#Blank Panther

[midnight-oily]

a lovestruck secret

attoye fluff | 2k words | @attoye-week day 1 | ao3 link

“So…what were you doing so late in Shuri’s lab?”

Sitting on her couch, dressed in his finest jade and fabrics, Attuma blinks at Okoye’s sudden question. He coughs nervously, adjusting his cape around his neck. This was not how he expected their date night to go. 

Their courtship was fresh—only a few weeks old but he assumed that it was going well. All their friends and family knew they were attempting to make something work. Physically, it’s been slow but they have cuddled and held hands. With the great difficulties they face, from the distance of their homes to their differences in respiratory biology, they have done their best to work around them.

Half of their date time in Wakanda usually took place in Okoye’s bathroom, where Attuma would take frequent breaks to soak in her tub. Meanwhile, when Okoye visited Talokan, the only places they could really have some privacy was if they journeyed to some of the more remote cenotes that dotted Talokan’s territory. Not all of which had amenities that could accommodate surface dwellers.

Their date nights (as Okoye calls their visits) has not been easy, but it was worth it.

She was worth it. 

“I was not aware that Princess Shuri’s lab had a curfew,” Attuma responds cordially. He thanks Chaac that his hair does not dry as quickly as his skin or else Okoye might spot the drops of his nervous sweat.

Okoye taps her feet impatiently, heels clicking against the tiled floor, “You two have been… working together more frequently as of late.” 

“Talokan and Wakanda are allies,” he explains diplomatically, “I am merely providing my expertise to Princess Shuri.” Okoye’s eyes narrow, studying his face to catch even the briefest hint of deception. Technically, nothing he has said is a lie. He’s just reinterpreting the truth.

“Tell me, what kind of expertise are you offering her?” She demands, sitting herself down on the other side of the couch, “What project are you two working on that requires the expertise of a Talokanil general?” Attuma only lasts a few seconds under her accusing glare before he awkwardly looks down at his shuffling feet.

“You would need to ask your Princess for the details.”

“Interesting,” she replies with a sour tone, “Shuri told me the same thing. Except to ask you.”

Attuma swallows. He had no response to that. 

“Enough,” Okoye sighs, rubbing the temples of her forehead, “I’m too old for these games.”

“Okoye…?”

She scoots directly next to him, forcing him to acknowledge her presence. Attuma looks at her wide eyed, cheeks warming as he could feel the pounding of her heart against his skin. From the day he first fought her on the bridge, he always thought she was a beautiful woman. Up close and personal like this? Stunning, like the sun.

Okoye presses against his shoulder, her words cold and menacing,  “Are you cheating on me?”

Startled by Okoye’s sudden accusation, Attuma stutters as he shakes his head, bubbles foaming in his breather, “I-I have done you no dishonor! I would never do such a cowardly thing!”

“You haven’t answered my calls recently,” Okoye folds her arms over her chest defensively, “You are distracted on the training ground, unable to even look at me in the eye —” Attuma tries to protest but she lifts up a finger in warning, silencing him, “—And you won’t answer even the most basic questions about this project you’ve been working on with my own liege!”

“I–I swear that it will be explained in time—”

“Is this project somewhere between her legs?!”

“I have no interest in the Princess of Wakanda! We are merely working together!”

“Funny considering you’ve been staying late every night in Shuri’s lab this week!”

Attuma grasps Okoye’s hand, holding it against his chest in the hopes that she may feel his sincerity, “In yaakumech! I swear, there is no other! I do not wish to court anyone but you–”

“So why can’t you tell me what is going on?!” she asks incredulously, tearing her hand away from him, “Why can’t Shuri?”

“Because I’ve asked the Princess to keep quiet.”

“Quiet about what?!”

Attuma doesn’t answer. His mouth opens and then closes. His eyes darted side to side, trying to think of exactly what to say. What could he say? It was too soon. He needed to stall a little bit longer. How long did Shuri say? Maybe an additional week of testing plus—

“Fine. Get out.”

 Startled out of his thoughts, Attuma gaped at Okoye’s sudden demand.

“Yaakunaj…?”

The ex-general stands up from the couch, placing her hands on her hips as she gazes down at him with a glare that would have killed most men.

“We’re done,” she says cooly, “If you can’t be open with me, then I’m wasting my time. I’m too old to be entertaining men with secrets. Leave.”

Attuma hangs his head—his heart sinking into his stomach. No—no! It’s going all wrong. This wasn’t how he wanted it to go. Should he just tell her? If he tells her, perhaps she would—

“Did you not hear me?” Okoye snaps, gesturing to her door, “Get up and get out! We are done!”

He glances back up at her, briefly taking in her angry expression with a wince. He swallows again, his Adam’s apple bobbing before standing up slowly, unable to meet her eyes. 

As Attuma was about to turn towards her doorway, the most ludicrous idea popped into his head. It was risky. Even deadly. Yet if he could pull it off, everything would be made right. If he was a smarter man, he wouldn’t even entertain the notion. Alas, he was a man in love and it is known that lovestruck men are stupidest of all men.

Attuma faces Okoye directly, meeting her deadly glare straight on with a stupidly bright smile. Before she could even react, he reaches up, pulls his face-breather off and crushes it with his fist.

“Isidenge! What are you doing!?” shouts Okoye as she watches the vibranium pieces of the breather fall onto the ground, “W-We must get you to water!”

She snatches his wrist—the one that crushed the breather and tries to tug him towards her bathroom where she had prepped the tub earlier. However Attuma holds still against her pulling. Still smiling as stupidly bright as ever. 

“Why are you fighting me!?” She hisses at him, irritated at his lack of urgency, “Just because I have rejected you doesn’t give you the right to die of asphyxiation in my living room!” 

Using both of her hands to grip his wrists, he finally stumbles a few steps forward. Even with her mini victory, Attuma’s smile only grows. Okoye huffs with exasperation—she was once a general. It’s not enough to win the battle, she must win the war!

They continue on for a bit: Okoye furiously tugging at him and Attuma giving into her every couple tugs or so. With each minute that passes, Attuma’s smile grows wider and wider until the man lets out a small chuckle of delight.

“Eh?” Okoye’s eyebrows furrow as she pauses in her tugging to stare at Attuma’s happy loopy expression, “What is so funny?!” He shakes his head, biting his tongue to keep the growing happiness in his belly from bursting. He looks like he’s about to cry, yet he’s grinning ear to ear.

What on Bast's Earth is happening to this man?

She’s convinced it might be a side effect of the lack of oxygen. She starts tugging again, more fiercely than before. 

 “Okoye—” He speaks her name softly. Sweetly. As if her name was a prayer to the gods.

“This. Is. Not. Funny! I am NOT dealing with your corpse!”

“Okoye, it’s been—What is the measurement? Thirty minutes?”

“You stupid man, if it has been truly thirty minutes then you would have been…”

She stops as her eyes flicker to her living room clock. Her lips part in shock as she double checks, even triple checks the time. It has been exactly thirty three minutes and forty two seconds.

“...out of breath and… dead.”

With all her tugging, it certainly felt no more than five minutes. Yet even with quadruple checking the time with her kimoyo beads, there was no denying it.

Attuma has been standing on land, without a breather, for over thirty minutes. 

Not even a surfacer could hold their breath underwater for that long, let alone a Talokanil. She drops his wrists, taking a few shaky steps back to examine him up and down. 

“Y-you can breathe on land now? H-how?”

Attuma reaches up to his shoulder and pulls down the edge of his cape,  “Princess Shuri’s project. A breather prototype that I’ve been developing with her.”

Underneath the fabric, Okoye was able to spot a thin vibranium collar wrapped tightly around his neck. It pulses with a faint glow as it draws in oxygen from the air. 

Dazed, Okoye reached out to touch the collar, tracing the edge of it with a warm finger. Attuma delights in the occasional brush of her nails against his skin. She tilts her head curiously, “How long have you been able to do this?”

“This is the first time the contraption worked.”

“What!?” Okoye darts her hand back, afraid that her touch may have damaged it in some way, “You could have died!”

“But I didn’t.”

“You idiotic—”

Okoye lets out a colorful wave of curses—Why did she agree to date the stupidest, most reckless man in the ocean?!

“—Why keep this a secret from me?!” 

“Because I wanted to surprise you with this—”

Salt. That’s the first thing Okoye tastes when Attuma presses his lips against hers. He is the ocean—the rolling tide of a mighty sea that comes crashing down upon her shore. The sharkbone piercing on his nose presses against her skin and she gasps, allowing his tongue to slip inside. His hands curl around her hips, pulling her tighter against him and instinctively, she curls her arms around his wide shoulders.

Okoye was no blushing virgin. She was once married and had her fair share of lovers but something about this man—this warm, gentle, sweet man—that is making her giddy like a schoolgirl. She deepens the kiss, dancing her tongue with his in a fierce battle that neither would back down from. They were the greatest warriors of their nations—it would not do for either of them to give in so easily. 

She gives him a few victories—a sigh, another gasp and even a moan for him to devour. In return, he gives her guttural groans as she nibbles on his bottom lip, amused by how such a small act can cause a grown man to tremble delightfully. 

With this one kiss, all their worries and concerns have shrunk into a speck of insignificance.

There was no Talokan or Wakanda. No alliances or enemies. 

There was only Attuma and Okoye. A lovestruck man with his love drunk woman.

Feeling Okoye begin to quiver at the intensity of their kiss, Attuma pulls back just a little, observing her with half-hooded eyes,“I’m sorry, I didn't mean to keep it a secret from you for long, yaakunaj. I just didn’t want you to be disappointed if it didn’t work.”

His hands were still tight around her waist, not wanting to let her go just yet. She looks at him with teary eyes, a mix of both happiness and annoyance—She thought he was going to actually die! This man will be the death of her!—and sighs, “I was… too hasty. I should have just trusted you. I’m sorry too.”

He smiles again. Stupidly bright.

Okoye rolls her eyes, “I suppose we need to tell Shuri the good news.”

Attuma nods and takes the opportunity to nuzzle her with his nose and she snorts at his childish behavior. He doesn’t care. He’s been wanting to do that since—well, since he first fell in love with her at the bridge.

After a brief pause, Okoye clears her throat, licking her lips, “But we don’t need to tell her now…” 

“Oh?”

“It’s pretty late,” She gives him a sly wink, her hands reaching downward, “We can just let her know in the morning after we do some more… testing?”

Attuma grins as he feels her tugs on him once more, but this time towards her bedroom door.

[casadepalermo]

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 🎃 👻

[jae0515]

this is soooo cuteeeeee

Did anyone thought about this?

[cloutbase]

Veteran actress Connie Chiume passes away

Veteran South African actress and filmmaker Connie Chiume has died, leaving a profound impact on the film industry. She was 72, Chiume was known for her memorable performances in “Black Panther,” “Black Is King,” and “Blessers,” she also starred in popular TV series like “Zone 14,” “Rhythm City,” and “Gomora.” Her passing was confirmed via her Instagram, prompting mourning among fans and…

[supidosan]

big pretty kitty :)

(by Lisa Antell)

[spiderman616]

what are all the animal themed/named marvel superheroes someone help me out

[tkachukisms]

missed that stupid fucking goal horn so bad it's actually unreal and possibly a sign of stockholm syndrome

[charlesdrawsstuff]

Shuri

I think the first copy of Black Panther that I read was her introductory issue back in 2005. Pretty neat to see how far the character has come in such a relatively short time.

[poisonarrow98]

had a random thought about a soviper roleswap AU where sova goes by Dr. Alexander (Sasha) Novikov, a renowned physicist, and his agent outfit has a darker color scheme resembling a nightowl. i'd also picture him using sharp talons as weapons so he could swoop in and sink his claws into his enemies' chests, get really close and personal.

and then for viper she takes on the hunter/assassin role wearing a skintight outfit adorned w/scale armor to give her a more snake-like appearance. her weapon of choice would be dual talon blades laced w/poison across the edges, using them to stealthily take her enemies out one by one.

[hyper-coasters]

Panther sculpture by artist Sibylle Peretti, located at Imagine Museum, St. Pete, Florida.

[foxglves]

matthew straight up looks on the verge of some kind of breakdown girl me too 😭😭

[happyhornqvist]

took three months but HE’S HERE 💕😍🥰

[fukkiemon]

letitia wright has been all over my tiktok

[oukabarsburgblr]

Bite Me [Hybrid AU]

FEATURING : AITO SOUSUKE (OC), DAISUKE YUICHI (OC) x male reader

In a world of hybrids, one man stands out amongst the others, a human. Enjoy one night stands with two very popular hybrids!

a bit of worldbuilding, more focused on the hybrids pov, short fic

Find out more under the cut!

It was the year 2095, technology had advanced far past, dismissing the human morale. Tall buildings began to spread more in countries, bearing a sore sight to some, an opportunity to others.

Flying cars one said, that humans would have invented the ability of having cars flew in the sky despite the obvious safety risks or legality protocols. Instead however, in the recent breakthrough in Russia back in the 2010s, human genetics have been modified, successfully producing the first hybrid through artifical insemination.

Albeit the abnormal features, its ability to even live for three years was a breakthrough for humankind. The first step was for military combat, humans gaining the genetics of animals, the ability to suppress fear, increased sight in low light or even the ferocity of violence.

An agreement was drafted, to dispose the use of these experiments, that were called hybrids. Although at first, were revolted against, slowly it was accepted into the public which had first charmed the upper class. More people had wanted these animalistic features, injecting neurological modifications into their spine to which they call 'hybrids'.

As more and more hybrids began to integrate into society, it began a trend to engrave those modified genetics into families. Humans began to marry hybrids and hybrids began to breed more hybrids.

It had gone to a point where the population of a pure human was 5% globally. The animals that were adopted into the human brain ranged from herbivores to carnivores, but the most worshipped ones were the predators, the top of the food chain.

Due to the fact that humans were slowly dissipating off the face of the earth, any pure human would receive protection from the government. Even a monthly subsidy just for existing, since these hybrids had dominated the workforce.

Even a human marrying a human could receive a yearly pension that would allow them to retire at an early age, that was how severely endangered humans were.

This didn't apply to a particular man. Black small rounded ears, barely noticeable yellow spots just located at the roots of the man walking into a bar with his companions. His long red hair, tied up into a bun, tucked behind his two pairs of ears. Brown irises that had flicker of yellow scanned the occupants of the bar, sitting at the counter with the barista.

In just a fleeting moment, the man had marked in his head who was his natural prey or his formidable opponent. Aito Sousuke, a college student studying physiological education, had the features of a black panther, mixture of the more famous leopard and jaguar combined with the rarely occuring recessive allele to produce his black ears between his locks of red.

His noticeable large fangs flicked off the cap of the beer bottle, slugging it down his throat, cheered by his similarly hybrid friends.

Sousuke was used to their Friday evening outings, although the main reason they had came here was to have fun, preferrably a feline or a bunny.

His friends had suddenly whispered amongst each other, glancing at the entrance of the bar and Sousuke was weirded out by the shift in atmosphere until he looked closer to the person walking by him.

A warm smile was present on his face, his hand swiping his locks of (h/c) back as he sat on the far corner of the counter beside Sousuke with distance between them, ordering a glass to the barista. But the most odd thing about the (h/c) was that.

He was a human. A pure human.

No noticeable animal ears on the top of his head, no gills nor abnormal nose. And his scent was different. It was blank, empty of undertone. But it was easily stained as Sousuke stared at a few other hybrids approaching the (h/c), asking to drink together as the latter declined. Their suffocating aroma mixing in with the blank slate.

There was a rumour that the humans were different than hybrids, more ways than one. Other than the physical and emotional changes, the other rumour was that the sex was much more pleasureable, especially for the hybrid.

When he saw the (h/c)'s approachers not backing off despite his rejection, Sousuke grabbed the cap of the bottle and flung it to the direction of the other hybrids, the cap embedded into the wooden wall beside (m/n).

"Stop making a fuss, ya' mutts." He bared his fangs, flashing his long retractable claws at the harassers who meekly stepped away, mumbling curses to themselves.

The human stared at him for a while, before snapping out of his own stupor. "Thank you." He mentioned with the same warm smile on his face. "I'm (m/n)."

Sousuke nodded to him. "Good to know." And the redhead returned to his drink, his friends egging him on beside him. (m/n) only chuckled to himself, the bear barista checking up on him and giving him his drink.

The night ensued, Sousuke's friends going off to dance to Latin Pop and he brushed off some felines that were asking him for a dance.

"Not feeling it tonight?"

The panther's ears twitched, Sousuke turning to the left to see the (h/c) smiling at him again. His eyes downturned, hazy from the drink with his arms crossed across his chest as he leaned on the wall behind him.

"...not really. Just came to diffuse." The hybrid replied with a slur in his voice, heat creeping up his neck. (m/n) stared at the hybrid beside him before asking again.

"What's your name?" "...Just call me Sousuke."

(m/n) tested the name on his lips. "Sousuke...Has a nice ring to it." He hummed, finishing his glass.

The redhead groaned, a heating buzz in his stomach flaring as he slumped over the counter. "Is that so?" He numbly mumbled, red hues rising to his cheeks, his long fluffy tail swishing behind him.

"Care to test it out?"

The (h/c) had a tilt to his head, as he scooted his chair closer to Sousuke's, who took a second to consider the question, the offer as he stared at his (e/c) eyes.

-

"Urmmff mmnn!"

Sousuke wasn't sure how he ended up taking the human home with him. Kicking the apartment door open, the redhead stumbled into the living room while messily making out with the (h/c).

Sousuke's tongue was noticeably longer and wider, easily licking (m/n)'s mouth, caressing his teeth, lapping up his tongue and his fangs clashing against the (h/c)'s normal ones.

(m/n)'s eyes were rolling to the back of his head. His breathing was heavy, his mouth full of the redhead's wet muscle, it was rough compared to his soft ones. Little spines on the surface that looked like tiny hooks.

Pulling out of his mouth, Sousuke placed his tongue flat on (m/n)'s neck and dragged it up to his jaw, earning a hiss from the human. It felt rough, coarse against the (h/c)'s skin, brewing tingles in (m/n)'s stomach.

As they continued to drunkenly stumble into the bedroom, Sousuke immediately ripped (m/n)'s shirt, his claws digging into the fabric and pulled it apart, exposing (s/c) skin.

The panther was heaving, sweating buckets and drooling like a madman. He could smell his own scent filling the room's, more distinct than usual. Sousuke sniffed into (m/n)'s neck, pressing his nose against his jaw before sinking in his teeth. (m/n) screamed, pushing against the panther as he shuffled his pants off.

The foreplay was rough. Sousuke's hands were thick, his knuckles had a clear curve and his palms had a padding like texture. He kept licking (m/n)'s jaw, his teeth hovering over his cheeks. There were squelches amongst (m/n)'s incoherent moans, his hole being fingered by the panther.

He was careful to avoid jamming his claws into his walls but there was a fervent burning curling in his lower stomach. Sweat accumulated at his back and his forehead. Eyesight getting hazy and his head was getting foggy.

(m/n) pushed his hand away and spread his thighs further, panting at the redhead to slip his cock in. Sousuke pulled the rest of his clothes off before mounting the (h/c) who was admiring the spots on his sides, the redhead pushed (m/n) on his back as he hooked his thighs on his waist.

The (h/c) choked on his own spit when Sousuke fucked his cock inside him, his hair splayed on the bedsheets as he moaned incontrollably. (m/n) groped his own chest while getting drilled by the hybrid.

Sousuke's heaving was getting deeper as he pounded his dick inside of the human, mushing his tip against his prostate, feeling his precum leaking all over his base. The amount of lube paled in comparison to his own bodily fluids.

"Your- mmnn! Face is red- ahn! A-Are you okay?" (m/n) placed a hand on Sousuke's cheek, directing his gaze to him and the panther felt something burst inside him.

Glossy (e/c) with fat tears brimming the the edge, drool slipping past his lips, and his messy hair from all the thrashing of his head. Unbeknownst to Sousuke, he was going into an early heat, accidentally cumming inside (m/n).

The (h/c) only made a confused noise while mindlessly jacking himself off, squirting onto his own stomach. As he regained his breathing, he sat up thinking it was over but inevitably was pushed back down as Sousuke began to rut his cock inside him again.

(m/n) mewled loudly, fat beads finally slipping down his cheeks as Sousuke began to desperately thrust his penis inside his senstive asshole. The human called out to the panther above him but he was in a feral state, growling to himself as he kept burying his nose into his crevices, desperate to find a scent.

Sousuke even tugged his arm upwards, licking (m/n)'s pit just for a whiff and the (h/c) pulled back, feeling full of the twitching cock around his walls as he tried to crawl away. The panther bit his nape as he dragged him back to the center of the bed with his claws.

Helplessly whimpering, (m/n) could only take the desperate humps Sousuke was giving him as he laid stomach down on the bed. He could feel his tail coiling over his leg. The panther was sweating buckets, his skin burning as he began to even knead his paws into the human's back.

The (h/c) cried out from overstimulation when Sousuke kept biting and chewing on the skin of his nape. He could hear a confused growl from him, the redhead was trying to mate with him by biting his scent glands but since he wasn't a hybrid, his efforts were essentially useless.

It wasn't until the seventh round where (m/n) woke up since he had passed out around the fifth, he noticed his hole was still being fucked raw, cum spilling out of his puffy rim. The (h/c) pulled on Sousuke's red hair, trying to gain his attention out of his heat.

He eventually smacked the side of his head with his palm, yelling at him to calm down. "Tone it down!" Sousuke growled back, baring his fangs at the (h/c) who slapped him again.

"Play nice, kitty." (m/n) stroked his hair, his fingers moving to scratch under his jaw as Sousuke stopped his thrusts, purring at his touch and swinging his tail. The (h/c) managed to push him to the side and the panther didn't realised how exhausted he was because as soon as he hit the bed, he passed out.

Sousuke woke up alone, his sheets damp and empty of a human. His head was hurting, the aftermath of yesterday's drinking sinking in and he remembered bits of the (h/c) but his body remembered the intense pleasure he was bestowed. The human's, (m/n)'s touch was so pleasureable to him that he had gone into an early heat in one night.

He muffled his screams with his pillow, trying to forget about his one night stand with the human as he tried to recreate the same effect with random cats he picked up at the bar but it paled in comparison to (m/n)'s flame.

Sousuke could only sulk to himself, constantly glancing out of the corner of his eyes, trying to find the same human that had bewitched his body as he prepared himself to began his studies at his college for the new semester.

-

"Yes, father. I'll check the offer letters as soon as I get back. It's just a coffee run, I don't need this many bodyguards."

His calm voice contradicted with his father's lecturing tone as he rambled in his ear about how he needed to be safe as his child. White fluffy ears perked up at the chatter of birds flying above them, a dark indent on the corner of his eyes flicker as he glanced at the soaring crows.

Daisuke Yuichi was walking downtown, in the dimming evening with five men in suits surrounding him, guarding his perimeter as they prevented innocent passerbys from standing in his way. His bushy shiny tail dimmed low, embarrassed from his predicament.

The family of Daisuke was famous for having the blood of an arctic wolf. The genetics were plucked clean from the body of a white beast and imbedded into the members of the Daisuke family, and ever since then, they had tried to keep the bloodline pure by marrying humans or other white wolves.

Daisuke Yuichi was a fresh highschool grad, still hadn't made his choice for college despite not being in school for a good a year and a half now, his father wasn't too temperamental on his education. He could afford his son's lifestyle in anyway he liked.

The man had dark black hair, in contrast to his white thick fur on his prominent ears and large bushy tail that matched his deathly pale skin.

Amongst the random pedestrians he encountered, his sensitive nose felt itchy when he and his barrage of guards had walked past a specific person.

He looked past his shoulder to see a man with (h/c) hair going about his day. It wasn't until he saw that he had no prominent animal features that he realised something was different about him. It was then that he had remembered of his family's ways of keeping the blood line clean.

The next day, he decided to walk down the same path again, now with lesser bodyguards as per his request. Almost passing by a coffee shop, he stopped in his tracks, alerting his bodyguards when he noticed the same person from yesterday, sitting in the middle of the cafe typing away at his laptop on the table.

"...I feel like buying coffee again." He shooed away his bulldog bodyguards as he swiftly entered the cafe and lined up at the counter while glancing at the mysterious (h/c).

Daisuke wasn't sure why he felt the need to go up to the human, but he felt attracted to. As he got his order, he silently went up to the table that seated the lone human. "...Is this seat empty?"

The human who took off his headphones, offered him the seat and Daisuke gladly took it, giving him his thanks and worked his charm with the (h/c).

"Oh, I just finished my foundation studies out of town. Got a scholarship offer to continue college here so I moved." (m/n) told the wolf, sipping to his latte while Daisuke haven't touched his drink.

"Interesting...so where is this college, you speak of?" His tail was swishing wildly, knocking against the tile floor in excitement as he continued to chat with the wonderful human who he learned his name of.

"Hey, I really enjoyed our talk. Is it okay if I take you out for dinner? I'll make reservations. All you have to do is show up!" He held out his phone for (m/n) to punch in who was more than happy to get a free meal as he gave his number to the wolf.

The ravenette even called the number immediately, checking the veracity as he laughed it off jokingly. Pointing out the bandage on (m/n)'s neck, the latter brushed it off assuringly as they bid their goodbyes.

That night, he suddenly felt nervous as he pulled at the collar of his neck with his expensive three-piece suit at the five-star restaurant he managed to 'nepo' his way through.

White ears fluttered excitedly when he saw the (h/c) arriving at the door as he ushered the human excitedly to their table.

-

Their last-minute dinner went really well, both of them enjoying the meals with a few flirts here and there. The ravenette didn't feel anything going off in his gut.

So how come Daisuke immediately went into a rut when he brought back the human home with him that night?

Drool was writhing down his teeth as he clenched them tightly together, Daisuke seeing red as he gripped (m/n)'s waist while pounding his hips, slamming his cock inside the writhing human.

Cries and pained moans came from the (h/c), who was squirming on the bed, trying to peel himself away from the wolf. But Daisuke grabbed his wrists and pinned them onto his bed, the ravenette pushing his pelvic against his ass, forcing the (h/c) to bend his stomach.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled, in contrast with the feral look on his face. Daisuke leaned into (m/n)'s neck and ripped off the bandage with his teeth. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Muttering empty apologies, a sane part of him felt sympathetic with the human but his animal counterpart was eager to claim him for his own.

Daisuke shot his cum inside the (h/c)'s hole, (m/n) yelping in shock as he squirted on his stomach. The wolf's base throbbed and swelled, forming a knot inside him as he mumbled more apologies, hugging the human underneath him.

"I-It's okay. Can you pull out?" (m/n) didn't expect Daisuke to go into a rut as he tried to adjust his bottom half but hissed in pain as his walls stretched against the knot in his hole. He let out a cry of pain as Daisuke cooed at him, growling deeply while continuously nudging his neck.

The wolf's knot deflated and as soon as he could move, his rut came back and his animal instincts took over, breeding the (h/c), or attempted to as he manhandled the human onto his lap. Sitting while thrusting his cock upwards into the human.

(m/n) whined, his legs circling around Daisuke's waist but flinched every time the wolf fucked his cock up into him while mindlessly stroking his own. The only sense of grounding was the tip of his cock driving deep inside him, mushing against his prostate as he clenched around the dick, painting Daisuke's abs with semen.

Daisuke wasn't himself at that moment, continuously slamming himself inside the human over and over, swelling and knotting him until it deflated and another round occurred. He even bit his neck at one point, his tail swishing when he saw a faded teeth mark, laying new ones over the old mark.

His ears were tense, flickering every time he came and his tails flapping against the sheets when he started a new round of sex. Daisuke was sure (m/n) had passed out at one point, his mind went blank, only his body rutting himself into the unconscious (h/c), his body moving on its own to breed the human.

Daisuke woke up to an empty bed, stumbling over in his robes as he ran to the entrance of his home, asking his guards where the human went. His ears laid flat against his head when he found out (m/n) had left early in the morning and he was more devastated when he found out the (h/c) had blocked him.

"Yeah! I definitely want to enrol here....No no. It's just, I'm suddenly interested in the course. And it's close to home."

Daisuke was busy persuading his dad over the phone, trying to assure that he was fine with studying in a not-so-prestigious college. It was the same one that the human had told he had transferred to.

Unbeknownst to all three, they were bound to study in the same college, all three with different aims in mind. Sousuke trying to achieve the level of pleasure with his one night stand, Daisuke desperate to find and woo over his ghosted date and (m/n) whose intentions were left concealed.

[END SCENE]

How mad will you guys be when i say theres no part 2 for this

Taglist:

@tehyunnie @rainnyydaysworld @webwanderer @a-short-ass-disappointment @chikai-k @mello-life25 @miyuuuki @simpsations @sugar-p0p @kiiyoooo @helloanime @garlicforthewin @jaxyy219 @mikahrh @gayaristocrat @m4r13ll @pinxeajin @gyarukitti @syyyy4ever @pato-spoiler-27 @citrusequalsfrogs @animefan106sposts @bensontrechic @partywalker @gaynesspersonified @yanrandom @theorye @jentlesoldier @apotatoishereee @blepp0c @g0ldencl0ver @mazunzunne @basketbaal

[theemporium]

[22k] in attempt to bridge the decades old rivalry between the two gangs, a marriage of alliance is proposed between the new jersey devils and the new york rangers. the last thing you expected was to find yourself offered on a silver platter to your enemies. and you certainly didn't expect your future husband to be the likes of the devils leader himself, nico hischier.

new jersey mob masterlist || nhl mob masterlist

warning: this is a mob au. topics and themes such as violence, blood, murder and gun use are prevalent and constant throughout the fic. please keep that in mind if you choose to proceed with this fic and the whole series.

read part two here

.

“You know I would never question your authority—”

“It sounds like you’re about to question it.” 

“Are you really sure this is a good idea?” 

The footsteps echoing through the long corridor came to an abrupt stop as Nico stopped walking. The second set stopped shortly after, and he turned to find his second-in-command already looking at him with a mixed expression. It made him sigh, pushing back the meeting they were currently walking to to the back of his mind as he turned to his closest friend and confidante. 

The same man he had chosen to stand beside him in this lifestyle of theirs without a moment of hesitation because he knew no one would have his back the way Jesper Bratt did.

“Would there even be a point if I said no? It’s not like we can back out now,” Nico pointed out, and he watched Jesper’s shoulders slump a little like he was expecting that answer.

Jesper gritted his teeth. “I just don’t understand why you are doing this.”

“It’s for an alliance, Jesper, we’ve been over this,” Nico said, and despite himself, his eyes softened a little when he noted the hint of concern in his second-in-command‘s face. “We have too many enemies for our own good. We need to have people we can trust.” 

His eyes narrowed. “And you think you can trust them?”

“Just as much as they can trust us,” Nico replied, though the response sounded way too rehearsed and planned, even to his own ears. “We need this as much as they do.” 

“We have plenty of enemies you could have negotiated an alliance with,” Jesper pointed out. “We could have strengthened the bond with Philadelphia. Or even the Sabres. Hell, Nico, you could have even tried to fix things with the Panthers down south. Why in loving fuck would you pick the Rangers?”

Nico remained silent.

“Because you want something from them,” Jesper murmured, realisation clicking into place as he carefully noted Nico’s expression. “Or someone.” 

“I am doing it for the sake of the gang,” Nico answered simply.

A slow smile spread across Jesper’s face. “Us, huh?” 

“Shut up.” 

“You know, as your second-in-command, surely I deserve to know what your game plan is.” 

“My game plan is to get to this meeting and sign the papers to start a new era of alliance with the New York Rangers,” Nico stated, his voice simple and blunt, but Jesper knew better. “That is all.” 

“Nothing else?”

“Nothing else.” 

“Hm, sure.” 

Nico shot the boy a look over his shoulder, but Jesper just grinned in response.

“I should’ve brought Palat with me instead,” he grumbled under his breath, lips twitching upwards when he heard Jesper let out a noise of disagreement. “C’mon, don’t wanna be late.” 

“Please, we are already thirty minutes early.” 

“Walk faster.”

…

“Stop making that face.” 

Silence.

“You look prettier when you smile.”

Silence. 

“Rogue, baby, come on. Don’t be like that—” 

Your hand snapped out, your fingers wrapped around his wrist and halting his actions before he could even reach out to touch you. You turned your head to look at him for the first time since you left the house back in New York, your glare icy and cold. 

“Don’t try to fucking touch me again.” 

Jacob Trouba stared back at you, his face remaining impressively blank but you noted the small twitch in his jaw. It wasn’t often someone talked back to the boss of the New York Rangers and didn’t face some consequence, but you guessed you were getting a pass due to current circumstances. 

“Play nice,” he said eventually as he leaned back against his chair. You sat in the seat next to him to his right, with two men settled behind. Jacob had said they didn’t need any more men in the room, but you knew well enough that he would have some of his men crawling within a block radius of the building. “And try not to be too difficult.” 

“You picked the wrong woman then,” you retorted, your whole body feeling stiff and on edge as you glanced over at the clock above the door. Two more minutes before the meeting was set to begin. “There’s still time to change. There’s always—”

“Not happening.” 

You gritted your teeth together. 

“Smile.” 

“Don’t fucking test me right now.” 

You heard one of the boys choking on a laugh, quickly trying to cover it up with a laugh. You didn’t need to turn your head to know that Jacob was probably glaring at them. 

You couldn’t even find it within yourself to smile at the interaction. 

When Jacob had called you into his office two weeks ago, you honestly thought he was joking. He had told you about the offer the Devils had offered, a few other members of his inner circle in the room as the lot of you discussed it. Most of you mocked it, talked about how it was a fucking joke that such a deep, historical rivalry was meant to be fixed with one marriage. Jacob himself had made a few teasing comments during the whole thing. 

Then, a week later he told you he was actually contemplating it. 

And then, just this morning, he gave you next to no warning that it would be you heading across the river to marry one of the Devils boys. 

Your reaction was as one expected when they were told they were practically being sold off for the sake of an alliance—you were fucking pissed. You laughed it off but when he didn’t join, you felt an unexplainable rage bubble inside you.

You knew how this world worked. You knew the reality and the politics of mob life. You knew nothing but mob life. And you knew very well the way women were seen in the eyes of the mob, the way they were seen as objects more so than humans. You had seen friends close to you be shipped across the country for the sake of alliance arranged marriages. 

But never once did you think it would be you.

Never once did you think Jacob would pull this shit on you. 

And for an alliance with the Devils, of all fucking people.

You weren’t the kind of girl that mob men liked. You weren’t quiet or compliant or a pushover. You weren’t the kind of girl they liked to have on their arm to show off. You weren’t the kind of girl to be a mob wife, full stop. 

Jacob knew this. He knew it better than anyone. It was the main fucking reason you were close to him, that you had his respect, that you were one of the few people in his inner circle that he trusted beyond belief.

And he had thrown it back in your face. 

You hadn’t spoken to him after your initial outburst. Once your throat was raw and your hands were shaking with rage, you had turned on your heel and walked out the room. He had tried to speak to you, quite a few of the boys did. But you remained silent for the whole ride over, for the hours that passed, for the whole day until a few minutes ago. 

“You are being fucking ridiculous right now.” 

A muscle in your jaw twitched, an overbearing urge to turn in your seat and spit out every thought you had bubbling in your mind since this morning, but your attention was quickly diverted by the sound of the door opening. 

You had encountered many of the Devils before, though not many of their faces were familiar and recognisable. It was good to know one’s enemy, to know the strongest and weakest points of their group. You had studied them far more than you cared to admit, probably more so than needed over the years. 

However, years of meetings and unfortunate accounts meant you recognised the faces that walked through the door, but the last person still took you by surprise. You knew he would be here, you expected as much. 

But never once had you met Nico Hischier in the flesh. 

His reputation preceded him. You had heard a lot about the man, most of it surrounding the young age he stepped into power for the Devils. You knew what the other organisations thought about him, the whispers and rumours that travelled outside of New York where the hatred and rivalry wasn’t so prominent. 

He was seen to be…fair. 

You didn’t think it was necessarily possible to be considered fair in the life you all were in.

“Hischier.” 

You watched the man stop at the other side of the table, making a point of dragging the chair out and settling down comfortably. He waited a few moments as his men stood behind him in formation, and only after they were comfortable, did he speak.

“Trouba.” 

You could only imagine how much he was seething. A small part of you enjoyed it, even if you didn’t turn to watch his expression closely. 

“I assume you still agree to the terms of our deal.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement that laid heavy in the air between the two men.

“As long as nothing has changed on your side.”

Jacob’s lips twitched. “Now, Nico, what kind of man would you take me for? This is about an alliance.” 

Nico raised his brows a little. “To the start of a new beginning.” 

Jacob’s eyes shifted away from the man he had called his mortal enemy for years now, and instead shifted to you. “Your boys will like her.”

Your jaw clenched. 

“A wife isn’t meant to be shared,” Nico retorted, though there was a hint of something in his voice you couldn’t establish. “Though, I am not sure how things are run in New York.”

Jacob laughed, but it wasn’t one of amusement like the room pretended it was. “Of course not. I am sure—”

“Do I get to know who I’m marrying now?” You spoke up, watching as every pair of eyes in the room turned to you. They were heavy and judging and focused, but your expression remained impassive. “Or am I expected to just sign a paper and be done with it?” 

Nico’s eyes fell onto you, something swirling in them that felt strong and captivating and almost made you want to lean a little closer to read whatever was written in them. He tilted his head, almost like he was inquiring your words before he spoke.

“You’ll be my wife.” 

You froze, blinking. 

Understanding washed over Nico’s expression. “You didn’t know.”

“No,” you gritted out, your nails digging into your palm as that bubbling rage from earlier returned. “I did not.” 

Nico’s eyes shifted to Jacob, and you resisted the urge to do the same.

“I didn’t see it necessary information to share,” was all Jacob responded with. 

You bit your tongue.

“Hm,” Nico hummed, seeming to have a lot more to say but resisting the urge to do so. His eyes lingered on Jacob for a few moments, analysing and observing before his gaze settled on you again. “Are you returning to New Jersey with us, or do you wish to return to New York to collect your things?” 

You opened your mouth but Jacob bet you to it.

“She will go with you once the marriage is official.” 

Nico didn’t take his eyes off you. “I wasn’t asking you, Trouba.” 

You heard someone cough behind you, but you found yourself staring right back at Nico.

He raised his brows in question. 

And you could feel Jacob’s eyes boring into your side. 

And maybe it was petty or maybe it was fuelled by the lingering anger you had towards the man, but you kept your eyes on Nico as you spoke. 

“Might as well get used to New Jersey as soon as I can, no?” You stated simply, but you could have sworn he almost looked pleased with your response before his eyes returned to Jacob. 

“Then it’s settled,” he said as he pushed himself off his chair, the two men behind him quickly taking a step closer as if on instinct. “We’ll be sure to send you a wedding invitation.”

…

You thought you had an idea what it would be like to live with the New Jersey Devils, truthfully because you didn’t assume it would be all that different to life with the Rangers. You weren’t naive enough to think both organisations were run the exact same way, but you assumed there would be a lot more similarities than there actually were.

The first thing that caught you by surprise was the way they talked. 

You hadn’t spoken a word as you left the room, not taking Nico’s offer to say your goodbyes to the Rangers you had come with. The last thing you needed to hear was an earful from Jacob for not following his orders, or his plan (the one he conveniently kept to himself and expected everyone to simply know). You followed Nico out the door, trying not to feel so on edge about having the two other Devils flanking you from behind.

When you reached the car, it wasn’t too much of a surprise that Nico reached to open your door. Most men were raised to act like gentlemen in this life, even if they were far from it. He waited until you were settled in the seat behind the passenger’s seat, seatbelt clicked in place before he closed the door.

You were somewhat surprised to find him round the car and settle on the other side of the backseat, and not sit in the front. You tried not to stare at him too much. 

You expected the drive back to be similar to the journey you had with Trouba this morning. It almost startled you the way the three of them instantly broke out into conversation. 

It wasn’t anything damning or secretive, but it still felt wrong to listen in. It felt wrong for them to talk in front of you. It felt like a culture shock, being in a car and not having the people inside the vehicle with you being overly paranoid at the car being tapped. It felt weird that they didn’t even hesitate, didn’t even wait until the dark haired man (the vague memory of his name on the tip of your tongue) in the front had turned the key in the ignition. 

“I get to choose the music since I rode shotgun!” The blond in the passenger seat blurted out before the car had even reversed out of its space.

“Fuck off, you like my music!” Nico snapped back.

“Sure, Boss, sure.” 

You blinked. 

The fact they spoke was one thing, but you certainly didn’t expect them to talk to each other like that. The fact they spoke to Nico—their boss—like that. It was far from what you were expecting. 

“Back me up, Siegs,” the blond tried again but the man in the driver’s seat just snorted. 

“I don’t care, Jesper,” Jonas replied, though there was a smile on his face.

Jesper let out a huff. “You are so fake in front of him, I know you hate it.” 

Jonas only shrugged in response, which made Nico’s smile widen a little.

You tried not to gape at the three of them, but it was a little difficult. It wasn’t like you expected to be treated like an outcast—although, maybe you did—but you certainly weren’t expecting them to seem so…relaxed around you. 

The silence that usually filled the Rangers car was nowhere to be seen. The underlying tension between the boss and his men was non-existent. It almost felt like you were sitting in a car full of friends. Maybe even a family.

It was a little disconcerting. 

The second thing that caught your attention amongst everything else was the way they treated you.

You knew the expectations of a mob wife. You knew that arranged marriages, like yours and Nico’s, had been happening for decades now. You had seen many play out with your own eyes back with the Rangers, saw what was expected of these women who were thrown into new homes and lives for the sake of alliances, money and more. 

It wasn’t a surprise when Nico led you through the house, guiding you upstairs with a hand placed in the dip of your back. The shock came when he stopped suddenly outside a door, turning to you with an expectant look. 

“This is your room. I thought you would want to rest for tonight, maybe have some time to yourself,” Nico explained, polite and curt, like a true gentleman. “I can have some dinner sent up to you. And my office is just down the hall. Feel free to knock if you need anything.” 

You stared at him with a confused expression. 

Nico’s brows furrowed a little in response. “Sorry, is that okay? You look…lost.”

“You said your room,” you said, though the boy still looked a bit confused. “Instead of ours.”

“Oh,” Nico nodded, realisation dawning over his expression before he gave you a polite smile. “My room is the next one over.” 

Your eyes narrowed in suspicion. “We aren’t sharing a room?”

“We aren’t married,” he stated simply.

“Do you expect us to share a room after we are married?” You asked.

His expression remained impassive and unreadable. “If you wish so.” 

There was a small voice in the back of your head telling you he was being genuine, and yet, somehow, that only made your confusion grow. 

“Goodnight, Rogue,” was all Nico said before he headed down the hall, leaving you lost in your own thoughts and suspicions and mixed emotions.

You thought there was nothing less that the New Jersey Devils could do to catch you by surprise. And you were very wrong about that.

You had hardly slept the night before. There was something unsettling being away from the place you had called home your whole life. There was something even more unsettling knowing you were in enemy territory—even if you couldn’t really call it that anymore. There was just something unsettling about lying in a bed, knowing that you didn’t know a single soul beyond the door. 

And after tossing and turning, you had mostly given up by the time someone knocked on your door just after nine in the morning. 

You had almost expected that yesterday was the last you would see of Nico before he rushed off, hiding away in his office or meetings or whatever other excuses he could make to avoid you. You certainly weren’t expecting to find him on the other side of your door, a polite smile on his face once again.

“Good morning,” he greeted you, his hands tucked behind his back. The sun had barely been in the sky for a few hours and the man was dressed immaculately in a shirt and suit pants, looking far too put together. “Sleep well?” 

“Yes,” you lied, because it wasn’t exactly like you wanted to get into the details with your soon-to-be husband. “Can I help you?”

“Oh yes,” he cleared his throat a little, taking a step back and only then did you realise he wasn’t alone. The boy beside him was taller, a little skinnier too. With curly hair and a baby face, you would guess he was at least a couple of years younger than Nico. “This is Luke.” 

You glanced over the boy before your gaze returned to Nico. “Is he my babysitter?” 

Nico’s lips twitched upwards. “I was going to say bodyguard.”

“Semantics.” 

Luke cleared his throat a little, ducking his head down but not fast enough for you not to see the small smirk playing on his lips.

Nico straightened his spine before he spoke, his expression impassive again. “He can help you with whatever you need. And if he can’t, then he knows someone who can.”

“Let me guess,” you started, leaning against the door as you surveyed the older man with a knowing look. “He’s under strict orders to make sure I don’t run off?”

Nico’s brows furrowed together. “Of course not. If you wish to go out somewhere, Luke will accompany you.”

You could only blink in response. You felt as though you had been doing that a lot lately.

“Oh.” 

You didn’t remember what else Nico had said before he ran off, muttering something about a meeting and someone called Jack—the name familiar once again—blowing up his phone. Truthfully, you weren’t sure if it mattered. Everything in the last twenty-fours had thrown your life upside down, you didn’t think you could handle much more.

And then Luke turned to you with a shit-eating grin on his face and said, “wanna go get McDonald’s breakfast?” 

…

You had come to realise that despite his baby face and slight cartoonish laugh, Luke wasn’t as bad as you expected him to be.

Back in New York with the Rangers, you had crossed paths with your fair share of young and ambitious members. They were dedicated and strong-willed and determined to do anything to prove themselves to the cause, to prove themselves to their boss. They were willing to be ruthless, merciless and cold-hearted. 

New Jersey was very different. 

There was a strong lack of fear in the air, replaced with something more akin to encouragement. The boys here didn’t fear to make mistakes as badly as you had seen in the Rangers. They followed the rules and did what they were told because they wanted to, because they wanted to thrive. Not because they were scared of what would happen to them otherwise.

Truthfully, you didn’t know how you felt about it.

“Every week?”

“Every week,” Luke confirmed with a nod.

“Without fail?”

“Mhm,” he nodded once again.

“Everyone?”

“Usually,” Luke answered, pausing for a moment before he shrugged. “Unless someone has something else on. But nobody actively goes out of their way to miss it. Candy would kill them.”

You paused for a moment, your brows furrowed together as you tried to put a face to the name, only to come short. In your defence, though it had been close to a week since you arrived, most of your time had been spent with Luke. You would see people here and there, wandering around the house or passing by, and Luke would always try to inform you on who they were as best he could. But there were so many new names and new faces and new…everything to get used to.

You still felt like an outsider wandering the halls. 

You still felt pretty pissed that Trouba, or any of the Rangers back home for that matter, hadn’t tried reaching out to you.

You still felt very fucking confused on the fact you had yet to see Nico since the day he brought you to Jersey. It seemed as though he was hiding away to avoid you after all. 

“You’ll know her when you see her,” Luke informed you, seeming to pick up on the confusion on your face. “She’s the loud one in colourful clothes who has a guy resembling a lovesick puppy following her around.”

You raised your brows in question.

“Long story,” Luke snorted. “But where Candy goes, John follows.”

You nodded. “And John is…”

“Tall guy, dark curly hair, always silently brooding and judging people,” Luke listed off like it would help. “He kinda looks at you like he wants to kill you.” 

You let out a huff of amusement. “You sure he doesn’t just do that to you?”

Luke paused, almost as though he was having a revelation. 

Your lips twitched upwards. And then, because apparently you couldn’t keep a nice thing going, you found yourself asking, “are you even supposed to be telling me all this?”

He frowned. “What? That John is kinda emotionally constipated?” 

“I—” You paused, your nose scrunching up a little. “What? No. Just about everyone in general.”

Luke stared at you. “Why wouldn’t I tell you?”

“Information,” you replied with a shrug of your shoulders. 

“Anyone with two working eyes could see half the shit I tell you,” Luke retorted with a snort. “It’s hardly confidential information when I tell you what a pain in the ass Jack is. Or that Dawson goes through three bottles of shampoo in a month. Or that—”

“That you are scared of spiders?” You interrupted, something close to a teasing smile on your lips as you watched the boy scoff.

“I’m not!” He insisted. “That spider just caught me by surprise.”

“You screamed.”

“I wasn’t expecting to see it.” 

And even if you never said it to Luke, it was weird he was being so open with you about the members of the New Jersey Devils. Every piece of information—no matter how small or insignificant—could be used against you. It was a life motto, one ingrained into you when you grew up as a Ranger. It felt like a basic life rule everyone followed. 

At least, it did back in New York. 

In New Jersey, it seemed like the second you stepped foot onto their premise, they saw you as one of their own. And once you were one of their own, there were no secrets between you. Everyone knew everything about everyone—or at least, a general understanding. No one was shying away from each other, from you. 

You didn’t know how you felt about it, but it did make your heart pine for something familiar. For something that felt like home. 

And New Jersey would never be that. 

…

To your utter surprise, the next time you saw Nico was that following Sunday.

You weren’t naive to think he would be glued to your side, that much was confirmed when he ordered Luke to be your round-the-clock bodyguard. He wanted to keep an eye on you, he just didn’t want to be the person to do it. You were somewhat surprised he didn’t send one of the bigger guys—like Kevin or Kurtis—to be your bodyguard, someone to intimidate you. Though, you assumed he was probably saving them for more important jobs than a glorified babysitter. 

Your days had been blurring into one, and though you hadn’t spent much time in Jersey, it had felt like a lifetime.

Your life was stuck in routine and you had gotten pretty used to it by that point. 

Luke would be at your door by eight sharp, ready to get the day started. You would share every meal with him, though it varied whether you both bothered in the kitchen or went somewhere out to eat—Luke had been enjoying showing you various places around the city. But that was about as exciting as your days got. You might bump into some others, talk to them, get to know them.

But your days were boring, pointless and repetitive. 

The only slight change to your routine was Sunday. The unspoken but very relevant rule of every member attending the dinner, by your surprise, extended to you too. Luke had told you as much over breakfast, talking away about how Candy had been interrogating him on what dishes you would prefer. 

You had told him you didn’t care—because you didn’t and you had a feeling it would give him a harder time with Candy, which amused you. 

However, Luke had been frustratingly vague with the timings of everything. It wasn’t a big deal, considering you didn’t have much else on your plate to be worried about. But the limited wardrobe and Luke’s shrugged response when asked about the dress code for the dinner was turning out to be quite the issue.

It was somewhere just past seven when you heard three knocks on your door.

“I’m decent!” You called out, frowning at the few options hanging in your wardrobe. It was quite sad, to be honest. But you hadn’t had the chance to get everything transferred from your New York apartment, not that anyone from the Rangers seemed eager to offer their help. 

But instead of coming in like he usually did, Luke knocked again.

You frowned, turning to look at the door. “Just come in!”

The door remained shut.

“You’re so dramatic,” you muttered under your breath, rolling your eyes as you made your way towards the door. You reached for the handle, fully prepared to see Luke on the other side with his face in his phone or even giving you a shit-eating grin like he knew he got under your skin. 

You were not expecting Nico to be standing on the other side.

“Oh.” You blinked. “I thought you were Luke.” 

Nico’s lips twitched. “I gave him the night off.” 

You raised your brows. “Oh?”

“There was a small change in plans.” Nico continued. “I thought I would escort you to dinner.”

“Escort me,” you repeated, something quite like amusement lacing your voice. “I didn’t realise these big dinners were so fancy. Should I change?” 

“We won’t be joining the others this week. I thought we could have dinner alone,” Nico corrected, his eyes watching you closely like he was inspecting your reaction. “If that is okay with you.” 

You tried to hide your surprise that he was giving you an option. A part of you wondered if it was a formality, something he phrased like an option but was really a command—something Jacob would do often. Yet, you couldn’t really find yourself imagining Nico was one of those people.

“Just the two of us?” You questioned.

Nico nodded before he spoke. “I thought it would be best for us to get to know each other.”

Your interest piqued but you didn’t show much as you nodded, telling him to give you a few more minutes before you joined him.

For the dinner itself, he led you away from the large dining room where you assumed the large group dinner was taking place. He didn’t say a word as you walked, seeming comfortable enough in the silence until you reached the room. 

And Nico played the part of a gentleman well. He opened the door and guided you in first. He pulled the chair out and waited for you to settle in your seat before he even made his way to his seat. He reached for the wine and filled your glass before even daring to touch his own.

You felt on edge, waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

“You look tense.” 

You raised your brows. “Just what a woman wants to hear.”

Nico’s lips twitched. “I have a feeling that you wouldn’t care what people say about you.” 

“Your feeling would be correct.” 

“Your reputation precedes you,” he mused, leaning back against his chair with an ease only a man in power would have. 

You tilted your head. “And yet, you still agreed to marry me.” 

“Who said your reputation wasn’t what appealed to me the most?” Nico retorted, hiding the smirk on his lips as he took a sip from his wine glass. 

“I am sure whatever flowery promises Jacob added definitely sold it,” you commented, unable to hide the bite in your voice. 

Nico stared at you for a few moments before he spoke. “I do apologise.”

You raised your brows in questioning. 

“For blindsiding you that day,” Nico continued. “I was under the impression you were aware of the contract.” 

“Funnily enough, I was not informed my name had been thrown into a deal,” you replied, jaw clenching a little as the reminder of what Jacob had inserted you into washing over you. This was your home now, not New York. “Jacob knew better than to tell me.” 

“Well, if it’s any consolation, your name wasn’t officially included,” Nico added. 

You paused, a crease forming between your brows. “What do you mean?” 

“Just that the official agreement between the Devils and Rangers included me marrying someone but no names were included for technicality reasons,” Nico answered and it took everything in you to keep your face straight. 

Up until this point, you were under the impression that Jacob had practically thrown you into the deep end with no warning because your name was the one on the contract. You had seen it time and time again in arranged marriages, you had seen demands to be made because men felt entitled to certain women or dangled them in front of the enemy as a bargaining chip. 

If you were being completely honest, you had assumed that was what happened here. You had assumed back and forth negotiations had been made and Jacob had deemed you the best bargaining chip to get whatever he wanted from the Devils. The Rangers tended to be old school and traditional that way. 

It never occurred to you that you weren’t a part of this, that you didn’t need to be a part of it. 

“So, Jacob just offered me up to fill a spot?” You questioned, your voice remaining steady and calm as your mind swirled with a million thoughts.

Nico’s eyes glimmered with an unreadable emotion. “Something like that.”

Your heart was racing in your chest. “And any woman could be in my spot and the agreement would still remain?” 

“I guess so,” Nico stated, seeming like he wanted to say more but he remained quiet. 

“Interesting,” you commented, a plan already forming in your head as you reached for your glass. “You may have made a mistake, you know?” 

Nico’s lips twitched upwards. “What makes you say that?” 

“If this is to be my wedding, I want it to be absolutely perfect,” you said with a casual shrug of your shoulders, staring at the man across the table from you. “I refuse anything less.” 

“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” Nico mused before raising his glass in your direction. “Do as you please.” 

Your smile widened in response as you took a long sip from your glass. 

You were going to break Nico Hishcier and you were going to make sure he sent you running back to New York, if it was the last thing you did. 

And then, you would make Jacob Trouba regret even uttering your name into the stupid agreement. 

…

“It was targeted?” 

Jesper nodded, his face serious and shoulders tensed as he slid a copy of the official police report across the table towards Nico. “Last night,” he said with a heavy sigh. “They broke in, roughed the place up a little and then set it on fire. It didn’t seem like they found whatever they wanted so they burned the place down.” 

“Talk about dramatic,” Jack grumbled from his spot on the couch. 

Nico shot the younger boy a look before turning back to Jesper. “What did the police say?” 

“As much as you would expect,” the blond shrugged. “They don’t want to get involved if it’s dirty work.” 

Nico raised a brow. “And is it?” 

“You tell me,” Jesper shot back, his jaw clenching. “Did your best friend Trouba mention anything about his boys’ weekend plans to break into one of our warehouses?” 

“Bratter is feeling sassy,” Jack sang, snickering even when Jonas tried to jab him with his elbow to keep quiet.

“These attacks have been going on for months,” Jesper pointed out, his lips turned downwards in a frown. “And they aren’t going to stop until we retaliate.” 

“We don’t know who is behind it yet,” Nico retorted. 

“Of course we fucking do.” 

“Jesper,” Nico shot him a look. “I know you don’t like my agreement with Trouba but he wouldn’t break it. We signed the truce.” 

“It isn’t official until the wedding,” Jonas spoke up from his spot on the couch next to Jack. 

“Jacob Trouba is many things but stupid isn’t one of them,” Nico sighed, ignoring the ‘ehhhh’ Timo muttered out as he leaned back in his chair. “And it would be incredibly stupid to target the people you are trying to sign an alliance with.” 

“Still,” Jesper grumbled as he nodded at the police report. “One week earlier and half of our stock could have been up in flames.” 

Timo raised his brows. “You think someone knew?” 

“I think someone may be getting delayed information,” Jesper corrected.

“I want you and Timo investigating this,” Nico said as he tapped his finger on the file. “Dig out the reports from the other targeted attacks and—” 

RING! RING! RING!

Nico frowned a little as the shrill of his phone echoed through the room. He ignored the boys’ curious looks as he reached for it, answering the call and lifting it to his ear. “Nico Hischier speaking.” 

“Uh, Mr Hishcier, so sorry to bother you,” a mousy, timid voice spoke from the other side. “This is Jeff from the bank calling and—”

“Get on with it, Jeff,” Nico stated bluntly. 

“Right, yes. Uh, there has been a suspicious amount of transactions coming out of your bank today and we wanted to inform you in case you wished us to freeze the accounts or—” 

Nico tried to bite back his smile. “Where are these transactions coming from?” 

“The last one to go through was a purchase of four hundred thousand dollars for…flowers?” 

This time Nico actually let out a loud, boisterous laugh which caught both Jeff and the boys in his study off guard.

“What was the one before that?” Nico asked, clearly amused. 

“Three hundred dollars spent at…McDonalds.” 

“Keep letting them through,” Nico assured the man on the other side of the phone. “That’s just my fiancée having some fun.” 

“Oh. Right. Sorry, Mr Hischier, and congratulations!” 

Nico thanked the man before hanging up, throwing his phone back down on the desk before he turned his attention back to the meeting they were having. However, he seemed to pick up on the eerie silence and lifted his head to find all of the boys looking at him with various expressions painted across their faces. 

“Out with it then,” Nico said eventually. 

“Count on Nico bagging the most expensive fiancée in New York,” Timo teased, a shit-eating grin on his face.

But Nico just shrugged. “It’s her wedding day. She wants it to be perfect.” 

“Even if it leaves you bankrupt,” Jonas snorted.

“As long as she’s happy,” Nico answered, sincere in his words. 

“If only Trouba knew how whipped you were for his girl, he would have never agreed to the deal,” Jack commented, raising his hands in mock surrender when Nico turned to glare at him.

“She’s not Trouba’s girl,” Nico gritted out. 

“Yikes, Boss has claws.” 

“Anyone with a pair of eyes can see how whipped Nico is,” Jesper commented with a huff of laughter. “Trouba is, in fact, stupid if he didn’t notice. Now, can we please get back to the main problem before he starts singing limericks.” 

Nico frowned. “Hey—” 

“My money is on the Sabres being involved!” 

“As if they even know how to light a match.” 

…

“You look like you have had a busy day.” 

You turned your head to find Nico standing in the door entrance, leaning against the frame as his eyes wandered over the dozens of bags in your room. His hands were tucked into his pockets, his sleeves were rolled to his elbows and a few strands of hair were falling into his face. It almost annoyed you that this was the most dishevelled you had seen him and he still looked so good and put-together.

“I decided to take it slow,” you answered casually, turning back around before you could see the smile tugging on his lips. “I didn’t want to scare Luke off too soon.” 

“The boy is tougher than he looks,” Nico commented. “I am sure he can handle whatever you throw at him.”

Your lips twitched. “You weren’t the one listening to him whine about carrying a couple of bags.”

“A couple is an understatement,” Nico mused. “He’s still unpacking the car with Dawson’s help.” 

You glanced over your shoulder, something victorious and smug shining in your eyes. “Is there a problem with that?”

Nico flashed you a smile. “My money is your money. My boys are your boys. Knock yourself out, schatz.”

You blinked, his words barely processing in your head before you realised he had already begun walking away. You glanced down at the countless bags littering your bedroom floor, most of them useless purchases you picked up to push the balance higher. 

And yet, Nico just walked away without a care in the world. 

…

“I really wouldn’t recommend this.” 

“Then it’s a good thing I’m not listening to you.” 

“Rogue—” 

You rolled your eyes, listening to the satisfying clicks of your heels against the floor as you made your way down the corridor. “He’s my fiancé.” 

“He is in a meeting,” Luke shot back. “He doesn't like being interrupted. Not even by us.” 

“I’m not you,” you retorted, almost hearing the eye roll from the younger boy following behind you. “And I don’t care if he is in a meeting, he can make time for me.”

“That’s not how it works,” Luke muttered under his breath.

“It is now.” 

“God, I’m going to have to plan a funeral.” 

You ignored the boy’s last feeble attempts to stop you from going through with it—or to at least knock on the door—but it was hopeless as you reached Nico’s study, hand on the knob and opening the door before Luke could even think to pull you back. Or throw you over his shoulder and run back down the corridor. 

The room fell silent as you stood in the doorway. 

You didn’t recognise the men sitting across from Nico at the large desk. They were old and burly and quite literally looked like characters out of Sopranos. They turned to face you, eyebrows furrowed and lips turned downwards at the interruption. 

You smiled in response. 

“What’s the meaning of this?” One of them spoke, the Jersey accent strong and thick and coating his words generously. “We’re doin’ business here, sweetheart. Bounce!” 

You glanced at the man, unfazed before you turned your gaze towards Nico who was watching you with interested eyes. “I need to talk to you.” 

“We are busy here, lady, can’t you see?” The other man spoke, huffing and puffing in his seat and it took everything inside you not to roll your eyes at his tantrum. 

“And now I’m busy with him,” you stated simply, arms crossed over your chest as you stepped further into the room. “Scram. You are done here.” 

The first man huffed, puffing his chest out as he opened his mouth to say something but Nico cut him off. 

“Go.” 

Both men turned to Nico, angry and outraged. “You cannot be serious?!” 

“Go,” Nico repeated himself, a little more firmly this time. 

The men were smart enough not to test Nico’s patience any further, rushing out the room with their tails between their legs as they did. It almost made you smile the way they avoided your gaze as they did so. You heard Luke let out a sigh behind you, muttering something under his breath as he followed the other men out and closed the door behind him. 

“You’ve intrigued me,” Nico spoke up, leaning back against his chair. “What could possibly be so important that you needed to discuss it with me?” 

You grinned as you lifted the folders in your hand. “Wedding venues.”

Nico blinked. “Wedding venues?” 

“Wedding venues,” you repeated, your eyes eagerly watching every inch of his face for a reaction. 

It took years of training to school your features as Nico nodded you over, still relaxed in his chair as he smiled back at you. Back in New York, a move like this would’ve gotten you killed and yet here—

“Show me,” he replied. 

Your eyes stayed on his face, waiting for a slip up as you walked towards his desk. You rounded the piece of furniture, pushing the boundary a little bit more as you hopped up on the desk and placed the folder down beside you rather than handing it to him. 

“Comfortable?” He asked, his voice almost sounding playful as he reached for the folder. 

“I’ve sat on more comfortable desks,” you commented offhandedly. 

His eyes darkened a little at that. But before you could even bring yourself to comment on it, he was already opening the folder and scanning through the options. 

They were obscene, if you were completely honest. They were tacky and loud and far from a place you would even step foot in, let alone have your wedding in. But they were expensive—so expensive that it would send a normal man into cardiac arrest to see the numbers beside each venue. 

Then again, Nico Hischier wasn’t a normal man. 

“Which one would make you happiest?” He eventually asked, lifting his head to look at you expectantly. 

Your eyes narrowed. “Are you that incapable of making a decision, Hischier?” 

His lips twitched. “And if I say I just want you happy?”

“I would say that is a weak man’s response,” you replied, lifting your chin a little. It was a testy comment to make, not one that many men in power would take lightly. 

To your shock, Nico just laughed. “Then I say pick the church.” 

You raised your brows a little—the church was the most expensive option on the list. 

“Do you disagree?” Nico followed up, watching the way you stared at him with an odd look in your eyes.

“No,” you said as you took the folder from him. “The church will do.”

“Is that all?” Nico asked, something in his voice that you couldn’t quite put your finger on. It was like he was eager, whether that was for you to leave or stay, you couldn’t quite work out.

“Yes,” you answered, though you made no move to slide off the desk just yet. “Seeing as I have nothing else to do in this place. Just a sweet, complying fiancée doing her duties and planning a wedding.” 

Nico’s eyes glimmered in interest. “Sweet sums you up pretty well, no?” 

Your eyes narrowed in a glare. 

“I mean, by all means, take the honeymoon planning off my hands if that is what you want,” Nico continued, shifting a bit closer so your foot was nudging his thigh. You were almost distracted by the casual drop of information about the honeymoon he was apparently planning.

“You’re mocking me,” you stated bluntly.

“A little,” he mused.

“You know my reputation,” you added. “Surely you knew what kind of wife I would be.”

“I had my guesses,” Nico confirmed with a nod.

“And yet, here we are.” 

“Here we are indeed,” Nico grinned. “Do you want to reserve the venue or shall I?”

It was safe to say Luke steered clear of you for the rest of the day following your mood after you left Nico’s study.

…

“You don’t get it,” Luke huffed, fingers tapping along the wheel. “This is the best bakery on the east coast, maybe even the whole country!”

You raised your brows. “Is that so?”

“Just wait until you try Peter’s strawberry tarts,” Luke insisted, so serious that it took everything inside you to not snort. “It’s like…heaven in your mouth.” 

“Peter is just that good, huh?” You mused.

“You’re teasing me now but you will be wanting the guy to make your wedding cake after you try some of his desserts,” Luke stated confidently. 

You had no real plan for today other than the desperate need to get out of the house. You were bored out of your mind and Luke was not too far behind, considering you spent almost every waking hour with the boy. It had been an offhand comment about wanting something sweet that made the boy grab your hand and drag you out of the house.

Luke was adamant that Peter’s Bakery in Hoboken was the best bakery in the state. You had been content to just sit in the passenger seat and let the younger boy ramble on about how all the Devils frequented there, that Candy was known to visit once a week, that Jack tended to hide out there after a particularly bad day. 

It was endearing to hear about the place. 

It was even more endearing that Luke trusted you enough to take you there, even if you wouldn’t dare to admit that out loud.

“Pete?” 

“One sec!” 

Luke glanced at you over his shoulder, grinning wider than you had ever seen before turning back to the counter. A few moments passed before a man walked out: brown hair, average build, a little mousy looking. And the apron covered in flour truly added to the baker charm.

“Moose,” the boy greeted with a large smile. “What can I get for my second favourite Hughes?” 

Luke rolled his eyes but began listing off far too many pastries and sweet treats for two people to enjoy. 

Five minutes later, you found yourself sitting across from the boy in a booth with a large variety of baked goods laid out on the table in front of you. It was borderline overwhelming and intense but you didn’t have the heart to stop Luke from ordering so much when he kept insisting on all the classics you had to try.

“So,” you began as the boy pushed a slice of apple pie towards you. “Moose?” 

“It’s an old nickname,” Luke answered with a halfhearted shrug. 

You raised a brow. “How old?”

Luke’s lips twitched. “Peter is an old friend of mine and Jack’s. He…he’s been there for us through a lot.” 

“Because our line of business crosses paths with bakers so often,” you mused, lighthearted and playful. You could tell the words were heavier than he was letting on but you didn’t have the heart to start poking at old wounds. Not today.

Luke snorted. “Nah, he needed to lay low after some close calls. He made some deal with Nico. Boss offers him protection, he offers the best apple pie you will ever have in your entire life.”

You shot a glance towards the other boy, working away behind the counter with a sense of ease that told you he was comfortable, that he felt safe even being so out in the open and exposed to the public. It wasn’t something you saw often in this industry when people had a target on their back. 

“He did?” You asked, your voice a little softer than before. 

“He’s a good guy, you know,” Luke murmured in response, watching your expression closely. 

“He has a reputation for being fair,” you commented absentmindedly. “Which is a load of bullshit when it comes to our work.” 

“Not with Nico,” Luke retorted. “He is harsh when he needs to be. But he is understanding. He gets it.”

“Hm,” was all you could respond with, your mind spiralling with a million different stories of men in power that exploited and corrupted the world around them in the greedy hunt for more. You had seen men crumble under that desire, you had seen them sacrifice their lives and loved ones to get what they want. 

You couldn’t imagine someone having all that power and not being corrupted by it. 

“Hey,” Luke whined, all youngest child like, as he lightly kicked your shin under the table. “Stop procrastinating and try the pie!” 

You rolled your eyes, making a show of grabbing the fork and cutting off a good sized chunk before shovelling it in your mouth.

Luke looked at you expectantly. “So?” 

“It’s good.” 

He blinked before frowning. “Just good? Are your taste buds broken?” 

“Fine, it’s very good,” you corrected with a small smile on your lips. “But it’s not the best apple pie I have ever had.” 

Luke raised his brows. “Oh yeah? And where was that?” 

“Tony’s Tiny Bakery,” you shot back, watching as the boy huffed across from you. “It was around the corner from this cute Italian place that did amazing garlic bread too. I’ll have to take you one day, it’s only—” 

And then you paused. 

And it was stupid to say when you had quite literally spent the better part of the last few weeks in your new home, when you had been coming up to the three month mark in New Jersey. But it hit you that you would never see New York again, not in the way you had growing up. 

You were a New Jersey Devil now. You had a new home and new territory. You had a new family you were supposed to be accepting. You weren’t able to step back in the city you grew up in, not without direct permission from the people you used to call your family. 

You had been so pissed that day when Jacob had thrown you into the deep end of an arranged marriage you had never known about that you wanted to get him back, you wanted to hit him where it hurt and have one last act of defiance. You had walked away from New York with no proper goodbye because you knew it wasn’t what he wanted. 

And truthfully, it wasn’t what you wanted either. 

You never got the chance to say goodbye to such a large part of your life and identity. You never got the chance to say goodbye to the people who raised you and the people you grew up with. You never got the chance to visit your favourite places in New York with the freedom of being a Ranger before you jumped ship. 

It never really hit you that you missed New York as much as you did.

“I get it.” 

You almost jumped in your seat when you felt a hand over your own, when you blinked away the tears welling up in your eyes to find Luke smiling fondly from the other side of the booth. You tried to pull your hand away and pretend everything was okay, but the boy tightened his hold on you.

“I know what it’s like to leave the only place you called home,” Luke murmured, his voice soft but thick with emotion. “It gets easier.” 

You nodded, swallowing the ball in the back of your throat before you flashed him a small smile. “This apple pie is pretty damn good.” 

Luke’s smile widened. “Of course it is. I don’t mess around when it comes to food, Rogue. Catch up.” 

You let out a small but genuine laugh in response. 

…

“How quickly can you get dressed?” 

Your eyes wandered over your magazine page towards the boy standing at the bottom of the couch you were currently laying on. He was dressed in his usual attire—the shirt, dress pants and nice shoes that probably cost more than the average man’s monthly salary—and raised your brows. 

“Depends,” you answered as you lowered the magazine you were halfheartedly reading to rest on your stomach. “Get dressed as in ‘we are walking around the park’ or ‘we are about to go to a gala’?” 

Nico smiled a little. “More ‘wear something that is comfortable and easy to carry guns on you’.”

Now that caught your attention.

You sat up on the couch, the magazine abandoned on the pillow beside you as you stared at the boy with interest. “You’re taking me on a job?” 

“I was hoping to use your expertise for something,” Nico said with gentle but watchful eyes. “Are you in?” 

“Give me fifteen minutes,” was all you responded with before walking past the boy and towards your bedroom.

Less than thirty minutes later, you found yourself slipping out of Nico’s car and looking at the absolute mess in front of you with raised brows, a low whistle of surprise leaving your lips as you took in the damaged property. 

“And this was done recently?” 

“Two weeks ago,” Nico confirmed with a nod, frowning at the warehouse with a look of frustration and annoyance. “Third warehouse chosen. Fourth targeted attack.” 

You glanced at him. “What was the other?” 

“A person,” Nico frowned. “We were lucky that their plan failed, which is why I assume they began to target buildings instead.”

“Coward move,” you frowned, choosing to ignore the way Nico snorted a little at your response. “What did the warehouse hold?” 

“Just some of our basic exports,” Nico shrugged.

Your eyes widened a little.

He frowned. “What?” 

“Nothing,” you shrugged, clearly your throat a little. “Just a little surprised you told me, to be honest. I thought you would have given some weird elusive answer.” 

His frown deepened a little. “Why would I do that?” 

“Because I’m a glorified stranger,” you retorted like it was obvious. 

“You’re my fiancée,” Nico corrected, his voice still serious and sincere as he spoke. “What’s mine is yours.” 

You swallowed a little at his intensity. “So this mess is mine too?” 

“Just like everything else I own,” he said with a nod. “And as much as is your right to be here as my fiancée, I also brought you because you’re smart. Because you know how to get in people’s heads. Because you’ll be able to spot things neither me nor the others will see.” 

“Trouba’s favourite tool,” you deadpanned.

“You’re your own person here, Rogue,” Nico assured you, something else written in his expression that you couldn’t quite read. “It’s something you should get used to. You’re a Devil now.”

You didn’t get much of a chance to reply before he wandered towards the desolate warehouse, footsteps crunching with every step he took whilst you were left slightly baffled by the enigma that was Nico Hischier. 

…

“So, is she in love with you yet?” 

Nico shot Jack a look. 

“Because from what Luke’s told me, she has been doing everything under the sun to piss you off. And I’m no expert in love but that doesn’t seem like something someone in love would do,” Jack continued as he settled happily on the couch in Nico’s study—one of his favourite spots.

“Did I not give you a job?” Nico asked bluntly, leaning back in his chair and sighing. He knew there was no point of attempting to do any more work whilst the younger boy was in the room.

“Yeah but we both know I’ll get to it eventually,” he waved the older man off, his hands tucked behind his head as he lounged back on the comfy couch. “This is far more entertaining.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Nico sniffed. 

“I have seen you shoot a man between his eyes without a second thought,” Jack mused, the glee in his voice unmissable as he continued to tease the older man. “And yet, I watched you have a full breakdown to Dougie on whether or not your fiancée would prefer your hair slick back or product free on the off chance you bumped into her that day.” 

“I like to make a good impression,” Nico retorted. 

“You’re trying to seduce her and failing miserably,” Jack shot back.

“She is my fiancée,” Nico huffed out. 

“She is the girl you have been downright obsessed with since she knocked you on your ass four years ago,” Jack corrected. “And she doesn’t even remember.” 

“I was undercover,” Nico defended. “Pally hardly recognised me that day, too.”

“Are you listening to yourself, Hisch?” Jack questioned, his brows raised in amusement. “This is getting a little pathetic.” 

Nico let out a heavy sigh, raising his hand towards Jack for him to continue. “Okay then, what do you suggest?” 

“Less mind games and playing the elusive mob boss character you’ve been trying out,” Jack answered, his voice a hint softer than before and it caught him off guard, “Be Nico—the real version.” 

“That was very High School Musical of you,” Nico teased. 

“I knew it was a bad idea letting you watch those movies,” Jack playfully groaned but he was grinning back. “I take it back, put the scary mob boss face back on. She is gonna laugh you back to Switzerland if you quote that shit to her.”

“She could be a fan,” Nico pointed out.

But Jack just shot him a look. “I know you’re blinded by love and all that jazz, but even you have to know that is a load of bullshit.”

“Go do you work now, Jack.” 

The younger boy gave him a mock salute. “On it, Boss.” 

…

In your mind, the plan was full proof, effective and successful. 

In reality, it was a form of torture that didn’t have the results you wanted and instead left your brain scrambled on whether you really wanted it to work or not.

When you stepped out of that meeting room months ago, you were under the impression you were stuck in this arranged marriage with Nico Hishcier. A week later, you thought you had a loophole and a clear path back to New York and the life you had. 

Instead, you were laying in your bed and reeling that although you may not be the typical mob wife, Nico Hishcier was far from the typical mob boss. And it was completely fucking with your plan. 

And maybe you weren’t fully ready to admit it but it was fucking with your desire to go back home too—if New York even felt like home anymore. New Jersey was a breath of fresh air that you never knew you needed, that you never knew you wanted. 

The Rangers may have been your family once upon a time, but the Devils felt more like the word than the former ever had. You felt like you were watching the family of them through a window, and you were starting to realise maybe being on the inside wouldn’t be so bad as you thought. Maybe being in a place where they valued and listened to you wouldn’t be so bad either. 

But New York was all you ever knew, was all you ever thrived in. It was hard to just throw that all away. 

Even if Nico Hischier was making the option of staying very appealing. 

Even when some of the other Devils—the ones that weren’t your biggest fans—felt more welcoming than the boys back in New York. 

Exhibit A: Jesper Bratt. 

Nico had pulled Luke out for the day, saying he needed the boy’s help with a different job. He hadn’t offered to put anyone in Luke’s place. To be honest, you think Luke was only continuing with it because he enjoyed spending time with you too. But it had been Jesper who offered himself into Luke’s role when you had mentioned visiting a few shops in town by yourself. 

It didn’t take a genius to work out he was suspicious of you.

You didn’t take it to heart, not really. He wasn’t going out of his way to make you uncomfortable or wary, but the lingering tension was enough to make you observe him with the same watchful gaze. 

“You don’t like me.” 

Jesper’s eyes flickered to meet yours in the rearview mirror before returning to the road. “I never said that.” 

“You didn’t have to,” you said with a shrug of your shoulders. “It’s written all over your face. And the extra gun you slipped into your waistband before we left.” 

His cheeks burned a little at your words. 

“It’s fine,” you assured him. “You’re his second-in-command. It’s your job to be wary, to have Nico’s back.” 

Jesper hummed but didn’t say anything right away. 

Instead, a few minutes of silence passed as you two made your way through usual Jersey traffic. The radio was on, but turned on so low that the two of you could barely hear it. The streets were busy, even for a random Thursday afternoon. It was like the world was going on as normal, despite the lingering tension in the car between you and the blond.

“I do like you,” Jesper said eventually. “I just don’t trust you.” 

“Because you think I’m going to betray the Devils?” You guessed. 

“Because I think you are capable of hurting Nico far worse than a gunshot or a knife in the back ever could,” Jesper corrected, seeming to catch the surprise on your face.

“You think I would hurt him?” You questioned, ignoring the way your stomach twisted at the words. Growing up in this life had meant you had seen far worse than a gunshot or a knife in the back, had meant you had done much worse. And yet the idea of any of it being directed towards Nico seemed to leave you on edge and make the hairs on the back of your neck rise.

“I think you are capable of a lot without even realising it,” Jesper answered honestly. 

You didn’t reply to the blond but you wondered if your return to New York would hurt Nico. 

You wondered why it made your chest feel tight and uncomfortable. 

…

“So how did you get the nickname?” 

You blinked out of your thoughts, looking over at Luke who was walking by your side. “What?” 

“Rogue,” he said with a nod, like that was enough of an explanation. “Nicknames stick in this industry. So, where did you…go rogue to get it?”

You let out a small snort of laughter. “How do you not know it’s my actual name?” 

Luke glanced at you, his brows furrowed together. “Is it?” 

“No,” you grinned at him before shrugging. “I don’t know, to be honest. I just…never did well with listening to people’s instructions. It was a nickname my father gave me and I guess it just stuck.” 

“You listened when Trouba sent you here though,” Luke pointed out, unfazed by the glare you sent his way. You assumed that was bound to happen after you spent almost every day with the boy for the last few months or so. He was bound to feel comfortable enough to poke at the uncomfortable subjects.

“Because I’m stubborn not stupid,” you shot back, giving the boy a look. “I value my life.” 

Luke frowned. “You think he would’ve killed you if you didn’t comply?” 

“He’s killed people for less,” you shrugged but noted the way the boy still looked uncomfortable, unsettled even. “He wouldn’t have killed me. I’m too valuable, even if I’m disrespecting him. He probably would’ve just put me on some really shit jobs until his ego was healed.” 

Luke nodded, still looking quite on edge. 

“Luke,” you stopped walking, placing your hand on his arm to catch his attention and make him stop too. Logically, you knew that he was a grown man and he could handle his own emotions. Especially in an industry like this. But another part of you—the part that had spent the last few months with the boy almost every day—felt the need to wipe that frown off his face. “It’s fine now. And it doesn’t matter.” 

“Does it not?” Luke shot back at you. “You’ve been trying your hardest to find a loophole out of here, have you not? But you still want to go back there? Back to him? Even after everything he’s done to you?”

You blinked. 

“I’m young but I’m not stupid,” Luke huffed out, shaking his head as he took a step back. “It’s—whatever. Let’s just go. You said you wanted to check out that shoe store?” 

You took a step forward. “Luke—”

“We should head over now before heading back to the house. We—” He paused before continuing. “I don’t want to be late for dinner.”

…

You didn’t see Luke over the next few days. 

He had sent a brief message about being busy wrapped up in a job Nico gave him, which albeit wasn’t the best excuse but you let him off. You weren’t sure what upset him and you didn’t think poking around and asking more questions would do any favours. So, you let the boy take his space and take his time. 

It was Luke. 

You had no doubts that he would talk to you again when he wasn’t as worked up or upset about the situation. 

But the lack of daily companion left you feeling quite lonely, which was ironic considering you had considered your whole stay in New Jersey to be quite lonely as an outcast. You hadn’t realised just how much you relied on Luke’s company until he wasn’t knocking on your door every morning, convincing you to try some new outrageously overpriced cafe using Nico’s card to pay. 

You broke around the third day, deciding to seek out your own company in the form of your fiancé.

“I was told you would be here.” 

Nico lifted his head, peeking out from under the hood of the car he was currently hunched over. He glanced at you, an expression between surprised and elated as you stood on the opposite side of the garage.

“Is that so?” 

“Mhm,” you nodded, glancing around the large garage with eagle eyes. “Apparently this is how you spend your limited free time.”

Nico stood up straight, giving you a full look at the white tank top clinging onto his torso. It was criminal the way wiped his hands on a random rag, his biceps clenching with the movement before he tossed it to the side and gave you his full attention.

“I like fixing up old cars,” Nico said with a shrug, though there was a sense of ease in his posture. “It’s relaxing.” 

You blinked. “Tinkering around with some old metal is calming? Even if you can’t get it running?”

He laughed. “It takes my mind off things.” 

“How…mundane,” you responded, your brows furrowed together as you glanced at the few cars dotted around the garage. You didn’t know enough to know the brands or names of any of them. You didn’t even try to attempt it. 

“Mundane is nice sometimes, especially with the lives we live,” Nico retorted and you were inclined to agree. 

“This still seems stressful though,” you added. 

Nico leaned against the car, arms crossed over his chest like he knew it would snag your gaze. “And what would you recommend I do?” 

“I don’t know, something normal people do to relax,” you shrugged your shoulders. “Like, go on a picnic.” 

Nico paused, staring at you as he tried to fight the grin off his face. “A picnic?” 

“I don’t know!” You threw your hands up in mock surrender. “People do it all the time in movies and shit.”

“What movies are you watching?” Nico laughed, though he seemed to enjoy watching the way you tried to hold back your own amusement. 

“They have picnics in plenty of movies,” you argued back. 

“Alright then,” Nico nodded. “Then we will do it. You and me, tomorrow at twelve.” 

You blinked. “What?” 

“We are gonna have a picnic and be normal,” Nico stated, leaving no room for questions as he reached for the rag once again. “Unless you have some super normal thing you do to take your mind off things to do instead?” 

You bit the inside of your cheek. “Shooting range.”

“That’s what I thought,” he snorted as he flashed you a grin. “Me and you, schatz, at twelve. Don’t be late.” 

…

A small part of you thought Nico was joking about the picnic. 

A larger part of you knew the boy would be knocking on your door by half past eleven, dressed in a pair of jeans and a hoodie and looking so normal. So unlike the mob boss you know him to be. 

And the white bucket hat on his head was oddly endearing. 

In complete honesty, you hadn’t expected much from the picnic and how seriously the boy would take it. Though, you should have known better when he parked his car, an excited smile on his face as he led you towards the grassy patch in the park where a blanket and wicker basket had been laid out. 

“Oh wow,” you murmured out as you walked towards the scene, his palm warm and guiding on the small of your back. 

“Really fits the movie vibes, huh?” Nico retorted with a knowing smile.

You snorted. “I feel so normal right now.”

“Then my job here is done,” he smiled as he leaned back on the blanket, balanced on his elbows as he looked up at you. 

You were surprised how far he ran with a passive comment. You wondered what it must have looked like to people passing by the two of you, if you looked like a normal couple on a date, enjoying a sweet picnic together. You wondered if it even counted as a date at all. 

It was ironic that the man beside you had been your fiancé for the better part of the last four months and you didn’t know much about him, that neither of you knew each other all that well. 

“What’s your favourite colour?” 

Nico paused, looking up from the small plates he was loading up for the two of you. “My favourite colour?” 

“Yeah,” you nodded. 

“Red.”

“Favourite kind of music?” 

“Swiss rap.” 

“Favourite animal?” 

“I don’t think I have one.” 

“Cat person or dog person?” 

“Both.” 

Your nose scrunched up. “You can’t be both. That’s cheating.” 

Nico raised his brows in amusement. “I don’t think I can cheat at a game I don’t know.” 

“Just wanted to know what kind of man I am marrying,” you replied with a shrug of your shoulders. 

“Is there where you tell me that being a cat person is your deal breaker?” Nico joked.

Your lips twitched. “It would be something I would have to take into consideration.” 

“Might have to keep some secrets to save my marriage then,” Nico said with a sigh, the skin around his eyes crinkling as he smiled. You don’t think you had ever noticed that before. It was weird seeing someone in his position show any emotion but intimidation so easily. 

You raised your brows. “Doesn’t everyone have a few skeletons in the closet?” 

“Is this your subtle way of asking me what mine are?” He questioned, pushing the plate towards you. You were surprised to find a few of your favourite snacks on the plate. You wondered if he had bothered Luke or someone else to find out, or if it was a lucky guess.

“Would you tell me if I asked?” You shot back.

“I would tell you anything if you asked,” Nico replied, the playfulness replaced by sincerity that made your brain spiral a little.

“You know,” you tried to laugh it off. “I don’t think many people in this life agree with you there.”

“I’m not them and you’re not their fiancée,” he answered with a shrug. “Who gives a fuck what they think?” 

You looked at him with a mixed expression. “And you’d answer anything I ask you right now?”

He gestured for you to continue. “Try me.”

You tilted your head, taking a few moments to contemplate before you spoke. “Did you know I was going to be the one waiting for you in that room?” 

“I did,” he confirmed with a nod.

“And you had no issues with that?” 

His lips twitched. “Quite the opposite.” 

You shot him a curious look. “And if Jacob had lied to you? If there was someone else in the room?”

“I would have refused the alliance,” he stated simply, like he was reiterating a well-known fact.

You snorted. “Yeah, okay.” 

“I would have,” Nico insisted, his expression remaining dead serious.

Your smile faltered a little. “Nico.” 

“Rogue,” he mocked in the same tone of voice.

“You don’t have to lie to me,” you murmured.

Nico frowned. “Who said I was lying?” 

“You would have refused an alliance that would massively benefit you?” You retorted, your brows furrowed a little. “Don’t be stupid.” 

“Both sides went into that alliance wanting something,” Nico answered with a heavy look in his eyes, one that you couldn’t quite read. “I knew what I wanted and I wasn’t signing shit for anything but that.” 

“And that was me?” You teased because the conversation was getting serious and your heart felt like it was in your throat and you were pretty sure you would lose your mind if Nico kept staring at you with those intense eyes. You were also pretty sure you would lose your mind if he looked away.

“Yes.” 

You blinked, waiting for him to laugh but he didn’t. 

“What?”

“I think you heard me clearly enough the first time,” Nico mused, watching the way a million emotions passed over your face.

“Oh,” was the only response you could come up with. 

“Still don’t believe me?” Nico questioned, something like amusement in his voice. Something quite like a challenge too. Like he was expecting you to call him out on it, like he had been waiting for the chance to prove himself.

“And if I don’t?” You murmured, a little more breathless than you intended.

You watched as his eyes dropped to your lips, lingering for a few moments. “Then I’ll find a way to prove it.” 

You opened your mouth to say something, though you weren’t even sure what. You didn’t know if you were going to beg for him to do it, to prove it. You didn’t know if you were going to tell him to stop playing whatever game he was playing. You didn’t know if you were going to tell him to fuck the vague, elusive chat and to just fucking kiss you already. 

You were pretty sure it was most likely going to be the last option.

But you never got the chance to even utter a word before the loud, high-pitched shrill of a phone broke the moment.

You blinked, quickly glancing away and taking a few moments to ground yourself as Nico quickly sat up on the blanket. He patted his pockets before slipping his phone out, answering it with a slight peeved off look on his face.

However, that quickly changed when the person on the other side of the phone began speaking, the words muffled but the urgent tone was clear even to you.

It took less than a few seconds before Nico was scrambling to get up, abandoning the basket and blanket before he nodded for you to get up too. His hand was a little more pushy as he directed you towards his car, his face serious and almost murderous as he quickly got in the car, racing to turn it on.

“It’s Jack,” was all Nico could mutter out for context before the two of you were racing towards the house.

.

[mmelete]

Ranking LU Links based on their ability to tan:

Time: Ngl he seems like that one off-white crayon in those crayola boxes. He slept for seven years and lived in a fully shaded forest prior to the coma, this man tans like a rotisserie chicken in the oven. 3/10

Warriors: He can definitely tan. Beach boy vibes. And he'll brag about it too. Just don't bring up that one time he got a tanline from his scarf, that was embarrassing.... 7/10

Twilight: THE MOST HORRENDOUS FARMER'S TAN KNOWN TO MANKIND. Dude this guy never rolls up his sleeves, always in jeans and boots---his feet have never seen the light of day. 7/10

Sky: So, in-game and in LU, he's pretty pale. Which is ironic, since he LITERALLY LIVES. IN THE SKY. My man has been getting point-blank sun rays since 1 week old, he's never not tan. 8/10

Legend: Technically, he adventures a lot, especially outside, so you'd think he'd be decently tan. But I think it would be hilarious if he was just like Time. This little spunky guy gets annihilated by the sun daily, refuses to wear sunscreen, gets made fun of for looking like Pink Panther, gets burned again the next day (it's an endless cycle). 2/10

Hyrule: Has the best tan ever, zero sweat. He doesn't even realize how it happens. He'll be laying by the beach all day, wake up from a five-hour-long nap and glow. Picture perfect tan, zero effort, Warriors is jealous (but refuses to admit it). 10/10

Wind: He literally lives on an island, and despite how pale he is in-game, my man is rivaling Twilight with how ATROCIOUS his tan-lines are. Wind also absolutely has a disgusting sandal/flip-flop tanline. 6/10

Wild: My guy has run around naked way longer than he cares to admit. He's taking that secret to the grave. Full body tan, no notes needed. 9/10

Four: He is like a Discord mod but the blacksmith version. You know how Shadow burns in the sun or whatever? Four does too, and doesn't even have the excuse of being a shadow being. Sunscreen can't even help him. Getting burned by a furnace fire? Easy, no problem. Getting burned by the sun? Fatal blow, insta death game over. 1/10