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just-a-girl-who-wrytes · 10 months

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Part 1.

“You’re safe here, we’re going to take good care of you,” Nikki spoke softly into the SWAT officer’s ear. “There’s going to be a lot going on, but we’re going to put you to sleep and get you straightened out.”

The trauma room was full of ER staff - doctor’s, nurses, respiratory, and just as many law enforcement officers were standing outside of the room as there were healthcare personnel in the room. Nikki normally worked in the ICU as a nurse, but their census was low so she got floated to the ER today. Not that she minded, it was her first home once she transitioned into the hospital from EMS.

In fact, her old partner had been the one to bring her the 48 year old SWAT Sergeant. Serving warrants had gone horribly wrong and landed him with a shattered femur, humerus, and a collapsed lung all due to gun fire. The ballistic vests that SWAT wore were the best of the best, but that didn’t protect them from the areas left uncovered - like the arm pit.

This was where David Kay had been struck. The AR round tore through his upper arm, mutilating his humerus, before tearing through his chest wall twice, and lodging itself in the armored plate on the inside of his vest.

His femur wasn’t much better from what Nikki had seen on the x-rays, but it was a more survivable wound than that in his chest. She wondered if this sergeant, who’s colleagues referred to as “Deacon” would pull through, but she also knew the trauma team on today was the best of the best and if anyone had a chance of surviving, it was under their care.

Two days later, Nikki returned to work, back to her home in the ICU. She were getting report from the nightshift nurse when she looked at his computer screen and noticed her patient’s name - David Kay. She were glad to see he had survived surgery. She had encountered line of duty deaths during her days as paramedic but that didn’t make them any easier. Per the off-going nurses report, David had remained intubated, but stable and was periodically needing blood transfusions simply due to the extent of his injuries.

The surgeons had given him a titanium femur and humerus to replace his obliterated ones and he had a chest tube in place as well. He was blessed that his heart was spared in the shooting - literally. He was on minimal sedation but heavy pain control, which in turn helped keep him sedated. The plan was to wean him off as much sedation and narcotics as he could tolerate and then trial to see if he was ready to have the breathing tube removed.

“David, wake up for me.” He heard a familiar voice say.

As David began coming around, a sudden jolt of pain woke him. Then he realized he was hurting everywhere - legs, arms, chest.

He winced.

“No, babe, you can’t pull at that.” The voice spoke again.

He felt a hand on each of his wrists, preventing him from pulling at this god awful tube in his mouth. He was grimacing, he could tell. This was all torture - being held down, the tube in his throat, the pain he felt every time he breathed in or out, and what else did he feel? A tube in his penis? He fought harder to free his wrists.

“David… Deacon, stop fighting us, babe. You’re safe. You’re in the hospital, your surgery went well.” There was that voice again. “We’re trying to get you off of the medicine so that we can get you off of the breathing machine, but in order to do that, I need you to relax and listen to me.”

David was still confused, but he knew that voice sounded like home. He was having trouble recollecting all of the events that transpired and landed him here, but one thing remained clear: this voice was the one speaking softly next to his ear when he was brought into the emergency room terrified and alone.

He knew he wasn’t alone, but everyone seemed so busy doing everything to take care of his physical body that no one took the time to take care of him emotionally and emotionally, he was a train-wreck. He was hurting, he felt helpless, he was terrified…. Yet, in the middle of the chaos of healthcare saving his life, this voice was the calm in the middle of his storm.

He relaxed under her commands and opened his eyes. Everything was blurry at first, but as his vision came into focus, the first person he laid eyes on was a 5’4” nurse. she had brown hair, eyes that seemed to look straight into his soul, and the most beautiful smile that appeared when she said “Hey, Deacon.”

This was her - this was who the voice belonged to and her physical appearance matched it so beautifully.

“All of your SWAT team has told us you go by Deacon. Is that right?”

He nodded and winced at the discomfort of the tubes down his throat.

“Deacon, my name is Nikki, I’m your nurse today. We’ve stopped the medicine that makes you sleepy to make sure you’re still with us. If this goes well, the goal will be to get this breathing tube out tomorrow.”

Deacon continued to hold her gaze.

“Now you’ve got a tube in your chest. It’s under your armpit. You had a collapsed lung so the tube is in the side of your chest to help your lung re-inflate. It is probably uncomfortable to breathe with, but do the best you can, okay?”

Deacon slightly nodded again.

He continued to listen to her speak. He followed her commands and winced through the pain of breathing on his own once the ventilator settings were switched so that he was able to breathe. The breathing test went well, but exhausted him. He welcomed the rest that accompanied the restart of sedation.

The following day, he was woken up again, except this time, they took the breathing tube out. It was a miserable, but short lived feeling. Thankfully, Nikki was by his side through the whole process, talking him through it.

In the following days, he looked forward to seeing his beautiful nurse. He had talked to her about when he came in and was starting to recall some of the events leading up to his current ICU stay. Despite the tragedy, her presence had such a calming effect on David. Maybe it was the way she eased the nerves of his parents when they came to visit after he was awake. Or maybe it was how she answered any questions his teammates threw at her without skipping a beat. She was smart and she knew her stuff. But more than that, David was at ease with her. He was crippled by his newfound immobility, but Nikki encouraged him to do all that he could. And he did. But, he still needed help with things like brushing his teeth or washing himself. In any other situation, David would have been nauseated at having to be given a bed bath, but until he had this chest tube removed and his arm and leg healed up, this was his reality. Nikki made it tolerable. He didn’t feel ashamed, embarrassed, or exposed as she helped clean the most intimate parts of him. She had a gentle touch and the way she made sure he was on clean sheets and in a clean gown reminded David of the comfort he found in his mother’s care as a boy.

Nikki was amazing at her job and it was very apparent that she loved what she did and cared for her patients just like she would her own family. Or was David different? He didn’t know, but he was definitely disappointed on the day he got moved from the intensive care unit to a step down unit and lost Nikki and her care.

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chefdoeuvre · 3 years

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Inevitable

Jay Halstead

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Fem!Reader

Description: Sometimes death is inevitable no matter how hard you try.

Words: 1,248

Requested: yes by anonymous; Hii I was wondering if you could write a one shot jay x reader are dating and then the reader gets kidnapped or something and she dies with a lot of angst

Warnings: mention of injuries, blood, angst (if I can even pull it off), language, death, sad Jay Halstead.

A/N: Jay Halstead only deserves happiness and I stand by that. I just moved into uni the past week and had full day trainings so I’m sorry that this is going up a little late and it may not be my best work, but I will try once my schedule is less hectic. I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors.

—

Did you know where you were currently? No. The last events you remembered were going out to your car, heading to the store to pick up a few things before Jay came back home from work. Apparently, you never made it to the store, you barely even made it to your car. Your hands were tied behind your back and your legs were bound to the legs of the chair you were sitting on. Your head was pounding and you could barely keep your eyes open. Something felt wet on your stomach while it kept pulsing in what seemed to be pain. The room where you were held was dark and musty making it harder for you to breathe. Outside of the room, there were muffled voices speaking unintelligible words you could tell were probably not good.

Meanwhile, Jay was running around Chicago like a crazed mad man trying to find you before it would be too late. He knew he shouldn't have dragged you into his mess of a love but he loved you too much to stop. The second he noticed you hadn't come home after he arrived he had a gut feeling that something was wrong, entirely wrong. Immediately he began to look for you while also telling Voight to get together the team to find you before a missing persons case turned into a homicide case. Voight had already started on putting together your last knowns and looking through security cameras to find where you could have been taken of where you had been taken. All of Intelligence including even Trudy were working their asses off to try and find you, not only for Jay but for themselves.

You were loved by the entire team. The second Jay had introduced you to them they had fallen in love with you too, platonically of course. You, Kim, and Hailey spent a decent amount of time with each other even without the other guys around. It was safe to say you were everyone's best friend and sometimes even a close confidant.

The entire time Jay had only one thing on his mind, he needed to find you and soon. He was already losing his shit the second he knew you didn't come home. Now with a missing persons and possible kidnapping he was barely holding on to his sanity by a thread.

You sat there in pain and drifting out of consciousness. To say the least you were screwed over and twice over again. Your shirt was now soaked in your blood and the pounding in your head only seemed to get worse by the second. At this point, you knew if someone didn't come now you most likely wouldn't be able to make it. You had lost too much blood in too little of time. The problem was you didn't even know who had done this to you and where they had gone. They left you there to bleed to your own untimely death. Even if you were fighting your hardest to stay awake and keep going until someone would find you, you were beginning to lose hope and a sense of mind.

You and Jay were practically losing your minds. But for somewhat similar reasons. It was over losing each other, you loved each other more than anyone else could understand and that made it that much harder to even think about it. Simply thinking about the loss of you was too hard to bear for Jay and it worked both ways.

You felt it becoming harder to breathe and stay awake that’s when you realized Jay probably wasn’t coming in time to find you. It took you a while to finally accept the fact that the last you would have would be of Jay but somehow it was bittersweet.

Jay was already running up to the warehouse you were being held unshed tears in his eyes as he charged through the double doors. Intelligence followed after him as they scanned over the building trying to find where you were. Jay looked frantic as he ran to the last door and ripped it open to find you almost passed out, your blood in a puddle underneath you. He ran toward you, pulled away the binds holding against the chair, and knelt down, gently cupping your face holding it up.

“Baby, hey look at me.” Jay spoke softly.

Your eyes fluttered open for a second before they shut again. Jay kept on saying your name as you slumped down into his arms. Eventually, he began yelling and the rest of Intelligence and the paramedics arrived into the room. Voight had to pull him away as the paramedics worked to do their job. They were doing whatever they could to resuscitate you but they were trying and failing. The puddle of blood showed that you lost a significant amount since you had been taken and it was obvious how slim your chances had been. As one of the paramedics declared it Jay simply fell onto his knees beside you. Kim held back a sniffle and turned to look away as tears began cascading down her cheeks. Adam quickly pulled her into him as he choked on his own tears. Hailey simply stood there in shock with her own tears eyes wide open. Voight clenched his jaw tightly and held his balled-up fists at his side. Kevin held a solemn look on his face as he placed his hand on Hailey’s shoulder comfortingly.

Jay continued to sit there with a blank face and tears staining his freckled cheeks. His eyes had already become red and seemed to be off in another world. No one else had the guts to actually say it. You were dead. Your last moments were spent staring into Jay’s wondrous blue eyes that held all the emotions in the world. His eyes told you what he didn’t have the time to tell you. Voight had ended up storming out with heavy steps as he cursed to himself. Kim tried to quiet her crying as Adam squeezed her tightly rubbing his hand up and down her back. Hailey let out a mix between a huff and a sniffle before turning on her heel to walk out of the room, finding it too hard to watch the scene in front of her. Adam ended up pulled Kim out of the room making sure she wouldn’t lift her head up again with Kevin following closely behind.

Jay was left in the room with you to say his final goodbyes. But he couldn’t say goodbye he barely got to spend the rest of his life with you. The two of you had plans for years to come and all of a sudden those plans turned into dust. Your death was in no way expected or even close to being wanted but it had happened. Even when you tried your hardest to stay strong sometimes it was inevitable that you couldn’t stay strong for long no matter what you had tried. Jay could barely accept the fact that you wouldn’t open your eyes and tell him what had happened, he thought the two of you would have had a nice date night in. The last thing he expected what to find you barely alive only for you to die in his arms. Tragic end, was all that could come to his mind and he felt that he would never forgive himself for what had happened to you.

#fanfiction #imagine #request #one shot #one chicago #one chicago imagine #one chicago fanfiction #chicago pd #chicago pd fanfiction #chicago pd imagine #jay halstead x y/n #jay halstead x you #jay halstead x reader #jay halstead fanfiction #jay halstead imagine #jay halstead

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talatomaz · 3 years

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chased away by shadows | hailey upton x fem!reader

a/n: i didn’t include a love confession but i did reference it. after 8x11, we saw how hailey reacts to those words and honestly, i get it bc i’m kinda the same so i just changed it up a bit.

not a huge fan of this and there’s not as much hailey x r as i initially wanted but oh well, hope you still like it anon

(feedback/positive comments are appreciated)

requested by anon: “hi! can i please request a hailey upton x intelligence love interest reader please? it’s been a really rough case and reader is quite depressed and hailey comes over and reader ends up falling asleep safe and warm in hailey’s arms and in the morning there is a love confession maybe? hope that makes sense, thank you x ”

warnings: mentions of assault, death, murder. usual canon violence

word count: 1.6k

masterlist | navigation | request rules

i do not give you permission to repost or translate my fics on any platform - likes/reblogs are okay and are much appreciated

“Upton and I will take the front. Burgess, Atwater, secure the back.”

You ordered, whispering into your comms.

It had been a rough couple of days.

The Intelligence Unit had caught a rape and murder case with seemingly no witnesses or leads to the sick bastard who’d done this.

Like the rest of your team, you were damn near losing the end of your rag at the lack of leads and it didn’t help that this brought up some unwanted memories from your past.

You shrugged them off, not wanting to get emotional at work but it was difficult. Especially when you had no idea who you were looking for.

But you’d managed to catch a break as one of your CIs had contacted you, telling you that they had heard about some gang member who’d been boasting about “having fun with a chick before popping her off”.

After some further investigation, you’d managed to identify the man. He had a rap sheet about as long as your arm, including prior battery and assault charges.

It was only when Halstead had found out that he was holed up in a supposedly vacant property that you’d all geared up, armed to the nines because you knew the kind of heat this gang carried.

“On my mark.” Halstead said into your comms.

He waited a few moments for you all to get into position. You were standing behind Hailey, your hand on her arm, alert and ready to conduct your search.

“Be careful.”

“You too.” You replied softy to your girlfriend.

You’d been dating for the past 6 months, having fallen into bed one night after a evening out at Molly’s. You’d both agreed to keep it a secret as it was a one-time thing but what you both didn’t realise at the time was just how much you liked one another.

It had soon become a habit. The two of you sleeping together after everyone gathered for a social call at Molly’s until one evening, Hailey told you that she liked you and wanted the two of you to be more than just sex.

You were surprised to say the least because there was never any indication that she liked you. In fact, you thought she was out of your league considering how beautiful and smart she was. But you decided to take the leap and you were so glad you did because you loved being with her.

Not that you’d told her those words yet, mind you.

It was a tough thing to say, for you anyway, especially after your past alongside the lack of any emotional attachments with your parents. And you knew Hailey had her fair share of trauma too, the majority of which you learned after you and Ruzek overheard her telling a suspect they had in interrogation.

And although your relationship wasn’t without its flaws, it had pretty much been smooth sailing since the moment you’d got together. No unnecessary drama or bullshit.

That was the last thing the both of you needed in this type of job.

“Now.” Halstead ordered so you gave a quick nod to the blonde before yelling “Chicago PD!” as Hailey kicked the door down.

There were a few offenders in the house who tried to run when you’d entered and as Hailey and the rest of the team went to secure them, you made your way up the stairs to see if there was anyone else hiding out.

Your arm was extended, gun clutched carefully in your hand, finger just next to the trigger, ready for any indication of movement. Reaching the landing at the top of the stairs, you entered one of the bedrooms. As you stepped through the door, someone jumped out and hit you in the head with a bottle. It shattered upon contact with your skull and the force threw you as you groaned in pain.

You began fighting the male, who weighed at least 100 pounds more than you, so it was no small feat. You wrestled with the gun he’d aimed at you before kicking him in between his legs and throat punching him.

As he coughed to catch his breath, you grabbed your gun that had fallen out of your hands and aimed it at the man crumbled on the floor. Ignoring the way blood seeped from your wound and down your face, you yelled, “Chicago PD. Stay down or I will drop you.”

Staring down at him, you realised that it was the man you’d been looking for and when he looked up at you with a sinister smirk on his face, you wanted nothing more than to shoot him where he lay.

But you had more self control than that so, instead, you kept your gun trained on him and called downstairs for back-up.

In less than a minute, Hailey and Jay were right beside you. Jay handcuffed the suspect and you re holstered your gun.

“Baby, are you okay?” Hailey asked frantically, her hand gently cupping your face as she examined the cut on your forehead.

“Yeah, I’m okay.” You said, releasing the breath you didn’t realise you’d been holding.

“Are you sure? You’re bleeding pretty badly.”

You winced when Hailey touched the wound.

“Shit, sorry.”

“It’s fine. Come on, let’s go.”

✧── ･｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

After apprehending the suspect, Hailey had forced you to be checked out by one of the paramedics who’d arrived to take care of one of the offenders that Kevin had shot. They’d cleaned and stitched the wound and told you to take some paracetamol for the pain.

Now you were currently watching Voight and Halstead take lead on interrogating the man who’d attacked you at the house.

The man was so vile that you had to force yourself to not jump through the two-way glass and smack him silly. He’d copped to the murder but wouldn’t admit to the rape, sitting there with a smirk on his face.

“She wanted it rough. She was a slut. I just gave her what she wanted.”

The words continued to ring in your ear as they were words that you, yourself, had once been told. Forcing the bile back down your throat, you watched as Voight moved to stand behind the man, his hands on his shoulders.

“I’d watch your mouth if I were you.” Voight said, the threat lingering behind his words.

Your hands clenched into fists as he continued to speak.

“I ain’t gonna apologise for banging that whore. She got what she wanted.”

You could feel your anger boiling until it threatened to consume you so you left the viewing room and briskly walked to your desk.

You grabbed your coat that was hung on the back of your chair and ran out of the precinct; ignoring how your girlfriend’s eyes bore in your body as you hurried out of the building.

She decided to let you go, knowing that you needed space for a few hours.

✧── ･｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

When you got back to your apartment, you fell down onto your couch, picked up one of the throw pillows and screamed into it, your frustrations coming to a blow.

You went from screaming to crying out of anger and old pain until you felt a hand on your shoulder that startled you. You hadn’t even realised Hailey had used her key to enter your apartment.

“Oh, baby.” Hailey murmured when she saw how red your eyes were.

She placed a soft kiss on your cheek and went to your freezer to grab an ice pack. She wrapped it in a table cloth and gently rested it over your eyes, the coolness soothing your swollen eyes immediately.

You tried to take the ice pack away from her but she simply tsked at you; too tired to fight, you instead relished in her taking care of you.

“Sorry.” You mumbled, finally gathering the courage to speak.

“It’s been a rough couple of days, honey. No one blames you for your reaction.”

“That’s not why I’m so...so angry and why I’m like this.” Your voice barely louder than a whisper but Hailey still heard you.

“What do you mean?” The blonde asked, furrowing her brows in concern. But her eyes told you that she already knew what you meant and that made your heart hurt.

“I just-I. It was a long time ago, back in high school. I’m over it but cases like these just bring it all back up, you know?” You sighed, deciding to remain ambiguous whilst knowing full well she knew exactly what you were referring to.

“Oh, baby,” Hailey repeated as she wrapped her free arm around you and pulled you close.

“The guy ended up confessing not long after you left. Voight stuck him in the cage and he ended up having a change of heart.” Hailey told you as she placed soft kisses on your forehead.

Your derived snort was muffled as your head was buried in Hailey’s chest but she heard you and chuckled in response.

“You’re safe now, y/n. You’re safe with me.” Hailey whispered, breaking the peaceful silence that had filled the room.

Her words brought a sense of calm to you as you sighed contently in her arms.

Gently removing the ice pack from your eyes, she put it on the table before lifting your chin up with her finger, bringing you in for a deep, reassuring kiss.

“I-I’m glad you’re in my life, Hailey” You said, catching yourself before you said those three words. You weren’t ready to say them aloud just yet and you had a feeling that your girlfriend felt the same way.

The blonde smiled knowingly, kissing your lips once more before hugging you close to her as you both got comfortable on the large couch you were still on.

“I’m glad to have you in my life too.”

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sprnklersplashes · 3 years

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clean

cw for mentions of suicide, self-harm, death, drugs, and also for making out while naked (but not sex)

Seeing an accident happen in Sunnyvale feels unnatural. It’s like seeing a two-headed deer, or a car flying in the sky. Sam can’t even focus on how terrible it is, or hope that nobody was hurt. All she can think is how unnatural it is, to see such a horrible sight in such a near-perfect place.

It’s the price for a curse breaking, she supposes. The scales of fate are even now.

Her shoulders twitch, her feet move to go over and help, as is her instinct, but before she can, Deena’s hand is on her shoulder, a pained gasp escaping her mouth, that turns into a whimper that almost stops Sam’s heart. Again. She turns, her mouth running dry, and finds Deena’s free hand pressed against her stomach. She remembers, sees it in her mind like a movie, even if the picture is hazy. The tunnels. Her hands, Deena’s throat. Deena’s house. A drumstick breaking over her knee. Deena hitting the floor beside her, and her not caring.

“No,” she mutters. “Oh, no.”

“Sam,” Deena whispers. She sounds so tired, so beyond exhausted, yet she’s still strong. Her Deena. She’s always thought she was tough,everyone did, but now she’s learned she’s tougher than the actual Devil himself. “It wasn’t you.” Sam opens her mouth-to protest, to apologise- but Deena shakes her head, the movement making her wince, and that crooked half-grin she loves appears on her face. She always loved that smile, and would love it now if the situation weren’t so dire. “Don’t even try with me.”

She gasps again, her knees buckle, and Sam gently guides her to the ground, one hand around her torso, Deena gripping her other for dear life.

“We can talk about all that later,” she interrupts. She takes Deena’s face and tilts it towards her, trying desperately to remember her first aid training. Her eyes are clear, or clear-ish, but her skin is ashen and pale and her cheek is clammy against her palm. “Right now, we just need to worry about getting you to a hospital.”

For the first time in a long, long time, she feels like luck or fate must be on her side, because no sooner have the words left her mouth than the siren of an ambulance pierces the air, and a miniature fleet of the white vehicles comes into view. They’re all rushing towards the scene of the accident, obviously, but Sam sees into the window of one. A young driver looks through and her eyes double in size when she sees the pair of them, then triple when she sees Deena. What they must look like to her. They’d look a wreck to anyone, even the lowest of the low in Shadyside, but here in Sunnyvale, where not even the grass grows out of place, she’d wager they’re a scary sight.

Thankfully, this one ambulance pulls up beside them, and the driver calls something into the radio as she jumps out and runs their way. Sam would feel guilty for taking someone else’s help, but as she looks across the road, her guilt eases, for this anyway. There are three ambulances at the scene of the crash, and a siren signalling another’s approach. The lack of emergencies these past 30 years has clearly made them unsure of what to do in this case, and when folks don’t know what to do, they do everything.

“Are you two okay?”

“She’s hurt,” Sam replies. “Please, please, help her, she’s hurt.” The paramedic runs to Deena’s side, and Sam watches her cringe as she moves her hand away. Sam takes a deep breath and hopes that the lack of practice for Sunnyvale’s medical staff doesn’t have any other consequences. Deena rests her head on her shoulder, and panic flares up in her for a moment before she sees her eyes are still open. Will she ever stop panicking? She’s been doing scared almost her whole life.

“Okay, sweetie,” the paramedic said. “The good news is, it’s not too deep and you got here in time.” The girl gives Deena what is meant to be a supportive smile and shakes her shoulder slightly, keeping her from slipping away. “And we’ll have to get you checked out at the hospital, but I don’t think anything’s ruptured in there okay?”

“Okay,” she pants.

“Good girl. Now, we’re going to get you into the ambulance okay?” She looks over at Sam, seriousness creeping into her face like clouds across a blue sky. “Can you help carry her?” She nods, her grip already tightening. She doesn’t say that she’ll carry her forever if she has to. It doesn’t feel fair to dump that on this poor unsuspecting girl. “Okay, great. On three, right hon? One… two… three.”

Sam hates hospitals. Hospitals mean grandpa forgot to take his heart medication again and it’s her last chance to say goodbye. It means another person was beaten up behind the school, or drank too much at a party, or popped all those pills she can’t name. It means someone has thrown themselves off the bridge because it was the only way out of Shadyside. It means she just watched her boyfriend get stabbed through the heart and is now running from an undead murder, brandishing a knife meant for her.

She hates hospitals, and this is no exception. Even if the news is good.

Deena sits on the bed, her skin as white as the sheets she rests on, her shirt rolled up to show the new scar that graces her abdomen. Right in the side, just above her hip. The doctor found specs of wood in it. Tiny splinters buried in the skin.

“Well, she’s incredibly fortunate,” the doctor says. He talks about her like she isn’t here, and on the one hand that annoys Sam, because it’s almost certainly linked to that ‘Shadysiders are subhuman’ bullshit. The curse may be broken, but assholes are assholes, and a prejudiced town is even harder to get rid of than blood magic. But on the other hand, Deena’s on so much pain medication she might as well not be here. Her eyes are clouded, but not from shock, and she alternates between running her fingers along her new scars and tracing patterns on the back of Sam’s hand. “Like she said, nothing was ruptured, although I’d say you got here in the nick of time. Good thing she patched herself up.”

Deena’s makeshift bandage sits on the table behind her, little more than a bloodstained cloth. Sam can’t bring herself to look at it.

“But I have to ask, Samantha,” he says. She avoids his eyes deliberately, keeping them trained on Deena and her scars. “What happened?”

She considers lying, because she’s too tired and how would she ever explain? How could she explain the hell they’ve been through in the past day? Who would believe her if she did?

She could lie, and maybe she should, but she doesn’t. Because this whole horrible, ugly story began with lies, and continued with them. They lied and lied, and this town was built upon it while Shadyside was ruined by it. It’s over, and she’s making sure it stays over.

“Nick Goode.” She says the words through gritted teeth, against a raw throat. The Doctor shakes his head, as if he misheard her. And Deena frowns, clarity beginning to come to her, silently asking what she’s doing. Sam just takes her hand, a whisper of a smile on her face. This must be what taking revenge feels like. Damn, it feels good.

“What happened to her was Nick Goode.”

Deena is discharged from hospital within a few hours. In that time, Sam gets a few things done. First off, she tells the lady at the front desk to put it under her mother’s insurance. Second, she waits until Deena falls asleep, a combination of her own body and the meds, and slips out to the payphone outside. She slides a quarter in and calls Josh, tells him that Deena’s okay, that she’s with her, that she’s in the hospital, and that she’s going to be okay. She rattles them off like they’re facts for a school presentation and doesn’t breathe until she’s finished, sagging against the wall of the booth. On the other line, Josh absorbs what she said and she said, her nails scratching against her wrist. She expects a colourful array of curse words, or for him to hang up on her without a word. She’d hardly blame him.

“And are you okay?” is what he says instead.

“Um… yeah,” she says. “Heart still beating. Lungs still breathing. And um…. I’m me.” She shrugs and rakes a hand through her hair. “It’s gone. It’s over.”

“Yeah.” He sounds so happy, so triumphant, and she can feel his smile even if he’s all the way over in Shadyside. “It’s over.”

Once those two words had broken her heart, spat at her by Deena in an angry, bitter wave, a final goodbye from the best thing in her life. Now they keep her heart beating, a promise that the darkness that ruined so many lives is gone now. Forever.

Having Deena Johnson in her house also feels unnatural. Like seeing a lion wandering around the mall. She looks so out of place here and well, so does Sam. Because this house, and everything in it, it’s all fake. It was all part of her and her mom’s so-called New Life, out of Shadyside. A Better Life, with a better school and better jobs and better extra-curriculars and better people. Better friends, her mom had said out loud. Better influences, she had said with her face. It was going to be better, safer, happier. Her mom believed it, and for the briefest period of time, she believed it too. Thought that the big house and the red cheer uniform would fix all of her problems.

She was never meant to be in this house, she realises. That’s why it didn’t feel right to her, even when all her things were moved in here. She was always meant to be in Shadyside, not because of the curse not letting her escape. But because of Deena. Wherever Deena is, that’s where she’s meant to be.

“God I need a shower,” Deena announces, her voice half-shaking with laughter. It’s also rusty and hoarse, from screaming and overuse and who knows what else. She holds out her arms, a shaky smile on her face. Her face is streaked with red, her hands caked in dirt, her nails rimmed with grey. Sam looks down and finds her own hands looking similar. Her clothes stick to her body, almost feeling like a second, grimy skin. Her body has been put through everything it can be put through, her bones feel so weary and fragile she fears she could break if she moves too suddenly. It’ll take weeks, months, years to fix herself, if she ever can. But a wash might be a good start.

“Me too,” she says, and she takes Deena’s hand and leads her upstairs.

They shower together, it’s decided with just a glance. Sam isn’t comfortable letting Deena out of her sight for longer than two minutes. It might be over, but they can’t be sure. They don’t know what could be sitting in the darkness, behind the corners, on the other side of doors. If the past days have taught them anything, it’s that nothing is certain. Nothing is set in stone. The curse wasn’t, in the end, but peace isn’t guaranteed either.

So Deena follows her into the little ensuite bathroom, letting out a low whistle as she enters.

“Fancy,” she says. “Like one of those little hotel bathrooms.”

“It’s not that fancy,” she mutters. But it is. Because of Goode. Her house, like everyone else’s in Sunnyvale, is built on the blood of those victims. This house was built some time in the 1920s, according to the realtor.

Billy Barker. He was 1922.

The pretty house isn’t quite so pretty in this light.

“Hey.” Deena’s hand is on her shoulder, her hair tickling her cheek. Her other arm wraps around her waist and pulls her closer, and it’s only then Sam realises she’s taken her shirt off. Deena rests her chin on her shoulder and she feels, rather than sees, the coy grin on her face. “You need some help?”

She lets Deena pull her shirt off her body, her fingertips leaving goosebumps in their wake. In return, her hands slowly undo the button on the waistband of Deena’s jeans and pull them off her legs as she pulls her shoes off with considerably less grace. In other circumstances, the sight of Deena in her underwear would send her mind straight to the gutter, and she’d take her to the bed rather than the shower. But her mind has been invaded and pulled apart and literally brought back from the dead. So she just pulls Deena’s underwear off her, leads her into the shower, and lets the hot water run off them both.

She hadn’t realised how cold she was until the water hits her, a yelp escaping her body as it does so. It burns her skin, turning it from white to red. Deena’s eyes widen, and her hand reaches up to turn it off, but she just shakes her head, her hand grasping Deena’s. The water might be hot, but she can feel it. It’s the first thing, other than Deena, that she can feel since she first heard her name be whispered in Deena’s room, and so she embraces it. Deena doesn’t question it, an understanding in her eyes without anything being said.

Sam’s eyes roam over her girlfriend’s body, but it doesn’t bring the rush of heat to her cheeks it normally would. Instead all she can focus on is the dirt and dust smeared across her skin, followed by trails of blood. It almost forms a barrier around her body, save for the pristine bandage on her side. Without thinking, her hand reaches out and her fingertips graze the fabric, her touch gentle over the wound.

“You’ll get it wet,” she whispers.

“It’s okay. The doctor gave me a couple more just in case.” Sam nods, but doesn’t look away from it until Deena lifts her chin, making her eyes meet hers. “It’s okay,” she says, more forcefully this time.

“Okay.” She looks at Deena again before lifting a bottle down from the shelf and squeezing a generous amount onto the palm of her hand, a gentle orange fragrance filling the air between them. “Here.” She rubs her hand over Deena’s shoulder before running it down her side, and watches as the dirt of the past few days begins to strip away. She keeps going, her hand moving across her stomach, over her hip, along her chest, bending down to get her legs. She keeps looking up at Deena, searching for a sign to stop, but she doesn’t get one. She only gets a soft, contented smile, and so she keeps going. She only applies pressure where she needs to, where stubborn bits of dirt refuse to come off. She gets them, and watches with satisfaction as it peels away, revealing the brown skin beneath. She lifts Deena’s hand and turns it over, her fingers pusing between Deena’s, her thumb rubbing at her girlfriend’s wrist until it’s clean again. She takes the chance to press a kiss to the skin, the gesture quick and simple. She smells faintly of oranges and overwhelmingly like her, like the jackets Deena used to hang around her shoulders.

Excitement curls her toes when she thinks about the possibility of wearing that jacket again.

“Here,” Deena says. “Turn around.” Sam does as instructed, and then feels Deena’s hands on her skin; her fingers running down her spine and back up before she pushes her hair off her shoulder and scrubs at the back of her neck, on her shoulders. She hadn’t realised how dirty she was, nor how much she needed this. Not just the wash. Deena’s hands on her body. Not fighting or begging or holding her back. Gentle. Careful. Handling her like she’s something precious, rather than pushing her away. How much she needed to care for Deena too, after everything. To embrace her rather than claw at her neck, not stopping until it snapped. It wasn’t her, Deena said, but she now knows exactly how it feels to have her hands wrapped around Deena’s throat.

She closes her eyes and pretends the water running down her face is from the shower.

“Babe.” Deena’s hands are on her hips, rubbing in slow, small circles. “You okay?” Sam exhales slowly. She doesn’t answer because the word ‘okay’ seems to have lost all meaning now. ‘Okay’ now just means ‘alive’. Not perfect, not sane, maybe not safe, but alive. She doesn’t answer, instead turns around in Deena’s arms. She reaches up to caress her cheek, wiping away the grime as she does so. She still looks the same, despite everything they’ve been through. Wrecked and exhausted and broken, but still her. Still Deena. Still perfect.

“I love you,” she says. Deena smiles, and opens her mouth to say something else, but her lips touch hers before she can. The kiss is desperate, hungry, making up for so many lost months and driven by raw need for both of them. Teeth tug on her bottom lip, a small moan escapes the back of Deena’s throat. Sam tilts her head as her hand comes up the back of Deena’s neck, tangling in her hair. It all comes crashing down, the past days hitting her like a waterfall; everything she did, everything they lost, everything Deena risked, and it just makes her kiss her harder. Like she’ll die if she doesn’t feel her touch again. Their bare legs tangle until they’re only standing up through luck and will power, their hips pressed against each other’s like jigsaw pieces.

“I love you too,” Deena replies when they come up for air. “Here, let me do your hair.”

She turns around as Deena’s fingers comb through her hair, shaking out the knots and the God-knows-what-else. A shiver runs up Sam’s back as she works, and she doesn’t need to turn around to see the teasing smile on her girlfriend’s face.

“We should do this more often,” she says. It almost slips out without thought. “You. Me. Showering.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Deena replies. She feels the water on her head, followed by Deena’s fingers running through the now-clean strands. “Will you do me?”

She obliges, of course. She delicately works the shampoo through her curls, pausing to ask if she’s hurting her. Deena chuckles warmly and assures her she’s doing fine. Her fingers catch on knots and she undoes them gently, and she rubs and rubs until the blood matting her hair is gone, leaving only soft, glossy curls behind.

While she works, Deena lifts her hand and writes in the steam on the door. She writes an S and a D, and a cross between them. She draws a heart, big enough to capture their two initials. Sam laughs, really laughs, and it feels both wonderful and alien.

“That is so middle school,” she says.

“I think we’ve earned a little middle school,” she replies. She turns around in her arms, the water soaking her newly-cleaned hair. She leans in, slowly, and begins the kiss tentatively, as if it’s their first. Sam responds in kind, too tired to go any further.

Soon, they’ll realise they can’t stay in the shower forever, and they’ll get out and dry off. Sam will hand Deena a sweatshirt and her cheeks will turn pink. Soon they will fall asleep on Sam’s bed, still on top of the covers, their exhaustion finally catching up with them. Deena will wake first, images of Sarah Fier tangled in her mind, so much she needs to say to this girl who lost so much. Then Deena will fall back asleep, and then Sam will wake, a scream caught in her throat. Deena will hold her, and whisper that she’s here, that she’s okay. Deena will doze off, and wake with Kate’s name on her lips this time, and this time Sam will hold her until the tears stop. Eventually they’ll pick a video, something easy they liked in middle school, and watch it on the TV in Sam’s room, bodies pressed together, Deena’s head on Sam’s shoulder, two shaking hands joined atop the covers. Sam’s mother will come in, and bawk at the sight of Deena, and Deena’s chin will raise triumphantly. And Sam will fall in love all over again.

But that’s for later, and for now they just kiss, and kiss, and kiss.

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#fear street #fear street fic #deena johnson #sam fraser #deena x sam #fear street 1994 #fear street fanfic #i tried tm #there was an attempt

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ransomedrogue · 2 years

Text

last s1 fic! obviously I couldn’t resist the cpr scene :P

1.22

Weller looked into the nursery and his throat constricted at what he saw.

There was a defibrillator on the ground and two people were down. One of them was Jane.

She was face down on the ground and not moving. Which made panic flood through him even as he knelt beside her too-still body, calling her name while frantically trying to locate a pulse.

It quickly became clear that she wasn't breathing and there wasn't even a hint of a heartbeat. Pushing back on the tsunami wave of fear that was crashing over him, Weller focused on his training and carefully turned Jane over so he could start CPR.

Immediately his clasped hands pressed down hard on her sternum, compressing her rib cage in a desperate attempt to keep her alive. Weller's own pulse was pounding in his ears, in stark contrast to Jane's lack of one.

Kurt did his best not to think about anything other than putting everything he had into the chest compressions. Even when he felt on of her ribs crack underneath his hands, all Weller could do was wince to himself and continue doing CPR. He needed her heart to start beating again and he wasn't going to stop until she came back to him.

Tears began to blur the edges of his vision as she remained limp in his grip. Cold fear nipped at his innards even as desperation and fire roared out of his lungs.

"Come on Jane!" he shouted, trying to will her back to life.

"Come on!"

He couldn't lose her. Not when he'd just started admitting to himself how much he loved her.

Kurt's arms kept manually pumping her heart as paralyzing fear began to rise up his spine. How long had she been lying there before he found her? It was entirely possible he'd started CPR too late - he knew that the window of saving someone who wasn't breathing was less than ten minutes.

But this wasn't just anyone. It was Jane. Seemingly invincible, at least right up to that point.

At that moment, though, she was dead. And the chances of getting her back grew slimmer with each second.

Weller growled at the thought, refusing to let it take hold.

She's going to be okay, he silently hollered.

She has to be.

Kurt was already sweaty and out of breath from performing CPR, even though it hadn't actually been very long since he'd begun. Mentally, he told himself to keep the pace up, despite his own heart rate continuing to shoot through the roof.

"C'mon!" he grunted again, desperately trying to convince both of them to keep going.

There was no response from Jane, her face and body remaining slack as he continued with the chest compressions. Desperation dripped out his pores with each push and despair had started to sneak in when finally, Jane's eyes flew open and she inhaled a sharp breath.

It was as if life flowed back into his body at that moment too. Relief crashed through his body and Weller's hand automatically slipped underneath Jane's head as she looked up to meet his gaze with startled eyes. For a long moment he was speechless, just soaking in the fact that she was alive. He didn't even realize he was stroking her cheek with his thumb until he felt Jane's fingers around his wrist, warmly pressing his hand against her jawbone.

Weller shook his head a little as his racing heart beat finally began to slow. She had defied death once again; after nearly single-handedly saving all those babies.

"You're okay," he breathed, unsure if he was trying to assure her or himself.

Jane blinked, then looked up at him with huge eyes.

"I'm okay," she croaked, after a few silent breaths had passed between them.

"I can get up."

Jane wedged one elbow underneath her and started to lift her torso off the ground but Kurt gently impeded her movement and shook his head again, still unable to find any words. She was not actually okay; she'd been dead just moments ago.

"No, don't move," Weller said. "Not until the paramedics check you out. I think I did some damage to your ribs."

Jane resisted for a second, still trying to push onto her elbow even as Kurt gently pressed her back down to the ground.

"Kurt, I'm fine," she grunted.

She did seem to be alright, despite his fears that he'd hurt her. Yet Weller kept flashing back to her lying there limp and how it had felt, crushing her chest to artificially push air and blood through her body. Even as Jane quickly regained both colour and composure, he felt himself stuck on what could have been.

"I'm not," he muttered, a bit surprised when the words came out audibly.

He wouldn't normally admit that to anyone. But he wanted her to know. He wanted her to understand just how not okay he was after seeing her there lifeless. Even though he'd been able to save her that time, it'd been too far too close. He'd nearly lost her before telling her how much he needed her; how much he loved her.

"You were dead," he added, almost scared to say the words.

Jane's eyes locked onto his and she frowned slightly, the jade in her irises becoming murky with brown. Then her grip around his wrist tightened and she lifted his hand off of her cheek, before slowly placing it over her heart.

###

There was nothing; and then there was light.

Jane gasped as all her senses came back online in one instant, the sudden brightness only adding to her confusion. But then she felt a familiar hand on her face and her eyes snapped up to see Weller staring down at her in astonished relief.

"You're okay," he whispered, looking completely shaken and sounding unsure about his statement.

Jane blinked hard, automatically running through an assessment of her body. She noted that she still felt a little dazed and her ribs were very sore, some likely broken. It was only then that she really registered what had happened - Weller had just brought her back to life with CPR.

No wonder he was looking at her like that, while caressing her jaw with his thumb.

For a second Jane was just caught in his gaze, frozen by the adoration in his eyes. And then her brain got moving again and she fell back to reality.

Would he have saved me if he knew what I had done?

Remembering her situation was a harsh emotional blow and Jane quickly tried to push herself up, wanting to escape from Kurt's intense gaze.

"I'm okay," she rasped, wincing internally at the weakness in her voice.

Her lungs didn't feel quite right and she hoped they were just sore from being pressed on; not punctured by a broken rib. Jane took another breath, then tried again.

"I can get up," she said, this time more satisfied with force of her words.

She only made it to her elbow though, before Weller brought his hand down to her shoulder and prevented her from sitting up. He was still silently shaking his head at her; his eyes wide with emotion.

"No, don't move," Kurt said. "Not until the paramedics check you out. I think I did some damage to your ribs."

She didn't tell him that she knew they were broken; he already looked too worried. Instead, Jane did her best to resist the weight of his arm, which was trying to push her back down to the ground.

He still sounded so upset, which made her feel equally warm and disgusted with herself. He wouldn't feel that way if he knew her secrets.

"Kurt, I'm fine," she grunted.

Weller was still looking at her like she was a miracle of some sort; his blue eyes a mixture of relief and some darker emotion.

"I'm not," he admitted, almost too quiet to hear.

Jane froze at vulnerability in his words and at the realization that he really wasn't okay. Even her defensive desire to prove that she was fine suddenly evaporated with Kurt's confession.

"You were dead."

She hadn't exactly thought about it like that, even though it was obviously true. And now that she was thinking about it, in so many ways it would be easier to have remained dead, instead of having to fix everything she'd messed up.

But that thought evaporated with the slight shimmer in Kurt's eyes. She could see the fear and trauma of having to bring her back to life, of it all having been so close.

Jane forced herself to put herself in Weller's position, trying to figure out what she could do to soothe his obvious distress. It was clear that he was getting stuck on the what if; almost like he was unwilling to believe he'd really saved her.

Affixed in Kurt's blue stare, Jane wondered what she could say to get through to him. His hand had moved back to rub her cheekbone, as if he was trying to prove to himself she was there. Jane realized her fingers remained on his wrist too, gripping so tightly she could feel that his pulse was still racing.

Suddenly it was obvious what she should do; what Weller needed.

Jane slowly lifted his hand off of her jaw and placed it on her sore chest, right over her heart.

"Feel that?" she murmured.

"I'm right here."

Kurt frowned a little, as if trying to resist her words. But as Jane continued to lightly touch his hand to her sore sternum, she could tell that he was calming down. So she offered him the brightest smile she could manage, and finally Weller blinked hard before letting out a short tense breath.

"You're here," he repeated, as if trying to affirm that fact for himself.

"Did I hurt you?"

He didn't need to know, at least not at that moment. Jane shook her head, giving him a slightly exasperated grin.

"I'm fine Kurt," she said.

Weller nodded, and this time he didn't fight her as she used her free arm to push her up into a seated position. He did leave his hand gently planted against her chest though, and still looked far more concerned than he needed to be.

Someday he would find out what she'd done and he wouldn't ever look at her like that again.

Jane felt the cold knife of that knowledge slicing through her, sticking hard in her gut.

She would have to face her demons someday. But for the moment she cast them aside and leaned towards Kurt, resting her forehead above his sternum. Jane listened to his heart beat, relieved that it had settled considerably in the past few minutes. Still, she could feel the latent trauma in his body, all because of her.

"Thank you," Weller muttered into her hair, just before she spilled the same words onto his chest.

But of course Kurt didn't bother acknowledging her thanks, seemed to still be caught up in processing what had just happened. Instead, he tilted her head back and kissed her on the forehead, making her neck tingle. Then he rested her temple against his chest again and wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"Thank you for coming back to me," he said, as if only finally believing it then.

#blindspot #blindspot fanfic #blindspot rewatch #s1fic #i wrote this

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jawabear · 3 years

Note

Hi~ Can I request a fic? for season 3 Javier Peña. Maybe some soft Javi. With y/n being a colleague, but struggling to get back to work because of mental trauma. If that's ok with you.

Don’t leave (Javier Peña X Reader)

Not my GIF

A/N: Hey! Here’s another request for my sweetheart Javi. Thanks to anon for helping out a little more. However, I feel like this isn’t great? But I really hope you like it. Thank you for requesting! I hope you enjoy it! Sorry for any mistakes. Stay safe.

Genre: Angst, fluff

Warnings: fem!reader, injury detail, mentions of blood, violence, tears, mental trauma, comfort

Summary: After a mission turns south and months of being off work, she has to face the reality of going back to work.

She didn’t know what came over her.

Everything moved in slow motion as one of the men lifted their gun and pointed it over at Javier. She wasn’t in control of her legs as she ran between them.

Her blood seemed to run cold when the gun went off. There was a ringing in her ear. She could hear another muffled gun shot and the muffled call of her name but she couldn’t move. She couldn’t do anything other than fall to the ground.

“Fucking shit (Y/N)!” Javi yelled as he crawled over to her lifted her shaking torso into his lap. “Why the fuck did you do that, you idiot!” he scaled her. He pulled his radio from his belt and gave an order to call for an ambulance before he threw his radio to the ground.

She looked up at him with wide eyes full of fear. She was barely breathing and her lips were trembling. He looked down her body to her stomach that was flooding blood that was seeping into her blue shirt. “J-Javi..” she whimpered. Her voice was barely there though.

“The ambulance is on its way (Y/N). You’re going to be okay” he told her trying not to cry at the sight of her lying petrified in his arms. “You’re gonna be okay (Y/N)”

Javier didn’t move from her. He held her almost lovingly in his arms, gently stroking her hair as he whispered the same words to her over and over again, it got to the point where he was more convincing himself than her was convincing her. But she never responded to him. She just continued to stare at him with the same terrified eyes.

“Peña, la ambulancia está aquí” (Peña, the ambulance is here) a voice came over the discarded radio beside him.

He picked up the radio and put it back on his belt. “Hold on (Y/N)” he whispered to her. He slipped one arm under her knees and the other under her torso and carefully lifted her into his arms as he stood and walked as quickly as he could outside where the ambulance was waiting.

The paramedics raced over to him seeing the state that (Y/N) was in. He walked her over to the ambulance and placed her onto the bed on the inside. She gripped hold of him like her life depended on it, because it felt like it did. She felt that if she let go of him, that would be it for her. “Don’t leave” she whispered desperately.

“I won’t leave you (Y/N)” he told her as he managed to pry her arms from him “I’ll come see you. But you need to go right now”

“Javi..” he had to ignore her as he jumped out of the back of the ambulance. He took one last look at her, tears beginning the fall down her cheeks, either from pain or from the fact he was leaving her. He felt unbelievable guilt wash over him but he had to close the doors.

(Y/N) drew in a sharp breath as she splashed water over her face bringing her back into her equally painful reality. She looked at herself in her bathroom mirror and hated the sight. Seeing how her eyes were red and puffy for her uncontrollable tears of fear. Seeing dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep. Well, peaceful sleep. The sleep she had been getting was plagued of the memory of the event or nightmarish versions of it. Although she still hadn’t come to terms with the fact it was a reality.

But the scar on her stomach was evidence enough.

Taking in a few deep breath, she turned off the tap stopping the water. She stood there for a moment longer, griping the sink in both hands as to try and ground herself. She was trying to brace herself for today.

She knew it wasn’t going to be easy. She would most likely suffer for the whole day. But she had to go back at some point, and if she didn’t now, then she never would.

(Y/N) let out a slow breath and pushed herself off the sink and slowly made her way out of her bathroom. She now face a new challenge; getting dressed. She already had her clothes laid out on her bed, but she didn’t quiet know how to go about it. If she were in any other state, it would be simple. But the injury to her stomach made it all the more difficult.

It had been six months almost to the day since it happened. She had been at home for those six months, bored out of her mind and in incredible pain. She spent most of her day in bed for it was too much to move. Only getting up to use the bathroom, get a drink or make some food. But even doing that let her in excruciating pain and short of breath.

The highlight of her week would be when Javier would come round to visit her, to check on her. He always brought over some ice cream because it was easy to eat, plus she loved it. But since he had been delving deeper and deeper into the Cali Cartel, he had been flying between Bogotá and Cali quite a lot so his visits became less and less frequent, leaving her all alone with her nightmares.

But she didn’t blame Javi for leaving her alone. He was doing his job and she wasn’t prepared to get in the way of that. She was convinced that if it wasn’t for him, she would be dead anyway. She was immensely thankful to have him as a friend.

(Y/N) was also thankful that the ambulance showed up when it did. Not just because it meant she got to the hospital quicker, but because she was a second away from confessing how much she loved him. She believed she was in the verge of death and didn’t want to go without telling him, but she knew if she did, she would have to live with the embarrassment that he did not feel the same. They were friends. Just friends.

Somehow she managed to get changed into her fresh clothes. Today she was returning to work. Ambassador Crosby had warned her against it saying she still needed time to rest both physically and mentally, Javi said this too but she couldn’t spend another minute at home on her own. She had to get back to work.

The journey from her apartment to her car took twice as long than it should have, and the journey from her car (in her car) to the embassy was just the same, but that was partly due to traffic.

When she finally made it to the embassy, she couldn’t bring herself to get out of her car. She sat and watched people walk in and out of the building. To them, everything was normal. But to (Y/N), having to walk back into the building was like walking into the jaws of death.

(Y/N) leant her head on the steering wheel and squeezed her eyes shut, drawing in shaky breaths as she tried to calm herself down and hype herself up for going back inside. “Come on (Y/N)” she whispered to herself “you got this far. Just a few more steps and you’ll be there”

She drew in a few more breaths before grabbing her bag and pulling herself out of her car. She took her time in walking to the embassy, those who were outside gave her looks as she walked past them but she tried her best to ignore them. But when she got inside it was no better. Everyone looked at her and whispered amongst themselves. She was the desk agent that got shot. Thats what she was known as now. Not the smiley, happy, caring agent she was before. She was the one who got shot.

To get to her own office she had to walk past Javi’s. She looked into it and saw it was empty. She also noticed that Van Ness and Feistl’s desks were empty too, meaning they were all out scoping for leads in the Cali cartel, most likely in Cali.

Finally she got to her office and saw a pile of papers on her desk. At least she would have something to distract her. At the top of the pile was a note from the Ambassador welcoming her back and telling her to take it easy.

She sat down in her chair and let out a sigh as she examined the stack of files she had been left to deal with. She grabbed a pen and the top file and began getting to work trying to focus only on the paper rather than the nightmarish visions at the back of her mind crawling closer and deeper into her.

It can’t have been any more than ten minutes before she got a sharp pain in her stomach causing her to stop and sit back in her chair. She was overcome by sudden frustration at the fact that she couldn’t even do her work.

“What are you doing back?” Came a voice form the door way. She looked up and saw Javi standing there.

“Working” she mumbled picking up her pen again.

“Clearly you’re in a fit state to be working” he said.

“I cleared it with Crosby”

“And he told you to take another few weeks off” Javi stepped into her office and closed the door before taking the chair opposite her and crossing one leg over the other “like I did. Why didn’t you listen?”

“You can’t say that” she said with a slight smile “you didn’t listen to me. You remember when we were still in training and you literally shattered your leg? I told you to rest but you came back way too soon”

“That was different (Y/N)” he told her “that was my own fault”

“And so was this” she told him “I’m the one who jumped in front of the bullet after all...”

There was a heavy silence over the two of them as she just stared at the piece of paper on her desk. There were so many thing Javier wanted to say to her. So many things he could’ve said to break the silence but he was scare the open his mouth. Scared that everything he wanted to say would just tumble out of his mouth in a mess that she couldn’t understand and he’d embarrass himself in front of her. But it was selfish of him to be thinking about his own stupid problems when the woman he loved took a bullet for him. But there was one question that was at the forefront of his mind.

“Are you okay?” He asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. He watched her as she dropped her pen again and her bottom lip trembled. She brought her hand to her forehead and turned her head from him slightly.

(Y/N) drew in a sharp breath before she started to cry quietly. She didn’t want him to see but there was nothing that could stop him considering he was sat right in front of her. Javier stood from his chair and pulled it round to her so he was sat beside her. He rested his hands on her thighs, rubbing them in a loving manner.

“I’m sorry Javi” she sobbed into her hands “I’m so sorry”

“Hey,” he said softly as he reached out to grab her hands to pulled them from her face making her look at him. His heart sank when he saw her bloodshot, watery eyes. A similar broken look in her as to when it happened. “You’ve got nothing to be sorry for” he said rubbing the back of her hands with his thumbs.

“I was an idiot...” she sniffed.

“Yeah, you were” he agreed with a nod making her laugh slightly. “But I would’ve done the same for you” he told her quietly.

“Javi..”

“I’m serious (Y/N). Had it been the other way round, I would’ve taken a bullet for you”

“I wouldn’t want you to do that for me”

“And I didn’t want you to do it for me” he said “and...I’ve never been more scared in my life” he paused for a moment. His grip on her hands tightening as he swallowed thickly trying not to cry himself. “The thought of loosing you...I couldn’t do this without you (Y/N). I couldn’t live in a world without you. You mean more to me than you will ever know...”

He saw tears fall to her hands and heard her drew in shaky breaths. He moved further to her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his chest. She gripped his suit jacket and sobbed into his shirt. “I’m so sorry Javier. I don’t want to live without you”

“You won’t (Y/N). I’m going to help you get through this. You will get through this” he told her placing a soft kiss to her hair “I’m not going to leave you. Not this time”

04/01/21

Taglist: @linkpk88 @phoenixhalliwell @lunaserenade

#javier peña #javier peña x reader #javier peña fanfic #narcos #pedro pascal #angst #fluff #fanfic

133 notes · View notes

bnha-free-writing · 4 years

Text

Uncertain

Hi guys! I hope you enjoy this fluff piece! Special thanks to @shoutodoki and @burnedbyshoto for allowing me to tag them in this piece! I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I enjoy your works!

Pairing: Shoto x Reader

Warnings: Fluff ahead! (Some angst too...)

Word Count: 5.3k

Rated: E for Everyone (Like Shouto's hands)

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Key:

(Y/N) - Reader’s name

(L/N) - Reader’s last name

(s/t) - Skin tone

(h/l) - Hair length

(h/t) - Hair texture/type

(h/c) - Hair color

(e/c) - Eye color

(Y/H/N) - Reader’s Hero Name

-----------------

When Shoto Todoroki first began his education at U.A., he never thought that he would make any friends. His goal had been simply to become the best hero. There was absolutely no plan of making friends. And he definitely wasn’t looking to find love.

But apparently, fate had other things in mind. In his three years at U.A., he met so many people, made some close friends, but none closer than (Y/N) (L/N). The girl that kept him anchored to the ground when things got rough. When his father was involved in a tough battle on TV, (Y/N) had held him in a reassuring hug until the fight ended. When training led to injury, she was the first to help him to Recovery Girl.

It hadn’t been an immediate friendship. She had started out their first year by making friends with Ochako Uraraka and Tsuyu Asui. He was so wrapped up in his goals that it took over a week before he finally noticed her. But then, one day in class, he got a paper cut. He had winced and out of the corner of his hetero-chromatic eyes, he watched as a bandage was slid onto the edge of his desk. He looked over at the (h/c) girl in confusion. She had been sitting right beside him and all she did was offer a soft smile before returning to taking notes.

After that, she would occasionally sit across from him at lunch. He was sitting alone at the time, curious as to why she would abandon her friends twice a week to start up small talk with him. But she was persistent and eventually, he had gotten used to her presence.

“Why are you here,” he had finally asked aloud.

“I want to be a hero, silly,” she had replied, confusion clear on her features.

“No, I mean why are you sitting here with me.”

“You looked lonely and I think you need a friend. It’s that simple,” she beamed.

After that, their lunch for that day fell into silence. He didn’t understand.

At the Sports Festival, she put up a hell of a fight. Her quirk might not have been the strongest, but she fought hard to earn her place. With that, she had earned his respect.

After that, their conversations became more frequent. Then, it was him joining her at Uraraka and Midoriya’s table. No longer was she abandoning her friend group, because slowly but surely he became a part of it.

By second year, there were frequent movie nights, the girl showing him her favorite movies, a kind of enjoyment his father never would have allowed. They would sit on the edge of her bed sharing laughter and (though he would never admit it) occasional tears. She introduced him to kinds of joy that he never thought possible.

Some days, it was enough to just sit on opposite sides of the room in comfortable silence. She would be curled up on her bean bag chair, sketching, while he would sit on her bed, working his way through her personal library. Other days it was laughter and talking as she taught him how to cook. She would joke that it was ironic because, despite having a fire quirk, he was a bit clueless in the kitchen.

She was a relaxing figure in his life, one of the kindest people he had ever met. Despite the fact that he could be rather cold and socially oblivious, she understood him. She was his best friend. But about halfway through their third year at U.A., something changed. It was a slow change, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad one.

It started with a moment, just a moment, where he saw her sitting at the foot of the stairs outside of Heights Alliance, waiting for him to come back from shopping for the supplies for the dorm. She was reading a book, the sun shining on her (s/t) skin, the wind blowing through her (h/l), (h/t) (h/c) locks, her soft, (e/c) orbs focused on the page in front of her. He found himself stopping, admiring the way she bit her bottom lip and her eyebrows knitted together as she focused. For that one moment, he found his mind going blank.

The only thought his mind could process was, ‘She’s beautiful.’

And as suddenly as it started, it drifted away the second she noticed his arrival and called his name.

After that, it was downhill from there. When she would grab his wrist to drag him to lunch like she did every day, his heart would race and his cheeks would warm. She was suddenly in his dreams, her radiant smile filling his thoughts. He found himself getting lost in thought every time their eyes would meet.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t wrap his head around why he felt this way. They had been friends long enough that he couldn’t think of why he was feeling this way. He tried to Google these feelings, but heart racing and sweaty palms only brought up the results of ‘cancer.’

He was pretty sure that he was not dying, yet he was still unsure of what was wrong. For weeks, these feelings had been taunting him, her smile invading his thoughts, his dreams, everything. At one point, he had a dream about her that made his quirk activate in his sleep. He wound up waking up in the middle of the night to the sprinklers going off, aggravating his classmates. While the rest were angry, she had been hell-bent on ensuring that he was okay.

It wasn’t until they were watching a movie with the rest of the class (even Bakugo) in the common area that he finally got a clue. She was squished between himself and Bakugo, when about halfway through the movie he felt a sudden weight on his left shoulder. He looked down to see her head resting on his shoulder, her breathing even as she slept peacefully. He smiled softly, resting his own head against hers.

“Awww,” he heard the soft coo of Uraraka, followed by soft whispers.

He attempted to drown out their voices when he heard Ashido whisper, “They’re so cute together. When are Todoroki and (L/N) gonna finally admit that they’re in loooove?”

His hetero-chromatic eyes shot open as Ashido’s words processed in his brain. The pinkette had never been very good at being quiet, but for once he was grateful.

He thought, ‘Is that what this is?’ as his heart beat became nearly deafening in his ears.

Shortly after the movie finished, Todoroki lifted (Y/N) into his arms, taking her to her dorm room. Her eyes fluttered as she slept peacefully in his arms. Once he got her to her dorm, he laid her on the bed, carefully covering her with a blanket. It took all of his self control to leave, rather than holding her in his arms through the night.

The next day was no better. Now that he knew what this feeling was, her very existence made him flustered, though he hid it quite well. He was constantly fighting to keep his eyes off of her.

The more time that went by, the more Todoroki was terrified that it would get to the point that he would miss out on any chance he had with her. As a third year student, she had plenty of exposure as a hero in training. She already had several fan sites, seeing as she worked under the Pro Hero, Edgeshot. He wasn’t oblivious to her popularity and unlike himself, she was very good with her fans.

-----------------

It was a rare event to have Endeavor and Edgeshot’s agencies team up, yet Todoroki found himself fighting back to back with (Y/N) against a large group of thugs. Their mentors had delegated the two of them to the low level goons while the two of them raced ahead to take on the main boss, Terminator. While their opponents’ fighting was erratic, the two of them fought nearly completely synchronized. Within minutes, they were down to a few opponents.

Once they were done with the low level thugs, the two of them were quick to join their mentors against the big boss. The man had a powerful quirk, and had four higher ranking members of his crew to play guard. It wasn’t an easy fight, but the second (Y/N) had taken down two of the higher ranking members, the boss had slightly nodded his head in her direction.

Nobody saw it coming, as a fifth underling had been hiding in the rafters, awaiting for when she was signaled for. As (Y/N) turned to help Todoroki, the fifth underling dropped down behind her, undetected until she slammed (Y/N) into a wall, knocking her unconscious as her head smacked against the scarlet brick wall.

The vibrations of the impact drew the attention of Todoroki and the two Pro Heroes. Todoroki’s hetero-chromatic orbs widened, and before either of his opponents could register what was going on, he had them frozen solid from the neck down.

He immediately turned his focus solely upon the woman that had caused (Y/N)’s injury. The woman had a quirk that allowed her to be as strong as five men, and she was fast on her own. The woman charged at Todoroki, but he was quick to use his ice to slip away, simultaneously knocking the woman off balance. As she slipped around on the ice, struggling to regain her footing, he used this time to his advantage, freezing her much like he had done with her cohorts.

As soon as he was done with her, he turned his attention to Endeavor and Edgeshot, who were restraining the boss.

“Shoto! Go check on (Y/H/N),” Edgeshot shouted.

Todoroki quickly moved to (Y/N)’s side, her body still as he checked her pulse. It was faint and he knew he couldn’t move her without the possibility of causing more damage. Blood was dripping from the back of her head, her body looked paler, and all he could do was stare in shock.

He could barely process a thing as the paramedics arrived, moving her onto a gurney. Edgeshot rode along in the ambulance while Todoroki and Endeavor stayed behind and answered questions for the police.

Once they were cleared, Todoroki made his way to the hospital, immediately finding himself in the waiting room.

“She’s in surgery. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything,” Edgeshot promised.

“Thank you, sir.”

The two of them sat for hours, their eyes completely trained on the operating room door. There were no words between them. Simply (Y/N)’s mentor and best friend, each sitting with a heavy feeling in the air between them.

With each passing hour without word on her condition, Todoroki steadily grew more anxious. Eventually, he even found himself pacing and that’s when Edgeshot stepped in, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Shoto, she is going to be alright. She’s a tough kid. I know she’s your friend. You’re all she talks about when we get the chance to talk. You guys are close. You of all people should know that she’s tougher than this. She’ll get through it, kid.”

“I know. I just… I don’t know what I can do.”

“You can’t change it. All you can do is be there for her.”

It was then that the doctor walked up to them, pulling Edgeshot aside. Once he returned to Todoroki’s side, he was quick to fill Todoroki in.

“So, there was mild head injury, which is what knocked her unconscious. They put her in surgery because one of her ribs broke and they needed to set it properly before they could call in Recovery Girl to speed up the healing process. However she wasn’t able to heal her completely. She’s going to stay here under observation for the rest of the week.”

“When can we see her,” Todoroki asked.

“She’s still asleep. Between the surgery and Recovery Girl’s treatment, she’s exhausted. They said one of us could sit with her, so long as we don’t disturb her rest. I’ll let you sit with her first.”

Todoroki simply nodded before heading over to the nurse so he could be escorted to her room. Once he arrived at her room, he quietly pulled up a chair to her bedside.

Her eyelids fluttered as she slept and he found himself letting out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. He laid his head on the edge of her bed, allowing himself to truly relax for the first time in hours. His eyelids grew heavy as he drifted off to sleep, having found solace by her side.

Todoroki woke to the morning sunlight peeking through the window. His eyes opened and he found himself looking up at (Y/N)’s resting face. Her eyelids fluttered as she slept, still in the same state she had been when he had drifted off.

Why the doctors hadn’t woken him was beyond him, but he certainly wasn’t going to complain. It almost felt wrong to be sitting there, watching her sleep. Yet that was the least of his concerns. He wondered if she had woken yet at any point.

“You’re awake,” he heard from a voice behind him. He turned to see Edgeshot leaning against the door frame. “She hasn’t woken up yet. But I told them to let you stay.”

“Have the doctors said anything?”

“Apparently her heart monitor has been steady, no complications.”

“That’s good,” Todoroki replied, letting out a sigh of relief.

The two of them sat in silence for a few moments before a light groan broke through the air.

“(Y/N),” Todoroki called softly, hoping to hear her sweet voice reply.

“I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus,” (Y/N)’s voice croaks out.

The second he heard her voice, Todoroki whipped around, his hetero-chromatic orbs meeting her (e/c) ones.

He had never thought he would be that happy to hear someone’s voice, yet there he was. To his ears, her voice was that of an angel calling him to heaven. There was nothing short of amazement in his eyes as he looked at her as though her body was made of gold and her (e/c) orbs were made of the rarest gems. This woman was his everything.

His thoughts were broken as her scratchy voice pierced the air once more. “Sh-Shoto… Is there any way I could get a glass of water?”

“Of course, give me just a moment,” he replied before turning to the sink in her room and quickly pouring her a glass, his hands shaking.

“Good to see you’re awake, kid. I’ll let Todoroki here talk you through what happened. I’ll call your parents to let them know you’re awake,” Edgeshot replied before leaving the room.

Todoroki watched as (Y/N) carefully drank her water and he waited for her to finish drinking before he began to speak. “So what’s the last thing you remember?”

Her voice was soft as she replied, “I remember we were going into the main compound building and we got caught up fighting some higher level goons. I beat the two I was dealing with and then… I turned to help you. But I don’t remember anything after that.”

“Well, that’s good. You aren’t missing much time. Basically, there was another high level goon up in the rafters. She'd been hiding there, waiting for a signal. Detectives figured out that she was Terminator’s right hand. He must have given her a signal because she jumped down and tossed you into a wall… Apparently you were knocked unconscious on impact.”

“Your injuries weren’t too bad. Recovery Girl came in and healed you after they did surgery to set your broken rib. They just want to keep you under observation until Friday night to make sure that you are okay.”

(Y/N) simply nodded before she spoke, “Are you okay, Shoto?”

“You’re the one in a hospital bed and you’re asking me if I’m okay,” Todoroki replied, confusion clear on his features.

“Todoroki… You look like you haven’t slept.”

He sat down in the chair beside her bed, looking down at his hands as a blush grew on his cheeks. “I… I actually slept right here. I never left here last night.”

Todoroki glanced up as he felt a light pressure applied to his head. (Y/N) had softly placed her hand on his head, lightly ruffling his hair. Their eyes met for only a second before she pulled her hand away and they both darted their eyes to their laps.

“Hey guys, I figured you’d be hungry, so I brought some breakfast… And… Why do you two look like tomatoes,” Edgeshot spoke as he entered the room once more.

Neither of the teens dared to speak a word as the Pro Hero rolled his eyes.

Todoroki thought that spending the week without (Y/N) being in class would be difficult. But if anything, her absence made concentrating easier. He was writing down notes non-stop, making sure to cover every lesson in as much detail as possible, even comparing notes with Midoriya and Yaoyorozu during lunch to ensure that he hadn’t missed anything.

“Why do you need to take such detailed notes all of a sudden,” Midoriya asked that Monday after school.

His friends all looked at him expectantly as he admitted, “I don’t want (Y/N) to fall behind. So I’m going back to the hospital after school to help her with what she’s missing during class.”

“Awwww, that’s really sweet,” Uraraka cooed. “Can I ask you something, Todoroki?”

“Sure.”

“Todoroki, do you… Do you like (Y/N)? Whatever your answer, it’ll stay between the three of us. I just had to ask seeing as this is the only time I can really ask you without risking her popping up.”

Todoroki looked at Midoriya and Uraraka for a single moment, taking a deep breath before shakily replying, “I… I guess.”

“Todoroki, it’s nothing to be ashamed of! She makes you happy!”

“You should tell her, Todoroki,” Midoriya advises.

“Yes,” Uraraka cheers.

“Well, right now, I have to leave to get these notes to her,” he spoke as he looked at his watch. “I don’t want to miss the train.”

“Bye Todoroki,” Uraraka and Midoriya chorus.

He found himself practically racing to the hospital. When he finally got there, he was surprised to find her sitting on the edge of the bed, looking out the window.

“Hey, (Y/N),” Todoroki spoke slowly, hoping to not startle her.

She turned around slowly, a grin on her face as she spoke, “Shoto! You came! I’m glad. I was worried you wouldn’t have time.”

Though he wouldn’t say it aloud, he knew if it meant seeing her, he would have blown off any assignment. “I told you I’d be here,” he retorted, as he sat down beside her.

“I know,” she replied as she wrapped her arms around him.

As soon as she pulled away from the hug, he pulled out the notes he had worked so hard on all day.

-----------------

After a particularly long training session on Friday afternoon, the only thing Todoroki wanted was a shower. He wasn’t to go visit (Y/N) that day because she was to be released and picked up by Edgeshot that evening. So he had spent his few free hours after school training hard with Midoriya, Bakugo, and Iida.

But when the doors to Heights Alliance opened up, his eyes immediately fell on a figure with (h/c) locks surrounded by her friends. She was dressed in her favorite sweatpants and an All Might T-shirt, looking as stunning as ever. Her (e/c) eyes shined with joy as Uraraka filled her in on what she’s missed throughout the week.

“I missed being here so much,” (Y/N confessed, a pout on her lips.

“Ribbit. We missed you too,” Asui croaked. “Hey, it’s Todoroki.”

(Y/N) looked up from her group of friends and gave him a beaming grin before greeting, “Hey Shoto! Surprise! I got out a couple of hours early! I told Edgeshot if I didn’t get out soon, I’d lose it! So he talked it over with the doctor and they let me out like an hour before classes let out!”

Todoroki couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle at her antics.

“Hey, I got tickets for a movie and I got permission for eight of us to go,” Yaoyorozu offered as she approached, a skip in her step.

“That’s great,” Todoroki commented.

“So, I was thinking Todoroki, (Y/N), Uraraka, Midoriya, Tsu, Iida, Kyoka, and myself. We can go tomorrow night, assuming you’re all willing to go! Iida, Midoriya, and Kyoka have already agreed, so...”

“I’ll definitely go,” Uraraka chimed.

“I’d love to! Thanks, Momo,” (Y/N) added, nodding exuberantly.

“Sounds like fun,” Tsu croaks, a smile on her features.

Todoroki found the rest of them looking at him expectantly, waiting for his response. He finally nodded, a small smile on his features.

The next night came quickly and he found himself in awe as Uraraka practically pushed a nearly shy (Y/N) out of the elevator. Her soft, (h/c) locks were pinned back out of her face, her big (e/c) eyes were framed with light makeup and her lips lightly glossed. Her frame was covered by a plain, light blue sundress, a pair of simple flats on her feet.

Uraraka led (Y/N) to his side, practically skipping as she cheered out, “Todoroki! (Y/N) looks super cute, right?”

Todoroki’s eyes widened, not expecting the sudden question. He had literally just been stuck on thinking about how beautiful she looked, yet when it comes down to vocalizing, he finds himself at a loss.

“Ochako, leave him alone,” (Y/N) whispers, her eyes glued to her shoes.

Todoroki felt his heart drop at the sight of the crestfallen expression on her face. He felt as though he was choking on his words, despite a part of him wanting to scream from the rooftops, announcing her beauty to the world. Yet there he stood, his mouth opening and closing in a fish-like fashion, feeling like a fool.

Finally after what felt like hours, he managed to mutter out, “You… You look cute, (Y/N).”

Her head shot up, her (e/c) orbs wide with surprise, a flush on her cheeks, and a small smile on her face.

Finally, Iida comes speeding in, “The movie starts in twenty-five minutes! We should leave immediately to ensure that we are not tardy! It would be unbecoming of esteemed U.A. students to be late!”

Soon enough, the group arrived at the theater, each of them having time to grab their drinks and popcorn. Yaoyorozu was the first to be seated, followed by Jiro, Midoriya, Uraraka, Iida, Tsu, (Y/N), and finally Todoroki at the end.

The title screen seemed innocent enough until the blood started dripping from the words on the screen. It was a horror movie and with every jump-scare, Todoroki watched as (Y/N) jumped and shook more and more. Her hands were tightly clutching the sides of the seat, the white of her knuckles showing through.

Finally, as tears started to prick at her eyes, Todoroki couldn’t watch her like that anymore. He carefully placed one of his hands on her own, immediately gaining her attention as she jerked her head to face him. In that moment, her eyes widened and she threw herself into his arms, crying. At first he was surprised, but as soon as she clutched his shirt, he pulled her into his lap, lightly stroking her (h/c) locks as she shook in his arms. He rested his head atop her own and the hand that wasn’t stroking her hair began to rub slow, calming circles on her back until she fell asleep in his arms.

Once the movie was over, he found himself stirring (Y/N) from her sleep. As he led her sleepy form out of the theater, his arm sling around her protectively, she stayed groggily clung to his shirt. Even on the loud, crowded subway, she didn’t move out from under his arm.

Once the group made their way to the dorms, they were met by the few members of their class that were still awake. Shoto looked down at her, to see her eyes still half open.

Mina was the first to address the pair, “Awww she looks so tired!”

“I forgot to tell everyone that it was a horror movie. (Y/N) didn’t take it well,” Yaoyorozu admitted, nervously twiddling her thumbs. Turning to (Y/N) she pleads, “I really hope you’re not upset with me.”

“I’ll be fine. I just need some sleep,” (Y/N) sleepily mumbles, before attempting to take a step on her own. When the girl practically fell over, Todoroki was quick to catch her and resume their previous stance.

“I’m going to take her up,” he muttered, carefully leading her towards the elevator.

The rest of their class bode them good night as the two disappeared into the elevator, the (h/c) girl still nuzzled into Todoroki’s side.

“Sh-Shoto,” her voice stuttered out, so faintly that he almost missed it.

Luckily he hadn’t, because the second he looked down at her, his heart skipped a beat. She had the cutest expression on her face, her lips slightly parted, her tired eyes looking up at him through her lashes, and a faint pink to her cheeks.

He didn’t know what to expect as she hesitantly raised her hand to cup his face. He was too shocked to move, allowing her to lightly run her thumb over his cheek, just below his scar. Her other hand was still clutched to the back of his shirt, her cheeks darkening as their eyes refused to break contact.

She was too close. He could smell her skin, he could see flecks in her (e/c) orbs, he could practically count her eyelashes. His heart was pounding in his ears, his body unable to move in fear of losing control of himself.

She was exhausted. He shouldn’t be letting this happen, he thought. But a small, selfish part of him wanted to stay like this forever. Her body pressed against him, their eyes locked on one another, and the soft touch of her hand on his face.

She was the first to break eye contact, a sad smile taking its place on her features as the elevator opened.

His eyes widened as she removed her hand from his face and they walked to her room in silence, as though nothing had happened. She unlocked the door and he walked her to her bed.

It was then that he got a good look at her face. The moonlight shone through her window, highlighting the silent tears that were streaming down her cheeks.

“Why are you crying,” he whispered.

“I shouldn’t have done that… In the elevator… I’m sorry, Shoto,” she spoke softly, her sentence broken up by soft sobs. “I don’t want you to hate me… I… I just…”

Her voice broke into nothing but soft sobs.

He took a seat on the edge of her bed, sitting beside her as he pulled her into his arms.

“I… I could never hate you,” he whispered.

For the second time that night, he held her as she cried herself to sleep in his arms.

He didn’t know what to do. He had never been good at expressing his emotions, but, damn, this was a new low for him. He didn’t know why she was sorry for what was just about the best moment of his life. He was just glad that it was a Saturday night, because at this rate he wasn’t sleeping.

He wasn’t sure of anything.

Was she sorry because he froze and she thought he didn’t like it?

Or was she sorry because she knew how he felt and she used that moment to decide that she didn’t feel the same?

But for right now, he was holding her in his arms and, even if this would be the last time it happened, it was enough for him. With his arms still wrapped tightly around her, he laid back, resting his head on the pillow behind them.

When Todoroki woke in the morning, he found himself looking down at (Y/N)’s sleeping form once more. Her eyes were red and puffy from her tears she had shed the night before but what surprised him most was that it appeared that at some point, she had gotten up and changed into pajamas, yet climbed back into bed beside him.

As she laid there, snuggled into his chest, he brushed a lock of hair from her face. It was another one of those moments where all he desired was to freeze time.

But as the light filtered through the window, her eyes scrunched together and she began to stir.

Her eyes fluttered open, looking up at him almost immediately. She smiled softly for a moment, before her eyes widened.

“Shoto, what are you doing here,” she asked slowly, as though she wasn’t sure if she wanted the answer.

“You had a rough night last night. I got you safely to your room and you started crying. So I guess I fell asleep comforting you.”

“I was really hoping that the part that made me cry was a bad dream,” she whispered. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to stay, Shoto.”

“Why are you sorry,” he inquired, not moving from his spot.

“I… I tried to make a move on you? You didn’t like it,” she admitted, looking down at her hands.

“(Y/N), look at me please,” he requested.

When she peeked up at him through her eyelashes, he took her chin gently between his thumb and forefinger bringing her up to face him properly. His other hand gently brushed over her cheek, much like she had done to him the night before.

“I tried to tell you last night. I could never hate you. I liked it... I was surprised. And you weren’t in the right condition for me to give in, even if I was sure that you’d meant it,” he admitted softly.

There was a moment of silence between them before she let out a giggle.

“I was so scared. I was terrified that you didn’t like me back,” she confessed. “I’m an idiot!”

“We were both scared,” he corrected, feeling his cheeks grow warmer. “I thought that when you got injured… I’d never get the chance to tell you.”

“Shoto,” she whispered as she placed her hand over the one that was still absentmindedly stroking the side of her face. “Please, just kiss me.”

His heart jumped into his throat as he carefully moved closer, half expecting to wake up, finding this to be yet another dream. Yet, she closed the small space between them for a soft, hesitant kiss.

His heart was pounding, every cell of his body felt like it was on fire, yet his mind had never been so at ease. When they finally pulled apart, their faces were flushed, a small, dopey grin on each of their faces.

He leaned down to give her a chaste kiss before pulling her into his chest, muttering, “I’m not ready to get out of bed yet.”

With a small yawn, she nuzzled into his chest, pulling a blanket over the two of them as she replied with a light giggle, “You read my mind.”

#bnha shoto #bnha #bnha oneshots #oblivious cinnamon roll boi #shoto todoroki #bnha shouto #todoroki fluff #todoroki shouto #you have no idea how long it took for me to figure out how to do the 'keep reading' thing!

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tara-the-quiet-bookworm-2016 · 3 years

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Fight Me, Bite Me Silas (RK900 x Gavin Reed) (Chapter Five)

Authors Notes- And here I am with Chapter Five of Fight Me, Bite Me. And in this chapter things will finally pick up. As you know I like to add any trigger warnings to me authors notes so this chapter will feature Violence, bloodshed, and swearing. If none of this is your cup of tea then this is where we part ways. But I’ll remember our time fondly, now that we got that out of the way here is chapter Five!

Chapter Five: Fools Rush In

She loved this. Iris mused as she leaned against the wall, a small smile tugging at her lips as she scanned the mall food court for their next plaything. Milo standing beside her watching as well. Hell, if she was being honest she always enjoyed the hunt more than she did when they caught their victims. Taking a sip of her soda she glanced at Milo, brow furrowing at the faraway look in his eyes before noticing that she was watching him, his eyebrow arching as he turned to face her.

“Something wrong?” Milo asked.

Smiling Iris shook her head. “Just lost in thought.” She told him.

“You seem to be lost in thought a lot these days.” Milo commented. Eyes never leaving Iris. Was she having second thoughts about this? Despite how much she enjoyed it?

Iris shook her head, a bright smile forming on her lips as she looked up at him once more, her hand finding his, fingers entwining. Her head resting on her shoulder as the look of uncertainly was replaced with one of love. “Sorry,” Iris said after a while. “I was just thinking about this.”

Milo didn’t need to know what she meant, though he had to admit he loved this as well, hell, he was certain he loved the hunt more than anything. Though watching Iris go to work on their next victim was always so wonderful. Shaking that thought from his head he turned his gaze to the humans milling about, his eyes scanning the women around the two of them. His eyes lighting up when he spotted the one, there she was, his eyes tracked her as she carried her tray towards her group of friends.

Her bright blue eyes sparkling as she laughed at something one of her friends said. Milo remained transfixed as he watched her run a hand through her bright red curls, she would be perfect. Feeling a smile creep to his face she turned to Iris, seeing that she was following his gaze, a giddy smile on her lips as she met his gaze.

They had found their next victim...

***

Silas couldn’t take his eyes off of Gavin as the duo drove to their suspects place. There was a light in those grey eyes of his, that seemed almost predatory to Silas. His mouth that was once turned into a frown now wore a toothy grin, revealing his sharp canines. Gavin now looked like some kind of animal, an animal who had caught the scent of prey and was hot on their trail. Silas couldn’t take his eyes off of him.

Just seeing him like that sent shivers down his spine, making him blink and turn away from Gavin. Forcing himself to peer out the window, brow furrowed as they raced towards there destination. Silas’ own thirium pump quickening as they tore around the corner, ignoring the angry honks from cars as they did so.

“So,” Silas said, trying to break the unbearable silence, turning to Gavin once more. “What’s the plan?”

Gavin glanced at him from the corner of his eye, the corner of his mouth turning upwards once more. “That plan,” Gavin said, as they saw their suspect’s apartment came into view. “Is that we are going in there, detain the sick little bastard and beat the shit out of him.” Gavin said.

Silas blinked at the Detective as those words escaped his lips. A frown etched on the androids face as he looked to Gavin. “You are aware, Detective. That in doing so you will compromise the case?”

A scowl formed on Gavin’s face. As he glanced at the android but said nothing. After a few minutes they drove up to the apartment. The two of them stood in silence as they looked up at the building the two of them glancing up at the building noting the graffiti littering the walls, most of it was the typical anti-android stuff. Tearing their gaze away from the building they moved towards the double doors that would lead them into the building.

Gavin worried at his bottom lip as he looked for the apartment number, eyes lighting up when he spotted it. Opening the second set of doors he made his way up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Leaving Silas to chase after him. After what seemed like forever the duo came up to their suspects apartment door.

Silas was silent as he looked to Gavin once more. He knew he should really be focusing on the case, and the subsequent arrest of their suspect but Silas just couldn’t focus. In the few short days he had worked with Gavin he didn’t really think much of the human. Thought of him as nothing more than another human who despised his race. But, as he stood here he was unable to tear his eyes away from the man before him. He seemed.... more animated than before.

Giving his head quick shake Silas focused himself back into the now. His face impassive as he watched as Gavin pounded on the door once more, this time louder, before shouting for their suspect to come out. After a while Silas had opened his mouth to tell him that he thought that no one seemed to be home when-

WHUMP!

The two of them looked to the door once more. Casting as glance at each other Gavin took a few step back, preparing to kick the door down, when Silas stepped out in front of him.

“Allow me.” Silas said, turning his back to the Detective ignoring the look Gavin gave him when he did. Taking a step back he kicked down the door, the flimsy wooden door collapsing inwards as Gavin shoved past Silas.

“Detective, wait we shouldn’t-” Silas began to protest as Gavin raced into the apartment.

“Shut up!” Gavin snarled, shooting Silas a look as he moved around the corner, gun drawn. “Just shut your damn mouth for once and c’mon the killer is getting away.”

Silas blinked as Gavin’s outburst before reluctantly following after him. His thirium skipping a beat as gunfire erupted from somewhere further in the apartment. Bullets tearing into the wall behind the two of them as they ducked down.

“Mitchell Russo, this is the police put your hands up!” Gavin shouted, as more bullets rained down on them, the mirror that hung on the wall behind Gavin shattered into a thousand glittering bits, glass raining down on Gavin as he returned fire. His shots going wide as their suspect ducked into his bedroom.

“Gavin, we should call for back up.” Silas advised as he grabbed ahold Gavin’s arm. Causing Gavin to glare at him, jerking his arm free before chasing after the perp. “GAVIN!” Silas shouted, watching as Gavin threw the door open and disappeared into the bedroom.

Biting back a curse of his own Silas moved to follow after him, picking up the pace when he heard a struggle in the bedroom, opening the door to see Gavin and their suspect on the ground wrestling. Gavin’s gun laying a few feet away from him as he landed a blow to the perps face, blood trickling from his nose as he grappled with Gavin.

Wasting not another moment Silas moved to pull the suspect off of Gavin when he rolled on top of Gavin, his fist slamming into the mans face.

“The fuck do you think you’re doing?!” Gavin snapped, getting to his feet, watching as the man crawled out of the window, and escaping through the fire escape. “You’re going to let him get away.”

Before Silas could utter another word Gavin moved after him, leaving his gun behind. And as far as Silas knew was that the suspect was still armed. Feeling his own anger begin to swell in his chest he grabbed Gavin’s gun and raced after the two humans. Glancing towards the roof he wasted no more time following after the two. Mentally cursing his partner for being so damn careless.

Reaching the roof he watched as they continued to duke it out, blood stained the ground around them. However that was not the worst situation as Silas climbed up onto the roof eyes never straying from the two as they broke away. A triumphant smile on the suspects bloody face as he reached into the waistband of his jeans and pulled out his gun.

Before either of them could react the man fired on Gavin, twice! And for the first time in his life time seemed to stand still for Silas as he watched as Gavin dropped to the ground. Mitchell laughing as he moved closer to Gavin, gun still trained on the fallen cop before Silas snapped back to reality.

“No!” Silas roared, watching as the man jerked his head and gun in Silas’ direction, but Silas was far quicker raising his gun he fired on him, again, and again, and again until-

Click!... Click, click, click

The gun went dry, And slipped from Silas’ grip as the man looked up at him with disbelieving eyes as blood pooled all around him, and the life faded from his optics. It was over, Silas mused as he looked down at the body, however the fact that the had caught their killer was far from his mind as he moved to Gavin’s side.

Gavin looked up at him with painfilled eyes, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as he looked up at Silas. Silas’ thirium quickening as he crouched down beside his partner. It felt like his throat was tightening as he ran a hand through Gavin’s hair as he called for back up. All the while he prayed to RA9 that Gavin would live, after all there was so much Silas wanted to know about the man laying bleeding before him.

He... wasn’t ready to let him go. Overhead thunder rumbled and the first fat rain drops hit Silas and Gavin as the android bit down on his bottom lip as he struggled to pick up the limp body. Despite everything that made him superior to humans Silas still struggled with Gavin as he made his way down the fire escape. Relief washing over him when he was met by several other officers and paramedics. Watching in silence as they took Gavin off his hands, Gavin’s blood staining his once pristine white jacket a vivid red. Silas was silent as his partner was loaded into the ambulance, watching as they drove off, leaving him alone.

Looking down at his hands he noted the bloodstained his hands, before watching after the ambulance. Gavin, the thought, gritting his teeth, hands balling into fists. You better survive, you and I are far from done.

Jumping slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder he turned around. Seeing Connor and Hank standing there. A look of concern shining in Connor’s warm, brown eyes.

“Is it... are you all right?” Connor asked, looking him over. “We heard that you were pursuing your killer, and then...”

“We did.” Silas said, coolly, his face once again impassive. “And when we went to pursue him things...escalated and Detective Reed was wounded.”

“And the suspect?” Hank asked, noting the bloodstaining Silas’ clothes.

“Dead.” Silas said simply, leaving out the fact that the suspect had died at his hand after he had unloaded an entire clip into the man in question.

“Well,” Hank said, “Hopefully that means we can put an end to this case and people can be at ease. By the way you’re hurt.” He said gesturing to the blue stain standing out amongst the red.

Blinking as he looked at the slowly spreading stain, wondering when he had gotten wounded, it must’ve been on the roof when the suspect had turned on him and he... had been so filled with anguish at the thought of his partner being hurt that all he had seen when he turned on him was red. Obviously his systems had protected him from it.

But...Silas mused as he pushed pass both Connor and Hank and moved towards Gavin’s car. It wasn’t as bad as what Gavin had gone through, and now... it was finally over...

Oh how wrong they both were...

#Chapter 5 of 10 #Reed900 #tw violence #Tw blood #tw swearing #Tw death #DBH

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emrysaf · 3 years

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Anything (To Make You Smile)

Bakugou x OC - There will have to be a part two. . . If y’all wanna read it??

Let me know!

Coffee?

Things had seemed to get back to normal, or as close as they could be, after Bakugou was rescued from the League of Villains and All For One was captured. Seemed; being the key word.

Sure, the school had dorms now. And everyone was perfecting their special moves. Then the licensing exam on its way.

But as far as interactions between the classmates, now friends, went. . . It was normal. For most.

For Y/N, her quirk gave her an all access pass to see the inner workings of her opponent. More importantly, it gave a deeper look at how her friends were doing after everything.

Dubbed ‘Scanner’, Y/N’s quirk gave an analytical look at others’ stats like a video game, but more like a visual representation of their auras in different areas and colors. It covered the other person’s health, power, quirk type, level, emotional or mental state among other aspects. Each had a respective color and the depth of that color was the gauge of percentage.

For example, if she activated her quirk here in the common area of the dorms she would see a bright, sunflower-yellow around Kaminari that seemed to kind of flare and wane at random intervals but Y/N would also see a calming rose-pink that appeared kind of fuzzy, like looking at the air distortion above a campfire, trailing from behind his ears and down his neck to his chest.

(Currently, Denki was holding a couple friends’ devices to charge while he listened to Jiro talk about something or other with puppy eyes.)

Despite the fact that Y/N tried not to pry into her classmate’s lives and privacy she was still a teenage student. AKA, she was still learning control on parts of her quirk, and a factor of said control was when other people’s ‘stats’ fluctuated too much. This would activate Y/N’s quirk.

Aizawa theorized it was a defense mechanism from the secondary aspect of her quirk; being that she could take stat levels from one person (herself included) and temporarily give or put them on another person. Like a booster or an ankle weight, depending on what it was.

The sleepy teacher thought her quirk would activate with great fluctuation because the other part of her quirk was prepared to swap out a threat’s strength or to “Mother Hen” someone to fix a sad or upset emotional or mental level.

--------------------------------------------

Now came the not-so-normal part of being back after the League’s attack at training camp.

Y/N had wanted to go help Bakugou.

-------------------------------------------------

She had been found out cold in the forest when her quirk kept self-activating and trying to ‘help’ during the attack. The stress, fluctuating power levels, emotions and people kept her quirk popping on and off until she passed out. Aizawa himself had found her, and had thought the worst when he found another young student pale, cold and unconscious on the forest floor. When the police and paramedics came he was told Y/N had blacked out due to a seizure.

In the hospital they were alerted to Y/N finally waking by an intense and pained screaming coming from her room. When staff rushed in they found Y/N crouched in the corner of the room with the IVs and other monitors ripped out and her hands over her eyes. Finally able to calm the girl down they got Y/N to safely let go of her tight grip on her own face, but saw her pupils growing and shrinking at opposite but erratic times. The doctor quickly decided to wrap over her eyes for some reprieve.

When the class came to see her after seeing Midoryia, they were shocked. The usually bright-faced Y/N was sitting in the corner she had refused to move from with stark white gauze wrapped tightly over her eyes and around her head. Kirishima had planned to ask Y/N to come along, knowing she and Midoryia were close friends and her brash nature would come in handy with their rescue mission.

But after seeing the broken girl, he made the most mature decision the young faux-red head would make that night and wished her well without mentioning it. He knew if he said anything Y/N would want to come regardless of whatever was going on with her. She was always that way; caring about all of them, others, too much.

“Aizawa-Sensei says they are making me some glasses or goggles. . . To help my quirk-sight. I can’t always control it, and apparently it’s affecting my health. So. . . It’ll be mandatory.”

No. He couldn’t tell you. Like Midoryia, you would only hurt yourself and he could only handle one of those on his conscience right now.

So they left, and later Y/N found out from Tsu. She had called in tears while All Might’s showdown was happening. Another thing Y/N wasn’t able to see. . .

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Back to the present, Y/N wasn’t required to wear the support goggles in the dorms or during personal rec time, but they were mandatory for training and other class/school activities. It just so happened that when everyone was ‘home’ in the dorms is when their moods and such would fluctuate most, but Y/N wasn’t going to tell Aizawa that and risk having the googles permanently attached to her face. Plus, she reasoned, ‘I need to learn to control this better.’

During down time is when Y/N began to notice her quirk flickering on and off around Bakugou more and more. Now, Y/N had always had a. . . softer spot for the spiky-haired-boom-boom-boy. As in, she had a big fat crush but had tried to squash it down as much as possible, and even more now after what he went through. Apparently her quirk was having none of that.

They were all messing around out on the lawn one afternoon before the licensing exam when Midoryia did something klutzy and hurt himself. Everyone chuckled, Izuku included, and Y/N’s gaze flickered over to Bakugou while her quirk switched on of its own accord and she was disappointed in what she saw; both in her eyes and with her quirk-sight.

No smile. Nothing. His yellow power-level was bright and blazing as usual. His deep reddish-orange flares from his hands to signify a fire or explosive emitter type were the same. The deep green of his physical health level seemed to pulse from his core as normal. But his emotional and mental colors were dipping and spiking and intertwining like a sad dance. Blue, deep and roiling like the ocean in a storm, and a nasty grey-brown splashing along. Sadness, shame, frustration. Then deep black gashes with a dark red outline like deep open wounds across the other colors. Mental state, not good.

All Y/N could think was, ‘I just want to see a smile. Not at me. Not for me. Just to be okay. Smile like when that kid punched Deku in his junk. . . Anything. Anything at all.’

With that it was decided. Y/N was going to help him. Y/N would make him smile again. For him it didn’t matter the implications with her unstable power. Anything for him.

#my hero academia #bnha bakugou #bakugou x reader #bnha bakugo katsuki #bakugou x oc #bakugou x y/n #angst #sadness #depression #sad bakugou

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daretosnoop · 3 years

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Chapter 7: Dr. Buford

Chapter 6:

Coming out after a hot bath, Bess meandered around the hotel room and watched the rain drizzle down. The reporter mentioned it would rain every day for the rest of the week. Bummer, how are we going to enjoy New Orleans now? Deep down Bess new that the idea of vacationing was gone now that Nancy found herself a mystery. Joining in on Nancy’s mysteries were fun, and nothing brought a gleam in Nancy’s eyes like a mystery. She’d been like that since they were kids, so really, if it bothered Bess, she would have long stopped being Nancy’s friend. But, she couldn’t deny that it hurt to be tossed aside so easily. The only consolation was the rain, at least Nancy had an excuse to hang out elsewhere.

Through the rain Bess saw the yellow-green hue emanating from the sign of Zeke’s curio shop. It really was a doozy of a place, though Bess felt bad that she dumped a bottle of sneezing powder onto Lamont. The poor guy didn’t even suspect her and blamed customers moving things around. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the food truck and an old man who sat at a patio table reading a newspaper. Bess’s stomach rumbled. Well, it wouldn’t hurt to eat a bit while finding out about the old man.

Bess hurried over to the food truck and placed an order for crawfish. She then moved towards the old man and asked if she could sit by his side while she ate.

“Now why would I object to having such lovely company in this lovely rain we seem to be having?”

Bess smiled and pulled out a chair. Southern hospitality was about to meet Midwestern friendliness.

“Are you, by chance, Dr. Gilbert Buford?”

“That I am miss--?”

“Marvin. Do you know a Dr. Bruno Bolet? He passed away recently”.

“Of course I know him. He was my friend, not to mention my patient. Whole of New Orleans knows about the Bolets”.

“Right,” Bess started on her food. “I was wondering if you could tell me a bit about him?”

“Now why would you want to know about Dr. Bolet? You look to young to be spending time with an old coot like him”. Gilbert lowered his newspaper and looked thoroughly at Bess. He’d never see her around Bruno. The only young person Bruno kept around him was that curio shop owner Lamont.

“Dr. Bolet was you friend right? I was wondering if you could tell me a bit about him. What was he like? How did he die?”

“I would prefer a topic of a happier nature, but I do not want to be inhospitable,” Dr. Buford hesitated.

Score one for hospitality!

“I was Bruno’s friend, however, I cannot say he was mine”.

“Oh? Why so?”

“Fact is, while socializing with my fellow people, such as you, give me happiness, it did the opposite for Bruno. He was an eccentric man, an acquired taste. And the older he got, the less he seemed to care about how his idiosyncrasies negatively affected others”.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, take his nephew for one thing. Never talked to him. Never even talked to me about him. Never talked about his family. He wasn’t an egoist, but some might take it that way.”

“Did his idiosyncrasies ever bother you?”

Dr. Buford hesitated before responding. “There were times when Bruno was plain ridiculous. But, how should I put this?” Dr. Buford rubbed his hand on his chin in thought, “A mad scientist has sound reasoning and end result, even if it’s strange and abnormal to the rest of us”.

So it’s a matter of perspective? After his statement, Gilbert looked out into the rain for a while and Bess had to wonder how personal his last statement was. If Dr. Bolet wasn’t Dr. Buford’s friend, why did he react like so?

“For such an eccentric man, surely only an eccentric death suffices?” Bess quipped, hoping it would draw Dr. Buford back into the conversation. The old man turned and smiled, the orange light warmed his dark skin. He looked haggard and it struck Bess that Dr. Bolet died not too long ago. Grief acted in mysterious ways.

In an old professional voice, Dr. Buford answered, “He died of myocardial infraction likely caused by age-old atherosclerosis”. He then laughed at Bess’s confused expression. In all his years of study, he never understood why doctors gave such long complicated names to diseases when simple names existed. He once asked Bruno this as a jest, but the dentist spurred up with such vigor, declaring the whole medical industry as a farce. Everybody stared at them with the outburst and Gilbert asked himself again why he hung out with Bruno when the man did nothing but embarrass him.

“He died of a heart attack,” Gilbert clarified. “All too common with old age and with people who are socially isolated. “Apparently, the Bolet family has a history of heart attacks in old age, though none of them were health related”.

“So they were all fit as a fiddle, then one day, boom?” Bess asked.

Dr. Buford nodded. “Odd one, that family. But then again, this is New Orleans. Here the abnormal is normal, for those of us who are really in it, that is”.

Bess waited for the man to explain what he meant, but Dr. Buford did not elaborate.

“Funny thing was,” he said, “Bruno wasn’t always so recluse. Sure he was more reserved than others. The whole Bolet family was, but Bruno—well, after his brother’s death, something in him just broke, I guess”.

“How do they know it was a heart attack? Did they do an autopsy?”

Dr. Buford shook his head. “No. Given Bruno’s age, his family history, and the absence of foul play, an autopsy was declared unnecessary. His body was cremated as per his wishes. Funny thing is, he was the only member of his family to want a cremation”.

“Who decided to not do the autopsy?”

“Why, me. I was there when Bruno died. Saw it happen”.

“What happened?” Bess urged forgetting about her food.

“Well, I hadn’t seen him for a while so I went to visit him. When I arrived, the door was unlocked, as usual. I opened it and saw Bruno lying on the floor in obvious distress. Next thing I know, his housekeeper comes running up and just stared in shock. I sent her to call the ambulance. Then I—“.

Gilbert paused and thought over what he was going to say next.

“Well, I bent down and saw he wasn’t breathing. I pulled him away from the door and began to do chest compressions. I kept doing it till the medics arrived but nothing they did made a difference”.

“And Dr. Bolet was unconscious the whole time?”

“Yes,” Gilbert sighed. “Yes he was. One mercy I suppose”.

“You said you came to meet him, why then was he at the front door?”

Dr. Buford stared oddly at Bess. “You ask a lot of questions. You a reporter or something?”

“You guessed it sir. I am a reporter. Given that this is the Bolet family, it’s only natural everyone wants to know what happened in all the details”.

“Well, I don’t know if it’s any of the public’s business, but I suppose I could tell you. You’ve been nicer than the other reporters”.

Score one for friendliness!

Dr. Buford looked up and thought over Bess’s question. “Wait a minute. Why, yes—he was holding something. A piece of paper. And on the floor was an envelope”. Dr. Buford turned sharply at Bess, eyes widening in realization. “He must’ve collapsed after reading that letter!”

“Do you remember anything else?” Bess asked, leaning towards Dr. Buford. The story was finally getting good.

Dr. Buford chuckled. “Miss reporter, it’s quite a miracle I’ve remembered this much”. But the man still thought hard. “The odd thing is the letter. It was no longer in Bruno’s hand when the paramedics arrived. He might have let go when I moved him, but then it would have been lying around nearby and I did not see any paper around the area”.

Dr. Buford pressed his fingertips together as he went through his memories. Then, it dawned on him and he let out a grin.

“Iggy”.

“Iggy?”

“Bruno’s pet iguana. Bruno let all pets roam around the house freely. Iggy soon developed an irritating habit of stealing paper and stockpiling it in the vent system. I can’t recall how many times his housekeeper would call, asking for another copy of the medication because Bruno brought it home and left it on the table for Iggy to snatch up. Iggy must have taken the paper that day”.

“Did you see Iggy that day?”

“No,” Gilbert confessed. “But Bruno told me he was training Iggy to retrieve the things he’d stolen”.

“Dr. Buford,” Bess waited a moment before going forth with her question. “Do you think it’s possible that the housekeeper caused Dr. Bolet’s death? Maybe anger or vengeance or greed? Maybe she horded his pills and gave it all at once or something?”

“Young lady,” Gilbert exclaimed. “Are you insinuating that Bruno was murdered? I know you reporters need a good catch scoop, but possible murder is pushing the limits! And besides, if Bruno’d died from an overdose, he would have looked and reacted differently. No,” Dr. Buford hit the table with his hand. “I am certain it was a heart attack”.

Why is he so adamant?

“However,” Dr. Buford added as an afterthought. “I know Renee is deeply involved with the practice of hoodoo. As Bruno’s housekeeper, she had perfect opportunity to use it against my poor old friend”.

“Surely you jest! Hoodoo works?” Bess laughed.

“Miss reporter, one thing you should take to heart in your career is to never ever underestimate the power of suggestion. If a person believes something, even on a subconscious level, fantasy can easily become fact. Who knows what rubbish Renee filled Bruno’s head with. Drink this, don’t eat that, this brings good luck, that brings bad luck. Day in, day out—even if he didn’t believe in the stuff, who knows how much his subconscious was absorbing. Remember he was very old, very isolated, very lonely. He was a vulnerable man”.

“So it is possible that Renee could have caused Dr. Bolet’s heart attack?”

“Now don’t quote me on this because I still say it was not murder, but yes, she very well could have”.

So he doesn’t have a good opinion of Renee. I wonder why? Bess thanked Dr. Buford and hurried back to her hotel. Once inside, she called Nancy and conveyed what she had learned.

Nancy woke up to crows cawing at each other. For a sweet moment she relished going back to sleep. The bed and pillows were very soft and Nancy was not ready to take on the day yet. Then her body woke her up to her position. One leg was half off the bed, numb. One hand was holding onto her phone. Her notebook was lying open and her pen left an ink stain on the paper. Her arms were splayed out and her back was aching. Slowly she lifted herself up and her bed head came tumbling forward. Her eyes slowly closed but the caws opened them back up. Nature was in no mood to let her sleep.

Nancy recalled her conversation last night. Bess was right in her assumption that Dr. Buford seemed way too quick to make a diagnosis. Then again, he was a doctor. But he provided Nancy with a better understanding of that envelope. Now she was sure that Dr. Bolet was reading a letter from Milo Research and Technology, and Nancy had a hunch it was to do with the whisperer skull. She told Bess about Henry and his illegal sale, and what she learned about the crystal skulls and Bruno Bolet. Bess was silent for a moment, then in a worried voice, asked Nancy if she knew what she was getting herself into.

“Nance, this really sounds like a cult,” Bess remarked, and Nancy had to agree. There was too much hush-hush and a desire to put the past behind. Given how much everyone gained from Dr. Bolet’s death, it seemed like everyone would have a financial motive. Nancy even wondered if Dr. Buford and Renee were working together, but that seemed too cheesy. Not to mention, Bess said that Dr. Bolet did not seem to like Renee. I wonder if she feels the same?

But for now, Nancy had more pressing concerns. Iggy. She had to get Iggy to give that paper. Correction, I have to get Henry to get Iggy to give that paper. He seemed distressed when she bumped into him last night, but said nothing. Wonder if those ghosts came after all. She still could not believe that the supernatural existed. It seemed too ridiculous, but then the mystery was still young, and Henry said he felt nothing, so maybe the ghost thing was just a hoax. Nancy glanced at her phone and her eyes widened. It was nearing noon. She had slept late, but she was usually always an early riser. She quickly got out of bed and hurried to get ready.

When Nancy came into the kitchen, she was surprised to see Henry sitting at the kitchen table, nursing a cup to his head. He glanced up when she arrived, nodded at her, and went back to nursing his head. If Nancy didn’t know better, she would have assumed Henry had a hangover, but it seemed that both of them were beginning their day late.

“Did you eat yet?” Nancy asked. Henry shook his head. Guessing it must be too early for a meal, Nancy opted for toast and butter. She popped the toast into the toaster, and then buttered them heavily. She then poured herself a cup of tea and joined Henry at the table, giving him his plate. Henry seemed surprised at the gesture and mumbled a thanks. They ate in silence. Once the first toast and half the tea went down, Nancy felt invigorated to start her day. She turned towards Henry and started to talk.

“Got a task for you today”.

“Oh? The great detective need my help?”

“Yes, you should be so honored. I’m usually figuring things out myself”.

Henry laughed softly then asked what she needed.

“I need you to find Iggy and see if you can find where he stores the paper he steals”. Nancy pulled out the envelope. “We need to know what letter this envelope carried because your uncle was reading it on the night he died”.

“How do you know that?”

“Bess talked to Dr. Buford. Here,” Nancy showed Henry Bess’s number. She also gave him her number. You can call her if you want to know more about their conversation. Also, if you have any questions for Dr. Buford yourself. Henry took out his phone. He noticed there were two unread messages but ignored them for now. Instead, he quickly added Bess’s name to his contacts.

“Thanks. What else did she say?” he asked.

“Well Bess and I both think that Dr. Buford is trying to hide something. Bess also mentioned that Dr. Buford does not like Renee”.

“And how does Renee feel about Dr. Buford?”

“That’s what I’m going to figure out today”.

They finished their food and Henry took the plates and washed them. This time, Nancy helped to dry them and place them away. Henry then went to Bruno’s study while Nancy slipped out to the garden. Renee was in her usual spot, tending to her plants.

“Hello,” Nancy called out.

Slowly, Renee put down her garden tool and turned to face Nancy. She gave a nod but did not smile.

“Hello dear. Did you eat the rice and beans I left out for you?”

“Oh,” Nancy faltered. “No, I didn’t”.

“Oh”. Renee turned down towards her plants.

“I was wondering if I could ask you some questions?”

“Some more questions?”

“Yes”.

Renee sighed and nodded.

“What’s your opinion of Dr. Buford?”

Renee seemed surprised by Nancy’s question but did not hesitate to answer.

“Dr. Buford is a fine doctor. Treated Dr. Bolet well”.

“So you have no suspicions of his practice?”

“Dear girl,” Renee exclaimed with a laugh. “Why would I have any suspicions of Dr. Buford?”

Nancy took a shot. “Do you think he might be the skeleton man?”

Renee sputtered and Nancy continued.

“You mentioned that you saw the skeleton man too, right? Well from what I’ve learned, it seems that Dr. Buford was the only person who regularly meet with Dr. Bolet. So, it’s likely the skeleton man was him”.

Renee was quiet for a moment, then she said in a low voice, “I don’t know”.

Nancy tried another question.

“Your room, it’s, it’s got markings on the wall. What are they?”

“They are what keeps that dark being away from my room”.

“Dark being?”

“Those voices, they call to me at night. Can’t stand it. So I put those signs on the wall to send those spirits away”.

“Did it work?”

“Oh yes,” Renee gave a pleased smile. “They vanished the day I put them up”.

Nancy hesitated with her next question. “Dr. Buford doesn’t seem to like your practice in hoodoo. Has he ever told you that?”.

“Oh my dear,” Renee sighed. “The world is too complex for this question to have a direct answer. If I said I didn’t believe, then why do I participate in hoodoo? If I do, then everyone is ready to prove me wrong. But, my experiences are mine. I know there is something unnatural about our world. It doesn’t need a name, but if you want to give it a name, give it”.

Nancy groaned internally. In all of her mysteries so far, there was always some logical reason, something that would give way to some sort of explanation of unnatural causes. And yet, she knew that Renee was right. The atmosphere in the San Francisco house, the Mayan museum, Malone’s speakeasy, Camille’s sparks, they all exuded a presence of something beyond the fabricated ghosts, but she never bothered to investigate beyond the mystery. Now it was coming back to bite her. Then, Nancy realized a crucial question.

“Renee, where did you get that doll from? The one on your chair? I’ve seen it before, but only in a remastered train meant to look like something from the eighteen-hundreds”.

“Oh, that old thing? I just found it in a curio shop?”

“Which one?”

“The one where that young man who came over to visit Dr. Bolet works. What was it now?”

“Zeke’s?” Nancy asked.

“Yes! That one. He sells all sorts of antiques. Many of which decorate the manor”.

Nancy thanked Renee then went to find Henry. He wasn’t in the study, so Nancy went up to the secret room and saw Henry standing in front of the open vent, arms crossed. He turned, and when he saw Nancy, he beckoned her towards him.

“Iggy likes to hang out in Bruno’s study. Lots of paper to steal. So I watched him to see where he went. He went into the duct and I remembered this one was open, so I headed up here but he hasn’t come yet”.

Henry turned towards Nancy. “What did you find out?”

“Well, Renee has a good opinion of Dr. Buford. She doesn’t know he is the skeleton man”.

Henry sighed. “So we know nothing new”. He looked towards the vent. “I can’t believe we’re depending on a lizard”.

“Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve relied on lizards,” Nancy said as she snickered. She moved towards the pirate marionette doll. It reminded her so much of the doll in Renee’s room, but the pirate theme screamed Bruno’s jolly roger club. It even had an eyepatch over the left eye.

“Hey, Henry, what eye was the glass eye?”

“Left eye”.

Nancy then noticed that the doll was holding some box with buttons, and each button had a word under it. Bah? Moo? Boo? They were the same words in the hoodoo book Renee had! Quickly she brought out her notebook and pressed the buttons in the order she wrote down. There was another button labelled ‘talk’ which Nancy pressed. Suddenly the doll whirred to life, blinked it blue eye and repeated the words in a low robotic voice. The voice attracted Henry’s attention who snapped his head towards the sound. When the doll finished, it’s eyeball fell out. Nancy caught it quickly and noticed a piece of paper inside the eye. Carefully she pulled it out and opened it.

It’s time to learn about the Bolet family Henry.

Follow the clues to learn about each member.

Learn their roles and duties.

Recognize your own.

Recognizing the scrawl as Bruno’s hand, Nancy continued to read and found that Bruno had created another scavenger hunt for Henry. The first clue was to go to the last denizen buried on Bruno’s guard. There were subsequent clues, but they did not make any sense and Nancy guessed that whatever they would find would make the next clue make sense.

She went over to Henry and silently handed him the letter and the eye. Henry read it quickly and shook his head.

“There’s eccentric, and then there’s uncle Bruno. Come on, Iggy’s not coming. Might as well do something else”.

“Maybe we should give him food? The smell might attract him”.

Henry agreed, then added, “But it can’t be anything that will rot easily. I don’t want ants”.

Nancy rolled her eyes and jabbed her elbow into Henry. “Such a clean freak”.

After a moment, Henry jabbed her back, hesitated, then said, “What can I say, I’m an accountant. I like everything to be organized neatly”.

They came out through Henry’s room and collided into Renee. She looked at them and her eyebrows raised a bit as if she were amused. There was an awkward silence and Nancy, hurried to fill it in.

“Uh, Renee. Can I ask you something?”

“Again?” Renee quirked.

“Um, yes. That box in your room. The one with blue circles on it. Is it yours?”

“No. Dr. Bolet gave it to me”.

Nancy nodded then hurried after Henry down the stairs. As they descended, Renee called out to them.

“It’s raining again. Would you like the beans and rice for dinner? It’s good on a rainy day”.

“Anything’s fine Renee,” Henry said.

“Very well”.

Renee went into her room and shut the door. Nancy and Henry looked at one another and Henry just shrugged and went towards the living room.

“Should we give Iggy the rice and beans?” Nancy asked.

“I don’t need a gassy iguana”.

#nancy drew #nancy x henry #henry bolet #CRY #legend of the crystal skull

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cpd5021 · 3 years

Text

Go Forth Slowly - Chapter 5

Two updates in one day? Oops? Or yay! Depending on how you want to look at it....

Hailey’s one moment of weakness the night before was making her life living hell this morning. She was so distracted this morning that she was almost late to work, skirting into the bullpen at the last second possible. No one seemed to notice her untimely entrance or her slightly disheveled appearance. Well, no one except Jay. His eyes followed her from the second she walked in and they still lingered on her now that she was seated at her desk. One eyebrow quirked in question but she did her best to blow him off. He let it go and didn’t push the issue, but she didn’t miss his little smirk that flashed across his face just before he looked away. Hailey poured herself into her reports, spending way more time on the little details than she normally would, but needing the distraction from the thoughts racing through her mind. By mid afternoon her eyes were burning from a combination of no sleep and staring at a screen all morning. She leaned back in her chair and let out a yawn, stretching her arms above her head as she did so. When she looked back down, she found Jay’s eyes locked on her with that darkness swirling behind them once again. Hailey’s cheeks burned and she quickly stood from her chair, walking as slowly as her body would let her towards the break room despite wanting to run from the room. She pulled the fridge door open to look for a snack and sighed when the cool air washed over her face. With her body bent over into the fridge she didn’t hear Jay come in until she stood back up and nearly ran into him since he was standing so close.

“Are you okay?”

He questioned, glancing down at her and causing her to tilt her head up to look at him.

“Yeah, I just didn’t hear you come in.”

She shrugged it off, moving to the cupboard that everyone stashed some snacks in. Hailey saw Jay smirk at her response but tried to ignore it.

“I meant in general. You seem...distracted.”

His words trailed off and Hailey felt her palms slick with a nervous sweat. She kept her eyes glued to the cupboard, trying her best to be nonchalant about it.

“Nope. All good.”

She snagged a box of crackers and feigned interest in the ingredient list. Once again Jay was behind her before she even realized he moved. His hand came to grip the box, resting just above hers as he mimicked her reading the list.

“Really? Nothing on your mind?”

He was close enough that his breath ghosted over her while he spoke and she fought the urge to shiver at the sensation. He was pushing her and they both knew it. Hailey forced a deep breath in and turned around to face him, watching as it was his turn to blush slightly with their proximity.

“Nope. Anything on yours?”

Hailey challenged, raising an eyebrow at him for emphasis. It backfired though and she watched as his eyes grew impossibly darker.

“A few things.”

His words sent a heat racing through her but before she could even begin to form a response, Kevin knocked on the door telling them they caught a case. Jay sent her another smirk before he turned and followed their fellow officer out of the room, leaving Hailey feeling more flustered than she ever had been before. Hailey followed him out to the truck, briefly debating just taking her own vehicle but not wanting to draw any attention to herself. Luckily, by the time she climbed in beside him, Jay was fully focused and in work mode. They raced to the scene, heading to help patrol with a robbery in progress and speeding up even more when the call for shots fired came across the radio.

Once on scene, Hailey jumped out after Jay, gun in hand and followed after her partner. He moved in such a way it was obvious he had more training than just a police academy and his confidence in these situations was something Hailey cherished about him as a partner. She followed after him as they flanked the back of the building, motioning for patrol to take the other side. Just as they rounded the back alley, the back door of the shop burst open and a man ran out into the alley, instantly spotting them and taking off. Adam and Kim were behind them now and the four of them set off on a foot pursuit. Kim ducked off into a different alley, hoping to cut him off and Adam followed to back her up. Jay did his best to keep up with the offender but the maze of alleys and side streets was making it difficult. Hailey was fast but Jay was faster and he rounded the corner half a minute before her. No sooner had he disappeared from her view did the sounds of gunshots sound through the air. Hailey’s run faltered for a split second as her stomach sank with the sound. She rounded the corner after him, gun drawn up and ready to fire, and her breath caught in her throat when she saw Jay down on the ground. A few feet ahead of him lay the body of their offender, a large pool of blood forming underneath him making it obvious Jay’s shot was fatal. Hailey’s attention was immediately on Jay and the smaller pool of blood running underneath him. She collapsed beside him, her hands instantly traveling all over him searching for the source of the blood. He was awake and wreathing beneath her but he couldn’t speak. She frantically ripped away his shirt, finding a bullet lodged in the center of his vest. The sight made her breath hitch once again as the thoughts of what could have happened flashed before her. Hailey quickly undid the straps holding his vest in place and Jay was able to finally take a breath. She felt a rush of relief but her hands went right back to looking for the source of the blood.

“My..ugh..my leg…”

He panted out, groaning beneath her touch when she found the wound in the middle of his thigh. Her hands clamped over it as she felt panic set it. Jay frantically shook his head, trying to form words between the waves of pain. Her eyes met his and she tried her damndest not to let the tears she could feel coming fall.

“You gotta tie it off. Tourniquet..remember..?”

She nodded, how could she forget that day. But in her panic she froze when she realized she didn’t have the kit they had been provided. His hand tugged at his belt briefly before it slipped away again and she took the hint. Letting go of the wound to quickly undo his belt. In any other circumstance, this task would have her in a puddle on the ground, but right now this felt like life or death. She managed to pull the belt out from his jeans and fastened it around his leg tightly. Just as she finished Adam rounded the corner, screaming for an ambulance into his radio while he went to their dead offender. Kim came over to Hailey and Jay, looking just as panicked as Hailey felt but Jay did his best to assure them both that he would be okay. Sirens wailed in the distance and finally a team of paramedics was beside her, taking over her attempts at stopping his bleeding and hauling him onto the cot. Without hesitation she followed them up into the ambulance, having no intention of leaving his side until she knew he was truly okay. One medic started the drive to the hospital while the other quickly tended to Jay’s injuries.

“Here.”

She said, handing Hailey a pair of scissors and motioning for her to start cutting away his close. Jay was calmer now and his eyes met hers momentarily when she hesitated. She swallowed hard and moved down to his boots, quickly pulling them off before using the shears to cut up the length of his jeans. The area around his wound had already been ripped open by the medic so Hailey went back down to cut up the other leg. When she got to his uninjured thigh she hesitated again, noticing the thigh holster strapped to his leg.

“It all has to come off. You’re probably better with those things than I would be.”

The medic nodded to the holster, her tone obviously trying to lighten the atmosphere just a touch. Hailey nodded and her fingers began to fumble with the straps around his leg. Jay lifted his good leg slightly to give her a better angle and she managed to get the lower strap unhooked. The second strap, the one much higher up his leg and closer to a region she felt should be off limits, seemed to be a little harder to undo. She jiggled the holster around, slipping her fingers underneath as she wiggled it loose and her cheeks started to burn when she remembered Jay pulling away from her the day they were training. Her eyes glanced up towards the front of his jeans before she could help herself but she quickly averted them up to his face. His eyes were locked on hers and she knew she had been busted with her glance. Jay gave her a small smile, almost like the smirks he had been giving her all morning, and she was tempted to roll her eyes. This whole situation was ridiculous and the fact that she was currently more focused on her proximity to parts of him she had only dreamed out instead of his injuries or their current location made Hailey hate herself all the more. Finally the strap was off and they pulled into Med. Hailey followed along after the stretcher, knowing no was one going to stop her. She lingered at the edge of his room, watching as a team of doctors and nurses assessed his injury and stitched him up. She watched his face while they were working and hated the pain she saw there. Not only was he in discomfort because of the gunshot wound, but she knew better than anyone that he hated hospitals. This would be pure hell for him and she wished she could give him some comfort. Once they finished, the nurse told her she could sit beside him and they would be back momentarily. Hailey pulled a chair up to his bedside and settled into it slowly.

“Hey.”

She spoke softly, almost a whisper.

“Hey.”

He replied, sending her a small smile. It didn’t fully reach his eyes but she understood why. Hailey glanced down his body, lingering on the area where he had been shot and the sounds of the gun going off echoed through her head. She blinked and was surprised when she felt wetness on her cheek. Hailey quickly wiped away the tear that had fallen, frantically blinking away the others.

“Hey...don’t do that.”

Jay whispered, reaching a hand out towards her. Without fully realizing what she was doing, she took it, grasping his hand firmly in hers.

“Sorry.”

She mumbled, feeling embarrassed with herself for her show of emotions.

“No I’m sorry.”

He countered, squeezing her hand. Hailey met his eyes again, feeling hers still burn with unshed tears.

“For what?”

Jay gave her a somber smile before he replied.

“For always getting shot.”

Hailey let out a chuckle at his response, using her free hand to wipe away the tears that had sneaked out.

“Yeah...if you could stop doing that it would be great.”

She smiled at him and the look in his eyes made her heart skip a beat.

“I’m sorry for making you cry.”

His words almost broke the flood gate inside her and she wanted to tell him it wasn’t the first time. She cried the first time she saw him lying on the pavement, leaving Adam to pick up the pieces. She cried when he was kidnapped and again when she found him shot by Angela. And again when she sat in the waiting room, after Vanessa’s words had crashed into her like a freight train. But instead of saying anything she just pursed her lips into a smile and nodded slowly at him. Before either of them could say anything else, the curtain whipped open and Will barged in. Hailey pulled her hand away from Jay’s quickly, hoping his brother hadn’t noticed, but she didn’t worry long when she took in the look on Will’s face. She wasn’t even sure he had noticed she was here.

“Dude. Really?”

Was all he said and Hailey couldn’t help but grin at his words. Jay glanced at her, a slight smirk on his face, before turning back to face his brother.

“All part of the job.”

Jay shrugged, earning an eye roll from Will.

“A part you seem to be really good at.”

Will scoffed, grabbing Jay’s chart and flipping through it. He nodded in silent approval before turning back to address Jay again.

“You’re lucky, a gunshot wound to the thigh can go bad quick. It didn’t knick anything important and they said bleeding was controlled well on scene.”

Jay nodded towards Hailey as Will finished speaking.

“You can thank this one for that. Used my belt as a tourniquet to control the bleeding.”

Hailey ducked her head down, shaking it back and forth and feeling slightly embarrassed. Will really did thank her though before he left them alone again, citing a packed ER and not enough doctors.

“I do owe you a thanks for that.”

Jay stated, drawing her attention back to him.

“It was your idea, I totally forgot.”

Hailey shrugged him off, pulling at a string on her jeans.

“Yeah well that training day was...kinda distracting.”

Her eyes shot up at his mention of that day, something she had hoped he would just totally forget about. But of course she wasn’t that lucky.

“If you say so…”

She brushed it off, despite the fact that her heart was pounding inside her chest.

“Oh I do.”

Jay smirked again and Hailey wanted to smack it off his face. He knew exactly what he was doing to her and his grin only grew when her cheeks flushed again.

“Whatever.”

She mumbled, looking for a reason to bolt out of the room.

“You do that a lot now.”

He stated, eyes locked on her once again. It was a trap and she knew it, but it didn’t stop her from walking right into it.

“Do what?”

She challenged, meeting his eyes in an intense stare.

“Blush.”

If she thought she was blushing before it was nothing compared to the fire that ignited in her face now. His eyes held hers and she couldn’t look away no matter how hard she tried. His eyes darkened again and it was everything in her not to look away. When it became obvious she wasn’t going to say anything, Jay decided to push her one step farther.

“And thanks for saving my holster too. That top latch is kinda tricky, really gotta play with it sometimes.”

Hailey nodded slowly, unable to form any coherent words. Jay seemed to know the effect this conversation was having on her, what his looks could do, but she wasn’t sure how or what she should even feel about that realization.

Jay’s doctor came into the room then, telling them Jay was good to go and that he could follow up in a week to have the stitches removed. Hailey stepped out for him to get dressed and pulled the truck around, someone had dropped it off earlier while Jay was getting stitched up. When Hailey pulled up to the entrance she saw Jay somewhat limping his way out of the door. His face flashed surprise when he saw her behind the wheel of his truck and it stayed there when she made no motion to get out from the driver's seat. He pulled the passenger door open and just stared at her, causing Hailey to just smile in return.

“You can’t drive. I distinctly remember that being part of your discharge instructions.”

It was her turn to send him a smirk as he slowly climbed inside, his eyes never leaving her.

“But it’s my truck…”

He trailed off, looking bewildered.

“Well, if you don’t want to ride in it, I can call someone else to pick you up. But I’m driving this thing home.”

Hailey let her foot rest on the gas pedal, revving the engine for added effect and was pleased to see his jaw drop slightly. He stared her down but slowly moved to secure his seat belt. Hailey shifted into drive, feeling pleased with the response she had received. It wasn’t her plan to drive his truck, but this is the vehicle they dropped off instead of her Jeep and it was ended up being the perfect payback for the torture Jay had put her through today.

#upstead #upstead fanfiction #upton #halstead #halstead and upton #jay halstead #jay x hailey #hailey upton

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vanillapie-80 · 3 years

Text

The Road To Recovery Chapter 2: Filling In the Gaps

Chapter two boisss. I suprised myself with this chapter because I thought it’d be shorter. So there’s that, anyways. Here the aftermath of last chapter as well as some new problems.

AO3

As the rain poured through the streets of Arcadia, the police station was crowded with officers. Detective Scott had some paperwork he had to fill out after finishing a case of his. After that, he hoped to go home and spend some time with his daughter, if she wasn’t out with her friends. But he knew that Darci was at home since both Claire and Mary were said to be in detention for most of the day, so surely there was nothing to worry about. From a few desks away from him, an officer saw that their phone was going off and answered it.

“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?” They asked.

“Hello? Me and some students were in a car crash and one of us is missing.”

The officer tensed at what they heard from the person’s voice on the other line, they began writing down the details they were given. “What’s your name?”

“C-Claire Nuñez.” Crap, the officer knew that was the councilwoman’s daughter.

“Okay, and where are you?”

“Uh. I don’t know, somewhere around the campsite- Toby! Did you find Jim?”

The officer continued to silently listen to the other line. “Yeah, but he got seriously messed up! I- I think he might be dying Claire. Please tell me you called for help!”

Then, the other line hung up. The officer immediately began to contact dispatch to anyone who was close around the area and began to call an ambulance. By that time, Detective Scott was done with paperwork and was heading home.

Barbara looked up from her phone as someone announced that there was trauma incoming. She had been trying to contact her son for a while but to no avail, calling lead to voicemail and texting lead to no response. With a sigh, Barbara tucked her phone away and got ready to return to work. She anxiously waited for the ambulance to arrive, and in a matter of a few minutes, they arrived.

As the paramedics swung the door open, Barbara made her way to assess the patient they brought in. But when she got close enough to see who it was, the doctor froze in complete shock. The sight of her son bleeding out in a gurney made it feel like Barbara’s entire world was going to shatter right then and there. Her baby boy, her ray of sunshine, was now dying right next to her. No, she thought. This was the irrational part of her mind speaking, Barbara did not know the full extent of Jim’s injuries. But, she had to let another doctor take care of her son. Holding herself as tightly as she could, Barbara watched her co-workers take Jim away. They did not question why she didn’t treat him, because practically everyone in the hospital knew it was her son, and Barbara knew that because of this fact, they would do everything they can to save him.

“Dr. L!!” The doctor snapped out of her train of thought and turned around to see Toby making his way towards her with tears in his eyes. Barbara braced herself as the teen came to her for a hug.

She stayed quiet and let the tears stream down her face while allowing Toby to break down. A paramedic came through the entrance and spotted the teen. “Hey! You can’t go running off like that without a doctor examining you.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of that.” Barbara muttered, her voice sounding dull and hollow. As more patients came to the ER, she began to recognize them to be students from her son’s class. “Come over here Toby, I need to examine you.”

“But Jim-”

“There’s nothing you can do right now except allowing me to make sure you’re alright.” Toby silently agreed, slowly making his way to one of the gurneys that were in the ER.

Barbara couldn’t do anything to help her son, but what she could do was to make sure these kids were alright and healthy. That’s all she could do, and the doctor hated that fact so much. As Barbara examined the redhead teen, she heard some commotion in the waiting room. The doctor saw Ophelia, shouting at one of the nurses to let her see her daughter while Javier was trying to calm his wife down.

Babara let out a tired sigh and told Toby, “Your injuries seem to be minor, but I want to run more tests to make sure you don’t have any internal injuries. For all of you.” She took a quick glance at the other teens before walking toward the waiting room. “Mrs. Nuñez, there is no need to cause a scene.”

“Cause a scene? My daughter was in a car accident! Do you know how common it is for someone to die in a car crash?!” Of course, Barbara did, she was a doctor. That’s why she was always anxious at the idea of her son riding a vehicle.

“How can you say such a thing? Your child wasn’t the only one in the accident and yet you don’t see us shouting at others like they own the place.” Detective Scott interjected, obviously offended by how the councilwoman was acting.

“Claire wasn’t supposed to be out there! None of them should have!”

Soon enough the other parents joined in on the argument while Barbara watched them with a tired stare. The doctor drowned out their voices with her own thoughts, not wanting to take part in this pointless bickering.

“Don’t tell me you’ve never broken the rules before! Going behind your parents’ backs for the sake of rebellion!”

It was very apparent that Jim needed surgery, but to what extent? She didn’t have enough time to see all of his wounds.

“Not when it comes to risking my own life for it!”

Should she call her family? They never gave the effort to be a part of her son’s life but that didn’t mean they never care about him. Barbara wasn’t sure how much of a support system he would need after this.

“Oh don’t give me that-”

What about his mental state? The traumatic experience will very much affect him in more ways than one. Does this mean she’ll have to get a counselor of some kind, or would her son be more comfortable with someone close to him? When it came to therapy, it was hard for Jim to adjust to such a change at a young age. But what if it wasn’t enough? What if thinking ahead was a pointless endeavor in the end? Jim not making it was still in the realm of possibility.

“People please.” The parents went silent by Nana’s stern voice, something that even Barbara rarely heard. “Arguing among each other will lead us to nowhere. Our children are hurt. This is not about you, so you must let Dr. Lake and the others do their jobs.”

Once the silence filled the room for a few moments, all eyes were on Barbara. “Some of them appear to have minor injuries as far as we know, and while others have more serious wounds, none of them seem to be fatal.” The doctor explained bluntly. She couldn’t have any emotion in her voice, otherwise the grieving mother in her would come out and that wouldn’t be so professional of her, she had to keep her emotions in check. “I will let you know when you’ll be able to see them.”

Each parent began to calm down and some of them took a seat. The doctor noticed someone she didn't expect to see from the waiting room. Coach Lawrence sat amongst the other parents. She only knew him as one of the teachers of the public highschool of Arcadia and nothing more. Barbara took a shot in the dark and guessed that one of the kids was one of his. She didn’t dwell too much on it, after all, their children were going to be fine.

Barbara took a deep breath and went back to the ER. The doctorly mask she’s been struggling to keep was still intact, but it was inevitable that it would have to come off, and she knew that.

After further testing, it is safe to say that Toby wasn’t suffering from any internal injuries, rather some lacerations and small head trauma. Barbara told him and the other students that some of them would stay here overnight for observations, just in case. The redhead didn’t want to leave with his nana just yet, he wanted to be there with his friends for support.

“You alright Claire?” Toby asked anxiously as he sat next to her.

“Yeah.... just the morphine that’s all…” She answered, her speech slightly slurred.

“Don’t worry Toby, in a few hours the drug will probably wear off,” Darci reassured, taking a seat on the right side of the bed. She had her in a cast on her arm and had a sling around her to support it. “Though I get the feeling that it isn’t Claire who you’re about.”

The redhead teen looked at the person next to him, her expression hesitant but still determined to obtain answers. He let a dry but quiet chuckle and said, “I would think that would be obvious by now.”

“Sorry. But you haven’t talked about it. I’m just trying to make sure that you’re alright, well that everyone is alright mentally, but for you specifically. Jim is your best friend and anything can happen. You might even have to brace yourself for the worst-case scenario.”

Toby cringed at the thought of losing Jim, grabbing the fabric of his pants with a tight grip. “Jim’s a fighter. You’d be surprised how much he can take.”

Darci couldn’t help but pity him, but she did not understand the true extent of Toby’s words. She did not know the countless fights the trollhunter faced with creatures that were twice his size.

“Did...did you see what attacked Jim? You and Steve are the only ones that found him and he won’t talk.”

The redhead’s eyes were glued to the floor with an intense stare. The image of one of his companions, his friend’s protector, slamming Jim deeper into the ground and leaving him there with no remorse. “I-it looks like a bear.” He muttered.

“A bear?” Darci repeated, who was having doubts.

“I think so. Look it was dark and I was still in shock, but to me, it seemed like it was a bear.” Toby couldn’t handle more of his classmate’s interrogation, he just didn’t want to replay the awful images in his head.

“Hey. Where are you going?”

“I’m going to get something to eat.” He responded.

“But we’re at a hospital.”

“I’m sure I can find something around here.” With that, Toby left before Darci could continue their conversation.

The girl’s eyes then wandered to the blonde bully. Like she said to her departed classmate, Steve refused to speak with anyone the moment the ambulance came. He just stood frozen, sitting in one of the gurneys with a blank stare. Darci cautiously shuffled towards the unresponsive student.

“Um. Toby told me what happened.” She said nervously. As much as Darci wanted to believe Toby, the girl always liked to double-check her facts. It’s helped wash the worries away.

“Why do you care?” Steve asked, his voice quiet but somehow intense enough that it made Darci uncomfortable. But she stayed persistent because if today meant anything, it was that Steve was like everyone else. That there were people he thought mattered and wasn’t so terrible, or at least that was what she hoped.

“Police get involved in this kind of stuff, so they ask questions. I thought It’d be easier on all of you guys if I asked first so there wouldn’t be any added stress on talking about it with a stranger. ” She explained before continuing with, “Toby said it was a bear that attacked Jim. Is that true?”

The blonde teen blinked, then said, “A..... bear?”

Darci only nodded. She could see how Steve was reeling in this information. “Yeah. That’s what I saw, probably the biggest bear I’ve ever seen.” The intense tone of his voice never left, but only grew. What would Steve be mad about? Unless Toby’s statement was false. “Where ‘s Domzalski?”

She didn’t want to tell him, cause it felt like that would only stir the pot. But they were at a hospital, so Darci had nothing to worry about, right? “He said that he was going to get something to eat but-”

Steve immediately got up and pushed his classmate aside to leave the ER. Darci groaned in frustration, already feeling her regret. The young student looked around and saw the police. She took a deep breath and tried to shake off her nerves, Darci needed to be there with her friends for this. She tried reassuring herself that there was nothing between the two boys.

Toby sat on the floor next to a vending machine, all while staring at the amulet that dimly glowed a blue light. The redhead managed to grab it just before the ambulance took him away. He dreadfully waited for the small object to do something, for better or for worse. Suddenly, someone grabbed Toby by the collar of his shirt and began dragging him into a secluded area in the hospital.

He was then shoved into a wall and dropped the amulet from his hand. The redhead gazed upwards to see Steve in front of him, who had a furious expression. While rubbing his neck, Toby muttered, “Oh come on…” to himself.

“A bear? That’s what you went with?!” He shouted.

“So I see you’ve talked to Darci,” Toby remarked, trying his best to smooth-talk his way out of this.

“Are you stupid?! No one is going to believe that a bear caused all of this!”

“You’d be surprised. There’s a lot of bears in California, you know?”

“Oh, my bad. I didn’t realize bears had enough strength to flip a car over, let alone breaking trees in half!” Toby wasn’t sure why the blonde teen was so mad at him for doing it, it’s not like he did anything better or anything at all when Darci asked him what he saw.

“Listen. It’s a lot more believable than what actually happened. I’m trying my best here so cut me some slack alright.” The redhead tried to leave but he was shoved back again, only this time Steve didn’t let go. “Urgh! What is your problem?! I was trying not to make us look crazy and yet you’re mad at me?! You have no right to treat me this way!”

The blonde teen faltered and let go of Toby. Jim’s words began to echo in his mind, “You just have a reputation okay? And not a good one, but you already know that. I know you are capable of being a nice person.”

He was doing it again, and Steve didn’t realize it. He was going back to the school bully that tormented others, going back to the person that everyone hated. “I.......I’m trying to be a better person....” Steve muttered, but more to himself than to Toby. “Sorry....”

“Well, at least you got it out of your system right?” The redhead bitterly said back.

Of course Toby didn’t forgive him, why would he? The blonde teen would’ve probably hurt him if he continued.

“Steve Palchuck....”

Both of them froze at the new voice, Steve wasn’t able to recognize it. “Steve Palchuck.....” He turned to the right to see a small object on the floor, the hands ticking away.

Toby quickly fell to his knees and snatched it from the floor, his hands shaking. The redhead looked absolutely terrified. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!” He got up and ran out of the room they were in, with Steve following behind.

This isn't happening. Jim was fine, he was fine. What Toby heard was just his mind playing tricks on him. His best friend wasn’t dead, he can’t. But the amulet said Steve’s name, that wouldn’t have happened if...... if......

The redhead stopped at a screeching halt at the sight of doctors blocking his path, one of them being Barbara. “What are you two doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at the ER?”

“Uh,” Toby looked back to see Steve, who was glancing away at the group of people. “We... just wanted to grab something to eat Dr. L, but we got lost. It’s a big hospital you know.” He couldn’t hold back the tears, as the idea of Jim being gone finally settling in. “Sorry about that.” Toby sobbed.

“No. Don’t apologize, this all must be very hard on you.” Barbara took one of his hands while wiping her tears away. She then took him to a few corridors until they made it to the ICU. When Barbara led Toby to one of the rooms, he quietly gasped. “He’s still in critical condition. But there’s hope that Jim will make it.

The redhead felt a tidal wave of relief wash over him. He wasn’t dead, his best friend was still here. But if that was the case, then why did the amulet call for Steve. Toby began to worry, was the amulet just preparing for the inevitable. Can it even do that?

Barbara left the room to go talk to the doctors again. She saw Steve standing outside of the room like he was afraid to even enter with Toby. The doctor had heard a lot about him, with none of it being good. However, Steve was just a child, and just like the rest of his classmates, he was terrified about this ordeal. So, despite her hesitance, Barbara silently allowed the blonde teen to stay.

Steve had expected Lake’s mother to kick him out, he wasn’t close to her son, not by a long shot. Now that it was just him and Toby, he felt intrusive and out of place. Steve was about to leave until the redhead spoke.

“Something’s wrong.”

“What?” He asked while seeing Toby holding his friend's hands.

“The amulet. It won’t call someone unless the previous user has died.” Oh. Steve sensed a chill slowly running down his spine.

“But Lake’s fine. He has tubes in his mouth, but he's still alive.” The blonde teen rationalized.

“I want to believe that too. But there has to be a reason why the amulet said your name.”

“Maybe it’s broken.” Toby raised an eyebrow at Steve's suggestion. He showed the small object in his hand and tossed it at his classmate.

“Does it look broken to you?” Steve inspected it, there didn’t seem to be any cracks or anything out of place as far as he knew.

“It’s magic, right? It’s messed up and we don’t see it.” The redhead groaned in frustration and pulled his hair back.

“Look man, I don’t have all the answers. I’m just spouting stuff other people told me.”

The blonde teen was unsure if this was the right time, but at this point, he couldn’t stand being in the dark anymore. “S-so, you know what caused this?”

Toby stayed silent for a moment, the lump now in his throat made it difficult to get the words out. “Yeah..... I guess I do.”

“Then can you please tell me what is going on? Because you can fool everyone in this hospital, but you sure as hell can’t with me.” Steve was able to control himself from shouting this time.

Once again, there was a long pause from Toby. All he wanted to do today was to get his peers to enjoy themselves. He wanted Jim to have one day, one day where he was at peace and didn’t have to worry much about his responsibilities. The redhead had never expected this to blow up on his face this hard. Now Steve was the trollhunter while there was a huge possibility of his best friend dying.

“Well then, you might want to sit down for this part. Cause it’s a lot to take in.” Toby said with a sigh, his eyes focusing on Jim. Hoping that the universe will be kind enough to keep him alive.

After a few hours, the sedative the doctors gave Claire wore off. She began to feel extremely sore in some parts of her body, most likely where the more severe injuries she suffered were treated. At some point, her parents were able to see her when Claire was moved to her own room. Most of the time it was just her mother scolding the young teen while her father watched with a sympathetic look. Like always, the councilwoman had to make it about her instead of her own daughter.

At this point, Claire had learned to just tune out the lectures. She had heard it enough times to understand her mother. That she’d be disappointed in her no matter what if Claire didn’t fit the perfect image the councilwoman envisioned. Soon, the young teen had the room to herself. As she waited for some of her friends to come, her phone began to vibrate from the counter on the right side.

Claire picked it up and that it was Blinky. She took a deep breath and braced herself. “Hello?”

“Ah, Lady Claire. Is Master Jim with you? There is something important we need to discuss and he hasn’t been answering my calls.” The troll greeted, his voice sounding somewhat relieved but still worried.

The young teen bit her lip, before saying, “Blinky. We were in an accident and-”

“Great gronka morka! Are you alright?!”

“I’m fine, Toby is too, but Jim...... he..... he was hurt pretty badly. I don't know what happened to him yet but I'll let you know as soon as I find out.” Claire explained nervously. She had started to wonder where the redhead even was since there was no sign of him despite being hours since Claire last saw him.

“Oh dear. This.... this is not good. What are we going to do now?” By the sounds of it, Blinky was talking about something completely different.

“What’s going on Blinky?” She asked.

“I’m afraid that this night will not get any better. The Tribunal has requested for the arrest of Master Jim.”

“What?! Why?”

“Apparently Usurna has evidence that Master Jim has released Gunmar into the surface.” This could not be happening right now. Jim was not in any shape of getting out of this hospital, but knowing how stubborn trolls could be, there was no telling what the Tribunal would do if the trollhunter didn’t show.

“Can you just explain what happened and just postpone it?” She knew all too well that trolls weren’t so kind to humans, especially for Jim’s case, but surely they can give him some form of sympathy and stop this.

“I’m afraid with an accusation as severe as this, it cannot be dropped so easily for the Tribunal are very adamant for punishment. If it’ll not be Master Jim, surely they’ll find someone else who was involved in it to take responsibility.” Claire quickly dropped her previous sentiment once Blinky clarified that this situation was not going to be easy to get out of. “Telling the ordeal you’ve been through tonight could give you for a few days at the very least. However, that’ll make the Tribunal restless which might not help your case.”

The young girl pinched the bridge of her nose, their options weren’t great, but there wasn’t much they could do. “Well, you’re doing your best. That’s really all I can ask for. Me and Toby will try and be there as soon as possible.”

“Very well then. I wish the best for you all.” As Blinky hung up, Claire sank herself further to the mattress of the hospital bed. Too much, there was too much going on with little time to actually process it. She then heard a knock on her door and saw Toby standing in the middle of the door frame.

“Hey Claire.” He sheepishly said.

“Toby, you just missed a call I got from Blinky.”

That caught the redhead’s attention as slowly walked closer to his friend. “Really? What did he say?”

Claire sighed as she began to fiddle with her phone. “Nothing good really, but before I tell you, any word on Jim?”

A tired smile formed on Toby’s lips. “He survived the surgery. Dr. L says that he has a long way to go but he’s doing fine all things considered.” The young teen felt a lot of her anxieties washed away and glanced at her phone.

“That’s.... that’s good to hear. I’m going text Blinky about right now.”

“Uhh sure you do that, but while you’re at it, there’s just one more thing I need to say, or show you in this case.” Toby didn’t make it seem like it was anything bad, but he was good at sugar coating things.

The redhead looked outside from the room and made a small gesture to someone to come inside, and that someone was Steve.

Claire blinked in surprise. “Oh. Hi Steve.”

Toby scratched the back of his head while saying, “Sorry I didn’t come sooner. I was giving out some good ol’ exposition to our “buddy” over here.”

The tension then came back to her and lifted herself out of bed. “You told him?”

“Easy there. He saw Draal the moment we found Jim, so there was no point in lying.” Toby was leaving something out, she could tell by the tone of his voice.

“The stupid amulet called my name,” Steve muttered. “But I guess the person who had it before is supposed to die.” It was obvious that he was uncomfortable at the thought, and who would be?

Claire stayed silent with a blank stare before saying, “I thought you said that Jim was alright,” with a frantic voice

“He is! It’s just that the amulet picked Steve for some reason, but before you take the chance to freak out more, mind telling us the not-so-good news Blinky gave you?” Right, there was also that. Man does this day keep getting better and better.

“Uhh, he said that the Tribunal wants to arrest Jim for releasing Gunmar.” Toby’s eyes widened in shock while Steve’s shoulders tensed up.

“That’s bad, right?” The blonde teen asked.

“Yeah, it really is. So what do we do now?” The redhead moved closer to his friend and sat next to her.

“We have to go to Trollmarket as soon as possible. Or least until I get discharged. If we don’t show, things will probably get worse.” Claire explained with a sigh.

“Do I have to come?” Steve didn’t want to ask that question, he really didn’t. But this was starting to sound serious, and maybe there was a small chance that he could help. How exactly? The blonde teen wasn’t sure.

“It’s really risky, especially since you never had any combat training.” As much as a frustrating person Steve was, she would never wish any harm on him. And if what she heard about Trollmarket’s reaction when they found out that Jim was the trollhunter was true, then bringing him along could lead to the exact opposite of what Claire wanted.

“But what if the Tribunal thinks we’re lying about Jim? We’re not someone who they really trust, and he could be backup, a fancy sword made of magic can do much wonders as a defense.” Toby suggested with a shrug. “And if something goes wrong, he has you, me, and Aaarrrgghh to help him out.”

The two boys watched the young girl weighing the options. Sure, it was two out of one, but Claire was smart. And at this point, she was silently placed as leader until further notice. “I can’t believe I’m going through with this, but we’re all pretty much screwed right now. So, do you have any trouble sneaking out of the house at night Steve?”

“Not at all.” He had successfully snuck out a few times to go to some late-night parties, this shouldn’t be any different.

In one of the private offices of the hospital, Barbara laid head first on the desk. She was on break and finally had time to let all of her exhaustion set in. The information given to her about Jim’s condition and the outcomes it might lead to.

The worst of her son’s injuries was the one on his spine. The doctors stated that most likely that he will have permanent damage to his nerves. There was no telling he would regain complete function of his limbs or would have to deal with something else. Either way, Jim’s body won’t work the same way as it used to.

As Barbara put her hands above her head, an elderly voice called to her. “Ah, there you are. I’ve been looking for you everywhere.” The doctor straightened herself and turned her chair around to see Toby’s grandmother. “Mrs. Domzalski-”

“Dear please, how many times do I need to remind you to call me Nana.” The old woman teased as she entered the room.

Barbara let out a tired laugh, removing her glasses to rub her eyes. “Old habit I guess. Though why were you trying to find me? I discharged Toby a few hours ago.”

“He wants to check on the councilwoman’s daughter. They’ve been friends for awhile you know.” Nana explained. “And also wanted to see how you were doing.” “What you’d expect I suppose.” She wanted to grieve, to let all of those raw emotions free, but Barbara just couldn’t at this point. And she knew that there wouldn’t be enough time even to do that if she could.

“Dear, I don’t believe I know the answer to that. Only you do.” Nana placed her hand onto Babara’s left shoulder. “And if you’re willing to talk to me about it, then I’ll know. It’s never healthy to keep everything bottled up.”

Barbara allowed the old woman’s word to sink in. “ I will give anything to do that, but I’m just so tired right now. I don’t have enough energy to even fall apart and cry for hours.”

“You know for someone whose job is to take care of people, you don’t seem to do that for yourself.” Nana never understood that. She could forgive those who didn’t have any extensive knowledge of health, they just didn’t know any better. Doctors, however, did. The old woman could remember the countless times she has seen medical professionals ignore their health.

“Well, I’d like to think that we’re the biggest hypocrites on earth,” Barbara explained with a quiet voice.

It took two days for Claire to get discharged, the doctors told her parents that she just had to take it easy for a few days. That statement made the young girl second guess herself about going to trollmarket but pushed the idea aside. Sooner the better, because there was no telling when the Tribunal’s patience would wear thin. When the night came, Claire took her shadow staff and created a portal while a small changeling watched from behind.

“Remember NotEnrique, you have to keep watch to make sure mom and dad don’t know I’m gone.”

“I hear ya. And I’ll let ya know if they come running over here.” The changeling added. Claire smiles at him before entering the portal.

In Arcadia’s canals, Toby and Steve stood below the bridge there waiting for the young girl to arrive. The two never said a word to each other for a good while now. Something about being alone with Steve made the redhead uneasy, bringing back the memory of him and Claire trying to retrieve the bridge pieces. Meanwhile, the blonde teen was too anxious about seeing trolls to even talk to Toby. He tried to play it cool at the hospital when learning that there was an entire society hidden underground in their town, but when Steve made it home, that’s where he took the time to openly show his nervous breakdown in his room.

Everything that felt out of place in Arcadia suddenly made sense. But very quickly he wanted to forget it, the mantle of being a trollhunter sounded too dangerous for his taste. Steve had no intentions of dying, and going through with this sounds like the exact opposite of what he wanted. However, the blonde teen would be lying if he said he wasn’t curious. And who wouldn’t? It’d be near impossible to just ignore the existence of magic and trolls and not look into it.

Steve’s were ripped away at the sight of a dark portal appearing in front of the two boys. Claire then hopped out of it and it quickly disappeared. She pulled her hair back and exhaled.

“Okay. We’re all here, now it’s time to face the music. Would you like to do the honors, Toby?” The redhead nodded and took out an orange crystal that had a wooden handle attached to it.

Toby made his way to the canal’s wall, with Claire and Steve following behind, and began to draw a curved line as big as he could. Once he was done, the redhead pressed his hand on the wall and in a matter of seconds, it began to break away into various pieces and disappear. Steve watched as Toby quietly went inside the glowy entrance. He extended his arm but pulled it away when it made contact with the magical wall.

“It’s now or never.” The blonde thought before jumping headfirst inside the canal’s walls.

What he was met with were massive blue crystal staircases that twirled around until they reached the ground. The blonde teen stared in awe by how beautiful the sight was, but had to divert his attention away to getting all the way down. Claire noticed her classmate’s reaction and decided to catch up to him.

“You know. I really wished this was under better circumstances.” Steve jumped at the sudden sound of the girl’s voice, almost falling off the stairs. He looked at her in confusion, so she continued as they walked. “Coming here for the first time, it’s a one of a kind moment. But the difference between now and before is that there were no lives at stake or trolls coming to arrest us. I just hope that when all this blows over, you get to share the same experience that we all had.”

It was very strange. Hearing someone genuinely talking to him, was it supposed to feel like this? First from Coach Lawrence, then from Lake, and now Claire, would he be able to get used to such a thing? As the three of them walked down the final set of stairs, two large creatures, which Steve assumed were trolls, pointed their spears at them. The trolls barely looked like the one he saw in the woods, but that didn’t make them less terrifying.

Toby and Claire stood in front of the blonde teen and took their weapons out with a defensive stance. It didn’t take long for more trolls to contribute to this ambush. They all looked the same except one, who came towards the group. Their appearance was formal and very fancy in Steve’s perspective.

“Where is the trollhunter?” Usurna hissed while glaring at them.

“Didn’t Blinky tell you? He’s at the hospital and is in no condition to come right now.” The troll scoffed at Toby’s notion.

“You could easily be lying. Trying to hide him from our grasp.”

The redhead glanced at Claire and muttered, “Told you they wouldn’t believe us.”

She turned to the blonde teen with a nervous expression. “Steve, take out the amulet.” He did as he was told and heard many gasps from the trolls at the sight of him. “Read the incantation.”

“Incantation?” Steve looked at the small object more closely and noticed there were words inscribed on it. “For the Glory of Merlin, Daylight is Mine to Command.” He read slowly.

The amulet began ticking and its blue aura shined. Armor then appeared out of nowhere and was placed onto Steve. It felt tight at first before the armor adjusted to his size. With a flash, Steve was holding a sword, which made itself slightly bigger than before.

“Holy shit.” He whispered, amazed by such magic.

“So..... the trollhunter died, and amulet dared chose another fleshbag to hold the mantle,” Usurna stated, disgusted at that fact.

“Did not listen to what I said. He’s still alive.” Toby quickly corrected, but before he could say anything else Usurna spoke.

“I believe it does not matter at this point. Arrest the human trollhunter.” She commanded before turning their back on them.

“What?!” The three of them shouted in unison.

The troll guards grabbed Steve by both arms and dragged him away. A fight or flight instinct came over Steve, an instinct that has been proven useful to him countless times. “Let go of me! Or else I’ll beat the hell out of you!” He thrashed and kicked at the trolls, yelling with all his might. But it was futile.

Claire ran for Usurna and blocked her path. “You can’t arrest Steve! He had no idea about all of this! Wouldn’t it make more sense to arrest the people who took part in the release of Gunmar?!”

“You have no authority over me, fleshbag. If James is unable to attend to his own arrest, might as well let this new trollhunter to fill in the role.” The troll pushed past the girl with such force to almost make her fall to the ground. “And besides, it’s more than Gunmar’s escape that will be put into question.”

As Claire helplessly watched Usurna leave, Toby sprinted to Blinky’s library for aid. Because this was not going according to what they planned at all. God, could there be one day where everything went smoothly without any issues?

#tales of arcadia #trollhunters #jim lake jr #steve palchuk #toby domzalski #claire nuñez #darci scott #nana domzalski #barbara lake #blinky galadrigal #jeves #vanilla writing

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