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[taintedcigs]

GETAWAY CAR — rockstar!e.m. x f!reader

CHAPTER FOUR: TWO NOTES AND A HEART DOWN

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✦ summary: in which eddie takes you for a trip down memory lane and you finally read the note. (wc: 9.4k+)

✦ warnings — ANGSTANGSTANGST, argument </33, yelling, crying, mentions of sa (nothing happens) like its not brought up AT ALL it's insinuated like the tiniest bit, mean!eddie, kinda asshole-ish? pining and slowburn, strong language!, mentions of alc*hol and drg use and a toxic/ab*sive relationship, food!!

✦ pairings — rockstar!eddie munson x fem!reader, past billy hargrove x fem!reader, eddie munson x chrissy cunningham

✦ authors note — sorry for the wait but i hope a 9.4k chapter makes up for it omg! also feel free to chat with me in the asks abt this series (and anything tbh) pls!! not proof-read pls ignore mistakes!! ive been struggling with this chapter A LOT. its not at all how i wanted to write it but i was just tired of holding it off :// so hope u guys enjoy and this is like the last fluffy chapter lmao its all angst from here on (well kinda)

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His nose skimmed against yours, a mere breath away from the temptation of your soft lips, everything you’ve been wanting on the tip of your fingers.

But you couldn’t do that. It didn’t matter if he was sorry or if it was casual. Chrissy still existed. And he still kissed her in front of you.

Friends, is what he promised. And this was going to ruin it.  

“Please, look at me,” he pleaded, you could hear the desperation in his voice. Your eyes blinked open slowly, how close he was to you had your eyes widened. 

"I-I don't even know what's wrong with me," he breathed out. "I feel like...I feel like I'm losing my goddamn mind, and I don’t even know what just happened,” he said in a strained voice. 

“I-I just… I look at you, and I’m absolutely terrified.” He gulped. “It terrifies me that—” He stopped himself before he could spew out more. 

It terrifies me how much I would do for you, he wishes to say, but he doesn’t, he can’t. 

“I can’t—we shouldn’t be doing this." He stammered, quick to lean away from you.

“I-I know” You agreed hesitantly, because you knew this was a bad idea. But your stomach burned at the thought that he wanted to not kiss you because of Chrissy. Was he actually going to be with her now? Did he lie about things being casual? 

“Do you…” You took a deep breath, “do you like her?” Your voice was strained, it was barely above a whisper, but Eddie heard you loud and clear. 

Your heart rate picked up quicker than you intended it to, you leaned further away from him, your mouth flooded with a bitter taste. 

“No!” His eyes widened, he answered it so quickly that the idea that he was lying sank further into you. 

“No, I-I don’t know… I just-” He breathed. “We agreed to being friends… We should keep it that way, and I can’t keep doing this,” he stammered. “I need to stop hanging on to the past.” 

“but, fuck. Each time, I try to, you just… prevent it!” He admitted, without realizing the weight his words held, your brows pinched quickly. 

“I prevent it?” You enunciated with an exasperated chuckle. 

“Jesus fucking Christ,” you mumbled under your breath as your body turned away from him, elbows holding onto the edge of the pool as you swiftly lifted yourself up. 

Eddie just looked at you, baffled. “Do you realize how unbelievable you are?” You spat, looking down on him with your hair still wet and your dress uncomfortably stuck to your body. 

“What are you talking about?” He gave you a puzzled look.

“Nevermind,” you huffed, facing away from him.

Eddie groaned, following you as he exited the pool swiftly. “Why do you even care?” He asked, breathless. Taking another step closer toward you. 

“I don’t,” you lied with a gulp. You were a bad liar. And Eddie knew that. 

“You don’t?” He narrowed his gaze, giving you a second chance to open up, but he knew you were too stubborn.

“I don’t.”

He huffed. “Fine.”

“That…” He paused, “was a mistake.” You could feel that horrible ache in your chest return. Sure it was a bad idea, but a mistake?

Did he really hate you that much?

“What does that mean?” You swallowed hard. Your heart was breaking the more he spoke, you wanted nothing more than to shut him up. 

“It means we-I shouldn’t have done that,” he corrected himself with a tinge of disappointment in his tone. But what exactly did he mean by that? Did he mean that the almost-kiss was a mistake because it could ruin your potential friendship? Or did he mean it in a way that suggested he liked Chrissy?

Those words were enough to have your heart drop into your gut; your whirlwind of thoughts were mocking you, the idea that Eddie had a chance of liking her was eating away at you, and all you could do was stand there and watch it all unravel. 

You parted your lips to speak, but all that could come out was a weak mutter of, “okay.” You turned your back on him quickly, picking up your jacket from the ground. You put it on in a struggle, fighting back the tears that were pricking your eyes. 

“What are you doing?” He asked with a puzzled look, and you refused to look back at him before your feet picked up. He didn’t seem to realize why his answer truly crushed you.

“I-I’m going home.” Your voice was barely audible; there was a lump sitting in your throat, causing your breathing to stammer.

“With what exactly?” He huffed, following behind you. 

“I don’t know,” you muttered with a roll of your eyes. “I’ll figure it out… I always do, don’t I?” You shrugged. 

“Don’t be ridiculous, I won’t let you walk alone like this. You could catch a cold, or something could happen to you, Pinky." His voice was laced with concern, brows furrowed as he hurried to your side.

“I don’t care,” you muttered with an emotionless expression.

“I do!” 

“Do you?”

“Of course I do!” He spat. “Please, don’t do something stupid and reckless. I can take you home,” he mumbled with a huff. There was no fucking way he’d let you walk home alone. 

“And I have a towel in my car,” he added, you slightly huffed. It was chilly, your dress was soaking, and he was right. There was no way you could get home without him. At least until you were willing to freeze off or get hauled by whatever was roaming in the forest. 

You followed him to the car with a simple nod, Eddie still failed to notice why you had gotten so upset, not realizing the implications his words held. 

-

By the time you got into the car, you were shivering, faintly muttering a ‘Thanks’ to Eddie as he wrapped the towel around you, brows creasing with worry, but he didn’t know what to say to you. 

Usually, he wouldn’t have let it go; he would’ve tried to get it out of you and ask you if you were okay, but when you were this upset, it was no use. 

The ride was silent except for the faint sound of Eddie’s mixtape filling the space between the two of you. He had asked if you had anything specific you wanted to listen to, but you shut him off with a faint shake of your head. 

Your heart was aching. Like he had just ripped open your chest and taken it without a care, not noticing how tight he had been squeezing and releasing it. As if he were toying with it. 

And you felt nauseous. You weren’t sure if it was because you didn’t get a chance to eat all day or because of that mocking thought in your head that told you that Eddie wanted Chrissy.  

Once your stomach grumbled, your question was quickly answered, your cheeks heated up as you crossed your arms against your chest in an attempt to shut it up. Eddie gave you a slight chuckle. “Munchies?” He chuckled. “Do you wanna get something to eat?” He asked with a reassuring smile. 

“I just wanna go home,” you grumbled as your gaze refused to meet his. “C’mon,” he muttered with a huff. “Do you even have anything to eat at home?” He asked all-knowingly. You shook your head, you didn’t; your fridge was empty; it was late, so you couldn’t get any groceries; not to mention, your messy kitchen was in no condition to cook. 

“Are burgers still your favorite food?” Your face unintentionally lit up at that; he was definitely thinking about Benny’s, and your mouth-watered just at the idea of their cheeseburgers. 

“Benny’s?” You asked with an involuntary smile on your cheeks, and Eddie swallowed a deep breath. That curve of your goddamn plump lips was driving him crazy. 

“Yeah, do you want to go?” He muttered slowly. “O-okay,” you mumbled. 

First the Wheeler House, then Billy’s stupid camaro, then the pool, this goddamn van, that mixtape, and now Benny's... this whole day had been a nostalgic mind fuck for you. You couldn’t complain, though; no matter how upset his words made you, you were still so pathetically happy to spend some time with him, ecstatic that he didn’t let you go. 

And so was Eddie. That’s why he had been holding his tongue back; he wanted to know why you cared so much about Chrissy. Sure, what she did with Billy was horrible. But it didn’t make sense. There had to be something he didn’t know.  

By the time you guys arrived at Benny's, it was past midnight, so, the place wasn’t packed, of course, but surprisingly, there were still a lot of tables besides the two of you. Eddie let out an ‘Aha!’ sound once his eyes caught the booth that was nestled in the corner. 

The same one the two of you always shared. The white light loomed over its padded, dark maroon seat, and you slid onto it with a huff. Your senses were immediately greeted by the mouthwatering aroma of toasted buns. The air was infused with a disgusting smell of frying oil, but all of it smelled irresistible to your growling stomach. 

Once the two of you got situated, Benny was quick to rush to your side. “Welcome to Benny’s, what can I get you—” 

"Oh my god!" Benny's eyes widened, his face breaking into a wide grin. "Didn't expect to see you! Jesus, how long has it been?" He chuckled, his memory working overtime.

A smile adorned your face, Benny had always been nice to you and to Eddie, giving you one too many free meals, always telling you that it was not an issue despite your protests, knowing of your absentee parents, just like the rest of the town did. 

“Very long,” you added with a chuckle, “missed your cheeseburgers.” You pouted. 

"Yeah?" Benny's excitement was palpable. "Mmhmm, nowhere in New York does it as good as Benny's," you hummed sweetly.

"Now, you're just butterin' me up!" Benny dismissed with a chuckle, eliciting a warm smile from you.

"But, New York, huh?" Benny inquired, raising an intrigued brow. "I've seen this one around, a lot, even last week." His finger pointed toward Eddie, prompting your brows to furrow.

Last week? 

“So that's why you weren’t with him.” He added, realization dawning on his face. Eddie was quick to shoot a painful gaze toward you, one that almost said, ‘no, she wasn’t with me because she left me’, You didn’t know how it was possible to share a language just through your shared gaze, but it had you physically gulping. 

“Uh-uh, yeah,” you mumbled, your gaze avoiding Eddie’s. 

“I gotta say though…” He leaned down, almost like he was telling the two of you a secret, “It’s really nice seeing the two of you together, again.” Benny said with a sly smirk.

“‘Bout damn time y’all got together,” He teased further. 

Your eyes widened in unison, both sets of cheeks warming before you spoke up. 

“Oh, no—” You were quick to dismiss with your hands.

“We’re not—” Eddie joined in your protests.

“So, what can I get for you, lovebirds?” He hummed casually, ignoring both of your protests. Your eyes locked before both of you shyly avoided each other’s gaze. “The usual?” 

“Uh-uh, yeah," Eddie grumbled, suddenly more interested in the wooden table. 

When Benny turned toward you, “same for her, but with extra pickles.” Eddie said almost automatically, your brows pinched together and Eddie mentally cursed himself, “I-I mean… if that’s still your order…” His words smushed together, cheeks quick to heat crimson red. 

“It-it is," you mumbled. 

“Alright, comin’ right up,” he threw a wink at the two of you, clueless of the awkwardness apparent in the air. 

It was stupid, all this back and forth all day. You weren’t kids anymore; you should have been able to just be friends and hang out, not fight. Yet, somehow, it had spiraled into a seemingly impossible situation.

Talking it out wasn’t going to do anything. If the two of you wanted any chance to salvage whatever your relationship was, you needed to talk about the bigger picture; everything needed to be spilled out. But neither of you wanted to do that. 

Unspoken feelings were lingering, and none of you knew when they would boil over. Both of you desperately wanted to cling to the promise of being friends and make the most of it. 

There were a lot of things you could say to him; you could choose to talk about Chrissy, you could choose to talk about L.A.; hell, you could choose to talk about his nerdy game, but your curiosity got the best of you, and before you could help it, the words spilled out of your mouth. “What were you doing here last week?” 

Eddie was almost taken aback by your question, not expecting you to be curious about him again after icing him out for so long. “I like coming here,” he shrugged. “Whenever I’m in Hawkins, I drop by, you know, to write some stuff.”

“Here?” Your face scrunched, finding it hard to believe that a greasy diner could ever be inspiring. 

“Yeah,” he chuckled, “most of our second album was produced in this bad boy.” 

"Are you serious?” Your brows raised, “and the rest of the band is just okay following you here?" You narrowed your gaze playfully, your hands finding a resting place on the worn wooden table.

Eddie’s mouth twitched with a smile. “Yeah, actually, they’ve gotten pretty used to it,” he confessed, “you-uh… I don’t know if you ever got to listen to the second one-”

"I did," you interrupted, voice resolute.

“Y-you did?”

“Of course.”

Eddie hesitated before asking, "What did you think of it?"

“Great record, are you kidding me? It had such a unique sound… You know, like, a timeless quality that makes it stand out?” You said excitedly, and he nodded with a raised brow, “that much?” He asked hesitantly.

“I’m not kidding, Eddie. You know how I don’t pull punches with music; if it wasn’t good, I’d tell you in a heartbeat.”

"Which one's your favorite?" Eddie asked, his curiosity piqued.

You pondered for a second before answering, "oh, definitely Aurora!"

Eddie's shaggy bangs fell onto his forehead as he leaned closer, listening intently. "I mean, 'I just kinda died for you, you just kinda stared at me' is genius," you said, your voice filled with admiration. You didn't dare look him in the eyes.

"And really, really sad," you continued, a hint of melancholy in your tone. "The idea that you could give the whole world to someone, to the point where you describe it as dying, and they don’t even see it... it sounds awfully painful." You gulped, your eyes fixed on the worn wooden table. You weren’t stupid; you knew why it was named Aurora; you knew what the lyrics were alluding to.

His car. The same car that the two of you drove around in. The same car drove the two of you out of Hawkins. 

You knew he liked you way before he let you on, and you wish you knew. 

Maybe if you weren’t dating that douchebag, maybe if Eddie said something sooner, maybe if everything that happened when the two of you left didn’t happen… Maybe just maybe, the two of you’d be together now. 

Maybe if the timing was just right, it wouldn’t be like this; he wouldn’t have whatever he had with Chrissy. You wouldn’t have been in New York. 

But what were you supposed to say? What could you say that would change all of this? Even if you told him about what Chrissy did, even if you explained why you had to leave him in L.A., there was no use. The truth couldn't turn back time. You two had ventured down different paths, and it was painfully evident.

He wasn’t the Eddie you knew, and you weren’t the Pinky he knew; it was too fucking late. 

Eddie's mouth hung open in surprise; he hadn't expected you to delve into the song's meaning like this. Aurora was one of the heaviest songs he had ever written, and he held a special attachment to it. The label and the rest of the band had embraced it, which was surprising since they usually rejected his heartbreak songs, wanting more of that unbridled rage. 

He didn’t answer you; there was a weird tension between the two of you again, so you diffused it with, “but kinda lame that you decided to name a song after your car,” while eyeing Eddie to gauge his reaction.

Eddie chuckled. “Oh, bite me,” he teased, "but yeah, that one was also written here, in that same spot you were sitting.”

“Shut up!” You said, hand playfully reaching out to nudge him. 

"And to your question... I can't tell you why I was here last week," Eddie confessed, his voice carrying a hint of mystery.

Your stomach twisted at that, and you didn't know how many more punch-in-the-gut revelations you could handle today. "Why- uhh- why not?" You asked hesitantly, your words stuttering over simple syllables.

"Because then I'd be spoiling the note, dummy," he said, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

A deep breath of relief escaped your stomach, and you chuckled. God, he was a douche. "Wait... so does that mean... I have a song in my pocket?"

"Not exactly."

"I'm the first one to see it, huh?" You asked excitedly, hand teasingly dipping into your pocket.

"You and the rest of the band," Eddie huffed, offering a sheepish grin.

You gave him a quick glare. “You know I could leak this to the press and make millions, right? No more dealing with rude customers, and no more nine to five hours stuck in a record shop?”

He narrowed his gaze. "You can't get shit for that," he mockingly retorted.

"What?" You frowned.

"Yeah, it's basically like the first chorus and some gibberish notes, it's worthless," Eddie explained.

You pouted. "Aww, damn it."

"I'm kidding, I'm excited to read it,” you reassured with a wink, “you know… Maybe I could give you some notes on it? Review it?" You suggested.

“Didn’t know you were a musician.”

“Rude!” You huffed, “I may not be a musician, rockstar. But I sell records for a living. I can promise you, I listened to many more records than you did this year.” You said with a playful smirk.

"How's that like?" Eddie asked curiously, his deep brown eyes resembling longing and curiosity.

You leaned back against the cushioned booth, letting out a wistful sigh. "Working at a record store? A rollercoaster,” you chuckled, “lame in some ways, but also incredibly fascinating. New York's a whole different world compared to Hawkins."

Eddie couldn't help but study your face as you spoke. He noticed the faint traces of insecurity in the way you held yourself—an air of loneliness that came with moving away from everyone you knew and your family leaving you.

"But also, it took me a while to get used to it," you continued. "Nancy and Jonathan used to visit me a lot; they've really helped me adjust.”

“And you know, of course, Robin and Steve, too,” you murmured.

Eddie’s brows shot up at that. So everyone but him. 

It was a sting he couldn't quite shake, burning at his skin, that you decided to abandon him but were fine with everyone else, including Steve. 

Your absence in his life had left a void he couldn't fill, ever.

Yet, here you were, replacing him like it was nothing. 

Eddie knew he had no right to be jealous; you two were just friends, right? But it ate away at him; that feeling seeped through him, even though you were never his to begin with.

His face burned, and his jaw clenched involuntarily. He could almost feel the taste of bitter jealousy in his mouth, considering how it was overtaking his senses. “Steve?” He questioned; gaze seeping through you, an unbrittled rage ready to tip at any moment. 

You didn’t seem to notice it, though. For someone who was usually very perceptive, it flew right by you—that slight tick in his jaw, the way his fists curled, the storm raging beneath the surface.

“Yeah,” you murmured, his head turned away from you, gaze fixed on anything but your face. The other corners of the burger place was suddenly very interesting to him as he grappled with his own emotions.

“It’s pretty crowded in here, right?” you remarked, trying to draw Eddie into the conversation and gauge his mood.

“Uh-huh,” Eddie replied, his gaze remained distant, thoughts elsewhere.

Concern etched across your face as you pressed further, “Uh, are you okay?” Something seemed to be bothering Eddie, and you couldn't pin-point what it was.

“‘M fine,” he dismissed with a wave of his hands. 

He had to distract you and do something else because he was being super fucking weird, and you weren’t dumb; you could read him like a book. 

He didn’t want that awkwardness or tension to reappear; he wanted to talk to you freely, he couldn’t let his insecurities ruin this for him. 

Eddie’s attention turned back to you,  “is that what you want to do with your life?” his brows raised, “The record store, I mean.” He didn’t want to sound rude, he just wanted to know more.

“I don’t know… I never had much time to think about it.” You gave him a small smile, shaking your head gently, “also, I can’t really afford to think about it anyway.”

“But what do you want to do?” He probed.

“Anything concerning art… I mean I’d love to be a tattoo artist, too. That’s the likely path I’m going down, dunno if the salary is good enough, though.” You shrugged, “but you know what I’d love to be?” Eddie leaned closer, his eagerness clear. 

“What?” He asked, genuinely intrigued.

“Someone came in like a month ago, this bearded guy with lots of tattoos… We had a new album coming to our store that day, and he wanted to see them,” you mumbled with a warm smile, eyes glistening with a dreamy glow. “Then he told me about how he was a tattoo artist, but helped make some of the cover art for that album, and then something just like clicked in me.”

“I used to draw with the hope that maybe it could connect with someone, you know, like it did with me… I spent half of my childhood drawing and listening to music as an outlet. Whenever my parents left, whenever they were absent in my life despite ‘being there’, or whenever they had a screaming match, plates thrown at each other, the first thing I did was sketch, anything, on the notebook.” You mumbled, “or I listened to a record, and I let it consume me, in the hopes that it would drive me away from reality, diffuse the pain, even for a split second, and it worked,” you said with a simple smile. 

Eddie hung on to your every word, his gaze never wavering, admiring that creative spirit shining in you. “Art and music shift the world in the best way possible, and maybe it is dramatic but it also saves lives in a way, you know, by helping you get through something, or making you forget. And that’s my biggest wish… to have my art be important to someone, to make them feel like they’re not alone, in any way possible. So when I saw how that guy combined music and art like that, I thought, this is fucking perfect, this is what I need to do.” 

Eddie’s brows pinched together, “why haven’t you done it?” he asked, his voice a soothing lilt that could melt any doubts away. He could listen to you talk about your passions for hours, the way your eyes glistened with hope, that little quirk of your brow did when you found something interesting, it was heavenly to him. 

“C’mon Eds, be realistic,” you murmured sadly. “Half the people that work for a good record company or with a good band have fancy art degrees, they have connections, they have the money, the time to do it. No one’s going to want a nobody who doesn’t even have a college degree from a small town.” Your lips pressed into a thin line.

“Bullshit,” he spat quickly, dismissing the way you so quickly diminished yourself, “I was the trailer trash of Hawkins, and look what happened,” he encouraged in a harsh but also a warm manner, leaning closer. 

“Yeah, but you’re also a guy, Eddie.” Your voice wavered as you pointed out, “t-they have different expectations for women who don’t have those connections, or don’t come from like insanely rich parents… If you know what I mean,” you said with disgusted frowning upon your face, chill running down your spine. 

Eddie immediately picked it up, his face growing to one of concern, “W-wait-” his voice quivered, the color drained from his face quickly, you immediately knew what he was implying and shook your head, “no, no, not me! But I heard lots of stories in New York, it’s just disgusting,” your face scrunched. 

“That’s awful,” Eddie’s jaw clenched in anger, he knew there were a lot of scumbags in the industry, and it pissed him off that he could do nothing about it. He already felt guilty enough that he didn’t realize what a narcissistic asshole Billy really was, he wanted to help any way he could. 

And then, like a sudden light bulb went off in his head, an idea illuminated his mind. “Have I ever told you that our record company is in need of a new art director?” He pouted teasingly. 

Your eyebrows shot up as a giggle escaped your lips. "You're funny," you said, playfully skeptical.

Eddie, ever earnest, replied, "I'm serious."

“I-I can't do that," you said shyly, your fingers toying with the hem of your dress.

Eddie leaned in, and retorted with a, “and why not?"

“It-it feels wrong, and you don’t even know if I’d be good-“ you hesitated, not fully convinced if this was a good idea.

“Bullshit,” Eddie countered firmly, a small smile gracing his lips. “I know how great your art is, and I know how much you care about music, the way you describe it is exactly the reason why I love it so much.” Eddie always took you seriously and encouraged you about your dreams, no matter how unrealistic it was. 

“You know what you said earlier about how you wanted your art to matter to someone?” You nodded, eyes glistening with hope. 

“Your art is important to me, Pinky. The ones you sketched in your notebooks, is what helped me write some of my lyrics. The drawings you made when you were bored in class, the ones I have hung up on my wall still at the trailer… they mean so much to me,” he said in a hushed voice, he dragged his arm on the table, quick to point to the tattoo on his forearm. “This tattoo, is what helped with Corroded Coffin’s symbol bats, you do realize that, right?”

Skeptical, you scoffed, "you guys always had bats as your thing."

 “True,” he agreed, “but your design helped bring it to life.” He shrugged, “and you know the band better than anyone, maybe you could help us with our next album cover, too. I don’t think I could find someone more perfect for the job.” Eddie shrugged and smiled warmly.

“But-”

Your protests were gently silenced by Eddie, who insisted with a soft determination, “No but’s, just say yes, please.” His voice was sweet, sickingly sweet, you couldn’t say no even if you wanted to, and this was the perfect opportunity. 

“I mean I’ll just have a talk with them, show them some of your stuff, so, no promises. But I can be very, very persuasive,” he teased, a wink thrown your way.

You stammered, the excitement bubbling within you. "Y-you'd do that for me?” He nodded surely, “even after everything that happened?" Your tone was muffled, laced with insecurity.

"Anything for you," Eddie reassured as he leaned closer, that familiar, small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

With your heart aflutter, you finally agreed, excitement breaking through the barriers of your insecurities. "If—if you really are okay with it, I-I'd love to."

“Of course,” he affirmed. 

“Alright!” Benny chimed in, interrupting the two of you. “Two cheeseburgers with a side of fries, and two milkshakes.” He hummed, settling the food in front of both sets of hungry eyes.

“Enjoy, lovebirds!” He said with a smirk, sauntering away to the kitchen. 

“Thank you!” Both of you exclaimed with happiness as you dug into the food.

As you munched on the crispy fries, you admired the other tables, each one occupied by a slice of life that you couldn't help but find intriguing.

One table was for a family of four. All you could hear was the distressed children, their whining echoed through the restaurant. The parents looked drained, faces etched with exhaustion as they juggled plates of half-eaten food, desperately trying to calm down and distract their kids.

Another table was occupied by a couple who was in a heated argument. The man wore a scowl, voice raised in anger, while the woman looked like she was about to cry, her eyes pleading for understanding.

But the last table was the one that you couldn’t tear your eyes away from, it brought a smile to your face. “Oh my god, look,” you said in a hushed voice, gaze pointing toward the booth that was nested in the far right corner.

Eddie was already face-first into his food, “later, ’m eating.” He grumbled. You poked your tongue out at him playfully. “Jesus… Forgot how grumpy you get when you are hungry,” you hummed, flinging a fry in his direction, causing him to pause mid-bite and chuckle.

“Oh, you don't wanna play that game with me, sweetheart,” he teased, dangling a fry in front of your face.

You grinned, your eyes dancing with excitement. “Just one look, and I’ll be out of your curly unbrushed hair, Munson,” you joked with a giggle.

His eyes rolled quickly, “you won’t stop until you get what you want, will you?” He asked with an annoyed tilt of his head.

You shook your head with a giggle. “Fine,” he huffed jokingly, dipping the fry in his hand into the vanilla milkshake, making an exaggerated sound of satisfaction as he devoured it.

“Gross.” You commented with mock disgust, and he rolled his eyes in response.

“Just tell me which table.” Eddie leaned in, his curiosity piqued as your gaze moved toward the couple at the adjacent booth. The girl was wearing a plaid mini skirt, expertly paired with a statement crop-top covered by an oversized leather jacket wrapped around her shoulders, likely borrowed from the curly-haired brunette sitting on the opposite side of the booth.

Her head was thrown back, and laughter danced in her eyes as she hung on to every word of the story he was telling. The curly haired brunette guy had a graphic band-tee and a guitar pick adorning his neck. Mascara smudged and eyes all red; you knew they probably had a long night. 

It reminded him of something, or rather, someone. 

He looked at you with his brows scrunched up, and you replied to him with a giggle. Both of you were thinking the same thing. 

“That’s fuckin’ weird.” Eddie mumbled with a mouthful of his juicy cheeseburger. “Are those our… doppelgangers?” 

“Right?” You almost mirrored him, taking a bite from your cheeseburger as you leaned further on your elbows. “What do you think their story is?”

“Uhhh-” Eddie grumbled, “us from five years ago?” His mouth partially obscured by the burger as he chewed thoughtfully, a furrow in his brow. 

“Such a detailed story!” You mocked. He couldn't help but notice how the dim diner lighting accentuated your features—plump lips looking so soft from the way you frustratingly groaned—which brought an unintentional smile to his face.

You were so breathtakingly pretty; even when you were munching on a burger, he was absolutely whipped.

Eddie shrugged, that shit-eating grin still on his face. He looked you dead in the eye before he took another big bite, stuffing more fries into his mouth. 

“Fine, I’ll give them a story,” you narrowed your gaze, “and you can keep eating your gross milkshake dipped fries,” you mocked, straightening up your back as you leaned closer, licking your lips before you spoke.

“So the girl… she’s pretty, like really, really pretty.” You said with a sly grin, your gaze now focused on the couple in question; if he wasn’t going to participate, then you could just drag this further. 

“And there’s the guy." You gestured toward the other booth, gaze narrowing as you turned back to Eddie. “He’s just... there, I guess, kind of looks like a douche,” you mocked, mouth scrunching as you looked at Eddie all-knowingly, head tilted to the side.

Eddie scoffed, responding with a lighthearted yet passionate defense of himself. “He looks like a total stud,” he grumbled in between bites with a smirk, “and that band-tee? He’s so fuckin’ cool.”

“Oh, yeah?” You challenged, “I think he’s a total nerd, bet he’s telling his dorky D&D stories to his best friend.” 

He stuck his tongue out, a carefree grin on his face, “Hey! You said you loved my campaigns!” He exclaimed and playfully tossed a soggy fry at you. 

You gasped dramatically, reaching for another fry to retaliate before Eddie’s unreadable expression had you frozen. “Shit, I totally forgot, what time is it?”

“Oh, you’re not getting away with that, Munson, we’re in a full fledged food war now,” you teased, holding a fry aloft, your gaze narrowing in mock seriousness.

“No, no, I’m serious.” Eddie insisted, causing you to huff in response. You turned your back to try to read the old-fashioned clock that stood on the wall. 

“Uh… 1.15, why?” you replied, your brows furrowed in confusion, trying to understand him.

“Shit! Shit, shit!” He cursed, getting up quickly while he started gathering his things.

“What?” You asked with a puzzled look.

“Wayne!” He exclaimed making you furrow your brows.

“What about Wayne?” 

“I promised to pick him up after his shift,” he explained with a sigh. “You know, since I kinda have the car.”

"Well, when did it end?” you inquired, still calm as you took another bite from your burger.

He eyed you with urgency. “15 minutes ago,” grumbling, he shoved whatever was left of his food into his mouth. 

“So, I’m going to see Wayne?” You asked with a smile. 

“If we don’t hurry up, you’re going to see me dead,” he exclaimed dramatically, making you roll your eyes. 

“You need to inhale all of that, now!” He screeched, and you looked up at him with a pout. 

“Now!” He snapped, hands clapping in front of your face. 

“Okay, okay, jesus!” You groaned, taking a deep breath, before you shoved a generous handful of fries in your mouth. 

-

When Eddie led you to the car, all you could think about was how Wayne would react—would he be mad at you? Would he be disappointed? 

Goosebumps appeared when a chill ran down your spine, you didn’t know if you could handle it. Wayne had been a staple in your life up until you left, he fed you, he listened to you when you needed it, he gave you a place to sleep, and he always reassured you that you were always welcome in their home.

And you didn’t even bother to say goodbye to him. Not that you didn’t want to; it’s because you couldn’t. When you and Eddie left, it was in a hurry. You had no time to tell anyone, not even Eddie told Wayne until you two were half-way there to California. 

But it still didn’t stop your guilt, it still didn’t help the way your stomach twisted at the mention of his name. 

Your feet picked up quickly as the thoughts filled your head, only stopping when Eddie called out to you. “I have to tell you somethin’” Eddie mumbled, eyes squeezing shut. 

A huff of air was quick to escape your lips, you knew it was too perfect to end like this, you knew he was going to ruin it. 

“She-uh… she’s coming to brunch tomorrow.”

You froze in place, almost everything fit like a puzzle in your mind now, and you didn’t know which emotion to feel first. 

Anger, jealousy, or sadness. 

And all three of them hit you at the same time. Because it made sense now, it was clear. He liked Chrissy. He wanted Chrissy. 

He wanted to move on with her. 

He had your heart in his hands, but this time he wasn’t toying with it; he was stomping on it, over and over again, not stopping until he was sure it was beyond salvageable. 

Hand almost frozen in the place you opened the car door without a word, settling into the passenger seat like nothing had happened. 

“Shit,” he cursed under his breath before he opened his side of the door, getting inside swiftly just to turn to you, “are you not gonna say anything?” he asked, voice carrying a desperate tone.

Your gaze remained fixed outside the window, your cheek pressed against the cool glass. “We’re going to be late,” you replied with a cold, unfeeling tone. Silence filled the car, mirroring the gaping void that now existed between you two.

Thankfully, Aurora didn’t give him any trouble when he started the ignition with a key turn, and the engine roared to life. You didn’t want to speak; you didn’t want to say anything to him. You wanted to save all of your emotions, contain them in the depths of your mind, and cry yourself to sleep. You didn’t want him to know how much this crushed you. 

But you couldn’t just do that; too disappointed to let it slide, the words escaped your mouth like a dam breaking, “I can’t fucking believe you.” 

“Just, listen, I-I didn’t even invite her-” Eddie tried to explain, but you weren't listening, you didn’t care, you were letting it all out. 

“How would you fucking feel if I kissed… Jason in front of you?” Eddie opened his mouth to answer, but you continued, “how would you feel if I invited him to brunch tomorrow?

Once you took a deep breath to gather your thoughts, he scoffed. “That’s not the same thing, Pinky. Carver made my life a living hell, he was a miserable bully.”

You should tell him, you should tell him what exactly Chrissy did to you.

You should tell him the whole story of that night at Steve’s party. 

The part he didn’t know. 

But you don’t. 

Because you’re too busy to worry about whether he actually wants to be with her or not, your mind felt full, anxieties and worries dancing around in it. 

“And Chrissy kissed Billy!” Your mouth dried up when that name left your mouth, you could feel that dreadful feeling consuming your chest. 

That night was still a blur to you—the way you caught them, the things Chrissy said to you, the way Billy swore that she initiated the kiss. 

Eddie shook his head. “She said it was a misunderstanding.”

You rubbed your fingertips on your forehead in disbelief. “And you believe her over me?” you asked, tone carrying a tinge of hurt and betrayal. The question hung heavy between the two of you.

“No, no!” He yelled out. “Jesus fucking Christ, stop putting words in my mouth, Pinky!” Eddie groaned in frustration, his hands gripping the steering wheel. “She explained it was a misunderstanding, and she does want to tell you that, too… maybe you could talk to her—”

You let out an exasperated chuckle, not interested in entertaining the idea. “no fucking way.” 

“If you want to be with her, then just fucking say that, Munson, don’t do all this fuckin’ bullshit,” you added, crossing your arms against your chest. 

“I don’t want- oh, you’re unbelievable!” He snapped, head bumping against the headrest of his van. 

“You make it fucking impossible to start over!”

“Wh-what does that even mean?” You retorted back.

“J-just when I’m about to start over, just when I-I’m going to…” He rolled his tongue inside of his cheek in rage as he paused to better explain himself. 

“I find a picture of you in my wallet that you put… or, or Nancy and Jonathan tell me that you invited them over…” You were on the brink of retorting when he continued, “or, or, you- you just barge back into town like you never left; talk to me like nothing fuckin’ happened.”

You didn’t dare to open your mouth; everything he said made you feel guilty. But everything he felt, you felt, too. Each time you felt like moving on, each time you wanted to try to be with someone, you physically couldn’t. 

Maybe it was selfish that you liked hearing him feel the same way too. That’s why the way he was being so vague about whatever he had with Chrissy was like a stab to your heart, in the most non-dramatic way possible. 

“You know… I used to think you were the best thing that ever happened to me… I used to think that you w-would always be in my life. That you’d be the one fuckin’ person who’d never leave me.” Eddie's voice trembled, and your throat was quick to tighten, lump forming as his words began to sink in. It felt like the car grew darker the more he spoke, your world crumbling down with it. 

“I was wrong about all of that... all you fuckin’ did was ruin it… You ruined my life.”

The faint strains of heavy metal playing on the car's stereo seemed distant, before you spoke up, wobbly lips slurring your words. “I… I r-ruined your life?” You slumped back on your seat with his words slicing through you like a knife, gnawing at your insecurities.

“Y-you really think that?” Words barely escaped your lips, voice quivering. 

He opened his plushy lips to speak, but he couldn’t answer; words died down in his throat, his gaze fixated on the road, lips pressed into a tight line. 

That in itself was an answer, you knew it, and he knew it. You felt exposed to him, like he knew your insecurities but still did nothing to hide them. 

You couldn't help but feel a hot prickle behind your eyes, the unshed tears were getting harder to hold back. You bit back on your wobbly lip, in an attempt to conceal the pent-up emotions that were begging to be let out. “This… this whole thing was a mistake,” you murmured, voice hushed and heavy with regret. The words felt like stones in your mouth, bitter and unpalatable. 

“We-we were caught up in ourselves, ther-there’s no fuckin’ way we could ever be friends,” you continued, driving home the painful truth, just so you could hurt him like he hurt you, just so you didn’t want him to know how pathetically you still wanted to be with him in any way possible. 

“I agree,” he grumbled, eyes still on the road. Tears streamed down your cheeks, tracing glistening paths along your cheeks, you didn’t even attempt to wipe them. Sniffles punctuated the air, body shuddering with an attempt to suppress your sobs, but then again, they were drowned out by the heavy metal music that echoed in the car. 

Eddie’s gaze fell on you every few seconds; but you didn’t seem to notice. And the guilt ate away at him, too, his brows furrowed in agony. He knew that wasn’t what he meant to say. He didn’t mean it in that way, you didn’t ruin his life; you never could—well, not until you left him. 

His knuckles tightened on the steering wheel; this wasn’t how everything was supposed to happen. He didn’t even invite Chrissy; she asked to come, and of course Eddie said yes, what else could he do? So he just wanted to give you a heads up. Just so things wouldn’t get bad between the two of you again, but he managed to screw it up.

Grumbles and some curses were all the two of you could hear when Eddie pulled up to Wayne’s workplace. With a huff of breath, your car door hung open. “I’ve been waiting for thirty minutes, rockstar; you better have some good fuckin’ excuse-” Wayne’s eyes widened the second his gaze met your sad figure.

“Jesus H. Christ!” Wayne exclaimed as if seeing a ghost. “Am I seein' that right? Is that who I think it is?” Despite the heartache gnawing at your insides, you managed a smile.

"Hi, Wayne," you mumbled shyly. Wayne, however, wasn't having it. "Oh, you're not gettin' off with a simple 'hey,' come over here, kid!" He said excitedly, pulling you into a bear-hug. The embrace was tight enough to make you giggle and sniffle, an unfamiliar smile on your lips.

“Where the hell have ya been?” Wayne inquired once he let you go. 

You tried to get up, offering him the front seat, he shook his head, hands holding you down by your shoulders, not wanting to interrupt the two of you.

You told him about everything—New York, your job, how you got here. Everything. 

And all Eddie did was drive; he didn’t look at you or even Wayne for all that mattered—not a single glance. And of course, this didn’t go unnoticed by Wayne. 

“Alright, kids, you two are bein' weird…” Wayne grumbled, glancing at Eddie. “Tell me what the hell happened. Some kind of lover's quarrel?” Eddie scoffed, and you couldn't help but snap your head in his direction.

"Somethin' funny, boy?" Wayne added, narrowing his gaze at his niece. Eddie sighed but still avoided both of your gazes.

“No, no, uhh- nothing happened.” He murmured.

Your gaze narrowed, and you couldn’t help the anger inside of you. “That’s funny, that is not how I remember it.” 

Wayne’s brows furrowed before he leaned closer to the front seat. “What happened, P? You know you can always tell me anythin’” he murmured with a reassuring tone. 

Eddie scoffed, rolling his eyes, but you ignored him, “he is with Chrissy,” you said, scrunching your face as you turned to gauge Wayne's reaction.

Wayne's brows tilted together, his eyes narrowing as he tried to remember that name. “You remember her? Strawberry blonde hair and-”

“The blondie that made you cry?” you nodded, “with that Hargrove kid?” 

“See, even Wayne remembers,” you grumbled, slightly elbowing Eddie to get a reaction out of him, only earning an offended huff.  

“I never liked him, you know,” Wayne continued, large hands gesturing vaguely to emphasize his point, “always thought you were way too good for him. A guy like him has no business with my Pinky.” You leaned further into the headrest, fingers fiddling with your jacket as you gave Wayne a weak smile. 

“Should’ve listened to you,” you hummed. 

“So Eddie is with her?” Wayne mumbled, face souring. 

“Boy, have you lost your damn mind?” Wayne was quick to chide Eddie, who was drumming his fingers on the steering wheel in an attempt to not snap at either of you. 

But it wasn’t working. 

"I told you I'm not with her!" he hissed, voice dripping with irritation. He shot a glare at Wayne through the rearview mirror, but his words were directed at you. 

“How would you explain kissing her and inviting her to our friend's brunch!” You snapped in Eddie’s direction. 

“Eddie, tell me you did not do that!”

“It-it’s not like that, Wayne.”

“Oh, really? What is it like?” You gruffly asked, curiosity and hurt evident in your tone.

“Eddie…” Wayne warned him shushingly with a disappointed look, he could see how much you were hurting, and he knew Eddie was a bit oblivious.

“What?” he groaned.

“Don’t worry, Wayne, he just enjoys playing with my feelings,” you replied with a scoff, fingers tracing the pattern on the car’s leather seats, a relief to your pent-up emotions.

“Oh, you’re one to fuckin’ talk,” Eddie muttered under his breath with an out of place chuckle, his anger overflowing after holding it back for so long. “Newsflash, princess. You weren’t the one to wake up all alone in L.A. with one fucking note, I was!” He yelled, words punctuated by the heavy breath he took between each sentence. 

“You should be grateful you have two notes in that pocket of yours because I barely got one!” 

“Will you stop bringing that up?” You plead, lip wobbling as you bit on it harshly to stop your emotions from spilling. 

“‘I can’t do this, sorry.’” He recited your words, and you refused to look at him. “Five letters, Pinky. Not even six. Five. You left me with that—no goodbyes, no nothin’, just a sticky fuckin’ note attached to the fridge.” His head snapped toward you.

A loud chuckle left your mouth, you turned to him with rage, and Wayne knew he had to step in or it was going to get ugly, even uglier than, whatever this was. “This isn’t even about that-”

“Alright, alright!” He interrupted, hands waving in the space between the two of you. 

“Simmer down, both of you! I know the two of you have a lot of unresolved shit… but don’t burn this bridge,” he warned, “not again.” Wayne’s words were quick to disperse the emotional fog that had surrounded the car. 

“The thing, whatever the hell it is, that y’all have… people spend their whole fuckin’ life lookin’ for it… Don’t be dumb.” That was enough to have the two of you shut up. 

“Talk it out.” He said, firm but fair. “I know you’ve both been hurt, so, be honest with each other, and apologize,” he continued, urging both of you to confront each other.

“Okay?” He asked, head hanging in the space between the two of you. 

“Okay,” both of you mumbled in unison, backs turned toward each other.

‘Too late’ was all you could think; that bridge was already burned. There was no way the two of you could ever go back now, right?

A sigh of relief escaped your lips when Eddie finally pulled up to your house, you didn’t waste any time saying goodbye to Eddie before turning to Wayne and giving him a hug. 

“See you around?” You asked with a hopeful smile.

“You better!” Wayne warned playfully, evoking a giggle from you. “You gotta drop by sometime, promise?” He asked with a sly grin, he knew exactly what he was doing. 

You didn’t want to see Eddie anymore than you had to now, but if Wayne asked you to do something, you’d do it in a heartbeat. 

You looked back at Eddie, your gazes connecting for a second before both of you turned away. “Uh-huh, promise,” you mumbled before exiting quickly. 

“What the hell are you doin’, kid?” Wayne exclaimed the moment you left, causing Eddie to look at him with a puzzled expression.

“Walk her to her door, for Christ’s sake!”

“I-I don’t think that’s a great idea,” Eddie explained hesitantly.

“Where are your manners?” Wayne scolded him, raising his voice. Eddie grumbled in frustration but ultimately gave in, cussing under his breath as he exited the car to follow you.

He ran after you, breathless once he finally caught up to you. “Sorry, I should’ve walked you-” He mumbled

You shook your head interrupting him, “no, it’s fine.” 

“So, uhhh…” He started, gaining your attention back to him. “Goodnight.” Eddie grumbled with a scratch of his head, barely able to look at you. He didn’t want to leave things like this, but the damage was already done. You could see the guilt in his eyes, but it didn’t matter now. 

He wondered what you would think of the notes; would you even read them? Would you get mad at him for the things he wrote? 

“Goodnight, Eddie.” You muttered back, turning to the door as you avoided looking at him, your finger shakily retrieved your key as you fumbled with it, doing everything in your willpower to not turn back at him. 

Eddie walked away with the same thoughts eating away at him. Were you going to look back at him? The temptation got the best of him, and he turned with a shy nod. You were struggling with your keys, muttering in frustration, and the sight unintentionally brought a smile to his lips before he hurried back to his car.

The moment you heard his car door open, you turned, slowly and reluctantly, only for your gaze to meet Wayne’s, who had an all-knowing smirk playing at his lips, waving at you. 

You gave him a shy smile before you hurriedly turned your back, finally opening the door and rushing inside. 

“You idiot lovebirds are goin’ to be the death of me,” Wayne grumbled to himself with a shake of his head, watching the way you scurried inside.

Once you locked the door, you rested against it, a sigh of relief escaping your lips. Your thoughts were swirling,but there was only one thing that was overpowering everything else; the note. 

You furiously searched for it in your pocket, curiosity filling the course of your veins as you fished it out of the left one, your hand shaking as you held it in front of your eyes. 

The words scribbled in the closed note had your heart racing, afraid of what it was going to say, once you fully opened it, your eyes roamed through it quickly.

The note was dated a week ago. 

Don't fool yourself,

She was heartache from the moment that you met her.

My heart feels so still

As I try to find the will to forget her, somehow.

Oh I think I've forgotten her now.

(Is it obvious this last line is sarcasm?) 

Your fingers traced the line that had the parenthesis and were crossed out. Eddie’s notes. If you the tears that escaped your burning eyes weren’t distorting your vision, maybe you would’ve appreciated some of the lyrics, and his funny notes, even though they were messy and all over the place.

I don’t blame you, but sometimes I wish we hadn’t met. (This is kinda too out there, but there could be something from this???)

Your heart pounded against your ribcage—that familiar ache that never fully left returned with a sharper pain. It hurt that he thought of you in this way. He thought you ruined his life, and now he wished he had never met you. 

Those thoughts sank into your brain, and the anger that came with them was something you couldn’t comprehend. There was a lot more of the scribbled nonsense that you couldn’t read, other lyrics that were scratched out. 

Your hands were shaking once you flipped it over. The other note was dated today. 

I lied, didn’t I? I think I would prefer all the heartache in the world to not knowing you. I didn’t even realize that until today. Until I saw you across the room. And I can’t even explain how good it felt to look up and see you standing there. Even with that frown adorning your face.

Your tears hadn’t stopped, falling onto the piece of crumpled up paper and making a mess. 

You felt like an idiot; you should’ve told him when you had the chance, and you had a lot of them. You were angry that you let everyone walk over you. You were angry that Billy had gotten away with everything. And now, Chrissy had a chance with him without ever paying for the consequences of what she did. 

You couldn’t let that happen.

You didn’t want to be polite with your sadness anymore You didn’t want to absorb everyone’s pain to make sure they were okay. And you hated that that’s what you did essentially did when you didn’t tell Eddie about Chrissy. 

You paced around the room, biting down on your nails. 

Should you tell him? Or was that too selfish?

Because if you wanted to tell him, you had just the perfect opportunity to tell him and confront Chrissy; the brunch. 

✦ final authors note —ALSO THE CHRISSY STUFF WILL BE REVEALED NEXT CHAPTER. IM SORRY FOR TEASING IT SO LONG BUT THE REVEAL IS GONNA BE GOOD I PROMISE LMAO. if you like this series pls support me by rbing liking and commenting ily thank youu🫶🏻 [EDIT: i forgot to say this but ofc the lyrics are not mine they are by jeff buckley’s incredible song “forget her” i listened to it A LOT writing this chapter👀 also if u can guess what the chapters title is inspired by ily]

permanent taglist (lmk if u want to be added): @mandyjo8719 @kellsck @batkin028 @hideoutside @sashaphantomhive @nabiiturner @andvys (ILY.)

[fayes-fics]

When The World Is Free: Chapter 8 - Je N'en Connais Pas La Fin

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Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x fem!reader, WW2 AU.

Warnings: tiny dash of spice… making out, hands wandering. Light angst, emotions, late-night confessions.

Word Count: 2.3k

Author’s Note: Multi-chapter fic based on a request by the lovely @amillcitygirl. Please see the masterpost for a synopsis of this story. Please don't be mad at me about this - I could not go with the cliche of wedding night. These idiots just need one more night to get their sh*t together. Sorry, and yes, as penance, Chapter 9 will be posted very soon. Thanks to @colettebronte for beta reading. Enjoy!

Montivilliers (just outside Le Havre), September 1939 

A nervous energy ripples through your limbs as the four others leave, traipsing across the garden to the neighbouring cottage, leaving you and your new husband alone. Still waving awkwardly from the patio as they all disappear from view. A chill passes through you, just noticing how cold the night air is, autumn drawing in and without the warmth of Benedict holding you in some way, as he has been the past few hours. You startle slightly as he interrupts your reverie by chivalrously wrapping the faux fur stole around your shoulders.

“It’s my something borrowed,” you blurt, unsure what else to say.

“Eloise?”

You just nod, too nervous all of a sudden to look up at him.

“Let’s get inside,” he suggests, observing even the extra layer does not halt your shiver, gesturing to the kitchen door.

You walk awkwardly past, catching a whiff of his delicious scent that you woke up to this morning, the involuntary urge to sway into him intense.

You drift to the living room, Benedict wandering to the gramophone, putting on a mellow jazz record before taking a seat; part of you sad he chooses the armchair, not the sofa beside you. 

“Well… that was a day,” he understates in his usual affable manner.

“I don’t know how I can ever thank you,” you respond earnestly, looking down at the simple band on your finger by reflex. “It’s all thanks to you that I have a chance to escape while I still can.”

“You would have done the same for me,” he demures with a quiet certainty that makes you yearn to touch him. 

Instead, you exchange slightly awkward smiles, the mantlepiece clock ticking sounding so loud, even with the music playing.

“And I'm sure you will get home one day,” he assures. “Your family, I'm certain, miss you… and... And your fiancee,” the reluctance in his words evident.

“I’m not sure a married woman can have a fiancé anymore,” you remark; the lash of guilt every time Stanley’s name is invoked lessening with every moment you spend alone with Benedict.

“You can once you are a single woman again, as soon as you are safe,” he counters softly, so altruistic in his manner your throat almost itching with unspent words—a want to yell. No! Fight for me! I want you more than I ever will want him!!

“You yourself said on the train that perhaps there is something better out there for me,” you respond cautiously. “The longer this adventure runs, the more certain I am of that.”

His mien is profound as you finally raise your eyes to his, wanting so much to say more but feeling too tongue-tied and cowardly to be that selfish, to declare he is what you want. 

He shakes himself a little and leans back into the armchair as if resetting himself and the line of conversation. Like he senses the mutual danger lurking there.

“Tomorrow, when we sail… they will likely notice the date on our marriage certificate,” Benedict counsels gently. “That may raise flags about the authenticity of our union.”

“What can we do to assuage them?”

“Come up with a plausible story. Be physically affectionate. They may ask no questions, or they may ask as many as they wish,” he warns, “especially of you. They may ask you about…” Benedict pauses, his face flushing a little, “… intimate matters. They have every right to ask if the marriage has been consummated.”

You feel yourself flashing hot as he says it. “I should lie?” you whisper.

“You should say whatever you think will make them believe we are a real couple,” he obfuscates.

“I’m a terrible liar…” you confess, blushing when you realise your words could be interpreted as an invitation to be intimate. And on this, your wedding night. 

His gaze is heavy. “You can do it y/n. Your freedom and safety may depend on your ability to convince them you love me... And I you.”

I think I might, your mind screams.

“I know… I… think I can do it,” you falter, replaying every kiss you have shared. “We seem to have done a great job convincing Jerome and Marie…”

“They are not looking to see artifice,” he counters. “British soldiers will be.”

“Sh… should we practice?” It’s out of your mouth before you can stop it, champagne again taking your tongue, a deep flush spreading over your skin as you realise it.

“Y… yes, I think maybe we should,” he agrees very quickly. 

He stands somewhat awkward, peeling off his jacket and rolling up his shirt sleeves, leaving his waistcoat. You find yourself again mesmerised by him, as you were that night in Paris, wanting to run your hands over the flex in his arm muscles. In fact, you are so distracted you don’t even realise he is proffering you a hand out of the chair. You spring up to your feet without his help, the idea of touching him right now entirely too distracting, which seems to amuse him briefly before his expression turns sincere.

“We have kissed, but not as lovers, as married people would. We... we may need to do so, casually, of course, within sight of those allowing boarding,” he opines, even as your heart speeds up, realising what he is saying.

“You think we need to… practice more kissing? Now?” you are mildly annoyed by how stupefied you sound.

“Yes,” he confirms, drawing closer, “passionate, real kissing.”

You are looking up into blue eyes and a gorgeous face as fingertips loop around your wrist as if checking your pulse.

“Grab my wrist if you want me to stop,” he tutors softly, so gentlemanly in his approach, even as you fret that he can feel your heart rate hammering hard in your veins.

Once again, time is in slow motion as his lips descend. At first, the kiss is breathtaking but still chaste, like previously. But then there is a noise in the back of his throat that makes the hairs on the nape of your neck stand on end; his lips part yours, a wave of damp heat as the kiss deepens. His tongue swipes yours tentatively, a tease before you mirror his moves. He tastes of champagne and something else that is entirely him, an impulse to bite the inside of his cheek. And then it’s abruptly fervent, wanton - like a dam has broken - his hands gripping the crest of your hip bones, each finger an insistent dig into your flesh.

Finally, given the permission, you don't hold back. Pushing into him, one hand grasping the buckled loop at the back of his waistcoat that cinches it to his slim form, the other winding around his sturdy neck, encouraging him to lean down further, take from you. The kiss seems never-ending, a rolling wave of to and fro, a dance not unlike the one in the square just last night. Those fireworks still explode, but this time, it feels like those ones that are so powerful they knock a punch to your solar plexus, a ricochet you feel physically,

His hands slide up your back, a sensual drag that makes you moan into his mouth, a noise he greedily swallows. But he stops as they reach the faux fur wrapped around your shoulders and reluctantly breaks the kiss.

“Please, take this off,” he implores, “I cannot do this with you wearing my sister's clothing,” he points out with a cringe that creases his face charmingly.

Your responding giggle causes him to break into a lopsided grin, and wordlessly, you untie it as he watches, pupils blown. When you push it back off your shoulders, it hits the rug behind you with a soft whump, and your instinct takes over, rocking onto your tiptoes, one hand sliding into the lush hair at the back of his head and bringing his face back to yours. 

The minute your mouth opens to his, you are heavy and weightless all at once, not unlike that wooden roller coaster on Coney Island that made you see stars. Your nails flex on his scalp as his hands slide over your dress, looping low around your hips, tugging you snugly into his body as your tongues tangle. 

This.

This must be what the girls whisper about—a tart metallic boiling in your blood, a heavy tug deep inside your pelvis that needs relief. A wanting so physical it almost hurts, a hunger that makes you feel reckless, liable to behaviour you could never justify, a pure carnal caprice. But all too soon, he is pulling back, a need to breathe, even as he does so inches from your face, his eyes locked on yours as they flutter open.

“Again,” you murmur, uncaring how gossamer thin your excuse is, just wanting more. 

His eyes are glittering as he complies. Kissing like a wild storm now, hands hot through the thin, cool silk fabric. And you cannot stop the noises you make, shameless and breathy, right into his open, wet, questing mouth. Pressing hard against his body, a solid warmth in his trousers promising things you need so badly you crave to curl around him, open yourself to him. 

You have never felt this before. A tingle under your scalp that vibrates all the way down to your toes. A want to take and be taken. To bite and be bitten. To ride and be ridden. For him to rip your dress from your body and throw you onto the sofa—a yen that feels not entirely human and definitely not civilised.

It's like he senses your thoughts have slid somewhere wild, or perhaps his have too, as when he pulls back, he is panting, and there is a quaking in his entire being like he is crackling with energy.

“Please. Go.” His voice is ragged, deep, almost wrecked. “Please. I… I can’t do this anymore,” his voice cracks a look that is at once hungry, aching, and barely contained restraint.

Please don't be a gentleman now, Benedict. Please. No. God. Not now. Don’t.

“I’m s…sorry,” you stutter, feeling guilty you have pushed it too far but utterly unmoored by the searing passion and the sting of his rejection, albeit reluctant. 

Even you can see the war in his being, physical desire being muzzled by the gentleman he was clearly raised to be. Knowing if you stand here much longer, something will happen that one or both of you will regret. Your wedding ring seems to burn your skin as you turn around and shrink away, leaving the room, not daring to look back, knowing he has also turned away with ragged breaths.

As you climb the stairs, feet feeling leaden, your body in utter turmoil, you hear the discordant scratch of the gramophone being halted. You undress in a daze, swearing you can still feel the heat of his handprints through the silk of your dress. Climbing into the bed approaching numb, champagne swirling unease in your gut with all the rich foods, an oily disquiet that means it takes ages to settle.  

You lay there fitfully for what feels like hours, tossing and turning, picking over the minutiae of every moment with Benedict - tonight and all the nights and days before. Seeing possible signs that make your heart clench. 

Could it be that he is not doing this all for show? 

It's a seizing thought that catalyses your body: it has you up on your feet and rushing down the stairs in your nightgown, breathless and stumbling. But when you round the corner into the living room, all your courage to declare it is sapped by the sight of Benedict sleeping, curled slightly, looking smaller somehow, his back turned to you, face buried into the back cushion of the sofa.

Instead, you back away, padding to the kitchen to take a glass of water, hoping the hydration will stave off the worst of a hangover; the water is a relief to the tumultuous, racing feeling as you stand on the large slab of earthen tile gleaming in the moonlight, cold underfoot. You pour another glass for him without thought.

Tiptoeing back into the living room, careful not to wake him, you crouch beside him to leave the glass of water within easy sight and reach should he stir. But you find yourself unable to leave without saying something. The temptation to confess to his unconscious self is impossible to resist, the grip on your own glass so tight.

“I’ll never be able to repay you,” you murmur to his back, fingers itching to trace over the bare skin of his shoulder blades where they peak out of the blanket. “For this unbelievable act of kindness and generosity. And yet… god, this is so selfish,” you flick your eyes up to the ceiling to stem a tear you feel gathering, “… still I’m greedy. Always wanting more. Wanting…. Wanting to never return to my old life. Wanting to run away. Wanting this… Wanting this to be real.” 

The last phrase is barely audible, but still, you are instantly horrified that you confessed it out loud, even to his unconscious, sleeping frame. And you know you must leave.

God, what is wrong with me? What is this? Temporary insanity? Too much alcohol, a fake wedding and an impending war are not a good recipe…

It’s a silent internal lament as you stand up and withdraw, self-chastisement echoing so loud in your head. And yet, you can't resist a parting sentence from the doorway.

“Goodnight, Benedict, you are truly the very best of men...”

—

What you don’t see as you slowly climb back up the creaking wooden stairs is Benedict’s eyes blazing open, a look of utter astonishment claiming his face as he twists around and stares at the doorway you left by, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

He was never asleep.

And he heard every single word.

Benedict taglist: @foreverlonginguniverse @aintnuthinbutahounddog @severewobblerlightdragon @writergirl-2001 @heeyyyou @enichole445 @enchantedbytomandhenry @ambitionspassionscoffee @chaoticcalzoneranchsports @nikaprincessofkattegat @baebee35 @crowleysqueenofhell @fiction-is-life @lilacbeesworld @broooookiecrisp @queen-of-the-misfit-toys @eleanor-bradstreet @divaanya @musicismyoxygen84 @benedictspaintbrush @miindfucked @sorryallonsy @cayt0123 @hottytoddyhistory @truly-dionysus @fictionalmenloversblog @zinzysstuff @malpalgalz @panhoeofmanyfandoms @kinokomoonshine @causeimissu @delehosies @m-rae23 @last-sheep @kmc1989 @desert-fern @starkeylover @corpseoftrees-queen @magical-spit @bunnyweasley23 @how-many-stars-in-the-sky @amygdtjhddzvb @sya-skies @balladynaaa

[arcadia-of-pluto]

Twist of Fate; Eighteen

Pairings; LADS OT4 x reader

Word count; 2,239

Themes; isekai, slow burn (eventual smut), canon divergence

Rating; 18+ for swearing and mature themes

Notes; Finally it's Friday! I swear, all of my notes for ToF practically look the same, at this point. Anyway, this is Rafayel's last chapter, I swear! His myth ends next chappy, we get some real world time with Sylus, and then we're onto the next myth– which is Zayne.

Also, if Sylus's myth set comes out soon, you best believe I will write it here if it fits the story! Annnnd also, the main story branches. To add on to that, Zayne's up-coming free 5 star on the 30th of this month will possibly be added if I can work it into the story. I know I definitely want to add a tiny sprinkle of Dawnbreaker to this story– and make him happy. Everyone gets a happy ending in this story!!

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Also, make sure you check out the summary (and poll) for a new series called Divisa! I'm excited with what I've got so far and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.

“Are you upset I was distracted?”

A small laugh slips from your lips as you head back over to Rafayel, who had his arms crossed over his chest and a small pout on his pretty lips. “Don’t be angry! I returned, didn’t I? I even brought back some pomegranate wine. We can take it back for Algie and Konche–”

“I’m not upset, but…” Though Rafayel is cut off by the sound of arguing behind us.

“Someone stole the pearl eyes from the Sea God statue in the temple. You must be the thief!” You hear a guard say to the storyteller.

“You must be mistaken. The person who gave these to me is…over there! I would never dare to touch the Sea God’s treasures,” The storyteller yells and points at…you and Rafayel.

 That mother fu—

“There! Seize them!” The guard yells and you groan, clearly annoyed. “Will they imprison us?” Rafayel asks, nonchalantly before adding,“Ah, well...We should start running.”

“We were careless,” You sigh, running a hand through your hair, “Commoners would use coins to pay. Not pearls from the deep sea!” 

“I just found them in the sand before we– ouch!” You grab Rafayel’s hand in a panic, probably too tightly, as you both take off. You drag him into a deserted alleyway. “We’re no longer safe here. We need to find a way back,” You sigh, peering around the corner. 

“Don’t you want to stay?” Rafayel asks, almost sounding a bit melancholic.

“Huh?”

 “If that’s your wish, I can distract them for you,” He says as he rolls his shoulder, getting ready for a fight. “In the Tome of the Sea God, it states I must never go against your wishes. If I did, it would mean we cannot be bound.” He looks down and lightly kicks a pebble.

“I need only one follower, it doesn’t have to be you.”

Ouch...That somehow didn’t feel right to you. The thought of someone else being by his side, romantically or not, didn’t sit well with you. 

“Aren’t…you afraid of me telling others about Lemuria?” You ask, softly as you wrap your arms around yourself and look down at the ground.

“...but you always wanted to live on the surface world, right?” He talks with his hands and you can’t help but sigh.

You shake your head and grab his hand since he seemed a bit confused. “I don’t have a wish…besides this celebration isn’t about me.”

 Rafayel is startled for a moment but then, under the realistic statues of the sea god, he smiles, “This event has nothing to do with me either.”

“The thieves are over here! Capture them!”  You both can hear the guards moving closer, the sound of boots thumping against the pavement. “Damn it– They found us—”

 As you panic on what your next move is, Rafayel pushes you into the shadows and walks out into the street. “Do you all want eyes from the God of the Sea?” He asks, his voice filled with authority. “I have tons. Have at it.” With a flick of his wrist, countless pearls of various sizes soar through the air and cascade onto the ground. The surrounding merchants are stunned before they start to fight one another, picking up as many pearls as they can.

Then the guards start yelling at the pearls are for the emissaries.

“Sir…I don’t want the Sea God’s eyes, but can I have the Sea God puppet instead?” The little girl from earlier is back once more as she looks up at Rafayel who chuckles, “Sure but make sure you keep them together.” He hands her the two puppets before he takes your hand and pulls you into the night.

After this, the guards start closing off the city. You and Rafayel make it out, but now you stand at a cliff side, the ocean churning down below.

“Jump.”

Huh– What?

Sharp, jagged coral and rock lie at the bottom. A single mistake would be disastrous.

“Surely…You jest, right? If we jump, we’ll di— Ah!” You let out a shout as Rafayel kicked you off the cliff. 

“Not with me here.” He chuckles to himself and you hit the water with a loud splash. Rushing water separates you from Rafayel and the horror of drowning washes over you once more. You flail your arms, helpless, desperate to reach the surface. “Rafayel..!”

Beneath the surging waves, you can barely see. In your mind, you had returned to that fateful day when you were tossed overboard. Maybe you had trauma that you didn’t even know you had. Either way, you were full on floundering– almost to the point of having a panic attack.

Maybe your destiny is to die in the ocean and Lemuria was but a mirage– a dream made to cope in your final moments because you still clung to a sliver of hope that you’d make it out alive. 

Frigid, briny water floods your throat, the salt burning your lungs. No matter how many gods are in this world, whether legendary or figments of imagination, you couldn’t place your faith in them.

Even if they are real, why have your prayers gone unanswered? 

Even now, as you edge closer and closer to death’s door…You are alone.

“Breathe and hold on tight.” A voice speaks beside your ear. You open your firmly shut eyes and see a familiar, yet blurry figure. He tightly holds your hand and uses all of his strength. “Rafayel..” You murmur. 

Now, you remember.

Although you hoped for gods to exist, someone has already answered you. Though, he says nothing. His warm hands cup your cheeks as his head moves closer. His lips gently press against yours, a clear contrast to the way you kissed him on the first day you both met.

 “You..! I..!”

“You… you should’ve at least said something before that..!” You hold a hand over your mouth as your whole face turns blood red, your heart beating faster than it was in your earlier panic. 

“If I did…Your last kiss would’ve been given to this generation’s Sea God...Also, watch what your arms and legs are doing.” Only then did you notice that you were in Rafayel’s embrace, like a hermit crab who’s found a new shell. Your legs around his waist and your arms on his shoulder to stay afloat in the water. 

You notice a few scratches on his shoulder and you sigh, “I’m sorry..I left marks on your arms again.”

“I don’t mind,” He says as you unwrap your legs from his waist, “Give me your hand.” He tosses your mask into the ocean, takes your hand, and helps you stand. Your body suddenly felt light, your feet landing on the water’s rippling surface.

You were…standing on the ocean, as steady as you would on land!

As you make your way further out to sea and over the horizon, Rafayel makes a motion with his hand. Waves bloom under your feet, sea foam appearing with your every step. Countless species of fish swim by and seagulls circle overhead and sing as they land on your shoulder.

You’re in awe, your hand being gently held by Rafayel as you can’t even begin to say anything. You couldn’t say anything– or else you’d probably cry.

“We went through a lot of effort to see the sunrise. Why are you so quiet?” He asks, glancing toward you as you turn your head to look up at him.

“No…It’s– I’ve never seen anything this beautiful in my life,” You say, almost breathlessly. You motion for Rafayel to sit down next to you on the ocean’s surface, your feet touching the lapping waves as fish circle around under you both curiously. He raises an eyebrow and pokes a fish that leapt out of the water.

“As a young boy, my life was no different from yours.” Rafayel says and you can’t help but turn to look at him, surprised he’s willing to talk about his past with you. “The prophecy stated that Lemuria was to only have one God of the Sea left. My predecessor passed away and they found me years later, bathed in the flames under the union of dusk and dawn. The deep sea is dangerous…Only the strong survive. ‘Tis why I can only go as far as the surface of the sea.”

“Were you…happy? Have you ever thought about traveling to another place?” You ask, keeping your voice soft to match his low timbre. Your fingers lightly brush against one another as your gaze meets his.

“Who do you think made that hole you swam through in the past?” Rafayel crosses his arms over his chest with a raised eyebrow and a small chuckle.

“Oh– The sun’s rising!” The sun breaks through layers and layers of clouds and Rafayel looks up, observing the glittering sea under its rays. “So it is.”

And like that, many moons have passed since your last rendezvous on the surface. You honestly almost forgot you were in a memory since you could act more freely than in the past. You couldn’t say anything too detrimental, but you could at least change the phrasing of your words.

But with the reminder that you were in a memory in your dreams, you realize the ending has to be coming eventually. Whether it was a good or a bad ending, you can’t tell just yet.

On the night before the Sea God’s ceremony with everyone else asleep, Rafayel takes you to the temple. Pulsating in a steady rhythm behind you, the flame on the pedestal burns.

“When the fire goes out tomorrow, a new lemurian prophecy will appear in the Tome of the Sea God,” Rafayel says as he looks off to the side, turning his body to rest his arms on the stone railing on the second floor. “And when the fire is reignited, the ceremony will end.” 

You tap his shoulder to get his attention and he looks at you out of the corner of his eye. “Hey, describe to me what’s done in the real Sea God’s ceremony.” You prop your elbow up on the railing and rest your cheek on your hand as you look at him. 

Rafayel sets his chin on his hand as he thinks of what to say before he speaks, “We sit on my divine throne adorned with shells and pearls. A hundred golden crab will carry us on a journey to every part of the deep sea.” As he finishes his sentence, he stands up straight to look over at you with a smile.

“That sounds lovely, but wouldn’t everyone be annoyed?” You ask, your head cocking to the side and the purple-haired Lemurian nods his head, “Indeed. I’ll skip the first part of the ceremony. ‘Twas only make-believe nonsense.” 

You go silent for a moment, looking around at the scenery of the temple before Rafayel lifts his hand up and runs it down your hair, fingers lightly gliding down your cheek.

“I don’t know the details of the ceremony,” He says as his hand cups your cheek, “but it won’t be anything like the celebration on the surface world. Every participant will be blessed by the ocean.”

“Will...I receive your blessing?” You ask, meeting his gaze as you lean your face against his palm– almost nuzzling into it. Rafayel pauses, moving his hand as if to grab something from behind your ear. 

When he pulls his hand back, the familiar blue fish swirls around in his palm. 

“Tomorrow’s blessing will be for everyone but ‘tis only yours at this moment.” He closes his hand around the fish and when he reopens it, the same scale you saw before hovers in his palm. “‘Tis a true emissary of the god of the sea. With it in your company, you need not be afraid of the danger that lies ahead.” 

As he says this, he flips his hand over and suddenly the scale is now a necklace. He dangles it in-between his fingers for a moment, before he moves closer to clasp the necklace behind your neck.

He smiles down at you, fingertips dancing along the skin of your neck before he tilts his chin up, “I also have a question. ‘Tis a very, very important one.” He leans his face closer and keeps eye contact with you as he asks, “Are you willing to be my follower?” 

“Hmm...Desiring the sincerest worship of mortals…Thou must offer an irreplaceable object,” You tease, a smile tugging at the corner of your lips.

Rafayel pouts for a moment before he grabs your hand to rest your palm flat against his chest. You feel the warmth of his bare skin beneath your hand, the beats coming from his heart.

“The Sea God’s heart, my heart. Dost thou want it?” His hand slightly squeezes around yours. 

Without another word, you both lean closer to each other, the flame flickers behind you and seemingly startles awake as your lips connect. 

Shadows on the wall tremble and shudder as you wrap your arms around his neck. Your head tilting to the side as the kiss deepens, the both of you seemingly unwilling to pull away. The flame on the pedestal burns brighter the longer the kiss goes on.

Sparkles flying both metaphorically and physically in the dimly lit room. 

Only when you felt Rafayel’s fingers brush against your chin and his tongue touch your lips, did you pull away and the flame returned back to normal.

In case you guys didn't see it on my last post, I wanted to thank you all for enjoying my writing! I'm not going anywhere, I just sincerely wanted to thank you all 🩷 especially with my drabbles, I really didn't think they'd kick off the way that they did, but I'm happy regardless!

I'm glad that something I decided to write in-between my ToF schedule is being enjoyed, and I'll continue to write them until I run out of ideas!

Also I haven't forgotten about the one-shot teasers I posted a little while ago! Last week I felt really out of it and didn't want to write anything, so I'm going to try to write in them a bit more this weekend alongside writing for my newer ideas.

let me add, HAVE YALL SEEN THE NEW FIVE STAR SERIES COMING OUT ON THE 23RD??? Rafayel's card has me in a chokehold AND new outfits for the male leads and MC?? I'm 14 away from a guaranteed 5 star, so you best hope I get rafayel because if I don't— I will cry. It was 100% expecting Sylus's myths to drop, but I don't mind because we're getting a spicy rafayel card! 🥺

Let me know if you'd like to be added to the taglist! 🩷

Taglist; @orphicmeliora , @yoongi-tunes , @mitzkooni , @hiqhkey, @tanspostsblog

[corazondebeskar-reads]

you know you never stood a chance - chapter three

you know you never stood a chance series

three: cover up where you've been

series masterlist | prev chapter | next chapter

qz!Joel Miller x f!reader

Word Count: 1.8k

Summary: Joel catches you working at the brothel again and decides to do something about it.

Warnings: qz!Joel comes with his own warning, Joel is mean/bad at feelings, protective Joel, look he's a complicated man ok, prostitution (we support sex workers in this house), dub-con, free use but it's dub-con due to the power imbalance, spanking, one (1) pussy spank, unprotected p in v

Originally written for Kinktober 2023 - Day 31: Free Choice (Free Use), Prompts from this list by @absurdthirst, who I would like to thank for inspiring me to write again for the first time in literal years.

also on ao3

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Joel is snarling before you even realize who has come through the door.

You scramble back on the bed at the sound of a man yelling. Your brain doesn’t register him, only a steady siren telling you to make yourself as small as possible.

He doesn’t see it for what it is, only sees you back in this fucking motel room in a pink robe. “I don’t like repeatin’ myself, girl. I told you not to come back here. Then I hear it from Jenkins that you’re down here whoring yourself out?”

“Joel, I—” you start to whisper from where you’re sitting against the headboard, knees drawn to your chest.

“I don’t want to fuckin’ hear it,” he says. “Get over here, face down, ass up.” When you don’t move right away, he snaps his fingers. “Now.”

You flinch at his tone but obey, positioning yourself the way he had put you the last time you met him here.

With your face buried in the mattress, you can only hear as he unbuckles his belt. His hand cracks down on your ass, and you yelp, lurching forward.

“Ya wanna be a whore? Fine,” he says. He spits into his hand and strokes his cock before shoving it into your cunt.

It’s too much. You’re too dry, and he’s too big. But you don’t protest more than a sharp cry, weaving your fingers into the sheet and holding on like it was strong enough to hold you back.

“Fuck, you’re tight, princess. Not getting a lot of business?”

You don’t bother with an answer; he doesn’t really want one.

He pulls almost all the way out and adjusts his grip on your hips before slamming all the way in. You bite your lip, but his cock forces a scream from you, anyway.

He sets a ravaged pace, nothing like he’s done to you before. Tears burn down your cheeks, but you stay silent, stay pliant.

Apparently, that’s not what he wants. He slaps your ass again, bringing his hand down until you can’t hold back any longer, a wretched sob tearing free.

“What’s wrong? I thought you wanted to be treated like a fuckin’ whore.”

“Joel, please.”

He pulls out and flips you onto your back before thrusting back in. You cover your face with your hands, unable to bear looking up at him through the tears.

“This what you do with all the men who come in here to use your cunt? You hide and cry until it’s over?”

“No, please.”

“Please what? You want me to touch you?”

You nod, finding that you do. Even though you hate this. Even though this isn’t the way he fucks you, isn’t the way he takes his retribution. Maybe if he touches you, it’ll hurt less.

His hand reaches between you to rub at your clit. It doesn’t last; he doesn’t get a reaction. You just take it but can’t seem to feel it.

“Stop fuckin’ hiding from me,” he says, wrenching your hands from your face by the wrists.

He freezes, cock buried to the hilt, both wrists still wrapped in the bulk of his hands.

“What happened?”

“What do you think happened?” you mutter, turning your head to the side, taking your blackened right eye out of his direct line of sight.

He moves to hold both wrists in one hand, bringing the other up to turn your face back toward him.

You wrench your chin away from his hand, which he brings up to scrub over his face, sighing and shaking his head.

“I warned you, darlin’, the creeps that have to come here to find a girl aren’t going to be nice to ya.”

You glare up at him, trying to keep your mouth shut. You paid him back; you owe him nothing. Not even an explanation. Especially not an explanation.

“Just get what you paid for and get out, Miller.” It’s soft, strained. Your throat is still sore, as is practically everything else.

“You were bein’ such a good girl. Comin’ to me when you needed something, not lettin’ yourself get beat and used for a pittance.”

The tears have subsided, now, but the humiliation stings anew. “She left.”

“What’re you talking about?”

“My sister. She left. That FEDRA creep she’s with got a transfer, and she went with him.”

“You’re kiddin’ me. After the shit you went through takin’ care of her?”

“Doesn’t matter,” you say, fingers twisting the bunched up sheets.

“You shoulda come to me first, instead of comin’ here.” He knows, though. His knuckles trace the curve of your cheek under the bruising. Double the rent wasn’t something you could fix with pills or ration cards. He pulls out and tucks his still-hard cock back into his jeans.

“The fuck are you doing?” It’s easy to let the embarrassment turn to anger.

“Get dressed; we’re leavin’.”

“Like hell we are. I don’t want your fuckin’ pity, Miller. Take what you came here for and get out.”

“I plan on it, princess. I just ain’t doin’ it here. Get your shit, and let’s go.”

You scowl. It would feel better to argue, but you have a feeling it isn’t going to get you anywhere. You don’t have to go with him. But you already know you will.

So you pull on your hoodie and sweatpants, resigned to following him. The walk back only takes fifteen minutes, but it’s the longest, quietest fifteen minutes of your life.

On the fourth floor landing, you automatically turn to go down the hall to his apartment, but Joel keeps going. You have to double back and jog to catch up with him by the fifth floor. Your brain still hasn’t caught up when you stop outside your door.

You must take a second too long for him because he sighs and plunges a hand into your sweater pocket, only for it to emerge seconds later with your key in its grasp. He unlocks your apartment, and you follow.

Grabbing your backpack from the floor by the entrance, he moves about the apartment, shoving things in with little consideration. You stand in the middle of the living room, the sight of Joel in your space not making sense.

“Go on, I ain’t packin’ your clothes and shit,” he says like you’re supposed to know what’s going on. He stands up straight and puts a hand on his hip. ”What?”

“What are you doing?”

“Well, you sure as shit can’t stay here, sweetheart. If you don’t get your things now, they’ll just keep ‘em.”

When he finishes ransacking your kitchen and living room, he comes in to find you staring into the bathroom mirror.

“Your couch is nicer than mine, I’ll come back for it tomorrow,” he says before stopping in the door frame. “What’re you just standing there for?”

You hadn’t seen it yet. The bruise. Your eye. It’s shaken something loose like phlegm from your lungs. You reach a hand up to it and gently prod at the discoloration.

“It’s not that bad. I got a cream you can put on it,” Joel shifts his weight from one leg to the other, leaning back a little. The tight set of your lips makes him think you might cry, which he doesn’t know what to do with. “Hurry up,” he says, instead, and leaves the room.

His words sink in a few moments later. You go out to find him puttering around in the kitchen, making himself lunch.

“What do you mean you’ll come back for my couch?”

“S’nicer than mine. We can trade the old one for somethin’ else.”

“That clears up nothing, thank you.”

“What?” he says through a mouthful of sandwich.

You slump into the metal folding chair that sits at your tiny, two-top table and bury your face in your hands for a minute. “I don’t know what’s going on.”

“Not much to it. Ya can’t stay here, obviously. You won’t make it on the streets. I got the room, so.” He shrugs and takes another bite, like it’s really that simple to him.

“I can’t owe you that much, Joel.”

He sets down his sandwich right on the countertop, though you can’t remember when you’ve had time to clean it last, and crosses the whole three steps to the other side of the kitchen. With two curled fingers, he lifts your chin to look at him.

“Ya ain’t gonna owe me, sweetheart. S’just gonna be that much easier for me to take my payment, y’know? You keep your job, and when I’m home, you’re mine.”

You swallow and nod, a wave of nausea threatening to spill.

“What’s got you lookin’ all scared? It’s a better deal than you were getting at the whorehouse.”

He’s not wrong. It’s a much, much better deal. So you nod, and stand up, knocking the chair back with a clunk against the table. You make a bag of sorts out of your blanket and stuff your clothes into it.

You stare at your sister’s bed, stripped bare. She won’t know where to find me, you think. But you know she won’t even look.

Joel makes room for your meager belongings, but you don’t get time to unpack. Pent up from stopping halfway at the motel, he shows you exactly how he means to get his payment when he pushes you down across the bathroom counter and tugs your pants down so they pool around your ankles.

His cock slides in a little easier this time, though not by much. But this time, when his fingers find your clit, you moan. Now that you’re not afraid, you can appreciate just how good he is at manipulating your body.

He’s got one foot on the toilet seat, thrusting up into you. His other hand curls around to cup your tit, thumb flicking against your nipple. He moans when you reward his efforts by clamping down around his cock.

“There’s a good girl,” he says, pinching at it so you gasp and tighten again. “See? So much easier than that fuckin’ brothel. All you gotta do is take whatever I give ya, whenever I want.”

You nod against the cold laminate, tilting your hips so he can slide in just a little deeper. He pushes in enough to hit just right so you can topple over the edge to your climax.

He groans and works you through it. “Give me another one, I’m not gonna last,” he says, doubling his efforts. It doesn’t take much, and you jerk against him. He drops your breast in favor of pushing your shoulder blades down as he pulls out and cums on your ass, beads rolling down your thighs.

“Atta girl,” he says with a slap to your cunt as he turns and leaves the room.

next chapter

[waitingandwishing]

Army Dreamers pt.2

(Cross posted on tumblr and AO3)

Prev - Next Chapter

Rumbling had erupted from behind Y/N. She looked at the gate, which was opening by itself. When it had fully opened, it exposed a huge house with tables all over the lawn. On the front step, was a couch. A big guy sat behind it and a girl sat on it.

 "Will all of the applicants who passed the First Phase please enter," Even though she was far away, everyone could probably hear her perfectly fine. It hurt Y/N’ ears. "Welcome all!" She had blue hair wrapped in coils and lime green eyes. Her outfit was a see-through shirt with a black bra, paired with shorts and knee-high boots. "I'm Menchi, your Examiner for the Second Phase.

"And likewise, I'm Buhara," The male introduced himself. He had on a yellow shirt that exposed his belly-button and forest green pants, with no shoes. He had dark hair and equally dark eyes. A huge rumbling sound came from Buhara's stomach. People began whispering around Y/N, wondering what that sound was.

"Sounds to me like you're getting hungry," Menchi looked up at Buhara.

"Hungry? I'm famished!" Buhara corrected.

"Well there you have it," Menchi stood up and placed her hands on her hips. "The Second Phase..." She stuck her hand out and pointed. "Is cooking!"

People began complaining around me. Specifically, some guy with blond hair tied into a low ponytail. "What do you mean we're cooking?" He yelled. "We came here to take the Hunter Exam!"

"That's correct," Menchi didn't seem fazed. "The Second Phase of the exam will be preparing a meal that'll satisfy our tastes," She elaborated.

"Why do we have to cook?" Someone from the crowd asked.

"Don't you know? It's simple really! Because we're Gourmet Hunters," She gave us a smile. People, including the ponytail guy, started laughing at her.

"Talk about a let down," The same guy commented. Menchi didn't seem to be happy about that. Once the laughing settled down, the guy asked, "So, you're Gourmet Hunters. What exactly do you want us to make?"

"Buhara?" Menchi left the decision up to her partner.

Buhara stood up and spoke with a booming voice, "Today's required ingredient will be pork!"

"Pork? You mean pig meat?" Someone asked.

"Yes, idiot. What do you think Pork is?" Y/N said under her breath, annoyed at the complaining. They wanted to be hunters, so just go along with the exam! Killua glanced at Y/N with a smirk before turning his attention back to the examiners.

"Feel free to use meat from any species of pig in Visca Forest!" Buhara ignored the question. "As you see, you'll use these cooking facilities to prep your pork dishes. To pass the exam, you must create a dish to satisfy our discriminating palates."

"But we won't be evaluating taste alone, so take this seriously. Is that clear?" Menchi had her arms folded. "When we've both eaten our fill, this portion of the exam will be over."

"Okay, enough talk. Let's just get to it alright," Ponytail guy waved off her words.

"Let the exams’ second phase..." Buhara brought his hand up and smacked his belly, creating a gong sound. "...Begin!"

Almost immediately everyone turned around and started running to the forest. Including Y/N’s friends. "Man, this is way easier than the first phase," Leorio commented, the right side of his face was swelling up. Y/N wondered what happened?

"I just hope it's that simple," Kurapika said.

After, Gon started sliding down a hill on his butt. Y/N chased after him and fell down on top of Gon, letting out a grunt as her leg slammed into Gon's back. "Sorry, Gon!" Killua followed shortly behind Y/N. "WOOoo!" He shouted excitedly as Leorio and Kurapika followed in pursuit.

Killua's celebration soon turned into screaming as his arm collided with her head. What's worse is that Leorio and Kurapika hit us three soon after. "OW!"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Killua yelled.

"Following Gon," Y/N answered with an eye roll.

"I knew that much," He grumbled.

"I found them," Gon pointed to the right of them.

"Huh?" Leorio yelled. Y/N winced, it was so loud… She wasn't expecting them to be... This. They were pale bubblegum pink, had large snouts, and were chewing on some bones. And Goddamn they were big… "They're all... Chewing on bones," Leorio pointed out. "Don't tell me, they're carnivores," Kurapika jinxed himself.

"Seriously-"

The pigs had suddenly noticed us and let out a roar, charging towards them with an unknown amount of aggression. Y/N quickly stood up, grabbing Killua’s hand and started running. 

'Ow... my head. I swear if I have a concussion I'm gonna scream...' Y/N thought as her head throbbed. At least her violin was okay. Y/N followed Leorio and Kurapika, with Gon and Killua trailing behind her. The pigs had charged straight on at them, like a bull seeing red. What did they ever do to them?! Well, they were trying to kill them to eat but that's besides the point!

The group soon ran into other people, who started screaming and running as well. The pigs were faster though and flung them into the air using their snouts. "These pigs are insane!" Leorio yelled.

"Yeah! No shit!"

Someone tried to throw a rock at one, but their snout broke through it. Another tried ninja stars, same result. Gon had jumped up and tried to kick one, but it brought its snout up to guard. 

Y/N heard Gon yell and turned over to him. He jumped into the air and hit the forehead with his fishing rod. The pig fell down on its back, defeated by a twelve year old.

"So, the foreheads are the weak spot," Y/N heard Killua say.

She smirked, quickly picking an apple from the ground and chucking it towards the pig's forehead. It fell unconscious. "Well, that was a lot easier than I expected..." She muttered to herself before packing her violin up again. Seeing that Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio had already killed theirs, they all ran back to the house. Everyone soon got their pigs and followed along.

'Do I have to cook it all? That might not cook it all the way through and overcook the outside...,' Y/N thought, bringing out a knife.

Cutting it into smaller, more manageable slices, Y/N mixed soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and Worshestersh... Worshestershire Sauce? Okay she knew she got that wrong. How do you even pronounce Worceshter... Y/N plopped the pork slices into the marinade. Hopefully it won't be too dry. 

'It might be a bit burnt... probably needs some seasoning too...' Y/N thought as she pulled out a few spices. She looked around and tried fishing out the ingredients she thought would work best. Which would probably not work at all. 'Tsk, there's not enough time. I'll have to cook them now...'

Y/N took out the pork slices and stuck a skewer through them, setting them on the fire. Turning it continuously, she watched the meat cook. Albeit a bit burnt, her pork had finished cooking and she held it away from the fire.  “Ooh, that smells good.” Killua chimed in, peeking his head into Y/N’s cooking station with a mischievous smirk. She sighed.

“You want one, don’t you?” She asked and Killua nodded. Y/N sacrificed a bit of pork for him and he smiled happily.

“Thanks, you’re the best, Y/N~” Killua cooed before going back to cooking his food.

People have already started to bring their food up, but every one of them was brought back. Y/N noticed most of the people were making fun of Gourmet Hunters so…  Karma she guessed? "Not a single applicant has passed yet," Leorio said.

"And Menchi has yet to take a single bite," Kurapika added. "Wait, really?" Y/N chimed in and Kurapika turned to her with a nod. "Yeah, she hasn't eaten anything..." Kurapika muttered. "Well, maybe she just has more... refined taste?" Y/N frowned, slightly confused. Maybe she was just taking her anger out on everyone. (She honestly reminds me of Gordan Ramsey. Wouldn't be surprised if she called someone an 'idiot sandwich' or became enemies/best friends with him.)

"Seriously! Can't anyone out there make something to satisfy my taste buds?!" Menchi yelled.

Y/N quickly grabbed a few bell peppers and cut them into slices. Putting the cooked pork on a plate, she put the bell peppers on the side. 'Well, no one likes raw vegetables, right?' She took the bell peppers and cooked them slightly on the grill. Kurapika snapped his fingers and Y/N looked over at him as he started talking.

"That's it! The Second Phase is a cooking test, but they're judging us based on originality and observation," Kurapika said.

When Leorio went up, he only added a flag to his. "Tell me, how much you love it," Leorio confidently said,

"He's not serious is he?" Y/N deadpanned as she looked over at Kurapika. He shrugged.

"Is this supposed to be a kids meal?!" Menchi yelled Gon decorated his dish with flowers. It was sweet and cute, but didn't help him pass. Poor Gon, he'd have to try next year Y/N supposed... Kurapika added lettuce and other ingredients with his. "Okay, my entry is next," He said.

"Well, finally, something that resembles an actual dish," Menchi twirled her stick around. She took her first bite of the challenge. "Gross!" Menchi yelled. "Presentation is important, but not at the expense of flavor. You're basically no better than number 403!" "Damn." Y/N coughed, trying to hide her laugh as Kurapika sighs in defeat.

"Better luck next time," Leorio sneered.

"At least she actually took a bite out of it." She muttered, passing him to hand up her entry.

"Hm," Menchi hummed. Buhara took a bite and passed it. "At least it doesn't look dry. And, the vegetables aren't raw...," Menchi grumbled. She picked up a piece and took a bite. Swallowing, she looked at Y/N then back at her plate. "It’s passable… But it's boring. Remember, presentation is important too." She failed Venus and Buhara scarfed the rest of it down.

Honestly, Y/N was okay with it. Menchi was pretty chill with her so she didn’t really feel like being upset at failing. Killua was up next. Buhara, again, gave Killua a pass. At least he appreciated the food? Menchi on the other hand... "It's literally bleeding!" She yelled. "It's extra rare," Killua calmly replied and Y/N laughed. Menchi failed him, both for his attitude and entry, and Buhara finished the rest.

"That was so much food, I couldn't take another bite!" Buhara patted his tummy.

"Yeah, I'm pretty stuffed as well," Menchi said. She quickly stood up and told all of the other applicants, "So, none of you pass to the next phase. Exam's over!"

People, again, muttered and whispered loudly. But the only one who really spoke up was none other then, you guessed it, ponytail guy! "This is unacceptable," He broke his table. "Do ya hear me?! I will not accept this!"

'Like chattering monkeys…’ Y/N sighed internally as she heard the same old argument all over again.

"Say what you want, but you still failed," Menchi kept her cool.

"Shut the hell up! You asked for pork and we gave it to you! We risked our lives-"

"Your challenge was to prepare a pork dish that both Examiners would find delicious, and none of you even came close to succeeding. You all did pretty much the exact same thing." She ranted, "I mean, it's like you didn't even try! And when it looked like you had, it was just fancy plating with no flavor to back it up! It's clear that none of you took this seriously!"

"Yeah, but pork? No matter how you cook it, it's still just pork," Some bald guy said. 'Well, depends on who you ask. Maybe, if you stopped being selfish, you'd see that sometimes it means more than that...'

Menchi grabbed the bald man by his scarf, "You wanna say that one more time?! If I hear any more crap from you, I'll shove my arm up your ass and knock your teeth out! Got it?! You sorry excuse for a human! I dare you to say it one more time!" When she was done, she let go of him and sat back on the couch, crossing her legs. "So as I was saying, not a single one of you has the guts to cook anything remotely new or innovative. And those that tried... Had a terrible choice of ingredients."

"Hey, shut up! I'm not here because I'm trying to be some gourmet cook, but a Hunter!" Ponytail guy said, and the crowd agreed with him. "My goal is to become a Blacklist Hunter, and no stupid Gourmet Hunter is gonna tell me I can't!"

"Then it's too bad that a 'stupid Gourmet Hunter' is your Examiner. Better luck next year, I suppose," Menchi shut down his argument. Y/N chuckled as the Ponytail guy was red as steam basically poured out his skin and ears. "Why you... Don't you mess with me!" Ponytail guy turned red and went to punch her, but Buhara intercepted him. He was sent flying and hit one of the towers, landing on the ground.

‘How the hell did he survive that?’  Y/N frowned to herself.

"Buhara, please don't interfere," Menchi told him.

"I'm sorry, but it looked like you were gonna kill him if I didn't step in," Buhara explained. Menchi let out a laugh and picked up some swords.

"Let's get this straight," She started walking down the steps. "We frequently venture into dens of ferocious beasts, in search of the finest ingredients," She threw her swords in the air and started juggling them. "And every Hunter is proficient in at least some form of martial art. You lack focus and the will to experiment with new things," She caught them with one hand, "And that alone, disqualifies you all from becoming Hunters."

Silence took over the atmosphere.

Y/N suddenly heard a loud sound similar to a helicopter and looked up. What was an airship doing here? "The Hunters Association Symbol!" Someone pointed out.

"It must be someone from the exam committee," Someone else said. A cloud of dust coated Y/N's vision as someone landed in front of Menchi. When the dust cleared, it revealed an elderly man. "Who's the old man?" The same voice asked.

"He's the head of the Exam Committee, and he's responsible for the Hunters Exam," Menchi explained. "Chairman Netero."

"Oh, I just work behind the scenes," Mr. Netero waved it off, being humble. "It's not all that impressive. I only interfere with the Exam when little issues like this one pop up. Now dear Menchi," Menchi called to attention. "It has come to my understanding that you've chosen to fail all this year's applicants, the reason being their general reluctance to challenge the unknown."

"Not exactly, Sir. I snapped when a candidate insulted Gourmet Hunters and, I'm afraid I made the Exam harder than necessary," Menchi admitted, her head turned to the ground.

"I see," Mr. Netero nodded thoughtfully. "It seems you're aware that this Exam is completely unacceptable."

"Yes, it's just that I get so emotional when food is involved. I'm not suited for this position," Menchi threw her head up. "I must resign. Please allow them to retake the Second Phase."

"Sadly, I don't know where I'd begin to find another Examiner on such short notice," Netero told her.

"My deepest apologies, sir," Menchi bowed and stood back up, standing taller than Netero.

"Wait, I have an idea," Netero held up his hand. "You continue serving as Examiner, but you yourself must participate alongside this year's applicants in completing whatever challenge you choose," Netero proposed.

"The examiner is taking the Exam with us?" Y/N turned to Killua, "Does that really make sense."

"Hm? No, not really." He frowned.

"This seems pointless, just let us pass already," Leorio griped and Y/N rolled her eyes.

The Chairman let them all take a ride on the airship to Eagle Drop Mountain. She stood near the back, not wanting to get squished by everyone. Y/N sat against the wall and folded her arms, awaiting to arrive at the mountain, but it seemed to be taking a while. She looked up when Killua sat next to her. "Gon had to go to the bathroom," Y/N explained.

"Do you know when he's going to be back?" Killua pulled his knees up to his chest, resting both of his arms on them. He seemed to be contemplating something, but Y/N didn't feel the need to ask.

"No idea. Maybe I should've gone with him, I mean, Hisoka's basically hunting him." Y/N scoffed. She heard footsteps and saw two green shoes in front of her. Looking up, she asked, "What took you so long?” Killua sat up straight and waited for Gon's answer.

"I ran into Hisoka," Gon answered. "Killua was right, we should stay away from him."

"What happened?" Y/N pried.

"It was kinda weird. He just looked at me and smiled, but it was enough to freak me out," Gon admitted. He seemed a bit shaken up, his whole form on edge.

"Ah well, don't worry about him." Y/N reassured him, "He's all bark, no bite. Just a nibble maybe but not a bite unless you piss him off." "Really?"

"Yeah, I doubt you could piss anyone off, Gon. I'm sure you're going to be fine." Y/N smiled as the intercom came on.

"We have arrived at Eagle Drop Mountain. Please line up quickly and as formally as you can," The intercom announced.

Standing up, Y/N heard and felt her bones crack as she stretched her muscles. Walking with Gon as Killua walked behind them, everyone loaded off the airship and spread out over the cliff. Y/N paused, waiting for Killua to catch up with a smile.

Killua’s eyes widened slightly, his expression unreadable as she walked with him. He stared at her before smiling slightly and continuing to walk. 

Killua and Gon both crouched next to the cliff, while Y/N stood a safe distance behind them. "This is it. Take a peek at what's down there," Menchi told the applicants. Leaning over Gon and Killua, Venus saw strings and strings of web, a light fog covering it.

"What is that?" She asked Menchi.

"A Spider-Eagles web," Menchi answered. She seemed to have no concerns, so Y/N thought it should be safe. But then again, she's probably done this thousands of times and this was nothing new to her.

"They built their webs way down there?" Gon asked, a smile spread over his face as he looked down.

"Probably to keep predators away," Y/N guessed.

“That would make sense. Afterall, the animals would just fall straight down," Killua agreed with her.

"Are we technically predators? And if we are, this isn't really stopping us..."

Soon enough, a gust of wind emitted from the mountain. Making a certain ponytail guy fall back. Y/N snickered as Menchi seemed unfazed by the wind. "Look past the web to what's underneath,"

Squinting her eyes, Y/N tried to dive deeper into the mountain. She saw clusters and clusters of... eggs. "Hey, those are-" Killua started.

"Those are Spider-Eagle eggs," Menchi interrupted. Killua huffed and stuck his cheek out.

"Spider-Eagles build their webs in deep ravines such as this," Netero started walking toward everyone. "It helps protect their eggs from other animals."

"Also, the eggs are commonly known as 'Dream Eggs," Netero stepped past ponytail guy.

Ponytail guy spoke up. "Wait a minute, do you mean-"

"You bet I do," Menchi interrupted again, walking to the edge of the cliff. Spreading her arms out, she jumped. Falling down the cliff at a high speed, her hands grabbed onto a web and, after doing a flip, she hung there.

"Even if she grabs a few eggs, how's she gonna climb back up?" A voice spoke from behind Y/N.

"Gah!" Y/N yelled and whipped her head around to see Leorio, “Where the hell did you come from?”

"Calm down! Jeez!" Leorio complains.

Y/N rolled her eyes as she saw Menchi had let go of the web and grabbed an egg. "Is she trying to get herself killed?" Leorio asked, staring down the cliff.

“Yes, she’s committing suicide.” Y/N said sarcastically. The gust of wind came back, carrying a smirking Menchi with it.

"That looks fun," Of course that was Killua's first reaction.

"Of course it does." Y/N sighed, “We’re gonna die…”

"This ravine has updrafts that are crucial to the Spider-Eagle," Netero began explaining again. "The wind helps the newborn chicks as they fly up to safety."

Menchi landed next to Netero and held up her egg. "Now I just need to boil it and I'll be all set."

"You've gotta be kidding. You really expect us to jump down there?" It was ponytail guy again, but this time, he seemed scared.

"I've been waiting for something like this!" Y/N turned her head back to Gon, who had exclaimed the former statement with a laugh at the end. The group all jumped down.

_____________________________________________________

"I would like to introduce myself to the remaining 42 applicants," Netero said, a green bean-shaped person by his side. "I'm Chairman Netero, for this year's Hunter Exam. It's a pleasure to meet all of you."

"And I'm his secretary Beans," Beans said, being the person next to Netero.

'Beans? Who names their child beans?' Y/N thought as Beans continued speaking.

"I had originally planned to make my appearance during the Exams last phase, but, seeing as plans change, I have to say I enjoy the tension in the air," Не gave you guys a smirk before continuing to explain. "I think I'll stick around for the remainder of the trip." Beans straightened his posture before speaking, "We are sche duled to arrive at our destination at exactly 8 AM tomorrow morning. You'll find dinner waiting for you in the dining hall. You're also welcome to rest, of course. Do as you please until we contact you." Looking at the clock overhead, it read 9:04.

"Hey Gon, Y/N, let's explore the airship!" Killua offered.

"Yeah!" Gon yelled.

"I'll join you two later, I want some food first," She declined, even though she had the egg, it wasn’t very filling.

"I'm sure we'll pass by the cafeteria," Gon pointed out. Sighing, she nodded and followed them throughout the airship.

Killua and Gon ran ahead of Y/N as she trailed behind them, keeping an eye out for the dining hall. She was really really really hungry. "Here it is!" Gon stopped in front of a double door, his nose having led him there. Wow, Gon had really good senses.

"This is the dining hall?" Y/N asked apprehensively. "Doesn't really look like one."

"Guess there's only one way to find out," Killua said. Не opened the door, running in with Gon behind him. She looked both directions before walking through the door. It wasn't long until they were kicked out. It was not the dining hall, in fact, it was the kitchen, but they had finished some food moments ago.

"Well, I guess that wasn't the dining hall after all, hm Killua?" Y/N smirked.

"Oh shut up." Killua stuck his tongue out at her. Y/N stuck hers out as they turned to look out the window, prior to Gon's request of course.

"Woah!" Gon and Killua pressed their faces to the window. "It's like it's covered in jewels!"

Pressing her own face against the window, Y/N looked at the town below them. "We're so high up, it's weird." She muttered.

"It is kinda weird," Gon said, staring down at the town. "So, I was wondering... Your parents… Are they- I mean, where are they?" Gon carefully worded his question.

"They're alive. Probably," Killua shrugged.

"Probably?" Y/N repeated, though it came out more as a question.

"Yeah, probably." Killua nodded nonchalantly.

"What do they do for a living?" Gon asked Killua.

"They're assassins." Killua replied.

"They both are?"

Killua looked at Gon for a second, before letting out a laugh. "That's your response?" Не asked, laughing and throwing his head back. "You really are a riot, aren't ya?" Killua said. Не looked over at me and asked,

"What do you think about it, Y/N?" His tone was pretty light.

"Well, some families are weirder than others?" Y/N let out a small laugh before thinking, “Although, I’m curious. How’d you get rid of the bodies?”

"You both are weirdos," Killua laughed and Y/N chuckled. The three of them sat down on the bench. "You're not the first people I've told about my parents, but you guys are the first to take it seriously," Killua had a light laugh at the end, leaning his head against his hand.

"But it's true, right?" Gon asked.

"Why'd you think that?" Killua asked back.

Gon shrugged. "Just a feeling I have."

"Weird," Killua laid his head down. "Most of the time, people only like me because they can't tell if I'm being real or not," Killua placed his chin in his hand.

"I'm from a family of assassins, yeah? So, they're all in the business of murder. And my entire family, they've got real high hopes for me." Killua looked at Y/N, "But y'know, I really can't stand it. Who wants their whole life mapped out for them anyway? When I said I wanted to leave, they all freaked out on me!" He dropped his hand and looked at Y/N and Gon. "My mom had tears just streaming down her face and she kept screaming at me about how I had the potential to be a top assassin." 

Gon and Y/N both laughed at his horrible predicament of a family. "Horrible parents, right? No wonder I'm so rotten!" He sat straight up, closing his eyes. "Then we started fighting, so I slashed my mom in the face, stabbed my brother in the side, and ran away from home." He brought his hand up to his chin, making an 'L. "I'm sure they're out for blood now. If they come after me, I'll kill 'em. When I get my license, I'll hunt them down to the last one," He goofily smiled. "I'm willing to bet they've got pretty hefty bounties on their heads."

"I mean... Gotta get that bag right?" Y/N snickered as Gon laughed and turned to her.

"What about your parents?"

"My parents?" Y/N thought before pursing her lips, "My dad was pretty distant.”

"What about your mom?" Gon asked.

"I have four siblings so she mostly takes care of them.” Y/N shrugged, “It’s not as crazy as Killua’s family although I know my dad was involved with the mafia for a while.”

Gon looked at Y/N with a nod. "That's cool... So, where're you from? I'm from Whale Island."

"Kukuroo Mountain."

"York New City.”

"You're from the city?" Killua turned to Y/N with a blank expression of curiosity, his white hair looked really fluffy. Why was it always really fluffy?

"Yeah, quite boring there actually. But Heavens Arena-" Her sentence was cut short due to a weird feeling running through her bones. The three of them all abruptly stood up. The aura was full of deceit and bloodlust… How emotional.

"Is something wrong?" Hearing the familiar voice, Y/N looked to where the sound came from. She ended up meeting eyes with Netero. Still a bit on edge, she didn't answer.

Luckily, Gon did. "You didn't see anyone come from over there, did you?"

"No, I didn't," Netero answered.

Killua's eyes narrowed for a second, before going back to normal "You're fast. For an old timer."

"That's a bit of a stretch… " Y/N muttered, standing up straighter and crossing her arms.

"Oh," Netero raised a brow. "That trick? I just barely moved, that's all," Netero sheepishly grinned.

Y/N felt the tension build and decided to intervene. "Uh, Mr. Netero," She called. "Is there something specific you came here for?"

"Now, now, no need to be so formal," Netero said, looking at her specifically. "I just got a little bored and decided to look for some company, that's all. I've been meaning to ask you, any thoughts on the first and second phase?" He asked all three of us. Why was he acting so... Friendly now?

"It's a lot of fun!" Gon yelled. "There haven't been any written tests yet, I was relieved to see that." Oh someone please protect this innocent ball of sunshine...

"I'm disappointed, honestly," Killua bluntly delivered. "I expected this to be a lot more challenging. I take it I can safely assume the next phase'll be more interesting?"

"I guess we'll see," Netero responded. "And what about you?" he looked directly at Y/N.

She looked at him dead in the eye and answered as soon as his eyes averted mine for a split second. "It was fine. Sort of entertaining… I guess."

"Well, being active is a big part of being a Hunter," Netero pointed out.

Killua glared before turning around. "Let's go," He demanded.

"Just one moment!" Netero called out.

Killua stopped. "Yes?"

"Would you like to play a game with me?" Netero offered.

"Game?" Gon asked.

"And to make it interesting, if you three can beat me, I'll give you your Hunter licenses on the spot," Netero bribed.

"I guess it all depends on the game," Y/N debated whether or not she should play. After all, what if they lost? Would they be disqualified from the Exam?

"Really? I'll play!" Gon yelled, excited as always.

Killua sighed. "I guess I can join."

"Are we allowed to use weapons?” Y/N asked.

"Well, that wouldn’t be fair, would it?” Netero grinned and Y/N gritted her teeth.

“I refuse.” She said, "I'll watch though."

"Fair enough. Do the two of you still want to play?" Netero asked.

"Yeah!"

Killua nodded along with Gon. Somehow it was hard to tell who was the lost puppy following its owner in this position. Killua glanced a split second at Y/N before turning to The Chairman again. "I'll try it first," Killua said confidently. Hm, maybe Y/N's assumption about him was right. He knew he was powerful.

"Go right ahead," Netero nodded.

Killua walked past Gon and began walking in circles around Netero. His footsteps made no sound as he walked and, soon enough, his stance started echoing. Doubles of Killua surrounded Netero, all walking in a circle. 'A nen technique? I didn't know he knew how to use nen...' Y/N thought to herself.

"I see a bunch of Killua's!" Gon said and Y/N nodded as she observed closely.

Killua broke off and went for the ball. As soon as he did, the rest disappeared. Every time he jumped for the ball, Netero would jump back, keeping a safe distance. 

Once Killua jumped farther back, the two stood and stared at each other. "That's all? How disappointing," Netero shook his head. Bouncing the ball up, he balanced it on the bridge of his nose, leaning his face back.

'He's making him think less rationally. Dulling his senses slightly maybe? Don't let your guard down, Killua.' Y/N thought as Killua growled and pressed his feet to the floor, causing him to go flying horizontally. He kicked Netero's leg, a grunt could be heard from the latter of the two. 'Oh…  that's gotta hurt… '

"His pivot leg," Gon cringed and Y/N sucked in a breath.

"Gon, your turn," Killua hopped on one leg over to Gon, tagging him in.

"Um, okay," Gon looked at Y/N. "Are you sure you don't wanna try, Y/N?"

"Nah," She waved it off, "Now go, get the ball."

Gon nodded and started stretching. Killua sat crisscrossed next to Y/N, folding his arms. He frowned as he scrutinized her face.

"Something wrong?" She asked.

"No." Killua said plainly before sparing a quick glance at Gon, then back at her. "Just looking at your ugly mug."

"Oh, look who's talking." Y/N said and Killua rolled his eyes with a smirk.

"At least I don't wear shirts like... That." Killua pointed to her white shirt. She rolled her eyes.

"Why? Does it hurt your eyes that badly?" She asked.

"No, I'm just concerned that it might scare off anyone you want to talk to." Killua spat back.

"Wow, thanks for the fashion advice from someone who wears boots like that." Y/N gestured to the purple... Boots? Shoes? She didn't even know what those things were.

"I'm-"

"Why don't you try to attack me together?" Their attention snapped back to the game to what looked like a sweaty Gon and a smiling Netero.

At some point, Killua had gotten back up and started going for the ball again, because both him and Gon took their over-shirts off and were fighting Netero for the ball. 

Safe to say it wasn't going well. Gon and Killua landed on the ground as Killua groaned in defeat. Killua stood up and announced, "Aw forget it. I quit. You beat me, alright?" He turned around and grabbed his shirt off of the ground.

Gon stood up as well and pointed to the clock, "Don't quit. We still have lots of time. And besides, we came so close just now."

"You're really clueless, aren't ya? It's hopeless," Killua said. "The old guy barely used his right hand or left leg. He's toying with us. We could keep at this for an entire year and never beat him."

"Figured it out, did you?" Netero placed a hand on his knee, "I was thinking I was being pretty slick about it."

"I get it now," Gon said, with Killua laughing in the background.

"You sure know how to piss me off, old man," Killua sarcastically laughed. "Let's go Gon, Y/N!"

"I think I'll play for a little while longer," Gon said. Killua stopped walking and ran up to him.

"Are you deaf?! Didn't you hear what I just said?" Killua yelled. "It's pointless, we'll never get the ball from him!"

"S'okay, 'cause I don't really care," Gon said calmly. "We only used up half of our time limit and I wanna see if I can get him to use his other

"I… See," Killua said, slightly dumbfounded. "Fine, I get it. Good luck then." Killua waved behind him as he started walking. "Are you coming, Y/N?"

Thinking it over, she nodded and stood up while giving Gon a thumbs up. "Have fun!"

"I will!" Gon yelled back.

As the duo circled through the hall and made a good distance from the room they were just in, Killua started becoming… Off. "You know, I'd think you'd be better at hiding your bloodlust." Killua said as his voice turned dark and dangerous.

"You're good at hiding yours. And besides, this bloodlust has been keeping Hisoka from Gon. He would've approached us sooner if I hadn't been reeking of it since the moment I saw him look at Gon the wrong way." She said quietly.

They continued walking through the circular hallway until Y/N bumped into someone accidently. "Hey kid." One of the guys said, "You bump into us and ignore us?" Y/N rolled her eyes and continued walking. It wasn't that big of a deal, was it? "You brats… " They grumbled and ran towards them, reaching for Venus’ violin case until suddenly they fell to the ground.

Blood.

Dark red blood pooled out underneath them as they continued walking. Y/N wiped blood off of her cheek as Killua looked at her, confused. "You’re not freaked out? Or grossed out?" Killua asked curiously.

"You're not the only one who can kill." Y/N said as she secured her violin case, "But I never liked blood.”

(Tell me if I made any mistakes with Y/N in the comments, please!)

[ahgasegotarmy116]

Seven Days to Fall Again | A Jeon Jungkook Series | Teaser

Inspired by the MV "Seven" by Jung Kook ft. Latto (obvi lol) Summary: You're finished with this relationship but Jungkook begs you for one more week, convinced that he can make you fall in love all over again. Pairing: Reader x Jungkook (almost exes to lovers lol) Warnings: Some explicit language (Like one word lol), arguing a/n: No clear plans for this other than following the music video storyline since I haven't seen too many fics like that :) Let me know if there are certain aspects from the music video that you would like to see! Series Masterlist

"I said no! End of discussion" I huff, tired of playing his games. "One week, that's all I'll need" he asks, doing better than I am at maintaining a sense of decorum at what he had intended on being our anniversary dinner. With me on the other hand fully intending on using this night to end things between us.

"I said I was done with this relationship. Why is that something that you just can't get through your head?" I argue. It's always like this with us, I'm always the one that gets upset and I hate that about myself. Where as he is able to stay calm, cool and collected and I hate that about him even more.

We're like fire and ice. I'm short tempered and he's patient. I'm outgoing and he's introverted. I love adventures and he would rather stick close to home. 'Why would we want to leave when we have everything we need here?' he would say to me. 'Why bother breathing when you're going to die anyways?' I retorted back and he couldn't offer up an argument to that thankfully.

"Please Noona, can you keep your voice down?" he pleads with me, noticing that the people around us have started taking notice of our conversation. "You can't tell me what to do Jungkook. I'm still your elder whether we are together or not so you do not get to disrespect me like that!" I say getting up from my chair making moves to leave. I know in my head that I'm blowing things out of proportion, but when I am this upset I see red and I can't seem to stop myself.

"All this time you've been messing around and playing with my heart and I'm done Jungkook. I'm sick of yo-" "Noona watch out!" he yells, pulling me towards him and out of harms way.

It's funny, he's trying to save me from getting hurt when he's been the one who causes me the most pain these days...

prev / Monday

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[yeahwhatdidisay]

The Body Series Book 1: Ch 13 'Wounds'

18+ please!! minors DNI (For other chapters) [Prev. Chapter] [First Chapter] [Ao3 link]

Summary: You were happy. Your body had continued to heal and these past few weeks were happy ones. Happy ones spent with Jake.

Unfortunately the return of whatever resides inside you prompts a visit from Khonshu. A visit that finally frees you from the secrets and lies you've had to keep but also frees you from something far more important.

Pairing: Steven Grant x F Reader, Marc Spector x F Reader, Jake Lockely

Warnings: Angst A/N: To all my readers...I am sorry.

You opened your eyes to nothingness.

Lifting yourself off of the ground you could feel a cold wind pushing against your face.  A light but dense fog flowed around you and a dim beam of moonlight shined down from a darkened sky.  Shining around you, almost like a spotlight from nothingness. 

But nothing else.  

There was no barren land.  All you could see was the ground and fog a few feet around you but aside from that, nothingness.

You stood and walked for a few minutes before stopping in your tracks, giving the area a final look before the realization of what must be happening hit.

‘Oh gods…not again.’ You thought.

“They thought they could hide you away…”A voice whispered in the wind, stopping you immediately.

You turned and strained to find where the voice came from only to be met with the nothingness.

“Who are you?!” You screamed into the void, your voice echoing around you. 

You frantically scanned the area again.  Trying your best to keep your panicked breathing to a minimum. 

Nothing.

“This is my body!  You can’t claim it!  I refuse to let you have it!”

“Who are you to refuse?” a stern voice echoed from behind you.

You turned only to have your breath completely taken from you. Your blood running cold in your veins.

There, standing a few yards away was you.  Another you, dressed in the tunic, jewelry, and intricate crown you had been wearing when you found yourself in the field of reeds. 

The other you stood silent.  Not a movement was made by either of you. You with the shock sprawled on your face, an indifferent glare on theirs. 

“Th-this is my body!” You repeated, your voice shaking as you spoke.

The other you did not reply.  Instead she continued to watch you, her glare becoming more menacing.

“Wh-whoever or whatever you are, you have no right to be here!” You called out, your voice more stern than before.

The other you stood motionless for another moment when a sly smile began to overtake their face.

Your face.

They opened their mouth, releasing a deafening roar that pushed and surrounded you.  Physically lifting you back a few feet, causing you to land hard onto the cold ground behind you.

“You insignificant wretch! A god does not ask for permission!  You are the one who has no right to demand anything of me!”

The residual push from the growl resonated in your chest to the point where it started to hurt. Leaving you huddled on the ground, clutching your chest and trying to catch your breath.

You looked up at the figure who began to walk toward you.  Your eyes filled with fear as you continued to struggle.  

“Wh-what is it you want?” You managed to get out.

The figure stopped, a now smug smile greeting you.

“I want you to vacate this vessel!  I can feel the amount of power you possess and I wish to have it for my own!”

“You…you can’t…”

“You are not worthy of such ability and so I wish you to dissolve!”

“I…I won’t…I won’t let you take my body!”  You yelled as loud as you dared.

The sly smile returned to the other you before a low soft chuckle left their lips.

“I see, then a bargain perhaps?  If you relent now your demise will be instant, far less painful than if you continue to defy my will.  Mark my words, insignificant human.  I will have your body and consciousness…it’s up to you how long and painful the inevitable is.”

You bent down, closing your eyes tightly and reaching deep within yourself for the strength to stand.  You returned her glare, filled with resolve and contempt for this intruder.

“Whatever or whoever you are, this is my body!  My mind!  I will not hand it over without a fight…you are not welcomed here!”

The other you took a moment to laugh mockingly, finding your show of strength unimpressive.

“I am giving you a choice you fool!  You would be wise to take it, and in case you have forgotten…you’ve only experienced what my followers can do.”

Just then a large serpent came in from the nothingness, slithering between your legs and making it’s way up and around the other you, slithering up their body.  Resting on one of their shoulders as she began to pet at its head.

“The power of Apophis is nothing compared to what I can do to you.”

The threat resonated through you. The pain you’d been experiencing for the past few weeks was something you’d never felt before and the thought of experiencing worse sent a shiver that fell through your whole body.

But the other option was ceasing to exist.  Nothingness.

Your thoughts raced with the possibilities of what this other you could do.  Even now, you knew that this was all in your mind and yet your body ached from the roar she had sent your way.  

What could be done to you that hadn’t been done already?

It was then that a realization crossed your mind.  

“You’re weak…” you said, the indignation sounding in your voice.

The other you immediately stopped smiling. 

“You dare to challenge me in such a way!?”

“Why haven't you already taken over my body?  Why waste time with a choice?  It’s because you can’t, not yet…am I right?”

The world around you almost shifted and you began to feel a movement coming from the ground.

A rhythmic tremor that felt almost like a heartbeat.

The shocked anger on the other you’s face erupted into a roar that they released toward the sky, overtaking the area around the two of you.  

The wind picked up and circled where you stood, becoming a tornado that began to push against you.

You fell to the floor to keep from being knocked over again.  The pain in your chest returned but as soon as your palm touched the ground the rhythmic sound got bigger and the pain began to disappear. 

It was you…the movement beneath your feet…was you.

This was your body, your will sounding beneath you!  You were the one in control!

You lifted your other hand away from your chest, placing it on the ground, sending a break in the earth that lurched forward to the other you, opening beneath her as soon as it met where she stood.

The other you fell into the cavernous hole that formed.  Her roar echoed as she fell until you could no longer hear it.

The wind ceased and again, all was quiet.

You got up and walked over to the hole, leaning over the edge to see where the other you had fallen.

The hole was dark and deep.  The bits of ground that you kicked into it fell without sounding.  

All around was quiet and again you were alone with the nothingness.   

Suddenly the serpent shot out from the dark, wrapping its body around you so quickly you had no time to react.  

You were helpless as it surrounded you from your feet all the way to your head, closing, squeezing around you and then, again, nothingness.

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

You shot up in bed, taking in a deep, long, audible inhale.  

“Preciosa!?” You heard Jake call out.

You scanned the room around you while you struggled to take another deep breath.

“Está bien, estoy aquí. Calm down and concentrate on your breathing... estás a salvo.”  Jake reassured, taking your hand in his.

“Jake…I…I wasn’t…what happened?  What happened while I was sleeping?  Did I attack you again?  Did I hurt you!?”

“No, no.  We were sound asleep and then you started to convulse.  I tried to wake you up but you stopped breathing.  Your eyes were rolling in the back of your head and I didn’t know what to do.  I kept calling out to you, trying to wake you but you just…”

“Jake…” you whispered, “there’s something happening.  Something I don’t…I need to talk to Thoth.”

“He will not come.” a voice interrupted from the opposite side of the room.

“Khonshu?!  What do you mean he won’t come?” you asked.

The god stood silent for a moment before he spoke again, ignoring your question.

“Tell me, Little Bug, what happened before you regained yourself?”

“¿De qué estás hablando?!  She was having some kind of stroke!  We need to get her to a hospital!”  Jake answered before you placed your hand on his arm.

“I don’t think it was a stroke…” you whispered, taking his hand for support. “I was in a dark place.  There was another me, a me who wasn’t me and threatened to destroy me for ownership of my body.  I was able to stop her but there was a serpent who wrapped itself…wrapped all around me.  It happened so quickly I couldn’t protect myself and then…and then I woke up.”

Khonshu’s body tensed at your description and he let out a worried sigh. 

“Come with me.” he said, reaching out his hand.

“She can’t go anywhere now!  She almost…”

“It is not up to you, Avatar.” Khonshu said. “Come, Little Bug.”

“It’s alright, Jake…I’ll be okay.”

The two of you walked over to Khonshu but before you could take his hand he withdrew it.

“I’m sorry, Avatar.  Just the scribe.”

Jake’s face grew cold and stern.  He didn’t want to leave you, especially after what had just happened. 

“I’ll be back soon.” You whispered, hoping to reassure him.

Begrudgingly he let go of you and in an instant you and Khonshu were gone, leaving him alone in the quiet room.

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

The two of you rematerialized in another familiar room.  A room you hadn’t seen for over two weeks.  

“Wait, what are we doing in Layla’s apartment?” You asked, panic in your voice.

“Make peace with your friend.  You will need her support.” Khonshu said, disappearing in a breath just as you heard the key turn and the front door unlocked.

Your heart began to race as she entered the room, freezing in place when she laid her eyes on you.

“Y/N?” she whispered.

You didn’t know what to do.  You had no time to think of what to say when she dropped all of her things and ran to you.  Taking you into a tight embrace.

You froze in her hold.  You expected her to kick you out immediately!  You expected her to yell and scream, accuse you of the worst.  You expected her to do anything but what she was doing now.

Your breath faltered, and your eyes stung with the onset of tears.  You closed your own arms around her and there you two stood.

“Layla, I’m so sorry…I didn’t mean to leave, I…”

“Y/N…Y/N!  WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!” Layla loudly exclaimed, her concern and worry finally bubbling up as she held you at arms length. “You disappear after a fight and I hear nothing from you for two whole weeks and when I reach out to Marc and Steven I get nothing but bullshit single word answers and deflecting texts!”

‘Damnit, Jake!’ You thought.

“You left me so worried!  I searched for you for weeks, day and night!”

“I know! I know…you have every right to be mad…”

“Was it what I said?!  I didn’t mean to drive you away, I just wanted to know the truth!  I wanted things to make sense and I wanted to make sure you weren’t…”

Layla stopped herself.  She caught up with her thoughts and took a deep breath to calm herself.  She didn’t want to make you run again.

“It’s alright, Layla, it wasn’t you.  You weren’t the reason I left…something happened, something I can’t say and I just…”

A sudden large mass instantly materialized beside the two of you.  Landing in the room with a large thud that shook the whole apartment around you.

You and Layla both jumped, letting out simultaneous yelps at the sudden appearance of an eight foot tall hippo appearing beside you.

“Ouch!  I always forget about that little table! Oh…sorry.  I always forget how small your apartment is, Layla.  How are you ladies doing?”

Layla let out a relieved laugh when a sudden realization hit her in the back of her mind.  Her eyes grew wide as she realized  that you weren’t concerned with what had made the noise…instead you had done just as she had.  She realized you could see Taweret.

Layla’s eyes darted back and forth from the goddess that she served and back to you.

You froze.  You didn’t dare breath.

“You can see her?” Layla whispered.  “You can see and hear her…you can see and hear her!”

“I-I…”

“Y/N…are you an avatar?”

“I…n-no I…”

“It’s all right, Little Bug…you can tell her.” Khonshu interrupted, appearing just behind Taweret. 

“My…we’re going to run out of room if anyone else shows up.”  Taweret joked, trying to lighten the mood. 

“Y/N…?” Layla again whispered.

You closed your eyes and let out a long sigh before turning toward the goddess of women and fertility.  Someone you considered a good friend even though your visits had been few and far between.

“Hello, Taweret…” you said softly.

“EEEE!!!” She squealed, leaning down to pick up the two of you. “I can’t believe it’s actually you!  It’s been so long since the last time we were able to see each other!  So this is what you look like, I’m so used to the suit hiding your identity!  Layla’s told me so much about you…I still can’t believe you’re both her friend and the scribe!”

“Wait! Scribe?  What the…p-put us down!”

Layla wriggled in Tawaret’s hold.  Trying to catch up to all the information being presented to her.

“Oh, Layla, calm down.  This is great news!  Now we can all do things together and not just when Thoth asks you to fill in!  We’ll have such a grand time!”

“Thoth!?  You’re Thoth’s avatar!?” Layla interjected. “Wait…if you’re another god’s avatar how can you see Taweret?  I can’t see the other gods! You shouldn’t be able to see the other gods!”

“Oh no…I’ve spilled the beans.” Taweret said, covering her mouth.

You let out a breathy laugh before closing your eyes and willing your suit into existence. 

“Y/N!?”

“I think you need to sit down…I’ll explain all I can.” You tried to rassure. 

“Tell her everything.” Khonshu interrupted.

“What?!” You and Taweret both asked, snapping your heads in his direction.

“Is there someone else here?!  I can’t do this…this is too much!  I just got out of work!” Layla rambled on, plopping down onto her couch.

You stared at Khonshu who continued to watch from where he stood.  Was this really happening?  Were you actually given the okay to finally share everything you’d been keeping secret?

“It’s Thoth’s decree…tell her everything.” Khonshu instructed.

“Everything?  Even about…your avatar?” 

“Everything…” he replied.

Your heart was racing.  You should feel relief knowing that you didn’t have to keep everything a secret anymore.  At least to someone you knew you could trust.  

‘Finally! This is what you’ve always wanted!’ You tried telling yourself, but something in the pit of your stomach wouldn’t let you relax.  There was something more to this that you just couldn’t figure out yet.

Something that made your heart begin to race.

“Y/N?  What’s going on?” Layla asked, looking as if she was going to pass out at any moment.

You took in another deep breath and allowed the bandages that covered your face to disappear.  You let your actual features take hold and went to sit beside Layla, finally letting yourself tell her everything you’d been keeping a secret.  

How you’d been there for all the major events long before her and Marc took on their duties as Avatars. How you could see all Gods and how you cloaked yourself to keep your identity secret. 

You explained where you had disappeared to that last night you were in her apartment and why it had taken you so long to return.  You told her about your title as Thoth’s scribe and all the responsibility that came with it.

What was most important, you were finally able to admit why you had pulled back and why it may have looked like you were sneaking around.  You admitted everything, especially your relationship with the third identity.

You admitted you weren’t cheating…but you were.

“Oh my…you poor thing.  I didn’t realize you’ve had to keep so much to yourself.” Taweret said after you’d finished, reaching over to lift you up into another hug.

You could always count on Taweret to be supportive and wished you could have confided in her more than you were able to.  

You looked over at Layla who sat quietly.  One of her hands covering her mouth as her leg bobbed up and down quickly.  The shock and confusion on her face making you worry.

“Layla? Layla, please say something.” you asked.

“Layla?” Taweret whispered, putting you down.

“I…I don’t know what to say…I honestly would have never guessed you were an Avatar.  Marc!  Have you told Marc…or Steven?  Do they know?”

You shook your head.

“Why haven't you told them?  This would clear up so many things they’ve been worrying about!  You have to tell them everything!  Tell them about this…Jake!  They deserve to know!”

“No!  Layla, that’s one thing you can never do!”

“Jake is a part of them!  How can you even entertain the idea of keeping him hidden from them?”

“I would tell Marc if I could but he can’t know he’s still bound to Khonshu.”

“Wait!  Marc is still bound to Khonshu!?”

“That’s why you can’t tell Marc.” Taweret whispered, finally understanding. “The binding…it’s because of the binding.”

You nodded before returning your focus to your confused friend.

“Layla, it’s of the utmost importance that you do not tell Marc about his third identity.  It could undo all of time if he knew he was still bound to Khonshu.” You pleaded.

All of this was almost too much for her but as Layla fought with her own morals she looked over at you.  Your worried face was enough to calm her.  Enough to put her nerves at ease. Enough to let her know it was the right thing to do to keep Jake a secret.

“Okay…okay, I won’t say anything, but…you.  You had to keep all of this a secret this whole time?  And with me hounding you over the past couple of months to tell me the truth!?”

You let out a breathy laugh and nodded while the tears began to well up in your eyes again.

“I am so sorry, Y/N.  I’m so sorry I made you feel so guilty about everything.  No wonder you pulled back.”

Layla brought you in for another hug. 

She finally understood.  Everything made sense and you knew that things would be so much easier because of it.

“Little Bug?”

“Yes, Khonshu?” You said, lifting your head from Layla’s shoulder.

“Khonshu?  He’s here?

“Taweret, Little Bug…you are being summoned.”

“Me?” Taweret exclaimed, not sure why Thoth would want to speak to her at this time as well.

“What? What is it?” Layla asked.

“We…we have to go.” You said, the pit in your stomach growing.

“Wait!  You drop all of this on me and then you leave?  How can that be…”

“Don’t worry, Layla.  I’m sure this will all make sense in a moment and we’ll be sure to inform you when we return.” Taweret tried to reassure.

“Ladies…” Khonshu said, extending his hand out to you.

“We’ll be back soon.” You repeated, taking Khonshu’s hand and rematerializing in a place that you had never been.  A place that simply took your breath away.

You were surrounded by blackness, but not in the same feeling of nothingness you had found yourself this morning.  You were in blackness but you were also surrounded by millions of constellations and stars that shined all around you as they moved.  You were in awe of the beauty of what can only be described as being in the very cosmos themselves.

“Where are we?” you whispered.

“Oh, no…this can’t be good.” Taweret exclaimed, just as the stars began to turn and move around the three of you in an unnatural way.

“What? Where are we?”

“We’re in a room of holding…we only come here if we’re not meant to be on earth.  It’s like a hiding place.”  She explained. 

The stars twisted and turned as they converged together to shine their silver and blue tones.  Coming together to take on the form of Thoth.

He was standing before you but he was glowing in a silver and blue hue.  As if he wasn’t there at all but you were looking at a hologram.  

You stared at your ruling god but instead of the usual want and need to be respectful you felt a deep rage begin to grow within you.

“Taweret, thank you for coming…Scribe…” he said, his voice echoing in the space around you.

“Where have you been?!”  You yelled up at him.  No longer feeling the need to hold in your feelings.  “I was nearly killed in that shrine!  My body was broken to the point where I couldn’t move, unable to use my abilities and you were nowhere!  Where were you!?”

Thoth said nothing.

“Y/N…” Taweret whispered.

“No!  Haven’t I been loyal?  In all the years of service I’ve only had one minor indiscretion and you…you refuse to even see if I’m okay?”

“Coming to you carried too much risk.”  He said, his voice remaining calm and monotone. “Even now I cannot be in the same space as you…”

“I am so tired of all of this! What could possibly be happening that you have to be kept away?!” 

“You do not understand, Scribe.  I felt it as soon as you were touched.  I heard it in your screams and I had to make the choice.”

“You’re not making sense!” you yelled out, “What choice?!”

“The choice to let you succumb to the curse in the shrine.”

Again your breath halted.  

“You…you were going to let me die?”

Thoth nodded.  

His cold, unfeeling response felt like a knife had been plunged into your chest.  In all the time you served him he had always been kind.  Always made you feel like you weren’t just an avatar to him.  Like you were important…like he cared about you.

“Th-then why?  Why was I saved?  Why did you bring me out of the shrine?” you whispered, your disbelief sounding with each word.

“I did no saving…it was Khonshu who disobeyed me.  A choice that was made and a punishment that will last him till the end of time.”

You turned to the other god, who looked down at the floor. 

“Khonshu?”

“Enough! Time grows urgent! It is because of Khonshu’s choice to disobey me that dire measures need to be passed.  Measures to keep all of time and existence safe from a possible second coming.”

Thoth’s voice boomed as he continued to speak.  

“What are you…”

“You carry her within you, my Scribe.  The curse that flowed through you that night carried more than just the wrath of Apophis…I felt it as soon as it connected with your body.  You became a vessel, a carrier capable of bringing her back to the realm of the living.  Back from the banishment bestowed onto her.”

“Who!?  Who are you talking about?”

“Ammit.”

Your blood ran cold.  Taweret gasped behind you while Khonshu stood silent.  No doubt already knowing the truth.

“A-Ammit?”

“You carry a piece of her within you.  The only piece that exists in this realm.  She is the one who has been taking hold of your body.  She is the reason for your blackouts and your outbursts.  I denied your healing ability in hopes of stopping her strength but soon, I feel, soon she could be strong enough to take hold of your body fully.”

“You…I can’t…”

You struggled to find your words but nothing came out clearly.  

“What does this mean, Thoth?  Can’t she be helped?  Can’t Ammit be banished back to the forgotten realm?”

“No…we are lucky she is still weak but she has to know…”

“Know what?”  you interrupted.  Your voice is soft and quiet.

Thoth stood silent.  He knew that what he was about to say would carry more than he could possibly understand.

“She knows the only way to fully bring her back is to reconnect her link to Khonshu.  If she is able to do this she will be able to tap into all of your abilities as my scribe.  I will be helpless to stop her.”

“But the only way for that to happen would be…”

“Would be for your Marc to become aware of the third identity…so it is because of this you will no longer be permitted to see your Marc and Steven.  You will never be able to see them again.”

Your breath stuck in your throat as Tawaret gasped beside you.  Your heart sank into your stomach and you could feel your knees buckle beneath you.  Had Taweret not placed her hands on your shoulders you would have fallen to the floor.

“No!  You can’t ask that of her…not after everything she’s been through!” Taweret insisted.

“It is too dangerous for her to be permitted to see them.  Ammit could take control and tell Marc of the remaining identity and reconnect the bond!  It is too…”

“No…” you whispered, interrupting Thoth and finally finding your voice again, “No…no…NO! I refuse!  I’ll never agree to that!  I - I renounce my duties as your scribe!  I’ll give up all of my abilities and power!  Take anything from me!  Take my voice, take my ability to move, take anything you want from me!  My tongue, my legs, my hands…take all of my senses I can’t…”

“It is already decided, my Scribe.  Taweret, go and deliver the decision to your avatar.  Tell Layla that she can never speak of the third identity and it is up to her how to deliver the message to the other two.”

“Layla has to tell them!?” You interjected.

“Thoth, this is cruel.  None of our Avatar’s deserve this.” Taweret tried pleading, but was only met with a raised hand to silence her.

“Go…I will not repeat myself again.”

“No!  No!  Don’t go!  You can’t do this to us!” you pleaded, holding onto Taweret’s arm. 

“I’m sorry…” she whispered, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

“Khonshu?  Khonshu, please!  You can’t let this happen!  There has to be a way…please help me, I’ll do anything!” You cried, turning to the other god.

“I have lost the ability to deny Thoth, Little Bug…even if I wanted to, I cannot change what has been decided.”

With that he also disappeared, leaving you alone with your ruling god. 

“I understand your resistance, my scribe, but I am also nothing if not a fair god.”

“You call yourself fair?” you screamed at him, the rage being too much for you to bear. “You left me to die, you just ripped away the two people I care about the most and you call yourself fair!?”

“ENOUGH!” Thoth bellowed, causing you to falter, “My patience wears thin and I am in no mood to show you leniency!”

Thoth closed his eyes and let his own anger settle before continuing.

“I understand your grief, Scribe, so, because of this I offer you the remainder of this day and night  with the third identity before you will no longer be allowed to speak to him as well.”

“No…” you whispered.  Your breath shook as it left your body.

“You have until dawn the following day. Now go…use your fleeting time wisely.”

With that Thoth waved his hand and you were again standing in your home.

“Preciosa?” you heard Jake whisper from behind you.  

“Jake?” You called, wanting to run to him but finding it impossible to move.

Instead, Jake ran to you just in time to catch you before your legs finally gave way and you fell to the ground.  Your loud sobs sounded in the flat through your hands that now covered your face as Jake held you in his arms.  

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

That final day was both a blessing and a nightmare.  The hours lingered on, no doubt one final kindness allotted to you from Thoth.  Allowing the hours to linger rather than pass quickly.  

Once you’d stopped crying you spent the rest of the day with each other.  Trying anything you could think of to get your mind off of the impending deadline.

You had gone out for a walk.  You went to your favorite ice cream place.  You cooked a meal together. 

The day was perfect although the two of you said very little.

The night had brought with it so much and while you wanted to just lay and cry Jake helped to lighten the mood by taking you in his arms and dancing with you.

Slow dances, quick ones, he even tried to teach you how to dance a salsa and merengue, although most of the time was spent laughing at how much you tripped over your own feet. 

Now the two of you lay beside each other.  Staring deep into each other’s eyes and again, not saying a word. 

Jake let his thumb lightly trail over your cheek as he held onto your other hand.

Your eyes still stung from the tears you had been crying throughout the day.  

Laying here beside him was both agony and the only thing you wanted.  Being too scared to ask for more.  

“What time is it?” you asked.  Your quiet voice laced with the pain you were feeling.

“It’ll be dawn soon…” Jake responded.  His own soft gravelly voice sounded with the pain he was feeling as well.

“I can’t do this…I’ve lost the loves of my life and now…now I’m expected to lose you, too?  I can’t…I won’t…”

“You’ll never lose me…I’m forever yours, mi Preciosa.  Con toda mi vida y corazón.”

You smiled up at him, your breath hitching in your throat ready to turn into another sob but you were able to swallow it down again.

Jake stared down at you.  He had never felt this helpless and the guilt within him was extra heavy in this moment.

He struggled with his own demons and all he wanted to do was be honest with you.  Even in these final moments.

“Preciosa…I need to tell you something.  I don’t want to hurt you any more than you are, but you need to know.”

“What is it…?” You whispered.

“That night…the night Marc woke up while you were…while you were with Steven.  It’s my fault that happened.”

“Jake…?”

“I was being summoned and I woke up with you…I woke up with you.  Just as he had felt, I was in an experience I never let myself dream could be a possibility.  I was with you…I was finally with you and I let it go longer than it should have and in my haste to leave I allowed Marc to front instead of Steven.”

The golden rays of the rising sun began to shine over the distant horizon, shining hues of yellow and orange onto your ceiling.

You looked into Jake's eyes.  What he was saying should have angered you.  It should have made you want to push him away.  Yell, hit, hurt him like you had hurt…like Marc had hurt.

Jake watched as you closed your eyes.  The tears streaming down your face but nothing more.

He knew he had hurt you.  He had done so much to you over the past years and he was ready for whatever you were going to do.  Whatever you were going to say.

He needed to be strong… for you.

“Jake…” you whispered, finally opening your eyes to look at him.

“Si, mi preciosa?”

“Jake…kiss me.”

He wasn’t ready for that, hesitating in the moment.

“Kiss me…please.” you repeated.

Jake came in, gently pressing his lips to yours.  Where his kisses were normally rough, eager,   he now kissed you with a gentleness that only comes with the knowledge that it will be your last.

He wrapped his arm around your waste and brought you flush against his body.  His warmth being something that broke your heart as you felt it.

As the two of you kissed, tears streaming out of your closed eyes.

“Jake…” you whispered in between your gasps and moans, “Jake I love you.”

“Preciosa…” Jake responded when suddenly, in an instant, you were gone just as the sun began to fully rise in the distance.

Jake lay alone in your bed.

All was quiet.

He turned to lay on his back, staring up at the wooden beams above him.  

There he found the little winking and blushing hearts you’d painted for Marc and Steven and finally noticed the third heart you’d added onto a small piece of canvas so it can be taken down.

A little angry heart with a flat cap on. 

Jake sat up, the anger bubbling inside of him as he stood up and  overturned the kitchen table onto the floor. 

He grabbed his coat and walked out.  He didn’t know where he was going, his blind anger getting the better of him.

God help anyone who crossed his path. 

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

You opened your eyes to the dark blackness of the stars.

The cosmos moved around you as you floated in its void when Thoth’s image came into your peripheral view.

“I truly am sorry, my scribe.”

“Please, Thoth…just…leave me alone.” You requested.

With that Thoth disappeared and you curled into yourself. Quietly crying, your tears falling from your cheeks and floating away from your face into the vast nothingness of space.

You had finally gotten your wish.  You were able to tell someone the truth.  The truth about who you were and what you had been hiding.  You were finally allowed to share everything and yet…yet you were left feeling only emptiness.

A weight had finally been lifted only for your whole world to come crashing down.

~~~~~~~

Tag List: @delicatespiritualitysciencebat, @ahookedheroespureheart

[awmancreeper]

ミ★Just Say You Love me </3 . 24 - New Friends

--★ Kai’s friends roast him for not being in a relationship since he was 12. While Y/n tries to avoid getting into a relationship every week. One day Kai spots a familiar girl hiding in a tree finding out she was hiding from her 2nd confession that week. After hearing the university’s IT girl struggles Hyuka comes up with a plan.

Masterlist / prev / next

!!written parts!!

“Yeonjun, this is soobin, Beomgyu, and Taehyun” Kai introduced as the 6 sat around the table. “Nice to meet you guys” Yeonjun smiled but looked at soobin “dude you’re like really good looking” he added making Soobin blush “oh uh thanks man” Beomgyu playfully rolled his eyes. “Save it for the bedroom”

The boys chatted amongst themselves as you sat next to Kai admiring him when your phone buzzed shifting your attention. You look up to see your two best friends waiting at the entrance looking around for y’all. You stood up “Yeji!” You yelled getting her attention. The boys looked over at what you were calling at, and taehyun felt his heart fall out of his ass. “Yeji!” Yeonjun exclaimed happily waving, she returned the smile but caught the younger boy's gaze. “Oh uh” Yeji froze but Niki dragged her over.

“Boys this my best friends, minus you gyu, Yeji and Niki” you said as they all greeted the two while niki dabbed up Kai. “Here yeji you can sit next to me” Yeonjun told her pulling out the empty chair that sat between him and Kai’s friend Taehyun. While Niki took the seat between Kai and Beomgyu.

Taehyun tensed up as the girl sat down awkwardly. He quickly pulled out his phone.

“-And that’s beomgyu!” Y/n introduced. “It’s extremely nice to meet all of you, I hoping I’d get to know the people that made my y/n so lively” Yeji smiled brightly. Kai swore he felt the whole food joint swoon. “Yeah, that’s great! So um yeji what do you like to do in your free time?” Beomgyu asked “birdwatching?” He added but a kick to his shin made him groan.

“Oh um I catch up on school and work,” Yeji told him thinking “work?” Soobin asked confused “I thought all of you were rich or smth?” Beomgyu said earning a glare from Kai. “Well it’s more like volunteer work but I do get paid a tiny bit” Yeji clarified, “she works at a dance studio teaching kids how to dance” you told them as Yeji looked away embarrassed. “Yeah it kinda takes most of my time so I tend to fall behind in my school work” she nervously scratched the back of her neck.

“Taehyun tutors!” Beomgyu blurted out groaning again as a shoe hit his shin once again. Yeji laughed “yes I am aware, I’ve been trying to book a session with him for forever now” she exclaimed. Taehyun looked over at her “is that why you’ve been stalking me” he bluntly said making Kai choke on his drink as the juice came out from his nose. You wiped Kai’s face with a napkin while Yeji began to blush.

“Yeji what was that?” You asked, she fiddled with her fingers before sighing. “I’m sorry!,” she turned to taehyun and bowed “I didn’t mean to I was gonna ask you the first time. But then my stomach felt all weird and I couldn’t-” Yeji was beyond red. They all over at Yeji as she rambled on about how Taehyun made her nervous feeling secondhand embarrassment, ‘does this girl not realize what she’s saying?’ Niki thought sipping a juice box from across the table.

“-And then I couldn’t stop following you-“ she continued but Tae’s laughter cut her off “it’s fine! I’m just glad you weren’t trying to kill me,” he told her “if you want we can schedule a session soon” Tae added smiling at her. She gave him a goofy smile in return while Yeonjun pulled her chair closer to him. “Okay let’s order already!” Kai yelled putting his hands together.

[logarhythm-bees]

The Carousel Kingdom 🏰 CH5 Into the Great Unknown

Masterlist

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Art by @prince-rowan-of-the-forest !

“Roman-!” Virgil hisses, grabbing their free arm. “What are you doing?”

Roman stares at him, and then back at their other hand, halfway through a newly-reformed carousel portal to an alternate dimension. 

“...Going in?” They offer, meekly. Virgil gives them another tug, though, and they step away, bringing their arm back through.

“No way, dude. We need a plan first.” Virgil looks at the portal nervously. “What if there’s someone waiting to attack when we come through?”

Roman considers this. Roman finishes considering it and sticks their face through the portal. 

“Roman!!” Virgil and Patton yell in unison, like when the toddler you’re babysitting immediately breaks through the child locks on the cabinet. Roman turns around, enthusiastically giving the pair a thumbs up.

“It’s clear!” They say. “…Are you okay?”

Virgil is sure he looks like he’s about to pass out, and Patton, though less pale than Virgil’s sure his own face is, is still wringing his hands anxiously.

“…Maybe we can hold off on sticking our heads through the portal until we’re a little more prepared?” Patton suggests. Roman, finally taking in their cause for concern, turns scarlet, embarrassed.

“Sorry,” they say. “I just…I know it’s only been a day for me, but I- I miss my world, and I’m worried about my friends.”

They sigh, stepping back from the portal, though their hand still floats over the portrait of the castle. “The carousel was so beaten down when you found it,” they mutter, “who knows how long I was really stuck?”

“I understand,” Patton nods. “You miss your home.”

“But we still need to come up with a plan before going through,” Virgil interjects before Patton gives into his empathy and just lets Roman saunter through unarmed. “You said you suspected foul play in someone getting you off the throne. Is there anything specific we need to look for? Or do we need to just be on guard for anything?”

Roman hums. “If we can find Logan- my advisor, I told you about xem- xe’ll know what happened and what to do.” Roman gazes wistfully at the Earth sky, watching the clouds drift overhead. “Xe’s the smartest person I know. I think xe could reason his was out of any situation, but I’m still worried about xem. I hope xe’s alright.”

“Find Logan, got it.” Patton says. 

Roman sighs again, still watching the clouds. “Innova was peaceful in the approach to my rule. When I-“ they tear their attention away from the clouds, instead fiddling with their hands, blushing. “I apologize for scaring you when I stuck my head through the portal. All looked calm on the other side, but we should still be prepared. I don’t know who put me here, or what has changed.”

Their hands open and close into fists, as if grabbing for something, and the runes on their antlers glow softly. Virgil remembers how they glowed before with Roman’s anger and fear, but this is different, the soft light comforting, Roman’s expression set in resilience instead of rage.

“I know a couple protection spells that may help,” they say. “I haven’t- I was a bit out of practice with my magic even before being stuck for however long, but I will do my best.”

“We will too,” Virgil says when Roman looks at him with piercing white pupils, and it should be embarrassing how much Virgil is putting himself out there for anything this strange, unusual, *endearing* prince wants him to do.

Roman squeezes his hand, though, smiling in appreciation, and he can’t find it in himself to feel anything but butterflies.

“I’m not, like, trained or anything,” Virgil starts, “but I brought my pocket knife. If I have to use it, I will.”

“And I’m ready to stick it to someone!” Patton cheers, grabbing a stick and brandishing it for emphasis. 

Roman smiles thankfully, squeezing Virgil’s hand again and sending sparks into his stomach. “Hopefully we won’t have to use them. But I’m glad we’re prepared.” They bite their tongue. “We go in, be on guard, and try to find Logan. If we can’t find xem, we should lay low until we figure out what’s going on.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Patton says, looking at Virgil. “Let’s move the truck and get the bags?”

“Huh? Oh- yeah.” Virgil says, tentatively letting go of Roman’s hand where the prince is still holding it.

“I’ll wait for you here,” Roman says.

Virgil quirks an eyebrow at them. Roman flushes.

“I won’t go through the portal yet,” they say. “Prince’s honor.”

“Alright. C’mon, Virge, let’s get the truck parked proper before we get *glowin’!*”

Virgil follows Patton to the truck, hopping in the passenger seat. He waves at Roman through the window, who waves back.

However, as soon as Patton turns the truck around, heading towards the parking lot proper, Virgil finds himself trembling like the engine, his breathing coming fast and shallow as he sinks in his seat.

Patton places a hand on his shoulder for reassurance until they pull into a parking space, where he swiftly turns the key off and pulls Virgil into a hug.

“Hey.” Patton says. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m scared.” Virgil says. “I don’t know- I feel weird around Roman, and I know this is important to them, and I said I would, but I’m really nervous about it. They said we wouldn’t explode, but, like, what if someone traps us on the other side? They don’t have pancakes there! Or cars!”

“I don’t think Roman would let that happen. Plus, they said they have a friend in their world who’s really smart!” Patton says, rubbing his back. “You don’t even like cars, anyways.”

“But-“ Virgil says, muffled against Patton’s shirt, “it would be *different.*”

“It’s different over here for Roman,” Patton retorts, “and you helped them. I’m sure they’ll do the same for you.”

They sit for a few moments, Patton rubbing Virgil’s back as Virgil breathes in the scent of cookies and car air freshener and thinks of white pupils looking at him in kind.

“Let me know when you’re ready,” Patton hums. “I’m sure Roman doesn’t mind waiting.”

“I think I am ready,” Virgil says, leaning away from Patton. “But let’s hurry before I change my mind.”

“Okay!” Patton gives him a speedy salute and hops out of the truck, popping the trunk and grabbing both of their bags. “Let’s go go go!”

Virgil chases him as they run back to the carousel, sneakers scuffing in the dirt as they return to Roman, staring anxiously at the portal.

“We’re ready,” Patton says, sliding Virgil’s back off of his shoulder and handing it to Virgil. He adjusts his own bag, and Virgil positions his on his back, suddenly feeling quite a lot like he’s a kid back in high school. The fluttery feelings around the pretty prep looking at him aren’t helping.

“I’ll go in first,” Roman says. “If anything looks wrong, I’ll tell you. But it looked pretty open earlier.”

“We’ll be right behind you,” Patton says. Virgil gives them a nervous thumbs up.

Roman steels themselves, tail steadying, suddenly looking a lot taller even in Virgil’s loaned sweatshirt and sweatpants. They turn back to the portal, confident and with purpose, the gentler demeanor of the past day turning to the same regal confidence of when they’d first appeared from the carousel.

They give Virgil a soft smile, and they step into the portal.

After a moment, their head pokes back through. “It’s safe,” Roman says. “You can come on through, it’s just grass on the other side.”

Patton nods, stepping forwards- cautiously, and then excitedly, jumping into the portal. Virgil is less sure. Roman notices.

“It’s safe, I promise,” Roman says, offering their hand. “I wouldn’t hurt the person who introduced me to the Earth delicacy of pancakes, c’mon.”

A startled laugh makes its way out of Virgil’s throat, and before he can think himself out of it, he takes their hand.

Roman pulls, firm but not aggressive, and Virgil follows them through.

[kharti]

[ Good Sir, Mad Lad #11 ]

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Stede couldn’t stop thinking about his first blowjob. It occupied his every thought, every corner of his mind, and even, for a short while, chased away the ghosts and ghouls that lurked at the edges of his vision.

      ( Continue reading on AO3 or... )

Stede couldn’t stop thinking about his first blowjob. It occupied his every thought, every corner of his mind, and even, for a short while, chased away the ghosts and ghouls that lurked at the edges of his vision.

But they came back, as they always did, and he had a cornucopia of thoughts for them to feast on.

Absolutely disgusting, his father all but yelled, right in his face, so close Stede could feel the spittle land on his skin.

And all that did was remind him of Jack’s release.

Look at me when I’m talking to you, boy!

Mary hovered in the corner of the room, her arms crossed. He’s truly beyond all hope.

Everyone was there, a great big reunion of all his fears. His childhood bullies used slurs too awful to repeat in his thoughts, all of them threatening violence that logically he knew couldn’t happen, but his body tensed in anticipation of.

Utter depravity, Mary whispered. Is degrading yourself what it takes to make you tolerable in bed?

“No,” he said aloud as his vision started to blur.

Jack startled beside him, and all their attention turned on the man. “No? No what? I wasn’t saying nothin’.”

Stede quickly turned away, but not fast enough. Jack’s hand shot out to grab him by the neck and pulled, forcing him to turn back around.

“The fuck’s going on?” Jack asked in a voice that was almost—gentle, in spite of his language.

Look at how he touches you, his father sneered. Like the degenerate you are.

“Don’t—” Stede pulled back to free himself of the touch that he wanted, that made goosebumps prickle their way along the back of his neck. “Don’t touch me.”

Jack’s hand stayed in the air before it fell to his side and landed on his hip. “All right, I’ll bite. Why the fuck not?”

Stede sucked in a shaky breath and averted his eyes, his own hands clenching and unclenching. “Because I’m disgusting.”

With a snort, Jack gestured at himself. “You’re talking to the fuckin’ king of disgusting, baby.”

“No, you’re—”

Filthy. A filthy, horrible rat that needs to be culled.

“Shut up,” Stede growled, putting his hands over his eyes. “God, would you please shut up.”

Jack’s voice dropped a bit. “Seriously, what the fuck?”

Stede quickly pulled his hands away and tried to open his expression, tried to show sincerity, as tears fell down his cheeks. “Not you, my—” He shook his head. “No one. I’m talking to myself. I need to—to shut up, and stop talking, and—”

“Hey.” Jack cupped his face with both hands, his palms rough and warm, and forced their eyes to meet. “I don’t know what’s going on, but just breathe. Like when you’re sucking cock.”

Stede snorted a laugh at that, and over Jack’s shoulder, he watched his father’s face grow red with rage. Slowly, Stede closed his eyes and tried to focus on his breath, on the sensation of air moving in and out of his lungs.

The noise started to fade. He heard the last obscenity from his father, the last snide remark about his bedroom performance from his wife, the last mocking laugh from his childhood bullies.

Then, silence, save for Jack breathing with him.

“There ya go,” Jack said, quietly. “Now, wanna talk about it?”

“Not particularly.” Stede opened his eyes to look at him, at the softness at the edges of his expression. “Except to say that this—happens.”

Jack shrugged. “We all got shit, man.”

Stede worried his lower lip between his teeth. “Do you think you could do me a favor?”

“Depends on the favor.” Jack grinned, his cheek showing his tongue pressing against it. “Want your ass eaten out?”

“My—what?” Stede blanched as he tried to piece the words together, as an image from one of his secret books bloomed behind his eyes, and he had to shake himself out of the sudden stupor. “No, at least, not right now, no. I just.” He breathed in and out. “Could you—Could we—Would you mind if—”

“Spit it out, darlin’.”

A shiver of delight ran up and down his spine at the endearment, even if it was forced. “Cuddle. I’d love a cuddle.” He swallowed. “I’ve actually never had a cuddle.”

Jack blinked, once, twice. “A cuddle.” He reached back to scratch at his scalp, then shrugged one shoulder. “Sure thing.”

Then Jack picked him up, not quite like a princess and not exactly like a sack of potatoes, and carried him over to the bed by the window. He set him down with a surprising gentleness, crawled in beside him, spooned him from behind so that Stede was pulled in to his chest by those big, strong arms.

“This good?” Jack asked, his breath warm on the back of Stede’s ear. “Not much of a cuddler, myself. So don’t really know how to do it.”

Stede smiled, warmth spreading everywhere they touched. “It’s… perfect.” He reached up to grasp Jack’s arms with both hands. “Thank you.”

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📚 view a list of all my current stories!

[yeehawbvby]

Falling Away With You | Ch. 2

Sebastian x F!Reader and M. Rasmodius x F!Reader

Rating: Mature/Explicit

Chapter Summary: After a long day of meeting and greeting, you run into an interesting trio.

Author’s Note: n/a

Table of Contents + Work Summary

Check it out on ao3!

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I’m woken up by something tapping on the windows. Shit, is it raining? That’s just my luck.

According to the small, crusty lookin’ clock on my nightstand, it’s 6 AM. I take a mental note to pick up a new alarm clock sometime soon. This is a good time to get up, I guess. Since the rain will make it hard to do any important yard work, I can try and bang out some more of that list today than I’d planned to originally. Fingers crossed I don’t melt away at just the sight of a few strangers.

I make my way out of bed after laying there for a while – I was too cozy to get up, okay? – and discover that the door on the left does, in fact, lead to a kitchen and bathroom. Fuck yes.

The kitchen is literally just a fridge and a small stove. The rest is just cabinets and empty space. It isn’t much, but it’ll do. Maybe I can move the table in the living room? main room? whatever it is, into here, to accomodate for a couch out there. At least the bathroom is fully functional (knock on wood) and complete with a clothing washer and dryer combo.

I take a shower, not bothering to dry or style my hair afterwards, and get dressed, doing my best to look okay while knowing I’m going to get wet out there. I curse myself for not having an umbrella. I never thought I’d need one, I don’t get out much.

I rummage through my suitcase and pull out an oversized, black sweater, with a white collar and small daisies stitched onto the bottom of each sleeve; my favorite light pink, pleated skirt; and some white thigh highs. I’ll toss on my black combat boots with this before I go. They’ll give my little gremlin ass some much needed height. 

I quickly brush on some waterproof mascara to finish things off. Should I bring a jacket? That’s in a whole other suitcase… I look out the window, and it’s gone from a medium rain to a full blown downpour. Ugh, I should bring a jacket. 

Right as I spot what I’ve been looking for, I hear knocking on the door. I guess I’ll have to get used to having visitors, especially so early, living out here.

“Coming!” I yell, quickly using my locked phone screen to make sure my hair looks as neat as it can in its dampened state. I flip it around a bit, trying to bring my waves to life.

I open the door to a lady holding a scruffy, gray and white kitten. She looks like she’s in her late 30’s or early 40’s, with thick auburn hair braided to one side. Her smile is soothing and motherly, and she smells cozy. I don’t know what cozy smells like, but she’s it.

“Hello, (y/n)!” How does she know my name already? “I’m Marnie, I live down the road by that forest over there,” she says, pointing south.

“Nice to meet you!” I do my best to seem enthusiastic, hoping she can’t tell how nervous I am. The last thing I was expecting right now was company.

“You see this cat here?” I nod in response. “I found it sitting outside the entrance to your farm! I think it’s a stray… poor thing.”

Oooh, please tell me this is going where I think it is.

“Don’t you think this farm could use a good cat?” Marnie asks. She has a hopeful glimmer in her eyes – even if I wanted to say ‘“no,” which I absolutely don’t, I would never be able to.

“Yeah, of course!”

I take the little guy from her, inspecting him a bit before realizing that poor Marnie is just standing out in the rain. Don't invite her in. Don’t do it, (y/n). It’ll be uncomfy and you know you’ll regret it and – 

“Would you like to come in? You’re getting soaked out there!”

Fuck me.

“Oh, what a sweetheart! Thank you, but I’ll have to decline. I’ve got a shop to run.” Thank Yoba. “If you ever need any hay, feel free to stop by!” 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I reply, “Thank you!”

We say our goodbyes and I take the cat inside. He’s a cute little thing, a bit on the skinny side, and he doesn’t seem to have any fleas or ticks. His left ear has a notch in it, which means he was caught, neutered, and released back into the wild. That’s super helpful. After letting the boy explore his surroundings a bit, I pick him back up and hold him in front of me to get a better look.

“What to name you…”

He meows.

“You’re a vocal one, aren’t you?”

Meow.

Despite how frail he is, he’s got personality, I'll give him that. Maybe I could name him after a mythical figure, or an infamous deity of some sort. Something powerful… inspirational, wise…

“Old Master Cannoli.”

Another meow.

“Cannoli for short?”

He purrs, sealing the deal. This suits him, somehow. Now, I hate to leave Cannoli alone so soon, but I have people to meet and things to buy.

__________________

I made my way to the general store for some supplies and food, where I met Pierre – the shop owner – and his wife, Caroline. That’s two people ticked off the list! Another was then checked off for Gus, who I bumped into in one of the aisles. He said he owns the Stardrop Saloon, so I’ll definitely have to scope that out sometime.

After getting some human food, cat food, and a few other things I need, I went for a stroll around town. I showed up at the doorstep to two houses. I was going to stop after the first, but thought maybe the nerves would subside enough by the second — big surprise, they didn’t. At least I tried.

Each time I was greeted, I meekly explained my mission and introduced myself. One building was occupied by two sisters, Emily and Haley – the former a bit eclectic, and the latter very preppy. They seem nice, albeit a little nuts, but I don’t necessarily mind that. 

The sisters live next door to a total MILF, Jodi, who I visited afterwards. Once we introduced ourselves, she invited me in for coffee, and almost immediately started venting about housework. That, and how lonely she is with her husband away at war, fighting against the Gotoro Empire.

I could keep you company, I cheekily thought, before mentally slapping the horny out of myself and giving her a much-needed shoulder to cry on.

There were a few villagers walking outside, which made it easier to complete more of my quest. They didn’t seem very eager to be stopped in the rain, but eased up when they realized I just wanted to meet and greet them.

Well, most of them did. That absolute bitch Shane told me to go away. 

I decided to stop home for a break, and to drop off my groceries and whatnot, which brings me to where I am now. I suppose I should unpack my luggage, maybe look for a cheap dresser I can grab off Craigslist or something, seeing that there’s nothing better to do... I’ll check out that Gus guy’s saloon tonight, too. I’m sure a drink or two could unleash my social skills a bit.

__________________

I finally got my chores done, so I’m able to start my trek to Stardrop. As soon as the gravel road passing the bus stop turns to the stone plaza entrance, I see three shadowy figures heading towards me. With all this rain and fog, I can’t tell if they’re humans or if I’m just seeing shit. Fuck, what if they’re shadow people? Aren’t those dangerous?

“Hey, is that the new farm girl?!”

Oh, ok. They’re human. 

I slow my pace to a halt. “Uh,” I mutter, squinting my eyes to try and get a better look, while nervously fiddling with my oversized sleeve. “It is, yeah.”

One of the figures jogs up to me, while the others take their time. He’s revealed to be a handsome dude, with spiky, blonde, anime-looking hair. A real life super saiyan . He seems friendly, but radiates chaotic energy for sure.

“Oh let’s gooo!” he exclaims as he slows up to me. The guy puts his hands on his hips. “What’re you doing out here, farmer?!”

He looks me up and down. Can’t tell if he’s checking me out, or if he’s just getting a better look at me. Maybe both? I dunno.

“Lewis wants me to meet new people, or whatever. Figured the saloon is a good place to do that...”

“Ooooh, we’re headed there right now!” He flings his left arm around my shoulders. I’m finally able to see our height difference up close, and oh my goodness, this guy is tall. “You should come hang with us!”

I look up at him, unsure of what to say. He’s looking at me so expectantly. Damnit.

“Fuck it, why not.”

He throws a fist in the air – the right one, as his left arm is still dangled across me – as I hear a feminine voice tsk and say, “You poor thing.”

Looking away, I see the girl this voice came from. Wow, that’s some very purple hair. It’s beautiful,  glowing like a silken amethyst under the haze of the street lamps. She’s just as shrimpy as me, might be an inch or two taller at most , but she sure looks more intimidating.

“Sorry, Sam does this to all the newcomers,” she says while crossing her arms. Sam? Sam, Sam… oh, is this guy Jodi’s son? “It’s probably the reason they always leave so soon.”

I look up at Sam, who takes mock offense before playfully sticking his tongue out at his friend.

“Don’t worry about it! It’s kind of refreshing actually.”

She scoffs, but I hear a low hum of approval coming from beside her. Was that a laugh, or just an acknowledgement? Either way, I look to the source and it’s another tall and handsome man. He’s wearing all black, and his asymmetrical dark hair is falling into his eyes a bit. An overall angsty demeanor. I try to get a better look at his face, deciphering what it looks like in more detail under the hair.

Yoba, he’s like, really hot.

The more I look, the more I realize I stared for too long. He looks confused, he’s probably expecting me to say something, oh god oh fuck just say something, idiot!

“Are you Robin’s son?”

Wow, way to be a creep. 

The purple-haired girl wraps an arm around his and gives me a curt glare. Maybe they’re dating, or something. Is she jealous that I asked him a question? She tries tugging him closer, but he doesn’t really budge. Oof. Tough luck, lady.

He opens his mouth to answer, but instead the girl answers for him, “He is.”

“Abbyyy,” Sam reaches down and flicks her on the nose. “Let Seb speak for himself!”

She rolls her eyes. “Well, he was taking too long and we’re getting soaked out here. Come on!”

She turns the opposite way, reluctantly unlatching herself from Sebastian, and heads towards the saloon. Sebastian stays put. I’m about to start following Abby, but soon realize Sam is straight up leaning on me. If I were to move right now, he’d fall and bring me down with him. I look up at him, and he looks down at me, tilting his head.

“Er..” I try to shimmy him off a bit.

“Oh, shit, my bad! Sorry, uh…” he points at me with his free hand.

“(Y/n).”

“(Y/n)!” he pipes.

He gives me a fucking head pat before running to catch up with Abby. Sebastian and I trail behind.

“He’s like a giant puppy,” I mutter, mostly to myself. I hear another hum, and look up at Sebastian to see a small smirk formed on his face.

“You’ll get used to it.”

Whoa, that’s… a voice. It sounds a bit raw and raspy, maybe from underuse? But it’s got a certain smoothness to it. It’s kinda nice.

“Your mom helped me move in yesterday,” I ramble after a beat. “She mentioned you aren’t much of a people person so I’m kinda surprised to have met you, um…” I vaguely gesture around, “in the wild.”

Why am I still talking to him if I just acknowledged that he isn’t a people person? Why’d I even say it out loud? I know from my own experience how uncomfy that can be. Luckily, he doesn’t seem mad.

“I do this every Friday with them. I’m not super into it, but it makes them happy.”

I nod and hum in response. After a short moment, I can feel eyes on me. Is he looking at me? I blush at the thought. Should I check? Wait, what if he thinks I’m staring at him, then? Once we’re within a few feet of the door, I will myself to glance at him, and see his eyes dart in another direction.

“Dude, come on!” Abby peeks out the door with an eye roll, scurries down the steps, and ushers Sebastian inside. He doesn’t look very happy to be manhandled, but what do I know? I just met the guy. Maybe he’s into that sort of shit.

“Jeez, leaving (y/n) hanging?! That’s harsh!” Sam waits in the doorway for me to come in. I thank him as we follow the others, his arm finding its way over my shoulders again.

[marauderundercover]

How We Fell: Ch. 5

Day 5: Caution and Warning Signs/Kids

AO3

Prev

Swinging across Paris, Marinette stops at her usual meet up place with Chat Noir and opens her yoyo. No new messages. She frowns. It was really unlike Chat Noir to miss patrol. He practically lived for it. As much as she teased him for it in the beginning, she’d started to understand over the last two years. Patrol was a time where she could fly through the city, and just breathe. Petty crime in Paris was practically nonexistent. Most people weren’t willing to risk an akuma just to do a small crime. Major crimes were also down, but not completely gone. As much as Marinette hated Hawkmoth, she had to admit that the grip of fear he had on Paris was able to combat crime pretty effectively. She’s just about to swing home, when an unfamiliar person appears on the roof. She immediately drops into a fighting position.

“Who are you?” She asks, the figure shrouded in darkness. They step forward, enough for her to see what they were wearing, but not enough for her to see their face. “Superboy?” She says incredulously.

“Yes. I was sent by the Justice League to request a meeting. They would like to help in any way you need.” He says, she frowns.

“Why now?” She asks.

“What?” He asks. She huffs.

“I said, why now? I sent a message every day for the first two years. Wait, I take that back. There was one week where I didn’t send anything because I was caught in a week-long fight with a villain and got literally no rest. But no one from the League came then. Why are they coming now?” She asks, crossing her arms and trying to keep control of her emotions. She didn’t need to freak out at him. She didn’t want to yell at him. In all of the pictures and videos of him, she’d been able to deduce that he was probably around her age. She knew how hard it could be to be a teenage superhero. But still. No help for five years, and now this?

“I- you’ve- Sorry, the way the League talked, they’d only recently been made aware of the situation.” He says. She rolls her eyes.

“Sure, and I haven’t been working my ass off to save this city for five years.” She says. He holds up his hands in surrender, and Marinette wishes he’d step forward so that she could see his face.

“Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman all knew nothing until like, last week. Or that’s how they acted anyway. Do you remember if you actually got connected to anyone?” He asks. Marinette nods.

“It was Green Lantern.” She says. He groans.

“Okay, okay. Um, I gotta talk to Superman, I think. But are you okay with a meeting?” He asks. She nods.

“As long as you promise that those attending the meeting can control their emotions. Otherwise, don’t come. I’m free on Friday at midnight.” She says.

“Awesome. Okay, see you then Ladybug!” Superboy cheers, turning and flying away before she can see his face. Marinette frowns as she watches him leave. Why did he sound so familiar?

---

Marinette hums, grabbing a couple of croissants and filling two to-go cups, trying to push away her conversation with Superboy from the night before. The Justice League finally wanted to have a meeting, after five years of hell? She supposed she should be thankful, but it was hard. They’d ignored her cries for help. And she’d sent plenty the first two years. She was terrified. She’d been forced into an impossible position with very little guidance. It was hell. Shoving down the negative thoughts, Marinette decides to focus on the positive. Mostly, Damian. He had texted her last night and asked if she wanted to walk to school together today. Obviously, she said yes. So she’d decided she might as well provide some breakfast for their walk.

“You really like this boy, don’t you?” Her maman asks, leaning against the counter in the kitchen. Marinette feels her face heat up.

“What? Me? No.” She denies, laughing awkwardly. Her maman just raises an eyebrow and Marinette sighs. “Yes, maman. I like him. But I don’t think he likes me like that, and I’m okay with it. I just don’t want to lose him.” She sighs.

“I’ve seen the way he looks at you, Marinette.” Her maman says, a weird look in her eyes. Before Marinette can ask what she means by that, the timer on the tea goes off. Marinette darts for Damian’s cup and pulls the teabag out, pushing the lid onto the top of the cup. Taking in a deep breath, Marinette turns back to her maman.

“Please don’t say anything about it when he gets here. I- I’m afraid to scare him away.” She says quietly.

“Okay, honey. I promise I won’t tease you endlessly.” Her maman teases lightly, reaching up and pinching her cheek gently. Marinette huffs out a laugh, moving around the counter to grab her bag and slide a cookie for Tikki in it.

“Marinette? There’s a boy here for you.” Her papa says, sticking his head into the apartment. Marinette yelps, quickly grabbing the things and pushing past her parents.

“Bye! Love you both, see you after school!” She calls, watching her feet as she rushes down the stairs. She darts through the kitchen of the bakery and into the shop, grinning at Damian. “Good morning, Damian.” She says cheerfully.

“Good morning, Marinette.” He says, his lips twitching up slightly. Marinette cheers internally. Every time she was able to make him smile, or almost smile, she wanted to do a happy dance. She passes him one of the croissants and his cup of tea.

“I thought you might want some breakfast.” She says, he nods.

“Thank you.” He says, taking a small sip of the tea. Marinette opens her mouth to ask if the tea was okay, when the door slams open and a familiar figure rushes in.

“Damian! There you are! I lost you. It’s almost like you didn’t want me to walk with- oh. Hi, Marinette!” Jon says with a wide smile. Marinette grins and waves lightly.

“Hey Jon.” She says.

“Am I interrupting something?” He asks, looking between them.

“No, of course not!.” “Yes.” Marinette blinks and glances at Damian. Okay. Odd.

“We were just about to walk to school.” Marinette says, watching Damian’s face to try and see if he was okay. She’d always thought of herself as good at reading people’s emotions. Tikki had even told her once that she’d do well with Duusu, who was technically the kwami of emotion. Marinette had appreciated the sentiment, but she couldn’t see working with any kwami like she does Tikki. They’d become one of her best friends over the years. Especially once Marinette took on the mantle of Guardian. But as much as Marinette prided herself on her ability to read emotions, she couldn’t really read Damian. Not right now, anyway. And she felt bad, because she wasn’t sure if he was upset with her or Jon, but she got the feeling he was upset. At something.

“Oh sweet. Let’s go!” Jon cheers, turning and marching out the door. Marinette frowns at the aggravated look on Damian’s face.

“Hey.” She calls softly. He glances at her and raises an eyebrow. “Sorry if I upset you.” She says. His eyebrows furrow together.

“You have no reason to apologize. You did nothing. I, however, should apologize for Jon. He is…excitable at times. I am sorry that we will be unable to walk to school together without him. Now that he is aware of our plans, I doubt a nuclear explosion could deter him from accompanying us.” Damian says, sighing lightly at the end. Marinette snorts, her face turning bright red at the completely unattractive sound that fell out. Damian smirks and she huffs, following him out the door. She walks side by side with Damian, with Jon running ahead of them and talking a mile a minute. Marinette only catches some of what he was saying, but she could tell that he was extremely excited for today. She wasn’t sure why, but it was hard not to smile at how excited Jon was. If she wasn’t already madly in love crushing on Damian, (and Adrien wasn’t totally crushing on Jon), she’d definitely think he was cute. But honestly, she’s always had a soft spot for green eyes.

---

Walking into the class, Marinette freezes. Of course she wasn’t lucky enough for Lila to completely transfer out just as GA arrived. Of course it was just one of her usual “I can’t possibly attend school, I have so many important things with important people”. Marinette honestly doubted that the girl would be able to graduate. After all, Mme. Moreau was much less lenient than M. Damocles. Especially when it came to Lila.

“Girl, come here.” Alya gasps out, grabbing her arm and tugging her away from Damian. Marinette yelps in surprise, shooting Damian an apologetic look as she’s dragged towards the small group formed around Lila. Her classmates all looked entranced, but the GA students seemed to be holding back laughs. Oh boy.

“Marinette!” Lila exclaims, grabbing onto her arm and yanking her from Alya. Marinette narrows her eyes at the girl as her nails dig into her arm.

“Hey Lila, you’re touching me. Stop touching me.” Marinette says, leaving the venom out of her voice. She didn’t feel like dealing with a bunch of angry classmates today. So she’d play nice. Lila pouts, her eyes watering.

“I am so sorry, Marinette. I was just so excited to see you and tell you all about my latest trip.” Lila says, still not letting go of her arm. Marinette’s smile turns sharp.

“Cool, and I’d love to hear. Once you let go of me.” She says.

“But-”

“I believe she asked you to let go.” Damian speaks up, his jaw clenched. Lila’s eyes narrow slightly, but before she can say anything, Alya does.

“Damian, I know her hair is different, but this is Lila!” She says with a large smile. Damian quirks an eyebrow up.

“Who?” He asks. Alya frowns.

“Lila Rossi? Your childhood friend? You met at a gala when you guys were like, five.” She clarifies, and Marinette suddenly understands why the GA students had all been laughing. Damian Wayne didn’t have childhood friends. Not from Gotham, anyway. His oldest friend was Jon and they didn’t even meet until he was eleven. Oh boy. Marinette’s eyes dart for the exits, keeping an eye out for a butterfly. She wasn’t sure how upset anyone would get, but Lila was a popular target. And with Damian’s self defense training, he would make a difficult akuma. No doubt Hawkmoth had an eye on him as well. Damian scoffs.

“Tt. I do not have a childhood friend. Especially not one from a gala. I did not attend my first gala until I was almost twelve.” Damian says, crossing his arms. “Furthermore, I believe Marinette asked you to let go of her arm. Twice. You have yet to do so.” He adds, his gaze turning sharp as he glares at Lila. Lila’s eyes widen slightly, but she lets go of Marinette’s arm. Marinette takes a step back, crossing her arms to hide the specks of blood on her right one from Lila’s nails. No need to upset anyone further.

“Maybe I got his last name wrong. We haven’t talked since we were kids, you see. And when we were little, I just called him duckie and we met at a Wayne gala. My mind must have just filled in the blanks wrong, I’m so sorry. I was just so excited to hear from a dear friend again.” Lila snuffles. The rest of the class swarms her, reassuring her that she couldn’t possibly remember the names of every person she meets. Marinette uses the moment to escape, darting back over by Jon and Damian.

“Are you okay?” Damian asks lowly. Marinette nods.

“Yeah, that was pretty mild. Usually, she’s able to spin it around so that something is my fault. And then everyone gets mad at me for a day or two. And then we’re back to normal.” She sighs. She glances at Damian, frowning at the look on his face. “Are you okay?”

“I am fine. You, however, should not have to deal with this. Why didn’t you say it was this bad?” He asks, frowning. She snorts.

“Because this is nothing. My last year of collège? Now that was bad. I almost had to transfer. I’m not sure what happened, but Lila backed off a bit. And yeah, sometimes it’s upsetting, but nothing too awful.” She says with a shrug. Before Damian can say anything else, Adrien walks in and Marinette inhales sharply. Immediately rushing over to the blonde, she puts a hand to his forehead, frowning.

“What’s up Mari?” He asks, before falling into a coughing fit. Marinette purses her lips.

“Is there a reason you’re here, Agreste?” She asks. “I thought we agreed that you were going to start taking better care of yourself.”

“I am.” He lies. She huffs.

“Obviously not, Adrien. Taking care of yourself means listening to the warning signs from your body and taking it easy when you’re run down. You obviously have a fever. How did you even get Natalie to let you come to school?” She asks, her mom friend instincts flaring up. He glances at Jon, his already red face getting redder. Marinette rolls her eyes, tugging him farther away from Jon and Damian.

“What?” He huffs.

“Are you seriously telling me that you came to school, with a fever, that Natalie let you, because you wanted to flirt with Jon?” She hisses out. He opens his mouth, but then clamps it shut. Marinette sighs, running a hand through her hair. “You need to go home. Come on, I’m taking you to the nurse.” She insists. He sways slightly, and her eyes widen as she darts forward and catches him, throwing his arm over her shoulder.

“Okay. Maybe I should go home.” He mumbles, laying his head on her shoulder. Marinette rolls her eyes.

“No shit, Sherlock.” She huffs, turning to drag him to the nurse’s office. She’s not even to the door when her two newest friends are in front of her. Jon’s face was beat red, and Damian looked slightly concerned.

“Could we assist you in bringing him to the nurse?” Damian asks. Marinette nods, letting the two taller boys throw one of Adrien’s arms over each of their shoulders.

“Mari.” Adrien grumbles, pouting. Marinette snorts.

“I’m still here, you big baby.” She says, before grinning at her friends. “Thank you for helping.” She says. Jon just nods, his face still red.

“I will always help you.” Damian says. Marinette feels her entire face heat up. Not trusting her voice, she just smiles before turning and leading them to the nurse. Never a dull moment at Lycée Carnot.

Next

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[throwawaywhumper]

Part 7: 1-in-3

Content: Creepy whumper, non-con drugging, needles, implied death

FF Masterpost

<- prev || next ->

Warm bodies pressed against each other, the lights flashing, music booming, and the drinks flowing free, whumpee wouldn't want to be anywhere else usually. This place was heaven.

But this pounding headache was making it feel more like hell.

They hadn't even had so much as a sip or anything this evening, but the world was spinning around them like they were wasted. They pushed their way through the crowd, and out the nearest exit as soon as they could until they collapsed against a brick wall. Everything was so right till it had gone so wrong, what was happening? Their heartbeat was quickening, the throbbing in their head only seemed to get worse and a high-pitched ringing in their ears brought them to their knees.

"Hey, are you okay? You don't look too good, and this isn't the safest place for a rest..."

"Huh?" Whumpee looked up, but even as their vision blurred, they could just hardly make out someone dressed in a paramedic gear. Oh, were they talking to them?

"I-I think I need help, please..." Whumpee whimpered. "My friend's, inside dr-drinking..."

"Don't worry, I'll send someone in to let them know what's going on and they'll be out here with you in a second. But you need help now, I've got stuff right here to help. Who knows, it could be a medical emergency, maybe a bad dizzy spell... "

Whumpee hugged the brick wall, unable to think straight. They nodded gently, trying to prevent any further damage. "Whatever's going on, please make it stop so I can just like, go home..."

"No problem." The stranger gave a smile, but even through whumpee's blurred vision, they could tell something was slightly off. They reached into their bulky medical bag, and pulled out three vials of clearish-colored-liquid. "We're going to play a little game."

"Huh?" Whumpee shifted, sitting with their back against the wall to stay upright. They were feeling feverish and sweaty, but feelings of confusion were winning out more than anything. "No, no no games. Just give me what I need so I can leave..."

"I'm afraid that would ruin the point of the game." The stranger shook their head. "So listen closely, because you're only going to get instructions once. At some point this evening, you've been administered a lethal drug. It doesn't take very long to kill, and judging by your current condition, you don't have much longer left."

"What? What's- I, I don't..." Whumpee tried to crawl off to the side, but even the smallest movements made their head spin like crazy again. The stranger squatted down beside them, casually shifting them back into a sitting position.

"But, one of these vials," They continued, "has an antidote that will save your life. A bit of a rare commodity, and it's the only thing that will save your life in time. As far as the other vials go, one is rubbing alcohol, and the other is just plain old water. It's your choice, choose any one of these. If you choose right congrats, you win!"

"You're a damn liar..." Whumpee mumbled quietly. They would've yelled for help, but there was no one around. Even the small sentences they could get out only caused more pain, they were alone here with this madman.

"Even if I am, is that a chance you're willing to take?" That stupid smile suddenly seemed much more genuine as it delighted in the misery of the other. "I'm just as happy to sit here and watch you die."

Whumpee started to shake, they could feel themselves growing weaker. It'd been a rough week, all they wanted was one night out dancing with their friends to unwind. Why did things have to end up like this? They couldn't die, not like this.

"Why...why are you doing this to me?" Whumpee cried. "Who are you? I don't understand!"

"Time's running out, dear." The stranger tapped their foot on the ground casually.

"Fuck you...fuck! Fine, I choose..." Whumpee looked over the vials. Only one of them would save their life, but they all looked exactly the same in the moonlit alleyway. They reached out, pointing to the one closest to them. "That one."

"Are you sure about that?"

Whumpee felt their face growing wet, though they couldn't tell if it was with tears or sweat at this juncture. "Fuck you, just give it here..."

"No worries, I'll administer it for you." The stranger rummaged around in his bag for just a moment before pulling a syringe with a long needle.

Whumpee's face paled, and for the first time, they knew their rapid shaking had nothing to do with whatever drug was in their system. "G-get that away from me..."

"What's the matter? Scared of a little needle?" The stranger chuckled as they sucked the liquid out of the vial with the device. "You should see the way your pupils dilated, the fear on you right now...you're a work of art. Let's find out if you live through this, hm?"

"No, no please don't, stop I'll do anything..." Whumpee pressed as far against the wall as they could as the needle approached, but there was nowhere they could run as the needle poked against the vulnerable skin of their neck, teasing at the surface.

"You said you'll do anything...does that include dying?" The stranger was close now, far too close. Whumpee hated how the warmth from their body reminded of them of the closeness back indoors, where they were supposed to be. Not here, wasting away in an alley on death's door. They squeezed their eyes tight, their breathing shallow.

"I d-don't want to die. Not like this..."

The stranger smiled. "Well, you've got a one-in-three chance of living. Let's see if luck is on your side tonight."

Whumpee winced as the needle slowly pierced their skin. It didn't matter what was in that vial, it could've been ice water and it still would've burned like hell. There was nothing else, no pain, no headaches, just the horrible, intrusive metal inside of them.

Sebastian watched with fascination as the stranger in front of them froze up, no doubt they'd be going into shock soon if they'd made the wrong choice. After making sure the liquid was injected completely, he disposed the needle beside the body. There was probably plenty of needles in that alley anyways, he imagined. He dipped back into his back and pulled out his fountain pen. It seemed as though whumpee was already losing consciousness which would make drawing the symbol much much easier this time. Maybe on the neck this time, right on top of the injection site? He brushed their hair back from their face, feeling the cold of death slowly wash over them.

"Don't worry dear, your pain is not for nothing. You've made a beautiful monument here tonight, whether you live, or die."

፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧፧

Tag List: @whatwasmyprevioususername, @whumpsday

[mymoodwriting]

What Is Mine

F!Reader x NCT

Genre: Vampire Hunter AU

Warning:  Blood, Fangs, Nightmares, Restraints, Violence, Abuse

Words: 2K

Chapter Fifteen

(Prev//Next)

Prompt: Vampire hunting was always simple, you go in, you kill the monsters, burn the evidence and move on. Easy. At least that’s what they thought until they find themselves with a fresh new vampire, as innocent and as vulnerable as a child. It presents them with a once in a life time chance to learn and try something new, train a vampire to hunt it’s own kind without remorse. They never would have thought they could have such a pet, let alone grow so attached to it.

“I’m sorry…”

    The whimper escaped your lips as you woke up. The guilt over Doyoung’s death had been weighing on you. Lately you had the same nightmare, again and again, your hands covered in blood as you stood over Doyoung’s body. You looked at your own hands, they may look clean, but you knew they were stained. You started crying, again, just like every other time. Moments later Jooheon came in, attempting to sooth you.

“It’s okay, y/n, it’s okay.”

“No… no it’s not…”

“You didn’t do anything.”

“Exactly… isn’t that the same thing…”

“Y/n-”

“Why did you kill him? You didn’t… you didn’t…”

“He was hurting you, did you think I wouldn’t retaliate?”

“You didn’t have to…”

“Perhaps.”

    Jooheon rubbed your back, just holding you until the tears dried up. You pushed him away afterwards. At first you didn’t appreciate him trying to calm you down, but at this point you just needed someone to be there for you.

“You haven’t been able to sleep for days now.”

“I’m fine.”

“That’s a dangerous thing to say when you’re not.”

“I’ll be fine…”

“Y/n… we need to talk about the sire bond.”

“What about it?”

“You haven’t had my blood yet, and I understand that, but-”

“No.”

“Y/n, I can help you beyond-”

“You’re talking about giving over my free will here.”

“That’s not how that works.”

“Isn’t it?”

“There’s more to it, you know that.”

“I’m not ready for… that…”

“Alright. Did you eat?”

“I’m not hungry right now.”

“Okay, have your fill when you feel better.”

“I will.”

    You stayed awake for a while, trying to get the images out of your head. You didn’t want to cry again, but you were also exhausted enough to try again. So you laid down and closed your eyes, hoping for a little bit of sleep this time around.

♥♥♥♥♥

    YangYang took in a breath as he opened his eyes, immediately sitting up. He was in the infirmary, and immediately surrounded by familiar faces. They started asking him questions, but he wasn’t entirely sure what was going on.

“My head is fuzzy…”

“Doyoung didn’t know what happened when he first woke up either.” Jungwoo explained. “So that-”

“YangYang!!!”

    Kun came into the room and immediately ran over to punch YangYang. The boy fell out of bed and Kun followed him down, pinning him to the ground and delivering some more blows.

“You stupid fuck!” Kun yelled. “What you did was so idiotic and unnecessary! I’m going to kill you myself and check to see if you have a brain in there!”

“Shouldn’t we…” Johnny mumbled. “Shouldn’t we stop him?”

“Hm, give it a bit.” Jaehyun said. “Three… two… one… okay, let him breathe now.”

    Jaehyun grabbed Kun, as did Johnny and they pulled him off YangYang. Jungwoo helped the boy get back into bed. His face was rather bloody, but he was just smiling.

“That really brought things back.” YangYang licked his lips. “Hm, it doesn’t taste different.”

“You just woke up.” Jaehyun said. “It’s gonna take a few hours for everything to start developing.”

“Now tell him how stupid he is.” Kun added.

“Excuse me?” YangYang retaliated. “We had to test the theory.”

“What if Doyoung was a one off! You could have died!”

“Well I didn’t.”

“You fucken idiot! Come here!” 

“Kun, you’ve done enough.” Jungwoo interrupted. “And YangYang, he has a point. We could just take samples from everyone and see whether or not your cells transform after death. No need to test things like this.”

“Oh.”

“Exactly you idiot! You’re fucken grounded for a year!” Kun yelled. “For eternity actually!”

“Please stop yelling.” Taeyong entered. “It’s unnecessary. How is he?”

“Alive.” Jaehyun stated. “As predicted. We should probably lock him up soon.”

“Ya!”

“What? You think you’d just walk around now?”

“I… well…”

“In a while you’re going to be hungry and we barely have enough for the others, so we’re gonna lock you up after a proper check up.”

“Yeah…”

“Didn’t think this through, did you?”

“Maybe…”

“Is everything okay on your end?” Kun asked. “Or should we be worried about other hunters?”

“No. I got the word out through the proper channels. We’ve dealt with the ripper, so no one else needs to show up.”

“Doesn’t that mean we should get Ze.” Johnny said. “Before she starts killing again, or else nothing you say will matter.” 

“She’s not gonna do that again. I’m sure the vamps that have her won’t allow it as it would attract attention.”

“Still, we need to bring her home.”

“I can help with that.” YangYang said. “I’m stronger and-”

“Getting Ze is not the priority right now.” Taeyong stated. “And you’re in no condition to help.”

“What!”

“In case you forgot, we’re not equipped to handle all the vampires we have, nor do we have enough blood for them. So before we go off and get another mouth to feed we need to fix our own situation. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to make sure we can take care of Ze when we bring her home.”

“…”

“Come up with some solutions, and then we can talk about a rescue.”

♥♥♥♥♥

    You weren’t sure if your ability to sleep was getting better because you were moving on or just becoming numb to your reality. Either way you didn’t know how to feel. You spent your nights at the club, drinking and trying not to think about your problems.

“You’ve become a regular you know.” Changkyun took a seat next to you. “But you don’t have a specific drink.”

“I want to try everything.”

“Smart. Or are you just trying to drink your sorrows away?”

“Maybe both.”

“Drinking to get black out drunk isn’t the best way to sleep.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Your screaming is a subtle tell.”

“Funny.”

“Are you doing okay though? I know Jooheon is trying to help, but… things don’t seem to be going well.”

“I just… I get it wasn’t me who… I feel like it was… and I want to apologize, but I can’t.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

“I feel like I do.”

“And it’s driving you crazy. Have you solidified your bond with Jooheon yet?”

“No…”

“It would help you a lot.”

“You all keep saying that.”

“It’s true.”

“But I’m scared.”

“Of what?”

“Losing myself… this bond… I’d be giving up… a part of me…”

“But he’d be able to ease your concerns. It’s his job to take care of you after all. That’s all he wants to do.”

“I know…”

    Changkyun got called over, so he had to excuse himself, leaving you to enjoy your drink. You thought over his words, realizing maybe it was time to properly take into consideration all your options. You were lost in thought when a voice suddenly pulled you out of your head.

“Ze…”

    You heard your name, your other name, as a soft whisper. You quickly looked around the club. No one called you that, at least no one here. Now you definitely started thinking you were going crazy, moreso when you saw Doyoung in the crowds. Or so you thought. You rubbed your eyes, thinking you were hallucinating. Then you heard your name called out again, and you got up. You walked onto the dance floor, looking around. You heard your name again, turning around to see a Doyoung look-alike slipping away.

    Maybe you were just dreaming, but you followed regardless. You couldn’t get a good look at his face, but he walked out into the alley and you went out too. Although as soon as you were outside you found yourself alone. You just burst into tears then as you squat down, hugging your knees to your chest. You were going crazy, and now you were being haunted by your guilt. It got worse when you noticed someone standing before you, looking up through blurry eyes and seeing Doyoung. You got up and hugged him tight, crying harder. It didn’t matter if this was just a dream, you needed to say this.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” You sobbed. “I never meant… to hurt you… I’m sorry… it should have been me…”

“Sh, sh, sh, it’s okay Ze.” He pet your head. “I’m okay.”

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

    Doyoung pulled you back, wiping away some of your tears. You couldn’t stop crying, but he just smiled down at you.

“Everything’s going to be okay.”

    Your vision was still blurry, so you didn’t register anything odd until it was too late. Doyoung was suddenly on your neck, sinking in his fangs. You choked on your sobs, but you didn’t scream. This was deserved, you should have died, not him. You were the monster after all.

♥♥♥♥♥

    Doyoung pulled away from you, feeling a bit strange, but more concerned over you. He could still hear your heartbeat, so you were fine, just unconscious due to blood loss. He picked you up in his arms, looking around. The alley seemed empty, so he could make his way back to the van without interruption, just best to be quick. As he approached the back door opened, Johnny helping him get you in the van. You were immediately collared and cuffed.

“You good?”

“Yeah, just feels weird to have drunk her blood.”

“What did it taste like?”

“I… I don’t know how to describe it.”

“We good back there?” Ten called. 

“Yeah, let’s get out of here.”

“Got it.”

“Why did we even collar her?” Johnny asked. “She’s not gonna hurt us like this.”

“It’s a precaution.” Doyoung reminded, showing his bracelets. “It’s safe for everyone this way.”

“How do you think she’ll react? When she wakes up.”

“She thought she was hallucinating me, so I’m not so sure.”

“She was crying a lot… her eyes are puffy…”

“She feels guilty over what happened.”

“Let’s just get her home and fix everything.”

♥♥♥♥♥

    You whined as you came to, snuggling against your sheets. It felt like home, bringing a smile to your face. Then it hit you. This smell was home, this smell was the boys. You jolted awake, taking in your old room. It seemed like you were still dreaming, or in another one now. You carefully got out of bed, looking around. This couldn’t be real, but then you caught your own reflection, seeing the collar around your throat and the bracelets on your wrist. You thought about tugging on the collar, to see if it was real, but you didn’t need to.

“Welcome home, Ze.”

    You saw as the wall became transparent, revealing Taeyong on the other side. You couldn’t help the tears again and started crying, collapsing to the floor.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you cry so much.”

“Doyoung… I…”

“I’m fine sweetheart.”

    You hadn’t noticed Doyoung come into the room, but he got down on his knees and pulled you into a hug.

“This isn’t a dream. I’m okay.”

“But… but…”

    Your tears hadn’t overwhelmed your senses yet, so you could take in Doyoung’s scent this time. You pulled away from him when it hit you, staring at him with wide eyes.

“… how… how are… you…”

“It’s a little complicated.”

    You never really knew what Jaehyun and Jungwoo were up to. It was none of your business, and not like you could really keep up with it, but this was beyond insane. Moreso when Doyoung showed you his wings. You were in awe, but you had to admit you were also afraid. Unlike you, when you first turned you knew nothing, and yet Doyoung was on another level.

“I’m alright, and I’m not gonna hurt you.”

“You’re like this… because of me… the others too…”

“Ze, I’m alive thanks to you. This isn’t what I expected, but I’m glad to still be here.”

“So then… what happens now?”

“We’ve talked things over, and it’s best we move.”

“Move? Where would we go?”

“Somewhere quiet. We shouldn’t be near a big city like this, not when so many of us need to get our things in order.”

“But… this place has been home for… as long as I remember really… I can’t just-”

“You belong with us, Ze.” Doyoung assured. “As long as we’re together it doesn’t matter where we go, right?”

“Right…”

“Everything’s gonna be okay, you’ll see, you’re home now.”

“I’m home…”

“Yes you are.”

[wheredafandomat]

Chimera 🌌

Part 3 : ‘Old friends’

Prev

Next

Once Cassie was done showering and she had gotten changed, bags still left to be unpacked, she suggested her and Loki go out for dinner considering she had just been gone for two weeks. She wore an elegant black dress that hugged her curves perfectly. Her blonde hair cascaded down her back, shaping her face. Her heels were fierce as was her makeup. Red lipstick and winged eyeliner. She looked appealing. Dousing herself in her signature scent, she turned to Loki who was wearing some black tailored trousers, a white shirt and some leather shoes.

“Are you ready?” She called.

“Well, I have been waiting for over an hour.” He chuckled checking his watch.

“Sorry, sorry, let’s go.” She laughed as she pulled him into the elevator. They stepped in together, holding hands, excited for tonight. Once they reached the lobby and the doors opened, Loki’s heart stopped. There she was. Black leather pants, simple sweatshirt, hair tied back and a small smile. She looked as beautiful and as gorgeous as ever.

When the doors opened in front of you, your breath hitched seeing Cassie and Loki. You hadn’t seen him in 3 years. Not since that night. Your eyes glanced down at their hands together and you prayed the floor would just swallow you whole. You tried to ignore what looked like an engagement ring on her hand and put it down to costume jewellery. Looking back up, your gaze settled on Loki who’s mouth fell slightly open. The world around you felt as if it stopped moving when your eyes met. You looked from Loki to Cassie and seeing her beaming at you before she practically lunged at you, your world started spinning again.

Loki couldn’t tear his gaze from y/n as easily as she could hers. She just looked so heavenly.

“You’re beautiful. Absolutely divine. I want to worship you.”

The memories of his words stung him as Cassie left his side to hug her.

“Y/n, you’re back!” Cassie exclaimed as she stepped out of the elevator to hug you “look Loki, it’s y/n.”

He wanted to say something, do something, do anything but he couldn’t, all he could do was mentally curse the empty feeling he felt inside. The same emptiness he felt the day you left. It was physically painful.

“Hey” you spoke with a small smile and a wave.

“Loki take her bag to her room” Cassie said as she turned to Loki.

“I’m fine, I can do it myself.” You assured.

“Nonsense” she laughed “Loki take her bag. Y/n, show him where you want it.”

“Honestly it’s fine, besides, you both look like you’re going somewhere.” You answered.

“I’ll take it” Loki smiled as he took the bag from your hand. Once again, your breath hitched hearing his voice. A voice you had missed these 3 years you were away. A voice you couldn’t stop thinking about the whole time you were gone.

“Excellent” Cassie cheered “you two go, I’ll wait here and y/n, you’re coming to dinner with us.” She said as you and Loki stepped into the elevator, doors closing.

The journey to your floor felt like decades. You avoided Loki’s eyes in the mirror in front of you as you both stood silently shoulder to shoulder.

“Loki stop” you giggled as his hands smoothed over the sides of your body.

You tried to ignore the memories that your brain decided to throw at you from the last time you were in here with Loki. You looked down at the ground until the doors opened.

“Just leave it anywhere.” You blurted as you tried to race out of the elevator.

“Y/N—” he called after you as he dropped the bag and grabbed your arm.

“Thanks Loki, you can leave now.” You said with a tight lipped smile as you spun to face him.

“Y/N” he uttered again as if he just missed saying your name. As if it felt like honey rolling off of his tongue.

“I said you can go” you almost yelled as you pushed him backwards, freeing your arm.

“Have care how you speak to me.” He seethed, pulling your arm back. All traces of fondness were displaced by anger as he glared at you. Refusing to stand down, regardless of how much his grip was beginning to hurt, you glared straight back at him.

“What are you doing here?” He questioned, slightly relaxing his grip but not fully letting go.

“I had nowhere else to go, this is the only place I’m welcome.” You sighed.

“You are NOT welcome here.” He snarled, once again tightening his grip causing you to gasp. Loki had never spoken to you this harshly let alone actually physically hurt you. You didn’t know what to do.

“L-let go” you stuttered.

“You left. We were a team and you left me—us” he quickly added.

“Of course I left, I had to leave” you muttered looking from him to his hand grabbing your arm.

“And now you wander back in here after 3 years with your same innocent face” he fumed before twitching his nose “and your same perfume.”

“Let go” you exclaimed, pulling your arm away instead of just crying out.

Loki inhaled deeply as he closed his eyes.

“Stay away from me and Cassie.”

“Gladly” you scoffed.

Loki made his way back down to Cassie who’s face fell when she saw that y/n wasn’t with Loki. He quickly thought of an excuse as to why she couldn’t come and Cassie believed it. He put an arm around her as they walked out. She looked lovely, smelt nice but she wasn’t y/n, she wasn’t home.

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@mischiefsarawr