more things that regularly haunt my brain

pt 2 of the earworm compilations

Month 3-12

I'm definitely got better at rock climbing, and swimming. Several weeks of daily practice and the lean Trainer Rations have really dried up any of the chub my 17 year old self still had.

Shrimp the Cascoon evolved into a Dustox at last, and has been a huge help. I've had it hold on to string shot all this time. It's not great in battle, and I definitely never would have held onto in in a game, but in real life it is a huge benefit. Especially with rock climbing. A mobile emergency handhold is great, but not perfect backup plan for solo climbing. The worse part is that the string takes several minutes to weaken enough for me to break out of.

A few days restocking and resting in Eterna City was more then enough for me. I was ready for the next adventure. The guys at the pokemart suggested I be a profiteering training. A bunch of rare pokemon were seen on the ground and I could make a tidy profit if I could catch some of the dragon types in the area. They 'know a guy' who would compensate me for the trouble.

I've been saving money diligently but I remember all too well how hard the jump to independence was in the 'real world'. Selling plasma, working 2 jobs and hoping it could cover rent and tuition. I was not going through that again.

Route 206 had the cycling road, which was definitely a nice ride. Getting down was a breeze with the repelling kit and Shrimp was a huge help just bumping my feet into better spots.

The next week was something else. I saw so many Bronzor. Watching them float just above the grass gave me an idea. I kept a sharp eye out and finally caught one that was quite good at floating for long periods. It should have the levitate ability.

Kenny was great at hunting for Larvitar. They seemed to pop out of the side of the mountain, almost like daisies. Kenny was great at weakening them and a quick hypnosis from bronzor was enough to catch them most of the time.

Near the end of the week the larvitar were becoming harder to find, and I ventured into the cave at the north end of the route. I don't remember what it's was called. Let me snay

That cave was dark. Like real real dark. Fortunately I had a flying plate, Plate the Bronzor, and the HM flash. The cave was still a mess. I must have spent 3 days roaming around but I found some trainers and a pair of gible for my efforts. Fortunately one of the trainers was willing to show me the way out of the cave as a reward for winning, so I shuffled along and climbed back up to the edge of the bike road. More then 1 person stopped me on my way to the poke center to see if I was okay. It was heart warming and more then a little embarrassing to confess that I just had too much fun camping under the bike road.

A good night sleep at the youth hostel and a real meal was enough to get me feeling like a real person. I didn't realize how dirty I had gotten in the cave. I knew it was bad when the 3rd rinse was still brown.

Eugene, that guy at the pokemart was working when I went by to restock. He was pretty thrilled to hear about my adventure. He mentioned his guy would be willing to pay 2000p$ per Larvitar, and 4k for the Gibel.

I didn't come here planning to be involved with a shady team, but it's certainly looking like I'm well on my way to become a grunt. *le sigh* what's a trainer to do?

Eugene and I traded numbers and he promised to help me stay in touch with money making chances when ever I needed a little extra cash.

The next few months were a blur. I'd travel to a town, battling trainers along the way. I didn't get to the elite 4, but I did get to the 6th gym leader, Byron, in Canalave City. I'm pretty proud of myself for a first time training, and for the amount of messing around... err... physical training I've done.

Yes there was a rough couple of days where clocks counted time backward, and everything poured out of my trainer bag, and Eugene stopped calling me back. The games main plot seems to have passed safely. I probably won't be able to avoid importance in later runs, but for now it's nice to have just kept to my self.

100 ways to say ‘I love you’ Christmas Edition [bucky barnes]

Summary: it’s pretty self explanatory, I guess. (FLUFF) 1.6k

Warnings: absolutely none, just Bucky being cute, awkward and madly in love with you!!

-

In 2018, you were in Namibia, hunting down an American terrorist that had been on the run for the better part of the year. In 2019, the avengers were scattered around the globe, executing a 'shoot first, ask questions later' type of mission that ended long after the new year began. But this year, all of your friends were home. For the first time in years, the Stark Tower was shining from top to bottom with Christmas lights, carols echoing down all of its long, secluded hallways. It was the first time you'd get to actually spend the night of 24th of December with your true family. That is, if you made it in time. Back on December 19th, you and Bucky got stuck in the depths of Louisiana, with absolutely no means of communication, let alone transportation. You decided to make the best out of the situation and turn it into a road trip, but time flew by so much faster than expected, that it was now 2:13 pm on Christmas eve, and you and Bucky were sprinting down the snow covered empty highways of the east coast, dead set on making it home in time. He wasn't that eager to get back and tried to get you to rent a hotel room and spend the night alone, but you weren't having it. He huffed and puffed about not giving a shit about Christmas, but it was the first one he could celebrate with people that loved him, in over 70 years. With every motel that you passed, he'd turn and look at you from the passenger seat, begging you to stop. You didn't even consider it. You wanted him to have the full Christmas experience. A storm was brewing and you were whiteknuckling the steering wheel, fighting back the urge to yawn for the 3rd time in the last 10 minutes. After driving for 7 hours straight, you were close to passing out, but nowhere near ready to give up. "Pull over, love" he smiled, grabbing your thigh, "Let me drive. I'll wake you up when we arrive"

-

And of course Bucky refused to decorate. You spent the better half of the day rummaging through boxes and looking up diy tutorials on the Internet, doing your absolute best to make your bedroom as cozy and Christmasy as possible. Candles were scattered all over the furniture, their soft light and delicate cinnamon scent filling up the room, a small Santa Claus figurine was sitting neatly by the window, garlands dripped from every corner and your Christmas playlist was on shuffle for probably the 4th time that day. As you kept busy, lowkey exasperated whenever one ornament didn't fit in as planned, Bucky laid on the bed, making nasty comments with every chance he got. He complained about the music, said the room was too hot, that the candles made his nose feel funny and not for a second did he stop begging you to drop the fucking decorating and join him in bed. You didn't wanna hear it. You kept going, bringing in box after box of ornaments, each one making Bucky more and more frustrated.

"Buck!" you whined, turning around in your hands a little remote controlled reindeer. "His leg is stuck... he keeps falling"

"Throw it into the trash" he scoffed, plopping down on his back and hiding his face in the crook of his elbow.

Of course you didn't listen to him. "No..." you mumbled, more to yourself. You sounded like a child, but you didn't care. Instead, you just sat down on the edge of the bed, all your attention focused on the broken toy in your hands, "I'll fix it somehow"

"Just throw the goddamned thing away, Y/n" he groaned, "Only on my nightstand there are other 3. We got enough"

You just shook your head, focused on getting the reindeer to walk again. It was no use. You got no utensils and your nails were threatening to break as you kept trying to open up his battery container. 5 minutes of painful silence followed, ending with you finally giving up, "I'll just put something under his leg and use it as a decoration" you whimpered, legitimately heartbroken over the toy.

"Fuck, just come here. Give it to me. I'll fix the damn thing for you"

Your heart swelled up, "Really?"

"Yeah..." Bucky sighed, grabbing a screwdriver out of his nightstand and picking up the toy. "Master assassin and I'm fixing toys" he mumbled under his breath and you couldn't help but wrap your arms around him and kiss his cheek.

-

Your version of paradise started just when you arrived at the tower on Christmas Eve. Bucky did as promised and then offered you a weak smile, full of warmth as he helped you out of the car when he parked in front of the Tower. You were beaming with excitement for the days that were to come. When the next morning arrived, you were sipping your coffee on the balcony, waiting for everyone to wake up so that you could all start unwrapping the presents. When the door opened you didn't expect Bucky to come out, as he never - ever, failed to sleep until noon, if given the chance. But there he was, wrapped in one of your comfy blankets, padding over to you with a coffee mug in his hand. When he reached you, he opened his arms and welcomed you against his chest, closing his hold around your body and engulfing you in the warmth of the blanket. It didn't take long until you noticed the little paper bag lodged under the elastic of his sweats, and when you asked about it, he cursed himself for ruining the surprise. He handed you the bag, and urged you to open it, insisting that it wasn't your present. When you did, your eyes landed on a knitted bunny clutching a heart to its chest. "An old lady was selling these a few weeks ago at a boutique I saw while waiting for you to meet me. I know you love to call me Bucky Bunny because you know how much I hate it. I forgot about it and came across it this morning at the bottom of my bag while searching for my charger. Now I think its stupid, a dumb rabbit and his eyes are a little bit fucked up, but he's cute and it reminded me of you, so here you go"

-

As much love as some of you had for the holiday, it still wasn't enough to convince the whole group to actually watch a Christmas movie. So, in true avenger spirit, you all decided to watch Terminator. After finishing dinner, you all scattered around the Tower. Some people left to change in more comfortable clothes, some helped clean up the kitchen, and some, like Bucky and Thor, remained in the living room, plopped in the middle of the couch, fangirling over Arnold Schwarzenegger's acting and the great sense of humour of the 90s. Eventually everyone gathered around them, you and Wanda being the last ones to show up. She cuddled against Vision's side, but Bucky was lodged in between Thor and Steve, and there was no way you'd ever ask any of them to move. Seeing you eye an open spot, Bucky waved you over as he stood up. "Here, take my seat". You wanted to object but he didn't want to hear it. Eventually, you sat down, and so did he, on the floor, right in front of you. Nonchalantly, Bucky pulled your legs apart and settled between them, with his back against the couch. He gathered your Christmas themed sock clad feet into his lap and rested his head against your knee as the movie began.

-

And like any other Christmas dinner, of course yours wasn't an exception. Natasha's recipe for apple pie was by definition the best that ever blessed the earth and none of the attendees was any stranger to that. Considering how many of you there were, as you made a point of spending the end of the year together, 2 batches had to be made. It was hectic, everyone fuzzing around the Tower, preparations on tow the whole day. And of course there would be repercussions for the chaotic atmosphere, but you'd only find out about them later. After burning through the first meal courses of the evening, it was finally time for her sweet delicacy to grace the table. Natasha neatly placed the two pies on either end of the table, proudly announcing you could all dig in. Bucky was seated to your right, and he unlike you, managed to grab a piece of pie from the first batch. You didn't think too much of it, until you started eating yours, only to realise the bottom was burned. Despite all of you trying to assure Natasha that it was not her fault and that she shouldn't beat herself up about it, she promised she'd make another one tomorrow. The night carried on as planned, but no matter how much you tried to push away the thought, you couldn't help but feel bitter about missing out on the good pie. Just when you were about to come to your senses and realise what a dumb reason for you to get upset that was, Bucky sent you text, asking you to come to the bedroom. Curious as to what this could have been about, you hurried upstairs and burst into the room, nearly crashing into Bucky's chest. He slammed the door behind you and handed you his plate - his slice of pie only halfway eaten. "I saved you a piece. These are jackals, I had to hide it. Dig in before anyone comes!"

-

On December 27th the buzz was starting to die down. When you put up the lights in your bedroom, Bucky said they could stay on for two days and two days only, and you reluctantly agreed to make a compromise. Just this time. The time to turn them off came last night, and since he offered to let them on until the morning, you felt like an unreasonable little shit if you were to ask him to turn them on again. It was about 7pm and you were two seasons deep in The X Files, and Wanda asked for your help. Bucky pulled out his phone and assured you he wouldn't watch ahead until you got back. It took you about 30 to help your friend with her problem, and when you returned to your room, confusion washed over you. The Christmas lights were on and Bucky was nowhere to be seen. "Fuck" he grunted.

You turned around to see him behind you, standing in the doorway, two cocoa mugs in his hands, "I made these cause I know you like them. And I wanted to surprise you with the lights but vision is a dumbass and forgot to text me and tell me when you were almost done"

"So she didn't actually need help folding the bed sheets?" you laughed, endeared by his antics.

"Of course she didn't" Bucky shook his head, handing you one of the mugs, "She's not an imbecile"

"Oh my god" you giggled in disbelief as you sat down on the bed.

"I'll squirt shit nuggets out of my ass for two days, so please tell me at least I got the recipe right" 

He was so adorable, anxiously waiting for you to taste the cocoa he just made. "It's so good!" you rolled your eyes in pleasure, taking another sip, "Thank you, you're too sweet, Buck"

"Yeah, I know-" he chuckled, grabbing the mug from your palm and placing it on the nightstand. "I got one more present for you. Close your eyes and hold out your hands"

"No, Buck-" you whined, "I didn't get you anything else-"

He dismissed your words in an instant and kissed your lips, before guiding your hands up. You opened them up and closed your eyes, curious about what he could have gotten you. First, you heard him shuffle around the bed, and then you felt something rather itchy touch your palms. You nearly burst into laughter when you realised it was his chin.

"Ok, open your eyes"

And as you did so, your eyes landed on Bucky's face, as he had placed his head on your hands. He was wearing a tiara with reindeer ears, and you couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"You're my present?" you beamed, throwing yourself against his chest.

"My face is the present-" he corrected you. "Guess what it does. Take your leggings off and you'll find out"

Chained Love pt 2

I would like to apologize for how long its been since I posted an imagine or drabble...I've been working on a spn fanifc novel over in fanfiction.net called Forbidden Feathers, its a sister fic that goes across all 15 seasons. I'm currently writing season 1.

Anywho enjoy part 2 to chained Love.

Warnings: smutty goodness, hint of breeding kink, mentioned brothers doing shotty things, protective future mama bear.

^#&@^&@

3rd pov.

It's been several months since the deal between Y/n and lucifer, the one she lost, not that she was going to complain. It's been the most relaxed few months she's ever had. No self hate for all the lives she's taking. No dirty abandoned buildings, and especially zero half brothers who decide every aspect of your life just because you were born with a vagina.

Lucifer was actually quite attentive, he has his moments but a quick roll in the sheets was enough to calm him down. Although it never stops at just round 1. His angelic stamina keeping him going for hours until all his rage, anger or whatever is he was feeling in the moment has run its course.

He even let's her hunt the few times she's needed some air, a ghost hunt here and there nothing wrong in her mind with putting an angry spirit to rest.

Lucifer first saw the little Winchester as a means to escape whether it be the Winchester boys or even boredom but as time passed he found himself enjoying her presence. She is a feisty and rebellious spirit that got him going even over the smallest things. He watched her eat a burger yesterday and had to physically restrain himself from hauling her off to their room.

Lucifer pov.

My eyes rove lazily across the words on the page In front of me. Y/N had insisted on a library being within the place they would hide out. Of course he'd never admit to enjoying relaxing in there with a random book while she was busy elsewhere in the home. 'Stupid girl...making me wait on her, what's taking her so long..she was supposed to be out of the shower by now and paying attention to me.'

His feet refruse to stay still, his shoe tapping against the edge of the arm rest of the recliner he was laying across.

'I can't take this anymore' standing from the couch I make my way out into the small foyer of the home, looking for any sign of her being done. Nothing had changed in the last hour so with a rustle of feathers I find myself in the bathroom. Right in front of her.

There is no sound of running water, not the sink and definitely no shower. I gaze upon her confusion, her hair was drenched so she hadn't lied about bathing.

But her eyes were downcast, she was slouched on the toilette her shoulders sagging. Her hands were clutched around some device as tears leaked down her cheeks. But he feels no sadness from her soul intact she felt lighter...more pure...

'She has been crying, yet she isn't sad...?'

Her eyes snap up to meet my own as a timid smile crawls across her face, "Luci...I'm pregnant." The statement was blunt and thrown right out into the open, no hesitation.

Y/n pov.

I look upon at lucifer allowing him to process. I had gotten the yest last week during once of my ghost hunts. I'd been nauseous all week leading up to it, and I don't think he'd realized but Lucifer had started to becoming increasingly protective.

I knew I couldn't try to hide it from him and even knowing how dangerous this was going to be I refused to keep it from him. I knew what my brothers had done, even though they all had tried to hide it from me knowing I wouldn't approve. They had convinced that government lady to abort Lucifers child.

Stealing away Lucifers chance at a family who wouldn't hate him. I refused to do that to him again. So I sat and waited for him to respond. I didn't expect for a familiar heat to enter his eyes nor the sudden pressure of his lips on mine. I barely had a chance to breathe with the fierceness of his kissing. Bruising my lips and marking them for his own.

His hands run up my legs starting at my ankles and then spreading across my thighs. I have to bite back the moan in my throat as his lips trail down my neck. The searing cold of his skin leaving a trail of goosebumps everywhere he touched.

He hooks his hands under my legs and swiftly lifts my from the toilet seat. With a rustle of feathers and the feeling of being weightless for only a moment, the soft fabric of our bed caresses my back as he settles his weight above me on our red satin sheets.

3rd pov.

When he had heard her say those words he couldn't explain the sudden urge to have her under him. He was surprised by how his body heated up almost immediately at the thought of her carrying his child.

He felt that he definitely say he was happy at the news, it was another chance for himself. But what surprised him was the small hint of worry that actually wiggled into his heart at the thought of the little Winchester possibly not surviving or being injured from the process. He had become quite fond of her after all.

Pushing those thoughts away for later he looks down at the human under him. She was smiling up at him with a faraway dazed look. It was one of the things that drew him to her. She held no judgment. For almost anything. Hell he saw her help a ghoul of all things recently. She was one of a kind.

In that moment gazing down at her. Her (h/l) (h/c) hair contrasting again the (s/c) of her face he decided he'd do everything in his power to keep her at his side. Along side the life growing within her.

Within moments their lips meet again frenzied with lust, her towel is ripped sway and with a snap of fingers lucifer is left bare. They waist no time in foreplay.

With a sharp thrust lucifer is buried to the hilt. He buried his face into her neck, arms braced on either side of her caging her body underneath his own. Shielding her from the outside world as his hips snap into hers.

The pace is deep and thourough. She can feel every inch spear her open and spread her open with delicious euphoria.

Her moans echo in the room harmonious with his own grunts and growls. His deep voice grumbling broken enochian into her ear. Claiming her as his own.

The room is filled with the orchestra of their lust as the shadow of his wings spread out taking up the space above them.

"Fuck...touch them.." his growl is broken and filled with arousal. His need was beginning to become painful in how badly he wanted to claim her.

Her hand fly up the the shadowed mass. Burying her fingers into it as she is thrown off the cliff of her own orgasm. Her fingers clenched down on his feathers and with a strangled moan he buried himself deep finding his own end.

They lay there together. Y/n catching her breath as Lucifer clutches her possessively to his chest.

"Lucifer...my brothers can never find out about this...I refuse to let anything happen to this baby...you deserve to raise it and have it be there with you." He stares down at his little human in awe. She was willing to go against her family to make him happy.

Nuzzling into her hair and pulling his wings and the bed sheets in close around her he wispers unto her ear.

"Nothing will ever take either of you away form me, I won't allow it..your mine."

^#&@&

I know it's not what anyone was expecting, but holy shit I've been obsessed with overprotective daddy luci lately.

@waddles03 @scarecrowandmrking @sirlsplayland @lucifer-in-leather @lucibae-is-dancing-in-hell @lucifers-perfect-angel @cracked-treetopper-angel @wheresurmoose @w0lfx @blakechaos08 @blackswan90265

FAVORITE FANFICS OF 2020

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

I know I speak for all when I say....I cannot wait to toss 2020 out the door the way Uncle Phil constantly did with Jazz. One of the things that got me through this rough year, besides family & friends & BTS, were fanfics.

It’s that time of year again where I make a list of all the fanfics that I absolutely adored. Some are by veteran favs of mine, others are new to me who just knocked it out of the park. If you’re interested in past lists, here is 2019′s list and 2018′s. If y’all are interested in doing your own fanfic favs of the year, please do so and tag me. Always on the hunt for new favs. 

So without furhter ado, my fav fanfics of 2020:

1). Another Word for Forever series by stardropdream (sheith)

Summary: Shiro knows better than to expect love in an arranged marriage. This is all for the sake of universal peace, after all, and solidifying a Terran-Galran alliance. At the very least, Shiro can hope to make a friend out of this. Becoming friends would be much easier, though, if he and his husband could actually communicate. 

With a language barrier and a mountain of cultural differences between them, getting to know Keith proves to be a challenge. Luckily, Shiro's always worked well with challenges.

2020 shockingly became the year of sheith. I ended up rewatching the show w/my bestie @littlenightdragon​. Diving more deeply into it w/my other bestie @kila09​. She and I spent the better half of this year devouring so many fanfics of them in various AUs. I came across new fanfic authors, and stardropdream is among them. 

If I could describe this series & stardropdream, I’ll take a cue from Lady Gaga: “ talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, put it in a blender, shit on it, vomit on it, eat it, give birth to it”

This series was just PERFECTION. I’ve gotten into arranged-marriage AUs and this has been one of the best I’ve read. It was just perfection. The language barrier definitely added an extra charm to it, in which Shiro finds his own ways to get to know his husband better: both creative and funny ways. So many cute moments, so many funny moments with Hunk being the translating middle man between them, and the smut. THE SMUT. THE SMUT. THE SMUT. Just *chef’s kiss* Incredible. It was just so so sweet, and such a comfort read. I reread this series 5 times already and hope Robin (the writer) does more stories in this AU.

Please read this series. You’re not gonna regret it. It will MELT your heart. 

Honorable Mentions:

If I Called You Mine

Sail Across the Sky Just to Get to You

Finding Shelter (The Alien Baby Remix)

Say You Do(n’t)

2). The Golden Hour by @goldentruth813​ (sheith)

Summary:  After a space mission failure, Shiro loses his arm and his career. Two years later he's settled into a quiet and simple new life on his farm, but when a beautiful alien crashes in his field, he discovers the answers to his questions—and possibly the keys to his future—will come from the stars.

I’m sure no one, least of all Janel the writer herself, is surprised to see this author featured on this list. For now the 3rd year in a row. WOOOW  👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿 She is the reason I got into shieth, and she just continues to put out amazing conent with them. This story by far has been the best she’s done this year-possibly one of the best ever. 

We have Shiro trying to have a simple life at the farm with his dog and animals. A curious BOM Keith who shakes things up with his boldness/innocence-and questions bound to test blood pressure, especially Shiro’s. Loads of cute moments, loads of funny moments, and also loads of oreos. 

If summary and my thoughts don’t sell you, only one thing will: reading it for yourself.

Honorable mentions:

Two Hearts in Bloom

Mountain Men

Home is in Your Heart

3). Spun like Gold by Neyasochi (sheith)

Summary: Though Shiro is currently operating his fledgling bakery business out of a decrepit food truck he got for cheap in a repossession sale, he dreams of something more: a cozy bakery and cafe on a tree-lined street somewhere, filled with the smell of fresh coffee and sugar glaze instead of diesel. A little money could go a long way to helping him get off the ground-- and luckily, Keith has money to burn.

Or: Keith takes care of Shiro’s financial woes, in exchange for a little sugar.

OMG, OMG, OMG was this story so sweet. Neyasochi already sold me with the baking/baker Shiro trope, but went a step further throwing in sugar-daddy Keith who knows his way around his manic family and cars, but when it comes to asking a cute guy out? What better way to make an impression than becoming his best paying customer?  

Honorable mentions:

oh, devour me

Healing Touch

on your hand of gold 

4). The Destiny You Sold by @tryslora​ (drarry)

Summary: In which Draco knits, Harry makes wands, and things get very tangled up between them.

If there’s one thing I love about fanfics is how they introduce you to tropes you never would consider before. Draco and knitting was a combo I didn’t realize how much I needed until now. And I love the fact knitting played a big part of the accidental bonding. Also loved the fact everyone in their friend group shipped them like crazy. Highly, highly recommend 

5) What’s My Age Again? by @lazywonderlvnd​ (drarry)

Summary: Harry Potter has had enough of pleasing the public, and his reckless tendencies are finally getting out of hand.

The Quidditch World Cup is only a week away; as Captain of the English National Team, Hermione has assured him that his immaturity won’t be tolerated by the Ministry.

And then Malfoy shows up.

(Inspired by the blink-182 song of the same name.)

It’s no secret that I’m such a fangirl of @lazywonderlvnd​. Any drarry story I read, I always love. Last year, I ADORED The Changing Lights, which was one of my favorites last year, and her updating/finishing the story was a massive highlight for me. I thank ya for that. 

This story was honestly refreshing. I’ve grown so used to Harry being responsible, always doing what’s right, that seeing a story where Harry pretty much has his middle finger in the air to “good reputation”, “being responsible,” because as he brought up: “I’m 25. I’ve been fighting all my life. I’ve earned my life to have fun.”

Okay, granted, it wasn’t quite like that but it was along those lines. And I agree. After all he went through, Harry deserves to have fun. He deserves to be reckless and make stupid decisions.

Also, it was such a blast reading a story where Harry is the brat & Draco has to keep him in line. LOVED.

Honorable mentions: 

Inside Your Mind

Aletheia

6). Chocolate and Pastry by agentmoppet, anemonen (drarry)

Summary:  When Pansy bets Draco that there is no chance he and Harry could carry out a genuine romantic relationship, he and Harry form a plan. But as their fake relationship progresses, Draco sees a side of Harry he never expected. Harry is struggling with something, pushing it far down inside him where he doesn't have to acknowledge its existence. Draco starts to worry, and then he starts to care, and then... horribly... he starts to fall in love.

Do not let the title fool you like it did me. Title alone, I was thinking it was going to be a fun, fluffy story involving baking, maybe chocolate crafting. However....it was not that at all. It was more. A lot deeper. A lot more angsty. It explored mental health, PTSD and the dangers of loved ones ignoring the signs, and contained an important message:

You can’t love someone out of their illness/disease/ addiction. Which is true and this story showed that. 

7). i’m still here by owedbetter (zutara)

Summary: "You see me."

And somehow, that makes all the difference.

If there’s one of the few good things 2020 has brought, it was Netflix bringing back ATLA to their library. Which in turn ignited my love for zutara & had me drag @kila09​ into that ship. 

This story was just incredible. The way it was written, it really felt like it could have been canon. Deleted scenes that a certain creator didn’t want us to see. The way Zuko and Katara came together, starting from their peaceful friendship after the Southern Raiders episode up, becoming closer along the way. 

I dare y’all to read this and not think OMG...is this secret canon bonus material? I definitely plan to read more by owedbetter. 

8). all the what ifs i never said by rosegardenlake (sheith)

Summary:  Keith is nine when he first notices Shiro. Shiro is gentle and quiet, always keeping to himself. Keith is rough and loud, running wherever his feet will take him, screaming on the top of his lungs into the wind. But despite that, they're a constant throughout each other's lives...if only that could be enough. As they grow, Keith just wants them both to be happy, but instead, he's falling apart.

Rosegardenlake is another sheith writer who I adored last year & adore this year as well. This was a story that I read during the beginning of quarantine-life and when I tell you the number of times Keith’s emotions of loneliness got to me, it’s a big number. 

Keith’s struggle with life after high school, after peaking in school, and his mental health reminded me too much of where I was at 2018, which wasn’t a good year for me at all, especially mentally. So that was triggering but it was also helpful since I saw how far I came. And it was beautiful seeing how far Keith came. 

Also the relationship between Shiro and Keith was just beautiful. It’s very funny how Keith was Shiro’s protector growing up and Shiro became Keith’s later on in life. There’s a chance your heart may be heavy, but will also be so swelled up with feelings these two bring it. 

Honorable mentions:

Where the Light Doesn’t Reach 

9). When Night Comes by Oh_Hey_Tae (BTS; poly ot7)

Summary: Jungkook’s tipsy, but he’s not buzzed enough to miss that he doesn’t recognize any of the four dozen people here. And seeing as his friends aren’t ones to ditch and there’s no way they’d play a prank this mean on him, Jungkook reaches the conclusion that he just walked into a stranger’s very expensive home, uninvited, and started eating their food and petting their well-dressed dog.

(Or: Jungkook shows up to the wrong Halloween party and meets the most powerful family in Seoul.)

I can easily say Oh_Hey_Tae easily one of my favorite BTS fanfic favs. Always come through with the stories, and this one was just amazing. We have Jungkook stumbling into a Halloween story, and soon enters into a intense, insane relationship with all six guys, who are already in a relationship with each other. Oh, and supernatural creatures at that. 

You do see certain relationships are stronger, deeper. For example, a lot of moments between Jin and Jungkook. Vmin has their own story and moments. But it was just so amazing. 

Fair warning. Halfway through, things get darker and Oh_My_Tae really loves playing readers diirty with the angst, but it’s so good. 

10). peace-weaver by magisterpavus (sheith)

Summary: You will be the peace-weaver, his mother told him, smiling though her dark eyes welled with unshed grief. The one who brings two bitter enemies together and ends the bloodshed and death between us, once and for all.

But men will always crave war. The Galra, most of all.

Yet another arranged-marriage AU that I loved. This particular one is well-loved in the sheith fandom. I can definitely say it’s considered one of the classic fanfics that’s been read or shared at one point or another. 

The story itself reminded me a lot of Macbeth, involving murder and dark forces at bay. The dynamics between Shiro and Keith reminded me of Drogo and Daenerys from GOT, one of my fav couples there, which only made it all the more better for me. 

I do credit the author for the creative approach they took with quintessence and Shiro’s role/persona as the Champion

Honorable mentions:

The Boy in the Window 

Sheith Demon/Priest AU

A Matter of Scale

Directive 

Honorable mentions that I seriously wanted to add to the list but this post is already lengthy. All amazing, all greats reads by various writers y’all should check out:

Hold Me Tight, or Don’t by snowfallen (yoonmin with a Mr. & Mrs. Smith AU featuring assassins and hitmen, secret identities, fake marriage, and a lot of smut)

The Prince and Pirate by Maniacani, @nerdherderette​ (drarry with a splash of royalty and pirates. Perfect if you’re needing to fill in any Pirates of the Caribbean or Black Sails cravings)

First Kisses are the Best Ones by SashaDistan (sheith in a 50 First Dates Fusion heartfelt/heart-gutting story)

freely, as men strive for right by @bixgirl1​ (drarry w/Harry explaining the many ways why Draco’s the love of his life. we love to see it)

The Sacrificed by SasuNarufan13 (sasunaru w/ dark fairytale elements similar to Little Red Riding Hood & Beauty and the beast + feat. mpreg)

Chasing Treacle Tart (and Draco Malfoy) by xErised (drarry feat. lunch lady Draco + scheming Harry + loads of fun w/sweets & more)

Red Desert by @beatitudinembty​ (taekook in a unique sci-fi AU; hard to explain but so worth a read

one way ticket to another life by starboykeith (sheith Hades x Persephone background)

Even So by lewilder (zutara; arranged marriage+ language barrier +soft strangers to lovers)

Well, lovely people, there you have it. My top 10 favorite fanfics of the year. I do notice a certain ship shows up a lot on this list, but I wasn’t kidding when I said they took over this year. Still, I tried to mix the list up with other fav ships/fandoms of mine. To the writers who created these incredible stories. I applaud you. I thank you for creating and sharing these wonderful stories. Anyone interested in doing the tag, please do. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR, GUYS

The long way home Part 2

A/N Hello I’m sorry for such a late update I was going to post this in the afternoon but silly Tiff here kept procrastinating in AP bio , she now doesn’t understand anything! ALSOOOO, This will just have three parts, and i think i’ll just be writing little blurbs for them :) 

It’s been 7 months since Alison has been working for Harry. A night at Louis’ new club though seems to spark the feelings that both parties definitely tried to ignore.

Part 1 

Word count: 1582

Many say a job that pays well includes loads of work and a high degree of knowledge yet here I am a personal assistant. I can say there is a lot of work for my Job. The high degree of knowledge doesn’t even need to be on a specialized subject. I like to think of myself as a stay at home mother. Always making sure there is something to eat in the Styles’ household, Harry being present at Dylan’s programs and his meetings, and Dylan, to make sure he doesn’t feel the brokenness of his family... just yet anyways.

I’ve been working with Harry for about 7 months now, I’ve gotten to know his routines and Dylan’s, I even met his family. I like to think I’m really lucky to have this job especially since my boss has practically made it easy for me to be best friends with him. He wasn’t much older as he was 29 and we had a lot of mutual interests. The sad thing is I think I’m falling more in love with him.

“Harry, I bought some groceries, I’m going to make some breakfast!” I yelled in the empty apartment. I set my own pair of keys down on his counter as I unload all my goodies bought with Harry’s credit card. Harry was most likely playing with Dylan upstairs around this time. Sometimes, I would arrive and breakfast would be ready but today, knowing Harry took time off from work, he would not have time to make food.

“Hey.” A girl comes down trying to zip up her dress. She was pretty and I could already tell why she was here.

“Hi.” I smile and glance down trying to unopen my pancake box.

“Alison, you’re here.” Harry walks down in just his sweatpants. “Making breakfast, thank you.” He kisses me on the cheek and watches me. “My friend here is just leaving.” he turns his head to the side so I can acknowledge her once again.

“Yeah, bye.” She smiles pretending I’m not watching her do the walk of the shame. I wasn’t surprised this happened since it wasn’t the first time I’ve experienced this. I know Harry is a good looking guy who is fairly well single. He can do whatever he wants too.

“Had fun last night I see.” I raise my eyebrow at him and smirk.

“Yeah, met her at Niall’s birthday party last night.” He explains nonchalantly as he helps me make the batter. Usually when I see Harry’s night one stands, he doesn’t really talk about them. It’s not my business but he seems to not care much about them either.

“She’s pretty.” I note. I didn’t know why I said that because Harry usually always goes for pretty girls anyways.

“You’re pretty.” He shrugs his shoulders and takes a bite of the grapes I had just bought also. “Dylan’s at Kristen’s house.” Kristen was his ex wife who left him for a man double our age.

“I thought so.” I mix the batter. “Hey, stop eating the grapes, you haven’t washed them properly.” He rolls his eyes and stops leaning on the counter. He makes his way to the sink to wash them the right way.

“I was planning on picking up Dylan tomorrow since Louis’ club is opening tonight.”

“I think that’s a good idea.” I smile. “I’ll try to make it to Louis’ tonight too.” Louis was Harry’s best friend, we became friends too after a while of knowing each other. He was very funny and charismatic. Tonight, he was opening his 3rd club, Haven.

“So um- are you going to bring a date?” He stutters a bit as he picks on the grapes from his bowl.

“I might have to drag Penny to be my date. I do want to look around for guys tonight though.”

“What? Why?” Harry gives a disapproving look as he takes the bowl of batter from my hands so he can cook instead. I take a seat on top of his counter, eating some grapes too.

“Women have needs too Harry.” I try to say without the embarrassment seeping through my voice.

He turns around and smirks while walking towards me. He places both of his hands on either side of me. “Ms. Kingsley, are you horny?” He laughs. I push him away, touching his shirtless toned body. I try to get off the counter but instead he stops me by his grasp on my waist, making my chest touch his. He pulls away quickly rolling his eyes as he makes his way back to the pancakes on the stove. “When was the last time you got laid?”

“Two years ago.” I mumbled. I hear him laugh. He turns back towards me and smiles.

“I guess I’ll be seeing you later tonight then?”

~ H.

“Mate, I’m so glad you were able to make it.” Louis rests his arm around me as we both drank our drinks. The club was packed and I knew there was a big line outside. I came at a reasonable time, sitting with our friends in the VIP section. Looking around, I see there are a lot of gorgeous girls I can finish the night with but I can’t seem to stop looking for Alison.

“Who are you looking for?” Zayn asks as he takes a gulp of his beer. Gigi was sitting next to him, just on her phone.

“Alison.” I shortly replied and stared at my drink. I was confused too why I was anticipating her arrival.

“Your personal assistant yeah?” Liam asks, he lives in London, so he doesn’t know much about what goes on here in New York. I nod my head.

“Harry. You like her don’t you?” Louis teases me. Everyone’s eyes are on me now.  I shake my head with a confused look.

“What are you kidding? I’ll never like her. She’s my PA.” Niall shrugs his shoulders. “Plus, she really isn’t my type. I don’t think anybody will find her attractive anyways.” I let out a lie. Truth be told, when I made eye contact with her on the train, I thought she was very beautiful, I still think she is. Tonight, however, knowing she’s looking for a man, I can’t help but feel envious. I want no one to eye her, to find her beautiful. I just want her to be... mine.

Fuck, I do like her.

“Mate too far,” Louis replies back.

“He isn’t wrong.” A voice sparks up in front of our booth. It was from Alison. She was all dolled up in a red lip, with a silk rose gold dress. She was absolutely gorgeous.

“Alison-” I try to get out of my booth but she walks away, straight to the exit. “Wait.” I make eye contact with the boys who seem just as embarrassed as I was.

As I stepped out of the building from the exit I saw her go through, I realized we were in an alleyway. She was there sitting on the bottoms of her feet against a wall, trying to not get her dress dirty.

“Alison.”

“Leave me alone Harry.” She cups her face into her hands. I pull her up and force her in my arms. She tries to remove herself but I try my best to hold onto her. I can’t let her go.

“I’m sorry for saying that about you.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Yes, I am.” I pull her away from me and grasp onto her waist like earlier in the morning. “I think you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen since I met you. I know what I said in that room was wrong but I was just in denial.”

“Denial? Denial of what?” She wipes her tears in confusion.

“I like you, Alison. I’ve had a crush on you since that train ride when I first met you.”

“Harry, I don't think so. I mean you slept with so many girls-”

“I’m lonely...I promise you I’m not that guy who sleeps around even though they like someone. Hell, I didn’t admit I liked you until now. I just- I didn’t want to screw us up because you’re working for me.”

“Maybe, you shouldn’t have offered me the job and asked me out like a regular guy.” She pouts.

“You were in need of a job. Hell, the moment I got off the train, I called Sabrina and told her I have a job opening and to only let you apply for it.” She widens her eyes and takes a step back.

“Harry!”

“I’m sorry. I just wanted to get to know you better. I mean see- we became so close over the past months. Dylan loves you and I.. love you. You became part of the family so instantly.”

“I love you guys too.” I walk closer to her and hug her.

“I was just so envious today when you told me you were on the hunt to find a man to satisfy your needs tonight.”

“I was a bit jealous when I saw that girl walk out of your apartment.” I bit my lip and played with her hair.

“She meant absolutely nothing to me. I was pretty drunk last night and I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

“No excuse Harry. Girls aren’t objects. Don’t use them to avoid your feelings.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” I kiss her forehead.

“It’s okay.”

“Would you like to stay at my place tonight?”

“I would love to.”

Part 3 (Final) here!

x1 Would you ever share a site password with a family member or partner? My mom and brother know some of mine for certain things and I know some of theirs.

x2 What if they asked you? Would you still decline? It would depend on why they wanted and what site. It’s not about having something to hide, but ya know I just don’t see why someone would need my password for certain things and look through my things. 

x3 Have you ever misjudged whether or not you could trust someone? Yes.

x4 Has anyone ever told you they couldn't trust you? I don’t believe so. I’ve been told by people that they feel comfortable talking and telling me things and that I’m easy to talk to.

x5 Who in your family has the prettiest eyes? I’m envious of my dad’s blue eyes that I did not inherit.

x6 Do you think that fishing and hunting are wrong? Why or why not? >> I don't think they are inherently wrong. I think hunting for sport is unjustifiable, but that's only one type of hunting, and not even the most common kind, I'd assume. <<<

x7 Would you ever want to go on a fishing or hunting trip? No. That’s not my thing at all.

x8 What is an odd food item you would like to try, or have tried? I’m picky and particular about my food, so I don’t know. It would depend what the odd food item was. There’s a chance I might not find it all that odd and be willing to try it. 

x9 When|If you drive, do you go the speedlimit? I don't drive.

x1o Are you an aggressive driver? Or more passive-aggressive? >> ---

x11 Describe a hairstyle you had as a little kid? My hair was in a single braid or two braids quite often. And I had bangs.

x13 Are you good at thinking abstractly, or "outside of the box"? Sometimes.

x14 What routine of yours would you most hate to break? My coffee routine.

x15 What is your favorite crayon color name? *shrug*

x16 When someone doesn't like you, do you think it's 'cause they're jealous? Ha, no. I never think it’s because of that. I can’t imagine why anyone would be jealous of me.

x17 Do you ever assume people are jealous of you? Why or why not? No. Because like I said, I can’t see why anyone would have a reason to be. 

x18 Has jealousy ever ruined one of your friendships|relationships? No.

x19 What is one restaurant you would NOT recommend? Hmm. I don’t know. I haven’t really had a bad experience at a restaurant.

x2o What would you consider an unacceptable first date? Hmm. Inviting you to a family dinner would be one. First dates should be more laid back I think and a time to be able to talk and get to know each other first. See if there’s a connection and if you want to keep seeing each other. It’s not the time to introduce you to the family and get to know them and vice versa on a first date. It would be awkward and probably intimidating. It wouldn’t give you and your date time to talk without interruptions and other people’s input. And if it doesn’t work out it would just make things awkward. 

x21 What was your last conversation about? Yesterday my mom and aunt went to visit my other aunt who lives out of town and had to have an outpatient procedure. They went to check on her at her house and visit for awhile, so she was just telling me about that.

x22 Do you believe that love exists|is true? Yes.

x23 What would you say to someone that did not believe in love? >> I don't even know how to respond to that. It really would be like saying "I don't believe in sadness", to me. Like... okay? I mean, I guess. <<< lol yeah.

x24 Does failure feel worse when you actually tried? It definitely adds to the hurt when it’s something you really put your all into and worked really hard for; something you really wanted. 

x25 Does success feel less sweet if you didn't work hard for it? There is a great sense of accomplishment and pride when it’s something you worked hard for and put your all into. Succeeding is a good feeling and it’s still going to feel good I think even if you didn’t work hard for it, but yeah I think it adds to it when you do.

x26 Would you rather listen or speak, in general? Listen, definitely. 

x27 Do you like to ask the questions, or be asked? Uhh. I guess ask the questions if I had to choose.

x28 Does smalltalk bother you? Why or why not? It’s just awkward and I get uncomfortable. I’m not good at it.

x29 Who is your favorite person to debate or discuss with? I don’t like debating. 

x3o Does the being in your reflection meet with your approval? No. I don’t like how I look or who I am right now.

x31 Are you more likely to praise or insult yourself? Why? I’m always putting myself down. My mind is full of negative thoughts about myself that like to play on a continuous loop. I’m very hard on myself. 

x32 Name a memorable character from the book you're reading|read? Autumn Trent. She’s a forensic psychologist and I find her character very interesting. 

x33 Are there any friends you won't be friends with much longer? I don’t have any friends anymore.

x34 Would you ever want to have a pen-pal? Not now, but I did have one before in the 3rd grade.

x35 Do you enjoy cloudy days? Why or why not? Yeah. I just love that kind of weather.

x36 What was the last delicious thing you ate? My ramen earlier.

x37 What does music mean to you? For so long it was a big part of my life, I listened to it everyday. I was always really into music and got excited about new music coming out. This past year, though, it started to lessen more and more. I haven’t been listening to music at all this month. It’s weird. I don’t know why.

x38 Would it bother you to be forgotten after death? It’s sad to think about. I don’t think my family would, though. But then when they’re gone I would be. *shrug*

x39 Do you tend to prefer healthy or unhealthy snacks? Unhealthy, definitely.

x4o Has anyone ever asked you for diet advice? No.

x41 What do you tend to think of those that are far overweight? I don’t tend to think anything. 

x42 How about those that are far underweight? I’m too underweight myself due to health reasons. You don’t know what someone is going through. 

x43 What was the last level of math you took? Statistics in college. It was required.

x44 To you, what is "being productive"? Working on something, getting something completed, taking care of business. 

x45 Do you feel lucky to live where you do? Why or why not? I am fortunate to have a roof over my head. I don’t particularly like the city, though.

x46 Would you ever want to trade lives with someone else? Maybe for a day. Ha, I don’t know who would want to trade with me, though.

x47 Would you rather help others, or just help yourself? I want to help others and help myself. I haven’t been doing much of either one these past few years. :/

x48 Do you like being busy all the time? No. I’m never busy now, but back when I was in school I very much enjoyed having time to just chill and do whatever. I needed to have that time because I got so easily stressed, overwhelmed, and burnt out. And when I had a bit of a social life, I wasn’t someone who had to hang out all the time. Like, I didn’t have to do something every weekend.

x49 Or would you prefer having nothing to do? Well, these past few years I haven’t had the energy or motivation to do much of anything and also due to health reasons I just haven’t felt up to doing a lot. I like doing the few activities I do everyday that don’t require much and being able to lounge around.

x5o You get one day with the world to yourself; how do you spend it? That actually sounds scary, no thanks. I wouldn’t want to be completely alone like that. It would feel too quiet and too weird and I think I’d be really anxious.

in which Draco needs to ace Herbology

Part 1/? (I don’t know how long this is going to end up being lol)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25758838/chapters/62556034

Setting: Hogwarts, 3rd year

Content warnings: None. Contains subtle hints of Drarry (with more to come)

Summary: Star student Draco Malfoy is acing all his courses...except Herbology. His father threatens to pull Draco out of Quidditch if he doesn’t get straight As on all his exams, and with time running out before the Herbology final, a desperate Draco finds himself reluctantly accepting help from a most unlikely source.

Featuring: Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley

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

“Draco!” Lucius Malfoy’s cold, stern voice reverberated throughout the Great Hall, causing many heads to turn to the Howler that had just flown in to interrupt everyone’s luncheon. Draco Malfoy put his head into his hands as his father’s voice began to berate him about his mid-term progress grades. “Your school performance thus far is highly unsatisfactory.” Draco got mostly As with a few Bs. “Don’t you dare tarnish our family name with a B again. If you don’t bring your average up to an A by winter break, I’m taking you off the Quidditch team!” The letter promptly burst into flame and burned into a little pile of ash on the table. Draco’s Quidditch teammates looked at him with worry and discomfort at the thought of losing their star Seeker, while quiet chuckles and snickers came from the other tables.

“Bloody hell!” exclaimed Ron Weasley, turning to a wide-eyed Harry Potter. “What are them Slytherins going to do without Malfoy hunting you down every game, Harry?”

Hermione Granger shrugged. “I suppose Gryffindor is going to start winning a lot more matches.”

“I guess so,” agreed Harry absent-mindedly. According to Harry, Draco Malfoy had a lot of deficiencies, but intelligence was definitely not one of them. Lucius Malfoy’s standards must have been very demanding. The trio, along with just about everyone else, watched as a sullen Draco pushed away his half-eaten lunch and slinked out of the Hall.

-

The loud cheers faded into the background as Harry strode into the locker room. His last Quidditch match of the term had just ended with a Slytherin victory, but he was still in good spirits, energized by the lingering sensation of the cool autumn wind in his hair and on his cheeks. He took his time changing out of uniform and back into his regular school robes, aware that this was the last time he would get to do so until next term. By the time Harry started to walk casually towards the exit, nearly all the other players had already gone. But in the corner of Harry’s eye, he spotted a lone hunched-over figure sitting on one of the benches, his blond hair hanging over his eyes. Harry hesitantly turned away from the exit and towards Draco Malfoy. Harry was used to Draco’s excessive gloating after every Slytherin victory, yet despite the fact that he had just secured the win for his team that day, Draco seemed pretty downcast.

“Is your dad really going to take you out of Quidditch because of bad grades?” Harry inquired. “You seemed to be doing pretty well in Potions.”

Draco glared up at him with stormy grey eyes. “I’m acing Potions. It’s Herbology that’s the trouble. It’s boring and useless -” (Harry shrugged understandingly; he never cared much about plants either) “- and Professor Sprout never grades me fairly. I suppose that teacher’s pet Granger doesn’t have that problem, does she, Potter?” Draco sneered. His hostile expression quickly weakened, however, as he looked around the familiar locker room.

Since the classroom environment was so restrictive, the only time Draco ever felt truly powerful was when he blasted through the air on his broom, knocking opponents out of the way and skilfully dodging obstacles as he chased victory and received the cheers and admiration of his peers. He couldn’t imagine his life at Hogwarts without Quidditch.

Draco groaned in frustration and ran his hands through his hair as Harry stood there awkwardly. He knew Draco needed help, but he also knew the proud Slytherin would never ask. He arguably didn’t even deserve help, but Harry found himself thinking about how terrible he would feel in Draco’s current position. Powerless, and desperate, even. An idea began to come alight in Harry’s mind.

“Why don’t you…” Harry started carefully, “…come study with us? Hermione got ‘perfect’ on her last assignment – which I honestly didn’t even know was possible – and she could teach you all her tricks. She’s smarter than anyone I know.”

“Oh, yeah. Exam prep with the Mudblood, the Weasel, and the Wonder Boy. Sounds great,” Draco retorted sarcastically. “The noble, virtuous Saint Potter, rescuing me from my plight!”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Listen, Malfoy. You either ace Herbology or you never get to knock me out of the sky again. You choose.” Harry stared Draco straight in the eye, as if challenging him. How far would he let his pride go?

Draco clenched his jaw and turned away from Harry’s intense gaze. Crabb & Goyle certainly weren’t ideal study partners, and Draco didn’t exactly have a cooperative reputation even in his own House. The Herbology final was mere days away and his options were narrow. “No one can see us together. It’ll be the first and the last time I ever choose to be around you lot.”

If Harry didn’t know any better, Draco was making it sound like they were going to start secretly dating or something. Harry fought off a smug smile. “We know a pretty secluded area of the studying commons. It’ll only be a couple of days, really.” Draco did not protest, so Harry continued. “Bring your book and notes and meet me after dinner tomorrow at the studying commons entrance, and we’ll get it done. You’ll see what kind of a whiz Hermione really is.”

Draco sighed. “Fine. But you better keep out of my sight until then, Potter.”

“Gladly,” Harry smirked. “Tomorrow, then.”

Draco shook his head as Harry left, feeling his stomach sinking as he processed what he just agreed to. Studying help from the three Hogwarts students he despised most. This better be worth it.

-

Harry ran into the Gryffindor common room where his friends were relaxing and enjoying their downtime. “Hey, guys!” he whispered to Ron and Hermione, gesturing for them to come closer. “I’ve got some news to tell you!” Ron and Hermione shared a confused glance, and went over to their grinning friend. They looked at Harry expectantly. His bright eyes were glinting with excitement (and a hint of panic), and he paused for effect.

“…Draco Malfoy is going to be studying with us for the Herbology final!”

“Hah!” Ron guffawed loudly. “Good one, mate!”

“Very funny, Harry,” said Hermione with her arms crossed. “Now what were you really going to tell us?”

“No, really!” Harry persisted. “He needs to get an A in Herbology to stay on the Quidditch team, and I told him all about how smart you are, Hermione.”

“Oh please, you can’t be serious, Harry!” Hermione exclaimed. “He’s done nothing but be awful to us!”

“She’s right, mate!” Ron echoed. “Bloody good riddance if he’s off Quidditch!”

“No, listen, don’t you see?” Harry insisted in a conspiratorial whisper. “If we help him…he owes us.” He gestured to Ron. “We can get him to stop calling you ‘Weasel’!” He pivoted to Hermione. “And we can get him to stop calling you…you know…that.” Hermione crossed her arms even tighter.

“The point is,” Harry concluded, “If we’re nice to him and we help him out just this once, maybe he’ll be more decent towards us too. I didn’t come to Hogwarts to make enemies. And honestly, Quidditch wouldn’t really be the same without him.”

“Yeah, we’d win more,” Ron scoffed. “I don’t think this is a good idea, mate.”

“Just trust me, guys,” said Harry. “If it turns out to be a disaster you can say ‘I told you so’.”

“You can count on that,” Hermione said with a smirk. Harry grinned and left to go upstairs. As soon as he was out of sight, Ron turned to her with an anxious expression.

“What do you really think of all this, ‘Mione?”

She let out a deep sigh. “I think…that no amount of niceties or politeness or favours could ever make someone like Malfoy think any more highly of anybody like me or you.” Ron looked down at the floor. “I’m just going to go through with this for Harry.”

“What do you suppose he thinks of Harry, then?” Ron inquired.

Hermione looked into the distance thoughtfully. “I’ve always thought that Malfoy’s jealous of Harry. For having real friends, and being popular without having to treat anyone horribly. I’ve never known anyone as rude as Malfoy.” Hermione shook her head. “I don’t understand why Harry thinks this is going to work.”

Ron nodded dismally. “I’m going to talk to him about it tonight. Don’t worry.”

-

“Harry?” Ron said quietly as he untucked the covers and climbed into his bed.

“Yeah, Ron?” Harry replied, already lying down and staring up at the ceiling, his glasses sitting on the bedside table.

“Why do you want to help Malfoy?” Ron asked honestly. “He’d never do anything of the sort for us. ‘Mione and I are worried, you see. We can’t trust him.”

Harry sighed, still looking up at the ceiling. “I don’t know. I just had a feeling. What would you do, Ron, if you weren’t allowed to play Quidditch anymore?”

Ron tried to visualize himself in that position. “I reckon I’d feel pretty angry. I’d do anything to stay on the squad.”

Harry knew Ron would feel the same way he did about that. “Now just imagine Malfoy next term, all angry and bitter now that he can’t play anymore, and then he sees us walking down the hall celebrating all our wins.”

A terrible realization dawned on Ron. “Blimey, he’d be even worse to us than he was before. Hermione said he’s jealous enough of you already.”

Harry chuckled. “I really didn’t even expect him to agree to come study with us. Though he did make me promise to stay out of his sight until then. Not sure how that’s going to happen since we have the same class tomorrow morning.” This prompted a giggle from Ron.

“We’re all going to be a bunch of chums,” Ron joked as he turned over and squirmed into a comfy position to drift off into an uneasy sleep.

-

Harry stood outside the entrance to the studying commons near the library, arms crossed. That morning in their last Potions class of the term, Malfoy did not look his way even once. Not even when Neville accidentally spilled the wrong ingredient into Harry’s brew and it bubbled over and poured all over the table. During dinner, Draco sat with his head down the whole time, barely saying a word to his friends who were loudly squabbling over all manner of petty topics. Ron had elbowed Harry and asked why he was watching Malfoy like a hawk all day, while Draco had done everything possible to avoid Potter’s gaze. “I’m just not used to it, I guess,” Harry replied. “He didn’t even say anything when Neville made my brew spill over.”

Hermione shrugged. “I guess he’s just dreading spending time with us as much as we are.”

Now Harry was standing there, waiting for the lively-turned-sullen Slytherin to show up. Hermione and Ron were already seated inside (Hermione was amassing an intimidating stack of textbooks to scrutinise). Finally, a pale blond head emerged out of the shadows. Draco slinked over to Harry, book bag over his shoulder.

“Hello, Malfoy,” said Harry politely.

“Potter,” Draco curtly replied. “Let’s get this over with.” Harry fought the urge to smirk, enjoying Draco’s evident displeasure with the situation. No matter how much Malfoy didn’t like it, he needed their help and he was here.

“Follow me,” Harry said, leading Draco into the large room of studying desks and chairs tucked away between bookshelves full of large, musty academic volumes. Some students were clustered together in small groups in different pockets of the room, but despite the quiet hum of voices and flipping pages, the place did not feel particularly busy. A few lamps here and there offered some dim reading light. Draco looked around as if he hadn’t been here many times before.

As promised, Harry led his rival-turned-study-buddy into a far corner of the commons hidden away behind tall bookshelves, where Ron looked on in despair as Hermione laid yet another massive volume on top of her studying pile. The anxious red-head turned to see Harry enter, hoping for some good news, but alas. There was Draco Malfoy, their haughty tormentor. Except now he was standing there uncomfortably, fidgeting with the strap of his book bag.

“Hey, guys,” Harry sighed. “I’m sure you all know Draco Malfoy,” he joked half-heartedly.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Sit down, Draco.” She ordered, pointing at the empty chair in front of her, beside Ron. Ron looked from Hermione to Draco to the seat, and he jumped up and clambered into the chair beside Hermione to avoid sitting next to the awkward Slytherin. Draco narrowed his eyes and reluctantly took his seat, followed by Harry sitting down beside Draco where Ron was glad not to be.

“Alright, then,” Hermione began, clearing her throat and smoothing out her frizzy hair. She hoped going into full-on study mode would successfully distract her from her uneasiness. Ron watched the beady-eyed Slytherin look around the room once more before reluctantly turning his attention to the large stack of books on the table. “Let’s start with the basics,” said Hermione, lifting a thick volume detailing the magical properties of thousands of plants off the stack and placing it on the table with a thud.

This is going to be a long night, thought all four of them.

-

“Blimey, Harry!” Ron exclaimed as Draco smiled smugly and Hermione shook her head in exasperation. “Everyone knows that Valerian sprigs are a main ingredient in a Forgetfulness Potion!” After going over their notes and looking up more information on some of the plants that Professor Sprout highlighted in class, they had just started quizzing each other on the properties and uses of different herbs.

“Actually, Ronald, I seem to remember you having a particularly hard time recalling the most crucial ingredients of a Forgetfulness Potion,” Hermione remarked. “But honestly, Harry, this is first-year stuff!”

Harry shrugged apologetically. “I know we’re already in Third year, but I’m still not all that familiar with these things. I didn’t grow up in a magical family like Ron or Malfoy, remember?”

“That’s no excuse,” Hermione retorted. “Both my parents are Muggles and I still know everything I need to know to pass my exams.”

Draco scoffed. “No matter how many books you cram into your head, that doesn’t change what you are.” (So far he had done a pretty good job of keeping snarky remarks to a minimum, but as far as he was concerned Hermione had just walked right into that one.)

“And what’s that, exactly?” Ron exclaimed, incensed.

“Remind me why we’re helping him, Harry,” Hermione said bitterly. Draco shot upright but Harry grabbed his arm and plunked him back down in his chair. Draco frowned and brushed his arm off dramatically.

“She’s right, Harry,” Ron argued. “We can’t just let him insult us the way he does. If he wants our help, he has to start acting decent.”

“I don’t need your help!” Draco spat. Harry looked over at him with a Really? expression. Draco looked down at all the extra information he’d added onto his notes. The studying had actually been going pretty well (until this point, that is).

“It doesn’t matter if Hermione’s parents are Muggles,” Ron said, more calmly now but firmly. “She’s bloody brilliant and she can help us all get an A on this bloody final.” Draco didn’t look up.

“Come on, Malfoy. You can keep studying with us until the Herbology final if you just act civil,” Harry told Draco. “We’ve already made a lot of progress. Let’s just keep at it until it’s over.”

Draco sighed in defeat. “Fine.” Without further ado, Hermione reopened one of the textbooks and flipped a few pages to where they were before. “What is Wormwood used in?” she asked in a resolute voice, keeping her eyes firmly glued to the book.

“Draught of Living Death,” Draco replied without missing a beat.

Hermione nodded. “And?”

“And…? What?” Draco was getting annoyed. Ron shook his head, knowing what was imminent.

Hermione sighed in exasperation. “If Professor Sprout asks us that question on the exam, naming one use of a plant is not good enough! We have to show her how much we know, give her all the details we can. Wormwood is an ingredient in Draught of Living Death and Elixir to Induce Euphoria and Shrinking Solution.”

Draco rolled his eyes as Harry and Ron chuckled at Hermione’s meticulousness. She flipped a few pages forward. “Try again. What can stinging nettles be used for?”

Draco recalled that particular plant being mentioned in class. “Dried nettles are used in the Boil-Cure Potion…” Hermione, Ron, and Harry raised their eyebrows expectantly. “And in nettle tea and soup?”

Hermione nodded in satisfaction, but Draco wasn’t done.

“And I heard nettles can improve the glossiness of one’s hair,” he concluded with a smirk, smoothing down his own sleek blond locks and eliciting a chuckle from Harry (and eyerolls from Ron and Hermione).

The rest of the studying session was surprisingly productive. Turns out the four of them could get a lot done when they momentarily put aside their grievances and got to work. By the time they were done Ron felt like his head was swimming with plants and potions. Overall, except for the rough patch in the middle, Harry thought that it went better than he expected.

Harry turned to Draco as they were packing up their notes. “Hey, Malfoy, we’ve still got one more night to study before the exam. Do you want to join us tomorrow?” He half-expected Malfoy to say “No way”.

But Draco just shrugged. “Sure,” he replied. He wasn’t particularly excited about studying with them again but he also had to admit that it wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be. Since he’d gotten this far already, he didn’t see any good reason to stop now. He just hoped he would end up getting that A and it’d all be worth it. He was too tired to worry about his reputation now. Without another word, he slung his book bag over his shoulder and went on his way.

-

“Hey, Malfoy, where you been?” asked Crabb as Draco slinked through the dark Slytherin common room on his way to the dorms.

“Nowhere,” he briskly replied. Realizing that might make him sound a bit suspicious, he quickly rebounded. “Studying. For Herbology.” His friends looked at each other, wondering why Draco was acting a bit odd but not really wanting to ask.

He walked past them without another word and went up to his room. He set his book bag down and sat on his bed, looking out the window at the dark night sky. The more Draco stared out at the sky, the more it seemed to swallow him up in its pitch-black expanse. The only way he could explain how he was feeling right now was “weird”. He was uncertain, about how the exams were going to go, about what the next (hopefully last) study session with Harry and his strange friends was going to be like, about how his father was going to greet him when he comes home for winter break. “Hello, dear son, I’ve missed you”? Not too likely. 

If my father cared about me then why would he pull me out of Quidditch? He only cares about himself. And his reputation, Draco thought to himself bitterly, leaning back onto his pillow. As if a B in Third year Herbology would leave such a stain on the family crest. It’s certainly not as embarrassing as studying with Granger and Weasley. The thing that frustrated Draco the most, though, was that he wasn’t as riled up about the studying session as he felt he should’ve been. He didn’t even feel particularly proud of the jab he took at Hermione. When it was his gaggle of friends behind him egging him on, he relished every chance he got to belittle Potter and his sidekicks. But Draco was not on home territory tonight, and there was no one to laugh.

Then Draco sat up with a jolt, suddenly remembering Harry audibly chuckling at Draco’s comment about stinging nettles and silky hair. Draco didn’t know why he was so stunned by the sudden memory of his nemesis Harry Potter laughing at his harmless joke. That moment was probably the friendliest one they’d ever had. Then he recalled Harry quietly and politely, almost carefully, asking if Draco wanted to join them again. Draco remembered the day he met Potter like it was yesterday, and Harry seemed thoroughly disinterested in being friends then, so why was he acting so agreeable now? A deeply buried sentiment started to bubble up to the surface, 11-year-old Draco’s wish to be friends with the famous Harry Potter, to feel like more than his rival.

But Draco’s cynical side pushed these thoughts away. They must be up to something. I don’t care what. I just need that A, he reminded himself yet again. His mind wandered back to when he got up to leave after offending Ron and Hermione, and how Harry just wordlessly pulled him back into his seat. Harry wanted him to stay. Draco stood up and tried to shake these thoughts away. No point in dwelling on it. Things will go back to the way they used to be after the exam.

~ Part 2 coming soon! DM me if you want to be notified when the next part is up ~

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Grey's Anatomy Season 16x17 review.

What a messed up episode it was. So starting from the most messed up and going down.

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Tom Koracick He gets a section tomhimself today because honestly, his life is starting to get really complicate as was expected seeing that he's at Grey Sloan. Him and Teddy, somehow or the other I feel he's going to have the worst part of this stick. Teddy has Been in love with Owen since she even arrived at the hospital in season 6 (or 5 can't remember too clearly), but after loving someone for so long, chances are she isn't going to leave him now. She was hurt and scared because Owen could possibly have another child and he drops her like a hot potato for anyone so, with all her feelings she went to Tom and he of course slept with her because, he loves her a surprising amount. I wish that he could find the strength to tell her no, because he's going to wind up hurt and with the way everyone treats him. He's going to really be in an emotional hole after it all. As for him and Mr Billionaire. I always used to imagine scenarios like the one he proposed to Tom, but probably in a spy movie I didn't actually expect Tom to do it. He's going to end up using the money for his lawyer bills because he's not even going to have a chance if he's found out. His licenses will be gone and so will his life. He'll end up in jail along with the  billionaire. Who is clearly one of the dumbest geniuses I've ever seen. All of that because he's made a mistake and could be arrested. If his plan is found out he'll be as ruined as Tom. I don't like where that case is going. I like Tom but I don't think he should risk anything for that man who clearly thinks he's the s**t and I can definitely see Tom's emotional Grey's spiral coming. I wish him the best of luck.

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Teddy I think we should check her for a tumor or a mental illness as well because I don't know what happened to her. I would have never expected Teddy to be like this. She was one of the most respectable women on Grey's. I know that she was emotional but she has been pinning for Owen for Years and years and she didn't even think to talk to him? Come on Teddy and she's using Tom, Maggie's speech was spot on she's sleeping with Tom who is madly in love with her when she knows she loves Owen, like leave Tom out of it sleep with someone else. And her reaction when she told Owen that Amelia's baby could be his and she asks him where does that leave them. He apparently took 5 seconds to long and she walked away, come on Teddy..... you just told the man that he could possibly be the father of a 3rd baby and with another woman all under the under the age of 3 and you're upset he took 5 seconds before answering, now I'm no Owen fan but Jeeze give the guy some time to process before making assumptions and what she said about Amelia, thank God for Maggie because her reasoning for being angry at Amelia was crap, especially because she did the exact same thing with Owen so the real loser here is Owen and Tom. She needs to pull it together soon because I'm sure this isn't over even though Owen isn't the Father.

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Owen Karma's a bitch I guess I almost feel sorry for him, this is the best he's been in any relationship. He's in yet another love triangle with the same woman but this time he's not the one being chased. I also want to talk about his old school way of life. Why the he'll should Teddy have to plan the wedding herself, it's like Christina not wanting to have kids all over again. She's a surgeon and a mom, both of those things are full time job. You still plan your wedding with the wedding planner except they do all of the running around for you.if he wants a planned wedding so much he should do it himself and Teddy needs to learn to say no she's going to stress herself planning a wedding the same way she did making Halloween costumes.

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Richard Yet another painful one, not only is he quitting surgery he's also pushing the people who care about him further and further away. He was so angry I almost thought that he would have had to be committed. I am praying that Webber is not leaving as well even if he's not doing surgery he should teach or something Bailey was right the hospital needs him and the show sure as he'll does as well. He wants to sell his paths pen, do you Webber but ,make sure you come back. Maybe he'll make enough money that Catherine doesn't feel like she can buy him anymore. Where the he'll Is Catherine anyway? She's doing everything behind the scenes and as usual Bailey has to take the fall.

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Link/Amelia Yay, I think we can safely take Amelia out of the Owen, Teddy, Koracick thing because her and Link are back together and even better Link is the father. While I still don't agree with how the whole thing was handled I'm just glad that they're together again and the whole Amelia, Owen thing isn't going to start again. No more children deserve to be involved in that mess. Not to mention now we get to see more daddy Link. I know that they're going to definitely have more struggles along the road I mean after all this is Grey's but I at least hope that no more of those problems will include Owen Hunt.

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Jo Didn't know which last name to call her anymore. She's in a bad mood understandably but not in her need to get committed mood, which I'm glad for. The actress in real life is pregnant and I'm just wondering how that's going to be played off. It can't be written in that wouldn't make any sense but I was wondering if they're going to make Jo take some time off. She would definitely deserve it. I'm glad that she's not spiralling too much at least not yet. She's in a funk but like she said she'll pick herself up because she knows she deserves love.

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Deluca Is talking to a shrink but doesn't really think he needs it and coming from experience that's never a good thing. I hope he realizes it soon before it ruins him and based on some spoilers I read its not seeming too likely.

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Meredith Isn't in the mood to talk about her feelings, she was hit on by a billionaire and rightfully angry at the world because the woman who had to ration her insulin because she couldn't afford was heartbreaking. I live in a country where most health care and medication is free or at a reasonable price unless you choose otherwise so I couldn't imagine how hard it is to be unable to get the health care you need so that was hard to watch. Meredith was also right to be pissed off that some billionaire just decided that he doesn't want to accept responsibility and cleared a whole hospital floor to do it. (Even if Catherine was the one to do it). She misses Alex and had yet another conversation with Bailey (this is the most I've seen them talk this whole series.) And they basically express how everyone is leaving or dying and it's lonely without them and nothing else have ever been more accurate. The amount of life and family togetherness that was in the beginning of the series definitely isn't there anymore.

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Bailey Was just there being concerned about Webber, I felt for her when Webber started freaking out and throwing stuff you could seen her internal struggle between staying with him or doing her job. I hope they aren't going to make her lose her work husband and basically the only person at Grey Sloan who would stand up for her. And she needs to stand up to Catherine that woman has been throwing her under the bus for too long.

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Jackson Broke up with his girlfriend Vic.............. I have no idea if to feel bad or happy. I don't really watch Station 19 unless if it has Bailey or is necessary to watch in order to understand what's going on in Grey's as well as the first 6 episodes of season one that I watched so I have no idea what was going on with them. I kind of picked up that she got kicked out of her home and moved into Jackson's place without telling him. But what's don't get is the reactions he was upset that she moved in and I understood because who moves into someone's place without asking but now she moves out and he's upset and for stupid reasons. Dean her new roommate/boatmate once hit on Maggie when they were together and he didn't know. She's going to help Dean raise a baby. The man's a new single father to a newborn I don't think he has time to steal someone's gf. But thank God I no longer have to hear the stupid argument again because they broke up well he broke up with her. Props to her to waiting around all day so he could do it though. Jackson is one of the characters who started off as one of my favorites but has now made his way to the bottom of the list.

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Maggie The usual cheerleader, when are they going to finally give her a plot that isn't cheering someone on, being annoying or a plot that lasts 5 seconds. It's almost like she isn't even there. Give the girl a good plot for God's sake, she shouldn't just be a cheerleader. That being said, she was spitting facts today with Teddy though and she's probably going to spill Teddy's secret because shes bad at keeping secrets thats a potential hot mess in the making.

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End notes and questions

What the Hell is Tom doing??? It's dumb and I hope someone talks some sense into him soon.

What's going to happen to Richard? Is he leaving the show as well? I hope not he's one of the only good things left.

Is Deluca going to be ok? He's got to admit he needs help soon.

And last but not least, What will happen to the hot mess that is Owen and Teddy?

Total Eclipse

Total Eclipse Part Two

Overview:Total Eclipse is written from a different angle, what if on that day Go Ha-jin in the body of Goryeo girl Hae Soo had first met with the dreaded 3rd prince, Wang Yo even before the other brothers had caught a glimpse of the beauty? How different had the story-line been if Wang Yo had started to fall for the new Hae Soo?

Genre: Romance, Mature themes, Angst, everything that’s pretty much there for a drama to be a drama :D

Part Two

“Ah, please wait a second,” Ha-jin let go of the woman’s hand as she rested herself against the cave walls trying to breathe as much as she could. Breathe girl breathe. Ha-jin felt the familiar dizziness hit her like the one from before.

 “Miss, this is not the time, please try to understand. We must get out of this place before master comes looking for you!” Master? Ha-jin did not have an ounce of rationality left to question what was happening around her. She still believed she was in some kind of strange Joseon-era drama which had no head or tail to be made out of it.

 It was for the first time since coming face to face with the man from before, Ha-jin finally took notice of the surroundings around her. The opening of the cave was visible, flickers of light were coming out of it bathing the entrance with a soft mellow.

“Where are we?” She looked at the woman beside her, quirking her eyebrows in the process. The woman looked shocked at the kind of question thrown towards her. “Miss?” Ha-jin was still waiting for her reply, sensing her irritation the woman replied anyway, “It’s the cave connecting the third prince’s quarters to the eighth prince’s.” Third prince? Eighth prince? Ah, my head is gonna burst into pieces if I don’t get out of this strange place. 

“Water, water...” Ha-jin croaked as they came out of the cave out in the open. The light from the street lamps helped her gain her balance as her companion, god knows who she’s, helped her out. After downing some water in gulps from the nearby river Ha-jin sat down on the rocks to calm her beating heart. This is definitely some bat-shit crazy dream of mine, after all I drank so much this was bound to happen. The woman on the other hand looked at her mistress with pity and sympathy mixed with a tinge of curiosity. Ha-jin was in no mood to drag long something she was yet to figure out so the best thing it seemed was to act along. As she was busy trying to figure out who the woman might be an idea struck. I’ve read it in Isekai manhwas, hope this trick works! Please don’t fail me, she prayed earnestly. 

“Ah, I can’t remember anything...” Ha-jin feigned utter misery at not being able to remember even her own name. Must clarify that name of mine, I mean the name of the person this body belongs to. What did that ruffian say back then? Ugghh! So-ah? Ha-soo?

“Hae-Soo, madam that’s what your name is,” the maid had a pitiful look on her face. Ha-jin could surmise from the woman’s age that she was a servant from the household where the owner of the body used to reside. Now let me see, that time I went down the lake trying to save the child and then I woke up, more like rose up in that pool belonging to that ruffian. Arrggh, I hate that guy’s guts, such handsome face and such utterly disgusting an attitude, shitty might I say. 

“What happened to this person, um?” The woman looked incredulously at her as if she had lost her final strand of sanity as well. Ha-jin realized her mistake as she quickly replaced, “Ah, silly me! What happened to me? How did I even end up there, do you happen to know anything about it?” Ha-jin poked her nose like a tiny mouse about to sniff something interesting.

“Miss you were bathing here,” she pointed towards the river. What? 

“She was?” Ha-jin shook her head again. “I was? In there?” Really? Ha-jin’s eyes widened as she realized a familiar trope she’d read in mangas. Did I transmigrate to a different time period? This definitely is Korea but nowhere near the time I am used to dwell in. Let’s be serious Ha-jin or else people might get suspicious of us! Alright, let’s get this straight.

“Yes miss, you’re bathing while I went to get a spare set of cloth to wipe yourself off, you’d vanished by the time I’d returned .” The maid looked distressed for some reason. “I couldn’t find you anywhere, your highness the queen had been distraught as well.” 

“Wait a minute, who?” Who is this highness she’s talking about, I wonder.

“Your elder sister miss, she has been very worried ever since you went on missing. She hasn’t even had her dinner neither has our master. They’ll are looking out for you. We were all looking for you and that’s when I heard your voice, miss...Oh miss, you must have hit your head against some rock or something” The maid looked scared for some reason. Why, Ha-jin wondered? 

“Who was that guy, ermm if you don’t mind me asking? That guy you just saved me from, who just kept coming at me for no good reason.” Ha-jin felt humiliated and angry for how she was treated by that ruffian. 

“Is that how he treats a woman? More so, is that how a woman should be treated?” She could no longer keep her anger under check, it was beginning to spurt out in flames, but before it got out of hand she put a lid to that over-powering thirst to badmouth someone. Ha-jin was already aware of what disastrous consequences her anger could produce, like slapping her best-friend of a bitch for cheating on her with her own boyfriend at her back and then getting slapped by her boyfriend for being so judicious. That bastard, I don’t even know if this anger is because of that ruffian or my ex! 

“Miss, please calm down. I shouldn’t have let you swim this far having known that there is an underwater tunnel that connects this side of the river to the prince’s palace.” What? Don’t tell me this girl Hae-Soo had swum to that place?!

Meanwhile at the prince’s quarters

The moon-light was falling upon the tatami mats in filtered specks of dust creating an alluring atmosphere soothing the prince’s senses. Ah, how long has it been since I’d been this excited? This excitement, feels familiar like one of those times when I went hunting. A deer, soft and innocent, far removed from the harsh reality of the world, that’s what she looked like, surmised Wang Yo. His body was hot and bothered from all the thinking he had done ever since the appearance of the girl. A mere girl, how in the world is she even able to make me feel this disoriented. He closed his eyes as he remembered how soft her lips looked, the peach-blossom graced her cheeks as well. How her chest heaved when he caught hold of her, her fluttering eyelashes resembling the dainty steps of a gisaeng dancing to the melody of the gayageum. His right hand that held a steaming cup of ginseng tea itched a burning a urge to touch the skin of such innocence. He could see how untarnished she was, being a man desired by most women, that he could easily conclude. And that made him even more curious about her. Hae-Soo, huh?

The sentinel standing outside his room was summoned in. Wang Yo had never been this impatient before, apart from taking over the throne, he’d never been like this. 

“Your majesty?” Even the sentinel could see his master was behaving somewhat different, it was a bit erratic and unusual. Wang Yo gripped the earthen cup harshly as he nearly scalded his tongue from the amount of over-thinking he was doing. Damn that girl! 

“Send this letter to my brother Wook, will you?” The sentinel was confused as to why his master was interested in someone he had never shown interest before. 

“It’s time I paid visit to my dear brother,” now that I have got a bird to catch.

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

I deeply apologize for this late post. 

hi so i haven’t made any real posts in a while bc i haven’t really been writing that much but i wanted to just post SOMETHING for y’all to interact with

anyway, if you don’t know, i have a youtube channel and i’ve been watching (almost) every movie that chris evans is in because i love him and reviewing them for my channel and i thought i’d give a rundown of the movies i’ve seen so far (including ones i haven’t rewatched for the channel yet because i’m not gonna link to the videos - if you really want to watch, message me) so maybe you could decide which ones are worth your time and/or money 😂

for this, i’ll give a brief description, my general thoughts, and a score from 1-10 (1 being unwatchable and 10 being PEAK cinema)

i’m keeping things very light on spoilers, meaning there might be one or two overall but not for every movie.

so here we go:

The Newcomers (2000) - some indie movie with no theatrical release about a family that moves from boston to vermont because of money troubles. chris is in it for like 5 minutes and he’s honestly the second best part (second to a dog only). 3/10, mostly boring but not offensive.

Not Another Teen Movie (2001) - i feel like everyone has seen this. it’s a spoof of 80��s and 90′s teen movies (namely she’s all that and cruel intentions). chris plays the main love interest and he’s definitely funny enough to pull off the part but it’s not really my thing. 4/10.

The Perfect Score (2004) - this is the first time chris and sc*rj* worked together. 6 high school kids fail the SATs so instead of retaking them, they sneak into a government building and steal the answers. it’s an mtv movie and it’s...fine? not great, not special, but...very early aughts mtv for sure. 4/10

Cellular (2004) - an action flick where chris plays a regular dude who gets a call from a woman who’s been kidnapped, and then has to keep communications up with her in order to save her and take down some corrupt cops. surprisingly funny, i had a great time watching, would recommend! 7/10

Fierce People (2005) - i think this was another indie movie without a theatrical release. based on a book that, from the reviews of both, is identical, i think because the author of the book was also the screenplay writer. and that’s probably why this movie sucked. bby anton yelchin (rip) gets caught scoring drugs for his mom, and because she has connections to this super rich dude, they end up going to live in new jersey with his weirdass family instead of bby anton going to jail. chris’s character is not who you think he is. content warnings for drugs, rape, and murder. overall boring, not what it thinks it is, 4/10

Fantastic Four (2005) - okay everyone’s seen these. i actually hate both of these FF movies, but chris as johnny storm is the only shinning light in either. reed is the WORST and sue is treated like eye candy. 4/10 for johnny storm alone.

London (2005) - literally the worst movie i have ever seen. i hate london. also an indie movie, very misogynistic, very pretentious and self-important. lonely emo boy does drugs with random people in a bathroom at a party he was not invited to INTENTIONALLY, in the hopes that he will win over his ex girlfriend, who he repeatedly emotionally abused while they were together, even though the party is literally in honor of her moving across the country. and she didn’t want him there. please never, ever bother watching london and talking about it online - fuckbois will attempt to tell you that you know nothing repeatedly. 1/10, worst film ever made.

TMNT (2007) - does this need an introduction? chris plays casey, but the movie’s really about the turtles. honestly the writing kind of relies on you knowing a lot about the turtle lore and overall it’s a boring but ultimately harmless film. it’s just really not worth your time. 2/10

Sunshine (2007) - ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES I HAVE EVER SEEN, I HAVE NOT  STOPPED THINKING ABOUT SUNSHINE IN OVER A YEAR. 8 astronauts are on a mission to ignite a nuclear bomb into the dying heart of our sun. but it’s a space film so shit goes wrong and, one by one, they start dying. very tense, very sad. the biggest complaint all around is that the first 2/3s of the movie are one genre and the last 3rd is a completely different movie, and yet it’s STILL amazing. please watch (if you can handle a space thriller)! 8/10

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) - a very bad follow up to a very bad origin movie. not even andre braugher could save this one. reed is really mean to johnny for no reason and i hate his guts. 3/10

The Nanny Diaries (2007) - second time appearing alongside sc*rj*. she’s the main character. an anthropology student takes on a nannying job for an upperclass family in new york, but the job ends up being more than she bargained for. chris plays harvard hottie, her upstairs neighbor who is THE BEST BOY. i loved this movie. 8/10

Battle for Terra (2007) - a very weird but very good animated movie about humans attempting to colonize an alien planet because we were stupid enough to destroy earth, venus, and mars. lots of big names on the cast list for a movie that not many people saw, but it goes ham in the “fuck colonizers” theme. overall, a surprising joy. 6.5/10

Street Kings (2008) - well this was directed by david ayer so my friend and i went into this with very low expectations and it didn’t even meet that bar. keanu reeves plays a sad and angry corrupt cop who almost kind of gets framed for killing another cop, and then spends a good chunk of the runtime just hunting down other corrupt cops without doing anything about his own corruption. it’s copaganda, but very bad copaganda. also chris dies. fuck this movie, don’t waste your time. this is another one where the fanboys will come for you if you say a bad thing about it on the internet, 2/10

The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond (2008) - another indie that apparently caught the eye of kevin fiege? i don’t really know why because chris’s character is very bland and the movie overall is nothing special. tennessee williams wrote the screenplay before he died in the 80′s and then this was made and nothing about it was changed. it’s basically straight people in the 20′s in the south being weird and rude. a rich girl pays a hot poor boy to escort her to parties after a huge scandal was caused by her father. she loves the poor boy but he doesn’t return the feelings and everyone’s sad, dying, or mean. skip it, honestly. 4/10

Push (2009) - honestly, an underrated movie that so often gets shit on because of x-men. push is so good! a telekinetic man meets a young girl who can see the future, who tells him that if he helps her find her mom, they’ll also come into $6 million. they run into his ex and the government department trying to control people with powers, and shit ensues. chris’s chemistry with dakota fanning as big brother/little sister is adorable and i need more people to talk about it. 8/10, very worth your time.

The Losers (2010) - apparently went up against some other star-studded action flick with a similar plot at the time of release and suffered for it, but other than that, this is a fun romp with lots of character. a team of militiamen are framed for an international scandal and forced to go underground until a mysterious woman helps them exact revenge on the billionaire who framed them so they can go back to their families. chris plays one of the secondary characters and he’s PERFECT. best character in the whole movie! you’ve probably seen the “don’t stop believing”/”lethal killing machine” scene around tumblr before - that’s just how his character is the whole movie and it’s great. definitely recommend! 7/10

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010) - we’ve all seen it. lucas lee is the best. there are lots of problems in the word choice and some of the moral quandaries but overall, an enjoyable ode to videogames and comic books. 6.5/10

Puncture (2011) - once again, an indie film with very little theatrical release. WHOOOH though. this movie. SO GOOD! two personal injury lawyers take on a case when a nurse is accidentally pricked on the job and contracts AIDS. they take on a huge pharmaceutical supply company in the hopes of manufacturing and creating a legal standard for using safety needles to protect frontline medical workers, all while chris’s character is dealing with being an addict. based on a true story, honestly   one of chris’s best performances (and that’s across the board). you can  rent it cheap from youtube and it’s totally worth it. 7.5/10

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) - i mean. it’s cap. honestly this movie feels a little long even though it’s not. overall it’s a good, enjoyable movie and watching it all the way through reminded me of why bucky was so important. 7/10

What's Your Number? (2011) - okay honestly i love this movie? a woman is slutshamed by her sister’s friends and then embarks on a journey through her past relationships to find her soulmate, only to realize that it doesn’t matter how many men she’s slept with because the right one really won’t give a damn and neither should she. everyone’s seen naked collin around tumblr. he’s a good boy. mostly. 7/10

The Avengers (2012) - so i can appreciate that this was like THE event movie of the summer of 2012 but it is LONG and there’s still so much spy shit i don’t understand. my friends and i also think that j*ss wh*d*n oversimplifies most of the characters, and ultimately the writing isn’t super strong. the performances are, for sure, but it’s still not as great of a movie as i thought it was when i was a senior in high school. 7/10

The Iceman (2012) - also an indie? based on a true story. a man (played by michael shannon) is recruited by the mob to be a hitman, and then something happens where they don’t want to pay him or something, so he starts doing a shady job with another hitman (played by chris) to support his family. overall it’s a boring film but michael and chris were both really good! watch it if you like dark mob movies, michael shannon, or winona ryder. 3/10

Snowpiercer (2013) - this movie, no pun intended, is a RIDE. poor people at the back of a train containing the last living human beings revolt against the bourgeoise. everyone’s dirty and tired and hungry. weird shit happens, but ultimately, this was SO worth the watch (and the money i spent on the blu-ray)!  7/10

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) - still my favorite cap movie. excellent characterization, maybe the only time i cared about natasha. the plot should be an avengers movie given that shield is a team concern, but i will stand by the winter soldier aspect of this movie til i die. 8/10

Before We Go (2014) - an indie movie that chris directed (his directorial debut)! it’s...cute, i guess. it’s not harmful in any way, but also not special in any way. flustered woman misses her train, cute musician in the station offers to help her navigate NYC. they talk about feelings and their pasts and what they’re running from and toward. it’s fine. 6/10

Playing It Cool (2014) - indie? i don’t know?? screenplay writer (chris) wants to write action films but keeps getting hired to write romcoms, then he finds himself IN a romcom. it’s okay. some people think it’s terribly misogynistic which i didn’t find it to be, but it’s also just...kinda bland. 4/10

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) - my least favorite avengers movie. i genuinely hate how ultron was handled and this movie has never once made me sympathize with the maximoffs. except for when steve defends their choice to allow experimentation to be done so they could defend their country. uh the party at the beginning is the best part, full stop. 3/10

Captain America: Civil War (2016) - this isn’t a cap film. he has no character growth. this is an avengers film at best. i also take issue with how much of this movie is really just two movies forced into one. bucky gets the short end of the deal in the overall mcu and this is really where that starts. 5/10

Gifted (2017) - PLEASE. WATCH. GIFTED. a former philosophy professor gives up his career to raise his niece, but when his mother attempts to gain custody, he has to fight for the person he loves most in the world. one of the most heartfelt, genuine movies ever. chris and mckenna grace have SUCH good chemistry. bonus octavia spencer (also in snowpiercer). 10/10

Avengers: Infinity War (2018) - probably my favorite avengers movie. great stakes. amazing acting. THE BEARD!!! 8/10

Knives Out (2019) - WHOOO BITCH. TOP TIER. ransom drysdale could do whatever he wants to me and normally, i don’t “date” villains. 9/10

Endgame (2019) - the lesser infinity war. i’m not a fan of time jumps and also hate fatphobia. thor was mistreated and i can’t forgive that.

❥ 2019: Year in Review.

I was going to have this finished and posted at 12AM on the 1st, but life got in the way. So, yeah, it’s a little late, but hope you all are going to have a wonderful year (and decade, oh my!).

Now that 2019 is over, I kind of want to have a quick look at what’s happened for me (and, more specifically, this blog) in the last year. While I originally joined this fandom on tumblr back in Fall 2018, I kind of... disappeared for a while, I suppose, until I came back in Spring with very few updates to O Thomas Hunt, Wherefore Art Thou My Professor? over a couple of months.

Then Mid-August came. And I’ve started posting A LOT more. Haven’t stopped since. Which is good, I suppose.

In any case, I’m gonna go ahead and have a look at what went on in 2019...

1. Things that happened last year...

❥ Wherefore Art Thou My Professor?

I managed to finish O Thomas Hunt, Wherefore Art Thou My Professor? on September 24th. So, basically, 70-ish chapters in a little more than one month. Granted, very short chapters, but still.

❥ RCD Appreciation Week

This marked the beginning of me kind of, sort of, being slightly more sociable on here. Also, though I still find some people a little intimidating, it kind of made me less scared to talk to people behind fics I consider superior so that’s good. And it really was so much fun! Writing for it, seeing people’s contributions, and all that. Loved. It.

❥ 100 Followers!!!

I believe this happened in November, and I was going to make a whole post about it (with a fic giveaway and all) but I haven’t had the time for it yet. It’s coming. One day. Still, thank you all! For following, for liking, for reblogging and replying and being so lovely to me 😭

2. Writing stuff...

I was wondering how much I’ve written this year (for HWU and RCD, anyway) and... well... looks like I’ve written 157,965 words in total. Most of these between August 16th and December 29th.

Also, while I do write mostly for myself, I’m still kinda curious to see which fics were the most popular... 👀 A Top Ten list may seem excessive, but I have posted a lot of fics so... I’m doing it. You can’t stop me.

1. Some Rules Are Meant to Be Broken: Rachel Fields x Thomas Hunt (NSFW) Still surprised to see this is my top fic, but I’m not complaining. I’m always struggling with smut, no matter how much I love it, so seeing y’all like it means a lot.

2. A Holly Jolly Christ-Mess: Rachel Fields x Thomas Hunt (partly NSFW) Most popular part was the 24th, which at 5k+ words is the longest part to any fic I’ve ever written. Also longer than any of my one shots. 2nd and 3rd most popular would be the bathtub sex and the shower sex.

3. The Exception: Rachel Fields x Thomas Hunt Day 1 of RCDAW, adorableness, Halloween theme. Yeah, I guess that’s cool.

4. A Birthday Surprise: MC/Reader/”You” x Thomas Hunt (NSFW) Didn’t think someone’s birthday present would make it onto this list, but I am pretty proud of it. Probably one of my better smuts, not gonna lie.

5. Something Just Like This: Rachel Fields x Thomas Hunt (partly NSFW) Most popular is Part 3, in which Ryan and Addison meet and that ship kind of starts to sail :P

6. Nostalgia/Missing Her Mini-Series: Natalia x Thomas Hunt The most popular part is the first drabble, Nostalgia, which is just a super short 100-word-drabble.

7. O Thomas Hunt, Wherefore Art Thou My Professor?: Rachel Fields x Thomas Hunt Where everything started! My first Hunt fic. Most popular part is Chapter 71, in which Rachel tends to Hunt’s wounds after he punches someone for her.

8. Rules: Rachel Fields x Thomas Hunt (NSFW) This one took ages to complete. I abandoned it a million times before I finally went back and finished it.

9. The First Date: Rachel Fields x Thomas Hunt (partly NSFW) Not surprised to say that the smut was the most popular part of this mini-series.

10. Must Have Misunderstood: Olivia Clarke x Thomas Hunt One of the few RCD MC x Hunt fics I’ve got. Also one of my many attempts to ignore canon because I’ll always hate the way that first kiss went down in RCD2.

Also: big, big, big thank you to everyone who always likes and replies and reblogs. And everyone who’s interested enough to be on my taglist and all that. I really, really super-duper appreciate every single one of you 💕

3. What about 2020?

I’ve got a lot of plans, fanfic-wise, for the new year. Multiple series I’m working on as well as a couple requests and shit I just want to write for no reason at all. I don’t like making promises I can’t keep, so maybe don’t think of this as a ‘this is definitely coming in 2020′ type of thing. I just want to share with you what I’m currently working on, and what might be coming your way soon.

❥ multiple Thomas Hunt smut requests from this prompt list (currently: 5) ❥ Thomas Hunt x Rachel Fields: kind of moving in together mini-series ❥ another Hunt x Rachel series... ❥ Thomas Hunt x evil-ish!HWU MC series. Very long, very terrible, very NSFW. ❥ Thomas as the best man at HWU MC and Chris Winters’ wedding 😢 ❥ Sugar Daddy!Hunt series ❥ escort!MC one shot or series (to be determined...) ❥ more chapters of Wherefore Art Thou My Student ❥ Hunt x a new OC series. Closer to RCD than HWU, for once!

Don’t really know how to end this post. It’s kinda useless, too, but... uh... I didn’t just want to jump into the new year without appreciating the last one and making some plans for 2020.

Happy New Year! It’s never too late to say that, okay? 

Reversal of Fortune (RDR2 Fanfic, Arthur x Fem!Reader, 18+, DubCon)

Hey guys, just posting some of my older fics to tumblr. This is the Captured Hearts series, part 1 of 4.

Summary: You’re a good bounty hunter, but you’ll be the first to admit you’re not the best. So to get better, you gotta catch some bigger prey. However, just because a man has 3rd billing on a bounty poster, doesn’t mean he’s easier to catch; in fact, he may be the most dangerous man you’ve ever hunted. Will you become the hunted one instead?

Author’s Notes: No joke, there’s some dubious consent here; definitely trigger warning for that. This also might be considered Stockholm syndrome, so keep that in mind. You are legal, I imagine in your 20s, but you are visibly younger than Arthur, so he uses a lot of “girl” terms for you, so be aware of that too, just in case. Also this is a darker, more morally ambiguous Arthur. If these warnings don’t turn you off, then please enjoy my dark, twisted fantasies.

Tags: low honor Arthur, DubCon, smut, rough sex

Word Count: about 4300

---------

You shivered under your heavy coat, the bandana around your face keeping your breath from giving away your location in the cold forest. Pulling out the wanted poster you had grabbed back in Blackwater, you looked again at the face of your next bounty. Arthur Morgan, wanted dead or alive. 

You were a good bounty hunter, but only because you were a great sharpshooter and could take out your opponents from far away easily. You never made much money because you usually brought them in dead, but you weren't about to face off with certain men in a fist fight. You knew where your skills lay, and you knew you couldn't stand up to more than a few well placed punches. You had learned that the hard way when you were first starting to hunt, and have the scars on your body to remind you. 

Ahead in the forest were horse tracks; you followed them through the afternoon, tracking down your target until dusk, where you spotted smoke. You changed course, going up a hillside to get a better vantage point. Leaving your horse a ways away, you hiked up the hill until you found a nice flat spot with good cover. Hiding behind some rocks, you pulled out your binoculars and looked at the makeshift camp. 

A small fire, the horse you had been tracking, and a small tent were all you saw for a few minutes. Then from the tent crawled a man, a big man. From your vantage point, you couldn't quite see his eyes under his worn out hat, but you saw his jawline, the shadow of a beard, and his jacket stretched across his broad shoulders.

Too strong to take on face to face, you thought. You'll have to snipe him. You decided to wait for the sky to grow a bit darker before you made your move. If you did it now, other hunters might be alerted and steal your kill; wouldn't be the first time. For now, you would wait and see.

You watched from afar as it looked like he was just cleaning his weapons. After about an hour, he got on his horse and wandered away from his camp, veering left up the mountain, away from you. Looked like he was going hunting. You let 15 minutes pass, then decided to quietly make your way down the hill to follow him. It was dark enough. Maybe you could catch him unaware while he was hunting for food, and get this bounty done and over with.

Although it was dark, you were a pretty good tracker. You tracked him for a couple of miles through the forest, past some big rocks and an abandoned cabin. However, when the horse tracks ended at a small river stream, you cursed because he could have gone anywhere at this point. You decided to turn back to the cover of the forest; you were far too open here. 

You heard a rustle behind you. You slowly looked behind you in the twilight and saw the gleam of a rifle in between the bushes on the hill above you. You quickly dodged back towards the trees as a bullet exploded the dirt where you had been. 

Shit, either he found you, or someone else was stealing your kill! 

You started running, hunched down behind trees and rocks, trying to get a lead on this guy. You pulled your rolling block rifle from your back holster and got it ready as you ran, trying to get as far away from the stream as possible. You could hear him coming down the mountain, and your adrenaline spiked. If he caught you, he was going kill you. 

Running seemed to be your only option at the moment. So you tried to run, quietly as possible, downhill towards the rocky area you had seen on your way up here. Then maybe you could hide in the rocks and take him out. 

Another shot whizzed past your shoulder, and you turned quickly and starting zig zagging through the trees. Branches exploded around you, and you covered your head from the splinters as you kept running, every breath feeling sharp with the cold of the night. A shot grazed your shoulder, but you kept running. You could bandage yourself later.

Finally, after what felt like too long, you saw all the tall rocks and weaved into them, disappearing into the shadows and sneaking as far away as you could. He wasn't being very discreet, you could hear his spurs as he caught up to you and started making his way through the rocks. 

“Don't make me more angry, I'm already gonna kick the shit out of you when I find you. Come out and maybe I'll let you live.”

Hell no, you thought. You crouched down and peered around your rock. He was walking perpendicular to your location. Perfect, when he passed the next rock, you could pick him off. You brought your rifle up and looked through the scope. 

You aimed as he walked out from behind the rock. Let out a breath. 

Fired. 

What should have been a clean head shot had instead hit the rocks beyond. You pulled back your rifle to see him crouched down and running in your direction. 

You scurried away around the rocks again. Keeping an ear out for his spurs, you snaked around corners with ease, thinking you had lost him. 

Until, that is, he came barreling out of nowhere, smashing you into the ground. His full weight was on you, and you couldn’t get a weapon out to defend yourself. You struggled, so he quickly punched you in the stomach, which knocked the wind out of you. As you lay still trying to catch your breath, he quickly flipped you over and hogtied you. Hoisting you up over his shoulder, he walked past where he left his spurs on the ground, picked them up casually, and carried you all the way to the stream where his horse was quietly waiting. None too gently, he put you on the back of his horse and rode to the abandoned cabin. 

You stayed silent through all of this, furiously thinking of a way to get out of this. Better than giving into the despair that was threatening to swallow up your heart. He remained deathly silent as well, but you could sense the anger coming from him in waves. 

Once at the cabin, he carried you inside like a sack of potatoes and dumped you on the floor near the dead fireplace. You finally made a noise as your grazed shoulder hit the ground, and he paused to look at you for a moment. You knew your noise was high pitched. You always tried to fake being a young man in your hunts; being a woman doing a man's work didn't get you anywhere in this world. 

He eyed you suspiciously for a few extra seconds before going outside to grab some firewood, and starting a fire. Minutes passed as he quietly stoked the fire, your apprehension growing with each second. Once the fire was going well, he finally turned to you. Now you could see him close and clear, and despite the fear flowing through your brain, you noticed his steel blue eyes, a good looking face, a very well built body, and thought that if you had to die, at least you got to see a handsome man. 

Arthur reached down and tore off your bandana. 

“You look real young, boy.”

You stared up at him and sighed. Of course, you looked like a boy. You had cut your hair to your shoulders and tied it back so it was a short ponytail. All the bulky clothing you were wearing was hiding your curves. But it made it easier to get your bounties at full price when they thought you were just a young man trying to make a name for yourself, rather than a woman trying to make ends meet.

Arthur suddenly pulled you up so you were kneeling, and started unbuttoning your jacket.

“What are you doing?”

“This is a nice jacket. I think I’ll take it.”

“No, wait!” you exclaimed, fear lacing your words. If he took off your jacket, he would definitely see that you were a woman.

“I know some nice people who need it more than you,” he snarled at you.

Once he got your jacket off your shoulders though, he noticed what you were wearing underneath; a red union shirt that stretched across your chest.

“You’re a woman?” he said, mostly to himself.

You froze. This was bad.

He stopped trying to take off your jacket and stood up, looking you up and down. You swallowed. You had a faint idea of what might happen next, and you started shivering even though you weren't cold. You weren't even sure if it was fear or anticipation that was making you shake, and that thought made you wonder about your sanity. 

“So why’re you huntin’ me?” he asked quietly. “Your answer will make up my mind on what to do with you.”

Your heart pounding, you decided that truth will probably get you the least amount of pain. That, and with his intense eyes staring, you felt like he would see through any lie you could come up with.

“I was trying to get the bounty on you. I… I need the money.” That was technically the truth. You were running low on funds, and needed a big score to get some more ammo and upgrade your guns.

He kept staring at you, and you didn’t look away; part of you knew that if you looked away, he would assume you were lying. Another part of you felt like you were trapped under his blue gaze. 

“Well, you’re pretty brave, trying to get that bounty on me.” He got down on one knee in front of you so he could look at you straight. “And such a pretty young thing too,” he said in a low voice as he caressed your cheek. Your eyes widened. He inched closer. His eyes turned predatory.

“It’s dangerous, you know. For a woman to be out here all alone,” he murmured, his lips so close to yours that you could feel his warm breath on your skin. “There’s bad men everywhere.” He reached out and ever so slowly wrapped his hand around your neck.

You swallowed again, feeling his thumb gently rubbing circles near your jugular. Your eyes never left his, and you felt hypnotized by him, his deep voice lulling you into a strange state of immobility.

“You know what bad men do to someone like you?” he asked.

You shook your head slightly, his hand still around your neck.

He leaned closer to you, his lips caressing your earlobe. “Oh, I think you know,” he whispered.

Then he let go of your throat and pushed you down onto the ground. Losing your balance, you fell onto your butt, and in a daze you watched as he took out his knife and cut your legs loose. Regaining some semblance of sense from being knocked on your ass, you tried to scramble away, but he tackled you back down, flipped you onto your stomach, and straddled you, your legs caught between his. With your face on the floor, you felt him cut the rope around your wrists. He pulled off your jacket completely, tugged off your suspenders, and turned you back around. You immediately tried to hit him, but he grabbed your wrists together.

“Stay still,” he growled. You growled back and tried pulling your arms away from him. He grabbed you by the throat again and dragged you by the wrists and the neck towards the bed in the back of the cabin. He dragged you up onto the bed and starting tying your wrists to the bedpost with your own suspenders. You couldn’t even kick him because he had wrapped his strong thighs around yours, trapping you.

He finally leaned back, and you tugged at your wrists experimentally. They were tight, but not painfully so. You looked up at him, and he still had that look in his eyes that made you feel like a rabbit cornered by a wolf. A very hungry, very angry wolf.

Without taking his eyes off you, he peeled off his jacket, slid his suspenders down his wide shoulders, and took off his shirt. You took it all in at a glance: the fine chest hair, the scars from gun shots and knife fights, the fact that he was all muscles but not overly bulky. It had not occurred to you to move until you realized he had noticed how you were looking at him.

“Like the view, girl?” 

Flustered, you growled and tried kicking him, but he just wrestled you back down again. 

“Looks like you need a lesson,” he rumbled as he grabbed your pants and pulled them off. You kicked and twisted, but he grabbed your knees and spread you open, putting his knees on your thighs to keep you in position. You stopped moving. 

“Good girl,” he said huskily as he leaned over you, putting his weight on his arm near your face, his other hand unbuttoning his pants. 

You should have been scared. You should have been crying, screaming, begging for mercy. Instead, you were getting wet and incredibly turned on. Your breasts were aching to be touched, and you just wanted this man to fuck you senseless. 

You wondered what the hell was wrong with you. 

Apparently, so did he. 

“You ain't cried yet. Don't tell me you're enjoyin’ this?” He reached down to slip a finger into you, and you moaned and arched into his touch. 

“Damn,” he whispered. “Guess you do wanna get punished,” he said as he slid a second finger inside. You writhed under him, and he smiled in satisfaction as he kept slowly pushing in and out of your tight channel. Your breath caught when his thumb flicked your clit a few times, and then he started to rub it in circles, making you pant. You felt like a whore, but you couldn’t stop your reaction to his touch. 

He moved forward until his face was an inch from yours. “You like this with all men?” 

“No!” you exclaimed breathlessly, feeling somewhat affronted. “I don't know why I'm like this with you.” You paused, trying to think past the lust clouding your mind. “I don't know what's wrong with me,” you finally said helplessly. 

He hummed thoughtfully at your answer.

Then he suddenly lifted up your shirt and pulled it over your head and up your arms. You were completely exposed to him; your torso had one particularly long scar from your right hip to a point about a hand’s width away from your left breast.

Arthur looked at your scar and something changed in his eyes. Was it pity? It might have been a moment of softness that passed over his eyes before they turned dark again.

Your breasts were modest, and seemed even smaller as Arthur palmed them, running his calloused fingers over your skin. He leaned down to lick and play with your nipples, making you gasp with pleasure. You felt him reach down to free himself from his pants, and felt him nudging your opening. You were so goddamn wet that he slipped in an inch without much resistance. You tightened up when your mind caught up with the situation. He must have seen the panic and hesitation in your eyes, for he reached up to cup your cheek as he leaned in to nuzzle your neck. 

“S'okay, just relax. Let me in,” Arthur crooned in your ear, and slowly, as he stroked your body and kissed your neck and nibbled your earlobe, you relaxed and let him thrust deeper into you. 

Feeling every inch of him as he filled you, you whimpered until he was all the way in; the rough fabric of his jeans rubbed against your inner thigh and your skin was more sensitive than it had ever been in your life. He moaned into your ear, probably the most erotic sound you'd ever hear. 

Then he grabbed your hips and started taking you, hard. The sudden intensity of it all took your breath away, and you struggled for air. Or maybe it was because he had grabbed you by the throat again and was muttering in your ear.

“That's right, take it all, sweetheart. Be my li’l fuck toy tonight.” 

His words in that low tone almost made you come. After a while you almost saw stars, and he let go of your throat and pulled out of you. You cried out then, feeling abandoned and empty, and tucked your legs in. He tugged at your legs and you tried to squirm out of his grasp.

“Be good, or else,” he threatened as he rolled you over. He slapped your ass, enough to sting. ”Up,” he commanded. 

You got up on your elbows and knees, feeling humiliated by this position. But when you felt his hand bury into the base of your ponytail and tug roughly, forcing your back to arch, you felt yourself getting wet all over again. He grabbed your hip and slid his cock around your wet folds, teasing you. You wanted, no, needed more.

“Please,” you barely whispered. 

“Hm? If you want something, you better speak up.”

You stayed silent this time, your mind racing back and forth. You had always prided yourself on being an independent woman. Yet here you were, tied up and taking a stranger's cock in an indecent position. And it felt so good. But damn, you knew how wrong this was. Maybe you deserved it for getting caught so easily. 

A hard slap to your ass brought you out of your self-pity. 

“Tell me what you want,” he growled. 

“P-please, take me,” you said a little louder. 

“Oh no, I think you know what you need to say,” Arthur said in a coaxing tone. “Say it like my fuck doll would.” 

You wanted to cry. It was so embarrassing, but as he reached down to caress your clit, you let desperation push the words from your lips. 

“Fuck me, please!” 

“Please what?” He tugged your hair when he said this, growling the question at you and forcing you to turn your head to look at him. You suddenly knew what he wanted you to say. 

“Please...sir…”

Arthur smiled at you then, and you had a fleeting thought that this man was dangerous in more ways than you knew. 

Then he slid inside of you, and all thought was lost as you gave into his fast and heavy rhythm. He took you selfishly, roughly, grabbing your body and bruising your skin with his strength. You felt him bend over you, his arms caging you in as he fucked you from behind, biting your neck and putting more weight on you. You tried to stay up for as long as your body could handle, but he was a large man, and you finally collapsed onto the bed under his weight. He continued to pound into you as you lay there, biting your lip and trying not to cry out at his relentless use of your body. 

Smoothly, he flipped you over again and lifted your knees over his shoulders. He didn't give you a chance to adjust as he forced himself inside you once more. Gasping at his swift entry, all you could do was hold onto the bed post as he rocked into you from this new angle, hitting you deeper than ever. 

After a while, you’re not sure how long, he began to slow his pace. You caught your breath for a brief moment before he grabbed your jaw, hard enough to bruise. Then he kissed you. It was a full blown kind of kiss, with his tongue invading your mouth. In his grasp, you could only lay there, feeling like a helpless rag doll under him. 

Just when you thought he wasn't going to let you breathe, he let go and pulled back. You took in a shuddering breath. 

Then he moved again, this time slow and deliberate, to remind you that he was still rock hard and wasn't done with you yet. He let your knees drop from his shoulders. 

“Wrap your legs around me,” Arthur commanded. You were too slow to respond right away, and he slapped your thigh. “Now, girl.”

Your legs wrapped around his waist. “That's it, just like a whore,” he said as he started driving into you again. “Now tell me, you like it when I fuck you?”

“Y-yes!” 

“C'mon, say what you like,” he said softly. 

This was embarrassing. Your cheeks burned. But you felt his hand go around your throat and you quickly said, “I like it when you fuck me!” 

His hand stayed around your neck and he hummed encouragingly. 

“I…” Wracking your air-starved brain for something else to say, you choked out, “Violate me, please don't stop.” 

He let go of your neck and fell on you, one hand reaching behind your head to pull your hair again. His thrusts were more erratic now, like he was getting close. 

“You my good li’l fuck toy?”

“Yes, yes, I'm yours, all yours.”

“Good, so good… “ he trailed off as his breathing hitched, and you felt him give a few strong thrusts before he moaned loudly, coming deep inside of you. 

He reached down then and played with your clit. You were already hovering on the edge, and with a few caresses from his fingers, you came hard around his cock. Arthur didn't stop moving inside of you as you came, heightening the sensation for both of you. 

The last thing you felt was him pulling out of you before you passed out. 

***

You woke up to warm hands on your skin. You turned and saw your bounty half naked in bed with you, and quickly wondered if you were hallucinating. 

“You feel alright?” he asked. 

“Um, yeah.” Other than some soreness and probably some bruising at your hips and neck, you felt fine. Your wrists had been untied at some point while you were passed out. You noticed him looking you over before he continued petting you. This was a strange way to wake up after last night's violation; it was almost as if he were a different man, like he had purged all of his demons the moment he came inside of you. 

Arthur gently traced the scar on your stomach with his fingers. “Who did that to you?” he muttered.

“Another hunter. Trying to steal my kill,” you say quietly.

“What happened to him?”

You’re puzzled as to why he’s suddenly asking, but answered him regardless. “I got my gun back from him and shot him dead.”

“Good,” he said. 

What a strange man.

“Listen,” he finally said after a few moments of silence of him watching your face. “I was trying to scare you off, but, well…” He trailed off as he gestured at the clothes scattered around. 

“And I can’t bring myself to kill you now,” he continued. Then he breathed a deep sigh. “But I can’t have you goin’ after me either. So what should I do with you?”

“Just let me go, I'll find some other bounty. But don't let anyone else catch you. You're too easy to track,” you teased. 

He chuckled at your banter. “Alright, deal. I won't let anyone else catch me.”

“Besides, if anyone's gonna catch you, it should be me.”

“Is that so? And what happens then?” 

“I'd keep you for myself,” you replied, half-jokingly. At this point, you'd be a bit sad if he got caught by anyone else. 

He looked at you, a whisper of a smile on his lips. It looked like a thousand thoughts ran through his mind. 

“That don't sound too bad,” he finally mumbled. 

After a while, you both got dressed in silence and he gave you a ride back to your horse. He held you in front, his arm wrapped around your waist, and you didn't want this to end. 

When you saw your horse, you sighed and knew that you had to face reality. A bounty hunter and an outlaw? And you barely knew him. And he just violated the hell out of you. Couldn't you have been attracted to a normal man? No, you had to crave the touch of a dangerous outlaw who was sexy as sin and loved to use your body like a plaything. 

But he had held you close, taken care of your needs in a way no one else had, and you couldn't deny the pull he had on you. The hell was wrong with you, you wondered. 

He let you down and you trudged towards your horse. You climbed up on his back and patted his neck. Poor fella, left him for too long, you thought. 

You looked back up at Arthur, and he was watching you, a mysterious look on his face. 

You had to swallow back your first thought, which was “come with me.” Instead, you just casually waved at him. “Catch you later,” you said with a half-grin. 

He moved his horse up so he was next to you, reached over and grabbed you behind the neck to pull you in for a scorching kiss. 

“Promise me,” he said. 

“I promise,” you said shakily. “I promise I'll catch you someday, Arthur Morgan.” 

He smirked, let you go, and turned his horse around to gallop into the morning fog. 

Against your better judgement, you hoped you'd see him again as you made your way down the mountain. 

---------

End Notes: I was contemplating going darker, but I had already written this sappy ending. I don’t know. 

Ace Mindhunter - 3rd Interview

Characters: Simon Blackquill, Athena Cykes, Shi-Long Lang, and a rogues gallery of AA villains. Fandom: Ace Attorney. Pairings: N/A. Warnings/rating: 16+, I would say. Talk of heavy themes such as death and abuse, plus cursing. Spoilers for every AA game up to Spirit of Justice, AAI2 included. Gratuitous amounts of headcanon for antagonists. Summary: Simon Blackquill is roped into a Behavioral Analysis project along with Athena Cykes. They must sit down with convicted murderers for interviews, in hopes of finding out just what drove them to their convoluted crimes.

3rd Interview Furio

Date: June 11th 2028 Time: 4:34 PM Location: Interpol H.Q. - B.A.U. Office. “Frank Sahwit. A burglar who was caught in the act by the owner of the apartment he'd broken into. He killed her in a blind panic, then shifted the blame onto her ex-boyfriend. He gave testimony about it in court and everything.” “No.” “Hmm... Cammy Meele. She was a flight attendant, but also a member of an international smuggling ring. She helped move things across the border. When an Interpol agent showed up to check the cargo hold of a plane, she panicked and shoved him so hard that he fell off the side of a flight of stairs. She tried to hide his body and when it was uncovered by accident, she scrambled to pin the blame onto a colleague. Looks like her cover-up was blown before the police could indict the wrong person.” “... That is even worse.” “Lucky number seven, then! Richard Wellington. A small-time con artist who mistakenly thought a police officer was on to his scams. He killed the cop, framed the cop's girlfriend, then hit the girlfriend's attorney over the head with a fire extinguisher just before the trial. … There's Mr. Wright's name again. I'll have to ask him about this one.” “The subject meddled with the court process, hm? We're getting warmer. The scammer has earned himself a spot on the consideration pile.” “We don't have a consideration pile yet. Only rejections.” “Then, by all means, start one.” Athena cleared some space on the desk they were meant to share, then placed Wellington's folder in the center. The rejection pile was a substantial one, the pile of profiles yet to be assessed had dwindled so badly that they had very few options left to them. Was this the best Lang could provide? “Next we have...” Athena reached for the assessment pile and opened the top folder. “Florent L'Belle. Eww...” “Pass,” Simon said and for once, he had Athena's full agreement on the matter. One more for the rejection pile. Athena ruffled her hair in a frustrated manner and Simon leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling. There were a few water stains there, perhaps even mould. Interpol would spare no expense when it came to their investigations, but they must not have thought very highly of their Behavioral Analysis Unit if it were condemned to a shoddy basement office. Athena reached for the next folder and flipped it open. “Looks like we're moving on from petty criminals to the big leagues, now. Paul Atishon. I remember that guy... He was a corrupt politician who made a deal for a national treasure with Khura'in's Minister of Justice, then panicked when an archaeologist with an actual moral compass impeded that deal. He killed the archaeologist and at first made the death look accidental, then attempted to shift the blame onto a revolutionist when he got into hot water about it.” “Was that murder premeditated?” “Sure, but there was a lot of clumsy improvisation involved. I don't think there was a single strong thought going through his head beyond wanting to win some dumb election he was in. He was trying to live up to his grandfather's name, though, so that may be... something.” “... Consideration pile.” “Then, how about Redd White? Former CEO of Bluecorp, but also a blackmailer on the side. He killed a defense attorney who had the evidence necessary to expose him and shifted the blame onto her little sister. Looks like this one was definitely premeditated. He roped his secretary into his lies, even though she knew he was the real killer.” “Hnnn...” “Simon! You have to stop being so picky! If you keep shooting every possible interview down, we might as well give up!” If he was being truly honest with himself, Simon was torn on that concept. He'd been selected for this project without his knowledge and his cooperation had, to some degree, been coerced. Spitballing with criminals who'd already been judged felt out of place for a prosecutor. A more productive way to spend his time would've been to return to his usual cases. That way, he could put more of these killers behind bars. Still, there was always that possibility that their research could bear fruit in the long run. That he could apply the insights he gleaned from it in the courtroom. Perhaps the profiles they compiled would serve to sharpen his sword, allowing him to prevent wrongful convictions, or even the crimes themselves. Aside from that, there was a very tempting reward at the end of this road. He would have to trek his way through the mud to reach the Phantom. “The next one, perhaps,” he said, tearing his gaze away from the ceiling and back to Athena. “D'accord! You'll love this one, I'm sure of it! Dahlia Hawthorne, convicted for the murder of her ex-boyfriend! There's two murders that everyone suspected she was involved in, but they couldn't prove it in court. Then a few more counts of confirmed attempted murder and-” Athena broke off quite suddenly, then groaned and tossed the papers aside. “Says there that she's already been executed. They must've given us her file by mistake.” Simon could almost feel his will to keep breathing leave his body. Almost. Distraction came in the form of Lang, who had entered the room so quietly that Simon hadn't even noticed him until he was standing right next to them. Though not exactly giving off a warm glow, he wasn't in a sour mood either. He was, if anything, pleasantly courteous. “Well well, if it isn't our part-time shrinks.” “Please refrain from using that word,” Simon said to him. “What, part-time?” “Hmph.” “Good to see you, Shifu,” Athena called cheerfully. Simon bit down on his feather, the muscles in his jaw straining. “Shifu?” “That's what everyone around here calls him! Didn't you know?” Athena chuckled, then pressed a fist against Simon's arm. “Don't worry, just because he's my shifu doesn't mean you can't be my sensei.” Simon opened his mouth, then closed it again. “How goes the hunt?” Lang asked, perhaps changing the subject on purpose. Athena propped her elbows up on the desk, one hand playing with her earring. “We're having some trouble selecting our next target. Most of the profiles we were given don't meet our criteria.” “Or they're outright deceased,” Simon snapped, waving a hand at the profile in question, which had been scattered across the floor by Athena's fling. “Let's see... Dahlia Hawthorne, huh? Sorry about that. Some people say her vengeful ghost still roams the courthouse. Maybe that's how her name got in there.” Lang gathered up the papers as he spoke, then clutched the folder under his arm and stood upright again. “What have you got from your first two subjects? Anything useful?” “Dee Vasquez and Roger Retinz are difficult to compare,” Athena mused. “Mr. Retinz's murder was carefully planned out, Ms. Vasquez's was a spur of the moment thing.” Lang shook his head. “We already knew that. I'm asking what you found out.” “The Diva Producer's murder has some stains of sexism on it, but they are just that. Irrelevant stains. She took a life because she was threatened, then covered it up because she believed she had done nothing to deserve the punishment in her future. Her remarks suggest that the target of her frame job was chosen out of convenience, not out of spite.” “Hmm.” “As for the Greasy Producer, he suffers from a very typical form of narcissism coupled with internalized insecurities and self-loathing born from childhood abuse. The most-” “Not so fast!” Lang stood up a bit straighter and for the first time since Simon had met him, he looked confused. “Don't narcissists think they're God's gift to the world? How can a guy be a narcissist and still have self-loathing?” Simon sighed and raised a hand to the bridge of his nose, pinching it. “You are not familiar with the concepts of implicit and explicit cognition?” “Uh.” “Explicit cognition,” Athena began, using a slow pace as she sorted out her words, “is something that a person does consciously. Like, say... Explicit memory is when you study for a test and try to memorize all the important things. You remember things because you make an effort to remember. Implicit cognition is a subconscious thing, like associating a certain smell or taste with a past event. Basically, implicit cognition influences a person's behavior, even when they themselves have no conscious awareness of it.” “To summarize, the Greasy Producer's explicit self-esteem is high in order to compensate for the implicit self-esteem, or lack thereof,” Simon concluded. “Though, he confessed to us as Mr. Reus that he is aware of the implicit issue. He did refer to himself as a 'fuck-up', in the end. He's simply unable to remedy the internal disorder and that leads to further chaos.” Lang leaned himself against the side of the desk and as he attempted to move his hands into his pockets, the Hawthorne folder almost slid out from under his arm. “Right. Okay, I get it. That's great stuff.” “While different in most aspects, Retinz and Vasquez did share one important similarity,” Athena pointed out. “They both believed that their victim deserved to die.” “And was that belief misguided?” Lang asked. “In Mr. Retinz's case? Definitely. But I'm not so sure when it comes to Ms. Vasquez. Did the police ever find out whether that Manuel guy was murdered or not?” “Dunno. I could ask around, but since the supposed killer is dead, opening an investigation now would be a waste of law-enforcement's time. Lang Zi says: There's no use crying over spilled milk.” Simon frowned and Athena clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. That was as far as either of them was willing to go when it came to ancient plagiarism. Spilled milk, indeed. Lang paused and glanced down at the pile of folders left on the desk. “So what's these criteria you have for interviews?” “We certainly cannot use too many of these blind panic murders,” Simon said. “If you wish to diagnose the illness which is plaguing this city, we ought to be focusing on the composed planners. The grand names who stood tall even within the prison walls. Gavin, Gant or Alba, perhaps.” “I'll let you talk to someone like Gant when I'm sure you can walk away from that with your heads held high. This unit hasn't exactly got much of a reputation for itself and the last thing we need is for the inmates to think we're weak little pups.” “Can you at least think of some inmates who went out of their way for the frame job? Like Mr. Retinz did?” Athena asked, once again playing with her earring. “... Yeah. Yeah, I got one. He should be in the archives somewhere. Poisoned a guy's coffee, then hid the body and acted out the murder all over again in disguise to fool witnesses. As soon as the blame was shifted onto some innocent waitress, he disguised himself as a defense attorney and botched up her trial on purpose.” “Warte ein moment... I think I heard about this.” “I'll bet you did.” “Mr. Wright's name sure keeps popping up in a lot of these cases...” Athena drummed her fingers along the desk, narrowed eyes directed towards the far wall. “What was that guy's name again? Umm... Cheeto...” “Furio Tigre,” said Lang. ------- Date: June 12th 2028 Time: 2:00 PM Location: Interview Room. Simon still remembered their next subject quite well. Tigre had been one of the loudest inmates in death row and that reputation was sure to continue until his execution. Any attempt at anger management had failed and so, the guards had instead allowed collateral damage. The amount of times they'd had to carry a broken desk or splintered fragments of a cot out of Tigre's cell, Simon couldn't count. It'd been once a week, perhaps. With that in mind, Simon steeled himself to protect Athena from physical harm. He also knew that he might have to lower himself down to Tigre's level in order to be heard. The door from the prison side opened and Tigre was led inside by two guards, each holding onto one enormous arm. Almost ten years in the clink and a ripe age of 51 had done nothing to break down the tough guy demeanor. He was tall and broad in every sense of the word, but not exactly untainted. His spiky black hair held streaks of white and a scar ran across his left eye. Worst of all, his skin was tinged with a spray tan so unconvincing that it would make Klavier Gavin look as if he’d genuinely spent due time in the sun. When it came to the presence of artificial tan within prison walls, Simon had stopped asking such questions long ago. That this man had ever attempted to pass for Phoenix Wright was laughable, but not as laughable as the knowledge that the entire courtroom had been fooled. “I AIN'T TALKIN' TO NO FEDS, YOUSE HEAR?!” he was shouting with such ferocity, Simon could feel the ground shudder. “GWOOOOAAAARRR! GET YOUSE HANDS OFFA ME, OR ELSE!” The therapy animal which entered behind them was so small and quiet, Simon wouldn't have seen it if he hadn't known to search for it. Once Tigre had been settled down in his chair, the two guards backed away with such apprehension, it was evident they expected he might require more restraining. Perhaps he would've, were it not for the immediate change in his attitude when his eyes landed on Simon. He smirked, fingers curling around the edge of the table and nails digging into the wood. “Well well weeell... If it ain't our old jailbird. How's life on the outside been treatin' youse?” “It has been treating me quite well. Certainly, I can get a night's sleep without being disturbed by raving fruitcakes such as yourself,” Simon responded, which was both a truthful statement and an attempt to put his foot down. “Watch yourself, Tweetie! Just 'cause youse got outta here don't mean I can't still break youse kneecaps! Where do youse get off, actin' all high and mighty?! You think youse better than us, huh?!” “As I did not truly stain my hands with blood of any kind... Yes, I believe I am.” “Feh! Youse stained your hands plenty! Just look at how many of us youse had tossed in here! We shoulda strung youse up so high not even your little bird could reach your carcass!” Simon had no immediate comeback to that. Believing he was on the same level as every single killer in the clink was the sort of weight he'd carried around plenty over the past seven years. Now that he was recovering, he couldn't very well allow Tigre to push him right back into that mindset. Even so, it was true that some of residents in death row had been moved there by his hand. “You need to stop your bellyaching!” Athena snapped at Tigre. “Who do you think you're kidding? You've got nothing else to do with your day, right? Then you might as well answer some questions for us!” Not at all fazed by her words, Tigre squinted his eyes at Athena. Then he glanced towards Simon. “What's dis, then? Youse need your girlfriend to hold your hand? I was expectin' a loser like youse to die a lonely virgin.” Simon was no stranger to the sharper sort of prison tongue. Even so, he felt an overwhelming sense of humiliation and raised a hand to his face. The last thing he needed or wanted was for anyone to believe Metis Cykes's daughter was his girlfriend. He wouldn't want the inmates to think that his partner for this project was his girlfriend, either. Such a thing could be very damaging towards the interview process. As for Athena herself, she kicked at Tigre from under the table, causing the man to yelp and jump up from his chair. The two guards were by his sides immediately. “I said cut the crap!” she yelled at him. “We're here for a serious project and if you won't participate, we'll walk right out of here! You can spend what's left of your miserable life all by yourself and nobody will be around to hear you scream!” A dreadful silence fell. Just as everyone else in the room, Simon found himself staring at Athena and never before had he seen a more formidable foe. The last thing he'd expected was for his investigative partner to lower herself to Tigre's level, certainly not in order to defend him. It hurt his pride more than the notion of 'dying a lonely virgin' ever could. Tigre seemed unnerved, this time. A single drop of sweat ran down his temple. He wrung his hands together and sat back down. “All right, all riiight... Women, right? So what's dis project?” Athena set the recorder down on the table and began the usual speech of the Behavioral Analysis Unit and their intended questions. As she did so, Simon watched Tigre go from tense to bored, then finally to lost. Perhaps the words had been too formal for his mind to comprehend. “Uhhh. So you're gonna do a pop quiz?” he ultimately asked. “Something like that. And we'll be recording it, if that's all right.” “I dunno about dis... Dat sounds like an invasion of... y'know, privacy.” “You don't need to do this if you don't want to,” Athena assured him. “Well, all right. I'll do it as long as I knows I don't gotta.” Athena frowned and sat back in her chair. If her impression of Tigre was already odd, it was nothing compared to what happened next. The man leaned down to pick something up from the ground and set it down in his lap. It was a hairless chihuahua, dressed in a pink jacket so bright that it could veer straight off the known color spectrum and phase itself out of reality. Simon knew better than to stare. Athena did not. “W-What...?” she asked. “GRAAAGH! What're'youse lookin' at?! Youse never seen a dog before?!” Tigre roared at her. The chihuahua in his lap trembled, but not because of the volume. It was simply a standard setting for the animal. “Of course I have! I just wasn't expecting...” “Youse take your eyes offa Mitzy right now, or youse can kiss your interview sayonara!” “Jeez, sorry!” Athena hastily began shuffling through her papers. “Let's just get started with some standard questions.” “And you will answer the lady with due respect, lest I slice your tongue from your filthy mouth,” Simon said, now that he'd finally found his voice again. “Yeah yeah...” Athena cleared her throat. “You're originally from New York, but you moved to Los Angeles when you were 28, is that right?” “Uhhh. I dunno. 28 sounds about right.” “You don't remember how old you were?” “Who cares how old I was?! What's dat change, huh?! If I moved, I moved!” Simon wondered whether the defensive attitude was hiding a far grander secret. If it were, they wouldn't get it out of Tigre too easily. They would need to manipulate him into it, just as they'd manipulated Retinz. Athena must've realized the same thing, for she proceeded towards a different angle. “So what made you decide to move in the first place?” “Damn, talk about nosy questions...” Tigre huffed loudly, then raised a hand to the chihuahua's head to pet it. He must've been quite gentle, as the tiny and fragile creature didn't so much as flinch at being stroked by enormous fingers. “I moved to L.A. because the people here are chumps.” “Chumps?” “Sure. Couldn't start a good loan company in a place like New York. Everyone's all wisened up to it. But here in L.A.? Hah! People are desperate to live dat big Hollywood dream!” Athena stopped to take a few notes. As she did, Simon decided to try and take some lead in the conversation, or else be completely emasculated. No other inmate would take him seriously if that were to happen. “What of the family you left behind?” he asked. Tigre frowned. “What about 'em?” “Were you still in touch with them? Would you return to New York for the holidays, perhaps? I would assume the Tigre family gathers 'round a nice, dead antelope for Thanksgiving.” “Grrrrr... I told youse to watch yourself, Tweetie,” Tigre growled at him. “What do I care about family when I've got a business to run? Holidays were a huge cash-in moment. Lotsa new loans goin' out, too. Everybody wanted to buy their missus a new sports car, see, and then another one for de mistress.” “Not even a season's greetings was sent to New York, then?” Simon asked, only to receive a deadpan in response. “You did have family, did you not? Or were you perhaps raised by a pack of tigers in some Brooklyn back alley?” “ARE YOUSE MOCKIN' ME?! WHY, I ATTA SMACK YOU SO HARD-” “Hold it, hold it!” Athena called, raising both hands to try and put a stop to further argument. “We're getting off track, here. Let's talk about something else instead, all right?” Tigre seemed content to do just that and Simon made sure to shoot a grin his way. “This whole story about how you murdered Mr. Elg and why you did it is really complicated. Do you think you could explain what happened in your own words?” Athena asked. Somehow, the question seemed to irritate Tigre. He tisked loudly and glared towards the wall. Following that, he ran his fingers along Mitzy's head, then under her chin as he spoke. “I needed money, see. On account a' Viola's operation. And it was damned idiotic. I had people all over town owin' me money, but none a' those losers could pay up. Not a dime! So I met with Elg, see. He was gonna gimme some fancy schmancy virus I coulda sold on the black market for millions. It woulda paid off my debt to Viola's family just like dat. Then as we're sittin' there, havin' our coffee, dat wise guy goes and wins the damned lottery! 500,000 big ones! He woulda paid off his measly 100,000 debt and left me in the lurch, see. It was the millions I needed. Way I figured, that was what he owed me for keepin' me waitin', too. Interest, y'know. So I killed 'im and took the virus.” Simon felt that there was quite a bit to unpack, there. Far more than they currently had time for. They'd have to pick this apart piece by piece, just as an attorney would cross-examine in court. “You killed a man because you believed he owed you more money than he truly did?” he heard himself ask, despite knowing deep down that was hardly the best approach. “What about it, huh?! You wanna go?!” Tigre grabbed at his prison uniform with both hands, looking just about ready to rip the fabric. What that would accomplish, Simon had no idea. “Stai calmo,” Athena said. “Let's take it from the beginning. You mentioned something about an operation for someone named Viola?” “Y-Yeah...” Tigre was back to absentmindedly fiddling with Mitzy now, his fingers adjusting her jacket. “Was she your girlfriend?” “No- Well- See... Viola's from a real influential family...” “The Cadaverinis, I believe,” Simon supplied, once again throwing a smirk Tigre's way. “They are the biggest mob family here in this 'chump-filled' city. Should one disrespect a Cadaverini, one will find themselves wearing concrete shoes at the bottom of Los Angeles River. If I recall correctly, this tiger sitting before us crossed Viola Cadaverini's car in the most unfortunate way possible and she did not walk away unscathed.” Tigre's eyes narrowed into a ferocious glare. “So... Wait, Mr. Tigre wanted to pay for Viola's operation because he was the one who caused the accident that hurt her in the first place?” Athena rubbed at her own chin, looking doubtful of the story. “Listen! I had to pay!” Tigre shouted at them. “Ol' man Bruto woulda had my head if I didn't! Those damned Cadaverinis! They think they can just make a guy do anythin'!” Athena raised a hand to her chest and closed her eyes. Widget was glowing a bright yellow through her fingers. “... You didn't feel bad that someone ended up in the hospital because of you?” “I had the right a' way! She was the one who didn't look before zooming into the street! And I was the one drivin' a scooter! If anyone shoulda been hospitalized, it woulda been me! But nooo, I got lucky on account a' my helmet and she has to go crack her skull on the steerin' wheel! How's that my fault, huh?!” For a split second, Simon thought that Furio made a good point. If indeed he'd had the right of way and Cadaverini hadn't been paying attention, it would've been hard to fault him for the accident. Then Simon remembered just who they were sitting across and came to the conclusion that the only victim of this story was Viola Cadaverini, who would be fooled by such a despicable man. "She wouldn't just let it go, either!" Tigre was still raving on and on. "Me bein' sentenced to death still wasn't good enough! Dat fuckin' BITCH tried to poison me while I was in here! What, just 'cause I tried to take care a' her?! Who cares if I loved her or if I didn't?! I was doin' right by her by tryin' to pay off dat hospital bill and givin' her a job and shit! Now she's snatched my damn business! Tender Lender was MINE, you hear?!" Athena drew a deep breath, Widget still emanating a yellow glow. Knowing what that color meant, Simon placed his arm on the table and leaned in towards Tigre. "If you don't cease your caterwauling this instant, I will have you muzzled!" "Up yours!" was Tigre's response, though he simmered down all the same. A nimble shake of the head, then Athena continued. “So you took Mr. Elg's virus by force, as it was the only way for you to pay off the Cadaverinis. Could you not simply have stolen it without killing him?” “What, and have him come for me with a buncha coppers? I woulda been the prime suspect once he'd figured out the virus was missin'!” Athena squinted, then turned her gaze towards Simon. He couldn't quite fight off the smile that was dawning on his face, so he allowed it to flourish there. When at last it became clear that Tigre wasn't seeing the problem with his logic, Simon took delight in sharing just that. “Forgive me, Tony Tiger, I must ask,” he prompted with mock delicacy, acting as if he were speaking to a toddler. “What sort of fool would report to the police to inform them that a powerful computer virus, crafted by his own hand, has been stolen? I would daresay that producing malware is an even worse crime than lifting the CD it is on. Had you taken it from him by force or through an underhanded ploy, such a weak man would not have been able to do a thing to prevent it.” Tigre looked dumbstruck, another pearl of sweat rolling down his face. Simon could swear that the spray tan was mingling into it. Three seconds of silence, then Tigre was roaring yet again. “GRRROOOAARRR, YOUSE MOCKIN' ME! I KNEW IT! DAT'S IT, I'M OUTTA HERE!” Sure enough, Tigre made to stand up, cradling Mitzy firmly with both hands. The two guards looked quite uncertain. Athena rose to her feet as well, darting forward to block Tigre's path. Simon was by her side immediately, ready to shield her, should there be a need. Fortunately, Tigre's hands were so full of chihuahua that he couldn't land a punch even if he wanted to. “Wait, wait, just one more question!” she insisted, spreading out her arms. “... What?” “I can understand why you might re-enact the murder to establish an alibi and shift the blame for the murder onto someone else. But why did you...” she trailed off for a second and Simon could swear she was fighting off amusement. “Why did you impersonate a defense attorney? Wasn't the phony murder already good enough to have Ms. Byrde convicted for your crime?” “Pssshh, please. Just 'cause I was a humble loan shark, you think I hadn't heard about all those miraculous turnabouts that kept happenin' in court whenever Wright was involved? I couldn't risk havin' him figure out the murder I set up was a sham.” “Hold on... Are you saying you did it because you felt threatened by Mr. Wright?” “WHO'S THREATENED?! YOU SAYIN' I'M A COWARD?! NOBODY CALLS ME CHICKEN! JUST 'CAUSE HE'S GOT A NICE, COZY BLUE SUIT AND A HALF-ASSED LAW DEGREE, YOUSE THINK HE'S BETTER THAN ME?! WRIGHT'S GOT NOTHIN' ON ME! I COULDA FLATTENED HIM LIKE A PANCAKE! I COULDA SNAPPED HIM IN HALF LIKE A TWIG! FUCK HIM AND HIS LITTLE GIRL SIDEKICKS!” “I was only-” Tigre wouldn't hear any more, instead snapping at Simon. “And YOU! Tryin' to make me out like some kinda idiot! HAH! You really do think you're better than us, movin' right from prison into some big ivory tower on your high horse! If dis is how your little science project works, good luck with the rest of the killers in here! The guards are gonna be scrapin' your guts offa dese here walls and I will fuckin' laugh and LAUGH!” Much as Simon yearned to spout a comeback, he knew that it would be a pointless battle. The only way for him to come out victorious was to be above Tigre's rage, for being dragged down by it would take him to depths he'd rather not see. He crossed his arms over his chest and met the man's gaze with fierce eyes of his own. “Mr. Tigre, please don't-” Athena attempted, but it was no good. “GOOD DAY, MADAM!” Tigre stormed from the room so fast, the two guards had to rush after him in a panic. The moment the door slammed shut behind them, silence fell. Simon stopped the recording device and began to gather up his papers, a feeling of uncertainty nagging at him. Had they just single-handedly ruined the interview? What would Lang say when he found out about this? “... As always, Tony Tiger allowed his emotions to get the best of him. Had he been able to channel his anger into something productive, he would've led quite a successful life,” he remarked, if only to lighten the mood. Athena stared at him. “Simon... Did you seriously not get it?” “Get what?” “Mr. Tigre... He was never angry. Not once during the entire conversation. He was afraid.” “Afraid?” “Afraid of the Cadaverinis, afraid of Mr. Wright, afraid of our questions... I think he was even afraid of what you think of him, now that you're acquitted.” The notion was so backwards that it took a long time to truly sink in. When at last it did, Simon found himself walking away from the prison with a smile and a light, bubbly feeling in his chest. To Be Continued

The hunt

Summary - New York’s most feared, respected and famous Mafia boss Steven Grant Rogers is on the hunt for a very special woman he can call his ‘Queen’ by will she be as cooperative as the many ladies he’s wooed in the past.

Word count - 1.7k

Pairing - Steve Rogers x Reader, Mafia!AU

Warnings - mentions of sex, swearing, fluff

The sound of the thick autumnal raindrops that fell onto the streets of Manhattan accompanied by the rush of people off to work early this morning made your eyes stop and stared off into the wet distance. Although the pavements weren’t congested with people as per usual, the café-diner you were currently in hummed with the sound of chatter, clinking of plates, cutlery and cups and waiters and waitresses receiving orders.

“Hey Y/N! Order 27 comin’ up!” Bob, our head chef, called out from the service hole in the wall and broke your trance from the window. The burly dark skinned Brooklyn-born chef didn’t waste no time and whipped out a plate of pancakes and a plate of egg on toast onto the counter - in which you took graciously.

As you can most probably tell, this is where you worked - Tina’s café/diner. It’s a cosy little place, decked out similar to a Frankie and Benny’s restaurant but was a bit more familiar. And as you could probably tell, it was early morning rush hour here in the diner.

“Maple syrup pancakes and an egg on toast?” You politely asked one of the couples who sat in the window booths.

“The eggs would be for me darlin’ and the pancakes for my husband” One of the two men spoke in a particularly gruff tone and motioned to his husband sitting opposite.

“Thank you darlin’, here,” the other man thanked me and slid you a five dollar note which you graciously took with a warm smile plastered on my lips.

Order and order, table after table, the morning rush hour didn’t cease to slow down until around 9am where only a few easygoing stragglers were happily chatting, drinking and eating away.

With a tired sigh, you perched yourself behind the main bar on a stool and rubbed your temple wearily. “Hey Y/N, why the long face?” Your bestest work friend Wanda - a waitress here at the diner - was quick to pick up on your slightly sour mood and quickly came over to you.

“Hm? Oh, I’m just feeling a little under par right now Wandz’” You hummed in slight irritation, continuing to rub your slightly feverish head.

“Oh my!” She squealed and leant over the bar to you “what’s up?” You hated being like this, making everyone worry about something as silly as a headache.

“Nothin’ really, just a stupid fever that’s all,” You waved off your illness quickly and helped yourself to a cup of coffee.

Wanda onto hummed in pity over my fever, somehow she had sensed your uneasiness and was quick to change the topic of conversation to something else.

“Hey Y/N/N, have you heard? Apparently the Steven Grant Rogers and his commandos are on the hunt for someone!” Wanda squealed at the typical dramatic antics of the home-grown mafia group that plagued and saved the streets of New York.

“I’m sure with the vast amount of muscle men he’s got workin’ for him, they’ll find their wanted man in no time Wandz,” You only sniggered at the young russian’s antics and watch her pour herself a cup of coffee as well.

“Ahaha but you’re wrong there Y/N!” She chided jokingly and pulled out the latest newspaper to come in ths morning and pointed to the tabloid’s title.

‘MAFIA KING OF BROOKLYN BEGINS THE SEARCH OF A LIFETIME’ - wow, way to milk a goddamn story hm - “they’re not looking for some regular sm’egular brute! He’s looking for a woman!” She jumped up and down on her barstool giddily and shook the paper is she did so, her excitiedness only fuelling your plummeting heart.

“Well she must be one lucky girl to have that much money following her” Wanda just laughed off your ever-so slightly bitter remark and tucked into the rest of the paper, whilst you helped yourself to some Advil to quench the headache and resurfacing memories that ran rampant in your mind.

=== 3 weeks ago ===

The unpleasant smell of cheap cooking oil and the usual autumnal breeze wafted lazily throughly the alleyway you stood in, attempting to cool yourself down after a busy shift in the diner. “Man is it warm in there..” you yawned under your breath and flapped the collar of your shirt rapidly.

“I’ve got something that could cool you down, gorgeous” out of the nowhere, a stumbling - assumably drunken - man hobbled out from a doorway just a few metres away and began to stalk towards you, empty glass bottle in hand.

“Look I don’t need nothin’ alright? Now leave me alone” You snapped shakily, fear began to crawl its way up your throat and caught your voice like a bird catching its prey.

Judging by the bright pale moonlight, the drunken bastard looked like he was ready to swing his bottle at your head at any given moment - considering how you declined his offer. “No no darlin’, I know somethin’ that’ll calm you right now and shut that pretty mouth, too.”

Shit, he wasn’t stopping! And he was getting closer!

Before you could actually shout and create a scene, a sudden clattering of tin trash cans scared the shit out of you both and made your body freeze up entirely, your hands fisted close to your chest.

“Look pal, the lady said no so leave her alone” A deep, smooth yet gruff voice rang out from the other end of the alleyway and a tall dark and muscular figure came into focus from the shadows of the night.

Somehow or another, the drunken bastard must’ve recognised him and fled in the opposite direction as soon as his scrawny legs could allow him.

A deep shuddering breath escaped your dry lips in relief over the ordeal - but you weren’t sure if it was over yet or not.

“Now, what’s a gorgeous dame like you doin’ out here so late at night?” That voice, that Brooklyn-manly voice seemed so, so familiar yet foreign to you all at the same time.

Finally, the anonymous figure finally stepped into the pale moonlight right before you and startled the shit out of me.

Grant? Tell me that’s not the same scrawny boy from elementary school, is it?

Deciding to test the waters, you smoothed out your waist apron and spoke to the well drsssed man before you. “Nothin’ that’ll concern you, Grant,” You watched with intent as his big blue shiny eyes grew wide with astoundment? Or maybe shock? Surprise? Who knew..

“Hey look, I was just wondered what such a respected woman like you was doing in one of the most dingiest alleys in Brooklyn, Y/N” Ooh damn, he is definitely NOT the same little guy who’d try to fight your brother every day in the schoolyard. Heaven knew that that little boy way back then would never purr out your name in such an erotic and leg-weakening way - however, you were sure he had some lovely little wife somewhere back home, wherever that’d be.

“If you must know Grant, I was just havin’ a break from work for five minutes. Nothin’ unrespectable here.” You chided with a small smile on your face and swung back and forth on the soles of your feet.

“Except that douchebag who tried to drug you, that is.” You giggled quietly at his comment and scanned the man from head to toe. With one hand in his suit trousers and another holding a cigarette close to his lips, he looked all the part of a 60’s Mafia group - with that deep black pressed suit, gelled back hair and gorgeously groomed stubble.

You just couldn’t take your eyes off him.

“Yeah well, you do get a few of those around here from time to time.” You sighed, clawing your eyes away from the sex on legs before you and to the spot the ‘douchbag’ had come from.

“You deal with many like that?” You shook your head at his questioned and smiled warmly back to him.

“I know who to call if I do though,” Grant only smiled a pained smile back at you in response.

“Say,” he threw his cigarette to the floor and crushed it with his probably new polished shoe. “how about I take you for a cup of coffee somewhere,hm? A token of apologies for dealin’ with that idiot,” You smiled warmly at his bizarre yet endearing request.

“Aren’t I the one who’s supposed to be thanking you though?” Grant only shook his head and rolled his eyes at your chivalry.

“Not necessarily darlin’, have you finished for the night?”

You glanced down at your lit up phone and watched the digits turn from 21:59 to 22:00. Finally you were off the hook! Smiling back at him, you shut your phone off and went to grab your handbag and coat from the back door. “I have now,”

=== Present day ===

The rest of that fateful night was spent talking, laughing and remeniscing over your fleeting time together in 3rd grade until his parents moved him and his best friend James to an all-boys boarding school.

In all fairness you never really knew Grant on a personal level back then, all you knew of him was from the stories your older brother would recite about how a little blonde kid would always want to fight him - who knew it’d be him?

Well, that was how you spent half of the night - the rest of those dark silent hours were spent in his soft king sized bed, doing the most unmentionable things - all night long.

Grant later revealed to you that he had always had a crush on you since elementary and it hadn’t left him since so in that moment, you chose between you options not-so wisely and decided to see how far this ‘thing’ between you could go.

And that’s where you were now, still miffed, sore and recovering from heartbreak after he refused to talk to you about that night.

That wasn’t the worst of it though, the worst parts of this whole ‘thing’ were when he was seen days later leaving a casino with one beautiful chick slung on his arm like a new designer handbag; the tabloids title?

IS THE ‘KING OF BROOKLYN’ FINALLY SETTLING DOWN?

He had straight up lied to you about being such a dangerous man and thought you’d be A-okay with it. The paparazzi did their job alright and so did he, by the looks of the tabloids that day.

After hours of hard work bustling around tables, your shift was finally over. You wished everyone your goodbyes for the day, slipped on your coat, gloves and handbag and began the slow walk back to your small apartment building through the rainy streets of Manhattan, your hands clutching on to your umbrella as hard as you could.

Heaving yourself up the cold narrow stairway of your old apartment complex, your mind began to dreamily wonder over the prospect of having a nice warm, vanilla scented bath and binge-watching that show you’d been meaning to catch up on. You only hummed to yourself and allowed your legs to walk you freely along the landing and straight to your front door. Wait, when did doors have such strong yet soft pecs....

“Do you always walk around like this?” Fuck that shittily deep smooth voice, fuck fuck fuck! Why was he just standing there against your door waiting for you? What does he want now? A second chance? Well he can go fuck himself up the ass if that’s the case, so you thought.

“And do you always wait suspiciously in-front of people’s front doors until they come home?” You snapped pretty ferociously at him, a glare as cold as ice setting itself on your face.

“Only for you Y/N,” his voice sounded so soft and so sad? But why? What did he have to be sad about? He didn’t have his heart broken in two? The nerve on this guy?

“Well yay me, now move asshole.” You took one confident step forward and watched his eye glower into your own. “Like hell I would Y/N,” You merely just looked at him incredulously and folded your arms over your chest.

“Why not?” Your snapped again, he was really testing your patience now - the damned bitch.

“B’cause I know as soon as you go through that door you’ll never let me apologise for what I’ve done!” You fell silent at his slight shout and could feel the hot tears of pain build up in your eyes, blurring the figure out before you.

Evidently he must’ve seen your quivering lip and tearey eyes since he began to inch forward towards you slowly. “Look, I know I couldn’t ‘ve any more of a dick as I was back then but darlin’, you scared the living shit out of me..”

Your eyes flew up from the floor to meet Grant’s own sullen eyes, the pounding in your head only grew as you tried to think about what he meant. “Wha-what?..” all you could do was breath out a whimper of a reply.

Was he really scared of you? What did you do?

“Y/N, I have never had someone as genuine and as perfect as you come into my life before. You’re just..remarkable..” Watching those rosy pink lips move, your barely paid any attention to the hands that were winding slowly up your arms.

“Look, I just wanted what was best for you. You deserve everything that comes your way, but not me. Let’s be honest, I am a very fucked up man and have done some fucked up things too. You don’t deserve to be stuck with someone like me, you deserve to be with a man who doesn’t have to kill certain people for a living..”

“Grant as much as I-“

“Steve,”

“What?”

“My real name is Steve, doll. Grant is my maiden name”

After all this time, after all that time you thought what a weird name Grant is - his real name is Steve?

“Yes Steve, you’re right, I do deserve all of that,” uh oh! Bad choicing Y/N! You watched his face drop entirely and saw his eyebrows scrunch together in almost furious anger. “But,” you quickly went back on your words and reached out to grab his arms as he is did to you not long ago.

“I deserve love, Steve. But mostly, I deserve to the love the man I want, and you’re that man. Please don’t take that away from me. Please,” Your grip on his arms grew tighter and looked into his eyes as the tears spilt down your cold cheeks.

Like that, you were pulled into Steve’s chest and embraced so tightly your breath became laboured and tight within seconds.

“Are you sure about this Y/N? Are you sure you’d want to love someone like me?”

“I‘ve never been so sure in my life Steve. And for the record, I don’t want to love someone like you - I wanna love you baby.” You smiled softly up at him and allowed the odd tear or two drip down onto your face from his.

Without hesitation, you lifted myself on your toes and crashed your lips against his warm salty lips, moving and moulding together as one. It was as if time had stopped altogether, the only movement within your little time bubble was between yours and his lips. For what felt like a chore to be done, the two of you broke apart for some well needed air but found yourself buried in Steve’s chest once again.

“Come my queen, lets go home.”

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