#(it feels so surreal to have everything i owe done it’s been so long since i’ve had that on a blog) | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

axwalker · 3 years ago

Text

CREEP 3: You're just like an angel

Pairing: Drake Walker x MC (Lexie O’Brien) Book TRR

Synopsis: Drake is a hurt, angry teenager. After being rejected by Lexie, he spends two years bullying her until he discovers the horrible truth behind her rejection.

MASTERLIST HERE

In this chapter: Lexie gets to know more about the boy hiding behind the monster.

A/N: This is Lexie’s POV. We’ll be in Drake’s head in the following chapter.

A/N 2: Thank you to my beautiful prereader @burnsoslow

Your suggestions made all the difference! LOVE YOUU ❤️

A/N 3: Thank you to @mskaneko for the edit that closes this fic. It’s gorgeous! I love youu ❤️

Words: 5,108 🙈

WARNINGS: Parental abuse, domestic violence, toxic love, abuse, bullying.

THIS IS NOT YOUR USUAL MARSHMALLOW DRAKE. He was abandoned as a boy, he’s tortured and he doesn’t know how to express love.

This is a dark love story. If you think this might trigger you, PLEASE do not read it.

ALL MY FICS ARE 18+

TAGS ON THE COMMENTS --As this is darker than usual; I’m only tagging the people who commented in the previous chapters. If you want to get on or off the list for this fic; please do not hesitate to ask!!

LEXIE

Watching Drake put my duffel bag on the back of his motorcycle, my pulse is getting out of control on my neck. This is happening. I’m leaving home. I’m getting out, and I’m never coming back. And Drake Walker, my tormentor, is helping me. He actually defended me. The fact that I’m being helped by the person who called me a future trophy wife this morning makes this moment even more surreal. He’s had this tormented expression on his face for the last half an hour that’s stupidly making me want to hug him or make him feel better. For what, though? I don’t know. I don’t owe him anything, and still, I have this pressing need to wrap my arms around his neck and tell him everything will be okay.

When it comes to Drake, my emotions have never been truly logical. One second I hate him, and the next, I’m whispering his name in the darkness of my room, my fingers sawing against the wet cotton of my panties. My feelings for him are incredibly confusing…but I know asking him to back off was the right move. Even if I secretly miss his presence everywhere I turn. In my unstable world, there was something comforting about knowing he would always be there. Watching me. Hating me. Wanting me. That last part was never in doubt. He’s made that clear many times. That if I wanted, he would “give me a nice long hate-fuck in the back of his trailer.” And he’d always say, “No one has to know, baby,” in that deep, hoarse tone that keeps me up at night. Makes me shove my fingers down the front of my panties and struggle to breathe, sweating through my covers to an orgasm. I’m having those particularly sexual thoughts when he looks over at me, and I don’t quite manage to hide my lust. His movements slow, a dark eyebrow arching as he fixes on my mouth, my breasts. I’m a real hot mess right now. Beaten and bloody, but there’s no denying he’s still attracted. It’s always there in the rise and fall of his chest, the clicking of his jaw. The tenting of his jeans. How many times have I turned in class and—avoiding his gaze—locked eyes with his jeans instead? At least that’s one thing us poor fuckers have going for us. We know how to fuck.

Well, if I thought sympathy was a strange emotion regarding this boy, jealousy is even more confusing. Why should I care that he’s been with other girls? Obviously, he must have been with hundreds of girls to get good at sex. It’s none of my business, is it? I’m almost rid of him. And I don’t want to be jealous. Still, when he holds out his hand to help me onto the bike, I ignore it with a raise of my chin and climb on myself. You’re almost rid of him, Lexie. Get a ride and say goodbye. Unfortunately, I may have been a little overenthusiastic in asking to be taken to a motel. I’ve never been to one, but I know a credit card is required—and I don’t have one of those. Nor do I have enough cash in my wallet for more than one night. I need to figure out an alternative plan fast. Still looking damned tortured, Drake places his helmet on my head and gently buckles the chinstrap. Swallowing loud enough to hear over the passing cars. Helmetless, he brings the engine to life, the vibration so exhilarating; I wrap my arms around his middle on reflex.

I can feel taking a deep breath. “Lexie…” He can’t see me, so I give in to the impulse to press my cheek to his leather jacket, absorbing the warmth and his smell, earthy and so masculine.

“Yes?” Drake clears his throat, his voice even more profound. “My dad left me a cabin a few towns over. Near Portavira lake.” He pauses. “It’s very rustic, but I’ve been fixing it, so it’s clean, and it has a bed and some supplies. I could take you there. You’d be safe.”

It’s dangerous to start accepting more favors from him, but what choice do I have? My father made sure that I’m helpless. He did it with my mother and now me. Isolated us from everyone who might be a friend. I’ll accept his offer, but only because here and now, I promise myself I’ll find a way to help myself in the future. To leave my father and his house of horrors in the past. Maybe it can’t be done entirely alone. Maybe accepting help is the only option. That doesn’t mean I’m forgetting the way he treated me. Yes, I’m attracted to him but I also hate him. He’s made my life miserable for two years and I won’t let him --or myself, forget that. Maybe he’s hiding right now but I know Drake--as my father, has a monster underneath. His monster might not slap me or make me bleed but that doesn’t mean he’s not dangerous. Poisonous words can hurt as much as one well-delivered blow.

“Okay,” I say, feeling him relax. “Thanks.” I’ll accept his help for now and leave as soon as I can.

He responds by turning on the engine of the bike again. That’s when I hear my father yelling my name from the back door of the house. His hands are tied behind his back, and he’s limping, blood coming out his nose.

“Alexis Jade O’Brien! You get your ass back here right now, or you’ll never be allowed back! You’ll be dead to me!”

He has to be joking; he’s been dead to me since the first time he hit me. I look back at the pathetic old man with every ounce of rebellion I have. Baring my teeth, I give him the middle finger and dismiss him. Forever.

“Good girl,” Drake murmurs a second before driving away. I don’t look back a single time. We drive for half an hour. After twenty minutes on the highway, the trees grow denser and denser, the road deserted. We don’t pass a single car on the way to the cabin, which comforts me when I should be worried. Shouldn’t I? I can’t allow the last two years of em2otional battle to mean nothing. To melt away in the face of tonight’s act of kindness. I meant what I said. I need Drake to leave me alone. To release the hold he has on me. I’ve cut one negative force out of my life tonight. The last thing I need is a replacement. But as I grow tired against his strong back, his woody and manly scent lulling me, encouraging the trust he doesn’t deserve, I worry leaving him might be easier said than done. Especially when we arrive at the cabin, and he lifts me off the bike, cradling me to his chest like I’m made of crystal, a moment too long before settling me onto my feet. It’s hard giving up his warmth, but I push off his chest, creating distance between us. He watches me back away like I’m breaking his heart.

“There is a shower inside,” he says quietly. “You can finally get the, uh…” He blows a breath. “��the blood off.” The sun sets as we stand there. It’s nothing like the light of the night we kissed. This time it's brighter, more intense. It must be the higher elevation.

“You’re not hurting anywhere else?”

“I’ll be fine.” Why is he breathing so fast? “What’s wrong, Drake?”

“What’s wrong?” He fights through a humorless laugh, sliding his hand through his hair. “Where do I start? Most urgent is…I know you’re going to want me to leave you here alone, and I don’t think I can. Look, if you want to lock the doors, I’ll sleep outside on the ground, Lexie, but please don’t ask me to go.”

He’s right. I was going to tell him it’s OK to go back to his trailer. There was a convenience store with a payphone a mile down the road. If there is no working phone in the cabin, I can still make calls, if necessary. I’m not sure what my next move will be, now that I’ve run away from home. But I know I’ll never be able to think with a clear head as long as Drake is around, looking at me like that. “Drake…”

“It’s just that once I leave, I know that’s it. You’re going to shut me out again. And this time, it’ll be your choice.” He paces away, still raking his fingers through his hair. “I deserve to be cut off. Fuck, I know that. Believe me when I say I hate myself right now, but if there was something I could do to make up the last two years to you, even just a little—”

I shake my head. Nothing can make up for the two years I spent loving him while he tortured me. There will be nothing between us.

“I understand.” His fingers rake his hair one last time. “You can go in the cabin. I’ll sleep outside; that way, I’ll be sure your—father won’t be back.”

Despite myself and my better judgment, I worry about him. “Outside? It’s cold and dark; I can go to a motel.” At least for one night, I’ll figure out what I’ll do after tomorrow.

“No way. Look, I won’t be able to sleep anyway. Just go inside and try to rest; I’ll be fine. I’m used to it.”

Used to what? Sleeping outside? “Isn’t there a couch or something?”

He shakes his head. “The cabin was in ruins until six months ago when I started working on it. There’s only one bed, but there’s a rug next to the fireplace. Please don’t leave. I—I need to know you’re safe.”

I know Drake would never abuse me physically. I might be naïve, but I just know he would never do it. And as much as it’s difficult for me to understand why I feel safe with him here. Still, I have to be smart, my instincts tell me to trust him, but my instincts have been wrong about him before.

“Does the room lock?”

“It does with a bolt that can’t be opened from outside. But you’re safe with me, Lexie. I swear.”

It’s his miserable look that makes me decide. “Okay, if it locks, I can stay here.”

We go inside, and he leads me to his room. When my bag hits the floor next to his bed, I get even more nervous. I just left everything I know behind me and have no idea what’s coming next. School will be over in a few weeks, but I can graduate earlier, thanks to my credits. I’ll need a job, save some money, get an apartment and apply for college in Cordonia. It’s overwhelming.

I don’t want to cry in front of Drake. I don’t want to show him I feel weak, sad, and pathetic, but something inside of me suddenly breaks, and before I can’t do anything to stop it, I’m sobbing.

Drake is sitting on the bed in a second, and he’s pulling me into his lap, trying to calm me down. “Shh Lexie, it’s okay. Cry all you need to. I’m here. It’s okay,” he repeats in a litany as he rubs my shoulders, kisses my cheek, then my nose. Why do I feel so safe with him? Why, after everything he put me through, do I want to be here with him more than anywhere else?

“Let it all out, Lex. You’re so strong, baby.” He takes a cloth handkerchief from his pocket and uses it to gently clean my tears. The piece of fabric seems so incongruous in his rough hands that I can’t help but smile a little.

“Is this yours?”

He shrugs. “My dad collected them. After he died, my mom gave all his stuff away. This handkerchief is the only thing I have left of him. And this cabin.”

“I’m sorry, Drake. I don’t want to ruin it.”

He smiles. “Ruin it? Impossible. If anything, now it's even more special to me.”

The softness in his eyes looks so sincere it scares the hell out of me. I can’t let myself forget who Drake really is. I stand up from his lap and put my bag on the bed.

“I’m really tired; I’d better go to bed.”

“Okay … can I just look at your wounds?” he asks as he inspects my face. “You have some nasty cuts,” he adds, his fist clenching.

When I nod, he takes my hand and leads me to his bathroom. The room is as simple and modest as expected. Block walls, no tiles on the floor, no curtain on the shower, and an old toilet. A million years away from the white marble bathrooms in my house.

He follows my gaze and blushes. “I’m sorry. This is not what you’re used to. I—uhm, I’m slowly putting it together when I have time and some money. I’m good with my hands.” I look at said hands, and there’s no doubt he’s good with them. They look big and calloused. Capable and rough but so gentle with me. I want them all around my body. As if he had listened to my silent demand, he grabs me by my waist and sits me on the counter next to the sink. My legs part on instinct, and he puts himself between them. We don’t talk for two long minutes until he opens the faucet and wets a towel.

“I just got the water running this week; Come on.” Gently --almost reverently, he washes and cleans every cut, every injury. Softly he brushes his thumbs over my face. He doesn’t speak as he does, but there’s a tension between us. A raw feeling that has always been there.

“Tell me about yourself,” I blurt out, desperate to break the moment.

“There’s not much to say. Sorry, Lexie!” he exclaims when I wince. “Does this hurt?”

“A little. I. need a distraction. Why do you live alone? I know your dad is –uhm, gone, but where’s your mom?”

“Gone too.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Drake.”

“Don’t be. She was a bitch. She died in a car accident two years ago. She was living in Texas back then.”

“I don’t get it. Two years ago, you were here in Cordonia.”

“Yeah, she left me after my dad died. Took my sister and left me here. Reminded her too much of my dad, she said.”

I remember Jackson Walker. Everyone in Portavira does. He was Liam’s dad's bodyguard and died protecting him. But that was five years ago. If his mom left just after his passing, that means Drake has been living by himself since he’s thirteen years old. It can’t be.

Drake turns around and opens a box in the corner of the room. When he turns back, he’s holding a Band-Aid.

“I keep these around. Construction can get nasty sometimes. Come here, Lex.” He cups my chin with one of his big hands while he cleans a cut next to my eyebrow. His touch is leaving goosebumps all over my skin. I hate to be this affected by him.

I clear my throat to avoid the embarrassment of talking in a squeaky voice. “So, who were you living with?”

“No one. My aunt got custody when my mom left, but her husband didn’t want kids. He made her choose between him or me, so I’ve been living on my own since I’m thirteen.” My heart breaks then. Not only at the fact that he had to live by himself when he was still a child, but at the way he says it. Matter-of-factly. As if it was the most normal thing in the world that his mother, his aunt, and his uncle abandoned him. As horrible as my dad is, I’ve never had to fend for myself. And my mom loved me so much. If cancer hadn’t taken her away, she’d be here fighting for me. Drake has no one. I can’t help the tears glistening in my eyes. “Hey! Don’t cry, Lexie,” his thumb moves from my eyebrow to my cheek as he wipes the tears off my face. ”I prefer to live by myself than go to a foster house. And Leona checks on me now and then.”

“If your mom died, where’s your sister?”

He takes a deep breath but doesn’t pronounce a single word for a few minutes. Finally, he clears his throat and speaks. “Savvy was with my mom in the car. She died too.”

I want to say something. Anything. But I can’t. Nothing seems like enough. Sorry is such an empty word—a stupid cliché. I’m horrified at my own muteness, so I do the only thing I can think of. I hug him. At first, he just stands there, his arms hanging at his sides. But soon, I can feel him giving in, his heart beating hard against my chest. He encircles his arms around me, wrapping me in the tightest hug possible. I don’t know who’s comforting whom anymore. I only know that I love being here, and I hope it’s giving him a little solace, this hug.

It doesn’t mean I’ll forgive or even forget what he put me through, but no one deserves to go through that kind of pain alone.

“I’ll be outside, Lexie,” he says when he finally lets me go. “If you need anything, anything at all, just call for me, okay?”

“Wait!’ I yell, so he turns around. “Are you really going to sleep on the floor?”

He shrugs. “I don’t mind. I just want to make sure you’re safe,” he hesitates as if he’s going to add something important. “Good night, Lexie.”

“Wait,” I feel my cheeks redden just thinking about what I’m about to propose. “You can sleep here, I-I know you won’t hurt me.”

“Never,” he says, a determined look on his face. “I would never hurt you that way, and you have no idea how much I regret how I’ve treated you in the past. But I’ll be okay sleeping outside. I know you’ll feel better sleeping here by yourself.”

I can’t deny that. I meant what I said about trusting him not to hurt me, but I can’t forget what he did either. “At least take this pillow and the blanket. I’ll manage with the pillow and the cover left.” He hesitates, so I insist. “Please. I won’t be able to sleep otherwise.”

After taking them and giving me one of the saddest smiles I’ve ever seen, he closes the door behind him and leaves me alone in the room. I lie on his bed, incapable of sleeping. The pain in his eyes when he told me about his little sister haunts me all night long.

The following day I toss around in bed, confused and angry at myself. I can’t have feelings for Drake Walker. I can’t forget the insults or the anger in his eyes, the hurt that his words caused me every -single time. I just can’t. I hate what happened to him. I genuinely do, but iI have to think about myself. Denying that I’m attracted to him would be preposterous. Our chemistry is strong and undeniable, and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Maybe that’s it. Perhaps I just need one night with him, so I can move on with my life. Get him out of my system.

When I finally leave the bed, I find a note under my door: Went to buy some groceries, be back soon. DW

I go to the room where I assume he’s going to build the kitchen. For now, there’s only a more-than-a-few-years-old microwave and a cooler. I open the cabinets, but there’s barely anything there.

Suddenly, there’s a knock on the door. I feel my heart slamming in my chest; if it’s my father, I have no means of defending myself. I’m about to escape through the back door when a woman’s voice starts yelling.

“Open up, Drake. I’m not in the mood today.”

I open the door because the voice sounds familiar. I recognize Leona, the principal’s assistant. And I know she’s related to Drake.

Leona arches an eyebrow when she sees me. “Ms. O’Brien, what on earth are you in my nephew’s cabin? Does your father even know where you are?”

“I’m 18. I don’t have to tell my father where I am.” I answer in a much bolder tone than I feel.

She shrugs, clearly uninterested. “Well, I brought this to my nephew. Tell him I want those signed by next week. We’re not going to lose thousands of euros because of some dumb nostalgia.”

She hands me a big manila folder, I take it, but she doesn’t let go. “Maybe you’re the one who can convince him.”

“Convince him about what?”

“His father Jackson left him this piece of land, but it isn’t worth a dime without cattle or money to invest in it. But, a couple of months ago a big company approached us, they wanted to build a landfill here. Drake refuses to sell. He thinks he’s going to honor his dead father by rebuilding this old piece of crap, but he will never have the money to do it.”

“Never.” The deep voice that comes from the entrance startles us both. “This was my dad’s dream. He wanted a ranch, and one day this place will be one,” Drake says, “I told you already, Leona. I won’t sell; I don’t care how much they’re offering you to convince me.”

“I’ve never denied that they’re offering me a commission for the sale, Drake. But I still think it’s the best move for you.” Leona leaves the papers on the table, turns and leaves the cabin.

“You love this land?” I’m genuinely curious.

He slowly nods. “It’s all I have left of my dad. He’s the only person that ever gave two damns about me.”

“That says more about your family than about you, Drake.”

He looks directly at me. His gaze doesn’t leave mine for a long minute. I want to get closer to him, to touch him. Not only to offer some comfort but because my body reacts to him in the wildest way. Just standing next to him in the kitchen, I feel my heart beating faster, my hands trembling harder, my sex getting wetter. The response he gets from me is maddening. And it’s making me insane. There’s no freaking way in hell; I’m going to have feelings for Drake Walker.

“I- I need to take a shower. I’ll eat later.” Without giving him any time to respond, I run to the bathroom and shut the door. I open the shower and get inside, desperate for some release, anything that’ll take my mind off him. His stupid perfect smirk and deep eyes. That voice of his, intense, soft, and deep at the same time. Those big hands, calloused and capable. Hands that I just know would know precisely how to touch me. Before I realize it, I’m coming as quietly as I can. Sadly, my relief only lasts a few minutes, my body needs him --Drake Walker, and no substitute would do.

When I come out, he’s waiting for me with a hot cup of coffee and a couple of white chocolate-strawberry muffins---my favorite kind.

We eat in silence, but I don’t feel the weight of it as I usually do. Ours is a companionable silence.

After breakfast, we decide to take a hike next to the lake. A bit of exercise and the lake’s breathtaking landscape might be exactly what I need to stop thinking about my father and the confusing feelings I have for Drake.

“I think I need a job. Do you know how I can get one?” I hate that I’m so spoiled, but I’ve never lifted a finger in my life. I have no idea how I can get a job.

“Uhm sure. Here in Portavira?”

“Actually, I was thinking of moving to Cordonia city after graduation. “Drake stops walking for a second. “It’s too late to enroll for next semester, but I can get a job and start college next year.”

He finally starts walking again and nods slowly. “What do you want to do?”

I blush. My dreams don’t include being famous or rich. All I want is a good, quiet life. Falling in love, having a family. Doing a job I’d enjoy and traveling as much as possible -even if it’s on a low budget. “You’ll think it’s dumb.”

Drake looks at me. “I swear I won’t, Lexie. There’s nothing you can say that I’ll find dumb. It’s just not possible.”

“I love books. They offer you new worlds. They allow you to escape and be someone else for a few pages. You can never be alone when you’re reading a book. I’d love to have a job where I would be surrounded by books. Maybe become a librarian and then open a bookstore one day.”

Drake nods but doesn’t reply. I knew he would find my dream stupid.

“I know it’s not much-“

He stands in front of me and tilts my chin until our eyes meet. “It’s amazing, Lexie. I was just thinking how great you’d be at it. Remember the top 5 assignment for Mr. Daniels?”

Of course, I do. Mr. Daniels, our English teacher, asked us to make a list of our five favorite books and recommend them to the class.

I nod. “Yeah”

“Well, I read all the books on your list. I checked them out of the school’s library and fuck, I loved them all. Especially the one from that Krakauer guy.”

“Into the Wild?”

“Yep. I really enjoyed it. The way that guy Christopher reinvented himself spoke to me.” He holds my gaze. “You’d be an awesome librarian, Lex. You would also be an amazing writer. I remember that short story you wrote for Mr. Daniel’s class. The one about the lonely girl and how she traveled through time with her mind. You have no idea how much I loved it.”

I can’t believe he remembers that story. We had that assignment more than a year ago. “I’ve always wanted to write, but my dad thinks my stories aren’t good enough.”

“Your father is a dick. Your stories are amazing.”

He looks at me in a way that makes my knees weak. The intensity in his eyes is overwhelming, so I feel it again. The connection with him. The desire. Maybe the only way this would go away is if I give in to it.

“There is something you can do for me,” I say, surprising myself. As soon as those two words are out of my mouth, though, I know there is something I need from Drake.

And he’s the only one who can give it to me. “Get you out of my system.”

He stands still as a statue. “What?”

“Get yourself out of my system.” It starts to rain, and it makes me speak louder, feel bolder and freer. “For two years, you provoked me, insulted me, stalked me, bullied me…” He makes a frantic sound, his eyes slamming shut. “And yet, I still—I still can’t stop thinking of your hands that night in my garden. How big and warm and rough they were. I can’t stop imagining you taking off my clothes. Even the ugliest things you’ve said to me, I imagine you saying them in my ear while you…while we…”

Drake falls toward me a step, clutching the center of his chest. “Lexie—”

“Please, get yourself out of my head. One night together. Okay, Drake? So I can get on with my life knowing fantasy was way better than reality. That I built up some unrealistic idea of what we’d be like together that we can’t possibly live up to.” My throat closes. “Get me on the road to forgetting you. Please.” As we walk, I can see the mixture of devastation and hope in his eyes.

“And what if reality lives up to the fantasy?”

“It won’t,” I say fast, with conviction. It couldn’t possibly live up to it. And yet I suck in a nervous breath when he crosses the divide between us, every cell in my body craving him. Fight or flight. In a matter of moments, he’s gone from wounded animal to determined predator, the rain causing his dark hair to hang low over one eye, dripping, his hands ready at his sides.

“Are you so sure, Lexie?”

Damn my hesitation. “Yes,” I whisper. “You’ll prove me right in one night. I can move forward without feeling like I’m leaving something behind.”

“What if your fantasies come true tonight? Could we ever move forward as…as an us?”

I can’t believe what he’s suggesting. “There can never be an us, Drake. Not after everything that’s happened. I’ll never change my mind about that.” I shake my head. “How can you think I would?”

“Maybe I think if I want it hard enough, it’ll come true.”

“It won’t,” I whisper, starting to ask myself if I’m making a mistake. Opening myself up for even more heartache and pinning for this man than I’ve already lived through. It feels like a lifetime’s worth. “One n-night.”

“No backing out from this point on?” My heart beats urgently.

“No backing out.”

He’s silent so long; I’m not sure he’s going to respond. And then, all at once, he reaches me in two strides and scoops me up into his arms. I realize he’s going to bring me into the cabin, “I’ve been studying you for years, Lexie O’Brien. I’ve been hanging on to your every sigh, every expression, and mood. Years. If you don’t think I’ve obsessed weeks of my life away over how you’d like to be fucked, baby, you’re sorely mistaken.” We reach the house in a matter of minutes, and he doesn’t stop; he just keeps going until we’re in his room. And oh God, I have made a severe miscalculation. Because Drake’s showing me exactly what’s always been in my heart and mind when I thought of us together, it’s my fantasy come to life, the two of us wrapped in the arms of the other. And as he turns me, urging my legs around his waist, his ravenous mouth bearing down on mine, I realize I might never recover from this.

#axwalker writes #tw abuse #tw toxic love #tw violence

71 notes · View notes

i-like-writing-stuff · 4 years ago

Text

definitely love [five hargreeves x reader]

request: Could you do a Five x reader fic where the reader is kidnapped by the Handler and Five comes to save them. Thx

a/n: it’s kinda short, but i feel like it’s pretty sweet, i guess??? the only warning is some curse words here and there cause i cant help myself and maybe the handler being like a huge y/n x five shipper lmao

perhaps therell be a part 2???

summary: when the handler kidnaps you, don’t you dare think five wouldn’t come to your rescue as soon as possible.

“Listen, lady!” You yelled, rolling your eyes at your former boss, “I have no idea where that dipshit is, alright?!”

The Handler raised a brow at your seventh burst this hour, taking a long drag out of her cigarette, before puffing out the smoke with a laugh, “I’m sorry- I can’t take your seriously when your boobs haven’t even kicked in yet.”

“Oh, you did not go there.” You squinted your eyes at her, trying to launch forward, but to no avail, as the Handler kept on laughing at your attempts of attacking her.

You only laid back in your seat, feeling the ropes around you squeeze you into place. You had been tied to that chair for the past three hours, although no real torture had been inflicted upon you- other than having to listen to the Handler talk for three hours.

Even when you worked for her in the Commission you didn’t like her much. She was too extra, too much work for you, in spite of her gorgeous sense of fashion. All you wanted to do was retire as soon as possible, but when Five Hargreeves got a job there, your world was turned upside down and before you knew it, you were a teenager again, in 2019, trying to stop the apocalypse with his other siblings.

Except that you failed, and you ended up in 1963... with another apocalypse on its way... because somehow you brought it with you.

“What do you even want with him?” You asked, as she stopped laughing to drag another long puff out of her lit cigar.

“Let’s just say I have a deal.” She smirked, turning to you, “And I need to make sure you two will hear me out.”

“Is that why you kidnapped me and brought me here?” You raised a brow, looking around the abandoned warehouse, “That’s cliche.”

“What’ll be cliche is if he finally admits to having feelings for you when he comes to your rescue.” The Handler scoffed, making you raise a brow at her, “Oh, please- we all had bets going on in the Commission on the two of you.”

“Wonderful...” You dryly said, shaking your head in disbelief.

However, somewhere deep within you, you hoped that what the Handler said would become true. You met Five on his first day working for the Commission and you quickly warmed up to each other since you had basically the same personalities, but you, yourself, were having a hard time understanding your feelings.

You found that sarcastic piece of shit adorable and charming, but you were not gonna admit it to his face- you didn’t need him to get even cockier. He may or may not have shown in the past two weeks signs that he shared your feelings, but you decided not to put that much thought into it, since saving the world was the number on priority on your list.

“Hey!” Five’s voice suddenly rang through the room, as he stumbled in, holding Lila by the arm.

“Lila?” You wondered, confused by the presence of Diego’s crazy girlfriend which he picked up from a... well, crazy house.

“Well done.” The Handler smirked, placing her hands in the pockets of her coat.

“What is Lila doing here?” You frowned, watching as Five threw her on the floor, glaring at the Handler, “Five!”

“You were right to think she is familiar.” Five told you, placing his foot on Lila’s neck, “She is one of them.”

You perked your brows upon hearing the news, looking at the girl on the floor. She helped Diego escape the mental asylum and she’s been on his side ever since, but when you first laid eyes on her, you couldn’t help but get a familiar vibe off her.

Until you realized...

“That’s your kid?” You turned to the Handler, “The girl you adopted?”

You had heard years ago that during a task, somehow the Handler returned with a little girl, but you didn’t put that much thought into it, even if it was a bit strange. Five had a job in London and the Handler accompanied him, but you figured she just wanted to get some- come on, she is really creepy and kinda flirty!

“What?” Five raised a brow, looking at the girl beneath his foot.

“No matter.” The Handler said, stepping towards you, “Here we are... together again.”

“Yeah, it’s a real party.” You sarcastically said, “Ow!” You immediately yelped, as the Handler pulled on your rope, making you jerk back against the chair back, causing Five to tense up.

“I’ve gotta ask.” The Handler said, not once letting go of the rope, making sure the grip on you would be tightened, causing Lila to laugh, even if her throat was being stepped on, “Did you miss me, you little shit? Or did you miss your little girlfriend more?”

“I’ve been gone for only three hours.” You chimed in, making Five shake his head in disbelief, “Besides... nobody ever misses you, really.”

Five decided to put on the same tough guy act, not wanting to reveal his concern, because truth be told- when you didn’t show up at the family meeting that morning, he began feeling stressed. It was not like you not to show up, especially since his brothers and sisters treated you like their own, so that made him tense.

But, when Lila showed outside the store with a smirk on her lips, he knew immediately she had something to do with it.

Because, truth be told, you were not expecting to let yourself get kidnapped by the Handler. Yeah, she was a great assassin, but you had been holding the title of the best agent in the Commission for the past seven years. That was, before betraying it to help Five save the world and his family.

“Ah, this one.” The Handler smiled sarcastically, letting go of you in order to push you forward.

“Woah!” You yelped, almost losing balance off the chair if Five hadn’t caught you.

Lila quickly got up coughing before Five could return, but he couldn’t care less. At least you seemed to be fine, no cuts or bruises- the Handler did nothing to you, she was just toying with him to ensure he’d come here to hear out her proposition.

“Now that we’ve made the exchange...” The Handler said, as Five started untying your ropes, “Lila, darling, would you give us a minute, please?”

“Go play with your toys or something...” You taunted the girl, getting up from the seat after three, long hours, rubbing your sore wrists.

“Yes, the grown-ups need to talk.” Five backed you up with a smirk, as Lila only rolled her eyes, walking away from the three of you, knocking something off a table angrily.

“Very mature.” You raised a brow, “I can see how she and Diego made quite the couple.”

“Don’t make me vomit, Y/N.” The Handler scoffed, before changing the subject nonchalantly, “So... do you two lovebirds like jazz?”

After an interesting discussion with the Handler, you and Five walked out of the warehouse in silence, contemplating your decision. She made you two a tough deal, which needed some time to be thought upon, but, unfortunately neither of you had that kind of luxury.

“You know, if we do take the deal...” You spoke up, turning to Five, causing him to stop in his tracks beside you curiously, “It’d be like... one last job together.”

You and Five had been on jobs together before, but you never officially called yourselves partners, even if your success rate was off the charts. You had a great teamwork, so you were not that surprised when the Handler chose you two for a job of this level and risk.

“I don’t even want to think about that just yet...” Five sighed, covering his face tiredly, “We still have another option.”

Your heart ached at the sight- watching Five rub his small face tiredly, all stressed out and overall exhausted, you truly felt bad. You tried helping him, after all that is why you followed him through time, but this was beyond you, and him.

You knew how much Five loved his siblings, in spite of his attitude towards them. Everything he has done so far it was for him... and you.

You had no idea, but to Five it was surreal. He accepted the fact that he loved his brothers and sisters, but it took him a lot longer to accept that he was actually in love with you. However, it did make sense- you always made him feel better, ever since you guys met. He wasn’t sure if it was love at first sight, but right now, in this moment, he knew it was definitely love.

“But...” Five spoke up, putting on a weak smile, as he placed his hands in his pockets, “At least you are safe now.”

Hearing those words come out of his mouth, your knees felt like they were about to fail you. As Five looked into your eyes, you knew he was sincere, so you couldn’t help the heat rushing to your cheeks.

“All thanks to you.” You quickly smirked, trying to brush off the nervousness, “I mean... she could have picked any one of your siblings to provoke you, but I had the pleasure of spending three dreadful hours with her.” You sighed, folding your arms over your chest, “So, thank you for coming to my rescue.”

“Thank you for playing the damsel in distress.” Five teased you, playfully flicking your forehead as he picked up the pace, “If things don’t work out with dad, now we have a plan B.”

“Hey, don’t let it get to your head!” You quickly yelled, rushing to catch up to him, “I still am a trained assassin!”

“And how exactly did the Handler get her hands on you, then?” Five asked, brushing off the way you absentmindedly locked your arm with his in an attempt to slow him down.

“I was baking cookies.” You slightly shrugged with an innocent smile, “And Frank Sinatra came on the radio, so of course I blasted it through the kitchen.”

“How do you survive?” Five wondered, looking down at you with a small smile on his face, watching as your lips turned to a playful pout.

Yeah... it was definitely love he felt for you.

#tua #netflix #the umbrella academy #umbrella academy #the umbrella academy x reader #umbrella academy x reader #the umbrella academy imagine #umbrella academy imagines #five hargreeves #five hargreeves x reader #five hargreeves imagine #five hargreeves imagines #number five #number five x reader

849 notes · View notes

one-pissed-off-child · 3 years ago

Text

Only A Fool

I have been here for 300 years.

Anyway, here you go.

Phillipe didn’t listen to Camille.

He was tired, true (in this same moment, a thousand lifetimes away, he would have been much too tired and much too sullen to put up a fuss) and he had a long journey ahead of him. But Phillipe had given everything to this island. His years, his family’s funds, his dedication, and now he would give his children. He was owed, at least, a chance to see them for the first and last time.

So he went.

When his wife laid down to rest, still weary from the tribulations of birth, and when the old midwife stepped outside to fetch a bundle of calming herbs at the king’s behest, Phillipe went to see his daughters.

As he stepped into the hall, Phillipe came to the stark realization that he had no idea where the nursery was. In all the hours that they'd been here, Willa had not bothered to show him where the babes would be kept. Why would she? He was never meant to see them after all. They weren’t his to see.

But still, he searched undeterred, and eventually, he came across a room a few doors down from Camille’s birthing chamber, barred by an expertly crafted door engraved with three black roses. Beautiful flowers marked with the color of death. How symbolic.

Pushing into the room, Phillipe was reminded of the brief moment of calm that often comes within the eye of a storm. He felt himself relax as he took in the domesticity of it all.

Sunlight gently streamed in through the window, falling on three bassinets to the side of the room. He felt a small smile split his face as he approached the cradles. Seeing the small forms sleeping peacefully inside filled him with indescribable joy, he wished he knew their names. Phillipe’s smile morphed into a frown. He should know their names.

He started with the one cuddling the cloud pillow. Scooping her tiny form into his arms was a surreal experience. She barely weighed anything at all and staring down at her little face almost gave him the sensation of floating. It was often said that the queens retained no physical traits from their parents before them but he could see that this one had his jawline and ears. She would grow up to be beautiful.

Phillipe kissed her brow before settling her back into place.

The next one did not look much like him, although he could see a bit of Camille in the roundness of her face and himself in her strong nose. However, as he gently lifted the little girl out from underneath her horrid mobile, it quickly became clear the similarities between them lay in their personalities. He chuckled softly as she squirmed in his arms. His mother often told stories of how fitful Phillipe was as a child, even when asleep. His restlessness did not subside much as he grew older but rather worsened. All up until now in his manhood he had trouble keeping still. Phillipe suspected this child would be the same.

He pinched the tiny hand that slipped out of the swaddle and nearly cried when it latched around his fingers.

He tenderly set the second child down, careful to avoid disturbing -or touching- the dead reptiles, and turned his attention to the final cradle.

This last child was not like him in appearance nor mannerisms. She was so still that Phillipe almost feared for her health until he saw the healthy flush in her face. And she did not look like him at all but, he noted with no small amount of pride, she was almost the mirror image of Camille. Smallest out of the three by far, this one had to be the youngest.

Just as he kissed her cheek and prepared to set her down, big, black doll-like eyes suddenly fluttered open. He froze.

She didn't immediately start wailing like he assumed her to. In fact, she stared at him almost expectantly. As if she were waiting for him to do something. It almost felt like...a request.

To his credit, Phillipe did try to leave. Told himself to go before his traitorous thoughts could continue entertaining a notion that would likely get him killed. Yet still, even as his rational mind tried to reason with his body, he felt himself crumple to the floor. Those eyes that were so much like Camille's turned his legs to anchors.

There is a saying amongst the people of Fennbirn. At first glance, it seemed a strange one given this island’s seemingly unconditional adoration of their triplet queens. But the years taught him better.

Only a fool could love a queen

Then he truly must be the king of fools to have fallen in love with four of them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Camille shot up with a gasp. Cold sweat ran down her forehead in rivulets. She gripped the sheets like a lifeline. She felt like throwing up. Camille groaned at the intense pounding in her skull. She hadn’t been able to sleep properly since her...victory.

Sleep. How could she? How could she when the ghosts of her sisters screamed in her ear; when she saw their dead and dying faces every time she closed her eyes; when the memories of her early days returned to her and all she could think of is the sweet little girls in those memories and how she murdered them?

Camille shook herself. Now was not time for regret. It wouldn’t do much good for anyone either way; what’s done is done is done. She was so close to everything she had dreamed of for seven years.  She could start over; live the life she had always wanted from the beginning. All she had to do was walk away and never turn back.

Yet, when she searched for her dream's face, she did not see him.

A cold pit of dread formed in her stomach.

Camille called for him, hoping he had simply stepped out for air. No answer. The pit in her stomach grew larger.

She desperately wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps he just went to get some water or if not that then to get a better pillow or if not that then to use the chamber pot. One by one she checked the kitchen, each of the bedrooms, and the bathroom, and one by one they all were deemed empty.

Once it became evident that her husband was nowhere else in the house, Camille slowly made her way to the nursery. She pointedly ignored the bittersweet feelings that rose marked door summoned within her as she made her way into the room.

Inside, she found her husband, sitting on the ground and cradling one of the baby queens against his chest. Camille sighed heavily and approached the pair. She carded a hand through his auburn curls.

He looked up at her and- oh

He was crying.

Her love, soft-hearted though he may be, was not a well-known crier.

Pursing her lips, she carefully settled down next to him. "Come now, darling. Let us find Willa." But he was already shaking his head. He looked back at the child in his arms.

"I- I can't do this Camille. I'm sorry."

Camille's hand slipped from his hair to his shoulder as she dredged up every last ounce of patience her tired body possessed. "I know this is hard for you but it's simply how we do things here. I promise that once we get to the mainland-"

“Did you hold them? Did you even touch them?”

“Phillipe-”

“Take her, Camille.”

Camille did not take her. “You’ve known that this would happen for years. I’ve told you time and time again that you can’t get attached. This is why I told you not to go. ”

"I can't just leave my daughters-"

"They aren't your daughters," Camille said gently, "They belong to the island and the Goddess only."

Phillipe tensed. "So you truly believe that it's right for us to just sail away and go about our lives knowing what they'll be subjected to here? That it's right to just hand them over after everything these people have done to you?"

“It is my duty as queen”, Camille said mechanically. She wasn’t even sure if they were her words (they weren’t. Not really).

“They’ve taken so much from us. I hear the way you cry out for your sisters at night. I've seen the scars on your arms and back. The Arrons, the temple, this entire damned island, they have given you nothing, nothing but heartache and pain. And as thanks for your suffering, you'd give them our children to torture?"

"They are not our children!", She snapped, then softer, "Please, enough of this. You know the island won't let them go. We can have a real family on the mainland."

Phillipe just sadly shook his head again. "I can't be with someone who would abandon her own daughters to a life of misery. If you force me to choose between you and them- it's them. I'm sorry", and Camille's heart shattered.

He finally turned from the infant to her. "I don't want to choose, please don't make me choose." He took her hand and rested it on the child's -Katharine, she numbly recalled- head. "This is our family. Don't let the island tear it apart."

Everything Phillipe was saying went against the very person Camille had been taught to be. What the temple taught her of being a vessel for the Goddess on earth. What the Arrons taught her about succeeding no matter what. The things Phillipe was suggesting were blasphemous and damn near sacrilegious (but she had stopped praying a long time ago). To go along with it would be to burn down years of meticulous planning. To spit in the face of all the teachings Camille received.

She looked from Phillipe and his pleading eyes to Mirabella and Arsinoe, blissfully sleeping through the turmoil in the room, to little Katharine, whose eyes and nose looked so much like her own.

Queens never pass on physical traits

She was tired of following the rules.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Black Cottage was small, although it was not actually a cottage. Hidden away in the forest and surrounded by undergrowth, it was not an easy place to find, let alone reach. Few people were privy to the cottage’s exact location and every one except the queens were sworn to secrecy on pain of execution. This, of course, was to allow the Midwife to raise the ascending queens in peace as well as protect them in those few vulnerable years where they were not constantly guarded by a powerful foster family. The meticulous position now worked to their advantage as Queen and King rushed to secure the baby girls in the back of Willa’s old but sturdy wagon.

Phillipe tied down the wicker baskets that held his daughters with the rope they found in the kitchen while Camille shackled Willa's fastest horse, Sarin, to the front of the wagon.

Phillipe stopped suddenly. "Wait, should we bring nappies?"

Camille blinked. "What? You mean soil cloths?"

"Yes, who is going to change them?"

"I'd reckon you know more about these things than I do."

"But you're-"

She shot him a withering look. "I'm what? A woman?"

"Smarter than me", he finished.

Camille just rolled her eyes. "We can figure all that out once we're on the road. I'll go get the cloths." He nodded as Camille finished attending to the horses and turned back towards the house.

She stopped.

There in the meadow stood Willa. This was the first time Camille's seen her since the birthing. She had completely forgotten about her pseudo mother. Behind her, a small gasp indicated that Phillipe had similarly forgotten about the only other person in the house.

“Camille-”

“Get in the wagon.” She sucked in a breath and righted herself with a confidence she did not feel. “I will handle this.”

Still, Phillipe glanced between her and the old Midwife as though he expected Willa to summon a dagger out of thin air and bury it in Camille's eye. Knowing of the old woman's history as a poisoner, Camille could not even say his concern was unfounded. But he finally nodded once and got in the coach's seat.

She approached Willa with her head held high

Willa smiled as she drew near. "You were going to make off with my only wagon and best horse without even a goodbye? The gall of this generation."

Camille didn't know what to say. She stayed silent as she eyed the bag Willa had slung over her shoulder. Noticing the younger woman's tension, Willa's smile fell away.

"Relax girl. I'm not going to beat you to death with a rucksack." Her eyes hardened, "And I'm not going to try and stop you either."

Now Camille's silence was tinged with an air of shock.

"Those six years I spent raising the three of you were the happiest years of my life. I treasured every moment I spent watching you and Arden play in the river. Eating those horrible cookies that Nautica baked every winter," Willa raised one wrinkled hand to Camille's cheek. She didn't pull away. "You girls were the most important things in my life even after those black carriages came and took you away."

"I collected every piece of news about you three I could find. I celebrated every victory with you and every time I heard of Nautica's escapades with her multiple spouses or of Arden's ridiculous spars with the warriors from Bastian, I would think of our time here together."

"The pain I felt when I heard of their passing was the worst than anything I had ever experienced. I prayed I would not live long enough to feel it again."

Camille couldn't help it. Tears blurred her vision as she whispered, "I killed them."

Willa nodded. "You did."

"I remember their faces. I remember the river, the cookies, all of it." Camille shook as she wept, "And I killed them."

"And now-", Willa said as she wiped her tears, "You will ensure no little girls are forced to kill their sisters ever again."

"You failed your sisters and I failed the three of you. Do not fail your daughters." Camille nodded against Willa's hand.

Willa again smiled briefly.

“I’ll send for the houses in two hours. It will take one hour for the word to reach all of them and another three or so for the carriages to arrive. I suspect that should be just enough time for you to reach the landing. Provided you take the back roads of course.”

“I-yes. That should be enough.”

“Good. Now then,” She handed Camille the sack she had brought. Inside were blankets, soil cloths, medicinal herbs, clothes for infants, and a collection of peculiar items that she assumed were to the girls entertained. And quiet.

"Thank you", said Camille, and she meant it from the depths of her soul.

"A child needs not to thank her mother for doing a mother's duty." Then mother and daughter embraced for the last time. Camille stiffened as she pulled away.

“You’ll be-” executed. Brutally. Painfully.

The old crone just smiled. “I will be fine.” It was a lie.

The Midwife turned around and slowly made her way back into the house. Camille watched until her back disappeared behind the door before walking back to her husband and daughters.

To her family.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jonathan Blackburn is a family man at heart.

Whenever his sister needed help wrangling her massive brood of eight, Jonathan was there. Whenever his mother needed him to drive the cattle because one of the work hands fell sick, Jonathan was there. And when Phillipe came to him seven years ago and told him of his plans to go to the legendary island of Fennbirn and pursue one of their triplet queens well, what other choice did Jonathan have than to go with him?

You could start a family of your own you know, Phillipe had said.

And Jonathan replied, How could I trust myself to start a new one if I can't take care of the one I have now?

So, when his little brother arrived at the landing three hours early in an old wagon with his wife at his side and a slumbering newborn in his arms, Jonathan took one look at his pleading face and called for the captain to take to sea.

Not a word was passed between them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Goddess took being robbed of her new queens about as well as Camille expected her to.

Within thirty minutes of leaving Bernadine's Landing, a vicious storm descended upon the mighty Rapshire, and thus, the battle began.

If there was one silver lining in this whole debacle, it's that every man aboard this ship was a mainlander. Not one of them batted an eye when she and Phillipe carried the girls aboard.

But as it goes, if there's an upside then there's a downside. No matter how good of a crew these men were, they were simply no match for the ferocity of the typhoon. There were many times in her life when Camille wished to be an elemental but none more so than today.

Down in the underbelly, Camille listened to the stomping and shouting above her head as the men tried everything in their power to keep the ship afloat. Phillipe was up there too, shouting orders with the rest of them.

A particularly strong gust of wind threatened to capsize the ship altogether and the young mother desperately kept hold of her children while struggling to stay sitting upright. Camille winced as the wails of Arsinoe and Katharine rose to match the crashing of thunder.

The eldest of the baby queens simply laughed. Where Camille greened every time the boat was violently rocked by the waves, Mirabella shrieked in delight and flapped her little arms about as if she were the one bringing this storm down on their heads.

Camille huffed. Elementals.

Once again, the ship rocked so violently that it was everything Camille could do to keep a tight grip on the baskets. She felt something slip out of her pocket and clatter to the ground. She looked down at it and paled.

A vile of nightshade. Willa had pressed it into her hand during their embrace. Such a poison was much too weak to have any effect on Camille. There was no question of who it was for.

You will ensure no little girls are forced to kill their sisters ever again.

Somehow she managed to grasp the vile with a shaking hand. She swallowed as she considered the task before her. Killing two teenage girls whose faces she hardly remembered was difficult enough but three infants?

Yet, letting the Goddess sweep them back to the island would be just as damning. A small bit of nightshade is incomparable to the suffering that the Arrons would inflict on Arsinoe. And Mirabella, she would be forced to live through the deaths and haunting memories of her sisters as Camille is. She uncorked the vile.

Yes, this is the kinder fate. A death by nightshade would be quick and painless. At her young age, not even Arsinoe's poisoner gift could protect her from a toxin this deadly.

She only wished that she could have made their last moments as joyous for her two youngest as they were for Mirabella.

Slowly, she kissed each of the girls goodbye. The silence was deafening as she pressed the vile to Katharine's lips and made to tip it back.

Silence?

Camille snatched the nightshade away before a drop of liquid could spill over.

The cabin was suddenly still. There was no booming thunder overhead. No screaming wind that nearly knocked them clean over. She couldn't even hear the rain anymore. It was as if the storm had never happened at all.

Camille dared to let herself hope.

And when Phillipe rushed downstairs to practically slam his mouth into hers, she knew her dreams finally came true

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun on her skin was a blessing after being cooped up in that tiny cabin for what felt like hours. If the pleased cooing was anything to go by, it seemed Katharine agreed.

An arm wrapped around her waist and her husband and brother-in-law joined her at the bow of the ship. Each of them held her other two children.

Phillipe observed them with proud eyes. He stared down at his daughter in his arms as if she were the most perfect this in the world.

Phillipe looked at her again and she saw tears in his eyes for the second time in seven years.

"What are their names?"

Camille smiled through her own tears. "She-", Camille said, nodding to the babe in Phillipe's arms, "-is Mirabella. The eldest." The new father beamed.

She gestured to Jonathan. "She is Arsinoe. Middle child."

Jonothan grinned down at his wiggling niece. "Hello, little Arsinoe. I am your uncle Jon. I can already tell you're going to be as much of a handful as your father is."

"And this is Katharine. She is the youngest." Camille pressed a kiss to Katharine's head.

Phillipe repeated their names in order under his breath. Then louder and louder still until he was shouting at the top of his lungs.

"THEIR NAMES ARE MIRABELLA, ARSINOE, AND KATHARINE! I'M A FATHER!"

Jonathan whooped. "You heard him, gents! Hats off to the new parents!"

Camille laughed like she never had before as each and every man on board cheered and flung their hats into the ocean. Those that didn't have hats took the shirts off their backs and whipped them over their heads like madmen.

Distantly, the part of her that still thought of Fennbirn as home wondered what would happen to the island without its queens. Perhaps the people would learn to move on without them, even as their gifts faded. Or maybe the Goddess, in a fit of self-righteous anger, would turn her ire on the island that she’d birthed. Maybe she would command the seas to rise and swallow Fennbirn whole. Send a storm three times as terrible as the one she inflicted on Camille's family to wash everyone and everything away.

But as she watched her husband dance and cry and laugh and kiss their daughter all over her face, Camille found that she could not bring herself to care.

43 notes · View notes

supersilversleuth · 3 years ago

Text

To Kill, To Die, or, To Live by SuperSilverSpy

Fandoms:DCU, DCU (Comics), Batman - All Media Types

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Category: Gen

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Hurt Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson-centric, Dick Grayson Whump, Whump, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, I have used these tags so much lately, I could probably write them in my sleep, Hurt No Comfort, maybe? - Freeform, I don’t remember writing any comfort…, Hurt, Angst, Jason Todd is a good bro, usually, sometimes?, idk - Freeform, he wants to be a good bro in this fic, Possession, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Whumptober 2021, SuperSilverSpy, SilverGrayson

Summary:

Red Hood showed up in the Batcave after helping out with a quick op one night. Everyone seemed to be looking at him with distrust and suspicion, even though he’d just helped them out. Everyone except Dick, of course, who offered him a tight smile, but whose expression was otherwise unreadable.

Kill kill kill...Dick Grayson shall die...

“What? Why the oh so serious faces?” Jason’s voice drawled.

OR Jason wakes up one morning, and there’s a voice in his head screaming for the death of one Dick Grayson

No. 4 - TRUST FALL “Do you trust me?” | taken hostage | pushed

Published: 2021-10-04 Completed:2021-10-04 Words: 3091 Chapters: 3/3

Chapter One: To Kill

It happened out of the blue one day.

Jason woke in a cold sweat, but he didn’t immediately sit up in bed. In fact, he didn’t move at all. He just stared up at his ceiling, a single thought running through his head, a single emotion coursing through his veins.

Dick Grayson must die.

Distantly, a part of him felt appalled at the notion, but most of him was running with it. Anger clouded his mind but it was unlike any he’d ever felt before. It was different, colder somehow, not like the usual searing heat of pit madness.

He heard a new voice in his head spewing insults about the Golden Boy left and right. Some felt familiar, as if taken from Jason’s own mind. Most of them were new, and he did his best to ignore the most unsavory ones.

He didn’t actually hate Dickface, did he? N—

Jason sat up, and began preparing for the day ahead of him. Put bread in the toaster, remember the meetings he has with several of his informants— Dick Grayson deserves to die— now that didn’t sound right…what was he thinking about again? Put butter on the toast when it’s done, start eating, think about that case that’s been stumping him lately— take Nightwing hostage —what was that? He does have a pretty busy nightlife… Do the morning’s dishes, brush his teeth, get dressed. He had a drug ring to bust tonight, that’s right. Some scumbags needed a little visit from the esteemed crime lord Red Hood— kill them all— what? N—

Jason went through the rest of his day in a haze. He met with some informants, gave food to some people on the streets. He got everything done quickly and efficiently, he even managed to make time to buy groceries. With every interaction, he acted just like he normally would. His movements were comfortable, voice at just the right level to suit each situation. People seemed easily swayed by him, to do as he asked. And yet...he felt detached somehow, as if watching through someone else’s eyes—someone who acted exactly like him.

He couldn’t bring himself to do anything about it though, couldn’t open his mouth and say something out of character, or just talk to himself when no one was in sight. Distantly, a part of him felt alarmed, something was just off.

Still, he made it through the day just fine. Whatever had been bothering him earlier that morning seemed to fade, and he started to feel as if nothing had changed. And nothing had, right? He didn’t remember anything different between today and yesterday…

Night came, and the Red Hood went out to save the day, or at least crash some a**hats’ day, he wasn’t picky. Everything went to plan too, which made him elated. The bats could say all they wanted about him, but no one could deny his clear skill and competency.

Everything was going well, the drug traffickers were all passed out on the ground and Jason was getting ready to call the police, when it happened.

His thumb withdrew from the call button, burner phone slipping back into his pocket. His hands went instead to his guns, and he felt his body turning, moving towards the unconscious bodies of some of the worst that he’d taken down. Kill. Kill. Kill. Chanted that new voice in his head. Kill them all, they deserve it. Just like Dick Grayson.

What? N—No, that didn’t make sense. Why was—Why was his hand still moving? What was his finger doing on the trigger? Jason didn’t understand. I don’t want to kill them, he thought. He pushed against that voice, that—that presence in his head.

It pushed back .

Jason was left scrambling internally, as he watched his own arm lift and aim. A body lay on the ground, motionless where splashes of crimson decorated the floor.

Jason felt as if he’d been booted out of his own body, like his actions weren’t his to control anymore. He felt sick, but no bile would rise in his throat. No feeling would stir in his stomach. He didn’t understand.

Two bodies, on the ground, it was like he was seeing double, than triple, then several many more. He started to lose count. At one point, he noticed there was a knife in his hand, that his face was twisted in an expression of satisfaction. His hands were covered in blood, and so were his pants. He’d have a hard time washing that out, Jason realized distantly. Death here, death there, death death everywhere, said the voice in his head. He knew he was feeling things, actual emotions. But they didn’t really seem to be there . They were foreign, unfamiliar, not his own. Jason could think of all the synonyms he knew to describe just how out of place the anger and the bloodlust and the malicious satisfaction felt. How out of place he himself felt. Kicked out of his own mind, out of control of his own body.

Even with past experiences in mind control and mind-twisting pits of torture, this still was like nothing he had ever felt before.

—

Jason didn’t know what day it was, what was happening, he just couldn’t tell. He couldn’t seem to keep track . It had been like this ever since the massacre, since he’d fought and lost the battle in his own mind.

Kill kill kill...Dick Grayson shall die...

“What? Why the oh so serious faces?” Jason’s voice drawled.

“Those drug traffickers on Monday,” began the big bat himself. Jason’s hand waved as if to wipe it all away. “Lay off it, B. I promise it wasn’t me, alright? I left before whoever murdered them all showed up.” The Replacement was frowning at him, and the Demon brat was scowling his way as well. Bruce thinned his lips, looking at him in that insufferable judgmental way he had. Jason felt himself scoffing, “I don’t owe you fools anything. ”

Please, he thought, this isn’t me. Please, I know it sounds like me but I swear it isn’t. His body went straight for his motorcycle, hopping on and driving away with the squealing of tires.

There are TWO POSSIBLE ENDINGS, the first one is Major Character Death, the second is “everybody lives”

Read the next chapter for tragedy, read the chapter after that for somewhat happy ending

Chapter Two: To Die

“Hey Jay? You alright?”

The prey has fallen into the trap...

Jason felt his head swivel in Dick’s direction, “What are you doing here, Dickface?”

“I don’t know, you just seemed to be acting a little off yesterday. I was just wondering if—”

“I’m fine.” Jason’s voice growled. “And I didn’t kill those people. So there’s nothing for you to report back to ol’ daddy bats up there on his high horse.” Dick scowled briefly, but then his expression smoothed. “I’m not here to spy on you, Jay. And I know it wasn’t you who killed those people.” His brother looked at him steadily, right in the eyes. No! Dick, you have to get away from me, he wants to kill y —

“It wasn’t you,” continued Dick, “It was whatever's controlling you.”

For a moment, Jason panicked. But whoever it was in his head let up quite a bit, and Jason suddenly felt lighter than air. It was like the first taste of water after days in the desert. Like he could finally breathe after an eternity of going without.

“Wha—” Jason stumbled, knees feeling weak. Dick rushed forward, catching him as he fell. “No...N—No, Dick, you can’t be here. ‘m a killer, that thing in my head, it—it wants to—”

“Shh, it’s okay, I’m here.” His hand carded through Jason’s hair. “We’ll figure this out, okay? We’ll figure this out.”

“It��it seems to have left me.” Jason said, voice trembling in awe as he flexed his fingers. It’d been so long…

—

Dick smiled down at his brother.

“It’s okay, Jay.” He said, “It must’ve fled when it realized I knew it was there.”

“How…how did you know, anyways?” Jason asked.

“I just…I had a feeling. You were acting off, and that look in your eye…”

“Thanks, Dick,” his little brother replied, but then his voice changed, sounding almost…fearful? “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” He asked, straining his ears, “I don’t—”

There was a loud roar and the sound of large, stomping feet. Dick frantically looked around, noticing as shadows creeped in from underneath the door. The air was charged with magic, power flowing throughout the room.

“It’s back,” whispered Jason, clutching Dick’s arm, “we should run.”

“Yeah,” Dick said, as if in a daze, “let’s go.”

It seemed so surreal, the supernatural monsters bursting through the door. Dick wasn’t sure what surprised him so much about it, he dealt with this kind of thing every other day. It’s just…

“Dickie,” said Jason, pulling him towards the window. “Snap out of it, they’re gaining on us.”

He shook his head, looking back—and yeah, the strange magical creatures were right behind them.

Jason jumped through the window, Dick following closely behind. They fired their grappling guns, arriving on the roof opposite in what felt like the blink of an eye.

“Hurry,” said a voice and—oh, it was Jason. It was coming out of Jason’s mouth, right? It must be Jason’s. “We should go that way.”

Dick looked his little brother in the eyes, grounding himself there, before following Jason’s lead as they ran across rooftops.

Dick felt like he was doing everything underwater, but it was…nice. Pretty great actually. He barely even noticed the burn in his legs, or how the monsters chasing them had odd-looking shadows.

Each time he looked back, all he saw was claws and teeth. Masses of fur and strange golden markings.

They paused for breath a few blocks away.

Dick wondered at Jason’s plan. It felt like there was something he should be doing…“Jay? What should we do? Where do we go?”

“That thing in my head seemed afraid of tall places…”

“The—The Wayne Enterprises building.” Dick replied almost immediately.

“Of course,” said Jason, bumping him with his shoulder, “How about a race?”

Dick grinned back at him, “Sure, why not.”

Adrenaline flooded his veins, and for a moment, he almost forgot about the monsters chasing them.

Jason nodded to him, and then they took off, running and jumping, grappling all across the city, heading for the tallest building around. Dick pressed himself to go faster, run harder, jump stronger .

He could see Jason out of the corner of his eye, also going considerably fast.

Jason wasn’t the only one Dick noticed, he also spotted several of them on Jason’s tail. The monsters seemed to move just as fast as they did. He could only hope his little brother could go fast enough to outrun them.

Dick reached the WE building first, skidding to a stop on the roof. Jason arrived soon after.

The monsters gathered a roof away, preparing to jump.

“I—I don’t understand, I thought you said they wouldn't follow us up here.” Dick looked at Jason, searching for answers in his expression.

His little brother’s features were soft, his eyes glittered with something strange and otherworldly. His voice was smooth and heavy with something familiar… “It’s okay, I have a plan, but there’s no time. Dick, do you trust me?”

“Of course I trust you, Little Wing.”

Darkness creeped up along the edges of the building, sliding onto the roof. Claws scraped against the ground, glowing gold eyes began to surround them. There was a single opening, a small bit of edge that had nothing on it.

Jason smiled, grabbing Dick’s grapple gun. And then pushed him off the roof.

Dick Grayson fell over 1,000 feet to the ground, all the while believing his brother would catch him.

Above, on the roof of Wayne Tower, Jason Todd’s eyes flashed gold.

Chapter Three: To Live

“Hey Jay? You alright?”

The prey has fallen into the trap...

Jason felt his head swivel in Dick’s direction, “What are you doing here, Dickface?”

“I don’t know, you just seemed to be acting a little off yesterday. I was just wondering if—”

“It wasn’t you,” continued Dick, “It was whatever's controlling you.”

“Wha—” Jason stumbled, knees feeling weak. Dick rushed forward, catching him as he fell. “No...N—No, Dick, you can’t be here. ‘m a killer, that thing in my head, it—it wants to—”

“Shh, it’s okay, I’m here.” His hand carded through Jason’s hair. “This thing is here to test me Jay, I didn’t have a choice. I know you didn’t either, and I am so, so sorry for that Little Wing. We’ll figure this out, okay? We’ll figure this out.”

Jason opened his mouth to reply, when suddenly the presence was back, the voice along with it. Jason could feel his consciousness collapsing back, dissociating once again. He vaguely registered as one of his hidden daggers was swiftly drawn, and pressed harshly against Dick’s neck.

“Do you trust me?” asked Jason’s voice, a smirk spread across his face.

The question was meant to be mocking, but Dick answered seriously, “Of course, I know you’re still in there, Jay. I trust you.”

—

They stood on the roof of the WE building. Whoever was controlling Jason had used his strength to give Dick a good beating, and sent a picture of the aftermath to the bats. It was only a matter of time before they showed.

“One as special as Dick Grayson, must be able to trust at least one member of his family. Jason Todd is least likely to accept this trust, which makes my job so much easier. I look forward to his death,” said Jason’s voice while they waited.

Dick, all tied up, sporting a black eye and what were likely bruised ribs—grinned like a maniac. “I recognized your presence, didn’t I? I could tell there was something off with him, you nasty little f***er. You may think you chose your victim well, but you’re making a big mistake—Jay will pull through for me, and you will be torn away as if it were nothing.”

Wow, Dick just sounded so—so confident in Jason’s ability to do whatever it was he was supposed to do. Jason wasn’t sure he’d be able to overpower this thing, let alone destroy it.

“The rest of your so-called family will arrive any minute now, will you weep at their demise?”

Dick scowled, “The rules that you are bound to state that you can’t kill any of my loved ones before me.”

“I may not be able to kill them, but I’ve been doing this awhile, and I know all the loopholes to this little game.”

Behind them, the bats touched down on the roof. Jason felt himself turn to face them. It seemed that Bruce, Tim, Damian, and Steph all showed up for the party.

“Here to save your favorite Golden child?”

“What do you want?” Demanded Bruce, stoic as ever.

They never cared about you , none of them do. Hissed the voice in his head. Nobody trusts you

Nobody trusts you , Jason thought back at it, you murderous lying b****** .

It chuckled, ah, but it is not my face I’m wearing. It’s your's.

Outloud, Jason’s voice addressed the bats, “This is the price you pay for not trusting me, for letting Dick down. You didn’t even notice there was something different about him, did you? You didn’t even notice when Jason Todd was no longer Jason Todd.”

Bruce and Dick were the only ones who didn’t look confused at the words. Dick, because he seemed to know what was going on, and Bruce, because he was, well, Bruce. Batman’s face was as stoic as ever.

Jason felt his face twist into something surely ugly and murderous-looking.

Power surged through him, coming from seemingly nowhere. But Jason could feel it at his fingertips, being pushed into him and pulled out, he had no control over its course. The air around him became charged with magic, and then the bats were engulfed in a bright, golden light.

A moment later, Jason's eyes opened to find that all four of them were frozen in various positions and turned into a shiny golden color, standing still like statues.

The look of horror on Dick’s face hurt to look at, when Jason felt himself turn back to the man.

Quickly, Dick’s expression turned to that of anger, “What did you do to them?” he seethed. “Turn them back!”

“It’s too late, Dick Grayson. Once you are dead, your family will remain this way forever.”

Jason’s arms reached out, grabbing Dick and picking him up.

His feet took him to the edge of the roof, holding Dick out over the ground far, far below.

“J—Jay, listen to me, you can fight this. I know you can. You’re still in there, I believe in you.”

“Alright, that’s enough.” Jason watched as he dropped his brother over the edge.

Time seemed to stop.

No! He thought, pushing back as hard as he could against that malicious presence in his mind. Jason pictured Dick’s face, looking at him sincerely, a bead of blood forming where Jason’s own knife grazed his throat. “I trust you ,” he’d said.

Jason followed him over the edge before he even knew what he was doing. Shooting out his grapple instinctively, cutting through the air rapidly as he fell.

This is going to hurt , he thought, as he set himself on a collision course with Dick, but I think we’ll live.

7 notes · View notes

the-quiet-winds · 3 years ago

Text

The Gravity of Tempered Grace (part seven)

[part one] - [part two] - [part three] - [part four] - [part five] - [part six]

[Part 7: On the Weeds That Looked Like Daisies]

The Life and Times of Jane the Queen, Chapter 15 - The Issue of Royalty

“Jane had been in confinement at Henry’s request starting in September of 1537, her only company being the physicians and her ladies in waiting. She went into labor sometime in the evening hours of October 9th, 1537. The labor was long and painful for Jane, lasting for an additional three nights and two days as the baby was not well-positioned. Finally, at around two in the morning on October 12th, Crown Prince Edward VI was born, and Jane was elated. She had a child, her child, and it was a son. Her son would be the king of England one day, and she knew Henry would be just as excited as she.

With this son, Jane had power and security. She would be able to do or ask for anything, and Henry wouldn’t say no. She had done what Henry had been waiting for for years, and now he was indebted to her.”

“Henry, please, you don’t want to do this.”

He just grins, truly sadistically. “Of course I don’t want to, but you leave me no choice.”

Catherine steps forward. “He would never do it,” she says courageously, hoping to call his bluff. “He loves her too-”

She’s stopped rather abruptly by Jane crying out in pain and falling to her knees, clutching at her chest, as Henry squeezes the heart in his hands.

Kat and Anne drop to her side, trying to comfort her as she winces and grimaces and tries to breathe, while Cathy has to hold Anna back so she doesn’t strangle the former king.

With a laugh, he slackens his grip, and Jane gasps for air.

The whole thing feels quite surreal to Catherine, looking on as a bystander as her once-husband all but tortures her closest friend.

She suddenly feels incredibly lightheaded, all the insanity of the last few hours catching up to her at once, and she wants to throw up and pass out at the same time.

Steeling herself as much as she can, Catherine fixes Henry with a dagger-filled glare. “I don’t know what sick, twisted game you’re playing here, but you need to cut it out. This is Jane’s life we’re talking about.”

“Oh, Catherine,” he simpers, “still thinking you’re so brave and strong. But without this,” he holds Jane’s heart out tauntingly, “you’ll just lose. And this time, there is no second chance. Just death.”

Catherine knows she pales at that.

“You all are just going to have to watch while I kill her,” he concludes softly.

Suddenly and without warning, Kat lunges at him. Even if you were to ask her, she probably wouldn’t be able to tell you if she was grabbing at the heart or just trying to get him, but he overpowers her easily.

He shoves her to the ground, and is immediately attacked by a small, incredibly angry Anne Boleyn.

“Hands off my cousin!” She all by shrieks, throwing herself at Henry just as Kat had done.

And again, just like Kat, she is easily deflected and sent down to the ground.

“This is fun,” Henry chuckles. “I have to say that I really do enjoy this.”

It’s a twisted sort of standoff, except Henry holds all of the power. He has Jane’s heart, and as long as he has it, he’s in charge.

No one can risk what he would do with it if they were to try something all together.

Kat and Anne stumble to their feet, and it’s Jane, surprisingly, who steps out in front. “Henry, please, let’s stop this.”

“Don’t come closer,” he warns, and Jane’s feet root to the floor.

“Look, Henry, please, we don’t need to do this,” Jane says softly, patiently. For a moment, it’s almost as if they’re back in Hampton Court, just the two of them. “We can go anywhere, do anything you want to do. It’s all up to you.”

“Jane,” Catherine says, “what are you-”

“You were right,” Jane continues, as if Catherine never even spoke. “You’re the only one who loves me. Why don’t we leave?”

Henry looks taken aback. “Is this a trick?”

“No trick. Just you and me. Isn’t that what you wanted in the first place?”

“O-of course, but-”

“Then what are you waiting for? We can go right now. Leave all of this behind.” Testing her footing, Jane manages a step forward, taking Henry’s free hand in both of hers. “We can go have a life together. We can have children, we can live the life we never had.”

Henry looks beyond Jane’s shoulders to the other former queens, all in various states of shock and betrayal. “What about them?”

“Who cares?” Jane asks. “We have each other, isn’t that what matters here? Just give me my heart and-”

“No,” Henry says immediately, pulling back. “No, this is all just a play for the heart, and you won’t get it.”

“It isn’t,” Jane tries to soothe him. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. But what kind of life would that be if I didn’t have my heart? I wouldn’t be able to really, truly love you or our children. How is that fair?”

He contemplates this, and Jane takes his hand again. “You spent all that time telling me how proud you were of me, how you just wanted to help. Haven’t I earned your trust at this point?”

After an agonizingly long pause, he gives the tiniest nod of his head. “If this is a trick, so help me God I will-”

“It isn’t a trick,” Jane says quickly, trying to abate his nerves. “Please, just trust me.”

Henry takes Jane by the shoulder and, in one fluid movement, plunges her heart back into her chest.

Time, in the most impossible way, seems to freeze.

Then Jane gives a slight cry of pain and then a great gasp, like she had spent all this time underwater and just finally come up for air.

No one is quite sure what to expect, now that Jane is suddenly feeling all the things she’s been unable to feel since they were brought back to walk this ground again.

She looks back to the queens, and for a moment, they think maybe she did double-cross Henry, maybe it was just a ploy.

But she smirks, turns back to Henry, and throws her arms around him.

He returns the embrace immediately, and Jane can feel the chuckle low in his stomach.

“I can’t believe you didn’t trust me,” Jane says, pulling back from Henry slightly. “Did you really think I’d rather stay here with them than go be with you?”

“I guess I owe you an apology.” Henry kisses her cheek. “Shall we go?”

“Just let me go gather my things, then I’ll be back down.”

She hurries up the stairs after that, and Henry is left with the dumbfounded faces of the five other queens.

“What the fuck?” Kat whispers.

“There’s no way,” Cathy says. “There’s… there’s just no way.”

“Looks like old Janey is a more faithful wife than any of you bitches,” Henry laughs. He sobers immediately after, falsifying concern. “What about your little show? Will you replace Jane, just like I told her you all would?”

“You sick fuck,” Anne hisses. “You did this!”

Henry holds up his hands. “She has her heart back. This is all of her own volition. She chose me.”

“She wouldn’t have,” Catherine says faintly, more trying to convince herself than anyone else. “She wouldn’t just… abandon us like that.”

As if summoned, Jane slips back into the room, a duffle bag slung over her shoulder.

“Shall we?” Henry asks, offering his lady his arm.

Jane looks at the girls one last time, some of them on the verge of tears, and she looks impossibly indifferent.

She takes Henry’s arm. “We shall.”

“Jane, please,” Anna suddenly blurts out. “Don’t leave. We need you. We love you, Jane, for real.”

“Don’t lie,” Jane says coldly. “You just know that without me, you don’t have the complete set, which means you don’t have the show. Well guess what, we all have to move on eventually.”

“Is this really what you want?”

It’s Cathy now, sounding younger and more fragile than any of the girls had heard her be before. “Do you really want to go with him, despite everything?”

Jane meets Cathy’s eyes. “This is the best thing I can do.”

Before any follow-up questions can be asked, Jane pulls Henry out the door and into the night.

She doesn’t even have the decency to say goodbye.

#six the musical #six the musical fanfiction #jane seymour #catherine of aragon #catherine parr #katherine howard #anne boleyn #anne of cleves #julie writes #the gravity of tempered grace

7 notes · View notes

unmanageable-day · 4 years ago

Text

Come to me

PART 26.75 - next

masterlist / previous chapter: 26.5

Summary. After what happened in a relationship in the past, you found it difficult to trust someone with the gentleman image. ‘Gentleman’ seems like merely a concept and it was probably impossible for someone to be a genuine one. Now that you’re stuck with the number one gentleman at campus for a group project, how would you cope with the one and only Joshua Hong?

TAGLIST. @samemagicpoint @unravellyn @nonuuu @seventeeneration @skylions-den @wooziverse @infinitemoods @haoraecane @sunflowergyeomie @flower0930 @riashushu — [ send ask or dm if you’re interested to be added in the list! 🖤 ]

a/n: pls bear with me i'm on mobile apps when i post this. i cant think of more words for this chapter, and i'm actually not very satisfied with this but anyways :")

Joshua had been preparing himself if in the end, it was you and Seungcheol that were meant to be. But still, he still wished that he could earn a chance from you, now that you were willing to hear him out.

"Y/N, do you like Seungcheol?"

"Honestly it's hard to not to.." you said.

Joshua acknowledged that. He wouldn't argue about it. "But do you like him that way?"

You inhaled deeply. "I'm not very sure right now. Yeah, he's nice and all. But something feels.. I don't know, not in the right place?"

"I'm not going to ask you to choose between me or Seungcheol right now. I just.. I don't think it's fair, at least to me, that you rejecting me because of only my image. We barely know each other, Y/N. I don't know about you, but if you notice I have been trying to get to know you better each day. Meanwhile you always look uncomfortable with me, yet you never tell me. I really have no idea as I keep trying to figure out what I could have probably done and when and how things start going wrong. I must admit that I really like the days during our internship and you started to open up. I had my hopes high, you know.."

"You have good points there." You smiled at him. "Uh, how do I put it, about Seungcheol.. I just thought it would be much easier if it's him."

"Y/N, you know what? Seungcheol won't back off."

Obviously, you said internally. Otherwise he won't keep calling me, or asking me to go eating out or something. Two hours had passed since he called when Joshua just literally sat down and breathed for a minute in your living room. And your phone was bombarded by not only texts from Seungcheol but also from Mingyu, so you had to set your phone in utter silent mode.

A small oh slipped your mouth, not sure what to say again.

"I always feel like there's a big wall, with layers of doors between us, Y/N. It feels like, as I'm trying to walk around the wall looking for the entrance and trying to unlock the door, Seungcheol already has the access card to go through every door to your heart."

Your expression softened as he went on.

"Even so, Y/N, I said to you before too, right? I won't give up yet. I won't back off either. Unless the real issue is my personality, my traits or anything about the real Joshua Hong that you can't tolerate."

You stared at him, completely forgetting the melting ice cream in your cup.

"So please use this opportunity to see me as myself, and don't let what people say about me define me. I'm nothing like that. You are allowed to ask me anything you want to know, including my secrets. Then you can decide to genuinely hate me or to continue what we may have."

You took a deep breath. Never had you thought to actually share your stories and your past to one man who you had been trying to avoid. "Jisoo, when I look at you, all bad memories in my life come back."

That was something very unexpected coming out of your mouth. Joshua was speechless.

"I just made it weird, didn't I? Especially when you have nothing to do with me before college. It's like I'm an antagonist who hates the protagonist for no reason."

Joshua calmly shook his head. He was caught off guard. "Go on."

"I know it sounds bad, but that's really how I feel. At the same time, there were something about you that intrigued me."

"May I ask what kind of bad memories that you have?"

"You and your gentleman image. Kind, well-mannered, always smiling. Don't get me wrong, it is good that you have all that traits. But you are too perfect. You remind me of my dad—or ex-dad if I could call him like that. He was a man like you, a sweet gentleman. Any women would fall for him, of course including mom. But it turned out he wasn't any of that. He was a low person who two-timed my mom, and left the family with another woman. Or women maybe. Women who actually fell into that smooth trick because of his image." You cleared your throat. "Basically I already experienced the same thing with my exes. So.."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that." Joshua paused for a while, seemingly trying to find the right words. "Until this moment, I just want to be someone who you can lean on. I want you to know you can come to me anytime, especially when you have a hard time. I didn't know that I was the one who gave you hard time this whole time."

"Jisoo, it's not your fault. My mom and I, we just don't want the same thing happens again. She always told me to be extra cautious when it comes to boys. I don't want to experience those times again when I fully trusted one, and at the end of the day the genuine feelings were never there. I don't want to keep having that thoughts, that I'm afraid I will be left again. I'm not lucky with boys too. I only have a short list of ex-boyfriends but they were all the same—that typical sweet and gentle and everything but only on the outside."

Your eyes were fixated on the pitch black TV screen. Your hands were fidgeting and playing with the spoon, stirring the melting ice cream in your cup. "You see, there are some times when guys like Seungcheol being playful and flirty does look more trust worthy to me," you continued.

"I know. I heard you and him talking over the bonfire when we went camping. What he told you, his dream, his goals, and his insecurities, he doesn't tell it just to anyone. Because it's like standing naked and people can see all of you, your flaws, your imperfection, according to him. He must have trusted you. If I were you, I would trust him too. So, if your heart chooses him, I will respect your decision and I hope we can be good friends. I'm sure you will be happy with him. I know he will always stay by your side."

He knew he just said it with his own mouth, yet his own words wounded him. Clearing his throat, he faked a chuckle. "Look at the time, it's almost 9. I'm really glad we talk about this, Y/N, so why don't we wrap it up?"

You were flustered that you went speechless knowing he would let you choose Seungcheol. At this rate, when you knew you were not sure of yourself, the last thing you would want to happen is you making a decision without thinking further. Just one more push, you could end up choosing that other guy for real. But, would that be a right thing to do?

Joshua got up and you followed. He began to clean up the remaining food and put the ice cream pint back in to the fridge. In no time, he put on his shoes and was about to bid you a good bye.

"Hey, Jisoo, you know what? I, too, enjoyed the first weeks of our interns days," told you as he finished tying up his shoe laces. He stood up and smiled at you. "It felt surreal even for me to finally get used to be with you. When I thought I could trust you, then it happened. The sushi bar, and the rumor between you and Siyeon.."

"Oh my God, I know, I'm terribly sorry about that. I can promise you it won't happen again, and I swear there is nothing going on between me and Siyeon. I.. if I have to I will go down on my knees and apologize, Y/N. I—"

"Geez.. no, no. Sorry, I didn't mean to bring that up again. That's already in the past. I'm at fault too for holding on to what happened in the past for too long. You see, I'm kinda that holding grudge type."

You crossed your arms, your eyes were looking everywhere. The mood hanging in the air was suddenly awkward again. Your guest was supposed to leave but why did you even bring up another topic again?

"I really wish we can start again, Y/N," Joshua broke the silence.

"Yeah, me too."

Joshua nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Also, I owe you an apology for trying to kiss you that night, and one more for not showing up at the sushi bar."

"Accepted." A warm smile curved on your lips as you looked at him softly. "I think you owe me another apology."

"What is it?"

"That horror movie. Let's never watch one again."

#seventeen au #seventeen imagines #seventeen texts #seventeen scenarios #svt college au #svt imagines #seventeen x reader #seventeen joshua #joshua imagines #joshua x reader #seventeen scoups #scoups imagines #scoups x reader #post by yourblinkies

49 notes · View notes

p-artsypants · 4 years ago

Text

Integrity (Part 6)

Overwhelmed with her responsibilities, guilt, and drama, Marinette has an emotional breakdown in front of everyone, and even hands over her earrings in a moment of weakness. Only for a few seconds, but the damage was done. Adrien's pretty quick on the uptake like that.

Ao3 | FF.net

Thank you everyone for the wonderful reviews! Especially with the last chapter where I took a little creative license with Luka’s reaction. I felt like he had been so passive in every situation we had seen in the show, maybe this would be the point where he puts his foot down. Either way, I’m fortunate to have very kind and mature readers! Thank you!!

—

Returning to class, everything felt sort of surreal.

As Adrien and Marinette passed their classmates, instead of awkward smiles, they were greeted with hugs. But not quite in a friendly way. A hug that one would give another after they had been in a car accident, or some similar life-changing tragedy. They never said a word either, just a hug, and then they moved on.

However, it appeared that Lila never took the hint. She stayed completely delusional in the belief that the class was on her side.

In the classroom, she was fishing for attention. Marinette heard her asking around, “hey, do you want to hear about my vacation plans to Hawaii?” And, “oh during lunch I got a call from Jagged Stone! He heard about the whole thing and called to comfort me!”

No one took the bait. Not even a ‘maybe later’. Just cold hard silence.

By the time the school day came to an end, the classmates started to speak to each other, but it wasn’t ever anything more than school and homework related. Absolutely no gossip, nothing about media consumption, nothing.

It was almost as if all friendships had been reset to zero and everyone was reconsidering what they knew about each other.

Thankfully, Nino seemed pretty solid in his loyalty to Adrien. “Hey dude,” he asked softly after the last class of the day. In the silence of the room, he was still heard pretty clearly by everyone. “If you’re not going home, where are you staying right now?”

“Oh,” Adrien tried to keep his voice even quieter. “I’m actually staying with Marinette. Chat Noir thought she was safest.”

“Chat Noir said that? I wonder why?”

“He seems to have a good opinion of her.”

“We’ve talked.” Marinette clarified. “A few times. He’s stopped on my balcony during patrol and stuff.”

There was a scoff in the back of the room. “Really? He’s stopped by your house? You’re that chummy with Chat Noir?” Lila mocked.

Before Marinette could reply, the rest of the class groaned.

“Just shut up.” Alix barked back.

“Chat Noir had to protect Marinette while I was akumatized,” Nathaniel added. “It was on the Ladyblog too.”

“Oh, so now we’re taking all interviews on the Ladyblog as gospel?” Lila huffed, crossing her arms. “Hmm, sounds like favoritism to me.”

“Except Chat Noir corroborated Marinette’s story.” Alya added. “He praised her quick thinking. He’s mentioned her in high esteem a few times.”

“Fine. But did you ever ask Ladybug about our friendship?”

Alix moaned. “Are you still talking?”

Alya forged ahead. “No, I didn’t. But Adrien said this morning that Ladybug called you out in front of him.”

“Adrien and Marinette are both liars, and everything they say should be taken with a grain of salt.” Lila sneered.

Adrien clenched his fist, about to speak, but Marinette just stood from her seat. Calmly, she packed up her bag, and shouldered it. “If this is the hill you want to die on, be my guest. If there’s anything I’ve learned from our classmates, it's that if you call someone a liar, they’ll just think you’re jealous. So good luck with all that.”

Alya inhaled a quick breath, that Marinette ignored.

“You ready to go?” She asked Adrien.

“Absolutely.” He gathered his supplies and they rushed from the room.

Once outside, Adrien let out a sigh. “What a fatal last comment.”

“Ehh, I probably went too far. But I am still kind of salty about the whole thing. I’m ready to forgive and let my bitterness go, but I’d at least like an apology first.”

“I think they definitely owe you one.”

“Maybe I’ll get more on Monday. It felt like everyone was…kinda in shock all day.”

“No kidding.”

“Chloe surprised me. I’ve been…kind of hesitant to trust her again, but what she did for you today was really something.”

Adrien almost forgot he wasn’t supposed to know about Miracle Queen, since everyone in the city, including Alya, had been in a trance. There was no coverage of it anywhere. No one knew why the auxiliary heroes were all retired, and no one knew about the Miracle Box being taken. Thank God.

“I know Chloe’s a brat, but she’s…been getting better?”

Marinette shook her head, and spoke in code, since they were out in public. “She was. Honestly, I was really proud of her and how hard she was working to be a friend again. But…the reason I’m the guardian now, it’s kind of her fault. She was the akuma. But, she did it willingly. The big bad got a hold of the Jewelry Box and offered her the Comb if she worked with him. Him getting a hold of it was my mistake…but all the other friends were revealed because of her.” She paused for a moment. “I wonder why you weren’t summoned forward too, since you had the snake and all.”

“I was inside.” He clarified. “I saw the bees swarming out in the streets, so I stayed hunkered down in my room. I guess I didn’t realize at the time it was Chloe, but with bees and all...it makes sense.” He pursed his lips. “I didn’t notice Chloe acting much different. I wonder if her standing up for us was her trying to absolve herself.”

Marinette shrugged. “She’ll have to keep it up, I’m afraid. But I can’t give her the comb again. It’s just too dangerous.”

“It’s not your responsibility to fix people, Marinette. I know you want to, but Chloe is a damaged person. She will get better in time, but you gave her several chances. You can stop.”

Marinette let out a breath. “Yeah. You’re right. Thanks Adrien.”

“Anytime.”

Desperate for a change in topic as they reached the locker room, Marinette asked, “how’d it go with Kagami? You came back kinda late so I didn’t get the chance to ask.”

“Oh, it went good. Really good.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. She said she’s over me already. I suspect she’s lying...but we had a good talk. She’s on our side at least. She doesn’t believe I could molest anyone.”

“As she should.”

“She says she hopes to hang out with you again soon.”

“I wouldn’t mind but…I think it might be a little awkward for a while.”

“She said you’d say that too.” He laughed.

“Wow, she sure does have me pegged.”

Adrien wrestled his duffle out of his locker, slinging it over his shoulder.

“Is that everything you need?” Marinette asked. “Do you need me to get Ladybug to get anything else?”

“Nope,” he shrugged. “All of my earthly possessions are in here. At least, the things I can’t live without.”

“Do you need me to carry anything?”

“Nope, I got it.”

So they headed out, not running into any of their classmates. However, as they left the locker room, they could hear yelling coming from the second floor, where their class was.

“Well, it’s not an akuma.” Adrien said with a tiny smirk.

“Should we intervene?”

“No. I think we’ve had enough drama for the last two days.”

“Yeah…” Marinette breathed. “Speaking of drama…I spoke to Luka at lunch.”

“Oh? How’d that go?”

“Not good. Not good at all. He feels…like I wasted his time. He was upset.”

“Oh…”

“He thought that I was trying to get over you so that he and I could date, but that’s not exactly what happened. He thought his persistent pursuing me meant he was first in line to date me.”

Adrien winced. That’s kind of how Chat Noir had acted too. Boy, she would be pissed when she found out who he was. Maybe he shouldn’t tell her after all…

“So yeah, that’s how we left things. I’ve been kicked off the Kitty Section team indefinitely…”

“Oh Marinette…” Adrien cooed, resting a hand on her waist.

“Nope. Don’t talk to me like that, or I will cry.” She blinked rapidly. “I knew whatever I said would break his heart. But…I think if he had been gracious about it, I would have taken it harder. For him to react the way he did makes me feel like I dodged a bullet.”

“I know exactly how you feel. Trust me.” He tugged her close and gave her a little side squeeze.

The rest of the trip to the bakery was taken in silence as both teens were lost in their own thoughts. Both mulling over ‘what if’s of the future, and what was going to happen next.

Especially a very long conversation that had to happen.

At the bakery, Sabine greeted both of them with kisses to the cheeks. “Hello you two! How was school? Survive okay?”

“Survive is an apt word.” Marinette chuckled weakly. “Lila’s not going out without a fight.”

“Well, my offer still stands, if you need me to request a parent teacher conference, I will!”

“Thank you Mrs. Cheng,” Adrien stated, “but…my father threatened a lawsuit. If that doesn’t get her mother’s attention, I don’t know what will.”

“Oh my! She’s that bad? I just assumed it was rumors and gossip. A Lawsuit is quite serious!”

“Well, my father fired her yesterday after she left here. In order to save face, she accused me of sexual harassment.”

Sabine tutted. “That girl is a real piece of work. I’m sorry you’re both having to deal with this! Whatever you need, just ask!”

Adrien gave a weak smile. “Could I have an almond danish?”

Sabine laughed. “Oh sweetie, you didn’t need to ask.” She took one out of the case and handed it to him. “Now, I have to get back to work, but we can finish this conversation later. Adrien, Tom and I wake up very early, so we think it’s best if you stayed in Marinette’s room so we didn’t wake you up. You can behave yourselves, right?”

“Yes ma’am!” Adrien agreed a little too enthusiastically.

“Good, then scoot!” She shooed them out of the bakery.

“Are you okay with that, Marinette?” He asked. “Or are you afraid I’d sexually harass you in your sleep?”

“You touch me anyway I don’t approve, and you’ll be hanging from your ankles from the top of the Eiffel Tower.”

He snorted. “Noted!”

Adrien followed her silently upstairs into the apartment. Now that they were alone, he knew he had to tell her. He needed to say everything, so they could move forward and make a plan. As he took the steps up to her room, his hands began to sweat around the strap of his bag. Just do it. Just say it.

“You can set your bag here,” Marinette began. “The bathroom is across the hall from the living room, but you can keep your toothbrush here at my sink if you want. I’ll get some pillows and blankets—“

“I’m Chat Noir.”

He said it when she had her back turned, so he didn’t have to see her face. She continued to face away from him, her shoulders slowly tightening with anxiety, like a coil about to snap.

“I should have told you yesterday,” he continued, desperate to make sure she heard it all before she freaked out. “But you were so panicked with everything else, I just didn’t want to add to it. I didn’t want to hide from you, My Lady.”

She flinched, ducking her head slightly.

“I went home yesterday. My father greeted me at the door, and we talked about trust. He said he approved of you and I seeing each other, and he said he would remove Lila from my photoshoots. You know this. And then…he said he had something he wanted to trust me with.” He licked his lips, finding them unbearably dry. “He pressed some buttons on the painting of my mother, and this elevator lowered through the floor. At the bottom, there was this huge cavern I had never been in before. There was a bridge, and then a garden on the other side, and in a…it looked like a coffin, but I think it was a life support machine…my mother was there. She’s in a magical coma, from using the broken Peacock Miraculous. Dad revealed himself to be Hawkmoth, and he explained he wanted our Miraculous so he could use the ultimate power to wake her up.” He inhaled, his breath stuttering with faintly concealed sobs. “Then he asked me to help him. He had been using Lila as an akuma trigger, but since she was fired, he wanted me to take her place.”

“And what did you say?” Marinette’s voice was hollow and dull.

“I didn’t say anything. I was just in shock. He was crying and…I wanted to save my mother too. I know his method is wrong, and I can’t help but think the ultimate wish isn’t going to do what we want…”

“So Plagg stole the Miraculous while he was sleeping?”

“Yes. I thought about getting you, but I had to work quickly. I didn’t want to fight him. And after I gave them to you last night, I returned home, and he was waiting for me.”

“So he knows?”

“No. I had an alibi, but…he still drugged me and tore my room apart looking for them. I woke up at some point, disoriented and confused, and I attempted to fight him, that’s how I got my black eye.”

Finally, finally, Marinette turned around, showing the tear streaks running down her face. “I was so worried about you.” She whispered.

“Oh bugaboo…” He rushed to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into a strong and solid hug. “I’m sorry. I just couldn’t risk getting caught. That’s why I left.”

“I understand, you did the right thing.” Her fingers dove into his hair, scratching at his scalp in a calming way. “I’m so proud of you, kitty.”

“Thank you, my lady.” He squeezed her. “And I am most certainly not disappointed in you for what happened. I know it was an accident, and I’m here to help you. I was worried about you, because I love you. I love you so so much, Marinette.”

She croaked out a sob and nuzzled her face into his shoulder. “I’m so glad it’s you. I’m sorry I kept breaking your heart, but I’m so glad it’s you! It was always you, the boy I loved. The boy I kept turning you down for…I’ve always loved you.”

“And now you know how I feel isn’t a celebrity thing,” he chuckled.

“I didn’t doubt you for a second.” She clutched his shirt. “You said you loved me even more since you found out who I was. I trust you, Adrien. With my life.”

He pulled away enough to look down at her. “This was the final loose end I had to tie up. Telling you who I am.” He reached a hand up, tracing the shell of her ear with his thumb, and letting it trail down to her jaw. “Marinette, would you marry me?”

She snorted, “what?”

“Sorry, I skipped a step. Would you like to be my girlfriend?”

“Wait, I didn’t get to say yes to your proposal!”

He laughed, gathering her tightly and spinning her around. “I love you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng! One day, I’ll make you mine!”

“I’ll hold you to that,” she giggled, elated and bursting at the seams with love. “You’ll have to get it approved by my parents first.”

“Your parents!” He gasped. “We should tell them! They might not be okay with me sleeping in here if they know! And I don’t want to get on my in-laws' bad side!”

“Adrien.” Marinette snickered. “It’s okay. We’ll tell them at dinner. And…” She glanced down. “I was thinking about telling them my identity.”

“Oh?” There was no judgement or caution in his tone, just plum curiosity.

“It was Tikki’s idea. Now that Hawkmoth isn’t a threat, maybe revealing myself would clear the air, you know, because of unexplained absences?”

“In that case, can I tell them too?”

“Uh, sure…why?”

He rubbed his arm. “I want adults that I can come to if I need help. My father isn’t that for me. One day, I’ll probably tell him the truth, but…Not now. I’m too scared.”

“Alright Kitty, we’ll tell them tonight at dinner. After all, we have to get their permission to go to Tibet this weekend.”

He raised an eyebrow. “That soon?”

“Sure! We have to talk to the guardians about how to save your mom after all.”

His face melted from giddy to astonished, as he beheld her. “You…you want to save my mom?”

“Of course Kitty! You love her, don’t you? If she can be saved, we should at least try.”

He opened and closed his mouth, fighting for words of gratitude. ‘Thank you’ wasn’t strong enough. It didn’t mean enough. ‘I love you’ was starting to sound repetitive. Emotion seeped out of him, drenching his cheeks with tears of joy of being in love and being so loved in return. It was overwhelming, but so welcomed. He couldn’t hold it back anymore.

He kissed her roughly, thoroughly, solidly. Hands wrapped around her, grabbing, tugging, caressing, bringing her closer and closer, until he could be all consumed with her, her scent, her taste. Her everything.

He took her bottom lip between his, sucking and teasing with his teeth, while he coyly tugged on her belt loop.

Then suddenly, they were tumbling, as her leg hit the edge of the settee and she lost balance. She landed with a little ‘oof’ right on the cushion, as he braced himself above her.

Her impossibly blue eyes stared up into his, before she burst into giggles. “Whoops.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Kitty.”

“Good. Are you comfortable?”

“Yes? Why?”

“Because I’m not done with you yet,” and he returned to capture her lips again with an open mouthed kiss. He indulged for a moment, just before pulling away. “If that’s okay, My Lady?”

“Its alright, my Prince.”

His cheeks colored a little at the pet name. “I like that one.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah...” He finally closed the distance, his touch much more gentle, tender, and just savoring the moment.

“I love you.” He whispered between caresses. “I love you.”

“I love—“ she giggled as he cut her off over and over. “I love you! I love you!”

“Marinette! Adrien! Dinner’s ready!”

They pulled apart to look at each other before they started laughing all over again. “Did we just—?”

“Kiss for two hours?” Asked Plagg, with the dullest voice. “Yes. Yes you did.”

Tikki elbowed him. “Leave them alone Plagg. They’re in love!”

“Yeah,” said Adrien, sappily. “We’re in love...”

“Go to dinner!!”

#miraculous ladybug #ml #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #adrienette #ladybug #chat noir #fanfiction #integrity

97 notes · View notes

berri-hopefulspouse · 3 years ago

Text

Windblume Songs

Characters: Aether “Traveler” X Self-Insert Character (Ren), Paimon, Kaeya (Mentioned)

TW: ED Imp, General Weight Issues, Abandonment Issues

Summary: After both him and Albedo confessing during the Windblume Festival, Aether and Ren spend some time together to take some time for themselves...

Cough,,, this took too long, I started writing this right after the Windblume Festival and it’s....August now... cough. Anyway take.

Something about the air felt surreal. Like at any given moment, they would wake up- and everything that had occurred today would be nothing but a dream. Maybe it was the way their face was still wet with tears, ones Ren would occasionally wipe off into the crest of their arm. Maybe it was the way their other hand was intertwined with his. Maybe it was the way the wind even smelled sweet with flowers and freedom and feeling almost completely at ease. Surreal. Like none of this should be happening.

Everytime they tried to think about whether or not the scenario playing out before them was real...it was like their mind outright rejected it. Their traumatized, scarred heart, was so afraid of reality crashing in- that it refused to accept outright that this WAS the reality.

More tears fell from their cheeks.

“Ren?” A voice snaps them back out of their way-too-thoughtful stupor, “You’ve been quiet…”

“Huh? Oh...s-sorry, I’m fine.” They immediately dismissed, out of habit, however when the blonde turned to face them, and thus stopping their walking in its tracks, they took a moment to observe the blonde before them.

5’2”, with soft curly blonde hair that was still set in its typical braid, Aether could only put his opposing gloved hand that wasn’t still held tightly in theirs to their cheek, wiping the soft galactic shimmers off their cheeks.

“You’re crying.” He remarked, as if it wasn’t obvious enough.

“I-I’m sorry,” They said again, a sheepish grin on their face, “I just...I don’t believe this is real. That someone like you could even...tolerate someone like me, let alone…”

Aether rose an eyebrow at that, wiping a few more tears from the corners of their eyes as they had trailed off.

“Is it that unbelievable that I love you, Ren?” He asked, genuine curiosity in his tone with the smallest hint of teasing. Paimon, who had been behind the two for most of this time- thankfully quiet, Aether had noted to himself- finally spoke up with a cheeky little huff.

“That’s what Paimon’s been trying to tell them! But they don’t ever listen to Paimon!” She retorts, which earns her an embarrassed glare from the shorter half-adepti.

“I-It’s not! I just…” Ren stumbled for an excuse, shoulders bunching up as they tried to hide their face from him. Yet, none came, instead another outpour of tears, causing the traveler to bristle a bit with anxiety.

“H-hey, it’s okay, I’m just joking with you!” He quickly backtracked, “I mean- I know you struggle with a lot…Struggle with figuring out yourself, and struggle with keeping people close...”

“...It is a bit of a surprise…” They admitted, closing their eyes and steeling themselves before giving a soft sigh- deciding to try and let their walls down...just a bit, “You’re someone not from this world...someone who’s on a mission before going off to your next big quest...I didn’t think you’d get attached to someone like me. Someone who’s...afraid to lose more people. Someone who doesn’t want to get hurt again.”

“Yeah,” Aether nodded in agreement, “I didn’t...want to, honestly. But, I’m...glad I did, if it meant I get to be with you. I want to help you. Just like how you helped me stay here, in the present, rather than just focus on the future.”

“Aether…” Their voice was quiet, a bare whisper in comparison to their usual loud tone, “You don’t need to fix me. I just want you here with me, as you are. That’s enough for me.”

“I didn’t say you needed to be fixed. Or that you’re broken to begin with,” He remarked, earning him a light smack on the arm.

“Meanie!”

“Ow- Sorry!” He laughed a bit, Paimon slowly floating her way back beside Aether.

“Are you two done? Because Paimon’s hungry, and the Windblume Festival is still in full swing!” Crossing her arms, she glances to Aether, who sighs and nods.

“Yeah, let’s keep going…” He smiled over to Ren at that, “After that, I think I’ll let Kaeya babysit you for a while, Paimon.”

“Wh- HEY! Paimon’s not a child that needs to be babysitted! Babysat?...” Paimon’s protest died in her mouth as she fumbled with the right word to use, “Babysatted!”

“Wrong on all accounts,” Aether lightly poked fun at her, lightly jabbing her side, causing Paimon to squeal and bat at Aether’s face.

“Oh hush!! Language can be difficult sometimes!” She squeaked, face red from embarrassment. Aether burst into a fit of laughter, quickly taking off in a sprint to avoid Paimon’s assault. And as a result, dragging Ren with him- who after stumbling for a brief second, quickly matched his pace.

“Sorry Paimon!” Ren couldn’t help but laugh alongside him, “See you at Good Hunter’s!”

Paimon squealed in annoyance, quickly taking off after them and shouting an array of what she would consider “insults” towards both the traveler and his partner as they headed back to the latter’s hometown, Mondstadt.

Taking a couple breaths as the two had slowed to a stop at Mondstadt’s gate, Ren taking slow deeper breaths as they regained their will to stand. Aether only chuckled at them, giving a gentle pet to their head, “Sorry, I didn’t want to get bapped to death by Paimon.”

“It’s fine...I’m just-” They panted between their words, tone barely mumbled as a hiss between their sharper teeth, “-Out of shape. Severely out of shape.”

“You’d think after all the travelling you did with me, you’d be more in shape,” Aether teases, earning him a swift kick to the shin, “OW!”

“Don’t joke about that, jeez!!” They pouted, embarrassed as they turned their face away from him, wide-set ears downturned in discontentment. Aether chuckled sheepishly, holding his shin with one hand for a moment in an attempt to ease the pain before setting his foot back down and rubbing the back of his neck.

“Okay, okay, sorry. I won’t joke about it anymore,” Aether apologized, a hand then reaching just behind their little elf-like ears and giving a small scritch, “I forgot you can be a bit self-conscious about those kind’ve things.”

“Hmph,” Still pouty, they tried to look away from him, but the slight flush of their face gave them away easily, and within another few moments they leaned in further to his hand, a soft rumble of a purr rising from their throat.

Smiling to himself, the two stayed like that for a few moments, letting Ren relax a bit more until their eyes shut in a soft contentment, before opening again and giggling.

“Okay, okay, let’s go get food, I’m sure Paimon’s already waiting for us.” They responded, a hand reaching up to gently hold his once again. Their hand was warm, both from holding it earlier and from their natural body heat, and Aether couldn’t help but blush a bit to himself as well as he nodded in agreement, following Ren inside.

Heading over to Good Hunter’s, Aether went to go order the food for the three of them as Ren sat across from Paimon, who hovered in her chair impatiently, lightly bobbing her head from side to side in mild boredom. Ren couldn’t help but chuckle, a hand over their mouth to try and suppress the sound.

“What?”

“Nothing, I was just thinking about how well you and Aether get along.”

“Psh, as if!” Paimon pouts, still clearly fussed over the little dispute earlier, “He always calls Paimon emergency food and treats Paimon like a child!”

“Yet, you still follow him around, and still are willing to travel with him~!” Ren refutes, lightly twirling their finger idly in a circle to make a point, making a light pop sound with their lips, “Checkmate.”

Paimon gave a little huff, crossing her arms as she looked away from the brunette, seemingly not having a rebuttal to their claims.

Ren bursts into a small fit of catatonic laughter, trying to quiet themselves somewhat with a shaky hand over their mouth but to very little avail. Paimon couldn’t help but notice, when she looked away, Aether was staring over towards them- a simple soft smile on his face as he was waiting for Sara to finish preparing their drinks at the very least. Paimon couldn’t help but relax at that, knowing Aether was happy, and chuckled as well alongside the brunette- however for a different reason altogether.

Settling back down after a couple of moments, Ren rubs the mirthful tears from their eyes as Aether walked back over- a small armful of drinks in tow, “I told Sara to let me handle giving you guys your drinks, so she could focus on the food.”

“That’s quite sweet of you!” Paimon pointed out as Aether slotted himself into the chair between Paimon and Ren, “Paimon noticed you’ve been really happy lately!”

“What gave you that idea?” Aether joked, knowing full well the two knew why, however Ren simply gave a confused tilt of the head, opting to just listen to the two banter as usual.

“Hmm, well, it just seems like ever since you and Soren had sorted your situation out, you’ve just seemed to brighten up! Paimon noticed how you smiled at them a lot more than usual, and your willingness to help those around you has gotten much more... proactive.” Paimon tried to explain, somewhat fumbling over her words, ending up sputtering as Aether simply put the cup to her mouth and tilted it towards her- causing her drink to start spilling into her mouth as she spoke. It earned a chuckle from Ren, as she bapped at the glass until Aether set it back down- a cheeky amused grin never leaving his features.

“Did you ask Paimon that just to do that?!” She exclaimed as she regained her composure from the surprise, “That’s mean!”

“It’s called a prank, Paimon,” Aether lightly teased, before whispering quietly, “Besides, you were saying too much.”

“But it’s the truth! Paimon knew you were harboring feelings before, but now after that whole mess, it seems like you’re ready to take on anything!”

Aether chuckled sheepishly, a blush having started to break his mischievous composure from before, “C’mon, I’m sure I’m not acting that different from how I normally do.”

Ren hummed in thought, ears lightly twitching as they considered the light bickering and banter between the two, before adding in their own two-cents.

“Well, sure, you’re not acting much different,” They piped up, “But your energy is notably shifted. Like you're no longer as distant from the current state of things… like you're actually emotionally present, for once.”

“Huh?” Aether tilted his head, a bit confused as to Ren’s sudden explanation, to which they further clarified.

“Your body language changes depending on your current psychological state of mind, and your overall well-being. If you’re in a decent mood, you stand as you normally would. Sad, and it’ll show. It takes much practice to hide emotions to the point your body language doesn’t give you away, but even so, someone like me can read how you feel pretty easily... I just haven’t before until now.”

Aether and Paimon sat in silence for a few moments, processing what they said and furthermore what in the actual hell any of that actually meant. Ren flustered up, ears twitching once more as they laughed almost nervously.

“Did I forget to mention I’m an empath? It’s a type of person who’s exceptionally good at reading other peoples feelings, and feeling them themselves. It derives from the word empathy,” They sheepishly explained further, “I’ve been able to read people’s emotions for as long as I can remember… which, isn’t much, but I was probably able to do it before I woke up in Mondstadt as well. I just hadn’t before because I feel it’s usually intrusive to do so. So I repress doing so, unless I feel like others are in need of help.”

“How do you repress something like that?” Aether asked, not in disbelief but rather out of curiosity, resting his cheek into the palm of his hand as he looked to them, and they knew he had to be listening quite closely. They turned even more flustered out of shyness.

“I-it’s something I’ve learned overtime...if I had my abilities on all the time, I’d go crazy. It’s more about training yourself to focus inward, and focus on yourself, rather than those around you. Sometimes I slip up, especially when I’m tired or in a bad mood, but I never read you before, Aether.” They turned to him as they spoke his name, and smiled, “...But you’re calming. Calm, mixing with joy and...and…” They stuttered, unable to say the word they knew was on the tip of their tongue. Aether only giggled as they shyly hid their face in their hands, a soft little shy whine drawing from the back of their throat. He could only reassuringly pet their head, and shake his own head.

“Don’t worry, I know. Still, that’s...an amazing ability to have.” Aether simply responded, “I’m glad you told us.”

“I kind’ve….Kind’ve forgot to tell you both… we were so busy, it must’ve slipped my mind. It’s why I’m so invested in other people’s well being.” They mumbled between their fingers, eventually looking back to meet Aether’s calming yet deep gaze into their anxious dark brown eyes.

“Looking back, it makes sense...you always knew just when to step in and force us to either rest, or to take a breather to keep us from overexerting ourselves.” Aether noted, recalling all the times they helped out in what he thought were smaller ways- but were in actuality just as important as their abilities to fight and deduction skills, “You’re really talented…”

“I wouldn’t say that… You had to teach me how to fight and such, I’m not that talented.” They spoke down upon themselves again, brushing the bangs out of their eyes. Aether gave a bit of a pout, raising an eyebrow doubtfully at their statement.

“Ren, before we met you knew how to sing, how to dance, how to draw- to the point you had made it your job. And now you just mentioned that you had this ability to read others emotions. Not to mention,” Aether cheekily held up the poem they had written for him, and watched the tips of their ears flush in a galactic blush, “You can write exceptionally well. You’re amazing, Ren.”

Ren remained quiet, though they were clearly starting to smile, he could see it in their eyes. Letting their hands fall, sure enough, there was a sharp-toothed grin on their face.

“I-I…” Eventually they tried to speak, “...Thank you.”

That got Aether to chuckle again, a hand reaching down to gently scratch behind their ears once more, “There we go, that’s better.”

Still, he was surprised to find the brunette lightly yanking his chair closer to them, and hug the blonde tightly. He hesitated for a split second, before returning the gesture wholeheartedly.

“No, really...thank you. I-I know I probably make things difficult sometimes, but hearing that from you just...means so much...It lets me know I’m doing something right.” They mumbled into his shirt, cheek pressed into his chest, “I just...I...you mean a lot to me.”

Aether paused for a second. Did it sound like they were about to say something else, or was it just him?

Still, before he would ask, Sara approached with food, coughing nervously to herself to get the trio’s attention. Sighing to himself, he watched as Ren jumped back a few feet with a nervous squeak, falling off the chair in the process. He guessed he would ask later on, after having dinner of course, so he smiled and thanked Sara for her effort, picking almost nervously at his food as Paimon began to eat, trying not to clearly laugh.

═ ═ ═ ╰☆╮ ═ ═ ═

Later on that evening, after Aether had passed off Paimon to a very peeved Cavalry Captain, him alongside Ren were walking just around Mondstadt, taking in the cheer of the environment. Various forms of music played in the streets as many sorts of bards who called the city their home sang various tales from their lives, sung of the god Barbatos, Sung of the tale of the windfaring dragon. Hands intertwined, Ren hummed along to the songs as they passed by, seemingly calm in the city. Part of him was glad they were so calm in such a busy environment, as when they were in Liyue- during the time of the lantern rite as a matter of fact- he recalled they mentioned feeling overwhelmed with all the pretty lights and music and people. In a way, it showed that Mondstadt truly was their home.

It was starting to get rather late, the sun barely shimmering still in a pale pink and orange sky. Thankfully, it was another gorgeous evening in Mondstadt. The Windblume Ceremony would be tomorrow night, a signal to the end of the festivities. As it turned out, Aether had been chosen to pick the flower to represent Mondstadt in this year’s celebration- although he still held the question in the back of his mind...truly, what WAS a Windblume flower?

But, for the time being, he didn’t need to think about it, he supposed. Mostly because, for the time being, Aether’s focus was on Ren, and the way the sunset had framed their face in a soft reddish orange glow. Their eyes were-quite literally- sparkling, no longer worried about their own struggles or concerns, but simply enjoying the feeling in the air of the festival. They turned to look at Aether, and he flustered up a bit.

“Isn’t the Windblume Festival just so much fun? It has such a better energy than the lantern rite in Liyue!” They spoke with conviction, letting go of his hand only for a brief moment to do a small sprint forward with an excited twirl and a cat-like chirp of joy. Aether only watched their movements with a small smile on his face, honestly only half paying attention to what they said. It had to be the first time since he first met them that he’s seen them this...legitimately happy.

“Yeah, sure is...beautiful.” Aether said, though more-so to himself than to the twirling brunette, watching their sash twirl with them. Mostly because, in fact, he wasn’t talking about the Windblume Festival… he was talking about them, having fun for once without a care in the world. Beautiful.

For a long time, before he finally shoved past his fears and confessed to them, he had shoved these thoughts down into the deepest areas of his subconscious, not wanting to think of things like personal relationships or anything of the sort. Not when Lumine had told him to leave Teyvat, not when he still had to find his dear sister.

Yet, like pandora’s box, it seemed those thoughts were resurfacing now, watching them goof off and twirl and spin and-

“Ren, be careful!” Aether snapped out of his thoughts quick enough to speak, however he could only watch them lose their footing and land into the water of the fountain that surrounded Barbatos’s statue.

Rather than be upset though, naturally the hydro equipped adepti simply started cackling, not bothering to try and get back up for a few good moments while they rode the high of their positive energy. It was infectious, and sure enough a moment later Aether couldn’t help but to shake his head and laugh as well. He couldn’t help it, despite everything they could be so bright sometimes- and despite what they had faced, they still chose to smile and help others. It was admirable.

“Here, take my hand,” He walked over to where they sat, offering a hand to them. He watched water droplets quietly circle around their head- a habit they tended to do when they were in the water as a result of their vision. Smiling, they took his hand, although that smile quickly fell into an open mouthed gasp as he pulled them up and into his chest. And for that moment, time stilled.

“Hey, Soren,” His voice was quiet, tender, and considerate, “...Do you remember when we first met? It was in this same plaza, and you were humming the song the bard’s playing right now.”

As he spoke, they felt a slightly harsher, but still intending to be gentle wind along their back as Aether gently ran his hand up more towards their shoulder blades, using a small bit of his anemo abilities as he did so to dry them off from their spill into the fountain only moments prior.

“I remember, yeah,” They responded after a moment of trying to find the willpower to actually speak again, “It was right after your first encounter with Dvalin...and before we became teammates.”

“Mhm,” He couldn’t help but chuckle as he felt them shudder a bit from the cold bite of wind along their neck, “Sorry, your clothes can be pretty thick.”

That at least got a giggle out of them, bangs fluffing out of their face and making a bit of a frizzy mess as it dried at the elemental magic, delicate hands that wielded a sword gently combing through the dark brown locks. Hearing a soft sigh, Aether only chuckled even more at their reaction.

“I remember that I inspired you.” Aether continued after a brief moment, “How you always wanted to be an adventurer yourself, but was...too scared to. But seeing someone like me, someone who was completely new to Mondstadt and this world, manage to scare off a dragon back to his lair… It inspired you to at least try.”

Ren couldn’t help but blush and let out an embarrassed little snort.

“Yes, and then I nearly got myself killed trying to take out one of the hillichurl camps.” They grumbled quietly, clearly sheepish about the event.

“Still, when I came to help out and ended up hurt… It was the moment you got your Vision, wasn’t it? Finding your will to fight again and make things right, after your actions had gotten someone else harmed.” As the gentle breeze of anemo faded from his fingertips, they looked away flustered.

“I mean, yeah, I suppose...It just hurt my heart to see someone else hurt because of my actions.” They mumbled, “I didn’t even think of what I had to do, I just...Put it on and went for it, I had to get them off of you.”

“You were really happy at being able to protect me, you actually started laughing and dancing not too long after that battle ended.” Aether pointed out, watching their face turn further shades of blues and purples from embarrassment.

“I had really hoped you forgotten that...I probably looked really dumb,” They muttered, trying to cover their face with one hand, only for Aether to gently grab it, a thumb rubbing gentle circles across their knuckles.

“I didn’t...but I know you definitely didn’t look stupid then. Part of me wanting to see how well you could do...well...other dances,” Aether started to fluster over his words, his somber facade cracking into a more goofy, awkward, yet very sincere one, “...I guess what I mean to say is, I wasn’t able to ask then but uh...better late than never, right? So, ah…” He cleared his throat into his opposing hand, before awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, unable to meet their eyes in his own slight embarrassment.

“Little Dreamer, would you care for a dance?” He’d have to thank Xinqiu and Venti for the line later…

Ren could only blink in response to that for a few moments, fumbling over their tongue for the words to speak, and eventually stuttering out a simple little, “S-Sure…”

And just like that, time had started to move, once again.

═ ═ ═ ╰☆╮ ═ ═ ═

Letting go of their hand for a brief moment, the traveler in question had simply turned to slip off his gloves, tucking them into one of the many pockets in his oversized pants. After a moment of contemplation, staring blankly at his hands for a few moments, he offered it to them with a small, shy smile.

“Shall we?” He chuckled as he spoke, watching with twitching and flittering ears as Ren had put their hand in his, the sound of the lyre nearby only seeming to grow louder as the world began to grow just more quiet. When Aether took a glance around however, he found it wasn’t a trick of his mind- while the little plaza that sat before the church of Barbatos was mainly empty- there were of course a few fortunate souls who took notice to the display, falling quiet and watching. Not to mention, the bard in question only smirked, seeming to play louder. He’ll have to make another note to pay the bard a decent tip later, although it didn’t prevent his face from turning an embarrassing shade of pink.

However, seeing Ren’s expression still frozen in shock and flusteredness, Aether hummed quietly and put his other hand on their cheek, lightly scratching behind their ear.

“It’s alright, relax. It’s just me,” He tried to calm them down, only to hear them chuckle shyly.

“You do not understand how little that helps in this,” They respond, their face a delightful shade of blues and purples.

Chuckling as well, he moved his hand from their cheek slowly down to their shoulder….down their arm, and to their waist. Ren couldn’t help but notice at the moment, the varying degree of scars that littered his hand- his somewhat calloused fingers from each battle and the little paler lines that jagged across them...and they knew that he lived a life so much more dangerous than he did now.

“Just dance how you normally would,” He spoke of reassurance, and to that they opened their mouth to say something...only to close it again seconds after with a small nod. Truth be told, they were...a bit shy about their dancing, but they wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to dance with him due to their fears and anxieties.

They fell silent after that, looking down a bit sheepishly and stepping slightly closer to Aether. Raising an eyebrow at that, he couldn’t help but chuckle even more at their shyness as the hand that held theirs adjusted slightly. The hand at their waist tightened, just a bit, comfortingly. He wouldn’t let them go- not again. Not when he almost lost them several times now in several aspects.

So, slowly, taking the initiative, he began to move- carefully and elegantly. One step to the side turned to another, Ren following each movement almost naturally. Hands entwined, that felt like they were meant for this purpose alone- to be held by the other. One step, two step, three, he felt their shoulders relax a bit, their other hand loosely draped over his shoulder. Tightened, tense and nervous tanned fingers slowly loosened, as with each beat of their heart and the strum of the lyre melted away their anxieties. Right here, at this moment, nothing else mattered.

The only thing that mattered was the warmth of his hands, the warmth of his breath- which they could feel ever so slightly brush against their face as they pressed just a bit closer to him- feeling their chest brush against his stomach.

Ren couldn’t help it, a smile started to escape their anxious features, letting the music slowly seep through the fear and worries that plagued their heart, and delve deep into the features of their soul. When nothing else was there for them- music truly was. It was the one thing they cherished in this world more than life itself. People could abandon them, people could leave, and yet music was always there waiting for them in times of sadness, or right now...in times of joy.

Slowly, their steps started to deviate, a slight bit. A bit more graceful, a bit more elegant, more relaxed and calm and at peace with everything in the world. Yet, more complicated- Aether had to focus to keep up with their movements- lest he trip.

Aether could feel it too, the way the whole world started to fall apart around him- how everything else in the background had faded to nothing else but white noise all except for himself, and the tiny little nonbinary before him. The little hydro being with literal stars in their eyes and glitter radiating from their hair at each movement, with dewdrops starting to lightly dance around their face as they were losing themselves in the calmness of the music. All there was, was himself, and them. Nothing else- no one else- mattered for the time being.

The more they relaxed, the more confident the two became in their movements. Uncertain steps of hesitation turned to confident strides, gliding across the concrete like it was made specifically to keep up with their movements. Just as quickly, the two fell into sync. Letting go of their waist at the perfect time as they gave a gentle twirl, never letting go of his hand and twirling away- then back towards him. Him, gently scooping them upwards into his arms to twirl them around, the braid of his hair starting to get messy in the flurry of movement and wind and peace. Yet, it was all so perfect. With every few steps, the two would step on the other’s foot, or his hand would slip a bit and accidentally grab at their hip, or he would almost be sent tumbling into the concrete- yet, it felt so fluid and simple and perfect. Simply perfect. Something that matched the both of them, he would even argue.

Never letting go of the other’s hand, the two danced in a way that almost seemed like their souls were connected. Even if the one fumbled, the other made it seem intentional, and vice versa. Hands would trail between brushing away strands of hair, to gliding down the other’s body, gently grabbing at clothes and dramatic gestures that made them both smile. The music got louder still, but not in an overwhelming way...in fact, in a way that swallowed them both whole. Ren’s heart started to race, energy surging through them with a mix of overexcitement and pure joy. Their movements starting to get even more complicated, making Aether struggle to keep up if not slightly. He never had to really learn these particular dance moves- so where did they learn them from? Was there something they couldn’t do?

Once again, they twirled, this time taking the blonde with them- him quickly gripping their waist to prevent either of them from falling as their hair whirled around them- catching in their face and then being swept away again in the wind as they kept twirling, twirling, twirling. He felt the band in his braid start to come loose, and eventually fly off with the force of gravity working against him- blonde strands starting to go into a chaotic cacophony of giggling and laughter as Aether could only scoop them back up, taking control of the whirls and twirls in both of their steps to keep them both from tumbling back into the fountain once again in their flurry of dancing. As if, if they didn’t keep moving, the world would collapse around them, and reality would come crashing back in once again. Aether couldn’t help but lightly toss them up, a surge of anemo accompanying it to send Ren flying up- and following his feeling, Ren elegantly twirled up into the sky, sending specks of water into the sky that caught the sun perfectly to light the plaza in a warm rainbow light of dew dropped light. Falling back to the ground, Aether easily caught them in his arms, continuing to twirl as the dewdrops followed them down, lightly raining themselves and the clearing in a gentle mist. Aether couldn’t help but laugh, them following suit as their air grew slightly damp, as they kept twirling to the song, Aether’s hands clasped to their form to keep them steady as their cheek nuzzled into his neck, his frizzy messy hair almost akin to wings that shielded them from the world.

The music had started to slow, and with it, their movements- Aether setting Ren back down after a few moments as they pressed themselves straight to his body. The curtain of hair settled, revealing the two back to the rest of the world, although it definitely couldn’t be said that he looked as graceful as he did a bit ago with his hair starting to curl at the ends- strands frizzing up from the new humidity of the plaza. Following their slowing movements, Aether couldn’t help but lightly rest his head atop of theirs, cradling them to him as their feet moved slowly to the rhythm of the lyre that slowly ebbed away, until the plaza was quiet once again… leaving just them, in revire and a happy afterglow that could only be accomplished from feeling their souls truly connect on a level far beyond the mortal concept of love.

There were a few whispers amongst the small crowd that had gathered in the time; as well as the cheers of a very happy Paimon, but all Aether could hear was the ragged breath of his partner, a little worn from the burst of energy that had made their body act against its own accord only moments before. Blonde strands of hair fell in his face as he looked back down to them, brushing some dark hair from their face.

“I love you,” It was something softly spoken, words he had previously only reserved for his sister. But now, he had even more reason to say them. His breath was equally hastened, catching puffs of breath after the excitement and adrenaline. Ren looked back up to him in response, a smile on their face and sparkles in their eyes as they responded.

“...I love you too, Aether.” And a gentle kiss of reassurance placed on his mouth sent the crowd- and Paimon- into rapturous applause.

Windblume, afterall, was a time of love. Even for the Honorary Knight, and for the lost Dreamer of the Realms. If even those two could find love within each other; certainly there was always hope that love was truly out there- wasn’t there?

Even then, that didn’t matter in the end- at the end of the day; Aether had Ren. And Ren now had him. And for that perfect moment in time, that was all that ever truly mattered. Their perfect little Windblume Dance….and their perfect Windblume song.

#[ Ren Rambles ]#[ Storytime! ]#[ Stormy Winds ]#I finished this yesterday during the blackout #Anyway taketh

4 notes · View notes

quirklessidiot · 4 years ago

Text

HAPPY 900!

I swear to everyone who follows me, y'all are something else i barely update or even hang around here and even accept requests because of time constraint but since i’ve reached a huge milestone?? Like that's so surreal??? i’m just gifting yall with this because you all are just the best, so yeah just pick out a random prompt below, a genre (you could even specifically write friend to lovers or lovers to exes etc), then your favorite character from jjk,haikyuu, balance;unlimited, and bnha (ex. 12 + fluff + todoroki)

All posts will be tagged with #happy900kithkith bcos why not, if you wanna see through it just search through my blog with that hashtag and if ya wanna block it feel free to do so omg haha. anyways Ily all again and thank u so much *bows down profusely*, also all prompts listed below are not mine! I think there's only one f!reader here but the rest of the statements are gn uwu

and to all my mutuals??? like im shy to tag but thank you so much??? yall r the releast!!! i barely interact with them since college has me rammed but thanks for checking up on me when im around the site <3 @kepchups @legendaryoikawa @paripedia @aomineavenue @oikaw-ugh @applepienation

prompts are listed below!

PROMPTS:

“This takes finesse and focus, none of which you have.”

“Everything about this screams recipe for disaster”

“Just pretend to be my date.”

“He/she did it” “No, he/she did.”

“It’s not a double date, we’re just third wheeling and fourth wheeling.”

“I think I’m in love with you and I’m terrified.”

“Look, i know we don't know each other very well but I’m still worried about you. No one deserves to be alone.”

“Is that the best you can do?”

“Here, let me show you how.”

“By the gods, you love her/him, don’t you?”

“Love is overrated.”

“I love you.” “Liar.”

“It’s three in the morning.”

“I don’t fight girls.” “Too bad because I fight boys.”

“This whole time I’ve been using you to make me feel better, and you never caught on. You never caught on. I want you to hate me now, but I don’t think you’re even able to.”

“You never had a problem with it before.”

“Who cares about what they think?”

“We could get arrested for this.”

“Was that supposed to hurt?”

“You’re never going to let that go, are you?”

“I should have told you a long time ago.”

“Please stop petting the test subjects.”

“I don’t owe you an explanation”

“I can’t keep kissing strangers and pretending that they’re you.”

“Lie to me then.”

“I still remember the way you taste.”

“I never stood a chance, did I?”

“You make me want things I can’t have.”

“Tell me I’m wrong.”

“We need to talk about what happened last night.”

“Do you regret it?”

“Are you drunk?”

“You don’t see me.”

“You’re a disappointment.”

“I wish I’d never met you.”

“I can’t fall in love with you.I don’t want all the pain that comes with it.”

“Don’t call this number again.”

“You’re a disappointment.”

“Does it ever stop hurting?” “No you just make room for it.”

“It’s just you you’re all alone now.”

“I don’t care about you, no one does.”

“There’s so much blood, you won’t last.”

“Not you again.”

“Stay for me, please?”

“It never worked for us, and it never will.”

“I’m done, I’m done trying so hard only for you to not even look at my direction.”

“Somehow you don’t even need to open your mouth for my head to hurt.”

“To think, we thought just the sex would be enough to keep us in love.”

“Somewhere deep inside me, I still have hope that you’ll fall in love with me How pathetic.”

I never want to even hear your name during my life anymore.

#haikyuu imagines #jujutsu kaisen imagines #bnha imagines #millionare detective imagines #haikyuu #jujutsu kaisen #bnha #millionare detective #happy900kithkith

31 notes · View notes

no-whump-on-main · 4 years ago

Text

Elora Series-2

Back at it again with part 2!!

I am slightly sleep deprived excuse grammatical errors.

TWs: mention of drugging, possessive whumper.

Clyde Anderson wasn’t an idiot.

He was reckless, maybe, and a little crazy, but he wasn’t an idiot. He had left a completely clean crime scene; not a single strand of hair was left behind, not a single lost eyelash, nothing. As soon as Elora finally gave in and passed out, he took the SIM card out of her phone and crushed it to bits with his foot, though he kept the device itself to dispose of farther away. It didn’t take him long at all to secure her wrists and ankles with thick rope, just to ensure she couldn’t try anything in the off chance that she woke up before they reached their destination. Once she was tied up properly, he shoved her and her bag into the trunk before getting back into the driver’s seat and speeding off.

The drive was long, but not terribly so; it was just about two hours, driven straight through. That was another of the geniuses to his plan; they’d be crossing state lines, twice. That, on top of the squeaky clean scene, made Clyde confident that the police wouldn’t have even the slightest chance of ever finding Elora.

In all honesty, he didn’t know what he was going to do with her. He had a couple of plans, but after that, he was lost. It didn’t seem plausible to keep her forever, but a body to hide would complicate things even further. He could let her go, eventually, but he’d have to rough her up pretty bad to scare her out of telling anyone about him.

Overthinking was a demon. That was a problem to be dealt with later. All he knew at the moment was that he had to have her, and now he did.

Ever since some drunk guy at the bar started rambling to him the wretched bitch who killed his niece, curiosity had eaten at his soul, itching to know more. They became newfound drinking buddies, and he pressed the other man for details every night out for weeks, yet somehow came off without any suspicion. Clyde asked for all sorts of things-her name, where she was from, how she knew his niece-and Dante always answered without question.

The gist of the story he was given was that Dante’s niece, Wren, had been dating this girl for years, which he had never liked in the first place, but one day, when they were sixteen, she took Wren up a mountain and killed her. Clyde had a feeling that wasn’t the entire story, but he truly didn’t care. His fascination was with the Elora, not what she’d done three years ago.

He truly didn’t need much information from Dante, anyways. After a few basic questions, he got everything else he needed from facebook stalking.

And now he’d been watching her for almost five months.

It still felt surreal that he’d finally talked himself into biting back his worries and taking her. He couldn’t explain his feelings about the situation if his life depended on it, but something felt so viscerally right now that she was finally with him, just a few feet away in the trunk. It was as if Elora had always belonged to him, and now things were just as they were supposed to be.

He had her. He finally fucking had her.

About thirty miles away from where he grabbed her, he tossed her SIM-cardless phone out of the window into a soaked ditch on the side of the road. Even if the device was recovered, it wouldn’t have a chance of turning on after soaking in rainwater for so long.

The rest of the drive passed uneventfully, just as Clyde had hoped. He never stopped once, and was incredibly careful to drive lawfully so as to not attract the attention of any cops.

Their final destination was a shitty apartment in an even shittier town in Connecticut. The name Pleasant Park Apartments poorly hid the harsh reality of asbestos-filled walls, cigarette butts lining the sidewalks like snow, and neighbors who were either always too high to give a shit about anything or just naturally apathetic on their own. Clyde had been there for seven years, and was numb to the conditions at this point. He used to live in a nice condo on the better side of town, but after some bitch that couldn’t take a damn joke got fired from his job as a mechanic that paid a pretty penny, he couldn’t afford it anymore. His new job as an insurance agent hardly covered rent for the shithole he had now, but it was all that he could get. At least the coworkers weren’t shit.

After parking the sedan close to his building, Clyde took Elora’s bag out of the trunk and slung it over his shoulder, then proceeded to lift her out of the trunk, holding her beneath her knees and around her back in a bridal carry. She was still completely limp, her body almost jelly-like in its unconscious state. He didn’t anticipate just how heavy she’d feel when he had to carry her up three flights of stairs. By the time he put his key in the door of apartment 307, he was panting heavily, more than ready to drop her in the bathroom prison he’d already prepared for her.

The bathroom was obviously not an ideal location; a basement would have been preferable, but in a two bed two bath apartment, there wasn’t another place to put her. The spare bedroom was too close to the outside and had windows-what if a cop patrolling around looking for druggies heard her, or she lifted the blinds to signal for help? The master bath and bedroom weren’t options for the same reason, and neither were the kitchen or the living room, with far too much open space to properly contain Elora. That left the small guest bathroom in the hallway; the door to it was directly across from the front door of the apartment, but that was the only negative. It didn’t have any external walls, and was easy to rig into somewhat of a cell.

It wasn’t anything fancy, but it wasn’t awful, either. Clyde had never used it, sticking to the master, so it was clean, but the decor was straight out of the eighties, with yellowing floral wallpaper and a big white mat that had begun to grow mold from the surrounding humidity in the center of the room. The bathtub was straight ahead from the door, and the very clearly aged toilet and vanity were along the right wall, lining up with the showerhead.

Clyde did indeed drop Elora, kicking the door closed behind himself then immediately heading over to the bathroom and all but tossing her into the tub. He flinched, though, at the sound of her head smacking against the hard tile that lined the side walls. That was probably overkill-even he knew that.

He didn’t have time to fuss over it, though. He didn’t know how much time he had until she woke up.

A week prior to the kidnapping, he’d purchased a length of heavy duty chain and a few padlocks from a local store. With a bit of ingenuity, he figured out a way to rig them to the bathtub’s faucet without having to install any sort of extra hardware into the walls to prevent them from slipping off. All it took was the tension of looping them around both the faucet and the handle that controlled the water and a few extra wraps around; after being secured with several padlocks, there wasn’t a single plausible way for the chains to be pulled off of the wall. All he had to do after that was secure the loose end of the chain to a pair of handcuffs with another padlock, and he had all he needed to keep Elora exactly where he wanted her to be.

He untied the ropes from her hands and feet, replacing those around her hands with the cuffs. He didn’t worry about securing her feet in any way, as the amount of chain left after the jerry-rigged suspension between the handle and faucet was so short that she would have to hunch over to stand, anyways. She wouldn’t be able to go far with that.

He double-checked everything before leaving the bathroom, each padlock, each individual chain link, and the bathroom itself for any hazards that could be within her reach. There were none. Everything was utterly perfect.

Satisfied, Clyde turned off the lights, closed the door, and headed into his bedroom which was just a door away down the hallway, a gleeful smile on his face.

Elora awoke slowly, in several stages. At first, she couldn’t even tell that she was waking up at all, as wherever she was, it was pitch black. She then realized that she was in fact somewhere, and that somewhere was unfamiliar. She bolted upright with a start. Her head ached horribly from the sudden motion and she flinched, sucking in a loud breath. Ow, shit. Confusion then hit her. Where was she?

The memories came next. She jerked her wrists back abruptly and heard the clanking of metal, feeling tightness around her wrists as something resisted them moving. It kept them together when she tried to pull them apart, as well..handcuffs?

Her first instinct was to scream and jerk as much as she could, fighting chains that she couldn’t even see. She thrashed as hard as she could, her throat feeling raw as she screamed for what felt like an hour.

Soon, though, she fell silent. Dead silent. She swore she could hear footsteps, and they were getting louder. Maybe someone was coming to help her? This could all be a huge misunderstanding.

A door she didn’t even know was there opened and she held her breath. A small amount of light came into the room, but it seemed to be dark outside of wherever she was, too.

She watched as a shadowy figure reached into the room, flipping a light switch. Bright fluorescent lights crackled on immediately, and Elora blinked, her eyes having become accustomed to the darkness.

She whipped her head around to look at the figure after her eyes adjusted. They panned to his face, first; he was a man, with a scraggly goatee and brown hair that looked like it hadn’t been washed or cut in a long time. His eyes were brown, the whites bloodshot. She could see it in his face that he was slightly overweight, and his skin had an almost-sunburned appearance despite it being the middle of November.

His mouth started moving. He was speaking. His voice was rough and loud.

“Hello.”

Elora’s eyes then panned down to his body. She recognized the clothes he was wearing. She recognized them. It had been too dark to make out his face when she was being kidnapped, but she remembered his clothes. A gray tee shirt and straight-leg jeans. He took her. He was the one. He-

She began screaming again, and then she heard him laugh at the sound of her cries.

Tags: @exploringspaceinpyjamas

#elora #elora larkin #new series #elora series #no whump on main #whump #whump fic #whump oc #whump writing #My writing #whumper #creepy whumper #possessive whumper #lady whump #physical whump #kidnapping #psychological whump

15 notes · View notes

strawberriestyles · 4 years ago

Text

Chapter 18

(Banner made by sweet sunshine @harry-nofookingway-styles)

Harry X OFC (AU)

Sequel to Brutality: In which Melody and Harry must relearn how to navigate one another among a flurry of changes.

Read previous parts here.

Author’s note: YAY FOR CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. When you’re finished reading, please sign this petition to reopen Sandra Bland’s case. (If you’re somehow not familiar with her story, a simple Google search will give you any info you need.) Then please come talk to me about Ferocity. Enjoy, boos! Xx

Harry was almost elated, throwing jabs at a punching bag. There was some high to be found in the monotony, the routine of training, even though he no longer had anything to be training for.

It was late afternoon and the street outside glowed, dunes of snow glistening where they had been packed along the edges of the sidewalk. Melody had told Harry that she and Sean liked to train in the morning, but today, Sean has pushed their time back. And Harry was grateful that he’d been allowed to tag along.

Melody was in the ring, sweat dripping down her torso as she slammed her gloves into Sean’s mitts. Harry, as much as he tried to focus on his own swings, was watching her form—the space between her feet, the twist of her body, the rippling muscles in her arms, the way her lips formed around each outlet of breath. It was almost surreal to see her employing everything he’d shown her, back before she’d been anything more than mildly interested in boxing. Sean had really shaped her up.

The pair paused. Melody stripped off one of her new, customized gloves and took a long gulp of water. She passed her bottle to Sean, who squirted a mouthful past his lips, and then nearly choked as he laughed at something Melody had said. Both of their faces lit up. Melody turned toward Harry and he whipped his head around, returning to his punching bag with a new intensity.

He was still throwing hooks when he felt a gentle tap at his shoulder.

“I’m done,” Melody said. She dropped her bag on the floor beside him and pulled a thick hoodie over her head, freeing her ponytail from the collar. “I’m running home. You can take a cab if you want.”

Sean passed them on his way out the door and lifted one hand in a wave of farewell, pointedly avoiding Harry’s eyes. They’d spoken, but the strange tension had yet to diffuse.

“No,” Harry answered with a shake of his head. “I’ll run with yeh.” He didn’t yet believe that she’d imagined Colton outside the grocery store, and even when her anger and hurt over her birthday was fresh, he’d had trouble letting her out into the city on her own.

Melody nodded. Harry tucked his gloves into her unzipped bag and then pulled the strap across his body. He’d kept his sweatshirt on during his workout and it was drenched in sweat, his hair sticking to his neck. He still hadn’t grown used to the inability to tie it back.

Cold air rushed past them as Melody opened the glass door out onto the street. A light flurry had begun. Clumped snowflakes swirled around them, churning up their hair, melting against their cheeks. Harry blinked against a bitter wind and Melody kicked off the pavement, picking up a steady pace in the direction of the apartment. Harry stole a deep breath and followed, swiveling her bag around so that it beat against the bottom of his back in time with each step.

The city was dimmed and muffled. All Harry could hear was the drag of his lungs and the slap of his sneakers against the sidewalk. He kept his eyes on the soles of Melody’s shoes and hopped beside her when they reached busy intersections, only for her to take off again when the lights changed, leaving him in her wake.

By the time they reached the apartment building, Harry had to drag himself up the flights of stairs, panting. He fell through the door to the kitchen, kicked his shoes off, and dropped Melody’s bag at the entrance to her room.

Melody was already tearing her hoodie over her head and stripping off her pants as Harry sank into the edge of the mattress. She shivered as she removed her underwear. And she could feel Harry’s eyes on her but when she turned around he was staring at his feet, combing his fingers through his hair, still trying to catch his breath. She tugged on the hair tie holding her ponytail.

“Are you coming?”

Harry glanced up, confused. Melody was naked, skin glistening, with color in her cheeks from exertion.

“What?”

“The shower,” she said. “Are you gonna shower with me?”

Harry let out an uneven breath. “Yeh want me to shower with you?”

“Sure.”

Rising to his feet, Harry yanked his own clothes off. He wasn’t going to wait until she changed her mind. Melody was waiting in the doorway when he finished and she grasped his hand as he reached her. He was too stunned to say anything. And then they were in the bathroom and the water was running, and Melody stepped into the stream.

Harry hung back, watched her wet her hair. Dye colored the rivers that ran down her back, pink-tinged red, from when Bea had recolored her hair the week prior.

“Harry,” Melody prompted. She pulled her hair over one shoulder and held a hand out to him.

Harry nodded, more to himself, and stepped over the lip of the tub. He drew a sharp breath between his teeth as the water scalded his shoulder, but he pulled the shower curtain shut behind him.

“Sorry,” Melody whispered, lowering the temperature. She pressed Harry back by the chest once she’d adjusted the water.

Harry placed his palm over Melody’s fingers. It probably wasn’t the case, but it was like he hadn’t felt her touch since dinner that night, when she’d kissed his cheek, tugged on the ends of his hair. He closed his eyes as water ran down his cheeks in rivulets.

“You didn’t really think,” Melody uttered, “that I forgot your birthday, did you?”

Harry sighed. He let his head fall forward as her hands looped up, around his neck, stroked the top of his spine. That wasn’t exactly what he thought. More so that she was ignoring his birthday, not that he had an incredible desire for a celebration.

“Happy birthday, Harry,” Melody whispered, barely above the thunder of the water. She stood on her toes to wrap her arms around his shoulders. He held her close to him.

“Thank you.”

Melody’s mouth settled at the top of Harry’s chest, just below his collar bone. She scattered a few kisses across his skin, until he nudged her with his chin. “Mel,” he whispered.

She sighed and took a step back, lifting one of his hands to press her lips against his scarred knuckles.

“I shouldn’t have just ignored you,” Melody said. She cradled his hand to her chest. “There are other ways for me to—”

“I don’ blame yeh for ignorin’ me, Mel.”

“It’s immature, Harry. It’s stupid. I could’ve gotten over it while still talking to you. I’m sorry.”

“Yeh don’ need to apologize to me for shit,” he insisted. “I don’ care. I deserved it. ‘M so sorry.”

Melody blew out a breath and dropped his hand. “You didn’t. You didn’t deserve it. Ignoring each other is not how we should be handling our problems. I really am sorry. But thank you for trying to fix it, Harry.” She reached for his face, tucking the curling edges of hair behind his ears. “I know it’s only been a few weeks but I’m really proud of you. For talking. Even if it’s not to me. It’s important.”

Harry grunted. She smiled at the familiarity of the sound and tugged on him, until she could meet his lips, water running into her mouth. It felt like tension drained from her body, and the way his shoulders relaxed, the way his arms gathered her up, it was like he didn’t have a single other care.

“Missed yeh,” Harry mumbled. He twirled the ends of her hair around his hand and tugged, tilting her head back, deepening the kiss against her smiling mouth. “Think I owe yeh birthday sex. And maybe a redo for New Year’s.” The thought of it still made him cringe.

Melody laughed, clinging to one shoulder as he kissed down her jaw, tracing the side of her neck with his tongue. “I think I still owe you from your last birthday, actually,” she responded.

Harry frowned, but Melody was sliding between his arms before he could ask, settling gently on her knees at his feet.

“Only done this once before, remember? You always have other ideas.”

“Because yeh don’ need to, love.” Harry watched her blink up at him, lick the rolling water from her lips. He pressed his teeth painfully into his tongue.

“Want to,” she said. Her fingertips raked up his thighs as she kissed his lower belly. He rested a hand against the wall of the shower, suddenly lightheaded.

Melody stroked the length of Harry’s dick, feeling it grow between her fingers. She swept a sheet of dripping hair back from her face. The water fell hard against her back. Harry sighed from above her and let his eyes fall closed, reluctantly, as she sponged kisses up the underside of his cock.

“Really don’ need to—”

“Shh,” Melody whispered. She pulled the hand that hung limply at Harry’s side to her head. Her mouth slid over the tip of his dick as his fingers laced into her hair.

“Oh, fuck,” he muttered, blinking down at her. Melody’s eyes were closed, but her fingers were tight around him, her mouth warm as she fed more of him past her lips. Her tongue roved across his skin and he groaned.

Melody shimmied forward on her knees, shifting out of the water until her back was to the wall, turning Harry with her. She lowered her head until he reached the back of her tongue, and then pulled away for a quick breath, pumping her hand up and down his cock.

“Ah, fuck,” Harry uttered, leaning his forehead into the shower wall and screwing his eyes closed. If the stream of water hadn’t been washing him clean, he was sure his skin would be slick with sweat.

Melody’s chest ached with her next inhale as she watched his tongue swipe along his lips, the divot between his brows deepening. She kissed the head of his dick and then closed her lips around him again, bobbing her head. The fist in her hair grew tighter, knuckles bumping against her scalp, and it only spurred her on. She pressed herself forward until her nose touched Harry’s belly, until she felt his muscles jumping beneath his skin.

“Baby,” he moaned. His throat tightened. How many times had he called her that without realizing? “Mel, stop.”

She pulled off of him with a gasp, tilting her face up toward him, blinking in confusion. “What?”

Harry blinked back at her, water running from his hair. Her face sparkled with droplets like jewels beneath the bathroom lights.

“I just wanna fuck yeh, love.”

Melody’s hands curled into fists against his thighs. She licked her lips, amusement playing at their edges. “Harry, you stopped me last time too because—”

“Because it feels like a waste when I could be fuckin’ yeh. Please,” he muttered, loosing his grip on her hair and sliding his thumb down her jaw. “Feels so good but ‘s been weeks since I felt yeh on me.”

Melody groaned, but she let him pull her up against the wall, fitting his hands to her waist, licking into her mouth. She clasped her fingers at the back of his neck and reveled in the familiar feel of his lips against hers. His palms slid up her ribs. The pads of his thumbs pressed into her nipples and she hummed, stretching her spine, filling his hands with her breasts.

Harry squeezed at her indulgently but his cock throbbed with impatience. His hands hurried back down her sides, grasping the tops of her thighs and hoisting her up onto his hips.

“Go on then, birthday boy,” Melody whispered, kissing the edge of Harry’s jaw and then drawing her teeth along his neck. “Fuck me.”

Harry’s cock twitched again. He pressed his body against Melody’s as he guided himself inside her. “Christ,” he hissed into her ear. “Fuck, yes.”

Melody sighed, linking her ankles together at the base of his spine. When she was fully seated on him, her breath caught.

“I hate when we’re mad,” she mumbled, pressing the back of her head to the wall of the shower. “Please, let’s not be mad again. Fuck.”

Harry shook his head and shifted his hips, testing his point of balance and making sure that his feet wouldn’t slip. “Fuckin’ torture when yeh won’ let me touch yeh.”

“Torture for me, too,” Melody said, wrapping one arm around his shoulders. “Always want your hands on me. Watch you do anything and it feels like I’m gonna catch on fire if I don’t feel you touching me.”

Harry groaned, lifting her weight and aiming his first thrust. Melody’s lips fell apart as she sank back down around his cock.

“Touchin’ yeh enough now?”

She nodded quickly, turning her nose into the side of his neck. “Yes.” Her voice cracked as he bucked against her.

“Miss my cock when yeh’re not talkin’ to me?”

Melody only now felt her skin flush, despite the constant, stifling heat of the shower, the burn of Harry’s skin where it met hers. She clung tighter to him and hummed a quiet sound of assent.

“‘S okay,” he mumbled against her shoulder. His mouth closed around a spot of flesh, teeth prickling as he sucked on the skin. Melody winced and then released a strangled moan when he fucked into her. “Takin’ me right. Cunt’s nice and tight on me. Can feel how much yeh missed it.”

Melody’s shoulder pulsed, even as Harry pressed gentle kisses to it. She shivered as he continued to whisper to her. And her belly tightened when his fingers pressed greedily into the flesh of her ass.

“Oh, fuck,” Harry breathed. He forced an arm between her back and the wall, pressing her chest forward, chasing the weak spasm of her pussy with eager thrusts. “Gonna squeeze me again? Make me come, baby?”

“Please,” Melody choked out. She placed her hands on either side of Harry’s face as he pulled back from her shoulder, pressing his forehead to hers, watching her eyes flutter, wet hair clinging to her cheeks.

“So fuckin’ close,” Harry said, fingers curled against Melody’s hip. She kissed him messily, water still spilling between their mouths. It only took another few strokes for her to gasp, tipping her head back, moaning loud enough for the noise to echo between the walls of the bathroom.

“Yes, tha’s it.” Harry grunted, nose to the underside of Melody’s chin, slamming forward to empty himself into her. His legs trembled and the hand at her hip turned, palm flat against the wall. “Fuck.”

Melody caught her breath and then twisted her head, lowering her face until she could meet Harry’s lips. She kissed him slowly, stroked his wet cheeks with her thumbs. His chest heaved against her and his breath came in wild rasps over her face, down her neck. She pulled her lips between her teeth, biting at them.

“God, what the fuck is wrong with me?”

Melody blinked in confusion, her nose bumping Harry’s. “What?”

He ducked to slide his face into the curve of her neck. “Makin’ yeh upset enough not to have sex with me,” he elaborated. “Three fuckin’ weeks. How the fuck did I go three weeks without that?”

Melody smiled lazily and ran her fingers down his spine. The water was beginning to grow cold as she wiggled in his arms, and he set her back on unsteady feet, flinching away from the stream.

“Love you,” Melody whispered, reaching to turn the temperature up. She stood on her toes to press a final kiss to Harry’s lips, stroking his cheek, and then stepped beneath the water to soak her hair.

***

The sheets laid in a heap at the end of the bed. Melody’s cheek was pressed to Harry’s shoulder, her ankle looped around his leg, fingers tickling the skin of his chest, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so at ease.

He was full of cake. Bea had baked it for him, surprisingly. And she’d given him a wig that had been disturbingly reminiscent of his long hair—“I realized the longer your hair, the less of your face I have to see, and it just seemed like an all-around win.” Sean had sent a present for him, too, despite his cool attitude earlier in the day. There was a brand new gym bag in Melody’s closet.

Melody’s gifts were scattered about the room. A fresh pair of training shoes, a set of wireless earbuds, and a couple of Fleetwood Mac records to play on her turntable. Harry had snorted when he’d opened those.

“You do like them, don’t you?” she’d checked.

“Yeah, yeah. I do. Love Fleetwood. They’re my mum’s favorite.”

He glanced across the room at the cover of Rumours, propped against the wall on top of Melody’s dresser, the picture of them in a brand new frame right beside it, as he raked his fingers through her hair. He was so close to sleep. But on the other side of the bedroom door, he could still hear Bea and Josie laughing at whatever film they’d chosen for the night.

Still no luck with Josie. The wig was strictly a gift from Bea, although Josie had snuck a large slice of his birthday cake. She took her food seriously.

”Harry,” Melody spoke, suddenly very much awake.

“Hmm?”

“My, um...” Her fingers stilled on his chest and then she scratched the tip of her nose. “My mom wants me to invite you to her party.”

“Your mum’s throwin’ a party?” Harry chuckled. “Is she still that young?”

“It’s not what you’re thinking.” Melody smiled and then let it fall away rather quickly. “Its for her birthday. In April. It’s like...my mom is kind of flashy. She likes to have this sort of mixer thing every year with her rich friends. And everyone gets all dressed up and she pretends we have even close to the amount of money they have. It’s kind of embarrassing. And I have to go. I haven’t seen my parents since July, I think. But she wants you to come.”

”Oh.”

“You don’t have to go. I told her you probably wouldn’t want to. It’s honestly—”

“No, I’ll go, Mel. I’ll go with yeh.”

Melody tilted her head back. “I’m serious. You don’t need to.”

“D’yeh not want me to come?”

“What?” She shook her head. Harry saw the dark bruise on her shoulder, remnant of his mouth on her skin. “No. I mean, of course I’d love if you came with me. But it’s the first time you’d be meeting my parents and I know that’s a lot of pressure. I didn’t know if you’d want that to be at some snobby party.”

“Yeah. I’ll come with yeh, love.” He didn’t tell her that meeting her parents would be one of the most uncomfortable experiences he’d ever had, no matter the setting.

“I don’t know who you are,” Melody said with a gentle laugh, delivering a hard kiss to his cheek. “But they’re dying to meet you.”

Harry hummed, running the tip of his finger over the purpling mark on her skin, watching it change shapes in the dying light.

Chapter 19

#harry styles #harry styles writing #harry styles blurb #harry styles drabble #harry styles imagine #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles series #harry styles fluff #harry styles smut #harry styles angst #harry styles au #harry styles x ofc #boxer!harry #boxer!au #harry styles ferocity

92 notes · View notes

thesuitelife547 · 4 years ago

Text

“I’m sorry to the fans of B1A4” CNU’s Last Interview Before Enlisting [ARTICLE TRANS]

This is a re-post from something I previously had on my tumblr. This is just the translation of the questions and answers. I don’t have the link to the original article yet with the pictures. I have obtained the original articles! Thanks to Shimybana04 on Twitter!

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Thanks!

- Marisa

[t/n: I just combined the 3 parts of the questions. The introduction parts were all basically the same]

Last year, idol group B1A4 went through a big change. Members Jinyoung (28, Jung Jinyoung) and Baro (27, Cha Sunwoo) left WM Entertainment after their contracts expired leaving CNU (28, Shin Dongwoo), Sandeul (27, Lee Junghwan), and Gongchan (26, Gong Chanshik) to be arranged into a 3-membered group.

Although it was a path chosen in order for them to develop themselves, but when seen from the viewpoint of the fans that have been cheering for them, there are many regrets. The members cannot ignore these types of feelings the fans have. And at their first fanmeeting as a 3-membered B1A4, held last month on the 5th, CNU stated, while crying, “I can’t repay what is owed to the heart even if I try to repay it for the rest of my life.” With a sorrowful heart, he was apologetic for being unable to keep B1A4 as 5 members as the oldest.

After the fanmeeting, CNU is enlisted in the military last month on the 22nd. He is the first B1A4 member fulfilling his duty and was preparing for the second stage of his life. Before his enlistment, Star News met with CNU for a ‘Let’s Have A Meal’ interview. It would be his last for the fans before the enlistment. We met CNU at in Seoul at a Korean-style full course meal restaurant as he felt grateful and apologetic towards fans as he thought about having to leave for a little.

How are you feeling right before you enlist in the army?

It feels surreal, a little complicated. There are times when I feel empty, uneasy, and even liberated. Of course I have to go, but as it gets closer, there are various types of overlapping emotions.

Is it a bit burdensome since you’re going later? [t/n: as in age wise]

Haha. Going late isn’t something to be proud of. As an artist, I have activities and unavoidable situations therefore rather than being burdened, I’m worried about the members. My biggest worry is about leaving the younger ones behind.

What kinds of things did you talk with the members about?

It’s more like we don’t really talk about the big thing. Haha. Still, they decided that they’d go with me the day that I do enlist.

When you look at the other celebrities that went to the army, there’s always talk about how they really miss girl groups. CNU-ssi, what girl group do you think you’ll miss the most?

Um…I’ll go with being a fan of Oh My Girl. I should take care of our kids. Haha. They’re popular in military units. Nowadays they’re becoming more popular and they’re also my company juniors. It’d be nice if they could visit, if possible…haha. But since I think that could possibly put pressure on them, I want to tell them that I understand if they can’t come.

How do you spend your time?

I’ve been busy recently and I think I’ll continue to be up until the day before I enlist. It was eventful for us last year, too. I was in a drama and more recently we were preparing for our fanmeeting. There is a fanmeeting in Japan scheduled for February, but I can’t attend because I’ll be in the army. We were preparing for various things. Since there was a little bit of a change to B1A4, we were preparing a lot of things in order to show fans a good image of us. We were seriously planning a lot of things.

Can you tell us about what you had planned?

There was the fanmeeting. I also thought that it’d be good if B1A4 were able to quickly put out an album. It’s been such a long time since we released an album. I’m really sorry to the fans for undergoing this change. I thought that quickly releasing an album would be a way to ask for a little forgiveness from the fans. I wanted to have an album, fanmeet, and even a concert.

A little while ago you held a fanmeeting as a 3-membered group. I figure that it would feel differently. You even shed a lot of tears…

Rather than it being anyone’s fault that B1A4 is in a situation where we have to continue as a 3-membered group, I think everyone shares responsibility. I think we should live while being apologetic to the fans. The 5 members are the ones directly in B1A4, but B1A4 isn’t just ours. There is the company that made us and also the fans. For someone out there, B1A4 being in their life could be everything to them and there could also be people who feel like we’re the ones who give them energy…I feel like we committed a great sin to those people. It’s not like I want to find out who did what, I’m just very sorry about this situation and I think I cried a lot.

I think those feelings would be bigger since you’re the eldest.

That’s right. There’s a sense of regret to it, like ‘If I had done a better job, wouldn’t it have been a better situation?’ I feel sorry towards the fans and the members. The fans who had come to the fanmeeting told me a lot of things like, “It’s not your fault, don’t feel sorry,” but I think I’ll have this apologetic heart for the rest of my life. I think I should have it for the rest of my life. Because we made a crack in their memories of us, I think I should pay it back in the future.

Your first activity after your contract renewal with WM Entertainment was a drama. You challenged your first project, SBS drama Miss Ma: Goddess of Revenge. How was it? [t/n: they wrote more like how Miss Ma is his first like drama role. He was in a previous drama, but that was a daily drama and is considered to be in a different category]

Just acting on TV is such a great opportunity for me. It’s a project that I’m very thankful for. The fans have also seemed to have wanted me to be in a drama. I’m really happy that I was able to have an opportunity to try it out. I was able to work with mostly everyone besides the children actors, so I was able to really learn a lot. I think that this project was able to lay the foundation for future growth.

In the past you’ve done a lot of musical activities before, is there a difference between that and acting?

There’s a difference either way. Some of the continuing habits that I have from musicals sometimes appeared when I was acting for TV. There were times when my seniors gave me advice on some of the technical stuff, like telling me to calm down my tone. And because Sung Jiru-sunbae and I were together a lot, he taught me a lot about the type of attitude that an actor should have and the type of skills while at the filming site. It’s a project where I really learned a lot.

How was your chemistry with your senior actors?

Kim Yoonjin-sunbae really looked upon me favorably. I’m really thankful. Because she hadn’t seen me as actor CNU before, I think she worried about how I would act. After the script reading, we went out for a company dinner and while we were there, she spoke to me first saying, “Your speaking and breathing are good, it’s clear that you’ve prepared a lot for this. I’m very grateful.”

I was even more touched because such a big senior had said that to me. She also taught me a lot about acting while we were on site. She acknowledged and liked me as a singer and has also monitored and listened to the songs that I have written. It was such a big opportunity for me to be able to share those things with my senior. There could be a prejudice by other actors for being an idol turned actor, but I’ve been acknowledged as an actor and singer. I’m very thankful.

You had a love line with Go Sunghee.

There’s only a one-year age difference between Sunghee-noona and I, but I think dropping the age difference between us made the love line more comfortable. She treated me very well. I’m thankful. It is a love line but it’s a bit of a disappointment that we hadn’t held hands or hugged. Haha. We said that we should do another project together. It was fun acting together because she has such an easy-going personality.

You and Bae Dohwan, who was also in drama, played a cop. Did you guys have any preparation beforehand?

One of my friends from high school is a real cop. As soon as I was casted I had called that friend and asked him detailed things like, “How do you salute?” or “Can you take off your hat when you’re in the station?” I think I was able to get information rather easily because of my real-life cop friend.

Together with Sandeul and Gongchan, after the contract renewal, I think that you guys would have become stronger together.

I think that it has. I have certainly become more concerned about things that I wasn’t concerned about before and as the eldest, I feel like there are more things I have to take responsibility for. We also see each other and contact each other more.

I’m curious about your reasons for renewing your contract.

From the very beginning I had no desire to leave. Of course there’d be complaints and misunderstandings since we were in this company for so long; however, no matter how I saw it, they grew us and it was because of this company that I was able to debut, so my feelings about renewing my contract grew. Even though I can’t promise to stay with them for the rest of my life, at least for this time I had wanted to renew my contract and stay together.

I don’t think the 5 of us thought the same thing. Although it’s something that the company knows now, at the time of our contract renewal, it wasn’t like I didn’t meet with other companies. There were good offers from many good companies, but in the end, I believe that it is with this company that I’m able to securely do the things that make my heart comfortable to my fullest extent. Sandeul and Gongchan also had that kind of mindset.

When you go to the army, who will you think about the most?

The fans is first place. I believe I’ll think about the fans the most. While I should also think about my family, friends, and members, of course, I think I’ll miss the fans the most. Even at our recent fanmeeting, seeing all of the fans gathered together and holding signs to cheer for us I thought, “There’s no greater blessing than this for me.” I don’t think I should ever forget about my gratitude for the fans.

What are your plans after you get discharged?

I feel like my time spent in the military is the second part of my life, it feels like I’m starting the turning point. Thus far in order for B1A4’s activities to go further, I feel like we have gotten onto the footholds and once I’m discharged from the army, I think we’d be able to fly and run stronger. I’ll also run step by step towards the planned things that I wasn’t able to do before enlisting in the army. I have a lot of debt for the fans’ hearts, so I have to pay it back, even if it’s just a little.

I want to release an album as soon as I’m discharged. So far there are about 8-9 songs that I have written. Sandeul also has written about 3-4. We have been worried about what direction our music should go in as we continue as a 3-membered B1A4. The songs that I have written while worrying about that is enough to fill a regular album. I think quickly finishing and releasing a B1A4 album after I’m discharged is my goal. I think with the first step being music, I’ll be able to let go of this apologetic feeling that I have towards the fans.

#b1a4 #article #translation

7 notes · View notes

xmxisxforxmaybe · 5 years ago

Text

The Press Tour

New York City, the final stop.

Part I Part II

Warnings: Full smut ahead, but wow is it soft

After looking in the mirror one more time, I sent up a silent prayer to the god who hated me so much, just in case they wanted to make amends, for tonight to go off without a hitch.

This was it, the final stop: New York City.

I knew the boys were tired, but they had done so well, and there had been no more disasters like the one in Italy. In fact, they hadn’t made a single demand of me since that calamitous side trip.

Although, not everything about it was a disaster.

There was this thing now between Rami and me. It was something palpable that had been birthed after our shared bed in that dilapidated motel room. I found myself thinking about him all the time, and I knew he was thinking about me, too.

Our conversations had become more natural, more intimate, and we often found ourselves taking our meals together, whether it be in a little place out of the way in the city we were in or in one of our hotel rooms at some ungodly hour when humans weren’t meant to be doing anything other than sleeping, watching the local news on TV in a language neither of us knew.

And now, as I looked at myself in the mirror, instead of a face full of pure elation, I was haunted by eyes that were trying to suppress a niggling dread. The tour had done just what I’d hoped it would do; it made me a success, and I already had to hire two assistants to help me work on the next press tour bookings.

As of midnight tonight, the Bohemian Rhapsody press tour was officially done.

Tomorrow, Rami Malek, soon-to-be global film star, would be on his way to LA to seek a few days solace with his family after spending so long on the road.

And I would be flying to London by the week’s end to start a new press junket.

Normally, I spent the main events in the wings, dressed head to toe in black, trying my best not to be seen as I worked.

But tonight was a celebration, of the film and of the boys, and a personal celebration of my success. I had chosen a blue, deep v-neck dress that was definitely a stand-out piece. I let hair and makeup have a go at me, although I skipped the heavy red-carpet makeup in favor a more natural look.

I knew I looked lovely.

With one final smoothing of my gown, I grabbed my clutch and headed down to meet the team in the lobby.

As soon as the boys noticed me, I was greeted with a chorus of catcalls that made me roll my eyes and wave at them to stop it. I didn’t need that kind of attention when the Brian May and the Roger Taylor were laughing with their wives and friends a few feet away at the bar. It was surreal to even believe that I was breathing the same air as them.

Besides, all that mattered was the way Rami was looking at me, almost as if he were seeing me for the first time after a long separation, even though we had all sat up in the hotel lobby, late into the night drinking, laughing, and celebrating.

I did my rounds, making sure everything was on schedule, but I could feel his eyes on me and every time I looked in his direction, he was watching me.

After answering a few last-minute questions, I made my way over to the boys, and they began again with the low whistles and praises.

“That’s embarrassing,” I hissed. “I am—and have been—an attractive woman this entire press tour. Show a little skin and you can’t handle it!”

Rami smiled and once again, he stepped in to save a sinking ship.

“It’s not what you’re wearing. You’re glowing, Y/N. Pride? I mean look at this! You did it,” he said, his voice lowering and very obviously filled with pride for my work.

“Rami’s right,” Gwilym added. “We owe you a great big thank you—for getting the film this level of exposure and for keeping us sane along the way.”

“Mmm, sane is a pretty subjective term,” Joe said, drawing chuckles out of us before he looked at me and spoke a very genuine thank you.

I felt myself tear up, so I leaned in and gave Joe a quick hug before rushing off to get everyone properly queued for the red carpet.

* * * * *

Tucked away in a dark corner of the after party, I typed up an answer to an email that just couldn’t wait until the morning.

I sucked in a breath when Rami appeared at my elbow, offering me a glass of champagne.

“Sorry,” he chuckled, his beautiful eyes sparkling.

I took the champagne, grateful for his attentiveness.

“Wait—” he interrupted, his fingers brushing the back of my wrist before the glass reached my lips. “A toast?”

I smiled, nodding for him to continue.

“To us.”

“Alright,” I said slowly, my grin barely faltering as I echoed, “To us,” and raised my glass to my lips.

Our eyes never left one another’s as we drank that first sip of our toast, but our stolen moment was short lived as another throng of people spotted Rami and engaged him in conversation.

With a last, lingering glance, I slipped away.

* * * * *

It was almost 2 am when I slid my key into the lock of my door and cursed as it blinked red. I slid it again, and cursed again.

“Third time’s a charm,” rumbled a familiar, deep voice close enough to my ear to make my arms break out in goosebumps.

“Rami,” I whispered as my eyes slipped shut for a moment, my hand trembling as the card hovered just before the magnetic strip.

His lips pressed quickly against my bare shoulder.

“I know what’s at stake, Y/N. Fate brought us closer together once. Let it decide again. If it turns green, we spend the night together.”

I took a deep breath, shakily exhaling as I said, “You do it—I . . . I can’t.”

In one smooth motion, as if he already knew our fate, he plucked the keycard from my fingers and swiped it through the lock, both of us watching as it blinked green.

My head tried to whip in his direction, but he was already pushing me through the door as he leaned into the handle. As soon as the door clicked behind us, Rami pinned me against the wall and kissed me.

We had come so close that night in the motel and had I known that it would be anything, anything like this, I would’ve just done it—I would have kissed him and then let him fuck me and I would have taken Joe and Gwil’s tormenting with absolute glee.

Rami’s lips molded themselves over mine in that first brutal press that marked him as claiming me. He exhaled into the kiss then began moving his mouth, working mine open until he could slide his tongue between my lips. The feeling of his tongue swirling with mine sent a flood of arousal to my core and a rush of blood to my ears.

I felt like I couldn’t breathe so I pushed him back, just to look in his eyes.

His polychromatic eyes looked dark blue in the dim light of the lamp I had forgotten I had left on. They were alert, despite the exhaustion of the evening, and they flicked between mine, trying to read whether I wanted him to continue or to stop.

Before he could speak, I reached out and grasped his face in my hands, running my thumbs over the smooth skin of his cheeks before I let them fall to ghost over his jaw. His eyes slipped shut and his lips stayed parted as I slid my hands down his neck and to the shoulders of his grey and black-striped suit. I slipped my fingers underneath the jacket and grasped his shoulders, pushing the material down his arms.

He opened his eyes as he wriggled free, and this time, he encircled my waist and pulled me to his body. He stepped into the hug and squeezed me tight, and I thought again about how he had looked at me tonight.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and ran one hand through his hair, the side of my face pressed tightly against his as we both just stood there, inhaling the presence of the other, cementing this fantasy into a reality.

“Unzip me,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Rami made a noise, deep in his chest, and his fingers immediately went to the back of my dress.

I clung to him as he slid the zipper lower, his fingers very purposefully trailing along each newly exposed expanse of skin.

My dress hadn’t allowed for a bra so the first barrier he encountered was the top of my matching, lace panties.

I stepped out of his embrace and moved farther into the room, facing away from him as I raised one foot up to slip off one of my heels, then the other; I worked myself the rest of the way out of my dress, finally letting it pool at my bare feet.

I could feel his eyes on me as I listened to him open the clasp on his watch, the sound of it dropping onto the desk so alluring that it made me shiver. Next went his cufflinks, and then he kicked off his shoes, and I waited, only turning my head when I could feel his breath on my neck.

“Do you know how many times I’ve gone to sleep thinking about your beautiful back? The way your soft skin felt under my fingers? The way all that tension loosened as I worked over your muscles?

“Do you know how often I’ve thought about this freckle?” he asked, his lips kissing my shoulder blade. “Or this one right here?”

I shivered as he kissed near the middle of my back.

“Or how often I’ve imagined running my hands over the gorgeous curves of your waist . . . like this,” he breathed as he touched me, pulling a sigh of contentment from my throat.

“Rami. I—”

“Shhh . . . let me take care of you.”

His touch. His voice. His praise. It was all so much better than anything I had built up in my mind.

I turned to face him, and his eyes ran greedily over my body.

“So fucking gorgeous.”

I smiled at his words and moved forward, wanting him to at least match me in my state of undress.

I worked the buttons on the front of his shirt and pulled the tails from his pants before pushing the fabric off of his body, just like his jacket. I took a moment to run my hands over his olive skin, scratching lightly at his well-groomed chest hair.

I reached up and wrapped my hand around the side of his neck, pushing his chin up with my thumb. I kissed down his neck, before licking back up to his jaw and pressing a kiss near his ear.

“Such a pretty face,” I said, pulling a crooked grin from him as I stepped back, my hands already on his belt.

I worked his trousers open and off without ceremony, and as soon as he was free of everything but his grey boxer-briefs, he pulled our bodies together, our torsos connecting for the first time as he kissed me, deeply and purposefully.

He hoisted me up, tripping over our clothes, and he clumsily deposited me on the bed while he tumbled in painfully on top of me.

“When you replay tonight, leave that part on the editing room floor,” he said, both of us softly laughing.

“No,” I said, still smiling as I situated myself underneath of him. “That was almost as romantic as you untying my shit-covered shoelaces.”

Rami laughed again, his eyes crinkling in the corners and his teeth flashing; god, he was beautiful when he was happy.

“That made the final cut, huh--Ohhh,” Rami breathed out as I cut him off by rocking into his hard cock.

“Ohhh,” I echoed, smiling up at him before pulling him into another kiss.

Rami broke this kiss to begin working his way down my body, moving slowly to learn what I liked, and by the time his lips were kissing along the edge of my panties, I needed him desperately.

He worked my underwear off my legs and tossed them over his shoulder; he grasped my knees and slid his hands up, gently pushing apart my thighs, moaning when he saw that I was glistening.

“So wet,” he murmured, unable to tear his gaze away.

“I need you, Rami—we’ve waited long enough.”

He looked up at my words, then slid off the bed so he could take his underwear off. I barely had time to appreciate his cock before he was between my legs again, his tip sliding teasingly through my wetness.

“Uh, should we . . .”

“I’m good if you’re good—there’s no one else, Y/N,” he said with seriousness.

I nodded and pulled him onto me. He rotated a bit to the side to grasp his cock so he could slide into me, shallowly thrusting until he pushed all the way in and we both moaned.

“Feels better than I ever imagined,” he said before kissing me as he began to move.

“So much better,” I agreed, shifting my hips so he could thrust even deeper.

We built to a rhythm, Rami eventually shifting back onto his haunches so he could pull my body against his hips and thrust deep enough to make me feel lost to pleasure. I reached up to grasp the slats of the headboard and Rami leaned forward to run his hands over my breasts, pulling lightly on my nipples and making me gasp. He trailed his hands back down my body and at this angle, he was perfectly able to work my clit. He settled his hand on my mound and used his thumb to start applying pressure, asking me what I liked.

I directed him until I could no longer form any word other than “yes.”

His thrusts became erratic as he built up my pleasure, and he stilled as I came, watching me as I cried out, moaning, “Rami Rami Rami Rami.”

“So beautiful,” he whispered as he started to move again, and this time, he was moaning with every thrust at how tight and hot I was after my orgasm.

“Come, Rami. I wanna see your pretty face when you come,” I murmured, sitting up on my elbows as I met his thrusts, my own breath still coming in pants.

“Fuck, Y/N,” he groaned, his hands anchoring my hips as he pistoned into me until he bit his lip and threw back his head as he came, looking just as beautiful as I had imagined he would.

I felt his cum splash inside of me, so hot and so much of it, and I shivered with pleasure as he lowered his head, an indentation on his lower lip where he had bitten down almost hard enough to draw blood.

Instead of pulling out, he settled on top of me, pushing himself still deeper inside. He held himself up, just enough not to hurt me but not so far as to have a gap between us. I could feel his heart hammering in his chest and I reached up to settle my fingers over his flushed skin.

“I can’t wait to wake up in the morning and do this again,” Rami said, sleep evident as his cock finally softened enough to slide out of me, both of us shifting our hips at the loss of contact.

“Should we, though? Maybe this is better as—”

“If you say that was a one-off, I will walk out of here, naked as the day I was born, bring the guys into this room, along with half of the rest of the tour managers, maybe even Bri and Rog if I run into them along the way, to explain to you what a dumbass idea that really is.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, sighing, “This is going to be so hard. You’re going to LA. I’m going to London—”

“We will figure it out,” Rami said, tucking his arms under me as he rolled onto his back and took me with him, pulling me on top of his body.

I chuckled and shivered at the cool air.

“Cold up there? If you agree to date me, I’ll let you pull up the covers.”

“Rami!” I said swatting at him as I tried to reach for the comforter.

“Nope. Date me.”

I laughed as he squeezed me, his face splitting into a grin as he knew I was trapped.

“Be serious!”

“I’ve never been more serious. You can’t tell me that wasn’t special—you literally cannot tell me that something hasn’t been working to push us together during this tour? How many mudslides could have possibly happened at that exact moment in that exact location at the exact time we all lost service for our cells? Hmm?”

“You’ve really thought about this, haven’t you?”

“I already couldn’t stop thinking about you before that trip—fuck, that’s why we went on the trip. Now, imagine how much I thought about us after sharing a bed with you?”

I didn’t know what else to say so I kissed him. I kissed him because he was right. I kissed him because I was half in love with him already. I kissed him because I didn’t know what tomorrow would bring. And I kissed him because no matter what tomorrow brought, I wanted to know that he would be there for it.

“Is that a yes?” Rami said smiling, knowing damned well it was a yes.

“Yes,” I said with an exaggerated huff.

“Good because I’m freezing!” he said, finally releasing me so he could reach down to pull the covers over us.

I shook my head and settled on to my side, waiting for him to wrap his arm around me, just like he did in Italy.

Rami shifted closer, his lips pressing kisses into my back as his arm finally wound around my waist.

“Better not hog the covers this time,” Rami said, his voice husky with impending sleep.

I snuggled back into him, smiling as I fell asleep, no longer needing to rely only on the memory of Rami’s arms around me as we shared a bed.

Tags: @ramimedley @clumsybookworm18 @r-ahh-mi @aboutthatmelancholystorm @alottanothing @sherlollydramoine @txmel @diasimar @hah0106 @flipper-kisses@rami-malek-trash @ramisgirl512 @dancing-disco-deacy @just-a-queen-bee @eightiesriot @s-k-y-w-a-l-k-e-r @breadnbutternips

#rami malek #Rami Malek x reader #female reader #very very small guest starring roles for #Joe Mazzello #Gwilym Lee #Rami Malek smut #fluffy smut #bed sharing au #bed sharing #bohemian rhapsody #borhap fic

91 notes · View notes

whittakerjodie · 5 years ago

Text

Doppelganger Part 2 (Whittaker!master X Reader)

Summary: The Master has decided that she’s not done with you

Words: 2.4k

Authors note: Mannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn the way she’s got me whipped rn...

Warnings: emotional manipulation, the Master in general

Part One

Things on the TARDIS had been… awkward to say the least. The Doctor had spent two days taking care of you and asking questions. Then, after those two days, it was like a wall was suddenly erected between the two of you and you hardly spoke. You knew you hadn’t done anything wrong, so there was no apparent reason for her shortness other than the ‘other’ Master.

Once in a while, you would catch her staring at you with a look in her eyes that nearly brought you to tears without feeling what she was. How did you even bring a situation like that up, or begin to explain it?

Thankfully, the shock, pain, and bruises became a lot less intense as time passed. Your adventuring resume had provided you with quite the tolerance for the three staples. There were still stubborn remnants though. The gentle touch of her hand before the sting of pain, the Doctor's voice perverted into yelling and commanding, her eyes as you were carried away; furious yet… calculating.

Then, sometimes you would find yourself staring at her, when she wasn’t doing the same to you. It was surrealism to a new level- the women you loved, same as always, even after seeing her (but not her) hurt you so badly. You hated the few times you would see her out of the corner of your eyes and jump on account of seeing the Master in her place.

The Doctor had insisted that you come on their next adventure, even though you’d asked if you could spend a day inside the TARDIS to relax. You supposed she didn’t want whatever happened before happening again and leaving you with her. So, you agreed, even if you weren’t excited like usual.

You were trailing behind the Doctor and the fam, unable to become fully present. The planet was nice, at least. Long winding tree’s stretched towards a dark purple sky, where 6 suns sparkled. You were hiking on a trail headed towards the peak of Banton, where you would be able to see the seventh moon from it’s height.

Nothing dangerous had happened yet, but deep down you could feel that something was wrong. Every alien on-planet seemed… tense. Artificial, almost. Their eyes followed you and you alone, and you could sense them still following you even into the wilderness. You heard shuffling in the bush behind you and curled your hand into a nervous fist.

“Doc-” You started. You were cut off by a tug on your arm, hard enough to nearly dislocate your shoulder. Your back slammed against a tree and the air was knocked out of you in one moment, a gloved hand pressing against your lips to keep you quiet. Red twinged at the edges of your eyesight from the pain and you tried to push outwards against whoever had hurt you.

“Careful love. Relax.” Then, everything disappeared in a bright blue light.

_____________________________________

Not again, you thought, as you woke up for the second time in immense pain. You immediately shot upwards, ecstatic to find that your limbs were not bound this time. Then, confusion set in. You weren’t in a chair or a dark, scary room.

There was a soft orange light covering the room. You could make out bookshelves, filled to maximum capacity. In the corner was a large vanity, the mirror extending to the ceiling. Reflected in the mirror was you, panicked and covered in a blanket you were realizing was very comfortable. And next to you-

You jumped up again and nearly fell off the bed when a hand reached out and grabbed your collar, yanking you forward.

“I said relax.”

The Master didn’t even look at you, eyes pointed at the pages of her book. Her fist was still curled around the fabric of your shirt, holding you in place. You tried to pull again only to be greeted with an eye roll.

“Do I need to tie you up again? Relax” she demanded through gritted teeth. She slowly let go of your shirt and you sank back into a sitting position on the bed.

“How?” Was the first out of many questions you asked.

“You don’t need to know that. What sort of food do you like?”

“Food from my own universe, thank you. I’d like to go back to it”

“You don’t have to go back to it.”

“Yes, I do”

“No you don’t.”

“And why is that?” you exclaimed impatiently.

“Because you never left your universe” Your eyes widened.

“What d’you mean?”

“I mean what I said. Now, I answered your question, dear. I believe I’m owed.”

You blinked, watching her doggy-ear her page and set the book on the nightstand. She stared back at you, eyes narrowed. You felt yourself blush involuntarily at the attention. She was still wearing the same outfit from the other day, but it was buttoned up once more. You stubbornly shoved the image of the opposite case out of your mind.

“W-which question was that again?” You stammered. She shifted, laying on her side with her head propped up on her hand.

“I asked what food you like.” You thought for a moment, trying to decipher any hidden trick lying in the question. You gave her your nervous reply, and she nodded, then pointed across the room. Hanging off the vanity was a long dress. “Put it on.”

Then, she pushed herself off the bed and walked out of the room. For a moment, you could swear you heard her chuckling to herself. Immediately you searched around the room for a way out other than the door. There were no windows, though, and no obvious forms of communication lying around. Giving in (for the briefest of moments only, you told yourself) You tugged the dress into your arms and put it on.

Her TARDIS console room was different than your Doctors. There were still columns surrounding the console, but they were grey and pointy near the ceiling. The ‘round things’ still covered the walls, but their orange was violent, like fire. Their light was the only thing keeping the console room from drowning in total darkness. The Masters form was nothing but a black shadow, toying with the buttons and levers with an careful expertise.

She heard your footsteps and turned. Although the shadows concealed most of her face, you could make out her smirk and approving stare. You tried to make out her outfit but she stepped back into the shadows more.

“If we’re still in my universe, how did you get here?” You asked. You didn’t want to consider the possibilities and plans running through her mind or the dangers of having two Masters - one of which was a spitting image of the Doctor- running around.

“How about you save the questions until after dinner?” She murmured.

“Dinner?”

“Yes, dinner. What do you think, that I asked what food you liked so I could erase it from existence? Oo-!” She perked up. It was scary how much her excitement reminded you of the Doctor. “I could do that. Maybe if you’re a bad girl.”

You stepped back into the shadows yourself so that she wouldn’t take advantage of the warmth burning across your face. This was all too confusing. It was embarrassing and weird and wow, there was too much going on inside and outside of your head. A gloved hand slid under your chin, tilting your face upwards. You met her eyes, shrinking under the weight of them.

“How long has it been for you, since we met?”

“Couple of days.” She nodded, stepping back.

“Come.”

You stepped out of the TARDIS with her, somewhat ashamedly shielding yourself behind her. She seemed to take note of the fact with a smile. You seemed to be in a restaurant of sorts, although not one on Earth. Aliens of all sorts dined at tables on several levels, all of which were lit so beautifully you nearly forgot that your date was a genocidal maniac wearing your crushes face.

You let the Master deal with all the talking, carefully listening in in case she let anything slip. To your disappointment, she didn’t, and you were led to your table. While you walked you found yourself once again greedily eyeing her outfit. It was very... fitting. The red shirt had remained the same, her black pants hugging her form tightly. You scolded yourself for getting distracted.

“Don’t try anything or I’ll slit the throat of everyone here,” the Master promised.

Hearing such a violent thing be said in the Doctor’s voice immediately ripped you out of your admiring state and you didn’t sit down. Somehow, the food had already been prepared for you. This was ridiculous- looking around, everyone was on a date. This was a date.

“Alright, just come out with the plan.” You demanded. The Master shot a glare towards the hostess, who scurried away with a yelp.

“What plan? How do you know I have a plan?”

“Don’t you always?” You spat. “Listen… this has gone on far enough. The Doctor will find me.”

“Oh great,” The master said with a groan. “You’re playing the damsel-in-distress angle. Classic, but not what I was looking for on this particular outing. Sit.”

“No” You insisted. “Why should I? You hurt me”

“I barely touched you” She said with an eye roll. She pulled your chair out for you, pointing at it. “Now, if you’re done whining, I believe your food is getting cold.”

She reached into her pocket and you could see the classic shape of the tissue compression eliminator. So, you thought. Not much difference between universes then.

You took a seat, pushing yourself in so that she couldn’t. She huffed and took the seat opposite from you, starting her meal. As she cut into her steak you looked down at your own food, unable to deny that you were hungry.

“It’s not poisoned, if that’s what you’re thinking. Eat, I have some things to discuss with you after.”

Deciding not to get on her nerves any longer, you silently ate your food. Amazingly, the Master hadn’t lied. You remained alive, enjoying the superb cooking. The Master was silent too, for once, although she seemed rather twitchy, like she was eager to jump up from the seat and cause chaos where she stood. She took a sip of her blood-red wine and began to speak.

“Do you know the first rule of travelling with the Doctor, Y/n?”

“Don’t run off?”

“The Doctor lies” She said lowly. “Tell me, is she still sticking to her usual formula? Telling you that you’re important, that she’ll take you to every corner of the universe, that she’ll take care of you?”

You swallowed your food and winced as it stuck in your throat. This is just her trying to get a rise out of you, you told yourself. “I am important” You argued. “She has taken me to many corners of the universe and she does take care of me”

She gave a small tsk and reached across the table to place her hand over yours. You tried to yank it back but she had an iron grip, digging her nails into the skin on your wrist.

“Tell me, Y/n, if you’re so important to her, do you know about all her other friends? Her lovers?”

You couldn’t break yourself away from the eye contact, trying not to show any emotion. You didn’t, really. The Doctor hadn’t even told you what planet she was from until a couple of months ago. The Master could tell that you didn’t know, too. It made you sick.

“I wonder… so many lovers here right now, eating. How much of a coincidence would it be if the Doctor were here, right now?” Your muscles tensed. What was she talking about? She feigned curiosity, eyes scanning the room until they landed on a table in the far corner of the room.

“Oh, look at that. Aren’t they lovely.” You refused to follow her gaze and as a result, she grabbed your chin and forced your head towards the table. It wasn’t any two people you recognized, but you could sense familiarity in the man sitting there. He wasn’t your Doctor per say but-

“Her 12th face. Technically. Who’s that sitting with him you might ask?”

“Stop.”

“His adoring wife!” She said gleefully. Your chin wobbled and you moved your eyes away from them. The Doctor was so old, you figured she would’ve loved others before you. But knowing was different then seeing and having it used against you.

The Master dropped your chin, laughing when your head quickly fell. You didn’t realize you’d been leaning into her supporting hand. She silenced herself with another sip of wine, watching you carefully.

"Been together ages, them. Granted, not nearly as long as me and the Doctor have-” She didn’t finish. “Did the Doctor tell you about the 24 years they spent on this planet?"

You took a bite and ate your food slower, determined not to give in. But she was just as stubborn- she glared at you impatiently.

"I- I didn't know she had a wife" You admitted. Regret immediately stabbed through your tongue; you'd given her ammo, now.

"Neither did I, at first. I told you, dear. That’s the first rule. The Doctor lies" You ignored her again, trying to process your feelings. It was a little hard, given the situation. She sighed. “I wouldn’t lie to you, y/n. Well, that’s a lie. I would lie to you. I will lie to you. But I’ll have the decency to admit my dishonesty”

“Well that’s very… honest of you” You murmur instinctively. She blinked.

“Regardless.” She seethed. “I usually don’t keep pets-”

“Companions.”

“Companions. But I'd be willing to make an exception for you” Your heart stops, caught completely off guard.

“I’m sorry- what?”

“The rules are simple. You come with me, no one dies. You refuse, or you try to contact your precious Doctor, and I burn the universe I came from.” She held up a small wooden box, twirling it around in her fingers. “It’s called the moment. Timelord technology, but modified. I press the button on this bad-boy and the entire universe collapses before you can scream my name”

You stared at the box in horror, unsure of what to do. She wouldn’t would she? But she’s not the Doctor, you reminded yourself. She would. But why?

“B-but that's your whole universe! What would you even do?!?” You try to tug your hand back again but she nearly claws at it.

“Stay here with you. Then we could watch your universe burn next. Wouldn’t that be fun?” You look around the restaurant, frantically trying to get someone's attention, hoping someone could notice your panic. She chuckled, pocketing the Moment. “Don’t bother. Perception filter. It’s just you and I, love”

“Fine” You spat.There was no time to consider logistics or options. “Just- don’t hurt anyone please”

The last thing you wanted was a body count and the Master could make that happen in a split second. All you could do was hope that the Doctor would find you. Until then… you would have to follow her every order. You would have to let her become your Master.

#whittaker!master #Whittaker!master x reader #13th doctor #13th doctor x reader

116 notes · View notes

corpse--diem · 4 years ago

Text

Exit Interview | Rio & Erin

TIMING: A few days after the fire PARTIES: @3starsquinn & @corpse–diem SUMMARY: In front of what’s left of the funeral home, Erin struggles to clear up Rio’s questions in an impromptu employee meeting.

Orion still felt shaky on his feet. He hadn’t meant to leave the hospital in such a hurry. If his stupid dad hadn’t shown up, he could have gotten a full nights rest. Instead, as the sun slowly started to peak over the horizon and Rio still hadn’t gone home after blowing off his father and any nurses from trying to stop him. He had slowly brushed past them as if they hadn’t been standing there in the first place, out into the night air. He had been wandering ever since, a numbness lingering with him that kept him from paying attention to where he had been going. But eventually it had been obvious. He had taken the same path a hundred times on his way to work. The remains of the funeral home finally came into view, and Rio paused his steps for a moment to get a look at the place. It hadn’t burned down completely. The structure itself still stood despite bad damage to it. But more shocking than the funeral home was the person standing outside of it. “Erin?” Rio questioned, quiet enough that only he could hear until he had been sure that it was her on the yard outside of it. “Erin,” Rio repeated. He picked up into a jog at first, but immediately stopped when his legs groaned in protest. Clearly he hadn’t been completely healed. He attempted to stuff the hospital gown away that he had walked out of the hospital with. He had tried hiding it with the pants and hoodie he had hastily put on, but the edges of the gown still poked out. “You’re not in the hospital anymore? Are you okay?” Rio finally asked when he got close enough to her.

The funeral home wasn’t the first place Erin had gone after she’d gone to the hospital. Every time she thought about unfurling from the safe space Nic’s bed had become, she slouched harder into the sheets. But she’d made it here, eventually. Insisted on going alone to process this on her own. It was surreal standing here, charred wood and yellow caution tape filling her every sense. Even now, too, the smoke was enough to water her eyes. “Fuck me,” she grumbled, a growing dread of the work that would need to be done hanging over her like a rain cloud, heavy and dark. They could rebuild. If she made it out of this, they would rebuild. It could be… worse? A voice pulled her from her thoughts, a familiar one she hadn’t expected to hear so soon. “Rio?” She turned quickly, concern lighting up her eyes. “Yeah. Fine. I’m fi--” she started, shook her head. Her arm wasn’t fine and it felt like she’d smoked twenty cartons of cigarettes though that hardly seemed to matter right now. She took a step towards him, the unmistakable blue “Are you? Did you--did you just get out?”

She didn’t look happy to be there, but obviously Orion had a pretty good guess why. The funeral home had been important to Erin, that hadn’t been hard to see. Not only had she lost her business, but her home. And then on top of that, knowing that Roland had died here. Was he still here? Rio knew that the body would have been recovered, but he couldn’t stop thinking about how Blanche had seen his ghost. The thought made Rio pale even further than he already was. But still, despite all the pain and loss, Rio was still concerned about how Erin was processing everything. “I guess that was a dumb question. Of course you’re not fine.” Rio sighed, cursing himself for not being better with words. He barely knew how to console himself, how could he possibly begin to try to make others feel better? “I uh- yeah. Let me out early.” Or something. There was enough going on right now. If Rio told Erin about how he had left because his dad made Rio terrified for his life, that’d only add to the stress that Erin was going through. “I was going to head home to sleep but I… I don’t know I guess I just wanted to stop by here. Try to make sense of it all.” Rio squated, ignoring the way that his leg muscles protested the action. He stared at the rubble. Just days before, the place had been whole. And now it seemed almost desolate. He hadn’t expected to run into Erin here, but now that he had all he could think about was the door. The way that it had been locked, barricaded even. The events were still fuzzy in Rio’s mind, but not enough to completely forget them. “It wasn’t an accident, was it?” He knew the answer before asking, but that didn’t mean he didn’t dread it. He hadn’t even wanted to ask it. But with running into Erin now it seemed like the best chance. Maybe the only one.

“It’s not dumb,” Erin shook her head, giving him a half-hearted smile to show she appreciated the concern. She was more worried for Rio at this point. Her time at the hospital had been relatively short and she hadn’t had the time or energy to check in on him as much as she should have, and she knew that. Felt it now too as she watched him, no doubt reliving the horror behind his eyes. She froze at his last question. It was something she should have expected coming, and she knew it was, but when finally faced with it--and the look on his face when he asked it--utter shame warmed her cheeks, reddening her features to the point where she had to look away. “You should probably sit,” she gestured towards the grass, a little ways away from the house. It really wasn’t safe to be as close as they were, for Rio especially. She kept her eyes on the grass as she stuck her hands into her back pockets. Rio had endured enough from all of this to earn some honesty from her. “And uh--no. It wasn’t. Someone did this to me on purpose,” she grimaced, glancing back up at the house, then to the grass again, trying not to picture Roy’s stupid fucking grin flashing behind a cloud of cigar smoke for the millionth time. “It’s a long story, and maybe one day I’ll be able to tell you the whole thing but please know--I never, ever intended for you to get caught up in this.”

Being instructed to sit was never a good sign. It almost certainly meant bad news was coming. He should have expected it obviously, considering this all started with their place of work burning down and all. More than that, this place was more than just a place of work to Erin. It was her home, her career. The thought gave Rio goosebumps, and he tried ignoring them as he found a spot on the ground. Readjusting to fix the hospital gown that bunched up around the waistline of his pants, Rio used it as a distraction to try to hide how uncomfortable he was. He couldn’t seem to pick between glancing over at Erin or staring at the remains of the home. Neither seemed right. Erin confirmed what seemed obvious, that someone had done this on purpose. Rio nodded silently, trying to process how anybody could do something like this to a person. “Yeah, of course. I never would have thought you were trying to.” Rio waved that thought away. Erin had but nothing but generous to Rio. Aside from their initial meeting going less than smoothly, Erin had taken a chance with Rio and had always stayed patient through training and made sure he could handle the job despite Rio having never worked a day in his life before this. “I don’t understand. Why would anyone do something like this to you? To a funeral home.” That in itself seemed pretty disrespectful. “You don’t owe me the story or anything, I'm not trying to pry you for information. I just… We could have died in there. That person tried to kill us. Does that mean they’re going to try to hurt you again?”

The cool grass underneath her felt good when Erin settled down across from him. Truth be told, she was too tired and achy to be doing too much anyway. She’d come to assess some of the damage, maybe try to pick out some of her things that had made it out unscathed, but it all felt daunting and exhausting the longer she looked at the remains. “Probably,” she answered nonchalantly, nodding at his question. Roy wasn’t done with her yet. This little period between was likely just a breather--he probably thought he’d won, or squashed her enough that she wouldn’t fight back, but in no way was this over. She pulled her knees up against her chest, watching him for a moment. “Neither of us should probably even be here right now, if I’m being honest.” Paranoia, for sure, but she had good reason to be. “This wasn’t about the funeral home. I mean, it was, kind of--but my dad got my family involved with some bad people before he died. Then I went and pissed them off. As you can see,” she gestured towards the building with a humorless laugh. It took a moment but she met his gaze again, despite the slight twinge of guilt that came with it.

Orion crossed his arms. He was angry. Angry that this person wanted to hurt Erin and was willing to kill people to do it. Angry that Erin’s entire life had been in that fire. Angry that he hadn’t been able to do anything about it. More than that though, Rio was terrified. Because as much as he wanted to help, he knew he had nothing to offer. Back in that fire he had just barely gotten that door open. If he had been quicker, maybe none of them would have ended up in the hospital. That police officer may still be alive. If Rio had just been smarter with his abilities, he may have heard the door being barricaded and stopped the fire from ever starting. Instead he had been completely useless. “Oh.” Rio stated, unsure what else to say. He had no idea what bad people implied or how that carried over to Erin, but he was pretty sure that she was staying intentionally vague. “That oh sounded bad. Sorry. I’m not like judging or anything.” Rio hardly had any room to judge. His life revolved around being complicit in illegal acts. Whether that was keeping his psycho family life from the authorities or keeping his best and friend the person he was dating’s murder sacrifice to himself, Rio clearly was in no place to question someone else’s decisions. “But this is dangerous stuff. I don’t want you to get hurt. Nic knows about this right?” The one confidence that Rio had was that Nic was there to look after her. Erin didn’t seem like the type that needed much protection, but when she did it was good to know a trained hunter had her back.

Rio was quiet for a long time and it unsettled Erin more than she expected it to. Sitting here trying to explain, even vaguely, why he’d endured such a horrific trauma--and that it was in no uncertain terms her fault--burned a righteous new shade of shame right through her. “I mean, I wouldn’t blame you if you did,” she shrugged. “It’s a lot of… well, it’s just a lot.” It was more than she could wrap her head around some days. “He knows, but I can take care of myself. I know it looks pretty bad, and right now it’s the worst it’s been, but I’ve got a good group of people helping me with this. People who want to take him down just as much as I do. He’s hurt a lot of people.” She bit her lip. Roland. Rio. Blanche. Jane. Marley. Nell. Bea. Her own mother. And those were the names she could spout off at the top of her head. Didn’t even include the countless others from Pat’s or the damage he’d accumulated over the years. “We’ll get him. He’s got a lot to pay for,” she promised. Her vision fell to the blackened building next to them again, narrowing slightly when bits and pieces started falling back into place from the other night. “Can I ask you something?” She asked, turning sharply back to Rio, a hint of suspicion already in her voice. “Not so much of an ask, actually, but I couldn’t help notice the way you demolished that hardwood door. With your bare fists.”

Orion was sure that Erin could protect herself. Better than Rio was able to protect himself probably. And he even had super strength backing him up. But despite the fire and the serious threat, Erin seemed surprisingly calm. Rio wondered how she did it. Rio barely knew the situation and he was terrified. Looking at the charred building in front of them scared him. How did she keep her cool as the target in all of this when Rio was just barely holding himself together. “It’s hard to feel better knowing that he’s hurt a lot of people.” Rio admitted. The more people involved in taking him down was good, he supposed. But if he had so many victims, how much power did this man have? “Let me help too. I- I don’t know what I can offer. But I can’t just do nothing. Not knowing what he did.” Rio didn’t even know what he could offer to Erin, but he had to try. He had been guilty of doing nothing for far too long. He needed to start actively trying to make the changes he claimed to believe in so passionately. “Oh. That.” Rio itched at his neck, forgetting about the giant burn on it and wincing at the sudden pain. He had hoped that the chaos of the fire would brush past that moment and Erin would forget about it completely. Did she knew about hunters? Did she know about Nic? “I guess you wouldn’t believe it if I told you it was just adrenaline, huh? You know people that like lift cars to get their babies and stuff?”

“No.” The word jumped from Erin’s lips, stern, sure. Zero hesitation. Even with the inkling that there was something more to Rio’s abilities than he had let on, this wasn’t an environment he needed to be in. The proof was right beside them in all of its smoky glory. “Not all of us made it out of that building, Rio. It was a close call for those who did. Too close,” she reiterated. Obviously he knew. Obviously he was dealing with that on his own, but it bore repeating now. Blanche and Rio’s smoky, terrified faces. The desperation in Rio’s grip as he hugged her, apologizing to her as if he’d lit the flames himself. The crack of the floor as it gave way beneath Roland. None of them would ever forget any of it. “I get why you want to help but I can’t--” she cleared her throat, shaking those horrifying memories burning behind her eyes. “I can’t let you be near that. I never should have risked you being in that house to begin with everything going on. It was stupid and irresponsible and I am so sorry.” An apology didn’t feel like enough, would never be enough. Not to her. Not for this level of trauma--the kind that stuck with you, years after it happened, if it ever left at all. Still, it was all she could do for them outside of making good on her word, making this all right. “I’ll take care of it. You just take care of yourself, okay? You and Blanche both. That’s all I need you to do.” She couldn’t help but wince when he did. Another solid reminder that they were better off away from this and from her. “Probably not,” she said, shaking her head. Watched how uncomfortable he suddenly seemed and she felt guilty for prying. “You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to. But you might be surprised at the kind of things I’d believe if you did.”

Unsurprisingly, Erin was quick to shut Orion down. It didn’t come as a shock. He didn’t come across as the most reliable. He was clumsy, easily frightened and didn’t typically handle violence very well, just to name a few. That didn’t stop him from crossing his arms in defiance and chewing on his cheek while pouting. “I’m already near it though, right? I mean this person… whoever it was, tried to kill me.” Yet for some reason, Erin blamed herself for that. “You don’t have to be sorry. They did this. Not you. Whatever your issues are with them- that doesn’t excuse trying to kill someone. That was their choice.” And they sounded like an awful person. “Yeah, didn’t figure you’d believe that.” Rio sighed, knowing that Erin wouldn’t ask anymore if Rio refused to give an answer. But what was the point in that? Rio was tired of all the secrecy. “I have uh- certain attributes. Like special abilities or something. Not to sound too comic book hero. Enhanced strength is one of those.”

“That’s exactly my point, Rio. You haven’t done anything wrong and you almost died just because you were here, in this house, when he decided to show up. Imagine if you were actually on his radar? What if he came after you, or Blanche. For real this time?” Roy didn’t give shits about who or what burned down, that was painfully clear. Age was irrelevant. Rio and Blanche were circumstantial victims. Collateral damage. “The people who get pulled into this get hurt. They die. That’s a fact. I can’t be everywhere at once, I can’t protect--” Erin stopped short. The pouting only emphasized his age right now but if the fire had proven anything, Rio had shown he was capable of more than she ever realized. “I just meant that I can’t have something else happening to you over my head. That’s still a line I won’t cross.” It was a selfish demand, she knew that. One that was wrecking the relationship she’d built with Blanche when she’d told her to stay away. It wasn’t something she’d back down on either way. This wasn’t their battle and it sure as hell wasn’t going to be the one that could take them down. Rio seemed to be taking it better than Blanche, anyway.

The smallest amount of relief came with Rio’s insistence that it wasn’t her fault eased a bit of the ache in her chest. Not by much, and it didn’t change her mind, but it helped to know she hadn’t lost a third person to that fire. Her eyes narrowed suddenly. Enhanced strength? Special abilities? Sounded eerily familiar. Erin still had a ways to go but she did know a few people, once that also had beating hearts, who were strong enough to punch a hole through a solid wooden door. “Like… a hunter?”

How could Orion even dispute what she was saying? Was he supposed to claim that he could protect himself? That if this mystery man came knocking things would be different than they had been in that fire? These powers of his were just as useless as he felt. Super strength meant nothing when he could barely find the resolve to knock down a door. Rio was supposed to be enhanced and wasn’t convinced that he could withstand a strong wind. Mentally or physically. “But if you’re constantly worried about protecting others then who is going to look after you?” Rio wished that he could be that person. Maybe just once, Rio would welcome a fight if it meant keeping Erin and Blanche and others safe. But even if he was willing to, would he even stand a chance against someone who willingly burnt down a funeral home with people trapped inside.

Erin was familiar with hunters, which didn’t surprise Rio. She was dating one after all. “You’re uh… familiar with them I see.” It was safe to assume that Erin knew about Nic then, right? Rio figured he shouldn’t say anything just in case. “But yeah. Sort of.” He didn’t like leaving it at that. Hated agreeing with anyone that associated him with that word. Eventually, it bothered him too much and he had to say something, “Um. I don’t though. Hunt, I mean. Just so you know. I never wanted this. I just wanted to be a normal kid.”

A sort of sad smile crossed Erin’s face at Rio’s question. She didn’t put a lot of weight or faith into what ‘good’ or ‘bad’ meant anymore but if she were to put Rio in either slot, the choice felt obvious. He was a kind, smart kid with a big heart who just wanted to help. Outside of needing immediate help, it was one of the biggest reasons she hired him on with almost zero experience. Working beside him all of these months only proved her hunch right. “I’ve got people,” she assured him. “Very capable people. It’s why I’m so sure we’re going to get him. For you, for Blanche, for Roland. For everyone he’s hurt.” Whatever it took.

Erin understood, could even relate in a way - being thrust into a world you didn’t want to be a part of but didn’t have a choice. It was a relief knowing he didn’t act on those inherent abilities of his thought. The closer she grew to the kind of folks on the hunted end of the spectrum, the more her opinions on hunters soured. And if Nic knew Rio, their association at least made a little more sense now. “Even more of a reason to keep you out of this,” she said. As much as she could from here on out, anyway. “Good for you though. Seriously. You’ve got to do what feels right to you, even if it’s not the popular or obvious option.” It was hard to picture him, knife in hand, even if he wasn’t an active hunter. Just didn’t make sense. Her eyes were drawn to the funeral home again, biting down on her bottom lip as she hesitated for just a moment, turning back to face him once more. “And just so you know--if it wasn’t obvious already,” She started, a slight grimace mixing with the playful smirk on her lips. “You’re fired.”

#chatzy #wickedswriting #chatzy: rio #exit interview

10 notes · View notes