#and chapter 13. i finished that chapter literally the day before i last saw him. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

undreaming-fanfiction · 3 months

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With This Ring (13)

Chapter 12 here, Ao3 here

The whole rush to the church was a blur to Steve. He was distantly aware of Eddie’s sped up summary of the last day that sounded more like a drunken nightmare instead of something that could have ever happened. He didn't bother adding any details, instead focusing on the feel of Robin and Eddie’s arms under his. Steve had originally started speed walking and tried to keep his pained expression at bay, but a few whispers behind him put a prompt end to that. They both grabbed him, supported his weight enough to lessen the pain in his ankle and off they went.

Robin, to her credit, remained mostly quiet. Maybe it was the shortness of breath - as Eddie had said before, not needing any oxygen had its merits - but she took the whole story in literal stride. Only when Eddie finished with tossing the tape in the mail did she say something.

“I wish I could have seen Dick’s face when you did the stabby thing. He deserved that. And more.” Her tone didn’t betray much, but there was a hidden sting.

Eddie laughed. “Damn right he did. Although you’ve surprised me, Buckley. You seem pretty chill with the whole living dead thing.”

She kept her eyes on the road, carefully synchronizing her steps with Steve. “Trust me, I’m freaking out on the inside. But I saw you up close. You…don’t look right. Having a crazy explanation is better than guessing and coming up with an even crazier one.” After a few seconds of silence, she added, “and also I don’t have time to faint, scream my head off, or do whatever you’re expecting. Nancy’s about to marry that douchebag, and I can only handle one crisis at a time.”

“Wise.”

As they arrived at the church door, Steve turned to face them. “How do I look?”

It wasn’t really a question. He was disheveled and for how crazy his heart was beating, he was dead tired. No pun intended.

Eddie smirked at him and tucked a rogue hair strand behind Steve’s ear. “Perfect, like always.”

“Yeah yeah, but you also look like someone who was supposed to crash the wedding five minutes ago,” snapped Robin and pushed him towards the door. “Let’s go!”

That was an order he could easily follow. Steve straightened his back and pushed the heavy doors open.

He was met with dozens of pairs of eyes. Frightened, relieved, confused…but mostly judging.

The church wasn’t nearly as full as Steve expected, but his stomach still gave an uncomfortable squeeze, as if it begged him not to draw any more attention to themselves. But he had to do it, had to be in the spotlight again. Especially when Nancy was about to have her life ruined in a way much worse than had been in her stars just a few days prior.

Swallowing down the rising panic, Steve took a deep breath. “I object!”

If Brenner’s stare could kill, Steve would be hanged, stabbed, stoned and set on fire all at once.

But as cheesy as it may have sounded, he was afraid of nothing when he had Eddie by his side.

“You’re late, young man,” Brenner said. “You had your chance already, you squandered it. Isn’t ruining one wedding enough for you?”

“Not at all, sir.” Steve was marching ahead, still holding Eddie’s hand and focusing on not letting his pain show. This wasn’t a place to show weakness. “This one is far more enjoyable to ruin. Because the bride actually doesn’t want to marry him. I doubt God looks kindly at coercion.”

Nancy smiled at him with so much warmth and disbelief it made his heart jump. “Steve, you came! You’re okay!” she whispered. She bit her lip when she saw Robin behind his back, sneaking to the side and making her way to the altar. To do what, Steve wasn’t sure, but he would support her no matter what, even if she tried to abduct Nancy by throwing her over her shoulder.

But before he could respond, another voice interrupted them. “You dare to speak about God when you keep this company?!”

Jason Carver was shaking. He stared at Eddie with a look so hateful and terrified that he must have seen through the ruse, even though Eddie was still far away. Eddie wasn’t facing any of the wedding guests, but Carver’s expression betrayed that he knew.

“I don’t know what dark entity brought you back, freak, but you don’t belong here. You can’t be in the house of God! I won’t allow you to ruin more lives than you already have!”

Nancy took a step back, watching Jason with confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t you see? He’s dead! His…his eyes are all wrong. He was gone for over a year and now he’s come back…different.” Jason was pale under his usual tan. He was licking his lips between sentences, staring at Eddie as if he’d been sent to drag him to hell. “You should be dead and I don’t care what black magic you are using, you will return to the grave. The dead have no right to walk amongst the living!”

“Ooooh, scary!” muttered Eddie, but Jason wasn’t listening. His focus had shifted to the wedding guests.

He turned to the seated people of Hawkins and raised arms. “I wouldn’t lie to you. I know how preposterous it sounds, but take a single look at his face and tell me, is this the Eddie Munson you knew?!”

More people turned to Eddie, studying him and flinching as the realization hit them. “No,” was the resounding answer.

Jason continued his speech, turning to pastor Brenner. “Pastor, you are a man of God. Will you allow this? Will you allow this abomination to disturb this joyful day?!”

“No!” shouted one of Jason’s friends. Steve recognized him - it was Patrick, Jason’s teammate and a constant sidekick. “Not in this town!”

There it was, that famous magnetic personality. Jason could rally crowds, inspire bravery and righteous anger with his speeches, just like he had when Chrissy disappeared. Steve could see the wedding guests stirring in their seats, some slowly getting up, moving towards him and Eddie. He grasped his hand, disregarding its coldness – it provided much more warmth to him than many had in life. So what if he was supposed to be dead!

Dead…

Steve took a deep, sharp breath. Was this…?

The mob in fancy clothes was approaching.

“Steve?” whispered Eddie and tugged on his hand, urging him to follow him out of the church. “I’m pretty sure this is our cue to leave. Maybe run. Fast. I’m sure the bride to be will follow.”

But Steve shook his head and let go of Eddie’s hand, a single caress on his knuckles as a promise of return before he took a step forward.

“How do you know, Jason?”

The groom stared at him, confused. The charm was temporarily broken and people stopped in their tracks, glancing between the two men. “How do I know what?” asked Jason.

Steve couldn’t help himself, he felt his trademark bitchy smirk tugging on his lips. He might not have been academically smart, but he knew people. And that right there? That was a man sweating underneath his expensive wedding suit, and not because the church was too warm, oh no.

He took another step forward and motioned for the people to sit, no struggling for confidence this time, no wondering if he deserved the attention, the respect he felt when they returned to their seats, confused but obeying. Because this wasn’t about him – this was about Eddie in every single way. If he was honest with himself, he couldn’t really remember when things hadn’t been about Eddie.

“How do you know Eddie is dead?” he asked again, loud and clear. “Because that was an impressive monster hunt speech. And yet…no one could have told you Eddie is dead. He’s moving. He’s breathing, when he remembers to. Sure, I told my parents and Robin too, but I know for certain none of them told you. My parents would never say something so preposterous aloud, and Robin didn’t know until just a few minutes ago. The point is - Eddie does look alive if you don’t see him up close. But you are so certain from the second we walked in that he’s dead. Or at least…that he was dead at some point.”

Jason grew several shades paler, if that was even possible. He was gripping Nancy’s elbow so tightly that she bit her lip in pain and yanked her hand away. Staring at Steve, he was stammering, searching for words. “I…of course he is, I mean look at him, look-“

But Steve just shook his head, making his way to the altar. The carpet felt soft under his feet and he had to stifle an urge to laugh – he was dreading this day so much, avoiding it like the plague, and yet joining Nancy at the altar now felt like the most natural thing in the world. It was almost liberating, saving her from a monster that for once wasn’t their forced marriage.

“Look at what, Jason?” he stretched his words, enunciating and raising his voice so everyone in the church could hear him. “Please enlighten me. Or maybe some of you esteemed guests can!” He turned around and addressed the wedding guests, taking in their faces – Ted Wheeler’s pasty face, trembling in silent rage, confusion in others, fear…but only one face showed what he was looking for.

Karen Wheeler was clutching her purse so tight her baby blue nails made tiny indents in them, but her mouth was open. She couldn’t hide the horror of the growing realization about who her daughter was to marry.

Steve smiled at her, motioned for her to speak up. “Tell me, Mrs. Wheeler. When you look at Eddie Munson, the man standing there – sure, he might look a bit tired, maybe pale, but would your immediate thought be…this man is dead?”

She shook her head slowly and Steve didn’t have to look behind him to sense the pride that was swelling from Nancy. The women of this family were strong, after all. “Absolutely not,” she answered, voice loud and clear. “Not unless…I already knew he was dead.” Her eyes bore into Jason, accusing him.

“Thank you, Mrs. Wheeler. My thoughts exactly.” Steve turned back to the guests and extended his hand towards Eddie in a silent plea to join him. “You see, Jason is right. Eddie is dead. As in no heartbeat but still moving, reanimated dead. He’d be able to describe it more eloquently, maybe even present it in a rather disturbing way. But Jason couldn’t have known that – Eddie was assaulted about a year ago and left for dead, buried in a shallow grave…”

That was the first time Steve’s voice faltered, the anger, sadness and injustice of it all squeezing his throat, but Eddie’s cool hand was there again, rejoining him and grounding him as he went on.

“A shallow grave a short walk from here, in the woods. There was no headstone to see, no indication what happened. As far as everyone knew, Eddie just left one day. And it was so convenient to believe that he ran away after all the rumors about Chrissy Cunningham, about his assumed role in her disappearance. Even if his uncle knew Eddie would never leave his guitar, his beloved books, hell, especially him. He wouldn’t leave Wayne Munson behind, not without a goodbye. But if you asked, someone had an answer…a convenient witness who saw Eddie leave the town.”

Steve turned to Hopper who stood there with his usual unreadable expression, frowning at the guests and at the world. “Chief. Can you please confirm for all of us here who informed you that Eddie left the town, that he wasn’t missing?”

Hopper stayed quiet for a moment, fingers looped behind his belt as he considered his answer. “It was Andy…Andrew Conner,” he said gruffly, stabbing Jason with a sharp glare – Jason, who was still grasping what was happening.

And there it was, the final discrepancy. Nodding, Steve addressed the guests again. “There you have it. The only reason why Eddie Munson wasn’t considered missing was the word of a single young man…a young man who happens to be Jason’s close friend. And yet, before even seeing Eddie up close, Jason immediately believed that Eddie was the spawn of Satan, an unholy zombie or whatever he wants to call his current state. But if his best friend witnessed Eddie leaving the town, how come Jason immediately jumped to this conclusion?”

Hopper made a sound of reluctant agreement. “Young Harrington here makes a good point. Care to explain that, Carver? Because I’ve been here for the whole shitshow and while you spouted a lot of stuff about black magic and what not, that young man doesn’t look dead to me.”

Before Jason could respond, Patrick stood up again and pointed a finger at Eddie. “This is absurd. What reason would Jason have to kill Munson? Sure, he didn’t like him, but it’s not like he’d risk prison to get rid of him. You don’t go to jail for vermin.”

Before anyone could answer, an unexpected sound broke the silence – Eddie started laughing, loud and unrestricted, echoing between the tall church walls. “Oh, but he had a reason,” he growled at Jason, staring daggers at him. “I didn’t really suspect him, didn’t think he had it in him. Or at least I hoped that the Hawkins’ next golden boy wouldn’t do something so utterly stupid. See, Nancy Wheeler isn’t the first woman Mr. Perfect here is about to make unhappy. Do any of you remember who used to date Chrissy Cunningham?”

The groom grew even paler. “Don’t you dare talk about her!”

“Oh, but I will!” Eddie uttered, and his eyes were cold, angry. “I will because she is an incredible person that never deserved what she got from you. She felt suffocated by this town, by you, by her family.”

Eddie took another step towards Jason and each word sounded like an accusation. “I know all about you, Jason. She told you about the pain she suffered under her parents, their criticism, their demands, the threat to her health that they were. She decided to confide in you because she thought you cared about her. And what did you do? You told her to be patient and understanding. You told her that this must have been their way to show love, that they were her parents after all and they would never hurt her. All the while she was starving herself for their approval. After that, she came to me for help.”

Hopper tilted his head. “To you?”

“Yes, to me. How bad do you think it must have been, to trust the local outcast instead of her perfect shiny boyfriend? She was afraid of everything and everyone, but the night her mother told her that she had a month to lose weight into her wedding dress when Chrissy barely ate enough to function, that was the last straw. She was so weak, so hungry. She told me that the stale cafeteria müsli bar I had in my van was the most delicious thing she’s ever had.

She knew some of my friends had moved out of Hawkins and wanted a starting point for her new life. Someone to crash with. I helped her plan everything, gave her my friend’s number and directions. I made sure I was on that bus with her, I went to Indy with her, helped her find the place. Then I went there to check on her again…because she trusted me. And I would never betray that trust.” Glaring at Jason, Eddie’s fists were clenching and unclenching as the realization sank in - that he finally found the cause for his untimely demise, his murderer. “But I never thought that you’d kill me for it, Carver.”

Steve expected many things, most likely a fight to break out, for Carver to deny everything, maybe for Hopper to step in and arrest him for…what exactly? But the one thing he never saw coming was Carver’s hands dropping, hanging limply by his sides. What was written on his face was pure shock.

“Chrissy…Chrissy’s alive?” he whispered.

Once again Eddie’s chuckle echoed in the church, but no matter how many times the sound was brought back, it held no joy, no amusement. It was bitter, so bitter that Steve’s insides felt like ice. “Wait. Fucking wait. I thought that all the shit you were saying about me killing Chrissy was just your way of punishing me for letting her escape your clutches. Are you really…are you telling me you really believed that I murdered her?”

Jason was sweating, shaking even more than he had been before. He looked like he was about to be sick, clutching his mouth and taking deep breaths through his nose. “What else was I supposed to think?” he whispered. “She said she’d be back the next day. You wouldn’t talk to me. She never…she never mentioned wanting to break up, how was I…”

“Of course she didn’t! She told me everything, Jason! How you shut down her attending college, for her own good of course. How you asked her parents to marry her even when she told you she wasn’t ready. And you have the fucking gall to question why she ran away instead of talking things through with a guy who bulldozed over everything she wanted? Who told her to keep starving herself to keep the peace?!”

That snapped Jason out of his stupor. “I loved her, you freak!” he shouted, his voice breaking at the last word. “As if you could ever understand that! She always understood that I wanted only the best for her, she knew it was the right choice when we discussed things. I would have made her happy! It would take only a while. We would appease her parents and she’d be free. She didn’t…she didn’t have to run away from me…”

Eddie’s anger dissipated, and he just seemed sad. Rubbing his temples, he let out a deep sigh. “Look, I can handle being murdered for doing the right thing, but being dead because you’re dumb and didn’t bother to think of other options? Because you’ve got a…murder tunnel vision? I’d be better off not knowing.”

Jason was staring at the floor, and Steve thought he saw tears in the corners of his eyes. “I never wanted to kill you,” he whispered. “It wasn’t supposed to happen like that.”

Eddie’s eyes snapped back towards him. “What? Care to explain this,” he gestured at his own face, his body, “because how do you fucking accidentally murder someone?”

Steve could have sworn he heard Chief Hopper mutter, “yeah, that’s what I’d also like to know.”

Still talking to the floor, Jason wrapped his arms around his middle. Cornered and finally forced to reveal the truth, he seemed much younger. “You wouldn’t talk to me! You’d always leave when I tried to question you, or you’d say that I’d better get used to Chrissy being gone because it wasn’t changing. So I thought I’d make you talk. I saw you going to those woods, and I followed you. I just wanted to knock you out. I wanted to restrain you, question you. But I…I hit you too hard. You just collapsed and…when I checked, you weren’t breathing.”

Steve felt sick, and from the look on her face, Nancy did too. She was taking short steps away from Jason, not daring to turn around. Robin, on the other hand, was petrified. Nancy had to tug on her hand several times to make her move.

But Jason wasn’t stopping them. He was full on crying now, sobbing into his palms. “I was so afraid. I tried to revive you, I swear. But you weren’t getting up, and I thought…I can’t get arrested, not when Chrissy’s still missing. I buried you there and told Andy I saw you leaving on that bus. He’d repeat anything I told him. I thought I’d confess once I found her, but…I never did. I couldn’t stop looking for her because if she wasn’t found, then what I did would have been for nothing. And now you’re telling me that’s exactly what it was. I killed someone for nothing.”

Apart from Jason’s lingering sobs, the church was quiet. Eddie stopped moving and stared at the stained glass window above the altar, at the tinted rays of sun that had no business looking so cheerful. “A mistake until the end,” he said flatly. “How fitting.”

Steve barely registered the steps behind him. Chief Hopper got up from his seat and, not unkindly, grasped Jason’s arm. “That sounded like a murder confession to me, Carver. You know what that means.”

Jason nodded through his tears, meeting Hopper’s eyes with something that hadn’t been there for years - acceptance. “Yeah. I do. I’m coming with you.”

There was a sudden rush of movement from everywhere - Jason’s parents throwing themselves towards Hopper and being blocked by his officers, Karen Wheeler rushing to Nancy and Robin, Mrs. Henderson and the Sinclairs ushering all the kids outside despite their vehement protesting…it was a lot. But Steve could only concentrate on one thing - Jason Carver stopping in front of Eddie.

“For all it’s worth…I’m sorry,” he said. Glancing towards Nancy who was in a joint embrace with Robin and Karen, he added, “to both of you.”

With his and the kids’ departure, the church finally went quiet.

Chapter 14 here

#steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #steddie #steddie au #robin buckley #nancy wheeler #jason carver #corpse bride au #corpse groom eddie #with this ring #steddie big bang 2023

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layla-carstairs · 1 year

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(this got way too long i'm sorry lol) don't even get me started on the timeline there's so much that doesn't make sense!! i've tried to map it out because i am insane but i am definitely putting more thought into this than cc herself. like, in the days past 1900 chapter cordelia mentions that she's 13, when it's literally impossible for her to be 13 that year ????

and lowkey i am just very excited to see someone else mention the mess that it is the timeline because i've been thinking about when alastair and thomas must have gone on their travel year (and also during that travel year when thomas must have gone to paris because they wouldn't just give him a holiday immediately right, like it must have been december 1902 they met, yes i am overthinking this) for years lol

my best guess is that charles arranged to marry ariadne in early 1901 but it wasn't officially announced?? it was just an arrangement/promise and then he went to paris and met alastair later that year (though i think they'd already met yikes) and they dated sometime in 1901 (where alastair would have been 16-17 /yikes/), for any of this to work i think we just have to accept that shadowhunters can go on their year abroad before they turn 18, or maybe alastair wanted to get out of the house :( and then maybe charles told alastair of the engagement a little bit into their relationship?? don't even get me started on thomas' travel year, we know it lasted 9 months, was from 1902 to 1903 and he had come back fairly recently in august (and tbh i'm gonna stretch that definition of recent and just say the thieves are all being dramatic when they're still toasting him coming back at the beginning of chog). but he also took two weeks holiday in 1902 and saw alastair (who i have to assume was secretly visiting charles since if he was still on his travel year, he could have just said that instead of being cryptic and hilarious lol) anyways in conclusion the timeline is a mess

i thought cordelia's birthday must be really late in the year but i did not realise this means it would be impossible for her to have her parabatai ceremony lol, okay i can't work out that one unless everyone's straight up lying or don't know their own birthdays

anyways i clearly think about this way too much, sorry for rambling in your inbox, you did not ask for this lmao i have just had many thoughts about timelines from like two years ago that all bubbled up to the surface when i saw your post

okay I am finally answering this, I am so so sorry about the wait </3

honestly when it comes to timelines, I think cc just kinda says things vaguely enough that it makes sense as long as you don't think about it too hard lmao. Also I did not know Cordelia said she was 13 in 1900... In order for that to be possible she'd have to be born in either 1886 or 1887. I wonder if cc just forgot she had said Cordelia was born in 1885? that seems like the only viable option here 😭

Paris 1902 is so bad because a lot of the things that contradict it are in the same book 💀 like with other stuff at the very least you can give cc the benefit of the doubt that she forgot between writing short stories and whatnot. but the same book!! insanity!!

I don't think there's any way to twist it in order for it to make sense? like something has to be wrong. best I've got is Thomas turned 18 in Jan, went on travel year for roughly 8 months meaning he gets back to London right before the start of ChoG in August. He met Alastair in Paris in like, March or April 1903 when he was finishing up his travel year and Alastair was being cryptic just because. Charles and Alastair met in Sept. 1902 when Alastair went on his travel year to Paris; Charles and Ari are already engaged by this point (technically) and every other conflicting detail gets throw out the nearest window lmao. for me at least, shadowhunters going on their travel year before turning 18 defeats the purpose, which is to go on patrol and fight demons in a different country. and if they were able to at 17, I think there's several characters who would be currently on their travel year, like James and Matthew, and who obviously aren't.

The parabatai ceremony thing is annoying because cc actual reconned it :) in the codex it says you have be in childhood to become parabatai, and this is supported by Jem in clockwork prince. however, in tfsa, Simon is still able to become parabatai with Clary despite already turning 18, so now shadowhunters are considered children up until 19 but this only applies to the parabatai ceremony because in every other aspect of life they become adults at 18. this makes sense (not). personally i am of the option that Cordelia turning 18 and being unable to become parabatai with Lucie would have been more interesting, and added some stakes that chot desperately needed. plus it would be funny if they still became parabatai in the end because Will and Jem pulled some strings (the benefits of nepotism 😌)

the timeline of tlh is one of my great enemies at this point and I've held my tongue about it for far too long, so don't feel bad about rambling! (even if it takes me 3 months to reply 🫣)

#cordelia and thomas having the most inconsistent ages in canon is so funny to me #bc the only explanation i can come up with is that cc forgot 1885 was a year people could be born in lmao #i spent the entire wait for chot assuming cordelia and lucie were never becoming parabatai bc cordelia turned 18 #you can imagine how i felt when she simply did not turn 18....#I have so many thoughts about this and I love putting wayyyy to much thought into things #so thank you for the ask! I feel really bad about the delay in answering it :(#perpetualbrainrot #bella talks #chain of thorns #chain of iron #chain of gold #the last hours #cordelia carstairs #thomas lightwood #alastair carstairs #charles fairchild #lucie herondale

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tinyboxxtink · 2 years

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"Spring Break '86" *Chapter 12*

Chapter 11

Chapter 13

I know guys, I know.

But to be fair, I gotta keep this lasting until NEXT weekend!

Speaking of...

SO, funny story:

I'm gonna be at a convention in Austin from Thursday-Sunday next week. [31ist-4th[

I can probably fit in watching all of Part 2-- the last time this happened, we did end up watching the whole thing on down times.

But damn am I gonna have to literally stay off EVERYTHING until that happens. I won't be able to handle it if Eddie dies.

But um, anyway-- i'm going to do my best to finish up before then. And get through Part 2 as fast as possible.

Also-- not to be that girl, but: the reblogs and comments make me wanna write more and sooner. 😅😜

Okay, here we go!

-----

Looking at Vecna for the first time in person, you quickly lost all your sass and strength against him. You buried your head in Eddie’s chest.

“I don’t wanna do this,” you whimpered.

“Aww” Vecna mocked you. “Big bad Y/N can’t take it in person?”

“Shut up,” Eddie growled, pulling you closer.

“Yeah, you can’t have her,” Robin snapped.

“Oh, I don’t need her,” Vecna chuckled. “I’ve got all you cretins to choose from now,”

“What?” You suddenly snapped to attention, looking at your friends with fear. “No, no you don’t want them Vecna, fuck with me,”

“Me me me, it’s all about me,” Vecna mocked you.

“Alright, fine,” he cracked his knuckles and rolled his neck, looking down at all of you. “You want me to ‘fuck with you’, Y/N? How’s this?”

He waved his hands and suddenly all four of your friends were in his power. Their eyelids convulsing, their bodies stiff.

“NO!!!!” You screamed, running to Eddie first. This was horrifying, you hated that Eddie saw someone like this. Saw you like this.

You then went down the line, checking everyone. They were all the same-- un-moving, eye blinking, statues.

“Shit shit shit,” you muttered to yourself, hearing Vecna’s laugh in the background.

“See where your selfishness gets you, Y/N?. Now all of your friends are suffering because of you,”

“I said take ME, jackass!” you screamed, now returning to Eddie’s side.

“Ah but see,” Vecna lowered himself down to you. “The more guilt and fear I build in you, the more delicious it will be when I wipe your brain. Your pain neurons are like crack,”

While you argued with Vecna, your four friends were trapped in their own hell.

Robin was in the video store, being heckled by patrons who somehow knew she was gay. They were spitting on her, calling her slurs. Her mother was there, saying how she raised her better than that.

Steve was caught in the video store as well, but he was being bombarded from former classmates telling him he’d never amount to anything. Saying that he peaked in high school, and he’d never go anywhere. Nancy was at the forefront of them, saying how much of a loser he was and how she couldn’t believe she had dated him.

Nancy was stuck in the newsroom with everyone not listening to her as editor. Telling her she was worthless, she couldn’t even keep a boyfriend. Then Jonathan appeared, telling her how much he hated her, that he never loved her.

But Eddie’s, Eddie’s was the worst of them all.

--------

He started out in his garage, his buddies from High School, playing D&D. He knew immediately where he was, when he was.

It was the day you had come over to tell him you loved him.

He immediately whipped his head around to see the door open, a young you standing in front of him.

“Y/N,” He went to hug you, but you yelled at him before he could move.

“FINE, YOU WANNA BE A DRUGGIE AND A LOSER, FUCK YOU TOO!!!”

“What?” he shook his head, still trying to walk to you. “No, no! I love you, Y/N,”

“Y-You do?” “you” asked him tearfully.

“Yes!” He smiled and kept going towards you, but the door SLAMMED in front of him before he could reach you.

“EDDIE!!!” He could hear you screaming through the door. He ran to it and began pounding on it.

“Y/N!” He screamed. “Y/N I’M COMING!!!”

“EDDIE!!!!” Your voice echoed through the door. “HE’S COMING!!!!”

“NO NO NO!!!” He knocked his body against the door, trying to break it down.

“EDDIE!!!” You screamed one last time, Eddie finally kicking the door off the hinges. But he was met with an empty hallway.

He was in his old house. The house he lived in with his mom, and his dad before the piece of shit took off on him. He looked around warily, the colors of the house looking faded and the furniture broken. His anxiousness was beginning to soar, remembering all the bad memories here.

“EDDIE, CLEAN YOUR ROOM OR YOUR GIRLFRIEND GETS IT!”

Suddenly his mom’s voice was booming behind him. He turned around to see his mom, holding a knife to your throat.

“...M-Mom?” he gulped, totally shocked to see her standing in front of him.

“First you killed me, now you’re going to let HER die too!!!!” his mother cackled.

“EDDIE!!! HELP!!!” You screamed at him.

“Y/N!!” He went to charge his mother, but she faded away before his eyes, taking you with her.

“Wait,” Eddie shook his head, starting to become lucid. “Wait, this isn’t real,”

“EDDIE!!!!” He now flipped around to see you being held by Vecna.

“This not ‘real’ enough for you, Eddie?” Venca laughed, running his fingers across your face.

“Eddie…” ‘you’ whimpered, Vecna’s claws digging into the side of your shoulder.

“NO!! STOP!!!” he begged, tears streaming down his cheeks.

“Oh fine,” Vecna acted as if he was going to toss you down, but he grabbed your head and ripped it off, dropping your body to the floor.

“OH MY GOD!!! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!” Eddie screamed in agony, falling to his knees.

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Upside Down

Eddie’s body began to rise as his horror fantasy was climaxing, ready to claim his life.

“NO!!!” You screamed blood murder as the others slowly began to rise as well.

This was hell. It was literal hell. This wasn’t a joke, this wasn’t Jason the douche wielding a gun like a jackass. There wouldn’t be a way out of this, you were about to see the love of your life ripped apart in front of you.

You HAD to do something, you couldn’t let him die because of you. Not again. You searched around you, looking for anything. Anything you could throw, distract him. Hurt him. You saw a large stick, grabbed it and chunked it at Vecna with all the might you could.

You saw it sail through the air, smacking him right in the face. WIth a loud roar, he shook his head and body from the hit. You saw all four bodies drop instantly, and you didn’t hesitate to run up to Eddie.

“We HAVE to get out of here, Eddie,” you shook him as he came to, sitting up and rubbing his head. When he saw you and your head fully intact, he grabbed you and pulled you as close into him as possible, beginning to sob. He didn’t care who saw him, you were alive.

“Eddie, baby…” you tried calming him down, not liking how the tables had turned. You didn’t know if this was exactly what you looked like when you thought he had died, TWICE, but you didn’t like it.

“Baby we have to go…please,” you tried pulling him to his feet but he clung to you like a child. You looked over at Nancy, Robin, and Steve all slowly getting to their feet.

“Y-You were…” he blubbered, slowly standing up but not letting go of you. “Your head was…”

“Oh, baby,” you looked into his eyes. His beautiful chestnut eyes were filled with tears, he was shaking.

He’d never looked that scared in his life; not in front of you, anyway. You let him pull you into him once more, letting him cry on the top of your head. While comforting him, you saw Vecna coming to his senses, setting his sights on the five of you.

“Shit,” you muffled into his hair, pulling him back slightly. “Baby, we need to go,”

All four of them looked where you were looking and began to run, no questions asked.

You ran and ran as fast as you could, holding tight to Eddie’s hand. You were not going to lose him, you weren’t. You weren’t even sure what you were running to, you just knew you had to get as far away from Vecna as possible.

“I can’t-- run--- anymore--” You felt your legs turning to fire, you couldn’t breathe. Eddie’s hold on your hand grew tighter at your words.

“You HAVE to, Y/N,” He told you, using all of his strength to pull you forward and lift you into the air.

He was now carrying you, while running himself. He was exhausted already, but his fear for your life gave him adrenaline like a mom lifting a car off her child. He finally noticed an empty building, to which he yelled back to the other three:

“Over here!!!!” he gestured with his head towards the building. They all nodded and followed him, not stopping until they were safely inside.

You all just sat there, inside the Upside Down version of a Mickey D’s. The golden arches on the wall mocked you all. After a few minutes of heavy breathing, trying to catch your breaths, you began to cry.

“We’re gonna die here, aren’t we?” you cried, pulling your knees into your chest. Eddie pulled you closer to him, still breathing hard.

“N-No,” he panted. “We’re not. We’re NOT going to die, here, do you hear me Y/N?”

You looked up from your knees into his eyes. “Y-Yeah,”

“We’re not going to die here, because I still have to marry you, and we have to have kids with bad ass Hellfire jackets. And i’ll teach them all D&D, and we’ll have our own campaigns, it’ll be great,”

“Oh God,” you laughed weakly. “Is that supposed to be helping? Because our kids are not playing--”

“Oh they most certainly ARE, Princess,” he smiled.

“Yeah?” you laid against the cash register counter and rubbed his hand with your thumb. “How many?”

“W-What?” he suddenly realized you were surrounded by other people, listening to him be all ‘mushy gushy’. “I-I don’t know babe, I haven’t--”

“Bullshit you haven’t thought about this!” you shoved him playfully. “Come on baby, please? Give me something to live for?”

“Oh thanks a LOT,” Eddie shoved you back. “I’m not enough to live for?”

“Can I tell you what I imagined then?” you asked sweetly, causing his jaw to drop.

“Y-You thought about it?” he asked.

“Eddie I’ve been in love with you since 7th grade,” You blushed. “I’ve planned our lives out together in so many different ways I lost count,”

“R-Really?” Eddie asked again, disbelieving his ears. There was no way his dream girl had been planning their lives together. No way.

“Eddie,” You looked at him seriously. “Come on. It was…you,” you put your hand to his face and leaned in close. “It was always you,”

“Oh my God I swear to God I’m about ready to go take my chances with Vecna,” Steve made gaging noises at the two of you.

“Oh shut up Harrington,” you flipped him off. “Like you haven’t planned out you and Nancy Drew’s life,”

Nancy, Robin and Steve all looked at you with shock and awe, while Eddie laughed in amusement at the comment.

“Excuse you!” Nancy cried, Steve looking at you with the same sentiment.

“Look Steve,” you put a hand on his knee. “Maybe it’s the exhaustion or the blood loss talking, but-- I think now’s the time to start tying up loose ends,”

“Blood loss--?” Eddie’s ears perked up, he began to search your body for wounds.

“Y/N I just don’t--” Steve rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“Jonathan and I are breaking up,” Nancy suddenly announced, making the three of them look in shock, while you laughed.

“TOLD you!” you cackled.

“What do you mean you ‘broke up’?” Steve asked Nancy.

“I mean not technically,” she made a face.

“What does that mean?!” crossed his arms.

“It’s complicated, I don’t know--” she threw her hands up in distress. “Can we just--?” she motioned away from the group.

They both stepped off to the side to have their own conversation, just as Eddie touched your lower back.

“SSSSsssrttt!!!” You hissed as he touched the gash wound. “Fuck me Eddie, that hurts!”

“Yeah? Does it?” Eddie asked you in an angry voice. “So why didn’t you speak up about this before?!”

“Um GEE,” You mocked him. “Maybe it was because I was watching the love of my life floating in the GODDAMN AIR!!!”

“Oh for fuck’s sake--” Eddie groaned while taking off his jacket and tying it around your waist tightly, hoping to stop the bleeding.

“God,” you shook your head with a sad laugh once more. “Look at us. One of us is really going to die, aren’t they?”

“STOP saying that,” Eddie growled.

“Look where we’re sitting, Eddie!” you gestured around. “If you’re not at the brink of death, then I am! We just keep trading! Because we’re idiots!”

“Hey!” Eddie snapped. “For the record, that last time wasn’t my fault,”

“And this one wasn’t mine!” you gestured to your wound.

“Bullshit,” Eddie scoffed. “I know one of those beasty mother fuckers took a chunk out of your back!”

“Look just--” You started to tear up. “Just go, okay? Go to your trailer, find the other portal, and get out of here, okay?”

“Okay you must be loopy because you know there’s no way in hell that’s ever happening,” Eddie laughed.

“What are you gonna do Eds, huh?” You sadly smiled at him. “You gonna carry me the whole way?”

“YES!” He nodded enthusiastically. “Yes that’s EXACTLY what I’m going to--”

“We went the wrong way,” you laughed and cried harder.

“What?” he asked.

“To the trailer park,” you gestured outside. “When we started running, we ran in the opposite direction,”

“Shit…” Eddie whispered as he looked out the window, realizing you were right. His trailer was on the opposite side of town.

“Now we have to make it twice as far,” you sadly laughed. “Which means we’ll DEFINITELY die, which means--”

“SHUT. THE FUCK. UP!!!!!!!” Eddie suddenly bellowed, making everyone wince.

“Eddie, I--”

“No,” he told you sternly, getting inches away from your face. “No ‘Eddie’. No tearful goodbyes, no romancing some kind of fake life with fake kids, no more accepting that we are going to just sit here, and die. NO MORE, do you hear me Henderson?”

“....Okay,” you nodded quietly.

“We all have to stay optimistic,” Robin piped up, feeling like the fifth wheel.

“What?”

“Vecna preys on the vulnerable and desperate, right?” SHe pointed out. “So we have to stay positive!”

“She’s right,” you agreed, to which Robin smiled.

“So let’s focus on staying together,” Steve suggested, now returning to the group holding Nancy’s hand.

“Good talk, I assume,” you wiggled your eyebrows weakly with a small smile, making Nancy blush.

“Oh good,” Robin rolled her eyes. “Now I really am the fifth wheel,”

“Hey, Buckley,” Eddie hit her softly. “What did you just say?!”

“Yeah, I know,” she put her hands on her head and began pacing. “I just…I don’t think I’ll ever have that,”

“Hey,” you waved at her, getting her attention.

“You shouldn’t focus on that. Focus on this: you’ve got four people here who know who you are. ALL of you. And we all accept and love you for who you are. Isn’t that a good thing?”

“Yeah,” she nodded with a small smile, looking around at the group. It was true, she had never had this many people she could be fully herself with.

“I guess that is something,” she shrugged with a smile.

“Okay then!” Eddie clapped his hands together, getting a fake enthusiastic tone. “We better get going, gang!”

“Please, don’t,” You groaned. “That is the scariest thing I’ve ever heard,”

“Oh shut your hole, Henderson,” Eddie scoffed as he picked you up and let you lean on him while you all walked. “I used to be a pretty happy kid, if you remember,”

“Happy kid?” Steve laughed loudly. “Yeah, no. I don’t buy that,”

“He was, believe it or not,” You defended him, making Eddie stick his tongue out in triumph.

In fact, you could recall the day he stopped being a ‘happy kid’.

------

Four Years Ago, Hawkins HIgh

You saw Eddie coming down the hall and braced for a dirty comment, but were met with silence. In fact, he didn’t look at all like he was in the jovial mood. His bag was clutched closely to his bod, his head looked down at the floor. His hair was covering his face, but you could have sworn you heard muffled sobbing sounds when he walked past you.

“I um,” you looked at your fellow cheermates. “I forgot something in my locker, I’ll be right back,”

You walked down the hall to follow Eddie before waiting for a response. He was moving fast, but you kept up with him. You both sped walked across campus, until he finally stopped dead in his tracks in the parking lot behind the school.

“WHY are you following me, Henderson?” He asked you very loudly and angrily, without so much as a turn of the head your way.

“Because--” you stepped closer now that he had stopped walking, but you could tell he was visibly shaking so you made small movements.

“I’ve never seen you like this, Eddie,”

“Oh what do you know, huh?!” he spun around to face you, his face visibly tormented. Tears were rolling down his cheeks replacing dry ones, his eyes were red from even more crying.

“Oh, Eddie--” you started to go hug him, but his hands were up instantly, blocking you from any of his personal space.

“UH UH, NO,” He spat. “No ‘Eddie’...” he mocked your voice, trying to stop crying.

“NO. You-- you don’t get to sit there and make fun of me with your little fucking sheeples everyday, and then all of a sudden you wanna hug it out just because my--” He stopped and threw a hand over his mouth as if to keep from his words from spilling out.

“Your what?” You searched his face, trying to figure out what he was saying. It was so much easier when you were kids, when you were so in sync. You knew everything he was thinking, sometimes before he did. But now, his face was completely foreign to you.

“Nothing, just--” He started to turn back around and walk to his car, but you were done with games.

You walked right in front of him, stopping his path.

“Eddie Munson you tell me what’s wrong with you right now or I’ll--”

“Or you’ll what, Princess?” he barked, towering over you. “What the fuck are you gonna do to me? Ignore me? Make fun of me? Pretend we were never friends? OH WAIT--”

“Oh come on Eddie now is not the time to act like a child--” You rolled your eyes and began to chastise him when he yelled over you.

“Yeah well maybe it is because I just lost my MOM, Y/N!”

“....W-What?”

“Y-You wanna know what’s ‘wrong’ with me? Why I’m ‘upset’?” He began to cry again, but stopped himself. He wasn’t giving you the satisfaction.

“Because I just killed the one person who gave a shit about me,”

“What?” you blinked repeatedly, trying to process what he said. “That can’t be-- you wouldn’t--”

“She went into the hospital for ‘stress’, and then she never came out,” Eddie elaborated. “You tell me what she had to be that stressed about, that it would literally kill her,”

“I-i don’t know!” you cried, trying to think of things. “Bills, money, mortgage, a million other things other than--”

“ME,” He pointed to himself, now getting in your face. “ME. She was stressed about ME. And it KILLED HER,”

“No,” you shook your head. He just shook his head with a sad laugh and started walking away from you in response, but you chased after him.

“No that is NOT TRUE, Eddie!” you grabbed his hands and made him look at you.

“Look you and your mom may not have had the-- best relationship,”

You thought about how different his mom sounded the last time you had seen her. So-- downtrodden, about her own son. Maybe Eddie had a point. Not like you’d ever say that out loud.

“But she loved you,” you finally added with a small smile.

“Yeah, I know,” he ripped his hands from yours and continued to walk. “She was the last person left,”

Your heart broke at those words. You wanted to run after him and tell him he was wrong; that you did love him and you were sorry things had gotten so fucked up, and that you wanted to be there for him now that he didn’t have anyone--

But you didn’t.

----------

“Y/N? Y/N? Y/N!” Eddie’s voice drew you back to the present day.

You shook your head and remembered all your surroundings. Eddie had laid you down on a bench when you had nodded off, thinking the worst.

“W-What?” You blinked rapidly, trying to orient yourself. You sat up and looked around, as Eddie’s arms went around you.

“Jesus Christ,” he laughed into your hair. “Stop doing that to me,”

“What?” you furrowed your eyebrows.

“Scaring the shit out of me, that’s what!” he exclaimed.

“She’s lost way too much blood,” Nancy shook her head at the current situation. “We need to get her to a hospital or--”

“DON’T, Even say it. Don’t even THINK IT, Wheeler,” he warned her.

“Well!” She threw her hands up, gesturing at you. “Someone has to think logically here! Not just sobbing at her bedside every time she passes out!”

“You little--” Eddie started to lunge at her.

“AY HEY HEY HEY!” Steve body checked Eddie real quick. “Simmer down there, buddy,”

“She’s right,” Robin sided with Nancy, drawing more disapproval noises from Eddie.

“Look, I get that all of you are-- ‘scholarly’,” he air quoted.

“Scholarly?” Steve raised an eyebrow, glancing at Robin. “We work at a fucking video store, dude,”

“Look whatever, man,” Eddie shook his head, cradling you in his arms. “I just know that I can’t lose her, and I don’t want any science telling me otherwise,”

“...We could get her to a hospital,” Robin suggested.

“What?” Nancy half laughed at the idea. “How?”

“It’s still Hawkins, right?” Steve pointed to the right. “The hospital should be a block that way,”

“Oh and what are you gonna do Steve, ask a demo-dog to operate on her?” Nancy snarked.

“NANCY,” Steve yelled in frustration. “They’ll at least have supplies to-- stitch her up,”

“He’s right,” Robin agreed.

“Oh my god,” Nancy laughed to herself as they changed their route. “If you say so,”

Eddie hung back as he carried you, catching Steve before he got to the girls. “Hey man,” he nodded at him. “Thank you, really,”

“No problem, my dude,” Steve gave him a genuine smile. “If it was Nancy, i’d be the same way,”

“Yeah,” Eddie nodded with a small laugh. He knew Steve was telling the truth, he looked at Nancy the way he had wanted you to look at him for years. And now you did. And you would. Forever. He just knew it.

“Eddie,” you murmured weakly in his arms.

“Yeah baby?” he cooed.

“I’m sorry,” you apologized.

“For what now?” He softly chuckled.

“Your mom,” you played with his ring on your finger.

“My mom?” his nose scrunched. “What are you--”

“I should have gone after you that day,” you interrupted.

“Oh,” Eddie looked down, knowing exactly what you meant. “It’s-- it’s fine,”

“It’s not,” you insisted.

“Well, it’s in the past now,” He smiled at you.

“Yeah,” You put a hand to his face. “I still wanted to say it. Just in case--”

“NO,” He shook you gently in his arms. “You stop it right now. I’ll forgive you for leaving me alone after my mom died, but I will not forgiving you for leaving me alone forever,”

“Okay okay,” you laughed, lifting yourself to press your lips against his.

Yo u just walked in silence after that, both praying you’d make it in time.

-----------

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#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson #eddie munson x you angst #protect eddie munson #eddie munson x you #stranger things 4 #stranger things

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becca-alexa · 1 year

Text

Ride the Lightning

Chapter Four: Sanctuary

Read on AO3!

01 ┋ 02 ┋ 03 ┋ 04 ┋ 05 ┋ 06 ┋ 07 ┋ 08 ┋ 09 ┋ 10 ┋ 11 ┋ 12 ┋ 13

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Original Female Character

Summary: The time for all things spooky and scary has befallen Hawkins, and Steve's throwing his annual Halloween Spooktacular - can Eddie convince Veronica to go?

Word Count: 4.5K

Content Warnings: mentions of alcohol consumption, intoxication

Author's Note: how much candy does one get on Halloween, anyway??

and thank you thank you thank you @rollforhellfire for putting up with me by reading this you're literally the best 💗💗💗

For what, he swore, had to be the hundredth time, Steve tried to recall what in the Halloween-colored Hell had possessed him to let Eddie Munson - of all people - go grocery shopping with him.

The impeccably-organized aisles of the local Piggly Wiggly were, for the most part, vacant, mainly due to the time of day. Steve walked along at a snail’s pace, his attention split between keeping Eddie in his line of sight and actually finding the things he’d written on his list.

“Dude, you’re supposed to be helping me.” Steve said with a groan, pinching the bridge of his nose as Eddie stuffed yet another case of alcohol into his shopping cart, ignoring the disappointed glances passers-by were giving them, a cheshire-esque smile on his face all the while. Biting back a sigh, he added Eddie’s “helping” to the running total in his head.

“I am - you, Sir Harrington, have shit taste in beer.” the man replied, adding one final pack for good measure before clapping his hands together, pleased with his handiwork; he barked out a laugh as Steve rolled his eyes at him. With the cart piled high with more booze than a simple holiday party could ever warrant, the pair made their way further down the aisle - chips were on the list next, then soda and disposable cups.

“Remind me why I agreed to let you come?” In his hands, Steve held two bottles of soda, his attention occupied as he tried to pick between them; a mistake, he’d later discover, as Eddie had used the chance to sneak, among other things, two golden boxes of Honeycomb into the cart - one for him, and one to leave at Steve’s house for whenever he was there. Turning to Eddie, he frowned as he plucked them both from his hands, setting them in the cart, and he pulled several more bottles from the shelf before pushing the cart down the aisle.

“Uh… Because you love me?” Eddie replied, voice blunt as he dropped in a jumbo-pack of red Solo cups. Steve huffed out a laugh, shaking his head, stuffing his list into his back pocket as they turned another corner, his eyes scanning the shelves for napkins.

“Sure, Munson.”

And Eddie groaned aloud at his response, ringed hands dragging over his face. “God, you sound like Windsor.” He stopped in the middle of the aisle, nearly hitting an innocent elderly woman in the face as he waved his arms around, leaving Steve to sheepishly apologize as she scurried away. “Everyday, it’s ‘Munson’ this, ‘Munson’ that - ‘Munson, shut up’, ‘Munson, stop feasting on the souls of the innocent’.” He looked to Steve, his frustrations only barely placated by the way he saw his last remark fly over the jock’s head. “I swear - half the time, I wonder if she even knows my name.”

“So you’re still calling her Windsor because…?”

Steve couldn’t have anticipated the way his words would make Eddie jolt, his eyes wide with sudden realization, a vibrant flush working its way up from the collar of his sweater as he yanked the cart away from him, huffing as he moved into the next aisle, leaving Steve laughing by himself.

“...Shut up, Steven.”

Trailing behind him, the pair fell into a companionable silence as they finished the rest of their shopping - Steve, with his attention now turned to finding an open register, and Eddie playing Steve’s words on a constant, dizzying loop. In fact, he was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he hadn’t noticed Steve was speaking to him.

“Hello? Eddie?” Steve asked, waving a roll of paper towels in front of his face as he set them on the register belt. “You still with me, man?”

The metalhead blinked, as though hearing him for the first time. “H-Huh…?”

Steve shook his head, moving to the end of the register to start returning the scanned packs of beer into the cart. “Y’think you could bring Veronica to the party for me?” he asked, oblivious to the horror flashing across Eddie’s face. “You see her more than I do.”

“What? No.” Eddie was quick to give a response, the underlying urgency in his voice forcing Steve’s head away from the register. “Why’re you inviting her?”

“Because she’s my friend…?” Steve said, counting out several twenty-dollar bills before passing them to the cashier.

“She probably won’t even want to go.” He kicked at the wobbly cart wheel, hands stuffed into the pockets of the jacket he’d borrowed from his uncle.

“Wouldn’t kill you to ask.” Steve accepted the change from the cashier and pushed the heavy cart toward the door, Eddie trudging a few paces behind him as the pair made their way to Eddie’s van - Steve’s suggestion, as they’d be needing the space.

“Still-”

“What’s the big deal, Eds?” Steve asked, trying his best not to snap as he nearly dropped a case of beer on his foot, waiting for Eddie to open the door so he could start unloading the cart. “Not like she bites. Do you not want her there or something?”

Eddie let out a groan, forehead connecting with the chilled side of the van as he fished through his pockets for his keys. “‘S not that, it’s just…” Whatever confusing slurry of emotions, whatever chaos the name Veronica Windsor wrought upon his mind, he knew he couldn’t tell Steve. Not yet - not when he wasn’t entirely sure of them himself. He was silent as he helped with moving their purchases into the back of the van; he even offered to return the cart to the corral, just for an extra moment to gather his thoughts. So, jumping into the driver’s seat, hands clenched nearly to the point of pain around the steering wheel, Eddie finally conceded, “I’ll talk to her.”

“Thank you.”

“You owe me a beer, Harrington.”

“Alright, Munson - spill it.”

Eddie sprang up, hair falling about his face, rose-colored cheeks betraying his desperate attempt at nonchalance as he looked at Veronica. He hadn’t realized he’d been bouncing his leg hard enough to shake the counter, or that he’d already chewed through three of his pencils - Veronica noticed it all, and she was familiar enough with him to know that he had something on his mind.

“W-What?”

“Out with it.” She leaned back in her seat, arms crossed over her chest. “Whatever you need to tell me, just say it.”

He rolled his eyes, his grin forced as he ran his hands over his thighs to keep her from seeing how badly they trembled. “Who says I-”

His voice faded at the sharp look she gave him, and he groaned, head falling into his upturned palms.

“Fine.” he mumbled, unable to bring himself to look at her. “Christ, I… A-Are you busy this Saturday?” He waited a moment, then another, her prolonged silence enough to force his head up. He tried his best not to wither under her searching gaze.

Slowly, she replied, “Depends.”

“Is that a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’?” Eddie asked, his voice coming through louder than he’d meant it to.

“It’s a ‘maybe’.” She wouldn’t admit she enjoyed watching him squirm in his seat, but she had enough mercy to not prolong his suffering. “Why’d you ask?”

“Harrington’s having this Halloween Spooktacular thing or whatever.” he explained, gaze dropping to the pile of chewed pencils near his worksheet, hands moving as he spoke. “Dude throws this huge party every year. If you want to go, I… I wouldn’t mind giving you a ride.”

“Munson-”

“Forget it - it’s stupid anyway.” Eddie was quick to interject, shaking his head as he fumbled with the papers atop the counter. “I’ll tell him that-”

“No, hold on.” With just a hand laid atop his, she’d stilled his nervous jittering, forcing his eyes to hers. After a beat of silence, she continued, “I’m not busy Saturday.”

“You… You’d actually want to go?”

“Sure, it sounds like fun.” She pulled her hand away, elbows coming up to rest atop the counter, hands tucked beneath her chin as she turned toward him. “What? Don’t look so surprised - I have a life, y’know.”

“Do you?” Eddie said with a smile - a genuine one, his nerves finally beginning to settle. “I don’t think I’d recognize you without a textbook smushed against your face-”

“Ha ha, aren’t you just a gas.” she replied, rolling her eyes, turning her attention back to the assignment at hand. “Should I wear a costume?”

“If you want.” He leaned in toward her, pulling a fresh pencil from her Trapper Keeper and ignoring the annoyed swat on the arm she gave in return. “I’m taking the kids trick-or-treating before, so it’s your call.”

“Are you dressing up?”

“Curious, are we?” He gave her a devilish grin, waving the pencil in her face, poking the eraser to her nose. “Why d’ya want to know? You lookin’ to match with me? 'Cause I’ve really been digging the whole Ozzy and Sharon-”

“Shut up, Munson.”

Parking his van in front of Veronica’s manicured lawn, Eddie gave himself one final look in the foggy vanity mirror, adjusting his eye patch before shoving open the door.

“Hurry up!” Dustin said, leaning over the center console, with Mike, Lucas, Max, and the Byers brood all sharing the sentiment. “We gotta get there before all the good candy’s gone!”

“Patience, little sheep, for your master will return in but a moment’s time.” The flourish in his words made the curly-haired boy smile, meanwhile Max rolled her eyes, turning to look at him, hands still working to fix Lucas’s costume - they’d gone matching as Bonnie and Clyde.

“Just go, Munson.”

Eddie shut the door behind him, his radiating confidence dripping away as he approached her front steps, and he rubbed his hands along his tattered pants before ringing the doorbell, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he made out a sudden flurry of footsteps from inside the house. The door swung open, and he squinted at the sudden burst of light.

“You’re early.” Veronica huffed, tying off the end of her lengthy braid, pulling the thing over her shoulder. She stared at Eddie, eyes roaming his body, taking in the full… breadth of his pirate’s costume. He, too, stared at her, but he was alone in the way his body flushed with heat; he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his vest, struggling to swallow against the sudden lump in his throat.

Realizing he’d been standing there looking like a fool, he finally managed to say, “Hi.”

“Hey.”

“I… uh… What’s new, pussycat?” He could have punched himself at his choice of words - why the Hell was he quoting Tom Jones, of all things? Worst of all, his stomach sank at the way Veronica’s emerald eyes widened, her mouth dropping into a frown as she spun around for him.

“God, is it that bad?” she asked, speaking of her costume - she’d decided to go as a black cat, complete with matching ears and a fluffy tail sewn onto the back of her jumpsuit. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”

“No! No, it’s…” He couldn’t help giving her another once-over, trying to be as objectionable as he could. “You look cool. The legwarmers are a nice touch.”

“Eddie! C’mon, dude!” Dustin shouted at them, his body halfway out the driver’s side window. “We need to leave!”

Eddie shook his head, biting back a groan; Veronica couldn’t help the giggle that bubbled up at his frustration. “I swear, these kids were raised by wolves.” he mumbled to her, turning around before shouting back, “We’re having a conversation here!”

“Well, have it over here! Candy waits for no man!”

He shook his head, looking back around, his hand extended in offering. “Shall we, kitty?”

With a roll of her eyes, she placed her hand in his, noting how their nail polish matched, and she bit the inside of her mouth to keep from smiling too widely as he led her toward the van.

Much to everyone’s relief, the streets of Loch Nora were still overflowing with candy by the time they’d arrived; led on by “Captain No-Beard” - as Eddie had dubbed himself - they picked at every house, filling their sacks and plastic grocery bags with only the crème de la crème of Halloween treasure.

Trailing behind the boys, Max and El stuck by Veronica, laughing at how excitable they were, watching as they raced up the driveway of a particular McMansion known for giving out full-size candy bars, shouting all the while.

“God, he’s so weird.” Max said with a shake of her head.

“Which one?” El replied, the two collapsing in a fit of giggles.

“Eddie! He’s just…” Max added, making a face that had the younger girl bending over in laughter.

“Honestly? He’s not that bad.” said Veronica, stunning both girls to silence; they shared a look between them before turning to stare at her like she’d grown a second head. “He’s starting to grow on me, I think.”

“Eddie?” Max asked, tossing her sack of sweets over her shoulder. “Eddie Munson is growing on you?”

Veronica shrugged. “I mean, yeah, kind of.” She looked between them, the pair sharing identical, disbelieving looks. “C’mon, guys, it’s not that weird.”

The girls gave her a look as if to say “Yes, it is”. “Are you friends now?” El asked, looping her arm through Veronica’s as they tried to keep pace with the rest of the group.

“We are.”

“Huh.” Max huffed.

“What?”

“You sound pretty happy about that.”

Veronica rolled her eyes and ruffled up the girl’s hair, pulling a giggled shriek of protest from her. “Maybe I am.”

Having left the kids at Mike’s for what was sure to be a night of sugar-fueled screaming, Eddie and Veronica made the drive to Steve’s for his Halloween party, a companionable silence settling between them. Finding an open spot among the cars littering the front yard, Eddie was quick to hop out of the driver’s seat, making his way around to open the door for her.

“Ready?” he asked, following her line of sight to the massive expanse that was the Harrington house.

She nodded, leading the way to the door. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

For the most part, things went well; Eddie had been right in forcing Steve’s hand into buying so much beer - the partygoers were burning through cases like they were cans of water. He mainly kept to his usual group of friends - Steve had invited all of Corroded Coffin, much to their surprise, and they spent most of the night together. Veronica stayed at the opposite end of the massive living room, her attention occupied by Nancy and Robin. But, every so often, one would be caught looking at the other, and they’d give a smile, a wave, a roll of the eyes as they made a funny face.

As the night dragged on - and the party only seemed to grow louder with each downed drink - Eddie spotted Veronica alone near the staircase. Cup in hand, he made his way through the writhing crowd; he had to lean in toward her to ask, “You alright?”

She nodded, but Eddie didn’t miss the way she shifted toward him. “I’m fine, it’s just… I’m kind of out of my element, y’know? This is a lot.”

“Too loud?” he shouted, relieved to have pulled a smile from her, small as it was.

“Something like that.”

And, after a moment, Eddie’s hand found its way to the small of her back, leading her up the staircase - and away from all the noise.

“Where are we-”

“Someplace quiet.” he answered, and the pair disappeared upstairs, not realizing they had more than a few pairs of eyes clocking their movements.

“Dude, are you seein’ what I’m seein’?” Jeff asked with a not-so-subtle nudge to Gareth’s arm as he nodded across the room.

“Dunno,” Gareth replied, downing the rest of his beer. “You seein’ Eddie sneak off with Veronica?”

“Yeah.”

Thomas chimed in, “You think they’re…?”

“Gross, dude.” Gareth answered, plucking Jeff’s cup from his hand and drinking what was left of it. “Him and…? Never.”

Upstairs, Eddie walked through the carpeted halls of the Harrington household with certainty, more familiar with the layout of the place than she was. And, stopping in front of a door at the end of the dim hallway, she could see the bright flash of his smile as he pushed them inside.

“Welcome to the Shire.” Eddie announced, arms wide as he spun around what Veronica was sure was the largest bedroom she’d ever seen - beyond the massive wall of windows overlooking the woods surrounding the house, the bed alone was nearly obscene in its size. Without a second thought, Eddie jumped onto it, bouncing as the mattress sank beneath him, his drink nearly spilling as he folded his arms behind his head.

“Should we really be in here…?”

“What, don’t want to be alone with the big bad pirate?” He sat up, crossed his legs, and tried for his best dastardly grin. “Are ye timbers shiverin’ yet?”

“Eddie…” she groaned, but sat along the edge of the bed opposite him, still looking around the room.

“Don’t get your whiskers in a twist, this is the guest room.” Setting his cup aside, he fell back onto the mound of pillows behind him and kicked off his boots. “So, you likin’ the party?” he asked, turning himself to face her, eyebrows drawn together in confusion as she… shrugged.

“I’ve never…” she began, struggling to put to words what she was feeling. “I don’t really go to parties.”

“Shocker.”

“Munson, come on-”

“Calm down, kitty - I’m joking.” he said; slowly, she relaxed onto the bed, only now realizing how tired she’d become. Were parties always this exhausting? “So, I’m guessing you’re not much of a drinker?” The shake of her head came as no surprise. “Smoker?”

At her sudden pause, Eddie perked up, and his jaw nearly dropped to the floor as she nodded.

“Christ, you’ve been keeping secrets from me!” He scrambled to his knees, moving closer to her atop the bed, giving her his undivided attention. “What’s your poison? Tobacco? Weed?”

“Uh… T-The second one.”

And Eddie collapsed onto the bed, hands pressed over his face as he let out the most exasperated sound Veronica had ever heard him make. “You’re out here partaking in the Devil’s lettuce and you didn’t tell me?”

“I tried it once, okay?” she said with a chuckle, which turned into a laugh as she caught sight of his pout. “I have a cousin back home who’s like, really big on the stuff.” Eddie watched as she laid back against the headboard, making herself comfortable. Was she comfortable around him? God, he hoped so. Not wanting to prolong the silence any further, he racked his mind for something - anything - to say.

“You know what goes great with weed? Candy.” He pulled his hefty bag from a pocket inside of his vest, spilling its contents in front of him.

“What?”

“Let me see your stash.” Seeing how she was unconvinced, he continued, adding in a wag of his brows for good measure, “C’mon - show me yours and I’ll show you mine.”

But, with their piles spread out before them, somewhere between shelling out for Skittles and counting out sticks of licorice, their light-hearted attempt at trading devolved into full-on bartering.

“Look, three mini Milky Ways for a Kit-Kat bar does not a fair trade make, sweetheart.” Eddie groaned, hands caught in his hair as he looked at the trio of chocolates in her palm. “You got anything better?”

“What about the Whatchamacallit?” she asked, pointing at the golden candy bar to his left. “I’ll trade you that for my M&Ms.”

He narrowed his eyes at her, arms crossing over his chest. “And the Snickers.”

“What? No way. How is that fair?” she asked, shaking her head, her fuzzy ears flopping around with the movement. “You can take the Junior Mints.”

“What, like I’m eighty?” he whined, throwing his hands up. “Which house gave you those, anyway?”

“Do you want ‘em or not, pirate boy?”

“...Fine.” he grumbled, snatching the candy from her pile, rolling his eyes as she caught the chocolate bar he’d tossed her way. “Just know this is highway robbery. And you still won’t let me have that Snickers?”

“Nope, that’s-”

“Steve!” A shrill cry came from outside the window; the pair looked at each other, a beat passing between them before they scrambled off the bed, running toward the window. “Oh, for the love of- Get down, now!”

Looking down onto the lawn, they could see Robin and Nancy waving to what they could only assume was Steve stumbling across the roof. Eddie shook his head, and calmly walked across the room for his boots before moving back to the window. Throwing it open, he’d managed to get one leg out before he felt Veronica pulling him back inside. “Hey-”

“What are you doing?”

“Stevie likes to climb stuff when he’s drunk.” he explained, voice flat. “Lucky for him, I can climb sober.”

“Munson-”

“Alright, sober-ish.”

Veronica tightened her grip on his arm, pulling him toward her. “You’re not going out there.”

“You worried about me, kitty? I’m touched.” He knew his smile would only infuriate her, but he couldn’t help himself. “I’ll be right back, okay? You won’t even notice I’m gone.”

From the look on her face, she didn’t believe him. “You’re sure?”

“Promise.” Eddie replied, and he hooked his pinkie with hers, shaking their hands to reassure her he’d be careful. Then, climbing out the window, his voice carried across the yard as he shouted, “Hey, handsome! Come here often?”

In the early hours of the morning, with the party having finally died down, Steve safe and secured in his bedroom, and the bulk of the mess cleaned and trash collected, Eddie and Veronica made the drive back to the humbler parts of Hawkins. She was quiet, unusually so, but Eddie chalked up her silence to exhaustion. He couldn’t blame her - he was tired, too. More than once, he’d caught his eyes falling shut whenever he stopped at the traffic lights. As the glow of her house came into view, he gave her a nudge, thinking she’d fallen asleep.

“Rise and shine, kitty.” he said, unbuckling his seatbelt, his motion stilling at the sound of… giggles? He turned to look at her, and found her face flushed, eyes sparkling as she looked at him.

“I had fun tonight.” she said, looking at him as though he’d hung the moon and stars. He returned her smile with a shy one of his own, a hand moving to rub at the back of his neck.

“So did I.” he admitted, falling back against his seat. “Honestly, I didn’t think you’d want to go.”

She made a face at him, shaking her head. “What? And miss seeing you in your Sunday best?” she asked with a gasp, a hand pressed against her chest for emphasis. “Never.”

Eddie blinked at her, his mind wiped clean at her words. “Was that…? Was that a joke, Windsor?” he asked, disbelief clear in his voice, which only worsened when her giggles turned into full-bellied laughs. “You think you’re so funny, huh?”

“You think I’m funny…!” she said in-between breaths, leaning over the center console to poke at his cheek.

“I most certainly do not-”

“You do!” she exclaimed; Eddie made a quick grab at her hand before she’d managed to shove her fingers into his mouth. “You’re smiling! I can even see your teeth-”

Slowly, carefully, he set her hand down and closed the distance between them, taking in a deep breath, frowning when the acrid sting of alcohol reached his nose.

“Did you have something to drink?” he asked, his tone more serious than it’d ever been with her. Again, she giggled, pulling away, her hands moving to clamp over her mouth.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

His voice began to rise - he knew that Veronica’d never had a sip of alcohol, her tolerance worse than non-existent. “Windsor, what did you have?”

She pouted at his words, thinking he was getting angry with her. “I got thirsty while you were rescuing Steve, so I may have finished off your punch-”

Eddie blinked at her, certain he'd left his cup nearly full. “Veronica, I laced that with vodka.”

“Really?” Her face contorted in disgust, the bridge of her nose wrinkling as she shook her head, stuck out her tongue. “No wonder it tasted gross. Y’like drinkin’ that stuff?”

With a groan, Eddie shoved open his door, and Veronica jumped when he suddenly appeared at her side, reaching over to unbuckle her seatbelt. “C’mon, pussycat, out the van.” He reached for her waist, but she wriggled away from him, and he just barely caught her by the foot before she’d managed to crawl into the back.

“Unhand me, swashbuckler!” she shouted, frowning as he kicked the door shut with his foot, holding her by the elbow in his attempt to steer her toward the house.

“Yeah, and I’ll make you walk the plank if you don’t get moving!” he mumbled, trying not to focus on the way she’d all but melted against him. Making their way up her front steps, Veronica fumbled through her purse for her keys, back to Eddie’s front all the while. He bit back his smile at her elated laugh at finally having found the damn thing, buried deep beneath the pile of candy she’d managed to haggle from him. She unlocked the door, and he moved in close, holding her steady as he asked, “You think you’ll make it up the stairs, or do you need me to carry you?”

She leaned into him, head pressed to his shoulder, looking up at him as she smiled, “I’ll make it. Got nine lives, remember?” He lamented the loss of her warmth as she stepped inside, leaning against the doorframe to speak to him. “And I meant what I said - I did have fun tonight.”

“Then my work here is done.” Eddie replied, already taking a step back toward his van. “Promise you’ll call if you need anything?” he asked, watching as she nodded, her ears nearly slipping from her head.

“Sweet dreams, Captain No-Beard.” she hiccupped, her words beginning to slur together, her smile turning into something soft, gentle - and Eddie knew it had to be the alcohol, certain she’d never have graced him with such a look otherwise.

“Go to bed, Windsor.” he said, his voice tight, hands fisted in his pockets. “I’ll call you in the morning.”

And she rolled her eyes at him, telling him rather plainly, “Y’know, you’d be a lot more handsome if you weren’t such a big ol’ fuddy-duddy,” before shutting the door, leaving him alone on her front steps, wondering who in their right mind still said things like “fuddy-duddy”.

Only after he’d returned home, washed off his face paint, showered and gotten into bed did the first half of her sentence register with him, and the ensuing flush that’d swept across his body was so intense, he had to kick off his blanket to keep from overheating.

“She thinks I’m handsome…?”

#ride the lightning #becca.fic #you know i just had to do a halloween chapter #is this accurate???how to people celebrate halloween #anyway i can totally imagine eddie going as a pirate or something equally as ragamuffin #lucas and max in a couples' costume is everything to me #they absolutely would match and make their costumes more ridiculous every year #next year they'll go as ranch and celery or something #this took so long because the holidays wrecked me but it's here!!!!!

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alpacaparkaseok · 3 years

Text

Lost & Found - 13

Pairing: Park Jimin x soulmate (oc)

Warnings: Insecurity, anxiety, abandonment, oc feels like she’s gonna puke which, honestly, same

Word Count: 5.3k

a/n: we’ve only got a few chapters left!!!! *cue the screaming*

Chapter 13. You Never Walk Alone

series masterlist

I’ve never been one to follow the rules.

In fact, I’ve wondered many times if I came into existence for the sole purpose of breaking as many rules as possible within a short amount of time.

However, as I sit here staring down at my phone and listening to it ringing without someone answering on the other end, I find myself promising whoever is listening to my prayers that I’ll obey every rule to come my way for the rest of my life as long as someone just answers me.

For hours, no one does.

By the time the moon has risen, I’ve finally dozed off on the couch with my phone still in hand and a very confused Elle on my stomach. When my phone begins to ring, I jump, nearly falling off of the couch in the process.

Without even bothering to see who is calling me, I bring the phone up to my ear.

“Yah, hyung. I’m already- oh...Jolie?”

I blink, wondering for a moment if this is all some cruel dream. “...Jimin? What’s going on- what happened?”

“You’re safe- she’s safe, hyung.” There’s chatter in the background, but my ears perk up at a familiar voice. “I’m so sorry, you must have been worried sick- hey!”

“Jolie?”

I jump off the couch, eyes wide. “Chung-hei?! What’s going on? Why haven’t you been answering your phone? I- I thought…”

I don’t quite know what I thought. Obviously, that the worst had transpired. Chung-hei knows exactly what path my thoughts have taken, as she’s quick to explain.

“I’m so sorry, Jolie. When we left your place Sunmi noticed that someone was tailing us,” my breath comes up short. “I think they thought you were with us, they might have been tailing the car for the past couple of days to make sure it was yours. And then they probably saw Christina…”

She doesn’t need to explain that to me. No doubt whoever was tailing them saw Christina with her severed thread and automatically assumed that she was Jimin’s estranged soulmate.

“So what happened? Is everyone ok? Is Christina alright?”

There’s some fumbling on the other side of the phone, and I swear I hear Chung-hei’s annoyed sigh but it’s quickly covered as another familiar voice breaks through the phone.

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me!” Christina shouts a little unnecessarily.

“I- how did you hear me?” I ask, furrowing my brows. “Am I on speaker?”

There’s a long pause in which I know that I must be on speaker, especially as a voice that sounds mysteriously like Kim Seokjin shouts “Yeah you are we wanted to know what you sound like!” There’s a muffled grunt in which I can imagine someone giving him a firm elbow to the ribs.

“Hang on, let me step outside-” Christina’s suggestion is met with a load of whining, but she must ignore them because a second later all is silent save for the sound of wind. “There. I needed to get out of there- I’m freaking out. I’m so dying right now.”

“I’m sure you’re rattled, you were literally just tailed! How did you lose them?”

“Oh, yeah. That sucked, but I was talking about the fact that I literally just met BTS. I don’t want to spoil anything for you, but Park Jimin is so much more handsome in person. I couldn’t hardly think straight in there-”

“Yeah, yeah,” I groan, burying my face in my hands. “Save it for later. I was a mess over here, thinking you’d died or something. Can you please explain what went on?”

Once she subsides in her giggling - and I get over the strange butterflies that have somehow come to life in my stomach - Christina gets to the point.

“Right...well, we’d only made it a couple of blocks before Sumni noticed that someone was following us. She’s been trained to pick up on that kind of stuff, you know. She said that they’d been hiding out near your apartment earlier, and that it looked like they’d been waiting the entire time while we’d been inside.”

“So how’d you lose them?”

“She drove straight toward the Bighit building and contacted the security there. By the time the people tracking us knew that she was leading them into a trap, it was too late. They got pulled over, security took them over to the police department a little while ago.”

I shiver thinking about them lurking outside of my apartment, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

“And...why didn’t you answer my calls, then? I seriously was about to go running around Seoul looking for you.”

Christina barks a laugh. “That’d be a sight to see. We were told to power off our phones, they’re being looked at right now to make sure they weren’t able to somehow get a way to track us through there. We should get them back pretty soon.”

Taking a seat and then slinking down to sprawl out on the couch, I sight at the ceiling. My eyes well up tears of relief, but I close my eyes to stop them from escaping. “I’m happy you’re safe.”

“Me too. The boys were already at the Bighit building, you should’ve seen Jimin. He was-” Christina lowers her voice as though suddenly realizing that she’s not that far from the man in question, “You know how the boys say that he can be really scary when he’s angry?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, I believe them now. I think it was a good thing security took those people away before he could see them. He probably would have killed them, he looked so pissed off.”

I snort out a laugh, throwing my hand over my mouth. “Let me guess, that only made him more attractive to you?”

“You know what, it totally did.”

It feels good to laugh after the stress of the day, so I let it out. Giggling up a storm with Christina who admits that she may be wavering in her undying devotion for Jimin simply because of the fact that Taehyung offered her a glass of lemonade.

“Oh, oh! He’s looking at me- oh. He’s telling me to come back inside.” I let out another guffaw at Christina’s massive crush on Taehyung. “Hey, I have to turn you back over to your soulmate now, but I’ll let you know when I get my phone back. Ok?”

“Ok,” I mumble, suddenly going quiet. There’s some static as the phone is exchanged, and suddenly Jimin’s speaking to me.

“Hey...you doing ok?”

I blink, taken aback by his question. “Yeah, I’m fine.” Then, when he doesn’t respond, “Are you...alright?”

From the way the voices in the background are fading, Jimin must be moving away to find a more private location. Indeed, I again hear Seokjin’s teasing voice in the background however it’s too muffled to understand.

“Yeah. All good over here.” I hear a door click shut. “There’s something I need to talk to you about, though. About everything that happened today. You might not like it, but...well, it’s for your own safety.”

This has me sitting up straight, bracing for whatever it is he’s about to say. “Ok…”

“We need you to stay inside, don’t leave your house. Just for a couple of days, maximum. We don’t know if these people had more that were trying to track you, and until we can round them all up…”

I stare blankly at the wall in front of me. Stay here? No work?

Honestly, it doesn’t sound that bad.

Except for one little thing.

“...Jolie?”

“I...I’m not sure, Jimin.”

“I know. I know, and I’m sorry,” it makes it so much worse, because I can hear just how sorry he is. “But please, just for a few days. We need- I need you safe.”

How can I say no to that?

“Alright.”

“You’ll do it? I’ll have groceries delivered, just text me what you need-”

“I’m pretty sure I can pay for my groceries, Jimin,” I say with a strained smile, eyeing the calendar on the wall and the circled date just a couple of days from now. Hopefully all of this will blow over by then. “Don’t worry.”

“Honestly, if you don’t send me a grocery list I’ll just end up sending random food to your apartment. So take your pick, I guess.”

Rolling my eyes fondly, I give an over exaggerated sigh. “Fine. I’ll compile a list.”

✂

The girls get their phones back not long after I finish my conversation with Jimin. Sunmi is quick to send me a play by play of Christina’s growing crush, which helps to ease the worry growing in the pit of my stomach.

The next morning there’s a pile of groceries waiting outside on my doorstep, making me smile softly. Jimin had clearly added a few items to my small list, because I don’t remember requesting a bag of chocolates or a bag of Doritos. Either way, I’ll take it.

There isn’t a whole lot to do with my day off, other than find a new show to watch and different ways to annoy Elle. Jimin texts me throughout the day, and I find myself itching to call him.

If only to just hear his voice for a moment.

However, as my fingers hover over the call button, I find myself hesitating. It scares me just how quickly I want to interact with him. After all that I did to distance myself from him, I’ve been reduced to an insatiable fangirl after a bouquet of flowers and some slipped chocolates.

Staring at my phone, I try my best to control my breathing. Then I send off a message.

Me: Ok, help. I’m freaking out.

Christina is quick to respond.

Christina 🍯: hahahahaha

Me: what.

Me: I come to you for help and I get laughed at? 😡

Christina 🍯: no, it’s just...when are you not freaking out?

Christina 🍯: think about it

Christina 🍯: you always are lol

Me: Ok. Not helping. Remember, I came to you for help?

Christina 🍯: right right, what’s up

Me: I think this is all happening too fast

Christina 🍯: I’m assuming this is about Park Jimin?? Who, might I add, looked fiiiine in his sweats yesterday

Me: QUIT IT

Me: I’M GROWING WEAK

Christina 🍯: are you feeling things?!! 😱

Me: YES OK I AM PLS HELP

Christina 🍯: I don’t see why you need help…?

Christina 🍯: isn’t this a good thing?

Me: is it?

Christina 🍯: ...yes.

Christina 🍯: what brought this on?

Me: I want to call him.

Christina 🍯: ….

Me: We just talked last night.

Christina 🍯: ….

Me: well, isn’t it all a bit much? I mean, I literally was trying to be completely separated from him just a few weeks ago and now I’m suddenly having to remind myself that I don’t need to constantly talk to him! Isn’t that like a bit...idk, a bit sketchy??

Christina 🍯: no.

Christina 🍯: idk if you remember this, but he’s your soulmate. And sometimes when people start to meet their soulmates, they want to talk all the time.

Me: isn’t it going to annoy him? I mean, I already kinda feel like a pity case…

Christina 🍯: first off, no. you’re not a pity case, so stop thinking that. If anyone’s a pity case, it’s me because I was invited to lunch today with Chung-hei nd the boys and I’m gonna ride this out for as long as possible

Christina 🍯: if I could sneak you a picture of Tae without looking like a creep, I totally would 😰

Me: ok, I don’t know how to respond to that lolll

Me: have fun at lunch though!!! Don’t drool or anything

Christina 🍯: yeah, let’s move past that 😂

Christina 🍯: just, call him. Honestly, he’s been checking his phone constantly anyways. And, don’t you think he deserves it? Call him. You know I don’t mean this in a rude way but...he’s done everything in this weird relationship-that’s-not-a-relationship so far. Time for you to return the favor.

✂

“...Jimin?”

Jimin blinks, looking around the table until his eyes land on who was just calling his name. Chung-hei smiles at him from her spot beside Namjoon.

“Yes?”

It’s when everyone starts to giggle that he realizes he must have missed something.

“How’re you doing over there?” Chung-hei asks. Jimin frowns.

“...good. How are you?”

Namjoon places his arm on the back of Chung-hei’s chair, and Jimin notices the way her cheeks automatically redden.

“You seem a little distracted today,” Namjoon croons. “That’s all.”

Looking around at everyone’s amused faces, Jimin notices one face that isn’t looking in his direction.

Christina is smiling slightly at her phone, fingers flying across the screen as she texts out a message.

“Christina’s distracted too!” Jimin points to the girl like a kindergartener, a sly smile on his face when she looks up at him with raised brows.

“Hey, it’s for a good reason,” she says.

“Oh?” Taehyung leans forward, resting his chin in his hand. “And what would that be?”

Everyone notices the way Christina looks at Taehyung before quickly looking away, as though looking at him for too long could burn her. Like a moth to a candle, though, she can’t quite stay away.

“His soulmate,” she finally says, pointing an accusing finger right back at him. “I’m helping her through an existential crisis or something.”

Jimin automatically scoots forward, concern written across his face. “What’s going on? Does she need something?”

Christina snorts as a text - a text from Jolie, apparently - comes through on her phone. “No. She’s fine. Just needs to get out of her head. I suspect that sitting cooped up in the house isn’t helping.”

Ah.

It had hurt to have to order her to stay home, he knew how much that could hurt. Sure, some people might not have a problem with it. But something told him that there were only so many distractions in Jolie’s small apartment that could keep her entertained. Hopefully it would all be over soon.

And then what?

That was the question that had been plaguing him today. How long would he be forced to run this same track over and over again? How long until they were both ready to face each other?

They were going to face each other, right?

Christina sits back in her chair with a satisfied sigh, looking quite pleased with herself.

“What are you so happy about?” Jimin asks, leaning back and crossing his arms. Christina merely looks at him and then down at his phone which sits atop the table.

Just like magic, it begins to ring.

“O-oh, uh…” Jimin scrambles to his feet, nearly tipping over his water in the process. Grabbing his phone, he looks for the quickest exit.

“Why don’t you just stay in here?” Jin asks, ever the prying one. “We can all chat.”

Jimin pays him no mind, heading straight for the door and bringing the phone to his ear. “Hey, what’s up?” He prays he sounds nonchalant.

“Aish, he’s already so over-protective,” Hobi calls out loud enough for Jolie to hear on the other side of the phone.

“Hyung! At least wait until I’m out of the room!” Jimin shouts back, finally slipping out into the hallway. Jolie’s laugh is enough to make him smile.

“Sounds like you’re having fun,” she teases.

Jimin sighs, leaning his head back against the wall. “So much. How are you? Have you gone stir-crazy yet?”

There’s a moment’s silence. “Yes. Definitely. I think by about eight o’clock this morning, actually.”

“Ugh, I’m sorry.”

“Nah, it’s fine.”

Another moment of silence, in which Jimin scrambles for something - anything to say in order to keep her on the phone.

“Did you, uh, get the groceries?” It’s a pointless question; he was notified this morning when they were dropped off.

“Oh! I did! And I saw some chocolate…? And Doritos. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

Jimin grins. “Nope. No clue.”

“Huh. Interesting. I could have sworn you’d added them in there. What are you trying to do, make me fall in love with you or something?”

Of course, the answer is yes. Can he say that, though?

Aren’t they supposed to be taking this slow? Why did nobody tell him that it would be this hard to do something so simple?

“Sorry...was that awkward?”

Jimin starts at the sound of Jolie’s voice, realizing that he never responded. “Er, no. Sorry, I was just thinking.” He chuckles awkwardly. “Is chocolate all it takes, then?”

He swears he can hear a gasp on the other side of the phone, but then again that may just be wishful thinking.

Either way, he temporarily throws caution to the wind. He knows he’s toeing the line, but he can’t find it in himself to back off. Not when he can hear Jolie’s soft laugh on the other side of the phone and wonders if she’s wearing that same smile he saw for a fraction of a second all those weeks ago.

“Well, it’s a good start. Obviously the chips were a bonus.”

“Ah, yeah. I thought those might be a nice touch.” He pauses. “Hey, are your flowers still doing good? Or are they dead?”

“I feel like I’m in danger of receiving more flowers if these ones are dead,” Jolie muses.

“Danger? Really?”

“You know you don’t have to keep me in constant supply of flowers, right? Besides, I’m planning on drying the ones I have now.”

“Consider it a present for making you stay inside for so long.”

Jolie hums on the other side, and Jimin finds himself nodding along to the sound. “About that...any updates? Do I have any more stalkers?”

Jimin shivers at the thought. He’s dealt with his fair share of stalkers over the years, he’s had quite enough of them. “Nothing yet, but we should know more by tonight at the latest. I’ll be sure to call you as soon as I know.”

It’s quiet on the other side, but Jimin allows some time for the quiet to settle. When he doesn’t get a response back for a while, he quietly speaks.

“Hey, you alright over there?”

There’s a long sigh, one that he thinks he wasn’t supposed to hear. “Mm? Oh, yeah. All good. You good?”

Jimin smiles. “All good.”

✂

House arrest doesn’t suit me. It’s going on day three, and I’ve found that the thrill of television isn’t what it used to be. Especially not as the pile of empty chocolate wrappers grow.

I told Jimin as much last night before I went to bed. I also accused him of trying to make me gain weight. He only cackled and told me he’d send over healthier foods in the morning.

I should have known it sounded too good to be true. This morning I checked my porch to see a suspicious grocery bag with bananas and apples on the top. Upon further inspection I found that the fruit was only a cover for what lay underneath.

Two more bags of assorted chocolates.

Oh, and a note that Jimin must have added for the deliverer which was left on the bag. It simply said: delivery request: please hide chocolate under the fruit.

“I can’t believe it.”

“Wow, so are we past saying hello when we call? I don’t know how I feel about that.”

I try to ignore how easy - how right - it feels to just grab my phone and call Jimin up. There are still a fair amount of nerves going into it, but over the past few days we’ve grown accustomed to it.

“You sent me more chocolate!”

“Buuut I countered it with fruit. Isn’t that good?”

I roll my eyes. “Sure, but the fact that you’re forcing me to practice self-restraint is absolutely horrible.

“Ah, I see. So next time I should just send the apples?”

“No…”

I find a comfortable spot on the couch, staring at the calendar before me. Staring at the date, with a little circle around it.

Nothing to celebrate today. But certainly something to remember.

Jimin’s rambling - he rambles, I’ve come to learn this - about his day and how they have an interview coming up this weekend, however I find that I’m struggling to listen. Especially as the calendar grows larger and larger in my eyes.

I wait until it’s dark to slip out.

With my pre-ordered train ticket shining on my phone, I keep my head down and my hood up as I rush to the station. At this time of night on a weekday, there aren’t nearly as many people about. That being said, it’s still Seoul. There are still plenty of people on the sidewalks, and I can only pray that they don’t notice my lack of a red thread amidst the sea of threads adorning the roads.

Thankfully, I make it to the station without much of an issue. It isn’t long before I’m settled and holding the dried hydrangeas close to my chest.

It isn’t a long ride to my hometown, only about twenty minutes by train. Throughout the entire time I remain on high alert, knowing that if I somehow wind up in trouble that Bighit may very well murder me in my sleep.

I watch as the train rolls to a stop at my destination, and I hurry off before anyone can notice me. Once I’m outside, I let out a sigh of relief.

It’s been too long.

One year, actually.

The cemetery isn’t far from the station, and I don’t dare risk a taxi. So, with my flowers still in hand, I begin my silent pilgrimage.

✂

Not much has changed here. I peeked the same family that runs the sweet shop I used to adore, constantly begging for just enough won for some sweets. The streets even look the same, only a few small changes here and there.

It’s the fact that this was my home but that I don’t quite belong here anymore that makes my feet all the heavier. When the cemetery finally comes into view, I take a deep breath and trudge onward.

Coming to a stop before a small tombstone, I groan and kneel before it. It was a longer walk than I remembered.

“Hey Mom,” I whisper, taking care to gently separate the bouquet in half and lay some flowers on either side. “Dad.” Once the flowers are in their proper places, I lean back on my hands.

“I’m not really supposed to be outside right now...but, I promised I’d visit every year, didn’t I?” I look expectantly at the tombstone, but receive no answer. The stone is cold and unwavering, but I find that I don’t mind. The moon is bright and full, shining down enough light to see clearly. “Well, I’m here. I would have brought you some fresh flowers but...well, things are a little complicated right now.”

Inhaling deeply, I chew on my bottom lip before exhaling. As I do, my vision blurs a bit with unshed tears. Finally, bringing my left hand forward, I look down at the severed thread.

“Mom, you wouldn’t know who he is, but I met my soulmate. Well, not officially, I guess. That’s where things get complicated. But I’m trying to fix it.” Looking heavenward, I watch the stars winking down at me. “Dad, you’ll know him. His name is Park Jimin.”

✂

“What do you mean she’s not home?”

Jimin is currently pacing in the living room, listening to Sunmi’s voice on speaker. The others sit in various spaces around the room, each mirroring a look of concern.

Sunmi had been cleared to head over to Jolie’s, which Jimin had deemed a tender mercy. He felt horrible for her, knowing that she was probably going crazy. So, Sunmi had gone over to surprise her.

Except there was one little problem.

“I’m telling you, she’s not here,” Sunmi responds, struggling to maintain her composure. “I got here about ten minutes ago and knocked, but all the lights were off and it looked like nobody was home. Nobody’s answering. She’s not here, and she won’t answer her phone.”

Jimin looks around the room in horror. Automatically his mind conjures up the worst-possible scenarios. “Where would she go? There’s no sign of a break-in, right?”

Chung-hei frowns on the other side of the room, pulling her phone out. “I’ll check her location right now,” she reassures.

“No, everything looks normal. Should I ask around? See if anyone’s seen her?”

“No, not yet. That will only raise suspicion.” Jimin says, watching with bated breath and Chung-hei tries to locate his soulmate.

When Chung-hei’s expression changes from confused worry to stunned understanding, Jimin isn’t sure how to react.

“What is it?” He asks, impatient.

“I didn’t realize,” Chung-hei mumbles. “What’s the date today?” She answers the question herself, confirming it. “She’s back home.”

“What do you mean? Sunmi just said-”

“No, not that home.” Chung-hei flips the phone around to show him. “It’s been a year. And she promised him she’d visit every year.”

It takes a moment for Jimin to process the information, already thinking about how quickly he can convince someone to tail him while he drives out to Jolie. She can get in the other car to return, obviously so she doesn’t have to see him-

“One year.” Jimin blinks, suddenly remembering what Jolie mentioned in her letter. “It’s the anniversary of her father’s passing.”

Chung-hei’s solemn nod is answer enough.

Jimin stumbles back to sit in the nearest chair, rubbing his hands over his face. “I need to go out there-”

“No, you know you can’t do that,” Namjoon immediately rejects.

“I wasn’t asking for your permission.”

Namjoon grinds his jaw, glancing at Chung-hei as the two share a silent conversation. When Namjoon’s shoulders relax, Jimin finds himself hoping. There’s no way he can leave Jolie to go through this alone.

“Bang Sihyuk will kill us if he finds out,” Namjoon begins.

“I don’t care-”

“I do.” Namjoon sighs. “So don’t get caught.”

Jimin blinks. “What?”

Namjoon shrugs, looking around the room. “Don’t get caught. Make it look like you snuck out.”

Leaping to his feet, Jimin hardly has time to grab his jacket before he’s flying out the door. “Send me the location!” He shouts out before the door closes.

He doesn’t know what possesses him as he sprints down the street, but he’s reminded of the last time he went running toward his soulmate.

This time, he knows that he’s been through the heartbreak. Surely he’s been through the worst of it. Now, all that’s on his mind is the fact that his soulmate is alone and she shouldn’t be.

He’s tired of being alone.

It’s been years since Jimin last took the train, but Chung-hei explains in her text containing Jolie’s location that it might be his best bet.

Without a second thought, Jimin boards the train and heads toward his soulmate.

✂

My eyelids are drooping, but the walk back to the train station seems daunting. “I need to get going,” I mumble.

My voice is a little hoarse from all the talking I’ve done over the past hour. Even in death, my parents can’t escape my rambling.

Not that I think they mind.

I rise to my feet, taking one last look at the flowers that my soulmate gifted me before leaving them there on the tombstone.

“Goodnight, Mom and Dad.”

Despite my exhaustion, I remember to walk briskly back toward the gas station. I keep my head down with my hands in my pocket.

My heart feels a little heavy tonight. I shoot a melancholy smile toward the stars, who act as my solitary companion tonight. I can’t shake the feeling that I would really rather not be alone tonight.

Nobody deserves to mourn alone.

My fingers itch to call Jimin or Christina or anybody, but I put it off. I had my phone on silent, and the last thing I needed was bringing attention to myself by talking loud enough for everyone to hear. If Jimin found out that I was out here…

He’d probably stop sending me chocolates. At the very least.

Yes, it would be best to wait until I’m home and in the warmth of my bed before calling him.

Like a dream, my feet carry me toward the train station. It’s downhill for the most part, making it easier than I thought it would be. A tender mercy, I suppose, for a day like today.

Thankfully, it’s late enough now that the station is empty for the most part. Only a few stragglers wander about, all of which are too tired to pay me any mind. However, as I near the ticket booth, I feel it.

Almost like something pulling on my thread. It’s a similar feeling to what I felt as the thread had been cut, but there’s no reason for it to be acting up again.

“That’ll be 26,000 won,” the person on the other side of the booth drawls, looking for all the world like they’d rather walk across hot coals then have to spend another moment here.

“Oh, right.” I pull the money from my wallet, sliding it under the little window. “Sorry about that, I got distracted-”

“Here ya go,” they interrupt, clearly not very interested in what was distracting me. All the better, I suppose.

Thanking them, I pocket the ticket and make my way to a bench before the platform. The train should be here in about fifteen minutes.

But there’s that annoying tug again, nearly pulling my hand off my lap. I frown down at the thread, too tired to put that much thought into it. I’ll have to ask Christina if she’s ever known a thread to act up.

There’s a cold draft in the station, one that only gets worse as an incoming train pulls up and comes to a stop. I keep my head down as the doors open and people begin to file out.

At least, I try to until I’m practically thrown off my seat as my thread pushes and pulls at me. It’s starting to cause a scene, so I hurry off to the side and half-hide behind a pillar. Hopefully nobody will question why I gave up my perfectly nice seat.

Burying my hand in my pocket, I look around to make sure nobody is coming my way when my eyes catch on something- or rather, a lack of something.

Someone walks off the train, however the typical red thread doesn’t accompany them.

That’s not the only thing that alarms me. It’s the fact that I know them.

Park Jimin glides off of the train and looks around, trying to deduce which exit to take. He pulls his phone out to look at something when he drops it due to a sudden jolt.

I watch, utterly paralyzed as he stumbles forward. Almost as though pulled by some invisible thread.

His eyes are wide and he’s practically buried under the large, puffy jacket he wears. It’s brown, to match his brown hair, which is ridiculously ruffled. He’s chewing on the inside of his lips as he lifts his head to look around yet again.

From across the station, our eyes meet. Slowly, so slowly it burns, I see the recognition register in his eyes as he trails from my face down to my left hand and back up to my eyes again.

Jimin freezes, and I realize that it isn’t because he’s afraid or nervous.

This is my choice to make. Even now, after all that’s happened, he still allows me to choose.

So, with a tentative step forward quickly followed by another, I choose him.

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Text

Welcome to lucky chapter 13!

A few announcements before we begin!

First, we got fan art! Shout out to @ooflifeshard for their art of the Jin/Yin/Tang fusion!

Second, I post extra thoughts on my writing process and the chapter in general on my Tumblr! Look up the tag Fanfiction Live Blogging to read them!

Now let’s get on with the story!

AO3 Link

Scattered Cicadas - Chapter Thirteen: Aspects of Arachnids

The Spider Clan is made up of some interesting people. That includes MK this time.

----------

“So what did you want to talk about Mr. Tang?”

They were taking a walk through a secluded park. Tang had asked to speak with the young man privately once he had woken in this cycle to address a recent memory he had received.

“I wanted to apologize to you, MK,” Tang said. MK tilted his head in confusion.

“What for?”

“For the way I treated you last week.”

MK tensed.

“I- I don’t know what you mean,” he said.

“MK.” Tang turned and placed his hands on MK’s shoulders, looking him in the eye. “It’s okay. I know.”

“Know what?” MK was trembling now. He avoided Tang’s gaze, wide eyes darting around as if to look for a place to hide.

Tang gave him a reassuring squeeze and kind smile.

“I know you are the spider demon we saw.”

Last week had been before Tang had woken in the cycle. They had all rushed over to where MK had been fighting a demon alone only to find a spider demon they had never seen before wearing MK’s jacket and bandana while holding the Monkey King’s staff.

The group had, predictably, reacted with hostility. They threatened the demon and attacked him. They hadn’t been able to actually harm him before he got away, and MK had shown up perfectly fine the next day.

Physically at least.

When Tang had gone over the memories earlier this morning, it was obvious to him who the demon actually was. It certainly wasn’t the first time MK was something other than human.

He was also able to see the signs of emotional distress MK was showing over the past week. It was clear that their reaction to his true form was devastating to him.

Tang intended to fix that.

“I didn’t figure it out until this morning,” Tang said when it was clear MK had frozen in fear and wasn’t going to say anything. He pulled him into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry I didn’t see it right away. You are very important to me and I am ashamed to have made you feel like you were unwanted.”

“You- You don’t mind?” MK clung tightly to the scholar, as if afraid he’d vanish at any moment.

“Of course I don’t. What you are or what you look like isn’t important to me. What matters is who you are and I happen to care about the person you are quite a lot.”

Tang held the young man as he trembled in his embrace. He pulled away after a few minutes, wiping his eyes and giving Tang a watery smile.

“Thank you, Tang.”

“Any time, MK.”

“Do the others know?”

“I haven’t told them anything,” Tang said as they continued their walk. “This is your secret and you should be the one to reveal it when you’re ready.”

“But what if they react like last time?” MK kicked a rock out of his path and seemed to fold into himself. “What if they don’t want to be friends with something like me?”

“First off, that would be pretty hypocritical of them considering both Pigsy and Sandy are technically demons as well and Mei is descended from a dragon. That actually makes me the odd one out in our group as the only human.”

“Huh. Didn’t think of that,” MK said.

“Second, I know they all care about you, MK. I sincerely doubt they wouldn’t be able to look past appearances and see the person we all love.”

“Love?” MK stared wide eyed at Tang.

“I like to think of us as a family,” Tang said. “Even if we aren’t the typical kind, families love each other, and you are a part of that.”

“Family…” MK smiled sadly into the distance. “It would be nice to have more family.”

“There is no ‘would be’ about it.” Tang slung his arm around MK’s shoulders. “We are family and you’re stuck with us no matter what.”

MK gave him a wide grin, leaning into the sideways hug as they continued on their path.

“Aren’t you curious by what I meant by ‘more family’?”

“Of course I am,” Tang said. “But it’s not my place to pry. If you want to talk about that then I’d be more than willing to listen.”

“Oh, well okay,” MK said, perking up a bit. He began to enthusiastically speak about his other family, but never giving any names.

Tang was able to piece together who he was talking about rather easily.

The Spider Queen was his mother. It wasn’t much of a surprise for Tang as she had filled that role for MK in the past, but never quite so literally. From what MK was saying, she seemed to still be that lovingly supportive yet protective type that he had encountered in previous cycles.

The fact that she was a much more active villain in this cycle that MK constantly fought was not addressed.

Huntsman was ‘Uncle H’. He seemed to be the type of person that gave small children lessons on knife wielding just so they could protect themselves. MK had learned all his combat skills in his spider form from him.

Huntsman was certainly a focused and skilled combatant, but, as his many friendships with Sandy across time showed, he also knew how to enjoy the quieter moments in life.

That left Goliath as ‘Uncle G’. The large spider may seem like just a brute who relied on his strength, but Tang had witnessed his soft side a few times. MK spoke fondly of the lullabies Goliath had sang when he was still little as well as his delicious cooking.

Tang wondered how it compared to Pigsy’s creations and mused on how he could try and get a cook off set up.

MK did not speak of Syntax. That made sense as it was still somewhat early in the cycle and the scientist hadn’t really joined up with the spiders until after Demon Bull King’s second invasion.

Tang did his best to recall what he knew about the man. They had been friends and colleagues once in a cycle where they had been professors at the city university.

Syntax could be a bit standoffish to those he didn’t know. Once he warmed up to you though, he loved to go on long tangents about chemistry, biology, and computer engineering. He could also be surprisingly thoughtful, having dropped by several times with an extra cup of coffee on those late nights Tang had been stuck in his office grading papers.

Tang never knew why he started working for the Spider Queen. The scientist had always been a bit ambitious, so he supposed working on something as unique as a serum using bits of the Monkey King’s power was more than enough to sway him.

It was a shame the serum was then used against him and he seemed to lose all memories of his human life.

Tang forced himself back into the present as MK finished up an anecdote about Huntsman and Goliath nearly panicking after MK had fallen asleep in his hiding spot during a game of hide and seek.

“They all sound wonderful,” Tang said once MK had finished.

“Yeah, they are.” MK sighed wistfully. “I haven’t spoken to them in a while though.”

“Why not?”

“It’s… Complicated.”

Tang could certainly understand that considering how they fought each other on a nearly weekly basis.

“Well whatever the reason, it sounds like they care about you just as much as we do,” Tang said. “I’m sure they’d be more than happy to welcome you back into their lives.”

“I know that,” MK said with a huff. “I’m just not sure they'd approve of me being the Monkey King’s successor.”

“I see.”

Tang did see. He had been a part of demon families before and knew how leaving one’s blood to side with an enemy could tear relationships apart. He hoped that wouldn’t happen here with MK.

“In any case, I just hope you know that you have people that care about you and if you ever need help to just ask, okay?”

“Yeah, I know. Thanks Tang.” MK gave him another smile before frowning in thought. “I’m still not sure if I want to tell the others though.”

“That’s perfectly fine,” Tang said. “If you aren’t ready then you aren’t ready. I won’t say anything to anyone before you do.”

“Really?”

“I promise.”

The rest of the walk was spent discussing lighter subjects such as the latest Monkey Cop movie and which types of noodles were superior.

Tang decided to not bring up his curse this cycle. He knew he could get around the memory seal by simply stating he had a curse but not exactly its effects, but MK already had quite a lot to deal with this time. He didn’t want to add on to that stress with something that couldn’t be fixed.

He hoped that the Spider Clan would come to accept MK as he was, successor to the Monkey King and all. Not just for his sake either, as Tang could already feel four spots slowly opening up in his heart where he kept his love for his family.

It would be hard to bring them into the fold. Much harder than Macaque, the twins, or even the Demon Bull Family.

But Tang was patient.

He would use this cycle to get to know the spiders better. They were already MK’s family this time around.

Perhaps, in time, they could become his as well.

----------

Things went to Hell rather quickly.

New Years went the same as usual, but this time with the added horror of a mutated Macaque.

The shadow demon had been willingly experimented on by Syntax after he had failed to steal the Monkey King’s powers from MK. He now sported an extra set of arms and eyes, had lavender fur, and was in constant pain from the modifications. Wukong had offered him sanctuary, and Macaque had accepted.

MK hadn’t taken it well when he learned that it was his mother who had convinced Macaque to go through with the procedure.

Now something even worse was happening. This was a cycle that not only changed MK’s background, but someone else’s as well.

Lady Bone Demon was much more impulsive this cycle.

She had attacked them all directly this time, before even gathering up the artifacts she needed. They had all been overwhelmed pretty quickly and everyone except MK had been captured. She had then given him an ultimatum.

Give her the Monkey King’s power, or MK’s family would perish.

Lady Bone Demon then ‘graciously’ gave MK twenty four hours to think about it before teleporting away with her captives.

“Hey, where are you taking him?!”

Tang glanced up as he realized that he hadn’t been placed in the same cell as his family. Pigsy and Mei glared at the skeleton guards while Sandy tended to the unconscious Wukong and Macaque.

“Boss only wants five to a cell,” guard one said.

“Hope your friend here isn’t afraid of spiders,” guard two mocked.

Tang blinked at that as the others began to protest loudly. The guards simply laughed and led him away.

Well, he had wanted to get to know the Spider Clan better this cycle, hadn’t he?

After being marched down many winding corridors, Tang was thrown unceremoniously into a different cell.

Tang picked himself up and was confronted with the scowling faces of the Spider Queen and her entourage. They had certainly looked like they had seen better days.

After demanding why he was there, they had dismissed him and went back to trying to come up with a way to escape.

They had mused about eating him for a bit, Huntsman even going as far as to restrain him and brandishing a knife, before Tang had been forced to break his promise to MK. They were skeptical at first, but once Tang began telling the stories he had heard from MK, they believed him.

Spider Queen was emotionally distraught at the thought of harming her baby, but became more resolved than ever to beat Lady Bone Demon once she realized they were being used as hostages against her son.

Huntsman had been a bit more accepting, bragging about how the only reason MK had beaten them so often was from all the training he had given him. Goliath had just asked if he was eating well.

Syntax had been standing off to the side looking uncomfortable before Tang assured him that MK would be more than happy to get to know him.

The Spider Clan had invited Tang into their scheming quickly afterwards. None of their plans were very feasible, but Tang felt his connection to the four grow stronger.

Strange were the bonds you could make when in prison.

Before they could act on any of their plans, the twenty four hours were up and they were whisked away by the magic of their captor.

Tang opened his eyes to find the ten of them suspended in the air by blue ropes as Lady Bone floated in front of them. On the ground was a horrified looking MK.

“Now it is time you choose,” she said. She reached out and grabbed Tang and Spider Queen by their arms, pulling them forwards. “Your powers? Or your family?”

“Don’t listen to her, baby,” Spider Queen called out. “We’ll be fine! Just get out of here!”

“M-mom?!” MK’s mouth had dropped at being recognized.

“Sorry, MK. I broke my promise,” Tang said. “To be fair, your family was planning on eating me before I told them.”

“We said we were sorry about that-”

“ENOUGH!” Lady Bone Demon’s bellow shook the ground. “What is your decision?!”

“I- I can’t-” MK was trembling as he gripped his staff tightly.

“Wrong answer.”

Tang and Spider Queen screamed as they each had one of their arms shattered in her grip. Lady Bone Demon tossed them behind her, the blue ropes re-materializing to bind them as she summoned a large scythe.

“One last chance.” She pulled back the weapon, preparing to strike. “Give me the Monkey King’s power!”

MK roared in rage and seemed to explode into gold, purple, and green light.

Tang gasped in pain as he tried to stay awake. He stared in shock as the light expanded and formed into a giant figure.

Tang had seen the giant form that Wukong would occasionally become to take on much more powerful opponents. Macaque had access to this power as well and so would MK sometimes. It had no official name, but a scroll he had read many cycles ago had described it in a way that Tang couldn’t help but agree with.

Aspects of Destruction.

It resembled MK’s spider form, but with his human half looking more like a monkey’s instead. He had four arms now and each one held a copy of the Monkey King’s staff. The twelve eyes glowed with a burning green malice as they glared at Lady Bone Demon.

Faster than he could blink, Tang watched as MK swung one of his staffs and batted the white demon away from them. MK roared and leapt after her.

The pain from having his bones crushed soon became too much and Tang passed out.

----------

Tang woke up on Sandy’s airship.

He learned it was a few days later. MK hadn’t been able to defeat Lady Bone Demon, but had managed to buy them all the time to escape. They had also managed to pick up Red Son somewhere along the way.

Now, all twelve of them were out of the city looking for a way to defeat her.

The Spider Clan had seemed to integrate easily into their group over the next few weeks.

Spider Queen had already gotten to know Macaque over the course of the experiments, but once Wukong decided to go through the same procedure and gained two extra pairs of arms, she seemed to start flirting with the both of them.

Neither monkey seemed bothered by this and flirted right back.

Huntsman had decided Mei needed proper weapons training with her sword and whenever he wasn’t giving her pointers was drinking tea with Sandy.

Goliath shared cooking duty with Pigsy. The pair gave each other tips and techniques and their meals only became tastier from the collaboration.

Syntax had seemed a bit lost at first, but after completing one of the internet memes MK had quoted, became fast friends with him. He even got to have stimulating scientific discussions with Red Son.

Tang sighed in contentment at dinner one evening as he listened to the conversations around him.

He had never thought he would have longed for a large family, but this just felt right to him.

Tang hoped he would get to experience it more often in future cycles.

----------

The Spider Clan joins the ranks!

I think that leaves only two characters left out of Tang’s family. Considering who they are, I doubt that will happen any time soon.

This chapter takes place in @strange-lace's amazing Spider Monkie AU! It has some great angst and fluff as well as absolutely lovely spider-monkey designs for Macaque and Wukong! Go check it out!

Now technically this AU doesn't have a kaiju form for MK, but I wanted to introduce the concept to the story and it didn't fit anywhere in the coming chapters.

There’s going to be some plot in the next chapter so look forward to it! Until next time!

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strangerobin · 3 years

Text

Rue: Chapter 9 (Jasper Hale x OC Imagine)

Note: I'm literally in tears right now. I have 7000+ words over 13 pages on my word processor just for this chapter.

Night after night, summer and winter, the torment of storms, the arrow-like stillness of fine weather, held their court without interference.’

The swaying wheat and barley waved in the warm breeze; the burning sun burned like the beacon it was. The entire world was brown and golden. It was hot, it was suffocating. It was terrible.

“The land is barren.” Adeline muttered, her body rocking to and fro with the movement of the wagon, her eyes were trained into the far distance, squinting in the broiling sun.

“You’re being over dramatic.” Henriette’s tone was dry, her hands on the reins, spurring the horses to continue its trot.

“I hate it here already.” Adeline announced, crossing her arms in a huff. “Why couldn’t we have gone somewhere else? Somewhere with more greenery than this? There’s still plenty of places to hide in Louisiana-”

“Staying in the same place over and over will attract attention and you know it.” Henriette was losing her patience too, turning her head sharply to glare at her sister. “Your father will find us if we keep staying in the same place.” The lines on her face and around her eyes deepening, the ever growing frown settling over her wrinkled forehead.

“…We left Ralph in Orleans. All alone.” Adeline bowed her head in grief, hiding her face behind her hair and avoiding those piercing eyes of her sisters. “Six feet under and his body wasn’t even cold when we left.”

Her sister sighed again, though this time it betrayed a tenderness and affection that she only displayed towards her loved ones, freeing one hand to gently comb back Adeline’s soft tresses.

“Silly girl. How many times do I have to tell you? Ralph hasn’t gone anywhere, he’s always with you and me. Always.”

“He’s dead, that’s what he is.”

Henriette continued rubbing her shoulder’s soothingly, as if she were comforting a child. “But he’ll always be in our hearts, and that’s what matters.”

“It’s not the same.”

“Come Addie, let’s not fight.” The older woman smiled lightly, turning the younger girl’s head towards her for closer inspection. There were bags under her eyes and an unnatural pallor, a sullenness swirling behind. Even her usual bright eyes were dulled. “I hate it when you’re angry or sad.”

The younger girl shook her head and curled around the older ones side, much like a feline would.

“I still hate it here. Everything’s so dry and barren and ugly. I’m only putting up with it because of you.”

“What will you do when I’m gone?” Henriette sighed.

“Then I’ll just have to die and pursue you."

“Silly girl.” The elder smiled at the other indulgently, yet her eyes betrayed a melancholy she failed to hide. “You don’t mean that.”

He saw them long before they arrived.

Initially a speck in the distance, and then gradually enlarging until he could see their wagon gradually pulling into town along the dusty highway.

In truth, Jasper had noticed the old lady at the front first; her face hard and etched into a permanent frown, doing nothing to dispel the presence of her wrinkles and only succeeding in making more pronounced than ever. He would have turned away back to his field then had he not caught sight of her in the setting sun, the last of the sun rays reflecting a pale face.

She had a simple shawl wrapped around her head, protecting her from the dust. But it did nothing to hide the beauty she possessed, there was an ethereal feel to it; a otherworldliness. There was also a melancholy to the girl; with her head bowed, eyes downcast, looking so dejected. It captured his attention, struck a chord in his heart, and later he would stop to think about her, in his work, during mealtime, before he went to bed, in his walk.

His eyes followed their receding figure unconsciously as they made their way into town.

He did not know her name yet.

But she had unknowingly sent a ripple in the pool of his heart

Except he did not know of any of this yet.

It was another sleepless night.

Adeline clutched at the tattered copy of To The Lighthouse she had found fallen behind the shelf in the library and staggered downstairs.

Sleep had evaded her yet again. When was the last time she had had a good night’s rest? Or perhaps it was herself who was avoiding it altogether. Whichever it was, she barely slept a wink in the past week. she could almost feel the rush of agitation in her nerves now, the lethargy in her frame, the shortness of her temper.

She needed to get out.

This was a paradise for vampires she supposed. A secretive hideout for the Cullens, no one bothered them here. The town was too enamoured by the dazzling family, the town’s police chief was Bella’s dad and the only visitors they ever had were the wolves from the nearby indigenous tribe. And anyways there was ever only one person who came most of the time.

But it still unnerved her. The jitteriness she experienced in Colorado never fully left her. And she was still startled by the smallest things, the tiniest sounds.

It was the house. She finally concluded. It was Jasper.

She couldn’t rest with Jasper around. No she couldn’t.

Pocketing the few cigarettes she still had remaining into her worn satchel, Adeline grabbed the giant coffee flask she had prepared and stalked out of the house into the dreary morning of Forks in only a thin parka and boots.

As she stalked down the clearing at the back of the house, she felt a shiver down her spine and a feeling of being watched. Turning back she just made out a silhouette at the upper left window.

She didn’t need to squint to know who it was.

She flipped the bird at him before turning around to leave in a huff.

Jasper saw her multiple times in town over the next few days. The two had settled down into one of the cottages his parents had owned bordering their own farming fields; he had yet to formally acquaint with his new neighbours. But it would seem that the arrival of the girl had already sent the town into frenzy.

For one, her dress making skill was excellent. Her embroidery so fine and so meticulous that all the ladies of the town were soon sending in requests, until she had to put them on hold until she could finish the earlier ones first.

Two, she was soon the gossip of the entire town. She’d already had seven proposals in the course of a week, all of which she had rejected without even a side eye. Men were in awe of her beauty and wondered aloud at her ever downcast eyes and the enigma that she was. For the women in town though, she was the subject they loved to hate, for monopolising the attention of the other half of the town. Jealously was an ugly sentiment and hostility an ever isolating one. And the girl soon found herself alone and alienated without a single soul to call as friend.

Soon they had a third topic to discuss on.

She was seen trying to storm the local bookshop for new reading materials, but on seeing her, the store owner had kindly redirected her back to her ladies’ weekly digest.

“You don’t make any sense! Why am I not allowed to read?! It’s only a novel!"

“Child, novels are hardly a suitable reading material for a lady. It promotes unrealistic fancies in young minds like yours.”

“That’s a condescending observation sir.”

“Who do you say you live with again?”

“My grandmama.”

“Well young lady, I suggest you have a word with you grandmother then.”

“Wait!”

The man slammed his door in her face.

And no matter how hard she pounced on the wooden door, the shopkeeper refused to open the door again to the girl.

“Darling, sweetheart.” A pair of well-meaning elderly ladies stopped in their tracks to regard the girl. “Don’t be mad at the man, he’s only trying to do you good. What kind of gentleman of good status would want a woman with her head stuck in a book? It’ll only spur you on into fantasies after fantasies; no man would want a wife who would neglect the family. What would you possibly do then?”

Her lips pursed now and Jasper could see how upset she was with the way her shoulders were hunched and her teeth biting into her lips so hard it drew blood but somehow her eyes shone with a fierce defiance he had never seen.

“A man who loves me would not ask me to give up any of that.”

She let slipped this one sentence before turning to leave with her head held high.

“What a peculiar young girl.” The lady turned to her equally surprised friend and wondered aloud.

The crowd dispersed to return to their day and errands.

Only Jasper was rooted where he was, his mind replaying the conversation the girl and the lady had, the silent dignity, the crackling flame inside her.

He looked to the bookshop again.

Adeline always thought that their relationship now was like a predator to its prey; Jasper always on the outlook, ready to pounce anytime she showed the slightest weakness. But when she did look closely, it wasn’t difficult to find him shuffling awkwardly in the corner when they were in the same room, looking at her with unveiled longing and then the predator would turn into a wounded puppy.

Adeline wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the entire situation. That he should feel hurt and yet still longed for her, instead of choosing to hate her for all she had done. It was beyond her comprehension. If their fortunes had reversed, she couldn’t say for certain if she would feel the same.

She wondered if he ever thought of the past, their past together. Because she was convinced that he viewed it through a rose tinted lens

Adeline lighted a cigarette and puffed thoughtfully. What she had read at the break of dawn still fresh on her mind.

“There it was before her - life. Life: she thought but she did not finish her thought. She took a look at life, for she had a clear sense of it there, something real, something private, which she shared neither with her children nor with her husband. A sort of transaction went on between them, in which she was on one side, and life was on another, and she was always trying to get the better of it, as it was of her; and sometimes they parleyed (when she sat alone); there were, she remembered, great reconciliation scenes; but for the most part, oddly enough, she must admit that she felt this thing that she called life terrible, hostile, and quick to pounce on you if you gave it a chance.”

She must admit, Woolf’s writings always did have a knack of making one feel and think differently; to approach life, time and memory in a new light; to reflect. The lighthouse, was the never changing vantage point in the passage of time, the ever eluding desire that one chased after but never could quite grasp; ten years was a very long time in a life span, people change, for better or for worse; people die, and all was left was a memory frozen in time. And even that fades, lost in time and space. Nothing was everlasting, no mark or testimony survives the void.

Not even love.

The brutality of life and reality had made sure that it did not.

She briefly considered her own life.

The innocent child Henriette had protected at all cost when she was alive, who was immediately killed by her father after Hettie’s death, gutted and left to her own demise in some dirty gutter. And in her place, all that was left was this new emotionally dead and drained Adeline. Haunted by her own past, her deeds and her misfortunes, completely broken and never quite pieced back together right.

Adeline had taken the gamble with life and lost miserably.

The fog was getting thicker now, the wind lost somewhere in the thicket. The spring air was stagnant, and the soft tendrils of smoke curled around her hair, her frame. For a moment, she stopped in her tracks, just to take in this present moment that would soon morph into another forgotten memory of hers.

He found her at the far end of his parents’ field, looking out into distance, sniffing.

“Hey are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” She sniffed again no doubt surprised that someone had crept on her, scrubbing at her face furiously. “Never better.” Before turning around to scrutinise him.

“Who are you?”

“I don’t think we’ve formally met ma’am, I’m Jasper Whitlock.”

“You’re Mr and Mrs Whitlock’s second son.” The girl gasped, before ducking her head formally and shaking his hand. “I’m Adeline, Adeline Ruelle. Your mother’s told me about you.” She looked around again before smiling awkwardly and gesturing to the fields. “I’m trespassing. This is your land. I’ll go-”

“No, no. It’s uh… it’s alright. I don’t mind, Miss Ruelle.”

“But still. I shouldn’t be disturbing the lot of you.”

“Wait. Uh I… I couldn’t help but saw what happened in the town square.”

“Oh.” She frowned before looking down, clearly getting the wrong idea. He wasn’t there to reprimand her too. “It’s alright, I won’t-”

“No wait, I don’t mean it that way. Here.” He quickly thrusted the bundle he had been hiding behind his back this whole time.

Confused, Adeline clutched at the bundle, feeling the hard texture of the package before looking up to stare at him agape. Her hand quickly dove in to tear at the wrapping paper to reveal a hardback book.

“Frankenstein?” She held the book up questioningly. “Why are you giving me this?”

“You wanted this right? Or was it not this? I could take it back and change it if you want-”

“No, no. This was what I was looking for. But why are you giving me this?”

“Because you wanted it.” He stated as a matter of fact. When his answer didn’t dispel the confused look on Adeline’s face, Jasper struggled to explain himself more. “I don’t think they were right in refusing to let you read just because they think it’s not suitable for a lady. Anyone should be allowed to pursue their own knowledge…”

“This isn’t really the most educating thing you know.” For the first time, there was a playful smirk on her lips. “It’s a novel on a man making a monster.”

“You know what I mean.”

Evidently she was grateful. “I- how can I ever thank you for this? How much does this cost? I’ll pay you back the money… I’ll pay you double for all your trouble-”

“No, no it’s fine. Please don’t pay me. I wanted to help. You looked so sad and I just wanted to cheer you up is all.”

“Wait, where are you going, Mr Whitlock sir?! Wait.”

In his mind he had embarrassed himself. It was a stupid move buying her the book. Now she would think him worse than all her other suitors. He had intruded into her privacy and had condescended her by deciding that she would want the book. He had never lost his cool once before, not in front of the girls who had flirted with him, and this new girl had come along and thrown him off his balance.

He didn’t realise till then that his heart was beating erratically and his hand clenched over it unconsciously.

What a stupid stupid man that he was.

“Adeline.”

She was momentarily shocked from her thoughts. Looking up, she found that she had come across the Cullens. There was Alice with the little family.

Alice looked concerned, no doubt surprised by her haggard look and her sleep deprived countenance. Even Bella and Edward looked alerted too. Despite being eccentric, Alice was, Adeline concluded, actually quite a nice person, overly friendly maybe.

“You look tired, are you alright?”

“I’m alright.” She shrugged nonchalantly. Even though the exhaustion was catching up on her fast.

Alice hesitated before smiling. “We’re going to hunt. Do you want to join us?”

Ah, so they were going to hunt. She remembered her surprise when for the first time she had heard that they were vegetarians and that they only fed on animals. Henriette had half forced half bullied her to adopt this kind of diet since she was born, yet she had never seen another doing the same before.

But she didn’t like to hunt in the presence of another, it made her self conscious. And anyways, she was trying her best to steer away from the company of the family.

“It’s alright.” She remained aloof. “I’ll hunt on my way.”

“Will we expect you by dinnertime?” Bella spoke up at the back, Adeline could literally see the trying in her effort to be nice. She quickly looked to Edward who’s face remained neutral.

“Hmph. I’ll be back.” She nodded her head at the latter.

Their paths diverging, the rest of the clan soon took their leave of her. And Adeline looked on at their receding back from her spot.

They would all soon be a distant memory of hers, there was no need to be formally acquainted with any of them.

‘With her foot on the threshold she waited a moment longer in a scene which was vanishing even as she looked, and then, as she moved and took Minta's arm and left the room, it changed, it shaped itself differently; it had become, she knew, giving one last look at it over her shoulder, already the past.’

This time she was waiting for him.

The moment she caught sight of him strolling towards the perimeter of his fields after supper, Adeline immediately jogged towards him, a large basket in tow.

“I’ve been looking all over for you, Mr Whitlock.” She chirped, an unusually bright smile graced over her porcelain features, a stark contrast to the melancholy he saw on her first day in town.

He decided that he loved seeing her smile more than anything right then.

“Jasper is fine ma’am.” He ducked his head bashfully. “Mr Whitlock’s my dad if you will, everyone around here just calls me Jasper, Miss Ruelle.”

“Fine. But then you must call me Adeline. It’s only fair.”

“Miss Adeline.” He bowed half out of jest.

“Adeline.” She corrected him, though there was a twinkle in her eyes. “So where’re you headed to?”

“I’m just heading to the creek down below to rest for a bit, it’s been a long day.”

Adeline nodded in understanding and he was somewhat amused to find the girl trotting behind him. Chuckling, Jasper swooped in to take a grasp at the handle of the basket and carried it. When they finally settled at a shady spot near the creek, Adeline leaned forward to open the latch of the basket.

“I wanted to thank you,” she began, pulling out a batch of baked cookies. “For the book.”

“Its nothing-”

“No! It wasn’t just anything! I…” He watched as she frowned and look away, debilitating with herself, trying to find the right words to express herself.

“No one’s ever done this for me… ever.” She finally murmured, her hands playing at her aprons absentmindedly. “So… yeah.” She pulled at her ear sheepishly. “Sorry, I’m sure you’re not interested in my ramblings. I should go… it’s your rest time.”

“It’s alright. I don’t mind.”

They sat in mutual silence, though there was less initial awkwardness.

“Do you-”

“So I-”

They started at the same time. Sheepish, Jasper gestured for Adeline to continue speaking. She smiled another of her easy smile.

“What I wanted to say was that you really don’t know how much it means for me… for you to get that book for me. My grandfather taught me how to read and write. And between the both of us, this was our most favourite book of all time. But his copy was destroyed in the floods some years ago so when he died… I wanted something to remember him by. That’s why I desperately wanted it at the bookshop.” She grew sentimental then. “Of course it’s not the same copy we used to have, but it’s the sentiment of it that’s the most important.”

“Then I’m glad I got it for you.” And he meant it from the bottom of his heart.

“Here.” She handed him a cookie, “you still haven’t tried it yet.”

Tentatively, he took a bite out of it. “It’s delicious!"

Adeline grinned, evidently proud. “Of course. And they said no decent southern gentleman would want me. You’ve just proven them wrong!”

Jasper laughed. “Well you’ve certainly stolen my stomach away with that amazing bakery.”

Adeline reclined onto her elbows in her spot and squinted in the dazzling sun. “You know it’s not half as bad here as I initially thought.”

“Must be because of my company.” He spoke jokingly.

“Hmm. Maybe." Jasper found himself observing Adeline’s every move. Now she was closing her eyes, basking in the glory of the setting sun, humming to herself. The warm ray of light accentuating her long neck and her collarbones and-

She turned suddenly, her excited eyes on him.

“Have you ever read Frankenstein?”

She knew she was getting closer and closer towards the sea, despite the fog being thick and hanging over the threshold. She just knew.

There was the faint crashing of waves now, getting louder by the minute. And the brambles of the forest floor was spreading out.

Now all she needed to do was-

And she stepped out into the sunlight. Despite the sun, it was not the Texan sun she remembered from her memories, it barely gave her warmth. But it did dispel some of the mist that clung around her like tendrils. Here was a cliff of some sort, with the sea roaring right below her feet, the moss and the wildflowers carpeting the entire forest ground until it ended abruptly at the ledge, to a steep drop of some fifty or even sixty feet.

It was indeed beautiful.

Adeline watched mesmerised, how the waves licked the cliff side, thundering, throwing up white foam and algae and whatnots.

Sighing, she leaned back against a tree trunk. The sky was grey and endless in the horizon. It was dreary, and she felt that it suited her more than the Texan sun and blue sky ever did.

She readjusted her sitting position against the tree and took out her book.

James and Cam and Mr Ramsey were heading to the lighthouse now and Lily Briscoe was finishing off her painting ten years later.

‘“It will rain,” he remembered his father saying. “You won’t be able to go to the Lighthouse.”

The Lighthouse was then a silvery, misty-looking tower with a yellow eye, that opened suddenly, and softly in the evening. Now—

James looked at the Lighthouse. He could see the white-washed rocks; the tower, stark and straight; he could see that it was barred with black and white; he could see windows in it; he could even see washing spread on the rocks to dry. So that was the Lighthouse, was it?

No, the other was also the Lighthouse. For nothing was simply one thing. The other Lighthouse was true too. It was sometimes hardly to be seen across the bay. In the evening one looked up and saw the eye opening and shutting and the light seemed to reach them in that airy sunny garden where they sat.’

She closed the book with a sigh.

To be fair, she knew that Jasper thought about their past, just as she did. Except, they each remembered things and events differently. Or maybe it was just that for her, with the knowledge of hindsight, everything was brought into a new light and became tainted.

Could she look back with pure joy now? At her days with him which was now, in hindsight, filled with regret and more importantly, guilt.

There was some truth in it she supposed.

Perhaps there were more facets in their memory than she would give credit for. There was the truth, and then there were all the different angles you could appraise it from. Both were looking at the lighthouse, but he no doubt looked on with fondness and through a rose tinted lens, and she with hindsight could only look on with a sense of dread.

She only wished that he would not be so enamoured by his sentiments that he was blindsided by the truth.

With that thought, her mood soured again and she threw the book into the ground. Subconsciously, her hand went to the locket hidden beneath her shirt where she fingered the engravings to calm herself.

Adeline closed her eyes and listened to the sea.

After that fateful afternoon, Adeline was showing up at the fields every few days. And the creek immediately became their mutual meeting point. And on days when she was too busy with her work to venture out, Jasper would swing by, just to see her, have a chat. They lived close enough, and he was always giving excuses after excuses about why he was there. Excuses he thought she saw through with that complicit smile and the twinkle always present in her eyes. Her grandmother was less impressed however, but she never treated him ill, always being ever cordial, receiving him, making tea, working in the corner, muttering to herself in French.

The days blurred into one, and towards the end of that summer, his parents invited the Adeline and her grandmother over for dinner one fine evening. His mother took an immediate liking towards the girl, and his father called her the daughter he always wanted.

It made Jasper feel giddy, that his family loved her so much. He was almost proud.

It would be the best summer he ever had.

They had read Milton, the Odysseus, the Aeneid, Austen, Dickens, and many more.

He was always surprised to see Adeline brimming with so much knowledge at such a young age. He had wondered at the background of her grandfather, but she always deflected the questions with a wistful smile then he learnt not to ask them anymore.

It was perhaps cliche to say, but she really was not like other girls. Adeline was open, she was kind and sincere and more importantly she was the sun herself, a burning beacon, radiating with warmth. One look at her and he found the day’s worth of handwork and fatigue to be nothing.

Jasper knew the implication of his thundering heart. Romance was not something new to him, he’d heard it from fieldworkers, men who were only a few years older than him.

But he had his doubts too.

He saw how the men tried to talk to her, and though she never mentioned it once to him, he heard enough to know about all the confessions and declarations and proposals she received on a regular basis. Her refusals did nothing to quell his disheartened heart. Her suitors ranged from various backgrounds including pretty boys with wealthy backgrounds and ancestors who were founding members of this town even.

What was he? Nothing but a simple farmer boy. How was he to compete with then?

Every time he heard of another refusal, his hope would get a little higher, that perhaps her smiles and her openness were only directed at him. Yet one look at himself and his meagre possessions, and he would lose what little confidence he had.

Even so, even so she never missed a day with him. Never forgot an engagement, never failed to show up.

That she would welcome him warmly each time, with her radiant smile and her gentle words, even if she would ramble on and on about her long and tiring day and her tedious work.

He was failing miserably to quell his beating heart. Some days It was pure agony, other days he would find himself hope against all hope that perhaps, just perhaps that she would reciprocate even a fraction of his feelings.

But his doubts held him back each time, when he was on the brink of a confession. He would be reminded of the string of failed proposals that came before his and he would become afraid and stopped himself short.

Was it better to protect this friendship, this comradeship that they had?

But with each passing summer day, as he got ready for harvest, his heart was becoming more and more heavy.

It was too much.

He didn’t think he could go on like this.

The ravens cawed and she awoke with a start. Standing up immediately, she was dazed to find that she was not in her simple attire of boots and parka anymore. Gone was the sea and the grey horizon; the pines surrounding her were tall and ominous, a light mist was beginning to form around her, obscuring her sight further on. She was in her Sunday best again, the cream coloured dress with those understated embroideries she had seen herself. There was the chain of daisies at the hem of her sleeves and around her collar. She looked around, trying to comprehend her surrounding.

So she was in a dream then.

A nightmare perhaps.

Might as well walk to the very end of it so that she could wake. Though she loathed to think how it would end, hopefully not with her screaming bloody murder again.

Trudging onwards, the claustrophobia was getting more and more intense, the fog thickening and the trees crowding more and more together until there was no distinguishable path that she could follow. She felt suffocated.

Just then, there was a chill around her heart and it began to thump fiercely. Turning her head cautiously towards her back, she was instantly struck by an intense fear.

Run, her instinct was screaming in her ears.

She ran like the frightened bunny that she was. She could hear the laughters of her sisters, and worse of all. The shoutings of her father.

There seemed to be no end. The brambles tore at her dress, tearing the embroideries, the mud splattering all over her apron, the loose branches leaving small open cuts over her hands and face. The laughters behind her never ceased. She was bone chilled and yet she daren’t stop in her tracks. For fear of being caught, for fear of a punishment worse than death.

And just when all hope was lost, there in the distance was an opening!

And out she ran into a field of wheat and barley. Shocked, she looked back cautiously at the edge of the forest she had just dashed through.

The eeriness had gone and it was only just a stretch of low woodland and shrubberies. Her nightmarish forest was gone.

Cocking her head to the side in confusion, Adeline nevertheless continued to trudge on and at the end of the wheat field, a warm inviting cottage stood in its midst.

The smoke gently curled around the chimney, the vines over the walls, the blue cornflowers at the windows.

It was painfully the same as she had remembered.

She quietly opened the latch to the door and stepped inside the threshold.

“You’re back.” As her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room, she saw a man in a simple cotton white shirt and dark pants gently settling the white bundle in his arms into a crib. “How was your walk? Refreshing?”

“Yes…” Adeline stuttered. “Jasper?"

“Yes darling?” The man turned with a tender smile towards her, arms opening wide to welcome her. This time she did not hesitate and rushed towards his strong inviting embrace. Breathing in the strong familiar scent, feeling the warmth he radiated. All the while avoiding glancing at the crib she had seen.

“I’m tired.” She murmured. “Take me to bed?” She pleaded.

Jasper only chuckled.

As they finally settled in bed, his calloused hands, overused at the farm, began its motion of combing through her hair slowly, soothingly just like he did all the time when the two were in bed. Adeline closed her eyes and sighed. She didn’t want to wake up from this and back to the icy cold acquaintance that they now shared.

“I had the strangest dream.” She murmured to him, burrowing deeper into his embrace, her ear rested on his chest, and she could hear the strong beating of his beating heart. “I dreamt that I left you. And that it destroyed you so badly that you became something I couldn’t even recognise anymore. And then I hated you so much and you resented me so much for turning you into what you became.”

“Left me…” Jasper repeated to himself, his hand froze momentarily in its motion.

Adeline looked up in desperation. If this was a dream, at least she would keep him happy. This much she could do at the very least.

“It was only just a dream though.” She tried to smile, raising a hand to trace his strong jawline. “I could never leave you.”

He resumed his soothing motion, combing through her hair, massaging her scalp. She hummed and turned to listen to his beating heart again.

“No, because what would happen to us if you actually left?”

Ah… the bundle in the crib.

She imagined a young boy, with golden curls around his temple and warm inviting hazel eyes. Who would call her maman, who she would teach French to, and raise him and teach him well, just as she had done to her handful of brothers and sisters. It would’ve been domestic bliss. It would’ve been what she wanted if she had been human.

She was drifting in and out of consciousness again as she lingered in her impossible dreams.

The soothing motion over her scalp never ceased. In fact it became more and more concrete.

“Adeline…. Adeline…”

There was someone calling to her softly, far away, at the edge of her consciousness. And it was getting nearer and nearer.

Somehow she felt safe, warm and calm. A sense of serenity washed over her.

She was protected.

She felt a light peck over her lips.

A chaste little kiss.

She chastised without opening her eyes, though her lips were slowly pulling into a small smile.

“What are you playing at-” she mumbled in her sleep.

And then she descended into sweet oblivion.

They met in the fields as usual the sun casting its shadow towards the east, amongst the waving barley and the golden wheat. Adeline was chatting animatedly about the latest novel she had been reading.

He cleared his throat when she stopped to take a breath in between.

“I have something to tell you.”

Her brows shot up no doubt finally realising that she had been hogging the conversation table for the last half an hour or so, but she quickly composed herself and gave him a reassuring smile. “What is it? I’m all ears.”

“I’m joining the army.”

“What?”

“I’m joining the Texas cavalry.”

“Why?” She looked bewildered, and there was a frantic look in her eye. “Don’t you have enough to do in the farm? The harvests and the cattle’s and… everything! Have you talked this through with your parents?!”

“I have. They are in full support of it.”

“But why?” She pouted her lips cutely, but her voices sounded betrayed. “I enjoy our time with you here everyday, don’t you? If you join the army, you’ll be working and training everyday. I-” she stopped and looked away, embarrassed, scuffing the sole of her shoe over the ground petulantly.

He chuckled. How to make her understand? That he was doing this exactly because of her.

“Besides, you’re a landowner yourself. I know the land isn’t much, but it should be enough for you right?”

“Adeline.”

“So why would you suddenly decide you want to become a soldier?”

“Adeline.”

“I mean sure I know you’ll excel in it anyways. You’re going to charm you way up. Then you’ll forget little ol me.”

“Adeline.” Jasper finally had to smirk. "You never let people finish what they have to say.”

Adeline huffed in annoyance and crossed her arm. “Fine. By all means!”

What she didn’t expect next was for him to clasp her hand in his.

“You might think that a farmer is well respected enough, but I’m a second son. When my parents die, my brother will inherit the farm. I can help with the farm, but it will never be mine. I’ll never have an income as prosperous as my brother will if I continue to work for him. When I do marry and then someday have children of mine, would I want them to endure the same fate as I have?”

“But if you love her then surely-”

“Would I be able to have better marriage prospect as my brother does? The answer is no. I would never be able to do better than him, I would be at a disadvantage, less likely to get the girl of my dreams. No decent gentleman would marry their own precious daughter to a second son. That is, unless if I make a name for myself in some other way.”

“By joining the army?”

“It was either that or become a priest.”

“There are other ways surely! You can study to be a lawyer or… or a businessman or anything other than joining the army!”

“Don’t you find some of the younger soldiers charming and dashing? I overheard you chatting with-”

“I care about you too much to want to see you get hurt!”

There was a solemnity in her clear blue eyes that betrayed nothing but sincerity and concern. It left him feeling giddy, that gave him a confidence he had been lacking for sometime to carry out what he was about to do that he had psyched himself up to do for weeks now. He couldn’t help but grin.

But it irked her to new heights.

“Stop it, don’t laugh! It’s not a laughing matter!” Adeline pouted again, slapping him in the arm repeatedly, and this time there were angry tears threatening to fall from her beautiful orbs. “I worry about you! Even if you seem no have no care about your own safety!”

“Fine! Go! Go join the bloody army if you love it so much for some bloody girl you think you’ve fallen in love with! See if I care when you get killed off by some stupid I don’t know what!”

She turned around and by the slight tremor in her shoulder and the sniffing he realised with a newfound panic that she was crying. This wasn’t what he had intended to do.

“Adeline.” He soothed, coaxing the girl to turn around to face him. “Are you crying?”

“No I’m not.”

“Hush, then turn around see that I can see you properly.”

When she did turn, he could still see the devastation over her face. The tear trails over the apples of her cheek, those eyes brimmed with unshed tears. But she stared back with great defiance, her chin held haughtily up. He has to suppress a tender sigh, his heart was so heavy with love for this girl, the little treacherous thing thumping against his chest so loudly he was sure she would’ve heard it.

“Adeline, you must know how important this is for me."

She looked away then and feigned boredom. “Why are you telling me this Mr Whitlock? You’re wasting your time on me. Shouldn’t you be looking for your bloody lover to her about this.”

“I really should shouldn’t I? But I need your help and advice.” He studied her closely as she bit her lips so hard it almost drew blood, as she raised a hand to finger her earring in an effort to calm her nerves mo doubt. He slowly reached out a hand to hold her chin and turn her pretty face back to his before delivering the final blow.

“But suppose I’m looking at her already right now as I speak?”

“Looking at her…?”

“Won’t you tell me how do I stop her tears and make her understand that I’m joining the army so that I can have a future with her? So that I can stand on my own and go to her grandmother to ask for permission to court her and marry her?”

He saw the moment the realisation hit her, Adeline’s mouth dropped as she stared mutely at him.

“You… I… I don’t think I understand what you-”

“I’m telling you that I love you Adeline. And I want to marry you.”

He stopped abruptly then to take a deep breath, his heart beating ferociously now, the rush in his ears was almost deafening, he was too fearful of what she would say.

But when her looked into her eyes, there was a newfound vulnerability, one he had never seen before. She wet her trembling lips.

“This isn’t a joke you’re pulling on me is this?”

“I would never joke about this.” He said with resolute.

Bashful, she looked down and sucked at her lips. And if he had looked closely, he would have seen how her cheeks were tinted red, not by the summer heat or the burning sin.

“No one has ever said that to me.” Her eyes were brimming with tears again though her lips were slowly, but surely drawing up into a smile. “I think… I love you too Jasper Whitlock.”

And that was the straw for him.

He stepped forward to close the gap between them, long arms stretching out to hold her tightly. Her arms slowly wound themselves around his neck, their face inches apart, looking straight into each other’s eyes.

“Don’t you think we’re a little too close for propriety’s sake, Mr Whitlock?” The corner of her lips tugging up playfully.

“Hush”. He thought his heart was going to burst. “I’m going to kiss you now.”

And under the setting Texan sun, amongst a golden burning world, they shared their first ever kiss, two hearts beating as one.

The thick clouds above were for once finally dispersing and the radiant sunbeams filtered in between, producing a luminous effect as it struck his skin.

The motion in his hand never ceasing, gently combing through Adeline’s hair as she herself laid on his chest, breathing in and out calmly. Without the hostility and the jitteriness, Jasper was almost fooled into believing that this Adeline was the same Adeline from his past.

But she was not.

Jasper sighed again, his heart so full of emotions it was painful.

He had wandered out after she left the house and subconsciously, or perhaps guided by a vengeful angel, he had stumbled across her, in the midst of a nightmare, curling into herself, whimpering. He acted on his natural instincts to soothe away the frown, and it mystified him that the moment he laid his hand on her head did the whimpering stopped. He couldn’t resist stealing a light kiss from those plump lips.

Looking down at Adeline’s serene sleeping face, Jasper wished he didn’t have to hide himself like this, that he could’ve held her when she was awake, her radiant smile guided towards him and himself only. Not like this, not when she wouldn’t even know that it was him who had comforted her and held her in her sleep, had warded away her nightmares, even if just for a few moments only.

Oh but he couldn’t let her know.

Every small movement now would send him into caution, to extricate himself from her before she woke, lest she would run away, lest he would startle her, deepen this gulf between them.

He surveyed their immediate surrounding, there was Adeline’s cassette player, the tiny thing’s battery had long since stopped running. He made a remark to ask her about the mixtape she had been listening to. The emptied coffee flask, the burnt cigarette butts. And there lying open with its cover up, its spine breaking right in the middle, was Rosalie’s old battered copy of To the Lighthouse. He remembered watching her going all out just to hide it behind the shelf.

It’s too painful. She had finally confessed one rainy day. But I can’t bear to throw it away. It’s like a mirror you hold up to juxtapose it with your own life.

He never read it, not in depth anyways.

He reached out to grab it and randomly flipped through it, scanning the words as he did so.

‘To want and not to have, sent all up her body a hardness, a hollowness, a strain. And then to want and not to have- to want and want- how that wrung the heart, and wrung it again and again!’

“What is the meaning of life? That was all- a simple question; one that tended to close in on one with years, the great revelation had never come. The great revelation perhaps never did come. Instead, there were little daily miracles, illuminations, matches struck unexpectedly in the dark; here was one.”

#jasper hale x you #jasper hale x reader #jasper hale x oc #jasper hale imagine #jasperhale #twilight angst #twilight imagine

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lauralestrange7 · 3 years

Text

𝓐𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓶 | 𝓢𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓾𝓼 𝓑𝓵𝓪𝓬𝓴| (Part 12)

If you are enjoying the chapters please comment for new chapters, mentions, chapter requests, suggestions, ideas. 🌸

The motto of the Lestrange family is "𝓒𝓸𝓻𝓿𝓾𝓼 𝓸𝓬𝓾𝓵𝓾𝓶 𝓬𝓸𝓻𝓿𝓲 𝓷𝓸𝓷 𝓮𝓻𝓾𝓲𝓽" which would when literally translated in English would mean "a crow will not pull out the eye of another crow." Referring to the complete solidarity amongst a group of like-minded people regardless of the consequences or condemnation.

Tag list :-

@blackpinkdolan 🌻✨@maisesam 🌸✨

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10

Part 11

Part 13

Part 14

"Ugh" Laura groaned softly as she rolled over uncomfortably in her bed, she was having a nasty headache "I told you the third glass was a bad idea," Regulus said in a matter-of-factly voice from where he was sitting at the end of her bed. Even through the intolerable headache, she was having Laura grabbed a pillow and threw it in his direction without looking, Regulus easily dodged it and the pillow fell on the floor with a 'thump'. He rolled his eyes and said "Here" as he held a glass of something that looked quite dodgy and was very stinky, Laura peeked at it with eyes filled with suspicion "What's that?" she asked.

"It'll help with the headache, silly." he answered handing her the glass, "You sure?" Laura sat up slowly and asked disgusted "Absolutely, Lucinda Talkalot has brewed two cauldrons full of this, it's being handed to everyone who's hungover" he explained. "Now come on, finish it" he egged on and a groan escaped from her lips before Laura gulped the whole thing down, and almost instantly she stood up handing Regulus the glass before hurrying towards the bathroom, Regulus nodded his head slightly as he heard his best friend retching and throwing up.

After a horrible start to the day, Laura was now all huddled up in an oversized hoodie sitting by the tree beside the black lake whilst Regulus was now throwing stones into the lake. "Thanks for bringing me back to my dorm," she said and even though Regulus knew it wasn't him she should be thanking him he said, "Don't mention it." Laura couldn't remember anything all that well after she lost Regulus in the crowd, "Well I should be heading back, I've got a long essay to finish for McGonagall." she said standing up and looking at him. "I'll stay for a bit," Regulus said looking back at her, Laura nodded as she started heading back towards the castle, the early December winds were softly nipping at her face and tugging at her hair.

Laura took her scarf out wrapping it around her neck as she walked through the courtyards and corridors making her way to the library. Laura hummed to herself softly looking for the book she needed, once she found it she settled down taking out her quill, an ink bottle and scrolls of parchment. Marlene was having a 'study' date with Sirius today they were sitting at a table towards the back, so far Sirius and Marlene hadn't gotten a lot of work done, they were simply fooling around. Gossips could be heard now more than ever in every common room, courtyard and hall about Sirius Black's new fling. Today Laura saw that they were seated a few tables away from her nevertheless, she started writing neatly on the piece of parchment she really had a long way to go.

Sirius hadn't noticed Laura sitting there at all, Marlene seemed pretty good at distracting him. After two hours of writing incessantly, Laura finally finished her essay she stretched her arms which had gone stiff from all the writing. As she stood up putting her belongings in her bag Sirius saw her, Laura was walking away already, so he stood up abruptly and told Marlene that he was tired before she could say anything he grabbed his bag swinging it around his shoulders he hurried after Laura. Though he wasn't quite sure why he did, Sirius was however very sure of the fact that Laura had no memory of their encounter the previous night, but even then a part of him still hoped that she did. After he finally caught up with her he didn't really know what to say, so he awkwardly said "Hello" Laura looked at him and raised an eyebrow "Hello" she responded, not sure why the latter had walked up to her. "Are you going home for winter break?" Sirius asked trying to make conversation walking beside her as Laura started walking but he regretted saying it as he realized that it was none of his concerns and that she had no reason to answer him, they weren't friends. But Laura did answer him "I will if I have to," she said, "Of course, right." Sirius nodded. And when Laura was starting to walk towards the staircase that led to the Slytherin dungeons Sirius said "I had a good time last night." the words just fell out of his mouth before he could stop them. Laura looked around at him raising an eyebrow, she thought Sirius was referring to their silent cigarette sharing "Yeah it was nice." she said before slowly walking away. Sirius' heart skipped a beat 'she remembers!' a voice in his head spoke but the warm feeling inside was almost as instantly wiped away as he realized what she was referring to was something entirely different than he had thought.

Want to read it on Wattpad? No problem here you go

All the characters (except Laura Lestrange) and places mentioned in this story belong to J K Rowling. So I’ve posted a few chapters of this stories on Wattpad, but I’ve got a lot of it already written down, I’ll try to post any new chapters on Tumblr as soon as I can. Please reblog, it would be very appreciated and my requests are open.

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floatinginwords · 3 years

Text

Saved by the Devil (13/?) - Thomas Shelby

Summary: Its time for Epsom, what could go wrong? (Sorry about my summaries they are terrible)

Paring: Tommy Shelby x Fem!reader (romantic)

Warning: S*xual Assault There is a scene where the reader is put in uncomfortable position with the general. Reader takes the place of Lizzie in luring the General. And stuff does go down but i was not graphic in writing it cause i was a bit uncomfortable writing anything beyond what i did write and i didn't want to trigger anyone. When the scene does come up i will put a another warning to let you know.

A/N: Hello, this chapter was so so so fun to write. I am so excited for all of you to read and hopefully tell me what you think cause i think this just might be one of my favorite chapters so far... Have a lovely night and see you soon :)

It was time. And for the first moment in your life you were beyond scared. It didn’t show as you got into the back seat the Shelby boys, Arthur and John, in front. No sign of Thomas Shelby anywhere.

“Boys, its good to see you.” You say genuinely. You hadn’t seen them since the last little mission at the horse auction. This time though will be different, you had a lovely knife strapped to your thigh. All your injuries healed and you were beyond prepared for this. You liked the brothers, though you didn’t know them too well. They seemed to take kindly to you too as they nodded at your statement and asked how you were.

The ride felt short. Though it had to have been longer since you were far from London. You didn’t even know what you were thinking about the entire time. You knew that Thomas was waiting for the three of you and more. You weren’t sure if you were ready to face him. The other night when you guys had almost-

You shake your head of the memory. Remembering that you were just a second choice in all this. Grace had rejected him. Then he called you and like a dog you came running. You didn’t know what was wrong with you. But never again would that happen. He didn’t want you and neither did you. And after all this was done, you would never have to see each other again.

You already had word with Trinity, you were leaving tomorrow. Everything was planned and ready to go. Thomas never told you about a new passport or id, you had requested. But you couldn’t wait for him. The nightmares were getting worse and you swore that when you talked on the phone the past week, you could hear breathing on the other line. There was no time to waste, it was time to go.

The two brothers and you head up to the front of the Epsom gates, there you see Tommy Shelby and the rest of the gang. His aunt Polly in attendance eyeing you up and down but no saying a word. Her stare this time not making you nervous, instead you see it filled with curiosity.

“Alright everyone’s, here,” Thomas says not making eye contact with you as he claps his hands together, “here’s the agenda.”

And he takes everyone down to the plan, leaving out of course the part of the assassination of the general. All he says is that he will provide a distraction for everyone in order to take Sabini racetrack licenses. No one asks questions as he finishes the meeting. Everyone scatters to different parts as they enter the races.

“(Y/n)” you hear your name fall out of his mouth. You look at each other and theres a pause. There’s million things unsaid at this moment that you both want to say. But don’t.

“Keep an eye out.” He finally says moving past you, disappearing in the crowd.

And that’s what you do. You keep an eye out. You thought you might have more significance on this day but maybe not. Maybe this is all you get to do. You remember back then when you had worked for your father. The man had always let you in on the action, no matter how dangerous. You didn’t care either because that was life, it was normal for you. Your mother, rest her soul, was the only one who had ever fought for you to stay home, go to school, date and live normal. But she never got her way.

You watched some of the peaky blinder, the ones that you could pin point walk around the arena. They all were tailing some of Sabini’s men which you have seen maybe one or twice. You tried to keep an eye out for Sabini but couldn’t find the man anywhere. You did see an inspector Campbell, the man who had brutally beat you not too long ago. You stare hard at him remembering the moments as if it was yesterday.

“Got a vendetta against the man?”

You turn around and come face to face with Polly, she smokes a cigarette like a royalty into the air. Her eyes never leave the inspectors either. You can see the pain and rage in her eyes. You don’t pry.

You turn your gaze back on the filthy man who walks with his cane, laughing and smiling with the people in the crowd.

“Men like that shouldn’t be allowed to walk on this earth.” You say.

She nods and for a split second there seems to be a connection between the two of you with your shared pain and hatred for the man. You both don’t say anything else as the man leaves out of your views.

Polly leaves first, without saying any other words. You stay in you spot scanning the crowd. Probably taking your job a bit too serious.

You can hear the laughter and cheerful cries of everyone. The experiment in the arena could be felt by everyone. You spot military men in a group together laughing and talking. You know that the tallest one is the general from the photos Thomas had showed you.

You also see a blonde curls and pink hat looking lost among the sea of people. It was a face you had only recently come to known. Grace. You leave your spot feeling the embarrassment from the other night all over again. You wonder around the place feeling bored and just wanting to leave.

“(y/n)?” a tall man who looked to be a preacher came toward you. You had never met him before.

“yes?” you say cautiously, remembering your in a public space, no ones gonna do anything.

“Tommy’s looking for you.” He says.

“what does he want?” you ask. The man just shrugs. And you sigh and follow him through the crowd.

Thomas stands on top of the staircase, looking anxious and pale.

“Found her boss.” The man says leaving you with him.

“Alright, good. (Y/n) come on. And unbutton the first two buttons.” He demands flicking the end of his cigarette he had just finished.

“Excuse me?” you say crossing your arms and standing still.

Thomas stares at you and looks baffled at your disobedience as if this was his first time meeting you.

“Please, (Y/n). I’ll explain inside.” His tone quitter and pleading.

You follow him but don’t unbutton anything of yours. He leads you into a room that looks like only the rich and royalty would eat here. You felt out of place immediately. You both don’t talk as you sit across from one another. You watch him put another cigarette in his mouth. He doesn’t meet your eyes as he talks.

“Look, I didn’t want to ask you this…”

“Just tell me, no need to prolong it.”

“I need you to get him isolated.” You hear his words and double meaning behind them. You can feel your stomach turning in disgust of what’s he asking you. Your face is kept neutral as you talk.

“What happened to following him till he was alone to piss?” You ask

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Look, I’m not-“

He grabs your hand across the table and holds it tightly. It burns but you don’t let go. You stare at your intertwined hands.

“I don’t want you to do this. I don’t want to think of you anywhere alone with him. But right now, I trust you and only you to do this. Please. Or else I’m fucked.”

You wanted to be snarky and petty. You wanted to say “Ask Grace”. You wanted to say screw you and leave. You wanted to slap him or kick him. But you saw the sincerity in his voice. You saw the fear in his eyes that he always seemed to hide.

“okay fine. Ill do it.” You say.

His grip doesn’t soften as he continues to hold you. “Thank you.” He says softly.

Thomas leaves you in the fancy room by yourself. He went over details of where to lure over the general. It was a place that would be very private, no witnesses. Thomas said that he would be there in 15 minutes, he promised that nothing would happen to you. You could tell he wanted to keep that promise but you weren’t sure if he could.

You saw the general at another table with other military men. He noticed you right away. His eye never leaves your figure as you sat by yourself.

‘too easy’ you thought to yourself as the general himself came over to you.

He introduced himself, kissed your hand like a gentleman might, and sat where Thomas was not minutes ago. It was light conversation before you decide to break it. There was no other way to lure him, other than sex. And that what you did. Pretending to be a prostitute wasn't hard. You had been around some your whole life. You knew the lingo and prices and tricks. But not everyone could do it. You knew that. As you took the mans wandering hand off your knee from under the table and guided him away from the fancy room. You took him down hallways and corridors, trying to properly remember the map Thomas had shown you.

*********Warning*********

“Where are you taking me?” The general asks flirtatiously.

“Somewhere private.” You answer.

Finally you found the spot of no witness and people. It was quite and literally no one around. You feel the Generals hot mouth on your neck, biting at you. You fake a giggle at the action but your stomach was turning in disgust. You took a quick glance at your watch. You got here too early. 5 more minutes until Thomas was here.

You can feel the generals fingers wander to the hem of your dress, rushing to pull it up. You push it down and step away from him, laughing a bit nervously at the contact.

“Don’t be a tease now, love.” He says

“I just us to take our time.” You lie and smile sweetly. You had never been in this position before and you were very nervous. You could feel your hands shaking as you tried to gain control hoping to stop it.

“I don’t have time.” The general says grabbing you harshly and turning you around.

“Wait, wait.” You say feeling violated like never before.

You kick him hard in the stomach, causing him to step backward from you. You run to the other wall, wanting nothing but distance from the guy.

“You bitch.” He sneers coming toward you with an ugly smile.

You pull you knife out of your thigh holster and point it toward him. He stops upon seeing a weapon. And then he laughs.

“How adorable.” He says

You glance at your watch again. Its past the time Thomas should have been here. You feel a bit of dread poor over you. You don’t know how you were gonna fight off some military man. Your skills weren’t up to par on his, you knew that. Maybe enough to cause damage and run. Maybe.

He stalks toward you with all the confidence in the world. His face gives it off like this a game for him, he likes that you’re not giving in, that you’re fighting against him. It’s an inconvenience but he likes a challenge.

You step forward, slashing him across the cheek. He doesn’t react to it as he grabs your wrist. His giant hand pushing it back at an odd angle. You try to use your other hand to hit him but it does nothing. You’re forced to drop the knife. He pushes you against the wall. His eyes animalistic and you cry in pain as your head makes contact, hard with the wood.

You see black spots around your vision as you hear the man say something to you, you don’t know what. His hands roam around your body but you focus on anything but. You hear the zipping of pants and your hearts begins to race at the thought of whats to come next. Tears slip down your eyes as you think of no one coming to save you.

“Russell!” You hear a familiar voice yell.

The general leans off your body, you slide down on the wall looking up to see Thomas with his pistol pointed at the general. The gun clicks.

Nothing happens.

“Fuck!” Thomas yells as the General rushes over to Thomas, the pair beginning to fight each other.

You scramble to your feet, feeling awfully dizzy. You see Thomas gun on the floor. The men continue fighting each other. The general trying to reach his gun on his hip.

You take Thomas’s gun aiming it, but nothing was coming out. It was jammed.

You see the general push his finger into Thomas eye, you can see the gun finally in his hand. Thomas knows it too as he grabs at that arm hoping to take it from him. You think fast kicking the general’s legs, making him fall. The gun that was in his hand now on the floor. Which Thomas quickly grabs aiming it right under the generals chin and shooting without hesitation.

The two of you pant heavily as it finally is over. Thomas looks over at you and his shoulder slump.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

“I’m fine,” you say, forgetting how badly you must look with your tear stained face, “Where were you?”

He shakes his head, “I’m sorry,” He reaches a hand toward you wiping away the tears that were still falling, “You’re crying.”

You didn’t know what to say as he strokes your cheek, catching runaway tears that you had no control over. You try to steady your breathing, staring into his steel blue eyes.

“I will never ask you to do anything like that again.” He says.

You nod at his words, touching the hand that’s on your face and gently pulling it away.

“We need to go separate ways. Or else we’re suspects.” You say.

“Meet me by the where- where they take the bets ay?”

He stares at you like he wants to say more but again, he doesn’t. You both walk separate directions. You pick up your knife on the way out, leaving the rest of the crime scene alone.

You walk down the way to the betting place. You can see all the police and military men rushing to where you had just come from. You know the peaky blinders, now, were threatening Sabinis men, burning the licenses at this moment.

You stand by yourself, waiting until you see a familiar face once again. This time she notices you too. The beautiful blonde walks toward you.

“Hello.” She says.

“Hi,” You say, “is youre looking for-“

“I’m not. I’m just here to place my own bet.” She says holding a ticket up.

You both stand in uncomfortable silence.

“I did see him earlier,” She says eyeing you from the side. You look forward as she speaks, “I professed my love, told him I would leave my husband for him and everything.”

You swallow a huge lump in your throat that you didn’t even realize was there. She continues speaking.

“He told me no,” You turn to her baffled as you always assumed, he was head over heels in love with the beautiful Grace, “I mean I known for awhile what his answer would be but I had to give it one last try. Oh don’t look surprised.”

“I- “

“You should count yourself lucky. He doesn’t love too often but when he does,” She takes a pause and her eyes though are focused on you don’t seem to be looking at you. Almost as it she’s lost in a memory. She sighs, “He just really does.”

Before you can say anything else to the woman, she leaves with a smile. A headache begins to form on the back of your head where you had hit your head earlier. You leave the crowded betting room, the noise and smoky air becoming too much for you.

You’ll find Mr. Shelby later. With all that has happened today, it was becoming a lot and you needed a moment to just process it all. As you walk alone you spot two men holding a man by his two arms. He had a cap on like the other peaky blinders. You follow them Noticing another man leading them. You finally see his face.

Your mouth talks before your you can think.

“Thomas!” You cry out.

His head jolts up looking for the source of your voice. The men bring his neck down, keeping his face looking at the ground. All of the worst things begin to swirl around your mind. The plan didn’t work, they caught him, the inspector double crossed him, Sabini had men ready to take him out. As well as moments, the two of you had shared that now were going to be just past memories of what ifs and unsaid words that should have been spoken.

You follow them as best as you can, watch them as they put him in the back of some car, a gun pointed towards him as they close the doors. You couldn’t help him. You watched the car drive away feeling useless and guilty. Wishing to have done more. You see his cap on the ground and pick it up. You look around for someone who could save the day but everyone was in their own happy world. And you were holding on to a hat feeling a loss like never before.

read pt.13b

Tags

@babylooneytoonz @captivatedbycillianmurphy @enamouravecleslivresetlechocolat @evelyn-4034 @ms-dont-care @owenniasstars @shikin83 @lauren-raines-x @cactisjuice

#thomas shelby x reader #thomas shelby x y/n #peaky blinder fanfic #Peaky Blinders #thomas shelby

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myblueeyedbuggers · 3 years

Text

My Boys

Chapter 13

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 14

Pairings: Steve Rogers X Reader (Best Friend) Bucky Barnes X Reader

Word Count: 2063

Warnings: Swearing, bit of violence if you looking very closely

Summary: After being abandoned by her parents in Brooklyn in 1929, y/n makes a living for herself by working for the Црни лабуд gang until she meets two boys in a back alley and her life slowing begins to change.

Ey up my Loves, so we’re back and kicking ass! Quite literally in this Chapter, I’ve been going back over my previous chapters and I’m considering rewriting them to fit my new style. Let me know what you all think, do you prefer them as they are or would you want them to match my new style ? Anyways without further ado here's chapter 13, enjoy everyone! <3

3rd person POV

Years have passed since that moment, time brought changes to the trio, what was once a childhood crush developed into a fierce love that neither of the pair wanted to acknowledge or admit in fear of loosing the other.

As you can imagine both Steve and Becca were ready to rip the heads off of their dumbass siblings.

6 years is a verrrry long time to put up with long looks of pining and repressed feelings, but unfortunately for the Brooklyn natives, y/n and bucky were about as stubborn as each other and refused to listen to the reasonable, sometimes frustrated, rants of their best friends. So much to the utter frustration of Steve and Becca, the two young lovebirds lived in a state of denial and attempted (the keyword being ATTEMPTED) to move on with their lives.

Naturally, someone as charming and handsome as James Barnes seemed to have a never-ending line of girls begging to be his, it had become a common occurrence for him to have a new girl on his arm each week, not that Steve or Y/n approved of his behaviour but hey Bucky can be a real big dumbass when he wants to be. Y/n did try to hide how much it bothered her, thankfully not only was Bucky a dumbass he was also completely unaware of her feelings and simply chalked it down to her being the unapproving sister, but to Steve it was a clear as day. He could see it in her face every time Bucky left to take the new girl dancing, or when she’d finish work early only to see Buck and his new girl on a romantic date in the Café opposite the dinner she worked at. The bright light behind her eyes always dimmed a little and she wouldn’t talk for hours, which for anyone that didn’t know her was enough to ring an ambulance and arrange a mental evaluation.

Now that’s not to say that Bucky was any better, the look of absolute utter rage that covered his face when another man called for Y/n was enough to make Steve and Becca completely loose it and simply laugh at his misery, neither of them felt bad because they’d been telling him for YEARS to man up and confess his feelings. Occasionally the pair did feel a slight twinge of guilt towards their brother, like the time the trio went to Y/n’s house to surprise her after work, only to see her kissing the cheek of a guy they’d never seen before, just like his other half Bucky did try to hide it, but the flash of pain that crossed his face was impossible to miss.

It’d gotten to the point where Steve wanted to lock em both in a closet til they finally admitted their feelings and put themselves out of their misery, though the fact that he had all the physical stats of a toothpick quickly nipped that idea in the bud.

Cut to today, for once it looked like it’d be a fairly normal day for everyone, boys were off doing god knows what, knowing those two it’d involve a punch up started by a small blonde idiot and finished by an even bigger idiot of a brunette. Though the same couldn’t be said about their girl, ever the more responsible one of them all Y/n had agreed to work overtime in the local dinner over on main street, meaning that she’d be the one closing the place down at 9pm.

Y/n didn’t even wanna think about what her two idiots would get up without proper adult supervision, though over the years she’d learned to expect that it would more than likely be something illegal.

Thankfully, it wasn’t something she had to worry about for the next couple of hours, though 9 times out of ten she’d be the one cleaning up the cuts and bruises only for them to come back the next day fresh wounds. As much as it did on occasion piss her off to no ends, Y/n wouldn’t want it any other way, they were and always will be her boys.

Y/N’s POV

Well, that was an absolute shit show of a day.

I mean you’d of thought that I was common knowledge not to put ya hands up a waitresses skirt, but nay some men didn’t seem to have got that memo, ever the public servant I made it my job to enlighten then with a hot cup of coffee to the crotch. How I’ve not received employee of the month is beyond me, what’s not to love ? I’m a fucking delight!

Thank god it’s home time, if I’da stayed in that place any longer something would of happened, knowing my crazy ass it��d of been something violent but in my defence….okay I don’t have a defence, but men can seriously suck ass when they wanna. All I wanna do is have a peaceful walk home, ignore the homeless guys that like to gawp at my ass and run a big old bubble bath whilst relaxing with a decent book.

Naturally, that didn’t happen.

Now, If ya spend as much time around a bunch of over aggressive monkeys that love jumping into fights as much as I do, you’ll probably get real good at recognising the sounds of a fight. And I’ve got a pretty good idea who the two dipshits are that started this pissing contest.

The sounds of shoes scuffling across the pavement were pretty much impossible to miss now, that along with the grunts and groans of a bunch of guys smacking the absolute shit outta each other tipped me off to what was happening around the corner. Everything in me screamed to carry on my merry way and let these morons sort out whatever beef they had in peace and believe me I was so close to ignoring it and walking past em, but it’s kinda hard to do that when ya hear ya best mate scream “come at me motherfuckers!”.

I couldn’t help the frustrated sigh that came outta my mouth but come on guys! This is the 5th one this week!

Very reluctantly I doubled back and went to help my idiotic boys out of whatever trouble they managed to get em selves into, and boy I’m glad that I did cause they were losing. Badly. It would seem that Steve’s request was met for them to “come at” him, cause one of em had him by the arms and was pummelling the life out of his small body, and Bucky wasn’t having any better luck either. Buck was in the same situation, but he had the pleasure of two guys restraining his arms whilst another two took turns in kicking him in the stomach, I mean I was already pissed off at what was happening to Steve but now, I’m beyond pissed and IF I’d of taken the time to calm down for a few seconds I’da thought of a better plan than this.

“Man…I really liked these shoes”.

In my defence, I didn’t mean to throw them as hard as I did, I was hoping to distract them for a couple of seconds so I could get the jump on the guy beating the crap outta Steve, instead I hit him square in the back his head and knocked him the fuck out. Any other time I’da been wetting myself laughing, but instead it seemed like time slowed down as the assholes holding Steve up froze and made eye contact with me, even the guys on Bucky stopped to see what had happened, all four of em had a look of complete and utter disbelief when they finally saw me. Not that I really cared, all I wanted was for em to get the fuck off of my boys.

Nobody seemed to wanna say anything for the next couple of seconds, the assholes beating up Bucky and Steve were still trying to wrap their heads around what just happened, and my idiots were looking back and forth between the guy on the floor and me, not even taking the time to try escape their holds. How the hell they manage to survive all these years without me is beyond my understanding.

“Sup my dudes, my names Y/n and I’ll be kicking ya ass today”.

I think it’s safe to say that I snapped everyone out of their shocked states, cause the guys holding both Steve and Bucky dropped their asses to the ground and instead focus on me, which is pretty fair considering I did just knock their mate out with a 2-inch healed shoe.

“Do ya know what we do to girls that don’t know their place round here? Cause ya about to find out girly” why is it always the ugliest motherfuckers that try to act tough, I mean look at this guy! he’s got more stains on his shirt than he does teeth, and about as much hair as a furless cat, I’ve been more intimidated by a group of 12-year-old girls in the dinner than I have him!...teenagers are fucking scary don’t judge me.

Right back to this absolute shitshow of a ‘fight’.

Mr ‘I’m only 30 years old and I already need dentures’ swung his arm out towards me in a pathetic attempt at a punch, which massively backfired on him cause I threw that dumbass over my shoulder and ‘accidently’ knocked his last 4 teeth out. That left me with the rest of the hounds, two of em were rushing at me the second I let go of their newly toothless friend, the one on my right missed me completely and fell over a fence, dumbass. The dude on my left though, well he didn’t miss I’ll put it that way, he fully rugby tackled me into the car behind me, knocking the wind outta me and leaving me dazed for a few seconds.

But just like the first guy, his ‘punches’ were about effective as a marshmallow. Pretty embarrassing for him really, I mean you hate to see it.

“Okay no, give me your hand I’m gonna teach you how to punch cause this is just embarrassing for you dude, first don’t put your thumb at the bottom cause ya gonna break it, second don’t just throw ya arm forward and hope it hurts, use your body weight cause ya got a lot of it and throw it into the punch.”

At that point I’d pushed him off me and the car, his form was absolutely terrible so I went ahead and corrected it for him, found out his name was Eric, which was pretty interesting, gave him a few practise shots and then let him hit me for real, and I must be a fucking amazing teacher cause that one hurt!

“Really Doll?”

Let me tell you, I’d never seen Bucky so unimpressed in my life, his face was completely deadpanned with only his eyebrows raised, Steve wasn’t too impressed either, his infamous mum glare was in full force as I sheepishly backed away from my new best friend.

“In my defence, you left me unsupervised, and Eric’s form was absolutely atrocious, wasn’t it Eric my lad ?”

“….She’s a pretty good teacher to be fair”.

“See? I’m a good teacher! Suck it Barnes!”

Bucky Knocked Eric the fuck out in response. I think you can all understand how heartbroken I was.

“What the hell Barnes?! If it weren’t for me you and Steve would be dead!” I’m pretty sure I looked as insane as I was acting, Steve was full on laughing his ass off behind Buck, I mean if I weren’t so annoyed by them both right now I’d be on the floor with him just dying of laughter. But nay, I had a bone to pick with the both of them, which I think they both realised considering they both went pale before turning around and bucking it to my house. What you need to remember is that these are fully gown men, running around a Brooklyn neighbourhood screaming bloody murder, with a much smaller y/h/c lass running right behind them brandishing a pair of heels, fully intending to murder them both.

How we’ve gone all these years without being arrested or locked in a mental asylum astounds me.

So hopefully you all enjoyed this, let me know what you all think, we’ve got about 2 more chapters left of my boys then we move onto Captain America the First Avenger!!

lots of love

Rose xx

#winter soldier x reader #winter soldier #captain america x reader #captain america #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers #mcu #fanfic #reader #reader insert #sebastian stan #sebastian stan x reader

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sandwichrin · 3 years

Text

A Little into You (Junkyu x Reader) (Ch. 13)

Chapter 13 - Who is he?

Word count: 4.6k words

Genre: Fanfiction, PG13, Comedy, Romance.

A/N: Jajjan! Chapter 13 is here! Hope you all enjoy this one~ Also! Happy Eid Mubarak to my readers who are celebrating it! Talk to you all soon ^^ 🧡

You looked back at Chani who was still waiting for an answer from the three of you. Well, to be precise, he was waiting on you and Junkyu since Jihoon’s mouth was still covered by his friend.

“I…uh, yeah. I sort of know them,” you said, a little unsure if what you said was right.

“O…kay…”

Jihoon released himself from Junkyu’s grip, now that he was convinced that it really was you standing in front of him.

Jihoon walked up towards you and cupped your face in his hands, his eyes staring directly into yours for a few seconds.

Junkyu and Chani just stared at the both of you, faces close enough to make other people think that you both are probably staring into each other’s eyes out of love, that is, until you grabbed Jihoon’s hands and pulled them away from your face.

Your eyes still boring into his, you furrowed your eyebrows at him and said, “Park Jihoon! What the hell got into you?!”

Jihoon straightened his posture that was slightly slouched earlier since you were shorter than him obviously. He looked away…

…and started laughing out loud.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAA! Oh, y/n! It really is you! I thought that I was seeing a ghost!” he said before continuing his loud laugh.

You looked at him, dumbfounded at what he said. He thought you were a ghost??? Just…how??

You glanced over to look at the other two guys near you, and you saw Chani looking as confused as ever, which you felt sorry for especially since you both have just literally met each other today and he had to witness your (not so new) dramatic antics with your friends.

You looked over at Junkyu who wasn’t far behind Jihoon and there he was, staring at you with that cold gaze again.

You took a step back from where you were standing and shook your head. “This is a lot to handle in a day,” you muttered to yourself.

Chani, noticing your tired expression, hurriedly went over towards you.

“Hey, hey. Come, let’s continue eating. You need the energy for the tour later,” he said as he led you back to your table earlier.

You looked back at your two friends before heading back at your table, only to find Jihoon dragging Junkyu by his arm once you have taken your seat.

Jihoon, with his grin on his face, said to you and Chani, “I guess it’s okay if we join you guys, right?”

Before you could answer him, Chani hurriedly stood up and exclaimed excitedly, “OF COURSE, HYUNG! We would LOVE to have you both join us!” He quickly pushed his tray to the side and pulled both his hyungs to sit next to him.

“Ahh, no, no. We shouldn’t be taking your seat, Chani! We can sit on y/n’s side too,” Jihoon said, referring to the empty seats beside you.

Chani smiled and bowed slightly at his hyung, showing the seat that was opposite you, “It’s okay, hyung! Sit here, I don’t mind,”

“Aw, if you say so,” Jihoon smiled at him.

With that, Jihoon pushed Junkyu down to sit onto the chair that was opposite you, and the both of you accidentally locked eyes with each other.

Junkyu, being flustered with the sudden eye contact with you, hurriedly diverted his eyes upwards, looking up at the roof of the balcony.

You noticed him avoiding your gaze so you looked elsewhere as well, a little confused as to why he’s behaving that way towards you again.

Suddenly, you saw a tray of food being placed beside you.

You raised your head to see Jihoon pulling the chair beside you and sitting himself there. He lifted the food from the tray and set it in front of Junkyu before setting another bowl for himself in front him.

Jihoon turned to you and smiled, his warm smile at you.

This made you smile back at him.

You admit, Jihoon had always been dramatic around you but then again, you knew that this particular friend of yours is also able to warm your heart up whenever you felt tired or at loss.

“Alright, let’s eat up!” Jihoon announced before he started eating his food.

You nodded at this and continued eating your sandwich in front of you.

Chani sipped on his drink before proceeding to ask, “So, you’re friends with Treasure too, huh?” he directed the question to you.

You lift your eyes to look at him and simply nodded since your mouth was busy chewing on your sandwich again.

“Aigoo, we’re all very close, aren’t we, y/n?” Jihoon, beside you said, his teasing grin forming on his face.

You shot him a weird look. You felt like you knew that look on his face.

And as if he read what’s on your mind, he spoke up again, “Aigoo, don’t look at me like that! Hey, Chani, did y/n tell you how she met us?”

Chani shook his head. His eyes lit up as he leaned close towards you and Jihoon to hear more. “No! How??”

“Well, she first met Hyunsuk through this funny incident,”

Oh no. Not this story. Not this embarrassing story.

Jihoon chuckled to himself, as he fixed himself on his seat, “So one day Hyunsuk was walking to the building that one fine day, and he met y/n while she was feeding a cat. And then—”

Before Jihoon could continue, your hand was already covering his mouth.

Junkyu and Chani watched you with their eyes wide.

You looked at them and you stuttered, “E-enough about that! You should try my sandwich Jihoon!” You hurriedly remove your hand from his mouth and pushed your sandwich to his face, forcing him to take a bite.

Jihoon chuckles out loud and bit on your sandwich, holding in his laugh as he chewed on the sandwich after you took it away from him.

“Hey, that’s not fair! You didn’t even offer me your sandwich just now,” Chani whined.

At this point you were just glad that both him and Junkyu didn’t ask further about what happened between you, Hyunsuk and the cat on that particular day.

You forced a smile at Chani and pushed your sandwich at him. “Here, here. Just take it all. It’s good.”

“Oh? You’re done eating?”

You smiled and nodded at him, a forced one that is. Though Chani thought that you were really giving him the sandwich because you didn’t want it.

You shot Jihoon a glare, showing him that you weren’t happy with him trying to expose your embarrassing first encounter with Hyunsuk.

Jihoon continued eating his rice and grinned happily at you, obviously happy that he got to tease you.

You rolled your eyes at him and turned your focus on your drink. You sipped on your straw and let yourself get lost in your thoughts.

Junkyu had his head low as he ate his food quietly, but his eyes would look at you once in a while, watching you as you stared into space, your lips sipping on your straw.

Junkyu couldn’t explain it nor does he understood what he was feeling at the moment—No, he couldn’t understand what he feels whenever he sees you.

He gets agitated and irritated every time he sees you lately, he realises this, yes. But then, when he sees you being all quiet to yourself and not paying attention to anyone or anything around you, he feels his heart beat a strange tempo.

Junkyu was finishing the bowl of rice in front of him when he suddenly heard a familiar voice approaching, and singing.

“Eating by the rooftop~ Eating in the balcony~ Eating with my beloved members in harmony~” Jaehyuk’s voice appeared before himself as Junkyu sees him entering the balcony, a paper bag in hand.

Junkyu snickered to himself. Jaehyuk must have invented that song on his own on the way up here, he thought to himself.

“Oh? Hyung! We got some desserts for all of us!” Jaehyuk said happily as soon as he saw Junkyu from afar.

His voice made you turn your head to see who it was, and this made Jaehyuk stop in his tracks when he saw your face.

“Eh??” Jaehyuk exclaimed loudly.

“Whoa, oh my god, Jaehyuk-aa why’d you stop in the middle of the way!” Hyunsuk said as he almost bumped into Jaehyuk, his hands also bringing a paper bag.

His head turned to see the direction Jaehyuk was looking as well and he lets out a gasp.

“Yo! What??” he exclaimed out loud, his feet stopping in his tracks as well.

Mashiho entered the balcony and frowned at both the boys who were blocking his way.

“Okay, okay! Move, move, let’s not waste time standing here,” he said as he tried to push them aside so he could walk over to your table.

“Mashi! Here, here!” Junkyu called out to him.

Mashiho, oblivious to you being there, happily marched up towards the table and placed his hand on Junkyu’s shoulder.

He smiled at everyone at the table and then his eyes landed on you.

“Eh? Y/n?” he asked.

You gave him a small smile.

Hyunsuk and Jaehyuk rushed over towards the table and placed the paper bags onto the table.

“We’re gonna need to pull more tables and join them together if we want everyone to fit here,” Mashiho said.

Jihoon got up from his seat beside you and nodded to Mashiho’s request. Him and Mashi immediately started lifting tables from the other side to join together with your table.

“Oh?! But y/n, what are you doing here??” Hyunsuk asked, still confused as to why you’re at their company’s building.

You blinked at him, amused with the question he was asking. At this point, you wouldn’t be surprised if all of their members ask you the same question.

Chani finished his last bite on your sandwich and raised his hand, wanting to catch his hyung’s attention as well.

“Hyung! Hiiii! I’m here too!” he said, his mouth muffled slightly.

“Ahhh Chani! You’re here too! Aigoo, what a cutie!” Hyunsuk cooed, his eye smile forming.

“Y/n, if I knew you were here, I would’ve bought extra ice cream for you too,” Jaehyuk said to you, feeling bad.

“What? N-no! It’s fine, Jaehyuk. Besides, no one knew I was here anyways,” you smiled at him, trying to assure him that it was indeed no biggie for you.

“B-but, why are you here?” Hyunsuk asked again, not being able to let go of the question that was bothering him.

You tilt your head slightly at him. A smirk formed on your lips, “Let me guess, you thought I was a ghost too?”

Not long after, Yedam and Yoshi had also joined you all at the balcony, all of you chatting and eating lunch together.

Jaehyuk pulled out an ice cream sandwich from one of the paper bags brought by him and Hyunsuk earlier and tore the wrapping, revealing a square-sized ice cream sandwich, the size of his palm.

Your eyes glanced over at him, since the sound of him tearing the wrapper off caught your attention.

“Oh? Did you buy that from the convenience store downstairs, hyung?” Chani asked, also interested in the ice cream Jaehyuk was holding.

Jaehyuk smiled and nodded at him.

Chani looked at you and he noticed your eyes still staring at the ice cream sandwich in Jaehyuk’s hands.

“Oh? Y/n? Do you want one? I can go and buy some for us too,” he said to you.

You snapped out of your trance and turned your attention to him, who was sitting beside Junkyu.

“What?” You asked, since you weren’t really paying attention to what he asked earlier.

“Ice cream? You want some?”

“Oh,” you smiled and shook your head at him. “It’s fine, no thanks,”

Jihoon was taking out his ice cream from the paper bag and he proceeded to hand one over to you.

You unconsciously received it into your hands and started tearing the packet open.

Once it was opened, you passed the ice cream to Jihoon back whom was sitting beside you as before.

Jihoon looked at you weirdly. “What’s this?”

You looked down at the teared-up packet in your hands. “Oh? You gave it to me? Wasn’t it because you wanted me to help you open it?”

Jihoon smirked at you.

You raised your eyebrows at him, questioning his expression towards you right now.

“Aww y/n, oh no. You did something without permission too, tsk tsk,” he clicked his tongue, emphasising the fact that you somehow did something wrong now.

You frowned at him, the ice cream feeling less cold in your hand now.

“Okay, what is it, Jihoon?”

“Oh? That ice cream in your hands,” he pointed at your hands, “is Kim Junkyu’s,” he said this, his smirk never leaving his face.

Your eyes widened hearing this. You turned your head to look at Junkyu who was sitting opposite you, his face just as surprised as you are.

“W-what? You’re kidding, right?” You asked Jihoon, although you had a feeling he wasn’t.

“No, I’m not. I handed it over to you because I wanted you to pass it over to Junkyu, but you immediately tore the packet open without even letting me say anything so…”

Your jaw fell. You hurriedly pulled Junkyu’s hands and placed the slowly melting ice cream sandwich into his hands. You held his hands in yours and stared straight into his eyes, “Oh my god Junyku, I had no idea! I am so so sorry!”

Junkyu was too stunned to respond to you because first- he was surprised to receive the cold dessert into his hands, and secondly, your hands were holding his hands, right this very second.

Noticing that Junyku was just staring at you blankly, you let go of his hands and started packing up your phone into your bag.

“Y/n? What are you doing? Are you going somewhere?” Hyunsuk asked, noticing you were all flustered and packing up.

“Huh? I, uh, I’m gonna go get a new ice cream sandwich from the store downstairs,”

Hearing this, Jihoon and Junkyu both stood up at the same time.

This made you stop what you were doing. You looked at the both of them, confused.

“W-what? What’s with you both?” You asked, your arms hugging your bag close to your chest. You felt small right now, since you were still in your seat and these two tall guys stood up in all of a sudden.

Everyone else at the table stopped chatting and focused on the three of you now.

“What? I stood up because I spilt some of the ice cream on my pants, see?” Jihoon showed the white patch of vanilla ice cream on his pants.

Everyone, including you, nodded at this and turned to face Junkyu who looked all panicky now.

“I…uh, I uh,” he swallowed the lump in his throat, feeling nervous now that everyone is staring at him. “I uh, y/n!”

“Y-yes!” You said in response to him when he said your name.

“D-don’t buy me a new one, this is fine,” he said, his voice shaking a bit.

“O-okay,” you said.

Both Jihoon and Junkyu sat back in their chairs at the same time, and Yoshi couldn’t help but laugh seeing the three of you being awkward for a second there.

Hyunsuk shook his head, also giggling with what happened, “I don’t know if you guys realise this but- Junkyu, Y/n and Jihoon always have the most awkward interactions together,”

Everyone at the table laughed at this, except for you and Junkyu. What was weird was that Jihoon was laughing as well.

“Yeah but I feel like Junkyu has the most awkward moments with y/n,” he said in between his laughs.

“Pfft remember when Junkyu spit out that cola drink at y/n??” Yedam added. “CLASSIC!”

You looked at them and smiled timidly, noticing that Junkyu was pouting while he ate up the melted ice cream in his hands.

You were about to take a sip off your glass again when you felt your phone buzzing from your bag.

Taking your phone out, you answered the call.

“Yes? Ahuh. Yup, sure, I can go now,” you said in response to the person talking to you on the other side of the line. “Okay, see you!”

You ended the call and kept it back into your bag.

“Who was it, y/n?” Jaehyuk asked you.

“Oh, that was my team leader. She said that she wanted me to accompany her back to the meeting room,”

“Oh? But lunch isn’t over in 15 minutes?” Chani added.

“Yeah well, I know Soomin. She likes to go through some materials before we start anything. So, she probably wants to run us through the guidelines of the tour before we start roaming around, you know?”

“Ahh I see,” Chani said with a nod.

“Well, I guess I’ll be going off first. Enjoy your lunch—and desserts!” you said to your friends as you stood up, fixing your bag on your shoulder.

The rest of the boys smiled and waved their hands at you, some saying goodbye to you and telling you to take care.

You were leaving the table when a voice stopped you.

“Wait, y/n!”

You turned around to see Chani hurrying over towards you.

“I’ll go with you!”

“Oh? You don’t have to, really. You can just stay and hang with your friends here if you want to,”

“Nah, I have to go for the tour with the rest of yous anyways,”

You shrugged at him. “Okay, sure,” With that, you proceeded walking towards the door to enter the cafeteria again, with Chani tagging closely behind you.

You were entering the cafeteria from the balcony when you passed by the maknae line of Treasure.

They had just got back from school and was immediately sent to the YG Building of course, and given that Jaehyuk had texted them to head to the balcony once they’ve arrived, they were all on their way to meet their hyungs when they crossed paths with you.

“And then he said to me that pastel highlighters don’t necessarily work in helping you memorise your notes because the colours are just for aesthetic purposes,” Junghwan said to Jeongwoo who was walking alongside him.

Now the kids didn’t notice it was you passing them by until Chani greeted them.

“Doyoung! Hey!” Chani called out to Doyoung who was walking alone right behind Jeongwoo and Junghwan.

“Oh hey, hyung! You’re having lunch quite early today,” Doyoung stopped to talk to him.

“Yeah, I’m just accompanying my friend since I joined her team’s course this month,”

“Ahh, I see. Oh? You were from the balcony? Are the rest over there as well?” Doyoung asked, referring to his hyungs.

“Yeah, we had lunch together,” Chani replied happily. “Oh wait,” he continued since he noticed you walking further ahead from him already by now.

“Y/n! Wait up!” Chani called out to you, making you turn around again this time, to see Doyoung, Jeongwoo and Junghwan all staring at you with surprised looks on their faces.

“W-wait—” Jeongwoo said, him and Junghwan both ending their conversation abruptly the moment they heard Chani calling out your name.

And surely enough, when they all turned around to see if it really was the y/n they know, it indeed was you.

“Chani, I really need to go, I’m so sorry,” you said to him, your face expressing an apologetic look. “You can stay here and chat with them, okay? I’ll meet you in the meeting room later!” you said as you hurriedly left since you didn’t want to keep Soomin waiting for you.

“Ah, shucks, I should go. I don’t want to miss any pre-tour briefings too,” Chani said to the three of them. He bowed slightly and smiled as he waved his hands at them, “Bye y’all! I’ll catch up with you all next time!”

And by the time Chani had left their side, the three boys exchanged looks with each other.

“That…was y/n, wasn’t it?” Doyoung asked, in case he was the only one who saw you earlier.

“It looked like y/n-noona…” Junghwan said, his tone unsure as well.

“Oh! Ruto-aa!” Jeongwoo waved to their friend when he saw him entering the cafeteria door.

Haruto ran towards them. “Sorry for making you all wait, my Korean language class ended a bit late today,” he said as soon as he reached the spot they were all standing at.

“Nah it’s fine,” Jeongwoo said.

“Why are you all standing here, though? I thought we were all supposed to meet up outside?”

“Oh, right! The hyungs must be waiting for us,” Doyoung said as he led them all towards the balcony doors.

The hyung line watched as Chani followed you out of the balcony.

“Huh, I wonder how in the world did Chani became friends with y/n,” Yedam wondered aloud, making all his hyungs pay attention to him.

“What? I’m just wondering,” Yedam stated, when he noticed his hyungs looking at him.

“No, no, Yedam has a point there,” Jihoon said.

“Right? They seem…quite close? I mean, if y/n has been friends with Chani for some time, she probably would’ve mentioned it to us since Chani is from our company as well,” Yedam explained.

The rest nodded hearing this from him.

“Huh, that’s true though…”

“I guess it only makes sense for Chani to be friends with y/n though. I mean, even when Hyunsuk first met y/n, he was so smittened by her he kept talking about her for days,” Jihoon said as he munched on his ice cream sandwich.

“H-hey! I wasn’t smittened by her!”

“Pfft, please hyung, you keep whining about how packed our schedules were and you never got her name and contact number,” Jihoon rolled his eyes as he said this.

“Hey, she was a really nice person, okay! I can’t help but feel attracted in being friends with someone like her,” Hyunsuk said, slightly pouting now.

Jaehyuk, who was beside Hyunsuk, pat his hyung’s head gently and smiled as he said, “It’s okay hyung, you can say she’s nice and pretty, which is why you feel like she’s an attractive person to be friends with,”

The rest of them laughed seeing how Hyunsuk turned red from being teased by both Jihoon and Jaehyuk.

Junkyu listened to their conversation but his head was somewhere else at the moment.

He kept thinking about how he felt your hands holding his earlier. His heart started pounding fast, thinking about you always gets him all uncomfortable, in his opinion. Like, he could just look at you from afar, and he would feel uneasiness in his chest. He wasn’t sure what this feeling was, and although it made him uncomfortable, he realised that he doesn’t entirely hate that feeling.

“Hyung?”

Mashiho’s voice pulled Junkyu back to reality.

“Yes, Mashi?”

“You okay? You seem…quiet,”

Junkyu shook his head and flashed an assuring smile towards his friend, “Nothing, I was just thinking about some stuff,”

“Okay,” Mashiho grinned at him, making Junyku smile even wider seeing his friend’s cute expression.

And just as the rest of them were talking about something else, the maknae line entered the balcony, Junghwan and Jeongwoo in front of the rest, as they were still talking about how Junghwan’s classmate kept telling him how pastel-coloured highlighters aren’t as effective as neon-coloured ones.

“He said that neon-coloured ones leave a stronger impact on our brains, which makes it easier to memorise notes!” Junghwan explained to his hyung, as he pulled the chair opposite Junkyu, settling himself there.

Jeongwoo on the other hand, placed his bag on the chair beside Junkyu, where Chani was seated before this. “Aigoo, Junghwan-aa. You don’t really believe that, do you? Did you read a scientific research on that matter?”

“No…”

“There you go, then it’s okay for you to keep using your pastel-coloured highlighters for your notes, okay?”

“Okay hyung…”

Seeing that all his dongsaengs are already seated in their seats, Yoshi started distributing the packed foods they bought for the younger ones from the convenience store earlier.

“Thank you hyung,” Haruto said as he unwrapped the kimbap he received from Yoshi.

“Eat up~” Yoshi said with his gentle smile.

“Oh, hyung!” Doyoung said as he took his bite off his toasted tuna sub that his hyungs bought for him.

“What is it, Doyoung?” Yoshi asked, wondering if there was something wrong with his dongsaeng’s sandwich.

“Ahh, we saw y/n on the way here. Did you all have lunch with her and Chani-hyung just now?”

Your name made Junyku paid attention to Doyoung who was on the other end of the table.

“Ah, yeah! Y/n’s company sent her team here to brief our staff on a course. Although I’m not sure how Chani was linked to her in any ways,” Jihoon answered.

“Ahh, I see. Oh, I think Chani mentioned something along the lines of him taking the course with y/n?” Doyoung said, though he was a little unsure if what he said was right.

“Eh? Y/n was here?” Haruto asked, since he was the only who didn’t get to see you just now.

Jeongwoo, who was beside Junkyu, nodded in response to Haruto’s question. “That’s right. I heard him say he’s taking the course with y/n,”

“Oh? That’s weird. Why would Chani take a course from PEWA?” Mashiho asked.

“Come to think of it, it is weird to have Chani joining a course from PEWA. I thought I saw the notice the other day that the course was only for the permanent staffs who have worked here for over two years,” Jaehyuk said.

“Wait—Y/n works under PEWA??” Haruto asked, feeling that he was a little behind on the topic his hyungs are discussing on.

Hyunsuk simply nodded at Haruto’s question.

The rest of the table kept quiet for a while, trying to process what was really going on.

“Hmm. I guess, Chani-hyung joined the course because he felt like it would benefit him for his internship?” Doyoung guessed.

This made most of his hyungs scoff at him, including Junkyu.

“Come on, Doyoungie. You don’t really think that, do you?” Hyunsuk asked him, an eyebrow raised on his face.

Doyoung shrugged at this. “Hey, we should always be positive, no?” he bit off his sandwich again as he waits for his hyungs’ answers.

“Pfft, what internship? He’s practically a reserved employee here,” Jihoon muttered to himself.

“Then…do you all think…y/n knows who Chani really is?” Yoshi asked, a little concerned now.

This earned a sigh from almost everyone at the table.

“It’s not Chani I’m worried about to be honest. It’s his other half that I’m worried about, you know? He’s always trying to bring Chani down. And if he finds out Chani having a close friend here, don’t you think he’ll do something about it?” Yedam stated matter-of-factly.

“Ahh, you’re talking about that case last year?” Jaehyuk asked.

Yedam hummed at him.

“Oh? But we’re close with Chani, and he did nothing to us?” Junkyu spoke up, finally.

“Nah, he can’t do anything to us and any of the artists here, you know that. That’s why every artists here are on Chani’s side, especially since last year’s case,”

“I mean, I feel sorry for Chani but at the same time, having y/n close to him right now…might be risky…” Hyunsuk added.

The rest of them stopped eating, drinking and whatever they were doing and exchanged glances with each other, a worried look on their faces.

To be continued…

#treasure #treasure fanfic #TREASURE IMAGINE #ygtreasure #treasurefic #alltreasuremembers #treasuremembers #treasure members #kim junkyu #kimjunkyu #kim junkyu x reader #kimjunkyu x reader #JunKyu #junkyu x reader #junkyu scenarios #junkyu fluff #junkyu fanfic

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everlastingdreams · 3 years

Text

Weeping Monk x Reader : Playing With Fire chapter 13

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Story Summary: The Huntsman, that is what they called your brother. A name he had earned by hunting down the fey for coin. Coin that is given by Father Carden for his services. You refuse to stand aside and watch how your brother hunts down those who are fey. When you start to warn the fey camps your brother wishes to attack, you find yourself behind enemy lines. But when the Weeping Monk becomes suspicious of you, you realise you are playing with fire.

Chapter Summary: You await the torture soon to come. But when the Monk enters the tent, blood still dripping from his sword, you realise fate has taken another course.

Notes: Next chapter is where it breaks away from the show so yay ! Lemme know what you think.

Warnings: violence and death.

Word count: 2438 words in this chapter.

Chapter: 13/ 32+ something (buckle up, it’s a wild ride.)

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You were half dozing off to sleep from exhaustion after all these stressfull days when you heard the nets at the entrance of the tent move. Your eyes snapped open and your mouth fell agape in suprise.

“Squirrel ?!” Were you dreaming or was the boy truly standing a few feet away from you now ? The boy rushed over to you and started to try and free you from the ropes.

“What- how did you escape ??” You feared that a paladin would soon enter the tent and would catch the boy trying to help you “Squirrel, you have to run ! Go before they see you !”

Then the nets rustled again and your eyes went wide. The Monk stepped inside, blood still dripping from his sword. Was he here to capture the boy again ? The boy paid no attention to him and continued his attempts to free you. The Monk's attention was not on the boy, it was on you. A look in his eyes that you had not seen before. You gripped the arms of the chair, then he took three quick long strides, and cut the ropes that bound you to the chair. The Monk's hands were shaking, and you understood what was going on. He was saving you and the boy. You didn't move, only stared up at him stunned. You couldn't believe what was happening, you understood why he would save the boy, he didn't harm the children. But why would he help you ? The Monk noticed your hesitation but there was no time to explain why he had freed you as well. He knew it would not be long before they found they fey boy missing and Brother Salt's dead body. He took your arm and pulled you up from the chair. “What... why are you helping me ?” You looked at him utterly confused.

He removed the last bits of ropes from your wrists, the Monk was incredibly stressed by the situation “You will take the boy with you and leave this place.”

You were speechless and he finally looked you in the eyes at your persistant silence.

He squeezed your arm to pull you from your shocked state, he needed to be sure you were listening to him “You will take the boy away from here. Do you understand, y/n ?”

You finally nodded, seemingly snapping out of it “I will. I will take the boy away from here.”

Then he grabbed hold of the boy, pulling him along, making sure he didn't try to wander of in the camp.

"Where are we going ?" Your voice was a mere whisper and filled with anxiety. "To the horses." The Monk sounded as tense as you were. Was he really helping you ? Father Carden would see this as betrayal coming from him. "What about you ? I don't believe Father Carden will be happy about this."

He ignored your question.

You suddenly stopped when you remembered that Gawain was held captive as well. “We have to help the Green Knight !” You said to the Monk in a hushed voice.

The Monk grabbed your arm and pulled you along “He's not here anymore. They took him to Uther's camp.”

After a few steps he let go off your arm and gestured for you to be quiet.

The Monk constantly looked around the camp as he dragged the boy behind him. He looked so on edge that if this had not been a dangerous situation you wouldn't have been able to resist letting out a scream just to watch his reaction. You banished the awful idea quickly from your mind. He had not planned this, that much was clear. You couldn't see it clearly in the dark but you could have sworn one or two paladins had looked in your direction. Did they not care? Or were they not alarmed because the Monk was present and they thought he was following an order ? You could see the horses from afar and the Monk picked up his pace. He almost literally dragged poor Squirrel behind him at this point, not letting go off the boy even for one second. You kept an eye out in case someone would try to attack from behind you. Then suddenly the Monk came to a stop, halting the boy and you from moving as well. One quick look and you recognised Abbot Wicklow standing closeby with his Trinity Guards. The Monk intended to let the boy run free but Abbot Wicklow must have sensed it. "I wouldn't." The threat in those few words hanged in the air. "Does he remind you of someone ? This fey orphan ?" Wicklow made it sound like an insult. A slur. Something you and the Monk both took note of. Was Wicklow hinting to the Monk that he knew what he was ? "The girl must be important... perhaps she keeps more secrets then -" The Monk did not let him finish that sentence "You don't need them." He discreetly pushed the boy behind him, towards you. He stood in such a way that he formed a barrier between Wicklow and you. You held Squirrel close and tried to shield him from their sights. The fact that fear was audible in the Monk's voice worried you greatly. "Why ?" Wicklow asked demeaningly "Can't he smell out his own kind like some kind of animal ? Or is that just your species ?" The venom was dripping from his words and it was obvious that he knew the Monk was fey. He was insulting him directly. Him and the boy. You hated Father Carden, but after hearing Wicklow talk for maybe only a minute you already wanted to strangle him. It must have been a record to hate someone this fast. The Monk knew this was the end of the line. His suspicion was confirmed, Abbot Wicklow knew his secret. You were painfully aware that you were outnumbered. The Trinity Guards were brutally skilled fighters, and the Monk was no match for them. He was silent and you believed he was going to hand you and the boy over to them. What else was he going to do ? He must have realised that fighting them would mean his end. Now he could exchange you and the boy to keep his life. If Wicklow had indeed known all this time then it meant he considered the Monk useful. The Monk turned to look at you and you saw the same look in his eyes you had only seen once before in the forest. Fear. "Take the boy. Find cover." He ordered and pushed you and the boy away from him.

Your eyes went wide as you held onto the boy, what was he going to do ?! Wicklow watched curiously at the display.

The Monk looked you in the eyes, he spoke again, his tone more firm “Go.”

You pulled the boy with you as you found cover behind some barrels closeby, hiding behind them.

“You do have a reputation, but this is the Trinity Guard. You know their skill.” Abbot Wicklow threatened the Monk.

You kept the boy close to you, making sure he wouldn't suddenly run off. The Monk pulled out his swords in response to Wicklow's threat, you couldn't believe he was actually going to fight them. The famous fey killer had decided to save you, the Fey Guardian, and the fey boy.

Wicklow did not appreciate the Monk's silent but crystal clear response “So be it.” Wicklow gestured to the Trinity Guards behind him, beckoning for them to deal with the Monk.

The Monk did not wait to attack, for one moment it looked as if he danced through the air, by the time his feet hit the ground he had taken out two of the Trinity Guards already. Even though the sight of all the blood was horrific, there was elegance to the way he fought. You had never seen anything like it. He took out the others quickly and skillfully, blocking them every time they tried to strike. Neither you, Squirrel or Wicklow had expected that to happen. Wicklow was starting to look alarmed, the Monk looked at him.

Daring him.

Challenging him.

Wicklow swallowed thickly before nodding to the remaining members of the Trinity Guard. They approached the Monk and wasted no time as they attacked him instantly. They seemed to work together as they used flails to disarm the Monk and kept their distance until they had done that. The moment they had succesfully disarmed him, they brutally attacked him. It was a cowardly way of fighting, six against one unarmed man.

You could have run away with the boy. You should have ran and tried to reach the horses. But the second the Monk let out a pained yell, you froze. The boy had a similar response as you tried to pull him along but he refused to budge. After recieving many brutal blows from the flails the Monk landed on his knees. He took another hit across the face before he took a hit to the chin that send blood flying from his mouth as his head flew back from the impact. They were attacking him, killing him, because he was trying to save the both of you. Realisation struck you that you were not willing to just watch as he gets brutally murdered for doing the right thing. He was on hands and knees, gasping heavily for air. How he was even still alive after that, you had no idea. Your eyes scanned the ground in the dark, spotting swords nearby that the Trinity Guards had dropped as they fought. Your eyes went to the boy, knowing that if you were do to this you were not sure you could protect him. Squirrel looked at you determined, he knew what you were considering. You two shared a nod in understanding. This was it. You always wanted to die fighting, but never thought it would be against the Trinity Guards. You had no experience with the sword at all but perhaps you could distract them long enough for the Monk to get up and leave with the boy. You would die protecting the fey, as you had always believed. They pulled the Monk to his knees and removed his hood, ready to deliver the final blow with the heavy flail. It seemed that the Monk had given up.

Squirrel stood up and threw a rock he had found on the ground nearby at the Trinity Guard ready to strike the Monk. It pulled all of their attention away from the Monk right away and you and the boy grabbed the swords from the ground. You reached out to pull Squirrell behind you but the boy wasn't having any of that.

“HEY !” You called out loudly, feeling the adrenaline rush through your veins.

“Who's first !” Squirrel challenged them.

Their attention was on you and Squirrel now, you were ready to attack anyone that came closer. And ready and willing to attack those who tried to harm the Monk. They turned in your direction and the moment they did the Monk grabbed his fallen sword and rose from the ground. What followed was the sound of steel cutting through air and flesh. The Trinity Guards closest to you and the boy where cut down by the Monk in one graceful movement. You did not expect the Monk to get up again after that brutal attack. The Monk fought more brutal then before, blood of the Trinity Guards flowed with every move he made. In one swift movement he had blocked an attack and stabbed them. He cut through them almost impossibly fast. The first wave he had killed almost cleanly, almost polite. But now one of the last Trinity Guards tried to get up again and he stabbed his sword through their torso, ankering them to the ground. Finally he snapped another's neck before picking up his sword and aiming it at Wicklow, who was looking very pale, challenging him to fight him. Wicklow turned and ran away from the scene.

“Coward...” You breathed out as you watched Wicklow run for the hills.

The Monk sank to his knees again from pure exhaustion and agony. How he was able to get up again to slay the remaining Trinity Guards is a miracle in itself. Squirrel ran to him to help, the boy ran much faster then you could. He tried to help the Monk to his feet which proved difficult considering how wounded he appeared to be. Rain was starting to fall and the ground would soon turn slippery. You rushed over to help them. Squirrel pulled at his arm "Come on ! Get up ! We have to go!" The Monk could barely acknowledge him in his dazed state. He tried to get up but struggled every time. You carefully grabbed his arm and moved it around your shoulders so you could support him as he got off the ground. "Come on, be brave just a little longer. We are getting out of here even if I have to drag you." And it seemed that would be exactly what you would have to do if he couldn't walk. Finally he used you and the boy to support him and you helped him towards the horses. The paladins made no attempt to stop you, but then again, who would be insane enough to try after seeing what the Monk had done to the Trinity Guards when they had tried to stop him? You recognised his horse from the times he had visited Mirstone with Father Carden. He had catched some of his breath, you and Squirrel helped him on the horse. It was your intention to take the boy with you on another horse, but the Monk held out his hand and helped the boy on his horse as well. He hesitated for just one second before reaching out a hand to you as well. You took a step back and shook your head, declining the invitation "I'll steal one for myself." It seemed unwise to share a horse, what if he turned against you again ? Living with your brother had taught you that somebody could appear nice and then suddenly turn on you again. You would need a means of escape in that scenario. The Monk nodded in understanding. You hurried to another horse and mounted it before joining their side. You rode alongside of them as the Monk guided you out and away from the camp.

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