#bear doesn't come around for a few weeks cause of finals or whatever | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

whxtedreams · 4 months

Text

Chapter 2 - Die For Him

Summary

Past: You deal with a particularly painful period and near-death encounter.

Present: Tommy helps you with your healing process when Joel comes over.

CW // Anxiety, pain, mentions of past violence.

Word count: 12,409

Before

Late Autumn 2019

The first day traveling with Tommy, you threatened to kill him eight times. His warm and friendly nature was off-putting and uncomfortable, and you had to fight the urge to lash out at him whenever he tried to help you or show some form of kindness.

By the second week, you only threatened to kill him once a day. You've managed to somewhat soften towards Tommy's gentle and caring demeanour, and every day, you feel yourself becoming a little less cold and standoffish around him.

The last two weeks have been a blur of traveling in an attempt to reach the small town called Jackson that Tommy mentioned when you first met. The weather has been growing colder as winter draws closer, the nights becoming darker while the days grow shorter. You've noticed that Tommy has started giving his jacket to Annabel as she sleeps to keep her warm when he notices her shivering in her sleeping bag.

You've watched intently as Annabel gradually grew closer to Tommy, her interactions with him becoming more playful and teasing. He's responded in kind, the two of them engaging in a game of banter and playful torment that keeps you curious and entertained. Even so, there's a small part of you that knows he knows that Annabel is in pain, and you're grateful that Tommy is helping her in a way that you haven’t been able to after all these years.

Although it hasn't only been Annabel that Tommy has taken a liking to, for whatever reason, he finds himself sitting beside you after she falls asleep each night. It's become almost routine at this point. He drapes his jacket over Annabel, makes his way over to you and sits beside you. The first few nights, there were no words exchanged. You simply watched the flames until you inevitably fell asleep while he kept the first watch. Slowly, however, he began to speak with you more and more, and the two of you began to get to know one another in the quiet hours of the night.

It was within the second week of traveling to Wyoming that Tommy finally earned your hard-earned trust. The three of you stumbled across a water park, and your body decided that it was the perfect time for you to undergo a particularly painful monthly cycle. You had felt the shooting pain the day before, and you knew it was going to be a bad flare-up. You were trying your best to hide the pain behind a veil of composure, but the combination of your hormones, cramps, and tiredness was causing you to become increasingly irritable and snappish with both Tommy and Annabel.

You double over in pain as it becomes unbearable, and Tommy rushes over to you, placing a hand on your back. You shove his hand away and mutter that you're fine, but the pain is becoming too much to bear, and the left side of your abdomen feels like it's being tied into knots. You grit your teeth and groan in pain, clutching onto your side as you try to stand up straight and find some relief from the discomfort. It doesn't help, as the pain only worsens with the movement, and you wince as the cramps become even more intense.

Tommy moves to lift your shirt and frowns when he doesn't see a physical wound. You push his hand away once again and stubbornly lower your shirt, refusing to show him any sign of your discomfort. The pain is growing steadily worse, but you force yourself to try and keep up a strong and defiant facade, unable to handle the thought of showing vulnerability to Tommy. You're trying your best to endure, and the tightness of your expression shows just how much you're struggling to contain your emotions and discomfort.

"Are you having one of your flare-ups?" Annabel asks, and you look up at her with an expression of annoyance at her question. You nod, confirming her suspicion but unwilling to acknowledge the pain you're experiencing aloud.

The cramps are becoming harder to ignore, and you slowly allow yourself to be led to a nearby chair left over from what seems to be a fast food truck. You lower yourself painfully into the chair and continue to try and ignore the shooting pains going up your back.

“I’ll be fine, just need to sit for a bit.” You mutter as Annable gently rubs your shoulder.

"Flare-ups?" Tommy questions with some curiosity, and you look up at him with a glare. You're annoyed that he's questioning you about this, the pain still lingering and causing you even more discomfort.

Tommy's eyebrows shoot up, and his mouth hangs open at the sudden realisation, a quiet "Oh " hanging in the air as he looks down between your legs before he continues. "You're on your period?" He questions, and you nod in response. You can see the gears turning in his mind as he considers this new information. “That’s why you’ve been more… stubborn.” He mutters to himself.

"I swear to the Gods, I will fucking gut you," you threaten, and Tommy quickly lifts his hands up in defence, looking away from you.

"Alright, alright, Sunshine," Tommy apologises as he backs away and evaluates the surroundings of the park, pointing to a tower as a potential safe haven. You internally groan at the distance, knowing that you'll have to force yourself to move in spite of the pain. "It's high enough, sheltered, and looks like a good vantage point to rest," he says, and you nod reluctantly in agreement. "Can you walk that far?" he questions, and you take a deep breath as you try to fight through the pain. You nod in response, determined to power through the discomfort.

Annabel helps you up from the chair, and you take a deep breath before trying to focus on anything else but the pain in your abdomen. You manage to make it to the tower with Annabel's arm around your waist, but the exertion of climbing even one flight of stairs leaves you winded and in pain. You collapse into a sitting position, trying to get comfortable, and you close your eyes and lean your head against the railing. The cold metal feels somewhat soothing, and your breathing slowly becomes more regular as you attempt to relax, if only for a moment.

“Just… need a minute.” You sigh.

"You haven't had one this bad in a few months," Annabel sighs as she leans down in front of you. You look up at her with a tired expression as the cramps seem to dissipate slightly, though the pain remains constant and still making your every movement an uncomfortable one.

“I’m okay” You whisper and close your eyes, holding onto your side.

Tommy realises that you've stopped climbing the stairs and tracks back down, sliding his rifle onto his back with the strap and leaning down. Before you can react, he places his hands under your arms and quickly lifts you to stand without warning, your eyes shooting open once he does so. You let out a small yelp of surprise, and for a moment, you struggle in his grip as your cramps worsen, and the strain of the sudden movement makes your body tense up.

“What are you-”

"Gonna carry you the rest of the way, lift your legs" Tommy demands, and before you have a chance to argue, he lifts you in a swift motion, and you wrap your legs around his waist and your arms around his neck. You're surprised to find yourself light and easy to handle, and you look up at Tommy with a frown as he smoothly transitions to carrying you, placing his left hand on your thigh and his right on your back. To him, it feels like you weigh little more than a bag of feathers, and you find that amusing despite feeling slightly embarrassed by the whole ordeal.

You tense in Tommy's embrace and hold on to him tightly as he climbs the stairs again. "You don't have to carry me," you mutter into his shoulder, your face flushed with embarrassment. You watch as Annabel climbs the stairs behind you, attempting not to laugh and you feel a pang of guilt for making Tommy carry you like this.

"Just tryin' to be a gentleman,” Tommy replies casually with a hint of a smirk on his face.

You roll your eyes at his remark and let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh yes, Tommy, my knight in shining armour, here to carry me upstairs. Wow, such a gentleman." You mock dryly, and his smirk deepens slightly as he continues to carry you up the stairs with ease. He remains silent as Annabel joins in the teasing, and you find yourself laughing a little in spite of the discomfort of your cramps.

"You two are going to be the death of me," Tommy sighs as he reaches the top of the tower and places you down gently. Annabel quietly laughs behind you, and you shake your head, taking a moment to steady yourself as your feet hit the ground. Once you reach relative stability, you turn to face Tommy once more, and he paces the platform, carefully giving everything he can a good shake and nod to check its sturdiness. With a satisfied nod of his own, he turns back to face you and Annabel, seemingly content with the safety of the tower.

"Good enough for you?" You chuckle, still clutching your stomach and grimacing slightly at the movement. Tommy rolls his eyes and leans over the railing, surveying the ground below before looking up at the roof once more and giving it a satisfied nod. You watch for a moment as he seemingly takes in his surroundings, his expression becoming more serious as he does so. He returns to you; his brows knit in concern as he sees your discomfort.

Tommy slides his bag off his back and sets it against one of the inner structural poles, digging through his pack to take out his sleeping bag and spreading it on the metal floor of the tower. He gestures to the floor with a nod towards the sleeping bag, and you frown. When you don't seem to budge, he simply turns to you and lets out a sigh. "I know yours has holes in it," he says, his voice becoming softer and more serious. "You're already in pain; may as well be comfortable."

You look into his eyes and see the concern and tenderness in his expression, and the pain in your chest becomes more and more prominent. You hate him for showing you any kindness, knowing that the more he tries to break down your walls and move into your life, the more unbearable it will be when he eventually leaves or dies. You know how this always ends, and you find yourself reluctantly nodding in agreement. You can't keep fighting him anymore, not when you're in this condition. So, you let him win, and the sleeping bag feels soft and smells like him as you lie down on the metal floor. Although smelling like him isn’t a compliment. You can't remember the last time he actually cleaned himself.

When the sun began to set, and you finally found a position to lay down that eased the pain, Annabel bounces her small rubber ball against the railing. With each bounce, you feel your nerve endings alight in a painful haze, and you grit your teeth, trying to ignore the repetitive noise. You shift, raising your knee closer to your chest as your other leg stretches out, but the cramps and discomfort still make it difficult to find a comfortable position. You do your best to focus on the calming colours of the sunset and the feeling of the cool air on your skin rather than pay attention to the ball bouncing nearby.

No more than two minutes later, you snap.

“I’ll throw that ball off this tower if you bounce it again.” You glare at her as you turn over to face her. Annabel catches the ball and blinks at you. Her mouth twitches, threatening to smile and you raise your eyebrows as if to say, don’t you dare . Her wrist flicks and the ball bounces again against the railing. You groan as Tommy laughs from where he stands beside you.

“Whoops.” She smirks as she catches it again.

You begin to move from your spot on the sleeping bag to throw the stupid thing as Tommy speaks up, his tone gentle and calming. "Come on, girls, let's not kill each other," he says with a laugh. He turns to look at Annabel and gently pleads with her. "Leave your aunt alone," he tells her before turning back to look out over the edge of the tower, and you notice his expression softening as he looks over the landscape. The sun has almost set by now, and the sky has taken on a red hue.

"Geez, just trying to have some fun around here," she grumbles, clearly disappointed to have had her game come to an end. However, when Tommy turns back around to look at her, she quickly shrugs and puts her ball back in her jacket pocket. He doesn't seem to push the issue any further, and his attention appears to be directed towards you as he gently nudges you back to the sleeping bag with a few taps of his foot. You groan a little as you try to get comfortable again, but you don't argue as you lie back down on the metal floor.

Tommy eventually settles down beside you with his back leaning against the railing, the sun having set and the moon filling the night sky. A soft blanket of shadows covers his face as he looks down at you for a moment, and while you're not entirely sure of his expression in the dark, you feel him reaching a hand to gently brush your hair back and tuck it behind your ear. You don't make any attempt to move out of his way as he does so.

"I didn't realise periods could be so... painful," he admits as he eases his hand out of your hair and back into his lap, an expression of genuine concern on his face as he looks down at you.

Annabel has remained quiet for some time now, her focus taken up by a book she found a few days prior. She lets out a small chuckle when she hears Tommy's comment, but you keep your eyes on her, wondering if she's going to say anything else. However, she doesn't, and a brief moment of silence settles in between the three of you.

"They're normally not," you reply. "I have endometriosis, it can be a... bitch sometimes."

Annabel snorts at your description, but Tommy's expression twists in a visible look of confusion. He stares at you for a moment before speaking up.

"Endometri…?" he repeats in a questioning tone as if he's never heard of the word before. Annabel looks at him, her smile fading as she realises that he's never dealt with this particular issue before. “You dying or something?”

The two of you chuckle together before you shake your head and sit up a little against the pole behind you to face Tommy properly. "No, no. Nothing like that," you reassure him with a faint smile and his face softens when he realises that there's nothing to worry about. He relaxes his body and leans his head against the railing, and for a moment, the three of you sit in silence. The night has descended and the air is still and quiet, the only sound coming from the subtle breeze blowing through the sky and the occasional rustle as Tommy rests against the metal railing of the tower.

"So, what is it, then?" he finally asks.

"You want me to go full scientific or dumb it down for you?" you smirk, teasing Tommy with your knowledge of a medical condition he's never heard of before. He scoffs a bit and glances back to Annabel, who has put her book down to listen in on your exchange.

"Dumb it down. I'm a simple man," Tommy says, raising his hands in an exaggerated mocking gesture but keeping a light, playful tone.

You nod and look up at the stars, thinking of how to word it for him. “It’s a condition, disease – whatever you want to call it – where tissue similar to the lining of your uterus grows elsewhere as well. Sometimes, it can attach to other organs, too, like the ovaries and intestines, causing a shit load of pain.

“The problem is, is that tissue still acts like the lining of the uterus, so when you get your period, those tissues also bleed and tear. It can also cause problems with fertility and infertility.." You explain, and Tommy nods again, his expression becoming more serious as he listens.

“How bad is it?” He asks, looking back up at you.

You sigh and shrug. “Haven’t exactly had any scans lately.” You huff a laugh. “But I was diagnosed back in 02. My poor brother thought I was dying and took me to the E.R. Did some tests. Back then, it was all over my ovaries. But it can get bad, not always this bad though," you reply to Tommy, glancing back up at him.

"I'm sorry," Tommy sighs, his sympathy clear in his expression as he sees you flinch from another sudden bout of pain.

"It's fine," you assure Tommy, waving your hand dismissively as you lay back down. "At least I can't get pregnant with infected running around and people trying to kill us," you add, attempting to inject some levity into the situation by making a joke, and Annabel groans as she lies down herself. She doesn't find your joke as amusing, but Tommy's expression softens as he looks at you both. You let out a slow sigh before shifting slightly, a grimace of discomfort crossing your face as the cramps and nausea increase once more.

"Just go to sleep, the both of you," Tommy tells you and Annabel with a roll of his eyes, and you smile back in appreciation as he offers to keep watch first. You make a mental note to thank him later and try to find a comfortable position.

Annabel groans in resignation, settling back down on the floor with an annoyed expression as she watches Tommy take his place next to the railing. You do your best to close your eyes and relax, letting the calm night air wash over your face, trying in vain to ease the discomfort.

You wake with a start to a bloodcurdling scream and instinctively jolt into a sitting position, your eyes frantically scanning the platform around you as you search for Annabel in a state of panic. The moon is still high in the sky, and the night is as quiet as it was before, with nothing but the sound of gentle wind gently blowing over the tower. There's no sign of Annabel anywhere on the platform. You try to calm your quickening heartbeat as you start to rise to your feet.

As you scramble to a standing position, your eyes quickly dart over to Tommy, who has just set down his hunting rifle against the railing on the other side of the platform. The moment your eyes land on it, your heart skips a beat at the thought of Tommy aiming his rifle through the scope, and your eyes widen in fear.

He’s killed her. He’s fucking shot her.

Tommy takes a deep breath and presses on the trigger of the rifle, and you jolt in response to the loud sound of the firing gun. Your ears ring slightly and you shut your eyes tight as you wince. When you open your eyes again, you notice Tommy staring off into the distance; his expression hardens as he watches something through the scope of his rifle.

He shoots again. And again.

"Tommy-" you whisper, your voice faint and trembling with tension.

"Quiet. Infected," He snaps at you quickly as he takes another deep breath and fires the gun again, his voice harsher than before as he focuses on the target in the distance.

You freeze in your place, your ears ringing as you wait for the next shot. When it comes, you almost flinch but manage to keep still, your eyes fixed on Tommy's back. After a moment, he fires the gun once more, his expression becoming more and more concentrated with each shot.

“Annabel-”

"Stairs," Tommy says with a grunt as he reloads his rifle, and you remain where you are, stunned by the sudden change in his demeanour. "Pack your shit, we gotta move." He orders more forcefully this time, his voice sharp and filled with urgency, and you don't move. "DO IT NOW!" he shouts, and the sudden shift in his tone and the look of anger in his eyes causes you to jump in surprise, prompting you to gather your things quickly.

Annabel arrives at the top of the stairs and pants, out of breath as Tommy lays the rifle down against the railing and adjusts the scope.

“What-”

“Went to pee, fucking clickers showed up out of nowhere,” Annabel explains as she kneels in front of her backpack. Seeing her in distress and how her hands shake as she tries to pack her things up quickly, you turn back to Tommy once more with wide eyes as he curses and steps back from the railing. He storms over to you and picks up his bag, and swings it over his shoulder.

However, before you can say anything, Tommy barks out another order, his voice stern and commanding as it rings through the tower. "There’s too many of them, I really fucking hope you can run Sunshine.”

You nod frantically and scramble to grab your backpack in response to Tommy's warning, the urgency in his voice making your movements swift and hasty. Annabel does the same, quickly scooping up her backpack and slinging it over her shoulder. Annabel runs over to the stairs and leans over the railing, swearing. “They’re coming up the stairs, Tommy.” Her voice cracks and she stumbles back, terrified.

"Down the slide," Tommy directs with a sharp nod of his head towards the slide, and your eyes widen in surprise. You glance at the enclosed slide for a moment, imagining the worst-case scenario of being stuck in that small, confined space while an infected rushes up the slide towards you. Annabel has already made her way towards it, but she doesn't look convinced either.

"If it was an open slide, maybe, but it's a fucking enclosed one," you reply with an agitated expression. "An infected could block us in, and we'd be completely fucked."

Tommy groans and shoves you towards the slide, making another sudden move as he snatches your gun from your holster and shoves it into your chest, his expression becoming stern again. "No arguments. You go down first, then Anna. I'll cover the back," he orders you, his tone brooking no argument.

Annabel looks up at him with a worried expression, her eyes filled with anxiety as she nods in response to Tommy's instructions, but she says nothing.

"Go, now!" Tommy orders sharply, and you flinch at the sudden outburst and his loud tone. You hurry to crouch and enter the enclosed slide, the cramping pain in your abdomen slowly returning as you do so. Despite having to hunch over to fit inside the enclosed slide, your legs are still able to stand fully as you slowly make your way down it, keeping your torso bent downwards to avoid banging your head against the top. You squint your eyes as you turn on the flashlight equipped onto your bag strap over your shoulder.

Annabel follows after you, her expression becoming more fearful as she enters the slide next. She's breathing hard and sweating, her face pale, and you know she's terrified, but she manages to keep calm.

You pause in your descent as you hear the sound of Tommy firing his rifle a few times from the platform, the loud gunshots reverberating through the enclosed tube. Annabel leans over, grabbing your hand tightly as he enters the tube and catches up to you where you wait for him. "Got the few coming up the stairs, shouldn't be any more behind us," he says quickly and grunts from the discomfort of being taller and having to hunch over further.

"Told you being shorter was an advantage," you tease, and Annabel lets out a soft laugh, though Tommy just grunts in response to your comment.

"Very funny, now move," he deadpans, gesturing for you to hurry as he keeps his gaze fixed in front of you, his rifle ready to shoot at a moment's notice.

You keep your gun drawn as you move slowly and carefully down the slide, using the flashlight to illuminate the dark space around you. The tube is quiet, and aside from the sound of your own breathing, you hear nothing but the subtle echo of your footsteps or the occasional scrape of your body or clothes against the side of the slide. The silence in the enclosed space is eerie, and you find it difficult to remain focused as you continue to move, the dull but constant pain in your abdomen and the fear of what you might face at the bottom of the slide weighing on your mind.

You sigh in relief as you see the light from the full moon at the end of the tube on the last corner. You reach the end of the slide and pause for a moment, taking in your surroundings with a nervous expression as you contemplate your next move and listen intently for any incoming infected. You seat yourself on the edge and turn over to your stomach with your legs dangling over the edge and push yourself down until you hang on by your hands and drop the rest of the way into the empty pool.

You steady yourself and look up and wave your hands towards you, gesturing for Annabel to follow.

Then you hear the clicks.

Your heart drops.

Time slows almost to a halt as you see movement in your peripheral vision. Your focus locks on Annabel's mouth as it opens wide in a scream, and you see Tommy's hand rip her from the edge of the slide before she jumps down, throwing her behind him. The clicker is jumping at you from the edge of the pool, and you tear your eyes away from Annabel towards it, only to see the infected's face only inches from your own a split second before it grabs you and slams you into the dirty concrete. A scream tears through your throat as you make the harsh connection with the bottom of the pool, your chest tightening.

Annabel screams again as you're tackled off your feet, and you close your eyes in fear as the infected's weight forces you to the floor, its weight on top of you and its jaws just inches away from your throat.

You stare up at the clicker in a panic, your hands grabbing onto its shoulders as you try to hold it off. Its gums pull back with a snarl, exposing its rotten, bloody teeth as they snap at you again and again, desperate to tear into your flesh. The panic escalates as its fetid breath fills your nose, and you try to fight it off with all the strength you can muster, but the clicker is relentless in its attempt to sink its teeth into you. You're stuck beneath it, your body frozen and your face twisted in fear and agony as the monster prepares to strike.

You stare up at the clicker in terror and panic, your hands gripping firmly onto its shoulders as you try to hold it off. If you let go, even just for a second, you know you'll be bitten. If you could just let go for a moment to aim your gun, to shoot it, you could probably kill it. But you can't. The terror grows as you stare into its rotten, bloodstained teeth as it continues to try and tear into you.

The infected's death rattle echoes in your ears, and you feel the jolts of the body above you as bullets tear through its head, millimetres away from hitting you. The infected slumps against your body in a lifeless state, and you lie there on the cold, hard ground, still trying to recover from the shock and process what just happened. Your heart is pounding in your chest and your breathing comes in laboured gasps as you slowly start to take in your surroundings once again.

Fuck – Tommy’s a good shot.

Tommy yanks the body off you and you take in a deep breath, relieved to feel the lack of weight now on your chest.

Annabel's weight replaces the infected on top of you, and her body drapes over yours in a tender hug. You feel her face press against your shoulder as her sobs continue to shake her body, and you can't help but feel empathy for her as she hugs you tightly. You focus on calming yourself, your breathing slowly returning to normal as you try to collect your thoughts.

"You bit?" Tommy asks you after a moment from behind you, his expression filled with concern as you crane your neck to look up at him.

You shift your focus back to Annabel in your arms, her face buried against your shoulder as she continues to cry. Her sobs continue to rock her body, and she presses her face even more tightly into your shoulder as she waits for your response.

You close your eyes and sigh into Annabel's embrace. “No, don’t think so.”

The two of you cling to each other, having recently gone through a life-threatening experience. You let out a slow, shaky breath as you try to calm your racing heart, and Annabel presses closer to you.

Tommy taps Annabel's back, and she flinches slightly at the unexpected touch, her body trembling and shaking in response. She quickly recovers from her moment of fright, realising that it was only Tommy's hand touching her and not an infected trying to grab her.

“Come on, we should get out of here,” Tommy says softly, and Annabel nods, rising to her feet.

Tommy outstretches his hand to help you up, and this time, you take it.

Tommy's hand softly pulls at the collar of your shirt, tugging as he checks for a bite on one shoulder. You feel his grasp shift as he pulls the fabric to the side and then to the other, exposing your other shoulder before his hand shifts yet again. This time, he moves his touch downward, slowly pulling up the shirt's fabric to examine your skin. His hand gently lifts your sleeves as he carefully checks your body for any trace of a bite. The sensation is oddly tender, and you have to stop yourself from tensing up from his close contact, not used to being touched.

He steps back and nods, a silent question.

You good ?

You nod back.

Yes.

The flickering flame from Tommy’s modest campfire roars to life the next night, and you close your eyes in delight at the welcome warmth. Annabel's laughter fills the night air, her praise bolstering Tommy's ego as he basks in the glow of her admiration.

You slowly open one eye and see Annabel high-five Tommy, his smile wide as he joins in her laughter. With a shake of your head, you murmur, "His ego is big enough. You don’t need to encourage it." Your own laugh comes out quietly as you uncross your legs to stretch them out, leaning back on your arms.

Tommy points a finger at you and shakes his head in mock frustration, and you can't help but laugh internally. "You let the girl praise me however she pleases," he teases, his laughter carrying a slight hint of amusement as he lowers his hand to toss his lighter aside to be put away later.

You roll your eyes and hide your smile as you turn your head away from the pair.

You still remain distrustful of him, of course, but the way he's taken care of Annabel causes your suspicions to dwindle slightly. Perhaps he isn't as much of a threat as you first believed.

Tommy's grunt as he sits beside you startles you out of your thoughts, and your head whips towards him as he bends his legs and places his arms on his knees. Your body stiffens in response to his sudden movement and the fact that he's so close to you, but you try your best to control your tension. He says nothing, the only sound being the crackling of the fire and the crickets. For a moment, you wonder why he's sitting so close, but he says nothing. He simply watches you quietly, his gaze studying you.

Your eyes wander to Annabel, who sleeps peacefully against a nearby tree. Tommy's jacket drapes over her along with her own, and you wonder just how long you've been lost inside your thoughts. You quickly glance back to Tommy, who continues to study you silently, his face conveying concern and curiosity.

“Is your…” He trails off while gesturing to your stomach. “You know… still giving you grief?” He asks awkwardly

You roll your eyes and shake your head.

"You've been quiet today, Sunshine," Tommy frowns, his voice carrying a touch of concern. He watches you for a moment and then gestures towards your head. "You haven’t threatened to kill me today. What's going on inside that head of yours?" He asks, and you raise an eyebrow at him in response. "I've noticed you get lost up there a bit," he adds, and you can't deny the fact that his words are true.

Your body tenses up, and you consider not answering. But something about his question feels sincere, and you find yourself hesitating for a moment. After a moment, you decide to answer him honestly.

"I could have died yesterday," you mumble darkly as you stare into the flames, the memory of the events of yesterday playing out in your mind like a nightmare. "I could have been bit and she would have watched me die. She would be alone," you continue, allowing the full weight of the fear and trauma of the infected encounter to sink in. You feel a heaviness settling over you as you reflect on how close you came to losing everything in just a few short moments.

"If something happens-" you continue, your voice quiet and heavy with emotion. You're cut off mid-sentence by Tommy placing a soothing hand on your knee, and you look up at him, his gaze kind and his expression understanding.

"Nothing's going to happen to you. To either of you," he reassures, his voice calm and the touch of his hand on your knee still present in a soothing way. He nods, avoiding your gaze and seemingly not wanting to get into a deeper conversation about the possibility of something bad happening.

You take a deep breath and continue your thoughts, determined to finish what you started. "But if something happens to me--" You raise your hand to stop Tommy from interrupting you again, and he looks at you, finally meeting your gaze as he shuts his mouth. "If something happens to me, promise me you'll take her to Jackson, or wherever you choose to go. That you'll keep her safe," you say, placing your hand on top of his. "That you'll kill anyone or anything that tries to hurt her." Your expression remains steady and determined, wanting to make sure that Tommy understands the weight of this request.

After a moment of consideration and thoughtful deliberation, Tommy slowly nods in response to your request, understanding the weight of your words and the seriousness of your request. "I promise," he says softly, his voice tender and his eyes focused on yours.

"We haven't been in a community in a very long time, Tommy," you reveal, and he nods in understanding. "We stayed clear of quarantine zones and any sign of a community while Dean was around," you continue, and Tommy listens silently. When you start to ramble your confession, he nods again, attempting to reassure you. "It’s only ever been us. Sure there was Dean, but at the end of the day it’s always been us. We don't know how to... Deal with large groups of people, what if I fuck it up and get Annabel and I thrown out, and we're on our own again," you say with a sigh.

Tommy pokes the fire with a stick as he listens to you, and the fire continues to burn in front of you. “My brother, Joel and I were on our own for a while in a small group.” He shares as he watches the fire, and you focus your attention on him. “We did a lot of things that still haunt me to this day, but I had the same feeling as you do now. I was scared that after everything we did, I wouldn't know how to function in society again, but I left them and joined the Fireflies, hoping to create a better world. It took a bit of adjusting, but I made it work.” He sets his stick back down next to him and sighs as he looks back over at you.

You take a moment to absorb his words and insight into his past. You’ve heard of the Fireflies, seen their propaganda near quarantine zones and heard Dean mention them a few times after coming back from trading with different groups. Maybe he had crossed paths with Tommy before?

"What made you leave the Fireflies?" You ask curiously, and Tommy's expression grows serious.

He pauses for a moment as he considers his answer, and for a moment, you feel a pang of guilt for having brought up such a sensitive subject. But you want to know his story, and you need to know his reasons for leaving. Tommy sighs quietly and stares at the fire for a moment longer before meeting your gaze again. "I needed a change," he eventually says, his tone quiet.

After a moment's pause, he continues. “When I saw you for the first time, you had that same scared look in your eyes that I did when I was with Joel. You were covered in so much blood, and you looked terrified.” He shakes his head and stifles a chuckle before he continues again. “You were a force to reckon with and ready to kill me, but you were still terrified. I wasn’t going to bring you or Annabel with me, but I couldn’t leave you two there.”

You frown at his words, and you give a slight nod in response. You recall the sheer terror you felt after dealing with the raiders and returning to him with Annabel, the stress and exhaustion from the situation leaving you shaken and tense.

"I was going to kill you the second I saw you, but I heard you make Annabel laugh," you confess, and Tommy nods in understanding. You frown again, trying to shake off the memory of that day, and you nod slowly. "I'm glad I hesitated," you conclude, your confession taking its toll, and you close your eyes as you attempt to push the feeling down. “You make her happy.”

Tommy's hands wrap around your shoulders, and your eyes open in shock as he pulls you into a side hug. Surprised by his touch, you lose balance and clutch the fabric of his shirt as your legs scramble beside you on the ground. His hands feel like fire against your skin, causing panic to rise in your chest at his unexpected touch. Every fiber of your being screams at you to pull away immediately, but you remain frozen in place, your expression betraying your fear, even though your heart is racing.

Tommy must feel your body begin to shake since he leans back and looks down at you, his hand gently wiping away a tear that you never noticed until he draws your attention to it. Surprised and embarrassed, you try to suppress your tears as you look back up to him. His eyes dart between your teary eyes, worry evident in his. "Why are you crying?" He whispers softly, and you shake your head quickly, trying to deny the tears you can no longer hold back.

You didn't expect this reaction, and it starts to confuse you further. The tears slowly turn into quiet sobs, and Tommy holds you closer to his chest – where you’re sure you're leaving snot and tears on his shirt.

Why are you crying? You don’t cry .

You find yourself crying without restraint now that you're in Tommy's arms as the fire his touch creates slowly turns to comfort. To safety. As the tears fall, you feel a mixture of emotions run through you, an overwhelming sensation as you release all the pain and fear you've been holding onto for years. His embrace is gentle yet calming, and you can feel your body gradually relax as you allow him to comfort you. His presence eases your mind, helping you forget about all the troubles and worries that fill your world. You can’t remember the last time you allowed someone to touch you besides Annabel. And that scares you. Terrifies you.

"You're okay, Sunshine. It's okay," Tommy soothes you, his hands gently rubbing your shoulder in an attempt to comfort you. Your tears continue to flow freely, and you can feel his embrace become even more protective of you. The fire crackles softly nearby as Tommy continues to rub your shoulder, attempting to help you overcome the pain you've suffered. His voice is gentle and soft, his words providing a sense of comfort and security in you that you didn't expect but is also desperately needed.

“I’m so tired, Tommy. I can’t do this anymore.” You cry between sobs.

You cry for your brother, the pain of losing him still sharp even after all these years, and you wish you could have done more to save him. You cry for Annabel, who didn't deserve to lose her father so young. You cry for the lives you took to protect yourself, to protect Annabel, and you wonder if they were deserved. You cry for your own pain, for the world you live in, for all of the lives you've taken to survive.

You aren't sure how long you cried in his arms or how long it took to cry yourself to sleep, but when you wake up, your head is resting on his lap, and his jacket is keeping you warm. His fingers are gently tangled within your hair, and you look up at him with hazy eyes, surprised that he is still there. His smile is sympathetic as he meets your gaze, and you feel a sense of comfort return to you. He's still there, still holding you, and you can't help but feel a bit of relief at his continued presence.

"Feeling better, Sunshine?" He whispers, and you can hear the quiet concern in his voice. You look up at him as he gently detangles your hair with his fingers. You nod in response to his question, and as you sit up in his lap, you take in his warm expression in the moonlight.

You rub your eyes as you yawn, your focus shifting towards Annabel. You notice that Tommy's jacket is no longer covering her and is now bundled over your legs, having moved when you sat up. "Sorry," you say, and Tommy just smiles in response.

"Don' worry ‘bout it," Tommy reassures you, letting out a yawn of his own as he does so. "Annabel mentioned the other day she was worried ‘bout ya," he pauses for a moment and tilts his head, considering what he wants to say next. "Said ya don’ talk to ‘er ‘bout anythin’ you've been through," he adds with another yawn.

You would have smiled at Tommy's southern accent, which is more prominent in his sleepy state, if not for the words that hit you like a truck. You can't deny that she's seen you suffer, but you've fought against displaying your emotions to her, wanting to be strong for her. You realise now how little she actually knows about you and what you're truly feeling, and it's making you consider whether or not it's time to let down your walls and let her in, finally. She’s not a little kid anymore.

"I forget she's not a kid anymore," you agree with Tommy, realising that the little girl is now nearly an adult. "I mean, she's seventeen now, but I still see her as the little four-year-old I had to carry around." You sigh as you twist your back to crack it, feeling the stiffness from sleeping on Tommy's lap. "Gods, I basically raised the kid since Dean was always off hunting or looting for days on end," you add, and Tommy raises an eyebrow in understanding.

“I guess with everything going on, I just didn't want to put her through any more than she already had to deal with," you continue, and Tommy nods in response. "Didn't want her to see how scared I was. Or weak," you say quietly, thinking about how hard it is to show your true self to Annabel. "I guess that's why I've always kinda kept her at a distance when it comes to my emotions," you add, and Tommy looks over at you with a sympathetic gaze.

Tommy slowly shifts against the tree and rolls his shoulders and neck, looking a little less tense as he relaxes slightly. "Joel used to do the same thing to me. Shut me out when shit went south," he says with a sigh, his voice tired and his eyes closed as he leans against the tree. "It's not healthy," he adds after a moment. He opens his eyes after a little bit and turns to face you, his expression soft and his tone understanding as he continues, "And as a younger sibling myself, I can tell she just wants to help ya. Let her."

You nod in response to Tommy's words, taking them into account as you glance over at Annabel, who is still asleep. "Alright, Tommy. You get some sleep, I'll take over the watch," you tell him quietly, your voice low so as not to disturb Annabel as she rests nearby.

Tommy slowly nods, yawning slightly as he closes his eyes. He crosses his arms over his chest and shifts against the tree to get comfortable. "Wake me if you need anything," he says sleepily.

You nod and frown at Tommy as he gets comfortable and settles down to rest, and you can't help but feel a soft tug at your heart. You want to trust him, but your mind screams at you every time you lower your guard around the man. He's been nothing but kind to you, and you've been nothing but short and rude to him, hoping to keep him at arm's length and protect yourself from pain. But as he continues to push and push, your walls start to crumble, and you're forced to grapple with the possibility of letting him in.

You hate him. Annabel loves him, so you tolerate him.

But you know that's a lie.

Your eyes widen as you make the realisation, and you look over at Tommy, seeing the soft curls that have draped over his face as he drifts off to sleep. His eyes are closed, and his chest slowly rises and falls with deep breaths. Gradually, his snores begin to turn from soft and low to louder and more forceful. You watch in silent contemplation, the soft glow of the fire casting shadows against the darkness that surrounds you and illuminating Tommy's face, which seems almost peaceful in sleep. You feel a pang in your chest as you look at him, wanting to protect him and make sure that no harm ever comes his way.

Your entire life, you've only felt the need to protect Annabel, feeling the overwhelming desire to shield her from the dangers of this new world. You would die for her.

You think back to the people who have come and gone through your life, and you recall Dean, who gave up everything at sixteen to raise you after your mother died during childbirth and your father passed before that due to cancer. You loved him, but ultimately, you never would've considered dying for him. But in the end, he gave his life for you and Annabel, leaving a hole that never quite healed and a lingering sadness that has followed you ever since.

There was your first boyfriend, then your first girlfriend. Two relationships that didn't last long enough for you to form a connection with either of them fully. Their lives cut short by the cruel realities of the world. As the realisation sinks in, you feel a pang of heartache and loss, mourning the connections that could've been but were never fully formed. You wonder how your life would've turned out if things had been different if both of them had lived and your relationships had had time to blossom and grow.

But in this moment, as you watch Tommy sleep, your heart stirs, and you realise that you would die for him as well as Annabel. There's a softness that spreads across your heart as the realisation hits you, and you reach over and gently brush away a lock of hair that's draped in his face, gazing at the peacefulness that blankets his expression and feeling a sense of protectiveness wash over you.

You would trust Annabel with him.

You would die for Tommy.

Now

Spring 2024

Two Weeks Later

You are going to kill him.

You stare furiously up at Tommy from where you sit on his couch, your eyes narrow and your jaw clenched with simmering anger. The smug look on his face only grows as you continue to sit in front of him, and you can feel your blood boiling with rage. The stupid, smug look that covers his face only fuels the flames of your anger, his expression adding to the heat of your rage.

"Pick up four," he grins and places a +4 wild card on the stack of cards that are laid out in front of you on the coffee table, followed by a mischievous wink. "Oh, and UNO," he adds with a laugh, seeming to delight in your irritation.

You narrow your eyes in irritation, picking up the four cards that Tommy dealt you while muttering under your breath. You glare at him, your annoyance and frustration growing even more as you feel the unfairness of the situation. But Tommy only grins even wider at your visible irritation, his smug expression indicating that he knows exactly what he's doing and enjoying the reaction he's getting out of you.

You lean back in the chair and wince in response to the lingering pain in your stomach, your healing process has been slow and tedious. You spent two weeks in the clinic before the doctors finally let you leave under strict instructions that you stay with Tommy and his wife, Maria. Since living alone these days without... her , you've been struggling to take care of yourself properly, and the doctors – as well as Tommy – feared that you might do yourself more harm if left without supervision. So, they insisted that you stay with him and Maria until you fully recover.

It took three hours of your stay before Tommy finally offered to play a game, the boredom of the last few weeks weighing heavy on your mind. You were grateful for the distraction and the opportunity to do something other than stare at the walls or the doctors and nurses bustling about the building. You had to keep your mind from racing as your body and mind cried out for action, for something to help you escape the tedium of isolation. Having a game to occupy your mind and lift your spirits was just what you needed, and you were secretly thankful that Tommy had initiated the idea.

You would never tell him that, though.

"Your turn," you snarl in response, glaring at him over the cards you hold in your hand, and he smirks back, still enjoying and provoking your irritation. You clench your jaw and try to focus on the game, wanting to win just to spite Tommy and bring his smugness to an end.

He slowly reveals his last card between his two fingers and places it on the pile of cards, glancing over at you with a smug smile on his face as he does so.

You groan in defeat and drop your cards on the table in front of you, the feeling of losing sitting heavily in your chest. "You suck," you whine, letting your emotions get the better of you for a moment before collecting yourself and shaking your head.

Despite the loss, you realise that the game served its purpose; it kept you distracted and it eased the heavy boredom that has been weighing on you over the last couple of weeks. Despite the defeat, you still feel a sense of satisfaction that you were able to engage in something other than sitting alone with your thoughts for a while.

Tommy laughs as he begins to pick up the cards from the table, and you respond with a roll of your eyes before sinking further into the couch with a loud sigh. "Oh, don't be a sore loser, Sunshine," he teases, looking up at you between his eyelashes.

"Whatever," you mumble under your breath, trying to downplay the embarrassment you feel at being beaten at the game. But Tommy isn't having any of it, and you see a slight hint of a knowing grin on his face as you realise that your attempts to hide your feelings of embarrassment are futile.

“How's your stomach? Need me to have a look at it? I haven’t seen it since it happened," Tommy asks as he picks up the last card, and you glance down at the cut on your stomach, which still aches. You're not eager to have him look at it, as the wound still feels raw and sensitive, but you nod in response to his question, knowing that he's just trying to be kind and help you take care of your injury.

It took the two brothers nine hours on horseback to bring you back to Jackson. Tommy held you close to his chest and carefully avoided touching your wound while you sat between his legs on his horse. Once he was satisfied with the distance he put between you and the church, he lowered you to the ground on a soft patch of grass and began to properly tend to your wound, stitching and cleaning it as he worked with Joel's help.

It took nine hours and six stops to tend to your wound before you reached the safety of Jackson.

Tommy stands from the armchair, placing the cards on the table before reaching for your hand and helping you up from the couch. You gasp in pain when your injured abdomen is suddenly jarred awake, and Tommy apologises in response to your reaction. He wraps his arm around your waist and pulls your hand around his shoulders as he leads you across the room, down the hallway, and into the bathroom. He carefully lowers you onto the closed toilet seat, and you wince slightly as you sit down, but you find a comfortable position and let out a sigh of relief as your body relaxes.

Tommy crouches in front of you and gently lifts your shirt, exposing the now-uncovered and partially healed wound. You wince at the discomfort of the gesture, and a surge of anxiety and nervousness creeps down your spine as you feel Tommy's eyes on you, studying the cut on your stomach. He stares for a beat before shaking his head and reaching for a cloth on the sink, wetting it with water and returning to crouch between your legs. He begins to carefully dab the area around and along the wound, and you breathe in slowly and deeply in an effort to manage the stinging sensation.

“I thought you were going to die on me,” Tommy mumbles as he collects a bottle of antiseptic from the cabinet across the bathroom, and you look down at the floor, unable to meet his eyes. The admission hangs in the air between you for a moment, and you can hear the cap twist and then he shifts as he pours it onto a clean cloth.

"You can't get rid of me that easily," you say, attempting to lighten the mood with a huff. To your surprise, when you look back up at Tommy, he seems frustrated as he sighs. You look at him with a raised eyebrow, wondering if your joke somehow upset him. He doesn't elaborate and instead, he focuses on your wound, dabbing the antiseptic on the area with gentle strokes. You manage to ignore the slight sting and keep still, but you're still curious about his annoyance at your little joke.

You open your mouth to question Tommy but your words are cut short as he pushes slightly on your wound, causing you to hiss in involuntary discomfort and pain. You look up at him, and he's now leaning back on his heels with his hand resting on your knee. He stares up at you, a sad and pained expression in his eyes. "It is that easy though, isn't it? One mistake, and you're gone. One stupid mistake and you're dead and I've lost both you and Annabel," he says softly, and your heart breaks when you see the hurt in his expression.

"Don't-"

"No. Stop pushing me away," he says sternly as he speaks over you, his eyes meeting yours. "I promised you I would hunt those bastards with you and you left me here while you went and nearly got yourself killed. We–" he gestures between the two of you, "do this together. I have your back while you have mine," he says with firmness and conviction, indicating that he won't budge on this, or accept any denial.

"I know," you whisper in response, acknowledging Tommy's words and the strength of his convictions. You don't try to argue with him or push against his will this time, as you realise he means what he says. There's no point in getting into an argument about this, so you simply nod, signaling that you heard and understand him, and are willing to move forward with those terms.

"Do you? You going to run off in the middle of the night again?" Tommy questions with a skeptical expression, and you look away from his probing gaze and bite back the urge to snap back a snide response. Instead, you simply turn back to look at him, meeting his eyes and offering a faint nod.

Tommy's hand remains on your knee, his gaze never leaving yours as the two of you exchange a simple and subtle acceptance of this mutual understanding. You both know what needs to be done, and there's no point in arguing or pushing each other away. You're in this together, and you'll stay that way. There is no other option.

Tommy sighs and stands up, gently lifting you off the seat with him and bringing you close for a tight hug. Your hands grip onto the back of his shirt, and you allow yourself to lean into him. Despite the pain of your injury, you feel a gentle sense of comfort and stability as his strong arms hold you close, and you let out a soft sigh as the hug helps to ease some of the lingering tension and discomfort in your body. As you grip his shirt and sink into the hug, you allow yourself to rest and to take comfort in his embrace.

A knock on the door tears Tommy's attention away from you, as Maria yells at him from the kitchen to go and get the door. He gives you an apologetic smile as he looks down at you, and your grip on his shirt only tightens as you feel a stab of disappointment at the interruption. You don't want to be separated from him just yet, knowing that you'll miss his presence and comfort. Still, you release him and he gives you an apologetic smile as he looks down at you.

"Coming," Tommy calls out as he guides you back into the living room and sets you down on the couch. You settle into it and he heads towards the front entrance of his home to answer the knocking on the door.

You still your breaths to listen to the hushed voices in the entryway, hoping to catch a few words that would provide you with some insight into who might be at the door. Your curiosity and anticipation are high, and even if only for a moment, you're able to drown out the pain of your injury with the hope that you'll learn a little more about the situation outside. But as you listen intently, struggling to understand their words, you realise that you still can't discern anything of value. The uncertainty just deepens the mystery and heightens your anticipation.

After what feels like an eternity, your eyes follow Tommy as he steps back into the room, now accompanied by his brother Joel. You instantly lock eyes with Joel, and his face remains blank and devoid of emotions as he continues to stare back. You notice a slight tenseness about him, and his neutral expression is off-putting and unsettling. You exchange a quick glance with Tommy before your gaze shifts back to Joel, and you find yourself unable to look away. You're not sure of what to say or do in this situation, and you wait for either of them to break the tension and say something.

You take a moment to study him this time, properly absorbing his appearance. In your wounded and anger-clouded mind when you saw him last, you didn’t take the time to properly look at him. He does seem... familiar. Almost like a dream that you've partly forgotten that you wake up from, desperately trying to recall. Perhaps it's hazel eyes, or his weathered yet kind expression, that reminds you of someone? The recognition is fuzzy and fleeting, but his presence stirs an unexpected sense of... comfort?

Still, the sense of familiarity lingers, and you can't quite shake the feeling that you've seen this man before.

"Heard you were out of the woods," Joel mutters after a beat, his expression still blank and his tone neutral. You look back at him in confusion, unsure of what he means by that or how exactly to respond. You glance over at Tommy for any kind of explanation or clarification.

"He means he heard you're no longer dyin'" Tommy repeats for your benefit, and you nod in understanding and confirmation. You glance back at Joel, who remains utterly still and expressionless.

"Oh, right. Thank you, for uh, showing up with Tommy," you awkwardly thank him, and he grunts in response. The tension in the room is palpable, and you still don't quite know what to make of Joel's presence. It’s very overwhelming.

Why is he so familiar? Is it because he’s Tommy’s brother?

You reluctantly turn your attention from Joel back to Tommy, who sits back down in his chair and runs a hand over his face. His eyes are closed as he lets out a soft huff of frustration, and you look at him with concern and curiosity.

"So, why are you here?" you ask Joel, your frustration evident in your tone. You hadn't meant to come across as harsh or annoyed, but you still want to know the answer to your question. Tommy sits quietly in his chair, his eyes closed as he listens to your exchange with his brother, and you shift your focus back to Joel, waiting for a response.

"Joel has taken up your patrol route while you've been out of action," Tommy explains, and you shift your focus from Joel back to Tommy. You feel a hint of frustration in your stomach at the idea of someone else taking your route, but you push it down and try to conceal your feelings, not wanting to cause any further tension than there already is. You're still curious about why Joel is here, but you don't say anything yet, wanting to give Tommy the chance to explain without any interruptions or additional pressure.

"He came across a few raiders tonight." Tommy sighs and looks up at his older brother, and you wait for a moment, expecting Joel to expand on the sentence and provide more information. However, he stays silent, keeping his neutral expression and not uttering a word. You look over at Tommy, noticing his disappointment and frustration towards his brother's lack of elaboration, and you're left wondering what exactly was encountered or if there's a reason for Joel's continued silence.

You nod at Tommy's words and recall the last time you encountered raiders while on your patrol route, remembering how you'd given them a fierce warning not to step near the cabin. It has been months since you last saw any raiders, but now, it seems that they've chosen to ignore your warning. Judging by Tommy's weary look, things hadn't gone too well for Joel tonight, and you can't help but feel a twinge of frustration and anxiety as you consider the possibility of more raiders returning to the area.

Your hands grip the sides of the couch as you try to stay calm, and your nails dig into the delicate fabric as you struggle to contain a growing sense of worry and anxiety. You cast a quick look over at Tommy, noticing his own tense demeanour as he studies his older brother's blank expression. The anticipation and tension in the room are immense, and it's taking all of your willpower just to stay still and keep quiet while you await any further information or elaboration regarding the encounters with the raiders tonight.

"They were looking for you," Joel finally speaks, his voice still low and calm as he enters the room and stands beside Tommy.

Your grip on the couch loosens and your shoulders shake in a silent laugh as you agree with him. "Of course they are," you say, and then offer a small but amused shake of your head. "Why?" you ask, your tone a mixture of curiosity and amusement. "I've done a lot to piss a lot of people off. What's their reason?" It's a reasonable question, and you're genuinely interested to find out what exactly could be motivating these raiders to seek you out after all this time.

Joel blinks at your question and shifts on his feet, leaning against the doorway with his hands in his pockets. As he repeats their reasoning to you, he speaks in a flat tone and stares at you with a blank expression. "Said you killed half their group after they got too close to the cabin, burnt their bodies in a pile with a warning,"

You stare back at him in silence, processing the information and realising the seriousness of the situation. You're not surprised at their apparent vengeance and retaliation.

"Fair," you respond flatly.

Joel shifts on his feet again and keeps his gaze on you, his face still blank of expression. He doesn't offer any further elaboration or comment, and you remain silent as well. Tommy seems to notice your lack of further response, so he turns to his brother and asks, "What happened?" Joel simply offers a tired shrug and glances over at you again, seemingly waiting for you to share your own information or perspective. The tension in the room remains.

"You got a problem with me, Joel?" you ask, glaring back at him. It's a bold move on your part, and you don't back down as you stare directly at him and wait for a response, but Joel doesn't seem phased by your demeanour.

He simply shrugs his shoulders again, his voice remaining calm and flat as he responds, "No." Tommy doesn't intervene and instead watches the interaction play out with a mixture of curiosity and mild concern.

You gently place your hand over the wound along your side as you turn your gaze to Joel. "Good. I hope you sent them a similar message?" you reply, your tone somewhat playful as you raise an eyebrow at him. You need assurance that Joel gave the raiders a lesson in coming back to the cabin.

As you question Joel, you feel a sharp twinge of pain as you move your hand across the wound along your side. You draw in a sharp inhale as you try to manage the discomfort, but you manage to maintain your composure as you wait for a response.

Tommy remains still, studying the interaction between you and his brother as well as your reaction to the brief pain you felt. He appears genuinely concerned, but you ignore the feelings of discomfort and the lingering pain as you wait for Joel to speak.

Joel stays silent for a moment as you wait for a response, his expression unconcerned. But his eyes betray the worry you know stirs within him, and a flicker of concern passes over his face at your pain.

He turns his attention back to Tommy, who watches him silently, waiting for whatever response he has to offer.

"Yeah, they're dead," Joel responds bluntly and with a sigh, his expression remaining cold and unruffled. The flicker of concern that had crossed his face earlier disappears. You're both relieved and a little bit disappointed that he gave such a brief response, as you had hoped for a little bit of elaboration. But you're glad to have your curiosity satisfied and know that the Raiders are no longer a threat. At least that group.

You sigh and slowly push yourself up from the couch, placing your hands on your knees and feeling a soft twinge of pain as the strain of movement extends and pulls across the wounded area. But before you have the chance to wince or make a noise in response to the pain, Tommy leaps to his feet and rushes to your side, assisting you to your feet. He holds out his arm to support you, and you take it, accepting the assistance while allowing yourself to rest for a moment. You can feel Tommy's warmth as he stands beside you, offering a gentle sense of comfort and reassurance.

"Thanks," you murmur quietly, trying to appear fine despite still feeling weak and unsteady on your feet. Tommy keeps his hands on your back for a moment but soon lets go, and you try to stand with a slight air of independence and confidence, even if you're still feeling a little shaky. Joel remains motionless and emotionless in the doorway, his body relaxed and his expression neutral as he watches your small exchange with Tommy.

"Good." You nod at Joel in response, his intense gaze feeling like it's burning through you. It's almost uncomfortable having him stare at you, but it also feels warm and a good kind of intense. You instinctively look away and avert your gaze.

So familiar.

"Now, if you don't mind me, I've had a long night of allowing Tommy to beat me in UNO." You force a smile, but Tommy shakes his head in denial, and Joel stares at you for another moment before finally breaking his blank expression. His face lights up with a small smile, and he turns back to his brother, shaking his head and offering a brief chuckle.

"You didn't allow me shit," Tommy snaps, and while Joel's expression remains relaxed, you notice a hint of amusement in his glance towards his brother.

Maria's disapproval of Tommy's language is shouted from the kitchen, and while Tommy offers a sheepish, apologetic glance towards his wife, you find yourself laughing to yourself.

You roll your eyes and wave Tommy off with a dismissive gesture. "Whatever. I'm going to bed," you huff and walk past the two brothers to the spare bedroom you've been staying in. Before opening your door, you look back to see Joel watching you. You tilt your head at his action, a little surprised at the attention. You're not particularly certain what to make of him, and you feel your chest tighten as the silence lingers between the two of you.

Weird.

"Night Joel." You nod towards him as you enter your spare bedroom and close the door behind you, the click of the lock echoing as you lock the door for the night. You settle into your bed and turn out the lights, but as you close your eyes and wait for sleep to take you, Joel's gaze is the last thing on your mind. Perhaps he was just being polite, but there was something about his look that seemed to hold a bit of depth or significance behind it. You eventually let out a soft sigh and drift off into an uneasy sleep.

Joel Miller is a fucking enigma.

Chapter 3

Notes

I have so many ideas on where to lead this story, and I'm so excited to share this with you!

I was hesitant to add that the MC has endo, but it's something I suffer with personally, so I felt comfortable being able to write about it. I don't want to make the character a projection of myself but trust me, it's relevant to the story…

Divider by the beautiful saradika

#joel miller #pedro pascal #the last of us #tlou fanfiction #tlou #tlou2 #joel tlou #tlou hbo #joel fanfic #joel x you #joel x reader #joel x y/n #joel x fem!reader #joel x f!reader #tommy miller #tlou tommy

36 notes · View notes

twochildreninamoteldemo · 6 months

Note

hey joey, happy dadfucker friday :)

i'm asking everyone whose opinions i love, so in your world, how and when does deanjohn start?

HAPPY DFF (saturday version) LANA!!! okay i'm a month and a day late to this ask basically, but i finally have the time (company time, heh) to answer this. here's a drabble.

Whatever this turns into begins with a drink. Dean knows his father's taste in whiskey from only sight, not taste, but that changes one winter night when he's twelve. John's always touchier when he's had a few too many, Dean's used to that. And he's used to the tears. He's used to the roughness of his father's beard when John asks to hold him, the redness it'll leave behind on his own chin. He's used to the Marys and the Deans, the way they blur into mumbles. He's used to the way John starts out angry before he dissolves into a slump in whatever armchair--or bed, if there isn't one--the next motel offers. He's used to the ensuing apologies, though Dean's never sure if they're meant for him.

Tonight Sam's at a friend's house for a sleepover, something rarely permitted, but there's something far away about their father this week, something distracted. Dean's seen this before, though it doesn't come around too often. Maybe once every couple of years. It always starts kicks up into a frenzy by the end. Last time John got like this, Sam was five and Dean was nine and John nearly broke his youngest's arm when Sam got too grabby. He was five, and John was drunk, and Dean was crying because he didn't know how to stop it.

And tonight, while Sam probably watches Rugrats while getting a run down on all the episodes he's never watched from a snot-nosed classmate on a grimy suburban basement couch, Dean's feeling the painful grip of his father's hand around his wrist, not angry but forceful, pleading, a slight shake or vibration of his father's fingers. "Mary," he sobs, and Dean knows he's really gone this time.

"Come on, Dad, just lie down--"

But John won't, jerking hard when Dean tries to pry the bottle from his free hand, golden liquid sloshing inside. Dean decides that's a broken cause. One step before another. "Let's sit down," he says.

John's nodding, and his lips speaking incomprehensible words, silent and quick. His lips press together over and over. Mary, Dean reads. It's always the same.

He lets John believe he's making his own decisions, as if his son isn't urging him along to sit on the mattress, the two of them tucked together where the springs force them into a lopsided dip. Dean's nearly in John's lap, and under his weight, his father sighs, wrapping an arm around his waist. John's head is on his shoulder, and Dean finds himself running a hand across his head, through his hair. It's matted and greasy, but Dean finds he doesn't mind that so much. It's his dad's.

Once John is calm, nearly crooning into his son's collarbone, Dean slips the whiskey out of his father's loosened grip, setting it softly on the bedside table next to the yellow lamp and the telephone and the complementary notepad bearing the motel's name at the top of each slip. He lets his arms wrap around John's back, feeling his father's hot breath on his chest, that slowing breathing, almost wet in its heaviness.

Gently, he pushes John until his dad is lying down, but before he can climb off to haul his legs onto the bed, John's pulling him down on top of him, and that's when Dean feels it--something strangely poking at his thigh. He both understands and doesn't--it's something that happens to his own body, but mainly when sneaking a peek at John's skin mags, looking at glossy spreads of beautiful blondes with perfect tits. He's not sure what to make of it now, so he swallows, and lies there awkwardly, afraid to move a muscle. "D-dad?" he asks, shakily.

"Shh-shh--Mary, shh," is the slur of sound that tumbles from John's mouth, big hands wrapping around Dean's jaw, holding his face up. Dean's frozen when his father's lips meet his, scratchy at first, then slimy when he feels a tongue prod at him. It tastes sour, a bit firey. His mouth. The whiskey.

"Dad, stop," Dean murmurs, and the word makes John pause, eyes opening a bit more. Dean's not sure if he really meant it. His father's hands are so big and warm, his face cold, and the roughness of them right, somehow.

"Son?" he whispers, pulling back, licking his lips. "Oh, god, Dean--"

"S'okay," Dean mumbles in reply, shaking. He's heard the girls giggle about their first kisses in the hallways at school between the slam of lockers and the scuff of sneakers on the tile. That's what it was, he realizes. My first kiss. He feels like he should be feeling sick right now, but for some reason, he doesn't. There's something warm in his belly. His heart is pounding, and he wants to curl up beside Sam and forget this ever happened, but his belly is warm.

When he crawls off the bed again, John's head has fallen back onto the mattress and his eyes are closed. The threat of a snore leaves his nose. Dean finds the cap for the whiskey and tucks it away in their duffle bags, then goes over to the radiator to adjust the heat. It's cold in here, he thinks. The snow begins to fall outside.

#this got...way longer than i intended...hope you like it #deanjohn #still tied to me #natural blood stained blonde #john #missmisdemeanor #letters #fanfic by maven

8 notes · View notes

parkers-gal · 3 years

Note

yay! okay so I was thinking, what I'd the reader and Tom had a fight, could be over anything, but the reader was pregnant and a few years after, they bump into each other and they get back together. Sorry if it doesn't make sense.

this has been sitting in my inbox for a fat couple of months… sorry 😭

wc: 1.7k ! <3

—

“No, because you’re selfish and you can’t handle the fact that my life doesn’t revolve around you and your needs.” Tom spits out the words angrily, viciously, voice harsh and crisp.

You’re both frustrated beyond belief, and the bubble that had been overblown had finally popped, splattering your relationship and all the joyful aspects of it. Right now, you felt as if all that was left was the toxicity of two unbearable people who happened to love each other. You knew, deep down, that you loved each other enough to get through this, but with every passing moment, with every exchanged word, you realized at least one of you wouldn’t survive the damage.

“No, Tom. You’re selfish. You’re conceited and you only care about being a goddamn movie star. What happened to the family man, huh? What happened to staying tied down with me and your brothers?”

“Nothing happened to him! I’m still that person. I am a family guy.”

“Not to me, you aren't.”

“Well you’re not family!” He seethes through his teeth, anger radiating off of his short-tempered demeanor. You don’t even know how to react, so you spend the time soaking in the situation and how you should respond instead of actually doing it.

“You’re a fucking jackass. I asked when I could spend time with you and now you don’t even consider me as part of the family.”

“No,” He’s clear and concise even through the anger. “You asked when I’m going to stop living my life.”

“I said no such thing.”

“You didn’t have to! We both know that’s what you meant.”

“You’re not even on the same page as me anymore,” You scoff, arms crossing. “Seems like all this time in Hollywood made you forget that you’re not always the main character.”

“Fuck that, Y/N! Fuck! That!”

“No, Tom. Fuck. You.” You over-express your emotions, and after two more minutes of unbearable silence and screaming, he’s leaving your apartment just as fast as he arrived. You’re in shock, fingers shaking while you clear your throat, which is frayed and sore from all the yelling.

You sit back, elbows on your knees while your hands smoothen out your forehead. Tear after tear escapes your sobbing body, and eventually, you fall asleep on the couch.

In the weeks to come, you’ve realized the blow-out of a breakup could’ve been handled so much differently, but Tom hasn’t seemed to cool down at all — he’s petty enough to unfollow you on all social media, and you figure it’s time to let the hatred be mutual. You don’t touch your imessages, however, letting the love in those texts linger for a little longer.

Before you know it, you’re throwing up into the toilet boil, coughing violently at the action and spitting the bitter taste as best you can. You clean up, and when you check your phone, a small notification from your period tracker app alerts you that this is the second period in a row that has gone by without a hello.

Worried, you call Aisha, your closest friend and confidant. She’s over in no time, bringing along her girlfriend while you rant on the phone about your worries. They stop at the drugstore on the way.

The cause of your problems is discovered that day, and you collapse on the bathroom floor in agony, hands wiping at your face — through all the anger and fear and worry, you still love Tom. So much that Aisha even attempts to call Tom. But, alas, it’s sent straight to voicemail, and you realize he might’ve gone to extreme extents in blocking everyone.

You’re stuck going to the ultrasound with two lesbians and a frail old cat. Aisha is as supportive as ever, but as the doctor explains the process of each option, you feel sicker and sicker about the idea of getting rid of the fetus. In the end, you choose to keep the child you’re bearing, even if your ex-lover isn’t even in the picture.

Inevitably, the months pass, and as baby Charlie is brought into the wonderful world, you realize life as a single mother isn’t as scary as you thought it would be. In the first few months of your pregnancy, you’d kept tabs on what film Tom was doing and which was coming out next, but after the hormones and cravings, you’d decided to let the past sizzle and fade out in the way it was meant to all along.

It’s been almost three years since that fateful breakup, and Charlie is just reaching two and a half years old. You’re still single, and you’re okay with that. Charlie is all you need, all you’ve ever wanted, and the most important thing in your life. He’s young, and school is still a couple years away, but you enjoy having the toddler by your side, walking hand in hand with you because you’re his guardian, his provider, his only parent. You make him your only priority, because you don’t want him to grow up without anyone to love, or anyone to love him.

It’s hard, though. It’s hard because he’s a constant reminder of what didn’t happen, a constant reminder of what went wrong and of what you no longer have. You miss Tom more than words can express, and Charlie’s mop of brown curls reminds you of all the moments you’d run your fingers through Tom’s hair. You reminisce more than you’d like to, about Tom and your past, and though Charlie is technically half of the Brit, he’s one hundred percent yours. Because you’re the only one here, and that’s alright.

“Mummy,” Charlie tugs on your shirt’s hem while you move the shopping cart forward through the aisle. “Can we get the goldfish with superheroes?”

You jutt your lip out in a smile, nodding happily. “Of course we can, bub.”

As you step forward, you pit stop in the aisle, nearly tripping on the cart. You make direct eye contact with the man you used to love with your entire heart. The man who walked out with your heart and never gave it back. He’s staring right back at you, curls looking as fluffy as ever, face still a soft glow. Your breath hitches, and it’s then that you realize Charlie is still talking.

“Mummy?” He asks, and it’s just loud enough for Tom to hear. Harry, who’s beside Tom with an arm full of crackers and chips. Tom moves forward a few steps, hastily in an attempt to get more information.

“Uh, hi,” His smile is tight lipped as he stands at the other end of your shopping cart. Charlie shies away from strangers, standing behind your leg and holding your shirt with his grubby hands.

“Hi,” you return his awkward, reserved demeanor.

“Mummy who’s this?”

“‘Mummy?’” Tom has a follow up question for everything, and you internally panic, unsure on how to approach this.

You’d spent so long deciding how you should tell Tom that he was a dad. You spent hours debating on if you should pick up the phone or drive over just to tell him a truth you’ve kept inside for so long. You’ve abandoned social media, only sharing aspects of your life you can afford to post. Charlie is only occasionally on your page, but it’s not like Tom would see that, not after all that’s happened.

Your mouth opens and closes while you debate on how to reply. You’re physically incapable of saying your response, and it makes you even more nervous. You’re nervous on how he might react, what he’ll say, but most importantly, if he’ll stay.

“Is this…?

“My kid…” You fill in. “I- I mean our… our kid.” You pull your bottom lip between your rows of teeth, and you watch as Tom’s face undergoes thousands of expressions all at once. He’s surprised, shocked, happy, afraid, uncertain. You want the world to swallow you whole, suck you up so you don’t have to go through any of this again. But you don’t. Instead, you hold Charlie’s hand a little tighter.

“Our kid?” He drops a can of soup and you flinch at the loud noise.

“Mummy, who’s that?”

“That’s…” You don’t know how to answer his question. Instead, you lean down to his level, comfortingly and gently. “He’s a man.”

“Who’s that man?”

“He’s… your daddy.”

“I thought… no daddy?”

You purse your lips and furrow your brows. Tom’s watching the entire encounter from his place, but after a few beats, he steps forward, entering your bubble. Charlie doesn’t cower away this time, but looks up in curiosity.

“Hi, Charlie,” Tom extends his hand, adjusting his jeans so he can lean down just as you are, kneeling beside the young boy.

You look down, avoiding your worries and Tom’s gaze. He’s tearing up, and you want to cry too. You’re in a fucking supermarket, for god’s sake. This wasn’t how you envisioned any of this planning out, and though you’re mentally kicking yourself for letting it happen this way, you can’t help but feel like maybe this was meant to be. Written in the stars or whatever the folks say — you’re just grateful Charlie has at least a sliver of hope for two parents. Not that you can’t handle it, because you can, but you know someone like Tom wouldn’t want to miss something as important as this.

“I’m To- I’m…” He swallows thickly, making brief eye contact with you before looking back at Charlie. “I’m your dad.”

“Do you love my mummy?” He’s not shameless, but he’s still that shy little boy. “My friend says daddy’s love mommy’s so you must love mine, right?”

Tom lets a tear fall while he exhales a chuckle. He swipes the drop with the tips of his fingers, and the hand gripping Charlie’s squeezes it a little tighter. A glance in your direction is all it takes for him to answer Charlie’s question. “Yeah, buddy. I do.”

want more? my masterlist.

taglist tingz :) 🏷️ want to join? fill out this form.

th + pp taglist: @spideyspeaches @strawberrytom (no smut) @turtletaylor98 @parkerpeterparker2004 @peterbenjiparker @kelieah

permanent taglist: @mayrapreciado20 @tomhollandlol @roseke @supremethunda @wonderfulfluffer @farfromtommy @mamaparker28 (no smut/tw) @pxxerfect (no smut) @seutarose @pixiedustsupplyco @itssmadelyn @white-wolf1940 @woopwoopwoop222 @chrisosterfield (no tw)

th taglist: @lmaotshollandd

#tom holland x reader #tom holland x you #tom holland x pregnant!reader #dad!tom holland #dad!tom #dad!tom holland fic #tom holland fluff #tom holland angst #tom holland fanfic #tom holland imagine #tom holland oneshot #tom holland blurb #tom holland request #tom holland fluffy #tom holland angsty

656 notes · View notes

kusagrasskusa · 3 years

Text

Hanzo Hisashi X Innocent! Reader

Thank you EzraPFoxglove01for requesting this adorable thing! I sorta changed a lot you asked for by making it go into depth, and it ended up being the longest story I've ever written lol. So I'm definitely gonna add a shorter, more cutesy version of this story soon.

Change her outfit all you wish; it doesn't have a big part in the story at all. Though due to where she lives, it sorta makes sense for traditional Japanese wear to be her attire. And this is the kimono I have in mind, but change whatever :D To be honest, it makes sense to change the look to be more suitable for fighting while still maintaining an innocent, feminine character.

Word Count: 6733

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hay....ya!" A feminine voice yelled out as she kicked a large hole into a tree. She didn't really have an specific training area so she often kicked and punched holes into tough looking trees, which proven to be as affective as training dummies and whatnot. She pulled away from the tree with a large smile on her innocent features.

She held her arms up to her chest with clinched fists. "Alright! Just 113 more to go," she reminded herself as she prepared for another kick. Yet just before she kicked the tree, she heard rustling in the bushes surrounding her.

She paused and looked around her everywhere. The wind began to blow which made it hard to hear whoever or whatever move again as the wind blew the all the bushes. She made a pouty face and walked over to where she heard the noise the first time. She had a bag that wrapped around her colorful kimono that contained kunai knives, and she pulled one out just in case. To be honest, with her small, airhead, and pouty form, she was the least intimidating person most people could ever see. And her small, F/C kimono with cherry trees on it added onto it.

The wind slowed down for a second and in that time, rustling in the bushes was heard again, where it did last time. "Huh?" She hummed as she slowly and cautiously opened up the bushes. "W-Who's there!" She yelled nervously as she parted the bushes completely. "Ahhh!" She screamed as she stepped back, tripping on whatever she stepped on. A baby bunny jumped on top of her from the bushes, it's guinea pig looking face staring boldly at her. Fuck it was frightening for a bunny to withhold so much toughness and boldness.

She whined as she pulled the bunny of her, causing it to run away quickly. She stumbled to her feet, barely managing to maintain her own balance for a moment. She watched the bunny hop away into the forest as she calmed her nerves. Once it disappeared, she sighed and opened her bag to put away her knife. Yet the sound of a voice behind her caused her to throw it towards the voice with perfect aim and fast speed. Yet as she turned around, she saw her kunai knife had been frozen but it wasn't frozen quick enough to prevent the one and only Kuai Liang from behind cut a little.

"Good aim," the Sub Zero complimented in his deep and husky voice, a smirk on his face. He pulled the kunai from the ice prison it was it and tossed it towards Y/N. Y/N's innocent E/C eyes widened as she gasped.

"Liang!" She ran towards him to hug him– but no, we can't have that without her tripping halfway. "Oof!" She hit the ground hard and whined as she slowly stood back up. She had cut her face on a rock but that wasn't good enough for her to not want to hug him just as hard. So once she stood up, she lunged at him and hugged him so incredibly hard. "I missed you! How are you!"

Kuai chuckled as he softly wrapped his arms around her. "I see you haven't changed one bit, dear friend." It's true that the two of them are close friends; although they don't have any fundamental qualities in common, they managed to meet one day and their opposite personalities captured each other's interest. And so here they are, together after departed months back. Right after Sub Zero and others were free from Quan Chi, the two got close again and only had a couple weeks to get close again before Kuai had to leave. Finally, months later, they're together again!

"I've been just fine, L/N. How about yourself?" He asked as he pulled his arms down. As expected, Y/N didn't let go and continued to sway back and forth.

"Oh, I've been good! Sorta lonely, yeah but I met this one guy! He leads an entire clan that let me in!" Y/N sweet voice called out in reply, her eyes twinkling. "I don't see him often but we've been talking a lot more recently. He's really nice...like a big, strong, teddy bear, hehe," she giggled as her legs went limp. Kuai chuckled at her dramatic description and pat her head; pushing the person she's talking about to the back of his mind. She got back on her feet again and pulled away from him. "Sooooo...do you have any combat stories to share? An adventure?"

Kuai shook his head. "Unfortunately nothing to tell now, but soon," he spoke as he looked up at the bright blue sky. It was maybe 8 in the morning at the time. Y/N held her arms in front of her as she swayed back and forth as her head tilted in confusion.

"Okay...Oh! There's flowers growing around here and I want you to see it. They're so pretty- and pink," She emphasized as she took Kuai's hand and pulled him to a nearby pond. The trees surrounding the pond were waves with red and pink flowers ground from them. It's hard to tell, but in the distant was a village. And jn that village was, drum roll please, Hanzo Hizashi himself. As the two friends spoke about the scenery, Hanzo had just gotten ready for a day of training.

As he stepped outside, he took a deep breath and examined the place surrounding him. The birds were singing, the soft winds brushing past the trees and plants, the warm sun and clear skies. The sound of children playing can be heard from the background. It was pure bliss really. Yet even so, he had an uneasy feeling wash over him. The feeling that there could possibly be an unwanted visitor.

Hanzo walked closed the door behind him and walked out. He took his time going from his home to a place a little outside of the village; a more personalized dojo. It contained dummies and targets designed for his spear and fire. The little dojo was little ways across a pond near the village so that's where he was headed.

"And that's why that's my favorite color," Y/N said as she finished her story. Kuai Liang, to be honest, wasn't paying attention to her at all and simply nodded. She smiled at his politeness to at least pretend to acknowledge what she's saying; Y/N knows she can get really immature sometimes and right now really isn't her best moment. "Eheh, so what do you want to do?"

Kuai looked over at her with a soft smile on his features. He really was such a peaceful man at heart. "I believe I saw a few rare ducks fly into the pond. Would you like to go see them?"

"You're not going anywhere."

Y/N sharply turned her head towards the pissed looking man walking towards the duo and gasped. She stood up, saying, "Kuai, this is the man that let me into his village! Hey Hanzo, this is Kuai‐"

"He already knows who I am," Kuai cut her off coldly and stood up. "Hanzo, I mean you no harm; had I known this was your territory, I would not have come." Hanzo pulled a sword from his back and held it up in a firey fists once he got close to them. Y/N stared idlely at them with growing anxiety. The two picked up on that quickly, making Kuai speak up again before Hanzo could. "The girl does not know of our rivalry. Don't punish her for my mistake, Hanzo‐"

"Do no speak to me like that. Leave at once!" Hanzo may be alive, but that doesn't mean he can't revert his voice back to his hellish Scorpion one. Kuai took a few steps back before turning around and disappearing. Hanzo and Y/N watched the whole way through in complete silence. Once Kuai was gone, they silence broke.

"I–"

"And you," Hanzo walked up to her and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt. "Exactly what made you think bringing a guest without permission was anywhere near exceptable? You endanger every one of us at this village that way." Y/N could feel his fire-hot breath against her as he spoke. A shiver fell down her spine as looked him right in the eye. She didn't respond, but rather bow her head. Hanzo scoffed, flames igniting from his fist that began to burn her clothes, making her whimper beneath him. She felt the flames heating up her neck, which made her whimper more as the pain wasn't something she was exposed to often. "Part of me wants to kill you right now. You are very lucky to have caught me in a better light."

Hanzo let go of her, stepping away. Y/N bowed her full body lowly, hands to her knees. "I'm deeply sorry sir, I really am. I promise I will never bring another guest again. I knew not of Kuai and your's relationship and if I had known when I met him in the woods a little bit ago, I would have got him to leave. It was foolish of me to have not stayed in the village and possibly risks a bloody situation. For that, I am sorry." As Y/N finished, she heard nothing but the sound of a sword being put away.

"As long as this never happens again, L/N," he spoke coldly. "I forgive you. You may continue what you were doing before he arrived here."

"Thank you so much, sir!" Y/N called out happily as she stood up straight with a smile on her face. "I promise you won't regret it!" Hanzo remained quiet and simply glanced down instead. A more calm and positive feeling took over his previous anger quickly, leaving behind a little bit of confusion. Y/N took a few steps back over to where that tree she was kicking earlier was before Hanzo spoke up again.

"I apologize for being so harsh, as well. You said you met you here; was this planned?" He asked her as he his fists were undone. Y/N shook her head when she turned back towards him. Hanzo examined her face for a moment before sighing, then a smile grew on his face. "Very well. I appreciate your honesty. Actually, would you care to join me for tea later? As leader of this clan, it feels right for me to know all my people, whether they are a weary traveler or blood."

"Of course I would," she said softly. "What time?"

"Tomorrow at dawn."

"So be it." And with that, Hanzo began to walk towards his dojo and Y/N walked towards her special tree. The two of them had that tea on their minds as they practiced whatever it is they were practicing. How would it turn out? Would Y/N innocent immaturity get her in trouble? Would Hanzo appear too serious? Will they make up and gain trust? Maybe something else? We'll see in the next paragraph.

Time flies by quickly when you're having a good time, and for Hanzo, he was quite happy about the thought of getting to know Y/N more. And also to learn more of her relations with Kuai. As for Y/N, she was nervous as all hell since she knows she can be a handful sometimes. To be honest, a simple deep breath was able to calm her down and bring the adult side out of her. So here she was now, looking at herself in the mirror of her guest cabin and taking deep breaths to calm her nerves.

"You got this Y/N," she told herself as she took her final deep breath. The kimono she was wearing was different as it was longer and above the wrists, meaning she was unmarried. It still had a pretty design on it, with the colors overall being F/C, pink, yellow, and blue. The had her H/C hair up in a bun with two strands falling over her shoulders. She had a pin that kept her hair up with a beautiful flower attached to it. To contribute to her Japanese asthetic, she had a folded fan that was black with red cherry trees designs in it in her hand.

She smiled at herself in the mirror one more time before she turned to face the door. She slid open the door to the guest home and put on her shoes before walking outside. She closed the door and prepared to head off the selected location. On the other hand, Hanzo was sure to be formal as well.

He wore a montsuki, which is a formal black kimono worn over a white under-kimono and hakama, which are traditional Japanese trousers. It was common for samurais to wear this underneath their armor, so it suited him well. After all, he was both ninja and samurai; he kept his hair in a man manbun as well. He was very good at maintaining a formal way of speaking and acting, yet he knew Y/N isn't all that. Someone as free spirited and naive really isn't all that capable of it, in his mind.

He was sitting down in a chabudai; one of those short legged tables that have cushions to sit on your knees on rather than to sit on chairs. At the moment, in another room of his lonely home, was a kettle that was boiling water. Authoress is not a Japanese fanatic who knows Japanese and is basing these designs of real Samurai and Wife dolls by their bed, I swear. It was perhaps halfway done by the time he heard a voice call from the outside of the front door; "Hello, it's Y/N. May I come in?"

Hanzo smiled softly to himself as he stood up and walked over to the door, sliding it open. To say he was shocked to see the free spirited girl in such a good-mannered attire was an understatement. "You look lovely tonight," he stated as he looked Y/N head to toe. On Y/N's side, she noticeably blushed and gave him a sweet look.

"You look lovely as well, truly."

Hanzo raised a brow and stepped aside for Y/N to step inside. And rather than her normal fast walk with swaying arms side to side, she slowly walked in with her hands held together in front of her. "I haven't yet seen this side of you, Miss L/N. I am a proper kind of person so don't think I won't hold it against you if you act unmannerly," he teased as Y/N giggled to herself and took her shoes off at the front door.

"I thought that maybe I should act a bit more, I guess, fancy in order to match you. As long as you don't believe in the whole women are beneath us bigger men and shouldn't talk unless spoken to thing, then this shouldn't be too hard, hehehe," Y/N said as she was lead to the chabudai by Hanzo. She sat down on her knees on side and he on the other.

"Of course I would not act on such a thing. We are all human with equal rights," Hanzo replied as he sat his hands in his lap. His looked down at Y/N'a hands, which were on the table, before shooting her a look that told her that she was doing something wrong. Y/N hummed in confusion before gasping lightly. She put her hands in her lap and smiled innocently, creating a chuckle from Hanzo.

Come to think of it, the hone hasn't yet been described. It's easy to imagine the paper and wood that made up the walls and doors, and the warm light that shun over the two people. The carvings on the wood above them and around them, the large pot with a bonsai in it in the corner of the room. The little wooden seats with drawers distilled in them built into the walls of the home. The wooden tables with traditional statues and little plants in pots across the home. The sword holder near the front door, the mats across the floor to give the unique taste. In the kitchen had built in furnaces where people would burn a fire in the wholes on the bottom and put cooking appliances and kyūsus on top of it. If you don't want to imagine that, here's something help.

"Have you ever studied Japanese arts? Surely you must have had some experience in a place like this, or perhaps a friend to lecture you on what to do," Hanzo explained his thought process as he looked interestingly at the smaller girl.

"Actually, I had Kuai teach me a lot about Chinese culture. But when I met a swordsman named Kenshi, I learned more of Japanese tradition. I may not be the best, but I tried to use my knowledge of both cultures to act as good as possible! Um, I mean," she paused as her face lit up red. "To act as good as possible." She but the inside of her lip nervously as she grew more and more embarrassed of her voice level as she spoke. Hanzo chuckled.

"I'm glad I invited you here. You are very knowledgeable it seems. Plus quite entertaining," he complimented. The kyūsu began to steam loudly, meaning it was finished. Hanzo glanced over to the kitchen.

"Heh, I wouldn't say knowledgeable," Y/N replied, "but thank you." Hanzo stood up, nodding his head towards her as he walked put of the room.

"I apologize but the tea must be attended to. I will be back in a few moments," Hanzo explained before he disappeared behind a wall. Y/N nodded in understandment and began to fight with her hair, kimono ends, fingers, and whatever else she could once he walked out. When Hanzo walked into the kitchen, he felt heat rise to his face. He leaned onto a little table with his hand on it to keep his steady and his other hand over his chest. Oh kami, he thought, she gets cuter each time I see her. Whether she's trying to be like me but failing miserably or being her bubbly self does not matter; she is perfect.

He did his best to calm his nerves before grabbing the kettle from the furnace and grabbing a kyūsu, an appliance for making tea, and slowly pouring hot water into it. He made a kind of sweet green tea, one that many foreigners don't know about, called Sencha. It has to be made with the coolest kind of hot water, basically, otherwise it will turn bitter. He made sure the watch it carefully for about half a minute before grabbing two cups and pouring the tea. He then picked up the two cups and headed back to the chabudai. Yet before he got to the room, he paused.

A feminine voice sung a soft song as she waited for Hanzo to return. Hanzo felt his cheeks heat up again and his chest felt warm. He could recall this feeling but from where he first felt it is unknown to him. The ready may be able to assume that he was thinking of his first love, his wife, and how he felt when he fell in love with her. But that idea hadn't even crossed his mind as he felt there was no way he could ever feel such an extreme emotion towards anyone else. And marriage isn't even a question since she isn't from the clan. He took a deep breath before walking back into the room.

Y/N stopped singing and she smiled widely as she saw him. "Hey Hanzo! Or, um, sorry, haha. The tea smells very nice," she complimented as she gripped the sides of the cup with her little fingers. Yeah, there was definitely a way he could feel such an extreme emotions towards anyone else. Hanzo sat down on his knees on the other side of her, mumbling a quick thank you to Y/N and a thank you to the Gods' gift of tonight. And in his mind, a thank you for what to him felt like a gift from the Gods' to end his grief from his early wife.

"Mm! This is really good!" Y/N gasped after tasting it. "This is the best tea I've ever had!" Her eyes were wide in awe and her expression showing her impressment. Hanzo chuckled at her adorable reaction as he took a sip of his wom drink. It's been maybe 8 minutes since Y/N got there and she already forgot to remain all traditional and civil. It was adorable to him; she was so precious really.

And throughout the night, the two of them talked and laughed and jokes and got close. They remained at the chabudai most of the night, aside from when Y/N asked for a tour. She adored the bonsais, scenery that can be seen from outside the window, paintings around the home, and everything. She was so naive but to Hanzo, that wasn't particularly a bad thing. It made her all the more fun to be around. And because of how great of a night they were having, they even agreed to meet up the next day.

"Excuse me, Miss Y/N," Hanzo said as he stood up from the chabudai. "I will be back in one moment. Please help yourself to more tea if you'd like."

"I will," Y/N responded sweetly. Oh, on a side note, Y/N completely forgot about the traditional thing completely so don't expect her to stay put in the few minutes Hanzo was gone. Actually, by the time Hanzo came back, Y/N had her head in her arms on the table her body slowly rising and falling with the rhythm of her breaths. Hanzo couldn't help but find himself smiling down at her. He got that warm feeling in his chest again though it was different this time. It wasn't as unfamiliar as before. He knew what it was; it was love slowly blossoming.

He sighed softly before picking up the sleeping girl's tired form and carrying her against his chest. She shifted a little bit in his grasp and ended up being hudled against him more, making that warn feeling in Hanzo's chest grow more. Such a sweet, innocent creature. He slid open his door and brought her back to her guest home, where he laid her in bed and brought her hair down from its updo in order for it to not be as bad of a mess tomorrow. He kissed her forehead and then left to sleep in his own bed until the next morning.

The next day was the same as the previous. And then the day after that, and the day after that day, and so forth. But one day was a particularly cold day and a cold blanket of snow began to cover the land. Y/N was at Hanzo's place, watching the snow fall through an open window with her E/C eyes wide in amazement at the beauty. Hanzo was standing behind her with two cups of tea in his hand.

"Would you care for a drink?" He asked, making Y/N turn around.

"Thank you, Hanzo!" She said as she took the drink from him and took a big sip. It tasted sweet, as it was the tea she had when she came over for the first time. "Say, I sorta wish we could have gone outside today. I noticed that you like to fight in that place by the pond a lot; which is really great to watch! You're so strong, hehe. But you've never actually seen me fight before," she explained right before she took a sip of tea. "Y'know, I'm painfully aware that people view me as an immature, innocent, naive girl who isn't the most aware of her surroundings. But I think you'll be impressed to see what I can do," she said confidently as she hummed.

Hanzo took a sip from his tea and nodded. "Perhaps. When it gets warmer out, I'd love to watch what you can do," he replied with an extra caring tone with his voice. He caught onto his tone quickly and blushed a little bit. "But there is something we can do outside," he started.

"What is it?" Y/N asked, standing up.

"Well, there's a hotspring nearby. We can swim in there if you'd like. However be sure to dress in something not too revealing if you would like to."

"There is? I'd love to!" She exclaimed as she bounced up and down. "I'll dmgi get dressed now," she eagered on as she put her shoes back on before leaving. Hanzo grabbed her up of tea and brought it to the kitchen. It's a shape it would go to waste, but he can always make more. He returned to his bedroom to grab something to put on while swimming but please, just imagine what he'd wear to swim. Traditional swimwear is too nasty to be used in this book, but swimming trunks are too modern. As for Y/N, considering she never had a particular home or culture, it made sense for her to just wear a full body suit she could have gotten from anywhere in Earthrealm.

Of course, the both of them were sure to bathe before hopping into the hot spring. Well, Hanzo slowly got in whereas Y/N jumped in without any care. It was warm, shocker there.

"Ahh...Thank the Elder Gods for getting me here before I froze to death," Y/N shuddered as chills ran up her spine. Though those chills were disappearing as the warmth of the hot spring washer over her soon enough. Hanzo rested his body against the large rocks around the hot spring and found a seat-like area. Y/N swam around happily and sung to herself.

Oh, one thing worth mentioning for the sake of the next paragraph is that Y/N had a necklace around her neck. Hanzo had never noticed it before as it was always under her kimono or shirt. However that necklace had a great significance go it; she was told that with that necklace, she would be able to find her parents who seemed to have lost her at birth. That necklace was the only thing that remained of them and hopefully destiny was kind enough to help her find her parents.

"Kyaa–" shrieked as a splashing sound was heard. Hanzo stopped daydreaming and looked over at Y/N, who's hair covered he face and arm frantically tried to keep her body floating. She quickly pushed her hair out of her face and whined over and over again worried. Hanzo instinctively swam over there as fast as possible, grabbing ahold of her gently yet sturdy. "Where is it!" She cried out, feeling her body and looking around the waters.

"Where is what?" Hanzo asked in his husky voice that was now in a confused tone.

"My necklace! I can't find my necklace!" She replied worriedly, tears swelling in her eyes. Hanzo looked at the tears forming and felt his whole body shiver woman's his heart drop. "I can't see it anywhere!" Hanzo began to swim towards the rock formation he was against earlier, making Y/N cry out, "wait!"

"Y/N," Hanzo sternly spoke. "I will find your necklace and return it. Worry not, please, dear friend," he reassured, taking her hand in his. She shook nervously and wiped her tears. Slowly, she nodded which told Hanzo he could swim away now. And so he did; he headed towards the stop where she cried out and with one deep breath, he went underwater. He had to hold his nose for warm waters were very dangerous to go under as dangerous fungi grow in hot waters. Yet even so, he swam to the bottom of the hot spring using one hand to stir around to look for the necklace.

Y/N waited on the rocks, sniffing and whimpering. She hasn't told Hanzo the origin of the necklace, but he could tell it was important to her. When she was little, she was handed the necklace and was told it would help her find her missing mother as long as she stayed pure. What that means is that Y/N had to remain free from murder, theft, and other ways of sin. Not only that, but she could not ever preform certain adult actions as then she would never find her parents (I say that because Y/N never had a parent figure to teach her what nono stuff is), which is her number one goal in life. She grew up going from city to city, state to state, country to country, and even had been in Outworld before. She grew up with so many cultures and had never found someone that was like her in any way. It felt like she didn't have an identity as she had nothing to trace her orgins to.

Splash! Hanzo took a deep breath of air as he finally reached the surface again, with a silver necklace with a S/F/C gem inside it that's carved to show an unknown design. "Is this your necklace?" He asked as he held it up. Y/N gasped, lunging back into the water and swimming towards Hanzo. Once she got up to him, she wrapped her arms around his muscular figure and cried.

"You found it! Thank you so much!" She cried out happily, pressing her body against him. Hanzo blushed at the sudden affection and slipped the necklace back onto her. He adjusted the back of of it so it wouldn't fall off her so easily again. "I love Hanzo... You're the best friend I've ever had... I really mean it," she whimpered out. Hanzo began to swim towards the rock formation again and once he did, Y/N let go of him.

"I appreciate it, Y/N. I love you as well, you're the closest friend I've ever had," he said back to her with a warm smile on his features. Y/N smiled back at him before examining her unharmed necklace.

"Hmm... Ever since I could remember, I would move from every country in the world to another. I've been to Paris, Beijing, New York, London, Los Angeles, a few different places in Mexico and Colombia, Holland, Tokyo, Osaka, and many more. I was carried from place to place by various of adoptive mothers, and each of them left a bit of their culture and identity with me by the time I left.

"But I had one that was a fortune teller and psychic. She was incapable kf having kids and didn't want to go through the trouble of raising one, so she took me, an 11 year old girl. She gasped when she saw me and took me in immediately. Before I left her, she gave me this necklace. "Y/N," she said, "you have the potential to see your real parents again. Train, grow stronger, read, grow smarter, listen, grow wiser. Stray away from the evil in the world and remain pure from your soul to your body. This is how you'll find your mother.""

Y/N paused and looked up at the larger male. He seemed intrigued with her story and made sure to listen carefully to her every word. So she continued, "as I grew older and began to travel on my own, I thought of her words every single hour of every day. I had no reason to live as I ever did was travel and meet new people, only to leave and never see them again. Just knowing who I really was became my only reason for existing. To this day, I bet the relief of meeting my real mom will feel like being deaf and hearing music, or being blind and seeing color, or being able to walk again after being paralyzed. But now," she paused.

Y/N smiled and looked up at Hanzo. "It's strange to feel so in place, so correct. I-I know I never felt this way about any place before! But I really think that as long as you're around, my chances of meeting my mom are good! Just being with you gives me hope for the next day, truly. It's like being with you is my reason to exist."

Hanzo closed his eyes and smiled back at her. He wrapped his arms around and embraced her warmly, his head being filled with nothing but pure bliss. Y/N hugged back tightly, feeling just as happy as he is right now.

And just as soon as it came, the day was over and the two had to return home and sleep. But this particular night, their dreams were better than usual. And two days later, the snow had cleared up and the ground was dry! That meant Y/N could go train today! Unfortunately, with her absent-mindedness, she forgot she wanted Hanzo to watch her so she remained in private as she kicked thicc ass trees down in two strong kicks and crushed stones into bits by simply punching it once.

"Hai...ya!" She called out as she forcefully brought her first to a stone celler that was abandoned randomly in the woods. But hey, no one was using it, so who's gonna cry about it being broken? The impact of her punch brought a giant circular impact onto the wall, and bits and pieces of it fell down. "Hehehe! 22 more to go!" She thought out loud as she pulled her fist back again. She wasn't alone in these woods, no, as there was a particular ninja/samurai person thing, idk, watching from the nearby bush. Not to be creepy of course! He was on his way to his dojo but heard noises, and discovered it was her after checking it out.

And d a m n. If Y/N saw his shocked face the first time he saw her punch the wall with that much force and endurance, she would laugh and tease him about it for a long time. He didn't expect her to be so quick in her movements and to cause such force. Like, a short little bebe in a pink, cutesy kimono with cherry blossoms being able to cause a fucking massacre to the wall? How could you blame him?

"Hmm... that reminds me!" Y/N exclaimed as she spun around to look at Hanzo. "I told you that you should watch me train! Is that what you were doing?"

Hanzo blushed heavily and was unfortunately incapable of hiding it in the direct daylight. "Indeed, Y/N. This is truly a wonderful sight to see," he replied as he looked away for a moment. Y/N gasped and ran towards him. He took a few steps back when he noticed how close she gotten, which caused him to get a little bit more flustered.

"You're sick? You're face is all red, Y/N whined as she pulled Hanzo closer. "You should be inside, mister, getting better! Not out here watching me fight when it's colder out here! Let's go bring you inside," he said as she grabbed his muscular arm and held it close. She turned towards the village of the Shirai Ryu and began walking towards it, pulling Hanzo along. How bold.

Hanzo but his bottom lightly and remained as flustered as before. "There really is no need, Y/N," he replied back.

"You're being quite irresponsible for a ninja, y'know," Y/N replied as she continued to walk him home. Hanzo sighed and just let her pull him along. He knew she would question him if he told her he wasn't sick so he choose into except it.

"Thank you for your concern," he replied lowly. Y/N giggled proudly and nodded.

"The best for you!" They arrived to the pathways of the village and began their walk. There was a few pedestrians walking by, including a dad and daughter and a separate woman. "I'll make you some tea and you can go to bed, okay?" Hanzo nodded, smirking to himself about how funny the situation really is.

"How caring," Hanzo spoke as they arrived at his home. The got inside and took their shoes off at the front door.

"Of course," she replied before heading towards the kitchen to make tea. Hanzo wasn't sick but he's been tired lately and what's wrong with sleeping in for one day? When he got the tea, it no doubt tasted way too bitter as Y/N doesn't really know what she's doing to be honest. But hey, it's the thought that counts.

Hanzo lied in bed, with an empty cup by his side and an small girl on the other. She sat on the bed, talking to him quietly about a bunch of random things until she said something strange. "To be honest, I know this is weird, but it almost feels like we're married sometimes. I mean, we're together all the time and have a very close friendship. You let me drag you in here and give you bitter tea even though you didn't want to. That's really nice, hehe," she giggled as she looked over at Hanzo. Her eyes shun something different from simply joy this time. Instead, it showed rather care. And potentially something more.

Hanzo felt a shiver go down his spine as he looked deep into Y/N's eyes. Emhe had to examine them to ensure that he wasn't just crazy or actually sick, but no, it looked like she really did care about him more than a friend. After all these months, it was officially, wasn't it? It was mutual. Hanzo smiled as he sat up on the bed. Y/N's cheeks lit up a little bit as he stared down at her with that look.

"Sometimes it really does feel like that, does it not? I can see as a good pair to be truthful. What about you?" Hanzo asked softly. Y/N cheeks flushed pink and her expression softened.

"I agree, definitely. I mean, how can I not, heh heh. You've been there from the very beginning and I've always seen you as this big, strong teddy bear of sorta. So sweet, so nice, so caring," she replied. Hanzo leaned in, making Y/N want to lean in too. And slowly, the pair came together and finally...they kissed. It was soft, tender, and it felt like it was meant to happen. Y/N's face turned red and Hanzo's tense emotions he felt disappeared immediately.

Heh, you know what? To be honest, they lady next door was known to be crazy about losing her baby girl a very long time ago. They had matching necklaces that were bought from a village far away from their's years ago when the Shirai Ryu was attacked by Quan Chi's forces. She escaped and went into hiding, and then found a man to marry to. Her child was named Y/N L/N, and whether she's not fully Japanese or fully related into the Japanese clan, she is blood and therefore she is capable of being the love of Hanzo Hisashi. Maybe the two of them will meet some day, huh?

#mortal kombat #mortal kombat x reader #mk x reader #mk9 #mk11 #mk10 #mkx mortal kombat x #mkx #mkxl #scorpion #scorpion x reader #innocent reader #hanzo x reader #hanzo hisashi #hanzo hisashi x reader

110 notes · View notes

jisungsplatforms · 3 years

Text

[Chapter VI: Girl Talk! And...Uh oh.]

Pairing: Producer/Music Major! Han Jisung x Photographer! fem! reader

Genre: NSFW! Smut; non idol au, college au, strangers to lovers

Warnings: Mature Content! strong language, angst (no smut this chapter!)

Chapter Word Count: 4.5k

Taglist: @hyunjeongins @seungstarss @es-kay-zee @hyunjinsplaything @formidxble @freckledquokka @lbxgsunshine @cartierbin @solistired @rainbowmagicpixecorn @http-hyxnjxn @dwaebinnie @gothmingguk @minniehohos @seoulicitae @delicatemugtreehairdo

Unable to tag: @kayannainsworth15

(want to be added? send an ask or a dm! <3)

It’s been a few days since your date with Jisung and you haven’t seen him since. Was this something you brought upon yourself? Yes.

Dumbass...

You stared blankly at the ceiling, thinking about the last text you sent him. ‘Sorry, I think I caught a cold’? Why would you say that to him?! You were so focused on wallowing in shame that the sound of the doorknob twisting did not register in your mind at first.

“Y/N~! I’M BACK!” a feminine voice yelled out as you watched the door flung open all of a sudden. Forgot she’s coming back, you thought as the face of your beloved roommate entered your field of sight. “HELLO~! Oh…”

“Welcome back, Lia,” you greeted her unenthusiastically, staring at her without any expression.

“Girl,” she stopped, taking in the way your body was splayed limply on the créme-colored couch. “I didn’t realize I took your happiness with me.”

You scoffed, rolling your eyes. “Ha ha.”

Lia closed the door behind her, dragging in her large grey luggage. “Looks like I brought your sense of humor too. Do you want me to go back to Canada to find it?”

Groaning, you sat up, staring at her dead in the eye, while she laughed at her own joke. She struggled with bringing in her suitcase while mumbling about ‘how hilarious she is’ and that she should do standup comedy. Once she had successfully hauled her luggage through the cramped hallway, she pushed it to the corner of the living room before walking to where you were at. She plopped down beside you with a bounce, moving the throw pillow onto her lap.

“So why do you look like...that?”

“Boy troubles.”

“Boy troubles?!” Lia said in shock. “Wow, I never thought I’d hear that from you.”

Taking her words to slight offense, you glared at her, pouting. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing! It’s just that—nevermind, continue!”

“Well, okay then... First off, Minho is a menace to society. Never go to a party with him,” you announced, adjusting your position without making any eye contact.

Your roommate chuckled. “What? Why start off like that?”

“It’s an important piece of information,” you waved her off, as if you were telling her to just listen and don’t ask questions. “So, I went to a party with him and Hyunjin a few weeks ago, right?”

“Yeah, how was it by the way?”

“Big. Seo Changbin is a rich motherfucker,” you deadpanned, snapping your neck to finally look at her. Meanwhile Lia laughed boisterously at your unexpected dryness.

“Anyways, Jinnie got DRUNK about thirty minutes later and Minho, being the dear friend he thinks he is, went off flirting with this dude with a red beanie, leaving me to babysit him.”

Lia interrupted. “Hold on, when do these “boy troubles” come in?”

You hushed her, covering her mouth with your foot. She swat your foot away from her face as you spoke. “Wait. I was getting there!” you complained. “So the red beanie dude Min was talking to, the one I mentioned earlier? I thought he was hot as hell, like if I wasn’t so busy dealing with a drunken Hyunie, I would’ve shoot my shot with him but nooo. Minho is a BITCH but it's okay, I still love him, especially since he’s the reason I have a thing now with that red beanie cutie.”

“Girl, really?! How did he do that?”

You sighed, jokingly scolding her, “Maybe if you didn’t interrupt me every damn minute, Julia, I would’ve finished my story faster.”

“It’s not my fault your storytelling skills are horrendous!” she huffed. “But sorry, I won’t interrupt now! Keep going!”

“Okay, so, after a while, I finally got Min to help me, which took like, another thirty minutes, I think? Then fast forward a little, that lazy bitch is driving us home, the drunk bitch is suffocating me with affection, and I’m just wondering why the hell those two are my best friends, but whatever. After Minho dropped me home, I wanted to text him to thank him for helping me wrangle Hyunjin, even though I forced him to, and I thought did, right?” you paused for a moment to see if Lia was still following along. After a subtle nod from her, you continued. “So I thanked ‘him’ then asked ‘him’ if he could give me that red beanie cutie’s number, which, to the total surprise of my dumbass, ended up being him.”

“Ooh...plot twist!” she randomly cheered, making you snort. “Sorry...I just had to add that!”

“It’s okay, that was the perfect commentary for that situation,” you giggled, adjusting yourself on the couch. “But yeah, fast forward again, and we’ve been hanging out, texting, and just recently, went on a date.”

“That’s great, Y/n!” Lia hugged you. She leisurely rocked you until she realized something was wrong with your story. She asked, abruptly letting go of you, “Hold on, why did you leave it at a good ending? Where’s the ‘trouble’?” Before you could answer, the sound of your notifications going off from your phone stopped you. You leaned over to see who texted you, picking it up.

(3) new message(s) from: Hannie Bear 🍯🧸

“Hannie Bear?” Lia giggled. “That’s such a cute nickname. Who’s that? Is that the boy you were talking about?” She proceeded to coo, shaking you around and making kissy noises.

You hushed her, cutely pouting, “Shut up, he gave himself that name.” You playfully pushed her face away, turning to the other side. You tapped on the notification banner to read it from your lockscreen.

Hannie Bear 🍯🧸: hey babe!

i noticed you didn’t come to class today either

are you still feeling sick baby? :( do you want me to come over?

“Huh? I didn’t know you were sick, Y/n,” Lia said slowly. You turned your head to see her looking over your shoulder, eyeing you suspiciously.

“Oh! Uh—That’s funny ‘cause—”

“Y/n, when was the last time you texted that boy?” You stayed quiet, avoiding eye contact with her. “Y/n?” she said sternly.

You sighed guiltily. “3 days ago…4 since I last saw him.” you mumbled, with the fuzz on your socks.

“3!?” she gasped, “Text that poor boy!” You hesitantly unlocked your phone, bringing your phone up to your face.

Me: Yeah, sorry Sung, I’m still kinda sick :( bleh

Please don’t come over! I don’t want you to get sick cause of me

Hannie Bear 🍯🧸: aww but i miss you :((

it’s okay. i won’t bother you now

just take care, okay? Get well soon!

i love you! ❤️

‘I love you’...There’s that stupid sentence again. Why does he keep saying that?

All of a sudden, your roommate pulled your arm towards her, forcing you to show your phone to her. She glared at the screen. “You are a terrible person, you know?” she commented after reading all your messages. You sighed, silently agreeing with her. “Why would you tell him you’re sick!?”

“I don’t know! I’m sorry!”

“Don’t apologize to me! Apologize to ‘Hannie Bear’! Tell him that you’re not sick!”

You spluttered, panicking. “NO! He doesn’t have to know that I’m not sick!” You lunged away from her to move your phone from her as far as you could. Lia payed no attention to your action, a bit confused with your reaction.

“Then why are you lying to him!? Are you avoiding him?”

“NO! I—Y-YES?! I DON’T KNOW ANYMORE!” you yelled, chucking your phone to her lap. You let out a heavy exhale, rubbing your face while you laid half your body down. Lia got up, locking your phone, and walked in front of you.

“Talk to me, Y/n,” she gently said. “What’s wrong? He seems like a nice guy.”

“He is,” you whispered. “God, he’s so fucking sweet and funny and considerate and—fuck. I don’t know…” She squeezed your arm, silently comforting you. You removed your hands from your face and sat up, looking at your sweetheart of a roommate with uncertain eyes. “Lia, I don’t know how to feel. I’m so confused! I think..everything happened so fast that... I-I’m scared...I don’t wanna fall in love with him. I don’t want to fall in love, in general. I-I’m not ready! I’m so scared that—”

“Listen,” she stopped you, moving to sit beside you again to wrap her arms around you. “I know that every single one of your past relationships weren’t the greatest. But that doesn't mean you should NOT fall in love with anyone anymore. I know it’s scary, but at least...try? And if you really don’t think it will work out, then please don’t lead him on like that. That’s just going to make the whole situation worse. It will only hurt more.”

You took a deep breath, calming yourself down. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

Lia let go, leaving her hands on your shoulders. “You don’t have to talk to him today but please go to school tomorrow to talk to him, face to face. Deal?”

“Deal.” She brought you back to her arms, hugging you tighter and rubbing your back. You wrapped your arms around her figure with the same amount of urgency. The two of you stayed like that for a few sentences until she let go first.

“Thank you for being here for me, Lia,” you muttered into her neck.

She hummed, burying her head into your neck. “Of course. Whenever you need some ‘girl talk’, you know I’ll always be there for you.”

You released yourself from her grip, sniffling. “Welcome back home, again, Jules,” you grinned. “Wanna tell me about your trip back home?”

You walked through the semi-crowded halls, anxious. I’m getting a serious case of deja vu right now, you thought, quietly snickering to yourself. You gripped your bags closer to you, walking in a quicker pace until you reached your locker. Setting the combination of the lock, you swung the door open, digging through the small storage to switch out your books for the day.

“Hey, Y/n!”

You flinched, hearing someone randomly call out your name. Slowly turning around, filled with dread, you saw Seungmin and Jeongin walking up to you. Your shoulders slumped in relief. “Good morning, Y/n,” Seungmin greeted with a warm smile.

“Morning. Wow, it’s amazing to see you early,” you laughed, referring to Jeongin.

He scrunched his face then laughed. “I’ve been coming early for the past few days already. You would’ve known if you’ve been here.”

“Oh yeah, what happened to you? Are you okay?” the other boy asked.

Your heart stopped, panic surging through you. Why are you so scared? They’re not the ones you’re avoiding! You stared at the two boys like a deer caught in headlights. “Uhm...Sorry about the sudden disappearance but I—uh—caught a cold a few days ago.”

“Oh really?” Jeongin said. “I mean, you do look tired though so I guess that explains it, but good to know you’re good now!”

“Are you sure you’re even fully recovered?” Seungmin gave you a subtle stank look. “You should be wearing a mask, or something! Did you remember to bring some medication with you today? Don’t push yourself too much! We don’t wanna be responsible for dragging you to the clinic.”

You rolled your eyes, scoffing. “Thanks, Seungmo. I knew I could always count on you.”

“I don’t like getting sick, Y/n. Please respect that.”

Jeongin laughed. “I don’t mind!” he chimed. “Come here and spit into my mouth!”

“Jeongin! What the heck? That’s freaking gross!” Seungmin exclaimed in pure disgust.

You and Jeongin roared with laughter; Jeongin hunched over, laughing even harder when he noticed Seungmin taking small baby steps away from the both of you. “It was a joke, Seungmin!” he wheezed. “Don’t run away!”

“Stop, get away from me.” He swatted the younger’s wandering hands away. Seungmin clicked his tongue, “I mean it. Don’t you dare!”

“Aw, no need to be so mean! We’re friends, aren’t we? And friends share everything together!” you quipped.

“Not ‘everything’— Jeongin, stop!” Seungmin groaned, jokingly pushing Jeongin away as the latter started to rub his chest, laughing. “God, why are both of you so irritating? Gross.”

Your laughs started to die down when you remember a key detail. You weren’t actually sick at all; you didn’t like lying to them even if it was just a small one. Eyes scanning through the halls, you checked to see if there were any unwanted eavesdroppers. “Now I feel bad,” you said, “truth is, I—”

“What’s wrong?” Jeongin asked, stopping his annoying advances. Staring at their worried expressions made you remember that these are Jisung’s friends as well-- so that means they might tell Jisung about your troubles, especially Seungmin.

“I..uh—” your voice cracked, “actually, I wasn’t that sick—I mean, I was, i guess. But it was more of a… ‘mental health’ day! Yeah…” I mean, it kinda was though?

The two boys ‘aww’ed in pity. Seungmin was the first to comfort you. “Do not worry about it, Y/n,” he spoke softly, rubbing your back in comfort, “I know this month’s been busy for you, especially with that project Mr. Kim gave you. I think a mental health day was called for.”

Jeongin stepped forward, patting your shoulder. “Yup! Next time you have a ‘sick day’ call me so we can have one together!” he grinned.

“You know, you’re too eager to skip school, Yeni.” You narrowed your eyes, chuckling. Jeongin shrugged.

“No! It’s more so to comfort you at your lowest! I also don’t wanna go to school either....”

Seungmin scoffed, “There it is…”

“But it’s true! I do also want to be there for Y/n! At least I admitted that I’m also just lazy to go to school.”

The two of you snickered at your younger friend as he frowned. Seungmin tugged on Jeongin bag in an attempt to drag him away. “Let’s go now. The bell’s going to ring soon. I’ll see you later, Y/n. Bye,” he said, waving goodbye. You giggled, the sight of him dragging Jeongin the way he was vaguely reminded you of a dog going on a walk. You waved back to the two of them, internally giggling.

“Oh! Whatever you do, please don’t tell Jisung I’m here today!” you called out. They looked at each other in confusion, wanting to inquire about your odd request. Ignoring their puzzled expressions, you turned around to finish switching out your books. Finally grabbing your Environmental Science textbook, you closed your locker, fumbling with your lock to hook it back onto the handle. Getting a strange feeling of someone watching you, you looked over to your right, catching a glimpse of dark blue hair walking away from you.

You laid in the darkness of your room, the dim brightness of your phone bouncing off of your face being the only source of light. You were scrolling through your social media when a notification banner with a message from Jisung popped up.

Hannie Bear 🍯🧸: hey y/n let’s talk

You sat up in agitation, mentally debating if you should answer him or just pretend you didn’t see his message until you were ready. In a state of panic, instead of swiping the banner away, you accidentally clicked on it. Shit! you thought in horror. You already felt guilty enough for avoiding him, leaving him on read would just make you an asshole.

Me: Hi Sung!

What’s wrong?

You drummed your fingers against your blanket, anxiously waiting for his response.

Hannie Bear 🍯🧸: hmm...nothing :))

i just wanted to check up on you

You let out a heavy sigh of relief, clutching your chest; your heartbeat now calming down. You brought your phone closer to your face, thumbs typing away.

Me: Awww you’re so sweet Sungie

How was your day?

Right as you finally calmed down, his next plethora of messages sent you back into a panic.

Hannie Bear 🍯🧸: it was good. but...uhm

hey y/n?

just know, even though we’ve only known each other for a month, i still care a lot about you

if there’s anything that’s bothering you PLEASE talk to me, okay?

that’s all i wanted to tell you. take care, okay?

goodnight.

i love you

Your anxiety levels increased tenfold. Did he know? Feeling more guilty than ever, you read his messages over and over again with a heavy heart. I don’t deserve him…He really doesn’t deserve this!

Me: Of course Sung. Thank you

I’ll see you tomorrow

Looks like it’s time to face him again.

...You had no sleep, whatsoever.

The guilt and anxiety you felt from avoiding Jisung for the past few days was eating you alive. Why am I such a terrible person? You (not so gently) smacked your head into the wooden table, concerning the other onlookers in the library. You wanted to spend your impromptu free period loathing yourself before you had to see Jisung next period; alone. However, that plan was immediately shattered the second you felt a presence behind you.

“Boo!” someone whispered into your ear, slightly shaking you. You jumped, turning around to glare at whoever bothered you, only to see the smiling face of your best friend.

“Hyunie? What are you doing here?” your eyes followed him, watching him take the seat beside you. “l thought you and Lixie were gonna go to the studio?”

Hyunjin threw his back onto the table, resting his head on the table to match you. “We were but Lix left me to help some of his old theatre buddies and I don’t like being alone so now, I’m here! Besides, why would I leave my favorite person alone?”

You gave him a cheery smile. “Thanks, Hyunjin.”

“Mhm! I noticed you looked kind of sad though. Are you okay?”

You scrunch your face with a hiss. “You noticed?”

“Uh? Of course I did!” he drawled. “I’ve known you for over ten years already, Y/n. It’s kinda hard to not notice something like that.” You sat up, grumbling, not wanting to tell Hyunjin exactly why you’ve been so weird lately. He sat up with you, now serious. “Y/n? Is this because of Jisung? Did something happen between the two of you?”

“No!” You boomed. Your face heated up in embarrassment when you noticed the nasty look some people gave you. Muttering a quiet ‘sorry’, you hunched over, leaning closer to Hyunjin. “Jisung did nothing wrong. Actually Jisung is a total sweetheart so there’s nothing to complain about him. It’s just…”

“What? Did you find out about the hentai he watches in his free time?”

“What? No? Hold up, he watches hentai?”

Hyunjin shrugged with his hands up, faking a clueless look. “I don’t really know if he does watch it, perse, but I did catch him watching a softcore hentai before.”

Your eyes narrowed. “Huh? Nevermind. It’s not important whether he watches hentai or not anyways.”

“Good. Don’t let that get in between your relationship! Don’t wanna ruin a perfectly healthy one!” he said with a slight chuckle. Your mood instantly turned sour at the mention of your relationship. Of course, Hyunjin noticed it right away. “Y/n?”

You sighed, biting your lip. “If i tell you, you promise not to tell anyone?”

“Honestly, unless you’re cheating on him or something, then of course I gotta tell someone, he’s my friend too. Other than that, I promise!”

“Okay, great. And don’t worry! I would never cheat! Only on tests though,” you jested. The both of you chuckled before the mood went serious again. “So, you know how Jisung and I went on a date about a week ago, right?”

“Yeah…?”

“That day...Jisung said the ‘L’ word.”

Hyunjin gasped. “The big ‘L’?! He said ‘I love you’ to you?” he queried, mouthing out the ‘I love you’ part. You nodded with wide eyes.

“Yup…A full on Kdrama-inspired declaration of love when we were alone at the park!”

“Y/n, that’s honestly amazing! Did you say it back?” Your face was sullen, slowly shaking your head. “Oh, really? Hm. That’s a little...huh.”

“He says it a lot too.”

“Oh yikes,” he lamented. “No pressure or anything but, if you feel uncomfortable with it, maybe you should tell him?”

“No, it’s not that I’m uncomfortable it’s just that— geez I actually don’t know!” you cried out as quietly as you could, slouching in your chair. Hyunjin pouted in pity, leaning over to pat your thigh.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to explain yourself if you can’t or don’t want to. But I still think you should talk to Jisung about your stance in your relationship. You know he’s a sensitive boy.”

“I heard,” you sighed. “But I don’t think I have the heart to tell him exactly what I think about him.”

“You kinda have to eventually? Tell him if you want to make it official or if you wanna break it off. The sooner, the better; otherwise you’re basically just leading him on.”

“God, I know, Hyunjin! You think I don’t know that!?”

He patted your head in an attempt to calm you down. “Hey, hey. I know you know. I’m just telling you,” he whispered calmly. “Jisung is an amazing person. He’s very sweet, caring, fun, and honestly just the go-to person when you need a shoulder to cry on. Anyone is lucky to be with him!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know he’s all that. He’s nice and everything but he wasn’t someone I wanted to have feelings for! Jisung was just supposed to be a fuck buddy! No love, no affection, no feelings whatsoever, why did he fall in love with me?!” you wailed. “I was not supposed to fall in love with Han Jisung. To be honest, I kind of wish we never met.”

Hyunjin stared with a sorrowful look, knowing exactly why you’re freaking out the way you are. He was about to comfort you and give you advice when something—or someone—caught his eye. His eyes widened, weakly muttering an ‘oh shit’. You turned around, following his gaze to see…

Oh shit…

You abruptly stood up, mouth opening and closing, trying to find the right words to say to Jisung, who was staring at you with an indescribable look in his eyes. “J-Jisung! I...What are you—”

“I came here to look for some books for a research paper,” Jisung said. You tried to ignore how his cold tone sent a pang of sadness through your chest.

“Oh. Okay,” you awkwardly smiled. “I-I really like the new hair. Dark blue suits you!”

“Thank you...I remembered how you said you wanted me to try dying my hair blue so...I did it...to your request.”

“O-Oh, really?”

“I wanted to surprise you,” he muttered, pressing his lips together. “But apparently you had a surprise for me too…”

“I— How much did you hear…?”

“Everything, I’ve been here since after Hyunjin came in. Listen. Y/n...I told you, if you had a problem, especially if it’s about me, tell me about it, face to face, instead of talking about me behind my back. That shit is embarrassing, you know? Being talked about like that from someone you thought you could trust.”

“Jisung…”

“I want to hear you out, I really do. But I don’t think I want to talk to you right now, ‘specially after what you said? I don’t think it’s fair to me.” Jisung’s voice was starting to grow loud and desperate, tears forming in his eyes. “I poured my feelings out to you; I told you I loved you. I knew it was too soon to tell you that but I still took that leap, cause I thought we had a connection. I knew deep down you felt the same— at least, I thought I did…I thought you’d say it eventually but not once have you ever said ‘I love you’ back, Y/n! Do you know how much that killed me? I thought I’d be okay with it but everytime I expressed my feelings for you but never got a response back, it hurt! It made me feel like I’m just wasting my time! I-I FELT LIKE AN IDIOT!”

Hyunjin stepped in, hushing the both of you. “Guys, I know this is something between the two of you, but people are watching now. You should take this outside.”

“No. It’s okay, man. I said what I wanted to say,” Jisung said, already making his way out of the library. “Goodbye, Y/n. Take care, alright?”

“No...Jisung, wait!” You forced your shaky legs to chase after him. However, Hyunjin wrapped his arms around you, stopping you.

“No, Y/n. Give yourselves time,” he whispered into your hair, kissing the top of it to calm you down. You turned around and cried into chest, clutching onto him tightly. He tried his best to maneuver you both around to a more secluded area of the library, mouthing out a bunch of ‘sorry’s for the scene that was created. Finding a dark corner between the aisles, he carefully pushed you to it, lifting your head to see your face. You looked up, red faced with tears and snot running down your face.

Hyunjin reached into his pocket to take his handkerchief to wipe your messy face. He held the cloth against your nose, wordlessly telling you to blow your nose. Despite how disgusting he found the sound was, he resisted the urge to cringe, seeing how this was no time to act dramatic. “It’s okay, Y/n. Breathe,” he gently comforted you. He left the dirtied handkerchief on his lap and securely wrapped his arms around you again. He caressed your back, softly humming a sweet song. “Shh shh. You’ll be okay. Just let it out.”

You weakly stuttered, “I didn’t want to tell him like that. I didn’t want him to think I didn’t love him back, Hyunjin.”

“Everything will be okay, Y/n. Just cry it out first, then we’ll deal with this together.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt his feelings! This is my fault! It’s because I was a fucking idiot and let my fears get in between us!”

Hyunjin just stayed silent and hugged you tighter, moving his hand to the back of your head to tuck you into his neck. He played with your hair, knowing how relaxing it was to you. He went back to humming another song and held you until you were calm again. You let go of him, still sniffling.

“Feel better now?” Hyunjin asked. You shook your head no.

“Not really. I still feel like shit but not as much as before.”

“I mean, that’s still progress?” he tried joking around to lift your spirits. The joke only went over your head though.

“Yeah. Better than crying,” you agreed listlessly, wiping your nose. He stood up and held his hands out. You took them, hoisting yourself up. “Thank you, Hyunie. I love you.”

“Of course, I love you too, Y/n. Talk to Ji when you’re ready again, okay?” He led you out of the dark aisle to go back to your table. You latched yourself onto his arm, hiding your face.

“Okay. But for now, can you please just take me home? I don’t think I’m in the right mindset now to continue the rest of the day.”

“No problem. Anything for you.”

[PREVIOUS CHAPTER] 📱 [NEXT CHAPTER]

A/n: i apologize for posting this chapter so late! as i’ve mentioned before, i did get a little busy so i haven’t been able to work on any fics. hope you all understand! <3 AND idk if anybody noticed but i combine chapters 6&7 together instead to somewhat make up for the late update, that’s why it’s a little longer that what i usually write! hope you enjoyed!

#stray kids fanfic #stray kids smut #stray kids imagines #stray kids scenarios #skz smut #skz scenarios #skz imagines #stray kids series #han jisung series #han jisung smut #han jisung scenarios #han jisung imagines #Late Night Indulges

142 notes · View notes

blindingdutchy · 3 years

Text

lamentation | SEVEN

{peter parker x fem!reader AU}

based on All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

SERIES MASTERLIST

word count: 4,000

warnings: fluff. angst. language. not even sure why i warn for angst anymore this whole story is just angsty af

18+!!! minors stay away!

In the following few weeks, you realized two things. One: Peter Parker was definitely not subtle. The other being that you were definitely in way over your head. There was no denying the stupid butterflies in your stomach anymore, or the way you found yourself expecting his touch before it even came.

It seemed as though the two of you were like magnets; a constant tug gravitating the pair of you back to each other with an unstoppable force. If you weren't together, he was on your mind, and like he could sense you thinking of him he'd be quick to reach out in some way or another. Be it appearing at your side, all happy grins and playful eyes, or calling your phone no matter the time with his stupidly adorable stutter--Peter seemed to think of you just as much as you thought of him.

The more that you thought of him, the more that you wished you didn't. It was terrifying. You wished that you could pull away again, to push him back out of your heart and lock those iron bars tight once more, but your heart had grown selfish and stubborn. It was as if you were the one locked out anymore; the control over your feelings slipping further and further from your clutches with every toothy smile Peter sent your way.

Like a magnet, he held you in place. Oh, to be held by... You slapped a pillow over your face and screamed, holding it so tightly that your nose ached and you couldn't breath. Peter Parker was like a disease. A stupid, all-consuming, utterly infatuating disease of the mind and the spirit.

You knew that you were wasting time, undoubtedly causing yourself to risk being late for school with every minute that passed as you continued to lay in your bed, but you couldn't bring yourself to get up. Already, your mother and father both had knocked at your door on multiple occasions and questioned if you were sick, and now you were regretting saying no. It would have been so easy to avoid him if you'd just played hookie.

But, with midterms in the near future, you knew it wasn't the best idea. The realization had come to you in the night. A moment so insignificant, so mundane, but it had been as if a switch were flipped in your mind. A light was turned on, so to speak, and illuminated all the thoughts and emotions you'd been so tirelessly repressing.

Talking on the phone with Peter was like a drug, and talking on the phone to him at night was a dangerous game. Under the dull light of a crescent moon and the ridiculous teddy-bear night light that was plugged into your wall, a lingering remnant of your sister's presence in the space, your inhibitions were always low. With sleepiness your walls were always lowered, and he'd unknowingly put a fatal crack in the foundation.

You rolled onto your stomach on your bed, kicking your feet through the air like a little kid as you fought back the grin that always seemed to worm its way across your lips when you were talking to him. "So, how do you like Ned and MJ?" Peter asked, and you could almost picture him mirroring your position as you heard the quiet rustle of blankets over the line. A little giggle bubbled out of your mouth at the thought.

What a sight that would be, Peter kicking his legs to and fro like a school girl in love. "They're cool. I kinda like that MJ doesn't even pretend to hide the fact that she thinks I'm weird. I don't--I don't know, it's refreshing I guess. Ned's sweet." you rambled, and it was the truth.

Ned and MJ were easily slipping into the fortress that shielded your heart with every passing day. Somehow, it wasn't as terrifying as you'd expected it to be. Perhaps that was because they didn't harbor a secret identity with which they risked their lives every single night, or maybe it was just because you'd come to realize that letting people in wasn't so bad. Not everyone was going to die on you.

Michelle Jones really didn't pretend not to think you were weird, not even a little bit. Her blunt and honest nature was a nice change from the quiet stares that seemed to follow your every move; MJ wasn't much for staring. Rather, she boldly told you what she was thinking without any shred of doubt.

And Ned, sweet Ned Leeds, was like a puppy personified. Always happy, always smiling, and always waiting to offer you compliments when you approached. You couldn't remember the last time someone had dared compliment your hair, your smile, or your outfits. Ned made it impossible to feel anything but comfort and joy in his presence, even his awkward nature was endearing.

"I'm glad." Peter hummed, "They really like you. To be honest, though, I kinda like it when it's just us. Maybe I should have waited a little longer to share you."

There was a pang in your chest at his words. Peter had been subtly flirting with you for days now, but this was more direct. He didn't have to come right out and say it for his implications to come across loud and clear, and that magnetic pull grew stronger.

So strong, in fact, that you murmured back, "I like it when it's just us, too."

If you had just kept your mouth shut, maybe he wouldn't have been so bold as to say, "Not gonna let them steal your heart from me, are you?"

The words were right at the tip of your tongue. Your heart was screaming, never! Nobody could ever steal me away from you, Peter! Yet, your mind was racing with a million and one horrible thoughts that made you feel as though your mouth was full of mud.

The silence between yourself and Peter grew thick as it drew on, no words escaping your lead-like lips. The voice in your brain, the one that sounded like your sister yet you knew was not her, was ringing in your ears. How could you ever fall in love, when she never could? How could you give your heart away, when she never had the chance?

You took that chance away from her. You stole it. This thing, whatever the weird force between the two of you was, was all stolen time, stolen opportunities, and stolen lives.

"Good night, (Y/N). I'll see you at school?"

You whispered, "Yes." The line went dead, and you felt cold.

Those simple words from Peter, with meaning and intention that was far from simple, were all it took to send the walls, bars, and barbed wire around your heart crumbling into nothing. With no protection, no barrier between yourself and the dangers of everyone else, your mind was working on overdrive. It would have been so easy to let him in, had that voice remained quiet, and yet you were steadily building those bricks back into place.

Now, all that was left to do was to steal your heart back. When had he managed to take it from you? Had he snuck in during the night, slipping through the strategically placed cracks and weak points he'd created, and stole away with it undetected? Had he taken it that first night, without you ever noticing?

As you finally released the pressure over the pillow on your face, sucking in a shaky breathe and letting all the heavy things crash over you again, tears burned your eyes. You didn't want to push Peter away. You didn't want to be the reason he was hurt, upset, or angry--you weren't ready to be the villain in his story.

"Mom?" you called out, knowing she was lingering close by.

Proving you correct, the door to your bedroom cracked open only seconds later and your mother's worried eyes fell upon your blinking ones. She definitely saw the troubled look on your face, the tears in your eyes, yet she held back from mentioning any of it as she asked, "Are you sick, honey?"

You nodded, the lump in your throat aiding your act as you croaked, "Yes. I don't feel good."

She frowned a little, knowing that you were bending the truth of the matter. Your mother was perceptive, and with the emotion all over your face, it easy for her to know that this wasn't some stomach bug or sore throat. To your relief, though, she resigned, "I'll call you out of school for the day. I'll be in my office if you need me."

Tomorrow, you could be the villain. For today, though, you were content to avoid your troubles and wallow in your self pity. At least this way you had some time to slip back into your stoic, cold demeanor before you had to face him. Time to prepare yourself to be alone again, because you knew that once you pushed Peter Parker away, Ned and MJ would be quick to follow him.

Sleep didn't come for you like you hoped it would. Well, it did, but then you found yourself dreaming of Peter and woke with a start. School had started an hour ago, and already there were a flurry of confused and increasingly alarmed messages from him lighting up your phone screen. Even though you couldn't hold back from reading them, you locked it before you found yourself replying as if on autopilot.

Pete: are you late

Pete: i'm at your locker

Pete: hello?

Pete: i'm going to class... see you there?

Pete: are you okay? you said you'd be here

Pete: at least let me know you're aldkhdkfj

You spent the day in your room, ignoring Peter and ignoring the world. Occasionally your mother would crack open your door to check on you, fussing over feeling your forehead despite the fact that you both knew you didn't have a fever, and tittering little comments about getting rest and staying hydrated. She knew you weren't sick, yet you were grateful she didn't try to pry.

As much as you wanted to tell her all of the things that were on your mind, the reasons that you were upset, you couldn't. You couldn't tell her all of the awful things you were thinking, and see the way her face would contort in anguish over you. You certainly couldn't listen to her telling you that it wasn't your fault, you weren't wrong for liking a boy, and your sister would want you to be happy. Even if you knew, in some deep part of your brain, that it was true.

Pete: got my phone taken in calculus sorry

Pete: I'm at lunch now, are you okay?

Pete: are you sick?

Pete: like... actually sick?

Peter really was relentless. You wondered how long it would take for him to catch onto what you were doing, or if he would at all. Would he understand why you suddenly gave him the cold shoulder? Would he understand, and be okay when you pushed him away again?

Pete: I'm in speech now.

Pete: we got the class to work on the speech and you're not here

Pete: not that we could do much anyways since you're so stubborn but still

Pete: okay what is going on

Pete: (Y/N)

Pete: please talk to me

Reading all of his messages kept the ache in your chest alive, stopping the numbness from creeping back in. You wished you could put your phone down, turn it off even, but it was like a cruel an addicting game to read each message as it arrived. You found yourself watching the little three dots as he typed another message eagerly, even if he was far from happy.

When school ended, he called. You let it ring each time, watching his name scroll across your screen over and over again until it ended. Once, twice, three times--he finally stopped calling, not leaving a voicemail.

For awhile, you wondered if that was it. Was he done? Had he caught on? Had he figured you out just as easily as he always seemed to do? Had Peter given up?

Pete: i know what you're doing

Pete: i'm sorry if i made you uncomfortable

Pete: we can just be friends if that's what you want

It wasn't what you wanted, and that was the problem. You didn't want to be friends with Peter Parker. Well, you didn't want to just be friends with him. You wanted to know what his touch felt like when it was deliberate and welcoming, not the fleeting and curious brushes of his skin on yours. To be held by him, to taste his lips, to hold his heart in your hands like he already held yours--you wanted so much more than friendship with Peter, and that made you a thief and a fraud.

You: that's not what i want

You were weak. A weak, cowardly idiot is what you were, and you threw your phone on your bed with a groan as you realized what you'd done. The voice in your mind whispered insults, taunting you for being so easily broken.

Pete: what do you mean

You: i don't want to be friends with you Peter

Pete: oh

One simple word, and you realized he had taken that in a completely different way than you had meant it. Yet, you didn't correct him. You didn't explain that you meant you didn't want to just be friends. Maybe this was your chance--an easy way to kick him outside your walls without having to see it firsthand.

The chance didn't last long. A quiet knock sounded on your window, and your heart froze in your chest as you tried to sink deeper into your bed. It was the wind, you told yourself, until the knock sounded again and slightly louder. You could see the shadow on your floor out of the corner of your eye, and you buried your face into your pillow to block it out. If you ignored him, he would go away, and this would all be over.

After a few more knocks, it was silent for awhile, and you tempted a look at the floor only to frown at the sight of the shadow missing. He was gone, and you were alone again. Your lip quivered at the thought; what had you done? It was a mistake. This was a mistake.

You didn't want to push him away. You wanted him to hold your heart. You wanted Peter Parker as your friend, as more than a friend, hell, as anything as long as it was with you. But now? Going back on your word and dragging him back in again would be pathetic. He didn't deserve such treatment, especially not from you.

So, you pulled your pillow back over your face and let the tears fall. Your hot breath burned your eyes and made you feel sticky and gross, but you didn't care one bit. It felt cathartic to cry, like returning to a familiar place you'd been skirting around for ages. Crying over Peter was different than crying over your sister; the hurt was different, but one thing was the same: both were all your fault.

"Go away, mom." you whined, barely hearing the sound of your door unlatching over your muffled sniffles. It creaked further open, and you groaned, pressing the pillow harder onto your face, "Mom, please, I just want to be alone."

A throat cleared, and you froze. That wasn't your mother, the voice was deeper. The sound was still too light to be your father's, though, and that left one option that made your blood run cold. He didn't--did he?

He did. Peter pried the pillow out of your hands, all red cheeks and sad eyes as he stared at you in a sullen silence. "Why are you doing this?" he whispered, "Why are you pushing me away?"

You blinked at him, too paralyzed by the sight of his fluttering eyelids and pouting lips to speak. It must have been a sight to see you like that, your face red and blotchy, streaked with tears and snot that you'd been too lazy to wipe away. He didn't look away from your eyes, though, gazing into them with an intensity that dared you to look away.

Sensing that you weren't going to speak, he pressed on, "(Y/N), what is going on? I don't--It's okay if you don't like me back, I can deal with that. I want to be your friend, though. I thought you wanted to be mine, too."

Voice scratchy, you muttered, "I don't."

Something changed in him, and suddenly Peter was raking a hand through his hair as he frowned deeply. You wanted to smooth the crease between his brows, but you felt frozen. He was angry; he was angry with you, and he didn't hold back as he snapped, "That's bullshit, and you know it. If you didn't want to be friends, then why did you make that deal? Why did you let me make a complete fool of myself just to get your attention? Why did you let me introduce you to my friends? Stop lying to me!"

"I'm not!" you yelped, sitting up frantically and wiping at your face, finally. "I'm not lying, Pete!"

He threw his head back at the nickname, a sigh of exasperation forcing its way from his lips, nostrils flared. "I don't get you, (Y/N). I don't get you at all." he growled, facing you again with a heavy brow.

You gripped your blankets tightly, bunching them around your waist as you blinked at him with wide eyes. "I don't want to just be your friend, Peter!" you burst, "I don't want to just be your friend, and I don't know why. You make me feel all these things that terrify me, but I keep chasing after you and whatever those things are! It was so easy being alone, okay? Then suddenly you came swinging into my life and made everything so--so complicated!"

Your mother's face peered into your room, eyes blown wide in surprise, but the moment you glanced at her she backed away with a bitten smile and you flushed. You didn't get the chance to dwell on the fact that she'd been eavesdropping, though, because Peter sat on the edge of your bed and bit the inside of his cheek, blinking at you with teasing eyes.

"So, you like me?"

Eyes narrowed, you grumbled, "Are you really going to make me say it, Pete? After all of that?"

A sly grin stretched across his lips, cheeks puffing out adorably and making you bite your own to keep from grinning too. He tutted, raising his ruffled brow as he jabbed, "After everything else today? I think it's the least you could do."

You were screwed. His fingertips barely caressed the backs of your knuckles, and you shakily grabbed them before he pulled away again. "I like you, jerk." you mumbled, screwing your eyes shut as you felt your face burn in embarrassment.

Peter just chuckled, squeezing your hand as you felt your bed shift under his weight. "I don't want to just be your friend, either." his breathe fanned over your cheek, and your eyes snapped open to find his face closer than ever. If you just turned, ever so slightly, his lips would brush your own... He kissed your cheek softly, backing away with a tiny smile that you matched. "I like you a lot. Probably more than like, really."

"That scares me." you whispered, eyes still latched onto his, "Peter, you scare me."

He took a long moment to answer, weighing heavily the words he would utter next, before finally telling you, "You scare me, too, but I think it's worth it."

A gentle tapping at your door crashed through the moment, both of your faces burning a deep red as you turned to face your mother's sheepish smile. "Sorry, sorry, don't mind me--"

"Mom!" you wailed, slapping your hands over your face in mortification as she stealthily slipped into your room and dropped a box of condoms onto your dresser before racing away again. "Oh, I can't believe she--Mom! Did you really have to do that?"

Peter was laughing boisterously, head thrown back and eyes shut, though you could tell he was flustered too from the cherry red color that creeped down from his face and under his shirt. As humiliated as you were by your mother's actions, you couldn't help but to feel a little grateful for the interruption. The intensity, the tension in the air, had disappeared with the intrusion, and things felt a little bit lighter again.

You flopped back onto your bed, still pouting over the spectacle, as Peter breathed out, "That's so something Aunt May would have done, too."

At least you weren't alone in the embarrassing family department, you thought to yourself as Peter threw himself down beside you. She meant well, obviously, but did she really think that you and Peter were going to go from admitting you liked each other to ripping each other's clothes off in one night? Well, you were eighteen--maybe she had a bit of a reason to be so hasty.

"Do you think it's worth it?" Peter questioned, and you turned your head to face him, trying to ignore the close proximity of his face to your own. "Liking me?"

You chewed at your lip, listening for that voice in your head that had suddenly gone silent. "Yeah, yeah I do." you responded, and his face split in a blushing smile. You did think it was worth it, because being with him reminded you of all the good feelings you missed out on when he wasn't around. "I just wish we could have been like this before. Maybe then I wouldn't feel like I'm stealing her life."

He grew serious in an instant, eyebrows furrowing as he stated, "I don't." At the sight of your confusion, he continued, "I don't wish we met before. Can you honestly say that you're the same person you were before?"

"No."

He nodded, "Exactly. Stuff like that... It changes you. I would know, remember? You wouldn't be the you that I like, and if Uncle Ben were here maybe I wouldn't be who you like, either."

You had to admit, he had a point. "I guess so." you pondered aloud.

"You're not stealing her life, either, (Y/N). She would have wanted you to be happy, to do all the things she never got to. It took me a long time to stop thinking that way, too, but I did. It wasn't your fault, and you can't miss out on stuff just because of her." Peter advised, and you swallowed down the lump that was growing steadily in your throat, "She didn't give up her life for you to stop living yours."

Fuck, Peter really knew exactly what to say. You, however, were at a loss for words. He said all of the things that you'd needed to hear for so long, so perfectly, and it rocked you to your core. How did he know just what you needed to hear? The answer was simple--because he knew you, and he knew how you were feeling. He knew, because he had lived it.

Changing the subject, you asked, "So, what do we do now?"

You didn't have to explain for him to understand, and he swallowed thickly, "Do you... will you be my girlfriend?"

"Yeah. That might be worth it."

He scoffed, "Might be? Forget it, I don't want you to be my--"

"I want to be your girlfriend, Pete!" you cut him off, laughing loudly. "I really, really want to." So, maybe you lied when you said that Peter made things complicated. In fact, Peter made things incredibly easy--and that made it worth it.

SERIES TAGLIST {ask to be added}:

@msmimimerton @zendayasfwb @sweet-symphony @cherthegoddess @justsomebodyweird

67 notes · View notes

merci-bitch · 3 years

Text

My Sweet Little One part II

Rose The Hat x fem!reader

Warning(s): swearing, slight abuse, PDA?

Words: 2,5k

A/N: It has been quite a while. Hasn’t it? Haha. Well there might be a part 3 to this. It’s not as long as the first part which is 8k, and I have no idea how to make links so sadly I can’t link it here. ;/ . Hopefully there will more stories coming soon!

I made Y/N mine, alright. And everyone knew it, for sure. The next night she laid in my bed, I made her scream my name until her vocal chords were raw and made sweat crack across her place physiognomy.

No one could have her body the way I do, specially that loathsome rube. But he doesn't matter now.' I told myself. Though I wanted to make him pay. Rip his heart out and eat it on a silver platter after making him after making him suffer. Who the hell does he think he is? Laying his hands on my Y/n. They might both be steamy but he should see me. Oh yes, I am a cathedral compared to his small amount of steam.

"Rosie?" Y/n's voice pulled me out of my self induced trance. "Yes love?" I hummed. "You were zoning off again. Is something the matter?" I loved hearing the sweetness in her voice. It was like music to my ears.

"No darling, I'm quite alright." I smiled and placed my lips against hers and gave her a soft kiss. 'If only she knew though.' I thought to myself but shoved that aside for the moment. I could feel her soft hands gently caressing my bare skin and moved closer to her. Normally I preferred being the big spoon but on this moment, I didn't quite mind. She was home now and has been for quite a few weeks but still, I missed her.

"You're sure?" I nodded and ran my hands through Y/n's hair. "You're so pretty. You know that right?" She nodded and I smirked. "There is no one quite like you." Y/n's cheeks flushed cherry red and I chuckled. "No shame, darling. I only speak the truth."

"I know." She gave me a small smile that made me swell up inside. "Have you thought about my offer?" Y/n let out a sigh and I sat up. "I have but-"

"But what?" I tried my hardest not to sound angry. "When you stabbed me before, you told me it was for steam?" I nodded cordially. "Is that...what you guys eat?"

"Does it matter?" I expected to have her argue with me a little bit but surprisingly she didn't. Which I was thankful for. I took Y/n's hands gently in my own and kissed them. "Look, I know it's hard for you to wrap your head around but their pain is our gain. Don't you want to have a life with me? Unconditional bliss?"

She looked down as she slowly sat up and started fumbling with her hands. I wanted to say things, but I didn't want her to run away again. I didn't want to lose her again. She was mine, and only mine.

—— You don't know what it's like, not knowing who you are. To have lived in the shadows and to have travelled this far. Now I've seen a flashes of fire and echos of screams. But I still have faith, faith that someday my memories will come back.

In my dreams, it's all real. And my heart has so much to reveal. And my dreams seems to say, 'don't be afraid to go on, don't give up hope, come what may.' I know it will all come back! One day!

In my dreams shadows call. There's a light at the end a hall. Then my dreams fade away, but I know it will all come back one day. I just remember, rain against the windows. Sheets upon a bed. Terrifying nurses whispering overhead.

It was all strange. Rose, everyone. They say I was found on the side of the road. It had recently rained. In the darkness and cold with the wind in the trees. A girl with no name, and no memories but these above. I don't know a thing before that. Traveling the back roads, sleeping in the wood. I was always taking what I needed, working when I could. Keeping up my courage, foolish as it seems.

In my dreams I've always dreamed of a city. I dream of a city beyond all compare. Is it Paris? Paris... A beautiful river, a bridge by a scare and I hear a simple voice whisper, 'I'll meet you right there in Paris.' Paris.

Dancing bears, painted wings. Things I almost remember, and a song someone sings. It's almost December. Once upon a December. Someone holds me safe and warm. Horses prance through a silver storm. Figures dancing gracefully and across my memory.

Far away, long ago. Glowing dim as an ember and things my heart used to know and things it yearns to remember. And a song someone used to sing.

Heart don't fail me now and courage don't desert me. Don't turn back now that we're here. People have always said, life is full of choices and they aren't wrong but they never mentioned fear. Or how the world can seem so vast. On a simple journey to the past.

Somewhere down this road. I know someone true is waiting. Years of dreams just can't be wrong! Someone's arms will open wide and I'll be safe and wanted. Finally a place where I belong. Well, starting now I'm learning fast! On my journey to my past.

Home, love and family. There has to be a time where I had them too. I wouldn't be complete until I find you. But always one step at a time. One hope, then another. Who knows where this road may go? I wanna go back to who I was. On to find my future. There are things my heart still needs to know. Yes! Let this be some kind of sign and let this road be mine. Let it lead me to my past, and bring me home. At last!

—

"So, when the fuck was you gonna tell me."

"Hm? Tell you what my dear."

"Cut the sweet act Rose."

"What's wrong with you? Did they tease you again? You want tea?"

"Oh fuck you."

"Watch it."

"Watch it?! You have some fucking nerve Rose."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. The fuck did you think was gonna happen?"

"Seriously, what do you mean Y/N."

"Did you think I was gonna forget your words? Think I was gonna forget how useless and worthless you called me?"

"Y/N, I-"

"Shut it. I know exactly what you said, I'm not stupid or will I ever fall for some cover up you're calling this. I was happy without you!"

"You would never survive without me!"

"I did perfectly well for 10 fucking years Rose!"

"You call that happy?! With that Danny? You call that happy Y/N?"

"He loved me! He took care of me! More then you'd ever done, he took me for what I was. He picked up the pieces you broke."

"You better watch it. I don't mind killing you myself."

"See, this is exactly where you and I are different. I spend years not fitting in but thinking it was fine. Cause you were 'there' and cuddled me. Did you ever really love me? Cause you're blaming me for everything here, when it actually was you who fucked it up."

"I fucked it up?! You were the one who was so fucking ungrateful!"

"Ungrateful?! I have a fucking soul!"

"No, you don't! Cause you fucking sold it to the devil. You're not human. We turned you Y/N!"

"Excuse me what?"

"What?"

"No, don't change subject. What did you say?"

"Nothing."

"Did you fucking turn me without me saying you could?! Rose what the fuck!"

"What, you're mine. Just had to claim you. You'll be fine."

"Fine?! I don't wanna feed of dead kids Rosie!"

"They're actually quite delicious."

"You're fucking sick."

"Didn't stop you from fucking me."

"I didn't really have a choice."

"I didn't fucking rape you."

"Nah, it felt like it."

"You screamed my name out of pleasure."

"How come you were so sure of that?"

"I saw it, I saw your mind."

"What if that was just for play?"

"Oh, fuck you."

"I'd kill you if you tried."

"Oh, sweetheart. I'd like to see you try."

"Come at me."

"You can't be serious."

"Come kill me Rose."

"No."

"Coward."

"You're a bitch. A fucking bitch."

"Yet you put up with me for years. Took me back in when I was vulnerable. Loved me, well. Kind of. You held me close to you. Favorited me. So technically, I was your bitch."

"Exactly. You're my bitch."

"I was, not anymore."

"You'll always be my bitch. You're so weak for me, nothing will change that."

"Rose-"

"Begging already? Hm. Get on your knees."

"What?"

"Now!"

"Never."

"Get on your fucking knees before I make you."

"Make me then."

"You're playing with fire Y/N. I fucking hate you."

"Yeah, yeah. We've all heard that. How about something new?"

Before I knew it, her hand was wrapped around my throat. Holding me up in the air. Not a single piece of happiness or softness in her eyes. It was just dark. Her whole face was filled with anger. The veins in her throat showed as she strained. Her jaw clenched. Her hand squeezing harder around my throat. More and more air was ripped from my throat.

"You'll learn your fucking place. You disgraceful little piece of shit."

Her fingernails started to dig into the skin of my neck and my vision started to blacken out. Clawing at her hand. Choking on whatever air that was left in my lungs.

"R-Rosie-"

"Hm? Can't really hear you, my dear."

Her hand tightened even more and I felt my limbs go lump. Everything going dark.

"I don't know Abra. She's been gone for so long. She was missing when I came back from the bathroom at the cinema. You haven't seen anything?"

"No, I've been trying. It's like Rose is cutting her off from us."

"I just hope she's alright. She doesn't deserve all this."

"I know, but we'll find her."

—

"Sweetheart? Hey, wake up."

I felt someone slap my cheek. Groaning in pain, moving my head away. Slowly opening my eyes.

"Rose?"

"Yes, I'm right here."

"What happened?"

"My dear child, you passed out. You had a nightmare from sleeping and got up and started crying. Then you just dropped."

"Really? I don't remember."

"Oh, don't worry. I've got you."

Rose put her arms around me and pulled the covers over us, giving my forehead a kiss. I couldn't put my thought to it. Was that really what happened? I shook my head and snuggles close to Rose. Breathing in her scent. Relaxing. Smiling softly and looking up at her.

"What? What are you smiling about."

"Nothing."

"Come on, I can see there's something."

"I just -"

"Yes?"

"I love you, Rosie."

"I love you too Y/N."

—

"Rose? Is this really how it has to go?"

"Yes, my dear. Now come on. Stab her."

"I-I don't know, it's just a child."

"What have I told you before?"

"I-, their pain, our gain."

"That's it. Now come, feed your family."

Rose's hands were on my waist, her nose brushing against the back of my neck. I slowly raised the knife in the air. Feeling a sort of deja vu. Had I done this before? I couldn't have. Despite the child's cries, pleas and begging Rose was right. Their pain was our gain. I had to do this to feed the family. The true knot was my family.

Muttering a soft 'sorry' before stabbing the child. Stabbing it over and over again. Hearing both Rose's and Crow's laughter behind me. I felt angry for some reason, the child in front of me was the beat for my anger. The piece to take out all the unknown anger. Again and again. Until there was nothing left. Dropping the knife, shaking.

"You did so great, look at all that steam! Well last for weeks! If not even months. Good girl."

Rose gave me a wet kiss and stroked my cheek.

"Rosie?"

"Yes, my love?"

"Have I done this before?"

"What? Stabbing a child?"

"Yeah, I got like a deja vu."

"Well, haven't we all wished to kill children?"

Her carefree laughter filled the air. It didn't make any sense, but it had to.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Don't be so sad now, poppet. You did well."

"It just feels weird. I was a child too once."

"We all were. But now we are adults, we are the true knot. We live as more powerful then pathetic rubes. You said so yourself."

"I did?"

"Right you did."

"Oh, I can't remember much."

Rose stroked my cheek again and pulled me against her. Rubbing my back and watched the moonlight with me. It was silent. Was it nice? Was it confusing? Was it awkward?

"I just, this doesn't feel right."

"What do you mean?"

"It's like I've been walking, but with my face turned to the sun. This weight on my shoulders. And I feel as if I need to run. I do what I can to please you and the others, I just feel like an outsider."

"This is your home, can't you hear freedom calling? Calling you to stay. Don't you feel it in your bones? You belong here."

"In the morning before the sun starts shining, we gotta start moving again, can I drive with you?"

"Always."

—

"So I'm gonna stand up, and take my people with me. Together we are going to our brand new home. Far across the river. Do you hear freedom calling? Calling you to answer their prayer."

"That's what you got?"

"Yes, it was all I could find out."

"It's not really helpful."

"I know, I don't know what's going on. Before it was so easy to track her."

—

"I go to prepare a place for you."

Rose watched you sleep. She knew it wouldn't be long until your memories would come back. Her and Crow had been talking about what to do with you. She didn't want to kill you. She did love you, but if she had to she would kill you. You were steamy but she didn't know if it was that good. She had only tasted it once, but it was only little bit.

It had tasted like flowers. For some reason each time Rose would think about it. She would feel this, this heavy feeling in her chest. She didn't know what it was. It couldn't be guilt, could it? No. Of course not. Rose The Hat never had guilt. She was a strong a confident woman. Powerful. The queen bitch of castle hell.

Rose O'Hara knew guilt, knee pain and specially weakness. Rose The Hat could never dream of getting on her knees for anyone.

If she had to kill the one thing she loved. She fucking would.

#rose the hat x reader #dan torrance x reader #doctor sleep

67 notes · View notes

belleta · 3 years

Text

The Forest - Part One

Consists: Supernatural, SKZ as different SN creatures, adventure, romance, drama, action, ......still trying to figure out all the details....lol XD

"Come on Y/N!", I was racing around the house. Trying to make sure I had everything for this trip. "Omg Y/N, let's GO~!" I swear to the universe she's going to thank me later. " I'm coming child!" I screamed back. Alrighty I just need my retainer. I bounded up the stairs and glided down the hallway with my cotton socks. Bursting into my room, I quickly scanned it for the sparkly emerald case. I caught sight of it out of the corner of my eye, "Boom!" I ran forward and snatched it off my windowsill. While leaping for my door, I paused and turned back to what I call my sanctuary. Call me paranoid but I'm kinda afraid of camping in the middle of the woods. Ever since I watched "The Blair Witch Project", I've been creeped.

It doesn't help that Jazzy forced us to watch the film, previous to this morning. I was drifting in the fairy floss clouds of my mind when a loud honk poured water on them. I sucked in a breath, blowing raspberries. Padding back over to my bedside, I grabbed my Ice Bear plushie. Giving it a quick squeeze and finally deciding that he's coming with me. Galloping back through the house, I made it out, locked the door and hopped in the back seat like a spring rabbit. "What took you so long?" I gazed up through my fringe at my girl bestie Jazmine. She had long beautiful honey blonde hair, and a mousy nose. Her blue eyes were alike with pebbles under a lake, with cheeks connected by a dash of light freckles. "I swear I just aged waiting for you" and Danny, our guy bestie. I've been best friends with Danny, since 3rd grade. Jazzy moved over during the 5th grade. All three of us have been with each other through thick and thin. Daniel was Hawaiian Japanese descent, had perfect colorful nails and absolutely gorgeous eye makeup. We were all dressed in casual, comfy clothes for the trip. Jazmine, or Jazzy as people call her, as the oldest. She was driving Danny's dad's truck. It was spacious and definitely was fit for the environment. Danny, second eldest was in shotgun and I, being the "baby", was in the back. "I was just making sure I have everything." The two rolled their eyes. Danny looked back at me "Girl, you need to chill. We've got everything and more" the boy stated. "I know, I know.....I'm just paranoid, you know.....being in the woods for a week" I looked down at my feet and played with my fingers to cover my embarressedness. "Awww, is the baby scared", Jazzy giggled, imitating a child. I swatted at her, "Let's just...finally go" I grumbled, reaching inside my bag to pull out my headphones. "Fine" they answered teasingly. While Jazzy was pulling out, I fastened myself and slid my headphones on. Bluetoothing them and unlocking my phone, I scrolled through my YouTube Music playlist finding the one named 'Bell Mix'. After that, I went back to the truffula trees and fairy floss. Just listening to my music and thinking about things. There were a couple times, where I thought I might get sick, but I had remembered my motion sickness bracelets. In your face! It's better to set out a little later, rather than having our vehicle reeking of my insides. 2 or 3 hours went by, or something. I'm not really sure, my brain doesn't really have a sense of time when I'm inside of it. We stopped to use the bathroom, get food and fuel at a gas station, maybe 2 hours away from the forest. "Can I, can I, can I, can I PLEASE?!?" I had been begging Jazzy to let me buy a bag of Haribo for 10 minutes now, and she was starting to break. I'm very persuasive as you find out, and I happen to be a very prominent weakness to many throughout my life. She finally gave in and I bounced away to the candy isle with glee and happily picked out a bag, promising to share. Jazzy just rolled her eyes and paid for our things. We trotted back to the car and continued our journey. It was nearing the end of 2pm when we finally arrived at the edge of the forest. It's lushes were absolutely perfectly splendid. The road continued for a hot minute, until it gave away to dirt and rocks. We didn't want to stray too far from the dirt road, so we slowly kept moving in until I suddenly exclaimed at the sight of a pretty little clearing. It had a few little bushes marking the edges, thick but soft looking grass, and a little dirt patch at one side that should be perfect for a firepit. We pulled over to take a look around, flattening a few bushes in the process. As soon as the truck came to a stop I shoved the door open and sprung down onto the flourishing forest floor. The first thing I did was take a deep breath to soak in the sweet scent of the untouched earth. I reached up, stretching and cracking a few of my bones in the process. Then I raced through the trees and undergrowth, toward the beautiful glade. It felt so nice to get away from civilization, I had always loved

getting away like this. Being able to recharge away from annoying people and sounds, my fears of the night were long forgotten. I was two steps away from the grass when I suddenly tripped over something. Tumbling forward and scratching my cheek. I landed on my face, but on the bright side it was luckily with no rocks around. The dirt however spared me at nothing, crawling into my fresh scrapes, was a sharp and quick stinging as I grabbed my face. "Seriously Y/N, we haven't even completely left the car yet and you've already managed to hurt yourself" Jazzy declared. Danny chimed in, "Did you hurt yourself at all?". Quickly inspecting myself, I responded "Yes, a tiny bit on my cheek, hands and knees", I could hear them muttering to themselves about how reckless I was sometimes. They started toward me and as I waited for them to catch up, I decided to look around and figure out where to put things for these next few days. While ogling the decently wide stretch that was conveniently shielded by a mighty sugar maple. I thought I saw something in the undergrowth a few meters away from me. I grabbed my glasses and narrowed my eyes, but right when I thought I saw whatever it was, two flashes shot in the opposite direction between the ferns and disappeared. They were kinda hidden but I could sorta make out one of the shapes was darker and slightly bigger. The other was a little bit easier but still was difficult, it was kinda brown, or maybe reddish? At that moment I felt two hands on my shoulders, "Let me see", it was Jazzy. She inspected my injury. "It'll be fine, just wash it off", "Okie-Dokie-Artichokie", she laughed and ruffled my hair. I gazed back at where I saw the two shapes but not even the bushes were still moving. "Hey!" I cocked my head back to the voice "Can you help me?" Danny was struggling to unpack from the back. "Sure thing Danny-O" I quickly stood up, maybe a little too quick. My vision went funny and I almost stumbled. "Oh my god Y/N! Be careful!" Jazzy scolded, "My bad!" I was a little all over the place at the moment. Finally we were on this trip! I mean, I waited 6 months for this and it's finally here! I'm not all childish, I'm actually very 4D. I'm just really excited okay? I more carefully walked back to the truck, where Danny was struggling to keep ahold of what appeared to be the tent. Over the course of the next hour and a half we set up everything. Goofing around and laughing. Danny had been pulling too hard on our sleeping bags, to wedge them out of the trunk. And had accidentally fallen onto the slightly wet dirt, causing a very prominent brown streak across his gray sweatpants and sky blue tie dye hoodie. I was currently on my way to find the stream that is supposably close by, with a screenshot of google maps and a compass. Service wasn't exactly a 5 star out here, but I didn't mind too much. I brought a portable WiFi router with me, so if Jason Vorhees just decided to pull one, we could call for help. Every so often I would hang a wooden heart ornament on one of the tree's branches, so if this was the correct way then we would never get lost. Also so that I didn't get lost right now. I had been making these last night, for these exact reasons. I swear only dumb people don't mark their surroundings, this is one of the main reasons why people disappear and are never found or get lost. There are no traces of where they've been, like these fruit loops really-...... After about another 20 meters I started hearing the sounds of water. It became louder and louder really quickly. Is there a waterfall here? I pondered, while quickening my pace with curiosity. 35 seconds later I came across a thinning in the trees and beyond a clear water stream. I finally broke out of the shelter provided from the thick leaves, the sun kissed my skin with it's warm touch. I looked around and sure enough, there was a small waterfall that looked straight out of a fairytale. It had multiple uneven levels, with smoothed boulders everywhere. And to top it all off, it had little water plants scattered around it. Absolutely

beautiful.... I scanned around and spotted a few giant boulders poking into the stream. I carefully picked my way over to them, clutching onto Danny's muddy clothes. Hopping onto the sunlight warmed stones, I positioned myself perfectly so that I could reach the water but wouldn't fall in. I reached into my pocket for my zip lock of natural soap, of course I didn't want to hurt this literally untouched land. I leaned down to dunk the fabric into the stream's crystal-like water and kneaded the brown smudge. It was decently cold, just perfect for a stream. I turned back to the small bag with a green bar wrapped with brown paper and a little herb decoration. I unzipped it and reached for a tiny hand towel I brought with me so that I would have a better grip on the soap, even if I got wet. After dunking the clothes in I took the bar of soap and swiped it all over. I dipped it into the water once to help the bubble come, then I started aggressively rubbing it. Once the outfit was foaming with suds, I slapped it into the brook. Holding onto the sleeve I rub it harshly all over to get the stains out. It was relatively still easy because the events of cause were only moments before. I was starting to disappear into my thoughts, getting deeper and deeper and deeper....... And just then a crash and from the trees, followed by snarls and barks. I was so lost in my thought that this jolted me into the canal. The water suddenly became ice cold, my scream had been washed away. A surge of water filled my lungs from the way my mouth was open to yelp. I could still hear the sounds of fighting every so often, when I would surface. My head was hurting, my skin was stinging and my lungs were screaming. Someone.....please help..... It was hurting so much, I was trying not to panic. So I could find the surface and get back to shore. I would break through it's crisp arctic clutches every so often and would cry out for help but then get cut off by the now frosty darkness. I was giving up to the stream and submitting to the coldness. Letting it swallow me whole. I was numb, I couldn't feel my body being thrown around anymore, Is this how my story ends? No! I don't want to! I still have things to do! I need to graduate, and find my passion! I need to find a man who will love me as much as I do! I need to birth young and care for them! I want to grow old with my partner happily! I can't die yet! I just can't! But it was just so cold. I had stopped moving violently, so I guess I had been poured into a lake or something. I didn't care anymore. My blood felt frozen, I couldn't even bend a finger. That's when I felt a force near me, it parted the waters. Moving me in a different direction with its power. Then not long after I felt something grab hold of me in an awkward way. I was starting to be pulled into another direction, as the water streamed around, parting to let me and whatever that was saving me through. Then I broke through the surface and that was the last thing I felt before slipping into a comfy unconsciousness.

50 notes · View notes

aio-rya · 3 years

Text

"Give me a sign" — Leona x reader

One shot requested by: Anon

『Btw anon, I'm sorry I didn't have the Anon mode on until like two days ago.』

Days kept going on as [y/n] started being fond of everyone they met at NRC, specially the Braincell Squad along Epel, Jack and yeah, Sebek, who sometimes joined them too. Most of the time, when they were not causing trouble at their dorms, they gathered at Ramshackle for "studying". Though there was one day a week [y/n] used to sneak out, following Epel around to his Magift practice.

The last time they saw a game was when they were hit conveniently by the disc thanks to Grimm's movements, but [y/n] was not really interested on the game, oh no —those getaways were to see someone. Indeed, the same person why they lurked around Savanaclaw with Jack by the end of the day. And everything was fine until...

"What the hell are you doing here, herbivore?" the lion man asked behind them. [Y/n] froze right there, crouched behind one of the seats of the bleachers.

Did I forget telling that [Y/n] felt Leona doesn't like them? Well, now you know.

"I... Epel" they answered nervously and without context, putting a strand of their [h/c] hair behind their ear. "He forgot his water bottle and..."

"Tsk. Whatever you are doing here, do it fast and go away" he interrupted, rolling his eyes and passing by them as if that never happened.

And this was the day to day of [y/n] and Leona whenever they got to see each other. The matter was that he, Leona Kingscholar himself, felt sort of intimidated by the little human —why? He didn't know. It was sort of an allergic reaction or something, he felt his heart beat harder, his cheeks burning hot like feber, sort of a knot on his stomach and words flew away from his head.

"Hey, Kingscholar! I... Brought you these" [y/n] said as they extended him two special meat sandwiches from the cafeteria.

Leona turned around on his napping spot, looking at the human, then at the food and then, he turned around again, giving his back to the little one, who still held the sandwiches towards him.

"I Don't need them..." the lion said, and dismissed them with a movement of his hand, "Ruggie has already brought me something".

"I... I See" the human said, withdrawing his hand. "Then... You're gone. Again" they sighed while realising Leona's breath got a slower pace, he was asleep. There was nothing to do but leave; said and done.

Lucky was the big cat that they've already left when his ears twitched on signal that he was not sleeping, his eyes slightly opened, listening to the human voice with a trace of worry left behind. "It couldn't be sadness, or is it?" he told himself, turning to face the glass ceiling of the Botanical Garden with his hands behind his head.

"You really dismissed [y/n]'s food? They even fought with me for that since there were only three of those things left, ya'now?" Ruggie's voice snapped him out of his trance as the hyena threw a packed meat sandwich over his stomach. Then he heard a wrapper being opened as he sat down, looking at his friend at the moment he bite a sandwich —exactly the same like the one he threw at him a few seconds ago.

Ruggie realized about that and stopped, "What?" he asked towards Leona, still munching a piece of sandwich, when the lazy lion lifted a finger pointing directly to the food. "I'm not giving it to you" he stated in a possesive tone, holdingh tighter his food.

"It's not that” the dorm leader growled, “But... You said there were only three left..." Leona mumbled, unwrapping his food and starting to bite it too.

"Oh yeah, [y/n] gave it to me when I passed them back on the front gate of the Garden. They only needed one for his raccoon friend, even though, they got the other one for you” he continued munching while explaining the ruckus they caused on the cafeteria for those limited dishes. "Hey Leona!" Ruggie snapped his fingers in front of him "Are you okay? It's not like you to space out that obviously."

"I think I'm sick" he reflected out loud while making a pitch of his empty wrapper to the rubbish.

"I think you're lazy~ shishishishi"

"Don't go too smart" Leona shot him a wry look and sighed. "I think I'm allergic to that herbivore or something like that."

"What? C'mon, you're not serious" Ruggie sneered. Leona grunted, "Okay then, why do you think that?"

"Because..." He turned away, aware of his blush. "When [y/Ln] is near, my chest aches and I feel as I wanted to cough; also my stomach feels strange, as if I were hungry but also anxious? And there is this thing on my face... I run a fever every time that herbivore is near...."

"Buuuut~"

"But I like its smell. Or its presence" he finished with nothing more than a whisper.

"I see!" the hyena almost shouted, starting the lion, "You love them."

"Another joke like that and you're gone" he stared at Bucchi, angry but ashamed.

"Oh man... I'm just being honest" the blonde shrugged starting to walk away, "do as you wish but be careful. I don't how for how long [y/n] is going to bear you."

"Maybe he was tired", Deuce tried, quietly.

"Told you", Ace seconded him. "He's just like that, you cannot change him and... Have you thought that maybe he just doesn't like you? I mean like... Around him as he do with anyone else?"

"He was nice once" [y/n] tried to bring as an excuse, "After the Blot thing, he was someway nice. But... I did something wrong?"

Jack shook his head, "You should forget him. He's not the one, and I'm sorry about this but Ace is right..."

"Can I record that?" Trappola laughed, trying to open the camera of his phone.

"Shut up" Howl snapped, joining the laugh while hugging the little non-magic human between them.

"I think I can handle it. I mean... Nothing lasts forever and this little scratches heal with time" they tried to smile, eyes teary.

"Hey, we're here!" Epel cheered, "if you need to cry, to talk or you just want to mess around a little, call us!"

"That's why I call you my friends" and finally, the genuine smile appeared, "I'll sleep on it, I swear".

And both of them did: Kingscholar and [y/Ln]. Unfortunately, they reached two very opposite conclusions.

The little herbivore began to let go of their feelings, now they were no longer around Savanaclaw or the Magift training or even on the third years classrooms, they were free. Of course it still hurted whenever someone mentioned Leona, or at the Dorm Leader meetings or even when he was lurking around the cafeteria. Specially the last one was odd of the lion, and everyone around him noticed —even Vil started asking around what in hell happened to him.

"Ah, Ruggie-san" he said with velvety voice.

"Prefect Schoenheit" blonde hyena answered.

"Is Leona okay? He has been... Nicer than usual"

"Ah, you too. In fact, he's not really fine. His heart is about to break" Ruggie said, a bit worried as Vil gasped, not as an act but in genuine surprise, "his herbivore grew tired of him..."

Well, you see... Since [y/n] started getting rid of their unrequited love, Leona accepted it. And now it hurted so bad every time he got to see his herbivore: there was no "H-hey Leona..." or "Hello Kingscholar!" or any kind of cheerful greetings, everything tuned into a cold "Good morning/afternoon, Prefect Kingscholar", "Excuse me, Prefect Kingscholar" —they even stopped bumping into him, no more visits to his napping spot at the Botanical Garden and even when they got to Magift practice, Epel will always arrive alone. The knot in his stomach and the fever on his cheeks turned into a harsh pain on his throat and a burning heat on his eyes.

Meanwhile, Braincell Squad and first years club was proud, their little human finally was free and not depressed by the mistreatment of the Prince.

A couple of months passed until one evening, after clases, [y/n] made their way back to Ramshackle when heard someone sobbing, that scared them since Epel was having a hard time. By following the noise, they bumped into Leona and immediately tried to avoid him, but the lazy lion was not that slow; he walked quickly and grabbed their shoulders.

"Please, stop avoiding me" he said, not bothering on hiding the trembling of his voice.

"I... I am not" they said slowly, "Pref--"

"Don't" he grunted painfully, "Come back to call me Leona with that lively loud voice. Wake me up from my naps again, stare at me in the hallway so I can stare at you when you look away..." He sobbed again, weakening his grip, about to let his arms fall, "I... I am sorry."

"Why... Why are you apologising?" they asked, turning around to face him.

"Because I treated you so bad, and I... Thought I had an allergic reaction... To you" Leona whispered, [y/n] giggled.

"As far as I know, you cannot be allergic to a human" then they caressed one of Leona's braids, he stared at their [e/c] eyes, a pale gleam reflected on them. "It's fine, don't worry. We can still be friends".

He shook his head and caught them between his arms.

"I have denied it for too long. You deserve more, I was so mean, but I don't want to be just a friend" he explained tenderly, burying his nose on their hair, aspiring its sweet perfume.

"Leona, I'm not sure--"

"Just give me a sign..."

Silence. They just stayed like that, holding each other, [y/n] biting his bottom lip as Leona rubbed their back. When he finally was ready, understanding the situation and letting go of them, he got interrupted by a hold on his collar.

Then, a soft, sweet and warm pair of lips slammed against his.

It was a kiss full of fear and sadness that slowly turned into a gentle one. Full of untold feelings that tangled and finally were silently confessed.

"Is this enough?" the human asked, caressing his lover's cheek.

"It is more than enough... My loved herbivore".

—・ Φ・—

I melted with Leona's soft side, I don't know where I got the inspiration but I felt this took too long. Hope you like it too!

«Please do not repost or translate without permission»

#ツイステ #ツイステッドフンダラーンド #twst #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland leona #leona kingscholar #leona x reader #レオナ・キングスカラー #aio-rya

114 notes · View notes

brasskier · 3 years

Text

@badthingshappenbingo trope #3 (and this one was actually requested!)

Thank you to the incredible @geraltrogerericduhautebellegarde for reading this one over for me!

Trope: Suicide attempt

Summary: Yennefer's just running a few errands, and doesn't expect to end up talking Geralt's bard down from a rooftop. Jaskier is ready to leap, and doesn't expect a certain mage to interrupt his grand finale. Both of them might just walk away with a better understanding of one another. (Or, a character study in borderline personality disorder.)

TW for suicidal ideation/threats/gestures and reference to self-harm. The descriptions aren’t graphic and he doesn’t actually jump, but this whole fic deals with suicide and mental illness. Be safe y’all <3

Read it on my ao3 or below the cut:

The trip to Tretogor wasn’t supposed to last long. Replenish her stock after the utter disaster that was the dragon hunt, some odds and ends as she came upon them, maybe get absolutely shitfaced and forget the whole thing happened. That was all. And it looked like, for a pleasant change of pace, there weren’t going to be any complications. Errands finished, Yennefer was enjoying a hearty roast at one of the better taverns in the city when she noticed the early warnings of a brewing commotion. First murmurs, then the voices grew louder and more persistent, and then people were pushing outside. She ignored them; a petty barfight was not something she particularly wanted or needed to get involved with. The bar was still stirring, and eventually when she finally shifted her focus off her roast, the tavern was near-empty, only the drunkest of patrons remaining. Even the barkeep was shuffling outside. Clearly, something was happening. Something big. With a beleaguered sigh, she pushed up from her chair and headed out the door.

A surprisingly large crowd greeted her outside, more expansive than the usual clamor around a simple drunken brawl. She approached the barkeep, standing on the outskirts of the mob, and she didn’t even have to speak before the barkeep jerked his head skyward. She traced his gaze to the roof of a towering building casting its shadow over them.

“Poor sod’s gonna jump, I reckon,” the barkeep ruminated, eyes still fixed upwards. In place of the massive beast she fully expected to be perched atop the building stood the figure of a man, trembling at the very edge of the roof. She squinted, an uncanny familiarity settling into her gut.

She mumbled her half-hearted thanks, already pushing through a portal to the rooftop. The man, still frozen in place on the opposite edge, didn’t seem to notice the sudden company, and her uneasiness grew into a sinking dread.

“Jaskier?” she called, tentatively, afraid to startle him. Any last shred of hope that she was mistaken (though the intricately embroidered doublet was hard to mistake) was gone when he jerked his head back to face her. His mouth was agape, an uncomfortable mixture of surprise and disappointment drawn across his features. “What are you doing?”

“The fuck does it look like?” He snapped back. There was more than his usual sarcasm or mock-incredulity in his voice, real and deep-felt anger coloring his tone.

“Don’t do it,” she urged, surprising herself with the tenderness in her own words. “Come on now. Just come down.” Why did she care? The question gnawed in the back of her mind, and she did her damndest to push it aside. She’s a good person, after all, right? She’d do it for anyone, surely. None of Geralt’s not-getting-involved nonsense.

“Fuck off, Yennefer.” He let out a barking laugh, thin and breathy, pitching forward ever so slightly with the force of it. She felt her whole body tense, hands reaching out reflexively.

“Where’s Geralt? What happened?” This was, apparently, the single worst line of conversation she could’ve settled on, because he dropped abruptly to a squat and for a split second she was certain she was about to witness the man’s death.

“I’m not his fucking keeper.” He was nearly at a roar now, a fever-pitch that sent a shiver down Yennefer’s spine. “Haven’t seen him in a week. Not since— not since—” Though she couldn’t see his face, his eyes fixed resolvedly on the ground below, she could hear the tears cut through his words, his breath hiccuping.

“Shh,” she hushed him. Clearly, something had happened after she stormed off. What, precisely, could wait until later, when he was back on solid ground. “I know. It’s not fair.”

“The fuck do you know about fair?” he scoffed, shoulders hunched, arms wrapped around his abdomen against the biting wind.

“He fucked me over, too.” She should’ve been offended, and she would’ve been if she wasn’t far more concerned with making sure the bard didn’t fling himself into an early demise, which would be decidedly unfair. That sentiment did little to ease him, and withdrew no response. “Fuck Geralt,” she declared, trying again. “Damn brute thinks he can just take as he pleases.”

“And— and then discard you once he’s had his fill,” he mumbled, offering her the slightest glance back, tears glistening against the pink of his cheeks.

“You’re better than that,” she set forth like a thesis. “You’re — loathe as I am to admit it — talented, bard. People like you. You’ll find plenty of material to write about.” Perhaps an appeal to both logos and pathos would be sufficient, at least enough to get him off the ledge.

“It won’t be the same.” He frowned tragically over his shoulder at her. “I've lost it all, Yen. Look at me— I'm just a silhouette.”

“That's nonsense. He… you're more than him. He's not everything.” It felt ridiculous to her, throwing yourself off a roof over an argument with a friend. After all, Jaskier had always managed to exist in the spaces between Geralt before; teaching, or penning his next obnoxious ballad, or bedding married women, or whatever it is overgrown manchild bards do. But, then, she'd almost killed herself to restore something she knew she could never get back. So perhaps they were even.

“Look, this is awfully sweet of you, but—” he swept his arm, gesturing vaguely at nothing in particular. “Just let me go. I’m doing everyone a favor.” He turned his attention back to the ground, wind rippling through his hair. “Should’ve done this a long time ago.” She felt her heart skip — a long time ago? This wasn’t just a histrionic reaction to whatever might’ve occurred between him and Geralt; gods knew how long he’d felt like this.

“You know I can’t do that,” she retorted, drawing tentatively closer. “Don’t make me portal you down.” He huffed, waving her off with a trembling hand.

“Please, Yen.” Realistically, she knew it would be easy to oblige his request. Walk away, pretend not to hear the sickening thud, and carry on. He was only her ex-witcher’s ex-bard, after all. “I always knew it'd end like this. I’m just… I’m glad I even made it past thirty, really.”

“That’s— I’m not— no, Jaskier. I’m not letting you throw yourself off a roof, for the love of the gods. That’s insane.” She wasn’t sure what was more insane, letting him go, or standing here arguing with him. “You’re going to be real glad when you make it to forty, bard.”

“Am I though, really? This isn’t my first time, believe it or not. And every time I live, or I back out, or I let someone talk me out of it. And I always regret it in the end.” Her mind reeled again — every time? How many had there been? She pushed the thought back.

“You won’t find out unless you get down,” she argued, drawing closer still. He tensed, sensing her presence, hands balling and unfurling repetitively. “Come on. Go to the tavern with me, get something to eat, have a—” she was close enough to smell the alcohol on his breath now “—more drink. I’ll be out of your hair in the morning, and if you still regret it, well…”

“Fine,” he finally agreed on the tail end of a sigh, turning to fully face her. “I’ll do it tomorrow.” She didn’t like the resolve with which he said those words, but he was agreeing to come down, which at least was a small victory. She’d handle tomorrow when it came around. In the meantime she needed to get them both down. “Or eventually,” he tacked on as she held her hands out, forming a portal back to solid ground. “Inevitably.” The word rang in her mind as she looped an arm around him and led him through the portal. As an afterthought, she summoned a blanket with a flick of her fingers; it was one of those cheap, thin blankets they kept at the inn, but it would do. She tossed it over his shoulders and he dug his fingers into the fabric, drawing it closer around himself.

Once they were back in the tavern, that thin blanket still draped over Jaskier's shoulders and mug of ale held in shaking hands, it was time to talk.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, dragging his thumb up and down the cool tankard, avoiding meeting her eyes at all costs. “I’ve caused such a fuss. You must be anxious to get out of here.” He finally glanced in her direction when he felt a hand land on his forearm.

“It’s fine, really,” she insisted, and he couldn’t bear the pity in her eyes. “Now are you going to tell me what that was all about?” He huffed a laugh, looked away again.

“It’s just, you know. Me and my theatrics.” He shrugged, running a hand along his jaw.

“Bullshit.” When, exactly, Yennefer had gotten so good at seeing right through him, he wasn’t sure. But he did know he definitely didn’t like it.

“I’m sorry. I just, I… I get like that, I guess,” he muttered finally, dragging his thumb along the rim of his glass.

“Suicidal, you mean? You just get… suicidal?” She raised a skeptical eyebrow, moving her hand up to his shoulder.

“Yeah, I guess.” He reached blindly, dropped a hand over hers. “When something goes wrong. Someone leaves me again. I just, I fuck up a lot, and I’m no good at dealing with the concequences.”

“That’s— gods, I know you’re an idiot, but that’s really worth killing yourself over?” She tried to keep her tone light, clipped, maybe a little detached. He was uneasy with the attention, it was obvious, and she was also certainly not ready to admit that maybe, just a tiny bit, she sort of cared about him.

“Geralt, he ran me off,” he mumbled, sinking further into the blanket. “After the hunt, after your fight, he blamed me. For everything, the entire two decades of our, well. I guess it wasn’t friendship.” He chewed at his lip, a nervous habit, anger bubbling below the surface at the thought of that day. “Told me the greatest gift life could give him would be to take me off his hands.” Yennefer balked at him, finally hearing the context of his despair, and she was just about ready to portal right over to wherever Geralt had fucked off to and give him a piece of her mind.

“That’s terrible,” she told him, the best she could really offer. Nothing she could say would undo what’d happened, and nothing could change how much it hurt him. “He really is a bastard.” Jaskier nodded slowly, raised his tankard up in toast. “When’s the last time you ate? You must be starving.”

“Stew would be nice,” he replied quietly, meekly. She haled one of the barkeeps, ordered him a stew, and requested another round of drinks. “It’s not just the fight, though,” he added once the server was gone. “I don’t know how to explain it, Yen. Why I do the things I do, or feel the way I feel. It’s just, it’s all too much sometimes, you know?” She knew. All too well, she knew. She was only just beginning to understand herself, just beginning to feel some semblance of control. He was so young — perhaps not by human standards, but comparatively.

“I know. It’s hard.” They felt like empty platitudes, like she had no idea how to truly connect with him, and it was frustrating. She wanted to help him, but she wasn’t sure how, wasn’t sure he wanted it.

“Yeah.” He bobbed his head, picked at the wood of the table. They drifted into silence, neither sure how to fill it, neither sure this was a conversation either wanted to have. The stew arrived, and he picked at it rather than devouring it like he usually did his rations.

“You know I’m sterile, right?” she finally broke the silence once he’d finished his food and pushed the bowl aside, leaning closer, her voice pitched in a conspiratorial whisper. He nodded solemnly, averting his gaze, watching the light catch in his amber ale. “And you know I’ve gone to great lengths to rectify that, correct?” Another slow nod.

“I know, Yen. I’m sorry, I know you have far more right to be miserable than I do. And here I am, wallowing like a toddler—” She waved a hand to cut him off.

“No, listen, stupid bard. It’s really not about being able to have kids. It’s about the fact that I don’t have a choice, that I’ve never had a choice,” she elaborated, hiking the blanket further up his shoulders as it started to slip.

“I know. And here I am, I’ve gotten everything I wanted. I got to choose; running away, going to Oxenfurt, becoming a bard, traveling. Gods, I followed Geralt to the ends of the bloody Continent for two decades of my life I’ll never get back — but that was my choice.”

“Would you please let me finish my point, instead of interrupting me to wallow in guilt?” He gnawed at his lip, finally turning to face her. “It wasn’t about being a mother, it was about choice. So this—” she waved her arm dramatically, wondering for a moment when exactly she’d started picking up his mannerisms. “This isn’t about Geralt at all, is it?” After a moment of contemplation, he carefully shook his head. “Then what is it about?”

“I don’t know, to be honest,” he muttered at the tail end of a swig from his tankard. “I’ve just always been like this,” he said with a sweep of his hand, palm upturned, string-callused fingers twitching aimlessly. Her violet eyes bore into him expectantly, and he felt angry for a flicker of a moment — she was a witch, right? He should be able to just sit back while she delves into the darkest crevices of his psyche, let her root around and not have to struggle to put his life into context and language. “Can’t you just, y’know…” He tugged at his fingers, tilted his head.

“Read your mind?” she finished the question, scooting closer to him, and he felt the hair on his arms rise. “Are you sure that’s what you want?” He nodded, and she pressed her forehead against his, pulling him in close, enveloping him in the lilac and gooseberries he knew Geralt loved so much. He understood why; he felt inexplicably safe, even as the logical half of his brain urged him to pull back. This was all for show, and he knew that— she didn’t need to touch him to read him. Either way, he was grateful to not have to give language to the nameless, that she could just see.

See Jaskier at seventeen, screaming at Valdo from across the courtyard, "if you leave me I swear the fuck to melitile I'll kill myself," knowing he's made this exact threat verbatim so many times Valdo can't believe him, unable to recall what they were even arguing about anymore. When they break up, his mother tells him the first heartbreak always hurts the worst; it hurts all the same every time thereafter.

Jaskier at twenty, slicing thin lines into his thigh for what had to be the millionth time, running out of unmarred skin, witcher/tentative friend asleep somewhere beside him in the darkness. If asked, he’s not sure he’d have an excuse. Sometimes to feel something, sometimes to feel nothing. Either way, this uncertainty is what keeps his wrists clean.

Jaskier at twenty-three, wailing great, hiccuping sobs, shoulders rattling, blind beyond teary eyes. Geralt, gods bless him, doesn’t know what to do, stands arm’s-length away, regards him with uncertainty and pity. They’d fought about something that didn’t matter and he couldn’t remember, and that rage washed over him, red-hot, balled fists trembling at his side. “Get out! Gods, are you thick? Leave, Geralt; I fucking hate you.” But then Geralt listened, because Geralt didn’t play Jaskier’s games, and now there he was, sobbing, babbling, “don’t leave me, I’m sorry, I’ll be better, I can’t lose you, it’ll kill me, don’t go.” Geralt stays; they pretend nothing ever happened.

Jaskier at twenty-seven, at the ashes of his latest burnt bridge, just another failed relationship that feels altogether more like death than separation. Grieving it more like death, too; sobbing until he could do little more than stare at the ceiling and try to breathe, mourning a cemetery of mistakes and a lifetime of failure.

Jaskier at thirty-two, depression blanketing him with the fresh snow, the man he'd tangled up his entire identity in fucked off to the mountains for the winter while he sludged through classes, distracting himself from having to confront the fact that he doesn't recognize his own face in the mirror. Jaskier does exist in the spaces between Geralt, but, sometimes, that Jaskier is a husk.

Jaskier a few days ago, marching back to Oxenfurt because that's all he knows, doubtful Jaskier even exists anymore, the emptiness in his mind unbearable and somehow terminal, altogether certain he's been incompatible with life from the very moment he entered it and resolved to rectify nature's mistake himself.

Jaskier who, his entire life, has felt everything, too much, all at once. Who's always been led by his heart — and not in the beautiful, Romantic way, but messy, tragic, and uniquely Jaskier. A man so utterly at the mercy of his own mind, drowning in feelings he doesn't have the language to name, his entire being defined not by who he is but what he does and who he loves.

Jaskier, on a rooftop in Tretogor, itchy feet ready to fling him off the ledge. He'd told Valdo once, in the in-between hours not quite night or morning when everything seems strange and far away, that he knew how he was destined to die. Pressed on, even as Valdo chuckled and called him presumptive, “I'm going to kill myself.” Not today, or tomorrow, but inevitably. He said it not with the certainty of someone who's seen into the future but the cynical resignation of a man who knows no other escape. And Valdo punched his arm, told him not to talk like that, promised it would get easier one day. He hates Valdo now, not that he remembers why, and that day has yet to come.

She pulled back eventually— finally — and swept a shaky thumb over his cheek. He chewed on his lip, staring expectantly with hauntingly wide eyes.

“Jaskier.” It was barely a whisper, uttered at the end of a sharp exhale, and when violet eyes met his they shone with an uncanny recognition. He wasn't sure what, precisely, she'd seen, but he knew whatever it was had been enough. He'd invited her to the bleakest corners of his mind, and now she regarded him like a lame horse. He ducked his head, but she caught him with a hand on his chin. “You know that's not how destiny works.”

“Hmm?” He wracked his brain to figure what she might be referring to, coming up empty-handed. He didn't have a big, grand destiny like she or Geralt did. He was just Jaskier the bard, Jaskier the one-night stand, Jaskier the disappointment.

“It doesn't have to end like that. You have a choice,” she elaborated, still painfully vague, but he understood.

“This isn't the first time, Yen, I—”

“I know. I saw.” Right, she saw, probably everything, and he had the wherewithal to feel humiliated for it.

“I've cheated it enough times. I can't outrun it forever.” It felt nice, at least, to let his walls down a little, stop playing the perpetual naive optimist. Almost a relief, even, a weight off his shoulders.

“I know. But you're strong, Jask.” She moved her hand from his chin to the back of his head, guiding it to rest against her shoulder. “We have more in common than I thought, you know.” He laughed, thin and heady, but with a little more conviction this time, and pressed his face against her neck.

“Is that your way of telling me you're fucked up, too?” He asked, and, despite the levity in his tone, he truly was curious.

“Yes, bard,” she hummed, reaching out to sip at her tankard.

“You're not going to give me any more than that?” He fought off a yawn, pressing the back of his hand against his mouth. “I just told you everything.”

“Maybe someday,” she replied, setting the mug back on the table. “But right now I think you could use some rest. We both could.” She slipped out of the booth and he let his head tilt back against the wall, mourning the absence of her warmth.

She returned a few minutes later, room procured, and hiked the blanket back over his shoulders as he reached for his lute and followed after her. It was a nice enough room, two beds on opposite sides, a bath he had no intention of utilizing. Exhausted, he kicked off his boots, shrugged off his doublet, and dropped onto the bed. He let his mind wander, dozing as Yennefer readied herself for bed, eyelids heavy by the time she blew out the candles.

“You won't try again?” Yen asked from across the room after a while, barely a silhouette in the faint moonlight. Jaskier rolled over to face her, finding her staring distantly out the window.

“You, uh, you have to be more specific,” he muttered, tugging the blanket closer to his chin. It smelled of lilac and ale.

“How am I supposed to make that more specific?” It came out sharp, like her usual tone with him, but he could still feel an uneasy twinge to her words.

“I mean, I don't know.” He felt stupid for reasons beyond his grasp. “Not today, or tomorrow. But I can't promise never.” There was a long pause, and Jaskier barely breathed, wondering if he'd managed to upset her as sleep crept up on him.

“Not today is enough,” she said finally, sounding almost far away, and his breath hitched in his throat.

“Yeah,” he mumbled, voice thick with impending sleep. “When are you leaving?” The me he omitted at the tail end rang in his mind, unspoken but understood, heavy in the nighttime silence. She was supposed to leave in the morning, so he could either move on or finish what he’d set out to do; he wasn’t sure he wanted her to uphold that promise anymore.

“Not today.” He exhaled slowly. Not today is enough. And maybe, just maybe, enough not today's would add up to never.

#the witcher #the witcher netflix #the witcher fanfic #jaskier #dandelion #julian alfred pankratz #yennefer #yennefer of vengerberg #tw suicide #jaskier whump #bad things happen bingo #brasskier does bthb

33 notes · View notes

gotreactions · 4 years

Text

Got7 Reaction: Their Actress/Actor S/O Has to Film a Sex Scene

Warnings; light NSFW, Fluff, maybe slight angst depending on how you view things but I don't wanna get yelled at so I'm putting it in 'warnings' anyways!

Backstory: You're an actress/actor staring in a new movie/tv series and your next scene is a sex scene that will be fairly visual and detailed

Jaebeom:

He knows acting is your job, so he would try to be supportive and understanding even though he felt extremely jealous under the surface. He would ask to read the scrip just to see HOW visual the scene would be. Upon realising how long the scene would be lasting he felt his skin heat up, he doesn't like the thought of anyone else seeing you in a way that only he should.

After reading the script he would sit down on the sofa and call you out so he could discuss this with you. He would pull you in his lap and hug you from behind, pulling you closer so your back was against his chest and he could easily whisper in your ear, asking a billion questions quite seductively oddly enough. "Are you excited to film this scene? Wanna have sex with another man on camera?" Questions along those lines as he spread your legs open even as you insisted you wouldn't actually be having sex with him and telling JB that if he really wasn't okay with this you would talk to the director and see if there was a way out of it. Your reassurance made him feel better, and deep down he knows that no-one could satisfy you like he does. That doesn't mean he won't use this to his advantage however. He would have enough of your blabbering and he'd tell you to get up and strip for him, smacking your ass as soon as you stood up. He would lean back and enjoy his little show that would lead to a long night for you two.

The next morning you wake up in his arms, covered from neck to toe in hickeys and love bites. Jaebeom would rub your waist as he spoons you from behind and kisses along your shoulders before speaking up about how he feels finally.

"I'm happy for you getting a big role and I understand apart of your job may mean doing jobs like this sometimes. If you want to do the scene, go for it. I support you fully my love. If you don't want to film the scene and if you feel uncomfortable with it, I'll go down there myself and talk to the director so you won't take the heat for it alright?"

In the end he would leave it up to you. However if you do choose to film the scene, he would get kinda cocky to a degree. Asking things such as, 'I wonder if they'll leave the hickeys showing. I hope they do so everyone can see just how much daddy pleasures you.' And every day up until the filming of the scene would be full of these cocky retorts and him kissing all over your body cause he still feels a little jealous.

Mark:

The two of you were sitting together watching a movie and cuddling when you randomly brought the scene up. At first Mark would scrunch his brows together and slowly turn his head away from the tv, moving it to look down at you instead. He would ask what you said, while looking half between the movie half between you. When you would repeat yourself 'I'm filming a sex scene for work next week' he would nod a bit before grabbing the remote and pausing the movie. He'd move around on the sofa/bed a bit to get more comfortable before facing you and asking all about it. 'How long have you known? What's the context of the scene? Are you excited?' He would want to hear everything about it while he processes all of this. In the end he would put on his normal happy smile and rub your waist. "I'm happy for you." Would slip out of his mouth before he kissed you and pulled you to lay against his chest. He'd suggest getting back to your movie that y'all had been watching, pressing play.

The rest of the night all he could invision was you naked, covered with only a white sheet and a random guy on top of you. He felt uncomfortable and protective as he rubbed your back while he finished watching the movie with you.

When you guys went to bed that night, Mark felt to weird to hold you in his sleep. Though he will admit he didn't even sleep that night. Images of you with another guy, even if just for a movie, seemed too weird and wrong to him. You should be with him and him only. His mind ended up wandering and he starting to get a little insecure wondering if you would enjoy your fake sex scene on camera with a guy you barely know outside of work more than real sex with Mark whom you've been with for ages now. He felt weirdest about himself, cause he isn't normally the super insecure jealous type but right now he wants to punch the guy in the face and fuck you himself - and he doesn't even know the guy.

A few days before you had to film the scene, you would confront Mark on his weird behavior - him not holding you in your sleep, how he's spent more time at the studio and coming home later, how he doesn't talk to you as much. He would be open and admit he feels weird and overly jealous about thinking of you with another - even if it is purely an on camera for a movie thing. You would laugh a little and reassure him that nothing would actually happen with you and this guy and how even in the scene, you guys wouldn't actually be touching. You told him you would be wearing clothes under the sheets and that if Mark wanted he could come to the set, meet the guy, and watch the scene as you film. You promised him if he showed up to the set, you would stare in his (Marks) eyes the entire time you were filming so he would know for sure he's the only one for you.

Mark felt better after opening up to you about his worries and jealousy. After you talked him through everything he would scoop you up in his arms and carry you to bed bridal style, kissing you gently yet passionately. All night he would whisper 'I love you's in your ear while you make love and feel all of his love, reassuring him of your love in an intimate way.

Jackson:

Anger, jealousy, immaturity. It would start off with innocent discusing back and worth, him getting jealous and asking why you would want to do that kind of scene and you wanting to be independent and to be able to film this cause you really enjoy being in this show/movie plus 'its not that racey' so 'whats the big problem?'

Eventually Jackson would get up and start walking off as you continue talking to him, trying to explain what's going on to him. Trying to tell him about the scene and movie. He would throw his hands up in defensive shouting a 'I don't wanna hear it, go do whatever you want!' As he storms off, leaving the house and slamming the door on his way out. At first you would chase after him, feeling slightly bad but he would ignore you as you climbed in his car and drove off.

You must have shouted his name 100 times, called his phone a dozen and a half more. He was ignoring you and acting childish so you gave up. You went inside, watched some tv/read a book. Cooked, ate, did the dishes. You watched the clock tick and called his phone every 10-20 minutes feeling so annoyed and worried. It was around 2am that he finally came home. He smelt of alcohol as he walked right past you, both of you silent as he went to the bathroom.

Knowing what to do by now you went to the kitchen to make him some tea and a light snack in attempt to sober him up before bed but he never came back out that night, not like he usually would.

The next morning as you were making breakfast you felt a set of arms wrap around you as Jackson whispered "I'm sorry" over and over again, hiding his face in your neck and squeezing you like a teddy bear. You would be stern and tell him you're still filming that scene. Jackson would be more understanding this time around after talking to his friends about it the night before, he realises he has to trust you and that he really does trust you. You guys would sit down to eat that morning and this time as you told Jackson about the scene, he listened to you and you were able to have a mature and civilized discussion.

Jinyoung:

He was very understanding and happy for you. He knows how much you love acting and how much you like your job. Knowing you inside and out he would know that if you didn't want to do this scene, you'd say something at least to him. Meaning, this scene isn't something he needs to worry about if you feel comfortable with it. There is no-one in the world JR trusts more than you. He loves you, values your relationship, and he's confident in you two. Confident in your sex life that nothing is lacking. Confident in your romance and your love that nobody could split you guys apart - especially not a coworker of yours on a single movie.

He would offer to help you run lines, he'd be bluntly honest on if your moans seemed too fake and he would help you perfect them. Using a teddy bear and pulling out his camera he would help you place your hands in the most flattering way on camera to make you look the best, so you would know where to place your hands on the guy/girl in the scene. Overall, he'd be very supportive.

However, he would also joke and tease a lot. 'i wonder if I should go to the studio and teach (act. name) how to pleasure you.' He loves teasing you about this. Even after the movie comes out, he will comment about everything to do with that scene and openly tell you your hands look better on his back (JR's). He would tell you you sound better gasping and moaning in his ear compared to on camera and he would do everything in his power to turn you red and get you squirming in your seat beside him.

Youngjae:

He wasn't really jealous, but he wasn't exactly the biggest ray of sunshine either. In the back of his mind he couldn't figure out how this kind of scene fit into the kind of movie you were filming. He also had a few inner questions about if this would be a reoccurring thing or not. Like, if there's going to be a sequel would you have to film another one of these scenes? Really, he was just trying to wrap his head around all of this.

After a day or two he would be more relaxed and totally let it go, acting as if this was just like any other scene you've ever filmed. He would continue askikg about work, how your day was. He would take you dates like usual, may be even more dates just to give you extra proof on how much he loves you for just in case whatever reason. Every day/night leading up til the filming date he would take you out on a date and continue being himself.

Once the movie was released, you guys went to the showing together and he got to meet the cast and crew which was exciting and nerve wracking to him - he definetely clung to you all night at the event. By the end of the evening, once he met the actor whom you filmed with, he felt much better and more relieved - even though he didn't realise he was stressing about this to begin with. When he saw how you looked at him compared to this actor, he knew there was nothing going on between you and any other man (or woman). Your love was all his and it made him feel confident and really happy inside. In the end, the scene meant nothing to him but a career success and boost for you.

BamBam:

Three words: Rough jealousy sex.

He was so jealous! Yes, he's met this actor before as y'all have filmed together before. No, there was never a spark between you two nor will there ever be one. To say your fellow actor was a friend would be a bit much - you work together and that's it. This scene honestly means nothing but a new experience to you. But BamBam? Oof!

He felt insecure thinking of you with another person in bed. He felt so gross at the fake scene that hasn't even happened yet that he doesn't even wanna be with you in a bed. He felt so jealous of a guy who can't even compare to him that he felt jealousy and few tears of confusion and shock swell up inside him. The night you told him about the scene, he would make a lot of jokes asking if you were alright filming a sex scene with a shrimp. Making jokes on how he is 'big' BamBam who can give you better bam bam than anyone. He would laugh a lot and hug you tight, ruffling up your hair and teasing you in general.

As the filming date got closer however, BamBam wasn't able to hold in his jealpusy anymore. He ended up snapping one night. Yelling, crying a bit, shoved some glass vases off the dresser into the floor. He begged you for reassurance asking if he's able to pleasure you or if your reactions in bed with him were all acting skills if yours. (He knew they were real reactions but he just needed you to tell him and to prove it to him.) As you cried a bit and broke down in honesty about how much you love him Bambam would push you against a wall and kiss you with more passion than ever before. Tonight has something to prove to you and to himself. He would 'bam bam' bang you against every iteam of furniture in your apartment aside from the bed that he felt to disgusted to go near at that moment in time. You had so many orgasms that night you spent the next 24 hours recuperating and relaxing as you and BamBam cuddled and lazed around in bed together.

After this, after seeing how you shake in pleasure beneath him and after feeling your body heat against his BamBam didn't feel as jealous though he was ready for the scene to just happen and get done with so he could stop thinking about it and so he could forget it ever happened.

Yugyeom:

Well, he definetely pouted a bit at first. Contemplated everything leading up to this moment. Replayed images of all your moments throughout the years. He felt like he should be more jealous than he actually was but for some reason he felt nothing? I mean previously when you'd tell him about a job such as getting to ride a horse across a beach or having a sword fighting scene he would feel really excited and kind of wish it was him instead. When you would tell him about all the animals and kids you get to work with, his heart would swell up feeling happy that so many people get to see your beautiful smile every day. But when you told him about this actor, about this scene? He felt nothing. Not jealousy nor happiness. He felt empty and no reaction. It was like, he doesn't love this gig but he loves you so they weight each other out.

As to try and feel something he would discuss it with you more, ask about it every day, talk work with you every chance he got. He asked his Hyungs if how he was feeling was normal or not but he was never able to come to a solid conclusion.

He was supportive, but at the same time he just wanted to spend time with you. After asking and hearing about your work that day for5-10 minutes nightly he would spend the next 3-4 hours just holding you, playing games, talking, giving you his undivided attention and not thinking about this other person whom you'd be filming with. As a matter of fact, in these moments, you aren't even an actress to him. You're his Queen/King and that's it.

#jyp got7 #got7 reactions #got7 jaebeom #got7 mark #got7 jackson #got7 jinyoung #got7 youngjae #got7 bambam #got7 yugyeom #got7 scenarios #got7 fluff #got7 #got7 smut #jyp got7 reactions #got7 x male reader #got7 x reader #got7 x you #got7 x gender neutral reader

193 notes · View notes

somersetmummy · 3 years

Text

(A/N) This chapter takes place right at the beginning of the story, prior to TNA Chapter 1. Some characters property of Pixelberry.

Original characters: Katie Hide (MC), Jenny Blake

New characters: Lucinda Hansen

Rating/Content Warning: Mild adult language

Word count: 2005

Summary: MC Katie Hide is an English rose, living in New York. She’s down on her luck and desperately needs a job before her visa expires and she’s sent back to London. A chance conversation with a friend leads to an unlikely opportunity. Little did she know that one little interview would change the course of her life forever.

- Bonus social edits at the end -

Just like any other Thursday morning of recent weeks, Katie and Jenny were killing time together in their favourite coffee shop just down the street from their shared apartment. It had become Katie's haven and her go-to place when she wanted to lose herself for a few hours people watching, letting the stories of their lives unfold around her.

She'd always had a knack for paying attention to the details, noticing things which passed by most others. It was a skill she'd relied on heavily in her work, always giving her the edge, at least it had until the time it led to her downfall at Panacea Labs.

Katie had recently walked out of her job after piecing together a scheme under the radar to roll out a costly new drug for treating MS, despite there being multiple warning signs that it was ultimately ineffective but instead just masked the symptoms. Anyone else would've just glossed over the signs, not even noticing, but to Katie, the anomalies jumped off the page unmistakably. It was when she tried to escalate her concerns that she was shut down and her life in the lab made a misery by the VP, Declan Nash.

It hadn't taken long for her to realise that the company was more concerned about profits than actually helping people and she knew that the battle to fall in line and keep her job wasn't worth it. After calmly and quietly sending a company wide report on her findings, she gathered her things and walked out before she could be accosted by security. Little did she know that Nash had already been keeping tabs on her communications, in his eyes she was a trouble maker, and the report never saw the light of day.

Unfortunately for Katie, the current opportunities for young women in the biotech and pharmaceutical world just weren't what they should have been and she spent the next few weeks furiously searching for something else to avoid her work visa being revoked.

Having moved from London to attend the New York Institute of Technology and graduating with a Masters in Chemistry & Bio Engineering three years ago, she'd fallen in love with the city and the life she'd built. She didn't know exactly what the future held and couldn't put her finger on why, but she had a very strong feeling that she needed to stay in New York.

Today, Katie had planned to work through all the job adverts remotely relating to her experience and qualifications, with Jenny on hand to offer moral support. Tiring quickly of hitting one brick wall after another, they'd long forgotten the laptop and instead had spent the last 30 minutes idly chatting about Jenny’s upcoming gallery event when Lucinda arrived, phone to her ear, her body tense and voice sharp as she wrapped up a call with her boss.

"Of course I've got someone Angela, I wouldn't put my name in the mix if I didn't. My candidate is going to blow the others out of the water, I just know Mr Dalton will be impressed....no not just impressed, he'll be awestruck..."

While waiting for her to wrap up her call, Katie heads to the counter to order Lucinda a much needed coffee and returns to place it down in front of her just as she hangs up. She tosses her phone onto the table and slumps back in her chair, defeated.

Jenny stares her down waiting for an explanation which she and Katie both know Lucinda desperately wants to give but is holding off for dramatic effect.

After a long sip of coffee and a moment of holding her head in her hands she finally exhales.

"I am so SO SCREWED."

Katie and Jenny share a look before returning their attention to Lucinda.

"I've just promised my boss that I have the perfect candidate for some billionaire business man's nanny position....." She glares at them both as if they should understand why that's a problem. "I never touch these sorts of jobs, I only ever look for candidates in finance, nannying isn't worth my time."

Katie chooses her words carefully, knowing how Lucinda can bite back pretty quickly when she's stressed. Speaking softly, cautious not to poke the bear, she looks Lucinda in the eye and internally braces herself for whatever might come next.

"So what made this one so different?"

Fortunately Lucinda seems to finally be relaxing, she replies more quietly.

"Filling this position will put me on the map, nobody in the firm has been able to secure someone for this guy, they only seem to last a few weeks before they quit so the sign on bonus never kicks in. If I could find the perfect person I wouldn't only get a great bonus, I'd be next in line for promotion to Senior Head-hunter."

Her demanding demeanour melts away and she's left looking almost vulnerable. Something Katie knows Lucinda doesn't find at all comfortable.

"Anyway, I'll figure it out, I always do."

She gives Katie and Jenny a soft smile, allowing herself to momentarily forget about her woes so she can refocus the attention back to them.

"So what were you guys talking about before I came in?"

As Katie opens her mouth to speak Jenny cuts in on her behalf.

"Oh Katie's just been trying to work out how to get a job before her visa renewal date comes up in a couple of weeks."

Katie lets out a sigh of her own, suddenly remembering how dire her employment prospects are and feeling equally as defeated as Lucinda.

"I can't believe I've worked so hard for my degree, I found the perfect job in the perfect city but now it's all gone down the drain and I'm going to have to go back home and never see you all again."

Jenny wraps her arm around Katie's shoulders, pulling her close. "Oh come on, like you'd be able to shake us off. Even if you are in another country!"

As suddenly as Lucinda dramatically entered the coffee shop she slams her hand onto the table making the others jump.

"THAT'S IT!" She cries, her idea almost exploding out of her. "This is just too perfect...."

Katie and Jenny share a confused look before turning back to Lucinda who is practically foaming at the mouth, clearly onto something, though they're not quite sure what.

"You need a job, I need a candidate." She says in her signature matter of fact style.

Katie still has no idea where Lucinda's going with this.

"It's win win. I'll put you forward for the nanny position, you'll get a great job which means you get to stay in New York, I'll get my bonus. Not to mention I'll look like a damn superhero at work!"

The cogs start to turn in Katie's brain as she begins to digest what Lucinda is proposing.

"But I'm not a nanny....and what about my visa, it's only valid for work in relation to my degree."

Lucinda waves her hand at her, dismissing her concerns. "No problem there then. This guy's family owns one of the biggest Biotech companies in the country, surely that's related to your degree? He's so desperate for a successful match I'll make sure the visa thing is part of the contract."

She cuts back in quickly just as Katie opens her mouth to object.

"And as for you not being a nanny, what about all those times in the lab when you had to pull rank and sort out the shit that went down between your useless colleagues? You've done more nannying of adults in the last two years than most actual nanny's do in their whole career with children."

Jenny suddenly chimes in "OH MY GOD, this is genius!"

Defeated, Katie turns to look at Jenny in disbelief. She may have had a chance saying no to just Lucinda but with Jenny on board with this idea as well she may as well give up now.

"This will solve both your problems, I mean come on, who wouldn't want to work for this guy..."

Jenny turns her phone to Katie, clearly having been searching while she and Lucinda were talking. On the screen Katie sees the most devastatingly handsome man she's ever come across. He's nothing like the guys she'd known before, this person, was a real man and the sight of him caused her stomach to flip.

While undeniably handsome, it's not just the physical attraction that she's drawn to. Her eyes move to the company bio underneath his headshot and in true Katie style, she scans all of the accolades and achievements the company has to boast about. Her mind races at the possibilities. There's no mistaking that working for this man could open the door to so many opportunities and experiences in the future.

With a sigh she resigns herself to the fact that Lucinda might actually be on to something, this could be the break Katie had been waiting for and would certainly solve her imminent visa problems if she could get it taken care of as part of the contract negotiations.

With a silent nod and slight shrug of the shoulders, she begrudgingly agrees, much to the delight of her friends who squeal at each other in delight. Lucinda immediately pushes her shoulders back, standing to attention, furiously beginning to type on her phone.

"You TA'd for your old professor right?"

"Yes, I did a year as their assistant after graduating. Mainly doing research and going to conferences with her."

Lucinda's eyes never leave her phone as she works her magic, spinning Katie's words into an impressive resume. After a moment she raises her eyebrows and flits her eyes over to Katie, a small gesture which Katie realises is an invitation to elaborate.

"Oh, yeah so that's actually how I got into Panacea Labs, I met a rep at one of those conferences."

Jenny rolls her eyes at the mention of Katie's old company, now affectionately known by them both as Pariah Labs. Despite what she felt about Katie's previous employer, she was immensely proud of Katie's achievements and wanted to make sure they were included.

"Weren't you the youngest lab boss thingy they'd ever had?"

"Senior lab technician." Katie corrects, knowing full well that Jenny hasn't got a clue about the finer details of her work. "Well, yeah eventually, after two years of working my butt off. But I hardly think they'd rave about that in any reference they give me. If they even give one to begin with..."

Lucinda waves a dismissive hand at her.

"With this resume, you won't need any reference from those bastards. Trust me."

Katie had no idea what Lucinda had written or how she'd managed to spin her experience to be more favourable for a nanny position but it must've worked because half an hour later Lucinda slammed her hand down on the table once again, causing everyone around them to jump out of their skin.

"YES! It worked...he wants to see you, you've got an interview tomorrow at the Dalton Enterprises headquarters".

She turns her phone to Jenny to show off the email and they fall into an animated conversation, no doubt planning how they're all going to celebrate once Katie inevitably gets offered the job. As they fall into a blur in the background, Katie looks back over the picture of Sam Dalton on Jenny's phone, not quite sure how she can be so hypnotised by someone through a photograph.

There's something about him which feels familiar, something drawing her in. It's almost as if they're viewing each other through a looking glass and she wonders whether in this exact moment he is feeling the same magnetic pull towards her, a stranger whom he hasn't even met yet. Tearing her eyes away from the phone, Katie's tries to steady the stream of unanswered questions flooding her mind and focus on how she's going to win this man over.

"Here goes nothing."

TAG List: @shewillreadyou @chemist-ana @txemrn @silma-words @thefrenchiemama @secretaryunpaid @sfb123

- Bonus - pre-interview pep talk with the girls -

#the nanny affair #fanfic #tna #choices

7 notes · View notes

phoenixhalliwell · 4 years

Text

Do You Want to Know A Secret?

Pairings: Frankie 'Catfish' Morales X Gender Neutral Reader

Word count: 3100

Author's Note: Good Evening all, Welcome to my first ever fic! So if you somehow stumble upon this, I hope you enjoy it and if you don't please be gentle with me :P I tried to write this as inclusive as possible ( I've given them a nickname to keep myself right when writing) so I hope I've done a good enough job of it. Also I hope you don’t mind that I’ve tagged you guys in this.

@catfishingmorales @cinewhore @wickedfrsgrl @abuttoncalledsmalls

Frankie happens to meet the younger miller sibling at a party and drama ensues.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

Frankie tightens his grip on the steering wheel of his truck and tries to keep himself calm. The loud music from the party drifts in through the window, causing him to sigh.

'It's just party, it's a safe place. Your brothers are inside. Just go in, have a drink, show face and if it gets too much get the fuck out of dodge.' He repeats the mantra over and over again. So caught up in his thoughts, he doesn't see movement out of the corner of his eye.

BANG

"MOTHERFUCKER" Frankie nearly launches himself through the front window at the sudden interruption. Heart racing, he turns to the source of the noise, only to see Santiago giggling with his face pressed up against the door.

"I swear to God Pope, one of these days I'm going to end you!" he growls, quickly opening the door and knocking his friend in the face with it.

"Owwwww" Santi whines, rubbing his nose. Frankie just smirks. "Serves you right pendejo" Grabbing his cap off the passenger's seat, he shoves it on his head like a protective shield and jams his hands in his pockets.

"Thought you were never gonna get out of that fucking truck Fish" Santi teases but only receives a half hearted shrug of the shoulders in return. He feels a pang of sympathy for his friend and quickly tries to reassure him.

"Look, I know you're not the best with people, but it's a party! Just have a drink and relax. God knows you need to chill out yeah? Lets head in, it's fucking freezing out here."

Both men trudge up the driveway towards the house, Santi gives Frankie a playful nudge before opening the door and heading inside. Frankie takes a deep breath to brace himself before heading into the 'warzone' The Millers party is in full swing. With the combination of Will's organisation (there is enough alcohol here to open a liquor store) and Benny's love of people, the house is jam packed and the party goers want for nothing while they are here. Santi is in his element and happily mingles with everyone, smiling and hugging people as he goes. Frankie makes a beeline for the kitchen, his usual designated safe place and finds Will already there, chatting away to an unfamiliar face. Will's face lights up when he eventually sees his friend and calls out

"Hey man! Didn't think you were actually going to make it"

Will excuses himself from the person he was talking to and rushes over to give Frankie a bear hug.

"Pope can be pretty persuasive when he wants to be" Frankie has to shout a little to be heard.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear, Santi tackles Will from the side and a tussle breaks out. Frankie just rolls his eyes and grabs himself a beer to watch the show. The boys have a quick catch up in the kitchen before Will is stolen away to play party host. Frankie is nursing his second beer and trying to keep himself calm when he suddenly gets a quick jab in the ribs from Santi.

" What the fuck man?" he growls at his friend. Santi slides closer to him before informing him

" You've caught someone's eye hermano" and subtly nodding over to someone behind Frankie.

Frankie does a quick glance over his shoulder to where Pope gestured and suddenly feels his breath leave him. Standing in the corner of the kitchen has to be the most beautiful person he had ever had the pleasure of seeing. While everyone else is decked out to the nines, they have opted for a more casual approach which he loves. A further glance up and he sees the warm smile which is currently being given to him. Be still my beating heart is all Frankie can think. Ever the Hawk, Santi notices his brother's heart eyes and doesn't hesitate to shout over.

"Hey! Fancy joining us? "

Well that sure as hell snaps Frankie out of his daydreams and panic runs through him. Whipping round he sees Santi wiggle his eyebrows at him and shoot him a thumbs up with a shit eating grin. Frankie feels his face flush muttering curses under his breath. He's definitely going to end Pope, he just has to figure out how to make it look like an accident. Their new guest is quick to make their way over to them and introduces themselves.

"Hi, I'm jinx"

Frankie gapes down at the hand that is currently extended to him but makes no move to shake it. He feels utterly betrayed by his body right now.' Why are you so fucking awkward?' He wants to shout to himself.

Jinx gives Frankie an unsure look as though maybe regretting coming over. Santi is quick to take the lead and playfully pushes Frankie out the way to get to Jinx.

"Jinx! What a great name. I'm Santiago and this useless bastard here is my favourite flyboy Frankie" Jinx lets out a belly laugh at this and Frankie has to hold onto the counter to keep himself upright. A small pang of jealousy shoots through him at the thought of Santi being able to make Jinx laugh like that. 'Smooth bastard' he thinks bitterly. After a few moments of listening to the two of them talk, Frankie gets his wits about him and is able to engage Jinx in a conversation. And boy is he given a run for his money. Jinx is funny, sharp as a tack and sarcastic as hell. Frankie finds himself falling a little deeper as time goes on and can't for the life of him remember now why he didn't want to come to this party. Time seems to fly by and he doesn’t want to ever leave.

" I see you boys have finally met the baby of the family" Benny interrupts the moment, slinging his arm around Jinx's shoulder, squeezing their cheeks together before ruffling their hair. Jinx squawks in outrage and lands a sold punch on Benny's shoulder, causing him to wince. The ensuing sibling squabbling begins to fade out as Frankie feels the colour drain from his face.

"Wait. You're Y/N Miller???? I thought you said your name was Jinx?" Santi questions, casting a glance at Fish.

" It's a nickname my brothers gave me because everything always goes to shit whenever I get involved" Jinx replies, face heating up.

Frankie is in the middle of a meltdown at the new revelation. He Looks between the two millers and draws a complete blank. There is no family resemblance there whatsoever and he can't see a trace of Will either. Then a word flashes in Frankie's head "ADOPTED" Of course! He'd forgotten that part. Of all the people at this fucking party, he had to be pining after his brothers' younger sibling. Frankie groans in realisation, causing everyone to turn at look at him in sync.

"You good there Fish? you're looking a little pale." Frankie is suddenly brought back to the group, embarrassed by being caught out.

"Fine, awesome, Fantastic" Frankie replies with a nervous laugh. Benny narrows his eyes at him before throwing another curve ball into the conversation, causing Jinx to blush.

"I hope the two of you kept your hands off baby Miller, I know what you're like Garcia!" Benny warns, point a finger at him.

"Not me you have to worry about" Santi mutters under his breath, causing Frankie to elbow him roughly in the side. Benny just glares at the both of them. 'And that is enough fun for one evening, time to retreat' Frankie decides and makes his excuses to his friends. He makes sure to tell Jinx how lovely it was to meet them before hightailing it out of the kitchen. He's nearly at the front door when he feels a hand on his arm and turns to see Jinx looking at him nervously.

" Look I know this goes against protocol with you and the guys, but I had a really fun time tonight and I'd really like to spend more time getting to know you if you were interested as well. .." Jinx is suddenly cut off by Benny shouting "YO JINX WHERE YOU AT?" Sighing, they shove a piece of paper into Frankie's hand , and give it a tight squeeze.

" Balls in your court Frankie" and then they disappear into the crowd to find Benny. Frankie looks down at the number in his hand, hardly believing his luck. Maybe Pope can live another day.

After a lot of back and forth, Frankie bites the bullet and texts Jinx. Palms clammy he rewrites the message for the millionth time before launching the phone on the table and throwing himself dramatically on the couch. He has had found a lot of bad thoughts creep into his mind over the past few days since the party which kept him from messaging sooner.

'What have I possibly got to offer? Am I good enough? Why would they want to get involved with a washed up old army man? What if this is a joke? Frankie is pulled from his thoughts by a loud buzz and a coldness washes through him. Moment of truth. Taking a deep breath before glancing down at his phone, a surprised laugh suddenly escapes him.

Messaged received from Jinx: Took you long enough flyboy. You owe me dinner for making me wait.

It's been so long since he had felt this light and care free and it was all thanks to Jinx. After messaging constantly back and forth, it was decided that their first date would be at a cosy little diner. This eased Frankie's mind as he was already a nervous wreck without bringing a fancy establishment into the mix. It was easy to talk to Jinx and Frankie found himself pouring his heart out about his past mistakes: about his substance abuse, how his license had been suspended and how he'd lost his wife and daughter because of it. Shame welled up in him but was swiftly chased away with the feeling of Jinx's hand covering his and the sweet smile they gave him. The next few weeks were honestly the best of Frankie's life. The couple had come to an agreement that they would keep whatever was going on between the two of them to themselves. To allow their relationship to bloom without any outside interference (i.e The Miller brothers) Frankie would wake up to texts wishing him good morning which made his day that much brighter. They would sneak in frequent date nights and their stolen kisses always made him feel like a teenager. His favourite night had to be when they had went out a drive in his truck and sat in the bed of it looking at the stars and making up constellations to make each other laugh. He had made sure to bring a blanket with them and the feeling of Jinx in his arm's quietened all the noise in his head. He was finally at peace.

Of course he felt guilty about sneaking around with Jinx behind his brothers backs but the more time they spent together, the less Frankie began to care about the 'betrayal' His friends started to get a bit suspicious of his sudden shiftiness but Frankie was quick to assure them that everything was fine. And everything was fine until one Santiago fucking Garcia had to go and ruin everything. One night after a nice dinner and drinks at a nearby restaurant, Frankie and Jinx ended up back at his house for the evening. As soon as the front door closed, the couple were all over each other unable to keep their hands to themselves. Giggling, Jinx dragged Frankie to the couch before playful pushing him onto the couch and quickly straddling him. Hands roam each other's bodies and they are just getting into the swing of things when the front door was rudely thrown open and Santiago came marching in

"Frankie what the fuck man why aren't you answering my tex....."

Santi stopped abruptly in the living room doorway, doing a perfect imitation of a fish. Both parties just stare at one another before Santi suddenly points at them and shouts

" I fucking knew it!!!!"

" Please, you didn't know shit" Jinx scoffs while Frankie hid his face in his hands out of sheer embarrassment of being caught. Sighing, he gently rolled Jinx off him onto the couch and received a confused look in return. Frankie dragged himself off the couch and made his way to Santiago, grabbing his shoulders and looking him straight in the eye.

" Pope, I need you to listen to me right now ok, this is important. Me and Jinx have been seeing each other for a couple of months now and its going so good man. I haven't been this happy in a long time. But you CANNOT say anything to Will or Benny about what you saw. If they find out they're going to kill me!"

Santi looks between the two of you, noticing the way Jinx nervously bites their lip, waiting for his answer. Crossing his heart, Santiago nudges Frankie.

"Don't worry guys, your secrets safe with me"

What a load of shit.

*a few weeks later *

"OK boys listen up! I want a clean fight. Smack talk is allowed but absolutely no contact or you will be disqualified." Jinx announces to the room.

On one side of the table, Santi is rubbing Frankie's shoulder, furiously whispering instructions into his ear, while his friend is just nodding numbly along but not really taking anything in. Across the way he sees the Miller boys sending him death glares. Frankie gulps, why did it have to come to this?

After Santi (who still feels really guilty about it) accidentally let it slip at boy's night the previous evening that Frankie and Jinx where sneaking about together, shit hit the fucking fan. In a slight rage, Benny had tried to strangle Frankie for "breaking the bro code" while Santi tried to pry them apart all the while pleading Fish for forgiveness. Will was pacing the floor off to the side giving Jinx a lecture down the phone about the sanctity of brothers in arms and " WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE FRANKIE JINX?"

Eventually the drama had simmered down and an agreement had been made. This would be settled through a good old game of Beer Pong (which Jinx had picked because the whole crew were all abysmal at it) The terms and condition where as follows: If Frankie's team won, he could continue seeing jinx to his hearts content and nothing would be said on the matter. If the Millers won then Frankie was to never see the youngest Miller again and would be forced to live a life of exile ( Will eventually talked his brother down to Fish having to spend a week in the 'doghouse' for his transgressions) Jinx was chosen to referee the match because there wasn't anyone else who could come out to play at such short notice. The only reason Jinx let this go this far was so that their brothers go to do the whole 'overprotective' thing. They scoff at the thought that benny and Will actually believed they had a say in the new relationship.

Regardless of the outcome, Frankie was going home with them tonight.

"Like all great battles, this is to win the hand of your one true love. We know Benny can't shoot for shit so it's Will we have to keep an eye on. We've got this hermano" Santi whispers in Frankie's ear.

The next hour descends into complete chaos as the boy trashed talk one another and take dirty shots and became the most competitive they have ever been in their life. Eventually a tie breaker between the two teams causes a hush fall over the room. This next one would the deciding shot, his last chance. Santi solemnly hands Frankie the ball. No Pressure. Inhaling deeply, Frankie sends up a prayer and takes the shot......

A rabble of noise descends over the room. It takes him a while to understand that Pope is screaming in triumph while Benny is screaming in outrage. Frankie finds himself quickly scooped up into a hug, with Santi chanting " WE WON, WE WON!!!" in his ear. When he is eventually put back down, he turns round to see Jinx doubled over , tears streaming down their face, laughing at the madness. There is a tight feeling in his chest as he suddenly realises just how much he loves them. Sensing movement just behind him, Frankie quickly turns to see Will beside him. The eldest Miller stares him straight in the eye before sighing and shaking his head.

"Listen Fish, i'm not gonna lie I am not 100% ok with this situation. In my eyes, no one is ever going to be good enough for Jinx, but I suppose if they HAVE to be with someone then you are the best man for the job."

Frankie lets out a breath he didn't even realise he was holding. He sticks his hand out to Will who takes it and gives it a firm shake.

"You have no idea how much of a weight that is off my shoulders man. What about Benny?"

" He'll come around eventually, he's just really overprotective of Jinx." Will reassures, clapping Fish on the back and heading into the kitchen to get a beer.

Frankie's shoulders slump in relief that this whole debacle is over. No more sneaking around, stealing kisses and quiet moments together. No more having to keep his feelings a secret. He can still hear Benny grumbling away in the background, arguing that the game was rigged and demanding a rematch. Santi being the shit stirrer that he is, cackles and continues to wind him up, calling him a sore loser. Frankie finally glances back to Jinx who is leaning against the wall smirking at him.

" Ready to claim your prize Francisco?"

Frankie's heart soars.

#frankie 'catfish' morales #triple frontier #santiago pope garcia #will miller #benny miller #pedro pascal #catfish morales #frankie catfish morales x reader #pedro character fic #santiago garcia #frankie morales x reader

123 notes · View notes