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wildingrose · 3 years

Text

spilt tea

dark alley help part 10

part 9: care

word count: 2.8k

》 ignored kink, cunnilingus, oral sex in office

- ✿ -

You sat on the desk in your office cabin while Cindy watched you hold the pile of documents. Your eyes scanned over the lengths of the legal sized papers that contained detailed information on the clients and their wishful properties. Flipping through them and resting the reviewed next to you, your heart froze when coming across the name of one particular client.

Facing the paper her way, you asked, "Him? He's our client?"

Cindy squinted her eyes to read the inked name and nodded. "Yes, it's your fiancé. He's been our loyal client for a long time."

You groaned at the unofficial title. "He's not my fiancé. Never was." That made sense as to how your mother found him and why she really liked him. "Doesn't he have a gazillion properties? Why does he need more?"

"He mentioned that this one was for... a reunion, I believe. It's a new property under construction and will be underway for closing soon."

Your head pounded painfully and your fingers went up to relieve it in circles. Raymond was purchasing a property just for a reunion instead of holding the event at one of his currently owned hotels. That guy was just flexing his money through property ownerships. "Whatever," you mumbled and took a quick glance at the company name that was responsible for the construction. Then, your eyes immediately fixed on where it was located.

It was the block where Taeyong mentioned that he was working at. You hadn't seen the structure yet, and now you were overjoyed to.

"Oh my God," you muttered and hopped off the table, your hand flying to your mouth in utter shock before your shoulders shook and a loud sinister laugh escaped from you.

Cindy watched you in concern as you jumped gleefully in your spot. "Um, Y/N, are you okay?"

While you weren't hundred percent positive for what his reaction was going to be, you couldn't wait to rub it in Raymond's face that he had purchased something where Taeyong had contributed to building. You waved Cindy off with an ecstatic smile. "Yeah, don't worry. I was just thinking about something."

She stared at you for a moment longer before letting it go.

Shortly, a knock on the door was heard, followed by a head popping in. "Can I come in? I have your tea," Chris smiled, shaking an acrylic tumbler with iced tea. "This should help with your headache and slight nausea."

"Thanks a lot. Of course, come in," you waved him in.

He nodded and strode over to you. You retrieved the drink and took a long sip of the tea, humming happily. "Perfect."

"Hope it helps. Also, there's someone waiting for you outside."

"Really? Who?" Your lips connected with the straw and sucked in another long sip.

His brows furrowed as he tried to recall the name. "I think his name is... Taeyong?"

You spurted out your tea in surprise that he came to your workplace in the middle of the day and set the tumbler down on the desk. "It's Taeyong? Bring him in!"

Chris nodded and went to fetch for your man while Cindy eyed you curiously.

Chris stepped into the main area where Taeyong stood by the desks, more specifically by Shannon's desk who wordlessly stared at him. "Hey man, come on in!"

Taeyong straightened his back and cleared his throat, avoiding the gaze of the young woman drilling a hole in his head. Her gaze remained on his retreating figure with a slight frown creasing her forehead.

Your colleague reappeared with the man that you were looking forward to trailing behind. Taeyong smiled subtly as you jogged over to him with a bright smile.

"Baby," you chirped and wrapped your arms around him. He faintly chuckled and held you close, pecking your forehead. You turned around in his arms and found Cindy's jaw hanging low and Chris whistling in amusement. "He's Taeyong, my fiancé-to-be," you introduced him, mainly for Cindy. Taeyong was stunned by the unexpected title but happily accepted it, wanting nothing more than to be bonded with you in the utmost ways possible.

Chris quirked an intrigued brow. "Now that's some real tea right there. Have fun now," he said and with a salute, he walked out the cabin.

Cindy closed her mouth and reminded you of an important task. "Mr. Riley is expecting a call in..." She glanced at her watch. "... about a few minutes. Should I stay here to help you?"

You shook your head. "It's pretty straight forward so I'll be fine. Thanks though."

She nodded and headed to exit the cabin, closing the door behind her to give you privacy.

You pulled away from Taeyong and asked, "I love seeing you here, but how? Don't you have work?"

He pointed to the window in your office. As if on cue, the light droplets shifted to pouring rain outside. "It started onsite, so we had to stop working. Thought I'd come here and see how you're doing."

You hummed. "Good thinking. But I have work to do, so no funny business," you warned with narrowed eyes.

He exhaled out of his nose and nodded, seeming disinterested by your words as he shuffled his feet towards your desk and hopped on. His eyes landed on your tea and picked it up, taking a huge sip and frowned at the bitter taste before setting it back down. Taeyong then scanned his eyes around the cabin, making observations of how clean and polished the walls were with modern design.

You arched an eyebrow at him to which he didn't catch. Was he really going to sit there and not do anything? Good for you. You strolled over to pick up your client's portfolio and cell phone from the desk. "I have an important call to make. Do not make a sound, and no distractions. Understood?"

Taeyong merely shrugged in response, and you began dialing your client's number. While you waited for the call to be answered, you glanced at Taeyong and noticed that he wasn't doing anything except for swinging his leg.

"Hello, this is Riley speaking."

Startled, you fumbled with your greeting. "Oh hi! Good afternoon, Mr. Riley. I'm Y/N L/N and am calling on behalf of my father regarding your interested properties. I'll be taking his place so it will be a pleasure to work with you," you spoke with politeness.

Taeyong huffed and mumbled, "Only I give you pleasure." You smacked his arm.

"I'm sorry? I didn't hear the last part well."

Your eyes widened. "Nothing!" You gave Taeyong a glare and moved away from him, balancing the folder on one hand. "So, I see your investments and interests..."

Taeyong watched you as the call droned on, getting immensely bored without your attention on him, and so he decided to make himself comfortable.

You took a sneak peak to see what Taeyong was up to and did a double take. "I'm sorry but could you please hold on for a moment, sir?" Pressing the mute button, you gritted your teeth. "Taeyong, why are you unbuttoning your shirt?"

He kept moving his fingers downward, undoing the buttons slowly and pushed the flaps to the side for his handsome torso to be on full display. "I'm feeling hot," he said with his voice laced in pure boredom.

You gave him a pointed look. The air conditioner was blasting in your cabin, therefore having no reason for him to feel uncomfortable. You ignored him, turning your back on him and resumed your call, but now you were partly distracted by replaying his beautiful skin in your head.

Taeyong sighed when seeing you ignore him again and hopped off. He rounded the desk and plopped down into the massive leather chair, putting his feet up on the table and rummaged through the drawers to look for anything that could entertain him.

Your ears picked up on the soft sounds of drawers sliding open and shut. There was a brief moment of silence followed by a container lid clicking open. The faint chewing sounds made you turn around and your heartbeat stilled before kicking into full racing mode. You were paying almost zero attention to your client as you watched Taeyong bite into a cherry, the juice spilling out of its flesh and past his lips, traveling down his chin. He made no efforts to wipe it off as he finished the fruit off, spitting out the seed and discarding the stem onto the lid. Picking up another one, he repeated the action, making more of the sweet red juice coat his chin.

You wanted nothing more than to lick his skin clean, and then straddle yourself on his lap to have a heated make out session with him. But you held yourself back and blinked a few times, shaking your head and focused on the reason why you were doing all of this.

When the cherries were all done, Taeyong huffed out in frustration from having nothing else to do, your phone call seeming to run way longer than anticipated.

Just then, his lips curled into a smirk as an idea hit him.

He stalked over to you with a mischievous glint in his eyes and you didn't notice his approaching presence from behind until he swiftly bent down to grab your waist from the front and hoisted you over his shoulder, holding you effortlessly by your legs. Your hand lost balance of the folder and it crashed to the floor, and your eyes bulged out as he carried you over to the desk.

He put you down on the table and shoved everything aside with his arm, not giving a glance as to what was being knocked over. Taeyong positioned you until you were laid flat on the sturdy desk and crawled on top of you, bringing his gaze to meet yours. With your mouth agape, you stared at his dark eyes as you were no longer processing a single word that your client spoke.

"Ignore me," he mouthed without a single sound and then he began.

He unbuttoned your shirt enough to expose your bra. Your heart crashed in your chest, fearing for what he had in mind when being in the office with a client on the phone and the door to your cabin left unlocked. But you were thrilled to see what Taeyong was going to do while you 'ignored' him.

His tongue poke out to coat saliva over his cherry-dried lips and dipped his head in between the valley of your breasts, sucking on the skin there with his soft lips sending excitement down to your core as you began producing your own sweet juice. Your hand came up to cover your mouth, stopping your sighs from reaching the speaker. You could have muted your voice and took full advantage of the situation, but this was 'ignore Taeyong' game and you were going through with it to see its end.

"Miss Y/N, are you still there?" Your client's voice snapped you back to your main responsibility.

"Oh sorry. Yes, I am." And with that, he resumed talking.

Taeyong pulled back and observed the faint colour of the fruit transferred onto your skin, and you nearly sighed aloud when he took long strides of his hot wet tongue to lick it clean, your grip on the phone tightening. When done, he pulled back with a smirk, and your eyes blew up when one of the most insane things happened next. Taeyong leveled his face with the zipper of your pants and grasped onto the small sliding piece with his teeth, pulling it down undone with such ease that you thought was not possible with the difficult task.

His hands yanked your pants down along with panties to midway. To prevent the hassle of taking your shoes and pants off completely, he crossed your legs, keeping enough space to dive his head into the opening from underneath. His hands firmly held your legs in place to stop you from squeezing around his head. His face leveled with your glistened core till you felt his hot breath fanning over it. Taeyong was amused to see you turned on and took a deep breath in with his nose touching your sweet flesh. "Smells nice, doll," he whispered ever so softly that you wouldn't have heard it if you weren't completely focused on him. Your legs quivered around his head as you spilled more juice out.

At last, his tongue strode over the length of your heat and your jaw hung open without a single sound parting from your lips. He repeated the action and after dipped his wet muscle in between your slick folds. You used every muscle in you to keep your hips grounded to the smooth surface of the table while your free hand clenched into a tight fist beside you. It would have been at his head gripping his hair, but you weren't sure if that counted as ignoring him.

Your walls hugged him as he began rolling his tongue. A small hum was felt against your flesh, causing your belly to tighten and spill more of your delicious juice onto his tongue. He hungrily lapped up every drop, his moist muscle flicking against your clit that resulted you to slip a mixture of moan and whine past your deep breathings.

"Is everything all right?"

Your blood ran cold when you had momentarily forgotten all about the phone call. Your ears had completely droned out your client's voice to focus on the squelching sounds that your man made in your cunt. Your brain quickly tried to come up with a sound excuse. "Oh um, I spilled something on my desk. I'm sorry about that. Please continue."

Taeyong snickered, sending sinful vibrations throughout your body and further tightened your belly for the incoming orgasm. Unfortunately, another desperate whine escaped from your mouth. Mr. Riley was silent for a moment before speaking up. "I do have another matter to attend. We can end our discussion here for now. I look forward to working with you, Y/N."

Finally! "I see. I will too. Have a great day-" and you quickly ended the call before a pathetic moan could travel through the speaker as Taeyong began having a make out session with your cunt, sucking your throbbing clit in between his lips. Chucking your phone aside, your hands lightly played with the wisps of his dark hair. "Oh Tae," you choked out a quiet sob. Your legs ached and trembled the longer it was forcefully kept open.

"Look at me, doll," he whispered.

You looked down at the sinful view of his head in between your legs. His gaze heavily burned into yours and gave a few harsh sucks, resulting in the final snap of the coil in your stomach. Your vision blurred as your back arched off the surface to generously cum into his mouth. He hummed as he sucked up every drop of your essence, still lapping over your heat even after it was over, and the sensitivity caused you to push his head away. "No more," you weakly whispered.

He kissed your cunt two times before completely pulling his head out, helping you put your pants back on. "You taste so good, doll," he drawled seductively he licked his lips clean.

You smacked his chest, feigning anger as you buttoned up your top. "We would have lost one of our biggest clients if he figured out what I was up to."

"But he didn't. You did a good job ignoring me... for the most part anyways," he snickered.

A series of knocks was heard and the door flew open, revealing an unsuspecting Cindy. Her eyes went on a tour as it scanned over the dropped portfolio on the floor, your shocked eyes on her, Taeyong's disheveled state and open shirt, and the mess on the desk.

She huffed out at the sight of drenched documents. "If you were going to have fun, couldn't you have done it without getting anything spilt on the documents?"

Your brows scrunched, confused with what she meant until you spotted the acrylic tumbler tipped onto its side with the tea no longer in its container as the papers soaked the liquid up. "Oh shit," you muttered and shot a look at Taeyong who simply shrugged and feigned innocence as if not his fault.

Cindy sighed. "We'll just have to prepare all those again."

"I'll prepare them myself. It's my fault anyway."

She shook her head. "It's fine. I'll help too. You owe me a drink for overtime," she cracked a smile and winked.

You breathed out in relief that she wasn't too mad at you. "Of course."

Taeyong turned to you with bright eyes. "I'll help too." Not only would he be able to spend more time with you, but also receive a free drink, your drink, while at it.

Your jaw slacked, aware of his underlying intention, and pushed him out the cabin with all your strength. "No! You're leaving, mister!"

tag list: @cosmiclatte28 @mel-yjh @johnnysuhisnotmyproblem @kttyongie @chantellsievert

#nct smut #nct 127 smut #taeyong smut #lee taeyong #taeyong x reader #taeyong imagines #taeyong scenarios #nct imagines #nct scenarios

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levisnackajack · 3 years

Text

The Wrath of War

Chapter Twenty Two

Tender sun rays whisked Eden’s cheeks soothingly.

Through closed eyelids, she could still feel the light beaming through the glass window; washing over everything in the room; including her physiognomy. Her arm extended against the mattress; as though she was blindly searching for the contact of cool skin under her fingertips.

But, all she did was graze over the washed out duvet cover. Blinking rapidly, she carefully slipped her eyes open, arching her back as she stretched- like a slender cat equipping herself for a heavy day out on the cobbled streets of Trost.

She had memorized the room’s layout all too well; every single detail etching itself into the back of her brain as she recollected the heated position she had been placed in by Captain Levi. Gingerly, Eden pressed her fingertips against her lips; the taste of him still lingering, the softened flesh cracked and bruised.

According to her muddled up thoughts; she had passed out in the bed after being gifted with the carnal opportunity of kissing Captain Ackerman. The thought of his blown-out pupils gazing down at her in such a wanton way made heat rush through her body like adrenaline; despite the fact that she had only just woken up a few minutes prior.

The harnesses lay draped over the armchair; her body clothed with just her shirt and her pants. Eden was way too anxious to remove her clothing during the night; afraid that Levi’s glinting, silver eyes would scorch her body and she’d give in way too easily.

Resting her back against the headboard; she looked through the window with a blank look painted on her face; her knees pressed against her chest. She wondered where he had gone; whether he regretted it all, whether he wanted more.

Whether he was feeling the same way she was.

The front door creaked open and the sound of boots resonated through the spacious room. Eden’s eyes flitted towards the motion; only to be met with Levi’s uniformed back as he moved to close the door behind him.

Once he turned back in her direction; his eyes widened at the feline look that bore through him. He had two teacups in his hand; the steam grazing across his palms as it ascended out from the liquid.

“I brought you tea.” Levi spoke first in a low voice as he stalked across the room; gently handing Eden one of the teacups before lowering himself to sit beside her.

“Thank you,” she replied, shyly accepting the beverage with an unsteady hand and flustered cheeks. Levi regarded her intently through hooded eyes as her lips pressed against the orifice of the cup.

The tea was sweet and fruity- almost floral. Her stomach flipped when Levi rested his hand on the top of her knee.

Putting the teacup back onto the saucer resting on the nightstand; Eden perked up against the headboard, amber eyes glued to dull leaden-blue ones. His hand began trailing up her thigh. Her lungs begged for air as her heart grew stuck in her throat; lips parting slightly.

“I liked watching you struggle under me last night,” Levi breathed out; the hand on her thigh growing stronger. His words were like molten lava flaming her entire body up.

Levi swiftly used the grip on her body to pull her downwards, her head falling back into the pillows. Within a matter of seconds, he moved his body to tower over her, the darkened glint in his eyes revealing carnal fantasies making Eden’s own eyes widen. His knee pressed in between her legs as he lowered his head; promptly capturing her lips with his. She hissed at the sensation of his knee brushing against her; her arms snaking around his neck as she deepened the kiss.

His lips were gentler as opposed to the kisses he had peppered her with the night before. They were silky and smooth; but sharp enough to slice through the built-up tension in the room. Letting out a low, guttural groan, Eden’s body arched into him as his hand roamed her body over her clothes. His fingertips dragged painfully slowly over the curve of her breast, following the path along her slender waist before finally settling to squeeze her hip.

Eden let out another softened mewl against his lips when his own hips brushed against hers and his kisses grew more brutal. Her sweet sounds caused the Captain to hiss in pleasure against her lips; teeth sinking into her bottom lip.

“You’re being a tease,” the girl groaned as he sucked on her lip, a subdued growl reverberating out of him as he slipped his eyes shut.

“Where’s the pleasure in the lack of torture, brat?” His cool fingers raked through her hair before tucking on the locks lightly; causing her chin to jut out to the side. He used her angled head to kiss her neck; deeply enjoying the way Eden’s eyes fluttered closed, her fingers gliding over his sharp undercut.

Eden felt like time was slipping through her fingers in such a rapid pace. It was like the next breath she took was about an hour later; when both her and the Captain’s lips were bruised and swollen.

He left her to change in peace and as Eden clasped the hook of her green cape around her neck, the scent of his cologne overwhelmed her senses once more. Every little flicker of her eye, every pant she took, every sensation that garnished her fingertips caused her to immediately think back to him.

She had never known what the term ‘forbidden fruit’ had meant until she was met with Levi’s cold lips.

Much to her surprise, Levi had offered to take her out on a tour around Trost. Albeit the painful memories of her first battle within this district playing out behind her eyes; she accepted, listening intently to the way the Captain informed her about another, undisclosed task that was hushed-up between himself and Commander Erwin.

Walking side-by-side, Eden refrained from asking why he had made her wait for him outside a sketchy pub. He came back out hastily, his eyes disinterested and narrowed- the clench of his jaw revealing that whomever he had met with inside the establishment, had also left him with a bitter taste on his tongue.

The passers stole nervous glances at the two soldiers; but neither of them paid any attention as they walked along the paved streets of the busy district.

“I remember this area. I believe this was the place you and I met for the first time,” Eden broke the comfortable silence, extending an arm to indicate the familiar rooftop from which she had sprinted off in order to save her friends from an impending death during the Battle of Trost.

Levi’s eyes flickered towards the highlighted region before letting out an agitated sigh, his eyes shifting away quickly. “Yes. I had only known you for perhaps less than thirty seconds and your temerity managed to piss me off beyond anything.”

Eden huffed under her breath, running a hand through her hair in irritation. She didn’t know what had possessed her to loop an arm around his when he quickened his pace.

But, she couldn’t ignore the way Levi’s body stiffened. His steps grew slower and the way they walked so close to one another caused their capes to mangle and brush with each step.

They strode back towards the lodging; but Levi redirected their strides in a different direction. It was narrow, colder and darker than the sunny, open streets they had previously walked through.

“A shortcut,” was all he had said in response to the quizzical look he felt pierce through the side of his face.

Within the darkened alleyway; Eden’s heart began racing as she imagined an opportunity to feel his lips against hers once more arise. As if he could read every single fleeting thought in her head, Levi grabbed the arm laced through his; pressing her up against the cold wall with a thud.

No time was wasted on words as his mouth found hers urgently, as though her lips were the only source of water in the entire district. His palms lay against either side of her face as he drank her in; his body leaning against hers when Eden’s knees threatened to give out. Her nails dragged against the path of his neck as she called for him softly, her brows laced together revealing just how much pleasure Levi’s touch was bringing her.

Her tongue dragged itself against his bottom lip, tasting the sweetness of the tea he was previously drinking. There was something about the way Levi’s lips tasted that left Eden feeling utterly intoxicated.

The Captain pulled away from her swiftly, his breathing unsteady, his pupils blown out. His lips curled up lightly in a wicked smirk as he watched Eden’s messed-up persona- her mangled locks, parted lips and drunken look on her face.

“Don’t you think your disheveled appearance calls for punishment, brat?” Levi’s dull voice rippled through the silence, causing Eden to straighten up and arch a brow at him.

She glided her palms over her uniform, clearing her throat under his scrutinizing stare. “What happens when my appearance is solely caused by your doings, Captain?”

The smirk deepened, the twitches in his jaw visible in the darkness and he stepped forward, brushing his fingers through her hair.

Shoving the strands behind her ear, he leaned in, the sensation of his iced lips scraping her ear sending chills along the path of her spine. “That means you have no one to go sob to if I ever decide to discipline you for it, Chiasa.”

Riding back to the Headquarters was comforting. They eased into a relaxing conversation and Eden’s cheeks would flush ever so often. Her horse stood galloping within close proximity to the Captain's and the glacier winds grazed her face, numbing it completely.

“You can be honest and admit to enjoying my company, Captain,” Eden asserted through a large grin, the corners of her amber eyes crinkling when Levi glanced in her direction.

“Tch,” he scoffed, but his somewhat nonchalant mask revealed how unbothered he was by her playful demeanor. “If you’re just trying to rank up by messing around with your Captain, that’s not how it works, brat.”

His snarky response caught the girl off-guard and she let out a high-pitched, sheepish laugh. Levi’s head snapped back towards her; staring at her in wonder. This was perhaps the first time Eden had let out a hearty, full and raw laugh.

She cringed at herself, lowering her head, allowing her hair to curtain her blazing cheeks.

“But, we do make a good team,” Levi spoke once more, easing his horse into a slower gallop as soon as its pants began ringing through the wilderness.

“Oh? I apologize for the confusion, but was that a compliment?” Eden inquired, finally lifting her head after taming the blossoming blush that had engraved itself into her skin.

The Captain hummed flatly over the clattering sound of hooves. After a long pause, his deep voice asserted itself into the space between them. “Take it as you will. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt if you stopped doubting everything I say to you.”

Eden chewed on her bottom lip as she listened to his voice. It was like she was in trance, afraid to think about how quickly she’d agree to any sort of order Levi sends her way.

Lost in the vortex of her thoughts, the girl nearly missed the words that slipped through his lips.

Nearly.

“I don’t like seeing you with Kirstein.”

It was so out of the blue, Eden couldn’t respond to him immediately. Silence settled around them as the sun slowly began descending into its usual space for slumber.

“What do you mean?” Her eyes were trained ahead of her, her knuckles growing white as the palms holding onto her horse’s reins became increasingly dampened with sweat.

“It’s hard to believe you’re actually this dense, Eden,” Levi countered, his own knuckles growing paler as he finally urged his horse to gallop faster. Eden followed him, trying her best to match his pace.

“Anyway,” he continued coolly, the shift in his demeanor causing Eden to physically become overwhelmed with dread. “That’s all I wanted to say.”

“Jean is just a friend,” she replied in irritation, very much aware of the way his head craned back towards her, eyes narrowed and filled with displeasure.

“Didn’t seem like that when I caught you two in the stables. Or when I came to visit you in the infirmary...-”

“I’ll have you know, Captain,” she sliced through his words, lucid rage overwhelming her as each syllable trickled out of his mouth.

“Jean and I are just friends. Yes, we’ve had our moments, but that was it. Just moments. And when you saw him with me in the medical quarters; it’s because he came to tell me he couldn’t do anything with me anymore. He also let me in on the fact that it was not his name I called out when he saved me from the titan...it was yours.” She took a deep breath before her furrowed brows raised. “Still feeling jealous?”

He didn’t respond. In fact, Levi didn’t even look at her. His gaze was focused straight ahead at the forthcoming sight of the familiar trees surrounding their base.

After a while, all he did was scoff.

Arriving back at the headquarters was very anticlimactic.

Levi was back to being cold and butthurt and Eden could only seethe in silence. He strapped his horse away in the stables and stalked off, not even shedding Eden a single flicker of eye contact.

Despite the irritation coiling inside her body, the girl continued on with her day as usual- going to greet her friends and spend some time with Sasha and Connie.

Sometime later in the afternoon, the sensation of overthinking ebbed at her consciousness way too much for her to handle. So, balling her palms into fists, Eden marched towards the Corporal’s office.

Just as her knuckles were about to rap against his door for the very first time; it creaked open, and she was met with Levi’s widened eyes.

“Ah. I was just looking for you, brat.”

She blushed, lashes flickering downwards as the color painted her cheeks sweetly. Following him back inside the office, her stomach was plagued with butterflies that never stopped fluttering around. Levi abruptly spun back to face her; his eyes glinting with a strange flame that lay unknown in Eden’s book.

“I wanted to give you something,” he murmured, stepping closer to her. “Close your eyes.”

Eden watched at him with wide eyes, unsure as to how she had to react. Levi’s head tilted to the side, the longer strands of raven-hair in sync with his movements. “Do you trust me?”

She swallowed hard and barely managed to utter out a weak- “Sure?”

His nod was the last thing she saw before slipping her eyes shut; nervousness overwhelming her. She listened to the way his boots echoed around the office; the sound of a door creaking open. Her palms grew sweaty and her heart was racing.

His footsteps began growing closer, until she felt his presence burst through her personal space. “Give me your hand,” he instructed her in a creamy smooth tone that sent chills through her bloodstream.

Eden did exactly that, feeling the way his fingers gripped at her wrist, guiding her hand outwards. She stiffened when her own fingers captured something that had the texture of hardened wood. Pulling her hand away, she jumped back, as though she had been burnt with fire. Levi was watching her intently, a broomstick in hand.

“Go clean the stables.”

Her dumbfounded expression was the only thing filling the silence for a very long moment. “Are you being serious right now?”

Levi cocked a brow as he stepped forward, handing her the broomstick once more. “Am I ever ‘not serious’ about cleaning?”

With a huff and the clench of her teeth, Eden snatched the broom out of his grasp before stalking out of his office- feeling even more outraged.

Cleaning seemed to do justice to her nerves. Being surrounded by nothing but dirt and things that needed to be organized tended to Eden’s thoughts and slowly she began feeling like each time she straightened out one part of the stables; another slice of her anger wore off somewhere into the distance.

Not long after, gentle footsteps brushed against the stable floor, a sweet voice pulling Eden out of her daydreams.

“Mikasa,” she greeted her childhood best friend warmly, walking over to rapidly throw her arms around her.

The girl returned the sudden embrace before grabbing her by the shoulders, onyx eyes taking in her ragged appearance.

“What happened? How was the mission?”

Eden’s ears quickly grew red as she stepped back, nervously laughing. “What do you mean? Everything went fine? Why would you ask me that, heh...”

Her defensive demeanor did not go unnoticed by the 104th Training Corps’ top soldier who in turn narrowed her eyes at the girl. Mikasa quirked a brow and a low sigh escaped through Eden’s lips.

“The change of setting was pleasant. Everything went well. But, the man we met with was disgusting. He kept sending the most vile remarks my way; I don’t even wanna think about it. He was just gross.” She cringed at the memory as she spoke.

Mikasa glared at her friend, her arms folding across her chest. “And what? Captain Shorty just stood there and said nothing? Unbelievable...-”

“No no no!” Eden quickly interrupted her, rubbing the back of her neck as her cheeks grew pink. “He was the one who stepped in and warned Reeves not to speak to me like that. It was a nice gesture...”

The girl opposite her stared into amber eyes, her own black ones widening as she extended one hand to point at her. “What’s with that look on your face, Eden?”

Eden pursed her lips, trying her best to calm any raging blush that tried settling against her skin. “What look, Mikasa? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Blackened jewels for eyes narrowed even more. “You’re an open book to me; don’t forget that.”

The sound of approaching boots crunched against the pebbles. Eden frowned deeply and Mikasa turned to glance behind her shoulder. Giving Eden’s arm a gentle squeeze, the female Ackerman gave her a faint smile before stepping away.

“You’ll tell me about him when you’re ready.”

Both Ackerman soldiers stiffly nodded as they passed each other. Eden stared at the Captain that inched closer; his bored stare bouncing from one surface to another. She waited for him to say something, but the man took his sweet time checking the stables and her work.

“Did I do something wrong?” She finally couldn’t take it anymore, her frown carefully turning into a scowl as her eyes followed his moves.

Levi slowly turned back to face her, his eyes finally resting against the frame of her face. “Yeah. Your cleaning is atrocious. Go over everything again.”

Eden watched him walk away with her mouth wide open. When she was sure he was definitely out of sight, she swore loudly before kicking a bucket of water across the brushed-out ground.

Whatever. I gotta redo everything, anyway.

An hour later, he was back. His eyes were a softer shade of grey, but he still maintained his distance, much to Eden’s growing displeasure.

With a tight nod, Levi approved her cleaning before jutting his chin towards the exit. “Let��s go. We’ll debrief with Commander Erwin.”

She sulkily followed him out of the stables, albeit the way her heart melted when he sent her a sideways glance that disappeared as quickly as it arrived.

This time, the Corporal led her into an unfamiliar office. The layout was definitely similar to Levi’s office; but the window behind the desk was larger and grander. Deep down, Eden preferred the comforts of Levi’s meticulously sterilized office more than Erwin’s one.

The Commander stood to his feet when the pair walked in, brushing Eden’s salute away nonchalantly. His full height intimidated Eden and it took all within her not to visibly shrink in her boots.

“Captain Levi...soldier Chiasa...it’s good to see you’re back. I can safely assume everything went according to plan?”

“Nothing we couldn’t handle,” Levi drawled out, scowling deeply at the way Erwin’s lips curved into a impish smirk. Eden chose to look down at her boots as Levi summarized the gist of their assignment to the attentive Commander who had leaned back down into his chair, his elbows resting against the wood of his desk, fingers linked together.

His brows raised at the mention of Reeves’ attitude towards Eden. “When I send my Scouts out on a mission; I do not intend for such things to happen. However, sometimes it’s inevitable as there are all sorts of animals- not only beyond the walls; but within them too. And for that, I feel the need to apologize to you, Eden.”

Her cheeks pinkened and she immediately looked down at the floor once more. “I understand that as soldiers, not all situations are pleasant. Regardless of whether it’s during a fight with a titan or when it's just having a simple conversation with a merchant. Thank you, Commander, but you don’t need to apologize. Captain Levi stepped in and put him in his place, anyhow.”

When Eden looked up, she saw the same devious smirk plastered against Erwin’s features. His ocean eyes glinted under the faint light emitted from the several oil lamps situated around the room. She even got the chance to notice Levi’s sharp glower that was directed towards the blond man.

Erwin nodded and muttered something under his breath, his eyes flickering off the Captain and onto the perplexed girl. “Isn’t that wonderful? Well, thank you for the information and your presence. You’re dismissed, soldier. Levi, please stay behind.”

Clasping her fist over her heart, Eden bid both men a good evening before walking out of the office hastily.

Walking through the corridors, her mind couldn’t stop rewinding the look that was carved onto Erwin’s face; the twinkle in his eyes, the stretched out smirk against his lips and the way his eyes kept holding the Corporal’s stare before flickering back to her.

Tags: @idiot-juice-enthusiast @hadassackerman

Link to the story in A03: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28919136/chapters/70952145

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forksofwisdom · 6 years

Text

Embers of the Sun - chapter 5

Not beta read!

(Chapter 4)

Read on ff.net!

Pairing: Bella/Paul, eventual Angela/Leah

Chapter summary: Momma Renée gives good advice, Charlie might not be that oblivious to the going-ons in Forks, Paul proves himself to be handy in a pinch - featuring Bella; the amazing grocery mountaineer and dinner at Billy’s turns into an eye-opening experience.

Chapter 5

Paranoia gripped Bella on the way home from school. The looming forest around Forks seemed to mock her with the horrors she knew lay within, and Bella was pretty miserable by the time she pulled into her driveway. She sat inside her truck for a moment, her keys biting into her skin as she deliberated the chances of Edward Cullen coming to extract vengeance for whatever crime he thought Bella had committed against him. The dark woods behind her house gave her the creeps. Anything could be lurking in the undergrowth while she was none the wiser. She was a sitting duck inside her truck, so she threw caution to the wind and ran inside.

Bella hated to admit it, but that boy scared her more than any wolves that might be running around La Push.

It might seem a little excessive, but Bella didn’t feel safe until she’d locked the doors that were accessible from outside the house and made sure to fasten all windows shut from the inside. She even went as far as securing the tiny one above the bathroom sink. Her overactive imagination went wild when she discovered that the latch on her bedroom window was faulty and it provided her with the scene of Edward sliding her window open in the dead of night, his eyes black eyes and pale skin gleaming in the moonlight. Bella knew for a fact that he could crush her windpipe easily, and envisioned how he’d render her mute while he tore her flesh to shreds.

She shuddered.

The vision had no basis in reality, but it disturbed Bella so much that she tied a thread between the handle on the bottom of her window and the little cactus Renée had given her so that if anyone were to open her window, it would knock the potted plant off the windowsill.

Hopefully, the noise would warn Bella of her inevitable doom.

She changed into her warmest clothes and made herself a piping cup of tea before planting herself on the living room couch to keep vigil. Now, that she had sat down and taken some time to gather herself, Bella wondered if she wasn’t over-reacting. Edward was probably just the typical angry teen who hasn’t grown out of his cootie phase yet. Anemia would explain his pasty skin and his black eyes might have been the result of unfortunate genes. If that turned out to be the case, Bella would just have to suck it up and get used to them.

That didn’t mean she was about to try and become bosom pals with him anytime soon.

The tea burned her tongue and sitting idly with only her thoughts to keep her company was making her antsy. Bella attempted to reign in her anxiety. She scraped her raw taste buds against her teeth, biting into the place where she’d burned herself. The pain grounded her, and she put her mug down and stood up in search of a better distraction.

Bella had inherited the habit of baking when she felt stressed from Renée - without the tendency to turn the kitchen into a disaster zone with ill-advised culinary experiments. She found herself in the kitchen gathering ingredients to make some bread. Her dad didn’t keep his kitchen stocked for unplanned baking, but Bella managed to scavenge what was needed to make a simple herb bread. Charlie had an odd collection of spices and a packet of dried yeast that was at least a decade old but Bella made due, and soon she was punching out her frustration at handsome demon boys by punching the dough.

It was an effective anger release.

Bella was sweating by the time she finished, and the poor dough was bound to be tough after being so abused. She put it away so it could rise and was washing her hands when the phone rang. The jarring noise caught her by surprise, and Bella sprayed water down her front.

“Get a grip!” she chided herself harshly and slammed her hands down on the metal rim of the sink. Her pulse raced with adrenaline, but she quickly grabbed the phone with shaky hands, unsurprised to see the number calling. She cleared her throat and tried to calm her nerves before answering. “Hey, mom.”

“How was school, hon?” Renée’s asked without preamble.

“Fine,” Bella sighed. It was the last thing she wanted to talk about right now, but it was nice to hear her mother’s voice. Renée apparently caught her dark tone and tried to lighten the mood.

“Meet any cute boys?” she teased good-naturedly.

She had no idea.

The image of Paul wearing nothing but shorts and wet from the rain elbowed its way into Bella’s mind, and she blushed as she tried to clean her dirty mind. Edward would have been a close second if he hadn’t terrified the living daylights out of her. She knew her mother was just worried that she would a hard time fitting in, but Bella knew from experience that if she kept her expectations low, there wouldn’t be any disappointment. It had worked in her favor today because she’d been pleasantly surprised when she made a friend. It was a rarity for her to connect so quickly with another person, but Angela was one of the kindest people Bella had ever met. It was hard not to like her.

“Well, there was one, but he turned out to be a complete asshole,” she admitted, thinking of Edward. There was no harm in playing along with her mother. Bella wouldn’t mention his freaky behavior for now, but all bets were off if he tried anything. Charlie would be the first to know what kind of guy was to be her lab partner.

Bella was not the type to go boy-crazy, but she enjoyed the evenings where her and Renée would stay up late and do girl things together. Renée called those times her ‘Bella-bonding’ time. Her liveliness and easygoing nature made it feel like Bella was hanging out with her best friend instead of her mother.

‘Bella-bonding’ had salvaged their relationship, which had been rocky ever since Bella shouldered some of Renée’s responsibility after having grown tired of her ditziness. She was ashamed to admit that she’d started to become resentful of their backward mother-daughter dynamic during junior year in high school and had been tempted to move to Forks then. The stress of keeping up with Renée had taken its toll, and the floodgates had opened when Bella tried to bottle it up. Instead of turning into an argument like Bella had feared it would, her mother had shown herself to be surprisingly sensible and capable of serious discussions. In the end, Bella decided to stay in Phoenix with Renée and Phil, and it was one of the best decisions she’d ever made. Phil helped a lot with taking care of things, and both Renée and Bella had come to rely on him to balance them out. Their bond had strengthened now that Renée was free to chase after whatever caught her fancy and Bella could be herself without drowning in obligations that shouldn’t have fallen on her shoulders in the first place.

“Oh?” Renée asked, intrigued.

“I sat next to him in biology, and I swear, no one’s ever glared at me like that. He acted as if I’d stabbed him with my pencil,” Bella muttered.

“Pay him no mind, Bella. Boys like that aren’t worth your time, and he’s hardly the only guy in town,” Renée reassured her.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Bella agreed quietly. She rubbed her forehead with a sigh. It was true. Edward wasn’t the only guy who’d been on Bella’s mind. Paul was still a mystery she was eager to crack.

“I am? Do you have another boy in mind?” Renée asked mischievously.

“What- I,” Bella spluttered, too flustered to think of a better answer. “No. Yes. Maybe?”

“Now this I got to hear. Who has my girl so wound up that she can’t speak?”

“He’s just a guy I met at the beach,” Bella admitted, omitting to say Paul’s name - there was no need to get ahead of herself. “I thought he was an asshole too at first, but then he smiled at me. I don’t know. He’s just confusing.”

“Have you talked to him?” Renée didn’t bother to hide her amusement at Bella’s frustration.

“No,” Bella admitted grudgingly.

“Well, you better tell me all about him. It’s about time you got some romance in your life,” Renée said encouragingly. Her mother had never understood why Bella was so disinterested in dating. It was so different from what Renée had been like in her youth. Bella was a bit of a homebody, but it wasn’t like she was averse to being in a relationship or falling in love. It was rather that no one in Phoenix had ever shown her any interest.

Maybe Forks could be different?

It occurred to her that she was probably getting her hopes up for nothing. A guy like Paul must have a girlfriend - someone as cool as Leah, or as graceful and beautiful as Alice. How could Bella compare to that? Her mood dampened, and she wanted to crawl underneath her blanket and forget about all the boys she’s ever met. Bella tried to find an excuse to hang up on her mother. “Can we talk about it later? I need to get dinner started.”

“Sure thing, hon,” Renée said quietly, but she knew Bella well enough to recognize the tone in her voice. “I can hear you doubting yourself, Bella. You’re a smart and beautiful girl, and I’m not just saying this as your mother. I know you hate it when I say this, but please try to relax and enjoy life, honey. You spend so much time inside your head and sometimes that negative little goblin distracts you from what’s right in front of you. Put an old mother’s heart at ease and try to make some friends.”

“Really, mom - a negative goblin?“ Bella scoffed, and Renée made a pleased sound at her own wit. "And you’re not old.”

“I know, but before you know it I’ll be speeding around on a scooter while Phil tries to keep up,” she joked and succeeded in drawing another laugh from Bella.

“I love you, mom.”

“Love you too, sweetheart!” Renée said as parting words. Bella held onto the receiver for a moment after the call disconnected and listened to the white noise as she mulled over her mother’s advice.

Relaxation was the furthest thing from her mind. There were too many secrets in this small town, and she had every intention of solving some of them. She put the phone down gently and went to get dinner ready while her bread was baking.

Being eaten by wolves sounded much more heroic than dying in the middle of a biology class.

“You ready to go, Bella?”

Bella looked up when Charlie called her name from the foyer. She was laying the table, the bread and the lasagna she’d cooked was ready to be eaten.

“Go where?” she called back, and there was a pause before Charlie poked his head inside.

“To Billy’s,” he said, raising his brow when he saw the food. Bella gasped when she remembered the invite Charlie had told her about yesterday.

“Oh, no! I completely forgot!” she moaned into her hands and Charlie watched her in bemusement.

“Relax, it’s not the end of the world,” he said. Bella looked at him between her fingers and saw that he was trying not to laugh at her.

“But I made dinner!” She pointed emphatically at the meal she’d prepared, trying to get him to understand how rude and inconsiderate she’d been for having forgotten their plans.

“So? Just leave it there, and we’ll put it in the fridge once it’s cooled,” Charlie said, clearly wondering why Bella was getting so worked up about this. “We’ll eat it tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” Bella rubbed her forehead. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m being silly.”

“No, you’re not. You just had other stuff going on.” Charlie clapped her on the back and went to investigate the bread, sniffing the air. “This smells delicious.”

“Thanks, we’re out of rosemary by the way.” Bella stood up and put the jug of water she’d placed on the table back into the fridge. “I’m coming. Let me grab my coat.”

“Put on some shoes while you’re at it,” Charlie called after her.

They took her truck, and Charlie offered to drive. Bella was tempted to argue but thought better of it and tossed him the key.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Charlie said as Bella was putting on her seatbelt and held up the end he’d sliced off the bread. She shook her head but was surprised when he ripped it into two and handed her the other half.

“Thanks.” She took it and bit into it. It was still warm but a bit too salty for her taste. Charlie evidently didn’t think so because he stuffed his half into his mouth and made a sound of appreciation at the taste.

“Jesus, this is good! Where did you learn how to bake?” he asked. The truck growled to life, and they pulled out of the dive.

“Just a habit.” Bella shrugged, hiding a smile.

“Well, feel free to do it again because this is excellent.” Charlie didn’t give compliments freely, mainly because it made him feel awkward, but when he did it was more often than not about food. His words still touched Bella.

“I will,” she promise.

“We’ll need to stop for gas,” he remarked after looking at the dashboard and Bella heaved a sigh. Another thing she’d forgotten to do today. Charlie looked over at her. “School go okay? You look tired.”

“It was fine.” Bella was relieved that she’d already spoken to her mother. The thought of trying to ‘Bella-bond’ with Charlie was hilarious - he would probably arrest himself before speaking to her about feelings and boys. Bella’s answer was half-hearted at best, and Charlie frowned at her, his worry evident in his gaze, so she tried to reassure him. “I made a new friend. Her name is Angela Weber.”

“That’s great, Bella.” His shoulders slumped and the pinch between his brows smoothed out. “Weber - any relation to Pastor Weber?”

“She’s his daughter,” Bella confirmed.

“He’s a good man,” Charlie said as they pulled up to the gas station.

He stepped out, and Bella sat back. She examined her fingers and fiddled with them restlessly as she remembered the conversation she’d had with Jake on the beach. It was sad to think that anyone in La Push was struggling with addiction. Everyone she’d spoken to there had been incredibly kind to her.

A sudden thought nagged at Bella. Was she a bad person for harboring the desire to meet Paul and find out with kind of person he was even though she was completely turned off by the thought of him being into drugs? It seemed so shallow to pursue her interest despite the massive issue - it was like a terrible idea to enter a relationship with the desire to change one’s partner.

Charlie climbed in, and they were back on the road when Bella realized that there wasn’t anything to backup Jacob’s claim. He’d even told her that he was just repeating rumors. If anyone had answers about any lawbreaking in the area, it would be Charlie. Bella deliberated for a moment about how to bring it up. She settled on the direct approach.

“Hey, dad. Are there any, um, drug-related problems in La Push?”

“Not that I’m aware of - what’s brought this on?” Her line of question visibly surprised him.

“Just something Jake said.” Bella shrugged, unable to meet his gaze, and Charlie sighed.

“Ah, he’s told you about Sam and those boys?”

“So it’s true? I thought you said there weren’t any drugs there.” Disappointment churned in her gut.

“I did. Sam’s got a bad rep, Lord knows why, but he’s never been in trouble with the law. Don’t know much about the other two but I’ve met Mr. Lahote - what’s his boy’s name?” Charlie snapped his finger until he found the name. “Paul or something like that - good man; he used to be a deputy in La Push. Retired now, though.”

“Really? Isn’t he a bit young to be retired? Paul appeared to be around my age.” Bella frowned.

“Poor guy got mauled by a bear about a year ago. It’s amazing the guy’s still breathing, let alone walking. Mind you, he uses a cane to get around these days,” Charlie ran a hand over his face, and Bella notices how the headlights of passing cars made her father look decades older than he was.

“That’s awful!” The attack must have been gruesome if the trauma still hampered Mr. Lahote’s ability to walk. Bella had never seen the aftermath of an animal attack, but it couldn’t be pretty. Paul’s father must have scars - a constant reminder of the beast that had nearly killed him. Her heart went out to him. It couldn’t have been easy.

“Yeah, there seem to be a lot of bear attacks around there,” Charlie said with quiet speculation. His frustration was evident, and he let out an explosive sigh. “Never found the beast though.”

“Do you think it’s the one beast?” Bella didn’t miss the singular.

“That’s what the expert said,” Charlie revealed. “The odd thing was that he couldn’t pin down exactly what type of animal was behind the attacks. The prints we found when we searched the woods were unlike any bear tracks he’d ever seen - said they were canine looking.”

“Could it be wolves?” Bella asked after a moment of silence. Her pulse had sped up at Charlie’s admission. Whatever had attacked those people was likely still roaming free in the wood. How many unsuspecting hikers have wandered inside and come close to meeting it without being aware of its presence? She felt queasy at the thought. “I saw some paw prints outside Billy’s during our last visit.” Bella couldn’t help wondering what would have happened if she hadn’t seen them and kept going. Would she still be here today?

“You be careful around those woods, Bells. You hear me? There are plenty of creatures in there that could make a meal out of you,” Charlie warned.

“But have there been any wolf attacks?” She needed an answer to the question.

“Naw, with claw, marks the size of the ones I saw on Mr. Lahote; it could only be a bear. They were too big to be made by a wolf,” he said grimly. “Besides, wolves don’t use their claws; they bite their prey.”

Bella hunkered down in her seat and wondered if she counted as prey.

Jacob was standing on the porch when they pulled up into their drive. They returned his wave and got out of the truck.

“They’re here!” Jacob called inside and turned back to them with a smile. “Dad needs me to grab some, uh-” he apparently forgot what it was because he turned to shout inside again. “What was it you needed again, dad?”

“Salmonberry vinaigrette! And grab some paper towels while you’re there Jacob!” came Billy’s voice. “Stop blocking the doorway and let them in!”

“Sure thing, pops!” Jacob laughed and jumped down from the porch. He clapped Charlie on the back in greeting. “Wanna join me, Bella?”

“I think it’s safer if I do - you’ll probably come home with strawberry jam and toilet paper if we let you go alone,” Bella said with wry amusement and Jacob pretended to pout.

“Best not to keep your dad waiting, Jacob,” Charlie said before he went inside.

“C’mon, I’ll drive.” Jacob smiled, and they hopped into Billy’s black truck. The car was equipped with manual controls that catered to Billy’s needs and the drive to the store was laughably short. Jacob looked over at her and drawled. “How’s life?”

“Hectic,” Bella answered truthfully. Her mind was still reeling after Charlie’s revelation, but she wasn’t aware of the pinch forming between her brows that gave away her worry. Jacob raised his eyebrows and evidently thought Bella was in need of a dose of humor. He pulled up in front of the store and turned off the engine.

“Ok, we need a plan of action.” He faced her with a grimness that took her by surprise.

“What is this? Mission impossible?” Bella’s face twisted with bewildered amusement. “I thought we were going shopping?”

“I take my grocery shopping very seriously, Bella.” Jacob’s eyes glimmered with mirth, and he flipped his hair theatrically. “I can’t risk you blowing this operation if your mind isn’t in the game.”

“I’m sorry.” Bella caught on and schooled her face. “What’s the plan, boss?”

“That’s the spirit. We’ll split up to cover more ground - I’ll scout the vinaigrette, and you track down the napkins. Capiche?” He pointed his finger at her.

“Got it. I won’t disappoint you.” Bella nodded with such a severe expression that Jacob broke character when he couldn’t suppress his grin.

They jumped out of the car and walked inside. The bell rang when Jacob pushed the door open, and the girl sitting behind the counter looked up from her book.

“Hey, Jake,” she greeted, and Jacob automatically headed towards her.

“Hey, Patricia.” They were most likely in the same grade, but Bella was on a mission. She wasn’t in the mood to hang around while they exchanged pleasantries. School - and Edward - had exhausted her and her human-interaction meter for the day had reached its limit.

“What kind of napkins, boss?” she asked Jacob quickly.

“One of those white paper towels on a roll.” Jacob gave her a thumbs up as she backed away, heading deeper into the store.

It was much smaller than the one in Forks, but they still had a decent variety. Bella walked past a display of a large lawn mower that was sitting on one of the metal shelves. The isles were narrow, and she searched high and low for the frustratingly elusive napkins. She had to circle the paper product section three times before she finally found them.

It seemed like fate wasn’t on Bella’s side today because the paper towels were on the top shelf and this time there was no stepping stool in sight for her to use. Bella tried jumping at first, and her fingers nudged the packet but ultimately pushed it back and out of sight. She landed with a frustrated huff and backed away, going up onto the tips of her toes to see how far back she’d accidentally pushed it. The packet was up against the wall now, and there was no way she could reach it.

Bella could feel it mocking her.

The shelves were sturdy - the lawn mower could attest to that and Bella hardly weighed as much as that monstrosity. To be on the cautious side, she tried to give the structure a little shake and was satisfied when it didn’t budge. Bella felt a thrill when she heaved herself up. She took great care of watching where she put her feet, remembering the last time she tried to reach for something inside a grocery store. It was much easier to climb instead of stretching up after an object since her weight was more evenly distributed. Or at least that’s what she thought. Bella was almost to the top and rested her right arm on the highest shelf. The paper towels were in sight, and she went on her toes to gain another inch, reaching her left hand toward them.

Almost there.

She started to slip.

Almost-

“Need a hand there, short-stuff?”

Someone grabbed hold of her thighs and lifted her up like they were doing a cheerleader routine. Bella lurched forward with a yelp but grabbed hold of the paper towels when her face pressed into the plastic wrap. She pulled back, and the hand on her butt steadied her.

“You better get your hands off my ass, Jacob Black.” Bella bit out and froze when he let out a bark of laughter. That was not Jake. She peered down and saw that it was Paul. Her eyes widened as her brain short-circuited, and he smirked up at her.

“You got a hold of it?” Paul asked her and Bella nodded mutely. To his credit, his hands didn’t linger, and he lowered her effortlessly to the ground. Bella swayed as her feet touched the floor and he steadied her. The heat of his palms melted through the fabric of her shirt and warmed her skin. Bella felt a blush crawl up her cheeks.

He let go of her but didn’t seem inclined to move back.

She blinked and gripped the packet of paper towels to her chest as she tried to register the fact that she was standing face to face with Paul Lahote - the guy who she couldn’t seem to get off her mind. He was just as attractive as Bella had predicted, even in the unflattering lighting that seemed to be universal to grocery stores around the country. She couldn’t help but admire his high cheekbones and the sharp ridge of his nose now that she was up close.

It was his eyes that got her.

They were a rich brown, and it was astonishing to Bella how beautiful they were, having always thought her own brown eyes to be rather dull. His gaze was intense, and she felt a thrill run through her as she bore the entirety of his attention. She noticed that he was wearing a shirt for once, a black t-shirt to be exact. His shoulders were broad, and Bella absently noted how fit he looked.

Paul was unfairly hot for a guy wearing jorts and sandals.

“You’re catching flies,” he said with a self-satisfied smirk, and Bella snapped her slackened mouth closed.

“Thanks for the help,” she said begrudgingly, humiliated at having been caught ogling him.

“You’re welcome,” he said and extended his hand for her to take. “Paul Lahote, at your service.”

“Hi.” Bella fumbled with her bounty and took his hand. His palm engulfed her slim hand, and he shook it with exaggerated slowness. Her brows raised at the furnace-like heat Paul radiated and wondered if her hands, which were chronically chilled, felt like the ones of a cold corpse to him. He didn’t seem to mind and was looking at her expectantly. She realized she hadn’t introduced herself and stumbled over her words. “Bella. I’m Bella Swan.”

His warmth lingered when they let go, and Bella curled her fist to her chest, trying to savor the heat.

“So, does Jake touch your ass a lot, Bella?” he asked out of nowhere, and Bella wanted to sink through the floor. Her face burned red as her blush increased.

“What? No!” she sputtered.

“Hey, I had to ask.” He shrugged, and his raised brow told her he was jesting. “It’s not every day a cute girl gets me mixed up with a pipsqueak like Jake.”

“Cute?” Bella drew up a blank at how to respond and repeated the word, her mind latching onto it. Paul thought she was cute.

“Hell, yeah.” He nodded and eyed her shamelessly. Bella stared at him. She’d never met anyone this brazen.

“Thanks?” It came out as more of a question and Paul evidently found it amusing because his stupid smirk widened.

“You’re welcome.”

Bella was woefully inept at flirtation - Paul was undoubtedly hitting on her, even a dense girl like her could see that - and tried to gain some control over the conversation. “Aren’t you cold?” she blurted the first thing that popped into her mind.

Real smooth, Bella.

“I’m hot,” Paul said, and Bella couldn’t help but laugh at how corny the line was. This turn of events was far beyond anything she’d imagined happening for their first conversation. He appeared entirely at ease while she scrambled to find something to say.

“Bella, c’mon we’re late!” It was Jacob. Her mind screamed at him to go away and let her have this moment. She widened her eyes at Jacob pointedly. Couldn’t he see how important this was? He ignored her look and glared at Paul, looking ready to march over to them.

“Thanks for the help, Paul,” Bella said, hoping to prevent the scene Jacob would undoubtedly make if he joined them. Paul didn’t seem perturbed. Jacob was a pipsqueak in his eyes, as he’d worded it, and Bella couldn’t help but agree. Paul looked like he could take care of himself in any fight, verbal or physical.

“I’ll see you around, Bella,” Paul told her and Bella liked the way her name sounded on his lips.

“Yeah, see you, Paul.” She gave him a little wave before turning around and walked reluctantly over to Jacob in half a daze. Her heart fluttered inside her chest, and she squeezed the paper towels close in an attempt to calm it. Paul Lahote had Isabella Swan cute!

“What the hell was that, Bella? ‘I’ll see you around’?” Jacob asked her in a hushed whisper. “I told you he’s trouble. You shouldn’t even have spoken to him!”

“Paul helped me reach those napkins, Jacob. He was nothing but polite to me.” Bella scoffed, trying to suppress her annoyance.

“I didn’t like the way he was looking at you,” Jacob grumbled, shooting a dark look over her head. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that Paul was still standing in the same spot she’d left him in. His face displayed his annoyance at Jacob’s interruption, but he switched gears when he noticed her looking. Paul waved at her with a grin before turning on his heel and walking out of the store. He hadn’t bought anything.

“You’re overreacting,” Bella said firmly, but Jacob looked like he was about to argue. She forced the paper towels into his chest. “I’m going to wait in the car.”

Paul wasn’t anywhere in sight when she made it out onto the parking lot, and Bella climbed up into Billy’s truck and folded her arms across her chest. She was tempted to sulk at Jacob for having cut her time with Paul short, but the excitement of having spoken to him was too high. He’d called her cute!

Jacob joined her before she had time to analyze the exchange any further. He sighed and drove them to his house before speaking. “I just don’t want you to get hurt. You’re my friend, Bella.”

Bella thawed and punched him lightly in the shoulder. “I know, Jake, but I’m a big girl. Try to dictate me again, and you’ll regret it.”

“Ouch, the girl’s got claws,” Jacob said, clutching his shoulders and stumbling out of the car. Goofball. Bella laughed, and they went inside to showcase their bounty.

“Hey, dad. We got everything you wanted,” Jacob said, waving the grocery bag over his head when they entered the kitchen.

“Good,” Billy said. He was sitting at the dining table with Charlie, his trademark hat absent for once. His long hair was tousled, and he bore a slightly frazzled look.

“Mind if I grab a beer, Bella?” Charlie asked. Bella shook her head, and he snagged the six-pack Billy had placed on the counter. “You want one, Billy?

“No, I’m good. I have an early meeting with the Council tomorrow,” Billy said with a shake of his head.

“Oh, yeah?” Charlie sat down again and faced him. Jacob and Bella hovered by the kitchen counter, exchanging a glance when Billy exhaled wearily.

“We’ve been discussing mitigation plans in case of a hazard.” He gave a wan smile.

‘Hazard?’ Bella mouthed at Jacob, but he shook his head and looked away.

“Anything dire?” Charlie asked, taking a sip of his beer.

“Congress finally listened to our concerns about the high tides and rising Quileute River. They’ve set aside land for us on higher grounds, but it’ll take us years to scrounge up the money we need to fund the move.” Billy rubbed his forehead and Charlie lowered his beer with a nod of understanding. This didn’t appear to be news to him.

“How bad are things looking?” he asked Bill quietly, shooting a glance at Bella who was listening with open curiosity.

“Our school is well within the inundation zone, and we’re going to start running Tsunami drills. We can’t be unprepared if it happens - it could wipe out an entire generation if it should happen during a school day.”

“I didn’t know things were this serious,” Bella breathed. This was terrible - children were at risk!

“It’s the politics that’s making things so difficult,” Billy agreed.

“I didn’t know the tribe was still active,” Bella admitted and flushed at how ignorant her statement sounded.

“The Quileute Tribe is a sovereign nation.” Billy’s tone had taken on an educational note, and Bella listened with rapt attention. “We make decisions on how best to balance community and tradition. We help protect our sacred and ceremonial areas including the preservation of historical artifacts.”

“Billy here is the Chief,” Charlie said in a small attempt to lighten the mood.

“That’s Head Chairman Black to you, sir!” Billy laughed and slapped him on the back.

“I didn’t know that,” Bella admitted.

“That’s enough politics for the day,” Billy said. “Jacob, can you lay the table while I get this darned fish ready for eating?”

“I got you, pops.”

“Can I help with anything?” Bella asked.

“Can you get me a lemon from the fridge?” Billy asked her as he backed from the table. Bella nodded but felt weird about rummaging through the contents of their fridge. It felt like a violation of their privacy in some way. Billy picked up on her discomfort.

“I trust you more with that fridge than Jacob! Feel free to act like you’re at home, Bella. After all, you’re family!” Billy laughed like he was enjoying a private joke. Jacob rolled his eyes at Bella.

Dinner was delicious; salmon and roasted potatoes accompanied the vinaigrette her and Jacob had bought. Desert was apple pie and whipped cream, courtesy of the Clearwaters.

“This was one heck of a meal,” Charlie said, patting his belly with a sigh. Bella agreed.

The shrewd light in Billy’s eyes hadn’t dimmed throughout the entire evening, and he paid more attention to Bella than she’d expected, asking her all kinds of questions. She did her best to answer them, but she feared that her face was stained a permanent red from all the attention she was receiving today.

“It might be good for you to meet more people your age,” Billy said with a nod of encouragement. “There will be a barbeque here next weekend if you’re interested in coming. There won’t be a lot of people - only a couple of family friends. The Clearwaters will be there.”

“Wait, there is?” Jacob asked through a mouthful of pie. His cheeks bulged comically, and Billy sent him a look of despair.

“Chew your food, Jacob. And yes - Sam’s organizing it.”

“As in Sam Uley?” Bella asked. Her interest was piqued. It was very likely that Paul would be there. Billy nodded.

��Of course, you’re invited as well, Charlie,” Billy said, and Charlie raised his beer can in salute. They turned their attention back to Bella. “What do you say, Bella? Are you interested in joining us?”

Did she want to spend an evening with Sam and Paul? Bella didn’t have to think for long.

“Yes, I would be honored to.”

Next chapter: The gym teacher let Bella loose in class, and now she’s sporting a black eye. Bella goes to Sam’s barbeque and realizes that it’s her birthday.

#Embers Of The Sun #chapter 5 #my writing #my edit #bellapaul

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dlvampires · 7 years

Note

S and M yandere headcanons?

“I’m the yandere asker. Basically what I’m asking for if for you to describe the boys as yanderes (are they possessive, obsessive, clingy, manipulative, etc.), how did they first “fall” for their lover, and what are they doing to keep their Lovers. A good example would be yandere headcanons from Maridiaraba or Dialalagirl tumblr. Hopefully this makes my ask clear now!“

[MTK: Yandere…! \(♥ ∇ ♥)/It’s a veeeeery long post, but I hope it’s ok.

If you want more headcanon-like details or whatever about yandere, just ask! I We’d be more than glad to answer~!

ATTENTION: Be careful, since it portrays them as yandere, it may mention abuse, blood, death and similiar morbid themes; if you can’t take it, don’t read!]

Shuu:

He noticed you during a lesson in the music classroom, while you were arguing with some classmates about classical music; at first he couldn’t stand your loud voice, obviously, but his interest in you awakened as he listened to your passionate and quite clever speech.

He’d be within your surroundings all the time, apparently asleep; you might think it’s always a coincidence, but, actually, he even makes the effort to move in order to follow you wherever you go, silently and secretly observing you. Isn’t that stalking

When you try and talk to him, he’d always look disinterested and would either reply with a few words or not reply at all; although he’d like to tease you very often and he’d be quite responsive whenever you’re in danger or facing troubles…

… but sometimes you may not notice it, because you wouldn’t think it’s trouble in your opinion; remember the guy you were cheerfully talking to some days before? Well, he disappeared…Do you think Shuu might be involved? Nah, he’s too lazy, or so you thought…

… until he killed a man who was harassing you right in front of your eyes.

Reiji:

You were studying at a public library for you next exam/test; Reiji was looking for some textbooks for a school project and noticed you as you were reading a quite voluminous book about Maths, admiring the resolute and passionate gaze of your eyes.

He’d start frequenting the same library in order to observe you carefully; he’d start glaring at whoever dares to disturb you during your study - and he wasn’t pleased whenever you were together with your classmates, group-studying.

He’d start talking to you by faking to be interested in some of the books you borrowed, casually talking about Maths and, eventually, everything about the both of you; you would appreciate his company, because of his good manners and obvious cleverness (though you’d be a little taken aback by his strictness about your posture and stuff like this - but nobody is perfect…).

And as soon as he joins your study group for the first time, offering everyone a cup of the tea he has brought from home in a thermos, you’ll see your classmates falling asleep (?) one after the one, before you also fall into a deep slumber…

… just to wake up in a dungeon, feeling extremily dizzy.

Laito:

Why were you even wandering around the city late at night?! You saw him as he was flirting with some girls at a pub, where you had stopped to greet some friends; you had gone to the restrooms, only to see him licking one of the girls’ neck and… biting it?! Obviously, he had seen you, and you had seen the blood: you had screamed “I won’t tell anyone!” and run straight home.

Well, he had to check out whether you wouldn’treally tell anyone, right? Therefore, after “dealing” with the pub girl, he’d stalk you and find out where you live; he’d leave you alone for some time, just observing you in the meantime. He’d be surprised that you’re keeping your word, but amused that you’re always looking around you with a concerned and fearful look on your face… something he’d start to really like about you.

He’d finally show himself and reassure you he isn’t going to hurt you, starting flirting with you(and also touching you too much) straight away; you’d be quite uncomfortable and embarassed by his costant perverted remarks, but sometimes you’d find him fun when listening to his complaints about his brothers. Oh, he’d feed on you from time to time, since you still fear him and wouldn’t like to hear his dropped voice again, after trying to defy him once.

Laito thought everything was going smoothly, but… if he was once aroused by the idea of sharing his preys with Ayato, he couldn’t really see you with someone else. He started thinking it’d be nice to have all of you just for himself. ALL OF YOU.You’d wake up feeling dizzy after passing out somewhere, confused about your memories, and…

… why were you shackled to a beadhead, in a green unknown bedroom?

Kanato:

You used to help your parents at their pastry shop; you would always been the one taking and delivering his orders, sometimes even bringing him a bonus or free samples of you father’s creations, since he was a regular customer. Once, you had given him a little plate of mini cream puffs for Teddy, noticing how much attached he was to it; therefore he started paying more attention to you.

He’d start observing you and later talking to you, from asking to see the kitchen to giving you the permission to fix his Teddy’s ear, apparently ripped off by one of his brothers; he’d glare at any guy too close to you (and those young men would be found later in bloody puddles…).

You’d be quite interested in him because of his unusual personality and let him explore the kitchen or watch you when baking your own first cakes (you were sincerely a bit creeped out when he sucked your blood from your finger after cutting some fruits); he would always stay by your side as much as possible…

… maybe too much; it had become unsettling and troubling, therefore you kept yourself busy in the kitchen and let the other employees handling the customers, including him. And this didn’t pleased him at all.At night, as you and your parents were cleaning and tidying up, you heard your mother’s terrible scream and went to see what was happening: flames were burning your parents to death and…

… he was there, gazing at you with a sinister smile: “You’re mine~”.

Ayato:

Your best friend had managed to get you in her night school in order to see a basketball match between her class and another; he had noticed there was a new smell between his female classmates and wondered why you were here… maybe just to see Ore-sama playing?! If so, then he wasn’t going to disappoint you for sure!

You’d be fascinated by him; your friend had mentioned him to be the most handsome guy in th school and the best basketball player, after all. He’d purposely look at you whenever he’d scored, making you more and more drawn to him; after the match you’d approach him and enthusiastically praise him, and he’d be very, very pleased by it, so much that he’d tell ou to become his.

You’d naively accept, but very soon find out that you had better not to: he’d always appear beside you when you’d least expect him to, interrogate you about the guy who was talking with you some minutes before (or directly pick a fight with him), scold you if you’d defy him… you’d only be softened a bit by his costant seeking of praise and attention (like a little child).

Wait, were those fangs? You were very shocked by this discovery and having second thoughts; refusing to let him feed on you, the two of you had a fight and you were about to leave him, after telling him that it was too much for you. He stopped you by painfully grabbing your wrist and pulling you to him…

… and God, you were frightend to death by his dark and grim gaze on you.

Subaru:

You were a sacrifical bride and had been sent to live with the Sakamaki brothers; he had warned you to stay away from him, but since you were often taking refuge in the garden from the others, you would meet each other as often, causing to get angry and trying to push you away.

Since you’d go to the garden in any case, he’d start ignoring you at first, only to begin watching you from afar, wondering why you were there despite his threats; later on he would silently keep you company and sometimes briefly answer your questions (yelling at you to be quiet when tired or bothered by them); he would threaten his brothers not to approach you.

He’d finally decide to make you his, starting to feed on you and always keeping an eye on you wherever you’d go; you’d feel somewhat safe with him and at the same time scared (after all, he was a vampire), longing to get away from there, but bitterly aware you couldn’t: he would have killed you, you were sure about it.

You didn’t know how much possessive he was until one of his brothers had tried to sink his fangs into your neck: he had immediately shoved him off of you and started punching him on the floor; you watched in horror as he reduced his brother to nothing less than a pile of blood and flesh.He had frantically stood up, turned to you and…

… promised you that the others were going to suffer the same fate as well.

Ruki:

Your father had suddenly lost his job, so you had decided to help your family by applying for some job and you had been assigned one as a housekeeper at the Mukami’s mansion - oh, and you were to start living there, too. You first met him because of this; but, somehow, it looked like he knew about yourself much more than he should have.

He’d make sure his brothers won’t involve themselves with you; unbeknown to you, he’d regularly check your mobile or anything connecting you to the outside world, often deleting messages from friends and those from your family telling you to come visit them once in a while; he’d always keep you busy with chores and sometimes invite you for some tea, talking about books (he’d ban you from touching the ones in his room, though, saying he’s quite fond of them).

Besides the few times you’d do something wrong and get scolded by him coldly (you’d receive lots of rewards too, since you’d be generally hardworking, patient and obedient), he’d be quite kind with you and would help you cooking and hold conversation with you; even though you can’t understand how he can often guess right about your personal traits, you’d think of him the world, probably even liking him!

Until one day, while cleaning the windows in his room, you took a break and looked at his bookcase; you noticed some papers coming out from some books and thought it’d be appropriate to fix them up: you should have never done it all of those these papers were about his plans to get you and monopolize you, even finding out he had cause your father to lose his job. You were very confused about your felings for him; then, the door suddenly opened and your heart began beating…

… and from his victorious smirk, you realized you were his forever.

Kou:

He was a little taken aback when instead of his autograph you had asked him for a interview; you had explained him you were running a blog about music, J-pop in particular. But what had really surprised him was your inner thoughts: you were totally honest about it and not showing any of the usual fangirls’ feelings; you were very serious about this.

Granting you the permission to interview him, you’d meet in his own house; strangely, his brothers would be absent, a disappointment since you had wanted to meet them too after reading all the things the idol used to tweet about his family; once seated in the living room, the interview would start with your first questions.

He’d very cheerful, but he’d sometimes tease you, however you’d be unflinching and keep on asking further about his carrier and personal life; you would ignore his winking and his mischievous smirks, and “politely” shift away whenever he’d be about to touch you.

Deep down, he was quite annoyed by your attitude, being unlike what he had always experienced with the other girls; he wanted to make you react, he wanted you to feel much more attracted to him than just his idol job and social figure. Therefore, as the interview ended and you stepped towards the exit, you suddenly felt pain in the back of your head and blacked out…

… your blog didn’t update anymore posts.

Yuuma:

He was looking for some new gardening tools and you were on shift that day because of your part-time job as the store’s cashier; first, he was taken aback by your strong and brave attitude when facing a customer who had tried to steal something and had feigned to be innocent; after that, the second thing drawing him to you was the radiant and honest smile given to your customers.

He’d spend more time than needed in the store just in order to see you as much as possible, glaring at any guy winking at you (and probably shoving him to the ground, once left the store); he’d manage to teleport inside the staff’s room to see the schedule and know about all your shifts.

He’d always greet or nod at you everytime your eyes meet, cracking a little smirk; you were just amazed by his height but you thought he was a quite nice guy, though you did notice him being a little rude to some poor young men; but you couldn’t think badly of him since he was always behaving fairly towards you (and kind to the granny who had lost all of her groceries on the ground… unless it was just an act…?).

And the day you got a surprise visit from your actual boyfriend, kissing and teasing you jokinly in front of everyone, he realized he had no other choice but to get rid of that annoyance; you were his, he was a much worthy match for you than that guy. Thus, when the two of you were on the way home…

… he just snapped his neck and only then you were scared by his height.

Azusa:

You had just met him out of nowhere, causing you a jumpscare; you had calmed down a bit, creeped out by his costant and silent staring at you, and asked him if he needed anything from you: his answer “You” had been a warning from the beginning, but probably you had been softened (or bewitched…?) by his fair and faint voice.

He’d gradually include his existence in your life, even revealing his real nature and his past to you; at first you’d be scared, but his honesty would appease you once again; the people around you would also stop seeing you, because of his costant eerie presence and also because you’d get so absorbed in him that you’d forget about them.

He’d seem too much clingy, but you wouldn’t mind since you’d think of it as a need of affection, just more fond than usual. He would beg you of cutting him with his knives and this is the only things left making you uneasy about him, but you will accept it as soon as you realize that’s it’s just a consequence of his past and think that you can “resolve” it.

Thus your overly self-confident attitude deceived you when you told him about moving in with him, in order to start living with him and help him overcome his self-harming habit. He was glad and victoriously (?) pleased by this…

… and now you’re locked up in his room for ever.

#mtk speaks #carla speaks #sakamaki #mukami #diahell #dl #dl headcanon #headcanon #diabolik lovers head #diabolik lovers #ask #anonymous #yandere #yandere dl #yandere dl headcanon

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maliwarm · 7 years

Text

In case none of u knew, my guilty pleasure is weird, potentially implausible, crossovers and getting stupidly invested in them to the point that I Must Write It. :,,,3 Also, this is kinda to help me flesh out a BB-verse role for my angry son.

Readmore cuz I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, and also I get embarrassed over how excited I get about this kinda stuff when nobody else does…

Reyna slouched backwards into the booth seat, one arm resting comfortably on its top, with fingers slowly tapping against the bright, stained leather. Ice clicked against her glass with every languid swirl of her straw, barely loud enough to be heard over the raucous din of the bar’s other patrons. Seated across from her, her company of two sat and waited patiently enough for her to hear them out about whatever problem it was they may have.

The older guy, who she pegged to be around his mid to late-thirties, filled the wait with sips of his own drink, looking every bit as casual as Reyna herself. Had introduced himself as “Maxima”, which was obviously a code name of some sort. Every time he tipped back the glass, the sleeve of his trenchcoat slipped back a little, and Reyna was offered a peek of armoured plating and glowing blue. He’d unbuttoned the top few buttons of the coat when he first sat down in order to cool down, which had exposed more metal and glowing blue that stopped at his throat. Zooming in on his neck with the tech in her eyepatch and enhancing the image had revealed a pale, so thin it was barely there, scar a little above the metal. It was neat, surgical. And probably ran all the way around his neck. Whoever had turned this man into a cyborg had impressive workmanship; a real master of the trade.

In comparison, the kid - who hadn’t uttered more than a grunt of acknowledgement here and there, let alone introduced himself - appeared to be utterly disinterested; slouched, with arms crossed over his leather-jacketed chest. The sunglasses made it difficult to distinguish exactly where he was looking, though his head was tilted ever so slightly away, towards the aisle, leading Reyna to believe he was keeping a watchful eye out for trouble. Unlike his big friend with the sideburns, he looked to be a normal, wholly human, teenager. The red gauntlet on his right hand kept drawing her attention, though. There were what looked little vents over each knuckle joint, which had initially made her wonder if it was a cybernetic prosthesis that could shoot out… something - compressed air, maybe? - from those bits. Very interesting…

Reyna took a sip of her drink - fruitiness chased by a spicy tang - and set it down before shifting positions. Back straight, elbows on the greasy tabletop with hands clasped together under her chin, now ready to conduct business. “So. What is it that you need?”

Sunglasses didn’t really acknowledge her, continuing to act disinterested/keep watch. Though Maxima set his own drink down, pushing it away a little so he could rest his own arms on the table. The jovial expression he’d been wearing up until now slipped away, replaced by one that was as completely and utterly serious as her own. “Asylum. Or at the very least, a decent ship.”

That much at least had seemed obvious enough. Reyna hummed. “Right. You running from anyone in particular?” Her eyes flicked deliberately towards Maxima’s metal-tipped fingers, then back to his face. “The LLC, maybe?”

The corner of his mouth twitched upwards into the smallest of grins. “Not at the moment. Though I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before they come looking for the funds I wired.” The grin slipped away again, back into that serious expression. “It’s the UPR we want to avoid, for one. One squad in particular; Ikari. Perhaps you’ve heard of them?”

Reyna blinked. Tried not to let her surprise show any further than that. “I have.”

Not much, granted, but she knew of Commander Heidern and his adopted daughter, at least. As well as some of the frankly over-exaggerated-sounding exploits of two of his subordinates. (Seriously, who the fuck would believe someone could take down a tank just by punching it? What an utter crock of shit.) She’d run into him briefly maybe once or twice during her time in the UPR; not enough to get a proper handle of him, though there’d been some kind of aura surrounding him that’d always raised her hackles… Which was the main reason she even remembered the man in the first place. She also remembered his team being one of the elite of the elite. Meaning it was highly likely that they were going to be tricky to hide from. Reyna pushed the thought aside to address later. She wanted the full picture first.

“You said “for one”… Who else are you running from?“

Sunglasses’ head tilted slightly towards his friend, and Maxima’s eyes flicked towards him in turn. His brows were raised in questioning. The kid’s mouth was set into a thin, contemplative line. Reyna watched the silent exchange play out, waiting patiently, even if it did pique her curiosity all the more.

In the end, Sunglasses went back to keeping watch/feigning disinterest and his cyborg friend let out a long, weary sigh, running a hand through his hair. He leaned forward, keeping his voice pitched low. ”… They’re called the NESTS Cartel. You probably haven’t heard of them, and that’s honestly for the best; you’ll be safer that way. They deal primarily in drugs and biological weaponry. I also know for a fact that they dabble in human trafficking; K’ here’s just one of their many victims.“

“Kay… Dash?” Reyna repeated, a knit developing between her brows, and a frown tugging her lips downwards as she rolled the pronounciation around on her tongue. That wasn’t a name… that was a serial number. Her mind strayed towards the UPR and their clones and her blood began to boil.

Sunglasses’ - K’s - fingers squeezed his jacket hard enough for the leather to noticeably creak. His voice was flinty when he spoke to his friend. “I thought we agreed not to give out more information than necessary.”

“Seems necessary to me,” Maxima shrugged. Though he had the grace to look slightly sheepish. “Besides, from the data gathered - both second and firsthand - I’m inclined to believe Miss Valeria’s an incredibly trustworthy person. Even if having a famous assassin by her side as her bodyguard is overkill in the caution department.” His head very slowly and very deliberately turned towards the empty spot at Reyna’s right, eyes now glowing brilliant blue, and offered the air a pleasant smile. “Still, she couldn’t have picked a better bodyguard if even half of what I’ve heard about you is true, Mr Lakonna. And it’s all very impressive stuff.”

The hair on Reyna’s arms stood on end. The sensors of most ships - among those, even the highest-end LLC class vessels - couldn’t detect her sneakiest Rogue. Yet this unassuming-looking cyborg, donning the type of smile she’d associate with a kind uncle, had known he was there; potentially from the very beginning. She could only imagine how much more rattled by this Pendles must be. Even if he hid it well behind a good-natured chuckle and his EE-patented grin as he wisped into visibility.

“Well that’s very flattering of you to say, mate. Thanks.” Pendles’ golden eye narrowed slightly, tongue slipping out between his teeth to taste the air; assess whatever threats this cyborg and his grumpy younger companion may present. “I’m very curious though. Just how did you know I was here?”

Maxima tapped his brow with a metal-tipped finger. “My body’s full of fancy hardware and all kinds of scanners: ultraviolet, heat sensors… you name it, I’ve probably got it.”

What he didn’t say was that he hadn’t even been sure what his scanners had been picking up was correct; he’d figured he was glitching out. His little show earlier had been, admittedly, a large gamble to see whether or not his body was acting up. Thankfully, it, and some data he’d pulled up, had paid off in the end. But at the unfortunate expense of making things tense, if the assassin’s and Valkyrie’s faces were anything to go by.

“Good going, moron,” K’ muttered. “And you say I’ve got no tact.”

Maxima rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to make things strained.”

Reyna’s eye narrowed at him in assessment. If he could pick up Pendles on his internal hardware and he turned out to be a threat, it’d be difficult to get the drop on, and dispose of him, quietly. On the other hand though, that very same internal hardware would be an indispensable tool to have at her disposal… He’d also mentioned hacking some LLC funds, so that was another valuable skill he could bring to the table. And while she hadn’t seen too much of his body, she was willing to bet he was a pretty heavy-hitter, purely based on his size and the density and impressiveness of his tech… The kid - K’ - was still a complete enigma, but she decided that there was definitely more to him than a surly, leather-clad teen with a funky looking gauntlet on one hand.

Reyna blinked, emerging from the swirling tangle of her own thoughts, to paste on a smooth smile. “It’s fine. You just caught us a little off-guard with that little trick of yours.” A metal claw came up to tap her own lips thoughtfully. “Back to wrapping up our business though…. Getting a ship’s easy, but helping you two dodge the one of the UPR’s most elite squads and this other organisation, NESTS, is gonna be tough, but doable. In short, I can help you, but it won’t be cheap.”

“I figured as much,” Maxima replied. “What are your conditions?”

Reyna leaned back comfortably into the booth seat again, one arm resting on its top like before, and the other grabbing her drink for a few leisurely sips. The ice had mostly melted by now, and the condensation that had gathered dampened her gloves. She gave the contents a little swish, sending what was left of the ice cubes into a mild clattering frenzy, before draining the last of the glass and setting it back down. “Alright. First of all, I want the both of you to run the occasional job for me - hacking, salvage, shard collection, maybe assistance in closing the odd portal bloom or disrupting Rendain’s forces - as well as keeping your eyes and ears open for any interesting information to pass on to me, to earn your keep.”

Maxima was already nodding slowly. Though there was a weariness in his eyes. Obviously he was waiting for the hidden “but”, or less-than-agreeable request. Reyna decided not to keep him stewing for too long, as fun as that would be.

“Secondly,” she leaned forward again, resting an elbow on the table. She pointed a finger at his face, wearing a determined expression on her own. “I want you to tell me everything you know about this NESTS Cartel.”

The pair’s reactions were immediate. K’ stiffened, and Maxima sucked in a sharp breath, as though he’d been punched in the gut. “Miss Valeria, I don’t think that’s a good idea-”

She cut him off with a raised palm. And a scowl for good measure. “No offence, big guy, but I honestly couldn’t give two shits about what you think in this instance. If there’s a group of people out there abducting kids and doing who knows what to them in my home turf? I wanna know who the hell they are so I can take them down for good.”

A slew of conflicting emotions danced openly in Maxima’s eyes: concern, weariness, satisfaction, a tiny spark - there and gone - of what she was sure was hatred. His lips pressed together into a thin, unhappy, line. “… Are you absolutely sure about this? If they become aware that you know of their existence, they’ll hunt you down and kill you - and your crew - or worse.”

Just like they’d killed his friend, his old partner, Rocky. That wound was a few years old by now, but it wasn’t one he was inclined to spill his guts about to his potential future employer; trustworthy as he’d deemed her to be or not, she was still a stranger.

Instead of balking at the statement, Reyna barked out a laugh. “Buddy, the universe is ending. If these creeps don’t kill me, Varelsi or heat death probably will anyway. And as for my crew… I’d like to see the bastards try to get a hand on ‘em; if my Rogues don’t kill them, then I most certainly will. Now, unless you have any other dissuasions you wanna try, I’d like to wrap this up and know if we’ve got a deal.”

A brief look was exchanged between the pair, ending when K’ gave his assent with a small and hesitant, yet affirmative, nod. He didn’t look very happy about it though. Maxima puffed out a sigh. Turned back to Reyna, offering a crooked grin and an extended palm. “You drive a hard bargain, Miss Valeria. But we accept your terms.”

Smirking, she clasped her own hand with his to seal the deal. His grip was firm, but not crushing, like she’d expected it to be. “That was a pretty easy one and we both know it.” They both retracted their hands. “By the way, I’ll have you running some of those jobs I mentioned earlier alongside my Rogues. Including Pendles here.” She jerked her head in the roa’s direction. “So I expect you to treat them well - play nice, and have their backs on the field - or I’ll end this partnership with a bullet between both your eyes. Are we clear?”

“Crystal,” Maxima affirmed. He extended his palm in the roa’s direction, offering him that friendly, kind-uncle-type, smile he’d worn at the beginning of their meeting. “I look forward to working with you sometime, Mister Lakonna.”

Pendles’ tongue flicked out uneasily, but he couldn’t taste any sort of threat emanating from this man. At least for the moment. He cautiously accepted the proffered hand with his own prosthetic one, giving it a firm shake. “Likewise. And just Pendles is fine, mate.”

Reyna pushed herself to her feet, Pendles following her lead, and tossed a generous handful of credits on the table to pay for all their drinks. “Come back here in two days time and I’ll have your ship. Then you can start telling me all about this NESTS Cartel.”

#Bite's writing #I ain't tagging it more than that =w=;;#I was starting to flag lots towards the end - which u can probably tell - and I think it's cuz of all the dialogue #cuz I struggled with that quite a lot #as u can tell. Maxima handles all the talking cuz he's charming and intelligent and generally very friendly #K's people skills are terrible in comparison and he's prickly towards just about everyone #he's a good kid. he's just very guarded and full of anger and angst. which is purely NESTS' fault

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