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thegreatwicked · 2 months

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Shadows of Deception - Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

Under the Influence by Chris Brown

Summary: In Gotham City, a world of secrets and danger, Belladonna finds herself embroiled in a web of crime when she becomes a witness to illicit activities at Roman Sions' exclusive club, Masquerade Noir. Instead of eliminating her, Roman sees an opportunity and spares her life, forming an unconventional alliance. They pose as a couple, using each other as alibis to deceive the police. But as they delve deeper into their charade, their connection intensifies, blurring the lines between reality and deception. As desire and danger collide, they discover unexpected love in the midst of a thrilling and forbidden affair.

Rating: Explicit; graphic depictions of sex and violence

Pairing: Roman Sionis/OFC; Belladonna Black, slight Zsasz/OFC if enough interest.

---

His index finger rapped against the glass of scotch, the rhythm not bound by any conventional beat but rather mirroring the erratic tempo of Roman’s internal world. He listened intently to the audio from Belladonna's police interview. He’d lost track of how many times he’d replayed it, too many to count. He was fixated in particular on replaying the moments where Belladonna described her understanding of their relationship on an endless loop.

“Roman only cares about himself. You’re nothing to him.”

His lip curled up each time he listened to Ramirez’s bold assertions. Just who the fuck did he think he was? Every word that he spoke only egged on Roman’s more violent intrusive thoughts, every little dig at Belladonna, every attempt to rile her up and his index finger tapped a little harder on the glass. But then Belladonna’s voice came over the recording and his tempo returned to its earlier calm but odd tempo.

“I know.”

"I'm not stupid—maybe a little starry-eyed, but not stupid. I see the score. And you’re right, men like Roman don't fall in love; but they do dip their toes in it for a bit. I get it. Sooner or later, he'll move on, find someone more exciting, someone willing to do things I won't. And when that day comes, I'll thank him for the good times and go my own way."

Then his tapping stopped altogether, and his grip on the glass relaxed so much it nearly slipped from his hand.

“And what if he doesn’t let you go that easy?”

"Life's short—last year sure hammered that home. If Jimmy's fate tells us anything, it's that nothing's guaranteed. Not today, not tomorrow. So, until my clock runs out, I'm going to enjoy every second I can, and right now, I’m enjoying them with Roman. He makes me feel alive."

He grinned at that last part, so he made her feel alive, huh? Funny, he usually had the exact opposite reaction on people.

He’d had more than a few run screaming from his presence when he lost his temper, when the mask of the confident club owner slipped and the monster beneath it peaked out, eyes burning and frothing at the mouth like a rabid dog. One way or another, none of them had what it took to handle a man like him, though to be fair, he’d never been terribly interested in women as anything more than a means to let out some pent-up frustrations, and they didn’t always enjoy it either. He wasn’t a gentle lover. That wasn’t to say Roman ever forced anyone to do anything they didn’t want to, he wasn’t one of those types.

Women were a fickle thing that he never understood, like most men, and he’d seen them all. The starry-eyed naive girls hoping to bring out a softer side to him, the wanna-be she-doms who thought they could control him, what a laugh. The ones that insisted they could be everything he wanted and meet his every desire, not in his experience. There had even been a few crazies who’d insisted they could match his particular brand of insanity, but Roman had time and time proved to be too much for even them to handle and in the end, they were just words.

He’d listened to the interview a handful of times since returning to the penthouse with Belladonna, long after the doc had told him to sit down and wait, there wasn’t anything else Roman could do apart from look like a lovesick puppy at her bedside. And he sure as shit wasn’t about to do that, though it didn’t stop him from occasionally putting down the recorder and wandering into the room to look at her.

He'd managed to keep his visits under five, and he certainly didn’t sit by her bedside, or rather his bed all weepy-eyed clutching her hand, no he simply stood in the doorway like a respectable psychopath, thank you very much. At least, he’d started out that way. With each visit he found himself drawn a little closer into the room but it had been hours since their return, and every time he looked at her, his gut twisted into tighter knots. She looked like a rag doll, her olive skin unnaturally pale and sickly—a sight that grated on him. When the hell was she going to wake up? This was just plain ridiculous.

He’d nearly strode into the room with the intent of shaking her awake but the second he’d felt her breath on his outstretched hand the sudden urge died inside him replaced by something he couldn’t understand or explain and he once more retreated to his office. Stan’s assurances did little to quell his unease; he claimed she was fine, just experiencing the aftermath of a sugar crash, and that sleeping was a natural consequence but he wasn't convinced.

Everyone in this whole damned penthouse was entirely too calm. He felt like he was going crazy. Well, crazier.

He didn’t even understand why he was so fixated on her. There was no reason to be.

Damn it, there wasn’t a safer place for her than right here, in his bed nonetheless.

She was fine.

It was fine.

Everything was fine!

Except it wasn’t. And he wasn’t the only one who knew that.

Powerless wasn’t a feeling Roman Sionis liked at all and that’s exactly how he felt. Powerless. All he could do was wait for her to wake up, and then they would have a discussion about her stupid decision to leave his penthouse. They’d most definitely be going over some of her answers in that interview… Oh, he had some thoughts about that too.

But then his thoughts would circle back to the reason for her departure in the first place, and he clenched his fists in frustration, cracking his knuckles, before pouring another scotch.

He wasn’t good at this. The whole waiting thing, patience wasn’t his strong suit. God, what he wouldn’t have given for a little good old-fashioned interrogation right now, just something to take his mind off the uncharted territory he was drifting in. He wanted familiarity and routine, his normal, so his mind wandered back to the only thing he could approach cold-heartedly; the recent encounter with Cobblepot. Surely focusing on business matters would provide some respite from the chaos of his emotions. Ew, emotions, what was he, turning into some pussy little girl? But as he replayed the scene in his mind, the anger that had simmered within him boiled over once more.

At first, he was furious with Belladonna for finding herself in such a precarious situation, his lip twitching. But when he saw the gun pointed at her, his fury transformed into a blazing inferno of rage. At that moment, he felt an overwhelming need to protect her, to assert his dominance and stake his claim.

And then, without hesitation, he uttered those possessive words in front of both groups of men.

‘His woman.’

His.

It was a slip of the tongue, he told himself. Of course it was, he would never say something so stupid.

But then it wasn’t. Was it?

In his mind, he went back and forth, debating every which way he could, talking himself in circles. It was a purely tactical decision he’d made, a carefully selected choice of words. By attaching Belladonna to him like that, it sent a message loud and clear; keep away.

But at the same time, it was a double-edged sword, making her a bigger target, a vulnerability to Roman opening him up to further attacks from those who were stupid enough to use her against him. And of course, he had to protect her anyway, because if anything happened to her, his life would only get more complicated with the police breathing down his goddamn neck.

Frustrated and angry, he clenched his teeth and gripped the leather arms of his chair before everything inside him welled up and exploded like a reactor, chucking his glass of scotch at the wall in a burst of murderous glitter. Why had every moment since he’d decided to let her live only been incredibly complicated and taxing?

This wasn’t like him, and he knew that his little heroic display would cause problems within his ranks. His tunnel vision wasn’t so all-consuming that he missed the shocked and curious looks his men gave him as he left her loft, carrying Belladonna in his arms. No, this was going to be something he’d have to sort out later, probably in a very grand fashion. He needed to be more vigilant now than ever, more ruthless, which meant she had to stop being so damn careless. He had to bring her in closer, tell her more. Pull her in deeper.

Most of his men were simply hired help and very few of them possessed what one might think of as genuine loyalty; Zsasz aside, he couldn’t think of anyone specifically that he didn’t have to make a direct deposit to for reliability. Until the enigma that was Belladonna Black.

"If you want me to spin a story to help you dodge your duties and let the real killer go, find someone else," she asserted. "Roman didn’t kill Jimmy. He was with me, delivering a memorable experience against a cinderblock wall, then I gave him my number and got a lift home."

He smirked again as the audio came to its conclusion. She said she could do it and she’d done it. She’d lied for him and in exquisite fashion as well, it was a good performance, one she deserved a standing ovation for. She’d been in control of every second of that interview from the moment she’d sat down. It sounded so convincing and he would have given anything to see the look on Ramirez’s face, but Derrick assured him it was everything he imagined it was.

A quick flash of frustration, his stupid, fat, fucking face filling with disappointment and anger. But mostly it was a realization that Belladonna Black wasn’t going to be one turned so easily, and that brought a smile to his face.

Which was, precisely when the twin Detective Douchebags turned their focus on him. They wound him up easily and he couldn’t explain why. Well, that wasn’t true, he knew why he’d gotten so wound up. It was because, at the time, he hadn’t entirely trusted Belladonna; he didn’t know if he could. He knew it now though, and so did those fucking cops.

Fear didn’t keep someone loyal, it kept them afraid, and in that interview room, Craven had used that fear of Belladonna’s trustworthiness against him. All his pep talks, all his charm on Belladonna, and the few threats he’d made against her had all been unnecessary, she trusted him enough to put her neck on the line for him and he hadn’t exactly been a gentleman. At best he’d been a reliable source of thinly veiled threats, promises he’d yet to deliver on, and the occasional orgasm.

No, he couldn’t explain what was happening to him these last two months, any more than he could explain his decision to let Belladonna live. It was a whim. But the facts were the facts now, she was in far too deep for her to just disappear. And he was quickly coming to the understanding that he wanted it that way. That he wanted her to continue to drive him insane with her smart mouth and constant retorts, wanted to keep showing up at her work and making a spectacle out of their displays of affection but he also wanted to keep driving her insane too. He didn’t know why but he loved it.

Two firm raps at the door pulled Roman from his thoughts, and Zsasz leaned against the doorframe, his sharp gaze taking in his brooding boss. He looked to Zsasz and gave a simple head nod to enter, then he rose to grab another glass and poured himself a new drink.

"It's not too late. We can still find a solution for her,"

Roman paused, and the gentle clinking of the decanter against his glass ceased.

Zsasz’s suggestion lacked his usual sharp certainty, but rather it held an edge of hesitancy that wasn’t typical for him. To some degree he was right, people disappeared in Gotham every day, never to be seen again, but the notion of Belladonna being one of them wasn’t one he was willing to entertain anymore.

Roman took a long sip of his drink before responding in a flat, emotionless voice, "No, Zsasz. I think we're past that now."

He swirled the amber liquid in his glass, knowing that what Belladonna said about their relationship was true, but hating it all the same. He wanted her to want him, he couldn't pinpoint why, she had become important to him. It both irked and exhilarated him. It was the way she’d looked at him like he was the hero, as opposed to what he really was, the monster in the closet. Somehow she was changing from a pawn he liked to play with, to a queen whom he was pulling out all the stops for.

Zsasz sat down "If she's here to stay, we'll need to increase her security. We’re looking at major changes to protect her and address the problems this’ll cause."

Roman nodded, understanding that both he and Zsasz had similar concerns about maintaining his reputation as a formidable criminal without appearing weak. The notion that a woman could soften a man’s heart like him was a fantasy, the fact was; Roman was about to get meaner. There would be fewer severed ears and more severed limbs and plucked eyes.

“Where do we start?” Roman pushed a glass over to Zsasz. “Could we just burn down the whole damn city?”

“That’d be a lot of bodies,” Zsasz replied after a moment pouring himself a drink with no ice.

“Oh, what’s a few hundred thousand bodies?”

Zsasz smirked and looked as though he was running the numbers in his head but ultimately he came to the same conclusion he knew Roman had come to. They needed to be smart about this, the game was changing, and losers clung to outdated rules, while the victors won by creating their own.

“Her place is a weak point, had the men going through it top to bottom, found a few listening devices aside from yours, but we’ll need a team to do a more in-depth sweep for anything else. Cobblepot has access to top-tier gear, I doubt we’ve found everything.”

“Oswald… He’s not even the real problem is he?” The ice in Roman’s glass clinked with another sip. “What’s the word in the ranks?”

“There's some mutterings but nothing that can’t be fixed by an appropriate show of force.” An appropriate show of force usually meant bodies or blood. Or both. “She’ll have to step up too, they need to be just as afraid of her as they are of you.”

Roman scoffed, that was an amusing idea, his men being afraid of Belladonna, sure she had a resting bitch face that could make most people shrivel, but he couldn’t see Belladonna so much as squishing a bug. “Where are we with Jimmy?”

"Everything seems to line up with your plans," Zsasz reported, "except for one thing: Jimmy doesn't appear to have any association with Cobblepot."

“How the fuck is that possible? He had at least ten grand worth of product all with Cobblepots branding, and the boys at the lab even had it tested, it was all legit and 100% pure.”

"Well, Cobblepot did say you two needed to talk," Zsasz replied, a sly grin on his face. "We could get the information we need if you handle him carefully."

Roman agreed, scowling at the mention of Cobblepot's name. "How the fuck is he involved in this?" he muttered under his breath, adding, "Keep your enemies closer..."

Just then, a knock at the door alerted both men to the presence of Roman's personal doctor.

"Roman, she’s awake."

—

Belladonna's eyes fluttered open, the world around her resembled more of a kaleidoscope; unfocused and hazy. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to her surroundings, the only source of light came from a bedside table and a light outside the room she was in. The walls were a dark, rich color and adorned with expensive artwork. The furniture was modern and sleek, befitting of someone with lots of money. The sheets were luxurious and cool to the touch when she stretched out on them only to realize she was lying in a bed that wasn't her own. She knew this was likely Roman’s penthose but it wasn’t until she turned into his pillow and breathed it in.

A mixture of expensive cologne with an underlying hint of something dark and alluring. The clean, fresh scent of soap hung in the air, mingling with the cologne to create a distinctly masculine smell. And beneath it all was a raw, primal scent that could only be described as pure testosterone. All of it screaming Roman Sionis.

As she struggled to sit up, the room spun around her, and a sharp pain shot through her arm and she drew in a ragged breath; somewhere between a shriek and a gasp. When she finally managed to prop herself up, she noticed something that made her stomach drop: there was a needle lodged in her arm, connected to an IV bag hanging next to the bed. Panic quickly set in as she struggled to focus on the contents of the bag; her vision was still hazy. She had no clue what was being pumped into her and began to hyperventilate.

She couldn’t just unhook it, she didn’t know how, and she had nothing to stop the bleeding. She wanted to get out of there. She tried to stand but that was a mistake and dizziness washed over her like a tidal wave, causing her to lose her balance and fall back, grasping at the nightstand.

"Shit!" She muttered, knocking over a glass of water in the process, its contents spilling onto the cold floor, glass shattering everywhere. The needle in her arm shifted causing more pain and blood began to trickle down her arm. Fuck!

Footsteps quickly approached, and a man she had never seen before entered the room. Panic surged through her veins, and she scrambled away from him while trying to avoid the glass.

"Stay away from me!" Her voice was scratchy and weak.

"Miss Black, it's alright, I’m Dr. Stan," he said calmly, his hands raised in a non-threatening gesture. "I'm Roman's personal physician, and you're currently in his penthouse." She studied him for a minute, he could be a doctor, sure, he looked the right age, and his glasses gave him a scholarly kind of vibe. And not that it meant anything but she was fairly sure, he was wearing a hairpiece, but that wasn’t really a judgment on her part, just an observation.

"Roman?"

"You had a sugar crash, do you remember?" She squinted like she was trying to remember but groaned and clutched her head, ultimately shaking it. "Ok, I understand, don't worry, you're perfectly safe, I’m going to help you."

“What is that?”

He approached carefully like one might cozy up to a wounded animal with the intention of helping it. “It’s a dextrose solution, you were dehydrated and your sugar levels were too low, I had to administer an IV to get you to a safer place.”

Belladonna's gaze darted to the needle in her arm again, and she winced as she felt a sharp pain. "Can you take it out?" she pleaded, her voice tinged with urgency.

The doctor nodded, understanding her distress. "Of course," he said, moving closer to inspect the IV.

As her panic subsided, and she allowed him to come closer, he carefully helped her back onto the bed, kicking the glass aside.

What kind of name was Stan? Was that his first name or his last? Did doctors go by their first names when it came to personal doctors? She didn’t even know they made house calls. He reached for his medical bag that had been on the floor and pulled out a few things,

"How long was I out?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"It's been a few hours,"

She winced as he pressed a quarter-folded piece of gauze against the needle site, but she mostly stayed completely still. Once the bleeding subsided, he took an alcohol wipe and started cleaning up the blood that had trickled down her arm, before turning to the IV. His movements were precise and controlled, the adhesive tape pulled on her skin and it was the kind of sensation that made her want to rub the spot profusely.

"Hold pressure here," he instructed, placing another piece of gauze over the needle site before he finally removed it. Then he reached for a roll of blue self-adhesive tape and wrapped it around her arm, securing everything in place with a bit of pressure. “Better?”

“Much.”

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Like the floor of a taxi," she admitted, rubbing her temples, he chuckled. At least her sense of humor was intact.

"Understandable. You were in pretty rough shape when Roman found you. Let’s check your vitals,”

He reached back into his bag and began pulling out several items, setting them on the bedside table; a blood pressure cuff, one of those things they stick on your finger at the doctor’s office, a stethoscope, and a thermometer. “You know, you’re very lucky, Roman knew how to stabilize your sugars."

Roman did what? She didn’t remember any of that, the last thing she remembered was seeing Roman looking as angry as she’d ever seen him telling her to come to him.

Belladonna furrowed her brow in concentration, trying to recall the events that had led her here but everything was hazy at best and it really did feel like a dream.

"What happened?"

He placed the cuff on her left arm and inflated it, inducing the familiar annoying pressure, then placed the stethoscope on her brachial artery listening as the pressure released slowly.

"You called Roman, and he arrived before you lost consciousness."

She vaguely remembered Roman telling her to eat something but it was so unclear she thought it was part of a dream. Doctor Stan must have noticed the constant licking of her lips and he supplied the answer before she even asked the question, “He said he got you to eat some M&Ms, but you were pretty out of it, good thing you had them handy, complex carbohydrates are your friend at a time like this.”

He loosened the cuff and the tingling in her fingers began to ebb. “120/80, that's good.”

He placed the pressure cuff back into the bag and placed the little monitoring thing, whatever it was, on her finger and then brought the thermometer to her forehead.

“He was pretty frantic when called me and had me come over, said it was a top-tier emergency, and to be honest I expected worse,” the thermometer beeped and he seemed pleased with the result, “98 degrees.” He said passively, then he took his stethoscope from his neck and put it on. "Alright, Belladonna, I'm going to listen to your breathing now. I need you to take slow, deep breaths through your nose. Inhale deeply, then exhale slowly."

"Roman was worried about me?" she asked skeptically before complying with the first breath, he moved the stethoscope and indicated another deep breath.

"Very much so," the doctor said, nodding. "I've never seen him like this. When he called me, I was surprised it wasn't about him being in trouble – but well, Roman has a way of defying conventional expectations." He moved the stethoscope one more time, “Few more deep breaths,”

She nearly laughed, then breathed in deeply and slowly several times. Feeling a spark of warmth at the thought as she settled back onto the bed.

"He’ll be glad to know you’re awake," He put the stethoscope away and took her pulse, centering his index and middle finger on her radial artery and applied pressure while looking at his watch.

“Your pulse looks good. Alright, sit tight, I’ll be right back.”

Roman was worried? No, he didn’t say worried, he said; frantic. It was hard to picture Roman any other way than amused or angry, there was no in-between. At least not that she had ever seen. It was impossible to picture Roman as anything other than composed, what exactly did that mean? What was frantic Roman like? Probably very similar to angry Roman, she reasoned.

Roman wasn’t a man who liked it when he wasn’t in control. That much was well understood. She could almost imagine him yelling into a phone, lots of swearing, probably reiterating that money was no objective and it was a sweet thought. One that caught her off guard so much so that she almost didn’t notice the multiple sets of approaching footsteps.

Moments later, Roman appeared with Zsasz in tow. His expression was stern, but maybe there was just a hint of concern in his eyes. She wondered if she was imagining it.

“Welcome back, Angel.” Roman’s heavy and dark voice drifted back into the room. "Doctor, what's the verdict?"

Doctor Stan looked up at Roman and he seemed very pleased, "I think she’ll be fine, just going to do a few more things and I’ll be out of your hair, let's check your glucose levels."

He took out an alcohol wipe and produced a glucometer, a lancet, and a bandaid. As if second nature she held out her index finger, he wiped down her finger and the lancet snapped out pricking her fingertip, she made a face at the lancet and stuck her finger but otherwise didn’t react.

“Any lingering pains?” He pressed the test strip to her finger and the blood soaked into the strip.

“Just a headache.”

“Well, that’s normal, I’d recommend some electrolytes, sports drinks, or maybe some coconut water.”

Zsasz pulled a face at the lancet and the small bead of blood on her fingertip, he seemed uncomfortable.

“Oh, come on now Zsasz, with all the work you do for Roman, a little finger prick test has you squirming?”

“You have any idea how many nerve endings are in your fingertips?”

It seemed an off thing for Zsasz to be uncomfortable with but she supposed it made sense, she instinctively brought her fingertip to her lips but Roman quickly grabbed it and wrapped the bandage around her index finger.

“As a matter of fact I do, learned all about it in med school, over 3000 per square inch.”

He fed the test strip into the glucometer and waited for the device to finish its reading.

“The headache we can manage with over-the-counter headache medicine, but if you like I can give you something a little stronger, drink plenty of fluids, no strenuous activity.”

The glucometer beeped and he checked the results, his brow furrowed.

"Belladonna, your blood sugar level is a bit lower than we'd like to see right now. It's currently measuring between 60 to 70 milligrams per deciliter, which is slightly below the normal range for someone without diabetes. While it's not dangerously low, it's important to bring it up a bit to ensure you're feeling your best. A good balanced meal with carbohydrates, proteins, healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables should fix that. How do you feel about having a snack or a drink with some sugar in it?"

She offered a weak smile and nodded, “Sounds good actually,” Roman whispered something to Zsasz and he quickly left the room.

"A nice quiet evening will have you back on your feet and let's try to avoid any more sugar crashes, no skipping meals.” He actually wagged his finger at her, she hadn’t been chided by a doctor in a hot minute, but she liked Stan. Seemed like a nice guy and she added his name to the list of people whom she was shocked to associate with Roman Sionis.

“A nice evening of what the kids call 'Netflix and chill.'"

"It’s already handled" Roman agreed, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “What sort of snack in the meantime?”

“Candy can work in a pinch but let’s try to stay away from it, something like fruit would be better, it's absorbed more easily into the bloodstream. Don’t forget to replace that emergency stash of M&Ms in your bag.”

“With or without the chocolate fountain?” The doctor just chuckled, shaking his head at Roman, and packed up his bag.

“Get some rest, Miss Black, call me if you need anything.” He spoke the last part more to Roman than Belladonna.

"Thank you, Stan,"

Roman walked Dr. Stan to the door and in the shadows that fell over them, but they were still in Belladonna’s view, as was the small stack of cash Roman tried to discreetly hand him. Stan held out his hand to Roman and tried to wave it away but Roman didn’t budge.

“Oh, no, no, Roman, this is far too much. It's not like I removed a bullet."

"Not this time," Roman countered, his tone darkly humorous.

Dr. Stan chuckled and nodded, “Well, this was one of the easier house calls,” As they reached the door Dr. Stan mentioned something Belladonna heard but couldn’t understand it was too muffled from their distance, and Roman didn't respond.

There was the sound of Roman footsteps coming back into the room, but when he returned to her side, he held a pomegranate in his hand and wore the look of a parent about to lecture her. She pulled her knees a bit closer to her chest as he sat on the bed, still not saying a word.

She watched as Roman meticulously peeled the crimson pomegranate, its juice staining his fingers.

“Where’d Zsasz go?”

"I had him go get Thai for you." Her eyes widened in surprise; she didn't recall ever telling him she liked Thai, but then again, who didn’t?

"How'd you know I like Thai food?" she asked, curiosity evident in her voice.

Roman smirked, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "I have my ways, Angel." He held out the pomegranate to her. She hesitated, never having eaten one before, then pushed it away, seeking answers instead.

"Roman, what happened? Tell me about Oswald Cobblepot. Why was he at my place?"

"He was dropping off my dry cleaning," he replied humorlessly, but his expression turned serious, holding out the crimson gem-like pomegranate seed again, “I’m waiting, Angel.”

“So am I.” Stubborn as ever.

"I’ll make you a deal; questions answered, but only if you eat."

He gently pressed a pomegranate seed between her lips, holding his fingers there for her to bite down on. After a few seconds, her lips gave way and she accepted the piece of fruit, her lips brushing his fingers. He seemed relieved.

"Ask away, Angel," Roman said, biting into the pomegranate like an apple. He placed a chunk of the seeded fruit into her hand, which she studied for a minute before plucking several little ruby-like seeds and popping them into her mouth. The tart sweetness burst on her tongue in a way that put strawberries to shame, and she asked;

"Who is Oswald Cobblepot?"

"Oswald is a criminal who deals with stolen goods, bribery, witness intimidation, theft, controlled substances, and occasionally murder," Roman replied deadpan. "As for our personal relationship, we've known each other for years. We went to prep school together, and our families have a long history together."

So Cobblepot wasn’t lying about that, the conversation she had with him began to drift back into her mind. “Tell me about your family,"

His face darkened. "That's not up for discussion."

She looked away, the frustration was impossible to miss and after the day she’d had, and in a rare act of submission he offered up the following.

"We haven't spoken in years, I last saw them when I was twenty-one." he said tersely. "Now, let's talk about what happened at your apartment. What's the last thing you remember?”

She chewed on the seeds before spitting one into her hand, uncertain of what to do with it,

“Eat the seeds angel, they're good for you. You can swallow them whole.” Roman took another bite of the pomegranate juice staining his lips, something she tried to ignore.

“He had a magazine with our picture in it,”

Roman smirked, “I saw it. Explains what got into you that night after the party,” He grinned, biting into the fruit again and licking his lips.

“He was there when I got back, I didn’t even get the door shut all the way before I saw them, I went for the panel but it was disabled.” Roman nodded, “He said, he needed to talk to you about the docks and he thought I could get ahold of you. I called, a bunch,” she looked at him squarely in the eyes, “You didn’t pick up.”

“I’m sorry.”

It couldn’t go more silent than it already was, and it soon became overbearing with how he looked nowhere other than her eyes, black on black. No hiding, no deflecting, no excuses. He apologized to her. She was stunned.

“It’s-it’s ok-”

“No, it's not.” He chewed a few more seeds, “It won’t happen again, if you call I come running, guns blazing. No questions asked.”

She didn’t know what to say to that, she was speechless. She just nodded in agreement, unsure of how to handle such sincerity.

“Did he touch you?”

She thought back to her loft, aside from the hand patting a few times, the answer was a resounding no and she shuddered at the thought.

“Not really,” she rubbed her hands, “Patted my hands like a teacher or something.”

“He didn’t hurt you?” She shook her head and continued to rub at her hands trying to erase the memory.

“I feel like I need a scalding hot shower,”

Roman took her hand and pressed a surprisingly gentlemanly kiss to it, then her palm like he did whenever he visited her at work. It was a sweet gesture but it did little to counter the taste of apprehension that came with her next question.

“What happened at the docks?”

Roman paused and seemed like he was weighing his options before replying. “Business.”

“I saw the guy's ear, Roman. You did that?” He gave her a hard look, not a cold or cruel one but it was like he was trying to decide something. “And you, bit a kid's ear back in high school?” He smirked.

“Only a little.” At the mere mentioning of the memory, Roman grinned a dark grin.

He seemed to have made up his mind about what to tell her because he handed her more fruit and began speaking again.

“His men were trespassing on my territory, so I interrogated them.”

Interrogated.

“You mean tortured.”

Now he wore no smile, just a strangely detached expression that communicated just, nothing. “I had to send a message. Cobblepot was responding in his own way, I don’t usually send men back alive once they've crossed me. It was a bit out of character.”

“Is he going to come back?”

“Not if he’s smart, he won’t.” He sighed and laid on his side, “But it doesn't mean we’re out of the woods yet, in fact, now that he knows how important you are to me things are only going to get harder.” She stayed quiet on that last note, “You’re not going home.”

She wanted to argue and he knew it, her lips went to form a reply but ultimately her brain caught up with her mouth, and she nodded. Understanding that his concerns had more to do with the practicality of the situation and less about his possessive tendencies.

“That's the third time I know of that a man has broken in, not sure how I’ll ever sleep there again.”

“I had Zsasz make some calls to some shops for some things for you, I’m not going to have you wearing anything Cobblepot or his men might have touched.”

There was such a venomous tone to his voice just then and it should have scared her, but after today, Roman seemed like the lesser of the two evils. And in a way, she understood where he had been coming from, she wasn’t sure she wanted to wear any of it either. She stopped eating and stared off into space, maybe thinking of all the things that had gone on in her apartment in her absence and she shuddered.

“Keep eating, angel.”

“Am I in danger?”

He didn’t answer right away, “Yes.” She already knew the answer, but somehow she just needed to hear it from him, maybe because if Roman took something seriously then somehow it was comforting because he didn’t fuck around.

“Which is why things are going to change.” He suddenly became very serious and he sat up and reached forward to grasp her chin “You are never to leave my side, not even to that little bodega Ernies, no more mysterious motorcycle rides either. And don’t you ever pull a stunt like this again.”

“Don’t give me a reason to.” The expression ‘Don’t bite the hand that feeds you’ should have kept her silent but it didn’t, was she scared? Shitless. Did that make her spineless? Hell no.

“Angel, I don’t think you realize the gravity of our current situation. I came to your place in force with a dozen of my best-armed men and Cobblepot knows I’ll did it to protect you. My own men know that and let's just say they've never seen me hold a door open for a woman much less call up an armed assault. And I’ve certainly never carried an unconscious woman in my arms before.”

She started to smile but Roman's hard expression stopped her.

“There's going to be doubts I’ll have to quiet, people questioning me and my effectiveness. I’m going to have to make some examples. Painful, messy ones. So you’re going ot have to put a bandaid on that bleeding heart of yours.”

“The rules of our agreement have to change.” Now she looked like she might fight him but he stopped her.

“Never question me in front of any of my men. Ever. Don’t even talk back, nothing that might be construed as you having any sort of control over me, because if you do; I’m going to have to kill a lot of people to prove that you don’t.”

That stopped her, she didn’t know Romans men or what kind of men they were but she didn’t want any more blood on her hands.

“Things are going to get even more unsafe and more violent, which is why you can’t leave me, ever. Understand?”

When he said ‘you can’t leave me, ever,’ his voice did a funny thing, so subtle she almost missed it, there was the tiniest hint of pleading in his voice, like something desperate and quivering, then in an instant, it was gone. She nodded and looked to the ground briefly, only to be brought right back to Romans gaze by his grip on her chin, his thumb brushing her lip almost lovingly.

“You have to listen to me.”

“I promise.”

“You're going to have to learn to look the other way or ask me far fewer questions. Understand?” She nodded, not liking the picture he was painting but also realizing there was little other choice.

"Roman, about today—" she started hesitantly, but he cut her off with a shake of his head.

"Enough about that. I have a lead on your mother," he said, effectively changing the subject. “It’s going to take some finessing but I’ve got Zsasz on it and I’ll know more within the week,”

The mention of her mother made her heart skip a beat. Had he found her already? How? She didn’t care and his confession prompted her to all but crawl into his lap leaning in for a kiss. There was every chance he was just saying it to keep her nice and calm and pliant, he could very well have been lying, but it didn't make sense. Roman was very protective about his reputation as a fairly honest criminal so when he said he had a lead on her mother, she believed him.

He accepted her kiss with little resistance but he clearly wasn’t expecting it, allowing her to lead the way with slow and smoldering movements. Surprisingly, his lips were soft and gentle against hers contrasting with the dangerous aura he had previously exuded.

But what surprised her even more was his docile behavior; he didn't try to take control or rush the pace. He seemed content to savor the pomegranate juice that lingered on her lips as they moved over his and her tongue dipped into his mouth.

Finally and with some effort, he pulled back from Belladonna’s almost feral advance, his voice a bit breathless and sounding like he was teetering on the edge of some invisible boundary, "Angel, doctor's orders," Roman reminded her as gently as he could manage.

She remembered his warning from the week prior, when he said ‘no’ he meant it and it had been an uncomfortable lesson and experience, her fingers curled in his hair as she pressed herself against him for one last deep kiss.

"I know I'm irresistible, but really, the doctor did say to rest," he teased. He held up more of the crimson fruit, “Keep eating.”

She took the seeds and sat back down. "Any more questions?" he asked.

“What now?”

“Now? We’re moving in together.” She blanched and shot him a panicked look, “Relax kitten, just until I sort out your apartment situation.”

“What's to sort out?

“Well security, obviously. And your place has been broken into four times, not three.” She looked like she was about to say something but he kept talking, “Need to sweep it for any listening devices or cameras that I didn’t put there before I let you go back.

“I knew it,” Roman winked at her.

“Until that's all settled, I’ll see to it you have anything you need, but for now, you stay here; where I know you’re safe.”

His choice of words in saying ‘I know you’re safe’ as opposed to 'where I can keep an eye on you’ settled over her with an odd sense of finality and comfort.

“Might just have you stay here till I wrap things up with Jimmy though, got a few things in the works for that too.”

What did he mean? Jimmy was dead, what sort of plans could he possibly have for a dead man? She started to speak but he placed his hand over her lips, “No, angel, not this. Can’t tell you this. It gives you plausible deniability.”

How oddly considerate of him? She smirked, lightly pressing her lips to his fingertips. He promptly withdrew them, maybe doubting his ability to adhere to his own suggestion of following the doctor's orders of avoiding strenuous activity.

"Earlier, you told me I was replaceable," Belladonna reminded him, her tone challenging. Roman gave her a hard look, unwilling to discuss it further. "But you seem to be pulling all the stops out for me," she pushed.

"Angel, you haven't seen anything yet," he answered cryptically, his dark eyes promising protection, possession, and a future rife with uncertainty.

The room seemed to swallow them as Roman and Belladonna fell into a heavy silence, she didn’t feel the need to ask any further questions, or maybe because she just couldn’t think of any.

"So who has pomegranates lying around instead of apples?"

"Someone with refined taste. You should expand your palate, Belladonna. Pomegranates are considered the fruit of the gods.” She eyed him skeptically. “The pomegranate holds great significance. Some even believe it was a pomegranate, not an apple, that Eve ate in the Garden of Eden. And it was the pomegranate that Persephone ate to become the queen of the underworld in the love story of Hades and Persephone."

"Wait," Belladonna interjected, her brow furrowing. "You mean the pomegranate Hades forced her to eat after he kidnapped her?"

Roman tutted, shaking his head disapprovingly. "Belladonna, you're half-Greek; you should know your mythology better. There are theories that suggest Hades and Persephone had a passionate romance and she willingly went with him, just as much evidence as there is for his supposed kidnapping." There was an odd cheekiness to his expression, as though he was trying to make some coded reference.

He offered her another piece of the fruit, but she eyed it suspiciously. Roman smirked.

"It's too late. You're already trapped in my underworld until the investigation is done. You may as well enjoy the food."

It was fascinating how easily Roman could slip between personas - one moment the charming owner of Masquerade Noir, able to entertain and entice, and the next a cold-blooded criminal who had shown mercy by only cutting off a man's ear. The portrait of Roman lounging on his side on a luxurious bed, in a black shirt with a few buttons undone, black slacks, casually eating a pomegranate was quickly burning itself into her brain. He looked so normal.

"How did you know I'm hypoglycemic?"

Roman gave her a mysterious look, his eyes dark and unreadable raising his browns suggestively. "I have eyes everywhere."

"Like my bedroom?"

"Especially in your bedroom," he replied smoothly. "How else would I know about that little purple toy of yours?"

His teasing was less annoying and now more charming in its own odd way, and whereas before she might have ignored it or gotten irritated, she opted to give it right back to him.

“Guess, you didn’t find the big black one…”

Romans expression quickly fell and he didn’t look as amused as she was, but after he noted the upturn of her lips, he shook his head and finally answered her question.

"I did extensive research on you after we met. I know all about that fight with you and Olivia Danvers when you were sixteen and you’ve got one hell of a right hook.” Belladonna smirked a little bit at the memory. “It’s clear that you could have been valedictorian if not for that D on your senior chemistry final and your Spanish class, Eso no es bueno, ángel.”

Roman knowing Spanish wasn’t surprising but then it kind of was, he wasn’t stupid, no, Roman had proved time and time again that he was highly intelligent. But it just seemed such a… frivolous thing, to speak another language, like, it was such a normal thing, for normal people. But she quickly reminded herself that was stupid. Belladonna herself was trilingual, adding Greek, Italian, and Latin to her repertoire.

“I know how you switched majors halfway through college from business management to photography and graphic design even though you can’t really stand either one and I know all about the attack last year,” His tone dropped at the mention of her attack and he offered no particular insights on it. “But no one’s perfect, because despite how deep I dug, I somehow missed that little tidbit." Roman admitted with a hint of annoyance. "But Daisy clued me in after I sweet-talked it out of her."

Yeah, Daisy, that sounded about right. It wasn’t exactly privileged information, and she had no doubt there wasn’t much Roman couldn't sweet talk Daisy out of.

"I was diagnosed after the attack last year. It was hard to want to eat anything, didn’t sleep much." Belladonna said, "Guess I should thank you,"

His cocky demeanor returned in full force as sat up and he scooted closer, his eyes gleaming mischievously. “But how will you thank me?”

“Don’t get cocky, you’re still in la casita del perro in my book, you’ll be lucky if you get another kiss.”

Roman chuckled, undeterred, seeing her challenge as an invitation. He closed the distance between them, his breath warm against her skin as he whispered seductively, “Oh, really?”

"I can be very persuasive. And it seems to be working." Their lips barely brushed, a tantalizing tease of what could be. "Admit it, you've wanted to kiss me since the moment I rode in on my dark horse, saving the day that night in the back of my club with Jimmy."

That was certainly one way to put their meeting, if not a little skewed, it almost sounded romantic, and she couldn't resist teasing him. With a playful smirk, she grabbed his chin and planted a simple kiss, it wasn’t what he wanted, she knew that but he’d already shut her down when she was practically climbing on top of him.

"Is that all I get?" he asked, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"You'll get what I give you, and you'll like it.”

The door to the bedroom swung open and the scent of spicy Thai food quickly filled the air, mingling with the lingering tension between Roman and Belladonna. Zsasz strode into the room carrying takeout bags in both hands. He seemed to have returned faster than expected, much to Roman’s dismay, but then again, Zsasz was more often than not, more punctual than a Swiss watch. It also helped that he cut quite the intimidating figure and Belladonna wouldn’t have been surprised if people had jumped out of line upon seeing him.

“Cockblocked by the doctor's orders… and Thai food.”

Roman grumbled, finally tearing his gaze away from Belladonna and taking the food from Zsasz. A flicker of warmth flashed across Zsasz's usually cold eyes as he handed over the bags to Roman. It was a brief, unexpected moment that caught Belladonna off guard. Then with a curt nod that carried an unusual ease to it, Zsasz took a bag and disappeared. Was she beginning to grow on him?

Roman settled back onto the bed and produced several takeout boxes with enticing aromas that could only come from a yāy’s soulful cooking. Bold spices, succulent roasted meats, and hints of coconut. He handed her one box filled with Thai green chicken curry and rice, and another containing papaya salad. To her surprise, there was even a small container of mango sticky rice for dessert. She didn't bother asking how he knew her favorite dishes; his answer would probably involve some vague explanation about being "all-knowing."

As they ate, she watched Roman open his own container of Thai basil chicken, captivated by the movement of his jaw as he chewed, before drifting to Roman's strong hands, deftly maneuvering the chopsticks to pick up a piece of chicken. She had seen those same hands clenched in anger, and wrapped around a gun with deadly precision. Yet, here they were, sharing a simple meal together. Life was certainly dealing her some strange cards lately.

Here she was in Romans bed, after having briefly been held hostage in her own apartment, and being saved by her own knight on a dark horse, as he had dubbed himself. Eating Thai food, like any normal couple might, Roman lounging in a casual manner that Belladonna had never seen before using chopsticks like a pro. He seemed more like just a man eating Thai food with her than the dangerous figure she knew him to be.

"So, no Netflix?"

"The beds for sleeping, not Netflix," Roman replied playfully, a hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "You should be glad I'm letting you eat in my bed at all."

“You don’t ever eat in bed?

"No," he replied, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "I eat at a table like a civilized criminal." His tone was light, teasing even, and Belladonna couldn't help but let out a surprised laugh. Was he making an honest joke? No dark undertones? Guess there was a first for everything.

“The only thing that gets eaten in this bed is pussy.” There it was. He couldn’t let it go, but a sex joke was better than a dark one, she supposed.

Belladonna glanced down at her box, a vibrant array of colorful vegetables and steaming rice accompanying the spicy chicken that filled her senses with a mixture of comfort and warmth. She hesitated for a moment before looking up to meet Roman's unwavering gaze. The dim lighting of his bedroom cast shadows across his chiseled features, accentuating the intensity behind his dark eyes.

"Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever really know you," she admitted, her voice laced with vulnerability. It was a thought that had been gnawing at her ever since they'd gotten involved with each other – an unsettling feeling that there was always more beneath the surface. “You’re like a puzzle with no picture.”

A smug grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Oh, I'm a puzzle, am I?" he asked, the playful tone in his voice belying the weight of her words. "How many pieces? I'm at least 10,000 pieces."

Belladonna couldn't help but smile at his lighthearted response, even as the unease continued to churn within her. As much as she wanted to believe that she could understand him, she knew deep down that there were aspects of his life that she never would.

"More like a Rubik's star cube," Belladonna countered, her eyes twinkling with amusement as she looked at Roman.

Roman raised an eyebrow, clearly appreciating the challenge. "Ah, one of those, huh? Well, I suppose that makes me even more intriguing."

"Alright, then," Roman said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table. "Why don't you ask me something? Anything you want. Consider it your first move in solving this puzzle."

"It’s all just games to you, isn’t it?"

"Trust me, angel. I never play games with what's mine," he replied, his gaze never wavering from hers.

"Yours?" she echoed, feeling both a sense of belonging and unease at his words.

"Undeniably,"

——

The concept of moonlight illuminating a sleeping lovers form while they slept was bullshit, stupid and cliche. So was the idea of longingly looking at them, as if moonlight was a magic highlighter that drew attention to all the details that you never noticed before.

He always thought the moonlight at night thing only worked because the person you were looking at had finally shut up. He didn’t need the magic of a planet fragment reflecting light to draw his eye to Belladonna's hourglass form, he didn’t need it to draw his attention to the swell of her hips, the full lips he wanted to taste, that long black hair he wanted to use to direct her, or the curve of her breasts he wanted to touch. No, he could appreciate those things in broad daylight, the low light of his club or the artificial light of her studio while she worked.

But that’s exactly what Roman was doing

Fuck it, the moonlight was doing its job, casting that magical soft glow on Belladonna's peaceful face as she slept. And Roman lay next to her, wide awake, his dark eyes studying her delicate features. It was the first time he'd ever allowed a woman to share his bed without sex being involved, and strangely enough, he found himself not minding much. People were interesting to watch when they slept, Belladonna, for instance, was lying on her side with one arm embracing her pillow and her knees slightly drawn up towards her chest. It wasn't quite the fetal position, but she wasn't sprawling out either, and Roman couldn't blame her. She didn’t sprawl out and take up more of the bed than she should, didn’t hog the blankets leaving him to freeze his ass off, and she wasn’t one of those types who tried to suffocate him by clinging to him like a lovesick teenager.

That wasn’t Belladonna though.

Roman's interests were about as varied as the weather, but he always found the way people slept to be fascinating. It was like a secret language they couldn’t help but speak. Belladonna's sleeping habits, in particular, caught his attention. They suggested she was guarded and lacked a sense of security or comfort.

As for Roman himself, he usually slept on his back with his arms at his sides. He didn’t move around much unless he was really stressed. Occasionally, he might flop onto his stomach and bury his head in the pillow, but that was rare. He didn’t like how exposed he felt sleeping on his stomach, even if it was comfy as hell.

As for Zsasz, well, he had never seen Zsasz sleep but he was fairly certain if Zsasz slept at all, he slept like a vampire and he hadn’t ruled out the possibility of a coffin.

The whole situation was an odd one for him. Sure he’d let women sleep in his bed but more often than not it was only because he was too tired to kick them out right away. He’d let them sleep and then send them on their way to that glorious walk of shame home, in the clothes they’d worn the night before, covered in the marks he’d left on them, both seen and unseen. And really, even if he was tired, he would have much rather they leave as soon as he was done with them. His only real motivating factor behind letting them stay was the possibility of a morning blowjob. What man didn’t love waking up and having his dick sucked before breakfast?

His late-night musings were interrupted by a quiet presence at the door, Zsasz lingered just outside the room, he gave Roman a nod and Roman slipped from the bed's warmth.

"Got something."

Roman followed Zsasz to his study, where they reviewed the security footage from Belladonna's loft. The screen flickered to life, revealing Cobblepot's arrival and the entire conversation between him and Belladonna. Roman clenched his jaw, anger simmering beneath the surface.

It was the first time he’d watched the footage and it was just as she’d said earlier and although it infuriated him, he had to admit; he’d never been more impressed by a woman. Her voice hardly shook but he could hear it, there were no tears and she wasn’t frantic when she put the phone down after a finally failed attempt at reaching Roman. His lip twitched in a sneer when he thought of how many times she’d tried calling him and how calm she’d been throughout the whole thing and in a rare moment, he felt like shit.

He’d told her he’d take care of her so long as she was with him and he didn’t. In fact, he’d acted like some shithead teenager. It angered him but not as much as the moment Cobblepot offered a bullshit apology to Belladonna before directing one of his men to shoot her in the chest as opposed to the back of her head. Even still, she didn’t move, she didn’t cower, didn’t plead, didn’t cry. Nothing.

Solid as a statue, only closing her eyes. He knew grown men who wouldn’t have handled having a gun pointed at them half as well as she had.

"Reach out to Cobblepot's associates," he instructed Zsasz, his voice cold and controlled. As much as he didn’t like Cobblepot he wasn’t so stupid as to go on the warpath. "Set up a formal sit-down. No more surprise visits from him, I need to know how he's connected to all this and how Jimmy came to have his stuff if he didn’t work for him."

He didn’t much like Cobblepot but it would be idiotic to make him an enemy rather than a strained acquaintance.

"Arrange for new security measures at her loft, after it’s been cleared," Roman ordered, dismissing Zsasz's unspoken concerns. "She'll stay with me until everything is in place. Did you call the shoppers?” Zsasz nodded, “Good, make sure she has whatever she needs."

As Roman contemplated their situation, he found himself recalling the myth of Hades and Persephone—a tale that seemed to mirror his own relationship with Belladonna.

"Who is our Demeter?" he muttered, leaving Zsasz slightly confused, but not surprised. Roman often spoke in cryptic references that made sense only to him.

"Been keeping tabs on her father like you asked. Doesn't seem like he's actively involved in any major schemes anymore. Looks like he's content living off the family fortune," Zsasz reported, his tone matter-of-fact. "But I found something interesting while I was looking into him. Belladonna is the only heir to the family estate, assuming her father doesn’t blow it all. And he doesn’t seem too keen on her having much of it to herself based on the stipulations required for her to get access to her inheritance." Roman's interest piqued at the mention of Belladonna's wealth.

"She's entitled to half the estate according to her grandfather's will. However, her share is currently tied up due to certain conditions she hasn't fulfilled yet."

"What conditions?" Roman inquired, intrigued by the complexity of the situation.

"There are two options. Either her father passes away under circumstances deemed non-suspicious, and the inheritance is released once the investigation is concluded," Zsasz explained.

Roman smirked, that could certainly be arranged.

"Or she ties the knot." Zsasz's voice held a hint of amusement. "In that case, the money essentially falls under her husband's control, to be distributed at his discretion."

Roman's eyes narrowed with disdain. "So her fortune hinges on marriage. How... quaint."

“Tale as old as time.”

“Pathetic.” Roman shook his head at the man's manipulations. "I'll pay him a visit soon enough. What about her mother, what did you find?"

"Maria Lopez," Zsasz announced, handing Roman a medical file.

Roman pulled a confused face, that wasn’t her mothers’ name. It was Caruso, not Lopez.

“She's tucked away in a top-tier facility in Metropolis, specifically tailored for clients grappling with significant trauma." Zsasz made air quotes around the term 'significant trauma,' his tone dripping with skepticism.

“Why Metropolis?” Zsasz shrugged.

“Probably because it's not in Gotham. Makes her harder to find, especially if Belladonna was trying to keep a low profile.”

Roman nodded for Zsasz to continue as he looked through Maria’s file. He didn’t ask Zsasz how he got ahold of privileged medical records; some things were better left unsaid. But based on what Roman was looking at, it was all doctored up and as authentic as a spring breakers driver's license.

"The alias is completely disconnected from anyone in Belladonna's family,”

“Who pays for it?” Roman asked, his voice low and tense as he looked at Maria's photograph, fixated on the sorrowful expression in her gaze.

She looked nothing like the woman he had imagined; she appeared exhausted, fragile, and hollow inside, though the resemblance was striking. Belladonna got her looks from her mother, no doubt. He suddenly understood how bad of a situation Maria must have found herself in as a young immigrant worker to a man like Benjamin Syrus Black. The predatory nature of it disgusted him, her mother was sixteen when she’d become pregnant with Belladonna, barely a woman. Not even a woman by his standards.

“A numbered bank account. Easy enough to set up, probably had a lawyer do it."

"So, no paper trail leading back to her old man. Jesus. No wonder Belladonna couldn't track her down,"

Roman remarked with a hint of disdain. The records spoke of years of physical trauma as well as several psychiatric conditions ranging from bipolar disorder to schizophrenia. He threw the file onto the table, sending papers scattering across the surface.

“This reads like a dossier of Arkham's most dangerous inmates; bi-polar disorder, paranoid schizophrenia, dementia, dissociative identity disorder, psychotic depression, PTSD,”

Roman looked back and forth from several documents but he seemed to be studying their headers, logos and signatures as much as he was reading the diagnosis and treatment history. It was a chaotic mess.

“These diagnoses contradict each other. Bet money no one was paying attention when she was admitted."

"Even if she somehow found her mother now, there's no way she could get her released, probably wouldn’t even be allowed to visit her."

Zsasz nodded grimly in agreement. "But on the bright side, this gives us leverage over whoever is treating her. If they want to keep this quiet, they won’t involve the police." A sly smile spread across Roman's face.

Roman smirked at Zsasz, “Maybe they just need a good scare.”

“Pain is scary,” Zsasz said with a smile.

"We'll need to take a trip to Metropolis soon. But before we do, make sure you dig up every detail possible on the doctors in charge of her care and anyone involved in her admission. I want it all. I won't tolerate any more surprises."

Zsasz nodded, “Got it.”

“I’m going to bed.” His voice dripped with deadly intent as he tossed the file back onto the desk and turned, stalking off toward his bedroom.

Roman crawled back into his bed and looked over to the side he usually slept on, Belladonna had her back to him, she had rolled over in her sleep and he found himself staring at a scar on her back. Long and jagged, one that had taken over thirty sutures to close, his lip curled up when he thought about how it got there. The tip of his finger had barely brushed against her skin when she turned over and curled closer to him, not close enough to nestle in his arms but close enough he could leisurely touch her, his hand slipped from her shoulder down the curve of her side before settling on her hip. She made a little noise of contentment and scooted a bit closer. Stans words to him played over in his head as sleepiness began to gently tug at him.

“She could be good for, Roman,”

Roman just smirked, shook his head then pulled his hand away and folded his pillow over, eventually drifting off to sleep.

—-

Belladonna slowly blinked awake, the cool space beside her a stark contrast to the warmth she craved. This time, when she woke up in Roman’s bed she felt no panic, in fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept so well. Sure, she wouldn’t have minded staying in bed, rolling over, and going back to sleep but the sunlight streaming in from the window made that hard. She sat up and stretched, disentangling the sheets that had twisted around her legs, searching the room for any trace of Roman.

The faint sound of running water drew her towards the bathroom door, which was slightly ajar. With careful steps, she approached, peeking inside to find Roman at the sink. He stood tall, only a black towel wrapped around his waist, traces of shaving cream on his jawline as he focused on his steam-framed reflection.

She held her breath, captivated by the oddly domestic sight of Roman. Despite their closeness, she had never seen him so undressed, always shrouded in mystery and tailored suits. His broad muscular back bore was a blank canvas, surprisingly devoid of tattoos, she hadn’t exactly expected any as they didn't seem like they fit his personality. She only saw maybe two faded scars, one looked like a knife wound and another maybe a bullet, he certainly wasn’t covered in them like Zsasz was. She couldn't help but let her gaze linger on the edge of the towel, if only he wasn’t so paranoid...

"Roman had me get some things for you for work," Zsasz's voice broke the moment as he entered with a garment bag. Startled, Belladonna jumped with a startled gasp and stepped back, feeling a flush of embarrassment. But it was too late, when she changed a glance over her shoulder Roman met her gaze with a smirk and a freshly shaven face.

A knowing grin playing on his lips. Her heart quickened, realizing she had been caught off guard, a rarity she tried to avoid.

“Time for work angel,”

Fifteen

---

Little R&R Roman style? I know, I'm a tease... Sorry guys, stay tuned the spice is coming soon...!

@keffirinne @daenerys-skywalker @supernatural-lover

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karisomk · 1 year

Text

Professor Tenoch AU

This is just humor.

"Bro, I don't know why you're bugging right now. Just ask for a extension. Professor Tenoch is really nice."

Your eyes flickered close while you rubbed your forehead and neck gently, trying to do anything to cease the hangover. Placing the cold bottle of gingerale to your forehead, you shook your head in response.

"Noooo...I just can't. I gotta take the loss on this assignment. I have to, I can't lie to him when he looks at me. Sometimes I just feel like he knows. Like last time, when I told him I was having internet issues but we ended up just binging a show on Netflix."

Your friend chuckles softly, "Hey thats on you. I told you to stop posting everything but you just had to show off your pajamas that day and rant about HER. You gotta change your view settings, girl."

You snorted in response and rolled your eyes, but you bite your bottom lip. "Besides I think this time... he might of saw our insta story from last night."

"That video of you with your mouth open drinking Sake from that squirt bottle with Chef?"

Your friend bursted out laughing and shook your shoulder, you grew even more embrassed.

"It's not funny-!"

This only made your friend laugh harder before she tried catching her breath.

"Listen, you're a adult. So what? I mean I guess I would be kinda mortified too, if my professor saw me open mouth chugging sake from a squirt bottle with a hibachi chef who was amazed you didn't spill any and dranked it all. You had the chef shook, more so when you licked your lips afterwards."

"Shush! Why are you so loud?!" You huffed at her.

"You're only overthinking about cause you think Professor Tenoch is fine. I wonder has he figured out some of your vague horny posting is about him." Your friend bluntly pointed out while she batted her eyes.

"You are still so loud right now! Friend, you gotta lie for me. Please tell him I got sick or something. Something!" You whined. Your friend simply side-eyed you while crossing her arms over her chest, sucking her teeth in response. "Oh please, like he'll listen to me anyway. All you gotta do is go in there and give him those sad eyes you do all the time when you're nervous about your grade. He'll listen." "I- I do not do that. But please don't leave me!" You watch your friend scurry away even while you huff, she only laughs some more in response.

"And that's why your laugh sounds like an empty spray bottle!" You yelled after her. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ You procrastinated about seeing Professor Tenoch after your classes, even avoiding his gaze while you were in his class. Those light brown eyes made your heart flutter, but always made you spill the truth to him. Those disappointed looks from him always hurt more than seeing him slightly annoyed. With a slow exhale, you knocked on his classroom door a hour before it was time for him to leave. "Yes, come in." You peak in with a sheepish grin, "Hey, Professor Tenoch. I.. wanted to speak to you." He flashed a small smile and beckoned you to come in, "Well we still have some time and I wanted to ask you if everything was okay? You looked very tired in class today."

You nodded at first, taking a seat across from his desk, "Everything is fine just wasn't feeling too well today. I-I wanted to ask you if I could talk about the assignment that was due today." "Mhm, what about it?" Your stomach fluttered and your chest burned from being nervous, willing yourself to lie on the spot. You didn't look him recognizing that tone, so you kept your gaze elsewhere. His hands or his hair while you spoke. "I-welll uh. See, I lost my hard drive stick yesterday with all my assignments and I tried looking to see if I had any other backups for it in my email drive on my computer. And it turns out that my cat somehow stole my harddrive stick." "So its very damaged. I was wondering if I could have a few days at least for an extension?" You blurted out. When you finally did look up at him, it was hard to keep a straight face at the way Tenoch held his chin. His slight raised brows and those brown eyes that just saw threw you. Your mouth was going dry and your heart was thumping wildly in your chest. You were a bad liar. A terrible liar. The long silence made things worst and for a second you were about to apologize and just blurt out the truth. But when Tenoch sighed and tapped his pen lightly on the desk, "Fine. Three days. Three. You can turn in your work then. " Your eyes lit up at him buying your terrible excuse and you shot up to your feet. "Thank you! I swear I have it done in three days maybe even two! You are the best!" you beamed. Only running around the desk to hug him lightly, "Alright, alright now go. " he chuckled. Moving to grab your bag and you moved to leave the classroom waving goodbye to him. "Oh and (insert name). " Tenoch said while raising to his feet, and grabbing his own bag. "I didn't know you liked Sake like that." Tenoch flashed a smile and laughed softly when you began to stammer loudly.

#short story #tenoch huerta #fanfic #black reader

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shadowqueen402 · 1 year

Text

Missing Girls!? (A Prim and Proper Problems fic)

Been a while since I've made small fics of @kayssweetdreams's Prim and Proper Problems fic! Anyways, here is another one. This time, one of my oc's extended relatives appear! Read on to see which one! Anyways, this fic takes place after Kaylo and Yuri were brought back to normal.

Thanks to Kuro's and Shiro's brave act, Yuri and Kaylo were brought back to their normal selves. After taking the time to get adjusted to their surroundings, the two now found themselves looking through everything that was collected from Madame Prim's office with the help of Leo, Emma, Mei and Aria.

"How long was Madame Prim trying to make girls go to her school?" Kaylo asked. She was stunned to see the list of names of the girls from all around the world, Timeville included. "Look at all of these people that she targeted!"

"Especially since she was using fake cash," Mei pointed out, frowning at the suitcase before she went back to sorting through the documents. Her eyes then landed on something. "Uh, you guys?"

"What is it, Mei?" Yuri asked. "What did you find?"

"You all may want to take a look at these." Mei placed two documents onto the table for Kaylo, Yuri, Leo, Emma, and Aria to see.

On the table was two missing person reports.

They both had a picture of a girl who appeared to be around the age of four. One had curly, golden blonde hair, fair skin, and aqua green eyes. The other had straight, black hair that was in a low ponytail, tanned skin, and brown eyes.

"Apparently, Madame Prim was keeping these two missing person reports," Aria said, not wanting to believe this. "But why? Kaylo? Yuri? Mei? Emma? Leo? Do these girls look familiar to you?"

Kaylo, Mei, Leo, Emma, and Yuri eyed the missing little girls' photos. "Yeah, they do look familiar," Emma said. "Not sure why…"

"Too bad there's no name on these missing reports," Mei said. "But there's something about them that is even more suspicious… I can't put my finger on what…"

"Well, we can't just hand these over to the police just yet," Leo said. "We don't know who these girls are. If only there was a way to identify them…"

Suddenly, Aria had an idea. "I know who can help with this," She said. "He's a relative of mine that lives in Scotland. He's coming over to visit me and my parents in Timeville. He'll know what to do."

Kaylo, Mei, Leo, Emma, and Yuri looked at each other. They haven't met Aria's relative yet, but considering with what has happened, they were really out of options.

Later on, the five friends were standing outside of Aria's apartment when the sound of a motorcycle was heard getting louder and louder. A black and blue motorcycle pulled up and parked. The driver pulled off his helmet, revealing a remarkably handsome man with chocolate brown hair and striking orange eyes.

"How's my little cousin doing?" The man said to Aria with a smile. Aria ran up to the man and hugged him, to which he returned the hug.

"Yuri, Mei, Kaylo, Leo, Emma, meet my older cousin," Aria said to the three. "Ethan, meet my friends. From left to right are Yuri, Mei, Leo, Emma, and Kaylo."

"You have a cousin?" Kaylo asked, stunned. Nevertheless, she and the others took turns shaking Ethan's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Ethan."

"Always a pleasure," Ethan said before turning to Aria. "I got your text, Aria. It sounded rather…troubling. What's going on?"

"It's rather a long story." Aria frowned. "But we're dealing with a woman by the name of Madame Prim. She had the audacity to brainwash Kaylo and Yuri into being perfect. Just today, we found out that she had two missing person reports."

"Madame Prim…?" Ethan crossed his arms and frowned. "Wasn't she that crazy lady that tried to marry Uncle Roy? The same one that made you, Aunt Esme, and Uncle Roy move here?"

"That's the one." Aria nodded as she handed the missing person reports to Ethan. "Anyways, we don't know who these girls are as there's no name on either of the reports. But Emma says they look familiar to her. Not to mention, Mei suspects that there's something suspicious about them. Do you think you can see if you can identify them?"

"I sure can," Ethan said with a nod as he took them from Aria. "This won't take long. All I need is a computer and I'll be able to find out who these girls are."

"There's a laptop on my desk up in my room," Aria replied, handing him the keys to her apartment. "The password should be there."

Ethan nodded and went inside. Kaylo, Yuri, Leo, Emma, and Mei all turned to Aria. "We really didn't know that you had a cousin," Leo said.

"Three, actually," Aria corrected. "Ethan happens to be the oldest. He works as a tech expert for the police back in Scotland. So he knows exactly what he's doing."

Fifteen minutes had passed. Ethan then exited out of Aria's apartment with both the missing person reports…and two pictures. "It took some time, but I was able to identify who the girls are," He explained. "The blonde-haired girl is named Delancey Stewart. And the black-haired girl is named Delilah Kane. According to the missing person reports, these two girls went missing back in the year of 2012."

Ethan then handed Leo and Emma the two photos. "I was able to use AI in order to age the girls in the photos to what they would look like as fifteen year old teenagers. You may want to see these."

The group took a good look at the photos and gasped in shock. The girls were the same Delilah and Delancey that they saw back in Timeville High when Madame Prim came. "It's Delilah and Delancey!" Yuri cried. "The same two girls that framed me and Kaylo for assaulting them and stealing from them! We saw them both at Timeville High and at PPP, Madame Prim's boarding school!"

"Wait, if they're missing, then why isn't anyone looking for them?" Leo asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"Remember how Aria revealed that Mei felt there was something suspicious about the missing person reports?" Ethan had a very serious look on his face. "Turns out, she had every right to be suspicious. Before identifying the girls, I took a closer look at the reports and noticed that something was really off: not only were their names edited off, but they both haven't been properly filed."

"So, in other words, nobody actually knew that Delilah and Delancey were missing people," Emma said.

"That's right," Ethan said. "Knowing Madame Prim, she either stole these reports from the police station that they were meant to be sent to or someone stole them for her. Either way, it makes me wonder if she's done this stunt to other parents… I'd be devastated and angered if that happened to my cousin, Aria."

"So what do we do now?" Leo asked.

"I would highly suggest that you all talk to the one person that tried to have these reports filed," Ethan said. "I think she may be familiar to you. A certain Misere Au Bonheir… Anyways, I've got to take this all down to the police station before I visit Uncle Roy and Aunt Esme. You all be careful now."

Ethan got onto his motorcycle and rode off.

"Guess we have to talk to Misere," Yuri said. "But how did she know that the two girls were missing?"

Kaylo belongs to @kayssweetdreams

Mei belongs to @sundove88

Aria, Ethan, Roy, and Esme belong to me.

#balan wonderworld #fanfic #ocs #leo craig #emma cole #yuri brand

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witchthewriter · 2 years

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Can I request a level 3 ship for a male merlin character, my liege? Also can you answer this privately or through dm!

Name: Hareem, she/her.

Appearance: I'm 5'0", pale skinned and brown eyed. with long dark brown hair that goes past my waist which I usually wear in a braid.

Personality: I'm an INFP who's always daydreaming and I'm a total girly girl! My 2 dreams are to become a famous yet mysterious writer and poet, and to get married and have a girly wedding. I'm a homebody and can find group settings overwhelming, I'm the person at parties who stays by the wall with my fellow introverts. I'm studying communications and find how people write, speak, and communicate fascinating, and people say I'm a good writer and communicater. I can be pretty sensitive, and I'm very pro woman. I'm trying to become more productive, independent, and brave, but I'm also a big advocate for people relaxing and not stressing over work.

Likes:

Luxurious Haircare Products

Perfume! Fragrances! I'm a constant bath and body works lurker and my vanity is littered with Fragrances! Smelling good all day is a priority of mine.

Talking about art/media

Daydreaming- un underrated and healthy hobby indeed. People should daydream more often!

Weddings! Attending weddings, helping set them up, seeing friends and family!

Dislikes:

Hustle Culture, Girlboss Culture, Beauty Standards, anything that sets an impossible standard that makes people feel bad about themselves

Strict "pull yourself up from your bootstraps people", I don't work well with those people and respond well to harsh criticism

People who jump straight to anger without communicating first.

Want to be shipped? Here be the instructions 🦋

Hello, my love! You are literally such a gorgeous person omg 🌻

𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧

𝐷𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

I ship you with Gwaine! He absolutely adores you. Like you would be the PERFECT couple!!!!!!!

𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑛𝑠

・Oh my god so many flowers, he'll get you a bouquet every single day, or at least a few if he can't find/steal any 🌷🌻🌼

・You would be totally swept away by his charms (I would be too)

・HE LOVES YOUR LAUGH SO MUCH THAT HE WOULD THROW HIMSELF OFF A WALL IF THAT MEANT HE COULD HEAR IT

・Denying his advances for a while because you want to see how far he would go to get your attention (he literally has no limits btw)

・He would protect you with his life; never wants you to feel unsafe around him as well

・Loves hearing you talk about anything and everything. Especially your interests, the absolute smile that forms on his face makes you breathless

・Relationship tropes/dynamics: ♡ 'Overthinking + Not thinking at all' ♡ 'Slowly learning to love and be loved and that they deserve happiness + that happiness who shares the same/similar trauma and offers support' ♡ 'Loving each other with such intensity that you cannot help kissing & touching one another' ♡ 'Flirt + Absolute blushing wreck'

𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢

Your kindness and imagination. There are a lot of people who are close-minded; they can't see beyond what's in front of them. But you can see so many worlds at once; real and completely made-up.

𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑

You and Merlin would get on so well!!! You both have the same personality type of INFP. I think he would have a crush on you when you first met, and there was a bit of a romance starting to form. But you decided it would be better if you were friends (too similar in personality).

You would totally talk to him about guys and he would love the gossip!

You'd also be great friends with Guinevere and Morgana (before ... you know ...) you'd feel her betrayal so harshly.

#ships #ship game #let me ship you

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permanentreverie · 1 year

Note

omg, Lindsay, where do I even begin? - okay, so, I am repeating my sophomore year of college (more or less the equivalent) and I was extremely bummed about it, but this boy in my class has been the light of my days and the bane of my existence. he is SO CUTE, with those mesmerizing hazel/brown eyes, he's like 6'2 and Ripped bc he plays rugby (!!!!!!), so sweet and nice and so talkative (like omg he's such a nerd when he starts talking about his interests no one can stop him), he's always dressed well and has a lovely singing voice, he's the eldest of four (boy girl boy girl) and a Christian (but like normal about it😭) his name is literally a variation of Peter????? when I tell you this man is Peter Pevensie incarnate. we're good friends and talk a lot every day and I loooove teasing him. he also teases me a lot but he's that way with everyone (but I won't lie, since he's almost a whole ass foot taller than me he gave me a lil humiliating pat on the head once like I was a poodle and I lowkey melted😭). the other day he got pumice in his hair (don't ask) so he ruffled his hair & it was all disheveled like a puppy and when he looked back up at me I giggled bc he looked SO CUTE and he broke into a grin asking "what?" like UGH i just wanted to eat him like a cookie!!!!!!! we have so many common interests and a good common friend of ours (who has deep convos with both of us) said we are literally the same person, like emotionally speaking, to a point that is almost frightening 💀 anyway somewhere along the line I got this huge crush on him and it ate me alive because every single time I've liked someone I've ended up being friendzoned, and I feel like he's not as playful with me as he is with his other girl friends so I was like hmmmm am I putting myself up for heartbreak? probably 😍 but you know how it is! the sign can't stop me cause I can't read, and so on Friday I went to a house party he was invited to and I was determined to shoot my shot. i had hyped myself up and put on my best dress and perfume and given myself all the pep talks and listened to my hot girl shit playlist on the way there and!!!!! he ended up not fucking showing!!!!!! so I'm like so disappointed at first and my friend (who knows about my feelings at this point) is like, he's such an idiot, omg, are you gonna be okay? and I'm laughing through the hurt like "yeah he'll never know what he missed bc I'm the baddest bitch there is🤪" but THEN the alcohol started kicking in and I texted him "well too bad for you, I wanted to tell you something tonight and I guess you'll never know what it was" which is the BIGGEST hint I could ever drop, like???? and INSTEAD OF SHOWING THE TINIEST BIT OF INTEREST, the dude straight up says "aight" LIKE ?????? SIR ??????? so I'm understandably pissed and mad and sad bc he's definitely not interested and it's soooo frustrating bc we would've been so cute together and I hate him!!!!! and I forget about him for the rest of the night..... until I drunk texted him at 1:30am that he was a bitch and that I cared about him too much for my own good 💀💀💀 tl;dr I'm an idiot for any man with a cute smile

but tell me about your boy drama now!!! and please tell me it went better than mine

girl can you move over like make room for me I need a tall brown eyed christian boy 🙈

from your description I fell a little bit in love with him ngl. the head pat!!!! Oh my word I WOULD DIE!

I really wish I had advice to give you, but honestly it's a MESSY situation girl drunk texting a confession is just. wow. I applaud you like keep me updated on every single happening omg

my boy drama is like SO not that. It's literally this customer that I've seen three (3) times. I saw him the first time, noticed he was attractive, went and told my coworker. Whole time she was ringing him in he didn't look at me once (which is. Y'know. Solid because of COURSE I like a guy who doesn't even acknowledge my presence). Then the next day I see him again but don't recognize him, turn to my other coworker and am like 'hey girl there's a cute guy here I need your opinion. He's over there in the dark teal hoodie and grey cap-' and I realize it's the same guy and start freaking out. She rings him in and she starts talking to him about our membership program, and we learn that he's from out of town and is just here working on a rig, and that he doesn't know how long they'll be stationed here. He leaves and me and her freak out and talk about how nice his voice is and she keeps telling me I should give him my number. THEN last night he comes in again, and I catch a glance at his profile and I wasn't SURE if it was him and I told my coworker so BUT IT WAS HIM and I'm ringing him in this time and I ask if he's a member, act like I just remembered that he's not and from out of town, and I ask if they're staying for Christmas. He says no, that they're going home for Christmas and taking a break, and I say that that's good, to spend time with family. He kinda laughs a little and says no, he's single so there's none of that, but he does have a sister. I smile and say that I hope he's able to see her over the holidays and he leaves. THATS IT and then my coworker is like totally telling me to shoot my shot but I'm SCARED but like why did he go out of his way to tell me he's single???? Anyways I'm going to the bar on the 23rd and I doubt he'll be there BUT IF HE IS I'll shoot my shot. If not I might see him after Christmas since he'll be coming back

#and that's that!!!#haha he's so attractive.#like when he left last night my hands were legit SHAKING #answered asks #mutuals tag #Clara tag

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cassurrjoybell-30 · 4 months

Text

Cry Me A River - Chapter 16 - Part 2

*Warning Adult Content*

Satan Returns

"You look beautiful, River."

I looked up and locked eyes with a grinning Derek alongside a bright-eyed Isaiah.

"Thank you," I smiled, along with Alastair going... "He always looks beautiful."

"Yes, yes," Derek raised his hands. "We get it, Ali, you're smitten."

He teased with a smirk.

"Don't call me that," Alastair growled but you could so a small smile forming on the edges of his lips.

They continued scuffling jokingly in the background as I looked up at bright-eyed Isaiah.

I beckoned him towards me until his ear was by my mouth.

"Did it... work out?"

He turned his head with scrunched brows and a puzzled look.

"With Derek, I mean..."

The brightness in his eyes seemed to darken slightly before going to its previous bright state, confusing me.

"It's... good," he said with a small and almost... broken smile.

What happened?

I turned to Alastair and stood on my tippy toes as I whispered in his ear.

"I need to talk to Isaiah privately, I'll be back soon."

He looked a bit confused but he nodded and I kissed his cheek quickly before latching my hand with Isaiah's and dragging him to the safest corner.

The area beside the washing station seemed to have fewer people so I led him there before turning towards him with a determined face.

"What happened?"

He seemed startled by my straightforward approach before taking a deep breath and combing his fingers through his light brown hair.

"It's... complicated."

"Did he find his mate?"

"No," his voice raised before looking around at the strange faces people were giving him and taking a breath.

"No... not yet."

"Okay... did he reject you?"

"I haven't told him anything... yet."

I took a breath.

"Isaiah, Izzy."

He looked up with wide eyes as I used his nickname.

I don't know, it felt right.

"What are you waiting for?"

He seemed startled by my question and was silent for a few minutes before looking down at me.

"There's nothing to wait for."

He smiled.

"I've come to this conclusion lately that no matter when or how I say it... nothing will change. He'll never love me the way I love him but..."

His eyes lit up.

"I don't care. As long as I get to be along side forever, that's all that I want."

He seemed so... calm.

"You don't care if he's with... another?"

"I don't want to think about it," he sighed.

"I'm happy right now. I'm happy being by his side. Thinking of if's and when's will only hurt. It's not worth it."

I see where he's coming from.

Just staying in the moment but he isn't being realistic.

When not if, Derek finds his mate he's going to be devastated that he didn't even get a chance to even try... to even confess.

But then again, if he does confess and Derek feels the same and they become lovers and then Derek leaves him when he finds his mate, he'll be devastated.

Maybe... just maybe what he really needs is a fresh start.

But... I can't tell him that he won't listen.

The thing about being the one giving advice is knowing who it is you're giving advice to and I know Isaiah enough to know he's stubborn.

So very stubborn.

He won't listen if I tell him to leave Derek.

He'll probably just hate me for even thinking so.

"Just... be happy," I struggled.

"I am," he smiled.

That's all that matters, for now.

When the bad arises we'll deal with it then.

I felt a pair of warm arms wrap around me like a comforting quilt as a deep voice resounded from behind me.

"Mind if I steal my mate back?"

Isaiah nodded as he glanced at Derek who was flirting with a group of girls with a smirk.

His eyes seemed to cloud over a bit before smiling at Alastair and I and making his way to Derek.

I watched as he smiled as Derek pulled him under his arm and continued talking to the girls with a charming smile.

Isaiah seemed infatuated as he watched Derek smile and laugh with the girls.

He's going to get his heart broken...

I sighed.

"Love?"

I almost jumped at the sound of Alastair's voice, forgetting he was there.

God, it's our mating ceremony and I'm getting more wrapped up in others love conquests than my own.

"Sorry," I sighed.

"I'm here," I smiled up at him.

"Is something wrong, love?"

His brows scrunched together as his stature tensed. I stretched up on my tippy toes and kissed his nose.

"Nothing's wrong. I was just spacing out."

I cupped his face and continued to kiss every crevice I could, forgetting about our... company.

Whistles and throat clearing resounded around the room causing me to blush and quickly pull away.

Alastair looked like he was on the verge of laughter but he composed himself and took my hand.

"I would love if you danced with me, love."

My eyes widened.

I don't know how to dance.

He must have read the utter terror on my face because he quickly kissed my nose and said.

"Don't worry, love. It won't be anything complicated. Just two people in love swaying to the sound of music."

He took my hand and kissed my palm as he looked into my eyes with his gentle hazels.

My god, every time his eyes met mine it's as if I melt onto the floor into a puddle of River goop.

I nodded, though the moment we stepped onto the dance floor we were surrounded by a circle of gowns and glitter and I had this sudden urge to just melt into the floor and disappear.

I peered around the room, at all the glam and glitter watching from the sidelines and felt myself begin to tense up in anxiety.

I never liked being looked at, being judged by those who were all clearly much better looking than I.

I knew what people saw when they would peer at my face.

As much as Alastair has tried to boost my ego in the past few months, I knew deep down that if I weren't his mate he'd be peering at me with the same disgusted gaze as people always did.

He denies it because he's never looked at me as anything other than his mate, so he can't possibly visualize what it would be like to look at me as anything but.

I knew that and I always will.

Like a nagging bird pecking anxiously at the back of my mind waiting for the moment to take my sanity and fly away with it, leaving me as nothing but a crying, empty mess.

Alastair smiled down at me with a charming, bright smile as he swept me gracefully across the floor.

I could barely feel my feet touch the ground as he looked at me as if I were the only person in the room with him.

Just me and him, no one else.

But he didn't know of my fellow companion alongside us.

One that I've spent my whole life fighting and struggling against.

I hoped he had gone after my time back in the dungeon with Alice but he had never gone.

He was always there, just dormant.

And it was this moment when he had woken from his deep slumber and wanted to play but I wouldn't allow it.

I didn't want to go back there.

Back to that dark place I had left so long ago.

I would fight. And fight, I shall.

I closed my eyes and I rested my head against Alastair's shoulder as he glided us, oh so elegantly, across the ballroom floor.

It was so peaceful in his embrace, the monster inside me seemed silent during this time.

As if he were defenseless once Alastair would wrap his broad arms around my small form in a comforting embrace.

That's why I disliked it so when we had to pull away from our serene bubble to continue the ceremony.

It was time for the endowment part of the ceremony.

It was an important part of the ceremony for the people especially.

A representative from each part of the kingdom would bring a present which represents their village to show their support and good wishes towards their soon-to-be kings.

Whether it be a jewelry or food it was a way for each village to show their support and love towards their next leader.

We were seated in two red cushioned thrones as representatives approached us with pleasantries and gifts.

It was going well.

Each representative we had faced so far were humorous and kind, each bringing a prized item from their town and giving their best wishes towards our mating.

I was giggling with Alastair as he tried to feed me a fruit from one of the representatives when the next representative approached us and I felt all the color drain from my face.

No. Why?

He peered at Alastair and me with a fake smile plastered across his vile face. Disgusting.

As he got closer and closer I felt a nausea form in the pit of my stomach. No.

Alastair began rubbing circles on my back as he looked at the vile man and me with a confused expression.

"What's the matter, love?"

Why now? I was finally happy.

Or least getting very close to it.

Tears of frustration began to well in my eyes as the vile man's eyes widened.

"Your mate is beautiful, Your Highness."

He smiled at Alastair.

My eyes widened at his statement.

Did he not recognize me or was he mocking me?

Does he think I'll just go with this?

No. I'm not the same.

I'm not afraid of him anymore.

He no longer controls me.

I tried to speak but it was as if my mouth wouldn't allow it.

I felt my body begin to shake as he smiled in my direction.

Why? Why can't I say anything?

Why does he still control me?

Tears of frustration made a free fall down my face as I grounded my teeth in aggravation.

I tightened my hold on Alastair's hand as I sent him a look of helplessness.

His eyes narrowed as he looked back at the man.

"Stand where you are," his tone was authoritative with an underlying tone of suspicion.

The vile man stopped in his place, no longer making his journey closer towards us, sending Alastair a quizzical look.

Alastair stared at him with a scrutinizing glare as he brought my hand to his lips.

"Who are you?"

The vile man's brows rose.

"Jack Sutton, Your Highness."

His voice was causing shivers of nausea to run up my spine.

Go away. Make him go away.

Alastair looked in my direction and I turned my head as our eyes connected.

I don't know what he saw in my eyes but whatever it was made a deep, guttural growl to rumble from his throat.

"I don't know what you did to my River," the vile man's eyes widened at my name.

"But I'm contemplating between just ripping your head off or pulling your heart from your chest and feeding it to you."

The vile man began to visibly sweat under Alastair's raging glare.

"You have thirty seconds to redeem yourself."

"R-River?" the vile man stammered.

"I don't want to hear my name coming from your vile mouth," I growled.

I didn't know where my sudden surge of bravery was coming from but I wasn't complaining.

His eyes heated up in anger as he began to visibly shake.

"Is that any way to speak to your father?"

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visd3stele · 2 years

Note

can you write a oneshot post TWK where during Jude’s exile Jude is about to get married to a mortal man and Cardan stops the wedding?

yep, thank you for requesting :)

hope you like it 💛

'Til death do you apart

TW: abandoment issues and angsty angsty angst (with a bit of fluff at the end and bitter sweet happy ending)

A/N: A good first half of this is... emotional, to put it that way. Got a bit too much in the character's head and added my own sour mood as it happens when I write. But there is a happy handing, so yey! right? Also, I know it was supposed to (may)be short(er), sorry for letting myself go with the flow like that. All in all, I'd hate to take out any paragraphs, it wouldn't be the same and it's not my worst piece to be honest. What do you think?

masterlist ; requests

°•▪︎~▪︎•°

Cardan's raven hair seemed to consume the yellow light pouring in the royal chambers through a huge window. All in Elfhame slept peacefully in their beds, but the king was wide awake, scribbling nervously on a piece of paper. The dark green feather of his quill bounced in the air as Cardan tapped its nib on the letter, letting a pool of blue forming around Jude's name.

The dark eyed boy brushed a hand over his face. Water slipped from the corners of his eyes, tears from the lack of sleep, he'd insist. The lopsided crown has finally fallen off his head, but Cardan didn't bother to pick it up. Like he didn't bother to change his visibly wrinkled white flannel shirt or the pants he wore to bed a couple of days ago.

Purple bags hanged under his lashes and red vines swam in the white of his eyes. It hurts when he blinked, but he couldn't rest. Not if it meant seeing her face. At least when he was awake Jude was a voice in the back of his mind, a name written in bold on his brain. But when he closed his eyes, Cardan saw her face. Her chestnut hair swiping around her splashed in droplets of her enemies' blood cheeks. Her big brown eyes catching the sunlight like autumn leaves. Her fit body, twirling in a fight as she draws knife after knife from her bodice.

"Your majesty?" A small, pale orange fairy dragged its wings inside. The same poor soul that'd come every day to deliver Cardan's letters to the mortal land. But the fairy stopped in its tracks. Usually, the High King wound hand over the neat piece of paper without even looking. But now, the king's head rested on his knuckles as his chin pressed against his fist.

"Leave," he said, not hiding the disaster he became. Exiling Jude has been a wrong call. He's been a fool to think she'll come back once she's freed of him. Sure, she married him. Only to secure her power, to further her plans. The thought wouldn't leave him alone. And what else did he expect? Cardan hoped Jude would be proud of his cleverness, but aren't most fairies silver tongued? Cardan hoped he'd prove himself worthy of the girl who bargained for his heart and didn't even realized it. But the only reason she stayed was for the crown. For Oak and Elfhame.

It could have been laughable if Cardan's heart didn't feel like lead in his chest. Jude Duarte, a mortal girl, caring more about his kingdom's well being than himself. Being a better fae than himself. Maybe that's why she left for good as soon as she could. Because there is no way his Jude, sly and fearless as she is, able to plot against the folk and the merfolk, didn't solve his little riddle. The only possible option is that: she is choosing to stay in the mortal land. Of course! She must have realized the truth about Cardan. That no matter what he does, he can't ever be more than a source of entertainment. That no matter what he thinks, wishes for or says, he'll always be the stain on the Greenbriar name.

The small fairy rushed outside, not daring to question the High King. Not since the weather outside worsened considerably in the spawn of minutes. Not since the earth became more and more rotten by day.

Cardan rose on wiggly feet, stumbling over his own shoes towards the golden cabinet. From there he took another bottle of wine, opening it with his teeth and gulping a quarter of it down in one setting. A strangled cry left his lips when his legs ceased and he fell on his knees. The king stayed there, unfinished letter forgotten. He should leave her alone, after all. Jude must have a good laugh at him, pathetically begging her to return to a home she never wanted. It's been months and the lack of response from his wife should've been enough of a clue about her feelings.

With one more sip, he laid on the cold floor, tail wrapped around himself like he hadn't done since childhood. And the king of Elfhame drifted to a dreamless sleep.

Meanwhile, in a beautifully decorated booth in an expensive restaurant, a man dropped to one knee in front of Jude, holding a small, velvet wrapped red box open for her to see a glistening ring. Upon seeing it, Jude's fingers moved on their own around the stolen ruby ring. One that belonged to another Jude, another life - hell! Another realm altogether.

That girl had high ambitions. She thought she could change the world, play an eons long game and actually win. That girl has pushed love, romanticism, so far down she didn't recognized it anymore. And it has been her demise.

While her lips moved and the one word came out to seal her fate, Jude remembered another proposition. Less formal, less sparkling and romantic, but more at the same time. More intimate, more real. Cardan has stolen her heart with that ring, she recorded. She has been so impressed and a thimble of pride clouded her heart for just one bit when the cruel prince swiped it off the first time. And when he gave it back, asking for her hand with it, her soul has already been opened for him.

"Yes," Jude said. And it was easier than the first time. Simple, as she thought it should be. No hint of a thrill ran down her spine, no excitement tumbled in her mind. She should be happy, content. Chasing adrenaline and victory costed her greatly. It ruined her. But all Jude felt as she stepped into the warm embrace of the man, with soft eyes, enough to heat up a frozen soul, was cold. A paralyzing, dreadful, painful cold.

°•▪︎~▪︎•°

Taryn chewed on her lips standing before the majestic throne. She waited for Cardan, crumpling and folding back the formal invitation she received from her twin. The mild Duarte sister couldn't believe her eyes the first three times she read it, but sure enough, Jude was getting married. And since Locke was nowhere to be found, she needed someone else to help her pass through realms.

Cardan's foggy mind took in the image of the great hall, heart skipping a beat and breath catching in his throat when he saw her. "Jude?" He whispered to himself, the terrible, familiar headache being the only thing stopping him from running forward, scooping her in his arms and kissing her poisonously sweet lips.

But as he got closer and his senses came back in their rights, Cardan realized. Taryn. Not the sister he wanted. The sister he needed. His temper threatened to lash out, even though part of him knew the timid girl in front of the throne was not to blame for raising his hopes and then deflecting him. But Cardan was tired. So, so tired. Too much to do anything but simply dropping himself on the throne, leaning his back on one of its arms and swaying his legs over the other.

"Well?" He said, in the same way he'd have done it if he was still just a forgotten prince who still required submission from the folk. Cardan wondered if such a miserable state was the norm for him, if no one seemed to notice him digging holes into his heart.

"I'm terribly sorry to bother you, your majesty!" Taryn started and Cardan winced. The same voice, yet so humble, obedient, fearful. If the mortal girl's audience wouldn't end soon, the king thought he might do something he'll regret later. For such a perversion of his brave, wonderful, commanding Jude he couldn't stand.

"I know my husband, Locke, is one of your great friends," Cardan had to dig his nails in his palms to keep from rolling his eyes. Instead, he waved a hand in acknowledgement and waited for Taryn to continue. "And I was wondering if you could help me because of that."

"Locke needs a good story to keep him occupied," Cardan said condescendingly. "Find new games to play and you'll never lose his interest. That's all?"

Taryn's cheeks reddened. "That wasn't- I mean, I didn't..." she took a breath. "I need to pass to the mortal land. Quickly. My husband is... busy, and Madoc's estate is a bit off limits since we're having different opinions on my current domestic life. So I'm asking you," Taryn seemed to consider her words for a second, then added "if it's not too much trouble, your majesty."

"Pass through...?" Cardan's eyes lit up, an ember of the mischief and life that once dwelled in them. "What for, pry tell?"

"My sister's wedding, your majesty."

The king straightened, ringed fingers gripping the edges of the throne's arms, tail flipping forcefully behind him. "Which sister?" He asked as a wrinkle formed between his eyebrows.

"My twin, Jude. Is everything alright, sire?" Taryn furrowed her brows when Cardan jumped to his feet, clenching his jaws. His black eyes burned with fury, tail whipping the air aching to wrap itself around the unknown groom's neck. A hurricane of emotions flashed through him: jealousy, anger and hatred. But all that only to cover the greatest one from all, pain. Thinking he has been yet again abandoned by someone he loved, forgotten as she moved on with her life while he's stuck and forever will be, he knows it, is one thing. Having it brutally confirmed, happiness unavailable to him thrown in his face like Jude getting married meant nothing to him, was another. And it hurt more than his mother's absence, his father and sisters' indifference. More than his brother's betrayal, Balekin's punishments or his friends' affair.

"Sire?"

"I'm fine," he spitted. "Perfectly fine, Taryn. Now come on, wouldn't want to be late, would we?"

"We?"

"Yes!" The king seethed and stormed out of the throne room, not checking if the girl followed or not. And good thing he did, because if not, he would have been too late.

By the time the pair arrived, a blanket of stars littered the dark blue sky and a silver full moon glistered above the wedding venue. Taryn rushed to find her sister, but Cardan was stopped in place by what he saw. Rows of white chairs were aligned in front of a flower arch where a man dressed neatly in a midday summer sky blue laughed nervously with someone at his side. Waiting for Jude to show up on the path between the chairs.

Cardan took his time to analyze the man. He was his polar opposite. His hair freshly dyed in a sparkling color, his eyes warmer and softer. He was tall and muscular, wearing himself with dignity and not a single sign of self doubt or foggy mind. He seemed perfect, from the tidy outfit to the pleasant behavior. But the king didn't have time to mule over it. For Jude appeared at the end of the pathway. And his heart sunk in his chest deeper than normal, beating as if trying to escape its cage and run to where it belonged: Jude's arms.

The High King watched the white dress flowing around Jude's frame and for a painful, short moment, he dared imagining himself in front of her. Seeing her flustered cheeks like every time they kissed before, her blissful lips stretched in a rare smile and eyes watching him with love. sword and Cardan had no doubts that need be, the flowers in her hands would be as good as a sharp blade against enemies.

Cardan glared at the man's adoring face. It should have been him in his shoes. "You good?" A bemused voice beamed from behind.

"Vivienne?" Cardan questioned when he turned, taken aback by the golden cat eyes, pointy, furred ears and styled hair of Jude's older sister.

"It's Vivi, your highness," the title sounded like a joke when she said it. "Why are you here? Don't you have a kingdom to rule, more hearts to break or girls to exile?"

"I brought Taryn over. I though I should wait for her... for Locke's sake. Why aren't you there?" Cardan mimicked a bored demeanour when he pointed towards the venue. If the gleam that suddenly shone in Vivi's eyes was any hint, he failed.

"Why are you here?"

"You first."

The half fae frowned, but eventually, she answered honestly. "I don't agree with the wedding," Vivi shrugged. " I told Jude as much, but she's being stubborn."

"So she's just being herself." Cardan noted wistfully. "What's wrong with it?"

"She doesn't love him." The fae said as if she didn't just boosted endorphin in Cardan's patched up heart. Vivi noticed the wide eyed expression, the conflicted thoughts flying over his face as fast as they did in his mind. "What?"

"She doesn't? But... I thought... why then?"

"To forget."

Cardan's gaze moved from the wedding party to Vivi and back, mouth agap, head so full it felt empty. "Forget what? Who?"

"How much she misses Elfhame. How much she wants to kill someone she loves." Vivienne threw him a pointing look. "She's gonna regret it." The fae rose her brows towards Jude's figure, almost reaching the groom.

°•▪︎~▪︎•°

Jude accepted the hands reaching for her and offered her to be husband a tentative smile. The priest started talking, but she paid no mind. A loud throbbing thundered in her ear. Sweat pooled in her already slippery shoes. Droplets of rain started to rarely fall. She saw the audience shifting restlessly, the priest's speech quickening. The fine guy gripped her hands tighter and smiled at her.

"Maybe we'll have a kiss in the rain," he laughed adorningly.

"Mhm."

When the big question came, he said "I do" immediately. But Jude couldn't force her words out. She felt all eyes on her, as she struggled to speak. In the silence, only the rain falling faster sounded.

And then, words echoed loud and crystal clear in the opening. Except, it wasn't Jude's voice. And it wasn't "I do."

"Stop!" Cardan shouted. "Stop the wedding." The guests frowned and gasped, exchanging worried or confused looks.

Jude stared at the fae. His high cheekbones smudged with glitter, his thin pink lips that usually curled in a cruel smirk now wibbling and trembling as sharp breaths left and entered his body. Cardan looked at her through tufts of black hair, obsidian eyes wide with unspoken pleas.

"Stop it all," he said again, gaze locked with Jude's.

"What's going on here?" Asked the groom, stepping down towards Cardan. "Who are you?"

Before he could answer and worsen the situation, Jude spoke up. "Cardan, what are you doing here?" The mortal queen passed over her fiance and stood in front of the fae king.

"I- I'm not sure. All I know is that I can't lose you, Jude."

The girl shrieked out a laugh. "Lose me?" She hit him in the chest. "Lose me? You should have thought about it when you banished me!"

Cardan winced. "I had to, you know it." Jude rolled her eyes, but the boy was set to plead his case. "I gave you the means to come back, though. You never acted upon it. You never answered my letters, either."

"What are you talking about? What letters?"

"You're queen, Jude. Pardoned by the crown? You could've come back any time."

"And how was I supposed to know you were going to stand by it? By me? You haven't before."

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, you would have known how much I wanted you back if you bothered to read my letters!"

Both of them were now highly yelling to each other, blinking through the cold spring rain that now soaked them. The wedding party left the venue in search of a fitting hiding spot.

"Jude, come on, babe. Let's go." But the bride fixed Cardan with her brown gaze, completely oblivious of the other man.

"I've got no letters! Why should I believe you?"

"Because I can't lie. Is that good enough of a reason for you?"

"No! No, it's not. We both know you can talk your way around it." Jude crossed her arms to restrain herself from physically hurting Cardan. She settled on glaring at him the best she could, giving him the look she gave Balekin when she pierced him dead.

Cardan opened his mouth to say something, but once again Jude beat him to it. "Leave. Leave and let me be happy for once!"

"I can't do that, Jude."

"Of course," she breathed. "Because then you'd lose the weak end of your cruel jokes, right? And we can't deprive the king of his fun."

"No," Cardan shook his head. "Because I love you!" Once the word left his mouth, his eyes widened. Jude's as well. But saying it was like making a dam disappear and letting all the water flow. The truth of it hit them both, and Cardan had to repeat it to make sure he said it out loud. "Because I love you, Jude. And I need you and I want you. Please."

What he was asking for, he didn't know. For her to love him back? For her to come home with him? For her to put an end to his misery and tell him off for good, cutting the thin strain of hope he still had?

"What?"

"I love you," he said slower, weaker. Cardan felt drained and the rain didn't help. It was too much like Elfhame since Jude left. "I wrote to you everyday, maybe I should have let you go. But I couldn't. I needed to see you. Speak to you. Even a fight or a death glare are better than your absence."

"Cardan..." Jude has been rendered speechless. She realized she loved him a while ago. But admitting it, accepting it, she didn't know if she could do. "You really thought I'd come back after what you did?" She didn't mean her words so sharp or angry, but she still heard the fae guards' laugh sometimes. Felt her heart breaking over and over again with the memory.

Cardan flinched and nodded. "I thought you'd be proud."

She barely made out what he said through the roar of the rain. But once Jude did, her heart broke once more. This time, for the truth behind his words. For the torture she put them both through by staying away. For the slight fear she sensed in his voice, though she couldn't understand what for.

"It was rather clever," she admitted. Cardan rose a pair of hopeful eyes at her – glassy, but focused – that clenched her heart. "Not as impressed as I was with the ring stunt," she added. "But it was a good riddle."

Cardan broke into a proud grin that only spreaded larger when he saw the ruby glowing on Jude's raised hand. "You kept it."

"Mhm. After you finally gave it back, I couldn't just throw it away." She took one step closer, almost slipping in her high heels Taryn insisted upon and catching her feet in wet mud. Cardan more or less flew over to grip her arm and steady her. Brown long hair fell from the side bun and got stuck on Jude's face. The High King's long, slim, fingers brushed it clear, gasping through rain drops dripping onto his mouth.

"Would you come back with me?"

Jude didn't answer. She was a woman of action, not words. So she did what she does best, acted. Full lips crushed against thin, royal ones. The queen tasted the sweet, cold rain on Cardan's mouth, feeling him frozen in surprise and smiling to herself. When she was about to pull back, Cardan came to his senses in fire. He brought her closer, biting her bottom lip gently as his tail wrapped itself around her leg to keep Jude in place.

When she parted her lips in surprise, he took the opportunity to explore her mouth. The queen and king engaged in a quite improper dance of tongues and swollen lips, both ignoring the burning pressure in their lungs for as much as they could.

"Does it mean you're coming home, my evil queen?"

"I love you." Was all Jude said. Because if she didn't then, then she wouldn't have. Ever.

Cardan froze again. She couldn't mean it, could she? His mind raced frenetically in search of an explanation, but a soothing grip found his palm and Jude's thumb draw circles on the back of his hand. "Ready?"

Cardan tighten his fingers around Jude's. This was real. She was coming back with him. To him. She didn't abandoned him and even if she eventually, most probably will, that time hasn't come yet and he'll have this moments to cherish.

"Ready."

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inu-mothership · 2 years

Text

Banner art by @neutronstarchild

It’s once again time for another rec list from the Mothership, and this time, we’re highlighting the more shadowy corners of shipping in fandom.

This week’s rec list is compiled of stories about NarKik.

Due to the sensitive and potentially triggering nature of such a ship, we ask that you proceed with much caution and heed all ratings, warnings and tags. This is a ship that inspires darkfic, please be aware as you click through our recs.

List is in alphabetical order:

A Fixed Point in Time by @fawn-eyed-girl: Naraku and Toga are Hanyou sent to Earth on a diplomatic mission. There, Naraku meets Kikyō, a beautiful microbiologist with whom he falls immediately in love. But when danger strikes, will Naraku and Toga be able to save Kikyō and Izayoi? Or will Kikyō have plans of her own, and how will they affect Naraku and Toga’s efforts to thwart the enemy? This is the story of how Naraku ended up in Bentham’s prison, and how he was hell-bent on revenge against Toga, and how Inuyasha eventually came to meet Kagome.

The Bellflower by Jin_Wuxian: What would happen if Naraku was reborn as a full human? A specter from his past comes to make sure he fulfills his punishment dictated by the kami.

The Cycle of Hopelessness by OniKage: Once the aftermath of a failed relationship progresses with a whirlwind of coincidences and bad luck. The cycle begins...

Hellfire by @ruddcatha and @hopidoodle: Naraku seeks to control the jewel, to use it to give himself strength and power. But the jewel has a mind and purpose of its own, using the former human's heart to tempt him with the shadow of the one he desires, hidden in smoke and fire.

Kikyo, Captured by RoyalBlueRoses: (WARNING: Though the nature of NarKik is already fairly dark, we feel this fic needs another, more urgent warning. Proceed with utmost care and caution) What if: Kikyo and Naraku become unexpectedly mortal once again when a violent act of revenge causes unexpected results for the loathe-stricken couple. Can Kagome & InuYasha make love blossom in two dead, broken hearts? Will their spirits ever find peace? Is it even possible for love in this world of illusory death? Narakik. If he couldn't have her, no-one could.

Kikyo’s Kill List by @neutronstarchild: Kanna (Brown Recluse), Kagura (Redback), Hakudoshi (Brazilian Wandering Spider), Tsubaki (Brown Widow), and finally, Naraku (Funnel Web). Those were the assassins who took everything from me—my family, his family, my fiancé and our daughter. But they made one cardinal mistake: they left me alive. So one by one, I will send them all to hell. I was never ‘Black Widow,’ I was always ‘Kikyō.’ They will all learn that lesson soon enough and they will all suffer my wrath. This story is an adaptation of Kill Bill, with Kikyō as "the Bride." So be prepared for some fun and violent darkness.

Shapeshifter by @mythicamagic: Idle hands and idle minds are the devil's tools. But if, for instance, the devil himself became idle, who made tools of his hands? What cardinal sin would he fall prey to? Narkik smut oneshot.

Sordid Gain by unlockthelore: Onigumo awakes in a place that is not hell but the closest view he'll ever have of heaven.

#inuyasha mothership #inu-mothership #spotlight saturday #fic recs #NarKik #Naraku/Kikyo #naraku #Kikyo

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tsukki-ga-kirei · 2 years

Text

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐀 𝐃𝐎𝐕𝐄 [𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏]

synopsis: kageyama did not expect to see his former manager from kitagawa daiichi to be in karasuno, especially he did not expect to be dragged by said female to the volleyball gym on their first day back in school.

featuring: seijoh, date tech, nekoma, fukurodani (more to be added soon)

genre: platonic, fluff, angst(?)

warning(s): spoilers (if you haven’t watched the anime or read the manga), swearing

note(s): added a few events from my imagination but most of the scenes are canon. also, i’m still in the process of learning the japanese culture. so please correct me if i’m wrong in some scenes, i would greatly appreciate it. <33

additional note(s): japanese honorifics will be italicized

3rd Person POV

“Iwa-chaaaan~ Haya-chan still hasn’t replied to me”, Oikawa whined while stretching on the gym floors.

“As she should”, Iwaizumi replied beside the whining captain, almost done with his own stretching.

“Iwa-chan! Always so mean to me”, the curly brown-haired pouted and stood up after finishing his warm-ups.

“Don’t worry so much, she might just be in class”, the vice captain also stood up from his sitting position and went to talk to the coaches.

Oikawa mulled over the negative reasons on why his precious kōhai is not responding to his text message.

When he felt like he'll have a panic attack, he immediately focused on his breathing and slowly composed himself as if nothing happened.

“Nope, Iwa-chan is right. Maybe her classes started already and is afraid to have her phone confiscated, so she hasn’t replied to me yet”, the captain nodded to himself but went to his track jacket to retrieve his phone.

He turned his phone on and entered the password (Haya-chan’s birthday), he clicked on his messages to see that she has already seen his text but still hasn’t replied.

The captain unconsciously frowned.

He shook his head and reassured himself that she’s in class and her phone might get confiscated if she replied to him.

He put his phone back inside the pocket of his track jacket and ordered the whole team to divide themselves into two to start the morning practice.

“I hope she replies during lunch time”, Oikawa thought to himself.

.･:*:･(✿ᗒ ‸ ◕) LUNCH TIME (◕ ‿ ◕✿)･:*:･。.

Hayami’s POV

“It’s only the first day and yet they already gave us a lot of homework”, I whined to Ya-chan while we push our desks together and sat down across each other.

She only laughed at me and we both opened our bento boxes.

“Wow, Ya-chan. Yours looks so delicious!”, I eyed her lunch and then looked at mine.

“Thanks, Haya-chan. But your tako sausages looks so cute!”, she said with twinkles in her eyes.

But Ya-chan is cuter! >_<

“I-I also find you cute, Haya-chan”, she blushed and shyly tucked her hair behind her ears.

“Oh no, did I said that out loud?”, she nodded and her cheeks got more red.

We both giggled and started to eat our lunch.

When I was drinking from my water bottle, my phone suddenly rang inside my uniform pocket.

I immediately put my bottle down and fished my phone out to see who was calling me.

‘Oikawa-san’

Oh no, I’m in big trouble. I forgot to reply to him earlier.

I immediately answered his call, thinking it might lessen his scolding.

“Hello, Oikawa-san”, I greeted while poking the remaining tako sausages in my bento.

“Hello, Haya-chan. If you don’t mind me asking, why didn’t you reply to me earlier?”, Oikawa-san asked with a hint of sass in his tone.

“I’m sorry. I was really about to reply to you, but my homeroom teacher walked in the classroom”, I lied while looking at Ya-chan.

The cute girl curiously looked at me while chewing her food.

“I’ll tell you later”, I mouthed to her and she nodded.

“I understand that. But the thought of replying to me after your classes or maybe right now, during your lunch time, never crossed your mind?”, I can sense the worry and anger in his voice.

Then, I heard a familiar gruff voice in the background, Iwaizumi-san’s, shouting at Oikawa-san.

He was scolding the brown-haired boy for getting mad at me for prioritizing my studies.

So, I was on loud speaker the whole time?

“Alright, alright! I’m sorry, okay?! I just got emotional, I’m going to apologize to her now. Geez, you’re always so mean to me, Iwa-chan.”

“Oikawa-san?”, I asked in a quiet voice.

“I’m sorry, love”, he sighed, “I just thought you've forgotten about me and found a better guy there in Tokyo.”

“Ummm Oikawa-san—”, but I was cut off.

“And how many times do I have to tell you to just call me Tooru?”, he groaned.

“Tooru-san—”, I was cut off yet again.

“Just Tooru is fine, love.”

“Tooru”, I sighed and put down my chopsticks, “I’m sorry I didn’t clear this before the new school year started, but I didn’t go to Tokyo.”

Silence was the only thing I heard from the other end.

“I’m still in Miyagi...”, I put my phone between my ear and shoulder, and put away my bento box, “...and I’m here in Karasuno.”

Ya-chan and I stood up, and moved our desks back to its original place as lunch time was almost over.

“Why didn’t you enroll in Seijoh? You know we need you here”, he sighed, “I need you here with me, love.”

“But he needs me more”, I quietly said but not quiet enough, I guess.

“WHO NEEDS YOU MORE?!”, he gasped.

Then, the school bell rang indicating that lunch was finally over.

“I’ll tell everything later, I promise”, I got my notebook and pencil out.

“I’m going to walk you home.”

“But—”

“No buts! I’ll see you later, love”, Tooru said in final.

“Fine”, I huffed, “See you later.”

As soon as I hanged up, the teacher walked inside the classroom.

“Haya-chan, are you okay?”, I looked at Ya-chan who has a worried look.

“I’m fine, don’t worry”, I smiled and put my phone back inside my uniform pocket.

author’s note: so oikawa has a pet name for hayami and he lets her call him ‘tooru’ 👀 is he her boyfriend? maybe or maybe not hehe. you can read this after chapter 1 or it can just be a stand-alone chapter. it was quite fun writing this, so i hope you enjoy reading it & see you on chapter 4!! ^^

𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 || 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫

taglist(s): @amarinthe @jiminslajibolala @sunukissed

#haikyuu #haikyuu fluff #haikyuu angst #haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu manager #karasuno #karasuno headcanons #karasuno imagines #the black crows and a dove #tsukki-ga-kirei #haikyuu x oc

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bruhstories · 3 years

Text

Vogel und Jäger

- PART THREE

Summary: You had your first show at Zeke's club, but things begin to complicate. Pairing: Zeke Jeager x Fem!Reader Warnings & Content: language, Floch is a creep Word Count: 1.6k

A/N: as always, make sure to read parts one and two to understand just what the hell is happening. the songs reader is singing in this chapter are flickers and easy by son lux, which i've linked down below if you wanna listen to it as you read

For five long days you switched between training with Mikasa and practising with the band. The deadly assassin made you work hard, teaching you various techniques of martial arts, as well as how to load and unload guns, how to aim, how to use knives and even how to use crossbows. You were no match to anyone else in the family, getting your ass kicked even by Armin, the bookkeeper, but you were not going to give up. Your will to survive fuelled you. What you weren’t expecting in those five days was to get to know Mikasa and Armin, and realise that they were just as normal as you were — with the added benefit of being properly trained in marksmanship and combat. And they were surprisingly nice to you, but there was a hint of reluctance in their actions and words.

Friday night you had your first show and you found yourself in the backstage, a knot in your throat as you did your makeup. The idea of Yelena blowing your brains out was a lot more pleasant than having to perform in front of so many people. Posters had been put up all over Paradis City announcing your first show at Wings Club, and you knew lots of undercover policemen would be there, perhaps even undercover Marleyans. But for some odd reason, you wanted to please Zeke, make him proud of sparing your pathetic life. Onyankopon told you to be ready in five minutes, and your heart sank, wiping your sweaty palms on the crimson dress.

"You'll do fine." He told you, but you had a bad feeling. There were guards everywhere, so you felt somewhat safe, but stage fright settled in your heart, and you couldn't even reply anything back. All you did was remain stuck in a trance.

The band was ready, the microphone was on, and you waited for the curtain to rise. Someone announced your performance, and the violinist began playing the notes of the first song as the spectators waited eagerly. There were no original songs, only jazz covers, and you felt every single pair of irises burning into your skin. You closed your eyes, imagining no one was there but you and the band, everyone else disappeared.

"And with my opened mouth I join the singing light..."

There was no turning back now. You'd done it. The spotlight was on you and you alone. Soon the pianist joined, and you felt a bit more confident.

"I can see the flickers, over me the lantern raised... Lift me up, lift me over it. Show me what you're hiding, take me out into the sea... Lift me up, lift me over it."

Somewhere upstairs, Zeke was watching over you, door wide open to hear your beautiful voice hypnotising every man and woman in the club. Indeed, he made the right choice.

"And with my opened mouth I join the singing light..."

You were in a trance. Nothing mattered anymore but the music, the vibrations, the thrill of the show. It was giving you a sense of importance and belonging, and in that moment, you knew it — you were thriving off of the attention, the way no one dared to move while you sang. You captivated the spectators with your voice, you captivated Zeke with your voice.

"I can see the flickers, over me the lantern raised... Lift me up, lift me over it. Show me what you're hiding, take me out into the sea... Lift me up, lift me over it."

You finally opened your eyes, drinking in the way everyone was silent, the only sound resonating being the final notes from the musical instruments. The next songs came so much easier to you, some were more upbeat and you stopped being stiff, your hands moving up and down the microphone pole, hips swaying, head tilting. You ended your performance with another emotional song, and even you had goosebumps on your skin as you began to sing.

"Easy... easy... pull out your heart to make the being alone easy. Easy... pull out your heart to make the being alone easy. Easy..."

You saw them, the two cops from the files. They were watching you like hawks, sending chills down your spine. But you were a distraction, so you looked them in the eye, a smile on your plump lips.

"Easy, easy... You break the bridle to make losing control easy, easy... Crushed what you're holding so you can say letting go is easy, easy..."

The song was coming to an end. You wrapped your arms around yourself to emphasise the emotions you were so gently transmitting, voice echoing in the club.

"Oh, easy, easy... Burn all your things to make the fight to forget easy, oh, easy... Burn all your things to make the fight to forget easy, easy..."

You weren't just transmitting an emotion, you were feeling it, too. The song resonated with your life, your struggles, your issues. You were alone most of your life, save for Historia and the children. But now... now you had someone, albeit being forced to work for the mafia. But you weren't alone anymore.

"Easy... easy... pull out your heart to make the being alone easy. Easy... pull out your heart to make the being alone easy. Easy..."

You bowed in front of the crowd as a round of applause replaced your voice and music. It was exhilarating, the adrenaline not wanting to leave your body. You mumbled a soft thank you in the microphone before leaving the stage, tripping on the last step. Onyankopon was waiting for you with a large bouquet of peonies and daffodils, your eyes widening at the beautiful flowers and sweet scent.

"This is for you, miss." He smiled, but his smile was hiding something and you couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was.

"Thank you, but you didn't have to!"

"Oh, it's not from me." Onyankopon pursed his lips. There it was. You looked at the card attached to the bouquet — You are as radiating as the sun, but as cold as the moon. E.S. The message was written in perfectly neat calligraphy.

"E.S.? Any idea who that might be?" You tucked the card between the flowers as you walked with the mobster in the dressing room.

"I know exactly who that is." He sighed, eyes narrowing at the bouquet. "Inspector Erwin Smith, chief of police. He handed me the flowers personally."

"Isn't he working for you?" You removed the heavy earrings from your earlobes.

"He is. It appears he likes you." Onyankopon folded his arms across his chest and a man with strawberry-blond hair entered the room, earning disgusted looks from all the half-naked girls there.

"Boss wants to see you." He sneered at you, goosebumps dotting your arms.

"We'll be upstairs soon, Floch."

"No, not you. Just birdie. Chop chop." Floch left the room and you got up. Onyankopon grabbed your wrist, stopping you in your tracks before giving you a concerned gaze.

"Be careful around him. He's... strange."

"I'll keep my guard up." You tried to smile. There were lots of things you didn't know about the men you were working with, so you made a mental note to ask Sasha and Connie about Floch.

"So, I hear you're a prostitute." He bluntly stated, and you flinched at his words. The audacity of this bitch!

"Was." You corrected him. "Besides, it's none of your business."

Your shoulder blades met with a wall and you let out a whimper at the impact. Floch eyed you up and down, his hands holding you in place.

"Everything you do is my business." He sneered, his face leaning closer inch by inch, closing the gap between you. "Ah, you even smell like a whore."

You feel disgusted by that creep, the way he sniffed you twisting your lips into a frown. Onyankopon was right to warn you, and so you slap his face, hard.

"Don't touch me again." You lifted your gown above your ankles and walked up the stairs, with Floch behind you. Fucking pervert.

"Ah, little bird, you've been fantastic!" Zeke greeted you, cigarette between his fingers. "I heard you even received flowers."

"Yes, from Erwin Smith." You nod, eyes on Floch's shit-eating grin.

"Good. I want you to meet with him after your show tomorrow." Your boss smiled and your eyes drifted to the healing wound in your left hand. You knew you caouldn't say no. "I suspect he'll want to recruit you as a double agent."

"Do I accept?"

"Of course, but you'll be telling him exactly what I tell you."

"Understood."

"You may go. Don't forget to take your pay from Armin."

"Yes, sir." You gently bowed your head in respect and left. Floch whispered whoreas you passed him and you gritted your teeth.

"Say, Connie, can I ask you something?" You watched your roommate unbox some bottles of fancy liquor.

"Sure! What's on your mind?" He asked, focused on his task.

"What can you tell me about Floch?"

Connie almost dropped the bottle, his eyes finding yours. "Just that you should stay away from him."

Sasha walked in with what you assumed to be a bag full of drugs and that's when it clicked — they were going to put the drugs in the boxes and ship them. Clever.

"Floch is insane." The brown-eyed girl scrunched her nose. "He's obsessed with Eren and thinks Zeke should step down and let his brother take his place. Why? Did he do anything to you?"

"Yes and no." You proceeded to explain what happened back at the club to your roommates and the look of disgust on their faces only confirmed what you assumed.

So far, you decided to only trust Sasha, Connie and Onyankopon, and hope that Zeke wouldn't give up his title. Otherwise, you'd end up dead in a ditch, and the one who’d put a bullet between your eyes was Floch himself.

tagging @mxhi

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niawritess · 3 years

Text

The Lovestruck~Chapter 17

(1st January)

9:36 am

Standing in the garden, with your face cupped by his large slender hands while looking into his brown eyes eyes to see him smiling fondly.

And, slowly you felt him leaning closer to you making you nervous as his gaze flickered to your lips then back to your eyes and his face was inches away from yours.

Closing your eyes, you leaned into his touch and...

THUD!

"Ow!" You cried sitting up while rubbing your lower back before looking toward your bed to see your bestfriend snoring while her leg was on your side which you got kicked by. Grabbing the cushion, you threw it on her face and taking it, she hugged it tightly going back to sleep. Scoffing, you stood up before a sudden pain in your head hit you causing you whine.

Rubbing your temple, you frowned as you were in your room in your sleepwear, confused as how did you got home and why don't you remember anything.

All of a sudden, your mind went to the dream you just had. The fact that you had a dream of kissing someone made you embarrassed as you hid your face in your palms but at the same time perplex as you couldn't even see him but his eyes looked so familiar.

Shaking your head to get rid of these thoughts, you walked into the bathroom to wash up with the headache which was increasing by now. You made your way downstairs with your head at the verge of exploding before entering the kitchen to see your mom making something.

"Mum!" You called out rubbing your temple before sitting on the dining table. "My head is going to explode."

She placed a bowl of hangover soup infront of you and you looked at her confused before a smack was given on your back by her.

"Mum! It hurts!" You exclaimed rubbing your stinging back before looking at her confused. "Why did you hit me?"

"I told you to enjoy! Not to get drunk!"

You stared at her in disbelief. "Mum, you know I don't drink! I would never!"

"Yeah right! Last night, I was walking like a penguin to your room."

Your eyes went small thinking about it but nothing popped but a snicker left your lips as you imagined your mom walking like a penguin.

You heard a scoff. "You're laughing? You think this is funny? You should be thankful that your dad was asleep or you would have gotten in trouble."

"I swear, I just had softdrink that's it. I don't even remember anything and my head hurts." You dropped your head on the table then heard a sigh from her.

"I know you don't drink but you should have been careful, what if Ria wasn't with you?"

"I know mum, I'm sorry, i'll be careful now."

"Okay, have this soup, this will help your burning stomach while i'll make strong tea for your headache." She lightly slapped your head lightly and you nodded before drinking the soup.

"Morning, drunk penguin." You glared at your bestfriend as she sat across you.

"What happened last night? How did we got home? And why don't I remember anything? How did i got drunk? And what did I do?" You shoved her with questions and she chuckled.

"Breathe Y/n, Breathe."

"How can I? It's like I have got an amnesia."

"You accidentally drank a mixed drink." She started and you choked looking at her shook.

"Well, when I searched for you outside, you were already passed out in Baekhyun Sunbae's arms." She added spreading her arms in a dramatic way while winking and your jaw dropped.

"What!?"

Numerous thoughts were running in your mind as what did you do? How much have you embarrassed yourself infront of him and what would he be thinking about you now.

You were relieved that you had no classes today so you won't see him but then it hit you that you still have to go to Café and that's when you hit your head on the table again.

***

It was already the time and you were standing outside of the Café before your eyes spotted Baekhyun walking out of the kitchen with the apron and you just stood there admiring him as even in the apron, he looked handsome.

His eyes locked with yours making you flinch before he flashed a smile at you but it was more like a chuckle and you closed your eyes knowing you definitely had done something embarrassing.

Walking inside, you greeted them as usual before wearing your apron and started your daily routine. You kept squeezing your eyes as the headache didn't go even after drinking the tea.

Ria suggested to drink coffee but you were too stubborn to drink since you don't like it, but you were relieved since today there were less customers. Then, a small white cup was placed infront you filled with black tea and you looked at Baekhyun confused.

"Have this, it's good for headaches." He gestured to drink before taking the order from the customer and looked back to see you eyeing the cup weirdly.

"Don't worry, it's not poisoned."

You heard him chuckle and gave him a look. "It's not that, I just don't drink coffee."

"Think of it as a medicine."

Surprisingly, you gave in which was something new as you have always refused to drink, no matter how many times you were asked but somehow you couldn't refuse him.

Drinking it like a shot, you made a weird face as the bitter taste touched your taste bud and Baekhyun giggled seeing your expression.

"It taste so..." You couldn't even complete your sentence as you coughed out shaking your head while looking for something sweet to replace the bitter taste.

"Do you remember anything from last night?" He questioned after the customer took his order and you shook your head.

"Don't ever get drunk again." He spoke firmly. "Especially alone. Do you know how cu- I mean dangerous it is."

You blinked before nodding. "Of course, after this headache, never."

He mentally face palmed at your innocence as you couldn't get the hint while he couldn't just tell you directly that how cute you looked and he didn't want any other guy to see like that.

That's when something hit him. "Who's Siwon?"

"Siwon?"

"You kept calling this name and crying." He stated with a serious tone and you frowned thinking before your eyes widened in realization.

"Oh! Siwon, he's an actor in drama."

"Actor?" He muttered wondering that he had trouble sleeping last night because of an actor? Just what has happened to him?

"Wait," You spoke snapping him out. "What did I do last night?"

"Nothing much."

"You're lying. I'm sure, I have done something."

He nodded. "You did."

"What?"

He leaned down to your face making your heart beat quicken. "You said you called a shopkeeper by your mom."

You jaw dropped and he leaned away laughing and you hid your face in your palms embarrassed before something hit you as you brought your hands down. "Just that, right?"

"Ah, that he called-"

"Okay! Stop!" You exclaimed panicking which made him laugh and you playfully glared at him. "Was there someone else?"

"No, it was just me."

You sighed in relief then looked at him giving him a sweet smile. "Can't you forget about it?"

He imitated your experience. "Someone has to remember it."

You narrowed your eyes. "You're gonna tease me for it."

He giggled. "You know me well."

You huffed but at the same time thankful that he was there with you because he's the only guy you trust and you had this belief that you would be safe with him.

"Oh? You have something in your hair."

"Me?" He ruffled his hair and you stared at him as he was giving the vibe of a model but instantly snapped out.

What's wrong with me lately? I have been staring him a lot and I need to stop this.

"Is it still there?" He asked shaking his head and his hair bounced making you giggle as he looked like a baby.

"What? Why are you laughing?"

"Nothing, but it's still there."

"Then, help me." He suddenly bend his head to your level and you blinked before brushing your fingers through his black hair.

His hair felt so silky and his strawberry scent hit your nostrils. You were just touching his hair but why was your pounding so much? You wondered before backing away, afraid he would hear it.

"It's gone."

You thought he'll back away but instead he turned his head towards you and your breath hitched before your eyes widened seeing his eyes which felt awfully familiar.

Did you had a dream about Baekhyun? Were you going to kiss him in the dream?

"Y/n? You're face is red? Are you alright?" He asked reaching out and you instantly nodded backing away which Baekhyun found weird.

The sound of jingling bell made you turned towards the door as an old man walked inside. He instantly smiled at Baekhyun and he returned it back before taking his order.

"You're handsome, young man." He commented and Baekhyun just gave a shy grin while you stood there awkwardly making his drink.

"Are you dating someone?" He asked and you almost laughed out as even the old man is asking him out.

"I have a granddaughter and I think you'll look good together." He chuckled and you looked at him weirdly as he was just trying to set him up with his granddaughter.

Baekhyun let out a chuckle. "Ah, thank you, but I have a girlfriend."

You and the old man look at him shook. You felt a knot in your stomach hearing that, since when? Who? How? You questioned yourself and felt anxious, God knows why?

"Oh, this pretty girl?" The old man gestured your towards you and you blushed at his compliment before attempting to deny.

"Yes, she is." Baekhyun tilted his head towards you smiling fondly and you looked back at him stunned.

"Oh! My bad, you are lucky." The old man smiled at you genuinely as you gave him his drink before walking out.

"What was that?" You asked with a soft tone and confused as why aren't you furious about this.

"Oh, he would have set me up with his granddaughter and I didn't wanted to be rude to an old man, so I'm sorry for dragging you."

"It's okay."

He eyed your uneasy expression. "How about this, since I helped you last night so i'll take this as a thank you."

You bit your lip thinking and your cheeks puffed out which made him wanted to pinch it but he held himself back.

"Okay." You smiled and he took you by surprise as he softly poke your cheek before walking in the kitchen leaving you flustered.

***

8:43 pm

"Gimme the car keys." Ria held out her hand as you both reached the parking lot after shopping at the mall.

As soon as reached home, you got a call from her saying she has to shop and without even letting you protest, she dragged you along with her and now you are here.

"Nope, I'm gonna drive." You walked towards her car, before stopping at the driver's seat but Ria blocked you.

"Y/n, your driving sucks, so gimme the car keys as I drove us here, and i'll drive us back home." She put her hands on her waist giving you a stern look.

"Oh please! Just lemme drive! How will I learn, if I don't practice!" You whined and she rolled her eyes.

"Y/n! I'm tired already, let's just get done with this!" She whined back.

"That's why I'm saying, let me drive and you can rest till we reach home."

"You want me to rest in hell." She snapped and you scoffed. "Oh please, my driving is not that bad huh!"

"Yeah right." She rolled her eyes, before going towards the passenger's seat and sat in.

You also sat in, before buckling your seat belt after several attempts and started driving. As you safely drove out of the parking lot, you cheered happily and looked at Ria, who had a fearful expression, which made you roll your eyes.

While driving for ten minutes safely, you felt Ria getting relax on her seat which made you smile. As you both were chitchattering, a strong light hit your face causing you squint your eyes and saw a truck was coming straight with a speed of light.

"Ria!" You panicked, sparing a glance at her, who's expressions were same as yours.

"Y/n, don't panick, turn to the other side!"

The truck approached, but before your car could collide with it, you turned your steering wheel to the left with a force and your car hit the tree, causing both of you jump forward, a sudden pain increased in your head as you lifted it to see Ria unconcious there.

"Ria!" You shook her but there was not amy movement from her, your body was shaking internally as you saw your bestfriend in this state.

You took a deep breath, before you pulled out your phone from your bag but because of your trembling hands, it slipped and you bit your lower lip, preventing yourself from crying.

You picked the phone and with your shaking fingers, you dialed the emergency number, soon the ambulance arrived and took you both to the hospital.

As you reached there, they took Ria in an emergency room, while you were standing outside with a rapid heartbeat and trembling body, hands clasped together as you were praying for her safety. In this state, someone came into your mind and you quickly dialed the number.

***

9:43 pm

Baekhyun and Chanyeol were walking down the hallway of the hospital, a concern formed on their face. After hearing your shaking voice over the phone call, Baekhyun didn't waste any time and quickly came with Chanyeol.

Soon, they spotted you leaning against the wall with your head hung low and closed eyes.

"Y/n?"

You opened your eyes, as soon as you heard Baekhyun's voice and looked at him, who was gazing at you with worried eyes. The frightening feeling you had inside until now, was fading away and a relief was replacing there.

"Y/n, are you alright?" Baekhyun held you by your shoulders, scanning you from head to toe and you managed to give a nod.

"What happened?" Chanyeol asked, looking at the emergency room door before glancing back at you.

Just as you were about to answer him, a doctor walked out and you all three looked at him with a questioned face.

"Dr, Is she okay?" Chanyeol asked, and you could feel the uneasiness in his tone.

Doctor let out a sigh. "We don't see any danger right now, but she had an internal bleeding and for that, we have to do some tests, so after checking reports, we'll let you know everything, for now we've given her a doze and we'll check when she's awake."

"Thank you, doc." Chanyeol's tone was a relieved one and the doctor smiled before patting his shoulder and walked away.

"Who is the guardian of the patient?" A nurse approached, looking at the three of you before Baekhyun and Chanyeol both glanced at you, who had a blank face spacing out.

"Y/n?" Baekhyun called out, snapping you out and you quickly hummed as your eyes met his gaze.

"Have you called Ria's parents or yours?" He asked, then it hit you and you shook your head. Your mind wasn't working, since the accident has happend, how Baekhyun crossed your mind that time, you don't know but you just called him.

Seeing your lost state, Baekhyun didn't ask anything and just gave a nod before looking at Chanyeol as he asked him to call Ria and your families, nodding Chanyeol went out. Baekhyun asked the nurse to wait for few minutes, and as the nurse walked away, he turned to see you but you were nowhere.

He looked here and there, but not seeing you anywhere, an anxious feeling was rising into him before he looked everywhere while only one place was remaining. He reached there and let out a sigh of relief as he saw you standing there at the backyard of the hospital.

"What are you doing here? I was looking-". He abruptly stopped in the midst when he saw your teary wide eyes looking up at him.

"Y/n, wha-". He couldn't even finish his sentence as you burst out crying and he immediately rushed towards you with a shocked face.

"I-." A hiccup left your lips as you sobbed, and kept crying as you brought your trembling hands to your face.

Baekhyun didn't said a word because he knows, it won't make you stop crying, so he wrapped his arm around you and his other hand was on your back of the head, stroking it slowly while your face was on his chest, with your hands covering it.

His hold was tight, not too tight which make you hard to breath but a firm hold, making you feel safe. After letting it all out, you realised your position and immediately pulled away with a sniff.

He didn't really care about the position, but looked at your red nose and cheeks with a concernd face. You wiped your tears and with a deep breathe, you managed to speak.

"It's all my fault,." You started, tears filling in your eyes again and Baekhyun frowned.

"It's because of me! I should've been laying there! I should've listened to her! I shouldn't have been stubborn!" You cried, tears rolling down your cheeks.

"Hey, listen-." Baekhyun tried to speak but you interrupted him whilst shaking your head.

"I shouldn't have drove. What if something happens to her?" You cried harder and his eyes soften, he couldn't see you like this.

You took a deep breathe. "I-".

"Shush." He placed his intex finger on your lips to shut you up as your bloodshot eyes met his soften one. "Not a word now."

You sniffed before he made you sit on the stairs and kneel down infront of you. He held your trembling hands which were resting on your lap, and made you looked up at him.

"Now listen to me. Nothing's gonna happen to her, she'll be fine and it's not your fault. It was an accident, you didn't do it intentionally, it was meant to happen and it did, so don't blame yourself." He spoke, giving you a assuring smile.

"Y/n, you're one of the most positive person I've ever met, you've always helped the people around you with your positive mind and right now, you need that positiveness that everything is gonna be fine, so let go of negative thoughts and think about only good things, hm?" He smiled warmly wiping your tears and you slowly nodded.

"Are we okay now?" He raised his eyebrows and you nodded again innocently. He stared at your red nose and cheeks and couldn't help but find you adorable even when crying.

Oh God. Something is definitely wrong with him, even in this situation he is thinking about these things.

"So, shall we go inside?" He asked, and you muttered a 'yes', before standing up slowly but Baekhyun was still sitting in that position, making you frown.

"What's wrong?"

"I think my legs fell asleep."

You looked at him in surprise but it turned into a smile and you couldn't help but chuckle at him. Baekhyun looked up at you cutely, his lips forming into a pout before his corner of lips turned up.

"Atleast, you smiled." He chuckled and you bit your lip before extending your hands at him. He grabbed it and slowly stood up with a groan and you stopped yourself from laughing.

He gave you a look before his brows crashed together. "Hold on, what's this?"

You looked at him in confusion but then winced in pain as he touched the place above your eyebrow which was covered by your bangs.

"Y/n, it's a wound, did you get hurt?" He looked at you worringly and you shook your head. "I don't remember."

He gave you a disbelief look. "Seriously? Didn't it hurt?"

"Not really."

"You're impossible, you got hurt but forgot about it, who does that! Come on, let's get this treated." He held your wrist gently, leading you inside and you smiled at his nagging which had concern hidden.

Baekhyun asked a nurse to treat your wound, as soon you went inside and after that you both walked down the hallway to Ria's room. Reaching there you spotted both your and Ria's family seated there.

"Y/n!" Your mom gave you a tight hug as you approached them while your dad patted your head.

"Are you okay?" She leaned away and saw your treated wound with concerned look and you gave a nod assuring her.

"I'm sorry, Aunty. " You stood infront of Ria's mom and she shook her head before giving you a hug.

Soon the doctor came and informed, that reports are normal and there's nothing to worry about. Relief was showing on everyone's face, you sighed in relief and your eyes immediately found Baekhyun's face, who was already looking at you with a warm smile.

It's has been one hour and Ria was shifted in a VIP room before doctor requested to let her rest and everyone decided to leave.

"Y/n, let's go home now." You dad said, and you shook your head. "No, I want to be here."

"Y/n, you also need rest and I know you don't like being in a hospital." You mom intruded and you gave her a look.

"Mum, you know that I won't be able to rest like this."

"Your mom is right, you should go home, we'll stay here." Ria's dad said.

"I will worry more if I go home, so you all should go home and I want to stay here, please." You gave them a pleading look and they gave in.

Everyone went home except you and Baekhyun, who decided to stay here with you, even after you told him not to but he insisted. Baekhyun walked out with Chanyeol, they had a talk about the accident and asked him about the truck driver. Chanyeol informed him, that the truck driver had minor injuries but he's alright.

Apparently the truck driver got sleepy while driving and his carelessness cause the accident, he wanted to apologise but since now is not the right time, he would do it later.

You were sitting on the couch in the room while watching Ria sleeping and feeling guilty until your phone buzzed which you checked it to see it was from Jaehyun.

Answering it, you pressed it on your ear. [Hm]

[Hey, potato. You're okay? How's Ria? I heard from mom]

You sighed. [I'm fine but Ria isn't and I am here with her]

[Listen to me, Ria is fine now, I heard from dad. So don't overthink about this, you get me?]

You slightly chuckled. [I have already got lectured about this]

He chuckled back.[Really? Who else could do this other than me? Is it Baekhyun?]

You didn't said anything which made him chuckle again. [I was right. He has done his part]

[Shut up]

[Okay, I have to go but you take care and I will call again, okay]

Giving him a hum, he hang up and you sighed closing your eyes as you leaned back against the couch.

On the other hand, Baekhyun went inside to tell you, only to see you dozing off on the couch, with your head leaning back against the headrest. Taking off his jacket, he wrapped it around you before placing himself next to you.

He put your head on his shoulder gently, and as he felt your body relaxing, he leaned his head back against the wall before his mind crossed the scene which happened earlier.

When he heard your shaky voice on the phone, his heart dropped and the thought of you being injured made him scared until he saw you standing fine there and that's when he realized, the concerned he had for you wasn't for a friend but it was something more and as if his senses worked and realized the reason was love.

He was in love with you.

The realization hit him hard as his eyes fluttered opened blinking several times in shock with his heart pounding against his chest before looking at you and a chuckle left his lips as he looked down. Yes, all this time, where he was frustrated about the unknown feelings were nothing but signs of love and he felt so dumb realising it this late but at the same time, he was so glad, because it's you.

________________

Here we go! Finally the moment of realization, sorry for the long wait😂😂anyway hope you enjoy the chapter! ♡

@wooya1224 @buttercupbbh @jddcfc-blog @usernameloaa

#bbh #exo fanfiction #exo ff #baekhyun fanfic #baekhyun fluff #baekhyun gifs #baekhyun imagines #baekhyun #baekhyun x reader

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