#A Link between worlds side of things is going way better than breath of the wilds

[lace4forest]

Hey so, you know how the old man in A Link Between Worlds is actually a secret super boss??

You know how he uses all your equipment???

Did you know that the Hero of Legend's actual Hero title isn't the hero of Legend but actually "The Legendary Hero"????

Huh.

I'm doing research for a video and it's going very well :)

[dfortrafalgar]

Special Delivery

(Sanji x Fem!Reader- Offscreen)

Sanji reaches out to Zeff for the first time in years.

I wrote this many, many months ago now, and it was the first fic i posted anonymously on AO3. I got a few requests after it was originally posted to write a second part, which I eventually did!

You can read Part 2 here! Original AO3 link

(I figured I should let my blog breathe a little in between the really heavy and emotional Law fic im writing, and what better way to cool down than some sanji fluff <3)

A sharp squawk awoke Red-Leg Zeff from his daze. With a grumpy expression and a low grunt, he peered towards the direction of the sound.

A messenger coo was seated on the railing of the Baratie's upper deck next to where Zeff stood slouched over with his forearms leaning against the wooden support. It cocked its head to the side as if it was deconstructing Zeff's appearance before reaching into its pouch and procuring a parchment envelope. Zeff found it strange. Messenger coos only usually delivered the newspapers or the latest bounty reports, very rarely were they put in charge of personalized letters. It must have been paid off by whoever wanted this delivered.

The gruff man took the parchment from the beak of the bird and watched as it took back off into the air, leaving a few molted white feathers behind in its wake. He looked at the envelope.

All it said on the front, in very elegant handwriting, was "Captain Zeff." He flipped the paper around, revealing a wax stamp holding the opening down, which he peeled off with a calloused thumb.

Tucked neatly inside the envelope was a white piece of paper, tri-folded over itself. Zeff slipped the paper out, unfolding it to reveal the written contents of the letter. The penmanship was impeccable, and the ink was very sleek. He knew immediately it was from Sanji, not many other pirates had handwriting as good as his. He had completely lost track of how many years it had been since the curly-browed boy left with that ragtag group of pirates to sail to the Grand Line, but Zeff had every single one of his bounty posters. He'd never admit it, but they were tacked up on the wall of his sleeping quarters. Every time Sanji's bounty increased, Zeff felt pride swell in his heart.

"How are you doing, you old geezer. It's been a little too long since we've had any contact, so I thought I'd write to you just to see how you've been. You're no slouch, I'm sure you've been keeping up with the world's events over the past however-many years. Do the Marines even bother to keep sending our bounty posters to the Baratie anymore? Well, regardless, I'm sure you can read right through me. I can't deny it, I miss you, old man. I'm happier than I've ever been in my life, and such a huge part of that is thanks to you and the guys back on that old cruiser. Every recipe I try to make, I imagine you screaming in my ear and telling me that it tastes like shit. Some days I really wish I could be back there, but most of the time I'm joyful. Life has been really, really good. A few years ago, I met someone. Last year, we got married, and soon after our lives changed so drastically. She's the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on, and she's as sweet as an angel. I mean it, too. I know you'd probably think something along the lines of me playing up my affections again just because she's a pretty woman, but I mean it. You'd love her, Zeff. Living as a pirate is the most stressful thing anyone could ever do, but she makes every day worth it. The crew was discussing the possibility of returning to the East Blue a bit ago, and when we do, I'm going to introduce you to her. I've spent the last years talking all about you, how you taught me everything I know about cooking, and I can tell she's just as excited as I am to finally see you. This letter's gone on long enough and I don't want to use up all of Nami's paper.

-- Sanji"

Zeff felt a lump in the back of his throat. Sanji had grown into such a fine young man, eloquent with his words and his feelings. He knew how big of a deal it was for the boy to be so honest and open. But one thing in the letter caught him off guard. What did he mean by, "Soon after our lives changed drastically."?

Zeff peered into the envelope, where another, smaller envelope was tucked inside. He almost didn't see it. Pulling it out, he held the letter and original envelope in between his fingers while he opened the second. Sanji was thorough with his packaging, that's for sure.

Inside, there were three photographs printed on thin, matted paper. The first was of Sanji and you, the wife he wrote about in his letter, taken by someone else holding the camera. Sanji had his arm around you, holding you against him, and you had your face nuzzled into his neck. His other hand held a cigarette away from the two of you, like he was in the middle of telling a story. The two of you were smiling brighter than the sun, Sanji's eyes completely closed with the motion of laughter, and yours creased, your irises looking up towards him.

The second photo made Zeff's eyes water. A photo of you and Sanji on the deck of the Sunny, exchanging rings. Sanji was wearing a sleek navy blue tuxedo, while you were wearing a gorgeous white ballgown. For pirates, you cleaned up phenomenally. He could just make out tears in Sanji's eyes as the photo displayed you sliding a band onto his finger. A skeleton with poofy hair stood between the two of you, which Zeff found a little odd, but he chuckled at the absurdity of it all.

Zeff flipped to the last photo.

The tears that were welling in his eyes from the previous image finally slid down his cheeks in heavy, salty droplets. His lip quivered.

Sanji sat in a chair, beaming down at a bundle of cloth held gently in his arm. He was crying in this photo as well, and was reaching a finger over the top of the bundle, where a smaller hand was reaching outwards to grab onto it. A small glimpse of blonde hair could be made out from under the cloth securing the baby tightly. On the back of the film, Sanji wrote the birth date and the name of the baby.

Zeff used a sleeve to wipe his blubbering eyes. His lips quivered, but he couldn't help the smile that broke out on his face.

Was he allowed to call himself a grandfather now? He figured it was only appropriate.

[sleepingdayaway]

You were a wonderful experience.

Characters: Warriors, Wind, Hyrule, Wild, Time, Twilight, Legend, Four, Sky. Dark Link (mentioned)

Fast paced since I'm writing this at night and running on vibes only. I'm so sorry if it's terrible.

The soft sound of in sync breathing can be heard amongst the buzz of insects that's around them. The group of Hyrule's heroes silently stare ahead in shock as they take in the object that it ahead of them. Glimmering rainbow light emerges from the portal as it hovers slightly above the ground. Emitting an aura of something from out of this world; it's a bit intense than what the group is used to.

A shaky exhale escapes from the one, who's this portal is meant for. Your vision blurs as tears threaten to escape. The realization that you might finally be able to return home. After all this time and suffering.

Hesitantly you take a step forward towards the portal. It was so close. Just a few more feet and you'll be able to go back to everything that you left behind.

But of course. He can never make it that easy, now can he?

As if the world knew of your hope. The surrounding area suddenly rolled in a blanket of twilight. A dark misty fog began to form right in front of the portal. It begins to form a familiar figure of that damn monster that forcefully dragged you into this world.

With no hesitation in their stance; the group of heroes quickly began to try and put some distance between you and the shadow. But their efforts were in vain when multiple rushed footsteps was heard and a variety of monsters appeared.

Legend immediately went back to back with Four as the both of them decided to tackle with the green Bokoblins from Twilight's home. Meanwhile Twilight and Wild are side by side dealing with a Lizalfos from the Time's Hyrule. Those fucking things are agile as hell.

Sky and Wind are currently facing one of the Wizzrobes from the Great Sea. In which normally, the sailor would be delighted to deal with one of them but under these circumstances it was in the way. Hyrule is closer to Time as he fights off a few Skulltula's; Warriors is right next to him assisting so he won't get overwhelmed.

Time, assessing the situation at hand, placed himself in one of the hardest decisions he has done so far in their entire journey. Face their entire focus on the monsters, so that they could deal with the Shadow head on but they would leave you vulnerable. Or assist you and deal with the Shadow, but it would be overwhelming with the monsters.

Having one of the boys to work with you could give a higher chance of surviving, but taking count of all the monsters that are currently surround them. It would be impossible.

The Shadow made sure that no matter what decision Time made, you'll still be at risk.

For once, throughout the entire time he has been traveling. Did his face betray him, and an emotion of fear crossed his scarred face. There was no way was Time willing to lose you again. He just got you back.

He was pulled from his thoughts when the sword of a Stalfos swung at him. With a quick slash from his own blade caused the skeleton to drop to the ground. Either way Time made his choice.

"There isn't much time! [Name] hurr-"

"You all better stay the fuck there!"

Your voice echoed across the area. It was filled with such hate and desperation as you stared down the one who chased you across lands. It's sinister smirk haunting you as it doesn't move an inch. Appearing to enjoy this little staring contest.

Every single one of them flinched at the sound of your voice. They all desperately long to be by your side, and make sure no harm comes to you. But with that tone in your voice made them stay in place.

They all decided to listen to you, and leave you to your own devices.

Time digs his teeth into his lips before closing his eyes for a moment. He steadies his weapon and faces a different target, "Well, you heard them! We continue fighting and provide back up." He takes a another swing at the incoming monsters, "We leave the Shadow to them!"

It's over.

You hold the sword in your hand. The one Four made for you earlier on in your journey when you were barely being taught how to wield one properly. It was one of your most prized possessions.

Dark Link has returned to its place among the shadows. Your hand is shaking as you stare down where he once stood. Red eyes, burning with hatred as he cursed you out.

Your body fails you halfway into your thoughts as you collapse on the grass. Immediately the boys are beside you; Hyrule being the first one to reach you. Taking care of your external injuries first and foremost, but it seemed that you were heavily exhausted since you just leaned on him.

Warriors is there next, as he gently held you, so that Hyrule could work properly. The rest of the Chain are trying to patch each other up; they didn't mind with you being the main priority.

After some time has passed that allowed for the entire group to recover, did everyone finally acknowledge the portal once more.

Everyone knew that this portal wasn't for them. It had a much more powerful presence, and an unbearable pressure. Almost as if it was trying to push away the heroes, but for you?

It was if it was calling for you. As if it knew that you didn't belong here; a call for you, that it was time for you to return home.

With trembling legs did you stand up, and remove yourself from Hyrule and Warriors. Taking simple steps towards the unworldly portal, as it pulses like a faint heartbeat.

Immediately the boys tried to reach for you when they realized where you were going, but the pressure emitting from the portal was too strong. They collapsed a few feet away from you; from behind Wind perks up and follows after but he too suffered from the same thing.

Twilight comes after but only with the goal of gathering the boys, and bringing them back. He knew that he wouldn't be able to withstand the pressure and he despises that. Wanting desperately to grab you too.

Sky appears besides him and grabs Wind with Legend coming from behind to help Warriors. Time is silent as he watches the entire thing, a feeling of dread coils in him. Four is beside him holding onto Wild, who's moving and thrashing around trying to get to you.

Until everything stops.

The surrounding area disappears and they have appeared in a familiar place.

Instead of the luscious green forest with the varying wildlife. They are now in the place that brought the group of heroes to their destiny. A chamber of tall walls with a high ceiling; with only one window that has sunlight shinning down on them.

Time immediately recognized this place, and for a moment his heart drops to his stomach.

You stand before the portal. Tall and unwavering as you brought a hand out to reach towards it. It was finally time for you to leave. It pulses as if sensing you nearby as something shoots out from within.

Turning your head to look back at your heroes did it all came crashing down on you. In an instant all of the dialog that you practiced in your head for this moment, disappeared.

All you could do was stare at them as they struggled to comprehend that this was really it.

Until finally did you muster up the courage to give them a loving smile. The tears that were building up from your eyes freely fell. Only a sentence echoed in your head. Those would be your final words. Focusing on them as you walked back into the portal. Your eyes never once leaving them.

"You were a wonderful experience."

A hushed silence fell on the group. As they watched helplessly, unable to fight for you. When you looked back at them all they could think of was how relaxed you looked.

Gone was the bright blue color of the sheikah energy that combined with you from the beginning of this journey. They all forgot how human and alive you looked before all this started.

Now you're safe.

No longer burdened with the fear of being stuck here.

They did their duty.

But they just got you back. It wasn't fair.

'You were, everything'

[badkitty3000]

The Download:

Five Hargreeves x Female Reader

It's the end of the world and everyone you know is gone. After you find yourself at the Hotel Obsidian, you realize you have something in common with the rest of the remaining population. When Number Five takes a particular interest in you, and your special ability, the evening turns into much more than you expected.

The universe may be hours away from imploding, but you and Five are going out with a bang.

Chapters 3, 4, 5 (complete)

WARNING: EXPLICIT SEXUAL DEPICTIONS AHEAD!

Link to Chapters 1 and 2

Link to my AO3 Works

Chapter Three: Inside You

This artwork is also posted with KayBreezy's Bad Things. It's so good it works for both stories!

On that note, you pushed Five back so that he landed on the bed, sprawled out and staring up at you with anticipation as you leaned down, hovering over him so that your breasts were tantalizingly close to his face. As he ran his hands up your sides and back down again, you gave him one long, hard kiss before pulling away again.

“Are you going to keep teasing me all night or are we going to do this?” he asked. You could tell he was trying to be snarky but with his harsh breathing, it came off more desperate. Which you loved.

Nodding and giving him a sly smile, you stood up and closed your eyes. “Be forewarned. It’s about to get a little kinky up in your brain.”

You didn’t open your eyes, but you heard Five breathe out a quiet laugh. You concentrated, going inside your brain and gathering up all the files you wanted him to have. And there were quite a lot. Things that you had experienced with others that you liked and things that you were curious about trying. You thought quickly about the basics of sex and made a little tutorial that he could use, as well.

But the biggest file was filled with all of the things you were dying to have Five do to you. You wanted him to know exactly where to touch you, and how you liked it; how you wanted to be taken. But only by him. Because for some reason, you were dying to have him unleash himself on you. And you wanted him to be the last man you fucked before the world ended.

The golden orb floated in the air between you, growing bigger as your thoughts collected inside. Only a few seconds had passed and it was filled with everything you wanted him to know. With another push from your mind, the orb was absorbed into Five and his eyes briefly glowed with a golden light.

It took just a moment of him taking in everything before he sat up on the bed, feet still on the floor. A lustful smile slowly crossed his face and his eyes darkened. The sudden change had you on edge, like a rabbit cornered by a wolf and you watched anxiously as he stripped off his jacket, vest, and tie. But when he reached up, softly kissing your lips as he guided you back onto the bed, your body immediately relented to his touch; the sense of danger replaced by want.

And fuck, did you want him. You’d never wanted anything or anyone this badly in your life. How had this happened? How had this snarky, arrogant, man-child taken you apart so easily?  Maybe it was his eyes, or just the way he looked at you with all that intensity. Maybe it was the pent-up rage inside of him that you could feel dying to get out. Or maybe it was the pure fucking audacity he had to assume you’d just fall into bed with him. Which he was right about, but still.

“Thank you,” he murmured against your mouth.

His gratitude was oddly sincere and you kissed him in return, looping your arms around his shoulders and running your nails lightly down his back, feeling the warmth of his skin underneath his shirt.

“You gave me a lot to work with here, but I think I’m up for the challenge.”

Five had pulled away, a sly smile creeping across his face when he looked your body up and down as you laid underneath him. You matched his smile with your own.

“Then you better get to work. Because last I checked, the world was still ending and I’d liked to be fucked at least one more time before it does.”

He grabbed your ass, hard with one hand, while the other held his body over yours. He ground his hips into you and you could feel his obvious erection rubbing against your leg.

“Sweetheart, when the world finally ends, you’re going to be so fucked out, you won’t even notice.”

Your opportunity to respond with another witty comeback was cut short when you felt Five’s hand in your hair, gently tugging your head back, and his mouth on your neck. After a few soft kisses, you felt his teeth dig into your skin as he bit down. It wasn’t a hard bite, more like he was experimenting with you. But it was enough to send a quick flash of electricity down your spine and you arched your neck back, letting out a small whine.

It was playing right into his arrogance, letting him get the best of you like that, but you didn’t really care. Every touch of his hand or mouth on your body felt so fucking good, and if inflating his ego a little bit meant you could get more, then you sure as hell weren’t going to do anything to stop it. You could feel how he broke into a self-satisfied smile as he continued to tease you with small nips to your neck, your fingers digging a little harder into his shoulders.

“Since I suddenly seem to know that you want me to mark you all over, I assume you gave me that little insight?” he asked, his teeth and tongue tracing a line under your jaw.

“Yes,” you breathed out.

“And can I also assume that request was meant only for me?”

You sucked in a sharp breath as he moved to your collarbone with a sucking kiss. “Yes,” you answered again. You had a feeling that was going to be your answer for most of his questions going forward. There wasn’t much you were willing to deny him.

Five stopped suddenly, changing his position so he was straddling your thighs and he grabbed your wrists in each of his hands, pulling your arms over your head and pinning them to the bed, just like he had downstairs. His eyes were dark and full of lust as he leaned over you.

“I’m going to give you everything you want, and I’m going to give it to you rough, and hard, and loud; just how I know you like it. And I’m going to mark this beautiful body as my own so everyone will know who it belongs to.”

He gripped your wrists tighter and you swallowed nervously, even though every nerve ending in your body was on fire.

“But first, I want to hear you say it. Not just in my head. Out loud.” He smirked evilly. “Who does this body belong to?”

There was a sharp edge to his voice that was both threatening and pleading at the same time. You had never given up so much of your inner thoughts to anyone before, and having him present them back to you like that was intimidating. But, fuck, it was definitely working. You were going to do whatever he wanted from you; you already knew it.

“It belongs to you,” you managed to get out; sounding much more pathetic than you had intended. Your voice was strained and you pulled against his hands on your wrists, but he held fast.

“That’s my good girl,” he whispered into your mouth as he kissed you.

Had you been able to step outside your body and look down at yourself, you would have laughed. This young kid that was holding you down, somehow overpowering you, and calling you his good girl was way too bizarre to comprehend. But you were too busy letting out a long, desperate moan and pushing your hips up to pay much attention to the ridiculousness of it all.

You had downloaded what you wanted him to know into his mind, but he still had the free will to use it or not. So, there was still an element of suspense as you waited; wondering what he was going to do next. Would he use everything you gave him? Or completely take you by surprise?

Letting go of your wrists, Five ran his hands over and down your bare thighs, his fingers lightly brushing beneath the hem of your dress. Assuming he was going to take his time, he caught you off guard when he found the seam on the side of the skirt and ripped it open in one strong pull. The dress was split open on one side, all the way to your waist. You gasped, breathing heavily, even as you complained.

“Hey, I like this dress.”

“I’ll get you another one,” he responded wryly, even though the tiniest smirk was showing through on his face. “Right now, I want this one off.”

With another hard pull, the other side of the skirt was ripped open. Then, before you even knew what was happening, Five had pulled you up, and reached his arms around to your back. One forceful tug with both hands had the rest of the dress tearing down the back, the zipper pulling away from its stitching and leaving your entire back exposed. The cute, velvet dress that you had admired earlier when you put it on was now essentially a pile of rags.

“Jesus…”

You didn’t have time to say anything more as Five pushed you back against the mattress and pulled the remains of the dress away from your body and all of the way off. Left in your bra and panties, lying beneath him as he continued to straddle your legs, reminded you of your vulnerability. Five may be in a teenage body, but he was clearly stronger than you. Maybe it wasn’t that good of an idea to just trust him with your thoughts. He knew you wanted to be dominated, but what if he took it too far? The fact that he was still fully dressed further tipped the scales to his advantage.

His eyes traveled hungrily over your body, not touching you at first, just taking you all in.

“God damn it, you’re stunning” he growled, his fists clenching briefly like he was trying to control himself.

He moved so that he was kneeling between your legs, and you instinctively bent them at the knees as he leaned over you to kiss you roughly on the mouth. You moaned into him as he pushed his tongue inside and bit at your lips. His hands were on either side of your head, but he started gradually moving south. Your back arched as more bite marks and bruises were branded onto your skin; all down your neck and over your chest. There was no way you’d be able to hide them or cover them up. Which is exactly what he wanted.

Your moans were deep, followed by sharp hisses between clenched teeth after every sensual bite he gave you. The skin under each mark stung even after he had moved on to another, but the hurt was delicious. You wanted more. And your body writhed under him as he took his time. When finally, he was satisfied with his work, Five pulled back to admire the damage he had inflicted. A slow, one-sided smile spread across his face.

“Fuck, I didn’t think you could get any hotter, but I think I like you even better this way.” He ran a finger over one of the bruises on your collarbone. “There’s no doubt this is mine now.”

When he removed your bra, he let out a shaky groan before pushing your tits together, and running his thumbs over each erect nipple, followed by his tongue. It was embarrassing how much you could barely stand any more teasing from him. Your hips were pressing upwards, trying to get any contact you could as your clit throbbed from lack of attention and your panties were soaked through.

“Ah…please,” you whined, not even intending to say it out loud. It was as if your body had taken over your brain and it only wanted one thing.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart? Am I taking too long?” Five teased.

There was no warning, no hint of what he was thinking, when he reached down between your legs, shoving his hand into your underwear. The sudden sensation of his fingers on you, when you had been starving for his touch, sent your hips thrashing wildly into him, your head thrown back and a long, loud whine escaping from your lips.

His fingers leisurely stroked through your folds and over your clit. This was almost a worse torture than no touch at all, and you wanted so much more. The fact that you were completely coming apart for him was fueling Five’s confidence and he kept up the languid pace.

“I love how wet you are for me,’ he said quietly before kissing your mouth, and cutting off another moan. “Are you dying for me to fuck you right now?”

You didn’t care about the preservation of your dignity anymore, and you whimpered sad and pleading, clutching at his shoulders.

“Yes, god, please…”

With another irritating smirk, Five placed a kiss at the corner of your mouth. You were fighting the urge to push his hand harder into yourself, when he removed his fingers all together. With a wicked grin, he brought his hand up to his mouth and sucked his fingers clean, all while looking you in the eye. You didn’t think such a dirty act could be so hot, but there was the fucking proof as another rush of wetness formed between your legs.

“Sorry, darling. You’re going to have to wait a little longer for a good fucking. Right now, I want a better taste.”

You held your breath as he pushed your soaking wet panties off and moved his body down for better access. The minute you felt his tongue on you, your whole body arched and you grabbed the bedcovers beneath you in your fists.

“Fuuuck…Five!” you yelled, your voice strained and high-pitched in its neediness.

It wasn’t going to take long; that much was clear. Even though you had given him some basic instructions on what you liked in your mind transfer, you were pretty sure what he was doing went way beyond the basics. Maybe he didn’t have experience, but he sure as hell had good instincts, and apparently that translated to eating pussy, as well.

He didn’t let up, no matter how hard you bucked against him; his tongue swirling and licking through your most sensitive areas. When he started flicking his tongue over your clit, you were just about at your limit; but when he pushed two fingers inside of you while his mouth was still on you, you completely tipped over the edge.

“Oh god…don’t stop…please…yes…right there…OH FUCK!”

The spasms ripping through your body were hard and intense and you could feel each and every muscle contracting while you pushed yourself harder against him. Your cries were loud and could probably be heard by anyone that happened to be on the same floor. But, luckily or unluckily, depending on how you looked at it, there weren’t any other people around.

Five waited until your body had relaxed again and your whimpers had died down before fully pulling away and removing his fingers from you. He sat back, breathing hard, but smiling as he saw what a complete mess he had just made of you.

“Jesus…Christ,” you panted up at him. “I thought you’d never done that before.”

Five shrugged, the arrogance never leaving his face. “I told you. I’m the best at everything.”

It was such an outlandish, egotistical claim, and yet you had every reason to believe him now. You let out a breathy laugh and sat up, trying to compose yourself again. Even though your body needed time to recover post-orgasm, Five was still full of pent-up horniness and you could practically see it radiating off of him. You could also see it in his pants.

Climbing off the bed, you grabbed the collar of his dress shirt with one hand and pulled him up for a kiss, your other hand palming over his erection, rubbing it firmly over the outside of his pants.

He gave a loud groan as you kissed him, pushing into your hand at the same time. When you pulled away from his mouth, you grinned.

“If that dick gets any harder, you’re going to be ripping right through those lovely tailored pants of yours.”

Five pulled you roughly against his body with a grunt. “Then let me fuck you.”

You eyed him up for a second. You were absolutely going to let him fuck you; but with your own needs met for the time being, you were more than willing to wait a while and have some fun with him in the meantime. With a slow shake of your head, you closed further in on him, forcing him to back up until there was nowhere else to go and he was pinned against the wall. You pressed your naked body against him, kissing him hard.

His chest was heaving with loud breaths and he dug his fingers into your bare skin as he held tightly to your hips. As you reached up to start unbuttoning his shirt, your eyes met his and your mouth turned up at one corner.

After you pulled his shirt out of his pants, you spread it open and ran your hands down his firm chest. His eyes had closed again from your touch and his head tipped back against the wall as you sucked a red bruise on his neck, right under his jaw line. His pulse was racing beneath your lips. When you pulled away, you smiled with satisfaction.

“You’re so fucking gorgeous, Five. But I’m going to ruin this beautiful new body of yours. Because you belong to me now.”

You could feel the vibration of a shaky exhale as you marked another bruise on his neck and he wound his fingers tightly into your hair.

“Just let me fuck you…please,” he begged desperately.

You shook your head no, even as his fist tightened in your hair and he let out a low groan of frustration.

“You’re wound so tight right now, you’re going to explode the second your dick is inside of me.” Five moaned quietly with just the thought. “And no one wants that. So, let me take care of that problem first.”

You got to work unbuckling his belt and undoing his pants, all while leaving a trail of marks over his supple, fair skin. Working with touch alone, you found the waistband of his underwear and slowly ran your fingers inside, listening to his strained breathing as he reflexively jerked his hips toward you. The poor man had waited long enough, so you pushed the waistband over his nicely-sized erection, grasping the solid shaft in your hand.

Five let out a loud, drawn-out groan as you slid your hand up and down slowly, savoring the silky-smooth feeling of his skin. But you didn’t tease him very long and soon you were stroking him faster and firmly, lightly twisting your hand as you spread the leaked pre-cum over his length. Marking his collarbone with your teeth as you rapidly jerked him off, you couldn’t help but notice how it was turning you on, as well.

From the gasping, guttural sounds that Five was making, to his tightening fist in your hair, it was making you wet and you had to concentrate on what you were doing. You didn’t want to lose the momentum; he was already teetering close to the edge. You were surprised when you suddenly felt his hand on your wrist, stopping your movements. When you looked up at him, his face was filled with a mixture of desperation, lust, and worry.

“Stop…I can’t…I’m…” He was panting hard, his words catching in his throat as he tried to speak.

Taking your other hand and pushing him off of your wrist, you gave a tiny shake of your head. “Come in my hand. It’s ok.”

With just a few more strokes, Five was arching his back, his palms flat against the wall as he thrust his hips towards you, his cock throbbing as he came hard with your hand around him. Ropes of cum painted your hand and forearm, his strangled cry mixing with the shuddering of his body as you worked him through it. When he was finally spent and drained, you released your grip and he collapsed limply into the wall.

“Fucking Christ,” he breathed out, finally able to open his eyes and look at you again.

“Christ had nothing to do with that. That was all me,” you joked as you tucked him back into his underwear again.

It was the first time you had heard him genuinely laugh; it was short and breathy, but it was sincere and made you laugh, too. Feeling suddenly uncomfortable with the intimacy, which was weird considering everything you’d just experienced together, you excused yourself so you could clean up in the bathroom. As luck would have it, Five had found a room with an attached bathroom, rather than the community baths on some other floors. It was old and run-down, as most things in the hotel were, with a sad looking pedestal sink and separate faucets for hot and cold water. Still, there was clean, running water; which all things considered was kind of a miracle. Once you were washed off, you joined Five back in the room.

He was sitting on the bed, his pants zipped back up, but with his shirt fully off and lying next to him. As he saw you come out, he held the shirt out to you.

“I realized I destroyed your only piece of clothing, so you can wear this in the meantime if you’d like.”

The shy smile on his face, combined with his dark, tousled hair had him looking every bit of seventeen and you wondered briefly if you had actually done the right thing. But then he watched you as you tugged your underwear back on and pulled your arms through his white dress shirt, his eyes roaming over your body like he didn’t just have his face between your legs and his dick in your hand. You were filled again with that feeling, like electricity coursing through your veins from just one lustful stare.

Five stood up and closed the gap between you. The shirt he gave you was still unbuttoned but it loosely covered your breasts and hung down past your hips, with the black lace of your panties over your ass peeking out the bottom. He placed his hand lightly on your neck, rubbing his thumb over one of the bruises he had left.

“I like this. You, wearing my shirt and my bite marks. Makes me want to give you more.”

Your panties hadn’t even had a chance to dry out before they were saturated again. But you looked up at him, tracing your index finger over a red, mouth-shaped mark on his chest.

“I wouldn’t mind some more.”

Grinning in that arrogant way that you were inexplicably starting to crave, he gave you a quick but gentle kiss on the lips.

“Oh, we’re going to get to that. You’ve filled my brain with far too many things to be calling it a night already. And besides, one of the perks of being young again is the very short recovery period.”

“Well, that’s good to know,” you smiled.

Five started buckling his belt back up and your eyebrows creased together in confusion.

“Usually, you don’t get more dressed before banging.”

He gave a short chuckle. “I figured maybe I could go find you some actual clothes to wear since you may want them eventually. And maybe some drinks to bring back.”

You nodded and looked around the hotel room. There wasn’t much in the way of amenities and the orange glow coming from behind the curtain over the one window in the room made you feel uneasy. Five didn’t seem to notice your anxiety, though, and he pushed his hand through his hair to comb it back off his face.

“I’ll be back soon,” he stated before heading for the door.

“Wait!”

He turned back to you and you suddenly felt foolish for not wanting to be left alone. “You’re not even wearing a shirt or socks and shoes,” you offered up as an excuse.

Five shrugged and looked down at himself. “I don’t care. The odds of running into anyone are pretty low, and even if I do, I don’t really give a shit.”

You nodded, your mouth drawn to the side in contemplation, and you twisted your hands together in front of your body. Five finally noticed your hesitation, and he walked back over to you.

“You ok?”

“Yeah, it’s just…” you looked back over towards the window and then back to Five. Your voice cracked a little when you spoke. “I guess I’d rather not be completely obliterated while I’m all by myself. As dumb as that sounds.” You attempted a half-smile.

Five studied your face for a second and you weren’t sure how to read his expression. Was he going to make fun of you? Scoff and say it hardly mattered if you were alone or not, you were all going to die? You held your breath as you waited for him to speak.

“Yeah, I get that,” he said, with no trace of cynicism.

You swallowed. “Can I go with you? It’s probably easier if I find my own clothes, anyway. I do have what I was wearing before; I used the bathroom on the first floor to change.”

The corner of Five’s mouth turned up and he looked down at your current clothing situation.

“As much as I would love to watch you walk around in this outfit, do you really want to go out like that?”

You let out a soft laugh and looked down at yourself. Then you started buttoning up the shirt to cover as much of your body as possible. “Like you said, we probably won’t see anyone. And if we do, I don’t give a shit either.”

He nodded with a smile. “Ok, then. Let’s go.”

Five opened the door for you to walk out first, but not before he gave you one good smack on the ass as you passed by him, making you jump and cry out. But the look you shot him over your shoulder as you kept walking let him know you definitely hadn’t minded.

You and Five took the elevator down to the first floor, stepping out cautiously and looking both ways out of the doors to make sure there wasn’t anyone coming. With the coast clear, you set off in search of your clothes while Five took off in the direction of the bar.

After successfully locating your clothes and shoes that you had originally been wearing, you didn’t bother putting them back on. The plan was to meet Five back at the elevator and go back to the room. So, there was really no point in putting more clothes on.

On your way back, you heard raised voices coming from the lobby area. Concerned, you made your way over; close enough to see and hear what was going on, but far enough back that you hadn’t been noticed yet.

“…none of your god damned business, that’s why! And since when do you care what I do, anyway?”

“Since you just randomly left the wedding, then suddenly showed up down here, half-dressed and covered in an astounding number of hickeys! I think that might warrant an explanation.”

Five laughed in a way that even you recognized as dangerous, and you barely knew him. “You’re unbelievable, you know that, Allison? I don’t have to explain anything to you. If you want to blame me for everything that’s happened, fine, go ahead. But I am done apologizing. So, why don’t you go glare angrily at someone else? I’m done with your bullshit.”

Their loud voices must have alerted the others from inside the ballroom, and soon everyone was gathered around while Five angrily ran his hands through his hair. You still hadn’t said anything or moved any closer, but Diego spotted you across the room and his eyebrows raised in surprise.

“Oh, shit,” he said with a half-smile.

Following his eyes, the rest of the crowd turned to look at you. Your first instinct was to shrink back into the shadows, or turn and run back to the room. But you saw Five’s rage-filled face and felt bad he was being ganged up on. Plus, you had told him you didn’t give a shit if anyone saw you. So, in answer to all of the wide eyes and shocked expressions, you squared your shoulders back and walked closer; your bare feet padding across the threadbare carpet and Five’s dress shirt barely covering your crotch.

“Seriously?” you heard Ben complain from the back of the group.

Allison crossed her arms over her chest and jutted her hip out. “Well, if it isn’t the Whore of the Apocalypse,” she sneered.

“Fuck you!” you shot back, walking up beside Five.

“Excuse me?” she asked, taking a menacing step towards you.

You stood your ground and Diego shot an arm out to the side to stop Allison from coming any closer to you. Your stare down with her was interrupted by a sudden outburst from Klaus.

“Aw, you guys…look! They have matching tattoos!” he joked, referring to the marks on both of your bodies.

Lila laughed loudly and Ben huffed, but everyone else just stood staring back and forth between you and Five, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

“Uh, Five? Isn’t she a little old for you?” Luther piped up.

“Well, technically he’s older than her. But I see your point. It’s a little weird,” Diego added.

“Yeah, and have you ever even, you know…” Klaus made a hole with his hand and poked his index finger in and out of it, whistling, “aside from your mannequin wifey?”

Five gave him a death glare.

“ …who was lovely by the way,” Klaus added brightly.

“What if she’s controlling your mind right now? Would you even know it?” Viktor asked with a dismissive glance in your direction.

Five opened his mouth to say something but you jumped in first. “That’s not how my powers work and you know it! It’s the end of the world and you people can’t just stay out of our business? Jesus, you really are a bunch of assholes.”

Viktor looked toward you with narrowed eyes. “My brother’s business is our business. You, however; I don’t give a shit about you.” Then he turned to Five. “Why is she even here? She’s not a part of this family.”

Five was the one that cut you off from speaking this time. He shook his head slowly, his entire body tensed like a coiled snake ready to strike. You could see the muscles in his arms and chest flexing as he clenched and unclenched his fists at his side, his abdomen even more defined as his core tightened. His eyes were dark and dangerous, despite the tight-lipped smile on his face.

“You’re right, Viktor, she’s not. Which is just one of many reasons I would prefer her company right now than any of yours.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Diego demanded.

“Shit, we’re all going to be incinerated in a few hours anyway, so I might as well say it,” Five muttered to himself. Then he looked Diego in the eyes. “I am done.”

“Done with what?” Luther asked.

Five gestured to all of them standing there. “You. Us. This whole fucked up family. I’m done apologizing, I’m done trying to fix things for you, and I’m done listening to your constant whining. Because here’s the truth; we may be about to die from an imploding universe right now, but the only reason you’re still standing here at all is because of me.”

When they started to protest, Five held his hand up. You could see his body soften slightly, but he remained poised and ready to fight.

“The fact is, I am exhausted. All I have heard for the past few weeks is What’s the plan, Five ?, What do we do now, Five ?. I gave you the warnings and I told you my time jumps weren’t exact. You knew of the risks before you agreed to any of it. And then what do I get after I save all of your sorry asses? This is all your fault, Five, We never should have listened to you, Five, You’re the reason I lost everything, Five.”

His words hung heavy over the room. No one said a thing, although they all exchanged silent glances with one another.

Five’s voice quieted and his shoulders slumped a little. “You can count me out of your little voting ceremony with Dad tomorrow. I don’t really care if you go along with him or not. But I’m staying here. Because no matter what horrible thing he’s going to lure you into, somehow you’re going to make it my fault. So, like I said; I am done.”

He shouldered past Klaus to get to the bar and leaned over to grab two full bottles of what you assumed to be whiskey. Then he walked over to you, shoved one of the bottles in your hand and looked you in the eyes.

“Do you still want to come back with me?”

You just nodded your head; still trying to take in all that he had told his family. Without another word, he grabbed your free hand and pulled you along with him as he stormed out of the lobby and towards the elevator. You couldn’t help but notice that no one called after him or asked him to come back. No one yelled out a half-hearted apology or even cursed him angrily. They just let him go.

Once inside the elevator, he wordlessly yanked the stopper out of the bottle in his hand and tipped it to his mouth, swallowing down an impressive amount in one gulp. When he lowered the bottle again, he was breathing fast and hard from adrenaline and his chest was heaving.

“Are…you ok?” you ventured.

He turned to you with surprise, almost as if he had forgotten you were there, so lost in his own thoughts.

He nodded. “Sorry about that.”

“You don’t have to apologize. It sounds like it needed to be said.”

Five shrugged and the elevator doors opened to your floor. He took another sip of the whiskey as he walked out. “Fuck them, anyway.”

You weren’t quite sure if he was talking to you, or to himself, but you chose not to comment. Instead, you followed him to the room and let him blink you inside since you never did get the key to the door. Once you were inside, you set down your clothes and the bottle you had been carrying. Then you took the one Five had out of his hand without asking. He watched as you took your own long swig and set it down next to the other one.

“That’s enough for now. I’m counting on you to be able to perform certain duties,” you said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood and break Five out of his angry brooding.

It worked, because you saw that flicker of lust cross his eyes again. “Come here.” His voice was soft but forceful.

He pulled you to him with a hand on the small of your back and the other on the side of your neck, his thumb caressing your cheek gently. When he kissed you, he tasted like whiskey and sex and desire, and you threaded your fingers into his hair as he held you tighter. Without any more hesitation, you began to unbuckle his belt and undo his pants, at the same time that he moved to hastily unbutton your shirt.

“You’re not going to rip this one off of me, too?” you teased.

“Fuck no. This is an exquisitely tailored shirt. I’m not going to just ruin it.”

With a roll of your eyes, you pushed his pants and underwear down his legs and he kicked them off, at the same time pushing the dress shirt off your shoulders and onto the floor. He lifted you up with his hands on your bottom and you jumped up, wrapping your legs around his waist. Your kisses were intense again as you pressed your naked chest onto his.

When he laid you down on the bed, ripping your underwear off and climbing over you, he stroked your bare thigh and the curve of your ass. You could feel how hard he was as he pressed himself against you.

“God, this fucking body of yours…” he moaned.

“It’s your body, now,” you answered breathlessly and you pushed into him, letting him know you didn’t want to wait any longer.

As an answer, he didn’t take it slow or gently, thrusting his cock all of the way into you in one aggressive push. When you cried out and dug your nails into his shoulder, he let out a long and throaty groan.

“Oh fuuuck, you’re tight.”

With a slow pull back, Five pushed back into you again, the amazing feeling making you gasp and moan. Holding himself over you with one arm, he raised one of your legs up and positioned it so you were resting it on his shoulder. He grinned down at you as you tipped your head back.

“You like this, huh?”

“You know I do.”

You grabbed his ass with both of your hands and pushed him into you, making him suck in a loud breath.

“I also know that you like it rough,” he growled as he suddenly started thrusting into you hard and fast.

He was right, you did like it, and your answer came in the form of a loud and long cry, throwing your head back again and shutting your eyes. He continued to ram into you, snapping his hips forcefully so that your body jerked violently in time with his movements. Your nails clawed at his back and you could feel the tightness of his muscles as he put all of his energy into fucking you as hard you wanted.

It was amazing, this feeling of finally having him inside of you. Maybe it had only been a few hours since you had met, but it felt like a lifetime of wanting and waiting. He was putting his new-found knowledge to work, hitting just the right spot every time, so that you never wanted it to stop. As Five’s thrusts became faster and more intense, he grabbed onto the headboard for leverage, driving himself even deeper inside of you. His skin became slick with a thin layer of sweat as he worked to give you everything you craved, and his hair flopped down and stuck to his forehead. With each animalistic grunt and growl he let out, he clenched his jaw and closed his eyes.

“Five…” you gasped as you clutched harder at his body. “Keep going. I’m going to come. Just don’t stop.”

He gave another low groan and he slammed into you as hard as he could, his cock sliding in and out like it was made just for you. It was all you could take before the room was filled with your shrieks and moans, your fingers digging into his back and your eyes shut tight. You could hear and feel Five come inside you, pulsing into you as his body stilled and he pressed his face into the crook of your neck to muffle the noises that erupted out of him.

You and he must have had the same thought as you moved your leg to a more comfortable position, his body still on top of yours. When he pulled out, a mixture of his cum and your juices running out of you, he leaned down and kissed you and you ran your fingers softly over the red lines you had made down his back.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I should have pulled out.”

That had been your concern as well, but as the reality of the situation sunk in, you realized it hardly mattered. “It’s ok. I don’t think there’s enough time for us to have to live with any consequences of our actions.”

Five gave you a lop-sided smile and moved next to you, draping an arm over your waist and kissing your shoulder. “Just one of the many upsides of an impending apocalypse.”

With a laugh, you turned on your side so you were face to face. You gently brushed his hair out of his eye and traced his lips with your fingers. It should have been uncomfortable. You hardly knew him, after all. But now that the sexual tension was gone, you felt good lying there with him. You were relaxed and you felt safe. But that didn’t necessarily mean he felt the same and you quickly moved your hand away from his face and backed away a couple inches, just in case he didn’t want that kind of intimacy. This was supposed to be just sex; there had been no talk of what was going to happen afterward. It was quite possible he wanted to be left alone now.

So, you were taken by surprise when he pulled your body back closer and kissed you tenderly while brushing away your own hair off your face. You sighed and snuggled in closer. He turned on his back so that you could rest your head on his chest and he put his arm around your shoulder. You felt him rub his cheek against your hair.

“What else did you put in my brain?”

“Nothing, I swear. Why?”

“Because there is no logical explanation for why you have this hold on me. I don’t even know you.”

You traced the outline of a faded scar on his abdomen, wishing you knew more about his past and that there was more time to learn about it.

“First of all, that’s not how that works. I can’t make you do something you don’t want to do, or make you feel a certain way.”

“I bet you can. You just don’t know you can.”

You frowned and looked up at him. “Are you accusing me of something?”

“No. I’m just saying what I said before. That you most likely have untapped potential in there. And it’s possible that you could unintentionally use those hidden abilities without you even realizing it.”

You sat up and faced him, shrugging his arm off. “So, you are accusing me. You’re saying I somehow tapped into your brain and made you what? Feel actual feelings for me?”

When he didn’t deny it, you climbed off the bed, standing over him as he propped himself up on one elbow. You gave a sarcastic laugh and shook your head in disbelief.

“God, I’m a fucking idiot. I can’t believe I just helped some kid get his dick wet for the first time, only to have it thrown back in my face. What makes you think I want anything to do with you, anyway? I didn’t realize you were that arrogant that you thought everyone is just dying to have you fall in love with them.”

Your voice was shaking and you balled your fists at your side. You wanted to put your clothes back on, because fighting with someone while naked didn’t have quite the same impact. But you didn’t want to break eye contact, staring Five down and waiting to see what pathetic excuse he was going to come up with. You braced yourself for the inevitable anger from him that you had seen towards his family. But that’s not what happened. Instead, he had the nerve to look sorry; watching you intently with those stupid green eyes of his.

“Can you sit down please?”

“Fuck you!”

Five sighed heavily. “I’m sorry. For everything I said. But can you please come here?”

“Why should I?”

“Because I didn’t mean to make you upset. And I don’t want you to go.”

He sounded sincere and it’s possible you had overreacted in the first place. Just one of your lovely personality traits was flying off the handle with little instigation. After some hesitation and a dramatic exhale, you sat back down on the bed next to him. He was still lying on his side and he placed his hand on top of yours.

“Look, I’m not very good at expressing my feelings. A lifetime of isolation will do that to you, so I’m told. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have them. And I’m sorry I accused you of anything. I was just surprised, that’s all.”

Your body had relaxed again and you no longer felt as defensive. “Surprised by what?”

Five looked away for a second and then back to you. “Like I said; you’ve got this weird hold on me.”

“What does that even mean?” you asked, wishing you knew how to read him better.

“Take a look.”

“What?”

“Do whatever you do that reads people’s feelings. That way you’ll know what I can’t say in words.”

Your eyebrows creased together and you cocked your head to one side as you studied him. “Are you sure about that? Most people don’t like it. It disarms them. Makes them feel exposed.”

Five nodded. “I’m sure. I trust you.”

After thinking it over, you agreed and you laid down next to Five, facing him. “Ok, here it goes.”

With your eyes closed, you focused on penetrating Five’s consciousness. As you dialed in on his emotions, a golden, sparkling tendril of light started to form in front of you. The more you concentrated, the more it grew, until there was a shimmering strand of gold connecting your mind to Five’s. As soon as the other end of the tendril made contact with his mind, everything came flooding towards you at once. There was a flash of light behind your eyes and then your head was filled with rapidly changing emotions, flipping through your brain at warp speed. You gasped loudly and then you opened your eyes, breaking the golden tendril, watching it disappear into the air. Five had felt nothing and he looked expectedly back at you, waiting for your reaction.

All of his feelings were whirling around inside of you, and they were strong and deep. And very real. Shame, self-blame, regret; those rose to the top. There was anger and fear there, too. But underneath that was love for his family and love for life. And something else that was just for you. A combination of appreciation, hope, and contentment. He felt comfortable with you. He felt a kind of happiness.

“Five,” you whispered as you placed a hand on the side of his face.

“Do you believe me?”

You nodded. “I can’t make you read my emotions, but I can tell you that I feel the same. I feel safe with you. And maybe that’s stupid, but it’s the truth. I like being with you.”

He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to. You already knew everything. Instead, he rolled you onto your back and kissed you. It wasn’t like before, when you were trying to devour each other. This was soft and passionate, and you ran your fingers through his hair and down the back of his neck. You sighed happily when he nuzzled into your neck and whispered your name. You weren’t sure what was happening between the two of you, but it didn’t really matter. There wasn’t much time left anyway, and all you knew was that whatever it was, it felt right.

Chapter Four: Accepting Your Fate

“I swear, if you pour that vodka on that cereal, I am out of here.”

Five looked up at you, holding the bottle of vodka over a giant bowl of cereal, and wearing an irritated expression.

“Oh yeah, and where are you going to go?” he asked with one raised eyebrow and a small smile.

You shrugged and leaned against the counter. “I’m sure Ben would be willing to take me in.”

“Is that what you want to do? Spend the last moments on the planet listening to Ben?”

You shook your head with a smile. “Not really, no. But maybe there won’t be much talking.”

“You’re a bad liar,” Five said pointedly. But he set the bottle down on the counter, looking at you and waiting.

You had gotten your way and you beamed happily in his direction. Then you looked around the large, commercial kitchen of the hotel. “There has to be something else around here besides crappy cereal.”

“Not lobsters,” Five muttered under his breath as he watched you rummage around.

“Huh?”

“Nothing.”

You poked your head into the fridge. “Ah-ha!” you exclaimed triumphantly as you pulled out a package of cheese. “Perfect. I’ll make us grilled cheese.”

Five made a small noise of approval and let you continue searching for the bread and butter. As you got to work at the stove, he studied your movements. You could feel him watching you even though you were trying to ignore him; until you felt his hands on your hips and the soft exhale of breath on your neck. With the spatula in your hand and raised in the air over the pan, you stopped and closed your eyes, your body apparently not caring that you were in the middle of making food.

“You’re going to make me burn this, you know.” You tried to scold him, but the tremble in your voice gave you away.

“I was fine with my cereal and vodka. The grilled cheese was your idea.”

His voice was quiet next to your ear and his lips brushed your skin. You shivered against him, but you were determined not to let him win. You flipped the sandwich on the pan, happy to see that it was a nice golden brown and not charred black. Five continued to tease you, running his hands up your sides and kissing your shoulder, even as you continued to ignore him. When you were finished, you turned off the stove and stepped back, forcing Five to let go and back away.

Pretending you hadn’t been just seconds away from abandoning the sandwich and jumping him, you pointed to a cupboard.

“Can you find a plate?”

Begrudgingly finding a plate, Five handed it to you and you cut the sandwich in two for the both of you to share. You had to admit, it made a really good midnight snack and being with Five had worked up your appetite. It was even better when you both capped it off with a shot of vodka; and even Five acknowledged it was better than his original use for it. When you were both finished, he stood in front of you, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

“All this time I didn’t think I was hungry, but it turns out I was starving.”

You raised your eyebrows. “Oh, do you want me to make you another one?”

Five shook his head and smiled, resting his hands on your waist. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Oh…” was all you could breathe out as he loosely held your chin and tilted your head up.

“I’ve always taken care of myself and I never thought I needed anything or anyone else. But I think I was wrong. Because I like this.”

He kissed you and you let your eyes fall shut. “The sex?” you asked quietly.

“Not just the sex, although that is amazing. It’s all of these other things you’ve done for me. Standing up to my family and defending me, making sure I didn’t drink too much, asking if I’m ok. Making me food. No one has ever done anything like that for me before and I didn’t realize how much I was craving it.”

“Everyone deserves to be taken care of sometimes, Five. I’m sorry it’s taken this long for someone to do it for you. And I’m sorry we don’t have more time, but I’m glad I could at least show you that.”

“Thank you,” he murmured before kissing you again.

When he pulled away, you smiled slyly. “If we go back to our room, I can take care of you in a different way that is even better than grilled cheese.”

“What the hell are we still doing here, then?”

You laughed and dragged him out of the kitchen by his hand, narrowly escaping the hard pinch he was about to give your butt. When you finally made it back to the room, you were feeling light and happy, the looming oppression of the giant fireball outside having been temporarily forgotten.

The two of you were starting to get really good at removing your clothing in a fast and efficient way, and soon you were lying naked on top of Five, kissing him as his hands roamed your body. As you started to move your mouth further down his chest and over his stomach, you felt his muscles tense when he realized what you were doing.

“I can’t let the world end without making sure you experienced another one of my super powers.”

You heard him suck in a breath as you kissed the inside of his thigh. “You might not have anything to compare it to, but trust me when I tell you I give outstanding blow jobs.”

Five made another soft whining noise and you were having fun taking your time. With one hand gripping him loosely, you flicked your tongue lightly across the head of his cock; teasing. He inhaled sharply and you gave another soft lick before slowly moving your hand up and down the shaft. You only took him fully into your mouth one time before pulling back and off again, leaving Five desperate for more. While you leisurely stroked him with your hand again, you looked up at him.

“You know what’s weird? Why is it called a blow job? We’re not blowing anything. It should be called a suck job.”

Five ran a frustrated hand down his face with a groan before placing the same hand on the back of your head. “We can discuss the etiology of the phrase later,” he croaked out.

Your giggles were cut off by a choking noise as Five shoved your face down, giving you no choice but to fill your mouth with the full length of his cock. He moved his hand off your head as you slid your lips up and down; and he groaned loudly again.

“Fuck, that feels so good.”

Even though you wanted to show off your special skill, you still couldn’t resist continuing to tease him. You were too loopy with happiness; it was something you couldn’t even explain. Popping your mouth off of him, you looked up at him with big eyes and a wicked smile.

“You know what else is weird?”

“The fact that you don’t shut up?”

“No. The fact that I can suck your dick and that's fine, but it would be considered really gross if I used your toothbrush to brush my teeth. Weird, right?”

He pushed a hand down his face in frustration. “Well, you’re not sucking my dick right now. So, maybe let’s focus on that and not toothbrush etiquette.”

After another sensual lick up the underside of his shaft, you stopped again. “I just thought of something else…”

With a growl that made you laugh out loud, Five opened his eyes again and looked down at you, his breaths coming fast and hard. “What is wrong with you, woman?”

Before you could get out a sarcastic remark, Five had sat up and flipped you over so that he was pinning you down into the mattress. It had happened so fast you hadn’t seen it coming and you gave a tiny shriek that turned into a laugh until his hand was around your throat. One side of his mouth turned up and his eyes flashed with a dangerous glint.

“Oh, sweetheart. I don’t think you realize who you’re playing with here.”

The grip on your throat wasn’t tight enough to hurt, but it was enough to feel the pressure of his fingers digging into your skin, and you imagined the red marks they would leave in their wake. Your hands clasped onto his forearm, but you didn’t try to push his hand away. Instead, you stared up at him longingly, your lungs burning while you sucked in a hard breath.

His lips met yours with a ferocity you hadn’t seen in him yet, and he pushed his hand harder against your throat. When a strained moan drifted out of your lips, he drew back to look you in the eyes again.

“You need to learn to behave. Hold your wrists out for me.”

His voice was hard and demanding and it made you want to do anything for him with no questions asked. You held your wrists up together in front of you while you laid beneath him on the bed. He released his hold on your neck and sat back on his knees.

He picked his discarded tie off the floor next to the bed. The black silk was soft against your skin as he wrapped it around each wrist and tied it securely together in the middle. He obviously knew what he was doing and there would be no escaping this particular knot, no matter how hard you struggled against it.

After one hard kiss, sucking at your bottom lip as he pulled away, you saw pure lust flicker over his eyes; right before he flipped you over onto your stomach. With a hard pull backwards, his strong hands grasping at your hips, you were at his mercy as he rubbed his hard length along the warm, wet crease between your legs. The long, shaky whine you let out was muffled by the curtain of hair that fell around your face as you propped yourself up on your forearms. With your wrists tied together, you had little control over your body and you found yourself eagerly relinquishing all of your power to Five.

He was completely and wholly in charge of you, and you made sure he knew it by pressing your ass back into him and sighing softly, fully submitting to whatever he wanted. His hand passed between your shoulder blades and slowly down your back. You could feel the heat from his fingers on your skin and you imagined them burning long, red lines down your spine; branding you as his own. And in that moment, you were undeniably his.

His body covered yours, his chest pressed against your back as he held himself over you. He kissed your neck and your hair, rocking his hips into you so you could feel him hard and ready for you.

“You showed me that you want this,” he whispered. “But I need you to tell me it’s ok. Because I’m not going to hold back.”

You shook your head with a smile and looked over your shoulder, your hair still in your face. “Don’t hold back. I want everything you can give me.”

He was nuzzling into your hair, rubbing his cheek and nose over what was probably a tangled mess by now, and he made a quiet, happy humming noise before holding himself up with one hand as he pushed your hair to one side of your neck. Leaning in, his lips brushed feather-light across your shoulder. Then you heard the danger in his voice again, as his mouth grazed the skin next to your ear.

“Be a good girl for me, ok sweetheart? Just relax and give me what I want. And then after I’m through using you like the little fuck doll you are, I promise to make it feel so good for you.”

He pressed himself against you again, letting his thick cock nestle between your ass cheeks, and he let out a moan when he slid it back and forth a few times. The feeling made you push back against him harder, your head down and your ass in the air, whining like a cat in heat. Five chuckled darkly at your reaction.

“Look how desperate you are. And I seriously thought about fucking you in the ass, because we both know you want it.”

Five sat up on his knees behind you, pulling your hips back against his thighs, his cock still buried in your ass crack. His hand lovingly smoothed your hair and caressed your back, even as he talked in that sinister voice of his.

“But then I realized we don’t have the proper accessories handy, and even if you would let me just to please me, I don’t want to hurt you. So, while I would love to bury my dick deep inside your tight little asshole, we’re going to have to do that another time.”

He drew back, rubbing your backside with both hands before hauling back and smacking you hard on one cheek and then the other. You cried out and clenched your eyes shut, but it wasn’t from the pain or the surprise. It was because you loved it, and you wanted more.

This was one of the fantasies you had placed in Five’s mind earlier. You wanted to be dominated and used; fucked into the mattress and then praised for your good behavior. And he was right, you probably would have let him fuck your ass raw, because you knew how to behave and take it. You wanted to show him you could be a good girl for him.

His hands grabbed your tits roughly, and he jerked you up and backwards so that you were on your knees in front of him, your back flush against his chest. You could feel the rapid rise and fall of his body as he breathed hard into the crook of your neck, the muscles in your back burning with the way he was pulling you into him. But when he started to suck another deep bruise onto the side of your neck, you let your head fall to the side to make more room. The only thing holding you up were his hands on your breasts, massaging and squeezing them together, the tendons in his forearms tight as he held your weight against him. If he let go, you’d have no way to catch yourself, since your hands were still bound together.

The cry from deep in your throat was strangled and broken as you felt his teeth scrape sharply across the tender mark he had made on your neck. He moved you over slightly so that you were sitting on his thigh.

“God, you’re so fucking wet for me,” he groaned.

When you started to grind yourself onto his leg, unable to help yourself, he moved one arm down so that he was holding you around the front of your waist, keeping you still. His other arm stayed wrapped around your chest.

“I know you’re aching to get some relief, and I can feel you dripping down my leg, but you have to be good and stay still. Understand?”

Everything between your legs was engorged and throbbing, and you did want relief more than anything. But you nodded your head with a quiet whimper.

He kissed your shoulder again. “My good girl,” he murmured.

When he shoved you off of his leg, letting go of his hold on you, you fell ungracefully forward, landing on the side of your face until you could get your arms under you again. It was hard to see behind you, even if you craned your neck, but you could feel his hands on your hips, fingers digging hard into your flesh, as Five positioned you where he wanted you.

The seconds seemed to drag on forever as you waited, unmoving; the only sounds were your ragged breathing. When he used his knees to shove your legs further apart and you felt his hips against you, you held your breath in anticipation.

Then he was slowly and deliberately pushing inside of you, until he was as deep as possible, holding himself there as he listened to your desperate moans. His body was on top of you again, pushing you down, almost flat against the mattress, so that he could thrust into you while his mouth had access to your shoulders and neck. You squeezed your eyes shut, using all your strength to keep yourself propped up on your forearms as one of his arms wrapped around your upper body and the other held himself up for leverage. He gave one hard, violent thrust into you, pushing you forward. He paused, just long enough to leave you waiting, before ramming into you once again. 

"Fuck, yes..." you heard him murmur before he shoved himself into you again. "Just lie still, honey, that's it."

You couldn't have moved, even if you wanted to, as he pinned you down from behind. It was uncomfortable and scary, letting him have this much control, but you fucking loved every second of it.

“You take my dick so well. Just like that, baby. You’re doing so good for me, I know that perfect cunt of yours can take more,” he rasped.

Five continued to fuck into you, methodically and forcefully, pulling back slowly and slamming hard inside again. With each thrust, you could hear his rough, staccato grunts and feel his hissing breath against your skin. The sounds you were making were desperate and pained; the deep penetration of his cock only half of what you needed from him. But Five refused to give you any satisfaction in the way of his fingers. All of his focus was on his needs and how far he could push your limits.

“You feel so amazing…fuck! Do you even know how fucking good you feel? Only you could make me this hard.” He pushed violently into you again and you let out a pathetic cry.

“Please,” you begged, not even really sure if you were begging for him to stop or to give you more.

“Shh…you’re doing so well for me, baby doll. I’m so proud of you. Just a little longer, ok, sweet girl?” he praised, kissing your temple sweetly even as he rammed into you from behind. His groan vibrated against your skin. “God damn it, I could keep fucking you forever, you feel so good.”

But his thrusts started to come faster, and his chest was heaving on top of you as he let out a long and husky growl into the back of your neck, muffling it with your hair. He filled you up with his hot seed until he was fully spent; arms shaking as he climbed off of you. When you started to push yourself up, assuming he was going to let you, he pushed you back down until you were flat on your stomach once more.

“Stay right there, sweetheart. You did such a good job for me and I know you’re so close. Let me take care of you now.”

He pushed his hand between your legs from behind, putting pressure right where you had been missing, and you let out a loud scream just from the relief of it. As he pressed into your clit, you couldn’t help moving your hips against him so you were riding his hand.

“That’s right, keep going. Let me hear you, baby. Louder.”

He kept at it, his hand wet and sticky from his own cum that was spilling out of you. You sobbed and screamed his name until a long-awaited orgasm ripped through your body, leaving you a crying, shaking mess. Your hips gave a few more involuntary twitches before you finally collapsed into the bed again; limp and gasping for air. Five wiped his hand on the bedsheet and undid the tie around your wrists. Then he helped you turn over so you were looking up at him on your back, still trying to catch your breath.

“Was that good for you?” he asked, his eyebrows creased together in sincerity like he was waiting for his end-of-the-quarter performance review. “Is that what you wanted?”

You couldn’t help but laugh up at him. “Jesus Christ, Five! That was fucking amazing! You couldn’t tell?”

He was still looking worried and unsure and you sighed heavily, still smiling and shaking your head. “Seriously, if I could, I’d give you a glowing Yelp review. Five out of five wet vaginas…would come here again.”

That smug smile returned to his face and he leaned down to kiss you. “I’m kind of liking that smart-ass mouth of yours. It’s pretty cute.”

“That’s good. Because it’s the only one I have.”

Just as Five was helping you sit up, there was a loud knock on the door and you both jumped. He looked at you, questioningly, but you just shrugged your shoulders. It’s not like housekeeping was going to be stopping by.

The knock came again, this time louder and more insistent. Then you could both hear muffled voices outside, sounding like people were arguing.

“Fuck,” Five muttered under his breath as he angrily swiped his boxer briefs from the floor and yanked them on. “Fucking fuck fuckers…”

You watched as Five stormed over to the door and swung it open, his face twisted into a murderous rage. The three men standing outside looked suddenly scared and they stopped talking immediately. Klaus, Diego, and Luther glanced nervously at one another as Five seethed in front of them.

“What? What are you assholes doing here? And how did you even find me?”

More glances were exchanged and then Luther’s voice cracked. “Well, we, uh…we kind of heard some loud noises, so then we followed them, and, you know, we may have heard your name a couple times, so-”

Diego cut him off with a knowing smile, holding out his hand for a fist bump. “Seriously dude, I’m super impressed. Nice job, old man.”

The look on Five’s face did nothing to deter Diego, despite the fact that he was in immediate danger of losing his life. Klaus was more in tune to his brother’s wrath, and slowly lowered Diego’s hand before Five completely snapped.

“Look, we felt bad about how we left things, and we wanted to talk. That’s all,” Klaus explained.

“I don’t feel bad. I said what I said. There’s nothing to talk about,” Five barked back.

Luther sighed. “Please, Five, come on. We’re sorry. And we don’t want things to end like that.”

“Please, Fivey?

“Please, what? What do you want from me?”

“We just want to talk to you, ok? Can you at least just give us a couple minutes? That’s all we’re asking,” Diego said, suddenly very sincere.

Five sighed heavily and closed his eyes. “Fine. Whatever. Since I know you’ll just keep annoying me.”

Klaus made a move to step into the room, but Five immediately stopped him with a hand to his chest. “Absolutely not. You idiots can wait in the hallway. Give me five minutes.”

Klaus shrunk back into the hall, looking like a kicked puppy, while Luther rolled his eyes. But they stayed where they were. Five was about to close the door when Diego cried out.

“Wait, Five!”

Five paused and Diego took a step closer, leaning his head in and talking in a low voice as if no one else around him could hear.

“I’ve never heard Lila make noises like that. What’s your secret? Is there like a trick or a secret move you can teach me-“ he was cut off as Five slammed the door directly in his face.

“Fucking. Idiots.” Five raged under his breath, his hands clenched into tight fists.

You were still sitting in the bed, a sheet covering your body, as you stared at Five with wide eyes.

“Are you ok? You look like you’re about to murder someone,” you said with a nervous laugh, but not really joking.

“I’m fine,” he grumbled while he walked around, picking up the various parts of his suit off the floor.

You watched him quietly, not daring to say anything, as he stormed into the bathroom and shut the door. A few minutes later, he emerged, dressed in his full suit again, and he adjusted his tie. The confused look on your face must have said it all, because when he looked at you, he just shrugged and pulled the cuffs of his shirt down.

“I can think better like this,” he said gruffly.

“Ok…” your voice trailed off and you weren’t sure what else to say. The arrival of his brothers had thrown him into a weird mood and you weren’t sure how to navigate it.

“Wait here,” he said sharply.

Before you could snap back at him and tell him to quit talking to you like that, he disappeared in a flash of blue. With a huff, you got up, pulling your underwear on and walked to the door so you could eavesdrop. You could also peer out the peephole in the door, watching the four men as they stood in the hall looking anxious.

“Alright, I’m here. Talk,” Five demanded, his hands shoved into his pants pockets while he waited for one of the others to respond.

“Five, we’re sorry. We thought about what you said earlier, and you’re right. We have been unfair to you and we wanted to apologize. Before…you know…there’s no more time left,” Luther started.

“And we don’t blame you for everything that’s happened. Well, at least not anymore. It’s just that there’s been a lot of crazy, shitty things that have happened to us, and you did seem to be in the middle of it, and-“

Klaus cut Diego off. “What Diego means is that even though this may not be the most ideal situation we’re in right now; we know it’s not your fault.”

“Great. You apologized. Are we done here?”

You could see that Five was still staring them down, his body tense and the muscles in his jaw working.

Luther sighed. “Come on, Five, don’t be like that. We’re family. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

Five strode angrily over to Luther and glared up at him, his teeth clenched. “It used to. Until I woke up and realized we were never a family to begin with, and I spent my entire life trying to save you shitheads for no reason. Because look where it got us! Right back with Dad in another fucking timeline with the world ending again. And I can’t do a god damn thing to stop it!”

His words seemed to shock him as much as the rest of them, and he took a step back, his body relaxing slightly.

“Is that what this is really about? You think you need to save us?” Klaus asked.

Five didn’t answer, but his face had lost the rigidity and sternness that it had before. It was hard to make out from the door, but he looked sad and your heart broke just a little.

“Five, you did save us. You saved us as many times as you could. It’s just that the universe had different plans, that’s all,” Diego offered.

Five raised his head and looked up, then back at his brothers. “I tried. I tried and I failed. So, this is it and we just have to accept that.” He looked at Klaus. “I know you want me to believe that this version of Dad is a better version and we should trust him. But that’s not going to happen, Klaus, I’m sorry. He’s not interested in our safety, or our wellbeing, or our happiness. He never has been.”

Klaus looked down sadly, but he nodded his head and Diego turned to Five.

“Some of us are staying. But we’re going to stay together, and we want you to come with us. Because we are a family. Even if we’re the most fucked up family on what’s left of this planet.”

“But Dad is still trying to convince everyone, and he said he only needs two more. So, that’s still an option if you change your mind. The rest of us, we’ll be in the lobby at the bar, drinking what’s left of the booze and waiting out the end. And we’d love for you to join us,” Luther told him.

Five nodded solemnly and was about to explain that he was happy where he was, but then Luther continued.

“I know it’s none of my business, and I’m truly happy that you found someone to spend the rest of this time with. But you’re not being fair. She deserves to know that she has a choice. You can’t make that decision for her.”

Five glanced back at the door, and you flinched, thinking he could see you through the peephole, but of course he couldn’t. Then he turned back to his brothers.

“Don’t worry about me or her, we’re doing fine. Which is why I’m going to stay here. I won’t be joining you, I’m sorry.”

The brothers looked sad as they stood there, not saying anything, and the air hanging heavy with their words. Finally, Diego spoke.

“Alright, man, I get it. We’ll leave you alone. But just know that you are our brother. And we love you.”

Luther and Klaus nodded in agreement and Five tried his best to look angry again, but failed. He hung his head and shook it slowly before raising it again.

“Yeah, ok. I love you assholes, too, I guess. Now leave and go back to your wives and girlfriends and long-lost asshole brothers. It’s been…an interesting life together.”

There was a flurry of shoulder claps and hair ruffling and side-hugs and then the other three were on their way, leaving Five standing in the hallway alone. You didn’t want him to know you’d been listening when he came back in, so you hurried off into the bathroom to take a shower. While you were in there, you thought about everything you had heard. You were glad he had made amends with his brothers. But you wondered what Luther was talking about when he said Five needed to tell you about a choice you had.

When you were finished, you threw on the same clothes you’d been wearing, and you found Five sitting on the bed. He was in just his dress shirt and pants again, with his shirt sleeves rolled up. He smiled sheepishly when he saw you.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hi. You better now?” you asked sharply.

He nodded. “I know I wasn’t very nice to you just then. So, I’m sorry.”

“Thank you, I appreciate that.”

“I also need to tell you something.”

“Yeah, ok, what is it?” You folded your arms over your chest defensively, but then Five patted the bed next to him and you went and sat down.

Five took a deep breath. “I’m afraid I haven’t been completely honest with you. Well, not that I’ve lied, but more like I’ve withheld some information from you.”

You raised your eyebrows but didn’t comment. Five cleared his throat and continued.

“The truth is, you don’t have to stay here and wait for the world to end. At least theoretically.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know when Reginald mentioned Project Oblivion to you?” You nodded. “That’s his hare-brained scheme that could potentially be a way of saving the world.”

When you looked shocked, he held up a hand. “Don’t get too excited. Anything having to do with Reginald should be considered dangerous and he is most likely using us for his own selfish agenda. That’s how it’s always been.”

“But what is his plan?”

Five sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know exactly. But it entails going through some sort of portal into another dimension; another version of this hotel. But there’s more to it than that and we could end up just as dead.”

You frowned. “But we’re going to die here for sure if we stay. If there’s even a chance, why wouldn’t you at least try? If you die there, what’s the difference?”

Five looked at you with so much sadness and sorrow in his eyes, that you didn’t need to tap into his mind to read his emotions.

“Because I don’t want this to be his decision. I want it to be mine. If I go along with him, and I die at his hands, then he will have won again. But if I stay and accept my fate; then at least I’ll have died free from his control.”

He reached over and took your hands in his. “You don’t have to stay here with me, though. I want you to know that. It was unfair of me to have waited this long to tell you. And I would understand if you decided to go.”

You nodded thoughtfully, looking down at your hands that were clasped together. It seemed like a no-brainer. Why wouldn’t you take a chance if it meant there was a possibility, no matter how small, that you didn’t have to die in a fiery apocalypse? But you barely knew his siblings, and as much as you hated to admit it, you were still afraid of Reginald. You hadn’t known Five long at all, but somehow you trusted him. And when you looked into his eyes, you decided to accept your own fate.

“I’m staying with you.”

He looked stunned. “You want to stay here with me? Are you sure?”

You smiled sadly and nodded. “Yes, I trust you, Five. And I don’t trust your father. So, wherever you are, that’s where I’ll be.”

With a huge sigh of relief, Five leaned in to kiss you, squeezing your hands tighter in his own.

“Ok, then. We’ll do this together.”

When the tiredness hit you both, you laid down on the bed, Five holding you from behind. He pulled you in close to him and wrapped his arms around your middle. You hadn’t realized how exhausted you were and the feeling of his body against yours put you at ease; your muscles relaxing and melting into him as you closed your heavy eyelids.

“Thank you,” Five murmured sleepily. “Thank you for staying. I don’t want to be alone.”

You wiggled back into him and he tightened his hold on you. “I don’t want to be alone, either,” you said quietly.

In another minute, you were both asleep, with Five holding you in his strong embrace; the rise and fall of his chest already so familiar to you that you wondered how you ever slept without it before.

Chapter Five: Stay/Epilogue

You woke up with a sudden jolt, looking around for something that may have woken you. But all that you could see was the orange blaze from outside of the window. It was brighter now and lit up the whole room with a sinister, flickering glow. In another circumstance it may have looked pretty, like a fireplace or candlelight. But now it just looked like hell.

When you realized you were still alive, at least for the time being, you looked next to you in the bed. Five was gone. You called out his name, but there was no answer and he wasn’t in the bathroom. There was also no note left on the table. He was just gone. And you started to panic.

Scrambling out of bed, you threw on your shorts and t-shirt, trying to remain as calm as possible. Your heart was beating wildly in your chest and your pulse was deafening in your ears. As your hand turned the doorknob to leave, you took a deep breath and exhaled slowly to steady your nerves.

You decided to take the stairs rather than the elevator, peeking down each floor’s empty and silent hallway on the way down. When you reached the lobby, it was just as you feared. There was no one. You had overheard the others say they were going to camp out in the lobby bar, but there was no sign of them. Maybe they had moved the party into another room, but something in the back of your mind told you that wasn’t the case.

Swallowing down the rising panic you felt creeping up your throat, you continued to look around. You couldn’t hear anyone talking in the distance or even footsteps. It was eerily quiet and you found yourself tiptoeing in your bare feet, not wanting to miss any noises. This was it, you were sure of it. Everyone else had been sucked up or destroyed or whatever by the kugelblitz. And you were the last one left. It was your worst nightmare coming true.

When you were just about to give up and crumble to the floor in despair, you turned a corner into a large game room. You hadn’t known it was there, but there was another pool table inside, identical to the one in the lobby. There were also dart boards and smaller tables for playing cards. There was a very large picture window that lined one wall and looked out onto the courtyard. Or at least, it would have if the courtyard still existed.

That’s where you found him. He was silhouetted against the window, his body backlit by the orange and red fireball outside, his back to you. When you saw him, the immense relief you felt washed over you, mixing with your fear and anger until you exploded in a sudden rage.

“YOU FUCKING BASTARD! YOU ABSOLUTE ASSHOLE!” you screamed at the top of your lungs, your voice trembling and the tears already spilling over.

Five whirled around to see you doubled over, face shiny and wet, as you clutched at your stomach and leaned into the side of the pool table for support. You continued to scream, even though your choking sobs were making everything unintelligible.

“WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME? I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD, I THOUGHT..."

Five blinked over to you, grabbing you by the arms to hold you up, but you just collapsed into his chest, sobbing harder. You felt his hand on your head, stroking your hair while he held you to him. He may have been saying something to you, maybe that he was sorry, but you couldn’t hear him. You could only hear your own wailing cries and the blood pounding in your ears. After several minutes, when the crying eventually faded to hiccups and your breathing started to slow again, you wiped at your face but continued to let Five hold you.

“I’m sorry. I am so sorry. I wasn’t thinking,” he murmured as he kissed the top of your head.

You nodded miserably into his chest, still not looking up. “I was so scared. I thought I was the only one left.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I couldn’t sleep so I came down here and it didn’t even occur to me that you would wake up and think I was gone.”

Your hands grasped at his shoulders and he pulled you in tighter. “Don’t leave me again. Please.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

You exhaled a long, shaky breath; a few silent tears still slipping down your cheeks and onto his shirt. “I just don’t want to be alone when it happens.”

“Look at me,” he said softly, and you finally raised your head. You let go of his shoulders and he took your hands in his. “I promise I will never leave you again. We’ll go out together, ok? We’re a team now.”

You nodded your head again. “Yeah, ok.”

When he started to pull away, you grabbed onto his belt loops on either side of his waist and tugged him towards you. “Don’t leave.”

Five smiled down at you and brushed away the strands of hair that were sticking to your face. “I wasn’t going to leave.”

“No, I need you close to me. Please,” you whined.

It was pathetic and there’s no way in hell the old you would have ever begged a man to stay like that. But that was then and this was now, and things were different. You were different. And you didn’t care how you sounded.

“Ok,” Five answered quietly as he wrapped his arms around you.

But that still wasn’t enough and you pulled his face to yours with a hand on his neck, kissing him slowly at first but then starting to hungrily devour him. You were making desperate little whimpering noises into his mouth as you grabbed onto his body, pulling and clutching at him, even though there was nowhere else to go. He was as close to you as physically possible.

“You’re upset, maybe we shouldn’t…” he offered.

He was cut off when you reached between his legs and cupped his groin, feeling him grow harder against your hand as you rubbed him firmly. He let out a quiet moan and his eyes closed.

“I need you, Five. Please.”

You were practically in tears again with desperation. It was unhealthy and probably for all the wrong reasons, but you couldn’t help it. You needed as much of him as possible and as quickly as possible. It was the only way to feel ok again.

“I just think maybe you’ve been through a lot recently-“

Smothering him in hard kisses to shut him up, you stopped briefly to pull your shirt over your head, throwing it on the floor before undoing your shorts and letting them fall off of you. Five looked down at your body and let out a low groan.

“Shit,” he breathed out. “You’re not playing fair.”

He grabbed onto you, boosting you up onto the side of the pool table and stood between your legs. He was just as desperate for you now, but he backed away a couple inches and placed his hands on your shoulders so you would pay attention to him.

“Are you sure about this? I don’t want to take advantage of you.”

You shook your head, already not liking the fact that his body wasn’t against yours. “You’re not. I promise.”

It only took one look at your naked body and the hungry look on your face to convince him and he let you grab his shirt collar and pull him forcefully into you. You needed to feel his body on you, to feel his hot skin against you, and you desperately clawed at each button of his shirt until you pushed it down his arms and yanked the rest of it off. He kissed you with one hand in your hair and the other massaging your breast as you fumbled with the fly of his pants, finally gaining access and pushing them down his thighs.

When you grasped tightly to his firm cock and slid your hand over it, Five sucked in a sharp breath through clenched teeth and threw his head back. You moved forward a little, spreading your legs and guiding him inside. You were already soaking wet and he slid in with ease, pushing himself into you as you thrust your hips forward.

His mouth was on your neck as he slammed hard against you, shoving himself as far into you as he could manage while holding tightly to your hips.

You were delirious in your desire for him, not even making any sense as you scratched desperately at his back and shoulders, his arms and neck; pleading with him to give you more. There was no way he could be closer to you, with his mouth on your skin, his arms clinging tightly to your body, and his dick deep inside you. But it wasn’t enough. The tears were falling down your face again, mixing with the sweet taste of his lips.

He gradually slowed his pace, gently rolling his hips into you as his eyes locked onto yours and he wiped away a tear with his thumb.

“It’s ok, sweetheart, I’m here. You’re not alone, ok?”

When he called you sweetheart, it carried none of the teasing or derisiveness it had before. This time it was sincere and loving and you nodded, your body finally starting to relax a little and you let yourself give in; melting into him as he kissed you. But then your gaze drifted to the windows and he saw the fear in your eyes again.

“Look at me,” he said, turning your face back to him. “Focus on me. Can you feel that?”

Five thrust himself slowly but forcibly into you and you let out a breathy cry. Your body reacted and you pushed your hips into him again, letting go of his body and placing your hands behind you on the table to brace yourself.

“Yeah…it feels good,” you answered quietly, still maintaining eye contact.

“Then just focus on that. There’s nothing else, and you feel so good right now, baby.”

His hands grasped your hips tightly and you put all of your focus on him and the way he was making you feel.

“Five,” you sighed as your head fell back and your eyes closed. You felt his lips on your neck again and your legs wrapped tightly around him. “Keep talking. I want to hear your voice.”

He pressed into you harder, his movements deliberate while his breath was harsh and loud. You emitted a soft cry every time he rocked into you.

“I don’t need anything else. Just you. Only you.”

“Tell me you’ll stay.”

“I promise. I’m not going to leave you.”

Five’s hand was gripping your upper thigh while the other was around your lower back, holding you in place as he penetrated you harder and faster. His mouth was greedily sucking at your neck and jaw as he started to lose his control, pushing roughly into you as you used all your strength to brace yourself against the impact. It was blissful, this building feeling inside; how he knew just where and when to fuck into you, over and over again. You couldn’t get enough of his insistent kisses or passionate moans and it made you feel good; like you were high. And you wanted to keep that feeling with you forever.

“Oh god, Five…I want to be all yours. I want to belong to you.”

“You are mine, sweetheart. And I’m yours. And there’s no one else.”

He let out a shuddering groan as he came inside of you, the final thrust of his hips setting off a series of waves that spread over your body as you climaxed with him. Your entire body seemed to curl into him as your muscles spasmed and you moaned desperately into the crook of his neck, your fingers weaving tightly in his hair.

When you were both able to unfurl from each other, you smiled shyly at him and blushed. It was embarrassing, the way you had acted. But Five’s smile back at you was not mocking in any way and he kissed you gently before helping you down from the table.

“Are you ok?” he asked, his hands resting loosely on your hips.

“Yeah, I’m ok. I’m sorry…I don’t-“

“Don’t apologize, ok? You have nothing to be sorry for. And I meant everything I said.”

Even though you weren’t entirely convinced of that, you let it go and started to get dressed. After Five had put his pants back on, you both looked at each other and then to the terrifying fireball that filled the entire wall of windows.

“Can we go back now?” you asked nervously.

Not that it mattered where you went; no area of the hotel was safer than any other. But for whatever reason, the little homebase you and Five had made on the third floor felt safer. And you wanted to go back before you felt another panic attack creeping in.

Five nodded. “Come on, let’s go.”

Throwing his shirt on, but leaving it unbuttoned, he held your hand as you walked through the empty hotel lobby. You noticed his concerned glance to the bar area.

“Where are they?” you asked.

He shook his head. “I’m not sure. It’s possible they all went off with my father after all. Or maybe they decided to go back to their rooms.”

“Well, do you want to go look for them?”

He hesitated and shook his head again. “No, we said what we needed to. What’s done is done. There’s nothing more I can do.”

It wasn’t your place to say, so you offered nothing else besides a supportive squeeze of his hand. You didn’t think it was right for him to just give up that easily. Shouldn’t he at least make sure they were ok? But then again, you were the outsider here. You really had no idea of what they had been through as a family.

Once you were back in the room, you breathed a sigh of relief. You were ready to snuggle back into bed and go back to sleep, but Five was obviously agitated. He kept pacing the room, unable to relax and he had shut down again; not wanting to talk about anything.

“Five,” you started hesitantly. “It’s ok if you want to make sure they’re alright.”

He stopped pacing momentarily to look at you, then continued with his head down and his hands balled into fists. “There’s no point, I told you. There’s nothing I can do. There’s nothing anyone can do. If they’re gone, they’re gone. End of story.”

“Ok, yeah…I get that. But you’re obviously very upset and maybe it would just make you feel better if you found out for sure. Don’t you think so?”

Five halted again, his face screwed up in concentration and he let out a loud, frustrated groan, throwing his hands in the air. “Nothing but aggravation!”

You frowned with confusion. “What?”

When he faced you, you could see the muscles straining in his neck as he finally unleashed what he’d been stewing about.

“Them! All of them! My entire life…nothing but aggravation from them! Here we are, with probably hours left in this universe, and they decide to just fuck off with no explanation?! After everything was done. We had closure. It was final. But do you think these assholes can keep things simple? Of course not! Now I’m going to have to traipse all over this god damn hotel looking for them because they can’t just stay in one spot and leave me the fuck alone!”

You had to bite your lip to stop from laughing. But you composed yourself and spoke calmly.

“Five, I heard you and your brothers talking earlier.”

“You did?”

“Yes. And I’m sorry I eavesdropped, but I did hear what you said and I know you care for them. You’ll never forgive yourself if you don’t find out what happened.”

“It doesn’t matter whether I forgive myself or not. The world is ending any moment now, so what’s the difference?”

You cocked your head to the side and raised an eyebrow. “Just go. I’ll be ok.”

He shook his head. “No. I told you I wasn’t going to leave you again. I meant it.”

“It’s ok, really. I know you’ll be back. This is something you need to do by yourself, I don’t need to be involved.”

He looked at you thoughtfully. “I think I know where they are. Or least where they were. The White Buffalo Suite. I’m sure of it.”

You really didn’t want him to leave you, but he had already done so much for you. He was your protector when he had no reason to be. You felt that you owed him.

“Then, please, just go,” you insisted, making sure he was looking you in the eye.

Finally, he nodded slowly. “Ok. But I promise I will be back.”

“I know you will.”

He crossed the room to you, placing his hands on either side of your face and tilting your head up to look at him.

“I meant it, you know. I only want you. And I’ll be back; I won’t leave you.”

You blinked back the tears you felt forming again and swallowed the lump in your throat. But you knew he was telling the truth.

“I believe you. And I’ll be here when you get back.”

Without another word, he kissed you, and then he was gone; vanished in a blur of sizzling blue. You were alone.

The next half hour was anxiety-inducing. You had wanted Five to leave to find his family, you really did. But that didn’t ease the feeling of impending death that lingered in the air. You crawled into bed, lying down and covering yourself with the sheets, breathing in the scent that Five had left behind. It made your body ache to not have him near you, and you choked back the sobs you felt forming in your chest. It was so stupid. You weren’t a child. You could certainly be alone for an hour or two. But no matter what you told yourself, you were frozen with fear, listening for any sign that Five might be returning; the loud hiss and rumble of the kugelblitz outside a constant reminder of what precious time you had left.

The knock on the door made you jump and you sat up, thinking maybe you were just imagining things. But then it came again. Another knock; a clear and precise rapping that was most definitely real. You leaped out of the bed, not even thinking. You assumed it was Five and the thought hadn’t even occurred to you that he wouldn’t have knocked. He would have just blinked in like every other time.

Without looking through the peephole, you opened the door with a smile. But your smile fell immediately when you realized your mistake. Standing in front of you was none other than Reginald Hargreeves; hands clasped in front of him and an arrogant smile on his face. You gasped and took a step back.

“Hello, my dear. I hope I’m not interrupting anything?”

He looked over your shoulder and seeing that the room was empty, he took a step forward. That same fear that had gripped you when he approached you at the wedding washed over you and you were frozen in place.

“There’s no need to be frightened, child. I’m looking for Number Five. Is he here?”

You shook your head, unable to speak and Reginald chuckled.

“Do you know where he may have gone? I’m afraid it’s an urgent matter. As all things are these days.”

Finally, you found your voice. It was quiet and shaky, but you stood your ground and raised your head to face the man that terrified you. There was no way in hell you were about to tell him where Five was.

“I have no idea where he is. I haven’t seen him since the wedding. It’s just been me here.”

Reginald nodded solemnly, still wearing that knowing, half smile of his. You saw his gaze drift past you and land on the floor where Five’s suit jacket and tie had been left. He looked back at you, and his eyes narrowed just a little.

“I see. Well, no worries. I wanted to speak with you, as well.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. It’s a shame that you have been raised to believe you have such limits to your abilities. Had you been under my supervision, your powers would be stronger than you could have even imagined. I’m sorry your parents never taught you any different.”

“Don’t talk about my parents,” you seethed through clenched teeth. “I know what you tried to do. Buy me from them so you could raise me along with your other neglected children. Thank god they were smarter than that.”

“You misunderstand, my dear. I only want to see you reach your full potential.”

“Like you did with Five? He’s a fucking disaster, and it’s all because of you!”

Reginald shook his head sadly. “Number Five does have problems, I will admit. However, that was not I that raised him. That was a different, harsher, version of myself. I have nothing but respect and admiration for my current children.”

You snorted sarcastically. “Yeah, right.”

During your back and forth with Reginald, you hadn’t realized that he had taken several more steps and was now fully inside your room. He closed the door behind him with an ominous click and you backed up, even more frightened than you had been.

“The truth is, I am in need of more of you. I need your powers to save us. To save the world. I don’t wish to harm you; you must believe me. I only want to give all of us a chance.”

Your brow was furrowed with confusion. You certainly didn’t trust the man. But what he was saying was just what you had thought earlier when Five told you about Project Oblivion. If there was even a chance of survival, why wouldn’t you take it?

“I don’t believe you. Why should I trust you?”

Reginald smiled genially. “Why don’t you look for yourself?”

“What do you mean?”

“Read my emotions. I know that you can. Then you will see that I’m not the terrible person you think I am.”

You scoffed, but didn’t say anything. You had to think. On one hand, you absolutely did not trust him. On the other, what was there to lose? You knew for a fact that no one could hide their true feelings from you once you were connected to their consciousness. It would be impossible for them to lie. So, you really didn’t see what the downside would be. You would either see that he was telling the truth, or that he was lying just like you suspected.

“Alright,” you stated, holding your head up high.

“Excellent,” Reginald grinned happily.

You concentrated as hard as you could. The golden tendrils emerged and started growing, heading straight for Reginald’s mind. Once they reached him, you closed your eyes and looked deep within him. You searched for his emotions and his true intentions. But there was nothing. Just darkness. Something wasn’t right. This wasn’t possible. He couldn’t hide anything from you. That’s not how this worked.

You heard him laugh quietly and sinisterly, while you remained connected to him.

“My dear…I thought you were smarter than that. I created you. I can control you.”

The sudden pain was searing as it ripped through your brain, your skull, and your entire body. Like lightning, it coursed through you, sending you dropping to your knees. You clutched your head, screaming in agony as the white-hot light pierced your eyes. The golden tendrils that connected your mind to Reginald’s pulsed and wavered in the air between you, but you couldn’t break them. He held you there, in complete control of your body and mind. You had been so stupid not to have realized what he was capable of.

Reginald stepped closer to you, eyeing you while you writhed on the ground. His voice was like fire as he spoke, the vibrations traveling through the tendrils and directly into the cells and neurons of your brain.

“I’m sorry; truly I am. You have quite the gift, and it’s a shame to have to do this. But I have no alternative, I’m afraid. My ungrateful children seem to have forsaken me, and I need a replacement, you see. I need you. Both of you.”

It was hard to breathe and you curled into yourself on the floor, gasping for air as tears rolled down your cheeks. It was useless to try and fight back. You had tried to break the connection and it was impossible. He was too strong. No matter what you did, he held on, the pain screaming through your body as he stood over you.

“I can stop this, you know. All you have to do is come with me. And the pain will go away.”

The action of forming words and expelling air from your lungs was excruciating, but you gathered all the strength you had left.

“F-fuck…you!” you cried, your voice grating with pain.

You heard him laugh darkly, and another sharp pain shot through your skull. “So spirited. How about you just tell me where Number Five is, then? I know he wouldn’t have left you. He pretends to be a hardened old man like myself, but I’m guessing he’s quite fond of you.”

“I don’t…know…” you sobbed, holding your head in your hands.

With another menacing step forward, Reginald stood directly over you, staring down at your twisting body. You couldn’t see his face, but you heard his voice echoing in your ears and your brain.

“You’ve made a grave mistake, I’m afraid,” he threatened.

As another bolt of lightning shot through you, this one somehow hotter and more painful than the last, you were only partially aware of what was happening outside of your body. There was a faint flash of blue light and you heard your name in the distance. There was an angry yell, and then you saw Reginald’s body drop onto the floor in front of you, his head lying limply to the side and the monocle dropping from his eye.

His neck had been snapped and his eyes stared forward, devoid of life. The pain that had been constant and pulsing inside of you suddenly ceased. With a small whimpering sound, you looked up and saw the silhouette of Five kneeling next to you. You couldn’t speak and it was still hard to breathe, but right before you passed out you heard him tell you it was going to be ok, and he held your head in his lap; the shadow of his face falling over yours as he softly kissed your forehead.

You weren’t sure how long you were blacked out, but when you woke up you were lying down in the bed, your body tingling and your head still aching.  But your lungs no longer burned and you could think clearly again. Someone was lightly stroking your hair and when your eyes fluttered open, the first thing you saw was Five.

He must have moved you to the bed, and he was sitting up against the headboard with your head in his lap again. His head was tipped back and his eyes were closed. But his fingers still carded lightly through your hair and you had a feeling he had been sitting with you for a while.

When you moved and started to lift yourself up, Five startled awake, disoriented at first, until he looked down and saw you awake. His face flooded with relief and he let out a heavy exhale.

“You’re awake,” he breathed out.

You sat up slowly, your head still foggy and your muscles aching. Then the memory of everything that happened came flooding back and you let out a loud gasp, whipping around to look at the spot on the floor where you had been tortured and you had seen Reginald’s dead body. The space was empty. As if nothing unusual had ever occurred there.

Five placed a hand on your arm. “It’s ok. He’s gone.”

When you turned back to him, you saw for the first time how tired he looked. And there was something else. A deep sadness that hadn’t been there before.

“He was in my head…I don’t know how…it was horrible…” you started to say, unable to fully understand everything that happened.

Five pulled you into him, holding you against his chest while he caressed your hair again.

“He was torturing you so you would submit to him and follow him to Oblivion.”

“It was like electricity burning through my body and my head felt like it was going to explode. I could feel him in my mind. But then…you were there and…he was dead.” You looked up at Five. “You killed him.”

“He was hurting you,” he said simply, caressing your cheek with his hand.

“Five.” You looked into his eyes and they were filled with pain. “He was your father.”

He shook his head. “No he wasn’t. And not only because this was a different version of the man that raised me. He was never our father. Because a real father would never do what he has done to his kids. And then when I saw him hurting you like that…” his voice trailed off and you saw him swallow. He cleared his throat. “Anyway, it’s done now. He’s gone.”

“I’m so sorry, Five. This is my fault. He came looking for you, but I didn’t want to tell him where you were, and then he told me to tap into his mind to see if he was lying and I did it. I don’t know why, it was so stupid. I’m so so sorry.”

“It’s ok. It’s not your fault. He had it coming, believe me. I probably should have done it a long time ago.” He chuckled humorlessly. “Ironic that he was the one that taught me how to snap a grown man’s neck.”

“Wait, what about your siblings? Did you find them?”

There was silence and you heard Five’s breath catch in his throat. “Not really. But I know what happened to them.”

“Oh no.”

“I was too late. He must have convinced them to go through the tunnel. I tried to go after them, but the entrance was sealed. They’re stuck in there now. Oh, and also he killed Luther.”

“What?”

“I found him in the suite, dead. The whole floor was covered in his blood. Someone killed him and I assume it was Reginald. I don’t know why though, but I’m sure it was all part of his plan.”

“Oh shit, Five. I’m so sorry. That’s awful.”

He didn’t say anything more, but you felt a sudden shift in your mind. Like it wasn’t just your thoughts in there anymore. You felt immense grief and sadness; along with an intense anger that was directed toward yourself. But they weren’t your thoughts and you hadn’t connected to Five’s mind.

“Something strange is happening.”

Five sat up a little straighter. “I feel it too.”

“It’s like…I can feel you. Your emotions. They’re mixing with mine.”

“And I can feel yours, I think. How is this happening?”

You shook your head. “I don’t know, I’m not doing anything to make it happen. I don’t understand.”

“Reginald,” Five said, as if that explained everything.

“What about him?”

“When he was connected to you, I had my hands on his head before I snapped his neck. I think maybe some of that energy passed through me. Which means I retained some of your energy, too.”

You sat there, trying to understand what he was saying. He was still in your head; you could feel it. And you assumed you were in his, as well. It was like you were connected by some invisible conductor.

“I think that’s why my body is still tingling. It’s like it’s connecting with yours. Do you feel that?”

“Yes,” Five said quietly. “I can feel it.”

You looked at each other, not really knowing what to say next or what to do. Your consciousnesses were joined together and there were so many emotions swirling around in your brain that it was overwhelming. His, mixed with yours, created a confusing blend that made it hard to think.

“Can you read my thoughts?” Five asked.

You shook your head. “No, just your emotions. Why, can you read mine?”

“No. But it’s the same for me. I can feel everything you’re feeling.”

You were both silent for a minute as you tried to process everything that was passing between you.

“Well, this is fucking weird,” you finally said.

Five laughed. “That’s an understatement.”

You looked at him with a small smile, the connection between you seeming to deepen as you looked into his eyes, and you touched the side of his face with your hand.

“Thank you, Five.”

“For what?”

“For everything. For saving my life; for staying with me and helping me not lose my mind. For giving me several amazing orgasms.”

He grinned. “You’re welcome. But I’m not sure I can take credit for the last one. You gave me some pretty good instructions with that download.”

You laughed. “I don’t think that was it. I’m pretty sure your ego is the driving force behind that particular talent.”

He shrugged with a smirk and pulled you closer to him so he could kiss you. “Perhaps that was part of it.”

His lips were soft on yours, but there was something new there. Like an underlying current of electricity. But not the painful, white-hot electricity that coursed through your veins when Reginald had ahold of you. This was a warm, tingling feeling. Like a quiet hum through your body. It was comforting and you kissed him back deeply, trying to get more of that feeling.

“You felt that, too?” he breathed when you pulled away.

You nodded. “It’s like I feel closer to you. Like you’re a part of me.”

Five looked in your eyes again. “You are a part of me, there’s no denying that. But it’s not just because of whatever weird thing is happening here. It’s because you came to me at the last minute; when I had no more hope left in me. I was drained and empty inside. But you filled me up again; with your spirit and your kindness. And several amazing orgasms.” You laughed, even though you felt tears forming in your eyes. “So, thank you for giving me that. I’m sorry I couldn’t give us more time. I think we could have had something good together.”

“I think so, too,” you whispered.

You could feel his sincerity and his regret that you had run out of time. And there was something else there, but you pushed it away because it was too painful to think about.

“I’m so tired. I just want to lie here with you. Is that ok?”

“Of course it is.”

You moved your bodies so that he was holding you to him from behind again. You breathed out a long, contented sigh and pulled his arms tighter around you. Even though you were exhausted you laid awake for a few minutes.

“Are you scared?” you whispered.

Instead of an answer, you felt a wave of fear wash over you before it dissipated again. It had been from Five. You didn’t say anything, just pressed your body closer to his as a comfort to you both.

“Do you believe in an afterlife?” you asked hesitantly.

“I’m not sure. My brother says there is. I’m not entirely convinced, though.”

“I feel the same way.” You paused. “I guess we’ll find out, huh?”

“I guess we will.”

“If there is, do you want to meet up sometime? Like a date?”

You were joking, of course; trying to lighten the mood. But you felt Five bury his face in your hair and he kissed your shoulder.

“If there is an afterlife, I’ll find you. I promise you I will.”

There was nothing more to say, so you closed your eyes and drifted off; your body and mind weak and tired from Reginald’s earlier torture.

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

The deafening sound woke you with a start. The room around you was blazing bright and you could feel the waves of heat pulsing in the air. The walls were shaking and the pictures that had been hanging there crashed to the ground. The lamp on the nearby table smashed into pieces as it fell onto the floor. But it was the sound that was terrifying. It was like a train heading straight for you at top speed, the noise growing louder with each second. You let out a cry of fear and you felt Five hug you closer to him.

“It’s ok, I’m here,” he said calmly next to your ear.

You turned around so that you were facing him, keeping your body flush with his as you held on to each other. You started crying again and Five brushed away your tears with the back of his fingers.

“It’s happening. This is it, we’re going to die,” you choked out.

You had hoped to be braver in these last moments of life, but the truth was you were terrified and you couldn’t hide it.  But Five appeared calm and the energy that you were picking up from him was peaceful and you welcomed it in, letting it flood your insides. It helped and you stopped crying. The noise was growing louder and the walls around you started to crumble, the glass in the window breaking into a million shards as it exploded all around you. You clutched onto each other even tighter, ignoring the tiny lacerations forming on your bodies, the blood painting your skin with pin prick dots of red.

“Just remember, I will find you. No matter what.”

Five spoke softly in your ear so that you could hear him over the roar of the fast-approaching fireball. With only a few seconds left, you opened your mind up fully, letting all of Five’s deep feelings wash over you. And you felt it. The one emotion you had been determined to push away. But you let it in, because there was no point in holding back now.

It was love. His love for you flowed into you and it was so strong that it momentarily blocked out the raging heat of the dying universe as it closed in on you. You held a hand on his cheek and gave him one last kiss. He could feel everything you were feeling, too. You had made sure he could. But he needed to hear you say it. He deserved to hear it from someone once in his life, even if it was the very end. Your eyes closed and you focused on his body and his breath and his heartbeat next to yours; making sure he heard you before the darkness came.

“I love you, Five.”

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

Epilogue

It was a Saturday afternoon, the fall air crisp outside and the sun shining low and into the tinted windows of the coffee shop. You sat in your usual spot, hunched over your book, idly sipping at your tea. This is where you spent most of your down time these days. The same coffee shop, the same table by the window if it was unoccupied, the same drink order. Your friends thought there was something wrong with you. They were probably right. But you’d been pulling away from them for the last few months anyway, so they had pretty much stopped asking if you were ok.

It had been this way for a year now. You weren’t sure why; there was no logical explanation you could come up with. You’d initially thought it had to do with entering your thirties and maybe it was a little bit of an early mid-life crisis. But then it stayed, enveloping you like a heavy blanket that you couldn’t shake from your shoulders.

One morning you had woken up like usual and something felt wrong. You tried to put your finger on it, tried to look back into your memory for something you must have forgotten. It was like that feeling you get when you walk into a room but forget the reason why you came there in the first place. Usually if you stand there long enough, it will come to you. This time, it never did.

And so, you went on with life; going to work, meeting up with friends, visiting your parents. Nothing had changed, it was all the same. Except it wasn’t. And you didn’t know how to explain it. There was just something…missing.

You started to decline invitations to parties or to dinners with your girlfriends. A couple times you had been asked out on dates by fairly good-looking men, but you lied and said you were in a relationship. You had lost the desire to interact with people. Even people you cared about. Instead, you found yourself in this same coffee shop, wiling away the hours, and trying to figure out what the hell happened to your life.

Something had happened to your powers, too. You no longer needed to concentrate so hard to read people’s emotions. The golden strands that would normally serve as a bridge from your mind to another were gone. It was concerning at first, when you accidentally gained access to the barista’s consciousness and was hit by a wall of boredom and mild depression. She hadn’t felt a thing, apparently. She just handed you your tea with a professional smile and moved on to the next person.

Even though it went against your moral code, you found yourself using your powers more often. Mostly just for something to do while you sat there, looking out the windows onto the busy city sidewalk. Anger. Doubt. Love. Anxiety. Happiness. Regret. Hope. Sadness.   They all spread through you in a whirl as the passersby went about their day, having no idea they were just cracked open by a girl innocently sipping a mug of green tea. You liked feeling everything they were feeling in those brief seconds. It felt less alone. Less empty.

Your downloads didn't require nearly as much time or concentration, either. And despite knowing that it was wrong, it was fun to surprise strangers with random bits of information as they entered your personal space. The subway was particularly easy, and you liked to watch the reactions of the other commuters when a new fact suddenly jumped into their brain. There was no longer a golden orb and the information was downloaded quickly and precisely from your mind to theirs. It was even more fun to give them incorrect information. Although, you still felt guilty about making one man get off at the incorrect stop just because you wanted to see if you could do it.

You glanced up at the window like you normally did, already bored with your book. You watched as men and women walked by; most of them at a much more leisurely pace since it was the weekend. When you saw him walking towards you, you didn’t think much of it at first. It took a few seconds before your brain caught up to your eyeballs. But then it hit you like a fucking brick.

Grasping the edge of the table with both hands, you squeezed your eyes shut and clenched your teeth as the images flooded through you. They came at you so fast, it was like one of those books that makes moving animation when you flip through the pages super-fast. But you could still see everything; you could still register what was happening. It was all there. The hotel, the wedding, the giant orange fireball outside, your fear and helplessness. And Five. His face and his body, the way his hands felt on your skin and in your hair, the sound of his voice as he whispered in your ear. How safe you had felt when he held onto you even at the last moment.

When the images suddenly stopped flashing through your brain, your eyes flew open and you sucked in a loud, gasping breath. The people around you turned and you heard one woman ask if you were ok. But you didn’t answer. You were too busy looking out the window, frantically searching for his now familiar face. But he was gone again.

Jumping up, knocking your tea over onto your book, you grabbed your purse and ran out of the cafe. You started hurrying through the crowds of people, ignoring their grumbles and curses as you pushed past them. You couldn’t see him anywhere. How was that possible? He had just been there, walking in this very direction. You had only seen him briefly before the images poured into your brain, but you knew it was him. Slightly older and with no three-piece suit, he had still been wearing a white dress shirt and black pants, his head angled down at the ground as he had walked with purpose, his dark hair falling over one eye.

That panicky feeling started to rise up in you again as you increased your pace, jogging in front of and around people, your eyes searching everywhere around you. So, that when you collided directly into another person, you let out a loud “oof” as you were pushed back a couple steps by the impact. You didn’t fall, but you lost your footing a little until a hand reached out and grabbed your arm, steadying you. In an instant, your body was filled with a warm, tingling sensation and you looked up.

When you locked eyes, you were both startled and you stood there staring at each other in the middle of the sidewalk, forcing people to walk around you. Finally, he spoke.

“It’s you.”

You nodded slowly, your voice trembling. “I remembered. When I saw you, I remembered everything.”

“I was just walking and then it hit me after I passed that coffee shop. And I remembered you. I don’t know how I didn’t remember before…but I knew I had to go back. For months something has felt wrong…it was always like-“

“Like something was missing?”

Five smiled. “Exactly. It was you. I was missing you.”

“Our connection with my powers. I don’t think it ever left. We just needed to meet again for everything to fit back into place.”

Five nodded as you both continued to breathe hard, staring at one another.

“Can I kiss you?” he asked, even as he was already pulling you closer.

“I think you better,” you answered with a smile.

It didn’t matter that you were blocking the sidewalk in the middle of the day, or that angry citizens were shoving past you and telling you to get a room. As soon as Five kissed you, another flood of memories came back. Only this time, it was that same soft electrical feeling through your body. That quiet hum of energy. And you could feel everything he was feeling again. Relief, desire, and love.

When you managed to pull away from each other, you still held on, your arms encircling his shoulders and his hands on your waist. He leaned down and placed his forehead against yours.

“You promised you would find me. And you did.”

“I’m sorry it took so long,” he said softly as he closed his eyes and kissed you again.

“Five? Does this mean this is actually the afterlife? That we’ve been dead the whole time?”

Five looked around and shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. This is real life. But it must be an alternate dimension or timeline, it’s hard to say. It looks like when the universe exploded, it created a new one in its place. Like a backup.”

“So…we get to just go about living our lives?”

“Looks that way. But now we can do that together. Assuming, of course, that’s what you want.”

You brushed a strand of hair off his face and smiled up at him. “I want nothing more.”

Five pulled you in tighter for one more kiss before taking your hand and walking over to the side, out of everyone’s way.

“I suppose we should start getting to know one another a little better. Outside of the bedroom, anyway. I feel pretty confident I know you well enough in that regard,” he joked as he rubbed his thumb over the inside of your wrist.

You raised one eyebrow. “I don’t know, I may have some super secret kink that I never showed you.”

He pushed you gently against the building you were standing in front of and held your face in his hand.

“Sweetheart, I would love to learn every kinky, sexually depraved thing about you. And I intend to indulge in all of them. But right now, how about we go back to that café you were in and we talk over coffee. You know, like normal people that don’t have the end of the world breathing down their neck.”

“I’d like that. Oh, but I actually only drink tea. I’m not a coffee person.”

The horrified look Five gave you made you laugh out loud, it was so overdramatic.

“What?”

Five shook his head in disappointment. “It’s a damn good thing I already know how good you are in the sack, otherwise this date may have ended before it began.”

As you giggled and kissed his frowny face, you sighed happily.

“I love you, Five.”

“I love hearing that again. And I love you, too.”

Link to my Master List

[fr0stf4ll]

Forge of Starlight - Part 7

paring; Azriel x reader

summary; In the heart of Velaris, a skilled blacksmith's quiet life is turned upside down when unexpected bonds begin to form with the enigmatic Spymaster of the Night Court. As she navigates the challenges of her craft and the complexities of newfound relationships, she discovers that love and loyalty may be the strongest forces of all in a world where darkness often lingers just beyond the light.

word count ; 4.6k

warning; /

notes; hope that you enjoy the chapter ... <3

here is the link for part 6 or part 8

---

The walk back to your shop was quiet, the night air cool against your skin as you and Azriel made your way through the sleeping streets of Velaris. The warmth of your shared moments still lingered between you, and you couldn’t help but feel a sense of comfort with Azriel by your side. But as the shop came into view, the weight of the mysterious order returned, pulling you both back into the reality of the situation.

Once inside the shop, you led Azriel to the back room where you had left the letter. The forge was dark and quiet now, the earlier warmth replaced by the cool stillness of the night. You retrieved the letter from where you had tucked it away and handed it to Azriel, watching as his eyes scanned the elegant script.

His brow furrowed as he examined the seal, the strange symbol embossed in the wax catching his attention. He turned it over in his hands, studying it carefully before shaking his head. “This symbol doesn’t ring any bells. It’s not something I’ve come across before, and I’ve seen a lot of seals and crests in my time.”

You nodded, already suspecting that the symbol was something unusual. “It didn’t look familiar to me either, which is why it caught my attention in the first place.”

Azriel’s gaze lifted to meet yours, his eyes serious. “Tell me about the magic they’re asking for in the sword. What’s its purpose?”

You sighed, glancing down at the letter as you considered how to explain it. “I’m no expert, but I’ve seen these types of runes before. They’re used in very specific, very dark enchantments. The runes they’re asking for are meant to create a blade that catches souls.”

Azriel’s expression shifted to one of confusion and concern. “Catches souls? What do you mean?”

You took a deep breath, knowing how heavy the truth would be. “When you kill someone with a blade like this, their soul doesn’t pass on. It gets trapped within the sword, bound to it. The sword becomes a vessel for the souls of its victims, storing them indefinitely.”

Azriel’s face darkened at your words, his brows knitting together in a deep frown. “That’s… twisted. Why would anyone want a weapon like that?”

You shook your head, unable to find a logical answer. “I don’t know. But whoever commissioned this sword must have a very specific, very disturbing purpose in mind.���

Azriel set the letter down on the table, his jaw tight with tension. “This sounds more dangerous than anything. You shouldn’t go through with it, Y/N. There’s too much at stake here, and something about this whole situation feels… wrong.”

You met his gaze, seeing the worry and protectiveness in his eyes. The same unease that had been gnawing at you since the order came in now felt magnified by his concern. “I agree. I’ve been thinking the same thing. It’s not worth the risk, and I don’t want to get involved in whatever this is.”

Azriel’s expression softened slightly, relief evident in his eyes. “I’m glad you see it that way. It’s better to be safe, especially with something this dark.”

You nodded, feeling a weight lift off your shoulders now that the decision was made. “I’ll send word tomorrow that I’m refusing the order. If they push back, I’ll stand my ground.”

Azriel stepped closer, his hand gently brushing against your arm in a comforting gesture. “You don’t have to handle this alone, Y/N. If they give you any trouble, I’ll be here to help.”

His touch was warm and reassuring, and you felt your heart skip a beat at the closeness between you. “Thank you, Azriel. That means a lot to me.”

He offered you a small, comforting smile, the tension between you easing as the conversation shifted away from the danger and back to the quiet intimacy of the night. “I should probably let you get some rest,” he said softly, though there was a hint of reluctance in his voice.

You nodded, though part of you wanted to ask him to stay just a little longer. “Yeah, it’s been a long day.”

As Azriel turned to leave, the quiet of the night settling around you, you felt a sudden reluctance to let him go. You reached out, gently catching his hand before he could step away completely.

“Azriel,” you began softly, your voice barely above a whisper. “About the letter… would you mind taking it with you? Maybe you could look into that seal, see if your network can find anything.”

He paused, his eyes meeting yours with a hint of surprise before they softened into a gentle smile. “I was actually going to ask if I could take it. I’ll have my spies look into it and see if we can find out more. Whatever this is, it’s better to be cautious.”

You nodded, feeling a weight lift from your shoulders. “Thank you. I’d feel better knowing it’s in your hands.”

Azriel’s hand tightened slightly around yours, a quiet reassurance in his touch. The moment lingered between you, the air thick with unspoken words and the quiet understanding that had grown between you throughout the night.

Before you could second-guess yourself, you took a small step closer, your free hand coming up to rest against his chest. You felt the steady beat of his heart beneath your palm, and when you looked up at him, you found his gaze fixed on you with an intensity that made your breath catch.

Without thinking, you leaned in, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to his lips. It was a gentle kiss, filled with the promise of something more, something that was just beginning to blossom between you. Azriel responded immediately, his hand sliding up to cup the back of your neck, holding you close as he deepened the kiss just enough to leave you both slightly breathless.

When you finally pulled away, your foreheads rested against each other, the world outside the shop forgotten in that quiet, intimate moment.

“I’ll be careful,” you whispered, your voice carrying the weight of the promise you were making, not just to him, but to yourself.

Azriel smiled softly, his thumb brushing gently against your cheek. “I know you will. And I’ll be here, whatever happens next.”

You nodded, feeling the warmth of his words settle deep within you. With a final, tender kiss to your forehead, Azriel stepped back, his hand lingering on yours for just a moment longer before he let go.

“I’ll be in touch,” he said softly, his voice carrying a promise of its own.

You watched as he turned and stepped out into the night, the door closing softly behind him. For a moment, you stood there, the warmth of the kiss still tingling on your lips, the weight of the letter now passed on to someone you trusted implicitly.

With a small, contented smile, you turned off the lights and headed upstairs to your apartment. As you climbed into bed, the events of the night replayed in your mind, the memory of Azriel’s kiss lingering as you drifted off to sleep, a sense of anticipation for what the future might hold.

—— 

The House of Wind was quiet, save for the soft crackle of the fire in the hearth as Rhysand and Cassian lounged in the living room, their expressions a mix of curiosity and amusement. They had been waiting for a while, their usual banter having faded into a comfortable silence as they awaited Azriel's return.

Cassian leaned back in his chair, a playful grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You think he’s off doing something shady, or just being his usual brooding self?"

Rhysand chuckled, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. "Knowing Az, probably a bit of both. But he’s been acting different lately—less brooding, more... distracted."

Cassian raised an eyebrow, leaning forward with interest. "Distracted, huh? You think he’s got something—or someone—on his mind?"

Rhysand smirked, his violet eyes gleaming with mischief. "I wouldn’t be surprised. He’s been disappearing more often, hasn’t he?"

As if on cue, the front door creaked open, and Azriel stepped inside, his wings folding neatly behind him as he made his way into the room. His expression was calm, collected—perhaps a bit too calm, given the circumstances.

Cassian was the first to pounce, his grin widening as he eyed Azriel with suspicion. "Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to grace us with his presence. Where’ve you been, Az?"

Azriel shrugged, his face betraying nothing as he replied, "Out."

Rhysand arched an eyebrow, clearly amused by Azriel’s attempt at evasion. "Out where? You don’t usually take this long on a simple errand."

Azriel’s lips twitched, but he kept his tone even. "Just taking care of something."

Cassian exchanged a glance with Rhysand, both of them clearly not buying Azriel’s nonchalant answers. "Uh-huh. And this ‘something’ wouldn’t happen to involve a certain blacksmith in Velaris, would it?"

Azriel shot Cassian a sidelong glance, his expression carefully neutral. "Why would you think that?"

Rhysand leaned forward, his interest piqued. "Oh, come on, Az. You can’t fool us. We’ve noticed you sneaking off more frequently—and it just so happens that you’re always heading in the direction of Y/N’s shop."

Azriel’s silence spoke volumes, and the corners of Cassian’s mouth lifted into a knowing grin. "So, did you kiss her?"

Azriel’s jaw clenched slightly, but he didn’t respond. His silence only served to fuel the fire, and Cassian’s grin turned into a full-on smirk.

"Oh, fuck," Cassian groaned dramatically, throwing his head back against the chair. "The kid won the bet."

Rhysand looked at Cassian, his amusement evident. "What bet?"

Cassian let out a resigned sigh. "I made a bet with Alex. I said they wouldn’t kiss until the second date, but that little shit was convinced it would happen on the first."

Rhysand couldn’t contain his laughter, his shoulders shaking as he leaned back in his chair. "You made a bet with a ten-year-old, and you lost?"

Cassian groaned again, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, and now I owe him. Damn it, Az, couldn’t you have waited until the second date?"

Azriel finally allowed a small smile to tug at his lips, his gaze shifting between his two friends. "You shouldn’t have made the bet in the first place."

Cassian grumbled, but there was no real heat in it. "Yeah, yeah. Just wait until you have to deal with him gloating about it."

Rhysand leaned forward, his eyes still gleaming with humor. "So, you really kissed her, huh? How was it?"

Azriel’s smile softened, his thoughts drifting back to the quiet moment under the stars. "It was... perfect."

Rhysand leaned back, crossing his arms with a satisfied grin. "It’s about time, Az. You deserve something good in your life."

Cassian, still sulking over his lost bet, couldn’t help but chuckle. "Yeah, and next time, maybe wait a little longer so I don’t end up in debt to a kid."

Azriel shook his head, a rare chuckle escaping him. "I’ll keep that in mind."

The three of them settled into a comfortable silence, the fire crackling softly in the background. Despite the teasing, there was an unspoken understanding between them—a bond that went beyond words, forged in battle and strengthened by years of friendship.

As the night wore on, the conversation shifted to other topics, the easy camaraderie between the three warriors filling the room. But in the back of his mind, Azriel couldn’t help but replay the evening’s events, a soft smile lingering on his lips as he thought of you.

—— 

The days flowed smoothly after that fateful night, a comfortable rhythm settling over your life in Velaris. The shop bustled with activity as more customers came by, drawn by your reputation and the quality of your work. Alex was his usual lively self, helping out with the customers and occasionally throwing in a cheeky comment or two that never failed to make you laugh.

Azriel became a frequent visitor at the shop, his presence now a regular part of your routine. He would stop by during the quieter moments of the day, sometimes bringing you lunch, other times simply staying for a chat as you worked. There was an ease between you now, a quiet understanding that grew with each passing day.

One afternoon, as you were finishing up the final touches on a sword, the door to the shop swung open, and you looked up to see Cassian strolling in with his usual swagger. He greeted you with a wide grin, but it was the sight of him handing Alex a small pouch full of gold coins that really caught your attention.

Alex, ever the charmer, opened the pouch and gave a low whistle. "Pleasure doing business with you, General," he said with a mock bow, his grin as wide as ever.

You raised an eyebrow, wiping your hands on a cloth as you approached them. "What’s this about, then?"

Cassian looked caught for a moment, but then he let out a hearty laugh. "Just paying off a little debt, Y/N. Seems your apprentice here had more faith in Azriel’s romantic abilities than I did."

You couldn’t help but laugh, your eyes narrowing playfully as you glanced between the two of them. "So, this is about that bet, huh? Should’ve known Alex would win."

Alex puffed out his chest with pride. "I told you, Nana, always trust my instincts. Now, if only every bet was this profitable."

Cassian rolled his eyes, though his grin never wavered. "Careful, kid. Too much confidence and you might find yourself in over your head."

Alex just shrugged, tucking the pouch away. "I’ll take my chances."

You shook your head at their banter, but there was a warmth in your chest as you watched the two of them. Cassian’s visits were always a bit of chaotic fun, and it was clear he had a soft spot for Alex, despite all the teasing.

As the week continued, you couldn’t help but notice how Azriel made a point to keep you updated on his progress with the letter and the mysterious order. He’d stop by, his expression serious as he shared whatever new information he had uncovered.

“It’s been difficult to trace the seal,” Azriel mentioned one evening as you were closing up the shop. He leaned against the counter, his brows furrowed in thought. “It doesn’t match any known factions or groups that we’ve encountered before. Whoever they are, they’re good at staying hidden.”

You nodded, wiping down the counter as you listened. “I expected as much. This whole thing felt off from the start.”

Azriel looked at you, his gaze softening slightly. “I’m glad you decided to decline the order. It’s too dangerous to get involved with something like this.”

You gave him a small smile, grateful for his concern. “I sent back a letter a few days ago, stating that I couldn’t fulfill the request in such a short time and with the materials they were asking for. I haven’t heard back since.”

Azriel nodded, looking somewhat relieved. “Good. Let’s hope it stays that way.”

The exchange was typical of the conversations you’d been having lately—serious, focused on the task at hand, but always with an underlying current of warmth. It was clear that Azriel was genuinely invested in your safety, and that knowledge brought a sense of comfort you hadn’t realized you’d been missing.

As the week drew to a close, you found yourself reflecting on how much had changed in such a short amount of time. The shop was thriving, your bond with Alex was stronger than ever, and Azriel… well, Azriel had become an important part of your life, whether you had intended for that to happen or not.

The night had fallen deep and quiet over Velaris by the time you arrived at the Town House, the moon hanging high in the sky, casting a silver light over the city. The streets were mostly empty, save for the occasional guard or late-night traveler making their way home. The air was cool, with a faint breeze that stirred the leaves and whispered through the alleyways, carrying with it the promise of something darker on the horizon.

You had left Alex back at your apartment, assuring him that you wouldn’t be long. It was late, but Rhysand had requested a meeting, and you knew it was important. The weight of the past week hung heavy on your mind, and though you had declined the mysterious order, the unease still lingered.

As you entered the Town House, you were greeted by the familiar warmth of the place, but tonight, it felt different—more serious, more urgent. The usual lighthearted banter that often filled the rooms was absent, replaced by a quiet intensity that set you on edge.

Rhysand was already seated in the main sitting room when you arrived, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp as he watched you enter. Cassian and Mor were there as well, Cassian leaning casually against the mantel, while Mor sat elegantly on the couch, her gaze flicking to you with a small, welcoming smile. Azriel was the last to arrive, his entrance almost silent, but you felt the shift in the air as he took his place near the shadows, ever watchful.

"Thank you for coming, Y/N," Rhysand said, his voice smooth and calm, but with an undercurrent of seriousness that matched the atmosphere. "I appreciate you making time, especially so late."

You offered a small nod, taking a seat across from him. "Of course, Rhys. What’s this about?"

Rhysand exchanged a glance with Cassian and Mor before turning his attention back to you. "As you know, the Night Court’s relationships with the other courts—both on the continent and beyond—are delicate. We’ve worked hard to maintain peace and foster alliances, but there are always those who would see us weakened or divided."

You nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "You’ve done well in keeping the balance, but I imagine that’s not easy."

"It isn’t," Rhysand admitted, his gaze steady. "And lately, we’ve had reason to believe that certain factions within the courts are growing restless. There’s talk of old alliances crumbling and new ones being forged, some of which could threaten the stability we’ve worked so hard to maintain."

Mor leaned forward slightly, her expression serious. "We need to be proactive. The other courts respect you, Y/N. You’ve built relationships with many of the High Lords, and that makes you uniquely positioned to help us."

Cassian chimed in, his tone less playful than usual. "We’re not asking you to do anything dangerous. We just need your insight—your understanding of the dynamics at play. If there’s a way to strengthen our alliances or to identify potential threats before they become real problems, we need to know."

You felt the weight of their request settle over you, and you took a moment to consider it. The Night Court had always been careful in its dealings with the other courts, but you knew that the balance was fragile, easily disrupted by the ambitions of others.

Azriel’s voice cut through the silence, calm and measured. "You’ve traveled to almost every court, Y/N. You know the High Lords, their strengths and weaknesses, better than most. We could use that knowledge."

You met Azriel’s gaze, seeing the trust and respect in his eyes. It was clear that this was more than just a request for help—it was an acknowledgment of your importance to the Night Court, and perhaps even something more.

"What exactly are you asking me to do?" you asked, your tone thoughtful.

Rhysand leaned back in his chair, his expression contemplative. "For now, we need your perspective. If you think there are ways we can improve our relationships with the other courts—especially those on the continent—I want to hear them. Beyond that, if you feel comfortable reaching out to some of your contacts, it could help us gauge where we stand."

You nodded slowly, the gravity of the situation settling over you. "I can do that. But you should know that while I’ve built relationships, not all of them are as strong as they could be. Some of the High Lords are… complicated."

Cassian let out a soft huff of amusement. "Aren’t they all?"

Mor’s gaze softened slightly as she looked at you. "We don’t expect miracles, Y/N. Just your honest opinion. If there are dangers we need to be aware of, or opportunities we can seize, we trust you to tell us."

You appreciated the trust they were placing in you, but you also felt the weight of the responsibility. The politics of Prythian were as dangerous as any battlefield, and one wrong move could have devastating consequences.

"I’ll do what I can," you said finally, your voice steady. "I’ll think on it, and I’ll reach out to those I can trust. But we need to be careful. There are forces at play that we may not fully understand."

Rhysand nodded, his expression grave. "We’re aware. And that’s why we’re counting on you. Your insight could make all the difference."

The room fell into a contemplative silence, each of you lost in your own thoughts. It was clear that this was more than just a simple request—it was a turning point, one that could shape the future of the Night Court and Prythian as a whole.

Azriel broke the silence, his voice low. "We’ll take it one step at a time. No need to rush into anything."

You nodded, feeling the tension in your chest ease slightly at his words. "Agreed. Let’s approach this carefully."

Cassian pushed off the mantel, his usual humor returning as he clapped his hands together. "Alright, enough of the heavy talk for one night. I think we’ve all had enough of politics for the evening."

Mor smiled, the tension in the room easing as she relaxed back into her seat. "I couldn’t agree more."

Rhysand stood, signaling the end of the meeting. "Thank you, Y/N. We’ll talk more in the coming days. But for now, get some rest."

You rose from your seat, offering a small smile in return. "I will. Thank you."

As you made your way to the door, Azriel fell into step beside you, his presence a comforting shadow at your side. The night was still and quiet as you stepped out into the cool air, the weight of the meeting still lingering in your mind.

"Walk you home?" Azriel offered, his voice soft.

You nodded, grateful for the company. "I’d like that."

As you and Azriel walked through the quiet streets of Velaris, the conversation turned naturally to the High Lords you had met over the years. The night air was cool, and the stars above cast a soft, silvery glow on the cobblestone streets.

“You know,” you began, your voice thoughtful, “there are a few High Lords I’ve always found… intriguing. Helion, for one. He’s a shrewd negotiator, but he respects strength. We’ve always had a decent rapport.”

Azriel nodded, listening intently as you spoke. “Helion’s a good ally, though his court’s penchant for secrets rivals our own. And what about Thesan? The Dawn Court tends to stay neutral, but they hold a lot of influence.”

You smiled, recalling your interactions with the calm and measured High Lord of the Dawn Court. “Thesan’s always been respectful. He’s more interested in knowledge than power, but that makes him valuable in a different way.”

Azriel squeezed your hand gently as you continued to walk, his thumb tracing small, soothing circles against your skin. His eyes were thoughtful as he considered your words. “These connections could be vital in the coming days. Knowing who we can count on—and who might be swayed—will make all the difference.”

You were about to respond, to delve deeper into your thoughts on the other High Lords, when you suddenly noticed that Azriel had stopped walking. He turned to face you, his gaze intense as he looked into your eyes.

“Azriel, is everything okay?” you asked, your voice soft with concern.

For a moment, he said nothing, simply studying you with that same unwavering gaze. Then, without warning, he leaned in, his lips capturing yours in a kiss that was both tender and filled with a restrained longing. The world seemed to pause around you, the only sound the quiet hum of the night as Azriel’s hand cupped your cheek, pulling you closer.

When he finally pulled away, his breath warm against your lips, he whispered, “I’ve wanted to do that all night.”

A blush rose to your cheeks, and you couldn’t help but smile, even as you playfully smacked his arm. “You should’ve done it sooner, then.”

He chuckled softly, his hand lingering on your waist as the two of you resumed your walk. The weight of the meeting was still there, but the kiss had lightened the air between you, bringing a sense of closeness that made the night feel a little less daunting.

As you approached your apartment, you hesitated for a moment before turning to Azriel. “Would you like to come in for a cup of tea? It’s late, but…”

Azriel smiled, his eyes softening. “I’d like that.”

But just as you reached for the door, a sharp, metallic scent hit your senses—blood. The air was thick with it, the smell so strong it made your stomach churn. Azriel tensed beside you, his hand instinctively going to the hilt of his blade as his shadows flared around him.

“Something’s wrong,” you whispered, your heart pounding in your chest. Without waiting for a response, you shoved the door open and rushed inside, fear gripping your heart.

The scene that greeted you was one of horror. Stellan, your loyal dire wolf, lay motionless on the floor, his white fur stained red with blood. His lifeless eyes stared up at the ceiling, and a strangled cry escaped your throat as you dropped to your knees beside him, your hands trembling as you reached out to touch his still-warm body.

“No… no, no, no…” The words came out in a desperate whisper, your mind refusing to accept what your eyes were seeing.

Azriel was beside you in an instant, his expression dark as he scanned the room. But there was no sign of Alex—no sign of the boy who had become like family to you.

“Alex!” you called out, your voice cracking with panic. But there was no answer, only the oppressive silence of the room, broken by the sound of your own ragged breathing.

It was then that you noticed the pendant, a gift from the Winter Court, lying on the floor beside a pool of blood. Your heart clenched painfully as you picked it up, your hands shaking. The blood that covered it was still fresh, a grim reminder of what had been taken from you.

And next to the pendant, partially obscured by Stellan’s body, was a letter. The same seal, the same elegant script—the same cursed symbol that had marked the letter you had declined to fulfil.

Azriel’s hand was on your shoulder, grounding you as you struggled to process what had happened. His voice was low, filled with a simmering fury that matched your own. “They’ve taken him.”

You nodded, your eyes burning with unshed tears as you clutched the pendant tightly in your hand. “We have to find him, Azriel. We have to get him back.”

Azriel’s gaze hardened, his shadows swirling around him like a dark storm. “We will. I promise you, Y/N. We’ll make them pay for this.”

The determination in his voice was the only thing that kept you from breaking down completely. With a final, trembling breath, you stood, your eyes locking with Azriel’s. “Let’s go.”

And with that, the two of you set out into the night, driven by a single, unrelenting purpose—to find Alex and to bring him home, no matter the cost.

---

please don't kill me for the end of the chapter <3

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[bloodyquillink-blog]

White at Your Wedding, David “Hesh” Walker x gn!Reader

How David would react to someone wearing white and objecting to your wedding. (I had to make this separate because I lowkey just wanted to write a big blurb for David and just do headcanons for everyone else.)

NOTE: This is going to be formatted a little weird since it’s an out-of-the-blue idea. The first part (not-bulleted) is the storyline for each of the Ghosts that’ll be featured in the full HC list. The bullet list underneath is specifically for David, as you’ll see.

Full Ghosts HC Link: here

CW: Shitty people, harassment, fuckin Kevin, Reader is called “sweetcheeks” by that asshole Kevin

He was almost done getting ready. Today was finally that day, that beautiful day that he never thought would happen. Between the world gradually being broken down each time it was nearly put back up, he had expected to be killed in action like everyone else. But perhaps fate was on his side for now. He knew better than to expect everything to run smoothly, though. 

With two different people from two different families, someone was bound to have some opinions. It was just a matter of whether or not they voiced it. Of course, he had made plans just in case. He was getting married to you and there was no way in hell, heaven or on this Earth someone was going to stop that. They could interrupt the wedding all they wanted to, however they pleased. They could set the whole damn thing on fire, but he’d still marry you. 

He tried not to think about how beautiful you’d look, lest he start blushing. It didn’t work but the attempt was worth it, despite the pestering the other Ghosts would no doubt lay upon him. 

The time came and he stood on the slightly elevated stage, groomsmen and best man at his side. Normally, he doesn’t wear white but this is a wedding… his wedding… his and yours wedding. His back was to the hallway you would walk out of, so he kept looking to the faces of his friends and family for any indication. His heart beat was relatively controlled… and then the music began playing… and they smiled… and the officiant gave him the look to turn around. So he did.

And by God, you were ethereal. He couldn’t tell if his heart stopped or was beating so fast he could no longer feel it. His brain was short-circuiting. You had made your way up to the stage, your friends on the side smiling. He just stared, had he been smiling since he saw you? His cheeks were hurting already. You looked up at him, your smile like the sun, he couldn’t care less about going blind if it meant the image of you would be imprinted in his eyes.

David took slow deep breaths. Lord, how he wanted to kiss you already. He had almost tuned out the officiant, until you squeezed his hand. You both smiled at each other, trying not to laugh.

The officiant continued, “If anyone objects to the marriage, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

A dramatic yell rang out, “I OBJECT!” followed by gasps and murmurs.

David already recognized the voice, he quietly sighed and closed his eyes to gather himself before looking at the guy.

It was another soldier who he’d had issues with since first joining the military. His name was Kevin, who wore a simple white shirt and pants that weren’t even a matching white. It was like looking at beige and some kind of snow white? Since David and you had gotten together, Kevin had made all sorts of comments.

“I could be a better boyfriend than him.” “I don’t get why he’s still dating you.” And the like, occasionally dipping into borderline harassment. 

Kevin said your name and kept blabbering, “C’mon, sweetcheeks. You know you’d rather have someone who can actually satisfy-”, he didn’t finish speaking. Couldn’t actually.

David had come up with a small signal, inspired by the ones he and Logan shared, in case something happened. The first people to act would be Merrick and Keegan, they’d actually volunteered knowing that if Elias or Logan had to keep someone out, they’d miss their family getting married. 

Merrick walked around and grabbed Kevin’s arms, forcing them behind his back. Keegan then picked up his legs and they walked in tandem while Kevin fussed, claiming he was just joking. (Sure thing, fucker.)

As they left through the doors the guests had come through, Ajax and Kick watched while Elias calmed down the now extra excited crowd. 

They decided to wait until the duo returned, suits mildly scuffed and knuckles slightly reddened, but the crowd wouldn’t notice and neither would you.

The officiant continued, you and David said your vows with tears and laughs. Finally came time for the rings and the kiss. The crowd cheered, David’s friends punched him (lovingly) and your day continued, as it was supposed to.

Thank you for reading and be sure to check out the full HC list when it’s done <3

[uhohbestie]

There Are Monsters Nearby [Chapter 34]

🏜 Pairing: Grian/Scar

🧟‍♂️ Tags: zombie AU, zombie apocalypse, lovers to exes, slow burn, eventual reconciliation

📖 Summary: The day after Scar breaks up with Grian, the dead come back to life. Knowing that venturing out alone is a death sentence, the sudden onset of the apocalypse forces them to stick together despite their tensions. In the wreckage of the world, they're forced to survive side-by-side, coming to terms with the fact that—try as they might—there's still no one they trust more than each other.

Chapter 34 - Grian and Scar leave the cabin, and with their "honeymoon" behind them, finally cross the border into Canada.

📝 Words: 7305

🔗 Link: Read Chapter 34 on AO3

—

The further they progress without encountering any signs of survivors, the more Grian begins to space out. He’s been pulled back from the edge of his own miasma by Scar several times already, broken from his reverie with no judgement or accusations. It makes Grian uneasy all the same. Anxious about his own potential. He needs to feed soon, on something more substantial than game. 

He’s not sure how much longer he can last.

“Scar.” His tone is serious but careful when he finally speaks. They’re taking their last break before crossing the border, sitting at a picnic table in an abandoned rest stop. “We’re going to have to make a detour.”

His partner looks up from where he’s stretching his legs, busy rubbing his fingertips into the areas that get the most sore. “What for?”

Unable to maintain eye contact, disgusted with himself and the disease rotten in his veins, Grian mutters, “We need to head towards a more populated area.” And then, as cut and dry as he can make it, “We have to find some people.”

A heavy silence descends between them, and Grian peeks over at Scar to find him frowning, an expression of consideration on his face. There’s no need to make things any plainer—Scar knows what Grian’s survival is going to cost now. And he’s made it clear it’s an ugliness he’s decided they’ll shoulder together.

“Is it that bad?” Scar asks at last, his voice matter-of-fact but clearly worried.

“Not yet,” Grian replies, offering him a half-truth. “But I don’t want to take any risks. Better to act now than leave it until it’s too late.”

“You could eat me if you needed to,” Scar offers, pragmatic in a way that catches Grian off guard. “I wouldn’t mind.”

His words are like a punch to the gut, and they leave Grian reeling, his eyes shooting up towards Scar’s face, desperate to find some sign of ill-timed humour. All he finds is Scar smiling, brushing the words off like they’re nothing. His expression is resolved. Every inch of him insisting that what he offered wasn’t a joke at all. That he’s being genuine.

“Scar,” Grian breathes, horrified.

Scar, however, merely shrugs. “It would be worth it to me, if I knew it would help you.”

‘It wouldn’t be worth it to me,’ Grian wants to say. ‘If I hurt you—if I turned you—I’d never be able to live with myself. If you were gone, there’d be no point in even trying anymore. I’m here because you’re here.’

“It’s not going to come to that,” he says instead, brusque and firmly determined, turning away to hide the swell of his emotions.

[ read more ]

—

The best part about TAMN is our lack of cliffhangers. (long pause) Anyway!! See you next week! <3

You can read the whole fic thus-far in the link below ↓↓↓

You may not rest now, There Are Monsters Nearby (on ao3!)

[thediktatortot]

Just a little vent piece. Billy & Max

---

"I- I broke it."

Billy's voice was broken and small, like a child, his hands clasped around each other in his lap. It was a bad day today, very bad. High tension, quick movements, fast heart beat- nothing passed his attention, nothing moved without his notice.

It was just a bad day.

Max didn't know what Billy meant, her eyes scanning the older boy where he sat on his shins next to his bed, curly hair curtained around his face as he leaned slightly to the side, head resting against the mattress.

"...what did you break?" Max hated these days.

Billy sniffed, one hand leaving his lap to wipe his face while the other seemed to have a death grip around whatever it was in his hands.

"D-Doesn't matter...I can't fix it."

Max scoffed, rolling her eyes as she took a deep breath, her hand gripping the edge of the door to Billy's bedroom a little harder than she needed too. She got angry too okay? She was- getting better...and all that.

"Who says it can't be fixed if I don't even know what it is you-"

"It's broken okay!" Billy's head snapped to look at Max, his eyes puffy and red, blue sparkling behind the dirty blond locks. "I fucking broke it!"

He tossed what was in his hand suddenly, something glinting across the room and smacking into the stack of items on Billy's dresser knocking some things over.

"Don't yell at me! I'm just trying to help!" Max sneered before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, counting to five like her therapist told her. She knew Billy was having a lot harder time learning than she was, trauma and all that they said.

"Get out of my room!" Billy's voice cracked as he turned back into himself, his face red from anger and embarrassment, but he made no move to push her out.

Ignoring Billy, Max finished her count and stepped inside, making her way over to the dresser where the item landed and- oh...that's why Billy was so upset.

On the dresser sat Billy's necklace, the one she knew was from his mom. The chain was broken, a few links missing and unable to be latched again.

A hard fix, but not impossible. Though, to Billy right now, probably seemed liked the end of the world.

"See? I fuck everything up." Billy's voice was smothered by his hands and the bed where he had plastered himself too, shoulders shaking as he tried to calm himself down.

Max sighed, glancing back at Billy for a moment before taking the necklace from the dresser, pocketing it before he could see her do it. There was no use in trying to console him at this moment, not until he calmed down enough to listen.

"I'll be back."

Max left the room, shutting Billy's door behind him before looking down at the necklace. She hated doing nice things for people...hating making people think she cared and all that. She did...of course, but showing it was, well, embarrassing.

Billy moped all day, only leaving his bedroom to go to the bathroom or to grab something from the pantry while no one was in the kitchen. Max rolled her eyes at him like she always did, but she didn't rile him up or poke at him, no need to upset him while he was already down.

It wasn't until later in the day when Max finally approached him, knocking on his door before opening. "Billy...are you done sulking yet?" Max leaned against his door way, staring in at the back of Billy where he laid on the bed.

"Fuck off."

"Yea yea, here." Max pushed his door wide open and walked over to Billy, dropping something from her hand until it hung between her fingers. "I fixed it."

Billy didn't move for a moment, sniffling before he turned his head slowly, eyes coming to rest on the necklace dangling between her fingers.

It was Billy's necklace, the one from his mother, the broken part of the chain now wired together with a small chain a few sized bigger than itself and much more silver in color than the original.

But it was fixed.

Billy looked at Max before reaching out and taking the necklace, sniffling again as he unlatched it and secured it around his neck. Red creeped up his neck and face, eyes unable to meet Max's. "...thanks, shitbird."

Max smiled a little, rolling her eyes. "Yea yea...just...don't make me have to fix it again okay." She kicked the edge of Billy's bed, looking down at where the necklace sat against Billy's chest again. "There's only so much extra chain on my lamp string I steal before I can't reach it anymore."

---

[whatstruthgottodowithit]

Love In Trouble [Part One]

Fandom: Elvis Presley, American Musician, RPF

Pairing: Elvis Presley x Original Female Character, Austin Butler x Original Female Character

Characters: Elvis Presley, Original Female Character, Austin Butler,

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 2576

Summary: Lori Presley lives the high life. She has a lovely home, a elegant wardrobe and her parties are the most sought after ticket in town. Not to mention her husband is the King of Memphis. But what if she no longer wants to be the Queen?

Tags/Warnings: This is a mafia au with detective austin butler entering the chat, Memphis Mafia, Detective Austin Butler, Adultery, Infidelity, Love, Angst, Unhappy Marriage, Murder, Court Room Drama in the loosest possible way, AU, Set in the 70s

Notes: The first couple chapters are a bit slow going but we'll meet Lori and Elvis soon I promise. Looking to post every other week with this one :) Enjoy

LINK TO ALL PARTS // LINK TO AO3 // LINK TO PINTEREST

Ever since he was a little boy Austin Butler had loved the sun. There was just something about it; the way it shined basking everything it covered in a golden hue or how everyone seemed a little happier whenever it was out. He supposed it was because it made him feel like he was at home in California, a place he had been missing quite a bit recently, the clunky fit of her new job and his run down flat making him yearn for palm trees and ocean breeze. He’d even take his old partner at this rate, a curmudgeonly old man knocking on the door of retirement and not one to care about a young detective trying to find his feet in a new precinct. Though if there was one thing he desperately missed about home it was the fact that the Californian heat couldn’t wreak half as much havoc on a dead body like the balmy air of Memphis did.

After working in homicide for so long he’d figured he’d gotten used to all the smells that a ripe cadaver could hold but in this tiny apartment with no air conditioner and the contending June temperatures he was proved wrong. He held his breath as he ducked under the police tape cursing himself for having eaten not so long ago as his turkey sandwich did cartwheels inside him. Then again he supposed it could be worse he could be the guy splayed out on the floor in front of him lying in a pool of his own blood, his eyes still staring out glassy and cold.  Austin sighed.

Even though his entire job was murder it somehow never got any easier. The number of dead bodies he’d seen didn’t take that sickly feeling away whenever he was confronted by his latest victim. Though admittedly he wondered if that was less to do with a life being snuffed out too soon or the fact he knew that at some point he’d have to take this news to their friends and family and rip their world apart. It was a grief he’d known himself, one that never got easier no matter how much time or distance you shoved between yourself and it.

Given that the coroner had yet to arrive it meant that the crime scene was technically still closed and so he was careful to keep his distance when he bent down beside the body, wrinkling his nose at the fresh waft of decomposition. The guy was young, no more than early twenties if he’d had to guess, and attractive too in a boyish sort of way. Though they were lifeless now he could tell his pale blue eyes were striking and had no doubt once complimented the guy’s skin tone even if it was now waxy and pallid. In fact the only detracting feature was the bullet wound to his temple which he had no doubt looked better on this side than the one that had landed face down, spewing blood onto the beige carpet and turning it a deep shade of brown. 

‘There’s gunpowder on his face,’ his partner, Detective John Melling, said as he appeared from nowhere, his errand to find the manager of the place apparently done with.

‘Yeah I know, a close shot,’ Austin said, pulling up from where he was crouched and trying to ignore the way his slacks stuck to the back of his knees as if glued there by sweat, ‘which means that bullet is probably somewhere in that bookshelf.’

‘Good luck with that one,’ John snorted. Austin rolled his eyes. He liked John. He was a good detective, smart and good with families, but he, like most of the other detectives in Shelby County, had yet to make his mind up about the newcomer from California. And so he treated him as the rest did, with caution, until he proved his worth which in this instance meant finding a bullet amongst a backdrop of wood and wall. 

As John moved away to rifle through the man’s mail Austin moved around the room, stopping first at the bookshelves. He could see the path it had taken, ripping a novel in half as it hurried to its final destination only that looked to be out of reach and so he made a note to circle back to it. After that he moseyed on looking for his first impression, one that was building bit by bit until he spotted an older bald man standing by the uniformed officer at the police tape.

‘Can I help you?’ Austin asked the man who had been staring at the body as if in a trance. Austin moved to block his view, feeling a sudden urge to protect his victim as if he was now exposed as if he hadn’t already been ogling the guy himself. 

‘Uh, no, I er,’ the man mumbled. John barely looked up from the stack of envelopes as he said, ‘he’s the one who called it in. Landlord.’

‘Oh,’ Austin said, moving towards the man so that they were just separated by the doorframe and police tape. Again the landlord’s eyes flitted back to the body, his colour paling as he suppressed a dry heave. Austin cleared his throat, diverting his attention as he asked, ‘you see anything uh?’

‘Geoff, Geoff Halton,’ the landlord said, ‘and uh no. Like I told your friend I was just coming to collect the rent.’

‘When’s that due?’ Austin asked.

‘First of the month,’ Geoff replied. Austin raised an eyebrow.

‘And you waited,’ he paused, checking his watch for the date, ‘what five days to come and ask for it? That doesn’t sound like any landlord I’ve ever had.’

‘Well he’s never normally late so I gave him a few extra days,’ Geoff said as he pulled a crinkled-up handkerchief from the pocket of his slacks so that he could dab his sweaty brow, the perspiration nothing to do with the outside temperature. Austin knew he was being unfair that the likelihood of this weathered middle aged man having anything to do with this was low but he had always found putting the first responder under pressure to be a good technique. In their desperation to prove their innocence they offered up more evidence which looking around the bare bones of this guy’s apartment couldn’t be a bad thing.

‘Five’s a lot of days,’ Austin countered.

‘Like I said he’s never been any trouble and I’d rather have one good tenant a day or two behind once in a while than a nightmare one on time. But when he still didn’t swing by my office I thought something might be up,’ Geoff replied.

‘So when he didn’t pay up you came around?’ Austin asked, receiving a nod in return.

‘I knocked but there was no answer,’ Geoff replied.

‘Did you let yourself in?’ Austin asked, his eyes surveying the wood of the door for any scuffs or marks. If he had done it was likely that any prints on the door handle would be useless. 

‘I have the master key,’ Geoff said, adding in protest when he saw Austin deflate, ‘but I only ever use it for emergencies! And when I came in I could smell, well, that. I saw him lying there and I knew there ain’t no use checkin’ he was still alive so I called you guys.’

‘Do you know his name?’ Austin asked, suddenly realising he’d been poking around in this man’s life without even knowing his most basic detail.

‘Tony,’ Geoff replied.

‘Tony what?’ Austin pressed.

‘Bowen,’ John replied, holding up an envelope as Austin looked his way before turning his attention back to the landlord.

‘Did he live here alone?’ he asked.

‘Yeah,’ Geoff replied.

‘Any relatives?’ Austin pressed, the mugginess of the room making this feel harder than he’d anticipated it to be.

‘I’d have to check his file to see who he listed,’ Geoff said, ‘we’re not exactly close.’

‘Obviously the man’s been laying in your building dead as a doornail for five days,’ Austin countered, his sniping coming out before he had a chance to stop it. Geoff seemed bolstered by his tartness, straightening up from the nervous pathetic puddle he’d been and growing irritated as he said hotly, ‘what I meant was I don’t know much about him. He keeps to himself; he keeps his nose clean and that’s as much as I need to know.’

‘Not too clean evidently,’ John countered, finally moving away from the stack of unopened post. Austin could feel him looking around, surveying the scene, and feeling as though they’d probably pressed about as much out of Geoff that was useful he decided to cut him loose in favour of asking his partner his opinions.

‘Go with officer Bryant here and find those papers. We’re gonna need a next of kin to notify,’ Austin said, not waiting for a response before he turned his back on the man. John raised an eyebrow but waited until the pair of them were left alone with just Tony for company who admittedly didn’t make much of an effort to join in.

‘You were a little sharp with him don’t you think?’ John asked, perching on the edge of a sofa arm.

‘It gets them to the point,’ Austin said dismissively, ‘and considering he wasn’t much help that’s a good thing.’

‘Yeah? Let me guess the room’s telling you more than the eye witness is,’ John said, his scepticism poking through. That was another thing he was still getting used to, the reliance people of the south had on human nature. Over the dozen or so cases they’d worked together he’d been astounded to realise just how much word and character spoke when clear cut facts were staring people in the face. In fact ‘they’re good folks’ was a narrative he was sure he’d never get on board with. Still he didn’t bother to argue the point but rather present the facts themselves showing how even without speaking the room had said more than the landlord had.

‘Maybe. He’s a single guy right?’ Austin asked.

‘Looks like,’ John said, glancing around, ‘he could have a girl though.’ 

‘One that doesn’t get in contact or check up on him for more than five days?’ Austin asked, raising an eyebrow. As John shrugged and nodded in agreement he continued, ‘from the looks of this apartment I’d say he’s a single guy living alone and his landlord doesn’t know his next of kin which means he either doesn’t have one or they’re infrequently in touch or at the very least they don’t come here to see him.’

‘Right,’ John replied.

‘So why are there two glasses of half-drunken scotch on the coffee table?’ Austin asked, watching as John noted the two whiskey glasses in front of him.

‘So there was someone here,’ John replied.

‘But his mail is unopened and the pizza box on the counter is full, an uneaten pizza just sitting there,’ Austin continued making John’s eyes drift past him to the De Roma’s pizza box sitting on the kitchen worktop, the bottom of the cardboard darkened by the grease that had been soaking into it as the pizza lay uneaten.

‘So what?’ John asked.

‘I think he came home with the pizza and mail in hand but he was distracted by someone coming over. It mustn’t have been planned otherwise they’d just eat the pizza together. If it happened after he’d been home for a while the pizza would be gone and his mail opened,’ Austin said.

‘He opens the door for the guy who’s gonna put a bullet in his skull and asks him if he wants a night cap?’ John said sceptically.

‘Maybe the person came to talk and Tony felt like he had to,’ Austin replied.

‘But if it was about something worth killing the guy for I can’t imagine it was a polite chat. And apart from the dead guy the apartment looks in pretty good condition to me,’ John said, glancing around the room. He was right apart from the unsightly corpse in the centre of the room; the rest of it was relatively tidy. Granted it wasn’t very large with the room split into a living and kitchen area but there was no clutter, apart from the bookshelf there wasn’t much personality to any of it. It actually resembled Austin’s current apartment, devoid of personality though his was due to lack of time to make it his own given the fact he was new in town and always working. Though at this point that felt slightly better. He may have not had a chance to put a fresh lick of paint on his walls but he also hadn’t had a chance to make enemies like Tony apparently had. Austin was thinking about that, wondering what had made the guy sit down with the person who would end his life. 

Had he known what was coming or why they were there? Or had he been blindsided by it all? 

‘Is that his file?’ John asked, snapping his partner out of his trance as the landlord reappeared at the door along with their officer. Apparently Austin’s attitude had left no love lost as he nodded but didn’t say anything, offering the small manilla folder over the tape as if signalling both his compliance and reluctance at the same time. Austin rolled his eyes but watched as John took the folder from him before he quickly scurried out of view.

‘What have we got?’ Austin asked as John threw the folder down on the tiled counter with a splat before he started to sift through it. If he was being honest with himself he wanted to read through it himself but knew it was probably better to give him the lead here. John’s eyes flitted across the pages. From what Austin could see there were a few info pages, copies of receipts and rent stubs but nothing much else.

‘Says here Grandma’s next of kin but it looks like she lives in Florida,’ John murmured as he read through the sheet, ‘lease agreement was signed over a year ago and he works at, oh.’

‘What is it?’ Austin asked craning his neck to try and spy what he had spotted. Though as his partner looked up, a beaten expression falling across his face he started to worry.

‘He works at Kings,’ John said with a sigh.

‘So?’ Austin said. He’d heard of the place. A little club on Beale Street, a home of good music and the hotshots of Memphis though he had yet to scope out the joint for himself. What he had heard though did not warrant the reaction John was giving, one that signalled their job had just gotten a little harder. Then again as a native Memphian maybe there was something Austin didn’t know yet. After all there wasn’t a club or bar on his patch when he worked the beat he didn’t know inside out. He knew which places were known for trouble and those he could rely on for a tip here or there. And from the look John was giving him he was sure Kings wasn’t one of those he could hit up for some friendly police cooperation.

‘So if he works there then chances are this is something to do with them,’ John said.

‘Who?’ Austin asked.

‘The Memphis Mafia.’ 

ELVIS TAGS

@girlblogger2002 @sania562 @caitlin1996 @literally-just-elvis-fics @notstefaniepresley @18lkpeters @velvetelvis @jaqueline19997 @elvispresleyxoxo @amydarcimarie @everythingelvispresley @elvispresleywife @lillypink @richardslady121 @louisejoy86 @ccab @i-r-i-n-a-a @lettersfromvenus @artlesson8892 @presleyenterprise

AUSTIN TAGS

@purejasmine @caitlin1996

[interlagosainz]

i know i probably sound deranged but . hear me out . charlos pacific rim au . so … jaegar engineer carlos, who was dragged into becoming a pilot even though he could just strategise & build as the brightest to come out of there in years ( even though there’s nico & daniil & mitch & he can only drive himself mad watching them fall from the sky, crash into the water in graves that he designed, scribbles on notes & plans scattered across the table & grief scrawled into the margins of yet another design ).

but the higher–ups are looking for anyone & everyone — & he winds up being drift compatible with lando ( except it’s not the first person he’s compatible with, having paired with redbull’s starboy max years ago & broken their link himself at the last possible minute to avoid being forced into the field, knows how fragile these things are ), made to don an orange uniform & convince everyone that it’s fine, that their meagre efforts are going to stave off the end of the world sooner rather than later. & that’s easy-going & nice, but it’s a stop-gap all the same ( he knows they want someone better, the mclaren unit has a bone to pick & determination to prove they are still the best at this, that they want someone proven to kill & take down kaiju & get the job done in a way he’s only slowly, unbalancedly & fumbling through, figuring out how to ). & though they have great success, he’s also terrified about why it feels so deliberate, why everything feels like such a process, why they say you can’t hide anything in the drift & yet lando has not seen half the things that haunt him in his sleep.

on the other side of the world, there’s ferrari’s star pilot, charles, fresh off a partnership that had initially gone so well but ended so badly that even though they were trying their absolute best, sent their jaeger out of control & into the sea & seb with a patchwork of scars to some strategy related posting in sydney ( pardon the implied sebmark, i had to ) & him to fend off the cameras & questions about what’s wrong with the unit again. & there’s so much speculation, so many people wondering who will work wth charles — he can barely breathe ( not that he ever really could, because to don the colours he does also means some commitment to the bit, to burning til the very end ), runs the tests mechanically, as they put one person after another in front of him & everything comes up empty & he’s pleading every day to just let him solo pilot even though it’ll probably get him killed ( he just wants to go out, to prove himself & keep their shatterdome from falling apart, no matter how impossible it seems ) — but they’re so desperate that they’re testing other pilots, even the ones who are already drifting with someone else, because they can pull those pairings apart in a moment if they needed it somewhere else. thing is, he doesn’t really remember much about the first time they sparred — dark eyes and bracing against an immovable object and some dim recognition that oh is this lando’s co-pilot, moving back and forth like some sort of ebb and flow just like the surface of the ocean he’d slammed into all those months ago — or about the first time they’d attempted to drift in the simulation — blurs of colours and images and something weightless and effortless, opening his eyes and wondering why his mouth tastes like salt, like sea, like tears & the faintest hint of guilt and it feels like all the air’s been sucked clean from his lungs. ( congratulations, you’re compatible. congratulations, hope you hang in there longer & come out of it in fewer pieces than all the ones before you did. )

there is only so much space in this shatterdome. there is only so much space in your mind. & even though it goes so well, carlos a perfect co-pilot & the two of them are completing mission after mission successfully — it feels like they’ve never been able to fully close the space between the pons systems separating themselves when they drift, because after that first time, it was like everything vanished & drifting was only ever something smooth & easy. ( as though charles is very much rooted here, in this moment, and somehow carlos is reading the signal flares from a thousand miles away, and it drives him mad in the process, how someone so outwardly warm & emotional could feel so cold & always armed with a perfect distance in his mind. ) but the first advice they give to any pilot is to never chase the rabbit, to seek the memories & people in others’ minds ( to look into file after file and find them curiously blank and empty, trying to contact people long dead & gone ) — it’s advice that, in the end, charles doesn’t heed. ( i am rambling so much bc rip the meds & idk if this makes any sense but !! idk just want angsty charlos, fluorescent lights & the warmth of another person at the end of the world & just . learning to Understand™️ & be okay with being Perceived™️, that you could fall into the water together & feel like you're never coming up for air & still live, somehow )

first of all, i can’t tell you how excited i was when i got this. thank you so much for sharing your ideas.

“& grief scrawled into the margins of yet another design” FUCKED ME UP. engineer carlos getting used to the feeling that to create a machine is to get ready to grief. i would like to imagine a daniil that can’t pilot anymore because of a major injury and carlos writing to him every chance he has just because he feels like he owns that. he was the one that built the jaegar that daniil was in. maybe if he has changed this, or done that, or was just a little better here—

i love how you paired lando and carlos. imagining a very young and eager lando who grew up admiring pilots and dreaming of his own jaegar and taking down his first kaiju, and on the other side carlos, who didn’t want to be there, who was not supposed to be there, but it’s hard to find good pilots and the investments are getting scarce. so, as you said, they need to get help anywhere they can. “ yet lando has not seen half the things that haunt him in his sleep” YES. lando being to excited and so young that carlos is there mostly to help and guide him rather than create a real connection. lando doesn’t stop to Look at carlos’ mind.

“charles, fresh off a partnership that had initially gone so well but ended so badly” ooooh how i would pay bucks to see this written. i would die to see this. this would be amazing. your whole idea. your whole concept. everything is top notch. also, do not apologize for the implied sebmark. i love the implied sebmark. give me more. “not that he ever really could, because to don the colours he does also means some commitment to the bit, to burning til the very end” here, as soon as i read it, i had to stop and walk around the room. charles is a sacrificial lamb to ferrari in every universe. wearing rosso corsa as if it is blood on his hands. charles not feeling anything. mechanical. work. proving himself. red, red, red. then, sea. then salt. then other colors. then brown eyes. then something else. then another’s feelings in his chest. everything is so fast and then it just stops. just for a moment. then is fast again. i love how you described it, their first ride together, the way it’s nothing magical at the same time it is. it’s very mundane and routine like until it’s not.

i feel like charles has the knife here, he has the power to seek the rabbit, he has the upper hand, he has the power to use the knife to hurt carlos or to hand the knife for carlos to fend himself out of his little cave. but he can’t do anything with his knife. because carlos needs to let him in. and carlos can’t do that. carlos has lost too much, has too many names he carries as a reminder of his failure and he has read charles leclerc file, he knows about his dad, about the pilot that was his mentor, about sebastian, he can’t be another tale mark in the count of grief this boy has to carry.

and charles is having none of that. i don’t think it would be because he cares for carlos, at the begging, but mostly because he thinks that to be a better pilot to be the best one out there the biggest better jaegar and to take down kaijus, they need to know everything about each other: this was a problem with sebastian, he was too far away from charles, always keeping him on the brim. he won’t let it repeat again. he keeps pushing and pushing and pushing just to get to know Something. he needs to know. all while, forgetting that if carlos lets him in, charles will also be open. i don’t think charles would be realizing that until is too late. until he learns that to see someone bare open, with their chest exposed, is to also be vulnerable. the knife cuts both ways. you and i are one tear, one flesh and blood, one painful memory of the world, shared, like a grave. your heart beat in my ribs and mine in yours. intimacy in visceral violence but intimacy is sewing each other up after. to be perceived hurts, at first. you are forced to look at something you would rather hide. but then you are seen. it create a bond that transcends all other types of love, thus acting as the sole point of understanding for the other person in a world that cannot fathom what they’ve been through. you are in a room full of people and you feel like falling down. there’s a arm around you, supporting you, keeping you away from all the eyes, as you do so.

“that you could fall into the water together & feel like you're never coming up for air & still live, somehow” yeah. i need to sit down. this is— just. amazing. thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart, for sharing this.

[greenfuls-secret-chambers]

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

The Crypt

4000+ words

Tags: smut, fluff, friends to lovers

Characters are ages up! (7th year of Hogwarts)

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/56319064

Summary: M/C and Sebastian walking through the forest.

Laughing back and forth at what the other'n has to say

Reminiscing this and that and having such a good time

Till M/C falls through ground on this beautiful day

M/C and Sebastian are walking through the forbidden forest, searching for horklumps to brew a big batch of wiggenweld potion. It was nice taking little adventure like these. As much as they enjoyed fighting beside each other, they never minded just going off and foraging potion ingredients together.

Sebastian walks along side M/C, looking at the trees and scenery around them both

“This place is a lot quieter than usual...it's kind of refreshing to just come here and relax...”

“Tell me about it, besides the giant spiders and other deadly creatures, this place sure is peaceful when you just take it in.” M/C looks around, feeling the sunlight hit her face between the leaves of the trees.

“True true...”

Sebastian leans against a tree trunk, his brown hair slightly messy from all the walking. He gives her a bright smile as he shuts his eyes, taking in a nice relaxing breath.

“You know...I never would have thought my last few years at Hogwarts would have been as...interesting as these have been...mostly thanks to you...”Sebastian chuckled softly.

M/C laughs, “Interesting is one way to phrase it. Between escaping death to becoming the savior of Hogwarts, it seems like we haven’t had time to stop to breathe, I feel somewhat bad though. I brought more trouble into your life than you could bring yourself.” She playfully hit his shoulder.

Sebastian laughs along with her, gently rubbing his shoulder after M/C playfully hit him. “Well what can I say...I've always been a magnet for trouble...but I'd rather have interesting chaos than boring peace, wouldn’t you agree?”

Sebastian moves away from the tree, giving M/C a warm smile. “Besides, I wouldn't trade our...interesting adventures together for anything in the world.”

She smiles at him,

“ Well I’m glad you see it that way. If I’m being completely honest, I don’t know how I would have gotten through 5th year without you and Ominis.”

She reaches around in her bag grabbing the picnic blanket. “Are you hungry? I brought us some food. This would be a nice spot to sit down for a second. We aren’t having any luck with finding these Horklumps.”

Sebastian watches intently with a small smile as she gets the picnic blanket out”

Oh yes yes, I'm starving, let's take a break.”

He helps her set the blanket on the ground, sitting down on the soft fabric and leaning against the nearby tree. “You know for these last few months...you've been a great friend,”

Sebastian shuts his eyes again, taking another nice relaxing breath. “ I'm definitely going to miss you as I move on after Hogwarts...”

M/c starts to realize that graduation is coming up soon.

She thinks to herself, ‘I didn’t really think about the chance of all of us going off to do our own things. It makes me sad but I know I can always send an owl.’

She smiles bittersweetly,

“I’m going to miss you too. You better send me an owl while’s your out there becoming the best Auror this worlds ever seen! If I don’t hear from you I’m going to tract you down and give you an earful Sallow!”

Sebastian laughs, shaking his head jokingly. “Oh trust me, I'll be writing as soon as I can. Someone has to keep you from getting into any unnecessary trouble.”

Sebastian grabs a sandwich from the picnic basket and jokingly glares at you. “ So you better not be getting up to too much mischief without me around.”

He takes a bite from the sandwich and chuckles with a small grin. “ If I have to come back and save your neck again then you’re going to owe me a lot more than a butterbeer.”

She looks at him with a sarcastic look,

“Me? Getting into trouble?! Sebastian I think you’re talking about yourself here. I am a prime example of a law abiding witch!” M/C laughs out .

Sebastian jokingly rolls his eyes, gently shoving her with his shoulder. “Oh please, you and I both know that's a load of hippogriff dung. You've gotten into just as much trouble as I have during our time together...some of it wasn’t even your fault, but still.”

Sebastian shakes his head with a smile, munching down on another sandwich.

”Merlin...I'm going to miss your ridiculous sense of humor after we graduate...”

As you finish the last bite you look at him with a sad look.

“Sebastian don’t act like we are never gonna see each other again. We can always visit when we have the time.”

Sebastian's expression softens as he sees your sad look. “I...yeah...yeah you're right. Sorry...I...I don't know why I'm getting all weird and sad.”

He shakes his head with a small laugh. “Merlin, I don't know why I'm acting like we can’t see each other anymore after school. We do have owls and floo Powder we can use...”

Sebastian's expression turns more content, a small smile spreading across his face again.” I don't know why I was overthinking so much...”

“We’ll stop over thinking Sallow! Now come on! We have potion ingredients to forage and we are running low on daylight!”

With that M/C gets up and fold the blanket to put back in her satchel.

Sebastian gives a small laugh, standing up from the floor and stretching once he's fully upright. “Yeah, yeah. We can save the mushy sad talk for after we’ve found our horklumps and made a big batch of Wiggenweld potion.”

He gives you a teasing smirk. “Though I wonder if I need to keep an eye on you...just to make sure you won’t end up falling into another spider cave.”

As the two walk a little deeper into the forest they come across some ruins from an old temple.

“Oh please, I’ve fell into so many I can practically sniff them —“

Before M/C could finish her sentence, the stone floor beneath gave out causing her to fall 10ft down into a hole.

M/C hit a dirt floor. While on her back she looks up at Sebastian and the sunlight beaming in from the newly made opening.

Sebastian’s eyes widen with concern as the floor gives out. He rushes over quickly to the edge of the hole he just witnessed her fall into, quickly peering down and letting out a sigh of relief.

“Are....are you alright down there? Did anything break? You didn’t land on any stones or anything?”

Sebastian then peers up at the top of the hole and groans playfully. “I guess I should have expected you to jinx yourself into a pit.”

She looks up at him and groans,

“Yeah I’m alright, I’m just a little scraped up.” M/C stands up and rubs her ass from the soreness. She take a look around and notice that the crypt she fell into has a long dark passage way.

“Hey Sebastian,” M/C calls up, “you might wanna get down here. This is the perfect spot to find some horklumps.” She excitedly yelled.

Sebastian chuckles and then nods up at you. “Alright, give me a second. I’ll find a safer way down there.”

Within a few minutes, Sebastian soon jumps down into the hole, giving a small grunt as he lands on the dirt floor next to her. He gives a smirk.

“You certainly know how to fall into the most interesting situations imaginable, don’t you?”

His expression soon turns curious as he glances to the dark tunnel. “Do you think we should explore it?”

She looks at him with a smirk. “Is that even a question. Of course.”

M/C takes out her wand and cast Lumos. The light reveals a long passageway leading into what seems to be a room about 30ft down.

Sebastian gives a chuckle and smirks right back at M/C before pulling out his own wand and lighting it.

“You’re right, of course it’s not a question. Let's go!” He takes the lead and begins walking down the tunnel. “Just...try not to fall into anymore holes.” He calls back playfully.

The two of them walk for a few minutes, their wands being the only source of light as the two delve deeper and deeper into the long tunnel. “Hmm...I wonder what’s at the end here...”

As they walk towards opening, the pair is greeted with a very large room, and it in is enough horklumps to make plenty of wiggenweld potions to last them months.

“Oh my Merlin! SEBASTIAN LOOK.” M/C giggles with excitement. “We did it, we finally found them!”

She runs over and start plucking as many as she can and tossing them into her satchel.

Sebastian's eyes widen with surprise. He laughs brightly as he runs into the room, looking at all of the horklumps that were here for the taking. “Merlin’s beard, it's like we stumbled into a jackpot! We can make so many potions!”

He runs over to a nearby patch and begins carefully plucking as many as he can. The two of them have about half of the room cleared out when Sebastian suddenly stops, his expression turning puzzled.

“This feels oddly too easy. Something feels off here...”

M/c looks at him with a deadpan expression and opens her mouth to speak, but before she could, the passageway they came through suddenly starts to crumble, leaving them trapped in the large room.

M/c looks around trying to find another way out, but all she sees is some strange writing carved out on the stone walls of the crypt.

Sebastian freezes as the entrance starts crumbling, his expression slowly shifting from puzzlement to anxiety as the realization of being trapped in here settles in.

“Merlin's beard, no no no...We can't be stuck in here! “

He looks around desperately and suddenly catches a glimpse of the writing on the wall. “Hm...what is that?” He squints as he slowly walks over, trying to make out what the ancient writings said.

“Do you think those...”

His expression turns to shock as he suddenly realizes what he's reading.

M/c looks at him with horror.

“What?!? What do they say”

Sebastian rubs his forehead in worry, running his fingers through his black hair as he looks at the ancient writing.

“I can’t believe it...it says a curse was put on this room...it's suppose to trap treasure hunters and prevent them from escaping.”

He groans in frustration. “Dammit...I never should have trusted this room was so filled with ingredients.”

He turns to her with a concerned expression, his green eyes filled with worry. “We're stuck in here.”

“We are never stuck, there has got to be a way out of here.” She sit down to take a moment to breathe and collect her thoughts. “Let’s just come up with a plan, I know with the two of us we can put our heads together and figure out how to get the hell out of here.”

Sebastian gives a soft chuckle, a small smile returning to his face. “You're right...you're right, we can do this. We’ve escaped death together before...we can escape this room together as well.”

He shuts his eyes for a second and takes a moment to think.

“Okay...let’s see here…there’s no secret door way to this room. We could...Merlin, you're not going to like this, I know you won't, but we could try and wait it out?”

M/C leans her head back against the wall and sighs.

“Until we come up with a plan. We might as well.”

It starts to get colder in the crypt, it was already late in the day before falling into the tomb, judging by the temperature change, it’s already night fall. M/C starts to take whatever she can find that’s flammable in her bag to make a fire.

Sebastian begins collecting any sticks and twigs that were around the piles of horklumps and makes a little makeshift fire pit. He gets the fire started and warms his hands over the crackling fire. He glances over at M/C for a moment, his expression softening as he looks at her.

“Don’t suppose you have some butterbeers in your satchel do you? I could go for something strong to drink while we wait.”

M/C smile deviously,

“Welllll…. I don’t have butterbeer, but I do have a flask of fire whiskey I might be willing to share.”

Sebastian’s expression brightens as soon as you say you have whiskey. He chuckles and nods his head.

“Oh thank Merlin, I could use something strong to drink. You keep the weirdest things in your bag, you know that?” Sebastian laughs jokingly.

M/c passes him the flask.

“Hey I’m always prepared. There no shame in that. The only thing I don’t have in here is something to get us THE HELL OUT OF THIS DAMN CRYPT.” She groans.

Sebastian takes the flask and takes a swig, the liquor burning down his throat. He gives a small cough after the alcohol makes contact with his throat. He soon laughs and puts the flask back down next to him.

“You have no shame keeping stuff like fire whiskey in your bag and no shame in falling into a pit right in front of me.”He gives a chuckle and shakes his head in amusement.

“I can't decide if you always have the best or worst luck.”

She laughs, “Well you see, it’s more of a balance, I can’t always have good luck. I’d be unstoppable in this world.” M/C grabs the flask and take another gulp of fire whiskey and passes it back to him.

“So Sallow, how does it feel being stuck in a dark crypt with the Savior of Hogwarts.” She teases.

Sebastian laughs softly and takes the flask from her, taking another swig of the liquor. He lets the fire whiskey burn down his throat and warm him up.

“You're right...it’s gotta be balanced. It’s better than ending up stuck in a room with anyone from the Jackdaw family though. “

He takes another sip from the fire whiskey, raising an eyebrow at M/C. “You know, now that we have some time on our hands, I can finally get an answer from you about something we never discuss...”

M/C starts to feel heat in her face, not being able to tell if it’s from the fire in front of them or from the fire whiskey.

“Well ask away, I am an open book!”

Sebastian chuckles softly but then gives another small cough from the fire whiskey. He rubs his throat gently and lets out a small breath before looking back up at her with a playful glint in his eyes.

“Alright...but if I ask something, I want an honest answer from you.”

He pauses for a second and thinks on what he wants to ask.

“So...I know you’ve kissed Garreth Weasley and Poppy Sweeting and Amit Thakkar when all of those people were daring you to at that party last year.”

He pauses,

“But I was wondering...”

M/C laughs thinking back to the party. She had had way too many drinks that night and after a while things were just a little blurry.

“Yes I somewhat remember that instance, what about it Sallow?” She cocks her head to the side and smirks.

Sebastian laughs softly and takes another swig from the fire whiskey, letting the liquor burn down his throat before looking back to M/C with a smirk.

“Well...I know you kissed all of those people...and you never really mentioned why you didn’t kiss me at all that night.”

He rubs the back of his neck as he gives a cheeky smile. “I mean...I know I’m quite the handsome devil, I can’t think of any reason why you wouldn’t kiss me.”

M/C grab the flask and finishes off the rest of the fire whiskey. She looks at him with a great big smile.

“Well to be fair… you never really asked, and I wasn’t dared, so why would I?”

Her cheeks burn bright red from the fire whiskey, and her arms and legs start to feel a loose.

Sebastian laughs softly, shaking his head in amusement. “Oh really? You didn’t want to kiss me, a handsome devil like myself, because you needed to be asked first? I didn’t think you were such a good girl, M/C”

He then smirks playfully as he slowly scoots a bit closer to her.

“I’m asking now. What are you gonna do now?”

“Well that depends Sallow, am I being asked or being dared.” Smirking at him, M/C leans closer to his face, taking in his handsome features. his cologne fills her senses as her eyes slightly close.

Sebastian laughs softly as he meets her daring, teasing expression. His green eyes shine with playful flirtation as he sees her lean close to his body. He reaches slowly to gently cup her face in his hand and leans closer, his lips hovering right over M/C’s.

“Consider yourself dared.”

He smirks playfully before pulling her head forward and closing the space between their lips, planting a hot and eager kiss upon her lips.

She scoots closer to him and throws her hands in his hair, playing with the wild curly strands.

Sebastian presses his lips to hers with passion, his heart pounding harder and faster in his chest as her hands tangle in his hair. He pulls M/C closer against his body as he begins to explore her silken lips with his own. His tongue soon runs across her bottom lip and flicks against M/C’s own tongue eagerly, silently asking to deepen this kiss with each passing second.

She open my mouth to oblige, slightly tugging on his hair in the meantime.

Sebastian’s hands grip M/C’s hips firmly as her tongue meets his own and begin a heated dance between the two of their mouths. He presses his body even closer to her, a low groan slipping out of his throat as she tugs on his hair. He suddenly shifts his body, pushing M/C into the ground as he kisses her even deeper.

As M/C’s back hits the ground she lets out a low, quite moan in between kisses, “Sebastian….”

Sebastian groans as he hears M/C’s moan in between kisses, his body pressing against hers from above. He pulls back for a moment and looks down at her with hooded eyes filled with desire.

“Merlin…M/C…do you know how long have I waited to finally hear you moan like that?”

He leans back down and hungrily kisses

M/C’s neck, his kisses becoming more passionate and needy as he begins to grind his body against hers.

M/C lifts her hips up in response, trying to find some relief from the built up tension in her core. “Please don’t tease me… I can’t take it, I’m getting so hot.”

Sebastian smirks from this response, “Do you know how long I’ve waited for this? How many nights I’ve dreamt of having you under me? I’m going to take my time sweetheart.”

He then starts to guide his hands up to the buttons of her blouse, with one quick rip, her shirt flys open, buttons scattering all over the crypt.

He looks down at her breast and moans. “Merlin don’t you look delicious, I can’t wait to have you all to myself.”

M/C looks up at him with rosy cheeks, slightly from embarrassment and partly from the fire whiskey. She still tries to grind her hips upwards, attempting to satisfy her core that is screaming with need.

Sebastian snakes one hand behind her and unclasp M/C’s bra, pulling it off of her and throwing it in the near by corner. He moves his hand to her right breast and starts to pinch her nipple, rolling it in between his thumb and index.

She arches her back and moans loudly. “Seb… Sebastian please, I can’t take this much longer. Please… please don’t tease me.

He looks down at her and smirks, “Poor M/C, is your cunt throbbing? Here I might be able to help.”

He slowly drags his free hand down her abdomen and slips it under her skirt, pulling her panties to the side. He slowly starts to rub her clit and she moans.

“That’s a good girl M/C.” He groans out, lowering his face so he is whispering in her ear. “I’m gonna get you ready so you can take my cock. It might sting a little but it’ll feel so good.”

Without warning Sebastian inserts two fingers inside of her, pumping in and out of her tight cunt.

“Fuck, faster please, I need more please.” M/C begs out, throwing her head back from pleasure.

Sebastian pulls his fingers out without warning.

She leans up slightly, looking at him confused, ready to protest, until she starts to watch him remove his belt and pull down his trousers, revealing a very large and hard cock.

“You like what you see sweetheart?” He smirked deviously, “You’ve got a bit of drool on the corner of your mouth. I would offer to fill it but I just can’t stop thinking about how your pussy is going to feel around me.”

Sebastian then pushed her skirt up around her waist and lifts her hips. He lined himself up with her entrance and slowly pushed in.

They both moaned out in unison.

With a pained looks on his face Sebastian takes his sweet time pushing in all the way to the hilt.

“For Merlin’s sake, you’re a lot tighter than I have ever dreamed. I may not last long if you keep squeezing around my cock like that.”

Sebastian pulled out slowly causing

M/C to whimper from the loss. Before she could even catch her breath he slams back into, starting to thrust in rough rhythm.

“Sebastian..slow down! I’m going… to cu-..” M/C was cut off by her orgasm.

He continued to thrust into her roughly and fast. Looking down at her while eyes close and she moans loudly. He pulls out one last time, slamming into her, letting out a low moan.

“Fuck! Goddamn I didn’t expect to cum that fast. Your pussy feels like it was blessed my Merlin..” Sebastian huffs out, sitting back on his legs, trying to catch his breathe.

Trying to catch her own breath, M/C look up at him with wide eyes, feeling a slight breeze dance across her face.

“Sebastian, I’m not going crazy am I? I feel wind from somewhere.”

Sebastian snaps out of his lust-filled haze, breaking away from M/C’s face to see where the sudden breeze is coming from. His expression quickly shifts from playful and happy to surprised and confused as he looks around to spot the air source.

“…Huh? Where the hell is that coming from? I feel it too!”

He suddenly stands up and looks to the left of them. Sure enough, he realizes there’s a way out of here.

M/C look over at him,

“Sebastian! Wherever that’s coming from surely has to be out way out of this hell hole!”

Sebastian runs over to where the breeze feels the strongest.

“You’re right! There’s a crack in this wall! I can see the forest M/C! “

He quickly draws his wand casting bombarda. The wall in front of them crumbles, showing the bittersweet view of the forbidden forest. Both of them run out of the crypt, feeling relieved.

“Well damn! We finally got out of that hellish hole after all!” Sebastian laughs, smiling ear to ear.

M/C takes a look around, taking in a deep breath of the fresh air.

She turns to Sebastian overwhelmed with joy from their lucky escape.

“Hey Sebastian…”

He looks back at her. “Yes M/C?”

“I love you.”

“I.. love you too.”

[wisebeth]

LISTEN. im not a big fan of love triangles, mostly because they're usually pointless or there to stir up unnecessary drama but i will admit i genuinely liked the rachel-percy-annabeth love triangle.

but i personally think the rachel-annabeth represented something deeper than just two girls who like the main character. rachel and annabeth both symbolised two different aspects of percy's life. while annabeth represented his demigod life and godly heritage, rachel represented his mortal upbringing. percy is a bridge between these two worlds, while he is a demigod and it'll forever be a part of him, he also grew up as a mortal child and being a mortal gives him a sense of normalcy, and choosing one over the other is percy choosing which life he chose to identity himself with.

annabeth chase links him to his godly heritage

percy met annabeth and the whole chb when he was struggling as a mortal kid, he felt like an outcast in school, his stepdad was a shitty man, and then ultimately he lost his mom. his experience in the mortal world was not good at all. in fact the only thing which happened to him that time was becoming grover's friend, who once again, was a part of the demigod life.

finding chb was a blessing to him. he met kids who are just like him. he made friends who genuinely care for him. he found the love of his life there. he found a way to get rid of smelly gabe and get his mother back. he met his dad. the start of percy and sally's better life started after percy learned his demigod heritage. it gave him a second place to call home.

and annabeth was a part of all of it. annabeth was a demigod. she associates herself with the demigod world. she is proud of it. she was one of percy's first friends. she was also one of the major reasons why chb felt home to percy. she was an important of his whole demigod journey. she fought by his side. they risked their life for each other. they understood and felt home to each other. they were for each other at their lowest points and even happiest points.

“See, Annabeth wants to be an architect when she grows up, so she’s always visiting famous monuments and stuff. She’s weird that way. She’d e-mailed me the picture after spring break, and every once in a while I’d look at it just to remind myself she was real and Camp Half-Blood hadn’t just been my imagination.”

– percy jackson and the sea of monsters

rachel dare reminds him of his mortal upbringing

while chb gave him another home and true friends, being a demigod also had its cons, such as he constantly has to be on guard and watch out for monster attacks. his life is far from normal and stress-free, he rarely gets time to act like a teenager. on top of that, he has to watch his friends die, get betrayed by someone he looked upto and now there's a war coming up. no child deserves to go through that.

percy needed a break and a sense of normalcy, and that normalcy in this case was the life he could lead as a mortal. no monster attacks. no war. which means no stress and no further trauma. he can be a teenager for once. living his life as a normal highschool student is far better than this.

rachel was a mortal, and like percy she grew up as a mortal. she wasn't connected or involved to any of the demigod stuff. she was just percy's mortal friend who helped him when he needed. percy spent his entire summer right before the war with her. away from chb. because she provided him that normalcy at a time of war. she provided him the temporary break he needed.

“We'd spent a lot of time together this summer. I hadn't exactly planned it that way, but the more serious things got at camp, the more I found myself needing to call up Rachel and get away, just for some breathing room. I needed to remind myself that the mortal world was still out there, away from all the monsters using me as their personal punching bag.”

– percy jackson and the last olympian

It's not a coincidence rick used similar words to describe how annabeth and rachel made him feel

percy ending up with annabeth also signifies how he ultimately chose his demigod life.

while rachel provided him a break from all this stress, and he enjoyed her company, his feelings and connection with annabeth was too deep for him to suddenly go out with rachel just because he and annabeth had a fight. even if he tried to go out with rachel instead, he wouldn't have been happy with her.

just like how the mortal world could give him a temporary normalcy, he could never truly escape from his demigod life. it will forever be a part of him. even with all its flaws and cons, camp half blood was his home and the only place he feels understood. he can never turn his back on it, even if he tried, he would fail.

[thequietkid-moonie]

Saria, Hilda, Mipha, Zelda, Link, in a relationship with S/O who talks to animals. (Link and Zelda from Skyward Sword)

S/O talks to animals

[ HEADCANONS ] [ Saria, Hilda, Mipha, Zelda, Link ]

[ Ocarina of Time ] [ A Link Between Worlds ] [ Breath of the Wild ] [ Skyword Sword ]

I remember that when I was toddler I always wanted to be able to talk to animals and I still think that it could be awesome to do so!!

Saria

Saria is always so caring and loving with you, and even for being a Kokiri she is pretty mature as well and that is reflected in your relationship, although she can be pretty childish and prankster when she want to

For being a Kokiri you had your own fairy so it isn't too strange to see you talking to them, as well being a Kokiri means being like a child forever with all that childish ilusion and imagination so it won't be too weird seeing you talk to animals either

Without even knowing that you can actually talk to animals when she noticed that you do it she start doing it too, although when you admit to her that you can actually understand what the animals say she is surprised

Saria is amazed for your hability and always encoure you to use it. If you feel insecure or prefer to keep it as a secret she respect your wish but try to reasure you that you have nothing to fear, the others Kokiris will find it amaizing too, although she will ask your permission to at least tell Link about it since he is a really good friend of her (and probably yours too)

She always ask you about what you talk with animals because she is really curious and she loves seeing you so happy talking about it, she find it pretty cute and sometimes she give you a small and sweet kiss on the cheek, giggling at your reaction

Saria always invite you to go where the Great Deku Tree to play and search for animals (she always says that is to go and find new friends), and anytime you go there she always holds your hand on the way. Also, she will like to invite Link with you too but she will only do it if you don't have any problem with it

Hilda

It may doesn't seem like it but Hilda is really caring and she is really happy to have you by her side, having to lead and look after Lyrule isn't easy but knowing that she has you make it more bearable

Ravio and you are one of her biggest motivation as well anytime she need to relax she goes to spend time with you two, you always manage to make her day better

She may doesn't discover your hability for a while since she is usually busy with other things, so is more probably that Ravio discover it first and he ends up telling Hilda about it. Still, the first time she saw you talking to an animal more than find it strange she is worried, Lyrule it could be a pretty dangerous a times so she is more worried that something could happen to you

She will ask you out of worry so the moment you tell her that you can actually talk to animals it took her a moment to process and fully understand what you tell her, is just that is something she never expected. As well, if is Ravio who tell her about your hability she won't believe him at first and think that he is just trying to mess with her, it isn't going to be until you show her that you can talk to animals that she finally accept it

Hilda thinks is something curious, still she doesn't pry much on, just maybe asking about it if it had brought you problems or if is something you want to hide, she doesn't want to ask much, specially if is something you prefer to hide. As well, she isn't going to judge you for it, is your hability and you should enjoy it

She doesn't express it out loud but she find it pretty cute, every time she sees you happily talking to an animal, big or small, she always smiles sweetly without a fail, it comfort her seeing you so happy and remember her why she is working so hard for her kingdom. Also, Ravio find it pretty interesting and funny so is probably that he spend some time just asking you what some animals are saying (sometimes he ask about Sheerow too), making you and Hilda laugh in the process for how excited he seems

Once Link and Zelda help them retrieve the triforce and Hilda has the opportunity to relax more since Lyrure isn't in constant misfortunes she will finally give her the chance to know more about your hability as well as being more curious about the animals and what you talk with them

Mipha

Mipha is really sweet and caring, being in a relationship with you already flustered her but even when she is pretty shy she doesn't has much problem with overcoming her shyness (mainly because she is the leader of the Zora)

Mipha loves you with all her heart and discovering more little quirk of yours is always heart warming for her, so just seeing you being close to animals already make her heart feel warm and always bring a smile to her lips

When she noticed that you talk to animals she felt really fuzzy, finding it pretty cute, still she thought that it was an habit of yours but when you tell her that you actually can talk to them and understand them she is dumbfounded, it isn't like she doesn't believe you is just that is a little shocking, and when you prove it to her she quickly get amazed by your hability

Since she is most of the time busy in the Zora Kingdom she likes to hearing your stories about other animals you met outside of the kingdom and whenever she had the opportunity to go out with you she don't mind if you end up talking to an animal

She likes seeing you talking to animals, everytime she sees you her heart feels melt and takes a moment to appreciate it, as well she tries to never interrupt you but if you include her (like including her in your conversation or telling her what is they telling you) it flustered and flattered her a lot

Also, if you prefer to keep it as a secret she will ask you why since she thinks a really cute hability just because the words had slip her lips, she apologize though. It doesn't matter your reason she will respect your wish and doesn't say to anyone, also she doesn't say it out loud but is flattering for her that you let her know about this and that you show it to her

As well she will stand up for you if anyone say something bad about you, she isn't the bravest person but she tries, besides no one will like to have problems with the leader and champion of the Zora Kingdom

If you ever make a joke about your hability and the Zoras she will just awkwardly laugh, she doesn't like it at all but she doesn't want to say it either

Zelda

Zelda is a little prankster and never lose an opportunity to tease you but despite everything you know that she love and care for you nonetheless, she express it in different ways but whenever she say it in a more serious way she get a little shy and blushy

If you seem to love animals she already finds it cute, and at some point she will notice that you talk to animals even if you don't tell her, still at first she will think that is just an habit of yours, and she find it both cute and funny

It doesn't matter too much if you tell her directly that you can talk to animals or not, she doesn't really believe it at first and be a little sarcastic about it, specially if you say it to her directly, in the other hand if she just catch you talking to an animal she will ask you what are they saying jokinly, either way it won't take her long to accept that you can talk to animals (specially after you show it to her)

As well, it would take her a while to get used to it but she find it pretty cute, anytime she sees you talking to an animal she giggle at it and sometimes she ask you what you were talking about. Also, she will start to talk to her Loftwing more often and ask you what they said sometimes

If you prefer to keep it as a secret she promise to don't tell anyone about it, not even to Link if that is what you prefer it that way (still she will insist that him is of her total trust)

Zelda find it interesting, she will never judge for it or think that you are a weirdo, also she will never let anyone say something bad about you for your hability (and not just for that) she can be pretty intimidating when she wants to and is always the first to stand up for you to whoever, even if someone was just looking at you in a bad way she stare at them until they feel uncomfortable or even ashame, specially if you feel insecure of your hability

Speaking of, if you actually feel ashame or insecure of your hability and that is why you prefer to keep it as a secret she is quickly to reasure you that there is nothing wrong with you, at the end she will help you to love your hability as much as she loves you

Link

Link isn't exactly shy he is more like lovestruck, he is a really good of definition of young man in love, even before start dating his crush on you were a little obvious (specially to Zelda since she knows him too well)

He really is amazed by every little quirk of you and you always manage to surprise him anytime he learn something new about you

He probably get to know that you can talk to animals even before start dating and he find it pretty cute too. The first time he saw you talking to an animal he thought that it was because you like doing it, it isn't too strange to talk to animals or even inanimate objects so he doesn't think much of it and he doesn't pry much either, specially if is something you prefer to hide. That is why when you tell him that you actually can understand what the animals say he is dumbfounded, he ask you twice just in case he missheard you

He is really surprised of that hability of your as well as really curious, but he will never say that is strange or call you a weirdo, he find it pretty cool and has no problem with say it to you (but probably with a blush on his cheeks). Then again, if is something that you prefer to hide or keep it as a secret he will be respect your wish and keep it as a secret

He is really curious about your hability and he may pry as long as it doesn't make you uncomfortable, if you let him he will ask a lot of things, how you discovered, if there is a reason of why you had it, if it has limitations, he is just really curious

As well everytime he sees talking to an animal he always take a moment to apreciate it, no matter how much time it pass he always find it cute and always stare at you with a sweet smile, if you catch him staring at you he will try to come up with an excuse really flustered. Also he tend to always ask you what the animals say to you, really curious about what you talk with them

Link end up getting used to talk to animals too, he can't understand them but that doesn't stop him to smile and say hello to every little animal that cross his path, again he isn't trying to make fun of you

When he start his mission as the Hero chosen by the goddess he will have to spend a lot of time away so every time sees an animal (and the Kikwi too, he thinks you will like them) it remind him to you

[skywarpie]

Ratti

hey remember when i talked about that rat bringing its owner its babies and how copia would love that? yea well here’s the fic to accompany it; additional dad Copia for your enjoyment.

AO3 link  881 Words. 

Copia hums under his breath as he readjusts the tiny bundle that’s nestled in his arms. He’s never really had much experience when it comes to babies. Granted he always seems to have the magic touch, something that the mothers of the ministry see fit to exploit when their babies won’t stop crying. Once in his arms they always seem to settle and Copia assumes that’s probably a good thing because it’s at least given him a little practice with tiny humans. Not that he minds, there’s always something comforting about holding a baby, at least to him. That and he’s always a little sad to see them go when their parents deem it suitable to reclaim them.

This one is different though. This baby is his and he never has to put her down (even though his Prime Mover insists that the infant doesn’t need to be held at every waking moment, Copia digresses). 

Truthfully speaking, being a father isn’t something that Copia ever thought was in his cards. Every time he’s seemed to get ahead in his life, something has come around to knock him back down three notches. It only made sense that he’d probably never have a family of his own. Good things were rare and in between for him. 

It seemed his luck had changed for the better though once he was elevated to Papa. Not that he was complaining. In his opinion, Copia could care less about the title as long as he got to keep his tiny family. 

The bundle in his arms shifts and lets out a soft coo as she scratches her tiny face.

“Ah, la mia bambina!” His voice is soft but it’s easy to hear the ever growing panic in Copia’s voice. He nudges the pink blanket away from the baby’s face, gently grabbing her tiny hand before she can scratch her face by accident. His Prime Mover says he’s more anxious than them, which theoretically isn’t wrong. The whole first week the baby had been in the world, he’d diligently sat closely, listening to her breathing to ensure it was normal and there were no hiccups. A bit of overkill probably, but he couldn’t help it. Copia has spent a lifetime having things he’s loved or enjoyed ripped from him.

The baby grunts her frustration but settles back down with a yawn, causing a large goofy smile to stretch across Copia’s face. 

There’s a light scratching sound that catches his attention, his eyes raising to look off to the corner of his desk. A tiny fawn rat comes scurrying up the side of his work station, trotting all the way over. The rat stops once it’s in front of him and it drops the tiny blob that it’s been carrying. The rat looks up to him expectantly, its tiny eyes blinking rapidly.

“Tagliatelle!” Copia does his best to keep his voice low. “Where have you been, ragazza matta?” He smiles, his eyes catching on the tiny bundle moving on his desk. An even wider grin paints his face, it stretches all the way to his eyes, signifying his joy. “La ragazza disubbidiente.” Copia scoops the baby rodent up from his desk top, holding it like it’s made of fine glass. “I guess this answers my question, eh?”

As if in response the rodent takes off, only to return a few seconds later with another baby, then another, and another. She repeats this until there are a total of eight rat pups situated on Copia’s desk. “I suppose congratulazioni are in order.” He laughs, delighted. 

Tagliatelle makes a fuss of moving her tiny babies when they start to get too far away from her, going so far as to pluck one by its middle section and place it back in her reach. 

“Oh!” It’s as if the thought has just dawned on him. “If we are showing off babies, it is only fair I share mine with you, eh?” Carefully he maneuvers his arms until the baby’s face is in clear view of the rat. 

The rodent scurries over, her nose twitching as she sniffs at the tiny face wrapped in blankets. Her whiskers tickle the small face, resulting in a delighted coo and grin. 

Copia’s eyebrows raise high enough that they could reach his hairline. “She likes you!” It’s a bit louder than he wanted it to be. The infant in his arms letting him know with a frustrated cry. A sorry expression settles on his face as he looks back to the rat. “She likes you.” He whispers it this time, as if the rodent didn’t just hear his delighted outburst.

Tagliatelle spends a moment more smelling along the baby's face before she turns and makes her way back to her own babies. She snatches one by the scruff as it gets too close to the edge and drags it back to the pile to be with its siblings.

The goofy smile he’s been wearing still rests on Copia’s face. As if he already couldn’t love his child any more, her reaction, though most would chalk up to being a baby's reflexes, to his rodent makes his heart swell even more. Yes, he has spent a lifetime losing things he holds dear, but this time will be different.

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

Tagliatelle - Noodles ragazza matta - Crazy girl La ragazza disubbidiente - Naughty girl congratulazioni - congratulations

[luimagines]

That Dragon AU

I can’t believe I’m doing this. But I’m doing it XD

Masterlist

Written once again for @cafecourage and for myself. It will be self explanatory as we go on this adventure. Remember that one commission with Dragon Warrior with the headband and the party? That was based off of this. But now I get to share it with all of you!

This is their side of the story. I’m sure they will post my side on their blog soon enough XD

This is definably going to be longer than the last one. I hope you’re all excited for this. Forewarning: It’s is incredibly self indulgent. But honestly, those are the best kind of fics.

Content under the cut!

Chapter 1: Silent Claims

Enno hated parties.

They didn’t even want to be here to begin with. Their only consolation was that Warrior didn’t seem too thrilled either despite the fact this was his world. 

They patted down their clothes and adjusted their headband. Warrior gave it to them. He said that it would look good with the color they were wearing. Enno wasn’t sure if that was true or not, but what did they know? Warrior always seemed to know what he was doing.

They were by themself for the time being. The boys had all split up to not cause any trouble and Warrior was being forced to mingle with the Lords and Ladies of the land. This was fine. From beyond the dance floor, Enno could see Pinky and a few of the others by the food table. Maybe they could stick with them and ignore the rest of what’s happening. This was a bit much.

An enraged shriek causes the ball room to fall entirely silent.

Enno freezes on the spot, hesitating to turn around and look at the scene that no doubt is about to be caused.

“You!” Cia cries out. “What are you doing with my headband?!”

Enno freezes even more, going over the escape route in their head. The door is too far away.

Next thing they knew, Cia was in front of them screaming, grabbing their arm and trying to pull the headband off of their head. Not wanting to be near the yelling, Enno punches her and tries to create distance. Their fight or flight was kicking in. It only makes it worse

“Get off of me!” They scream.

“Cia!” Warrior pushes the sorceress away, blocking Enno with his body. He’s panting. He was running. Something dark and primal growls. There’s a fury in his eyes that the nobles of the land have only seen on a rare occasion. “Don’t touch them.”

Within moments the room erupts into whispers and gossip. Link this and Link that. Cia was certain and Cia was wrong. Who’s this and who’s the new person. All questions and theories to who Enno is and why they’re next to their hero and why Cia seems to be as angry as she is.. 

Enno wants none of it.

Cia gulps and begins to shake, pointing a finger at Link. “You can’t- Link, you know better than anyone what that means. Them? You’ve chosen them?”

Warrior takes Enno’s hand. “This way.”

They run.

Cia screams like a banshee but doesn’t seem to follow them.

Warrior leads them out of the ball room and through the hallways of the castle. When he stops, Enno needs to catch their breath. The castle is still as elegantly decorated as the rest of what they’ve seen but between all the twists and turns that they’ve taken, they are utterly lost. They have no idea where they are. At least they can still hear the party music from where they are. They must have fixed whatever scene was caused to get the party started again.

A curse falls past their lips. “She’s crazier than I thought. What the hell?”

Warrior pivots, putting his hands on their shoulders. “Are you ok?”

Smaller curses fall silently under his breath. He’s panting and out of breath just as much as Enno is. Warrior is suddenly all over them. Brushing down their clothes, adjusting the headband, running his hands over their hair and looking over where Cia had grabbed them.

Enno is still reeling from the rush of adrenaline. “Ma-maybe… I don’t know yet.”

“I’m so sorry.” He buckles slightly. “I should have known she would have tried something. I just didn’t think… I’m sorry. I take full responsibility for this.”

“No? No. She’s an adult. She can take responsibility for her own actions.” Enno feels like they’re missing something. “This has nothing to do with you.”

Warrior doesn’t seem too convinced. He plucks and adjusts small wrinkles on their clothes, thinking about what happened no doubt. But the silence makes Enno feel awkward. They also begin to feel a little guilty. “Warrior- Link-”

“You look good in this. Zelda chose well.” He smiles bitterly. An awkward laugh follows and he steps back a bit. “Is it too late to ask for a dance?”

"No... but do I want to know about what that was about back there?"

Warrior flushes a bit and he scratches the back of his head. "... What... Do you mean?"

"Uh, Cia and like half of the population of Hyrule has been either glaring or staring at me." Enno was still having trouble coming to grips with the events but they still took his hands for an impromptu dance. "Should I ask why?"

Warrior takes their hands gently, leading them to the beat of the faint music. He doesn’t respond right away. He doesn’t want to say the wrong thing and make matters worse. It was already a tough enough inner battle to give them the headband, let alone tell them anything else.

"Possibly because you're absolutely stunning." Warrior replies easily. "And we walked in together. They're assuming things My Dear. That tends to happen when I'm involved I'm afraid. Don't pay too much mind to it."

Enno blushes genuinely at the compliment. It might have been the first time he was able to get that reaction out of them. And not because they feel flustered or feel embarrassed or annoyed. Certainly not that. "So you just ran? That's gotta be a bad idea. Isn't Zelda or Impa going to kill you for making a scene?"

"Hey. Cia started it." Warrior leads them effortlessly. It's a waltz.

"That should be enough to be my freebie. We did nothing wrong." Warrior pulls them a little closer. "Besides, you looked like you wanted to be somewhere else anyway. And if you had similar desires, who was I to deny you?"

Enno let him do as he pleased. They had never danced before so they weren’t sure if they were doing it correctly. "She got angry over a headband. I’m still confused over that part." 

They were tempted to dip him before he dipped them but with how things are they didn't think that was a good idea. "And you’re right. I hate big parties. So... thank you..."

"Cia is just mad I never gave her anything." Warrior huffs before he leans close. "And I'll let you know a little secret~"

He leans close to their ear with a smirk. "I hate them too. So you're welcome."

"That was a lot of commotion just for that-" Enno leaned back trying to ignore the shivers they felt. 

"Sir-  I will bop you on the head." They said, not wanting him to know their weaknesses.

Warrior snickers against their ear, leaning away. "As you wish."

"This is preferable to the party though." Warrior smiles charmingly, spinning them before pulling them close to his chest again. "I only hope that we didn't worry our companions too much."

"I think they are probably thinking about fighting Cia, probably." Enno’s eyes darted around the hallways, trying to look at anything but him right now, "...I prefer this too..."

"Good." Warrior let's a breath out, seeming to relax with it. "I'd also like to apologize about Cia. She hasn't really.....for all her reform effort she still struggles with past tendencies. I had hoped she would be on her best behavior tonight. I suppose I did you no favors, Sweetheart. I'm sorry."

"You....really like using such endearing nicknames." Enno brought their arm up and around his neck giving a slight hug "It’s fine though, don’t worry about it. I'm just more confused than anything else. It just seems like it was out of left field."

"Do the nicknames bother you?" Warrior bites his lip. His hands rest on their hips, dropping the waltz and just slowly swaying back and forth with them. "And Cia.... yeah, it was. I'll have to talk to her later."

"You don't have to! I just don't know what to think about anything she said." Enno blurts. They try to clear up any possible misunderstanding before it gets out of hand. They wanted to make sure she doesn't get into too much trouble. 

"I don't mind the nicknames. Just be careful your fangirls might get jealous." They teased. "Unless you already call them that."

Warrior blushes a pleasant rosy color. His voice goes a bit soft and he smiles. "Occasionally, but that's just to lessen some tension. They get a bit... rowdy, at times. And no one really knows what to do to keep them away so I have learned to deal with it. You on the other hand, get to have it 100% genuine. You don't expect anything from me. So I don't have to worry about you misunderstanding when I call you Darling or Sweetheart."

He spins them around some more, leading them into the middle of the hallway. "I'll talk to Cia anyway. She's been getting on my nerves. This is just something I can't turn a blind eye to."

Enno stops still holding his hand, wanting and waiting to see if he pulls them back. "Darlin'? What are you, Twilight?" 

They laugh, teasing him, swaying the arms between them. "Please don't be too harsh when it comes to what happened tonight. I'm not mad."

Warrior hums. "You may not be. But I am."

He sighs and absolutely pulls them close once more. "It's a bit complicated and I know you don't have all the context. But I'll explain it to you. Eventually. Tonight let's just unwind for a bit, yeah?"

He spins them again, his chin gently nudging the side of their head. "And how the Rancher has a monopoly on that one? That doesn't seem very fair."

They sighed, bonking him on the shoulder in response to being not told anything. "He has that country boy charm. You, sir, radiate noble boy. It gives a different vibe."

Warrior snorts and wraps his arms around them. "Should I lean into it, Your Grace? How about Jewel? If not, would Amore suffice? What do you suggest, My Sweet? I have plenty."

“Careful there Hot Shot, suggest any more and people might start to think we’re an item.” Enno laughs, trying to play off his flirting behavior. “I don’t care about the nickname, do what your heart so desires.”

Warrior hums, pleased. "That works for me, Honey."

He grins and simply sways back and forth with them again. The dance has long been lost but neither of them seem to mind. "At least tell me you tried the food?"

“A bit.” Enno sighed into him, getting comfortable, hiding their blush against his body. “There were a lot of eyes on me. It felt weird just to keep eating and not dance or socialize.” 

The warmth of the moment makes them smile. “Though if we stay like this I might fall for you, soldier boy.”  

They are100% joking and teasing him.

Warrior breathes in deeply. "I can't say I'm against the thought of that."

His head gently rests against theirs. "I'm afraid that might just bring more eyes on you though."

A hand rises up to card through their hair, tenderly playing with it. "It's not very ideal.... being associated with me."

“I’ll just be a cryptid. Always talked about, barely seen.” Enno laughs at his talk, leaning into his touch. “Though shall I take this as an official declaration? Or do I have to wait until that talk that’s needed later.”

"Um!" Warrior tenses. His eyes pop open and he stops his movements. "Some.... more time would be... appreciated."

He laughs awkwardly. But he hugs them tighter and rubs his head against theirs like before. "Sorry, I-...I'm not actually very good at this.... I'd also hate to see anything happen to you because of me. There's a lot that I have to do... If you're willing, that is."

He takes a deep breath and it's suddenly very warm behind their head. "I just wanted you to have a good time tonight. That's all."

Enno waits until he finishes talking to actually hug him back. The sensation of a fireplace on their back was strange but not enough for them to question it outright. “I did. Thank you.” 

They let him just hold onto them. It was weird. He felt warmer somehow or… was he always this warm? “Though I would love to head back to a bedroom and just cuddle. I’m tired.”

It’s even stranger to be so close to him, almost physically feeling Warrior preen at their words. They could have sworn on it.

He pulls back a bit and looks at them, his gaze soft. "We can do that. Would you rather go to the one you were supposed to share with Pinky or to mine? Mine's closer but obviously the other has all your stuff in it."

They laugh at his reaction, covering their mouth to stifle it. “I’ll just steal your clothing, it’s fine.” Enno gestures for him to lead the way. “Pinky can figure out where I am.”

Warrior grins, stepping away to bow jokingly. "This way, Your Grace."

He extends his elbow for them to walk arm in arm as he guides them once more through the castle and towards his room.

Enno’s arm slips into his as they hold back from rolling their eyes. “You’re something else.”

Enno continues to take in the castle as he leads them to his room. There’s many gold accents and large tapestries that adorn the walls. There’s also many stained glass windows with forged stories of the royals and heroes before them. As soon as they got in the room, Enno was already ready to steal more comfortable clothing.

Warrior opens the door to his room, revealing that it looks fit for royalty. He ushers his companion inside and lights the lamps, closing the door with a soft click.

"Hold on a second, I think I have something that'll fit you." He scrambles around the room, going through his clothes. Enno looks around, trying to be as subtle as possible. They notice that he's only going through 3 drawers. In a dresser of 7.

He takes out a small pile and tosses half of them on the bed. Then he pauses.

"I have a connected bath." He looks up at them. "Do you want to bathe before or just change into your clothes?"

Enno looked around, being more obvious this time around. This is not a normal room, “So uh… when we teased you about being a noble city boy…” 

They picked up the clothing. Despite Warrior being a twink, his clothes were still big for them.

“I’ll take a quick bath, hold on.” Enno said, awkwardly rushing into the bathroom with the clothing.

"Do you need help to turn it on or can you figure it out?" Warrior calls after them with a small laugh.

“NO!” They squeaked out, turning on the bath to see which was the hot water. They wanted to get in and out as fast as possible. It took them quicker to figure it out than they thought it would. Within 8-10 minutes, they were already relaxing in the water. Once they were finished, they got up from the bath and hit their foot against the tub’s rim, almost falling over. 

“AHH!!” Enno scrambled back to regain balance. They take a moment to breathe before getting the towel.

He hears their yell and he perks to attention. "You ok?"

When he hears no response, his face falls a little bit. But he doesn’t want to make them feel more uncomfortable than they were no doubt feeling already.

"Knock twice if you're dead." He yells out playfully. He's in the middle of changing his clothes.

“I’m not dead. You heard nothing.” They say, drying up fully. Putting on the new clothes, they take extra care to fold the fancy clothing. They take the headband with them and place the stack of clothing in the hamper. 

Warrior laughs and puts on his pants, putting his fancy clothes away.

“Hey do you want this back? I’m not gonna wear it really unless I’m going somewhere fancy.” Enno comes into the room holding up the headband.

He hears them call and looks their way, shirtless and disheveled. He doesn't seem to care.

His eyes lock onto the headband in their hand and he gulps a bit. "No. That's yours. To keep. If you want it."

Enno’s brain stopped in its tracks to process what they were seeing. “I- uh…” 

They cough into their hand, suddenly getting super flustered, not wanting to look at him any more. 

“Thank you.” They turn around to give him some sort of privacy “I can go back in the bathroom, and give you some room.”

Warrior's eyes scan over their body, taking it in completely. He wasn't expecting Enno to look as perfect as they do in his clothes but he forces himself to look away. 

He tosses on a plain shirt, ignoring the thoughts in his head and the blush on his face. He stands. "No need. I'm good now."

Enno relaxed and instantly flops onto the bed. 

“Thank god.” They look another way, still blushing from seeing him.TheyI didn’t want to think about him being shirtless. But there he was… in their mind’s eye.

Warrior doesn't hesitate to follow their example and jumps into his bed. He lands next to them. "You ok?"

“Define ok.” They turn back to face him, a bit shy. “You’re very handsome. Kinda took me out a bit. Sorry. I didn’t mean to stare at you.” 

Enno’s eyes dip into the space between them. They don’t want to invade his personal space despite asking for cuddles earlier. They didn’t think about how quickly he agreed to it. They were simply minding their distance, hoping they didn’t ruin everything.

Warrior takes a moment to process their words before he realizes what they were talking about. His ears turned a bit pink and he bit his lip at the thought. "Oh."

"Well..." Warrior tilts his head, looking at the ceiling as he says this. "For what's it worth, you were too stunning for me to finish fast enough. I would have been properly made up otherwise."

He looks back at you. "I don’t particularly mind the staring if it's you. You're not like every stuck up, hosehead that was in that party. I trust you."

Enno reaches over, taking his hand. They’re not convinced. They’re still worried that he might make a connection between them and Cia. The thought terrifies them.. “I am happy you do.” 

They play with his hand, fiddling with them. “Truly…” They sigh but smile “Now I was promised cuddles?”

Warrior grins and scoots himself closer to their body. He's quick to wrap his arms around them, nuzzling his head gently into theirs and intertwining their legs together. "You were indeed."

He adjusts himself a bit so that he's not on top of Enno or crushing them. A hand of his comes up and plays with their hair, lifting it and letting it fall. "I can get used to this."

He yawns.

Enno wraps their arms around him, nuzzling into his shoulders. 

“I hope you know that I won’t sleep, even with cuddling.” They poke his cheek.

"Hm... and why not?" He says by their ear. "....You know there's a lot of things I can say here that would probably end up with me getting smacked."

He chuckles and pokes his nose against their cheek. "Just relax and stay here until morning. It'll be alright."

He still gets smacked gently, “Shut up you.” 

Enno also adjusts themself so that they’re holding him better and playing with his hair instead. “You need your beauty sleep so you can’t claim we were doing anything.”

Warrior laughs a bit louder and holds them tighter as a result. He leans into their touch and sighs contentedly. His eyes flutter close and he smiles blissfully. "I wouldn't have dreamed of it."

Enno doesn’t respond as they start to think about his adventure and their situation again. They were brushing his hair as a mild distraction. It was hard to control their thoughts from going down that line but at least it kept him from looking up to seeing a far off look on their face. The less questions he asked the better. Enno hoped that he would sleep soon. They suddenly didn’t feel safe with Cia around in the castle but they didn’t want him to know that.

Warrior frowns and his eyes open a bit. "Are you sure you're ok?"

He nuzzles them closer. "No one can get in here unless I let them. So you don't have to worry about anyone seeing this. It's just you and me. Not even Cia would break down that door or the windows. I made sure of it."

“That’s- I don’t think she can’t be beaten with just a lock on the door or window.” They sighed into his hair. 

Warrior huffs and turns to murmurs into their hair. "The lock is magic. Cia tried to get in once because I overslept for a meeting. She couldn't get in. It’s ok. Is that what you’re worried about?"

“I’m…fine…” They don’t sound confident enough in their own words. “It’s just….”They pull away a bit to look Warrior in the eye. “Has Pinky told you how we know about all of your adventures?”

He takes a deep breath, the silence falling over the two of you like a blanket.

"Oh...Yeah" Warrior stretches. "Pinky said a lot. Like moving pictures with sound for story telling."

He yawns again, snuggling into their shoulder. "She said you knew all our stories."

"So..." They pause, slowly going back to brush his hair "You’re ok with this? With us? I don't want to lose the trust you have in me."

"You haven't done anything to lose it." Warrior mumbled, not even moving his lips to speak. He was being pulled under by their touch and soon his breaths even out and he falls asleep.

"Go to sleep." They adjust him so he is laying on top with his head on their chest and continue to brush his hair. Enno waits for him to fully fall asleep. They weren’t that tired to begin with.

Warrior had fully passed out beside them. The stress from the event, from Cia's and company's reactions and the overall attitudes from the nobles have worn him out. He has to keep a face for all of them but he lets go entirely in their presence.

Enno feels him relax deeper and lean into their touch despite his unconscious state.

If they looked close enough, they would be able to see him smile in his sleep.

If only things would have been just as easy as before they arrived at the castle.

Next Part

[torreshalstead]

a ring to prove it

Summary - She didn’t know if it was because of the wait since the last time they had been together or if it was the addition of the ring on her finger and the promises of a future together. Whatever it was, it had been hours and she was still tingling. She was back in Matt Casey’s arms and couldn’t be happier.

Notes - a little post 11x22 fic, happy reading! ❤️ AO3 Link

His breathing was steady, his heart rate had calmed from their exertions hours ago and he was peacefully asleep. But she was awake. Her head was resting on his chest, his arms tight around her even in his dreams, her fingers were tracing patterns in his skin remembering the expanses of muscle she had memorised those months before.

Being back in his arms was more than she had ever thought she would experience again. Somewhere along the line she had forgotten just how Matt Casey made her feel. What he made her feel by just being in his presence yes but also how he loved her. She had never fallen as hard off the proverbial cliff as she did when Matt had his hands or tongue on her, when he was inside her. She hadn’t been with anyone that way since she had ended them by a phone call. A phone call she both regretted and knew was the right thing at that moment.

Dylan was nice enough but he didn’t make her want to rip her clothes off the way Matt did. And any pleasure she had given herself even when they were together, it was Matt’s name that passed through her lips when she finished. It was his eyes she saw staring back at her when she closed her eyes.

And last night had been nothing short of mind blowing. She didn’t know if it was because of the wait since the last time they had been together or if it was the addition of the ring on her finger and the promises of a future together. Whatever it was, it had been hours and she was still tingling.

When she opened the door the day before and was greeted by the sight of Matt Casey on the other side, the last thing she had expected was for him to drop down on one knee and ask her to marry him.

‘Sylvie Brett, we were meant to be. Will you make me and three kids the luckiest family in the world and marry me?’

She had clutched at her chest, staring at the man she had wished for so long would do exactly what he was doing now and ask her to spend her life with him. She could see the ring shining in the box but her gaze was fixed directly on him, on his eyes, his smile.

She nodded, how could she do anything else but say yes. This was exactly what she had dreamed of.

‘Yes,’ she said, the tears spilling down her cheeks as Matt’s grin spread wider across his cheeks. She dropped to her knees in front of him, pulling his face to hers and melding their lips together. Her salty tears mingled in the kiss but she didn’t care, she had just said yes to marrying Matt Casey. They were going to be a family. Her, Matt, Ben, Griffin and Julia. Her family.

She let her fingers thread through his hair, it was slightly shorter than it had been at the wedding - the last time she had kissed him. His arms wound tightly around her waist, pulling her close to him from their slightly awkward position kneeling in front of each other.

‘Yes,’ she said in between kisses, ‘yes.’ She felt him grin against her lips and let herself get lost in the familiar sensation of his against hers. It was only when she felt her phone vibrating in the back pocket of her overalls she pulled away.

‘It’s Hermann,’ she said, her lips still swollen from the kiss but she hadn’t been expecting Hermann to call. ‘I better get this,’ Matt nodded, the smile not leaving his face and his arms didn’t relax his hold on her either. She didn’t make an attempt to move away from him as she swiped and answered the call.

Sylvie didn’t think either of them expected to be called to the hospital before Matt even had a chance to slide the ring onto her finger but he had pocketed the box as soon as she had ended the call having heard everything Hermann had said and said he would drive, wrapping her hand in his and leading her out to the car.

The car ride to the hospital was silent, the tears silently streaming down her face that had started as tears of joy were now ones of pain and worry. Matt kept a tight hold of her hand all the way to Med and she was grateful she had him to lean on as neither of them knew what to expect when they arrived. Hermann had sounded scared on the phone, he had tried to tell her he was sure Mouch would be okay but his voice had cracked and Sylvie’s heart had sunk. Mouch couldn’t be dying, she refused to even entertain the idea.

‘I think we shouldn’t tell them,’ she whispered into the silence of the car. ‘About us.’

Matt nodded. ‘I agree, this isn’t the moment.’ He held on a little tighter for the reminder of the journey, her own knuckles were going white at the pressure she was applying back on his.

He went to let go of her hand when they entered but Sylvie couldn’t bring herself to unlink their fingers, she needed him right now, needed the feeling of his warm skin against hers to ground her or else she might lose it. Her words to Matt had originally meant that she thought they should keep the fact they were back together underwraps but the further they walked into the hospital, she realised she just meant the engagement. She couldn’t let go of his hand right now. Wouldn’t let go of it.

No one commented on them walking in together hand in hand, no one said anything at all. The waiting room was eerily silent, their friends scattered around, heads in hands, staring at walls, silently crying. Matt and her joined them, finding two empty chairs and settling down next to Stella. Sylvie reached across and wrapped her other arm around the Lieutenant’s shoulder. No matter how many times they sat in hospital waiting rooms whilst one of their own was hurt - it never got any easier.

Sylvie didn’t know long they sat there, waiting for someone to bring them news. The waiting room was deep in the middle of the hospital with no windows, hours could have passed or it could have been mere minutes before a doctor in black scrubs came out and gave them the news they had been holding their breaths for.

‘He’s going to be okay,’ he said and Sylvie felt like the elephant that had been sitting on her chest constricting her breathing was finally removed. She leant into Matt’s side and let him wrap his arms around her pulling her safely into his chest.

Mouch was going to be okay. And she was going to marry Matt Casey.

——————————————————————————

On the way back to hers from the hospital, Mouch having kicked them all out saying he wasn’t having Chicago’s best sleeping in a waiting room if they didn’t need to, the air was lighter in the car.

‘Did you tell the boys?’ Sylvie wondered aloud.

‘Ben and Griffin?’ Matt clarified. ‘I did.’ He chuckled. ‘They were very excited at even the possibility of us getting back together. Pretty much pushed me out of the house to the airport when I said I was going to propose.’

Sylvie felt her cheeks redden. She had had no issues bonding with Griffin but it had taken time before Ben opened up to her but she had understood. His life hadn’t been easy and enough people had already let him down, he didn’t want to risk getting hurt again. The prospect of them both being back in her life, that they both wanted her back in their lives warmed her heart.

‘I told them about Julia too,’ Matt added with a small smile, glancing across at her as they pulled to a stop at a traffic light.

‘You did?’ Sylvie asked slightly shocked but pleasantly so.

‘Called them once you got the news, it felt right to let them know,’ Matt shrugged.

‘And they were happy about it?’ Sylvie was worried the addition of someone else into their family bubble could cause issues, especially for Ben.

‘Said they were going to spoil her rotten,’ Matt chuckled. ‘Ben said he would teach her how to mountain bike when she’s old enough - it’s his current favourite thing.’

They really were going to be a family, all of them together.

——————————————————————————

Matt stirred awake, groaning slightly as he was brought back into consciousness, his muscles contracting under Sylvie’s touch.

‘Morning,’ he said groggily, smiling down at where she had turned her focus to look up at him from her position on his chest.

‘Good morning,’ she whispered, reaching up to press her lips against his before relaxing back into his hold.

‘I could hear your mind working in my dreams,’ Matt said, stroking his fingers against the bare skin of her hip.

‘Mmm’ she hummed in response.

‘Want to share with the room?’ He asked and she smiled, pressing her face against his chest.

‘I was just thinking about our life,’ she admitted, with anyone else she would have blushed at her words but not with Matt. He always made her feel safe enough to speak truthfully, provided her the space to be exactly who she wanted to be without fear of judgement. She’d not always been so lucky in her past relationships.

Harrison hadn’t really wanted Sylvie Brett, he’d wanted the wife he thought he could mould Sylvie into being. He disliked everything about her that made her her. All the bright and caring aspects that made her who she was. He just wanted her to bend to his wishes and give up everything in her life that she cared about.

Antonio, goodness knows what he had wanted but it wasn’t what she had wanted. That was a relationship doomed to fail from the start, something she thought both of them had luckily realised before it got too late.

Kyle wanted a preacher's wife, he thought he was giving her what she wanted - space away from Chicago after her accident. But that wasn’t her either. She was a Chicago girl now, and that was where she belonged.

But Matt, Matt wanted her exactly how she was, all the blemishes and flaws along with the shiny and good. He supported her through everything, had been her number one cheerleader even before they had realised how they felt about each other. His heart was everything good and Sylvie loved him for it.

‘It's going to be a beautiful life,’ Matt said, bringing up the hand not wrapped around hers to run his fingers over the ring that now graced her left hand.

‘What time is your flight?’ She asked quietly. They’d spoken about him going back to Oregon in between rounds last night when their skin was still tacky with sweat, their legs refusing to untangle themselves.

‘I have to go back to Oregon tomorrow,’ he said into the quiet night air. ‘But only to wrap things up,’ he tightened his hold on her, one hand continuing to trail up and down her bare back. ‘It should only take a couple of weeks.’

‘Okay,’ Sylvie muttered. She knew he wanted to be back in Chicago as much as she wanted him back, he had shown her how much just a moment ago.

‘I agreed with CFD to start teaching at the academy in 6 weeks, they know I want back in the action but teaching will do until they can find me a house,’ he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

‘I’ll take you to the airport tomorrow,’ Sylvie said. This wouldn’t be like last time. They had a plan this time. He was coming back to her, he was going to marry her.

‘I think it’s just past midday,’ Matt said and Sylvie chuckled at his vagueness. ‘I’ll check when this beautiful woman lets me out of her bed,’ he said in mock offence at her laugh.

‘I can let you out now if you’d like,’ Sylvie sassed, making a move to untangle herself but Matt groaned and pulled her back against his chest.

‘Never,’ he murmured as he peppered her face with kisses and her soft giggles filled the room.

‘I’ll call you as soon as I land,’ he said as the pair settled back into their embrace, the covers pooling around their waists as his movements had shifted them slightly.

‘Okay,’ she said, resuming tracing patterns against his chest.

‘When will Julia arrive?’ He asked curiously.

‘I think a couple of days,’ Sylvie admitted. ‘Although Amber took back custody, there’s still papers to sign. You know how it is with the DFS.’

‘You’re going to give her the most beautiful life Sylvie,’ Matt murmured against her hair.

‘We are,’ Sylvie corrected him. Although technically she was doing this alone and it was her name on the paperwork, she wanted Matt by her side every step of the way. And she knew he was all in. ‘We are going to have the most wonderful family.’

‘We are,’ Matt said, his words reminiscent of when she had finally admitted her feelings to him in the middle of the night out on the North Apron.

‘We will have the most incredible life, all of us together.’

‘We will.’

‘And we have each other. Forever. We are it for each other.’

‘We are,’ Matt repeated.

Sylvie wasn’t looking forward to saying goodbye to him in just a few hours, but she knew this goodbye would be their last. When he returned, it would be for good. They would be together. She had a ring on her finger to prove it.