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its-deputy-caleb · 3 years

Note

If you're feeling up to writing a bit of Mikey, could I please request him being an asshat to everyone and being told off by his S/O after he asks Jack if he wants to earn a dollar?

(You know the part where he says to ask Arthur about the stick up his butt?)

He's such a dickhead and I find myself telling the screen off when he does it! 😂

His S/O giving him a slap and a bollocking after he kicks Cain, then they fuss over Cain and force Micah to make friends with him.

I dunno, it's up to you 😂 You could write any scenario you want, I'll still love it 😘😘

i am always up to writing for a bit of mikey (that nickname is so cute) but ngl i had no idea how to write this or put this together. I watched the clips again so i could get it accurate but i changed it bc i didn't know if u wanted a happy ending or not but i hope i delivered <33 also u asked for either and i gave u both :)

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Clemens Point was a strange place with even stranger people. After leaving valentine in a hurry it seems the entire gang was on edge and ready to blow like a stick of dynamite. It seems having to act like upstanding heartfelt citizens to the Grays and the Braithwaites has meant everyone is that aggravated and pent up.

On more than one occasion you’d seen Sadie lose it when Pearson got to pushy with chores and it seems Abigail and John couldn’t stand to have a normal conversation for five minutes before one of them broke. It wasn’t much better with Dutch and Hosea who were constantly disagreeing on the right moves for the gang, although they were much more civil about it.

You did your best to keep out of everyone’s way, to avoid the confrontation but knowing your luck you’d end up getting involved one way or another.

You were returning to camp one sweltering hot afternoon with Sadie after you finished collecting the gang’s weekly stock from the general store. You were only half listening to the hustle around the camp as you were too busy listening to Sadie tell you all about Pearson’s dear aunt Cathy. You stepped off the wagon and headed to the back to start unloading some of the supplies when the sound of Micah’s voice could be heard talking to Jack.

“How’d ya like to earn a dollar?”

His voice with thick with malice as he hunched over the wooden table. In Micah’s hands was a silver nickel that he fiddled with between his fingers, much like you’d seen of him do with his knife. Your eyes found Jack who was almost reluctant to get anywhere near the man who you knew scared him. However, being the innocent child that he was his eyes lit up at the sight of something shiny.

“A dollar? Sure.”

You carried the heavy bag of potatoes over to Pearson’s wagon as you went back for another round of supplies but you kept the boy in the corner of your eye.

“Well…go on up to old Arthur Morgan, ask him about the pole he’s got stuck up his ass and I’ll give ya a dollar.”

Micah’s face lit up in a smirk, his accent thick and his typical evil giggle falling from his mouth. He sat back on the chair, satisfied at the mischief he’s caused.

Before you could get anywhere Jack had run off to where Arthur was sitting in his tent, reading over a letter. You placed another round of ammunition into Strauss’ wagon, dropping it hastily and running as you saw Arthur walk right up to Micah with a murderous look in his eye.

“I’ll give you a dollar if you shut your—“

Arthur didn’t get to finish his insult before you stepped in front of him with a soft hand on his shoulder. You gave him a soft smile and a nod, quietly saying to your dear friend that you’d handle this.

With that you turned with your own look of anger directed to Micah. Everyone knew you loved him but they also knew you didn’t hesitate to call him out and get him to behave when you had to.

“Micah leave the damn boy alone!”

He scoffed like he wasn’t offended you didn’t defend him and instead chose to call him out. Micah’s hands came up in his signal of fake defeat as he slowly backed away from his place at the table, acting as if he was nothing more than the innocent bystander and not the one who nearly ended up on the ground with a broken nose for starting it.

You watched as Micah lingered around the edge of the camp, his eyes trained to yours as he lit a cigarette but you ignored him. Instead you walked over to Jack, smiling softly and taking his hand to lead him to the river’s edge.

“Common, why don’t we go see if we can find any beautiful rock on the sand, hmm? I’m sure your mother would love such a beautiful gift.”

Of course, it wasn’t more than a few days later when you ran into trouble again with Micah. You’d spent your time ignoring him mostly, instead choosing to go hunting with Charles and Arthur, practice your throwing knives with Javier and help teach Jack to read. You knew how badly it pissed Micah off to do things without him but he needed to understand that there was a way to treat people, especially with people you considered family.

You rolled up your sleeves, using your forearm to wipe the sweat from your forehead as you picked up the knife and started cutting carrots and potatoes for tonights stew.

“Are you a good boy? Yes you are! The best boy”

Your head came up to notice bill sitting against the log by the campfire, scratching under Cain’s chin and giving the energetic dog pats along the back. You couldn’t help but smile at the new addition to the gang and how happy it made you to see Bill less stressed. It seemed that having Cain made everyone feel more caring and loving.

All except Micah.

“You’re the fool that feed’s him Marion. He ain’t nothing more than a filthy mongrel and an extra mouth to feed.”

Micah had stood from his place on the opposite side of the campfire to antagonise Bill. A frustrated noise leaves you as you slam the knife down on the wooden bench, ready to storm over there and chew Micah’s ear off. You take a step forward only for Miss Grimshaw, who was working next to you, to grab your arm and stop you before you get any further.

“There is a time and a place dear, don’t make it worse.”

Of course you knew Susan was just trying to keep another argument from happening but you push past her when you see Micah inching towards Cain who had left his spot at Bill’s feet to hide by a wagon. In a split second decision you pick the knife you’re cooking with and use it like a throwing knife to get his attention. The knife swings through the air, not getting near anyone, it wasn’t like you actually wanted to stab Micah no matter how badly he could get on your nerves and watched as it got wedged into the tree behind him.

Micah’s head shot up, his foot moving away from Cain and stared dumbfounded and shocked, unused to seeing you so skilfully throw a knife but your practices paid off. You walked right into his personal space, taping your finger against his chest.

“Don’t. You. Dare”

Micah’s first response was to try and sweet-talk his way out of it like he always does but you were in no mood to deal with his slyness.

“Dare to do what sweetheart? Common now… weren’t gonna do nothin—“

Your hand came to give Micah a crisp slap across the cheek, apart of you was shocked that you’d even do such a thing but the other half of you was furious.

“Don’t underestimate for a minute that I won’t dump you right now and throw you out of camp Micah. I’m not some stranger you can sweet-talk when you get in trouble. I swear, if I see you go anywhere near Cain the knife isn’t going to hit the tree next time.”

Micah’s eyebrows shoot up in shock as you lecture him in front of almost the entire gang. Even Dutch put his book down when he heard your slap. He was lost for words, truely, having now other thought as he watched you walk away back to preparing tonights stew. He didn’t move from his place until he heard you whistle for Cain to sit by your feet, where he went and meandered off into the forest to give you space. All he knew was that he must have fucked up bad if you threatened to leave him.

A few hours later you’d managed to calm down, watching the sunset after Ms Grimshaw gave you the rest of the night off to relax at how pent up you were. Now sitting here you couldn’t help but feel like you may have over reacted but Micah had pushed your buttons one too many times and if Micah was going to listen to anyone it would be you. You let out a soft but hearty sigh as the tension and stress from your shoulders left with your breath. Your body relaxed against the tree and you watched the sun gently dip below the horizon.

It was well and truely dark before you heard the rustling of grass and the thud of someone sitting next to you. You thought it may have been Arthur coming to check on you but that thought died when arms wrapped around your waist and you felt Micah rest his chin on your shoulder, his stringy hair tickling your face at the gentle breeze.

“…M’ sorry…”

A very quiet and forced apology was pulled from Micah as he cuddled into you, mumbling it into your shoulder at the pain of actually having to apologise.

“Sorry won’t cut it Micah. You have to stop treating people that I care about— people that are family better.”

Micah sighs, the defeated, tired one that shows he’s willing to listen because no matter how badly he stirs up trouble, the thought of losing you is enough to have him turn his mind around.

“I know…gonna make it up to ya I promise.”

A soft and very cautious kiss is placed on your shoulder with Micah knowing he’s still not forgiven by you yet.

“You’re damn well gonna make it up to me. Firstly you’re apologising to Jack first thing tomorrow and secondly you need to pull your weight for this gang— and no I’m not talking about robbing another coach. To start you can sit on guard duty with me and you can wash my clothes.”

“I’ll just buy you new clothes”

You give Micah a death glare as you tilt your head to look at him. Instantly his teasing smirk leaves and his arms come to wrap tighter around your body, resting his hands on your stomach and intertwining your fingers.

“Alright, alright… guard duty ain’t so bad.”

You sit together for a while in a comfortable silence. All the energy from today had left you and you no longer had it in you to keep arguing. You’d hold Micah to his promise to do better but for now you leant back into his embrace and rested your head against his.

“Can I at least sleep in the tent tonight?”

You smiled softly as you hummed in contemplation just to tease him. Micah hadn’t come to sleep in your shared tent since the day he messed with Jack and both of you had missed each other despite the frustration and anger you had.

“Hmm, we’ll see.”

Micah thinks you’ve said no, panicking internally but is stopped when you turn your head and place a soft kiss to his cheek over the mark from where you’d slapped him not so long ago. It wasn’t the kiss that he wanted but he still needed to make it up to you before you gave him what he wanted.

You reached a soft hand up behind you, cradling his head and rubbing your thumb over his sore cheek.

“Is your cheek okay?”

Micah let out a gravelly noise, deep from his chest as he leaned into your hand.

“Ain’t gotta worry sweetheart, I’ve survived much worse”

You don’t get to reply when a tentative and cautious Cain makes his way over to the two of you. You pat your leg and he curls up beside you with his head resting on your leg and his tail thumbing, relaxed and happy.

Micah on the other hand was not relaxed or happy as he tensed up and moved away from the dog and you. If it wasn’t for your hand holding the back of his head he probably would’ve jumped away.

“Micah Cain isn’t going to hurt you, he just wants attention like you. See? No need to be afraid.”

To prove your point you reach a hand out and gently brush over his short, grey fur, watching as he perks up.

“I ain’t afraid!”

You would’ve believed him if you didn’t catch the waver in his voice but you knew. You knew after seeing him be spooked by the animal more than once around camp.

The hand that was still intertwined with his gently guided his hand pat Cain, letting him slowly get comfortable to him.

It took some time but finally Micah had gotten used to Cain enough to realise he was clearly not a threat. At some point Cain had moved over to Micah’s side, resting beside him as the night became later.

A yawn left you and you slowly sank into Micah’s embrace, your eyelids falling shut as you dozed, clearly exhausted.

Holding Micah to his promise was a job for tomorrow, but for now you let yourself fall asleep in his arms, the tent be damned.

#in the video micah is totally scared of cain #the man is terrified lmao #im also addicted to the nickname mikey now #adroable #and ignore the errors i have not edited this #micah bell x reader #micah bell imagine #micah bell #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2

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mypoisonedvine · 3 years

Note

You know what, my request is a second part to that heiress Zemo request because I need to know what happens. 😤

(Please and thank you, I am just very much on the edge of my sit, ma’am. 🥺💕)

alright... I can take a hint lmaooo (first part here!)

“De mama?” Addy asked in that sweet little voice of hers, tilting her head as she looked up at him. Her Sokovian was coming along well, though not quite as fast as her English since that was all her mother ever spoke to her. And of course, that’s who she was asking about now, and even though it was adorable, it was a bit heartbreaking, too. Is this what it will be like when the contract expires? he was forced to wonder. Will she ask where she is every day, until someday she forgets she ever had a mother? What kind of father would I be if I let her live like that?

“Vona na prohulyantsi, skoro povernetʹsya,” he answered with a shrug. She’s on a walk, she’ll be back soon. How would he ever find the heart to tell her the truth someday, if he didn’t fix this soon? She’s gone forever, I cast her away because I chose my pride over my love and your happiness.

No wonder he was so relieved when you got home, and he couldn’t help but smile as Addy reached up for you and you scooped her up into your arms with a smile. “Oh, you’re getting big,” you cooed at her. “How’d you get so big so fast, huh?”

Now was his chance to ever so casually bring up the contract and see how you reacted. Part of him was hoping that if he just never mentioned it, you’d just forget about it and things could stay this way forever. Unfortunately, that was nearly impossible, and it didn’t even really solve his problem fully because if things stayed this way forever then it meant he would never be with you again as he so longed to be; if things stayed this way forever, he would keep being a man desperately in love with his wife and powerless to do anything about it.

He wanted to touch you again, so much he couldn’t stand it. These days the only time you really spent together was when it was the three of you. It was so painfully obvious that the only love for him you had was the love you had for your child, extended to him as the father. You were only accessible when Addy was involved, you barely even looked at him when he wasn’t holding her.

It was actually rather cruel. Especially at times like this, when Addy wanted to be read a story and it ended up with her on your lap and you between his legs on the floor, forcing him to reach around all of you to hold the book open as he read.

You were right there... but a million miles away. If he had any courage he would just turn his head and kiss your cheek or bury his face in the crook of your neck. Instead he was paralyzed, and he could smell your hair from here which was adding insulting to injury at this point.

“Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess, who lived in a tower,” he read aloud, watching his daughter’s tiny fingers trace over the illustration of the princess on the page.

“Pryntsesa,” Addy mumbled to herself as she looked at it, and he felt pride warm his chest to hear her speaking Sokovian to herself.

“You’ve been teaching her without me,” you realized as you turned back to look at him with a smirk. God, your face was so close now that it was almost more work to not kiss you, especially when his eyes couldn’t help but dart down to your lips for a moment.

“She’s going to learn Sokovian whether you like it or not,” he reminded you.

“I’m not saying I don’t like it, I’m just saying I wanna be there for it,” you explained. “We can teach her together.”

Another co-parenting activity, another way you could get close to him only under the pretense of being with Addy. He needed to find a way to get you alone because this was going to drive him crazy.

“What happen?” Addy frowned, and both of you seemed to realize at once that he’d totally forgotten to keep reading.

“Oh, um,” he stammered, turning the page as you faced forward again. “A brave knight wanted to scale the tower to see the princess, but he didn’t know how.”

When he entered the bedroom, he wasn’t expecting to find you there, changing into your pyjamas. His first instinct was to look away and step back, pulling the door partially shut again with a mumbled apology.

“Helmut, you can come in,” you laughed. “I don’t mind if you see me changing, you’ve certainly seen much worse than this.”

He cleared his throat and stepped back in, gaze sweeping up over your exposed back. “I, uh, wanted to ask you something before we go to bed.”

“Yeah?” you prompted, pulling your nightgown over your head and walking to the bathroom where he followed you as you applied some sort of night cream to your face. He stood behind you, meeting your eyes in the reflection of the mirror.

“You mentioned teaching Addy together,” he remembered.

“If you just want that to be just a dad-daughter thing that’s fine,” you shrugged.

“No, it’s fine, I like the idea,” he nodded, “I just thought... well, I wondered...”

I wondered if you would go on a date with me. Why was it so hard to get it out, to his own wife, to the woman carrying his last name and wearing his ring?

Of course, it was hard to get out because when he thought about you with his name and his ring, all he could think was for how much longer?

You waited patiently with raised eyebrows, and he sighed.

“Nevermind.”

“Wait, what is it?” you chuckled, following him when he turned away and sat on the bed. “Now I’m curious.”

He glanced down at the bed he was sitting on, running his fingers over the quilt. “Why do we even share this bed?” he mumbled to himself.

“What?” you whispered.

“I mean, does it even matter? Are we just trying to look like something we’re not-- a normal couple?”

His eyes darted back up to your face when he heard your voice waver. “Are you asking me to sleep downstairs?”

“No,” he corrected instantly, standing up and stepping closer to you even as you tried to hide the way your eyes were watering. “No, darling, I just-- I don’t want you to feel like you have to share a bed with me. I may not be the best bed partner.”

“Oh, you’re quite the bed partner, if memory serves,” you blurted out, and his eyebrow raised suddenly. You seemed to regret it right away, turning to go back to the bathroom and examine yourself in the mirror.

“Hey, wait,” he followed you, turning you with a hand on your arm. “Let’s not let go of that topic so quickly.”

“It’s nothing. That’s over now.”

“What’s over?” he pressed.

“The part of this where we... did that,” you explained. “It was just a necessary process, to get pregnant in the first place. And then it happened a couple of times after I got pregnant, but that was just... I don’t know, you were so high on finally getting what you wanted and now--”

“What I wanted?” he repeated. “Explain to me what it is I want.”

“An heir!” you answered immediately. “Duh! That’s what this is all for.”

“I’ll tell you what I want,” he shot back sternly. “I want a family. I want this family. I want...” he took in a slow breath, afraid to say it aloud, “I want to hold you again. I want to call you my wife not because we both signed a contract but because we’re both in love.”

You blinked up at him, eyes wide and wet, and he tried to stay calm as he continued.

“Most of all, if that’s not what you want, then what I really want is for you to... pretend, please, just for a day. An hour, even. Pretend it’s real. Pretend it’s not just a show for our child, pretend you could really love me back. And then you can go. I don’t know how either of us will live without you, but, if you don’t want to be together then I don’t think I can take much more of this. I need to have you or I need to let you go because... because I’m too selfish to let Addy keep her mother while I lose my wife, I’m too weak-- and I can’t fucking do this anymore!”

He didn’t raise his voice often. Honestly, this was probably the first time since he met you. And it wasn’t quite yelling, but he was still terrified that it would scare you.

You didn’t look scared, though. You looked... peaceful, you even looked almost happy as you reached up and placed your hand onto the back of his neck and pulled him closer until your foreheads were pressed together.

He could smell your hair from here, and he took a deep breath in case it was the last time.

“Tell me what you want, darling,” he requested softly.

Your eyes fell shut before you took a deep, shaky breath. “I want you,” you whispered, making his heart stop.

He swallowed quickly. “Is that all?”

“I want another baby,” you added.

Carefully, he pulled you closer as he nodded, pressing his lips to yours. All this time he had spent convincing himself that kissing you wasn’t as good as he remembered... and he’d been a liar all along. It was just as perfect as he’d been imagining.

“I can give you both, right now,” he whispered against your lips, and when he felt you nod he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you into him, carrying you to bed.

He did his best to make up for lost time that night, though it would take a lot more than one night to overcome years of running from his love for you. Thankfully, you had the rest of your lives to try.

Although one of the great accomplishments of it all was finally being husband and wife, rather than just parents, you were both ecstatic when you were due to become parents again. No contracts required, no need for an heir, just a new addition to the Zemo family that would hopefully love being a part of it as the rest of you did. And the soon-to-be big sister got to help pick out a name:

Abigail | feminine

origin: Hebrew

meaning: My father’s joy

#helmut zemo x reader #baron zemo x reader #saturday night sleepover

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dekalko-mania · 3 years

Text

D&D: By wastefulreverie: Lester, Mikey, and Nathan were standing beside him. Mikey was fumbling with three jagged-sided dice while Lester and Nathan glared at each other. Realizing that he was awake, Lester broke eye contact with Nathan. Awkwardly, he put his hand on Danny's shoulder. "Do you want to join our campaign?" he blurted.

Danny tilted his head skeptically, "Join your what?"

Additional Tags: Dungeons and Dragons, friendship, humor, [really enjoyed the irony in this one]

Making Something Out of Nothing: By wastefulreverie: When Ishiyama calls Danny into her office, the last thing he expected was to be offered a job.

Additional Tags: Post-reveal, Teacher! Danny,

Tiny Little Pieces of Ours: By Bellovebug: Danny Fenton was a dreamer. A dreamer of stars, of galaxies, of spaceships and sunsets and snow. He was a dreamer of wildflowers in the forest, of messages left on the insides of folders set up to take a test, of Polaroids an unknown person has dropped on the street. He was a dreamer of the things that didn't matter, because the things that did scared him.

But dreams don't last forever. And when Danny is gone, he leaves many in his wake.

(Or, a look at Danny's death, and the lives of the people in his life afterwards.)

Additional Tags: Major Character Death, hurt Danny, grieving, Sam and Tucker Centric, [This one hurt so much, but is very beautifully written. Still hurts even now lmao]

A Play to Remember: By AppleScentedLazers: When Danny's drama class puts on a play and Fenton is cast as his own crime fighting counterpart, what's the worst that could happen? With a new villain rising and lines to learn, the people of Amity start to see that there may be more to their resident ghost boy than meets the eye.

Additional Tags: Angst, [interesting reveal concept! more in-depth A-listers]

I’m Still Here: By Cordria: Buried in the backyard, Danny's locked away in a forgotten Thermos. When it's finally found seventy years later, Danny is released and he needs to learn to deal with his new life. Can he survive what the future can throw at him?

Additional Tags: Angst [definitely nostalgic angst]

The Scrapbook: By Dragon Elexus: Fearful of Jazz's idolism of the ghost-boy, Maddie tries to protect her daughter by stealing her Phantom scrapbook. But the book sparks strange questions in Maddie's mind, and she finds herself stumbling on secrets she never knew existed. Pre-PP.

Additional Tags: Family

Exposed: By ADraconicScribe: A mysterious caller has revealed that the infamous Danny Phantom is half-human, placing a five hundred thousand dollar prize to the one who exposes Phantom's secret identity. Coupled with Vlad's disappearance, the ghost fighting, and all of the efforts to capture him, Danny and his friends must tread carefully if they are to make it out with their secrets, and their lives, intact.

Additional Tags: angst, BAMF Danny Fenton, Identity Reveal, Sam and Tucker are good friends, [I cannot stress how amazing this fic is, extremely well written, such an intense plot. Endless twists and turns, so so good.]

Maybe We’ll Find Each Other: By DP_Marvel94: Phantom, the adoptive son of Clockwork, doesn't remember his life but wishes he did. Jack Fenton, ghost hunter, lost his only son at a young age. When the portal activates, a newly half-human Phantom stumbles into Jack's lab, barely a painfully familiar blue-eyed, black haired form.

Additional Tags: Full ghost to half ghost Phantom, Ghosts think halfas are abominations, father-son relationship, but neither know they’re parent and child [very very interesting story, super cool concept!]

Katzenjammer: By DannyPhantomSG1, sapphireswimming: Danny's had enough. Of everything. But thankfully Tucker understands.

Additional Tags: Oneshot, Half Ghost Angst, Hurt/comfort, Friendship

Hope Can Be a Heavy Thing to Hold: By DP_Marvel94: " I woke up here, wherever here is, with no memories. He told me my name is Daniel James Masters. He told me I am a human-ghost hybrid, like him. He told me he is my father. But I know that’s a lie; there is no way Vlad Masters, my captor is my parent. I know I have a real home somewhere out there. I have a family and friends who love me. Too bad I can’t remember anything about them."

Additional Tags: Amnesia, child abuse, Diary/journal, poor Danny can’t remember anything

Abigail the Tree Girl: By EchoGhost: Danny didn’t see his first ghost at 14.

Additional Tags: Haunted Amity Park, Danny has always been weird, clueless Danny

Just Fourteen: By aniura: Danny Fenton is an average high school student whose biggest worry is getting the grades needed to become an astronaut. That is, until his friend Sam convinces him to step inside his parents' broken ghost portal...Updates bi-weekly on Sundays. Covers Danny's time at Casper High before the accident and the month afterwards.

Additional Tags: Angst, origin, the accident, Danny is NOT okay, [really cool fic that fills in the gaps that weren’t delved into during the show]

The Phantom and the Knight: By savya398: After two years Danny Fenton finally felt like he was getting this whole superhero thing under control. So of course something had to come along and ruin everything.

Additional Tags: Danny Phantom/Young Justice, DC Animated Universe, [little twist on Danny’s origins]

Six Degrees of Separation: By Miss_Nihilist: Valerie Gray was not one for doubt and regret, but that was before she fell in love — and then, promptly and without a second thought, threw it away.

She wasn't looking for them to get back together or even to automatically be friends again. But maybe, just maybe, Valerie could get a second chance at being a decent person. For Danny, for herself, and for all the mistakes she had made.

Additional Tags: Moving On, Post break-up, hurt/comfort, identity reveal

Three for the Price of One: By Marsalias: They had only meant to summon ONE ghost...

Additional Tags: cult, summoning

When the Kingdom Comes Calling: By blueh: The Ghost Zone population assumes that Phantom took the crown with dignity. What they don’t know is fifteen year old Danny Fenton just wants to graduate high school, is constantly ready to throw hands with an army of eyeballs, and absolutely will not be crowned the Ghost King without a fight.

Additional Tags: Not PP compliant, ghost king Danny Fenton, fluff and humor, reluctant king au, [so funny and so on character for a little shit like Danny oof]

#lets pretend its friday and not saturday ok lmao #Phanfic Friday #Danny Phantom #danny phantom fanfiction #fics recs #danny fenton #valerie gray #sam manson #Tucker Foley

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howlingday · 3 years

Note

nora the arc au) nora finds out that blake was essentually a child soldier and blake admits she's afraid that she doesn't know how to be a good person nora sugests she find someone she trusts to be a good person and then just follow their orders. then study them to find out how to be a good person yourself.

she was expecting blake to follow her own team leader ruby. instead now she's got a cat constantly watching her and jaune trying to get intimate. SHE CAN'T HOLD HANDS IN FRONT OF SOMEONE IT'S TOO LEWD! she can kiss her husband tho so consolation prize

Ceiling Cat!

Blake heard everything. Blake saw everything. If it happens in Beacon, sooner or later, she would learn about it. So when she learned about her neighbors across the hall being both the most trusting people and the most loving couple, she needed to learn more, firsthand.

Her years in the White Fang taught her many skills, including infiltration. She knocked on the door, no doubt drawing the attention of the dwellers inside. The door opens.

"Hm?" Jaune peered out through the door. "Oh, hey, Blake! What's up?"

She needed to gain their trust if she was taking this route. Failure to do so could end in total mission failure. She needed to give them a reason to let her in.

"Hey, Jaune. Do you mind if we talk in your room?"

"Uh, sure!" Jaune opened the door wide and stepped aside. "Come on in!"

"Thank you." The door shut behind her. Mission accomplished.

"What are you doing by the peephole, Yang?" Damn! I've been spotted! It's all on you, Blake! Your partner's been captured by the ice queen! "Hey!"

Blake sat quietly across the tea table Jaune unfolded for their discussion. She was told it was an idea Ren had to help bond the team together. It was small, square, and only had enough room for one person at each end. Thankfully, however, it was tall enough to have tea on. She was served a cup pre-made by Ren for sudden guests.

"So what's on your mind?" Jaune asked.

"I'm told you're the most trusting man at Beacon."

"Wow, really?" Jaune blushed. "I had no idea!"

Blake nodded. "I wanted to get to know you a little better, and hopefully you can get to know me as well."

"Yeah, that'd be great!" Jaune beamed. "What do you want to know?"

"First, I'd like to know about your family." Blake began. "You were born to the Arc family, correct?"

Jaune nodded. "I take you've heard of them."

"Only a few times. My father used to praise your family for being kind." Jaune grinned. "But he also criticized their recklessness." He frowned. "He said your family made a habit of sticking their nose where it didn't belong. The Faunus Wars, for example."

"Oh, yeah. You mean Abigail Arc, right?" Blake nodded. "Honestly, I don't know a lot about her, except that she broke Faunus from slavery during the early settling of Vacuo."

Blake nodded. "Yes, and at the time, she was my favorite human from history."

"Really? Who was your favorite Faunus?"

"I would say Ghira Belladonna, one of the early founders of the White Fang."

"The terrorist group?" Blake flinched, but Jaune didn't seem to notice. "Kind of weird, but I guess it makes sense if you cared a lot about Faunus rights."

Blake nodded. "Yes, and I do. Jaune, do you trust me?"

"Of course I do."

"And can I trust you?"

"You can." Blake removed the string from her ribbon, causing it to fall and reveal her small cat ears. Jaune blinked and gasped. Blake blushed as she revealed her secret.

"Kitty!"

"What?" Blake whirled around to find Nora standing behind her, gawking at Blake's ears. She had stars in her eyes, like a child watching a butterfly for the first time.

"Can I touch them?" Nora gave a pouty face. "Pleeeeeeeease?"

"Nora," Jaune warned, "mind your manners."

Blake giggled. "Are you sure you're a couple? You seem more like a parent and child relationship."

Nora scoffed. "It's just a gag we run with each other. Right, Jauney?"

Jaune chuckled. "Yes, honey, it is." Jaune then looked Blake dead in the eyes and shook his head, mouthing 'No!' Nora pulled up a chair and sat between them. "So, you're a cat faunus? I take it that's why you're so curious about my thoughts on Abigail Arc."

"Partially." Blake admitted. "Moreover, I was curious on your thoughts on human/faunus relations."

"What relations?" Nora asked.

Blake nodded. "Exactly. Humans and Faunus have had a strained connection between them since the end of the Faunus Wars. Some people have held onto their grudges from then, even when the war ended before their parents were born."

Nora nodded along. "Mhm, I see."

"It's a shame when people can't see past a set of ears or a tail to have a normal conversation." Jaune replied.

"Yes, a darn shame." Nora nodded again.

"Cardin is one example." Blake offered. "His great grandfather fought against the Faunus, and he still holds a grudge against us, even though we never harmed him."

"True, true."

"Nora," Jaune looked in his fiance's direction, "when did the Faunus Wars end?"

"Uh," Nora blushed, "sixty-three years ago starting at noon tomorrow?"

Blake and Jaune shared a look, then looked back in Nora's direction. "Lucky guess."

"Look, I don't really get it, but I still think it's ridiculous." Nora started listing things on her fingers, "The Faunus Wars, the White Fang, the Menagerie Outcastings, the SDC embargoes," Nora waved her hands in the air. "It's all ridiculous! At the end of the day, we're all the same squishy people with breakable body parts."

"A bit morbid, but I understand." Blake was surprised to hear Nora make an argument against not just Faunus discrimination, but discrimination as a whole. She smiled as she stood up. "I should be going." She tied the bow around her ears. "But before I go, I have one more question to ask you."

Jaune and Nora watched carefully. "Yes?" Jaune answered.

"I used to be a member of the White Fang. I used to hurt people for a living. For ten years, every day, I fought against violence with violence. Knowing this," Blake turned to face them, their visibly pale faces watching her every move, "will you treat me any differently?"

"Yes," Jaune answered immediately, standing up and approaching her. She watched as he closed the gap between them, unflinching, expecting the worst. "I'm sorry."

Blake couldn't move. She was trapped in his grip, and he refused to let go. Worse yet, it felt... nice.

Jaune hugged her, resting his head on her shoulder, one hand rubbing her back. "I'm sorry you had to go through that?"

"Jeez, Jauney," Nora teased, "now who's being rude, hugging a girl without her permission?"

"It's fine, it's..." Blake leaned into the hug, "nice."

Blake had left, and Jaune was currently putting the tea table away. He folded it and slipped it into the closet space. As he shut the door, he was hugged from behind by Nora. "You really do have a big heart," Nora said, "you know that?"

"Yeah, I know." Jaune answered. "What I didn't know was how much you knew about Faunus history."

Nora giggled. "Just because I don't talk about it, it doesn't mean I don't know anything about it."

"Fair point." Jaune admitted. "So, here we are again."

"All alone." Nora added.

"Ren and Pyrrha won't be back for a while. Do you wanna..." Jaune trailed off.

"Right now? In the middle of the day?" Nora asked.

Jaune turned around to face Nora. He draped his arms over her shoulders. "Why not? No one's watching."

Nora gulped. "O-Okay."

Jaune and Nora held their hands up, touching palms together. Jaune shifted his hand clockwise and began by wrapping her hand with his pinkie. Nora followed suit with her pinkie, nestling it between his Pinkie and ring finger. Jaune then lowered his ring finger down, followed by Nora, though her finger's ring cause Jaune to flinch from how cold it was. "Are you okay?" Nora asked. Jaune nodded, and continued with his middle finger. Then came the index fingers, leaving only the thumbs extended. Jaune wrapped his thumb around Nora's hand, with the girl looking up with a dreamy sigh.

"BLAKE?!" Nora shrieked. Nora leapt away and looked away with a blush. Jaune looked up, and indeed saw the Faunus girl above with cat eyes wide with pupils round.

"Should you be doing such lewd things without wedding rings on?" Blake asked.

Jaune grabbed his boot from the closet, hefting it up. "GET OUT OF HERE, CEILING CAT!" Jaune tossed his boot into the ceiling, forcing Blake to scurry away.

"What happened?!" Ruby asked, static covering her speech.

"Mission failed," Blake reported, "we'll get 'em next time."

#rwby #jaune arc #nora’s arc #nora the arc au #nora valkyrie #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #weiss schnee #ruby rose

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rodeo-boots · 3 years

Note

if requests are open than requests you shall get! think you could write some sadie and abigail, with a dominant sadie and some denial? thank you!

Thank u so much for this request, writing this was actually a lot of fun!! I hope this is what you've been lookin' for <3

Rating: Explicit

Words: 2837

Warnings: this is set in the epilogue, there's an argument with John in the beginning here, as well as some discussions about John and how not good of a husband he is. I'm sorry John, ily

AO3

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It wasn't rare to see Abigail alone in the ranch house.

Most times when Sadie popped by, the woman was busying herself with chores, took charge of her household better than Sadie ever could and worked without any complaints to begin with. Even though she had every reason to complain.

Her husband was rarely home, stayed out to go on his own little adventures rather than helping his wife. It was a discouraging sight. Not what Sadie's own married life had been like at all.

She had always believed that marriage only deepened the bond between two people. But looking at Abigail and John, that sentiment was clearly wrong.

They had escaped the harsh reality of their gang-life years ago, had chosen a separate path from Sadie by leading what might be called a settled life, while she didn't forget about her roots.

Ever since her own husband had died, it had become increasingly hard for Sadie to sit down, to let the silence consume her and allow a lack of work to weigh her down. She rather put herself out there, used the skills she had acquired over the years and brought in bounties who thought themselves bigger than her.

Occasionally, she just had to return to the Marston household, however.

She had to check in, make sure that everything still ran as harmonically as could be, and most importantly, that Abigail was happy. All those years, she's always had a soft spot for her. Arthur might've teased her about it, might've said she was sweet on the woman.

But Arthur Morgan was long gone. And she was only doing what was in her might to make sure his sacrifice wouldn't be for nothing.

Once again, she found herself standing in front of the doors to the ranch house, raised her fist to knock, before brushing sweaty strands of hair out of her face.

It was hot, overwhelmingly so, the climate of the west still not being entirely to her liking.

When the door opened, it was with a bout of yelling, with an air of tension and a stressed John who pushed his way right past her.

"Then do what you want, I ain't listenin' to your nagging no more!" He only passed Sadie a brief look, gave her a short nod though his jaw was still as tense as it had been before.

"John Marston, this conversation is far from over!”

When Abigail marched through the door, her husband had already swung his leg over the back of his horse, didn't waste a second to look back as he rode off.

"Christ," Abigail exhaled, ran her hands over her features before her gaze shifted to the side, where Sadie leaned against the wall of her house.

"I'm sorry, didn't mean to greet you quite like this."

Sadie shook her head, nodded towards the chairs upon the porch. "You wanna sit down? Looks like you could use a distraction."

Abigail slung the dishcloth she had held in her hands over her shoulder, sinking down in one of the nearest chairs with a soft sigh.

Pushing herself off the wall, Sadie sauntered to the free chair, sat herself down with her knees parted and her elbows rested upon them. She gazed up at Abigail, only needing to take one look at her face to tell that she had more on her mind than the apparent fight with John.

"Want a smoke?"

The woman gave her a nod, and Sadie offered her one of her last cigarettes, watching as Abigail relaxed a little more once tobacco flooded her lungs.

"I don't understand what's with him– he... he ain't wanna spend time with the boy. But every time he gets home he complains that Jack never does anythin'."

Abigail twisted the cigarette between her fingers, bringing it up to her lips again to take another deep drag.

She looked tired, looked like she had laid awake for a couple nights by now. Realistically, the troublesome times were supposed to be over. But Abigail appeared like they had only just begun.

"All he really does is complain, and lie. I ain't got no idea what he does each time he's out. He brings back no money, and when he does... I ain't wanna know where it's from."

With a frown at her own lips, Sadie reached out, rested a hand on Abigail's knee. "He's tryin'," she said, knowing that John, despite everything, had always only looked after his family.

"I know. I'm bein' ungrateful." Abigail took another drag from her cigarette, passing it over to Sadie while muttering a "I ain't want this no more."

Sadie raised her hand off Abigail's knee, reached for the cigarette to finish it off. She wouldn't waste something she might've paid for.

"You should look after each other," she began to speak again, thoughtfully watching the smoke curl around them. "And work together instead of alone. I know it's gotta be hard, and I ain't think he deserves a woman like you, but... do it for Jack."

Deep down, Sadie didn't want Abigail to be unhappily married, however. She knew that John and her didn't work out as a couple, knew that the one who suffered most between them was their very own son.

The last advice she wanted to give was for Abigail to endure, but what else could she say that wouldn't give her away?

Abigail's eyes were on her by the time she tore herself out of her thoughts. "I'm always doin' everything for Jack. Always. He's everythin' I got."

"You got me."

The woman huffed, averted her eyes to look out onto her yard.

Jack had found a shady spot for himself, sitting underneath a big oak tree with a book in his hands, unbothered by the conflict that had shaped between his parents.

"Do I?" She asked eventually, searching Sadie's expression. "You got a job. You're doin' somethin' you love and can come and go as you please. Maybe you ain't much different than John."

It was Sadie's turn to huff, shaking her head ever so gently at the words that left the other woman's lips. "Do I look like a John to you?" She raised an eyebrow, a lopsided smile at her lips.

Sadie stood, offering Abigail a hand to get to her feet as well. "Let's get outta this heat. You got somethin' to drink?"

It wasn't rare for them to sit and talk, for them to lounge on the couch in the Marston's living space and catch up like old friends would.

That's what they were, after all; friends, nothing more, nothing less.

Sadie nursed her glass of water, glad for the hydration even though she had meant liquor by asking for a drink. Maybe being here with a sober mind was best, though.

"I..." Sadie's gaze shifted over to the other woman when she spoke up, inquiry in her expression. She had been quiet all this time, looked deep in thought still, and Sadie couldn't tell what might be going through her head.

"I still love him."

That hadn't been what she had expected to hear.

"No doubt 'bout that, I never meant to–"

But Abigail already shook her head. "I ain't sayin' that because you insinuated anythin', just... I gotta remind myself." And after swallowing she added, "to tell him."

"If it ain't true, y'ain't gotta tell him anything," Sadie pointed out, firmly but patiently. "You don't gotta love him to raise a child together. Jack would do better if you two just... dropped the act."

At that, Abigail's expression tightened once again. "What act?" She had set her glass down by her side, her gaze bordering on angry. "We've been together for years, we're married, I ain't gonna forget all about that."

"But are you happy?"

Abigail's anger deflated, her posture slowly starting to loosen again as she sunk back into the couch cushions.

Despite not receiving an answer, Sadie was sure what it would be, sighing as she put her glass down, and pushed herself off the couch to crouch in front of the other woman.

She took her hands into her own, the gesture kind, though there was no denying the underlying love of it.

Abigail stared down at her, and Sadie met her gaze without any problems.

Encouragingly squeezing Abigail's hands, she spoke up. "You're a strong woman, Abigail. You know what you want, what you need. It ain't John, not as your husband ‘tleast." And while she hadn't intended to speak poorly of him, Sadie only wished to give her friend some good advice.

"You're only together for Jack by now, and he knows that. You know that. It ain't gonna work."

Abigail briefly chewed at the inside of her lip, Sadie's stare dropping to them as she involuntarily licked her own.

"What do you suggest?" The woman asked carefully, not making any move of pulling her hands away from Sadie's.

"Stay friends. Work together around the house, but live your own separate lives. That's kind of what you're doin' already, anyways."

She moved to get up, to push herself back onto her feet, but Abigail stopped her, held onto her hands a little tighter.

"I never knew you had such a way with words, Mrs. Adler."

Sadie snorted, laughed out joyfully and shook her head. "Guess that's what you're doin' to me," she responded without thinking twice, always having felt a little more cheesy around the other woman.

"Oh, is it?" Abigail teased. She seemed to be in a good mood by now, which was surprising, but nothing Sadie would ever complain about. "Is there somethin' else I'm doin' to you?"

It almost sounded like she was flirting with her, Sadie biting back her smile as she sat up on her heels. "You want the truth?" She asked, waiting for Abigail's nod.

Leaning in a little further, she propped her arms up left and right of Abigail's hips, her lips at her ear as she spoke her next, bold words. "You make me so wet," she chuckled, playfully biting down on Abigail's earlobe, pulling away only to catch her expression.

Which wasn't as flustered as she had hoped for. "That it?" The smile still remained on Abigail's lips, but she didn't appear surprised, if anything, she looked happy.

Sadie couldn't stop herself anymore, cradling Abigail's jaw to pull her closer, her eyelids fluttering shut by the time the woman's soft lips met her own, chapped ones.

"Bedroom," she mumbled into the kiss, and without pulling back right away, she shrugged her coat off her shoulders and dropped her hat on top of it, nibbled on Abigail's lower lip one more time before loosening the embrace, and leading her into her bedroom.

Abigail landed on her back upon the mattress, Sadie following suit with no intention of ever pulling away again.

She had half-heartedly kicked the door shut behind them, had opened a couple buttons of her blouse before giving up and focusing on something better instead. That being Abigail.

Their lips met once again with apparent urgency, the woman beneath Sadie gasping when she grabbed her skirt and pulled it upwards.

"I never knew you were quite so rough," Abigail chuckled, Sadie pulling back for a second to peer down and into her face.

"You like that?" She asked, tilting her head while her fingers brushed through the other woman's hair, and loosened the tie holding it all together.

Abigail smiled, genuinely for the first time in a while, guiding Sadie down to her again. "I like you," she clarified, her words barely audible.

But they didn't go unnoticed.

"You do?"

Abigail nodded without hesitation, the smile upon Sadie's own lips spreading.

"Now... you spoke about bein' wet before," the woman started, one of her hands trailing down and towards the front of Sadie's pants.

She caught it before Abigail's hand could reach its destination, pinning both of them over her head. Clicking her tongue, she straddled her waist, not caring too much about the boots she had yet to kick off.

"My rules." She kept both of Abigail's wrists pinned with one hand, her other caressing the soft skin of her face. "Understood?"

Abigail swallowed, a rosy blush coloring her cheeks. "I could've guessed." She had spoken quietly once again, though Sadie had picked up her words just the same.

Releasing a questioning hum, her free hand dropped to roam Abigail's body, squeezing her hip appreciatively.

"Could've known you wanna be in control," the other woman finished, biting down on her plush lower lip at Sadie's fleeting touches, squirming beneath her in a need for more.

But from one moment to the next, Sadie let go, sat back and began undressing herself.

"It wouldn't be fun otherwise," she replied with a lopsided grin, Abigail staring up at her in awe, until Sadie clicked her tongue again.

"Go on, undress."

They didn't need long, their bodies soon flush against one another’s again, Sadie taking the lead as she had wished to do before.

Truthfully, she had yearned to touch Abigail for years, ever since their time back at camp, had dreamed about a moment such as this. And now it was finally a reality.

She listened to her sweet moans, her voice like music to her ears when she gasped her name the moment Sadie's fingers dipped down into her tight wet heat.

Fingers started to claw at her shoulders, Sadie keeping herself up with her knees, seated right between Abigail's parted thighs.

"C'mon, I wanna hear you," she encouraged, fingers twisting and crooking until the other woman released a particularly sweet little noise, the smile upon Sadie's lips growing at the sound.

She kissed her once more; her lips, the corner of her mouth, along her jaw and down to her neck. Sadie paid attention to her collarbones, dipping her head lower to envelop one of Abigail's nipples in the heat of her mouth.

Each and every reaction went straight to her head, was soaked up right away to never be let go of again. Sadie's eyes remained glued to Abigail' flushed features, even after she had tossed her head back.

Then she ventured lower, kissed above and below Abigail's navel while her hands held her hips in place, smirking up at her before bringing her mouth right where she might need it the most.

The moment she licked over Abigail's clit, the woman tensed beneath her, curved her spine and tried to raise her hips higher.

"It's alright, nice'n easy," Sadie hummed, tasting her lover on the tip of her tongue.

Steadily, she worked up a rhythm, explored Abigail's sensitive sex until the woman was quaking and trembling. She tried to remember her most responsive spots, the tongue-movements that made Abigail's eyes roll back and her voice grow hoarse.

Once she slipped two fingers into her slick heat, Abigail quivered, and came with a choked-off moan.

Slowing her pace before pulling her fingers out entirely, Sadie crawled over Abigail's body, pushing her hair back out of her face to look her into the eyes. "Pretty good, huh?"

Abigail huffed, bonelessly sprawled out on the mattress. "You ain't too bad," she admitted, though that much was clear. "C'mere." She pulled Sadie in again, prompted her to lay down on top of her as her arms wrapped around her neck.

"Fuck me," she demanded, Sadie huffing out at the words she had never expected to hear from Abigail.

Regardless, she couldn't deny her that request, propping her hands up on both sides of her head before beginning to grind down. Her cunt had been leaking all this time, Abigail’s slick mixing with her own as they moved against each other – with one another.

"Shit–" Sadie's breath stuttered, the heat within her loins only continuing to grow, breaths turning into pants the more she increased the pace of her movements.

Beneath her, Abigail seemed to be in a similar position, still oh-so-sensitive and overstimulated from her last orgasm, shivering and gasping each time Sadie ground down on her.

It didn't take too much, a few more coordinated rolls of Sadie's hips and they both were tipping over the edge. Her hair fell in front of her face, breaths stuttering as she let her release wash over her.

Sadie plopped down by Abigail's side, not hesitating before she pulled her right into her arms.

They laid there for a while, listening to each other's breaths and the hearts beating within both their chests.

"See? You don't need a cock to be happy," Sadie mumbled, turning her head towards the other woman.

Abigail nudged her, unable to bite back her laughter. "Don't talk like that."

"M'only jokin'." The smile remained at Sadie's lips, her gaze a loving and adoring one. "Just talk to him, okay?"

She reached over, taking hold of Abigail's jaw, her thumb caressing her cheekbone.

"I will."

#sadigail #abigail roberts #abigail roberts marston #sadie adler #red dead redemption 2 #nsft #rdr2 fandom #rdr fanfic #rdr2 requests #anon #my writing #my trash #long post

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outlawsworld · 3 years

Text

Trusting Strangers - Chapter 14

Arthur Morgan x Female reader

Summary: Reader confronts John and Arthur brings up more of his past.

Warnings:None really, just fluff, bad language!

Notes: So this isn't as action packed as the rest of the chapters but I think it definitely leads to other things. Please stick with it and let me know what you think 🤠

Chapter 1

John turned to look over his shoulder as you approached him. He held a cigarette between his lips and shook his head when you came to perch on the rock beside him.

''I ain't in the mood just now (Y/N)'' he scowled. You didn't move from your spot next to him. Instead you watched him as he smoked the last of his cigarette and threw it away. ''You're gonna pester me all night ain't ya?'' he side eyed you as you sat in silence.

''If that's what it takes'' you say with a weak smile. He finally turns to look you in the eye before sighing.

''Fine'' his features softened slightly as he admitted defeat. John's eyes flicked between yours and the ground. His hands were fidgeting with the fabric on his coat and he seemed to struggle to find the words. If you didn't know any better you would have thought he was nervous.

''John?'' you placed your hand cautiously on his shoulder to try and reassure him. He flinched away from your touch, like you had burnt him. You quickly retracted your hand and placed it in your lap.

''I'm sorry'' he shook his head before meeting your gaze. ''I didn't mean to take anythin' out on you (Y/N). Just been a shit couple of days''.

''Tell me about it, maybe I can help'' you spoke softly. John took a deep breath in before relaxing his shoulders.

''It ain't nothin'. It's just Abigail. She's been gettin' at me more then usual the last couple of days'' he shifted uncomfortably. You wanted to believe that was all John was angry about but something didn't seem true about his words. He would normally just tell you or ask for advice when it came to Abigail. In the past when they have fought he would be so happy to leave camp but today he had been so cold.

''Why didn't you just tell me? We've always talked to each other'' John's brow furrowed at your comment.

''Yeah, is that so?'' he scoffed. John stood up from the rock and took a couple steps towards the water. He grabbed a stone from the waters edge and thew it as far as he could. It landed in the lake with a loud splash. You stood up from the rock, following John along the sand.

''Well I thought so'' you stood in front of him to stop him from walking away from you.

''You thought wrong'' he gently pushed past you and began to march down the water line. You felt hurt by his comment, you always thought that he could talk to you. For a split second you let him walk away. You began to feel irritated by John's mood. All day you had been thinking and you couldn't understand what you had done to deserve this. Your own anger got the better of you and you ran after him.

''What's that supposed to mean?'' you caught up to him. Your small strides, working quickly to keep up with him.

''Leave it (Y/N)'' John snapped at you.

''No'' you shouted at him. ''God damn it John. Just tell me'' you felt hot, every inch of your body was tense and you were starting to lose your patience.

''I told you everything'' he immediately stopped in his tracks his voice was raised and his anger was aimed directly at you. ''Whenever Abigail was gettin' to me or when I felt like I was doin' a shit job of bein' a father. I told you. You said we've always talked to each other but it was always one sided. You never told me anythin' about you. You definitely never said anything about you and Arthur'' he gestured towards camp. Your mouth dropped as you took a step back away from John.

''That's what this is about?'' the shock in your voice was apparent. ''It's about me and Arthur?'' the subject made your blood boil. How could he be mad about it, you thought he would be happy for you.

''We had spent so much time together and not once did it come up. I had to find out from god damn Micah'' John bellowed.

''It's not like we intended it to be announced like that'' you defended yourself. ''I didn't realise me not tellin' you would annoy you. Do you really care that much?''.

''I couldn't care less about you two'' John's words cut through you like a knife. Silence fell between you both as you stared at him in shock. Tears began to well up in your eyes at your best friend's words. You held them back as you took a steady breath. He doesn't care about you. It didn't make sense, why would he be so annoyed about you wanting to keep it private for a while. You thought out of everyone he would understand. Having his relationship with Abigail so out in the open, he hates everyone knowing thier business.

''Thanks for makin' that clear'' you spoke in a hushed voice trying to not let your emotions get the better of you. ''So if you don't care about me then why are you so pissed off?'' you met John's brown eyes. They began to soften as he came back to reality and realised what he had said.

''(Y/N), I didn't mean it like that. Of course I care about ya'' he paused to take a heavy breath and pinch the bridge of his nose. ''Look a lot of things have been on my mind recently. I guess finding out about you two was a shock and I didn't know how to respond. I had no idea about you two. Just thought you would 'av told me. Just wish I hadn't been so stupid..'' he trailed off looking back out over the water.

''Stupid?'' you questioned.

''Ahh nothin'. Ignore me, I'm just thinkin' out loud'' he turned back to face you before giving you a weak smile. ''I'm sorry 'bout shoutin' at ya. That weren't my intention'' he held his hands up in defence which made you smile.

''It's alright'' you sighed. "Guess you'll just have to be extra nice to me to make up for it" you teased him.

"Deal" he smirked. The two of you walked back to camp slowly while John told you about his and Abigail's latest argument. Your relationship with Arthur wasn't mentioned again and you didn't dare bring it up. Even though John was telling you about his problems, you couldn't help but think he was witholding something. You decided it was best not to pry in case it made him angry again. If he wanted you to know he would tell you in his own time. The sun was beginning to set by the time you got back into the camp. You and John grabbed a bowl of Pearson's stew before sitting around the fire with Tilly, Hosea and Keiran.

''How are you doing my girl?'' Hosea asked as you sat on the log next to him.

''I'm alright Hosea, and you?'' you asked between mouthfuls of stew.

''I'm getting old'' he chuckled. ''Arthur and yourself seem like you have worked everything out'' you look around the fire quickly, to see that everyone was engaged in their own conversations. Hosea laughed at your reaction at the mention of your relationship before patting your leg.

''Sorry, old habits'' you giggled. ''Yes, I have to thank you Hosea. If it weren't for you I think we would still be ignoring each other''.

''My dear, you don't have to thank me. It's been a long time since I've seen Arthur happy and that's all thanks to you'' your heart warms at Hosea's comment and your cheeks begin to blush.

''I'm guessing he didn't get recognised going back to the Braithwaites earlier?'' you questioned. Your mind had still not settled since Arthur left camp earlier and you needed to know he was safe.

''No, he was fine. But I heard the commotion you all made earlier with those horses'' he shook his head as he glanced over at Dutch who was standing outside his tent. ''We need to lay low with both families after tonight. Trelawny was right, people talk, even when there is a feud goin' on'' Hosea looked concerned but you agreed. You had always thought it was a stupid idea to rob both the families.

The name Trelawny had been passed around camp since you had joined but you had never had the pleasure of meeting the man yet. Clearly the man had sense in informing the gang to go careful but Dutch had other ideas.

The night drew in quickly as stories were passed back and forth across the campfire. Javier joined you and began to play his guitar. The other girls and Charles all joined as well and began singing along to a songs Javier was playing. It was beginning to get later and Arthur and Sean still hadn't returned. Hosea's words had definitely put your mind at ease though so you excused yourself and went to your tent.

It didn't take you long before you were laying in your cot with Javier's soft melody lulling you into slumber.

''(Y/N)'' you were woken by a deep voice. Your eyes fluttered open to see it was still dark outside. You must have only been asleep for a couple hours. ''(Y/N), you awake?'' the voice was just above a whisper outside your tent. You rubbed both of your eyes to check you weren't dreaming before sitting up in your cot.

''Come in'' you half whispered back. You were only in your nightwear but your blanket covered you from head to toe. The broad silhouette gently crept inside your tent and came to crouch beside you. ''What are you doin' cowboy?''.

''Sorry if I woke ya'' Arthur took your small hand in his. ''Didn't much feel like sleepin' without ya tonight'' he placed a kiss on the back of your hand. You couldn't help but smile. Not only because he was back in one piece but because your heart lit up whenever you saw him.

''Ya think we can both fit onto my cot?'' you moved over to make space for the big broad man that crouched before you. He stood up before taking his coat, boots and gun belts off and putting them on the ground.

''Might be a tight squeeze but I'm sure we can manage'' he smirked before climbing under your blanket and laying down beside you. The both of you shuffled around until you were laying wrapped in Arthur's arms with your head on his chest. Arthur was right, it was a tight squeeze but you didn't care. Having Arthur being there, feeling his arms holding you close, hearing his heart beating and smelling the cigarettes and whiskey with every breath you took made you unbelievably happy. You smiled into his shirt as he kissed the top of your head. ''G'night darlin'.'' he whispered in your ear. His soft, low voice sent shivers through you.

''Night Arthur'' you shuffled into him as close as you could possibly get before drifting back into a deep sleep.

As you woke up the next morning you were still wrapped in Arthur's embrace. Your legs were intertwined with one another's and Arthur's arms were the only think keeping you from falling out of the cot. You wiggled your arm free from underneath Arthur's torso and tried to regain some feeling back into it. Arthur woke up as you clenched your fist open and closed. Trying to ignore the painful sensation caused by the blood restriction.

''Mornin' (Y/N)'' Arthur mumbled as he pulled you closer to his body. His voice was much deeper when he had just woken up. It sent shivers down your spine. ''What ya doin'?''.

''Ya crushed my arm'' you chuckled. ''Trying to get feelin' back into it''. You turned to hover above him leaning on your elbow. He hummed in response with a slight smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. His hair was messy and his eyes were barely open. Seeing him this way, first thing in the morning did something different to you. You felt the heat between your legs rise as you looked over him. He reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind your ear, caressing your cheek as he did so. You leant down and kissed him deeply. Completely forgetting where you were as you opened your mouth to allow his tongue access to yours. Arthur went from a sleepy daze to wide awake in seconds. His hands began to wander down your body as you fought to undo the buttons on his shirt.

The sound of Pearson humming and walking past the entrance of your tent stopped you both suddenly in your tracks. You broke the kiss and bit your bottom lip as you pressed your forehead against Arthur's. The both of you had gotten so lost in the kiss that you forgot how little privacy you have in camp. You both laughed quietly as you layed back down beside him releasing the button you were about to undo on his shirt.

"I could kill that man" Arthur chuckled. You giggled and placed another much softer kiss on Arthur's lips. ''Want some coffee?'' Arthur sat up and pulled on his boots.

''Please'' you sat up beside him. ''I'll be out in a minute''. Arthur nodded as he pulled himself back together and walked out of your tent. You stretched out your limbs before getting dressed and following behind him. As you walked out of your tent the light stung your eyes and you winced before they adjusted. The morning air was thick and warm, it was going to be another hot day. You threw your thin coat you were going to wear back into your tent before making your way over to the campfire where Arthur was waiting for you with your coffee.

''Thank ya'' you took the coffee from Arthur and sat down beside him. Pearson was at his cart beginning his day by clearing his table and the rest of camp was starting to stir. ''You on any jobs today?'' you ask Arthur. It seems to have been a long time since he had a day around the camp. He was always on a job or out doing something. You couldn't help but feel sorry for him as he was always Dutch's go to guy for everything, meaning he never got a day's rest.

''No, I'm stickin' around here today'' he smiled before taking a sip from his coffee. You were silently relieved letting out a relaxed hum.

''Miss (Y/L/N), Mr Morgan'' you heard a loud shout across camp. You both looked up to see Mrs Grimshaw marching over to you. She looked irritated and her face had gone red. You swallowed a large lump in your throat as you dreaded what had caused her to become so infuriated so early in the day. ''You both sticking around today?'' although it was a question it came out more like a demand.

''Yes, Mrs Grimshaw'' Arthur smirked which only made her more aggravated.

''Well good, we are falling behind on chores around here. Some people have begun to slack so we need all the hands we can get'' she snapped. ''(Y/N), I have a pile of things that need stitching back together, get to it'' she didn't let you speak before pointing her finger in the direction of the pile and sending you on your way.

She was not wrong, the pile of clothes and sheets that had been torn had grown large. You sighed loudly as you realised it would take you hours to stitch everything. As the hours went by the pile slowly got smaller. Your hands were cramping up and your stitches were beginning to become sloppy. Mary-Beth had come to help you take on some of the work and you appreciated the company. She was telling you about a book she was reading about a budding romance. You finished with one of Lenny's shirts and added it to the 'done' pile before glancing round camp.

The camp was busy with people doing different chores. You would occasionally hear Mrs Grimshaw shouting at someone to get on with something. As you took a moment to glance around camp you found Arthur chopping wood on the outskirts of camp. His strong arms made the job look effortless. You watched as he swung the axe down breaking the wood, clean in half. He wiped his sweat covered brow with the back of his hand and grabbed the next piece. Each time he raised the axe above his head his shirt would become tight around his strong muscles over his back and shoulders. He would grunt as he brought the axe down to strike the wood. The top buttons on his shirt were undone allowing for some of his chest to be exposed. You could see the begining of his chest hair glistening with sweat.

''You are gonna start drooling soon'' Mary-Beth giggled catching your attention. You quickly turn back to her realising you had been staring a bit too long. The colour of your cheeks turned a bright shade of red as embarrassment flooded through you. After that, you made sure to concentrated on your own work. Mary-Beth would tease you every so often making you blush each time. You couldn't help it, Arthur was the most attractive man you had laid eyes on. The opportunity to admire him was very few and far between with the amount of work outside of camp he does. By the time you had both finished with the stitching it was the afternoon.

You went for a walk along the water to stretch your legs after being sat for so long. It was always peaceful by the lake compared to the rush of being in camp. You noticed Dutch was standing on the end of the dock which reminded you of a job.

''Hey Dutch'' you walked up to him catching his attention.

''Miss (Y/N). What do I owe the pleasure?'' he asked as he turned to look at you.

''Ya know the two men I pick pocketed the other day in Rhodes?'' Dutch hummed at you with an inquisitive smile. ''Well, they are supposed to be outta town. Thought it might be a good steal if we check out the house while there gone. Said they had deeds of some kind'' you had never approached Dutch with a job before and for some reason it made you nervous even suggesting it.

''Hmm, sounds promising'' he thought about it for a moment. ''and you are sure they aren't in town?''.

''Positive''.

''Alright, take who you need and go tonight'' he patted you on the shoulder. You nodded your head before heading back into camp. In all honestly, you hadn't thought too much about it but the job was now in your hands. You wanted to impress Dutch so nothing could go wrong. It should be an easy take and only requires two people to do. For the rest of the afternoon you tended to the horses with Kieran, thinking about who you should take on the job. You wanted to take Arthur but it was the first day in a long time he didn't have a job to do and you didn't want to ruin that. Maybe you should take John or Charles instead.

As the sun set for the day you decided to pack your things for the job. You had come up with a plan much like your first house robbery with Arthur. Even though you were sure that the two men were out of town you grabbed some extra ammunition putting it away in your satchel.

''What are you doin'?'' Arthur walked up behind you as you packed your saddle bags.

''Gettin' ready for a job'' you attached your rifle to your saddle before turning to him.

''What job is that?'' he leant against the hitching post with his arms crossed over his chest.

''A house robbery'' you told Arthur. You went on the explain how you came about the job whilst in town with Dutch and what your plan was.

''Okay, when are we goin'?'' you looked up to meet his eyes.

''Arthur, you need to rest. I can ask someone else to go with me'' he looked almost offended by your comment.

''I'm fine. I've rested all day'' he brushed you off. ''We goin' now?'' he asked, not taking no for an answer and making his way over to Siego.

''You ain't been resting but I guess we are'' you smirked. You knew, no matter how much you would try to convince him to stay he would still come on the job anyway. As you both mounted up you looked back towards camp. You caught a glimpse of John watching you and Arthur leave together. He looked upset about something as he leant against a tree smoking on a cigarette. You gave him a smile and a small wave as you turned Dallas towards the road. He didn't wave back but you saw a sad smile across his face. You spurred Dallas on down the woodland trail and out of camp. Arthur followed closely behind.

''So you never told me about your job last night'' you shouted back to Arthur. Once you reached the road he came to ride beside you. He told you about how him and Sean both burnt down the Grey's tobacco fields. Luckily the both of them got away with only having to shoot a couple of the guards. ''Shit, all the fields?'' you asked stunned.

''Yeah, all of em. The barn too'' he shook his head. ''If they don't catch on that it's us, it'll be a miracle. So much for layin' low'' Arthur shrugged his shoulders.

You rode by the Grey's plantation on your way to the house and you saw the destroyed fields. The dry tobacco was now turned to ash and the smell of burning crops filled the air still. Arthur stayed quiet as you inspected the mess as you rode by.

The house wasn't much further, it was hidden within a group of trees which gave you plenty of cover. You dismounted the horses and grabbed your rifle before getting too close. The house was only small, with a barn to the side and a porch that ran around the whole building. From what you could see, it was empty. There were no lights from inside but you knew it was best to be prepared.

''I'll go round the back'' you informed Arthur as he made his way to the front door. He nodded in response as you went around the side of the house. You peered in through each window and didn't see any sign of people inside. The lock on the back door was easy to pick, you opened the door slowly and quietly making sure it was empty before stepping inside. You tiptoed to the front door opening it for Arthur to enter.

''Alright, let's do this quickly and quietly'' he stepped inside, looking around. ''You wanna take upstairs?''.

''Sure'' you made your way up the creaky stairs, leaving Arthur to explore the ground floor. There were two bedrooms and a study which you made your way through. You searched each draw carefully, collecting valuables as you went along. The study was full of paperwork scattered across a messy desk. You flicked your way through the papers and took the ones you deemed to look important. There were a couple of deeds stashed in a draw along with a lockbox which you grabbed. You made your way downstairs to meet Arthur who managed to fill his satchel full with provisions and jewels.

''Found anythin'?'' he asked while inspecting a bottle of whiskey he grabbed from a cabinet.

''I think so'' you held the lockbox up to show him. ''Let's get outta here'' you gestured towards the door. Arthur followed you out the house and back to the horses. ''Well... that went a lot smoother then last time'' you giggled as you mounted Dallas.

''I wouldn't speak too soon if I were you'' Arthur smirked back. You both rode back down the path at a steady trot to not draw any attention to yourselves. ''Wonder what we will find stashed in that lockbox o' yours''.

''Could be anythin' or nothin'. Hopin' it's somethin' good'' you tapped the box that was now strapped to your saddle.

''So, if you weren't thinkin' of askin' me to come with ya. Who were you gonna take?'' Arthur raised his left brow and looked at you curiously.

''Well, you were my first option but probably John'' Arthur scoffed at your suggestion and shook his head. ''What's wrong with John?''.

''Ahh nothin'.'' he brushed you off.

''It ain't nothin'. You seem to have some sortta issue with him'' you steadied Dallas to a walk to give Arthur time to explain himself before you got back to camp. ''Feel like explainin' what it is?'' Arthur pulled Siego to a walk and breathed a deep sigh.

''Fine. I've known John for fifteen years. He was like family, like a younger, annoying brother'' Arthur paused for a moment. ''Then when Jack was born he just took off. He left us for a whole year and then just walks back in like nothin' happened. I guess I just ain't forgiven him for it'' Arthur hid his face with his hat so you couldn't see his expression. You could tell by his voice he was still annoyed about John leaving.

''He told me what happened and he feels real bad about it'' you tried to reason with Arthur. ''John knows what he did was wrong and he's tryin' to make up for it. Don't you wanna give him another chance?'' you kept your voice low and steady. The last thing you wanted was to offend him.

''No one else would have gotten away with what he did (Y/N)" Arthur's brow was furrowed and he squeezed tightly onto his reins. "He abandoned his family. He abandoned Jack. Even now he won't spend any time with his own son. What I'd give to..." He trailed off. Arthur stared in the direction away from you. Something struck a nerve with him as he talked about Jack. You stayed silent allowing him time to think and calm down. The both of you stayed at a steady walk down the dirt track towards Rhodes.

"I'm sorry for pryin'." you finally broke the silence. He turned to face you but his eyes were still covered by his hat.

"It ain't you. He just doesn't realise how lucky he is" Arthur's voice was soft. Not in his usual, kind way but as though he was upset.

"How'd you mean?" Arthur raised his head until your eyes met. He cocked his head in a gesture for you to follow him off the path. You followed him through the trees to the small open field you had spent that night under the stars in. The both of you dismounted and you followed him into the open space. Arthur was stood in front of you with his back towards you.

"I need to tell you somethin'." he scratched the back of his neck nervously before turning to face you. Your heart began to race as many thoughts floated through your head. Was he going to end things? Did he decide that you weren't good enough for him? Or was it Mary?

"Alright" you asked trying to mask the crack in your voice.

"A long time ago when I was a young fool I met a waitress. Her name was Eliza, she was only 19 at the time and I was in my younger twenties" he cleared his throat and your heart began to sink. Of course there was another girl. You looked at him as he rested his hands on his gun belt, the brim of his hat still covering his eyes as he spoke. "We had a son together. His name was Isaac"

You tried to hold back the gasp from the shock of what he was telling you. Arthur had a child.

"I would visit them from time to time. Making sure they had money, food things like that. I didn't want them involved in the gang. It wasn't a life I wanted for 'em. One day I went to visit..." he paused to take a deep breath. "There were two crosses outside" he looked up to meet your eyes. You remained still, mouth open as your heart began to break for him.

"Some men robbed an' killed them for $10" he swollowed hard. For the first time you saw Arthur's full emotions surface. His eyes were red and watery and his smile had faded away. "I guess that's why I can't forgive John....he doesn't even realise what he has" there wasn't anger in his voice. Instead he sounded broken.

"Arthur, I'm so sorry" your voice cracked. You couldn't find the words to help fix what had been done. The pain he must have gone through with loosing a child. He had been through so much hearbrake in his life already. With Mary then Eliza and Issac. No wonder he was scared to start another relationship with you. He was so much more then the tough exterior that you first saw. You reached forward and pulled him into your embrace. He wrapped his arms around your waist and held you tightly. You stayed in each others arms as you processed the information Arthur had just given to you. It must be so hard for him to talk about. You wanted to say something that will take some of his pain away but you knew there was nothing you could do but to hold him.

"(Y/N)?" you heard Arthur whisper your name into your neck. You loosened your grip on him until you could see his face.

"Arthur" you found his eyes.

"Thank ya" he smiled lightly at you.

"Why you thankin' me?" you couldn't understand what you had done to deserve his thanks.

"For everythin'. For listening. I ain't the best a talkin' about this sorta thing" he admitted shyly.

"I'm always gonna be here for ya Arthur" you caressed his cheek to make sure he looked directly in your eyes. "I promise you, I ain't goin' anywhere".

@kashasenpai

Chapter 15

#rdr2 #red dead redemption two #arthur morgan #rdr2 arthur #red dead redemption 2 #red dead redemption arthur #john marston #red dead redemption john #red dead redemption fanfic #arthur morgan fanfic #arthur morgan x female reader #rdr2 john #susan grimshaw #mary beth gaskill #hosea mathews #dutch van der linde #rdr fanfiction #rdr2 fanfic #fanfic

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k-s-morgan · 3 years

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Really liked how you explained Will's feeling when he came to shoot Hannibal. I am still trying to understand the series, will start a second rewatch pretty soon. Do you think in his conflicts at that stage Will thought Hannibal was just a psychopath ?

Thank you! And yes, I think Will feared that Hannibal isn’t capable of deep connections, empathy, and love. Obviously, there might be different interpretations here, but from how I see it, Will kept being torn between trusting himself and accepting that Hannibal loves him vs. doubting that Hannibal’s feelings are real.

I always read Will as someone arrogant yet deeply insecure. He feels horribly betrayed by Hannibal at the start of S2, and after this, despite all the evidence, he’s only partly sure that Hannibal really wants him. He has a dream where Hannibal confesses his love for him, but it looks like Will doesn’t trust it entirely. The thing stopping him in S2 is Abigail’s death. He accepts that Hannibal framed him and his justification for it, he accepts that Hannibal wanted him to Become all along, but he cannot comprehend how he could kill Abigail when he claimed to care about her. If this is how he cares, then why would Will be different? If Hannibal readily sacrifices Abigail, then what makes Will stand out from her or even from patients like Randall and Margot, who Hannibal liked but whose relevance was limited?

Of course, the truth is that Hannibal didn’t kill Abigail. He did take the Murder Family plans seriously, he took risks for it and for Abigail in particular, and all he wanted was Will. Will sees it clearly in Mizumono, but it is too late. Abigail dies for real this time, yet how does he react? He loses his head from his longing for Hannibal. Will’s reverent about him; he spends 8 months thinking about him, remembering their last meeting and fantasising about it going differently; he’s brooding in Hannibal’s house, he refuses to hide how he feels even when talking to Jack and Alana, and he’s building a boat to sail after him. In Primavera, Will acts ridiculously in love: this is the episode where he is most open and loving toward Hannibal. That’s because he’s certain that Hannibal is fully capable of love and that he loves him. However, some doubts still plague him because of his overall insecurity. This mix of his Primavera monologues is very telling (I’m changing pronouns because Will is talking to himself there).

Will: He gave me a chance to take it all back, and I just kept lying ... He left me his broken heart. He misses me.

Then he immediately contradicts himself:

Will: Hannibal follows several trains of thought at once without distraction from any, and one of the trains is always for his own amusement. He's playing with me. Always. I still want to go with him?

So, he’s almost sure that Hannibal loves him, but the fear is still there. And once Will sees Chiyoh, another person Hannibal was supposed to love yet abandoned, when he sees Bedelia, alive and well, playing the role of Hannibal’s wife, his doubts resurface with new intensity. He’s not certain Hannibal is capable of loving him if this is how easily he replaced him, if he never bothered with people like Chiyoh, and if he tried to kill him (the brain-sawing thing. Sure, Will was actually the instigator, but he loves blaming others, so I’m sure he’s bitter at Hannibal because of it for a while.) This is how I see the shift in Will’s perception from Primavera to Digestivo.

I believe he fully acknowledged Hannibal’s love, with no doubts this time, after an attack on Molly. Will’s attitude changes then - he becomes confident, cocky, hurtful, and teasing at the same time. Hence his TWOTL decisions.

#hannibal #hannigram #will graham #meta

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alwaysthinkingoutloud · 3 years

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Hannibal Episode-by-Episode Meta/Analysis: Episode 3, Season 1 (Potage)

The first scene of the episode takes us back to Abigail’s memories of hunting with her dad. That whole memory provides us with a brand-new aspect to who Abigail is what Hannibal might see in her. Suddenly, it makes us question if Hannibal saw her as something more than a tool to draw Will in. Afterall, Hannibal’s philosophy would not sound too strange or bizarre to Abigail than what she already is accustomed to. She grew up being taught to normalize killing and eating what she kills with maybe different reasons than Hannibal, but obviously she still is the most fitting instrument to whatever he is planning.

Alana comes to Will’s house to talk about Abigail’s waking up from the coma and when Will expresses his concerns for Abigail’s being left alone, she says “Dogs keep a promise a person can’t”. And Will replies it with “I am not collecting another stray”. While she is trying to warn Will before he makes a huge commitment he probably cannot keep, because of guilt; she compares Will to a dog and Will compares Abigail to one. In the previous episode’s article I had already expressed my thoughts about Will’s relationship with dogs and how I think it represents his animalistic, urge-full side. So I find this set of metaphors to be a touch-on to Abigail’s yet-hidden killer side and Will’s subconscious recognition and acceptance of that, along with his own.

The conversation of Alana and Abigail is pretty informing about who Abigail is. When Alana walks into room and says that she is a psychiatrist, Abigail’s curious, if not tactical, question of what kind? and Alana’s saying family trauma (and not, for example, criminal something), ends up Abigail’s facial expressions to suddenly change into one that looks victimized. I do not believe it was an emotional transaction, I think it was one on purpose. As Alana later will say, Abigail shows enough-to-be-considered-healthy emotion about her parents’ deaths but also enough detachment from what happened to falsely suggest a lack of connection on her behalf. Her jumping from the topic of her parents’ being dead and her dad being a serial killer to making plans about college is not a mere denial caused by being traumatized but also a strategical move that someone of guilt would do. Her lying to nurses and trying to analyze Dr. Bloom is not a very victim-like behavior, she manipulates and tries to establish a position of dominance. I am this close to almost suggesting that this is something Hannibal would do. Hannibal made a fantastic move, bringing Abigail into the equation. (Abigail’s yet-to-come talk with Freddie is another example to what this paragraph is telling too.)

When Jack, Alana and Hannibal come into the same room together; everybody’s priority is different. Jack wants the case to resolve at all costs (at the cost of Will’s or Abigail’s stability), Alana wants the best for Abigail and Will, protecting their mental health and Hannibal wants neither. He wants the case to stay unresolved or resolved in a way he is pleased, and he wants both Will and Abigail in a position that is furthest from being stable. Actually in his thinking, he does want the best for them. Afterall, that is how Hannibal operates. He wants people pushed to their darkest potential, to unleash their beast, in whatever form it may come. He does that by increasing chaos around him and he feeds on that chaos. He sets things into motion to ends that even he sometimes does not know what of. So of course, he will agree with anything that stirs up the pot, which is right now Will and Abigail coming together.

Hannibal and Jack walks into classroom when Will is giving a lecture about the Copycat Killer. While doing so, he describes the killer in detail and to our knowledge, quite accurately so too. Hannibal seems to be listening to him intrigued and almost fascinated at Will’s deductions about the killer since they are so right and his smile reaches its max (well… max at Hannibal standards) when Will points out that the unidentified caller is in fact, the Copycat Killer. He is not just enjoying the thrill to be discussed as a killer in the same classroom he is standing in, without a soul knowing; what he enjoys the most is Will’s closing in. His spot-on deductions on what kind of person the killer is. Maybe this is the first time Hannibal hears someone speaking about the real version of him who is not wearing a person suit and doing that quite accurately too. Will is getting to know him, real him, and Hannibal enjoys it.

Will and Hannibal take Abigail for a walk in the greenhouse, Will supporting Abigail’s arm with his own. There is a one-second scene where Hannibal also touches Abigail’s arm (but that is all it is, a very no purpose-serving touch) to try and help her sit just like Will does and looks at Will, almost hoping to find appreciation or approval, which makes me smile.

During the conversation of Will and Abigail, the camera focuses on Hannibal only right after Abigail says, “That’s not all I brought out in him”. Up until then, Hannibal seems almost bored with their conversation about her mom. But that sentence makes something in him move, suggesting that he may be hoping Abigail to bring out something in Will too. Maybe that something being protective feelings against her which can be manipulated to familiarize Will with normalization of crime. Abigail continues to express her concerns about being messed up and having nightmares. But Hannibal only says “We will help with the nightmares.”, so they will not with her being messed up part? Well, why on earth would he? That is exactly how Hannibal wants her, messed up as others would say, or perfect as Hannibal would. Then, Abigail finally asks a question to Will that intrigues Hannibal the most, “Does killing somebody…feel that bad?”. Hannibal almost holds his breath waiting for Will’s reply. In return, Will gives a very interesting answer. He does not say yes it does, he does not confirm. He says, instead, that it is the ugliest thing in the world. He maybe right, but ugliness is not equal to badness, is it? Ugliness is a measure of visual taste, not a measure of morality. He almost suggests, killing may be an ugly act, but does not necessarily feel bad.

“It is not very smart to piss off a guy who thinks of killing people for a living.”

says Will to Freddie, in response to her threats about badmouthing him to Abigail. Obviously, Abigail already became family for Will. He protects her and shows a very different face of his when his relationship with Abigail is threatened to get compromised. A face that Hannibal loves seeing Will with. So when Jack asks Hannibal why he let Will say those words, Hannibal gives some Hannibalistic answer while smirking in a very non-subtle way. Of course, he would not stop Will in one of those rare times that he reveals his inner demons, Hannibal counts on it, even.

The second time Alana and Hannibal have different opinions (the first time was about Will going to see Abigail) is about if it is right for Abigail to visit her home where all the crime happened. While Alana disagrees with the idea on an attempt of saving Abigail from possible trauma, Jack chooses to go with Hannibal’s idea which is that confronting everything that happened in her home could be healing for Abigail. Jack is so blinded by his professional ambition to figure out everything hastily that he does not even realize how much damage he is causing unknowingly by each time not taking Alana’s professional opinion over Hannibal’s, whose motive actually is the opposite of Jack’s.

I think right about here is a good place to express my thoughts about Hannibal’s effect vs Jack’s effect on Will/Abigail. Although Hannibal is supposed to be the so-called ‘villian’ in this show, the serial killer, the cannibal, the person who drives people’s minds off the edge, the person standing opposite of law enforcement; he has a moral code. A code that is very different from the consensus but nevertheless, a code. And all the mind games he plays with Will and Abigail are meant to serve a purpose of helping them achieving their highest selves. Not forcefully making them into someone they are not, not harming them of out nowhere, but watering the seed of whatever it is inside them. To his thinking, he is elevating them. Helping them. On the contrary, Jack being one of the good guys in the show, the FBI director, the voice of justice; he manipulates and uses Will and Abigail never having their best interest in his mind. The only thing he cares about is the crimes and criminals; and everyone else’s stability and sanity, if lost on the way, is considered collateral damage. Unlike Hannibal, he does what he does to Will and Abigail knowing that it might end up harming them. So it is open to discussion, if Jack’s morality is any better than Hannibal’s. Or if his even is half consistent as Hannibal’s. I will come back to that in the coming episodes.

While still in the office and the four are talking, we learn that Jack’s motivation to take Abigail home is about gaining information about the Copycat. That is probably when the wheels started turning in Hannibal’s head about diverting FBI. Hannibal’s acts are never well-planned or calculated until the moment of actually killing someone. Although he is spotless on his murders, he rolls the dice and works with the material he is given on the events that lead up to those murders. Yes, he has one great big plan that consists of bloodshed, severed limps and a few people on specific positions; but he does not have one definite way to reach that. He goes with the flow placing the pieces into their places, which is what makes him that exciting: His unpredictability.

The short conversation happening between Will and Abigail about Will’s empathizing and his putting himself in her father’s shoes are seemingly pleasing for Hannibal. Afterall, more bonded they become, greater the chance of Will protecting her on all costs and consequently that cost being slipping away from the light side into Hannibal’s lap (sigh). When the topic of why they came there (to find out about the man who called the house that morning) comes up and Will asks her about the caller, she throws a very quick glance at Hannibal while saying that she did not recognize the caller’s voice, which suggests that it is a lie. Hannibal looks a little surprised, either for the fact that she remembered his voice, or that she did and did not blurt it out. Considering Hannibal’s thick accent, it is unlikely that someone would not recognize it after hearing it. So the second option weighs more heavily, just as her suggesting Hannibal being the man on the phone on a reenactment proves it so.

“One cannot be delusional if the belief in question is accepted as ordinary by others in that person’s culture or subculture. Or family.”

says Hannibal and it says a lot. Is not this the very thing Hannibal is trying to do? Putting together a family where his beliefs will be accepted as ordinary? Providing the same freedom to other members of his family as well? Making a family to set them all free, along with himself?

When Marissa shows up and somewhere in between the events calls her mom a bitch, considering the look Hannibal gave her (a very similar look he had given to Franklyn after he blew his nose and placed the dirty napkin on the table), her death was expected. The combination of that and finding the stone stained with Nicholas Boyle’s blood would be an obvious one-stone-two-bird solution to Hannibal’s diverting FBI from the Copycat Killer plan.

The second time Will dreams about the stag is at least as illuminating as the first one. He dreams about the stag right after the Copycat Killer kills someone. The first time, he saw it after Hannibal killed Cassie Boyle. And this time, we will learn that he sees it after Marissa was killed. I do not think that is a coincidence. This time though, as a difference, Will sees himself as the stag getting into a defensive position against Abigail’s throat being cut, again by himself. So he has no way out, either he is the guy killing Abigail or he is the stag who we already know is a killer, although is in defense right now. This almost suggests that deep down he knows regardless of the path chosen, there is no escape from blood. There is only a lesser evil, maybe, and that is killing to save. And the stag is the representative of this lesser evil in the dream, which is interesting because well, we know the stag will turn into Hannibal. Almost to suggest that, Hannibal’s true evil self without the person suit and Will’s maybe acceptable lesser evil sides will be one, to complete one another. (I may be reaching with that one…)

When Alana, Abigail, Will and Hannibal reach to cabin; the look on Hannibal’s face when Will asks Abigail if there is anyone else beside her and her dad who has been to the cabin and she says no, suggests that it is not true, although she is not aware of it and it also suggests that the plan of Hannibal is put into motion. In a little while, he also loudly accuses of Nicholas to kill his sister and Marissa, suggesting he is the Copycat Killer.

While Hannibal is making remarks about this killer not being Garret Jacob Hobbs because of leaving a body behind and not eating all of it, Will gives him a little disturbed look. Either because Hannibal looks too certain speaking, or because deep down, Will is smelling something suspicious. He actually gave a very similar look to Hannibal when he came into his classroom in between his lecture about the Copycat Killer. I do not think it is a coincidence, but it is very arguable to what degree Will’s awareness was at that point, even on a subconscious level. (There is another possibility that Will’s looks at Hannibal are just/also because he finds Hannibal glamorous with the way he thinks and everything ;)) )

Hannibal, hearing Freddie talk about someone else lurking around the house, asks her if she saw Nicholas. So we conclude that by putting the blame on Nicholas, what Hannibal hopes to achieve is to draw him out to the house to talk to Abigail to clear his name and… Well, there is no “and”. That is probably as far as his plan went and Hannibal did not know that Abigail would kill Nicholas but we can say he hoped she would. Creating a bond (preferably) and/or leverage (that can be used if Abigail did not turn out to be compliant) between them perfectly.

After Abigail escapes from the hospital and comes to Hannibal’s office, in between the conversation Hannibal says, you climbed over the wall, which means, apart from its literal meaning, that after she killed Nicholas, she is now free. By killing him, she broke her restraints and now in new territory. Then, he tells her to come down from there, suggesting after climbing over the wall, what you do is to come down, where Hannibal is also standing. Meaning, Hannibal also had climbed over the wall and now they are at the same side, so she can relax. This is the family where the belief is accepted as ordinary.

While Hannibal convinced her that if she did not hide the body, nobody would believe her innocence right after she killed Nicholas, insinuating she had no choice but to ask for Hannibal’s help; now that it is all over, he tells her that most people actually would believe that she was innocent. Abigail who understands that she has been manipulated, puts the pieces together and reveals that she did know Hannibal was the one who called the house. Not trusting her enough yet, Hannibal does not deny what she is saying so that she would feel let in, but not so much to let her in all the way either, creating a balanced relationship dynamic (of course, in the eyes of Abigail) between them. Then, by saying “No more climbing walls, Abigail, he makes sure she understands they are in the same side now, as equals (he lets she thinks) and there is no going back.

#hannibal #hannibal lecter #will #will graham #hannibal and will #hannigram #brian fuller #nbc hannibal #hannibal meta #hannibal analysis #will and hannibal #mads mikkelsen #hugh dancy #murder husbands #abigail hobbs #will loves hannibal #hannibal loves will #potage

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revisitedgrunt · 4 years

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Motherland: Fort Salem. Episode 1x05: Bellweather Season.

Being completely honest with y'all, this episode ruined me. It's taken me a while and several rewatches to sort out my thoughts and feelings. Now I want to talk about it. I'm going to go scene by scene, so this isn't a rambling stream of consciousness. This will be very long and image heavy.

I find the Unit's dynamics interesting. We've seen them get closer and work together better, but Raelle and Abigail both have strong personalities, and very different life experiences. One wrong word can immediately start a fight. Abigail uses the phrase “the community that matters”, which is incredibly elitist. Raelle, rightly, takes offence and ends up storming out.

The first Raylla scene of the episode. Scylla combines some minor manipulation, which is an attempt to get invited to the wedding with, in my opinion, a real story about her past. I believe everything Scylla has told us about her past. Porter confirmed that her parents died, and in the last two episodes we've seen Scylla start to open up with Raelle. They talk about running away, and less than five minutes into the episode, we get this.

I may, or may not, have let out this really unflattering squeal. Part of me is still amazed by this relationship. Every week I think we've hit the limit on how awesome it can get, and every week I'm proven wrong.

Raelle making a bird skull charm for Scylla is so sweet. I think Scylla's linking spell is going to be very important in the episodes to come. I do wonder if the mark is permanent. I hope not, just for the fact that Scylla permanently marking Raelle, without her permission, is not a nice thing to do.

We get another kiss and Raelle cups Scylla's chin again, which I am a big fan of.

You can see Scylla smiling when she enters her room. She genuinely likes spending time with Raelle. With the way she caresses the bird skull, we can see she's really touched by Raelle's gift.

We're then reminded that the Spree is a terrible organisation, when they threaten Scylla again. I'll probably talk more about the Spree later.

Scylla pretending to be a waitress was smart. However, the smarter play would have been to stay undercover until it was closer to 6pm, as she would have avoided unwanted attention. How much of this was a mistake on her part, and how much was it wanting to spend time with her girlfriend?

I love the lingering fire effect in the hair. It's such a cool detail.

Scylla's adorable little “Hi!” added 10 years to my life.

Raelle being super excited to see Scylla and the banter about the “corsage” was very cute. Raelle proves, once again, that she's a great girlfriend by introducing Scylla to the Bellweathers.

We get more confirmation that Abigail doesn't like Scylla, calling her “Another shitbird.” I believe her antagonism towards Scylla is because she thinks she's a distraction. Abigail thinks if Scylla wasn't around, Raelle would be more invested and involved in the Unit. However, we know this isn't the case, if it wasn't for Scylla, Raelle wouldn't be trying at all. Abigail should be thanking Scylla.

I love world building so I thought the wedding was really interesting. We find out that weddings are a contract that lasts for five years, which explains Abigail's different fathers. I think families like the Bellweathers think this is a way to strengthen their bloodline. The women can have several babies with different fathers, which helps expand the family. I think civilian weddings are still for life. Raelle's mom and dad were still together when Willa died.

What makes a believable relationship for me, is the small things. Not great declarations of love, but how they stand next to each other, how comfortable they seem together, how they look at each other and when they reach for each other. This was a great example of that.

I thought the scenes of Abigail trying to corral her unit were hilarious. She's desperately trying to make a good impression, and they unintentionally embarrass her every time. Scylla's “They have lobster.” and Tally's gasp gave me a good laugh.

Our first scene of Raylla dancing. When I saw the pictures I thought it would be a one and done deal. I should know by now that Motherland: Fort Salem always goes the extra mile when it comes to their wlw couple.

Raelle putting a protective arm in front of Scylla, starting down Anacostia and telling her “She goes where I go. Scylla's my girlfriend.” Just... wow. That was hot. And to illustrate the point, she gives Scylla a long, lingering kiss.

Anacostia v Scylla, round 2. I think Anacostia is incredibly cool, but I'm always gonna have Scylla's back. Scylla tries to protect Raelle and takes the heat for their relationship. Seeing her sass Anacostia was pretty amusing. Then she immediately grabs some drinks.

I'm not sure why Anacostia has a problem with Scylla. Is it the same reason as Abigail, or something different? Is Scylla not a good cadet? Does Anacostia think Scylla will hinder Raelle's performance? Scylla was right though, Raelle did start trying because of her. We also know Raelle is almost always boosted because she's having sex with Scylla.

Jessica Sutton's expressions this episode were perfection.

Every Raylla scene warms my cold, dead heart. How cute are they about the “girlfriend part”! And Scylla dancing Raelle onto the dance floor! And the way Scylla keeps eye contact with Raelle! I just can't!

Look at the smile Scylla gives Raelle!!!

This is a pretty upbeat song and you can see the other dancers energetically dancing. But Raylla are just slow dancing, wanting to be as close to each other as they can. You can also see Raelle has this soft smile on her face. The amount of care and detail Taylor and Amalia put into their scenes together, never fails to amaze me. It's so obvious they want to make this relationship as believable as possible.

Gerit got engaged before Baltane, went to the festival thinking he'd hook up with a girl and give her a power boost, and fell in love. He really does try to tell Tally he's engaged. I just feel sad for the both of them. I'm not really into heterosexual ships, but they were cute. I wonder if this is the end, or if Gerit will break off his engagement. Seeing Tally cry hurt, a lot.

Abigail gets smacked in the face with her privilege. For how different the universe of Motherland is to our own, some things are still very much the same. The rich and powerful will get all the opportunities, whether they deserve them or not. I do respect Abigail for wanting to make it on her own merits and not coast on her name.

I really admire Raelle's courage. She's a first year cadet, but she marches up to General Petra Bellweather and demands answers about her mom. She doesn't get them. Like any good politician, Petra deflects and heaps praise on both Willa and Raelle. It takes the fight out of Raelle, but made me even more angry.

Ashley and Bernadette did a really good job conveying Abigail and Charvel's relationship in the time they were given. They are cousins, but you see they are close and I got a sibling vibe from them. With the advice Charvel gave Abigail throughout the episode, she came across as an older sister. This makes me wonder if Abigail does have actual siblings. Given what we know of the Bellweathers, it would surprise me if Petra only had one child.

Scylla does a really bad job of checking the bathroom.

It's telling to me that Scylla tells the balloon “I need to know she will be safe, once I get her there. Should I wait with her?” I've always believed Scylla had genuine feelings for Raelle, and this is more confirmation. The balloon is clearly not a Raylla shipper.

Tally sees the balloon, and Scylla's cover is blown. I did not expect this to happen so early in the season, or for it to happen this way. Motherland keeps me guessing.

With 5 minutes left to get Raelle to the extraction point, Scylla sees a downhearted Raelle. She makes a half-hearted attempt to complete her mission, but there's no conviction there. She doesn't want to do it. When Raelle asks if they can dance instead, Scylla could have tried to convince Raelle to go for a walk, she didn't. She chose to dance with her. Scylla was scared, Scylla knew she was going fail her mission. She had to make a choice, The Spree or Raelle. She chose Raelle.

Tally telling Anacostia about Scylla was smart. I briefly thought that she might tell Raelle, but that would not have gone well, and doing it at the wedding would not have been the right time. Now Scylla's number one fan has a legitimate reason to not like her.

And now we get to the scene that killed me. I'm not gonna lie, I cried. I don't really get emotional about TV shows, but I've really come to love Raylla and this hit me hard. As soon as that song started playing, I knew I was in trouble. I started to choke up when Scylla remembered the times she'd spent with Raelle. My eyes started to water when I saw how scared she was she'd missed the deadline. When she told Raelle she loved her, I totally lost it. Raelle's smile was the last punch to the heart. I was a complete mess by the end of this scene. We leave the scene with Scylla looking incredibly sad.

This was Scylla saying goodbye to Raelle. She knows she can't stay at Fort Salem, she knows the Spree will come for her. If she doesn't run, she's as good as dead. I really hope that this episode alleviated any doubts anyone still had about Scylla. It is now absolutely clear that she loves Raelle.

Fortunately the next scene was much more upbeat and light hearted. Joking, we find out Charvel has been murdered, brutally. Most of her throat has been cut out. The effects were excellent and very gory. Abigail is ambushed by two Spree members and we see that they can nullify a witches abilities, when Abigail tries to Windstrike them and nothing happens.

Things go from bad to worse.

I'm not sure if this was always the plan, or a backup in case Scylla failed. My opinion was this was always the plan, and was set up to distract people so they wouldn't realise Raelle and Scylla had disappeared.

The witches summon a tornado and disable the balloons. The tornado looked pretty big and I thought back to the witch in episode 1 who was controlling 6 tornadoes at once. That seemed pretty powerful at the time, but I remember them being small, so I assume if they combine their power, they can summon bigger tornados.

Petra finds Abigail just in time to stop her daughter getting murdered.

During a well choreographed fight scene, we are reminded that these women are soldiers. Even without “the work” they are trained in hand to hand combat. We see both Abigail and Petra are good fighters. Abigail has a very badass moment here, after getting stabbed, she pulls out the knife and uses it on her attacker.

The Spree members set themselves on fire, so they can't be questioned, which is par for the course for fanatics. I had expressed sympathy for the Spree before. I said their cause was just as they were trying to liberate witches. I even understood them killing civilians, the civilian Government is the body forcing them to join the army, or be hunted. However, it now seems the Spree are equally terrible towards other witches. They brutally murder Charvel, a fellow witch and threaten Scylla's life if she doesn't do exactly what they say. At this point I say screw the army and the Spree, I want the Unit and Scylla to form a third faction.

In all the confusion, Scylla disappears. I think we’re meant to believe that she ran, but I think it’s more likely Anacostia grabbed her, as she is noticeable absent during the Spree attack. I think Scylla is probably in some secret dungeon at Fort Salem, and we'll get to see just what that mark she put on Raelle actually does.

The episode ends with the Unit comforting each other.

It's interesting that in some way, each member of the Unit experienced a loss this episode. Abigail lost her cousin, Tally lost her first love and some of her innocence, and Raelle lost the girl she's fallen madly in love with. Hopefully they'll continue to support each other as they heal.

The sheer amount of Raylla in this episode was unbelievable. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say their scenes from this single episode, would probably cover 6 episodes on any other show, if we’re lucky. I'll keep saying it, I have never seen a show give a wlw couple this amount of time, care and respect.

It seems like we may not see them together for a while. I'm OK with that. We've had so much content over the last five episodes, more than I have seen in any other show. And remember, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Imagine the amazing scene we'll get when they reunite. Taylor and Amalia will knock that out of the park.

I thought this was the best episode so far, and one of the best hours of TV I've ever seen. This had the perfect mix of world building, humor, sadness, tenseness, action and romance. This show is such a gift and I can never thank the cast and crew enough for it.

#motherland fort salem #motherland: fort salem #raelle collar #scylla ramshorn #raylla #abigail bellweather #tally craven #anacostia quartermaine

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redeadepression · 3 years

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Please Stay | John Marston Fic

I’ve decided to make this a small series. John’s inner monologue of all his failures (set in my Modern AU) and interactions with his friends and family/their reactions to his situation.

Jumbled timeline because I write what I feel like lately. But this is the sequel of Don’t Go and Just Ask.

Not sure if anyone is actually reading them but I am enjoying the journey regardless.

Trigger warning: implied/referenced attempted suicide, depression, anxiety, mental health issues, psychiatric hospitals

Characters: John Marston, Karmen Davis/Karmen Cassady (My OC) Setting: My Modern AU Words: 3582 Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Friendship fluff Summery: John finally having access to his mobile phone brings him some much needed comfort but also extra pain.

PLEASE READ THE TRIGGER WARNINGS!

John wasn’t sure he’d slept at all the night before. His eyes were dry and aching and his nose was red raw from wiping it. The muscles in his neck were sore from trying to keep himself quiet and his breath had been hitching involuntarily since the early hours.

He’d thought the first few days had been rough. But they were nothing compared to what he’d experienced after Arthur had left him.

He’d felt lonely plenty of times in his life. But he wasn’t sure he’d ever felt quite so alone as he had watching Arthur’s back retreat down the hallway.

He’d wanted to scream for him to come back. Cry and beg for him to stay by his side despite years of internalized fear of looking weak in front of the other man.

He’d hated himself for it.

Needing someone.

He had a mandatory physic session after visiting hours had ended and as usual, he had refused to speak at all.

His psychologist was a very patient man. Generally, they would sit in a comfortable silence. Every now and then he would ask a question or make a statement and when John didn’t respond he would scribble something in his note pad.

John wondering what the man could possibly gleam from his silence. But he’d never ask. The scratching of the pen on paper made his skin crawl.

The other man reading him like an open book without him ever having to speak. Seeing into his psyche intimately and writing down his findings to be placed in his file alongside mundane information such as his blood type.

John wasn’t sure what vibe he had given off that prompted the doctor to ask if there was something he could do to make his stay more comfortable.

He had scoffed in reply. Asking if the doctors there had always been in the habit of bribing their patients or if he was just special.

The other man had laughed heartily at the retort before replying that their focus at the hospital was to help their patients get better and go home. He simply wanted to know what it was that would make John feel comfortable enough to talk to him.

John had answered immediately that he wanted his phone.

He hadn’t been able to tell anyone where he’d gone.

Hadn’t left a note.

The Doctor had reminded him calmly that patients weren’t permitted to have their cells and if John wanted to contact a friend or relative he could do so through the landlines they had set up where patients could be monitored during their calls.

John had rolled his eyes. He didn’t want to talk on the phone. He hated phone calls with a passion.

He wanted to text.

He didn’t want to hear the emotion in his friend’s voices as he explained what had happened or more accurately, he was terrified of not hearing any emotion at all.

Realising that they didn’t care.

John’s doctor had been silent for a long while. Tapping the end of his pen against his lips as he stared at the large painting above John’s head and lost himself in thought.

“I might be able to get you some time with your phone. If you participate in today’s session.” He’d said finally, again causing John to scoff.

“So a bribe?” He’d asked again, making the other man smile.

“A reward.” He had replied simply.

The doctor hadn’t probed too much. Keeping things light and making sure John felt safe as they finally got to know one another.

He’d seemed happy with the results and kept up his end of the bargain. Allowing John to use his phone for a few minutes under the watchful eye of one of the other staff members.

John had held his breath as he’d watched the apple symbol fade away and his lock screen had come into view. He stared at baby Jack as he waited, unconsciously clenching his jaw as he waited to see if anyone had missed him.

He’d let out the breath he’d been holding as the phone began to vibrate. Days of texts and missed calls coming through all at once.

Karmen

Arthur

Karmen

Mary-Beth

Karmen

Arthur

He’d mumbled the names as they’d popped up on the screen, feeling a sense of relief but also a great sadness.

“Abigail.” He’d whispered, clicking on the text immediately and ignoring the others. It wasn’t a message from her, but an automated notification to let him know she had called. He started at it, swallowing hard as he read the words:

No voicemail was message left.

He sighed shakily, his heart feeling heavy. He wasn’t sure what he had expected. She knew where he was and more pertinently, she had no reason to miss him.

He swallowed audibly, wiping at his misty eyes as he clicked away and in to Karmen’s messages instead.

23 Missed called. 14 texts.

He felt his heart flutter and for a small moment he felt happy. Every missed call had a voicemail attached and every message asked him where he was.

If he was okay.

His eyes watered as he scrolled through them. He didn’t have time to listen to the voicemails. But the texts were enough to make his heart ache. The desperation he sensed in her messages was palpable.

Guilt bubbled in his chest as he realised he had made her fret.

Are you home?

Please answer me, I’m worried.

Are you okay?

John please let me know you’re alright!

You’re scaring me :(

Please John answer me if you’re okay. xxx

Days’ worth of texts begging him to respond. His lips trembled, eyes spilling over as he reached the end of the thread.

His thumbs moved unconsciously across the keys as he replied without thinking.

I’m okay

He said simply. Staring at the message for a moment before three dots appeared and he knew she was typing back. Surprised by how quick she’d been. Had she really been waiting for him to respond this entire time?

Thank God

She replied. The three dots appearing again almost instantly as she continued to type.

I just spoke to Arthur

She replied again, making John’s breath hitch. There was a moment where nothing happened on the screen and John had to look away. Putting his phone down on the table in front of him and rubbing at his eyes. Unable to get rid of the persistent wetness.

His phone vibrated again, and he looked down at the message with blurry eyes.

Do you want visitors?

The text asked simply, making him choke on a sob as he snatched the cell and replied a quickly.

Yes.

I’ll be there as soon as I can.

She replied, the three dots ever looming.

John typed rapidly, his eyes darting between his phone and the nurse in the corner of the room. He could feel her watching him intently and knew he didn’t have much longer before she took his cell again.

Especially if he couldn’t control his emotions.

They’re going to take my phone again

John typed urgently, shaky thumb pressing send and causing her dots to disappear for a second before reappearing just as fast.

Stay strong honey xx

Karmen replied.

John stared at it, heart somehow feeling lighter and heavier at the same time.

The nurse began to walk towards him and he held his phone closer, protectively as he switched back in to Abigail’s messages.

Please come and visit

He typed hurriedly, feeling sick at the thought of begging. Only just managing to hit send as the nurse held out her hand and told him his time was up.

He handed it over reluctantly. Watching as she turned it off and gestured for him to stand so she could walk him back to his room.

John hadn’t slept again or at least he didn’t think he did. He hadn’t been this tired since Jack was a newborn and yet, he couldn’t bring himself to close his eyes.

He’d spent the night staring at the ceiling and overanalysing everything that was said in his last text exchange.

He supposed that’s why they weren’t allowed to have their phones. It was so easy to misinterpret a line of text as opposed to a line that came from the lips. Although John thought, if anyone could still misinterpret a line from the lips it was probably him.

A knock on the doorframe caught his attention and he looked over to find Karmen standing there with a sympathetic smile. She entered without being beckoned as he rushed to sit up and greet her.

“You came.” He said softly when he found his voice, earning himself a frown.

“Of course, I did.” She said incredulously, placing her handbag down on the nightstand and moving to sit in the same chair Arthur had occupied the day before. “Did you not want me to?” She asked, her tone light but her words holding weight.

John had been vulnerable in front of her many times before. But whenever he showed his emotions, he seemed to always have one foot out the door. Readying himself to run away from his problems or just shut down completely at any moment. She knew he had trouble with his own weaknesses, especially in front of an audience and if he wanted her to leave, she would.

He’d gotten better at expressing himself over the years. But he’d never quite gotten the hang of truly letting someone else share his burden. There was always something he was keeping to himself and often it weighed him down significantly.

She desperately wished he would share his whole self with her so she could help ease his pain. But despite her hopes she had come to terms with the way he handled himself long ago. Long before Abigail existed in their lives.

She couldn’t believe now in the current state of things that she had once dared to hope he might share his whole self with Abigail.

The rotten bitch didn’t deserve to know what was weighing him down so heavily.

Perhaps he did share with her though.

She thought to herself as she looked to him with compassion. Maybe sharing his burden with her and being rejected had been the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Something had snapped between the time he had left her house and when he ended up here.

She didn’t intend to ask him what had happened.

He would tell her when he was ready. He always did.

“Abigail didn’t come.” John said simply after a moment of silence. Ignoring her question but effectively explaining his confusion. Karmen looked at him sympathetically, trying hard to convey that she felt sad for him but she did not pity him.

“Are you surprised?” She asked softly, a genuine question not meant to be sarcastic or mean. John shook his head slowly, biting at the inside of his bottom lip to try and stop it from trembling.

He looked away from his friend, taking in a deep breath and trying his best to ignore the burning behind his eyes.

He jumped slightly as she stood, and he felt her hand slide on top of his. He looked down to their joined hands, turning his to take hers fully and squeezing tightly. Staring at it for a long minute before using it to pull her closer and wrapping his arms around her.

Karmen sat on the edge of the bed to keep her balance. Her free arm coming to wrap around his back and pull him close. He pressed his face into her shoulder, tears wetting the fabric of her shirt as he took a moment to let himself cry.

She shushed him lightly, squeezing his hand back hard and rubbing her thumb along what she could reach of his palm. Her other hand running small circles over his back as she held him firmly to her, doing her best to make him feel secure.

“Is she home?” John asked hoarsely, voice muffled against her collarbone. He heard Karmen swallow and knew he’d already gotten his answer.

She hesitated, unsure if the truth was best in this situation.

“Yes. She’s been home.” She answered eventually, voice soft as if whispering would make it hurt less. John didn’t respond, unsure he would be able to if he tried. His heart thundered in his chest and his body ached all over. His face felt hot and his teeth threatened to crack with how hard he was clenching his jaw. “I’m sorry.” Karmen whispered, her hand coming up to run through his hair.

John had always relished the physical comfort she gave him. She was the first person he ever remembered hugging him at the tender age of eight. He wasn’t sure if his Father had ever hugged him but if he had, he was too young to remember it.

Karmen had been a constant source of comfort throughout his life whether she knew it or not. Being around her made him feel inexplicably safe despite knowing she wasn’t capable of physically protecting him. He towered over her in stature and he had been known to knock out other men as big as Arthur, whereas he wasn’t sure Karmen had ever been involved in a physical altercation in her entire life.

Karmen stroked her fingers through his hair absently and wondered what he was thinking about. He hadn’t responded about Abigail. She doubted he was thinking positive thoughts.

“You scared me.” She said softly after a long moment of silence. John jolted slightly when she spoke, being thrown back roughly into reality.

“I’m sorry.” He said croakily, squeezing her tighter.

“I’ve been texting and calling all week.” She murmured, anger on the edge of her tone but not quite shining through.

John felt himself shiver against her as a new wave of guilt rushed through his chest. Sucking the air from his lungs as he desperately tried to take in another breath. Lungs hitching and failing as Karmen ran a calming hand down his spine and shushed him again lightly.

“Why didn’t…” He tried, finding his voice again through the lump in his throat. “You come earlier?” He finished, choking on his own words as he felt her sigh in his arms.

She was silent for too long.

John convincing himself without her needing to speak that she simply didn’t want to. He was a chore that she’d put off as long as humanely possible. Arriving just in time to throw him a bone and keep him alive.

“I didn’t know where you were.” Karmen finally answered, making John frown at the flatness of her tone.

He had seen her texts and knew she was asking for him.

She lived across the damn road from him for God’s sakes. If she wanted to know where he was how hard was it to walk across the street and ask.

“Didn’t you ask Abigail?” He questioned, pulling away from the hug and looking to her with furrowed brows.

She stared back, sad eyes filled with something he could not discern, looking him over as she contemplated her answer.

Of course, she had asked.

“I didn’t think of it.” She lied, placing a hand on his cheek and wiping at the new tears forming with a gentle thumb.

John swallowed thickly, her answer out of character with everything he knew about her. She was relentless when she wanted answers. Ruthless when it came to things like social media stalking. She could spend twenty minutes on someone’s Facebook and tell you what their Mother had eaten for lunch the day they were born.

But she hadn’t thought to ask his wife where he was when he had stopped responding to her texts…

He didn’t buy it.

“Arthur called me yesterday. I came as soon as I could.” She added, looking into his eyes and spying a sadness so deep she was afraid it would swallow him.

It almost had.

She realised, gritting her teeth and blinking against her own tears.

“She didn’t tell you where I was?” John asked after a long moment, voice small. “What I’d-” He stopped himself, unable to finish the sentence.

Karmen stared at him, biting at her bottom lip as she watched his face crumple.

“She just said you weren’t home.” She explained with a sigh. “I don’t know why she told Arthur the truth.” She whispered earnestly, pulling him back to her and guiding his head to her shoulder with one hand.

He rested against her easily. Craving her touch in the most platonic sense.

“I do.” He answered plainly, the pain in his voice evident as he took in a shaky breath.

“She scared of him like everyone else?” Karmen asked with a chuckle. Surprised when John sniffed out a small laugh.

“No.” He answered. “The opposite.”

“He’s scared of her?” Karmen asked, her voice scandalous, making John smile. She knew what he meant. Abigail’s suspected crush on Arthur had been brought up a few times between their small group of friends. She’d never broached it with John, but she suspected he knew.

He didn’t have to say it if it was too distressing. She decided instead to move on from the topic of Arthur. He’d already guesses she had spoken with Abigail. No point now in omitting the specifics. “Abigail…” She began, feeling him tense at the named. “She was acting real’ weird when I saw her.” She said softly. “Not gonna’ lie I was kinda worried she’d murdered you.” She added with a chuckle. “Glad she didn’t though.”

John pulled away from her again, a small smile on his face as he moved away completely and rolled his eyes. He sat back against the head of his bed and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Wouldn’t put it passed her to be honest.” He lamented. “Seems to want me gone bad enough.”

Karmen nodded, clicking her tongue for lack of anything to say. She knew Abigail had purposefully deceived her. But enforcing that with John was not what he needed from her in that moment. He didn’t need her to force him into feeling disdain for his wife while he was so vulnerable.

If he wanted to leave her, he needed to make that decision on his own. Not under her influence. He wouldn’t have him feeling resentful of her or her involvement in their divorce in future.

“I don’t think she’ll come.” John said softly, breaking the long silence as Karmen looked to him sympathetically. “If she doesn’t…” He began, sitting forward and wringing his hands together in his lap. “Could you see if she’ll let you bring Jack?” He asked after a moment, muscles straining under the effort to keep his face neutral.

“Sure.” Karmen nodded with a soft shrug. She wasn’t hopeful but she could certainly try. She’d do anything to make him happy at this point. “Oh.” She exclaimed, making him jump as she reached for her bag on the nightstand. “Here.” She said excitedly, rummaging through her bag and producing something.

She held out her hand and he took the object with a smile.

“I forgot this was coming out.” He said softly, staring at the Pokémon game in his hands before looking to her with watery eyes. “Thank you.” He whispered, feeling emotion rise to the surface once more.

“I just bought them before I came here. So you’ve got Sword and I‘ve got Shield, so we can trade.” Karmen smiled, pulling her console from her bag and placing it on the nightstand. “You can borrow mine until you get home.” She said softly.

“Actually, Arthur brought me mine.” John said quickly, pulling open the nightstand and checking to make sure he hadn’t dreamed it.

Everything was fuzzy at the moment.

“Oh, even better.” Karmen smiled wickedly, taking her console back and placing it in her purse. “You’d better get on that. Make sure to catch extras of all the exclusives for me.” She said, only half joking. But mainly intending to push John into obsessing over something other than the state of his marriage.

John stared at the cover art, excitement flicking in his chest for the first time in a long while. He really had been looking forward to it.

Until…

He closed his eyes, pushing the thought away as he placed the game down next to him. At least now he would have something to keep him occupied during the long nights of no sleep.

“Thanks.” He said again, unable to accurately express how much the small gesture meant to him.

“You’re welcome honey.” Karmen smiled, placing a comforting hand on his knee and petting it gently as he watched on with glazed eyes.

“Do… Do you have to go soon?” John asked, voice hoarse as he kept his emotions at bay for the moment.

“Not if you don’t want me to.” She answered, a question lingering in the air as John shook his head in response.

“Wanna play?” He asked after a moment, watching as her lips quirked at the question.

“Hell yes, I do.” She answered eagerly, reaching for her bag once more as John chuckled at her enthusiasm.

She always seemed to know exactly what he needed to make him feel better.

He was so grateful to have her.

End.

~~~~

John is a Pokémon fan. I don’t take constructive criticism. :’)

Please let me know if you read this and liked it! I love hearing from my awesome readers! Let me know if you want more backstory and what you’re hoping to see! ❤

#john marston #rdr2 modern au #angst #hurt/comfort #original character #karmen cassady #karmen davis #tw suicide attempts #tw suicide #cw suicide #tw depression #cw despression #Psych Hospital #cw suicidal thoughts #tw suicidal thoughts #trigger warning #content warning

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harvestdew · 3 years

Note

Hi! could you talk more about Kiki's friendship with Haley, and Cleo's friendship with Linus? They seem to have a cool dynamic :D

OMG of course i actually have a whole post here but i love haley so i will ALWAYS elaborate on anything about her ^_^ i’m sorry if this isn’t long i’m on my last week of school + finals

haley + kiki dynamic

i’ve already said this before but haley is one of my favorites because i enjoy her development. i think that mean girl with issues turned best friend is one of my favorite tropes and works with haley really well, and kiki works really well in terms of breaking the tough girl exterior because she’s WAY nicer than cleo (probably why haley takes longer to get around to liking cleo even though they’re dating)

haley didn’t get around to liking kiki that fast - i mentioned this in another post but kiki stayed in pelican town around middle school - freshman year, but she couldn’t have been that close to haley because i think haley gives me 19-20 year old vibes and kiki is 23. if she was a 13 year old in middle school, haley would be 9-10 and they wouldn’t be in the same grade. given i’ve finally nailed down their ages after writing that post i wouldn’t have kiki crush on haley to overcompensate for ME wanting to marry her, i have cleo who is haley’s age

SO why does haley come around to liking kiki? when kiki first moves back to pelican town, haley is kinda nosey and tries to figure out why someone would move away from the city without showing much interest. she’s also distrustful being haley, so it doesn’t really seem like it’s going anywhere. kiki also doesn’t get haley’s deal until emily (who she befriends faster) tells her it’s not haley’s fault she’s insecure, so she starts to feel bad for haley. but i feel like haley isn’t really won over by a lot of gifts even though kiki probably gifted her daffodils or expensive clothing she doesn’t want anymore. the only actual tipping point is when (in my funny little universe) kiki found haley crying over ALEX (no shade to him, but he does avoid haley and tells you not to tell her where he is) and talked to her about how she feels like everyone thinks she’s shallow. the whole convo ends with haley figuring “oh she’s not that bad,” warming up to her, and them becoming best friends

i also like to think kiki is just as overprotective of haley as she is over her but just not overtly. she has a pretty bad impression of alex for a number of reasons, but 1 of the biggest contenders is the haley thing. she gets defensive or mad when sebastian, abigail, sam, EVEN SHANE points out incorrect stuff about haley because it’s annoying when people make assumptions about haley

kiki does try really hard to bridge the gap between sebastian and haley, but their differences seem so disparate that it feels like she’s trying to make a bird and a cat friends. it doesn’t stop her from trying to and they both hate it like it’s the worst experience in their lives until they learn to tolerate each other

haley seems like a good cook, so she bakes with kiki frequently to spend quality time together. sometimes kiki also hangs out with haley by the river so she can forage/fish (before cleo comes to take over fishing) while haley takes pictures. when she unlocks the movies, she also takes haley a lot. i’m 100% sure that kiki hangs out with haley the most out of ALL of the villagers including sebastian because haley is less of a homebody

haley gave up on figuring out what kiki’s beef was w/ joja and zuzu city until she accidentally finds out. haley convinced her to go shopping in a district in zuzu city without knowing kiki is technically a missing person, and kiki only went because haley really wants to. like she figured, okay i dress differently and my hair is dyed, it’s fine. also, it’s some random shopping district where rich people wouldn’t go. they hit a department store anyway until kiki, being paranoid, freaked out because she thought she saw her mom and hid in a bathroom. but haley, feeling bad for her, bought kiki a hat and sunglasses to cover her so they could go back home, then figured out what happened afterwards

tl;dr: haley for best friend of the year. she is what she is and eric barone should let me rewrite her

linus + cleo dynamic

this one seems weird (?) probably as weird as kiki and shane being friends. cleo being 19 and linus being an old man seems like they’re on opposite sides of the spectrum and she’d probably hate him. in actuality linus is 1 of the first people she befriends. she gifts him the fastest, and rather than willy teaching her, linus helps her get better at fishing

cleo frequents fishing at the mountain lake more because it’s less boring. linus stands by the river at certain times of the day and she fishes according to that schedule so they can chat or she can drop food off at his tent

also if it wasn’t obvious, cleo’s 100 times harder to befriend than kiki. she’s rude asf and has an issue with being blunt, plus she thinks everyone around her only gives a fuck abt themselves. but if you’ve played the game you can tell linus is a nice old man, minds his business, etc., right off the bat. it’s his down-to-earth attitude and non-judgmental advice that makes him the least annoying and she takes his wise advice SUPER seriously. so instead of hating linus, he’s a positive grandpa/dad figure in her life

and whenever haley + cleo get married (FAR future they’re both 19 and 20), she is probably not going to invite her dumb as balls dad to walk her down the aisle, it’s 100% going to be linus. he’s probably the only old person in the valley besides evelyn that she thinks wouldn’t be awful about her being a lesbian

also, cleo is not out to her family, prior friends, or really anyone before stardew valley. she doesn’t trust her parents, actually dates a former male bandmate to stop speculation, and thinks it’ll be negatively publicized if she does. cleo might exude sapphic energy, but she doesn’t say anything about her sexuality when she runs away either. it’s not that she feels particularly unsafe with kiki or even sam (her best friend) knowing it either, but she just feels like she’s better off never saying anything. linus, oddly enough, is the person who talks cleo through dealing with this

and b/c linus gives me super “got his shit together” and calm energy, which levels out cleo’s impulsivity and anger streaks. it’s probably not a good idea to bring this up to abigail and sam because they’d hype her up more and she’s just go ballistic. so if alex pisses her off, linus gets her to cool down. she could be annoyed because pierre side-eyed her and linus would say 5 words to make her stop fuming

i also really like the headcanon that linus used to be like? a huge business CEO whatever and gave it up to live in the nature. cleo would hear that and be like are you fr? that’s so cool. i too hate capitalism

what’s even weirder is linus definitelyyyy goes to cleo’s band performances as moral support. no one knows why this old man is hanging out at a venue with young adults, but cleo says it is what it is and it’s no one’s business

anyway that’s it for now! this was a fun exercise/break for me, thank you sm for asking!!! i always have fun doing these

#answered

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ilovefandoms102 · 4 years

Text

Part 16

Summary: Things for you and JJ take a turn

Taglist:

@ma10427 @lasnaro @certainstatesmantoadartisan @iamaunicorn4704 @fernweh-fangirl @justcallmesams @sspidermanss @tangledinsparkles @jellyfishbeansontoast @hurricane-abigail @outerbongs @gviosca @eb15 @lopineapples

Part 15 Part 17

Note: I hope you guys enjoy! Let me know what you guys think!

Songs referenced later in the chapter:

More Than Words- Extreme

You’ll be in my Heart-Phil Collins

===================================

“JJ,” I mumbled, gripping harder on the armrests.

“Why are we at Barry’s?” Pope asked.

“Be right back guys” JJ said, climbing out of the van.

“JJ no!” I yelled, running after him.

JJ rummaged and threw stuff around in Barry’s house. It was so disgusting and smelled like no one had cleaned it in a very, very long time.

“JJ what are you doing?” I asked, standing by the door while he was in the kitchen.

“I know this motherfucker has a stash hidden” he said.

“A stash of what babe?” I questioned, throwing my arms out. I ran after him as he went to the back of the house. We stopped in what I’m assuming is Barry’s room.

“Found it” JJ said, dumping a shit load of cash on the bed. He grabbed a bag, stuffing all of the cash into it quickly.

“So, we’re robbing people now JJ?” I asked rhetorically, following behind him back to the front door.

“I’m sick and tired of people messing with us, we’re getting even” he spat out, slamming the door open.

“Yeah JJ and ya know, if you keep doing shit like this you know who you’re going to end up like? Your fucking dad!” I shouted, immediately regretting my words.

He slammed me up against the van, grabbing the front of my shirt. I didn’t back down from his stare. I was too angry and stubborn to see what I had said was so wrong. I could see the hurt behind the fury in his eyes.

“JJ!” John B yelled, coming to my side. I held up my hand, telling him I had the situation handled.

“You really sprouting that shit on me baby?” JJ asked.

“This is beyond psychotic JJ! Barry knows dangerous people, and he’s going to come after us.” I spat through my teeth. He gripped at my shirt tighter, staring more intensely in my eyes. “Put it back” I whispered.

“No” he said, getting in the van.

I stood still where I was, not knowing what to do to make him see he was being crazy. Everyone else stared at us, I looked at my brother, the sting of tears creeping up on me without my permission. I choked out a sob I didn’t want to come out. I knew I had to say it or this was going to be bad.

“JJ” I said, turning to look at him.

“I’m not putting it back!” he yelled.

“Put it fucking back or we’re done!” I screamed, the tears starting to leak down my face.

Everyone gasped behind me, JJ’s eyes widening. I stood my ground, the adrenaline still pumping in my system caused my whole body to start shaking.

“Please JJ, put it back. I can’t lose you, please” I whispered, the tears coming down harder.

“Fuck this” JJ scoffed, he got out of the van and started walking away from us.

My heart shattering, I was losing the love of my life. But, I knew even in a fucked up way, this was all from a place of love. He was reacting because we were threatened, and a gun was pointed at all of our heads. I started after him, but my brother stopped me with an arm going around me.

“JJ!” I sobbed, leaning on my brother. He turned me around, my head going into his neck as I cried.

“Let’s go bubba” John B said, pushing me to the van. John B drove while I took the passenger seat. I got out my cigarettes, chain smoking them the whole way home trying to ease the pain in my heart.

Later that evening:

I blew up JJ’s phone the minute we got home from Barry’s, worry pooled deep in my stomach. I knew he was going to take that money to his dad, and who knows what the hell they’d do with it. I cried in my brother’s and Sarah’s arms for hours, regretting everything I said to JJ.

“I just wanted him to see how unreasonable he was being, I didn’t think he’d actually take it seriously” I sobbed, Sarah ran her hands through my hair.

“He knows that Bubba, he was acting out of anger. You know he loves you.” John B said.

“What if his dad does something to him?! Oh god, I’d never forgive myself Birdie!” I screamed out, jumping up off the couch. I ran to the door, grabbing the keys.

“Bubba!” John B yelled, him and Sarah following after me.

“Where are you going?” Sarah asked.

“I’m going to get JJ” I stated.

They both piled into the van, I pounded my foot on the gas. We were half way there when two motorbikes pulled up.

“Pull the fuck over!” one of them said.

I slammed the gas harder, the guy pulling in front of the van, and I had to slam on the breaks to keep from hitting them. The man took his helmet off, and none other than Rafe fucking Cameron was the one driving.

“Let me handle this” Sarah said.

I ignored her, slamming the door shut. I walked up to Rafe and shoved him as hard as I could.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!” I screeched.

“Nice to see you too little Pogue” he smirked.

“What the hell Rafe?” Sarah said.

“Ahhh my beloved little sister” he said.

“Cut the shit Rafe, what do you want” I asked through my teeth.

“I want a lot of things from you little Pogue, but now’s not the time for that. What I’m really here for is to ask why you all thought it was a good idea to steal from a drugdealer.” Rafe said. Sarah and I looked at each other, my fist balled up.

“We didn’t take anything” I said.

“You don’t have to pretend with me, but you should know...Barry is a bad man. He has connections everywhere, and he’s going to come after you all” he said.

“Well thank you for almost dying just to tell us something we already know dumbass” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

“You misunderstand me little Pogue. He knows Maybank has the money, so he’s going to take YOU as his prize.” Rafe said.

“I’d like to see him try” I said. “I can handle myself quite well with the amount of times I’ve beat your ass huh Rafe?” I asked, smirking at my last statement.

“If you don’t want your friends to die Sarah, you best be getting that money” Rafe said to Sarah.

All of the sudden, we see a van pull up. Men rushing out, heading for me and Sarah.

“Shit” I said.

“Hey! I said not my sister!” Rafe yelled.

Sarah and I bolted back to the van, men getting a hold of us almost instantly.

“JB!” I screamed for my brother. I saw him run to the back of the van, he pulled the gun I took from Barry out and rang out a shot.

“I suggest you let both my sister and my girlfriend go, or I’m going to blow each of your fucking brains out.” my brother said, deadly calm.

That bought me enough time to elbow the guy that had a hold of me, turning around and punching him in the face. Another trying to grab me, but I kicked my leg out and hit him right where it counts. After Sarah and I got free, we got in the van and I got us out of there. I couldn’t go to JJ’s now because it would lead Barry’s men right to him.

“We have to move the gold tonight, with or without JJ” I said, speeding back to the chateau.

I suddenly got a text from JJ, telling me to meet him at the house. My eyes widened at the message, I sped faster to get to him. We got home and it was completely dark out now. I instructed my brother to get the stuff ready so we could move the gold. Suddenly, a shit ton of fairy lights came on all around the chateau.

“The hell?” I said, looking around. I spotted a huge ass hot tub in the middle of my yard, my mouth fell open.

“A jet is going right up my butt babygirl” JJ slurred. He was drunk off his ass, sunglasses sitting low on his nose.

“JJ, what the hell is all this?! How much did this cost?! How did it get here?!” I started asking a million questions to which he shook his head at me.

“Baby, it doesn’t matter. Come on get in with me!” he said, waving his hand at me.

“JJ, this is insane...seriously how much was all of this?” I asked.

“Well, let’s see. I had express delivery, had to buy the gas, and the lights. So....all of it” he said nonchalantly. My eyes were so wide I’m sure they would have popped out of my head.

“WHAT?!” I screeched. “JJ!” I yelled at him.

“Sweets, it’s fine. I bought this for us! Our friends,no fuck that this is our family.” he said.

“JJ...this is not ok! You could have at least used that to pay your restitution! Or literally anything remotely helpful!” I shouted.

“Ok well I didn’t!” he said, standing up.

His whole stomach was covered in huge bruises, I stared at them. My poor JJ, just wanting acceptance and love. No matter how hard I tried, he would always still look for it from his dad, and when he did, it resulted in another bruise.

“Baby” I croaked, my hand going over my mouth.

“Now stop all the emotional shit! Get in! I mean it’s sweet right?” he said, finally starting to break down.

I ran to him, getting in the tub and throwing myself into his arms. He broke down completely, body racking sobs escaping from his chest. I held on to him, singing our song softly in his ear. He cried hard, holding me so tight it was almost I struggle to breathe. When he calmed a little he spoke softly to me.

“Will you sing another song for me baby?” he asked. I started singing another song.The sobs coming again from him, shaking me with him.

“Come on baby, let’s go inside” I said softly to him.

We got out, heading inside. I got him in the shower and cleaned him off. I applied some cream to his cuts and made him take some medicine for the pain. We sat on my bed beside each other.

“I almost killed him” JJ muttered, a silent tear rolling down his face.

“Honey” I mumbles, running my hands through his wet hair.

“I just want to do the right thing for once sweets” he said, putting his head in his hands.

“I know you do sweetheart, it’s ok” I said, pulling him to me. His head landing on my chest. I combed my hands in his hair, getting rid of the knots that already started to form.

“No it’s not! I’m such a fuck up! I’m so sorry baby, I hurt you. I lost it and I hurt you.” he cried into my chest, his arms going around my waist.

“It’s ok baby, we were both mad and I said things I didn’t mean” I said.

“You’re right. I fuck everything up just like my dad. I’m becoming just like him” he muttered.

“JJ Maybank, do you really think I would let that happen?” I asked.

“You’re going to get tired of me eventually. You can’t fix me.” he said.

“JJ, I love you. And I know you love me. I know in my heart, that you are a good fucking person. And I’ll be damned if you or anyone tries to tell me any different.” I said, now my turn to start crying. “I want you, all of you. The good and the bad.” I said, quoting him.

“I just blew 25k on a fucking hot tub! I could have done something to help us and I bought a hot tub!” he yelled, pushing away from me. He turned and planted his feet on the ground, his elbows on his knees, and his head going in his hands.

“Well maybe we can sell it.” I said.

“It doesn’t change anything! Barry is going to come after us and it’s my fault! I should have listened to you! I was just so mad, and scared. Mad that fucker had a gun pointed at my girl and my friends. Scared because now people know the gold is real and that we have it. FUCK!” he screamed, punching the pillow.

“We’ll figure it out! We always do..we knew this shit was going to be dangerous, My dad died for this gold.” I said, rubbing his back.

“We need to find somewhere to get this gold cashed, and get out of the country” JJ mumbled.

==========================================

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