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topsytervy · 3 years

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Rented ~ Rafe Cameron

Part 2

Blurb: After getting rented out to Rafe for midsummers and falling for him, the next week seems like a fairytale...until its not.

Word Count: 6,418

Warnings: swearing, like one sexual line, mentions of drugs, mentions of drinking, canon Rafe (sorry), age gap (16 and 19), mention of injury (the arm burn that Rafe gets from Barry), poorly edited, not as well written as part 1 and a bit (okay a lot) all over the place, I think thats it

This definitely wasn’t written as well as part 1 and I feel like each little part is their own separate blurbs but hey, it happens.

If you haven’t read Part 1, Here it is.

I just want to say that it’s not okay to rent out your friends or family members without their consent or just in general so…don’t be Barry. Also, google told me age of consent in North Carolina is 16 but THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION. I DO NOT CONDONE A RELATIONSHIP WHERE ONE (OR MORE) OF THE PEOPLE IN A RELATIONSHIP IS A MINOR AND THE OTHER (OR OTHERS) IS AN ADULT. I DO NOT CONDONE IT AND DO NOT RECOMMEND IT. THIS IS PURELY FICTION AND FOR THE STORY.

~~~~~

Rafe held his arm as he walked up to the door of the chateau, tears pricking his eyes as he raised his fist to knock. He looked at the burn on his arm as he waited for the door to open.

"Please, Please, Please." He pleaded silently, holding back tears.

If you told him 3 months ago that he'd be pining after a pogue and then invite said pogue to midsummers, he would've laughed at you and told you to piss off.

If you then added that he would be dating the pogue he was pining after and now waiting on John B's porch, praying that she was in there, he would've had you in a padded room because you were clearly delusional.

But now, here he stood, a couple of days after midsummers, doing exactly that.

Kiara opened the door, looking Rafe up and down.

"So now you’re invading the chateau?" She asked him.

"Please tell me Y/N's here."

JJ rolled his eyes as you stood up from the couch, touching Kies’s shoulder and nodding that it was okay.

"What’s up, handsome?" You smiled.

"Y/N. I-I need some help...please." He whispered, showing you his arm.

You looked down at his arm and your eyes widened. "Shit Rafe." You whispered, grabbing his arm gingerly to get a better look at it before dragging him into the house and towards the bathroom.

JJ glared daggers at Rafe the entire way until you two disappeared into the bathroom and closed the door behind you.

"You're jealousy is showing." Pope sang, not even looking up from his book.

"What jealousy?" He asked, his voice low as he kept his eyes on the bathroom door.

Pope rolled his eyes before turning the page, ignoring the cluelessness of his friend.

You turned on the bathroom faucet, making sure it was cool before taking your boyfriend’s wrist in your hand before placing it under the water.

"Keep it there while I find the first aid kit okay?"

Rafe nodded as you rummaged through the bathroom, mentally cursing your friends for not putting the kit in the same place every time.

You finally found it underneath some towels and opened it up, finding some ointment and gauze. You pulled out the supplies before going to the medicine cabinet, Rafe moving so you could get in there. You pulled out the ibuprofen and grabbed a small dixie cup from the stack in the corner, filling it with water.

You turned off the faucet and handed him the pills and the cup. Rafe took it without complaint and you went to work on his arm.

"Rafe," you whispered as you applied some ointment to the burn and began wrapping his arm.

He looked up from your hands working on his wrist and into your eyes.

"Who did this?" You asked, concern lacing your words.

Rafe sighed, looking away from you in shame. "Barry." He muttered.

You paused your action as you looked at him. "Barry. Why the hell would he burn you unless…" You trailed off and his face gave him away. You tied off the gauze since you didn’t have any tape and sighed. "You said you quit."

"I said I’m trying to quit but it’s hard. You should know this, angel." Rafe whispered.

He seemed so broken.

"How many lines did you do?"

“Just half a line, I swear. The withdrawal was getting to me so I did half a line to ease it a bit. Then your brother came by asking for his money and I didn’t have it and-and-"

You placed your hands on his face. "It’s okay. It’s okay. C'mere." You slid your hands around his neck, standing on your toes as you hugged him.

His arms went around your waist and he buried his face into your neck, letting the tears fall. You stayed like that for a while until JJ banged on the door.

"I swear to God, you two better not be fucking in there! You wanna go to pound town, you go somewhere else!"

You rolled your eyes and Rafe pulled away from you. You wiped away Rafe’s tears before giving him a kiss.

"You wanna go somewhere else for a while, handsome."

Rafe smirked. "Why? Wanna go to pound town?"

You smacked him lightly. "No. I wanna make sure you're okay and I doubt you and JJ can be in the same room together for a couple of hours without one or both of you going to jail."

Rafe chuckled before grabbing your hand, nodding in agreement as he headed towards the door but you stopped him by not moving.

"Let’s go to the place you took me after midsummers. Get some food and we can hang out there for a while." You suggested.

Rafe grinned. "That sounds like an amazing idea, angel."

****

It was around 9 PM when Rafe dropped you off at home. You waved goodbye to Rafe before he pulled out of the driveway.

You walked into the trailer, closing the front door behind you quietly before leaning against the door. A smile adorned your lips as you touched your cheek where Rafe kissed you goodnight before touching the necklace that he gave you.

You heard a whistle and whipped your head towards the kitchen, your brother standing there with a dumbfounded look on his face.

"I never thought I'd see the day where my sister would be all done up like a doll. Looking like a full kook now." He walked over.

You rolled your eyes. "Whatever Barry."

"No. Not whatever Barry. For someone who despises the kook life and looking like a kook, you're sure smiley after coming home looking like that and being surrounded by kooks." He observed.

"Yeah. I had good liquor, not cheap shit." You told him, rolling your eyes before walking towards your room.

"Nice necklace. Don’t leave it out or I’m trading it in." Barry hollered.

You slammed your door shut and sighed.

"Don't be slamming doors in my household!" You rolled your eyes at Barry’s words, too tired and on cloud 9 to deal with your brother.

You took off your jewelry, minus the necklace Rafe gave you, and kicked off your heels. You grabbed your pajamas before stalking off into the bathroom and turning on the shower.

While you waited for the water to heat up, you stripped out of your clothes before checking the waters temperature. You hopped in shortly after, doing your usual shower routine which took longer than usual thanks to your mind reminiscing on tonight’s event. It wasn’t until Barry started banging on the door that you were snapped from your thoughts.

"Come the hell on! It’s too late for this and I gotta piss!"

"Alright, alright!" You hollered back, turning off the water and grabbing the towel so you could dry yourself.

You pulled on your sweatpants and tank top before opening the door.

"God damn Y/N, taking 20 years," Barry muttered, rushing into the bathroom as you pushed past him.

You closed your bedroom door as you entered, immediately crawling into bed and under the covers. You touched the necklace once more, a small smile on your face before you closed your eyes and drifted off to sleep for a few hours.

Rafe wasn't so lucky. He was so ecstatic that he couldn’t fall asleep. He was giddy as if he did four lines and drank two monsters right before bed.

He really did try to fall asleep but it wasn’t working. By 1 AM, he was still wide awake, so he did the only thing he could think of.

He pulled on his sweatshirt and grabbed his shoes before opening his bedroom door, making his way downstairs soundlessly

Once he was out the door and in his truck, he put on his shoes, starting the truck afterward, and driving towards your home. Rafe got out and pulled out his phone, sending you a quick text.

You walked back into your bedroom with a glass of water, yawning as you closed your bedroom door once again. Your phone vibrated on your nightstand and you grabbed it, seeing a text from Rafe.

You up angel?

You smiled at the message, immediately setting down your glass.

Yeah. What’s wrong?

Nothing. Can't sleep. Wanna join me on a little drive?

You looked around and grabbed a hoodie.

I'd be honored.

You pulled on your hoodie and opened up your window, climbing out of it with ease. You walked towards Rafe, who's hair was messy for once, and he smiled.

"You work fast. What is this in your head? Date number five. " you joked when you got close enough.

"I don't know if I’d consider driving around and getting a bunch of shit for midsummers a date." He responded.

You kissed his cheek as he opened the door for you, closing it before walking over to the driver’s side and getting in himself.

"What about the day we had that picnic on the dock?" You buckled your seatbelt before leaning against the center console, arms crossed and head resting on them as you stared at the blue-eyed boy next to you.

"I'd consider that me trying to swoon and win you over. You know? Try to get you to like me." Rafe told you.

"Okay. Then what would you consider earlier tonight?" You asked.

"Now that is what I'd consider the first date." Rafe grinned, looking over at you as he pulled put of the driveway.

"It is quite the event to have a first date."

"I know."

"And I'll admit that seeing you in that suit was the final nail in the coffin." You admitted.

Rafe looked over at you. "Oh, really? Maybe I should've tried wearing a suit sooner."

"Maybe you should've." You nudged his arm lightly. "Where are we going?"

"Good question. Do you have anywhere you wanna go?" He asked you, making a random turn.

You chewed on your lip, trying to think of someplace but couldn’t. You shook your head and Rafe laughed.

"Alright. I know a place."

"Do you now?"

He looked at you. "Oh, angel. Do I know a place that is gonna knock your socks off." Confidence lacing his words.

"Well, we will see, won’t we?"

Rafe smiled as you brought your legs up onto the seat and threw your hood over your head.

Within 10 minutes, you were in a wooded area, the road a little bumpy.

"There should be some blankets and a pillow in the back. Wanna grab them?" Rafe said as he made a turn.

You nodded, turning around in your seat to grab them before stopping. "What exactly have these blankets been exposed to?"

Rafe laughed. "They're freshly washed and they're the blankets I use whenever I need to get away from my dad for a night. I'll come out here and sleep in the bed of the truck."

"I never thought you’d be the camping type." You commented, reaching back and actually grabbing the blankets and the pillow this time.

"I wouldn’t call it camping. Just getting away from the crazy." He parked the truck and turned off the ignition, taking the keys and shoving them in his sweatpants pocket.

He grabbed some of the blankets from you before getting out of the truck, heading towards the bed. You followed Rafe’s actions, stopping when you got to the bed.

"How the hell did you find this place?" You asked, taking in the little clearing amongst all the trees. It was complete with a little pond and a nice view of the sky.

"Fight with Rose and Ward. Took a little drive. Made some random turns and the next thing I knew, I was here." Rafe took the blankets from your arm, leaving you with the pillow.

"It’s so peaceful." You breathed out.

"I know." He said, sitting on the bed of the truck as he took his shoes off.

He crawled over to the little window that led into the backseat and opened it, throwing his shoes through it. You tossed him the pillow before hopping onto the bed to take your own shoes off, doing the same thing as Rafe.

Your Y/E/C eyes met his blue ones and he opened his arms as he laid his head down on the pillow. You made your way over to him and rested your head on his chest as Rafe pulled a blanket over the two of you. He wrapped an arm around your waist as his other hand went to play with your hair.

You two stared at the stars for a while before you spoke.

"Wanna know a secret?"

"Shoot."

You reached up and ran a hand through his hair. "As much as I like the slicked-back greaser look, I like it a bit better this way. All messy and whatever."

"Yeah?"

"Mhm. You don't look so stuck up this way."

Rafe laughed a bit, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear.

"I bet."

You both ended up falling asleep like that. You with your head on his chest and curled into his side; Him with his arms around you and his cheek pressed against the top of your head.

*****

You sat in the bed of Rafe’s truck again, you leaning against the cab as Rafe leaned against you, his head against your chest. Your fingers played with his hair as you two basked in the silence.

Rafe could've fallen asleep like that but his mind was racing.

"Y/N, angel,"

You hummed in response, looking down at him.

"Can-can you try to convince Barry to give me until the weekend?"

You sighed. "You know Barry doesn't like me sticking my nose in his little drug empire. Chances are he won't even listen to me."

"Please," He whispered.

You stayed quiet for a few moments.

"I’ll try." You kissed the top of his head. "You have to promise me that you go to urgent care to get that burn checked out tonight though. Okay? It looks bad and I don't want it getting infected or anything."

"I promise,"

****

"Nah. Country club was late on a payment. He doesn’t get his bike back until it’s paid off." Barry told you, bringing his beer to his lips.

"Okay. I know that you had to take his bike since it was his collateral, but burning his wrist? Barry, that was horrible." You scolded him.

Barry shrugged. "Don't care."

"You should care! Rafe is trying to get his life back on track and for all I know, that might set him back. He might go a snort a couple of lines to deal with the pain!" You retorted.

Barry ignored you, setting his beer down and standing up. "It’s weird how you suddenly care about him and his well-being."

You scoffed as you rolled your eyes and Barry walked towards you. "You also haven't taken that necklace off since you got home from midsummers. JJ couldn't have bought it, he ain't got the money for it so that answer is off the table. So either you swiped it from some rich bitch or some rich dick bought it for you."

"You do know JJs a klepto, right? He still could've given it to me."

"And then, there's you saying Rafes trying to get his life together. Weird considering you don’t talk to his friends or his family. I'm pretty sure the last time you talked to him was midsummers and Rafe isn't the kind to have a little sit-down public pity party. He likes looking like he'll beat the shit out of you if you even breathe his way. He likes looking like the alpha."

"What are you? A fucking profiler?" You started backing up until you hit a wall.

"All this bullshit can only mean one thing," Barry cornered you, "you're messing around with Rafe Cameron."

You swallowed as you glared at him and Barry laughed.

"My little sister is getting it on with Rafe Cameron. Holy shit. That’s why he paid me so he could take you to his little kook event. Oh my god. Country club caught feelings for a pogue! I kinda wish you didn’t like him back cause maybe he'd keep paying me to take you out." Barry grinned.

"You're disgusting. You would pimp out your little sister so you can make a little money." You shook your head in disgust.

Barry narrowed his eyes before grabbing your wrist. "Don’t you ever say that ever again. I may have let it happen with Rafe but if Luke or someone else walked in and handed me money and told me that it was so they could have their way with you, I'd beat them bloody. So don’t you ever, ever, say I'd pimp you out. You should be thanking me considering you have a rich boy toy now."

You wrenched your wrist from his hand, rubbing it a bit. "Don't touch me, Barry."

You pushed Barry out of the way and walked out the front door, immediately calling JJ.

"Come pick me up. I can't stay here tonight.”

"Why?"

"JJ…"

"Okay. Okay. I got it. I'll be there in like 15. I'll steal the twinkie."

Within 20 minutes, you were seated in the passenger seat next to JJ.

"So...you gonna tell me what happened or am I gonna have to beat Barry up with the only defense being he sells coke to mt dad?" JJ broke the silence, glancing at you.

"He said he wishes I didn’t end up liking Rafe back cause then he probably would've made bank off of Rafe paying him to have a date with me or something like that." You sighed.

JJ looked at you in disgust. "Like pimp you out?"

"That’s what I said. That he was disgusting for that. All he said after that was that if it was anyone but Rafe, he'd beat them bloody. He even said I should be thanking him cause I have a rich boy toy now." You let your head rest against the glass.

"Well, I don’t thank him," JJ muttered.

You lifted your head to look at him. "What?"

"You and Rafe are kind of a thing now, right?" JJ glanced at you, turning on the blinker.

"I mean, I don’t think we're like...exclusive or whatever. I think it’s just we're seeing each other and seeing where it goes." You answered, feeling a bit shy all the sudden.

"Well, your brilliant brother Barry got you seeing a cokehead who has some slight anger issues when he's sober and they are possibly worse when he's high," JJ stated.

"J, I-"

"Don't J me, Y/N. I'm being straight with you, okay? Rafe doesn’t have the best track record. He can be a bit...unpredictable."

"He's trying to get himself off coke." You defended him.

"I get that but listen to me. There’s going to be some trip-ups. He’s going to relapse at some point and if you confront him while he’s high or do one thing that sets him off when he's high, he might hurt you." JJ looked at you before looking back at the road, "I don’t want you to get hurt."

You placed your hand on his forearm. "JJ, I have faith in him and I know it’s going to be a bumpy road. But you know me. I want to help people through their toughest times. I believe Rafe genuinely cares about me and that I can help get him through this."

JJ looked at you before holding up his pinky. "Promise me that if he lays a hand on you in any threatening way that you'll dump his ass and tell me."

You took your hand off his arm and linked your pinky with his. "Promise. "

****

After finding out that Ward had the gold now, you couldn’t help but tear up a little and there was one person who you knew could help cheer you up.

"I can't tell if your eyes are red cause your high or cause you've been crying," Rafe commented as he set the bong on the table in front of him.

"I only had a hit off JJs blunt so it’s gotta be the latter." You admitted, heading over to the little couch to sit on.

Rafe felt his jaw clench at JJs name but unclenched it within seconds and caught you in his arms, pulling you onto his lap.

"Awe angel. What’s wrong?" He cooed, giving your jaw a little kiss.

You sighed and ran a hand through your hair. "Let’s say something my friends and I really looked forward to getting is now gone. And Barry tried robbing my friends but that’s a whole different story."

Rafe nodded, hearing about his sister’s break-in the day it happened so he focused on the first part. "May I ask what this something was?"

Rafe rubbed small circles on your back as you thought about it.

"Not really but if I had what we were going to get, I would be on my way to getting emancipated and getting the hell out of here." Rafe leaned back and you placed your head on his shoulder. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

You shot Rafe a look. "Don’t play the dumb card."

"I’m fine," Rafe told you.

"Don't lie to me. Barry has been raging to me ever since your dad beat him and Whe-"

Rafe’s eyes widened, grabbing your chin and lifting your head so you were looking at him. "He's not hurting you for what my dad did, right? Cause I'll- I'll fucking kill him if he is."

"No, no, no. He's just been bitching about it." You reassured him, seeing him visibly relax, "but Wheezie told me you were here and that Ward kicked you out."

Rafe sighed, throwing his head back. "Blabbermouth."

"Rafe, why didn’t you tell me?"

"It’s my problem, not yours. Unlike Sarah who can’t do any wrong, I do everything wrong. That’s probably why he's taking Sarah to the Bahamas."

"What are you talking about?" You sat up.

"He's taking an impromptu trip to the Bahamas with his favorite kid even though I know way more about business than her." Rafe fumed.

You kissed his temple and played with his hair before stopping.

"Rafe, I have to go. I-I just remembered I’m supposed to be helping JJ with his English homework." You told him as you got off of his lap.

"What? It’s summer." Rafe pointed out, a confused look on his face.

"Well, yeah. But it's JJ so summer school, ya know." You laughed lightly before giving him a peck on the lips. "I’ll text you later, okay?"

And with that you left, leaving Rafe alone. He felt jealousy course this his veins before sighing. If JJ wanted him out of the picture and to take his place, he would've made up some lie about Rafe already that would've had him out of your life already.

He had to get used to the fact that JJ and you were close, always looking out for each other, making sure each other didn't get into any trouble.

And as hard as it was for him to swallow, you wouldn't drop JJ. Rafe had to share you with others.

And if there’s one thing he wasn’t the best at, it was sharing.

*****

After Rafe had told you about Ward and Sarah’s trip to the Bahamas, you rushed to find your friends, running into Pope on the way, exchanging information as you guys made your way to your friends.

"So Ward killed Big John?" Disbelief laced your voice as you approached the dock.

Pope nodded his head, both of you panting as you came to a stop, the other three members of the group staring at you two.

You sat down on the ground as you placed your hands above your head and Pope stood, bent over with his hands on his knees.

JJ walked over to you and crouched down, rubbing your back as he looked between you and Pope.

"You guys okay?" Kie asked, eyebrows raised.

You both shook your heads.

"We ran all the way here." Pope panted.

"Why?" John B asked.

Pope pointed at you. "You first."

"Well...I-I went Tanneyhill to visit Rafe and um… Wheezie told me he wasn't there. Ward kicked him out after catching Rafe going through his safe to pay off Barry. Ward paid him off or whatever. He said some things about how Rafes a liar and a thief-"

"Wow. I'm so shocked." JJ deadpanned with an eye-roll.

You stared at him and he raised his hands in surrender, letting you continue. "So I went to check on him. See if he relapsed or anything. I asked him what was wrong and he-he said something about Ward and Sarah taking a trip to the Bahamas. Popcorning it to Pope."

"My dad said something about having to cut down some trees for Ward to extend the runway for his jet. Why would he need to extend his runway unless something heavy was in that plane?" Pope rushed out.

"We still have a chance." John B looked at everyone.

"To the twinkie!" Kie hopped up, taking off in a sprint.

JJ pulled you up and you groaned, running after them.

****

"He's hurting her." John B said.

"What?" JJ looked over at his best friend.

"You guys watched as John B stormed towards the van.

"John B! Hey, man!" JJ hollered.

He slid into the driver’s side before slamming the door shut.

"JB! Think about this" Kie tried.

The van started and he charged the fence. JJ grabbed you and pulled you off to the side as you all watched him take off towards the plane.

"Oh my god. What is he thinking?" You whispered.

"I don’t think he is." JJ breathed out.

It wasn’t long before you heard police sirens.

"Come on. We have to go." Kie told you guys.

"Are you kidding me? We have to help him!" JJ shouted.

"JJ, listen to me. You are on probation. You, and I can’t stress this enough, cannot be here right now especially when that gun is in your bag. And don't say it’s not because I know it is." You attested, holding JJs shoulders.

JJ sighed, grabbing his hat from the ground and pulling it on his head before you all took off running.

****

Rafe’s hand was running through his hair as his other held the gun. Sheriff Peterkin laid on the ground as Ward spoke to him, showing his son that he had the Sheriff's walkie talkie.

Rafe looked past his dad to see John B walking backward.

"Hey. Hey! Where do you think you're going?" He shouted, lifting the gun again.

"John B, run." Sarah told him.

John B took off as Sarah and Ward stopped Rafe from going after him. Only one thought ran through his head as the curly haired boy ran off.

John B was going to tell you, which meant Rafe might lose you.

****

"Who's blood is that John B?" Kiara asked.

You were sitting next to Pope before you were standing up.

"Sheriff Peterkins." He answered numbly.

"What? How did her blood get on you?" JJ asked.

"Rafe shot Peterkin."

Your eyes widened. "What?"

"Rafe shot Peterkin, Y/N. She was going to arrest Ward and he shot her trying to protect his dad."

Your fingers immediately went to your necklace and you shook your head, tears in your eyes. "He wouldn’t."

"Y/N. Listen to me. Why would I lie about something like this? Rafe shot Peterkin in the back. I swear to you, on god, he did." He crouched down looking at you.

Your arms wrapped around your waist. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

Popes immediately put his hand on your back. "We're sorry, Y/N." He mumbled.

"I didn’t think he'd murder someone." You whispered.

"No one could've known. Okay. Don’t beat yourself up over." Pope reassured you.

"I should've stayed with him."

Pope looked up at JJ and nodded towards you. JJ sighed, walking over to you and sitting down, throwing his arm around your shoulders.

"Y/N listen to me. It’s over, okay. It’s done. Its happened. Do not blame yourself because he decided to do something irrational."

Your fingers ran over the word ‘angel’ as you spoke. "I’m a fool. Getting involved with him."

Kie immediately shook her head. "No, you're not. He's a charmer, okay. A smooth talker. It’s fine. He told you he was going to change his bad habits and instead, he ended up doing something way worse than what he usually does."

Silence hung in the air for a minute before John B spoke. "We have to go to the police."

The four of you nodded, JJ turning his attention to you. "When’s the last time you ate?"

You shrugged.

"Let’s stop somewhere quick and get her something to eat. Something to-go."

"I’m not really hungry, J." You mumbled.

"Y/F/N Y/M/N Y/L/N, you need to eat before you pass out or something. Even if it’s just chips."

JJ’s eyes bore into yours and you sighed, nodding, still messing with the necklace Rafe gave you.

"Can you drop me off at the beach on the way to the police station? And you can pick me up when you're done. I'll text one of you where I'm at." You asked.

Everyone looked at each other before nodding and heading towards the twinkie. Once in the van, you pulled out your phone and texted Rafe.

Beach. 15 minutes.

****

Rafe has been texting you since he got home and none of them had received an answer. Not even a read receipt which he would've taken at this point.

So when he finally got a text from you saying to be at the beach in 15 minutes, he wasted no time in throwing on some shoes and grabbing his car keys, practically sprinting to his car and speeding towards the beach.

When he got there and stepped out of the car, he sent you a text.

Where are you?

You were quick to reply.

Dock.

He made his way towards the dock and you sat on the edge, legs swinging as your hands gripped the wood.

"Hey, angel. You haven’t replied to any of my texts. I was getting worried that something happened to you." He greeted, the sight of you easing his nerves a little.

You stood up and ran a hand through your hair, looking out at the water. "I'm going to be blunt and ask you flat out... did you kill Sheriff Peterkin?"

Rafe hesitated for a second before letting out a light laugh. "What are you talking about, Y/N?"

You turned around, blinking back tears. "Did you kill Peterkin?" You asked slower. "And don't lie to me, Rafe. John B already told me but I want- no. I need to hear it from you. So, did you kill Peterkin?"

Rafe scratched the tip of his nose with his thumb, sighing. "I...I shot Peterkin. Yes."

You felt the tears threatening to spill so you dug the heel of your hands into your eyes. You gathered your thoughts before speaking once more. "Who did you and your father pin it on?"

"What?"

"Rafe. Don't play fucking dumb with me. I know you're not stupid. We both know Ward wouldn’t want his family name being dragged like that so who the hell did you pin it on." You seethed.

"John B." Rafe whispered after a minute.

You shook your head in disbelief as Rafe grabbed your hands. "Listen, Y/N, angel. The first week of a relationship is always a little rocky. We'll work through it.”

You snatched your hands away from him. "It’s one thing to be there for your partner when they're going through a problem like addiction or something and to work through those issues. It’s an entirely different thing when your partner commits a murder. There is no way to work through it, Rafe. You killed someone. I knew there'd be ups and downs but I didn't think this would be one of them."

"Y/N, listen to me. Okay? I need you to listen to me. It's going to be fine. I can get two tickets to wherever you want to go. Belgium, Argentina, Greenland, Canada, London, New Zealand, wherever. Just tell me where and we'll go. Leave. Start fresh. Only bring a bag and a carry-on and we'll fly the hell out of here. Yeah? How does that sound, angel?"

You stared at him, mouth agape. "I cannot in good conscience flee the country with you or even be with you unless you try and be a better person."

Rafe licked his lips. "What do you want me to do? Recycle. Give to the poor. What?"

"Rafe. Doing all that doesn’t make up for the life you took."

"She was going to kill my dad, Y/N. What did you want me to do? Stand there and watch!"

"Despite what you think Rafe, you're dad isn’t a saint. He wasn’t going to get shot unless he tried something stupid, he was going to be arrested! Sheriff Peterkin found out that your dad killed Big John and possibly some other dirt on him. You and I both know you probably wouldn't be this way of he didn’t treat you as if you were dog shit on the bottom of his new Italian shoes. What do you think is gonna happen if the truth comes out? Hmm? That John B didn’t kill Peterkin but you did. You think your father is still going to be there and picking up the pieces. No! He'll sit there and let you rot in prison as long as it’s not him. As long as he's in the clear, he's not going to do shit. All he cares about is his image and if you get thrown in jail, he’ll just disown you. Say you're not his son when they ask for a comment from him. He will find a way to avoid going to prison, even if it means throwing his own son under the bus. We both know this Rafe. I’m sorry but it's the truth."

Your Y/E/C eyes bore into his dull blue ones that were once bright. You reached behind your neck and unlatched the necklace as you saw headlights pull up.

"Here."

Rafe shook his head. "No."

"Take it, Rafe."

"I’m not taking it back Y/N."

"Rafe, just take the damn thing."

He shook his head as a tear rolled down his cheek. "I said no."

"Why not?" You asked trying to keep your voice from breaking.

"Because if I take it back then that means you're not mine anymore." He answered.

"Whether or not you take it back, I'm not yours until you right your wrongs cause this is a really big wrong that absolutely needs to be righted."

"Y/N!" You heard JJ call as footsteps made their way towards you.

"Please, Rafe." You whispered, taking his wrist and prying his fingers open, laying the necklace in his palm. "It was a fun week." You whispered once more before running towards JJ, the tears finally falling.

"Y/N! Please don't leave me! Y/N! "Y/N!" Rafe screamed after you, but it was too late.

Rafe fisted his hair as he walked off the dock before taking his hand and punching a nearby trashcan.

The one motivation he had to change for the better had run away from him.

****

You sat next to JJ, head on his shoulder as he had an arm wrapped around your shoulders, your phone vibrating every 2 minutes.

"You get that thing you needed to do done?" He asked.

You nodded.

JJ desperately wanted to ask what the thing was that you needed to do. However, between John B being on the run from the cops and Pope and Kie being in the van, he knew he shouldn't ask considering everyone would tell him its none of his business.

So, he used his eyes to try and figure out what it was that you needed to do. After all, he's watched some Criminal Minds with you so he should be able to do this.

His eyes trailed over your body to figure it out. When he got to your neck, he noticed that the angel necklace that once adorned it was gone, leaving your neck bare.

Between that and what seemed like constant messages and calls, JJ figured you broke things off with Rafe.

Your phone started vibrating again and he gave you a small smile as he reached over and grabbed your phone.

He saw Rafe’s name and picture flashing across the screen before it stopped, a number five next to his name for the missed calls and twenty next to texts.

And then Rafe’s picture was back on the screen, staring at JJ. The blonde sighed and rolled his eyes, turning off your phone before putting it in his pocket.

He looked down at you to see the tear stains on your cheeks and your eyes dull, half-open as you blankly stared ahead of you.

"Why don't you sleep for a bit, Y/N/N? You look like you’ve had a rough day." JJ whispered into your ear.

"Mkay." You mumbled closing your eyes as JJ rubbed your arm.

JJ moved around so you could be a bit more comfortable, laying your head on his chest as he played with your hair to help you fall asleep faster.

Kiara looked at JJ.

"She okay?" She mouthed.

He only shrugged as he turned his attention to you.

"It's a lot to process." He mouthed back to Kie as he glanced back at her.

The curly-haired girl nodded as she watched JJ's gaze return to you. Your eyes were slowly closing as you worked on falling asleep, only focusing on JJs heartbeat and his fingers running through your hair as you tried to forget the last week.

But it’s hard to forget the last week when it felt like you were living in a fairytale. And for pogues, it was a nice change to feel like you were.

But I guess this goes to show that not all fairytales have happy endings. And that not all handsome princes are knights on steeds ready to be a hero.

Sometimes, they're the worst villain in the story.

~~~~~~~~

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juniaships · 3 years

Text

Actiontoongorlz's Top 8 Canon x OC Ships 💖💖

I've been looking at OTP/Couples memes for a while and decided that it's time for me to make my own! For an extra surprise I'm not putting Ben Tennyson x Jora Holiday on this list because I focus too much on them anyways & I want my other OCs & their loves to have the spotlight for a change. The timing couldn't be more perfect as we're close to Valentine's Day!!! If you don't support canon x oc or find my ships displeasing then move along because this is a Happy Place! 😁😁 Again these are couples that I consider my personal OTPs in regards to canon x oc. That and making more content with my ships in general! Be warned the text is long and contains spoilers for certain shows and such!!

Clarify: these are my own ocs so there's not going to be anyone else's oc/canon. I might have to save that for another post in the future! 💚 But yeah these are characters that I came up with :]

Alright I'm done ranting, let's get started!

1. Sonic x Lani: I never quite gave much thought into this pair as I should so I promise to do something with them in the future! I promise! What I appreciate about SonLani is that there's little drama, like everything is super chill because both parties are chill. It's not a big deal and they don't need grand gestures to show how much they care about each other. Unlike Preboot Archie with its carts full of poorly written romance and strangely OOC moments on Sonic's end, SonLani had a lot of time to grow, while keeping his established personality in check. They actually communicate with each other, and stick by each other thick and thin. Lani loves Sonic for who he is & has no plans on changing him. Likewise Sonic has someone he can rely on when things get tough; not to mention he can really be himself around her without going all "iLl sLOw dOWn fOr U." Plus the ship name I gave them is a huge nod to the games ^_^

2. Jason x Vanessa: A recent pair due to Vanessa being a new creation but I'm honestly in love with them right now. In-universe they are regarded as the prime example of 'Opposites Attract' in Odyssey. They didn't get along very well in Jason's first couple of months in town due to his hardheaded self and her aloof demeanor. But through events such as Blackgaard and Novacom they gradually learn to trust one another. They see each other in a different light, Vanessa realising that Jason is a lot more thoughtful than he lets on, and Jason discovering her hidden fun side and kindness. Vanessa provides challenges and a sense of normalcy Jason can enjoy away from spy business. Meanwhile Jason fulfills her thirst of adventure & simultaneous desire for a peaceful life as well as spirituality. They're a equals, regarding each other as such and not to mention the BANTER! Hard to believe a former nun can keep up with a secret agent both physically and trading barbs XD. There's also the Forbidden Love factor of Vanessa being the duaghter of Regis Blackgaard, Jason defending her because he KNOWS she is nothing like her old man. Their friendship and romance overcome so many obstacles. I can honestly say that if Vanessa was canon she'd be the type of person Jason would like to be with especially over Jillian Marshall *gags*

3. Kaysha Wallace x Leo Hamato: Now here's a ship that I want to get more into 😁😁 Honestly I love the idea of this pairing: the serious leadee x bubbly spirit! Kaysha is very perky yet understands Leo's feelings on shouldering so much responsibility (she being the oldest child in her family). She's very willing to support him because she doesn't want to see him get all weary from burden. Likewise Leo can be himself around her, and teach her to be more responsible. He doesn't doubt her potential and sees her as an equal even during those periods where she was not on par with the other ninja. Kaysha shows Leo it's okay to relax and let other people help him out and not shut everyone out. When Leo expresses his ability to give her a safe life she simply laughs it off; the way she sees it him simply there in her life is enough. The most interesting facet is their dynamic varies between shows, so you'd see different scenarios and reactions as well as similarities and differences in their romance subplot.

4. Artie x Rhodanthe: Another couple I seriously need to give more attention to, they're meant to be is the foil to Shrek and Fiona in several ways. Artie and Rho may come from different social classes but they're both searching for a purpose to prove their haters wrong. Artie lacked confidence while Rho was overconfident believing she didn't need help. Together Artie learns to stand up for not only for his kingdom and loved ones hut also for himself; Rho's pride gets tempered by Artie's kindness and willingness to compromise. Another thing I like is that Artie has someone who loves him for him not because he is attractive and of royal blood. Likewise Rho has someone who respects her in spite of her social standing & shares her beliefs in making life easier for the poor & outcasts. While both lacke the physical prowess of Shrek and Fiona they rely on each other's resourcefulness and strategic thinking to get by. Unlike Shrek and Fiona they don't get married at the end of their focus movie, resolving to figure out where to take their relationship next. They still have their own life goals and don't want to rush into a relationship which sends a pretty good message. However they have their disagreements - in fact they got a huge argument that became a plot point in Shrek Forever After - but through it all they rediscover the things that made them fall in true love with each other. I'm really loving the subplot I have planned where they forget their memories and slowly fall back in love again.

5. Finn x Alma: Surprise! Yes8 I have a Cars OC (that was originally a fanon Disney Princess) who is the niece of Tow Mater in my verse and she enters a relationship with Finn McMissile. The thing I love about this pair is that it allows Alma to use her skills to flourish, treating amd healing injured spies. She's also into travel and adventure so she can pretty much keep up with Finn. Likewise Finn realizes she is more than just a pretty face or a one-off fling but someone with the passion to face challenges head on; Finn seems to love a good challenge! But overall they'd make a nice pairing, Finn showing Alma the world and Alma showing Finn some of the more simpler things in life.

6. Alexander Paine & Qiu Jin: Well well well look at what the cat dragged in? If it isn't our first villain pairing? XD Just kidding only one half is a genuine villain. What makes this couple so unique in that their storyline goes way back to before the events of the show, he being a agent and she a mechanic. They loved each other deeply, even to the point of starting a family, but forced apart due to some troubling events. When they do get back together it's not so much a bittersweet reunion as Paine became a full villain and Qiu Jin had spent years in&out mental institution before being released There's visible pain & regret, Alexander desperately wanting a semblance of what they once had. He seeks power not just for himself for to heal her. But Jin refuses to go along with his schemes wanting nothing more than to move on and see their children. Jin is a huge Mortality Pet for him, but his own selfish desires for power is a major obstacle their love can't overcome. It's the more bittersweet of my pairings but an important one nonetheless.

7. Bruce Wayne x Nicola Holden: Ok the Brooding Guy/Gentle Girl trope is a mixed bag these days but I really like this trope in regards to Brucola. Like with Artie/Rho, Bruce and Nicola come from different social classes but has that same compassion and drive to help others. Nicola is someone Bruce can trust but at the same time she lets him know there are boundaries (aka don't use my weaknesses as a contingency plan). I also feel like Bruce needs a sort of normal love interest, while he has canon normal girlfriends most of them were pretty boring. At least with Nicola she has has a life outside being a love interest her own goals and motivations. She also loves Bruce for him, not because of his money and good looks. It's a generally healthy dynamic built on honesty & empathy. Another reason why I find this pair adorable is that it actually matches with the rest of the Trinity; you know, like how Superman is with a journalist and Wondy is with a soldier/agent. Nicola & Bruce having different ways of pursuing justice while still sharing similar moral codes. It helps that Nicola is actually a hero rather than an antihero/villain/straight villain (Bruce dating a villan would only make him look like a hypocrite). Nicola sees all facets of Bruce's life and makes the choice to stay; provides some much needed light not just in his life but also the rest of the Batfam. In turn Bruce has another connection to the normal world that is willing to be in his life and see him genuinely happy. They're mature adults who ground each other and build each other up.

8. Optimus Prime x Malina Lovelace: Okay is it just me or do I think TFA Optimus Prime needs more love? What's funny is that at first Malina didn't like the thought of being outshined by newcomers in her superhero career. Spending time with Optimus makes her realize that there's more to being a superhero than fame. Optimus doesn't look down on her, and is more than willing to work with her and appreciate her work. She becomes touched by his friendliness and aceepts him and the other Bots. At the same time Malina reminds Optimus that it's okay to make mistakes and move on, and that it's okay to cut toxic people out. I even wrote a noncanon ficlet where Malina calls out Sentinel and Blackarachnia for the way they treat Optimus. OptMalina is a romance built on respect despite the obvious differences. Not to mention they have each other's back, and they learn about each other each time. And just like with KayLeo and BatRose there's different continuities which means unique versions of the Optlina pair. The Bayverse *chortle* and Prime versions are a few I'd love to explore in the future!

Miscellaneous

- Chad Charming x Soraya Nedakh: Essentially snobby rich kid who learns to be self sufficient and see past appearances through a positive influence. Soraya helps Chad to understand that being royalty isn't just pretty clothes and parties but actually using that status to help others. And Chad actually has his views challenged: Soraya doesn't back down easily.

- Jetta x Zane: The concept of JettaZane (or A Touch Of Snow/IceMagic) is that the robot teaches the human what it's like to be human. Jetta started out as an extremely cold person and a loner, but her time with Zane - the literal ninja of ice - gradually melts her heart & she becomes more caring and accepting. So the robot programmed to be human helps the human raised to be a cold machine unlearn her toxic traits and reclaim her humanity. Also Pixane is kinda boring imo, like they're only together because they're both robots. Not very compelling if you ask me.

- Brian Crown x Kelly Arbol: The wellmeaning goofball and the beatnik poet are something I rarely see much of, but that pretty much sums up their ship. Brian may be a bit self centered but he has a heart of gold and through Kelly's influence he becomes more confident in being a worthy successor to his dad. Meanwhile Brian respects Kelly in and out costume and teaches her how to have fun. Not to mention Kelly interacts with someone outside her circle, which is a welcome change from the trope of only dating someone within your circle.

- Janus Lee x Lenora Rose: Another pair from the same show as Paine and Qiu Jin, there's not much to say on them other than it's one of the most tragic couples. Lenora died a long time ago due to circumstances beyond her & Mr. Lee's control and it's her death that was the catalyst to his gradual descent into evil. As the show goes on we see glimpses of their life together and realize that Lenora is more than the Ghost, she was someone with her own dreams and motivations. She and Janus were outcasts who found companionship in each other, and were able to build a life together using their hard-earned resources to help others. Even in the last few months of her life she didn't go down without a fight, wanting her legacy to be one of love and hope. It's her memory that may be the key to redeeming Mr. Lee in the future of A.T.O.M.

- Ben Florian x Paige: Again not much else to say but they're the antithesis of Mal x Ben. One thing that bothers me about Mal & Ben is that they are supposed to be equals when it's pretty darn obvious from the scenes they were not. With PaigeBen it's clear that they ARE equals who respect each other. Ben's agency isn't reduced to just love interest, he has someone he has good communication with and wants to see him succeed. Paige has someone who shares her interests and see her more than just that One American Newbie. They LEARN to work together without love potions involved. Plus we haven't had a commoner Disney Princess in a while so Paige fills in as someone who works her way into high status then uses that status to help others with Ben at her side.

That's enough of my Canon x OC OTPs! I hope to explore them more throughout the year :) I work hard to flesh out my OCs and their romantic storylines as if they're real 💚😌

I do have KayLeo week planned for Feb 14 to Feb 21 so don't be shocked when I start posting rottmnt stuff or art of Kaysha! Anyways these are my personal ships that I enjoy despite the lack of content I made of them, so hopefully I have the creative juices flowing to make more stuff! Final note I'm working on a platonic oc x canon meme to show that love doesn't have to be romantic. A

#canon x oc #oc x canon #otp #multifandom #actiontoongorlz #oc meme #oc x canon meme #long text tw

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piesandstars · 4 years

Text

Raising Werewolf Cubs Under His Bed

Posted on Archive of Our Own here.

Riddle laughed his high laugh again.

“It was my word against Hagrid’s, Harry. Well, you can imagine how it looked to old Armando Dippet. On the one hand, Tom Riddle, poor but brilliant, parentless but so brave, school prefect, model student… on the other hand, big, blundering Hagrid, in trouble every other week, trying to raise werewolf cubs under his bed, sneaking off to the Forbidden Forest to wrestle trolls… but I admit, even I was surprised how well the plan worked.”

Um… hey. Hey, Tom? Mr. Riddle? Dramatic ass “I am Lord Voldemort” person-sir? Do you mean human children???!!! Hey Joanne, do you mean human children cause werewolf cubs? Werewolf cubs have gotta be human children.

There are four explanations for this line that I can think of. One Doylist (explained out of text), three Watsonian (explained within canon).

The first explanation: JK Rowling did not come up with werewolf lore until after she had written the third book. That explains why she keeps writing about people being afraid of werewolves in the Forbidden Forest even when it wasn’t a full moon and shit like this. She just hadn’t come up with the facts yet.

This explanation, while probably correct, is boring as hell and we will be disregarding it.

Explanation number two barely warrants an entry. Riddle was trying to think of a magical creature and just said werewolves without considering what that would mean. This is somehow more boring than explanation one.

The third explanation is more fun. Wizards are, to put it kindly, mildly, and with some of the love in my heart, dumb as shit.

The Hogwarts education system is shaky at best. Thinking of how little math wizards know makes me want to cry. I would say something like “The class of History of Magic is so poorly taught that I doubt any of the students even know that ___” but like. The class of History of Magic is so poorly taught that I can’t come up with an obvious example of Wizarding history.

Due to the shaky Hogwarts education system, I can partially excuse Ron for being stupid in the area of “what are werewolves” when he talks about werewolves in the Forbidden Forest in book two, as of his two Defence teachers the more competent was Quirinus Quirrell.

(Lockhart’s teachings on lycanthropy involve him curing someone of it by sticking a wand down their throat and saying a spell, which… If it were that easy then Remus Lupin would have had a much better life. If he could fix his furry little problem by eating a wand, the man would have had unicorn hair and cypress soup every night for the rest of his life.)

(That being said, Ron should know more about werewolves. Molly or Arthur should have taught their kids things like that.)

Tom Riddle, in contrast to Ron, went to Hogwarts before the position was cursed. Given that he was the one who cursed it, this makes sense. Riddle had a stable education that, theoretically, involved a competent professor. He should know better.

But also, wizards are dumb as shit.

They seem to have no standardization to their education except for aiming for the OWLs and NEWTs. What educational standards has the Ministry released for teachers to follow? Probably none, that would be too competent. (Ignoring book five, ew.) Just because werewolves were covered in DADA during Harry’s time at Hogwarts doesn’t mean they were in Riddle’s. Maybe they were covered in Care of Magical Creatures, which Riddle would almost certainly not take. Or maybe they weren’t covered at all.

So maybe Tom Riddle hasn’t learned about werewolves in school. He knows about them when he’s older though, so what gives?

Here’s the thing. This Tom Riddle hasn’t had his dark magic field trip yet, the one he goes on after he graduates. What if he doesn’t know about werewolves, but he thinks he kinda gets the gist, and, being Voldemort, assumed he was correct.

Hagrid could have been raising puppies under his bed and Riddle could have been like. “Ah, yes. These are werewolf babies. I am correct on this and will not be corrected by anyone ever because I am the pinnacle of all things knowledge.”

Diary!Tom Riddle is #ForeverSixteen. He is a teenager who insists on being called “Flight of Death” (or, incidentally, Flight from Death, which, yeah). He wears eyeliner, he listens to fascist!MCR, he wants to commit genocide, you know, just regular teenage boy things. Yikes.

(Can you imagine 72-year-old Voldemort having to interact with his 16-year-old self? This insolent boy who doesn’t even know what werewolves are? Harry wouldn’t have had to destroy the Horcrux, Voldemort would do it himself to get the kid to stop talking.

Tom Riddle, age 16: “Lord Voldemort is my past, present, and future.”

Tom Riddle, age 70ish: “You’re about to be past due if you don’t shut up.”)

Anyway, that’s our third explanation. Tom Riddle is dumb as shit. This is backed up by the fact that 1) he is sixteen, 2) wizarding education is a hot garbage fire, 3) grown Voldemort is dumb as shit. He refuses to do research into things he thinks he understands in his seventies, why would he be any smarter at age sixteen?

This explanation is less boring. This is the one that I consider to be the closest to canon one. This makes sense, and it involves making fun of Voldemort’s dramatic bullshit and narcissism, which I approve of.

I like this explanation.

But explanation number three? It doesn’t hold a candle to explanation four.

See, here’s the thing. I believe that Voldemort is dumb as shit and that his education could have been pretty spotty.

But I also think that the boy that has rediscovered Horcruxes by doing too much research would not be completely ignorant of what werewolves are and how they work. They’re considered to be Dark Creatures™ so he would have come across them at some point when learning of the Dark™ Mysterious® Arts©.

So what if.

What if he wasn’t talking out of his ass?

What if Hagrid WAS raising werewolf cubs under his bed? Or, not cubs. Cubs implies non-people.

What if Hagrid was keeping werewolf children under his bed while he was attending Hogwarts?

Picture this: 11-year-old Rubeus Hagrid gets his letter for Hogwarts. He’s overjoyed. His father is a bit surprised that Hagrid, a half-giant, received his letter, but he is also overjoyed.

(The fact that Hagrid got into Hogwarts at all with wizarding prejudices as they are is honestly remarkable. We know that the Wizarding World is awful about treating those who aren’t pure-blooded wizards like people and Hagrid being a half-giant isn’t exactly subtle.)

So Hagrid goes to Hogwarts. He learns. He makes friends. He probably gets in quite a bit of trouble with teachers because he’s never been someone with a ton of common sense or tendency to follow rules. Being in trouble doesn’t bother him too much, he’s young and usually, he doesn’t think about consequences for his actions. Besides, often the reward is worth the risk.

So Hagrid finishes his first year having loved the experience. And he goes home for the summer.

Let’s say that Hagrid and his dad live on the outskirts of a relatively small Muggle town. They’re not quite in the wilderness, but they’re not quite in the town proper either.

A new family, the Canids, has moved next door since Hagrid has gone off to Hogwarts. They have two children roughly Hagrid’s age, a daughter named Freki, age 12, and a son named Geri, age 10. Given Hagrid’s friendly nature and the general boredom that comes with a long summer, the three of them quickly make friends and begin to spend quite a bit of time together.

(Forgive my mixing of Norse and Latin etymology here, I refuse to spend more than three minutes googling names that mean “wolf wolf” or “moon moon” that haven’t already been used in canon.)

Then, one day when they’re hanging out, something weird happens. What exactly it is, I’m not sure. Maybe a branch breaks while they are climbing a tree and no one gets hurt, despite how high up they are. Maybe Hagrid says something unthinkingly cruel on accident, and Geri’s feelings get hurt, and Hagrid’s hair gets turned pink. Maybe Freki finds a magical creature that Muggles aren’t supposed to be able to see. Maybe their father is off fighting in World War II (it is 1941, after all), and there is some unsetting news from the front, and one of the kids causes a sunny day to become a rainstorm.

However it happens, Hagrid figures out that he’s got two underage wizards on his hands. And he knows Freki (age 12) hasn’t received her Hogwarts letter.

Hagrid has never been one to keep his mouth shut. The man at the age of 62 let slip to a group of eleven-year-olds that 1) he had a three-headed dog, 2) the name of the dog was Fluffy, 3) Fluffy was guarding something that was owned or created by Nicholas Flamel, and 4) you can put Fluffy to sleep by playing any kind of music ever. He is not one for subtlety, or for secrets. Honestly, he might have told these kids about magic on accident even if they hadn’t shown signs of being wizards.

So he confronts the kids about the strange things that have been happening. Freki goes dead pale the second he opens his mouth. She begs him not to tell anyone in the village that there is something unnatural about them, Rubeus, please, you don’t know what people will do if they find out.

Hagrid’s confused. If they find out what exactly? Having magic is wonderful, you get to go to school and learn and make friends and discover all sorts of interesting facts and creatures and-

There are two ways this could go.

Either Freki and Geri don’t know about magic and they are delighted to hear about this wonderful place where they could be themselves, and also maybe they could get some help for this weird thing that has been happening to them since they were little kids and there was a wolf attack. Hagrid has to figure out very quickly how to deal with the fact that 1) he has to explain magic to his two friends, 2) his two friends are werewolves, 3) his two friends will not be accepted into wizard society, and 4) he also has to explain that.

Or Geri and Freki already know about magic. They didn’t know that Hagrid knew (they are in a Muggle town, after all), but they knew about magic. Maybe their mom was a witch and dad a Muggle. Maybe the other way around. Maybe both parents are wizards. Maybe they are the descendants of Squibs. Whatever their parental background, they have heard about Hogwarts. And they know the reason that neither of them had gotten Hogwarts letters, know the reason neither of them would ever get Hogwarts letters. And gently, sadly, they explain to Hagrid their situation.

And as Hagrid finds out that they’re werewolves and starts to process what that means for them and their future, Hagrid becomes indignant. And I mean Hermione-founding-misguided-but-well-meaning-organization-SPEW level indignant. I’m talking “thou shalt not insult Albus Dumbledore in front of me” level indignant. Indignant might not be the right word. He gets angry.

Remus Lupin will be the first werewolf to legally receive schooling at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But if Hagrid has something to say about it? Freki and Geri will beat the record illegally by about thirty years.

(This is a man who has been alienated his whole life for his half-giant status. He knows the feeling of being discriminated against for something he can’t change about himself.)

(This is also a man who tried to raise a dragon egg in a wooden cabin. He doesn’t necessarily think things through.)

And so begins Operation Get-My-Friends-A-Wizard-Education.

Phase One: Preliminary Education.

Hagrid spends the rest of the summer teaching these two kids everything that he can remember from his first year of school. He’s got a month. He’s got his books. He’s got enough determination to intimidate God. He’s only got the one wand, but he’ll make do.

And as late August comes? He thinks they’re ready as they’re gonna get.

Phase Two: Smuggling Time.

Now, Hagrid is an oversized lad. And one of the things that comes with being an oversized lad is oversized clothes. And one of the things that comes with oversized clothes is an oversized trunk.

Hagrid also has an undersized father with an oversized heart and an undersized sense of what is a normal and sane thing to do. (The man had sex with a giantess for Pete’s sake!)

With a little convincing, said undersized father could make said oversided trunk be even more oversized on the inside.

Geri and Freki? Welcome to the Hogwarts Express, viewed from the luxury seats of “Inside Hagrid’s Trunk.” No complimentary beverages, I’m afraid, and the view’s not great, but all the oversized clothes end up being quite comfortable cushions.

So Hagrid smuggles two kid werewolves into Hogwarts.

Phase Three: Ah, Shit, Didn’t Think This Through… Er… Live Under My Bed I’ll Bring You Homework

So they live under his bed while he teaches them everything that he is learning in all of his classes, sometimes in the dorm room when no one else is there, sometimes in the Forbidden Forest when they can sneak out, sometimes in empty rooms around the castle. They spend each full moon as deep into the forest as they can go, hoping against hope that they won’t hurt anyone and they will be safe.

(In this universe, the rumors of werewolves in the forest came from somewhere. The stories of glimpses of wolves through the trees during this time were passed down through the generations. “My aunt’s cousin’s friend’s dad saw a werewolf in the forest” may not be the most credible of sources, but in this case, it holds a grain of truth.)

They are careful, and, for a while, they don’t get caught.

How long are they at Hogwarts? I don’t know. A while, certainly. A month? A semester? A full year? Maybe they make it through to when the Chamber of Secrets was opened and everyone became more suspicious and more alert before they were found out.

Once they are caught, the Canid children are promptly sent home. After all, you can’t have monsters in a school like Hogwarts, and what are werewolves if not monsters.

The staff lets Hagrid off with a warning, thinking maybe this was a one-off occurrence of idiocy. But they do view Hagrid with more suspicion after that. After all, he brought monsters into the school. Who’s to say what he’ll let in next?

That being said, Tom Riddle’s probably just dumb as shit.

Posted on Archive of Our Own here.

#harry potter #hp #hagrid #fanfiction #kat talks #look ma i over analyzed #my fic

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distant-rose · 6 years

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Seal of Fate Ch. 3 (4/8)

Notes: Alright before anyone of you read this chapter, I feel the need to remind you that Emma Swan is not a bitch. Emma Swan is an amazing character with some flaws and whose life has been filled with all sorts of trauma. She has trust issues and most certainly PTSD. If you think someone with that background is going to have no issue trusting people, especially a magical seal man whom she’s known for like two weeks, without some issue then this story isn’t for you. This is a kind reminder that the canon events of Emma being abandoned, put in foster care and being pregnant with Henry in prison after the bullshit Neal pulled with her when she was 17 years old are canon in the Seal of Fate universe. So, with that being said, this chapter is mainly about Emma’s trauma and how it’s lead to her having a lot of trust issues. Do not come into my comments section and tell me that Emma Swan is a bitch for pushing away a seal man who she met two weeks ago. I will fight you. End of story. With that being said, there will be pay off for all the angst, anger and frustration here in the next chapter. I promise. I’m not pulling the rug out from underneath you. A special thanks to @aerica13 for being an amazing beta and for pushing me through this difficult chapter. I literally couldn’t have done with this without you. Thank you to @cssns and @drowned-dreamer for making my event experience so far amazing. Another big thank you to @katie-dub and @shireness-says for being my cheerleaders. Even though this story isn’t attracting a lot of traffic and it’s been a bit demoralizing, you make every word of this story worth it. Summary: Emma Swan is looking for only one thing - answers. Abandoned outside a police station in Menemsha, Martha’s Vineyard, Emma has dedicated her life to finding out where she comes from and why she was given away. She finds an unlikely partner in Killian, a selkie she inadvertently summons in a fit of frustration over her cold case. Word Count: 4,600+ AO3: [LINK] Chapters: Prologue | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Epilogue Rating: T+

Emma Swan’s life was regulated by series of long, self-imposed rules. She always filled her gas tank whenever she hit the quarter ‘til empty mark. She didn’t trust food that didn’t come prepackaged. She always wore bike shorts under her dresses because of that punk kid in her fifth group home that skirted her. On top of that proverbial list of rules, written in bold red ink and underlined three times, was that Emma Swan did not ever, under any circumstances, sleep with men.

She didn’t sleep with men. Period.

Well, she slept with men but a purely utilitarian fuck-and-run way that satisfied occasional itches and abated the loneliness for awhile. She didn’t spend the night and she absolutely did not cuddle. Those sort of things led to issues. It meant conversations that were best not had. It meant being completely vulnerable with someone who was more likely than not a stranger she picked up in a bar.

Hence why she went into a full meltdown mode when she awoke the next morning still on the beach, sand in her pants and Killian curled around her like a clingy octopus. The very sight of him drooling on her shoulder sent off vaguely Kill Bill sounding sirens in her head.

So Emma did what she did best.

She ran.

And she didn’t look back. Not even for her shoes.

She went back into her house, grabbed her cell phone and keys, then got in the Bug and drove all the way to Oak Bluffs. Never before had Emma been so happy with the lack of a real police force on the island because she was sure to be have been pulled over with how fast she drove. The drive had been tense. She hadn’t been able to relax and no amount of tinkering with the radio assuaged her chaotic thoughts.

Killian was getting under her skin. He had been barely been in her life for more than two weeks but he had already gotten closer to her than anyone had in the past decade. It was something she needed to rectify and fast.

“He’s going to leave,” she mumbled to herself, slapping her hands against the steering wheel. “Once this is over, he’s going to leave and everything is going to go back to normal.”

The switch from West Tisbury to Oak Bluffs was a noticeable one. Where Chilmark blended in the West Tisbury almost seamlessly with the long line of white oak trees and the overgrown shrubbery that guided the poorly paved roads, the boundary leading to Oak Bluffs was noticeably more populated with houses and stores. The Cape Cod style that dominated Menemsha and Chilmark wasn’t so common and Emma was surprised to see some of the buildings actually looked like they had been built after 1970. Where the majority of the houses Emma had previously encountered tended to stick to the gray scale, these buildings were flamboyant shades of flamingo pink, soft orange and lime green. They reminded her of the elaborate gingerbread houses she had seen in the windows of bakeries as a child. It was fresh and new side to the island that she not yet explored and she allowed her curiosity to overtake the anxious energy that had dominated her mind since she had awoke.

As she got further into town, the scenery became more settled and more urban in its demeanor. If it weren’t for the occasional gingerbread house, she wouldn’t have known that she was still stuck in the Vineyard. It felt good be somewhat back in civilisation again.

It wasn’t until she was washing up in the bathroom of the infamous Black Dog bakery that she finally took notice of her unkempt appearance. She had mascara lines running down her cheeks, her hair looked like a rat’s nest and her clothes were rumpled. No wonder the cashier had given her an odd look when she had bought a bear claw. She looked like hell.

After running her fingers through her hair and washing her face, Emma tried to make herself look somewhat presentable. Her attempts were met with limited success but there was only so much that she could do given the circumstances.

As she walked over to the hospital, she couldn’t help but feel bereft. Over the past week and half, she had gotten used to Killian’s persistent commentary and suggestions on how to proceed. His absence sat heavy in her chest, pressing down on her ribs like a stone.

She didn’t want to but Emma couldn’t help how much she missed him. The realisation made her angry. She hated herself for growing so fond and so dependent on his company. He was merely a temporary fixture in her life, just like everyone else.

She didn’t need him and was probably better off without his help anyway.

The thought became a mantra, a mental war cry, as she straightened out her shoulders and walked towards the reception desk with the same dread and determination of a gladiator entering an battle arena.

The receptionist was a surly looking woman who eyed her with an expression that made it clear she was less than impressed with Emma’s appearance.

“This isn’t a recovery center. If you’re looking for one, you’ll have to take the ferry over to Hyannis. There’s a pamphlet for it on your left.”

Emma bristled at the comment, self consciously smoothing over the wrinkles in her shirt.

“My name is Emma Swan, I’m private investigator. I was hoping to look at your birth records.”

“No.”

“What?”

“I said no,” she repeated, this time with a hint of an edge to voice.

Emma sighed, fishing out her wallet and handing over her identification and investigator’s permit. The woman didn’t even in look at them, merely looked up at her with the same disapproving scowl.

“That’s my private investigator’s licens-” “I know what it is,” the woman cut her off. “If it’s not a court ordered document, I’m not letting you look at our database. I don’t know if you’re aware, Little Miss Investigator, but there is such a thing called HIPAA which means those documents are protected.”

“HIPAA does not cover birth and death certificates,” Emma replied through gritted teeth. “Those are a matter of public record.”

“Oh goody,” the woman replied in a sarcastic tone, “then go bother the Registry of Vital Records like everyone else.”

“I can’t do that. I don’t know exactly the specific person I’m looking for. Only that I’m looking for a female born in October 1983. This is related to a police investigation of an abandoned child out in Memensha.”

“You’re wasting your time,” she snorted. “The police probably looked at it in the 80s. You honestly think you’re better than a bunch of cops?”

“Yes,” Emma replied bluntly, bracing her hands against the desk and staring down at the woman with a look just barely short of contempt. “Because they didn’t investigate it. Now, I would like to look at your October 1983 birth records please.”

“HIPAA says-” “I give zero shits what HIPAA says. Please get me your supervisor.”

“No.”

Emma let out a frustrated sound, yanking her hands off the table and running through her hair. Killian wouldn’t have run into this kind of trouble. He would have just smiled and made a comment about how pretty her disgusting hair looked and that woman would have been willing to hand over her own social security number. The very thought made her even more angry.

She pulled out her phone and immediately looked up the number for the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, specifically for the medical records department. When she found the correct number, she punched it and stared the receptionist directly in the eye as she held the phone up to her ear.

“Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, Department of Records, this is Astrid speaking,” a woman on the other end of the line stated pleasantly.

“Hello Astrid, my name is Emma Swan, I’m a private investigator who is licensed in the states of Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York and Florida. I’m investigating a cold case involving abandoned child in Menemsha October 1983. I was hoping I could look at your birth record files…”

There was a pause on the other end and Emma could hear the faint sound of conversation on the other end as she continued her staring contest with the nasty receptionist. A few moments passed before Astrid came back on the line.

“You wanted to look at the birth records during October in 1983?”

“Yes.”

There was another long pause. Emma counted the seconds in her head.

“Do you have a court order?”

“No,” she admitted. “But birth certificates are a matter of public record and as stated previously, I’m a licensed private investigator in the state of Massachusetts.”

“When did you plan on looking at the records?”

“Now, if that’s possible.”

There was a loud coughing noise on the other end followed by even more muffled conversation.

“Miss Swan, we need a little more time to get the records prepared for you. Give us a few hours, say after lunch around 2:30 and you can come down to the Records Department and have supervised access to the requested documents. Do you have more specific dates in mind or just the month of October?”

“Let’s keep it at the entire month of October just to be safe…”

“Okay. We will meet you at reception then and bring you down to Records at 2:30 then.”

“Thank you,” Emma replied, smirking at the receptionist. If she was feeling a little more immature, she would have fist pumped in her face. “I will see you then.”

After leaving the hospital, Emma wandered the streets of Oak Bluffs. She couldn’t help but feel that she was Martin Brody walking the streets of Amity Island. Everywhere she looked, it seemed to be tourist shops and ice cream places that had shut down for the winter. The only things that seemed to be open were the few restaurants like Sharky’s Cantina and Nancy’s. A large arcade on Main Street was also open despite the fact that there were only five kids inside, all of them crowding around some obnoxious game that involved loud shooting.

As she reached the docks, her phone buzzed. She frowned as she looked down at the screen, not recognising the number. She hit the ignore button as she began to examine the large yachts and fishing boats that were lined up. Some of them had clever names such as “The Codfather” and “The Aqua-holic.” Though the ship names held some amusement, she was shocked to see how far some were from home. Many of the ships docked were from Florida and South Carolina but there were a few from Jamaica and Bermuda. She couldn’t fathom why anyone from such sunny places would want to be in Martha’s Vineyard, especially in October.

It wasn’t until she was eating lunch at Dockside Marketplace that she realised whoever called her had left a message. Curious, she went to her voicemail and punched in her password.

It was Killian.

“Swan! Where are you! I woke up and you were gone! Your yellow death trap is gone! Are you alri-” Emma didn’t wait to hear what else he had to say. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with him. In a fit of pettiness, she turned off her phone and spent the rest of her lunch in petulant silence, listening to Top 40s pop music as she munched unhappily on her onion rings.

When she returned to the hospital, the receptionist from before was gone and replaced by a young blonde with tired eyes and a kind smile. She was chatting with a brunette in scrubs that was leaning against the desk. They looked up as soon as she came in and gave her cautious smiles.

“Are you Emma Swan?” the brunette asked politely.

“Yes.”

“I’m Astrid Acker, I work in the Records Department. Do you mind showing me your ID and private detective’s license?”

Emma fished them out of her pocket and handed them over. Astrid looked at them both for a moment before nodding satisfaction and handing them back. She motioned for Emma to follow her down a long hallway. They reached a stairwell and descended down into the basement levels. It had a cold industrial feel to it, with exposed pipes lining the walls and sterile colored tiles. Astrid led her down another hallway before taking her into a sparsely decorated office. It was cluttered as hell and it immediately made her feel claustrophobic. There were three oversized desks, two that were covered in sprawling documents and dated computers while the other was completely clear save for a single case box.

Astrid pulled two chairs over to the clear desk. She held the first chair out to Emma before sitting in the other one. She pulled the lid off the box and glanced back at Emma.

“Martha’s Vineyard sees an average of 176 births per year,” she said quietly. “In 1983, there was a total of 216 births. 23 of those were born in the month of October. All of them are in that box.”

“23?”

“23,” she confirmed. “You can look at the records but you cannot take them, make copies or photos of them.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re quite welcome.”

Emma’s hands shook as she pulled the files from the box. Immediately she separated the males from the females, heart hammering in her chest as the number of files dropped from twenty-three to eight.

Six were born in the beginning of October. Only two fell into the potential time period that Emma was looking for. One was named Jennifer Cameron and the other was Julia Wright. She glanced up from the documents and back at Astrid.

“What’s the population size of Martha’s Vineyard?”

“Roughly 15,000 people.”

“Small.”

“I guess you can say that.”

Emma moved the eight files towards Astrid, every single atom of her being vibrating with tension. “Out of these eight files, do you know any of them personally?”

Astrid looked startled by the question. She gave Emma a long inquisitive look before opening each file and rattling off what she knew about each one.

“I don’t know Teresa...I don’t know Kayla either...or Laura….but I know Brenda. She dated my brother. They have two kids named Tony and Alana. Alison….if it’s the Alison I know, she left the Vineyard back in the tenth grade. Jen used to be friends with my brother but something happened and I don’t know what. Julia and Sarah were the mean girls growing up. Julia is married and owns a bed and breakfast in Chilmark and Veronica owns Vineyard Scoops in Edgartown.”

And just like that, all the energy, all the hope that Emma had, died. She felt like a popped balloon, scattered and deflated. Another dead end. She wanted to be angry. She wanted to be sad. She wanted to feel something but all she felt was numb.

“Thank you for your time,” Emma said after a moment before gathering all the strength she had left and standing up.

“I’m sorry.” Astrid was confused.

“None of these women are who I’m looking for.”

It wasn’t until she felt the hospital and was back by the docks that Emma felt something. A powerful and raw rage burned in her veins. She wanted to scream but she settled to for kicking a trash can and startling a small colony of seagulls.

Drawing a heavy breath, she turned her phone back on. She regretted the decision almost instantly. Twenty missed calls and nine messages left for her. All from the same number.

“Jesus Killian,” she mumbled under her breath as she called her voicemail.

“You have nine new messages…first message received today at 12:05pm...Swan! Where are you! I woke up and you were gone! Your yellow death trap is-” Emma deleted the message before it finished.

“Next new message received today at 12:34pm...Swan! Where are you! I’ve been looking everywhere-” She hit the delete button again.

“Next new message received today at 12:46pm...Swan, it’s me. I’m hoping you just went into town and got Granny’s or something...I’m going to go down and meet you. Call me back when you get this.”

“Next new message received today at 1:13pm...I just stopped by Granny’s...Ruby said she hasn’t seen you...Where are you? Please call me back.”

“Next new message received today at 1:19pm...Swan! I’m worried now! Where are you? I don’t understand what’s going on or why you won’t answer your talking phone.”

“Next new message received today at 1:27pm...Swan...please just answer me...I want to know what’s going on…Just talk to me…”

“Next new message received today at 1:31pm…I don’t know where you are but please just call me. I just want to know you’re okay.”

“Next new message received today at 1:45pm...You left me...”

She dropped her phone. All the emotion she thought she would feel after her latest failure came at the broken and defeated tone of Killian’s voice. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes and she held her hand up to her face in order to stifle the cry that desperately wanted escape her lips. She felt like the world’s biggest asshole.

She took a moment to try and gather herself, wiping at her sniffling nose as she stared out into the marina, watching seagulls dive at the water in search of fresh prey. She almost forgot to listen to the final voice message that Killian had left her.

“...End of new message. To listen to it again...press one...To save it...press two...to erase it...press three…”

She pressed down on the first option, knowing it would be unpleasant and Killian would more than likely be screaming at her but there was a part of her, the self-loathing part, that felt she deserved it.

“New message received today at 2:56pm…Emma…” The way he said her name wasn’t angry. It was strained and filled with an emotion that words could not identify but she knew it on a fundamental level. Her blood went cold in her veins.

Something was wrong.

“Emma…” Killian repeated again and his time his voice wavered a bit. “The pelts...The pelts on Gold’s property...they’re...They’re selkie pelts.”

“Oh shit,” she whispered as the color drained from her face.

She had left Killian alone in Menemsha with a man who more likely than not hunted his kind. And more than that, she had left him without any means to defend himself; her taser and pistol were in the glove compartment of her car. Now, she was officially the world’s biggest asshole.

In the long list of self-imposed rules that Emma Swan had, near the top of the list was that she didn’t push the Bug faster than sixty miles per hour. There were practical reasons for this, mainly because the Bug was nearly two decades old and she didn’t fancy replacing it any time soon. She pressed the pedal to the floor as she raced down State Road and North Road on her way back to Menemsha, the needle on her speedometer jumping between seventy-five and eighty miles per hour.

She may have nearly killed more than a dozen rabbits on her way.

The Bug made its grievances known, sputtering and whining as she came to a grinding halt in front of the beach house. Emma barely acknowledged it over the thundering of her heart ramming against her chest as her eyes scanned the property, hoping against hope to see any sign that Killian was in the house and that he was alright.

There were no lights on in the house, but she didn’t expect any. Killian was practically an old man and had an almost amusing dislike for electricity. He had a habit of leaving the lights off as long as possible until he couldn’t read without them. It made Emma privately question a lot of what happened while he was stuck with Cora and her daughter during his five years stuck on land.

“Killian?” She called almost tentatively when she stepped into the house.

Only silence came to greet her. The stillness of the house unnerved her and she could feel her anxiety skyrocket in response.

“Killian!”

Various scenarios flashed into her mind but at the forefront was seeing his pelt hanging from the blood soaked rack on the front lawn of Gold’s property. Immediately, she scrambled up the stairs and into the guest bedroom. She didn’t bother with any pretenses. She knew exactly what she was looking for and where it was. She made a beeline for the large white dresser and pulled open the third drawer.

The sight of Killian’s pelt caused her to let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Without thinking, she pulled it out of the drawer and brought it to her face. She buried her nose in the thick fur, trying to take comfort in the fact that it was still in the house and not on the rack up the road.

She was almost surprised at how soft it was. Emma didn’t have much experience with fur, let alone seal fur but it felt incredibly silky and all she wanted to do was keep it against her skin.

“Swan?”

Emma froze, her cheek still rubbed against his pelt as she craned her head towards the doorway. He was looking at her with a guarded expression, shoulders tense and hands curled into tight fists. If she didn’t know any better, she would say that he was preparing himself for a fight.

“Where the fuck were you?” she hissed. “I got your message and I was scared out of my mind!”

“Got my messages, did you?” he asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest and raising his eyebrows at her. The coolness of his tone nearly made her flinch.

“Yes. I freaked out! You can’t leave messages like that and just run off! You could have been hurt! You could have been killed! I was fucking terrified that I was going to come home and see your pelt out there on that fucking rack!”

“I could say the same to you, love.”

“This isn’t a game, Killian!”

“I never said it was. I’m merely pointing out the hypocrisy as I’m seeing it.”

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to quell the chaotic squall of emotions that wanted to bubble up to the surface. She wanted to be angry. She wanted to lash out but she couldn’t necessarily deny the truth in his words.

“I should have called you back, I’m so-” “No, it shouldn’t even have gotten to that point,” he cut her off. “You should have woken me up, Emma! We’re supposed to be partners!”

“We’re not supposed to be anything.” The words leapt from her throat before she could stop them.

As soon as she said them, Killian reared back as if her words had hit him with physical force. He stared at her as if he had never seen her before in his life. They stood there for a brief moment in tense silence. The distance between them was only about eight feet but it felt much larger than that. It felt like a canyon that Emma wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to bridge.

“Where were you?” she asked again, this time in a softer tone.

Killian looked somewhat bereft, swallowing his words and looking away from her. For a moment, Emma wasn’t sure he was going to answer her.

“I went into the house.”

She gasped at his explanation, staring at him in disbelief. “You didn’t. Please tell me you didn’t, Killian.”

“Considering all of today’s revelations, I’m shocked you care.”

“Of course I care! You could have been killed!”

“He wasn’t there,” he replied, still not looking at her. “He...I...He doesn’t just keep the pelts, Emma. There was a jar on the mantle...It was full of teeth...”

A cold shiver went down Emma’s spine. Ruby’s warning from her first day in Menemsha echoed in her head and a part of her wished she had given it more thought.

“How many?”

“I didn’t count,” Killian laughed humorously. A brittle smile crossed his lips and it made Emma feel sick. “I didn’t get close enough. I didn’t want to but countless...That whole place reeks of blood.”

“You shouldn’t have gone in there, Killian.”

His eyes cut to her. “And what should I have done, Swan? Waited for you? You cut out of here so swiftly, I wasn’t sure you were even going to come back.”

“Of course I was coming back. Don’t be an idiot. But Killian, think about this. Gold owns this town. No one knows who you are. You technically don’t exist here. He could have gotten to you and no one except me would have known something happened to you.”

“I’m very much aware of that, Swan.”

“Are you?”

“Yes, despite what you think, I’m not just a dumb animal. I’m quite intelligent despite your constant willingness to overlook that fact.”

“I know you’re smart-” “Yet you insist on treating me as I’m nothing more than dumb pet, not even worthy of leaving a note or even communicating with. Are you going to get me a ball to play with next? Make me eat out of a bowl?”

“You’re making a bigger deal of this than it actually it is,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

“No. I’m just seeing the clear picture. You don’t trust me, or anyone for that matter! You would rather be alone than let yourself get burned again! Whoever he is, he must have done quite the number on you that you would rather be unhappy and alone than take any risks and let anyone in. Being alone is a bitter existence, take it from someone who knows.”

“Oh! Because you know everything!” Emma jeered.

“When it comes to being alone? Yes! I told you what happened to me. I told you about losing my family, losing Milah. I’m not unsympathetic to your plight, Emma, but you need to get it through your head that you’re not alone.”

She wanted to punch him; wanted nothing more than to break his nose. He was so full of shit and she couldn’t stand the sight of him.

“Oh fuck you,” she snarled. “Stop the bullshit. You don’t actually care. The only reason you’re still standing here is because you’re trapped. As soon as this is over, you’re just going to back. You won’t even blink.”

“If you honestly still believe that then I can’t help you,” he said softly with a disappointed look on his face. He ran his fingers through his hair before looking back at her with a beseeching expression. “Look, I can’t do this right now. Just give me back my pelt.”

Emma froze. Her mind went blank at his request and she stared down at the pelt in her hands. Her fingers were curled into it so tightly that her skin was stretched white over her knuckles. She knew that the appropriate response was to give it back to him and let him go on his merry way but she couldn’t bring herself to let go of it. Without thinking, she instead tightened her own hold on it.

Killian stared at her, absolutely stunned. There was no mistaking the look of betrayal in his eyes. He stretched out his hand and Emma couldn’t help but notice that it was trembling.

“Emma…” He sounded broken.

Reluctantly, she let go of his pelt; depositing it in his hand before she could think more on her hesitation. She practically ran past him and took sanctuary in her room, trying to put as much distance as she could between them.

The tears didn’t come until she closed the door and it was firmly against her back.

#captain swan #cs ff #cs fic #cs fanfiction #cs fanfic #cssns #seal of fate #my fic #my shit

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