#obey me chapter 26 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

isabella-kr · 1 year

Text

Chapter Two: Routines

THIS STORY WILL INCLUDE MATURE THEMES, PLEASE ONLY READ IF YOU ARE 18 YEARS OLD OR OVER.

IF YOU ARE UNDERAGE, YOU CAN READ THE WATTPAD VERSION INSTEAD AS IT WILL CONTAIN NO SMUT.

THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION AND DOES NOT REPRESENT THE REAL ARMY!

Chapter Synopsis: No-Face hated breaking her routine, but when it is John Price who forces you to do so, you have no choice but to obey.

Pairing: John Price x Female!Reader (This used to be an original character, and whilst I have revised this chapter, I might have missed something; If there is any physical description (aside for her athletic build) please let me know)

Warnings! Mentions of traumatic past

Word Count: 3.7k

Note: I have changed her name from A-26 to A-326. It’s not a big change, but I didn’t want people to be confused; it will just make more sense for the number to be higher :)

Series Masterlist I COD:MWII Masterlist

Previous Chapter I Next Chapter

The first few weeks – or rather months – went by in a blur. No-Face had quickly fallen into an unbreakable routine, no day drifting away from the normalcy she had created for herself. The pace at which she adapted to her new situation was surprising, and made even Price raise his brow, but he didn’t put much thought into it; he was just glad she wasn’t stuck by his side like a lost puppy.

At 06:00, she would wake up to the blaring alarm from her bedside table. Her hand would slap against the flat surface of the phone she was given, eagerly silencing the noisy machine. She would grumble to herself, her eyes seemingly stuck together; begging her to stay in just a little longer. She refused, practically jumping out of the bed and readying herself for the day ahead.

07:00; make her way to the mess hall and eat breakfast. Every day, without fail, she would roll her eyes at the whines of the other soldiers who would rather return to their beds. She usually sat alone, enjoying the peaceful silence that surrounded her.

07:20; enter the shooting range and – under supervision, of course – practise her aim. She cursed the first few times she had went there, missing the head of her target by millimetres. Yet she had quickly gotten the hang of it, and now she was proud to say she had not missed a single shot.

08:20; leave the shooting range and begin cleaning her weapons. The supervising officer, whom she recognised from her time of glorified imprisonment, remained in her vicinity. She was only glad he remained inconspicuous, doing his own thing to make it look as though he was in the same room by pure chance. The soldiers on base didn’t seem to pick up on the strange relationship between them, or that No-Face herself wasn’t a normal soldier; she was glad for it.

09:50; be forced to take a break by said supervising officer. Despite being her superior, he had a nervous aura around him. The poor lad stuttered over his words, and she could only assume he was much younger than her, likely with little previous experience. She wondered how good his fighting skills were – not that it mattered, as she would not attack the young man, but she had to wonder. Perhaps it was like bait, a simple ‘Hurt him. You know you can. Maybe you’ll get a chance to escape with him gone’. But she knew what would come next had that happened; she’d be dead.

10:05; make her way to the gym to regain the muscle mass she had lost over the years. Thankfully, due to her refusal to sit still and do nothing during her time of imprisonment, she had not lost as much muscle as she was afraid he had. Her strength was compromised by the years of inactivity, but she was sure she would get it back to where it once was.

11:25; be forced to take yet another break. She would be sure to send the supervisor a harsh glare and watch amused as he took a shaky step back. She doubted he knew what she had done in her past – the information strictly confidential – and yet he was already soiling his trousers. It was comical, to say the least.

11:40; practise gymnastics. Her agility was the more difficult skill to get back. Although she was making progress - her movements swift and almost expert-like – she knew they would never be as they once were. Not only because they had laid mostly dormant for a decade, but because she had aged. She wasn’t anywhere near what society would deem as ‘old’ but it still affected her, and she hated her body for it.

12:40; wallow in self-pity whilst making her way to Price’s office. Report her progress, and watch as he analysed every single word that left her mouth. The smoke from his cigar would always swim around him, and a glint would appear in his eyes every time she coughed in discomfort.

13:00; attempt to skip lunch. She wasn’t hungry. Her stomach felt full – bloated even. Perhaps it was due to the constant stress she was under for the past few weeks, or maybe it was the overcrowded base that ruined her appetite. Beforehand, she used to think being between people was ideal, but now as they surrounded her from every corner, she has never felt more on edge.

13:10; Have Price yell at her – not from anger or hatred, but from frustration after her supervising officer grassed on her. The captain would grab her by the forearm and drag her to the hall, watching her like a hawk to ensure she had finished her lunch.

13:30; go for a run around the base. Her muscles were aching at this point, but she ignored the voice that begged her to stop and catch her breath.

14:20; take a long break. The lack of sleep was starting to catch up with her. She would often make herself some tea and hope the hot beverage would wake her up.

15:00; begin a sparring session with the sergeants she had met on her first full day on base. Thomas Southwick, the taller of the two, was a nice man; he was energetic and full of life, often making jokes during their sessions. Dan Morris was more serious, his mouth always pressed into a thin line, and his eyes were blank, as though no emotion ever ran through them.

At 15:20, John would often enter the training area and watch from the corner with a judgemental eye. His words had progressively turned less harsh, and instead of insults disguised as words of advice, he gave his support. There was still a look of hatred in his eyes, but she quickly grew to understand this would never change. The wound was far too deep to forgive.

16:00; take a long walk around base. Eventually, as every single day, she would end up sitting on the floor and leaning against the brick wall of one of the barracks, watching as the sun began to set. The crisp January air bit at her skin, turning her nose cold and fingers numb, but she paid the shivers no mind.

Oftentimes, Thomas would join her in her solitude. The tall sergeant would usually come baring snacks, sharing a chocolate or two with her as he told her stories of his deployments. There was a certain warmth that radiated off him; a kindliness she hadn’t experienced in over a decade. He was a curious one, and sometimes found himself asking questions about her past. Each attempt was quickly shut down, but a feeling of guilt creeped up on her whenever she saw his dejected expression.

“It’s confidential,” she told him one day.

Those two words caused his head to snap in her direction, his brows furrowed deeply in confusion. “What d’you mean ‘confidential’?” he questioned, as though the meaning of the word was alien to him.

She hummed, the tip of her tongue wetting her lips, “I could get us both in trouble if I told you something I wasn’t supposed to.”

This time, he was the one who hummed, handing a bag of chocolates over to her. She happily took some and popped them in her mouth. “That why you got the nervous kid following you around everywhere?”

A small laugh left her at that, “You noticed?”

“Think I’m the only one who did,” he admitted with a laugh, “probably ‘cause I’m the only one who actually talks to you.”

A comfortable silence fell upon them after that. The sun was almost completely set, painting the evening sky in vivid oranges and reds. There was a distant screech of seagulls somewhere, and although most people on base loved to refer to the birds as ‘sky rats’, she could see the beauty in them. The freedom they symbolised was something she wished she had, and so she admired it every time a ruffle of feathers caught her attention.

“The confidentiality thing...” he spoke, “Does it have something to do with the way cap’s been treatin’ you?”

Her eyes widened at his words, “What do you mean?”

“He was rude to you when you first came in,” he told her, “He’s still got that look in his eye whenever you’re around. Like he’d rather have you gone.”

In truth, a part of her hoped her mind was fabricating those looks. She hoped she was overthinking it, that her imagination was playing tricks on her. But now that Thomas had confirmed her thoughts, unknowingly letting her know she wasn’t making them up, a certain tightness appeared in her chest.

“So?” he looked over at her, “Does it?”

She only nodded, a sad smile pulling at the corners of her lips.

There were times Price himself had joined her by the barracks. His boots were the first thing she would notice – or rather hear; loud stomps moving in her direction – in her peripheral vision. The black, polished leather reflected the bright moonlight, catching her attention.

She would hesitantly look over at him, and suddenly feel small under his hardened gaze. His arms were always crossed over his chest, and although his eyes were angled in her direction, it felt as though he was looking through her, rather than at her.

She felt herself grow tense in his presence, swallowing thickly as she analysed his posture. He looked as though he didn’t want to be there – as though he was forced to approach her by his superiors. She knew that was untrue, but the thought both amused and saddened her. The idea of his superiors scolding him enough to make him approach her was comical, but also devastating; she felt like she had some disease that he was trying his best to avoid. Except, in this case, the metaphorical disease was just her.

“You alright?” he eventually asked, his voice gruff from the many cigars he had smoked throughout his life.

She nodded with a small – almost silent – hum, “You don’t have to do this, sir,” she assured him.

“Do what?” he raised a brow.

She sent him a knowing look, shaking her head when her gaze eventually returned to the sky, “Act like you’re concerned about me. I’ll be fine, sir, you don’t have to speak to me when you don’t have to. I know you don’t like to, anyway.”

John let out a heavy breath and moved from his spot beside her, and towards the bench which was sitting in front of her. He rested his elbows against his knees and finally looked up at her; into her eyes.

“You’re right,” he admitted with a nod, “I don’t like talking to you. Every time I do, all I can think about is the past. But I need to get over it; you’ve changed, you’ve improved your ways, and you’re one of us now. I can’t be treating you like an outsider when you no longer are. I’m your Captain, and I’m supposed to be helping you, not making your life more difficult.”

She was taken aback by his words. That is not to say she wasn’t happy about his change in attitude, because she was. It was shocking, however, and she guessed the expression on her face made her feelings clear because the man before her let out a sharp exhale, and made sure his eyes were focused solely on her.

“Look,” he scratched his beard, “I won’t trust you until you prove that I can; until you show me you won’t betray us the first chance you get. Until then, I-” he took in a deep breath, “Until then, I will do my best to not let our past influence how I view you.”

Their eyes remained locked for a few, long seconds; hers focused on the blue of his iris, and whilst his remained dull, hers brightened just a little bit. A stiff, yet thankful smile pulled at her lips as she let out a pleased hum, “Thank you, captain.”

“You’ve got nothing to thank me for,” he told her, “I’ve been acting immature; not like a captain should, so enough of that.” He got up from his place on the bench and wiped his trousers from any dirt that clung to him, “From tomorrow onwards, we’re on the same team.”

She smiled at his words, eyes following him as he turned and began making his way away from her. His shoulders looked visibly less tense, and she could only assume this conversation was long overdue.

“Captain,” her voice stopped him in his tracks, “Thank you... for giving me a chance.”

His mouth opened, as if to say something, but he quickly abandoned the idea. He sent her a small nod instead, and swiftly walked away, leaving her be for the rest of the night.

By 18:30, she was back in the large hall and eating her dinner. She enjoyed the military food; the variety was larger than what she was used to. She didn’t shy away from exploring and trying out different things even when she wasn’t hungry, and soon found herself being particularly excited about flapjacks and brownies, making sure she had some every time they were available.

By 19:00, she was out once again, making her way to the small library in the corner of the base. It didn’t have a large variety of books, mainly holding academic, and non-fiction books, but it was better than sitting around and doing nothing for the rest of the day. In the end, she would end up staring off into space rather than focusing on the words on the pages, but the silence that always resided inside the building brought her great comfort.

At 20:45, she always made her way to the showers, where she let the hot water envelop her aching frame. And by the time 21:20 hit the clock, she was back in her room.

She never fell asleep right away, despite the fact her eyes begged for some rest. The sleep just never came, avoiding her like the plague as she battled with the exhaustion. It was as though she could feel the dark circles forming under her dried-out eyes, painting her skin in purples and light blues.

02:30 - 03:00; her body would finally begin to relax, and she would fall into the very much needed state of unconsciousness. She would awaken periodically - her eyes fluttering open - but she would not fully wake up until her alarm decided to ring in the early hours of the morning.

She had a routine.

Which is why she was confused when, on a random Tuesday, John Price cut her sparring session short and ordered her to follow him. Sending Thomas a tight-lipped smile, she got off the thick mat and trailed closely behind the captain, her breathing heavy from the work out.

They had made their way through the crowded buildings of the base until they reached his office. Her nerves were eating her alive by the time she entered the small room, only negative thoughts plaguing her mind. “Have I done something wrong, sir?” She asked, her back painfully straight as John made his way around the wooden desk and sat in his chair.

He shook his head at her and gestured at the chair beside her, urging her to sit down. “We’ve been cleared for a mission next week,” he let her know, “I need to know if you’re ready.”

She hummed in thought. On one hand, missions are what she was born for; what she was trained for most of her life. On the other hand, however, she was not exposed to them for the past decade, and despite the many hours of training, she felt as though she lacked experience.

Yet despite her worries - despite the fear – she nodded. “I am, sir.”

His eyes were set on her face, as if analysing every micro expression that appeared on her face. At times like these, she wished she could look into his mind and find out what he was thinking; whether his thoughts were positive, or indeed negative.

“Alright,” he gave her a firm nod and stood up from his seat. His hand clutched onto the duffel bag that sat by his leg, and he picked it up, moving it to the sofa that sat in the corner of the room.

She followed behind him, though keeping her distance as she focused on the black bag. When he finally unzipped it, her eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

Her clothing, her gun – her belongings – were all in the large bag. They seemed to still be in good condition, and she had to wonder whether they were waiting for her all this time, or whether they were repaired not long ago.

She hesitantly reached inside the bag and pulled out the first object that she could reach; her boots. The leather was thick and heavy in her hands, but the familiarity of them made her release a breath of relief.

She looked over them, searching for any sign of deterioration; any sign that they were no longer fit for wear. She found none. They were as good as new. Even the soles were thick and sturdy; a promise that they would last for years to come. In the middle of the soles, the numbers that haunted her dreams were still proudly on display.

“A-326,” John spoke from beside her, lighting a cigar after opening a window. He was watching her with curiosity in his eyes – with a desperate need to know more. To learn more.

She nodded, her tongue wetting her lips as she placed the boot down, “My name. Well, more like my number.”

He hummed, watching as she ruffled through the bag, “Laswell did say that was your name. I assumed it was only for the organisation, to remain as anonymous as possible.”

She pulled out a belt and tugged on it, smiling approvingly at the sturdy material, “No, Sir. It was easier than having to come up with hundreds of different names. This way, there would be no repeats and... I guess it was easier to send us to our deaths when they saw just a number... and no humanity.”

“Hm,” he replied with a puff of smoke, “They dehumanised you.”

She gave him a nod, “I didn’t see it that way at the time. It becomes normal when everyone around you also has one. Viktor especially liked to use them. Always had this sneer on his face whenever he did, though back then I didn’t understand why.”

“Viktor?”

“The Director – the boss.” She explained, “At least he said he was, but I doubt it. He had too much of a superiority complex to really be the one in charge.”

Price’s eyes never left her figure, eyes narrowing as he listened to her speak, “Think you could recognise him? I’m sure if you could, it would be vital information, and could aid us in taking the whole organisation down.”

A soft, almost defeated, sigh left her lips, “I’m sorry, sir,” she looked up at him, “I already told Laswell this but whenever he entered the room we had to turn around or look down at the floor. He claimed eye-contact with him was disrespectful. After a few years of therapy, I realised he just didn’t want to be identified.”

There was a pause when her fingers grabbed onto the heavy material of her mask. It was rough, and she could remember the many times it left an uncomfortable rash around her mouth; but it was useful, covering her face and protecting her from the enemies.

“This thing blinded my men,” he let her know, gesturing at the mask in her hands.

She let out a soft hum, “Yeah, it’s made from special material. If you look at it through night vision goggles, it’ll temporarily blind you-“

“And if you take a picture, it’ll blur your face.”

“Well, more like make it flash,” she corrected, though nodded in agreement.

“Useful,” he admitted.

Price remained quiet for the next few minutes, silently digesting everything she had told him so far. How awful her childhood must have been; how she couldn’t experience things children brought up under normal, healthy circumstances could. Even something as simple as a name was stripped away from her. And yet, in her eyes, it was a normal existence.

John was barely half way through his cigar when she turned to look at him, “Why was I given this?”

“We thought you’d feel more comfortable in something you’re familiar with,” he told her seriously, “Unless you’d prefer the usual military uniform, then you will be given that instead.”

She thought about it. Hard. Both uniforms had their pros and cons, and it was difficult to decide which one would be better. Whilst her old one was more familiar to the touch, and allowed for swifter movements, it clung too tightly to her skin. She could remember the many times it dug into her body, the uncomfortable feeling distracting her during missions.

The military clothing, on the other hand, allowed for a greater storage of weapons and, if need be, a medical kit. The material was less rough, and the breathable fabric prevented overheating. The tactical gear was heavier, but more useful than the one on her old uniform.

Sucking in a small breath, she looked over at the captain, who raised a questioning brow in return, “Do you think I could… use both?”

He tilted his head to the side and puffed out a thick cloud of smoke, “Why?”

“I could use parts of both,” she told him, “Some bits from my old uniform are better – like the boots, the belt, and the mask; but the trousers and tactical gear are not as good as yours. I could improve it by using both.”

He hummed, seeing the logic in her request, “Don’t see why not,” he told her, “I’ll have it ready for you tomorrow. You can take this back to your room – aside for the weapons; I’ll be storing that – and pick what you’d like to keep and what can be discarded. Sound good?”

“Yes, sir,” she told him with a happy nod, “Mission next week, then?”

“Yeah. I’ll brief you in tomorrow and then we’ll begin to prepare.” He paused in thought, “Are you sure you’re up for it?”

“Yes, sir,” she assured him, “Maybe it’ll be a step in gaining your trust.”

Her tone was light-hearted, but there was seriousness behind her words. She wanted him to trust her; to make him her acquaintance, or perhaps to befriend him. Maybe one day, even gain his respect.

But there was also something else behind her expression – behind the need to show him he could trust her. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, and he wasn’t sure whether he was accurate in his deduction, but there was a certain sadness in her eyes. Perhaps it was the guilt peeking through, or maybe it was just nerves and he was over-analysing her every move. Whatever it was, he shrugged it off.

“Maybe.”

Tag List: @jxvipike @smoggyfogbottom @stressyanddepressyfoodservice @boniscute @ohgodthebogisback

205 notes · View notes

riiwriting · 1 year

Text

A Second Ride on the Ferris Wheel | Lucifer (Obey Me)

summary : 26-7 rewrite! a ferris wheel ride with a very whipped Lucifer.

warnings : spoilers for chapter 25 & 26,

lucifer x mc - gn (no pronouns used)

note : i used some of the original dialogue, and some that i changed up a little bit :) very much one of my favorite luci moments

As far as “dates” in the Devildom had gone, getting glued to Mammon and promptly exploring a traveling carnival hadn’t been the worst – regardless of how things appeared to be wrapping up. You were actually quite entertained watching as Lord Diavolo dragged your partner in crime away for interrogation, choosing to be grateful that nobody seemed to be projecting any suspicion in your direction.

A laugh even escaped your lips as Number 2 scampered alongside the demon lord, teasing Mammon as they went. A similar, yet significantly deeper chuckle reminded you that someone had stayed behind with you.

Turning to your left, you peered up at Lucifer, the remnants of your humor just beginning to settle back into your resting expression. When he met your gaze, you felt the need to raise your hands innocently. “I knew nothing about an illegal casino,” you testified.

Lucifer only smirked in amusement. “Oh, I have no doubt that you unknowingly got caught up in another of Mammon’s schemes,” he said, seemingly assuring that you were off the hook. Though, after a moment of hesitation, he made a point to add, “again.”

With an honest smile, you said, “Would you believe me if I told you that he was actually trying to keep everyone else on track?”

Narrowing his eyes to peer at something over your head, Lucifer firmly responded, “No.” Your attempt at defending his younger brother ended there.

A silence hung in the air for a second as you fidgeted, wondering if you were reading Lucifer wrong, and he really was upset with you. Before your anxieties got a chance to settle, Lucifer quickly proposed you join him for a ferris wheel ride. Eager to not be standing around like a kicked puppy, and never one to turn down a rare moment with the eldest brother, you nodded and followed him across the fairgrounds.

The cart that the ride attendant ushered the two of you into felt a lot more snug than the one you shared with Mammon, but neither of you voiced any discomfort at the proximity. Lucifer actually seemed to relax into his booth across from you, his broad shoulders slumping back against the inside of the safety railing. You allowed your own tensions to ease, the insides of your knees nestling comfortably against his.

Though his disposition seemed calm, once you got a closer look at his beautiful features, you noticed the trouble that clouded them. You wanted to ask what was on his mind, but he posed a question of his own before you got the chance. “Seems like you were having quite a good time with Mammon,” he mused, his eyes burning into you, “You say you came here looking for Diavolo and me, but perhaps you two were just enjoying the carnival instead?”

His question caught you a little by surprise, but then again, it wasn’t necessarily out of the ordinary. They all seemed to get a bit sensitive about Mammon taking up so much of your time, but as of recently, Lucifer had been showing a particular amount of angst towards your friendship.

While you knew he would only flex his pride, you humored him anyway. “I don’t suppose this is you being jealous, is it?” you asked, nudging his thigh with your knee.

His eyebrows immediately raised, only to quickly flatten back into a nonchalant smolder. “You think I’m jealous? Of Mammon? Don’t be ridiculous,” he said with a small huff.

You tilted your head, allowing your expression to expose your disbelief. Noting your teasing gaze, Lucifer pressed back against your leg with his own. He held your attention sternly for a moment before suggesting, “Regardless of who else you might spend time with, you’re still mine.”

There was a beat, and then, “Isn’t that right?”

It was a rhetorical question, because his pride was presenting itself as a show of confidence that you were exactly that – his. The look on his face was insistent that he knew he had you wrapped around his finger.

But you saw the brief flicker in his eyes, and you knew him far better than he seemed to think. You knew, despite his unwavering ego, he held the same uncertainty that all of his brothers did. He needed you to be fully his, and while your pact might have made that a technical reality, he wanted all of you – and he needed to know if you were going to make him share.

Still, you nodded under his confident expression, a sweet smile curving onto your lips. When the clouded glaze didn’t clear from his expression, you acknowledged that his current unease had nothing to do with you.

So, in return to his question, you asked, “Will you tell me what’s bothering you?”

He examined your concerned expression for a moment before breathing a sigh. “Ever since you and Diavolo arrived to the student council meeting together the other day, there’s been something off about him.”

Noting your knitted brows, he explained, “At first glance, he seems to be his usual self. But something’s… off.”

Suddenly, you recalled staring at a lost-looking Diavolo standing in the center of the colosseum, mumbling something to himself about years past and possible regrets.

Your expression must have shifted, as Lucifer was suddenly asking, “Do you know anything about why this may be, MC?”

You thought your response over carefully. You had your suspicions about where Diavolo’s mind was, and you felt somewhat honored that he trusted you enough to let his guard falter around you. Regardless of how close you knew he and Lucifer were, it didn’t feel right to be airing out his personal troubles.

“I think he could use a friend,” you mused, suddenly finding it a little difficult to meet Lucifer’s intent eyes. When his brow raised, you continued, “I wouldn’t suggest pressing him on the subject, but I think he would appreciate someone else checking up on him for a change.”

Lucifer found himself very seriously listening to and retaining your advice. If there was one person in any of the three realms whose wisdom he valued, it was yours. He wanted to laugh. When it came to you, he always seemed to surprised himself.

“Thank you, MC. If you think that he needs support, then… I’ll speak to him directly,” he politely responded.

There was a moment of silence during which he stared earnestly down on you. His body had subconsciously shifted closer to the middle of the ride car, and thus leaning further against you. Affection glistened in his scarlet eyes for a moment before he seemed to catch himself. “I never thought I’d see the day that I’d be thanking a human. To think…” he trailed off, his expression faltering as he lost his focus in thought.

You felt a smile grow on your lips. You would never tire of the moments in which he allowed himself to display his affection for you. They were rare, but that’s what made them so special.

“I hope you know how honored I am that you value my advice,” you murmured earnestly. Your fingertips grazed comfortingly against the outside of his thigh, a movement that he quickly responded to by pressing up against your hand. He wasn’t usually one to value stray touches, but he seemed to be unusually antsy to be close to you.

You watched as his face grew red at your words, and for a moment, he turned away from facing you. When you regained his attention, he was holding back an ironic laugh. “I can only imagine what my brothers would say if they knew,” he joked, his tone somewhat deflective.

You wanted to tease him again for being jealous, but you also hated the fact that his brothers always seemed to come up in conversation when the two of you were together. You loved them all dearly, but there was nothing that killed Lucifer’s mood more than discussion of his brothers. You knew that, and he knew that, so why it always seemed to be a topic of conversation, you couldn’t figure out.

Intent on convincing Lucifer that you were focused on only him – and to get him to focus on you – you abandoned your innocent nudging and planted your hand on his thigh. He was already leaning towards you when your other hand rose to his chest, your fingers fastening around his tie. With a light tug, you directed his lips to yours.

Lucifer immediately caved into you, his hands running up the slope of your body until they were gently pressed against the bottom of your jawline. He kissed you deeply, until the ferris wheel began to turn again, leaving you one stop above the end of your ride.

You stared breathlessly at Lucifer, your lips swollen and pouted as you fought the urge to pull him in again. You settled for appreciating the flush to his cheeks and the light in his eyes. “I hate to admit how badly I needed you to do that,” he relinquished.

With a smile, you stretched to press a soft kiss against his cheek. While you maintained your renewed closeness, you murmured, “All you ever have to do is ask.”

You knew that was asking a lot of the Avatar of Pride, but you also knew that when he wanted to, he would. And for a moment, you figured his cool demeanor would return, and he would laugh off what had been a genuine comment.

But instead, he turned his chin towards you, his lips finding a home gracefully at the corner of your mouth. He didn’t say anything else as the two of you stepped down out of the ride cart, his arms around your waist under the guise of helping you keep your balance.

You made it about ten steps from the ferris wheel before his stride faltered, and suddenly you were being pulled backwards against his chest. When you turned in his arms in an attempt to get a good look at him, he was already looking down at you with an endearing expression.

Before you even had to ask what he was thinking, he made his intentions very clear. “I think we should go again. I need at least a few more moments of having you to myself,” he hummed, his fingers kneading enticingly at your hips.

You nodded, and though there was no possible way that you could say no to a request like that, Lucifer moved quickly so as to not give you a chance to change your mind. His hand held tightly to yours as he steered you back in the direction you had come. Your thumb brushed against his wrist, and you felt his pulse beneath his skin as his heart thumped peacefully. He only seemed to feel at ease around you.

#obey me! shall we date?#obey me lucifer #obey me #shall we date? obey me #obey me otome #obey me lucifer / reader #obey me lucifer x reader #obey me / reader #lucifer / main character #obey me oneshot #obey me drabble

122 notes · View notes

jiminjamms · 2 years

Text

sex therapy :: 13. fantasy vs reality

chapter tags/warnings: misogynistic! naoya. family drama. political corruption. oh, and financial corruption too. infidelity/adultery. strong language. humiliation. classism.

word count: 3.3k

notes: in this chapter, i tried something i haven't done before in this fic, which is to offer a perspective outside of our own. through this, I hope to provide a more fulfilling experience in the overall plot and show that, despite their differences, perhaps y/n and naoya are just two sides of the same unfortunate coin. enjoy! as always, likes, comments, and reblogs are very much appreciated. xoxo

fic masterlist | 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33.

𝗔𝗖𝗧 𝗧𝗪𝗢 • 【 house of cards 】

Naoya Zenin knew he was in deep trouble for two reasons.

First, the time in Japan was currently well past three in the morning. Second, his father—rather than his trusted secretary—dialed Naoya’s personal mobile number.

And Naobito, as the old-fashioned man he was, never phoned Naoya personally. Ever.

In fact, Naoya had not even realized his phone’s incessant buzzing until the sixth call, during which the young CEO tossed over in bed, still snug in plush covers when he finally reached for the device on the nightstand.

“Who the hell?” he grumbled to no one in particular as he sat up. When the chilled air that circulated in the suite pricked at his skin, he grabbed the nearby bath towel to cover his otherwise naked torso. He stared down, the screen’s glare blinding him momentarily and forcing him to squint past the brightness.

“Fuck,” Naoya mumbled when he finally made out his father’s name on the Caller ID. He strolled from his bedroom and out into the similarly dimmed hallway in groggy motions, all the while keeping his eyes peeled on his screen.

His thumb hovered over the green ‘Accept Call’ button, but he hesitated when he noticed his pulse pick up pace. Was he…afraid?

Remain calm, he assured himself.

There should be no reason for him to be nervous—he had been under more high-stakes situations as the Zenin Corporation’s top-dog, circumstances where billions were on the table. Compared to those scenarios, one simple call with his very own father should be like a walk in the park.

With one deep breath, Naoya finally pressed at his screen and brought his phone to his ear.

“Hel—”

“You fucking piece of shit!” Naobito Zenin spat through the line. Vicious was the venom in his voice. Although Naoya was accustomed to his father’s insults, the shouts remained so loud that he had to dial the volume down. “Care to explain where in hell you’ve been ever since disappearing during the family reunion last week?”

“I’m in Beijing,” Naoya explained, keeping his voice level so as to not lose his temper as well. “Haven’t you heard from my assistants? I’m here for the Investor Conference and will be back in the office next Monday.”

Normally, the Zenin Corporation’s Chairman would relent at that. Despite his advanced age, a businessman as experienced as Naobito would understand the importance of foreign investment into the family-led conglomerate, particularly if the cash was flowing in from the world’s second-largest economy.

This time, however, was different.

“No, you’re coming back to Tokyo now.”

It wasn’t uncommon for Naobito to simply bark orders and for Naoya to just as simply obey. The older man had raised his only son with an iron fist, exerting near-absolute control over every action.

‘It’s because you don’t have the brains to do things better,’ Naobito had once explained. While the words had stung, Naoya was completely powerless in front of the Zenin patriarch, a man that held enough influence that any wrong move would cost the young CEO far too much in return.

Noticing the sudden lump in his throat, Naoya swallowed heavily. “Why? Did something happen?”

“Are you…Are you fucking kidding me?!” The chairman roared. Internally, Naoya was grateful that he was not in the immediate presence of his father, whose glare would most certainly feel like a thousand knives grazing at his neck. “Why don’t you tell me, huh? Why don’t you tell me why your fucking pictures are on fucking Japan Times with another fucking woman?”

“What—"

Immediately, Naoya brought the phone down from his ear and placed his father on speaker. No way. His heartbeat quickened exponentially as he tapped into his search engine, where googling his name revealed a low-resolution photo at the top of the search results.

Alarmed, Naoya tapped into one such source, pinching on the screen to zoom into the picture. As was typical of tabloid journalism, the photographs were hardly anywhere near good quality—pixelated with an obscure view of the main subjects.

But Naoya immediately recognized the Off-White bomber jacket that draped over his shoulders, the Ray-Ban sunglasses and the AMI Paris baseball cap that attempted to shield his face from onlookers. Most certainly, he also recognized the similarly well-dressed woman captured next to him, frozen in the pictures where the two walked up the steps to his private Gulfstream G650ER jet.

Those fucking paparazzi stalkers always had to be on his tail, didn’t they?

The more important question, however, was...how would he explain himself?

“That’s…” Was his voice actually shaking? “That’s not me, though.”

“Well, it better fucking not,” his father snarled, “because you’d have to be crazy if you think that Daisuke would keep his now-pregnant daughter married to a cheating bastard like that. You’re lucky that these photos only came out twenty minutes ago and it’s too early in the morning for anyone important to have seen them. Have you even checked on your wife?”

Right, his wife. Naoya had nearly forgotten about you since leaving the country. “She’s doing well.”

“Good.” The older man sounded reassured by the news, and Naoya was similarly relieved by his father’s gullibility until Naobito added, “But I’d wish you’d stop lying to my face.”

At the comment, Naoya felt his eyes grow wide and nearly dropped his device. “I wasn’t—"

“Listen here.” Although Naobito’s volume had lowered considerably, his voice teetered between a warning and a growl. “I wasn’t born last night. I don’t know specifically where you are or who that new woman is or what crap you’re up to, but don’t fuck more shit up. To cover up for all the antics you had done in America, I had to pull all possible strings just so Daisuke would let his beloved daughter marry you. Do you understand how difficult that was for me?”

“Yes,” Naoya replied curtly.

That was really the last straw. Just hearing his father—for the millionth time—bring up his past, his marriage, and his apparent lack of gratitude was such an earsore, and Naoya quickly felt his panic transform into aggravation.

Truthfully, Naoya resented this. He hated how he was nothing but a pawn for the family name, hated how he was rushed to marry some random girl just to improve his public image, hated how his goddamn wife was the real trump card in the distinguished family that he—not you!—was the heir to.

Yet, at the same time, Naoya relished his power. In fact, he loved it. Oftentimes, he would tell himself that he was merely making a short-term sacrifice of his sanity for long-term security in his money and prestige.

The Zenin heir had an elaborate plan, actually, for the moment Naobito Zenin would kick the bucket. How amazing that day would be. Just fantasizing about the financial and political prowess he would inherit could leave Naoya lightheaded—the turquoise waters he would sail, the litany of riches he would indulge in, the family members that would then bow to his every demand.

However, until that fateful day came to fruition, he had to bear with the old oaf that was his paternal parent.

“It doesn’t matter that you are my only son,” Naobito continued to fume, which scattered his son’s reverie. “If you botch this marriage with Daisuke’s daughter, you won’t ever step into this household again. Besides, you should know full well how easily I can oust those who tarnish the Zenin name.”

Naoya internally scoffed. Was his father really trying to threaten him? “Yes, I under—.”

“Although, with every passing day, I am realizing that I should’ve allowed your cousin to take his rightful place in the company. At least he’s infinitely more capable than you could ever be.”

Well, this was new. Out of everything his father said today, Naoya surely found this last bit the most outrageous.

The comment was almost uncharacteristic when coming from a stringent man like the patriarch. Since when did his father ever look back on his decisions? Was Naobito Zenin seriously thinking about the nephew that he himself banished from the Zenin household, claiming that…that outcast had more brains to be in the C-Suite than his only son?

He’s got to be kidding me.

Naoya clenched his jaw, blood rushing to his brain from unadulterated anger despite his silence. Even if he wanted to argue that he had every right and competence to lead the family conglomerate, he didn’t want to threaten his position by squabbling with his father any further.

“Call these newspaper publishers and tell them to take those damned articles down. This better be done before dawn. Bribe those brats with hush money if you must. I know I can trust you with this.” Naobito then laughed sardonically. “Besides, you’d proven in your history to be an expert in that field.”

Naoya’s lips pressed into a thin, wavering line. “I will.”

“Wonderful. We will talk more later then.” For the first time during the call, his father seemed pleased. “I will see you at the office in the morning then.” And at that, the Zenin leader promptly hung up.

Arms dropping to his sides, Naoya huffed as a thousand thoughts whizzed in his mind.

“In the morning, huh?” he pondered to himself.

Normally, the trip was no tall order. The Gulfstream aircraft, at full speed, could easily take the young CEO from Beijing to Tokyo in about four hours. If Naoya pressed his pilot to go a tad faster, he could make it back in three.

Except Naoya was actually eleven thousand kilometers away from the Chinese capital, which meant that a flight home would cost him half a day at least.

He should have foreseen such a situation before he made the impulsive decision to travel from the Eastern Hemisphere to the West, from the Land of the Rising Sun to the coastline of Baja California.

Now here he was in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. This was the perfect destination for luxurious resorts, spectacular beaches, fresh cuisine, and tropical weather. There was a reason he planned a much-needed getaway here, after all. Yet, this had to be the worst place for Naoya to be if he ever hoped to reach home anytime soon.

Sighing, he peeked past the nearby curtains. Outside, the midday sun in Cabo hung hot and high, a sharp contrast to the current darkness in Tokyo. The next thing he took in was the stunning view of the Pacific, sparkling water that stretched for miles out into the horizon. He spotted some empty Bali beds at the beach, and oh—how he longed to lay there with not a care in the world.

“Baby?”

Immediately, the soft voice from the bedroom broke Naoya’s thoughts loose, the nervousness that once ran hot in his blood giving way to a flood of serotonin.

“Sorry,” he whispered apologetically. “Did I wake you up?”

Rising from the mattress was someone who must be the goddess of beauty herself, rubbing at her dewy eyes as she rose gracefully from her slumber. With her caramel-colored hair and peachy skin, she was nothing short of a literal angel, stealing Naoya’s breath when he spotted her past the doorway.

“Are you okay?” Between sentences, she stretched her arms but remained as ethereal as ever. “I heard that old man’s voice over the speaker. He isn’t the type to call.”

As much as Naoya longed to leap into the woman’s embrace, to tell her about all his familial troubles, to release all his pent-up anguish, Naoya—knowing that his paparazzi predicament involved her as well—kept his reply vague to not worry her.

“Something had come up. I’m going to have to head home in a bit.”

“You mean right now?” she asked with an irresistible pout. “But you booked this suite for the rest of the week, Naoya. We were supposed to go sailing at Santa Maria Bay tomorrow and head to the spa on Saturday, too.”

“I know.” The sincere disappointment was evident in his voice. Naoya stepped back into the bedroom, tossing aside the towel at his waist in exchange for a fresh button-up and trousers.

“When my father tells me to deal with personal matters at home, I must do as he says,” he elaborated while tying his dress shoes. Once he finished, he walked over to his lover’s bedside and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. “But you should stay here in Cabo and have fun for me, Mari.”

“But…” The woman—Mari—glanced up at him with the largest brown eyes. “But I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you, too.” Despite his forlorn smile, Naoya reached into the nearby nightstand’s drawer and pressed the retrieved Amex Black Card into the woman’s hands. “I’m taking the PJ but if you call my assistant later today, he’ll help you book a first-class flight back to Tokyo. Tell him to charge this card. Don’t forget to buy something nice for your daughter while my credit card’s with you.”

Mari chuckled quietly at the suggestion. “She will get suspicious, babe.”

He knew about the…let's just say, interesting dynamic that existed between her daughter and the rest of her so-called family, but he chose to feign his surprise instead. "Really?" he asked with a raised brow. “You think so?”

“Yes. Tsumiki is very close with her stepbrother and stepfather, you know.” With a pause, she then added, “Or shall I say, ex-stepbrother and stepfather.”

Gentle laughter then bubbled in the room.

That was what Naoya loved about Mari. She was honest, sensible, witty, and incredibly, incredibly charming. This was the woman whose body he could never get enough of, a woman who deserved the world—deserved his world. And to Naoya, there was nothing like a gorgeous MILF that could flatter him and make him feel like the center of her universe.

Of course, there was a selfish intent in his relationship with her as well. Amazingly naïve, she had a tendency to run her mouth, often spilling more information than necessary (such that Naoya sometimes had to worry about how much she might accidentally leak about himself). But she was well-informed about just the right people, and after his conversation with his father, Mari’s intel might just prove valuable very soon.

At the thought, the Zenin heir smiled, amber eyes crinkling at the corners. “At least treat yourself while you’re here in Mexico.”

“Aw, you are too sweet. This is why I love you.” Warmly, Mari wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace and planted a firm kiss on his cheek. “Thank you.”

“Of course.”

Truthfully, there was no need to thank him. The thousands (or even tens of thousands) that she would end up spending would barely make a dent in his fortune. Furthermore, there were also selfish reasons to make sure Mari was on his good side as well, for her to feel indebted to his kindness. However, given her plain background, Mari was easily impressed and appreciated the littlest things. Her refreshing reactions made her just too easy and amusing for Naoya to delight.

“I’ll text you,” Naoya promised as he gave Mari one last peck and trailed toward the exit.

“See you soon,” she called behind him.

Soon. In their world, there was no guarantee regarding when ‘soon’ would be. It could be tomorrow; it could be a month from now. Once they stepped back in Japan, his busy schedule, his stupid trophy wife, and the many prying eyes and ears—all hungry for upper-class gossip—always made their secret meetups difficult, as proven by the mess he was in right now.

Oh, which reminded him…

Just before he dashed out the door, Naoya scrolled through his contacts in haste. He stopped at one entry, calling the number and exhaling with relief when the other line picked up the phone within two rings. Before the recipient even had the chance to greet him, Naoya already jumped in.

“It’s me,” he said sternly. “It’s about my pictures in your newspaper.”

Denial, as you may know, is the first stage of grief.

‘Naoya Zenin is cheating on you.’

No, that couldn’t possibly be.

You don’t even remember much after Toji said that. Nothing but you rushing out of that meeting room and calling the nearest taxi home, thoughts all blurred from the influx of information. You had barely processed the full conversation in your head because news kept coming one after another, leaving you in a befuddled state.

But perhaps you had believed Toji, given that you googled your husband’s name upon your arrival at home in the wee hours of the Tokyo morning. Adrenaline coursing through your veins, you had scrolled through the result’s ‘Images’ and ‘News’ sections, eyes rapidly scanning row after row only to see praises for Naoya and his extraordinary business skills.

Hours later, you had discovered nothing to support Toji’s preposterous supposition, and suddenly, you were riddled with guilt for ever doubting your husband’s faith in the first place.

This was why you found yourself with your face pressed against your kitchen bar’s marble countertop, the white surface colder than what you had remembered. How long have you been here? Faintly, you remember phasing in and out of sleep at your seat, as well as the memory of your housekeeper patting your shoulder earlier in the day and wondering if you were okay.

What made the situation perhaps even more ironic were the texts you received from your father in the afternoon, all links to various Harvard Medical School publications regarding what to do and not to do in your supposed first trimester of pregnancy. He was trying his best to guide you through an important time in your health, given that you didn’t have your mother long enough for her to be your advisor. Yet, with his every reminder for you to take folic acid supplements or avoid undercooked foods, your heart only broke further at the thought that your father only saw your life as a fantasy far from reality.

The aching, loveless, tortuous reality.

‘Naoya’s too preoccupied thinking about someone else when he’s with you.’

In the midst of your gloom, Toji’s words re-emerged in your thoughts. From the amusement in his tone, you wondered if he had known something back then during your appointments with him. If Naoya truly had a mistress, was that why Toji was so willing to offer his help? And why now? Did Toji finally realize that you could never be happy in your hopeless marriage and suddenly decide to take pity on your love life?

Your sad eyes flickered from the nearby glass of merlot to the penthouse’s windows, which offered a wonderous view of the orange-pink views from the sunset outside. You weren’t sure how long you were staring at the warm skies, floating between daydreams when the entrance beeped and your eyes widened at the unexpected noise.

Sitting up, you immediately whipped your head in the direction of the sound.

It was Naoya Zenin who emerged from the doorway, and you were thoroughly surprised. You only called his secretary yesterday morning about his whereabouts, but he informed you that your husband wouldn't return to Tokyo until next week.

While you didn’t expect his sudden and unannounced return, you hated to admit how your heart stuttered at how fantastic he looked, how immaculate he was in his Giorgio Armani suit, how sharp he appeared with his blonde hair combed to one side.

“Hey, I’m back,” he said with a small smile with he spotted you at the bar. When Naoya didn't start slipping his shoes off as per usual, you curiously observed him as he stood in the foyer and dangled his Ferrari keys in front of him. “So...you wanna go on a date?”

last chapter || next chapter

taglist: @dissociatingdiva @httpsplanetmarsdotcom @pulchritxde-blog @huangfairy @shadowarchon @203steph @agentdedf1sh @cloudybabes @hinativity @lynn-writes-things @illicitwriter @7oji @kikuchimi @piqer @nobody289x @chaoticjojofan @musicisme333 @vvestwoodrose @kumocchin @s-guru @mwahilovemylife @hey-gurls69 @cloudsinthecosmos @moon-mumu-moon @kazscara @tsukiyohanayome @tokyometronetwork @downtown-roponggi @hanayanetwork

383 notes · View notes

kraken17 · 1 year

Text

One quote from Wednesday Addams per every chapter of Altogether Ooky in which she has been present.

"Don't underestimate Enid, she could disembowel you with her bare hands." (Chapter 1)

“Please, don’t even think about it, you know I’m alergic to color.” (Chapter 2)

“But when this is all over and I get you alone with me, I shall devour you in ways that will make you howl on a moonless night, mia cara lupa.” (Chapter 3)

"With me you're always surrounded by madness, your little lupine brain should be used to it by now." (Chapter 5)

"Nobody's going to do an autopsy on my werewolf girlfriend but me.” (Chapter 6)

"Be thankful she didn't behead them." (Chapter 7)

"When I was little I would sometimes cling to the sheets, plunged into a deep sleep close to death and in no mood to leave the bed." (Chapter 8)

"Take whichever option is more soothing to your troubled intellect." (Chapter 9)

"I have always appreciated the beauty of your battle marks, and I have always stood for what they symbolize to me.” (Chapter 10)

"Depending on the level of idiocy they display, an interaction with Woe could result in a homicidal incident.” (Chapter 11)

“Anyway, I suppose given our affinity for chaos I shouldn't be surprised." (Chapter 15)

"Take that hand away unless you want to lose it." (Chapter 16)

"I can only theorize that my love for you has subconsciously resonated through all realities, making you a focus for any incarnation of myself." (Chapter 18)

“If a single word of what you just saw comes from your lips to anyone but Enid, a stake through the heart will be the least of your problems." (Chapter 19)

"At family visits and gatherings they are always ambushing each other with cutlasses or knives." (Chapter 20)

"They're Addamses. All of them. Look me in the eye and tell me you believe just for a moment that if we tell them to stay out of this they'll obey." (Chapter 21)

"If I want to keep others out of danger it's so I can enjoy the danger myself." (Chapter 22)

"I would love to be expeditious with the enemy, but I promised Enid to exercise caution." (Chapter 23)

"If my intuition is right, we are going to face a terribly clichéd situation." (Chapter 24)

"I suppose a maternal instinct can explain your homicidal impulse, however delusional it may be." (Chapter 25)

"You have been magnificent, mia lupa." (Chapter 26)

"She's wasted two years of her life to become a sorceress and carry out a senseless vendetta. I respect the dedication, at least." (Chapter 27)

"The book for the most part is a listing of different spells and rituals to propitiate travel between dimensions or contacting versions of oneself from other realities.” (Chapter 28)

"As interesting as this strange family reunion may turn out to be, I'm sorry to have to remind you why this call was made." (Chapter 29)

"We certainly wouldn't want to have a black hole anywhere in Nevermore, Grandmama." (Chapter 30)

"You are the sun, Enid. You've made me feel." (Epilogue)

#wednesday addams #enid sinclair #wenclair #the addams family #wenclair fic #wenclair fanfic #wednesday netflix #quotes #the gomezification of wednesday addams #altogether ooky

68 notes · View notes

joyfulapostate · 8 months

Note

First off, thank you for all the work you do! It’s personally been quite helpful to me. I thought it would be interesting to know your thoughts on a verse I’ve been quite conflicted on: 1 John 4:18 stating that there is no fear in love. Maybe this is a verse for you to unpack in your book?

Thanks for the encouragement and verse recommendation! I may expand my chapter on 1 John 4:19 to include this one, because the relationship between love and fear is so interesting in the Bible.

Love is mentioned 26 times in 1 John, which puts it in second place behind the gospel of John (39 times, using ESV). Writings from the Johannine community are, on the whole, very interested in the idea of love, but only in definitions of love that reinforce dependence on the Christian god. It's a real love-fear-fest.

My breakdown of this verse is that it's both victim blaming and racketeering.

The idea is that if we love the Christian God perfectly, obey him perfectly, and empty ourselves for his purpose perfectly that there will be nothing to fear. So if we feel anxiety or fear (beyond the awe/reverence we are expected to feel), we will be blamed for not loving god well enough.

But there is a lot to legitimately fear within the story of Christianity: wrath, Hell, and constant judgement (just to name a few). These ideas are meant to create fear so that Christianity can be the cure.

It's hard for me to see the Christian god's relationship with humanity as anything but emotionally abusive. There are threats against us and when we fear the person who threatens us, we are admonished for not loving him well enough. That's not love, it's control.

#exchristian #exvangelical #exfundie #exfundamentalist #deconversion #deconstruction #asks

22 notes · View notes

slifarianhawk · 8 months

Text

Chapter 26: make it easy on yourself

As Albert, Excella, and I drank, I rang the boys back in through the comm link.

When they walked into the room, I offered them a drink to which Nighthawk and Steve took the offer up. I had Archer put away the Disaronno and Osmanthus wine as the festivities were winding down.

"Now that you are a part of tricell, there is something that needs to be done, my dear lotus." Wesker said, stroking my cheek,"a gift if you would believe it or not."

"Yes, the main reason I went to Russia was to extract two people. A Dr. Cordell and his lovely wife, the main doctor in the creation of the Angelis virus project, which you are so versed in." Excella said, taking a sip of her brandy.

My eyes flared their signature, icy blue. My blood started to boil, memories flooding to the surface. My body slowly started to tremble in rage. I dropped my glass and watched it shatter.

A massive growl was unleashed from my throat,"CORDELL!"

(FLASHBACK)

{Trigger warning torture mentions of non con}

/October 28,1998/

Cold, my knees and feet were freezing on the cement floor. Seven needles stuck in my back. My arms chained down pinned to my side. The cold steel dug deep into my wrist, causing deep gashes and scarring cuts. My body naked in a hunched over position translucent white fluid dripping from my back side. Tears stained my cheeks.

CRACK! A bull whip rung out slicing open the flesh between the first row of syringes. Searing pain was all I felt as the wound hastily repaired itself.

"Her will is undeniably strong, colonel Sergei. But it seems the Angelis virus has also made her at least much more easily fixable. Just admire how fast she heals." Dr. Cordell said, walking in front of me as my eyes glowed a cold shade of blue,"tell me, was she truly wasted on scum like that damnable traitor, Wesker?".

I growled and started to transform into the equinoxal mutation. They brought up him. Here, why!?! just to rub salt in the wound of being stuck here. My dead husband is coming back to haunt me again.

ZAP

Scorching pain seared through me. A cattle prod was pulled away from my side. The pain was a reset to my body, causing the transformation process to halt. The ringing in my ears started to amplify.

When I get out of these damn chains, Sergei will pay. He already had taken my support system, and now he's rubbing a wound with salt. I was going to make him pay dearly for this.

"Yes, I do wish I got to my niece first before that stupid roach did, but lord Spencer has his plans for her. As his most loyal follower, I'll obey his every command." Sergei said, taking a scalpel and carving his name into my back, "doesn't mean I can't have fun with her. I already tainted her lovely back side. Now I'm going to work on that pretty little mouth of hers. Slowly, I'll mold her into the perfect toy and soldier for me and Spencer. When the time comes, she'll be able to eradicate our infestation." A dark laugh echoed out of Vladimirs throat.

"HE IS ALREADY DEAD AND GONE HIC JUST KILL ME YOU HEARTLESS BASTARD." I screamed at the thought of Sergei shoving his disgusting penis in my face. It made me feel sick to my stomach.

"She doesn't know, does she colonel?" Dr. Cordell asked.

"Know what, Sergei? What are you not telling me?" I growled out, my nails slowly growing and turning black.

"Red queen." Sergei said, turning to face the wall.

"Yes, Colonel?" A red hologram of a beautiful woman appeared.

"Show our dear agent seven forty-eight the final moments of the mansion lab and front entryway." Sergei said as a screen lowered into view.

Cctv footage played of the Arkley lab on the night of July twenty fourth.

"You'll regret this, my lady, of that I promise." His eyes left a trail like mine except his glowed a brilliant red.

It showed him plowing through B.O.W.S. and even trapping Lisa Trevor. The best and worst part was that he was alive and had survived. He hadn't come to me. He didn't even come home or contact me.

"He.....he...... he abandoned me.....why?" I was there. I came back to Raccoon City to find him. Spencer was right he had survived and chose not to come for me.

Doctor Cordell laughed along with Sergei as my heart crumbled away into nothingness. The ringing in my ears was now a deafening roar. My face grew a sheet of black glass like silica, creating a mask that hid my tears. My choking sobs started to sound like blood curdling growls. My canines were now black and four inches long over my bottom lip. Six massive bloody batlike wings ripped from my back, throwing all but one syringe into the walls. Black silica bracers grew from under my skin, breaking their way through my wrists. I flicked the wings, and the chains corroded away. Cracks formed in the cement floor.

I was truly alone. My family thinks I'm a monster. My friends are dead. Sergei rapes me during the night. Worst of all, my husband abandoned me. The only things that keep me alive are my kids. However, Vladimir has my daughter here, and the other has been tagged for capture. My life has been made mute.

Darkness clouded my vision. The ringing was blaring in my head. Make it stop. Make it stop, please. The pain that radiates from my heart was driving me mad. Then, all of sudden, the ringing stopped. I feel cold and cramped.

《Entering 3rd person POV》

"What is happening, Cordell?" Sergei asked the now terrified doctor.

"This is the arch angel form, sir. Most of the research has been non-existent, and this form was just a theory. What happened if the equinoxal mental state was pushed to the limit and broke. She broke sir congratulations are due, but not at this time we should run." The doctor said, terrified backing away.

"Vladmir Sergei! Prepare to be sentenced to Hell!" A raspy roar ripped from Tabitha's deformed mouth.

"I don't think so, my dear fragile flower. I still have plans for you. Cordell, hand me the viral stabilizer you were bragging about." Sergei said with his hand extended.

She raced over to Sergei and swung her five inch long black talons. Her claws were as sharp as a lickers' talons they left a massive gash in Sergeis's side. She tried to retreat back, but Cordell handed Vladimir a syringe, and Sergei had injected it into Tabitha's neck.

Tabithas body started to flame up, and silica surrounded her body. It encased her in a black obsidian like cocoon. When it shattered, Tabitha's body had returned to normal splayed across the floor, and the mutations remained as obsidian statuary.

《Tabithas pov》

"You belong to me now agent seven forty-eight. If you try to harm me again, I'll kill little Miss Alistar and bring that bastard son of yours here. Do you understand, my sweet anemone." Sergei laughed, pulling my body up by my matted bloody hair,"Yes, anemone the flower of fragility. That's what you are not the filthy lotus of rebirth but a lowly buttercup of fragility. You are as fragile as obsidian and just as sharp. The weapon I need will be you seven forty-eight. Make this easy on yourself, my dear, and accept that you now belong to me."

"Yes, sir." I hung my head lost in a tidal wave of depression and reluctance.

(END OF FLASHBACK)

"Commander?!?" Nighthawk screamed.

Huh? What is going on? I can't move

"Everyone get back she's going Arch-angel!" Archer shouted.

The door opened, and I heard footsteps dashing out. It was time. I opened my eyes.

SHATTER!

I broke out of the silica that was starting to encase my body. I won't let that bastard Sergei control my life now that I was free. I'd choose when i go Arch-angel.

Albert was beside me, holding my shoulder. His sunglasses were off as he stared at my now sweat drenched face. He wore a concerned look.

"Tabitha, my dear lotus," He placed his hand on my face, his thumb stroking my cheek,"What did you see? What did you see in that flashback? I know PTSD when I see it. I've seen it in plenty of my men now tell me what you saw my love."

"Sergei and Cordell, when I found out you survived the mansion incident. They both watched me turn into the Arch-angel form. Sergei was becoming my handler, and all cordell did was laugh. Now it's time to return the favor to Dr. Cordell." I clicked on my comm link, "Archer, bring my scalpels, syringes, and pliers to the containment room. Have the prisoners transferred there."

I stood up, placing my corrective shades on, "Nighthawk, please escort me and Wesker to the lab. I need to make several doses of the angelis viral stabilizer and a special treat for Dr. Cordells wife."

"Yes, mam, please follow me." Night hawk bowed, revealing his massive hawk like wings.

"Project a.c.r.o.h? You certainly have quiet the mangarie of interesting people under you, my dear lotus." Albert said, admiring Nighthawk and his wings.

" Even so, we all gladly serve our Pheonix." Nighthawk said, leading Albert and I down the hall to my lab.

Once we arrived at the lab, I threw on my lab coat and sped to my workstation. Quickly, I prepared seven vials of my blood and synthesized three doses of max strength viral stabilizer. Albert stood in the corner as I worked. He seemed deep in thought.

When I dropped to the floor, he walked over and pulled me into a warm gentle embrace, "My dearheart, please be careful. I don't know a lot about the angelis virus, but I can tell that what happened has really drained you. Please, my lotus, make this easy on yourself and rest. Come, I have something to show you. He took my hand and led me out of the vehicle bay.

We walked along the trail of the apple orchard to Alistar's sanctuary. When we got there, I was shocked by the state of things. The statuary was put back together, surrounded by pink carnations. Albert sat at the bench he held me on last night and pointed at the angel statue that had a blue tarp in front of it.

"Go ahead, my lotus lift it. It's not much but something I could do to help you mourn better. I worked ever since you fell asleep, and Excella landed last night." He said as I turned to to fave the tarp.

With a quick grasp, I pulled the cover away and gasped. Tears were now forming in my eyes as I fell to my knees. There was fresh sod and a new headstone in front of Alistar's statue.

It read," Laid to rest, here is Alistar Lancaster. Daughter of Tabitha and Albert Wesker. May she wander the stars infinitely. 1982-2003"

Albert stepped up behind and crouched beside me. He draped his right arm over my shoulder. A relaxed smile was on his face for once. It was stunning.

"I know, I was not there for you or her either when she was born or when she died. However, I know that she wanted this. We are a family again, and once uroboros is complete, no one will harm us again." He said, looking at me, removing his sunglasses.

With a simple motion, I turned and kissed him, "Carry me back to base so I can rest. That way, i can make Cordell pay for all he did to me and Alistar. He will feel the pain that she felt and all the pain he caused me as well."

Albert quickly lifted me up and took me in his arms, heading back to base,"Anything you wish, my dear lotus."

#albert wesker #resident evil #wesker #wesker x reader #wesker x oc #albert wesker x reader #albert wesker x oc #re wesker #tw noncon

27 notes · View notes

imsorryimlate · 1 year

Text

About to bring you very long and speculative meta about Moby Dick even though we are only 26 chapters into this thing and I have never read it before.

Back in chapter 13 when Ishmael said “from that hour I clove to Queequeg like a barnacle” I was like, huh. That’s a funny way to express it. Because clove – here being the more archaic past tense of cleave, that is, cling to – is often used in the Bible in relation to someone clinging to God, or at times clinging to a loved one.

I decided to check out the Hebrew word for it, which is דבק (dbq, dabaq) and it appears 54 times. I’m not gonna list all of them, but you can find the full collection here.

Now, let us look at this word. I will bold the English word that corresponds with dbq. I use the KJV translation because it consistently translates dbq as “cleave”, while newer translations will generally use cling, hold fast, stick, etc.

Here are some instances where it relates to love/marriage:

Genesis 2:24 “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

Genesis 34:3 “And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel.”

1 Kings 11:2b “Solomon clave unto these [his wives] in love.”

However, the word is not only used this way. It has more “everyday” use as well, for example:

Psalm 22:15a “My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws.”

Psalm 102:5b “My bones cleave to my skin.”

1 Sam 31:2a “And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons.” (literally “the Philistines cleaved to Saul and his sons”)

I think here, what these examples demonstrate, is that this word suggests a certain intensity. The Philistines were not simply following Saul and his sons, they were clinging to their heels. The Psalmist isn’t just skinny, his flesh clings to his bones without anything in between, you can see his skeleton through his skin, etc.

It is therefore also used to demonstrate deep loyalty:

Ruth 1:14 “And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.”

2 Sam 20:2b “But the men of Judah clave unto their king, from Jordan even to Jerusalem.”

Which brings me to my original point, that it is used specifically about a worshipper’s commitment and loyalty to God:

Psalm 63:8a “My soul followeth hard after thee.” (literally “my soul cleaves to you”)

Deuteronomy 10:20 “Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.”

Deuteronomy 13:4 “Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.”

Joshua 22:5b “To love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Joshua 23:8 “But cleave unto the Lord your God, as ye have done unto this day.”

These are just a handful of examples, there are way more, especially in Deuteronomy. And I just feel like, with how Melville strews biblical references all around, it cannot be a coincidence. Or am I reading too much into it?

Then I started thinking about this post, where @animate-mush suggested that Queequeg is whale coded. Which would then not leave my brain.

Because see, the book very much presents whales similarly as the Bible speaks of them and other creatures of chaos, such as the leviathan (which, we do not know exactly what it is, despite the Hebrew word for whale being the same). Which is to say, primordial creatures, present since the creation of the universe, creatures of chaos that only God can control – sometimes with huge effort (depending on which theological strata we’re talking about but that’s not relevant right now). These forces of chaos are not the anti-thesis of God, per se, but they’re something on the outskirts of our world, something to fear, something to be grateful that God subdued, something that could very well be considered divine in itself (for example, the sea god Yam in Canaanite mythology).

Which leads me to my next point, which is that many theological strata in the Bible are not concerned with monotheism, but rather monolatry, that is, the acceptance of several gods existing, but only worshipping and being loyal to one. For a lot of culturally Christian people, myself included, the way God is approached is like, you either believe in God or you don’t. The constant reminders we find in the Bible to be loyal to the Lord might feel a bit like, you know, “yeah duh, if you believe in God obviously”, but it wasn’t that simple. God is the God of the Hebrew people in the Bible because they chose God, and they did it for a reason: the Exodus, that is, God saving the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt, demonstrating God’s power and loyalty. So the loyalty is reciprocal – the people is loyal to God, and God is loyal to the people (help them, keep them safe). The need for God was not placed in the future, in the idea of Heaven and eternal life, but rather it was urgent and present right then; you would rely on your God for crops to grow and children to be born, you would rely on your God to keep you safe, to help you out of your enemies’ grasp. But if your God could not provide, there were other gods to turn to, who might help you instead.

The reason I bring that up is that, well. It’s interesting that Ishmael’s statement that he “clove to Queequeg” happened after they had already done their whole marriage thing. They had already decided to be ~husband and wife~ (no matter how tongue-in-cheek that designation is), they had already decided to share their earthly possessions, they had already made their “wherever you go, I go” promises. So him cleaving to Queequeg here is not in the marriage way, since that has already been established; he cleaves to him in a different manner now.

So what I have suggested here is that Queequeg is whale coded → whales are creatures of chaos and near-divinity → people cleaved to God in a reciprocal loyal and beneficial relationship, even in the presence of other deities → Ishmael watches Queequeg save a man from the depths of the chaotic sea → Ishmael decides to cleave to Queequeg.

Now, I would definitely not go as far as suggesting that Queequeg is God or “God-coded” or whatever, or that Ishmael would worship him as such. But there is something here, isn’t it? In this scene, Ishmael cleaves to Queequeg not as a companion, but as a protector and as a force to be reckoned with.

#whale weekly #moby dick #meta #also i know the inclusion of genesis 34:3 is controversial but it is literally just for the sake of linguistics #my meta

101 notes · View notes

incorrectpicka · 2 years

Text

hey! mobile otome fan!

waiting endlessly for the ssum? getting bored grinding in obey me? just finished your 1000th playthrough of mystic messenger?

play picka: 30 days to love!

picka is a mobile game for both ios and android that takes place in a series of chatrooms that unlock a chapter at a time: usually a day or two in game every 24 hours, across about a week in total. in that way, it's similar to mystic messenger, but without the intensive time commitment of mysmes.

in picka: 30 days to love, you play as yeonwoo ha, a university student and artist taking part in TDL, a dating reality game in which 4 men and 4 women are placed in chats where they all get to know each other, play games, and earn opportunities to talk 1 on 1 with their love interests or even take them on dates "irl"!

over the course of 30 in-game days, participants in TDL send gifts and anonymous messages, go on group and individual dates, and eventually begin to pair off based on your choices. as yeonwoo, you're able to pursue all 4 of the male love interests, 3 of which have both normal and best endings. no spoilers, but i will introduce them under the cut at the end. the girls are great too, btw, even if you can't date them </3.

the game translation is excellent, even down to each character having their own distinct typing style. all the characters are distinct and feel like a group of real friends in every chatroom!

it's not a long game, but it has a lot of replay value, since so many of the chats are specific to each route - there are also several side stories, a secret ending, and 3 after ending stories for the best ends!

i'm not being paid to say any of this, i just really love this game, which isn't very well-known yet. so come on!!! give it a try!!! and in just 30 days you too could fall in love...!!!!!

jooyul won, 24: a playful, outgoing university student who loves to cook. jooyul works together with yeonwoo to make TDL the warm and fun environment that it is, looking to make friends as much as to find love!

euntae cha, 27: a reserved, warmhearted veterinarian taking a step out of his comfort zone. though he occasionally comes off as aloof, euntae is a romantic at heart and willing to be vulnerable with the one he loves.

dennis miley / doha seo, 26: a translator and interpreter for an international corporation, doha is a citizen of spain, half spanish and half korean. easygoing and mature, doha is a daring person and thrill-seeker, despite his laid-back personality.

chunsung ki, 23: the owner of a popular café, chunsung is a man who knows exactly what he wants. polite but distant, his single-minded focus is dedicated to earning the heart of his chosen lover.

#long post #mystic messenger #the ssum #obey me!#mobile games #mobile otome #picka 30 days to love #picka tdl #picka #Hii. I'm advertising for picka now.#Come date these boys please. Lol

208 notes · View notes

little-tyrant-gortash · 3 months

Text

Oathbreaker

Pairing: fem!Tav x Enver Gortash, fem!Tav/Astarion

Tags: Emotional Manipulation, Manipulation, Manipulative Relationship, Paladin Tav (Baldur's Gate), Vaginal Sex, Penis In Vagina Sex, Drunk Sex, Unrequited Love, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Scars, Blood and Injury, Injury, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Torture, Psychological Torture, Implied/Referenced Torture

Word count: 3,023

Ao3 here.

Chapter 1.

Chapter 2.

Chapter 3.

Chapter 4.

Chapter 5.

Chapter 6.

Chapter 7.

Chapter 8.

Chapter 9.

Chapter 10.

Chapter 11.

Chapter 12.

Chapter 13.

Chapter 14.

Chapter 15.

Chapter 16.

Chapter 17.

Chapter 18.

Chapter 19.

Chapter 20.

Chapter 21.

Chapter 22.

Chapter 23.

Chapter 24.

Chapter 25.

Chapter 26.

Chapter 27.

Chapter 28.

Chapter 29.

Chapter 30.

Chapter 31.

Chapter 32.

Chapter 33. ⬇

Chapter 34.

Chapter 33: If Only

"Ketheric's and Orin's stones stay with me."

She didn't even know what she expected. Because what was he, if not a cruel strategist – a deadly snake, waiting for the best moment to strike?

A few seconds passed in absolute silence; her heart was beating in her ears, and she could've sworn that the hilt under her palm burned even hotter. Then, Gortash laughed.

"As they should", he agreed. "I was merely testing you."

Tav's eyes widened in disbelief. Her very first thought were just two words: you motherfucker.

And then her anger dissolved, her hand slipped off the pommel of her weapon, and tears flooded her eyes. Now the frustrations, the emotions, everything came crashing down on her shoulders. Gortash waved the Banites and the Steel Watcher off, and they left without saying so much as a word.

"This should be an alliance of peers", Enver continued. "You've got a backbone, and the makings of a leader."

"And do you have a backbone?!" Tav's voice sounded a tad higher than usual. She felt sick again. "Are you insane?! I honestly thought you would kill me!!"

He didn't look bothered at all. Even if her words twisted his heart up in a knot. She still didn't trust him... but in her shoes, he probably would've done the same. They were both aware that their alliance would last so long until Lord Bane decided otherwise. Gortash just hoped it wouldn't happen anytime soon.

"Are you angry? So was I, when I saw that you disappeared without a word."

His equally rising temper didn't help hers at all.

"I am my own woman, I go wherever and whenever I please!"

"And judging by the two bloody stones, I know full well where you went! Can you even imagine the worst case scenario that could've happened to you?! After we've seen what she'd done to a Bhaalspawn?!"

"I'm fine! I haven't suffered a scratch!"

"You just said you bled for both stones! So when did you lie to me? Right now, or five minutes earlier?!"

Tav blushed, up to the tips of her ears.

"Stop changing the subject! What made you think that pulling this stunt on me would be any good for me?!"

"And what made you think that going against Orin without letting me know first was a good idea?!"

The relief that she didn't need to actually fight him, coupled with the anger she felt that he had the guts to test her boiled over inside of her. Tav looked enraged – and if Gortash wasn't mad himself, he would've said that she was beautiful when she was angry.

"Fuck you!" She spat, then spun on her heels and started to walk away.

"Oh no", he snapped, then jumped after her and grabbed her arm to turn her back to face him. "You're not leaving again. Do you have any idea how worried I was? That I'd find you dead, or worse?!"

"I wasn't alone!" Tav snapped right back, trying to get her arm out of his hold, without success. "Unhand me or I swear I'll shove my boot right up y-"

"No, you will listen to me", he growled, pulling her closer to himself. She struggled, but only for the first two steps, because the aura he radiated in that moment almost… pulled her in. Her breathing quickened and she gave in to his authority; a part of her very much wishing to obey his every damned whim. She hated the effect he had on her, for a moment. "I am responsible for you, especially in your state. So the next time you're going on a suicide mission, tell me, so I can at least assign a few trusted soldiers to help you."

"You have no right to meddle in my affairs!" She tried to yank her hand away, but his firm hand was holding her in a steel grip.

"I will be your husband, I have every right to meddle in your affairs."

"You're not my husband yet!"

Gods, how she wanted him to be! She turned her head away as she realised she really wouldn't get her arm away from his grip, so she decided she'd defiantly stare at the stuffed bear he had in there.

"We can get through the ceremony any second, just say the word."

He noticed it. She hated how he seemingly noticed everything. It must've been the curse of being as intelligent as he was. His free hand reached up to grab her chin to turn her head back, and even though she let him do that, she still stared behind him, into the space of the vast hall.

"I can't lose you", he admitted quietly. "If I lose you, I'll lose my mind. Do you know what that means?"

Tav merely rolled her eyes.

"You needn't be so angry about this. I was with people I trusted."

"Really?" Gortash's hold on her chin tightened. Her eyes found his, and he was staring down at her inquisitively. He'd test her again, he decided. "Who were there with you?"

"Karlach", Tav replied without even blinking or thinking.

"Reliable and strong. And?"

"Lae'zel."

"Fearless githyanki. Who else?"

"Shadowheart."

"Cleric, in case you get injured. Good. Anyone else?"

Tav's lashes fluttered as she hesitated. If she told him now that Astarion was there, he'd be mad again; especially after what he'd learned from the vampire in the sewers. If she lied, he probably would know - but she really didn't want him to know the truth. It'd only create more problems for both of them.

"Just them."

Gortash was aware that if she was lying to him this easily, he'd need to keep a closer watch on her. He spun her around, making her gasp for air as he literally made her dance across the space, then he pushed her up and against the wall beside the statue.

"Stop lying to me", he ordered as coldly as he could, which was hard, especially how his own body reacted to her as he pinned her to the wall. She squirmed in his hold. Deliberately rubbing her thighs against his front. His eyes darkened even further; her sudden, cheeky smile said it all. She was doing it on a purpose. She wanted to distract him. "Tav", he growled her name, his tone dangerously low.

"What?" She tried to summon her most innocent expression.

"Tell me the truth."

"I've told you everything you wanted to know."

Gortash pressed his lips together, annoyed, then he slipped his knee between her thighs. Tav blushed deeper as he rubbed at her core.

"Say. It."

"I have nothing to sa-ah-"

"Are you sure?"

"Enver-"

"My, my, my, you're running so hot, Tav. Wouldn't it be easier to be honest with me?"

She knew she could've said stop, and she was aware that he would, but the truth was, she missed him and very much enjoyed his little game. After all that happened… seeing Orin in that terrible form… life just seemed too dangerous and too short not to enjoy herself at least a little.

"Astarion was with us, too", she sighed at last, making him raise a brow.

"See? It wasn't that hard to admit, was it?"

"Enver please-", she whined when he started to pull his knee away. "Don't stop-"

"Don't stop?" He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, his voice way softer than before. "Do you think that girls who sneak out and then lie to me deserve to ask me not to stop?"

The noise she made caused him to chuckle quietly.

"Please?" She whined.

"Hmm", Gortash raised a brow, then leaned close to her ear and whispered,"beg."

"You monster!" Her gasp made him chuckle in her ear. "I'm begging you, please!"

"See? You can be a good girl for me. You can follow simple instructions."

"Enver!"

Smirking, he moved his knee back where she wanted it. He took his time teasing her, allowing her to reach the peak she wanted so desperately, then held her close, kissing the side of her neck as she was playing with his ebony locks at the back of his head as her heartbeat slowed to it's normal rhythm.

"I didn't want to upset you", she murmured tiredly. "I know that you know that I have... history... with Astarion..."

"I still prefer honesty from you", Gortash whispered in her ear, knowing full well what he'd need to say to get in her mind with it. "No matter how much it hurts."

Tav cupped his face and pulled him away from herself to look in his eyes.

"It hurts? Why?" When he didn't answer her questions, just looked away, she stroked his cheeks with her thumbs. "It matters not with whom I'm travelling with. I am yours."

Surprised how easily that went down, he glanced in her eyes with a hint of doubt. But she meant it. He could read her well, and he saw that she truly meant it. What a foolish thing to do - to bind oneself to the Chosen of Bane! A part of him wanted to push her away. A part of him wanted her to be terrified of him, a part of him wanted her to run away and never look back... but another part of him craved this. That part of him wanted to know that he had her, body and mind and soul. That part of him wanted to keep her close and never ever let her go.

She would be his downfall, he knew.

"Say it again", he whispered, even more quiet than earlier, resting his forehead against hers.

"I am yours." Tav half smiled, suspecting that him, as a Banite, would enjoy hearing this. It was part of her plan to soften the harshness of the facts. But, at the same time, she meant it. Every inch of her wanted to be near him; her thoughts always resumed thinking about him. There was very little she could do. "Now", she murmured with a little smile, "can we go to bed?"

"Was that your plan all along? To get in my bed?" Gortash almost snorted as he pulled away from her a little, and his reaction made her laugh.

"In my defense, you have a really comfy bed."

"I didn't know you were this cunning, my dear."

She looked proud at his praise.

"I can feel how needy you are, Your Grace~ you wouldn't be able to focus if your pants are this tight, would you?"

He couldn't help it, he had to indulge her. After all, she was right. He really couldn't focus. Only later, in his private chambers, lying in his bed with her, did dread fill him as he remembered Bane's warning. His god would tolerate him enjoy himself for so long. He had work to do.

And yet… and yet…

"What are you thinking about?"

Tav was curled up on her side just beside him, her arms wrapped loosely around his left, gold clad arm, one of her legs rested across both of his. He was staring at the ceiling, but saw nothing. He didn't even know what he should say.

"My future."

Tav pushed herself up on her right elbow, then shifted closer to him and gently stroked the ebony locks out of his forehead and eyes. Her touches were so gentle, so soft… he'd never felt more wretched in his entire life.

If only, if only, if only…

"Do I really have a place in it?"

Tav's feather light touches on his forehead left him with a lump in his throat. He was thinking about another time, when he had a similar train of thoughts in mind, and then, they had a similar conversation. In his heart, the doubt. The fear.

"I want to be a better man for you."

"I don't want you to change because of me."

"But I want to."

"Are you saying this because you think I want to hear this?"

"No. I say it because I mean it."

"Does that mean that you're thinking about leaving Bane?"

"I can't do that."

Enver turned his head to look her in the eyes. He'd done horrible things, at least, from her point of view; from his, those were necessary steps of his much bigger plan. He couldn't look at a mass of people and not think of them as cattle. But then... she saw individuals. She saw good in them. She saw hope.

And he wasn't an exception. She'd already told him that she saw hope in him, when no one else would. She gave him a chance, when no one else would.

That thought alone was enough to start his destruction.

It got him thinking, often, late into the night. What if...? The question presented itself thousands of times by now during the day, too; he'd caught himself giving out orders to hang a group of people, then wondered how Tav might feel about it. He had to stop wondering, if he wanted to keep his head upon his shoulders. Or... if he couldn't stop wondering... if she truly corrupted his mind, and would, in turn, make him too soft for Bane's liking... he had to prepare. Both himself, and her.

"What's on your mind?" Tav murmured when he didn't reply.

A heartbeat.

"I'm going to die."

Well, this certainly wasn't the answer she was waiting for. Gortash watched in silence as she furrowed her brows, and he could identify each and every emotion on her face. Confusion, doubt, anger. Then, the defiance. He loved that look on her face; especially now that it was him who was at stake. It gave away so, so much about how she truly felt about him, and it made everything that much worse. Her kisses, touches were one thing, those could be faked. But the way she cared? Her emotions, written on her face at the thought what would happen if he was gone? Nobody in his life showed this emotion towards him. And it broke him just a little bit further.

"Not before your time", she declared.

"Way before my time", Gortash corrected her.

"Seriously?" Tav pulled her hand away and sat up. The afternoon sunlight drew a line across his chest as she moved out of its way. "I've got two stones as you wanted, we're just one step away from your plans to come to fruition, and we have a future together- you say this now- seriously?!"

"Tav", he pushed himself up to sit, then cupped her face. "I don't want to upset you, alright? I'm just thinking that if… if it comes to that…"

"Comes to what?!"

She sounded so upset that he felt bad for bringing this up now. Closing his eyes, he rested his forehead against hers.

"Listen to me, alright? Don't say anything, just listen." He waited for a few seconds, and when she remained silent, he continued, "I'm assuming that you're aware that if I stray too far from Bane, there'll be consequences. And when those consequences are crashing down on me… I want you to leave me to my fate."

"How can you even ask such a thing?!" Tav pulled her head away, her eyes full of tears by now. "If you go, I go."

Gortash gave an emotionless laugh. The mere idea hurt so much more than she could possibly imagine.

"You're definitely not coming after me. Not there."

"Where?"

"Bane's domain." He paused for a moment, and looked away. "If I anger him... if I fail... I'll..." Gortash paused, shaking his head. "No, it can't happen. Not to you."

"Why, what would happen to you there?"

"Eternal torment?" He asked back, a little smile on his face as he glanced at her. His eyes looked so, so tired. "For failing?"

"I really do wish you'd picked less of an asshole of a god to follow", she sighed, shaking her head.

"I've tried", he murmured, "nobody else answered."

Tav felt like that perhaps, at least in this regard, he had something in common with Astarion. But to think that Astarion's prayers weren't answered even by Bane...

Knowing the consequences of what she was about to tell him didn't bring her any joy. But the game changed drastically as soon as she learned that they were expecting little ones - not even one, but two. For their safety - and their father's -, she had to make heavy decisions. After a massive amount of adventure behind her, this was the hardest decision so far. Urging Enver to please his god, in order to live, knowing that it would bring the death and torment of many. But, at the end of the day... they were mortals, and mortals did what they had to protect their own.

"Alright, you know, what? Do what you must. Don't fail him. You're already his Chosen, right? Be the really best he ever had."

There it was again. The stirring within. Every word she said made him want to worship her instead. He wished he'd met her sooner; he wished he knew what was it like to be loved so unconditionally, all those decades ago. He'd be a different man, now.

"What if I can't?"

Tav looked confused at first. He knew she didn't understand the inner turmoil she caused, but he didn't want to tell her, because it'd make her feel guilty.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there", she cupped his face and planted a kiss on his forehead. "We can do this. Together. And we'll figure out the details as we proceed."

A content sigh left him at that. Perhaps that was for the best, at least for now. Not knowing. There were, though, something he knew. And he had to share it with her. She had to know.

"I know you don't like it, but... let me say it", he whispered.

Tav closed her eyes with a sigh. She knew she wouldn't escape this.

"Alright. Say it."

"I love you."

She smiled at how genuine he sounded. Wrapping him in a hug, she kissed the top of his head.

"I love you, too."

#Oathbreaker #little tyrant [enver gortash]#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #bg 3 #enver gortash #archduke enver gortash #lord enver gortash #fanfic #Oathbreaker fanfic

9 notes · View notes

devildomwriter · 1 month

Text

“You know, I heard some interesting rumors about what happened during yesterday’s ruckus. They say you gave Lucifer and his brothers a beatdown they won’t soon forget. I hear you wiped the floor with them.”

— Barbatos to MC (Chapter 26-19)

#obey me shall we date #obey me quote of the day #obey me quote #obey me quotes #obey me chapter 26 #obey me barbatos #obey me barbatos quotes

201 notes · View notes

peachymilkandcream · 4 months

Text

Break Me Slowly|Part 26|Yandere Levi x Evelyn

(A/N: I've been dreading making this part because I don't want to be filled with utter sadness. But the plus side is that after this is it'll go back to domestic Evelyn and Levi which I think we all (ME I DO) need. There's at least four chapters left of this series but who knows there might be more, we'll see. I skimming over a lot of the finale because just go watch it for the whole story, I'm just giving the jist as it pertains to the story. Hope you enjoy and comment to be added to the taglist!)

WARNINGS: noncon, dubcon, manipulation, domestic abuse, yandere themes, forced marriage, forced pregnancy, stockholm syndrome, violence, mind breaking, misogyny, etc.

===========================================

Darkness, cold. Is this what the afterlife was like? Like Hange was underwater, the sound of life around her muffled. She was falling, falling....

Slowly one of her eyes opened, a vastness of blue surrounding her. Light shone from above. She was certain that facing those Titans on her own had killed her.

And yet, it felt like a little strength was still in her body after all.

==============================================

There was no time for grief, the next phase of their mission was what required all focus. The plan was dropping the Colossal Titan on Eren was the last resort if reasoning and the disposal of Zeke didn't work out. Mikasa and Armin's hesitation to actually kill their friend was apparent, thankfully the rest saw the reason and that in order to save the world, sacrifices had to be made. Even a beloved friend.

The sound of the plane's engine sputtering brought them all out of their thoughts, there hadn't been enough time to fuel the engine entirely, and now they were facing the consequences of that decision. An order was made to jump out of the plane, all obeying without giving themselves time to think about how crazy this whole thing was.

Titans rose to meet them, swarming in hundreds to defeat their attackers. Forms of those who had used the Titans before, generations of destruction all on display.

Levi's hand touched the back of Evelyn's neck, knowing what was coming next. "You listen to me. If you feel threatened or in danger you come and find me. Alright? I don't care what you think or feel you come right back to me."

She nods, giving him a reassuring smile before diving away from their perch, feeling the sting of the cut in her hand followed by that blinding light. She had started this whole mess, she needed to find some way to gain redemption. Levi didn't quite know how far she was willing to go to atone for her actions.

Blood and gore painted the battlefield, the stark contrast of the white doing nothing but adding to the carnage on display. Against so many how could they hope to ever win? The more they cut down the more came up against them. Even with the power of the Titans they dealt heavy hits. At this rate they wouldn't hold out for long. Ripping Reiner and Evelyn out of their Titans and tossing them aside like dolls into the steam below. Her head knocking hard on the bones on the way down.

He caught her. He always caught her. Safe in his arms until she secured her own line. Annoyance was the prime emotion he conveyed when he was secretly worried. "I told you if you were in danger to come find me. Can't you ever listen to one damn thing I say?"

"I suppose not." Her head was bleeding, she was so dizzy, but Levi didn't mention it.

A Titan out of the corner of her eye moved, intent on making Connie its prey. Before she could react Levi sprung into action, slicing its neck, but not before its jaws clamped down on his leg, sending him falling further.

"Levi no-!" Her scream seemed more desperate than she would have liked, lurching forward and catching him this time. His poor leg battered and beaten, he couldn't fight anymore. She wouldn't let him. He had to stay safe, for her. Even if the cord was slipping out of the bone, even if they were about to be crushed. She couldn't let him go.

"Grab on!" The call came from behind her, a mass of feathers and wings catching them as they flew safely out of the skeleton. They were safe, for now.

Relief flooded them both when their untimely rescue. Her head still throbbed, and a wave a nausea threatened to take over. Levi's look in her eyes confirmed her fear, he wasn't going to let her fight anymore either.

"I'm fine."

"You're not. And you're staying here or so help me-" He cuts himself off with a sigh. "Look. You're pregnant, I'm not fucking losing you. If that means that humanity is wiped out and it's just me and you in Paradis then so be it!"

An awkward silence from the rest of those present ensues until she finally relents. "Alright. I'll stay here."

In order to make sure she didn't go back on her word, Levi held onto her belt the instant the others flew off Falco's back. It was time for them to take a back seat. Their mission was over the day they crossed the sea, they would leave it in their hands now.

They thought that the death of Zeke, mixed with a number of the Titans turning on the hostile ones would bring about the end of the Rumbling. And while the monstrous footsteps did stop their task was far from over. The explosion that severed Eren's head would not be enough, the parasite still dove for his head to reconnect it and continue The Rumbling. The only option left was Armin transforming into the Colossal once everyone got clear.

===============================================

It should have been over. That should have been it. The end should have been the embrace of loved ones over victory. No the blast of a second Titan.

Eren's founder marching forward while the parasite continued its crawl to reunite the two and finish what they started. It would only end when he was cut down. They all knew it. But what Evelyn didn't expect was Levi grabbing her hand and pulling her along onto Falco's back.

"We have to go now! The Ackermans and the Titans are the only ones immune."

Numbly she was pulled along until they boarded and took off, the sound of Pieck's sobs ringing in her ears. Staring as her comrades turned into flashes of light and gruesome faces.

It had all been going so well, now they were loosing. Armin and Reiner, overwhelmed and over-taken by their friends turned monsters. They were loosing and there's nothing they could do.

Until Mikasa stood with a determined look in her eyes. "Eren is inside the mouth- Everyone, help me reach him!"

Their descent was hidden in a veil of flames and debris. Only a glimpse was seen of Mikasa until a pause and then Eren's Titan crumbling and shaking the earth with its impact. It was over.

They had won.

===============================================

In the fall they had gotten separated but eventually she found him sprawled on the ground. Without a word passing between them she sat beside him with a sigh.

"I guess you kept your promise."

Levi raises a brow. "Which one?"

"We made it out. You promised. Now..." Evelyn tears up. "We can go home...can't we...?"

His arm wraps around her. " Yes my love. We can go home."

#break me slowly #levi x oc #attack on titan #levi ackerman #levi aot #levi x reader #shingeki no kyojin #yandere levi #yandere levi ackerman #yandere levi x reader #aot x reader #aot smut

10 notes · View notes

marmixedwithabitofintellect · 2 years

Text

The Story of You

Lovies I'm sorry for the delay! my grandma is leaving for Europe later this week and she wasn't feeling well, thankfully it was just a scare and we were able to say goodbye to her (which was very emotional not going to lie 🥲), this part does not have any visuals because from now on I'll be doing an IG post for each chapter, which I will post tomorrow! I hope you love this chapter as much as I did, it is truly a special one 🤍 All the love, Mar

Disclaimer: In no way do I wish to spread hate or negative opinions about any of the characters here depicted, this is just fiction and with the purpose of entertaining you guys

Part 15: Illusion

October 26, 2021: Week Thirty-Four

New York, New York. 10:00 AM

The heat was welcomed when I opened the door to Betty’s office, the city was finally welcoming the change of weather and I personally wasn’t enjoying it too much, Randy was sitting on the front desk and smiled when she saw me come in, “Well look who the wind brought! Hi honey!”

“Hi Randy! It’s so good to be back!”, she smiled and grabbed the phone, “I’ll let Betty know you’re here, okay?”, I nodded, and she smiled, a few minutes later Betty came out looking for me, “Well hello to my favorite patient! Would you feel comfortable if I hug you?”, I nodded, “Would you feel comfortable?”

She pulled me into a hug, and it as in this moment that I decided I would never ever take for granted being able to hug another human being, she pulled back and we walked into her office, after doing a general checkup she felt my belly to see where my baby is and then used the doppler; I teared up when I heard it go, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get so emotional over this, but man I have missed it”

She gave me a smile, “Never apologize darling, you’re a mom, you deserve to celebrate every single second”, she turned off the doppler and cleaned my belly, “I am happy to report you guys have a very clean bill of health! Which means you will be able to attend the concerts this weekend but if you get tired you need to sit down”

I nodded, “I promise, but he will still make sure I do all of this”, we both laughed, “So I’ll see you on the 29th just for the ultrasounds okay?”, I smiled at her while we walked to the exit, “I’ll see you in three days”, I walked into the subway and sat down to text Harry who was on his way or had already arrived to Atlanta

To H. Styles (11:15 AM): Guess who got a clean bill of health?

From H. Styles (11:16 AM): That’s awesome! You did it!

To H. Styles (20:35 PM): We did. Good luck in Atlanta 💜 I’ll see you in three days!

I smiled and put my phone away, I stopped at the supermarket for some things and then went home, Betty was serious about me taking it slow and I would obey her.

October 28, 2021: Week Thirty-Four

New York, New York. 4:00 PM

A knock on my door had me furrowing my brows, I had no delivery of baby’s things set for today and Harry was playing in Atlanta today, when I opened it a little a surprised look took my face, “Olivia?”, she stood there with a coffee tray and a small smile

“Y/N, hi, uhm I’m sorry for coming out of the blue, but I really want to talk to you”, I closed the door to remove the lock and opened it for her, I moved, and she came in I followed her to my living room, “Uhm, do you want something to eat?”, she placed the coffee cups on the table and removed her coat, “Thank you I had lunch before coming”

I nodded, she handed me a cup, “Harry said you enjoyed a chai latte, so I bought you one”, I took the drink from her hand, “Thanks, how are the kids and Jason?”, “They are doing good, Daisy’s test came back positive even though she has no symptoms so we have to wait another few days before I can see them”, “I’m glad to heart that, please say hello to them”, she nodded.

I turned to look at her, “Uhm, does Harry know that you’re here?”, she cleared her throat, “No he doesn’t, listen, I really appreciate the fact that you agreed to talk to me; I know I’m probably the last person you want to talk to”, she chuckled, and I gave her a small smile, “Am I that predictable?”, “I mean, if roles were reversed I know you would be”.

She took a sip from her drink, she placed it on the table and sat up straighter on the sofa she was sitting on, “I know there is no apology big enough for what I said to you, to be honest I really don’t have an excuse as to why I said it”, I nodded and spoke up, “I understand that as Harry’s partner you are looking out for him, but you need to understand that there are topics where your role as a partner is limited to a listener, and I think this is one of those topics”

“And I know that now, but at the moment I was so overtaken by so many things, and I don’t want for it to become an excuse, but it is the truth, that week life was just trying to drown me, I really don’t know how much Harry told you about what happened?”

“Not much to be honest, and I don’t really ask; your relationship is yours Olivia, I am just the mother of his child, which in turn means that that relationship is just ours”, she nodded, “I know”, I scoffed, “Do you? Because from what you displayed that weekend, I am starting to doubt that”, she flinched

“I was wrong you know; to have reacted how I did, after all, all you wanted to do was be friends, and there I go and throw in your face the custody thing, and that you looked for Harry and let him know”, she chuckled, “And I didn’t stop there, I even had the audacity to tell you off for meddling on our relationship when I did that first between you and Harry, but I need you to know, that he didn’t cheat while you guys were still together”

She sighed before continuing, “But I was wrong; what you did, telling Harry that he was going to be a father is one of the most selfless and bravest things you have done, because you put your child first, and that is what a mother does”, she turned to look at me, “And that kid is lucky to have a mother like you Y/N and a father like Harry, and I understand that my place as his or her dad’s partner is to take care of them when you cannot do it”

I sat up straighter and ran a hand down my belly before I spoke up, “I will say, I thought honestly that you would never apologize, Harry had tried and apologized for you, but I told him that if you were old enough to say those things you were old enough to hopefully apologize, so I truly appreciate you coming today”, she nodded

“I’m glad you understand where you stand regarding my child’s life, you are his or her father’s partner, and they will always be polite to you because I’ll teach them to, and I know you will always make sure to take care of them when they’re not with me like you take care of Otis and Daisy, but please get it into your head; you’ll never, ever get custody of my kid”

She spoke up, “I know, Harry will not fight for it”, I nodded, “Oh I know, that’s why he sighed an affidavit”, she looked at me surprised, “What?”, I turned to look at her, “He didn’t tell you?”, she shook her head, “Oh, he came and dropped it before leaving for Florida, my lawyer went over it and she’s now in contact with his lawyer, so we’re all good there”, she nodded

“I am glad, that is the most important thing”, we sat in silence for a few seconds until I spoke up, “Olivia, there’s something that has been on my mind since that day”, she nodded for me to continue, “If you and I had already spoken before, why did you say those things?”

I took a sip of my drink, while she continued to talk, “I guess that I got scared; there is so much uncertainty on my life right now, from my past my present and especially my future, I know things are going to change Y/N and I don’t know how much more change I can handle; I mean we are all resilient, but doesn’t resilience have a limit too?”

“It does, I think resilience has become a big part of my life this past year, don’t you?”, she averted her sight, “And the breakup? Why did you bring up the fact that Harry did not cheat Olivia?”

“Because he didn’t, I know that from the pictures and headlines and our own attitudes it seems that way, but he is a gentleman, and we didn’t move forward until he let me know you two broke up”, I placed my cup on his table, “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”, I scoffed and rolled my eyes

She looked at me shocked, “No no no no, I know that nothing will make it better, but if that will give you peace of mind over it, I will be able to breathe”, “Truth is, he did cheat Olivia”, she furrowed her brows, “Because it happened slowly and sadly right in front of my eyes; for weeks I watched him fall out of love with me but keep loving me out of pity, I watched him try and keep alive the love I had worked so hard to protect from anything and everything, except from the real threat”

I let out a shuddered breath, “He may have not been in your bed physically, but he was emotionally, and I truly don’t know which is worse”, she gave me a look of pity and regret, “Y/N I…”

I gave her a sad smile, “Did he ever tell you what happened when we broke up?”, she shook her head, “Not much, just that things were over between you two”, I sniffled, “I broke up with him, before he could break my heart even further and… and before watching him fall in love with you broke me”, she reached to squeeze my hand, “Y/N, I’m sorry”

I stood up, “I truly wish I could believe you Olivia, along with the fact that he didn’t cheat”, she stood up, “Y/N, if you’re still up for it, I would really like for us to get to know each other better”, she settled on her seat and gave me a small smile, I gave her a sad smile

“A few weeks ago, I would have made an effort for this to happen, but now, Olivia, I will put myself first, and that means we’ll limit our contact to the strictly necessary, thank you for coming today”, she gave me a sad smile

“Thank you for your honesty, and for listening to me, I truly appreciate it, take care”, I walked her to the door, and she left, and along with her left the anger I had been feeling against them over the breakup.

October 29, 2021: Week Thirty-Four

Harry. New York, New York. 12:30 PM

I was late. My flight had landed late which meant I had to leave from the airport directly to Betty’s office and I barely made it on time, when I entered Randy smiled at me, “Hey! We just got her back, follow me”,

I waved at her and followed her into the little cubicle, when we got there, Y/N was sitting on the chair on her phone, she put it away and waved at me, “Hello you, how are you?”, I stood up frozen on the door, how on Earth had she managed to get more beautiful since the last time I saw her?

“Hi”, I turned to look at her belly which had also grown, a reminder that we were six weeks away from meeting our love, “You can say hello”, I nodded and kneeled before her, she pulled up her shirt and I placed my hands on her warm belly, “Their head is somewhere around here, and they have been kicking around here”

Sure enough, I felt something hard on the lower part of her belly, and decided to press a little on the upper part hoping to get a kick, but baby was not being cooperative, “Oh come on bubby, you were kicking up a storm while we listened to ‘Style’”, I gave her a smile, “Really?”, she nodded, “Oh, I’ll definitely text Taylor and tell her”

I stood up and she lowered her top, and smiled at her, “Can I hug you, please?”, she nodded and stood up, I reached in and she nuzzled her face in my neck, just like she did when we were together, and I silently thanked whoever listened for the fact that she was okay, that they both were okay, and we were able to be here.

We pulled back and Betty came into the room, “Well hello you! Welcome back to New York!”, i smiled, “Hi Betty, its’ so nice to see you again”, “You too, so, shall we see this little chunker?”, we both nodded, and I helped Y/N get settled on the bed, Betty lowered the lights and turned on the machine.

Betty started moving the probe around her belly while I grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze, “Okay, let’s close our eyes because I do have to check down there”, Y/N turned to look at me and I covered our eyes, after a few minutes Betty lets us know she’s done and we turned to see her looking at our baby’s torso and head, “Well this little chunker is looking to weight between five and a half and six pounds right now, so we may be looking at an eight pounder at birth”

A shiver ran down her spine and i laughed, she then switched so that we could see the baby in 4D, Y/N spoke first, “Oh look at those cheeks! I truly cannot wait to kiss them!”, I squeezed her hand, “Can these six weeks fly by?”, Betty laughed, “They will, don’t worry”, after taking some photos and scheduling our next appointment we said goodbye to Betty and left the office, we stood on the sidewalk and we both reached and gave each other a hug.

We pulled back and I kissed her head, “Want to grab some lunch?”, she pulled back, “I would love to, but I promised Sarah we would get pedicures and then we would go to dinner with Elin and Nyoh”, I felt my heart deflater a little, but I understood, “Oh uhm sure, definitely have fun! Can I drive you to the place?”

She nodded and we walked to my car, when I got in, she smiled, “But, we do have a building date planned don’t we? The last box is set to get here tomorrow”, I smiled at her, “We do, Mitch even bought gloves for me” her laugh made me smile, God I truly would give up anything to see her smile

“Think I’ll order some pizzas for dinner, what do you think?”, “Love the idea”, sadly, we arrived at the salon faster than I wanted but knowing that I would see her tomorrow made me happy, I got out and opened her door, “So, I’ll see you tomorrow?”, she nodded, “I hope you have your costume ready huh?”, I smirked at her and she scoffed

“Yeah right, I cannot even stand my normal clothing and you want me to wear a costume”, I laughed a little, “I’m kidding love, enjoy your pedicure, okay? Let me know when you get home”, she nodded and reached in for a hug before heading in, only turning to wave at me and blow a kiss which I returned.

October 29, 2021: Week Thirty-Four

New York, New York. 3:00 PM

Sarah had texted me that she was just a few blocks away so I should go ahead and check us in, which I did and picked up the color I wanted for my nails, as I was finishing choosing the door chimed in and she came in giving me a big smile and hugging me, she didn’t want to let go but had to after a few minutes

“Don’t you ever do that again! I was terrified for you”, “I’m okay now, I promise”, we chose our colors and sat down, we caught up on what I had missed up on tour, how her family was and if she was excited for Harryween, she groaned, “Don’t remind me, I feel so bad”, I furrowed my brows, “Why?”

“Rachel, our nanny’s friends are coming, but I haven’t found anyone who can help us take care of the rascal”, I scoffed at her, “I’ll take that as an offense”, she turned to look at me, “Why?”, “I’ll take care of him, give her the day off, I need all the practice I can get”, she smiled but shook her head, “I cannot ask for you to do that”, “Sarah Jones of course you can! I insist! I miss my nephew”

“Babes, are you sure? Like a 100%?”, I nodded, “Well then, it’s settled”, I smiled at her and reached to squeeze her hand, “What am I doing S?”, from my peripheral I could see she turned to see me, “What do you mean?”, I laughed, “I have a baby, that, if all goes according to plan, is supposed to come in six weeks, but could come any minute, and the only thing I have are boxes upon boxes of things, oh and one onesie washed”

I turned to look at her, “I have so much left to do and I feel like so little time to complete it; and when the father is on tour, well things get even crazier”, we both laughed, “Babes, calm down, you are okay, Mitch and H will build all the furniture on Monday and I’ll help you wash, and you can sort little by little”

“When I was as far along as you are now, I was just finishing ordering everything, even diapers, so you’re doing okay”, I nodded and took a sip of my tea, “you know you can talk to me, right?”, I nodded, “I’m terrified S, since I found out I have had everything under control, and for the first time, I feel like I have nothing under control”, I sniffled

“I still cannot believe I’m having a baby, that I will be responsible for a whole person, I feel overwhelmed by it, what if I screw up? I don’t want for him or her to end up hating me”, I sniffled and wiped the tears that had started falling, “I truly cannot understand how I can love him or her so much already, how is that even possible?”

Sarah reached her hand to mine and squeezed it, “It means that you are a mum, and that you care, and it is such a normal reaction; I had the same fears as you babe, but I promise, I swear that they will all dissipate when you meet them, I know it sounds like cliché but it’s true”, I smiled at her

“You’re not your mom, and you’ll never be your mom”, my breath shuddered, “How did you know?”, “I can see the gears turning babe; what you have to do now is get everything ready for them and dream of everything you wanna do together, rest, let everyone spoil you and truly enjoy these last six weeks, because they will fly by”

We finished getting our pedicures and started making our way to the restaurant where we had agreed to meet the girls, just before going in I pulled Sarah in for a hug, “Oh what was that for huh?”, I whispered to her, “For being my best friend and the sister I truly never had”, “Stop, you’ll make me cry” we pulled back smiling and went in to have some dumplings.

October 30, 2021: Week Thirty-Four

Harry. New York, New York. 7:30 PM

Little Rowland and I had just arrived at Madison Square Garden. After Mitch had dropped him off around 9 in the morning and ready for his morning nap, we agreed that I would pop over before showtime so that they could get some family pictures and so that they could take him home after the concert.

We have had such an awesome day of watching Cocomelon, playing with some of the plushies Sarah had packed and even had a picnic on the park near my apartment with pictures sent to parents who were really happy.

I had given little man a bath before leaving my apartment and put him on the Halloween costume Sarah had packed, he looked so cute and I couldn’t wait to see what Alessandro and the Harries had come up with for this year.

We got out of the elevator and walked down the hall that was decorated for the occasion and stopped outside the room Jeff had texted me they were in, I knocked two times and when the door was opened I let out a laugh because right in front of me stood Anna (Jeff) Wintour, who checked me up and down before speaking up, “Classy New York pregnant style, I like it”, he then removed his glasses and gave me a hug

“Oh, Glenne is going to be so jealous that I have already given you a hug and she hasn’t”, I laughed, “Hi Jeffie! I missed you, looking good in your costume”, before I could walk any further, I grabbed little man from the stroller and Lambert stopped me at the door, “Any last guesses?”, I stopped and placed a finger on my chin thinking, “Little man and I think that they will go out dressed as…ABBA”

“Dang it! Why didn’t I think of that? Okay now close your eyes” I did, and he grabbed my arm while Jeff was standing behind me, Lambert spoke up, “Okay, on the count of three you’ll open your eyes; one… two… three!”, when I did I couldn’t hide the shock on my face, they were dressed as the characters from ‘The Wizard of Oz’

Elin was dressed as Glinda the Good Witch, Niji was the Tin Man, Nyoh was the Scarecrow, Pauli was the Wizard of Oz, Sarah as the Wicked Witch of the West, Mitch as the Cowardly Lion and Harry as Dorothy, “OH MY GOD! YOU GUYS! I LOVE THIS!”, Sarah walked to me, and Little man smiled and reached for him mom, Harry made his way to me and gave me a hug, “So, what do you think?”

“I am in love! Truly the costumes and the idea is wonderful! I got to say tho, Mitch looks so happy”, everyone in the room laughed and cooed at the baby who reached to pull his father’s costume, Harry turned back to me, “And how did this little baby behave?”, I grabbed his hand and placed it where Squish was busy kicking up a storm, “Excited for tonight, they love your music”

He smiled and we turned when the door opened and Olivia came in dressed as Dolly Parton, she made her rounds around the room and I told Harry I would see him later, I wasn’t in the mood to talk with her so I got busy with Elin and Pauli; when it was time for them to go on stage Sarah handed me the baby and we both waved at them while we made our way into the changing room where we would be watching the show.

The show was a blast, and the energy was amazing, sadly I was so tired that I fell asleep with mister Rowland in my arms when they were performing ‘Cherry’. I was woken up by Sarah and Mitch who were ready to leave and gave me a ride home, we said our goodbyes and I went through my night routine, when I set my phone to charge, I saw I had a text message from Harry waiting

From H. Styles (11:16 AM): I didn’t get to say good night to you 😔Mitch told me you fell asleep with the baby, if you feel tired and want to skip tomorrow it’s okay, I’ll miss you, but your rest is more important, talk to you tomorrow, okay? Sending you and the baba my love 😘😘

October 31, 2021: Week Thirty-Four

Harry. New York, New York. 8:00 PM

Madison Square Garden was once again full of amazing people dressed in even more amazing costumes but again, I was one tired pregnant woman that did not want to wear a costume. The theme for tonight were clowns, but not the scary clowns, they had chosen to be ‘Pierrot’ style clowns, and I loved it.

The concert was a smash and Harry even sang ‘Medicine’, ‘Toxic’ and ‘Kiwi’ had been my favorites. As instructed by Glenne and Harry, Jeff had been a Godsend and helped me so much, especially when I started feeling faint halfway through, but it was nothing that a bottle of water and some snacks couldn’t fix.

I went backstage with Jeff and sat down on the couches while we waited for the band to come, when they did, we congratulated everyone, Elin came and sat down with me, “How have you been feeling?”, I turned to look at her before answering, “Good, it is so good to be out again, how’s tour for you?”

She sighed, “It’s crazy, I really didn’t think I would ever be doing something like this, I am so thankful Harry chose me to be a part of this family”, that made me smile, he always made sure for each and every one of the crew that joins them on tour to feel like a family, “I am glad to hear that Elin, I really am”

A few seconds later Harry made his way to me, and Elin excused herself, “Hey, I saw you sitting down, everything okay?”, I squeezed his arm, “I’m okay, I get tired a little faster than before and hungry, but Jeff made sure we were fed and happy”, he laughed at that

“We were thinking of going to have some dinner, you up for it?”, I nodded and he squeezed my hand, “Let me go change and we’ll go okay?”, Jeff and Anthony joined me on the couch while we waited for everyone to get ready and hoped crowds went down a little; after everyone was ready we hopped into the vans and made our way to the hotel where everyone was staying.

Harry grabbed my hand and we walked inside, the smell of garlic and tomato made my mouth water and I saw there were boxes of Joe’s pizzas, I sat down to eat with the girls and Pauli, and we had so much fun sharing stories on our childhood and tour memories.

It was around 1:30 when I started getting very sleepy and I went to look for Harry, who gave me big smile when he saw me, “Hey you, everything okay?”, “Yeah just tired, think I’ll head home now”, he stood up, “Let me drive you, yes? Everyone was about to go anyways so”, I gave him a skeptical look, “You sure? I can just order and Uber”

He rolled his eyes, “You still the most stubborn person I know huh? I`m sure, let’s go”, we said our goodbyes to the few people that were still there and made our way along with Jeff to the parking, when we got there, we said our goodbyes and Harry and I got into his car, he turned it on and the turned to look at me, “Shall we?”, I nodded, and we made our way to my house.

A few minutes before we got to my house a call from Jeff came through, which Harry answered over the speaker, “Hey, everything okay?”, Jeff nervously laughed, “uhm, I may or may not have your keys here with me, so…”, I let out a laugh and Harry did too, “So, am I supposed to sleep on my car?”

I cleared my throat, “Or you can take my couch?”, he turned to look at me, his eyes were trying to make sure I was not joking, when I nodded he spoke up, “Okay then, I’ll see you tomorrow Jeff with my keys”, we said goodnight and hung up the phone, “I guess it’s a good thing I decided to wear sweats after the concert huh?”

We arrived at my place and got out of his car and made our way upstairs, I unlocked the door and we removed our masks, coats and shoes, before he gave me a smile, “Thank you for letting me stay here, I don’t think sleeping in my car would’ve been the best choice”, I shrugged, “i mean, headlines would’ve been pretty funny if you ask me”

He followed me into the living room, and helped me remove the pillows from the sofa, I turned to look at him, “Hey, come help me bring some blankets and sheets?”, he nodded and we made our way down the hall and into the room that would be turning into the nursery, Harry stopped in the door.

I turned to ask him, “Everything okay?”, he nodded and walked inside, “I truly cannot believe this will be a nursery tomorrow”, I smiled and opened the closet, grabbing some blankets, “Well, maybe not a complete one, but the beginning”, we turned off the lights and made our way back to the living room.

After making his bed we went into the kitchen to get a cup of tea and sat down on the sofa again, I groaned when I felt a kick to my rib and he turned to look at me with a worried face, “What? Are you okay?”, I ran a hand down the spot, “Yeah, they tend to get active at this time of the night, think they’re running out of space”, we both laughed, and I placed his hand where I was feeling kicks

“How are we down to the last six weeks?”, I gave him a silent laugh, “I am also in awe about it”, he sat there in silence and a look of anxiousness, “Hey, everything oaky?”, he drank some tea and turned to look at me, “I don’t wanna go”, I squeezed his hand, “Harry…”, he squeezed back, “I live in constant anxiety that you will go into labor and I won’t be here, and as the weeks go by it grows even more”

“Honestly I was so tempted to have my mom fly directly to you instead of coming to California to see me”, I placed my cup on the floor and reached for his hands, “Hey, we both know that is a possibility, but thankfully you are on this side of the planet, so the longest it will take you to come here is six hours”, he laughed at that

“I know it is not ideal, but we have made it work, and I have a feeling this baby is not coming before its due date, even had a discussion on the matter; but… but if I were to go into labor early, these two weeks are the ‘critical’ ones because I would technically be alone, but your mom will be here from the 37 and you too”

He nodded, we finished our teas and while he used the bathroom, I washed the cups and put away some dishes I had around, as I was turning off the lights he appeared in the living room, “Y/N… thank you really for letting me stay here”, I smiled at him, “Sweet dreams H”

November 1, 2021: Week Thirty-Four

New York, New York. 1:45 AM.

I finished setting up the little snacks when there was a knock on my door, when I opened it the first things I heard was, “Well you definitely look like a mom wearing those dungarees”, I laughed and Sarah whacked Mitch on his head, “ouch! What was that for?”, she then reached to hug me

“You look beautiful mama”, Harry came in after them and kissed her head, “Hi you”, we walked into the kitchen where I had set up a little refreshment station for us, Mitch spoke up, “okay, besides being the best host, what are we supposed to do?”, I smiled

“I would really appreciate if you guys could start with the big furniture while S and I start folding all the laundry I did this week?”, Harry and Mitch nodded and they started making their way into the nursery while S and I settled on the couch, “So, I followed your recommendations and got the bins, so we can sort them truth be told we haven’t bought so many clothes, just the basics”

She nodded, “I think you did good, then when he or she gets here we will spoil them with some more clothes huh? But a baby in neutrals has my heart”, I placed a hand on my belly and turned to look at Sarah, “Wanna feel them kick?”, she nodded excitedly and I grabbed her hand, “Well hello to my favorite niece or nephew, we cannot wait to meet you, but you have to wait until we bring your dad back okay?”

When a well-aimed kick was placed where her hand was, I could say that the assignment was understood. While we folded the clothing we could hear Harry and Mitch in the room, and surprisingly there hasn’t been any accidents; we had just finished with the 3-6 month clothes when we decided we should go get the boys and take a break, Sarah stopped me and said, “Harry wants it to be a surprise, so I’ll go get them”

I nodded and stopped at the bathroom, when I came out, they were waiting for me in the kitchen, we ate some pizza and fruit and made our way back into work. “How are you guys holding up?”, Harry smiled, “Pretty good, Mitch has definitely been the MVP here, and I cannot wait for you to see it”, I smiled, “I cannot wait to see it”

It was close to 9 o clock when Harry and Mitch came out of the nursery, Sarah and I had finished a few hours ago and I showed her the bassinet and rocker we had ordered but they had not yet arrived, we turned to see them and I could see the tears in Harry’s eyes, “Hey, what are the tears for?”, he wiped them and grabbed my hand, “Come with me”

I followed him and my heart started beating so fast, he never let go of my hand and squeezed it stopping at the closed door, “I hope this is everything you envisioned when we shared those pictures and ideas”, he pulled back and I walked to the door before opening it, I took a deep breath, opened it and was in awe when I saw the nursery.

“Harry…”, I turned to him, and he came to give me a hug, he swayed us a little and kissed my head, “You like it?”, I pulled back, “Like it? I love it, this is everything I wanted and more” I sniffled and walked in to see the details they had placed, Harry walking alongside me

“I know it is very simple, but we can definitely add details when baby comes huh?”, I nodded, I sat down on the reclining chair and he kneeled in front of me and placed his hand on my belly, “think you’ll be comfortable enough while feeding them?”, I smiled, “Oh yeah, definitely, I kinda wish we settled this in my room now that you mention it”

He moved his hand across my belly hoping to feel some movement, “We can do that, we can do everything you want okay?”, we turned to look at Mitch and Sarah, who were standing at the door, Mitch had the biggest smile and Sarah was teary-eyed, they walking in hand in hand and Mitch side hugged Sarah before she spoke up

“I know we haven’t told you guys enough, but this baby is so lucky to have you two as his or her parents”, we smiled and Harry helped me stand up and went in to hug her and Mitch, we pulled back after a few seconds, “Thank you guys, we couldn’t have done this without you two”, Mitch spoke up, “Anytime, we truly enjoy being with you guys and this little baby”

November 5, 2021: Week Thirty-Five

Harry. Tacoma, Washington. 3:30 PM

After we finished rehearsals Mitch, Sarah and I decided to grab some lunch and rest for the rest of the day, Y/N and I had continued to talk and discuss everything related to the baby, and slowly but surely, I felt us getting closer, while Olivia and I, well things were not really good between us

“H?”, I turned to look at Mitch, “What’s on your mind?”, I shrugged, “Y/N”, they both turned to look at each other, and I furrowed my brows, “What?”, Sarah gave me a small smile, “Nothing, just wanted to know what was going on between you guys?”, “I mean, we have been getting closer, just trying to figure out what we are missing related to the baby”

“Just tell her already”, I turned to look at Mitch, “What?”, he rolled his eyes, “Mate, I don’t know who you are trying to fool, we can all see it, the fact that you are in love with her”, I sighed, “Mitch, we have been over this”, he interrupted me, “Yeah yeah you are with Olivia and you are working in your relationship… how much longer will you keep up that excuse?”

Sarah gasped, “Mitch!”, “What Sarah? We all know it, we all see it, hell even he knows it, but he doesn’t want to admit it, or am I wrong Harry?”, I cleared my throat, “H?”, I sighed, “I don’t know Mitch, I don’t know”, “Mate you do, don’t lie to yourself anymore, please”, I turned to look at him angrily, “And what should I do with Olivia huh?”

“Leave her”, I turned to look at Sarah like she had grown another head, “What?”, she came and sat down next to me on the couch on my dressing room, “H, you're not happy, you know who your heart truly belongs to, so why keep ignoring it? It is killing you to do so, I can see it”

She sat up straighter and told me, “She may not be my best friend, but I've grown to like her, and Olivia does not deserve your false love”, she squeezed my arm, “Harry, don’t fight it anymore, choose yourself to be happy, for once, and choose with your heart”, I smiled at her and sat down to play with the little boy who was in the floor playing on his mat and picked him up.

The little boy in my arms offered me a smile when I pulled a funny face at him, his parents laughed, a few moments later he settled in my arms, I kissed his head and took a swig of my beer

“What if she doesn't love me anymore?”, they both let out a laugh and I turned to look at them, “What?”, Mitch spoke up, “Harry, are you serious?”, I nodded

Sarah came and kneeled in front of me, squeezing my knee, “H, that girl is so in love with you; yes she is hurt and yes she is still healing, but your love goes beyond this”, Mitch then spoke up, “That doesn't mean you don't have to work your ass off for her to forgive you, and you have to respect her grieving and healing process, but things will work out for you two”, I turned to look at him, “You really think so?”, he smiled at me, “I know so, and in the end, I will gladly tell you ‘I told you so’”

I nodded at him, “I think I will need to cancel our plans in California, maybe you can still take my mom, I have a conversation that is overdue”, they both nodded, we continued to lounge and Jeff came to join us, around five we all took our separate ways and Sarah turned to look at me before the door to their room closed, “H, if you need us, just call okay?”, I nodded and went into my room which was further down the hall.

November 8, 2021: Week Thirty-Five

New York, New York. 11:30 PM.

Little Squish, in fifteen minutes time the official countdown will begin! We will have four weeks until you are set to arrive, we are hoping that you will hold up until said four weeks are done, but we will welcome you when you feel like coming to see us.

Your dad is on the edge over this, especially since he is currently touring the West Coast and won’t be back until two weeks from your due date, so you can say that he’s kinda nervous and anxious, but don’t worry he’ll make sure to be here when you decide to be born.

We feel so excited because we have finished your nursery! Your dad, uncle Mitch, auntie Sarah and I worked on getting ready your nursery and baby I am so in love with it, daddy and I cannot really wait to see you there and grow up. Your grandma Anne and your aunt Gemma will be here in three weeks! This is so exciting for everyone here baby, your grandpa Des will also be here, he is your daddy’s father, and even if him and your grandma got a divorce, they love their children above all and they will love you too! I love you so much baby, let the countdown begin <3

Taglist @tinydestinybear @amyleeeee @harry-is-my-sunflower @beachwoodcaferryy @msolbesg @clarawolf22 @harrysficreblog @infinitely-yellow @cherrylovesblog @wherethehellhaveyoubeenharry @harryspirate @kaitieskidmore1 @michellekstyles @qualitygiantshoepsychic @irelilien @futuristicpalacegardenpsychic @shawnsblue @behindmygreyeyes @sunshinemoonsposts @dirtytissuebox @little-freak-satellite @tinydeskwriter @be-with-me-so-happily @watercolorskyy @goldenlouvr @jgoff717

#harry styles x reader #harry styles imagine #dad harry styles imagine #dad!harry #harry imagine #the story of you #harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fluff #harry styles story #harry styles fic #harry styles fanfic

177 notes · View notes

bluejay-writes · 28 days

Text

Heaven is a Misnomer - Chapter 17

Fandom: Shall We Date?: Obey Me! Rating: Teen Chapter 17 Wordcount: 3184 Characters/Relationships: Jake (Exchange student OC) / Raphael Summary: Nightmares and Fashion show! Notes: If you've read Devils in the Details, this chapter mirrors chapter 25-26 over there!

Chapter 17 - Nightmares for Breakfast

Over the course of the next ninety minutes, Jake tried on what felt like an endless assortment of clothes behind the screen, stepping out just for Asmo to say something saucy, or for Raphael to nod with little other expression. There was an assortment of jeans in different styles, some nice slacks in black, shirts of different styles (some more revealing than he thought he could wear, but would fit in just fine up there) and even a nice ubiquitous black hoodie in just the right size. They’d even considered shoes, getting him some nice sandals, a new pair of sneakers, and a slick pair of wingtips.

The wingtips, of course, went with the outfit they’d gotten him for the dance. A violet tweed suit, over a lavender dress shirt left open at the collar. He felt like a million dollars in the look. Asmo threatened jokingly that he could eat him up right there, and Raphael actually smiled, a dusting of red on his cheeks. Jake would take it. If he looked half as good as he felt, he’d be the hottest thing in that hall tonight.

After slipping back out of his fancy new outfit and into one of the new pairs of jeans, a fitted pink tee, and his new hoodie and sneakers (also black), Jake launched himself at Asmo, wrapping his arms around the demon despite his surprise.

“Thank you, Asmo. This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.” Jake sniffled, realizing he was actually moved all the way to tears by this gift.

Asmo chuckled, hugging him back. “You’re welcome, Jake. But you really should thank Raphael. It was his idea to get you a whole wardrobe and not just tonight’s outfit.”

Jake released Asmo and turned to Raphael, who was smiling sheepishly. “What can I say? You needed something better. I know you don’t like the uniform…”

Jake opened his arms. “You deserve a hug too, if you want one.” He tried not to sniffle, knowing he was still crying.

Read more on AO3!

#omswd #obey me shall we date #ao3 link #chapter fic #longfic #fic update #obey me!#obey me raphael

4 notes · View notes

grumpygreenwitch · 9 months

Text

Fanfiction 6-7-8-9-10

AS A WARNING, there is the implication of violence and abuse in this part.

Please don't forget that reblogs give me life. Though if you wanna throw a coupla bucks in the teacup I'm not gonna say no.

This is probably the longest chunk of chapters you're gonna get. I didn't want to leave a cliffhanger for a whole week. This is also where you can see where my problem is with the Guild Hunter universe.

Buy me a Ko-fi?

1-2-3 + 4-5 + 6-7-8-9-10 + 11-12 + 13-14 + 15-16 + 17-18-19 + 20-21 + 22-23 + 24-25 + 26-27

Alyss found New Hampshire nearly impeccably run, barring a few stray peccadilloes he suspected came from Gracie's staff, not the vampire overseer herself, but he ran into an immediate problem when he started looking into the Vermont books. He went looking for Gevaun and found the man in a large, sunny gym, overseeing the combat training of most of the house staff. Kliman's Second still made the time to move over to a corner to attend to the accountant at once.

Alyss closed his eyes, drew a deep breath, and scrunched his wings close to his back as rigidly as possible. Jean was on the far corner of the gym, working on a machine that allowed him to look out of the ceiling-to-floor windows; he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt that fit him like a second skin and his arms were doing things that made the angel's neurons squeal like teenagers. It took a tremendous amount of effort to focus on Gevaun. "The Vermont books I have are copies. And I suspect they're fakes."

Gevaun's eyes went wide. "All of them?"

"They look good, all of them. And I probably wouldn't be able to confirm until I got the hard copies. But you hired me to dig, so I went digging. I think I found the originals. They're in an entirely different part of your cloud directories, locked up tight."

The Second scowled. "Show me. Jean, take over, would you?"

"Alright," the other vampire looked briefly startled to be called on, but he obeyed readily enough as Alyss led Gevaun out of the gym and to his office.

Gevaun talked to Kliman, who talked to someone called Evie, who acquired the services of someone else. Within an hour Alyss had access to the original books and someone called Alistaire was in deep trouble, which kept getting deeper the more Alyss dug. He begged leave to skip dinner as he worked, printing out copies of the information he'd already saved in a separate drive. When the knock came to the door he didn't even look up. "Come in."

"Holy crap." Jean's voice was low and surprised. "Isn't accounting supposed to be organized?"

Alyss looked up, startled. He was sitting on the floor once again, surrounded by a sea of printouts, a red pen in his mouth, a blue one tucked behind one ear, and a yellow one stuck to the collar of his shirt. He spat out the pen to speak. "Oh, this, I mean, it is. I am! Organized. It's just a very particular sort of organized." He stared at the office. "It makes sense to me," he finished weakly.

"That's what matters," the vampire replied evenly, and the angel felt a little better. "But I brought dinner and I don't think you got anywhere to put it down in here. It's quick food," he assured Alyss when the accountant looked at all his work. "And Chere’ll be mad if I have to take it back. The last person you want angry at you is the one cooking your food."

"I know, I know." Alyss stretched. His spine and his wings both felt kinked and cramped. "I guess I can break for a bit." He followed the vampire into his room, and Jean set the tray he was carrying on top of a small, decorative desk. Before Alyss could protest, Jean sat on the bed, which left the accountant to take a seat before the tray.

"Can I ask what you're doing, or is it hush-hush?"

"Some of it is, but yes, you can ask. I'm running five-year audits on everyone who works for Kliman. This just got a little more, erm, complicated because I keep finding things wrong."

"Alistaire stealing from Kliman?"

"I don't know what he's doing, exactly, but it's not nice," Alyss declared primly, making Jean smile faintly. The angel found two sandwiches and a tremendous wedge of egg custard pie on the tray and started making short work of them. "And there's so much of it that he couldn't just hide it, he had to make a whole other set of books to try and pretend it doesn't exist."

Jean tried to focus on what Alyss was telling him but it was hard. Was it ever hard. The angel, so guarded and shy, burst into life like a sunflower when he started speaking of his work, his gestures and his voice full of animation. The delicate features, usually so pale and still, glowed with life, and the dark brown eyes filled with light. He did this thing, the vampire realized, where one of his wings twitched when he made a particularly energetic point, where someone else might have gestured sharply with one hand.

"I'm sorry, I'm probably boring you."

"You're not. Just not sure I'm following all of it. You make it sound like you can't hide anything when it comes to business."

"Oh, you can hide so many things, so many. You just have to work at it, and it's twice as hard, but -" Alyss drew himself up sharply, and went so profoundly red that Jean could see the color creeping over his face by gradients. "Which I would never ever do, of course, not ever." He stuffed a giant bite of pie in his mouth.

Jean couldn't help a low, rusty little chuckle, and Alyss stared. Gaunt and exhausted as the vampire looked, when he smiled, which was so rare, and when he laughed, which he'd only heard twice, his eyes came to life like spring coming to the world, green and vibrant. "Don't need to worry about me, Alyss. Not gonna sell out your trade secrets. I'm just... It's weird. Never heard of an angel wanting to be an accountant."

"I'm the only one I know of," Alyss agreed. "My parents are very disappointed." When Jean's brows shot up he shrugged a little. "I guess they wanted me to follow in their footsteps."

"What do they do?"

"As far as I've ever been able to tell? Nothing. Be adored. They go from lover to lover, have them pay for everything and then flit away to the next person when they get bored. I'm sure it's a very fun life for them, it's just not the life I wanted."

"They had you, though. There must be something there."

"I was an accident. They weren't nearly as interested in the baby as they are in the, er, baby-making," Alyss declared primly, sipping at his tea and flushing faintly. "They're complicated people."

'Complicated', Jean had long ago learned, was what one called the people you desperately wanted to care for you, even if they never would. "I think their disappointment is their loss," he said simply.

Alyss nearly choked on his drink. "Ahm. Well, what about you? Where are you from? Wait, is that alright to ask? You don't have to answer."

"It's fine."Jean figured the questions would come, eventually, and he'd rather they come from someone like Alyss, someone who seemed truly, honestly nice. "Mississippi, a long time ago. If you mean the angel, you wouldn't have heard of him. It was in Africa, very small little place." He rolled to his feet before Alyss could think of any more questions to ask. "I'll take the tray if you're done -"

"Oh, you don't have to, I can -!" Alyss scrambled to his feet and grabbed hastily for the tray. He moved so abruptly, so unexpectedly, that the end result was to have the vampire nearly crash into his back, between his wings, so close that the warmth of him rolled like a summer breeze over the feathery down peeking out of the angel's shirt.

Both men froze. The wings twitched once and then went rigidly still. Jean was close enough to see a deep blush against the pale skin of the angel's neck; he could also see the quick beat of his pulse there. He could smell the old book and ancient library scent of him. There was not even an inch between his fingers and those amber-colored feathers, and for a moment he wanted nothing more than to sink his hands into them and find out if they were as fine, as silky, as soft as they looked. The vampire suddenly realized, in a blaze of enlightenment, that Alyss would likely not stop him.

Alyss closed his eyes. He hadn't had anyone this intimately close to him in well over a decade, and even then it had been more awkward than enticing. But the spicy scent of Jean, mingled with the faint smell of the woods and a passing hint of soap and aftershave, felt cataclysmically erotic in ways he couldn't even begin to understand. His hands were shaking and he took them from the tray before the clatter could give him away, but he didn't dare move in any direction. He could barely breathe as it was.

"Alyss." His name spoken by that low, calm voice felt newly minted to the world and loaded with decadent, unspoken suggestions.

"Um," was all the angel could croak out and he could have kicked himself for it, eyes closing and head lolling down minutely in embarrassment. He heard that low, rusty chuckle, brief and ephemeral, as if Jean were only just learning how to make the sound, and his head whipped around, only to find himself dangerously close to the face of the much taller vampire. His breath caught.

Jean blew out a slow breath, saw it touch the angel’s lips, saw Alyss lick them automatically, and knew he’d been right.

Alyss saw the vampire step back. And then he felt a touch, as delicate as a kiss, along the leading edge of one of his wings.

"I'll take the tray. You've got work."

"Okay," the angel managed to strangle out, knees gone wobbly at such a tiny, tiny gesture. He stepped aside somehow, watched the vampire pick up the tray and head out without another word, and crashed down to sit on the bed not knowing what to even think of the new shape of the world.

How was he supposed to get back to work after that?!

After a week, Alyss realized Alistaire's crimes were infinitely worse than falsifying his accounts. Things had escalated so that he was giving Kliman a nightly report, usually with Gevaun and Lilah in attendance, if the latter wasn't traveling.

"Call in Rook," Kliman told Lilah after one particularly convoluted and vicious bit of business. "This only gets worse the more I hear of it." As the liaison nodded and left the room, the older angel turned to her accountant. "Alyss, you have new directions."

"Yes, ma'am?" The young angel drew himself up straight.

"Do what you can so Alistaire's successor can get past all of this," she waved her hands over the documentation the accountant had brought her, "and anything else you discover, and get things back on the proper course."

"Yes, ma'am."

She waved him away and Alyss picked up his papers and fled the room. He was just past the door when he heard Gevaun's voice rumble.

"He's going to run."

"He will try," Kliman said icily. "Rook will make sure he does not get far."

Alyss rushed down the hallway and up half a flight of stairs, and that was as far as he got. He leaned against the wall, shaking, holding onto his paperwork as if it were a life raft. He didn't know anything, not the warmth of the house around him, not the rainy view outside the round window off to one side of him, only the hammering of his heart.

"Alyss?"

The angel nearly jumped out of his skin at that familiar voice. When he spoke, his words were shaky with relief. "Oh, Jean."

The vampire moved closer, frowning. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, well, um. I think I just killed someone." Alyss tried to shrug, it came out a shiver. Tried to smile and it came out terribly wobbly.

Jean's brows shot up, and he moved closer still. He'd have expected any number of reactions from an angel who admitted to such a thing; Alyss' was not on that list. Instead of saying anything he touched, very lightly, the back of one of those white-knuckled hands. "Alyss -"

"I've been working on the Vermont data, I mean, you know I have, everyone knows I have, of course you'd know, and I keep finding things wrong, and more and more wrong, and of course I report everything to Gevaun and Lilah and Kliman, so they have to do something about it, but I got so used to everyone being happy here, everyone's happy here, and I didn't think -"

"Alyss," Jean said a third time, and put a calloused thumb over the angel's lips.

Alyss cut himself off with a squeak.

Jean had to very sternly talk himself into pulling his hand away. "Did you put a gun to Alistaire's head? Did you force him to do whatever it is he did?" When the angel shook his head meekly, Jean shrugged. "He's a grown man, Alyss. He's nearly two hundred years old, and he's worked for Kliman all of his free life. He knows the rules. He's the one who chose to break them. And when he could've come clean he chose to go in even deeper." Very carefully, very pointedly he added, "his crimes aren't for you to carry."

When the angel drew in a stuttering, uncertain breath, his brown gaze skittering away, Jean had to accept a realization he'd been shying away from. "You're not used to places like this, are you. Kliman's house. Where everyone's... happy." God, more and more the vampire was being forced to accept that the accountant might actually be a decent creature.

Alyss shook his head. "I've seen such things, Jean," he whispered. "They aren't fair and they aren't right and no one does anything about them because they're vampires." He huffed. "’Oh, they're just vampires’," he mocked a snooty tone, then scowled. "We made them that. We made you that. And then everyone just, just -"

"Hey." Jean caught the accountant by the shoulders and shook him lightly. "Can you change Alistaire?"

"No. I mean... No, I don't even know him."

"How far back do your records go?"

"Oh, I'm anywhere between five and twenty years in for some of them and I'm still -"

"I know it’s different for angels, Alyss, but for normal people twenty years is an eternity. People can change so much in twenty years, if they want to. He just got worse. Was he going to stop if you didn't catch him?"

Jean watched that sweet brown gaze dart this way and that, running from reality, trying to find an answer other than the truth. In the end the angel sagged down, beaten. "No."

"God." The vampire looked at nothing in particular for a long moment before giving Alyss his attention again. "You're nicer than anyone deserves, you do know that?"

"I'd like to think I'm the normal level of nice," the angel replied in a mutinous murmur.

Jean had to grin at that. "I'll help you to your room." When he saw the amber wings twitch, the vampire reconsidered. "Have you been to the sunroom yet?"

"I don't think so."

"Come on. We'll drop off your stuff and I'll give you the tour I guess no one gave you when you got here."

The weather shifted to crisp, chilly and sunny autumn days; the change, as much as the shift in the direction of his work, helped Alyss shake off his glum.

Much of it, he had to admit, had to do with his conversation with Jean. The vampire hadn't been cruel but he'd been blunt, and honest, and calm. Alyss might not like it but he knew Jean was right, and to a certain degree so were Gevaun and Kliman. He couldn't, wouldn't ever approve of the casual, gleeful cruelty he'd witnessed against other vampires, but Alistaire was not the sort of vampire that would respond to kindness. To him it was simply a weakness to be exploited.

It made Alyss mad, though. Alistaire's attitude was precisely why no one cared when other vampires suffered at the hands of their angels. One horrible rotten apple, ruining life for everyone else in the barrel.

The Connecticut angel arrived early next morning. He was very much what everyone expected of an angel, tall and powerfully built, young, with sharply defined features and piercing eyes, short brown hair and red and brown wings serrated with white. He suffered a hug from Kliman which he stiffly tried to return, shared a strong, friendly handshake with Gevaun and ignored the fact that the entirety of the house staff was peeking out of every window. When they were introduced he examined Alyss for all of three seconds and immediately dismissed him. The accountant gratefully scurried back to his office, where he stayed until dinner time rolled around and he was told Kliman's enforcer would not be joining them, having already gone on his way. He still spent dinner listening to the staff swoon and gush over the Connecticut angel, fleeing as quickly as the excellent chicken pot pie allowed it. Listening to other people list the many ways in which he himself was not a noteworthy angel wasn't his idea of a good time.

If it weren't utterly unthinkable, he would have put something terrible in the Connecticut books just to be horrible and petty and mean. But it would have been... well, horrible and petty and mean. And dishonest, which was something Alyss tried never to be unless he were specifically hired for it. And even then he was always very dubious about taking on that kind of job, because it unfailingly got complicated and sticky and unpleasant.

Besides, as he paced restlessly through his office and room, staring at his tablet, he was already wondering if he hadn't ended up embroiled in precisely that kind of situation.

Maine wasn't adding up.

Maine was run directly from Kliman's home, directly by the angel. Chere ruled over the kitchen, yes, but part of the reason Kliman had a liaison was so she could oversee her house and her state personally. Every decision that might have caused the books to be wrong would have to go through her. Could it be a test? To see if Alyss really was as good as he claimed? Could it be a trap? The discrepancies weren't terribly big but they were there, needling him.

Alyss snatched a cloak and threw himself out of the balcony, circling once and gliding down to the short, lighted path that followed the perimeter of the pond. He had to get away, had to clear his head. He needed the silence of the woods; he regretted his choice almost immediately, when the cold of the season, compounded by the proximity of the water, slammed into him and left him shivering. He wrapped his wings around himself as best he could and clung to the cloak, muttering very unkind things about his inability to ignore the cold.

In the dark and the silence, the distant sound of an unfamiliar engine came to him on the breeze and for a moment he fancied he heard Jean's voice. It shot a pang through him and he realized he missed the vampire; he hadn't caught a single glimpse of him through the entire day. Shivering, he hurried in the direction of the sounds. He found himself going through the dark woods, on a road he didn't recognize and could barely be called one, and pulled his wings even closer to himself, wary. The road brought him to another side of the marshlands that dominated a good third of Kliman's estate and to an entirely unexpected sight.

Across perhaps fifty or sixty feet of still water he could see the wooden walkway that ran along the other side of the marsh. There was a boat there, the shallow-keeled type, engine humming very quietly in the still, cold air. Three people were already on it, two of them huddled down as close to one another as they could, the third minding the engine and holding a violet-tinted, very small light. There were six more people on the walkway, and even as he looked Alyss recognized one as Gevaun. Kliman's Second was wearing dark, comfortable clothing, and even as Alyss looked he saw the vampire pick up one of the other figures and set them down gently on the boat, holding on until the new passenger had found their footing. By his side, someone else in a dark, heavy lined jacket handed over a small bag.

Alyss knew that jacket. That was Jean. What was going on? The whole thing had the feel of something clandestine and dangerous, but Gevaun and Jean were... well, maybe not friends but they were good people. Gevaun was the sort of person that came to mind when the angel thought of the word 'stalwart'. And Jean, well, Jean was Jean.

Skirting the edges of the marsh and hoping that he wouldn't run himself into any more horrible spiky briers, Alyss inched closer to the strange little gathering. He paused at the very edge of the woods without setting foot on the walkway, knowing that if he did he'd be far too visible, even if the vampires didn't scent or hear him. He was honestly surprised they hadn't heard him already; to the accountant his passage through the woods had sounded only a little quieter than an avalanche.

He was close enough to hear Jean speak in that low, calm, steady tone he knew so well to one of the other people, a smaller figure than most of them there, though the angel was still too far away to make out the words. The vampire then picked them up, careful and slow.

There was still a muffled cry of pain ringing clear over the marsh.

Alyss gasped out loud and surged a step forward before he knew what he'd done, driven by an instinct older than the world. He froze almost immediately, but the heads of both the vampires had whipped around as if they were starving predators who'd scented blood. The angel groped blindly behind him for support that most obviously wasn't there, backing away from the scene. He turned to run.

A painfully strong grip caught his shoulder, spun him around and slammed him wings-first into the nearest tree. He cried out in surprise more than pain, reaching out to try and grab onto his attacker... and froze.

A knife, a long hunter's blade keenly sharp on a weathered wooden handle, was pressed against the skin of his throat, just under his chin. Alyss froze, disbelieving and terrified, a tiny chirping sound of panic escaping him.

Gevaun's eyes went very wide when he realized who he'd caught. His expression, which had sharpened to nearly wolf-like lines, crashed into chagrin, and he very succinctly summed up both the situation and everyone's feelings about it. "Well, crap."

"Walk, Alyss," Gevaun commanded, turning the accountant around to face the walkway, his tone brooking no argument.

"I'd rather just go -"

"Matt has a rifle, Jean has a shotgun, I have a lot of knives and you're just getting to your third century. Walk."

Huddled miserably in his cloak, his wings dragging behind him and his whole body shaking in incomprehending fear, Alyss dutifully walked up to the little scene he'd spied on the walkway, his feet occasionally catching on the uneven planks.

"Alyss." Jean's tone and expression were both stricken. Behind him, three figures huddled closer at the sight of the angel. Alyss could all but smell the fear in the air, thicker even than the unmistakable scent of the vampires. He could also smell blood, and it made his feathers shift restlessly. "What," Jean demanded, "are you doing here?" He was having trouble accepting that he might have misjudged the angel so badly, or believing that Alyss could indeed be a spy. He didn't make that kind of mistake, he never had.

"My head was full," Alyss muttered, and there, before the vampire, the person that he'd come to trust above all others in Kliman's house, it was as if a dam had broken. "It was all numbers and chaos rattling around and I couldn't get it to stop because it's all a mess that I can't, I can't fix because it's these books, for here, for Maine and those shouldn't be wrong but they are and -"

"Alyss." Jean lifted a hand to quiet the angel, to soothe him as he had before, and Alyss jerked away, fear in the rich brown of his eyes. The vampire froze. It was a gesture he was far too familiar with, that flinch. His life had been full of it for the past few centuries. But he'd never been the one to provoke it on someone he knew, someone he cared for. He stepped back, his features graven in stone. "Gevaun -"

"I have no bloody clue what to do," the other vampire admitted in Berber.

"He's not a spy," Jean matched the language.

"Jean, I know you like the sunflower but he was there. Hiding in the woods, looking at us. That's normally called spying."

"He's not a spy!"

"Even if he's not, now what? We cut him loose and hope he doesn't tell anyone? His mouth runs, you'll have noticed!"

Jean had no response to that, the very concept seeming so utterly outlandish to him, so he switched tacks. "What do you want to do, kill him? Somehow? He's not old, but he's old enough to make it hard. And how do we explain that when the Refuge comes asking after him?"

"There's no one who'd come asking for him," Gevaun replied ruthlessly.

Jean saw the flinch a second before Alyss joined the conversation in the same language. "I speak Berber, you know." He sounded tired and defeated.

Everyone went quiet once again. Behind Jean, one of the huddled figures started shivering so hard their teeth were clacking. Alyss automatically threw his wings back and undid the clasps on his cloak.

"What are you doing?" Gevaun demanded.

"They're cold," Alyss murmured, slipping the cloak off and stepping forward.

"What," Gevaun tried to step forward between the angel and the three figures, but found his way momentarily barred by one of those amber wings, "are you doing, get -"

"They're cold!" Alyss nearly shouted at the vampire before moving forward.

The shivering figure was a young man, absolutely beautiful, with very pale skin and refined features, eyes gone wide with terror at the sight of the angel. He was so cold in the bleak New England night his lips were turning purple, but he didn't move. His fear went to confusion, and then embarrassed gratitude, when Alyss threw the cloak over his shoulders, to cover the flimsy embroidered tunic and blousy black pants that were all he wore. "Gracias."

"De nada," Alyss replied automatically, stepping back and whirling to face the two vampires. "You're both wearing jackets. You're both old! He's a baby, and you didn't think to give him one? To bring a blanket or something for him? For the rest of them?"

The silence lingered before Jean admitted, "We don't speak Spanish, neither of us. We didn't know who was coming, only that -"

"Jean!"

"- only that they were coming," the vampire finished stubbornly, and he and Gevaun glared wordlessly at one another.

"Oh, for the love of prime numbers!" Alyss cried out, turning once again, his voice gentle and his question pointed. One of the other three, a woman, spoke to him in a different language, and he switched seamlessly to match her.

"Oi," the vampire at the boat's rudder suddenly called out. "I'm sure this is a problem for you lot, but I need to get them out of here quick." He threw in an extra incentive. "Van's heated."

Jean turned around. "Alyss," he called out, and gestured to the third woman, who was wrapped up in a fine woolen blanket stitched with ribbons and exquisite embroidered edges. "Tell her I will help her into the boat, but it's gonna hurt."

"Why is it -" The question withered in Alyss' mouth as the truth, finally, bloomed to life in his mind.

Runaways. They were all runaways.

He turned to the woman, who was staring sightlessly at the marsh, and began gently asking questions, rolling through every language he knew. She twitched at one point, and finally turned to not quite face him when he translated for Jean.

"It's only pain," she murmured emotionlessly, her Finnish without accent. "I will try not to cry out this time."

"She understands," Alyss told Jean, his mouth dry with the new, growing horror of it. He turned to the other woman waiting on the dock. "You're all... This is... You could die, you know, you could die if they catch you," he told her in Polish.

She scoffed. There were bruises like shadows all over her face, and scars all along her neck; as a vampire she was young enough that she wasn't healing quickly, and her healing was not clean. Either that, or someone had made an effort to make sure she got no benefit of either. "Better to die than to go back to that life," she replied, and her conviction was ironclad.

"Is that... why you're here? All of you?"

"No." Her gaze darted to where Jean was carrying the Finnish vampire onto the boat. "No. Some of us are here because they would have never let us die."

That thought, Alyss found out, was even more horrifying than the possibility of a cruel death.

He shook his head when the young man offered him the cloak back and stood there, watching while they all boarded, and then as Jean and Gevaun shoved the boat away with long poles until it was clear of the cattails bordering the walkway. Someone lifted an arm and waved before the boatman turned off his light and the darkness swallowed them all.

Alyss automatically waved back and heard Gevaun sigh, saw the Second rub at his face. Well, as far as the angel was concerned there was really only one thing he could say, and so he said it. "Your accountant is absolutely terrible and hasn't bothered to hide all of the money you're stealing for this at all."

Gevaun turned very slowly to stare at the angel, his expression full of disbelief. "You audited us?"

"Of course I did!" Jean saw Alyss' wings twitch with the angel's exasperation. "You hired me to audit you!"

"To audit them!"

"To audit New England! Which you're part of! What, were you expecting I'd do a terrible job?! Or, or, or not do my job at all?!" When Gevaun, caught off-guard by the very obvious counter, sputtered, Alyss barreled on. "And it's lucky it was me and not someone from New York because your books are the worst mess, no one's made so much as an effort to hide the fact money's going missing everywhere, I can't imagine what something like this costs, except obviously not enough to buy blankets or, I don't know, have something warm to drink when they -" Alyss trailed off, another piece of the puzzle clicking into place.

Hot cocoa and warm croissants, always ready in the kitchen.

Gevaun looked sheepish. "Chere was asleep when we got the call."

Alyss covered his face and made a wordless, high-pitched sound of impatience.

"We weren't expecting this many of them!"

"Then you make plans for when it happens, because it's going to happen! Things always go wrong. Always! That's one of the first things you learn running a business, that's why you make plans, and contingencies for the plans, and contingencies for the contingencies, and you don't very well leave them lying around on your documents for when the Guild comes calling, which honestly I'm astonished they haven't -"

"Kliman happens," Jean pitched in, voice quiet, arms crossed.

"What?" Alyss lost track of the conversation, turning to face the other vampire.

"If the Guild comes by, Kliman happens to them," Jean repeated. "She shuts down their skills. Part of her power."

"How's that going to help if someone in Manhattan decides to go over your books electronically? Or if they send in angels or, or, or the Consort? Couldn't you at least, I don't know, pretend like you aren't getting runaway vampires to safety? Did you go to the cheap bin for your accounting? Do you even have one?!"

"We do, b-"

"Well, then I want to talk to them," the angel demanded, drawing himself up, an effort to look commanding that was entirely ruined by the fact he was shivering in the cold. "I want to talk to your accountant," he declared primly, and it almost sounded like a threat. Almost. Except for the part where he tripped on the walkway once again when he tried to stalk off into the dark.

"Let him go," Jean's voice was very low when he spoke to stop Gevaun, who'd whipped around to follow after the angel.

"But -"

"But his mouth runs?" The vampire's brows went up. "He's an accountant, Gevaun. He's been an accountant to hundreds of angels and vampires, most of them the kind no one else wants to touch. And nobody's heard a peep of the crap he probably found and fixed on their books, have they?" He clicked his tongue, walking sedately away. "His mouth runs," he mocked. "We better go wake up the, uh, the cheap bin accountant."

Alyss went to his room and paced, and flailed, and argued with himself a great deal.

On the one hand, he couldn't disagree with what Gevaun and Jean had done. Yes, vampires were dangerous, predatory, horrible. Yes, many of them were no better than Alistaire. At the middle ground, they were no better than Andrew, content to coast through life doing the bare minimum. Or Gracie, clueless and happy to remain so. And the threat of losing control to their hunger for blood was always there, always.

But at some point the burden of Alistaires meant that everyone had stopped looking closely at the matter. The angels, the Guild, they had given up the entire vampiric population as a loss, blood-thirsty fiends without will or thought, bent merely on greed and destruction. The Guild had even made a concerted effort to render the VPA toothless, unable to protect those like the Finnish woman. They'd been so busy wanting free reign to hunt the monsters that they'd set up the victims to be trampled in their wake. Bloodlust was treated as a noose around their neck, a sword forever dangling over them. Alyss had long ago given up trying to understand the sheer stupidity of that way of thinking, because it didn’t affect him. It didn’t touch him.

That night, it most certainly had touched him.

On the other hand, every mortal who wished to become a vampire chose to do so. They chose to accept a hundred years of servitude. They were given the contract to read, to consider, to sign or reject as they saw fit.

But a contract did not excuse the abuse he'd seen on the Polish woman. Or the horror he hadn't seen on the Finnish woman.

He was, Alyss realized, losing the argument to a part of himself that was heavily implying that rules and laws were more like guidelines, really, arr. And he didn't know what to make of it. He was an accountant. He lived his life to bring numbers to order by following a very specific set of rules. Certainly he could twist them, bend them, but he had always done his best to abide by the rules and to do what was right. Never before in his life had the two principles been so diametrically opposed.

There was a delicate knock on the door he'd locked, and he dug the heels of his hands against his eyes. "Please, Chere, I really don't feel like eating!"

"It's not Chere," a cheerful woman's voice replied. "I'm the accountant."

Oh, this was a fight Alyss was more than ready for. He stalked to the door, unlocked it and flung it open. "Do you realize -"

His voice strangled to a delicate whine. There was a sword tip brushing his throat, just above his Adam's apple. It was a fine burnished length of steel, both edges sharpened, without guard; it was done in the old Etruscan style. The pommel was wrapped in leather, utilitarian rather than decorative.

Kliman, wearing a pair of very comfortable hiking pants and a soft pink knit sweater, smiled thinly at the younger angel. "Hello, Alyss. You wanted to talk to me?"

Alyss had automatically thrown his hands up. He looked at the older angel in stunned disbelief and swallowed against the lump of terror in his throat. It refused to budge.

"Back." The smile vanished, Kliman all business. "My house doesn't need to deal with this potential ruckus." She herded him back into the room, the sword never wavering, and closed and locked the door behind her. "Now, there's always the balcony," she admitted. "But if you run I'm going to chase you. And I'm the one who taught Rook everything he knows."

"I won't," Alyss breathed.

"Eh?"

"I won't run, ma'am, I promise."

"Mm. Unlike Gevaun, I'm willing to believe you." She dropped the sword and sheathed it on a half-sheath resting across her back. "Now, you had a speech all ready to go, didn't you."

Alyss opened his mouth. Closed it. "I forgot it," he admitted hoarsely.

She had to chuckle at that. "Well, how about I give you some facts and you can give me the salient points of it. Yes, I know what Gevaun is doing. I am, in fact, the one that started him doing it. I'm not ashamed of it. No, Jean was not supposed to be involved and I'm very cross at them for it. Yes, there was supposed to be a departure tonight. No, half those vampires weren't supposed to be there but one of the safehouses along the pipeline has been compromised. Yes, all of my staff knows; most of them come from the pipeline. No, I'm not actually an accountant but I had no one I trusted to do the book-keeping, considering..." She waved he hand at the balcony.

Alyss pressed his hands close, trying to decide which of his inner halves ought to speak to this new, terrifying version of his hostess. All things considered, he wasn't terribly surprised when Guidelines, Arr-Alyss won out. "You can't do that, ma'am. Respectfully. Everyone forgets to write down things, and in a big household like this money's bound to get lost, but you're financing an entire, uh... pipeline. And it shows. Does it ever, ever show."

One of Kliman's golden brows went up, though she wasn't about to admit to Alyss why it had done so. Instead, very mildly, she replied, "It's that bad, huh?"

"It's... It's... It's somewhat blatant," Alyss explained as diplomatically as possible, unaware that his struggles had left Kliman trying not to laugh. "I'm just saying, it's not hard to hide what you're doing. It's not easy but it's not... If you're trained it's not outside the realm of possibility."

"Hm. Well, that's delightful to know. When can you get started?"

Alyss choked. "Excuse me?"

"You were terribly angry at me before that door opened. You are still angry, you're just more scared than angry. But you know what I haven't heard from you, not once?" Kliman's voice softened. "Disapproval. It's not even a consideration for you." Some of her amusement shone through. "You're upset that I bungled the books, which is fair. But you don't disapprove of what we're doing here, do you."

Alyss felt the argument within him grow to a crescendo, and finally crown a winner. "No. It needs doing, and no one else seems to care."

"We care." Kliman moved closer to set a warm, gentle hand on Alyss' shoulder. "I care. Please, help me, help us, keep on doing this."

Alyss sighed shakily. "Well, I didn't really have anything lined up after this job. I guess I can stay a little longer."

"Wonderful." Kliman beamed at him, whirled around and headed out of the room. "Now come with me."

"Come where?"

"To make sure Jean hasn't killed someone."

"He... what? Excuse -" Alyss hastily trotted after the older angel. "Excuse, excuse me, he, why would he -"

"Child, you can't be so blind not to see he does more than endure your company. Have you seen him suffer any other angels?" Kliman wasn't slowing down. She led the way to her office and threw the doors open to the vast space, full of rosewood furnishings and ancient Etruscan and Hittite art that would have made a museum curator weep. The room was warm, airy and during the daytime it would likely be brightly lit, even without lamps. At the moment, only one half of it was lit. There, Gevaun and Lilah were struggling to keep a snarling Jean pinned down against a desk surrounded by debris. "There! Here he is, safe and sound, now you can stop being so dramatic," Kliman said tartly. "Let him go."

Gevaun and Lilah stepped back and Jean sprang up and away from them, fangs momentarily bared in an entirely feral reaction. Alyss had stopped at the double doors, a hand stretched out, his face frozen in a stricken expression as, again, too many bits and bobs of information came together in his mind.

The fact it took both Gevaun and Lilah to hold Jean down meant the one vampire he'd thought to be the youngest of the three was actually the oldest. And very, very old.

Jean's not staff. He's a guest and he's currently recovering.

A runaway. Memories flickered through Alyss' mind, the way the young Spanish-speaking vampire had frozen in terror at his proximity, the way the Finnish vampire had not even been able to look at him.

Have you seen him suffer any other angels?

No. He wouldn't even join Kliman's dinner table.

"Jean, are you -" Alyss tripped over the wrong words for the right question. "Are you hurt? Are you going to be alright?"

The entire room came to a stop. Jean's mouth had opened but whatever he'd meant to say, the younger angel's question had trumped it. He swallowed hard. "I'm fine," he gritted out and slowly, very slowly, he reached out for that outstretched hand. Alyss clung to the warm, calloused touch of it. "Are you hurt?" The vampire laced his fingers through Alyss', moving closer with a slow calm he was not feeling but refusing to do anything that might make the angel flinch again.

"Well, my pride, my dignity and my belief I'm halfway-clever are all quite dead," Alyss replied meekly, "but no, I'm fine. Really, I'm fine."

"Alyss has agreed to replace our cheap bin accountant," Kliman informed the room dryly, and the other angel went red to his ears. "Thank goodness, because I hate the job. Now, exciting as this all has been, I think everyone should get some rest tonight and tomorrow. Time enough on Friday to face the world once again." She stalked out of the room, and when no one followed her she snapped, "Gevaun, you're already on my shit list, you might want to do something about that." The vampire hurried after his mistress.

Lilah paused at the door. "Alyss?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you." She was gone without waiting for a reply.

Whatever well of righteous indignation had carried the accountant that far chose that moment to run dry. He threatened to go down with with a startled, puzzled little sound, and he'd have crashed face down on the rich knotted rug if the vampire's powerful arms had not caught him and steadied him against his body. "You're fine, you're fine, I got you."

"I can't feel my knees," Alyss declared dazedly, too dizzy to worry that he was clinging to Jean.

"That's fine." Jean shifted, and Alyss was suddenly up, cradled and carried in the vampire's arms. "Not a fighter, are you?"

"Numbers don't threaten people with knives and swords and things," Alyss protested. "And I think I've done quite well, all things considered."

"You did," the vampire assured him, carrying him away from the office and heading for the accountant's rooms. "The adrenaline wore off, that's all."

"Could I have some from the kitchen, please? This is very undignified. And you shouldn't have to carry anyone if you don't want to."

Once again, Jean couldn't help but feel a smile tugging at him. "Chere's fresh out, I think." The door to Alyss' room had been left open; Jean expertly shoved it closed with a foot once they were inside. "I don't mind carrying you," he admitted at last.

"Why? You're like them. You're -" Alyss looked up, and there was so much worry in the sweet brown of his eyes that the vampire felt it like a physical blow. "It had to be worse for you, so much worse, you're old. You're very old." He went limp against Jean's shoulder. "It's not fair. You're so nice. Only nice things should happen to you."

"And that would be the triple-f crash talking," Jean said, his voice gone rough with emotion at that sentiment, so vast and so simply, so easily offered to him.

"I don't swear," Alyss protested primly.

Jean blew out an amused breath as he set the angel on his bed. "Not that kind of 'f', Alyss. Fight, flight, freeze."

"Oh." Alyss suddenly clung to Jean's shirt. "Stay? Please? I just - Tell me they're gonna be alright. Tell me they'll be safe. I keep seeing them and, and -"

Jean touched a thumb to that runaway mouth, frowned, and fought with the entirely too gleeful part of himself that pointed out that those words totally counted as an invitation to the angel's bed, and from there it was a short hop, skip and jump to doing things the vampire had become unacquainted with over the past few decades. The touch of that wing, like silk and sunshine, lingered in his memory, made his fingers tingle.

He slipped onto the bed, kicking off his boots, but he kept a safe distance between them that threatened to kill him out of sheer inadequacy. "We're just a waystation, a safehouse. Boston sends them to us when they come from overseas, and we find them a life elsewhere. Kliman makes sure they have a way to start over. Evie and her people make up new doc -" Alyss pressed close against the vampire's side. "- uments."

"Everyone has a job. You must have done this so many times."

"No. Twice a year on a good year. Once is the norm. Getting a vampire away from this sort of situation isn't easy, sunflower." The nickname slipped out before he knew what he'd done and Jean could only be glad that the angel was too close to sleep to notice it. "Not if you want them to get away clean. Not if you want to make sure they really need to get away; that they're not rogues looking for an easy way out of their contract. I guarantee at least two angels are going to come sniffing by after tonight. Or they'll send the Guild after us again."

He felt Alyss shiver, mostly asleep. "No. I'll erase everything, they'll never find anything they can use, not a thing, not a number, not a single decimal."

"You do that." Jean was silent, waiting. He was rewarded after a few minutes with the steady breathing that announced Alyss had fallen asleep, exhausted by having to do things very much not in an accountant's repertoire.

And yet he'd been fierce and determined, staunch to a fault even in his terror, and it had been very much been terror - the vampire had smelled it on him like fire licking the walls of Alexandria. Jean knew then that he'd been right: Alyss was a truly good person.

He sighed, wanting very much to stay where he was, knowing he should leave. He shifted to try and slip away -

An arm slid over his chest, followed a moment later by one of those amber-colored wings. Jean froze. "Alyss."

"Mm."

"Alyss, I can't stay here."

"Why?"

A plaintive voice inside Jean was indignantly asking the same question. "They'll think I've slept with you."

"But you are sleeping with me," came the drowsy reply.

Jean realized there was absolutely no way he could explain the semantic differences between what each of them was saying to a bird that wasn't really awake anymore. He tipped his head back and chuckled soundlessly. "I suppose I am," he drawled, admitting defeat, and settling down under the angel's embrace.

#alyss and jean #angel #vampire #fantasy #modern fantasy #urban fantasy #nalini singh #guild hunter #my writing #implied violence #fanfiction #male on male

5 notes · View notes