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whumpdoyoumean · 1 year

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A/N: I was not planning on writing this, but here is a lil part 2 to my Fire Country tag! xxx

“Bode? Bode, c’mon. Come on, Bode!”

Jake pats at Bode’s face, shakes his shoulders, but nothing works. He just watches helplessly as Bode’s lids flutter, and then his eyes roll back in his head, his face going slack.

“Oh my god, Jake is he--” Freddy begins, and Jake waves him off with the hand that’s not currently at Bode’s neck feeling for his pulse. He knows how that sentence ends and he doesn’t want to hear it, doesn’t want to even think it.

He feels the thump thump of a heartbeat a second later, just like he knew he would (hoped he would).

“He’s alive,” he says, and out of the corner of his eye he sees Freddy nearly collapse with relief. “But he’s tachy.”

“Tachy? What does that mean?”

Jake looks at Bode’s sheet-white face, at the sweat beading his forehead and the paleness of his lips, and his stomach knots with worry.

“Jake?”

Jake looks up at Freddy, who’s staring at him wide-eyed. He looks like he might burst into tears at any second, which is how Jake is how Jake would be feeling if he stopped to let himself think anything.

“It means his heart is beating too fast. It’s his body trying to compensate for blood loss. He needs that ambulance, Freddy.”

“Is there anything I can do?” the man asks helplessly.

“Actually, yes. I need you to go find Captain Perez and ask him for an update on the ambulance. And bring me some blankets!”

Freddy nods and jogs off toward the smoldering fire camp. Jake turns his attention back to Bode.

“Alright, Bode, come back…” He makes a fist and rubs his knuckles firmly and quickly against the man’s sternum. Bode groans, one hand reaching up to bat weakly at Jake’s, and Jake lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “Good, Bode, you with me?”

“What th’ hell?” Bode slurs, one eye opening and then the other as he glares up at Jake with an expression that’s equal parts confused and pained and that’s a million times better than unconscious.

“You passed out there for a sec, B. You’ve lost some blood but you’re gonna be okay. Ambulance is coming. You need to stay awake though, okay? Don’t--don’t do that again. You scared me.”

“‘m sorry. I…I screwed ever’thing up.”

There’s a part of Jake that agrees, but a bigger part that knows if Odin had gotten away then he would’ve gone on to cause more damage, hurt more people.

“Naw, Bode. You had to stop him. He was dangerous.”

Bode puts one hand over Jake’s, and Jake can’t help but notice that his hands are clammy and trembling.

“‘s not what I mean.”

Jake frowns slightly and Bode continues.

“Back when I…left, I--” Bode swallows thickly. “I should’ve--should’ve said somethin’, I should’ve…”

“Hey, that’s all in the past now,” Jake says. He thinks the blood has finally stopped, but he’s afraid that if he takes any pressure off then it’ll just start again and Bode will bleed out, so he keeps his blood-slick hands over the pile of reddened gauze.

“And I’m--I’m sorry about Gabriella.”

Jake sighs, closing his eyes for a moment. Freddy comes jogging up right then, and Jake is grateful for the disruption.

“Here,” Freddy says breathlessly, his arms piled high with blankets that smell like smoke.

“Good, drop ‘em here. We need to get one on him, and use the others to prop up his feet.”

Freddy nods obediently, dumping the blankets onto the floor. He piles all but one next to Bode’s feet.

“I won’t hurt him if I move him?” he says.

“‘m okay, Freddy.” Bode’s voice is low and scratchy, not at all convincing, but Freddy nods seriously.

“K, I’m gonna lift your legs up, now.”

Bode’s brow furrows as Freddy lifts his legs, jaw tightening, and Jake is glad that Freddy can’t see the pain on his face.

“There we go, buddy. Jake, is that good?”

Jake looks over and nods. “Yeah, looks good.”

“Here.” Freddy holds out the last blanket.

Jake still doesn’t want to move his hands, but he’s certain now that the bleeding has stopped and Bode needs to stay warm, so he carefully lifts his hands away from the wound, watching for any fresh blood and, on not seeing any, takes the blanket and drapes it carefully over Bode.

“What’d Cap say about that ambulance?”

“He called again, said they’re getting close. Maybe eight minutes out.”

Eight minutes. It’s not a long time, usually. An eight minute wait at a restaurant, or eight minutes until kickoff of the big game, even eight minutes on hold isn’t too bad. But there are other times when eight minutes feels like an eternity. Eight minutes in a bad fire can feel like an eternity.

And so, it turns out, can eight minutes waiting for an ambulance to come for your ex-best friend turned rival turned whatever the hell is going on now. He still doesn’t know exactly where they stand, still has a lot of anger and hurt over a lot of things, but he does know, is absolutely certain, that he doesn’t want Bode to die.

“How we doin’, Bode?” he asks.

“Pain’s not…not so bad anymore. Gettin’ cold.”

Jake feels a spike of concern, and he feels Freddy move closer to him.

“That’s bad, right?” he whispers.

“We’ve just gotta keep him talking,” Jake says.

“Hear that, Bode? Keep talking!” Freddy encourages.

Bode’s breath is coming in in fast, short bursts now, his skin ashen, and Jake guesses that if he could see better, he’d see a bluish tint to his lips. He’s obviously struggling to stay awake, but he’s fighting and that’s what matters. As long as he keeps fighting…

“Come on, Bode.”

“If--if…”

Jake has the sick feeling that he knows where this is going.

“If I don’t--”

“Don’t talk like that,” he says gently.

“No!” Bode says it with surprising strength, then winces. When he speaks again his words are quiet and halting. “Jake, if I don’t…if I don’t make it I need…I need you to tell my mom that I. I tried. I just w-wanted to keep her safe. ‘n tell my dad I just…I hope I made him-m proud.”

Jake reaches under the blanket, finding Bode’s cool, clammy hand and gripping it tight.

“You’re gonna be fine, Bode. You can tell them all of that, and more, alright?”

“‘n tell Gabby…”

Jake feels a stab of jealousy and guiltily shoves it down.

“Tell ‘er thank you. For savin’ me. And--and thank you. For not turning me in.”

“It was nothing,” Jake says. “I…probably deserved that punch.”

Bode’s mouth turns up in something approaching a smile and he nods once. “Yeah.”

“Do you hear sirens?” Freddy says suddenly, and Jake looks up toward the road. He can hear the faint sirens, and distant red lights are visible through the trees.

“They’re here, Bode! They’re almost here, you’re gonna be okay. You hear me?”

“Hear you,” Bode breathes. It’s obvious he’s getting tired, though, his eyes getting a distant look to them that Jake doesn’t like.

“Hey,” he says firmly, reaching up with both blood-caked hands and taking Bode’s face between them. “Stay with me now, I mean it this time.”

He doesn’t pay much attention to the ambulance as it pulls up, focused as he is on trying to keep Bode awake. He barely hears the sir, we’ve got it from here. Hands he doesn’t know reach for his arm and he pushes them away.

“Sir!”

“Jake!”

It’s Gabby’s voice that finally reaches him. He turns to see her cutting through the small clearing, face twisted with sadness and worry. Her dad is hot on her heels.

“You have to let them do their job,” Manny says.

Jake blinks and stands slowly, letting himself be jostled out of the way as the paramedics kneel on the ground next to Bode and get to work. Gabby stands near them, talking tearfully to the barely-conscious man. Manny takes Jake by the arm and leads him off to one side, and then pulls him into a hug.

“You did good,” he says. “They’ve got it from here.”

Jake doesn’t return the hug, standing stiffly and staring off into the darkness.

“Hey, you good?” Manny says, pulling away. “Jake?”

Slowly, Jake shakes his head.

“I didn’t say it back,” he finally says. “I didn’t tell him I was sorry.”

xxx

#my writing #my fic #fire country #fire country fic #fire country spoilers #1x11 #fire country mama bear #bode donovan #bode donovan whump #whump #whump fic #stabbed #jake crawford #bode and jake friendship

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mighty-poop · 2 years

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You know what, I AM gonna type out what happened.

This is in reaction to a post doing the rounds about how you can’t expect everyone in a discord server to be mindful of your incredibly niche triggers and yeah, that’s 100% fair. However comma….

So from my tags: I largely agree with this post BUT lemme tell you about this one time. (Tw for s*lf-h*rm and su*c*de btw)

I was on a discord server for a project, large scale, everyone +18. I generally hate group chats already, because they’re chaotic and the “point” of the conversation gets lost very quickly because people chime in randomly all the time, I just avoid it whenever I can, and this project happened to use discord to communicate. So I deal and I mute all the channels that can be muted. So channels NOT muted: my lil subcategory project group, and the updates and info channel. One that I need to talk with my teammates about the projects, the other i need to hear about news about the project from the project leader. People used that channel for questions even though there was a q&a channel but whatever, I’m not bitter. I know the leader can set up channels so only they can post messages, and they just didn’t, so-

One night, I’m woken up by notification noise after notification noise, something is happening on the info channel, the only channel i had notifications enabled on. Someone from the project wrote and posted their suicide note on the info channel. And people went HAM on that channel asking if they were okay, pleading them not to do it, for hours on hours, everyone had to chime in. Even the people who just woke up and were seeing what was happening HAD to add their 50 cents, even hours later. Until the project leader let us know that they had the person’s phone number, they called them, they’re okay. Meanwhile I had been doing breathing exercises in the corner of my room cus, big surprise, suicide notes and threatening with suicide is one of my goddamn triggers.

Let me pause the story with this for a sec: this sucks. Like, not just for me, but the person who threatened. Whether they were genuine or not, whether is was for a moment of attention or not, doesn’t matter. Having to go that far, fucking sucks and they must’ve felt like absolute shit and I feel sorry for them and I hope that they’re in a better place in their life now.

The next morning, that person came back online and apologised for their behaviour and that they’re fine now. And people just couldn’t wait to tell them it was okay, no harm done, this is a safe space after all. And I just wanted to throw a table. NO. The general info channel is NOT A GODDAMN SAFE SPACE. That whole night was super triggering - for ANYONE - and potentially dangerous for anyone else who might be suicidal! You do not go with that shit to the ONE channel no one should mute! Am I saying the super emotional suicidal person should’ve known better in their hour of distress and gone to a different channel? No, of course not, in those moments, you don’t think clearly or with others in mind, it happens. Should they apologise for that anyway? Absolutely, and they did! But don’t just dismiss it like nothing happened to protect the uwu baby boi’s feelings??? If it’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s people treating suicidal people like a light breeze could get them in a mood again. You can just as easily say “thank you for apologising, we’re glad you’re doing better. however this is not the place to talk about this so let’s move to a different channel (or how about a PRIVATE channel) and make sure you’re completely okay now.”

Anyway, learned from that experience and I have never touched a discord server ever since and absolutely refuse to work on projects that use discord to communicate between project members. I removed myself from going through that potential trigger again, but I also want to reiterate: fucking think twice, before you post something on a group chat or channel or whatever, that’s specifically for where people NEED to look at in order to know what they need to know. There are a lot of niche triggers out there; but suicide, self-harm and death aren’t niche.

#and also just as a general rule: unless you’re a great actor maybe don’t lie to suicidal people #they can smell your bullshit from miles away #trigger warnings #suicide #self harm #tw: suicide #tw: self harm

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agustdakasuga · 3 years

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Between The Bloodshed | Epilogue

Genre: Mafia!AU, Angst, Romance, Fluff

Pairing: OT7 x Reader

Characters: Doctor!Reader, Gangster!Namjoon, Gangster!Seokjin, Gangster!Yoongi, Gangster!Hoseok, Gangster!Jimin, Gangster!Taehyung, Gangster!Jungkook

Summary: Being a freelance doctor, this was just supposed to be any other job, helping a private client and taking care of him through his recovery. But you were not expecting to get caught in something so much darker that would change your life entirely.

At this point, what can be considered normal?

Warning: This story is fictional and has nothing to do with real life events or the actual members of BTS. It may contain depictions of violence, blood shed/ gore and mentions of abuse. Please read at your own discretion.

It was a nice late morning. The sun was shining but thankfully, it was blocked out by the dark curtains. It was nice and quiet, only the sounds of your breathing as you slept peacefully. There were no alarm clocks or phone calls-

*BANG BANG BANG*

“Yoongi hyung! You’ve been holding onto her for hours! She needs to come out!” Taehyung was banging on the door. You could hear Jungkook, Jimin, Hoseok and Jin there too.

“Yeah! She needs to work!”

That was a lie. After coming back from performing Geumjae’s surgery yesterday, the boys had insisted you take a break since it was a long, gruelling surgery. But then again, the others would do anything to get the pale man to open the door for them.

“Just keep quiet and they’ll go away soon.” Yoongi grumbled, holding you tighter, totally unaffected by the screams.

“No, we won’t!” Seems that they heard him.

“Come on, I have to get up.” You patted his back. He tucked you into the crook on his neck like a mother holding her child. His cheek pressed against the top of your head as he huffed.

“You don’t have to get up. It’s your day off.” He murmured. You giggled, arm slinging around him in defeat.

“That’s my girl.” He kissed your head.

“That’s it! I don’t hear movement! Either get the keys or Jungkook, kick the door down.” You heard more commotion outside. Everyday was a chaotic day in the Bangtan household.

“Ugh, hang on a sec.” Yoongi got out of bed, ready to give them an earful. But the moment he opened the door, he was mowed down by everyone else as they approached you, who was on the bed. You welcomed them with open arms and they piled on, engulfing you in big hugs and smiles. Yoongi stood there, glaring at you.

“Yah! Get off!” Yoongi shouted.

“Okay.” They willingly slipped off the bed, which was surprising. Until Jungkook scooped you up into his arms, running out of the room. He cackled evilly while you yelped, arms tightened around his neck in fear.

“I’m hom- What...” Namjoon stopped in the doorway when he saw what was going on. You have him a pleading look.

“Kook, let her down now.” Namjoon frowned. As much as you liked to play around and have fun with the boys, sometimes, all you would like is a peaceful morning.

“With all due respect, hyung. If you try to take my baby away from me, I will actually fight you.” Jungkook said.

“Rich coming from the guy who took her from me. Fight him, Joon.” Yoongi snorted from the top of the stairs. Knowing that the boys will actually fight each other (which you do tell them is dumb), you pinched Jungkook’s pressure point, temporarily immobilising him.

“Ah!” He yelped as he let go of you. You fell onto the couch, standing up and straightening Yoongi’s your hoodie. With a sigh, you headed over to Namjoon to properly greet him after his early morning meeting.

“Welcome home.” You grinned.

“Thank you, my love.” He wrapped an arm around you, leaning down to press a kiss to your cheek.

“You’re bleeding!” Your eyes widened when you saw his knuckles. It looked exactly like Jungkook’s knuckles. Namjoon rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. Grabbing his wrist, you brought him to the office.

“Love, I can patch it up. They’re small wounds. You’re supposed to be resting.” Namjoon told you. You shook your head while washing your hands.

“Small wounds that can get infected, Joon. And I don’t need to rest much more, I knocked out like a light with Yoongi last night.” You chuckled, grabbing your first aid kit. You pulled your stool to sit in front of him and began to clean his wounds. The first thing you did was remove some of the dried blood that crusted on the side.

“It’s gonna sting.” You said before putting the antiseptic. He winced slightly, his nose scrunching up.

“You guys never get used to it.” You laughed. Once the wounds were cleaned, you bandaged his knuckles. You placed his hand in yours, inspecting his hand for more injuries.

“You’re lucky you didn’t break anything again.” You lectured.

“Because I have a doctor that takes good care of me.” Namjoon grinned. You shook your head, kissing his cheek.

“Please, I already told you not to overwork them considering they just got better after you broke them. And you always scold the younger ones for not listening to me when you’re no better.” You teased. Namjoon laughed.

“If I have you to take care of me, I will get injured more.” Namjoon hugged your waist. You flicked his forehead.

“I dare you, Kim Namjoon.” You frowned.

“Alright, alright. Namjoon looks good and patched up! Now it’s my turn, I want my morning kiss. Come here.” Jin yanked you away by your waist, dipping you down and showering you in kisses. You burst out laughing, grabbing onto his shirt so you won’t fall back.

“I’m going to get a coffee.” You shuffled away to the kitchen. The maids prepared your usual iced coffee.

“Thank you.” You yawned and sipped before going back out. You sat on the couch and Jimin sat down, bringing your legs up to drape over his lap. When your phone buzzed, you took it out of your pocket to check.

“Ah, I have to go check on Geumjae. He just woke up.” You announced.

“But it’s your day off.” Hoseok said.

“I know. But it’s the day after his surgery so I have to make sure he’s feeling alright and not having any complications, considering it was a major surgery.” You grunted as you stood up. You quickly finished your drink and went to change. Yoongi would be accompanying you, of course, to visit his brother. The other boys decided to tag along... just to not be left out.

“You guys go grab a bite. I shouldn’t be too long.” You sent them a kiss as they dropped you off at the staff entrance.

“We love you.” They said.

“I love you all too.” You smiled and waved as they drove to the public parking. Slipping on your coat, you went to Geumjae’s private ward. He was awake, sitting up slightly and watching the television that was provided.

“Hey, got here as soon as I heard you were awake. Yoongi should be coming up soon, he’s parking the car.” You greeted.

“Hey... Thanks again... for everything. Not just the surgery... but for making me realise my mistake. I’m so glad Yoongi and I are close again. It’s really all thanks to you.” He smiled weakly.

“Don’t mention it. How are you feeling?”

“A little light headed. And sore.” His hand lightly touched his clothed chest where the surgery sutures were underneath.

“That’s normal, considering the effects of the anaesthesia is wearing off. I’ll still put you on IV painkillers for the next day or two, until the wound starts to heal more and cause less pain. Can I check your wound?” You asked. He nodded and you unbuttoned his shirt to check the sutures.

“Looks good. I’ll replace the gauze.” You removed the protecting gauze above the sutures and replaced it with a clean one.

“Good news is we managed to remove the affected tissue. You still have to be on your medications for the next week? We will do a follow up biopsy after just to make sure we have completely eradicated the cancer.” You instructed.

“Okay. Thank you.” He nodded as you buttoned his shirt up.

“Hyung.” Yoongi came in.

“Yoongi.” His brother greeted as you straightened up. You let Yoongi get closer to his brother as you removed your gloves and washed your hands. As they chatted, you checked his charts.

“Take your time, Yoongs. I’ll go find the others.” You smiled. Yoongi nodded, reaching to peck your temple before sitting down to speak with Geumjae. You gave them privacy, exiting the room. You went to the nurse’s station to update Geumjae’s file. Although the surgery was tiring, you learnt a lot and was glad for the experience.

“Mr Min in Room 32 should be in IV fluids until he’s no longer nauseated by the anaesthesia. Then move him to soft foods.” You told the nurse, who nodded her head and keyed in the instructions to the patient’s system profile.

“Thank you!” You smiled and handed the file to her. You went to the vending machine to get a can coffee.

“Hi, are you a doctor here?” Someone appeared.

“Kinda?” You chuckled, pressing the button for your cold coffee. You weren’t gonna tell some stranger the long story about you being a private doctor to singular patient here.

“I’m a new resident. Nice to meet you.” He held his hand out. You gave a small smile, shaking his outstretched hand.

“You’re Dr (y/l/n)’s daughter right?” He asked and you nodded your head.

“I look forward to working with you, sunbae. I know you did the recent lung cancer tissue extraction surgery, it was very knowledgeable and I learnt a lot.” He bowed.

“Thanks... But I don’t actually work here as a mentor so you won’t see me around anymore. The other doctors are just as good, I’m sure of it. Everyone is trained and of professional calibre, you will learn a lot from them as well.” You were starting to get a little awkward by his overly enthusiastic disposition.

“Baby, there you are.” A voice appeared and you saw your 6 other boyfriends there. They did not look pleased.

“You took so long so we came to find you. We had to stop Kook from ordering everything on the cafeteria menu.” Jimin laughed. You shook your head at the maknae, who pouted.

“I’m still a growing boy.” He argued. He wasn’t, actually.

“Who’s this?” Jin raised an eyebrow.

“Uh... He’s a new hoobae that works here.” You explained, realising that you hadn’t even learnt about this resident’s name. But it didn’t matter, you probably weren’t going to see him after this anyway.

“Come, jagi. We should go.” Taehyung grasped your hand, glaring at the now scared boy. You shook your head, knowing exactly what they were doing. Even before you got together, the boys always said you were their partner just to keep other girls away. Vice versa, they branded themselves as your boyfriends to scare other guys away.

“I-I have to go. Bye.” He bowed and scurried off.

“You guys are horrible, you know that?” You folded your arms with a shake of your head. Hoseok grinned, leaning to peck your cheek. You reached over to straighten his blazer.

“Oh, you’re still here.” Yoongi blinked, seeing the group of you there. You nodded your head.

“Are you hungry? We bought you guys sandwiches.” Namjoon lifted the bags up. Instead of sitting there to eat, you ate in the van as Hoseok drove.

“Here.” You gave some to Jungkook.

“But you hardly ate any of it yourself.” He told you. You just shrugged, not really having the appetite to eat anything. Jungkook leaned forward to eat the last bit of the sandwich out of your hand. You would much rather have your coffee instead of the sandwich.

“Shall we have barbecue tonight?” You asked the boys.

“It’s been a while.” They nodded their heads. Hoseok detoured and went to the big supermarket. You split into 3 teams, Jin and Yoongi buying the meat, Hoseok and Namjoon drinks and you with the maknaes for everything else.

“Buy a lot of meat, hyung!” Jungkook shouted to Jin as he placed his hands on your shoulders to push you to the other aisle.

“Hyung wanted coarse salt for his shrimp. This or this?” Jimin held up both the boxes. You looked at both of them before pointing to one. He happily placed it into the cart.

“Shall I make japchae?” You asked them.

“Yes!” Taehyung cheered. You sent a message to Yoongi to pick up some beef for japchae from the counter for you. After that, you picked up some vegetables that would go into japchae. Jimin trailed after you obediently while Taehyung and Jungkook disappeared. Jungkook had reappeared with loads of bags of snacks in his arms.

“Koo! That’s too much.” You chuckled at your now almost full cart, half filled with bags of chips.

“But we need more snacks for our movie nights! And besides, Jin hyung and Taehyung hyung keep eating my snacks. This is so they won’t take mine.” Jungkook pouted.

“Banana milk!” He quickly got distracted by the dairy section and ran off.

“You know, I can see why people don’t believe our line of jobs sometimes and how Jungkook is supposedly our best fighter.” Jimin scoffed.

“Well, take his banana milk and you’ll truly see how well he can fight.” You giggled as you placed some carrots and bell peppers into the cart. Taehyung came with 3 different ssamjang containers.

“Tae, why are you getting so much? We won’t be able to finish them all in one night.” Jimin scolded.

“But these are brands I haven’t tried before! So I wanna see which is the best. Then I’ll know to buy it next time!” Taehyung argued with his best friend. You shook your head and continued, Taehyung loved ssamjang. There’s no arguing in that. Jungkook came back with banana milk and cheese.

“You want cheese rice?” You asked.

“How did you know?!”

“Koo, even if I’ve only been your girlfriend for a short while, I have lived with you longer. You practically breathe cheese rice.” You scoffed, offended. Jungkook bunny grinned, wrapping his arms around you.

“Of course, you know me well.” He peppered kissed all over your cheek. When you were done, you went to meet the others.

“Boys, I may not be specialising in hepatology but that amount of alcohol is definitely not good for you.” You raised an eyebrow at the amount of alcohol that was stacked in Namjoon and Hoseok’s cart. Totally not in a helping way, Taehyung even got a few bottles of his and Seokjin’s favourite plum wine to add in. You laughed.

“We needed to stock the bar anyway. We promise not to drink so much.” Hoseok winked.

“Yoongi hyung and Seokjin hyung are ready. They’ll meet us at the cashier.” Namjoon informed. You nodded your head and you all went to pay.

“A big party?” He joked as he scanned.

“You could say that.” You smiled, waiting to pay with the card that the boys had given you for ‘house’ items like their groceries and meals. But honestly, they just wanted an excuse to give you a card to spend on yourself.

“You’re pretty.” He complimented.

“Oh... Thanks.” You blushed. A sudden clear of the throat made you jump slightly. You turned to see Namjoon and Yoongi with stern looks on their faces.

“Are you done yet, baby girl?” Yoongi emphasised on the pet name, which he never really uses at all. You blinked, still in slight shock. The cashier looked terrified suddenly, quickening his pace to finish scanning all your items. Namjoon wrapped an arm around your waist.

“Love, later let the others load the van alright? Wouldn’t want you hurting yourself.” Namjoon smiled sweetly at you.

“O...kay?”

“Uh, payment please?” He squeaked. Before you could hand the card over, Yoongi plucked it out of your hand and handed it for him to swipe. He gave it back with two hands and a deep bow.

“Let’s go.” Yoongi held your hand and led you away. The boys loaded the car and you were ready to head home. Suddenly, their phones all rang at the same time. Namjoon took his phone out to check the notification. It was quiet for a while.

“Everything okay?” You blinked.

“Yeah... But looks like we’ll have to return to work for a while.” Namjoon sighed. You nodded your head.

“We’ll drop you home. It’ll be safer.” Jin told you. Again, you nodded. You knew how these business meetings could go from bad to worse in only a couple of seconds. Hoseok pulled up to the house and you jumped out.

“Stay safe, boys.” You told the 7. They sent you in with hugs and kisses, waiting for you to disappear into the house with the maids before Taehyung pulled the butler closer to whisper something into his ear. The butler nodded his head, bowing deeply. He closed the door for the van, standing on the porch until the van disappeared.

“Agashi, I was told that there will be barbecue tonight? Shall I prepare the ingredients?” The butler smiled as the other staff brought the groceries in.

“I wanna help cook! Let me change first.” You smiled and went upstairs to the room. You changed out of your hospital clothes and into more comfortable clothes, aka Jimin’s lounge pants and Hoseok’s hoodie.

“Thanks for bringing this all in guys!” You said to them as you saw them clearing all the bags of shopping and keeping everything in its place. You really bought a lot.

“What do you want to make?” The maid asked.

“Taehyung likes marinated kimchi. And Jungkook was saying he wanted cheese rice to go with the meat. I also bought japchae ingredients.” You said.

“Alright.”

“You guys can take a break. Don’t worry, I would like to think I’m better in the kitchen than Namjoon is.” You joked and they all laughed, loving your attitude. The mansion’s staff loved working with you.

“We’ll help where we can.” The cook took the ingredients out for you, laying them out neatly. You started with the marinated kimchi, which was frying kimchi with garlic, spam and minced meat. While the rest of the staff attended to the things in the mansion, the cook stayed by your side in case you needed help.

“I think a bigger dice is okay.” He demonstrated.

“You can put it here to cool. Then I’ll close the container later.” He gave you the plastic container. You scraped the contents from the pan to the container.

“Are there some side dishes that go well with the barbecue? That the boys will like.” You asked him. He went to the fridge to look through what was inside to make side dishes.

“We have a few hours so we can do some pickled radish, spicy cucumbers, the fried anchovies that master Seokjin likes?” He suggested.

“Sounds exciting!” You clapped your hands.

The next few hours were spent cooking and preparing various meals to go with the barbecue for the night. You learnt a lot from the cook and your energy was mostly fuelled with iced coffee (of course). You were just happy to prepare so much food for your boys now that you knew what their tastes were like. There was even time to make grapefruit syrup for Taehyung’s sodas.

“I’ll help prep the shrimp too.” You rolled your sleeves up to prepare for Yoongi’s salt baked shrimp on the grill.

“Ah, agashi. Let me. Your hands may smell. After all, you’ve been cooking the whole day, why don’t you take a break? I insist.” The cook shook his head.

“Oh, alright. I’m only giving in because I need to make Koo’s cheese rice later.” You giggled. The cook nodded and you grabbed a snack before leaving the kitchen. You helped the staff set up the barbecue outside.

“Let me help.” You arranged the chairs.

“It’s okay, agashi. Please rest.” The maids shook their heads. Going to retrieve Kookie, you sat under the gazebo with a book.

“Kookie ah. Don’t do that.” You stroked his head as he began to nibble the corner of your book again. Looks like even without the boys here, you still wouldn’t be able to read in peace.

“Where are they?” You checked your phone, there were no calls or messages from any of the boys. As the sun set, you were seated in your designated seat, which was in between Jungkook and Hoseok. You checked your phone to see the time, it was getting late.

You perked up when you heard the door to the backyard open and footsteps. However, when you turned your head, the smile dropped from your face.

Ko-fi link

Series Masterlist

[If you are reading this, thank you for making it to the end. For now. I’ll see you in the sequel ‘Everything Between Us’]

Tag list 1

@veronawrites @diamonddia-mond @georgie-me-myself-i @saveme-imfine @openup-yourmind @purelyecstacy @nlost21 @yiyi4657 @kimmieloveswho @i-like-puppy-mg @cait-with-luv @s-tae-rrynight @supertweetycherry @carolinexkpop @unatempesta-dipensieri @telepathylftv @taradevonne @top-crop @ifellinluvwithdorks @btslvts @bt21chim @kpopiskpopyunho @egm09 @designjet @lasagnaisjustspaghetticake @3musez @bangtansleftnut @deeepvibes @barbikatherine @xxminilah @missmxqn @kimahnjung98 @jbunnys-world @itspwi @gold--gucciempress @rainbow-zebra-unicorns @sinceritythatcouldntbedelivered @holaaaf @aconfusedidentity @samararose21 @shondlenoodle @singhsahara @scuzmunkie @foulstarfishprincess @fenderbenderr @uraveragefangirlsposts @jikook-enthusiasts @wendyiiwl @amyniu @bipolargal

Tag list 2

@vivpurple7 @mintvender @xcharlottemikaelsonx @enchantingbrowneyedgirl @imyourapocalypse @yeotlny @thatonepotatogurl @queenofthe-bitches @rosesolitaire @nello-rie @beach-bitch-bitch-beach @blauuu-adl @chickencrimpyy @purplelady85 @blglmgk01 @nochujeonjk @kevinssecretplace4546 @growlingyu @gimmythatjib00ty @missseoulite @ngcxjnny @silscintilla @miyochan @skyys-universe @aqueenieme @ryuyalana @galaxyflab @vishakhas-world @simrxnsingh @infernal-alpaca @the-hoe-ly-one @badbyetoyou @cstobitk @jeonginsvocals @ah2002 @lindsayjoy444 @sluthug @zhangyixingxing1 @moments-of-melancholy @stvvcks @dreamingofonceuponatime

Tag list 3

@imascreamerbabymakemeamute @vintageroses10 @elephants-bubbles-brachosauruses @woopetals @cinnamonlattae @untamedgrape @bunzom @tfkp0p @jisusnunjoon @cherry-suna @rosietae @clumsilyclueless @mamemimoimoi @fangirl125reader @iceyrian @historicalgigi @je-suis-une-criminal @thefreddieman @dopepursejudgetrash @dandelionthighs @novakitten0901 @marvelovernfan @tinyoonsblog @maknaeronix @cia161 @rjsmochii @katkrusade @channiespup @ot7jellostan @jamacaicanxbarbie @dommie14 @zae007live @softieforeveryone @paige17 @pb-n-juju @hannahantonette17 @huhuehuey @myggummy @awkwerdnesspersonified @awkwerdnesspersonified

Tag list 4

@agustdjoon @aianloveseven @bbgniecyy @akaashisus

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house-of-kolchek · 2 years

Text

Perfect Imperfections

Jason Kolchek x Reader

Hello! Here with another one shot based on this ask!

Coming soon, I have another update to Enemy of my Enemy, as well as an Eric fic!

Enjoy!

Word Count: 2k

MASTERLIST

Tags!

@kilchek @yellowroseskolchek

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

Life with Jason was a dream. He was a perfect gentleman, holding doors open for you, walking on the outside of the sidewalk and offering a hand whenever you needed. He would kiss you until your brain was mush, teasing you with his fingers digging into your waist.

He was such a perfect gentleman, never letting his curiosity get the better of him, never asking why you chose to only wear sweaters, or why you never picked up the short dress that you looked at with a longing stare.

“Uh, Babe?”

You snapped to attention, your head whipping around to Jason, sat across the room from you. He was leaning forward, his elbows resting on the tops of his legs as his eyebrows furrowed in concern.

“Did you hear me?” he asked and you dropped your head, a bashful heat flaring in your cheeks. You shook your head and offered an apology, to which he chuckled. “Don’t be, I was just askin’ if you wanted to go out for dinner tonight.”

“Oh, yeah… sure, I’m happy with anything.” You offered the man a forced smile and his brows furrowed again. He stood up, stepping towards you and sitting back down on the couch, his hand hovering over your knee.

“What’s going on up there?” He asked, tapping you on the forehead. Though he had an amused tug at his lips, there was no mistaking the way his eyes were widening, just slightly, his brows pulled tight and his shoulders tense.

Your breath caught in your throat, dread clawing its way up your chest. He was putting up a good front, but you could see straight through it. You could see just how concerned he was.

You wanted to tell him, you really did. But there was some invisible force in your brain blocking the words away anytime you opened your mouth. You fought against it with all your willpower, begging yourself to let your walls fall. It wasn’t fair to him.

“Is it something I did?” He cleared his throat, but you still caught the tiny crack in his voice. And everything in you broke. He was so good to you, always letting his own walls down. He never sent you a judgemental stare - even after all the stories you’d heard about his days in the marines.

“No! Not at all,” you cried, reaching out to cup his face. You watched his shoulders relax ever so slightly. “It’s all on me, okay? It’s an insecurity I have.” You watched his gaze soften, a hint of sadness glimmering behind it as he tried to maintain his composure.

“Alright. I won’t push ya, but just know that you can tell me, kay?” His hands found yours, pulling them forward so he could place a kiss to them, before he leaned back a bit.

You opened your mouth, as you had so many times before, only this time…

“I have stretch marks. Like, a lot of stretch marks.” you admitted, and Jason sat up. He went to speak, but you held a hand out. “Just one sec. They’re pretty much everywhere, and I’m embarrassed by them. I’m sorry it took me so long to talk about it.”

“Don’t be, I get it,” he soothed, his grip tightening on your hands. “I got plenty of things I’m embarrassed about on my body too.” He offered a small, sad smile. “Would you let me see?”

After a moment’s hesitation, you nodded, quietly pulling your arms out of your sweater. You yanked the garment over your head, avoiding his gaze.

You shivered as his fingers travelled up your arms, brushing against the little white lines that littered your skin, leading up to your chest. It was a strange sensation, having someone else’s hands on your bare skin like that. It was strange, but it felt really good.

“Sweetheart, you look beautiful,” he mumbled, gently guiding your arms up so he could press kisses against the skin. You felt a wave of warmth wash over you, and your lips twitched upwards.

“Still?” you asked, lifting your shirt to expose the stretch marks on your stomach. His gaze flickered down, and he grinned some more.

“Still beautiful.” He leaned down to press a kiss against your stomach as well. The action sent goosebumps running across your skin, and you couldn’t keep the relieved smile off your face.

“Are you sure?”

“Fuckin’ positive,” he assured you with a grin, pulling you in closer to finally press a kiss against your lips.

You eagerly accepted, reaching up to cup his face. He smiled into the kiss, running his fingers down your arms, up again to press into your back. The kiss was unlike any the two of you had shared before, simply filled with love and acceptance.

As Jason pulled away, he took another loving glance at your now exposed skin. Without warning, his eyes lit up, and he bounced off the couch.

“Hang on, I’ll be right back.” He pressed one more quick kiss to your lips before jogging into the next room, leaving you sitting on the couch with your hand on your lips, and a dazed grin on your face.

It was the first time you’d admitted your insecurities to anyone, much less exposed allowed them to be seen. Jason’s words had lifted your spirit, and as you looked down, counting the marks on your arm, you started to see yourself in a new light.

“Alright!” Jason called, sliding back into the room, a bag in his hand. He landed back on the couch, handing you the bag with an eager, yet nervous smile on his face. You raised a brow.

“What’s this?”

“You’ll see if you open it,” he drawled with a little smirk. You rolled your eyes, your heart fluttering at the low tone of his voice as you opened the bag, pulling out a familiar looking dress.

“I saw this in the window…” you trailed off, your teeth flashing with a grin.

“I know, you looked like you really wanted it, so I might’ve gone back and picked it up for ya,” he admitted, scratching at the back of his head. “Besides, I thought it would look great on you too.”

“I- I don’t know what to say. It’s beautiful,” you gushed. You were a mix of emotions; of course you were in love with the dress, and all you wanted was to wear it, but you still just felt uncomfortable exposing that much of yourself outside. It was one thing when it was Jason, but in front of strangers…

“Hey,” he started, his hand brushing against your chin, and your gaze snapped up to his. It was as though he could read your thoughts. “I don’t care if you only wear this inside the house with me. Either way, you will look absolutely beautiful. I bought this because I want you to feel good in what you’re wearing, and a lovely lady like yourself deserves a pretty dress.”

You fell forward into him, wrapping your arms tight around his neck. His arms wound around your waist, and you heard him chuckle in your ear. Your heart was racing, a million thoughts swirling in your mind, but as his hand slid up your back, tangling into your hair, you found yourself grounded.

“Can I try it on?” you mumbled, and his grip around you tightened.

“‘Course you can, doll.” With that, you pulled yourself out of his embrace, stepping into the restroom to change.

As you stepped out of your long pants, and into the dress, you made sure to turn away from the mirror. You just knew that if you looked at yourself, all those angry thoughts would bubble up to the surface, and you wouldn’t be able to leave the small room without changing back.

With a gentle sigh, you smoothed out the skirt. The fabric was soft against your skin, hugging your body in all the right places. Even without looking at the garment, you just felt good. It was incredibly comfortable, and you found your fingers tracing along the texture of the fabric.

As you made to leave the restroom, your hand froze on the handle. Fear began bubbling up in your throat. What were you doing? You were about to expose the worst part of yourself to the man you loved the most! What if he ran away screaming? What if he-

“You look beautiful.”

“I want you to feel good in what you’re wearing.”

Jason’s words rang through your mind, battling against your insecurities one word at a time. You took one, two deep breaths, before turning the handle and walking out the door without allowing yourself to think.

“Okay! What do you think?” you called, stepping into the room. Jason snapped to attention, looking over to you, and his eyes widened. He took you in from head to toe, sitting up pin straight as his mouth fell open.

You bit your lip, picking at your fingernails as he stared. What was he thinking? Did he like it? Did he hate it? Your mind began to spiral again until he stood up, stepping up close to you and letting his hands rest on your waist, before they slid down, reaching the hem of your skirt, and lifting it just slightly, his fingers brushing against the skin of your thighs.

“You look amazing, Darlin’,” he said with a genuine smile. His eyes were lit up, and you felt tears pricking at the corners of your eyes.

“Really? You don’t hate the stretch marks?”

“You kiddin’? I’m makin’ it my mission to kiss every one of them. Make ’em feel just as beautiful as you.” You giggled as he fell to his knees, pressing little kisses against your thighs.

“Well, I guess you’ve got your work cut out for you. They’re everywhere, even behind my knees and under my-”

You cut yourself off, gulping as your cheeks bloomed with heat. You hadn’t thought about that with him before. Suddenly, the idea of his fingers and his lips against intimate parts of you blew to the front of your mind.

Jason, noticing your silence, stood up again, his hands coming back to rest on your waist. He raised a brow, a small grin on his face.

“Under your what?”

You gestured to your chest, your cheeks still flaming, and his eyes widened. You watched as he bit his lip, clear lust overtaking his features as he accidentally stared directly at your breasts. You couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Oh,” he stuttered out, and his grip on your waist tightened. You chuckled again, and his heated gaze flickered up to your face. “I think I’m up to the job,” he said with a grin.

Your heart fluttered again. He thought you were beautiful. Seeing how accepting he was with your insecurities - not pushing you too much, validating your feelings towards yourself - just solidified everything, and your lips tugged upwards in a big smile. You loved the man in front of you, and you were finally ready to give him your all.

You leaned forward, catching his lips with your own, your hands curling into his shirt. He let out a surprised hum, before his hands slid their way up your back, one of them coming around to hold your chin. As you broke away, gasping for breath, Jason chased after your lips, brushing them against his once more.

“I love you, Jase.” His eyes widened at the statement, that being the first time he’s heard it from you. A huge grin broke out on his face, and he lifted you into his arms, spinning you around a little.

“I love you too. I love you, and I love every one of your perfect imperfections.” He finished the sentence with another kiss to your lips, holding you closer than you thought was possible.

And so, as you entered the restroom again, you looked over to the mirror, spinning around slightly in your dress. You took in every faint mark along your skin, every one of the lines you’d loathed up until now.

You were imperfect.

You were beautiful.

#house of ashes #house of ashes x reader #jason kolchek #jason kolchek x reader

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cricketsatnight · 2 years

Note

hi since you’re taking prompts

jopper fake dating?👀

(Hello I love this concept!!! It's turning into something I will gradually update on AO3. <3 Thank you! Link's at the bottom!)

Joyce reread the wedding invitation for the fourth time, trying to formulate an adequate enough white lie. She hasn’t seen Aunt Darlene’s side of the family in nearly a decade, though they’ve made phone calls and sent greeting cards periodically. It stung a little, wanting to go, but knowing better of it. The invitation itself is far too extravagant; an all-expenses-paid overnight stay in upstate Illinois on a picturesque rustic estate.

She wondered briefly if she could convince one of the boys to tag along as her Plus One– but the embarrassment and guilt at the concept set in quickly. It was just too humiliating to go alone as the lone divorcée in the Horowitz lineage. She would exhaust herself dodging all of the prying questions. Nope, can’t do it.

She took another pull on her cigarette before putting it out and started for the phone.

“Hello?” Melanie, her cousin, the Bride-to-Be. Joyce’s breath caught a little as she heard her.

“Mel, hey it’s me, it’s–”

“Joycie! Oh my gosh. Did you get the invite?!” Melanie’s voice went an octave higher as she spoke. “Oh my gosh, it feels so good hearing your voice. It’s been too long.” Melanie is ten years younger, but Joyce has always loved the girl like a sister. One of her favorite memories is teaching Melanie how to use Aunt Darlene’s sewing machine.

Melanie heavily relied on Joyce after Darlene’s suicide.

This is going to smart.

“Y-Yeah, I did. Congratulations. Rick is a great guy.” Joyce leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. “About the–”

“So, I was thinking. Since Dad’s got the whole place booked up for the week, what if you came a little early? Maybe a night earlier? You could be there for the rehearsal dinner.”

“Listen, Mel.” Joyce stammered, looking down at her slippers. “About that,” she sighed.

There was a sniffle on the other line. “Joyce. I can’t wait to see you. It means so much to have you there. Y’know, after Mom… I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

Shit.

“I can’t,” Joyce began. “I can’t go…”

“What?” The barb of hurt in Melanie’s voice was too much.

“I can’t go… A day early, I mean. I can’t go a day early. I’d– I’d have to ask my boyfriend, um,” Joyce was lightly hitting the back of her head against the wall. “He’s really busy with work. I-It’s an important job. Very important.”

“Oh!” Melanie sniffled again, beginning to chuckle. “God, Joycie, you scared me.” There was a sound of shuffling. “So, who’s the lucky guy? What’s he do? Can you ask him and get back to me? I’d love to see as much of you as I can, but I get it... I also need to know what you’d like for your dinner options.”

“He’s, uh, he’s tall.” Joyce grimaced at herself and mouthed an animated ‘Fuck.’

“Huh?”

“Steak entrées, we’ll both have the steak.” Joyce rolled her eyes, craning her neck at a sound outside. She saw Hopper’s Blazer pulling into park with Will and El jumping out. It was Wednesday, which meant he’d be bringing Will home for Joyce– a weekly favor that felt predestined at this moment.

“O-kay,” Mel continued. “He’s tall and he likes steak. What does he do? What’s his name?”

“One sec, Mel, Will just got home,” Joyce interrupted and rested the receiver on her shoulder, turning the mouthpiece away. “Hey, sweetie.”

Will noticed the phone and waved at his mom before disappearing around the corner. El followed closely behind, mirroring Will’s wave. They have an arrangement that Will hands off copies of his homework assignments to assist in her homeschooling, but the girl loves to ask a million questions about the nuances of his school day.

Jim was in the doorway, pulling his hat off. He nodded and narrowed his eyes at the phone, a silent question of ‘Everything okay?’

Joyce’s heart skipped a beat– not just at the knowing tenderness of his concern, but at the positively certifiable decision she was about to make.

She pulled the phone back to her mouth. “Yeah, sorry, Mel. He’s a cop, actually. Chief of Police. His name is Jim.”

Keep reading on AO3~

#fic prompts #fic prompt reply #jopper #jopper fic #jopper fanfic #there will be fluff #whats-a-terrarium

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beelsnack · 3 years

Text

Bad Influence - Beelsnack's 666 Follower Special!!

(Technically I'm over 666 - shoutout to the porn bots)

But seriously, holy shit, there's a lot of you. Thank you all so much for liking my stuff, and for interacting with me and sending me good vibes and all of that. I hope I can keep giving you guys quality work!!

And yes, I am a nerd and I consider 666 a milestone for a blog for a bunch of demons. No, I'm not sorry.

-----

Lucifer: He couldn’t help but wonder when the change had set in.

When the human first arrived in the Devildom, they had been humble and meek. If anyone complimented them, they deflected it with the mastery and resignation of someone who had been doing it for far longer than they should have. And if someone thanked them? You would think their entire world was dissolving around them.

But now?

He extended a gloved hand towards them as they descended the stairs. Tonight was one of the rare nights where they had the opportunity to be alone without one of his brothers tagging along, and they had been planning this date for nearly a week now. They slipped their hand in his without any of the hesitation they would have shown at first. They knew they deserved his reverence.

“You look radiant as always, my dear,” he curled his fingers around theirs as they reached the bottom step, bringing the backs of their knuckles to his lips. “Surely there is no star in the sky that could outshine you.”

They laughed - his theatrics always did amuse them. “You do have amazing taste, after all.”

He chuckled as well, guiding the two of them to the front door. “Of course. Do you think the Avatar of Pride would associate with anyone less than the best?”

“Definitely not,” the wind that came through the door when they opened it blew their hair away from their face, and Lucifer couldn’t help but preen at the fact that he had helped that quivering little animal grow into the proud swan that stood before him.

“Speaking of the best, where are we going for dinner?”

“Don’t worry, my dear,” he laughed as they made their way out into the night. “You deserve the world, and the world you shall get.”

“Unless ‘the world’ means a steak dinner, I’m not interested.”

Mammon: “Come on, don’t leave me hangin’ out here!”

The curtain covering the entrance to the changing room rustled, and Mammon heard a faint “Fine, fine, just give me a sec!” before it finally opened and out stepped the human.

Mammon always thought they looked good no matter what they were wearing, even if it was one of his old t-shirts and a pair of shorts. Actually, especially if it was one of his old t-shirts and a pair of shorts. But seeing them decked out in his fashion brand - one he had both designed and modeled - was definitely making him feel some type of way.

He let out a low whistle when they stopped in front of the chair he had seated himself in. The results of his own shopping spree were tucked haphazardly into a colorful assortment of bags at his feet, but the human had taken a bit longer than he did picking out their stuff. And damn, was he glad they did, because otherwise he wouldn’t get the chance to see them modeling his clothes.

It was a private fashion show, just for him.

The outfit itself was pretty simple. A black fitted tee beneath a cropped leather jacket, a pair of faded dark-blue skinny jeans, and a pair of black sneaks with a gold stripe going up the side. But the thing that brought the whole outfit together was the long necklace with a topaz pendent resting against their breastbone.

“Well?” they asked, giving him a spin before striking a pose before him. “What do you think?”

For a moment, he couldn’t speak. The human wearing his clothes...it was the next best thing to them walking around with “I Belong To Mammon” tattooed on their forehead.

“I, uh...I guess you...um,” he swallowed thickly. “Ya look alright, I guess.”

“That’s tsundere for ‘you look hot,’ right?” they grinned before spinning around to look in the mirror. “Man, this is a whole look! I have to have it!”

If this had been a few months ago, the human would have waffled back and forth about whether or not to buy anything. It didn’t matter how much they wanted something, it was almost like they just couldn’t do anything nice for themselves. There was being frugal, and then there was deprivation. Now, though, was completely different.

“I wonder if I should get some shades to go with?” they mumbled, looking themselves over in the mirror. “I think that would really pull it together, don’t you?”

“Just don’t go for the Ray Bans, it’s a fucking scam.”

Leviathan: "Come on, come on, come on…"

Very rarely was Levi the one watching someone else play games, unless it was a stream. And as mind-blowingly awesome it would be to watch the human stream one of his current faves, he definitely didn't want other people seeing how adorable they looked when they were focused.

They had come to him with absolute determination in their eyes, begging him to help them out. There were a limited amount of UR armor sets in the event, and they needed to get their hands on one. And, well, what kind of friend would he be if he didn't help them out?

(The fact that he already scored the armor is irrelevant.)

So, here they were, camped out in the pillow nest that they often made for themselves when gaming in his room, laser focused on the screen with Levi giving them guidance. The event level was brutal, but they were in the final hours, so it was crunch time.

"Okay, this boss is easy once you know the attack pattern. Four regular slashes, a jab, then you've got about five seconds to get behind a pillar before it uses the AOE."

"Gotcha."

Even then, it was a long battle, and they had used up most of their healing potions by the time the monster let out an anguished roar and disintegrated into a pile of bones. The human held their breath as they moved towards it to gather their loot.

"Yes!!"

They practically leaped out of the pillow nest in triumph. There, right on the top of the loot list in shimmering gold font, and the UR armor that they had been coveting.

"I got it! I got it!" they cheered. "Levi, I finally got it!"

"Hell yeah you did!" the two of them shared a crisp high five as the results of the campaign loaded on the screen. It was updating in real time, so they could watch as the final moments of the event ticked away.

Levi knew what they were looking for. Early on in the dungeon, another player had done them real dirty, sniping them from a few levels above and then taunting them over VC about how they would never get the armor now. So of course that only inspired the human to work harder, and here they were.

3...2...1

Event over. Quickly, the human scrolled up to the beginning of the list, checking the names of all the players who scored the armor.

Levi sat next to them, chewing his lip. What was that person's tag again? He didn't remember.

Suddenly, the human let out a snort that turned into a full-on giggle fit.

"They didn't get it!" they cackled like a hyena. "Serves them right, the jackass!"

Levi was pretty sure it wasn't a good idea to laugh at the misfortune of others. But, he knew better than anyone that spite was a hell of a motivator. When they had first gotten themselves isekai’d into the Devildom, they had let demons walk all over them, Levi had personally witnessed a lower-level demon shove them out of the way to get a sandwich they had been reaching for, and the human just stood there and let them take it. But they had grown to be a little more selfish, and if they wanted something, they were taking it.

And maybe, just maybe, seeing them like that turned him on just a little bit.

Satan: "You want to come and say that to my face?"

Satan stood there in stunned silence as the human spun on their heel to look the demons right in the eyes. They had their back to him, so Satan couldn't see the look on their face, but whatever it was made the two lesser demons flinch.

"Hey, come on, Human, we were just joking."

"Yeah, no need to get all worked up."

They scoffed, and Satan knew them well enough to know that they were rolling their eyes. "Is that right? So you don't think I'm a...what was it? A fleshy meat sack who thinks they can get what they want by sleeping with the strongest demons in the Devildom?"

Another flinch. Satan chuckled to himself.. Did those morons really think they wouldn't hear them? Humans might not have super-heightened senses but they weren't deaf.

A small crowd had begun gathering around them, waiting to see what would happen. It wasn't every day one of the human exchange students squared up to a demon.

"You've got some nerve," the human drew themself up to their full height - which, admittedly, was laughable compared to most demons - and crossed their arms. "What do you think Lord Diavolo would do to demons who messed with his exchange students?"

"I believe there's a special spot in the Royal Torture Chambers for such demons," Satan came to stand next to them, and the other demons downright cowered. "If I recall correctly, there's an Iron Maiden down there."

"Ooh, cool!"

"Alright, we get it!" One of the demons cried, throwing their hands up defensively. "We're sorry!"

Satan opened his mouth to spit a curse at them, but the human beat him to it. "I've got Lord Diavolo on speed dial, so start running."

The two demons turned tail and booked it down the hallway, nearly crashing into Beelzebub as he turned the corner with a sandwich hanging out of his mouth. He stood frozen for a moment before he swallowed and turned to Satan and the human.

"Were those two bothering you guys?"

Satan cast a sideways look at the human before a wicked grin spread across his face.

"They took care of it."

Asmodeus: "Well, someone's feeling bold tonight."

The door had barely shut behind the two of them before the human was pressing Asmo against it, mouthing at his neck as their hands traveled down the front of his silk blouse. He shuddered gleefully as their breath ghosted against his ear lobe.

"I can't help it," they murmured, fingers skirting just beneath the hem of his shirt. "You looked so good out there."

"I look good all the time, darling," he hummed, reaching up to grab a fistful of hair to gently pry them away from his neck.

"You looked especially good," they huffed as he let go of their hair. "Dancing like that, I could barely wait until we got home."

"Aw, sweetheart, you should have come to join me." Asmo rolled his hips in an echo of the dancing he had been doing at the club, delighting when he felt them shiver against him. "We could have put on a show that would have captivated the whole Devildom."

"I don't think the staff would appreciate it."

"They would be too busy watching to care," Asmo giggled, diving down to capture their lips in a quick and dirty kiss. "Although I can't say I'm not thrilled to be getting a private show."

Beelzebub: “Man, this place has the best barbecue!”

Dinner dates were a pretty common thing for the two of them. Over the course of the human’s stay in the Devildom, the two of them had figured out which restaurants would put up with Beel’s appetite and which would visibly freeze when the Avatar of Gluttony entered the establishment. The Hellfire Barbecue was one of the good places, probably because Beel made sure to tip really well, and one time personally went into the kitchen to tip the chef. Or, well, he tried, anyway. He ended up giving the money to the human and told them to give it to the chef because he knew if he went in there he would devour everything. But the sentiment was still there.

Beel smiled down at the human as they wiped the barbecue sauce off of their face. “You finished all of it this time.”

“Huh?” they glanced at their plate. “Oh. Yeah, I guess I did.”

“You usually don’t.”

“I was really hungry, I guess.” they grinned sheepishly.

Beel distinctly remembered the human telling him that they always tried to save some food for later. Whether it was being resourceful or because they had a weird sense of shame around eating too much, Beel didn’t know, but he had never pressed in case it was a sensitive issue. But, seeing them indulge themselves and looking genuinely full and satisfied made him happy. And was probably his main motivation for taking them out to dinner so often.

Well, that and getting his own food.

“I like watching you eat.” Beel said, waving to the owner as he passed by.

“You...like watching me eat.” the human repeated, looking somewhat confused.

“You look so happy when you eat good food,” Beel smiled. “I like seeing you happy.”

Belphegor: Oh, how the tables have tabled.

“Come on, I don’t feel like dealing with Lucifer’s lectures today.” Belphie grumbled, tugging half-heartedly on the human’s arm that was flung around his waist. “We should get up soon.”

For all of his complaining, Belphie didn’t move. If anything, he snuggled down deeper into the bed. He loved when the human agreed to have a sleepover in the attic with him. They got uninterrupted cuddle and nap time, since nobody dared to come up to the attic except Beel. And Beel was almost always welcome to join the cuddle puddle.

“Five more minutes…” the human mumbled sleepily, burying their face into Belphie’s neck. The soft, contented sigh they let out tickled, and he squirmed a little.

“Aren’t you usually the one waking me up?” Belphie nuzzled his nose against their hair.

“But it’s comfy here,” they whined. “I don’t want to get up.”

“You just don’t want to do the presentation in class today.”

“Your point?”

Belphie laughed. “Can’t say I disagree.”

“I did all the hard work anyway,” they shrugged. “We’ll make Mammon give the report.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

The two of them settled back down into the nest of pillows. The human had almost drifted back to sleep when Belphie brought his nose down to theirs to nuzzle them together.

“You’re cute when you’re sleepy.”

“You’re cute when you shut up and let me sleep.”

#obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me levi #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me asmo #obey me beelzebub #obey me beel #obey me belphegor #obey me belphie

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alwaysachorusgirl · 3 years

Text

We’ve Got Tonight

Pairing: Rafael Barba x Reader

Word Count: 3,540

Square: Free Space, using “We’ve Got Tonight” by Bob Seger from the song list (song lyrics in bold type)

TW: Includes a brief re-cap of “Sightless in a Savage Land”, so a brief mention of rape murder; angst, hurt/comfort, implied smut

Tags: @thatesqcrush, @madamsnape921

A/N: This is a follow up to “An Exile of Our Own Making”. Sorry for the delay in getting this out. Everything was going fine until I hit a patch of writer’s block and bad mental health days. This starts prior to “Sightless in a Savage Land” and then jumps to immediately afterward. This also ended up being on the longer side. I feel like I threw everything at it, except the kitchen sink.

After your fateful meeting with Rafael you had gone home and cried yourself to sleep. The next day you went into work and everyone seemed to automatically know that something was wrong. Amanda and Kat eventually got it out of you. As expected, Amanda wasn’t thrilled that you’d gone to see your ex without her to back you up. Kat, ever the good partner, said she’d there to listen if you wanted to talk about it. You didn’t but thanked her anyway. Lucia Barba called three times, begging you to come to Christmas dinner and talk to her son. As much as you wanted one of Lucia’s home-cooked meals, you politely declined. You were working the Christmas shift. You did reassure her that you would speak to Rafael again, but only when you were ready to, and on your own terms.

You also scheduled an emergency session with your therapist. She also wasn’t thrilled that you had gone to see Rafael, but she listened while you cried and dumped out the contents of your heart. It eventually led to a discussion about forgiveness, more specifically, whether or not you could forgive Rafael. You had told her that you thought you could, but you still needed more time to process your current emotions. You needed to sit down and have an actual conversation with him, you had barely given him an opportunity to speak when you’d last met. You figured that you should at least give him a chance to explain himself, even if it hurt to hear it.

******************

Thankfully Christmas Day was uneventful. You caught up on all your paperwork, reviewed open casefiles, updated some profiles and case notes, and cleaned and reorganized your desk. Liv called a couple hours before your shift was over to check in and tell you to go home early and enjoy the rest of the day. You thanked her, and then called in your usual order to your favorite Thai takeout place as you were walking out the door.

********************

When you arrived back at your apartment, takeout dinner in hand, you were met at the door by a talkative orange ball of fluff.

“Mrow! Mrow! Mrow!”

“Yes, baby, I know! Your dinner is late,” You said to your cat. You made sure your door was locked, then put down your food and work bag and shrugged off your coat and boots. “Just give me a sec- hey! Inigo! That food is not for you!”

Inigo stopped sniffing the takeout bag and looked at you like he was insulted. You sighed and picked up the food, taking into your kitchen and placing it on the counter. You then grabbed Inigo’s food and water bowls. You refilled the water bowl and put it back down, hoping it would distract him while you opened the cat food can and used a fork to deposit the wet, squishy substance into his food dish. Because it was Christmas, you garnished it with few cat treats. You put the dish down next to his water bowl and he hungrily dug in.

“Merry Christmas, Inigo,” you said with a smile.

After changing into your pajamas, you settled on the couch with your dinner and a glass of wine and began your annual Christmas movie marathon. You weren’t sure how long you’d be able to stay awake, so you started off with Gremlins. You had just gotten to the part where Billy is starting to bond with Gizmo when you phone rang. You grabbed it off the coffee table and saw it was Lucia Barba wanting to facetime. You swiped to answer and were shocked to see Rafael’s face looking back at you.

“Hi, I know that I’m probably the last person that you want to talk to, but I just wanted to say, Merry Christmas, Y/N.”

“It’s okay, I’m glad you called, but next time, use your own phone, okay? Merry Christmas Rafael. How are you?”

“I’m about as well as I can be. You?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” you replied. A loud sound from your TV got both your attention.

“Is that the sound of a Mogwai in distress?” Rafael inquired. “You’re watching Gremlins, aren’t you?”

“Of course, I am, it’s my favorite Christmas movie.”

At that moment, Inigo decided to jump into your lap and demand his nightly cuddles.

“Wait, you have a cat now?”

At the sound of Rafael’s voice, Inigo turned and looked at your phone, cocking his head to the side in confusion.

“Mrow?”

“Yes, I do. Rafael, meet Inigo. Inigo, can you say ‘Hi’ to Rafael?”

Inigo gave a disinterested “Mrow”, and then curled up in your lap and started to purr. You massaged his head with your free hand.

“Wow,” said Rafael, “I was not expecting that. Is he named after who I think he’s named after?”

“Yes, he is,” you chuckled. “I adopted him about six months after you left. My therapist thought it might be good if I had an animal to take care of, and I’ve always been a cat person. He was an injured kitten when I found him at the shelter. I took one look at him, and I just knew. He’s been my fluffy baby ever since.”

You were surprised how easily the conversation flowed between the two of you. Neither of you brought up the elephant in the room, but that was okay. You weren’t ready to have that conversation yet, and when you did, you wanted it to be face to face. Right now, it just felt good to talk to him again. He told you about the legal work he’d been doing, you told him stories about your cat, and how Sonny was doing working in the DA’s office. And by the time you signed off the call, you felt a spark of hope growing in your heart.

********************

The time between Christmas and New Year’s came and went. You spoke to Rafael a few more times via facetime. You had time to think, and the more you thought about it, the more you wondered if a second chance was staring you right in the face. Life wasn’t a movie and most people didn’t get second chances, but every day that went by made you a little more sure that reconciliation was possible.

Rafael was on your mind so much that you were almost grateful when you were awoken in the wee hours of New Year’s morning by the Amber Alert on your phone. SVU was being called in to find a missing teenage girl, and it was just the distraction you needed. If only you had known the twists and turns that case would take, evolving into a rape, and then murder case, when’s the girl’s father, Mickey Davis, shot and killed her rapist.

Rafael stepped in and defended Davis. It was both heart-wrenching and exhilarating to watch him go up against Sonny in the courtroom. Sonny was your friend and former partner, and you knew he wasn’t happy about the situation. But watching Rafael strut around the courtroom, making his arguments, cross-examining witnesses, making objections, you couldn’t help but be completely in awe of him. He was wholly in his element, like he’d never been gone.

**********************

When all was said and done, Sonny walked away victorious with a guilty verdict. He should have been thrilled, but instead he was sitting in Forlini’s with you, Rafael, and the rest of the team, sulking into his beer. You stood off to the side, nursing your Jack and Coke, unsure of what to say or do to make him feel better. You and Rafael had behaved like complete professionals when you had to interact during the case, but that hadn’t stopped a stressed-out Sonny from snapping at you and calling your friendship and loyalty into question.

So, you kept your mouth shut and stared longingly at Rafael, hanging onto his every word. At some point he received a text from his mother and headed out, saying something about Lucia insisting on going to Miami to visit the rest of the family. You saw Amanda stand up and you thought she was headed back to the bar, but you then felt her elbow you in the side. You gave her a look of confusion.

“What are you waiting for? Go after him,” she told you.

You nodded in response, put the rest of your drink down, and grabbed your coat and purse.

“Thanks Coach, good pep talk.”

“That’s what I’m here for,” she replied. “Now go get your man.”

You exited Forlini’s and looked up and down the sidewalk for Rafael, but he wasn’t there. You decided to check around the corner, and if you still didn’t catch sight of him, you would go back to bar and call him. You dashed down the street and around the corner. You stopped in your tracks when you saw him, his back to you, deep in conversation with Liv. Liv saw you, gave you a nod and smiled.

“Happy New Year, Rafael, “she told him, “Oh, and I think someone else wants a word with you.”

Rafael turned and smiled when he saw you, and you smiled back. Liv patted you on the shoulder she walked by, leaving you and Rafael alone together. You took a deep breath and walked toward him.

“Hi,” you said, when you got close enough.

“Hi,” he replied.

“You did really well today, Rafael, I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you, Y/N, that means a lot.”

“Look, “you started, “I know your plans don’t include me right now, but I was thinking that maybe, if you have time later, I’m ready to sit down and actually talk. I never gave you a chance to explain yourself, and I’m sorry. I didn’t handle that well.”

“Y/N, you have nothing to be sorry about. I didn’t handle it well, either. Everything you said, I needed to hear.”

“All the same, please, Rafael?” You gazed up into his green eyes. You felt your resolve cracking again as a tear rolled down your face. Rafael gently touched your cheek, brushing it away with his thumb, and this time, you didn’t pull away from his touch.

“It’s okay, Cariño, if you want to talk, then we’ll talk.”

You let out a breath that you hadn’t realized you’d been holding. And then you did want you wanted to do the first moment you saw him sitting there in Forlini’s: You wrapped your arms around his sturdy torso and buried your face in the crook of his neck, holding on for dear life. You felt his arms circle around you, pulling you as close as he could. You breathed in his scent, a mixture of his cologne, coffee, whiskey, and something that was uniquely him. You felt him run his fingers through your hair and kiss your forehead.

“It’s okay, Cariño,” he murmured softly. “I’ve got you, you’re okay, you’re okay. I’m right here.”

“Then why am I scared that you’ll disappear if I let go?”

“I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”

You weren’t sure how long the two of you stood there holding onto each other. It was obvious that neither one of you wanted to let go. Rafael massaged small circles into your back, whispering words of comfort and reassurance into your ear. You melted into him, just like you had so many times before. Any remaining doubts you had flew out of your mind. You loved him. You belonged with him. You forgave him. You wanted him back.

“Cariño? I’ll tell you what, why don’t you come have dinner with me and my mother tonight?”

“I wouldn’t want to impose,” your replied, shaking yourself out of your thoughts.

“You’re not imposing. My mother would love to see you, and you know how she cooks; there will be more than enough food.”

“I’d be late, I have run back home first. I have a hungry cat waiting for me, remember?”

“Then we will take a detour to Brooklyn on the way to the Bronx,” Rafael said with a chuckle.

“You do know that’s an out-of-the-way detour, right?”

“Cariño, as far as I’m concerned, it’s worth it. I’ll just text my mother and let her know that I’m running late.”

********************

Thankfully traffic wasn’t as heavy as it usually was, and you got back to your apartment relatively quickly. Rafael waited in the car while you ran in, fed Inigo, changed out of your work clothes, and ran back out. Then it was off to Lucia’s apartment in the Bronx. As promised, Lucia welcomed you with open arms.

“Hermosa!” She cried, enveloping you in a hug. “I’m so happy to see you! I missed you at Christmas! Come in! Come in! Dinner is almost ready. Rafi! Why didn’t you tell me you were bringing Y/N?”

“I wanted to surprise you, Mamí,” he said, embracing his mother.

“Well, consider me surprised then. I’ll go set an extra place at the table.”

She headed for the kitchen and Rafael took your coat, hanging it up on the hook by the door. He placed a tentative hand on your lower back, but once again, you didn’t pull away. You gazed into his emerald eyes, allowing yourself to get lost for a moment. Before you could stop yourself, your hand was caressing his cheek. You shuddered when he placed his hand over yours and kissed your palm. Your heart pounded like a jackhammer in your chest, and you started wonder what would happen if you just-

“Dinner’s ready!” Lucia called.

You took a step back and tried to pull your hand away, but Rafael held on and placed a soft kiss on your knuckles.

“Shall we?”

You nodded and let him lead you to the kitchen, where you were met with a variety of delicious smells and a veritable feast.

“Oh, Lucia, you have outdone yourself again!”

“Just a little something to celebrate my son being back in court and doing what he does best,” she said with a grin.

“Mamí, I didn’t win today.”

“Rafael, that doesn’t matter,” you said, giving him a look. “You walked into that courtroom with your head held high and fought like hell for your client. Watching you, it was awe inspiring, it was brilliant, it was astounding. You have nothing to be ashamed of.” You stopped, realizing that both Rafael and Lucia were staring at you. “Maybe we should sit down and eat?”

“Yes, I think we should,” said Lucia, giving you a smirk and a knowing look.

Grace was said, dishes were passed, and between the conversation and shoveling forkfuls of food into your mouth, the time flew by. It had been so long since the last time the three of you had been together like this, but it felt like the years hadn’t passed at all. You had missed this, wanted it to be your normal again. Every time your eyes caught Rafael’s he would reach for your hand and give it a gentle squeeze, and you wondered if he felt the same way.

Before you and Rafael left, Rafael double-checked his mother’s flight information. She was flying out the next morning, and Rafael promised he’d be there bright and early to take her to the airport.

“Rafi, I am more than capable of getting myself to the airport.”

“I know, Mamí, but I insist. I just want to make sure that you get there and don’t have any issues with checking in.”

“Fine, but don’t forget to bring in my mail every day and check the fridge occasionally. If something looks or smells like it’s going bad, throw it out.”

‘I will, Mamí, I promise.”

Lucia gave him a hug and kissed his cheek, then did the same to you. She made sure to hand you both large Tupperware containers with the all the leftovers.

“This is to make sure you don’t starve. And Hermosa, take care of my son? Make sure he eats something other than take-out?”

“I will, Lucia, I promise.”

**********************

You unlocked your apartment door, but before opening it, you turned to Rafael.

“You’re sure that you’re ready for this?”

“Yes, Cariño, I’m ready to meet your cat,” he reassured you for the umpteenth time.

“Okay…”

You opened the door and you and Rafael entered the apartment. You were promptly headbutted in the leg before you could even get your coat off.

“Mrow! Mrow! Mrow! Mrow!”

“Yes, baby, I’m sorry I went out and left you here all alone.” You picked up Inigo and cuddled him in your arms. “It’s okay, baby, Mommy’s home now.” You turned towards Rafael. “Rafael, this is Inigo. Inigo, this is Rafael.”

“Hi there, Inigo, it’s nice to finally meet you in person.”

Inigo looked at Rafael, then looked up at you incredulously.

“Mrow?”

“Inigo be nice…I have an idea! Rafael, his treats are in the corner cabinet, 1st shelf.” You pointed towards the kitchen. Rafael ran to your kitchen and came back with the cat treats. He shook a few into his hand and held them out to Inigo. The cat took a tentative sniff, and then gobbled down the treats, even licking the crumbs off Rafael’s fingers. “There, you happy now?” Inigo gave an affirmative “Mrow”, and you put him down.

“Sorry about that,” you said, standing back up and finally taking your coat off. “He can be a little grumpy around new people. Drink?”

“It’s okay, I get it,” said Rafael, removing his coat and suit jacket and draping them over a kitchen chair. “Yes, please, a drink would be great.”

You put your leftovers in the fridge and opened a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Scotch and two glasses. You expertly poured and handed a glass to Rafael. He thanked you, and you took the other glass and motioned towards the living room. “Shall we?” Rafael nodded and followed you to the couch. You both glanced at each other awkwardly, not sure how to begin.

“I guess I should start by apologizing again,” Rafael finally spoke, “and I am truly sorry, Cariño, for everything. I never should have left the way that I did. After the trial, I really believed it was all over. I saw my future and all of my hopes fading away. I couldn’t go back to the DA’s office, couldn’t face the scrutiny, couldn’t face you, couldn’t even face myself. So, I took the coward’s way out, and I ran. At the time, it seemed like the right thing to do. I convinced myself that I needed time and distance to figure things out, but I wasn’t thinking straight, I know that now. I felt like I was suffocating. Everything was falling apart, and I didn’t know how to fix it…”

“You could have come to me. We could have figured it out together…” You reached for his hand and held it between both of yours. “I never would have turned my back on you.”

“I know that, dear god, do I know that,” Rafael hung his head, tears starting to leak out of his eyes. “I thought I’d be sparing you so much unnecessary pain and humiliation. Knowing that I only caused you more…I’ll never forgive myself. I never should have pushed you away. I’ve spent every moment regretting it.” He turned his head and looked you right in the eye.” I never meant to hurt you; I swear I never meant to hurt you.”

“I know,” you said, feeling your own fresh round of tears coming on. “Come here.”

You wrapped your arms around him and held him close. He embraced you in return, placing his head on your shoulder. It was so rare for you to see him like this, opening up, letting his guard down, being vulnerable. He was hurting just as much as you were, longing for shelter, longing for an end to all the years of heartache. You gently cupped his face in your hands to that he was looking you in the eye again.

“I forgive you, Rafael, I forgive everything. Deep in my soul, I’ve been so lonely, and I don’t want to live like that anymore, and I don’t think you do either. Still here we are, both of us lonely. Let’s make it last, let’s find a way.”

“Are you saying- “

“Yes, I love you, Rafael, come back to me.”

Your lips found his. The kiss started out soft and gentle, but soon became deeper and more intense. You let go of his face and draped your arms around his neck. Rafael pulled you into his lap, one arm around your back, his other hand in your hair. You both desperately tried to communicate three years of pent up longing and desire without words. Nothing else mattered, just the two of you, in your apartment, and nothing was going to tear you apart again.

“I love you, Y/N,” said Rafael when you finally broke apart to catch your breaths.

“I love you, too, Rafael.”

“Look, I know it’s late, I know you’re weary, but I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to spend another night away from you.”

You kissed him again.

“Then don’t. We’ve got tonight, babe, why don’t you stay?”

#thatesqcrush vday bingo #rafael barba x reader #rafael barba #rafael barba imagines #svu #svu fanfiction #fan fiction

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arazialotis · 4 years

Text

Long Distance

Pairing: Dean × Reader

Word Count: Around 1700

Summary: Dean and Y/N have been separated during the holidays due to a string of hunts but Dean has a thought to make the distance seem not so far apart.

Warnings: Language, General SPN spooky stuff

This is purely just for writing and wasting my time as hobby. Maybe some of you will enjoy it too. I apologize in advance for any mistakes or grammatical/spelling errors. I appreciate any feedback or suggestions!

-----

Nights came early this time of year, each day growing darker a little earlier. It was hard to fight off the fatigue that crept in every passing moment. Even harder so with Dean out of town on another string of hunts. You sat in the picture window curled up in a fuzzy blanket with a warm cup of tea and a new book. Though you had a corner lamp turned on, the Christmas lights outside bounced off the white snow, illuminating the world and keeping the dark at bay.

Your phone had occasionally been buzzing as Dean updated you on his progress in a new town. You did what you could to not worry, to have faith, but each day he was gone you needed distractions to keep your mind off it. And of course, communication. The longer he went without an update, the more your stomach turned.

Though you were entranced with the novel, methodically flipping pages and on the edge of your seat, as soon as the phone sounded, you threw the book down only focusing on him.

You answered with a pant of excitement. “Hey babe.”

Dean’s smile practically shined through the receiver. “Evenin’ Y/N. Man it's good to hear your voice.”

“Yours too.” You echoed setting your tea down on the ledge as you started pacing the floor. “How’s the first day been?”

“Ah, you know, just getting settled and the feel for things. Wish I had your mind here to sort things out but this has been a long stretch, it’s starting to drag. It was good for you to stay home.” He paused waiting for a reply. “This’ll be the last one, promise.”

“Don’t say that.” You chided knowing fully well he easily broke these promises. “You are doing good work. If you need to keep going, that’s alright. Just promise me you’ll come home eventually.” “You know there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

“And besides.” You sighed. “I’m still here virtually, put me together the case details tonight and I’ll scour over them.”

Dean’s blush heated up the air around you as he shamefully admitted. “I already sent them to Sam.”

“Ugh! What? God Da…” Dean’s chuckle cut you off. You rubbed your brow reminding yourself it wasn’t a competition. “I want to help too.” You whined.

“Okay, okay.” His voice faded. “I’m sending them now.”

You looked at your phone waiting for the email to come through. A few moments passed and it eventually did. He had sent over a few news articles, pdfs, and a word doc of his own notes.

“Hmmm… it’s definitely a werewolf.” You teased. “Shut up.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m not stupid enough to get stumped by an oversized rabid poodle.”

“I’ll shoot you some real ideas by tomorrow at the latest.”

“Don’t feel rushed, I got some pretty good leads to follow up on tomorrow.” He assured. “Alright, enough work talk. What about you? How was Thanksgiving?”

“I mean, it wasn’t the same without you and everyone else. But uh, I still tried to make the most of it. Brussels, beans, wild rice, potatoes…” You listed. “Mashed?” Dean interrupted.

“Pfft. Of course. Cranberries. Oh, I did a cornish hen cause like, what the fuck am I going to do with a whole turkey? I already have enough leftovers to last me ‘til Christmas. Tell me you had something more than deli meat turkey.”

“Don’t worry about me babe.” He lightly chuckled. “Denny’s got me covered.”

“Dean.” You scolded.

“Pie? Please tell me you had pie.” He begged.

“No way I’m having pie without you.”

“But.. But… Thanksgiving.” Dean pouted.

You giggled at his adorable antics. “There’s one waiting in the freezer for when you get back.” “Yes! Cherry?” He pleaded.

“Of course…” You giggled together until a knock sounded at the door. “Hey, hold on a sec.”

“What is it?” Dean’s voice grew concerned. He heard the door open, a soft thank you, and the door closing before a bit of rustling. “Oh, nothing.” You fiddled with the box and the phone. “Just looks like a package for you.” Dean licked his lips with anticipation. “Why don’t you go ahead and open it for me?” You wrinkled your nose, unsure if you wanted to. “Really?”

“I’m sure.”

You grabbed a kitchen knife to hack away at the tape. Dean sat down on the motel bed anxiously waiting for you to find what was inside.

“It’s um… it’s.” You pulled it out further inspecting it. “It’s a lamp?”

Dean grinned ear to ear waiting for you to figure it out. “A long distance lamp? What?” “I found it online. You have one and I have one.” He explained. “I felt bad the last hunt with the bad reception. My lamp will light up when you touch it and vice versa.”

“What?” You squealed.

“Yeah. It’s an early Christmas gift.” Your heart melted. “Go plug it in.” He ordered before you could respond.

“Dean…” His thoughtfulness nearly brought you to tears. “Go!” He repeated before you got too sappy.

After a few minutes of him guiding you through the set up, you were ready to test it out. “Okay, ready?” He asked, his hand hovering over the lamp on his end.

“Yes.” You sat on the floor staring at the dark lamp. “Nothings happening.” You sighed. “Oh, wait!” It was dim at first but slowly turned into a green glow reminding you of his eyes. “Oh my gosh.”

“Your turn.” You pressed the top of yours sending him a warm purple glow. You could hear his smile over the phone.

“See, now we can talk to each other even without the phones.”

“Dean. This is… it’s… thank you.” Was all you could muster to say. “I’ll keep it by my bed so I can say good night and good morning.” “Me too sweetheart.” Dean agreed. “And in case anything happens to my phone or I get stuck in another dead area, you’ll know not to worry.”

The two of you spent another good hour talking; tentatively setting up holiday plans, explaining the unexpected twist in your book, and thrilling him with all the juicy details of exactly what you were going to do to him when he finally did make it home. You read a few more pages before finally calling it a night. Tucked into a bundle of blankets, you reached to your nightstand sending him a final thought of the night. A few moments later came the dim green glow. Though it was just a light, it made you feel as though he was there, his arms wrapped around you making your heart warm.

When Dean awoke the next morning, the lamp next to him was already glowing purple. He smiled, typical that you would be the first to rise. After a yawn and deep stretch, he sent the thought back to you before going to freshen up and shower. The hot water and steam soothed his sore muscles and the tension he held in his shoulders if only for a brief minute. Towel wrapped around his waist and clean shaven, he came back out to get dressed in a suit for the day only to find the light had not faded. With another chuckle he assumed you must have been on the same schedule and sent another touch back before heading out for the day.

From the morning, he was in a sprint; talking with the local police department, interviewing witnesses, consoling family members. Dutifully, he kept you updated on his progress hoping to hear back from you soon on any thoughts yet you were quiet. He wondered if he had mixed up your work schedule again. Having gone nonstop throughout the day, he opted for an early dinner back at the hotel room.

Entering back to the room with his Chinese takeout, he immediately noticed the lamp was still on. He set down his food on the table and pulled out his phone.

‘The lamp doesn’t need to fully replace the phones.’ He texted you, adding a little laughing emoji hoping you wouldn’t be offended by him calling out your silence today.

He popped open his laptop and dug into the Mongolian beef hoping to review any ideas you had come up with. But you hadn’t emailed him like you said. It was still early enough in the day, and especially if you had worked, maybe hadn’t had time to get around to it. He pulled up Sam’s email instead, reviewing notes and potential leads.

An hour had passed and the light still glowed purple. Thinking it must be broken, Dean meandered over to the plug resetting it. The only other explanation would be your hand on top of it consistently which didn’t make any sense. The lamp powered back up and momentarily was dark before the purple hue came through again.

“This is weird.” Dean muttered to himself.

He walked back over to the table and grabbed his phone and dialed your number. After two rings, it answered.

Dean chuckled, thankful to finally have gotten you. “Either these things are malfunctioning or you must really miss me.” He heard a deep breath from the other side of the line.

“Y/N?” His voice dropped. “Sweetheart, are you there?” A sinister voice crackled on the other end. “It’s been a long time Dean.”

Dean’s heart dropped to his stomach. Panic and anger rose to his chest. It was a voice he could never forget. “Alastair.”

“Now I was hoping to find you home when I stopped by but this pretty little lady said you were out on business.” Alastair's voice delightfully slithered.

His jaw clenched. “If you’ve touched a single hair on her head, I swear to God…” Dean spat.

Amusement rose into laughter. “What makes you assume I could harm such a delicate creature. Her neck as easy to snap as a sparrow's."

“You better pray that's not what I find when I get back.” Dean threatened already furiously packing his bag.

“Its not her I want, it’s you.” Alastair clarified. “But I guess that all depends on how long you take getting back home Dean. I might become bored.”

-----

TAGS:

Forevers: @mogaruke @deanwinchesterforpromqueen @jotink78@blushingdean @sup3r-pott3r-lock3d @dancingalone21@carryonmyswansong @atc74 @superapplepie @cassieraider@adaliamalfoy @iwriteaboutdean @spnbaby-67@monkeymcpoopoo @adoptdontshoppets @maddiepants@onceuponathreetwoone @thisismysecrethappyplace

Dean x Reader: @akshi8278 @boxywrites @its-not-a-tulpa @tacklesackles @aubreystilinski @iamabeautifulperson18@jerkbitchidjitassbutt @spn-dean-and-sam-winchester @ria132love

#supernatural #dean winchester #spn #spnfandom #spn fanfiction #dean x reader #dean x you #dean x y/n

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detective-giggles · 3 years

Text

Secret Love

A request from ModerateShouting. It was written a while ago and never posted, so I will be using it to fill the ‘Public Display of Affection’ square for thatesqcrush’s vday bingo (Sorry, I decided I wanted fluff, not smut!) Thank you to Sarah for the beta, and thank you Dani for the title!

Word Count: 846

Rafael sighed as he watched the grainy black and white live footage of SVU’s latest sting. He shifted uncomfortably in the ballistic vest Olivia had made him wear, popped a couple of pretzels in his mouth and sighed. “Is there-”

“Shhhh!” Olivia shushed him quickly, leaning in towards the screen.

Rafael followed suit, carefully studying the tiny screens. The monitors were hardly suitable for watching old I Love Lucy reruns, they definitely weren’t suitable for keeping a watchful eye on life-or-death situations. Especially life-or-death situations involving his fiancé. The fiancé that no one knew about.

He caught a flash of movement, and then a thick, Staten Island accent yelled, “STOP. POLICE!” The lanky detective gave chase, disappearing down a dark corridor, followed closely by Mike. Seconds later, gunshots rang out and Rafael forgot how to breathe.

He searched the screens desperately, barely hearing Olivia yell for Fin and Amanda to go inside and he wouldn’t have even realized she had spoken to him if Olivia hadn’t grabbed his shoulder. “Stay.” She ordered before following her detectives inside the warehouse.

Rafael turned his attention back to the screens and turned the volume up on the tiny radio. The static was awful, all he caught were snippets of shouting and general chaos. He was a little more relieved for every second that went by where he didn’t hear someone call ‘ten-thirteen’ or ‘officer down’.

He watched detectives, paramedics, and uniformed officers he didn’t recognize scurry across the screens like ants but didn’t catch sight of his beanpole of a detective.

He stood slowly and paced inside the back of the small cargo truck for an unknown length of time before the back doors opened, startling him.

“Mike? How’s Carisi?”

“He’ll be fine. I’m fine too, thanks for asking.”

Rafael rolled his eyes. “Clearly. Take me to him?”

“Uh, sure? He’s at an ambulance over there.” They exited the van, and Mike escorted Rafael through the noise and the throngs of emergency personnel, explaining what had happened. Rafael couldn’t focus, his eyes scanning the crowd, hearing only “trafficked girls”, “rescue”, and “knife wound”.

“I thought you said he was okay?” Rafael demanded, stopping short.

“He is. It’ll probably only need a few stitches.” Mike pointed and Rafael followed his gaze. He made a small, choked sound when he noticed the patch of red that was soaking through Sonny’s white shirt.

Sonny was sitting on the back of an ambulance with two small girls. Rafael watched as Olivia helped them down and held their hands, walking them to the back of a nearby patrol car. Mike was a dozen steps ahead of him already, and Rafael hurried to catch up.

By the time he did, Mike was helping Sonny take off his vest while a medic was waiting to tend to his wound. Sonny unbuttoned his shirt, and the EMT helped him ease it off his shoulders.

“Give us a sec?” Sonny murmured. Mike looked between Sonny and Rafael and nodded, walking away quickly.

“Hey Rafi,” Sonny forced a smile.

“Don’t ‘hey Rafi’ me! What were you thinking?” Rafael took a couple of steps closer until he was close enough to touch the detective. “Do you know how hard it was to stay calm when we heard the gunshot?”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” he muttered. He flinched and closed his eyes, inhaling sharply through his nose. The EMT mumbled something about painkillers at the hospital, and Rafael reached for his hand automatically and gave it a squeeze. Sonny tugged, pulling Rafael in closer and pressing their lips together.

“No! Wait!” Rafael said, stepping back, “How could you do that? And without backup? Jesus, Sonny. I thought I was going to be burying you next week instead of marrying you! And why are you smiling?”

“I love you, Rafi.” Sonny reached out and hooked his fingers around the collar of Rafael’s vest, reeling him in for another kiss. “I’m fine,” Sonny assured him.

“And how did you get stabbed when there was a gunshot?”

“Rafi, please relax,” Sonny pleaded. He slipped his hand behind Rafael’s head and pulled him in again, kissing him slow and deep. He pulled back after a moment, “I’ll be okay! I don’t even need stitches!”

“Yeah, that’s gonna need a few stitches,” the medic piped up.

“I’ll only need a few stitches,” Sonny amended.

“And an antibiotic. And probably an updated tetanus shot.”

“And an antibiotic,” he parroted. Then Sonny turned to the medic, “you know you’re kinda killing the mood here.”

Rafael laughed, stepping between Sonny’s legs and leaned against his good shoulder, nuzzling into his neck. “I love you, mi sol.”

“I love you, too,” Sonny murmured, “but also, you do realize our secret’s out right now.”

Rafael turned and caught Mike, Olivia, and Amanda staring incredulously. “I don’t care. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“Detective, you’re patched up as good as I can. Climb in, and we’ll take you to get fixed up. Your friend can ride.”

“You coming?” Sonny asked, preparing to stand.

Rafael nodded and followed his fiancé into the ambulance.

Tag list: @moderateshouting @itsjustmyfantasyroom @beccabarba @thatesqcrush

#barisi #rafael barba #dominick carisi jr #minor work related injury #secret relationship reveal #thatesqcrushvdaybingo #not my gifs #fic request #i'm not a doctor and i don't play one on tv

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rebelwrites · 3 years

Text

Chapter Twenty One: She Set My World On Fire - Phoenix

As this is an original fic it is hard to tag, so I’d really appreciate it is you reblogged and shared with your friends and followers 🖤 and if you reblog with comments I will love you forever

Join The Group Chat Here - If You Want Tagging Manually Let Me Know 🖤

Falling For Red Masterlist

This Months Writing

Hours had passed and we still hadn’t had an update. I refused to leave the hospital till I knew Red was out of surgery and in recovery. Everyone was on edge, which was understandable Red was a huge part of our lives. After what felt like an eternity a doctor walked into the private waiting room they had put us in.

“So Miss Hudson is a lucky lady” the doctor said as he sat on the arm of the sofa. “No organs were damaged from the knife but she was bleeding quite heavily into her abdomen due to the knife hitting some blood vessels”

“You managed to stop the bleeding right?” Grayson asked.

“Yes we did and she has been taken to recovery. We also treated the nasty cut on her thigh, she’s got a couple of broken ribs and had to re break her arm due to one of the breaks starting to heal, we have set her arm in place but will let her decide if she wants a colour on it” he said

“Definitely Red” I said looking up at him, “when can we see her?”

“I’d say in about an hour, we just want to make sure she comes round from the anaesthetic okay but one of the nurses will come and fetch you when you can see her”

“Thank you” I nodded letting out a breath that I had been holding for the last couple of hours.

The tension in the room had lifted slightly, knowing Red was somewhat out of the woods was a relief but we all knew this was going to be a long road ahead of us. But the main thing was she was still with us.

“Hey you,” I said softly as I walked into the room. “You gave us all quite a fright there”

“I didn’t think you were going to show up” she said weakly.

“You know I’d never stop looking for you” I whispered taking a seat next to her, taking my hand in hers “who would I have to piss off by getting them up at five am” A small laugh left her lips as she leant back against the pillow.

“Have they said when I can get out of this place?” She asked.

“Not yet, but I think it will be a couple of days before they let you” I sighed “all the guys are outside and are itching to see you, do you think you are up for it or do you want me to tell them you are sleeping?”

“I don’t know Nix” she mumbled “is he with them?”

“If by he you mean Grayson yes he is” I whispered squeezing her hand. “He has been going out of his mind since the day you were taken. I think he feels guilty”

“I don’t want to see him. It’s his fault I’m here, I knew I had a bad feeling about this case. I should have listened to my fucking gut feeling and my head but no I had to follow my fucking heart because I was attracted to him” she stated, her voice cracking like she was going to burst out crying. “Is it true? Is he really this city's biggest drug pusher?”

“Yes” I nodded squeezing her hand. “This wasn’t his fault you know, he didn’t know this would happen, he didn’t know Jacob could get this close to you. If it’s anyone’s fault it’s Jacob’s”

“He lied to me Nix, he made me feel all these things, and lied to me,” she said as a few tears rolled down her cheek. “He’s the kind of people we take out, the scum of the earth”

“I know darling I know” I said wiping her tears away with my thumb. “No one is going to force you to see him if you don’t want to, okay. But if he makes you feel things you never thought you would feel then don’t push him away. I know you broke the arrangement off with Axel and Blade the night of the gala so I know he got into your head but it’s okay Red.”

“When did you get so wise?” She half laughed nuzzling into my hand.

“I’ve always been wise you just never fucking listen” I smirked. “do you want me to get the boys?”

“Yeah” she nodded “just not him, I’m not ready to see him yet”

“Okay I will be back in a minute” I nodded, kissing the top of her head before leaving the room. Leaning against the wall I ran my hand over my face before heading into the waiting room to get everyone. “She wants to see you all, it’s the second room on the left. Grayson can I speak to you a sec”

Once everyone had left the room I ran my hand over my face.

“She doesn’t want to see me does she?” He sighed.

“I’m sorry mate” I said looking up. “She can’t get over the fact you lied about who you are, and what you actually do”

“I get it, she’s conflicted” he sighed running his hands through his hair. “I’m the kind of people she takes out not dates”

“Just give her some time, she will come around but I think she needs to deal with what happened first” I said placing my hand on his shoulder giving it a squeeze. “I will keep you updated, don't worry. I know you aren’t a bad person you showed me that the past couple of weeks”

“I should have told her the truth the first day she walked into my office” he sighed. I could see from the look of defeat on his eyes he was beating himself up about this.

“Look I don’t know how long it will take, it might be weeks or it might be months, but promise me something, promise me you won’t give up on her” I said. “Like I said outside I think you will be good for her and you said you experienced something similar so maybe you will be able to help her heal”

“She came into my life so fast” he laughed “set my world on fucking fire, flipping it upside down, trust me I’m not going to give up. And I honestly think my sister would kill me if I did”

“Good to hear man” I nodded, smiling at him. “Just don’t let the guilt you are feeling consume you, this wasn’t your fault okay”

“I will try”

@chibsytelford @everyhowlmarksthedead @talicat713 @little-diable @band--psycho @mrsmarvelous1995 @pancakeisreading @phoenixhalliwell @rosieposie0624

#rebel writes original #falling for red

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wolfpawn · 4 years

Text

I Hate You, I Love You, Chapter 136

Chapter Summary - As the Early Man premiere looms, Danielle gets more worried about it, but Sophie and Nacelle both try to settle her nerves. When the day comes, how will she deal with it all?

Previous Chapter

Rating - Mature (some chapters contain smut)

Triggers - references to Tom Hiddleston’s work with the #MeToo Movement. That chapter will be tagged accordingly.

authors Note - I have been working on this for the last 3 years, it is currently 180+ chapters long. This will be updated daily, so long as I can get time to do so, obviously.

NOTES - Yes, I love slagging Michael's accent, I won't apologise, there's no malice behind it :)

tags: @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog @jessibelle-nerdy-mum @nonsensicalobsessions @damalseer @hiddlesbitch1 @winterisakiller @fairlightswiftly @salempoe @wolfsmom1

‘Elle, this is too much.’

‘Just be grateful that come next Christmas, I will have someone else to annoy with this too, so I may not go as mad.’ She laughed.

‘“May not”?’

‘No promises, if Emma has a girl, I will probably still go as mad for boy’s clothes for your two.’

‘’Or you will just buy three of everything if she has a boy.’

‘Yeah, that’s fairly likely as well.’ Danielle acknowledged.

‘Are you alright with the premier?’ Danielle stared at the cup in front of her, not answering. ‘You’re scared.’

‘F….ing terrified.’ Danielle corrected herself as she looked at Kit who seemed to realise that that was the most opportune time to pick up a word he shouldn’t.

Sophie moved Hal to her other knee. ‘It’s not as bad as you make it out in your head, you know?’

‘People from all over the world will be sitting behind their computer screens and judging me, A - because they think they know me and B - because they think that Tom is theirs and not an actual human being.’

‘That’s only taking in a small number of his fans.’

‘Those are the ones that bother me, people being curious or people actually realise that even though they adore him, he is his own person, them I can handle, they don’t even have to like me, I just don’t like the negative people.’

‘Do you read what they say?’

‘Sometimes.’

‘Don’t, you will only upset yourself. You have seen what they have written about Ben and myself, negative people need to be toxic about others, it feeds their need for negativity.’

‘I know.’ Danielle looked at her cup again.

‘Have you spoken to Tom about this?’ She shook her head. ‘And why not?’

‘Because I can see he is stressing about my reaction to this and he is absolutely terrified I will scarper because of it, so if I voice my terror, he will react accordingly, ie overreact as I am doing and we could very much end up in a bad place as a result and I am not risking us for some stupid fear I have.’

Sophie pursed her lips, knowing that she would not convince Danielle to say anything to Tom. ‘I think you should tell him, but that is only my opinion.’ She stated politically before looking at her son, who was chewing his fist. ‘Not another one already.’

‘Toothsies.’ Danielle declared with a funny face causing him to giggle.

‘How do you do that?’

‘I have no idea, he is probably just laughing at my accent.’

‘It hasn’t changed since you came over, has it?’

‘Not that I am aware of, my family said nothing of it changing when I went back for a few days. They’d be the first to point it out.’

‘Michael Fassbender has an odd accent.’

‘Well, he is from Kerry, that’s a normal statement for people from there. But it does seem to be a slight mix of both London and Kerry.’

‘Have you met him?’

Danielle shook her head. ‘Is he even around these parts anymore?’

‘He moved to Portugal with his wife, I think, apparently, Brexit did not make them feel welcome anymore.’

‘Understandable, I get a few comments about being a “Paddy” here taking British jobs.’

‘Actually, what will you do when Brexit happens?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Will you stay?’

‘I am not leaving unless I have to, I came pre-vote, so hopefully, I am not going to be booted out. Worst case scenario, I can marry for a passport, that’s still a thing, right?’ She joked.

Sophie had to laugh but nodded her head slightly in agreement. ‘Is that what you planned? It’s as good a reason as any these days.’

‘And I am laying down my foundations in advance for immigration too.’ Sophie laughed again. ‘I don’t know, I suppose it is different for me than for Fassbender, my partner is British, his is….Swedish isn’t it?’

‘Think so.’

‘So they don’t have ties here such as family. We do, Tom could never move out of the country, leaving his mum and dad behind.’

‘How was Christmas with his mum?’

‘Amazing, I love it so much, we have all the joy of family, but we still have our own space.’

‘So you don’t think you will sell now?’

‘I spoke to him about it, he really did not like the idea and looking at the reasons, I can see it makes a lot more sense to keep it than to sell it. So no, no selling.’

‘And you are okay with that?’

‘Yes.’ The confidence in her voice made Sophie smile, it was clear Danielle was happy with her statement.

Sophie decided to give her more advice. ‘You will be fine, stay with Tom, let him know if you are scared and most importantly, be honest with him. Ben was the exact same, you can see him asking more than once if I am okay, Tom will do it too. And smile, they want to accuse you of being unhappy so much, don’t give it to them.’

‘Why are they so in need of putting others down?’

‘Because they are miserable and spiteful, two personality types prone to loving bringing others down. You will do fine, don’t fret.’

Danielle just nodded in response.

‘Elle?’ Tom knocked on the bathroom door. ‘Darling, Nacelle is here, I told her to go into the spare room, far more space in there for her to set herself up.’

‘Okay, just a sec, I am fighting with my hair.’ She walked out of the bathroom. ‘I am shaving it all off.’

‘Please don’t, it’s cold out, you’d regret it.’ Tom smiled, looking at her attempts to get it to do what she wanted. ‘You get your things together, and go over to her, alright?’

‘Thank you.’ She leant up and kissed him. ‘I don’t know why she insists on being here this early, am I that ugly?’

‘You are nothing of the sort.’ Tom chastised. ‘Didn’t Emma take four hours to do hair and make-up the day of her wedding.’

‘In all fairness, I never saw a more beautiful bride. The make-up only accentuated her features. She looked incredible.’

‘You looked so beautiful too.’ Tom smiled. ‘I fell utterly in love with you in every way that day. Before the wedding, while you were helping Emma, my feelings grew, but that day….I realised later what it was but I remember seeing you, walking down the aisle with Jack’s best friend and being utterly flabbergasted, you took my breath away.’ He placed his hand against her cheek. ‘Why did I waste two years? We could have had so much more time together.’

‘We both were not smart enough to take our heads out of our asses. And things happen for a reason. Who knows, if we had gotten together then, we may not have lasted.’ She pointed out. ‘Or we could be married now and be parents or perhaps we could be divorced, or just planning a wedding, we can never tell, all we can do is accept what is and change things moving forward if we are not happy with it.’

That startled Tom slightly. The idea of them married, must less as parents was a step that he thought they were a significant distance from at present. In all truth, he would see that as more of a reason to be angry at himself for not just saying something that day as they were eating or even ask her to dance, but he said nothing and missed out on two more years with her.

‘Hey, Earth to Tom…’ He turned to see Danielle looking at him. ‘Are you alright, love?’

‘Yeah, I was just thinking.’

‘Oh dear.’ He gave her a small playful warning look. ‘I better go get ready for this.’

‘So must I, I will be back soon.’

‘Are you going somewhere?’

‘I am going to the barbers.’

‘Are you getting everything cut off?’ She eyed him warily.

‘Not at all, just groomed.’ He consoled, smiling as she relaxed. ‘This is going to stay for a while yet.’

‘Good, I love it.’

‘And if I have to shave and tidy?’

‘I like you like that too.’ She smiled, kissing him. ‘Go. This is going to take me a serious amount of time.’

‘Not at all, you are so beautiful already, Nacelle just accentuates it.’ He assured her as he gave her a kiss and left the room and going down the other room to the curious looking makeup artist. ‘She is just out of the bathroom.’

‘I’ll have her ready for you.’

‘I will get you both something on the way back from my own appointment.’ He smiled as he left.

‘Ellie?’

‘Don’t call me that.’ Danielle growled as she came to the bedroom door. ‘Hey.’ She hugged her friend.

‘You look scared.’

‘I am scared.’

‘It’s nothing. And you have your own knight in shining armour, let’s get this started.’ They walked into the spare bedroom which had a large vanity table with a mirror. Danielle sat in the chair and watched as Nacelle looked at her before grabbing a few things. ‘We’ll get your hair in a few rollers, a nice tousled look will go well with your dress.’

‘I trust you.’ Danielle smiled, looking at the outfit she was wearing before Nacelle put a cloak over her to protect her clothes and started attacking her hair with rollers.

‘You really need to consider getting an ombre done, it would suit you so much.’ Nacelle insisted.

‘I need to worry more about the grey hairs.’

‘Shh, you have only a few.’

‘I spent the last thirty minutes pulling out some.’

‘Try doing it with my hair and then talk to me.’ Nacelle confessed, making Danielle feel a bit better, the pair talking about anything and everything as Nacelle worked on Danielle’s hair and then makeup.

#i hate you i love you #chapter 136 #tom hiddleston #tom hiddleston fic #wolfpawn

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pxjiminsi · 4 years

Text

Prettiest Smile

Chapter 2 from the Series : Before you go

Synopsis: Wanting to escape the unending criticism from your peers and parents about your life choices, you flew to L.A to figure out your life. On the same flight, you encounter an early debut, full of dreams, Bangtan Sonyeondan. Not knowing that that encounter will change your life forever.

Pairing: Jimin x reader, Taehyung x reader, Jin x OC, OT5 x reader platonic love

Fic Type: Slice of life au

Word count: 1.6k

Genre: slice of life, fluff, mild smut, and a healthy amount of angst

Warning: few cuss words

A/n: Hi! This will be my first BTS Au in tumblr, I’ll be also uploading my old works here! Friendly comments and criticism from my fellow writers and readers as I want to improve my writing further on. I hope you enjoy my series.

Updates are every week, or as fast as I can!!

“We have the whole house to ourselves for the week, so feel at home!” Soo Yun exclaimed as she threw you a water bottle from the kitchen, dehydrated from that 45-minute drive from LAX to her home. “We have so much to catch up on, how’re your parents? Thank God they let you go on this trip huh? How’s Jae? You’re already what? A year in a relationship?” Her questions were non-stop and as much as you missed her after so long, you’re not that excited to answer all those questions as the main reason you went to L.A is to get away from them and your life in Korea as far as possible.

“They’re all great.” holding a tight grip on your bag and with a smile on your face to avoid answering her bombarding question of how your life has gone downhill since you entered University. “I’m jet-lagged and I’d like to take a nap before we go out for lunch, can you show me where I'd stay?” “It’s upstairs, first door on your left! I’m going to take a shower, but call me if you need anything.” Soo Yun said as you disappeared carrying your luggage up the stairs. You plop in your bed sighing, finally realizing that you’re going to start your new life in this foreign country and no one’s going to help you but yourself. You doze off wondering when your life will begin.

“Y/n, y/n!” Soo Yun nudged until you half-opened your eyes “Your phone’s ringing non-stop! How can you sleep through that noise?” Still disoriented, you answer your phone “Hi please tell me you have my bag” You get confused if you’re still dreaming and wonder why someone is looking for their bag when you’re asleep the whole time. “Hello?? My group went back to the airport because I think we switched luggage. Mine’s in neon pink, please tell me you have it?” You almost fell out of bed and rushed to see the tag on your bag, “Kim Seokjin?” you whispered out of confusion. “Yes, that’s me, and you’re y/n, right? Can we meet to exchange luggage? We can meet somewhere public, I'm not a bad person, I promise I just need to get my stuff back” you can hear his desperation in his tone, but he snickered when he heard you groaning your brains to your pillow from your stupidity back in the airport.

“Yes, of course, I need my stuff back too. We can meet at Shake shack in Hollywood blvd. I’ll be there in 30 mins.” impulsively suggesting as you’ve been craving burgers since you saw shake shack on your way here and Soo Yun’s planning to get lunch anyway. Hearing this Kim Seokjin’s angelic voice, maybe it’s safe to meet him. “What will you be wearing?” he asked, but you bet he didn’t think his question through “I mean of course to recognize you, I didn't mean anything bad with that, I'm sorry” he panics. How cute. “I don’t think it matters because of our matching bright neon pink bags, we might go blind if we see each other” you sarcastically said, being equally embarrassed with your bright luggage. You heard his laugh and you immediately softened. “Okay, see you in 30 mins.”

You run to the bathroom to wash your puffy face from your 2-hour nap, put light make-up on, and brush your hair. “Wow, first day in L.A and I'm going to get kidnapped… by a man who loves neon pink” questioning his taste while putting on your oversized black denim jacket with your white crop top and high-waisted shorts. First of all, you didn’t have a say when your parents bought that luggage in a sale at the mall and that’s the only luggage you have big enough to bring almost all your life away from Korea. “Soo Yun, I’m ready, let's go.”

It's been 10 minutes since you and Soo Yun arrived at shake shack, almost wanting to switch restaurants for their unbelievably overpriced burgers and fries. You glance at your friend and she seems to not be bothered by it. Maybe after 5 years of being in the states, capitalism will take over you. Succumbing to your growling tummy, you order the cheapest burger and fries meal. You devour your fries like there is no tomorrow while you almost choke on your coke at the sight of Park Jimin entering the restaurant together with Jeongguk and their friend whom you’re not familiar with, dragging your bag.

Jeongguk saw you and pointed in your direction. Your heart almost dropped at the sight of Jimin, thinking that you had seen the last of him in that plane and you’d just see him reach his dreams on television. A huge smile appeared on his face when he saw you, almost sprinting to get to your table with Jeongguk behind him. “It’s only been a few hours you missed me that much huh?” He looks at you then proceeds to wave his hands to the roaming eyes of his friend. The fact that you’re happy to see him again was written all across your face, but you tried your best not to show it as it may stir feelings inside you and confuse Soo Yun. She’s already baffled at why you’re already friends with people, good-looking people you may add, you mismatched bags with. You gave her an I’ll explain it to you later look as she nodded bewildered and continued with her food.

“Jin-hyung, I found the culprit.” Pointing at you while seating at the empty seat in front. Seeing that you made this man who looks like an angel, by the way, struggle with your luggage made you feel sheepish. “Finally we meet. I'm sorry for the hassle I have caused you. I’m Kim Seokjin” He brushed his hair up while catching his breath. “No, I'm sorry, I should've paid attention that I took the wrong bag at the airport.” you try to avoid Jimin’s stare as you pull your luggage to your side switching with Jin’s “I’m y/n and my friend, Soo Yin” you both held your hands as he reached for them to shake.

“What’s in that bag anyway? It’s so heavy.” Jeongguk asked, taking a fry in your tray and popping it in his mouth. You falter at his question, uh my whole life in Korea is in that bag and I don’t intend on coming back if I can. “Just a lot of clothes.” You shrugged focusing on the cars passing by outside. Jimin sensed that Jeongguk’s question made you uncomfortable. “Let’s go now, everyone’s waiting in the car” he gets up as Jin and Jeongguk said and waved goodbye to you and Soo Yin. “Good luck with your training, I’ll make sure to watch your videos on the internet” Soo Yin stood up waving at Jin and Jeongguk looking so mesmerized by the two. They waved back for the last time before disappearing outside. “Can I talk to you for a sec?” Jimin held his hand but you just nodded overlooking his help and signed at your friend that you’ll just be gone for a minute.

“I didn’t know I'd get the chance to see you again,” he said almost whispering. You’re not looking at him so you can’t tell, but you can hear the nervousness in his voice “Well, I think you knew we’d see each other again because you didn’t tell Jin that we knew each other and that I got his bag by mistake.” calling his bullshit as you take a peek seeing a smirk forming in his lips knowing he’s enjoying this. “Okay, okay” he held both of his hands up surrendering to you, slightly laughing. “But this feels like fate, don't you think so? I would very much like to have your number. I’d get it from your suitcase or Jin-hyung but it doesn’t feel very gentlemanly if I did that without your permission.” You look up to him this time. Giving you a glimpse of his sincerity and timidity you didn’t see before.

You debate to yourself whether to give in because it’s him. For the first time in a very long time, your heart fluttered again. You laughed again. You didn’t sleep tired from crying. For the first time, someone listened to you without pity. You felt like yourself again. He made all that happen in just a few hours. You began to ponder if you do believe in fate. Is this what fate feels like?

Thinking about all the possibilities, but you already had an answer in your mind.

“No, I have a boyfriend back home.” What you said is true, but why does your heart feel like it’s breaking. You see the way his face twitches, feeling guilty if he feels like you lead him on. “Oh, I didn’t know, I’m sorry.” sounding like a wounded puppy, you endure the temptation to pull him closer and hug him after hearing his tone. “I have to go, they’re waiting for me in the car.” For the first time, it’s him avoiding your eyes. He turned around and started to walk. You don’t say anything. You don’t have to, you just stare at his back wondering if you made the right decision. He stopped walking and turned to meet your gaze “You know, your boyfriend is very lucky to have you. Please support us in the future” He smiles the prettiest of smiles, then he’s gone.

#Before you go #jimin imagine #JIMIN SMUT #jimin angst #kim namjoon #kim seokjin #min yoongi #jung hoseok #park jimin #Kim Taehyung #Jeon Jungkook #BTS #Namjoon #Seokjin #Yoongi #Hoseok #Jimin #Taehyung #bts imagines

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freddiesaysalright · 5 years

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My Man Part VII

A Ben!Roger Taylor x Reader Fic

Summary: Reader is a Broadway actress currently starring in a West End production of Funny Girl. She’s a widow, thanks to the Vietnam War, but it’s a well-kept secret. She also wants everyone to think she doesn’t care for rock music. She met Roger Taylor when he brought his date backstage. They didn’t start off great, but a party at Freddie’s turned them around. Now, they’re friends. After she was attacked by a director, Roger is there for her. Then she gets a surprise visitor with some wise words for her. Her brother and her director drop some bombs on her.

Word Count: 2.2K

Tag List: @bohemian-war @kittygirlno @rebelrebelyourefaceisamess @rockyroadthepastryarchy @goodoldfashionedloverboyy @jennyggggrrr @discodeacygotmorerhythm @x1975sos @slytherinxval @cyndagoaway @doingalrightt @lovvliies @hopefully-aesthetically-pleasing @capsparrowtara @they-call-me-peaches @hyosong @riddikuluslypotter @orchideax @shishterfackisback If you’d like to be added, let me know!

A/N: Sorry this update took so long! Ya girl moved into an apartment and I had no internet! But I do now and I’m thrilled!

Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI

Part VII here we go!!!

Your eyes fluttered open and for a moment, you wondered why you were on your couch. As drowsiness left you, you recalled you fell asleep with Roger. You felt so safe and warm in his arms. He slept soundly beside you. You gazed at him and then you carefully brushed his hair out of his face. He didn’t stir. You could have stayed this way forever, in Roger’s embrace with the soft morning light falling across you both. You hummed contentedly and snuggled closer to him. He reacted accordingly and unconsciously shifted to bring more contact between you. Just when you were going to close your eyes and try to sleep some more, your phone rang.

Roger lifted his head groggily, irritation turning his mouth down. He grumbled something along the lines of “fuck that” under his breath and then held you tighter. You giggled and shoved him off of you. He groaned in protest.

“Don’t worry, I’ll come right back,” you said as you walked over to pick up the receiver. “Hello?”

“Y/N!” came Jack’s chipper voice on the other end. “I’m surprised you’re up.”

“I wouldn’t be if you hadn’t called,” you replied, annoyed. “What’s up?”

“Are you and Roger free for dinner tonight?” he asked. “I’d love to get to know him more. Plus, I’ve got some news I didn’t get to tell you yesterday.”

“Just a sec,” you told him. You called to Roger. “Rog, Jack wants to know if you want to get dinner tonight.”

“He’s calling this fucking early to find out about fucking dinner?” Roger returned.

You turned your attention back to Jack. “He says yes.”

“Great, I’ll come to your place at eight,” Jack said, “Love you!”

You didn’t get to answer before he hung up. You did the same and then headed back to the couch, taking a seat.

“That was weird,” you said.

“I’ll say,” Roger agreed. “It’s the middle of the night, why is he worried about dinner?”

“It’s eight in the morning,” you replied.

“Yeah, it’s the bloody middle of the night!”

You laughed. “We probably should get up.”

“Why?” he replied. “Have you got a date?”

“Does laying on the couch with the drummer of Queen count?”

“Absolutely,” he said with a grin, and opened his arms to you.

You fell into him and settled down.

“Thank you, by the way,” he said, resting his head on your shoulder.

“For what?” you asked.

“For waking me up last night,” he said. “And everything after.”

“Roger, you’ve been there for me through so much,” you reminded him. “It’s just what you do when you care about someone.”

He smiled a little. “Still. I appreciate it.”

“If you never need anything, I’m here for you,” you promised.

You drifted back to sleep for another hour or so. When you woke again, Roger had to go so you decided to practice your Funny Girl songs again. You wanted to be back on stage by the end of the week. You grabbed your sheet music and started your mini-rehearsal. Your voice needed the exercise.

The first song you tried was “Who Are You Now?” The words were getting to you as you reflected once again about Roger. Was he better for earning your love? Were you better for earning his? You resonated with Fanny so much more now that you had someone on whom your affections were placed, whether he knew it or not.

You felt stronger after singing. It always helped you put your emotions out into the world. It was therapeutic. It got you through your loss of George. Now it would get you through the attack by Mark and your feelings for Roger.

That night, after Roger returned and you got dressed, Jack arrived right on time. He had already picked a restaurant for dinner, which you and Roger were relieved to hear, and it was within walking distance from your flat. As you headed down the sidewalk, Roger took your hand. You intertwined your fingers with his and flashed him a sweet smile.

Jack had reserved a table already, so the three of you were seated right away. You told them you were going to the bathroom first and the hostess showed you to it. When you were gone, Roger turned to Jack.

“Jack, can I ask you something?” he asked.

“If you’re wondering if I’m single, the answer is technically no, but for you, I might be,” he joked.

Roger laughed. “I’m flattered. But it’s actually about Y/N.”

“Yeah, what do you need to know?”

Roger hesitated, wondering if he should even ask. It was a heavy question, but he felt weird asking you.

“How did she end up with George?”

“Oh, God,” Jack began. “They met in school when they were like sixteen or so. Y/N was already not on great terms with my parents because she wanted to be an actress. And then she met George and it all plummeted from there.”

“I don’t understand,” Roger said. “Why would your parents not want her to be an actress?”

“Did she not tell you?” Jack wondered. “Y/N and I were born to one of the oldest and richest families in the United States. She was supposed to marry whatever man they selected and be his little wife. She chose George - a poor kid from the wrong side of town - ran away, and married him as soon as she turned eighteen. Then she started her Broadway career and they disowned her. Took her out of the will and everything. She didn’t give a shit, though. She never wanted their money anyway.”

Roger sat back in his seat, shock coming over him.

“I guess that’s why it took her so long to move on,” he said.

“Yeah,” Jack agreed. “Until I got back in touch with her, George was the only family she had in the world.”

Before Roger could say anymore, you returned from the restroom and took a seat.

“Sorry,” you said as you placed your napkin in your lap. “There was a line. What were you two walking about?”

“Nothing, really,” Jack said, since Roger was still recovering.

You looked at him. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” he said, shaking his head. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“So,” you began, turning to Jack. “What’s this big news?”

Jack took a sip of wine before speaking. “Don’t freak out, but, I’m getting married.”

Your mouth dropped open. “Wh...to who?”

“A very nice woman Mother and Father picked out for me,” he said. “Her name is Diane and we got the okay from her father this morning.”

“Jack...I don’t even know what to say,” you said. “Are you happy about this?”

“Of course!” he replied. “We’re gonna be so rich!”

He held up his glass to Roger, who met it.

“But, what about you? You’re not in love with her!” you cried.

“Honey, you know my kind of love will never end in marriage,” he said, a hint of bitterness in his voice.

“So you’re just going to live this lie?” you wondered. “What about Diane? Can you really give her a life?”

“Look, I’ll do my duties as her husband,” he said. “If she wants kids, fine, we’ll have some kids. I’m just gonna do what I want on the side as well.”

“You mean you’re going to be unfaithful?”

“Ugh, Y/N, you’re looking at this all wrong,” Jack groaned. “I’m going to have the best of both worlds.”

“But it’s not fair to this poor woman,” you insisted. “Jack, why can’t you just be honest?”

“Because not everyone can be as brave as you are, Y/N,” he said. “I want my share of my inheritance and if I have to play by a few rules, then so be it.”

He and Roger shared a knowing glance, but you didn’t notice. You couldn’t believe your brother was capable of something so selfish. It was all brutally unfair.

“Don’t you want to be happy?” you asked him. “Truly happy?”

“Having so much money that I can do whatever I want will be close enough,” he said. “People like me don’t get happily ever after. But I didn’t tell you this for you to judge me.”

“What do you want then?” you asked.

“I wanted to prepare you because I don’t want you to come to the wedding,” he explained. “I’m not exactly proud of this. And I don’t want you to witness it.”

“Mom and Dad told you I couldn’t come, didn’t they?”

“They did,” he admitted. “But it’s the other stuff too, I swear.”

You sighed. Then you looked at Roger. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to drag you into our family drama.”

“No worries,” he said with a shrug. “I admire your moral fiber. But for now, why don’t we just say cheers? Your brother’s getting married, and we should be happy.”

“Thank you!” Jack cried.

You held up your glass. “Cheers, Jack.”

When you got home that night, Roger helped you out of your jacket when you came in the front door. Immediately, you turned to face him.

“Was I wrong?” you wondered.

“No,” Roger said. “But neither was Jack. Not everyone can do what you did.”

“What I did?” you asked.

“I asked Jack about how you ended up with George,” he explained. “He told me about your family and that they cut ties with you over him.”

You looked down. You didn’t know why you felt embarrassed about it. It was something you were proud of. You got away from a situation that would never make you happy and reached out for happiness with both hands. You had it too. Until the Vietnam War snatched it away from you.

“I think it’s amazing,” Roger said. He took your chin in his hand and made you look at him. “You’re amazing.”

“I did what was right,” you replied. “I only want to be happy. I want that for my brother, too.”

“He will be,” he assured you.

“I hope so.”

“Are you?”

“Am I what?”

“Happy?”

You held his gaze. “I could be happier.”

“How can I help?” he asked.

“Kiss me,” you said in barely a whisper.

He did. The feeling of Roger’s lips on yours put everything else out of your mind. Jack’s marriage, your anxiety since the assault, your grief for George, everything. The only thing that existed was the taste of wine and cigarettes lingering on Roger’s mouth. He was soft at first, but after a small moan from you, he deepened it. Your fingers found their way into his hair. You broke apart for air, both breathing heavily. He leaned in so your foreheads touched.

“God, Y/N,” he sighed. “I want you.”

You put a hand on his chest and stepped back. He opened his eyes to look at you.

“I want you too,” you said. “But I can’t right now. I’m still -”

“Don’t say dirty,” he cut across you.

That was a word you had consistently used when talking to Roger about your feelings after you were attacked. He insisted you weren’t, that the only people at fault were Stephen and Mark. They were the dirty ones. But you couldn’t help but feel it. You were so violated. And you could still see the bruises in the mirror. It had only been a few days, so they were green and ugly. You didn’t want Roger to see.

“I’m sorry,” you said, your eyes brimming with fresh tears.

“Don’t cry, my love,” he said gently, pulling you close to him. “Kiss me again.”

You smiled as you obliged. You felt heat surge through your blood as your mouth moved along with his. It felt right. You fit perfectly together. When you parted again, you looked up at him.

“You don’t have to sleep on the couch tonight,” you said.

He smiled. “That’s generous. Are you sure?”

You nodded. “But just cuddling. You can wait and hope for better things if you want.”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I’ll hold you.”

Smiling, you led him to your room. You spent the second night in a row in Roger’s arms.

The next day, you carefully inspected your face. You called Gary and told him you were ready to come back. Then you called Jack and told him to come see the show. Roger assured you he was proud and would support you through the process of getting back on stage.

It felt great to get back in your dressing room. You got yourself ready to be Fanny Brice once again. It felt like coming home. Only now, it wasn’t empty. Because in the back of your heart, you had Roger as well. Everything was coming together at last. You weren’t sure if you’d been this happy since the day you married George.

Gary called the cast together after everyone was dressed. As you all gathered on stage, you took in his expression and your brow furrowed. He looked distressed.

“Hey, everyone,” he said, a glum tone coming over him. “I’ve got some bad news. Our show is closing in two months. They’re replacing us with Mark Hudson’s Oklahoma.”

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ladyseaheart1668 · 5 years

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Endless Summer Book 4 : Daughter of Vaanu (Chapter 42)

Description: Alodia faces disappointment. Meanwhile, in Northbridge, Caleb finds himself in trouble.

Thank you to all my readers who show me such infinite patience when I don’t update for almost two months. I’m so sorry! ;_;

Tagging: @endlesshero1122 @mysteli @whatmcsaid @xo-endlessmayhem-xo @feartheendlesssummer @tigerbryn11

Chapter 42: Friendly Fire

Michelle

I am in Elyys'tel. I am concealed within a flower-draped marriage hut, naked in the arms of the man I love. Outside, the Vaanti city is cloaked in the tropical night, and the warm breezes that slip off the sea are trickling through the cracks in the hut's exterior. They hit my sweaty skin and I shiver a little, but Sean curls closer to me and pulls the blanket up to cover me.

“Well, Dr. Gayle. Here we are. Back in Elyys'tel.”

“Makes a change after a private jet and the luxury yacht,” I quip. “...But it's appropriate that we're here. ...We took the first steps towards healing the damage to our relationship here...”

“...This is the place where I fell in love with you all over again.”

“So soon?” I can't help grinning a little as I trail my forefinger over his chest. “I thought you spent most of our time here smitten with Alodia.”

He makes a face. “Am I ever gonna live that down? It was a passing crush, and you know it. She and I never would have worked.”

“No, you wouldn't have.” I kiss him. “She wouldn't have put up with half of your nonsense. And the half she let you get away with wouldn't have been very good for you.”

“Whereas you keep me firmly in my place.” He rolls toward me, cupping my cheek. “...Are you worried about her?”

“Aren't you?”

He shrugs, but his nonchalance is a little forced. “She's having a baby. Of course I'm worried. But you seem particularly distracted.”

I wince a little. “I...keep wanting to check my phone. See if they've sent news.”

He laughs. “Did you put your phone on silent?”

“...No.”

“I don't think we were loud enough that you wouldn't have heard it go off. Besides, they'll radio Seraxa if anything happens while we're here.”

I smile sheepishly. “They'll probably radio her anyway to check up on us.” I shake my head a little, clearing it. “Okay, you're right. Everything's under control and I'm not going to spend my whole honeymoon worrying.”

Sean grins, kissing me warmly. “That's my Michelle. Now, how about we head over to the village? Pretty sure I can hear the dinner horns sounding.”

Jake

I'm back in California the day before Alodia's appointment. I don't think she sleeps very well that night. I'm not sure if it's nerves, or if the baby is just making it hard for her to get comfortable, but I wake up several times to feel her shifting restlessly, and when I wake up in the morning, her side of the bed is already cooled.

I find her downstairs at the kitchen table, delicately eating a piece of toast with something green on top, a glass of orange juice beside her plate.

“What's that?”

“Avocado on toast.”

I chuckle. “With orange juice. Could you be any more California right now?”

She smirks back at me. “The orange juice is vegan.”

“Can orange juice be not-vegan?”

“Hell if I know. But this stuff is. Pretty sure the only way I could be more California right now is if I were smoking weed. But I don't think that'd be a good idea in my present condition.”

I make a face, shaking my head as I take the seat beside her. “I'm a little surprised that you're not having toast with peanut butter.”

She gives me a sheepish smile and holds up her toast to show me the edges. “What do you think I used to stick the avocado slices?”

I laugh. But then a thought occurs to me, and I feel my smile slip. “Is it okay for you to eat? With the procedure today?”

“They recommend I fast for six hours before hand. It's seven now, and the procedure's about three, so I think I'm good.” Abruptly, she puts down her toast and holds out her hand to me. I fold it between my palms and kiss her fingertips. “...You'll stay with me, won't you? While it's all going on?”

“You know I will. I won't leave your side for anything.”

“I'm scared, Jake.”

“'Course you are, Princess. Ain't no surprises there.” I scoot my chair closer so that I can reach out and stroke her cheek. “That's why I'm coming with you. Why I'll be there holding your hand the whole time. I don't think I can stop you being scared, but you won't be alone.”

This time, she's the one who scoots closer. Close enough that she can lean into my embrace. She lays her head on my chest, and I'm suddenly concerned she'll be able to hear how hard my heart is pounding. I don't want her to realize that I'm scared, too. She needs me to be strong right now. Anything I feel can wait.

* * *

We arrive at the hospital in the early afternoon. They want us there in case Alodia goes into labor during the procedure. They get her in a gown, and lend me a set of scrubs. Once we're changed, they run a battery of tests, checking on her and the baby before they give her an IV of something to make her uterus relax. We sit mostly in silence while we wait for the doctor to come back. I hold her hand and stroke her hair, and I think I murmur something comforting. At least, I hope it's comforting. She's smiling faintly at me while I mutter, but there's fear in her eyes, and it's making my heart ache.

When the doctor comes back, she's wearing a cheery smile. Her voice is bright as she asks how Alodia's doing, and if she's ready to start. Alodia puts on a brave face and says she's ready as her grip on my hand tightens. I bring her hand to my mouth and kiss her knuckles.

“You got this, Princess.”

“Not so sure I do, Top Gun,” she replies softly. “...This might be a moment where I have to let go.”

“Maybe,” I admit. “Just don't let go of me, okay? 'Cause I ain't letting go of you.”

“In case you haven't figured it out by now, McKenzie, I am never going to let you g-go...” Her breath catches and her grip tightens again as the doctor takes hold of her belly. I slip my free arm over her shoulders, leaning in close. She turns her head toward me, and I touch my brow to hers. We could be in for a couple hours of pushing and prodding. All I can do is let her feel me beside her.

Diego

Classes do a fairly good job of keeping me distracted so I don't spend the day worrying about Allie. But when I check my phone between lectures and see I have a missed call from Jake, I can't ignore the strong twinge of fear that lances through my belly. My breath feels a little shallow as I press the call-back button and put the phone to my ear. Jake answers before the second ring is complete.

“Hey, pup.”

“Hey...you called?”

“Yeah.” His voice is weary, and that concerns me. “Thought you might want an update.”

“From the sound of your voice, it doesn't sound like good news.”

“Alodia's fine,” he quickly assures me. “So's the baby. But they couldn't get her to turn.”

“Oh.” I feel my heart sinking, sharing the weight of their disappointment. “So...what now?”

“Doctor thinks we could try again in another week or so. But...after today, we ain't too keen on that idea.”

“Why not?”

Jake hesitates for a moment before answering. “...The procedure wasn't easy to endure. For her or me.”

I close my eyes, my heart squeezing in sympathy. “Shit...”

“What we're probably gonna do is just wait for her to go into labor naturally. Doctor says a natural birth might still be an option. Something about the way the baby's positioned now, and if she stays that way, she might still be able to come out safely without a C-section. But...the surgery's always an option, too.”

I exhale, my breath shaking. “So...are you guys home yet?”

“Not yet. They wanna keep an eye on her for a few hours. But then they'll let us go. ...Will you be late tonight?”

“My last lecture is over at seven. I didn't have any plans after that. Why?”

“I kinda think she's gonna need some extra care tonight.”

“...I'll come straight home after work. ...Can I talk to her now?”

“If you don't have to rush off, I'm sure it'd be a comfort to her. Hang on a sec.” There's a moment of silence on the other end. Then I hear her voice, weak and wobbling.

“...Diego?”

“Hey, sweetie. How're you feeling?”

“It didn't work.”

“I know. I heard. ...I'm sorry, Allie. I know that's gotta be disappointing.”

“The doctor said it doesn't help that it's my first pregnancy. Something about how my uterus hasn't been...broken in, I guess. They gave me something to relax my muscles before the procedure, but it still hurt...”

“Oh, Allie...”

“I just wanted everything to go smoothly...”

“I know. Of course you did. It sucks that you've been thrown this loop. But River is still healthy and strong, right?”

“...Yeah. No problems other than the fact that she's not upside down yet.”

“And you're strong and healthy, too. I know this is a bummer and it's not ideal. But you and River being healthy and safe is the most important part. ...Still, I won't tell you not to be disappointed or worried.”

“Good. Because I couldn't listen if I wanted to.”

“I'm probably going to be home before you guys. Anything you want me to pick up for you?”

“If you mean food-wise, don't bother. I can't think about eating right now, and I have no idea what River'll be demanding by the time I get hungry. I'll figure it out later.”

“What about not-food-wise? Painkillers? Earplugs? How are you on toothpaste? You want a pair of fuzzy socks? A magazine? A kitten? I could build you a blanket-fort in the rec room and load it up with Babysitters Club books.”

The nostalgic reference finally gets a weak chuckle out of her. “Maybe just load up every episode of The Crown and the Flame so I can watch it until I fall asleep.”

“Anything you want. ...Te quiero mucho, mi hermana.”

“Te quiero mucho, mi hermano.”

Caleb

I'd be lying if I said my hopes of getting in good with Tahira and her heroes haven't been fading since I accidentally figured out Talos' identity. It was one thing when all I'd done was run him through with a flaming sword, but I also tried to kill his mother. And she was my target, not just random collateral damage. At the least, I know it's gonna take more than information about their enemies to win Talos over. But what else do I got?

I swear I'm going through my smokes faster than ever these days. I've gotten to know the cashiers' schedules at the convenience store way too well. Not that there are many there. Dylan's there most times I go in. And he always works Tuesday evenings. Which is why I'm surprised that he isn't behind the counter when I come in on this particular Tuesday. Instead, the manager stands behind the counter.

“No Dylan today?” I ask as he rings me out. He raises an eyebrow at me.

“You a friend of his?”

“More like an acquaintance. Just kinda used to seeing him around here.”

The manager purses his lips and pauses, one hand on the six-pack on the counter in front of him, and one hovering over the keyboard where he's been punching in my items. He stays still long enough for it to be weird.

“...Something wrong?”

He shakes himself out of whatever stupor he was in, and punches in the price of the six-pack. “...Dylan was supposed to be on today, but he didn't show.”

“And he didn't call in sick or something?”

“No. That's what's worrying. He's never missed a shift before. He's only been late twice, and both times, he called to let me know he was coming. I tried calling him, but he didn't pick up.”

I feel myself frowning as I slide my cash toward the old man. “So...you think something's happened to him?”

“I hope not.”

I shrug, trying to ignore the nagging dread in my gut. “I'm sure he's fine. He's probably just playing hooky.”

“I sincerely hope that's all it is. Honestly, if he comes in for his next shift, I'll be so relieved, I'll let him off with a slap on the wrist.”

I mutter something vaguely optimistic as I pocket my change and snatch up the plastic bag with my shit in it. Fact is, I think the old man has reason to worry. If this were any other teenage guy, I'd say he was probably just blowing off work. But Dylan isn't working this job because he doesn't have enough allowance. I've gotten aquainted enough with him to know that even if he were desperate for a day off, he wouldn't just not turn up. I could see him calling up with a fake cough maybe, just to make sure the job would still be there tomorrow.

Weather in the middle of March is unpredictable as fuck. All day long it was sunny and pleasant. Now the sun's gone down, it might as well be winter. My hands shake with the cold as I pick at the edge of the cellophane wrapper with my thumbnail. I manage to wrestle it open and tap a cigarette into my palm. I place it between my teeth and summon a flame with a snap of my fingers. The flood of carcinogens into my systems and the warmth of the flame dancing over my skin immediately relax me. I let the fire spread over my hand like a glove, then draw the other hand out of my pocket and call a flame to that one, too. I lean against the store's facade, cigarette gripped between my teeth, inhaling on one side of my mouth, and exhaling smoke out the other, savoring the pleasant tingle of fire on my skin.

“Well. This is just too perfect.”

The voice makes me groan. I turn to scowl at Roach as he slinks out of the shadows.

“Fuck off, Roach. I got nothing for Gigi and I'm not in the mood for your shit, either.”

“Yeah, you're not in a position to be telling me to fuck off right now, Caleb. Gigi knows everything.”

I feel my blood start to turn cold in my veins. I scowl harder, hoping I can disguise any fear that may have crossed my face with cold anger.

“And just what kinda 'everything' is she supposed to know?”

“Just that you're sleeping with the enemy.”

“The fuck I am,” I scoff. “Can't even remember the last good fuck I had. Even Rosie Palm and her five sisters aren't so eager as they used to be.”

“Oh yeah? 'Cause word around the squat is you've climbed into bed with a dragon. And Gigi's super pissed. Sent me to find you and make sure you knew she's gonna teach you a lesson.”

I throw my cigarette down to the pavement, grinding it out under my heel. It's not even half gone, but for once, the fear that's tying my gut in knots has killed the craving for nicotine.

“...What kinda lesson?” I manage to ask, focusing all my attention on making sure my voice doesn't shake. I'm getting a real bad feeling I know where this lesson is gonna start. Where it already has started. Roach's smirk only solidifies my fear.

“Didn't know for sure you were gonna come by here tonight. Glad you did. Makes it so much more dramatic. You know how Gigi likes things dramatic.”

I lunge for Roach, grabbing him by the front of his coat and lifting him bodily off the ground. I take some satisfaction in seeing a look of panic skitter across his face as I pull him toward me.

“What the fuck has Gigi done with the kid?” I growl.

Roach grips my wrists, squirming in my grasp. “He...he's at the abandoned clock tower! The dragon's lair!” He manages a bit of a smirk. “Which you know already, don't you?”

“So it's a trap for Dragonness, is that it?” When Roach doesn't answer immediately, I shake him. “Answer me, you little cockroach! What's Gigi's game here?!”

“Sh-she's got liquid prism! Enough to take out Dragonness for good!”

“Oh, she thinks that's possible, huh?! She thinks she's got any kind of fucking chance?!”

“You think she doesn't?”

I don't answer that. I throw Roach down with a snarl, stalking away down the sidewalk. This is a trap. It's obviously a trap. The question is whether it's as simple a trap as it looks like. Not likely. But right now, that doesn't matter. Soon as I'm far enough away, I pull out my phone and call Tahira. She doesn't answer the first time. I don't wait for voicemail. I call back immediately. She doesn't answer the second time either. But the third time, she picks up on the fourth ring.

“...Caleb?”

“What took you so long?! Where the hell have you been?!”

She pauses briefly.“I'm not sure you want me to answer that.” There's enough cheek in her tone of voice for me to read between the lines, and I groan.

“Well, you're gonna have to get off your boyfriend's dick. ...Actually, on second thought, stay on him. Stay on him, and don't go anywhere. The clock tower's been compromised.”

“...What do you mean 'compromised'?”

“Look, I don't know how it happened, but somehow Gigi found out I've been talking with you, and she knows where you've been making your base. She's laid a trap for you there.”

“Wait, she found out you've been talking with me? Are you in danger?”

“Probably, yeah. Pretty sure this is as much about teaching me a lesson as taking you out of the picture.”

“So where are you? Are you someplace safe?”

“Not at the moment. But I will be. Just...stay where you are and warn Talos and Minuet. I'll take care of business at the clock tower.”

“Business? What business? What kind of trap are you walking into?”

“Not exactly sure.”

“You shouldn't be going there, Caleb. Any trap they set for me is going to be dangerous for you, too.”

I resist the urge to groan. I can't tell her they've got Dylan. Hero types don't really care about putting themselves in danger if they can possibly save an innocent.

“Right. Yeah. I'm sure you're right. Okay, I'll lay low. Just make sure you warn the others. I'll letcha go.”

“Caleb, wait! ...Does Gigi know who I am?”

“Not to my knowledge. At least, not that her lackey told me. But she might. Look, I gotta go. We shouldn't talk too long.” I hang up before she has a chance to reply. I don't know how much time we've actually got here. I'm not wasting any of it trying to convince a hero not to be a hero. I just had to try.

Tahira

“...That didn't sound good,” Grayson remarks needlessly.

“I can assure you it wasn't.” I give him a summary of the conversation I just had with Caleb.

“...Do you believe him?”

I frown. It honestly hadn't even occurred to me he might be lying. “Not sure what the advantage would be in telling me to just stay here with you. But I don't like how quickly he agreed to lay low. I definitely think there's something he isn't telling me.”

I throw off the blankets and slip out of bed, searching the pile on the floor for my underclothes. The backpack in the corner contains my supersuit, and I head for it as soon as I have my bra and panties back on.

“Where are you going?”

“I'm gonna call the others, and then I'm gonna go to the clock tower.”

“...Is that a good idea?”

“Probably not. There's a trap laid for me there. ...But the thing about a trap is that it's usually baited.” I turn back to him as I tug on my suit. “...Stay here, okay? Lock the doors and windows once I'm gone and don't open them until I get back.”

“I'll be careful,” he promises. He gets out of bed and comes to embrace me just before I slip my mask on, kissing me deeply. “Just make sure you're careful, too.”

“I'll do my best. I love you, Grayson.”

“I love you, Tahira.”

Caleb

My van gets me from the store to the clock tower. I park illegally and rush inside to pound up the stairs, pausing only to catch my breath a few steps from the top. It takes a few minutes to get my wind back. Maybe I oughta consider cutting back on the Camels.But I'll worry about that later. Right now, what matters is getting Dylan back where he belongs.

It's not easy to see into the tower loft from below without being seen myself. I almost wish I had let Tahira come along, if only for her powers of flight. But the tower room isn't so big that I can't get at least a decent look. And at the moment, all I see is Dylan—gagged, blindfolded, and bound to a chair in the middle of the room. I take the last few steps into the tower, and when no one jumps me after thirty seconds, I make my way over to the kid. He flinches at my footsteps, whimpering.

“Easy, kid. You're okay.” I bend down in front of him, reaching around to undo the blindfold so he'll be able to see me right away. “Just me, see?”

Dylan's dark eyes go wide as he starts to struggle against his bonds. He's trying to talk, sounding frantic, but the gag is getting in the way.

“Okay, okay! Calm down and let me get this gag off you. Won't take a second.” I tug apart the knot at the back of his head and feel him push the gag away with his tongue.

“My family!” he cries. “She's going after my family!”

“What?!” We both startle at the new voice as Dragonness suddenly swoops in from the balcony. “What did she say? Where are they?”

“I thought I told you to stay put!” I growl, earning myself a reproachful sneer.

“And since when do you expect me to take orders from you?” she snaps back. “Dylan, where are your brother and cousins? Do you know?”

“They should all be home tonight. But I don't know if she got to them before they got there, or...”

“Okay, say no more. I'm going to go ahead and check on the house. Caleb, you and Dylan follow behind, but keep Dylan at a safe distance until I give you the all-clear. It's the rectory at Saint Catherine of Siena church in Bayside!”

She doesn't wait for a response before she rushes out and takes to the sky. I roll my eyes. “Typical. She won't take orders, but she's just fine giving them and expecting me to obey.” I sigh, pulling a switchblade from my pocket. “Hold still, Dylan. I'm just gonna cut you loose.”

“She is the leader, isn't she?”

I roll my eyes. “She ain't my leader!” I slice through the bonds with a little bit of elbow grease, and pull him to his feet. “C'mon. I can't fly, so we're gonna have to get outta here the old-fashioned way. My van is parked outside.”

We take the stairs down two or three at a time. And who should we spy as we surge out the door at the bottom but Kenji Katsaros, getting off his motorcycle. I roll my eyes.

“Ahh, Jesus! Didn't Tahira even call you?”

Kenji freezes, and it suddenly hits me that he isn't in bronze yet. And he doesn't know that I know.

“...What?”

I snap out of it, shaking my head. “Look, I know. I know who you are. You can grill me on the details later, but right now, we gotta move. The kid's family is in trouble. Tahira's heading to the reflector house at St. Catherine's in Bayside and we gotta follow.” What is actually going through Kenji's mind as he stares at me is anyone's guess. As the silence stretches on, I start to fidget. “...Look, come or don't come. But we're going. I got a feeling Tahira's gonna need backup.”

“...How are you getting there?”

“I got my van.”

Kenji shakes his head. “Van can't make it through the shortcuts my bike can. I've got two helmets and enough room to squeeze you both on. Get on. Helmets, both of you, and hop on. No arguing.”

We're not interested in arguing. Though Dylan does hesitate as he puts the helmet on. “...Don't you need one, too?”

Before our eyes, Kenji's skin transforms, from flesh to bright bronze. “...No.”

Tahira

“Dragonness?” Kenji's voice crackles through my earpiece. “It's Talos. I ran into Caleb outside the tower, and he filled me in. I'll make sure Minuet's updated. You okay?”

“Fine,” I reply a little sheepishly. “I probably should have made contact myself, huh?”

“Probably, but never mind. We're on our way.”

“Thanks. I'm gonna go quiet now. I'm approaching the church. Marci, dim the lights for me.”

Marci obediently turns down the lights on my suit as I descend. The night vision feature on my mask casts everything in an eerie, unnatural green hue. From the sky, everything looks peaceful, but I know better than to trust a bird's eye view. I touch down on the lawn behind the darkened church, creeping through a garden of stone saints and angels toward the rectory. Everything is quiet as I approach. There are lights on at the front of the small cottage-style house. And now I'm wondering how best to proceed. Should I creep through the shrubbery to peek in the windows, potentially alarming Father Li and the kids and possibly alerting my enemies to my presence? Or do I definitely alert my enemies by just knocking on the front door? Ultimately, stealth seems to be the best option. I slip behind the shrubs and press myself flush against the brick wall, stepping carefully around twigs as I ease my way to the lighted window.

Everything looks peaceful inside. I'm looking into the living room, where I can see all four of the other children. Alex and Zig are watching television, Ysabel looks to be doing homework, and RJ is playing tug-of-war with the dog on the floor. I don't see Father Li anywhere, but no one appears to be in any sort of distress. And that makes me nervous. I ease out of my hiding place and make my way around to the front door. I don't see a doorbell, so I raise the brass knocker and tap it a few times against the door.

Immediately, I hear the dog barking, and RJ shouting from inside, “I'll get it!” Then one of the other children shouts something I can't make out. There's the sound of scrambling little feet and doggy claws. Then there's a long pause. Long enough for me to get nervous.

“Uh...hello?” I call. There's a soft creak and a click, I look down to see that the letter slot on the door has been pushed out.

“Who is it?” Ysabel calls through the flap. I have to get on my hands and knees to peer in the slot and show her my face.

“It's Dragonness. Can I come inside?”

“Sure, just a minute!”

The lock clicks, and the door opens. Zelda, her tail wagging wildly, pushes past Ysabel to sniff at my feet and scratch at my legs. I obligingly pat her, but my attention is focused on the task at hand. Something definitely feels off here. My veins are sizzling with a warning.

“Is Father Li here?”

“Uh-huh. He's in his room saying his prayers. He always says his Rosary after dinner.”

“Please show me which room is his. I need all of you to come with me, Father Li included.”

Ysabel frowns, exchanging glances with her cousin and brothers. “...Why?”

Oh, great. How do I explain the situation to an eleven-year-old without terrifying her and her family? Or sounding like the kind of sketchy stranger mothers warn their children about? Before I can answer, RJ wrinkles his nose.

“Eww, who farted?”

It's about then that everything starts to happen at once. The smell of rotten eggs hits my nose. Marci starts to shriek in my ear, “Warning, Tahira! Warning! Carbon disulfide is detectable in this environment! Immediate removal is recommended!” And then I catch sight of a shimmer in the darkened corridor leading to Father Li's room. A kind of shimmer that's become familiar to me in the time I've fought with and beside Eva. The shimmer of light reflecting off the surface of a stealth suit.

“Kids, get outside! Get outside! Now!” I hear them scramble for the door, and I lunge toward the corridor. “Father Li! Father Li, get out of the house!”

Before I can reach the priest's room, a massive wall of fire springs up in my path, licking rapidly up the walls, poised to consume everything in its path.

Eva

I arrive on the scene about the same time as Talos drives up with Caleb and Dylan. I don't immediately see the flames, but they become visible only a breath after Tahira stumbles out of the rectory with the other four kids and the dog, coughing into the crease of her elbow. Dylan immediately runs to embrace his family. Talos and I spring into hero-mode, rushing to confer with our leader. I can faintly hear the smoke alarm shrieking inside the house.

“Are you all right?” Talos asks anxiously. Tahira nods, gulping the fresh air with ragged breaths.

“Take a moment to catch your breath,” I advise her, but she shakes her head.

“No time,” she manages to croak. “The priest is still inside. Talos, you're with me. We're going back in. Minuet, I need you and Caleb to go after the arsonist.”

“Arsonist?”

“That's right. They're wearing a stealth suit, but they can't have gotten far. I'm counting on you two to catch them. Go!”

Tahira doesn't wait for either Caleb or I to answer before she rushes back toward the house with Talos behind her. I glance over at Caleb, who looks a little bewildered.

“You heard the woman, Fire Man!” I snap. “Come on! Fire's the perfect light to reflect off the stealth suit, and you can help me look for a trail! And I need one of you kids to call 9-1-1! Now!”

Talos

Even with me as her shield, Tahira is thankfully not reckless enough to charge right back into the burning rectory the same way she went in. We circle the rectory until we find a window into a dimly lit room at the back of the house where the priest lies unconscious on the carpet in front of a crucifix surrounded by battery-powered tea lights on a linen draped table. From the window we can see the glow of the flames under the door and the thick smoke pouring through the cracks underneath and on the sides to tumble toward the ceiling.

“I guess that explains why he didn't respond to the smoke alarm,” Tahira mutters grimly. “Whoever it was must've taken him out first.”

“You think he's alive?” I ask.

“Only one way to find out.” She grasps the edges of the window screen and rips it off without any visible effort, tossing it casually aside before she braces her hands on the window pane, gets herself into a lunge, and pushes upward. The locked window resists her efforts at first, but the locks are really not any match for her strength, and it's only a matter of seconds before they yield, twisting beyond repair as the window slides open, sending a cloud of smoke spiraling into our faces. In one graceful motion, Tahira sails effortlessly through the opening. I follow, less gracefully, and immediately run to the door while Tahira checks on the priest. I let the bronze fade away from my hand just long enough to place my palm gingerly against the door.

“He's alive! No visible injury. I don't really want to move him, but I don't think we have a choice. We need to get him out of the house.”

“Well, we're not getting out through the door,” I reply flatly, turning back to her. “It's hot. The fire's right on the other side.”

“Here. Help me get him onto his back. If you can support his head, I can get him up onto my back and out the window. Hang on, Father Li. We're gonna take care of you.”

Caleb

The arsonist may have been stealthy in setting the fire, but they aren't all that careful in making their getaway. Minuet and I follow footprints left in the grass until the flames dancing along the lengths of my fingers start to reflect a shimmer ahead of us.

Minuet throws out her hands, and the slow-motion field flows out of her in a visible shockwave. After a moment where she appears to be concentrating deeply, she begins to twist her hands, curling her fingers.

“All right, Caleb, I've got them trapped. Let's see about getting them unmasked.”

“...How do we do that?”

She rolls her eyes, glaring reproachfully. “You walk up to them and take the stealth suit off! How else?”

“But...does it have...like...a zipper?”

Minuet looks like she's trying not to facepalm. “For fuck's sake...”

A faint chuckle comes from the air in front of us. Both of us snap our eyes forward to focus on the figure shimmering vaguely in the light of my flame. And then comes the voice, feminine and familiar, with the annoying nasally pitch affected by particularly snobby teenage girls.

“Okay, Cal, you got me. But it was all in good fun, right?”

Samara. Another one of Gigi's proteges, and a particularly vicious one at that. She's only fifteen, but she's right up there with Roach as one of Gigi's most trusted. She's like the psychopathic teenager who was Lucy Liu's bodyguard in Kill Bill. Except slightly less likely to disembowl a teenage boy for flirting with her. Slightly. I grit my teeth, marching over to the shimmering figure and extinguishing my flames as soon as my hand finds her shoulder. As I search for a fastening, I'm careful to keep my hands out of the way of anything private, but she still titters.

“Ohh, Caleb, I never knew you cared.”

“Shut the fuck up, Samara! You're fifteen, and I'm a whole lot fucking older, so don't you dare! I'm not a fucking pedophile.”

I find the edge of a mask near her collarbone and tug it away from the collar of her suit. This seems to break some vital connection, because the rest of her becomes visible as I pull the mask off over her head.

She grins at me, her eyes glittering with malice. “So uptight. I thought you knew how to take a joke. Especially one that involves fire.”

“Minuet, any chance you can put her mouth in slow-mo, too?”

“Doesn't seem like it's possible. I can gag her, though, once I've got the cuffs on her.”

“Not that it matters,” Samara says blithely. “Since I've been caught, I'm going to be questioned. And I mean to make sure the police know Caleb helped me plan the whole thing.”

Minuet scoffs as she pulls the handcuffs from her belt and works around her slow-mo field to get Samara's hands behind her back. “You really think that's going to work? When three trusted supers are going to vouch for him?”

“Not to mention the manager at the convenience store,” I point out. “He's got no beef with me, no reason not to say where I was.”

Samara just shrugs. “Believe what you like. But I for one find it hard to believe that the cops won't still suspect you had something to do with it, Man of Fire. Even if it's only briefly. And even if they didn't, your past criminal record means they can still make your life very, very difficult. ...I wonder, do you have that much confidence in your new friends to protect you?”

Tahira

Father Li is still alive when Eva and Caleb return. He's alive, but he hasn't come around. Ysabel at least had the presence of mind to grab her cell phone before rushing out of the house, and she assures me that the fire department is on its way. I look back up at Eva and Caleb, approaching with what looks to be a teenage girl bound and gagged walking between them.

“One baby arsonist, bagged up and ready to go,” Eva quips mirthlessly. I frown.

“Was the gag necessary?”

“She was winding Caleb up. Suggesting that she was going to implicate him as an accomplice, and that her word would stand against ours.”

“She's not wrong,” Caleb declares grimly. “Me on the scene of an arson? I'll be arrested before you can get a word out. ...I gotta get the fuck outta here before the cops get here.”

“I agree,” Talos says, startling me slightly. I look up at him questioningly. “...It's better if we ease the DA into the idea that the three of us have been working with the Man of Fire. ...Considering that before we got you back, Dragonness, Minuet and I promised her access to the only prison that's ever held him.”

“You what?!” Caleb yelps.

“Relax. She doesn't have it yet. The point is, we need you to not be here as much as you need to not be here, so go.”

A protracted silence crescendos as Talos' words hang in the air, broken only by the roar of flames behind us...and then the distant wailing of sirens.

“They're coming, Caleb! If you're going to get out, this is your chance!”

And before I have a chance to protest or question, the Man of Fire is away like a shot.

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