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msookyspooky · 6 months

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Slashers at a Haunted House

Severen please😳😩

Meant to post this over the weekend!!

Slashers at a Haunted House:

Severen Van Sickle

18+ • Short Story Imagines • GN!Reader x Severen from Near Dark • Smut • Exhibitionist/Voyeur • Fear & Adrenaline • Blood & Gore • Power Dynamics • Slight CNC • Oral with GN!Reader Recieving / AFAB & AMAB Anatomy • Sketchy Sex in Public Places

"C'mon! Don't tell me yer scared of this lil spook shack." Severen teased with a lopsided grin. In that thick Texas drawl that sounded like it was from back when drawing guns and robbing train cars was a thing.

You huffed, arms folded as you saw the very sketchy haunted house in the rough part of town that barely had anyone here. "N-No it's just out of our way is all." You lied. Still human and very much still vulnerable to fear.

Severen grinned wider, his filed down teeth sharpened points that he flaunted anytime of year. Fall was just less questioning. "Aw, c'mon now. Don't tell me I'm dating a chicken shit scared of some guys in masks with ugly faces popping out at ya!"

You rolled your eyes, pouting a bit. "I am not that scar- AH!!" You screamed so much louder than you intended when a scare actor ran up on you out of nowhere in the dark parking lot.

Severen laughed loudly, head thrown back in the hearty gleefully impish way he did as the scare actor stalked away to find a new victim. "Ha! Aww, you really are a scaredy cat, aren't ya angel?" He cooed between snickers.

You glared at him knowing he saw the damn actor rushing you and said nothing.

He just drew you closer to him with a firm grip. "Hey...We're gonna have fun, alright? You'll see, sweetheart...Besides, have I ever hurt you or led you to some place you would get hurt?" He gave you a charming sideways smile.

You raised a brow because he has accidentally done both. He rolled his dark blue eyes with a tsk. "Gee, ya got so much faith in me I'm blushin' from the love I'm feelin' here."

You smirked a little at his sarcasm. "Okay...Fair enough. But I hope you know I'm going to be hanging onto you the entire time."

"That's the point!" He smiled "You can grip me as tight as you want. Break a rib or two; it'll just get me goin'." He whispered huskily in your ear. You ducked your head a bit with a smile.

His spurs jangled as you both walked in. You were excited but he seemed so chill. Like he was at an art museum not a haunted house with people in dark tight spaces jumping out at you.

You both were led to a room were a demonic 'birth' happened and the scare actor told some story to set the tone of the place. Severen heckled a tad just to nudge you and get a smirk or two but other than that he just had his hands in his pockets with you in front of him.

As soon as it came time to move through the scare house rooms; you instantly felt your adrenaline pumping. Going through an old wild west room with skeltons and outlaws wasn't too bad till a damn corpsey looking skeleton dropped from above down at you. You jolted back into Severen as he giggled and held you still.

"Calm down, sweetheart! It's just an old dusty bag of bones. You see Jess everyday; This should be nothin."

Okay, you did chuckle a bit at that as he grinned and moved you both on through. "Jesse would kick your ass if he heard that."

Severen laughed. "Ha! I'd like to see the ole saddlebag try!"

Even if you knew he was joking and deeply respected Jesse. Hell, Jesse was probably the only creature alive that made Severen behave himself.

You went through a 'cabin' with a bunch of inbred mutant hillbillies yelling and jumping out of walls. Banging pots and having fake guts that smelled putridly close to the real thing near you. Severen grinned like a kid at a candyshop while you were hiding in his jacket.

One tried to scare him and he hissed at them, showing off his teeth and the scare actor backed away. You could tell the actor didn't know what to say having gotten out of character as Severen just smiled and walked you and him on through.

"See? You don't got nothin' to worry 'bout. Jus' a bunch of loud fucks jumping out hollarin'... 'Boo!' He quickly grabbed your sides and you jumped before chuckling and shoving him away. All before an animatronic zombie sprung from the wall withering and groaning and scared the shit out of you enough to grab ahold of him again.

Severen got a good laugh out of that as you exclaimed, "Fuck this place!" Even if you were smirking a bit.

He gave a huffing sort of chuckle and slung an arm around you as he forced you through the next room. Strobe lights, a putrid smell in the air, a body jerking on a medical table and another one covered.

"Uh uh!" You mumbled trying to turn but he just turned you back around snickering while trying to push you forward. Using a quarter of his strength as you put your brakes on.

He sighed heavily. "Fiinne, I'll go first chicken shit." He dragged you behind him and you realized that was a mistake because they waited till he was halfway in before the one on the table jumped out at you and another sprung out from a hidden door in the wall. You practically jumped on Severen's back and he just stood there grinning. Letting the scare actors get up in his face to try and scare him as he looked downright out amused. He made a wise crack about health insurance to the doctors and then they just tried focusing on you as you, no matter what your size, dragged Severen by the arm out of there as he laughed his ass off. Tripping over his own two feet in his boots at being off balance by you.

"Okay, okay! We're goin'. Relax!" He laughed as you both rounded the corner to a much creepier area.

Some makeshift butcher shop that was almost completely dark with a few red lights. Fake dead bodies and body parts everywhere and a smell that imitated blood.

You cringed, "Ugh, this is neat but I hate it." You whined a bit having fun but also your human heart beating out of your chest.

"Really?" Severen commented taking a big whiff. "Smells as good as cherry pie to me!" He winked at you. "Though not as good. Guess comparing some artificial bullshit fragrance from the real thing."

You weren't even listening to him. Too preoccupied in what was happening. An animatronic dropped from the ceiling as a dead body right over top of his head and he just looked annoyed for the first time tonight when it dropped too low. All before a human scare actor jumped out at the same time and maybe it was the blood smell distracting him or the animatronic or too many distractions for even a vampire to comprehend it all but a guy with a butcher knife tried to grab Severen...And in a harsh motion Severen just instinctively lashed at him and sent him flying into the wall.

Your eyes widened and even Severen looked a bit surprised. "...Oops." He mumbled with a slight bewildered smirk.

The guy groaned, yelling out in pain as a rib or two was definitely broken. Severen sighed, shrugging at you before walking up to him and picking him up by the back of his head. "Welp, looks like the butcher is getting chopped. Can't have you gossiping...I'm damn hungry any." He joked while slamming the guy against the wall. "All this imitation blood is makin' me hungry as a tired hound!"

The guy grunted and tried to fight Severen and he just gripped his head and started slowly twisting to snap his neck in a quick death. "How's 'bout I show ya what actual blood smells like?" Severen purred out with a grin.

The victim he had threw the butcher knife and you yelped as it cut your arm...Jesus Christ, was that real!? Severen's eyes flared, sneering as he ripped the guys head clean off...CLEAN...OFF. You had never seen him do that! The sound of you yelping and smelling your blood set him on edge like no other as he ripped his head off and with the angle the guy was decapitated; that blood from the bodies arteries in the neck spurted out all over you like a damn water gun when he accidentally aimed it at you when he jerked to see if you were okay.

Blood went EVERYWHERE! On your face, your chest, your stomach and legs. Soaking over your clothes that didn't cover much anyways with you being down South in the fall. Your mouth hung open in shock as you outstretched your hands looking down at your body dripping red. The metalic smell hitting you in the face.

Severen cringed. "...Oops...."

You sighed heavily looking irritated but defeated as your entire everything was soaked in sticky hot blood.

Severen clicked his tongue against his teeth with a sheepish smirk. "Sorry, sugar...C'mon! The guy was askin' for it!..." He then came towards you with a concerned look. "Ya alright?"

You forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine."

He grabbed your arm. "Liar." He muttered as he gently brought your arm up seeing more blood on that arm dripping to your fingertips. "I can smell yer blood type anywhere, angel...YN...Yer bleedin' too much. That bastard really got ya." He lowered his head to smell.

"I'm fine."

He lowered his face more not letting to of your arm. "No, yer bleedin'." Releasing a shuddering breath and letting his warm wet tongue swipe firmly across the cut. Savoring your taste as his eyes closed. It kept bleeding as he darted his tongue out, lapping little licks over the thin cut before gently sucking. It missed arteries but it still bled.

You felt your stomach flip and heat rise in you. "U-Uh, it's okay...."

"Then let me clean you up. No use letting it all go to waste." He mused while kissing the cut. Groaning to himself at the flavor of you on his lips.

"Um, you're uh...You're wasting blood over there already." You mumbled with wide eyes at the headless body in a pool of its own blood a few feet away.

"No, I ain't." He corrected as he licked a splatter of the man's blood off your arm. "Besides, I ain't licking floor blood. What do ya take me for? A damn dog?" He teased with a husky voice. Blue eyes still hooded as he lapped at your skin. Licking down your arm and wrist before he brought your hand up to dart his tongue out in tickling licks to flicker over your fingertips like the tease he was before sucking your fingers clean of any blood that dripped down your arm.

You were definitely flustered, loins doing that tingling heat thing as you looked at his heavy lidded eyes gazing at you as he sucked and kissed your fingers. "S-Sev! Someone will come in-"

"No they won't." He reassured as he picked you up with his inhuman strength and pinned you to a wall in the corner. Knocking a few props away with his boot. "If they do? We'll jus' say it was part of the act."

He swiped his tongue over your neck and throat, grazing his razor sharp teeth over your vocal cords as you whimpered before licking a firm trail of his tongue up to your mouth. Kissing you deeply with a groan low in his throat. Gripping you and licking the blood from your face and lips before forcing you to taste it on his tongue. You didn't like the taste, still human and the amount of blood not appealing and yet you didn't hate it either. Not when it was him.

He pulled away, blood on his lips; making them look more full while tinted red. He grinned. That euphoria hitting like it always did with blood. Like the sexiest most happiest most wonderful drug as they described it.

They all pointed at the dead bloody, raving how realistic this was before leaving. Severen chuckled at how flustered you were. "Not the best acting abilities babe but with looks like this? Who needs it." He mused as he sucked at your bare nipples/sucked your nipples through whatever garment you had and you whined at the hot rush pulsing between your legs.

You gasped sharply as he ripped your drenched blood red shirt off of you in one clean jerk and you faltered with big eyes. He sucked on the fabric a bit in his hand trying to get that blood before dipping down to lap at the flesh before him. Sliding and swirling and flicking his tongue over your chest and navel. You covered your mouth with heat rising in you. Eyes darting around as you were scared someone might see. You saw a group of people going by and ducked your head in embarrassment at being exposed. Severen blocked you, grinning a bloody sharp toothed grin over his shoulder while looking like he was a scare actor 'eating' another scare actor.

"Sev, please...We'll get caught..."

"Sshhhhhh." He hushed as he kissed down your navel while turning you so you weren't too immodest to any passing people. "Best part? You can scream as loud as ya want and no one will be the wiser, darlin'." He swirled his tongue with a smirk at the blood on your stomach and worked his way down before impatiently sliddinhlg your pants down.

You covered your mouth tighter as he slid your pants and or underwear down to your upper thigh. Just enough to lick what was important. The blood from your shirt had smeared onto your pelvis and he greedily licked his tongue over your skin in firm, flat swipes.

You quivered a little feeling his tongue getting closer to your sex. You were throbbing, heat pooling down there as he smirked up at you. Kneeling on one knee with a satisfied groan like growl coming from his throat. "Mm...Someone's excited."

"B-Because you're..." You trailed off.

He giggled, "Don't go blaming me. I can smell it on ya a mile away just from licking your fingers but this?-" He gently swiped a finger over your privates to collect the liquid your body was producing already whether pre-cum or slickness. It was A LOT on his finger tips. Your body knew what it wanted before you did. Practically dripping as you whimpered at his finger swiping over such a sensitive spot. He continued, "This? What a naughty lil darlin' I have...Hmm."

He blew air on you down there as you flinched. "What should I do to such a naughty thing, hmm? I mean gee...I done cleaned off all the blood. What else is there?" He mockingly gave with faux innocence.

God damn, he was gonna make you say it?! His teasing was ridiculous!

"S-Sev please."

"Please what?" He asked blue eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Please...Lick me."

He hummed. "Ooh...Like here?" He purposely barely licked near you. Tongue flicked at your inner thigh. "Here?" He fluttered his tongue on your pubic area so close yet not touching the throbbing that you needed touched to cum. "Well gosh, YN! How am I supposed to know if you won't say it?" He remarked with a smirk.

"...Please...Lick my...Cock/Pussy."

Severen grinned like a Cheshire Cat laughing at how flustered you were. "Well why didn't ya jus' say so? Sure, baby. I'll lick ya...I'll lick ya reeaalll good." He drew out with a husky chuckle before diving his head down.

You had to cover your mouth as a strained cry tried to escape. His tongue in flat, wet, firm strokes lapped at the tip/your clit.

Jesus! He didn't warm up or even tease like he normally did. Just those firm but flexible laps as wetness collected on his tongue. Your hips twitched at the urupt stimulation. He grunted at your taste as he closed his eyes and had uour hips in a death grip. His rough hands holding them firmly as you could feel his cool metal rings on your warm skin. He kept a pace he knew you liked. No teasing, just him wanting you to come undone on his mouth in a public place.

He dived back down, replacing his hand with his mouth. Careful when sucking and licking you from his filed down teeth. You barely felt his sharp teeth so delicate it almost tickled as he held your hips still so he didn't accidentally hurt you. His tongue warm and wet with saliva as he spreaded your own liquids with his tongue. Groaning into you as his tongue lapped faster. Right underneath your tip/clit as you tried so hard not to cry out but failed. A strained groan falling from your mouth...It just made him be firmer with the base of his tongue. Going up and down, side to side, fluttering, swirling. He was an insatiable greedy menace lapping and licking like a madman.

He used his hand to replace his tongue. Firmly rubbing you to talk. "Don't be shy, baby. Cry, moan, hollar. Ain't no one gonna know what's what in here." His hand moved faster, fingers dancing lightly in a fast pace over your skin as you trembled and gasped out a moan. Unable to control it, unable to move away with his iron grip, people being able to pass by at anytime.

"That's my darlin'."

You gripped the wall behind you, chest rising and falling as your groans and whimpers and moans were more urgent. You couldn't keep quiet with what he was doing. Your adrenaline pumping so much from the fear of being caught.

Then he added a hand. What his mouth couldn't do because of his teeth or the position; he did with his fingers. Grasping your aching cock firmly to pump / inserting not one but two fingers into that slick needy heat to stretch you out deliciously and rub at your g spot. All while his tongue and mouth sucked and licked making smacking noises in between his moans. His eyes hooded as he was enjoying doing this as much as you were recieving.

Your hips went from flinching away to lightly bucking against his face. He chuckled in his throat before growling a low rumble in his chest that vibrated in his throat as he kept up a firm fast pace.

Loud moans were coming out of you. Head back as he was relentless.

A group of people came by and you felt fear grip you at them seeing you in the dark-ish corner, red light refelecting on you. Trying to cover your upper body and Severen feverishly lapping at you. His head of dark hair blocking the view of your genitals thank god but they still looked...And Severen purposely pumped you harder. Hand tighter / Fingers firmer as you felt the heat erupting in you against your will.

"Nnnoo! DONT!! PLEASE DON'T!" You yelled out breathlessly. Before screaming. Absolutely throwing your head back and releasing a groaning scream right as these people walked by all before an animatronic on the opposite side of the room jumped out at them and they ran screaming themselves...They thought your pleas and screams were part of the act.

You gripped Severen's hair hard and rode your orgasm out when he wouldn't stop. Bucking your hips with teeth gritted and a low growling groan escaping you as all that pleasure tingled every part of you. Erupting inside you and then fizzling out. He kept going and it overstimulated so bad you jerked his hair harshly to the point you could've ripped it out.

"Ow! Babe, that hurts...I can handle a truck hittin' me, a shotgun, cold cocked in the jaw, stabbed but hair pulling is off limits...Shit hurts!" He pouted and pulled away. He smirked soon after as he drew his fingers away from you and licked any cum he might've missed; clean.

You stared down at him, panting. You almost slid down the wall from the intense orgasm you just had as he quickly stood up and braced you. "Easy there...That was so good. That's my baby. You were s' damn sexy...Taste s' good on my tongue." He praised in a husky whisper in your ear while holding you and kissing your head.

You were limp a moment. If you could purr you would. That was one of the best you ever had and so kinky in public and just...Memorable for sure. And how he treated you made you weak kneed.

He giggling a bit. "C'mere." He hugged you a second. "I'd love to stand here holdin' ya, sweetie...Buuutttt-" He gestured to the body.

Reality set in as you realized you had no shirt now. You both heard the scare actors yelling and talking to each other a room away and you panicked. He shrugged off his jacket then his over-sized red flannel he wore. He quickly gave it to you, whether it was too tight or too loose didn't matter. As long as it covered you enough to get out of here. Your shirt he ripped off was evidence and would've been a red flag as soon as you exited anyways.

He slung an arm around you to support you as you pulled your pants up and adjusted his flannel.

"Welp, time to head out. This was fun, YN." He mused as he quickly led you away to get out of here before scare actors realized he killed their coworker and police were called. If you did get on camera; it wouldn't be the first. The clan was good at evading cops and hiding as vampires.

Once through the rooms he slowed his pace. Having his arm around you with a leisure stride and smile. Boots jangling with his spur on each step. The security guard stared at you both...Eyeing the red on your dark pants but it wasn't as noticeable as your old now destroyed shirt was. You and Severen smiled and walked out the building. Scott free.

He leaned down. Whispering to you. "Close one. Nights young. How bout we get to some place private so we can keep having fun."

You eagerly nodded with a smirk still on an adrenaline rush you just did what you did and just as excited to return the favor. He stopped a moment to kiss you, lifting your chin to let his lips meet yours before you both just smirked at each other and kept walking. The night was his. It was his playground and he was like an excited teen boy in love rather than a centuries old vampire so ready to show you his world. You didn't know how long you'd be human but not long. You were too enraptured with him, with the night that how could you not?

For now, he lifted you up with the strength of a superhuman as he rushed with you to the nearest motel. Both of you laughing and in love and needed to touch and get as much lust out as possible.

#near dark #severen #severen van sickle #severen near dark #near dark severen #severen x reader #severen imagine #Severen smut #near dark 1987

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small-sinclair · 1 year

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To Be Young

An idea that I thought of base is this picture by @suwann-11. Enjoy.

Welcomed readers: @sketchy-rosewitch, @modern-greek-tragedy, @fluffy-little-demon

“Well, ain’t this somethin’?” Lester asked himself as he looked at the two twins. One moment, he and his brothers were racing through the woods all grown up just to see if Lester was still the fastest, but the marsh was too thick that Lester came out the other side in a town that was alive. Ambrose was alive and kicking with the sugar mill working.

He scratched his head as he looked around, taking off his hat. Where’s his brothers? Better question, where’s he, or when his he? He takes a deep breath as he looks around. Everything was so bright and familiar… he felt like he was dreaming.

“Well, betta find ‘em,” he said, putting his hat back on. Maybe if he runs backwards in the forest, time will rest itself?

A twig snapped behind him, making Lester jump. He turns around as he held his chest, and his eyes grew wide. Shyly, a young child stood half-hiding behind a tree, a bright blue eyes looking at him curiously. Long black hair sat at his shoulders and covered half of his waxed face. He wore overalls over a light brown sweater, his hands tucked into the long sleeves.

Lester slowly knelt down in disbelief. “Vinny?” He asked, eyes wide. “Vincent? Is ‘at you?”

The boy looked over his shoulder then back at Lester. Carefully, he stepped out from his hiding spot and came towards Lester. His fingers rubbing the end of the sleeves nervously.

“Do,” Lester felt nervous as he licked his lips, “do you know me?”

Vincent shrugs, bringing his hands up to sign slowly, ‘You look familiar, but no. Sorry.’

“That’s okay, Vincent,” Lester gave a soft grin. He stands up and dusts his pants. “I reckon Bo ain’t fair?”

Vincent shrugs. ‘I don’t know where he is.’ Then his hands fall as he a hiccup escaped. He looks up at Lester with a tearful eye. ‘I lost him,’ his hands were shaky.

“Oh! Don’t cry,” he knelt down and dug into his pockets, pulling out a hanky. “Here, sorry ‘at’s it’s dirty. It’ll do, yeah?” He offered a grin as Vincent took it. “How ‘bout we wait ‘Eee and see if he shows up—?”

“Hey!” Both head shot up to a young boy running through the forest, knees scraped, red button shirt. His pants were partly ripped and shoe untied. His hair hair with sticks and mud.

“Bo?”

“Get away from my brotha, ya freak!” Bo shouted a she raced towards him. Using a fallen log, Bo launched himself up and held back a fist. “Don’ touch ‘im!”

Lester felt Vincent go behind him and hide as Lester caught the fighting twin, kicking the air and throwing punches. He was fussy, but Lester tried to keep a good grip.

“Whoa, buddy! Hey!” Lester tried not to be scared of child Bo, but he knew how big of a higher his brother was when they were younger. “Calm down! I ain’t doin’ nothin’ to ‘im! Honest!” He let down the boy and stepped aside to show that Vincent was safe. “See? He was waitin’ wit’ me for ya.”

Bo breathed heavily as he glared at him then back at Vincent. “S’at true, Vin?”

Vincent nodded.

Bo looked back up at Lester. “Thank you,” he said bitterly. “But ‘m here now. So, you c’n git.”

Lester’s eyes fell on his brother’s wrist, new scars bleeding with raw skin. “Okay, Bo—”

“An’ son’ say me name,” the child spat, pushing Lester aside and stood next to Vincent. “Never gave ya it, too.” He took Vincent’s hand and led him towards the house. “You okay, Vin? Did he hurt ya?”

Vincent shook his head. He looks back at the bewildered Lester and stops Bo. He lets go of his hand and walks back slowly towards him, his wondering blue eye never leaving. He stood a foot a way and signs, ‘Thank you for staying, sir.’ Shyly, he gave Lester a hug.

Lester held up his hands slightly at his brother’s hug, but his hands lower and ruffled his hair slightly. “Yer welcomed, kiddo.” As Vincent stepped away and went back to his brother’s side, taking his hand.

Lester shoved his hands him his pockets and offered a smile. He nodded at Bo, saying, “Watch over ‘em, yeah?”

Bo nods and turns, leading his brother back to their home.

Lester looked back at the forest and felt the warm air through the trees and bushes. He felt that it was time to leave, and he was okay with that. He steps back into the forest and walks back towards Ambrose, leaving behind something at was never his.

“I think I understand now,” he said to the marsh before going through the thick of it. “Than’ ya fer showin’ me.”

He walks through the bush and muck, coming back on the other side. He looked around at the empty town and smiled.

“Lester!” He jerks his head to the left and saw Bo jogging towards him, Vincent following with Jonesy on his heels. “Where t’hell have ya been? You were gone fer an hour!” Bo stood in front of him and brushed off the thrones and twigs. “Well?”

Lester but the inside of his cheek then answered, “Was lost,” he gave a half smile, “but found my way home.”

Bo brought him into a hug, Vincent patting Lester’s back. “Don’t scare us like ‘at!” He pulled away as Vincent swung an arm around his shoulder Jonesy barked happily and circled them. “Come on. Let’s go home and get ya washed up.”

He turns and leads the way home, Vincent keeping his little brother close.

This was his home, and no one was going to take it from Lester.

#bo sinclair #vincent sinclair #lester sinclair #house of wax #house of wax 2005 #house of wax (2005)#house of wax fanfiction #lester sinclair fanfic #bo sinclair fanfic #vincent sinclair fanfic #house of wax fanfic

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spaceacealex · 1 year

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Hello @grimaussiewitch!! I have some Pearlescent Moon goodies for you for @mcyt-valentines!!

I have a Playlist.

A painting (its traditional art with minor adjustments for lighting)

And below the cut, a fic.

I hope you have a wonderful day! Happy Valentines!!

The sound of rockets interrupting her cleaning was unexpected, but not unwelcome. Pearl expected Scar, checking in on her progress, or maybe even adding more to the mess. Instead, a very recently dethroned and tomato-covered monarch kicked up dirt with his landing.

Ears pinned back, Ren smiled. “Hey there, dude– Pearl! Miss Pearlescent Moon! How’s it hangin’?”

And Pearl would never have accused the man of being proficient in subtlety, but this was a completely new level of blatant anxiety. “Ren? What’s up, buddy?” She sidestepped, moving between shulkers to continue her sorting, but glancing at Ren as she worked. “If you’re looking for Scar I think he’s avoiding working around his base, and me, by making another fancy bow.”

The dogman’s tail thrashed as he chuckled. “He, uh, actually was the one who told me where you were. Which it great, because I think your base would have eaten me if I tried to walk around without you there.”

“Ah, well.” She shrugged, dropping another stack of diorite in a chest. “It hasn’t eaten anyone, yet. You’d probably be okay.” Pearl leaned over, dropping an elbow on top of a shulker and plopping her head in her hand. “Now what’s bugging you?”

Now he looked downright embarrassed. “Nothin– okay well, lying won’t help.” His nervous chuckle was a sad sound.

“True! Come on, you can tell ol’ Pearl-o anything at all.” Her antennae perked up, a move she knew from experience triggered Ren’s ears to do the same.

It worked. As soon as his ears were no longer glued to his head, Ren looked much more relaxed. His shoulders slumped. “Pearl, I owe you an apology.”

Her head tilted, but she waited to speak.

“I really lost my head with the whole, ‘King’ business.” He smiled thinly at his own word choice. “I hurt everyone, and I don't rightly know how to make it better. And specifically,” his ears drifted down again, though more gently then they had been pinned before, “I know I really hurt you.”

Pearl blinked, wide-eyed. “Ren, do you think I’m angry with you?”

His barked laugh was more strained than it ever should be. “How could you not be? I was stealing your resources! Claiming your hard work for myself!” Ren started pacing, hands moving as he talked. “I made petty laws just to spite you, and I was so angry–” He scoffed, still pacing. “I wanted you dead, Pearl! You and the rest of Soup Group. I was so ready to hurt you and for what? Some pranks? Light teasing? My head was full of hideous plans and awful things I was going to do to you, all over just the threat of a bruise to my ego.”

“Hey now.” Pearl tried not to sound too offended. “We did some mischief that must have done some actual ego-bruising.” Her antennae lifted again, but Ren wasn’t paying enough attention for it to work a second time. “We were very proud of our vandalism.”

He froze and turned to her. “Pearl, ‘vandallism’ is no excuse for me carrying around the head of your basemate as a comfort item.”

She winced, and stood up straight. “Okay, good point.” Pearl started taking careful steps towards Ren, not wanting to spook him. “But we did try to blow you up in your own throne room.”

“A throne built on empty promises and corruptly-gotten-gains!” The roll in his words was more in line with the theatrics one should expect from their beloved Rendog.

Pearl took it as a good sign. “And we swapped the diamonds for emeralds in the Crastle?” She was just a couple meters away now, hands held out to show her intention was good.

Ren huffed. “You were right though, by the rules I established, that was a perfectly reasonable exchange of currency. So I shouldn’t have lost my mind about it.”

“But you did.” She shrugged. “Okay. Apology accepted.” Pearl was within arms reach of her friend.

“And I sent out that hit order on– Wait, what?” His ears stood straight up. "Sorry, I could have sworn you just said–"

"Apology accepted." Pearl smirked. "Did you expect this to go some other way?"

A small sound, almost a whine, escaped Ren. "Well, no. Yes? Maybe!" He dropped his head into his hands and stumbled forward, into Pearl's waiting arms. "Aren't you furious with me?" He bemoaned, the words muffled in his friend's shoulder.

"I was." Pearl sighed and began rubbing Ren's back. "But then I did some minor terrorism about it and I'm okay now. You're not the king anymore, there's no more ridiculous laws, and you've apologized. I think we're all set."

Ren squeezed her around the ribs. "I was prepared to grovel. I'm– well I'm not sure I feel right about dropping it at that."

"Oh, don't be mistaken, my fine, fuzzy, friend. You're not off the hook entirely." She pulled back and fixed a disciplinary gaze on his face. "I'm not mad at you. I forgive you. But you still have things to make right."

“Yes, yes, of course!” Ren’s tail wagged, his sincerity was written all over his face. “I’m cleaning up all my nonsensicals in the shopping district. And I forfeit any ownership of the Crastle or the contents therein. Any diamonds left in there are not mine to touch, but yours– I mean all of yours. The people’s.”

Pearl giggled. “And I’m sure ‘the people’ will appreciate all that. But if I’m totally honest with you?” She reached for his hand and began tugging him towards the disaster that was Scar’s shulker monster. “What we need is our friend back. You say our Rendog is back with us? Come and prove it, starting now.” She pointed to a half-emptied shulker.

“Are you sure you don’t just want me doing your chores?” She had missed his easy, warm chuckle. “I am back with you. I missed you dudes. And I would be delighted and most honored to spend some time with my bestest of buds, doing…” He faltered, peeking into the shulker. “What, exactly, are we doing?”

“Cleaning!” Pearl scooped a stack of fenceposts from the container and shoved them into Ren’s arms. “I suggest you familiarize yourself with my excellent chest system over there.” She nodded to the wall of double chests on the other side of the shulker monster. “I’m gonna make you gossip and chat with me while we get this all under control.” At Ren’s slack-jawed, disbelieving look, Pearl grinned and reached to pat him on the cheek. “It’s not so bad. I’ve done most of the hard part already. Now we just need to put things in their lovely, labeled chests.”

Ren blinked away the shock and shook his head. “Whatever you say, dude. Ren the dog, at your service.” He took the first steps towards the sorting system, eyeing the seemingly endless sea of shulkers before them. “Might even be kind of fun, poking through all of Scar’s things!”

“That’s the spirit! You’ll make an excellent intern to the cleaning lady.” Pearl resumed her rummaging, sorting the remainder of the chest’s contents in her inventory. “Now, tell me, Ren: where the heck are you gonna live if you’re giving up the Crastle?”

Having Ren’s ‘assistance’ really didn’t make the business of sorting go any faster. But it was worth every extra second spent. When Ren hugged her in farewell, Pearl felt warm, overjoyed to have her friend back. Not that she wouldn’t plant explosives in his base in the future. Or that he wouldn’t overperform a role as a tyrannical ruler ever again. But knowing that they were still friends, still able to come together at the end of it all and make amends, was the only thing that mattered.

They’re a dysfunctional family, but a loyal one.

#art

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27emailsicantsend · 1 year

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Chapter Three: Missing Moments

November

I know I'll find my way out. But just 'cause it gets better, don't make it better right now. Are all of my tears gonna turn into somethin'? Is all of this pain just for nothin'? Just for nothin'. Well, maybe someday it'll all fade away and the weight of the world won't be mine. And maybe I'll see at the end of the day, who I am made it all worth the while. And these scars will be stories I tell, all in due time.

-”All in Due Time”, Joshua Bassett

October had come and gone with some notable events. The first was a Halloween party at Ashlyn’s house (Ricky and Gina dressed up as Spiderman and Gwen). The doc finished airing that week, so Ricky and his friends decided to turn their Halloween party into a watch party, finally watching the the entire show together. The cast agreed to wait to watch it together, so they could talk about any false narratives that were presented. They were correct- everything in the doc was blown out of proportion to make the kids look bad. Channing went above and beyond the promo to make nearly every person in the group look like they had failing friendships, crippling anxiety, and an unhealthy desire to cheat. Even with parts of the documentary revealing some truths (such as Ricky and Gina or Jet and Kourtney), it was twisted and manipulated in a way that none of it seemed real. It was extremely frustrating for everyone to watch and the majority of them were glad they made statements on social media about the promo before the documentary even aired. Ricky and Gina made no comments about their situation, even though Ashlyn and Carlos asked. Jet thankfully stepped in by turning the attention to his and Kourtney’s situation- Ricky knew he made the right decision trusting Jet with his secret.

Next, Ricky finally nailed the acoustic version of “Right Here, Right Now. He felt proud of his work which made him actually want the play to come a bit faster. He just wanted to prove what he could do.

Lastly, there began to be even more pressure on Ricky and Gina to keep their secret affairs in order. With the doc finishing it’s release, multiple students would make comments about them being a couple in the hallways. They would mock Gina making kissy-faces at her as she got on the bus and they would put “love notes” from Gina in Ricky’s locker. The teasing felt relentless most of the time. And while it sometimes felt like the harassment would never end for Ricky, he was able to keep calm knowing he could come home to Gina every day. Their conversation on the Ferris wheel last month solidified that they were going to make their relationship work- no matter how many people they had to dodge.

Ricky was fiddling his fingers on some keys on the piano while the other students stood around and conversed. Maddox was playing a game on her phone with Gina, Carlos and Seb were planning an at-home double date with Kourtney and Jet, and Kaleb was showing Big Red some of his new dance shoes he got. Ricky was happy to be a part of this group of his friends- a sense of comfort he didn’t feel for the longest time until meeting them.

“Wildcats!” Miss Jenn yelled across the auditorium, a massive grin spread across her face. “Center stage, please! I’ve got some news!”

Everyone ran to center stage, chattering even louder as they debated what the “news” could be. The auditorium echoed with buzz about the newest announcement to be made, curiosity thrown around in all of the conversation. Ricky stayed at the piano, equally as anxious as the others about what Miss Jenn had to say.

“It’s not going to be announced quite yet,” Miss Jenn started as she walked up stage, clasping her hands together. “But, the cast of High School Musical is making a 4th movie!”

Screaming.

“And it’s going to take place right here at East High!”

Even more screaming.

“And you all get to be in the movie!”

Ricky had never heard so much screaming and chatter. He looked at Gina nervously, wondering if she felt just as uneasy about the movie, but she was too busy chattering with Ashlyn. Gina jumped up and down with a giddy facial expression, talking about how excited she was to meet Monique and Gabriella. Carlos was standing next to her, telling Big Red how he was even more excited than Gina to meet Zac. The room was loud and overbearing, which made Ricky grateful he stayed sitting at the piano. It gave him the space he needed to process his cycling thoughts.

Ricky couldn’t make sense of how everything was going to fit into such a tight schedule, especially with Gina. He wondered, how are we going to fit in time to do the play and the movie? What about school? And seeing Gina? And her dance practices? We already have so much to do? How can I get my homework done and see her on top of everything else we have? I don’t ever remember signing up for this. Wouldn’t Miss Jenn have asked first? And-

“Ricky!” Miss Jenn clapped her hands loudly from the front of the stage. While Ricky was lost in thought, his hand must have slid onto the piano because it had been making a loud, obnoxious sound from several keys smashing together. The room was pin-drop quiet, which made the sound from the piano even more invasive. Miss Jenn trying to bring back Ricky to reality brought even louder stares from the group than the piano. Not a single eye was blinking.

Embarrassing to say the least.

Ricky picked his hand up quick off the keys, apologizing quickly. Ricky tried his hardest to shake off the awkwardness, before focusing on Miss Jenn. Ricky thought that maybe listening to whatever she had to say would push his freeway thoughts out of the limelight of his mind.

Miss Jenn acted as though nothing happened. “Like I said, you are all going to be a part of the movie!”

“As main characters?” Carlos said excitedly.

“I don’t know..” Miss Jenn tried to answer before Seb cut her off.

“How about side characters?”

“Or maybe even... background characters,” Gina worried, a frightened look on her face and a shudder following immediately after.

“Look, Wildcats, I don’t know what we’re in for,” Miss Jenn moved on. “I just know that after our summer with Corbin, it made him miss his days at the school so much. So he talked to me, I pulled some strings with the principal, he pulled some strings with the cast, and here we are”.

Ricky wished he felt more excited, really, but there were too many things at stake. He wanted to slow down and enjoy his senior year- not blitz through it without a second though.

“What about the play?” Ricky mentioned. He knew he sounded somber, but it was hard to fake any other emotion.

Miss Jenn looked at Ricky sweetly and then walked over to him, placing one hand on his shoulder. She turned to look at the rest of his classmates, hand still resting on him. “You guys have worked so hard for this play. It would be a dishonor, especially with the original cast being here, to not still put on the show. I know it might mean skipping some other things to fit in the rest of your lives, but we will make it work”.

And with that last sentence, Gina finally gave Ricky a worried look back.

“What are we going to do, Ricky?” Gina asked, popping a grape in her mouth.

It had been a few hours since Miss Jenn’s announcement and Gina and Ricky were back to Ricky’s house, finally able to talk. Gina was sitting on Ricky’s counter top, kicking her legs back and forth as she plucked some stems off the grapes between them. Ricky was learning against the sink next to her, both arms resting on the counter.

Anyone looking from the outside in would think they were having a cozy fall afternoon at Ricky’s house. The scene looked peaceful, happy even. There was calm music, a lit candle, and Ricky couldn’t help but notice how cute Gina looked in her brown and burnt orange sweater (Ricky hadn’t been able to think clear all day and seeing her in that sweater was not helping).

But despite how calm it seemed, the room was filled with stress- so dense and heavy it would make it hard to walk.

“I don’t know, Gi”, Ricky said, biting his lower lip as he watched her pop another grape in her mouth.

“Well... it’s not like I haven’t been thrown curveballs before,” Gina tried to say half-heartedly. All Ricky could do was nod.

“Ricky,” Gina grabbed his chin and gently pushed his head up to look at her. “We’re going to get through this ok?”

“I know we are. I just feel like we’re being burned at all ends. It’s so hard to not be with you sometimes,” Ricky sighed.

Gina gave Ricky a face that acknowledged she understood what he meant. Now it was Ricky’s turn to comfort her, because he could see some water forming in her eyes.

He moved from his propped position until he was standing, grabbing Gina’s hand that was holding his face. He took that hand down to his side, interlocking it with his. With his other hand, he rested it on her cheek, using his thumb to wipe a tear that fell. He knew Gina was trying to keep it in to be courageous for the both of them. They did that for each other.

“You don’t need to be brave for me, Gina,” Ricky said, still massaging her cheekbone. Their eyes met quietly for a moment. Gina then gave a couple of heavy sobs whilst nodding in agreement.

Ricky continued his previous thought, “... And I believe you- that we’re going to get through this, even if it’s hard. I mean, look at us! We’ve been doing it all this time and we’ve been ok... I don’t want you to give up on anything you’re doing now to make me happy, because I think it would end up in sadness for both of us. I am so so proud of you, Gina”.

Ricky leaned in to give her a small kiss on her tear-stained cheek. Gina rested her face in Ricky’s hand, her crying now subsided.

“Pinky promise?” Gina giggled through a slightly stuffed nose.

Ricky gave a breathy laugh back, “Pinky promise.”

And with that, their interlaced hands became interlaced pinkies.

By the end of the week, the cast for High School Musical began to show up at the school. Each cast member got their own amounts of whooping and screaming from the theater kids as they each made their way into the auditorium that Friday. The rest of the afternoon was just Ricky’s friends obsessing over every move the original High School Musical cast took. Carlos cried for three hours after he met Zac- and then begged Zac to follow him on Instagram, Gina couldn’t take enough pictures with Monique (with Ricky shamelessly offering to be their photographer), and Seb and Ashley Tisdale talked about Seb’s Sharpay outfits longer than Ricky had ever heard someone discuss fashion.

Miss Jenn was probably the most excited of all. She found every opportunity she could to talk about a moment she had with the cast. Whether they were around or not. A few of the cast members remembered her, but they didn’t remember any of the stories she told. Vanessa especially didn’t remember when she agreed to be “best friends for life” with Miss Jenn.

Surprisingly, the original cast had already received their scripts and had accomplished some table readings before they ever showed up to set, so filming was going to start the next week. The theater kids found out they were mostly going to be extras in the movie, but they couldn’t be more thrilled. Even Ricky found himself starting to get excited about doing the movie with Gina.

Everything in Ricky’s life seemed a bit better when he knew Gina was involved too.

But Ricky felt like he could blink and miss Gina if he wasn’t careful enough. Her schedule ran tighter than ever. She had major performances, one the last day of November and another in May. Her dance rehearsals bumped from two days a week to three (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) with the performance being this month. She had play rehearsals Tuesday through Thursday which she couldn’t miss being the lead. On top of it all, the movie started filming, so she was involved on any days she was needed there. Ricky and Gina were lucky to get two, sometimes three days together at his house a week.

Ricky continuously tried to remind himself that this was all for the best. That even if it was hard, it was worth it seeing Gina step into herself as a performer. He even tried to give himself reminders when times got hard like maybe spending less time together was a good thing because it gives our relationship breathing room- that’s healthy for all couples or this is only temporary, the movie will be done in a couple of months. The reminders got him through some really lonely nights without her.

About halfway through the month, Ricky and Gina were looking at their phone calendars. They were sitting on his bedroom floor, procrastinating their homework, trying to find another day to get together. Days like this felt like golden gems in Ricky’s month, so he was going to take advantage of it by finding another day to be together.

“How about Friday?” Ricky said to Gina, pursing his lips at his screen.

“I can’t, remember? Dance,” Gina sighed.

“Saturday?” Ricky flicked his finger to the next page.

“We’re doing choreography for that new HSM song”.

“Sunday?” Ricky said, beginning to feel like maybe he was grasping at straws.

“Maybe... it looks like it might be open?” Gina’s voice sounded giddy. That was promising for Ricky.

“Ok cool, Sunday it is!” Ricky grinned as he started to type out the arrangements in his phone.

“Shoot!” Gina exclaimed, slamming a palm to her forehead. “It’s my mom’s birthday. I promised her I would be there because we have family flying in... young girl cousins that have finished watching the documentary,” Gina couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

“Yeah, definitely means I can’t be there,” Ricky remarked, clicking his tongue. “Won’t they say something to you about us?”

“No... or at least I hope not. As far as they know, I dumped EJ and hardly talk to you now. I made my mom promise she wouldn’t say anything and she’s as good as her word”.

“Monday?” Ricky said, not intentionally trying to change the subject so fast. The entire documentary made him uncomfortable, so it was easier to just move on as quickly as he could from the subject.

“Dance, Ricky,” Gina’s tone was dry.

“Ughhhhhhhhh”. Ricky pulled his knees up to his chest and started lightly pounding his head on them. He felt Gina give his back a couple of gentle pats and then rest her hand there as she scrolled to another day on her phone.

As much as the two tried to make their calendars work, they just couldn’t. Seeing each other at school was nearly impossible because if it wasn’t a camera in the hallway for High School Musical 4, it was Dani harassing Gina that she still hasn’t learned her part (what does it matter anyway if she’s just going to be thrown in the back where no one can see her? Ricky thought defensively). Ricky and Gina tried to meet late at night a couple of times, but it was too late for either of them so they ended up cancelling. They were completely exhausted from their busy schedules that they usually just went home, did their homework, and went to sleep.

Ricky even realized in the chaos of scheduling his life around school events, he had been neglecting some of his other friendships. So on days Gina was at dance he would hang out with Jet, Big Red, Carlos, or all three. It was one of the only perks that came from the pitfalls of autumn.

On top of seeing some of his friends again, Ricky was also able to find some other sunny moments in November. First, Miss Jenn loved his rendition of “Right Here, Right Now” and the emotions Ricky and Gina evoked as they practiced it during rehearsal (little did Miss Jenn know, the lyrics were upsettingly fitting). Second, Ricky let Gina borrow his guitar. He wasn’t sure when exactly she was finding the time, but she said she was making some major progress on it. It made him happy to think he taught her that skill and she was so invested in learning it. Third, filming for High School Musical 4 was actually pretty fun; Ricky couldn’t deny it. He didn’t grow up with the movie, so meeting the cast members wasn’t a huge deal to him. Although Zac tried to create a “special bond” with him. Carlos tried not to act jealous of Zac’s newfound attention on Ricky, but it wouldn’t be Carlos without adding a comment or two about how Ricky was “Zac’s favorite”.

“Little Zac!!!” Ricky heard Zac calling his name from behind him one day after filming. Ricky was making his way over to the trash can to toss a soda when he heard the man’s voice, causing him to freeze.

“Root Beer- good man”. Zac said, hovering a little too closely over Ricky.

Ricky closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths to compose himself. He turned around to have Zac approximately three inches from him. Zac was a lot shorter in real life, so Ricky height won out when Zac wasn’t wearing high tops. Ricky wondered if that’s why he hated the name “Little Zac” so much. It was either that or the nickname itself was just obnoxious.

“Zac... heyyy,” Ricky had to edge his way out from between the trash can and Zac. Once he finally had more breathing room, he decided to let Zac bug him for a second. “What’s up?”

“Nothing! I was just missing you buddy! How are you?” Zac put his arm around Ricky. His bicep was bigger than Ricky’s head, making Ricky feel suffocated. He pushed his head as far away from Zac as he could as they walked. Ricky acknowledged mentally how weird their walking posture probably looked.

“Just getting my things ready to go. Gotta get back home and do some homework you know,” Ricky pushed awkwardly.

“Ahh, yes. I remember doing homework during my High School Musical days. High school... what a time,” Zac pondered.

Ricky raised that forsaken eyebrow, once again. He was beginning to notice how often it occurred, telling himself he’s really got to stop doing that.

“No offense, but that wasn’t high school. You were filming,” Ricky responded annoyed, as he struggled again in Zac’s grasp. “And you sang!”

“But we had homework, classes, and friends- it was just like the real experience,” Zac defended himself, loosening his grip a little.

Ricky picked up Zac’s arm stepped out from under it. “No, it wasn’t”.

Is this what my life has come to? Ricky wondered. Arguing with Zac Efron about whether his movie was just like high school?

“No, it was! And if it helps my case, I went out to trailers and did homework, just like the rest of you. I went to Prom...” Zac was rambling tirelessly.

Will this man let it go? Ricky knew his face was openly projecting annoyance.

“You went to a tree to find Gabriella and had an on-screen imaginative scenario about Prom!” Ricky belted.

“But I was in a tuxedo, Little Zac!” Zac whimpered.

Ok, apparently I’m not going to win this. I’m out, Ricky thought as he began to walk away from Zac.

“No, Little Ricky!” Zac pleaded behind him.

“Please stop calling me that!” Ricky yelled before he stopped dead in his tracks. What did Zac just say? “...You just called me Little Ricky?”

“Well, that’s your name, isn’t it?” Zac said.

“Yes, but you’ve been calling me Little Zac this whole time”.

“Because, I guess, I just see so much of myself in you”.

Ricky couldn’t help it. His attention was peaked. He turned around and surprisingly, walked back to Zac. “What do you mean?”

“Jenn told me how you didn’t want to be Troy and showed up late to every first rehearsal, even when you acted like you didn’t care. How you were persistent, regardless of what others thought of you. How you sang surprisingly well for someone who was never in theater. I mean, I know a romantically oppressed man anywhere,” Zac shrugged.

“Zac, those are Troy moments. You aren’t Troy. I’m not Troy...” Ricky annoyance tried to creep up again before that was shattered with realization. “Wait- what did you just say?”

“You showed up late?” Zac was definitely confused.

“No, after that,” Ricky prompted.

“You’re persistent... sometimes to the detriment of others?” Zac tried again.

Ok, rude, Ricky thought before pushing brushing off the comment.

“After that,” Ricky pushed. He was beginning to get the feeling that Zac spoke without thinking sometimes. “About me being romantically oppressed?”

“Oh, yeah! That. I could smell it off you the first day,” Zac accused.

Smelled? Ricky thought, wanting to walk away again. He convinced himself to stay because he still felt bothered by Zac’s comment.

“I’m not romantically ‘oppressed’. I’m just having a good time, doing what needs to be done,” Ricky justified.

“Sure, but are you getting enough time with her?” Zac asked, no regard for who might be listening.

Wait, what? Ricky panicked.

Ricky’s voice went down to a hushed and hurried whisper, “what do you mean ‘with her’”?

Zac brought his voice to the same volume and cadence as Ricky’s. “Obviously there is a her? You’re missing her. Can’t stop thinking about her. She’s always on you mind. It’s like a giant tattoo on your forehead- hard to miss”. Zac described before pausing for a moment. When he spoke again his tone changed from explanatory to confused. “Why are we whispering?”

Ricky rolled his eyes as he grabbed Zac by the shirt and pulled him outside. “Come with me”.

Once he and Zac got outside, he could see that Zac was not used to the Utah weather. He was shivering like mad, his hands brushing his arms furiously to produce heat.

That’s his fault for wearing a t-shirt in twenty degree weather, Ricky remarked in his head.

“Ok? Outside? Really? Why can’t we go somewhere warm?” Zac whined.

“Get over it!” Ricky barked.

“Well then, can we make it quick?” Zac asked, moving constantly to try to keep himself warm. It amazed Ricky that someone who should have a lot of body heat from being so big, acted like a toddler in a little bit of chilly air.

“Fine. But you have to tell me what you meant about a ‘girl’,” Ricky started again.

“What I said inside! You’re missing her? You can’t stop thinking about her? It’s hard not to notice?... I don’t know why we couldn’t have done this inside...” Zac murmured the last part.

Ricky couldn’t believe what he was about to do next. That out of anyone in the entire world, his friends, the cast, the school... he was going to get advice from Zac Efron. But not the cool and suave Efron. This weird, altered version of him that didn’t seem anything like the guy Ricky saw on TV or in magazines.

“If there was a girl- if- what would you say I need to do?” Ricky relented.

“Well, Troy never gave up. Even after Gabriella moved to California, he found a way to show up and stay with her. She was his priority, above what everyone else had to say. Even in the first movie, when Troy’s friends got Gabriella and him to split a little bit, you could easily tell he was devastated. Something that the team thought would make him happy- focusing on basketball- suddenly wasn’t enough if Gabriella wasn’t around. She came first in every way,” Zac explained, his chin beginning to quake with shivers.

Ricky was trying to process what Zac meant, but something about what Zac said in their conversation was still bothering him. “...But you kept calling me Little Zac? This is about Troy, isn’t it?”

Zac was able to stop shaking for a moment as he gave Ricky one more answer, “sometimes we’re not as far from our characters as it seems”.

And with a wink and a nod, Zac ran back inside while Ricky stayed standing in the fresh falling snow, contemplating every thing Zac had to say.

Later on, as the students began to gear up for Thanksgiving break, Ricky and Gina found themselves still missing moments with the other, with Dani starting to be the main source of their frustration. She seemed bent on making Gina’s life a living Hell. She had this emotion blackmail over Ricky’s and Gina’s heads and she made no indication of easing up. Not only did she have Gina dancing in the back of the stage, she began making Gina clean up behind everyone, get waters, show up to every rehearsal early and stay late, and more. Dani was making Gina seem more like a personal assistant than a team member.

“Gosh, this is getting so out of hand, Ricky,” Gina said, carrying a box of waters into the dance room. Ricky had another box to help her carry them in, figuring friends can help friends at least do that. No one would suspect a thing. He took any excuse to spend more time with her.

“How-” Ricky shifted the box in his arms, “-ugh- many more of these do we have to carry in?”

“I’m pretty sure there were about four more boxes out in your car. Remember, Dani wanted enough from now until the performance?” Gina reminded him.

“I remember, but what I don’t remember was you agreeing to be her Dance Jockey,” Ricky said, frustration lacing his voice.

“Hey, you were the one who volunteered to buy these, not me,” Gina deflected.

“I don’t remember agreeing to be her Dance Jockey, either,” Ricky huffed, opening the door to the dance room.

Ricky and Gina set both of the boxes down on a long plastic table with a heavy groan. Gina looked around for a minute, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. Ricky had that look memorized. She was checking for listening ears. She double checked the door, as though she saw something, but then shook her head and talked quietly to Ricky.

“Sometimes... Sometimes I wish we could just give this whole thing up. Maybe it would be better if we just came clean, you know?” Gina sounded like she was surrendering.

And risk your reputation, Gina? Absolutely not, thought Ricky.

“We’re not going to do that,” was all Ricky said, shaking his head. He knows it came off more like a demand, which caused him to feel a bit squeamish.

“Why not?” Gina was upset, but he knew it wasn’t at him. It was at the situation causing the distress.

“You know why, Gi. We’ve been over this. I’m not going to let you go down for us being together,” Ricky said, knowing he was being a bit pushy.

“What if I told you I don’t care anymore? I’m tired of Dani manipulating us so we can keep our own secret. I’m exhausted and so are you. Do you know how many rehearsals I’ve shown up to tired because she won’t let up?”

Ricky didn’t respond.

“Every single one. I’m not performing as well as I could be and we aren’t getting any time together. It feels like this secret is doing more damage than good sometimes. So... let people say bad things about me. Let them talk. I told you I like to know where I stand with people. Maybe I would finally get honest opinions instead of fake ones because of all of this dishonesty we’ve been throwing around”. Gina was talking at a normal volume now.

Ricky stayed quiet. He wanted to respond. He wanted to respond so badly. He hated seeing how upset she was and just wanted to take all of her pain away. But it was like the words wouldn’t form into coherent sentences in his brain. He didn’t know how to comfort her besides wrapping her as tight as he could in his arms. Gina’s arms folded around his waist.

The pair stayed quietly this way before Gina added one last question. “...And why would it only be me getting the blame? Wouldn’t you too?”

That’s when it clicked for Ricky. It was like this part of his brain lit up that never had before. He had been so worried about Gina’s reputation all this time. About her getting talked badly about, about her being accused of cheating, about her being villainized... he didn’t realize he might have been partially projecting. He did want to protect her, but maybe he had been trying to protect his ego the entire time too.

“Maybe you’re right. I don’t think I’m ready for things to change. Not yet, anyway,” Ricky squeezed Gina a little tighter.

He felt her hand grab his, before she wrapped their pinkies together.

“All in due time?” she asked, still holding tight to Ricky.

“All in due time,” Ricky responded.

Miraculously, the school, the movie, and the dance team were not allowed to require students to be around during Thanksgiving break, so Ricky and Gina had the entire 5 days to themselves. They handled it just as any other couple hopelessly into each other would- by spending just about every waking minute together.

Starting on Wednesday, Gina brought Ricky’s guitar over and they sat in his room, playing music and talking. They also started cooking for Thanksgiving, including Gina’s infamous Turkey Cupcakes (Ricky heard Nini’s “Gobble-Gobble” in his head every time she mentioned them). However cooking for Thanksgiving ended right when Ricky was putting the cupcakes in the oven, because Gina got gluten-free flour all over her hands trying to put it away. Naturally, she chased Ricky around the kitchen until she got some on his neck. This was met with a “oh no you don’t!” from Ricky as he cradled her from behind. For revenge, he jokingly got some flour on her nose. Before the pair knew it, the flour was taken back out and thrown all over Ricky’s kitchen. In the midst of the excitement, Mike had just returned from a date with Miss Jenn and had walked in to see his kitchen turned into a winter wonderland. As punishment, Ricky and Gina spent the next two hours cleaning it up (it probably would have gone by sooner, but they started trying to playfully hit each other with wet rags).

Thursday was Thanksgiving. Mike was kind enough to let Gina and Mrs. Porter join them. He would have invited Miss Jenn, but Ricky begged for Gina to be there. Since Miss Jenn couldn’t know about Ricky and Gina dating, Gina won out. Miss Jenn hadn’t been to Ricky’s house once since he and Gina started dating (Mike was extremely convincing in keeping her out). Ricky felt like he couldn’t have asked for a better dad.

Ricky, Gina, and their parents spent the day finishing up cooking, eating delicious gluten-free food (surprisingly), and playing a couple of card games. The four were about half-way done with Uno when Ricky and Gina got a group text on their phones asking if they wanted to go Black Friday shopping with the other theater kids. The answer was an obvious “yes”, so Ricky and Gina stayed up plotting what stores they wanted to go to until an hour before midnight. So the pair didn’t get caught spending their Thanksgiving together by their friends, Ricky told the group that he was going to “pick up Gina” and meet everyone else outside of Target, that way her mom didn’t have to take her. Ashlyn lived closer, so she tried to push getting Gina to ride with her. Ricky was quick on his feet though and said he was already almost to Gina’s, which got Ashlyn to back off.

Unfortunately, shopping only stressed Ricky out more. He still had no idea what he wanted to get Gina for Christmas and this was only another reminder of that. To ease off some of the tension, he decided to not buy anything that night and just follow others around as they shopped. At one point, Gina and some of the girls wanted to go to a jewelry shop (which many of the boys did not care for), so they split up- Ricky taking some of the boys to a Best Buy.

Once at the store, Ricky and Big Red were looking at a Play Station 5. Ricky was looking through the display glass at one of the Play Station 5 boxes when Big Red spoke up about something that had been bothering him lately.

“Man, this would be so nice to have. I need a good distraction,” Red said, his hand making a print on the glass.

“Why buddy? What’s up?” Ricky asked, concerned.

“Ah... it’s Ashlyn and me. We’re... not good. I think she is needing some space. She keeps telling me that she has nothing with Maddox, but I’m finding it hard to believe,” Red said quietly, biting his lip awkwardly after.

Ricky’s heart broke for Big Red. He knew how much Big Red basically idolized Ashlyn. To see him in such a weird place with her, so sad, was the last thing Ricky would have wanted for one of his best friend’s. He wished he could tell Big Red he understood. That things were really hard with Gina and him right now too, but that they would get better soon, but he couldn’t.

Ricky look at Red sympathetically. Ricky didn’t know what else to do to make him feel better, so he gave him a small side hug.

“I’ll be ok, Ricky,” Red said as Ricky pulled his arm back. “Really. I just want her to be happy, even if it means sacrificing my own happiness sometimes”.

Ricky’s eyes widened. That was it! Ricky knew that he had been caught up trying to protect everyone from knowing Gina and him were dating. In the process, as he realized before, it began to be selfish... a protection of his own ego that he didn’t know how to fix. He was trying to show he cared, but the message got transpired poorly. Big Red helped Ricky to see the missing ingredient to mending his problems with Gina, regardless of the outside world: sacrifice.

“Red, can we make one more stop after this?” Ricky asked, enthusiasm burning in his eyes.

Big Red perked up, not even questioning Ricky’s new quest. He gave an eager, “Sure!” before they told the other boys they were going to part ways for the rest of the night. Red sure loved when Ricky got a spontaneous kick.

The next few days post Black Friday were filled with Ricky spending every moment he could with Gina. She didn’t mind the extra company. Each day he found himself helping her figure out some more complicated guitar patterns, cooking delicious meals with her, watching their favorite movies, and one day they even set up an indoor picnic in her basement. Ricky never wanted this good feeling to end, but he knew it was going to have to. At least, for a little bit of time.

Once break was over, he spent the week leading up to the performance working on his “secret project” for Gina. He decided to make a t-shirt, expressing how he felt. He wanted to show her he wasn’t going to hide that he cared for her, even if it meant more gossip about him. He was going to confirm to the world what the world already knew: Ricky Bowen had feelings for Gina Porter. Gina was tired of hiding, but Ricky pressured her to keep her feelings under the surface to protect both of them. He didn’t care if his reputation got sacrificed in the process, as long as Gina got to have her own say about her feelings towards him.

The night of Gina’s performance, Ricky was adding a few final touches to his shirt when he got a call from Gina. She was panicking, her words barely forming sentences from the speed she was talking at.

“Ricky- what are we going to do when the performance is over? What if Dani makes this even worse since we won’t have another performance until March? I thought this would be the end but then I realized it wouldn’t be. And with the movie coming out, there is going to be even more press and fans and people just trying to know everything about our lives. Ricky, I’m so scared and...”

Ricky found a chance to cut in. “-Hey, hey, Gi. We’re in this together, ok? I told you, even if everything around us changes, we won’t. Remember the night of the Ferris wheel? I’m not going anywhere”.

The other line was quiet. Ricky knew Gina was listening to him. Somehow Ricky knew that her silence meant she was trying to trust what he had to say.

“I want you to go out there and perform your absolute best from the back of that stage. Let that back curtain know what it’s up against,” Ricky encouraged, hearing a small giggle coming from the other end of the phone.

Ricky paused a moment before adding, “You’re Gina Porter. You’re enough”.

Gina quietly thanked Ricky over the phone. Ricky then told her he would be there, with Big Red as his alibi. But Ricky was only half-telling the truth. He was going alone.

So, Ricky hung up the phone, tossing it onto his bed. He added one more item to the shirt before he held it up to his eyeline. In giant letters, with terrible artistry of ballet slippers, music notes, and ribbons, the shirt read:

GINA PORTER’S #1 FAN

Ricky hurried and put on the shirt, running out to his car as he fought to put his black converse on. He didn’t want to be late, but as luck would have it, traffic was slower than usual. He didn’t get there until right before the curtain came up.

Ricky had a feeling that Gina was probably on stage scanning every five seconds for him or Big Red. He knew that she would probably be even more worried if no one showed up besides her mom. Frantically, he raced as fast as he could from the parking lot into the theater, closing the theater door quietly behind him. When he turned from the door to face the stage, somehow he only saw Gina standing there- even though she was in the back row.

Gina had this unnatural ability to light up any part of an entire stage. She had a smile that filled the room, and a poise that would make a queen shake. Her outfit somehow only emphasized her beauty. She had a tight knot on the top of her head, a white tank top and tan cargo pants. She made plain clothes look rich. Every part of her demeanor was effortlessly irresistible.

Ricky couldn’t feel more proud. Somehow, he was lucky enough to have Gina Porter as his girlfriend. Moments like this made him realize how much he took his fairytale for granted. Luckily, despite how late he was, he got a front row seat to it.

Ricky watched Gina dance flawlessly throughout the rest of the night. Every leap coordinated and every spin perfectly executed. Every movement seemed as natural as breathing and as epic as a superpower. He couldn’t believe her talents were being suffocated by Dani, who was criminally ruining the dance. Her steps were out of tempo and she forgot (Ricky wondered if she actually forgot) to smile multiple times. At one point, she nearly tripped another dancer crossing the stage. Gina helped that same dancer smoothly get back into place.

At the end of the final number, the dancers huddled in a large group for a final pose. Gina was standing on the end, an arm stretched out, panting heavily from the exercise. The stage lights began to fade as the auditorium lights went on. Gina had a clear view of the audience from where she stood. Her eyes searched excitedly until she saw Ricky. Their eyes locked and her arm slowly began to drop.

Ricky’s heart began to pound, as he tried to make sense of her reaction. He wondered if he had made a mistake. He couldn’t gather the expression on her face. She looked confused? Excited? Mad? He couldn’t tell. He thought he was doing the right thing. His mind told him to run away as fast as he could, but it felt like his body was a magnet to his seat. But he didn’t need to run, because she was running to him.

Gina flew down to his seat in the front row before pausing in silence in front of him. He stood up slowly, his eyes analyzing every detail of her. They stood like this for several seconds as Ricky tried to make sense of her facial expression. Was she going to slap him? Yell at him? Ask him to never talk to her again?

No. She was going to kiss him.

Gina grabbed Ricky’s shirt and pulled him in so fast he couldn’t think. The room spun at hyper-speed and his head felt like a million blurry stars dotting the night sky. She kissed him over and over again until he felt like he couldn’t breathe. Or maybe he couldn’t breathe the whole time. He really didn’t know.

Once Gina released his lips, she continued to hold onto his shirt. He stood there in shock, exhaust, happiness, and confusion. Their eyes glistened in the reflection of each other, a silence masquerading the rest of the room. For a moment, only Gina existed with him.

“Are you sure?” Was all Ricky could muster out when he began to be unwillingly pulled back by reality.

“I’m sure about you, Ricky Bowen”. And with that, Ricky wrapped his arms around Gina’s waist, holding her tight as he spun her around, listening to her squeal happily in his ear. Around the pair, a million voices began to intrude their momentary escape from the real world.

“I knew it! I knew they were dating!”

“Oh my gosh, is that Ricky and Gina... kissing?”

“Wasn’t she cheating on EJ with him?”

“What is a Ricky?”

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

That last voice sounded familiar. Ricky set Gina down and both of them turned around to see their entire theater group standing there. The voice came from Seb. Gina grabbed Ricky’s hand in a protective way.

“W-we-” Ricky. Find your words, he thought to himself, still stammering to explain a consequence of his action he didn’t think about.

“We couldn’t,” Gina finished his sentence, shouting loudly over everyone in the theater. Ricky watched her head scoping the room, assuming she was looking for somewhere quieter to go.

“Can we go somewhere else to talk?” Gina yelled again.

The group decided to get milkshakes at a Denny’s nearby. They figured it would be a quiet place to discuss their questions and they were right. It was late enough that the only people in the restaurant were two middle-aged workers and an elderly man in a booth, drinking a coffee and reading a paper.

“To Gina!” Kourtney shouted as everyone clanked their shake glasses together. The group had squeezed into a large booth, with Ricky beaming at the thought of finally getting to sit next to Gina in public. Nothing that night felt real to him, which was what made it so great: because all of it was real.

“So, you two are dating then?” Ricky wasn’t even surprised that Carlos was the first to bring it up.

“Yes, and we’re so sorry we didn’t tell you-” Ricky had started, but Carlos cut him off. Carlos had been watching Jet who was awkwardly stirring his shake with a straw.

“-Wait a minute- Jet, you knew? Didn’t you?!” Carlos accused.

“Well, duh, I’m his best friend,” Jet replied sarcastically.

“Excuse me?” Gina and Big Red interjected simultaneously.

“Look, you’re all my best friends, ok?” Ricky said, trying to diffuse the tension. Jet, Carlos, and Gina all dropped their shoulders in relief, but Ricky still heard a few mumbles from them.

“Then why did Jet get to know first and not us?” Carlos reiterated, still seeming a bit frustrated.

“Look, I told Jet-”

“I knew it-” Carlos cut off Ricky again, now glaring at Jet.

Ricky ignored him as he responded, “I told Jet because he was helping me decide on a gift to give Gina for Christmas”.

The girls and Seb sighed in unison before Ricky continued, “I didn’t want everyone knowing and Jet was onto me, so I decided to tell him. It was nothing magnificent or special and I knew he would keep quiet”.

“Why not me?” Carlos asked defensively, thought about it for a second, then realized. Carlos is not the type to keep a secret. “Right”.

“What is this going to mean for the two of you?” Ashlyn asked what Ricky and Gina were probably both thinking, but too afraid to say out loud.

“I don’t know,” Gina puzzled, rubbing the back of her neck.

“It’s been really hard,” Ricky started, “Dani was holding us dating over our heads. She knew we were dating too, but not because we told her. We’ve been worried about what people are going to say or accuse of us, so we kept it under wraps. I guess the secret’s out then?” Ricky half-laughed.

“You guys, did you really think we wouldn’t defend you if people did say things?” Ashlyn said, reaching out to hold Gina’s right hand across the table.

“Well... I was dating your cousin,” Gina said through gritted teeth.

Ashlyn misinterpreted this, letting go of Gina’s hand quickly. “So you did cheat on him?”

“No!” Gina rushed, trying to mitigate the accusation. “No, no, no. Not at all. The opposite, in fact. Ashlyn, EJ is great, but it didn’t matter how many times I tried to get him to hang out with us or spend time with him, that play always came first. Remember the night of the “Woman in the Woods”? When you came into the tent with Ricky and I and we all invited him to go out looking for her. Remember how he refused?”

Ashlyn softened a bit, her body still a little guarded as she asked “Yeah, what about it?”

“That’s what he was like every time. It was like talking to a wall sometimes. Ricky was there that night and still wanted to go with me. He wanted to be around me and do things with me... the thing that I felt like I begged EJ to do over and over again. Ricky was always my place I could land”. Gina laced her left hand with Ricky’s, looking at him with kind eyes. Then she held Ashlyn’s hand again, smiling at her.

Gina tightened both hands and shook them a little as she said, “I’m really sorry we didn’t tell all of you sooner”. She looked around the table again. “Really sorry”.

“We don’t have any more secrets we’re keeping from you guys, promise”, Ricky replied with some fervor. He felt terrible deceiving his friends like he did, even for a good cause.

Thankfully, Ricky and Gina were met with smiles, “it’s ok”, and “we understand” from around the table. But something was still off. Ricky knew someone wasn’t responding and that was when he looked over at Big Red. He was staring at Ashlyn, who Ricky hadn’t noticed was sitting several seats down from Big Red. Red looked forlorn, hopelessly holding onto a girl that was sitting next to Maddox.

#rina week 2022 #ricky x gina #rina #ricky bowen #gina porter #OCAP #Of Converse and Pavement #hsm #high school musical the musical the series #hsmtmts

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cruciology · 3 years

Text

Under the Table

Requested by anon: Ok i don’t know if this is too smutty but could I request a sandor x reader where they’re at a tavern or something and reader starts touching him under the table. No one notices but he has to stay serious and tries his best to hide it and as soon as they’re both alone she’s getting her reward.

a sequel to my fic, The Princess and the Dog

The chilly air of Winterfell gave you constant goosebumps. You supposed it was better than being on the King’s Road as you had been for a month, but you were still cold, even with the new fur cloak you had been gifted by your father. You had a feeling it meant he had bad news for you, he just hadn’t told you yet.

You wrapped the cloak tighter around your nightdress as you stepped out of your room and into the hall. Your little sister slept like the dead in the room next to yours. It was only your first night in Winterfell, but you had taken notice of where the guards were placed. It was easy enough to avoid them as you sneaked to the end of the hall, passed where Joffrey and Tommen slept, and rapped on the Hound’s door. After a moment, it cracked open just the slightest bit. When he saw it was you, the Hound quickly pulled you in before anyone could see.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” He growled, shutting the door as quietly as he could. He had been in bed and wore only his pants, his hairy chest bare.

“I didn’t get caught, it’s alright,” you insisted. You were hoping he would be happier to see you. On the road, you were constantly surrounded by guards or your family. Besides a few squeezes of your hand in passing, you hadn’t felt his touch since you left the capitol. Your mother had kept her promise and hadn’t said anything after she had caught you with him in the library, but she kept a closer eye on you now. “I missed you,” you said softly.

His mouth was a hard line as he looked at you. Finally, he placed his hands on your hips, drawing you close to him. You pressed your face into his chest, almost crying at having him close again after all this time.

“It was stupid,” he said as he held you. You laughed.

“Don’t worry, I know you missed me too,” you said. He sat down on the wooden chair that stood by his window, pulling you by the hand until you sat on his lap. The cloak fell to the floor but you were warm enough when he wrapped his arms around you, his rough hands sliding over the silk of your nightdress.

Finally, you were able to press your lips to his. You kissed him gently first, as a lady should, but then you needed to show him just how much you missed him. Heat pooled between your thighs as you threaded your fingers through his hair, kissing him hungrily. He growled low in his throat as he kissed you back. His hand went under the hem of your nightdress, up your thigh, and you gasped softly as his finger entered you. You hadn’t even had enough space in the last month to touch yourself and his touch felt like magic as he stroked you from the inside.

He kissed your cheek, your jaw, then your neck, sending a chill down your spine that had nothing to do with the cold. “How does that feel, Princess?” He asked against the shell of your ear.

“So good,” You muttered back, eyes closed.

You felt him start to remove his hand and squeezed your thighs tight in an attempt to keep him going. He laughed slightly as he brought his hand to his face. He licked you off of his fingers, groaning softly and sending another surge of heat through your body.

He kissed you roughly, letting you taste yourself on his tongue. “You taste so fucking good,” He said against your mouth. He gathered you up in his arms with ease, moving to take you to the bed.

Someone pounded on the door with a heavy hand. In an instant, you were on the bed, the Hound quickly covering you with the thick blanket. Your heart pounded in your chest as you listened to the Hound open the door once again. It nearly froze when you heard your father’s voice in the hall.

“Didn’t wake you, did I, Clegane?” He laughed. He was drunk, it was clear from his slurred words. The welcome feast ended hours ago. He must have stayed up drinking with his old friends.

“Wasn’t sleeping, Your Grace,” The Hound spoke to your father with your taste still on his lips. “What can I do for you?”

“Put some clothes on, Hound, we’re going on a hunt,” The King said. You could hear him clap the Hound on the shoulder roughly.

“It’s well past midnight, Your Grace,” The Hound informed him.

“What are you, my wife?” Your father said. “I am your king!”

“Why don’t you retire to your chambers, I’ll get you more wine,” The Hound suggested. He knew your father well. He wouldn’t say no to more alcohol.

“Wine and a girl,” The King laughed. Your lip curled in disgust, but if it got him away from the Hound’s room without him seeing you in the bed, you didn’t care what your father did.

“Wine and a girl,” the Hound confirmed.

“Get one for yourself while you’re at it.” You heard your father stumble away. For a brief moment you wondered if you should worry about him, but there were dozens of other guards along the way who would help him back up to his room. He would most likely be asleep before the Hound could find him again.

You felt the blanket fly off of you as soon as the door was closed. “Go back to your room,” The Hound instructed. “Now.”

You stood up, not even coming to his shoulder. You reached up, touching the burnt side of his face, letting your fingers memorize the scar. His eyes closed just briefly. He put his hand over yours. You stood on your toes, kissing him gently before sneaking out again.

---

You never really drank. But after the news you had gotten, you decided now was as good a time as any. Your body wasn’t quite used to it, only having previously had a few sips here and there. As the residents of Winterfell were once again crammed into the dining hall, you nursed your third glass, feeling the warmth spread in your chest. Everyone was pleasantly drunk around you, save for the severe Ned Stark and his lady wife, so you didn’t feel left out despite sitting off on your own at a table near the exit.

You stared at the table where your newly announced betrothed sat. Robb Stark was handsome, strong, and kind. He had lands and a title. You would be the Lady of Winterfell. You had known this was coming, but it didn’t mean you had to like it. Your mother didn’t even try to hide the smug look on her face when your father broke the news to you earlier. You suspected it was directed at your guard who had been in the room as well, something you were sure she had planned. Your mother would get what she wanted after all.

“Princess,” You heard from behind you. Your heart lifted instantly.

“Sit,” You insisted, patting the seat next to you. The Hound’s eyes scanned the room and you rolled yours. “It’s not unheard of. You’re supposed to be guarding me, you can guard me from down here.”

“You’re drunk,” He noted as he sat next to you. You felt the bench creek under his large body. You wished that you were alone so he could pull you into his lap. You were so tired of not even being able to hold his hand.

“I might be,” you said.

“You are.” He grabbed a pint for himself, taking it halfway down with one solid gulp. “Celebrating your engagement, Princess?”

“Stop it,” you said with a tight jaw. “You know I’d rather-,”

“Be quiet about that,” The Hound said, his eyes darting around the room once again. A few eyes were on you, but they were passing glances, folks wondering why the Princess was off alone, but you knew they were not going to question your choice of company.

“I’m sorry,” you said. “But you can’t be upset with me, I can’t take that along with everything else. It’s not my fault.”

The Hound made a noise half way between a grunt and a sigh, but still didn’t look at you. “I know,” he said.

Your hand found his knee comfortingly under the table. It was probably the wine in your stomach that made you unafraid of any consequences. You were surprised he didn’t pull away, but he let you leave your hand there. You were feeling sad and stupid. You moved your hand up further, touching the inside of his thigh. The growl from his throat didn’t stop you. So long without touching him for fear of being caught and here you were now with your hand in his lap when the dining hall was full of eyes.

“Princess,” he said through clenched teeth. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” He was trying not to draw attention. Just drunk enough not to care, you moved your hand even further. His breath came out as a hiss as you palmed the growing bulge in his pants. His massive hand clamped around your wrist.

“No one is even looking,” you said, not really caring if they were.

“Are you trying to lose me my head?” He asked. You noticed that he hadn’t moved your hand away from him. You squeezed him, making him groan. “Fucking hells,” he muttered, placing both hands on the table. He wasn’t going to stop you.

You made sure you weren’t looking directly at him as you stroked your hand up and down his length through his pants. You watched his hand on the table clench into a fist as he tried to keep a straight face. “It’s a lovely feast, isn’t it?” You asked, a wicked smirk playing at your lips. He merely grunted. The wine and the thrill of touching him once again made you forget for a moment the pressure you had felt since the news of your engagement.

“But I do think I have had a bit too much to drink,” You said, loudly enough for anyone at the tables near you to hear. Luckily, they were drunker than you. “Walk me back to my room, please.”

The Hound rose first, helping you balance yourself. You really did have a bit too much to drink. He let you go as soon as he thought you would be able to stand. You looked over your shoulder for just a moment, catching a glance at your mother. She sipped her wine next to your father, who was probably the drunkest one in the room. No one would say anything to the King about his drinking. Your mother caught your look but said nothing. She knew who your father would believe if you went to him with what you knew.

The Hound walked a few steps behind you as you walked out of the hall. The voices from the dining hall carried out into the corridor. As soon as you turned the corner, far enough away from the crowd, his hands were on you. You giggled drunkenly as he scooped you up.

“You’re going to get me in trouble, Princess,” he said into your neck, placing a sloppy kiss on the column of your throat. He shouldered the nearest door open. You should have been more worried about getting caught but the only thoughts swimming through the alcohol in your brain were about the Hound’s mouth.

The room was empty and almost pitch black, the only light coming from the full moon outside. The Hound sat you down on the plush loveseat pushed against the wall. You grabbed his belt, attempting to pull him towards you and finish what you had started in the dining hall but it appeared he had other plans. He pushed your hand away.

“Your turn, Princess.”

He lowered himself to his knees in front of you, giving you a breathless kiss, his massive hand cupping your cheek. Leaving your head spinning, he pulled away. He shoved your skirt up, gathering it at your thighs. He pulled you down to the edge of the seat, spreading your legs before him. He placed your legs over his broad shoulders, the metal of his armor cool on your flushed skin. From the wine or from him, you couldn’t be entirely sure.

He bit the inside of your thigh, placing a kiss over it just as quickly. You were just about to tell him not to tease you when you felt his tongue at your apex. Your hands went to his hair, your head going back against the love seat. It had been so long since he could have you like this, he lapped at your pussy hungrily, his fingers digging into your thighs in a way you knew would leave a bruise. That made it even sweeter.

“Sandor, please,” You begged, tugging at his hair, trying to pull him up to kiss you again. You weren’t sure how much time you had with him and you wanted to feel all of him before you had to part. Normally, he would tell you he was going to take his bloody time, but he was probably thinking the same as you.

The Hound wrapped his arm around your waist, moving you to lay with your head on the armrest of the loveseat, his body looming over you. He was always afraid to put his whole weight on you, but you liked feeling his presence. You helped him pull himself out of his pants and with one quick thrust, he was fully seated inside of you. He paused for a moment, his face in the crook of your neck. You guided his face back to yours, kissing him. You wrapped your legs around him, making sure he was as close as he could be to you. He rutted into you, each thrust punctuated with a grunt. He kissed your neck, your cheek, your collarbone, your mouth, any bit of you he could. His thumb found its way to your clit, finishing what his tongue had started. Your legs squeezed him tighter. You tried to stay quiet, but his free hand still went over your mouth, muffling the cry as you came, your legs tight around him.

He took his hand from your mouth, placing it on the loveseat next to you to brace himself. His other hand moved to the small of your back, pushing you closer to him as he fucked you. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, pulling him in to whisper in his ear, “Cum in me.”

The hand on your back moved to your outer thigh, squeezing tight as he shuddered, finishing into you with a final grunt. He hid his face in your neck, his hot breath sending a shiver down your spine.

“Stupid, that was stupid,” The Hound muttered into your skin.

You pulled his face towards you, making sure his eyes met yours. “I love you,” you said firmly. His eyes darted away again. You had said it only once before to him. He never said it back, it wasn’t his way.

Instead, he kissed you and responded, “Aye.”

#I am so sorry I haven't posted in 5ever #I had a lot going on but here y'all go #the hound #the hound fanfiction #game of thrones #game of thrones fanfiction #smut #fanfiction #sandor clegane #sandor clegane x reader #the hound x reader #sandor clegane fanfiction

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walkerwords · 3 years

Text

“Lookin’ Out For Her” Daryl Dixon x F!Reader

GIF CREDIT: MTV/AMC

Request from Anonymous: Hello! I loved Walker Words, it was so well written! Could I request a Daryl x reader where the reader gets hurt and Daryl is the one to patch her up? Give her stitches and bandage her up and the like. If you wanted to keep going and have him take care of her and help her with everyday things while she heals that would be super sweet. Just craving some super fluffy care! Thank you!! Xoxo

Word Count: 4516

Warning: Swearing, Injury, Blood

Song I Wrote To: “Is This Love" by Corinne Bailey Rae

Note: And we are BACK. Thank you for requesting this!

---------

The Virginian sun was beating down on everyone’s necks as you worked in the lumber yard just outside of Alexandria.

Abraham had recruited you to help the Alexandrians build up their community. You didn't think it was that important but you said "yes" nonetheless. You had been travelling with your group for a while now. Meeting them on the road, Carl, Rick’s son, had saved you from a Walker that had pinned you to the ground. According to the young man, they had just lost their farm to a horde and were looking for a new place to stay.

It was then that you noticed his pregnant mother and wanted to help.

You hadn’t wanted to be near other people since the beginning of the end, but you had a good feeling about the Grimes family and their people. You were with them when Rick discovered the prison and you hadn’t looked back.

While you were close with Rick, Carl, Michonne, Rosita, and others, Daryl was someone that you had connected with unexpectedly. Daryl Dixon was an enigma, but one you loved to try and figure out. He was someone who you never would have bonded with if it hadn’t been for the end of the world, but everyday you were grateful for him and the way he always seemed to be looking out for you.

There was something unspoken between the two of you and any time that you were apart, you were constantly looking over you shoulder in hopes of spotting the archer. Just as you were now as you worked near Abraham, cutting into the timber that would help reinforce the walls of your new home.

“Who would’ve thought?” Ford said as he called out to you.

“What’s that, Red?” you called back, looking at him through the bright rays of sun that shone down on you.

“You,” Abraham said. “Who would’ve thought you’d be into all of this?”

“Construction?” you asked, raising your brows.

“No,” he said with a shit-eating grin, “helping.” Your mouth opened in shock at his jab, not finding it particularly funny.

“Hilarious,” you said with a roll of your eyes. Abraham just began laughing, enjoying himself. You began to ignore him as you tried to hide your own smile when the sound of growls reached your ears. “Fantastic,” you said with a sigh as you leaned over to pick up your weapon, an extra-sharp machete that Rick had given you after the events of Terminus.

The Walkers came from the South in a group, all meandering towards the site. “Stay sharp!” Ford yelled as he grabbed a knife in one hand and a hammer in the other. While you had your guns, nobody wanted to use ammo if they didn’t have to. The Alexandrians were worried, shuffling back as the Walkers approached, but you and Abraham moved to the front.

You began taking them down quickly with a few slashes of your blade. Two larger Walkers backed you up until your back hit a pile of stacked lumber. You took out the first, but the second moved too fast, falling into you. You fell back, hitting your head on the edge of the wood as you went down. The Walker landed on your arm, pressing it into the metal stake keeping the wood tied together. Groaning out in pain, you shoved your blade into the side of the Walker’s head and shoved it off with disgust.

“(Y/N)!” Abraham yelled as he ran towards you. He took out the last Walker with a swing of his hammer before arriving at your side. “Ya alright, girl?”

“Fine,” you grunted, taking the hand Abraham stretched out for you to grab. Abraham pulled you to your feet and you ignored the pounding behind your eyes as you brushed sawdust off your jeans.

“Are you sure that you are okay?” he asked, slipping into his sergeant mode.

“Abe, I am alright,” you said, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder. “Few bumps and bruises ain’t gonna keep me down.”

“Well, just head back alright? We’re gonna be headin’ inside any minute now,” he ordered.

“I can help clean up,” you said, but he was shaking his head.

“(Y/N), go,” he said and with a sigh, you saluted the man, picked up your machete, and turned back towards Alexandria.

-------

Arriving back home, you tried to keep steady on your feet, but it was becoming more difficult with each step.

Nodding to Rick and Glenn who were speaking to Spencer, you continued on towards the house that you were sharing with the Grimes, Michonne, and Daryl. In the distance, you could see Judith being carried around by an amused Tara who swung her around on her hip, trying to make the little girl laugh.

The ache in your head was the only thing distracting you from the searing pain in your arm. You could also feel thick blood starting to saturate the sleeve of your shirt, but you did your best to ignore it. If you could manage to get home and up to the bathroom unseen, everything would work out. The last thing you needed was for one of your friends to clock your injuries.

Climbing up the steps to the house, you relaxed as it sounded empty. Dropping the façade, you let the pain show on your face for just a second, but a second was all it took for him to notice.

“What’s wrong with ya?” Daryl said from a quiet spot on the porch. Still not used to how silent the man could be, you jumped out of your skin at his deep voice.

“Fucking hell, Daryl!” you exclaimed, grabbing at your chest with your bad arm which only made you wince further. “Way to scare the hell out of me.” Daryl, who had been cleaning his bow, got to his feet and approached you, his brows drawn together.

“Are ya gonna answer my question?” he asked, looking you over. Suddenly feeling somewhat shy, you took a step back from him, turning so your bad arm was further out of sight.

“Walkers came up on us at the lumber spot,” you explained. “Everyone’s fine, but I got knocked down. It’s nothing.”

“Is it also nothin’ that you can’t keep to stand still without staggerin’?” Daryl noticed, gesturing down at your feet. Glancing down, you saw a dizzying pattern of dirty bootprints as if you had horribly failed at a field sobriety test after a night out.

“I…” you tried as the pain increased. “I may have hit my head on the way down.”

“Mmhmm. Come on,” Daryl said as he took your arm to keep you steady and led you into the house.

“I can walk, Daryl,” you complained.

“Yeah, into a wall maybe,” he said with a scoff. You frowned, but didn’t pull away as he took you to the room that he had claimed on the first level.

Daryl’s room was quite neat, but considering none of you had many belongings, it shouldn’t have been that much of a surprise. Clothes were strewn across a single chair in the corner while his leather jacket was thrown on the unmade bed. Bolts for his bow, old and new, were on a table in front of the window, and tools for the bike Aaron had given him were tossed on top of the dresser.

It was very…Daryl.

“Sit,” he ordered, helping you to the edge of the mattress.

“Yes, Sir,” you said with a roll of your eyes. Daryl mirrored the motion before leaving the room quickly. You sat there awkwardly as Daryl went to fetch the medical kit. Being in his room alone, you felt as if you were in high school and in a boy’s room for the first time.

“You’re being ridiculous,” you chastised yourself. This was Daryl, your friend, your partner when it came to runs or watch. However this was also Daryl, the man that had bewitched you body and soul. “Easy there, Darcy,” you said, shaking your head, trying to dislodge your Austen fantasy.

“What?” Daryl asked as he returned with the supplies.

“Nothing,” you said quickly, averting your eyes. Daryl just hummed a response before sitting next to you and then gesturing for you to remove the flannel shirt you wore over your tank top. Carefully, you pulled down the sleeve and then slipped the shirt off your shoulder, the blood sticking to the fabric. The fresh wound snagged on the threads, causing you to hiss out in pain, but eventually you got it off. “Damn,” you swore, finally getting a look at the cut from the stake.

“Not exactly shallow,” Daryl said, examining the wound. “It’s gonna leave a scar.”

“What else is new?” you said as a ringing entered your ears. You rubbed at one of them, trying to dislodge the annoying sound.

“That’s what I thought,” Daryl said.

“What?” you asked as Daryl began wiping away the extra blood with a towel.

“Ears ringin’, right?”

“Maybe…” you said, very aware of how his fingers moved across your blood-speckled skin.

“Probably a concussion. The dizziness, ringin’, headache that I know ya got… irritability,” he said with a look and you swatted at him. “All shit ya get from a concussion.” You sighed deeply, not liking how the day was going. The last thing you needed was to be benched with your family in a new environment. You weren’t the best fighter, but you were damn good at surviving and you had to stay sharp.

Daryl finished removing the blood before grabbing the needle and thread. Looking away, you stared at your boots as he tugged your skin back together. “Needles make ya sick?” he said with amusement in his voice.

“No, but watching you stitch my flesh back together ain’t a walk in the park,” you said and then Daryl had an even softer touch.

“Almost done,” he said softly, rubbing his thumb above the wound, trying to soothe you and you’d be lying if you said it wasn’t working. “If you don’t tell people when you’re hurt, how are we supposed to help ya?” he asked.

“It’s not your job,” you said, not really thinking it through.

“Like hell it’s not,” Daryl shot back, but his tone remained calm. “We look out for each other, (Y/N). That’s what we do.”

“I know,” you said, letting out another deep breath. “M’sorry.” Daryl tied off the last stitch and cut it before reaching for the bandage. You looked back just as he smoothed the sterile gauze over your arm, pressing it down firmly. “Thank you,” you whispered.

Daryl didn’t respond. Instead, he ran his hand down your arm until it got to your hand. Slipping his fingers into yours, he intertwined your hands together, rubbing his calloused fingers against your own.

You sat like that for a while, just listening to each other breathe, feeling the pressure of his hands in yours. This happened occasionally and you weren’t exactly sure what it meant. Daryl would sit next to you, press his leg into yours or even reach down and take your hand.

Back at the prison, he would just enter your cell and sit next to you. Even on the road, sometimes, he’d take your hand as you walked, letting it swing between the two of you. Daryl never spoke, but he always made sure to add some pressure, as if letting you know that he was there. A part of you never wanted to look into it further. You all had seen some horrible things and you knew everyone needed to feel grounded.

Daryl gravitated towards you to feel...something, you just weren’t sure what that was yet.

“You know,” you whispered, leaning into him a bit, “there is a doctor here.” Daryl’s grip tightened then, almost as if he was afraid you were about to run. Looking up at you, his eyes were blue fire as he stared into your own.

“And you ain’t goin’ anywhere near that son of a bitch,” Daryl said. “He ain’t layin’ a single hand on ya, not after what I know what he does to that wife of his.”

“Daryl,” you said, trying to keep him calm, “Pete’s not gonna hurt me.”

“I know he’s not,” he said. “Because I’d kill him if he did, I don’t care who the hell he is.”

“Is that you lookin’ out for me?” you asked, reaching up with your other hand to brush a strand of hair from his eye.

“Just don’t go to him, (Y/N),” Daryl said. “Alright?” If he was one to say “please”, you figured he was about to.

“I could have a concussion, remember?” you pointed out, still feeling the blooming migraine.

“You’re gonna be alright,” he said. “Herschel told me how to handle that. You’re gonna stay here with me tonight. I gotta keep wakin’ ya up so you don’t end up in a damn coma.”

“Is that the only reason?” you asked, testing the waters. Daryl looked at you with a raised brow.

“It’s the one I’m giving ya for now,” Daryl said.

“Just for now?” you asked.

“Yeah,” he said with a quick jut of his chin. You nodded and then leaned against him, feeling the pain echoing through your body. Daryl looped his other arm around your shoulder as you began to drift off. “I got ya, (Y/N),” he whispered as fatigue finally took over and you slumped into the man at your side.

-------

Daryl kept his word and made sure that he woke you up throughout the night.

Any time his hand shook your shoulder, pulling you from your dreamless sleep, you awoke to his gentle face aglow by the camping lantern. He’d ask your pain level and make you drink water.

Afterwards, Daryl would get you to lay back down, smooth his hand over the side of your head, and you would fall right back to sleep. When he woke you up for the third time, you noticed a makeshift ashtray sitting on the window sill of the open window, the smoke filtering out into the night. Having known Daryl for a while, you knew what it looked like when he was taking watch.

“Get some sleep,” you whispered as you rolled over to face him as he walked back towards his perch.

“I’m fine,” he said. “I got hours yesterday.”

“Liar,” you mumbled, already fading. The last thing you saw before you fell asleep again was Daryl leaning back against the window frame, his eyes on you as he flicked his cigarette in his fingers.

In the morning, your head felt a bit better, but your arm was killing you. Hissing in pain, you opened your eyes and rolled onto your back. Shadows danced on the ceiling from the sunrise and the breeze that floated through Alexandria.

“Mornin’,” Daryl said from his spot by the window.

“Were you there all night?” you asked, sitting up.

“Nah, took care of Judith a couple of times,” he said with a shrug.

“Daryl…” you sighed, shaking your head.

“It’s nothin’,” he said, waving you off. Getting up, he walked over to where you were and sat down next to you. From his pocket he pulled a pen light of all things.

“Where did you find that?” you asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Carl grabbed it from asshole’s office,” Daryl explained as he clicked it on and raised it before your eyes.

“Do you even know what you’re doin’?” you asked.

“Just follow the light,” he said with a huff and so you did. Daryl checked out your pupils to make sure neither was blown and then stowed the light away. “Arm,” he ordered, grabbing the medical kit from the side table. Moving your arm felt like moving a ton of bricks. Then pain was bad from the wound, but your muscles felt as if needles had been going in them for hours. “Swelling went down a bit,” Daryl said as he gently prodded the skin. “Maybe we can find some meds for the inflammation. I’ll see what we got here.”

“Who would’ve thought?” you said as he changed the bandage on your arm.

“What?”

“Doctor Dixon,” you mused with a grin. Daryl rolled his eyes, scoffing.

“Shut up,” he said, but you could tell he found it funny.

“Guess I’m banned from helping with the lumber for a bit,” you said with a sigh.

“Yeah,” he said. “Ford’s orders.”

“Well, I ain’t about to sit here all day and do nothin’,” you said as he finished his task. Swinging your legs over the side of the bed, you stood up, testing your balance. When you were satisfied enough with the results, you went in search of your own room, desperate for a change of clothes.

“Don’t fall!” Daryl called as you exited the room. You sent him a rude gesture over your shoulder, making him laugh. After only tripping twice, you managed to get to your room, grab some new clothes, and hit the shower. It was a hassle keeping your arm dry under the constant spray of water, but you managed well-enough.

Once you were dressed and feeling somewhat human again, you headed back down stairs to only be met with Daryl. “You need to take it easy,” he said.

“I’m not going to go hunting Walkers, Daryl,” you said, carefully pulling on your boots. “Maybe Olivia or Aaron could use some help. I know Gabriel has been wanting to get the church back together.”

“Great, let’s go,” he said, leaning against the front door.

“You taggin’ along?” you asked, pulling yourself up.

“I gotta make sure ya don’t collapse and take someone down with ya,” he said. With a quick laugh, you placed your knife in its sheath and approached him. Grabbing him by the shoulders, you moved him out of the way.

“Mmhmm,” you said with a smirk, “well, come on then, Doc,” you teased.

“Oh my god…” he said, but followed you nonetheless.

-----

For most of the day, Daryl was by your side.

No matter what you were doing, he was there. Once you had convinced Gabriel to let you help him, he had you moving some things from Scott’s garage and into the church. Daryl, however, wasn’t on board with all the physical activity you were doing. So, instead of letting you carry the heavy boxes, he was there taking the weight himself.

Daryl helped you carry anything over a few pounds and if you were being honest with yourself, you were rather enjoying him being so protective. He continued to help you the entire time you were doing errands for the priest and even when Deanna asked you to help move some files from the basement for Maggie to review, Daryl was there.

He never once complained, but he was talking more than usual. As you completed the tasks for the day, Daryl was asking you questions about your life before the Apocalypse. He wanted to know where you grew up, if you had any siblings, and even what your parents were like. You knew a lot about his upbringing, but you never really spoke about your own. Still, with every question, you answered him honestly and it actually felt nice to talk about your family.

When he asked about what those first few months after the firebombs dropped on the cities were like, you began to grow quieter. As with everyone you had met in the new world, you had lost people from the first day the Dead began to rise and it hadn’t stopped. You told Daryl about the first people you had met on the road, the ones who had been slaughtered by a group of the Dead as you were escaping the city. It was then that you had decided to take on the world alone if possible.

That is until the fateful day in which you met Carl Grimes.

When Daryl asked about any fears you had, you began to laugh. “What’s so damn funny?” he asked as you sat next to him in Aaron’s garage as he worked on the bike. He didn’t want to let you out of his sight and you knew he needed to get some grease on his hands before the day was over.

“I guess I just never thought we would ever have to talk about our fears again, ya know? Aren’t we all scared of the same thing these days? The Dead, assholes with guns...each other.”

“Each other?” Daryl echoed. “What do ya mean by that?”

“How well do we really know each other? Eugene lied to us for weeks, Tara was with the Governor, and even the people here are unknowns. I don’t know, Daryl, I guess if I had to talk about any fears it’d be that I’m scared that I don’t know how to trust anyone anymore.”

“That ain’t a bad thing,” Daryl said. “Best to always be on alert, that way ya don’t end up dead or worse.”

“It’s exhausting,” you admitted, rubbing at your temples.

“Pain?” Daryl asked as soon as he noticed.

“I’m fine,” you said.

“(Y/N),” he said, wiping the grease from his hands and crouching down in front of you, gently lifting your chin to look in your eyes. “Tell me.”

“About a seven,” you admitted.

“It was lower a few hours ago,” he said with a frown.

“Guess I’ve been working harder than I thought,” you said, resting your head in his hand. Daryl reached back and grabbed his canteen.

“Drink,” he ordered and you did, sipping the water slowly. Reaching out, he smoothed a hand over your hair gently. “Better?” he asked.

“Bit,” you admitted. Daryl withdrew his hand then and left you to finish the water, trying to get your hydration back to where it should be. Leaning back against the workbench, you watched as he worked, his shoulders tense as he pulled at gears or unscrewed bolts.

Daryl was always in his element when he worked on mechanics. You remembered the first time you saw him working on one of the cars at the prison. He had seemed so absorbed in everything he was doing, happy to be providing for his new family.

You knew enough about cars to get by, but you could always learn more and so you observed him whenever you could. Watching Daryl rebuild cars or work on Merle’s bike was one of the main reasons you began to grow closer to each other.

He looked up from his work then, feeling your eyes on him and he gave you a crooked grin, one that was rare, but one you loved so much.

-----

As day turned to night, Daryl helped you get home.

The dizziness was back in waves and so he had you by the arm as you walked through the streets of Alexandria. He had tried to carry you, but after refusing over and over, he had relented to just holding you up, keeping a firm grip on you.

As soon as you entered the house, Michonne and Rick were in the kitchen, making food for the house. “Long day?” Rick asked as you moved past him.

“Too long,” you said, slumped against Daryl.

“Come on,” Daryl said, “you’re about to crash and burn.” You waved at Rick and Michonne as Daryl all but dragged you back to his room. As soon as you saw the bed, you nearly wept in relief. Daryl had been right, you should have stayed home. “Hungry?” he asked.

“No,” you said as you sat down. Daryl kneeled down and began to unlace your boots as you held your bruised arm to your chest, trying to relieve some of the pain. “I should get hurt more often if this is the kind of treatment Daryl Dixon gives me,” you said with a lazy smile. Daryl looked at you with an exhausted look.

“Let’s not, alright?” he said as he finished with your boots.

“Yes, Sir,” you said as you flopped back onto the bed. Daryl got up and joined you, sitting next to you. With your good arm, you reached up and tugged him down beside you, his body lying alongside yours. Turning your head to look at him, he was already looking at you through messy strands of hair.

Slowly, you lifted up your hand and offered it to him. Daryl took it in his own and laced your fingers together, his eyes never leaving yours. “Your hands are warm,” you said in the low light of the room, your voice barely above a whisper as if it would crack the tension.

“Yours are cold,” he said back, rubbing your knuckles with his thumb. “I should check your arm,” he said, but you shook your head.

“It can wait,” you whispered, looking into those blue eyes of his as he pinned you to the planet with his gaze. “Thank you, for lookin’ out for me today,” you said, tightening your hold on his hand.

“Always,” he said. “I’m always gonna be there for ya.” You gave him a small smile then as a shiver took over your body. “Cold?” he asked, his brow furrowing.

“Bit,” you said with a shrug. Daryl reached behind him and grabbed one of the blankets and draped it over you, careful not to let go of your hand the entire time. His other arm was pressed to your side as he tried to adjust the blanket, but it lingered, adding pressure to your body. “Stay,” you whispered to him.

“This is my room,” he said, looking down at you.

“Smartass,” you said, trying not to break his gaze.

“I ain’t going anywhere,” he said as he sat up a bit higher and then pressed a kiss to your forehead. It was gentle, but warm, his lips leaving a spot of heat on your skin. When he pulled back, you locked eyes with him again before slipping your hand out of his and reaching up to drag your fingers through his hair. Getting to his neck, you pulled him down to you and he met you there, capturing your lips in a soft kiss. His lips were heavy on yours and he tasted exactly as you had imagined.

When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against yours. “Your head needs to heal,” he whispered, not wanting to move any further away from you.

“My mind has never been more clear,” you said, grabbing his face again. “Kiss me, Doc,” you said and with a chuckle, he did.

Daryl lay with you, kissing you, holding you, and never once leaving your side as you finally succumbed to sleep, your body desperately needing to heal. Looking down at you in the low light of the lantern, he promised that would never let you go, not now, not ever.

He had asked you about your fears, but you hadn’t asked him about his. In truth, he was only scared of one thing and that was losing you.

TAGS: @thanossexual @felicisimor @yes-sir-hotchner @lucillethings @stark-dreams @huffledor-able541

#Twd imagines #the walking dead #twd #daryl dixon #daryl x reader #daryl dixon x you #daryl dixon imagines #daryl dixon x reader #walker words #twd fanfiction

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remsmoonlight · 3 years

Text

— title : just drive

— word count : 1.6k words

— pairing : rick grimes x reader

— summary : never had the inability to drive been a reason to divulge, nor had it been a problem. until a horde of walkers are trailing behind you, that is.

— warnings : swearing, implication of anxiety, mentions of death / potential car accidents, mentions of blood and gore

note: two imagines in two days i can’t believe my productivity, i thought it would be funny that being unable to drive in a zombie apocalypse would be funny because it would be such a useful ability to have ( ahem ahem my non driving ass ) this was meant to be like 500 words but it got away from me, anyways enjoy three hours of my nonsense!

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* requests are open ! *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Burning. The sensation is fierce as you fight your own body to force more oxygen into your airways, to power you along to escape the deathly growls that follow behind you. Paranoia stokes its own fire, the feeling that walkers are much closer than they actually are push you to lighter steps in the barren dirt, the only tracks laid into its path are the ones you are currently forming with every inch you put between you.

Exactly how you’d gotten into this situation is not something you mind wants to visit currently, more concerned with your current predicament.

“ We’ll turn left up ahead, we passed a few cars a while back. “

“ That's as good a plan as any. “ You rush out in one breath, the words with a ghostly tone while you try to find your voice. Everything hurts, the idea of more running is not something you find appealing.

You wonder if the walkers are able to run, any thought to distract yourself from the aching your muscles feel at the physical exertion you’re being put through. For a fraction of a fleeting second, you turn your gaze backwards, your eyes running across the line of walkers that want to make the sky above you rain with your blood across the greenery as you flee. They do a very good job of speed walking, the amount of energy they have for being dead is something that unnerves you. Even after you have caffeine in your bloodstream, you have never had this much energy. What is their secret?

Tears blur your sight as you set your eyes on a graveyard of cars, dust that covers every inch of the metal machines show their age.

“ Rick! “ You exclaim, a new flower of hope blooming in your voice as your finger shakily raises to point in the direction of the car park. “ Over there! “

Both of you split instantly as you reach the space, your hands tugging at the handles of the vehicles, wishing with every fibre of your beings that one is unlocked — or at the very least, there is a key to unlock them nearby. Extremely nearby.

“ This one! “ Your voice carries over the distance resoundingly, the door opens with a click that blesses your hearing.

“ Yeah.. We’re lucky today. “ Rick mumbles to himself, flinging the bags that had been weighing on his shoulders into the back.

In the suddenness of the situation, your heart plummets below with a steep drop that you swore will not end. I can’t fucking drive. You gasp at the realisation of it, desperation twisting and contorting around the entirety of your body.

“ Rick.. “ Turning towards Rick swiftly, you pause in your confession. An uncomfortable heat warms your cheeks as you study him, unsure of how he would react during the worst possible moment for the disclosure. “ We need to switch places! “

“ What? “ His brows knit together as he asks you, confusing misting him completely. “ Why? Start the car! “

“ I do — I can’t drive! “

The confession leads Rick to momentarily splutter in response, his words cowering under the veil that is his tongue. Colour drains from his features, a continuous slap against the back of the car’s window from a lone walker ahead of the horde pushes him into a brisk movement. The action is awkward, the lack of space threatening to cause harm in the form of bruises from knocking limbs against various parts of its interior.

“ Just drive! “

With a haggard start, you examine the way your surroundings appear to move, realising that the vehicle is awake and increasing with speed as it puts space between you and the dead. You lean your head against the window, one of your hands moves towards the temple of your head to message some of the tension of almost being eaten away. That had been too close for comfort.

“ Uh, y’know I gotta ask — “

“ How I can’t drive, right? “ You finish, your eyes roll in response, you know he’s going to find too much amusement in making fun of you.

“ And how you made it this far. “ He drawls, humour embedded in his response as his eyes continue to survey the road ahead.

Your teeth bite the side of your cheek, with strength that almost is able to draw the crimson liquid that lays beneath your flesh. Lips purse at the enjoyment you can feel radiating off of his body, as it wishes itself into existence.

“ I don’t know! “ You grumble loudly, your shoulders lift temporarily in response. “ I’m just always with someone who knows how to operate one of these things. “

“ You never learnt before? “

“ I mean.. I always had a fear of driving. No reason, just the thought that one wrong move and.. “ a shudder rips through your body with a blinding pace, your fingers lay tapping at your thigh. “ I could cause an accident, or even be in one would scare me to death! “

“ That’s understandable. “ Rick nods, glancing in your direction before breaking out in a grin. “ Kinda. “

A heavy groan vibrates inside of the car, you throw your hands up in the air as you realise he’s one of the worst people to divulge this information to. Your addition to the group hadn’t occurred as earlier as most of them, they’d been kind enough to accept you into their family after escaping Terminus. On a rare night, nightmares of that cursed location shatters the mirror of a dreamy slumber into a thousand shards that scar your mind for the nights that follow. Echoes of screams from those captured, treated no more than a prize cow that awaits its slaughter to service those with the butcher’s knife.

Truthfully, you’d gravitated towards the man. With the amount of trauma you’d been through, the way that when he speaks, you craved the comfort his words never lost. Certainty and confidence are still with him today, often leading you to believe everything will be alright. Even if the road between Georgia and Alexandria had been filled with gore and tears, everything has turned out fine. So far.

“ You are being so annoying right now. “ Cursing the man, you show him your middle finger.

Rick says nothing, he merely chuckles in response. You almost allow your mind to tread into the murky waters of the man you used to know and the transformation into the man he is now.

“ I just.. “ shaking his head, the cheeky glint in his eyes only sparkles more as it grows in size. “ How d’you not run into this problem earlier? “

“ I don’t know! “

“ It’s nothin’ short of amazin’. “ a gust of air is released from his lips, only now does he realise they’re dehydrating from the amount of running done that afternoon.

Trees and bushes blend into one another, creating a vivid merging of shades, providing a soothing palette to paint the most tranquil of artworks. You envy the way life has flourished under the lack of human traffic, trampling the environment without a care, you wish you could undergo the same change the way it has. The human mind has a way of making obstacles difficult for itself.

“ I just.. Can’t help but find it funny. Drivin’s.. It’s a way of survivin’ when you got more than one of them on your ass. “

“ Well I guess I am an outlier to that rule. “ your brows move with the motions your head makes as you try to muster an air of superiority over the notion.

You find yourself wishing you hadn’t succumbed to your fears, that you’d bit the bullet and studied and practiced as much as humanly possible. The fear of driving hadn’t been the only thing that stopped you from pursuing the ability, but the idea of having to take a written exam and an actual driving test? The two often colliding in an infinite clash of wills that left your insides in a constant, battered wreck every time you thought about the idea.

All you want is to be able to do that one thing, after all, so many had done so before. You’re sure that everyone, minus the children, are able to drive. Such a simple thing, you’d never thought would prove to be such a thorn in your side when you’d take the train to work. Life has a way of stitching together a set of circumstances only to treat them like dominos, destroying the work with little regard as it watches them fall one by one. The carefully nursed structure is a shell of what it used to be, the resting place of what could have been.

“ You didn’t give up, y’kept fightin’. I’ve seen people able to hotwire these things taken down. It ain’t the car that keeps a person alive, it’s them. “ He assures you warmly, as much as he wants to continue to find amusement in lacking what is now deemed as a life skill, it doesn’t take a genius to realise you’re becoming annoyed by the poking and the prodding his humour brings.

“ That’s oddly.. Uplifting. “

“ I do say these things from time to time, no need to sound so surprised. “

“ They’re so rare I forget. “ A smirk lifts the corner of your lips as you eye the man from the side. It is your turn to laugh now.

Light hearted chatter fills the limited space, conversation flowing just that little bit more freely now that danger no longer pursues you in earnest. You’re thankful for a drop of normalcy in a sea of skeletons that surround the world now, you can pretend that — even for a little, it’s a normal day.

“ What d’you say to havin’ some drivin’ lessons? “

#rick grimes imagine #rick grimes x reader #twd imagine #rick grimes fic #twd fic

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yikesharringrove · 4 years

Note

I have a headcanon that Billy doesn"t really know how to apologize like most people do. To him, the words are kind of empty so he just does things for people instead. Things like replacing all of the dishes with better quality ones for the Byers, making the girliest clothes Max hates disappear and replaced with things she likes, a new slingshot showing up in Lucas's locker, breaking into a car to fix it. Steve is weirdly charmed by it.

These may both be you? But here’s a combo since they’re p much the same idea

anonymous asked: Billy has forgotten how to actually connect with people so he shows affection through acts of chaotic good, like planting catnip all over the yard of the lady who allergic for yellomg at Max or breaking into a car so he can fix the engine. Steve figures out Billy is the one doing all these oddly kind things but he is still kind of intimidated by the blonde so instead of thanking him out right he just leaves things like cigarettes and baked good for him in his car. Have fun with that one!

This got pretty long so I put some of it under the cut.

Billy didn’t believe in the words I’m sorry.

They just didn’t make sense to him. He had never heard the words when someone actually meant them, and fuck knows he’s never actually meant those words before.

But that does not mean there aren’t things in his life he regrets.

For example: beating the shit outta Steve Harrington.

He felt like absolute fucking garbage about it.

Harrington hadn’t deserved that shit. Billy was just runnin’ hot that night, and Harrington had been unlucky enough to have bad timing.

But he didn’t know how to fix it.

So he started leaving snacks in Steve’s locker.

He noticed how he would always be giving his friends the food off his fucking plate, so he would shove granola bars, candies, even made him a sandwich one day.

He watched as Steve would eat whatever it was Billy had left for him, just fuckin’ chowed down without question.

He would look into classes, find out where Steve sat and leave little treats on his desk.

“Mr. Harrington, I think you may have a secret admirer.” Steve flushed a little at the cupcake, and shoved it into his mouth in two bites at the beginning of history class, but he wasn’t gonna look a gift horse in the mouth, so to speak, and figured whenever this chick came forward, he would thank her for being so thoughtful, and let her down gently.

After leaving Harrington alone with all his snacks, Billy set his sights on his other regret.

He had Max hadn’t always fought and bickered. True, Billy wasn’t the warmest, when they first met, but once he got his car they would drive around together a lot. He’d take her to the arcade and the boardwalk. They both didn’t like being home too much.

So when Billy’s informed he’ll be watching Max for the weekend while Neil takes Susan to the city, he forms a little plan.

There’s one Chinese restaurant in Hawkins. It’s totally not authentic, not like the dim sum they used to get wandering around San Fransisco, but they had steamed pork buns and Billy picked up eight.

He let Max do whatever she wanted that weekend, figured they would have better luck with one another if they both acted like outdoor cats, coming and going as they pleased, but come Sunday evening, all the pork buns were gone, and there was an unopened pack of cigarettes on his nightstand.

Regret number three: Lucas Sinclair.

Billy probably felt the most fucked up over this kid.

He’d gone after him, a fucking child, in his blind rage.

He had figured that out when he came to on the floor of that weird house, sitting up empty and alone, realizing I’m just like Neil.

He had seen all those kids with their nerdy toys, went out to RadioShack, early Sunday morning, leaving with a light wallet and a new idea.

Dustin was arguing with Mike over the realism of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, like there was anything realistic about it.

Lucas rolled his eyes, opening his locker, his mouth dropping open when he saw something inside.

He pulled the bag out, peering inside.

There were six brand new walkie talkies inside.

They were better than the ones they already used, had further range and more channels.

Everyone went silent.

“Um, these aren’t mine.”

Max’s eyes went wide. She snatched something up from the top shelf of Lucas’s locker.

The new Wrist Rocket had a note attached to it. She knows this handwriting, but couldn’t place it.

Enjoy the new gear. Don’t quit saving the world.

“Do you think they’re from Steve?”Max furrowed her brows at the note.

And then everything clunked into place.

“Maybe.”

The boys were tearing into the new walkies.

She got two cokes from the vending machine at lunch, handing one quietly to Billy when she got in his car after school.

Billy doesn’t really know what he’s doing here.

He had driven Max to one of her nerdy little friend’s houses, and somehow he got roped into staying? He doesn’t even remember.

But now he’s standing with a short kind woman, in the exact kitchen he beat the shit out of Harrington in, with Steve himself leaning against the other wall, watching the kids like some kinda hawk.

Billy’s hands were shaky, and he inserted himself into washing dishes from dinner.

He noticed most of them had chips, and all of them were mismatched. He put them away quietly, and drove to the nearest home goods store he could find.

Ceramic plates didn’t run too much, and he got a nice set of three different sizes, twelve plates of each size, light blue like the one he broke.

He left them on the porch, parked his car down the road a ways.

He rang the doorbell, sprinting and diving into the bushes before anyone can see him.

He watched as one of the sons, the one his age, the one in his English literature class, opened the door, his brow furrowing at the box of new plates.

“Um, Mom? Somebody left us a set of plates?”

He closed the door, but the took the plates with him.

Billy was sitting on the lawn, had just finished raking up all the damn leaves, and was taking a well-earned smoke break as he watched Max skating up and down the street, practicing her kickflips and ollies.

She cut into the driveway across the street, the only one on the entire block that was well paved, no cracks in the cement.

“Get out of here!” Max started as Mrs. Reynolds, a mean old woman was shouting through her screen door. “You little hooligan! You’re going to leave marks!”

Max bit her lip, trying not to laugh as she boarded back over to their house, standing next to Billy.

“I’ll be having a word with your father!” She rolled her eyes as Billy ground his jaw.

Cat nip was way more expensive than Billy was expecting, but he bought plenty of packages, returning home just past sunset.

He waited until about three in the morning, when Mrs. Reynolds’ sprinklers had finally turned back off before he climbed out his window, spreading the cat nip through her yard.

He flipped her house the bird.

Max was awed at the cats the next morning as Billy drove them both to school.

There must’ve been at least a hundred.

“Isn’t Mrs. Reynolds allergic?” Billy tried not to laugh.

“Damn. That sucks for her.”

Billy was sitting on the hood of his car, reading one of his lit books while he waited for Max to get out of her nerd club.

He startled a little bit when someone knocked on the hood.

And it was Harrington, smiling sheepishly at Billy.

“The Byers got some new plates last night. You know anything about that?” Billy tracked the thin scar on Steve’s head. It disappeared into his hairline. Billy wonders how long he had sat in front of a mirror, picking glass out of his thick hair.

“Who’re the Byers?” Steve huffed a laugh.

Max was standing in front of the mirror looking like a grumpy old cat.

Susan had bought her a lovely new dress, and Max fucking hated it. Susan was fussing over it, saying I ordered it from the Sears catalog! and can you believe it was only fifteen dollars?

Billy slipped a five and a ten into Susan’s purse later that day, taking the dress to the Goodwill downtown.

He found Max a couple crappy t-shirts there, bands she would hum to on the radio, shit like Journey and Foreigner, and slid them into her closet where the dress used to be.

She wore one the next day, blinking slowly at him over breakfast.

He avoided all eye contact.

Steve has long legs.

this was of course something Billy always knew, but watching him stalk in all his righteous fury down the street towards the high school really solidified that fact for Billy.

He was stomping, his strides long as he hustled to class. Billy thought about offering him a ride, didn’t think they were there yet.

Billy found himself in Steve’s driveway later that night, popping the hood of Steve’s dead car and searching over everything with a flashlight.

Billy rolled his eyes.

Steve had probably always paid someone else when his car broke down, didn’t realize if your oil was low, your car wouldn’t work.

Billy kept a few cans in his trunk, refilled the bad boy for Steve, making sure that was it.

He found nothing else wrong and Steve pulled into the school parking lot the next morning.

Billy could feel Steve staring at him when he walked into school.

He found Steve sitting on his car at lunch, holding the sandwich Billy had snuck into his locker, and a loaf of bread wrapped in cling film. .

Billy raised an eyebrow.

“I saw you last night.” His cheeks went hot. “Thanks for fixing my car. And all the snacks and stuff. And for the Byers’ plates. And for all the stuff with Max.”

“Nothin’s happened with Max.” Steve appraised him for a moment.

“She said you’re being nicer.” He held up the bread. “Homemade banana bread. Made it while you were being not at all stealthy fixing my car.” He smiled at Billy, one a’ those perfect sunshine smiles Billy had only ever seen Steve direct towards his kids.

“I just changed your oil. Car won’t run if you don’t got oil.” Steve furrowed his brow.

“My gas tank was full. I had just filled it.”

“Nah Pretty Boy, oil. It’s different.” And Billy took a deep breath. “Could show you, if you like. Teach you some basic car shit. How to jump, how to change a tire.”

Steve beamed at him.

“I’d like that! I don’t know shit about fixing cars. Always figured it would go way over my head.”

“It’s pretty easy. There’s usually only a few major things that go wrong in nice cars that are easy fixes. You’ll figure it out quick.” Steve slid off his car, and Billy lamented that for a minute, liked how Steve looked perched on Billy’s car, wondered how he’d look in the passenger seat, in the backseat-

Steve pushed the bread into Billy’s hands.

“Y’know, I forgive you. For that night.” Billy tightened his jaw. Steve’s eyes were a little green in the sun. “There was a lot goin’ on, and I was being sketchy. I don’t hold it against you.”

“I, uh, thanks, I guess. I’m sorry, about it.” Steve smiled at him again, the corners of his eyes crinkling just a bit.

“Yeah, I know.” Steve took a bite of his sandwich, his cheeks all cute and full. “And I’m more of a ham and cheese fan.” Billy rolled his eyes at Steve, taking with his mouth full of turkey sandwich.

“Sorry man, you get what Susan buys.” Steve laughed, his mouth still full. Billy was uncomfortably endeared by it.

“Don’t be surprised to find some lasagna on your porch one night soon.” And Steve winked at him, walking backwards towards the school. “You’re not so bad, Billy.”

“Tryin’ not to be.” Steve gave him a stupid little finger gun. Billy’s heart melted.

“You’re doin’ a good job.” And Steve set off back into the school.

#yikes writes #steve harrington #billy hargrove #steve harrington x billy hargrove #billy hargrove x steve harrington #harringrove #harringrove fic #harringrove ficlet #harringrove drabble

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iwillbeinmynest · 3 years

Text

Safer Behind It - Newt x Reader(f)

Authors Notes: Well here it is my first Maze Runner fic! Hopefully y'all like it, or at least don’t hate it. This is based on moments from The Scorch Trials (book). Bold words are direct quotes from the book. I do not take any credit for Dashner’s work.

Word Count: 1.7k

Notes/Warnings: mentions of injuries, mentions of violence, mentions of trauma (from the maze), some fluff and angst if you look hard enough.

Masterlist

Jorge found them after the lightning storm. Eleven new faces in the building on the outskirts of town. You listened as Jorge gave them the rundown of how things were going to go. When he called for the rest of you, you followed Brenda close.

You and Brenda hadn’t known each other too long but she was good and you trusted Jorge more than anything.

One of the new kids- a boy with dark hair- asked for a few minutes with Jorge.

“Me and you,” The kid begged. He stood over another boy who looked like he had been fried by lightning. Maybe he had, that storm was brutal.

“Ten minutes. Alone. That’s all I ask.” He went on.

You were surprised when Jorge agreed. He must have seen something in the kid you didn’t.

He told you and the others to watch this new group and to kill them if they made any moves. You knew he was being dramatic, adding the threat of death to remind the other Cranks behind you that he was in charge.

One of the boys you were supposed to be watching caught your eye. He was blonde and thin. He had a limp - you’d noticed it as he walked over and checked on the others in his group.

Brenda caught you staring at him. “Careful, Y/N.” She said quietly so the Cranks couldn’t hear her.

You rolled your eyes. “I can handle myself.”

“He’s not gonna like it if you don’t keep up the facade.”

“What’s he gonna do, have you run me through?” You tested.

You saw the twitch of a smirk at the corner of her mouth. “Just don’t be stupid.”

You tugged up on the thin, tan, scarf that covered your nose and mouth. You didn’t like it to be down.

You walked over to the limping boy. You say boy, but really he was near your age if not a bit older. “You need to sit down,” you told him.

He looked at you carefully. “I’m just making sure these guys are alright.”

His voice sounded funny but you kinda liked it.

“I’m not going to ask again.” you drew the makeshift dagger you had from where it usually was sheathed at your lower back.

He sighed but sat on the hard concrete next to the fried boy. He pulled a knee to his chest and mumbled, “Bloody shank girl.”

You smirked at that.

“What’s your name?” You asked him.

He looked up at you and there was no hiding the annoyance in his eyes. “Newt.”

“Newt?” You almost laughed. “Like the lizard?”

The boy next to him chuckled.

“No.” Newt huffed. “Like Issac Newton.”

“I think I like my reason better, lizard boy.”

“Hey!” One of the Cranks behind you caught your attention. It was an older man, you didn’t know his name but you knew you didn’t like him. “What are you talkin’ so much about?”

“None of your business, old man.” You turned to him and left no room for him to think you might be afraid of him, which you weren’t.

“Back off, Murph.” Brenda said calmly as she whacked the flat side of her machete on his chest. “Let her have some fun before we rip them to shreds.”

It seemed to tide him over and he walked away but not before he stared you down again.

You rolled your eyes when his back was turned and exhaled a silent groan. You looked to Brenda.

She had her eyebrows raised and was clearly waiting for you to say,

“Thank you.” You muttered.

“Mhm.” She grinned. You knew she’d never say it out loud but she was starting you like having you around.

You turned back to Newt and crouched down, your sharpened letter opener gripped tightly in your hand. “So, tell me, Newt, What brings you out into the Scorch?”

“Don’t tell her klunk, dude.” The burnt boy said with spunk.

“I bet you’re the fun one.” You teased him, “You look like garbage. What happened to you?”

“He got struck by lightning,” Newt answered, “Or close to it anyways.”

“Yikes.” You responded. You’d been right.

“Didn’t even hurt.” He lied.

“Shuck off, Minho. You’re not fooling anyone.” Newt rolled his eyes.

“Screw you, man.” Minho all but pouted.

“Why do you cover your face?” Newt asked, ignoring his friend. “No sun in here.”

You paused but tried to cover it and said, “So you don’t get distracted by how pretty I am.”

He smirked at that.

He had a nice smile. It lit up his eyes.

You stood up quickly and walked back to Brenda. Why did you care what his smile was like?

“You good?” She asked low again.

“Fine.” You lied. Actually you were scared by how much you were starting to like Newt. No sense in hurting yourself by getting attached.

Jorge and the dark haired boy reappeared from down the back hall.

Jorge told everyone that he, Brenda and yourself were going to take these few to get some food and that you’d all meet back up at the tower.

You didn’t know what he was planning but it had to be something, because he was putting on quite a show. He mentioned cutting off Minho’s fingers for punching him earlier and you honestly thought he might be serious about that part.

The other Cranks left and you walked behind Brenda as she led the way to the tunnels where you had hid the stash of food.

You helped pass out cans of food and watched as Brenda sat by Thomas - you’d recently learned his name.

You looked around, wondering where to settle amongst these new boys and found Newt looking at you.

“Here goes nothin’” you muttered to yourself beneath your mask.

You made your way over and sat against the wall beside him.

“Enjoying the meal?” You asked. He sure looked like he was.

He nodded, mouth full of cold beans.

“When was the last time you ate?” You realized that he, and everyone else that he’d come with, were eating like they’d been starved.

“Not but a few days ago,” He said when he’d finally swallowed. “But we were out in that bloody heat for so long.” His eyes stared into nothing for a moment and you could tell he was reliving something awful.

“How long were you actually out there?”

“Three, four, five days,” he asked himself. “I’m not sure.”

“Where did you come from?”

“You ask a lot of questions.” He returned to the present and out of the bad memories he’d been replaying. You watched him plaster on a smirk.

There was that smile again. You were glad your cheeks were covered because you were pretty sure you were blushing.

“Do I get to ask you any?”

You nodded, “Sure.”

“Why do you wear that over your face?” He repeated.

“Why do you care?”

His head ticked to the side. You’d asked another question.

You relented. “I already told you.”

“But we both know that wasn’t the truth.” He said before taking another bite.

You sombered and sighed. You were trying to find the words.

“I only partly lied.” You finally said.

Newt stopped eating and shocked you with what he said next. “I’m sorry. It’s none of my business if you don’t want to talk about it.”

It was so...considerate of him to say that. It had been a long time since anyone other that Jorge was considerate to you. Even Brenda was harsh when you’d met her and she still makes comments about it.

The look in your eyes must have revealed something to him.

“You really don’t have to tell me.”

For some reason you did, though. Maybe it was his soft voice, maybe it was the random kindness he’d displayed, but suddenly, you wanted to show him. Almost like a test to see if he was genuinely kind at heart.

You slipped your index finger under the cloth near your nose but before you pulled it down you said, “Just...brace yourself.”

You pulled the mask down below your chin, revealing the angry red scar that ran from your upper lip, just below your nose, all the way to your ear, which had a notch missing from it.

Newt barely flinched. He just looked at you.

Your scar had healed thick which made it distort your lip slightly.

“When I was first sent here, after finding out I had the Flare, a crank attacked me with a shard of glass. He got me pretty good but Jorge was there and he saved me. He couldn’t do much to make me look better, though.” You pulled your mask back up. “Most people just stare at it, instead of me. So, I cover it up.”

“You shouldn’t.” He offered a hint of a smile as he switched to his second can of food. “Nothing wrong with the way you look.”

You sat stunned.

“I broke my leg in three places. That’s why I have a limp. Do you only see the limp when you look at me?” He asked.

You shook your head, unable to think of anything to say.

He shrugged his shoulders. “See?”

You bit down a smile that threatened to spread across your mouth. Good thing your mask was on.

“I’m sorry I called you lizard boy.” You felt bad for teasing him, now.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve been called worse.”

The two of you sat in silence for a short while. Then, you wondered something.

“What’s a shank?”

He chuckled, “Just something we say. Why?”

“Back in the building you called me a ‘bloody shank girl’.”

His cheeks flushed and he stared down at the can he was eating from. “Sorry.”

“So, shank isn’t nice then?”

“Depends…” He smirked, almost embarrassed he’d said that about you.

“And here I thought you were soft.”

He looked at you. “Nope, just wrong on occasion.”

“I’m Y/N, by the way.” You suddenly realized you’d never told him your name and now you wanted him to know it. To say it.

“Nice to meet you, Y/N.” He paused a moment before adding, “ I have a feeling I won’t regret it.” He glanced over at you again.

“You won’t.” You promised.

* * * * * * * *

TMR Tags:

@mo320

#tmr #the maze runner #the scorch trials #newt x reader #reader x newt #new muse #tmr newt imagine #tmr newt x reader #tmr thomas #tmr minho #brenda #jorge

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rosiehunterwolf · 3 years

Text

And the Walls Kept Tumbling Down

Prompts: Trust and Breakdown

Word Count: 3,706

Characters: Pixal and Lloyd

Timeline: right before season 8

Trigger Warnings: Mental Breakdown/Panic Attack, Lack of Self-Worth

Summary: Pixal has been Samurai X for awhile, now- a role that allows her to be herself, to be happy. But it’s also... incredibly lonely. Luckily, she’s not the only one alone- Lloyd has been left in the city while his friends go after Master Wu, and his presence is comforting. But as they struggle with a mysterious biker gang, Pixal can’t help feeling the want to be part of something more.

Link to read on FanFiction.Net:

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13897921/1/And-the-Walls-Kept-Tumbling-Down

“Master Lloyd, maybe you should go get that checked at the hospital.”

“Pix, I’m fine, it’s just a scratch,” Lloyd mumbled through the gauze as he snapped it with his teeth, winding the last several inches around his forearm. “And I thought I told you to stop calling me that.”

“Why? You are our master now, aren’t you?”

Lloyd snorted, tentatively testing his arm as he moved it back and forth. “I’m no master. I can’t even keep our team together.”

Pixal stared at him, shocked. “We all agreed on this, Lloyd. It is the most efficient plan to find Master Wu.”

“Yeah, and whose plan was that?” Lloyd’s voice was suddenly sharp.

“I believe it was Zane’s, but-”

“Exactly! It was Zane’s plan, not mine. I did nothing. And now, they’re off searching for Master Wu, and I’m sitting here, doing nothing.”

An unfamiliar sensation squeezed at Pixal’s chest, one that felt hot and fierce and miserable all at the same time, before she had to remind herself that no, she didn’t have a body, didn’t have a chest to feel pain in, and that she was just speaking to Lloyd over the monitors.

At least, in the moment, she was.

“Zane trusted me to watch over this city,” she insisted, her voice unstable- which it shouldn’t be, she was a nindroid, not affected by such things- “He trusted us.”

Lloyd flinched visibly, looking away from the computer they were using to talk. “Pix, I didn’t mean- look, I’m sure Zane much would’ve rather had you come along with him, but instead you got stuck babysitting me.”

“Normally, I would object, but I think you’ve already proven your own point,” she commented, shooting a pointed glare at his bandaged arm.

Lloyd gritted his teeth, letting out a slow breath. “I get it, Pixal, I’ll be more careful next time.”

“A doctor’s visit couldn’t hurt, Lloyd.”

“Will you drop it already?”

She frowned. “I wish you wouldn’t grow cross with me, Master Lloyd. I am only trying to look out for you-”

Lloyd stood up sharply. “I get it, okay? I’m incompetant. You don’t need to keep calling me ‘master’ out of pity, I know I’ll never be able to live up to my unc- Master Wu.”

Pixal blinked at him, stunned. “Lloyd, I never-”

“Shut up! I don’t want to hear it!” And then he was reaching forward, slamming down the laptop’s lid, and Pixal’s world went dark.

He knew how much she hated that, when he turned her off or walked away without her consent, like she was some sort of object.

He hadn’t meant it- she had learned a lot about Lloyd in their past year alone together, and he often became impulsive when he was angry in order to cover up his sensitive, insecure side. It would probably only be a matter of hours before he came running back, apologizing repeatedly, and sobbing over what a horrible friend he was as Pixal patiently waited for him to calm down. But she had grown to like and respect Lloyd, and it still stung when he snapped at her, even though the logical part of her mind knew that it wasn’t really her that was the problem.

What bothered her even more so, though, was the things he said about himself. It had been abrupt, this time, but she hadn’t missed the times he had slipped it in more subtly into conversation. It made her angry, how he refused to appreciate himself.

And now, stuck in this stupid form, she couldn’t go after him.

Well. Technically, she could.

The Samurai X suit had been up and operational for a few months since her last major upgrade- the one that had finally given her her own, independent body, separate from just the mech itself.

But she was nervous to remove herself from the computer entirely. She was aware that she was so incredibly useful as a program, with instant access to all sorts of technology and data. She had become an asset to her team.

She liked feeling important, feeling like she was part of the group.

But being the samurai allowed her to physically be there. In these last few months, she felt like she had really grown to know and trust Lloyd- even if he didn’t know it was her beneath the samurai mask. She wanted to get to know the others fully, too- she was already fairly close to Zane, but she liked the rest of the team, too- Cole, Jay, Kai, and especially Nya, Pixal felt intrigued by. She had spent some time connecting similarities between them- there were a lot of differences, too, but she felt like they could be friends. A physical form would allow her to bond with them, like a human. She was well aware she wasn’t one, but she wanted to understand.

But she was afraid, too. Except for Zane, and maybe Lloyd, now, seeing the others again felt daunting. They had never been particularly close before she had been scrapped. What if they thought she was infringing on their team? The six of them had been close for so long. It would make sense if she wasn’t wanted there.

She just wasn’t ready, not yet. Communicating with Lloyd through the monitors would just have to do for now. It was difficult, though- it didn’t seem like he took her as seriously this way.

For now, though, they had bigger problems. Lloyd’s injury hadn’t been too severe, from what she could tell, and would heal quickly. But it had been a sizable wound, and could leave some pretty severe scarring, if he wasn’t careful with it- she knew he wouldn’t be, which was why she had to keep him in line- but the point was, these were no common thieves going around, dealing this kind of damage. This gang- whoever they were- were something bigger, more dangerous than their day-to-day threats. Pixal wasn’t sure if it was severe enough to start calling the others back- she didn’t want to interrupt their search for Master Wu. But she would certainly have to keep a closer eye on Lloyd from now on, to make sure he didn’t get in over his head.

She should probably start playing a more active role as Samurai X. Although the ninja had a tentative relationship with her mysterious persona, she wasn’t about to send Lloyd against this gang alone again.

She just hoped he would have her.

---

The next call came in much sooner than Pixal had anticipated. At the unappealing hour of four in the morning, Lloyd hauled himself out of bed and stumbled drearily out the door at Pixal’s report of a prison breach alarm coming from Kryptarium. With the rush, there was no time to talk to him, and the drive to the prison was awkward and silent.

When they arrived, it turned out the alarm had been triggered by accident. The good news was there were no criminals to stop, the bad news was that they had woken up at four am for no reason.

Not that Pixal particularly minded- sleep was inconsequential to a nindroid, but Lloyd was less than pleased.

“I mean, if you’re going to have an alarm system that immediately pages the city’s ninja team and makes them stop everything they’re doing to rush over there, it should at least be heavily guarded. How do you even accidentally set off an emergency alarm? I thought these guys were supposed to be professionals!”

Pixal stifled a laugh as he paused, taking a sip of the iced coffee he had picked up as they had headed back. He had told her, “If I’m already up and ready, I might as well spend some time in the city for a little while. Y’know, in case they trigger any other ‘alarms’ that I need to go rushing off to.”

“Perhaps they need a lesson from the ninja,” Pixal suggested.

“I’ll say,” he grumbled. “I don’t know how this city ever survived before we showed up.”

“Well, experience is the best teacher, and you guys have triggered enough traps and alarms to last a lifetime.”

“Wait, what?” Lloyd spluttered. “No, we haven’t! We’re highly trained ninja, we’re better than that.”

“Oh, really? I seem to remember quite a few in the Tournament of Elements, or the time with the technoblades, or when General Cryptor tracked you- shall I go on?”

“Shut up,” Lloyd snorted, trying to hide his grin. “You don’t know nothin’.”

“You’re right, I don’t. I was only with you for a short time before I was uploaded into Zane’s head, and after that, my view of your adventures was extremely limited. I can’t imagine how much more trouble you got into when I wasn’t there.”

“I hate you,” he said, attempting to scowl and failing miserably, the look on his face was too comedic for Pixal to bite back her laugh this time. It wasn’t long before Lloyd joined her, and soon, he was bent over, clutching his stomach, and he had to sit down for a moment to catch his breath. Pixal felt warm inside as she watched him take a long sip from his coffee. She enjoyed seeing him like this. He had been far too tense over the last few weeks, and she missed the more childlike, carefree side of him.

After a moment, though, the expression on his face fell solemn, and he turned to the tablet they were using to communicate to look her directly in the eyes. “Pix, I’m really sorry for yelling at you last night. I was being a brat.”

She paused carefully, both relieved and nervous that they were finally addressing this. “Lloyd, I know you were hurting. I am only trying to look out for you.”

He put his hands behind his head. “Yeah, I know, I need to work harder-”

“Lloyd,” she interrupted firmly. “That’s the other thing. I need you to stop saying things like that about yourself.”

He cocked his head at her. “Like what?”

Good grief, he doesn’t even know he’s doing it. “Talking down on yourself. I called you ‘master’ because that’s what you are now. You’ve earned this title, Lloyd. Just like you’ve earned everything else in your life, and more. It was not my intention to say you would take your uncle’s place, but say that you can be just as great of a leader as he was.”

Lloyd suddenly found the cracks in the concrete to be very interesting. “See, people keep saying that, but- it’s just so hard. I feel like I always mess everything up. Something always goes wrong, or worse, someone gets hurt-”

“Lloyd, you’re one person. You can’t expect to be successful all the time. You may be a ninja, yes, but your job is very difficult and dangerous, something most people wouldn’t even dream of tackling. You’re part of a team for a reason, and I’m sorry they’re not here right now, but until they return, you’re going to have to give yourself a little credit.”

Lloyd’s breathing hitched, and he scrubbed at his suspiciously wet eyes. His next words were so quiet, Pixal could barely hear them. “I just miss them. Everyone… everyone always leaves, and I’m tired of being alone all the time.”

Pixal was struggling to breathe herself- even though she was a nindroid, didn’t need to breathe- the sensation was still there.

She could remember when she had been alone too. Those nights after Zane had… had died, had been some of the worst times of her life. The emptiness had only made it sting worse, but when Lloyd had reached out to her, she had refused him.

She had been scared, scared to let anyone else into her life in case she lost them too, but now she realized that he had been hurting just as much as she had. She knew his friends had gone off on their own like she had, leaving him just as alone as the rest of them. She had been the cause of that, she had only hurt him more when he was already going through so much.

When she spoke again, it wasn’t just for the situation at present.

“I’m sorry, Lloyd. I’m so sorry.”

He looked up at the screen, his watery green eyes staring into hers, then raised an arm, his fingers ghosting the screen, before falling back to his side. He looked away, swallowing.

“What is it?”

“I just… I wish I could hug you. I wish you were here. Like, actually.”

“I am much more useful in the computer, Lloyd.”

“Yeah, but you’re not… you’re not here. I don’t care about how useful you are.”

Pixal let out a trembling breath, but Lloyd hardly seemed to notice, already beginning to stand up. “Sorry about being such a downer. I better get back to the Bounty, I’m sure the police have something for me to do.”

“Lloyd?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’ll be fine. I just… they’ll be back soon. I know they aren’t like… other people. They’re going to come back. And besides, until then, I’ve got you, right?” He gave her a shy smile.

Pixal froze. This was it. He was extending- a metaphorical- hand to her. Offering her to be part of something that she had been wanting for a long time.

But it felt wrong. She wasn’t a ninja. She wasn’t one of his teammates. What if she was assuming wrong? What if he wasn’t really asking that?

“I’m not one of the ninja, Lloyd. I can’t help you the way they can.”

“No, you’re whoever you want to be, Pix. But you’re still my friend.”

Friend. Pixal felt a sudden urge to correct him, to tell him he was mistaken. “I’m not part of your team. I… I can’t be.”

“Trust me, Pix- in every sense that matters- you are one of us.”

---

“Pixal, I need my car! Now!”

The nindroid’s voice came out slightly crackly from the radio. “Your coordinates, Master Lloyd?”

“I’m somewhere around… well, you know how to find me.”

The cable he was gripping onto slowed to a stop, then quickly began to swing back down. Squeezing his eyes shut, Lloyd prayed that Pixal knew what she was doing, and let go.

Air whipped past him as he fell freely, the fall feeling both agonizingly slow and alarmingly quick at the same time, but before he had time to question what the hell he was doing, a blur of green darted out from a nearby alleyway, and Lloyd fell into his car.

He quickly pulled himself up and took over the controls. “Impeccable timing, Pix! You’re getting good at that.”

“I have to do something while you’re busy fighting crime, don’t I?”

“Speaking of which…” Lloyd cut off, gritting his teeth as he wove in between cars on the busy street, chasing after the biker. “Who is this person? Anything you can tell me about them?”

“They appear to be affiliated with the same criminal biker gang we have been having trouble with over the last few weeks. I am afraid I cannot tell you anything other than that. They have been keeping a very low profile.”

“Well, whoever they are, they’re good. I’ll keep you posted.” Gritting his teeth, he pushed on the gas and shot through the streets after the mysterious biker. They were a skilled driver, but Lloyd wasn’t lacking in that department either, and soon, he had caught up to the biker. The person’s eyes glowed an eerie red through their mask, their expression emotionless, and Lloyd forced his gaze away for a moment to examine the object in the back of his bike- presumably the stolen item. It was a red mask, with an ugly, beast-like face patterned over the top, complete with a mouth of crooked, yellowing teeth, and deep, glowering eyes. It looked like nothing more than a costume. Lloyd wondered what they could possibly want with it.

Putting on another burst of speed, he pulled in front of the biker, making them screech to a halt to avoid a collision. The two of them stared each other down, only a short stretch of road between them.

The criminal revved his engine, and suddenly, was racing towards Lloyd. Lloyd began to do the same, and just when he thought the biker was about to hit him head-on, mechanical arms extended from the bike, driving into the road, and sending the biker flying over his head. Lloyd slammed to a halt and jumped out of the car, running over to the bridge as the biker went over the edge. He yanked something near his chest, and all of a sudden, a big sheet was billowing out from his back, gray and black and red-

Lloyd’s breath caught in his throat as the parachute unfolded fully, revealing the emblem of a face that Lloyd had never thought he would see again.

No, no, no. Lloyd stumbled back from the railing, his breath hitching in his chest as he tried desperately to draw it in. This doesn’t mean anything. Perhaps they just are a fan of Garmadon, it doesn’t mean he’s here-

But it wasn’t working. His body just wasn’t listening to him, his heart beating too fast, his breath trembling and shallow, and his head-

“Lloyd!” A voice came from seemingly out of nowhere, and in his panicked state, he couldn’t, he couldn’t-

“Lloyd, it’s Pixal. What’s happened, why aren’t you responding?”

Oh. It was Pixal, on… on the radio. With trembling fingers, he reached down and switched on his mic. “...Pix?”

“Lloyd, don’t scare me like that, what’s wrong?”

“Pixal… Pixal, I don’t know…” Oh gosh, he was spiraling, spiraling hard, panic swamped his brain as images of his father flashed before his eyes, first running off with the golden weapons, then trying to kill him when the Overlord had taken over, then when he had submerged under the ocean, down, down, down with the Preeminent-

No! Lloyd’s eyes snapped open, scattering the images. He couldn’t be thinking about this now, not- not when-

Oh gosh. His father couldn’t be involved with this gang, he couldn’t. He was gone, gone for good. He missed him, so, so much, but nothing with his father was ever that simple. Something always went wrong, and Lloyd was just beginning to get over his last death, he couldn’t- couldn’t live through the pain again-

“Lloyd, Lloyd listen to me, just try to breathe-”

He could barely hear her. His legs had stopped working, and he sunk to the ground, hugging his knees to his chest, trying to remember to breathe. The last thing he needed was to pass out from lack of oxygen.

He buried his face between his knees, gulping through the sobs. Dammit, why was he like this, he hadn’t had an episode this bad since Morro-

And now he was thinking about that part of his life, one he had so desperately hoped to forget- it had been years, why was still not over that, he had gotten good at suppressing those feelings long ago, but when he got like this, he couldn’t control anything-

He hated when he got like this, it was so terrifying, he just wanted to go home, he just wanted Kai to be here, why was he always all alone-

Suddenly, firm, cool arms were wrapping around him, pulling him close. Lloyd gasped, his eyes flying open sharply.

A pair of glowing green eyes stared back at him, shadowed with fear. “Hey,” she whispered, her metallic jaw moving with the words, “I’m here now. You’re going to be okay.”

He had lost it, he was hallucinating, how was- how was she here-

“Pixal?!”

“Yeah,” her voice was quiet, rubbing her fingers across his palm. “It’s me. I’m here.”

“How?”

“I’m Samurai X, Lloyd.”

“Oh.” Vaguely, a part of his mind told him he should be more surprised by that piece of information, but he was just tired. His mind was already on overdrive, he couldn’t afford to take in anything else.

“Lloyd.” Pixal’s voice was scared, and he realized he was trembling in her grip. “Please, what has happened to you?”

“It’s- it’s…” Lloyd gasped for breath. “My dad, he- the biker, he was- he had-” and those words alone were too much. Everything was breaking, splintering apart right in front of his eyes, and he clutched onto Pixal like she was his lifeline- in a way, she was. She felt different from Kai’s warm, soft touch- harder and cooler- but sturdier and stronger, too. And right now, Lloyd could use a bit of strength.

But most of all, she was here.

“Why did you tell me?” He managed to get out. “Out of everyone, you told me first? Not Zane?”

Pixal was silent for a moment. “I know what it’s like. I mean, not exactly- I can’t feel what you are feeling right now. But… feeling emotions has been hard. Draining. You, out of all people, seem to know that. But you’re still so strong through everything. I just… you helped me to see how to heal. How to get better.” She paused, looking down at her hands. “But I guess it doesn’t always work out that way. I figured it was about time I helped you back.”

He leaned his head into her lap, examining her long, silver fingers, brushing them gently. “I like you like this. You’re pretty.”

He wasn’t looking at her face, but he could almost feel her smile. “Thank you. I worked hard to make this. I wanted to make sure… that I was better, this time. I still have some modifications to make, but…”

Lloyd winced, feeling a pang of guilt. “I’m sorry I made you show me before you were ready.”

“Lloyd,” she said firmly. “This was my choice. Not yours.” She took one hand and turned his chin so their gazes met, green on green. “I trust you. I always have.”

Lloyd felt his lip tremble. “I-”

Pixal stopped him. “It’s okay, Lloyd. You don’t have to say it. I know.”

Lloyd curled into her side and wept.

#ninjago #ninbingo #my fic #ninjago lloyd #ninjago pixal #hope you guys enjoyed!#this was really fun to write #i finished it in like three days wow look at me actually being productive for once #but yeah pixal is underrated and i needed to be sure to add her at least once into this found family event #because she's just as much a part of the team as any of them ❤

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alexchild60 · 3 years

Text

Nothin’ On You- Kung Lao x Reader

I wrote this after listening to the song Nothin’ On You by B.o.B. This is very loosely based on the song (meaning I heard the song and this is what I came up with, even if it doesn’t line up). I hope you enjoy it :)

I sat on the sidelines of the fight pit as I watched Kung Lao prepare to fight Cole to help him find his arcana. Kung Lao ran his hand along his hat, something he typically does before he makes his initial strike. He quickly removed his hat and began maneuvering it as a weapon against Cole. Cole dodged the hat before kicking it and switching to offense. He kicked at Kung Lao, which he blocked each time with his hat. After the third kick to his hat, Kung Lao jumped in the air and kicked Cole in the chest. He quickly threw his hat, which caused Cole to fly in the air before hitting the ground. Kung Lao caught his hat midair and immediately placed it back on his head. He made eye contact with me and gave me a wink before coming to sit beside me on the steps.

Cole walked to the side grimacing while looking at his arm. “You okay, Cole?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m good,” he replied. I nodded before looking at Kung Lao while Liu Kang and Kano were sparring.

I’ve been at Raiden’s temple for about a year and a half. I know what these new champions are going through to find their arcana because I had the same struggle not too long ago. I came in without any martial arts training, so Kung Lao and Liu Kang literally started from scratch with me. The past year, I had really developed a strong friendship with the two of them while we constantly trained. Liu Kang and I were basically inseparable, but my relationship with Kung Lao was different. Obviously we were friends, but I had stronger feelings for him. When I was working on finding my arcana, Kung Lao pushed me constantly and really helped me find my arcana.

“What?” Kung Lao asked when he finally saw me looking at him. My face warmed up and his classic smirk appeared on his face in response.

“Nothing. I just hope they find their arcanas quickly.”

He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me to his side. “Amongst the three of us, they’ll be ready before the tournament.”

“I’d much rather fight that beauty over there,” Kano said confidently as he looked at me.

Kung Lao tightened his hold on me. “You don’t have to fight him, (Y/N),” he whispered so only I could hear.

“If it helps him find his arcana, then I might as well,” I replied as I stood.

I walked to where Liu Kang stood. “Good luck, (Y/N),” he said as he walked to the steps.

“I’ll make sure to go easy on you, babe,” Kano teased.

I got into my fighting stance as I prepared for Kano to come at me. He walked up to me and went to grab me. I easily dodged it by stepping to the side. With him out of place, I went to hit him in the back. He turned quickly, like he knew I would, and elbowed me in the stomach. I saw Kung Lao quickly stand. I put a hand up to stop him from doing anything.

Kano chuckled. “Sorry, I prefer to play rough, babe.”

I rolled my eyes before returning to my starting stance. Kano moved closer to me and went to punch me. I dodged his fist and responded with my own to his nose.

“Really, cheap shots?” I shrugged my shoulders and prepared to strike.

I ran at him and jumped on his back. He tried to knock me off his back using his elbows. He began backing towards the wall of the pit. I summoned my arcana as he neared the wall. A vine poked through the dirt and wrapped around Kano’s leg.

“Are you fucking serious?” He growled. I took advantage of his surprise and knocked him to the ground. I summoned more vines to hold down his other leg, his arms, and his neck. He struggled against them before giving up.

“Surrender?” I asked.

“More turned on than anything,” Kano said with a smirk. “Is this what you, hat boy, and Magic Mike do in your free time?” I scoffed in disgust and walked away from him.

I walked into the infirmary to check on Cole. Liu Kang was treating his wound with acupuncture needles.

“How’s your arm doing?” I asked as I looked over Liu Kang’s shoulder.

“It still hurts, but Liu Kang’s helping quite a bit.”

“I’m glad I wasn’t the only one Kung Lao refused to go easy on.” I rolled up my shorts a little bit to show him the scar on my thigh. “He cut me on my second day of sparring. Liu Kang helped treat the wound.”

“How long after that did it take for you to develop your arcana after that?”

“Nearly a year after.”

Cole let out a sigh. “If the tournament is in a month, then I won’t develop my arcana in time.”

“Cole, it will come. (Y/N), Kung Lao, and I will help you get your arcana in time,” Liu Kang encouraged.

I placed my hand on his good shoulder. “Not everyone’s arcana comes at the same time. It’s more complicated than that,” I explained.

Kung Lao entered the room. I saw his eyes look at my hand on Cole’s shoulder.

He coughed awkwardly. “Liu, Raiden wants to speak with us.”

“Give me just a moment. I am almost done tending to Cole’s wound,” Liu Kang responded.

Kung Lao nodded. His gaze fell on my hand again which caused me to quickly take it off Cole’s shoulder.

“Finished,” Liu Kang announced.

“Cole, (Y/N), we will see you tomorrow for training,” Kung Lao said as the two of them went to leave the room.

I turned to Cole. “Don’t let not having your arcana prevent you from discovering it, Cole. Kung Lao and Liu Kang know what they’re doing. I am proof of that. It will come. Trust the process.”

“Thanks, (Y/N). I’ll try.” He stood up and left the room.

I let out a sigh before following suit and leaving myself. I decided I would go relax in the hot springs before I went to bed.

The hot springs were empty when I arrived. I chose a spring and dropped my towel at the edge. I slipped into the water and instantly felt my muscles relax. I closed my eyes as my head fell back and a moan left my lips as I sunk in deeper.

“Ohhh, I didn’t realize I needed this so bad,” I said to myself.

“Is there room for one more?” A familiar voice asked.

“Of course, Kung Lao,” I replied without opening my eyes. I heard him sink into the water. I waited a minute before opening my eyes. I saw Kung Lao looking at me with a smile on his face. A blush crept on my face. “What?”

“Nothing. I’m just enjoying the hot springs.”

Kung Lao was about two feet away from me. I decided to move closer to him. I laid my head on his shoulder once I was beside him. I looked out into the array of hot springs, and Kung Lao wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

“What did Raiden want to speak to you and Liu Kang about?”

“He’s afraid the new champions will not be ready in time.”

“I think they will. Raiden knows just as well as you and I that this is a process.”

“You’re right. It took you a year to get yours,” he teased.

I chuckled. “It only took ten months.”

“Yeah, only.”

I playfully hit him. “Well at least mine is cooler than a lame hat.”

“If I remember correctly, that lame hat is what helped you get your lame vines.”

“The vines aren’t lame.” Kung Lao smiled and chuckled. “Kano seemed to be impressed by them.”

The smile on his face quickly left and his jaw tightened. “I didn’t think you’d be the type who wanted to impress him.”

Without completely thinking it through, I decided to keep teasing him. “You know? I’m actually a sucker for an Australian accent.”

“And what about his awful personality?”

“Besides the accent, he’s not really my type.”

His face changed. A smirk crossed his face instead. “And what exactly is your type?”

I sat back and thought for a second. “There is this guy who helped train me that I’ve really got my eye on. It’s hard to even think about anybody else because he is just that great.”

I looked up at him. He looked back at me for a minute or two before glancing at my lips. I decided to close the space between us. Our lips connected and there felt like a small burst of electricity. Our lips moved in perfect, synchronized movements. I pulled away to catch my breath.

“Kung Lao, I really like you.”

“I really like you, too, (Y/N).”

“I want to see where this goes because I feel a real connection with you. It’s different from the ones I have with Liu Kang, Cole, and any other guy I’ve met. ” I could feel myself beginning to ramble. Kung Lao silenced my rambling by kissing me again.

“Let’s just see where this goes and we’ll move from there. Okay?”

I nodded. “Okay.”

#mortal kombat #mortal kombat imagine #mortal kombat reader insert #kung lao #kung lao x reader #kung lao/you #kano #cole young #liu kang #mortal kombat 2021

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milkytheholy1 · 3 years

Text

Apocalyptic love: Chapter 5: Two-year celebration

Tmnt masterlist Ultimate masterlist series links ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The witty banter between you and June continued on as you lightly pushed each other with the tips of your shoulders. You loosely made your way down the streets of New York, heading over to Times Square where the Saki ceremony was happening. June wrapped an arm around your shoulder, dragging you into her hips as she laughed away, something about her husband and a holiday gone wrong in Hawaii.

"And then Bernie, poor soul, thought he could do better than the guy that worked there! Ended up setting the whole roof on fire! I told him not to grab that tiki torch, but he said 'Women, ain't nothin' that I've never handled before'." June imitated her husband, her frame becoming bulky and stiff, her voice deepening. You cackled along with her, weaving in and out of crowds, the symphony of brass deathless when you were talking with her. June's laughter faded out, the air surrounding you both becoming more melancholy.

June held a warm smile, you could tell she was trying to be brave, put up a front. Her smile faltered as she spoke, "God rest his soul, I'm just happy he didn't have to live through this."

"Would he have complied?" you asked. You faintly remembered Bernie, always emitting a hard-work ethic but seemed to like his downtime just as much, he was often seen catering to his small garden allotment on the roof; grew the biggest carrots you would have ever seen! June looked towards you, eyes visibly watering but she drowned the feeling, "Honey, he would have fought until his dying breath. My Bernie never believed in a world like this, he wouldn't take it sitting down. He was the bravest man I'd ever met."

June's lip began to tremble, her gaze faltering to the cracked concrete of the street. Thinking quickly, you grabbed her hand and tightened your grip around it. She flicked her gaze back to you, copying the smile you sent her way, "You must miss him a lot," you tried to whisper, almost forgetting you were amongst a large crowd. June shook her head, "I miss him every single day, but he's never too far from me." she tapped her fingertips against her heart, feeling the beats of the organ in time with her patting.

What a wonderful way to look at things, you wish you could do the same. But I guess, unlike June, your parents were taken from you by another human being, not a disease. "He was a good man," you spoke, June squeezed your hand again, "The best," she mused.

As you approached closer to the main stage, your eyes travelled along the roster of goons the Foot had corralled together. Rocksteady, Fishface, Tigerclaw. The moment you laid eyes on him, you instinctively pulled your hood up, hiding your face from his beady sight. June looked at you then back to the stage, leaning in closer, she whispered to you: "Have some sort of run-in with the cat?"

You simply nodded your head, suddenly finding the ability to talk useless. A deadly assassin such as himself would be able to pinpoint your voice from a mile away, and you had barely escaped the last time you had seen him. The crowd gathered in small clumps, dispersed along the front of the stage and way out into the distance. Huge screens were built into the skyscrapers, a HD image of the Queen of the Foot flickering onto the screen. Her smile seemed rotten, the way her eyes squinted under the harsh lights seemed rotten, hell, even the way she walked seemed rotten.

This woman was parading around her dead master, the same guy who levelled New York and killed thousands, as though it meant nothing to the people he had killed, the lives he had taken. Besides her was a tall picture of Oroku Saki, no helmet, no scars. It was like you were at a funeral for a celebrity, although no one knew him personally they all showed up to pay their respects. But I guess, in this case, it was either show up or be sent as some freaky test subject to the eternal hell pit under the Foot tower.

Speaking of crowds, you had never seen so many people in New York, since the bombing anyway. On closer inspection, many members were from gangs, and more so just Footbots sent to watch over any civilian that found themselves brave enough to stand up. The light tapping echoing around the buildings caught your attention, as it did for most others. Karai beamed at the people gathered below her, where they belong she mused, "People of The Foot Empire, today we celebrate the life of Oroku Saki. A mentor, a leader...a father. He was taken from this world far too soon, still wanting to make an impact before he died, he made me the new leader of the Foot. I took the mantel with the utmost respect for his work and the legacy he leaves, something that I hope to do just as good as him."

The Footbots patrolling around the crowds suddenly become alert, eyes glowing a brighter shade of red as they seemingly vanished from the crowds. You had thought you saw one go inside one of the many buildings, but you weren't certain. June nudged you with her elbow, indicating with her head that you should be paying attention to Karai. Begrudgingly, you focused your concentration back on the spoiled brat, brain-melting from all the lies.

You knew what you saw when you stormed the Foot labs, all the poor people locked in cages, oozing green. You remembered the tapestries littered along the walls depicting the Foot's rise to the top, the very man they praised wielding swords drenched in blood. You remember sneaking into a museum of some sorts, held every sort of memorabilia from The Shredder. What scared you the most was the silver gleam of his helmet, apparently the only physical thing left of him, or so the engraving beside the glass case said.

You shook your head of the thoughts, focusing on the muttering crowd and angered Karai. Funny, was her face always that red? Her hands were braced against the podium she stood at, occupants closer to her could see the strain she was putting on the wooden slab; splintering under her fingers. With a harsh glare and smack to her armed guards, she roared into the microphone: "What's going on!"

The spotlights pointed at the stage flashed off, the Foot clan no longer illuminated in a godly light. Karai once again turned to her guards, Tigerclaw seemed alert while Rocksteady and Fishface lounged in their plastic chairs. "Footbots to m-" the microphone cut out, ending Karai's sentence, a small sigh of relief flooded the crowd. She continued to rage on, her voice just loud enough to reach your ears. Two Footbots approached her side and stood guard, for what? You weren't quite sure but you were definitely happy June dragged you out now.

Without warning, two thin lengths of rope dropped down from the skyscraper above the ceremony. Its cords wrapping around each bot and yanking it into the air, never to be seen again. Karai turned back to see her guards gone, her head flicked upwards, internally screaming when the two bots clanged together against the broken windows high above them. Tigerclaw stepped further on the stage, a gun raised in his paws, with a quick bark Rocksteady and Fishface were by his side, weapons cocked and ready to fire.

The air was quiet, most people had scattered, not wanting to be caught up in a gunfight. You had stayed, obviously, if the Foot were going down you wanted to be there. June had watched the scene transpire with you, her mind telling her to run but her legs stayed stationary, "(Y/N), we should get out of here." she uttered to you. You shook your head 'no', opting to push her to safety, "I can't stand here and do nothing, I need to fight."

June reached out a hand and gently rubbed your cheek, a small smile gracing her lips, "You're just like my Bernie," Her hand on your cheek fell to her side, she quickly embraced you in a hug, forcing all her love onto you like you were her own child, "Unlike Bernie, come back to me, I can't lose you both." she whispered into your ear. Pulling back, you gave her a firm nod, "I promise, now go!" your hands dragged out the further she stepped away, eventually, your hand was holding nothing but air as you watched her run with a small group of civilians.

At least she's safe you conceived yourself. You made your way closer to the main stage, weaving and ducking through rampant crowds and loaded Footbots. Hiding behind a trash can, you continued to watch the show in front of you. Every mutant was surrounding Karai, all consistently rotating around her in case the attack came from any direction. Yet they failed to look up.

"Booyakasha!" came a voice from above, loud and full of life. Three silhouettes dropped from some grappling hooks, each bearing a weapon aimed at a member of the Foot. A fourth silhouette dropped from the sky, landing purposefully onto Fishface, sending the mutant unconscious instantly. "Who's next?" he spits out, sais held tightly in his fists. Your eyes widened, these guys were actually going to attack the Foot? And they said it could never be done you internally laughed to yourself.

"Karai, a few years ago I would have said this isn't you, this wasn't your path...your family." one of the men said, his head seemed to be bowing down. Karai looked bemused, a devious smirk on her lips, "Well, Leonardo, I thought you were dead. But I guess like my father, I should never assume, huh?"

"Karai, I'm not the same teenager that would let this shit slide. You have to face consequences at some point, the people of New York didn't deserve this. You're just as, if not as, bad as The Shredder. You had a family, a home, Splint-"

"Don't you dare say his name! That man was a fool, he killed my family not Saki! As long as you and your brothers are alive, New York will continue to suffer!" her arm flew out, indicating to the remaining guards to attack.

The Footbots on the streets moved with an accuracy only seen in movies, blades slashing streetlights and banners, jumping and blocking people from escaping. You watched in horror as a small boy hunched over his sister, backing slowly into a corner while a Footbot dragged along a pointed blade; the concrete sparking under its weight. You didn't want to know what the heinous thing was going to do with it, instead, you ran, your ran as fast as you could. Launching from the ground, your grappled onto it's back and rammed it into the side of the brick wall.

You dropped to the ground the moment it's head banged the concreate, rolling to a complete stop in front of the two children, "Stay behind me," you commanded. They whimpered but did as you said, eyes tracing the ninja in black, it's blade was pulled out and held high. Using that to your advantage, you sprinted over to it, dropping to a skid before it could slice your form. Sliding under it's legs with ease, you quickly turned and delivered a kick to it's back. The bot stumbled forward, a hand gripping the wall to keep itself steady. While it was recovering you snapped the blade from it's hand and shouted to the children: "Cover your eyes!"

They complied instantly, the brother shunning his sister's vision while she did the same to him. You wielded the blade above you, bringing it down with force as it collided through the bot's torso. It's body sparked, blue fluid leaking out of it as it cluttered to the ground. Dropping the blade with a clang, you dashed to the cowering kids. "Hey, hey, it's okay now. You're safe." your calming voice was enough to lull them into a false hope, they would never truly be safe while the world was like this. But hope is what people believe in and who are you to deny two children of believing in something.

Swooping them into your arms, you braced yourself for a moment, eyes scanning the environment surrounding you. "Hold on tight, okay?" you whispered to the kids, they nodded but you could feel their bones shaking. With an intake of breath, your trainers crunched against the raised gravel, dipping into indents in the wall to avoid shots. As you ran, you briefly looked towards the main stage, seeing the four silhouettes battling with Karai's mutants. They were shrouded in mystery, the heroes that is, you couldn't care less about the mutants; nothing but trouble they were.

Your eyes focused on the one wielding what appeared to be katanas, their fluid movements and light steps impressed you deeply, maybe when all this was over you should introduce yourself. You shook your head, there was no time to think about that now, all that mattered was getting these kids to safety then going to help your new best friends.

Dumping the children into the arms of a man hiding out with a small cluster of people, you told them to go south and don't stop running. They did as you said, holding hands as they went. You turned back to the stage, jogging up with caution. On your way, you dazed away from the fight, memories flooding your mind at the mere sight of the small card laying daintly on the ground. It seemed to illuminate with how clean it was compared to everything else around it. A Mother's day card.

It looked handmade, from the shaky crayon writing and backwards letters. A family of stick figures on the front all holding hands, surrounded by hearts. It brought you back to the times where you celebrated Mother's day, the breakfast in beds, the Jaws movie marathon, obviously followed by Die Hard after. The memories seemed to play like a recorded movie, flickering into the next year and the year after that. "Aw is this for me? To mummy, Happy Mother's Day to the best mummy ever! Lots and lots and lots of love, (Y/N), kisses." You felt the salty brim of tears swell up in the corners of your eyes, the quiver of your lip at the sound of her voice.

"Look out!" you felt the faint touch of a cold hand on your shoulder, though the feeling had quickly disappeared. The swish of hair as something travelled past your face stunned you for a moment, opting to take a look down you saw the remains of an active Footbot; one hand still outstretched. Lodged in it's chest was a blue-handled katana, spots of blue and red dribbling from it's bladed edge. Swivelling your head back to the stage you caught the stare of one of the silhouettes, from where you were you could faintly see the hint of blue in their eyes. Whoever it was had seemingly saved you from being Foot chow.

Your thanks would have to wait as it seemed the moment you shared with the mystery hero had passed, they continued to fight Tigerclaw with only one weapon in their hand. The glimmer and shine of the katana lodged in the Footbot's chest caught your attention, heaving the metal out of the torso was harder than you thought. Placing the bottom of your shoe against the creaking metal of the Footbot's back, you pulled the handle with all your might while shoving the torso closer to the ground. With a few stumbling steps, you held the blade in your hands, marvelling at the craftsmanship.

Your thumb wiped over the bloodied logo, revealing a symbol you thought you had seen from somewhere before, you just couldn't put your finger on it. Shrugging the feeling aside, you lifted the weapon and charged at any Footbot you saw, god this weapons heavier than it looks you moaned.

After a while, more bots surrounded you, each displaying a different weapon to crush your innards with. I wonder why they came to you, perhaps it was the constant screaming or the chaotic waving on the katana you held in a tight fist, maybe it was the repeated stabbing of one poor bot beneath your feet. Probably all three. Even though their eyes were emotionless you couldn't help feel the hate behind them, the evil stink-eye if you will.

Over on the stage, Leo swung again at Tigerclaw hoping to wear down the big cat, yet he seemed to have a lot of fight in him. His gaze however caught onto your small form in the distance, surrounded by Footbots and most likely inexperience at fighting, especially against robot ninjas. Calling over his shoulder to his youngest brother, Leo barked some orders: "Mikey, see that civilian over there! Go help them!"

Mikey followed Leo's pointed finger, smiling when he saw you. Quickly saluting his boss, Mikey dived from the stage with the grappling hook under his arm, "On it, boss!" he shouted over the fight. Too preoccupied with watching Mikey's shell bounce towards the fight, he failed to notice Tigerclaw whipping out his claws and pouncing over to the poor turtle. His shell hit the stage with a loud bang, he'd definitely feel that in the morning, if he made it that far.

"You get too easily distracted, young cub." in the two years since they last fought, it had seemed Tigerclaw had perfected the art of being an asshole. Leo wriggled from under him, trying his hardest to free his hands but Tigerclaw's grip only tightened. "You should have joined us when you had the chance, you are an excellent fighter, just like your rat sensei."

"You didn't know him..." Leo muttered through clenched teeth, his body a raging fire. Tigerclaw smirked at the aggravation, deciding to toy with his prey, "I knew he would fall, and the same can be said for you." Leo's eyes went white with ferocity, easily heaving Tigerclaw off of him and onto his back, "You don't know me!" Leo roared out, catching the attention of his other two brothers. The fight between the ninja and assassin continued on, each ducking and punching. Leo, albeit it with resistance, spared another glance your way. A sharp pain tugged at his eye, closing it as blood covered most of his vision anyway.

Tigerclaw stepped back with a wicked snarl, "That will teach you for losing focus!" his claws slightly green and red, threads of blue fabric stuck to the point of his nail.

You swung the katana around the circle, the pointed tip aimed at the Footbots, "You wanna go, huh? C'mon, bring it!" you jest. You may have looked calm and collected but inside you were freaking out, you promised June you would come back to her but there was no escaping this. A blur of green and orange blew past your vision, multiple bots falling like dominos.

"Booyakasha!!" he yelled, his nunchucks swinging around his form as he stood protectively in front of you. His shell every so often bumping into you...wait, SHELL? Finally giving him a once over you assumed he was a mutant just like Karai's henchmen, but he was good? Maybe he had ulterior motives, you know, save the people from the bad guys only to then take over the city and make it way worse.

"Haha, come get me you stinky foot!" he laughed, jumping on their heads like stepping stones, doing small tricks while he was in the air. Hey, you didn't say he had to be a mad genius to be evil. When he landed with a bow aimed at you, your hands simply clapped before your mind could catch up. Deciding to cut him some slack since he did just save your life, you outstretched a nervous hand to him, which he happily accepted. He waved your hand around wildly, you pray it didn't detach.

"Hi, my name's Michelangelo but most people call me Mikey, and when I say most people I mean my brothers. But I have a lot of friends too besides them, yeah! One's a gecko, oh, and another is a giant alligator; he's super rad, by the way. His name's Leatherhead, named by your's truly." he yapped away, talking a mile a minute, most not even processing in your brain. You pulled your arm back, having to interrupt him for answers, "Are you a turtle, by any chance?" it was a dumb question with an obvious answer, but you just needed to be sure. Michelangelo, or Mikey, closed his mouth in a flash, leaning heavily on the balls of his feet.

"Is that a problem? I just figured b-because of all the mutants on the street and stuff, people would be fine with-"

"Oh no, I'm...okay with it. After all, you just saved my life!"

"Well, it was mainly my brother, Leo, who saved your life. He was the one who saw you in trouble and sent me to help."

That's a nice name, Leo. Leeeeooooo. Leeeeeeeoooooooo. You definitely wanted to meet this guy in person. From over the crook of Mikey's shell, you faintly saw the black uniform of the Foot. Pushing Mikey away with your palm, accidentally smacking him a little, you jabbed the katana into the bot's chest; it's eyes going dark. Mikey wiped a bead of sweat forming on his forehead, "Phew, that was close. Thanks, dude/dudette."

"No problem." you smiled back. Mikey's head flicked to the main stage, his brothers already grabbing the rope they came in on and heaving their tired bodies away from the fight. It appeared they were calling for their younger brother to follow along, "Looks like you need to scadadle," you mused with a small smile. You gave him back the blade, "I think this belongs to one of your brothers."

"You should come with us," Mikey prompted, gripping the blue handle of Leo's katana. You pulled a funny face at him, dismissing him with a wave of your hand, "No, I couldn't, I shouldn't."

"But the Foot's going to be after you now they've seen you help us." Mikey begged, rolling out the puppy-dog eyes. To say this was the first time you had ever meet the small terrapin, you knew instantly that you'd fall for those eyes at the drop of a hat. Pretending to think about it, you finally gave and nodded to his request. Mikey seemed to do a little squeal and a small dance before grabbing your wrist and tugging you to an alley where he pulled out the grapple and aimed for the rooftop. Wrapping an arm around your waist, he sent you a small smile, "What's your name, by the way?" he asked.

The moment you opened your mouth to reply, Mikey launched the both of you into the air without warning. Your voice trembled and shook as you screamed out your name: "(YYYYYYYYY/NNNNNNNNNNNN)!!!!!"

#tmnt #tmnt Donnie #tmnt leonardo #tmnt leo #tmnt leo 2012 #tmnt leo x reader #tmnt leonardo x reader #TMNT 2012 #tmnt 2012 leo x reader #tmnt raph #tmnt mikey #fanfiction #fandom #fan #fanfic #series #content warning #mature warning #angst

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the-fourth-knower · 3 years

Text

Diary of a lost doe, part 1

A short fic where my character Annabelle writes in diaries

Fresh off losing her parents, Annabelle Flaches must contend with trying to fend for herself and her baby sister Angelica. And with Angelica talking to a mysterious green orb when she thinks Annabelle isn’t watching, things are only at the tip of the iceberg.

This is for me and Aquillis’s “half and half” AU, our ‘main’ AU. not to be confused with Aqui’s pack universe which is her underground re-write.

Due to the length I'm splitting this into two parts. This is part 1, part 2 is here!

Diary Enry 1, Day I dunno.

Okay here it is. First diary entry I guess. Gotta keep it brief, writing instruements are hard.

Been a few months since that day. We’re doing fine. Angie started another garden. Moved to a new spot.

Got some new things for the house. Old car door and a tire. Not sure what I’ll do with the tire gonna use the door as part of wall.

Finished roof this morning. Good thing 2, might rain.

Angie still sleps bad if not next to me. Writing while she’s curled up. Wasn’t for scars on ear and having to sleep in same clothes she’d look like we’re still home.

Gotta sleep now.

Diary Entry 2

Maybe got a job. Illegal probs but $ is $

Angelica talked more today. Good sign? Maybe she relapses back into not talking but progress.

I never thought i’d miss her annoying stupid “hey lets go explore a cave and not tell anyone bout what we’ll do” self. Never thought about losing mum and pa ei

Shit crying. Bye.

Diary entry 3

Diary didn’t get too wet yesterday.Don’t think bout mom and pa it ends badly.

I can’t afford to break down even if Angie’s sleeping

If I break down then Angie will get upset

I won’t put her through it

I won’t

…

Diary entry 54

Had to leave town but am 600 $ richer

Angie’s quiet again. But she didn’t complain bout us leavin

gonna go for a city maybe. more risk but more money and places to live.

Jadetown’s the city. Dunno too much bout it but mum liked it.

Should get there in maybe a cuple weeks or so

Angie’s sound asleep. No kicking or anything so that’s good

Hope the city’s okay. Angie hates crowds.

Need somewhere with not a lot of crowds to live at

…

Diary Entry 63

Been a hot second. Settling in Jadetown’s pretty hard.

Find a quiet spot in the slums. Pretty shitty now, but the two of us can make it work

Angie still isn’t talking, but she kept close to me while we made our way through the crowds. She seemed fine as long as she held my hand

Lost her a couple times, but not for long. She seemed upset bout it.

Sorry Angie.

I’ll do better. I promise.

...

Diary Entry 169 (it’s the morning but fuck it)

The nightmare happened again.

Angelica having her ear scared by those monsters. mum and pa being taken away in exchange for us being set loose

Only it loops around and around before it’s just cries and blood and knives and screams and crying and they’re all surrounding me judging me for just failing everyone because you’re a fucking failure

Haven’t had it a while. Don’t upset yourself, Angie needs you.

Diary entry 169? Night

Angelica almost killed some street thugs.

we caught some dumbass looking punks bullying some sort of chao. I think it’s a chao

I ran up to one like an idiot and gout in their face to know what they’re doin, and the things went dark. I got knocked out on my ass, apparenlty the big brute that led them butted me in the head. Asshole didn’t even let me get ready

I came to to Angie trying to shake me awake. When I looked around the punks were gone, there were plant vines all over, and the other kids that had gathered were a mix of crapped their pants and mouths on the floor

I asked angie bout it and she just said she took care of them and that the punks had run off

What the hell did she do? Usually I’m the one saving her? But she was having none of it today.

Oh the chao’s fine, weirdass chao though. Never seen chao that just cause flowers to grow around them or in their footsteps.

Made 30 $

Rib’s hurting and headache, Angie fast asleep. Time for bed.

Diary Entry 170

Chao’s bak.

Visited Angie’s garden for a while watchin me watchin it. It waved and left right around Angie gettin up.

Showed up again when we got back home. Angie hasn’t seen it yet. Good thing, she wanted to bring it with us. We can’t afford three mouths.

I don’t like it. We save its ass and now its stalking us.

Made nothin.

Ribs hurt less. Still a bitch.

Diary entry 171

Angie’s found the “chao”

She talked to it all morning when she thought i was napping. Couldn’t sleep, too afraid of bad dreams.

It doesn’t make chao sounds. Or it does but really weird ones.

Then it turned a green light ball for a bit and back into a chao

Angie liked that.

I don’t trust it. Even less.

Need to watch it.

Angie’s relaxed.

Made 5$.

Diary Entry 172 morn

Nightmare again

Diary Entry 172 night

Angie got excited, claimed that she “found Trevor”

he lived near us back in our old home

Had to tell her no, every red mouse we see is not Trevor.

She says that Trevor and his family were gonna move here, pretty inistent too.

Man she gets caught up on the smallest things

Made 20$

Diary Entry 173

Chao returned while i was working. Left Angie on her own

Shes seemed like she was having a fun time being able to talk with someone

She’s not made friends much. Maybe i’m being too hard on the ‘chao’

Still gotta watch it. It could be manipulating her

Haven’t told her I know bout the chao yet.

Should i?

Not now. Angelica is sleeping.

Made 5$

Diary Entry 174

‘Trevor’ spotting 2. Angie wanted to go bug the person. So we went and sure enough as we got closer Angie changed her mind. It was a rat, not a mouse she said.

How can she tell the difference?

No Angie and chao visit. Unless it was while i slept in. but why would she be secretive bout it?

Saw the punk bitch again today. Looked like he crapped his pants when he saw Angie and she glared at him. That’s my sister.

Made 60$

…

Diary Entry 364

Got a new diary. Last entry for this one. Things going well. Got a good thing going for myself.

Angie found a new plant today, and now she’s got it in her garden.

Loved the look on her face when I got it for her.

Made 50$

Angelica’s chatted with the Chao again. Sort of like, is her guardian I think. Or is that its name

Guess good bye diary 1. Really weird to do but it feels right.

Angie’s sleeping well enough on her own. She mumbles but that seems it.

Do I do a good job keeping her safe

Diary 2 Entry 1

Managed to find a new diary. Keeping the old one just cause, and because I have the storage. For a couple of street bum does, we’ve got a decent enough house going. Been able to put it together from bits and bobs lying around, Angie even threw in her hat and added her own touches.

Looks ugly as hell with the plants holding things together and it’s all a mish mash of junk and crap I found, but it’s our mishmash of junk and crap.

Also saved up enough and am making enough to afford more than one pen and even some pencils. So I can write more often. Just felt like writing

Angie’s started to get more vocal again. I think she’s catching onto the fact the way I’ve been making money is less than honest a lot of the time.

I’m not going to sell myself for it though. I’m not degrading myself with that and nayone who fucking tries is going to a hospital.

And if any of those freaks dare go near Angie there won’t be enough left for a morgue to pick up.

Oh, and the chao’s still around. I can feel it. Angelica loves it, I think. I don’t trust it entirely, yet. But, it hasn't been a danger for the past months. So I think it’s actually a good thing.. Angie calls it Guardian. Maybe it's our own Guardian Angel.

Made 65$ today.

Good journal entry me. You got talkative. Writative? Whatever.

...

Diary 2 Entry 23

Got into a fight today, that was fun. The punks from when I helped save Guardian decided to jump me when Angelica was at the house. Guess they figured they could jump me without little sis to back me up. Too bad for them, when I don’t get suckered I’m damn good at defending myself. Sent them packing. Got a bit bruised. Why is it always the ribs with those guys.

Admittedly. I didn’t have to beat the crap out of them. But talk shit get hit, I say. They shouldn’t have been trash talking me when I was walking by.

Angelica was upset when I got back. Should’ve expected that, really. Don’t know why I didn’t think she would notice me being hurt, she’s got a sixth sense for that sort of thing. Always has. Kinda weird.

But, she did try and heal me a bit. Somehow, she’s gotten better at it -Ever since she's met Guardian, she’s gotten more control over that healing ability she has. I just need to make sure she doesn’t overdo herself again.

I don’t know anything much bout healing magic or whatever it is, but I don’t think what Angie has is normal. I think she uses herself for it. Whatever healing she tries to do just eats away at her. And whatever it was was enough to frighten Pa to move us in the first place

I think part of me might blame ANgie for it. For getting us out of the safety of where we lived near Agateton and moving.

But if we didn’t move would we really have been safe still. And it wasn’t Angie’s fault she did what she did, it was Pa who pushed for it and Mum who went with it.

So do I blame them? I don’t want to. The monsters that took them and hurt Angie are the ones to blame.

But they wouldn’t have found us if we didn’t move near that forest. But Mum and Pa couldn’t have seen it coming.

Ugh. brain hurts. Fuck this mind screw bullshite

Spent 123.54$ today. Groceries and supplies. Tampons are stupid expensive but I want to have a decent supply for when we need them. Also some food.

Made 13$. Gonna need to work more to recoup.

No idea if Angie talked with Guardian. She still thinks I don’t know anythin bout it.

At least, I think she doesn’t. She gets defensive and acts like she doesn’t know what I’m talking about.

I wonder why she does that. Wonder if it’s tied with how I react to her saying she’s found Trevor for the umpteenth time.

Maybe I should press her bout it. But I don’t want to get her worked up over nothin.

Okay that’s enough, my mind’s getting wandering now and I stay up if I do that.

...

Diary 2 Entry 54

Someone showed up with a bunch of robots earlier. Cause quite the commotion, sent people running, the usual.

Apparently he set up shop in the rich quarter and is causing all sorts of troubles. People have been coming to and fro a lot the past few days.

Angie got worried over explosions. Had to calm her down, explain that whatever it was probably wasn’t coming here. She asked me bout the people there and if they needed help - told her that someone would take care of the rich fops. That’s what they do after all. Who gives a shit about two practically orphaned kids.

Not sure if she bought it. Gotta keep an eye on her. Might need to pull an all nighter.

And we don’t have any energy drinks or coffee. I could go grab one, no one is gonna give a shit if I do, not in this current environment.

Gotta stop for now. Gotta focus on Angie not some stupid book.

Entry 55

Angie’s missin

#Knower writes #Sonic #Sonic Fic #Sonic the Hedgehog #Annabelle Flaches #Angelica Flaches #didn't realize it'd be so long #guess that's what happens if I just let myself write something #but I had fun writing this #hope everyone enjoys this first part

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bedbellyandbeyond · 3 years

Photo

He’s Back

(Story Post)

Kent didn't seem to know what to do with the crying werewolf on his front, but he patted his back until he settled down. Nathan eventually pulled away and wiped his eyes. “I'm sorry… I don't know what came over me…” Dax decided to come out and make his entrance. “I thought you said you were going to punch him.” Kent’s entire demeanor changed and he was immediately on guard again, dipping to scoop up his rifle. “Who the fuck's that?” Nathan stepped back and held a hand out to his partner. “This is Dax.” “And who the fuck is Dax?” Kent said gruffly. “I'm his boyfriend,” Dax said, walking over and taking Nathan's hand. Kent huffed. “You really are one of those type, huh, Nate?”

“Nate?” Dax inquired. “He calls me that to antagonise me,” Nathan sighed. “I've told him a hundred times it's just Nathan. And put your damn rifle down, Kent.” Kent backed up to the porch to put his rifle down on the balcony. Then he just stood there and crossed his arms. “…So, did you have the kids?” Nathan crossed his arms too. “What if I did?” “Don't play games, dog breath. If I have children, I oughta know about it.” Nathan placed his hands on his hips. “I had my kids, yes.” “Where are they?” Kent demanded. “They're back home being babysat,” Nathan answered. Kent growled. “You came all the way out here and didn't even bring my fuckin’ kids?” “Well, I had Dawson’s kids, but he's dead,” Nathan said shrugging. “You damn mutt… You really want to go that way? You really want to say you had Dawson Grace's kids, the name that went down as the man executed for murdering four people?” Kent asked. “They're my fucking kids. I have a right to see them.” “Why the fuck should I bring them to you?” Nathan asked. “You literally don't exist to them. They're fine without you.” “So what, you've got this limp dick raisin’ my kids?” Kent growled, shoving a finger towards Dax. Dax pushed out a hip. “Nathan was right. You really are an asshole.” “Dax is there for me,” Nathan said. “He actually gives a shit. You've done nothing for me or my kids.” “Yeah, as if I had a fuckin' choice!” Kent scrunched his nose. “Don't you think I would've wanted to be there?” “You didn't even want me to have them!” Nathan said. “Yeah, when I was convinced I was gonna fry!” Kent said. “I didn't want to leave kids on this Earth with a fucked up legacy like mine!” “If you want to see my kids, you'll have to earn it!” Nathan stated. “You'll have to help me.” “Like shit. I don't have to do shit for you,” Kent stated. “Look at what you did to my fucking face.” He jabbed a finger at his own long scar. Nathan shook his head. “You'd be dead if it weren't for me.” “How the fuck do you reckon that?” Kent growled. “I told you APID could help you,” Nathan stated. “I told you my case workers would do something about your case, so long as you were really innocent. And they got this for you.” He motioned to the cottage. “Much better than that hell hole of a cave you had in the ravine.” “I liked my cabin,” Kent said stubbornly. “And if you hadn't come along, I would've still been there, alone, without the black suits bothering me all the time.” “But you'd still be a wanted man,” Nathan stated. “You'd get caught eventually and then the cover up wouldn't be a cover up. You'd be dead. But you're a free man now. They gave you a whole new life.” Kent grit his teeth. “I never asked for it. I was survivin’ on my own.” “Surviving's not necessarily living though,” Dax commented. “No one asked you, Dix,” Kent snapped. “It's Dax...” “Don't fuckin' care.” Nathan crossed his arms. “If you're going to keep being an asshole, we'll just leave and you'll never see your kids.” “I don't even know they really exist,” Kent said. “You could just be lyin’ to me.” “...Are you fucking kidding me?” Nathan grabbed Kent's shirt. “I wouldn't lie about the pain and labour I had to go through to bring those kids into this world. Is this a fucking lie?” He lifted his shirt, exposing his stretch marks and C-section scar. “Is this a fucking lie to you, Kent?” Kent paused and placed his hand on Nathan's stomach, feeling the scars that webbed across his skin. “You really were fuckin’ pregnant, huh? Man like you...” “Don't touch me!” Nathan pushed Kent's hand away and lowered his shirt. “I came here hoping you would help me. Do you think you could do that?” “Remains to be seen,” Kent said. “Do you at least have pictures of my kids?” “Yes, of course,” Nathan said. Kent sighed. “What do you need help with?” Nathan took a deep breath. “My transformation's started triggering during the day time, regardless of my wolf cycle,” he explained. “I become more of a half wolf, half man than the usual full wolf.” Kent nodded. “Ah.” “Does that ever happen to you?” Nathan asked. “What, this?” Kent immediately transformed, his height growing another foot, fur exploding out of his skin to cover him, bear ears and a big bear snout sprouting right out. The sheer added girth of him shredded his T-shirt and pushed Nathan back a step into Dax. They watched in shock and awe. Kent raised his head and let out a big bellowing bear call, making birds scatter from the trees. Then as fast as he'd turned bear, he was back to human, still a big bastard, but all trace of bear gone. “...You can control it?” Nathan asked once he found his thoughts. “Damn straight. If you're turning midday, it means you've got some control too,” Kent said. “Reckon you haven't figured it out yet.” “No, I haven't,” Nathan said. “Can you teach me to control it?” “Can you bring my damn kids?” Kent asked. Nathan nodded. “Next weekend.” Kent sighed. He eyed the APID agent still standing at the van, now lighting a cigarette. “Tell the black suit to fuck off and then come inside the house.” He waited at the door with Nathan, and Dax told their escort they’d be good on their own for now. Hanover got their overnight stuff out of the back before driving off. Kent held the front door of his cottage open for Nathan but promptly closed it in Dax's face. Nathan opened the door up again to let Dax in. On the inside, the cottage was surprisingly clean and spacious, open to a kitchen and living room, two rooms off the living room and a ladder up to a loft above. “Part of the deal is you stop acting like an asshole to Dax,” Nathan stated. “It's alright, Nathan,” Dax said. “He's just being the possessive ex.” “Ex?” Kent growled. “Are you fucked in the head? I'm not gay.” “The closet is deep with this one,” Dax remarked. “Let me guess, your parents told you God would send you to hell for liking boys.” “I don't believe in no fuckin' God,” Kent stated. “Where in the Bible did the bastard say ‘Thou shalt turn into a fuckin' bear and be hunted like a damn animal’? What fuckin' passage?” “The book of Daniel has some stuff...” Nathan muttered as he started looking around and picking stuff up. Dax blinked, turning to his boyfriend. “I didn't strike you as religious, Nathan.” “I'm not,” Nathan said as he fiddled with a little whittled wood fox. “Well, not really... I was the one whose parents told me I'd go to hell for being gay. They shoved religion in my face all the time.” “You never talked about this,” Dax said. “I don't like to talk about it,” Nathan said placing the fox down and picking up an owl figure. “It really changed my relationship with religion.” “Bunch of nonsense,” Kent stated. “Bible people really rub me the wrong way...” “So if it's not religious, why are you so scared to acknowledge your latent homosexuality?” Dax asked, taking a look at the wood fox as well. “There ain't nothin’ to acknowledge,” Kent said, taking the carving out of Dax's hands and putting it back on a shelf. “You can keep on as you are, I ain't gonna stop you. It just ain't natural, that's all. And it ain't me.” “We're not here to get hate-crimed, Dax. Show him your pictures,” Nathan sighed, placing the owl down again. “You take more than I do.” “Right, yes. One moment.” Dax pulled out his phone. “I made an album.” “Album?” Kent frowned and narrowed his eyes. “On your phone?” “Yeah, I don't think most people bother making them, but I like organising my memories,” Dax said before turning his phone towards Kent. The bear man took up the phone and squinted at it. He looked at the image that showed Nathan in the hospital with the twins bundled up in his arms. Their faces however were obscured in the photo by angle and all the swaddling. “Do you have a better one? I can't see them in this...” Kent huffed. “Yeah, just swipe through. There's a bunch,” Dax said. “Swipe?” Kent asked. Nathan nudged Dax's arm. “He lived under a literal rock for the last twenty years. He doesn't understand smartphones.” “Ohhh...” “Shut up, I have one of your damn smartphones the black suits gave me,” Kent said. “But do you know how to use it?” Nathan asked. Kent wrinkled his nose. “Just show me how to see the damn photos.” “You're going to have to learn to use it if you want contact,” Nathan said as Dax went to stand beside Kent and showed him how to swipe through the album. Once he got the hang of it, Kent started swiping on his own. Dax had taken what seemed to be hundreds of photos and they went up in chronological order from the day of the twins' birth all the way to a photo of Korsgaard holding them at his house just before the couple left. Kent didn't get that far, however. He was silent as he continued to look at each photo one by one. He would often pause at any photo that had both kids in it clearly and he would quickly skip over any picture with Dax in them. He was eventually transfixed on a photo of both kids holding hands while asleep on Nathan's chest. “Oh, that's a good one,” Dax commented. “They both fell into a food coma. Nathan, as a cis man, doesn't produce a lot of milk, so it's very rare that they’re fully satisfied once he's dry.” “Wait, what photo is that?” Nathan snatched up the phone. “Ugh, you had to pick one with my fucking tits out, what the fuck...” “What are their names?” Kent asked. Nathan sighed and picked a different picture before pointing to each child respectively. “Grace and Gabriel.” Kent blinked. “Grace Grace?” “Grace Cassidy, you selfish bastard,” Nathan said. “You really think I'd give them your surname?” “Kids get the father's surname. It's how it works,” Kent said. “Yeah, guess what? I'm their father,” Nathan stated. “What do you mean? You're the mother. You gave birth to them,” Kent said. “I... I literally don't have the patience right now to explain how wrong and insulting that is,” Nathan stated. “Not to mention, ‘Dawson Grace’ is dead, remember?” “So, Grace and Gabriel Rivera,” Kent stated. “I'm not changing my kids' names to their deadbeat dad's,” Nathan asserted. “Especially not a made up one.” “It was my mother's maiden name,” Kent growled. “Oh. Still.” Nathan shrugged and handed Dax back his phone. “Her name is Grace after my grandmother who raised me, not you.” “And Gabriel?” Kent asked. “I just like it,” Nathan said. “I might have trouble with religion, but I like biblical names.” Kent rolled his eyes. “Whatever, Nate.” “Stop.” Nathan balled his fist. “You saw the pictures. You better help me.” Kent turned away and went to the kitchen. “Tomorrow. It's gettin’ late.” “What? But wouldn't night time be better for the wolf and all that moon stuff?” Dax asked. “Yeah, if you want to go berserk and rip an arm off,” Kent said. “Best time to practice is when the wolf is the weakest. High noon, middle of your off weeks. Do you know where you are in the moon phases?” “Yeah, I keep track on my phone,” Nathan said. “You can do that?” Kent asked. “Yeah, there's an app for everything,” Nathan said. “App?” Kent asked. “Application,” Dax said. “Did you have a computer before going on the lam?” “No, not really.” “We're really at square one then, huh?” Dax sighed. “Well, I suppose we should call the agent to take us to our hotel.” “You're staying here,” Kent said. “There's a bed in the loft.” “No thanks, I like running water,” Nathan said. “I'm not asking,” Kent said. “If those damn black suits take another step on my property, I'll start shootin’.” “Incredibly illegal,” Nathan said. “Quick way to get your hunting license revoked. Not to mention, why do you need a hunting rifle? You're a literal bear.” “Hunting as the bear's real messy,” Kent said. “Not to mention, I don't want to be hunted. I got a few scars from that...” “Fair enough. Still not sleeping here,” Nathan said. “I have plumbing and power,” Kent stated. “I'm not used to using it much but it's there.” “But running water, though?” Dax asked. Kent turned on the kitchen tap and it ran clear. “Spring water.” “...Why do you want us to stay here so bad?” Nathan asked. “It's not like that. I just don't need you wasting my time getting back here tomorrow,” Kent stated. Nathan nudged Dax. “What do you think?” “I think he's lonely,” Dax muttered. Kent growled. “What?” “Can we see the loft?” Nathan asked. “Be my fuckin' guest.” Kent motioned to the ladder. “There's a mattress. Place was furnished when I got here.” “You're actually thinking about this?” Dax asked as Nathan started to climb the ladder. “Let's just see if it'll work for tonight,” Nathan said as he got up to the top. The mattress up in the loft looked to be of good quality, with fitted sheets, pillows and even a duvet folded up in the corner. “This is actually kind of nice...” Dax frowned and climbed up after him. “...We already booked the hotel.” “Call and see if we can cancel,” Nathan said. “Maybe it's just a fee.” Dax sighed and leaned over the railing of the loft. “Is there a good foot path around here?” “‘Round the lake,” Kent said. “Why?” “If I can get a good run in tomorrow morning, maybe it'll be worth it...” Dax sat on the bed and crossed his legs. The loft roof was so low there that his head brushed the ceiling. “What's for dinner?” Kent shrugged. “Venison.” “Oh dear...” “Correct.” Nathan sighed. “Dax's vegetarian.” “Then he can eat a tree,” Kent growled. “Come on, you had a garden back in the valley. You must have some greens,” Nathan said. Kent huffed and put his hands on his hips. “It's as cold as a witch's tit for too long up here. I'm working on it, but my garden's not even close to harvesting time.” Dax collapsed onto the futon. “And I suppose Uber Eats is out of the question?” “Uber what?” “I'm going to starve.” Kent checked his fridge. “Relax, you limp dick tree muncher. I went into town a couple days ago... I think I have some bread and butter... Oh, there's a jar of pickles and some mustard.” “...Can you do something with that, Dax?” Nathan asked. “There's plenty of berries I picked too,” Kent said. “I blend my own jams.” Dax sighed. “I can probably work something out... Maybe I can make a smoothie tomorrow for breakfast...” Nathan rubbed his shoulder. “When we have some time tomorrow, we'll get some food in town. For now, we can work with what's here.” “Easy for you to say. You can eat venison.” Kent, tall as he was, smacked the wood at the end of the loft floor. “Absolutely no fuckin' up there, got it?” “With your ugly mug around?” Nathan huffed. “Wouldn't dream of it.” “Hey, you're the one who busted it up in the first place,” Kent said. “I added character, but I’m not the one who added that nasty mullet,” Nathan said. “Fuck off... I’m going out for firewood.” Kent huffed and just walked off muttering ‘stupid dog’ under his breath as he put his hand through his hair. Dax sat up and watched until Kent went outside and the door closed behind him. Dax then put his hand on Nathan's shoulder. “He's really into you, huh?” “What?” Nathan shook his head. “He fucking hates me.” “No, he really doesn't. This whole interaction he's been trying to separate us. You didn't even see how he looked at photos of you with the kids. I bet you if I taught him how to delete photos, he would've removed any of them with me in it.” Nathan frowned. “You have nothing to worry about. He's not going to come out if that's true and I'm with you. I chose you.” “I know that. I'm not threatened, I'm just, well you know, I'm nosier than I am tall,” Dax chuckled. “He’s kept his eyes on you from the very second he spotted you until the moment he went out that door. If he ever made eye contact with me, it was only a passing glare. He's almost like another Wano, to be quite honest. I'm half waiting for him to declare a dual for your hand...” Nathan chuckled. “I don't think you have to worry about that. You're good.” “I mean, if you think about it,” Dax said lying back in the bed. “I almost feel sorry for him. The last time you met, you were single. He's been alone out here for months probably thinking about you and the kids. Must've been a slap to the face when I showed up.” Nathan patted Dax's leg. “If you're so obsessed with him, you can date him.” Dax smiled. “I won't lie. He's a lot more handsome than I expected from your descriptions. Not to mention, when he transformed right in front of you, tearing his shirt off, and then when shrunk down he was just shirtless and ripped... Come on.” “I’ll give you that. It was kinda hot...” Nathan admitted. “And pretty gay.” “Right? How old is he, anyway?” “Not sure.” Nathan thought about it. “He must've been in his twenties back when he was accused and it's been twenty years.” “So, his forties. You like your men older, don't you Nate?” Dax teased. Nathan frowned and lightly punched Dax's leg. “Shut up. Reid said the same damn thing... It's not true.” “How old was Hugh?” Dax asked. “You said he had grey hair.” “Shut up!”

#lore #Kent #Nathan #Dax #werewolf #werebear #thunderbird

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