#lots of arguing in this chapter prepare for it
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Bitter Allies [Soap x Reader]
Chapter 2: The Heat of Battle
Summary: John "Soap" MacTavish has hated you since the very first day you arrived on base and joined their Task Force. You argue all the time, and one day, it pushes Captain Price to his absolute limit. He sends you both away to an isolated cabin in the woods for a week in hopes you can put aside your differences and bond. Will it work? Or will you two just end up hating each other even more?
This is a slow burn enemies to lovers fan fiction featuring Soap and you, the reader.
Word Count: 4,427
Warnings: NSFW, 18+, Soap is mean, like really mean, smut later to come, lots of swearing, violence, descriptive, blood
A/N: This seems to be doing fairly well on here, so I’m going to post a few more chapters that are out currently on Wattpad. If it gets a big enough following, I’ll keep updating. Just a reminder my Wattpad username is Emily7love, and you can find Bitter Allies there as well!
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Bitter Allies • Part 2
The rifle kicked back hard against your shoulder as the first bullet excited the barrel of the gun. The silencer on the end did its job at making sure the discharge was hardly heard. However, it became obvious very quickly to the group of four men that they were under attack. As soon as the first man had been shot, they were all alerted.
The first shot you fired was a direct hit to the man's head, and he went down quick. You quickly snapped over to the guy standing on the left, also hitting that target successfully. Already you'd proved Soap wrong. However, this was where things got difficult.
In any kind of armed combat, seconds greatly mattered. Eliminating two targets was easy as long as you could land the shots. By the time the second guy realized something was up, only one second has passed, and by then he was mostly likely already gone. The third guy, however, had a lot more time to react, and the fourth even more so.
Two clean head shots, but by then, the other two had reacted. One was moving to cover and the other stood his ground, weapon raised right at you. A trigger pull away from death, but in this profession, that was always the case.
Their movement disrupted the zig-zag pattern you had hoped on making, forcing you to take additional seconds when aiming at the third guy. You originally had gone for the one running for cover to stop him from alerting other troops, but then your attention shifted to the guy who was looking at you from down his own barrel. That now became your top priority and costed you even more seconds due to switching targets.
You were pretty lucky. You managed to fire before the guy's finger could put enough pressure on the trigger. The shots were sloppy, but three clean hits to the torso did the job.
Once he was downed, you did a quick scan of the area, looking for the fourth guy. He'd no doubt already contacted someone else, blowing your cover. Your heart had already been hammering away in your chest but now it seemed to thump even harder at the realization you'd just completely screwed up this mission.
You keep your weapon raised in a firing position but allow your head to hang down, eyes squeezed shut. Your grip on your gun tightens, prepared any second now to hear the alarms go off, signaling something was wrong. The mission would just have to go on though. Albeit much more dangerous now, but it still needed to continue.
"Fuck, (y/n)..." You mutter to yourself. "Just find Soap and get to cover... You've survived worse-"
Not even ten seconds after you dumped the third target, you heard a soft thump and saw the fourth target laying dead up ahead. A knife was embedded into his neck, blood pooling rapidly in the dirt. A split second later, Soap emerged from behind the cover, ripping his knife from the target's throat with a swift, practiced motion. His icy gaze locked onto you, and with a flick of his wrist, he sent a spray of blood across the dirt. He sheathed his knife and strode toward you, each step radiating fury.
Before you knew it, he was grabbing a fist full of your uniform and slamming you back against the vehicle you'd been using for cover. You hoped the sound of your back hitting the metal door didn't attract any attention.
"What the fuck was that, States?!" He yelled at you as loudly as he dared given your current location. "The fucking hell were you thinking?? You nearly just blew our damn cover! Are you that much of a pure hackit that you can't follow fucking orders?!" He was seething mad, his accent noticeable thicker. This is probably the worst you've ever seen him, and you've seen Soap mad a lot. Still, you had some venom of your own.
"You are not my superior. You can't give me orders." You growl, hands coming up to grip his as they kept you pinned. You kept your eyes on his, refusing to break eye contact with him.
"Oh, can't I? Last I checked you weren't even a permanent member of this team." He smirks back, voice quieter now, but still just as dangerous.
"Still a member of this team, dumbass."
"You think you will be after this?"
His words hung heavy with you. Would Price really kicked you off the team for this? Nothing happened, you and Soap were alive, and the mission hadn't been compromised. Still, taking on four men by yourself when your field partner didn't want to wasn't exactly working as a team. Then again the same could be said for Soap not being willing to go with your plan.
"Nothing happened. I landed two perfect headshots and took down the third all by myself. We were fine." You try to defend yourself, foolishly getting caught up in trying to prove Soap wrong and forgetting about the fourth guy.
"Doesn't matter if you landed three perfect fucking head shots if the fourth one fucks us over, now does it!? What about the fourth guy, huh? What about him, States?! He was a second away from radioing for help. You almost cost us the entire mission and put us both at risk! You're up a pure dafty." He was still gripping your vest tightly, keeping you pressed back against the vehicle.
"Well that wouldn't have been a problem if you had just trusted me, and if we took them out together like I wanted to." You bite back. "And you were wrong. You said I couldn't land those headshots, and I did."
"You still on about that? So you got lucky! You're still bloody inconsistent. You make one half decent shot and then fuck up the next ten. Just like you did on that third and fourth target."
"Well that's what I have a teammate for! To help me take down targets! And you got him, so what's the big deal?"
Soap laughs at you then, a stressed and angry laugh. His head tips back slightly, and he shakes it. "That's your idea of teamwork?" He laughs, meeting your eyes again. "Forcing me to have to rush into a kill? How the hell did someone like you ever pass selection? You are horrible at this job, States. Just pack up and go home before you get actual good soldiers killed." With that, he finally releases you, roughly letting go of your vest but still remaining in front of you.
His words hurt. They made you tremble with rage. Your hands were balled up into fists at your side as you held back the urge to punch him. "You'd like that very much, wouldn't you?" You growl back to him, standing your ground as Soap takes two steps closer to you, his face practically inches from your own.
"Very much so." He nods, a little intimidating as he looked down at you.
"Well it's not going to happen. You are never going to make me leave. So get used to me being around, you hackit." You weren't even really sure what that word meant, but if Soap called you it, you knew it probably wasn't a nice thing to say.
Soap scoffs at you as you say the Scottish word. "You are the most stubborn and-"
"Bravo 7-1, Bravo 7-4, this is Bravo 0-7, give me sit rep." Ghost's voice crackled in your ear, and Soap's as well, cutting him off. You'd been quiet for too long.
Right as you brought a hand up to your radio to answer Ghost, Soap grabbed your wrist. "This isn't over, States." He warns, his voice filled with promise as he pushed your hand away from your radio. He then brought his free hand to his radio and answered Ghost.
"Ran into some trouble thanks to States. We're clear now. Still need to make entry."
"Copy," Ghost answers. "Got word there's some Russian vehicles about ten clicks out. We've got about fifteen minutes before we need to get off the mark."
"Shite." Soap curves. That wasn't going to be enough time. You still needed to make entry and disable their security. Even if you and Soap were quick and ran into no problems, that didn't leave enough time for the Alpha teams to come in, secure General Azamat, and leave before those Russian vehicles showed up.
"Ghost, that's not gonna be enough time." Soap tells him, backing away from you and pacing a little. His face was concentrated, forgetting about everything that happened earlier and focusing on the mission now.
"If we pull out now, we miss our chance," Ghost warns, his voice low and steady. "They'll know someone messed with their generators, and security will tighten up. Next time will be a hell of a lot harder."
"Then what's the plan?" Soap asks, sounding frustrated. This mission was going belly up very quickly.
Then you got an idea. "Ghost, send Alpha team to the front to draw their attention. That will pull most of the men in the camp to that area. Meanwhile, Soap and I will infiltrate the building, disable security, and secure General Azamat. You mentioned he'd most likely be inside this building, right? Once we have him, we'll need an exfil ready at the back of the camp. Disabling the main building's systems should open the back gate. Once we're out, Alpha team can pull back."
Without even giving Soap the opportunity to input his feedback, Ghost approved your plan. "Solid Plan B. Sending in Alpha Team now. Russian vehicles are nine clicks out. Move fast."
"Copy." You nod, glancing up at Soap. He still looked at you like how he always did, but something was different. You didn't know if it was a good or bad different though. It only lasted a few seconds before his usually hard and familiar expression returned.
"This doesn't change anything." He growls, as gunfire can be heard behind you, near the front of the camp.
Instantly, shouts can be heard from the West Building, and the quiet camp became alive. The area with all the tents where Soap wanted to cut through earlier start to rustle as men wake up to join the fight. In an effort not to get caught, Soap quickly runs over to one of the parked vehicles and pulls the door open.
"Inside! Now!" He hurriedly tells you, standing out of the way so you could get in first. Moving fast, you jump inside, feeling Soap give up a push to help boost you into the vehicle before getting in himself and closing the door. He pulls out his pistol, and you do the same, making sure to cock it.
"Get behind the driver's side seat and stay low." He tells you, wiggling a bit to try and fit himself into the same position behind the passenger's side. Him being bigger and more bulkier than you made it a lot harder for him to wedge in there comfortably.
A few seconds later, two men are getting into the vehicle from the driver and passenger side. You and Soap both duck down further once you hear the car door's open. The second they shut, you're moving. Like you'd been fighting together for years, you both wordlessly spring up and shoot the men in the side of the head.
From inside the vehicle, you can see and hear the others driving off, as well as see the area clearing out. You try to wait it out for as long as you can until the door by Soap open up. Another solider just thinking the vehicle was waiting for more passengers and trying to get in. He lets out a surprised yell at seeing Soap there, but is quickly silenced. Soap shoots him, shoves the dead body back, and then closes the door.
"Out your side!" He says, knowing that was going to attract a lot of attention from the few stragglers still trying to wake up and join the action. You quickly do as he says, pushing the door open and tumbling out with Soap right behind you. Without looking back to see how many enemies are in pursuit, you sprint for the West Building, focusing solely on reaching cover. Though how much safety and cover you'd find in that building, you didn't bank on it being much.
Surprisingly, there aren't any bullets being fired towards you as you run. Either the men hadn't seen you somehow, or they thought you were on the same side. Regardless, you weren't going to question it as you burst through the door with Soap, weapons raised.
The hallways were empty aside from two men, which Soap quickly took out. Once somewhat safe, you radioed in to Ghost. "Bravo 7-1 and 4 inside now. Heading to main security room to disable it."
"Copy. Seven clicks." Ghost updates. "Give 5 minutes for exil."
"Roger," Soap confirms before moving to the stairs. "Behind me. I'll take point." He tells you, starting up the steps with his weapon raised. You follow behind him closely, watching your six and trusting Soap to guide you up. The security panel you needed to access was on the top floor of the building, which was the third floor.
The stairs were clear, which made sense. Most of the men were probably filing down the stairs near the front since that's where all the action was. The security room, however, was not empty. As you approached the door, you could hear voices speaking Russian on the other side.
"I hear at least five." You say, making Soap give you a look as he position himself on the other side of the doorframe.
"There's no fucking way you can count how many there are based on voices." He claims, pulling out one of his flashbang grenades. "Flash out." He opens the door a crack and tosses it inside, waiting for the loud bang. As soon as it goes off, he kicks the door open and pushes in. He takes on the targets more directly in front and left while you focus on the ones to the right and to the far side of the room.
The room was clear in seconds. "Clear." Soap confirms, lowering his gun and making his way quickly to the panel. "There were more than five." He mutters, pulling out some bombs and securing them to different places on the panel.
"I said at least five." You point out with an eye roll, keeping your attention on the door that lead into the room.
"That just sounds like a lucky guess then." He claims, backing away from the panel. "Clear out. Charges are set." He tells you, pulling your attention over to the flashing red lights of the bombs he's just placed. You were about to do what he told you before your attention was pulled to the screen.
"Wait. Look." You tell him, walking over to the screen and pointing to it. "This is a map of the building. Look at this room down here. It's a bunker. I bet that's where our General is." You say. "Bet it's locked up. Hold off on blowing the charges until we're down there. Once the power goes out, the doors should open and we can take him by surprise."
Soap is hesitant, his jaw tight before he finally mutters a, "fine." Then instead of talking to you further, he radios in to Ghost. "Bravo 0-7, charges are set. We suspect Azamat's holed up in a bunker in this building. Moving to position by the bunker doors and then we'll blow the charge."
"Roger. Five clicks."
With that, you and Soap quickly make your way back down to the first floor to locate the bunker. Time was not on your side, so you needed to move fast. You of course ran into more resistance along the way. That was to be expected. Soap though, ever true to his callsign, breezed through it like it was nothing. It was like he'd gotten to practice and memorized the course ahead of time. He looked so in his element, almost like he was having fun. It was a nice change from the usual sour attitude he had around you. And for once, you were actually sort of working with him like you would Ghost or Gaz. Given the chaotic nature of the mission probably had a lot to do with that, but you hoped this would finally mark a breakthrough point with the Scot.
Once you'd gotten to the room where the bunker was supposed to be, all you needed to do was find it, blow the charges, and get the General. To your utter joy, the bunker was the most obvious thing in the room. A big metal door with a flashing red light above it. You took up the same positions you did last time at the security room as Soap pulled out the detonator.
"Bravo 0-7, we are outside the bunker and getting ready to blow the charges. Send in exfil." Soap updates Ghost.
"Done. Take the General the alive. Three and a half clicks."
Soap looks to you then. "When I blow this, all the lights are going to go out. Once I get the door open, throw a flash in. And for the love of sweet Jesus, do not kill Azamat."
You scowl at him, irritated that he was talking to you still like you were some lousy, trigger happy marine. Guess things haven't changed too much. "Yeah. I went to all the mission briefs and literally heard Ghost say that three seconds ago. I haven't forgotten."
"So she does listen. Shocker." As he speaks, he holds the detonator up and then presses the button, not giving you the chance to reply. There's a loud explosion upstairs, one that makes the building shake a little bit. The lights immediately power off, and you lower the night vision goggles attached to your helmet.
The red light above the door flickers a few times before going out, and the locks click loudly as they release. There's shouting heard from inside as the people in there start to panic. You ready a flashbang as Soap heaves the door open, and once there's a crack big enough for the flashbang, you toss it inside. There's a loud pop as it goes out and a bright flash of light. It causes the people inside to scream and spew out what you can only assume are curses in Russian.
As Soap finishes pushing the door open, you take point, able to see the room and the people inside thanks to the night vision goggles. You identify General Azamat instantly and work on taking out anyone in the room who posed a threat.
You aim at the heads of the men inside, but they were wearing helmets, making it more difficult to land decent shots. The flashbang had made them all very disoriented, buying you more time to actually line up the shots.
Soon, all the guards around General Azamat were downed, and Soap charged the General, who was pulling a pistol from his holster. You hear the grunt from Soap as he rams the General against the wall. There's a struggle as Soap forces the gun to point upwards and six bullets are rapidly discharged from the pistol. Once the gun is only making clicking sounds, signaling an empty clip, Soap punches the General, sending him to the ground.
"Stay the fuck down!" He growls at the General as he goes to restrict his hands behind his back. The voice he was using sounded familiar to the one he used with you when you argued.
The General curses Soap out in Russian, and you go to help him secure the target. Right as you kneel down to help though, Soap pushes you away.
"Cover the door in case-"
The room is filled with the sound of gunfire, and bright flashes come from the doorway. Soap gets hit and falls back, gasping, as you quickly raise your gun and return fire. The guy shooting hadn't been wearing any chest plates and went down with a few shots. As soon as it was clear again, you grab at the General, who was trying to get up now that Soap wasn't holding him down.
"Soap! Oh my God, are you ok?!" You ask, wanting to check on him, but you couldn't let go of the general. You see him from the corner of your eye, lying back, and can hear him gasping still. You worried his injuries were fatal. Sure, you couldn't stand Soap, but you didn't want him to die either.
Then, he leans forward and grabs at General Azamat. "Hit... the plate.." He gasps out, getting his breath back slowly. A second later, he'd pushed through the pain and pressed his pistol into Azamat's head.
"Stop moving, fucker! Get up!" He commands, hooking his free arm around his restrained ones and hauling him to his feet. "Walk!" He shouts once the General is up, giving him a harsh push and keeping the gun aimed at him.
"Who are you?" The General asks, his accent heavy as Soap pushes him out of the bunker. You take point, still a bit shaken up from Soap being shot.
"Shut the hell up and walk!" He growls, opting to grab a handful of the back of the General's suit and push him along instead. It was faster that way. While you make your way out of the West Building back the way you came, you radio to Ghost.
"Bravo 0-7, this is Bravo 7-4. Target secure. Repeat, target is secure. Heading to exfil now."
"Ah. An American." You hear Azamat say, earning a rough shove from Soap.
"I said shut up!”
"Copy that 7-4," Ghost replies. "Exfil in two minutes. Russians are one click out. Move it. Alpha team is pulling back."
"This is gonna be close." Soap mutters under his breath. He begins to pick up the pace a bit, or as much as he can while dragging along a General who didn't want to go with you.
Once outside, you're practically running to the gates, shooting at anyone you can. There was hardly any cover and more and more men seemed to be popping up. About halfway to the exit, you can see bullets hitting the dirt by your feet and hear them wizz past you. This was definitely the most dangerous position you'd been in during your whole career. At least in the other firefights you'd been in, you had your entire squad behind you. This time, it was just you and Soap.
A gargling yelling sound makes you look back, and you see the General is hunched over and falling to his knees. Soap is trying to get him back up, but he's not moving.
"Fuck! He's been shot." Soap notices, seeing red begin to stain his tan uniform. "States, keep moving!" He shouts over the gunfire, hoisting the General over his shoulder and continuing the run.
Your heart is pounding loudly in your ears, adrenaline the only thing keeping your legs moving. Before you know it though, you're through the gate, and you can see your exfil vehicle ahead.
"There it is!" You shout to Soap. "Almost there!" You push harder, your lungs burning. Someone from the passenger side of your exfil vehicle jumps out and opens your door. You pile in first and then help drag the General in as Soap gets him in the car. As bullets start to spray against the side of the vehicle, Soap jumps in. He is practically on top of the General, and slams his door shut.
"Go, go, go!!" Soap yells to the driver. You hear bullets showering the side of the vehicle, and the driver floors it, making you grip tightly onto the handle on the ceiling.
Once you can't hear the bullets hitting the metal doors of the vehicle anymore, you sigh a breath of relief. This mission had been a lot harder than you thought it was going to be. And it wasn't even over yet.
"States, help me sit him up." Soap says, getting your attention and pulling you out of your daze. You do as he asks, moving Azamat out from under Soap to the seat in the middle. Once he's sitting up, you can see his face has paled significantly and there was blood all over the seat and his suit.
"Shite.." Soap cures as you instantly start to apply pressure to the man's stomach. "Ghost, we have General Azamat and are on our way to the rendezvous. He's been shot though and is losing a lot of blood."
"Copy that. Keep him breathing. I'll have medical on standby. What about you and States?"
"We're good." He answers, turning his attention on the man's wound now. "Aside from feeling like I took a bullet to my chest. Oh wait, that did happen." Soap mutters, looking at you angrily.
You look up from where your hands are currently placed on the General's side, blood gushing out from between your fingers. You meet Soap's gaze and glower at him.
"Seriously? You're going to blame me for you getting shot in the plate?" Though of course he was going to blame that on you. Cause why wouldn't he?
"It's one hundred percent your fault! Someone needed to cover the door!" Soap was grabbing a med kit from under the seat and violently opening it to get some medical supplies.
"Are you fucking- you know what? No. I'm not doing this with you right now. This dude is bleeding out, and I'm not going to have you distract me and then blame this dude dying on me! Give me those fucking bandages!" You rip them from his hand and start stuffing the wound, making the General moan in protest.
"Whatever, States. Fuck you too."
You don't say a word to each other after that. The only words spoken are by you trying to keep the General awake, Soap talking to Ghost over the comms, or the occasion word or two from the guys in the front seats, talking to the other teams.
You couldn't wait to get to the helo, hand General Azamat off to the medical staff, and then get away from Soap.
#call of duty#ghost riley#soap cod#soap mactavish#ghost cod#john soap mactavish#soap x reader#soapghost#soap mw2#soap call of duty#soap x you#soap smut#soap mactavish smut#captain price#kyle gaz garrick#enemies to lovers#slow burn#smut#soap x oc#john price#soap and reader smut#soap x fem reader#ghost call of duty#soap x y/n#soap mactavish and reader smut#john mactavish#johnny mactavish#soap mctavish#simon ghost riley#ghostsoap
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The Last of the Dragons
Chapter Two- The Deal
Summary- After the disastrous bedding, the new couple tries to improve their situation.
Warnings- MDNI 18+ NSFW. Female reader. Incest. Lots of arguing. Angst. Homegirl’s having a difficult week. Mirrors. Masturbation. Fingering. Coming in pants. Idk how else to tag that one I’m sorry. Aemond’s just helping.
Author’s Note- I promised sexier so I delivered besties. But also it’s still sad oop.
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She manages to remain hidden in her chambers for three days following the consummation. Though she doesn't go as far as barring the door, she may as well have, only allowing two maid servants into the room and no one else save her grandsire. She allows him in the morning after the wedding, knowing that he is too persistent to keep out. The pleasantries only last so long, with him informing her of Baela and Rhaena's plan to return to court in time for her coronation before he begins inquiring as to whether or not the consummation was successful. She keeps the details as vague as possible before managing to kick him out with complaints of sickness. It keeps him away, him and everyone else who could possibly want to see her. And she is glad for it. Though it is not fair, she blames Corlys for her humiliation and refuses to speak with him further until this shame dissipates, unsure as to how she will ever be able to look at anyone within that damned council without thinking of how they had all put her in this situation. How they had watched them, her, while she and Aemond had done their duty.
It is foolish, she knows, to remain upset. A thousand women have endured such a fate before her and she does not doubt a thousand have yet to bear it, but she is the queen now. Should she wish to sulk in her shame, there is no one in the realm who can pull her from her rooms now.
Or, at least, not many.
He gives her time, keeping his distance for nearly four nights, but she knew he would come to her eventually. Duty is the pillar Aemond has built his life upon and he would not allow it to go unattended for long. Though she had thought he would come to her during the day, that he would find the time in his rigorous schedule to knock on her door and berate her for her lack of attention, for attempting to skate her duty. It was so expected that she had prepared herself for it, steeling herself whenever she heard footsteps sound too close to the door.
She hadn’t expected him to come in through the passageways during the hour of ghosts, appearing in the mirror behind her as suddenly as a wraith.
She is forced to stifle a shriek when she catches sight of him, turning quickly to face him. It feels almost like having your back on a predator, the discomfort only growing when she catches the look on his face. Jaw set, lips pursed, looking around the room in disdain. It takes more effort than it should, to attempt to appear unaffected, but there is only one thought coursing through her mind now. That he is here to claim his rights, to do his husbandly duty. He had given her respite, likely longer than he had any reason to, and now he is here to begin what must be started.
The very thought makes her stomach sink, the consummation replaying in her head like a terrible dream, but she forces herself to steel her spine and appear unbothered, reprimanding him through the mirror.
"By the gods, Aemond, there is a door for a reason, you know. You cannot just sneak into my rooms like a thief in the night."
His mouth twitches at that, his irritation evident. "You are not answering your door. Nor are you leaving your chambers. I had almost begun to believe that you are ill."
"I am ill."
He simply hums, making his way toward her. She stiffens, whole body going rigid, but he does not touch her. Instead, his hand goes to the line of ornate bottles that sit below her vanity, each one lined meticulously. He picks up one of the bottles, uncorking it before holding it under his nose. It's a perfume, one that she had been gifted before the war by one of the lords vying for her affection. She had always liked it- a pretty thing that smelt of peaches and honey- and had used it sparingly, but his face remains unchanged as he pushes the cork back in and sets it back in the line.
"My mother has yet to leave me alone," he announces into the silence. She goes still again, not needing him to continue, but he pays her no heed. With his eye still locked on her, he continues. "She is determined to ensure that I understand the importance of conceiving an heir. Corlys as well, though I imagine he has come to visit you despite your illness."
It is her turn to clench her jaw, biting her tongue as she leans forward to fetch her hairbrush. "He has."
"Then you know why I've come?"
Read the rest here :)
Taglist- @ammo23 @bellstwd @kckt88 @aemondsbabygirl @shygardengalaxy @duds31 @at-a-rax-ia @ladymarg0t @queenofshinigamis @drakar-i @cl-0-vr @castellomargot @moonlightfoxx @ladybug0095 @marihoneywk @the-common-cowgirl @darylandbethfanforever9 @bunny24sstuff @helaenaluvr @eternally-passionate @herfantasyworldd @toodlesxcuddles @ashovertheriver @lokiofasgard12 @hypocritic-trash-baby
bolded couldn’t be tagged :(
#aemond targaryen x reader#aemond x reader#Aemond targaryen x you#Aemond x you#Aemond targaryen x fem!reader#aemond x fem!reader#Aemond targaryen smut#Aemond smut#aemond targaryen#hotd#hotd fanfic#hotd x reader#hotd smut#house of the dragon#house of the dragon fanfic#house of the dragon fanfiction#hotd fanfiction
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𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬
Satoru Gojo
[Chapter 11] Date
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Pairing: Satoru Gojo x f!Reader
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“I’d love to go on a date with you.”
You find yourself all giddy the next morning when you’re at the Gojo estate, trying your best to pay attention to your boss. Mrs. Gojo is trying on a dress, trying to see if it’s the best fit for the charity event that’s coming up– You remember it being two months away, but she begins to prepare for it now.
Working for her has been a delight since you don’t have to do much around. She wants you to stay away from Satoru. However, she called up this weekend for this. She tugs on the sides of the dress and tells you, “Call the tailor, I spent too much money on this dress to not wear it. Also I need you to send flowers to the Inumaki family and make sure they’re coming.”
And the more time you spend with her, you realize that she’s practically running the company by making sure the connections the family has are intact. The more you do, the more you realize that the majority of people don’t believe Satoru is adept enough to take over his father’s job. He was going to take over the company someday anyway, everyone knew so, you’re not sure why so many people are against it.
It almost makes you feel bad for Satoru, but you don’t. It’d take a lot more for you to feel bad for that man. You hum in response, and write down a reminder for yourself. She lists a bunch of other things that you have to do, and you write each one down, and what she notices from the reflection of her mirror is that there’s a smile on your face, “What is up with you?”
“Um… Nothing, ma’am.” You respond. You watch from the reflection of the mirror as her brows furrow. She walks away from the mirror and grabs her glass of water. She takes a sip of her water before putting it down again.
“What has my son said to you?” She asks, and you’re not sure what she’s talking about since Satoru hasn’t really talked to you. You haven’t even gotten the chance to see him this morning, so you’re not sure why she asks that question.
“I haven’t spoken to him.” You answer, and she wants to believe you. But there’s a reason you have a stupid smile glued to your lips, and she’s certain it’s because of her son.
“Then why are you so smiley today?” And your brows raise. You find yourself confused as to why she thinks her son has to do with your happiness. She should know better than that. Her son has caused you anything but happiness in the past five years.
“I have a date tonight, it has nothing to do with Satoru.” You end up sharing, which she has no problem believing. Satoru is busy tonight, and she knows that it’s not with you. She won’t pry about your personal life, unless it becomes serious and the man can become her grandson’s possible step father.
“Alright.” She responds, and you worry that she’ll push the subject, but she doesn’t seem to care. “Did you already handle catering?”
“I did.” You answer. She begins to ask about stuff that he has handled, stupid trifling details. You feel as if she’s worrying about the most trivial things. Satoru might be new at this, but he isn’t a complete idiot. “You don’t have to worry about anything, ma’am, your son has it covered.”
“Are you sure he does, though? He’s not a man that seems to care about tiny details, and they’re important. Especially in this world.” She responds, and you know better than to refute that argument. She might be right about the fact that tiny details are important, but she underestimates her son. You’ve seen Satoru work his ass off and he seems to care about every tiny detail, but you aren’t going to waste your breath defending Satoru; you doubt that he’s ever defended you, and you’re not going to risk arguing with Mrs. Gojo for him. “I don’t need you anymore. Do what I told you to, and then you can leave.”
“Alright.” You begin to walk to the door, but you hear her voice which makes you stop in your tracks.
“How’s Ren, by the way?” She asks.
“He’s fine.” You respond. She doesn’t say anything else, which makes you exit the room. When you get to the stairs, you hear your name. But it’s not your boss. Neither of them. You take a deep breath before turning to see Sayo, wearing yoga pants, and a sports bra. She has her ebony hair up in a ponytail, and she’s extremely sweaty– Your eyes are staring somewhere they aren’t supposed to.
“It’s so nice to see you!” Sayo has a smile on her lips. She has a towel behind her neck and she uses it to wipe off the sweat that’s everywhere. Even without makeup she’s simply stunning. “Are you doing alright?”
“Yeah…” You answer. Maybe you should ask the same question to her, but you really don’t want to engage in conversation right now. You just want to get home, spend some time with your son, and then get ready for your date.
“Are you doing anything tonight? I’m going out with Shoko, and I meant to ask you if you wanted to join us.” She says when you don’t say anything else. She doesn’t seem to have too many friends, and you genuinely feel bad for being so cold to her, but you don’t see yourself being friends with Satoru’s wife, especially when you have a son that he doesn’t know about.
“I already have plans tonight, I’m really sorry.” You tell her, and she lightly nods her head. Your eyes fall on the man that’s walking behind her, he’s walking your way. You quickly look back at her and sheepishly smile, “Maybe some other time.”
“Yeah… I’ll talk to Shoko to see what we can set up!” She effortlessly smiles back. Satoru really hit the jackpot with her, and it irks you. You wouldn’t be able to smile so easily while disappointed, and maybe this is one of the reasons she’s ideal for Satoru. She can uphold the image of his family, while you wouldn’t have been able to. She ends up turning on her heel and walking down the hallway to go to her room. She doesn’t acknowledge her husband, and her husband doesn’t acknowledge her when they walk past each other.
You try not to stare at Satoru, turning to walk down the stairs. He catches up to you and walks behind you. You begin to walk towards the front door but he takes the opportunity to speak up since from here he won’t be heard by anyone– Except by you and the workers downstairs, but they all know you have a history together. They literally know more than Satoru himself.
“I know that maybe she isn’t the ideal woman to spend the night with but… She’s trying to be your friend.” Satoru speaks up. You come to a stop, your brows furrowing. You turn to look at him, and try to act unbothered.
“I don’t want to turn your wife down, Satoru, but I do have a date to go to.” You share with him, and his brows raise. His hands go to his pockets and he tries to think of how to respond to that, but he doesn’t have anything to say. Nothing nice at least. Nothing smart.
“Uh… That’s nice to know.” He ends up saying, awkwardly looking elsewhere. Since you have nothing else to say to each other, you end up walking out of the house. His feet are glued to the floor and it takes a lot for him to lift his feet up and walk away.
“I love you, Ren.” You kiss the top of his head, and he doesn’t pay too much attention to you since his eyes are glued to the television. He doesn’t seem to realize that you’re going out tonight, and even if he did, his show is more fun and important than his mother, apparently. “Bye bye, Ren.”
“Bye.” He responds, waving his tiny hand, his head not even facing you. You almost roll your eyes and turn off the screen, but you’d rather have this than him crying. You hug your mother and then walk out of your apartment. Suguru is in the lobby of the building, waiting for you to show up. He offered to pick you up at your door, but you don’t feel like it’s appropriate with Ren being right there– You feel like you’ll owe your son an explanation about everything, and it’s too early for that. You have no idea what’ll result with Suguru.
Your eyes land right on him when you get to the lobby, he’s awkwardly glancing at his phone, and you call out his name to catch his attention. He looks up, putting his phone in his pocket and smiling at you as you walk over to him. He gives you a side hug before you walk out of the apartment building.
“I’m so excited for this.” You confess, and you try your best to suppress just how eager you are to be doing this. Maybe when you were sixteen you had a tiny crush on him, but nothing quite like how you felt for Satoru. Looking at a picture of Suguru would make you giggle and maybe your face would get warm, but you felt your heart skip a beat at a picture of Satoru.
But that’s not you anymore… At least that’s not who you’re trying to be. You can actually trust Suguru, which you hate to think about; thinking that you can’t actually trust Satoru is heartbreaking considering you’ve loved him for so long–
“I’m also really excited.” Suguru says, grabbing your hand as he walks you to his car. Your fingers intertwine, and you have the biggest smile on your face. You don’t even remember when was the last time you held hands with someone that wasn’t Ren, trying to stop the child from running off. “You look stunning, by the way.”
“Thank you.” You smile, and you feel your face warm up. You get to his car, to no surprise it’s a rather luxurious car (one similar to the one you have, one that you didn’t buy but your boss). He opens the car door for you, and you mutter another thank you before getting in. Your leg begins to bounce, and you wonder if maybe you are a tad bit nervous. It would be weird for you not to be, you don’t remember the last time you went on a date; additionally, this isn’t Satoru. You’ve only ever dated Satoru. This is the first time that you’re on a date with someone else.
Suguru gets into the driver’s seat and you take a deep breath. He starts the car and begins to drive. For the first minute you’re quiet since you’re visibly nervous– At least you bite your bottom lip, your leg bouncing and you’re looking elsewhere. He clears his throat and he asks, “How’s Ren doing, by the way?”
“He’s fine! He was watching some stupid show when I left and barely paid attention to me.” Your speech comes out a little too fast at first, and it’s hard for him to make out the words but he figures it out. You have to give it a minute to get used to these sudden nerves that overcome you. “He reminds me a lot of Satoru when he was of similar age.”
“Not gonna lie, I forget a lot about the fact that you’ve known Satoru for just as long as I have.” Suguru shares, and you chuckle. Your chuckle turns into an unintentional frown though, and you try to shake the thoughts that come to your head… But you can’t, so you share them with him.
“Not anymore. We’ve lost years of friendship.” You say, and you try to change the subject since you’ve made the conversation awkward. “How are you liking your job so far? How’s your residency going?”
You watch as he smiles, even though he tells you he’s tired. He likes what he’s doing, and you try not to pity yourself. You’re happy for him, you tell yourself that over and over again. You were supposed to be in a similar position and maybe if…
You’re happy for him. You’re happy with your baby boy and what life has given you, even if it isn’t ideal.
“God, she’s stressing me out.” You comment, referring to Mrs. Gojo. You have no idea how you got to this conversation. Slowly you’ve gotten more and more comfortable with each other, and you finally ended up in the topic of your boss who happens to be the grandmother of your son. “She was fine and then she– I don’t know, man. She’s micromanaging every single one of Satoru’s moves, and I’m the one that ends up with double work.”
“She’s always been a nightmare. Every time I have a nightmare she appears in it.” Suguru jokes, which makes you laugh. You have no idea why you were so nervous at first, you haven’t had this much fun in a while. He clears his throat and says, “The hospital I’m working at needs a receptionist, if you’re interested.”
“She pays too well and covers all my costs. As much as I’d love to leave, I don’t think I can.” You respond. “She got me the same car you have but in a different color, and it’s in my name. As stressed as I am, I’m living great.”
“And she paid for it? Shit, sign me up.” Suguru laughs. He proceeds to add, “What do I have to do? Fuck Satoru?”
“Have a child with him too.” You tell him, and he raises a brow and pouts his lips. He takes a moment to think about it.
“Hmm… That’s a challenge, but I’ll figure it out.” You both burst into a fit of laughter. You want to do this again. There’s an awkward moment of silence, and Suguru’s finger begins to tap the table. He has something to say, and you stay quiet so you can hear his question. “Do you… Regret any of it?”
“That’s not a conversation for a first date, is it?” You ask and he mutters an apology. He’s about to change the subject, but you proceed to answer the question, “I don’t regret any of it… Sometimes I think I do but Ren is–”
He loudly begins to cough, and you look at him weird, until you notice his eyes stare behind you. You turn your head, and you roll your eyes seeing the last person that you want to look at right now. He’s with his mother, most likely dealing with some business matters. Satoru doesn’t seem to notice you, his hand going up and waving at Suguru as he approaches your table.
“Hey, Suguru!” You turn back to look at Suguru, hoping that you’ll be able to hide because you’re certain this will be awkward– And it’ll certainly cause problems to arise.
“Satoru! Hey!” Suguru tries to act like nothing is up, maybe Satoru will just greet him and walk to another table.
“Don’t mean to interrupt your date, just wanted to greet you.” Satoru says, which is ironic since he doesn’t stop walking until he’s right behind you. Satoru just sees the back of a head, and when he tilts to try and get a look at you, you move so he’s not able to see you. “I hope you have a great–”
It takes him a moment but he remembers that you also had a date. It can’t be you… right? He says your name, and your eyes widen. You turn to look at him, and you swear you can see as his heart drops.
“Hi, Satoru.”
“I–” His brows furrow. He tries to think of what to say, but he doesn’t gather the right words to say. He doesn’t know what he feels. Overwhelming emotions take over, and he doesn’t know how to react.
So he walks away.
#[changes]#gojo saturo#satoru gojo#gojou satoru x you#jjk satoru#gojou satoru x reader#jujutsu kaisen gojo#jjk gojo#gojo angst#jjk#jujutsu kaisen#jujutsu kaisen x reader#gojo satoru#jujutsu gojo#gojo x reader#gojo fanfic
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Chapter 6, Unattached - Pt. 1
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Fem!Reader
Summary: When your FWB relationship with your best friend Bucky Barnes turns into something more, you couldn’t be happier. That is, however, until a new Avenger sets her sights on your super soldier and he inadvertently breaks your heart. You take on a mission you might not be prepared for to put some distance between the two of you and open yourself up to past traumas. Too bad the only one who can help you heal is the one person you can no longer trust.
Warnings: (For this part only; see Story Masterlist for general Warnings) Language, angst (Bring on the Pain!), alcohol usage, dumbass Bucky, noncon kissing that becomes con kissing, so..., arguing, jealous!Pocket, posessive!Bucky.
Word Count: 5.4k
Previously On...: After Bucky left you alone in your room, not wanting people to get 'the wrong idea' about the two of you, you came to the horrible conclusion that you were in love with your best friend. What the hell are you going to do about that?
A/N: Wow, okay! So, first off, Chapter 6 is long, and it only has the one part, so don't worry if you go looking for more and the next thing you find is Chapter 7! Second, there's a lot of progress and updates on Unwanted I wanted to share! I am already well into writing Chapter 14, and have planned out the rest of the story. We'll have a total of 25 chapters, plus an epilogue (unless something strikes me creatively that throws the entire thing for a loop, then all bets are off). This beast, as it currently sits, is already 208 Google Docs pages long and just shy of 80k words, so final product is probably going to be novel-length, which just blows my mind. I want to give a special shout out to @mrsbuckybarnes1917 for being my beta and my sounding board; your help and support has been immeasurable!
Thank you to all those who have been reading; if you like what you've read, likes, comments, and reblogs give me life, and I truly appreciate them, and you!
Banner By: The absolutely amazing @mrsbuckybarnes1917
Taglist: (Please let me know if you’d like to be added!) @jmeelee @cazellen @blackhawkfanatic @les-sel @marcswife21 @buckybarnessimpp @mrsbuckybarnes1917 @erelierraceala @hayjat @capswife @itsteambarnes @jupiter-107 @marygoddessofmischief
You stood in front of the doors to the common room, the low thrum of conversation and music filtering out from inside. Taking a deep breath, you tried for the umpteenth time to calm your nerves following your unsettling realization.
You had no idea how to approach this, how to approach Bucky. Do you tell him how you felt, in the hope that he felt the same way? But what if he didn't? Could you risk losing him all together? Or do you just keep on like nothing's changed, happy with what you have together? Would that be enough for you? Could you even be happy in a real relationship?
Why couldn't your mother have just been a decent human being and let you go to school like a normal child so you could have worked through all your awkward issues at the appropriate time, instead of saddling you with years of trauma and isolation that left you an emotionally stunted adult? God, you needed a strong drink and to talk to Nat, preferably in that order. Pushing open the common room door, you stepped inside, surveying the room with one eye out for Bucky, the other out for your friend.
It should have been of no surprise, then, that instead of either, you first spotted Jade Carthage. She was situated on a couch in the center of the room, like a queen on her throne before her court, and nearly every Avenger and agent with a penis was surrounding her, jockeying for her attention, even Clint who, you knew for a fact, loved his wife Laura more than life itself.
Your stomach dropped when, after one of the agents in front of the couch shifted slightly, you saw Bucky sitting immediately to Jade's left. And while it seemed like everyone else was clamoring for Jade to pay attention to them, she only had eyes for him. Jealousy coursed through you as she leaned in close, whispering something into his ear that had him throwing his head back in laughter. It was an entirely unpleasant sensation that you would be happy to never feel again. Especially because you knew you had no real right to feel it in the first place. You may have just realized you were in love with him, but he had made no similar declaration to you.
"Careful, you glare any harder, you're liable to bore a hole straight through him," Natasha said, coming up alongside of you.
"What if I aim for her, instead?" you asked, reaching for the tumbler of alcohol she offered you and taking a sip to distract yourself. It was like she could read your mind.
Nat shrugged. "So long as I'm not the one cleaning up the mess, I say have fun. But what happened to no-strings-attached, friends who happen to fuck?" Nat asked with a smirk. "Don't tell me you've grown strings, Pocket."
You looked away from the scene in front of you. "There might be some growing of string, in theory," you mumbled to her. Nat was the only person you had confided in regarding your arrangement with Bucky. Of course, your friend had been thrilled that there had been something going on between the two of you, but she'd been more concerned about protecting your heart-- was this the safest thing for you to do? You assured her at the time you'd be fine, but now...?
Nat's eyes widened as a grin took over her face. "Honey, that's fantastic!" She leaned in to give you a hug. "I'm so happy for you!" Taking in your forlorn expression, she quickly lost her good humor. "Why do you look like you're about to throw up?"
You cast another glance over at the couch. Jade was tracing her fingers along the golden veins of Bucky's vibranium arm and you felt like snakes were crawling through your stomach. "Because I don't know what the fuck to do about it, Natty," you told her with a sigh. "I've never felt like this before in my entire life and it's fucking terrifying; what if he doesn't feel the same way? Or worse, what if he does and I mess everything up because I'm so fucking damaged inside?"
Natasha looped her arm through yours, leaning into you. "Honey, first of all, you are not damaged. You've been through hell and it left its mark on you, that's true, but you've been so strong. We're House Martell, remember?"
You sniggered, remembering how, when the entire Tower was obsessed with watching Game of Thrones together and picking what houses you'd each belong to, you and Nat had been drawn to the words of the ruling house of Dorne. And also, Pedro Pascal, obviously.
"Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken," you recited from memory, a reminder that despite the obstacles life had thrown at you, you remained standing, stronger for what you had endured.
"Atta girl," Nat nudged you with her elbow. "And second of all, you don't need to worry about Bucky's feelings. Boy's obviously mad for you. Everyone can see it."
You drew your bottom lip in between your teeth. "I don't know, Nat. He's been acting strange lately. I tried to give him head earlier and he flat out rejected it." Come to think of it, that was exceptionally weird since, in your text exchange, he'd explicitly told you he'd been waiting in your room specifically for the purpose of getting off.
"Huh. That's... not like him." Nat tilted her head and looked over at Bucky, expression curious. "Did he say why?"
"He was real eager to come up here and get in the middle of that, apparently." You waved a hand in the general direction of the couch where Jade's little reverse-harem was still going strong. "I was getting on my knees and everything."
Nat raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.
"And then he made a really big deal about us coming up here separately. Said he didn't want people getting 'the wrong idea' about us if we arrived together."
Letting go of your arm, Natasha spun to face you, her face a mask of anger. "He said what now?!" she practically shouted, temporarily drawing everyone's attention to you. You looked around sheepishly as you tried to dismiss their stares.
"Nat," you begged in a whisper, "keep it down."
"Okay, okay, sorry." Natasha lowered her voice to a level only you could hear. "I'm sorry, but that's just complete and utter bullshit. Look, I know you guys think you've been in super secret stealth mode about hiding it, but pretty much everyone on the team knows you've been sleeping together. Hell, most of us placed bets on it." You opened your mouth in order to protest but she cut you off.
"If anything, it's weirder if the two of you don't show up to something together, so I don't know what the hell he's thinking."
"I do," you said morosely. "He doesn't want her getting the wrong idea about us."
"Pocket, don't even let your mind go there," Nat said.
"Think about it, Nat; I've been standing here for what, fifteen minutes now? And he hasn't even looked at me. When's the last time that happened?"
Nat's brows creased, her expression clouding over into something immensely sad for you, and you knew she was realizing what you'd already seen. In the last year, you and Bucky had been attached at the hip, nearly physically joined to one another, and if you were apart, your eyes were always scanning the room in search of the other's presence, seeking them out. The fact that he hadn't even looked for you, let alone come to you since you walked in, was telling in its own heartbreaking way.
Nat let out a heavy sigh. "Oh Pocket. Honey, I'm so sorry."
You shook your head, trying to dispel the tears that were threatening to fall from your eyes if you kept down this path. "Don't Natty, please. I can't fall apart, not here."
"Yeah, okay-- you're right. Now is not the time. Come on." Linking her arm through yours once again, she directed you toward the bar where Tony was standing, whiskey in hand. "If anyone can talk you to distraction," she murmured as you approached him, "it's Stark."
You let out a startled laugh and let her guide you toward the man who had already saved you more times than you could count.
"Hey, kiddo; Romanoff." Tony saluted you with his glass and you did your best to smile back at him as you stuffed your emotions down as far as they would go. "What do you think of our new recruit?" he asked Nat.
"I think 'Weasel' would be a better fitting code name for her than 'Vixen,'" Nat replied with a sly smile as she took a sip of wine.
"Ah, saw the security feed, did you?" Tony asked her. Nat nodded.
"Watched it live as it happened. Wasn't going to leave my bestie without eyes on her six." She gave your arm an affectionate squeeze.
Tony hummed and glanced over to the couch. "Wish Cap had been as discerning as you. He refused to watch the feed; said it made him uncomfortable to spy on someone when they didn't know they were being recorded." Natasha rolled her eyes.
"Always the fucking Boy Scout," she murmured.
"So, how did the interview itself go?" you asked Tony, not really sure you wanted to know the answer, but feeling the need to punish yourself with the details, anyway.
Tony leaned back against the bar, resting his elbows on the polished wooden surface. "If it were up to me, we wouldn't even be playing this charade right now," he said, motioning with his chin to indicate the meet and greet. "Girl's a first-class bullshitter."
"Talent recognizing talent?" you asked with a wry smile that almost felt genuine.
He pointed a finger and winked at you. "Exactly. She talked a good talk, but it doesn't take much to see she's suffering from Big Fish, Small Pond Syndrome. She's in for a rude awakening if she thinks she's ready to swim in the ocean with the whales and the sharks."
"So, you're not going to offer her the probationary position?" you asked, hope rising pathetically in your chest. As if you could un-ring the bell.
"Oh, I didn't say that," Tony said as you deflated. "It's not all up to me. Though, given the fact that I personally fund this entire operation, you'd think it really should be, right?" At the look on your face he moved on. "Apologies, I digress. Anyway, Cap thinks it's only fair we offer it to her, seeing as how we don't have a ton of other options knocking on our door, and Fury's not going to get off my ass until we find someone." He sighed. "I think this entire exercise is a waste of time, and we should be kicking her out on her ass for how she treated you earlier, Pocket, but I'm outvoted."
"Thanks, Boss," you said softly, grateful at least that Tony could see through Jade's facade and took how she treated you seriously. Too bad your best friend couldn't offer you the same courtesy.
The timer on Tony's watch went off. "And that's the dinner bell," he said, putting down his glass. Clapping his hands, he called out to the rest of the room. "Attention Avengers, SHIELD Agents, and... whoever else managed to sneak in off the street! Dinner is served, so if we could all head to the dining room before the food gets cold and Raul quits on me, I'd appreciate it very much."
You held back as the crowd of people noisily moved to the dining room, hoping to catch Bucky's eye, but he remained steadfastly absorbed in his conversation with Jade.
"Come on, honey," Nat said as she took your elbow. "You can talk to him during dinner. You nodded and allowed her to lead you into the dining room. You and Bucky had sat next to one another, without fail, for every meal for the last year, the only exception being when one of you was away on a mission. You'd have plenty of opportunities to talk to him while you ate.
Normally, you all ate at one large table, but since this was a special occasion that required the attendance of a lot more than just the regular 13 members of your family (14, if Parker was around), Tony had the dining room arranged more like a restaurant, with a series of smaller tables spread out throughout the space.
You and Nat followed Bucky and Jade to a six-top where Steve and Sam were already getting ready to sit down, but you froze in your tracks when Bucky pulled back a chair for Jade, pushing it in behind her as she sat down before taking the seat next to her.
The air seemed to grow heavy, as though it weighed too much for you to draw it into your lungs and your chest began to hurt. How could such a simple action be causing you so much physical pain?
Steve, who had already been sitting at Bucky's other side at the head of the table, caught your eye and moved to get up to offer you his chair, instead, as though that could make up for Bucky's dismissal of you.
You subtly shook your head, not wanting to draw attention to the awkward situation you found yourself in. Instead, you made your way over to the only two remaining seats at the table: the one next to Sam that was directly across from Jade and Bucky or the one next to Jade at the opposite end of the table from Steve. Deciding it was better to be sitting across from Steve than either of the other two, you opted for the chair at the end, and Nat slid in next to Sam.
You cast a quick glance in Jade's direction and had to stifle a sick laugh-- she was physically coming between you and Bucky, quite literally.
Jade reached a hand out to Nat across the table. "Wow! Black Widow! It is so great to meet you! My name's Vixen; I'm a huge fan! I'm so excited for us to be working together!"
Bless Nat, she just stared at the girl with arms crossed across her chest, impassive and judging, until Jade slowly and awkwardly pulled her hand back.
"I take it, then, that you've deemed the Avengers good enough to be your backup team?" Nat asked without expression.
You did your best to cover the laughter that escaped from you with a fake cough, but you didn't try very hard to be convincing.
"What's this about, now?" Steve asked, leaning forward.
"Little Vixen over here," Nat began, leaning back in her chair until she was perched on the two rear legs, "was live-streaming this morning to her social media followers. Told them it wasn't so much that the Avengers were interviewing her to see if she'd be good for the team, but she was interviewing us to see if we'd be good back up for her."
Jade had the decency to look embarrassed for a moment before she turned to face you for the first time, anger taking over her features. "So, what? Didn't much take you for a tattler. You that intimidated by me?"
You opened your mouth to defend yourself but were interrupted by the sound of the legs of Nat's chair slamming back against the floor. "Pocket didn't tell me shit. I heard it straight from your mouth on the security feed. That and a lot of other interesting things."
"You're spying on her, Nat? Really?" Bucky spoke up. "She's our guest and she deserves a modicum of privacy, don't you think?" You stared at him, open mouthed, but he didn't spare you a glance.
"It was a part of her interview, Barnes," Nat spat. "Maybe if you---"
"Okay, Nat, Bucky," Steve said, using his official Captain America voice, "let's table this conversation for later and just enjoy our meal. Raul worked really hard on tonight's menu, so let's not spoil it for him, alright?"
Both Nat and Bucky grumbled their agreement as the catering staff brought out the first course and placed them on each of your plates. Normally, you loved when Raul, Tony's personal chef, cooked meals for the team; he always made sure to throw in something with lemon in it, knowing how much you loved the flavor; but tonight, your appetite was failing you and you ended up pushing more food around on your plate than you put in your mouth.
You couldn't help but steal glances over at Bucky, who continued to be wrapped in conversation with Jade. You tried to keep up with what the others were saying, occasionally nodding your head in agreement to something, but you weren't able to pay any real attention; your mind was elsewhere until you noticed Jade looking at you.
"You know, I have to say I'm surprised to see so many non-Avengers here. I got the impression that this group was... I dunno, elite? But it seems like you just let anyone in."
Steve laughed from the other end of the table. "Being an Avenger is a team effort, Vixen. Everyone plays their part. And besides, Pocket here's just as much an Avenger as I am." The comment took you by surprise, and you gave Steve a warm, appreciative smile.
"Thanks, Cap," you said, truly touched by his words.
"Well, she's more like Avenger-adjacent," Bucky amended, and all the warmth you'd felt at Steve's compliment vanished in an instant, leaving you feeling cold and hollow. The words shouldn't have stung-- it was how you had referred to yourself hundreds of times, but you tended to reserve it for your low moments, when you were feeling unequal to Earth's mightiest heroes. Hearing the words come out of Bucky's mouth, as if he, too, shared in your belief that you were inferior to the rest of them... well, that fucking hurt.
Steve let out a surprised laugh and clapped Bucky on the shoulder. "Pocket may not have enhanced physical abilities or powers or what have you, but she's got a brilliant mind. She's got a PhD in Mechanical Engineering and Computation from MIT, three Master's degrees, she speaks seven languages, she's got a black belt in Krav Maga, and she was the youngest Chief Technology Officer in Stark Industries history; all without ever having formally graduating high school. It's no exaggeration for me to say that I'd be dead a couple of dozen times over if I hadn't had her at my six. If anything, I think it makes her even more important than the rest of us. We're here because of the physical things we can do– primarily because of things that happened to us by accident; Pocket's essential to the team because of how she thinks, and the strength and quality of the work she’s willing to put in. We're replaceable, Pocket's one-of-a-kind."
You looked at Steve as if seeing him for the very first time. You had no idea he thought so highly of you, and his praise warmed you. You offered him a soft smile, your throat tightening with emotion and leaving you unable to express your gratitude. You mouthed a silent thank you instead, hoping that conveyed how much his words meant to you. He winked back at you in acknowledgement.
Bucky glanced back and forth between the two of you, as if analyzing your silent exchange. He coughed awkwardly. "I just meant that we try to keep Pocket away from the really dangerous stuff," he backpedaled, poorly, in your opinion. "Can't risk her getting hurt." He smiled at you, but you just stared back, expression blank, until he looked away in embarrassment. Good. Let him feel an ounce of the discomfort you’d been feeling this entire time.
Small talk resumed around the table, with Sam telling Steve about some new modification he was making to Redwing, and Bucky and Jade back to being locked in their own bubble. You did your best to ignore the little glances and gestures that Jade directed to Bucky, but it felt like your eyes were drawn to them like a magnet every time she touched him. Which seemed to be happening more and more frequently. You couldn't help but notice the way he leaned toward her when she spoke. Did he ever do that when he was talking with you?
"So, Bucky," Jade said eventually, her voice low and flirty as the caterers took away the main course, "handsome super hero like you, you seeing anyone?" Your eyes snapped up to Bucky's face, watching him. Surely he was going to look to you, make eye contact, something to acknowledge what was between you, to make you feel like you were in the same room, hell, on the same fucking planet as him. But he didn't.
"Nope," he said, running his hand over the back of his neck like he always did when he was feeling self conscious or nervous. "Not seeing anyone, though I'm not opposed to the idea." You had been stabbed in the abdomen on a mission once, and that had hurt less than hearing the words that had just come out of Bucky's mouth. It took everything in you to resist getting up from the table and leaving the room at that moment.
"Really, man?" Sam asked from where he sat on the other side of Natasha, his voice hard in disbelief. The atmosphere at your table had shifted. Natasha, Steve, and Sam all stared at Bucky with looks ranging from incredulity to flat out disgust. Bucky either was oblivious to the stares or was doing a great job patently ignoring them.
You couldn't even bring yourself to look at him anymore. It felt like a betrayal, the way his eyes had met Jade's and not yours. How could he sit there and just completely deny you like that? Had you been deluding yourself? Had you just been some kind of fuck toy this entire time?
The caterers brought the next course, a cold raspberry soup. You sat there, staring into space as you mechanically spooned the soup into your mouth, trying your hardest to appreciate the taste, but everything seemed bitter in light of Bucky's attitude, actions, and words.
"Could you hand me the water carafe?" Bucky asked. You looked up to watch Jade hand him the bottle of water. "Thanks, doll," he said, smiling at her.
You dropped your spoon, letting it fall into your nearly empty bowl with a reverberating clang. Your companions at the table stared, eyes wide as their gazes traveled between you and Bucky. In his entire time at the tower, he had never once called another woman 'doll.' It was a moniker he'd specifically reserved for you.
Or, it used to be.
You could tell the exact moment when Bucky realized he'd fucked up. His eyes locked on yours, the color draining from his face. He opened his mouth as if he was going to speak to you, but you'd had enough. Without a word, you pushed back your chair with enough force that it practically tipped over and exited the dining room.
You made it all the way to the elevator before you heard him calling for you.
"Doll! Doll, where are you?" You stabbed repeatedly at the call button, as if it would bring the car to you faster. You could hear his footsteps drawing closer, and you really didn't want to talk to him right now.
Finally, the elevator doors opened and you slid inside, turning to press the 'Close Door' button just as you saw Bucky turn the corner to the elevator bay. You were ready to breathe a sigh of relief at evading him until Bucky's metal hand shot in the diminishing space between the closing doors. You were trapped.
"Doll, didn't you hear me callin' to you?" he asked as he slid into the car with you.
You looked around, as if searching for another person in the car. "I'm sorry, were you talking to me? Should probably be more specific with your pet names, then. A girl’s liable to get confused." You were impressed that the words came out as hard and bitter as you felt inside.
Bucky flinched. "I deserved that."
You leaned forward to press the button for your floor before crossing your arms and glaring at him. "You fucking think?"
"Look, it just slipped out, okay? I didn't mean anything by it. It's not a big thing you needed to storm out over." You rolled your eyes at him, disgusted that that was the only thing he seemed to realize he'd done to offend you all evening. "Pocket, can we just talk about this?"
"Oh, now you want to talk to me?" you asked, jutting out your hip in annoyance. "Seemed like earlier today, you couldn't wait to not be seen with me, or do you no longer care if people get the wrong idea?"
"Alright," Bucky said, slamming his fist against the elevator's emergency stop button. You stumbled as the car came to a grinding halt. Bucky tried to put his hands on you to steady you, but you pushed him away. "What is going on with you today, Pocket?"
"What's going on with me?" you asked him, incredulous. "What's going on with you? You've been an ass to me all night, that is when you weren't acting like I didn't exist."
"How am I being an ass?" he asked, voice rising. "You're the one who couldn't even hold a civil conversation with our guest! It was embarrassing!" You recoiled as if he'd slapped you, backing away from him until your back hit the elevator wall.
"Wow. Okay then." You blinked heavily, telling yourself not to cry. You'd be damned if you showed weakness in front of him now. Bury the emotions, encase them in ice. "Sorry I'm such a fucking embarrassment to you, Sergeant Barnes. Now that I know how you feel, I'll make sure to stay out of your way so you don't have to put up with me." You moved to press the button to restart the elevator, but Bucky grabbed your wrist.
"Don't do this," he growled at you. "Don't hide behind snappy quips so you can shut down and avoid having a real conversation with me." You stared between his eyes and where he held your wrist in his metal grip. It wasn't tight enough to hurt, but it was tight enough to keep you from breaking free.
His gaze softened as he watched you. "I never said I was embarrassed of you, Pocket. I just don't know why you had to be so rude to Jade at dinner tonight."
"Name one thing I did that was rude to her," you challenged.
"Okay," Bucky stuck out a finger as though he were about to count off all your grievous errors. "Let's see... You said... No, that was Nat... You were... okay, Steve said that... You said... No, that was Nat again." He looked up at you sheepishly. "So, maybe you actually didn't say anything during dinner, but not talking to her was still rude."
You scoffed. "You want to talk rude and embarrassing, Bucky? Do you know how embarrassing it was to have everyone staring at me when you pulled out my chair for Jade, or when my own best friend didn't defend me when she had the audacity to call me a fucking tattler? Like I’m some kind of fucking child?" Your voice was rising and you could feel yourself getting swept up in your anger. "How about the pity looks I got when everyone heard you lie about not seeing anyone, or when you called her 'doll'? Or when you told her I was 'Avengers-adjacent'? You think I'm the embarrassing one? You made me feel like an insignificant piece of shit tonight, Barnes. God, if it hadn't been for Steve saying what he said, you would have driven me to tears."
Bucky had been staring down at his boots as you'd been speaking, as though your accusations were too much for him to face head-on, but at the mention of Steve's name, his head snapped up, blue eyes like ice on your face. "Well, if Steve's such a hero, why aren't you fucking him, then?" he asked, voice clipped and bitter.
You yanked your wrist free from his grasp. "Maybe I should start!" you shouted. "At least he's not embarrassed of me and doesn't forget I exist when another pair of tits shows up!"
Bucky's gaze darkened and in an instant, he was on you, caging your body against the elevator wall, a hand on either side of your head. "Don't you even fucking joke about that," he snarled.
You jutted out your chin, refusing to show any sign of weakness, though his actions were beginning to frighten you. "Who says I'm joking? Sounds like a good idea to me; thanks for suggesting it." You moved to duck under his arm, but he grabbed you by the shoulders, pinning you in place.
His breaths were coming hard and fast now, as though he'd just run a marathon. His gaze darted between your eyes and your lips, as though trying to make up his mind about something. In the next instant, his mouth was crashing down on yours, his tongue demanding entry.
You gasped at the sudden intrusion and Bucky took that as his invitation, deepening the kiss with a primal fervor. His hands gripped your waist, pulling you into him. For a moment, you were stunned, unsure of what was happening. But then instincts took over – he was kissing you, really kissing you. Your stomach fluttered and your heart hammered in your chest.
One of your hands ran through his hair, while the other gripped his shoulder for support. His hands had somehow migrated beneath your shirt, thumbs rubbing soothing circles into the bare skin at your sides. You returned his kiss with as much intensity as he gave. But then suddenly, as if waking from a dream, you remembered why you were angry with him. You pushed against his chest, breaking the kiss.
You were both panting, and despite your attempt to put distance between your bodies, Bucky leaned down, resting his forehead against yours as he fought to catch his breath. "Don't," he whispered hoarsely, his voice heavy with an emotion you couldn't quite place. "Don't sleep with Steve."
"You realize how incredibly infuriating you're being right now, don't you?" you asked. "You can't just treat me like that, ignore me all night in favor of someone else, then kiss me and try to tell me who I can or can't sleep with."
"I know, Sweetheart," he said, nuzzling your nose with his, "I know and I'm sorry, but please, promise me: no matter how angry you are with me, don't sleep with Steve. You wanna fuck someone else to piss me off? Go fuck Sam, Thor, Rhodes, hell, even Parker. I'll hate it, but if it's Steve, it'll fucking kill me."
"Your signals are all over the place tonight, Buck," you sighed, letting out an involuntary moan as his lips found the sweet spot on your neck and sucked at your skin. You had to pull away before he turned you into a babbling mess. "If you think you can just kiss me into oblivion and I'll forgive you for everything you've said and done tonight, you better think again, because that's not happening."
Bucky ran both his hands through his hair, sending it pointing every which way. Then he pressed the emergency stop button again, letting the elevator resume its journey. "I know I owe you an explanation, Pocket," he said. "So, can we go to your room and talk? No interruptions, no one else, just you and me, okay?"
You studied him, considering. A part of you was still so angry at him that you didn't want to hear him out, but the part of you that loved him hated the idea of leaving things in a bad place. In your line of work, you never knew when your next goodbye might be your last goodbye.
"Fine," you said, dropping your shoulders with a sigh. "We can talk, I'll hear you out, but I'm not promising forgiveness."
He smiled, his eyes bright once again. "That's all I ask, Sweets. That's all I ask."
<- Previous Chapter / Next Chapter ->
#bucky barnes x reader#bucky barnes x you#bucky barnes x y/n#bucky x you#bucky x reader#bucky fanfic#bucky barnes#bucky barnes fanfic#bucky x female reader#bucky barnes fic#bucky barnes fanfiction#james bucky buchanan barnes#james buchanan barnes#mcu bucky barnes#james barnes
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"Oh, so we DO love Steve..." | Part IX (FULL)
⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ SERIES MASTERLIST ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆
Steve Harrington x Bauman!fem!reader
enemies to lovers, heavy angst, hurt/comfort, upside down mayhem, S2-S4, post S4 universe hot-take, end-of-the-world / dystopian setting, ugly fights turned smut (...but with hella plot). 18+
CHAPTER IX WARNINGS/NOTES: t.w.'s - language, innuendo / sexual undertones, mention of dr*gs and abuse and childhood trauma, Max in a coma, talks about death, difficult confrontations. 18+
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the 9th chapter, written in full. Not action packed, but vital to the plot. Lots of beautiful moments in here that I really took my time with writing because at this point, I am just so in love with this concept. We learn more about Bauman's past. Steve and Jonathan finally have that talk. Murray is a proud uncle. The kids are adorable. Steve's dream isn't only his. And everyone prepares for doomsday.
Bonus: If you love the song "This Little Life," well then you are in for a treat. It heavily inspired this chapter, and it will be back...
PROOFREAD UNTIL MY EYES BLED.
IF THERE ARE STILL TYPOS, SORRY BOUT IT. 18+
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Steve Harrington was no stranger to nightmares.
He’d learned how to endure them. Over the years, he made friends with his demons. So much so, it got to a point where he got too used to having them around. He just nodded at them as they lurked in the darkest corners of his sunshine mind, letting them exist as lonely, miserable wallflowers who were never noticed in the daylight when he was awake…waiting for their fleeting moment of popularity after dark, when his eyes were shut. He didn’t address them when he was awake. Because if he addressed them, that would mean they were real. But if he let them have their way at night, forgetting them the next day and acting like they did not exist, that meant they had no power over him. They didn’t mean anything. They were nothing.
They meant nothing.
At least, that’s what Steve told himself.
Every night before shutting his eyes, he steels himself for whatever hell he was going to face. From the ripe age of four, he learned to simply expect the unexpected when it came to sleeping. Sleep was never going to be his friend — whether he was sleeping alone, or with a friend, or holding naked girl in his arms. Steve was made to suffer in his sleep. His subconscious was a world that was built upon a foundation ruled by the reality of absent parents, being an only child, high school flings that left him longing and the endless search for love. It consisted of repeated dialogues — sometimes the incessant arguing between his parents, or the jabbering of Tommy H. and Carol, or hearing Nancy chanting bullshit, along with all the other voices of people who filtered in and out of his life. Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit.
Sometimes, Steve was running away from his own voice in his head. There were nights when, within his own nightmares, he himself was the nightmare. That really came into effect during his last year of high school and the summer after he lost Nancy. Adding the entire element of the upside down into his life only fed his nightmares. They were bad before, they were bad then, and they were worse now.
Trauma after trauma, loss after loss, fight after fight, bloodshed upon bloodshed.
Every punch to his eye. Every word slapped across his face. Every other worldly creature he was made to battle. Every moment he was paralyzed with fear of losing one of his kids.
Nightmares loved Steve. And they knew exactly where to find him, every single night.
But right now, sleeping next to you, it wasn’t nighttime. It was still day. Daylight shown through the windows of your assigned guest room in the Harrington house — curtains drawn, and the gloomy afternoon sky filtering the space around you both.
And here he was, fast asleep with his cheek resting on top of your chest, as your heartbeat thumped against his ear. One of his toned arms was looped around your waist, having closed his eyes and letting the steady rise and fall of your chest lull him to sleep. Steve had been fighting sleep for the last two nights. Especially the night after you died in his arms. He had just barely brought you back to life, and he knew that as bad as his nightmares had been before…all of them amounted to nothing compared to the nightmares that would undoubtedly follow him after that. Steve wanted nothing to do with sleep. He was damned for all eternity when it came to sleep, and it was sure to bring him a life of insomnia after the real life nightmare that he was made to face when wide awake.
That’s the beauty of being asleep: you have to wake up.
Steve told himself that every night before he went to bed. He told himself that no matter how bad it got, he would still wake up. And once he woke up, it would be over.
He learned to do that after he went to the county fair one year with his friends, back in middle school. He’d gotten on a ride, peer pressured by Tommy H. and not wanting to look like a chicken.
Every second of the ride, Steve was petrified.
He wanted off, he wanted off, goddammit let me off he shouted.
Then he remembered having been told by the county fair worker that the ride lasted four minutes. Steve took a deep breath, realizing he’d likely been on it for already half that time. So he counted to himself. Counting down the last half of the ride, he told himself over and over: eventually, this ride has an end.
Sure enough, when it did finally come to an end — and when everyone was let off the hellish escapade — Steve realized that he had found the glitch in the matrix. The warp in time. The secret superpower to conquering fear. Suddenly, he wasn’t so afraid anymore. Which is why now, whatever nightmare he was made to face, he would endure it — knowing that the sweet relief of waking up was just right around the corner.
And after all: stranger things had been proven real in Steve’s real life, far more than in his wildest dreams.
Loving you had turned out to be the strangest thing of all.
Even more so, the lack of nightmares that came with that was also strange…
Because right now, as Steve finally succumbed to sleep instead of fighting it, lying next to you…he was not trapped in a nightmare. His subconscious did not have him roaming the unpredictable pathways that led to the darkest corners of his mind. His demons had ceased their dance. Vecna, and all his other worldly monsters, were not the stars of this particular show. Steve was not trapped in the midst of jabbering chants coming from the voices of all the people that he loved, all the people who had betrayed him, or even the voice belonging to himself.
For the first time in years, Steve Harrington was dreaming.
It wasn’t anything drastic. Nothing that could exhaust him, to where any hours of sleep hadn’t felt like any sort of sleep at all. In fact, his subconscious state was…serene. Quiet, peaceful. It was almost unsettling in a way.
Little bursts of yellow — pastel and sunshine and lemon — colored the dark walls inside his mind. A light breeze gently wooshed in the distance, coming seemingly from nowhere but still fanning his face and the flop of his perfect hair. Somewhere, someone was humming. Almost like a bird, or the sound of a foghorn super far off in the distance. Maybe even the distant drums of a far away land. The rhythm came and went, but it kept him company. As if it were some little song made up in his head as he went along, saying, “Hey, I’m right here. We are in this together.”
On the other side of Steve’s closed eyelids, you laid beneath him in his yellow crewneck. The air you breathed softly, in and out of your nose, fanned across his forehead and his perfect hair. And while your heartbeat was not even, it was there — beneath his ear, drumming in a makeshift pattern, inventing its own rhythm as it went.
In the real world, your uneven heartbeat reminded you both that you yourself were not in the clear. Not yet.
But currently, in this new world that Steve’s subconscious had just discovered, it reminded him that he was no longer alone. Not with you.
In the real world, Hawkins is in trouble. Cursed.
And while none of you had figured out how to break that curse just yet, along with Vecna’s…one curse had been broken.
You’d broken the curse to Steve’s endless nightmares.
But would this world even allow for you both to explore a future together, in which you had broken this dark spell cast over Steve Harrington’s life…?
***
Seeing Nancy shuffling out of Argyle’s room is the last thing Jonathan ever could have expected. And he’d seen a lot of shit that prepared him for the unexpected.
The perplexed look in her eyes. The determination in her step to get the hell out of there, despite clearly having been given some sort of useful information after sharing God-knows-what conversation with his Cali best friend.
The two lovers at war made eye contact. It was quick, fleeting. But tense.
Eddie and Robin watched as Jonathan turned to stare at Nancy over his shoulder, and how she froze for a moment to stare back at him through her glassy, wide blue eyes. Her gaze, fixed on him, went from longing to hardened. Nancy walked away, and Jonathan letting her without a word only motivated her to keep walking.
And now, Jonathan had been in Argyle’s room for a good long while. Eddie and Robin had left behind their own little comforting conference of sorts to join the adults downstairs, while the kids had set off in other directions of the Harrington house.
But before that, during all the upstairs drama, Joyce and Murray had been having some drama of their own in the basement.
“You did what?!”
By now, Murray had recounted every single part of his story and how he’d played a huge role — along with you — in how her son had ended up with Nancy Wheeler. Murray’s once upon a time had rendered her speechless.
Even Hopper — who’d heard them go downstairs and immediately followed when he heard Joyce start rocking the boat as she pressed Murray for information — now stood there beside Joyce, having just listened to everything – stunned.
Because when in the world did you all have time to fall in love, fall out of love then fall back in love / new love like this? How the fuck were you all managing that on top of the upside down mayhem?
“May I remind you both how you two lovebirds have spent the last few years developing your own slowburn of a story arc?”
Murray’s question was dripping in condescension. But it was valid. It also came from the heart. He loved these two humans to death. And they loved him back.
While Joyce felt an enormous amount of joy that her son had ended up with the girl he loved…her heart ached for Steve. She’d grown to love him like her own over the years, especially these last several months as she lived under his roof. She had no idea just how broken up he’d been about Nancy. Joyce couldn’t help but feel…almost guilty.
But Hopper was shaking his head with a sort of proud grin, noting how as much as Murray had been the one to rock the boat — you had been its captain at the wheel. He pointed out how you had steered that wheel without even trying.
“Were they even friends in high school?” Hopper asked curiously. “Harrington and Bauman — I can’t see your niece even having time for him back then when he was a punk.”
Murray went on to proudly confirm that assessment, along with explaining how you’d simply participated in your Uncle Murray’s meddling because you happened to be there that night and it’s just a sort of family tradition that you both had formed over the years. And when Joyce asked him how someone like you had not been swept up already by some guy, Murray had scoffed. He looked bitter — in the way that a protective parent is on behalf of their own kid.
“My niece deserves the world. Not one stupid guy at that high school could give her a mere city, let alone a globe’s worth. Doesn’t mean she didn’t…try. I know she was into one guy for a good while at one point. Some friend she’d made with one of the athletes who shared A.P. classes with her. She helped him study. Something she never did, unless it was with the girls and guys from her class that had weekly study group nights. But this kid she liked…he was smart, and he liked her back. She more than liked him…and he let her. Then, as all the petty high school boys do, he ditched her and all her efforts and hours spent studying and helping him pass his classes with flying colors…for a bimbo. A blonde, hip shaking, Pom-pom waving babydoll who’s all body, no brains.”
Joyce frowned. “Bauman is beautiful. She’s body, beauty and brains.”
“Yeah well,” Hopper mumbled, shaking his head disdainfully. “In high school, if you’ve got a dick, we’re letting it do the talking for us.”
“Point is,” Murray continued. “It hurt her. Big time. But that’s the thing about my niece. Given our Bauman blood, we don’t easily succumb to our sentimental feelings. We just let it broaden our dark comedic chops and cynical worldview. My niece doesn’t have mommy or daddy to run home to and cry. She’s an only child, so no siblings to help care for and bond with. Yeah, she’s got friends. But mainly at school. She’s got herself…and she’s got me.” Murray smiled at that. “Between me and her grandmother, we’ve been the ones that raise her. But to be perfectly honest, my niece pretty much raised herself.”
Hopper’s heart clenched. For both you and your uncle.
“She’s great, Mur,” Hopper murmured. “You’ve been there for her and it shows.”
Murray was quiet at that. He hated compliments. But he didn’t flinch or get snippy. He actually looked humbled, silently appreciating this observation.
Joyce sighed. “Murray…you really have been an incredible uncle to her. I know that I’ve…given you a hard time about things, but…really. You’ve never missed with her.”
Murray was still quiet. He looked everywhere but at his two best friends for several beats. Finally, he gave a curt nod. But it was grateful, and full of love. Mainly for you.
“That’s my kid.”
Murray’s voice cracked a bit. It was the most unusual sound in the barren basement of the Harrington house, bouncing off the walls despite its soft decimal in volume. The tight lipped grin on his face as he finally made eye contact with Joyce and Hopper said it all. He loved the shit outta you, like any good parent loves their kid.
“I didn’t get the white picket fence life. Or a lifelong love story with some gal. I got dealt a crazy family of addicts and narcissists and loons. Had a brother who married a gal from rehab, got her pregnant while they relapsed and went forward with having a kid that didn’t stand a damn chance at surviving it.”
Murray pursed his lips before he continued. “That’s the first goddamn miracle I’ve ever witnessed. That little fetus somehow made it, all of 5 pounds at 9 ounces. Ready to get the fuck out of the womb and live. It made for an early arrival and the risk of being premature, on top of being a crack baby.”
Murray’s eyes shone with a certain kind of fondness. It held both sadness and joy. And his voice was the gentlest it had ever been as he spoke about you.
“She didn’t have one thing wrong with her. Not one thing. Perfect lungs. Perfect heart. Perfect brain activity. Not cursed from the drugs that coursed through her mother’s veins and doomed her life from the start. That kid’s been outsmarting everyone in her life since she was a seed.”
Joyce and Hopper couldn’t help but chuckle at that. Their eyes shone with Murray’s, having been parents themselves and unable to fathom being so reckless when bringing life into this world.
“I didn’t get my own kid,” Murray continued. He looked at Hopper. “I didn’t get a Sarah.” Then to Joyce, “Or a Jonathan, or Will. A kid who’s my own flesh and blood that I’d fight for to the bitter end.”
Murray stood there, resolute in what he was getting at. “But I got her. I got a niece who loves me. After she was born, I got my dad’s mom to take her in while I traveled and worked. She’s the only family member I’ve bothered keeping in touch with. She’s an odd one. But she had a home and money and willingness to take in a stray. She never thought she’d ever get a granddaughter. Don’t even think she really wanted one much till she was handed one to take in. Between the two of us, we raised her. She got thrown at whoever would take her and that was fine with me. Meant she still had a damn shot at a life. That’s what we gave her. The rest? She’s done herself.”
Murray sniffed. Then, smirking at himself —
“I’d like to think my being an unorthodox parental figure of sorts is why she’s built for the war.”
Hopper grinned at that, swallowing back tears of his own. He squeezed Murray’s shoulder. “Yeah, she is. Kid could survive the damn streets of New York on her own.”
Murray laughed at that, and so did Joyce — she finally shook her head and wiped away a couple motherly tears. She took a deep breath, looking up and shifting gears with the topic.
“You know,” she started. “Call me a hopeless romantic… But I’m pretty sure that Steve Harrington has hopelessly fallen for your niece.”
Hopper snorted. “God, I haven’t ever liked the idea of two youngins together the way I like them.”
Murray grinned big. “Yeah that’s a plot twist even I wasn’t expecting.”
The cynical gent’s expression suddenly went from warm to grave. “…don’t ever repeat that.”
The adults all shared a heart laugh at that, making their own comments on how the two mortal enemies turned out to be lovers. Hopper cringed at the word, along with Murray — and Joyce gave your uncle hell for that, given he’s the self-acclaimed mastermind at love.
“My witch doctor hours are limited when it comes to my niece’s love life,” he argued, but it was all with humor and fondness. “I already orchestrated the basics.”
“Which were…?”
“Calling her out.”
Joyce smiled. “What do you think of them?”
Murray’s expression softened. He contemplated that for several sincere moments.
“Surprises me to say it…but I think she’s got someone who loves her fully. Will love her fully. There’s actual years there, backing them up. Years of real life shit. Abnormal shit. Valid tension, deeply rooted hatred that turned out to be love. She saw Harrington for who he was, and sees him for who he is. I mean — Jesus, she was there for all of it. Steve Harrington’s redemption arc was witnessed by her just as much as those kids that he’s taken on as a babysitter. Well, and the Robin girl. But that’s…not the same thing as what he’s got with my niece. No threat there.”
Hopper’s eyes narrowed at that, curious. But Joyce gave Murray an all-knowing grin, knowing what he was getting at.
“I don’t think she’s on the same field,” she winked.
Murray winked back. “Exactly.”
Hopper blinked. “…alright, you guys lost me.”
Joyce waved him off, continuing. “So you like him with her. Maybe even…approve?”
Murray slowly nodded. “Didn’t think there’d be a guy who stood a chance at that. But given the whole…letting us all stay here and saving her life thing…yeah. I’d say I’m very good with those two being together.”
Joyce nudged him with her elbow. “Maybe you should tell him that. Y’know…given you’re at fault for ‘ruining his life,’ too.”
Murray rolled his eyes. “Oh come on, those two never stood a chance with your broody son standing in the way of that.”
“Yeah well…that broody son of mine isn’t making much sense right now,” Joyce shook her head. She sighed, worried. Hopper stroked her back. “I need to talk to him.”
“Lover’s quarrel,” Murray pointed out. “Best let that be up to him and Wheeler.”
“Yeahhh, well,” Hopper sighed. “Emotions are high right now. Maybe a little adult intervention would be good for them.”
Murray patted them both on the shoulders, back to his usual self. “WELP! You two have a large time with that. Meanwhile, I’ve got a date with a second drink calling my name.”
***
You watched Steve sleep on top of your chest, thinking about the words he’d spoken to you before dozing off.
“What about France? Or Switzerland, somewhere with a bunch of acres and nature and a lake nearby or something?”
You’d smiled at Steve’s question. “How would we get the Winnebago over there?”
He’d stared at you for a moment, eyes sparkling as your words landed. A deep grin formed on his face.
“You really liked my little dream on wheels, huh?”
You grinned back. “Yeah. It’s not little. It’s big.”
He shrugged sweetly. “I mean, it’s not a mansion. Or a house. It’s a home on wheels. Honestly, a really small home on wheels, but…I dunno, I just — wanna travel. With my family. Not leave them behind at some big house while I go off and explore god knows where without ‘em.”
You played with his fingers, listening to his every word. He wasn’t used to this. Having someone who was happy to just…listen to him ramble. Was he even one to ramble at all? Or is that something you just brought out in him?
“I just dream of this…this little life of sorts,” he continued, speaking to you and also to himself.
You smiled at his words. “I think I like this little life.”
Steve could sing at your response. Something about that one sentence after he’d just further divulged into what a bright future looked like in his mind made him feel on top of the world. The lovesick joy in his eyes, and in his heart, made you melt.
“I only want that little life with you,” he whispered to you, cupping your neck as he bent down to press his forehead to yours. You loved when he did that. Too much, way too much.
You nuzzled your nose to his. Steve loved when you did that. Too much, way too much.
“And the nuggets,” you whispered back with the cutest grin. Then, daring to say it — “Our nuggets…”
Steve’s heart soared at that. Ours…
The happy little laugh Steve breathed against you was the prettiest sound in the entire fucking universe. He caught your lips in a kiss, sweet and soft and firm.
“Your heart needs to get its shit together,” he breathed before kissing you again.
“I know, I know,” you breathed back with that playful attitude he had come to love, gliding your lips against his. “Such a pain in the ass. I know you wanna rail me, Harrington.”
He deepened the kissing, his fingers sliding up from your neck into your hair. “Yeah, god forbid I actually just want you to be okay. I only wanna fuck you senseless.”
You sighed into his mouth, clutching his hips with one of your hands and a fistful of his shirt with the other. “Yeah, you dirty, filthy asshole…”
He sucked on your tongue, cutting you off. “Be nice, princess.”
The two of you had eventually pulled back, knowing that you needed to wait on Dr. Owen’s to bring you whatever goddamn medicine was supposed to help even out your heart arrhythmia. Steve had moved in your arms to rest his head over your heart, cheek pressed to your chest with your heartbeat in his eardrum. You could feel him shaking. So, you made up a little tune as you felt fatigue taking over you.
“I think I like this little life…
This little life…
I think I like this little life…
This silly little life.”
You could tell it made Steve smile as he held you closer. He murmured something sweet to you about liking the improvised melody, to which you murmured something back about it becoming a hit one day. Steve let your soft spoken singing play in his mind, giving him the sweetest of dreams as your voice trailed off.
And now, you were awake — humming it again. Steve was still fast asleep on your chest, which brought you tremendous relief. You dared to think it might be the only medicine your heart really needed.
There was a soft knock at the door. You craned your neck towards the source of the sound, curious. Steve didn’t move a bit. He was out. It made you grin. You sighed lightly, planting a soft kiss on top of Steve’s perfect hair. Slowly, gently — you found a way of standing up without waking him. Little did you know, the sleep he found in your arms couldn’t be bothered easily. He slept harder with you than he ever had in his life.
You padded over quietly to the door, opening it slowly and only enough to show you. Your uneven heart was flooded with warmth as you stared back at 5 familiar faces.
Dustin, Mike, Lucas, Will and Eleven all stood there. They held random things. Board games, snacks, and pillows with blankets.
“We are inviting ourselves for a sleepover,” El said.
“A very unexciting one,” Lucas clarified.
“Yes, no excitement,” Dustin agreed.
“Just some good ole fashioned card games that don’t hit pique anxiety,” Mike added.
“Annnnd drawing,” Will threw in, lifting his bag. “Art is always therapeutic. Good for the soul. And the heart.”
You felt yourself getting teared up, looking at their faces with pure love and joy. You chuckled wetly, your chest clenching as you so sorely wished that the sixth nugget was awake to add her sarcasm and unwavering love to the mix.
“Plus it really sucks about the mandate coming soon,” Lucas added sadly.
“Yeah,” Mike nodded. “Before we know it, we’ll all be cramped downstairs in the basement or out there in the middle of nowhere.”
You gave them a sad smile.
“A not-exciting sleepover sounds like a grand plan,” you nodded with a wink. Then, cocking an eyebrow, “So I’m hosting then, huh?”
“Yeah, your room’s bigger than ours,” Dustin said.
“True,” you winked. “Orrrr, we could go over to Max’s room and have her join us?”
All of them nodded excitedly. You smiled, turning back to look at Steve sleeping peacefully in the bed.
“Gimme a few minutes to wake up mom and tell him that Max needs some attending to first, so that we can successfully host a sleepover in her room.”
They all quietly cheered, carefully moving to set down their array of stuff inside of your room. They caught sight of Steve sleeping, snickering to themselves like they were all 8 years old again. You shook your head at them with the biggest grin on your face, adoring how Lucas and Dustin were just so tickled with Steve being in your room. Will and El were giggling into their palms, with Mike shushing them but snorting himself. That made everyone fight back even worse laughter, and you ushered them out quickly before closing the door behind you. Man, you loved these kids so much.
You went into the bathroom, freshening up a bit and turning on the shower to let some hot steam hit your aching shoulder for a bit.
he sound of Steve murmuring your name made you hold off on that.
You walked out, beaming at him as he stared in your direction while sitting up. You were back in his arms in seconds, mumbling into his neck.
“Hey, sleepyhead.”
“Jesus, how long was I out?”
“A good chunk of hours.”
Steve groaned, pulling you impossibly closer to him — still mindful of your bad shoulder. You giggled in his grasp. His ears perked up, craning his head up towards the bathroom door as he heard the stream of water running.
“How dare you think of showering without me?” he scoffs incredulously in your arms.
You continued giggling harder as Steve nuzzled his face into your neck, pretending to attack you as he smothered you with groggy affection.
“Just needed to relieve my handicap a bit,” you sighed contentedly.
With that, Steve rose to stand. He was scooping you up into his arms before you could blink, carrying you into the bathroom. He lifted your shirt off, then his. As you stripped your pants, be took the hair tie from your wrist and ran his fingers through your locks, tying it up with ease. With a kiss pressed to your neck, he took your hand and escorted you into the hot stream of water. You watched Steve wistfully as he shed his pants and joined you.
As Steve gingerly massaged the soap into your shoulder blade, you remembered you needed to tell him about the plans that had been made for you both that evening.
“Baby?”
He hummed in response, loving when you called him that.
“The kids have the evening cut out for us tonight,” you started.
Even with your back to him, you knew his eyebrows were raised. “Oh yeah? What, am I making some crazy dinner feast out of canned goods now?”
You sniffed a laugh, turning to kiss his jaw. “No, we’re on for a sleepover in Max’s room.”
“S’that so?” he mulled, a grin in his voice.
“‘Tis so. That, or in here. But I don’t know if we can move her. Plus, I really want her to hear us all talking as much as possible.”
He exhaled, a kiss pressed to your shoulder. “Alright well, I’ll need to go ahead and get her taken care of before we all take over the room.”
“Sounds good,” you sighed contentedly.
You both finished up, and as you got changed into fresh comfy clothes Steve was eyeing the pile of stuff that the kids had unloaded into your bedroom.
“Damn, they just decided to dump the haul here?” he asked.
You snorted. “Yeahhh, they like to make themselves at home here.”
Steve rolled his eyes, but the fondness behind them said it all. He loved it.
Noticing you struggle with your shirt, he quickly moved to help you pull it over your bad shoulder carefully.
“Need to get better at asking for help, angel,” he winked at you, pulling your arm carefully through the sleeve.
You blushed at that, playfully rolling your eyes. “Noted.”
Steve shook his head as he made sure that your shirt was straight, lost in thought for a moment. “Guess we all won’t be able to hang out up here soon,” he murmured. “Outside of the basement.”
Your heart sank, knowing he was referring to the impending doom that loomed around the corner with the whole mandate going into effect next week. “Yeah,” you mused. “Might as well make the most of tonight with them before we have to go back to doomsday mode.”
He nodded sadly, planting a kiss to your hair before grabbing your discarded clothes along with his to start a fresh load of laundry.
“I’m gonna go start a load,” he said. “Check with Hopper on when Dr. Owen’s is getting back here with your meds.”
You sighed. “Yeah, those…”
Steve looked at you solemnly. “Hey.”
You gnawed at your lip, looking up at him.
“You will be okay,” he told you. His tone was firm yet soft. Confident, despite the worried undertone laced around his voice.
You gave him a light smile and nod.
“I’m serious, Bauman,” Steve continued, his brown eyes boring into yours. “We’re getting you on these meds and if they don’t work, then we…do the next thing that does.”
You knew he was stressed. Too stressed. You hated seeing just how fearful he’d been when he lost you before, and how much the fear of losing you again was eating away at him. Of course, Steve being Steve, he now insisted it would be fine. He’d broken down in front of you when it all happened, unable to stop it. Normally, he’d never let that happen. But given the dark reality of things, and just how much everything else had caught up to him, he wasn’t able to be his usual positive, nonchalant self with you over the last 24 hours.
With a mischievous look in your eye, you patted your chest. You gave it a little knocking rhythm, beatboxing under your breath so that he’d laugh. After a moment of Steve glaring at you, the corner of his lips finally twitched up into a grin. He tried to hide it, but you’d already seen it before he could turn away.
“Don’t worry, Harrington,” you told him. “I’m not even close to being done bothering you.”
He turned to look back at you longingly, a smile ghosting behind the way he bit his lip. He nodded.
“Don’t think that ever really had an expiration date, did it?” he asks, teasing you in his husky voice that you loved whenever he was getting coy with you.
You smirked. “Never.”
He took a moment to soak you in with his eyes. “Good,” he said. “I’m keeping it that way.”
You knew what he meant. Don’t you dare fucking leave me again.
And you had every intention of keeping your word. I’m here as long as you’ll have me.
Steve intended to keep you forever.
“Now,” you said, moving towards him. “Let’s go have a big ole sleepover with these six nuggets so that we can stop the end of the world and have another six later on down the road, yeah?”
Steve glowed. He stuttered a bit, unable to breathe. “Y-you really want that? S-six of ‘em…?”
You shook your head, smiling up at him as you stood toe to toe. “Hell yeah, I want that.”
You kissed his jaw. Then, moving to scoop up a bag of the kids snacks — “That’s more buckets of Halloween candy for us down the line.”
Steve smiled and blushed unabashedly, shaking his head with the happiest eye roll you’d ever seen.
“So we’re gonna be that family, huh?” he asked, moving to grab a sour gummy from the bag you’d just opened.
“We will win every costume contest, Harrington,” you said seriously, that signature dry humor of yours coursing through your Bauman blood at full speed. “I’m very competitive. Don't worry, the kids will be too busy having a great time to know that their mom is secretly a little psycho.”
Steve tugged at the gummy worm between his teeth with the most mischievous, flirty glint in his eye. You could smell his perfect skin mixed with the scent of the raspberry candy. “Ahh, so you are mom. Thought I was mom.”
You leaned up on your toes, inching your lips towards his where he still dangled the gummy worm. “In this era? You’re mom. I’m dad. Next one, I’ll be Mommy.”
You bit at the end of the gummy worm, going full lady and the tramp with it like a loose spaghetti noodle. Steve’s lips and teeth stretched into a wide grin, eyes swimming in sex and lust as they looked down at you. You both bit and sucked the gummy worm till your teeth and tongues met. In the lowest, sexiest of husky tones, Steve told you…
“Well in this one? I’m daddy.”
His tongue lapped your mouth, tasting like sugar sweet candy. “Your daddy.”
Before you could completely dissolve into a hot mess of a puddle, familiar voices from the other side of the door sounded off.
“EEEEWWWWWWW!!!!!!”
“STEEEEEEVE!”
“Oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god —”
The sound of all your kids gagging and losing their shit were making for an orchestra of triggered teens, and you both jumped at the noise. After gasping, Steve threw his head back and huffed incredulously.
“Seriously??” he snapped.
You buried your face in your hands, unable to keep yourself from laughing in pure humiliation — but also in adoration.
“You shitheads are listening in, seriously — Jesus.”
Steve huffed and puffed, but it was clear as day he loved it. You did, too. He moved to open it while you stood back, snickering into your palms with flaming hot flushed cheeks.
“Hello,” he said, voice flat.
“You’re disgusting,” Dustin scoffed.
“And you’re an eavesdropping ass hat.”
“Why do you smell like gummy worms?” Mike asked suspiciously.
“Because you left them in my room, Wheeler,” Steve said wryly.
“Yeah, for tonight!!! For all of us!” Lucas scolded.
“Well Sinclair? Maybe don’t leave your candy unattended in my room.”
“It’s Bauman’s room!” Mike said.
Steve opened his mouth, then shut it. “Right yeah, well. My house, but yeah.”
“Lord, I can’t unhear this,” Will grimaced, but even he was grinning.
“You weren’t supposed to hear it at all,” Steve pointed out defensively.
“If you’re gonna fuck around, you’re gonna find out.”
Eddie’s sing-songy voice was new to the mix as he walked past them all, carrying a bunch of things as he made his way downstairs. “Howdy folks, don’t mind me.”
Steve snapped his fingers, pointing at him as he looked back at his kids. “That. What he said.”
El looked at everyone curiously. “What does being daddy mean if Steve is that for Bauman —”
Everyone cut her off with sounds of disdain.
“Noooope! Nope, nope nope nope.”
“Nothing, absolutely nothing.”
“La la la la la la la la not talking about this la la la la.”
“Alright, enough,” Mama Steve silenced the kiddos. “Move along.”
“No, we’ve been waiting for 30 minutes,” Mike griped.
“It’s okay,” came your voice as you emerged from the room, standing next to Steve. “Why don’t you kids come on inside while Steve gets Max’s room ready?”
They all took you up on that offer, shuffling past you both and making their way inside. Steve shook his head as you grinned, pinching his side.
“Don’t worry, they’ll be grown up and outta the house before you know it.”
You winked at him before making your way into the room with them. Steve watched you fondly, hands on his hips in true Mom Steve Harrington fashion. He had that signature sexy-sassy look on his face that everyone had come to love over the years — you especially. Despite being annoyed, Steve felt his heart fill to the brim as he watched the kids scatter the bags of candy and show you the card game selections. You were hugging El closely while Dustin pointed out that he had plenty more candy hidden in his backpack. Will was telling you about his newest art collection ideas, and you excitedly listened to him while Mike and Lucas bickered about which games were better for everyone.
“Steve, you’re joining us, right?” Dustin asked.
Steve scrunched his face in confusion, doubling back with his shoulders. “Yeah, wasn’t that already happening?”
Dustin shrugged. “Just making sure you’re not gonna be lame.”
Steve shook his head. You looked over at him as you smiled.
“F’course he’s joining,” you winked. “It’s not a party without mom.”
Steve narrowed his eyes at you playfully, making your shoulders shake with a chuckle.
He felt more at home in his own house than he ever had in 19 years.
__________________________
Jonathan watched Steve make his way into Max’s room, knee bouncing.
He was seated in the living room, next to Joyce. She’d cornered him earlier, after watching Nancy move to sit on the porch alone and stare at nothing as she sat on the steps. Robin had moved to join her eventually, giving her company and offering to lend an ear.
That sprang Joyce into action, and she found Jonathan standing outside of Argyle’s room with Will. She’d found them both talking, happy to see her boys were in deep conversation and bonding. She could tell they’d been doing that for a little while now, and when they both looked up at her the three Byers all shared warm, solemn smiles. The boys looked a bit sheepish. Mostly the oldest.
Jonathan knew his mom wasn’t gonna let him off the hook. And if he was being honest, a good honest talk with his mother about something not having to do with the upside down was something he’d needed for a long time.
So they talked. Joyce listened while Jonathan spoke, and he listened while she responded. It was the perfect blend of expressed empathy, disappointment and motherly advice shared on her end. He admitted to the fight with Steve in the alleyway, back when Will was missing. And he admitted to making a move on Nancy while she was still in a relationship with Steve. She brought up Murray telling her about him getting drunk at the Henderson’s house, 2 years back…and he shamefully ducked his head as he wrung his hands. But Joyce just rubbed his back, reminding him she wasn’t here to berate him and only to talk through things the way they always have: as mother and son.
“You know, Jonathan…” Joyce spoke softly, her heart heavy. “I don’t think I ever really thanked you for everything that you did in helping me find Will.”
Jonathan did a double take, brow furrowed. “What’re you talking about, of course you did —”
“No,” Joyce shook her head. “No, we talked about it, sure. I verbally thanked you.”
“Many times, mom,” Jonathan assured her.
“Just listen,” she cut him off gently, clutching his hand. “I lost a son…but you’d lost a brother. We both lost him. Twice. God, twice… and each time was a brand new hell. We didn’t even have time to process the first round.”
Jonathan chuckled darkly. “Would we ever have processed that? I mean really…”
Joyce grinned at that. “Psh, yeah. Doubt it.” Looking back at him with a softened expression, she continued. “Point is…in the midst of all that stress, and searching, and worrying…you were still going through so much. Not just with Will missing…but everything else, too.”
Jonathan listened to his mother as she looked deeply into his eyes, clutching both his hands. She went on to tell her eldest son every validating thing a mother could tell her child. She recounted every single thing that Jonathan had been dealing with outside of Will going missing, and it hurt her to relive it all just as much as it hurt Jonathan to hear it all over again. When Joyce got to the part where she’d had to make them all move, Jonathan’s eyes watered up.
“You and Nancy were just beginning to dive into things deeply,” she was saying. “Really, you’d both gone through so much together and finally you both got to just…start being a couple, and then it all went wrong again, so that — that forced you both back into the upside down bullshit…”
“Mom,” Jonathan said, a bit shocked.
“I’m serious,” Joyce said back, eyes fierce and full of love. “Jonathan, you’ve had to be an adult since you were just a kid. Since you were Will’s age. And then you finally get into a relationship with a beautiful girl, and immediately you’re thrown into war. Not even able to enjoy your teens going into adulthood. Even Nancy, she…she’s been through so much with you. And now…”
Joyce’s voice trailed off. She sighed, exasperated with herself. She re-centered, turning back to her son.
“I love you,” she told him, eyes full of love. “So much, you just don’t know. You are just…a good person. And the fact you feel overcome with guilt as though you’re not —“
“I haven’t been a good person, mom,” Jonathan murmured, voice wobbly.
“Jonathan,” Joyce whispered, squeezing his hands. “Just because you’ve not acted right in certain ways…that does not make you a bad person. Do you understand that? Because if not — then whoever’s telling you that…whether it’s someone you love, or a stranger, or yourself…stop listening. Seek within. Listen to your heart, because it’s never going to steer you wrong. And no, that’s not just some dumb cliche saying, it’s true. Your mind will confuse you, and your soul will get shaken. But your heart? It will always lead you back.”
Jonathan’s lip trembled, and Joyce held him tight as he shook him her arms. He clung to his mother, overwhelmed.
“I’m afraid I’ll never say enough, mom,” he wept into her shoulder. “To Steve, or to Nancy… I’m actually more sure about what I need to say to him instead of her.”
Joyce chuckled early, squeezing him tighter. “Aw, baby… Don’t overthink. Say whatever is going to give your heart peace. You’ll regret anything you never said far more than anything that you did.”
***
“Trust me kid, I’m in the doghouse now for the hell I raised on the phone with him.”
Hopper stood in front of Steve, along with Murray. They’d just spoken with Dr. Owens on the phone, who’d told Murray that he wouldn’t be able to bring them the medication until tomorrow morning. Murray had managed to remain calmer than Hopper, to both their surprise. Now, they stood in the kitchen with Steve – filling him in.
Steve took a deep breath through his nose, exhaling just as deeply out his mouth like a puff of air he’d been holding while running a hand through his hair. Murray looked at him with a somber, empathic expression.
“Doesn’t mean I’m not just as furious about it,” Murray pointed out. “But given the whole…having a target on his back thing…I’m trying to have some sort of grace about it, mostly for her sake. And yours.”
That made Steve look over at him gratefully. He couldn’t imagine the stress your uncle was experiencing, knowing your heart — literally — was on the line.
“Says he’ll be here with it as early as he can be,” Murray added. “Just keep doing what you’re already doing. Which is the most.” His lips turned upwards at one of the corners. “The most, and then some.”
Steve allowed himself to give your uncle a sad smile back, appreciating being seen by him. He’s all that you had as far as family goes. With a nod, Steve let that news settle into his brain. He reached out to shake Murray’s hand, who shook it back firmly and dared to pat his shoulder. Physical affection was so not his thing. But he’d make an effort for the guy his niece was in love with, and who not only saved her life — but was still doing everything he could to keep it intact.
“Kids sleepover, huh?”
Hopper changed the subject, grinning at Harrington — who chuckled lightly.
“You guys know about this?”
Hopper shrugged. “We might’ve told them to allow themselves some fun for one night, before we all go into lockdown…” His expression turned grim, a thought pushing its way to the forefront of his brain. “And whatever plan needs to go into action.”
Steve knew what he meant. Getting back out there. He swallowed hard, giving him a quick nod. No one was ready for this. But were they ever really “ready” for any of this?
Murray and Hopper told Steve to not give any thought whatsoever to anything relating to doomsday until the next morning. They insisted that they just take the focus on laughing and soaking up the night with you and the kids. Steve was surprised at how certain they both were about it, but despite it being out of character for them in an endearing way…it scared him. It meant that they knew just how much everyone here was at risk. It made a sharp chill run up Steve’s spine.
Eventually, Steve had made his way up to Max’s room. He was sorting through it, making room for you all to camp out there. El had already turned her little cot bed into a floor couch of sorts, which made Steve grin.
He talked to Max out loud as he checked her vitals. Lucas already had, along with Joyce and Hopper. Still, he always wanted to make sure.
“Not sure if this is gonna be one of those nights where I’ve gotta make Dustin cut the attitude during games,” Steve was telling her with a smirk as he straightened her pillows. “Honestly, it’s probably an excuse for Mike and El to be able to cuddle at night. So I’ll likely be chaperoning the entire night. Good thing I got mad good sleep with Bauman today.”
Steve moved to close the curtains, watching the sun begin to set behind the trees in the distance. It looked dull, given all the debris and toxic air.
“You know what’s crazy?” he asked her. “Ever since I started sleeping with her — like actually sleeping, head outta the gutter Max — it’s…I haven’t had a single nightmare. I always have those.”
He moved to discard some of the kids’ loose candy wrapped and one of Dustin’s empty pudding containers, glancing over at her sleeping form.
“Seriously, it’s weird. It’s like she just…makes them all disappear.” Steve scoffed a laugh at that. “Who’d have thought… She’s been a nightmare to me, and now I can’t…can’t even stand to think back on the times I never saw her like I do now.”
Steve looked around the room, seeing it was good for the night. It would be a tight squeeze — but having shuffled Max’s bed over enough so that they all had room to play games and draw on the floor with snacks, it would do. He sighed, taking a second to sit on the edge of the bed near her feet.
“Maybe this is a good thing,” he murmured. “Tonight. Hearing all our voices at once. Arguing and bickering and laughing the way you all do together.”
Steve poked her knee. “Think that’ll kick start you again, red? Wake you back up so that you can give us all shit?”
Her silence isn’t as long as he expects it to be whenever he hears a knock. Steve looks over to the open doorway, finding Jonathan standing there. He looks…wary. Rough, and timid. Standing awkwardly with his hands buried deeply in his pockets, he shoots Steve a very quick, uncomfortable right-lipped grin.
“Hey.”
Steve blinks. “Hey.”
Jonathan rocks on his feet for a moment. Finally, he clears his throat. “Can I come in?”
Steve blinks again, but eventually nods. “Yeah. Yeah, sure, yeah.”
Jonathan moves to lean against the wall, next to the doorway. Steve would laugh at the fact that this is Byers’ way of “coming in,” if it weren’t for the fact that he was so clearly nervous about something. Steve had a few guesses as to why he was here. He knew this had been coming, and he wishes he’d been the one to initiate it. Because they really needed to talk.
They’d needed to talk for 3 years.
“Look, Byers,” Steve started after waiting for what felt like a century for Jonathan to say something. “I owe you an apology…”
“No,” Jonathan cut him off.
It made Steve look at him in surprise. But Jonathan continued before he could say anything else.
“No, it’s me who owes you an apology.”
Steve stared. “…what?”
Jonathan sighed, scratching his neck and praying the words could find him as he finally dove into what he needed to let off his chest.
“Look I’m not good at this,” Jonathan said. “Talking, I mean. You know I’m weird.”
He gnawed at his lip, pensive and twitchy. He looked down at his feet a lot, feeling tense under Harrington’s gaze. But he sucked in a deep breath, going for it.
“Back in 1982, you had every right to break my camera.”
Steve froze. “No, I didn’t.”
“Yeah. Yeah you did. I shouldn’t have been spying on you guys like that. ‘Cause even though I was looking for my brother, it…it turned into me just…following the sound of you all partying and watching from afar. So I mean, technically…” Jonathan chuckled under his breath darkly. “Technically, I was being a stalker.”
He looked up at Steve finally, finding him looking at him in pure shock.
“You were dating Nancy,” Jonathan continued. “And I took…really inappropriate pictures of her. In a moment when you both were having…or well, thought you were having a private moment together. That wasn’t alright. And if…if someone had done that to me and my girlfriend, I would’ve…probably done the same thing. And honestly, you getting mad at me in the alleyway that morning —”
“Dude, no,” Steve shook his head. “Don’t take the blame for that. That was all me. It was shitty, what I did to Nancy. And what I said to you.”
“Yeah it was, but you found me in your girlfriend’s room, Steve,” Jonathan told him. “I was in there with her, in her bed, sleeping next to her when she told you that she was with her family. It looked…fucked up.”
Steve was just staring again. How in the hell was this happening right now? And why had he himself never made it happen sooner?
“So you chewed me out,” Jonathan shrugged. “And no, you shouldn’t have publicly humiliated Nancy like that at all…”
“I kick myself for it every day,” Steve murmured. “Trust me…”
“I know,” Jonathan told him, voice softer. “I know that now. I’ve…known you have for a long time. Nancy told me. I know you apologized over and over.” He took a moment, going back. “But what you said to me was just…your way of saying fuck you. You felt used, tricked and stupid. After you’d protected Nancy from a guy who’d proven himself to be a creepy stalker, and it looked like she slept with him. So you lashed out. Like any teen guy would.”
“I called you a queer,” Steve says incredulously, cringing at the memory. “I even went as far as saying you were the reason for Will going missing, along with your mom. It was low, Jonathan. What I said and did was just — flat out low. No excuses. None. I’m the one in the wrong.”
“Steve, we both were.”
Jonathan’s voice finally finds confidence. It makes Steve look at him in another light, as if he’s truly seeing Byers for the strong-willed young man that he is. It occurs to him now that maybe Jonathan has been going through some soul searching of his own, just as he had over the last few years. Clearly, he still was. Both of them were.
“We were barely 17 years old, and stupid,” Jonathan kept going. “We — we didn’t know how the hell to deal with anything. Much less a missing kid, or a guy related to that kid who’d taken creepy photos. We both were idiots.”
Steve let that land. And it actually made him laugh, sheepishly.
“Yeah,” he nodded slowly, scratching his neck. “Yeah, I guess we were.”
Jonathan laughed too. It was still tense, a bit awkward. But it was becoming lighter. For both of them.
“Shit, Byers,” Steve shook his head. “Have we both been feeling awful about this for years and just… not saying something about it until now?”
Jonathan sighed. “Sounds like it.”
They were both quiet for a moment, letting this newfound revelation settle into existence.
“Thanks for the new camera, by the way,” Jonathan added. “I know that was you.”
Steve looked back up at him, finding kindness and sincere gratitude in Jonathan’s eyes. It made him feel shy. Worse, yet better at the same time.
“Least I could do,” Steve shrugged.
Jonathan sniffed a laugh, shaking his head. “Yeah, well… You didn’t take the credit for it. You let Nancy do that.”
Jonathan pursed his lips, brow pinching as he shifted against the wall and stared down at his feet again. Steve waited as he watched him curiously.
“You extended way more kindness to me than I did you,” Jonathan said softly. So softly, it made Steve wonder if it was actually what he said.
“I shouldn’t have pined after Nancy,” Jonathan said. “I should’ve asked her out. Like actually asked her out, while she was single again. Before you two got back together.”
Steve felt his stomach jump. This was…a lot. So much was being covered right now in this conversation.
“But instead, I just sulked and pretended I still wasn’t in her thoughts at all. Even though I knew that…that she liked me. But I also knew that she liked you. So I just… I convinced myself it wasn’t ever gonna happen. Because that was safer. And hating you made it easier to do that.”
Jonathan looked ashamed of everything that he was saying now, but certain about it. Steve just listened, not daring to interrupt him.
“I might not have cheated with Nancy the first time you both dated…but I did the second time. And that’s not… that’s not right.” Jonathan sighed, taking a breath. “But I was a coward. Maybe not when it came to the upside down and finding Will, but up here? In regular real life? I am. I’m a coward. I don’t say whatever it is that I’m actually feeling or thinking, or wanna say. I just…wait for circumstances to make it happen for me. You don’t do that. You just…go for it.”
Steve scoffed. “Trust me, I’m…I’ve been a coward for years. In many ways, many times, for many reasons.”
“Yeah, well…you still didn’t steal someone else’s girlfriend instead of actually making a move. And I’m really…really sorry about that, Steve. I’m sorry I swooped in like that, and then…drunkenly bragged about it to Bauman Squared while you were in earshot. It made you take it out on her, when she didn’t deserve that. I did. All she did was call me out on it with Murray. They both had no idea it would turn into this.”
That made Steve squirm. He thought about how he’d been pining after Nancy still, even when she was with Jonathan. He took a deep breath, knowing he needed to let that off his chest too.
“Look,” Steve started warily. “Honestly, I really appreciate everything you’re saying. And really — apology accepted. Completely.”
Jonathan could tell that Steve meant it, and he visibly relaxed some once he let that settle into his bones. He released a breath of air that he hadn’t even realized he had been holding.
Meanwhile, Steve was holding his own.
“And you’re right,” Steve continued. “What I did to Bauman? Taking it out on her like that was…well it was projection. Cowardly projection. Instead of taking it out on you and Nancy, I took it out on someone else. Because that was easier. Because it meant that I still got to be the unsung hero in Nancy’s life, and a bigger person than you.”
Jonathan stared at him now, surprised to hear this. He wasn’t expecting his confessed guilt to lead to Steve admitting guilt of his own.
“I’ll probably be telling Bauman I’m sorry for as long as I live,” Steve continued, voice solemn. Honestly I feel…shitty beyond belief, knowing that I could’ve been kinder to her all this time…maybe even spared myself way more heartbreak...if I’d just gotten mad at you guys instead of her. Because then, I might’ve gotten close with her and discovered feelings for her before this all went down.”
“Maybe,” Jonathan pondered, nodding. “Then again… I don’t think you’d have fallen for her nearly as hard if it hadn’t been for you giving her shit for it.”
They both awkwardly chuckle at that. But it makes them both sad to think about it. How you’d taken the brunt of it all.
“Fuck, she didn’t deserve that,” Jonathan huffs. “And I’m — I’m the one who caused it.”
“No,” Steve shook his head, eyes sad and dark as they swam in regret. “No, that was all me. I was an asshole. And truthfully, I was still so hung up on Nance that I didn’t know how to even remotely look at another girl. Let alone one I convinced myself was responsible for taking that away from me, knowing damn well that it wasn’t. Nance wanted you, and you wanted her. Plain and simple.”
Jonathan looked ashamed all over again, but Steve held up a hand.
“Trust me,” Steve assured him. “She wasn’t mine to keep. I get that now.”
Jonathan slowly smiled at that. “You love her, don’t you?”
Steve knew who he meant. You.
“Yeah,” Steve whispered. “Yeah, I…don’t even know what to do with it.”
Steve stared into thin air, lost in thought. Jonathan didn’t push him, just watching him and waiting for him to go on.
“I just…look back on it all and wonder how. How did I not see her in high school, or…see during the summer of ‘84 that she was clearly perfect?”
“It takes time,” Jonathan said softly. “Shit doesn’t always hit you right away. I know that better than you’d think.”
Steve pursed his lips. “Yeah. Yeah no, you’re not wrong. I just… I dunno. I guess I’m just…”
He took a deep breath, knowing he needed to get this over with.
“I was still hung up on Nance while you were in California,” he continued, making eye contact with Jonathan again. “So much so that…I told her I was. And I’d…hoped to get her back. I wanted to steal her back from you.”
Jonathan sighed, giving him a small smile.
“I know,” he said. “She told me.”
Steve stared. Oh.
“Believe it or not,” Jonathan continued. “I’m not…mad about that at all.”
Steve blinked. “…why…?”
Jonathan chuckled. “Steve, I actually stole your girlfriend. I had it coming.”
After several more blinks, Steve coughed out a laugh. Was he serious? As Jonathan laughed with him, he realized that he truly meant it. He wasn’t mad.
“Sorry man, but I won that round,” Jonathan chuckled.
“Fair,” Steve chuckled back. “Good game, man.”
Jonathan nodded awkwardly, shuffling his feet. “Yeahhh, good game…”
They took a few moments of silence, letting the tension wear off some more. It was…nice. This weird sort of talk was nice.
“I guess what I’m trying to say is,” Steve continued. “I’m sorry, too. For going after Nance again, and not just… facing you both sooner.”
“S'alright,” Jonathan told him. “I’ve honestly been a really shitty boyfriend these last several months.”
Steve’s brow furrowed in confusion.
“Long story,” Jonathan waved a hand. “That’s my own wrong that I gotta make right with Nancy.”
Steve contemplated that. Had whatever was going south between Jonathan and Nancy, unbeknownst to him, been the reason she’d seemed to be interested in him again? Or was that just the tipping point for her, and her buried lingering feelings for Steve?
Regardless, it didn’t matter now. Steve was so in love with you, he couldn’t see straight. But it did make him wonder.
“And honestly, I don’t blame you,” Jonathan said, smiling. “Nancy, she’s…perfect.”
Steve smiled at him. “She’s pretty wonderful,” Steve agreed. “I’ll always adore her. But…”
“…but you found your person,” Jonathan finished for him. “Your ‘perfect’ person.”
Steve grinned. “Yeah. She makes everything make sense for me, and I just…god, I love her.”
Jonathan nodded, still smiling. “I know how you feel.”
Steve fiddled his thumbs in his lap, staring down at them and feeling his stomach knot up. There was another thing he needed to own up to…
“Jonathan, what I said to you…” Steve murmured, eyes still downcast. “Yesterday, back at the fence…when Bauman…” Steve winced, skipping that part. “...it wasn’t at all —”
“I deserved it.”
“Okay, you’ve got to stop doing that, will you let me feel bad for at least one thing I’m saying?”
“No, and especially not this one.”
Steve sighed, perplexed. “…and why is that?”
“Because I deserved it.”
Jonathan watched as Steve just gaped at him, biting back amusement. He let the sincerity of the serious topic ground him again.
“You all searched and fought relentlessly for me and my mom when this all started,” Jonathan went on to say.
“...I so did not do anything from the start.”
“Maybe you don’t think you did? But you did.”
“…I so did not.”
“You got there. And besides…like we both said earlier…lots of misdirected projection. And lots of long overdue confrontation. On both our parts.”
Steve couldn’t argue that. Byers was right, at least in this case.
“You were still mad at me,” Jonathan continued, “and I was just mad at myself but convinced that everything and everyone else — you included — were the problem. Not me.”
Jonathan gnawed at his lip for several moments, clearing his throat. “You basically unleashed years of deeply buried resentment onto me in one foul swoop. I gotta say, your words…shit hit me hard.”
Steve frowned, ducking his head a bit. “I honestly don’t even remember some of it. I just…saw red.”
Jonathan snorted. “Blind rage will do that. Shit, I don’t even remember swinging on you back in ‘82. Apparently, I did a pretty nasty job.”
“I was positive you’d done permanent damage to my nose.”
“Yeah, and then you took an even worse beating from that Hargrove kid and the Russians,” Jonathan said, nose scrunched with a laugh. Steve laughed, too. They had to laugh about it all at this point.
“Christ, man,” Steve groaned. “It’s a wonder my face isn’t the prime subject for plastic surgery…”
Jonathan shrugged. “And you wonder why we all hate you so much. You’ve gotten your ass beat so many times, and still look good.”
Steve smirked. “Thanks.”
Jonathan winked. “I’m sure Bauman Squared digs it. All the battle wounds.”
That actually made Steve blush. “Psh. Compared to the fall she took? My experiences look like a walk in the park.”
“So Dr. Owens is bringing her meds tomorrow, yeah?” Jonathan asked, brow pinched with worry.
Steve sighed, raking a hand through his hair before crouching over his knees, elbows pressing into them. “Yeah. Yeah, that can’t come soon enough.”
Jonathan looked at Steve with a somber expression. He hated that he was going through this. Seriously, when was Harrington going to catch a damn break?
“She’ll be alright, man,” Jonathan told him kindly. “She’s got you. Got all of us.”
Steve nodded. “Yeah, she’s gonna have to be. I’ll lose my goddamn mind if she — yeah, she has to be.”
“She will,” Jonathan nodded, speaking firmly. Assuringly. “She’s not going anywhere.”
Steve bit his lip, staring at his hands.
Jonathan shuffled his feet, feeling shy again before asking… “So hey…are we cool? Like actually really, finally cool?”
Steve looked up at that, eyes shining with relief and kindness. He stood up, extending a hand out for a firm handshake. “Yeah man. We’re cool. For good.”
Jonathan felt relief wash over him entirely as he shook Steve’s hand, pulling him in for a tight hug. And Steve felt like he had just made so much peace with his old self in a multitude of ways, over one honest conversation with Byers. While he wished it had happened sooner, he realized…maybe if it had, it wouldn’t have led to this. This true sense of peace that came with newfound mature understanding that both of them had grown into individually.
Byers and Harrington could be friends now. They both had peace to find with Nancy Wheeler, but if they were being brutally honest with themselves — that wasn’t going to be possible until the two of them had hashed it out, once and for all. And now that they had, Steve could let Nancy know that he had finally moved on…once and for all...and so could she.
And Jonathan could go make things right with her — whether that led to them deciding to take time apart, or getting his girl back.
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Wait, Little Rabbit! (Part 1)
fluff, angst, future smut
Bunny Hybrid (Fem) Reader x Human Seokjin x Dog Hybrids Jimin and Hoseok x Cat Hybrid Yoongi x Wolf Hybrids Namjoon, Taehyung, & Jungkook
There will be lots of smut in future chapters so the whole series is 18+, minors dni.
Part 1 > Part 2
Summary: You, a meek little bunny hybrid, find family amongst six predator hybrids and their lovely human caretaker.
Warnings: bruises and a cut, Joon is prejudiced against prey hybrids, fear, loss of consciousness, mentions of abandonment and minor character dying of old age, mentions of bullying
____
“Why is she so scared hyung?”
The younger dog hybrid is pawing at your thigh gently before the older one holds him back.
“She’s a bunny hybrid Chim. Of course she’ll be scared of two random dog hybrids ambushing her. Let’s give the frightened bun some space.”
As always, Jimin listens obediently to his Hobi hyung.
“Go call Seokjin hyung and tell him to bring the first aid kit.”
Jimin runs off into the house while Hoseok eyes the bruises on your arms and legs, as well as the cut on your brow that has dried blood surrounding it. He’s keeping a distance and avoiding any fast movements in an attempt to not spook you. He knows you would be limping off already if you hadn’t backed yourself into the corner of their backyard. God knows how you even got yourself over the fence, but it’s evident you were running away from something or someone. He’s just glad Jimin called him over at the right time.
There are two pairs of footsteps running towards you, one being Jimin. You make out the appearance of another figure through your teary eyes, this time a human.
“Jin hyung, please help her” Jimin pleads, eyes filled with worry the more he looks at you.
The wide-shouldered blonde squats down to be eye-level with you. He doesn’t say anything, just flashes you a kind smile and holds out a hand with fresh lettuce. Your face contorts into a mix of worry and desire, causing a war to take place inside your mind. In a risky but desperate move, you snatch the head of lettuce from the man and consume it like it’s your last meal. The lettuce is enough to distract you while the man gently tends to the cut on your brow. After he’s done a satisfying job, he leans back and finally speaks.
“Can I take you inside little bun? You need to rest.”
You’re still terrified, but you’ll take any option that avoids the hybrid control van you were running from, so you give a meek nod. Jin wastes no time in scooping you up and carrying you indoors, the two dog hybrids following closely behind. You’re carefully placed on a sofa in the living room, and nothing could have prepared you for the sight: a total of seven faces staring down at you, crowding around the sofa in both worry and curiosity. Aside from the human and two dog hybrids, you see a cat hybrid and…three wolf hybrids?!
You jump up immediately, cutting through the men and scrambling to find the exit.
“Wait wait! Relax bun, no one’s gonna hurt you!” Seokjin tries his best at communicating, but you’re too out of it to register his words. In a haze of confusion, you can’t find the door to leave and end up locking yourself into a bathroom instead. Your heartbeat is the loudest thing in the room, but you can also hear the arguing on the other side of the door.
“I told you guys to stay in your room!” You hear Jin scold.
“But the dogs went up to her and we felt left out” pouts an unknown voice.
“I can’t say I’m surprised by you and Taehyung running out, Kook. What I don’t get is why Namjoon both allowed and joined in! Your supposed to be responsible as their Alpha, Joon!”
“Why are you yelling at us over some random rabbit, hyung? Who cares if she’s scared. She’s a rabbit hybrid—when are they not scared? She’s basically at the bottom of the food chain.” The low voice paired with a slight growl has you even more on edge.
“Joon, watch it.”
There’s a pregnant pause on both sides of the door, until a loud thud from your side breaks it. Jungkook wastes no time kicking in the door, revealing your passed out form on the bathroom floor.
___
You wake up to Seokjin by your side. Presumably, you are in his bedroom. Hoseok is sitting patiently next to him, watching the human with stars in his eyes.
Hoseok is the first to notice that you’re awake, “Hey bun! Are you feeling any better?”
Seokjin’s eyes dart up from his phone and straight to you, concern etched on every feature of his breathtakingly handsome face.
All you can do is hesitantly nod. You do, however, speak out to ask about the most pressing thing on your mind.
“W-where are the wolves?” Your question is punctuated by the way you bring the covers up higher to cover half of your face.
“They are in their rooms, and they will not be coming anywhere near you until you’re ready.” Jin’s voice is firm and helps you believe his words, but lingering doubts still eat at you.
Seokjin has to leave to check on the others, entrusting your company to Hoseok. Normally, a dog hybrid would make you jittery, but you conclude that Hoseok and Jimin would’ve already hurt you in the backyard if they wanted to. Hoseok’s warm aura further helps his case. He’s constantly asking for updates on how you feel, shoving saltine crackers into your hands, and nagging you until you chug down at least two water bottles. Hoseok’s mouth forms into a surprised ‘o’ at how you hold onto his hand at the sound of the bedroom door opening. You swiftly let go once you realize it’s Jimin.
The younger dog hybrid walks in slowly, but gains confidence when noticing that you’re not scared out of your mind. Instead, you’re looking at him with the same curiosity he looks at you with. Next thing you know, the hybrid is under the covers next to you. You watch Hoseok and him exchange playful looks.
“Hi bun, glad you’re okay.”
“Hi.”
“I’m Jimin and that’s Hoseok—but we call him Hobi. What’s your name?”
“Y/N.”
“Such a cute name” Hoseok chimes in.
___
The next two weeks are spent with you recuperating in Seokjin’s room, with only him and the dog hybrids around you. Nights are spent with you sleeping on one side of the king-sized bed and Jin on the other, keeping a gentlemanly distance and a watchful eye. Hobi and Jimin sleep soundly at Jin’s feet. Jin jokes of how giving the dog hybrids their own room is the most useless idea he’s ever had. In the morning, Hoseok brings you trays of various fruits and veggies—each time exclaiming how he prepared the breakfast himself and how sad he’ll be if you don’t finish your plate. The statement is ironic considering how you leap up for the food every time.
Days go by with the three men both entertaining and doting on you. Everything seems lovely, except the overwhelming anxiety of knowing that three wolf hybrids could come in and rip your throat out at any minute—hell, you’re even scared of the unfamiliar cat hybrid coming in.
Your anxieties come to a head on a Thursday night; your throat is itching uncontrollably and you can’t find any water in sight. Not wanting to bother anyone by waking them up, you decide to tip-toe your way to the kitchen yourself. Surely, no one will bother you in the middle of night, right?
It’s your first time outside of Jin’s room since the day you were brought in. Unlike the bedroom, which grew to feel familiar and safe, the rest of the house still feels like foreign land. You pour yourself a glass and feel at ease once the itch dies down. Just as you place the glass in the sink, your prey instincts go into overdrive and you can tell a predator is right behind you. Please let it be the cat, please let it be the cat.
Nope. You’re face-to-face with two glowing wolf eyes.
Just as you’re about to scream, the wolf covers your mouth with one big hand.
“Shh, you’ll wake up the whole house!” He says in a pout. His tone is nowhere as threatening as his wolf eyes or stature. “I’m not going to hurt you. I couldn’t sleep and I heard footsteps, so I came out. Can we please have a normal conversation without you looking like I’m going to eat you?”
It’s only when you nod that he uncovers your mouth.
“I’m Jungkook” he extends a hand out.
“Y/N,” you reply, but don’t meet his hand. He lets out a whiny sigh at your rejection.
“I just want to say, Y/N, that I’m sorry about what happened the day you got here. We should’ve been more careful as wolf hybrids. But please know that things here are not the same as things in the wild; you aren’t prey when you’re with us.”
You want to believe him. You want to be wrapped up in this fantasy where you’re not a prey hybrid, destined to look over your shoulder every five minutes. You almost buy into it, but then you remember the first night.
“T-that’s not what your Alpha t-thinks. I heard the fight before I passed out that night.”
Jungkook’s features soften at the pitiful tone of your voice.
“Namjoon hyung will come around, don’t worry bun. He talks big but he’s harmless unless you’re an actual threat to the pack, which you most definitely are not. Just give him the chance to warm up. In the meantime, I’ll look out for you, so please come out to the living room every once in a while.”
You feel like your ears are being deceived, because there’s no way a wolf hybrid just said he’d look out for you.
___
It’s the middle of your third week here that the bedroom starts feeling a little claustrophobic. Your conversation with Jungkook constantly replays in your mind as you try to gage whether it’s okay to go out. In a cataclysmically big and naïve leap of faith, you open the door.
It’s evening time and everyone’s bustling around the living room and kitchen—except for the cat hybrid that is curled up and sleeping on the sofa. Jin is preparing dinner while the dog hybrids are fetching him whatever ingredients he needs. Jungkook is watching dinner be made, sitting beside the two other wolves who seem deep in conversation.
Everything freezes when they realize you’ve come out.
“C-can I join?”
Jin immediately nods a yes, face unable to hide his glee. At first he tells you to sit by the sleeping cat, but is shocked when you take the seat Jungkook offers you instead. Everyone’s bewildered by your choice—Jungkook and yourself included. Nonetheless, you prop yourself on the stool next to the only wolf you know and do your best to hide how much your shaking. Every hybrid in the room can clearly smell your fear though.
“You smell delicious”
“Tae” Jungkook sends a clear warning, causing the silver-haired wolf to raise his arms up in defeat.
“I’m kidding!” He says with a roll of his eyes. His focus is then shifted entirely to you. “I’m Taehyung, nice to meet you.”
You force a tight lipped smile and a response of your name, clearly uncomfortable by the situation. You wonder if it’s too late to retreat back into the bedroom.
“Don’t stress about this one, Y/N. Taehyung jokes around, but he’s the sweetest wolf hybrid you’ll ever come across.”
You mull over Hoseok’s statement, finding it hard to believe considering that Jungkook is already the sweetest wolf hybrid you’ve ever encountered. You doubt Taehyung is nicer than him. Your eyes wander to the man besides Taehyung, who—by process of elimination—must be the Alpha, Namjoon. His domineering presence definitely screams Alpha, alright. The brief moment where his gaze meets yours has you feeling as if you’re being burned alive. You break the eye contact immediately, choosing to focus on literally anything else.
“Dinner’s almost done. Taehyung-ah, go wake up Yoongi.”
The wolf gets up and makes his way over to the balled up cat—or Yoongi, as he’s known. The sight amuses you: a wolf hybrid tentatively trying to wake up a cat hybrid. The cat wakes up and gives Taehyung a nasty stare, causing the wolf visible distress. This is not the dynamic you see in the wild, for sure.
Yoongi stretches out fully, yawning and taking his sweet time before noticing the elephant—or rather, bunny—in the room. He quirks up a brow, but aside from that, his face remains stoic as he maneuvers around you to help set the table. You’re aching to help them as well, but it’s hard when everyone else already knows where everything is and what they should be doing.
Dinner is simple yet delicious: chicken and potatoes seasoned with just the right amount of spice to have everyone at the table praising the human chef. For you, it’s potatoes and mac and cheese, as to keep in line with your vegetarian rabbit-diet. You’re sitting between Hoseok and Jin, who are the most eager to spark up conversation with you, asking you about your preferences in food and other random trivia. Jimin encourages you to keep talking every time you fumble over your words or stutter, and Jungkook keeps a protective gaze like he promised. Taehyung and Yoongi seem generally disinterested in your existence, and Namjoon’s just straight-up ignoring you altogether.
That is until Seokjin asks what brought you to their backyard in the first place.
“I was running from a Hybrid Control van.” Your voice comes out softer than normal.
“You don’t seem like a wild bun, did you run away from somewhere?” Jin tries his best to prod gently, not wanting to cause you more distress.
“I used to live with an elderly woman before she passed away. Her kids dumped me on some random street corner, so I’ve just been trying to get by for the past few months.”
“And the cuts and bruises?”
“Some neighborhood kids..kept trying to make me do tricks but I didn’t know how, so they started hitting me. I was running away from them and then the van started chasing me.”
“You just let them hit you? That’s when you throw a couple punches and claw their eyes out.” It’s the first time Yoongi’s ever spoken to you, and the condescending look he gives makes you want to crawl into a hole.
“Not every hybrid is like you, Yoongi” Hoseok speaks admonishingly, “I think it’s very impressive that a prey hybrid managed to escape. She’s a tough one.” Hoseok doesn’t miss the little smile you throw his way.
Namjoon scoffs from the other side of the table, all eyes now turned on him.
“’Tough’ and ‘prey hybrid’ together in a sentence is hilarious.”
“Kim Namjoon, behave. Just because you’re the Alpha of your pack does not mean you have the right to disrespect whom I bring to my house.” Jin’s harsh tone has you on the verge of tears, and you’re not even the one being scolded. Hoseok reaches for your hand under the table, rubbing your palm to try to soothe you.
“She doesn’t belong here, Jin. The rest of us might be different from each other, but we’re all predator hybrids. We get each other and we have the same instincts. But her? She looks like she’s going to drop dead if one of us breathes too loudly—not to mention how she reeks of fear. She’s ruining the whole mood.”
Unlike the threatening but calm voice Jin has up this point, the human begins to raise his voice.
“Then why does everyone else seem to be okay? Why does it seem like you are the one ruining the mood?”
Even the Alpha wolf is taken aback at the raised voice, opting to throw a low snarl your way and retreat to his room—meal only half eaten.
The rest of dinner is tense and silent, with only sounds of silverware hitting plates.
___
Hoseok and Jimin sandwich you between them on Jin’s bed while the bed’s owner is taking his nightly shower. You keep telling them that you’re fine and the events of dinner didn’t phase you too much, but they see right through your lies. The two keep you close, assuring you that things will get better.
When Jin comes out, he’s met with Jimin’s puppydog eyes on full display,
“Y/N can stay with us permanently, right hyung?”
The question throws you off. You hadn’t considered any of them would want you there permanently.
“If she wants, she’s more than welcome.” He says it as if it’s the most matter-of-fact-obvious thing in the world.
“Really? Even with everything that happened at dinner?”
“Of course. I’ve never turned away a hybrid that needs a home, and I won’t start now. Give it time and you’ll fit right in, I promise.” You’re sure you’ll see angel wings sprouting from the back of those wide shoulders at some point. The sheer amount of luck it took for you to choose that specific fence to hop into this specific house’s backyard—yeah you were a lucky one, alright.
____
A/N: Thank you for reading! Reblogs and comments are always loved and appreciated. Have a lovely day 😘
#bts hybrid au#bts hybrid x reader#poly ot7#ot7 x reader#hybrid jungkook#hybrid jimin#hybrid taehyung#hybrid namjoon#hybrid yoongi#hybrid hoseok#caretaker seokjin#bts fluff#bts angst
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Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Seekers of Soul
[Chapter 55]
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Tobias and Nia tie up some loose ends around the guild in preparation for their journey to find Will, and Tobias shares a special pastime with his partner.
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Team Evergreen doesn’t make an appearance after their mission in the tunnels, though Jaz stops by Tobias and Nia’s room at dawn two days later to give them an update on Andyn's mood.
“She was quiet for a while,” the stufful says. “Thinking, I suppose. But otherwise she's acting fine again.”
“Did I actually get through that thick skull of hers?” Tobias grumbles. He’s tying Nia’s scarf around her arm before they leave for the day, and it’s slipping annoyingly through his fingers.
Jaz sighs. “No, unfortunately not. It’s going to take more than a few heated words to get her to change her mind about this. Ezra and I have tried. But...”
Nia’s ears perk. “But..?”
“Something you said did make her think, Tobias. Maybe you planted some seeds that just need a bit of time to bloom.”
Pretty words for such a nasty conversation, Tobias thinks idly as he finally ties Nia’s scarf tight. He doesn’t have nearly as much faith that Andyn will turn over a new leaf any time soon.
Nia smiles at Jaz. “Well, I’m happy to hear she’s back to her normal self, at least. Sorry again that our group mission wasn’t, uh…as fun as we might’ve hoped.”
Tobias opens his mouth to say that that was Andyn’s fault, not theirs.
Jaz beats him to it, laughing softly. “Not your fault. Neither of your faults, really.”
Nia doesn’t argue that point, and the stufful leaves shortly after with a word of luck for their mission today and a promise to pass their hellos on to Ezra.
“Well, I’m glad we don’t have to worry about Andyn too much,” Nia says as the two of them pack up for the day and head down the Lexym Tree to the mission boards. “Are you still doing okay?”
Tobias is doing fine. Probably better than he should be, honestly. While Andyn hit a sore spot and he was much harsher than Nia would’ve been regarding the deerling’s parents, he stands firm by his conviction that Andyn needs a wake-up call. His words didn’t manage to get through to her, but he doesn’t really regret what he said, either.
“I’m fine. Just wish she’d wake up and realize her parents are the problem here.”
Nia is behind him on the steps, but Tobias can feel her attention on him, laser-focused. “You fought about her parents?”
Belatedly, Tobias realizes that this is the first time he’s said what his argument with the deerling was even about. Nia has been careful not to push.
“They suck, okay?” Tobias growls. “If they’re the reason she’s like that, then she should know that that’s messed up.”
Nia hums, but otherwise falls silent. That’s as good as an agreement for her, so Tobias doesn’t let the issue linger as they reach the ground floor where the mission boards are posted.
They’re still waiting to hear back from August about traveling to Will’s human settlement, so they’ve been avoiding any missions that would wear them out too much just in case they need to leave on short notice. Still, Tobias does have to swallow his pride when he realizes that leaves them with just a few very basic mission options for the day.
It’s not that he thinks the jobs are beneath him or anything, but they are undeniably…boring. And they give them less Seeker points, too. But he refuses to throw a fit like Andyn did.
“Well, let’s get this over with.”
“Hey, it might be fun!” Nia says, looking genuinely excited about the mission she’d picked out for them. “I haven’t tried cooking since waking up in this world.”
Tobias gives her an appraising look as they make their way back up the tree’s staircase. “Did you cook a lot as a human?”
Nia shakes her head. “Just basic stuff. Baking, mostly. But if it’s a low-level mission, it can’t be anything too complex, right?”
Tobias shrugs. For all his years at the guild, he’s never actually helped out in the cafeteria kitchen, always too busy trailing after Maggie and helping with medicinal duties.
He’s surprised to find that the day is actually pretty interesting, tucked away in the guild’s sprawling kitchen. They’re put to work under the command of the cooking staff, and their mission for the day is to provide breakfast and lunch for the entirety of the guild.
The vespiquen in charge has Tobias use his flames often, lighting fires in clay ovens and carefully toasting nuts and vegetables. He isn’t sure whether to be offended or proud when the chef looks at him with delight halfway through the morning with a clap of her hands and proclaims that they must make occa berry flambé for dessert today, with a fire type’s flames so readily on-hand.
He is proud, in an embarrassed sort of way, when the bug type compliments him on his temperature control with his flames. He manages to avoid burning a single pot or dish. While it’s a strange feeling, he likes the appreciative looks he gets from the other workers when he uses his fire, rather than the guild's usual wariness.
Tobias actually ends up enjoying the day more than Nia does, if the way she drags herself to the stairs at the end of their shift is any gauge. Her fur is caked in flour from a few ingredient mishaps, and Tobias has to bite back a laugh at her appearance.
She gives him a tired, playful glare in return. “Want to share with the class?”
“You look like a fidough.”
“Fidough,” Nia echoes, squinting. “Is that…a dog Pokemon? Oh my God, is that a bread pun?"
“It’s their species name. They are kind of…doughy, though. Yeah. That's the joke.”
Nia barks a laugh, and Tobias grins.
“Pokemon names are so silly! Hahaha!”
Tobias shakes his head as he leads the way up the stairs to their quarters. “Hey, at least they make sense. Who looks at a riolu and calls it a dog? What even is a dog?”
“Me! I’m a dog!”
“Yeah, yeah. And I’m Reshiram. C’mon, I want to have time to clean up before supper. You wanna eat with Maggie tonight? We can brag about the food we helped make.”
“Oh, that’d be perfect!” Nia says. Her fatigued posture lifts at the prospect, like a flower wilting in reverse. “Don’t let me forget, though, that I really need to talk to Avery sometime about the whole species naming thing. And the Pokemon language in general. Ordirune? It makes no sense that you and I can talk and read the same language when it’s, well…not the same language!”
Tobias vaguely remembers Nia mentioning this before, when they were in Ghatha with Junie. “Does it need to make sense? It works. We can understand each other. That’s what matters.”
“How are you not curious about it? It’s so wild to me!”
“It just doesn’t seem like something you’re gonna be able to figure out, so why waste time thinking about it?”
“Because it’s fun!” Nia counters. “I like trying to figure stuff out, even if it doesn’t really matter.”
Tobias can’t really argue with that. Nia’s just different than him in that regard. Still, as a nincada and surskit pass them on the stairs, he gives it a moment of thought.
“Giratina said that Mew made your Pokemon body, right? She probably did something with your brain so you could understand Ordirune, so you wouldn’t be totally lost in our world.”
“But language isn’t genetic,” Nia argues. “It’s something you learn. That’s true for Pokemon too, right?”
“Yeah?”
“Then it doesn’t really make sense that she could just…imprint it onto our brains, does it?”
Tobias frowns as they finally reach their floor, his legs a bit tired as usual from the climb. “It doesn’t make sense that she could just make you a whole body, either, but here you are. If she made your brain for you, why couldn’t she make it familiar with our language? Pokemon hatch knowing survival instincts because those things were ingrained into our bodies from birth. Like…charmander hatchlings knowing to keep their tail flames small if they’re in danger. Maybe Mew did something similar and built your body so you already know Ordirune and your brain sorta just…translates for you without you realizing it.”
Nia stops behind him right before they reach their door, and Tobias turns to look at her.
She’s staring at him with wide, almost awestruck eyes. “Tobias, that’s such a cool way of thinking about it! Oh man, you should come with me when I meet up with Avery. They'd find that idea super interesting. Plus, I’m sure Xander and the others would love to see you! I think you and Kry are like…bros or something now, after your spar the other day?”
Tobias snorts and turns back to the door. “Yeah, I’m sure they’re all dying to see me.”
His hand settles on the knob, but Nia reaches out to cover it with her own paw. She gives him a long, searching look. “Hey, you know I’m not joking, right?”
“They’re your friends.”
“Well, yeah, maybe first. But they want to be your friend, too. They aren’t just…putting up with you to hang out with me.”
Tobias feels all too seen, suddenly. Like his scarf got lost somewhere and left his neck naked and vulnerable. Tobias shifts on his feet, looking away.
That…doesn’t feel right. But aside from Nia, he hasn’t had a friend his own age since he was nine—and that was his sister. He isn’t exactly an expert on how friends work.
“They’re kind of stuck with me, if they want to be friends with you.”
Nia gives him a light bat of her paw and a scolding smile. “They’re not stuck with you. You’re fun to be around, Tobias. Whether you want to acknowledge that or not.”
Tobias thinks of how he yelled at Andyn just two days ago. “Sure.”
Then, unwittingly, he thinks about the rest of that mission. Thinks about Ezra’s cheeky, playful comments and Jaz’s calm confidence when she encouraged him talk to Andyn alone. Thinks further back, to Kry punching his shoulder during training and Xander and Felix’s lighthearted smack-talk and easy conversation. Thinks about Avery’s gentle smile and full attention when Tobias spoke.
He doesn’t think he’s their friend, not really. But the idea that he might be, someday, doesn’t seem quite as ridiculous as it once was. Tobias has…a lot of mixed feelings about that. Fear that he’s going to royally screw it up is somewhere near the top, though, so he shoves away the warmth the idea brings. No use worrying about it unless it actually happens, after all.
Tobias finally opens the door to their room, only to stop as soon as he notices a piece of paper resting on the floor near his feet. Tobias picks it up, and feels his fingers tighten around the sheet as he realizes what it is.
“What is it?” Nia asks, peering over his shoulder.
“It’s from August,” he summarizes, skimming through the short message. “We have permission to head overseas and find Will first thing in the morning.”
“Giratina was telling the truth, then?”
“Or they think it’s too big a risk to ignore, if nothing else,” Tobias murmurs. The bottom of the note says that the funds for their flight have been dropped into their mailbox, so Tobias digs that pouch out right away to add to their own money. He moves to where their satchel was left to rest against the wall for the day.
“Tomorrow,” Nia says, sitting heavily in her nest and wrapping herself up in one of their blankets like a swadloon. “That’s…so soon. I know we were waiting to hear back from them, but…well. I guess we’d better let everyone know we’re leaving again?”
Tobias drags their bag over and sits to sort through it, catching the disappointed note in his partner’s voice. He doesn’t really mind traveling again, even if their time back at the guild has been fine. Good, even, for the most part. But knowing they’ll have to say goodbye to Maggie again so soon does have something in his heart squeezing tight. He hopes she doesn’t cry.
“Yeah,” he finally answers, pulling out their meager collection of items to sort through. “We can tell Maggie when we eat with her later.”
Nia voices her agreement, watching Tobias as he puts everything together. Her mind is clearly miles away, though.
Tobias leaves her to her thoughts, making sure they have the usual essentials that they travel with: apples and berries for food and status ailments, their map, and a canteen of water for Nia. He would grab some hydration berries for himself if they didn’t shrivel so quickly, but at least fire types don’t dehydrate easily.
Anything else? They could go down to the item dispensary and peruse the orbs and seeds available, but their funds still aren’t overly impressive. And they aren’t planning on getting caught in any dungeons or intense battles.
...Okay, he knows better by now than to assume that will hold true. Still, by this point they’ve mostly gotten by without items, so he thinks they'll be all right without any fancy aids.
Besides, Nia will probably want to bring a book, and their sparse packing leaves plenty of room for that. They could almost pack up Nia’s beloved new blanket too, if they wanted to squish everything in, but that feels like a waste of space if they'll be indoors most nights. He’s basically a walking heater for the riolu at this point anyways.
Tobias looks around the room and his gaze catches on his guitar, leaning carefully against the wall by the window. He frowns at the instrument, fingers flexing as he itches to hold it. He’s been enjoying relearning it, and it calms him down on late nights, but it isn’t really an essential item. Their pack would be better off carrying something actually useful.
“You’re taking your guitar along, right?” Nia asks, startling Tobias out of his thoughts. She must've followed his gaze and guessed what he was thinking.
Tobias shrugs, looking back at their satchel. “Probably not. It’s not exactly useful.”
“It makes you happy,” Nia protests, like that makes it useful, somehow. “Plus, I like hearing you play. So if we’re taking a vote…”
Tobias flushes, falling still. Part of him still wants to argue, rationality over sentimentality and all that, but. Well. If Nia doesn’t mind him taking up the space, then…
Tobias silently gets up to retrieve the guitar. He tucks it away in their bag amongst the other items, pleased with how neatly it slots in between their supplies and a book about abilities that Nia had handed him to bring along.
Packing complete.
It’s only a few short hours later that they go to the medical floor with trays of food in hand, including some of the occa berry flambé that they’d helped make earlier in the day. They call a greeting to Fen and drop off a meal with the leafeon that has them purring their thanks. Next door, Maggie seems pleasantly surprised by their appearance.
"Hello, you two! Good to see you."
“You eat yet?” Tobias asks, holding up one of the two heavy trays he’s carrying.
Maggie smiles, taking the meal with a single vine and settling down in her nest to eat. “I was just starting to feel peckish, actually. Thank you, dear. Will you stay and eat with us tonight?”
“If that’s all right!” Nia says, holding her second tray—which she was insistent on—out to Sage with a smile.
The ivysaur, who had been eyeing the door as if it was just expected for him to leave any time Tobias showed up, blinks in surprise. Then, with a bashful smile and a murmur of thanks, he takes the meal with his own vines.
Tobias and Nia sit down close to Maggie and dig in.
Off to the side, Sage shifts awkwardly on his short legs. His leaves sway with the motion.
“Sit down already,” Tobias grumbles. “We aren’t chasing you out.”
Sage looks even more thrown by the peace offering, but with a glance at Maggie and Nia, he finally settles down as well on Nia’s other side. Maggie smiles soothingly at her apprentice's nerves, and Tobias is surprised that the open affection doesn’t feel…grating, this time. In fact, it feels kind of ridiculous when Maggie immediately turns her attention back to Tobias and Nia with bright eyes, clearly thrilled to have them here.
Tobias wonders how he was ever threatened by Sage’s appearance. Maggie has more than enough love to go around.
As they eat, Maggie questions what they’ve been up to today with a note of amusement in her voice. Her gaze lingers on the patches of flour still caught stubbornly in Nia’s soft fur, even after the riolu had scrubbed at them for a solid half-hour earlier.
Nia groans and dives into her mishaps in the kitchen, including when she’d tripped over a morelull and knocked over a slurpuff who was busy mixing up dry ingredients for a crust. Tobias laughs as he replays the scene in his head, but flushes when Nia follows it up with an exasperated comparison to Tobias basically being “Gordon Ramsay” in the kitchen, whatever that means. It’s clearly a compliment.
Maggie laughs. “That doesn’t surprise me, actually. Tobias was always very careful with measurements when he helped me make our medicines, even when he was small. He has a good eye for detail, when he’s invested.”
Tobias feels his face grow hotter as Nia and Sage look at him with astonished expressions.
“You don’t have to look that surprised."
The ivysaur winces and looks back to his meal with a quiet, “Sorry.”
Nia just shrugs with an easy laugh, as if to ask if he could blame her.
The conversation flows smoothly as they catch up. Sage is quiet, almost silent, but he’s clearly listening, tracking the conversation with pricked ears and sharp garnet eyes as he picks delicately at his meal. Tobias isn’t sure if it’s because the ivysaur is still cautious after Tobias’ initial hostility, or if he’s just that quiet by nature.
Nia tries to pull the grass type into the conversation a few times, but after a few short, almost shy answers, she relents and lets him bask in the conversation without necessarily participating. Maggie doesn’t seem worried about the ivysaur’s silence, so Tobias doesn’t concern himself with it either.
During a lull in the conversation, Maggie says, “You know, your mission from today has me thinking. Sage and I might have to steal you for ourselves soon—we could use some extra hands to gather the last of the autumn herbs later this week. The northern part of the Haven will likely have its first heavy frost soon.”
“Oh. About that…” Nia trails off, giving Tobias a pleading look.
Tobias sighs, putting his fork back onto his tray. Leaving it up to him, huh? “We’re actually heading out again tomorrow morning.”
“So soon?” Maggie asks with a bewildered expression.
“August dropped off a letter today approving our travel, so…” Nia says, dejected.
Maggie smiles, leaning over to brush her muzzle over the top of the riolu’s head. “You’re fine, dear. I knew as soon as we spoke with August that you would be traveling again soon. I’m just going to miss you. And worry, of course.”
“We’ll be fine,” Tobias says. “We always are.”
“You’re always getting into trouble, you mean,” Maggie corrects with a playful glare. “Let a mother worry, Tobias. And just do your best to come home without any new scars, all right?”
Tobias’ hand drifts up to his scarf. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Nia wince and trail a paw over the scarf on her own arm, right where she’d gotten bit by that panpour outlaw moons ago.
“We’ll be careful!” Nia finally says, though her smile doesn’t look nearly as confident as she sounds.
Maggie doesn’t seem convinced either, but drops the conversation to return to lighter topics. Such as how, just yesterday, Sage had given his first bitter medicine to some of the guild children who had come down with a cold.
Tobias laughs at the distraught expression on the ivysaur’s face, more than familiar with the experience after years of doing it himself. “How’d you like giving Bella her dose?”
The little bellsprout could be a menace when she wanted to be. Tobias can still feel the phantom smacking of her tiny root-arms.
Sage groans and drops his face into his tray.
“He made a valiant effort,” Maggie says, patting the ivysaur’s shoulder with a vine. Which means that Sage was surely near tears by the time they were finished.
Tobias uses his fork to point a bite of occa berry dessert in Sage’s direction. “Word of advice? Honey. Drown her dose in the stuff, but don’t tell her it’s anything but what it is. She can’t resist honey, but she won’t eat it if you try to trick her. Stubborn as a mudbray, that one.”
Tobias half-expects the ivysaur to dismiss his words, since Sage is older than him and the one actually in the medicinal role now. Instead, the ivysaur perks up and nods, reaching over his shoulder with a vine to pull a notepad and inkwell off the nearby desk and start writing something down.
Tobias blinks. He didn’t mean to actually take notes. The earnest faith in the gesture has his face heating. He looks away, stuffing a bite of occa berry flambé into his mouth. It’s delicious.
Soon enough, they’re all finished eating and it’s time to head out. Sage quietly insists that he can take the trays down to the cafeteria, leaving Maggie alone with Tobias and Nia.
“You two be careful on your trip, you hear?” Maggie says, voice firmer as she pulls them into a hug. “I don’t want to hear about you getting caught in any more fires or deadly fights.”
“No promises,” Tobias mumbles.
Maggie gives him an extra hard squeeze before releasing him.
“We’ll be careful, Maggie,” Nia says, stepping away with misty eyes. “See you soon, okay?”
Tobias can’t seem to say anything. The words stick like sap in his throat. He swallows against the lump of them and bumps his head against Maggie’s leg once more before stepping away.
The meganium sees them off as they pad down the hall and back down the tree.
“Xander’s team next?” Nia asks.
“You could go on your own, you know.”
“I could. But..?”
Tobias huffs, but doesn’t argue as he follows Nia to Team Shellshock’s quarters. The riolu knocks on the door, and childish shrieks rise up from behind the wood. Luca’s distinct little voice yells, “Hide! Hide!” and Tobias grins.
Avery is the one to answer, the kirlia’s gentle expression lighting up. “Nia! And Tobias. Lovely to see you two.”
“Good to see you too,” Nia says warmly. “Could we come in for a sec?”
Avery steps aside for Nia and Tobias, and as soon as Tobias crosses the room’s threshold he’s tackled by a writhing mass of blue and black fur.
“Gotcha!”
“Surrender, outlaw!”
“Lainey, sit on his head!”
Tobias puts up a halfhearted fight as the shinx cubs work to hold him down. Tiny paws step on his arms and belly and legs and his vision is taken over by lashing tails and gleaming, golden eyes.
“Don’t suffocate him, kids,” Xander calls idly, before his voice is drowned out by childish peals of laughter.
Tobias lets the cubs think they’ve won for a few moments, before twisting and gently throwing them off with an exaggerated roar. Leor squeaks and scrambles away to dive behind Team Shellshock’s items chest. Laine and Luca hiss playfully at Tobias before following their more timid brother, probably to come up with a new plan of attack.
Tobias smirks and moves to join the other occupants of the room.
Xander, Avery, and Nia are watching the cubs peek over the items chest with fond, amused looks. Felix is crouching beside the kids’ hiding place and murmuring something that quickly catches their attention. Kry is nowhere to be seen, probably out training or something while the cubs are here wreaking havoc. She doesn’t seem like much of a kid person.
Tobias stops at Nia’s side, purposefully putting his back to the shinx cubs to make himself an easy target.
“So you’re heading out again already?” Avery is asking.
“You two are the most restless ‘mons I’ve ever met,” Felix calls idly from beside the chest. “Try not to come back all banged up again, all right?”
“I’ll second that,” Xander says, and Tobias is surprised when the luxio’s golden gaze focuses not only on Nia, but Tobias as well. “Be careful.”
“Always!”
Xander chuffs a quiet laugh, as if well aware of how untrue that statement is. “Regardless. Do you two have everything packed up already?”
“I think so?”
“We travel light,” Tobias says.
Xander flicks his tail, looking thoughtful. His eyes stray over to the items chest on the side of the room, though Tobias thinks he isn’t focused on his siblings at the moment. Avery follows his gaze, and Tobias wonders if the kirlia is reading the luxio’s mind, since they apparently use telepathy with each other fairly often.
Avery must be, because they smile at Xander as if pleased with something he’d suggested, then back at Nia and Tobias. “Do you two have any orbs in your inventory?”
Nia looks to Tobias. He shakes his head.
Xander nods, and Avery goes to the chest, murmuring a quiet, “Excuse me,” to shoo the kids off the lid before opening the top and rummaging through it. They find what they’re looking for quickly, returning to Tobias and Nia with a shiny blue wonder orb in hand. Without hesitation, they hold it out.
“Take this with you. Just in case.”
After a beat of surprise, Tobias reaches out to take it, rolling the surprisingly heavy orb around his hands. “What kind is it?”
“An all power-up orb,” Avery answers. “It raises your team’s attack and special attack for a few minutes.”
“But...aren't these really rare or expensive or something?” Nia asks, gently taking the orb from Tobias’ hands to peer closer at it.
“The two of you seem to attract danger wherever you go,” Xander says, not answering the question. “I’ll sleep better if you take it.”
“We both will,” Avery amends.
Tobias’ immediate impulse is to reject such a rare, pricey item just being dropped into their laps. However, he remembers how desperately he’d wanted any kind of helpful item back on the Aqua Jet, when they were traveling via the river and the mystery dungeon hit. It would be undeniably good to have as a back-up measure.
Nia seems equally unsure for a moment, but then she smiles and cradles the orb closer. “Well...thank you, then. It’s really too much.”
"Not at all," Avery says.
Xander’s shoulders lose some of their tension once they accept the gift, and that's what convinces Tobias not to put up a fight. They mean it. They're just worried about their safety, about Nia and maybe even a little about Tobias. And somehow, their concern doesn't feel like pity, but something warmer. Something easier to stomach.
Nia gently bumps Tobias with her hip, so he rolls his eyes and tacks on a quiet, “Yeah. Thanks.”
Xander opens his mouth to respond, but before he can say anything, his ears swivel in the direction of the chest.
That’s Tobias’ only warning before the shinx cubs yell, “Attack!” and charge Tobias once more. Felix must’ve been giving them battle tips, because this time they move as a coordinated unit, tackling Tobias’ legs. The charmander lets himself go down with an exaggerated oof, and the kids shriek as they swarm his chest, pinning him down with their soft little bodies. While he could still wriggle free if he really wanted to, their combined weight does hold him down pretty effectively. Tobias “struggles” for a few moments more before going limp with a dramatic groan.
“Victory!” Leor says.
“Drag him to jail!” Luca shouts.
“Throw him in the pit!” Laine adds.
“Whoa, where’d you hear that last one?” Felix asks, startled.
“From a cool story Bella found in the archives!"
Bella. Of course. Tobias has said it before and he’ll say it again: that bellsprout is a menace.
“Looks like I’ll be having another chat with Arlo,” Xander sighs, sounding all too much like a father.
Nia and Tobias head out shortly after, despite the shinx cubs’ whining over losing their playmate. At the door, Xander catches Nia in a one-armed hug, brushing the top of her head with his chin. The familiarity of the gesture catches Tobias off-guard, but Nia simply hugs the luxio back, unsurprised by the open affection.
As they leave, Felix and the kids’ loud goodbyes and Avery’s much quieter farewell following them into the hall, Nia hesitates.
“I feel like we should tell Team Evergreen that we’re heading out again, but…”
Tobias can only imagine the awkward tension that would rise if he was shoved into the same room as Andyn right now.
“I’ll leave that one to you.”
“That...might be for the best. I won’t be too long.”
Tobias waves her off, turning to head back to their room. He can get some more practice in on his guitar before they sleep. “Just remember that we head out early.”
“When do we not?” Nia counters, giving a wave of her own before setting off towards Team Evergreen’s quarters.
Tobias is relieved that Nia didn’t want him to join for that last visit. Between working in the kitchen this morning and seeing Team Shellshock and the shinx kids earlier, Tobias is just about done socializing for the day. He’s more than content to flop down in his nest and strum at his guitar for the rest of the night before they get back on the road tomorrow.
To Tobias’ surprise, Nia returns not long after they parted ways, when the moon is just starting to rise into the sky. She assures him that it went well, even if Andyn was a little quieter than usual, and that they all wished the two of them safe travels.
“Wished you safe travels, you mean,” Tobias snorts as he plucks away at an aimless melody. “Andyn probably hopes I fall off our flight ‘mon and into the ocean.”
“I don’t think she’s that upset,” Nia says, lying down herself. She eyes Tobias for a moment before reaching into their satchel and pulling out her book.
The night is peaceful, after that. Tobias works his way through some of the simple melodies from the music book they’d picked up in the archives, familiarizing himself with the easier tunes before trying anything more advanced. Nia reads her book, kicking her legs and occasionally mumbling something to herself.
It’s getting close to midnight when Nia finally yawns and slides her book back into their satchel. She curls up in her nest, blanket pulled tight over her shoulders until it bunches up by her chin, and watches as Tobias plays.
Eventually, Tobias figures he’d better get some rest too and slides the guitar and music book back into their satchel. He closes the curtain until the room is only dimly lit by his own tail flame, and curls up in his nest. He doesn’t realize until he's settled in that Nia isn’t actually asleep yet. Instead, she’s watching Tobias, clearly still wide awake.
“What’s up?” Tobias asks.
Nia shrugs. “Just…can’t sleep.”
Tobias knows the feeling. While it was easy to get lost in his music for the evening, Tobias won’t be surprised if he’s up for a while yet. Especially with their flight tomorrow, he has a lot on his mind.
For a moment Tobias just gazes back at Nia in the dim light, wondering if either of them are going to be well-rested come dawn. Then, he thinks of similar nights long, long ago, of looking at his sister or parents with a similar restless itch under his skin.
An idea pops into his mind.
For a moment, he hesitates. This is something…sacred. Something he hasn’t shared with anyone else since he lost his family. It feels wrong to even think about sharing it.
Then again, that’s what he’d thought about discussing Vivi and his parents at all, before the cart ride from Asra to Shivergleam. And that was…nice. Really nice. Swapping sibling stories with Nia. It hurt, but it also made something in him feel…looser. Like stretching out a stiff muscle that he hadn’t exercised in forever.
Tobias sits up before he can second-guess himself. “C’mon. I have an idea.”
Nia props herself up on an arm. “What?”
He climbs out of their nest and holds out a hand. “Trust me. It’ll help.”
For a moment Nia looks unsure, but then a smile crosses her face. Tobias helps her to her paws, and she doesn’t let go once she’s standing. He decides not to think about it too hard and gives her paw a squeeze, grabbing Nia’s beloved new blanket and slinging it over his shoulder.
“C’mon.”
Nia laughs under her breath as they leave the room, making sure to shut the door extra quiet behind her so they don’t disturb the other Pokemon on the floor.
“Where are we going?”
“Sure, just let me ruin the surprise.”
Nia's brows raise, but she doesn’t ask any more questions and just follows with an air of palpable curiosity. Tobias leads them to the staircase and starts climbing up, up, up through the guild.
“Are we visiting Maggie again?” Nia whispers.
“No.”
Tobias has done this many times over the years, since first arriving at the guild. But he’s always done it alone, sneaking past Maggie’s sleeping form to climb up to his favorite spot. He’d thought about asking Maggie to join before—she would’ve indulged him. But somehow it had always seemed a bit too painful before now. Before Nia. Now it feels less like chasing something he can’t get back and more like…sharing something he loves. Making it new again.
They finally reach the mail floor, evident by the cool breeze blowing into the staircase. There aren’t many fliers that work at night, so the floor is empty, the platforms bordering the edges of the room opening up to patches of clear night sky.
“Oh,” Nia breathes, registering where they are.
She follows him wordlessly as he goes to one of the far platforms and sits down at the end of it. She sits beside him, then casts a nervous glance below them to the Haven's trees, black and spindly and thin with the coming winter. She scoots back an inch.
Like this, they’re sitting at the edge of the world, the sprawling forest below and an ocean of stars above.
Tobias hands over Nia’s blanket, now heated by his own scales, and she gladly takes it to wrap herself up. He’s hardly surprised when she still scooches over to press against his side. The night air is cold, after all, chilly enough that he won’t argue against a little extra warmth himself.
“It’s beautiful out here,” Nia says, hushed. “I couldn’t really appreciate the stars in Asra, since we were on a stakeout. But here…”
“Peaceful, right?”
Nia hums her agreement.
For a moment, they’re quiet. The wind whistles by them this high up, stronger without the blocking force of the forest and carrying with it the crisp scent of the Silenfroar Mountains. Tobias can kind of see where the mountain range sits, a void of pointed black on the horizon that blots out the sky.
Tobias moves his eyes up to stare at the stars, feeling something in his throat tighten even as the rest of him relaxes. Even when he was a child, scared of nothing more than shadows on cave walls, his parents would lead him to the mouth of their cave to look up at the stars when he couldn’t sleep.
It makes him feel small. But in a comforting way.
“This is where we became a team.”
Tobias looks at Nia. “What?”
“Well. Technically we became a team down in the tunnels.” Nia smiles at Tobias. “But I consider this to be where we actually became one. For real.”
Right. After Afon’s Cap, when Nia finally stood up for herself and Tobias agreed to stop being so awful to her. They shook on it. Tobias can still see Nia in the pink evening light, paw outstretched and smile hopeful.
He flushes and looks away. He gestures vaguely with a hand. “Sorry. For. Y’know.”
Nia barks a laugh. “Being a bit of a jerk at first?”
He grunts.
“It’s fine. You’re much sweeter now.”
Tobias shoots her a look. “I’m not sweet.”
“Of course you aren’t,” Nia coos, giving his arm a patronizing pat. He shoves her away, and she laughs, immediately swaying back to his side.
“You have been so sassy lately,” he grumbles.
“Sorry, sorry. I’ll be nice.”
A brief moment of quiet. Then, a giggle from Nia.
“What?”
“I was just thinking about when we first met.”
Tobias has a brief flash of memory, from months ago. Spotting a strange, unfamiliar Pokemon—a riolu—unconscious in the middle of a nearby field. Waking her up to make sure she wasn’t hurt. Getting a blank stare and rising panic in return before Nia bolted into the woods and right into a mystery dungeon, Tobias hot on her heels.
Tobias snorts. “You were a mess.”
"I was!" Nia laughs. "I'm actually kind of embarrassed by it now. Can you imagine Kry’s reaction to seeing me run away from everything like that?”
“You were terrified of a seedot,” Tobias agrees, amused by the thought.
Although, knowing now how wildly different the Pokemon world is from Nia’s own, Tobias can’t blame her for being so freaked out. If anything, he’s a little embarrassed by how harshly he’d treated her. He wasn’t exactly a comforting presence at the time.
“But look at you now. Taking down steelixes all on your own.”
“Are you ever going to let that go?” Nia whines, paws coming up to hide her face.
“Nope. It's objectively awesome. And you aren’t going to tell anyone, so.”
Nia snorts another laugh. “I can’t believe I was so close to becoming a researcher instead of a Seeker. I can’t believe I fight on a daily basis!”
Tobias blinks, looking over at her. “You almost became a researcher?”
“I never told you that? Before I thought of teaming up with you, I thought becoming a Seeker was too scary, so I was going to become a researcher instead. Like Alistair and Tawny.”
Tobias wrinkles his snout, trying to picture it. On one hand, Nia would be right at home surrounded by all those books and the cozy environment of the guild every day. He could see her getting along well with the gardevoir and ribombee down in the archives.
But on the other hand, Tobias has also seen Nia’s eyes light up when she travels somewhere new. Seen how insatiably curious she is about the world and all the Pokemon in it. He's seen how her riolu nature shines through when she’s defending someone in a fight, and how genuinely happy she is when she can help out a client. All of that good would be smothered, stuck here at the guild.
And where would he be, if Nia hadn’t decided to come rescue him in that dungeon? Dead, at worst. Stuck in the medicinal quarters and miserable at best. Maybe Nia would’ve been happy as a researcher, but Tobias is immeasurably glad that they’re here together instead, as a team.
They both fall quiet again, looking up at the stars. The moon overhead is bright, painting everything in shades of black and silver.
“Humans went to the moon, y’know,” Nia eventually says.
Tobias gives her a dry look. “Ha ha. Funny.”
Nia blinks, looking genuinely caught off-guard. “No, really! Not, like. All of us. It was only a few. But we really did.”
Tobias squints at her, doubtful. But Nia doesn’t break. “…I thought you said humans couldn’t fly.”
“We can‘t. Or, well. Not on our own. But we built machines that can!”
Machines. Right. “Like…the cars you were talking about on the way to Asra?”
“Yes!” Tobias can hear Nia's tail give a happy thump against the wood. “Cars are great—they're so much faster than walking. And I loved the train in Ghatha. It was really similar to our own trains, so I wonder if a human had a hand in inventing that.”
“Probably. Don’t know if a Pokemon would’ve come up with something like that on their own. It was…kind of cool, I guess.”
“Oh, just you wait. There are so many cool human things I wanna show you! When I—"
Nia’s words cut off abruptly. Tobias feels a jab at his heart, knowing exactly why she'd clamped her mouth shut so suddenly. He wouldn’t ever get to visit, of course. And Nia wouldn’t get to visit him, either, if she left and went back to the human world. Giratina made that pretty clear. Tobias’ hand drifts up to his scarf, skimming the worn material comfortingly through his fingers.
The dark feels heavier, suddenly. Pressing down on them. Suffocating.
“I’m scared,” Nia eventually murmurs, curling tighter into her blanket. Her breath billows into the night air. “Of what will happen if we can’t do this. If we fail.”
Tobias knows the feeling. While Nia has two worlds’ safety on her mind, Tobias is struggling with just the one. He tries not to think about it too often, or it settles on his chest like a rock slide.
“Do you really think we’ll be able to find Xerneas?” Nia whispers, eyes trained on the mountains in the distance.
Tobias takes a moment to think before responding. “I don’t know. It’s not a great sign that Xerneas and Yveltal have been hidden for so long without anyone stumbling across them, but…”
“They’re the only lead we’ve got.”
Tobias swallows. “Yeah. But if worse comes to worst…we’ll just have to figure something else out. Failing isn’t really an option.”
Not with how much is on the line. They have to find a way to fix this if they want to keep everyone and everything in both of their worlds safe.
Nia turns to tuck her head into Tobias’ shoulder, her breath tickling his skin. The touch is grounding, somehow. Distracting enough to keep him out of his own head. They need a distraction. They can’t do anything until dawn anyways.
“Have I told you how much my family loved stars?” He blurts.
Nia’s breath catches, audible with her so close. “…No?”
Tobias wants to tell her. Wants to share. It’s still a terrifying feeling. His heart beats hard in his chest.
“We…lived in the mountains. Not the Silenfroar range here, but across the sea. Near a little village. But we lived way up, in a cave.”
Nia is silent. Tobias thinks she might be holding her breath.
“The sky was really clear, up there. It felt like we could reach out and touch the stars at night. Like…like it was just us and them.”
Tobias kind of feels like that now, actually. It’s a strange sensation. Deja vu, in a way. A little painful. A little sweet.
“And if it was ever too cloudy to see them from our cave, my…our parents would take Vivi and I flying. It was…”
The most magical thing he’d ever experienced. Something that makes a deep longing ache in his chest, even now. He hates that the world took that away from him. Won’t let him evolve to fly himself.
Nia’s hand slips free of the blanket to hold his own, her fur almost as warm as him.
Tobias takes a deep breath. “It was one of my favorite things. Vivi’s, too. When we couldn’t sleep, we’d sit at the mouth of the cave and they would teach us about constellations. Sing us stories.”
Nia is silent, hanging onto Tobias’ every word. Tobias closes his eyes. He can almost imagine it, fuzzy but warm. His father’s wing around him and his sister, keeping them sheltered from the chilly mountain breeze. Their mother humming and singing folk tales about the constellations. Tobias’ head bobbing as his eyes slipped closed and sleep washed over him.
“Do you remember any of the stories?” Nia asks.
Does he? He’s kept his memories locked away in the back of his mind for so long that trying to excavate them feels like wading through a sea of cobwebs. His eyes scan the sky, landing on a bright constellation vaguely resembling a head with big, round ears. He points at it with his free hand.
“That’s the teddiursa cub.”
Nia follows his gesture. “Teddiursa?”
“We saved one on our first mission. Uh. Small. Orange fur. Claws.”
“Oh! The cute little teddy bear!”
"Yup. He pairs with the ursaring.”
Nia follows Tobias’ finger as he trails up and to the right, where another collection of stars create the larger, blockier form of an ursaring head.
“Ursaring?”
“It’s what teddiursa evolves into. The story…” What was it again? “The story says that the teddiursa got lost one day. The ursaring was his mother, and she looked for him frantically, for three endless nights.”
Nia makes a sad sound in her throat.
“Desperate, the ursaring prayed to the stars, asking Jirachi to help her find her cub. Jirachi, the wishmaker, heard her and made her a part of the night sky, to be seen by all. The teddiursa saw his mother in the night sky, and wished to join her. Jirachi granted it, and the two have lived together in the sky ever since.”
Nia hums. “We have a similar set of constellations in our world, actually. Ursa Minor and Ursa Major.”
“Really?”
Nia nods, stars reflecting in her eyes. “I don’t remember much about the story associated with it, but…I think it’s sad.” She turns a smile onto Tobias. “I can’t decide if your world’s version is happier or not.”
Tobias blinks. He’d always assumed the story was a happy one, because the mother and child were reunited. “What do you mean?”
“I mean…they’re trapped in the sky, right? Are they happy there?”
Tobias frowns, looking back at the constellations. “…I like to think they are.”
Nia laughs softly. “Look at me, being the pessimist. I like your way of thinking better.”
Tobias makes a vague noise in his throat. They have enough things going wrong with the real world. Why not choose to believe that at least the teddiursa and ursaring got a happy ending?
“Thanks, Tobias. For sharing with me.”
Tobias isn’t sure if she means the story, or his memories, or his spot here, looking at the stars. Maybe all of it. He shrugs, embarrassed. “Who else ‘m I gonna tell? Xander?”
Nia gives him an exasperated, fond look. “I wasn’t kidding earlier. Maybe you can’t see it, but they really do want to be your friend. You guys seemed to be having a lot of fun when we sparred the other day.”
It can’t be that easy to make friends. Not when Tobias has spent the last eight years of his life almost entirely alone. But Nia is better at emotions than he is, so…
“It wouldn’t be…too terrible. Training with them again sometime.”
Nia grins, a teasing glint in her eyes. “Come on. Is it really so bad to have a few friends? You and I are friends, right?”
Tobias scoffs. “Duh. You’re my best friend.”
Nia’s smile drops with surprise, and Tobias tenses. His face burns with heat, and he snaps his gaze out to look over the trees, mortified.
Why did he say that? And so naturally, too. Best friend. What is he, five?
(Then again, it’s kind of obvious, isn’t it?)
Tobias can still feel Nia’s eyes on him, and steals a glance to find her eyes a little shiny, her expression a bit wobbly. “Tobias…”
“We should get some sleep!” Tobias says, too loud as he jumps to his feet. Nia nearly falls over in his haste. He doesn’t offer her a hand up this time, pacing a few steps into the flight floor and willing his stupid nerves to calm down.
He doesn’t hear Nia follow after him, but in a few short seconds she’s at his side again and stepping in front of him. “Tobias?”
He grunts, staring at his feet. At least the night hides how red his face is.
“Hey, I'm...I'm going to try something, okay? Feel free to tell me to stop.”
Tobias looks up, confused.
Nia looks just as embarrassed as he feels, somehow, shuffling in her blanket. But slowly, slow enough for him to stop her, she steps closer to wrap him up in a hug, cheek pressed into his scarf and blanket enveloping them both in warmth.
“I’m really glad you’re the one who found me in that field,” she murmurs. “You’re the best friend I could’ve asked for.”
Tobias feels his throat tighten up. As much as he knows that that’s not true—he’s a pain to be around more often than not—he also believes that she means it. His hands fall to the arms around his torso. His chest feels uncomfortably warm, a completely different sensation than when he uses his flames.
Nia squeezes him once before stepping back, closer to the stairs. She has a shy smile on her face. “C’mon, we should get to bed. One of us needs to be awake for tomorrow’s flight.”
Tobias relaxes, relieved to settle back into their usual banter. He moves to follow her down the stairs, ignoring the heat lingering in his cheeks. “I still don’t get how your two modes for flight are either screaming in terror or passing out.”
“It’s exhausting to be scared out of my mind! And I’m not scared when I’m sleeping.”
“Until you slip off our flight ‘mon and fall into the ocean.”
“You wouldn’t let that happen.”
“I might, if you insist we meet up with Junie in Stonebrook.”
Nia laughs. “C’mon, avoiding her won’t do you any good. You know she’d find us eventually anyways. And if you don’t want to fend her off alone, then you have to keep me alive.”
“Darn. All my plans, foiled.”
Nia laughs. Her tail wags as she talks, the blanket over her shoulders swishing with the motion. Tobias will never admit to finding it adorable. "Hey, do you think we’ll get to see Fliss tomorrow?”
“The braviary? Sure, if she’s around.”
“I hope so,” Nia says, “She was so nice, and she knew a lot! And she didn’t change how she treated us after she found out I was human, either. I wonder if—”
Tobias listens idly as Nia chatters on, the sound of her voice a comforting background noise for the short trip back to their room. Sleep sounds less daunting, after getting to unwind with Nia a bit. He’d been worried that sharing his space, his memories, would feel wrong, but instead it’s the opposite.
He feels…lighter. Ready for the journey ahead, no matter what it may hold.
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Alcina's New Maid Pt. 8 Lady Dimitrescu x Reader
Summary: Lady Dimitrescu brings you in as one of her maids, at least, that's what you thought she brought you to the castle for.
Warnings: 18+ minors DNI, depression themes
Tags: flirty, fluff, slow burn, smut, angst.
Notes: Part 8! This kinda ends in a cliffhanger I'M SORRYYY but this shit was getting way too long😅😅 I am going to try and get chapter 9 done as soon as I can so you guys aren't waiting on it for too long!💕💕
Click here for the rest of the series
The following morning Alcina calls on one of her maids to have a carriage prepared.
"Daughters!" She calls from the foyer of the castle. Bela, Daniela and Cassandra appear in front of her.
"I have some things to take care of outside the castle. Bela, I am placing you in charge until I return."
"But mom!" Daniela cries.
"No fair she always gets to be in charge!" Cassandra argues.
"My decision is final." She says, quieting the arguments of the two girls. "Bela, please keep an eye on things, I shall be back before dinner tonight."
"Yes mother." Bela replies.
"Where are you going?" Daniela asks, looking up at her mother.
"I have a few matters I must discuss with Lady Beneviento."
"Aunt Donna!" Daniela says with excitement.
"Can we come? I want to see Angie!" Cassandra says, making Alcina chuckle.
It's always trouble when the three girls, well, Daniela and Cassandra mostly, get together with Angie.
"Not this time girls." Her response is met with a chorus of disappointment. "I must be off. Please try and behave yourselves while I'm out."
The three girls hug Alcina and she gives each of them a kiss on the top of their heads, wrapping her arms around them. Alcina exits the castle as the three girls swarm away.
You're awoken by a knock on the door, you turn towards the sound and roll back over, pretending to be asleep; desperately hoping whoever is at the door leaves. Much to your dismay, the door opens and the room fills with the smell of breakfast. The maid puts the tray on the table and you wait for her to leave. To your dismay once again, you see the maid walk around your bed, shutting your eyes before you can see who it is you pretend to stay asleep, avoiding any kind of interaction.
The maid walks over to the windows and pulls open the thick curtains, allowing the sunlight to spill into the room for the first time in nearly a week. Even with your eyes closed the light is blinding, your eyebrows knit together and you groan.
"Y/n." You hear a familiar voice.
Opening your eyes, squinting as you look up, you see Zina standing next to the bed.
"I have been very patient, but I can not watch you lay here another day. It's been almost a week."
There's a part of you that knows she's right, but there's a bigger part of you that doesn't want to move and is content with staying in bed until you die. A lump begins to form in your throat and your eyes begin to gloss over.
"I can't." You say softly.
"You can, and you will. When was the last time you showered?"
"A few days ago." Embarrassed, you avoid her gaze and stare at your pillow.
"What on earth has gotten into you? This is all very unlike you."
Pausing for a moment, you take a deep breath.
"You were right. About everything." You say as tears fall onto your pillow and your voice grows thick.
"You became too attached, didn't you?"
Nodding your head in response, Zina exhales deeply.
"Did you listen to a word I said-"
"I did," you say, cutting her off as your voice cracks. "I did, and for a while it was fine, but then I started feeling like I was special to her, and then I got scared because I didn't want to end up like the rest of them. I told Alcina how I was feeling and she told me I was special," Zina's face changes from looking like she was about to scold you to a look of curiosity. "She told me I was different from the others. And I was stupid enough to believe her. I was dumb enough to believe her lies-"
"Lady Dimitrescu is a lot of things," Zina cuts in. "but I can tell you for certain that a liar is not one of them. She is most likely the only person I've ever met that refuses to speak a single lie."
"Then why would she tell me that? Why would she say that I was special and then throw me aside like I was nothing? Why would she do everything she did for me and then act like I didn't even exist and then go and fuck another maid?!" You sob, tightly holding onto your pillow.
Realizing the situation in front of her was not what she expected it to be, Zina sits on the edge of the bed and gently stokes your hair.
"I cannot speak for the Lady and her actions, but what I can tell you is that she has not been herself this last week either. I know I said I did not want to get involved in your affairs with the Lady, which is still the truth, but I will offer you some advice."
Turning your face towards her, you look into her eyes, eager to hear her next words.
"Have you tried speaking with her?" Zina asks.
"I did, right when she started ignoring me. And she looked right through me, like I didn't exist and just walked away, like I wasn't even there."
"Did this all start after your second encounter with Stefana?"
"Yeah, and Mother Miranda."
Zina's pupils dilate, a look of concern crossing her face.
"Mother Miranda?" She quietly asks.
"Yeah, when she came to work in the lab or whatever. She found me in Alcina's bed after I got my stitches. She said she wanted to use me for a Cadou experiment and Alcina freaked out. I mean she didn't scream or anything, but her eyes, she looked terrified."
"You are very lucky to still be alive y/n." She says, visibly shaken.
"Well I told Mother Miranda that Alcina bought me from my uncle so I was her property, not just an employee. Finally she agreed to not take me to the lab but Alcina was so freaked out and I don't know why. I don't even know what a Cadou is or anything that they were talking about."
"In time you will learn, but it's not my place to explain the horrors of Mother Miranda. That was quick thinking, telling Mother Miranda about your purchase, it's probably the only reason you weren't taken into the dungeon, whether or not the Lady wanted you to go."
"After all of that, it was like I stopped existing to her. I don't know what I did." You say, defeatedly.
"As I said earlier, I won't speak on behalf of the Lady, but something tells me it's less of what you did and more of Mother Miranda's interest in you. You should try and speak with her again."
"What do I even say? 'Fuck you, you broke my heart?' that won't go over well."
"No, that certainly won't."
"What do I do? Let her tell me why she did what she did? And then what? I just magically forget about what happened and everything is sunshine and rainbows? How could I forgive her?"
"Whether or not you forgive her is something you must figure out on your own, no one can help you make that decision or make that decision for you. My advice is this: speak to her. She's out this morning and will be returning before dinner. She brought you your dinner last night, correct?"
"Yeah."
"Although I don't participate in the maidens gossip, I've heard that one young maid found her sitting outside your room in tears."
"Good." You grumble.
"Y/n." She scolds you.
"What? She does all of this awful shit to me and I'm supposed to feel bad when she cries?"
"I am not saying you aren't allowed to be angry, you are certainly entitled to every feeling you have towards her at the moment. That does not mean however, it's acceptable to lack all empathy. You can be both empathetic and angry towards her, they are not mutually exclusive feelings."
You go to retort her statement and pause, letting her words sink in before you respond.
"I guess." You say.
"Speak to her. Tell her everything you just told me, tell her how her actions made you feel. I've worked alongside the Lady for many years, it's not often she cares for maidens, but on the rare occasion she does, she listens."
"I'll think about it."
"Very well. Now, get up." She says, pulling the duvet off of you, you groan in protest. "Go on, go get a shower and for the love of the Black God please eat something. I didn't think it was possible for someone to survive on eating three bites of toast for a week."
Looking over at Zina you want to protest, but the look on her face is similar to one a mother would give their child when they won't listen. Knowing it was no use fighting her, you take a deep breath and muster the energy to finally get out of bed.
Making your way into the bathroom, you turn towards Zina before shutting the door.
"Thank you."
She gives you a nod and walks out of your room. Neither of you notice, but a little fly quickly buzzes out the door right before Zina closes it behind her.
The carriage pulls up to Lady Beneviento's estate. After she exits, Alcina is greeted by the familiar figure dressed in black, a matching black veil covering her face.
"Donna." Alcina says with a smile.
"Welcome." Donna says, although Alcina can't see her face, she can tell it was said with a smile.
Donna leads Alcina into the house and Donna's doll, Angie, runs into the foyer.
"Who the fuck let a tree in the house?!" She says with a screeching laugh.
Alcina lets out a low growl as Donna softly scolds the doll.
"Would you like some tea? I was just making myself some." Donna asks.
"Yes, that would be lovely, thank you."
Alcina takes a seat in one of the larger chairs in Donna's living room, Donna had it brought to her house for Alcina years ago so she could be comfortable when she visits.
"You better not break that chair!" Angie squeals as she runs around the house.
Alcina rolls her eyes, trying to ignore the doll.
"Angie, be nice." Donna quietly says as she walks in with a tray holding a teapot and two cups.
Donna takes a seat across from Alcina and pours tea into both cups. The teacup looks dwarfed in Alcina's large hands, making Angie cackle. After removing her veil, Donna fixes her hair and Alcina smiles at her sister.
"What brings you all the way to the estate sister?" Donna asks.
Alcina looks down into her cup. Donna was the only one of her siblings she would be able to speak to about what's been going on. Truthfully, Donna was the only person she knew that she could speak to about any of this; but Alcina never thought about how she would explain the situation without sounding weak or pathetic.
"What's wrong Alcina?" Donna asks.
"I came seeking your advice." Alcina admits.
Donna's face lights up, it's not often that Alcina asks her for her help. In the rare occasion she does, Donna is both grateful and excited to help where she can.
After taking another sip from the tiny cup in her hand Alcina puts it down and lights a cigarette and takes a drag.
"I- I'm not good at these things. I have a very, very difficult time with being, open. Talking about my feelings." She says, rolling her eyes, bringing the cigarette up to her lips once more.
"I know, take your time." Donna says with an encouraging smile.
Alcina deeply inhales and slowly blows the smoke out of her nose.
"There is," she begins, carefully choosing her words. "Someone, a woman, I've grown to," she pauses "care for." She says with an exhale. "But, I've done something unforgiveable."
"Did ya kill her?!" Angie pipes in.
With her eyes narrowing at the doll, Alcina replies "no, you detestable plaything, I did not kill her."
"Well sorry for asking!" Angie says sarcastically. "You literally drink blood wine, I'm sorry if my question pissed you off you-"
"Angie that is enough." Donna snaps.
Alcina glares at the doll as she runs away before looking back towards Donna, taking another drag from the cigarette.
"Please, Alcina, continue." Donna says softly.
"I, I don't know how to fix it. Donna, I don't know what to do." Alcina says as her eyes gloss over, she snuffs out the cigarette in the ashtray on the table. Another thing Donna keeps around for Alcina when she visits.
Donna can count on one hand the amount of times she's seen Alcina cry in all of the years she's known her. Her heart melts a little as her older sister lets some of her walls down.
"I would love you help you Alci, but I need to know what happened."
Alcina gives Donna a brief overview of how you ended up at the castle, how you quickly became her handmaiden, she tells Donna about Stefana and how she's tried to kill you twice now, and tells her that Mother Miranda was infatuated with you.
"After Mother came I was terrified, Donna. It's the most terrified I've been since that clumsy maid broke the window in the library and almost killed Daniela all of those winters ago." Donna nods her head, remembering when Alcina told her about the incident. It made her want to vomit when Alcina described in great detail how she tortured the woman before sticking her in a wine barrel.
"So I abandoned her. I acted like she didn't exist. My plan was successful for the first few days, but then, she was all I could think about. There was nothing I could do to get her out of my head, I it was driving me absolutely mad. I was angry, unsatisfied, really." Donna nods her head as she follows along while Alcina pulls out another cigarette and lights it, taking a long drag, exhaling the smoke as she speaks. "I couldn't bring her to my chambers, Black God no, so I invited one of my newer maids in. I was satisfied enough but I still only thought of her." She pauses and take another drag, slowly exhaling the plume of smoke, reliving the moment. "When I opened my chamber door to let the maid out, there she was, walking back to her room. And the look on her face when she saw," Alcina looks up, blinking away tears. "The look on her face, Donna, it almost broke me."
A few tears roll down Alcina's cheeks, Donna hands her a handkerchief and she puts out her cigarette, carefully blotting the tears as she pulls herself together. She adjusts her posture, sitting up straight once more, reclaiming her poise.
"I thought maybe it would take a few days for her to move past it, but after that, she stopped showing up to meals, she hasn't gotten out of bed in almost a week-"
Angie runs into the room and sees Alcina wipe away a stray tear.
"Holy shit! You cry?! Who knew there was a heart under all of that cold, icy-"
"I will snap you in half you little twig!" Alcina roars, standing up to her full height, rage beginning to blind her.
"Alcina!" Donna yells.
Alcina looks at Donna and recognizes the look of fear in her eyes. Looking down, Alcina didn't even realize her claws have come out. The only time Donna had seen Alcina's claws in action was during a brutal attack when huntsmen stormed the castle while she was visiting. It took Donna weeks to be able to cope with what she saw. Staring at her claws in shock, Alcina retracts them and looks at her sister.
"Donna- I'm-" she goes to reach for her sister but pulls away and puts her face in her hands. The elegance that radiated off of her moments ago completely vanished. "I'm sorry." She says softly, sitting back down as she tries to hold back her cries.
Donna stands up and looks at Angie, pointing out of the room, silently telling her to leave. Walking up to Alcina she wraps her arms around her the best she can.
"It's okay." Donna softly says. "I know it was an accident."
"Oh Donna," Alcina cries. "what do I do? Gods if I were her I'd never speak to me again."
"This may sound silly, but, have you tried talking to her?" Donna asks.
Trying to gather herself once more, Alcina wipes her tears and lights another cigarette, taking a long drag from it. Her tone is stoic yet her voice shakes as she speaks.
"I brought dinner up to her chambers last night and she didn't even look at me. Her back was turned but I knew she was awake, I heard her heartbeat race as soon as I entered. I wanted to say something, to do something, but I didn't know what to say, I didn't know what to do. So I left, without saying a single word. Right before I shut the door I heard her sobs and it shattered my heart," She brings the cigarette to her lips and deeply inhales and releases the smoke from the corner of her mouth. "I just sat on the floor, in the middle of the corridor and cried."
"You should talk to her."
Alcina looks away as she blots away the tears once more, desperately trying to steady her trembling lip by bringing the cigarette to them.
"Sister, I mean this in the most loving way possible, but if you truly care for this girl, you will put your pride aside and apologize to her. Even if she doesn't forgive you, it's something you must do."
"I have been incredibly selfish." She says in defeat, taking another drag from the cigarette before crushing it into the ashtray.
"Yes, it certainly seems that way."
Alcina removes her hat and rakes her hands through her hair.
"What would say? 'I apologize for throwing you away like you meant nothing but really you mean everything to me please forgive me?' If someone said that to me after doing what I did to her I would laugh in their face."
"You and I both know you would do more than laugh in their face." Donna says, giving Alcina a knowing look. Alcina lets out a light chuckle. "Tell her why you did what you did, your reasonings behind them. Not to justify your actions, but so at least she understands why."
"What if she doesn't forgive me?" Alcina says quietly.
"Would you forgive you?" Donna asks.
"No, I don't think I could."
"Do you love her?"
"Yes." Alcina whispers as tears roll down her cheeks.
"Then you must try to speak with her, you won't know what will happen for sure until you do."
Alcina shakes her head.
"What am I going to do if Mother decides to use her to punish me? If she tries to hurt her, just to teach me a lesson?"
"Then my dear sister, you have a difficult choice to make. You either protect the one you love and stand up against Mother, or, you be the obedient daughter and let Mother do as she pleases. There will come a time where you will not be able to do both."
Looking into her sisters eyes, Alcina smiles.
"Thank you, Donna."
"Of course Alcina, you can always speak to me, about anything."
Alcina smiles and grabs her sisters hand, gently squeezing it.
"Come, lets take a stroll through the gardens, they're especially lovely this time of year." Donna says, standing up.
Daniela and Cassandra run to Bela's room and bang loudly on the door.
"WHAT?" Bela yells from the other side.
"Bela open up!! It's important!" Cassandra says.
Bela opens her door to see her sisters standing in front of her.
"What? What happened?" She asks, worried.
The two girls push their way into Bela's room and close the door.
"Hey! Get out!" Bela says, trying to push the girls back.
"We figured out why mom has been so weird and why y/n hasn't left her room!" Cassandra says.
"Wait, really?" Bela asks, surprised. "Wait a minute, how? Do I even want to know?"
"A little fly told us." Daniela says, giggling at Cassandra.
"Did you spy on them?!" Bela says.
"No, well, not on mom, gods no. She would know immediately, and she would kill us. But a little fly may have overheard y/n talking to Zina." Daniela says.
Bela crosses her arms, disapproving of her sisters antics.
"Well do you want to know or not?!" Cassandra says, annoyed.
"It's some real juicy stuff!" Daniela says.
Bela rolls her eyes.
"Well, I guess what's done is done. What did they say?"
Daniela and Cassandra recall the conversation Daniela's fly overhead, how you thinking you were special to their mother was just you falling into her usual trap and how their mother said that she was in fact special. They talk about what happened with Mother Miranda after they left their mother's chambers and how their mother completely ignored your existence. They also tell Bela that the night she didn't walk you to your room was when you saw another maiden leave their mother's chambers and that's why you've been locked in your room for the last week.
"Wait, so, mother-"
"She cheated on y/n and broke her heart!" Daniela exclaims.
Cassandra elbows her hard in the side
"Ow!"
"Shut your trap Dani, we can't let anyone hear us!"
"Mother has to feel guilty, I mean, how could she hurt y/n and be okay with it?" Bela says with disbelief on her face.
"Because mom can be a huge bitch." Cassandra says, folding her arms.
"Cassandra!" Bela scolds her. "Don't talk about our mother like that!"
Daniela turns to Bela.
"Bela, she hurt y/n, she loved mom and mom went and cheated on her."
"There has to be an explanation for this, I need to hear mother's side! It's unfair to judge based off of only one side!" Bela says, defending her mother.
"Bela you're such a suck up." Cassandra snaps.
"I am not! Plus Cass you're the one who said they weren't 'really together anyway' a few days ago! What happened to that?!"
"That was before I knew they were in love you idiot!"
"I still want to hear mother's side of the story."
"Mother would never talk to us about that, she's far too private." Cassandra says.
"Then what are we going to do?" Daniela asks.
"We have to get them in the same room somehow." Bela says, deep in thought.
"Oh! That's a good idea!"
"What good would that do? They're just gonna fight, or say nothing to each other." Cassandra says.
"They've avoided each other for so long, they need to talk." Bela says.
"Oh! Why don't we trick them into going into the same room?" Daniela suggests.
"That's actually not a bad idea." Cassandra says.
"How are we gonna do that though?" Daniela asks.
"I think I have an idea!" Bela says.
As you're walking back to your room from the kitchen with Zina, a lunch tray in your hands, you spot Daniela down the hall.
"You're alive!!!" She yells as she runs up to you and wraps her arms around you.
"Yes, I am very much alive." You say, trying to hug her back and balance the tray. "I'm sorry for how awful I was to you kiddo, you didn't deserve it."
"It's okay, I would have acted the same way if that happened to me too." She says, her eyes going wide as you look at her confused. "I mean, you know, if I really wanted to be left alone like you did."
Her choice of words confuses you a little but you don't think too much into as Zina gives Daniela a knowing look.
"Well, anyway, I gotta run." She says, avoiding Zina's look. "But y/n, I have a surprise for you later, now that you've finally come out of your room!"
"Okay," you say with a laugh. "Come get me when you need me."
Daniela swarms off and Zina shakes her head.
"Those girls are always up to something."
"They certainly are."
The girls are gathered in the library going over their plan when they hear the doors open, the familiar sound of their mothers footsteps echoing through the castle.
"Mom's home!" Bela says.
"Okay, Dani, go take care of y/n, we'll take care of mom."
The girls go their separate ways, Daniela making her way upstairs through the back halls and Bela and Cassandra going to greet their mother in the foyer.
"Mom!" Bela says.
"Good afternoon girls," Alcina says, immediately realizing Daniela is missing. "Where is Daniela?"
"Probably doing something stupid." Cassandra says.
Alcina laughs and pulls the girls into a hug.
You're about to leave your room and you hear a knock on the door, you see Daniela standing there when you open it.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Surprise time!"
"Can we do it in a few minutes, I was just about to-"
"NO!" Daniela says, trying to collect herself. "Nope, sorry, can't do, we gotta do it now."
"Okay..?" You say, having no idea what she's about to do.
Daniela pulls out a blindfold.
"Here! Put this on!"
"Do I really need a-"
"Yes! Yes you do! Now come on!" She says, pulling it over your eyes.
"Alright, alright. Now what?" You say as you position it over your eyes.
"Can you see anything?" Daniela asks, waving her hand in front of your face.
"Nope, just black."
"Good."
Daniela grabs you by the arm and pushes you to sit on your bed.
"Okay, now wait here for a minute."
"Okay-"
"And no talking!" She says.
You chuckle and Daniela shushes you.
Downstairs, Bela and Cassandra look up at their mother after she lets go of them. Alcina notices a mischievous look on their faces and raises an eyebrow at them.
"What are you girls up to?"
"We have a surprise for you!" Bela says.
"Oh, you do?" Alcina says as she gives them a look.
"Yup, you gotta put this on though." Cassandra says, pulling out a blindfold big enough for Alcina.
"Girls, is this really necessary?"
"Yes!" Cassandra says.
"Please mom?" Bela says, looking up at her mother.
Rolling her eyes, Alcina hands her hat to Bela and takes the blindfold and ties it around her head. She motions for her hat and places is back on her head.
"Now what?" She asks.
The girls each grab one of her hands and begin to lead her up the stairs.
"We're going upstairs?" Alcina says.
"Yes!"
"We'll tell you when to duck!" Cassandra says.
"Thanks." Alcina says, unamused but with a smirk on her face.
"And no more talking!" Cassandra says, Alcina grumbling in response.
Since Alcina knows the castle like the back of her hand, the girls walk their mother around for a minute before finally reaching your chambers; hoping she doesn't know where they're taking her.
The three of them stand outside the open door and Daniela gives them a thumbs up, Bela puts her mothers hand on the doorframe so she knows to duck and gently pushes her into the room.
You hear footsteps approach as you sit blindfolded on the bed, your room is suddenly filled with the scent of Alcina's perfume and you stiffen, your muscles in your body tensing.
Alcina ducks into the room and takes a few steps, Daniela sneaks around her and stands with her sisters outside of the door. She recognizes the familiar drum of your heartbeat and her posture stiffens, slowly turning towards the sound. The girls nod to each other and Daniela grabs the door handle.
"Okay, take them off!" Cassandra says as they quickly close the door and run away.
The two of you slowly remove the blindfolds, your eyes meet for the first time as they adjust to the light. You look into her eyes, desperately wanting to move your gaze, but you can't, your eyes are stuck staring into hers like magnets.
Alcina is the first to break eye contact when she closes her eyes and gently shakes her head. Her eyes meet yours once more, you try to gauge her inscrutable look but you're met with a stone wall. You feel your heart leap into your throat while you simultaneously feel a lump forming over your vocal chords. Alcina opens her mouth to speak but quickly closes her mouth and looks away. You try and speak but no words leave your lips. She takes one final look at you and turns to leave.
Watching her walk towards the door you feel your heart shatter again, but you also feel anger, frustration. As she reaches for the doorknob you break through the lump restraining your vocal chords and speak.
"So that's it? You're not going to even say anything to me?" Your voice cracks.
"Would it make a difference?" She says, her voice is cold but you notice a slight shake to it.
Looking down at your hands in your lap you quietly say "I don't know."
After a second you look up and see her standing in place, her hand resting on the doorknob. Your eyes focus on her hand, anticipating her wrist to turn and for her to open the door to leave.
An internal war rages on inside Alcina; she can almost taste the release of walking out of the room, but her heart is screaming at her to stay. Donna's voice pops into her head.
"if you truly care for this girl, you will put your pride aside and apologize to her."
With a shaking breath, she drops her hand from the doorknob and hangs her head.
#willalove75#wlw fanfic#lady dimitrescu#alcina dimitrescu#lady dimitrescu fanfic#lady dimitrescu x reader#alcina x female reader#re8 alcina#alcina dimitriscu x reader#alcina x reader
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Madness - Chapter 1
Warning: swear language, mentioned childhood trauma, and you know it's a war college so you should be prepared.
Note: I hope you will enjoy this chapter, I'm currently working on ch 2, there will be more excitment as the story goes on, pls bear with me I have so many ideas for this fanfic ;)
A dragon without its rider is a tragedy. A rider without their dragon is dead.
—Article One, Section One
The Dragon Rider’s Codex
„You’re late.” says General Melgren, when I enter his office. He is staring out of the window, and didn’t turn around when he heard me closing the door.
„I apologise, but…” I try to defend myself.
„I dont’t care about your excuses. This is the Conscription Day and you will not fail.” he starts his lecture for the hundreth times.
As if he let me fail. I had been trained for this day since I was born. I am strong, he made sure of that. He doesen’t know the word love since my mother’s death. I never once received a kind word from him. For me he’s a monster, not a father. I hate him.
„Yes, General.” I answer, while I’m tightening my grip on my canvas rucksack.
„Go, and don’t forget what’s your duty. And do not forget that you are a Melgren! Do not bring more shame on this name, that you already had. The Riders Quadrant the only place the suitable to hide your…disfunction.”
What a kind man, I thought. That’s not my fault that I was born this way.
„Yes, General.”
„You’re dismissed.”
With his last word I walk out of the office and I go to wait for Violet in front of her mother’s office. Voices rose from beyond the closed door. They arguing, again.
It’s not a surprise beacuse everybody knows that Violet Sorrengail isn’t meant to be a Rider. She’s small and fragile. The complete opposite of a Rider. Only General Sorrengail is blind to this fact.
Basgiath War College is famous for its cuelty throughout Navarre. Nonetheless thousands of twenty-year-olds waiting to enter their chosen quadrant. I am one of them.
Every Navarrian officer, whether they choose to be schooled as healers, scribes, infantry, or riders is molded within these cruel walls over three years, honed into weapons to secure our mountainous borders from the violent invasion attempts of the kingdom of Poromiel and their gryphon riders. The weak don’t survive here, especially not in the Riders Quadrant. The dragons make sure of that.
I nearly dropped my rucksack when General Sorrengail’s door opened with such a force that’s matching Mira Sorrengail’s temper. She’s Violets older sister by six years.
Mira Sorrengail is the epitome of the perfect Rider. She has short hair to match the standard Rider’s length. She was dressed in black leather and carried her battle worn rucksack in her hand. She was elegant and lethal.
„It seems that General Sorrengail didn’t change her mind about Violet and the Riders Quadrant.” I say when she realises that I was waiting for them.
„No. She’s batshit crazy.” Mira says without a care that the guards might tell her what she said.
„Don’t worry, I’ll be there for her. I can’t guarantee that she will graduate without a scratch, but I will do my best to protect her.” I try to calm Mira.
In this moment the door opened again a whole lot gentler then before. It was Violet.
We practically grew up together, because my father always left me here in Basgiath when he had left to fulfill his duty as one of the most powerful Generals.
Violet was a kind, gentle but sharp tounged woman. She dosen’t fit any of the criteria that makes someone suitable for a life of a Rider.
„Hi Aelin.”
„Hi, Vi. How are you?” I ask her refering to the talk with her mother.
„We don’t have time for a chit chat. Let’s go. We only have an hour before all candidates have to report, and I saw thousands waiting outside the gates when I flew over.” Mira says as she starts walking, leading us down the stone staircase and through the hallways to Violet’s room.
„She’s fucking efficient, I’ll give you that.” Mira mutters
All of Violet’s personal items have been packed into crates that now sit stacked in the corner.
„I was hoping I’d be able to talk her out of it. You were never meant for the Riders Quadrant.” Mira says while emptying Violet’s rucksack to see what she packed that makes it look so heavy.
„So you’ve mentioned. Repeatedly.” Says Violet while she stares at her sister with daggers in her eyes. „And what are you doing? It took me the whole night to choose what I want to bring with me.”
„Sorry Vi, but your pack is almost as heavy as you. It would be impossible to carry it across the Parapet, even for me, and I’m stronger than you.” I wince as she try to catch her books that Mira deemed unnecessary.
„Hey, I want those books. You can’t throw all of them away.” Shouths Violet.
„What’s this for then?” She asks holding up one of the books.
„Obviously killing people. If my memory correct that’s a book about poisonous herbs” I say to at least save one of the books for Violet.
„I’m surprised that you even tried to read a book” Replies Mira not even paying attention to what she says.
„I’m not illiterate Mira. I just have problems with reading and you know that too.” I cringe because I really hate this topic.
„Shit, Aelin I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.” Sighs Mira, then looks at Violet to divert the subject.
„Take off those horrible boots, they are a death trap. You’ll slip right off the Parapet with those smooth soles. I have a set of rubber-bottomed rider boots made for you just in case.” States Mira while giving the boots and black leather clothes to her sister. „Now, get changed while I sort out the rest of this mess.”
„And you…” She begins and check my clothes if I too need to change them.
„You’re set.” Mira states in a surprised tone.
„Yeah, you know my father. He never let me embarass him by falling off the Parapet beacuse of something this trivial.” I said as I roll my eyes.
„Than at least he did one thing right in his life.” Mira says harshly while she finish packing into Violet’s rucksack.
„Rider black is supposed to be earned. Someone’s going to say we didn’t earn them.” I hear Violet refer to her clothes and mine, when she emerges from the bathroom in her new attire.
„You’re a Sorrengail. Fuck what they say.” Responds Mira while she laces Violet into a vest-style corset over her shirt.
„Here, this is yours. Put it on too.” Mira say and I get a corset that matches with Violet’s one.
„What is this?” I ask while trying putting it on.
„Something I designed,” she explains „I had it specially made for you two with Teine’s scales sewn in, so be careful with it.”
„Dragon scales?” I jerk my head back to look at her. „How the hell? Teine is huge.”
„I happen to know a rider whose power can make big things very small.” A devious smile plays across her lips.” „And smaller things… much, much bigger.”
„How much bigger?” I ask laughing.
„It’s a secret.” She says while motioning Violet to sit in front of her.
„You’re the worst.” says Violet.
„Oh come on Vi, don’t tell me that you aren’t curious.” I tease her.
„Head forward. You should have cut your hair.” Mira says while she pulls the strainds tight against Violets head and resume weaving. „It’s a liability in sparring and in battle, not to mention being a giant target. No one else has a hair that fades out silver like this, and they’ll already be aiming for you.”
„You know very well the natural pigment seems to gradually abandon it no matter the length.” Says Violet with defiance. „Besides, other than everyone else’s concern for the shade, my hair is the only thing about me that’s perfectly healthy. Cutting it would feel like I’m punishing my body for finally doing something well, and it’s not like I feel the need to hide who I am. Besides it’s not like Aelin will blend into the environment either.”
„So what’s your excuse for not cutting your hair?” Mira asks with raised eyebrows. „Because I know you have one too. You two always come up with something to get out of trouble.”
„I won’t cut it. I can braid it tightly to not distract me in a fight, besides it’s not like I resemble the General. My hair and my eyes come from my mother.” I say while looking into a mirror on one of the walls.
It’s true. I’m nothing like my father. I look just like my mother, as they say. She was a beauty and the only person whom my father loved in his life. Unfortunately that caused her death.
When she was in her last months in the pregnency, she was attacked by a group who wanted to eliminate the General using my mother. But she was a warrior and tried to save us by escaping. That was when someone injured her and left her to die. When they found my mother she was dying. Pregnant with me. The healers tried to save her but they are not gods. They can’t bring back the dead. They were only able to save me. These are the only facts that I know because nobody want to speak about my mother in fear to anger the General.
Between the few minutes that my mother had died and I was saved, happened a lot of things to my body. My hair is supposed to be a natural golden color but has strands of silvery white, just like my eyes. They should be golden but there are tiny circular parts around my iris where the silvery white color appears. The healers said that it was due to lack of oxygen. My father can’t even look at me because I remind him of my mother and my unique coloring is remind him of her brutal death and that he couldn’t save her. I think this is the main reason that he hates me. The other is another consequence of the circumstance of my birth.
When I was old enough that the General brought tutors to start my education, it turned out that my brain suffered some damage too. I was dyslexic. It doesen’t mean that I can’t read, it’s just really-really difficult. As if the words are running away from my eyes, everytime I try to read something. It doesen’t matter if it’s a short or long text. My memory is great enough that I can remember a lot of things after hearing it but not everything. That makes studying a whole lot of harder. The General ordered that we keep it a secret, so outside my father, and the tutors, the Sorrengail children are the only ones who know it. This is the other reason why the General said in his office that I bring shame on the Melgren name.
„Well then there’s nothing that I can say to change either of your mind.” Sighs Mira. „Then listen to me well.” As she starts to summarize years of knowledge into fifteen harried minutes, barely pausing to breathe.
„Be observant. Quiet is fine, but make sure you notice everything and everyone around you to your advantage. You’ve read the Codex?” Mira asks
„A few times.” Violet answers.
„I tried but I don’t remember everything.” I shrug.
„Then Violet will help you memorize it once you begin your classes. Then you should know that the other riders can kill you any time, and the cutthroat cadets will try. Fewer cadets means better odds at Threshing. There are never enough dragons willing to bond, and anyone reckless enough to get themselves killed isn’t worthy of a dragon anyway.”
„Except when sleeping. It’s an executable offense to attack any cadet while sleeping. Article Three-„ cites Violet.
„Yes, but that doesn’t mean you’re safe at night. Sleep in this if you can.” She taps the stomach of my corset. „Both of you.”
„There’s hidden sheaths sewn diagonally along the rib cage in your corset. For your daggers.” Continue Mira.
„I only have four.” Says Violet, then she grabs them from the floor and slide it into the sheaths.
„I have four and a sword.” I say to Mira while pointing at them at my ribs and thighs, the sword is strapped to my back.
„That’s fine. You’ll earn more.” She nods „Wear the armor at all times. Keep your daggers on you at all times.” She points to the sheaths down her thighs.
„Someone’s going to say we didn’t earn them.” Violet says. Clearly she worries too much.
„Come on Vi, remember what Mira said. You’re a Sorrengail. Fuck what they say. We will survive no matter what!” I say trying to calm her down a bit.
„Exactly. You’re both famous Generals daughters. A Sorrengail and a Melgren. You can do what you have to do to survive and never forget that.” Agrees Mira with me. „There’s no such thing as cheating once you climb the turret. There’s only survival and death.” The bell chimes – only thirty minutes left. She swallows. „It’s almost time. Ready?”
„No.” Replies quickly Violet.
„My hands are trembling.” I show them that indeed my hands are visibly shaking.
„Neither was I ready.” A wry smile lifts a corner of Mira’s mouth. „And I’d spent my life trainig for it, just like Aelin.”
„We’re not going to die today.” States Violet and slings the rucksack over her shoulder.
The halls of the central, administrative part of the fortress are eerily quiet as we wind our way down through various staircases, but the noise from outside grows louder the lower we descend. Through the windows, I see thousands of candidates hugging their loved ones and saying their goodbyes ont he grassy fields just beneath the main gate.
From what I’ve witnessed every year, most families hold on to their candidates right up to the very last bell. The four roads leading to the fortress are clogged with horses and wagons, especially where they converge in front of the college, but it’s the empty ones at the edge of the fields that make me nervous.
They’re for the bodies.
Right before we round the last corner that will lead tot he courtyard, Mira stops.
„What is – Oof.” I hear Violet’s muffled voice when Mira yanks her against her chest, hugging her tight in the relative privacy of the corridor.
„Aelin, you too. Come here.” Says Mira as Violet makes room for me, and then extends her arms.
„I love both of you. Remember everything I’ve told you. Don’t become another name on the death roll. Both of your lives are equally important. Do everything you can to stay alive.” Her voice shakes, and I wrap my arms around her, squeezing tight.
„We’ll be alright. I’ll be alright.” I promise.
She nods, her chin bumping against the top of my head. „I know. Let’s go.”
That’s all she says before pulling away and walking into the crowded courtyard just inside the main gate to the fortress. Instructors, commanders, and even General Sorrengail and General Melgren are gathered informally, waiting for the madness outside the walls to become the order within. Out of all the doors in the war college, the main gate is the only one no cadet will enter today, since each quadrant has its own entrance and facilities. Hell, the riders have their own citadel.
„Find Dain Aetos,” Mira tells us as we cross through the courtyard, heading for the open gate.
„Dain?” Asks Violet with a smile. I think she has a huge crush on him, but didn’t admit it yet. I don’t think he’s such a good person as Vi thinks, but I was never that close with him. We always avoided each others company. There’s something in his eyes that’s makes me uneasy.
„I’ve only been out of the quadrant for three years, but from what I hear, he’s doing well, and he’ll keep both of you safe.”
„As if I want to go near him” I say silently
„It doesn’t matter Aelin, just stay alive.” Scolds me Mira
„And you. Don’t smile like that,” she turns to Violet. „He’ll be second-year.” She shakes a finger at her. „Don’t mess around with second-years. If you want to get laid, and you should” – she lifts her brows – „often, considering you never know what the day brings, then screw around in your own year. Nothing is worse than cadets gossiping that you’ve slept your way to safety. This applies to you too Aelin.”
„So I’m free to take any of the first-years I want to bed,” I say with a smirk. „Just not the second- or the third-years.”
„Exactly.” She winks.
„Then we should definitely find the handsome ones. This is our first task Vi.” I joke with her, in hope that she at least smiles because she seems a little greener the longer she looks at the wagons at the road.
„Let’s cross the Parapet first Aelin.” Says Violet
„Sure Vi.” I wink at her.
We cross through the gates, leaving the fortress, and join the organized chaos beyond.
Each of Navarre’s six provinces has sent this year’s share of candidates for military service. Some volunteer. Some are sentenced as punishment. Most are conscripted. The only thing we have in common here at Basgiath is that we passed the entrance exam – both written and an agility test – which means at least we won’t end up as fodder for the infantry on the front line.
The agility test was easy with someone like me who had the „luck” to train under General Melgren’s watchful eyes. But the written exam was a nightmare. I barely passed despite the fact that I practiced for non-stop before it. It’s just the fact that I’m not like the other normal candidates. Give me a weapon and I’ll know how to use it. Bring me an opponent and I will figure out how to win. But I just can’t will my barin to function normally. Which my father likes to remind me all the time.
The atmosphere is tense with anticipation as Mira leads me along the worn cobblestone path toward the southern turret.
The majority of the crowd moves to line up at the base of the northern turret – the entrance to the Infantry Quadrant. Some of the mass heads toward the gate behind us – the Healer Quadrant that consumes the southern end of the college. Then I spot a few taking the central tunnel into the archives below the fortress to join the Scribe Quadrant. Violet wanted to be a scribe for her whole life. But General Sorrengail has other plans.
The entrance to the Riders Quadrant is nothing more than a fortified door at the base of the tower, that we rider candidates will climb.
We join the riders’ line, waiting to sign in, and then I glance up.
High above us, crossing the river-bottomed valley that divides the main college from the even higher, looming citadel of the Riders Quadrant on the southern ridgeline, is the Parapet, the stone bridge that’s about to separate rider candidates from cadets over the next few hours.
„And to think, I’ve been preparing for the scribe’s written exam all these years.” Says Violet in thick sarcastic voice. „I should have been playing on a balance beam.”
„Believe me Vi, I’ve been playing on a balance beam for years but I don’t think that’s the same as the Parapet.” I say laughing. „However I’m a little excited about this.”
Mira ignores us as the line moves forward and candidates disappear through the door. „Don’t let the wind sway your steps.”
Two candidates ahead of us, a woman sobs as her partner rips her away from a young man, the couple breaking from the line, retreating in tears down the hillside toward the crowd of loved ones lining the roads. There are no other parents ahead of us, only a few dozen candidates moving toward the roll-keepers.
„Keep your eyes on the stones ahead of you and don’t look down,” Mira says, the lines of her face tightening. „Arms out for balance. If the pack slips, drop it. Better it falls than you.”
„Maybe I should let them go first,” whispers Violet.
„No,” Mira answers. „The longer you wait on those steps” – she motions toward the tower – „the greater your fear has a chance to grow. Cross the Parapet before the terror owns you.”
„Mira’s right and you know it Vi. We will be alright. I’ll be there with you until we cross this damn thing.” I try to cheer her up. „If you want I’ll be the first, than you can watch and copy me.”
„Thanks, Aelin.” Smiles Violet.
The line moves, and the bell chimes again. It’s eight o’clock.
Sure enough, the crowd of thousands behind us has separated fully into their chosen quadrants, all lined up to sign the roll and begin their service.
„Focus,” Mira snaps, and I whip my head forward. „This might sound harsh, but don’t seek friendships in there. Forge alliances. Both of you.”
There are only two ahead of us now – a woman with a full pack, and a man with the woman crying over him. He’s carrying an even bigger rucksack.
I look around the pair toward the roll-keeping desk, and my eyes widen.
„Is he…?” Whispers Violet.
Mira glances and mutters a curse. „A separatist’s kid? Yep. See that shimmering mark that starts on the top of his wrist? It’s a relic from the rebellion.”
„A dragon did that?” She asks.
I nod. „Yes. General Melgren told me once, that it was his dragon that did it to all of them when he executed their parents. Nothing like punishing the kids to deter more parents from committing treason. Most of the marked kids who carry rebellion relics are from Tyrrendor.”
It always seemed cruel to me. Punishing the children for their parents actions.
In this moment the blood drains from Mira’s face, and she grips the straps of my pack, turning me to face her. „I just remembered.” Her voice drops, and we lean in to hear her better. „Stay the hell away from Xaden Riorson.”
That name…
„That Xaden Riorson,” she confirms, fear lacing her gaze. „He’s a third-year, and he will kill you the second he finds out who you are.” She lifts her gaze to Violet. „Both of you.”
„His father was the Great Betrayer. He led the rebellion,” Violet says quietly. „What is Xaden doing here?”
„All the children of the leaders were conscripted as punishment for their parents’ cirmes,” I murmur. Yep, my father was really a monster.
Mira whispers as we shuffle sideways, moving with the line. „Mom told me they never expected Riorson to make it past the parapet. Then they figured a cadet would kill him, but once his dragon chose him…” She shakes her head. „Well, there’s nothing much that can be done then. He’s risen to the rank of wingleader.”
„That’s bullshit.” Violet seethes.
„He’s sworn allegiance to Navarre, but I don’t think that will stop him where you’re concerned. Once you get across the Parapet – because you will make it across – find Dain. He’ll put you in his squad, and we’ll just hope it’s far from Riorson.” She grips my straps tighter. „Stay. Away. From. Him.” She knew me well enough to feel the need to repeat it. I don’t like this whole rebellion relic thing. This punishment is too curel.
„Roger that.” I say to calm her down.
„Noted.” Nods Violet.
„Next,” a voice calls from behind the wooden tablet hat bears the rolls of the Riders Quadrant. The marked rider I don’t know is seated next to a scribe, whose eyebrows rise over his weathered face. „Violet Sorrengail?”
She nods, and picking up the quill she sing her name on the roll.
„But I thought you were meant for the Scribe Quadrant,” he says softly.
„General Sorrengail chose otherwise,” I answer him.
„Melgren?” He asks.
„Yes, my name is Aelin Melgren.” I say then I sign my name on the next empty line on the roll.
„You look so much like your late mother,” He says while sadness fills his eyes.
„You knew my mom?” I ask amazed.
He turned his head to Violet „Pity. You had so much promise.” So he knew my mother, but won’t say a thing. As usual. But I just want to know what she was like.
„By the gods,” the rider next tot he scribe says. „You’re Mira Sorrengail?” His jaw drops, and I can smell his hero worship from here.
„I am.” She nods. „This is my sister, Violet. And this is Aelin Melgren. They’ll be first-years.”
„If your sister survives the Parapet.” Someone behind me snickers. „Wind just might blow her right off.”
„Shut up, idiot. You have a higher chance falling of the Parapet than her. It seems you don’t have a brain to think with, if you don’t know to not interfere in the adults conversations.” I answer angrily.
„You fought at Strythmore,” the rider behind the desk says with awe. „They gave you the Order of the Talon for taking out the battery behind enemy lines.”
„As I was saying.” Mira puts a hand at our shoulders. „This is my sister, Violet and our friend Aelin Melgren.”
„You know the way.” The scribe nods and points to the open door into the turret. It looks ominously dark in there, and I fight the urge to run away.
„I know the way,” she assures him, leading us past the table so the snickering asshole behind me can sign the roll.
We pause at the doorway and turn toward each other.
„Don’t die, Violet. I’d hate to be an only child. And you too Aelin, I consider you my sister so stay alive.” She grins and walks away, sauntering past the line of gawking candidates as word spreads of exactly who she is and what she’s done.
„Though to live up to that,” the woman ahead of us says from just inside the tower.
„It is,” Violet agrees.
„But at least she’s a good sister.” I say laughing.
My eyes adjust quickly to the dim light coming in through the equidistant windows along the curved staircase.
„Sorrengail, and Melgren as in…?” the woman asks, looking over her shoulder as we begin to climb the hundreds of stairs.
„Yep.” There’s no railing, so I gesture Violet to keep her hand on the stone wall as we rise higher and higher.
„The generals?” the blond guy ahead of us asks.
„The same ones,” I answer, offering him a quick smile.
„Wow. Nice leathers, too.” He smiles back.
„Thanks. They’re courtesy of our family.”
„I wonder how many candidates have fallen off the edge of the steps and died before they even reach the Paraphet,” the woman says, glancing down the center of the staircase as we climb higher.
„Two last year.” Violet replies immediately. „Well, three if you count the girl one of the guys landed on.”
The woman’s brown eyes flare, but she turns back around keeps climbing. „How many steps are there?” she asks.
„Two hundred and fifty,” Violet answers.
„Oh god Vi, I love your brain.” I said laughing, then we climb in silence for another five minutes.
„Not too bad,” she says with a bright smile as we near the top and the line comes to a halt. „I’m Rhiannon Matthias, by the way.”
„Dylan,” the blond guy responds with an enthusiastic wave.
„Violet.” Vi give them a tense smile.
„Aelin.” I say and wink at Vi, ignoring Mira’s earlier suggestion that we avoid friendships and only forge alliances.
„I feel like I’ve been waiting my entire life for this day.” Dylan shifts his pack on his back. „Can you believe we actually get to do this? It’s a dream come true.”
„I can’t fucking wait.” Rhiannon’s smile widens. „I mean, who wouldn’t want to ride a dragon?”
„Do your parents approve?” Dylan asks. „Because my mom’s been begging me to change my mind for months. I keep telling her that I’ll have better chances for advancement as rider, but she wanted me to enter the Healer Quadrant.”
„Mine always knew I wanted this, so they’ve been pretty supportive. Besides, they have my twin to dote on. Raegan’s already living her dream, married and expecting a baby.” Rhiannon glances back at us.
„What about you? Let me guess. With names like Melgren and Sorrengail, I bet you were the first to volunteer this year.”
„Yes, I wanted to come here since I can remember.” I say with a smile. „I’m really excited about this. I mean do you see the dragons? They magnificent.”
„I hear ya girl.” Says Rihannon as we high five. „What about you Violet?”
„I was more like volun-told.”
„Gotcha.”
„And riders do get way better perks than other officers,” Violet says to Dylan as the line moves upward again. The snickering candidate behind me catches up, sweating and red. Look who isn’t snickering now. „Better pay, more leniency with the uniform policy,” she continues. No one gives a shit what riders wear as long as it’s black. The only rules that apply to riders are the ones in the Codex.
„And the right to call yourself a supreme badass,” Rhiannon adds.
„That too,” I agree. „Pretty sure they issue you an ego with your flight leathers.”
„Plus I’ve heard that riders are allowed to marry sooner than the other quadrants,” Dylan adds.
„True. Right after graduation. If we survie.” Says Violet. „I think it has something to do with wanting to continue bloodlines.”
„Or because we tend to die sooner than the other quadrants,” Rhiannon muses.
„I’m not dying,” Dylan says with way more confidence than I feel – however I practiced for this for my whole life – as he tugs a necklace from under his tunic to reveal a ring dangling from the chain. „She said it would be bad luck to propose before I left, so we’re waiting until graduation.” He kisses the ring and tucks the chain back under his collar. „The next three years are going to be long ones, but they’ll be worth it.”
„You might make it across the Parapet,” the guy behind us sneers. „This one here is a breeze away from the bottom of the ravine.”
I roll my eyes. He doesn’t learn.
„Shut up and focus on yourself,” Rhiannon snaps, her feet clicking against the stone as we climb.
The top comes into sight, the doorway full of muddled light. Those clouds are going to wreak havoc on us, and we have to be on the other side of the Parapet before they do.
Another step, another tap of Rhiannon’s feet.
„Let me see your boots,” Says Violet quietly, probably hoping that the jerk behind me can’t hear her.
Her brows puckers, and confusion fills her brown eyes, but she shows her the shoes. They’re smooth, just like the ones Violet was wearing earlier. My stomach sinks like a rock. I know what she will do.
The line starts moving again, pausing when we’re only a few feet from the opening. „What size are your feet?” She asks.
„What?” Rhiannon blinks at her.
„Your feet. What size are they?”
„Eight,” she answers, two lines forming between her brows.
„I’m seven,” Vi says quickly. „It will hurt like hell, but I want you to take my left boot. Trade with me.”
„I’m sorry?” She looks at her like she has lost her mind.
„These are rider boots. They’ll grip the stone better. Your toes will be scrunched and generally miserable, but at least you’ll have a shot at not falling off if the rain hits.”
„Oh hell, don’t you dare Violet Sorrengail,” I hiss at her. „Just minutes ago I promised your sister that you will survive this damn Parapet, and now you want to throw away your best chance? Absouletly no.
„I give you my left boot. It’s the same size.” I say to Rihannon.
„What? No, that was my idea.” Whispers Violet.
„I know, but I will do it.” I reply. „Now hurry up, we don’t have time. It’s almost our turn.”
Rhiannon purses her lips in debate for a second, then agrees, and we swap left boots. I barely finish lacing up before the line moves again.
The top of the turret is bare, the crenelations of stone rising and falling along the circular structure at the height of my chest and doing nothing to obscure the view. The ravine and its river below suddenly feel very, very far. Every trial in the quadrant – including this one – is designed to test a cadet’s ability to ride. If someone can’t manage to walk the windy length of the slim stone bridge, then they sure as hell can’t keep their balance and fight on the back of a dragon.
And as for the death rate? I guess every other rider thinks the risk is worth the glory – or has the arrogance to think they won’t fall.
I breath deeply as I walk the edge behind Rhiannon, and in front of Violet, my fingers skimming the stonework as we wind our way toward the parapet.
Three riders wait at the entrance, which is nothing more than a gaping hole in the wall of the turret. One with ripped-off sleeves records names as candidates step out onto the treacherous crossing. Another, who’s shaved all his hair with the exception of a strip down the top center, instructs Dylan as he moves into position, patting his chest like the ring hidden there will bring him luck.
The third turns in my direcion and my heart simply…stops.
He’s tall, with windblown black hair and dark brows. The line of his jaw is strong and covered by warm tawny skin and dark stubble, and when he folds his arms across his torso, the muscles in his chest and arms ripple, moving in a way that makes me swallow. And his eyes… His eyes are the shade of gold-flecked onyx. The contrast is startling, jawdropping even – everything about him is. His features are so harsh that they look carves, and yet they’re astonishingly perfect, like an artist worked a lifetime sculpting him, and at least a year of that was spent on his mouth.
He’s the most esquisite man I’ve ever seeen.
Even the diagonal scar that bisects his left eyebrow and marks the top corner of his cheek only makes him hotter. Flaming hot. Scorching hot. Gets-you-into-trouble-and-you-like-it level of hot. Suddenly, I know that I won’t take Mira’s advice that not to fuck around outside my year group.
„See you girls on the other side!” Dylan says over his shoulder with an excited grin before stepping onto the parapet, his arms spread wide.
„Ready for the next one, Riorson?” the rider with the ripped sleeves says.
Xaden Riorson?
„You ready for this, Sorrengail? I think Melgren is fine, but you seems a little pale.” Rhiannon says moving forward.
The black-haired rider snaps his gaze to mine, turning fully toward me, then he looks onto Violet. That’s when I see it, the rebellion relic. It start at his bare left wrist, then disappears under his black uniform to appear again at his collar, where it stretches and swirls up his neck, stopping at his jawline.
„Oh shit,” I whisper, and his eyes snapped back to mine, as if he can hear me over the howl of wind that rips at my secured braid.
„Sorrengail? Melgren?” He steps toward us, and I look up… and up.
Good gods, I barely reach his collarbone. He’s massive. He has to be more than four inches over six feet tall.
I nod once, while a I make sure that I stand before Violet. To my movement the shining onyx of his eyes transforms to cold, unadulterated hatred. I can almost taste the loathing wafting off him like a bitter cologne.
„Aelin?” Rhiannon asks, moving forward.
„You’re the Generals daughters.” His voice deep and accusatory.
„You’re Fen Riorson’s son,” Violet counters behind me.
Xaden sucks in a deep breath, and the muscle in his jaw flexes once. Twice. „Your mother captured my father, and her father executed him.”
„Your father killed my older brother. Seems like we’re even.” Oh gods Violet, just shut up please, I beg in my mind.
„Hardly.” His glaring gaze strokes over me like he’s memorizing every detail or looking for any weakness.
I hold his glare, as if winning this staring competition will gain us safe entrance to the quadrant instead of crossing the Parapet behind him. Either way, I’m getting across. I promised to Mira that both of us will be safe on the other side.
His hands clench into fists, and he tenses.
I prepare for the strike, if I have to protect Violet. He might want to throw us off this tower, but I won’t make it easy for him.
„You all right?” Rhiannon asks, her gaze jumping between Xaden and me.
He glances at her. „You’re friends?”
„We met on the stairs,” she says, squaring her shoulders.
He looks down, noting our mismatched boots, and arches a brow. His hands relax. „Interesting.”
Fuck, Violet and her big heart.
„Are you going to kill us?” Asks Violet behind me.
„Shit, Violet just shut up please.” I hiss at Vi. „I don’t think it is a good idea to tempt someone throwing us off, who is bigger and stronger then us. I suppose you just have a death wish with pissing him off.” I facepalmed.
His gaze clashes with mine as the sky opens and rain falls in a deluge, soaking my hair, my leathers, and the stones around us in seconds.
A scream rends the air, and we jerk our attention to the Parapet just in time to see Dylan slip.
Violet gasps behind me.
He catches himself, hooking his arms over the stone bridge as his feet kick beneath him, scrambling for a purchase that isn’t there.
„Pull yourself up, Dylan!” Rhiannon shouts.
„Oh gods!” In the corner of my eyes I see that Violet’s hand flies to cover her mouth. That’s when Dylan loses his grip on the water-slick stone and falls, disappearing from view. The wind and rain steal any sound his body might make in the valley below.
Xaden never takes his eyes from me, watching silently with a look I can’t interpret.
„Why would I waste my energy killing you when the Parapet will do it for me?” A wicked smile curves his lips. „Your turn Melgren.”
Fucking handsome bastard.
#xaden x reader#xaden riorson x reader#the fourth wing#the empyrean#xaden riorson#violet sorrengail#fourth wing fanfic#fourth wing#bodhi durran#garrick tavis#dragons#fanfiction#liam mairi
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"...and it just did."
| W.M ( -> N.R)
Undeserving of a Love Like Yours, Chapter 5
Chapter Warnings: A very emotionally packed chapter, relationship problems, cheating, arguing, anxiety, overthinking, andd...just be prepared.
Summary: The truth unfolds itself easily on a special day.
Series Summary: When you're stuck in a complete hole of confusion and hurt with the one you thought you loved most, a certain redhead finds her way into your life.
Word Count: 8.7k (...oops)
Category: Angst.
A/N: this chapter has been eeeeverywhere with me. I wrote it in the car, at work, in my bedroom, and even at a hotel room. but, I hope you all enjoy<3 it's a whole lot, so it was quite difficult to finish, but february's over and I have more free time again!
also theres a playlist for this series out now :] in case you need something to listen to while reading. be careful while scrolling the songs to avoid just bits of teensy spoilers<3
Series Playlist
| Started on 10/01/2024, 12:16 PM |
| Finished on 05/03/2024, 3:45 PM |
Masterlist | Series Masterlist | N.R Masterlist
<- Chapter 4 Chapter 6 ->
"What is there to say?"
|——————————— ᗢ ———————————|
You drag your feet across the wooden floorboards, making your way towards the kitchen. Here it is again, the same routine. But yet this time, you see a sticky note left on the marble counter, illuminated by a dim overhead lighting.
You furrow your eyebrows, but go over to read it anyway, the bright color a big difference to the white counter. 'might not be home until tomorrow,' was written on the piece of paper. Your heart didn't drop as much anymore. Your shoulders only droop a little, as if just a teensy bit more weight had been added.
A quiet breath leaves your mouth. Your hand picks up the sticky note and scraps it up within your palms, throwing it off to a nearby trashcan in the kitchen. Who else needed to read it anyway? It was only for you. Only for you.
You shook your head of the remaining thoughts you had of her, but she couldn't quite leave your mind at least once. Always there. Always lingering. As if you had been cursed. But in honest truth, the only curse you had upon you was the spell of love.
Today was a special day. Key word on the was. Some type of hope swirling in your heart maybe had you looking forward to this day, but all of it had just gone down along with the piece of paper in the trash. Your eyes also flicker to it once more, seeing the many other colored paper sitting scrunched up with the one from just now. At least she had the decency to still leave notes.
But, today was, of course...your birthday. And out of all the people, your favorite person was certainly not present. Maybe she had forgotten, you thought. Maybe she just didn't care enough this year...no, how could she?
You snap yourself out, having stared off at the sunlight shining in through the windows. You go to the fridge to see what was still in there. A bitten sandwich from last night, and some leftover chickens, but your lip forms a line and you close it, your hand dropping off to your pocket to retrieve your phone.
It was currently 9:45 AM, the digits frozen still on the same numbers until the full sixty seconds passes by. Your mind was in a haze, but your stomach was empty and it urged you to find some food. Were you just going to go out by yourself? Your body seemed to stop you from even going to the living room. Take-out was an option, but instead you simply laid your phone down on the counter, it making a small noise, the textures clashing.
You put your head in your hands, covering up your face and sliding your fingers across your skin, your palm cupping your own cheeks as a way to get a grip of yourself.
Your phone came up with a notification of your calendar, getting out with a reminder of your birthday. What great timing. You clear it off your screen and unlock your phone, roaming the apps.
Just as you were about to push yourself off the counter and grab the last of the food in the fridge, your screen changes without you touching anything. The contact name came up with...Carol?
Your face relaxes a bit and your thumb hesitantly goes to pick it up rather than tap on the red button, the ringing going away. The phone goes along with your hand when you put it against your ear.
"Hey Carol." You say casually, trying your best not to sound too questionable, as it wasn't usual that she'd call you. You hear some distinct voices whispering in the background of her side, one sounding like a young kid.
"Hey, just wanted to call and um...check in on you?" Her voice ended up sounding questionable instead, and your face goes into a confused reaction, although a smile growing on your lips. You let out a small chuckle, your eyes roaming the space of the room as you thought of your words.
"'Check in on me?' Come on, you rarely do that." Your hand goes to grab a nearby notebook that's been left on the counter, saved for recipes. "What's up?"
"I just wanted to say happy birthday to you. Maria reminded me and she and Monica got me to...call you." You assume she had a small pause in her sentence because she was looking over at the other two people in the room with her, which was who you had heard earlier.
"That's nice of her. And thank you." The pages of the book was soft against your hands, your fingers tracing and fiddling with some as you smiled softly at the thought of Maria scolding Carol for having forgotten.
"Well that, or, I would probably not have any pancakes for myself right about now." She says, her mouth nearly sounding like it was full. You'd guessed it was.
"Even though you were threatened to wish me, thank you." You add on, laughing gently as you did. There was a page you landed on in the notebook with a cookie recipe. One, specifically where you and Wanda had made together, having shared a wonderful memory that day.
You could feel your heart beat within your chest, the pace going quicker as your eyes looked over the words written on the paper that was accompanied with smiley faces and hearts here and there.
The smile on your face had definitely faltered. You take in a deep breath, letting it out once you let yourself close the book. Carol's voice snaps you back to reality, having remembered you were talking with her.
"I'm kidding, I would've called you up either way. Really though, how are you?" Your teeth sank down on your bottom lip, probably enough to puncture the skin or leave a small mark, but you let it go once you talked.
"I'm...fine. Other than sitting in my house alone not knowing what to do than sulk in bed or contemplating my life choices." With that answer, the blonde definitely knew something wasn't entirely right. She stays quiet for a while, perhaps thinking.
"Do you wanna go out and hang at the bar? We can do some karaoke if you want that as a birthday present." She offers, and the attempt makes you smile weakly. She never really knew what to do for your birthday, not being the type to do birthdays more than just a simple wish to them. But for you, she'd offer to hang out, which is what you love to do most of the time.
"Sorry, but I don't really feel like partying or anything right about now. Well, tempting, but, I just wanna relax." You say quietly, sliding the recipe book back to its original place.
"Okay, then..." Carol trails off as her mind tries to come up with some more ideas. You were about to think she was going to just hang up sooner or later, but then you hear her voice continue with a more interesting take.
"There's the mall." You raise your eyebrows. She couldn't see you with you being over the phone, but she just knew you were probably surprised. And you were.
"And what would we do there?" You ask, your mind unable to conjure up the slightest of an imagination of going to the mall with her in a casual situation.
"Well, we could grab some ice cream, buy some things, go to the arcade, go...I don't know." She suggests, just nearly giving up. She wasn't good at this type of stuff really, she's simply basing it off of the times she and Monica hangs out together. You could at least picture the straight line her mouth forms when she finished her sentence, and you had to resist a laugh.
"Ice cream does sound really good." Your mind opened a little with the simple thought of ice cream. Even though the comfort of your bed and the couch seemed nicer, it's not a lot of times she ends up inviting you to hang out like this anyway.
"The mall it is." The blonde says, and you can hear some clatter over the phone. She had finished her pancakes, you supposed.
"Am I driving or...?" You trail off, fiddling around with your fingers and sliding them against the marble counter, the coldness a difference to the sunlight coming from the window.
"I'll pick you up." You then hear the sound of keys, and you couldn't back out anymore. She was driving to your house to grab you, and it'd be impolite to cancel.
"Okay." You say under a breath, feeling heavier with every second that goes by. The guilt and anxiety was eating you up, but the date on the calendar just next to the recipe book had your mind getting out of the thoughts.
"I'll be there in 10. Please don't be glued to your bed when I arrive," She said, to which you let out a quiet chuckle. You couldn't really tell if it was in a stern way or a soft way, but it definitely pushed you a little more to get up and change your clothes.
"I won't. See you here." You say gently and the end tone sounds out, making you pull your phone away from your ear.
With that decided, you push yourself off the counter, slowly going off to the bedroom. The closet opens easily, revealing the same clothes you see every day. You shuffle through some of the hanged shirts, looking at what to wear.
Soon enough, you pull one out. It easily slides off, brushing against the many other shirts within the closet. Your eyes don't linger on the other ones that weren't yours, and you close the door after grabbing everything else.
Later on, you get finished up with changing your clothes, and now you were only waiting for Carol to arrive. There was something that prickled within your heart, like a roses stem with thorns, a worry that maybe she changed her mind and she actually didn't want to hang out with you. Maybe she was only doing it out of sympathy? But that can't be true. What about all the times she's driven you back home when you got a little too many drinks?
...You take a deep breath and turn away from the wall you were staring off into like it was the abyss. Instead your hands checked that you had everything on you, like your phone, keys, and your watch.
Then, the sound of a car pulling up at the front of the house made you look up, your eyes carefully watching the windows. You see a Nissan outside, and it was obvious it was Carol arriving.
Quickly, you got off the couch while your phone made sound, definitely a text message from her that she's arrived. You open the front door, going outside. Her blonde hair could be seen clearly through the car windows, confirming the person in your head.
You make your way to the car, opening the front passenger door. "Hey," you say gently, going in and and closing the door along with you.
"Hey." your greetings were simple, a usual thing to happen. Carol glanced at you while you buckled in, giving you a small smile before starting to slowly position the car back to the roads.
The car had some old soft rock playing, filling up the quietness. It also had you already moving just a little to the beats, staring out the window as she drove you both to the mall. She's always had good playlists. Sometimes you'd even have an urge to ask her to give you some of her cds.
"So, what are you aiming to steal my money for today?" She jokes after a song, her eyes focused on the roads. You let out a small chuckle, looking over to her.
"I'm not letting you spend your money on me for something that isn't a drink." You shake your head, fiddling around with your fingers in your lap. The blonde notices it when her eyes flicker over to you for a second before returning to the roads.
"It's your birthday, Y/N. You have to have a little fun. Let loose," she says, and you raise an eyebrow, turning your head to her. The last two words were new, at least when it comes out of her mouth.
"Maria's words, not mine." she quickly stated, making a smile grow on your face. You stop fiddling with your fingers and instead intertwine them with each other, your gaze going back to the window.
"Come on, any ideas?" The car stops at a red light, and she looks over to you. You stayed quiet in thought, although nothing much came up. She sees only the side of your head until you made your decision.
"We'll do yours," you say, having unable to think of anything. Your mind was clouded over. Honestly, a part of your body just wanted to lie in bed hopelessly the whole day, but something else pulled you.
"Then it's settled," she nods, the steering wheel turning with her hand as she made a right. You think over her words on the phone call earlier, 'Ice cream, buy some things, arcade', and you start to get just a bit more excited.
"Ice cream first?" You ask, looking to her with hope. She furrows her eyebrows and makes a face to you, and your lip forms a tight line, like a child asking for something and getting scared of the answer.
"Of course ice cream goes first." The car goes forwards once more, the light having turned green. You cheer quietly, and she gently shakes her head at your antics. At least she got you to release the emotional tension you had in your body. Even if just a little.
The rest of the car ride consisted of singing and dancing, the conversations being light. The weight on your shoulders got lifted up just a little bit more. When you were about to arrive and she was going to park, 'Please Mr. Postman' started playing and your face brightened at the intro.
She raised her eyebrows at your quick happiness at the simple song, but smiled and laughed at how fast you got into singing it. Really, it's always been a main song for whenever you hanged out, but it's been so long since she saw you sing it, she got surprised. Soon enough though, she sang with you, the two of you moving in your seats to the words.
When the song ends, she turns off the engine and both of you get out the car. The parking lot wasn't all that filled up, so it was a chance there weren't many people in the mall.
She puts on her cap and walks to the entrance with you behind her, the noise of crows and other birds made sound, echoing from somewhere afar as you made your way to the sliding doors.
The cold air of the mall quickly greeted you like a slap of reality in the face, like waking yourself up with a cold shower after laying in bed for too, too long. A way to make you feel more alive.
The ice cream shop wasn't far, and with how little amount of people were here, the two of you got to go to the counter right when you arrive to order your preferred flavour.
Your eyes watch the ice cream get put on the cone, and you do a little dance when your hand got ahold of it, while Carol was giving her money to the cashier of the total cost.
The cashier smiles at the two of you and says their 'thank you', making you smile back before turning around, Carol easily catching up with you from your slow walking.
The two of you walk and enjoy your ice cream, the coldness definitely making you more free feeling. There were clothing stores, shoe stores, little snack shops, and every other thing you could ever imagine. You passed by each one though, but you did point out some cool looking things here and there to Carol.
Soon enough, you come upon a pet shop and your eyes widen, your lips matching with a smile. You walk towards it, wanting to look at all the animals. Carol had to walk faster so she didn't lose you.
There were parrots, cats, dogs, hamsters, fishes, bunnies, and even some lizards. Your mouth was agape as you stared at some of them, but you walk over to the cats.
"Aw, look!" You point at an orange cat, who's sitting patiently with it's tail smoothly flicking back and forth as it watched people pass by.
Carol was looking at the dogs until you called, making her go over to you to see what you were melted at. As if you hadn't already from the other little animals.
"This one is so cute." You lean forward and capture the attention of the cat, making it stand up and walk closer to you.
Carol's head tilted slightly and her eyes squinted as she inspected the info of the cat. The name, the breed, the date and place of birth... "...Goose. Huh."
"I want to take it home." You blurt out as you let the cat follow your hand around, and its head moves here and there instead of its body. It was a playful cat, a paw going up here and there to reach out to you.
"You should get it if you love it that much." Carol says, with her usual deadpan voice that you honestly find amusing. Although, for this, your face turns deadpanned instead and you stare at her, making her raise your eyebrows at you. It was nearly a staredown.
"Danvers, I cannot take care of a cat...let alone myself." You gesture to the cat, and it looked at you questionably. Your shoulders slump a little at the last words of your sentence, and Carol frowns a little.
"I'm sure it'll be able to help you cope or something." Really, she was thinking in her head of surprising it to you as a birthday present for later tonight when she sends you home.
"Why don't you get it? I think Monica would go crazy." You glance back at her, and she purses her lips, staring at the cat. It was the most vibrant color of all the other cats.
"And Maria would go crazier." She said, turning to you for a second but then going back to the entrance of the shop instead, perhaps making her escape from you flipping the table to her.
"You can convince her." You say, the volume of your voice going up a little considering she's farther away. You take a quick glance back at the cat, hesitating to leave, but going away to catch up to the blonde.
"No, now, we are going to the arcade." You laugh when you hear her stern voice, although something in you knew she had a thought about getting it.
You looked around as you walked, seeing the arcade not far away now, the place lit up by machines and screens. But something caught your eye and made you look twice.
Were you dreaming? Well...having a nightmare? You felt like so. Your body definitely didn't react in a good way. Honestly, your heart felt like you were about to have a heart attack with how fast it was beating.
Carol's hat made shade for her face from the sun coming through the mall's glass roof as she walked. She stops along with you when she noticed, confusion filling her face at the sudden stop.
When she follows your eyes to where you were looking though, immediately her eyes widen and her face was in complete shock just as yours were.
A brunette, green eyes...green jacket...
It couldn't have been.
You look closer on the face, and it was. And her hand was not swinging by itself as she walked.
It wasn't with your hand either, because you were plenty of feet away from her.
It was with someone else. Something in the back of your mind felt like they were familiar, although you couldn't even dare focus on that.
Your whole day-- well, your whole world fell apart right then and there. Just like that.
You can feel your heart beating up to your ears, and it felt like time stopped. And not in the good way. Oh, you wish. You wish it was the time you saw her green eyes staring back at you and the whole world only felt like it held the two of you. But not anymore.
Maybe it was the numbing adrenaline rush of the shock coming through, but you take in a deep breath, ripping your gaze away. You couldn't bare to look at the sight anymore.
You clench your jaw, your hand gripping itself in a fist. Your eyes pooled with tears and Carol looked at you, her own misery at finding out the truth obvious on her face, although she was mostly worried about you.
"You know what? Maybe we can...do this another day." You say, trying your best to not let your voice shake entirely, but it did falter.
"You don't wanna--" She was about to suggest trying to distract yourself with the arcade, but at the same time, nothing could make you feel better after seeing such a thing.
"Just take me home." Your mouth moved quickly and you spoke quietly, your eyes flicking back to the spot where she was walking, but she was out of sights already.
You turn around and walk fast, not wanting to linger anymore. Carol walks with you. There was nothing said as you made your way out and to the car. The lovely sounds of the birds chirping now fell on deaf ears as your legs kept you moving.
The car door opens easily with the pull of your hand, and you get in, but you were careful to not slam the door. Carol gets in after you, and turns on the engine.
Her eyes go over to you. You already had your seatbelt on and had settled in your seat, staring out the window. She was about to say something, but she held her tongue, not wanting to make matters worse.
And what would anyone have to say in this anyway? Your lover left you, replaced you with someone else, and broke your heart. 'It will get better'? The only path to take was to go through the pain and that was it. Until you somehow get back up again.
The music starts up once more, and it didn't make you happy as much anymore. You couldn't even focus on it if you tried. You were trying to blink away the tears and ignore the way your throat was swelling up on the inside.
Carol drives you back home safely, keeping her eyes on you here and there. The ride was quiet other than the music, but it was obvious the tension was high.
There were questions unsaid, many going around in your head, but you didn't wanna trouble her with all of them, and she probably wouldn't know what to answer them with anyway.
Soon enough, you arrive back to your house, and you gently unbuckle your seatbelt. At the corner of your eyes, your tears were starting to seep out, just a little.
Carol makes sure she says something before she regrets just being silent, "Hey," she said quietly, and you look at her, your eyes shining with unshed tears. It was the softest you've heard her voice yet.
"I'm always here, if you need me," she says. She knows it won't be much, but it needed to get out of her head. You nod, and sniffle, trying your best to not cry just yet.
You don't say anything back. If you did, you would've broken right there. Instead, you pull on the car handle and open the door, getting out.
Carol watches you as you leave, and she makes sure you get into your house safely before getting out the driveway.
You close the front door of the house, locking it, and freezing in your tracks, taking in a sharp breath before letting it out as a sigh. You nearly hoped it didn't happen, that you would only do that and just wake up from sleeping right now.
But then you let out a sob and lean back on the closed door. You hide your face in your hands, closing your eyes as you started crying, and your chest wracks with broken sobs.
How could she do such a thing? Did she not love you? Were you simply not enough? Too much? You couldn't stop yourself with the questions roaming your head, overthinking everything as you go. The kindest soul with the warmest heart, now broken into a tiny million pieces just because someone couldn't talk about their feelings. Yet you seem to always find a way to blame yourself for every situation.
Sure, maybe even if she did talk to you, your heart would still break, but would it have felt like this? Would it have felt like your lungs were going to collapse from your cries?
You sniffle, and try your best to steady your breathing, but you couldn't, so you just let it do whatever it wants. You wipe your eyes with your sleeve, but the tears keep flowing, so it barely did much.
Fatiguely, with a heavy body, you made your way to the kitchen. You wanted to go to the bedroom, but it was so far, and everything in there would only make your head spin even more. The couch was a choice, but your eyes linger on that recipe book you had looked through this morning.
Your hand twitches to grab it, but you bite your tongue and instead grip the counter, letting yourself slide down on the kitchen floor. You clutch your legs and curl up. The grip your hands held with the fabric of your jeans were enough to probably rip them.
You still had hiccups leaving your mouth, tears leaving your eyes, and you were definitely about to sob once more. The kitchen tiles blurred from your vision getting clouded with tears.
Your hands clumsily reaches in your pocket to grab your phone, and you somehow made it to your homescreen.
The phone was set down on the floor, your hands shaking as your tears rolled down to your chin and dropped down to stain your shirt.
You look up, trying to gather yourself up, but of course you couldn't. Your body needed to let the emotions out, especially after such a situation.
For a few more long minutes, you sat helplessly on the kitchen floor, your breaths going with their own minds instead of your own. You take a few deep breaths, your legs splayed out in front of you before you sniffle and take one last deep breath.
You sat up a little more properly with the little energy you have, and slide your phone just a bit closer to yourself, your fingers gliding across the screen as you opened your calls app, and hovered your finger over the contact name.
You tap on it, trying your best to recollect yourself before she picks up. Your teeth bites down on your bottom lip, every tone of the calling sound making your heart beat faster.
It ends, and her voice comes through.
"Hello?" There's the soft voice. The gentle, soothing voice that lured you into falling in love.
"Wanda." Your voice nearly faltered, but it kept a little of it's stern tone. Your hand slid down to the kitchen floor, the texture keeping your emotions steady, at least enough for a couple minutes.
"Hey, what's up? Did you see my note?" She asks. She's been lying to your face all this time and you didn't even know it. How blind were you?
"Do you know what day it is today?" You ask, ignoring her own question. You sounded so calm in your own anger you honestly nearly even scared yourself.
"No...what?" She was confused, and you could imagine the innocent act of a face she made.
"It's my birthday." You put simply.
"Oh..." that was all that sounded on the phone, and you knew the call didn't get cut off. She just didn't know what to say.
"I'm sorry I didn't stay Y/N, I...forgot." She says slowly, and it was obvious she was trying to tread her tracks carefully.
"I can come back tonight, I promise." You almost didn't want her to, but you needed to talk it out. You didn't say anything else, not wanting to talk about everything else over the phone.
"Goodbye, Wanda." You whisper, your voice breaking at the end. You were sure she noticed it, but you'd want her to anyway.
You ended the call, tapping on the red button. That wasn't the end of it yet, of course, but for now, your hand only rests on the floor, your body falling limp against the cabinet.
She calls, but you don't hear it. The phone rings, on, and on.
You clench your jaw, tears filling up in your eyes once more. Your hand weakly silences your phone, and for the next couple more minutes, you lay crying, until your throat was dry and your muscles ached from sitting on the floor.
|——————————— ᗢ ———————————|
The sun had gone down by now, and the moon came out of hiding.
You were no longer on the kitchen floor, but you were on the couch, curled up like a cat. You haven't done anything but cry ever since you got home. Only right now, your tears had dried, staining your cheeks
You hear the front door unlock, and you feel it coming, the moment you've been dreading.
The brunette appears from behind the door, closing it as she went in the house. Her eyes roamed the place, and eventually, it lands on you.
She lets out a sigh of relief when she realized you were still here. You let out a heavy sigh as you sat up properly.
She heard it. Even with the distance, the quietness of the room captured it. Her heart beated harder in her chest.
"Y/N, please, I'm sorry." She pleads as she makes her way to the couch, having carelessly kicked her shoes off, leaving one tilted on its side. You haven't even said anything yet, and you almost feel sorry yourself.
"Hey,"-- You were sitting right beside the armrest, so, she leans over and gently puts her hand on your cheek. --"I love you. I'm sorry."
You gently push away her hand, turning to look at her with your jaw clenching. She can see the anger in your eyes and it had her giving you a little space.
"Do you?" You say, your head moving slightly, and she notices the way the corner of your eyes seemed a little red. You weren't even looking at her. That was only the second part of the situation.
"Yes!" She says her eyebrows furrowed. She raises her hands in exaggeration before moving one up to her hair, sliding it back as she let out a breath. "...Why is that difficult to understand?"
"Well, maybe because you didn't even say anything when I said it to you just a few days ago!" Her mouth opens, and you assumed she was about to argue that she was drunk during that time, but she lets out a scoff, and that's even worse.
"You're pissed off about that too?" She seemed mad, and you nearly regret even blurting out the sentence.
You close your eyes with your hands, just wanting this to end even though it's just started and just barely scratched surface of what you need to talk about...or argue. You hoped it was the first one.
"Of course I am, Wanda! Where have you been?" You try your best to keep calm, but your voice was laced with anger. Hers though, was higher volume than yours.
"At work!" She walks around to the front of the couch, and you slide your hand down your face. Her face looked so believable, but you knew it wasn't the truth. You saw it with your own eyes.
"Bullshit." You whispered, looking at her with tired eyes. She gets confused and sits down on the couch, her eyes focused on you. You shift your position.
"What? I'm not ly--..." Her voice was a little high of a volume, and she doesn't finish her sentence when she hears you take in a shaky breath.
"...I...saw you." You said quietly, and Wanda, having been caught up in trying to make you believe her had to go quiet in thought of what exactly you mean.
She swallows down a lump in her throat, her eyes catching yours.
"Saw me?" She asked, her voice reducing down to almost the same volume as yours.
"You...were with someone else." You were shaking and your breath was trembling. You willed everything in your body not to sob while trying to get the rest of the sentences out. Her eyes widened at your words, and that was it.
"And I know it's not another person, because I saw your face." You point your finger to her, gently pushing on her chest with it to enunciate your words. Gently. You were never the type to lash out or be rough even when you were angry.
She goes quiet. Both pairs of your eyes were welling up with tears, that much was obvious. Any other words she's had before had died in her throat.
You see a tear rolling down her cheek from the side, and you held your hands back from wiping it off.
She looks at you, guilt swimming in her eyes, and she takes a shaky breath in before letting it go.
"...There's really..." She looks away from you, unable to even stare back at you. Your heart felt heavier than you knew it could.
"...nothing I could say or do to make you feel better." She said tearfully, her lips going down as she thought of her next words. She swallows her collected saliva again. That hit you like a million little glass pieces piercing through every part of your living, loving soul.
There really was not much she could reason with other than the fact that it had been true. She's fallen out of love with you, but even she didn't want to admit it.
"I've been with someone else. I...wanted to tell you. I just didn't know how." She admitted with her shoulders going up at her last words. There it was. The truth coming straight out of her mouth. Your lips nearly trembled, but your teeth sank down on it.
"How...long?" You ask, and you almost didn't want to know, but for the sake of closure, you urged on. She stays quiet, her own hands gripping the couch.
"How long, Wanda?" You pressed. Was it a month ago? It couldn't have been longer than that.
"Only after eight months of us moving here." It was before you even had your break. You made the math quickly in your head. You moved in a little more than a year ago, so it's been...six months?
You had been in this devouring hole for six months, and you hadn't even realized it. And she didn't tell you or break up with you. Instead she requested a break. No wonder your hope had died to sparks and to nothingness.
"What?" You whispered under your quivering breath, your head tilting in disbelief as your eyes spilled out in silent tears.
"Wanda." You say her name softly. She looked down in her lap as you let out another breath that nearly sounded like a sob. She sniffles, and you know the both of your hearts are breaking.
"Why?" You ask, although it was more of a thought from your head that spewed out unintentionally rather than a logical question. She couldn't answer. She didn't have an answer herself. It just happened. That's how it always is.
"...I thought you loved me." Your voice was small, as if speaking any louder would make the entire universe disappear in fear, just like your love had.
"I did! Or, I do!! I don't know!!!" She blurts out, not being able to decide which one. Her body had deflated at the high chance of losing you tonight.
"So you fell out of love with me completely?" Your eyes watch her carefully, and just for a vivid moment, she hesitantly, just barely nods.
"And you didn't think to just...break it off." You whisper, although it was more of a sentence to yourself. But she heard it anyway. It was obvious what you were pointing towards in your sentence. She sighs. She knows she's taken a step she couldn't take back.
Really, how can someone bring theirselves to having a full conversation about falling out of love? It's a difficult thing to do. Sure, you'd be heartbroken either way, or somehow you would have been able to work it out, but you supposed something else in you just wished you hadn't suffered all those months hoping for absolutely...nothing.
The two of you sit in the silence of what you'd think is death, not knowing what exactly to do with it all. The love you once had was gone. Or at least...hers.
Something spins around in your head. It's been spinning for ages since she had called to take a break, and you had hoped you never had to say it, but what else was there? You could start over, but this love had already started over before. Or had tried to. Technically it was both. This was the end of the road.
"...It's over." You whisper out into the room, and Wanda finally glanced up at you, her face full of heartbreak. Even though she probably saw it coming. You've seen that look before, and your stomach was about to collapse at even a second of it. You kept the eye contact though, needing to fully close this.
In a way, you searched her eyes, for some reason, still searching for anything that once was. But there wasn't anything but hopeless desperation.
"No...no please, I need you." She says, taking breaths in between as she cried. You hated seeing her like this. But you hated going in circles just as much.
"If you really did, then you wouldn't have done such a thing." She had nothing else to say to that. It had been your breaking point. You averted your gaze and stood up, hesitating for a moment, but eventually going off to the bedroom as she sat there in the consequences of her actions.
You walk into the room and close the door, locking it right after. You gently lean your head against the door, while silent tears freely move down your skin. The supply of water in your body was definitely infinite for today. A part of you wanted to laugh at the mere thought, and just to cope, but you were too tired to even do so.
You take in a breath, looking up to the ceiling as you felt your throat swell up, but you try your best to be quiet. You'd hate for her to hear you sob in the other room. She might be doing the same thing herself. You squeeze your eyes shut for a short time, wishing for it all to just stop.
And technically it's about to.
Gently, you push off the bedroom door and your legs take you to the front of your closet. The next move was obvious.
Your hands clenched theirselves as your eyes stare at the closet doors. You take a look around the room, taking in the space with your eyes lingering on some parts. The book Wanda hasn't finished reading. She stopped reading it ever since she started to disappear. You should have seen the signs.
The little teddy bear she got, the daisies you got her in the corner of the room, the DVDs she has in the TV stand, the music collection you have next to it.
You rip your gaze away and let your hands open the closet doors. A travel bag and a luggage bag was just under the hanged clothes, sitting within a compartment.
With trembling hands, you slide both out, putting them on the bed and unzipping them. It was the same bags you used to move into the house.
You grab some of the clothes you once shuffled through just earlier this morning, making sure to remember which ones are Wanda's, and not yours.
They were placed into the bags, and you stared at the folded shirts. They looked wrong. You throw your head back with a sigh, frustrated. The bed dips when you sat on it, the bags moving along just a little with it.
What are you thinking? The promise to stay, to fight through it all, it had all fallen apart. The one person you didn't leave after just a few months, and yet here you are. Packing. You let your body fall down completely on the mattress, legs dangling while you stared at the ceiling.
How many times have you stared up there? You don't even want to know. Before you lost all motivation and your emotions ran slow, you slowly prop yourself up to your arms and got back up. If you stopped now, you won't be gone in the morning.
Toothbrush, toothpaste, everything else you need and all the essentials. The last of it gets stored in the empty parts, and with the quiet sound of the zipper zipping, it was done.
With a relieved sigh that you could now simply lay on the pillows, your arms splayed out, your body giving up the last of its energy. You definitely couldn't get up anymore to do anything else.
This was the last night you were sleeping in this bed.
The crickets couldn't be any more louder with filling up the silence. You hated it. It felt too short, but all at the same time, it feels like it's gone on for too long.
Your vision faded into black as your mind stayed loud, up until it crept into your dreams. She slept on the couch that night.
In the morning, you woke up heavy and go through everything as if you didn't even sleep. Not even a cold shower helped you. Honestly, it might have just helped numbing the pain in your chest instead. You gather your items, gripping your bags tightly.
What if you just drop them and simply isolate yourself in the room? No. You shook your head, walking over to the door.
Your hand remains on the cold door knob for a short while, and you almost stay long enough to have it warmed up from your skin. It gets twisted though, and you open it.
If not for the sleeping figure on the couch, it would have been an empty room. You walk out to the front door with your eyes lingering on her.
Maybe her love was too good for you anyway. You just couldn't give her enough. Or too much. It didn't even make sense anymore. There was no in between your heart and mind could agree on. Even you didn't know what you were thinking.
Just as you click open the lock and went to open the front door, she slowly awakes. The shuffling makes you turn to look at her. You catch the realization and sadness in her eyes when you locked sights. Damn the loud clicks and creaking sounds of the doors.
"Where are you going?" She asks, but it was more of a question, than her wanting to stop you.
"Somewhere that isn't here." You say quietly, like a secret thats not meant to be said. She stares off into a space in the room, lost in thought.
"I really am sorry." You hold your breath a little longer, waiting for her to say something else. But she didn't.
There wasn't anything possible to heal the broken love you held. Maybe if she gave in, but her hands had been touched by someone else and her lips...perhaps had met another's.
"I love you." You whispered impulsively, although quiet and quick, it made sound to reach her ears nonetheless.
But yet, she was silent.
You stare at her for a second more, and few seconds too long to say you're determined in leaving. She wasn't looking at you.
You take a step to turn, and the door slides open with the pull of your hand.
You take another, then when you're outside and the door closes gently, the quietness of it all consumed you.
You check your belongings, you had your bags, your watch, your phone. You have everything except for her.
You check your last pocket, and in it were the keys to the house. You slide it off and it clinks, a familiar sound that you hated made your heart skip a beat every time you heard it.
You leave it off somewhere at the front of the house, and you hope you don't remember where you put it.
It all blurred together as you went to your car, turned on the engine and drove off. Of course you had a plan in mind. You've thought about it a hundred times, but you never thought you'd go with it.
The car arrives to a stop, near the place of your favorite cafe. But you aren't going out. You just needed to drive away from the house.
"Fuck." You cursed under your breath and slammed your fist on the steering wheel, and somehow your hand had slid down to the horn, making you bump into it and the car beeped loudly. You jumped, and looked around alertedly, but no one was there. The sidewalks were empty.
You relievedly let out the breath you were holding once you made sure you were in the clear. Thankfully, it wasn't lunchtime or the weekend.
"God," the word comes out under your breath as you shook your head. The thoughts in your head were harsh, and your shoulders slumped at it.
"How could I have ever possibly thought I was actually the one?" You whisper to yourself, staring at the logo of the car, still somehow shiny, just sitting there in between the controls even from how much you've driven the car.
You grip the steering wheel, but then you notice your arms being covered in a certain cloth. One all too familiar, one you chose in instinct in the morning. You look down on the sweatshirt you're wearing, and it was obvious. It was Wanda's.
You clench your jaw and your hands move to peel it off yourself, the sweatshirt turning into a jumbled up piece of clothing that was inside-out. You didn't even want to look at it, so you threw it to the backseats. You'll deal with it later.
Soon, you went to grab your phone, your hand shaking as you turned on your phone, trying your best to find a certain contact. You hold the device tighter, trying to stop the shaking. But you couldn't.
When you found it, you were hesitant to tap on it, your mind loud of everything bad that could happen. But it was Kate. You take in a shaky breath and tapped on the call button, exhaling your breath as you put your phone to your ear.
"Hello?" Her voice comes out gently. The kinder tone almost makes you let out a breath of relief. Your shoulders relax only a little though.
"Kate?" You ask in a whisper, fiddling a little with your steering wheel and tracing the round shape, the texture brushing the skin of your fingers.
"Hey, what's up?" It was still gentle, but there was a hint of concern in it. She can already tell something was wrong even though you barely said anything.
"Um...I..." Your breath was shaky, and she could hear it. On the other side of the phone, Kate was frowning, but she stayed quiet as she gave you time to get your words out.
You were nibbling your bottom lip as you thought about how to talk about your situation, and in the midst of the moment-- "...Wanda and I broke up," you spew out the words, your mouth not even caring to follow your mind anymore.
"What? What happened?" She was certainly shocked, and you look out the window, trying to distract yourself while at the same time speaking to Kate.
"She was with someone else," you say. The florist you once saw a few months ago came out of his store, greeting a customer outside. It was like you were watching a scene you were once in, in another person's view.
"Oh, shit." She swore out unintentionally, the surprise taking over her mouth. "Sorry," she apologized quickly, and you can imagine her blinking to get ahold of herself. It almost made you let out a soft chuckle.
"...I'm sorry, Y/N. God, I could never imagine Wanda would have done that." Kate said quietly. She adored your relationship together, that much was true, but she also saw the parts of Wanda that you wish weren't true. Yet this, this was an unexpected turn.
"...And since I left the house, I can't even sulk in bed or anything." You let out a gentle breath of a laugh, but it was more of a nervous one.
"I mean, I should've had a plan but-- we'd just keep seeing each other and it just...hurts." The florist had said goodbye to the customer who bought the flowers. He seemed happy as he rewrote some things on his little chalkboard. That man was definitely living his best life.
"Where are you gonna go?" She asks, and you go silent. You couldn't go to Carol's. You wouldn't. She's living with Maria and Monica and you probably wouldn't have a room to sleep other than in the living room on the couch. You wouldn't want to intrude on her living conditions anyway.
"I don't...really have anywhere to go to, so anywhere, I guess." You sink into your seat, looking down in your lap to stop staring at people. Kate was silent for a moment, and you're guessing she either didn't know what to say, or is thinking about something.
"My place is available to you if you want to come. You're always welcome here," she offers, and your eyes relax while your fingers fiddle with theirselves, thinking it over.
"...If that's okay with you. I mean, I don't want to intrude on anything--" You add on after quickly, but you get cut off by Kate.
"It's fine. Don't worry about it, I've missed having you hanging around. And I promise you, I have two forks and spoons now so we don't have to share one or get a plastic one from Mcdonald's that'll break after a few minutes." She jokes, and that actually made you laugh.
"Okay. Okay, thank you, Kate. I'll be there tomorrow." You sit up more properly, getting ready to drive to the airport. You hadn't visited her in a while, so you already had money ready.
"I will be there to pick you up. Okay? Do not get a cab," she says sternly, and you take in a big breath only to let it out as a small sigh.
"Kate," You say sternly back, wanting to protest and not burden her more. But she hums in disagreement. You know she cared about getting you safe and being the best friend she is, but your head was killing you.
"No. No, Y/N. I am not letting you cry in a cab awkwardly first thing you get out the airport." She argues softly, and you let your shoulders down in defeat. At your silence, she waits.
"I'll let you know when I land." You give in, your voice small.
"Okay, good." You can hear the relief in her voice, and your lip tugs up into the smallest smile
"See you, Kate." You were about to end the call, but she speaks up again.
"Hey."
"Take care of yourself."
"I'll try."
"See you."
The call ends, and you start driving.
end of chapter 5.
Series Masterlist <- Chapter 4 Chapter 6 ->
---------------
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When Sun and Moon meet - S2
Zuko x Fem!WaterBender!Reader
Enemies to Lovers
As one of the Princesses of the Northern Water tribe, you were blessed with a gift by the moon. However you were permitted to be allowed to use the gift at all costs. From many hidden waterbending usages, the aftermath of the avatar visiting the Northern Tribe had led to your beginning journey, hiding yourself as a water bender as a princess from the Northern water tribe
Warnings: Fighting, arguing
Masterlist
҉ * ‧͙ ⋆ ⁺ ༓ ☾ Chapter 7 - Refreshing Tea
“Have you heard of that tea-house? All of a sudden their tea has been the best in Ba Sing Se!” One of the men said. “Oh then I must try it out! I have been craving tea recently," the woman responded with a laugh. I wasn't the biggest fan of tea outside of the northern water tribe. The only tea that exists was Spirit Oasis Tea which was only used for meditating in the Spirit Oasis to the Moon spirit. Ironic that the water tribe doesn't have a variety of drinks. “Uhm ma’am” I snapped out of me zoning out. I have been doing that more recently. “Sorry…” I said sheepishly as I handed him water tribe money. “You must be hearing about the new tea at the tea-house, I haven't had the time to go there but man I really want to. Sadly I'm constantly stuck at work.” The worker complained. Maybe I should check out the new tea area. “Water tribe money? Wow I haven't seen this currency in a while” The store owner said as I packed up my groceries for today. “Sorry, that's all I'm able to carry” Internally praying he accepts the pay. “Money is money” He shrugs and I let out a sigh of relief. “Have a nice day” he waved off while I smiled in gratefulness, taking Aku by the lead.
҉ ☾
Aku and I managed to get there, the sky was dark and the moon was slowly rising up. I really like the night sky because that's the only time I get to see Yue again. I smiled and parked Aku near the entrance. “Stay here buddy” I consoled before going into the tea-house. Once I walked there were still a lot of people, only one table was empty. Is the tea here really that good? Or this is the only tea-house here. I'm here to find out anyway. I was able to sit down at the empty table after making my order, which was just…tea. My mind wanders off thinking my father and Yue would have loved tea, not just specifically from here but in general. “Here’s your tea” a boy said, placing down the cup on the wooden table. I smiled softly “thank you” looking up at him, the realization hitting me. He has a very familiar scar on the left side of his face, it was none other than Zuko himself. Both of our eyes widened from the realization of who each other was. He totally figured out who I was. I immediately got up in fear, preparing to run away however it was prevented by Zuko himself. He grabbed my wrist, softer than I expected. “What are you doing here?” He whispered which made me irritated. “What are you doing here!?” I hissed. I didn't even get my answer due to an interruption made by…Jet?!
“These two are firebenders!” Jet yelled out, holding two of his swords. How did he figure that out? Did he fight with them? “I saw the old man heating his tea,” Jet continued to yell. “He works at a tea shop,” one of the soldiers defended. He made eye contact with me, I freaked out internally thinking what was he going to do. “He is attacking this girl right here!” He pointed the sword at Zuko and I. We both looked down still seeing Zuko’s hand wrapped around my wrist. Due to this we quickly pulled back, I blushed in embarrassment. “N-No! The tea was too hot so he pulled my hand away before I could get burnt” I explained, my voice going a pitch higher than I wanted it to be. I don't know why I defended Zuko, but he didnt do anything bad to me at that moment. Zuko said absolutely nothing, way to go Zuko. “Drop your swords boy, nice and easy” The soldiers got up but Jet didn't care. “You have to defend yourself, then everyone will know. Go ahead! Show them what you can do.” Zuko took the sword of one of the soldier’s “You want a show? I'll give you a show!” I grabbed my cub and tea before Zuko moved the table with his leg. I honestly couldn't be bothered with this situation. It doesn't include me and I wasnt that close with either of them to care. I tried taking a sip of the tea made, which was surprisingly still warm and I was even more surprised that it tasted really good. No wonder everyone wants to come here, and father would love this!
I continued drinking until I realized Aku was still outside. I went outside near the door frame to see a crowd of people surrounding Zuko and Jet, who were on opposite sides. “It's true sir, we saw the whole thing, this crazy kid attacked the finest tea maker in this city.” One of the soldiers said, making the old guy blush. Jet's eyes meet mine again making me flinch and look away. “Y/N do you trust me?” He says out loud making all the eyes go on me. My eyes widened and I looked down in embarrassment. What should I say? It's not like me saying anything would make much of a difference, unless if I took my hood down I would be able to use my princess card. “Stop bringing the young lady into this, can't you see she is scared” One of the women said, shielding me. Slowly everyone was defending me. I looked at Jet one last time before turning away. I'm sorry Jet, the person you shouldn't trust is me. He looked at me painfully before getting taken away from the guards. Jet continued spouting out words which slowly went faint and slowly everyone in the circle disappeared. “Some kinda friend you are” I turned around and saw Zuko. “He was not my friend,” I sneered. “Why did you defend me anyways, your the one that actually saw me fire bend”
“I didnt even defend you, I was trying to keep attention away from me”
“Did it work?”
“What is your problem? Isn't it more beneficial for you than it is for me?” I spat in annoyance.
“Calm down you two” The old man said, calming the both of us down. “How did both of you recognize me?” I asked worriedly, holding the hood closer to my face. “Your face is quite recognizable once you've seen it, Princess Y/N. Now how about some tea, it will be on the house.” The old man whispered the second part which made me breathily sigh. “I'm good for the day” I glared at both Zuko and the old man. I go outside to take Aku and leave.
“Sorry Aku, i'm just going to go for a little walk okay?” I patted Aku on the head before I left. I was never allowed to go out at sundown before so I wanted to see what it was like. I stretched my arms over my head before seeing a kid and an adult. The adult had the kids' ball, taunting him. Really? How immature are these adults? “Hey, let the kids have some fun” I stated, defending the kid who turned towards me. His eyes were bloodshot red, tears were streaming down his face. “Hah, what are you gonna do? Hit me?” The guy taunted, shaking the ball. “I might just do that” I get water out of my water pouch, slapping them. “Ow” the guy hissed and let go of the ball “you will regret this!” he yelled running away. I grab the ball and gently hand it to the boy. “You need to be careful at night, who knows what could happen” I wiped the tears that were on his cheeks. He sniffed in response, grabbing a ball. Shakily saying “T-Thank you kind lady” He looked down. I smile softly “No problem, now where are your friends?” I looked around to see no one. “They all left once the scary man came” He sniffled. I patted his head sweetly. “Let's get you home little guy” I smiled as he grabbed my hand.
“Say thank you to the kind lady, who knows what we would do without her” The mom patted his back, ushering him to thank me. “Thank you!” He smiled. Both the mother and the son waved in delight. I waved them back and turned around, away from the house. I should probably go home by now, I'm feeling a bit tired. I yawned in my hand, till I heard something. I turned around quickly, searching for anything but there was nothing. Huh…I guess I'm just hearing things. Then I felt a grasp around my wrist. I immediately flick it away, using my water bending to hit them back. “Who's there?” I said out loud. “I told you, you will regret this” the guy from before said, chuckling evilly. The same guy who stole a kids ball. This time he had two additional accomplices. “Please you're so immature” I laughed mockingly which heated him up furthermore. Before he could strike, a figure barged in, striking them with two blades. My eyes widened at the scene and I quickly took out the figure behind me, whacking him down. I turned around to check out the scene again. I got a better look of the figure who held two swords, wore a blue mask and an all black outfit. “Just who…are you?” I raised my brows, moving closer. Just as I was about to get close enough, he ran, taking the three guys with him. That was awfully weird, man I really need to get home now…
<- Back - Next ->
a/n: Sorry for the late post WOOO Managed to post it on time!! So yeah! Thats literally it LMAO have a nice day and take care fo yourself!!
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Wobbly Hearts AU
Summary: Kai doesn’t like soulmates. He doesn’t want them and he certainly doesn’t need them. High school is hard enough without all the extra stress of soulmarks and finding your soulmates. He decided at a young age he didn’t have time for soulmates and he plans to stick to that decision. Unfortunately, as always, the universe seems to take a lot of joy in messing with him.
or
Kai struggles with reading and it’s everybody’s problem.
Hi there! Yes it's the very fic I've been yelling about in vague posts and tags the last 6+ months! It's been so long since I've posted anything to ao3 I've forgotten how it works but I'm doing my best! This fic is an AU set in an alternate universe of the LEGO Ninjago Movie (2017) combined with a lot of the characterization and aspects from the original LEGO Ninjago show. It's over 100k so buckle up and prepare for some shenanigans!
the first chapter is UP
sample under cut
Kai got his first soulmarks when he tried to eat a marker.
Tiny, with fumbling fingers, freckles and barely two years old he didn’t remember that day in the slightest. But his parents told the story to him and Nya all the time when they were little.
It was the little red marker they said that he went for. His mom didn’t notice until he’d pried off the cap and stuck it into his mouth after several unsuccessful attempts that ended in red marker all over his face. She’d gotten it out of his mouth before he could really try to eat it like he’d been meaning to. He'd started crying at the abruptness of his marker being taken away, but those tears dried up fairly quickly after his mom scooped him up.
His mom laughed that maybe his soulmates wanted him to feel less alone because a blue marker appeared not long after they started to wash off the red.
His first soulmark.
Kai grew up with their scribbled colorful lines on his skin. At first it was the hazardous meaningless lines of a toddler and then, as time progressed, they became more purposeful doodles. They were just another part of life he didn’t fully understand but accepted as fact because his parents simply smiled and spoke over his head of soulmates. He didn’t think he really grasped much of the concept of exactly what a soulmate was until he turned five.
They were someone (or several someones) that could be his favorite person (or people) in the whole wide world if he let them. After Nya was born he argued she was his soulmate because she was his most favorite person in the whole wide world. His dad said it was a different kind of favorite. But Nya was family and that was just as important.
It wasn’t until he was seven and struggling to learn the alphabet that he realized there was more than one soulmate out there for him.
Words started appearing as they learned how to write, the letters slanted and wobbly and hazardous. He watched their writing change and improve and watched them start to talk to each other. There were two of them. Two soulmates all for him. They talked in the simple words that they could manage. One excitedly scribbled I <3 U when they learned how. Kai had to ask his mom what the lines meant and she explained it with a patient smile. It means I love you.
He was ten and still just drawing doodles while his soulmates spoke of their favorite cartoons and what they had eaten that day. Letters seemed to float around his head and laugh at him as he tried to read what they were saying, frustrated tears biting his eyes and blurring the letters. Seeing him struggle, his mom would let him sit on her lap and read him the words out loud while he rested his head on her shoulder.
Pens and markers felt awkward in his hands. The little doodles he managed never looked as good as the doodles one of his soulmates was always making. Their doodles were of cool stuff, like ninja and dragons and mechs. The doodles were so cool and Kai doodled little hearts and flames around them as best he could to show how much he liked them. But half the time he couldn’t tell the hearts from the fire and explosions, everything so wobbly and awful. He tried to write his name once and it was almost worse than the hearts.
Keep Reading
#knox rambles#KNOX WRITES (me)#LEGO Ninjago Wobbly Hearts AU#Ninjago#Lego Ninjago Movie (2017)#Lego Ninjago#WELL THIS IS EXCITING I'M#HGKL;SFJSDFSADF#HERE WE GO#AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA BUCKLE UP#won't be privating this work for a while so read away my good sirs#also i have like a discord set up for this if enough people are vibin with it i'll toss an invite link#]
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Amidst Shadows and Blossoms
(A/n: Finally posting the prototype for this fanfic 3 months after my introduction. This is not the finalized first chapter. There are a lot of things I'd like to fix before I officially begin this series, however, I wanted to see how this would go. Bold first post I suppose.)
Deity!IzukuMidoriya x Fem!Reader
The warm flicker of candlelight casts elongated shadows across the golden crested lanterns strung from above you. You feel the warmth of the flames as a deliciously scented incense wafts up into your nose. Your eyes are closed as you kneel in prayer, sitting silently before the altar of The Seven. You concentrate on the serenity of the shrine, focusing on the words of thanks you have for the seven Deities as your breathing is consciously moderated. Almost annoyingly so.
Breathing in, and out. Inhale, Exhale. A silent prayer on your tongue.
All is quiet.
. . .
Too quiet.
Against your better judgement, you decide to ignore it. It’s probably nothi-
“(Y/N)!!!”
A yelp escapes you as a sudden weight against your back sends you forward onto your chest. Your limbs are spread flat beneath the perpetrator as your eyes snap open in surprise. Though it was quick to fade when you caught the bright eyes of-
“Komiko (L/n)! Get off of your sister! She’s in the middle of praying!” Charging in behind your sister; Komiko; storms your mother, her hand clamping down on your sister’s ear—who’s brimming with unchecked energy—and tugs her off of you. A yelp leaps from the young child’s throat, and yet she quickly brushes it off.
“(Y/n)! Please let me go to the village with you! I promise I can help! I really can!” Komiko begs, now upright as you dust yourself off from the rather rough contact.
You look up at your mother incredulously as she covers her face with an exasperated sigh, shaking her head.
“I can’t with her today, she refuses to listen to me.” Your mother mutters softly, massaging the bridge of her nose with vigor. You give her a sympathetic glance before facing your sister, your scarlet Hakama pooling around you.
“Komiko, after the way you’ve behaved for momma, I’m not sure it would be right to take you with me. Heavens, you shouldn’t even be here. You’ve disrupted the peace of the altar.” You pat her head softly as her bottom lip begins to tremble, pulling down into a pout. Despite that, she knows better than to argue back.
“But... I could use your help when cleaning up the Tojii Gates tomorrow morning...” You offer with a kind smile, tilting your head slightly.
Immediately, her expression lightens. “Really?! Can I?” You nod in response, snorting lightly at the rapid change in her attitude. The pools of tears in her eyes had all but disappeared as she lunged forward for another hug. This time, one you were prepared for.
You catch your mother’s gaze from behind her and she smiles fondly, a grateful look in her eyes. You admired her beauty in the warm candlelight. Despite the bags beneath her eyes, and the wrinkles that began to form around her mouth and forehead—ones she’d often pick at—didn’t deter her pretty smile and loving eyes. You considered yourself to be her number one supporter.
Your sister nuzzled into your arms, adorned with the velvety crème sleeves of your Hakama. She muttered incoherently into your bosom about how she’d help you before pulling away with a youthful grin. “I promise to do my best to help you!”
You smiled down at her, your forehead dropping to meet hers. “I know.”
At that, she slipped away from you, shuffling on her knees before rising. Komiko gives you a wave as she turns towards the arching wooden doorway at the entrance of the altar. “Well then, I’ll see you tomorrow! For now, I’m going to bed so the morning comes faster!” She cheers rather eagerly as she races away towards your Sha-ke.
To that, you let out a hearty laugh as your mother scoffs with a fond laugh, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Thank you for that, (Y/n).” She speaks softly, gazing towards your shrinking sister.
“It’s no problem, really. I understand-”
“No. Just take it. I don’t tell you how much I appreciate your help around here. I dunno’ if I could do as much as I do now without you around.” She sighs softly, looking towards you with a warm twinkle in her eye.
Your smile softens at her words—more tender than usual—as you find her side. Leaning against her as her temple presses down against yours.
“You do a lot too, y’know. I think we both need each other.” You reply, gazing off towards the sky that continues to darken with each minute. Dusk fading to dark as stars begin to spackle at it’s surface. The moon rises from the horizon, following the remaining purple from the sunset to the deep blue encapsulates the sky.
After your father passed away, life had gotten a lot rougher. Especially for your mother. Living as a widow was often pitied or ridiculed. Without a man to guide the family—your father—there was a short period of time where you had to wonder when your next meal might be; if you get one at all.
But you, your mother, and your sister endured that time of trial, and were able to get back on your feet when your mother inherited the role of the shrine’s Head Priestess. Earning the role after your father; the Head Kannushi; passed away from illness. She was able to put the shrine back together again thanks to the efforts of you and other families' contributions.
During that time, you and your—rather stubborn—mother grew incredibly close. She relied on you as her rock from your dad’s death, and you seemed to fulfil that role perfectly.
“What did I just say?” She snaps playfully, pinching your cheek.
“Sorry-! Sorry! I didn’t mean to-”
“AHT!” She tuts, raising her voice.
“I-...!” You begin to protest before sighing into her fingers. “...You’re welcome.” You grumble, evoking a laugh from her as she ruffles your hair with a smile.
The two of you relax against each other as you slowly slip into a comfortable silence, breathing deeply as you feel the warmth growing between your bodies. She keeps her hand in your hair, now dragging her fingers through it soothingly as you hummed in content at the gesture.
“Oh, by the way, what did Komiko mean about heading to the village?” You suddenly remember.
“Oh.” Your mother coos with a guilty tone beside you. “Well, um, you don’t need to worry about it.”
“Mom.” You cock an eyebrow up and she groans quietly before replying.
“I’m exhausted from all of the rituals and praying I’ve done today... So I was hoping I’d be able to send you to the village to buy some food.” She mutters with irritation—at being caught—in her voice. “Could you please-”
You pat her hand, cutting her off. “Yes mom. I’d be happy to.”
She sighs in relief. “Thanks kiddo.”
“I’m eighteen.” You grin fondly.
“Nuh-uh. Not to me. You’ll always be my kid.”
-
The village was a place of warmth, you’d always been enchanted by the red lanterns strung overhead; steams of delicious foods swirls between their paper glows. It’s a welcome change from spending the majority of your time praying and cleaning—and on good days—performing rituals. You get to go out and browse familiar shops and products, greet some family friends, etcetera.
However, the village during the nighttime was indisputably the prettiest. Warm red and orange lanterns flicker across slated stone pathways, illuminating storefronts and Yatai stands as the sellers of the evening began to open, while those who worked the morning began to close for the night. Your shoes scraped softly against the ground as you carried a wide rimmed basket.
You’d already gotten the basic fruits and veggies you’d needed, and were now headed towards the one family-run shop you could rely on for the best grains and protein.
The Shimura’s.
You approached the storefront hurriedly as you spotted it, your Hakama swishing languidly with each step as it clung to your body. Thanks to the late chore request, you didn’t have time to spare for changing. Especially if you wanted to make it to the village in time before the food stalls began to close.
Unfortunately, even with the extra time, you watched as the small wooden sign out-front listing products for the day being wiped clean. A familiar dark-headed lad knelt before it, cleaning it off.
“Wait, wait Tenko!” You pant as you jog up to his crouched figure. Immediately, a rough scoff could be heard from him as you receive a sharp glare from the man on the ground. His messy black curls frame his sharp navy-blue eyes, the skin of his eyelids was reddened with irritation and small rashes from scratching at them.
“Too late (L/n). Shop’s closing. Go home.” He replies gruffly, his hoarse voice firm as his gaze returns to the sign. Wiping it clean before scribbling a neat “closed” onto the board.
“What happened to friends helping out friends?” You grin softly at his attitude, a huff escaping you as you walk closer. “And I thought I told you it was okay to call me by my first name.” You chide, kneeling beside him.
“I don’t really care about what you prefer.” He retorts, standing up the moment you kneel beside him. You scoff slightly.
“Please, Tenko?” You plead, clasping your hands together. “I promise it won’t happen again.”
“You said that last time.” He scowls, walking back behind the counter. You give a nervous laugh as you go to follow. When approaching the open gate, it suddenly snaps down, effectively blocking you off. So you follow him from across the counter instead.
“This time I really mean it.” You persist with an entreating smile. Leaning against the wooden counter as his back is to you.
“No, you don’t.”
“Okay, I don’t. But I do have some Ohagi with me.” You try, noticing the subtle—so subtle—stiffening of his movements before he quickly schools his reaction. You stop the knowing smirk that tries to find your lips.
But to your shock, he—without a response—just disappears into the back of the shop. You’re stunned into silence.
“Oh, damn it.” You grumble under your breath. He’d escaped, essentially. You gaze guiltily at the empty doorway before slinking back, turning away from the shop with a sigh of defeat. Your feet shuffle beneath you with embarrassment as you sling your basket over your shoulder.
“Where the hell are you going?”
You spin around, and there sits your exact order—which you didn’t happen to tell him—on the counter. He continues to glare at you as his hand rests atop a large, bagged fish beside a bag of rice and bread.
“You whine to me about needing your order tonight, and then when I go to get it for you, you just leave?” he asks sharply, as if it was obvious that these were his intentions the whole time. A bright grin of surprise finds your face.
“Thank you Tenko!” You beam, and he scoffs softly shaking his head.
“I was planning on just taking your money, but since you offered the Ohagi, I expect that too.” He folds his arms as you dig through your basket to find your yen, along with the warm box of pre-prepared Ohagi Balls.
“Of course.” You agree matter-of-factly. “I wouldn’t want to scam a friend.” You smile, chuckling softly.
“Shut up.”
“You didn’t deny that we’re friends~!” You coo with a teasing grin.
“Do you want me to kill you?”
-
It was a quiet walk back to the shrine, sticks and grass crunching beneath your feet. The moon is crested and iridescent as it casts pale blue light onto the foliage above your head. Your arms sag with the weight of the food you’d purchased as you trek back to the shrine, now coming into view.
You huff gratefully, ready for the sleep that awaits you. While you approach the first of the three Tojii gateways, it’s deep crimson shimmers in the moonlight; it’s pillars standing tall. As you go to walk through it however, you yelp as something tugs on your Hakama. Jumping before turning around with a grimace.
“Komiko? I thought you said you’d be in bed-“ You start, before being pulled even harder. This time, the force shocks you as you’re pulled down onto the dirt.
“Hey! Stop!” You growl, turning towards the force. Your fingers press into the coarse soil beneath your fingers. You were alone. A small sound of confusion escapes you, paired with a sense of disappointment.
You were kind of done for the night. You didn’t need anything else going wrong-
Suddenly, you were thrown back. Your elbow skidding against the dirt and taking the brunt of the attack. You shout out in pain, your eyes darting around as you glare at nothing.
“STOP! Whoever you are- does it look like I’m laughing?!” You yell, now officially passed off.
It’s then that you hear a deafening crack from above you, or now, rather, in front of you after being torn away. Your eyes shoot up to the Tojii gate, it’s pristine pillars suddenly filled with cracks.
“Those weren’t-“ You’re barely able to speak before they begin to shift.
Your heart leaps into your throat as you scramble from the ground. The gate groans at the change in balance as the cracked poles shift further, before crumbling away. Bringing the entire gate to the ground.
A puff of dust fans out of the fallen structure as you feel goosebumps crawl up your back. Your breathing irregular.
At your feet lay the debris of the religious barrier. Now shattered all too suddenly. You couldn’t find the strength in you to stand up. You’d been frozen to the ground in fear. As you stare at the remains with a broken understanding, you fail to notice the choir of people calling your name.
Priests and Priestesses rushed out of the shrine walls as they saw what was left of the gates. Many stared in shock as hands went to people’s mouths in astonishment. Murmurs from the people were hardly recognized by you.
And rightly so, this had never happened before.
You’re only snapped from your stupor when a familiar pair of arms wrap around you.
“(Y/n)! Lord, are you alright?!” Your mother was crouched before you. Searching you for any form of injury.
You could hear how quickly your heart was racing, a throbbing drumming in your ears and chest. Pain blossomed in your elbow as you clutched it tightly. Finally, you’re able to make eye contact.
“I- dunno’ what happened-…” You breathe out.
“That’s not what I asked. I can figure that out with my eyes. I need to know if you’re alright.” Her tone is serious as she holds you by the shoulders.
“Yeah, I should be alright.”
“Anything you need some medicine for?”
“I-I need to bandage up my elbow.” You lift it up or her to see, face pale and hands shaky. The robe had torn open at the elbow, revealing a jagged scuff beneath the seams of your sleeve.
“I’ll clean that up for you, and I’ll make sure to get your robe sewn up. For now, I need you to stay out here. Make sure the children stay in bed.” She instructs seriously, authority creeping into her tone.
You nod as the adrenaline of the gate’s collapse begins to wear off. While you push yourself off of the ground, your mother finds the group surrounding the broken structure. Forcing her way through to look at it. You rub your elbow, staring at the group. Each are dressed in varying sleepwear while others still wear their Hakamas’. All quietly discussing and examining the rubble.
Scooping up your spilled groceries, you walk past the group, listening as best you can as you head into the shrine grounds.
“-Could it have been damaged by that recent thunderstorm?”
“No, no. The gate’s material is supposed to repel lightning. Not attract it.”
“It’s possible, but look at the position of some of the cracking-…”
Their words become a blur in your ears as you head inside of the shrine. The frazzled feeling finally dispersed.
But now, you were just confused.
What, or worse, who grabbed you?
You felt your eyebrows knit as you walked deeper into the shrine grounds. Headed towards your Sha-ke. You mentally slapped yourself. Rolling your shoulders and taking a breath as you went into work-mode.
Approaching your home, you slide the wooden front door open, stepping inside and dropping the basket of food down. Then, slipping into your bedroom.
The room was dark aside from a small orange lantern lit in the corner of the room, stretching over every surface the light could touch—including Komiko’s sleeping figure from the floor. You were silent as you crossed your sleeping sister, creeping towards the chest of drawers across your room to find some medicine.
Your toes flexed as you tiptoed, silently finding the third drawer filled with medical amenities. It creaked softly, causing you to pause before you were able to pull it open.
“(Y/n)?” A soft voice yawned.
Immediately you grimace with a sigh, shielding your elbow from sight.
“Hey Komi’.” You reply softly.
“What are you doing?” She mumbles, rubbing her eyes. Kneeling beside her futon, you reach forward, clutching her small fist as you smiled down at her sleepy expression.
“Don’t worry, just helpin’ momma. I promise I’ll be back soon. You can go to sleep.” You tug it away from her eyes to stop her from rubbing them.
“I don’t wanna’. Not when you’re hurt.”
You pause at her comment. “…You’re too observant for your age.” You scoff fondly, patting her head with your clean hand.
“What happened?” She rests her head back down on the pillow, blinking to try and stay awake.
“I fell.”
“What about the loud boom?”
“…One of the Tojii Gates also fell.”
“Oh.” She says. Too sleepy to worry about how important that might be.
“So, we aren’t cleaning the gates tomorrow?” She adds with a sleepy frown.
You huff gently with a breathy laugh. “I’m afraid not. We’re probably going to close the shrine grounds tomorrow to fix it… But they might let us clean the other two.”
She nods. “Okay.”
As you watch her slip in and out of consciousness, you pull your sleeve up, eying her cautiously as you treat it. When certain she’s not watching, you carefully apply the medicine to the wound with a small towel. Watching your sister’s expression for a moment, your fingers continue working to bandage your elbow.
“Did the gates fall on you?” You pull the bandage tight around your elbow as she speaks again, her eyes still closed.
“No.” You reply.
She pauses again. Evoking you to glance back at her. She’s looking down at her pillow, playing with her blanket as a smile filled with childlike wonder finds her face.
“Then I guess what that man said was true.” She giggles into her pillow, her eyelids sagging.
“What man?” You narrow your eyes at her blissful expression, your fingers working around the roll of bandages as you wrap up your elbow.
“The green man,” she continues. “He said he’s really good at keeping promises.”
“The green man.” You echo, not sure what to make of it.
“Yeah. He was super nice.”
“What did he promise you? Do I know him?” You frown.
Her cheeks swell with air, puffed up into a pout. “He told me not to tell anybody I talked to him.”
You thought it might’ve been a dream she’d had, or an imaginary friend of some kind. You knew it was important to take what kids say with a grain of salt; but that was weird—to have something purely imaginary telling a kid something like that. Unless they were real. You didn’t like that.
A wary feeling welled up inside of you; your legs felt awfully weak after hearing that.
“Komiko. I need you to tell me what he said.”
“… But he-“
“Now. Please.” You murmur.
She sighs, sitting up again as she crosses her legs.
“Well... He never actually told me his name, so I called him the green man. He doesn’t come very often, but when he does, he’s really good at hiding. Any time I try to point him out, he always hides.”
You nod. Do you or do you not take this seriously? You didn’t want to seem stingy, but it was for your sister’s safety. All and all, the only thing you could for now was listen.
“That was the first time I talked to him though. It was after I went out to explore the forest. And I saw him in a tree.”
You nod again, anticipation building in your chest.
“And then he played with me.” She finished. Making you aware of just how close you’d leaned in to listen.
“That’s it? What about your promise with him?” You try with a stammer.
“Oh, yeah! He said that he promised to… Uh…” She narrows her eyes in thought. You suck on your teeth.
“I don’t remember.”
“You remembered earlier.” You reply pointedly.
“I don’t know! I’m just- really tired.” She pouts, flopping back down onto her futon.
“Please Komiko.”
She’s silent for a second.
“I think-“
“Miss (L/n)? Are you in here?”
You roll your head back with a groan, looking towards the doorway where one of your fellow priestesses stand.
“Yes?” You ask, a strained smile on your face.
“It’s your mother. She sent me to fetch you. She needs all hands-on deck.” She explains, her eyes darting back from you to your sister.
“Sure. I’ll be on my way.” You chew on the inside of your cheek, rising to your feet as you set a hand onto your sister’s head.
“You and I aren’t done. So, make sure you get some rest, okay?” You say with a lilt. Her expression makes you smile.
“Okay… And, um, when you get back, can we cuddle?” She leans into your palm, her head warm from the sheets.
“You bet.” You grin, pressing any stray hairs back for a kiss to her forehead. She giggles softly before finally laying down again. The priestess nods to you as you swiftly rise, following her out towards the gates in hasty manner. You could see your mother directing people in the distance.
“-Cover the South-eastern sector. Check for more damage. If need be, we’ll gather to purify any evil. I need- (Y/n).” Her expression shifts to one of relief. You were someone she could always rely on. “There you are. I need you to search the Northern sector of the shrine for any sort of disturbances. Emergency check. Can you manage on your own?”
“I’ve got it covered.” You nod, your hand resting against your side. Fingers prodding for the handle of something sharp hidden away in your robes.
“Thank you. Be quick, and meet back here to report anything. You know what to look for? What you need to report?”
“Mhm.” You nod, eyes narrowing in seriousness.
“Good. Then off you go.”
-
Honestly, this whole checkup has been rather disappointing for you.
Yeah, you knew it was probably a good thing that you hadn’t encountered any danger—no Tanuki, Oni, or Tengu in sight; the Omarmori’s you’d encountered seemed just fine—but the immaturity in you begged for something aside from mist and shadows that might lurk out on the grounds.
A soft groan of exhaustion bubbled up from your chest as you wrestled with your fatigue, and given the placement of the moon, you guessed it was likely far past midnight. Great. But, in your despair for essentially wasting your time, came the relief for finding the edge of the forest. Your cue, to head back towards the shrine, and clock out for the night.
“Finally.” You breathed, leaning against a tree as you gaze up at one of the small Omamori’s dangling from a tree branch. This one—more powerful than those sold in the gift shop—glistened a vibrant shade of red, golden embellishments of your shrine’s name stamped on. It jingled softly in the breeze, twirling whilst strung from above.
When all seemed to be in fine condition after your check—which you ensured was as thorough as one could be when being checked by one who’s been awake for eighteen hours straight—you decided to begin your trek back to the shrine.
When walking back, the clouds seemed adamant on pursuing your troubles as they crossed in front of the moon, effectively blocking your only light source. The mist that hung low to the ground grew thicker, it’s cold exhale slipping beneath the skirt of your Hakama and grasping at your legs. An eerie feeling found your chest as shadows flooded the forest; it was unnervingly dark.
As time passed, the trees began to feel closer together. It was impossible to see anything in front of you, hell, you couldn’t even see your own two feet. You stuck your arm out blindly while nerves encouraged you to find the blade sheathed in your pocket immediately.
You were losing your cool. It was too hard to see. Too hard to breathe. You felt trapped in this veil of mist and shrouded murk as your throat slowly began to close.
No. Something was off.
Biting your tongue, you guided yourself forward. However, with the risk of running smack bang into a tree, you could only increase your pace to a brisk walk.
The mist continued to close in on you. Until it grew tight. It was thick and choppy. You couldn’t breathe.
‘I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I. Can’t. Breathe.’
Black splotched at your vision as you began to inhale the thick mist. Violent coughs wracked your figure, and despite how badly you’d wanted to—you couldn’t stay quiet. You gasped and hacked uncontrollably, tears burning your eyes until you felt your knees buckle helplessly beneath you. Leaving you in a broken heap on the forest floor.
As you shuddered and seized with painful splutters, a disgusting scream—one loud enough to effectively silence your coughs—made you look around wildly. Clamping a hand over your mouth, your body helplessly began to gag against your hand. Demanding you expel of all your bodily contents.
With a lack of air, and the chance of your life at stake, you willingly let the frenzied coughing overcome you.
That’s when the screech resurfaced, that same bestial shriek here to reverberate off of the trees. Echoing around you on all sides, your ears ring at the insultingly loud wail. However, with a sudden gust of wind, the mist around you suddenly disperses, and amidst the clearing, you find yourself alone clutching the grass. Your hands trembled as fresh air returned to your lungs; labored gasps of air letting you greedily inhale anything your lungs could hold.
But alas, your time for relief was short as your eyes suddenly met those of darkness above you. You slowly peered up at the shadowy figure above you. The sclera’s of the being barely visible amidst the sea of black swimming within it’s eyes. It was a Yokai. A demon.
There was a demon within Shrine boundaries.
The shrine had been infiltrated.
Fear flooded your system as your body went into overdrive. Fight, flight or freeze; a decision made unconsciously. Immediately. In this condition, you weren’t given much choice to move; even if you’d wanted to. You laid paralyzed beneath the monster, breath hitched as the demon towered over your crumpled form silently.
It’s eyes lolled around freely within it’s sunken eye sockets, their reflections muddled. They were lifeless, no light within it’s eyes whatsoever. Their eyes clung to the last shreds of skin that kept them in place as the darkness swelled within it’s eyes. Bubbling with empty desires. Or perhaps, none at all.
It was blind, you’d realized.
You held your breath, your movements stilled until there were none. And yet, somehow, there was still sound. Throbbing from within you. Your eyes widened in terror as the sound of your heartbeat began to echo. Stretching past the confines of your own ears. Was it the smoke? Why was your heartbeat so loud?
It was then that a withered hand came flying forward towards your face. The Yokai’s fingers snatching the hair from your scalp.
A scream ripped from you as the Yokai tore you towards it by the roots of your hair. Your fingers clawed at it’s grip as you thrashed within it’s grasp; nothing to defend yourself with aside from the strength you have.
You feel yourself pressed to it as it lets out a hellish bellow, it’s chest rumbling vigorously against your back as you claw at it’s hands—now working their way up your body to hold your waist and mouth.
You scream into it’s shriveled palm as it’s grip tightens, hoisting you up and giving you a perfect view of the back of it’s throat. It’s jaw pops harshly as it seems to unhinge, dropping open in a distinctly inhuman way.
Tears leap to your eyes as your muffled screams of anger and pain quickly grow into ones of terror. You can practically hear the way your body molds into the grip of it’s hands; indicated by the nightmarish cracking of a bone. Another scream, this one the loudest, rips from the deepest corners of your body as you feel your shoulder dislocate.
And suddenly, as it’s humid breath envelops your body, and your feet come in contact with the slick of it’s saliva, your brain just seems to stop.
Click. You’re out.
Limp.
You never thought ‘play dead’ could be taken so literally.
It’s tongue finds your body and licks up your uniform. Dragging up your unconscious body to get a taste. If you were able to form a cohesive thought, you likely would’ve been grateful for the lack of feeling in your body. A disgusting violation that you couldn’t stop, but luckily, couldn’t feel.
However, though you couldn’t feel, you could hear.
You could hear way too much for your own liking, in fact.
The squelch of the Yokai’s tongue against you made you retch against the creature’s hand. This was officially one of the worst ways to die.
Just let it be quick.
Please.
I’m begging.
“Hey, hey now, that is no way to treat a lady. Have you any shame?”
Now that was unexpected.
A new voice.
“Though I doubt any follower of All For One has any knowledge on that sort of thing anyways.” The voice continues.
It was then that you heard the Yokai speak. Though you suppose you weren’t enough of a problem for it to need to speak earlier. Not that you could understand it anyways. It spoke in a series of hisses and squeals, it’s voice loud and agitating on the ears. Yet the person responded. In fact, they laughed.
“Yes, I have.” They pause, the next time they speak, their voice is closer. It’s a man, you realize.
“I do apologize. Though I pity the suffering you endure in this form, it is fit for the horrible sins you have committed against humanity, against The Seven, and now, against this woman.” His voice is rather soft, as his tone grows deeper before dropping off. Silence following his words.
“I mean, surely you understand that there are consequences to your actions.” His voice is even closer now, a deep sigh into your ear. A shudder wracks through you at his tone, among the threat’s implications, fear grew within you instantly.
It's then that you hear a morbid squelch, followed by an ear-splitting shriek from the Yokai holding you. There's a thud before more sounds of aggression can be heard. You have difficulty following what goes on after that. With no sight or feeling in your body, it was nearly impossible to gain any sort of clarity as to what was happening around you.
Reliant on your ears, you listen on as sounds of exertion from the creature can be heard. The man, however, was almost silent.
However, after an abrupt crack, the Yokai fell silent too.
. . .
“Hello there.”
It was the man; and he was right next to you.
“I know you can hear me. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you make it back to the shrine safely.” He murmurs softly, his voice gentle but reassuring. Though his voice remained the same, the underlying tone in his voice was stark from before.
You aren’t sure what’s to come, until you hear a shuffle beside you. Sounds of rustling are heard for a moment before being followed by the steady thud of footsteps from beneath you.
‘What is going on?’
Forced to silently listen to the quiet breathing of the man and his footsteps, you were carried. You weren’t certain where, but you knew that the moment you’d be able to open your eyes, you wouldn’t be where you’d been before. Not that you wanted to linger there anyways.
Eventually—you weren’t sure when—you began to feel again. It started from where his hands slipped beneath the crooks of your knees and arms, then spread to your hands and feet, and working it’s way to your torso and very dislocated shoulder. Throbbing in accordance to your heartbeat. But even yet, you couldn’t open your eyes. It frustrated you to no end.
It was then that you felt the gentle shake of the man’s chest, paired with a breathless laugh. His hands tightened around your limbs, holding you even closer to him.
“Ah, ah. Don’t do that.” He chided; a gentle smile woven in his voice. “You opening your eyes won’t help you heal any faster. After all I can’t have you straining yourself, now can I?” You could feel the vibrations of his neck as he spoke quietly.
Against your better judgement, your muscles released their tension, and you seemed to sink slightly into the man’s—rather firm—chest. Your side remained pressed against his solid figure, softened by the warm linen drapes he wore.
“There.” He murmured.
At that, the world seemed to fall silent.
Thanks for reading. - Animetrashbox.
#izuku midoriya x reader#izuku x reader#midoriya x reader#deku x reader#mha x reader#bnha x reader#izuku midoriya#mha#bnha#god au#deity izuku midoriya#deity mha verse
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What Is and What Should Never Be Ch. 6
A/N: i know this one took me a hot minute. but to be honest, i haven’t really been motivated to write. this story is going to have a lot of sensitive subject matter in future chapters and i will do my best to make sure all the proper warnings are in place. but if by chance i do miss something, or you’re not happy about something i write, please DM me to open a discussion about it. i appreciate any and all feedback🩵
Word Count: 8.5k
Warnings: 18+ Minors DNI, No smut but suggestive language and allusions to sex, Angst, Toxic Theme(Possessiveness, Arguing, Fighting, Accusations, Cheating)
…I can’t make my own decisions or make any with precision // Well, maybe you should tie me up so I don’t go where you don’t want me…
You cautiously stepped through the front door of Highway Tunes, keeping an eye out for Josh. When you saw he was busy with a customer, you made a beeline for the bathroom, feeling the remnants of Jake between your thighs.
“Y/N, what the fuck?” Josh whisper-yelled from the end of the hallway just before you could enter the restroom. You slowly turned to face him, preparing yourself to be scolded. He came closer, standing right in front of you, “I don’t appreciate being taken advantage of… If this thing with you and my brother is hindering you from doing what you were hired for, you’re gonna need to find another job. Don’t let it happen again.” He stalked out of the hallway before you could respond and you finally burst into the bathroom.
Locking the door, you turned the faucet on, letting the sound echo through the small space as you splashed water over your face. You were in shock at Josh's outburst, not that you didn’t deserve it…but the anger you felt radiating from him is what really troubled you. You wanted to rush out and apologize, plead for his forgiveness and promise that you’d never let it happen again, but when you finally went back to the front of the store and saw him, the look in his eyes made you stay far away.
The afternoon stayed busy enough that you could easily keep your distance from Josh but, every so often, you would feel him staring at you. You did everything in your power to avoid looking at him, just counting down the minutes until shift change when he would finally leave and take the suffocating tension with him. Much to your dismay, you were having an issue with the barcode scanner while ringing a young woman up and you had to swallow your pride to talk to Josh. “Excuse me for just a second, hun… I need to get my boss.” You stepped away from the counter to search for him, finding him in the corner, typing on his phone. Approaching him slowly, you tapped his shoulder, “Uhh, Josh? There’s a problem with the scanner… I don’t- can you come help me?”
He turned to face you, his expression begging to say something that his mouth wouldn’t allow. Instead, he simply nodded his head and followed you back to the counter. You stood back, watching as he flashed the customer his perfect smile. “Cam, hey!” He greeted her with a gleeful hug and you assumed she was another regular that you hadn’t met yet until she pressed a kiss to his cheek.
“I didn’t expect you to be here today, babe.” The woman, Cam, pulled back but her hand remained on Josh’s hip and you couldn’t help the sting of jealousy you felt at the tiny, intimate gesture. “Where have you been? I haven’t heard from you in like, a month…” Her tone was accusatory and it intrigued you; Who is she? What’s the relationship between her and Josh?
He glanced at you briefly before stepping out of her grasp and moving behind the counter. “Uh…yeah, I don’t know.” He kept his head down, fiddling with the scanner, and there was suddenly an awkward tension in the air. “I’ve just been busy, I guess. We were spread pretty thin and short staffed, but Olivia is back for good and we got a new hire… Uhh, Y/N.” Josh pointed to you with a soft smile, one you hadn’t received since Jake dropped you back off. “She’s pretty fucking great… I was lucky to find her…” His eyes drooped with a sad and silent apology before he put his attention back on the scanner.
The girl held her hand out to you with a friendly grin, “Well she’s beautiful, isn’t she?” She cut her eyes back to Josh, giving him a smirk, as you slipped your hand into hers. “Y/N, huh? I’m Cameron, preferably Cam.” Her dark, spiral curls cascaded over her shoulders and brought out the deep, olive tones of her skin. When her gaze returned to you, she released your hand and leaned her elbow on the counter as she took in your appearance. “So, how did a sweet thing like you end up here?”
You could feel your cheeks heat as your eyes fell to the floor to avoid her intense stare. “I umm… They were just the first place with a ‘Now Hiring’ sign…and Josh doesn’t make it easy to say no.” You laughed quietly before looking back up at her.
You heard your boss clear his throat to get her attention, but Cam didn’t seem bothered, almost acting as though he weren’t there. “D’you just move here? I’ve never seen you around before.” She stood up straight and stepped a little closer when you nodded your head, “Oh…Well, if you ever want a tour of the city or to just hangout…maybe you-.”
“No, Cameron.” Josh’s tone was flat and final but he forced a fake cough to clarify when she whipped around to face him, “Wrong tree, Cam. She’s…with Jake.” He turned back to the computer, clicking a few buttons, and grabbed her record to run it in front of the scanner. The beep echoed in the hanging silence and he used the opportunity to end the current topic, “Look at that. Scanner works… Your total is $34.98.” He was making it obvious that he wanted to get her out of there but she ignored him.
“No fucking way…” She turned back to you, her mouth slightly agape, “Jake? Mister ‘No Strings Attached’ Jake? He scooped you up?” Cam faced Josh again, leaving you no room to answer her question. “How the fuck… I thought he-.” She clamped her mouth shut when he pressed his lips together in a warning. Tossing her debit card on the counter, she chanced one more look at you with a half smile, “It was nice to meet you, Y/N… I’m sure you’ll see me again soon.”
He gave her the card back and passed her the bagged vinyl, “I’ll call you. We can meet for drinks this weekend.” She nodded before heading for the door and you waved a quiet goodbye to her as she left and disappeared down the sidewalk. You chanced a quick look back at Josh and turned away to find something to occupy yourself. “Y/N, wait…” His hand was on your shoulder, stopping you from walking away from him, “I- The way I lashed out earlier…I’m sorry.”
“Josh, you don’t owe me an apology. I fucked up and I can promise that it…won’t happen again.” You faced him fully, but kept your eyes on the floor. “We- I lost track of time and I feel awful. I don’t want you to think that I’m not serious about my job just because-... This is my top priority and I’ll make sure Jake knows that too.” You fought to keep your hands from fidgeting by folding them together behind your back.
Josh hooked a finger under your chin, pulling your gaze from the floor to meet his face. “I know you weren’t late on purpose, Y/N. I just-.” He dropped his hand, drawing in a deep inhale when you locked eyes with him. “You make me fucking crazy in a way that i’ve never felt before and… You know what, it doesn’t matter.” He was shaking his head back and forth, waving his hands as though he wanted to shoo his thoughts away. “Just know that I wouldn’t fire you. It was an empty threat from the beginning.” His voice trailed off and now he was avoiding your eyes.
You didn’t know what to say; part of you wanted him to elaborate on how you made him crazy, but the other part knew you wouldn’t be able to handle the answer appropriately. “Josh…” Your breath caught in your throat when he looked at you, his large brown eyes, soft and bright. You lifted a hand to his face, mindlessly sweeping a stray eyelash from his cheek, and he leaned into your touch, his lips just barely grazing your palm. You both froze, eyes locked, for several moments, and if it weren’t for the door chime ringing out, causing you to jump and retract your hand, you weren’t sure what may have transpired. “Uhh. I’ll…get that.”
“Y/N.” He glanced at the customer, who had their back to you as they perused the rack of new release albums, before grabbing your wrist. “I- I’m sorry. I have to stop doing this shit…” He released his grip and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I know that you’re with Jake and I don’t want you to think that I don’t respect that, but I really fucking like you.” Josh paused when you began chewing on your lip, all of his focus going to your mouth before he stuttered through the rest of his thought. “You’re so- I mean, I- Shit…”
“Excuse me?” You both turned in unison to the customer, an older gentleman, as he interrupted Josh. “I’m looking for something for my granddaughter, might one of you be able to help me?”
You gave him a polite smile, “Of course, sir. You tell me what you need and I will be more than happy to assist.” You listened to the man explain what he was looking for as you led him to the tables, only stealing one glance over your shoulder to find your boss watching you.
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“Hey, you alright?” Josh asked, a tinge of concern in his tone, when he found you leaning on the counter with your head in your hands.
You rubbed your palms over your face and looked up at him. “Yeah. I just have a headache…waiting for the ibuprofen to kick in.” You forced a quiet chuckle as you stood up straight, “I guess I should’ve actually eaten on my lunch break.”
His brows pinched together as he glanced at the clock on the wall. “You haven’t ate anything today?” When you meekly shook your head, he let out a frustrated huff and stalked into the office. You heard some things shuffling around before he reemerged a moment later holding something out to you. “Why the hell would he take you out on your lunch break and not fucking feed you?” He wasn’t asking you directly, more so thinking out loud. “Eat these… Please.”
You took the package from his hand, a little bag of pretzels, “Thank you…” You murmured it quietly and ripped the bag open to pop a pretzel into your mouth. “It wasn’t his fault. I just…got distracted.” Slipping into the office, you took a seat in one of the chairs to finish the small snack.
Josh followed you in and leaned back on the edge of the desk, looking down at you. “Why didn’t you just order something for delivery when you got back here?”
“I don’t know…” You pulled your phone from your pocket to check the time; it was almost 4 o’clock, which meant Jake would be in for the closing shift any minute, but also that Olivia would be in too, and you weren’t in the mood. “I’m not gonna lie, Josh… You kind of scared me when I got back. Food was the last thing on my mind and even if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t have ordered out of fear that it would piss you off even more.” You gave him an honest answer as you finished the last pretzel and dropped the bag into the trash can.
“Look at me, sweetheart.” Josh crouched down in front of you, placing his hands on your knees, and waited for you to obey. “I don’t want you to ever think there’s a reason to be scared of me. I lost my temper and I’m sorry.” He stared into your eyes and you nodded, fully conscious of the way his thumbs rubbed circles over your leggings. “If you miss lunch again, or you’re hungry at all, I keep the bottom left drawer stocked full of snacks. You can help yourself whenever, okay?”
“Ummm. Am I interrupting something?” Olivia was standing in the office doorway, her eyes darting between you and Josh. “I just wanted to clock in… Is Jake here yet?”
He stood up with his ever-gleaming smile. “Hello, Olivia. It’s so very pleasant to see you too.” His tone dripped with sarcasm as he slithered around her to exit the office and you followed suit, holding a hand over your mouth to stifle your laughter.
Just as you stepped out from behind the counter, an arm wrapped your waist and pulled you around the corner towards the back of the store. “Miss me, peach?”
You yelped and spun in his hold, lightly slapping his chest. “Don’t do that, Jake! I almost pissed myself.”
“Too bad I’m not into golden showers…” He joked with a playful smirk and you shoved out of his grasp.
“God, you’re disgusting.” You giggled and made a move to walk past him, but he grabbed you again and pulled you close to kiss you. You stopped him, holding a finger over his lips before prying his hands from your hips, “Not at work, Jake. Respect the rules.” You broke away from him to do a quick clean up and return any discarded products to where they belong.
“Rules?” He was trailing behind you, close enough that you could feel his body heat. “What the fuck do you mean rules? I can’t touch you? Is that a rule, because I-.”
You cut him off as you stopped walking and turned back to him, grabbing his face, “Work is my main priority, babe. I get paid to do a specific job and that job isn’t being your girlfriend… So at work, we keep it professional.” Dropping your hands, you went back to your task, but he was still lingering.
“Does that mean I can’t take my girlfriend in the storage room for a quick fuck on our shifts?” He reached out, cupping your asscheek before giving it a sharp tap.
“Jake, I’m serious…” You took a few steps away, facing him with a scowl. “Josh wasn’t happy about lunch and I don’t want my boss to think that I’m just gonna blow my responsibilities off because I’m fucking my other boss…who happens to be his brother, might I add.”
His face twisted into a frown as he looked around the store. “Did he say something to you? Where is he?”
You caught his arm before he could stomp away and placed a hand over his chest. “Hey, relax. I talked to him and it’s fine, but I just need to set boundaries. For myself. Okay?” Leaning in, you pecked his lips, allowing your mouth to linger on his for a few seconds in the hopes it would calm him down.
“Okay.” His jaw flexed as he clenched his teeth. “We’ll keep it…professional.”
You pulled your hands from his body, but not before Olivia had seen you touching him. “You’re just suckering up to both of them today, aren’t you, peach.” She popped the ‘p’ with a venomous smile, flashing her gaze to Jake.
“Both of us?” He looked at you, studying your expression for a moment as his eyes narrowed. He huffed a short laugh through his nose and shook his head. “Nah, Liv… She was just begging for forgiveness after exceeding her lunch break…came back almost a half hour late, didn’t you?” His lip curled at one corner when your mouth dropped open, “Don’t let it happen again or I’m gonna have to write you up, peach.” Jake turned on his heel, stalking to the office, and left you speechless, gawking at his back as he disappeared through the doorway.
After a few minutes, Josh appeared at your side as you were straightening a shelf of CDs. “Hey, I’m heading out. Just wanted to say bye.” He pressed his palm to your back with a warm smile and you weren’t oblivious to the amount of touches he’d indulged in throughout the day…but you weren’t complaining either.
“Oh. Well I guess I’ll see you Sunday?” Your attention was torn away from him when you caught Olivia out of your peripheral vision, staring daggers at you before slipping behind the counter to poke her head into the office. You released a sigh and returned Josh’s smile. “I hope you have a better Friday night than I’m about to have.” Your eyes rolled on their own as her giggle echoed through the store.
He glanced toward the counter for a brief second, “It won’t be that bad. Jake and Olivia have done the flirting thing since she started here almost two years ago.” Josh patted your shoulder with a sympathetic expression. “I know how annoying they get but I guess I can’t really imagine how you feel about it… Just- It’s never been more than just flirting, y’know? If he wanted Liv, he’d have her…but he wants you.” His hand slid down your arm, holding onto your fingers for a moment before he flashed his signature smile and went on his way.
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Time felt like it was moving in slow motion. It was surprisingly slow for a Friday night and closing couldn’t come fast enough. Jake had been in the office since his twin left, going over payroll and catching up on paperwork, while Olivia would pop her head in every few minutes, or call his name from across the store in her loud, grating voice. You’d tried to ignore it, busy yourself with senseless tasks that didn’t even need done, but your patience was wearing thinner by the second. When he had finally decided to come out of his cave, he found you wiping down the glass display of limited editions for the third time and purposely placed his palm flat against the glass. You straightened up with an angry sigh, “Are you serious, Jake? Grow up.” You knew he was doing it to get a rise out of you, and normally you may have laughed or at least indulged in the playful banter that would’ve resulted, but you slammed the bottle of cleaner down on the counter and tossed the rag before walking away from him.
His brows raised in confusion, “Woah…Y/N, hey.” He was jogging to catch up with your long strides, reaching out to grab your hips. You couldn’t deny that you were growing irritable and Jake had definitely taken notice by the way you pushed his hands from you and glared at him, “Let’s take a walk, peach.” He carefully placed a hand on your shoulder as he led you towards the back hallway before calling out to Olivia, “Liv, we’re gonna grab some shit to restock…We’ll be right back.” He ignored whatever response she tried to give as he pushed you into the storage room and closed the door behind him. “What’s your goddamn problem?” His voice was stern, but you couldn’t be bothered to care.
“I don’t have a problem, can I get back to work?” You kept your tone short and clipped as you rolled your eyes and reached past him for the doorknob.
He leaned back against the door, putting his body weight on it so you couldn’t pull it open. “Don’t fucking lie to me. Why are you in a pissy mood?” He released a sigh and softened his voice, trying his best to tread lightly and keep you calm, “Peach, did I do something wrong?”
You watched his shoulders slump a bit and took a deep breath to center yourself. “No, Jake, you- It’s just been a long day and time is dragging…I’m exhausted, hun.” You grabbed his wrists, pulling him away from the door and towards you. “Sorry for being cranky…”
“Why are your hands shaking?” He stared at your grip on his arms before looking at your face, waiting for an answer.
Releasing him, you studied your hands for a moment and shook them out. The nausea rolling through your stomach made it obvious that you needed to eat, but you wouldn’t tell Jake that you’d skipped an actual lunch because of him. “Probably just too much caffeine today…I’m fine, babe, really.” You could tell that he wasn’t quite buying it, but you didn’t have the energy to argue with him. Stepping closer, you wrapped your arms around his midsection and flashed him a sweet smile, “Tell you what… Drop it and… I will give you a pass for one storage room quickie, available to you at a later date of your choosing.”
His lips stretched into a grin as he returned your embrace with a genuine laugh, his hands sneaking down to squeeze your ass. “Why can’t I have it today?” He began kissing along your jaw, trailing down your throat.
You giggled at the way his lips tickled your skin. “Haven’t you had enough of me today?” You pulled at his shirt as his lips continued their exploration, sucking at your neck. “Jake…” You gasped when he bared his teeth to softly bite your skin.
He spoke between kisses, slowly chipping away at your resolve. “Never enough, peach… C’mon. It’s slow… We got fifteen minutes to spare.” His rasped voice was enticing and you allowed him to draw you in as his hands slid beneath your shirt to cup your bare breasts.
“You think fifteen minutes is enough time to-.” A loud knocking on the door cut you off, making you jump.
Even muffled through the door, Olivia’s annoying voice still wiggled its way under your skin as she twisted at the doorknob. “Jake? Why is the door locked? I need help out here!” Jake dropped his hands with a sharp huff when you broke away from him to grab a stack of CDs from a shelf, as to not look suspicious. He ripped the door open and glared at her, waiting for an explanation. “I need- or I can’t find…umm…” She was flustered by the way he was staring at her, obviously never having been on the receiving end of your boss’s bad attitude.
He wasn’t playing into her usual ruse this time, clearly displeased with being interrupted. “I told you we’d be back in a minute, what was so important that it couldn’t wait, Olivia?” He watched her repeatedly open and close her mouth, searching for any kind of excuse she could conjure, but she remained silent, staring at him like a lost child. “Right… Excuse me.” He moved by her to exit the storage room without another word.
She gazed after him in shock before turning her attention on you. “What the hell… What did you say to him?” Shaking your head with a scoff, you pushed past her to exit the room with the stack of albums, but she followed closely behind you as her tone grew more accusatory. “You’ve been jealous of the relationship Jake and I have since you started here, Y/N. So what? You sneak him away to bribe him with sex or something? God…you’re such a desperate-.”
You stopped dead in your tracks and turned to face her as you dropped the CDs to the front counter. “Olivia, you better fucking watch what you say next…” You’re sure there was steam coming out of your ears because you could feel your face getting hot with anger. “I don’t need to throw myself at Jake for attention, honey… So who’s really the desperate one?” You stepped closer to her, silently challenging her to finish her thought.
Jake was inserting himself between the two of you before she could reply. “Both of you cut it the fuck out… Y/N, go sit in the office until you’ve calmed down.” He gave you a pointed look and nodded toward the office door while Olivia smiled smugly from behind him.
You could feel your blood begin to boil. “Are you joking? No. You’re not sending me off for a timeout, I haven’t fucking done anything wrong!” Picking up the stack of CDs, you spun around to walk away and stock them but Jake caught your arm. You ripped out of his grasp and met him with a threatening scowl.
“What…is going on?” Josh walked out of the back hallway and right into the building tension between his twin, you and Olivia. “It’s been two hours… What happened between when I left and now?”
Jake broke the staredown first, his eyes leaving yours to look at his brother. “I’ve got it handled, don’t worry about it. What are you doing here?”
Josh’s eyes flicked between you and Jake, trying to decipher what was going on, as he held up a takeout box. “I, uhhh. I went to Slice House to grab dinner and wanted to drop something off for-.”
“I’m not hungry right now, just put it in the fridge.” Jake’s words were rushed as he cut his twin off to watch you turn around and walk away from him. “We’re not fucking done.” He started after you, the aggravation radiating off of him.
“Oh… No, this is for Y/N.”
He froze in place to turn and face Josh, “Why are you bringing her dinner?” His possessive nature was coming out full force as he clenched his jaw and waited for an answer. You were standing a few feet away, half turned to them as you placed the albums on a shelf, but you were listening to their exchange.
“Why are you being a dickhead, dude?” Josh shook his head with a laugh, rubbing his hand down his face. “She hasn’t eaten anything all day and if she starves to death, there goes our best employee.” He looked at you with a smile when Olivia scoffed and opened his mouth to speak, but Jake beat him to it.
“What do you mean she hasn’t eaten anything?” He turned back to you, his frustration slowly dissipating and replaced by something else. “Why haven’t you ate?” He took a few strides to close the distance between you and grabbed your wrists, holding them up in his hands. “That’s why you’re shaking… Are you fucking- Why didn’t you eat a lunch?”
You almost melted at his concern, but the accusatory tone in his inquiry made you pull your arms from his grasp. “God, Jake. I don’t know… Can’t really remember what I was doing on my lunch break. Must not have been too important for me to have forgotten so soon.” You knew you were being harsh, but you weren’t in the mood to deal with anything anymore. Especially not his attitude.
His nostrils flared as he glared angrily at you, his expression was dark but he almost looked hurt. Jake bit his lips together, closing his eyes for a moment, and drew in a deep breath through his nose. When he opened his eyes again, his voice was quiet, soft even. “Take your food and go home, peach.” He held his hand up, shaking his head slightly, when you tried to argue. “Don’t. Clock out and go.” And with that, he walked away, trucking down the back hallway and slinking into the bathroom to slam the door shut.
Josh and Olivia were both staring at you, shocked expressions painting their faces, but you ignored them as you stomped to the office to clock out and grab your things. When you came out, moving straight for the front door to walk home, Josh caught up to you and caught your arm. “Y/N, wait… Your food.” He held the box up to you and you offered a soft smile and a mumbled ‘thanks’ as you took it pushed through the front door.
“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding…” A groan of frustration left your chest at the downpour you’d stepped into. It was like the sky opened up and dumped out every ounce of water the clouds held. What a day to walk. Taking a deep breath, you took a step out from the ripped and disheveled awning above the record store door, but a pair of arms were reaching out to yank you back into Highway Tunes. Turning in his hold, you were met by the fluff of curls and big brown eyes. “Josh, what are-.”
“I’m not letting you walk home in the rain. My car is out back, I’ll drop you off.” He was already walking away, not even stopping to check that you were following. Crossing through the backdoor, Josh placed a hand on your back and led you to his car, ushering you into the passenger seat, before rushing to climb into his own side. “Hasn’t rained like this in months…” He was shaking his hair out as he started the engine and put the car in reverse to back out of the space, gripping your headrest to look out the rear window, “Where do you live, sweetheart?” He pulled out of the small parking lot and drove towards the main road as he waited for you to give him directions.
You were staring out the window, watching the rain patter into puddles along the street, entirely oblivious to Josh’s voice. It wasn’t until he stretched his arm across the center console to carefully squeeze your thigh and give it a shake to get your attention that you finally looked at him. “Huh? I’m sorry… Did you say something?”
His hand lingered on your leg for a few moments before he pulled away and rested it on the shifter. “You gotta tell me where you live or you’re coming back to my place, YN.” He joked with a gentle chuckle as he glanced at you.
His laugh made you smile, instantly lifting your foul mood. “Oh. Uhh, if you make a left up here, on 16th, and go for about four blocks, I’ll let you know when we get to my building.” The drive was mostly quiet, save for the music playing on the radio, until he pulled the car up to your apartment building. You dug your keys from your bag as he put the car in park. “Thanks for the ride, Josh…and for the food. You really didn’t have to do that, but I appreciate it.”
“It’s not a big deal,” He waved you off, turning his body to face you, as he pointed to his own food in the backseat. “I was picking something up for myself and wondered if you ever got the chance to try the Drunken Italian… So I grabbed you a slice.” When you looked down at the takeout box in your lap, too large to hold just one slice of pizza, you raised an eyebrow at him. “What? I got you a classic pepperoni and a plain slice too. Wasn’t sure what you liked.” He shrugged sheepishly, his cheeks growing red.
You grasped the door handle and paused before you opened it. “Hey… You wanna come up and hangout for a bit? Eat, watch a movie or something? Bell’s at work until eight and I kind of just don’t wanna be alone.” He bit down on his lip for a moment and you expected him to decline at that point, but to your surprise, he asked where he should park his car. “Oh, just go down that side street and there’s parking right on the side of the building.” Once he had the car tucked into a spot, you both hopped out and headed inside. Josh kicked his shoes off beside yours and followed you into the kitchen as you flicked the light on. “I’m gonna go change real quick, make yourself at home, boss… Sam surely does.” Stalking into your bedroom, you grabbed some comfy clothes and slipped into the bathroom for a speedy body shower.
Josh was still in the kitchen when you came back, leaning against the countertop while he scrolled on his phone. He looked up when he heard you, his gaze lingering on your smooth legs, clad in a pair of old boxers, for a bit before they traveled up to see the faded Highway Tunes t-shirt that you took from his twin’s closet. “Where’d you get that? I haven’t seen that design in like…seven years.” He came closer, pinching the fabric between his fingers to examine the logo.
“Uhh. It’s actually Jake’s.” You looked down at the shirt back at him, “He let me borrow it and I just haven’t given it back yet… It’s- I don’t know. I just like it, I guess.” You watched as he dropped his hand and took a couple steps back and opted for a subject change. “You want something to drink? Bellamy keeps beer. Or we have water or probably some coke or-.”
“Water is fine, sweetheart.” He picked the boxes up from the counter after you grabbed a couple bottles from the fridge and followed you into the living room.
You sat down on the couch and gestured for him to sit as well, leaving a decent bit of distance between the two of you, as you lifted the remote to turn the tv on. “What do you wanna watch?” You turned to look at him after opening netflix.
He was already digging into his pizza, eyes wide and mouth full as he looked back at you, “Sorry…” He held a hand over his mouth as he finished chewing, “Whatever you want, Y/N. I’ll watch anything.”
You giggled at him, beginning to love the way his cheeks flushed when he got a little embarrassed. Shaking your head softly, your focus went back to the tv as you scrolled through the options. After a minute or so, your attention caught on a title, “Oh my god! They have Pretty In Pink on here!” You didn’t wait for Josh to react before you were clicking on the movie to start it. “You don’t mind, do you? It’s one of my favorites…” You were poking your lip out at him and pairing it with pleading eyes.
“No. No, go ahead. I’ve never seen it.” He was grinning with amusement at your excitement. “This is the one that you said had the record store in it, right?” Josh took another bite of his pizza, studying your face, as you sat back on the couch and opened your own box.
“Yeah. Trax! I swear, you’ll know exactly what I mean when you see it.” You settled in as the movie began and it wasn’t long before the takeout boxes were empty, discarded to the coffee table, and you were tucked under the throw blanket, quoting the scenes and offering unnecessary explanations to Josh. “Hey, Benny… I hope they shrivel up and fall off…” You glanced at him as you finished the quote and found his soft eyes already on you, a warm smile on his lips. “Sorry. God, I’m sorry.” You could feel the blush covering your cheeks as you buried your head in your hands. “It’s a bad habit… Bellamy always yells at me for quoting through movies.”
His hand curled gently around your wrist to pull one of your hands away so he could see your face. “Don’t apologize. I think it might be one of my new favorite things about you.” A quiet laugh escaped him as he released your arm. “I don’t think you realize that you’re doing it. It- it’s like a subconscious thing.” When you tilted your head, pinching your brows in question, he elaborated on his thought. “You don’t always say the lines out loud. Most of the time, you just mouth them to yourself…but every so often, it’ll slip out and you kind of giggle through it, so I’d assume those are your favorite parts.” He leaned forward to grab his water from the table, turning his attention back to the movie.
You stared at him for a moment, wondering if he’d been watching you the whole time. “Josh, did you-.” Your phone began to ring from where it sat on the coffee table, cutting you off. You stared at the illuminated screen, Jake’s name in bold letters at the top, and allowed it to go to voicemail.
“You gonna pick it up?” Josh asked when a second call came in and you shook your head, waiting for the screen to go black again. “He’s gonna be pissed if you don’t answer him, Y/N.” You remained silent as the phone lit up once more, with a text message this time. “Look… I know he can be a little hotheaded, but-.”
Leaning forward, you flipped the phone face down and sat back again before pointing to the television. “Wait! This is my favorite part!” Iona cranks the volume on the stereo as Try a Little Tenderness begins to play. “Watch, hun! It’s the best, I promise.” Your face lifted into a grin as you reached over and grabbed Josh’s arm to make sure he was paying attention.
He placed his hand over yours, sending a flare of warmth through your body. “I’m watching, sweetheart…” And he was. But his eyes weren’t on the TV.
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Josh POV
It was like her smile grew tenfold when the scene started. You couldn’t look at the TV, despite her request. All of your focus was on the white hot feeling of her skin on yours, unlike anything you’d ever felt from a single touch. She sang through the scene, bouncing about from where she sat, and you couldn’t take your eyes off of her; her hair was bundled into a bun at the base of her neck. Loose tendrils, damp from her shower, had fallen free and hung around her face. She smelled like jasmine and…vanilla? No. Jasmine and coconuts. You wondered if the boxers she was wearing were from an old boyfriend or maybe they were her dad’s? The faded logo on her t-shirt caught your attention. Did she know that shirt belonged to Ivy? Did Jake tell her that when he gave it to her?
She snapped her head towards you, her eyes shining as she crooned, “…Squeeze her…don’t tease her…never leave her…” She was laughing wildly, her grasp on your arm tightening the harder she sang and you started laughing with her. When the song finally ended, she was breathless, her body slumping back against the couch and falling towards you.
You gave her a few moments to catch her breath, looking down at where her head just barely laid on your shoulder. “Y’know…this might be my favorite movie too, Y/N.” Your heart felt like it stopped when she looked up at you with a shy smile, her cheeks the sweetest shade of pink, and let out a childlike giggle. “God, you’re beautiful…” The thought slipped out before you could stop it and you worried that maybe you’d ruined the moment.
Her grin stretched as she relaxed into you, “I think you’re more beautiful, boss.” The sound of the front door opening stole her attention. “Bellamy’s home. She’s gonna be excited to meet you…” Her voice oozed with sarcasm, causing you to raise your eyebrow in question, and she sat up straight just as her friend was coming in, whispering quietly, “Jake made…quite the first impression. Umm…just don’t take it personally, okay?” You gave a short nod before she greeted the other girl. “Hey, Bell. How was work, babe?”
She ignored Y/N’s question and looked directly at you, her lips pursed, “Are you the other one?” Her arms were crossed over her chest as she waited for an answer and you took a moment to study her. She was exactly how you’d pictured, given how much your little brother raved about her.
“I’m assuming you mean Jake’s counterpart? The handsome twin? The smart one?” You joked, hoping to earn a laugh or at least a smile from her. “I’m Josh.” You held a hand out to her for a friendly shake, but she shook her head. Sammy did say she was a spitfire.
Y/N spoke up from beside you, “Don’t be a dick, B. Give him a chance… it’s not fair to lump him with Jake.” She leaned over, bumping you with her shoulder, “Josh is an angel.”
“An angel, huh? So…what does that make Jake, sweet pea?” Before she could answer her friend, there was a knock on the door that caused the two girls to share a questioning look. Bellamy turned on her heel to stalk to the door and pull it open. “Speak of the devil…”
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You watched in slow motion as he pushed through the door and past Bellamy, despite her protests. “What? You can’t answer a fucking text? A phone call?” He was mad, that much was clear, and the store shouldn’t have been closed for another half hour, so you were sure the shock on your face was evident.
“What the hell are you doing here, Jake?” You tossed the blanket from your legs and stood up from the couch to face him. Bellamy was behind him, waiting for a sign to toss him out of the apartment, while Josh remained silent in his seat, watching the scene unfold.
“Do you see how it’s fucking storming out there?” He pointed towards the balcony where the pounding rain was only visible between flashes of lightning, “I didn’t know if you made it home and you wouldn’t pick up the goddamn phone! I was worried, Y/N…” He looked at his twin then, anger radiating off of him, “No surprise…you’re cuddled up with my fucking brother.”
Josh stood up then, placing himself between you and Jake, “We watched a movie and ate pizza, Jake. As friends.” He gestured between the two of you to get his point across, “That’s all we are, man. We’re just…friends.” He gave you a small, sympathetic smile before turning back to his twin, “If you don’t start treating her differently, you’ll end up a lot less than that.” Scooping up his keys and phone from the coffee table, he offered you a soft goodbye and pushed past his brother, only stopping to look at your best friend, “It was nice to meet you, Bellamy.” He paused as he was stepping through the front door and you could tell that he was fighting on whether to say what he wanted to or keep it to himself. The moment stretched on for an eternity before he finally spoke, avoiding your eyes entirely, as he looked at Jake, “She chose you, Jake… Try being fucking grateful.”
You watched him go, closing the door behind him, and began cleaning up the mess from the table after shutting the TV off. When you started towards the kitchen, Jake stepped in front of you and placed his hands on your shoulders, “Can you talk to me for a minute, please?” He followed you as you moved around him and threw the empty boxes into the garbage can. “Peach, please…” He gently grabbed your arm as you tried to silently exit the kitchen.
Calmly peeling yourself from his hold, you kept your head down. “I don’t have the energy to fight with you, Jake. I’m going to bed.” You could feel his presence behind you as he followed you into your room and closed the door. Finally turning to face him, you caught the flash of guilt in his eyes as he stood silently and waited for you to kick him out or tell him to stay. “He was right, yanno?.... I chose you, Jake.” He opened his mouth but you held your hand up to stop him, “If you don’t have trust in me, this won’t work. If I can’t have friends without you accusing me of something, this won’t work. Do you get that?” You plopped down on your bed with a sigh, “I’m not gonna keep having the same fights with you… I can’t.”
“I’m fucking trying, peach.” He came across the room to sit beside you, taking your hand in his. “Trust is hard for me. I told you-.”
“But you won’t tell me why!” You pulled your hand away and dragged them both down your face, “Help me understand, Jake! Let me see your point of view, because I won’t keep fucking doing this shit!” You breathed out a steady sigh and stood up to pull the duvet back and climb into bed.
You assumed he would leave when he stood up from the bed, but you were surprised when he stripped down to his boxers and flipped the light off before crawling in beside you and pulling the blanket over the both of you. He didn’t attempt to cuddle up to you, just laid on his back, staring at the ceiling in the darkness. You laid on your side, facing him, just barely able to make out his features through the flashes of lightning that would illuminate the room every few moments. The silence was growing and taking all the air in the room, it was becoming suffocating, you felt like you were losing your mind. Then came Jake’s voice; soft, sad, barely a whisper, “I was gonna give up everything for her… I really loved her, Y/N.” The tone of his voice broke your heart and you reached out carefully, placing your hand on the center of his chest to encourage him to continue. His body tensed beneath your touch, but he took a deep breath and slowly began to relax, “She loved me too. For a while, at least… I think deep down, I knew that she was checked out towards the end, but I was in denial.” He paused when his voice started to shake and you rolled closer to him.
“Take your time, baby. I’m here.” You held him close, pressing your lips to his shoulder. “Do you wanna start from the beginning?”
He shook his head, chewing at the skin on his lip. “The beginning isn’t important… We were together for two years before she wanted to move to New York. I was gonna do it. Drop my life, my family, everything, just to fucking follow her.”
“What made you stay?”
“When Josh and I decided that we weren’t going to college, mom and dad chose to pass the store to us. They loved the business, but after 20 years of running it and raising a family, they wanted a break.” A fleeting smile ghosted across his lips, “Josh didn’t wanna do it by himself, Sam was still in high school and had his mind set on CCA after graduation… I wanted to go with Ivy, but Highway Tunes was- is my life. It meant everything to my parents but it meant just as much to me. It’s where we grew up… Spent more time there than at our house. I guess my mistake was thinking that she would understand.”
You sat up in the bed, crossing your legs beneath you and looking down at him, “So, she left for New York without you?” You were trying to put the pieces together.
Jake placed his hand on your thigh, his thumb mindlessly grazing over your skin. “She stayed here with me. But she didn’t stay for me… She stayed for herself. She didn’t have to work, didn’t have to pay bills. I took care of her, I took care of everything… I gave her a life that most people would be grateful to have. And I thought she was.”
“What did she do, Jake?” You pulled your knees up, hugging them to your chest as a wave of sickness rolled through your body at the thought of what she could’ve done to hurt him.
He sat up as well and, despite the dark room, you could feel his eyes on you as he reached out and took your hand in one of his. “Peach, you…make me happy in a way that I haven’t felt…in a really long time.” He brought your hand to his mouth, holding your knuckles against his lips for a moment and you felt your stomach flip as tears began to sting your eyes. “I’m really fucked up, Y/N.” His voice cracked but you let him continue, “That last year was when things started to get bad…I uhhh- I started to notice a change when she would ask me for money to get groceries for the apartment and I’d come home to find the cabinets empty. When I would ask her about it, she would make me feel fucking crazy…Tell me that she never said she was getting groceries or that I was working too much, so the exhaustion must have confused me.”
“Jake…” You wanted to tell him to stop, that he didn’t have to talk about it anymore, but he didn’t give you the opportunity.
“That shirt you’re wearing right now- do you remember when I told you she was wearing it the last morning I woke up with her?” You nodded your head and, even though he couldn’t see your face, he kept talking, “I was supposed to work the double that day but I got hit with a bad cold, had Josh come in and close for me… When I got home, Ivy was in the shower and I thought it would be nice to join her. We hadn’t really had time for intimacy, I guess. But she wasn’t alone in there.” Jake released a humorless laugh, “She wasn’t even remorseful…I think that’s what hurt the most. Hurt more than her telling me I was nothing, that I didn’t deserve her. I asked her, What did I do wrong? I love you, I gave you everything… and she laughed in my face and said, ‘You gave me everything. Why would I leave?’” He was holding your hand, tracing his fingers over your palm as his voice grew quieter, “After she admitted that she hadn’t loved me in a while, she was using me, I left. Flew to Michigan to stay with my parents for a few days and clear my head. When I came back, she was gone… Cleaned most of the apartment out, left a note. I didn’t read it, I couldn’t. I just threw it in the trash and moved on.” He fell silent after concluding, his index finger still traveling over your hand.
You sat, unmoving, unsure of what to say or if you should even say anything, until a wet drop landed on your palm and you felt your heart stop. “Baby, no…” You sat up on your knees and flung your arms around him, holding him tight to your chest. “Jake, I’m so sorry. I-.” His body shook in your hold and your own tears started to fall. Seeing his vulnerability, under the circumstances, filled you with sorrow.
He wrapped his arms around your torso, clinging to your body as he moved to lay down, pulling you with him. “It fucking hurt, Y/N… It hurt for so long…”
You held his face, swiping at his wet cheeks as you sniffled, “She’ll never hurt you again, Jake. I promise. Nobody will…”
.
.
.
.
.
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Tomorrow's promise
Pairing: Shane Walsh × reader, Rick Grimes × sister reader
Warnings: Swearing, mentions of injury and blood
Chapter: 2.05
You smile at Carol as she hangs up clothes on the washing line she set up next to the tents the rest of your group were sleeping in, only a short walk from the Greene’s farmhouse. Earlier that day, you’d offered to help her prepare dinner for Hershel and his family, but Carol insisted you didn’t need to help since your hands were full with a newborn. Although her intentions were good, it still left a bitter taste in your mouth.
Neither Rick or Shane would allow you to help search for Sophia, and none of the other women wanted your help with any household chores. You felt useless.
Scanning the area for Shane, you finally spot him leaning over the hood of a car, scowling as he circles different areas still to be searched. He had left the bedroom before you awoke to get an early start. Sensing someone walking behind him, Shane looks up, his facial expression softening, and says, “Morning, darling, how’s our little guy today?”
“He’s been babbling away all morning.” You place your hand on his lower back and say, “Hey, can I ask you something?”
He nods.
In spite of his dishonesty about what happened with Otis at the school, Shane was the only person you could confide in without feeling as if you were crossing a line. “There aren't a lot of walkers around here.”
“That’s not a question,” he laughs.
Rolling your eyes, you continue, “I think I’ve seen maybe two or three walkers since we’ve been here, and Hershel and his family don’t seem like the type of people to put a walker down. What do you think is happening to them?”
Shane Rubs at his jaw, thinking over what you just said. “You’re worried about the lack of walkers?”
“No, I just don’t understand why there are so few. It’s as if the dead cross this invisible line and just disappear.”
“Do you think we should trust them?” He asks, looking over at the farmhouse.
“Yes,” you answer without hesitation. “They are good people; they saved Carl; they let us stay on their land; they let us into their home. The Greenes are kind people. But regardless, I am worried a horde of walkers is about to crash those fences at any minute.”
“Maybe they are getting picked off one by one before they reach the fences. But if not, it’s still not something you need to worry about.”
His comment irritates you; why the hell wouldn’t it be something you need to worry about? You frown. “Why wouldn’t I worry about it?”
“Because I’m here to protect you, aren’t I?” He snaps.
You didn’t understand why your question had gotten him riled up, “Shane?”
“Keeping you and Jace safe is the only thing I care about. If a horde comes crashing through the farm, then we go; we’re not risking our lives or our sons lives to save anyone else.”
“You don’t mean that.”
He scoffs, “Trust me, I do.”
“What about Carl and Rick?”
“Rick can look after himself.”
“We’ve been over this before; I’m never leaving my brother or nephew behind. And after all we’ve been through, I wouldn’t leave anyone else behind either, not when they have risked their lives to keep me and Jace alive.”
“That’s just your baby brain and hormones talking. If you were thinking logically, and in survival mode, you’d think differently.”
You open your mouth to argue but stop when T-dog and Andrea walk by. You fake a smile and wave to them, all while giving Shane a knowing look. When they are out of earshot, you quietly ask, “You know what scares me more than the dead?”
He lets out a deep sigh. “What?”
“Losing my humanity That’s the only thing that keeps us separate from the dead.” Knowing the conversation wasn’t going to change, you walked away before either of you could say anything else. It scared you that after all this time, Shane still didn’t know you well enough to understand that you’d never leave your brother or nephew behind.
—
“I told him, alive or not, Sophia only matters to the degree in which she doesn’t drag the rest of us down.”
Sighing, you listen to Shane as he rambles on about his ‘long talk’ with your brother while they searched in the woods. Rick had already told you how Shane wanted to stop searching for Sophia. You could see both men’s points, but we’re refusing to get in the middle of them. If it was Jace, you’d never stop looking.
“It’s a heavy burden for Rick to make that call; just give him time.”
As Shane continues to ramble on about Rick not stepping up from his space on the bed, you ignore him, only focusing on trying to get your son to calm down. His scrunched-up face was bright red from screaming and crying so much, and nothing you tried seemed to calm him down. It was moments like this that you were even more thankful the Greenes let you stay inside their farm house because outside, any walkers lurking in the area would be attracted by the crying.
“Give him to me.”
“What?” Shane walks towards you with his arms outstretched, willing to take Jace into his arms, but you’re reluctant to hand him over. Maybe Shane’s comment early in the day really pissed you off, or you took solace in being able to comfort Jace.
“Give him to me,” Shane repeats, his tone softer.
Hesitantly, you hand him over, but smile when Jace momentarily stops crying to stare up at his father curiously before the crying starts again. Poor boy. You wished you could take whatever was bothering him away.
Shane sits on the edge of the bed, rocking Jace gently. “Why are you still standing by the window? Are you waiting on something?”
“Everyone has come back except Daryl.”
“So? He can take care of himself.”
Shane's lack of concern for others was really starting to become a concern. The same question kept gnawing at the back of your mind: how king will it be until Shane starts to turn on your small group?
—
As you approach the RV, you overhear Glenn asking Dale a question that makes you cringe on the inside and outside.
“Uh, Dale, do you think Andrea’s on her period? I’m only asking because it’s like all the women are acting really weird. And I read somewhere that when women spend a lot of time together, their cycles line up and they all get super crazy hormonal at the same time.”
“I’m going to advise you to keep that theory to yourself,” the older man says.
You swing the door open and say, “Yes, keep it to yourself. The next man who mentions the word hormonal to me will meet a grisly end.” You put a small plastic bag full of clothes, blankets, and towels that needed repairs on the table with your free hand before sitting down. “Now, who else is acting crazy?”
Glenn looks slightly sheepish as he sits down across from you, “Maggie.”
“Ahh, Maggie,” Dale smiles.
It was obvious to everyone that Glenn had developed a crush on the brunette. When Jace starts to gurgle, Glenn gives you a look and holds his arms out, silently offering to take Jace from you. Without thinking, you remove Jace from the makeshift sling and gently lay him in the man’s arms so it’s easier for you to start sowing. It gives you pause when you realize that you’re more comfortable with someone else holding Jace than his own father.
“So what did the lovely Maggie do that was weird?” You ask, continuing the conversation.
“She started off being mean to me, then she wanted to have sex with me, and now she’s being mean to me again. And I don’t even want to know what’s going on with Lori.”
Guilt you suspected.
Dale's brows raise. “What’s going on with Lori?”
“Nothing be. I don’t know.”
You had a suspicion. Glenn knew more than he was letting on, but you decided not to press him on it and changed the subject. You weren’t one for gossiping, but you needed the distraction. “How did you know Maggie wanted to have sex with you? Did she tell you?”
Glenn smirks at the question, alluding to the fact that they have already done the deed. You snort, “I hope you used condoms.”
“This isn’t funny,” Dale says in a serious tone. “Did it ever occur to you how her father might feel about this?”
“She’s twenty-two,” Glenn says.
Although he had made a good point and Maggie was an adult, you get the impression that not much happened on the farm without Hershel’s permission. Not wanting to hear anymore lectures from Dale, Glenn gets up and quickly steps out of the RV, with you hot on his tail. “Uh, excuse me, Glenn, my baby?”
“Oh, I wasn’t going far, just sitting outside,” he says, pointing to the swing chair right outside the RV. “I wasn’t going to kidnap him, I swear.”
“I know, I just like to see him at all times,” you smile. “I’ll just grab the sewing kit, then join—”
Andrea cuts you off, yelling, “Walker, walker!”
Glenn hands you Jace before rubbing his hands to grab a weapon. Rick, Shane, T-Dog, and Glenn all rush out to the field the walker is walking through with silent weapons. It worries you to see Shane still limping and struggling to keep up with the other men. Hearing the click of a gun, you look up at the roof of the RV to see Andrea aiming her rifle. “Don’t! You could miss the shot and kill someone.”
“Back off, Lily.”
You grabbed a pair of binoculars to see what was going on, because from a distance, it looked as if everyone had stopped running. When you're able to see clearly, you make out the walker is a living, breathing person. “False alarm—”
You jump upon hearing a loud bang, and surpassingly, Jace didn’t seem startled by the loud noise. You glared up at the blonde. Andrea had taken her shot. She was pleased with herself until your brother started to scream.
“You’ve hit someone!” You hand Jace to Dale and take off in the direction the group is in the field. When you get closer, you make out the shape of a body on the ground. You're relieved to see it’s not your brother or fiancé but scared to find out who was possibly dead. You stopped running to catch your breath just as you reached them and saw blood coming from the side of Daryl’s head. “Oh my god, is he alive?”
When Rick and Shane pull Daryl to his feet, he mumbles, “I was kidding.”
You stand in front of Daryl just as he passes out from shock, brushing his hair to the side and saying, “I think it’s grazed the side of his head.” Your eyes travel down, and you notice he’s wearing a necklace of Walker ears. You rip it from his neck, tossing it to the side. “Nobody saw that.”
“Guys, isn’t this Sophia’s?” T-dog asks, holding up a doll.
Shit. Sophia leaving the doll that she clung to behind wasn’t good.
—
“Are you going to do something about Rick and Shane?”
You turn from the sink to look at Lori. “What makes you think I can do anything? They always butt heads. Falling out, then making up. They are worse than teenage girls.”
“This is different from all the other times.”
Looking over your shoulder, you smile at Patrice as he finishes wiping down the extra table they brought from another restaurant so everyone could eat in the dining room since there were too many to sit around the main dining table. The meal Carol cooked was delicious with fresh vegetables that had been grown on the farm, but with tensions within the group, the atmosphere during dinner was uncomfortable. Since you had to excuse yourself to feed Jace, you missed most of the group meal, only coming back down to the kitchen to help clear up.
“They are both stubborn and headstrong, and neither of them will change their minds,” you whisper. “As of now, the search for Sophia is still happening, so there is no need to make this a big deal.”
Lori asks, “How’s Shane coping with fatherhood? I remember how freaked out Rick was when I was pregnant. God, I can only imagine how Shane would have been finding out before the world went to shit.”
You shoot her a look. Hearing Lori say his name sets something up inside you. You had been trying your best to keep what happened in the past, but you're only human, and your pushed-back emotions were starting to bubble over at the surface. “I’m civil for the sake of Rick, Carl, and everyone else, but don’t push it by asking about Shane.”
“Understood.”
You feel guilty seeing her become teary-eyed before walking away, but it was hard enough without being reminded daily of what happened between them.
—
You pushed the door to the bedroom Daryl’s in as quietly as you could, in case he was sleeping. It was late, and everyone else had called it a night. Once you settled Jace down, you couldn’t shake the feeling of unease and put it down to worrying about the recently injured members of your group.
“What the hell are you still doing?”
The bluntness makes you chuckle, and you use the sleeve of your jumper to stifle the sound. “I just wanted to check on you. You know, since you almost died and all.”
“Oh, that. I almost forgot until you mentioned it.”
He shuffles over so you can sit on the edge of the bed. Dark circles hung under his eyes; poorly washed-off dirt and blood covered most of Daryl’s face. It was admirable how invested he was in searching for the little girl. “Whatever happens, Carol will never forget how much you’ve done for her daughter.”
“Yeah, whatever. I’m just doing the same as what Rick and Shane are doing.”
“It takes a brave man to do what you did.”
Daryl looks away from you, grunting, facing the wall. He didn’t like hearing kind things said about himself. You lean down to kiss him on the cheek, and at the same time, Daryl rolls back around, causing your lips to lightly brush together. Clearing your throat, you sit upright again and notice how flushed his face has become. Bypassing the awkwardness, you sigh, “You’re a good man, Daryl Dixon, even if you don’t want to believe it.”
#the walking dead#shane walsh/reader#shane walsh#shame Walsh/you#the walking dead fanfic#the walking dead rewrite#the walking dead x reader#the walking dead fandom#the walking dead fanfiction#tomorrow’s promise#shane walsh x reader#shane walsh x you#daryl dixon x reader#Daryl Dixon#shane walsh fanfiction
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Baby Steps
Satoru Gojo
[Chapter 12] Dilemma
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Pairing: Satoru Gojo x f!Reader
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“When am I going to meet your parents?” Is a question that you ask Satoru too much. It feels as if it’s the hundredth time you ask the question. And every time he answers it, it’s vague. He never gives a clear response. Each time you ask and don’t get a clear response, you get more and more pissed off.
You try to think the way he does to understand his side of things, but you can’t simply understand it. You’re not asking him to be your boyfriend– Although in some ways he acts like one. Either way, you’re not asking him to introduce you as his future life long partner (although a child is a lifelong commitment) or anything. You’re carrying his child, and his family deserves to know that. He hasn’t told you about having no contact with his parents, so you’re rather curious as to why he’s putting this off.
“Do you want a sandwich, babe?” Satoru asks, making you cross your arms. An exasperated sigh leaves your lips before you say,
“I asked you a question. You can’t keep ignoring it.” His back is turned on you, his face to the stove as he prepares his food. He feels you glare at his back, but he’ll act as if everything is fine. “C’mon, Satoru. I’m not getting any younger. Neither is the baby I’m carrying, and they’ll pop out at any minute.”
“We still have a long way to go before the baby is here.” He argues. You scoff before standing up from the chair and walking to your bedroom, slamming the door behind you so he can hear loud and clear that you’re not pleased with him. Yet he isn’t going to do more than just eat his food before going to work, acting as if the conversation never happened.
He’ll make sure to have a plate of food ready for you before leaving. Something that you can quickly warm up in case you get hungry. Which he knows you will since lately you’ve been eating a lot.
-
Satoru comes home to find you in the living room, folding some clothes. You don’t bother to stand up to greet him since you’re mad at him. Either way, you don’t have to stand up to greet him since you’re not dating or anything. You just happen to be pregnant with his child.
He walks over to you, leaning down to kiss your forehead. That usually makes you greet him, but today you stay silent. Satoru knows why you’re mad at him, yet he chooses to act dumb. Maybe it’ll just make him seem like a dumb fool to you, and make you feel guilty for being mad.
“Did you like the food I made?” Satoru asks, not really noticing that the food sits untouched on the table. Just as he left it. He doesn’t receive an answer, just as he expected. He takes off his shades, tossing them onto the coffee table before sitting down next to you. He begins to grab your clothes and help you fold your clothes. Around half the clothes are folded, and that’s when he asks, “Are you mad at me?”
You exhale, clearly annoyed. You stand up, leaving your clothes on the couch and walking to your bedroom. He begins to follow you, acting oblivious as to why you’re so mad. This isn’t the first time you get frustrated over the situation, but it’s the first time that you clearly show him that you’re unhappy with it.
You slam the door to your room shut, and he’s quick to open it. He pays for the apartment, he feels entitled to be able to open the door whenever he wants. “C’mon talk to me.”
“C’mon talk to me.” You mock, sitting down on your bed. He chuckles at your horrible impression of him before he grabs your hand and pulls you up from the bed. Your lips are pursed together, your brows furrowed. His hands cup your face while he looks into your eyes. You end up forcing yourself to look away. “You should know, Satoru. I know you’re not fucking dumb.”
“Why are you so insistent on meeting them?” He questions. His words hurt more than you could ever imagine. You’re extremely emotional lately. Tears pool up in your eyes, and you try your best to hold them back. “It’s not so important–”
“Are you ashamed of me–” Your voice breaks, and it makes Satoru’s heart flutter. He didn’t mean it to come out like that. “I get I’m not the most ideal person but I’m still carrying your child, Satoru. You can’t just keep me hidden forever.”
“No. No. I didn’t mean it like that. I don’t mean it like that.” He clears up before you start crying. But it’s too late. He feels tears go from your cheeks to his thumbs. Never before had he felt a feeling as agonizing as your tears on his fingertips. Satoru cares a lot about you, after all, you are carrying his son so he’s bound to care.
His hands go to yours and he begins to guide you to the mirror in your room. He forces you to look at yourself, while he hugs you from behind. You’re still in tears, and he feels his heart shrinking. “Just look at how beautiful you are.”
You can’t even bring yourself to even look at yourself. It’ll make you cry even more. You weren’t so sentimental before, but each and every day that’s changing. Anything can make you cry– Happy or sad. Satoru’s hands go to your bump, his thumbs rubbing circles on it, “So beautiful, so smart, so hardworking, so responsible, so kind. How are you not the most ideal person?”
He kisses the back of your neck. He’s so tender with you. He has to be. What kind of monster would he be if he treated the mother of his child coldly. You do as he wishes and begin to look over yourself. Your body is ever-changing, not feeling like your own anymore. Yet Satoru gives you doting eyes every time he looks at you.
“How could I ever be ashamed of you when you’re so beautiful?” He continues, covering your neck in gentle kisses. He acts so loving, yet you don’t understand why he’s so avoidant on meeting his parents.
“Then why do you not want me to meet them?” You question. He’s flattering you, and while you know why he’s doing it, you also want answers. “You can’t just hide from them the fact that you’re having a kid.”
“It’s not about you. It’s about them. My parents didn’t really pay a big part in my life, so why should they play any part in my child’s life?” Satoru answers. It’s true, but at the same time there’s so much more than that. He doesn’t want anyone in the Jujutsu world to find out about him becoming a father. That puts you and his baby in danger, which is the last thing he wants. Only Megumi and Tsumiki know, but he knows nothing will come out of their mouths, mainly because they’re yet not connected with anyone in the Jujutsu world, apart from himself. They’re just kids. “Can’t it be just us?”
“Are you sure they don’t want to be grandparents? I feel like you’re lying to me…” You confess. He turns you around and pecks your lips. He kisses your cheek. Then the tip of your nose. He kisses all over your face.
“Trust me. I’m doing this for our own good.” He tells you. He kneels down and presses a kiss on your bump. “And for our little one. Anything for him.”
“Okay… I’ll trust you– Did you just say him?!” You realize what he said. You stand shocked, your eyes a bit wide and your mouth opened. He realizes his mistake– Not the first time it happens, sadly. He stands up and wraps his arms around you, a laugh leaving his lips.
“Surprise.” He says in between laughs. He sounds so happy. You hug him back and shut your eyes.
You just hope that everything will turn out fine in the end. Both your pregnancy and your relationship with him.
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