#As soon as it hits a chapter break it is given a read-through for continuity and typos and then it is POSTED. NO overthinking!!

[magpiesbones]

SHOULD I be writing directly in the ao3 text box? no.

AM i? yeah

[afreakingdork]

Weak Spot - Chapter 52

RotTMNT Donatello x Reader

He's supposed to be dunking on someone else, but I feel like we're all affected by this week's chapter art by @garbagemilkshake

Warnings: Aged-up Turtles, Romance, Meet Cute, Villain Donatello, Cussing, Crushes, Xenophobia, Fear, Intimidation, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Hurt/Comfort, Love, AFAB Reader, Vaginal Sex, Sex Rough, Sex, Penis In Vagina Sex, Creampie, Teasing, Scent Kink, Sexual Tension, Breeding Kink, Multiple Orgasms, Cunnilingus, Fellatio, Marathon Sex, Somnophilia, Bondage, Feral Behavior, Feral Donatello, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Public Sex, Dom Donnie, Human/Turtle Relationships, Turtle Noises, Roleplay, Sexual Roleplay

Synopsis:  A love story of villainous proportions! Though it hadn’t come easily, as these things rarely do, you found yourself in a whirlwind romance with a handsome and mysterious mutant. His idiosyncrasies had been easy to ignore as attraction grew into something more. However, will love endure when the unknowns about him end up being far darker than you ever considered?

Also available on Ao3

First 💜 Previous

Mikey had been texting you non-stop.

No matter how innocuous it was, it troubled you just how flagrant you were being. In the week since the first, you hadn’t had a single flare up. There should have been anger. There was a rage that should have been parboiled like his damn chains on your skin. Instead, you’d simply stared when you’d received the first message after having just arrived at work. The surprised exclamation about Donnie also liking cooking had only given you pause. It wasn’t even a white flag. It was a blob on an otherwise empty message board. A single blip that you could pocket and forget; it was the second text that caused you to respond.

It was an image of Splinter screaming with a hand up as he tried to fend off the phone.

With only a few words and an image, you put it all together. The aging starlet had continued his streak of being the worst communicator. Based on the fact that Splinter was in his favorite chair, you set the scene of Mikey spending time with his father. Maybe catching up as adults with busy lives did, Splinter, many months after the fact, would have tossed an off-the-cuff comment about how you’d told him Donnie cooked, for better or worse. Mikey then incensed by the claim, rushed for confirmation and, against his father’s wishes, took a photo to validate his utterance.

The strange understanding of someone you barely knew had you crafting a response.

You: He went through an intense science related phase is all.

That single watering was enough to grow a field.

What followed that day was Mikey info dumping about some chef who dabbled in the same. He went on and on about how said man made cooking easy before outpouring an explanation of the years long hiatus between parts of his show. There had been a cookbook made in the interim that seemed to solidify network choices and you were soon on the receiving more pictures, now of Mikey with his signed copy.

Then another, where a starry eyed Mikey who maybe looked a few years younger was photographed with the man you could now attach a face to.

You’d meant to leave it.

In all the time he’d been sharing this story, you hadn’t responded once.

From his end, all he received were read receipts and yet he kept going.

Each time you took a break there was a new rolling number of messages and you caught up on them like reading the paper.

Sipping tea to warm yourself in the late afternoon, you were at the very least entertained. Part of you clung steadfast to the brick he’d tried to hit you with, but there was a disconnect from that menace and this voice. He was now a newsletter to be read at your leisure and you imagined this would be the last. A single blip on the radar that was Michelangelo, you’d have one better memory of him to hold onto.

Going back for your last work stretch until clock out, you wondered how that chef had reacted when he found out about his mutant devotee. You imagined he’d accepted Mikey’s looks then he’d probably followed it up with some guilt about animals and autonomy. Thinking of cow mutants and their stand to eat more chicken, you were soon off and gave your phone a final once over before heading out.

Your preview message wished you a nice night and you read backwards to catch up.

Mikey: Alright!

Mikey: That’s enough of that!

Mikey: Thank you for tuning into DJ Dr Delicate Touch CPAs radio hour

Mikey: We hope you had a good time listeners

Mikey: Okay wait who even listens to the radio anymore?

Mikey: I gotta do this like a podcast and thank my sponsor

Mikey: ShipStation, it’s better than the post office probably

Mikey: Fr tho

Mikey: Thanks for your time

Mikey: Have a nice night! 😁

Odd.

It was strange.

Putting your phone away, you should have been mad.

No matter how much you tried you couldn’t summon it.

The entire trip home, you tried to think about what you were missing.

The best you could come up with was that his words of leaving you be during the kidnapping had been ones you used more than once in your daily life. A level statement from one with otherwise untethered shoulders, it spoke of some kind of maturity. Besides Leo, the other two each had it in their own flavors. Mikey’s made the least sense as he flittered like a confused butterfly, while Raph seemed like the only one with a touch of reality.

You shouldn’t indulge this.

It was in reaching for your door knob that you were struck with an odd thought.

You weren’t.

Why worry?

Feeling like you had wasted your ride home, you left your concerns at the door as you stepped into the space with your partner.

A pleasant evening followed and the next day arrived without a similar hitch.

The following morning rolled out in a relaxed state that found you at your desk. It was sometime around 10am that you got another message.

Mikey: You ever wonder why eggs don’t taste like chicken?

Stupid.

That had been your first thought.

Of course they didn’t; they were embryos, but a second thought had you typing.

You: If you can’t taste then how do you know that’s still true?

It was mean.

You couldn’t even convince yourself that you hadn’t mean it that way.

Part of you did.

Part of you also felt like shit for poking fun at an obvious disability.

What did you even know about it?

You knew he couldn’t smell cum on you like his brothers.

That had to correlate with taste and yet you were the tasteless one.

It’d show him, you decided.

There had to be a barrier.

You weren’t familial.

You weren’t friends.

You were whatever you had with Leo at best.

Two photos thrown into the ether and an open line in case of emergencies.

The silence said you’d put the matter to bed.

Your phone should do the same.

You had work.

Moving to set your device down, you spied a percolation of bubbles before a giant image spawned.

Raising your phone on sheer instinct, you stared down at a meme.

An image of a turtle with its mouth open as if it had just been burdened with the reality of its existence.

Mind blown.

Mikey: TREE FALLS IN THE FOREST WHO!?

Mikey: THATS SO GOOD

Mikey: IM THROWING THAT BACK IN LEOS FACE RN

Mikey: REACTION IN COMING

Mikey: HERE WE GO

Mikey: HES EATING GOLDEN GRAHAMS GOT HIM

Your lips parted as you stared.

Mikey: aw man wtf 😩

Mikey: It didn’t land!!! 😩😩😩

Mikey: I did wait like an hour before responding

Mikey: He said it first btw

Mikey: Credit where its due

Mikey: Though wait hold up

Mikey: I take it back

Mikey: He totally got it from a video

Mikey: OH I KNOW

Mikey: Give me another! Hurry!

Scrambling for an unknown reason, you started to type out one before erasing it in exchange for another.

You: Does a straw have one hole or two?

You stared at the blank screen with an odd impatience until again there was a snap of bubbles and several images jockeyed for screen time.

They were a series of different images all conveying that his mind was blown.

Then another bout of silence.

Your cubicle felt way too large.

You were a tiny speck amongst moveable walls.

Mikey: GOT HIM!!!!!!!!!!!

A series of party gifs appeared in rapid escalation.

Mikey: He stuttered and everything

Mikey: Leo: one- no two… wait…?

Mikey: THE LOOK ON HIS FACE

Mikey: I’m running now btw

Mikey: He’s totally chasing me

Mikey: Dropped his cereal!

Mikey: LOSER IN THE BATTLE OF THE MINDS

An image of a chef loading penne into a gun had you slamming your phone down.

Hand over your mouth, you tried to contain your laughter until you stumbled away.

Far from the too big walls of your office and into the bathroom where you released your giggles.

You could see it.

You could see Leo turning to brotherly rage after being beaten by a quip from his younger brother.

The playful nature of chasing after him, bowl in hand.

Then the fateful spill where Mikey left him to clean up the mess.

Sputtering and washing your hands only to feel the cool water, you attempted to reign yourself in when you felt a similar bubble and pop as Mikey’s messages gave.

You’d mistakenly activated something.

Something you’d be stuck with. 

It was too late in a non-lethal sense.

That something was a week of near non-stop messages from the orange turtle.

Or rather the Ornate Box variety, which was one of many things you’d mistakenly waded into knowing about the man.

He had an awe inspiring bit of knowledge from over a dozen fields, though he wasn’t an expert in any of them.

He had ADHD which he spoke of as some shitty roommate he was forced to deal with.

He had over a thousand reaction images all sorted by mood.

More than one of which he’d created and you realized you were vaguely aware of them as they’d gone viral.

He had no idea anyone else used his pictures.

He both had a huge and non-existent social media presence.

A handful of accounts with millions of followers, he was a ghost of a bygone era that some people still whispered about.

He had completely forgotten. 

He’d logged off one day after deciding that it wasn’t good for his health and never looked back.

He didn’t even seem to have realized he had that number of followers in the first place.

He was authentically him.

That made him dangerous.

You understood now why younger Donnie had shunned him. Someone that open was terrifying. His power was too great for one single soul to hold, even with his faults. Those came mostly in the form of his attention span which made you almost wonder if he was struck with his attention disorder if only to restrain his power. The odd balance of the universe that Mikey himself had explained to you one night, he was as he needed to be.

He was infectious.

The clear baby of the family, he also appeared to be the other men’s favorite. Setting aside how they were loudly ranking one another, it was how Mikey conducted himself that had sucked you in. Even when he was plowing, bullheaded, into something without a care for the repercussions, it was difficult to fault him. It was comedic in a sense, but in a larger one it was more.

He was devastatingly earnest.

Not once had pretext revealed.

It had been on your way back to your desk after refilling your water bottle on the third day that you realized he could have an ulterior motive. You guarded yourself then. Reading back to see if you had let something slip and keeping an eye out moving forward. 

Only, he’d smashed the thought.

Unlike Leo, he never seemed to lead anywhere. 

In fact, he hadn’t brought up Donnie once since that first message. In the time since, you’d mostly placed that surprise as one he related to cuisine itself. Cooking for Mikey was elevated to an art form and he respected it with the worship of a clergyman.

In that way, he seemingly understood Donnie better than you.

From the way Mikey talked about food, it was nearly the same as Donnie talked about his passions. They both had the brash exterior of a scientist with a careful consideration of blasphemy in case their faith was infringed upon. Things were meant to be done a certain way, whether it be handed down by their field’s forbearers, and to deviate was a cardinal sin. 

Mikey was a little more self aware. 

Though he hadn’t brought it up, you eventually placed that original conversation hadn’t been about some chef, but about Mikey himself. 

That was why he’d thanked you.

He was explaining away his own confusion.

A learned habit you imagined came from a family where actions were rarely done with obvious intention, he was definitely the type to beat a point to death.

It only acted to enhance his innocence.

He could only be a mastermind far beyonds the likes of Donnie if he intended anything else. 

Your conversations were nothing more than two people casually getting to know each other. 

He was a regular guy with a love of life in spite of its hardships.

Even after the long day he’d had yesterday where everything had gone wrong and a villain had made off with a little old lady’s retirement check. Mikey’s resolve hadn’t been shaken. He’d taken the woman to go get groceries even while she made comment after comment about his species. He spoke of it all with a sense of levity and how, when he’d carried her things back to her apartment, she’d berated him outside of it in case he thought to rob her later. All taken with a grain of salt that he dismissed as he didn’t know the life she lived, he then explained the art he’d seen.

On the way home, beaten in a mental sense and, not doubting, but worn on humanity he’d sworn to protect, he described a mural.

Graffiti that he refused to take a picture of as that would muddy its message, he wove poetry about its lines. Colors warm like a sunset, he’d gone and traced the paint against the brick. He described the bubbling of the layers and how he could see which direction the artist took the cans in vivid detail.

He hadn’t even needed to say it renewed his faith.

There was no ending message that said he was reminded of why he chose to do this.

He only explained the mural before switching subjects as if that life affirming event meant as much as asking about a TV show you’d been watching the night before.

Donnie had taken notice.

You knew that right away, the first time you responded to a message in his periphery.

You texted your friends regularly, but this was new.

That excitement of getting to know someone in a flurried catch up.

He’d never seen you like this.

He also didn’t mention it.

You were thankful.

You hadn’t figured out how to explain it.

Donnie respected you.

You loved him.

It probably wouldn’t have been an issue had it not interrupted on the fifth night.

You and Donnie had been making love. You languished in calling it vanilla because that was the world’s most expensive and coveted spice. Never a dull moment with your partner, it was a casual renewal of your bond that had been interrupted by your phone vibrating loudly on the nightstand.

Kissing Donnie away from the distraction, the sudden flood of messages meant that for you the sound became a backdrop. It had taken less than a minute before he'd abandoned your lips to glower down at you.

“We’re not discussing this while I’m inside you.”

He knew.

Of course, he knew.

He knew you were talking to one of the other turtles.

He might even know which.

You would to drill him on the how after.

“Gonna be hard…” You feigned trailing off and nudged from beneath him.

He took the bait with a wary lowering of his lids.

“Considering there’s always some piece of you inside…”

He’d growled and under the cover of fucking you for your insolence, your phone had somehow been thrown safely across the apartment.

When you found it after, you ran through the messages accrued. “Are you mad?”

“Why would I be?” He responded without pause.

“How’d you know?”

“Yesterday morning you asked me to grab your phone.”

You looked over where he was folding some freshly cleaned sheets.

“I don’t usually inspect your electronics. You received a message as I was passing it off.”

“Why… aren’t you mad?”

“Are you under duress?”

“No.”

“Blackmail?”

You snorted. “Not even.”

“That one is…” Donnie’s lip curled with silent fury.

You felt guilt. “He’s a lot.”

“Incessant.” Your boyfriend looked right at you.

“He’s something… I don’t know.”

“It’s not my business.”

“I mean, it is.”

“No.”

“Donnie.”

“Who you speak to is not.” He snapped a top cover. “I trust your judgment.” He turned to construct a stack and moved away.

It wasn’t a blessing, but in an abstract way you understood where Donnie was coming from.

“Now if it was the blue one…” Donnie murmured from beyond your sight.

You had rolled your eyes and kept talking to Mikey.

Around the tenth day, it had become part of your routine. He wasn’t the type to necessarily wait or care for a response. He’d blow up your phone at any and all hours and as the newness of him wore off and settled into what seemed like a long term thing, you now responded to him at specific times. Usually catching up in the morning and at lunch, his late night messages were slowly forgotten as you had a series of new year hangouts with friends. Donnie’s attendance had been relegated to only one event where he devastated his social battery through one droning charcuterie board.

Resolutions to enact now that would surely be forgotten by February, your schedule was filled. It was after one such lengthy dinner that you’d come home, greeted Donnie, buried yourself in sheets, and realized you hadn’t heard from Mikey all day.Unearthing your phone as you cuddled up against your drowsy partner, you found no messages in your inbox and your brow came down with concern.

Mikey always messaged you.

The quick worry was doused just as fast as you reminded yourself how busy you were. He surely was as well, especially with all his hobbies, and also you barely knew the man’s real schedule. Your conversations with random ones, usually dictated by whatever topic of the hour interested him. It had been so easy to rely on him leading that it was sort of eye opening to find he hadn’t been the one to reach out. It made you scroll back through your messages where you quickly found that not once had you ever instigated.

Is this why he checked out from reality?

That flippant part of him, his supposed failing.

People were so quick to attach themselves to him, did he have to hold everyone else at arm’s length?

He made it simple, but was that his intention?

He never had ulterior motives.

Even when he was setting up for a punchline, he’d mistakenly jump the gun without waiting for the lead up because he was so excited.

He was good natured.

Leaning your head further against Donnie’s carapace, you wondered if there was something beyond.

If this was how he treated everyone around him, then there must have been an inner layer.

The true self he protected, was it a worried one?

Did he break?

Did he cry?

Was his heart always on his sleeve?

A bleeding one.

You felt Donnie rouse.

Stilling, you felt bad for having woken him.

“You okay?” He asked without bothering to look over his shoulder.

“Yeah, you go back to sleep.” You nudged him with your nose.

There was a long bout of silence that stretched and made you think he had done just that.

You sat amongst versions of Mikey guarded.

A series of clay soldiers, each modeled to protect their host.

All fragile in their own ways.

“It’s about him.” Donnie spoke softly, carrying little in his tone.

You nodded.

“We can…” He hesitated before unintentionally clicking his tongue with parted lips and an exhale. “In truth, I would rather never speak of this, but it concerns me. I don’t want you to feel that you cannot speak to me about something.”

You gave a small understanding huff.

He gave the gentlest shove backward to alert you that he was going to roll over.

You moved out of his way.

He got situated on his opposite side and stared you down. “A lengthy way to say: speak to me. About anything. Regardless. Even the blue one.”

“I feel guilty.” You blinked up at him. “That’s not why I’m upset right now, but I feel guilty about talking to him after what he did to you.”

“That is not your fight.” He brushed your cheek.

“We’re one. You’ve said that before. I should hate him. That would be doing right by you and-”

A finger pressed to your lips cutting you off. “I appreciate the thought, but no.”

You pursed your lips against his digit.

“How to explain…?” He asked the air. “Our union is to share burden. To ease the other. Do I seem perturbed?”

You looked around the top half of your vision and hoped to indicate that certain messages received had interrupted one union in particular which garnered his ire.

He pinched your lips down against his thumb.

You giggled.

“My quarrel with them has not been put to rest, but it is as good as dead. With the rat’s deal and our current trajectory a lifelong one, I can’t see a way in which that would change. That does not mean I am not cautious, only that they are bound by duty to you as am I.”

Your eyes widened.

He came in to rest his lips against your forehead as he spoke. “You have unintentionally settled a life long grievance. I am content in knowing I hardly have to think of them.”

You touched your pads to Donnie’s plastron.

He took it as you wanted to see him and backed up enough for you to.

“You’re okay? You promise?”

“I will inform you if I do not care about a conversation’s contents. If you give me fodder otherwise then I have grounds to take up the sword as I have always wished.” In the dark he especially glinted with malice.

“Are you using me?”

“Not explicitly.” He caught a playful kiss.

You pushed him away. “Terrible.”

He hummed an agreement.

“I’m worried is all.” You had to stop and locate your phone. “He went from messaging every day and then today nada.”

“Did he have plans?”

“He’s always doing something…” Your brow furrowed.

Donnie looked up and away with a sort of satisfaction.

“I’m hoping he’s not dead.” You retorted, dryly.

“Your loss.” Donnie responded with another wicked smile.

“It’s too soon to ask. I guess part of me is worried he’s already-” You cut yourself off.

Since when had you become attached?

Sure he was fun to talk to, but you knew loads of fun people.

Mikey was something all his own, but there were millions of people on the planet.

He, in particular, had a specific glaring failure of his person.

One that manifested across from you.

It was also the tether of which the two of you had met.

The odd dichotomy of it all felt abysmal.

What did you want?

It’s not like you’d thought Donnie would join their little family.

The dynamic would never be a solid one.

He had his own support system now.

At the same time, you felt a strange attachment to these beings.

The ones you could not help, but were inadvertently stuck with all the same.

You had always wondered what happened to Leo after the gym incident.

Had he reconsidered his position?

You hadn’t dared ask Mikey.

That wasn’t the youngest’s business.

Mikey had his own life to live.

They all did.

What bound them to you?

What bound them to each other?

You softened.

What binds anyone to anything?

You looked at Donnie anew.

Your partner shifted against his pillow watching you go through the motions.

“I thought we were becoming friends and I’m kind of sad in case he changed his mind.”

If surprise struck him in any way, Donnie betrayed none of it.

He only reached out and fixed a flyaway hair on your head.

“If he has, then he is a bigger fool than even I conceived.”

You buried yourself into your mate’s chest.

He rumbled a soothing churr and you let your eyes drift shut.

You would have made it to dreamland if a sharper nagging vibration hadn’t interrupted your journey. 

“With age, they say.” You felt Donnie pick up your phone from where it had once again been forgotten.

“It’s him?”

“Yes.” He passed you the device.

“Thank you.”

He only hummed a response before rolling over. “Wake me if you receive good intel.”

“Uh huh!” You snarked, rolling onto your back to check the message.

Mikey: Oh man group was wild today!

You: Group?

Mikey: Yeah! We ran a lemonade stand to raise funds and as an exercise and there was only one fire!

Mikey: New record!

An image of a cartoon penguin cheering came next.

You: I have no idea what you’re talking about

Mikey: Group! You know!

You: I really don’t

Mikey: Did I not…?

Mikey: Dang it! Why didn’t you say anything?

You sent an image you’d gotten from him of a cartoon character from your youth raising a judgmental brow.

He responded with a picture of a tanuki snickering.

You imagined he’d get along well with S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.

Mikey: Me and another mutant named Todd run a villain rehabilitation therapy group

Mikey: My other dad, Draxum, once put together a league of bad guys to try and crush or turn us or whatever he was doing at the time

Mikey: I forget

Mikey: Anyway Todd was a member (long story) but one day years ago when we were doing our yearly camping trip (longer story) I brought up how he was actually good and he said all the guys were good!

Mikey: I kinda…

You watched him struggle to respond for the first time.

Your gaze flicked to Donnie.

Mikey: Not to make it weird but have a personal tie to that

Mikey: You know

Mikey: You get it

Mikey: Anyway not to make you uncomfortable

Mikey: We decided to start a group with an open invitation coffee donuts the whole thing you see in movies in case anyone wanted to talk it out and learn why and whats of good and bad and if that’s really a thing cause I don’t think it is

Mikey: We all just got stuff

Mikey: Sometimes that stuff sucks

Mikey: You never know whats really going on with someone else

Mikey: Yeah!

Mikey: Wow that was long

Mikey: Is it hot?

Mikey: Are you feeling hot?

Mikey: Heat wave in January!

Mikey: Global warming!!

He sent a comic about people being hot tied to the concept.

You: You’ve been running this group for years?

Mikey: Yep! We just had our… I don’t know… like 4 year anniversary

Mikey: We’re gonna do something big for 5

Mikey: Four was like a pizza party

Mikey: tbf one two and three were also pizza parties

Mikey: Who hates pizza?

Mikey: It’s pizza!

Tapping your screen, you took a breath before sending your next message.

You: Are you doing it in hopes someone will come?

Mikey: …

You watched as Mikey stopped responding.

Was that too much?

He’d just skirted the topic for your sake.

Mikey: In the beginning yeah

Mikey: Like a small part of me

Mikey: Even when the rest of me gave up

Mikey: Always hoped…

Mikey: I don’t know

Mikey: It’s sappy

Mikey: The others call me dumb

Mikey: I thought I had a track record

Mikey: Good old Mikey he can convert the best of them with good intentions!

Mikey: The therapist of the family!

Mikey: All you have to do is talk it out!

Mikey: You know the wild thing about group?

He waited.

You: What?

Mikey: It taught me the exact opposite.

The period there really caught you.

Mikey: That even coming in with the best intentions doesn’t mean anything

Mikey: You can’t control other people’s reactions

Mikey: Only your own

Mikey: That good and evil is a stupid depiction

Mikey: No one is really one or the other

Mikey: I’m not better than anyone else

Mikey: I’ve done some stuff

Mikey: I’ll tell you

Mikey: That doesn’t read write in text…

Mikey: I won’t literally tell you

Mikey: Even though I could

Mikey: Man actually I might!

Mikey: Not the point though what I’m trying to say is there is so much out in this world and healing is a wild journey and there’s so many ways to take it and la dee da this is usually where people start to think I’m a crazy hippie man flower child born in the wrong decade!

Mikey: Point is

Mikey: I stopped doing it for him or anything else

Mikey: I do it for me now

Mikey: I love therapy and if someone else gets something out of it then I’m STOKED

Mikey: And not cause I did it

Mikey: Its getting to see them do it?

Mikey: Them break through their trauma

Mikey: To see themselves as something more than what they were told or what they were forced to be

Mikey: Whatever

Mikey: It’s great

Mikey: How was your day?

You smiled and clutched your phone to your chest for a long moment before returning to the text chain.

You: How often do you do it?

Mikey: Every Wednesday!

Mikey: Wait

Mikey: OH ME GOSH DO YOU WANT TO GO!?

Mikey: YOU SHOULD TOTALLY COME 🤩

Mikey: Wait not because I want you know who to come you get that right?

Mikey: Oh gosh you don’t think that that’s what I’ve wanted all along right?

Mikey: The weight of my actions is suddenly a bus!!!

Mikey: Y/N!!!

You: I don’t! Stop! You’re spiraling!

Mikey: Fweh

Mikey: Really?

You: Yes! Stop!

Mikey: FWEH

Mikey: Bullet dodged!

You watched a Matrix gif appear

Mikey: Fr tho I think everyone should come

Mikey: Dad came by once!

Mikey: Leo won’t!

Mikey: Jerk! He needs it most!

Mikey: Raph comes when he can but everyone always ends up attacking him its funny

Mikey: Drax is always there tho

Mikey: YOU CAN MEET HIM!!!

Mikey: …

Mikey: I should be honest about something

You: ?

Mikey: Not the first messages but like after

Mikey: How I kept messaging you wasn’t totally innocent

You squeezed your phone.

Mikey: You… I don’t know what you did but like obviously you reached Donnie but you super did something to Leo

Your head fluffed your pillow.

Mikey: Like seriously hes been different

Mikey: Softer

Mikey: Kinda thoughtful?

Mikey: He was peak mad before so its a really noticeable change

Mikey: Like hes finally thinking about things instead of just holding his usual grudges

Mikey: I had to see what the big deal was about you

Mikey: Were you stepping on my therapist territory?

Knowing he would keep going on, you penned out a message.

You: What did you find out?

Mikey: That you’re just a person

Mikey: Just like everyone else

Mikey: I should have known

You watched a gif appear where a random cartoon character asked how many times they had to teach an old man a lesson.

Mikey: That’s a beauty of life

Mikey: You just keep learning!

-

Standing outside a community center, you thought about what you were about to do. 

You were going to attend this week’s group therapy session with Mikey. 

He hadn’t been intrusive when you dodged responding to his offer, but in the last few days, you had asked question after question. He accommodated them like some kind of monk and when you finally requested the address, he unleashed a barrage of memes that had momentarily slowed your phone to a crawl.

Berating him for it, you’d gotten the information and ended up here after work.

A few people trickled in around you, human and otherwise, and from your last text with Mikey, he was here somewhere to set up the dreaded chairs he had told you so much about.

Shooting off one last message to Donnie and having already promised to take him out this Friday as pittance, you heard a gasp to your left.

You were slow to turn and then forced to look up.

“Y/N!”

“Hypno!” You went straight over to the hippo who cordially took your hands.

“Small world! What are you doing here?”

“I’m going to…” You glanced center then back. “Are you…?”

Hypno lit up. “Could you believe? I found these meetings after our little soiree!”

“The group? Wait, I’m glad you’re okay! I’m sorry we got separated-!”

Hypno blew a raspberry and rolled it into a sound. “Pssha! I’m quite alright. Knew I would be! Knew you would be too! I like to imagine I cleared the way for your escape! Not my first shindig ruined by those infernal turtles!”

 You couldn’t help but chuckle. “Still…”

Hypno nodded furiously before gesturing for you both to move. He then offered his arm and you took it with him covering your hand comfortably with his own. “Yes, well, you inspired me that night.”

“Me?” You craned your neck.

“Why yes!” He huffed, holding his head high. “Softening the great Donatello! Weren’t you something? You were!”

“I’m just…” Mikey’s text rang in your ears. “…a person.”

“It only takes one to change your entire trajectory.” Hypno told you thoughtfully as some random man held the door. “Thanks, mate!”

The man responded in kind and even scrambled to get the second double door. More pleasantries were exchanged and you entered a gymnasium where a bunch of fold out chairs were formed into a circle.

“Where was I…? Oh, yes!” Hypno squeezed you in a move to steer you towards the refreshment table. “Our little talk sat with me, you know? Give yourself more credit. You got through to this old hippo’s heart! You made me think, ‘Hypno, old boy, do you like the villainy or do you like the captive audience?’ That was you!” He released and you stared at a table covered in a cheap cloth with donuts and drinks dotting its surface. “Do try Todd’s lemonade. It is absurdly delicious.”

“Mikey said.” You eyed the sweating pitcher and Hypno poured you a glass.

“Michelangelo!?” He crooned, passing you the first and pouring his own. “That’s new! You weren’t too keen on him last I saw!”

“Last I saw he was attacking you…” You grimaced and tried to cover your nerves with a sip. Hit with a  sudden burst of sunshine flavor, you had to set your glass down and exchange it for the entire pitcher. “What is in this!?”

“Right!?” Hypno downed a cup that was too small for him and you poured him a second. “This is Todd’s true evil.”

“I’m hearing a lot about this guy…” Things were moving too fast. 

You’d meant for this to be some casual peek into Mikey’s life. 

Everything felt like it was suddenly happening so fast. 

You didn’t mind the company. 

You’d thought of Hypno off and on since you last saw him. 

Reconnecting with him was a great bonus, but there was something unsettling about how unconcerned you felt. 

“You’ll meet him! He’s…” Hypno scanned the room. “Not here yet or in the back, but he’ll introduce the affair.”

You nodded, sipping more of that citrusy drink.

“Bother! I keep getting distracted. It’s been too long!” Hypno gave an animalistic snort which caused his ears to wiggle. “As I was saying, again, I found this advertisement stuck to my shoe one day and chanced upon this lot. They enforced what I was thinking. There’s more to me than what I do. Some may use it to excuse themselves, but they’re missing the greater message!”

You watched on with wide eyes.

“And bollocks to our partners!” Hypno threw his head high. “We’re our own people who make our own choices, isn’t that right?”

“Well, yeah, b-but…” You hadn’t even bothered asking Donnie to attend.

“Warren can be a bit hardheaded…!” Hypno’s gaze narrowed before he wilted in a fond sigh.

“Love…” You patted Hypno’s arm sympathetically.

“Y/N!” Mikey’s voice cut through the room with an echo.

Suddenly surrounded, he was swamped with a dull murmur of greetings that he desperately tried to dodge. Everyone wanted something from him and he ended up outright screaming in someone’s face that he was busy. It split the crowd like a tide and allowed him to charge over without further interruption.

“See what I mean?” Hypno giggled a whisper to you. “If that’s not a form of so-called ‘evil’ I don’t know what is!”

You tidied up your laughter as Mikey reached you. 

“I did not think about how to say hi!” He announced and wiped his hand as if he was going to offer it to you before thinking better.

“Eh, it’s fine.” You shrugged.

“You know, Ron!?” Mikey sprouted, dispelling the strangeness.

“Hypno, please!” The hippo groaned.

“Mikey, please!” Mikey mocked back.

“I’m sensing a thing…” You gestured with your cup.

“It totally is.” Mikey stared listlessly at you before something over your shoulder caught his eye.

He animated with immense joy and blew right past you.

“Nice to be on good terms with your parents.” Hypno mentioned without malice.

“I think you turned out pretty good without them.” You told him as you turned to see where Mikey had gone.

You heard Hypno babble something emotional that didn’t connect to real words, but all reality seemed to close in at the menacing sight of an enormous fuchsia colored goat man. As if waiting for his spotlight,  the man then belted out a long burst of maniacal laughter. If it weren’t for the fact that Mikey was literally hanging off his arm, you might have been more worried about what you’d actually walked into.

“You finally got that darned pot working?!” Hypno cupped around his mouth to shout. 

“Yes!” The goat turned, revealing a coffee pot in hand by lifting it up high. “No more shall we suffer under wretchedly incorrect brew times!”

“Y/N!” Mikey called and, with a flip like a gymnast on a bar, snatched the pot from the man’s hands.

The goat turned his attention from Hypno to you as if you were some grotesque bug on the hippo’s lapel.

“Seems like you caught the Baron’s eye.” Hypno nudged your side.

“Baron?” You asked and were assaulted with a comment you’d heard before.

What I do know is I came into possession of a yokai known as Baron Draxum.

Hooves beat the wooden gym floor and you were now the Baron’s clear target.

You bumped Hypno who fussed and steadied you, unintentionally blocking your escape.

In a hop and a skip, Mikey reached you first and chirped happily. “Y/N! Draxum! Draxum, Y/N! This is my other dad!”

“Nice to… uh…” You stared up at Draxum as he glared down his nose at you.

“You don’t look like much…” Draxum spoke with a gruff voice.

“I’m really not…” You wilted.

Draxum craned a brow. “Hard to imagine someone so meek would tame one of my more successful creations.”

“Barry.” Mikey put on a bit of heat.

Draxum sighed. “It is nice to meet you. I await picking apart your psyche.”

Mikey shoved him. “He means chat! He can’t wait to chat!” He clucked nervously before continuing to push a stiff Draxum over to the chairs. “When are you going to remember that words mean things!? Different things!”

“My speech is impeccable.” Draxum huffed, allowing himself to be pushed as if he were on a dolly.

“If that’s worn you out then you’re in for quite the night.” Hypno tittered.

“This is…” You blinked at the magician and back to the crowd starting to form.

“A lot and it only gets weirder!” Hypno cheered and started to join while beckoning you to come with.

Staying close to what you mentally dubbed your accountability buddy, you both took seats. Mikey got Draxum in one of his own and shared with him a few stern words before he leapt away to plug the coffee pot in. Draxum folded one leg over the other and stared casual daggers at you while Hypno fed you gossip about the members.

“Hello, friends!” A small mutant appeared on the stage holding a puppy and though there was no one to operate that sort of thing, a spotlight shined upon him. Dressed in a preppy outfit stolen for a 1980’s catalog and with a puppy tucked under one arm, he commanded a silence that fell over the group.

“Look upon him.” Hypno joked in your ear. “You are in the presence of the Spine-Breaking Bandit.”

Your head flew to Hypno’s in complete disbelief.

“Did everyone get some lemonade? It’s a fresh batch!” The furry mutant easily leapt off the stage. ”I got service puppies for everyone tonight! Pet them to your heart’s content! They love that! And to whoever gets Steve, remember to scratch behind the little fellas ears because he just loves that doesn’t he?! Doesn't he!?” Dropping to a baby voice, the so-called Spine Breaker pet the puppy in hand before a dozen more poured out from the stage.

Everyone getting one as described, you soon had a mutt in your lap and Hypno was cooing with one snuggled up in each arm.

“Oh! Everyone!” The mutant clapped on approach. “I’m happy to report we raised $123 dollars for Repo’s surgery! Good job!”

“Enough for a single Tylenol.” Draxum clicked his tongue loudly. “The medical system you humans endure is more tragic than anything I could have concocted. Though I suppose you did survive those plagues….”  

“Yeah, I’ll take you experimenting on me again any day!” A strange hybridized mutant with rabbit ears slapped a monkey arm to his dog-like backwards knee and gave a bright bout of crowing laughter.

“Now, now. Every bit helps.” Mikey approached.

“Sure does!” The bandit chirped.

“Not to put you in the spotlight, Todd’s going to do that anyway, but we have a special guest tonight.” Mikey turned to address you.

Your eyes lost focus at the middle bit of Mikey’s sentence.

Todd.

The man standing next to Mikey was Todd.

The man with the puppies.

The man who made the sunshine lemonade.

The man he went camping with on a yearly basis.

Who ran the Cuddly Cakes Puppy Rescue.

Who founded his own scout troop that regularly won awards. 

He was the Spine-Breaking Bandit.

You turned to catch Hypno’s sleeve in a death grip.

Behind you Mikey was still going through his introduction.

“Tell me you were joking!?” You shouted at the magician. 

Hypno blinked. “Which part?”

“That is not a Spine-Breaking Bandit!” You threw an accusatory finger at Todd.

Todd put a hand to his chest.

“That’s a-that’s a-!” You stuttered, not knowing what kind of mutant he was.

He was a fuzzy one.

He was a soft one.

“Capybara.” Todd offered.

“Capybara! Capybara?!” You turned to stare at him. “That’s the most friend shaped one!”

Todd giggled. “Aw shucks!” 

“I thought you were honest with me!”

Draxum gave a single chuckle that he tried to cover up under a hardened exterior.

Poser.

“I was…” Hypno urged you to calm down.

“Yup!” Todd offered, walking over. “He’s not wrong, ya know!” 

You gave an unhinged stare.

“It’s part of why I’m here today, silly!” Todd reached you and held out a hand. “I know better than anyone about the darkness that can grow inside of your heart!”

You shook his little claws.

“I’ve done a lot of bad things; I killed a lot of people.”

It seemed impossible staring down at this jolly fellow.

“I also decided that wasn’t what I wanted anymore…” Todd released you and you could tell he was addressing the room. “Physically, by mutating, I was given a new lease on life. I didn’t have to run from the police anymore. I could start fresh. I had a choice! So it happened after I broke into the zoo to snap the spine of that worker who’d made fun of my teeth earlier that day, sometimes it happens! Chances come when you least expect them!”

You gawked, stepping back to give him the floor.

“Friend!” Todd looked up at you. “Capybaras have quite the sweet reputation. Who’da thought? Not me! But it was through these fellas and myself that I realized nothing was permanent!” He rounded and everyone’s spirits seemed to raise. “You’ve all heard the story enough. I won’t bother y’all with the details again, you all know! The morals are the same!”

“Yeah!”

“We’re not just evil!”

“They’re just words!” 

Todd smiled. “What I’ve done qualifies me to help. I know what it’s like. I saw what I was capable of. I learned I could choose to be kind, to be happy. To spread joy! How else could I stand before all of you?” He did a turn with his arms spread. “To understand is to have been there or learn by proxy…” With a glance, Todd nodded to Mikey who shot back a grin. “Which brings me to you…”

You tensed.

Your proxy wasn’t one who wanted a spotlight.

In fact, your proxy wasn’t supposed to be affiliated with any of this.

Your proxy wasn’t here. 

“It’s all because of you…”

Could you stop him?

He was the Spine-Breaking Bandit. 

There had been something he’d clearly left out of his transformation.

It very much sounded like he had still killed that zoo attendant.

“… that Hypno joined us!”

You paled before color struck you with a slap.

It seemed so obvious.

Not everything was about Donnie. 

Wasn’t that why you were here?

Hypno chortled, bashful. “Oh, stop!”

You trailed after Todd as he approached the magician. “You know they also say Hippo’s are the deadliest land mammals!”

“What do they know!”

“Hypno would never!”

Hypno smiled at Todd and then you. “Thank you.”

“I really… didn’t… do…” You watched the faces look upon you with warm welcomes. “… anything.”

“No?” Todd spun around to give you his attention. “I don’t think that’s true, friend, but why don’t we listen and see!?”

“It all started when I was a boy…!” Hypno began and everyone took their seats. Watching the meeting, each person took their turn amongst the attentive group. Between short shares, Todd or Mikey would speak up and reaffirm or point out a note in someone’s story. Of the humans there were ex-cons or those wronged by the system. From the mutants they were either deemed evil by existence or had turned to crime out of necessity.

Even Draxum, who had served as a lunch person for several decades now, took a moment to share a moment where he had not killed someone who bumped into him at the grocery store.

They acknowledged kindness in that and you couldn’t help but think that there was.

You didn’t know, but it seemed clear Draxum was working through some long bred hatred.

It made you wonder how old he was. 

What with his plague comment and all. 

It was also painfully obvious that he was only there for Mikey.

His son meant the world to him. 

It made you think that if he had succeeded in his ridiculous plan to raise warriors then it would have never panned out the way he thought.

Parenthood would have softened him more than it already had.

Nothing was so obvious.

As the group came to a close with words to work on, you mused over your partner.

Like Leo, you couldn’t imagine Donnie attending, but that didn’t mean either party was lost.

Each person handled themselves differently.

You were all trying to survive.

There was sure to be some actual darkness out there, but none of it seemed to be around you.

People were standing and you moved with the group for the sake of it.

Hypno ushered you with quick words saying he had to go as Warren was waiting, but he took the time to exchange numbers with you in a blur. Happy with the exchange, you shared a quick hug and the room soon emptied out. Todd was wrangling puppies and Mikey dismissed him saying he had clean-up. Thanks were passed for another week and a few slips were signed until it was just you, Mikey, and Draxum left.

“This would be done instantly with my vines.” Draxum complained, carrying a row of folded chairs.

“And I’m not in the mood to explain to the center why we busted the floor for a ninth time.” Mikey rolled his eyes.

You moved to close up a few chairs on instinct.

“You don’t have to do that!” Mikey called out. “What’dya think?”

You shut the single chair you had and held it to you. “Did you know what I’d get out of this?”

“No?” Mikey stopped with a too large stack that quaked as he thought the point over as if it was new to him. 

Before he could come to a conclusion, there was a domino affect chair slide that took Mikey out with it. 

Draxum folded a hand on his hip as if that proved a point.

“Fine!” Mikey bellowed before bringing up his hands. Within a blink his eyes swam in a sea of orange and you stumbled a bit as basal fear caught you. In an instant, chains shot out around the room and you scrambled back with a little noise. Not necessarily captured, you were encased in a n amalgamation of a laser grid. 

Different than anything you’d seen, they moved in a sort of coordination and you settled realizing the chains were hooking through all the chairs. In a taut pull, they all folded up via gravity and then in a flick, they traveled in a cohesive clicking system until they were placed in a rack on the far side of the room.

“Happy?” Mikey’s power tapered off and he glared at his dad.

Draxum gave a satisfied nod and approached the snack table to grab some coffee from the newly fixed machine.

You stared after him as Mikey watched over.

“He’s impressed by you.”

“Doubt that.” You glanced at Mikey.

Mikey shrugged. “He is! Probably from you calling Todd out. He likes when humans don’t follow what he calls norms. Something about ones with fight in them.”

“I didn’t mean…” You shirked. “I’m sorry.”

“No.” Mikey held his hands up with a sarcastic purse of his lip. “Please, telling someone they aren’t what they are at therapy? Totally cool and normal.”

You put your face in your hands.

“What did you get out of it?” Mikey asked, unwilling to pass forgiveness.

That seemed so very like him. “Something I was feeling about you all.”

“Us?... Wait, me?!”

You nodded out of your hold and let your arms fall to your sides. “You know when I first met you all I thought you were the villains.”

Draxum snorted into his mug.

Mikey shot him a dirty look before returning to you. “Cause Donnie lied to you!”  

You smiled. “Just like your first text. You use his nickname.”

Mikey flushed on contact. “N-nickname? N-no! That-!”

“It’s okay.” You tapped his shoulder. “Well, it’s not. Even I wasn’t allowed to use it when I first met him, but I’m just saying, I get it.”

“In…” Mikey took a deep breath. “In almost every way I’ve accepted it. We’ll never be family. We aren’t.”

You nodded.

“But we are.” Mikey had a hollow finality to his voice that he sent to the empty room. “I’d never say it to his face.”

You gave a little upturn of your lips in understanding.

“You’re dodging my question.” He folded his arms.

“The one about you being villains or about what I thought of tonight?”

Mikey had to study you. “Both!”

“To the first, perspective, to the second… perspective. Same thing in different ways. It’s all about it, I hear.”

Mikey unfurled to give his own quirked grin. “Ain’t that something?”

“Quite.” Draxum walked up, leaving an empty refreshment table in his wake.

Not sure where the trash had gone and questioning if him being a goat meant he’d eaten everything and the tablecloth, you gawked at the man.

“Shall we add a guest to dinner?” Draxum made a show of bending his body to examine Mikey like he was below him.

The folded hands behind his back were rubbed with faint nerves.

Draxum was still trying.

He probably always would be.

“Yeah!” Mikey seemed none the wiser. “Y/N, wanna come eat with us? We do this after every meeting!”

“Um…”

Draxum rose back up and reviewed you benevolently.

“I think… I want to get back home to Donnie, if that’s okay?”

“Oh, sure!” Mikey acted as if he was waving you off, but at the last second, swung his body in so he could  pretend to whisper secret information in your ear. “Good choice, foods never as good here. Now brunch, brunch is the meal ticket you want to get on.”

“Brunch is not available to you as of yet.” Draxum made a decree.

Mikey nodded in a solemn way that said he already knew. “It’s a whole thing.”

“You must prove worthy.” Draxum cracked his neck with a wicked smile.

“I’ll… try to get on the brunch ballot sometime then…” You glanced between the odd pair as Mikey bounced away.  

“Text me when you get home?”

“Sure.” You nodded. “It was nice… meeting you like this. In a less kidnappy way.”

“Yeah!” The turtle chirped.

“You too.” You looked over Draxum with a grin of your own. “Minus the last part, obviously.”

Draxum only gave you a single nod.

“He likes you!” Mikey sang.

Draxum punted Mikey clean across the room with a single strike.  

Mikey’s ring laughter at the act was the only thing that soothed you. 

You also took it as your cue to leave. 

You were never going to get used to that casual super-powered violence. 

It spoke of family, but their strength meant it pushed dangerous limits. 

It must have come with the territory. 

What with them created to be living weapons. 

Donnie was so easily tender you sometimes forgot what he was capable of. 

He also wasn’t raised with brothers. 

It was so strange to think that the cruelest amongst them was the softest. 

You very much wanted to curl up in his arms. 

Heading out into the dark night air, you decided it would be the first thing you’d do before unloading upon him this hell of a night.

NEXT

Always shouting praise to my betas @tmntxthings and @thepinkpanther83

[imzadi-caskett-huddy]

It Started With a Kiss (8/?)

Thanks so much, everyone for your reviews on the last chapter! I’m so glad you all enjoyed my take on the Alex Conrad situation. And now for one of my favorite episodes of the show, To Love and Die in LA. Seriously, this episode is in my top 5…maybe even top 3 depending on my mood that day.

Date wise, the last chapter took place around April 11, and this one takes place around May 2. So that’s a 3 week time gap. Wonder what our favorite couple got up to after the way Kate kissed him in the last chapter, hmm?

Again, I want to remind you that this will be the last update on this story until after I return from vacation on June 15…and Hell Hath No Fury will be due for an update first. So enjoy this one, because it will most likely be several weeks before I get around to writing the next chapter. I promise I’ll get it up as soon as I can though!

Also…there is a section rated M in this chapter. It is clearly marked where you will want to stop reading, and then when it ends. It’s sex heavy, but not smut heavy. Still, read at your own peril, lol!

I still don’t own Castle…

xxxxx

Castle had barely seen Beckett since that night 3 weeks ago when she’d kissed him. The first week she’d been tied up prepping with an ADA for a trial, which worked out with him needing to finish a couple of chapters for the next Heat book, as well as some edits. And then Gina and Paula had worked together to ambush him with some promotional book signings and appearances in an effort to drum up more presales for his newest novel, not to mention the graphic novel for Storm that was being put together.

He’d seen her exactly twice…both times at the precinct when he’d brought her coffee. Neither time for very long, so they hadn’t been able to discuss their relationship or if the kiss she’d given him was a sign she was ready to move forward, but she had made time to spend several minutes with him in the break room since he had come all the way to the precinct just to bring her coffee. They would spend those ten minutes or so in the break room together, innocently flirting and occasionally standing just close enough to brush up against each other. And it always ended with the most brilliant smile from her, thanking him for the coffee. Castle knew he would go out of his way to bring her coffee every day for the rest of his life if she continued to smile at him the way she had those two days.

They had, of course, chatted via text and twice over the phone, but neither of them seemed to want to discuss the kiss or their relationship over the phone or text messages, and rightfully so. It was a big step for them; when it happened, it needed to be in person. She had known he was returning to the city that afternoon, so when his phone rang, he didn’t bother to look at the caller

ID, simply assuming it was her. No one else usually called him after 9 anymore.

“Did a body drop, or did you just miss me so much you couldn’t wait another day to see me?” he asked with a grin.

“Castle, I’m going to send you an address, and you need to get down here,” Lanie said simply.

“Lanie? What’s wrong?” he asked, the smile falling from his lips. Lanie never called him. Kate was the one who called him about a body drop.

“A body was found…”

He swallowed hard. “Kate? Did something happen to her?” he had to ask, interrupting before Lanie could finish her sentence. He felt his heart sink. Was Lanie calling to tell him something had happened to Kate?

Hearing the worry in his tone, Lanie realized what he must have thought. “The body we found is Mike Royce. Espo is just now calling her, so she’s not here yet, but you need to hurry. I doubt she’ll admit it, but she’s going to need you on this one.”

“I’m on my way,” he said, already out the door. He’d watched her go through hell several months ago when she’d realized Royce was part of their investigation and she’d had to arrest her former training officer. He could only imagine how his murder was going to hit her.

xxxxx

Castle’s eyes were on her the moment she got out of her unit. He could tell, just in the way she carried herself…the tension in her shoulders, the firm set of her jaw...she was torn up and doing everything she could to not appear that way.

“Where is he?” Beckett asked as she approached.

Montgomery stood beside Castle, shaking his head. “Turn around, go back home, and let me handle this.”

“Sir, I’ve seen dead bodies before,” she insisted.

The captain studied her for a moment but knew it was better for everyone if he just let her through. He nodded toward the back of the alley where Lanie was standing.

Castle was immediately at her side as she headed in that direction. “Come on, Kate…you don’t want to remember him like this,” he tried to get through to her.

“Castle, if it were me lying there, would you just walk away?” she turned to look at him.

Just the thought of that possibility sent a chill through his body and made him nauseous. He didn’t have to answer her question; the look he was giving her was answer enough–hell no, he wouldn’t just walk away. He would find whoever had hurt her, and then no one would ever find the body.

“I’m so sorry, honey,” Lanie offered her condolences.

Beckett clenched her jaw and blinked, but Castle could tell she was struggling to hold onto her composure. “Tell me what happened.”

“He was shot in the leg. Judging from the blood trail, I’d say the bullet broke the bone. He tried to hide, but…” she trailed off with a shake of her head. “I found this in his pocket,” she handed Beckett an airplane ticket stub. “He flew in from LA this afternoon.”

Castle took a step closer to Beckett then. “What was he doing in LA?” he asked curiously.

“I heard he moved there after he lost his bounty hunter’s license. I guess he was trying to make a fresh start,” Beckett answered, looking over the ticket stub.

“When was the last time you spoke with him?” he asked her softly.

She swallowed hard, staring at the ticket stub before folding it back. “When I arrested him.” She took a deep breath. “Lanie, could I?”

“Sure,” Lanie answered, stepping out of the way and exchanging a look with Castle as Beckett approached Royce’s body.

Castle watched intently as she crouched down near the body and took a few minutes. He watched as her shoulders tensed a little more. He watched as she touched Royce’s hair and either sniffled or inhaled deeply…he couldn’t tell. He was ready to move to her side the minute she stood and headed back in his direction.

“Royce had something else in his pocket. It’s addressed to you,” Lanie handed her a note.

“Is it about the case?” Castle asked her as she opened it.

After reading for a few moments, Beckett folded the note and put it in her pocket. “No.”

Esposito approached them, carrying a gun. “I think we got the murder weapon. Found it in the garbage around the corner.”

“Gun was definitely fired recently,” Ryan added as he joined them. “Shooter took the time to empty the ammo before he dumped it.”

“Worried we’d find fingerprints on the bullets?” Castle raised the question.

Beckett took the gun and examined it. “This is a cheap street gun. It’s a throw away.” She studied the gun a little more. “There’s threading on the barrel.”

“Silencer?” Castle suggested.

Esposito nodded. “Yeah.”

“Allowing our killer to shoot Royce in broad daylight,” Beckett stated, handing the gun back to Esposito to bag as evidence.

“Listen, Beckett…we’re gonna get this guy,” Ryan assured her. “We got uniforms heading to every store and apartment within a 5-block radius.”

“This is New York. Somebody had to have seen something,” Esposito added.

Castle turned to her, placing his hand on her shoulder lightly after the boys walked away. “Kate…”

“Castle, I’m fine,” she insisted.

“You’re not fine,” he said softly. “Royce was your friend. It’s okay to take a few minutes to grieve,” he added. After a minute, he let his hand fall from her shoulder. “Why don’t you let me take you home? There’s nothing else you can do tonight. You can get some sleep and start fresh on the case in the morning,” he suggested.

Beckett was about to protest when Montgomery walked over to join them. “Alright, you’ve seen him. You paid your respects. Now go home, Beckett.”

“Sir,” she started to protest.

“There’s nothing else you can do here tonight. Dr. Parish won’t have anything for you until she does an exam. Uniforms are canvassing everywhere. Ryan and Esposito will handle anything else. They’ll call you if anything pops. Go home, Beckett. That’s an order.”

She looked between her captain and her partner and finally relented, wordlessly stepping away from them to go back to her unit. Castle was quick to follow her.

“Castle, you go home too,” she told him, stopping him as he went to get into her car. “You just got back from a book tour. I know you’re tired.”

“I’m okay. I can just sit with you. You shouldn’t be alone…you don’t have to be alone,” he offered.

“I’m fine. I’ll be fine,” she assured him.

“Kate…”

“Rick, please,” she said. She needed to be alone. She was going to fall apart when she got home, and the last thing she wanted was for him to see her break like that.

The way she said his name, coupled with the look in her eyes had him nodding. “Okay. I’ll go home. But if you need anything…you call me. Even if all you need is me to sit on the phone with you in silence, ok?”

“Do you even know how to be silent?” she teased lightly, trying to show him that she was okay.

“I do, actually, when it matters. And I’m serious. Call me,” he insisted.

She nodded. “Okay.”

xxxxx

“Beckett, I’m not sending you to LA. You have no solid evidence linking Neal McCauley to this murder,” Montgomery insisted.

“He came to New York for 6 hours. Who flies in for that short a stay?” Castle pointed out.

“Businessmen do it all the time,” Montgomery countered.

“Businessmen don’t use fake IDs,” Castle countered back.

“Or pack silencers,” Beckett added.

Montgomery shook his head. “That’s supposition. I need a lot more than that to justify flying a detective across the country.”

Beckett shook her head as well. “You and I both know the longer I wait to go out there, the colder this trail gets.”

“Take a day to shore this up. And then if there’s sufficient evidence, I’ll contact the LAPD.”

“You’ll contact the LAPD?” Beckett asked incredulously. “This is my case! This happened in our jurisdiction. You think the LAPD is gonna lift a finger?”

“Kate, you’re too close to this!” Montgomery insisted.

“No, Sir, I am committed. I am not compromised.”

“You’re torn up,” he interrupted her. “Kate, things between you and Royce ended badly. I get it. But that emotion is exactly why I need to assign this to someone else.”

Beckett paused then, taking a step back. “You know what? You’re right. I am too close to this. I have some vacation days coming up. I think now would be a good time,” she stated, turning to head out of the office.

“Kate,” he called, stopping her. “I hope you’re not thinking about doing something reckless.”

She turned to face him, meeting his eyes for a long moment. “No, Sir,” she stated, leaving the office.

Castle’s eyes met Montgomery’s and both men seemed to understand each other. Montgomery’s look told Castle to follow her…something he would have done anyway…because neither man believed she was stepping back and doing nothing.

“Where are you going?” Castle called after her.

“Home,” she insisted.

“The hell you are. I know you better than that,” he tried to stop her with a hand on her arm.

“Castle, please,” she pulled it away. “He was my training officer…my friend. I just…I really need to be alone right now,” she told him, making her way to the elevator.

Castle watched helplessly as the doors closed. Why did it always feel like they’d take one step forward and then something happened to make them take two steps back? He was really beginning to hate that dance.

“You know she’s going to LA,” Espo said, coming up behind him.

“I know,” Castle sighed.

“You really think she’s going to just willingly let you go with her?” Ryan asked as he joined them.

“She won’t have much of a choice if she doesn’t find out until the plane is already in the air,” Castle stated simply, already pulling out his phone to check for the next flight to LA, knowing she’d be on it. “Whether she likes it or not, someone’s got to have her back…and I’m her partner.” He headed for the elevator himself; he had a couple of hours to pack a bag and get to the airport, already calling to arrange a hotel suite for them.

xxxxx

Kate Beckett hated the middle seats in airplanes. Unfortunately, that was all that was available to her last minute. She knew she was lucky to have gotten on the flight at all considering she’d been on standby status. Still, being squished between two larger men was going to make for a very uncomfortable flight across the country…especially if the baby screaming in the cabin didn’t eventually tire itself out and fall asleep.

“Excuse me, Detective Beckett?” one of the flight attendants approached her.

“Yes?” she answered.

“You’ve been upgraded to first class.”

Beckett didn’t even question the reason. “Thank you,” she smiled, standing quickly. “I’m sorry…excuse me,” she said to the man, climbing over him to get out of the cramped row. She followed the flight attendant to the first-class cabin.

“Seat 3C,” the attendant told her.

“Thank you,” she smiled her relief. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the man she’d be sitting next to.

“Champagne?” he asked innocently with a smile.

She took the seat beside him, fastening her seatbelt. “Castle, what are you doing?”

He shrugged with a grin. “The studio’s been after me for weeks to fly down and do a set visit for the Heat Wave movie. Imagine my surprise when I saw your name on the standby list,” he took a sip of the champagne.

“You cannot be a part of what I’m gonna do out there,” she told him simply.

“I thought you were on vacation,” he pointed out.

“Castle,” she shook her head. “Look, it’s one thing for you to follow me when we’re in New York, but I’m not a cop in LA. I don’t have any authority or backup,” she told him.

“I’ll be your backup,” he insisted. Seeing her roll her eyes, he continued. “I’m your partner. Besides, going rogue is kind of my specialty.”

“Yeah, but subtlety isn’t,” she countered with a small smile. “I’m not going to get rid of you am I?” she asked him. Seeing him shake his head, she sighed. “Okay, if we do this together you have to promise me that we’re gonna fly under the radar.”

“Of course,” he smiled, offering her the extra glass of champagne.

She studied him for a moment before taking it with another roll of her eyes. She took a sip, offering him a small smile. “Thank you for upgrading me. I was kind of miserable back there.”

“You mean, you didn’t enjoy your seat sandwiched between two of the linemen for the Giants?” he asked with a chuckle.

“No,” she smirked. “The screaming baby didn’t help either.”

He laughed softly. “You’re welcome. Besides, how are we supposed to talk strategy with you in the back of the plane and me in the front?”

“We weren’t supposed to talk strategy at all,” she laughed, nudging his shoulder playfully.

“We have a 6-hour flight, Beckett. It’s going to be a long 6 hours if we don’t talk.”

She smiled and took another sip of her champagne. “Some people sleep on a flight.”

“Are you one of those people?” he asked with a smile.

She shrugged. “Sometimes. Probably not this flight. I’ve got too much on my mind.”

He nodded, placing a hand over hers. “I’m here for whatever you want to talk about,” he offered her a smile. “Or we could just drink,” he joked.

“I think one glass will suffice,” she chuckled, stretching her legs out.

He smiled and squeezed her hand before releasing it. The surprise was evident on his face when she took his hand back in hers a moment later.

“Thanks for coming with me, Castle,” she said softly, offering him a smile and pulling their joined

hands back into her lap.

“Always,” he smiled, stretching his legs out to get comfortable as well.

xxxxx

“Is this what you call under the radar?” Beckett asked, gesturing to the red Ferrari they were currently in.

“In LA, this baby fits right in,” Castle insisted. “So what’s our first stop?”

“My hotel. It’s on Ventura Blvd.”

Castle shot her a look. “That’s all the way in the Valley. How are we supposed to work together if you’re an hour away?”

“Castle, we weren’t supposed to work together at all,” she reminded him.

He shrugged. “Okay, well the studio comped me a two-bedroom suite at a 4-star hotel. You just stay with me,” he stated as though it were a no-brainer.

She snorted a laugh. “Yeah right!”

“What?” he asked, turning to look at her. “You’ll have your own room.”

“No! I am not staying with you!” she insisted, biting back another laugh.

He raised an eyebrow, almost in a challenge. “Worried you can’t control yourself when we’re alone together?”

Her smile faltered only slightly. It was a legitimate concern of hers, yes, considering the current state of their relationship and how close they currently were to crossing the line between friends and lovers…but she wasn’t going to admit that to him. “Actually, it’s not me that I’m worried about,” she replied.

“I assure you, Detective, my intentions are pure,” he insisted as the light they were stopped at turned green. He paused a moment before continuing. “Need I remind you that the last two times we were alone together, you were the one who kissed me,” he commented nonchalantly, keeping his eyes on the road.

She tugged her lower lip between her teeth. She couldn’t even deny that. Even though it had been months ago and she hadn’t ended her relationship with Josh at the time, she’d still been the one to kiss him on Valentine’s Day over wine in his loft. And now that they were both single,

she hadn’t been able to resist kissing him when they’d gone out 3 weeks ago after he’d been so jealous of Alex Conrad.

Yes, they were here to work…at least she was…but she also couldn’t deny the attraction and connection that pulled them together, couldn’t deny that they were one “Yes” from her away from becoming romantic partners in addition to professional ones. Here to work or not, she knew it was a very real possibility that when they were alone together she would give into the temptation that was her desire to be with him. Simply having her own bedroom didn’t guarantee she wouldn’t seek him out in the middle of the night without anything holding her back anymore.

“Fine, I’ll stay with you,” she finally agreed. She knew herself well enough to know there was a very real possibility she would find herself in his bed…or invite him into hers…before they left LA. She only hoped she was ready for everything that entailed. Because once they crossed that last line between them, she knew there would be no going back. If she messed it all up, if they crashed and burned, she would lose him forever…and she wasn’t sure that was a loss from which she’d recover.

xxxxx

“We’re so happy to have you back, Mr. Castle,” Maurice the concierge smiled. “I’ve taken the liberty of setting up the suite just the way you like it.”

“Thank you,” Castle returned the man’s smile.

“And I’ve scheduled a couple’s massage at 7,” Maurice added.

Beckett paused looking around the suite for a moment to cut Castle a look. “Pure, huh?”

Castle’s eyes widened slightly. “Uh, Maurice, you can cancel the couple’s massage. We’re actually here to work, so we won’t be needing that tonight.” He didn’t ask for the champagne or flowers to be removed, however.

Maurice nodded. “Very good, Sir.”

Castle handed the bellhop who handled their luggage a tip and offered Maurice one as well. “Thank you, Maurice.” He followed the men out and closed the double doors behind them. “The last time I was here, I brought this Parisian supermodel, so he…” he trailed off when he caught the look Beckett shot him and he realized bringing up the fact that he’d been with other women here was probably not the best idea considering they were working toward a relationship with each other. “You know, that is not important. Would you like to choose your bedroom?”

She rolled her eyes and went to her carry-on to get her jacket. “No, I would like to start the investigation.”

“But we haven’t even ordered room service yet,” Castle pointed out.

“Castle, I’m not here for room service, I’m here for justice,” she stated, heading for the doors.

“Can’t we have both?” Castle called as he followed her. “Wow. In LA for all of a minute and already she’s spouting cheesy movie dialogue. Must be something in the air.”

xxxxx

“Picture this: a gullible young actress, desperate to make a name for herself. She meets our mastermind at a club. He needs a pretty girl to help him get the voice code. He tells Violet he’s a producer, promises to make her famous if she helps him play a practical joke on a friend,” Castle theorizes. He turns to face Beckett on the couch in the living room area of their suite.

Beckett turns a little more facing him, her elbow resting on the back of the couch with her head resting on her hand. The bottle of champagne from earlier is opened and mostly empty on the coffee table in front of them. “She doesn’t even realize that she’s participating in a crime until afterwards. She can’t call the cops, so she contacts Royce.”

“But then, our Mr. McCauley finds out,” Castle continues to build theory with her.

“And Royce tries to change the game. He goes to New York; home-field advantage. Classic. Classic Royce,” Beckett smiled slightly. “I was so in awe of him, Castle when I first met him. I just hung on his every word. And then later, I realized he was just making up stories to mess with me,” she gave a soft laugh, but her smile faded. “I can’t believe that I’m never gonna see him again.”

He studied her for a moment, shifting just a little closer. “You know what I first thought when I met you?” he asked her.

She turned her attention back to him. “Mm?” she hummed the question.

“That you were a mystery I was never gonna solve. Even now, after spending all this time with you, I’m still amazed at the depths of your strength…your heart…” he trailed off as the faintest smile teased his lips, “and your hotness.”

She looked down for a moment and then met his smile with one of her own. “You’re not so bad yourself, Castle.”

Their eyes locked and they held each other’s gaze. He wanted to kiss her…so badly. Under any other circumstance, he would have. But she was vulnerable now. She was dealing with her grief over the loss of her friend whom he knew she cared for deeply. He wouldn’t be the guy who took

advantage of that. He cared too much about her to be the guy who did that to her. If there was a move to be made, she was going to have to be the one to initiate it.

“I should go. It’s late,” Beckett stood, finally breaking the moment between them as she headed for her bedroom door.

“Kate…”

“Goodnight, Castle,” she stated, stepping inside and closing the door. She leaned against it, running her hands over her face and through her hair. A hundred thoughts were running through her mind: She should have kissed him. Why was she running? How badly she wanted to kiss him. How badly she wanted to lose herself in his arms tonight, let him make her forget everything else but him and the way she knew he would make her feel. But was that fair to him to do it this way? Was it fair to either of them to spend their first night together under these circumstances? Was she ready to fully embrace the depth of her feelings for him? Was she ready to embrace the depth of his feelings for her?

Her hand lingered over the door handle for another moment as she hesitated. The words from Royce’s letter echoed in her mind: And now for the hard part, kid. It’s clear that you and Castle have something real. And you’re fighting it. But trust me, putting the job ahead of your heart is a mistake. Risking our hearts is why we’re alive. The last thing you want is to look back on your life and wonder, if only. A moment later, she’d made her decision. She wanted the comfort he would provide. She wanted to touch him, to taste him, to feel him. She just wanted him. She opened the door and met his eyes as he stood from the couch. “Castle…” she breathed from her doorway.

He wordlessly approached her, coming to stand in front of her in her doorway. In her bare feet, she was a good 5 or 6 inches shorter than him, and his eyes were soft as he looked at her. “Kate…” he murmured, unable to resist reaching out to run his fingers gently across her cheek.

Her hands moved to his chest and her eyes closed as she leaned into his touch. Her fingers tightened in his shirt and she pulled him closer against her, opening her eyes to look at his lips.

He leaned down, his lips stopping just before they touched hers. Swallowing hard, he had to make sure. “Kate, I don’t want to take advantage of you,” he murmured in a whisper.

Her nose nuzzled his, her lips moving the tiniest bit closer until they were only a hair’s width apart and she could feel his breath tickling her lips. “You’re not…” she breathed, her lips barely brushing his as she spoke. “If we hadn’t been so busy the past few weeks, this would have already happened…”

He swallowed hard again. She was making it so damn hard to think straight, to try to be the

gentleman. “I thought you wanted to wait…”

The last words from Royce played over again in her head. The last thing you want is to look back on your life and wonder, if only. “I’m done waiting,” she told him.

“You won’t regret this in the morning?” he had to ask her. Because he wouldn’t be able to handle it if she did.

“No regrets,” she promised, unable to take it anymore and closing the almost invisible distance between their lips with a slow kiss. She stepped back from him into her room a few moments later, her lower lip tugged between her teeth and the look in her eyes inviting, imploring him to follow her.

He was powerless to resist her now, and he knew it. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Opening them a second later, he followed her into her bedroom and closed the door behind him.

xxxxx

IT’S ABOUT TO GET STEAMY

SKIP THIS PART IF YOU DON’T WANT TO READ SEXY TIMES

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

Her eyes never left his as he approached her. She took the final step toward him necessary to close the distance between them again and took his face in her hands. This time when she kissed him, the dam broke; her feelings for him, their physical attraction to each other, the past two+ years…everything poured into her kiss. She was drowning in his kiss, in him, and for once she didn’t care.

Her tongue ravaged his mouth, and he let her take what she needed, what she wanted from him while his hands gripped her hips and pulled her closer. One hand slowly ran up her back and curled into her hair, deepening the kiss until both needed some oxygen. His mouth ran along her jaw to her neck and finally along her throat, grazing her skin lightly with his teeth as he tasted her.

Her hands moved to his plaid button-up shirt and shoved it over his shoulders, causing him to release his hold on her long enough to yank his arms free from it. She grabbed his t-shirt and tugged it over his head as well, her eyes and fingers traveling the lines of muscle across and down his now bare chest appreciatively. Her lips grazed against the hollow of his neck where it met his chest, her tongue darting out to taste his skin. Her arms moved around him, her fingers sliding up the muscles of his back as she pressed an open-mouth kiss to his chest, smiling against his skin at the low groan that escaped his throat.

When he felt her fingers at his belt before he’d even had the chance to get her shirt off her, he

caught her wrists and brought them to his lips for a gentle kiss. “Not so fast,” he murmured with a smile. He caught her playful look and returned it with one of his own before grabbing the hem of her shirt and bringing it up and over her head. His eyes darkened at the exposed skin, the black lace of her bra a stark contrast against her tanned skin. His fingers gently traced along the length of her bra strap at her shoulder as he circled behind her.

The feel of his lips on her shoulder and then her neck as he pushed her hair aside drew a gasp from her lips. His mouth lightly danced along the curve of her neck as his fingers unclasped her bra. She leaned back against him as his hands slowly slid the straps down her arms until the piece fell from her body to the floor. Her head fell back against his shoulder and her eyes closed as his lips slid to her shoulder, one hand flattening against her stomach to hold her against him, the other moving to her breast, eliciting a soft moan from her lips.

He bit her shoulder gently as he squeezed her breast. One of her hands moved to cover his on her breast, and her other moved to his head, pulling him into a smoldering kiss. As she tugged his lip between her teeth and bit gently, the hand on her stomach slid lower, dipping inside her pants, his fingers lightly tracing along her underwear. She moaned her approval into his mouth and released her grip on his hand to guide the hand in her pants lower until she could press his fingers into the heat between her legs.

Even through her panties, he could feel her arousal, causing him to groan against her lips. “Kate…” he breathed, his mouth moving to her neck as his fingers slipped past the barrier of her underwear to slide between her legs. The feel of his touch where she was already so ready for him caused her hips to buck against his hand and nearly sent her spiraling. The hand still joined with his on her breast flexed and squeezed, while her hand that had guided his into her pants gripped his hip, her fingers curling in his belt loops.

He continued to work her up with his fingers at her core, his lips gently sucking and nipping at her skin, and his other hand on her breast, alternating between massaging and rolling her nipple between his fingers. It wasn’t long before he had her a whimpering mess, his name escaping her lips in a breathless moan as she crashed over the edge. His fingers continued to work her through her orgasm until she couldn’t take it anymore and gripped his forearm, tugging his hand away. He smirked against her skin, moving his hand to her stomach to hold her against him as she recovered, his lips softly caressing her skin.

Once she regained her senses, she turned in his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and meeting his smile with one of her own. “Hi,” she murmured, kissing him slowly.

“Hi,” he returned, resting his forehead against hers. He slowly walked her back toward the bed, easing her back and lowering her down on it when her legs hit the edge. He moved over her, capturing her mouth with his in a passionate kiss, his tongue slowly stroking hers. This time when he felt her fingers slide down his chest to his belt, he didn’t stop her.

She easily unfastened his belt and the button on his pants, and then slowly slid the zipper down. Her fingers teased just underneath the waistband of his boxers before her hands moved to his hips. She pushed both his jeans and boxers over his hips, her hands sliding around to grab his ass, squeezing the ample flesh as she pulled him into the cradle of her thighs. “Get them off…” she murmured, her lips brushing against his jaw as she pushed them as far down as she could.

He did as he was told, standing and removing his last remaining clothing. She pushed up to her elbows to watch, her eyes darkening as she took in the sight of him for the first time. She sat up, her hands moving to his hips as she pulled him to stand in front of her.

“Kate…you don’t have to…” he started.

“I know,” she met his eyes with a smile. She knew he would never expect or even ask her to do what she was about to do. But she wanted him, wanted all of him; she had for awhile. “I want to taste you.”

Her lips pressed a soft kiss to his stomach, glancing up at him as one hand moved to his length, her slender fingers stroking him slowly. She smirked against his skin at the low groan and moved her mouth to his hip, nipping playfully before blazing a trail of open mouth kisses across his skin as she worked her mouth further down. She looked up at him watching her and saw his eyes close as she ran her tongue the length of him before taking him in her mouth and sucking gently.

It took all of his willpower not to buck his hips into her mouth, but he somehow managed. He forced himself to keep his eyes open, watching her, one hand tangling in her hair…not to guide her movement, but to simply caress her. After a few moments, he hand to stop her. “Kate…” he managed to choke out her name on a strangled moan, his hand gently caressing her cheek. “I can’t…you’ve got to stop…or it’s going to be over to soon…” he managed to get out, trying to force his breathing to return to normal.

She raised an eyebrow, slightly amused as she leaned back on her elbows. He moved with her, leaning down to kiss her again, moaning against her lips as her tongue sensually tangoed with his. His hands gripped her leggings and pulled them down her legs slowly, standing to toss them aside as she shifted to push herself up on the bed, resting her head on the pillows.

He crawled up the bed to her with a grin, dropping soft kisses to the inside of her knee and trailing his tongue along the skin of her thigh. When he reached her underwear, he paused and looked up at her. “You’re sure?” he asked her again.

She pushed up on her elbows so she could gently caress his face. “Make love to me, Rick…” she told him softly, pulling him to her for a slow, deep kiss as she slid her body against his.

He groaned, wrapping her in his arms as he deepened the kiss. When he finally broke away, he pushed up to his knees and hooked his fingers in her panties, drawing them down her legs slowly before dropping them to the floor to the side of the bed. He swallowed hard as his eyes traveled over her body slowly. “You’re beautiful, Kate…” he murmured in awe. His hand slowly, lightly ran up her thigh as he settled between her legs.

He trailed kisses across her stomach before getting sidetracked by the tattoo on her hip, which she’d fully expected, tracing the outline with his tongue. His mouth continued it’s path, until his tongue dipped inside her, finally tasting her, and he knew at that moment he was addicted. Each touch of his fingers to her skin, each press of his lips, each stroke of his tongue was reverent, as though her body was a temple at which he was worshiping. He took his time as he worked her up, enjoying the taste of her, enjoying the soft moans and whimpers of pleasure as he explored her body, learning the way she liked to be touched so intimately.

It wasn’t long before she was moaning his name as she came, her fingers clenching in the comforter on the bed. He gently but firmly held her hips in place as mouth continued to work her through her orgasm, and then suck on her bundle of nerves until she quickly came undone again, his name falling from her lips in a strangled scream. Only when her fingers curled in his hair and pulled him away slightly did he move his mouth to her hip, biting enough to leave a mark and soothing it with his tongue.

His kisses were slow and gentle as they moved back up her body, giving her time to recover. It wasn’t until he was settled in the cradle of her thighs with her hips rocking against his as they kissed passionately that he realized–he didn’t have protection on him. “Kate…” he pulled away breathlessly. “I didn’t bring…I mean, I didn’t expect that we would…I don’t have condoms…”

“Neither do I…You don’t carry one in your wallet?”

“Not if I don’t think I’m going to need it…which I didn’t…because we weren’t together…and I did not come out here with the intention of sleeping with you…” he murmured, moving to shift off her.

She gently stopped him, her fingertips lightly caressing his jaw. “Castle, it’s okay,” she assured him softly, pressing a kiss to his chin. “I’m clean. And I’m on birth control. So I’m good without one if you are.” He was the only man she would ever consider doing this with, and only because she trusted him implicitly. She'd never even had unprotected sex with Josh. There was no one she trusted the way she trusted Castle.

He stared at her for a moment, because he knew the level of trust that she was putting in him with that statement, with that action. “I’m clean…” he promised. “You’re…you’re really sure about this, Kate? Because I can’t promise you I’ll be able to pull out before I…”

She interrupted him with a kiss. “I’m sure. I trust you completely, Rick…”

This time it was him who cut off her words with a deep kiss. I love you, was right on the tip of his tongue to say, but he didn’t dare say it now. He’d told her before…on more than one occasion, admittedly not always at the best moment. The last thing he wanted was to send her running now if she wasn’t ready to hear those words from him again. Instead, he’d show her.

One of his hands found hers and he laced their fingers, pushing their joined hands above her head. His other hand lightly caressed her thigh and shifted, meeting her eyes as he slowly slid inside her. She gasped softly, and his forehead rested against hers as they both took a moment to savor the connection.

Her hand squeezed his and her free hand caressed his cheek as her lips met his again in a tender kiss. One of her legs hooked over his hip, pulling him in closer, and a soft moan escaped her throat. Another moan escaped, this time from each of them, as she rocked her hips against his to get him to move.

They exchanged breathless kisses, gentle caresses, soft moans as their bodies moved together almost seamlessly, meeting each other perfectly, each knowing what the other needed or wanted as though they were in a well-choreographed dance and not coming together for the first time.

As he felt his climax approaching, he released her hand and shifted so that he had a deeper angle. “Kate…I’m close…” he warned dropping his mouth to her neck.

Her lips moved to his ear as her hands slid down his back, her nails raking across his skin. “Let go with me…inside me…” she panted breathlessly, tugging on his ear with her teeth as her legs pulled him in closer to reinforce her words.

Her breathless moans and the way she moved her body with his, the way her legs tightened around his waist, was enough to push him over the edge and pull her with him. He thrust a few more times until he was completely spent, and dropped down, rolling them so she was on top of him.

xxxxx

SEXY TIMES IS OVER

IT IS SAFE TO READ AGAIN

EVERYTHING BELOW IS RATED T

They stayed wrapped in each other's arms silently, both catching their breath. He caught her hand drawing patterns on his chest after a few minutes and brought it to his lips for a gentle kiss.

“You were right…I had no idea,” he admitted with a grin.

She laughed softly and pushed herself up on his chest to look at him. “You still don’t,” she grinned. Seeing his look, she kissed him as she laughed again. “That was just a preview,” she murmured against his lips before pushing herself up off the bed. “Be right back,” she promised, pressing one last kiss to his lips before disappearing into the bathroom.

When she returned, he’d gotten under the covers and made no attempt to hide his enjoyment in the fact that she hadn’t bothered to put any of her clothes…or his…back on to cover up. She met his gaze with an amused arch of her eyebrow, turning the lights off on her way back to bed. “Staring is still creepy, bud.”

He chuckled as she slipped back into bed beside him. “Can’t help it,” he shrugged, turning on his side to look at her. “I told you before…I’m still amazed at your hotness.” He couldn’t help but reach out and let his fingers trace along her curves.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” she echoed her own words from earlier, sliding closer to kiss him. She grinned against his lips as he deepened the kiss and threw her leg over his hips, quickly straddling him, running her hands over his chest as she stared down at him. “You wanna find out what you really had no idea about?” she asked in a husky tone, already sliding her body sinfully against his as she bit her lower lip.

He swallowed hard, his hands moving to her thighs. “Yes, please,” he managed to choke out. The way she was moving her body against his was similar to every fantasy and wet dream he’d had about her since that undercover date in the club back in February. Only now it was real…she was really here, it was really her body moving against his, and it was better than any fantasy.

She leaned down to kiss him with a wicked grin. “Your safe word still apples?” she purred against his lips.

All he could do was nod.

xxxxx

Okay, I am aware this is only the first half of the LA episode. I went a little crazy here…I told you guys it was a favorite of mine! And I am sorry, but you will have to wait until I return from vacation to get the chapter dealing with the second half of the episode. But I did make this a long one to tide you over in the meantime!

I really hope you enjoyed this one! And I look forward to reading all your comments for those who leave them!

[popcornforone]

Target Practice

Part of the additional One Week With Dave York Training Chapters

Master list

Sorry Dave, life got in the way & unfortunately I then also had a huge creative block. So I’m sorry this has taken a while. But it’s here now, it’s done. I didn’t want to give you something I wasn’t proud of, but this is short but I enjoyed writing it.

Synopsis: After the events of that week, Dave has seen you as so much more than just his lover & he wants to make sure you are safe & know what to do should the worse case scenario happen.

Word Count: 2400

Warnings: DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE UNDER 18! DAVE YORK AS ALWAYS COMES WITH HIS OWN WARNING. Established relationship, sexual fantasy, fingering, pleasuring, gun play, mentions of sex, PIT, swearing, lots of sexual tension, almost PIV. If you’ve read any of my Dave before you know exactly how much a menace I make him.

As always thanks for the read peoples, I hope you enjoy. All feedback is welcome as always. I’m also available to talk about anything msgs are always open.

You’ve been at it all week. It started off enjoyable & fun, but now it’s getting tiring & as much as you still enjoy it & he’s that close to you, you’re both starting to become weary with frustration. Dave was persistent & got what he wanted. The way he smiles at your delight originally is now a distant memory.

No… No… He was not trying to get you pregnant. You have recently had that conversation, his divorce with Carol goes through soon. Bye bye birth control, & hello to him being a daddy to your future child, a sibling for Molly & Alice one day. No today is Sunday & your back at the target range.

When you were filling out a few forms the other week, to increase your level of security & what you can know or help with as a civilian, Dave realised he had never taught you how to assassinate someone. His words not yours. You didn’t want to correct him, you just saw it as shooting people.

“I’ve only ever held a laser tag gun” you said as he walked you to the target range.

“What” he says in shock before he looks you up & down. “This is a joke right”he’s looking concerned.

“Well you’ve never asked me to clean the guns in the house or look after them & I’ve never been that interested until…”

“So I need to train you in everything gun related” Daves mind was scrambled at this revelation.

“Yes Dave, you do, not all of us carry the right to bare arms” he scoffs at you. He really is in disbelief & knows he’s got his work cut out now. It’s hard enough training someone who wants to learn to shoot.

“Okay this may take a while, let’s waste no time”

In the days that passed Dave showed you the different types of guns, how to assemble them, about safety & what to do. Some of this you already knew from vaguely listening to him or watching it on tv. So when he took you to the target range on Tuesday & you fired your first blank & you jolted backwards, you couldn’t believe the power in the small pistol he had given you. Your hands were shaking & you were filled with adrenaline.

“Holy fuck” you shout which, because you both have microphones attached to your headphones, blasts into Dave’s ears. “Sorry”you continue “I got over excited”

“I think everyone does the first time they pull the trigger” he calmly say.

“will that feeling fade?”

“Eventually…” Dave says as inspects the novice gun to make sure you didn’t break anything on it. “But it won’t be for years before that’s the case, it took me 6months in the army to not blink when I pull the trigger.”

“6months? that’s a really long time” you scoff thinking how long it’s going to take you to be calm with this, you don’t even like guns but if it’s for you, Dave & the girls safety, you need to know what your doing up to a certain level.

So here you are on Sunday, struggling to hit the back to back targets square on with the next gun. A much bulkier pistol than the one Dave gave you a few days ago. He’s taught you what all the different guns are but he wants you to learn how to use this one. It’s the one he keep’s underneath the second stair in the house. If there was a home invasion, this would be the one he would direct you to get & use. You’ve know that there’s a stash there for emergency for a very long time but always just ignored the weapon.

“Surly what I know now is enough Dave” your frustration & sigh through the headset as you look at him with tired eyes tell him all he needs to know. This isn’t fun anymore. It’s like he is treating you like a trainee, which in theory you are, but this is for all your safety. You put the safety on the gun & put in on the table & flash the yellow light to say you’re no longer firing. Dave removes his headset & walks up to you calmly as you remove your own headphones.

“It’s okay” he says reassuringly. “You don’t have to get this right straight away, what you’ve done is a big step already, it’s just…” his voice trials off.

“If someone breaks in our house, they are going to put up more of a fight than a random home invasion” you mock & say it in Daves training tone. He’s said this so many times that you know it by heart, especially after the Carol hand scissors moment which was almost a year ago. It’s not quite his bedroom voice but it’s grumpy for sure. He raises an eyebrow at you & you laugh as you pick up your coffee. The stern look not leaving his face. “Shit was that too much… sorry Dave I…” you start to worry & then you see the smirk appear “… you bastard, I thought I’d crossed the line there for a second” you inhale & then take a big gulp of your coffee not wanting to really make eye contact with Dave. Those eyes will have your aroused too quickly.

“You know me too well sweetheart” he can see you shake a little. After all this time you’re still his, his fuck toy who will attend to his needs & not want to hurt or displease him. His desire dungeon is still used at the weekends when the girls are away. “Maybe that’s why I love you, & I’ll forgive you… for now” if that didn’t send a chill down your spine nothing would. Seductive stabby murder daddy threatening empty & possible mean promises & punishment is enough to remind you how much a woman you are.

This has the desired effect though. Dave can see your body relax, & your shoulders drop so he quickly hits the red button to say a gun is live. His large hand scoots the gun across the table to you & he stands behind you. The other hand around your waist. You look confused & go to turn your head, his lips just mere inches away from your skin, skin that they adore to kiss. Waiting for his hushed tones to speak.

“Take the weapon sweetheart” he whispers in your ear. Still as arousing as ever when he is this close to you. Your hand glides over it & softly grips it to start before it get tighter. His hand joins yours to put it in the best position. “Your grip is like a vice” ooh the husky tones this man has, it makes you girl the gun harder. “Both your hand & your cunt. If you get this right, I’ll make sure my other weapon is gripped hard”

“Dave!” You moan & turn your head to moan, but the large hand that was on your waist is now around your chin turning you attention back to the targets in front of you, as he pushes his body closer to yours.

“I want you to take a breath for 4 & then out of 5 & then in for 4 & then fire okay” he’s not put his or your headsets back on. He tentatively taps your waist for the 4 & 5 counts. & you concentrate on your breathing before you fire the gun. “Do it again & aim for the same spot” he says softly once again taping you for the count. Admiring how your blue vest top just about skims over your body. The neck like means he can see your cleavage. If he was admiring like this at home, the top & your bra would be off & he’d be fucking your tits, cumming all over them before making you lick up the mess he had made as a reward. Licking your nipples arouses him but he still prefers to lick your pussy until it squirts all over his face.

He’s too lost in his mind, lusting for your body, that he forgets about the next shot & he almost leaps back, jolting away causing your shot to not go where it’s meant to. He’s shocked but also aroused.

“Jesus Dave!” You turn & face him as he comes back apologising.

“Sorry baby” both those hand return back around your waist hovering just below your belly button. “I was lost in my own mind, you are weakness after all” his head rests on your shoulders & he looks up at you with those big brown eyes & you smile softly back as you load the next few bullets into the gun. You’re confident at that part of the job.

“Are you going to stay here & be a distraction Dave?” You ask. He then pushes fully behind you, his groin against your arse. You can feel his erection growing, digging into you as you try & remain focused. It’s the wandering hand heading for the belt on your jeans that’s making you breathe faster. “D…Dave?” You ask but in list of ways are you asking that.

“Hit the same mark back to back & i’ll fuck you on this table” he snarls. He’s moved the strap of your vest top & bra to the side & starts kissing your shoulder heading for the crook of your neck. His kisses are still like fire. Still, even though it’s no longer an affair, they make you feel naughty, like his bratty little slut who used to do anything for 5mins attention from him before he fucked you hard with no consequences.

Your hand shakes as you pick up the gun, not through fear of the weapon but at Dave’s words said so seductively. At those large hands controlling you as your belt clinks undone. Your arse moves towards him, wanting him to take you. Your sigh is exasperated, as it comes from your lips, goosebumps across your entire body, from every sensation you feel. Your breath is deep & you fire two shoots. They do both hit the target but in opposite places. You gasp for air. Dave pulls you closer against him. Almost squeezing all the oxygen out of you, increasing your desire & need to be satisfied.

“again” he whispers as the hand unhooks your jeans button, he’s excited he’s realised your wearing a lacy thong. He’s hoping it’s the blue one. He likes to sniff that one the most. You fire the next two shots. Slowly they are getting closer.

“Again”

“Dave I..” but the zip is heard loudly being undone & his hand goes inside your panties. Finding your clit instantly. You bite your lip in pleasure as he kisses your neck

“AGAIN” he says more sternly. More of a command almost full bedroom voice. The next two shots are almost there.

“Once more, then you can have it all sweetheart.” His fingers are leisurely stroking you, they are getting moist & he can’t wait to fuck you here in the target range, not caring if it’s watched by anyone else here or on cctv. He wants you to turn around in a minute & flop his large girthy cock out so he can take you hard & fast. Get out both your frustrations, & make you cum all over him & the table.

Both your faces are a gasp & stunned as you don’t even think you just fire the shoots away. Perfect placement. Top of the throat almost on top of each other.

“Fuck Me” you exclaim, proud of what you have done with your accuracy.

“Gladly” is his quick reply before it’s interrupted as you turn to face him & your lips lock with his. So passionate. So hungry. Feeling the desire you both have for each other never gets old. Dave hand on his own belt undoing it as his fingers increase his rhythm. You break from the kiss long enough to remove your vest top which is flung towards the target before you kiss him in a frenzy. His tongue will never be a stranger to your mouth, it’s pure lust & makes you more aroused.

“Dave oh Dave” you moan as 2 fingers slide inside you curling around, you’re so turned on, your expectant of his cock to grind down on any second. His eyes as shut as he buries his head into your cleavage. The wetness coming from his fingers & your desire being the only sounds you can hear. A rhythm so insane that you will be gushing in mere seconds, ready for a nice easy glide in for his penis, which is trying to get out of his trousers & boxers. It’s squelching & you are being so easy for him to take, but you know he like that every once & a while. Especially when you’re desperate to feel him fuck you hard & raw.

“Cum sweetheart, soak your stabby Murder daddys hand. I know you want to. Be a good girl & I’ll guarantee to hit the target with each thrust.” His hand can’t move any faster, it’s stimulation override & you let go.

“Fuck fuck fuck Dave” you scream. But your respite & come down will be short. His other hand has flopped his cock out.

“Look at you.” He says seeing the mess on his hand & on the table. “Well if we’re gonna get messy, let’s do this properly”Daves almost growling as his penis goes through your slick.

“Ooh baby”

“Sweetheart” & then just before he inserts himself inside you, looking at the panting sexual mess you already are, he grabs his phone & flicks to an app. “This is just for us baby” & he dims all the lights & the cctv so no one else at the target range can see or know later that Dave fucked you hard on the table for the next 30minutes. People were probably wondering if a crime was being committed, but your screams of desire as he filled you up, we’re exactly what you both needed

& you Dave did hit the target. With every single thrust.

[brotherhoodoftheblade]

Okay, it’s almost 3 AM in the morning on a Monday, but we’re going to pretend it’s still Sunday. lol Haven’t forgotten I’m still meant to be working on my wips, even though I haven’t been in a writing mood the past few weeks. 

So here’s a new bit from The Deathless Divide (which will probably be kind of confusing if you haven’t read the first two chapters of it btw). ✨

(TW for violence and blood etc.)

~*~

Something was hunting him.

Of that much Percy was certain.

It wasn’t the first time. There was nothing good to be found in the purgatorial wastelands, but the lost souls that roamed the desolate land – turned feral with insatiable hunger and an eternity of torment – were the most hellish thing about the place. His last encounter with such a creature had left him half feral himself, palms scrapped raw and bloody against the large rock he’d gripped tightly despite the burning pain, breaths coming in ragged gasps as he brought the rock down again and again on the screaming, wailing man.

He hadn’t stopped, kept up his assault through every sickening tearing of flesh and crack of bone, until he no longer had the strength to raise his trembling arms. The rock had been smeared bright red with blood when he’d dropped it – the most colourful thing in all of Purgatory – his head spinning with too rapid breaths, tears sliding down his face and dripping off his chin as the creature gurgled and keened like the barely human thing it had become. He’d retched, though naturally nothing had come up; he had nothing left inside him but blood waiting to be spilled, after all. His forearm – blood beginning to congeal at last where the creature had bitten off a chunk of him – throbbed madly. He’d pushed himself up onto shaking legs and stumbled away, with only thought that he had to keep moving.

He had to put as much distance between himself and that blood-thirsty beast as he could. Before it healed. Before it picked up his scent and began to pursue him again.

The trouble with being in a land of the dead, of course, was that he couldn’t kill anything; not even himself. All he could do to obstruct the human-turned-fiend that was so hell bent on trying to fucking eat him was to break its damned legs and run as far and fast as he could before it was made whole once more. And it would be again, far too soon. Like Prometheus, bound to a rock to have his liver eaten only for it grow back overnight so it could be torn out again and again in an eternal cycle of torment, the denizens of Purgatory could bleed and break bodily only to soon find themselves restored so they could suffer anew.

Percy had – blessedly – ceased to find himself returned to the wretched place every time he drifted to sleep, but still, it had yet to release its hold on him. The fear that it might never let him go sat cold and heavy within him – and what then? How long might it be before he became like the thing that hunted him?

His eyes darted among the trees, searching out movement, but all was shadow.

His heart thudded dully. He had to keep moving.

He’d found a good, sturdy branch along the way and carried it now, upright against his shoulder like a soldier’s musket – and god, what wouldn’t he have given for a proper musket and bayonet right now. At least the branch, though heavy, was far less unwieldy than the rock had been. If he was lucky he’d wake up before he had another nasty confrontation – but how often was he ever that lucky? Better to remain vigilant. Seeing and hearing nothing out of the ordinary, he turned to continue along his way.

A man stood before him, a mere arm’s length away.

Percy gasped sharply, hands scrabbling at the branch before he got a firm hold of it and thrust it straight at the creature’s head like a battering ram. There was a nasty crunching sound as the blow caught the man right in the face, sending him reeling back, trying and failing to regain his balance before he hit the ground. The shadowy form swore viciously, cradling its mouth and nose between its hands.

Heart pounding madly, Percy gripped the branch so hard his fingers ached, and moved to press his advantage. Raising the branch with both arms he plunged it down atop the man, only to hit hard-packed earth as the figure rolled rapidly out of the way and up onto its knee. A large hand shot out and seized his arm, and Percy’s mouth opened in a soundless scream as the world fell away.

Bright light pierced his eyes and he squeezed them closed reflexively. The hand on his arm tightened. Tensing, he shook it off.

“Perseverance,” a man’s voice said reassuringly, “It’s all right. You’re safe now.”

“I know,” Percy murmured, blinking as he forced himself to open his eyes. There was no light in Purgatory, and flowers certainly didn’t perfume the air; this was Paradise. “And do not call me that, if you please.”

The grass was soft beneath him as he lay supine upon it – when had that happened? Never mind. Percy had already half-given up trying to make sense of anything that had occurred since his unexpected death. The only thing that mattered at the moment was that he’d apparently bashed an angel in the face.  The thought gave him the slightly hysterical urge to laugh his head off. The “angel” in question didn’t seem angry about it – thankfully – and knelt solicitously beside him as his vision cleared. The man was young – couldn’t have been older than twenty – dark-haired, and -

Oh. And rather handsome at that. Quite uninjured and unbloodied as well.

Must’ve healed himself, Percy thought. Must be nice.

“Ah, yes, I should’ve thought -” the boy’s pale cheeks flushed as he swallowed his words, then cleared his throat. “You prefer Percy, I believe.”

His accent was that of an upper-class English gentleman, not merely the product of a middle-class education as was Percy’s own. A gentleman of noble birth, like John.

“Among those of my close acquaintance, yes,” he said staidly, sitting up slowly. Of which you are not, he did not say but instead let the sense of them hang in a beat’s pointed silence. “I thank you exceedingly for the extraction and apologize for the, er, rather barbarous reception.”

He waved a hand, cringing half-comically, over his face. The young man gave a short laugh.

“Mea culpa,” he stated emphatically, shaking his head. “I oughtn’t to have appeared so near you without warning when you were already on the defense against the Lost. My eagerness to speak to you got the better of me, I confess.”

“To me?” Percy was unable to keep a note of wariness from his voice as he eyed the boy. “Why?”

“I have been trying to make contact with you to no avail since you were returned to the world of the living,” he explained, meeting his gaze earnestly.

His eyes were the deepest blue Percy had ever seen; not the blue of the summer sky above them, but the rich hue of sapphires.

“I am your new guardian angel,” the boy continued, extending a hand to him. “My name is Hector, Hector Dalrymple.”

Percy accepted the proffered hand and found himself swiftly pulled to his feet with unexpected strength, swaying a moment before regaining his equilibrium. The young man’s – Hector’s – hand tightened on his and Percy was relieved to note that they were of a similar height. At least he wasn’t trapped in the form of a small child as he’d been the first time he’d been raised from Purgatory by his mother.

“How new?” Percy asked, narrowing his eyes and pointedly raising his left arm with its torn, blood-stained sleeve. The chunk of flesh that had been bitten off had healed but not without leaving behind a gruesomely visible scar. “Because I think I’ve a complaint or two for you.”

The flush returned to Hector’s handsome face, much to Percy’s satisfaction. 

~*~

...and you’ll have to wait for next Sunday for more. At least I threw in a spoiler this time. :P

[the-star-knight]

Tales Of A Star

Tales Of A Star

Summary: A retelling of the show through Star’s eyes

Star is young teenager, daughter to one of the Queen's handmaiden and the royal stable keeper, when the long lost princess has soon to be held coronation, she comes across a magical stone. Unknowingly of how this is her destiny, she soon finds out that this gem turns her world on its head, giving her a sword, armor, and a duty she must carry: protecting the Kingdom of Corona.

Chapter 13 - Beyond Corona Walls (Part 2)

Author's Note: Kinda been taking a break from writing The Star Knight because I've hit writer's block but I still get in the mood to write. The good thing is that TOAS is already planned out and I can write it. Hopefully, the inspiration comes back so I can continue to write TSK bc I really like writing it.

Word Count: 2,820

◀ Previous Chapter || Next Chapter ▶︎

“Somebody somewhere has to know where Eugene is,” Rapunzel said as she held a stack of missing papers with Eugene’s portrait. “We’ll cover more ground if we split up.”

Rapunzel handed us the papers. 

I turned around and looked around at the people just walking down the street. 

I ran through my head what I was going to say to these strangers. It’s one thing to be in Corona and ask people you see from time to time, but it’s another thing to ask the people of Vardaros to help you. 

I saw a woman approaching. “Hey, I was w-wondering— “

She walked right past me.

“Oh okay, um…” I saw another woman passing. “Hi, have you seen—“

She also walked right past me.

Continue reading on AO3 or continue under the cut ⬇︎

It went on like this for hours. 

Eventually, I had to go back to Rapunzel, practically empty-handed but not in a good way. I have not given away a single sheet to anyone. I only put some on walls and poles, but that’s about it. 

“No one wants to talk!” Hookfoot yelled exasperated.

“Tell me about it,” I sat down on the ground.

“Look, Raps, we’ve been at this for hours,” Cass said as she shook out rocks from her boot. “Maybe we should go back to Corona and send for the cavalry. If we leave now we can be back in two weeks— oh you’re right I’m so sorry! Please stop looking at me like that!” 

Rapunzel gave an (honestly) intimidating look that borders deranged. 

“What’s the matter, princess?” a voice said. We looked over and it was the girl that shooed off Rapunzel earlier. “Looking for your boyfriend?” She snickered. 

She was no older than me, which I found surprising. I haven’t met anyone in my age range within the past two weeks. She wore a vest and skirt, and despite that, she seemed pretty tough. 

“You!” Rapunzel growled. She threw herself over to where she was standing with her hair. 

To my surprise, Rapunzel grabbed her by the shirt, “You know something! Tell me now or so help me!” 

“I don’t need to tell you nothing!”

In the distance, fanfare starts playing, oddly enough. 

We walked curiously over in the direction of where it was coming from. 

Turning around a corner, we saw a group of people gathering in front of a stage. A lanky  man with a crooked nose came onto the stage. 

“Alright! Shut your faces and listen up, you scums!” he yelled at the crowd.

“Hey, That’s the guy who attacked us!” Hookfoot pointed at the crooked nose man.

“The Baron has something he'd like to say,” the man continued to say.

“‘The Baron’ Baron?” Rapunzel said. 

That name didn’t ring a bell for me, but Rapunzel seems to have heard of him.

A large man stepped onto the stage. He was of impressive size, with long blonde hair and a thick beard. His clothes were made of fine material. He wore rings on almost all his fingers. His presence screamed wealth, power, and intimidation. 

Oh, this guy is definitely The Baron.

“People of Vardaros,”  his rich voice boomed throughout the city. “I bring you means of celebration, a glint of joy into your otherwise meaningless and pitiful lives.”

This guy seems as welcoming as other people in Vardaros.

“My people will be collecting gifts for the occasion from each of you,” he continued. “I am pleased to announce the re-engagement of my daughter, Stalyan.”

A lady stepped onto the stage. She was pretty, I have to admit, with her long brunette hair, but something about he smile told me she wasn’t much different from her father.

“Wait, the Baron’s daughter?” Rapunzel whispered. 

“What a daughter,” Hookfoot said dreamily.

“And her fiancé…Flynn Rider.” The Baron announced.

His what? 

My mouth dropped. As in Eugene? Our Eugene? That can’t be. It’s probably some other dude named Flynn Rider, right? Not our Eugene…

“HUH?” Rapunzel was utterly dumbfounded.

Out of the shadow of the curtain, Eugene steps out of the stage.

And did I just hear Eugene’s old name from his thieving days? I haven’t heard that name in a long time, it was honestly a bit jarring for Eugene to be called Flynn Rider again.

“Eugene,” Rapunzel pleaded as she approached him.

“Rapunzel,” he said softly, and with sadness. 

“Eugene, I don’t understand, what’s going on?” Rapunzel asked frantically. 

“He’s with us now,” Stalyan said. Honestly, it sounded strange the way she said ‘us’ instead of ‘me’. 

“This is some kind of joke, right?” The princess looked at Eugene. 

“I, uh. I’m so sorry, Rapunzel. But I made my choice.” Eugene said and walked off with Stalyan, 

“Eugene Eugene!” she called out. She turned to Cassandra and started crying on her shoulder.  “Eugene…” 

⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Back at camp, I was beyond confused at what just happened. I mean, Eugene getting to a woman that’s not Rapunzel? And after everything they’ve been together? 

I watched as the embers from the fire camp danced around and disappeared into the cool night. 

Cass, Hookfoot, and I sat in front of the fire camp while we gave Rapunzel some time for the events of what just happened to settle in.

Cassandra got up as soon as she saw Rapunzel step out of the caravan. She probably went to go talk to her. 

Looking back at the flames, I only ended up pondering what led to this happening. 

Also, there’s something about that one thing that Stalyan said. 

She said that he was with us and not with me. I could be overthinking it but it doesn’t sit right with me and there’s probably more to this than she is letting on. Eugene wouldn’t do this to Rapunzel out of the blue.

That brief interaction with Rapunzel stuck with me. It looked like he wanted to say something, but he seemed stuck…

I fiddled with my necklace.

I have to admit the same thought keeps entering my head about the encounter we had with Adira earlier today.  

“She can’t even hold the sword properly.” Adira’s voice echoed in my head. I realized that I was the Star Knight and yet I don’t know a single thing about proper sword fighting or combat or any of that stuff! 

“Why did you choose me?” I whispered as I looked at the necklace. “Maybe you should find someone else…”

My train of thought was interrupted by Rapunzel’s and Cassandra’s voices. 

I quickly put the necklace under my clothes. 

“Guys,” Rapunzel said, “we're gonna get him back.”

⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

We found the place where the wedding was being held pretty easily. 

Seemed like a lucky guess. We chose a random group of people and followed them right to the location. 

We carefully hid behind a couple of large rocks and watched from a ledge, a good ways away from the entrance of the place. 

“Careful, Raps,” Cass warned Rapunzel as she seemed to get a bit too close to the black rocks. “Remember what happens when you touch one of those.” 

“Right, that would be bad.” Rapunzel shifted away from the rocks. She looked in her binocular at the event. 

“I was hoping that there would be more people here to make it easier to slip by,“ Cassandra said. 

“Yeah, I guess Stalyan doesn't have many friends. What kind of name is Stalyan anyways? Who names their kid that? What’s her sister’s name? Bronco?“ Rapunzel scoffed.

“Rapunzel, focus. We don’t have time for jealousy.” Cassandra said.

“Jealous? I’m not jealous. You're jealous…” She went back to look through her binoculars.

“Now, the good thing about only having a few guests is that we might have a chance to  fight our way in. A slim chance but a chance.” Cass drew her sword ready to fight. 

“We might not have to fight,” the princess stopped her. “I think I may have an idea.”

“Does this idea require any hooks?” Hookfoot asked. 

“No, but we will need the help of Vardaros’ little sweetheart,” she said looking through the binoculars. I looked in the direction she was looking and realized she was looking at the girl with braids. 

Oh, I thought to myself. 

“Then what’s the plan?” Cassandra sounded intrigued. 

“We are going to crash a wedding.” 

⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Rapunzel managed to squish us under a cart covered by a table cover so that the so-called ‘Vardaros’s sweetheart’ will push us into the event. Rapunzel was wearing a disguise, which no one fought her on because no one wanted to deal with any one of The Baron’s men.

We couldn’t see anything but shadows moving across the blanket, but we were able to hear what was going on around us. 

I could have overheard parts of the conversation Rapunzel has with Vex. 

However, there wasn’t much I could listen to because I began to realize that having all of us shoved in this small cramped space was a bad idea…body odor, my goodness…

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up, fellas.” A deep voice said. “What’s this?”

Oh no, we’re busted. It must be a guard or something that’s talking.         

“The Baron wanted wedding flowers,” Vex said. 

I held my breath. Hopefully, he buys it. 

“A battle bouquet. Brilliant!” he laughed and tested it out on the cart we were under. Luckily, he hit it on Hookfoot’s side. Unluckily, he yelped “Ow!” 

“What was that?”

Rapunzel started coughing.

“What about you? Who are you?”

“I’m Cobra!” Rapunzel said in a grunt, raspy voice.

 “Cobra! Uh, Cobra…” Oh great, I wonder what else she is going to say next? “...McBloodpuncher!”

It took everything in me to not let any noise escape me.

“You’re not on the list,” he said. 

Horse turds! Do they have a list? I didn’t think The Baron’s men would be the type that would bother with a guest list. 

“Cobra McBloodpuncher doesn’t do lists!” Rapunzel quickly saved herself. 

“Then what do you do?”

I really wished I could see what was happening. I only heard a bit of rustling.

“You should see what I do to people!” Rapunzel replied.

To my surprise, I heard laughing.  

“You’re alright, McBloodpuncher!” he said. “Why don’t you go on in there, eh? Have yourself a good time. Get some cake!”

Then I feel the cart moving again.

We eventually stopped moving and that was our cue to get out. 

We fell out of the cart. 

I felt massive relief once I took a breath of the fresh night air entering my lungs. 

“Why was I the one to get stuck with Captain Foot Odor?” Cassandra complained. “You’ve got enough stink for two feet!”

“How dare you, Miss Viking Breath! What? Do you brush your teeth with onions?”

Cass growls and draws her sword to attack Hookfoot.

“Okay, guys! Guys! Stick to the plan!“ Rapunzel broke their fight before it got physical. “You three grab our friends…while I cause a distraction.”

We nodded and tried to blend into the party.

I took a look around and honestly? This party is pretty neat. The food wasn’t half bad. The decorations were pretty simple. There was even a massive and pretty impressive ice sculpture! 

“Oh...there he is!” I heard Rapunzel’s voice yelling.

I turned around and saw Eugene with Stalyan and The Baron standing there. 

“Let’s get on with it, shall we?” The Baron said. 

“Funny, I was just thinking the same thing!” Rapunzel said and went to reveal herself by taking off her disguise.

“Blondie!” Eugene smiled at the sight of Rapunzel.  

“Eugene!” Rapunzel smiled back.  

“Blondie, you shouldn’t be here,” Eugene’s soft expression turned into a distressed one.

“Yeah,” Stalyan stepped in, “move along, Blondie.” 

“Hey, Eugene, just listen, please!“ Rapunzel pleaded. “I may not know what my future holds but I do know that you are meant to be in it. I love you!”

Everyone within a twenty feet radius awwed. 

I felt the princess’s self-consciousness. “And now that I’ve spilled my heart out to a room full of hostile strangers, feeling a little self-conscious.”

“Well, that was lovely. Are we done here?” 

“Not even close.”I’m just getting started. Cass! Hookfoot! Star! Brace yourselves” Rapunzel began untying her hair. She looked over at the black rocks nearby. We knew exactly what was going to happen. We quickly hid behind a rock. 

“It’s about to get rough in here!” Rapunzel put her hands on the rock, 

Nothing happens.

“Uh..uh…rough in here!” She said again and touched the rocks again. 

“Impressive,” Stalyan said sarcastically.

Frantically, Rapunzel rubbed her hair on rocks, but nothing happened. She eventually looked up and started to realize how foolish she looked. “Oh, yeah! That played out differently in my head.”

“Get them out of here.” The Baron ordered. 

“Hey, leave them alone!” Rapunzel yelled. 

We didn’t even have time to think, they surrounded us in a circle and tied us up in rope. 

“Tick-tick, Rider.” The Baron was talking to Eugene.

“Guys, they poisoned Lance!” Eugene yelled. 

Almost on cue, Lance stepped out. 

“Hi,” Lance waved. 

Saying he looked awful was an understatement. This man was on the brink of death, His eyes were bloodshot red. His skin was pale, completely drained of any color. Spots and warts were covering his skin. He looked like he had a fever. 

I felt enraged at what they did to him.

“Okay, Raps, if you have a Plan B now would be a great time to pitch it,” Cass said.

“We need that antidote!” Eugene pointed to the vile hanging around his neck.

“Never, Rider,” The Baron said.

Amid everything Rapunzel whistled. 

In a matter of seconds, Maximus came bursting into the event.

He immediately began to fight everyone in a circle, causing a distraction. 

Rapunzel managed to untie us while all of the Baron’s henchmen fought Maximus.

Cass took her sword out and began to join the fight.

“Starlight, star bright, I summon the power for me to fight,” I whispered.

In an instant, I was armored up. 

The henchmen looked at me for a second. 

“Cass, sorry. You were right about being on the road. It is not all fun and games,” Rapunzel said as she saw the henchmen encircling us. 

“Are you kidding? This is fun!” Cass said with a smile on her face while she punched someone in the face. Strange, I do admit but if there were anyone but Cassandra, that would be weirder. 

Unfortunately, more henchmen were starting to surround us. 

“Raps, we need a plan,” Cassandra yelled out. 

“I don’t have a plan C! I thought these would react like they did back in Corona!” Rapunzel yelled, referring to the black rocks surrounding us. 

“They’re not reacting because they found the Sundrop,” a familiar voice said.

I turned around and Adira was leaning against a wall while eating a slice of cake from the food table. “That would be you.” She pointed to Rapunzel.

“Great, weird shadow lady,” Cassandra groaned. 

“I’m not weird.” Adira grabbed her sword and began joining the fight against The Baron’s henchmen.  

I’m glad Adira, Cass, and Maximus took the brunt of the fight. I still wasn’t sure how to use my sword to attack so I just ended up trying to avoid getting caught again. 

One by one, the henchmen were K.O.’ed or ran away. 

“We got it!” Cass yelled. 

I looked over and saw Pascal giving Lance the antidote.

“Yes!” 

“Looks like The Baron isn’t feeling too well without the antidote,” Cass pointed out that The Baron was bitten by a spider. 

The Baron looked weak, the same way Lance was. 

“Blondie!” Eugene ran up to Rapunzel. 

“Eugene!” Rapunzel kissed him. 

Stalyan looked angry. She was clearly not happy about what just happened. She helped her dad up and walked away.

⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

By the time we returned to camp, the sun had already risen. 

I sat near the put-out campfire. 

Cass joined next to me. 

“Hey, I noticed that you weren’t fighting back there,” she said.

“Yeah, I realized that I don’t know how to combat with a sword.” I sighed. 

“I don’t see why that should stop you.”

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean get up and take out your sword.” 

“Huh?”

“Fine. Here.” Cassandra handed her sword to me. “Take it. At least for this first training session.” 

“Training session?” I blinked.

“Yeah, I’ll teach you everything I know about combat.”

I hesitated in taking the sword from her. Cass didn’t let anyone touch her sword. 

She smiled at me and I grabbed the sword.

“Okay, make sure to hold the hilt tightly.” 

Hilt?

She read what was on my mind. “The handle of the sword is called a hilt.”

“Oh.” 

We spent most of the first training session identifying parts of the sword. Cass explained a lot of the technical terms, stance, and all that basic stuff. In all honesty, most of the information went over my head, but I’m glad that I’m learning how to fight properly now.

[jeonsweetpea]

Moonstruck 11

Werewolf & Vampire Hybrid!AU, Supernatural!AU | Hybrid!Jungkook x Hybrid!Reader | Werewolf!Taehyung x Hybrid!Reader (ft. BTS)

genre: smut, angst, e2l, supernatural, thriller, slow burn

rating: mature

description: A plan to find out who placed the listening device in your room goes awry. 

word count: 7.8k

warnings: contains SPOILERS! Cussing, anger issues, gun use, cruel use of magic, biting, blood, no smut this chapter

a/n: Yay!!! I wrote something on Spring Break! Tumblr’s been kinda dead, but thank you if you are still here reading my works. I really do want to finish this series. I appreciate your patience. Happy reading!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11

Moonstruck Series Masterlist

Jungkook’s chest hurt. He didn’t expect to be attacked upon meeting you, but it didn’t look like you were going to stop soon. Too consumed by hatred and spite, you continued to hit his chest and ramble on about hating the world or something of the sort. 

With how fast you were speaking, he wasn’t able to keep up. However, there was one thing he managed to pick out since you kept repeating it.

“[Y/N], stop. Stop. Calm down. You’re hurting me,” He grabbed your fists and crossed them over one another in an “X” shape to hold you still. “You want to leave?”

You relaxed a bit. “Yes. I hate it here. I want to leave. I should have never come back.”

“Where is this coming from?”

“I want to leave!” you shouted, desperate for him to take pity on you. Your lips were trembling and you were taking in quick, short breaths. The sharp contrast in your behavior shocked Jungkook, so he nodded and hoped you would stop hyperventilating.

“Okay, okay. Think clearly for a second.”

“I’m serious, Jungkook. I want to elope. Like how my parents did. I want to leave and never come back.”

“At least tell me why first.” He held one of your fists up to his lips, placing a chaste kiss on your knuckles. “Please.”

“It’s Namjoon. He’s given up on me and wants to let me go. Says there’s not enough tuition coming in and that parents are scared of me and that he’s not fit to take care of me anymore.”

“Well, that’s kind of true. He’s done a horrible job,” You sent him a sharp death glare that spooked him into rephrasing. “I’m not defending him. He shouldn’t be kicking you out when it’s his obligation to protect all students.” You waited for him to continue, arching a brow when he was taking longer than 5 seconds to continue. “I’m on your side.”

“Are you? Because it sounds like you want to stay.”

He let go of your wrists, giving you the chance to cross your arms over one another in a huff. Jungkook sighed as he leaned back against the wall. “If we leave now, we’re letting the bad guys win.”

“I don’t care. This is killing me. H.O.P.E. and Hoseok and my humanity and now Namjoon… it’s not worth the fight. Not anymore. I want to leave with you. Go to a new state, a new country, even hell is better than here.”

Jungkook stared at the ceiling, pondering over your suggestion. He closed his eyes and let out a tired sigh as his shoulders slumped. You tapped your foot on the ground anxiously. 

“I don’t know what all Namjoon did or said, but this isn’t you.” He opened his eyes and stood up straight. “The you I know wanted to fight and figure this all out. We are so close. And now you want to run away?”

“Someone here wants me dead. Don’t you care?”

“Of course I care!” he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation. You froze and simply stared at him with wide eyes. He ran his hands through his hair like he was washing it in the shower, though much more abrasively. He growled and groaned to his heart’s content before shouting some more. “H.O.P.E. wanted me dead too! Or did you forget?!”

“... How could I ever forget…” you murmured, suddenly feeling small. Jungkook scoffed, turning his back towards you to compose himself. 

“This whole thing started because of me and what I did to Jaeho. So it’s up to me to end it. I’ll figure out who the mole is, with or without you.”

You dropped your arms down by your side, approaching him from behind. He felt you wrap your arms around his waist and embrace him tight. 

“Jungkook… please run away with me. We can just forget about it all. Start fresh. Live a happy life together.”

He heard some sniffles come out of you and dropped his head. “Don’t do this. Don’t cry.”

“I just want to escape this nightmare with the love of my life…” you choked out, finally letting your tears surface. 

“The school will be in danger if we leave. I won’t allow anyone to be hurt. I thought you’d understand that out of anybody.”

You circled around him to cup his face, making him look directly into your glossy eyes. “For once I need to protect myself.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t.”

You used one hand to wipe your tears away. “I thought you were my one. I guess I chose wrong…” 

Jungkook’s veins nearly exploded from what you could tell. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“N-Nothing. Forget it.” You couldn’t bear to look him in the eye anymore and removed your hand from his face. 

“You regret being with me. You want to be with Taehyung. Don’t you?!”

“I never said that!”

“You might as well have! Why don’t you go be with him then?!” You tried to reach out your hand to him, but he smacked it away in retaliation. “I knew you still had fucking feelings for him. Is that why you haven’t declared me as your boyfriend yet?!”

“Now you’re being unreasonable. Why do labels suddenly matter?!”

“They don’t! But if I’m the wrong choice, then go be with fucking Taehyung then!”

“Baby no, it was a mistake…” you said softly, trying to get near him but he backed away. “Please…”

“You’re unbelievable.”

“Meet me at the Old Mill at midnight. I want to leave with you, so if I don’t see you…” your words trailed off and you couldn’t bear to finish the sentence. “Then I guess we’re through.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“What choice do I have? It’s me or the school. And I choose myself. What will you choose?” Jungkook stared at you as he made his way over to your shelf. “Wait, what are you doing?”

“I’m pissed.”

In the blink of an eye, he knocked over everything that was on the shelf above your bed. Your glass picture frames shattered on the floor, books fell with a loud thud, and the sole survivor of the wreckage was the wolf plush. However, Jungkook was quick to spot it, making sure to stomp on it harshly as you screamed for him to stop.

“Leave it alone!”

“Why?! You love Taehyung that much?!” He stomped on it two more times before finally exiting your room, making sure to slam the door shut behind him. You fell to the floor, devastated by the mess. Picking up the now decapitated plush, the corners of your lips slowly curled into a smile.

‘It’s completely destroyed. He won’t be able to hear us anymore.’

Once it was midnight, you snuck out of your dorm room carrying a large duffle bag. Your body was covered head to toe in black, the camouflage being useful in the darkness. Rushing to the Old Mill with your enhanced speed, you made sure to slow down every now and then to check your surroundings. 

No sign of him. 

You continued forward, wondering if this was going to work. Would he follow you? What if it was all for nothing? Ari’s probably been alerted of your disappearance by now. Maybe she was reporting you to Namjoon at this very second. Fuck. This could go sideways fast.

No. 

Now’s not the time to be negative. The Old Mill was on the outskirts of campus and not too far deep into the woods yet for Ari to be worried.She might not even care, given how unstable your relationship with her already was. 

Your steps gained speed as you nervously looked over your shoulder every few minutes. You expected someone, no, wanted someone to follow you so bad that hallucinations were starting to take over your mind. Every shadow was suspicious, every sound putting you on edge. Paranoia got the best of you, so you sprinted to the mill and hid inside. 

You plopped the duffle bag on the floor, slumping your body to the ground against the wall. A half-hearted chuckle left your lips because this was all so silly. This was your plan, so why were you so afraid?

You lifted yourself off the floor and paced around the place to calm your nerves. Like the name suggests, the Old Mill was a decaying mill often used for parties. Sure, it was shabby given the rotten wood, dead plants, rusty machinery. But after sprucing it up, it wasn’t half bad. Not done by you of course but by Sunghyun. You were convinced he was a wizard for being able to glamourize the place when it was needed for social hangouts. 

All of sudden, your sharp ears picked up some sounds in the distance. Footsteps? Heavy ones. There wasn’t a familiar scent you could detect though. You unzipped your duffle bag right away and pulled out the gun you used the day your humanity shut off.

Without thinking you ran outside to be welcomed by a strong gust of freezing wind. Winter was here, but it wasn’t chilly enough for snow. Dead leaves blew into your face and you got rid of them with a shake of your head. As if angered, the wind hit you once more, almost causing you to fall backwards. 

The full moon’s light peeked through the branches of the trees and hit your moonstone necklace, causing it to illuminate brightly. At first, it was glowing but then transitioned into slow flashes. You heard something behind you, so you spun around and the stone flashed on and off some more. 

“I know you’re there!” you shouted in your most convincing I’m-not-afraid voice. “Jungkook…?”

You gulped and headed back into the mill against your better judgment. The shabbiness didn’t seem so scary before, but now it intimidated you. You held the gun up with both hands, taking slow steady steps. Your necklace was flashing rapidly with each step, acting like a tracking device of sorts. Once you reached the stairs, the flashing went berserk. 

Someone then grabbed you from behind out of the blue, covering your mouth. Your survival instincts kicked in and you bit the abductor’s hand without hesitation. 

“Shit [Y/N]!” 

That voice. “Jungkook?” 

You turned around to see him shake his wounded hand while hissing in pain. “Fuck, that hurt like hell.”

“I’m so sorry,” you said, taking his hand in yours. “I thought you were—”

“Shush.” 

He held a finger up to his lips, pointing up. A loud thud confirmed his suspicions and you both rushed upstairs. Someone was hiding behind the old wooden crates. Jungkook jumped them in an instant, the struggle being hidden in the darkness where the moonlight could not reach. 

“Gotcha now you little bastard,” you said with your hands on your hips. “Drag Taehyung out here.”

Jungkook obliged, yanking the culprit out of the shadows and into direct view of you. Pushing the creep to the ground, you gasped in shock when he wasn’t who you were expecting to see. 

“Sunghyun?”

Your eyes nearly popped out of your skull. Jungkook scoffed and facepalmed himself in disbelief. 

“H-Hi [Y/N],” he said meekly while on all fours. You growled and lunged forward, causing him to let out a shriek and fall on his bottom. He shielded his face with both hands and the way he was sitting allowed something to stick out from his pocket.

“What’s that?” Jungkook questioned. Sunghyun froze but then tried to quickly hide it with his hands. 

“Nothing!” Your partner bent down to get a closer look. When Sunghyun shied away and glanced at the exit, Jungkook held him still. “Let me go!”

“What are you hiding?”

“I-It’s just a notebook and pen!” he cried. You got closer to him, pulled the said notebook from his pocket, and flipped it open to the latest date. The boys watched you closely with Jungkook taking note of your confusion while Sunghyun grew more and more anxious. 

You didn’t really understand what you were looking at at first. There were words/phrases written haphazardly in almost every page of the book, but barely legible except for the date in the corner. Something about an OC popped up a lot, so you asked about it.

“What is all this? Are you writing some kind of story? What’s an ‘OC’?”

Sunghyun cringed, wanting to disappear right then and there but Jungkook’s hold on him was firm. “Um… original character?”

You continued skimming through the journal, picking out some key words. 

‘Ambush… mystery… sire bond? OC deals with a dilemma at the banquet? Humanity… dangerous to turn off?’

A realization dawned on you when you read the latest page Sunghyun had written on. Jungkook picked up on your anger, asking you what was wrong. You shoved the book in both the boys’ faces.

“What the fuck is this?!” you hissed. “You wrote OC was eloping, OC was giving up, OC needs help, you even wrote about Old Mill in here!” You grabbed Sunghyun by the collar and lifted him up into the air. 

“You knew we’d be here!” 

“I can explain! Just don’t hurt me! P-Please! I know what this looks like.”

“Oh?” Your irises shifted to goldenrod and your fangs elongated before his very eyes. “One bite and your life will cease to exist.”

“I swear, I have a good explanation. Don’t.”

“Hey [Y/N], I want to have a go at him too,” Jungkook teased, his eyes also turning a fiery gold. 

“No!” Sunghyun whimpered. “Good god, have mercy!”

You were about to make your next move when your sharp ears picked up Jimin, Ari, and Professor Kim’s voices.

“Sunghyun! Come out, we know you’re there!” Professor Kim’s voice boomed.

“Fuck…” you whispered. “What do we do?”

“Hand him over?” Jungkook suggested as he forced the boy to stand up on his feet. Sunghyun shook his head in protest.

“Please no!” Sunghyun elbowed Jungkook in the gut as hard as he could, which sent him flying towards the back of the mill. His back made contact with the wall before he fell flat onto the ground face forward. Sunghyun snatched the notebook from you and dashed off, leaving you stunned by his resolve. 

“Jungkook!” you shouted. Your boyfriend groaned but dismissed your concerns. 

“Go after him, I’ll be fine!”

You nodded, using your speed to catch up to him. However, when you arrived outside you found Sunghyun’s collapsed body in front of Ari. She had a smirk on her face, crossing her arms at the sight of you. Jimin and the professor were behind her and they mirrored her actions.

“What are you doing here?” she questioned. 

Shit.

5 Hours Earlier…

You dropped the listening device in a panic, its fall cushioned by your mattress. Part of you wanted to scream, but that would allow whoever was eavesdropping to know you were on to them.

‘I need to find Jungkook.’

Shoving the bug back into the wolf plush and pretending nothing happened, you left your room in a hurry only to run into the headmaster.

“So it’s true. You are back.”

“Namjoon…” You shut the door behind you fully. “It’s been a while.”

“That it has. Everything alright?”

“Um… yeah. As normal as it can be.”

The professor cracked a smile big enough to showcase those lovely dimples you missed. The smile was short-lived, however, and replaced with a grim one in a split second. He closed the gap between you two, using his tall stature to loom over you. He was too close for comfort, inhaling deeply like he could sniff out your fear. 

“I heard Professor Min found you and Jungkook.”

You stared at his chest rather than his eyes and cleared your throat before speaking. “That’s right.”

“I tried to find you too. Jimin and I both did. It was hard. You didn’t want to be found after all.” He scratched the back of his head, chuckling to himself for a reason unknown to you. You let out a small laugh too, finding the situation more and more unsettling. “I gave up after that night.”

That was when you snapped your head up to look at him. “What night?”

He finally took a step back from you, his judgemental glare unwavering and definitely not helping to assuage the unpleasant atmosphere. “Don’t play dumb. You had a gun before you ran away. What happened to it?”

You shrugged, wanting to keep it for yourself. “I don’t know. I used it.”

“On who? Tell me.”

You scratched the back of your head, racking your brain to think that far back. “So I might’ve shot some supernaturals. I don’t remember.”

He scoffed and crossed his arms in disapproval. “Is that so? You didn’t shoot them for fun? Tie them up, make them fight each other, hurt them to fuel your twisted needs?”

“Why are you attacking me?” you asked, cracking under the pressure. “I just got back. I don’t need this right now.”

You walked away, but that didn’t stop Namjoon from continuing the conversation.

“This performance of yours so far isn’t that convincing.”

You should’ve kept walking. You wanted to run. Yet you spun around, letting your feelings get the best of you. Stupid humanity. “What performance?” 

“Is your humanity really back on? Or are you faking it?”

You scoffed, nodding your head in understanding. “Ah… so you think I’m lying. Putting on an act. That’s funny coming from you.”

He rubbed his chin as he analyzed your body language. “What do you mean by that?”

“Remind me, we crossed paths in the outside world, right? Up north? Tell me about that because I have no recollection of that.”

“Just like you don’t have any recollection of what you did with the gun?”

“Don’t answer a question with a question. You’re the one who lied to Professor Min!”

“Okay, I know we didn’t cross paths,” he admitted.

“So why say it? Did Jimin make you do it because you’re being compelled?” It was a stupid outburst, but the interrogation was agitating you. Even if he was being compelled it’s not like he could tell you. 

“Where is this coming from? No, I’m not being compelled. You know I take vervain everyday. I even wear a ring laced with it.”

“So I’m just supposed to believe you went patrolling with the vampire that I shot. That he was oh so eager to find me?”

“Actually yes. Even though you shot not one but two bullets at him, he was compassionate enough to understand you were under immense pain and stress. He wanted to help get you back.”

“Uh huh, sure.” You rolled your eyes, which made Namjoon clench his jaw.

“I’m serious. Yes, I lied,” he confessed, mumbling the last part. “But that’s because we had spent the entire night trying to find you and we were ambushed thanks to you and your reckless behavior!”

You bit your lip. “I know I did many stupid things when my humanity’s off. But I didn’t kill anyone.”

“That’s the problem. Maybe you should’ve.”

“What…?”

“You not only drained most towns of their blood, but you just had to go and piss off the other adult werewolves and vampires, huh? Challenge them to become the alpha of their pack, then shoot them for fun when they don't obey. Steal blood bags from vampire families who have children. You were evil. Pure evil.”

Your tough front was deteriorating. Crumbling. You couldn’t take how disappointed Namjoon looked. 

“[Y/N]... I am responsible for shaping young adults to find their place in this world. So when you’re off making other supernatural lives hell for no reason other than for sadistic pleasure, the backlash falls on me. Jimin and I nearly lost our lives because they knew you were my student. It was that night I decided enough’s enough. You went too far.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s time for me to let you go, [Y/N]. I can’t help you anymore. That’s why I lied to Yoongi and said you attacked us. I thought he’d understand you were too far gone to go after, but he never gave up on you. I did.”

“No,” you stated, shaking your head in denial. “I have been through so much. You can’t give up on me. You made a promise to me. My dad. My mom.”

“I understand but—”

“Shut your mouth, don’t interrupt me. If it wasn’t for my parents, you wouldn’t have found out about the supernatural or have been able to open this school. Plenty of students here have done outrageous things, so why are you giving up on me? You care about me.”

“It’s because I care about you that I’m letting you go. Because I’ve failed you as a mentor, a headmaster, and as a friend. Like you’ve said, you’ve dealt with nothing but pain. What is here for you now?”

“Figuring out why this shit keeps happening! Don’t you even care? After the ambush with H.O.P.E. and Hoseok, I want to get to the bottom of things. But you… you act like I’m the villain when I’m a victim. You know what triggered me to shut off my humanity. And yes, I hurt many people, but I didn’t kill anyone. I am back and I am trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Meanwhile, you… you…”. 

You let out a laugh that was far from amusing and then smacked your lips. Staring straight into his eyes and never breaking eye contact, you continued letting off steam. “You act suspicious and make up lies. Professor Min told you about Jimin and my mother, the whole story, and you shrugged it off. Talking about second chances or some shit. When he could possibly be the real danger to this school!”

“Jimin was the one who kept telling me to not give up on you. To keep patrolling and find you because you were worth it.”

“Oh pfft, he’s covering his own ass.”

“You’re wrong.”

“You’re brainwashed.”

“You haven’t even apologized to him yet, have you?”

“... I haven’t seen him. You shouldn’t be scrutinizing me. I told you to keep an eye on him. He knew about my mother and lied. You should be fearing him! He might try to kill us all!”

“That is a bold accusation. Where’s your proof? Because from where I’m standing, you are the one people are afraid of.”

He made a grand gesture with his hand towards the lobby. “Look around you, [Y/N]. Listen to the deafening silence. There are barely any students left. So that means there isn’t enough tuition coming in anymore because of you and what you did. I understand you were dealt with unfavorable circumstances—”

“Unfavorable? It was ludicrous!”

“—but you can’t waltz back in here and point fingers. You’ve done so much harm that I’ve made my final decision.”

“... What decision…?” You were quiet now, fearing the worst. This type of anticipation was awful because there was no way the next words he was about to say would be positive. 

“I let the students take their Winter Break early. But for them to come back next semester… I need you gone. Like I said before, I’m letting you go.”

Your heart felt like it had been chained by an anchor and plummeted into a bottomless ocean. You had never seen Namjoon so serious and part of you wished this was some kind of sick joke. But he didn’t look away. Instead, his stare was ice cold and distant.

“No…” you whimpered in denial. 

“Their parents don’t want you here. You can stay until winter break is over, but then you have to go.”

You closed your eyes and fought back your tears. “You said I’m a threat. What’s to stop me from turning off my humanity again? You think throwing me out is what’s best?”

“I simply believe I am no longer fit to take care of you…”

“You don’t… you don’t mean that. Why are you punishing me? For money?” You opened your eyes, burning with anger. “I might as well leave now!”

“No,” Namjoon stated firmly, “You will not.”

“What’s the fucking point?!”

“You still need to take classes in order to graduate. Next semester, you’ll transition to online classes at another campus, and I won’t be responsible for you. So for now, you are forbidden from leaving campus until this semester is over. Or else I’ll fail you.”

In the heat of the moment, you spat in his face and didn’t feel an ounce of regret. “Fuck you. Professor Min’s right. You have changed.” Namjoon wiped off the spittle on his cheek, staying silent like the coward you saw him as. “I don’t know what hold Jimin has over you, but I swear to god. I will get to the bottom of this. You’ll see.”

You ran to the side of the mountains where the lake was. Jungkook had mentioned he was going to spar with Jimin and maybe figure out if he had a tattoo or not. You didn’t know how he’d do that without suspicion, but you trusted him.

Upon your arrival, you didn’t notice how strangely intimate the two boys were on the docks due to your tears. The boys were in each other’s embrace with little to no space in between their bodies. More importantly, Jimin's face was right in front of Jungkook’s.

But once they were aware of your arrival, Jungkook leaned back quickly and rushed by your side when he saw you crying. Jimin didn’t say a word. 

“What’s wrong???”

“Namjoon’s an idiot and I just, I need to talk to you.” You were breathing so fast that you were about to hyperventilate. Jungkook hugged you and patted your back to calm you down. “I need to talk to you.”

“Okay, okay. Let’s go,” Jungkook waved goodbye to Jimin and he gave him a small smile back. You briefly met his gaze, but he quickly looked away. Figures. 

Jungkook took you to the caves where he turned, where there was complete privacy. He’s made the place cozier than the last time you came, so you two sat down on the fuzzy rug he had. Wrapping you in a blanket, you rested your head on his shoulder as he embraced you.

“What’s going on?” he asked in a gentle voice.

“I ran into Namjoon. He said he’s letting me go. He's given up on me.” 

You hated that you were still crying, but Jungkook held you close. He waited until you calmed down enough to tell him everything. 

“... I think we should run away,” you suggested at the end of your spheal. 

“No baby. That’s what they want. For you to run away scared. Namjoon is clearly influenced by Jimin.”

“And what if he’s not? What if I’m wrong about this?” You stopped lying on his shoulder and grabbed both of his hands. “Let’s run away. Together. Just you and me. New country. New state. I don’t care. Please.”

“I know you’re hurting, but you’re not thinking clearly.”

“Jungkook, I found a listening device in my room!”

“What?”

“I found it in the wolf plush from the sports festival. And I’m so confused and tired of trying to figure this out. Let’s leave.”

“If we leave, what’s to stop Jimin and whoever he’s got under his spell from hurting more people? Like our friends or family?”

“I’m drained. Exhausted. Defeated. It’s too much”

He kissed your forehead. “I know. But this is our mission. We’ve been in this since the beginning. Namjoon wants proof, right? That’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to make that motherfucker pay for the ambush, the car crash. All of it. We have to end this.”

You hated how right he was. “Okay…”

He wiped away one of your tears. “[Y/N]... if the listening device was in the wolf plush, do you think that means Taehyung put it there?”

“What? No, why would he?”

“Because he’s working with Jimin.”

“But Taehyung loves me. He would never want to hurt me. That’s Jimin.”

“How else would the listening device get there? He won it for you.”

“Jimin was there with him. Could’ve slipped it in there.”

“Without him seeing? Come on.”

“Why are you changing subjects? Jimin is our priority.” 

“I don’t know. Something feels off… Taehyung was happy I was back. Relieved, even. Hasn’t he done or said anything weird to you?”

You wiped away your remaining tears, thinking deeply about his question. “Now that you mention it, yes. Taehyung has always been obsessive, but he took it too far when I went to see him.”

Jungkook raised an eyebrow in question. “Did he do something to you? What happened?”

“I wanted to ask him about Jimin’s tattoo. By the way, did you get a glimpse of it?”

“No. Our sparring session didn’t go the way I planned.”

“Damn it,” you huffed. “Anyway, before I could ask him about Jimin’s tattoo I knew I had to let him down easy. But he kept being so pushy, wanting me to tell him everything about my past. And then he said he knew I was sterile because he read my file.”

“What the fuck is wrong with him? He had no right!” You patted your boyfriend’s back to calm him down. 

“Yeah, I was furious. He told me he read my file because he thought I read his.”

“Did you?”

“No, it was a lie I told Ari because I didn’t want her to know that I was—”

“Looking into Jimin’s file,” Jungkook finished for you. A dawn of realization came over the both of you.

“Oh my god,” you both chorused.

“Ari is the only person who I lied to about reading Taehyung’s file. And if Taehyung knew that means either Ari told him or…”

“He’s the one who planted the bug,” Jungkook said, jaw clenching in anger. “What did you do with it? I’m going to confront that bastard.”

“I left it in the plush. I didn’t know what to do with it and wanted to tell you right away. If Taehyung really did put it in there… I think I may have a way to find out for sure.”

He waited for you to say something else, the anticipation killing him. “Tell me.”

“We’re going to have to elope.”

Back in the present…

“Did you not hear me? What are you doing here?” Ari repeated again, this time more ticked off than before. “I hope you weren’t trying to run away.”

With so many eyes on you, you figured telling the truth would be best. After all, you had nothing to hide.  “No. I was tracking a lead. Someone planted a bug in my room and I was sure they’d be here tonight.”

“As in Sunghyun?” Ari pointed to the unconscious body on the ground without an ounce of surprise in her expression. “Makes sense. Boy ran straight into my barrier spell and collapsed.”

Good thing you didn’t really plan to elope. “Huh?”

A groan was heard behind you and you saw Jungkook limping while holding his side. You ran over quickly and had him throw his arm over your shoulder for support. 

“What’s he doing here?” Jimin asked, not expecting to see anyone else with you.

 “Helping [Y/N] investigate,” he replied, wincing from the pain in his back. It didn’t take long for him to notice Sunghyun on the ground. “That little punk attacked me.”

“Alright,” Namjoon said while clapping his hands together. “We’ll get some more answers as soon as he wakes up. For now, let’s get him to the underground cellar.”

“Wait, I’m confused,” you stated. “What’s going on?”

“Let’s just say Sunghyun here has a bit of an obsession with you, [Y/N],” Ari quipped. “You’re lucky my boyfriend found out the truth. Show her.”

That was when you realized Jimin was holding a stack of papers down by his side. He shyly held it out to you and Jungkook gave you a small nod to let you know he could stand on his own now. You walked over to Jimin and received it, noticing how he was still unable to look you in the eye. 

“What’s this?” You shuffled through the papers quickly as your eyes raced back and forth through every word.

“Can’t you read?” Ari asked in a mocking tone. You glared at her, but she rolled her eyes in response. 

“That right there are screenshots of Sunghyun’s blog, which has become quite popular on the internet as of late. He’s been posting his stories there,” Professor Kim explained. 

“Stories about you,” Ari added. “Well, about everyone. He’s been writing down the things that have been happening at our campus. Congrats, you’re the main character.”

You couldn’t even begin to comprehend how ridiculous the situation was. It was almost laughable. In fact, you should laugh because there was no way one of your classmates was writing you as the main character of fucking fanfiction on the internet. But the evidence was clear and your enhanced speed allowed you to read through all the papers in a snap. 

“Oh my god…” you breathed. “It’s true…”

It wasn’t a secret how Sunghyun loved to write, but you had no clue he was writing about you. At least he was smart enough not to use your real names. Every chapter he wrote was basically a timeline of all the horrible events happening at the school. From the ambush to the sire bond to you losing your humanity, he’s been jotting it all down for the world to see. 

Now the jottings in his notebook made sense to you and your emotions were in flux. 

“Are you serious? Let me see,” Jungkook said. You handed the papers to him, trying to process what to say next.

“So how did you find this out?” you asked the group. 

“My boyfriend,” Ari answered with her hands on her hips. “You owe him an apology.”

“Uh… what?”

“It’s because of him we were able to figure it out. He’s been nothing but helpful and the last time we spoke, you shot him and threatened me.”

You scoffed and crossed your arms over each other. “You’re lucky I only shot his leg.”

“You’re so fucking annoying. Apologize!”

You pointed up towards the sky. “It’s a full moon tonight. Watch your tone.”

“Say it now!” Your eyes burned goldenrod in anger. 

“Stop!” Jimin cried in protest. “Ari, let it go.”

“But babe—”

“Let it go,” he repeated. He then turned his attention towards you. “I didn’t find this out on my own. Taehyung’s dad called earlier.”

You tilted your head at this fact, intrigued while your irises faded back to normal. Taehyung rarely ever mentioned his family, let alone his father. From what you remembered during the time y’all dated, he dodged the topic of his family often. 

“Taehyung kept ignoring his calls, so one day I decided to pick up instead,” Jimin informed. 

“You answered someone else’s calls?” The judgment in your tone was more than apparent by your attitude. 

“I was worried it was some kind of emergency. Anyway, his dad found the link to the blog and shared it with me. He works at a big writing company and sometimes they go to the internet to see what kind of stories people are into to hopefully market them. And that’s when Sunghyun’s story caught his eye, so he wanted to tell Taehyung because you know… you and him dated.”

“I see…”

“With everything going on, I was alarmed that Sunghyun was writing about you in such a way. Using your struggles to boost his platform… that’s wrong. I had to tell you.”

You were skeptical about his thoughtfulness and Ari didn’t let that go unnoticed.

“Yeah. You’re welcome,” Ari said haughtily. “Now apologize to him.”

Everyone stared at you, but you were tight-lipped. Namjoon ran a hand down his face, sighing. “I think you should apologize to him, [Y/N]. Without him, we would have never found this out. And you accused him of being the mastermind behind all this.”

“You’ve got some nerve!” Ari exclaimed. If she were in a cartoon, there’d be steam coming out of her ears. “Say you’re sorry!”

“Guys, it’s okay…” Jimin said quietly.

“No. She put this on herself and she should apologize for it.”

“Here I thought coming home to my best friend would be a delight,” you snarked. Ari raised her hand like she was about to cast a spell, but Jimin snatched her wrist and shook his head.

“Stop. Let’s get Sunghyun down to the underground cellar first.” Ari flared her nostrils but lowered her hand anyway. You were relieved but also shocked how quick she was to turn on you like that. Still whipped as ever. Twisted even.

You watched as Jimin bent down and lifted Sunghyun up and over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Namjoon started heading back first, followed by Ari, then Jimin, and last with you and Jungkook.

“What do you think?” Jungkook whispered to you. You stared at Sunghyun’s passed out face as he bounced with every step Jimin took. 

“I don’t know what to think. But I do know Sunghyun will have more answers.” You sped up to catch up to Jimin. “Hey. I have a question.”

“Yeah?” You both stepped over a log. 

“Does Taehyung know you answered his phone?”

“No. I didn’t tell him anything.”

“Why not?”

“Because if he found out Sunghyun had done this to you, I don’t think he’d be able to keep still. You know how he feels about you.”

“... Right. Well… thank you.”

He finally made eye contact with you and curled his lips up into a smile. “That my apology?”

“Don’t push it.”

“Hey Jimin, hurry up. I’ll take everyone back to campus,” Professor Kim called out over his shoulder. Jimin obeyed and vanished with Sunghyun in an instant. 

“Wait, why does he get to go alone? He knows the code to the cellar?” you asked. 

“Yes. You’ve been gone for a while, so I entrusted it to him. He’ll keep an eye on Sunghyun until he regains consciousness.”

“Can I go with him? I should interrogate him first.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t trust you to keep your cool. We’re dealing with someone who made terrible things happen to you for the sake of his writing.”

“But—”

“You can wait. It’s late anyway.”

Jungkook placed a hand on your shoulder and shook his head when you were about to protest some more. “It is late. Why don’t you catch up with Ari?”

You gave him a knowing look. “Great idea.”

“You’re joking, right?” Ari asked with disgust. You came up from behind her and grabbed her hand, forcing her to go back to your shared dorm room in the blink of an eye. 

“Well then… I’ll be on my way too.” Jungkook said.

“I’ll walk you,” Professor Kim said, walking in the same direction. 

“It’s okay.”

“I insist,” Jungkook eyed him suspiciously but didn’t say anything else. “I want to make sure you don’t wander off anywhere else. You and [Y/N] shouldn’t have been outside in the first place. It’s not safe.”

“Don’t act like you care about us.”

“What did you say?” Jungkook sped up his pace. “Hey, I’m not finished talking with you!”

“Let go of me.”

“With pleasure.”

You released Ari’s hand and shut the door. She groaned obnoxiously loud, turned away from you, and retreated to her bed. “What do you want?”

“Some answers.” Against your better judgment, you sat down next to her. She gave you a quizzical look. 

“Not sure you want to sit next to the girl whose boyfriend you shot.”

“Hey, I was right about him. You refused to listen to me.”

“You think you’re always right, don’t you?” 

“No, that’s you. Jimin is dangerous. There’s so much about him you don’t know.” 

“Ugh~,” she groaned while rolling her eyes. “Why are you still on this?! Sunghyun is clearly the culprit!”

“And I will deal with him later. I’m trying to warn you because even after all the shitty things you said to me, I still care about you.”

“I wish you had never come back.”

The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. Ari watched as your face fell, but you didn’t pull away and remained by her side. The mission was what’s most important right now, so you had to ask your questions before she lost her patience for good.

“Have you ever read Jimin’s file?”

“Like how you read Taehyung’s? No, I’m not invasive.”

“Professor Jin left. I heard you were appointed as the new head witch, so you have access to them.”

“I still haven't read them. I have morals.”

“So did you tell Taehyung I read his file?”

“No. Your relationship was doomed anyway with or without my input.”

Man, this spiteful nature of hers was draining to deal with. But now you know for sure Taehyung had put the bug in your room. There was no other explanation. 

“Ari… regardless of all that's happened, Jimin has been lying to you. To all of us. He remembers who turned him.”

"Why does that matter?”

You got off the bed, pacing back and forth in front of her. Conflicted, you bit your lip and thought about how to break things to her. “What if I told you the person who turned Jimin is related to me? And now Jimin wants to kill me because of what that person did to him?”

“Will you for once say something that makes sense?” She hopped off the bed, her eyes full of hate and fury. “Stop slandering him. You’ll regret it.”

“I don’t fear you, Ari. I’m warning you because he has violent tendencies. He could hurt you.”

“Shut up. I don’t want to hear it.”

“But Ari—”

“Shut up!” She immediately started chanting some Latin words under her breath, causing you to take a step back. A sudden ringing sound pierced through your skull, causing you to fall to your knees while holding your head in agonizing pain.

“ARHH, ARI!” you screamed. “STOP!!!”

She continued the dangerous chant for a few more seconds until you fell onto the floor, curling your body into a ball. “Why are you trying to destroy my relationship?! Why?! Why can’t you be happy for me?!”

The ringing grew louder to the point where you were sure your head was going to explode. Blood came out of your nose and your whiny moans made Ari more angry. 

“Shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut up!!!” she screamed at you. “You should have left me alone!”

“Not… until… you tell me something…” you strained to say. Using as much strength as you could muster, you stood up and dropped your hands. Your stubborn nature was going to kill you one of these days, but you had to show her you were serious. “Does… Does Jimin have a tattoo?”

“What?”

“Does. He. Have. One?!” you said, finding it hard to breathe. 

“What does that matter?!” You grabbed her by the shoulders, fighting the throbbing headache you had now that the ringing stopped. 

“Tell me!”

Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to give you a proper reply because someone barged into the room. 

“[Y/N], Jimin needs you!” It was Jungkook, who was clearly distressed. But once he saw your nosebleed and how pale you were, all concerns for Jimin vanished. You could barely face him before fainting. Of course, your boyfriend caught you before your body could hit the ground. 

“What? What happened to Jimin?!” Ari asked hysterically, not giving a damn about your unconscious state.

“What the hell did you do to her?!” Jungkook snapped.  

“Tell me what happened to Jimin!” she demanded. Jungkook looked down at you and caressed your cheek, trying his best not to cry. “She’s not dead, so tell me!”

His head snapped up. “He got bitten!”

She almost collapsed to the ground herself. “By who?!”

“Taehyung!”

Ari was stunned by the shocking news and ran as fast as her legs could go. A werewolf’s bite was lethal to vampires; everyone knew that. Hybrids like you and Jungkook could turn voluntarily, but normal werewolves were forced to turn every full moon. Taehyung shouldn’t be anywhere near a vampire tonight so why? 

Only once did Professor Kim mention there was a cure for werewolf venom, but he said it was very limited. Ari chanted a teleportation spell during her sprint to the cellar, cutting down the time she’d have to run there by foot tenfold. 

“Jimin! Jimin, where are you?!” She banged on the door to the cellar desperate to get in. She even considered zapping the keypad despite knowing it was spelled to be indestructible. Fortunately, Professor Kim opened the door for her.

He could barely get a word in because she pushed past him to get to Sunghyun’s cage. There, Sunghyun was still unconscious, but he was chained to the wall unharmed. On the floor near him though was Jimin, who was clutching the side of his abdomen in agony. Blood stained his shirt, hands, and pooled on the floor. 

Ari turned her head to see that on the opposite side of the cage was Taehyung, who was naked and hugging his knees. He kept rocking back and forth, too shaken up to say anything other than he made a big mistake. There were blood stains on his upper half, but most of it was smeared across his mouth. 

“Jimin, no!” Ari ran over to him and tried to heal him with every spell she memorized, but nothing worked to seal the massive bite mark. Her boyfriend managed to smile at her, letting out a weak laugh.

“Ow… I think I’m dying… I feel like shit,” he said in a hoarse voice.

“No. NO! You are not dying on me!” She snapped her head up towards Taehyung. “Did you bite him?! Why?!”

“I’m sorry… I’m so, so sorry,” Taehyung said, hitting his head with his fist. “I’m stupid. So stupid!”

“I should kill you!” Professor Kim stood by the cage’s entrance and sighed. Ari took notice of him, feeling a glimpse of hope. “Professor Kim! There’s a cure, right? You said there was!”

“There is but… it’s very… rare. Shit, I didn’t think this would happen,” he muttered.

“Tell me what it is! I’ll do anything to get it!”

“It’s not an ‘it’. More like… a who.”

“What do you mean?”

Professor Kim closed the cage and locked it up, hanging his head down low. “The cure for a werewolf bite is an original hybrid’s blood.”

Tag List: @horanghae18 | @gee-nee | @mrcleanheichou | @kookwolf | @hisunshiine | @ggukkieland | @veryuniquenamegoeshere | @holyhumorliteraturelight | @namjoonies-dimple | @iloverubberduckiez-blog | @mono-kookie | @monetsberet | @beingbeings |  @millie-ionaire05 | @awsome-small-k | @purpleheartsfortae | @ggsmashgg | @hopesmoon | @d-noona | @a-kookie-with-my-tae | @jooniegloomie | @hodginss | @hear-me-growl | @starlight-night0 | @music-makes-me-shine | @jkeuphoriadreamland | @mama-m0chi | @staerryminimini | @seoul9711 | @sugamonster22 | @moments-of-melancholy | @giadalin | @rageyoudamnednerd | @billboard-singer | @emmmui | @bts-sexo | @krystle1990 | @sugaslittlekookies | @laurynne5 

@jksunflower | @shileh | @angellesword | @chimchoom | @demonslover | @channiespup​ | 

[hollyhomburg]

Before I Leave You (Pt.4)

(Omegaverse au, Mafia au, Bts x Reader)

Summary: Yoongi makes his choice, so does Moonbyul.

Pairing: Beta! Yoongi, Omega! Reader, Omega! Jungkook, Omega! Seokjin, Alpha! Namjoon, Alpha! Hoseok, Alpha! Taehyung, Alpha! Jimin,

Tags: Graphic material, Death, Murder, Dead bodies and dying described in detail, brief suicide attempt, suicidal thoughts, depression, DARK THEMES, guilt, blood, a touch of blood kink? drugs, murder/crime themes, guilt, kinda fuck or die vibes? finally fluff at the end, mating marks, 

W/c: 7.1k

A/n: here is the moment you’ve all been waiting for! the big d word moment!!! my carpal tunnel is acting up, I will probably not be able to get the next chapter out for a few days or until next week. Chronologically the next chapter continues after part 1. 

(PLEASE READ TAGS FOR CW BEFORE YOU PROCEED)

Previous part — Masterlist

Part 4: If I Have You 

Pulling the trigger is the easiest thing you’ve ever done. 

Geumjae’s body flinches back from the force of the bullet. The ceiling splattering with the spray of his blood. It hits the side of your face too, your white shirt crested with red at the shoulders, dripping down your throat along with the blood from your mating bite. It’s a percussive splatter, noisy as it hits the wall.

People never talk about how blood gets everywhere during a murder. Yoongi is unable to stop his flinch when Geumjae’s brain matter and viscera splatter against him, just a little. 

Yoongi didn't think you'd actually do it. 

He watches you shove the body away from you, hard, what's left of his head, an empty vessel, hitting the floor with a hollow thud. His hands leave you for the last time, but the pain isn't finished. 

Yoongi barely has the forethought to lunge forward, knees scraping, wrestling the gun out of your hand before you can turn it on yourself. The barrel of the gun is hot when Yoongi's hands close around it and yank it away from your own temple. The smell of burning skin joins the metallic scent of murder. Your scent is a mess- it’s barely had a chance to mix with Geumjae’s burning wood-burning bread and wrath, rainstorms, and gunpowder. 

He shouts your name but you don't respond. 

Yoongi yanks the gun from your hands, probably hurting your fingers but panicked when he hurls the gun to the other side of the room and takes your hands in his, wrestling with you and screaming your name until the fight goes out of you. 

You’re hyperventilating when you stop struggling. Both of your wrists pinned above your head in both of Yoongi’s hands, his knees pressing your legs to stillness in a way that could be sexual but isn't- it's the easiest way for him to restrain you- both sprawled on the bloody floor. Yoongi’s crying, tears dripping down his nose, every other drop shines pink from what's on his face.  

“Yoongi please- please just let me go- I don’t want to become a ghost- I don't wanna become a walking corpse.” The way you look breaks his heart, your neck so bruised and bloody, your face swelling too from Geumjae’s hits. The way your eyes hold only darkness and no warmth as you look at him and beg- beg him to let you take your life. Your pupils are so small he can't see them at all. 

“Let me die Yoongi- please just- if you do one thing for me- let do this. let me go."

Yoongi looks at your mating mark and can already see the thin tracery of ink spreading under your skin- inky blackness spreading from your mating bite and up your throat. A piece of someone who’s dead inside of you, shot through with silver to make it stand out more. 

It’s like some silly zombie bite in a bad horror movie but it’s so much more haunting, The veins in your eyes are even starting to discolor. You have maybe a few minutes before the mating bite takes you over completely and you’re mated to someone dead.

Zombie movies were nothing more than fear of this taking root in common culture, everyone fears losing their mate. What else is more terrifying than something that takes your humanity in the way that this has taken yours. This is every person’s worst nightmare- a death sentence.  

‘Ghosts’ are what society has dubbed the women and men who live after losing their partners. Most of the time they live without alpha or a pack- unable to bond to anyone else ever again once their mates are dead. Mating bites are a one-time thing. 

When one-half of a mated pair dies- a person's body has a peculiar way of letting outsiders know how to treat them gently- The mating mark turns black like a brand. A mark to let everyone know that they would never have another person to take care of them- to love them.

But you aren’t alone- you’re not alone because you have Yoongi and he’s right here with his wide palms on you. Hands that where always made to fix things, but you aren’t just some broken toy that needs a bit of glue.  He’s too late, just seconds too late and only inches away. 

He grips both of your forearms in either of his palms hands, pulling you closer. Making you sit up, dragging you into his lap like carrying your weight in his arms will fix this. Anything to hold onto you- to not lose you too soon. 

"Stop- just stop, I've got you- I've got you," Yoongi repeats it more for himself than he does for you.

But there are wounds in your body that can’t be fixed by simple hoping. There is a limit to what one person can take. Despair is one hell of a drug and while Yoongi fights and fights there is no undoing what Geumjae has done to you.

But maybe…

Yoongi dares to hope; “It’s only a half bond if we-“ he falls silent as the idea settles over him like a bucket of cold water. His brain rushing over everything he’s ever learned about mating bites and beta’s; all of the statistics and articles that Namjoon had shoved down his throat when Jungkook had first stopped having seizures. 

The medical mystery that betas were; how they were able to heal unseen hurts and maybe- maybe this was like that. Maybe the solution to this problem lays in Yoongi’s veins, in his mouth. 

His jaw aches at the very suggestion of it.  “I’m a beta- and betas don’t usually mark- because- because they’re stronger than alpha and omega bites.” 

It’s the only truth that makes sense. All of the stories of omegas and alphas going crazy after being bitten by betas, not being able to move from them too far, extreme clinginess- a bond that was too close, too strong, stronger than anything else in their life. You weren’t supposed to bond with someone so deep, the bite almost seemed to do more harm than good. 

But you’re already dying and there isn’t much worse that could happen to you.

You don't have anything to lose but Yoongi does. You shake yourself free from his arms and pull back. Recoiling from what he’s offering to do for you; tether him to you forever when you might not make it. 

You can already feel the mating mark taking hold- It's already starting to cloud your judgment, deep down, the part of you that cares if you survive this is already winking out. The blankness sinking through your every inch, The emptiness. You’d be surprised if you lifted your hand to your chest and found your heart still beating. 

“Yoongi- No- you don’t have to- you’ve already got a pack and don’t- don’t bind yourself to someone like me.”

It’s the same argument that you had before but there’s no force behind it- every stupid excuse you had for him not to love you is moot now that your husband is dead next to you. But you're done; Every breath takes more effort than it should and you feel so heavy. You look down at your lap and feel the lethargy sinking beneath your bones like lead. Hidden hands gripping around your throat cutting off your words.

You feel like you’re choking on something. 

You’ve felt depressed before (how could you not have given what your life was like before Yoongi). And having a mating mark from someone deceased feels like that but worse, like it's turned up by a factor of three. A weird mixture of dizzy, absent, and dissociative. You have never felt less connected to your own body, it feels foreign.

You are nothing but a soul inside a body, craving release. A thread of black that wants to tug you down to where ever Geumjae is now. 

The sinking sadness says to you with gentle hands- this is a fine spot. You can just sit here, It’s okay. You don’t have to move, you can just sit here until you die. As long as no one bothers you and hurts you again, you could just sit here, as long as it was quiet and peaceful. Things don't even have to be good, you don't need good things, you just need it to not hurt anymore. Until the earth reclaims you like it takes abandoned buildings. 

 A sharp pain that goes through your heart, an ache so deep that it speaks to cavernous places, wakes monsters that you didn’t know where there. 

You’ve never really wanted to die before, maybe as a passing thought- but didn’t everyone think that way? it’s so different now- where the thoughts are all consuming, running over your words in your head like oil spreading and staining cloth. 

Die- want to die- want- want- want die- wanna go- wanna be quiet- wanna fall asleep and not wake up- want to- 

But if you decided to lay here and not get up again, Yoongi would stay too.

He would try and get you to move, probably beg and try to get you to live. Even if he never bit you, he’d stay next to you until the end, just to hold your hand so that you didn’t have to be completely alone. You thought dying would feel more lonely,  But maybe it doesn't feel that way because Yoongi’s here. 

His hand closes around yours, his thumb rubbing soothing circles as he cries. And you think if you want one thing; it's for him to stop crying. Out of all people- Yoongi doesn't deserve the hurt (but maybe you're biased because you love him).

That tips the scale in his favor.

Geumjae’s blood is pooling on the floor. His body gives a twitch, the last remnants of his misfiring nerves as he dies. You feel the painful jerk in your mating bond. Yoongi watches the muscles of your neck twitch. 

Neither you nor Yoongi pays him any mind. 

"You don't have to do this Yoongi." Yoongi’s hand on your cheek- is like a balm to those words, pushing them out of your head. “You can’t take it back. If I die- you could die too.”

“But I want to” he kisses your cheek- and the contact lights a flame down your neck to your touch starved heart. The heat flares to light and the next second your body and your mouth are aching to bite. Your instincts an avalanche around you begging you to complete the bond that’s tearing through you making you shake. He kisses a little closer to your lips, cheeks wet and cool against your skin.

Geumaje and Yoongi were related by blood at all, maybe your instincts can’t tell the difference. 

“I don’t care if it does- I can’t- I’m not going to just let you die” his voice breaks on the last word. Not when it was me who was too slow to save you; He won’t say the words or whisper his guilt into the open air. 

“Please sweetheart- let me.” He kisses your lips. So soft- achingly soft, Your first kiss, you wish it had happened under better circumstances.

You hate that the first kiss you and Yoongi share tastes like blood.

But there would be more- there could be more kisses if Yoongi manages to do what he’s saying he can. The mark on your shoulder is already healing, the blackness stretching to scar treacherously fast. Normal mating bites usually take a day or so to heal, but not yours, it’s already scabbing and sealing in the poision.

If you’re going to try this- if it’s going to work- it has to be now. The bond is advancing, regardless of the fact that Geumjae is barely dead, barely cooling beside the two of you.

It’s barely been 10 minutes since you shot him. And if you listen carefully- you can hear sounds in the rest of the house, maybe someone else from the gang here- about to come upstairs and discover the mess of you three. muffled voices and heavy footsteps grow louder by the second. 

Yoongi is safe but you’re not. “Yoongi,” you say, his name a broken hymn on your mouth. Musical- and Yoongi can’t think of a time when he wouldn’t want to hear it. Hoping for more of this closeness and maybe one day, a love that doesn’t hurt.

You get the feeling that even if you are broken beyond repair, this man could fix you. Wide hands and careful fingers that rub the blood away from your skin, hands made for making things and mending things when they break. And maybe you’re selfish enough to let him bind himself to you- broken as you are.

You press your forehead to his, you have to ask one more time. "Are you sure Yoongi?"

He nods, quick and small, "I'm sure." there isn’t anything in his eyes that makes you doubt him.

"Okay," you say softly, tugging him closer, tilting your chin up to the sky, your skin stings where it stretches around the mating mark. "okay. Come here then."

Your hands tangle in Yoongi’s hair as you guide his mouth to your throat, and his mouth sliding into the space where Geumjae was just minutes ago. He lingers for just half a breath before sinks his teeth over the mating mark, a little deeper- his mouth a little wider. He makes the bite a tiny bit offset.

Your breath hitches, back arching. His hands-on your waist go hard, holding you closer to him, as close as he can get you. Unlike before when Geumjae’s bite was agony, this feels like heroin- like every drug mixing together sending you up and up.

If you looked down and saw your hands were tipped in gold you wouldn’t be surprised. For a second you think you can taste colors, and then the chocolate sea salt of Yoongi settles over your tongue delicious, like ambrosia- fuck it’s so strong, it’s halfway between a headache and a high. You gasp when you feel it, feel Yoongi all over, Goosebumps rising on your arms as he touches you. The smell of ocean breeze and chocolate filling you in a way that Geumjae’s scent didn’t.

Geumjae’s bite was nothing compared to this, a whisper to a symphony. 

This must be what a mating bite feels like when you want it. You cry out. Gripping the lapels of his coat. Yoongi’s heartbeat thunders in your ears, the only thing you can hear, until the beat matches to your own, heartbeats pumping in sync.

Your blood tastes sweet and he wonders what it says about him that he likes the taste. He gulps at it- once- twice- and then a third time just to make sure the mark sticks, maybe he could suck a little bit of Geumjae out of you.

His kisses get feverish, lapping up your blood with wide laves of his tongue, moaning a little. and this time when you kiss- with your blood in his mouth, they get hurried and rushed like he can consume you, each one sweeter than the last. There is one moment of nausea, only one moment where Yoongi sees the black tracery receded and feels it dim. 

Maybe it’s not gone, but at least it's buried.

Yoongi can almost feel you, can almost feel the bond, but not yet. Your scent, it's all cake-sweet now. You kiss him until your jaw aches until your lips feel bruised. Until you know the sounds below actually are people, rushing around trying to find Geumjae. Calling out your names. 

Yoongi is the first to break apart, the room spinning. “Do me” he lifts the edge of his shirt, picking out a spot that he likes, the meat just above his hip. A spot is half-hidden by his shirt and his pants.

Not everyone likes to have their mating marks on their neck (you certainly would have chosen to have yours another place had you been given the chance). And Yoongi stretches out so that you can get your mouth on him, your mouth on the spot he wants to bind your soul to his.

He holds one of your hands in both of his hands so gently as you cup his hip and bite down, even as you begin to make out the noise of gang members coming up the attic stairs. Yoongi bites down a moan, lets you take one gasp of blood into your mouth before your teeth leave his skin.

The high rushes over him and he knows his pupils are mirrors of yours, black and dilated. He just has time to wipe his blood from your mouth and get you as close as he can, before the attic door creaks, the barrel of a gun pushing it open. And the gangsters enter the room with practiced steps.

Yoongi pulls his shirt back down just before they have a chance to see.

You play the part, slumping against him and letting him take the reigns. the people must take it for pain even though you’re shaking not with sobs, but from the feeling of Yoongi’s soul intertwining with yours. Full body shivers and something solidifying between the two of you. 

Together you shake, Yoongi is barely aware of the gangsters clearing the room. 

You feel like you can taste his thoughts, though you can’t actually hear what he's thinking. You can feel the way they tumble like small waves over each other. You feel concern and something else, something that feels an offal lot like love shoot down the fledgling bond as Yoongi’s arms pull you up, firmer against him.

It makes shivers rise on every inch of your skin, the pleasure he feels when he touches you that you're now hyper-aware of. It's what your body has been craving- the completion of the bond.

You both bleed- your blood dripping onto the floor. One part sacrament and sacred love and another part poisonous longing for a man you hated so much more than you ever loved him. This feels strange, it feels wrong, and that you have one part of you reaching out for something that’s not there. And then this- with Yoongi, right and front of you and inside of you. Completely occupying your heart and your mind and your body.

Accept for that one poisoned inch; you might not be completely his, but it's enough now, the bond with yoongi occupying those thoughts you'd had minutes before.

The gangsters don’t touch Geumjae, at least until Moonbyul enters the room, unarmed. Yoongi’s cousin eyes Yoongi from the door. There isn’t enough room in this torture room for the 12 or so gangsters and the three of you, they press against the walls, guns at the ready.

Moonbyul approaches Geumjae’s corpse, turning him over with her foot to see his blankly staring face, turning it towards the heavens instead of hell. For a moment, Yoongi thinks she might actually kick him. She plucks her pink handgun from the floor. Someone passes her a rag and she wipes it free of blood and fingerprints.

Her eyes on Yoongi are hard; a bit of mirth playing on the edge of her mouth as she plays her hand. A queen in a room full of pawns and knights, and the king underfoot. Her hand of aces. 

Betting it all on a simple game of roulette- red or black- will Yoongi challenge her or not. Yoongi doesn't miss the way her finger hovers on the trigger. 

“I suppose this entire situation would be concerning to me- if you hadn’t already named me as Don.” she nudges Geumjae's body again with her foot. "I guess he didn't take it well?"

She lies effortlessly, taking the moment to seize power. So this was what she was waiting for. Yoongi doesn’t challenge her words for fear of what she might do right now, not that he really would anyway. 

Yoongi tips his head forward in difference, “No he didn’t,” 

Moonbyul tucks her gun back into her waistband, and holds out her hand to pull yoongi to his feet. 

Yoongi takes you with him, small and still a little high in his arms. You hide your face in Yoongi’s shoulder, Holding onto him tight. You don’t know if you could take it if they tried to separate you now. 

Yoongi has to swallow to continue, struggling to think before he speaks with so many new sensations shocking his body. He's intimately aware of the way you shift in his arms, arms tightening around you at the very idea of you moving more than an inch away from him right now as you settle onto your own two feet. still a little unsteady. 

“He- he mated her against her will, and then he tried to kill us when I told him I wouldn’t- and- and after-” It’s not a lie- not really, but it still feels that way. Moonbyul doesn't need to do anything more than that to nod to call her men off, and they all relax around the room. 

They instantly fade from engaged concern to understanding. The other heads of household will probably grill Yoongi more. But you’ve both got time to get your story straight. For now, they need to clean up the body.

It helps that threatening the beta is a punishable offense; no one will question Yoongi killing him- especially since they’re brothers. Most of the families tend to think that inner house spats that family's business. Yoongi doesn’t know which of his relatives will inherit the title of head of the Min family, but it won't be Yoongi.

You’re small and silent in Yoongi’s arms, so vulnerable, he keeps you a few paces away from any of the mobsters, bites down a growl whenever any of them come too close to his mate. It’s just the mating bond making it’s self-known. You are his. No one can touch you.

Yoongi has never been a possessive man, but now he is. The mating mark tearing through him and screaming at him to protect, to provide, to nurture, and keep safe. He strokes down your back as his cousin quietly orders the others to clean up the mess and Geumjae’s body. The family has cleanup crews on call for this very reason.

They quietly offer to burn the house down to stage the death but Yoongi doesn’t care. He guesses it belongs to him now or maybe you. It depends on which bond the family will consider more important; the bonds of a half mating or the bond of brotherhood.

“I’ll handle it-“ his cousin has the good grace to offer comfort to Yoongi that way when he gets you into her car. she doesn't say anything about the dents in the side.  

Yoongi doesn’t quite hate her for any of this, but he doesn’t trust her the same way he did before either. She’s gotten what she wanted- the Don position. Plucked it from Yoongi’s hands.

“You haven’t had a chance to call the heads of house and tell them about your decision yet, but after that, you should be free to go” she reads him easily as always, The only other manipulator up to par with Yoongi himself in the gang. She knows that not an inch of Yoongi wants to stay in this house or this city a second longer.

At the idea of leaving you to straighten up in Yoongi’s lap to listen in a little more, you share a look with Yoongi. Your mate, your body sings the eye contact makes you shiver in your seat. Yoongi pulls you closer, stroking up to your arm mistakenly thinking you’re cold. You pull yourself closer to him- but it feels like you can’t get close enough, He makes a dissatisfied noise in his throat.

Yoongi will have to get used to this feeling. Like his soul is walking outside of his body. It feels incredibly vulnerable and intimate- He can feel your panic, how physically you’re being torn apart right now, every few minutes you shake. Yoongi puts your legs over his and holds you close. Watching your face closely for every twinge of pain as the lights of the city flicker over you two.

The meeting with the heads of house is tense, though the usual group of is two short now, standing only at eleven members now that Geumjae is gone and Moonbyul is named Don. You cannot be Don and a head of house at the same time.

It takes every bone in Yoongi’s body to let you be taken into the other room by Moonbyul’s mate to check over your injuries. He stops her with a hand on her shoulder. He catches Moonbyul’s nostrils flare, but she doesn’t say anything. “Would you look at her bruises for me?”

Later Yoongi will check them himself, again and again until he's sure you're all right. But the sooner you get ice on the nastier bruises the better off you’ll be. Someone should look at your ribs and your head too- he has half a mind to take you to the hospital before you leave the city. He doesn’t know how long it will be before you’re stationary again. He’d stay in the city tonight if you needed to. But he can feel your panic down the bond, The sooner you both get out of here the better.

With Geumjae dead there is no true opposition against his cousin's rule. She stands at the head of the table like she’s meant to be there. And still- the heads of the families talk through the night, kicking the non-proverbial dead horse into the ground. There is little mourning for Geumjae, one granny who cries faintly in the other room while the heads argue. Yoongi supposes he should look more upset, but no one pays attention to him now that he’s made his choice.

No, what they spend most of the time discuss is you. Sat in the other room, able to hear all of this, the men and woman weighing your fate and deciding what to do with you. If Yoongi listens, he can hear Hyejin’s quiet voice. Can feel your discomfort as the ice hits your ribs, maybe broken, definitely badly bruised.

Yoongi flinches every time he feels the pain pulse down the bond. Maybe in time, it will feel less sensitive but right now- Yoongi can feel your hurts just as bad as he can feel his own. A part of him is reaching out into the other room, screaming in his ear to go comfort his mate.  

He has a mate. Yoongi can scarcely believe it.

The gangsters around the table remain blissfully unaware of that fact. Most of the heads are on the same page, and he won’t reveal his mating mark unless he absolutely needs to, he will let that secret stay secret unless necessary. It’s a good bargaining chip. They wouldn’t kill you if they knew it was going to kill him too. But still- it’s hard to hear them argue over your fate when he can’t intervene.

“You know the rules- no divorces and no separations,” one alpha says, he’s older- nearing 60, but Yoongi can’t excuse that cruelty with age. The youngest, the head of the Ahn house does the rebutting for Yoongi, and he bites his tongue.

“But it wouldn’t be a divorce; she’s his widow now and his ex-mate technically.”

“Yes but that’s only a half bond.” There is only one omega head, and the woman snubs her long cigarette out on the table leaving an ashy circle 

“It’s only the alpha bite that matters- or have you forgotten?”

To her credit, the omega doesn't back down. “Chances are she’ll die anyway why are we even talking about her, we should start transitioning already.”

“That’s easy to say- if she’s got nothing left to lose what’s to stop her from going to the police.”

“I can keep an eye on her,” Yoongi volunteers, jumping at the chance to turn the discussion to his favor. They can all go fuck themselves if they ever dare to try and hurt you. “You say she’s as good as dead anyway. So you shouldn't mind if she comes with me.” 

The likelihood of anyone living after their mate dies is in the teens. Yoongi knew that and even then he bonded to you anyway. He can only hope that with his bite coursing through your veins and your body confused that you’ve got better odds than that. Yoongi did what he promised to do, now your odds are both 50/50. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t go to the police.”

Through the bond he can feel your curiosity and a little bit of fear too, you’re listening in. And he does his best to let his calmness comfort you too. Your panic instantly relaxes and he senses you reaching out. If you were next to Yoongi you’d be holding hands, and it kind of feels that way. If you could ever hold hands with someone’s soul.

“You realize that if you make her your responsibility, anything bad that happens will fall on your head as well” their betas might be sacred- but they aren’t free from the rest of the laws of the gang.

“I understand.” The Don lifts her head, regarding Yoongi with a heavy look. “She’s his widow and whether we want to address it now or not, the law says she’s inherited his wealth.”

It's met with immediate opposition, several heads of house start speaking over each other at once,  but Yoongi speaks up again, shouting over them. A beta raising their voice is about as strange as one giving or getting a mating bite, everyone falls silent. “Give it to me or her- I don’t care.”

another few minutes and they’re ready to let you go. they vote on it, and only 3 out of 11 heads vote to have you killed. Moonbyul gives the all clear, “Then you’re free to go.” Yoongi doesn’t even say goodbye, going to you in the other room just as quickly as he can without outright running. The Don’s mate is crouched in front of where you sit. Your body is mostly clean of blood and you’ve been put in other clothes; a pair of sweats and a baggy shirt.

Yoongi can see all the bruises on the side of your face turning purple and Yoongi wants to cup your face and bring it to his, kiss away the pain coloring your skin like watercolors, but can’t do it here. “Do we need to go to the hospital?” 

“Not for her but maybe for you, no ones checked you over yet, have they?”

yoongi grits his teeth, seconds away from snapping at hyejin, he wants her to get away, get as far from you as possible. “i asked if she needed the hospital.” 

Hyejin stands when Yoongi crouches. shaking her head when it becomes clear yoongi isn’t to be argued with right now. “There’s something wrong with her- but I think you know what” her eyes hover on Yoongi’s hip.

 So at least she’s figured it out. She has the good sense to utter the words quietly. Though the people in the other room aren’t concerned with Yoongi anymore, they’ve already launched into discussions about transitioning power and re-defining responsibilities. It seems Moonbyul had a plan on how she wanted the family to run from the beginning.  

He shakes off his annoyance, “Thank you,” he says to the omega, holding out a hand to you, which you take, still not saying anything. Tiredness holding you down to the chair. The same kind of look you’d had when Geumjae had died. The mating mark has been taped over but some of the blackness is still there. Yoongi wonders when it will fade, if it ever does.

“I wish I could say I’ll see you soon but I don’t think I will.” You and Yoongi nod, your hands twined between the two of you. She knows that neither you nor Yoongi has a love for the gang. No one stops you and Yoongi when you leave the house. Immediately hailing a taxi. You stop only at Yoongi’s safe house for a spare 20 minutes, while he packs up a fraction of his belongings in a hurried rush, anything to get out before someone tries to change their mind.

If Geumjae had any hidden loyalists the beta that killed him and his runaway wife would be the first targets. Let alone their reaction if they knew who had really killed Geumjae. The quicker the two of you get away from the city the better.

You end up at the train station, Yoongi breaks the bracelets off of your wrist- the same ones that he saw you wear on you the first night- and the ones that he’s always thought looked like shackles. He yanks at them as hard as he can until they snap; kissing your wrist after each one is off. You throw them over the side of the chain-link fence and into the darkness- to be lost forever you hope. The symbols of all you’ve lost.

When you get on the train, you cuddle close under Yoongi’s jacket and into his warmth. He’s a protective barrier between you and the third seat that thankfully remains empty this late into the night it’s so late it’s nearly early morning. Most of the train is empty besides an elderly couple at the front. Regardless, the two of you sit behind them. Yoongi can’t take his eyes off of the potential threat. Actually flinches when the conductor comes around to stamp your tickets.

You head off into the night- your little box of light in a sea of street lamps and hidden dangers. You almost fall asleep a few times, head bobbing as you catching yourself before it hits his shoulder. After the third time this happens he pulls you in close, tucks your head close to his scent gland, and commands “sleep” in a voice that you cannot disobey.

Eventually, you wake, the car is bright with the midday sun and the car is half full. Yoongi’s eyes are bloodshot as they train on every passenger who comes in and leaves your train car. Yoongi holds your hand, rubbing his thumb up and down the back in an endless trail. A conductor opens the door of your train car to pass through, bunching a few tickets here and there from the new passengers who have boarded the train.

He passes by where you're bundled and Yoongi flinches so hard it wakes you fully. his shoulder accidentally nudging a bruise on your cheek, He murmurs his apologies, panicked hands fussing over you. He could feel that he hit one of your bruises and the horror of hurting you make him wide-eyed and worried. You catch his hands, pressing the pads of them to your lips. Yoongi's hands shake as they touch you, hours later, he's still high on adrenaline. 

“You need to sleep Yoongi” it’s been a long few days for both of you.

He doesn’t answer with more than a grunt. But you get off the train at the next stop and it’s nearing noon by the time the two of you stumble across the street to a motel, and it’s shitty and smells like cigarettes and the lady at the front desk asks if you need the hourly rate or the daily rate. Though she does give you a discount because Yoongi’s a beta. Eyeing the blood-soaked collar of his jacket and the bloody bandages on your neck.

You should be holed up somewhere safe away from prying eyes to adjust to your new mating bite- not in a hotel where the smells of other people assault your nose. Making you press close to Yoongi because everything smells so new and scary. Like your senses have been turned up and only Yoongi can quell their sensitivity.

you don’t realize that the attendant gave you two beds until you get to the room. you both stare blankly before you cough and separated. the closeness too much now that you’re alone and free from threats. Though it doesn't feel that way. 

you hate it- you don’t want to curl up across the room from Yoongi- you want to be next to him. you almost whimper when he He steps away to the other bed to set down his backpack. You want to cry, your skin feels irritated and itchy without his pressed to yours. You want him to touch you but you can’t stay it. Don’t know how to ask around the thickness in your throat.

He gets a clean shirt from his black backpack and helps you put it on so that you don’t irritate the mating bite. You can’t lift either of your arms much and neither can he but he pushes through the pain for you. He only has 2 or three sets of clothes that he grabbed from the cottage, and it’s all you’ve got.

“We’ll get some more clothes for you tomorrow.” He doesn’t say that you should have grabbed some of your clothes- because you both know you couldn’t handle staying in that house a second more than was necessary. You barely thought to linger long enough to grab your purse, which thankfully had everything you really need in it. 

Somehow he has athletic tape in his bag, and he spends a few minutes changing out your soaked through bandages, bundling up toilet paper, and taping it over your mating bite. Only after yours is taken care of does he let you do the same for his bite on his hip, and the burns on his hands. 

You pull his pants off and then his boxers down just enough so that you can get at it, small from your mouth, the skin around it irritated and pink. You try not to let your eyes hover on the small happy trail that traces from his belly button downwards. The band on his boxers is stained with blood- and you wonder how much it hurt to have it dig into it all day.

You curl up in separate beds, and only when you’re under the covers do you slide off your pants. leaving you only in a large shirt that smells like yoongi.  Yoongi does the same, says “goodnight” and shuts off the light but doesn’t turn away from you, keeping his eyes on you in the darkness. 

You’re silent for a few minutes, but you can tell that neither of you is falling asleep. Your bed feels cold and you wonder if he feels the same, you let the distance hurt for a minute before you give in.  

"Thank fucking god-" He peels back the blanket for you the second you make the move and dash across the cold room. you scoot into his warmth and he lets out a little ‘oof’ when you collide. Letting him pull you closer, put the blanket over your back, and make sure all of your skin is covered.

It’s not enough for Yoongi and he pulls you sideways so that he can get some of his weight on top of you. A growl building in his chest at the thought of anyone walking through the door right now.

He needs to check the lock, make sure that no one can possibly disturb you. Needs to- the instinct filling him so harshly he can’t breathe. He tries to pull away, but your hands tighten on him, and you let out a whine so heartbreaking that instantly has him releasing comforting chocolate, flopping back on top of you nuzzling under your chin, you feel like you’re drowning in it. 

Your love with Yoongi is still too new and raw to be close like this without feeling shy- and yet you can’t resist, your mating bond is like a fresh burn that you can’t stop picking at because it hurts. (Like there’s something dead there that you need to get rid of, you can’t heal around, you need to tear it out so that it feels more like bleeding rather than something that was carved out by hungry heat.) You fiddle with the bandage at your neck before Yoongi takes your hand in his, lacing your fingers together.

For a moment, you crave the release that blood might give you- and like he can feel it. Yoongi presses a kiss to the back of your hand. “Couldn’t sleep?” Yoongi says. You shake your head. The motel creeks and overhead you can hear someone else moving in an adjacent room. Yoongi gets his head on your pillow and adjusts his hand around your waist so that he’s not hitting the vicious bruise that Geumjae left with one of his kicks.

The last 24 hours have been such a tangle. It feels weird to not move now. Yoongi’s heart is still hammering; you can feel it under your palm. You’re both unwilling to relax and close your eyes even for a second even though you’re both exhausted.

You’re worried if you close your eyes you’re going to see Geumjae's face.

Yoongi left the light in the bathroom on for you. Sensing that the shadows would be too thick with nightmares for you to handle for long. You look at each other in the darkness before Yoongi lets out a shaky little giggle.

“Do you know what I just realized?” he says, the words quieted against the too scratchy bedspread. “We could have gotten a better hotel, we easily have enough money for it now” and that’s true.

If Yoongi’s orders were followed and the gang's accountant really did transfer all of your inherited wealth to your name then- fuck- both of you saw the bank statements. Both of you know how much money Yoongi’s family had amassed- the same wealth that Geumjae had inherited and now you.

“Fuck you’re right,” you say, ducking in so that you don’t have to meet Yoongi’s eyes. Geumjae used to hit you sometimes if you did that- and trained habits die-hard. 

yoongi kisses your brow, slow little pecks that travel down your cheeks, as unhurried as they are sweet. It's strange to be close to him now when it’s all you’ve wanted for the last few months. You never thought you’d get this. It feels like a daydream and a nightmare all at once.

“We could buy a whole house- or three” and even then you’d have more than enough money to live on after. For the rest of your days, comfortable and cozy even if you were foolish with the money. Yoongi still gets his stipend from the gang. No doubt to be greater now that he’s the only beta.

He stops his kisses, mouth hovering on your cheek, “We could do that.” he sounds like he’s barely containing his excitement. 

You’ll both be fine. Neither of you will ever have to worry about money again and it makes you feel sick and happy with something that feels a terrible lot like grief.

Even if you got that- the last 24 hours haven’t been worth it. You’re not entirely out of the woods yet. The mark on your shoulder is scabbing over and inky. But every few hours of closeness that the two of you have- Yoongi think’s he sees the color fade- just a little bit.

You don’t know where the giggle comes from but one moment it comes out of your mouth and you laugh, and Yoongi joins in the sound startling out of his chest. He presses his forehead tight against yours and sighs at the sound. You see the moment clarity falls on him and an idea settles into his mind the second it hits. And dim happiness settles over your bond.

Yoongi lifts your hand to his mouth and kisses your bruised knuckles. “Let's buy a house.”

You smile- tired from today but still willing to placate him. “Okay Yoongi, we can do that.”

Now finally, his eyes are starting to droop, every few seconds he tries to keep them open, but you know he's seconds away from sleep. His words slurred when they whisper, his sweet chocolaty breath tickling your cheeks. “Goodnight sweetheart- love you.”

“Love you too,” it’s the first time you’ve ever said those words to each other. It feels like the first of many times you’ll say it. Forever- you and Yoongi will be mated together until you both die. And who cares if that happens tomorrow or months from now. Who cares? Because you have him and that’s all that matters.

Yoongi holds you and knows- that he will love you- as long as he can.

He watches you sleep, waits until your eyes are closed. Until he can make sure you’re safe and warm. A gentle purring fills the hotel room, soft and peaceful. yoongi hears it louder when he presses his ear to your chest. He tries to keep his eyes open, but somewhere around the second hour- they fall closed.

Neither of you dream.

—————

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[neon-junkie]

Why can’t this be Love? - Chpt.8

Summary: You’ve never really fit in, despite trying, despite being on the cheerleading team, despite awkwardly socialising with the popular crowd. It’s not for you - these people aren’t for you. Yet, you don’t know how to escape! Do you continue following a dead end? Or finally break away?

The answer is made for you after your ‘date,’ a boy on the basketball team, bails on you, and uninvites you from some stupid basketball after party. Whatever, that’s fine. But what’s not fine is the agonisingly long walk home. Oh, in the dark, late at night!

However, your saviour finds you, and not only does he save you from walking home alone, but the conflicting feelings that you’ve spent the last few years with.

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Female Cheerleader Reader

Reader Description: Reader is female and uses she/her pronouns. Not much detail is given about her appearance, other than she wears heavy eyeliner, and is clearly an outcast that is trying to fit in.

Word count: 3.3k

Warning: This chapter does contain physical assult (a fist fight.)

Tags: Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Slow burn, Awkward flirting, Drinking, Angst, Comfort, Generic High School Bullying, Denial of feelings, Feelings realisation.

[Chapter 1]  [Read on AO3]  [Chapter 9]

Chapter 8 - My Princess in Shining Armour

Hawkin's Mall is... well, it's Hawkin's Mall.

It's no Starcourt, but it'll do.

There's only so many notes stuffed in your purse, and you're eager to rid yourself of some coins, making your purse a little lighter. Your budget is set, and you ponder over the map, deciding which stores will work well for the image that you're after.

"Where first, Princess?" Eddie questions as he approaches you, handing you a can of soda that he's just beat up the vending machine for.

Beat up... with cash, because Eddie Munson is no thief!

Well, he's stolen your heart, but that's as wild as this devilishly portrayed boy will go.

"Shit, I don't know," you curse as you pop the can open, and take a long, fizzy sip.

Eddie's eyes gloss over the information board, and within seconds, he presses his finger on the board. Eddie looks at you with a smirk, and mutters the word, "Spencers."

"I'm after clothing, Eddie. Not a bong," you laugh. Whilst Spencers is a fun store, you're not after anything whacky, although you do feel like Eddie would be right at home if he wandered in.

"Trust me," he grins.

Well, how are you meant to disagree with that? "Go on," you groan, and watch with a sarcastic, irritated expression as Eddie begins venturing through the mall, urging you to follow.

Spencers soon comes into your line of sight, and Eddie grins like an excited child as you follow him inside. As always, the store is filled with naff knick-knacks, and the cashier is a textbook definition of a stoner. Oh, what a surprise!

"See," Eddie gestures to a few different rails, presenting the perfect set of accessories.

"Oh," you sheepishly sigh, realising that Eddie was right. Whilst they may not have the clothes that you're after, there's more than enough chains, rings, and necklaces to weigh your pockets down, even if your purse does become lighter.

"Here," Eddie mutters as he fishes your can of soda from your hand. "Go wild," he laughs. With your hands free, you're able to dig through the rails, picking out weird and wonderful accessories that your parents are, no doubt, going to question you for.

Every item that you pick up earns a positive comment from Eddie, gushing things like, "that suits you," and "yeah, nice choice!"

He's the reassurance that you've forever been after, providing nothing but support, and hopefully, love. But we'll have to see where Eddie takes us...

Soon, you waddle over to the counter, and the noise of heavy accessories hitting the glass desk causes the cashier to jump, his Playboy magazine almost falling from his grasp. He begrudgingly cashes you out, and returns to his 'reading' the second your hand meets your shopping bag.

You and Eddie wander from one store to the other, eager to find treasured items, hidden deep within over-crowded rails and grouchy shoppers. To your surprise, one store has two top that have caught your attention, and it only makes sense to try them on!

Eddie is sitting outside the dressing room, his foot thumping nervously like a rabbit, eager to see which top you're going for. Eddie expects you to try them on in private, unbothered by his opinion on such a thing like fashion. Even the sound of the dressing room curtain gliding open doesn't catch his attention, too fixated on fidgeting with the ring on his soda can.

"Eddie?" you call out, pulling his attention away.

Eddie lets out a soft, "hm?" as he gazes up at you, only for his eyes to turn wide at the sight of your possible new purchase. It's a simple cami top with a skull design across the chest. However, the slight peak of your chest is causing Eddie to blush brighter than the sun, despite the fact that you're showing nothing but a tiny peak of your chest.

Boys, huh?

You notice exactly where Eddie's eyes are fixated, and with a laugh, you reply, "I suppose this is the top that I'm going to purchase?"

"Shit," Eddie curses under his breath. "I was... uh, appreciating the design!" Eddie defends with a cheesy grin, and a silent expression that reads, 'please don't kill me!'

"And my boobs?" you smirk.

"I mean..." Eddie purses his lips as he shrugs, "you can't help natural attraction, right?" he stutters.

You shift your weight from one leg to the other, your hips swaying in time with your movement. Sure, you're trying to accentuate the curve of your body just to rile Eddie up, even if the tag on the back of this top is itching your shoulder. "You're attracted to me?" you bat your lashes, cornering Eddie even more.

Eddie's leg continues to thump against the floor, covering up the tense silence. "W-well yeah," he stutters, "but I was talking about... our biology, or whatever that science bullshit is?"

The laugh that you were holding back finally bursts out, as the changing room attendant throws his two cents in, "that's a deep grave that you're diggin', buddy," casting his words to Eddie.

Eddie shamefully buries his head into his hands, doing everything he can to hide his embarrassed expression, with the help of his moppy hair. It works, and the sight of Eddie looking like a scolded puppy causes even more laughter to rise from your chest. "I'm only messing with you, Eds!" you call out.

A shy gaze meets your playful one as Eddie peeks between his fingers, still covering his expression from the world. You decide to take pity on this poor man, and innocently raise your hands as you reply, "I'm going to get changed."

The curtains are drawn shut, and Eddie waits a few seconds before removing his hands from his face, ensuring that the area is clear. He takes a big swig from his soda, finishing the can, and crunches it in his grasp before disposing it in his bag, because a good boy like Eddie Munson does not litter!

As he finishes zipping up his bag, Eddie accidentally makes eye contact with the dressing room attendant, who slowly shakes his head. Shame fills Eddie once more, despite knowing that you're only messing about with him.

But, hey, at least Eddie got a cheeky peak at your tits!

The rest of your evening is filled visiting every other store, your purse becoming lighter, as your shopping becomes heavier. Even Eddie has purchased a few things for himself, including a new pair of jeans. When trying them on, Eddie put on his best feminine voice as he asked you, "does this make my bum look big?" to which you winked and replied, "massive."

The Mall music had turned silent for a brief second as an announcement trailed through the speakers, informing shoppers that the Mall would be closing in an hour. With that, you and Eddie headed for the food court, desperate to chow down on anything decently edible, seeing as you didn't get time to eat your lunch.

You're spoilt for choice, but you know that, deep down in your heart, there is only one cuisine that will fill the void in your stomach...

Ah, of course Eddie is the type to slurp his noodles, rather than spin them in place on his plastic fork. Well, he's attempted to do that too, but he's yet to prove himself successful. So, slurping it is!

To your surprise, despite his slurping, he's a tidy eater, minus the one blob of chow mein sauce just above his chin. As good as your food is, you can't help but fixate on that small blob, irritating the hell out of you!!

"Eddie," you call out.

His eyes peek up at yours, fixated in his meal - the meal that he paid for, refusing to let you buy your own seeing as you've "spent waaaaay too much today, Princess!"

You gesture to the spillage on his chin, silently explaining that, despite trying, he's still somewhat messy. With a nod, Eddie gulps down his current mouth full, and begins rubbing the cheap paper napkin over his face, attempting to remove whatever you're gesturing to.

Yet, the blob remains victorious!

Your brows instantly furrow as you mutter out, "come here." Using your own napkin, you reach across the table to wipe it away, and let out a deep, steady breath as the food vanishes from his pretty face.

"Thanks, Mom," Eddie sarcastically groans, before flashing you a sappy smile.

With a roll of your eyes, you smack the ball back into his court. "You're welcome, Sweetie," you coo, only to burst into laughter with Eddie.

Dinner is soon finished, and mutually, you decide that it's time to bring an end to your spontaneous evening out. Eddie attempts to carry your bags for you, to which you swat his hand away, and grumble that, "they're not that heavy, Eddie!"

"No problem," Eddie sighs, raising his hands innocently, before grabbing his own bags. "I'm only trying to take the load off for my Princess."

"Why do you call me that?" you blurt out, curious as to why he's taken a liking to such a nickname.

Eddie purses his lips before letting out a soft, "uhm..."

His spare hand finds the back of his neck, hidden beneath his wild curls, and he fails to maintain eye contact, despite his eyes being forward on your walk through the Mall. "I dunno," Eddie says with a shrug. "Must be because you're the Princess of Darkness," he chuckles, always attempting to bring humour to any and every situation.

"Princess of Darkness, hm?" you question, and briefly ponder on the title. Swiftly, you decide that the title takes your fancy, and with a wink, you tell Eddie, "I like it!"

Eddie's shoulder's instantly drop, and the last of his timid laugh escapes his lips. You've never been called such a nickname before, especially not when you were a member of the cheer squad. Princess of the cheerleaders? Yeah, more like Jester of the cheerleaders!

However, there is something in you that Eddie has always seen - and that others have, too, seeing as they've tormented you for it - which explains why Eddie took an instant liking to the nickname.

"What does that make you?" you question.

Eddie's shoulders theatrically shrug as he replies, "your Knight?"

"Oh, because you've saved me from further torment from the cheer squad?" you suggest, and grin at the way Eddie's eyes light up, springing to life at the sight of you joining in on his little imaginary scenario.

"Of course, my Lady," Eddie coos. "I would do anything to protect thyself from further shame and sorrow!"

Your hand falls on your chest as you cheer, "my hero!" whilst batting your lashes.

Both you and Eddie burst into a fit of giggles, unfazed by the strange looks that other shoppers are sending your way. Warmth is flooding to your chest as you make eye contact with Eddie, the man that is, quite literally, your knight in shining armour.

Without him, you'd still be miserable, stuck in an awkward social circle where you receive nothing but torment. Oh, and that cheer outfit? Hard pass! Thank whatever Gods are in the sky for fishnets and leather, as your shopping bags are full of them, and you can't wait to spring to life tomorrow, and try your first of many outfits.

Eddie licks his lips as his eyes trail from yours, momentarily meeting the floor before looking back at you. "You know, I... uh..." he pauses. His shoulders drop, and he sucks in a deep breath, making his nervousness even more obvious. "...I really like spending time with you," Eddie confesses.

Instantly, heat rises to your cheeks, and now, you're the nervous mess who can't maintain eye contact! "S-same," you sputter. Deep breaths. In... and out...

"Same," you confirm with a nod. "I lo- enjoy hanging out with you, too!"

Eddie smiles, and it's that damn smile that he does whenever admiration has taken over his body. "Yeah," Eddie chuckles. "We seem to be a good match, you know?"

Physically, your sappy expression remains. However, mentally, you begin screaming. Finally, an opportunity has approached - the door has opened, and you need to at least put your foot in it before it disappears!

Not wanting to feign innocence and risk losing your spark, you pull on your bold and flirtatious persona. "Match?" you repeat his word, and raise your brow curiously.

Seeing as you're the bold one here, that means Eddie has automatically taken the role of being the shy, timid mess. He lets out a nervous sigh, and purses his lips as he nods, "mhm!"

"What do you mean by match?" you coo.

Eddie lets out a long and deep breath as his eyes look forwards, mentally calculating the distance between you two, and the Mall's exit. He's not going to make a run for it, not unless you reject his offer. However, he still needs to drive you home, even if you act sour with him.

But that's not going to happen, is it?

"Match, yeah," Eddie eagerly nods, looking back at you. "I would... uhhh... like, if you'd have me..." Eddie begins gesturing with his hands, frantically motioning between the two of you. "M-maybe we could-"

"-Well, well, well."

Both you and Eddie pull the same disgusted expression as a certain someone interrupts your moment of truth. Turning around, you lock eyes with Jason, who looks ever-so-happy to see the both of you. As always, his crew is by his side, wearing their cute little varsity jackets, the equivalent of friendship bracelets.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Eddie mumbles under his breath, seeing red at Jason's silly interruption. It's taken Eddie so long to pluck up that courage, and of course, a child like Jason just had to go and ruin it!

"Look at what we have here!" Jason laughs, gesturing to you two. "It seems that freak really has corrupted our star cheerleader," Jason announces with a laugh, and his laughter echoes through his cronies

"Star cheerleader?" you scoff, "that's a first."

Eddie, with heapfulls of experience under his belt, imitates Jason's preppy tone as he replies, "and here's our Basketball Captain, Jason Carver! The fan favourite to anyone with half a brain cell!"

This time, you and Eddie are the ones laughing, earning a few confused expressions from the passing shoppers. They have far important deals to attend to, rather than watching High School drama unfold.

"You think that's funny, huh?" Jason spits, directing his words to the both of you.

"Yeah, his impression is good, isn't it?" you bite back, and share a cheesy grin with Eddie, who looks surprised to see you biting back at Jason. So much for being your Knight, huh?

Normally, you would shrug Jason off, mindlessly nodding along to his little tangent before heading off to class. Jason, like Britney, now deserves the same treatment - a spoonful of his own medicine!

Jason, unsurprisingly, looks disappointed in your response. His hands come to rest on his hips, and an unappealing scowl settles on his face. "You know, I had hope for you," Jason tuts, his gaze meeting yours.

Eddie beats you to it, and imitates a scoff before replying, "and I had hope that you'd finally leave her alone!"

Jason's hands instantly sling from his hips, and he bunches his fists up by his sides. Unfortunately, Jason begins slowly approaching both of you, and you know from experience that Jason's small serial killer stalk means that Eddie, most likely, is about to meet his fist.

Not that they haven't thrown hands before.

"You wanna go, freak?" Jason sneers at Eddie, with nothing but venom in his words.

Eddie rolls his eyes, "where are you taking me, babe?" Eddie smirks back.

The second that Eddie's words leave his lips, Jason's fist meets them, and Eddie topples back onto the tile floor with a thump!

Jason's crew seem unsurprised by his actions, although a few shoppers have pulled aside to watch the commotion unfold. Without a second thought, you place your palm on Jason's chest and give him a shove, hissing, "fuck off, Jason!"

Jason slaps your hand away, and both Jason's crew, and Eddie look like they're about to pounce on him. However, you beat them to it, and defend yourself exactly how women are taught to.

You land a swift and heavy kick to Jason's crotch, feeling his balls pop! under the pressure of your thick, leather boots.

Jason lets out a sound that can only be described as a pig's squeal, before grasping his crotch, and falling onto his knees. Tears are beginning to cloud his vision, and through the minor sight that he has left, he watches as you turn to offer Eddie your hand.

"Come on, babe," you huff as you pull Eddie up from the floor, the nickname slipping from your lips without any thought.

Eddie accepts your offer, and scrambles up like a newborn deer. He retrieves his shopping back, and turns to look at Jason, soaking up the sight of Jason sobbing on the Mall floor.

You know that Eddie is going to do something silly, wanting to give Jason one final taste of his own medicine, but you've had enough of their childish games. You grab Eddie's bare arm, and pull him away, to which Eddie follows, accepting that you want no more of this mess.

In the midst of angst and hatred, your hand slips down Eddie's arm, and introduces itself to his calloused palm. Eddie doesn't hesitate, and locks his fingers between yours, putting no thought into the gesture as anger is still clouding his mind.

It isn't until you two exit the Mall, that you both realise you're holding hands, although neither of you pull away. There's an unspoken agreement that you're both more than okay with this, even more so as you stop to meet Eddie's gaze, and ask him, "are you okay?"

Eddie softly chuckles, and replies, "yeah, are you?" with a light shrug.

"I'm fine, but I'm more concerned about you."

Your hand breaks away from Eddie's to check on something vital. Fingertips meet Eddie's chin as you tilt his head to the side, and analyse the swelling area. "That's going to bruise," you state, noticing the blotches already forming.

"Well, it's a good thing that purple is my colour," Eddie jokes.

Your expression sarcastically falls flat, only to be perked up again by Eddie's whacky grin. "Promise me that you'll put ice on it when you get home?" you sigh.

"Hmm," Eddie ponders. "Haven't got any ice, how about a bag of peas?"

"Eddie!" you laugh, and give him a playful whack to the arm. "Just promise me that you'll tend to it, alright? I know what you boys are like..."

"Irritating and smelly?" Eddie chuckles, forever making a joke out of every conversation - a clear coping mechanism that you can definitely relate to.

With a roll of your eyes, you agree, "very!"

Eddie's laugh trails off into a smile, and the twinkle to his eyes leaves you blushing. To make things even worse, he offers you his hand as he states, "your chariot is awaiting, my Princess."

The sensation of willingly sliding your hand into his leaves you weak at the knees, and you almost topple over during your first few steps, making your way over to his van. Finally, mutual feelings have somewhat been brought to light, and you know that, once home, you're going to sprawl out in bed, doodling yours and Eddie's initials in your diary as Dio softly plays in the background.

And to make things better, or worse, Eddie leaves a kiss on your cheek before you shuffle out of his van. "I'll pick you up tomorrow morning!" Eddie calls out after you, to which you pathetically whimper, "okay!" before turning into a puddle of mush once you enter your home.

A Knight, he is!

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[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Portrait of a Dangerous Man🎨4

Warnings: (series) non-consent sex and rape; slow creep; cucking; (this chapter) only plot hehe

This is dark!mob!Clark Kent x reader and explicit. 18+ only.  Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Synopsis: Your dream of having your work hung in an art show comes true but your first buyer is not all he seems to be.

Note: I’m at my tipping point, I swear. I’m dealing with everything in our household, new bed (delayed delivery yay!), cleaning, cooking, dog walking, and working. My only escape are my fics and this weekend I’m telling everyone to fuck off so I can do the writeathon... but sorry for the rant, enjoy more Clark.

Thanks to everyone for reading and thanks in advance for all your feedback. :)

I really hope you enjoy. 💋

<3 As usual, I’d appreciate if you let me know what you think with a like or reblog or reply or an ask! Love ya!

Wednesday trickled by like sand in a glass. You could hardly keep your eyes open as you typed away and a double espresso shot was the only thing that saw you through your hours at the gallery. Vanessa was excited for her next event and already asking after some new pieces from you. You promised her some from your storage unit to stave her off as you held in your yawns. 

You collapsed into bed that night beside Marcus. He complained about his day until he drifted off and you followed suit shortly after. You awoke with a decision, the echoes of your boyfriend’s gripes in your head and heart. You hated how miserable his job made him, how dull your own was. It felt like there was nothing else but the almighty dollar.

You called Clark after an email to Jim, your nerves alight in anticipation of the disgruntled reply. It didn’t matter. You were done. You didn’t need to worry about the all caps messages and curt zoom calls.

“Hey,” Clark picked up, he sounded out of breath.

“Oh, hey, sorry, it’s me,” you swiveled in your chair, “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

“Nope, just getting in a work out,” he grunted, “you’re not bugging me if you have good news for me.”

“I think… I do,” you forced out, “I just sent in my resignation.”

“Mmm, you don’t sound… happy,” he hummed.

“I am, I think I’m just processing it,” you replied, “I said I’d let you know today so I’m letting you know.”

“Well, how soon can you be here?” he asked.

“Today?”

“Sure, why not?”

“I guess, I could leave as soon as you want me,” you said.

“I’ll send a car,” he intoned, “I’ll give the driver your number, if you don’t mind.”

“Yeah,” your voice almost squeaked, “I can do that.”

“Alright, sweetheart, see ya soon.”

The line cut out and you lowered your phone slowly. You stared at Outlook and the new email icon along the taskbar. You closed the laptop and stood. You could worry about the fallout later, right now, you had to get ready for another day of painting.

🎨

It was starting to feel like deja vu every time you arrived at Clark’s house. You got out and thanked the drive, Jeremy, before he drove off. The doors opened before you got to the top of the steps and your host was already dressed in the same outfit he wore for each session. His hair was neat but his beard was even thicker than before.

“I think you can tell I’m a little antsy to start,” he chuckled, “how are you, sweetheart?”

That pet name caught in your mind again. It might just be a habit of his. Nothing more than an absent-minded word.

“Me too, honestly,” you smiled, “but I have a weird question for you.”

“Ask away,” he said as he walked with you through the foyer.

“The beard… you want that in the portrait or--”

“Oh, ha, yeah,” he ran his fingers along his jawline, “I guess I wasn’t thinking. You’re the artist, what do you think?”

“Well, erm, either way is fine,” you said, “I was just… wondering. I’m not even close to starting on, uh, you yet. I mean, right now I’m just working on the background and basic shapes.”

“I’ll let you make the call when you get there,” he said, “say the word and it’s gone.”

“Alright,” you came to the top of the stairs and he pointed you ahead of him.

He followed you as you entered and you went about filling the jar with water and resituating the set up. He sat as you mixed and chose your brush. You climbed the ladder and peered around the canvas at him. He took on the same pose as usual and you dipped the bristles into the pigment. You could make a happy life of this.

🎨

Clark shifted and cleared his throat. You rolled your wrist and glanced back over at him as you drew your hand back from the canvas. He braced the chair and pushed himself up.

“How about a break?” he asked as he shook out his arms, “back’s a bit stiff.”

“Sure,” you said, “I think I could sit down for a moment.”

You took a step down the rung of the ladder but your toe slipped and suddenly your palette was against your chest. You slid down backwards as Clark rushed over and barely kept you from toppling the entire thing over. You laughed at yourself as he righted you and looked down at your paint-streaked shirt.

“Jesus,” you muttered.

“You okay?” he asked as he kept his hand on your upper arm, “be careful.”

“Yeah, I’m-- clumsy, is all,” you carefully pulled away and set down your brush and palette.

“Come on, sit,” he pulled up the stool and planted it before you, “take a minute.”

As you sat, he stretched his arms over his head and then out to the sides. He paced around the other side of the table, long strides as he worked the cramps from his long legs. He stopped and came up to play with a brush as you leaned an elbow on the table.

“Well, I did have another offer for you,” he said, “I was thinking of waiting but might as well ask now.”

“Oh?” you raised your brows curiously.

He swished a slender brush in the air then lowered it and picked at the tip.

“I’m having a get together on Saturday, some business friends and the like,” he said as he set the brush back with the rest, “it won’t be work. You’ve earned some time off. You can even bring the boyfriend.”

“Saturday?” you pondered, “I’m usually at the gallery on Saturdays.”

“It would be great networking,” he said, “and I already told all my friends about you. They’re excited to see your work. It will almost be like a viewing and it’s only right the artist is there.”

“I could make it work,” you mulled, “Marcus would love to come back.” You snickered, “he loves this place.”

“It’s a nice house,” he said casually, “a bit big for one person… hence, the party.”

“I’ll put it in my calendar,” you stood and slid your palette closer and cleaned it off to remix the mess of paints.

“Great,” he said as he rounded the table and brushed close to you, “it’ll be nice to look at a mug besides mine, huh?”

You laughed as you squeezed out the dark paint and nodded, “ha, sure.”

🎨

The rest of your week was spent much the same. Jeremy drove you to Clark’s and you went up to the studio to continue your work between small talk and silences that grew so thick you had to break them with mindless comments. It wasn’t enough to focus on the path of your brush as the man tugged at your attention.

Marcus was excited when you told him about the party. He raved about how he needed to let loose, about how much expensive alcohol he was going to drink, and the awesome backflip he was gonna do into the pool. You reminded him, he hadn’t done anything like that since college but he swore he could still do it.

You didn’t share the sentiment. You were anxious. You were flattered to be invited but despite what Clark said, it still felt like work. His friends were going to be there and he apparently was trying to sell them on your art. 

You didn’t realise until after you hit send on your email, but you put your livelihood in this man’s hands. A man, you reminded yourself, who was little more than a stranger.

On Friday, a day you were thankfully not called to the mansion to teeter on the ladder and paint, the buzzer rang and drew you off the couch from amid your YouTube binge. The man on the speaker called back that he had a delivery and you let him up. You took the box from him, the thick silver ribbon giving away the sender even before you could read the tag.

Inside you found a black dress with little gemstones set into the fabric like stars in the sky. It was nicer than anything you’d ever owned before and a pair of silver shoes were tucked in beneath the outfit. You took the shoes from the tissue paper and something else shifted in the bottom.

You reached in and revealed a velvet box from the depths of overzealous stuffing. You opened the lid and found a simple chain of diamonds. You gaped in disbelief. They were real. The fake ones didn’t look so nice.

You phone chimed before you could even think to call Clark. It was as if he could see you. You answered and your voice warbled pathetically.

“Hi, I was just gonna call,” you touched your throat as it constricted.

“Yeah? I got the notification that it was delivered,” he said, “you like it?”

“It’s too much,” you gulped out, “really, I can’t--”

“I want you to look nice. I want you to feel good and have a good time,” he said, “I feel like you’ve been working so hard. You need a chance to just let it all go.”

“Look, I…” you were uncertain how to handle it. It was more than generosity but you felt wrong denying it as much as you did accepting it, “I’ve never had a boss buy me diamonds. At least let me give those back.”

“Boss?” he mused on the word, “I suppose, but you gotta dress the part now, sweetheart. You’re gonna rub shoulders with a lot of rich dicks like me. Pardon my language.”

“I didn’t realise it was such an upscale thing,” you put the velvet box down and turned to sit on the couch beside the large box. You played with the silver ribbon and chewed your lip.

“Sweetheart, it’s nothing, you got this,” he said, “trust me, if you can win me over, my friends will be child’s play.”

“Mhmmm,” you stared at the tv mindlessly, “Clark?”

“Yeah?”

“Why are you doing all this?”

There was silence and you heard him sigh then a subtle metallic click.

“Because I can. And you’re a talented artist. Didn’t all the big painters used to have patrons back in the day? You know, Da Vinci and all that.”

“Sure, I guess--”

“Look, sweetheart, I’m glad you like the dress, I gotta go.”

He hung up abruptly and you turned your phone to stare at it in confusion. You were starting to get a bad feeling and that little voice in that back of your head, that little sabotaging bitch, whispered in your ear. No, you wouldn’t let your self-doubt get the best of you this time. You either grabbed this chance or you spent the rest of your life doing menial work and painting the world as it passed you by.

🎨

Friday night, Marcus couldn’t stop rambling about the party the next day. You just couldn’t get over the tickle in your chest, the same one you got before job interviews and doctor’s appointments. You were on edge, even as you spent your stress on him, your body writhing against his as you panted and pouted. It had been a while since you fucked. All the work and the stress had just let things slip past you. Maybe with your new gig, you could get back to those early days when it was all you wanted to do.

You slept soundly. You blamed the sex and the momentous week. You got up, had a lazy brunch time meal, and beat Marcus at MarioKart several times over before he convinced you it was time to get ready. 

You pulled on the gifted outfit after fighting with your make-up and hair. You gave a little tada spin to Marcus and he lifted his brow as he tried to figure out his tie.

“Wow, where’d you get that?” he purred, “fuck, let’s be late.”

He ran his hands over your hips as you neared him and fixed his tie for him. You giggled and planted a kiss on his lips.

“Jeremy’s on his way,” you warned, “I don't wanna bite the hand that feeds.”

“Oh, and it feeds you well,” Marcus chirped, “you think he’ll let me have a spin in the McClaren?”

“Maybe, but I wouldn’t. I don’t need to scrape you off the side of the road,” you took your phone as the screen lit up, “come on, he’s here.”

“Fuck, babe, really, you’re gonna make me follow you out of here with your ass looking like that?”

“Stop,” you tittered, “you know, there might be more sellers tonight?”

“Oh yeah? I guess you’ll be paying a mortgage soon enough.”

“Me?” you scoffed.

“Sure, I’ll be your sugar baby,” he kidded.

“Well, baby is accurate,” you teased as you stepped onto the elevator, “please, just behave.”

🎨

You were surprised to see Vanessa at the party but reassured to see a familiar face. Clark had been distracted by his other guests and you did your best to mingle, letting Marcus take the lead until he was distracted by another guest’s Rolex and started asking too many questions. If you did start selling art to these kinds, you suspected you’d be paying for a lot of overpriced brands. That was a worry for another time.

You stood with Vanessa and a man she introduced you to. Bruce Wayne was tall and his dark-hair was combed back neatly as he spoke over the glass of wine in his hand. You were bored of the Monet-Manet argument, one you’d heard a million times from the stubborn gallery owner, and you were at your limit of socialisation.

You excused yourself and put down your unfinished drink on a table. You looked around but couldn’t see Marcus anywhere. The last you saw him, he was with Clark but you couldn’t find him either. You frowned and wandered between the pairs and trios gabbing around the room.

Just past the bar, you looked back and still no sign of either man. You huffed and your heels clicked into the foyer and to the stairs. You’d go to the studio and sit for a moment and collect yourself. You just needed to take a breath.

You climbed the stairs slowly, the din of the party floating up behind you. You came to the top but stopped as your eyes were drawn to a pair of open doors opposite the studio. You neared and stayed against the wall as you peeked inside. Marcus admired an old-six shooter and spun the barrel.

“You got everything, man, I swear,” you hid behind the door frame and listened.

“Eh, it’s all just things,” Clark replied, “I bought that from an auctioneer down in Texas. A verified antique but it just hangs here. Not good for much but looking at it.”

“Dude, what I wouldn’t do to live here? Have cool guns and even cooler cars? Shit, you know how fucked it is that my lady is making bank and I’m over here with my dick in my hands? I mean, I’m proud of her but… I mean, if I could get paid thousands for drawing, I would’ve tried to learn.”

“She’s good. Dedicated,” Clark remarked, “she’s special. Worth more than money.”

Marcus hummed and you heard the barrel click back into the place. Neither of the men spoke as you heard something shift and Clark cleared his throat. Subtle footsteps moved around the room and you pressed yourself to the wall. You should leave and let them talk but you couldn’t help but be curious.

“Isn’t she?” Clark prodded.

“Y-yeah, but… I don’t know. I just wish I had more,” Marcus said, “I probably sound like a chump, huh?”

“You can’t have it all,” Clark replied.

“Says the guy who can buy anything and everything,” Marcus moped.

“Oh?” Clark intoned, “so… how about it then? Fifty thousand.”

“For what?” Marcus chuckled nervously.

“Her,” Clark answered.

“Her-- I… my girlfriend?” he sputtered.

“If money can buy me anything, that’s what I want,” Clark said firmly, “it’s a one time offer… whether or not you agree to it, I’m gonna fuck her.”

You skin crawled at his words and you covered your mouth in disgust and shock. You inched closer to the door to hear better as you waited for the response.

“One hundred,” Marcus said.

“Seventy-five,” Clark countered.

“That’s my girlfriend, dude,” Marcus hissed.

“And yet you’re haggling with me over her. Eighty.”

You tore yourself from the wall before you could hear anymore. You felt hollow and heavy all at once. Your eyes were glossy as you scurried over to the studio doors and pushed the left one open. You unhooked the diamond necklace and tossed it onto the paint-stained palette and rolled up your brushes.

You stormed over blindly to the easel and pushed it over. It clattered to the floor loudly but you were already out the door and halfway down the stairs. You gripped your clutch and the bundle of paintbrushes tightly as you continued on outside and the blurred outlines of luxury cars passed you by. 

You stomped up the long drive in your heels as you flicked away tears and pulled out your phone. You knew it was too good to be true. Any of it; your art, Clark, Marcus. You weren’t good for anyone unless they could get something out of you.

[mochegato]

Even the Losers

Chapter 3

Chapter 1     Chapter 2

Monday morning came both too soon and too distant for Marinette’s taste.  She looked up at the dark, intimidating Wayne Enterprises building as she and Max walked past it on their way to the cafe and swallowed hard.  She should have figured she would have to pass by the Wayne Enterprises building at some point, but she still wasn’t ready to see the dominating building so close.  They were a few blocks away and she still had to crane her neck to see the top.

Of course M. Fox would want to meet near his office.  He was already being beyond considerate having the meeting outside of the office building, expecting him to meet far away from his work was excessive.  She could stomach it.  It was just a building.  This meeting was important.  This was Max’s chance to wow M. Fox and get an amazing position.  She took a deep breath and continued forward despite it feeling like wading through increasingly deep water the closer they got to the WE building.

Max touched Marinette’s forearm to gain her attention.  She nearly jumped at his touch but quickly covered with an embarrassed smile and inquisitive hum.  “Are you okay?”

Marinette glanced toward the WE building but quickly looked back to him with an unconvincing smile.  “Yeah, it’s fine,” she tried to assure him.  Judging by the frown forming on his lips, he was unassured.

“Is there anything I should know?” Max asked uncertainly.

“Nothing of consequence,” Mari promised with a weak smile.

Max adjusted his glasses nervously and darted his eyes between Marinette and the sidewalk ahead of them a few times, trying to work up the courage to ask the question on his mind.  “Marinette,” he started slowly.  “You didn’t do anything illegal for the plan.  Did you?”

Marinette whipped her head toward him wide eyed. “What?”

Max cringed under her gaze.  “I just… you’re a very devoted friend and…”  He sighed and looked away.  “I just need to know if we need to worry about the Waynes coming after us.  I’d like to be prepared.”

Marinette's dour expression turned giddy as she started laughing joyfully.  After a minute, she wiped away a tear that had started to form in the corner of her eyes and fixed Max with a sincere look.  “No.  I didn't. None of us did.  I would have, but no laws were broken in the making or execution of this plan.”  She grinned and looped her arm through his, pulling him forward with a lighter step than before.  “I just presented your work to M. Fox and he was extremely impressed.  Come on, the cafe is just around the corner.”

Max gave her an unimpressed look.  “Are you sure?  Because I’m pretty sure I may have violated a few laws tracking down the call you had me trace last week.”

Marinette suddenly froze, her smile becoming significantly weaker.  “That wasn’t part of the plan.  That was a separate quest,” she tried to joke.

“And it just so happened to be M. Wayne’s phone number.”  His skepticism was clear in his voice even if he was too polite to call her out directly.

“It wasn’t part of the plan, really,” she promised quietly.  “That was… It had nothing to do with getting you a job.”

Max opened his mouth to ask another question but was interrupted by Marinette’s phone ringing.  Marinette pulled it out and rolled her eyes at Alya’s name lighting it up.  She hit the button to ignore it with a shrug.  “She’s probably really excited to see how your meeting went and didn’t convert the time correctly,” she laughed to Max.

Max smiled and nodded in agreement.  He opened his mouth to comment but Marinette’s phone started ringing again.  She furrowed her brow at it this time and groaned.  “Very excited,” she grumbled, hitting the ignore button again.

Max opened his mouth again but again was interrupted but this time by his phone and Marinette’s phone.  He pulled it out and looked at it.  “Nino?”

“What the Hell, Alya,” Marinette grumbled.  She was about to hit the accept button so she could yell at Alya to leave them alone but got interrupted by a loud cry right in front of her.

“Hey, it’s you!”

Marinette and Max looked at each other with matching confused looks.  The man that had said it pulled out his phone and switched on a recording device.  “Do you have any comment on the story in today’s paper?” the man, likely a reporter Marinette decided, demanded, shoving his phone in her face so violently, it would have hit her if she hadn’t jerked her face back in time.

Marinette stared at the man for a few seconds, her face scrunching in confusion before quickly smoothing over into an impassive mask. “I haven’t seen the paper this morning. So no, no comment on a story I know nothing about.”

She tried to push past the reporter only for him to move immediately into her path.  She looked around as more people joined, not reporters, she didn’t think, just people interested in finding out what was going on, rather than helping them.  The reporter pushed further in front of her, refusing to let her pass.  He held the day’s Gotham Gazette in front of her face.  Marinette had to back away in order to actually be able to read the headline.

She had to consciously force her eyes to stop from widening in front of the audience.  She forced her breathing to slow as her eyes scanned the headline and picture.  Across the top of the page in bold, block font was the headline ‘More than One New Wayne Introduced’ above a picture of her and Adrien speaking with Bruce Wayne. She glanced at the caption below the picture, her nose wrinkling in annoyance at the words.  “Newly discovered Wayne, Marinette Cheng Wayne introduces fiancé Adrien Agreste to her father, Bruce Wayne.”

Max gasped at the headline and cocked his head to the side in confusion.  He looked between it and Marinette a few times.  He opened his mouth to comment on how ludicrous it was but decided to defer to however Marinette wanted to handle it.  Instead, he gripped her arm in an attempt to show support and looked around them, calculating different plans to get them out of the crowd.

Marinette took a calming breath and looked back at the reporter with a cool gaze.  “You couldn’t even be bothered to get the names of the people involved correct.  I have little interest in reading the rest, which is likely as poorly researched.  Now if you will excuse me, I have an appointment to get to.”  

She tried to move around the reporter but he stepped in front of her, only centimeters between them as he did, and leaned closer to her.  “Why haven’t we heard of you before Ms. Cheng?  Embarrassed about your family’s history with crime in our city,” he cocked his head to the side and gave her a vicious grinned.  “Or was it your family that was embarrassed about you?”

Marinette bit her tongue hard enough to draw blood and glared at the man.  “It sounds like you are insinuating the Waynes are associated with crime in Gotham. Surely you didn’t mean to insinuate such a thing, right?  Such as slanderous comment,” she tutted in a condescending tone.  “I’m sure whatever publication you’re working for would not appreciate such a careless, defamatory, negligent comment.”

The man puffed out his cheeks, which were quickly becoming red with anger.  He tensed his body.  Marinette tensed hers in response.  What he intended to do exactly, she’d never know because just at that moment, the man froze as a hand settled hard on his shoulder.  “I can assure you that is exactly the kind of allegation Mr. Wayne and Wayne Enterprises would both pursue legal action over.  Now, I believe the young lady said she had an appointment,” Lucius Fox said with a cutting smile.

The reporter scowled at Lucius, but backed away. The crowd of people around parted at his presence.  Marinette shot him a grateful smile.  “Ms. Dupain Cheng, Mr. Kante,” Lucius nodded to them both.  “Are you ready?”

Marinette and Max nodded and moved toward the café ahead of him.  The host led them to a spot toward the back where they could have some privacy.  Marinette touched Max’s shoulder.  She gave him a concerned look.  Max’s eyes darted forward to Lucius and back to Marinette. He nodded then jerked his head toward her.  The smile she plastered on was even less convincing than her earlier one, but Max pretended like it wasn’t.  He leaned closer to her, speaking quietly enough that nobody could hear him.  “You should let Adrien and Alya know.”

Marinette sucked in a breath and looked toward her phone warily.  It was still ringing and chiming nonstop.  She turned it off and leaned closer to Max.  “Markov, can you text Alya and Adrien and let them know we’re all okay but I turned off my phone for a while.  If they need me they can text you or Max and we plan on returning to the hotel immediately after this meeting.  If you both are okay with that.”  Max nodded and lifted the flap for his messenger bag to reveal Markov sitting atop her folded up gala dress.  Markov looked between the two of them and gave Marinette a resolute nod.

“Thank you, Markov,” Marinette whispered, trusting his sensitive sensors to hear her.

When they arrived at the table, Lucius waited for the host to retreat before looking over to Marinette with a concerned look. “Did you need a break for a few minutes or to call anyone?”

Marinette gave him a tight, strained smile and shook her head.  “No, thank you.  I’ll be fine.”  She would make it through this.  She wasn’t going to cry.  She could wallow in self-recriminations later.  Right now, she needed to focus on making sure Max was given his shot.

Lucius nodded and looked down at the menu the waitress brought over.  After a few minutes of silence he glanced over to Marinette.  “Always something going on in Gotham.”  If Marinette didn’t know better she would think his tone was apologetic.

“Certainly has been full of surprises,” she stated instead, focusing on the menu.

“Certainly puts certain interactions at the gala a new perspective,” he observed carefully, keeping his eyes on his own menu.

Marinette’s focus sharpened on the menu in her hands. Her jaw tensed and her lips thinned. “I’m sure you will understand, M. Fox, when I say my private life is not something I care to discuss with people I do not know well.”

Lucius nodded.  “I do.”  He looked over the menu for a few seconds, keeping his face buried in the menu, he lifted his eyes to observe Max, noting his stiff posture.  His eyes were darting over to Marinette every so often and worrying his lip.  “You understand you could have just gotten him a position.  One phone call is all it would have taken.  You didn't need to go through all of this.”  His eyes flicked over to Marinette as he spoke.

Marinette met his eyes, a fierce set to them.  “He doesn't need somebody to get him a position,” she snapped.  “He's brilliant. He just needed somebody to see him.  He just needed an even playing field to shine. He didn’t need me calling in favors.  He’s earned the attention he gets.”

Lucius stared at her for a few seconds, analyzing her before finally coming to a decision.  He set his menu down and nodded curtly.  “No, he does not need help.  His work speaks for itself.  I spent the weekend researching you, Mr. Kante, and I have to say, you are an impressive young man.  You are exactly the kind of talent we seek out.  The fact that we didn’t speaks to the utter failure that our recruiting staff has been.  And I must apologize for what happened to you.  We will be reviewing Mr. Rabler’s actions since he was employed by us to properly deal with any other incidents such as yours.”

Max nodded, adjusting his glasses with a satisfied smile.  He was saved from trying to come up with a response when the waitress came back to take their orders.  There was a brief lull after the waitress left, Max and Marinette both uncertain where to push the discussion next and waiting for M. Fox to drive the conversation.

“Now, if I did my research correctly,” Lucius started with a secretive smile, “then I expect you have someone else with you.” He looked pointedly at Max’s bag.

Max’s smile turned sheepish and he opened his bag to let Markov come out.  “This is Markov.  I was hoping he would be able to work with me.”

“Of course,” Lucius nodded in agreement.  “It is nice to meet you, Markov.”

Markov zipped up higher in excitement.  “It is very exciting to meet you, M. Fox.  I have found very exciting information about you and Wayne Enterprises.”

Lucius chuckled.  “That is good to hear.  We will have no issue with Markov working with you, but we have added several sections to your contract to cover what Markov is allowed to do and what he isn’t. We have a lot of sensitive material, as I’m sure you are aware.  We are quite paranoid about protecting it.  We have also come up with a contract for Markov, but legal says we have to add sections to your contract as well since legally, Markov is not considered his own entity.”

Marinette beamed at Lucius and squeezed Max’s hand under the table, never more certain than at that moment that Max was going to be taken care of.  Max pretended to adjust his glasses so he could wipe at his eyes.  He looked over to Markov to gauge his response.  Seeing the weepy eye display, Max smiled and looked back at Lucius.  “Thank you, M. Fox for your consideration.  It means a lot to us both.”

Lucius gave him a soft smile and looked over to Marinette.  “We also have a contract for you, Ms. Dupain Cheng.  I had legal draw it up yesterday.  Not excited to work on a Sunday,” he shrugged guiltily, “but we gave them a lot of compensation for their time.  I drew it up before I knew of any other… associations so Mr. Wayne may want to modify it, but it is there if you are interested.  We will need a designer for the project, someone with intricate knowledge of fabrics and a demonstrated ability to work with them. Given your involvement thus far and your work on the dress for the gala, you seemed like the natural choice.”

Marinette looked down and took a breath.  She looked over to Max to see how he was faring. He gave her a supportive smile and nodded to her.  “As I said before, that is kind of you to offer but I have other plans that do not involve Wayne Enterprises.  And my ‘involvement’ thus far has been getting your attention.  It would likely be better for the project if you continued without me.”

“That is not strictly accurate,” Markov spoke up.

Max nodded in agreement.  “Your help was invaluable, Marinette.  Not only your insight into different characteristics in different fabrics and how changes affected the elements of the fabric, but also the different approaches to problem solving.  I could not have done this without you,” Max stated earnestly. He turned to Lucius.  “She worked with me to explain tensile strength and different weaves and how that would affect how the fabric appears and what you can do with it.”

Marinette’s eyes widened and she looked over to Lucius quickly.  “He’s being modest.  He did the work.  He came up with the formulas.  He…”

She was interrupted by the arrival of the waitress with their food.  Lucius waited for the waitress to leave before he sent her a soft smile.  “I understand collaboration, Ms. Dupain Cheng. Mr. Kante’s words don’t make me doubt his work.  If anything, it confirms my faith in him.  I also researched you this weekend, Ms. Dupain Cheng.  You are quite talented.  Your designs are elegant and bold and you personally have always gone out of your way to help your community.  Those are all ideals Wayne Enterprises strives for.  Along with what Mr. Kante said, you should know, I’ll be pursuing you and it has absolutely nothing to do with your…. With Mr. Wayne.”

Marinette looked down to her plate with a blush and nodded.  “Thank you, M. Fox.  I will consider it, but…” she furrowed her brow in frustration, not knowing how to say what she was thinking and not knowing if she should even if she could.

“You have time to consider it, Ms. Dupain Cheng. But for now, we should eat.  The food here is extremely good.” Marinette’s shoulders relaxed and she sent him another grateful smile.  She looked over to Max and Markov and smiled before taking a bite of her breakfast.  “Now, Mr. Kante, I would love to hear more about your invention, unless you would prefer to wait until the contract is signed.”  Max smiled excitedly at Lucius and pulled out the dress as he described the process for working on the fabric while Marinette and Markov looked on proudly.

Chapter 4

Tags:

@maribat-bdbwm @jayjayspixiepop @redscarlet95 @alice-hazelwood @deathssilentapproach-blog @unoriginalmess @alyssadeliv @emotionalsupportginger @frieddonutsweets @when-no-wings-do-broomsticks @toodaloo-kangaroo 

[emeralddoeadeer]

Director's cut for the scene from Everlong where Lily and Euphemia overhear James & (sorry to be greedy) A Case Of You scene please 💕 Two of my favourite angst scenes from one of my favourite fics xxx

Right in there for the big emotional hits, I respect it Kit, thanks for the ask 💞

under the cut

With the overhear, Lily is holding on by a string.

Emotionally overwrought from the family stuff, the questions surrounding the unusual comments, (her awareness that she'll have to explain Snape soon), and then the situation with Ryan and her subsequent injury.

She plans to just tough it out and get through for Marlene but the sight of James in the water gives her hope that being surrounded by her people will help boost her mood.

Until the introduction, Sirius' panic and the continued care and attention all lead to her needing space to breathe.

This is all shown rather than pointed out, and I wanted her to be given a chance to have that care privately offered by Mia, who believes nothing of her allergies excuse and sees the pain Lily is hiding.

There's a calm outside, the water, away from the crowds and Lily opens up a little, trusting Mia's genuine concern.

The rug is pulled from her when she hears the latching-on comment and hears that she's a mess. All the fears she has under the surface mirrored back at her - she is a burden, taking advantage of their kindness, and she can't keep it together.

It's also the confirmation of her belief that she and James can't be just friends. Validation for the four years cut off, but even hearing she was right all along doesn't lessen the pain.

It breaks her.

Heart already fractured she crumbles under James' careless inaction, where if, at this moment he had said what he thought - that she is the strongest woman he knows and how important she is it would have healed her.

And so she runs.

It sets up a lot of different threads -

the dislike of Emmeline and James' missing the opportunity to set the record straight, causing Emmeline's bitterness toward all things relating to Jily interactions.

Lily protects James, instantly telling Mia not to be mad at him, asking her to let it go, and not telling the girls so he doesn't look bad in their eyes. She has herself convinced that she is the problem and doesn't want to hinder his happiness.

Only those outside during that scene know what went down, and the pieces of information release slowly throughout the group.

A shockwave that carries forward, pushing James further away (and further into Emmeline's arms).

a big misunderstanding, with big consequences.

💕💕

A case of you... Love is touching souls

Chapter 7 brings about Lily's acceptance.

Her mum, grief is always present, and this is the first time she's been home or been in regular contact with Petunia and her dad in years. Those relationships are a mess and the deeper they get into Abercorn, the closer Lily is to the realisation that her decision here will likely sever the fine thread between them.

Sometimes when you're lost, you need a strand of connection.

The letter is the key to the next step in Lily's journey, she has been pushing away feelings that make her uncomfortable for years. Her mother's words of wisdom come to her at her lowest and offer her hope, and strength to power through.

I purposefully didn't offer much of what her mum tells her, I think we can all fill in those blanks ourselves.

Handwritten, her mum had known that at some point Lily would read these words and hopefully take comfort from them, it's such a painful act of love - knowing she wouldn't be there to tell her these things but pouring it onto a page.

(I thought about the content of this letter a lot and as a parent it really hits)

Her mum tells her not to fear love, and even though she isn't in love she takes that as encouragement to let herself remember the love, the pain, love for her mother, her family, and James.

Days later, when Lily sees the picture in the study, the words of the letter have taken up residence in her body, read and reread.

I saw the visual of them dancing under that tree so clearly in my head, it was one of the central images in the mood board of my mind. In chapter two she sees the sketch on the gallery wall, the view from his window of a willow tree with their song quoted at the bottom - this is that tree.

(Lily Evans wand -10¼", Willow, swishy)

A reminder of love, and that she is loved, her mother may not be there but she is still a guide - I am as constant as a northern star

I don't know if this answers everything, or anything... happy to delve further, you know where to find me.

💕💕

thanks again!

[shemarmooresfedora]

Rebuilding Family

Summary: Y/N and Spencer were college sweethearts at Cal-Tech but once Spencer got accepted to the FBI Academy, he ended things deciding it was not fair to make Y/N wait for him. When they meet again years later, he discovers something unexpected.

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader

A/N: i hit 200 followers!! as celebration, i put out a list of 40 prompts and you can send me an ask with up to three and i will write a one-shot including them! i have already received one request and i’m already in the process of writing it but i would love to write more!

Masterlist

Chapter 23

You inhaled sharply as you sat up in the hospital bed. Spencer looked at you, concerned.

“The doctor gave you the option to stay here for one more night. Are you sure you want to be discharged today?” Spencer asked.

“I need to go home. It’s so boring here. I’ll heal quicker at home, I promise,” you whined.

“Scientifically, that’s not possible but fine. Don’t think for a second that I’m going against the doctor’s orders though. Bed rest for a week,” Spencer brushed the stray hairs off your face and placed a gentle kiss on your forehead.

“You’re no fun,” you pouted as he helped you into the wheelchair.

“I think Jo and Penelope have a little surprise for you waiting at home that will cheer you up,” Spencer smiled.

-

Spencer insisted on carrying you bridal-style through the front door because you couldn’t walk up the steps.

“We’re not officially married yet,” you teased.

“Oh hush, I’d keep you in my arms forever if I could,” he pulled you closer to his chest.

You snuggled into his cardigan that smelled like an old bookstore, “I guess I wouldn’t mind that either.”

Spencer slowly put you down and opened the door to your bedroom. Technically, it was you and Spencer’s shared bedroom now because he hardly ever used his bedroom now other than as storage for his things. Most of his clothes had already migrated to your closet and one of your bedside tables now had piles of books, a journal with chicken scratch, and his reading glasses atop it.

Inside, you saw Jo and Penelope holding heart balloons that said “Get Well Soon!” and a big teddy bear.

“Awww, thank you, my lovelies,” you smiled.

“I brought the mini fridge from my office so you are fully stocked with waters, juice, ice cream, fruit, whatever your little heart desires,” Penelope chirped.

“Thank you, Pen. You didn’t have to do that. I feel bad now. Where are you going to put your lunch?”

“Nonsense, my dear! There’s a fridge in the break room I can use. Don’t worry about me,” she assured you.

“And I made you drawings, Mommy,” Jo gestured to the walls of the room covered in colorful crayon sketches of animals, dinosaurs, trees, and people.

“Oh my god, these are so gorgeous, Jo! They are definitely going to help me get better, thank you.”

Jo hopped up on the bed to give you a hug.

“You’re welcome, Mommy,” she said as you planted a kiss on her head.

“Alright, I’m going to head out. Let me know if there’s anything I or anyone else at the BAU can do, literally anything, you just name it,” Penelope stated.

“Bye, Pen. Thank you so much,” you waved.

“Do you want soup? Spring rolls? Tea? What can I do for you, love?” Spencer eagerly asked.

“Could you please see if we have the ingredients for a cake for a special little 7 year-old?” you grinned.

“One cake, coming right up,” Spencer nodded, “Jo, do you want to help or stay with Mommy?”

“Stay with Mommy,” Jo grabbed the TV remote and curled into your side.

“Can you handle it?” you asked hesitantly, knowing baking wasn’t really Spencer’s forte.

“I will try my best,” he smiled, “And if not, I will go to the store.”

-

An hour later, Spencer opened the bedroom door, holding a chocolate cake with purple candles. He looked absolutely adorable, he was wearing your sunflower apron and he had flour residue on his nose.

“As promised,” he smiled, setting the cake down.

Jo was practically drooling as the cake was set in front of her.

“Hold on, I need to get plates and forks!” Spencer rushed out of the room and down the stairs.

“You better hurry. Jo looks like she is ready to just start eating it with her hands,” you laughed.

-

A week later, you woke up super early and jumped out of bed, dancing around a little in Spencer’s sweater, your PJ shorts, and fuzzy socks.

“Bed rest is over!” you cheered quietly to yourself, going downstairs to make banana bread.

Spencer came down fifteen minutes later as you were dancing around the kitchen to your music and whisking the batter.

“Bed rest is over,” you beamed as he came up behind you, tucking his chin into your neck and squeezing you softly, leaving a kiss as he pulled away.

“I love you,” he grinned.

“And I love you too...Spence, I was thinking…” you turned to face him after you put the pan in the oven.

“About what?” he asked, leaning against the kitchen counter with his mug of coffee.

“I don’t want to wait any longer. Can we please get married already?” you asked.

“Like now now?” he smiled softly.

“Like as soon as we can but still having a small ceremony so our friends and family don’t kill us for eloping,” you placed your hands on his chest.

“JJ and Will had their wedding in Rossi’s backyard,” Spencer suggested.

“Penelope did say if we needed anything, just ask,” you grinned.

Spencer already had his phone out of his pocket before you could say anything else. He dialed Rossi and put it on speaker.

“Reid, to what do I owe this pleasure on a lovely Tuesday morning,” Rossi spoke through the phone.

“Hey, Rossi. Y/N and I kind of have a big favor to ask,” Spencer began.

“Name it.”

-

Everything was a whirlwind after that. You decided Saturday evening would be best for the wedding so you and Spencer had exactly five days to coordinate your wedding.

Luckily, the team took care of most of the planning like the caterer and the set-up of Rossi’s backyard but you and Spencer’s opinions were still needed for everything from which flowers you wanted in your bouquet to what flavor of cake.

You and Spencer sat in bed one night criss-cross across from each other and you each had a little journal and pen in your hand. You both wrote your vows over the next hour. Spencer would occasionally look up at you, stare for a minute, silently smiling, and then continue jotting something down.

Spencer pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose and leaned over your journal.

“No peeking!” you rolled on your back, flailing your legs so he couldn’t get to your journal.

“Ugh fine, I surrender,” he laughed, grabbing on to your legs to stop your movements, “I guess I can wait 3 more days.”

He leaned down to kiss you.

“3 more days,” you repeated with a dreamy smile.

-

You and Jo met the BAU ladies at a boutique to get dresses for everyone. You had decided on a dusty blue for the bridesmaid dress color but you let them choose which style they wanted so everyone was matching but still got to decide which dress they liked best.

Jo was essentially given free rein in the children’s section of the store and chose a pale pink dress with a bow on the back that would serve as her flower girl dress.

After all that was settled, everyone gathered on the couch near the fitting room to watch you try on dresses, you had been saying from the start that you just wanted something simple. All the options in the store were overwhelming to you but the girls insisted you at least try on a little of everything to get a feel for it.

You came out in a huge poofy wedding dress courtesy of Penelope.

Jo burst out in giggles, “Mommy looks like a cupcake.”

“I think anything overly poofy is ruled out. I want to be able to pee without the help of 3 bridesmaids,” you walked back into the fitting room.

Next was a gown with lots of detailed beading and lace and a long train.

“I think it’s too much,” you sighed, “Plus, I don’t want to trip on this train while walking down the aisle,” you returned to the stall.

You walked out of the dressing room once more and everyone gasped.

“Oh my god,” Penelope was fanning her face to dry the fast-forming tears.

“Y/N, I don’t want to speak for you but I think this is the one,” JJ smiled.

The dress you were wearing was a white satin gown. It was a maxi dress with spaghetti straps and it hugged your hips but was loose around your legs so it was still comfortable.

“It’s perfect,” you smiled softly, looking in the mirror.

Jo hopped off of Emily’s lap and joined you on the little stage, still in her flower girl dress, doing a little twirl. You started to cry from all the happiness and pent-up excitement you were feeling.

-

“Hey, how’d it go?” Spencer asked when you got home.

You rounded the corner to the couch where he was laying.

“That good?” he asked.

“What?” you furrowed your brow, looking at him in confusion because you hadn’t said anything yet.

“You have remnants of mascara on your cheeks indicating that you were crying and that means you must have found the perfect dress because Jo is over there grinning like a fool,” Spencer smiled.

“You know you’re a retired profiler, right?” you teased.

“Mommy looked so pretty, Daddy! You wouldn’t even believe it!” Jo exclaimed.

“Oh, I believe it, Princess,” Spencer lifted Jo up on to his lap, “I know it’s against the rules for me to see Mommy’s dress but can you do a fashion show for me with yours?”

Jo nodded enthusiastically, running up to her room with the bag in her hand.

“Ready!” she called out a few minutes later.

“Now introducing your royal highness, Princess Josephine Y/L/N-Reid,” Spencer announced as Jo walked down the stairs, doing a fancy royal wave.

A/N: i absolutely can not wait to write the wedding chapter

[yelena-bellova]

Safe Haven: tfatws!Bucky Barnes x fem!reader - Chapter Two

chapter one -Chapter Two: According To Plan - chapter three

Series Masterlist

Plot: Y/n and Sam leave for Munich, gaining the surprise addition of Bucky Barnes to their team. 

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x fem!reader, Sam Wilson x platonic!reader

Warnings: spoilers for ep.2, language, violence, squint for fluff in between all the chaos, Y/n and Bucky ain’t feeling each other yet, protective big brother Sam, nobody likes Walker

Word Count: 7.5k (ya’ll, we had to split episode 2 into two chapters because I use too many words lol)

A/N: OKAY, thank you to everybody for supporting the first chapter. I didn’t really think anything would come of it but I was clearly wrong. Hopefully you enjoy this one just as much, each episode will probably be divided into two chapters if the rest of the season continues on like it is. 

----

The government hadn’t just failed Sam, they were rubbing his face in the fact that they thought their knockoff Captain America was a better candidate than him.

I followed my brother down the halls of the New Orleans air force base, trying to ignore the paraphernalia that hung on the walls. John Walker was everywhere you looked; the internet, televisions, posters were plastered all over the city announcing his new appointment. Each time I had to read the words ‘Cap Is Back’ I became a little sick to my stomach. Sam stopped in front of me once we’d reached the hanger to stare at one of the posters. Though he tried to keep his face neutral, the sadness bled through in his eyes.

“Seems like a good guy. You met him?” a man who I assumed was Sam’s military contact asked.

“No,” Sam answered before changing the topic, “Thanks for doing this on such short notice.” “Yeah, no sweat. I’m just finishing up the checklist, you two’ll be all good to go once you land in Munich,” he looked to me and reached a hand for me to shake, “Joaquin Torres.” “Y/n Y/l/n. Thanks for not making any noise about me coming along for the ride.”

“Hey, I trust an Avenger’s judgement on who to bring to a fight,” he smiled, stopping at the top of the steps to allow me to go before himself.

I elbowed Sam as we descended the stairs side by side, “Hear that? You’ve got good judge- why’re you making that face?” Before he could answer, a foreign voice announced its presence. “Shouldn’t have given up the shield.”

My eyes fell to the floor below us and climbed the looming figure waiting at the end of the staircase. I didn’t need to have any history lessons on who he was or why he’d come to talk to Sam about such a subject. James Bucky Barnes, the second 100+ year old man to walk the earth without a single wrinkle. The tragic tale of HYDRA’s bloodthirsty history. The man Sam had fought to protect and been sent to prison for.

“Good to see you too, Buck,” Sam passively greeted the man, swerving around his body to continue on our path to the jet. The hint wasn’t taken. 

“This is wrong.”

“Hey, hey, look, I’m working, alright? So all this outrage is gonna have to wait.” Bucky fell into step on the other side of Sam, pointing towards yet another poster of John Walker, “You didn’t know that was gonna happen?”

“No, of course I didn’t know that was gonna happen,” Sam’s tone became more emotional, “You think it didn’t break my heart to see them march him out there and call him the new Captain America?” “This isn’t what Steve wanted,” Bucky pushed. Sam was growing tired of the questioning, “What do you want me to do? Call America and tell ‘em I changed my mind? Huh? Yeah, right. It’s a great reunion, buddy, be well.” “You had no right to give up that shield, Sam.” I could no longer stay silent and let him try and make a good man feel guilty. “Okay, you’re out of line with that one, Barnes.” Bucky finally took a second to register my being there before looking back to Sam, “Who the hell is this?” “She’s none of your concern, but let me tell you what you’re not gonna do,” Sam stood in front of Bucky, “You’re not gonna come here in your overextended life and tell me about my rights. It’s over, Bucky. Besides, I have bigger things to deal with now.” Emotions I couldn’t fully understand took over Bucky’s face, “What could be bigger than this?”

Sam fished his phone out of his back pocket and held it up to the Super Soldier, “This guy. His connections with rebel organizations all over Eastern and Central Europe and he’s strong. Too strong.” “And?” Bucky asked, unimpressed.

“Well, he’s been connected to this online group called the Flag Smashers. Now, Redwing traced them to a building somewhere outside of Munich so that’s where I’m going,” Sam turned to me to signal we were walking again.

“Well, I don’t trust Redwing,” Bucky continued his pursuit, “Hold on a minute.” “You don’t have to trust Redwing,” Sam said firmly as we paused again, “But I’mma go see if he’s right. ‘Cause I have a feeling they might be a part of the Big Three.”

Bucky’s eyebrows lowered in confusion, “What ‘Big Three?’”

“The Big Three.”

“What Big Three?” “Androids, aliens and wizards,” I answered before Sam could. “That’s not a thing,” Bucky shook his head. “That’s definitely a thing,” Sam nodded. “No, it’s not.” “It really is,” I set my bag down on the ground and crossed my arms, there was no indication we’d be leaving any time soon.

“Every time we fight, we fight one of the three,” Sam insisted.

“So who are you fighting now, Gandalf?”

Sam inhaled to continue arguing before snapping his head back in surprise, “How do you know about Gandalf?” “I read The Hobbit,” Bucky answered confidently, “In 1937 when it first came out.”

“So you see my point?” “No, I don’t. There are no wizards.” I pointed to Bucky and tilted my head towards Sam, “Now there, I agree with him.” Sam looked offended that I didn’t automatically back him up, “You both are wrong…Doctor Strange.” “Is a sorcerer,” Bucky finished.

“Aah!” Sam laughed and poked Bucky’s firm chest, “A sorcerer is a wizard without a hat. Think about it, right? I’m right. I just came up with that, it’s crazy.” Bucky’s face read that he was thousand shades of done with Sam’s childish argument, even if he’d fought just as immaturely. I was beginning to see why Sam didn’t recount his brief time spent with the ex-Winter Soldier that fondly but I’d also forgotten how easy it was to push Sam’s buttons sometimes. There was some unwitting dynamic between them that I didn’t want to be in the middle of. “So glad we’re wasting valuable time on arguing over whether or not Harry Potter’s real,” I spoke up, tapping my foot out of impatience.

Sam was the first to snap back to reality, “That’s not the point. These guys aren’t magical, alright? They use brute force just like you, the incredibly annoying guy in front of me with the staring problem,” he reached down to grab my bag and hand it to me, “Let’s move.” “I’m coming with you,” Bucky called, the sound of his combat boots hitting the hanger floor behind us. “No, you’re not,” Sam answered harshly. “Oh my gosh,” I groaned before dropping my duffle bag again on the tarmac and spinning around to face the two men, “I don’t know how you two could have possibly saved the day as much as people say you have if you’re always like this! You,” I pointed to Sam, “Stop trying to do this on your own. You,” I moved my finger towards Bucky, “No more talking about the shield. If anybody needs me,” I wiggled my fingers and let the blue energy lift my bag into the air, “I’ll be waiting in the jet.” ——

Bucky and Sam stood speechless as they watched Y/n march across the tarmac, her bag magically floating behind her. “Who is she?” “My sister, Y/n,” Sam answered, “I didn’t know she could do that till today. She twisted my arm until I agreed to let her come.” Bucky’s eyes hadn’t left Y/n since she took control and ended Sam and his bickering. There weren’t many people who met him for the first time and didn’t give him a second glance. If she was Sam’s sister then she sure as hell knew about his past. Yet here she was daring to order him around and advocate for him to join Sam and her on their mission. It also went without saying that she was gorgeous. But she had proven that she didn’t understand the seriousness in which the situation with the new Captain America needed to be treated with, and that irked him. Still, his feet automatically wanted to carry him to the jet once she’d headed up the ramp and he’d lost his view of her. “Can’t decide whether I like her or not.”

——

Not having a suit to wear, I had changed on the jet from my sweater, capris and sneakers to a black shirt, jeans, booties and my favorite blue leather jacket that matched the blue that flowed from my fingertips.

When I stepped out of the jet’s bathroom, I expected to find Sam and Bucky fighting again. The whole flight so far has been filled with the same tension that had begun in the hanger and we’d been sitting in uncomfortable silence ever since. I was sure that the second I left, they’d be going at it again like children when a parent disappeared. Instead, they were quietly sitting on opposite sides of the jet with their eyes trained on one another.

“Can you guys quiet down for a second?” I sarcastically remarked as I walked across the room, “I can’t hear myself think.”

I deposited my bag in the corner of the jet near where Torres was climbing down the ladder, “One minute to drop off, Sam.”

I expected to turn around and see both Sam and Bucky up and preparing themselves, but the two men were still embroiled in a stare down. Sam and I had always cheesed each other off in a typical sibling fashion, but Bucky and his relationship seemingly consisted of nothing but that. 

Sam finally rose from his seat and Bucky quickly did the same, I brushed past him to stand on the other side of Sam. “So what’s the plan?” Sam ignored the question and handed me a small black device, “This is your comm, don’t lose it.” I nodded and placed the small ear piece in my ear, the faint hums of the jet coming through it.

With no direction from Sam, Bucky sat back down unhappily. “Great. So no plan?”

“Thirty seconds,” Torres shouted over the wind coming in from the open hatch.

“Enjoy your ride, Buck,” Sam remarked from beside me. “No, you can’t call me that.” “Why not? That’s what Steve called you.” “Steve knew me longer and Steve,” Bucky tilted his head to Sam, “Had a plan.”

I shook my head to shake off the ridiculousness of arguing nicknames at the moment. “I’m sorry, are we really playing the name game when we’re literally about to jump out of a plane? I get this is my first mission and all but- Bucky’s eyebrows shot up his forehead as he looked to Sam, “This is her first mission? What the hell were you thinking, bringing her?” “She,” I took a step towards Bucky, “Is more than capable of handling herself. First mission or 100th, I know what I’m doing, Barnes.”

“Fifteen seconds to drop!” Torres’ announcement ended any further arguing between me and Bucky.

“Listen to the woman,” Sam smirked as he put on his goggles, probably thinking back to a few hours ago when I’d body slammed him into the roof, “And I have a plan.”

“Really?” Bucky spread his arms out as we watched Sam walk away from us, “What is it?” Sam had already told me that he’d drop in first and I was to follow once he’d cleared the area. Bucky had not been privy to hearing that discussion and Sam had made no effort to fill him in. Without giving Bucky a second look, but winking at me, he dove headfirst out of the hatch and activated his wings, flying gracefully downwards towards the forest. I had never gotten to see him fly and felt a sense of pride as I looked out to see him glide above the trees.

“Where’s the chute?” Bucky called out.

“We’re at 200 feet, it’s too low for a chute,” Torres stated.

Bucky stalked towards the door, “I don’t need it anyway.”

“Neither will I,” I said, taking a step forward to see just how high we really were. I was confidant in my ability to keep up with Sam and wanted to prove my capability, but I was human. It went against every natural instinct to step out into the air and catch myself. Bucky moved to stand next to me, the two of us turning to face each other. This was the first time we’d actually made more than fleeting eye contact and I was finally able to get a good look at him. His features were sharp, his cheekbones and jaw were extremely prominent. Something more than scruff and less than a beard covered the bottom half of his face. His eyes were cerulean blue, just nearly matching the shade of my energy. Complete with a short, scruffy haircut, I wasn’t sure if handsome was a strong enough word for just how good looking James Barnes was. 

“Ladies first,” Bucky nodded towards our exit, never breaking eye contact, “Sure you know what you’re doing?” I smiled smugly, matching the amount of sass radiating from his words, “Do you?”

Not wanting to give him the opportunity to think up a come back, I turned away from him and threw myself out of the plane. An unavoidable scream flew from my lips as I free fell, somehow managing in the chaos to threw my arms out at my sides and expel my energy to control my descent. Once I got a hold on maneuvering the winds, the act actually became almost enjoyable. I found myself laughing as I weaved between the trees, until my laughter was accompanied by a fast approaching scream above me. A shower of branches began to rain down around me forcing me to swerve to the side just in time for Bucky’s figure to come crashing through. He landed harshly on his back, limbs spread out and a pained groan escaping his lips.

I floated directly above him, “I stand corrected, you definitely know what you’re doing.” “I have all of that on camera. You know that, right?” Sam’s voice came through our comms. Redwing flew up from behind us and zoomed in on Bucky’s face. 

“Get out of my face, Sam, or I’ll break it,” Bucky uttered, exhaustion filling his voice.

“Okay, head north. Come on.” I snickered at the exchange and lowered myself to the ground close enough to Bucky to extend him a hand. He accepted it and I helped pull him to an upright sitting position, trying to hide the fact that I struggled with his weight. “Thanks.” “Well, my mom taught me to always help my elders,” I said with a smirk, earning myself a scowl in response. “You’re as bad as Sam, aren’t you?” he moaned as he rose to his full height.

“Okay, okay,” I ceased my soft laughter, “I’m sorry. Seriously, are you okay? I know you’re a super soldier but still-” “I’m fine,” Bucky confirmed quickly, brushing the dirt from his jacket and turning north, “Let’s go.”

The two of us fell into a silence that wasn’t necessarily uneasy but certainly not relaxed. We weren’t enemies, we weren’t coworkers and we definitely weren’t friends. We’d spoken all of about five sentences to each other since meeting and none of them had been particularly chummy. “Sam only mentioned one sister,” Bucky broke the non-verbal spell.

“Sarah,” I stated, “We’re not technically related but they’re family. Sam told me he reached out to you and never got anything back. I think he was wondering how you were doing.” “Yeah, well…” he mumbled, stepping over a particularly large boulder and avoiding my gaze. 

I decided not to push the subject, not only were we nearing the warehouse, Sam could hear us through the comms and Redwing. But I made a note of the lightning quick wave of emotion that crossed Bucky’s eyes. Sam was definitely a trigger for him, but I had a feeling this was something much more complicated. Something I didn’t have time to get too curious over.

We made it out of the forest and Redwing led us to the back entrance to the warehouse. The graffiti and wrecked roofing made me want to believe that nobody had been there in ages, but Sam’s intel contradicted the setting. My brother, the esteemed military man, was also contradicting his age as he maneuvered Redwing just above us to provoke Bucky into taking a swing at him. “Oh-ho-ho, don’t hurt him,” he teased as Redwing quickly avoided the assault.

Sam stood in the next room staring down at the screen on his wrist, scanning the building through Redwing’s camera. He took a quick look at me to assess that I hadn’t been injured in the fall before turning back.

“You’re doing the staring thing again,” he commented without looking up. That one I’d give him, Bucky’s smoldering stare game was intimidating especially when he wasn’t saying anything. “They’re in there,” Sam tilted his head towards the nearest open doorway and stretching his arm out so Bucky and I could see what Redwing was seeing. There was a truck with two people loading in containers of something.

“Where’s the guy?” Bucky asked.

“I don’t know. I think they’re smuggling weapons though.” “Well, I think you could be right,” Bucky’s voice lowered. “Hmm,” Sam nodded.

“But there’s only one way to find out,” Bucky turned towards the doorway, “I see a clear path, I say we take it.”

As soon as his boot hit the ground in its first step, Sam reached for his arm. “We’re not assassins.” “Shouldn’t we, I don’t know, observe from a distance rather than attack straight away?” I offered.

Bucky’s eyes flicked to me when I spoke and promptly back to Sam, throwing away my suggestion. He probably thought me naive. “I’ll see you inside or not.”

He pulled his arm out of Sam’s grip and went ahead, leaving Sam chuckling to himself. “Hey, come on, man. I’m just messing with you, come back,” he called softly. “‘I’m just messing with you,’ the Avengers’ official slogan,” I dryly jested, “Here I was thinking we were doing serious work. Is Redwing still surveying?” “Yeah,” Sam was still smiling to himself as he turned to watch Bucky stalk down the hallway, “Look at you. All stealthy. A little time in Wakanda and you come out White Panther.” 

“It’s actually White Wolf,” Bucky responded in our ears.

“Huh?”

When we lost visual on Bucky, Sam snapped his fingers and nodded towards the hallway. We made our way through the various openings until we’d caught up, Sam held up a finger to his lips as we caught sight of Bucky and our steps became even softer.

“All right, I’m inside. Therefore way ahead of you,” Bucky bragged, turning back to where he thought we waited, “It’s not great but very doable.” His peripherals must have caught the red and white of Sam’s suit, he turned to see the two of us at his side. “Hello. How are you?” “Good. What did we miss? Nothing,” Sam replied.

“All right, let’s go,” Bucky moved to step forward again.

“No, wait,” Sam protested.

Bucky held up his prosthetic vibranium arm I had heard so much about. “I got a vibranium arm, I can take them.” “And I can fly, she can make things float, who gives a shit? Wait. I want to see where they’re going.” Bucky pointed towards the truck that was still being loaded, “There’s two people.”

“You only see two?” Sam started. “That’s what I saw,” Bucky confirmed.

“Let me see what Redwing sees.” “All right…” “Let’s see what Redwing sees…”

I held two fingers to my temple and rubbed, “My gosh, it’s like working with children.”

Sam fiddled with a few controls on the screen and activated the x-ray feature on his beloved drone, “Oh, look at that. How many people you see now? One, two…Oh, here it comes again.” Bucky sighed, unhappy to admit he was wrong, “Four. Five.” “Yeah, five.” “So they’re strong, whatever,” Bucky brushed off not only the math but our group’s capabilities. “Let’s go.”

“Barnes, wait,” I hissed as Sam reached out and took hold of his arm, his elbow hitting the metal shelves we were hiding behind and rattling something.

“Shit!” Sam whispered, he pulled me to his side to block me while Bucky ducked down. The group turned to investigate the noise but disregarded it at the lack of visible culprits. The trucks started and their doors were closed, each person getting into their designated vehicle. Sam started tapping on Redwing’s controller again, “There’s an eighth person. I think they have a hostage.”

With one look from Bucky, the three of us snapped into action. I raised myself into the air ahead of Sam who took off slightly behind me, looking down to see Bucky running impossibly fast. “Y/n, with me,” Sam called through the comms, I listened and hung back until he’d caught up. Bucky continued on his way until he’d climbed onto the back of the truck. I followed Sam’s lead as we flew to the side of the road.

“Shouldn’t we be helping him?” I asked as the two of us landed.

“They’re stealing medicine, vaccines,”  Bucky’s voice filled my comm.

“He’s got it, we’re staying here and waiting for him to come back with the hostage. Then you and I are gonna keep following the trucks and see where they’re heading,” he explained, “I’m trying to keep you out of as much of the fight as I can.” “That’s the whole reason I came, Sam,” I argued, gesturing towards the road, “To help, to fight.”

“Bucky, talk to me,” Sam favored to ignore my desire to do dirty work, “What’s goin’ on?” 

“Found the hostage,” he reported, followed only seconds later by a loud exclaim of “Shit!”

Adrenaline set every nerve alight in my body, something had gone wrong. Without asking for Sam’s permission I took off running down the road. I used my energy to lift towards the sky and flew the same way the truck’s had gone. Distantly, I heard Sam yell my name but made no effort to stop. “Barnes, talk to me,” I yelled over the winds I was flying against. As I spotted the trucks I saw the small silhouettes of figures standing atop one of them. Once I got closer, I could see that the one being aggressively pinned by two of them was Bucky. I landed on the vehicle’s roof just in time to see someone leap into the air, grab Redwing and break him with their knee. Between my want to help Bucky and my second hand protectiveness over Sam’s gear, I was pissed. The masked figure looked up at me, two brown eyes peeking out of eyeholes and marched forward, making me their next target. I created a ball of blue energy and aimed it at her, knocking her down but only for a second. She leapt towards me and landed a punch across my cheek, I went down with a groan and cradling my cheek. Now I was really pissed…

I opened an eye to see the shadow of Sam’s Falcon suit above me, he touched down on the truck and landed a kick to my assaulter’s abdomen. He quickly helped me to my feet as our enemy rose again and took a fight stance. 

“Good of you to join the fight, Sam,” Bucky yelled before kicking one of his captors in the leg. 

The person who had given me the shiner threw Sam aside to the second truck like he was weightless. She was far too small to be that strong, it was inhuman. I decided to hold back a little less and raised my hands toward her, extending waves of the blue energy and raising her up into the air. She struggled to try and escape my hold, grunting and groaning as she flopped around in the air. I was about to throw her into the trees when I was tackled from behind. We skidded towards the front of the truck till the boot of one of the thugs holding Bucky down hit me in the shoulder. Another masked figure, this one I suspected to be a man, had his arms wrapped tightly around my abdomen. He flipped me over and raised his head to slam into mine. Luckily he hadn’t thought to pin my arms down and his mistake allowed me to throw them in front of my face and create a force field that even the thickest of skulls couldn’t penetrate. I looked briefly to see Sam being pinned down as well on the second truck but couldn’t free myself to go help him. 

And then, in a conflicting twist of events, a red white and blue shield came flying through the air.

As I struggled to keep the force field up and my arms locked, I made out an equally patriotic suited man throw the shield at the one who had punched me earlier. A second figure swung in from a helicopter and kicked her off the truck, leaving her clinging to the edge of the roof. The shield flew in the direction of the people holding Bucky down and hit one square in the back before bouncing back to its wielder. The guy holding me down was struck next and rolled right off of me, I sent a significantly bigger blast towards his chest that sent him flying off the back of the truck. Bucky reached down and helped me stand up, he pulled me out of the way when the shield came flying by our faces to hit his other attackers.

“You gotta be kidding me,” I panted.

John Walker stopped briefly to introduce himself to Sam, like he hadn’t been living rent free in our minds since that damned tv broadcast before sending the shield flying past Bucky and I again. As it bounced off our enemies and back towards Walker, Bucky’s metal hand snapped up to grab it only for Walker to retake it. The time for anger or sadness wasn’t now, though the forlorn expression on Bucky’s face said otherwise. I broke from him and launched myself across the gap between trucks to land near where Sam was being attacked. Bucky followed suit and we began taking out each person one by one till Sam stood and turned too fast, hitting and sending Bucky plus one of the masked thugs over the side of the truck. Sam and I turned to face our last attacker who was stalking toward us, Sam glanced over his shoulder quickly before looking back ahead. “When I say ‘now,’ you shoot up,” he ordered, “Now!” I blasted upwards and over the overhead road sign he’d known would hit our attacker. I was too high to drop down suddenly but watched as Sam touched back down on the truck to be punched off the truck, activating his wings and catching himself in the wind. I flew downwards and lined up with the side of the truck, searching frantically for Bucky while trying to dodge the cars to my left. Bucky was clinging for dear life to the underside of the truck. His attacker stomped his metal arm with his boot till Bucky lost his grip with it and it dragged along the road creating a flurry of sparks. 

“Sam, what do we do?” I yelled into my comm. “Now when I say ‘drop,’ you drop.” “Are you insane?!” I screeched, looking down at the asphalt and trying to calculate how fast I may be going. “DROP!”

Putting the most trust I ever had in Sam, I stopped the energy flow and was tackled mid-air by him. I twisted in his arms to wrap my legs around one of his and my arms around his back. Without warning, he flew us under the nearest truck before letting go of me with one arm and tackling Bucky. I readjusted my grip to have one arm around both of them. We dropped out of the air and crash-landed, rolling like a grunting and groaning wheel through a field of yellow flowers. Eventually we ceased our tumbling with Bucky on top of Sam and me to the side still clinging to both of them.

“Could have used that shield,” Bucky ground out tauntingly in Sam’s face.

“Get off of me,” Sam strained, shoving Bucky off with another loud grunt. I rolled to his other side and coughed loudly, having had the wind knocked out of me during the crash. The three of us lay on our backs trying to regain our breath, Sam and I more than Bucky but I chalked that up to the fact that he was just as strong as the people we’d just gotten our asses handed to us by. “Those were all Super Soldiers, Sam,” he stated in awe. 

“I know,” Sam confirmed, “You’re welcome, by the way.” He pushed himself up painfully on an elbow to lean over me, “Are you okay?”

I was finally starting to feel like I could get some semblance of a normal breath in. I’d have wished it was running around with AJ and Cass that would have showed me I was out of shape and not losing a fight to Super Soldiers. “‘Big Three’ my ass, Wilson,” I wheezed, making no effort to sit up yet.

“I said ‘might be’,” Sam weakly fought, “‘Might be.’ Clearly I was wrong.” 

“Will wonders never cease?” Bucky winced as he sat up, “We need to get to the airport and reformulate.” “Oh, do we now? Do we need to reformulate?” Sam mocked from the ground, “I hadn’t thought of that yet, Bucky, what an incredible-“ I groaned loudly and forced my torso up, “Dear God above, if you two don’t stop acting like twelve year olds, I’ll catch a Delta flight home.” “Good, that’s where I wanted you,” Sam reprimanded as he rose to join me, “I told you if you took some stupid risk, you were going back home and what did you do? You took off on your own towards those trucks!” “I was trying to help him,” I threw my hand out towards Bucky, “One way or another I would have gotten hurt, Sam, whether I’d have waited for you or not. And now that I’ve actually seen what we’re dealing with? No way am I going home.” I rolled onto my knees and got to my feet, my muscles aching with each movement I made to stand in front of the two men. “When you two decide to start acting like adults, I’ll meet you back at the jet.”

Holding in each groan that wanted to escape my mouth, I started my trek back towards the road, not making it very far until I heard two pairs of footsteps behind me.

We walked that way for most of the way, Sam and Bucky muttering something every once in a while to each other and me ahead of them trying to wrap my head around the situation. I had gotten myself tangled in the world of super soldiers, ones who weren’t using their advanced capabilities to save the world from one of the actual Big Three. Not only that but we’d had the displeasure of being rescued by the person the three of us had wanted to see least in the world. I had started the day out having coffee with Sarah on our back porch and by eastern standard time zone’s definition was ending it in Germany mid-afternoon with a killer bruise developing on my cheek. Whatever I had expected to come from joining Sam, it sure as hell wasn’t this.

A car honk summoned me out of my thoughts, an open roofed vehicle came up beside me and I was quick to identify the passengers. John Walker and the helicopter soldier. 

“So that didn’t go as planned, huh?” Walker attempted to make friendly conversation, specifically with Sam and Bucky but I could sense I was also welcome to answer. I didn’t cease my movements and neither did Sam and Bucky which only caused Walker to instruct the driver to get ahead of us again. “Look, at least we know what we’re up against now, huh? And we’re pretty sure it’s one of the Big Three, so…” “Aliens, androids, or wizards?” the unnamed soldier double checked with Walker, who responded that he was still almost certain.

“There’s no such thing as wizards,” Bucky grumbled from behind me, sounding like the old man he biologically was.

“Then it’s aliens, or androids,” Walker shrugged. “Or Super Soldiers,” Sam corrected.

“Shit, Super Soldiers, for real?” Walker’s sidekick asked before turning in his seat to face, “Do you believe that?” “I believe that you two don’t know how to take a hint,” I frustratedly smiled at him, “But yes, I do.”

“Wow. All right, well, then we gotta work together,” Walker said. Bucky scoffed, “That’s not happening.”

“I think we stand a much better chance if we all just-“ Bucky finally lost his patience and said the thing we all were thinking, “Just ‘cause you carry that shield, it doesn’t mean you’re Captain America.”

Walker was quick to defend himself, “Look, I’ve done the work, okay?” 

Bucky was equally as quick to prove him wrong, “You ever jump on top of a grenade?” “Yeah. Actually, I have. Four times,” Walker explained, “It’s a thing I do with my helmet. It’s a reinforced helmet. It’s a long story, but, look…It’s 20 miles to the airport, you guys need a ride.” A sudden cramp tore through my shin causing me to sharply inhale and grab the leg. Through the pain I managed to exhale and begin limping back along the path, “We’re good, thanks.”

“At least let us take her, she’s injured,” I heard Walker attempt to convince Sam and Bucky, knowing that I was probably a means to an end to get them in the car. 

I didn’t get very far before I felt Sam’s arm wrap around my waist, “C’mon…” As much as I wanted to fight him on it, I knew I wouldn’t make it more than a few steps before I was bent over again in pain. The adrenaline had worn off and my whole body was starting to ache deeply in a way that made even breathing hurt where it shouldn’t. I dropped my head in frustration and nodded, putting my arm around Sam’s shoulder to let him brace me. He helped me limp back to the car where Bucky gently handled my other side, the two of them lifted me into the vehicle where Walker and his friend tried to help me sit down. I shrugged off their unwelcome hands and used the roof’s poles to lower myself into a seat. Sam jumped in and sat on one side of me, gently lifting the leg that was really bothering me onto his lap to try and massaging my shin. Bucky climbed in on my other side and gave me a once over, trying to assess if I was in any further pain that I wasn’t letting on to.

“Okay,” Walker began as the car rocked to life again, “So we’ve got eight Super Soldiers on a bulk supply run. Why?” “They say their mission is to get things back to the way it was during The Blip,” Sam explained, “Maybe they’re just trying to help.” “They had a funny way of showing it,” Bucky commented.

“That serum doesn’t exactly have a great track record,” Walker quickly looked to Bucky, “No offense.” I tried not to judge people too harshly upon first meeting them, but I had no problem deciding right away that Walker was an asshole.

“We need to figure out where they’re going,” Sam spoke up before an argument could break out, “How’d you track ‘em here? The Flag Smashers?”

“Uh, no, we didn’t track them. We tracked you, uh, through Redwing,” Walker’s friend answered, dipping his head down to avoid Sam’s stony gaze.

“You hacked my tech?” “Sorry,” Walker laughed, “It’s not exactly hacking. It’s government property,” he gestured to himself, “Kind of the government.” My lips parted and I tilted my head, ”Are you kidding me?”

“I’m sorry,” Walker extended his hand out to me, “John Walker, Captain America. And you are?” I glanced between his hand and him, “Not impressed.” He awkwardly retracted it and turned away from me to Bucky, “Does he always just stare like that?” “You get used to it,” Sam replied, suddenly he had no problem with Bucky’s habit.

“Okay, look,” Walker cleared his throat, “You know things have gotten kind of, uh…” “Chaotic,” his friend finished for him.

“Yeah. The GRC, they’re doing the best they can to get things up and running smoothly, post Blip.” “Reactivating citizenship, social security, healthcare. Basically just managing resources for the refugees who were displaced by the return.”

“The Global Repatriation Council does all that, I get that,” Sam said impatiently, “So why exactly are you two here?”

“Well, they provide the resources and we keep things stable,” the soldier answered.

“Yeah, violent revolutionaries aren’t usually good for anyone’s cause,” Walker said. “Usually said by the people with the resources,” Sam looked up from the work he was doing on my leg to look dead at Walker.

“We got a lot of resources,” he stated confidantly, “If you guys, if you joined up with us, we could-“ “No,” Bucky and I said in unison, now having agreed on two things. Walker was a phony and wizards weren’t real.

“I got mad respect for both of ya’ll,” Walker’s friend complimented, “You too, ma’am. But you were kinda getting your asses kicked till we showed up.” Bucky finally dragged his stare off of Walker, “Who are you?” “Lemar Hoskins.” “Look, I see a guy hanging out of a helicopter in tactical gear, I need a lot more than Lemar Hoskins,” Sam commented.

“I’m Battlestar,” Lemar reintroduced himself, “John’s partner.” “‘Battlestar?’” Bucky echoed the ridiculous nickname, snapping his head suddenly toward the driver, “Stop the car!”

The driver obeyed and quickly halted in the middle of the road, giving Bucky the opportunity to jump out of the car. He raised his eyebrows expectantly, waiting for me to join him but I wasn’t about to leave Sam’s side. I held a hand up to him to which he responded by closing the back door and starting down the path that veered off the main road. 

“Look, I…I get it, okay? I get the attitude, I do,” Walker started, he couldn’t come close to understanding how insulted all three of us were for one uniting reason, “You don’t think that the shield was gonna end up here. I get it, Bucky,” even the call of his name wasn’t enough to make him stop, “And I’m…I’m not trying to be Steve. I’m not trying to replace Steve.” “Could’ve fooled me,” I snorted, removing my leg from Sam’s lap as he’d stopped rubbing it long ago. “I’m just trying to be the best Captain America I can be, that’s it,” Walker focused his eyes on my brother, “It’d be a whole lot easier if I had Cap’s wingmen on my side.” Sam scoffed and looked out of the corner of his eyes at me as if to make sure he hadn’t heard incorrectly. He hadn’t, and I was about two seconds away from putting my powers to good use and beating Walker with his own shield that he could never truly hold ownership of. “It’s always that last line…”

Sam climbed over me and hopped out first before helping to lower me to the ground. A defeated Walker ordered the driver to leave and we watched to make sure they actually left for good. “Torres said he’s nice?” I asked sarcastically as we resumed our familiar posture of Sam helping me walk. “Torres is young, impressionable and follows every order he’s given. Guys like Walker have a problem with anyone who doesn’t take their every word as gospel.”

“Well, your mom made us attend enough church when we were kids for me to know that right there,” I pointed back to the car that was now a dot in the distance, “Is a false prophet.” 

I trained my eyes ahead of us, Bucky hadn’t gotten too far and it looked like he had actually slowed his pace for us to catch up easier. While I was angry with the government for appointing Walker and the man himself, I knew that the pain Sam and Bucky were feeling was exponentially heavier to deal with. They’d already lost their friend and Walker was the salt being rubbed in the wound.

When we did eventually make it to the plane an hour later, I was biting back tears at how much pain I was in. Sam took notice of how I was trying to conceal them as we approached the tarmac and carried me the rest of the way. 

“I gotta check for any internal bleeding,” he said as he set me down gently on the seats of the jet, “And you’re going home.” “No, I’m not,” I moaned. “Yes, you are,” he scolded as he lifted up my shirt to the bottom of my bra so that he could get a clear view of my abdomen, “Sarah’s gonna pound my ass into the ground as it is for bringing you back bruised.” My eyes could no longer stay opened, further fluttering shut as I didn’t hear Sam state that he saw anything concerning. “Get some sleep,” he ordered, “I’ll take care of anything I find.” Just before I drifted off, I heard a second body kneel down next to Sam. “She okay?” “Yeah, she’ll be fine,” he answered Bucky, “I just should have never brought her.” 

————

When I did wake up, the plane was dark except for the minimal lighting towards the cockpit. I attempted to sit up, biting back a groan as I did. There was a blanket draped over my bottom half and my jacket was now folded underneath my head as a makeshift pillow. Sam was sleeping upright near my feet, arms crossed and snoring quietly.

“Glad to see you’re okay,” a quiet voice startled me, I turned to see it was Bucky. “A little out of my depth,” I remarked, rubbing one of my eyes, “But yeah, okay.” 

Bucky nodded and looked back down at his folded hands, for some reason the contrast of the gold and black metal meeting the pale flesh fascinated me. He must’ve sensed I was staring because he peered up at me through his lashes. I quickly looked away, “I’m guessing we’re on our way back to New Orleans.” “Baltimore, actually,” he replied.

“What’s in Baltimore?” I whispered, trying not to wake Sam. “Someone that Sam needs to meet.” “Okay,” I slowly swung my legs off the seats to properly face him, “Who’s in Baltimore?” Bucky gave me a tired look, “Just someone, you’ll meet him too.” I bristled slightly at his answer, shooting him a half smile. “You don’t trust people, do you, Barnes?”

I wouldn’t call what his lips did was a smile, but maybe a sarcastic knock off of one. “You ask a lot of questions, you know?”

“Only when people don’t give me any answers,” I fired back in a contradictorily easy tone, “Look, you don’t have to trust me. That’s fine, I’m going home after whatever surprise you have for us anyway so you won’t have to deal with me slowing you guys down anymore.” “Sam was endangering you by bringing a civilian to an Avengers level fight,” he quickly said, “That’s on him, not you. And none of us were exactly at our best today.” A supercut of the three of us each getting slapped around silly on top of the trucks played in my mind. He was definitely right, nobody could have predicted that we’d be thrown for such a loop. Not even the man pretending to be Captain America. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about Walker,” I offered as softly as I could, “I’ve watched him parade that shield around on tv for days and I’ve gotten angrier each time. Not saying it’s the same as what you’re feeling but…I’m just sorry.” Bucky didn’t respond, he actually looked away from me and back down at his hands. “You should get some more sleep, we’re still a ways out.” It was clear I wasn’t going to get anywhere with him, not that I felt any burning desire to try to get him to open up. I’d only tried out of politeness and the slight glimmer of curiosity I held when it came to what lay beneath his hardened surface. “Goodnight, Barnes,” I said, laying back down and rolling over so I didn’t have to look at him any longer.

----

A/N: Let me know what you thought and/or if you’d like to be tagged! There’s still a lot of surprises that are coming...

Safe Haven taglist: @tanyaherondale​ @wanniiieeee​ @asoftie4bucky​ @edencherries​ @i-reblog-fics-i-like​ @ttalisa​ @gcfty @withyoutilltheendofthismess​ @rinaispunk​ @weirdowithnobeardo​ @felicityofbakerstreet​ @godlypotterwhodiaries​ @eternalharry​ @voguesir​ @mizz-kraziii​ @okayline​ @smellmymisunderstoodfluff @wanderin-stories​ @nicklet94 @intricate-melody​ @aesthethickks​ @stumbleonmywords​ @simplybarnes​ @21bruhs​ @lostinwonderland314​ @superbookishhufflepuff​ @themaddies-obx

[dayseternal-blog]

Hi days! I know you're the best person to go to for some NH fic recommendations. Can you share with us really angsty NH fics? I've read White Lillies, that amount of angst is revitalizing I LOVE IT!!! big thanks!!!

HELLO

For how fluffy NaruHina is, there SURE ARE A LOT of shippers who LOVE NARUHINA ANGST.  I’ve been asked for angst recs far more than any other type????

I will now compile every angst fic rec I’ve ever made into one long list.  (folks can see if there’s anything I’ve missed 🤓)

NARUHINA ANGST

“A Place In The Sun” by ihaveastorminme - Rated M for smut and depictions of violence, Canon-Divergent, Multi-chapter, Incomplete.  Naruto realizes that he’s not enough to love her.  He’s not enough to save her, either.

“A Fate Worse than Death” by Caelestia - Rated M for smut, ABO Canon-Divergent, One-shot.  Naruto, improperly socialized and traumatized as a child, rejects his inner Alpha, which has devastating consequences on his family and marriage.  “A Risky Bet” is its fluffier follow-up.

“Girl No 10″ by meeiwen - Rated M, Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Complete. Naruto makes a mistake with a dancer one drunk night.  Years later when he meets her again, he begins realizing his perfect life is a lie, but he’s too late to fix it. Angst if you want to know what dying feels like warning.

“if this is love (why does it hurt?)” by ClairvoyantDreamer1011 - Rated M, Friends with benefits Canon-Divergent, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. Hinata knew many things about Naruto Uzumaki. She knew that his heated glances meant ‘I want you’; that lingering touches whispered 'please’, and that the sight of his back to her screamed 'leave’. But she couldn’t tell you what they were to each other for the life of her.

“If You Said You Loved Me” by destiny’s sweet melody - Rated T, Canon-Divergent, One-shot.  Naruto begins to realize he took her feelings for granted and now he’s too late.

“The Ring that Binds” by softwind - Rated M, Canon-Divergent, Multi-chapter, Incomplete.  Naruto and Hinata are married.  So why is Naruto calling “Sakura” in his sleep?

“Why would innocent little Hinata be out dressed like that?” (One-shot) and its follow-up “On Any Given Day” (Long One-Shot) by @utsus - Rated T, Canon-Divergent. Hinata tries to move on from Naruto, right when he realizes he wants to keep her.

“For the Future” by @utsus - Rated T, Canon-Divergent, Multi-chapter, Complete. Hinata understands this better than anyone else. Naruto is easy to love.  (I actually just hate the ending a lot.  That’s what puts this on the list).

“Gilded Butterflies” by Kid Crisis - Rated M for depictions of violence, Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. Tenshi, beautiful prostitute of the Villa, realized from a very young age that people seem to do nothing but empty her, and not even Naruto seems capable of convincing her otherwise.

“Serenity Prayer” by @katarinahime - Rated M for smut, substance abuse, PTSD, and depictions of domestic violence and non-con, Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. When their fairytale endings smash to ugly pieces, Hinata and Naruto help put each other back together.

“Common Side Effects” (Naruto’s POV) by @katarinahime & “Medicated” (Hinata’s POV) by @szajnie - Rated E for smut, substance abuse, mental illness, and depictions of violence, self-harm, and attempted suicide, Crime/Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. Naruto and Hinata, in a struggling relationship, must confront the pain inside before they can love each other.

“In Another Life” by theGeneralissimo - Rated T, Canon-Divergent, Multi-chapter, Complete. In which Naruto listens to his mother’s advice and marries a girl like her. And lives to regret it.

“Mistake” by Cherry1315 - Rated T, Canon-Divergent, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. Naruto falls apart, and, unfortunately, Hinata has to pick up the pieces.

“Until the Day I Love” by BluBlooThalassophile - Rated M, Canon-Divergent, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. Everyone is recovering from the war.

“Hidden From Sunlight” by @bunny-hoodlum - Rated T, Canon-Divergent, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. How different could Naruto’s life be when the girl that seemed 'barely around’ is truly hardly around at all?

“Powerless” by @bunny-hoodlum - Rated M for depictions of violence and character death, Mystery/Crime High School/Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. His family’s past can’t be taken at face-value, and it comes clawing back to hurt him in ways that are out of his control. DELETED FIC.

“21 Days” by @bunny-hoodlum - Rated E includes dub-con, Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. Anonymous internet friends decide to meet up IRL and give each other their first times.

“April - Too Late/Missed Opportunities” from “Still Falling for You” by @chloelapomme - Rated T, College/Modern AU, One-shot. After her 3 years away for college, Naruto decides to confess.

“June - Honor/Sacrifice” from “Still Falling for You” by @chloelapomme - Rated T, Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Complete. Naruto marries Hinata, the girl of his dreams.  If only she loved him back.

“you totally almost killed me that one time (it’s okay I still love you)” by @itachiboutit - Rated G, High School AU, Multi-chapter, Complete.  Naruto, a promising baseball player, returns to Konoha Prep, and, without so much as even a “long time no see,” hits a ball into Hinata’s face. (This isn’t really angsty…but I get really upset in Ch. 4 and cry a lot every time.)

“Because I Love You” aka “Arranged Marriage AU Take 2″ (Same fic) by @magmawrites - Rated T, Canon-Divergent, One-shot. A canon divergent fic in which The Last never happened and Hinata Hyuga was promised to another.

“Asylum AU” from “Tales of Two Ninjas” by @magmawrites - Rated M, Modern AU, One-shot. What’s to say what’s real and what isn’t? The only thing that’s valid and true in all universes is their love for one another.

“Dreaming of AU” from “Tales of Two Ninjas” by @magmawrites - Rated M for implied suicide, Modern AU, One-shot. Naruto dreams of her. He grows to love her. Dreams are nice. Too bad reality is a nightmare. (Most likely a continuation of the Asylum AU.)

“Memory Loss AU” from “Tales of Two Ninjas” by @magmawrites - Rated M, Amnesia Canon-Divergent AU, One-shot. I LOVE YOU. Will I ever hear those words from your lips again?

“The Path We Walk” by @tenney-shoes - Rated T, Amnesia Canon-Divergent AU, Multi-chapter, Complete. With his memory of the past five years missing, Naruto never expected to be married to Hinata, and now he must navigate through the maze that is their life together with no memory of how he got there.

“Easier For Me” by @tenney-shoes - Rated T, Amnesia Canon-Divergent AU, Two-shot, Complete. How will Hinata handle waking up with no memory of how she got there?

“My Escape” by @marimare-writes - Rated T, Amnesia Canon-Divergent AU, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. Naruto wakes up from a coma with no recollection of life after graduating the Academy. Hinata, anxious and with a secret that will change both of their lives, struggles with what to do.

“Consolation Prize: Through Her Distorted Mirror” by mysterious intentions - Rated T, Canon-Divergent, Multi-chapter, Incomplete.  Her love is taken lightly, as if her heart could change so easily.

“Good Luck” By LovelyLori - Rated T, Flowers/Ballet AU, Two-Shot, Complete. A Japanese ballet company arrives in Naruto’s town.  Can love transcend language barriers? (I spent HOURS looking for this one, it totally breaks my heart.)

“On the outside looking in” by @char-lotteral - Rated E for smut, Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. Naruto’s in love with his best friend’s girlfriend fiancee.  And he’s not moving on.

“Sincerely, Uzumaki Naruto” by @bkgsbby​ - Rated T, Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Ongoing. After his wife leaves him a week after giving birth to their son, Naruto moves back to Konoha. He adjusts to life as a single father, with the help of his friends and surprisingly, his old crush.

“Road to Redemption” by averagejane497 - Rated T, Canon-Divergent, Multi-chapter, Complete. Naruto’s made a lot of mistakes in his life, especially concerning the women he loves. Maybe this time he can get it right.

“You’re the One” by AnimeloverNUMBA100 - Rated T, Canon-Divergent, Multi-chapter, Complete. After 4 desperate years, Hinata finally asked Naruto out. He decides to give her a chance, but his feelings for Sakura has never faded. Hinata is slowly losing hope as time goes on…and she soon chooses to leave him.

Untitled by @randomprose - Rated G, Canon-Divergent, One-shot. Prompt: Hinata finds out that Naruto told Minato that Sakura is his girlfriend.

“Jitters” by ncfan - Rated T, Canon-Compliant, One-shot. He has her heart but he doesn’t even know it.

“The Red Umbrella” by ncfan - Rated G, Canon-Divergent, One-shot. As the rain hits her, Hinata thinks about what she doesn’t have, and what she’ll never have now.

“Duplicity” by GoldKing - Rated T, Canon-Divergent, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. Uzumaki Sakura wants to know why Hinata’s children are blond.

“My Favorite Night” by @peppercornpresses - Rated M, Canon-Divergent, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. Hinata harbors deeper feelings for Naruto after three years of being his roommate. When he starts dating Sakura, Hinata decides it’s in her heart’s best interest to turn the other way, and leaves Naruto for good with a heart-breaking secret in tow.

“The Loving Type” by @peppercornpresses - Rated M, Canon-Divergent, Multi-chapter, Ongoing. A few years have passed since the Fourth Shinobi War, in which…Rookie Nine steadily advances in rank. Naruto gets engaged. Hinata leaves Konoha. And Kakashi schemes for days.

“Blurred Lines” by @vegebulsoup - Rated E, Police / Cops and Robbers Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Complete. Detective Naruto Uzumaki is having a hard time staying focused at work due to an elusive, dark-haired beauty.  (Starts off fun and smutty, grows angsty).

“I want you to cry” and its sequel “Road of Tears” by Devahhole - Rated E for graphic murder, dub-con/non-con, and smut, High School AU, Multi-chapter, Ongoing. A sociopath blinded by revenge runs into his greatest opponent.

“Absolute” by @ssa25 - Rated M, Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Ongoing. She was his kind, shy and innocent friend. Until she wasn’t. He was her pure, beautiful and unrequited love. Until he wasn’t.

I’m very glad that you enjoyed my “White Lilies” fic!!  Here’s everything I could think of for you to cry or stress out over.

SAD READING 😢

[beyondspaceandstars]

While You Sleep

Chapter 9

Relationship: Bucky Barnes x Reader Warnings: N/A, just fluff this time! Summary: Soulmate!AU - Throughout life, you’re given glimpses of your soulmate through dreams. As you sleep, memories flash in your mind showing you the life your soulmate has lived. Everyone around you raves about how their soulmate reads great books or volunteers in their spare time. But you can’t relate as your dreams end up being more like nightmares. Through initial images of death and violence, you come to learn your soulmate is the Winter Soldier.

(a/n: yes i really used some cliche scenes expected from a bucky fic but come on you have to, right?)

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If you thought you were scared before your first encounter with Bucky, your feelings as you got ready for this date were unbelievable. 

The pressure really felt on this time. 

In the anxiety of nervousness and self-doubt, you had bought a whole new outfit for this date. You stood in the mirror, checking yourself over as you adorned a lovely knee-length, flowy dress. It had little flowers decorated all over it. The fabric was soft and comfortable, easing worries just a bit more - if you felt good, all would go good, right? The entire thing was complimented by a new pair of flats. You even spent more time on your make-up, making sure everything was just right and accentuating all your features pleasantly. 

The more you did, the better you felt, until you realized there was no more to do. Once your hair was laid gently over your shoulder in a cascading braid, you had to face the fact that it was almost game time. Glancing over, your clock told you Bucky would be here any minute.

Still, back at the mirror, you couldn’t help yourself from fidgeting. You tweaked your braid, fixed the invisible wrinkles on your dress, even reconsidered your lipstick color choice… But then it happened. Your phone’s ringtone sang throughout your room, giving you a jumpscare. You had to take a deep breath before crossing the space and answering the call. Bucky’s name flashed on the screen.

“Hi, Bucky,” you said.

“Hi, doll,” Bucky responded, a little sing-songy tone in his voice. His cheeriness was practically contagious through the phone. Your heart fluttered. “I’m outside whenever you’re ready.”

“O-Okay,” you sputtered out, letting out a cough to cover it but it didn’t work well as Bucky let out a light chuckle at your nerves. You chose to ignore it and continued, “I’ll be down in a second.”

“Alright,” he said. “See you soon.” The line disconnected. You sighed, gripping your phone probably too tightly. Closing your eyes, you inhaled then exhaled, centering yourself, letting your pounding heart come down. 

One last look in the mirror and you realized that it was game time. There were no more preparations you could make. Your soulmate was waiting downstairs and off you went to get swept away.

Bucky wasn’t the only thing that greeted you when you exited the apartment building. He was standing by a taxi, one arm leaning against it like it was the world's most romantic chariot. A smile broke out on your lips as you approached him. 

“Good evening.”

Bucky gave a nod, “Good evening.”

He kept staring at you, taking you in fully and shamelessly. You blushed under his focused eyes and quickly looked away. Motioning towards the taxi, you said, “Is this our ride for the night?”

Now he was smiling as well. “Just to get us there.”

You hummed, interested. “Where is ‘there?’”

“Gotta get in the taxi and find out, sweetheart,” Bucky said with a proud smirk as he opened the door. He extended his arm out dramatically, motioning for you to slide in. You mumbled a shy thank you, still feeling your blushing was out of control and got comfy in the cab. 

Once Bucky was also settled in, he leaned in very close to the driver and whispered the destination. You pretended not to notice but had to admit, he sure was sticking to the whole surprise thing. It made you feel quite giddy inside knowing he was going through all this just to surprise you. To give you a (hopefully) nice date. 

Once the taxi driver understood the address, Bucky leaned back and the drive began. You stared out the window, watching your neighborhood pass by, as you tried to ignore Bucky still staring at you. It was like he was really focused on you like he was searching for something. It made you feel all kinds of warmth under your dress. 

“You look beautiful,” Bucky finally said, breaking the backseat silence. Your heart that was once pounding suddenly was going a million miles an hour. Uncontrollably, you whipped your head to look at Bucky. You met his eyes which were looking at you with such wonder and longing. Oh yeah, it was getting warm in this taxi, you thought.

“Thank you,” you said, shyly. You still didn’t understand where this nervous, antsy of you was coming from. You had been around him plenty of times, even had a bit of a fight that night in your fucking apartment, but now this was what you were scared of? A date? You had to shake your head to literally shake off the nerves, something that was becoming a habit of you now. 

Eventually, you forced yourself to add on to the conversation, “You look great, as well.” And that certainly was the truth. Bucky had cleaned up nicely. His hair was slicked back casually. He wore a soft sweater and black slacks. The outfit was paired with dress shoes. The entire look just felt… Classic but in the best way. In a way that was Bucky at heart. 

You two fell into silence again but it was more comfortable, like Bucky’s words had hidden messages telling you to calm down. This was just another date, as couples do, and you two had been through crazy stuff - cough, cough… the fucking apartment showdown. Well, maybe that was a bit dramatic, you thought, but it sure felt hostile in the moment.

Moments later, the taxi stopped outside some… dance hall? You peered up at the sign, quizzically. You had no idea these places even existed anymore. This was already turning out to be the most unique you had ever been on but it wasn’t like you had been on many. 

You were about to get out when Bucky stopped you. Confused, you watched him run around the front of the taxi and stop at your door. He opened it for you, as any gentleman would. He offered you his hand and helped you out. After paying for the cab, he came back to join you, offering his arm for you to take.

“Dancing?” You asked as you two walked towards the entrance. “You’re taking me dancing?”

There was a faint blush creeping up on Bucky’s neck. “I am,” he said. “Back in the day, when I wanted to woo a girl I took her dancing. I hope that’s okay with you.”

You giggled, “Yeah, it’s...” Your words abruptly stopped as you were suddenly hit with the realization: you didn’t fucking know how to dance. Even in your own time period, you couldn’t be thrown out anywhere expecting to bust some moves. Your feet stopped moving before you could enter the hall.

Bucky turned to you, concerned. “Everything okay, sweetheart?” 

You wouldn’t look at him and instead looked past him, through the clear doors of the dance hall, watching the couples spin and twirl about. “I don’t know how to dance.”

Bucky waved a hand in dismissal and continued walking. “There’s no need to worry, doll,” he said as he opened the door for you. “You can follow my lead and you’ll be just fine, okay? I’ve got you.”

Your heart skipped a beat as Bucky placed a hand on your lower back, leading you around the hall. The music was loud, more on the big band side, though. You saw up-close now as the couples flung each other around, laughing in awe at one another. There was a bar off at one end where patrons moved around it with beverages. The place was fairly crowded as well, something you didn’t really peg Bucky for being enthusiastic about, but his face lit the second you two walked in. There was something like a sense of familiarity in his eyes.

You didn’t comment on it, though, and instead took his arm again, letting him guide you to the bar first. You were silently thankful, hoping a nice drink would loosen you up - at least, enough to actually get you on the dance floor. 

Bucky ordered for you two which you actually appreciated. Part of you enjoyed seeing him take charge like this. Plan the date, open your door, order a drink you might like… The care of it all made your heart sing. 

Retrieving the drinks, he handed you one. You thanked him as you took the drink and looked it over. The drink was something dark poured over ice. An orange peel and cherry bobbed in the liquid, next to the ice. You sipped it, letting the taste of whiskey and orange essence hit your tastebuds. 

“It’s lovely,” you said and took another sip. For as nice as it was, you weren’t exactly well versed in cocktails. “What is it?”

“An old fashioned,” Bucky answered as he took his own sip of the drink, letting himself lean in closer to you as you two stood at the bar. He still watched you with a curious intensity that made your skin all kinds of heated. “I-I’m glad you like it.”

A silence fell over you two once more as you sipped your drink and let your gaze wander back to the dancing pairs. They moved so majestically and vibrantly across the hardwood floor. Engrossed with one another, trusting as they spun about. You had to admit, it did look quite fun. 

“Up for a bit of a dance after this, doll?” Bucky drawled, a hint at what sounded like a little Brooklyn accent peaked out, making you grin. He must’ve been absolutely transported back in time and you were so thankful you could be there with him. 

You took a drink, probably more than you should’ve in one gulp, and said, “Maybe if this drink kicks in soon I’ll let you show me a few moves.” You smiled to yourself. “That is, assuming you still have moves.”

Bucky raised his eyebrows at you as he stared at you above his glass. “Excuse me?”

You giggled, “Well, you’ve got a few years in you. Just want to make sure you can show a gal a good time.”

Bucky scoffed and then, without any other warning, he grabbed your drink from your hands. Slamming both the glasses on the bar counter, he gripped your hand in his and dragged you out to the floor. You shuffled to keep up, giggling loudly at the fire you had sparked within him. It was amazing what a little banter could do to him. Once he picked an area, the band began playing a new song and Bucky fell into the rhythm quickly. 

You stared, a bit stunned watching him move. But Bucky wouldn’t let you just stand there for long. Getting into the beat, he grabbed both your hands and began instructing you on the steps. Thankfully, it wasn’t as serious as you thought it would be. This was just a dance hall, after all. Everyone was too caught up in their own lovers to pay attention to others. You watched his feet intensely, as you kicked and stomped, feeling a bit clunky but Bucky, you glanced at him every now and then, was watching you with a hint of pride in his eyes. 

Suddenly, he decided to get daring and spun you out, quickly pulling you back into his arms. You let out a laugh, enjoying the spontaneous move of it all and reveling in the feeling of his arms around you. Following that, you fell back into the rhythm. As you got more confident, you could actually look at Bucky better and saw he looked just as pleased and excited as you were. You felt you two had melted into the crowd well despite you feeling like a sore thumb. 

The twirling was probably your favorite and you were very pleased with your dress choice. As he moved you, it would flare just slightly around your thighs, making you feel like fabric just drifting in the wind. Bucky seemed to like it as well as his hands felt like they made a point to never leave your body, always prying and begging for you close. 

Eventually, after a couple of upbeat songs, the music turned down, now on the more slow side. Bucky, however, seemed very prepared for this as he pulled you into his body without a second thought. His hand landed on your lower waist, your front pressed to him securely. His metal hand was entangled with yours, lifted away from your bodies, as you two moved in a small circle. 

You and Bucky finally really locked eyes for what felt like really the first time in the entire dancing sequence. His eyes looked at you so softly, so in total awe. Maybe there was even a hint of admiration just lurking, you noted. You felt yourself blushing intensely, but then again, when weren’t you like that around Bucky?

Bucky eventually spoke. “You were a natural, sweetheart.”

You shrugged, a small smile on your lips. “I think I just had a really awesome teacher.”

“Oh, yeah?” He grinned. “He must’ve been great. Taught you some nice moves.”

“Mhm,” you nodded, “he’s the absolute best. Really good-looking as well. That’s a nice bonus.”

“You’re making me blush, doll.”

“Good. That’s how I get all the time around you. It’s time you had a taste of your own medicine.”

Bucky threw his head back, letting out a loud laugh. “Really, honey?” His eyes met yours again. You jumped at the new pet name. It felt so much more...domestic. “I make you blush? Make you feel a bit warm?” His tone got lower as it was just above a whisper. A shiver ran up your spine. 

You bit your lip, contemplating how far this was going to go. “You make me feel many things, Bucky. Good things.”

His grin had turned to a full teasing smile now. He didn’t respond, though, just nodded with a mischievous expression now coming across his features. You were going to ask what he was thinking about when the music stopped and the band announced they would be taking a break. It sounded like Bucky let out a sigh of relief as he promptly took your hand and began leading you off the dance floor.

“You hungry, doll?” He asked, stopping next to the exit, hands in his pocket now, looking all casual. But the casualness was a nice cover, you thought, as his expression held everything but unsuspecting. 

You hummed. “I could go for something.”

He nodded, still smiling. “I planned to cook you dinner. Is that alright?”

You gasped, “I get to go to your apartment now?”

He laughed as he took your hand again, now leading you out of the dance hall. You two began making your way down the street, hands gripped tightly together. 

“You will get to see my apartment but fair warning, it’s nothing special.”

You scoffed. “Yeah, like mine was a real looker.”

“At least yours looks lived in.”

You looked up at Bucky quickly, mouth open now as if you wanted to say something but you didn’t really know what. He wouldn’t look back at you now and instead just kept leading you to presumably his apartment building. You turned your sights back on the sidewalk, watching the cars and people rush around in the nighttime landscape of the city, as you let Bucky guide you. 

It was a fairly nice area he lived in, an estimated taxi ride away from you. The area was really bustling with people now and there were shops and eateries galore to browse. You glanced in the windows as you passed, watching others mingle about and eat their dinners. 

Eventually, Bucky stopped in front of a building and pulled open the door. He let you in first, still ever so the gentlemen despite you not knowing where the hell you were going. Neither of you dwelled on this though as Bucky took your hand again and led you to his apartment. You felt yourself getting antsy the closer you got but you didn’t understand why. As much as you wanted your flirting to get you a little bit somewhere, this was dinner. A nice lovely dinner with your soulmate. One that he planned to cook. (Could he actually cook, though? You debated this as you went.)

Bucky unlocked the door and let you in. Sadly, he wasn’t too far off from the comment about it not looking lived in. There wasn’t… much of anything. There were the essentials - kitchen, couch, stools, television - but nothing that screamed Bucky. Or that he even actually stepped foot in here. 

But you weren't about to say any of this. You lingered by the kitchen counter. “It’s cozy.”

Bucky chuckled, “Thanks for trying, doll.”

You frowned. “I-I mean it. It’s nice. Clean and… and formal.” Well, you thought, what could you expect from a former soldier?

Bucky raised his eyebrows, though, not buying it. 

“Alright,” you sighed, “it could use maybe some personal touches but your space is your space. Who am I to judge when mine looks like it's falling apart?”

“Yours has personality,” Bucky shrugged as he slowly took steps towards you. You were leaning against the counter now, arms crossed watching him approach. 

“That means it's a trainwreck.”

He smirked, “It means it fits you and I like you, so, naturally, I’m going to like your apartment.”

Your heart pounded in your chest. “You like me?” You asked and winced at your words. Apparently, you were having a hard time growing out of this silly schoolgirl crushing phase. 

Bucky nodded, now pretty close, staring you down. One hand came to rest on the counter beside you, slightly trapping you in. “I do like you.”

You couldn’t get over how close he was now. Even during your slow dance, you don’t think he was like… this. Towering, confident. Your eyes flicked to his inviting lips quickly before returning back to his eyes. They held amusement and… Was that a hint of amorousness in them? Your pulse was racing.

“Enough to make me dinner?” You let out a breathy chuckle, trying your hand at humor to figure out what was going on here. You didn’t mean to be practically dismissing these advancements but you also couldn’t believe they were happening. You thought it was just some sweet back and forth in the dance hall, a possible side effect of the adrenaline from dancing getting to you two. But, no. This fact was simple. Bucky wanted you. 

“You know,” he sighed, “I don’t think I’m really hungry.”

“Oh?”

“At least not for dinner.”

You were barely able to let out a gasp at his confirmation before Bucky’s lips were on yours, hot and heavy.