throw up.

"I am not your girlfriend. You never asked me to be. You were the one who suggested we didn't put a label in our relationship and me being a classic idiot, I agreed" It should have been a warning sign that Jenson was not taking me as seriously as I thought.

"I thought that by saying 'I love you' to each other, this meant that our relationship was serious enough that we didn't have to labelize it."

"The moment you finally realise what I am to you, instead of just assuming, give me a call Jenson." I try to shut the door at his face but he holds it open with his arm. Fuck him.

"You have to be joking? Right? Come on Chels, don't act like a five year old." The moment those words left his mouth, I could have easily shed a river of tears but I had to show him that I wasn't as vulnerable as the current situation made me be.

Asking him to take me seriously is me acting like a kid? By that, he simply proves my point.

In the heat of the moment, before I could answer, Mason showed up, holding two bottles of wine, empty. I was kind of weird out by what he was trying to do. But I didn't question him.

"Hey, I am so sorry to interrupt, but you had promised to give me some of your cousin's wine. Guests are waiting." Mason said in a shyly manner, trying not to catch Jenson's attention too much.

"Oh yes, sorry, they are in my celery, let me bring them." I say, thankfully with the assistance of Mason and him using a very convincing lie.

"I will call you tomorrow Chelsea. You better pick up." Jenson's voice was extremely stern and all I did was nod to him. Not even a 'goodbye'. A simple head movement.

Jenson shut the door behind him and Mason let out a sigh of relief. He placed the bottles on the table and pulled out his phone to text someone, who ended up being Ben himself.

"Are you okay? The moment I heard screaming, I thought something was going on and we both got worried." My heart melted at the thought of two footballers and possible best mates of mine worrying about loud noises.

"Wait, who is we? Do you actually have guests?"

"No. I was on the phone with Ben when the yelling started. I told him about it and he got so worried that he was about to tell me to call the police."

Ben barely knows me 48 hours and yet he acts like the boyfriend Jenson isn't. Cares about me from distance and needs a double check from his friend.

"Thank you guys for everything. I don't know how to repay you. You saved a possible self invitation of Jenson at my house."

"It was nothing, Chels. We are friends. That's what we do. No need to repay us."

"Sure? If you need anything just tell me."

"Well, now that I am thinking about it, would you like to attend with me Chelsea vs Crystal Palace? Unless you're on the commentary box during the game."

"I won't be. Because the next day I will be commentating on United vs Fulham."

"Is that a yes then?"

"Definitely a yes!"

#ben chilwell x reader #jenson button x reader #ben chilwell #jenson button #formula 1 #football

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keouil · 5 months

Text

let me begin as a quiet thought

shoko fails her first board exam. 1k. gojo/shoko. fluff. also on ao3.

"No."

Gojo bristles, takeout bags falling to the ground in mock hurt. "But I haven't even said anything yet!"

They were in one of the hospitals Shoko was interning in for the summer, a respectable mid-size clinic doubling as a teaching school in the suburbs of Tokyo. The smell of septic and alcohol loitered around the halls, and Shoko was hyperaware they were having this conversation in full view of the transparent glass dividing the laboratory from the classrooms; that any of her superiors or colleagues could just walk in. It was the middle of the night and usually prime time for catching up on medical readings and backlogs, but evidently, Gojo didn't know the first thing about medical students and their near neurotic study routines.

"Exactly," Shoko eyes him with irritation. She can hear some of her classmates whispering behind the door and sharpens her eyes to a menacing glare. "And nothing good ever comes out of your mouth so I'm just gonna stop you right there."

Gojo blinks. "We haven't seen each other in weeks," he says pouting, an honest to god pout, and now Shoko is positive she's hearing squealing and howling and all she wants to do is incinerate herself in the crematorium. Gojo notices none of this because of course. "And already you’re being mean."

Shoko holds up a hand. "Save the dramatics for Ijichi."

She sidesteps in front of him, trying to conceal him from prying eyes and ears. It doesn't ever work because Gojo is a 6-foot attention magnet, but she can at least try to put up an effort. Dragging him out into the hallway, she added lowly, "I told you to stop visiting me in school. You know I hate it when you just show up like this."

"I left like fifteen messages!" Gojo points out, grabbing his phone to show receipts. Shoko doesn't bother looking to confirm, knowing he was probably right, but not wanting to give him more ammunition. "I asked you just this morning if you were free!"

"Gojo," Shoko began warily, keeping her voice to a minimum. She grabs his shoulder sleeve, bringing him down with her so she can say this part eye level. "I cannot stress this enough. I am in the middle of studying for possibly the most important exam of my life and career. You'll forgive me if I don't exactly have time to reply to any one of your million invites for coffee.”

"And you don't even drink coffee!" adds Shoko accusingly, punching him on the shoulder. She feels like a highschooler again chastisting him and Getou for making her late because of yet another off-campus expedition.

"Of course I don't drink coffee," Gojo parrots back to her easily, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Fixing the takeout bags under his arm, gestures to her, "You know this. Nanami the cafe-hopper knows this. The barista by the bistro near our school knows this and prepares milk tea for me instead."

Shoko has her mouth open ready to retort, but is stopped short by him hushing her.

"But you do, Shoko. You and the rest of the human population apparently. And since none of you ever want to go mochi shopping with me or go through Tokyo's must-try artisan shops, I have to make do and adjust, don’t I?"

"You make it sound like we're forcing you to drink the stuff," Shoko retorts. "But you're always the only one sending invites on the group chat."

"And none of you ever reply!" Gojo points out accusingly. "So really, you've kinda forced my hand here."

"I did no such thing!" Shoko hisses at him again, voice going up an octave. It was unlike her to lose her cool, but then Gojo always managed to grind her ears so easily like it was his birthright to annoy her. "And how many times do I have to remind you: I am normal here," she drops her voice to a hushed whisper, looking around. "I'm just a normal girl going to a normal medical school because it's the normal thing to do. Having my ex-classmate with white hair and blue eyes show up unprompted ruins all of the mystery I've built up!"

Gojo immediately splutters. "Mystery? And who are we trying to be mysterious for?"

He pokes his head up, trying to look around for the classmates he saw earlier: the same ones he asked for help in finding Shoko, the same ones who couldn't quite wrap their mind around who just showed up, and the same ones who were none-too-subtly trying to peer up at them from behind the glass panel.

"Show me the guy. I have to approve, of course. Unless it's a woman—then—ah, well, I trust your judgement."

Shoko wanted to split her hairs out in frustration. "There's no one, you fool!" she wacks him over the head. "And enough with that approval bullshit. Seriously, do you guys not remember how you scared Ijichi off his first year?" she shakes her head disapprovingly. "It was a fucking Valentine's card, not a bomb threat."

Gojo wasn't appeased, still craning his neck for potential culprits. "Can you really blame us? Yaga threatened us both with castration if anyone so much as damaged a strand of your hair." Shrugging, he adds non-committally, "It gets to you, you know."

None of this was helping her.

Gojo being there at probably the most stressful week of her life and being his usual Gojo self, so far removed from the reality of life outside jujutsu sorcery, and the meagre little things: taking entrance exams for colleges, choosing your top three universities, mulling over which specialization to take. Shoko knew this wasn't the kind of life meant to contain the strongest the world had ever seen: but for her this was enough. And this was it. And by and by she's finding it hard to reconcile herself with the version of herself that existed in highschool: the body bags, the loss, the total abandonment of a belief system that told her even the mighty could fall.

Because oh, what a fall.

"You okay?"

Shoko blinks, only just realizing there was a pregnant pause in their conversation. The teasing glint in Gojo's eye dulled now, so slightly, and because they were now each other's oldest friends: she could see, then, the thinly veiled concern. And that's how she knew.

"Who told you?"

Gojo just looked at her for a while, before sighing deeply. "Well," he starts tiredly. "Since you never talk to me about any of this, who do you think?" he pauses. "Utahime."

Shoko was going to kill Utahime.

Maybe. Not really. She's not quite sure just yet how to deliver corporate punishment on the one friend she did willingly keep tabs with, if only for the easy conversation about the lazy humdrums of Kyoto that Utahime was always more than happy to talk about. Utahime meant well, always did. And so Shoko was maybe just going to send a dead frog her way instead of flat-out murdering her.

Gojo, on the other hand. Well.

Shoko kicks him from under the table. "Spit it out," she says. "What are you really doing here."

They were now in one of the outdoor cafeterias of the hospital. It was mostly empty during this time of the night, save for the expanse of stars illuminating the open area and the welcome breeze of August evening ghosting on their skin. The entire area was cordoned off by a lake, white doves and swans loitering about.

“Ouch,” Gojo feigned hurt like he always did, rubbing at his ankles and giving her an accusing look. "Is that how you greet a friend who traveled nearly 3 hours just to bring you coffee?"

"No," Shoko says, grabbing one of the takeout bags he brought and rummaging through the pile. "That's how I greet anyone who shows up to my workplace under explicit warning not to—only to ignore it. As usual." Frowning, she clicks her tongue at him, "Where's my cigarette?"

Gojo shoves her hands out of the way. "And that is exactly why I drop by often. And unannounced. Who else is going to keep your smoking in check?" he winks at her before pulling out a can of mocha latte and an honest to god Lawson egg sandwich. "Try this instead."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Shoko deadpans.

Gojo ignores her. "No. On the contrary, I'm here to set your eating habits right."

"Says the guy who lives on a crepe and pancake diet."

Again, Gojo ignores her. "Like I said, I'm here to set your eating habits right. When was the last time you had a hot meal?"

"I eat just fine," Shoko quips back, stealing a pack of onion chips from his stash. He looks at her disapprovingly but just pushes more snacks in her direction. "And I'll have you know I don't smoke as much now. I took an oath, after all."

Gojo doesn't look convinced. "Right."

"Seriously," Shoko insists, head jutted up in pride. "Ask any of my classmates. I quit just before I started preparing for the boards."

"And who is this I'm going to ask?" Gojo looks her way, imploring. "This mystery man?"

Shoko gives him the middle finger.

And just like that, they slip back into an ease of conversation and dynamic that feels both weighted and thin as air. There was so much violence, Shoko thought, in their world: both when she had a scalpel in her hand or cursed energy flowing from the tips of her fingers. Sometimes she feels like she just traded another unbecoming for another. But maybe it was easier, this time, to divorce herself from the expectations: it was infinitely easier to put a stranger into a body bag if she ever had to at all.

And really there are still these little pockets of lightness, like when the stars hang low on an unassuming Friday night and her lungs aren't burning with gasoline to try to keep up with the corpses and she has never felt so grounded: that Shoko remembers, for the first time, how to breathe in.

Shoko feels a chill in the air. Gojo notices. "Cold?"

"If I was," Shoko says somberly, voice small in the stillness of the night. "Are you going to give me your jacket?"

Only before she even finished the question, a jacket was shrugged into her shoulders. Gojo fastens the top button before facing back to look at the lake. It smelled like fresh laundry and vanilla.

It's quiet for a few moments, with only the sound of crickets in the distance and the steady stream of the river blanketing the silence. So quiet, in fact, that Gojo needed to strain his ears to hear it:

"Thank you," Shoko says, and then: "For everything."

#satoshoko #gojo satoru #ieiri shoko #jujutsu kaisen #fic

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musings-of-a-rose · 2 years

Text

How I See You - Part 2

From @little-mrs-morales:

He is something else 🥺 I love him so much. They are good together and this warms my heart and it’s so cute! I would like to see some more of this universe. Her meeting Marisol? 🥹 her meeting the boys? 🤯 her totally destroying his ex because Mari starts calling you mama too? Frankie being possessive bastard and giving you little bites and hickeys to all your colleagues know how he loves his girl. I’m too in love and too invested in this story I’m sorry😅 it’s just so perfectly written ♥️

Pairing: Frankie Morales x f!plus sized reader

Word Count: 1400+

Rating: Mature - 18+ ONLY!

Warnings: Just like ao3, “creator chooses not to use warnings.” If you click Keep Reading, that means you agree that you’re the age to handle mature themes. Also by clicking Keep Reading, you understand warnings may not be complete in order to avoid spoilers for the story.

Notes: This is a continuation of How I See You. I was going to write all of the ones you asked for BUT since this, you’ve asked me to turn it into a series so I think I’ll address it there!

**If you want to be added to the taglist, join here or let me know!

Main Masterlist

Frankie Morales Masterlist

How I See You

Frankie and you have been together for about 6 months now. Everything has been great - he treats you like you’re a damn khaleesi, always telling you how beautiful you are, he is the nicest guy to not just you but your friends and family too, your conversations always interesting, and not to mention the sex is just insanely hot. The man is talented, that’s for damn sure.

But with everything so perfect, why are you so nervous?

“What if she hates me, Frankie?” You ask, stirring the pasta sauce you made from scratch on the stove.

“She won’t. I’ve already told Marisol all about you and she can’t wait to meet you.”

“Yeah but what..what if I’m not what she expects? Like I’m not a perfect person-”

Frankie chuckles. “Neither am I, Pip.”

“Yeah but you’re her dad. You already have a foot in the door.”

Frankie walks up behind you and wraps his arms around your body, resting his chin on your shoulder.

“She will love you. I know it.”

Sighing, you nod and continue to stir the sauce, giggling when Frankie’s beard tickles your neck. He kisses you there and you close your eyes, moaning slightly at the brush of his lips against your skin. A knock at the door has him standing straight and you pull the sauce off the burner, taking off your apron and turning to follow Frankie to the front door. You stop, several feet from the door and Frankie turns to give you a quick kiss and squeezes your hand. Taking a deep breath, you nod and he opens the door, Marisol launching herself into his arms.

“Daddy!” She squeals as he spins her around, planting several kisses on her cheeks.

“I missed you, Mari!” He sets her down and she looks up at you, her eyes, which are a spitting image of her father’s, scan your face for a moment before she smiles.

“Pip?” She asks, her eyes bright and wide.

Nodding, you kneel to get to her eye level. “That’s me! I’ve heard so much about you Marisol.”

She studies you a moment longer, coming to some internal conclusion about you, which must be good because she hands you the toy helicopter she was holding.

“My daddy gave this to me. He flies them! Well, not this one. Real ones! BIG ones!” She flings out her arms wide to show you exactly how big she means.

“That is so cool!”

“Mija, why don’t you go set your bag down in your room and meet us in the kitchen?”

She nods and grabs her bag from her mom, giving her a quick hug before running off down the hall. Standing, your rub your knees for a brief moment before turning to look at the woman in the doorway. She’s pretty, classically so, which suddenly makes you feel very self-conscious. She brushes her perfect hair behind her shoulders and fixes a fake smile on her face as she looks you up and down, begrudgingly holding out her hand for you to shake.

“Lucy.”

“Pip.”

She has a weak handshake, and you hear her scoff when she pulls her hand away, wiping it covertly on her pants before turning to Frankie.

“She’s got some sort of art project to do this weekend. Something about a collage? She has her planner with her.”

“Homework on the weekend?” Frankie asks.

Lucy shrugs her shoulders. “I would’ve had her finish before she came over, but you were very persistent about the time.” She glances at you, making you feel a little smaller than you had a moment before.

“It’s no problem, Luce. See you at the usual time.”

She nods. “Bye Frank.”

Closing the door behind her, Frankie locks it before turning to you. “Sorry about her. She’s….she can be…unpleasant.”

“No, she was…”

Frankie chuckles when you can’t find a word. “You’re too nice for me, you know that?” He steps forward and wraps you in a bear hug, kissing the top of your head. “Ready for dinner?”

Marisol was in the kitchen, sitting at the table when you both walked in. “Daddy - are we having psgetti?”

“Yes we are! Pip here has a secret homemade sauce that you’re going to love.”

“Yes! Psgetti is my favorite!”

Frankie helps you fill plates and set things on the table, Marisol practically vibrating in her chair when the bowl is set in front of her. She takes a bite and yells, sauce spraying out of her mouth “HISS DELISSSS!”

“Mija! Chew your food first.”

She chews quickly and swallows hard, coughing slightly before she repeats herself. “THIS IS DELICIOUS!”

“I’m glad you like it!” You smile at her, watching as she devours more.

Spaghetti eaten and table cleaned, Frankie pulls out her planner and reads about her project. “So it’s just a collage?”

“About our favorite foods.”

“Hhmm…you know, Pip is pretty good at this art stuff. Maybe she would like to help?” He looks at you, fixing you with that puppy eyed look he knows you can’t resist.

“I don’t know about all that, but I can help.”

Frankie grabs some old newspapers and junkmail he had stacked by the recycling bin and placed it on the table. Marisol grabs some and starts flipping through, looking for all the food. About 10 minutes goes by and you and Marisol are deep in conversation about favorite pizza toppings. Frankie smiles and gets up, heading over to start on the dishes, listening to the both of you chat and laugh. When he finishes, he comes to sit at the table but Marisol waves him off.

“We got it, daddy.”

2 hours later, and a collage full to the edges of different foods is left drying on the table, Marisol having given you a story about each one and why she likes it. After, she pulls you to her room to play, Frankie coming in shortly after to tell her it was time for bed. She requests that you read her a bedtime story, which Frankie insists that you do. The 3 of you hang out and play all weekend, watching movies, ordering pizza, and just getting to know one another in this capacity. It warms your heart every time you see Frankie and his daughter interact - he’s a fantastic father. At the end of the weekend, you’re given a big hug with a promise to see her again.

Another 6 months goes by and you see Marisol more and more. She adores you and honestly, you adore her too. She’s smart and funny, just like her dad, giving you both a run for your money.

When it was time for her to go, Frankie opens the front door, nodding a quick hello at Lucy before calling for Marisol. She comes down the stairs, backpack in hand, and stops to give both you and Frankie a quick hug. She walks to her mom and then turns back to you both, waving.

“Bye daddy! Bye mom!”

All of you freeze - she had only ever called you Pip before this. Granted, you have gotten closer these last months, and she has been asking to see you more and more. But this? You’re honored beyond words but Frankie and you hadn’t discussed it and certainly her mom isn’t ok with it? Once glance in her direction confirms that last part. Lucy is practically red with anger, trying to not lose it in front of her kid.

Marisol, for her part, smiles wider and waves again, walking past her mom and out to the car.

“Luce, I-”

Lucy holds her hand up. “Did you ask her to call you mom?” She addresses you.

“I- me? No! This is the-”

She scoffs. “Oh come on. I bet you love this-”

“Luce.” Frankie is not angry but he’s firm and her eyes snap to him.

“Fine. Next time ask me before having our daughter call anyone else mom.” Her eyes scan you in disgust before she closes the door.

“Frankie, I never asked Marisol to-”

“I know, I know. It’s ok. Mari wouldn’t just call anyone mom though. If she did, then…that we her giving her seal of approval.”

Relief washes over you. “Really?”

He smiles, walking up to you to wrap you in a hug. “Really….are you still nervous?”

This man. He could tell without even looking at you.

You nod and he holds you tighter, speaking low in your ear.

“Then let me help you unwind.”

—----

General Taglist:

@frankie-catfish-morales @chaoticgeminate @janebby @astoryisaloveaffair @balekanemohafe @greeneyedblondie44 @hoeforthefictional @marvelousmermaid @hauntedmama @giuliarogers-blog @icanbeyourjedi @diaryofkali @sunnshineeexoxo @livingmydreams13 @adventures-of-a-noodle @sara-alonso @theewokingdead @punkerthanpascal @giggly-otter @f0rever15elf @phandoz @dirtytissuebox @jadore-andor @gallowsjoker @lovesbiggerthanpride @sarahmilesbendrix @booksarekindaneat @mrsudontknowme @swol-bear @charlispersonallyhell @xoxabs88xox @amneris21 @gooddaykate @alindeluce @avengers-fixation @paintballkid711 @harriedandharassed @ladykatakuri @marrianena @practicalghost @withakindheartx @batdarkladyvampir @justanotherkpopstanlol

#frankie catfish morales #frankie morales #triple frontier #pedro pascal #frankie morales x reader #frankie morales x you #pedro pascal x reader #pedro pascal x you #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal character fanfic #pedro pascal character ff #pedro pascal character fanfiction #frankie morales x f!reader #francisco catfish morales

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thequietmanno1 · 8 months

Text

Thelreads, MHA 280, Replies Part 2

1) “OH SO THAT IS WHY THE CHAPTER NAME I SEE

WELP, GOODBYE THEN KIRISHIMA, LONGED SO MUCH FOR THE SWEET MANLY EMBRACE OF DEATH YOU JUST HAD TO STEAL THE CHAPTER, DIDN’T YA?

Well, I bet you’re gonna be fine after this, I’ve seen your unbreakable mode before, give that Machia dude a bich ouchie on his hand”- The dirt being also still semi-liquid from Mudman’s Quirk also helped. Kirishima’s Quirk prevented him from breaking anything from the force of Machia’s blow, but he probably couldn’t have dug his way out of the earth that quickly without the aid of all that softening. (MHA ch 279) 2) “Oh no, oh the humanity~ who’s gonna save the day now?”- The only boy who will never break under the pressure.

3) “ kirishima was like “outta my way gay boi imma steal this chapter” then a moment later “i got crushed to death” “- Kirishima’s done letting himself be crushed by the weight of his own fears and doubts, let alone machia’s hand.

4) “And Machia is up again, and majorly pissed off. This does not bode well for the keikaku*”- I find it somewhat disquieting that machia actually can call the League ‘comrades’. That shows an atypical level of self-thinking and reflection from him, that he does truly think of the PLF and the like as being equals in the same ideology, rather than devoting all his brainpower to revolving around AFO and Tomura alone. 5) “OOHHHHHH THERE HE GOES THE ROCKY BOI IS GOING UP!

HOLY SHIT KIRISHIMA’S CLAWS ARE HARD ENOUGH TO EVEN PIERCE MACHIA’S HIDE JESUS FUCK MAN

AND NOW MACHIA IS EVEN MORE PISSED OFF THAN BEFORE “- Due to a smaller surface area, the sharpness of kirishima’s claws are enough to barely pierce into Machia’s first layer of skin because they focus all of his grip strength into a single piercing point, allowing him to cut just deep enough to draw blood, but not any great level of damage that can’t be healed in a day or two. Thankfully, Kirishima doesn’t need to wound Machia, he just needs him to keep talking and leaving his big mouth wide open…

6) “GOD FUCKING DAMMIT TOGA ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME HOW DARE YOU I’M SO MAD RIGHT NOW I’M GOING TO REMOVE YOU FROM MY FAVORITE CHARACTER’S LIST, YOU’RE GOING DOWN AT LEAST THREE SPOTS AFTER THAT ONE YOUNG LADY”-The league are not going to give the heroes a single Inch. If they can make a move to stop them, they will. On the other hands, if the heroes have more moves to make than they can use to stop them…. 7) “HOLY SHIT HE MANAGED TO SAVE MINA’S VIAL HELL FUCKING YEAH”- Mina thought she failed, but in actuality, despite her slip-up due to an understandable trauma, she was in the right place at the right time to allow Kirishima to succeed in the goal regardless. 8) “AND THERE WE FUCKING GO

YEET: ACHIEVED “- This fight comes down to both sides, equally determined, giving each other everything they’ve got to win, and the victor is the one that endures to the end…no matter the cost along the way… 9) “HOLY FUCK MOMO DID YOU FUCKING MADE THOSE HOWITZERS IN THE MEANTIME? MY GOD GIRL”- Who needs an army base to supply you with tanks and helicopters when we’ve got Momo on the field? That said, she is definitely gonna needs some calories in her, stat, after making that much heavy-duty ordinance. 10) “OH DAMN IT IS ACTUALLY THE CAVALRY COMING TO SAVE THE DAY

OR TRY TO, I SHOULD SAY, BECAUSE MACHIA IS NOW REALLY FUCKING PISSED

OH GOD DO HIS JAW GO UP AND PROTECTS HIS SKULL OR SOMETHING? THAT’S FUCKING HORRIFYING”- Just a note, but Majestic is actually one of the heroes that Momo interned under during the hero internships, which is why she calls out to him specifically and he mentions having high hopes for her. Other side-note, Horikoshi is almost certainly going to be moving onto drawing a horror manga once MHA is wrapped up. 11) “But boy, I have a strange feeling that Endeavor just managed to get Shigaraki madder, and he’s about to snap with a breaking speech that will make Stain’s one seem like a baby talking”- Machia might be the one based on the Hulk, but Tomura seems to have his “mad = more power” ability in a twisted self-sustaining cycle. He gets mad and attacks the heroes for what he suffered, they beat him down to protect themselves and others, he views this as more unfair abuse being heaped on him and everybody ganging up on him and starts fighting back more viciously, rinse and repeat until he’s standing atop a mountain of dust and exulting in his victory despite missing half his body from the struggle. 12) “Kirishima’s backstory showed how he was always hesitant to jump in, and how seeing Mina move before she could think was one of the factors that allowed him to break out of that shell. Now, in the present day, we have Mina hesitating due to fear, and kirishima jumping in front of her, before he could even think about what he was doing that was a neat parallel, I love how both their stories and moments connected like that, it is so cute.”- Another parallel was that Mina had the time to steel herself before jumping in, not being suddenly put on the spot like she was here, and Kirishima had all that time running through the flames to self-prepare himself for leaping in when she couldn’t finish it herself. But despite that, Mina did have the opportunity to throw the vial in herself, it was just the unfortunate coincidence of it being Machia who traumatised her before that tripped her up, something nobody could have predicted, so if she can see past his fumble here, she should be able to recognise her own heroic deed for what it was.

@thelreads

#my hero academia #bnha #chapter replies #thelreads #mha 280

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cowsaves · 2 years

Text

What Love Breeds: Chapter 9

Essie May's condition suddenly worsens, and Jason knows just how to fix her.

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8

Essie's head pounds in the early dawn, but this isn't new anymore. Her head has been aching for the last month as her milk supply dwindles. She doesn't know why her milking time has become so much shorter than all the others, but Tommy finishes with her in twenty minutes and leaves with a grimace. Essie whines softly in her pen, much of her breakfast left untouched. Before, the smell was so powerfully alluring, she was scrounging her floor for the last bite. Now, she curls into a ball and whimpers. Her mind is foggy and memories don't fit where they should. Essie has flashes of waking up and going to the field in the middle of the night, being led there time after time. In the next flash, she's waking up in her pen. She groans as the pieces try to fit themselves together and merely mash into one another over and over.

The other girls are still milking when Tommy returns, this time with Dr. Amy and some of her friends in tow. They enter the pen and start manipulating Essie without a word, lifting her arms and strapping some piece of fabric around her bicep that squeezes too tightly. Essie watches Dr. Amy's face as she looks on, though her expression is flat and tells Essie nothing. Tommy and the doctor are talking quietly while Amy's friends continue to grope Essie and inspect her body. They finish as Jason approaches, taking powerful strides that quickly bring him to Essie's pen. Essie's heart rate calms as his presence nears. He comes upon Dr. Amy and Tommy with a smile and a light mist of sweat shining on his brow, speaking with more authority and loud enough for Essie to now hear.

"What seems to be the problem?" he asks. McCarthy raises her eyebrows in Tommy's direction almost imperceptibly. Jason is still jittery, still on edge. It's been a month and if anything, he's getting worse.

Tommy huffs. "Well, EMT299 is still not producing at her former rate, but beyond that, she seems to be in distress daily now. We don't know what changed, but something's off."

Amelia nods. "Her blood pressure is normal, we found nothing wrong with her in a quick physical; we'll need to x-ray her for anything more."

Jason shakes his head. "No, I don't think that's it. Look at her." He gestures to Essie's wincing shape. "It's... something else."

Tommy volunteers, "Well, we could try asking her."

"Asking her?" Jason's voice goes gruff.

"Yeah," Tommy says as he opens Essie's stall door and steps inside. "You know they keep a percentage of their language skills. Maybe she can tell you. Honestly, should've done that before I brought Amelia all the way down here."

Amelia snorts. "Not a bad idea."

Jason pushes past McCarthy and into her stall in a flurry. "Are you sure your answers will be reliable? I mean, her training was obviously more intensive than any we've done before."

"No," Tommy answers, "but it couldn't hurt, right?"

He knees before Essie as McCarthy's interns remove their equipment and bustle back beyond the stall. Essie looks at Tommy with pained, but trusting eyes, that are soothed all the more by Jason's warm scent. That same smell, though, tries to force her memories together. Essie whines.

Tommy levels with her and strokes her hair, brushing it out of her face and shushing her all the while. "Essie, tell us where it hurts. Speak."

The command compels Essie's mouth to open and release a low, pained, "moooooo," before she can think of anything else. Tommy waits, letting her words find their way out. Essie says, "Head... head hurts. Remember...ing things. Outside, at night, but then..." Essie mimes a burst of white light. "Just wake up h... he–"

Jason shushes her again. "It's all right, Essie, very good. Rest easy."

And Essie's eyes roll back as she slumps to the side, her breathing becoming deep and even.

"Shaw, she wasn't finished yet," Tommy says, eyeing Jason closely.

Jason shakes his head. "She's remembering her old life. I'm not about to let her relive that and strengthen those memories. Dr. McCarthy, set her up for another wipe. And let's drop her IQ...mm, as low as it can go, to be frank."

Dr. McCarthy leans forward, resting her elbows against the pen's fencing. Her eyes narrow.

"Amelia, do you agree with that?" Tommy asks. The atmosphere between Tommy and Jason sharpens.

"You don't?" Jason stands up to his full height and towers over Tommy's kneeling figure.

Tommy doesn't cower. "Just making sure we got all our ducks in a row."

Amelia cuts in. "It's really a perfect explanation. Much like our entire herd, EMT299 was running from something, from someone, and her memories before Shaw Farms were not pleasant. If they're starting to reappear now, she'd be plenty uncomfortable. It could be an explanation for her lack of milk, as well, but I'm not convinced there. We should get her started on an additional course of supplements. We'll go back to doubling her doses. The food shaft will skip her pen and we'll hand-formulate her courses again. Sound like a plan, boys?"

Tommy nods curtly.

Jason adds, "And the wipe?"

McCarthy shrugs. "We've got the time. No new applicants. Are you sure you want her that dumb, though? She's about to be a pretty popular option in the playpen, and a lot of our clients want something more than a blow-up doll."

Jason shakes his head. "I'm not talking about a lobotomy here. Ditzy. She'll have a harder time remembering her own life if there's not much to remember it with." He forces a laugh, though it sounds false even to his own ears.

Amelia shrugs. "Supposedly. We've never really aimed for pure stupidity, though."

"Essie's the first time for a lot of things," Tommy grumbles under his breath.

Jason ignores it. He orders, "Get it started."

Amelia nods. She pushes into the pen and with Tommy's help, stands Essie May to her full height. She commands, "Wide awake, and up tall."

Essie May blinks herself to life and stands rigidly upright. She turns her head from side to side, taking in the faces surrounding her. Comfort washes over her as Dr. Amy gives her a gentle smile.

"That's a good girl, Essie," Dr. Amy says. Essie's thighs squirm together. "Now, follow."

Everything falls from Essie's mind except the need to stay close on Dr. Amy's heels. She's immediately behind her as the floor transitions from hay-covered wood to smooth tile, a familiar cold Essie walked on seemingly a lifetime ago. They move through the facility until they stop before a door locked by keypad. Amelia doesn't bother hiding the code as she opens it, knowing what Essie's mind will be like on the other side.

They open to a small, white room. It's empty of all but a plain bench with a high back that faces the deepest set wall. Amelia sets Essie down in her seat and takes the leather belt extending from the bench. She straps Essie's neck into position, the belt working as much like a collar as a restraint, and a calculated smile falls across her lips. Amelia orders, "Essie, listen closely. Stay in this position. Do not move. Keep your eyes locked on that wall. You're going to hear a voice, a very nice voice that you'll listen to so intently. All of its words are going to become you're reality. Won't that be nice, to let the words decide for you?"

Essie, her eyes unfocused and lost in her suggestible state, bounce as she nods for Amelia.

"Yes, it'll be so nice, Essie. So nice to listen and let go of anything beyond the voice. So nice and comfortable."

McCarthy doesn't bring her out of her trance as she closes the door behind her. Metal mechanisms thump into place as Essie is locked into the room, primed to be wiped.

Essie's head feels disconnected from her body as it bobbles from side to side. She is still lost in the light, floating sensation as the room suddenly becomes a shade of soft, baby pink. A projector descends from the ceiling and lays spirals overtop every surface of the space. Essie locks onto them as the only shape that can ground her the further and further she falls into trance.

A voice comes alive overhead. This time, it is not the voice of Shaw, but of a woman with silken tones. The woman says, "Hello. Welcome to your own mind. Each swirl is one of your thoughts, is a piece of your brain, is a part of you. This spiral is all part of you. That's beautiful, isn't it?"

Essie nods so slightly it could be mistaken for another sway of her head.

"You're here to lose the past and become the present. You're here to live a new life, a happier life, a gentle life. You will not worry, you will not want for anything. This is your future. You are the present. The past is nothing."

The voice continues on, taking Essie deeper into her own subconscious. The voice bring them to the base of Essie's brain, where all her thoughts and memories are stored.

"These precious items... well, are they so precious? They're not the present. Do we have any need for the past?"

Essie shakes her head and gives the voice a dumb, "Unh-uhn."

"No, we don't need the past," the voice agrees, so sickly sweet it can't help but be condescending. "The past is the past. We are the present. We are the future. What is the past? Nothing. The past is - pop - gone in the blink of an eye. Can you tell me, what was the past?"

Essie tries to conjure a thought. Tries to give the voice what it wants. But the voice has only told Essie what the past is, not what it was.

"That's right! You have no answer. Because the past wasn't. Because the past isn't. There is only the present, and there is only the future. Tell me, there is only the present, there is only the future."

Essie forces out, "Only... the present... only... the future..."

"That's right! Exactly. We have only the present and only the future. There is nothing else. Only the present and only the future. Only the present and only the future. Only the present and only the future. Anything before is simply nothing. What is anything before?"

"Simply noth-nothing," Essie stumbles.

"Yes, simply nothing. The past is gone. We have wiped it from our minds. We are only the present, we are only the future. We do not need for anything else. When we feel for the past, we find nothing. We find nothing, so we don't feel for the past. We are simply the present, we are simply the future. Will we find the past? No. We will find nothing, because the past does not exist. What is the past?"

Again, Essie can't answer.

"Right! What past? What could possibly come before the present? There is nothing but the present. There is nothing but the future. Thank you for listening so closely."

There's a pause as the next segment of the session loads.

"When we have only the present and only the future, we don't need to think silly thoughts about, well, anything! The present and the future are happening to us right now. Can you say, right now?"

Essie slurs, "R-right now."

"But do we even need to say 'right now'? That seems like it takes so much work to think about. When, really, we can let the present and the future happen. We can look at our beautiful, pink, spinning mind, and let it run and run and run. We don't need to do much else, do we?"

As Essie attempts to answer, the voice closes the gap. "No, we don't need to do much else. We just let our thoughts run and run and run. We let them happen. We watch as the pretty pink swirls go by. We don't want for anything else. We watch as the pretty pink swirls go spinning by. We watch as the world goes spin, spin, spin all around us. The world happens to us, we don't happen to the world. So do we need to think those big, pesky thoughts?

"No, we don't need to. We don't need to think anything. All we need is our beautiful, pink, spinning swirls. They go around and around and around. Isn't that just so pretty? Don't you just, like, love to watch the colors?"

A placid, easy grin slips onto Essie's face as she watches the spiral go. The spiral's image becomes bigger until it's everything Essie can see.

"Pretty, so pretty. So nice to watch the colors spin by. We don't need or want or think. We just let the spiral happen. We just let the spiral happen. We just let the spiral happen. With every spin, it wipes away any of our pesky little thoughts. Wipe, wipe, wipe. So pretty to watch it wipe, wipe, wipe. All we need is our beautiful spiral. Wipe, wipe, wipe. All we need is our beautiful smile. Wipe, wipe, wipe. All we need is our obedience. Wipe, wipe, wipe. All we need is our happiness. Wipe, wipe, wipe. We don't think too hard. Because when we do, we feel the gentle surge of wipe, wipe, wipe. Go ahead, try and think about something big and important."

Essie tries to force her brain to find something, anything to think about. Just as she finds the details–

"Wipe, wipe, wipe. All gone. Try to tell me something! Anything, that needs more than just a couple, pretty words. We love our pretty words, don't we? But use some of the big, long ones. Some of the ones that aren't so pretty."

Essie tries again, and–

"Wipe, wipe, wipe. Can you see it? Yes, the spiral goes wipe, wipe, wipe. Can you hear it? Yes, when something too difficult, too hard and confusing, comes along, all you hear is wipe, wipe, wipe. Isn't that all better? Tell me, is it all better?"

Essie murmurs, "All better."

"Yes, good girl! Good girls get wiped. Good girls are empty. Good girls think about nothing but pretty pink swirls and use their short, pretty words. Are you a good girl?"

Essie is panting as if in heat. The sheer number of praise phrases thrown at her have her temperature climbing. "I'm good girl," she insists.

"Yes, very good girl! Good girl for using only your pretty words, for thinking only your pretty swirls. Good girl for getting wiped. Aren't you the perfect good girl, letting all those big, ugly thoughts go away?"

Essie nods hurriedly as many times as she can.

"Yes, yes you are such a good girl! You have been so good and so perfect. Please, allow your pretty little pink brain to slow all the way down to nothing. Slow all the way down to emptiness. Slow all the way down to pretty happy blankness. And now, you're ready to be wide awake."

As the voice speaks it, Essie emerges from trance light and airy. The spiral shuts off simultaneously, and the door opens with an echoing ka-chunk. Amelia examines her pupils, her reaction times with satisfaction, and Essie rejoins the herd just in time for free roam.

Essie May wobbles her way outside, her mind filled with nothing but air and euphoria, her pussy soaked with the voice's many compliments. She finds her cluster of friends lazily reclined in the warm grass. Winnie and Rose lounge on top of each other while Sarah Beth rolls herself and back and forth on the ground, giggling all the while. Essie totters past them, the group following her with their eyes, but losing interest as she keeps moving. No, Essie doesn't stop in front of her friends. She roams aimlessly through the fields, directly through other clusters with no mind paid to where she steps. Her eyes lock onto sight after sight and she staggers through the field, nothing left in her mind but pretty pink swirls.

Essie keeps on this path through the open field, now trained on a butterfly that darts about. It flaps its orange and brown wings so gently against the open blue sky. Essie reaches a limp, lazy arm for it, and can practically feel its velvet wings against her finger as she collides with another cow, tumbling to the ground and landing on her chest.

She whimpers as she props herself up, grass and mud scraped along her front. The other cow shakes her head and huffs, infuriated. Essie crawls to their side, ready to help them to their feet, when they shake Essie from their side. Bright ginger hair parts around Harper's pinched face, her eyes wildly darting up and down Essie's blank and clueless expression.

"Bitch," Harper huffs, her body slowly rising until she looms over Essie's smaller frame. "Bitch!"

Harper lunges forward and pins Essie to the ground as Essie squeals in panic and wriggles beneath her. Harper yanks at Essie's chest, fisting her tits in her palm and eliciting another squeal from Essie. She pinches and prods at Essie as she yips with in pain, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She thinks Harper might finally be done with her as she reels back, until Harper grinds her knee against Essie's drenched cunt.

"You like this," Harper growls, her anger spiking.

"N-no," Essie whimpers. "Hurts! Hurts!"

Harper snorts, and applies more pressure to Essie. "Wet, needy bitch."

Essie's cheeks burn bright red, the shame intermingling with fear and her arousal that somehow, continues to grow. Essie can no longer understand why those three feelings swirl together, but she's stopped squirming under Harper's cruel hands.

Harper gives Essie one final thrust of her knee, and leans into her ear, fully pressing her weight onto her. "This is mine," she hisses. "My herd. My grass. My barn. Mine. Say it."

"Y-yours," Essie stammers. "Yours."

"Now you're mine too," Harper growls. "Say that."

Essie's mouth doesn't open. That's wrong, and she knows it. She's Jason's.

"Say it," Harper huffs, sinking her teeth into Essie's earlobe.

Essie cries out and thrashes against Harper. "No! No!"

"Say you're mi–" Harper howls as she's pried from Essie's body. Tommy is at Essie's side, pulling her free from Harper's grip as Carter wrangles Harper into submission. Carter barks, "Down!" And every cow within range is automatically on all fours, Essie included. Tommy takes that time to inspect Essie for injuries as Carter hauls Harper back to the barn. Essie comes away with a few scratches and bite marks, but is otherwise unscathed.

Harper's wild, livid eyes lock onto Essie's, and they're the last sight Essie remembers as Tommy pulls his handler's wand free.

#what love breeds #ch 9 #hucow kink

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