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breanime · 5 years ago

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Dynamite (Part Six)

Here we are, the last chapter... Hold onto your hats, kids, here we go! And I apologize in advance :(

warning: descriptions of violence, character death

*cover by @moonlit-void-to-the-far-unknown*

Part Six: The Bones

You’d only been to Miguel’s weird little murder bunker twice before now, and it was just as creepy as you remembered it. Miguel was standing a few feet away from you, talking quietly with Nestor. He’d given you a pretty good beatdown, and you licked your lips, tasting blood and feeling the cuts in them. Your arm was tied to the pew, which was still sticky with someone else’s blood, which…

…was probably not a good sign.

“This is the longest murder I’ve ever been to,” you sighed, leaning your head on your arm, “Are you going to kill me or keep kissing each other’s ears over there?”

They both turned, and you could see the uneasiness on Nestor’s face. He had been your friend before, and while you knew his loyalties lied with Miguel—always did, always would—you also knew he wasn’t happy to see you, bloodied and bruised, on the pew.

“You know,” Miguel said calmly, wiping his bloody knuckles on a rag, “you get mouthy when you get scared, mi amor.”

The sweet name made your skin crawl. “How long has it been,” you asked, sitting up, “since you actually meant that?”

“Meant what?”

“Mi amor,” you answered, glaring at him, “How long has it been since we loved each other, Miguel?”

He sighed, and for a second, you could see his features soften as he looked over at you. You could only imagine what you looked like, beaten down and tied to a wooden bench. It was a far cry from the way you’d looked on your wedding day, that was for sure. “I’ve always loved you,” he said back, his voice heavy with emotion, “and I always will.”

“Yeah? You loved me when you were knee deep in Emily?” You asked back. “You loved me then?”

He grit his teeth. “Unlike you, I can love more than one person at once.” He turned to you fully. “When did you stop loving me?”

“A long, long time ago,” you answered honestly.

He closed his eyes, nodding at your words. When he opened them, his eyes were hard. “Is that why you opened your legs to the help?”

“That,” you said, “and the fact that Johnny’s tongue is like a fucking wizard, and his cock—”

Miguel stepped over to you, wrapping his large hand around your throat, choking the taunts right out of you. “Do you even realize what you’ve done?” He growled, glaring down at you as you struggled in his grasp. “What you broke? Me and Emily that’s… That was…” He shook you, and you clawed at his arm with your free hand, your eyes wide. “I loved you. I love you! We weren’t perfect, but we were something—and you fucking ruined it!”

Your eyes were starting to roll back in your head, and it occurred to you, as you struggled for air, that your eyes had done the same thing a few hours ago when Johnny was inside of you. This was definitely a downgrade.

“Mikey.” Nestor’s voice broke through your musings, and you felt Miguel’s hand fall away.

You fell forward, gasping and sucking in air through your now bruised throat. Tears gathered in your eyes, and you coughed, the action causing you more pain. When you could see again, Miguel was pacing a few feet away, and Nestor was standing in front of you, his eyes sad. He turned from you, going over to Miguel, and suddenly, the reality of your current situation hit you.

You were going to die.

You let the tears fall, and you bent your head down, tucking it between your legs, as you cried. God, you’d come so close, so close to happiness. Johnny was back in your life, and even after the hard left the two of you had taken all those years ago, you were alright. You’d found each other again, and this time, your love was stronger, more mature; it grounded you, and made you feel like you could fly all at once. And you weren’t sure if it was fate or dumb luck or destiny, but even though you and Johnny had both messed things up with each other, you were still strong, still meant to be. He used to say, back when you were younger, that he was going to marry you. The two of you would lie on the beach, sand in your shoes and the sun on your skin, discussing all of your plans, the life you were going to build, strong and sturdy, with each other. But now, the wolves came, and your time was nearing its end, but at least you got to be with Johnny before you left this world, at least you got to hear those three words coming from his lips one more time. That alone made all of this worth it.

You gaped when you felt your hair being pulled, and Miguel yanked your head up, glaring down at you. “Why?” He asked. “Why would you do this to us?” You coughed, still trying to catch your breath, and he pulled at your hair again. “Why, Y/N?!”

“Because…” You answered, closing your eyes. If you had to go, you would go in peace, thinking about Johnny. “…I love him.”

You felt his slap like a hot poker in your face, and then…

…it was nothing but darkness.

Johnny had only ever seen Emily Galindo in photos, and she did not look like her picture at all…

…maybe it was because she was puking her guts out in a tiny cement jail cell.

“Emily,” Paige said, her hands on the bars of the cell, “We need to know where this place is.” She thrust the polaroid into the cell, and Emily wiped her mouth, crawling closer to look at it.

“Oh God,” she closed her eyes, but Johnny wasn’t sure if that was the nauseous or her own guilt that was plaguing her, “that’s Miguel’s church pew. It’s where he… Where he deals with the other side of his businesses.”

“What other side?” Mike prodded. “What does that mean?”

“It means he’s going to kill her,” Emily answered, her eyes went to Johnny, “I am so sorry.”

Johnny didn’t even question how she knew he was connected to you—his shaking, tense body was probably hint enough, plus he was sure Miguel had talked about him before. Miguel. If Johnny didn’t arrest him, he was going to kill him.

“Where is this place?” Paige asked, shaking the picture in Emily’s face to get her attention again. “We need an address!”

“I’ll tell you,” Emily said back, wiping at her eyes, “but please, get me out of here—I can’t have my baby in jail, please—”

“—The address!” Paige and Mike barked at the same time.

Johnny watched, feeling like the world was moving too fast for his mind to catch up to, as Emily gave them the directions to Miguel’s church pew. Johnny couldn’t speak, could barely breath; the fact that you were hurt had been bad enough, but this? Miguel was going to kill you if he didn’t get to you in time. He stared straight ahead of him as the team rushed out of the building and back into their cars, heading to the address, hoping it wasn’t a fake. How the hell did he have you—twice—and lose you? Twice! He’d promised you that he would take you away from all this, and he’d failed.

He hated himself.

“We’re gonna get her back, Johnny,” Briggs said, both of his hands on the wheel as he sped through traffic, “Keep your head in the game—we’re gonna get her back.”

Johnny closed his eyes, another wave of self-hatred crashing through him as he felt tears in his throat.

“We’re with you, baby,” Charlie reached out from the back seat and put a hand on his shoulder, steadying him, “We’ve got your back. She’s gonna be fine.”

He opened his eyes, his vision blurry from the unshed tears. “I love her,” he said, his voice breaking, “Charlie, I love her, I can’t lose her, I just got her back—”

“You’re not gonna lose her,” Charlie said, her voice and touch soothing, “okay? You are not going to lose her.”

“We’re with you, JT,” Briggs added, glancing over at him. For once, Johnny didn’t question him, for once, he could tell that Briggs was being honest. “We’re with you.”

The radio crackled, and Charlie grabbed it, switching to the right channel. “Hello?”

“We’ve got the warehouse surrounded,” Holden reported, and Johnny, Briggs, and Charlie exchanged surprised looks, “What? You thought I couldn’t track you?” The smirk was clear in his voice. “Galindo is in there with his number two, we don’t have eyes on them, but from the body heat count, they’re in there.”

“What about Y/N?” Charlie asked. Johnny’s heart was pounding so hard, it hurt.

“She’s there,” Holden answered, and a small knot released in Johnny’s chest, “I’ve got agents and a negotiator out here, but they’re not budging…” He paused, and when he spoke, they could all hear the emotion in his voice. “I got no sway here. I need my team.”

Briggs slammed his foot on the petal. “On the way, boss.”

Holden hadn’t been kidding. When they pulled up—Paige and Mike behind them—they were greeted with a slew of cops, federal agents, and an ambulance. Johnny hopped out of the car, followed by his team—his family—and ran over to Holden.

“Sit rep,” he requested, heart pounding.

“It’s a standstill,” Holden answered, “Galindo’s not coming out, not communicating…”

“And Y/N?” He asked.

Holden shook his head. “No word.”

“We gotta get in that building,” Mike said, stepping up, “how many entrances are there? Do they have surveillance? What do we know?”

“Not much,” Holden answered, and Johnny groaned, his fists balling at his side, “I think there’s a two-way camera, but no one here’s trained to hack it—”

“—Nah,” a familiar voice called out, “I can hack it.” Jakes stepped up, his face serious, and Johnny’s eyes filled with tears all over again. Jakes came right up to him, crushing him to his chest in a hug. “I’m here for you, brother. Let me help.”

The team—the whole team—gathered around Jakes as he sat at a computer, clicking away. In a matter of seconds, his screen was full of different camera angles around the building.

“There,” Briggs said, pointing at the corner of the screen, “there’s a shaft there and a slight blind spot in the camera. That’s our point of entry.” Johnny moved, ready to go, but Briggs stopped him. “You gotta suit up, Johnny.”

Johnny pulled back. “We don’t have time—”

“—No one goes in until they’re wearing full combat gear,” Holden spoke up.

Charlie rushed to the closest van and grabbed a bulletproof vest, pushing it into Johnny’s chest. “Then let’s move, people.”

It felt like hours passed, but in reality, it was only a couple minutes until Johnny, Jakes, Briggs, Charlie, Paige, and Mike were all dressed in Kevlar vests. They each had an earpiece in, keeping them connected to Holden and the others as they moved towards the building. Holden directed them, telling them when to fall back and when to move forward as the cameras scanned the premises. Johnny had never felt so on edge in his entire life. He was surrounded by cops and federal agents, backed up by the people he trusted the most in the world, but you weren’t with him, and every second he didn’t have you with him was an eternity to Johnny. Finally, they breached the perimeter. As soon as they stepped into the building, Johnny smelt the familiar, terrifying scent of blood.

Briggs was taking point, and he stuck his fist up, and they all paused. He turned, making eye contact with Johnny, and nodded. Miguel was just around the corner. This was it—you and him were in the homestretch of some hard times, but Johnny believed you’d make it through it; he had to.

“FBI!” Briggs called out, stepping around the corner with his gun out. Johnny was right behind him, and so was the rest of the team.

Nestor pushed Miguel behind him, and both men held their guns up.

“Put your weapons down!” Jakes demanded.

Miguel laughed, shaking his head. “You’re a fucking Federal Agent?” He asked, looking over at Johnny. “Son of a bitch…”

Johnny looked around, his eyes taking in all of the blood and dirt before they landed on you. You were tied to the church pew, laying on your side in a pool of pool.

His heart stopped.

Johnny moved towards you, but Miguel shot at the ground, and he stopped, glaring over at your husband.

“No, no, Romeo,” Miguel taunted, “that’s not how this is gonna happen.”

“You’re surrounded, Galindo,” Paige said, “There are agents and local cops all over this place. Just put down your weapons!”

“This isn’t going to end well for you,” Mike added, “Your ex-wife is in a jail cell right now, she needs you. The baby is going to need you.”

Miguel’s smug look faltered. “The… The baby?”

“You didn’t know?” Paige asked. “Yeah, Emily’s pregnant with your kid.”

“And let me tell you,” Charlie drawled, “It’s no fun to have your kid in prison.”

“Put your weapons down,” Briggs said again, “and we’ll let you see her.”

Miguel looked at Johnny, nothing but hatred in his eyes. The feeling was mutual. “You’re a Fed,” he said, disgusted.

“Mikey…” Nestor said, his voice low.

Miguel’s eyes didn’t leave Johnny. “Does she know?”

Johnny couldn’t look at you. “Yeah,” he answered, his gun heavy in his hands, “she knows. She knew from the second I walked through the door—probably even before that, knowing her.”

Miguel closed his eyes, taking deep breaths. When he opened them, they were wet with tears. He hung his gun on his fingers, stepping back with his arms outstretched behind Nestor.

“Mikey,” Nestor’s eyes looked from Miguel, to the team, and back again, “what are you doing?”

“Surrendering,” Miguel answered, his voice tired. He dropped his gun and stepped forward. “I know when I’ve lost.”

Johnny felt a thrill of relief go through the team, and Charlie stepped up to cuff Miguel. But then he grabbed Nestor’s gun, ripping it out of his hand, pointed it at Johnny, and shot.

It felt like he had been hit in the chest with a hammer, and Johnny flew back. He heard his name being called, and then there were more shots. Charlie and Mike were on their knees beside him, shaking him and saying his name over and over again. Johnny groaned, his hand going to the middle of his chest; he could feel the bullet, still warm, stuck in his Kevlar vest.

“Fuck,” he croaked, “Holden was right…”

“Jesus!” Charlie cried, tears in her eyes. Mike laughed, helping Johnny stand up. A few feet away, Miguel was on his back. Briggs was on top of him, beating the ever-loving shit out of him. Paige and Jakes had to lift him up. Paige cuffed him, turning him onto his stomach and pressing her foot into his back. Nestor was lying next to Miguel with a single bullet in his skull. As soon as Miguel had shot Johnny, Nestor had jumped in front of his friend, shielding him from the perfect shot Mike had aimed right at his head.

Johnny limped over to you quickly, he reached down, his heart pounding, and felt your pulse.

You were breathing.

Carefully, he lifted your head. You were unconscious, and his heart broke at the blood and bruises on your face. “I got you,” he whispered, cutting you free, “I’m here, baby… I got you.” He picked you up, leaning on Mike a little bit, and carried you out.

“She’s still my wife!” Miguel was yelling, his face in the dirt. “She’s my wife!”

Briggs kicked him in the face, and suddenly…he stopped shouting. “I’m sorry,” he quipped, “were you saying something?”

You had been existing in this kind of dark, hazy, dreamless world, and as you slowly came out of it, you started picking up on things.

“…looks badass,” a female voice was saying.

“…barely a wound,” a male voice snarked.

You could hear beeping, and you could smell anesthetic.

“…so much paperwork,” you recognized that voice—that was Mike.

You tried to shift, but your body simply wasn’t having it. So instead, you kept listening, slowly feeling yourself float back into your body. You felt sluggish, and you couldn’t get your eyes to open, no matter how curious you were about where the hell you were. You were just so tired, you felt yourself floating away again, ready to go back into that void, when you heard the most angelic sound in the world.

“We all know how much you love paperwork, Levi,” Johnny said, his deep chuckle vibrating through the air and piercing your soul.

And suddenly, you could open your eyes.

“Oh,” a woman with dark hair was looking down at you, “Johnny!”

You blinked against the harsh light. You were in a hospital, surrounded by Johnny and a bunch of people you didn’t know, and Johnny…

...was shirtless.

“That can’t be sterile,” you said, your voice coming out rough.

Johnny laughed, coming to hover over you. You caught Mike’s eye as followed the others out, a warm smile on his face. He reached out and ran his hand down your face, his touch careful and gentle and everything you’d always wanted. “Hi,” he said simply, his eyes soft as he looked down at you.

You reached over, your hand brushing against the dark purple bruise on Johnny’s chest. “Wh—what happened?” You croaked out, coughing.

“Shh,” he helped you sit up, wincing with you, and rubber your back, “The doctor said your vocal cords are gonna be a little rough for a few days.”

You nodded, leaning into his touch. You closed your eyes as Johnny’s arms wrapped around you, holding you close. He felt strong against you, he felt warm and sturdy and reliable—he felt like home. He kissed your forehead, and you smiled, even as the tears started trialing down your cheeks. Neither of you spoke, you just held onto each other, both silently vowing to never let go.

Later, you learned what had happened while you’d been unconscious. Miguel was arrested and being tried for a laundry list of crimes. Emily was doing time as well for aiding and abetting, and she wasn’t pregnant with Miguel’s child. Apparently, she’d hooked up with her first love, a biker named Ezekiel, and the baby was his. Nestor was dead, and for that, you were sad. His only crime had been loving Miguel more than anyone else—neither of Miguel’s wives had even come close to loving him as much as Nestor had, and all that love and loyalty had gotten him was a bullet in the brain. Johnny’s friends—who you owed so much to, but they asked for nothing—pulled some strings and got you a quickie divorce from Miguel, even finagling most of his assets, titles, deeds, and fortune and awarding them all to you. Briggs and Jakes had some friends in high places that made that happen. You had suffered a bruised throat, a busted lip, black eye, bruises on your torso and wrist, and a collection of cuts and other bruises. But you got Johnny, so…

…it was all worth it, as far as you were concerned.

You and Johnny moved to a nice beachfront property together, and you were married on the beach. Briggs, of all people, officiated the wedding. Jakes got Johnny a job working for his private investigation and security firm, and Graceland was officially retired, but the family stayed intact.

You went to sleep wrapped in Johnny’s arms each night and woke up every morning to his smile as the sun crept in through the blinds, which, of course, you didn’t mine.

After all, a little sunshine never hurt anybody.

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Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think! And that was all she (me) wrote! Thank you all for reading this and indulging me in this time. I seriously wrote this series in one day, and I had so much fun. Please, please, please, tell me what you thought of this chapter and the series as a whole.

Everything Taglist: @sweetybuzz25 @mrsjaxtellerfan @rhabakoli @encounterthepast @realduckvader @justvnash @knowles-morgan @ateliefloresdaprimavera @evanlys19 @nyxxnoxx @carlaangel86 @luminex3 @jigsawlover10 @gollyderek @otomefromtheheart @lexxierave @crushed-pink-petals @amethyst09 @falsehopesndreams @a-dorky-book-keeper @witchygagirl @glimmerglittergirl @nich0lasmatthews @ben-c-group-therapy @felicity-x0 @amirra88 @mamabutterflyyy @vibranium-soul @xserenax-13 @whoaitslucyy-blog @gemini0410 @ktiz90 @theoceanhathsolace @starrynite7114

Johnny Tuturro Taglist: @beardburnsupersoldiers @feelingsandemotionsnotexplored @jamielennkeeler @honeym-daddi @missjessie21 @tashawar @smoooore @texasbama @chaotic-rayofsunshine @uhlxis

#johnny tuturro x reader #johnny tuturro imagine #johnny tuturro #Johnny tuturro series #manny montana #dynamite

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hazzoranstories · 4 years ago

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THE WHITE SUN AT MIDNIGHT | J.BLACK Ch. 29

The next morning Paige joined the rest of the Uley pack to train with the Cullens. Despite how much she disliked the coven of vampires, she had to protect her sister, and if watching a ton of her worst enemies throw each other around was the way to do so, she would participate. They went in their wolf forms to be cautious, which showed a clear message. They may have an alliance, but that never meant they would like each other.

When they arrived at the place in the woods that the Cullens had told them to go, they growled. "They don't trust us enough to be in their human form," Edward announced after searching Sam's mind.

"They came. That's what matters," Carlisle soothed an anxious-looking Bella. She had never seen her sister in her wolf form, and by the female like features, she could narrow two wolves down that could be Paige. "Will you translate?" the eldest vampire asked Edward, who agreed.

Jake walked closer than any other wolves to near Bella on the sidelines. He was expecting Paige to follow him, but she never moved from her spot next to Paul and Seth.

"Welcome. Jasper has experience with newborns. He'll teach us how to defeat them," Carlisle was the first to speak up.

"They want to know how the newborns differ from us," Edward declared.

"They're a great deal stronger than us because their own human blood lingers in their tissues. Our kind is never more physically powerful than in our first several months of this life," Carlisle finished and gestured to Jasper to carry on.

"Carlisle's right. That's why they are created. A newborn army doesn't need thousands like a human army, but no human army could stand against them," Jasper continued, his face twisted into a small scowl. "Now, the two most important things to remember are, first, never let them get their arms around you. They'll crush you instantly. And second, never go for the obvious kill. They'll be expecting that, and you will lose," the blonde hissed out, and Paige let out a nasty snarl.

"Emmett," Jasper said and strutted into the open area with Emmett going to the opposite of him. "Don't hold back."

"Not in my nature," Emmett smirked. He raced forward and tackled Jasper. It was a few seconds before a loud thunderous thump rang around the woods. Emmett grunted on the ground with Jasper standing above him.

"Never lose focus."

The pack studied another three partners that included Carlisle and Edward, Jasper and Rosalie, and Jasper with Alice. Paige ground her sharp teeth together when Jake walked closer to Bella, so she was leaning against his side.

She knew she shouldn't be jealous, but she hated Bella being so close to her imprint. Her jaw was locked so tight and her glare so filled with rage that Seth's whole right side of his body nudged her. The unexpected force caused the white wolf to stumble and sneer at Seth.

Paige then saw Bella scratching Jacob's head with him groaning in sensation. Once the Claymore caught a glimpse of the Cullens finishing up, she stomped back into the woods with Sam growling at her to obey. But he wasn't her Alpha, so why should she listen to him? Kaimbe was her Alpha. That was the only person she had to listen to no matter what. So Sam shouldn't have the audacity to order her around.

~:*:~

The day before the battle, Paige had remained in her room, making calls to her friends in Montana and drowning in her sudden roar of anger. Her jealousy had grown when Jasper found out that if Jake would carry Bella away from the battlefield, no vampires could catch her scent. So Jacob had to carry Bella into the woods while Jasper tried to locate them. God, it just made her want to punch the wall when thinking about it.

She had called Ryland, Chloe, Dakoda, Shawne, and a few others that Kaimbe might not notice is gone. Even if Dakoda was third in command to the Anderson pack, he wasn't important to Kaimbe like Mika was. In total, she had a group of 7 new werewolves to fight.

Right now, Paige was trying to focus on something to do without breaking something but was not succeeding, so she stormed downstairs. She saw Bella and Charlie in the kitchen making lunch with small talk.

"Hey. You two want a sandwich?" Charlie asked.

"No, I'm good," both girls stated in sync. Paige grabbed a water bottle, which seemed to be the only thing she was putting into her body, and sat at the small table.

"Well, the sister, I like," Charlie muttered with a soft smile.

"Alice. Yeah, she's great," Bella glowed, and Paige held in a scoff by sipping her water. "Hey, Dad, I was wondering. Why didn't you get remarried? After Mom," Bella questioned, and Paige raised her eyebrows from the sudden change of subject.

Charlie looked baffled but replied anyway, "I don't know. I guess I still haven't found the right gal. Why?"

"I don't know. I thought you just maybe gave up on the whole institution of it, of marriage. But do you think there's any value?" Bella continued her awkward interrogation.

"Yeah. Yeah, marriage has value," Charlie sighed, then caught on and added, "When you're older. Much older. Like your mother. Seemed to work out fine for her the second time around, later in life."

"Yeah, I guess," now Paige was intrigued at the mention of her mother.

"I mean, you definitely don't wanna have to get married because you weren't . . . . careful," Charlie mumbled as quietly as he could to hide his embarrassment. Paige chuckled at how confused Bella looked.

"What?"

"Look, you know what I'm talking about. There's things you need to think about if you're gonna be physically intimate," Charlie choked out. Paige spat out her water and burst out laughing.

"Okay. Don't have "the talk" with me, please," Bella rushed away, trying to hold in a giggle.

"Well, it's just as embarrassing for me as it is for you," Charlie held up his hands in defense, and Paige hit her head on the table where her water was spilled.

"I doubt that. And don't bother, 'cause Mom beat you to it like 10 years ago," Bella claimed.

"Well, you didn't have a boyfriend 10 years ago," Charlie defended.

"I'm sure things work the same way," Bella stumbled over her words, and Paige lifted her head to start her laughs again.

"All right, so . . . . you guys are taking precautions and . . . ." the Swan trailed off.

"Okay, Dad, please just don't worry about that. Edward is old school," Bella said, making Paige laugh harder.

"Old school. Great. What's that? Like, code for something?"

"Oh, my god. Dad. I'm a virgin," Bella exclaimed with a thumbs up. By now, Paige was clutching her stomach with tears in her eyes from her amusement.

"Okay! Good. Glad we covered that," Charlie squealed.

"Me too!" Bella called to him and ran up the stairs.

Charlie began his sandwich again when he muttered, "virgin. I'm liking Edward a little bit more now."

He then glanced at Paige who's bottom lip was between her teeth to hold back another giggle. "What about you?"

"Me and Jake are old school too," the wolf mocked, and Charlie rolled his eyes playfully.

"He still can't sleep over unless it's life and death, remember that," he warned, and Paige nodded with a small chuckle escaping her lips as Charlie walked out of the kitchen to the living room.

"So worth coming downstairs."

#twilight #twilightsaga #twilight fanfiction #twilight fanfic #jacob black #jacob black x reader #jacob black fanfic #jacob black love story #jacob black fanfiction #love #story #fanfic #fanfiction #edward cullen #robert pattinson #lucy hale #taylor lautner #bella swan #kristen stewart

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vintagereigns · 5 years ago

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“Is That Why You Left?”

Warnings: Just some curse words and my sucky-ass writing. Oops.

Tags: None so far. Let me know if ya’ wanna be tagged in my stuff.

Note: This was requested from someone over on my Wattpad account. If anyone cares, Imma try to post a request form-type thing for Tumblr so people can properly request from me. Sorry for any errors and hit that reblog button if you like this.

Amidst the chaotic environment backstage, Malaika found a quiet spot to talk to Renee. It was an even more stressful week than usual as this week was the Superstar Shake-Up and Malaika found out that she will be transferring from Raw to Smackdown Live. Unlike her friends that were excited to spend more time with her, Malaika couldn’t help but feel frustrated with her transfer because her ex-boyfriend was currently the main face on Smackdown; which meant she’d be seeing him a lot more.

Roman Reigns was the top dog around here and everyone loved him, and WWE made it their mission to keep the scandal of Joe and Malaika’s relationship hidden. After their breakup, Vince approved Malaika’s request to transfer to Raw and it was a blue moon when she’d see Joe. Malaika believes he had something to do with her move back to Smackdown. She was unprepared for what was to happen and she rushed to the best source she could find who just so happened to be her best friend, the wife of Joe’s best friend, Renee.

“It’s all gonna be okay, just go talk to creative and see what they can do. I’m sure all of you can come to some sort of agreement,” Renee said and took a sip of her coffee. She looked at her phone and then back to Malaika, yet her eyes trained on someone walking toward the two of them. “Oh no-”

“Hey, Renee… Malaika,” Joe said as he walked up to the two women.

Malaika’s face deepened in color, her ears burning and her heart rate speeding up. Renee felt horrible for her friend but Malaika was a big girl and she didn’t know where her presence seemed welcome in situations like this. Joe turned to Renee and the tension thickened between the three of them.

“Soo… how are ya-”

“Did you talk to Vince?” Malaika pressed, cutting Joe off.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re Vince’s boy. His main guy, the money maker of the business, his go-to for everything. Did you request my switch?”

“N-”

“Don’t even think about lying to me, Joe,” Malaika warned. Renee stood back, her eyes shifting between the two. She thought about leaving but she didn’t want Malaika to feel alone.

“Fine, yes. I did request it. But he told me he didn’t know, it wasn’t a for-sure thing. Besides, maybe we can fix wh-”

“No, don’t even. I can’t believe you. I was so close to winning the Raw Women’s Championship, but now, because of you, that’s all gone.”

“We can go talk-”

“No! I will go talk to someone and fix your mistake. Again.”

“Again? What do you mean again?”

His question went unanswered and he watched her walk away. Joe turned to look at Renee who turned her head to look at him. She shrugged and Joe shook his head. He looked down at Renee’s hands and saw her mug, teasing her saying “You know if you drink any more of that shit, you’re gonna turn into a coffee bean.”

“Fuck off, it’s been a long day,” she said and flipped him off before he began walking in the opposite direction.

______

Catering was loud and crowded and it was just another kick to Malaika’s nerves. She walked through the rows of tables and grabbed a bowl for some grapes she planned on getting. Standing in line, she was an arm away from the fruit when Joe walked up and grabbed her hand. Swatting him away, she glared at him.

“Get off of me,” she spat.

“I need to talk to you. Please, it’s important,” Joe said with desperation.

“Ugh, why can’t you talk to me here?” The line was moving and Malaika stepped up, Joe following suit.

“Because. Let me buy you lunch and we can talk there. Please.”

She thought about it for a moment before rolling her eyes and placing the paper bowl down on the table. Joe went to reach for her hand as they walked together but she smacked his hand away.

“What did I ever do to you?” he stopped and asked her in the middle of the hallway. She whipped around with a look of disbelief colored on her face.

“You cannot be serious right now.”

“Well, I am. A year ago I came home to an empty apartment and my girlfriend nowhere to be found. What did I do?”

“Why are you playing dumb, Joe? Stop playing the victim. You cheated on me with one of my closest friends! How-”

“What the hell are you talking about, Malaika? I’ve never cheated on you! I fucking love you, why would I ever do something like that?”

“I don’t know, but you did. The press caught it, Joe. They caught you and Paige going into our hotel room together and her leaving alone. You did it on the bed we shared!” By now, even though it frustrated her to cry in front of someone who broke her, she couldn’t help the tear that fell messily down her face.

“No, no, no. That’s not what happened! I swear. Baby- hey, look at me- that was not what happened. Is that why you left?” He stepped closer to her and used his hand to wipe her tears.

“Yes it’s why I left. If you didn’t cheat, what happened?”

“Paige was helping me pick out an engagement ring for you,” he said, his now soft brown eyes staring into hers. She looked up at him with her lip quivering.

“What?”

“Yeah,” he laughed softly. “I was planning on marrying your ass. It fucking broke me when I came home from tour to see all of your stuff gone and our pictures ripped apart.”

“You wanted to marry me?” she asked, her hand working to wipe up the rest of her tears.

“I still do.”

She stepped closer and fell into his arms and, for the first time in a year, let them wrap around her. More tears and her makeup stained his shirt, but Joe didn’t mind it. It was a small price to pay to have his girl back in his arms. His lips left soft kisses on her head and on her forehead.

“I’ve missed you, pepe.”

“I’ve missed you too.”

Joe broke away from their hold and grabbed her hand, pulling her with him toward the exit.

“Where are we goin’?” Malaika asked, her hand locking with his.

“We got some love-makin’ to make up for,” he grinned and winked at her. Malaika smiled and Joe brought her hand to his lips, kissing the soft skin.

“You’re a pervy little man,” she teased.

“Little?” he scoffed. “Baby, nothing of me is little. Nothing. And you should know that.”

#roman reigns #roman #reigns #romanreignsimagine #roman reigns imagine #romanreigns #joe #anoai #joeanoai #joe anoai imagine #joeanoaiimagine #myworks #wwe #romanreignsxreader #joeanoaixreader #roman reigns x reader #joe anoai x reader #the big dog #thebigdog

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slapshot-to-the-heart · 5 years ago

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Flatbush & Atlantic: part viii

part i part ii part iii part iv part v part vi part vii

Here’s part viii! Tell your friends, tell your neighbors, tell your dog, tell the nosy woman who lives in the apartment above you. Remember to reblog, it helps the series reach more people, and as always - tell me what you think! I haven’t gotten much feedback so far and would love to know everyone’s thoughts, even if it’s only a few words.

part viii

April 19 (sun)

Cass was the most nervous she had been in her entire life. Okay, well maybe that was an overstatement. That honor probably went to the night law school acceptances went out, or when she sat with Alejandra — a friend from back in Texas — as they thought DACA was going to get rescinded, or when her dad lost his job when she was in middle school and their family was living paycheck-to-paycheck. It was Game 6 of the first round, the Islanders leading the series 3-2. The score was tied 1-1 halfway through the second period, a beautiful tip-in by Nelson that managed to just squeak past Mrazek. They had been up 3 games to none at the start of the series, with every intention to sweep the Hurricanes in Game 4 at home. But then they dropped two in a row — needless to say, tensions were running high coming into the night.

She was sat up in the club box with the WAGs and some other family members who had flown in for the occasion, in hopes that they’d be able to celebrate a win and a move to the conference semifinals. The team probably could have used with tightening up their backcheck, but the passes were spot-on and Cass didn’t see much room to complain. Lauren on the chair opposite, she sat next to Paige as the clock hit eight minutes left, clutching a glass of white wine as her foot nervously tapped the carpet. Paige placed a steadying hand on her arm. “They’re going to pull it off, you know.”

Cass ran a hand through her hair. “That’s what I keep trying to tell myself. And I know they’ve got the talent, and these guys are some of the hardest workers I know, but—”

“It’s hard trying to rationalize it,” Paige finished.

“Yeah,” Cass nodded, “and especially knowing how long the team’s gone without a cup, like it’s been, what,” she glanced at the banners in the rafters, “38 years since they’ve won?. That’s 13 years before I was even born.”

Paige looked down at the ice thoughtfully. “I guess there’s really not much you can do in these situations but have faith that all the training and all the effort’s going to eventually pay off.”

“I guess you’re right,” Cass said, though if she was being honest she didn’t like the subjectivity of the statement. Shitty things happen to good people all the time, bad people get away with terrible things all the time, and people who have worked their asses off don’t always get what they’ve spent their entire lives working toward.

There were just under six minutes left on the clock, and the first line had just gone back on. Anders took the faceoff, and Cass was so focused on the puck that she didn’t notice the gloves dropping on the other side of the ice until Paige let out a gasp, gently shaking her out of her trance. She was thrown for a minute; sure, fights were more uncommon since the league started cracking down on penalties, but they weren’t uncommon, so why did it matter that she paid any attention?

Five seconds later, and she understood. It was Mat. It took Cass a few seconds to really grasp it — Mat wasn’t a fighter by any means, she had never seen him in one even before they got together, so what had finally set him off? They traded punches as the refs struggled to get a handle on the situation, jerseys riding up as Cass’ hand squeezed like a vice grip on Paige’s knee. She was too anxious to even figure out who the other player was, just that he was tall and blond and had one fist gripping Mat’s collar as he dodged one of his blows. Mat tried to steady himself, tried to realign his center of gravity, but then the other player threw a punch at the side of his face and it clipped his cheek as he tried to avoid it and he couldn’t get his balance back and he fell. Hard. Helmets had gone off before the fight had even started, so there was nothing in between his head and the ice.

Cass’ hands flew up to her mouth, and Lauren had to stop her from sliding off the edge of her lounge chair. There was blood, and it was coming from his head, and if there was one thing her mother’s 30 years as a nurse had taught her, it was that blood from the head was never a good sign. “I think I’m going to be sick,” she whispered, feeling the bile rise up in her throat. Scratch anything she had said before, this was hands-down the most scared she’d ever been in her life. The love of her life was bleeding from his head down on the ice, and he wasn’t moving.

You could have heard a pin drop in Barclay’s Center as the whole crowd waited for Mat to get up. And waited. And waited. Cassidy barely noticed him being helped up by Jordan; she was already running through the halls, Paige right beside her, frantically pressing the down button on the elevator to take them to the dressing room. She didn’t pay any attention to the usher who was telling her that they were private elevators because Mat was hurt and he was bleeding and oh God oh God oh God I need to get to him I need to get to him.

She leaned her head against the cool metal of the side panel, long since having abandoned her efforts to control her tears as Paige tried desperately to comfort her. “The team has really good doctors, and if he needs a hospital, we have the best ones in the world right here in New York,” she said, but her words fell on deaf ears. Cass’ head jerked up. The elevator had dinged, indicating that they had finally reached the underground level. She turned left, headed straight for the locker room. There was no way he would have been left on the bench. Cass knew enough about hockey and enough about injuries to know that a hit that hard and blood that bad meant that he’d be taken right back.

By this time, she knew the way as good as anyone, and didn’t care who would try and stop her from getting in the room. Come hell or high water, she was going to see Mat. She passed the handful of puzzled arena staff, bursting into the locker room. “I’ll be out here,” Paige had said, but it barely registered. Mat was in a room off to the side, and thank God the trainer was one who recognized her, because he nodded at her as she lingered by the door, unspoken permission that she could enter. Cass rushed to Mat’s side, his eyes screwed shut in pain as the trainer — Carter, was it? Nick? She really couldn’t remember much of anything at the moment — held a pad of gauze to his head with a gloved hand.

“Doctor should be here any minute, Mat, just hang on,” he said.

Cass knelt down, hands shaking as she laced her fingers through his. “It’s going to be okay, Mat. You’re going to be okay.”

Mat opened his eyes just a sliver. “Cass?”

“Yeah, babe. I’m here.”

The door opened again, a man with a medical bag walking through the corridor and into the side room. “Dr. Khan,” he said to the trainer as he set the bag down, unclasping it. “Nick,” he responded. So it was Nick, Cass thought absentmindedly.

“I was watching from a box when it happened, got down as soon as I could. So, his head hit the ice? No helmet?” Nick nodded as Dr. Khan snapped his own pair of gloves on. He turned to Cass. “Are you the wife?” For a moment, Cass was thrown. He may have been a doctor, but this man really couldn’t have known much about the team if he thought one of their star players was married. If Mat Barzal was married, everyone would know.

After a moment, she shook her head. “No. Girlfriend.”

He nodded. “Okay. I’m fine with you staying as long as you keep out of the way, it shouldn’t take too long.” He turned to Nick. “A/O questions?”

“Knew his name, knew the year, knew where we are, knew who she is,” he tilted his head over at Cass.

“Good, good,” Dr. Khan said, moving over to take his place at the head of the table. “Head wounds bleed a lot,” he said reassuringly, looking over at where Cass stood, her nails bit down to nubs. She thought she’d quit the habit in fifth grade. “It shouldn’t need more than a staple or two.”

True to his word, fifteen minutes later the bleeding had subsided substantially, and Mat was sporting two very shiny, brand-new staples. “I’m sorry we had to shave a little, your lovely girlfriend was telling me how much pride you take in your hair. It’ll grow back quickly,” the doctor said.

Mat let out a groan. “I’m going to lose all of my millions of adoring fans. The hair’s all I got, you know.”

Dr. Khan chuckled. “I’m glad to see you’re in good spirits. I’m going to diagnose you with a moderate concussion. It could have been a lot worse, but you got lucky this time.” He turned to Cass. “Would you be able to stay with him for the next few days? He should be able to manage, but it’s always better safe than sorry and it would be good for him to have someone around in case anything comes up.”

Cass nodded. “Yeah. I’m in school, but outside of that. Yeah. I can stay.”

Nick walked back through the door, handing a few printouts to Cass. “Just some concussion stuff for you to know. Activities for him to avoid, symptoms to be aware of, what to do if things get worse. That kind of thing.”

Cass took the sheets. “Do you think things will get worse?” She asked worriedly.

Dr. Khan shook his head. “It’s not likely, seeing as how he’s relatively aware and the concussion could have been much more severe. But it’s always better to err on the side of caution when it comes to any medical situation.”

She nodded, nervously rubbing Mat’s thumb. “Should I...take him home now?” She asked, trying to think of how she was going to take him back to Manhattan on the train when lights and loud noises were the exact thing he was supposed to be avoiding right now, or how much an hour long Uber would cost.

“I’d like to keep him for a little longer, an hour or so, just for observation to make sure symptoms don’t get any worse.”

The next hour seemed to inch by, dotted with visits from Nick and Dr. Khan and one from Trotz during the second intermission. Mat was going to be out for somewhere in the vicinity of two weeks; everything was dependent on him being medically cleared and a slow return to training and team practices. The news gutted him. It wasn’t just that Mat loved hockey, he loved being out on the ice and in the thick of the action and with his team, his brothers, and it just seemed so patently unfair that he wasn’t going to be able to do that when they needed him the most. Doing the math, he had realized with heart-wrenching certainty that that meant he would maybe be able to make the last few games of the conference semifinals, and that was only if they made it that far. It wasn’t that he didn’t have faith in his team, but the knowledge that he wouldn’t be able to do anything but sit on the bench in a suit and hand out waters ate away at him.

Someone, maybe one of the equipment managers, had taken the liberty of packing up Mat’s things, and Cass was poking around trying to find his keys. He was pretty coherent by then, but still in no state to drive. She slung the bag over her shoulder, trying not to groan at its weight — she’d definitely be sore tomorrow — and helped him out of the locker room and back to the players’ parking lot, half-heartedly waving goodbye to the handful of players and staff that were still trickling out. The ride back to his apartment was quiet, and Mat barely acknowledged the news that the team had eked out a win with a powerplay goal late in the third. They were going to the second round, and it killed him that he might not get to be a part of it.

She parked in the underground lot, taking the bag once again despite Mat’s insistence that he could carry it himself, their ride up the elevator accompanied by a strangely specific playlist that was mostly comprised of late 2000s pop. “I slow danced with my first boyfriend to this song at our freshman year homecoming dance,” Cass said.

The corner of Mat’s mouth twitched up. “I Won’t Give Up?” She nodded. “What was his name?”

“Justin. He played varsity basketball, I did lacrosse and field hockey. We were the jockiest couple at school for the all of four months we dated,” she said wistfully. “He was a good guy, but I should have known things weren’t going to work out. He had a lot of growing up to do.”

Mat hummed in acknowledgement as she opened the door. “I didn’t know you played field hockey.”

Cass let out a laugh. “Wrong surface, I know. But yeah, I did, through junior year of high school. Dropped it senior year to focus on lacrosse and college stuff.”

“But you still did lacrosse in university,” he said, more like a statement than anything.

She nodded. “Club, yeah. It would have been cool to be on the school team, but D1 sports are super competitive, and I didn’t have time between A Phi and the Mexican Student Association and honors stuff there would have been no way I could have made it all work.”

He kissed the top of her head. “Anyone ever told you you’re a bit of an overachiever?”

She glared at him. “You’re lucky you’re injured, or I would have slapped you.” Heading over to the kitchen, she called over her shoulder, “I’m getting some water, do you want anything?”

“Water would be great.” Cass came back a minute later, handing him his glass. She looked at her watch. Past midnight. Then she looked at her phone, which she hadn’t checked since the middle of the game and which had understandably blown up since then. She responded to texts from Paige and Lauren and Kerry, sent Chris a message that she’d need tomorrow off to look after Mat, reassured Noah that Mat was fine and would be back on the ice as soon as humanly possible. Her brow furrowed. Three missed messages from the apartment’s group chat, The Fantastic Four, named largely due to the fact that Cass may or may not have had a not-so-little crush on Human Torch as a middle schooler; once the girls had gotten the story out of her, they never let her live it down.

10:44 - Ryanne: When do you think you’ll be back? Made spaghetti and wasn’t sure if I should leave it out for you or put it in the fridge.

11:17 - Stella: Were you taking the subway home?

11:39 - Alicia: I saw on Twitter Mat got hurt, is everything okay? Do you need anything?

11:55 - Alicia: Cass? You good?

“Shit,” Cass breathed, shutting her eyes for a moment.

Mat looked concerned, scratching at an itch under his gauze. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Cass said, typing a response. There was almost nothing she hated more than worrying people. Oh my gosh I’m so sorry guys! Yes, I’m good, Mat’s okay too. It’s a concussion so he’ll be out of play for a few weeks, but thank God it’s not worse. I hadn’t checked my phone since he got hurt, I’m so sorry to worry y’all!! I’m over at his, the doctor said he should have someone watching him for a few days just in case. I might come pick up a few things tomorrow, but I’ll be back Wednesday :)

Mat stuck his tongue through his teeth and let out a sigh. “I’m sorry you have to deal with all this,” he gestured at his head, “it shouldn’t be your responsibility.”

Cass smiled softly at him, leaning gently into his side. “It’s okay, I don’t mind it, taking care of you and all. Plus, acts of service are my number one love language.” He laughed. “But,” she started hesitantly, “I’ve got to ask. You’re not really a fighter.” His arm tensed around her, knowing what was coming. “So what made you drop the gloves? You don’t really ever let these things get to you.”

“Yeah,” Mat sighed. He really should have expected the question sooner, it wasn’t like it was an avoidable situation. “Um, he had just been chirping me for most of the game, just stuff about how I’m all talk and no talent, about my points drought earlier in the season, stuff like that.”

“And?” Cass pressed, knowing that there was something he was holding back. She wanted to help him, and she couldn’t do that without the full story.

“And you,” he admitted. “It’s not really that unusual for guys to chirp each other about girlfriends, but he was just saying some pretty nasty stuff about you. Just sexist, gross stuff. No one should say that about a girl, doesn’t matter who she is.”

As unfortunate as it was, Cass was pretty sure she knew exactly what had been said about her. She was a woman — a young, attractive woman — living in New York City, which was practically the world capital of catcalling, and her earbuds could only drown out so much. But still, Mat’s response had her heart skip a beat. “Thank you for defending my honor,” she said sweetly, turning her head to give him a kiss on the cheek.

He blushed. “If I could go back? I’d do it all over again.”

April 27 (tues)

Cass scrolled through her Twitter feed as she waited for Mat to arrive at the deli for lunch. It had been a week and a half since the injury, and things were definitely progressing — though not as fast as Mat would have hoped. She had stayed with him for a few days until he was feeling back to his old self, and though Mat hadn’t exactly been thrilled by Cass having to wake him up every three hours to be sure that he wasn’t, you know, dead, he had been a pretty good sport overall.

Reading and excessive screen use was on the no-no list she’d been given by Dr. Khan, so Mat had taken to a lot of listening to music and trying valiantly to pick back up his guitar skills once he was feeling up to it. Skills was perhaps a generous word, Cass thought, since the only song he had been able to play with any confidence by the end of the week was Rockstar by Nickleback. “It’s not that bad,” he had said defensively. “They get a bad rep.” Cass wasn’t so sure about that, but thought it would be a bit of a dick move to criticize his music taste, so she refrained.

She was jerked out of her thoughts by Mat, who greeted her with a bright smile and a kiss on the forehead. “How was your day, babe?”

She shrugged. “Pretty good, nothing special. Just got out of a Contracts seminar. Nothing quite as thrilling as debating the precedent set by Supreme Court cases from the 1980s.”

Mat barked out a laugh. “I’m sure. I don’t think I’d understand a single word of what they said, but that just proves what I already knew.”

“Which is?”

“That you’re ten times smarter than I am.” Cass laughed, and he opened the door. “Now, I’m starving. I want food.”

“Good thing we came to a deli, then,” Cass said dryly.

He snickered. “Guess I walked right into that one.” The couple stopped in front of the menu. “What’s good here?”

“Besides everything?” Cass asked. “Roast beef sandwich, grilled chicken’s pretty good too. And obviously the pastrami.”

Mat shifted from one food to another. “I’ve never actually had one,” he admitted.

Cass turned to look at him slowly, eyes wide. “You’ve never had a pastrami on rye?” He shook his head. “You’ve lived in New York for, what, almost four years now? And you’ve never had a pastrami sandwich?”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Mat mumbled.

“Oh, it is,” Cass said, as they reached the counter. “I take my sandwiches very seriously, Mathew, and you’re about to find out why.” She waved to the man behind the counter. “Carlos!” Jabbering in rapid-fire Spanish as he assembled the sandwiches, she pulled out her wallet to pay before Mat even got the chance. “Él es mi novio,” she said, answering Carlos’ unspoken question and tapping her card on the reader. “Gracias, te veré pronto!” She grabbed the bag of sandwiches, Mat following her out the door as they walked down the block, peeling off to a side road with a small park. Cass shifted her backpack off, setting it on the ground beneath a small table that had become one of her go-to lunch spots since she, Les, and Fiona stumbled across it in their first year.

“So it seems like you’ve known Carlos for awhile?” Mat asked, unwrapping the sandwich.

Cass nodded, biting into hers and letting out an almost-euphoric moan.

Mat raised an eyebrow. “You usually save that for the bedroom.”

Almost choking, she swallowed the bite, leaning over the table and lightly slapping his arm. “Mat! But yeah, he started working at the deli sometime in spring of my first year. He moved from Puerto Rico, so that’s why we were speaking Spanish.”

“What was that you called me back there, anyways? Nuevo?”

Cass snorted into her coffee. “Nuevo means new. I called you my novio. It’s the word for serious boyfriend. Or fiancé, really. The language doesn’t make much of a distinction.” Cass sipped slowly, deciding to hazard a question. “How has your recovery been going?”

Mat perked up. Anything relating to hockey and he was all ears. “It’s going well, yeah. I was cleared to start working out the other day, they did some scans and said that everything looks like how it should, which is a relief. I’ve been a little dizzy but nothing serious,” he quickly added, seeing Cass’ nervous glance, “and I go back in two days to see if I can get back to training with the team. A day or two of that and fingers crossed, I’d be ready to play a game if we’re still in it.” The team was down 2-1 to the Capitals, and Mat had been tearing his hair out the entire week, frustrated beyond belief that he couldn’t do anything to help. He was a hockey player, a damn good one at that, and there was nothing he could do but sit in front of his TV and watch his team fall behind in the series. That wasn’t how it was supposed to be. He was supposed to be out there, scoring and making hits and making a difference, not cooped up like some toddler with a list of things he couldn’t do and couldn’t touch.

Cass could see that he was starting to retreat a little bit, so she reached out, squeezing his hand. “Hey, chou, listen to me.” He looked up. “I know it’s frustrating for you. Believe me, I know how much you want to be out there and how useless you might feel right now, but that’s all bullshit, you hear me?” Her eyes softened. “The best thing you can do for the boys right now is work out when you can, listen to your doctors, and focus on getting better. The city wants their golden boy back, and as cute as your pout is,” Mat’s lips twitched, “it doesn’t do anyone any good, least of all you.”

Cass was nearly done with her sandwich when Mat spoke again. “Graduation’s coming up fast, huh? What is it, a month from now?”

She nodded, picking up a napkin and dabbing at the mustard by the corner of her mouth. “Yeah, it’s the 22, so a little under a month now.”

“Is your whole family coming down?”

“Yeah,” Cass said, bounding her head. “Everyone’s able to make it, which is awesome, and so much more than I expected. Eliana gets out of school the week earlier, so it’s not a problem for her, and it’s on a Saturday so it’s a non-issue for Noah and my parents. My nana’s driving down with my family, and my mom’s parents are flying from Hermosillo.”

Mat gave her a confused look. “I thought they lived in Texas?”

“They started splitting time after they retired, they were the only ones who immigrated so all of their relatives were still down in Mexico,” Cass explained.

“Got it.”

She continued. “Yeah, so I’m really lucky that everyone’s able to make it, it’s been forever since the whole family was together. Which reminds me,” she said, pulling out her phone and sending a quick text, “I need to get their flight info. I promised to pick them up from JFK.”

“Why don’t I come with you?” Mat asked quickly.

Cass was confused. “What if you’re still playing?”

He waved his hand. “Obviously not then. But if we’re not, I’d love to come. I could drive around so you wouldn’t have to pay for parking, and it would be nice to meet them before your graduation.” The unspoken addendum was if I’m able to make it. Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals was scheduled on the day of Cass’ graduation; Mat knew that realistically, the chances of making it that far were slim, but the thought of not being able to celebrate with her, celebrate her, caused a pang in his heart.

Her smile could have lit up the sun. “I’d love that, I really would. And you’re going to love my grandparents. I’ve told them so much about you and they’re excited to finally meet you in person.”

Mat beamed. “I’m glad. Hey,” he added, treading lightly. “Have you heard back from any of the places you’ve applied yet?” He knew of at least a half-dozen firms and nonprofits she’d interviewed with, but if any of them had resulted in an offer yet, she hadn’t told him.

Cass looked down at her hands. This was the conversation she had been dreading ever since last week. “Cass?” Mat asked again, more hesitantly this time. He could tell something was up. “Uh, yeah.” She said, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. “Yeah, I have. You remember that tech company I interviewed with the other week?

“Yeah, the ones that do computers and stuff?” Mat asked, confused. If she got the job, then why did she seem so nervous?

She nodded. “Yeah. They got back to me a few days ago...and they offered a position.”

Mat stood up, ready to walk around the table and wrap her in a massive bear hug. “Cass!” He exclaimed. “That’s awesome! You said it sounded like really interesting stuff, and the company’s in New York so you wouldn’t even have to move—”

“That’s the thing,” Cass said, cutting him off. “They’re headquartered in New York, and I thought I was applying for a position in New York, but it turns out everything was ‘space available,’ whatever that means.” She finally looked up at Mat. “The job’s in Hong Kong.”

He feels like he’s had the wind knocked out of him, and sat back down in his seat hard. So hard, in fact, that he almost knocked it over, but he barely noticed. Hong Kong? That’s a whole country and the world’s largest ocean away, and the thought of losing her to a whole different country wasn’t something he ever could have anticipated. He’s finally gotten something so good, someone so good, and the thought that it could all be taken away in the blink of an eye was a possibility he hadn’t even allowed himself to consider.

Mat swallows. “Are you...Are you going to take it?” He asks thickly. She looks down at the coffee cup in her hands, the same speckled white-and-blue one Mat gave her back in the fall. God, October seems like a lifetime away from where they are now. “I don’t know,” she admitted, and he felt a weight lifted off of his chest. “I don’t even know if I want it, and I didn’t want…,” she tapped her fingers on the scratched stone table, “I didn’t want to decide anything without talking it over with you first.”

His head felt like lead when he tried to nod. “Okay, yeah. That makes sense. So, let’s talk.”

“It’s not something I ever saw myself doing,” Cass said.

“The moving to a foreign country part or the job itself?” Mat asked.

Cass scrunched her nose. “Both, I guess. Sure, I applied to places all across the country, but that was more for job security than anything. I needed cash flow to start paying off my loans, and as much as I love nonprofit and pro-bono work, it doesn’t really pay well. That’s sort of the whole point.

Mat reached behind himself to throw the sandwich wrapper into the trash can. “Do you like what they’d be having you do?”

“It’s contracts and negotiations, so it’s interesting enough. I like the topic and I know I’m good at it. But it’s not what I originally imagined for myself,” she conceded.

“What did you think you’d be doing?”

Cass let out a strained breath. “When I first got to law school, I was convinced I’d do immigration law. I’m passionate about it, feel like I’ve got a stake in the matter, and Spanish fluency is a really good skill to have in the field. And I loved getting to work in the clinic on deportation appeals. The day I got a stay for my first client was one of the happiest days of my life,” she added. Mat couldn’t help but smile. Even with mountains of uncertainty threatening to topple over on them, Cass had such a good heart and he’d always be proud of that. “But I’ve loved what I’ve gotten to do with Chris in the office. If I’m being honest, I didn’t think that I’d like it.”

Mat’s curiosity was piqued. “How come?”

“I think part of it had to do with how rushed and nervous I felt about the whole thing. It was pretty much my last chance and I really just threw my application together without thinking. I didn’t have time to worry if I’d actually like what I was going to be doing. It might just be my Rangers bias coming through, but I think I thought it would just be Scandal-type dealing with dumb shit players did, getting them off the hook for drunken escapades or finding contractual loopholes to save the team money on the salary cap.” She shrugged. “I’m glad I was wrong.”

“So,” Mat said said slowly, “if this isn’t the kind of work you wantedto do, why are you thinking about taking the job?”

“Couple of things,” Cass said. “The company culture is really good, by all accounts they hanuinely care about their environmental impact and worker’s rights, they make sure everyone on the supply chain is given a living wage. Good upward mobility, and there’s a half-dozen offices around the world that you can apply to transfer to after five years. Benefits and salary are are some of the best I’ve seen for new hires.”

“But would you be happy?” Mat asked, so softly that she almost missed it.

Would I? Cass thought. It was never the plan for her to move so far away; she’s never lived further than a few hours from home and as much as she hated to admit it, the prospect of not being in the same time zone as her family terrified her. What if her abuelo has another stroke, and she’s halfway across the world? What if she’s not able to hold her brother when he goes through his first heartbreak? What if she isn’t there to kiss Mat when he hoists the Stanley Cup for the first time? But what if she hates herself because she never took the chance? She finally looks back up, feeling like Mat’s hazel eyes are boring straight into her soul. “I don’t know.”

#hockey imagine #hockey smut #nhl imagine #nhl smut #mat barzal #hockey #hockey imagines #hockey writing #nhl #nhl writing #nhl imagines #nhl fluff #hockey fluff #mathew barzal #mat barzal imagine #mat barzal imagines #New York Islanders #new york islanders writing

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scribeofmorpheus · 4 years ago

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Covert of the Wolf [3]

Pairing: Derek Hale x Reader (Lastname: Markolf)

Warnings: language, references of blood and injury.

A/N: short...

Leave a like or reblog if you enjoyed this chapter! It helps ☺

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Derek had been ranting in the corner of your room since he came to. Frustrated at Peter and the whole situation. But mostly frustrated at Peter.

The house had quieted down now. Esme had put Maggie to bed after two whole pots of valerian root tea and two half-burned lavender candles. The scent had meandered its way into your room.

You hadn’t moved since Marcus and Isaac—as you came to learn his name thanks to Stiles—helped carry Derek into the room. Isaac had actually apologised. It was all he could think to do. He apologised over and over like it was a second language. You’d stayed staring at the wooden stake Peter had given Derek for most of the night.

Peter was in a guest room on the farthest side of the house with Stiles and a man named Chris. Just like your father's name. Except this man's name was short for Christopher, not Christian.

Everyone wanted to tear Peter a new one, but they were also exhausted from cleaning the blood off the floors and throwing out the flower arrangements in the barn.

Caleb was fully passed out on painkillers meant for dogs the last time you checked. Jonah and the puppy had stayed with him to keep watch. Jonah shivered most of the night after the attack. He ran the warmest among the rest of the werewolves. He wasn’t cold. He was in shock. Your mother watched over him.

Derek was pacing now, “This is why everyone hates Peter! Because he always pulls shit like this. Ever since I was a kid he just had to be the one to—”

“Peter said he talked to Astrid. How could he do that if she’s dead?” You looked up at Derek for the first time since he started rambling. He froze like he had been caught in a lie—in a secret. “He also said Alyster was ‘walking around’ in your brain.”

Derek looked at you desperately, as if he was watching you slip away from him. He rushed to your side. You wrapped your arms around your chest defensively. He saw that as a loud signal telling him to not come any closer. He balled his fists and clenched his jaw, but there was no anger in his actions.

“Is this what you’ve been keeping from me?” You asked softly, not in the mood to raise your voice or shout. The events of the reception had drained you too much to have any fight left.

Derek sniffled and right then you wondered if you had scrubbed your nails hard enough. If there wasn’t a trace of Caleb’s blood still under them.

“I didn’t want to worry you,” Derek said.

“Worry me?” you huffed sarcastically. “All the good that did. I am worried. Maybe if you had told me earlier, if you had trusted me, maybe I wouldn’t be so worried. Maybe it wouldn’t have hurt as much…”

“I do trust you, baby,” his feet protested against his stillness. He wanted to move towards you. “More than anyone.”

“And yet you kept this from me,” you blinked several times, not wanting any tears to be shed. Enough tears had been shed today. “How could you ask me about marriage when you weren’t ready to tell me about…To tell me about anything.” You sighed. “When we got back to Beacon Hills, when you asked me to move in with you, I thought those were signs that you were ready to open up to me. But you didn’t. It was like you were still on that cross-country trip we took. Still moving away from something. And now I realise I barely know you.”

“You do know me. You do. I was just trying to prote—”

You held up a finger, “Don’t. Just don’t. This wasn’t about me. This is about you.”

He gave in, collapsing on the bed with a defeated sigh, “You’re right.” He held his head in his hands. “I was trying to protect myself. I didn’t want to admit there was anything wrong. I didn’t want you to look at me differently if you knew what the mark meant. I just wanted to be happy. Normal.”

“I come from a family of werewolves yet I can’t shift. My sister married a druid. You’re a werewolf. And the only family member you have left is two limbo bars shy of crazy. We are never going to be normal Derek.”

Derek touched the ring dangling around his neck, “He’s not the only family I have left.”

You looked up to the ceiling, not surprised there was more waiting to come out the woodwork.

“I have a niece, Malia.” He tried to smile. It didn’t come. “She’s a werecoyote.”

Had the situation been different, you might have laughed. You guessed that was his intention; to make you laugh, or at the very least to hear you laugh. You stayed silent.

“I’m not good at this,” Derek continued. “The family stuff, dating…trusting people. Letting them in. Letting them see me. Letting you see me.”

“Are you afraid I won’t like what I see?”

“Yes. And no. The people I let in have a habit of dying around me…or turning on me. I never told you about the root cellar, did I?”

“No.”

“The first girl I—I ever…”

Your voice came out raspier than you intended, words weighing heavily on you: “Love?”

He looked up at you, there were tears in his eyes. Unshed, but shaking for release. He looked back down, his long hair covering the sides of his face. He nodded.

A pang of hurt ran through you. Suddenly your mouth went dry and blinking no longer helped keep your own tears back. You wiped them off before they could fall. It dawned on you that he never corrected 'Love' to 'Loved'.

“Her name was Paige…” He held his hands tightly.

Paige, you thought. The girl you love was named Paige.

Derek told you everything. The good. The bad. The uncomfortably blunt truths of his past. He told you about Kate and the Argents. About his weird metamorphosis into his true wolf form, something that happened thanks to Kate, again. He told you about him and Jennifer. Him and Braeden. It was a lot to take in. Your perception of him changed too. You couldn’t tell whether that was a good thing or not. It was scary, learning there were more sides to the man you thought you knew so well.

When Derek had finished talking, he waited for you to say something. And even though the magnitude of what he told you was…incredibly large to swallow in one sitting, your mind kept going back to one thing: Paige.

“You still love Paige, don’t you?”

Derek frowned as though you asked him if the sun rose in the east, “She was my first love of course I—”

Is that why you can’t say it? You wondered. Do you even love me?

“Hey, hey, hey,” Derek reached out his hands to your face.

You pulled away and looked in the mirror, “Great. I told myself I wasn’t going to cry.”

Derek looked at his hands as if they were a foreign part of him, changed in some way. Then he dropped them listlessly onto his thigh.

“Is he always present?” You changed the subject back to Derek. “Was he there when we were…”

“No, never!” He answered quickly. “Alyster comes and goes as he pleases, but usually he sticks to daylight hours. It’s like he knows when I’m…more likely to listen to him. Level headed, I mean.”

“The man who killed my ex-boyfriend is living in my current boyfriend’s mind.” You laughed, “Does he tell you to kill me when he pops up? Is he listening to us right now?”

Derek winced as if you had slapped him, “This is why I didn’t tell you.”

“You didn’t tell me a lot of things apparently.”

When you glanced back at Derek you realised you’d gone too far, been too harsh. The green of his eyes was so clear and pained. It was then that you noticed you felt anger towards him. That was the only way you could explain the fact you didn’t feel in the least bit bad for what you said. Even if it was harsh.

“I think its best if we sleep in separate rooms tonight,” was all you said as you turned away from Derek.

Derek didn’t say anything. His hands didn’t reach for you again. And he didn’t try to look you in the eye this time. When he closed the door behind him, you took the first real breath since the reception. Your head felt heavy and you didn’t know why. You got what you wanted, time alone, but why did it feel like you had lost all the same?

You looked at your reflection, anger shining through with the first light of dawn sneaking through the blinds.

“Did you want him to stay?” You asked your reflection. “Did you want him to fight to stay?”

Yes, your subconscious answered. We wanted him to stay.

#teen wolf #derek hale #derek hale imagine #derek hale x reader #reader insert #teen wolf imagine

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misscrazyfangirl321 · 4 years ago

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👀👀👀

Wow, it was a lot harder to decide which snippets to share than I expected.

I decided to go with all Haven fics for this, so here goes.

1. Dwight and Paige BROTP, post-canon

He is apparently past sheepish and into full-on embarrassment when he finishes, “I know, we’re way too close to the same age for me to feel paternal toward you. I didn’t even really realize I was doing it until now. Sorry. I’ll back off.”

And…. Yeah, they probably are too close to the same age. It’s definitely more than a little weird. On the other hand, it’s kind of sweet, and a little steadying. After all, it feels like she’s hitting walls every time she turns around in this town; there’s no denying that she’s lonely.

Decision made, she offers him a smile. “Actually, I grew up in the system, so I’ve never really had… Parents. It might take some getting used to, but I don’t mind.”

In spite of the spiel he just gave her, she cannot help but feel like she’s overstepping, like she’s asking for too much and making things awkward. But he’s offering, and it’s nice to feel like someone’s watching out for her without any ulterior motives.

The smile he gives her wipes away any hint of that fear.

Emboldened, she adds, “If that offer’s still open, I’d love to join you and Lizzie for lunch.”

“Of course.” He raises an eyebrow. “But I’m gonna expect you to eat all your vegetables.” He says it so seriously, she immediately breaks, a giggle slipping out. The corners of his eyes twitch, but otherwise, he holds the expression. “Don’t make me ground you, young lady.”

2. Nathan/Hannah, AU where Hannah actually lets Nathan take her away from Haven after they graduate, and they end up married:

She wakes to a low, steady beeping sound. Her eyes feel impossibly heavy, and it takes her a few tries to get them open, to take in her surroundings. She’s in a hospital room, and Nathan has taken the chair beside her bed. He’s asleep now, hand curled around hers.

Ice cold reality hits, the memories of the accident rushing back, and she gasps. “Nathan?”

He startles awake, jerking back. His head collides with the back of the chair, but his gaze is fixed firmly on her, eyes wide and afraid. “Hannah? Are you okay? Do you need-”

“Nathan, the baby,” she whispers, hardly daring to finish the question, tears already burning her eyes. That wreck-it was bad, she knows, and-she can’t deal with that, she can’t-

He relaxes immediately, leaning forward, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. The tension in her chest eases, even before he speaks. “Baby’s fine. They’re monitoring him, but.. It looks like he’s gonna be fine. So are you.”

A few tears slip out unbidden (that was close, too close, and she can’t do something like this again), and she reaches out, taking his hand once more. His studies their entwined hands, swallows hard, and gives her a gentle squeeze.

His words register slowly. “He?”

Nathan’s smile has always been the most beautiful one in the world, but now, it’s something else altogether. “He. We’re having a little boy.”

A rush of joy washes over her. It’s not that she prefers a boy to a girl; she’d be happy either way. But this is just another step, one more little detail they can know about the precious child they’re bringing into this world. “What are we going to name him? Daniel? James? Rickson?”

“Rickson?” Nathan raises a brow. “Why don’t we think about it later? Pretty sure you have a concussion.”

It takes her a few seconds too long to register the joke. “Hey, I like Rickson-” Suddenly, it hits her that, for all the things he’s told her, there’s one thing he hasn’t. “Wait, you said I was fine. You said our son was fine.” His grips tightens on her hand, and her heart drops. “What about you?”

“I’m fine,” he assures her, but his voice is thin, and he doesn’t meet her eyes.

“Nathan, what is it?” She tries to keep the panic out of her tone, but his eyes flicker, and she knows he hears it.

“Nothing. We’ll talk about it later.”

Which, that decidedly isn’t nothing, but okay. “Nathan, please, if you’re hurt, I need to know-”

“I’m not.” He refuses to meet her gaze, focusing instead on their hands. She strokes her thumb along the back of his, trying desperately to get through to him. He tracks the motion, but says nothing more.

She hates this, hates feeling like she’s back with her father, jumping through hoops to find the magic phrase so he’ll let her back in. “We were hit by a semi-”

“And I didn’t feel it!” He snaps, but in the next moment, all the fight drains from him. His shoulders sag, and he traces the back of her knuckle with slow, precise strokes. “I didn’t feel it.”

The echo is almost a whisper, and Hannah’s heart breaks at the defeat in it, even before it clicks. “You didn’t… Feel it?”

“Nope.”

No. This can’t happen. Not now. They don’t deserve this- “Nathan?”

“Hm?”

“Can you feel me right now?” She squeezes his hand for emphasis, probably too hard. He doesn’t even blink.

“Nope.”

Tears well up in her eyes. She frantically tries to blink them back, knows that the last thing he wants is to make her cry, but to no avail. The past fifteen minutes have been a roller coaster of emotions, and she cannot hold it back anymore. He flinches, and she tugs at his hand, pulling him even closer, clinging with all she is. As if, if she holds tight enough, he might feel her in spite of everything.

She gathers her voice, forcing herself to confirm what they both already know. “Your Trouble is back.”

3. Duke/Audrey, AU Season 3 finale, really just Angst In A Box

There’s nowhere to go, particularly, so they walk down the driveway, past the vehicles, to the edge of the property. It’s quiet, there; only the faintest hints of chatter from the restaurant carry so far.

They sit on the already-tattered grass, and she leans her head against his shoulder. His hand moves slowly up and down her arm.

“You have to move on,” she manages, though it sends aches all through her. “Have to-”

“I can’t promise that.” His voice breaks, and he holds her a little tighter. “I can’t. I would do… Anything you asked, but I can’t promise-I can’t. So please… Don’t ask me to.”

And she should. She knows this. She should push him to make the promise, because he never breaks his word to her. It’ll be good for him to move on and find someone else. But she can’t force the words from her throat.

He’s not saying he can’t move on, she reasons. He’s just saying it’s not a guarantee.

Finally, she allows for a compromise. “Okay, then promise me you’ll find someone. Hear me out,” she adds, when he opens his mouth to protest. “It doesn’t have to be like… Like this. It can be a dog, if you want, just…” She turns to meet his watery gaze, reaching up and stroking his cheek. “You have so much love inside you, Duke. Find someone to give it to when I’m gone?”

He shudders, but nods, pressing his forehead to hers. “I promise,” he breathes, voice shaking.

“Good.” With that out of the way, she lets herself fall forward, burying her face in his neck. He swallows, wrapping his arms more fully around her, and she has the vaguest sense that he’s trying to block out the world. That if the Hunter arrived right now, Duke would fight the meteors with his bare hands.

So many words dance on her tongue, begging to be said, but she doesn’t know if she has the strength. Tears trickle down her face, and she closes her eyes, soaking up what little time they have left.

#answered #thanks for the ask!#gelpen is great #havensyfy #daudrey #nathan x hannah #dwight & audrey #help i'm having old haven feelings #my writing #mine

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itssliyahhxoxo · 11 months ago

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Can you do a part 3 for Paige x leah about like a gender reveal and stuff and then end it with a going into labor cliff hanger

𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 pt 3

(𝐁𝐖𝐖𝐖)

(𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐞 𝐱 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐡)

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐲-what could it be

You were now 4 months going on 5 you didn’t what to know the gender but Paige did so for her you threw a surprise gender reveal party.

You had it set up at her parents house so you had the girls hold her back for the day so you and her mom and yours could set up the look on her face when she came out back was priceless.

You did all this for me she wrapped her arms around your waist yeah I know how bad you wanted this and you get the honors to reveal the gender you answered wrapping your arms around her neck.

Really her smile brightened yep you softly smiled pulling her into a kiss.

It was almost sunset, just a couple more minutes until the reveal when Paige pulled your father to the side nervously scared of him I mean just look at him he looks like he could crush her with one hand.

Gulping she started the conversation I-i know you don’t really like me like that but..I’m madly in love with your daughter and I would do anything to make her happy.

She then pulled out a small box and opened it rebuilding a diamond ring..I w-wanna marry your daughter..he blatantly stared at her with his arms crossed w-with your permission, of course she mumbled nervously.

There was a short pause before he answered bueckers if you hurt her I’ll beak your face he nodded making her gulp so t-that a y-yes he cut her off she slowly nodded and thanked him slowly walking away and bueckers he called out making her freeze.

I don’t hate you but I don’t like you either but if it make my little girl happy that I’d do like you..then I’m willing to try he finished and walk away Paige watched him walk away and shock.

Hey what was that all about you asked walking next to her w-what on yeah nothing she rushed out you gave her a weird look ok well it time you handed her a basket ball you had planned for her to to shoot her shot with the ball and when she did you have someone set up cannons.

Filled with pink or blue confetti that would go off when she did.

She took her position on the basketball court. Her parents had set up when she was little she nervously bounce the ball she took a deep breath before throwing the ball making it into the net the two cannons went off with a loud bang pink confetti and power shot into the sky.

Everyone screamed Paige jumping up and down she then ran towards you to spin you around tears in her eyes happy she got her girl.

Months later you know 8 months pregnant it was almost that time you and Paige now more careful then ever.

That night Paige decided to cook for you too that night you had to beg her to help with something finally saying yes she let you cut the vegetables as she sang her heart out to share my world as you laughed at her then all of a sudden you felt liquid fall down your leg making you freeze.

You looked down and saw a puddle of water form under you Paige you whispered in shock she didn’t hear you screaming to the top of her lungs the song lyrics.

Paige you yelled over her when you felt a sharp pain in your stomach what she paused and looked at you confused.

My water broke you answered her eyes widened and looked down and saw the puddle of water on the e floor she then looked back at you.

Holy shit.

#paige bueckers #kk arnold #azzi fudd #paige bueckers x reader #lesbians #pregnancy #gender reveal

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nightshade211 · 4 years ago

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Lay It All Out

I cried myself to sleep last night. No, I cried last night. There was no sleep. I thought it was bad before, I thought I could run from it, and that’s not the case.

I gave my heart, my soul, my everything, to him when I was just a teenager. He broke me the day before my senior year. I remember everything, in perfect clarity. Coming through the front door, company was all seated around the table, trying to hide my face and retreating into the upstairs bedroom. I was humiliated and hurt and completely lost. When he started dating Kelsey (an underclassman, hereby known as K) that was the salt in the wound. But it was whatever, I had gotten my best friend back, I was starting to move on, even though he was the only one that I really wanted to move on with.

I go off to college, still trying to fill the void. This wasn’t exactly the life I had planned and it was still missing something... him. I had heard several times (through the grapevine) that him and K were on the fritz again. I was back in town that weekend and he wanted to have dinner Friday night. I remember it well. I wasn’t going to give him the time of day, he hurt me! Mom convinced me and I ended up going. We went to Chili’s, I ordered the spicy chicken alfredo pasta that I love. Ate about 1/4 of it. Offered him my garlic bread but it remained untouched. He was trying, unsuccessfully, because I wasn’t letting him in. I was rude, I was blowing him off, I was answering texts during dinner. I couldn’t let him see that behind the facade, he was really the only person I wanted. I was terrified that I would seem weak to him, rushing back to him like nothing had ever happened between us. He told me to call, I said “well see.” I headed back to school that Sunday.

Sitting in the living room of my apartment, several thoughts and messages later, I realized I had to call him. I said “I’m sorry.” I had to let him know that maybe we could have a second chance at it. Four days, four days after we had dinner and I called from that chair. My heart deflated once again. It took him FOUR days and he was already back with K. I was once again, tossed aside. I spent the night in that chair. I didn’t have the strength to move. Alcohol drowned my woes the following night.

I watched from a distance. They break up, they get back together. K moves in, unofficially. K movies in, officially. K gets pregnant and all new feelings arise from the depth (see first post). Take another piece of my heart, why don’t you?

I’m in Missouri, they break up.. for good. The messages, the Snaps, they’re coming strong (see posts below). As I drive back and forth between Illinois and Missouri with SSM, we start meeting in the Target parking lot in Shiloh. We drive around, we talk, nothing unusual or fancy but it’s... it’s nice. I’ve missed this. What else I’ve missed? He thinks I look good, it’s like he’s craving me as much as I crave him, even though we’re no longer just ‘kids’ and we both have a kid. Just a touch. That’s all it took. The electricity was there, it was what I was missing for so long, and we ended up having sex one Friday night at his place.

But I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t break up my child’s home to chase after the “what if”-fantasy. What if he realized he made a mistake and went back to K? What if it was all too good to be true and he really doesn’t feel the same way? What if, what if, what if. And most importantly, what would I tell my son? My family?

I’m back in Illinois again, in Aviston now. He’s seeing someone, Paige (known as P) from Trenton. Her bestie is a mutual friend of mine, that was how I found out. The FB photo threw me. Damn social media. Every time I drove through Trenton I would take in my surroundings.. would he be driving by? Would he even acknowledge me if he knew it was me? Childish, I know, but I still did it. We snap, we message, very seldom do we text, but sometimes.

It had been a while, and I noticed but I was in a routine so I didn’t pay too much attention. But then I saw it. The very thing that he had told me three years prior he would never do. He was engaged. And to P. Again, another piece of my heart... gone. That was supposed to be me. That was supposed to be our life. To twist the knife, she was pregnant. The announcement came out in the new year and Zane was born a few months later.

We’re in Texas now. I keep running, running further away thinking that it will go away. That I will forget about him, drown myself in work and raising Kayden. My parents get a wedding invitation for November. I thought that was it. I thought it was over, he was officially over me. Or maybe he’d been for a long time and I just couldn’t face the truth. Yet the messages, the snaps, they keep coming and I’m helpless to stop them. Selfishly I don’t want them to stop. But they’re getting married. Even through COVID, they’re getting married. I can’t make myself believe it, but I have to accept it.

And yet I question it. Is this marriage legit? I go back to Illinois in September for my niece’s 1st birthday party. As I always do when in Freeburg, I go to see his grandparents (who are very much like my own grandparents) and he rolls in. I try to keep my composure, there’s too many people, and I know he sees right through me. My heart flip flops. I have to force myself to not stare and to look away. Nobody can know. He must’ve liked what he saw because he messaged me soon after he left. We made plans. Why do I fall under his spell?

Plans were made. Plans were executed. Wasn’t the most romantic of encounters, but I still replay every detail vividly. I said I question the legitimacy of their future marriage because P was in the house the entire time we were outside. I flew back to Texas the next day.

I don’t want to be his side line mistress and now I have the upperhand. If I expose us, there are so many factors that I would bet he hasn’t even taken into account. People who will be hurt, angry, or worse. But I want answers. I want the truth, even if it’s going to be the worst pain of my life (and that’s saying something because I went through childbirth completely natural). I want to close that door, lose it in the thick, and never find it again or I want to know if its a door of opportunity that needs opened wide. I can’t take the sleepless nights, the anxious waiting for that next message, or the social media posts that cut me deep.

I’ve tried to fill the void. Thought I could replace him with someone who was completely opposite of him and I was so incredibly wrong. I brought this, everything, on myself and now I am living with those choices. These words are hard to write, they’re hard to swallow and now that I’m being honest with myself, I have to be honest with everyone else. We know each other well enough to know that I won’t expose us.. at least not yet. I will carry that burden because it is just as much my fault as it is his. I was a teenager, I was in my 20s, and now I’m 30. How much longer?

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whitewolfofwinterfell · 5 years ago

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No rush, but if you're in the mood for another question: pick your one favorite and least favorite season of each of these series :) Charmed, BtVS, Angel, Friends, TVD. I know it's hard to pick just one favorite and one least favorite, so good luck ;)

Charmed

Favourite season: Season 4

What can I say about this season? It’s just brilliant. Although Prue is my favourite character, the aftermath of her death, introduction of Paige and transition to a new trio is handled brilliantly. I love the different dynamic that Paige brings to the show and how Piper and Phoebe’s worlds are completely turned upside down by losing Prue and finding Paige. I love getting to know Paige in episodes like A Knight to Remember and A Paige From the Paige, I adore seeing the process of Piper accepting Prue’s death and embracing Paige and their magic in episodes like Hell Hath No Fury and Lost and Bound. And despite the controversy surrounding the Cole/Source plot, I enjoyed Phoebe’s arc in this season with adapting to becoming the middle sister, getting married and pregnant and suffering the most life-changing, soul-destroying losses imaginable. We even got a Leo-centric episode with Saving Private Leo which finally gave us insight into Leo’s past. Season 4 is a consistently strong season in my opinion (albiet with a weak finale) and episodes like Charmed Again, Hell Hath No Fury, Charmed and Dangerous and Long Live the Queen are some of the most memorable episodes of the series for me. You can read more about why I love season 4 here.

Least favourite season: Season 8

This season is so weak. The show could’ve (and probably should’ve) ended with season 7 so the whole season suffers from a complete lack of direction. All of the characters have already gone full circle with their arcs and development so there’s nowhere new to take them. As a result, they all feel watered down. Phoebe and Paige lose all of their personality and spark, whilst Piper is reduced to a stereotype where her snark and sarcasm is taken to unnecessary levels. Billie and Christy are poor villains for the final show-down and neither actress fits within the show. They steal too much focus from the sisters and since it’s the final season this is the season that should be all about the sisters. In addition, there’s a complete lack of sisterly moments in this season, Darryl is absent and Leo is removed for a large part of the season. Not to mention, Paige and Henry and Phoebe and Coop are rushed romances established simply to give Phoebe and Paige their “happily ever after” for the season finale. Even the final episode is pretty weak. Whilst I appreciate the happy ending, it all seems cheesy and too good to be true, and it’s way too Piper-centric and lacks balance. You can read more about why season 8 is my least favourite here.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Favourite season: Season 2

This season is a solid and a really great season. We have Spike and Drusilla as the best villanous pairing in teleivision history, a brilliant two-parter with a dramatic twist in Surprise and Innocence, the Angelus arc which I never get tired of watching and a strong ending with The Becoming Part 1 and 2. For Passion alone this season deserves to take the number 1 spot, but my love for Angel/Angelus (and Bangel) only adds to how much I love the season.

Least favourite season: Season 7

Whenever I rewatch BTVS, I rarely make it through the final season. It’s just not a good season. I don’t like the direction Buffy and Spike’s relationship is taken in, I dislike the introduction of the Potential Slayers, the after-math of Willow’s dark arc is handled poorly, the Willow/Kennedy romance is rushed and completely forced, The First is a poor final villain to end the series with particularly following villains like the Mayor, Angelus, Spike and Dru. All of the supporting characters (Willow, Xander, Anya, Dawn etc.) are pushed aside and given no real arcs or development. Overall this season is completely forgettable and a very weak end to a brilliant series.

Angel

Favourite season: Season 2

Ah, it’s so hard to choose because it’s a toss-up between season 2 and 3. At this present moment, I’m going to go with season 2. I love Darla’s arc in this season and her dynamic with Angel, it’s also so satisfying to see Dru and Darla wreak havoc together. Angel gets pushed to arguably the darkest place he’s ever been (up until this point) and I love seeing him lose all faith in the world, life and humanity only to then have an epiphany where his entire perspective shifts and he gets absolute clarity. Seeing Cordy, Wes and Gunn go off on their own is great, I love their dynamic and how strong they are in this season. This is also the final season that features Kate, who I really like and think is very underrated. There’s a lot of focus on other minor characters who I love such as Lilah and Lindsey. This is also the season that we get the newest additions to Angel Investigations: Lorne and Fred. Honestly, the end of this season really lets it down for me, but the beginning and middle is so strong with Darla and Angel that it always sits near the top as my favourite season.

Least favourite season: Season 4

This probably won’t come as a surprise to any Angel fans reading this. Season 4 is undoubtedly the worst season of the series. It takes a beautiful, complex, well-developed character in Cordy and completely decimates her. Everything that she is and that fans love her for is stripped away, her agency is removed and she’s hijacked by an evil being who uses her body to commit horrendous acts. Seeing Cordy!Jasmine sleep with Connor will always make me feel physically sick. For Angel to have to witness that and endure the pain of seeing the woman he loves having sex with his adolescent son is disgusting. Overall, the treatment of Cordy and Connor in this season makes me so uncomfortable. Fred and Gunn’s relationship is dismantled to make way for Fred and Wesley, which in my opinion is by far the weaker ship. Even the appearance of Angelus and Faith later on in the season doesn’t make up for the rest of the season. Losing Cordy and Lilah are huge losses that also make this season my least favourite.

Friends

Favourite season: Season 3

This is a great season. Whilst every season of Friends is generally a mixed bag in terms of the quality of episodes, season 3 is pretty consistent. The ensemble feels at its strongest in this season and every episode gives focus to the group as a whole. Ross and Rachel’s relationship is great in this season and their break-up is genuinely heart-breaking; we have Janice this season who I find highly entertaining; Monica and Richard’s relationship which I enjoy (despite being a Mondler shipper) and of course, the chick and duck. Despite this being a sitcom, all of the characters go through genuine development in this season too. Joey gets to experience what it’s like to be on the other side of things when he falls for Kate who plays around with his feelings; Chandler navigates his first serious relationship with Janice where he has to try and overcome his fear of commitment and later deal with the hurt of their break-up; Monica deals with the loss of her first great love in Richard and has to reconsider what she wants from her future; Rachel progresses in her career and tries to establish her own identity and independence for the first time; Ross has to face up to the damage his relationship with Carol has done to him in regards to his jealousy and insecurity. It’s rare that we see character development like this in a sitcom, but season 3 is definitley a strong season for this. There are so many golden episodes from this season: TOW No One’s Ready, TOW the Flashback, TOW the Football and TOW the Morning After.

Least favourite season: Season 9

Lets get this straight, there’s no such thing as a bad season of Friends, however, this is the weasest season in my opinion. I don’t like Chandler’s move to Tulsa, the direction Ross and Rachel’s relationship takes, how Rachel’s feelings for Joey are handled and the two parter TO in Barbados is my least favourite season finale, I really, really don’t like those episodes. I also find that there are quite a lot of episodes in this season that are just plain bad and not funny like TOW the Sharks, TOW Phoebe’s rats and TOW Monica sings just to name a few. Overall, there’s not a single season 9 episode that I could name as being a favourite or even coming close to being on my top favourite episodes list.

The Vampire Diaries

Favourite season: Season 3

This is an easy choice for me (although season 2 is a very close second). I love season 3. It’s the season of the Originals and for that reason I can’t do anything else but love it. Klaus is the best villain and feels like a genuinely terrifying threat to the gang. The overall plot across the season is tight and well executed. Despite my dislike for the triangle, it’s handled amazingly in this season and it’s the only season where I can genuinely appreciate the triangle and the dynamics within it. As a Stelena shipper, I live for the angst between Stefan and Elena in this season and adore every single scene they have together. I also love Stefan’s arc with him being forced to become Klaus’ side-kick to save Damon and then being compelled to turn off his humanity despite how hard he fights against that. It’s a great season for Stefan’s character and shows the complexity of him better than the previous two seasons. Elena is also at her best in this season. Her strength and resillience really shines through and in this season she stops feeling like a by-stander and like someone that’s taking charge of her life and getting shit done. Alaric’s arc is dark and heart-breaking. Caroline and Tyler are strong in this season and they’re one of my favourite TVD ships. However, Klaus and Caroline’s dynamic is intruiging and brings a new flavour to the show. And although I never wanted Elena to become a vampire, the season finale is fantastic and a very strong ending to a brilliant season.

Least favourite season (note that I haven’t watched seasons 7 and 8): Season 5

Urgh, this season is just the worst. It totally retcons the mythology and history of the show with making Stefan a doppelganger. As much as I love Paul’s acting, Silas is such a crappy character. The Travellers are pointless; Damon and Elena’s on-again-off-again relationship is tiresome, the Augustine plot goes no where; the switch from high school to college is bumpy; Stefan is completely sidelined by awful writing choices; the best character on the show (Katherine) is done a huge disservice and her exit from the show is pitiful; Bonnie suffers once again (surprise, surprise); the introduction of Nadia just doesn’t work; there’s stupid scenes and episodes that are present for the sole reason of baiting Stelena shippers (5x04 and 5x18) and the finale is completely dumb. There’s not a single thing I like about this season.

Thanks for asking, lovely!

#answered #meant-to-be-waiting-for-me #my meta #charmed #buffy the vampire slayer #angel the series #friends #the vampire diaries

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breanime · 5 years ago

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Dynamite (Part Five)

Things start to get heavy here!

warning: violence, domestic violence

*cover by @moonlit-void-to-the-far-unknown*

Part Five: Got Dynamite

You woke up surrounded by the sun, feeling warm and safe and perfectly sore. You opened your eyes to see the sunlight illuminating your room, and you smiled as you sat up. Johnny was beneath you, looking like an angel as he slept. It had been so long since you’d felt this feeling, this unconditional, unstoppable, powerful love. You’d never felt like that for Miguel, even in your good days, but with Johnny… It was just so natural. You leaned down and kissed his cheek, his skin warm under your lips.

He grinned, his eyes still closed. “Yo,” he said, his voice deep and hoarse and making you clench your thighs together, “I don’t wanna ruin the mood, but I gotta say something…”

“Okay?”

He opened his eyes, and when he saw you, his smile widened. Your heart did a flip in your chest. The way he was looking at you… As if you hung the sun, which was crazy, because he did! “I never,” he said, “not even for a second, ever stopped loving you.”

You smiled back. “Me neither.” You leaned down and kissed him, feeling so light and warm and happy as he wrapped his arms around you. Being back in Johnny’s arms after so long was so much better than you’d ever imagined it would be—and you’d imagined it quite a few times.

“After this,” Johnny said, laying back with your head on his chest, “After today, once he’s back on American soil, Mikey, Briggs, and the team will arrest him.” You didn’t have to ask who “he” was. It was weird, discussing your husband in your marriage bed as you laid with another man—a man you loved far more than you’d ever loved Miguel.

You bit your lip. “And… after that?” You asked, trying not to let the insecurity show in your voice. Johnny was a Fed, after all, and you were… You were his case. Once it was over… would he leave you again? It’d been so easy for him the last time…

“After that,” Johnny answered, lifting your chin and looking into your eyes so you could see how sincere and serious he was, “It’s us, baby. Just us.”

You smiled, and your smile was like the rising sun to Johnny. You kissed him, which lead to another few hours lost in the sheets.

Later, Johnny stood in front of you, his hands on your face as he kissed you. “Next time we see each other,” he said, smiling, “everything will be different. Well, not everything—not the way I feel about you.”

You smiled back, feeling like you could fly, you felt so light and happy, weightless in your overwhelming bliss. “Hurry back to me.”

Johnny leaned down, his soft lips brushing against yours as he spoke. “I am never leaving you again,” he promised, “I never should have left in the first place…” He kissed you, his arms wrapping around you, bringing you closer. “I love you.”

“I love you,” you said, meaning those three words with all of your heart, “See you soon.”

“Soon,” he promised.

Hyped up on love, as soon as you were alone, you rushed up to your room. You slammed a suitcase down onto the bed and started packing. You were floating, grabbing garments and perfumes, and stuffing them into your bag. Honestly, you’d be happy to leave with nothing if that meant you could be with Johnny, but you figured you couldn’t go with him wherever he was staying now, so you anticipated having to stay in a hotel. You spun around the room, giggling to yourself as you packed. Johnny loved you. He loved you. He loved you. God, you had wished for him for so long, missed his touch and kiss and smile—and now he was back. He was with you. It was almost too much, the joy, too good to be true—but that was Johnny. You knocked something down, and you bent down to pick it up.

It was your wedding photo.

You stared down at it, a feeling of sadness on the edge of your ecstasy. You had loved Miguel, once. And you really did try, at first, to be a loyal and forgiving wife, but… You were never meant to be with him, and he was never meant to be with you. Maybe he was supposed to be with Emily, or Adelita, or some other powerhouse of a woman, but whoever it was; it wasn’t you. You put your hand on his photo, looking down at the man you married and feeling nothing for him. You were supposed to be with Johnny, you’d always known that, and now, you had the chance to be with him again. You got to start over, you got to be draped in this sunshine again, and you couldn’t wait to—

“Going somewhere, mi amor?”

You stopped cold, your heart freezing in your chest. Slowly, you turned to see Miguel standing in the doorway, smirking over at you with a cold look in those dark eyes of his. He walked over to you, and you were frozen in your spot. He grabbed your wrist, and you dropped the picture.

“You and Johnny have plans?” He asked, his grip like a vice. He let out a humorless laugh. “What, you think I didn’t see you drooling over him like a dog?”

“W-what do you care?” You shot back. “You don’t even want me anymore!”

“You are mine,” he growled, shaking your wrist, his eyes on his ring on your finger, “My wife! Not some… common whore!”

“Whore? Are you mistaking me for your ex-wife?” You yelled back, trying to pull your arm out of his grasp. “Or for yourself?”

“Watch how you talk to me—”

“How the fuck are you gonna lecture me when your breath still smells like blonde pussy—” Your words were interrupted by Miguel’s hand slamming into your face. You fell back, hitting the dresser. Miguel had never struck you before, but as you looked up at him, your jaw stinging and heart pounding, you knew it was only the first hit…

…and not the last.

Johnny had gotten into his car, his heart so full he thought it might burst, and turned his phone on. He had a few calls and messages from the team, the last one telling him to report to Graceland ASAP. He drove absentmindedly, his heart and mind on you. He felt like a fool, wasting all those years when he could have been with you—but he had you now, and he wasn’t going to let you go ever again. He hopped out of the car and floated into the house, unable to keep the smile off of his face—you just had that effect on him. But he stopped when he walked into the house.

“—a complete farce!” Mike was yelling.

“Who made that call? Give me his name!” Briggs screamed.

Johnny jogged into the room. “Whoa, whoa, what’s going on?”

Holden was standing in the living room, arms crossed, and that sour look on his face, and Mike and Briggs looked like they were both about to burst a blood vessel. “Agent Tuturro,” he sighed, “How many times do I have to tell you to keep your phone on when you’re working a case?”

“Johnny,” Mike turned to him, his blue eyes full of emotion, “this—I—I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” He frowned, looking over at Briggs. “Yo, what is he talkin’ about?”

“Head Agent Holden made an executive decision at the last second,” Briggs explained, his eyes hot with fury, “We weren’t able to apprehend Galindo.”

“What?!” Johnny spun towards Holden, his heart pounding now for a completely different reason now. “Why the fuck not?!”

“The government has decided not to arrest Galindo until he’s made a deal with the full team present,” Holden began.

“Because having Briggs and I there just wasn’t enough!” Mike shouted, disgusted.

“AND it has to be on U.S soil,” Holden continued, “The Mexican government refuses to implicate a Galindo, and without their backing, any crimes committed on their side of the border is out of our hands—”

“—we have enough to indict him,” Briggs argued, “with Y/N’s testimony and the evidence she’s given us, we can put him away!”

“Only for a few months, and with his legal team, he’d be out before we could even construct a worthwhile case,” Holden said back, “We need more time, need to gather more intel—”

“—we can’t keep her in there,” Johnny cried, nearing panic, “I promised her I would get her out!”

“Well,” Holden shrugged one shoulder, “that’s why we don’t sleep with our informants, Tuturro.”

Briggs and Mike moved at the same time, grabbing Johnny as he lunged at Holden, holding him back. Johnny pushed against them, but they held him off, pushing him back a few feet. Holden jumped back, eyes wide. “You—you’re too close, Tuturro! I’m pulling you off this case!”

“What?!” Mike yelled.

“You can’t do that!” Johnny shouted.

“Johnny’s the closest one to the cartel right now, you can’t pull him out!” Briggs added.

“I can, Agent Briggs, and I am,” Holden said, glaring at them as he adjusted his tie, “because I’m in charge. Me. And I don’t need a disgraced wildcard,” he turned his gaze to Johnny, “or an emotional hothead,” he glared over at Mike, “or a snitch telling me what to do.”

Johnny felt a great sense of hatred bonding him, Mike, and Briggs in that moment, and he balled his fists up, eager to punch that smug motherfucker straight in the face. But before he could, Paige and Charlie burst in, out of breath.

“We have to get to Y/N!” Paige said, running into the room.

“Agent Arkin, we don’t—” Holden began.

“What’s going on?” Johnny asked, stepping up.

“Emily’s locked up,” Paige reported, “she’s in holding downtown now, and she told me that Miguel is on his way to kill Y/N!”

Johnny wasted no time, running out of the house with his team at his back. Holden stared after them, jaw dropped. No one even spared him a look back.

They broke every speed limit to get to your place, breaking down the door and rushing in. Johnny lead the team up the stairs and into your room, his gun drawn. But when he stepped in—

—the room was empty.

“Clear!” Charlie called into the radio from her position in the house.

“Clear!” Briggs reported.

“All clear!” Mike said.

“Clear down here, too!” Paige said.

Johnny lowered his weapon; the room was a mess, and he felt his skin grow cold when he saw blood on the mirror. He walked towards the bed, noticing a suitcase overturned on the floor before he saw a paper on the bed. “Guys,” he said into his radio, “Up here…”

The team found him standing in the same spot, staring down at the paper.

“What is it, Johnny?” Briggs asked, standing beside him.

Johnny didn’t answer. Briggs took the paper—a polaroid picture—out of Johnny’s hand, and hissed. It was a simple photo of a worn-down church pew with a short, poignant message written beneath the picture. The message was written in blood.

Serrano- Hope you were worth it.

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

Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think! Oh boy... Things are getting too spicy for the pepper! Let me know how you felt about this chapter: the good, bad, and the ugly! I’ll post the final part tomorrow--any predictions? It’s gonna be angstyyyyyy....

Johnny Tuturro Taglist: @beardburnsupersoldiers @feelingsandemotionsnotexplored @jamielennkeeler @honeym-daddi @missjessie21 @tashawar @smoooore @texasbama @chaotic-rayofsunshine @uhlxis @langiinspirations

#johnny tuturro x reader #johnny tuturro imagine #johnny tuturro series #johnny tuturro #dynamite #manny montana

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wolfpawn · 5 years ago

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Once Bitten Twice Shy

Summary - Paige Winters is a writer who returns from meetings in the US to turn her books into a movie only to find her fiance in *HER* bed with another woman. Tom Hiddleston is due to begin his stint as Robert in Harold Pinter's Betrayal and realises that a good friend of his best friend's wife Sophie is the perfect woman to discuss his character's heartache with. The only issue is, their night of discussing the character turns to a simple one-night stand, that doesn't stay quite so simple. Due to other people's ideas, the pair allow themselves to be forced into a fake relationship which teaches them a lot about themselves and one another. Can Tom find something he always felt was missing and can Paige learn to trust another man after her past betrayal?

This is from my Lass_kicker profile on ao3.

Paige sighed as the cab went through the streets of London. It was raining, surprise, surprise; it was March, after all, it was practically the default setting for Spring in England. It simply seemed all the more cold and wet as she had spent the previous two weeks in LA sorting the last of everything needed to turn her book series into a movie. They wanted her there for that, the production team had plans they wanted her to look over with them. The last book was due to be released before the film was completed and they wanted to know how to end it. So with NDA’s, quiet meetings and hard work, she had sorted everything. It was a long and tedious time but it would be worth it in the end, or so she told herself ad nauseam when she was suffering jetlag and repeating herself constantly to people.

She looked at the ring on her hand, the diamond gleaming in the streetlights as she passed them, causing her to smile. She thought of Derek as the car made its way closer to her home. He liked to relax for a period after cooking dinner and watch TV or play the PlayStation before going to bed early. He worked odd hours, part-time, a mix of days and overnights but it meant that she could focus on her books when he was gone and enjoy his presence when he was home. Her income meant he could work sporadically whilst going back to college to get a degree, something she had assisted in, wanting him to achieve the goals they had spoken of in their early courtship. With her book deal, she bought a beautiful two bedroomed home in Archway, a solid investment as the area had been cheap when she bought but had been on the up since. All this allowed them to maximise their home and work/study life as best they could when she suggested he move in with her. The wedding had been set back because she wanted to get the last book sorted but as she was on the home-straight for that, she had started paying for different things for the wedding; the dress, deposit for the reception, it was all coming together.

The car came to a halt outside the address she had given and seeing the dim lights of a lamp downstairs, she frowned. Clearly, Derek was on an overnight shift and had let the light come on automatically on a timer. She had hoped he would be home, with two weeks without him, she felt somewhat in want of her significant other, as she had hoped they could spend the evening in bed, getting reacquainted after their forced time apart. Sighing, she paid the cab driver, took her suitcase and dragged it up the steps. She went in and frowned when she was not greeted by the warning to deactivate the alarm, she threw her eyes up. More than once she had argued with Derek about putting on the alarm when leaving for safety reasons, and that was in the last calendar month alone. She put her keys in the bowl, locked the front door and dragged her bag to the utility room to put her clothes for a wash, she rather do it now and not face it the following morning. Weary, she contemplated just ordering a takeaway and going to bed soon after but knowing that she would appreciate it far more the next night watching TV, she instead went to the freezer and took out some lasagna she had frozen, just for convenience. She walked into the kitchen and placed it in the microwave, the appliance beeping as she pressed the different buttons before the hum of it working sung throughout the room. Deciding to treat herself, she turned and went to the glass cabinet and reached for a wineglass, pausing for a moment when she realised there were only two rows of glasses and not an incomplete three since she and Derek had caused the set to lose one the previous Christmas when they celebrated his asking her to marry him by being amorous on the sitting room couch. Frowning, she looked around and realised there were a few things she should have noticed when she came in.

Derek’s phone was charging on the countertop. That told her he was home but it was only eight in the evening, surely he had not crashed out at such an hour, she thought. She walked into the living room and her stomach clenched, her body temperature seemed to shoot up several degrees at once and she felt her hairs stand on her skin.

There were the two missing wine glasses from her cupboard, as well as a black coat from A/Wear she had seen on a mannequin only a month previous that she had thought to perhaps purchase herself, knowing that Spring in England was as likely to be cold as it was wet or dry or warm, she inhaled deeply, noting the shake in her breath as she did so. All of a sudden, the idea of wine or dinner didn’t seem so appetising. She took the two glasses and brought them into the kitchen, placing them by the sink. They had been a gift from her brother when she moved in. He had been there to help her that weekend, Derek had been out of town, and they sat back and admired their handy work with a bottle of wine in paper cups, both siblings laughing at the lack of glasses of any manner in the house, as a result, he went and bought her a set. There was never a time she looked at them without smiling at the memories they invoked with her and her brother, until now. They had two sets of glasses in the house, the cheaper ones and her favourite for special occasions, for Derek to use her good ones, that stung.

Looking at the microwave, still rotating her meal around, she decided to have a tea instead. She went and made it, slowly stirring as she thought of what was going through her mind. The clang of something hitting the floor above her caused her to be forced to say to herself what was occurring in her home at that moment. The sensation of dread grew within her as she did so but she remained where she was and continued to make her tea, noting that Derek didn’t even have the decency to get full-fat milk for her supposed return the following day like she had requested, in fact, there was nothing she had asked for him to get in the house and she very much doubted he had planned to rush out and get it in the morning, especially if his lady friend remained for the night, surely he would have been more concerned with organising everything for her return to prevent her getting suspicious. She had asked specifically would she order a Tesco delivery or something but no, he said he would get everything, yet here she was, without even a Viennese biscuit to have with her tea as her relationship crashed to Earth above her. There were a few more noises before she focused on the clink that occurred every time her teaspoon hit the side of her cup. In the end, even the sound of that caused her to feel irritated. With her tea in hand, she sat and she waited.

How long Paige sat there, she was not entirely sure. The microwave had declared that time was up and to retrieve her meal, the tea was half drunk, the rest cooling as she sat there, on the stool, facing the hallway, unsure of what she was even waiting for when the door upstairs opened and she heard footfalls go through the landing of her home before descending the stairs. Inhaling deeply, she prepared for the oncoming conflict. A moment later, a very startled looking woman wearing only a pair of panties and an open shirt belonging to Derek was looking at her. “Oh...I...Paige, right?”

Paige could only scoff at the woman knowing her name and acting so nonchalantly. “Yeah, Paige.” She confirmed coldly. “And you are?”

“Nicola, I’m Derek’s girlfriend. He told me all about you. He said that you were in flitting between France and Canada for work. Where in France are you based, I studied in Lyon.”

Paige had been prepared for a lot of different interactions with the woman that would be in bed with her fiancé, she was not prepared for this particular one though. “I...I’ve never been to France or Canada.”

Nicola looked at her in confusion. “I...why would Derek say otherwise? He has that picture of you two and your brother Phillip on his phone?”

“Phillip is his brother, yes. And I am sure the picture you are referencing was from his thirtieth, but…”

“Love, what are you up to down there?” Came Derek’s voice from where Paige suspected to be the bedroom door.

“I’m talking to your sister.”

“Sister?” She wanted to laugh at the sheer confusion in Derek’s voice at Nicola’s comment. A moment later, he descended the stairs and turned to see who she was referencing. Seeing Paige, he physically stepped backwards. “I…”

“I think you’ve been caught,” Paige completed the sentence for him. “And in spectacular fashion.”

“Paige…” He stepped forward towards the kitchen, wearing only a pair of boxers. “I can explain.”

“I very much doubt it.”

“Look, I know that this is not ideal for a first meeting but it’s not that bad really, is it? I mean, you’re around my age, you know how odd meeting family can be, surely, it could be worse if your Mum was here too,” Nicola asked, trying to defuse the situation.

Paige looked at the other woman, the one she loathed entirely as she awaiting Derek to come downstairs but at that moment, she realised that Nicola was genuinely ignorant as to the significance of the situation.

Derek seemed to realise also and stepped towards Nicola. “Why don’t you go upstairs for a moment while I deal with this, okay?”

“I think she deserves to know the truth too, Derek. Don’t make any more of a fool of her,” Paige suggested to him. She toyed with the ring on her hand before walking forward and handed it to him. “I think it is safe to say I don’t need this anymore. Hopefully, it will get you a deposit on a new place to live.”

“Oh, God.” It was at that moment that Nicola realised all was not as she had been made to think it was as she watched the ring go into Derek’s hand.

“Paige….” Derek walked towards her. “It was an accident.”

“I am not sure what constitutes an accident to you, Derek, but fucking another woman, having her believe she is your girlfriend while your fiancée is working on getting everything sorted so we could have a nice wedding is definitely not an accident in my eyes. There is no way what you did constitutes such.”

“You…” Nicola looked at Paige in shock.

“That picture you saw, of him, myself and Phillip, he lied. I assume he forgot to change his screensaver and came up with that story to placate any worries you may have had. I’m not his sister, I was his fiancée.” She looked at Derek. “Get your things, and get out of my home.”

“It’s my…”

“I bought it, the mortgage is in my name.” Her voice was sterile and even. “Get your things and get out of my home.”

“Paige…”

“Now, Derek.”

“But I can’t get everything now.”

“Then enough for the night then, I will have the rest outside the door for you at noon tomorrow. And don’t you dare waste time arguing, Mark’s on his way.”

Derek swallowed. Paige was slight enough at a mere five foot six but Mark was somewhat more sturdy built at six foot three and, as Paige often joked, the same in width. He had played rugby in school and could have gone professional but his passions were another path and he left it in school. He still worked out and was formidable looking. He had joked to Derek before that he would crush him if he hurt his sister, Derek did not want to test that threat. “Nicole.” He went to take the other woman’s arm but she pulled away from him.

“So what, you cheat on her, she says get out and you think I will take you? You lied to me.” Her hurt was more vocal than Paige’s. She turned and faced Paige, who was looking at her stoically. “I am so sorry, I swear, I never knew. He never said. If I had known...”

“You didn’t, I can’t blame you. I want to. I want to be angry with you but you didn’t cheat on me, he did. But thank you and I’m sorry he hurt you too.”

Nicola nodded slightly, startled at Paige’s consideration for her in all of it. “I...I better get dressed.” She turned and walked up the stairs leaving Derek and Paige alone.

“Paige…”

“I don’t want to hear it.” She stated. “I gave you everything I had, Derek, time, effort, me, money to help you achieve your goals, and you throw it all back in my face. How long?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“I didn’t ask did it matter, I asked how long?”

“A couple of months.”

That stung. “Is she the only one?”

“Yes.” She stared at him analytically. “No.”

Paige nodded slightly. “I mean it, get what you need and get out. Noon tomorrow, your things will be outside, Mark will be inside here with me and I don’t want to hear or see you again.” She stated before shaking her head. “What did I do wrong, why?”

“You’re always so busy. Books, LA, movies, book tours, writing, you spend more time writing than with me.”

“It’s my job to write, Derek. This wasn’t news to you. I had ‘The Swords’ published when we met. We met because of it. You asked me how much work I did for my books before you even asked me out. I worked my writing around your work schedule, taking into account your overnights to do so.” He gave a slight glance to the side. “You didn’t work overnights, did you?” He said nothing. “You...that long?” She thought of the day he told her he was taking some night shifts at weekends so to assist him through his course financially over a year ago. She had been somewhat upset that it meant they would rarely have a weekend night together anymore, but she had accepted it as she thought that he had accepted her work schedule.

“I am too young to sit in on Friday nights watching documentaries and reading like some old fart.” He argued. “You’re too boring, even the sex is boring, you don’t even try to spice it up.”

His words felt like sharp daggers to the stomach, but Paige stayed strong, not wanting him to see the hurt. “Then why stay? You would have been far happier as a single man, why stay, why ask me to marry you?” He didn’t answer. In her heart, Paige knew. “I was just a financier to you, wasn’t I, an ATM? Use me to fund life and get your kicks elsewhere.” She huffed slightly. “Fine, bigger fool me.” She heard the sound of shoes upstairs. “I said no shoes upstairs, is there anything you respected while you acted as you did?” Again, no answer. “Unbelievable.”

Nicole descended the stairs looking shameful as Derek went up without a word. “I’m sorry, again. I never would have…”

“It’s not your fault, you don’t owe me an apology. The one who does has remained silent.” She indicated to the kettle. “Tea?”

“I…?” Nicola looked at her in bewilderment.

“It is too late for a bus and a cab will be a bit so how about some tea while Shitbag gets going and then we get you home safe and sound.”

“You really don’t hate me?”

“I hate what happened but I can’t hate you, it wasn’t your fault. You didn’t know. You thought you were in a loving relationship too.”

“I thought it was weird, his work schedule, how we usually came to mine but it’s far smaller and I have a roommate. It’s clear now, he was avoiding us coming here to keep us away from you.”

“Most likely, yes. My schedule is messy at best.” Paige acknowledged as she boiled the kettle.

“How are you so calm? I feel like Hell.”

“I will probably break down crying when I am by myself or when my brother comes.”

“Does he live close by?”

“Oxford.”

“So he won’t be too long.”

“I will contact him when Derek is gone.”

“I thought you did already?”

“If he came while Derek was still here, I would be trying to prevent a guy nearly twice my size from murdering the man I just found out cheated on me, more than once. I don’t think I would be overly inclined to stop him.”

“Me either.” Nicola agreed.

The pair said very little as they heard the footsteps above them and the sound of different wardrobe doors and drawers slam closed.

“You’d swear you just said you found someone else and wanted him gone, not the other way around,” Nicola commented.

“Yeah, mature, he is not being.” Paige agreed.

Not long after, Derek walked down the stairs, a suitcase in hand and looked at both women for a moment. “I…”

“We don’t care. Have a nice life, Derek.” Paige walked forward and opened her front door. “Mark is just getting some takeaway in Mario’s so I would be hurrying up if I were you. He’s not best pleased.”

“My PlayStation…”

“MY PlayStation. I bought it, my card is the one on the account, I bought the games. I am not giving you any more money. It was meant to be for my loving fiancé, you lost the right to anything I bought here. If you want it, you can buy it off me, a hundred and fifty, if not, fuck off.”

Derek said little else as he walked out the door of the house, but Paige was certain there was an utterance of the word “Bitch” as he did so but she left it go. She only wanted him to leave. When his cab beeped to inform him it was there, she closed the door, not even waiting for him to get into it.

“I will call mine now.” Nicola took out her phone.

“I can drive you if you want. It’s not safe at this hour.” Paige offered.

“I have ruined your evening enough at this stage.”

“You ruined nothing, you never knew. Please, let me bring you home. I don’t like the idea of leaving anyone out alone. Give me a second to contact my brother, he can be on his way while I bring you.”

“Okay, sure. Thank you.” Nicola gave a weak smile.

Twenty minutes later and with a promise that Mark had his girlfriend Fiona with him and they were on their way, Paige indicated out into traffic again after leaving a grateful Nicola to inform her flatmate of her eventful evening and head back to her home, grateful that Fiona said that she would deal with Paige’s bedroom so she did not have to clean her bedsheets after everything.

Within the hour, Paige was in a hug from her brother who insisted on forcing her to eat. All the time she ate, she swore to herself she wouldn’t allow herself to be made a fool like that again.

#Once Bitten Twice Shy #Chapter One #tom hiddleston

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the-beastslayers-queen · 6 years ago

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A Dangerous Game: Chapter 2

Chapter 2 as promised. Tagging: @queenofthearchitect @biforbecky2belts @writtingrose and @mrsambroserollinsacklesmgk If anyone wishes to be added to the taglist for this beauty, hit my inbox or chat.

I was left alone at the bar of the club, Seth having not returned since he left. I was sipping on my cocktail, glancing down at the napkin he gave me. I sighed and tucked it into my purse before working on finishing my drink so I could order another one. I was going to get drunk tonight. I mean, I never asked to be set up with McIntyre and I wasn’t looking forward to what was coming for me. With meeting Seth, I saw that this marriage is not right for me.

“There ye are,” I turned to find Becky coming up to stand next to me, “Finn and Drew asked me to look after ye while ye have some drinks.”

“Oh so Drew can make sure I don’t get wooed by someone else and break off everything,” I replied with heavy sarcasm, “He doesn’t need to worry about me. He just met me and I doubt he’d care if I let loose and get tipsy tonight.”

Seth

I finally made it over to the VIP section where my “dad” was sitting with Bayley, Charlotte, and Paige close by. Sasha stood close by with Ruby, Liv, and Sarah on watch over the girls. At the closest emergency exit Mandy and Sonya stood watch. Dean, Roman, and I circled around to stand behind Hunter, our adoptive father.

“Finn,” Hunter stood up and reached over to shake hands with the shorter Irishman as he came walking up with two guards on his flank, “Thanks for meeting with us. I’m sure your sister is pleased to be matched with McIntyre and I’m honored to be here at the engagement party you’re hosting for her.”

“Hunter,” Finn’s accent was very thick as he greeted Hunter, “I know that alignin myself with McIntyre ruffled yer feathers a little and I wanted to make sure we stay on good terms.”

“I’m sure you do,” Hunter sat back down as Finn sat across from him, “Now I know you are looking for a bride for yourself. I have daughters I am willing to match you with. So pick your bride.”

“I was hoping to have Bayley as my bride,” he replied, “But I am not inna rush to put a ring on her finger. Wit’ your blessing, I’d like to get know all of the daughters ye have to offer for me and get a chance to know t’em before I make my choice.”

“That’s fair,” Hunter nodded, “I’ll allow it. I’m sure my girls will be alright with that. Right girls?”

“Yes dad,” Bayley replied first.

“Yeah sure,” Paige added second.

“Well of course Hunter,” Charlotte replied, “But you’ll also have to meet my dad, Ric, too Finn.”

“I am at yer mercy, lasses,” Finn smiled at my sisters, certainly charming the trio, “Now if ye’ll excuse me, I need to go find my sister. I’ll be in touch.”

With that last remark, Finn left the VIP section and went in the direction of the bar. I went over the couch he was previously sat and took a seat. I had my doubts about this. I had to.

My role in The Authority as The Architect meant I was the go-to hacker for the family business. I had to protect our assets on the internet. I also served as an enforcer with my two brothers, Dean and Roman, as The Shield. We’re tasked with being top security for Hunter whenever he has to go out to conduct family business. Between the three of us, I’m the most level-headed under pressure. I also have the best control on my temper. But the moment you piss me off, I will not hesitate to put a couple bullets into you. Hunter won’t confess it, but I’m his favorite among the three of us because of my talents behind a keyboard for creating my two most famous programs. My first is able to wipe out your bank account and record of your existence from the internet without leaving a trace, which I nicknamed Oracle. My second is a defensive program that will stop any foreign programs that try to get into our servers to steal our money or secrets, which is called Cerberus. I am also the only one with access to either program so I made sure I was too valuable to be disposed of.

“So are we going to maintain alliance with Bálor Club,” I asked Hunter, “Or do I need to send the word out to stay on guard if they decide to start a war with us with McIntyre backing them?”

“We’re going to keep things as they are,” Hunter warned me, “We’re not going to encourage them to start a war after all the help they gave us a couple years ago. For now, we’ll play this out and see if Finn is going to follow through on making our partnership more solid with a marriage to one of your sisters. If McIntyre starts anything, we’ll see if Finn is willing to consider a new match for his sister.”

“Who would you match up with her,” I asked.

“More than likely I’d match up Cesaro or Roman to the girl,” he replied, “As for you, Seth, I’m not ready to match you up with anyone for the sake of an alliance. I’d rather have you find a girl of your own outside the business. Maybe eventually get out of the business.”

“Anyway,” I stood up from my seat, “I’m going to go outside, maybe get a cab home. I’ll see you in the morning for the meeting with the rest of the family.”

I walked out of the club, happy to now be able to hear myself think. As I came out I looked over to find Cat leaning against the wall of the club, typing away on an iPad. I smirked to myself and decided to go talk to her again.

Cat

“What are you done partying already,” Seth smirked as he leaned on the wall next to her, “What are you working on?”

“Just fine tuning a program I’ve been working on,” I replied as I put away my iPad, “I’m not done partying, but I’m heading out to a different bar that is more my speed. You are welcome to join me, if you’d like. After all, you still owe me a couple rounds since we were interrupted earlier.”

“Alright you got me there,” Seth chuckled as he got out his phone, “I’ll get us a cab and you can tell the driver where we’re going.”

“Okay, you can tag along,” I agreed, “But just stick close to me when we get to where we’re going. It’s going to be in a rough neighborhood.”

Seth and I waited for the cab he called to come pick us up. I talked about how growing up in Ireland and the US and he was intrigued by the fact that I’m self-taught in programing and electrical engineering despite majoring in criminal psychology and minoring in accounting. Once the cab finally arrived I climbed in first and gave the cabbie the address of where we were going before Seth could get in and hear where we were going.

“So I don’t get to know where we’re going,” he asked as the cab pulled away from Bullet Club and started heading out of the nice neighborhood we were in.

“Nope,” I replied with emphasis on the “p.”

“Since I’m not knowing where we’re going,” Seth started, “Can I get your number since you have mine?”

“Sure,” I replied as I held out my hand, “Hand me your phone and I’ll add it to your contacts.”

Seth dug his phone out of his back pocket of his jeans and unlocked it before putting it in my hand. I looked down at his phone and saw the background of his home screen was of him and a really pretty girl draped on his arm.

“Is this you and your girlfriend,” I asked him as I opened his contacts.

“My ex actually,” he replied sadly, “I haven’t gotten around to changing it yet. We were going to get married.”

“What happened,” I asked him, hoping I wasn’t hurting him with asking about her.

“She found out about what I did for a living and left me,” he replied, “She didn’t want to be involved in what I did and called it quits.”

“That’s a bummer,” I sighed and grabbed his hand, “I’m sorry she left you. Surely you’ll find ‘the one’ again.”

“Maybe,” he sighed and looked down at our hands, “For now, I just want to go out with you to this surprise place and have a few drinks.”

When we finally pulled up to our stop, Seth paid the cabbie for the fare and climbed out of the cab. He turned around and helped me out of the cab and I led the way inside of my favorite place, The Coup De Grace. I smiled as I saw my favorite member of the Club, Tama Tonga, helping out the bartenders behind the bar. He draped his hand towel over his shoulder and smiled at me as he saw me come in.

“If it isn’t my favorite patron,” Tama laughed as he came around the bar to give me a big old bear hug, “And you brought a date, how cute.”

“Tama,” I smiled and hugged him, “This is Seth.”

“So I take it your brother has no idea you snuck away from your party,” he asked as he led us over to the bar.

“You know for a fact that this old place is more my speed than Bullet Club is,” I told him as I sat down with Seth at the bar, “Besides, I like seeing my favorite Tongan.”

“You’re damn right I’m your favorite,” Tama laughed as he got a glass out from under the bar, “Do you want your usual tonight or do you want me to surprise you.”

“I’ll take my usual,” I replied, “What’s your poison, Seth?”

“I’ll have a whiskey straight on the rocks,” he replied, “If that’s cool with you Tama.”

“You got it brother,” Tama got to work on my drink and on Seth’s whiskey.

“So I got to ask how the hell you found this place,” Seth asked, turning towards me.

“Find it,” I chuckled at his question, “I run the joint. This is basically my bar. I just happen to own it with my brother. He also owns the Bullet Club.”

“Well who’s your brother,” he asked.

“Seth Rollins,” I placed my hand on my chest as Tama placed my drink down in front of me, “You are just full of questions. How about I ask about you first. Maybe the next time we have drinks I’ll answer your question.”

“Then ask away,” he replied before taking a sip of his whiskey.

“So I have to ask you,” I thought it over for a minute, “What do you do for a living your fiancé left you?”

“I’m the IT guy for The Authority,” he replied, “I also keep tabs on the money. I’m Hunters youngest adopted son. I’m also an enforcer and I primarily serve as a guard for Hunter when he’s out on business. I sometimes tag along with my brothers as part of the Shield to be the muscle for Hunter.”

“I can see why she wouldn’t want to mixed up with you,” I took another sip of my drink, “Have you killed anyone.”

“I haven’t yet,” he replied, “But I’ve had to erase people that were taken out by my brothers though. Dean and Roman are more than willing to pull the trigger than I am.”

“I can admire a man with a disciplined trigger finger,” I placed my hand over his, “And I can admire a guy I can talk code and algorithms with.”

“I will not trade secrets with you though Cat,” he replied, “I’m not letting anyone figure out how to trick Cerberus, my defensive program I built for The Authority. That is my pride and joy and I will die before I share its code.”

“That’s fair,” I replied, “I would never ask for the code to the programs you use for The Authority. If I ask about code, it would be suggestions to help me bolster the strength of my programs or to help me build new programs.”

“Now making new programs would be fun,” Seth replied as he finished his drink, “I think I should head home for the night. I’ll text you when I get home. Please text me when you get home, Cat. Maybe we can do this again sometime. I think I’m going to have to hit you up for more drinks. Maybe dinner sometime too.”

“Have a good night, Seth,” I walked him outside and waited until his cab came to pick him up. Once he was on his way, I went back in to continue talking to Tama.

“So does he know about you being in the Club and engaged to McIntyre,” Tama asked as he cleaned some glasses.

“Not yet,” I replied as I continued drinking, “And he doesn’t need to know that yet. I don’t want to push him away yet. I don’t even think I’m going to push him away. He’s charming and we have a lot in common.”

“You are playing with fire, homegirl,” Tama warned, “If Finn or McIntyre find out you’re playing around with Seth, it could start a war.”

“Then I’ll be careful,” I replied, “You forget I can create alibis without breaking a sweat. I’m one of the best hackers in the city.”

“Uh hun,” Tama hummed, “The instant this blows up in your face, don’t come crying to me when Finn kicks your ass for starting a war between us and The Authority and Clan McIntyre.”

#seth rollins x oc #seth rollins fic #seth rollins fanfic #seth rollins fanfiction #wwe fic #wwe fanfic #wwe fanfiction #A Dangerous Game

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eleanor-writes-stuff · 6 years ago

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warning: may impair decision-making abilities [ficlet]

Rey finds herself dealing with some pretty impulsive urges when she and Ben visit Rose and Finn’s new baby for the first time.

Second ficlet of the day! Have some soft Reylo with a side of soft FinnRose and the latest addition to their family, little Paige Tico-Trooper. She’s adorable. So adorable, in fact, that Rey can’t think straight.

Also available on AO3. And hey, maybe check out my Twitter and Ko-fi?

“We’re naming her Paige,” Rose whispers as she passes the baby into Rey’s arms.

“Oh, Rose,” Rey whispers as she sets eyes upon little Paige Tico-Trooper for the very first time. “It’s perfect. She’s perfect.”

The proud new mom beams despite the exhaustion that clings to her every molecule, and her careful eyes follow Rey as she walks the baby over to Ben and Finn.

Rey manages to look away from Paige for all of two seconds to smile at Ben. “Love, look at her. Isn’t she–”

The newborn chooses that exact moment to yawn, her eyes fluttering shut as her little mouth forms a perfect little O, and the entire room coos in unison.

“She’s adorable,” Ben tells a grinning Rose as he looms over his wife and little Paige. So much of this reminds Rey of her own time in this wing of the hospital just three years ago, of a tiny yet reassuring weight in her arms while Ben hovered over the both of them like an overprotective mother hen–

Now he brings one hand to stroke Paige’s closed fist and, as if in slow-motion, everyone watches as the baby slowly uncurls her hand only to wrap it around Ben’s pointer finger.

And just like that, Rey knows.

She’s torn between the sight of Paige happily drifting off while still holding onto Ben and the soft look of awe on her husband’s face, and as her eyes flit back and forth the impulse grabs hold of her and refuses to let go.

“Ben…” Rey whispers, looking up at him with a little smile playing on her lips.

The look on his face instantly transforms into one of trepidation. Never let it be said that he doesn’t know her better than anyone else in the world.

“You said never again,” he reminds her even as his finger stays curled up in Paige’s hand, her gentle giant loathe to disturb the sleeping baby.

From the corner of her eye, she catches Finn whipping his head around to stare at them.

“I know, but–”

“You threatened me with a vasectomy, Rey,” Ben whispers heatedly, a little too loudly if Finn’s sudden bark of laughter behind them is anything to go by.

Rey gives him her best puppy dog eyes. He’s always been much better at it than her, but she likes to think maybe it’s rubbed off on her after all these years. “I did, but I wasn’t in my right mind–”

Paige’s grip finally goes slack, allowing Ben to step back from the both of them. “You crushed my hand!”

Right, that. Ben’s fingers had been bruised for two whole days after. Nothing compared to what she’d gone through, of course – and he’d been quick to remind her of that every time she experienced a sudden, irrational surge of guilt –, but Rey still needs to fight the urge to wince at the reminder.

Still, she will not be that easily deterred.

Adjusting the baby in her arms, Rey takes a deep breath as she decides to pull out the big guns.

“But Meira was worth it, wasn’t she?”

In the background, Rose and Finn let out matching, drawn-out oohs.

And Ben… Ben softens pretty much immediately. “Of course she’s worth it,” he agrees as one hand comes to rest on her waist, careful not to bump into her arm. “Any kid of ours is worth the universe, Rey. You know that. But are you sure–?”

Rey nods. “Look at her, Ben,” she nods at the little bundle in her arms. “She reminds me so much of Meira… I know pregnancy wasn’t easy. Believe me, I remember. And I know labor was hell, and the sleepless nights were too, and god knows it’ll probably be even more challenging with a three-year-old thrown into the mix this time around. But…” Rey looks at the baby in her arms, basks in the love and joy that fills this room. She remembers all of this too – the way her heart had suddenly grown too big for her chest, the way the world stopped the first time Meira opened her eyes, the way everything felt just right when she finally held her little baby, her child made purely of love…

“I want another one,” Rey decides with a smile as she brings one hand up to trace the curve of Paige’s round little cheek. “Ben, I want another baby.”

A moment passes between them, Ben searching her eyes for resolution before he very, very carefully leans down to press his forehead to hers. “Me too, sweetheart.”

In her mind she can see it all already, see it all again – the fun they’ll have trying, the giddiness of every new morning bringing with it the possibility of… And after, knowing she’s growing a life inside of her, falling more and more in love every day, going to sleep in Ben’s arms with his arm slung protectively over their child–

It’s a perfectly beautiful moment, ruined only by Finn pointedly clearing his throat.

“Hey, guys. So this is super exciting–”

“Paige is gonna have a little cousin her age!” Rose squeals, mustering what little energy she has left to express her excitement.

“– but, um, maybe give us ours back before you go off to make one of your own?”

“Oh.” Ben immediately steps away from her, giving her space to maneuver the sleeping baby back into Finn’s waiting arms.

“Right,” Rey mutters to herself as she adjusts Paige’s head in the crook of her father’s arm. “We didn’t forget, I swear.”

“Just got carried away, I know,” Finn smiles at her. After all, he’s been there since the very beginning; he knows better than anyone the way she and Ben get lost in their own little world sometimes. “Now off you go, lovebirds. Never too early to start trying, right?”

Ben chokes on his own saliva.

“Finn!” Rey laughs, careful to keep her voice quiet.

“Have fun, you two!” Rose calls from her spot on the bed. “See you on the other side in nine months, I guess.”

The new parents keep up a stream of suggestive, supportive comments until a blushing Ben finally drags a laughing Rey out of the room.

“Your friends are ridiculous,” Ben mumbles along the curve of her shoulder when he leans down to hide his red cheeks.

“Our friends,” Rey reminds him with a bright smile. “After all, you’re already Paige’s Uncle Ben.”

It still surprises her sometimes, how far they’ve come since she first crashed Finn’s office holiday party to give his perfectionist boss a piece of her mind. But here they are seven years later, married with a kid and hopefully another one on the way.

Rey pushes Ben off her and takes his hand. “Come on, we can probably swing by Dr. Kanata’s office and ask her about removing my IUD.”

Ben squeezes her hand to get her attention. “Rey, are you really sure about this?”

It’s sudden, she knows, but it’s not like they’ve never discussed this. Having both grown up as painfully lonely children under wildly different circumstances, they’d agreed long before Meira was born to have at least two kids.

And now suddenly feels like the perfect time to finally make good on that.

“I love you so much,” she tells Ben, cupping his cheek in her free hand. “And I love Meira with all my heart, and I know I’ll love any other baby of ours just the same. So yes, Ben, I’m sure. I’m very, very sure.”

Ben brings his other hand to rest over hers, removes it from his cheek and brings it to his lips. “I love you too,” he murmurs, lips brushing along her inner wrist. “And I love this baby already.”

Rey reaches up on her tiptoes to press a chaste kiss to his lips. “Come on, then. The sooner we get home, the sooner we can start… practicing.”

Her laughter fills the hallway when Ben nearly trips over thin air in his haste to rush to the elevator.

. . .

And a year later, that very hallway echoes with the beautiful, shrill cries of their baby boy.

Here’s another one that was supposed to be maybe 800 words at most. I really didn’t have anything outlined except for the part where Rey tries to convince Ben, so... yeah, I winged it. Fingers crossed it turned out okay!

As always, thank you for reading and I hope this sparked joy. Please don’t hesitate to like/reblog/comment! <3

#reylo #rey x ben #kylo ren/rey #rey/kylo ren #rey/ben solo #star wars #rey #ben solo #kylo ren #my fics #ficlet: warning #series: ao3 reblog #fic archive

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