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andypantsx3 · 2 years ago

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Deceiving the Duke | 2 | Todoroki Shouto

pairing: Todoroki Shouto x Female Reader

length: 3.2k of 30k words | 2nd of 9 chapters

summary: When Camie Utsushimi elopes on the eve of her society debut, scandal threatens to destroy the family’s prospects. It’s up to you, a lady’s maid, to impersonate Camie throughout the Season, long enough that her elder sister can make a match. The only trouble? Lord Shouto Todoroki is also intent on making a match—and that match, quite impossibly, appears to involve you.

tags/warnings: romance, regency au, class differences, hidden identity/identity porn, aged up characters, eventual smut

The next two days were a whirlwind of activity.

Camie’s dresses arrived, neither quite your shape nor your height, and they required a significant amount of modification to make them wearable. Mrs. Utsushimi helped you select one appropriate for the Monomas’ ball, and you focused all your effort on readying it in time, working into the late night to rework its shape, letting out some seams and taking in other hemlines.

Caroline helped as well, though she mostly only knew embroidery, but she saved several hours unpicking stitches, and covering over some of your hasty needle work with neat little embroidered embellishments.

In addition, Caroline had you practicing all manner of things. She had you stumbling around the sitting room, trying to learn an overwhelming number of dance steps. She herded you into the kitchen to observe table manners, how to sip from a spoon and how to select the appropriate silverware for a course. She tried to impart tips on how to move with elegance and propriety, how to curtsy and when and to whom, proper fan etiquette and conversational etiquette.

Your head swam with the unbearable volume of new information— a thousand ridiculous little nothings that apparently added up to everything.

By the time the Monomas’ ball arrived, you were exhausted, having barely slept or eaten a thing in days. You helped the Utsushimis dress and did their hair, then spent an inordinate amount of time struggling with your own. Caroline helped you match a choker with a small paste diamond to your gown, a pale blue muslin dress which bared entirely too much of your neckline for your comfort.

“Good,” Mrs. Utsushimi pronounced when she met you at the doorway, your stomach churning with anxiety. “You look the part, at least.”

This did not help ease your nerves whatsoever. As the carriage pulled into the Monomas’ drive, you had to suppress a wave of nausea.

Inside, things were even worse. The reception room was stuffed with more nobility than you had ever seen in one place. They were all awash in contrasting shades–the men all marvelously outfitted in dark tailcoats, the women in a posy of pale-colored gowns that practically glowed in the candlelight. Jewels sparkled off of slender necks and at the point of every ear, and the soft pad of boots and slippers against the wooden floors created a sort of murmuring undertone that dampened the sound of the space.

Immediately overwhelmed, you clenched your fingers, still raw from sewing. Your calluses caught the inside of your evening gloves and you winced.

You did not belong here.

Caroline helped take your mind off of things by showing you where to collect a dance card, which you quickly filled with nonsense names to prevent you from having to stand up with anyone, though you doubted you’d be asked. Then you followed the Utsushimis nervously to a conspicuous place on the edge of the dance floor, where Caroline could be seen clearly by any prospecting gentleman.

It was a great relief that at least you did not also have to try to tempt a husband, as the very thought of trying to converse with a gentleman made your skin crawl. You did not envy Caroline, whose whole future had to be decided in this one season, who would have to live with her deception exposed shortly thereafter.

Your place in the crowd meant you were also exposed to the other members of the gentry, however, and you were quickly descended on by all manner of Machiavellian mothers, scouting out the new debut to determine if you posed any sort of danger to their own daughters’ prospects.

“You must be Camie,” a woman in an extravagantly outfitted gown bore down on you. It was so begotten with lace and ribbon and netting that you could hardly make out the shape of the woman underneath. She looked friendly enough, but you had been warned by the Utsushimis never to trust a placid expression.

Your heart climbed into your throat, panicking at being so addressed.

“The Lady Cathleen Bate,” Caroline hinted to you, and you dropped a curtsey, hoping you’d gotten it right. Mrs. Utsushimi did not look upset, at any rate.

“Lady Bate,” you said, trying to control the nervous timbre of your voice. It came out high and strangled anyway.

“I must say, you don’t look a thing like your mother and sister,” she observed, and your heart beat double time.

Fuck, obviously you didn’t look anything like the Utsushimis. Why had any of you thought this was a good idea?

“I…take after my father’s coloring,” you supplied hastily, praying to any god who’d listen that she’d never met the man before his passing.

She made a thoughtful noise, a cross between a hum and a harrumph. It was loud enough that it summoned the attention of the other ladies nearby, and very quickly you were inundated with questions and evaluative once-overs by every scheming mother this side of the ballroom. They practically ran through a checklist of your qualifications, sussing out whether you played piano forte, what sort of needlework you did, what kind of education you’d had, and a laundry list of other incredibly pointed questions that made you feel like you could only ever supply the wrong answer.

Caroline and Mrs. Utsushimi did their best to help field questions and to give answers where your obvious lack of formal education became a hinderance—really, how many oblique references to Sophocles in the original Greek did one need to make before they concluded their training was superior to yours?–but it was all too overwhelming.

Mrs. Utsushimi seized an opportunity when the next question about your appearance came your way. She tried valiantly to draw attention away from you with a dramatic retelling of her husband’s demise, waving her fan as theatrically as she wielded her handkerchief.

The moment everyone’s attention was turned towards her, you took your chance.

You ducked away from the gaggle of women, worming your way out of the crowd. You tried to take care not to arouse notice, as you’d been informed an unmarried girl wandering about without a chaperone was much too bold. You beelined past the refreshments table, unable to help lifting a glass of lemonade and several apricot cakes for your troubles, and headed for a promising door on the opposite side of the room that you thought might be a closet.

It turned out to let into a library—quiet, dark and still. You could just barely make out the shape of a few low armchairs and spines of the books by the silvery pool of moonlight spilling in through a row of heavily-curtained windows.

You rushed in, and quickly shoved the door closed behind you. A wave of cool relief sent you slumping against it. Shifting your spoils to one hand, you yanked down a glove with your teeth, annoyed at how constricting the fabric was, how hot and clammy it had made your hands, then made quick work of the other one.

“Fuck,” you muttered again, delighting in the rudeness of the sound. Even twenty minutes in this company had been too much–you didn’t know how anyone could bear it. Camie herself would have never lasted. “Oh fuck…what have I got myself into?”

“I’m told it’s called a library,” a low voice intoned from the other side of the room, and you screamed, reflexively flinging your handful of snacks in the direction of the voice.

A tall silhouette ducked your apricot cakes, and the silence that followed could only be interpreted as astonished.

All hells, you were so deeply unqualified for the scheme you’d embroiled yourself in.

“I—I didn’t see you—oh, I’m sorry—” you said, watching the figure take a step towards you. The crack of light from under the door highlighted one grey eye and a mop of white hair, a sliver of fair skin. A man.

The proper thing to do would be to leave. You’d been informed to be caught alone with a man was the height of impropriety–-and here one was. But the thought of going back out there made your stomach churn, and you clutched at the door handle uncertainly.

“You’re not…Lord Monoma, are you?” You asked.

The man’s silver eye narrowed in on you. “No,” he said. His tone was low and smooth.

Well at least you hadn’t offended your host, then.

Before you knew what you were saying, the plea was tumbling out of your mouth. “Please let me hide out in here! I’ll give you anything for use of this room. If I have to go back out there I will die.”

There was another moment of stunned silence, and then the man asked, strangely, “I may go, then?”

You squinted at him in the dark. What in hell was that supposed to mean? You weren’t the gatekeeper of the doorway. And of course he should go, for propriety’s sake.

You quickly stepped aside, gesturing to the door and hoping he could see it in the dim. “All yours, thank you for your generous aid in my time of need.”

But the man made no move to leave, and that silver eye stayed fixed on your face. “You’re certain,” he said flatly.

Just what was he getting at here? Could a girl not get alone time with a glass of lemonade?

“Sir–my lord–I’m not sure of your address, I apologize—” you fumbled. “You may stay or go, but I quite require use of this room. If you will excuse me…”

But he still made no move to leave. “And no one is going to…happen upon us here?” he said, his tone even lower and more disbelieving.

Your anxiety spiked. “You don’t think they will, do you?” You asked worriedly. If you were subjected to one more derisive sneer over your inability to read two thousand year old Greek, you would die of humiliation. You quickly moved towards the drapes at the window, inserting yourself behind one.

“If they look for me, you don’t think I’ll be noticed here, do you?” you asked.

There was only silence again, completely judgmental in its ringing emptiness.

If you were really a lady, you supposed you might feel vaguely offended that a man should treat you thus. But you weren’t here to matchmake, so he could do whatever he liked. You shrugged, sliding down the wall to pull your knees against your chest, and took a sip of your lemonade, thankful you hadn’t flung that at him too.

How embarrassing.

The curtain was suddenly tugged back, however, and the man stared down at you. In the moonlight from the window you could just make out two glittering eyes, the straight line of a handsome nose.

“Who are you?” he asked lowly.

“Camie Utsushimi,” you offered, then wondered if you should have made up another name.

Rudely, he did not offer his name back. “Who are you hiding from?” he asked.

“Lady Cathleen Bate, and every other mother who wants to know if I’m to steal their daughters’ prospects out from under them. As if I could, as if I would!” You said moodily.

The man contemplated this in silence. You sipped your lemonade as he seemed to come to some kind of decision.

He made a sort of long sighing sound out of his nose, then offered quietly, “I too, wish to avoid such judgements…”

His tone was flat, but sincere. You recognized the statement for the peace offering it was.

“We can share the hiding place then,” you allowed. “But you must not tell anyone.”

Those eyes glinted in the moonlight, almost speculatively. “You have my word.”

You handed over your single remaining apricot cake to cement the entente. “An honor doing business with you then, sir—or, my lord…?”

His gloved hand brushed your own as he took the cake from you, and he paused, staring down at your bare fingers.

Your face warmed. Right, the gentry were strange about the intimacy of bare skin.

You quickly shoved your gloves back on, cheeks heating, searching for something to fill the awkward silence.

“So, whose daughter’s prospects are you stealing?” you asked stupidly.

The man coughed suddenly, which sounded suspiciously like it might be covering something like a laugh.

“I rather thought gentlemen were the prospects,” he allowed.

You supposed it would be rude to tell an actual gentleman that he and his ilk should hardly consider themselves such, considering how needlessly troublesome this whole marriage market affair was.

“Yes, well,” you said vaguely. “In that case, make sure you’ve brushed up on your Ancient Greek so your wife may accurately test into your coupling.”

Those eyes glinted down at you. Reflecting the moonlight, they were both pale, but you almost imagined they were different colors—his left eye looked a little bluer, perhaps due to the angle he held his head at.

“Must there be a test?” he asked in that low voice.

“Of course. How else do couples converse, if not in Ancient Greek?” you asked.

Those eyes creased, as if the man were smiling. He said something, a string of sounds you couldn’t place—until you realized.

You rolled your eyes, taking an angry sip of your lemonade.

“Yes, a wonderful party,” you answered, as if you’d at all understood what he’d said.

A huff of breath left him, and you knew you were being laughed at.

“Rest assured, I am entirely unsuitable for marriage,” you informed him. “Not a lick of piano forte in me either. Luckily I’ve just been introduced to several young ladies I might recommend to you.”

“Ah” the man said, somewhat knowingly. “This is your debut, then.”

You were struck again by how low and warm and beautifully smooth his voice was. You wondered if his face was just as beautiful as his voice.

“Yes,” you answered, your mind flicking back to the flock of pecking hens back in the ballroom. Then a thought struck you.

“Who are you hiding from in here?” you asked.

The man was quiet for a moment, as if weighing his answer. “...The mothers of the very ladies you’ve threatened to introduce me to,” he said finally.

You couldn’t help the laugh that escaped you. “They’re bloodthirsty, I will give you that.”

His eyes crinkled a little again, perhaps with another small smile. “I’ve seen their like only once before.”

“Where?” you asked gamely.

“The War for All,” he answered, and another laugh burst out of you.

You shouldn’t have laughed—the War for All, an incident from nearly a decade ago, had been the closest the country had ever come to its downfall. Princess-Regent Momo Yaoyorozu had newly come to power, only to meet a coup from a faction of detractors, attempting to install would-be Prince Shigaraki in her place. The capital had been under siege for nearly a year, before a group of the princess’s allies had helped defeat him–and the princess had spent the next few years consolidating her power, flushing out Shigaraki’s remaining supporters.

It was rude to compare marriage-minded mothers to the like of Shigaraki’s forces.

And yet also perhaps not entirely inaccurate.

“May you meet similar victory on this battlefield,” you told the man.

A clock chimed in the corner of the library, startling you. The remaining lemonade sloshed in your glass.

You sighed, listening to the clock strike eleven. You’d have to reunite with Caroline and Mrs. Utsushimi soon, lest they come looking for you and discover you tucked away in this den of iniquity with a strange man.

“Speaking of battles, I believe it’s time for me to rejoin this one,” you said, getting back to your feet. Standing this close to him, you realized the man was rather tall, and he smelled horribly good–like crushed pine, and the powdery starch that had probably gone into his collar points.

As you made your way around him, he offered his hand, surprising you.

“It was good to meet you, Miss Utsushimi,” he said, the use of Camie’s last name startling you a little. Right, you were supposed to be impersonating a member of the ton. You’d spoken perhaps a little too freely in the dark of this secluded room.

“You as well, sir–lord—?” you said, placing your hand in his, realizing he’d never told you his name.

He raised your hand, pressing his mouth to the back of your hand in a proper greeting. You flushed nervously, the heat of his mouth searing through the fabric of your glove

“Shouto Todoroki,” he said.

Your hand froze in his, your heated blood suddenly icing over.

Oh sweet gods above, you knew that name.

The Utsushimis, as any group of women on the marriage market did, gossipped endlessly about suitable members of the ton. You knew a little about most of the available gentlemen, knew who would be an acceptable catch, who would be an excellent catch, and who would be the catch of a lifetime.

Shouto Todoroki—His Grace Shouto Todoroki, that was—was the catch of any lifetime. He was a duke, about your age, who’d grown up in the very company of Princess Yaoyorozu herself. He was rumored to have fought for her in the very War for All you’d been jesting about, and he was also rumored to be the only suitor being seriously considered for her hand, when she finally deigned to marry.

There was almost no more powerful man in all the country, and you’d flung apricot cakes at him!

You grasped the wall, suddenly feeling woozy.

Lord Shouto made a noise of concern, and the fingers around yours tightened.

“Are you well?” he asked.

You quickly steadied yourself, tugging your hand out of his.

“I–yes,” you said hastily, cringing at how strangled the words had come out. “I really must go, my lord.”

With that, you flung yourself towards the door, tearing it open as though the devil himself were behind you. You winced as the light of hundreds of candles seared your retinas.

You couldn’t help but take a quick glance back at Lord Shouto, which turned out to be the worst mistake of your life. In the candlelight from the door, all his features were suddenly thrown into clarity–and he was the most horribly beautiful man you had ever seen.

He was tall and packed with lean muscle, and had a face like a Greek sculpture—the kind the very Ancient Greeks you were so beginning to loathe would have carved. His eyes were bright and mismatched as you’d thought, his mouth soft and sensuous, and his collar points framed a strong, handsome jaw.

You barely allowed yourself enough time to take in his distinct mop of two-toned hair, before you bit out something strangled and fled, back into the ballroom.

Back to safety.

It was unbelievable luck that no one seemed any the wiser to your escapade as you returned, your nearly-empty glass of lemonade providing your excuse. You slotted yourself in between Caroline and Mrs. Utsushimi and returned to fielding invasive questions, trying to calm your nerves.

You resolved to put all of this behind you, and stay in line for the rest of the season, lest you run a risk like this one again.

You would be good, and you would keep Camie and her family’s reputation clear.

And yet for the rest of the night, you couldn’t help that feeling that a pair of eyes was watching you. And you hoped desperately that you hadn’t already ruined things.

#todoroki shouto x reader #todoroki x you #shouto todoroki x reader #shoto x you

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listofwhyyouloveher · 4 months ago

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Summary: Bob finally has enough time to deal with the attitude you've been giving him the whole week.

Warnings: Smut, small corruption kink, mentions of drug usage and stealing, brat taming, fingering, p in v, unspecified protection, tummy bulge

Authors's Note: prompt switch

Ever since he and Diane had called it quits over a silly argument, Bob had decided to take you crossroading with him. His sweet little junkie apprentince that was like a light in the darkness for him. So he dragged you along with him, making you keep watch or put on an act to catch the attention of the doctors while he stole from pharmacies.

However, this crude lifestyle seemed to be catching up to you, you wanted more fun that just junk and the thrill of stealing it. Your relationship with Bob wasn't exactly sunshines and rainbows either. You can admit that you were acting like a bitch, maybe even a brat, overall being childish and uncooperative. Bob had it up to here with your attitude, pulling you aside in a drug store to give you a stern talking to.

"What's with this attitude, Y/n?" He asked, almost too calmly for your liking. You knew you were screwed when he said your name rather than a term of endearment.

"Nothing," You huffed, crossing your arms defensively. He kissed his teeth.

"C'mon, we're going home," He pulled you by the arm into his beat up car. You knew that by home he meant the motel that you were renting, Bob couldn't afford to go back and face Gentry after the stunt he pulled with Diane, Nadine and Rick.

As soon as you were back in the motel, Bob turned to you again.

"I'm gonna ask one more time, you gonna tell me why you're acting bitchy, or no?" He asked, eyes squinting at you as if he wanted to read you like a book.

"I'm not being bitchy, you're just being sensitive," You retorted, glaring at him. He sighed like he was exhausted.

"Goddamn, doll, why don't you just give me an answer" He frowned and you scoffed.

"Fine, this life on the road is getting me pent up, and you don't do jack about it!" You conveyed your sexual frustration in such a desperate way that Bob almost pitied you.

"Really? All this bratiness was because you wanted me to lay you?" He scoffed, at how childish you were acting. You avoided eye contact, a nasty scowl on your face.

"Such a baby," He shook his head, removing his jacket and tossing it on the ground. His shirt followed suit and you tried to stop your smile from growing at the fact that he was giving in to you. He lazily flopped onto the bed, rubbing a hand over his face before beckoning you over to his lap. You sat excitedly on his lap and his hands found purchase on your hips, slowly dragging up and down your sides. He pressed a chaste kiss to your lips and his hands found the button of your pants. Slowly he dragged them off of you, pressing passionate kisses against your lips.

He threw your clothing off of you quickly, almost as if he was more desperate than you. You smiled at the idea, Bob was only desperate for drugs.

He pressed a hand to your core, relishing in the way you quivered from being so touch starved. He gave you one last kiss before flipping you around so your back was against his chest. His arm slipped under your legs to hold them up while his other hand worked you open. You mewled because of the pleasure, throwing your head back onto Bob's shoulder until he decided that you were prepped enough.

He slipped off his pants and briefs to reveal his fully erect length, red from the strain against his pants. He teasingly slid it across your sopping cunt, making you groan in frustration.

"Don't be a bitch, Bob. Stop teasing me." He kissed his teeth again.

"Maybe you should learn that being a brat won't get you very far in life." He said, continuing to tease you. You grit your teeth, willing to play this waiting game with him. Unfortunately for you, being a junkie for this long made him exceptionally patient.

"Oh my god, fine! I'm sorry for acting like that, Bob." You seethed but Bob just chuckled.

"Sorrys not gonna cut it right now, dollface." You squeezed your eyes shut, cursing yourself for getting into this sticky situation.

"Please, baby, I'm so sorry. Please don't tease me anymore," you begged, looking up at him and fluttering your teary lashes. He sighed and a small smile formed on his lips.

"'Know I can't stay mad at you, pretty baby," he mumbled, nibbling at the shell of your ear while slowly working himself into you. You nearly sighed out of relief when he bottomed out.

Slowly, he started to bounce you up and down on his length, making you see stars by pressing on the bulge on your tummy.

"God, please Bob," you muttered, nonsensical sentences left your mouth. Shameless noises filled the room, you pitied the neighbors, hoping the walls would keep them oblivious. It wasn't long before Bob's hand found your clit, tracing patterns against it with adept fingers. He had your eyes rolling back, unable to announce the fact that you were teetering over the edge. However, Bob could read you like an open book, he knew you were close and with a single flick to your clit he sent you spiraling down in a flurry of white hot passion. He allowed you time to catch your breath before flipping you onto your stomach, lazily thrusting into you from the back. You bit your lip to conceal your noises, moving with the force of his thrusts. Bob leaned over you, pressing you into the mattress firmly while kissing your back and leaving hickeys. "Let me hear those noises, doll." He said, pulling your lip from between your teeth. You let out a shaky moan as his thrusts grew more firm and punctuated. Not long after you did, Bob finished, pulling out quickly and shooting his load onto your back. He sighed, pulling you up against your chest and pressing a kiss to your cheek. "Happy now?" You nodded sleepily and he chuckled.

#shroomsroom #clara'sroom #drugstore cowboy x you #drugstore cowboy x reader #bob hughes x you smut #bob hughes x you #bob hughes x reader #bob hughes x reader smut

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companionjones · 1 year ago

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We’ll Always Have Cuba

Pairing: Sierra Six/Courtland Gentry x Reader

Fandom: The Gray Man (Netflix)

Summary: After the events of The Gray Man, Claire and Six run off to Cuba because it doesn’t have an extradition treaty with the USA. There, they meet you. You are staying in the same apartment building as them for the summer. Over that summer, Six falls for you.

Warnings: None that I can think of, I skip over the smut

*******

“You’re staring again.”

Claire’s voice snapped Six out of the trance he was in as he gazed out the living room window. “Am not,” he childishly defended.

“Are too.” Claire plopped down on the couch with her newest record folder in her lap. It was currently playing. Claire’s eyes scanned the words of the folder. “Is Y/n home?”

Six turned away from the window. He glanced at the young girl as he headed for the front door. “Maybe,” he vaguely informed.

“You’re a stalker!” she called after him as the door shut.

He was far from that, he thought as he descended the stairs of the five-story apartment building. To be a stalker, one must follow a person places, and Six hadn’t done that in a couple months.

Yes, he knew that sounded bad, but he was only checking to make sure you hadn’t been sent by the CIA to hurt him or Claire. His mental alarms were set off when you didn’t bat an eye at his code name, which Claire had presented to you as his real name. You just kept the same sweet (and beautiful) smile on your face and thanked them for welcoming you to the building.

Six tried not to trust you after that. He followed you to stores and to the beach, looking for any sign that you weren’t the kind, gentle, and loving person that Six came to know you to be. He found nothing to contest what his instincts were saying about you. So, Six stopped following you, and consigned to only keeping a close eye on you while you were at the apartment building. Maybe too close an eye for what you warranted.

“Oh, you’re a life-saver,” you smiled at Six as he started to help you with your bags. “One thing I won’t miss about this place: the five-floor walk-up.”

He smirked at you. “It’s not so bad when you’ve got someone to talk to. That’s why I’m here.”

You tried to hide a smile from Six, and that made his heart skip a beat. Because of that, the bags he was carrying seemed light as air.

“You know, this was my last grocery trip here,” you pointed out as you and Six walked into the apartment you were staying at.

Six’s brow furrowed when he felt his heart drop slightly. “You’re leaving at the end of next week, right?”

“Yep.” You put the milk away, and opened the next bag. “I think the owner of this place told me that I’ve been at this Airbnb the longest out of his customer. A whole summer...And I really want to thank you and Claire for helping me feel more at home.”

“No problem.” Six glanced at the ground to hide the sincerity behind his words. “Well, if that’s all you need...”

Your eyes grew wide. “Oh! Yeah, you can go. I’ve got it from here. Thank you again!”

“No problem,” Six repeated under his breath. He felt he needed to get out of there, or else he would end up saying something he would regret.

“Hey, Six?”

He turned around at the sound of your voice just in time to duck his head out of the way of a box. Of course, Six caught it. He read the English words on the box.

Hubba Bubba Bubble Gum

Six smiled.

“I, um...found that at the store for you...I hope you like--”

“I love it,” he interrupted you to say. “Thank you.”

That put a smile on your face as well.

Six popped one of the pieces into his mouth, and exited your apartment.

“You’ve got it bad...” Claire teased as soon as Six came back into their living quarters.

He snapped his fingers and pointed at her, “No, I don’t,” before moving to the kitchen to put away the gum.

“Oh really? Then what’s that?” Claire leaned over the back of the couch as she referenced the present you had gotten Six.

“None of your business,” Six warned with no real malice.

Claire rolled her eyes. “Come on, Six. That’s just proof they’ve got it bad for you too. Why don’t you do something about it?”

Six leaned on the counter and sighed. “You know why I can’t.”

“Why? Because they’re leaving? That’s more of a reason to take the jump now, before you never see them again. And who knows, maybe they’ll--”

“Not with the life we lead, Claire,” reminded Six.

At that, Claire just shook her head. “You can’t let that hold you back forever, especially from stuff like this.”

“Somewhere between getting kidnapped and running away to Cuba,” she shrugged.

Six stood at the counter, contemplating for a moment more. Then, he figured he should go now before he talks himself out of it. Six marched toward the door, and yanked it open.

And there you were.

Both you and Six were shocked into silence.

You were the first to speak. “Um, I know I have a couple weeks left, but I was wondering if you and Claire would like to come over for dinner, so I can properly thank you for all you’ve done for me.”

Before Six said anything in return, Claire was off the couch and heading for her room. She gave a fake yawn. “I’m actually pretty tired. I think I’ll head to bed early tonight. You two kids have fun, though!” Her bedroom door shut behind her.

“What was that about?” you said over a laugh.

“Trust me, you don’t want to know,” Six smiled, hiding his embarrassed. “You sure you want to make dinner?”

You answered as if it were obvious. “Of course I’m sure. Plus, I’m going to miss you-guys,” you clarified. “Why not start the goodbye now?”

Six could feel his heart clench in his chest, but he hid it well. He closed his front door behind him, and followed you to your apartment.

A couple of hours later, Six couldn’t remember ever being as relaxed as he was right then. There was just something about you that put him at ease.

“What are you thinking about?” you asked as you sat down next to him on the sofa, two refilled glasses of wine in hand.

Six couldn’t find it within himself to lie to you. “You,” he answered sincerely.

You blinking, obviously taken off guard by the response. You tried to hide your nervousness. “What about me?”

He smiled as he elaborated, “You brought me here to thank me, but I’m pretty sure I should be thanking you.”

“For what?”

“For being you.” Six informed, “You showed me...that life can be normal.”

“Can you tell me what you mean by that?”

Six hesitated. “My life, my whole life...has always been...less than normal.”

You smiled, “I know, Six. I’ve always known when it comes to you.”

That threw him off guard. It even scared him a little. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I can’t guess the details, but I always figured you and Claire have lead less than easy lives. It’s in how you carry yourselves, and how you treat each other. I mean, come on, your name is Six.”

He chuckled. His worries were somehow put at ease by you somewhat understanding his past.

“I’ve lived a life, too,” you admitted, “Let’s just say there’s a reason behind why I ran away to Cuba for a summer.”

Six’s interest was peaked, but he wasn’t going to ask about it if you didn’t want to know about his past for the moment.

You took a drawn-out sip of your wine. “I really don’t want to go back. This summer has just been so amazing. Plus, there’s you and Claire.”

A part of Six wanted to ask what else was keeping you from going back, but he surprised both you and himself by what he said next. “Stay.”

Your brow furrowed a little as your soft voice questioned, “What?”

Six put his glass down on the coffee table. “Stay with me, with Claire.” He took your glass from you and put it next to his Six took your hands in his. “Please, sweetheart. I don’t want you to go.”

“Where is this coming from?” came your worried question.

“It’s coming from what I’ve felt since the moment I laid eyes on you. I’m sorry, I just can’t keep this inside anymore--mmhh.”

You had cut him off with a kiss.

Six relaxed against you, but he tensed up again when a thought crossed his mind. He broke the kiss. “I’ve killed people.” He bluntly stated. He couldn’t let the night go on without you knowing.

“I know.”

He realized you had guessed as much as you caressed his face between your hands.

“That don’t change anything for me.” You pulled him in to kiss you again, and this time, Six accepted it wholeheartedly.

Hours later, you and Six were curled up in your bed together, with you in his arms.

He kissed the top of your head. “You know, my real name is Courtland Gentry. Court.”

You smiled, “That’s a nice name.”

He went on. “I actually prefer Six.”

“Why’s that?”

He shrugged. “Because, for the longest time, it was tied to my purpose in life, the CIA. The name Six helps me kill bad guys and help good guys. And it doesn’t help that my abusive dad gave me the name Court.”

“But?” You had guessed correctly that that word was coming.

He smiled, “But...I don’t know. I’m not a part of the CIA anymore, my dad’s long dead, and I got a new purpose in life now.”

��Taking care of Claire?”

“And you, if you’ll let me.”

You bit your lip and nodded, cuddling closer to him. “I think I like Court. Courtland Gentry.” You tested the name out.

Court smirked. “I definitely liked the way you said that.” He put a hand on your cheek and guided you back to his lips.

*******

Author’s Note: Thank you for reading! Fill up that heart and reblog if you liked it. I would also really appreciate a comment, if you have the time. If you would like to read more, I have more stories over on my page, you should check it out. Have a nice day, night, or whatever time it is for you! <3 <3 <3

#sierra six #sierra six x reader #courtland gentry #courtland gentry x reader #the gray man #the gray man x reader #the gray man netflix #ryan gosling #companion jones #we'll always have cuba

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loquaciousquark · 3 months ago

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3. “Hey, it’s me, just me,” from @marigoldfaucet, @liliactrees, @servantofclio; 8. “Don’t look/look at me” from @gerundsandcoffee. 2600 words.

—

Something was very wrong with her shoulder. Even as dazed as she was, her head ringing like a gong, her vision doubling every time she opened her eyes, Tav could feel that something in her left shoulder was dangerously, frighteningly wrong. Someone was speaking very quickly above her—a woman’s voice, a man’s—and someone else at a slight remove—

Fuck. Fists.

Imperative to get up. Imperative to get away as quickly as possible. She could nurse her wounds in the den, whatever ended up being wrong with her. Anything would be better than another bitter knockabout in Heapside. She must have pressed her luck again, lifted some trinket from someone a little too wealthy, a little too persistent. Not the first time. But gods, she thought she’d been so careful—

The man above her spoke again, the words slurred and hard to understand. Metzen, maybe. Maybe Sawyer. It didn’t matter—they all hit the same anyway. Tav clenched her teeth. God on the Rack, this was going to hurt.

“What is she—hey! Soldier, wait!”

“Mystra’s grace, did someone grease her when I wasn’t looking—Tav, my friend, it’s us!”

Oh, gods; oh, Tymora—let fortune find her now above all. Her head pounded white agony; the road swam and swept up to meet her, then dipped away again without warning. Somewhere in the Lower City. She didn’t know where. She lurched past a stack of crates, missed the grab for their steadying edges, and nearly fell.

Shouts, calls. Someone among them knew her name—shit and shit and hells. She was running precious dear on favors, but her left arm hung limp as gallows rope and the alley had forked into four unsteady paths. She’d have to go to Lady Ague and take the cost full on the chin. How had she gotten so far from the den? She couldn’t remember—

Something crashed to the street beside her foot. A clay shingle, shattered in the fall. Someone was on the roof above her—she could sense them now, though the twilight haze filled her eyes when she tried to look up. A light, quick step. As light as her own, at least when she wasn’t—when she wasn’t—

Her foot came down, but the dirty street failed to meet it where it should. She stumbled, hand outstretched, but before she could plummet nose-first to the cobblestones an arm wrapped around her waist from behind.

Instinct grappled with vertigo and won. He had a knife at his belt; she snared it and twisted free in the same motion, backing herself against the alley wall. She pressed her shoulders against the cool stone, trying for a modicum of steadiness; he drifted into two images and then one and then two again.

White, curly hair. Hands empty, outstretched. An arrogant brow. Familiar, though she couldn’t put a name to him. Upper City gentry, surely. Too clean by half.

He was talking to her, though his eyes were trained on the wavering blade. She blinked rapidly, as if that might dampen the ringing in her ears, but she saw his mouth shape her name.

“—trail of blood a mile wide, darling. You should be grateful I’m the only one hunting you tonight, hmm?”

Hunting. The words were a threat, though the voice was coaxing. She sidled a step to her left, towards where she thought the nearest gap between dilapidated homes might be.

“Now, now, let’s not do anything rash—”

She bolted. Three steps in, both knees turned suddenly to water, and Tav crashed to the ground. Lightning agony cascaded through her left arm; she couldn’t stop the groans.

“Serves you right,” the man said above her, though he sounded shaken. Cold fingers plucked the knife from her unresisting grip; a careful hand rolled her off her left side onto her back. “There. Be still for me, darling—don’t hit me, be still!”

She went for his eyes again, but he caught her wrist easily and pinned it to her stomach. The world spun crazily behind him, the ramshackle roofs even more lopsided than usual. Her gut churned—

“Fuck,” Tav said, and turned her head just in time to be violently sick. The man said nothing—she felt like he ought to be disgusted—and when she was through he eased her to her back again, a little away from the mess.

“Are we quite finished then?” he drawled, but the hand he laid on her forehead was blessedly cool. “Not that this hasn’t been charming in its own way, of course, but it turns out I rather prefer you lucid.”

Tav clenched her eyes shut, then opened them again. She tried to force his face into focus; he was bent over her, his white curls familiar, the red eyes familiar, his familiar mouth creased in a worried frown.

“That’s right, darling,” he said, and his voice was coaxing again. “It’s only me. No one at all to worry about, no Fists or Guild or patriars with old grudges. No one’s chasing you but me, love, and you gave me rather express permission to do so. Come now. Fetch the memory out of that worm-riddled brain of yours.”

A name surfaced, foggy as the docks at dawn. Her tongue was so thick she could barely shape the word. “Astarion.”

“Very good,” he said, and even like this she could see the relief plain in his face.

Astarion. Lover. Friend. Other names, other images dredged themselves up like the fishing boats she saw sometimes in the river, nets creaking and straining with the haul.

Fireworks. Felogyr’s shop, and the ambush waiting on the top floor. Fire everywhere. A mage, finger outstretched towards her. A sickly green blast, a jolt of raw agony, and then the plummet backwards into open air. Sky—sunset—sky—brick pavers hurtling up towards her—

“I fell,” she gasped, and groaned again as the movement jolted her arm.

“Like an exceedingly lovely stone.” She tried to turn her head to look at her shoulder, but Astarion caught her cheek and gently turned her to face him again. “Ah, ah, darling. You’d better not. This is a sight for Shadowheart alone, I think.”

The back of her throat burned with bile. “Hurts.”

”Shattering every bone in your arm does that, I’m afraid.”

“Head, too.”

“Well, that’s because you’ve cracked your skull on top of everything else.” He said it lightly, but when he showed her his hand, his fingers were tipped with blood, and the lines of his mouth were tight. “You’ll simply have to wait here with me until Shadowheart comes.”

The twilight sky began spinning again behind his head, and she shut her eyes. “Shadowheart.”

“Yes, dear. Silver hair, a tacky fascination with black and purple, deific allegiances which are erratic at best. Heals like a mallet.”

She wasn’t really following the words, but his voice was soothing, musical, and every instinct she had told her to relax back into its wash. There was safety there. Affection. Not the same as the den, which was safe more for only having a defensible entrance and a single exit, but because the voice seemed to genuinely care about her. He didn’t want her hurt.

Not a Fist. Not a guard. Just someone who would keep her safe or die trying. She was as sure of that as she was that she would never have a left arm again.

“Wake up, darling.”

A sharper tone now. She forced her eyes open—hadn’t realized they’d closed—and Astarion’s face rippled into something like focus. She couldn’t resolve him into one, though, and after a few attempts she gave up and looked towards the Astarion on the right. “What?”

“Eyes on me. Not a request.”

“Mm.”

“Tavish. Look at me.”

Gods, it was hard. His cool hands were on her face again, turning her towards him. The pain in her head had become a throbbing nail at the base of her skull. “Astarion…”

“A little longer. Shadowheart should be nearly here.” His eyes were very red in the twilight, almost glowing with their own light. Or perhaps that was her own infatuation. His brow creased. “What? What is it?”

“I like…hm.” She dragged in a breath and tried again. “I like looking at you.”

His voice gentled. “And I like looking at you, darling. I like it even better when your eyes point the same direction.”

She closed them obligingly, and a moment later cool fingertips began tracing circles on her temples. She wanted to say something, to thank him, but the pain in her arm was becoming a mighty ocean, and she was losing the battle to keep ashore. The fingertips ran down her cheeks, along her throat, back up again to press gently on her forehead. She hummed at that, though the sound was broken.

“Good girl.”

She hummed again from a greater distance. Faintly she heard a precise magical pop at the end of the alley, then more voices. A man’s voice. A woman’s. Two. She could name these, even through the fog: Gale, Shadowheart, Karlach. Also friends. Also safety. She relaxed back into the street.

Someone laid hands on her shoulders, her arm. That hurt—her groan of protest sparked something very rapid and angry from Astarion, and the hands let go��and then Shadowheart’s glowing blue palm covered her eyes.

“Go to sleep,” Shadowheart said, in the curt, direct way she always used when she was worried, and Tav let the tide rise and carry her out to sea.

—

“Wake up, my dear.”

The voice was imperious, demanding. It cut through even the sluggish black water in which Tav comfortably floated. She liked the sound of it very much—wanted to move towards it—but gods, she was so comfortable, so quiet, so still. She thought she could sleep forever if only the voice would leave her alone. And yet—the thought of abandoning it seemed somehow awful. Tragic beyond measure.

“Come on, darling. Time to rise and smell the city’s rank masses.”

Tav let the voice float over her, simply enjoying its pitch and rhythm. There was a brief pause, and a moment later cool fingers pinched her cheek hard enough to sting. The voice snapped, “Wake up!”

“Hells,” Tav gasped, and her eyes shot open.

Two blurry Astarions floated above her, both with the same worried expression that faded behind poorly concealed relief. “It’s abominably rude to keep everyone waiting,” he said instead, and when she blinked he at last deigned to collapse into a single bent figure.

There were walls behind him, she realized. Elfsong walls, with their pleasant tapestries and dark-stained wood paneling. The sky beyond the window was black with night. No alley, no street, no swirling twilight sky. Her left arm ached like a bulette had gotten hold of it, but her head was remarkably clear. “Astarion,” she said, and the rest of the memories abruptly crashed over her like toppling bricks. “Oh, gods. The fireworks shop.”

“Thoroughly destroyed,” Astarion said with satisfaction, but he was forced to curtail any lurid explanations as Shadowheart arrived to unceremoniously displace him. She sat on Tav’s bedside and examined her eyes and ears, the motion of her fingers and toes—sans the left hand, which was splinted shoulder to wrist—and even had her recite a handful of ridiculous phrases which Shadowheart listed off with ironic gravity. Finally, however, she pronounced Tav unlikely to die in the next handful of minutes, and when Wyll called her away to examine some gash on Karlach’s shoulder, Astarion settled back into the chair he’d pulled beside the bed.

“Well!” he said, with affected disinterest. “Here we are at last, alone and reasonably right-headed. Tell me: how prepared are you to bolt from the room this instant?”

“Considering my legs feel like twin jellies, I think it would be a very bad idea indeed.” She scraped a hand over her face, trying to reorganize the disjointed flashes of memory into something coherent. “Astarion…were you running on the roof?”

“You took flight like Zariel herself was after you, my dear. It could hardly be helped, even if you were weaving worse than a brothel-goer on payday.”

“You could have let me run. I wouldn’t have gotten far.”

Astarion gave her a withering look. “Don’t make me regret this.”

“It was only a thought,” Tav said, and she settled back into the pillows. Something warm was glowing in her heart, warming her pleasantly from the inside out, and when Astarion took her good hand she linked her fingers through his immediately. “Why doesn’t my arm hurt anymore?”

“You’re drugged to the gills.”

“That would do it,” Tav agreed, and that glowing warmth spiraled out with comfortable lassitude through every limb. Blinking suddenly seemed a tremendous effort. “Thank you for trying, anyway. For coming after me. I didn’t know who you were the whole time, but I knew you were safe.” She drew his hand up to her cheek and closed her eyes. “Eventually.”

“Hm,” he said, but his voice was very gentle. “If that was how you made all your escapes, it’s no wonder the Fist had you in Heapside every other week.”

“No,” she sighed, pressing more fully against his cool hand. “I’m very deft. Very slippery…tenth finger, nearly. Every cork and rathole east of Wyrm’s Rock—I know them all. Any other time…any other time, I’d have been hangman’s mercy.”

“You’re talking nonsense again,” he said without much conviction, and she felt fingers trace into her hair at her temple, then slide down to the base of her skull and linger there. “My, my, what a lovely goose egg. Try again, darling. Aim for civilized conversation this time.”

“Nonce.”

Astarion laughed and let her hair go, though she kept his other hand pillowed beneath her cheek. A few minutes passed quietly, and then through the drifting haze she heard footsteps approach. In a deafening whisper, Karlach asked, “Well, Fangs? How’s she doing? Got three words in a line yet?”

Tav felt Astarion’s fingers twitch in her grip, then deliberately relax again. She knew he was still unpracticed—uneasy—with this sort of open affection, but she couldn’t come down enough from the golden cloud to care, and anyhow, he’d stayed put of his own volition. That it was exactly her preference as well seemed incidental.

“Very nearly,” he drawled from somewhere above her. “Save a profound and unintelligible lapse into cant. I gather her mind has returned. Whatever the worm’s left of it, that is.”

“Good.” The bed shifted mightily as Karlach sat on the edge, and Tav let herself roll an inch or two towards the comforting heat. “Hey, soldier. You awake?”

“Mmph.”

“Glad to hear it,” Karlach said, and laughed. It was a warm, wonderful laugh, and a moment later Gale’s cheerful baritone danced over her as well. There were words in there, probably, but the effort required to parse them had become suddenly impossible, and Tav was content to recline back into the sound like a feather bed.

Someone spoke, low and steady. Karlach’s voice, warm as embers. Astarion said something in answer—familiar, aggrieved—and Karlach and Gale laughed again. A good sound. A perfect sound, if she were honest, so beautiful she could drown in the luxury.

She was safe. Of course she was. Gale had a smile in his voice; Karlach was still laughing. Astarion’s thumb stroked against her temple, hidden beneath her hair. They’d never let her fall again.

The gold grew thick around her. Like a ship drawn in at last from the storms, moored safely in the harbor’s shelter, Tav drifted off to sleep.

—

end.

#astarion #tav #tavstarion #baldur's gate 3 #quark writes #caretaker meme #liliactrees #servantofclio #gerundsandcoffee #marigoldfaucet

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angeliicheartt · 6 months ago

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elle’s final project for ap psych ! psychoanalyzing the cruel prince !

before you read ! i literally did this so i could pass my class and likely some of my observations are not completely accurate. one of the requirements for this assignment was to assign a character a mental disorder. i assigned cardan antisocial personality disorder but i do not believe he has it ! it is literally just for the grade. also i was explaining this to my gen x (maybe boomer actually) teacher so the summary and my descriptions are not very detailed (but are also kind of overdetailed?) so, here’s ur warning.

thank you, enjoy!

Summary & Importance

“The Cruel Prince” by Holly Black follows Jude Duarte, a mortal, human girl who, along with her twin sister, Taryn, and her older sister Vivi, is taken to the land of Faerie at the age of 7 after witnessing the murder of her parents by a faerie general named Madoc, who is also Vivi’s father. Raised among the faeries, Jude struggles to find her place in a world where she is considered inferior for being mortal.

At the school that Jude goes to, her and her sister are targeted by the youngest prince of Faerie, Cardan Greenbriar, and his group of friends consistently, for being mortal. Tension builds between Jude and Cardan throughout the book, as they are pushed together by circumstances.

After being denied by Madoc to become a knight, Jude gets an offer from her enemy’s second eldest brother, the crown prince, Dain Greenbriar, to become a spy in his court of shadows. The story follows Jude as she finds out all kinds of secrets about the royal family of Faerie.

Jude tries to balance her normal life during the night, as faeries are primarily nocturnal, and her life as a spy in the early hours of the morning. She’s tasked with investigating Balekin, the eldest prince of Faerie, whose growing tension with Dain only intensifies as Dain’s coronation grows closer.

As Jude investigates, she finds out secrets about Cardan, who, after getting kicked out of the Palace of Elfhame, now stays with the only brother who would take him in.

Dain’s coronation comes around and Balekin, after attempting to force the High King to name him the next High King, kills all of his siblings and father, besides Cardan, because the crown, named the blood crown, was enchanted so that only members of the royal bloodline may pass the crown down to another member of the royal bloodline. As everyone breaks into chaos, Jude and Cardan find each other and escape. Jude leads him to the court of shadows, as a “hostage,” and works with him to make a plan to defeat Balekin.

Balekin sends out parties to find Cardan, as he is the only known person who can crown him High King. He throws a ball to lift the spirits of the gentry, who had doubted his ruling due to his display at Dain’s coronation. Jude arrives with Cardan to the ball, and together, with the help of the court of shadows, defeat Balekin and crown Cardan High King.

When I first read this series, I was completely engrossed in the alternate world of Faerie and the drama and romance that occurs. Along with that drama comes a lot of killing and death. The different plot twists and heart-wrenching scenes came to mind when I first heard about the final project and thought it would be perfect to analyze.

Perspectives

Madoc is the Grand General, as well as Jude’s adoptive father. From an evolutionary perspective, Madoc can be analyzed through the lens of survival of the fittest. As a high-ranking member of the faerie court, Madoc exudes dominance through his need for power and control. His actions, such as fostering Jude can be seen as kin selection, as he ensures the survival and success of his own bloodline. Additionally, Madoc’s ruthless and aggressive nature aligns with the evolutionary perspective, specifically with mating strategies, as he may seek to eliminate his rivals to maximize his reproductive success and secure resources for his offspring. Finally, his willingness to manipulate and exploit others reflects adaptive behaviors for social dominance in the Faerie world.

Cardan Greenbriar is the main rival in “The Cruel Prince,” turned ally in the last parts of the book. Through the sociocultural lens of psychology, we can see how Cardan’s cruel and manipulative nature can be understood because of his distressing upbringing in the cruel faerie court, where power dynamics and deception are normalized. His behavior may also reflect the impact of societal norms and expectations within the faerie realm, where strength, dominance, and beauty are valued above all else. Furthermore, Cardan’s complex relationship with his family and peers shapes his self-image and behaviors, as he navigates loyalty, betrayal, and social hierarchy. Moreover, his interactions with Jude and other characters highlight the role of socialization and personal relationships in shaping individual personality traits and behaviors within the context of the Faerie world.

Jude Duarte is the main character in “The Cruel Prince,” and the adopted daughter of the Grand General. Jude can be analyzed through the behavioral lens by looking at her actions, motivations, and responses to different situations. Her resilience and determination to survive and thrive in the deceptive Faerie court demonstrate adaptive behaviors shaped by her environment. She tries her best to act and live like the Fae. Jude’s strategic decision-making, cunning, and willingness to manipulate others reflect her ability to learn and adapt to complex social dynamics around her. In addition, her defiance against societal norms and expectations within the faerie world showcases her independence, despite being a human in a world dominated by faeries. On top of that, her internal conflicts and moral dilemmas provide insight into the psychological toll of navigating power struggles and ethical uncertainties in a hostile environment. Overall, Jude’s behavior reflects a blend of innate traits and learned responses, shaped by her experiences and interactions within the Faerie realm.

Biological Bases of Behavior

The amygdala is located near the hippocampus and controls emotion and survival responses, specifically aggression, fear, and fear memories. Jude’s amygdala is likely very active as she must always be on alert and almost always in “fight or flight” mode, due to being mortal in the Faerie world.

The cerebellum is at the base of the skull and controls balance and muscle coordination. Jude’s cerebellum is also very active, for swordplay, you must have amazing balance and muscle coordination.

The motor cortex is at the back of the frontal lobe and controls voluntary muscle movements. Jude’s motor cortex would be the part of the brain that’s active while she’s fighting, as to swing her sword or dodge.

The somatosensory cortex is at the front of the parietal lobe and processes sensory information. This part of the brain is active while Jude fights and when she gets hit to notify the rest of the brain that the body has been harmed.

The prefrontal cortex is at the front of the frontal lobe and manages planning, decision making, and distinguishing right and wrong. Jude’s prefrontal cortex is very active near the end of the book as she plans and leads the charge to make sure Balekin does not get crowned High King, as she must plan the attack, make quick decisions when something goes awry and distinguish if crowning Cardan is really the right thing to do.

Jude was raised in the mortal world until she was 7 years old, however she spent most of her life in Elfhame, raised among the Fae and the Gentry. She is trained personally by Madoc, the grand general, in the art of the sword and warfare. Before Jude became a spy, she stuck by what she knew and stayed with her family, as humans are predestined to do. However, afterwards, her nurtured side took over, and she seemed all the daughter that Madoc raised, weaned on swordplay and battles.

Sensation and Perception

The difference threshold is the smallest difference between two stimuli that can be detected 50% of the time. Cardan, apart from Jude and Taryn’s family, is the only character in “The Cruel Prince” that can tell Jude and Taryn apart, by the smallest difference.

Feature detectors are specialized neurons that respond to specific stimuli li and process faces, smiles, and parts of the body. Jude’s feature detectors work constantly throughout the book as she analyzes and reads her opponents and foes.

Learning

Classical conditioning is learning to make an involuntary response to a stimulus other than the original, natural stimulus that normally produces the response. In “The Cruel Prince,” Cardan stiffens under Balekin’s touch, who has previously abused Cardan. So, the very act of Balekin touching Cardan causes him to stiffen in preparation for impact, which is the involuntary response in this situation.

Negative reinforcement is the removal of an unpleasant stimulus to increase a behavior. As Taryn conforms to the norms of the Fae, and stays to herself, Cardan and his group of friends stop bothering her, and focus on Jude, who does all she can to stand out. So, in this situation, the unpleasant stimulus is Cardan and his group of friends tormenting Taryn, and once she stops trying to be equal with the Fae, that stimulus is removed.

Positive punishment is when an unpleasant or aversive stimulus is added to reduce a behavior. In “The Cruel Prince,” from pages 117 to 119, Balekin, Cardan’s eldest brother, has a human servant whip his back, for being weak and not properly sword fighting, and then again for not killing the human servant.

Observational learning is the learning of new behavior through watching a model. When Jude is first enlisted as a spy, she’s loud and exposed. But, by watching the other members of the Court of Shadows, she learns how to conceal herself and properly be a spy.

Cognitive Psychology

Flashbulb memories are unexpected events that have strong emotional associations. In “The Cruel Prince,” Valerian, who was one of Cardan’s friends who tormented Jude, tries to kill Jude, however he fails, and Jude ends up killing him instead. Valerian uses his last words to curse Jude, he says “I curse you... I curse you. Three times, I curse you. As you’ve murdered me, may your hands always be stained with blood. May death be your only companion. May you—”and then he dies, (211). Then, continuously throughout the book, and going into the other books, Valerian’s words constantly replay in Jude’s head.

Implicit memories are memories for skills, habits, and learned/conditioned responses. Since Jude was 7 and first came to the Faerie world, she had been trained with the sword and learned the ways of war by her “adoptive” father, Madoc, otherwise known as the Grand General. Throughout the book, Jude shows off these skills of swordplay, scheming, and how to see through your opponents.

Developmental Psychology

Oak is the youngest and only brother of Jude’s; he is 7 years old in the first book of the series. In Piaget’s terms, he is in the concrete operational stage. Oak is in the age range for concrete operational stage, but also, he has trouble understanding the complexities of what is going on around him at the end of the book with the issue of who will be king. In Erikson’s terms, Oak is in the industry vs. Inferiority stage. Again, Oak is in the age range for Industry vs. Inferiority, but also throughout each of the books he tries to apply himself to be like Jude and protect his family, specifically his adoptive mother, Oriana. And finally, in Kohlberg’s terms, Oak is in the preconventional morality stage. Again, he is in the correct age range, but also, Jude mentions that once, Oak repeatedly made Jude hit herself with glamour, which is faerie magic that can make humans do whatever they tell them to, and he only stopped and felt bad once he got in trouble and scolded for it.

Madoc is the grand general and Jude’s adoptive father, his age is never mentioned but it's implied that he’s in his 40s-50s. In Erikson’s terms, Madoc is in the Generativity vs. Stagnation stage. He not only fits in the age range, but he strives to make an impact and enforce his ideals. In Kohlberg’s terms, Madoc is in the postconventional morality stage. Madoc runs by his own ideals and doesn’t adhere to the laws of the Faerie world; he does as he pleases and avoids the consequences as best he can.

Motivation, Emotion, Stress, and Personality

Openness refers to how open-minded, creative, imaginative, and insightful someone can be. Heather, who is Vivi’s human girlfriend, is very high on openness. She constantly sees through Jude’s barriers and checks in on her when she can.

Conscientiousness refers to how competent, self-disciplined, and goal-driven someone can be. Jude was first determined to become a knight, and when that was officially shut down, she became a spy, and throughout the book she dedicates herself to being the best spy she can be, leading her to practice mithridatism, otherwise known as ingesting poisons to gain an immunity. And even when she was working together with Cardan and the court of shadows, she dedicated herself to keeping Oak, her youngest brother, who was secretly the son of Dain, safe, and to getting Cardan on the throne.

Extraversion refers to how sociable someone is and how well they can express emotions. Locke, who is one of Cardan’s friends, who ends up marrying Taryn, Jude’s twin, has a talent for persuasion and charm. He uses this to his advantage to stir up drama in Elfhame.

Agreeableness refers to how cooperative someone is, as well as a person’s ability to put others’ needs before their own. Vivi, Jude’s older sister, has low agreeableness. She usually only thinks about herself, and never witnesses or realizes how her mortal sisters suffer in the Faerie world, since she is accepted as half-fae.

Neuroticism refers to a person’s tendency to having unstable emotions. Cardan has low neuroticism, he is always seen relatively calm and relaxed, as if nothing could hurt him. However, it is seen as somewhat of an act to Jude and he really isn’t as calm as he portrays.

The incentive theory is the theory that we are pulled by incentives, or external stimuli that motivate us, to behave in a certain manner. Jude is constantly motivated by external stimuli, whether it is the possibility of danger for her family, her pact as a spy to Dain, or wanting to be accepted by the Fae.

Clinical Psychology

Cardan shows behaviors that could be used as diagnostic criteria for antisocial personality disorder. These behaviors include “failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors,” and a “lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to... having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another,” (American Psychiatric Association). Cardan is constantly mentioned to be harassing different, lower-class fae, one of them being a faerie boy of whom cardan and his friends ripped the wings off with no remorse. Cardan also “frequently [lacks] empathy and [tends] to be.... contemptuous of the feelings, rights, and sufferings of others.” He also has “an inflated and arrogant self-appraisal,” which is seen multiple times throughout the book by him demanding respect and praise from the rest of the Fae. Talk therapy is most commonly used for treating antisocial personality disorder as there is no specific medication to treat antisocial personality disorder. However, some health care providers prescribe medications to help with other conditions that may occur with antisocial personality disorder, such as anxiety, depression, or symptoms of aggression (Mayo Clinic).

Social Psychology

Jude and Cardan’s relationship builds tension throughout the book until they are forced to work together to make sure Balekin doesn’t become High King. The rules of attraction are proximity, familiarity, and physical attractiveness. The rule of proximity is that the closer together people are physically, the more likely they are to form a relationship, the rule of familiarity is that we tend to like things as they become familiar, as they produce more positive feelings and seem safer, and the rule of physical attractiveness is that people tend to like those whom they find physically attractive. Once Cardan and Jude are thrown together after Dain’s failed coronation, they spend tons of time together, forcing their proximity to each other as well familiarity. The more Jude spends time with Cardan she realizes that his cruel demeanor is mostly just an act, and she begins to enjoy his company for the first time. For the rule of physical attractiveness, each of them mentions how attractive the other is, but in ways that hide their true feelings, such as Cardan saying, “Have I told you how hideous you look tonight?” and when Jude says, “No.. Tell me.” he responds with, “I cannot,” because fairies cannot lie (357).

Obedience is changing one’s behavior at the direct command of an authority figure or person with social power. Up until Dain’s coronation where he is killed, Jude follows Dain’s orders for her as a spy to the best of her ability. Occasionally, she questions his judgement, but overall, she usually listens to him.

Conformity is when a person adjusts their attitude, beliefs, and behaviors to adhere to group norms. Taryn, Jude’s sister, begs Jude to conform and not stand out among the Fae, but even without her twin, Taryn conforms the best she can as a mortal. She tries her best to act and live like the Fae.

Group Polarization is when group members’ decisions and opinions become more extreme together rather than alone. You can see this in “The Cruel Prince,” in Cardan’s friend group. In the beginning, at a ball, Cardan and his friends are seen tormenting lower class fae, even going as far as ripping off one faerie boy’s wings. However, separately, besides from Valerian, they are slightly less cruel apart than together.

Fundamental attribution error is our tendency to underestimate the impact of situational factors and overestimate the impact of dispositional factors when assessing why other people act the way they do. Jude makes the fundamental attribution error, when she learns that Nicasia cheated on Cardan with Locke and assumes she did it because she’s a mean person. However, Nicasia, was under the influence of faerie fruit (basically a drug in this world) and was not thinking clearly.

Superordinate goals are shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation. In “The Cruel Prince,” Jude and Cardan, who are enemies throughout the book, must work together to make sure Balekin does not rule and become High King. They successfully do so, and in the next books of the series continue to work together and fall in love.

#𐀔 // elle writes.#cardan greenbriar #jude duarte #madoc tfota #oak greenbriar #taryn duarte #the cruel prince #tcp #tfota #the folk of the air #holly black #ap psych #ap psychology

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onceuponastory · 7 months ago

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raindrops on windows - court gentry x reader

Plot: In the aftermath of another agent's betrayal. Y/N and Court rethink their feelings for one another. Pairing: Court Gentry/Sierra Six x Agent!Female!Reader Warnings: Mentions of death/reader almost dying, violence (nothing graphic though), reader and Court doubting themselves and their feelings. As always, if I miss any triggers, please let me know! Notes: I swear I've been listening to Ryan singing I'm Just Ken at the Oscars on repeat since it happened, so it somehow led to...this. But I also missed writing for Court :)

Not beta'd, so any mistakes are my own.

Apart from the rain pelting down outside. Y/N rests her head on the window, watching as the raindrops race each other down the window. She’s only just calmed down after the horrible events of the night, since she came face to face with death. Sniffling, she rubs her eyes.

How could she have been so stupid?

How could she not have known?

“You alright?” Court’s husky voice asks as he gets in beside her, the sound making her jump. “Shit, sorry.”

“It’s okay. And yeah, I’m fine.” She lies. He raises a brow.

“You know I can tell when you’re lying.” Dammit. He’s good. Court sighs. “You almost got killed by a double agent tonight, Y/N. Nobody expects you to be fine. You don’t need to pretend, least of all to me.” Usually, Court teases her about how he knows her better than anyone. Most of the time, it’s about his constant snarky and sarcastic comments at her expense, and how much he knows she likes them, despite her insisting otherwise.

But this time… she notices there isn’t any snark or a sarcastic comment building.

No. Court Gentry genuinely cares about her feelings for the first time in well… forever.

“I know. I don’t need the reminder.” She snaps, a little harsher than intended. Each time she closes her eyes, the agent’s face looms, poised to take her life. At the last second, Court came in and rescued her, beating the agent to a pulp. She owes her life to him, yet here she is, snapping at him when he’s being nice to her for once. “Shit, sorry, just…. It’s been a horrible night.” She sighs, and Court nods.

“It’s alright.” He smiles.

“No, it’s not. If it weren't for you, I would have been killed. You really saved my ass, and I should be more grateful.” Y/N sighs. “So, thank you for saving my life. Really.” He cracks a grin at that, one which drives her crazy.

“Let me take you home.” He suggests, and she nods, glad to not be alone right now. Although there’s not really another alternative, save for Court dragging her back to the car the second she tries to leave. So, the drive continues in silence. Court glances at Y/N every so often, concern filling his gut. This isn’t what he’s supposed to do. Care for someone else. Or at least, it’s not what Court does. He works alone, he always has. He can’t let anyone else into his life.

Especially not Y/N. The agent he just loves to tease, the one he frequently snarks at. And the one who snarks right back at him, too.

The one he’s so irrevocably in love with. Honestly, he probably has been in love with her for a long time, but tonight was the first time he actually realised it.

When he found out she was in danger, he almost ripped the door to the warehouse off its hinges to get to her in time. That agent was lucky the others got to him before Court. Because Court would have killed him for daring to hurt a hair on Y/N's head. Honestly, he’d burn the world down for her, and she doesn’t even know it.

But he’s always such a pain in the ass to her, annoying her when she’s just trying to do her job. If he told her the truth, how much he loves her… she’d probably just think it’s a joke, or tell him to fuck off. And maybe he deserves it, after the shit he’s been through in this life. Another bad thing to add to the many he’s already experienced. He glances over at Y/N, who's still avoiding his gaze.

Yet, he saved Y/N. That’s one good thing he’s done.

In fact, in Court’s eyes… That's the best thing he’s ever done.

“It’s not your fault.” He murmurs. Y/N shakes her head, not even looking at him, still watching the raindrops as they batter the car. He hates seeing her like this. Usually, she’s so outgoing, ready to take his sarcastic, witty remarks and fire them right back. He’s never seen her so quiet before, so upset.

And it scares him to death.

“Yes, it is. I worked right next to him. I should’ve seen something was wrong. I could’ve stopped this!” she insists. “I’m smarter than this.” Court shakes his head.

“I met him too, remember? We all did. And none of us spotted him.” He points out. “Stop beating yourself up. Please.” His voice carries a hint of begging, an urging she’s never experienced from him before. It’s strange, realising he cares so much about her. But…she likes it.

“I’ll…I’ll try not to.” She says, and Court nods, going back to driving. Y/N looks over at him. He’s focused on the car in front of them at the stop sign, so he doesn’t notice her staring. The street lights illuminate him slightly, and her breath catches in her throat.

God, he's so handsome.

The silence continues, but this time, it’s more awkward, with each person suddenly realising that the feelings they hid for so long, the ones they ignored, might actually mean something different. Y/N gulps. What would happen, if she laid her heart on the line, admitted that she might be falling for the Sierra Six himself? She opens her mouth, wanting to speak.

“I think you should take some time off for a while.” Court says.

“Yeah, but-”

“No buts.” He cuts her off. Y/N sighs, deciding it’s best to stay quiet than argue with Court.

And besides, if she does, she doesn’t trust herself not to admit that she might be falling in love with him. And that’s not a chance she’s prepared to take, to admit everything. After all, maybe she only feels that way because he saved her life? Surely she doesn’t actually love him…

Yet, she can’t ignore the way her heart twinges when she thinks that.

Court soon pulls up outside her apartment, turning to say goodbye. In an instant, the scent of Court’s cologne, mixed with his sweat, hits her nostrils as he leans in closer, and it sends her senses ablaze. “Think you’ll be alright? Want me to walk you inside?” He asks, his voice husky. Y/N’s cheeks heat up. Court raises a brow at her, something else that sends her heart into a frenzy. “Hm?” He asks.

“Y-Yeah. I’ll be okay.” She murmurs. “Thanks again.” He looks her up and down, and she gulps. Now her heart is beating so much she swears it could break free from her chest.

Just tell him. What’s the worst that could happen?

Everything could crash down around you. That’s what.

“Night Court.” She murmurs. For a moment, his face falls. But before she can dwell on it, wonder if it’s because of her and if he feels the same way about her, his smile is back, and he nods.

“Night Y/N.” Y/N reaches for her door handle. A strange feeling builds in her gut, as if she wants him to tell her to stay. But she pushes it down and opens her door, stepping out into the night. With one last wave, he drives away.

And Y/N is alone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

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#court gentry x y/n #court gentry x reader #court gentry #sierra six x y/n #sierra six x you #sierra six x reader #sierra six #the gray man fanfic #the gray man #the gray man fanfiction #the grey man #fanfiction #fanfic #fic

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syntia13treeman · 6 months ago

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Case 15.01

CAT1RB6451-22062023-22032024

what I think happened in:

Case 15.01, the case of "The Sunset Hunt" or "It's EAT the rich, not FEED the rich. Get it right, damn it."

On 22nd of June 2023 a man was shot dead while on the phone to The Sentinel (I'm guessing a private emergency service; like 999 but unofficial).

He used to be a caterer in his own company, catering to the rich.

Before that, he was a soldier. An army cook at some point, but also familiar with looking down the barrel of the gun up close, and the sound of a headshot. Trained to kill, both with guns and in close combat. Trained not to hesitate.

At the time of the call he's been on the run for a couple months, living out of motel rooms, maybe different one every night, always looking over his shoulder, flinching at the sound of dogs' barking.

What he was running from is known as 'Lady Mowbray'. He'd been lured to her property in Wychwood Hall in the Cotswolds on the pretense of catering a 'small family hunt'. Ostensibly, he was supposed to cook and serve game the family hunted. In reality, he and his people had been watched all afternoon as they worked, until, at dusk, in blood red light of setting sun, he was compelled (magically and with threat of death) to kill and cook his employees while the 'family' watched.

He killed at least 4 people that day, maybe more: his permanent employees (minus Steven, murdered by Lady M herself), and any temps he might have hired for the job.

The creature responsible for that was described as a big and imposing matriarch, with electric blue eyes and gunmetal-gray hair. She had dangerous looking dogs with her, and a big-game gun, which she handled with ease. In her arsenal were also: power to force a man into silence with a gesture (demonstrated) and power to made her orders be obeyed without question (heavily implied).

After the Killer Caterer did her bidding, she rewarded him with cash – and a head-start. Neither helped him in the end.

It is unknown if deaths/disappearances of the entire catering company was ever noticed or investigated.

---

On 22nd of March 2024, in the OIAR office, Freddie tried to warn Celia about the approaching predator by queuing this case for her. Was it helpful? Possibly. Celia is smart, but she might not have been as on-guard as she was without it.

Lady Mowbray not very subtly tried to get Celia to give her name. (Celia point-blank refused). Lady Mowbray VERY unsubtly tried to sniff out any additional information about her, with limited success (odd, brave, strong, different). Soon after Lady M was swept away by Gwen, whom she talked to very differently than to Celia. Old money can sniff out old money, I suppose.

I… have some questions

Who or what is Lady Mowbray? An old aristocrat who became as removed from humanity as they believed themself to be? An embodiment of the concept of the ruling class, that forces 'peasants' to do their dirty work for them for little or no reward? ...one of the Gentry? Look, I know I've been yapping about the Fae for a long while now, but here is a literal aristocrat (a lady; a gentlewoman if you will), with literal power over people's minds, who tries to get Celia's name, and Celia (the mysterious, different Celia, who know more than she lets on) knows that she shouldn't give it. (Never ever give them your name!) It's probably nothing… but maybe? How long has she been making people kill other people for her dinner and entertainment? 40 years? 60? 600?

Why is she working with OIAR? She seems like a very different kind of monster than Bonzo (thought they both eat their prey; hm); why would she let herself be in any way controlled? Is OIAR responsible for cover-ups of all the murders committed by 'Externals', and that's why Externals are willing to work for them? Do they even need it? Both Bonzo and Mowbray seem to have their own magic going on in that regard – Bonzo with his music and Mowbray with her voice (and money) that can make things go unnoticed.

Who or what are Mowbray's 'family', and why none of them got to shoot somebody? Are they actual family, ruled by their matriarch's iron fist? Are they just props (fake people to create a crowd for better scare tactic)? Are they followers? Courtiers? Servants? Slaves? Who are you, people with guns and dogs and expensive cars who never get to participate in the hunt beyond watching and eating? (Do you look like someone copy-pasted few random features onto multiple individuals? Asking for a friend).

So who is the next unlucky soul that Gwen's gonna sic a killer on? Do we know them? Will we get to know them for just as long as it takes Norris or Chester to read about their death? (Gwen, are you sure you want to do that, girl? It's not to late... well. It probably is. Enjoy your new job while you can, I guess).

#the magnus protocol #tmagp case files #tmagp case 15.01 #tmagp 15 #Lady Mowbray #Killer Caterer #ep. written by Alexander J. Newall #ep. written by A.J.N.+J.S.#tmagp

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echo-goes-mmm · 10 months ago

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Moonflower #1

Prompt

Masterpost

Warnings: torture, rape mention

They had stolen him in the summer, which seemed like cheating. He was a spring, and summer was for laziness and play after a strong season. He shouldn’t have had to worry about mortals trapping him in iron.

It didn’t matter now.

Moonflower had no idea where he was, except that he was far from the fae realm. The cell was unforgiving cold stone, with horrid iron bars that burnt his skin and weakened his magic. There was no sun, or clean air, or any plants at all. Not even moss.

It was suffocating.

What did they want from him? Wishes, or luck charms? Moonflower was a simple nymph, not gentry but wild. His magic was unimpressive; not suited for the miracles mortals often craved.

He could hear distant footsteps coming towards him.

___________________

Moonflower stuck his fingers down his throat, vomiting up the saltwater they forced him to swallow. The salt hurt like a thousand tiny cuts, the sheer amount of his making his tongue bleed.

The wound wouldn’t last long, but he’d rather get his mouth salted than see what it would do in his stomach.

The air stank of his burnt flesh, and the sizzling sound of iron on his skin still echoed around in his mind.

Summer was slipping through his fingers, and he was so tired. But he had to hold out.

He would not give them his name. No matter what they tried.

___________________

Stars, he was weak. Couldn’t even fight back anymore. In the beginning, he trashed and bit and clawed. It took three men to hold him down then, and now mundane rope kept him in place.

Fall was turning to winter, and he wasn’t sure if he was going to make it. Winter was hard on him; springs didn’t do well in frost. His color was fading, which had never happened, even in blizzards. His hair was graying, becoming brittle like dead leaves.

Moonflower was starving to death. He was starving for more than fresh meat and water, he needed light and air. He’d even settle for eating soil like a seedling. Just a taste of something other than cold stone and salt and iron.

He curled up on the floor the best he could, trying to stave off the cold. His clothes were long gone, and his nakedness bothered him when it hadn’t before. Plenty of fae wore nothing, but here-

He saw the way they looked at him.

He didn’t want to think about it. Moonflower closed his eyes and tried to sleep the hunger away.

___________________

“Good morning, fae boy.” Moonflower opened his eyes slowly. He had a headache, and the blood on his skin was still tacky.

“What, no snarling? Not even a little growl?” Moonflower said nothing. It didn’t matter what he said; it was only wasted energy. It was midwinter, and he just wanted to sleep.

“You look like shit,” said the mortal. He crouched down in front of him. Moonflower must look really pathetic if the mortal was so blasé about it.

“Got anything to tell me?” Moonflower stared at him. He felt numb, an aching emptiness.

“Suit yourself,” shrugged the human. He pulled out an iron knife from his belt. The mortal pressed it to his neck, searing his skin.

Moonflower whined, high in his throat. He couldn’t take this anymore. The salt, the iron, the rape.

And when he died, they’d just take another of his kin. Maybe they’d even snatch a seedling. He couldn’t let this happen to a child.

“Moonflower,” he croaked. The human pulled away, and the cool air did little to help the burning.

“What did you say?”

He dug his nails into his palms. “My name is Moonflower, and you may have it.”

The human grinned down at him, a sadistic look on his face, and Moonflower immediately regretted it.

“Moonflower,” said the human, and every muscle and nerve in his body was alight with magic, waiting for a command.

But then the human let go of the puppet strings. He sank against the cold stone, trembling.

“Now we can finally start your training.”

Of course.

It was never going to be over; it was never going to stop. No matter what he did.

Moonflower looked up at the human, and felt nothing at all.

taglist: @paintedpigeon1

#NEW SERIES NEW SERIES #whump #my writing #slavery whump #Moonflower series #resigned whumpee #fae whumpee #intimate whumper

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arrieebooks · 1 year ago

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Precious Weapon (8)

Pairing : Lloyd Hansen x F!OC (Elle) x Sierra Six (Court Gentry) x glimpses of Denny Carmichael.

Summary : She has her first kill but things get messy. Lloyd starts to feel feelings for her. They all three have a conversation about what they really are.

Warnings : Guns. Detailed murder. Violence. Assassination Gore. Lloyd thirsts over her ass. Nudity. Taking clothes off. Polyamory relationship. Fun trysts in a hotel. Lots of implied sex. Teasing. Making out underwater. Slight happiness for a short time. References to home theater. (Check it out, it deserves more recognition!).

Word count : 14k words.

Author's note : This takes place exactly two weeks after chapter seven.

***

Lloyd has no idea what kind of spell she has put him under to be this whipped to her.

He is obsessed with her. Captivated. Bewitched. She controls him, unintentionally and subconsciously. Anything she wants, it's hers. He does whatever she says. He has never been this glued before with any other women in his life. And she doesn’t even do much. She just simply exists in his radar.

He finds her completely flawless. Everything she does is perfect and attractive to him. It doesn’t even matter what she’s doing. It could either be when she’s eating up all of their food hungrily or blowing up buildings and warehouses or bursting with laughter loudly whenever Six tries to crack up a stupid joke.

Even today, as she's bent down and arching her ass while gripping a huge sniper against the hotel room's window, she looks absolutely sexy and tempting to him. He's never seen any woman handle a gun so perfectly composed — Six taught her well. He could see the curve of her ass through her thin black leggings. Lloyd scrubs his hand over his stache, drifting his eyes toward the view of the mall in front of them instead of her ass.

He squints his eyes due to the usual hot sunny day of the city. The room smells like a fresh new hotel room and he missed it. He's sitting on the uncomfortable chair in the desk, right beside her where the gun is placed. Six is somewhere on the bed, reviewing the surveillance cameras in his laptop and the blueprint of the mall to look for loopholes.

It's her first big mission after two weeks of waiting and recovering from everything that’s happened. An assassination mission. To eliminate one of the corrupt politicians in the city. She’s been studying his case during her week off and he is truly the fucking worst.

She had flinched a couple of times just looking at his files from what he had done to thousands of poor innocents just for the sake of money. The bastard doesn’t even care nor is he scared of being caught. Instead, he’s chilling in a fancy outdoor café from the mall with his family while he's calling some other politician as well.

They’ve been in that mall before, it just wasn’t a mission. It was a nice day out with just them because she wanted fresh air that time. He wishes the circumstance could be the same now. He hates assassination missions. It always gets messy real fast, somehow.

“You know, I could just shoot him right here and then we could enjoy this nice room for the rest of the day.” Elle remarks casually, her eyes still watching the man from the sniper’s lens.

Six looks up from his laptop and frowns. "We just need to be patient. Get him alone and do it in a secure place without too many cameras in every single angle." he calmly tells her.

Lloyd looks down at her even though she can't see him. "That's not exactly the purpose we got this room for, sweetheart." he retorts coldly.

She rolls her eyes, retreating from the sniper to look straight into his eyes. "But, it is a pretty expensive room just to waste it for a few hours, spying on this asshole doing nothing." she grumbles but he still finds it so fucking attractive. She's just like him.

He glares at her as his jaw tenses. "You're the one who told us to get this room in the first place." Lloyd reminds her, proving to himself even more that he does whatever she says.

She finally stands up straight and her eyes look down at him. "Yeah, because it had a clear view of the whole outdoor mall. But I didn't think that we would be holed up in this room for hours. He practically hasn't moved a single muscle." she states.

Lloyd shakes his head. "We can't kill him with the gun. The room's window that we booked is clearly going to leave a hole. A fucking bullet hole. We're too close to the target. They'll trace it back to us." he states the obvious.

She shrugs. "We used a fake identity to book this room, they can't trace it back to us. We'll be fine." Elle still insists.

Sometimes her stubbornness gets on his nerves way too much. His jaw clenches and clicks while his eyes glare up at her.

"No. it's not how it's done. You're here to make it look completely clean and untraceable, without any sort of evidence at all. That's your purpose, Elle." Lloyd sternly tells her.

She huffs, rolling her eyes again. She knows that he's making a perfect point now. She just hates admitting it.

"And I can't believe I've put up with you for one month now." she says with a sigh, a small smile slowly forming on her lips.

Lloyd's face gradually relaxes a little bit and realizes this is her way of telling him that he's right, for the very first time.

Six perks up from his laptop, glancing between them. "Has it really been a month? I don't keep track of dates." he casually says.

She snaps his head to him and nods. "Yep. A month or so." Elle answers before walking up to him and Lloyd's eyes follow her every moment.

She sits on the bed, right in front of him. "So, when do we finally get down there? I can't hear anything he's saying from up here." she asks him, sweetly.

Six looks down at his laptop again to study the blueprint so he could get them a nice exit strategy.

Lloyd clicks his tongue in disapproval. "He's probably saying something useless anyway. Like which stripper club he wants to buy next." he remarks.

She turns around to him. "Have you ever been to a stripper club before?" she teases him intentionally with a smirk on her lips.

Lloyd casually nods. "Yeah. In France. Just not really my scene. Too dark and flashy. Tacky. And, embarrassing. Every guy is there to see some ass and everyone knows it." he comments.

She furrows her brows, cocking her head to the side. "Why'd you only say ass?" she asks.

He stammers, evidently panicking. "I—what? What does that even mean? What else was I even supposed to say? It is like that! It's all ass!" Lloyd tries to defend himself but she just laughs at him.

Six still remains calm and focused on the screen of his laptop. They don't bother his focus by talking like this, he likes it when they talk. He was the one who suggested in the first place to include Lloyd in their thing because he genuinely likes the guy.

She shakes her head. "It means you like ass more, Hansen. There are other body parts of a woman that aren't just their ass. The fact that you only said ass, means you're an ass man." Elle explains to him.

Lloyd scowls, looking very offended by her true statement. "That's not true." he denies.

She raises her brows. "Really? How about my ass, then?" She keeps teasing him and Six finally looks up to them. He knows Lloyd loves her ass more than anything. Six could tell by the way he was always staring at it. Even earlier, he noticed.

He shrugs plainly. "What about your ass? It looks fine to me." Lloyd pretends to not like her ass even though he has been staring at it this whole time.

She giggles. "You like my ass, Lloyd. Admit it." she urges as Six stares back down at his laptop to hide a smile.

Six clears his throat before the other man could even open his mouth. "Guys, I think I found a plan," he announces.

Lloyd smirks at him, now focusing all his attention on him. "Well, let's hear it, ken doll." he gestures his hand for him to continue.

"Right, so we'll go in there separately. Maybe, one of us as a couple. We disguise our way in there and act like clueless tourists just wandering around. We'll bring one of our agents so I can walk with them." Six makes a plan out of the top of his head since he's never really done this before.

She frowns. "So… me and Lloyd as a couple?" she asks slowly.

Six casually nods. "Yeah. You guys look more fitting for it. I'll be a solo traveler with a friend. Then, Lloyd and you are going to follow him after he leaves that café. Make something up so he could be in a secluded place. Wherever you decide to do it, make sure to destroy the cameras before it could even catch you. Are we clear?" he explains to them.

They're both an attentive partner to him, always listening to him no matter what the situation is. Six rarely makes plans for missions. He usually just does what he's told to. He only ever strategizes when he urgently has to.

Lloyd immediately nods. "Clear. I'll go and tell our team in the other room." he declares, getting up from his seat.

She nods her head too. "I'm going to prep and cloak our weapons again so it doesn't beep during security." Elle states before all of them part their ways to do their own thing.

***

Beep

Their hotel door opens as Lloyd comes into the room with the key card in his hands. He's just finished briefing the team of their plan. He bought some clothes in the mall for their disguise as well.

Elle is in the bathroom, doing her hair to make it look like she's a tourist because she clearly doesn't. She's already learned to blend in since she was born. She's lived in this country her whole life.

Six is taking off his shirt and jacket in the room, that certainly doesn't make him look like a solo traveler. He looks more like a rich guy about to murder a guy. It's not exactly his fault that Lloyd always buys his clothes expensively. He just told him that he wanted comfortable clothes.

Lloyd's knuckles knock on the bathroom and Elle snaps her head with a straightener and a brush still in her hair. "Yeah?" she asks him as he leans on the doorframe.

He shows her three shopping bags. "Bought you guys some clothes. You know, for the disguise. I've already memorized both of your sizes." Lloyd tells her.

She nods, calmly putting the burning hot straightener on the counter. "Okay, what am I wearing?" she asks, fully turning to him with a hand on her hip.

Lloyd takes a clothing item from the bag and reveals it to her. "Well, this." He hands her a very long, flowy maxi pink sundress with white flowers and ribbons for the straps. Something to wear in an island destination or on a beach.

She sighs. "You've got to be kidding me. I have to wear this? Lloyd, we're in Jakarta, not in fucking Bali or something. This is not something you'd wear in a city." Elle complains.

Lloyd nods. "Yeah, stupid tourists, remember? They wear whatever the fuck they want." he argues.

She shakes her head in disbelief. "Fine. If I have to wear this shit, then you can't wear this either." she says, her finger pointing out his clothes that certainly make him look too rich and not like a tourist at all.

He frowns, looking down at his black patterned polo shirt and his white trousers. "What? No. These are my clothes. I'm not taking it off. Ever." Lloyd firmly states.

She smirks, stepping forward to him and her hands rest against his chest. "Yes, you are. Because I'm the one taking it off of you." she softly demands, her fingers already slowly taking his buttons off.

Lloyd huffs. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he grumbles but he doesn't move a single muscle, he's letting her do it.

She nods, flicking off three buttons on the top of his shirt. “Yeah, wear a normal shirt and normal pants to blend in as a tourist. You know, I knew you weren’t just some tourist or a guy who worked a 9-5 job here, back at that bar. Because of how you dressed. Now, let me style you, Lloyd.” she says before finally finishing taking off all of the buttons.

He rolled his eyes, glaring down at her. “Whatever. Just make it quick.” Lloyd mumbles and she lifts his shirt above his head quickly.

He’s left shirtless and while this isn’t the first time she’s seen him like this, it has been a long time since they’ve seen each other fully naked. It’s only been two weeks. Lloyd wanted to give her some space, after everything that’s happened. He didn’t want to push her. He wanted to let her body heal properly. She’s been with Six a lot and he's been helping her sleep every night.

She looks down at all his toned abs and abdomen. “You’ve gotten ripped.” Elle remarks teasingly.

Lloyd frowns. “That’s not true. I haven’t even been working out.” He refers to something else that isn’t related to actually working out. He knows she knows what it means. He knows how smart she actually is. Smarter than him, sometimes.

Her lips turn into a smirk as she slowly stares up at him with those big, innocent eyes. “Well, we could fix that tonight if we decide to stay the night here.” She teases him.

He slowly nods. “We'll see later.” Lloyd seriously tells her and a smile gleams on her lips.

She grabs the dress she’s about to wear and snatches all the shopping bags from his hands. “Come here, we have more space in the room.” she says before grabbing his hand, dragging him into their room.

Six turns his head to them and frowns confusedly. She goes to stand in front of him while throwing all the bags onto their bed. Lloyd still has his hand glued on hers as he stands behind her.

"What's going on here? Why is Lloyd suddenly shirtless?" Six asks them, holding in a laugh as his lips slowly tug into a small smile.

She smiles softly. "I'm styling him now. You need it too, you know. So, take your shirt off please." she demands him and he immediately nods, already taking his shirt off from him. Six doesn't hesitate at all because they've both seen him naked already and he trusts them. If this was anyone else, he'd rip their skin off.

Lloyd tilts his head to the side. "You keep ordering us to take off our shirts, when are you going to do the same?" he asks her, wrapping his hand around her waist as he presses himself against her from behind.

Six casually throws his shirt somewhere on the bed before glaring at the other man.

"Now's not the time for that. We need to—"

Wordlessly, she casually takes her crop top off of her body, revealing her white bra that matched her shirt. "I need to change into my dress first before I style you guys." she innocently says.

Lloyd's eyes wander all around her body from behind and somehow, he's so relieved that all her scars from two weeks ago are gone. He knows it has been gone for long already but he remembered the fear he felt when he saw all those scars on her body that weren't healing yet. He thought it was the end of her.

Six's eyes respectfully stare down at her body before looking back up at her eyes. "Change quick, Elle. This isn't a…" he softly trails.

She nods. "I know. This is a mission. And the mark's still in the same place until now." she states as a matter of fact.

Lloyd looks at their window and she's right. He glances at the blonde as he smirks. "Come on, Six. Loosen up. She's just styling us. It's a requirement for the mission." he remarks.

"Since when do you ever loosen up for a mission?" Six casually asks, knowing how he used to be so uptight with them during a mission. But that was before having her.

Lloyd shrugs before she pulls away from him and walks towards Six, standing beside him. "Because he's changed, right?" she teases.

He nods. "Maybe," he admits.

Six looks over to her and the dress she has in her hands. "Take your pants off and wear the dress." he softly demands, grabbing the dress she's holding.

She does what she's told, kneeling down a little to take her leggings off smoothly. Lloyd has to retreat his eyes from the view in front of him to not get that distracted. He does have to do a mission after this. He can't get hard for this.

After completely removing her leggings off of her feet, she throws them onto their bed. She stands up and looks up at Six due to their height difference. Sometimes she forgets how tall he is compared to her. She's not exactly short, he's just too tall.

Elle turns to him and he puts on the dress above her head carefully. She didn't even think he'd do this for her. He places the straps on her shoulders correctly and smoothens them out before he observes the dress on her body quietly.

"Nice dress for a disguise." Six quietly remarks, "Lloyd bought you this, didn't he?" he asks before turning to the man in question.

Lloyd nods at him. "Yeah, obviously. She wouldn't have worn something like this."

She turns her eyes to him and rolls her eyes. "Because this isn't some island. It's a city. We don't wear shit like this." she retorts, tidying her dress.

He frowns. "I've seen some girls wear this at that bar and then in this mall. Even more revealing and shorter ones." Lloyd comments casually.

She shakes her head. "Other girls aren't me. I have a damn principle. I wasn't raised that way." Elle firmly states. She doesn't think that other girls who wear that are sluts or anything, it's just a matter of preference and principle. She was raised by abusers, but they still taught her about values, regardless.

Lloyd cocks his head to the side before slowly smirking. "Well, then, maybe it's a good thing that you'd only be revealing yourself to us and no one else. It's exclusive." he affirms.

"Yeah, except for now." she retorts, still not really okay with having to wear this dress just for the mission.

Lloyd sighs, regarding her with a soft look. "I know, baby, but we're gonna walk together out there. If anyone says some stupid shit I'll shoot their fucking mouth." he swears. He's never called her that. That was usually Six's thing for her, sometimes.

She breaks into a giggle. "Yes, please. I'd love that very much." she says before realizing what he just said. "Wait. Did you just—"

And Lloyd just had noticed what slipped out of his mouth, accidentally. "Okay, let's just change our clothes and you know, do it quickly." he tries to change the subject.

She's okay with it. She knew he wasn't ready for it yet, anyway. He never is going to be. He doesn't have the guts to make things more serious. Even after a month. A month of enduring and living together. That's the longest he's ever stayed with anyone before and the most he's done with a woman.

She clears his throat before a smile touches her lips. "Alright, so, you guys stay here." she tells them, walking to their bed and grabbing the shopping bags.

As she turns around to them with the bags, she takes a step back to observe both of them like this. Still and shirtless. Just for her. Like two sexy supermodels perfect and ready for her only. She has no fucking idea how much power she has over them. They'd do quite literally anything for her if she asks. Even this. This is something they both would've never done if it wasn't with her and for her.

She won't admit this, but this whole thing is turning her on a little. A little too much, perhaps. It does spark her a bit that they'd both just strip their whole body for her whenever she asks. She knows it's a sensitive thing for them because their body is full of scars and survivor wounds that no one else would've been allowed to see. Except for her, that is.

Six turns to her and frowns. "Elle? You good?" he softly asks her.

She snaps herself back to reality and looks at him, nodding. "Yep. Yes, all good. Okay, so, Lloyd's turn first. Because… there's a lot to work with." Elle states, walking to him.

Lloyd straightens up and places his hands on his bare hips as she steps closer to him.

She stands in front of him, staring down at his pants before she grimaces. "Your pants… It's too douchey. It reeks of an asshole rich guy who's about to murder someone. Not a clueless, stupid tourist." she remarks.

He rolls his eyes. "Fine, what am I wearing then?" he asks her and she pulls out some white linen pants from the bag.

Lloyd already shakes his head at the sight of it. "Absolutely not. That was for Six." he argues.

"Wear it." she orders sternly and he's just speechless, eventually taking the white pants from her hands. She sneaks a peek into the options for the shirts and finds a dark navy polo shirt. Which is still from a fancy brand but at least, it doesn't look like it from the front.

She casually hands him the shirt and he just accepts it, without any complaints. "See, you can even still wear a polo shirt, just a much more normal one than your usual. I have no idea why you bought a dozen clothes for this disguise. This is like a week's worth of clothes for the three of us." she comments.

He scoffs, looking down at the clothes she chose for him. "Because I thought we'd need some clothes if we're going to stay the night. Our fake suitcases are all filled with weapons and comms. That you magically made it invisible." Lloyd remarks, quietly praising her.

Elle nods. "I know, I'm amazing. Anyway, take your pants off and wear all this. I'm not gonna look." she assures him before turning around from him to walk to Six.

Six's face slowly relaxes at her as she steps closer and closer to him with the bags in her hands. Lloyd begins to take his pants off to wear the clothes she told him to but Six completely ignores the sight. Instead, his eyes study her every movement, as usual. Her long dress sways with her body as she walks and he just noticed how perfect she's wearing the dress she hates.

She meets his eyes and gives him that soft, warm smile he secretly likes so much. Her cheeks blushes and her dimples show whenever she smiles. "You look nice, you know. Just saying. Regardless of the situation." Six quietly compliments her.

Her lips stretch further as her smile widens. "Thank you." she sweetly thanks him.

Looking down at the bags again, her eyes light up as she finds the perfect clothes for him. Along with an accessory. She takes them all out and reveals it to him.

Six's eyes look down at her clothing choice for him and he has absolutely no complaints. Even though he's never worn anything like this before. There's some khaki linen pants, a white linen button collar shirt and a dark blue baseball cap.

She looks at him for approval. "What do you think?" she asks him.

He stares up at her again and his lips form into a small, genuine smile. "It's perfect. I'll wear it." Six softly tells her as he gently grabs the clothes from her hands.

Her smile glows again and brightens up the whole hotel room. "Great, okay. I'll let you change." she says, turning around again to Lloyd. It's like she's a spinning wheel the whole time.

Once she finally sees Lloyd all dressed in the exact outfit she chose and wearing it surprisingly well, her smile widens again.

Lloyd looks down at his final outfit and smiles at her. "Satisfied with the result?" he asks her while she walks closer to him.

She casually nods, placing all the bags on their bed again before grabbing two pairs of sunglasses from it. One for her. One for him. She doesn't even know why he bought so many sunglasses for a one time disguise and one night in this hotel.

Elle steps closer to him while she could hear Six take his pants off and she tries to ignore that. She needs to focus. This is a serious mission. She's about to kill someone. She's never planned that before. It has always been self-defense.

Lloyd grabs the sunglasses from her hands and examines it closely. "It's decent, I guess," he mutters before staring back up at her, regarding her. She's glowing in that dress as her face focuses on her leopard print sunglasses.

He tilts his head to the side and tucks her hair under her ear. Her eyes finally looked up at him. "You do look nice, you know. You could pull anything off. Even my shirt." Lloyd softly tells her.

She laughs out loud, smiling widely and his heart bruises again. He has no idea what the fuck is going on with his heart or his mind or anything inside him. He doesn't know what's wrong with him. She affects him so much. Everything that she does impacts him. Even the tiniest things. He hates feeling this way. Confused. Lost. Helpless. He has never felt all these emotions for anyone. He's never even felt emotions for himself. She changed everything and he's starting to hate it.

She shakes her head. "Not your polo shirts. I want to wear your normal shirts. The one you wear to bed. It'll be much more comfortable." she says.

He frowns. "I don't wear anything to bed, sweetheart. You'd know that if you spent a night with me." Lloyd remarks. A little harsh, since he was the one who kept his distance after what happened two weeks ago. He just wanted to give her space. He didn't want to touch her. But, she wanted him to. She just thought he wanted space as well.

She nods seriously. "We will, Lloyd. Soon enough. Or tonight, in this hotel room." she teases.

Six clears his throat, tidying his shirt as he's all dressed up. "I'm done. We should go now. Lloyd, we need a few agents watching the area as well. Are they ready?" he asks him.

Elle and Lloyd immediately turn around to him as she takes a second to properly observe him, up and down. He looks way too good in those linen pants than he should be. He's used to being dressed by people and ordered around. He usually just wears whatever the agency tells him to. But this time, it's different. She's styling him, not demanding him. In a much more affectionate way, too.

Lloyd nods at him. "Yeah, they are. Are you guys ready?" he asks both of them, about to walk to the door as Six steps forward towards them.

She turns around to him and nods. "So, we need to do a little PDA if that's okay with you, you know to be more convincing. We'll walk with our arms tangled together and our bodies sticking the whole time while just admiring the place." she tells him in detail.

He knits his eyebrows. "Are you okay with that? I know you hate all that shit. It makes you uncomfortable." Lloyd reminds her, knowing her all too well by now.

She hums assuringly, her eyes gazing up at him. "No, it's okay. It's just for the mission. I just want to get this over with before this guy hurts more people." Elle firmly states.

Six is already standing behind her, resting his hand on her shoulder. "We'll do it right. I believe in you." he softly murmurs to her.

She moves her eyes to him and gives him a small smile. "Yeah, I know." she whispers back.

Lloyd glances between them while they're still focused on each other. He clears his throat, gaining their attention. "Let's go. We don't have all day." he declares, sternly.

They both agree to that, leaving their hotel room all at once.

***

It's the most annoying thing to pretend. She hates pretending. She'd rather walk into a burning fire.

But this time, she doesn't really have much of a choice but to follow the protocols of the mission. It needs to be discreet. Quiet. Quickly.

There's nothing discreet about murdering an influential politician in the biggest mall in the city, though. It was the only way. He was in his office every other day.

Unless she was planning to execute all of the corrupt politicians in the city at their own office, she'd have to work with what she has now.

At least this way, she gets to finally be close enough with Lloyd. He has sort-of ignored her for this whole week. She's missed him. So much. But, she didn't want to push him either if he somehow wanted space. She understands him. More than himself, even.

So now, here they are, walking side-by-side with her arm clinging onto his and her body leaning against his while they walk through the mall as a fake tourist couple. Well, technically, it's not really fake but they're not exactly a couple. They're okay with touching each other and being close but they're definitely not in a relationship. It's too complicated for both of them.

"Where did he go now?" Lloyd asks, whispering into her ears as he smiles just to make people think that he's saying something affectionate to her.

She fakes giggles, leaning onto his ear. "I don't fucking know. How long do we have to pretend like this again?" she asks him.

He looks down at her with no expression this time. "Until he's dead, sunshine." Lloyd says, close to her face and somehow, he manages to make his tone affectionate.

She frowns slightly, looking ahead. "Somehow you saying actual murder and mixing it with a sweet nickname gives me the chills. Honestly, Lloyd, how can you be so casual about this?" Elle genuinely asks him, finally looking into his eyes.

Lloyd stares back at her, regarding her with a small, tender look. He just realizes that she's still not used to all this yet. "Because I've gotten used to it. I had to. And you will too, one day. At least, you have us. I'll guide you step-by-step." He actually means it when he says it. He wants to help her. Something that he didn't have when he had his first kill.

She wonders for a moment, what it would be like when she'll be all alone, doing all the missions for the CIA and not having a home to come home to. Or anyone to come home to. It'll be just like before. Her pretty, wide eyes continue to stare into his as they walk straight ahead into the crowd. Over here, the people give them space to walk just because they're white. They respect them more due to the color of their skin. It's an unfortunate fact.

She nods slowly. "Yeah. Okay." she replies before drifting her eyes to where they're going.

Lloyd looks around them, searching for their mark. "Fuck, I think we lost him." he mutters, pressing the comms in his ears and she does too.

"Six, where are you?" he asks him through their comms and it immediately connects to him.

There's loud noises of the crowd heard through his comms before he clears his throat. "I'm walking through the bridge above you. There's a huge balcony here and he just dropped his family off to go to the other connecting mall. He's alone now. Come meet me." Six flatly explains while casually walking through the crowd alone. He's got his navy baseball cap on with a backpack behind his back and a field agent beside him.

She hums in response. "We're on our way to you." Elle immediately answers.

Lloyd glances at her and frowns. "You know exactly where he is?" he asks.

She nods calmly. "I know the place that he told us about. I've been in this mall since I was born. I've memorized every inch of this place even before it was all renovated and shit." she tells him.

His lips form into a thin line. "Right. Okay. You know best. Sorry, sweetheart." Lloyd quickly apologized and she smiled casually.

It was really unlike him to apologize. Especially to admit that he's actually wrong. Problem is, his ego is bigger than anything. It makes him feel better to know that he's smarter than anyone else. But for her, he'd be willing to forget about his ego for just a second.

And nowadays, he's doing that a lot.

***

Her eyes searched through the crowd for Six. She knew she couldn't approach him but it'd feel nice just to see him.

"I'm sure he's here somewhere." Lloyd mutters in her ear.

She nods, not even looking at him as they're holding hands like a couple. She guides him further into the enormous bridge balcony between the two new malls. It's way too crowded and suffocating in here that he's practically squeezing her soft hands. He hates crowded spaces.

He unhooks his sunglasses from his shirt and puts it on due to the brightness of the sun, despite being in the shade already. It smells weird here. Like all kinds of different smells combined into one and are all in the same place. People have been staring at them with wide eyes ever since they've entered the mall and he despises it. She does too. She's always hated it.

Lloyd's eyes scans through the place again, seeing the huge amount of people walking everywhere and suddenly, he spots the target from across the other balcony. He's casually walking with a suspected mistress while holding a bunch of shopping bags in his other hand.

He leans onto her ear. "Hey, he's here." Lloyd whispers and she whips her head, immediately looking for Six. "No, not Six. Our mark, I mean. He's with a young woman. Fucking pathetic." he comments.

Elle frowns before turning her eyes to where his eyes are staring at. And there he is. Her mark. Not exactly the man she was looking for but it'll do. She wants to finish this mission as quickly as possible, anyway so she could enjoy the rest of her day peacefully. Though, now that the moment's perfect and he's almost right in front of her, she hasn't actually thought of how to do it. Of course, it'd have to be with her mind. But, how? How could she do it without making it look completely ruthless?

She leans to his ear. "I'll just make his heart stop from here. Quick and easy. Less bloody and everything." she says, with a slight hesitancy.

He furrows his brows, glancing at her. "Are you sure? You know he deserves way worse, Elle. I know you think that too. I know you." Lloyd encourages her more. He means well. He's not trying to push her limits. He knows her limits. And this is barely crossing it. He just wants her to live up to her actual potential and he wants to guide her to it.

Suddenly, she stops walking and he does too, turning to her. He frowns in concern, gently holding her hands between them. Her eyes are focused elsewhere, to the mark and around them. All these innocent people. It's already bad enough that she has to get them to witness a murder scene and now she has to make his death more painful.

She frantically shakes her head, finally meeting his eyes through her own sunglasses. "No… I can't. Not with all these people." she whispers.

Lloyd sighs softly, squinting through his sunglasses. "Elle, there's barely any people around them. Plus, we could still make it less bloody if you want. I'll teach you. Just like you wanted." he assures her, calmly. He knows how to convince her.

She doesn't exactly nod or say anything approving of it. She needs to make sure first. "Are we out of the camera's sight?" she asks first.

He nods immediately before pressing on his comms. "Tell our IT team to disable the cameras now. We're on standby." Lloyd orders the team.

"Okay. Well, what do I do now?" she hesitantly asks him.

His eyes gesture across them, to where their mark is still standing there, watching the city view with his mistress. Lloyd gets behind her and she turns to get a clear view of the mark. He hugs her from behind affectionately while his arms wrap around her waist. They're making it look like they're just a tourist couple, enjoying the view like everyone else is.

Her soft hands rest on top of his as he leans onto her ear. "Focus on the mark and on your energy." he whispers softly and she nods.

She turns her gaze, paying close attention to the man across from them. He looks so calm and happy, despite all the crimes he's done that no one else knows about. He doesn't give a single shit about all the innocent lives he's ruined. He only cared about his money and his wealth. He took advantage of so many people in this city. And that really enraged her. It sparked rage in her. That's enough energy for what she's about to do now.

His mouth brushes against her ear. "Now, do it. Kill him, Elle. He deserves it." Lloyd coldly says, giving her the official order.

She nods obediently, inhaling a deep breath as her eyes sharply glare at the mark with anger still inside her. That anger fuels her powers and her mind focuses on the mark before the man starts to feel choked, like there isn't any more oxygen for him. He holds his neck with both of his hands to try to breathe but before he could even move again, his neck snaps by her mind. He drops dead on the floor while everyone around them screams in panic.

She widens her eyes in shock, not expecting it to go like that. She just killed a man in public brutally and now she's feeling guilty of it. She looks around the dead body and all the people terrified of their life, worrying that they'll be next. She never wanted it like this. She doesn't want to scare people to death.

Lloyd slowly smirks, ignoring the chaos around them. "Good girl, baby. Let's get out of here." he whispers in her ear and she lets him take her out of there.

What the fuck was that?

***

She's been quiet ever since they went back to their hotel room. She's waiting for Six. Lloyd's in the bathroom, cleaning himself up.

She's just sitting by the desk, staring out at the window, showing the crime scene happening downstairs. It's utter chaos. A respected politician died mysteriously, out in public. There's no evidence. Not even a trace. They'll be investigating this for ages.

But, she isn't stopping here. This is only her first. There are still more kills to come.

She's still questioning herself, though. Is this really what she wants? Killing all the corrupt politicians in the city to insinuate fear for everyone? That wasn't her purpose. She wants to clean up the city. Not make it way worse. She wants to make it better for the people in the city. And this definitely doesn't feel like it.

Suddenly, someone knocks on the door and she immediately gets up from her seat, already knowing who it is. The man she's been waiting for.

She opens the door with her mind, standing in the middle of the room. Six steps in the room and the door closes itself behind him. He looks at her with a small smile.

"Oh, you're back!" Lloyd shouts from the bathroom as he's still showering and the blonde chuckles softly.

Her lips slowly tug into a tired, relieved smile at seeing him. Wordlessly, she runs to him and throws all her weight against him as her arms wrap around him. She gets on her tiptoes and rests her head on his chest. Hugging him has always been a comfort for her. In any situation. She feels so much better once she's in his arms. She feels safe. Secured. Content.

Six's arms wrap around her back and he kisses her head. "How are you feeling?" he softly asks in her ears. The most tender voice she's ever heard. The only thing that could really comfort her. Him and his voice.

She shakes her head. "It got messy." Elle mutters against his chest.

He nods. "I know. We'll have better ones next time. You're still learning. My first was also quite messy." Six admits bluntly.

She pulls away from him, resting her hands on his shoulders. "How did it happen?"

Six sighs, looking down at her with tenderness. "Well, I was supposed to just use the sniper but… he got away. So I had to do it another way. A more brutal way. The reason they had me using a sniper for my first time is because it lets me keep my distance from the mark. It's almost the same as what you did today. But, the closer you get to the mark, the more experienced you are." he explains.

She nods, her eyes staring up at him and she gazes openly at him. She's so glad that she has him. She can't imagine doing all this alone. She needs him for this mission. Both of them. Without them, she'd probably be unstable and reckless.

He cups her face and his thumb gently caresses her skin. "It's almost getting dark. Do you want to just stay in and order room service? We can go back to the penthouse first thing tomorrow." Six softly suggests.

She hums in response, smiling up at him and he admires her quietly. She's too fucking beautiful and pure. Everytime she smiles, it feels like his cold heart is starting to fill up. She makes him better. Not just better. Whole. She accepted parts of him and embraced it. Only her. She's the only one he wants. She might just be the best, unexpected thing that could ever happen to him. He never expected anything for himself. And then, she came to him.

"Sounds like a good idea, Six." Lloyd interjects while coming out of the bathroom with his hair still wet and ruffled. He put on some gray sweatpants and a black t-shirt from his shopping earlier.

They both turn to him and she walks further into the room. "It's chaos down there." Elle remarks, gesturing to the view from their window.

Six and Lloyd stand beside each other as they both almost nod in sync. She quietly observes both men, seeing the invisible bond between them. In one full month, they've managed to become each other's most trusted partner that they've ever had in their life. They trust each other with their life. They'd kill and die for each other. They have the same admiration for her. They care for her. They're practically inseparable. She wonders if it's more than just buddies and partners. They've both seen each other naked. They've fucked her at the same time. It's not entirely impossible for them to feel something.

Lloyd looks at her, his eyes only focusing on her. "I don't think that was messy back there. But, I see your point. You hated the fact that civilians needed to witness all that. We could fix that. We'll find a much quieter place next time." he firmly tells her.

She slowly nods, her hand resting on her arm. "I don't want them to be scared, Lloyd. That's not my purpose."

He nods, understanding her. "I know. Your heart's already in the right place, Elle. It always has been. Your intentions are good." Lloyd seriously says with sincerity as he gazes openly at her from afar.

He actually meant it when he said her heart is in the right place, unlike anyone who's in the agency. Even with all the violence and chaos around her and everything horrible that's happened to her, she still managed to do good. She wants to fix and clean the city. Not burn it or corrupt it. She cares about the people in the city as well. And that's rare. He's never seen anyone so compassionate and kind like her. He knew it the moment he met her in that dingy bar.

Her eyes directly stare into his and an easy smile curves on her lips. "Right. So, we're officially staying here, right?" she asks him.

Lloyd breaks into a soft chuckle and nods. "Yes, we are. Six and I are going to the other room and do a quick debrief with the team and Denny. You clean up and relax. Order room service all you want." he explains.

Six simply nods. "Okay. Sounds like a plan." he says to him before glancing at her. "See you later, okay? Are you sure you're okay with being alone?" he asks her.

She smiles at him. "Yes. I'll be fine. You really are going to be quick?" she asks both of them.

Lloyd frowns at her. "Of course. We'll be quick for you. Promise. Okay, let's go before they knock on our room." he says, looking at the blonde.

She giggles softly as she watches Lloyd drag Six to the door. They both wave goodbye at her before they exit the room together.

The door closes behind them and silence settles in for her. Peace, as well. But she does hate being alone, especially at times like when she's stressed. It's consuming.

She's going to fix it though.

***

Finally, she got herself to relax and forget about all the mess that happened today.

She's drowning in clear, cold water inside the round bathtub of their hotel room. The only thing that could get her to relax.

She feels so calm and at ease when she's inside the water. She can't hear anything, or feel anything or think of anything at all. It's like the world doesn't exist anymore. And it's just her and the bathtub.

This bathtub isn't exactly as big and comfortable as the one they have in the penthouse, but it'll have to do for now. She didn't know how much the penthouse means to her until now as she finds herself missing it. It's her home now. It brings her so much comfort there. Plus, she feels so much safer there than here. As secure as this hotel is, it still isn't home. She can't wait to go back to the penthouse.

She tips her head up in the water, feeling more relaxed than ever. She knows it's almost been half an hour that she's inside the water. The guys haven't come back though. She's just waiting patiently for them.

Before she could even sink deeper into the water again, her phone annoyingly rings loudly beside her. She thought she placed her phone in the room to charge. Guess she just forgot. She's choosing to ignore it instead. It's probably from someone not that important.

But, after one ring, it keeps ringing again. That means the person has called her twice now. So, maybe it is a little important.

She groans, lifting herself up off the water and drying her hands with the towel next to her. Her eyes take a look at the screen still being shown on her phone and she gasps.

It's Denny. The chief. He's calling her, again.

Ever since she memorized his number from Lloyd's phone and put it on her phone, they've been regularly texting and sometimes calling. Rather, he has been texting and calling her. They don't talk much, though. He just frequently asks how things are there, how she is, how the missions were and if the agents were cooperating well or not. Just short and simple texts. But it's the most he's ever done with an asset. He really values her opinion on things. He wants to always hear her perspective first. He has her personal number. It's not strictly professional anymore between them.

Quickly but carefully, she gets out of the bathtub and dries herself. She puts on the hotel bathrobe, grabs her phone and rushes out of the bathroom.

The phone still keeps on ringing as she sits up on the bed. She answers his call and places it on her ear while leaning against the bed's headboard.

She clears her throat. "Hi. Sorry. I was in the bathroom. What's wrong?" Elle casually asks like she isn't talking to her boss anymore.

Denny sighs, turning around on his chair in his office that's overlooking the view of Croatia. He's in another CIA station again, sitting on his ass all day and debriefing missions from all around the world, just from his screen. He had just finished a debrief with the team, Lloyd and Six. He wanted one with Elle too, just much more casual and informal than a usual debrief.

"Nothing. I just wanted to ask how the mission was. I know how important it was for you." Denny calmly asks her and she bites her lips anxiously.

"Well… I didn't expect it to be like that. I thought I could just make it less gory. It was in a public mall. Everyone was there and they had to watch that horrible scene." she naively says.

He clicks his tongue. "I don't think that was horrible. I think it was the cleanest kill I've witnessed in the CIA. You did good. There's nothing to feel bad about. We'll make the next ones less public." Denny assures her.

She nods to herself as she hums in response. "Okay. Oh, by the way, weren't you just doing a debrief with Lloyd and Six?" Elle asks him.

He hums affirmatively. "Yes. I was. It was done. Now they're briefing their own team. How are they, speaking of?" he suddenly asks.

"The team?" she innocently asks before realizing what he actually meant by it.

"No, Lloyd and Six. How are they to you? Do they treat you well? I know Lloyd can be a little stubborn sometimes. It takes time to adjust." Denny asks her again.

She realized that his question was plainly asking if they treated her well as a teammate. He doesn't know anything about their relationship at all. And he shouldn't. It'd be unprofessional and weird. Even though this thing between them already is.

She turns her eyes toward the view as she massages her temples. "Yeah, they've been decent to me. I mean, they've never had someone to work with so it did take time to adjust. But, living together certainly made it easier for us to tolerate each other." Elle gives him a logical answer that wouldn't lead to him suspecting anything.

Denny hums quietly. "That's good. If they're ever misbehaving or disrespectful, let me know."

She nods. "Okay. I will."

"Good. You did a good job out there today. I'm saying it again because you really did." Denny tells her and she hums affirmatively.

Suddenly, from afar, the hotel door makes that annoying beeping noise when the key card scans the door. It opens and she could already hear Lloyd and Six entering the room while having a conversation. And then, she just realized that Denny can't know that they're sharing a room together. He knows that they booked a few rooms in this hotel for the mission but he'd obviously assume that she has her own room.

She clears her throat, quickly getting up from the bed as she walks to the window so he can't hear the men in the background. "Right, so, I'm gonna go. It's almost dinner time here and I am starving after that mission." She makes up a fake excuse.

"Alright, talk to you later." Denny formally says before she hangs up the call. She places her phone on the desk beside her and walks to them like normal.

Lloyd steps in further into the room with Six behind him. She smiles at them as she approaches them with a bathrobe still on.

He frowns at her. "Were you just on the phone with Denny?" Lloyd bitterly asks. He's not too fond of their interactions lately.

She casually nods as Six goes to stand beside her in the middle of their room. His hand gently wrapped around her lower back, turning to her with a relaxed face.

"I can't wait to get in that bed with you and not think of anything ever again." Six murmurs sweetly to her as she giggles softly.

Lloyd frowns, stepping forward to her. "Elle. Could you stop calling him? It's disturbing." he grumbles.

She looks at him, knitting her eyebrows. "What's wrong? We're just casually talking. Platonically." she confirms.

He scowls. "Yeah, that's the point. You're not even supposed to be platonic with him. You're just supposed to keep your distance because he's your boss. It's better that way." Lloyd states firmly.

Her eyes bore into his. "You don't control me, Lloyd. I don't see anything wrong with us just talking. He asks me how I am and how the mission is. That's it."

"Nothing more than that?" he asks her, his eyes glaring at her as his jaw tenses.

She shakes her head casually before frowning. "No. I'd never cheat on you, dumbass. You're too good to be cheated on." Elle cracks a joke with a small smile on her lips.

Six lets out a light chuckle at seeing Lloyd speechless. "She's too good for us, isn't she?" The blonde teases him.

Lloyd hides a smile on his lips before rolling his eyes. "Whatever. I'm starving. Let's order room service." he declares as Six and her exchange knowing looks.

***

Despite everything that happened today, she seems to be better now. With them. In the privacy of their hotel room, enjoying every moment they can.

After they had dinner in the living room of the hotel room, they each did their own thing.

Six went to shower, Lloyd's doing some work on his laptop right beside her on the bed and she's just quietly reading a book, also on the bed. They're both already dressed for bed.

It's not that late, but they're both tired and just want to relax. The city lights luminates on them and it's even brighter here than in their penthouse. They're in the center of the city. It overlooks the view of the whole city, not just a small part of it like what they're used to seeing.

"What book is that?" Lloyd suddenly asks her, still actively typing on his laptop.

She frowns confusedly, focused on her book. "Since when are you interested?"

He nods. "You're right, I'm not. I kinda just want to throw that book away from you and pull in for a kiss." Lloyd bluntly admits, not looking at her yet. He's teasing her.

She scoffs, putting her book down on her lap as she playfully rolls her eyes. "Put that laptop away, then. You can do it tomorrow. We have all the time in the world." Elle says, turning her body to him.

Lloyd finally looks down at her and her playful smile before giving in to her. "Fine." he mutters, closing his laptop as he places it on the nightstand beside him.

He turns to her, wrapping his hand around her waist as she giggles and leans her body against his side. Her pretty, tired eyes look up at him and smiles warmly.

Her body curls up against him as she rests her hands on his chest. She sighs contentedly, enjoying him like this. "I like you better this way. Calm and tamed." she remarks.

His face approaches hers. "I was never like this before. You did this." he tells her seriously, close to her face and their lips are inches from touching.

Her smile widens. "Are you glad that I did?" she slowly asks.

Lloyd nods almost immediately, staring down at her lips. "Yeah. I am." he softly answers before leaning down and kissing her lips gently at first. This is the first kiss they've had in almost a week.

She moans softly into his mouth, melting into the kiss and her hands reach up to his jaw. "We haven't kissed for ages." she complains.

He chuckles against her mouth. "You're exaggerating, sweetheart." Lloyd retorts.

She frowns, breaking the kiss. "No, I am not." Elle pulls away from him, "You haven't touched me for over two weeks. And, no, that night in our home theater doesn't count."

Lloyd sighs in defeat, his eyes gazing openly at her as he quietly admires her facial features. She's so fucking beautiful and gorgeous even when she's tired and has just murdered someone. To his eyes, she's the most perfect thing in the world. He'd never find anyone like her. Ruthless and pretty at the same time. She's not always ruthless though, she still could be kind and compassionate because it's who she is. It's in her nature. That's what he loves about her.

He shrugs off his thoughts. "I wanted to give you space. You know, after what happened." Lloyd finally answers truthfully.

Wait a minute—

She frowns again, that crinkle between her eyebrows revealing which he's already so familiar with. "But, I'm fine now. I healed completely. Psychically and mentally. I'm not some fragile fucking baby. I handled it well after. I got something good out of it, too."

Lloyd knits his eyebrows in confusion. "Yeah? Like what?" he asks her.

Then, she smiles up at him. That pretty fucking smile with her dimples and teeth showing. He's so addicted to it. It's one of his favorite things about her. He could start a whole list of it.

She blinks at him. "You saved my life. And now I know just how much you care about me." she sweetly murmurs, taking his hand to guide to her heart, just below her tank top. Her hand is on top of his as he feels her heartbeat against his hand. "Feel that? It beats for you now, Lloyd. You saved it."

His hand rests on her heart, beside her breasts. "You don't have to be so cheesy about it. But yeah, I'd do it again in a heartbeat." Lloyd firmly states and her smile lingers for him.

The bathroom door opens as Six comes out of it, with only his briefs and a white t-shirt. His hair is still wet from the shower. He casually walks to her side of the bed while shooting Lloyd a passing glance. She watches his every movement, paying close attention to his large, thick thighs that are showing off his muscles.

"What happened to your pants?" Lloyd asks him, genuinely. He thought that he had bought some extra sweatpants earlier.

"Didn't want to wear them. It's too humid." Six flatly replies as he makes his way to her, laying next to her on the bed. She's between them again. Sandwiched with two needy men.

He sits up as she turns her body around to him and she immediately smiles. "Hi," she mutters to him while Lloyd rolls his eyes at their disgusting cuteness. They don't even have to say anything sometimes. They could just look into each other's eyes and know what they're thinking.

Six looks down at her, cupping her face before grabbing her chin gently. He leans to press a soft kiss on her mouth, his lips slowly stretching into a smile against her lips. He's just happy to be here, safe and sound with her.

"Hi." he whispers and pulls away from her lips. He stares into her pretty, brown eyes. "What do you want to do now?" he asks her.

Lloyd smirks, glaring at him. "You know, there are a lot of things to do together in a hotel room, Six. A lot of fun things." he teases them.

She sighs before yawning tiredly. "While that sounds fun, I'm kinda worn out after today. But, I mean, if you guys want to do something, feel free to do it while I'm asleep. I have a special kink for that." she teases, glancing between them before winking smoothly.

"You have a what? How does that even work, Elle? How could you be turned on by something if you're fully asleep?" Lloyd asks so many questions. He's curious, but also genuinely concerned about the amount of kinks she has.

She laughs softly, moving to the side as she rests her body on Six's chest. She turns her head to Lloyd, still smiling for him. "Well, I'd have to be half awake, technically. You just gotta find a way to wake me up, I guess." she plainly explains.

Lloyd frowns, cocking his head to the side and taking a moment to think about it. He's never heard of a kink like that, because in order for it to work, it needs to be done in an established relationship but he's never had one before. It needs a lot of consent and trust beforehand. He has that all with her, though they're not necessarily in a relationship. None of them even know what it is. But, they trust each other and would kill if anything happens to one of them so that's more than enough.

Elle looks up at the man laying behind her. "Hey, can you pass my phone please? It's over there," she nicely asks him and he quickly looks over to where she's pointing her finger at. He reaches over to the nightstand beside him and grabs her phone, handing it to her.

She takes the phone in her hands and smiles up at him. "Thank you." she thanks him quietly as he just returns her smile. She doesn't even have to thank him, he'd do anything for her whenever she asks.

Opening her phone, she quietly scrolls through her apps to find the camera app. She scoots over to the middle with both men glued to each side of her. Wordlessly, she quickly aims her phone screen in front of them and takes one selfie. She smiles in it and both men just look confused, staring into the camera.

Six is caught off guard and Lloyd frowns at her. She looks back at them, plainly.

She shrugs at him. "What? I'm not gonna post it anywhere or something. I'm not an idiot. It's just for memories. I don't have a single picture of any of you on my phone." she defends.

Lloyd nods, his eyes staring down at her. "Yeah, but you can't keep that, Elle. Six, take it from her." he orders the blonde behind her.

Six tries to grab her phone from her hands but she dodges him. Lloyd quickly pulled her in closer by her waist, dropping his head down to leave kisses along her neck to tickle her with his stache. She giggles uncontrollably, her grip on her phone starting to get loose as Six takes it from her hands, placing it down on the nightstand. He doesn't delete it though, he does want her to have the picture.

She pulls her neck away from Lloyd and cups his jaw. "Assholes!" Elle exclaims at both of them, looking behind her.

Lloyd lets out a hearty laugh at her reaction, throwing his head back as Six laughs loosely with him. They both haven't had a good laugh like this for a while. She's the only one truly capable of making them laugh genuinely. The only one they'd want to spend their entire shitty mission with.

Lloyd sighs. "You can take pictures of us. Just not in a unsecure phone. We'll get a polaroid or something." he tells her in a serious but sincere tone. He understands why she took that picture. Because when one day, they're not going to see each other again then the only thing they'd have are memories.

She nods. "Okay, fine. But I'm still keeping that one. Even if you delete it, I'll just retrieve it back again." she warns, her finger pointing at him.

He frowns. "You can hack your own phone or something?"

She smirks at him. "Don't underestimate me, Lloyd. My brain is much more developed than an average human being. So, don't fuck with me or my phone."

"Right. Tell me what you can't do, then." Lloyd teases and she laughs softly.

She leans her body onto his, looking up at him through her eyelashes. "You, apparently."

He tips his head back onto the bed's headboard. "Oh, come on. I'm sorry, okay? What happened two weeks ago was so fucked up and I wanted to give us space. Maybe, to think about it again." Lloyd softly admits. He can be soft, sometimes. With the right motivation.

She shrugs, furrowing her eyebrows lightly. "What's there to think about? Do you think we're a mistake?" she asks him.

Lloyd grimaces at her words. "No, not a mistake. I don't think it's a mistake. I think it's the best fucking thing to ever happen. To all of us. I just… Maybe we could've given it a little more time. We did everything so quickly. Because what if we're doing it all wrong and then we're just going to fuck it up in the end? I don't want that." he explains to her, a hint of fear almost evident in his tone.

She knits her eyebrows. "I don't know what you're referring to, Lloyd. What do you mean by 'it'? Tell me. Do you think we're in a relationship?" Elle carefully asks since the question has never popped up before. She knew he hated relationships and probably have never been in a lasting one.

He frowns confusedly, trying to figure this all out. "I—I don't know? Maybe? Yes? What do you think, Six?" Lloyd asks the man behind her for advice. He's completely lost in this. He is stressed out.

Six meets his eyes as he breaks into a small smile. "I think it's more complicated than a relationship or anything that could be labeled. We work together, we live together and we fuck together. We share almost everything together. It's special what we have and rare. We've never done anything like this before with anyone else."

Lloyd nods, immediately agreeing with him before looking back at her eyes. "See? What he said." he says, grabbing both of her hands to hold them gently. "Look, Elle, I couldn't really give a shit about labels. What matters is us. We're together and I don't want to fuck this up in any way." he tells her, seriously.

He has never confessed anything like this before or expressed his true feelings to anyone. There's a first for everything. Especially with her. He's done so many things with her that never in a million years he'd thought he'd do for anyone. He'd never try so hard to save anyone's life. Ever. Wouldn't even bat his eyes if someone was dying in front of him. Doesn't even matter if he might even know them. Anyone could kill themselves beside him, he wouldn't care. No one has ever mattered this much to him until her.

Elle slowly smiles up at him. "You could start by fucking me for one. For the record, I don't think you're going to fuck it up because you've done a good enough job. You saved my fucking life. I owe you my life, Lloyd. That's not nothing. We both mean a lot to each other to ever just mess it up so easily. But, you know, if you meant it by accidentally sticking your dick inside of someone else then—"

Lloyd quickly grimaces in disgust, shaking his head. "Hey, no, fuck no. I would never do that to you. Plus, you've got the best fucking pussy in the world so why even bother looking anywhere else?" he teases with that stupid smirk of his that's undeniably attractive for her.

She lifts her eyebrows in surprise. "Really? Is it because of my strength? Because I've never used my strength in bed with anyone else before you guys. I still had to keep it a secret." she genuinely asks. Six stays quiet. He isn't going to say anything about this because he's got a feeling she already knows.

Lloyd nods. "Yeap. You also give really good hand jobs because of it." He casually compliments her.

She hums in realization. "Well, that's why you'll never be bored of my hands." she states.

His lips curve into a bigger smirk, getting near her face. "Exactly, sunshine." he replies.

Six shakes his head, chuckling quietly. "I thought you wanted to sleep." he reminds her.

Elle rolls over to his side of the bed and nods. "Yeah, I still am. I'm getting sleepy already." she answers, yawning softly.

Lloyd pats her back and pulls the white, thick hotel blanket to spread equally on all three of them. "Okay, go to sleep, sunshine. I'm going to finish some work. I'll wake you up if something interesting happens." he tells her, grabbing his laptop from the nightstand.

She tugs into the bed, getting more comfortable as she leans her body against Six. He wraps his arm around her and she lays her head down on his chest. "Wake me up if your dick gets hard too. I don't mind it at all." she casually says and Six snorts, holding in a laugh.

Lloyd scoffs, chuckling softly and he's opening his laptop to start working again. "I will. Good night, Elle. Sweet dreams."

She hums sleepily, already shutting her eyes closed with her legs tangled with Six's as he waits for her to fall asleep. He's not going to sleep just yet. He can't. It's too early for him and he's got a lot to talk with Lloyd. But he'd rather not have her listen to whatever they're about to say.

Sleep takes over her quickly and she's finally asleep peacefully.

***

While Lloyd tries to finish his work as quickly as possible, the guys continue to carry on a casual, quiet conversation. She's still sleeping quietly on Six’s chest.

She sleeps like the dead when she's with him. She's always been so comfortable with him. Not a single care in the world as long as she's in his arms, safe and sound.

Six stares at him intently, his eyes playing close attention to Lloyd's focused and serious face, suddenly. His eyebrows are furrowed and his fingers type quickly on the keyboard. He's almost done with his work and it's crucial for him to get it right. He can't make mistakes. He's an extreme perfectionist. And he'd hate to redo this all over again.

"You know, you can sleep if you want. I know you're getting tired. It's late, Six." Lloyd softly suggests to him, still looking at his laptop screen.

He lets out a quiet yawn as he nods. "You're right. Hey, don't stay up too late." he reminds him.

Lloyd gently scoffs and a small smile pulls into his lips. "Sure. I just need to finish this tonight so I can spend more time with her. And, you."

"Wel, just don't deprive yourself of sleep. It's important to have at least eight hours of sleep a night." Six tells him, really out of character for him.

He frowns, glancing at him from the side. "Oh? Since when did you become like a dad or something? You used to sleep for only two or three hours per night. Sometimes you don't even sleep at all." Lloyd reminds him in case he somehow forgot who he used to be.

Court chuckles lightly, shaking his head. "I haven't become a dad, Lloyd. I've just got more time to actually sleep more in a long time. And, you know, she has an early sleep routine, so." he says.

"Still, it's weird seeing you like this. Also, who knows? Maybe, you could become a dad in the future. It already suits you." Lloyd nicely remarks.

He's complimenting him. And subtly telling him that he'd be a good dad. With her. He'll just be mom and dad's friend who always visits the house. He's not a very good person to have children and he's completely aware of it.

"It's impossible for her to get pregnant, Lloyd. Scientifically. Her words." Six casually explains, already assuming that she's in his future.

He didn't even ask who with. He automatically thought of her because she's all he thinks about. He does see her in his own future even though he rarely thinks about the future itself. He's always thinking of the present and sometimes, the past.

Lloyd nods. "I know, but still. Miracles could happen."

Six frowns confusedly at him. "Since when do you believe in miracles?" he asks him.

He just shakes his head, not answering his question. He refuses to admit the truth to him. That she changed him. Really, truly changed him. The man hated false hopes, especially miracles. But she is the living example of a miracle and he witnessed it himself. "Whatever, go to sleep, Six." he tells him.

Court casually nods. "Okay, good night." he simply says, sliding his body lower and closer to her. His temple rests against hers before he plants a soft kiss on her head. He closes his eyes, relaxing under her touch as he drifts to sleep.

Lloyd stops typing on his laptop to stop and look at them. His two most favorite people on earth. Sleeping so peacefully like nothing else matters anymore. They both feel so safe and secure around him. Him, too. They're his only home. The only one that matters. He's the luckiest man alive to have both of them in his life. He sure feels very damn lucky.

It must be a miracle.

***

This morning is magical for her.

The sun is shining beautifully. Breakfast is served. Laughter fills the room. Her flowy sundress from yesterday is clinging onto her body again. The boys are right beside her, bickering playfully.

All her problems from yesterday went out of the window the second this morning started for her.

They're back home in their penthouse again. And they decided to spend today in their private indoor pool, on the third floor of their place. It has an enormous view of the city. They've never been here before. They checked out from their hotel pretty early in the morning so they could enjoy the rest of it here.

Lloyd ordered them breakfast. She made them fresh smoothies. Six carried everything from downstairs to here. She's sitting on one of the long pool benches between them. They haven't touched the water yet but they're definitely planning to. Either voluntarily or not.

"So, you know the picture I took of all of us last night, in the hotel room? Yeah, I'm going to print it out and put it in a photo frame for my room." Elle announces, her hands gesturing a picture frame.

"Almost like a polaroid." Lloyd remarks, smirking proudly at her for listening to him. His advice is starting to grow on her.

She looks at him and smiles, squinting her eyes through the sunlight reflecting from the huge window beside the infinity pool. "Yeah, exactly like a polaroid."

His lips curve into an actual genuine smile and somehow, he can't stop smiling like an idiot. "Right. So, who's going to dive in the water first?" Lloyd asks them.

Elle immediately shakes her head. "Not me. If you're pushing me in there, I'll punch you in your dick, Lloyd. I mean it." she warns, her index finger pointing at him.

Six lets out a loose laugh, adjusting his sunglasses. He's only in shorts and a thin navy shirt while leaning his back on the bench. "He enjoys that shit, Elle." he retorts, glancing over at them.

Lloyd's smile turns into a smirk, leaning closer to her. "Well, he's right, sunshine."

She smiles wider, her beautiful dimples showing. "Yeah, but you won't be able to handle my strength. I'd break your dick off, Hansen." she teases him in an innocent tone.

His hands rest on each side of her chair, trapping her. "You know I fucking can." Lloyd's voice turns low.

She rolls her eyes at him, hiding a smile before looking at the pool for a second. It is good weather to swim in. "Looks like we're jumping together, then." she whispers, caughting him off guard.

Lloyd frowns, about to protest but it's too late as she wraps her hands around his waist and pulls both of them to jump into the pool. She's too strong for him to handle sometimes. They both land inside the water, staying underwater for a while. Six chuckles softly from outside.

She opens her eyes underwater and he does too. Their clothes are floating and somehow, none of them want to get up. They stare into each other's eyes intensely as her heart starts to race. She doesn't get why this is turning her on so much. The tension between them is so thick even under the water. Her face gets closer to him before grabbing his jaw roughly and connecting her lips into his.

She kisses him passionately and wildly under the water, not giving a shit of anything else anymore. His hands wander on her ass, his lips biting hers into the kiss and they almost forgot that they've been holding their breath. She's immune to drowning and he's held his breath longer than a few couple of minutes.

Six frowns confusedly, wondering why it's taking them so long to get out of the water. He rises up from his bench and slowly dips himself inside the pool, the depth only reaching his shoulders. He might be too tall for this pool. He doesn't even remember when's the last time he's been in a pool for fun. Without trying to escape or fighting some guy or drowning someone.

He looks down at the water and squints his eyes to properly see what they're actually doing. Their bodies are both bent and sunken into the water while they're holding each other's bodies as their lips seem to be stuck together. They're making out underwater. What a romantic way to start the morning. He's so glad that they're finally close again after two weeks. He's proud of them. His lips form into a small smile at the sight of it.

Lloyd grasps her waist as he brings both of their bodies out of the water. Her lips are still attached to his and he pulls away from her to catch his breath. She giggles softly before realizing that Six is already behind them.

"Looked like a nice spot to makeout." Six remarks, suddenly completely different from how he usually is. He's loosening up, finally.

She turns around to him and immediately stares down at his lips. She is in heat. "Yeah, how long can you hold your breath for?" Elle asks him, breathlessly.

He casually shrugs. "Ten minutes, maybe? It's not the longest I've held my breath for but it's my maximum limit for now."

She nods, heavily breathing. "Good. Let's test that out." she demands and there's hesitation written all over his face. He doesn't want to turn this into a competition or something. He knows how competitive she and Lloyd are.

Lloyd snorts. "Trying to compare who's the best kisser underwater, Elle?" He taunts her and she rolls her eyes.

"Fuck off. You're just scared of a little competition, Lloyd. You always are." She coldly insults him and she is right.

He scoffs. "You're so mean sometimes. Meaner than me. Turns me on so much." Lloyd admits as she turns around to him. Somehow, he's attracted to women who are way worse than him. She made him realize that. He's never met anyone as bad as her.

She smirks, then smiles genuinely. Her smile is so fucking beautiful that it pains him. He won't be able to witness this smile forever. "I've never met anyone like you too." she confesses back.

Six swims closer to her, wrapping his hand around her waist and stares into the other man's eyes. "There's not going to be a competition, right? I'd like to just enjoy this morning peacefully."

He chuckles lightly. "See? You're starting to act like an old dad again." Lloyd taunts him.

She frowns, looking over her shoulder at him. "What does he mean by that?" she asks him.

Court smiles softly at her. "Just some stupid joke he made last night. I told him that I've been sleeping earlier than I've ever been and then he called me a dad." he explains.

Elle stops to think about that for a while. Even though it's just some silly joke, she wishes that it's true. She's never actually thought about them like that because it's too fast. They've only been together for a month. But a lot has happened and it has affected her life so much. They feel like home for her and they're the only family she has in the world. The only one who matters anyway. Maybe, if the circumstances were different, she'd want to start a family with them. She may not be capable of being a mom biologically, but there are millions of ways now. It just takes the right parents and a safe home.

She snaps herself back to reality, clearing her throat and smiling. "So, what's the agenda for today?" she asks him.

Lloyd smiles almost immediately. "Swimming. Eating. More swimming. Drinks by the balcony. Movies in the home theater. We haven't touched that room yet, you know, for actual movies." He lists all of them down, and refers to something else that happened a few weeks ago.

Her face grimaces into disgust and laughs. "Oh, please don't remind me of that. Hope you cleaned the carpets." she hopes he did.

Six frowns confusedly, trying to figure out what they're talking about until it dawns on him. The thing that happened in their home theater which he had to witness from the door. He laughs softly, shaking his head.

Lloyd laughs loosely at her, throwing his head back as he holds his stomach from laughing too hard. He can't recall the last time he laughed like this. They haven't had a good laugh for a while too because of what happened a few weeks ago and he's been avoiding her to give space. But, the mission yesterday made them closer again and she's grateful for that. Despite all the shit she's been through over this month, she got something good out of it. Them. Her real home.

She smiles faintly at him. "Seems like a good plan." She agrees on his agenda for today since there aren't any new missions yet. Denny gave her a short break after yesterday.

Six drops his head down to kiss her shoulder as he smiles against her skin. She giggles softly, her hand reaching out to his. Lloyd nods, his eyes quietly observing them and he starts to admire their bond. He could clearly see their deep connection for each other without even having to say anything. They could talk with their eyes and their touch.

That's something he wishes he could have one day with her. It will definitely take some time but he's willing to wait. For her. However long it takes. She's worth the wait. She's worth everything in the world to him. He could never find anyone as precious as her. Ever.

Court's eyes look up at him and he knows exactly what he's thinking. He always does. They have a strong bond, too.

***

Elle got out of the pool to get some more snacks and drinks upstairs while the guys remained inside the water. She grabbed a bathrobe with her as she took the elevator, still soaking wet.

But, she could care less about anything anymore. She's happy again. Finally after a while. There's no other problems between them. Everyone's being honest and open now. Lloyd isn't avoiding her anymore. Six is much happier too. They're closer than ever, Everything's all great as of this moment. Nothing could ever make their happy bubble burst.

Stepping out of the elevator, she walks into their kitchen to go to the fridge. As she opens it and takes out three cold water bottles, her phone on the counter top rings loudly. Her ringtone is very loud and irritating but it's effective for her ears to not miss a call. She places the bottles on the surface beside her phone before looking at the screen.

It's Denny again. Two times in less than twenty four hours now. What's wrong with him? He doesn't usually call his assets constantly and has their personal number. She isn't weirded out with all the casual stuff with him because she thinks it's normal. She doesn't know the real boundary between an asset and the chief.

She tilts her head to the side and frowns confusedly before picking up the call. Her ears are still wet so she puts him on speaker. "Yes? Did something happen?" she casually asks him.

He clears his throat through the call. "Are you alone? I have some classified information. It's sensitive." Denny immediately says, wasting no time.

She nods. "Yeah, I am. What is it?" she quickly responds.

He reviews the documents on his laptop. "Elle, that incident a few weeks ago was a set up from the local police and corrupt government officials. Lloyd wanted to investigate more and so did I. We worked together with our field agents there. They intentionally released those criminals so they'd find out who threw them into jail. However they failed to do so because Six eliminated them after they shot you. They did all this because they were scared of you. What you could do in the city. They'd rather hunt you down instead of doing their own job of catching the criminals. That's how corrupted they are." Denny informs her in his most serious tone she's ever heard.

Just as life was getting slightly better for her, it hit her like a thunder. Lloyd never told her anything about an investigation. He should've told her. This is important for her to know. She didn't think that the corruptors would go to these extreme lengths just to find out who was helping them do their job. They released them, gave them a loaded gun and told them to go to the local hospital to terrorize and harm innocents. Sick patients, doctors, nurses who were all uninvolved in this mess. The corruptors did not care about them. Only of themselves and their money. She needs to fix this sooner than she thought she would.

She runs her hand through her wet hair and exhales. "Why are you telling me this?" she softly asks him. She's back to being distressed again. Lloyd's known about the investigation for weeks and said nothing. Perhaps, he thinks she wouldn't be able to handle the truth.

Denny sighs. "I'm not supposed to but you deserve to know for your mission. So you could focus more on hunting them down instead of feeling bad after every mission, like yesterday. I can start giving you these missions when you're ready. You can do it all alone. You're capable of it. I know you are." he encourages her, trying to manipulate her into killing more corrupt politicians. He's a twisted man and he's not doing this for her. It's for himself. He's using her as his own personal weapon. It has been what he's always wanted the moment he first saw her.

This is the only time she's ever been so blind and naïve with someone. She can't think too far of his intentions because she's too angry to see it. Blinded with her own rage. Lloyd lied to her face. He clearly got all this information already from last night when he was reviewing paperwork. That's why he looked so serious and intense. She connected all the dots by now. She's too smart for him. She guesses he conveniently forgot about that fact. He was right when he said he'd fucked this up with her. He did it. He sabotaged whatever thing they had going on. He's ruined it already. He just messed up the one good thing in his life.

Elle nods to herself, leaning on the countertop with her hands on it. "Okay, give me a few weeks to prepare. Keep it classified and don't let Lloyd know about our mission." she seriously tells him. She's never been this tense before in her life.

"Of course. Whatever you need." Denny immediately answers before she ends the call.

In truth, Denny is so much worse than Lloyd. He uses people for his own gain but this time, it's different with her. He had to gain her trust first which was easy since she's inexperienced with the CIA and their tactics. He's fond of her, too. He likes how powerful she is and he sees her real potential. He could make her more than just some shadowy asset. She could work by his side. As an equal. He wants that with her. He could give her everything in the world. Anything that she wants, it can be hers. They could be so powerful together. So many things that they could accomplish in the world. It's his darkest fantasy.

She walks away from the kitchen counter and turns around to the view of the city. It's the same view that they're looking at upstairs too right now. She's contemplating on everything now and questioning if it's the right thing to do. But, there's no other option. They're too corrupted to be salvaged. The only language they understand is violence. They were responsible for that horrible, traumatic event that she had to endure. The horrific pain of eight bullets inside of her was unimaginable. Not to mention that Six had watched her suffer like that.

She's doing all this for a good cause, actually. If all the corruption in the city is gone, she can finally start a new life and a fresh start somewhere that's not here. Hopefully with Six, as well.

As for Lloyd, well, she's still trying to figure that out. She doesn't exactly want to let him go or leave him. She has cared too much about him to do that. She does genuinely enjoy his company despite his sociopathic tendencies. She actually got to know the real him and he isn't so bad after all. She likes how he takes care of her and would sacrifice the world just for her. He did save her life. She won't let this be the end of them. She'll secretly investigate why he did what he did. For now, she's giving him the benefit of the doubt. She won't let one single lie define him. She has trusted him enough.

And that's how badly she's fallen for him.

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abbatoirablaze · 1 year ago

Text

Locked Up, Chapter 5

Word Count: 3k

Warnings: mentions of violence/blood, minor medical situation, implied smut, thigh riding, little bit of bondage (handcuffs), teasing, mentions of potential unprotected smut, itsy bitsy breeding kink at the end.

“Lila…”

You shook your head, trying to fight off the blush that threatened to come onto your cheeks as you looked away from the senior doctor. On the other side of the room, a certain inmate had been eyeing you up, and it was secretly driving you crazy, “Sorry Jay…you were saying?”

You knew of the red flags that seemed to wave in your face when it came to the handsome inmate, but you didn’t care. You’d heard of him when the senior doctor told you about some of the more frequent flyers, but there was something about him that made you entranced. And since the day that you’d met him you were completely and unequivocally hooked.

“Go stitch up inmate Hansen, please,” he sighed tiredly as he worked on the other inmate in the medical bay, “we both know that you’re the only one he’ll let touch him.”

You bit your lip and nodded, heading to the other side of the medical wing where the other individual who had been caught in a fight was waiting to be stitched up.

Lloyd Hansen.

He was once an asset for the government who had gone rogue, killing people simply because he enjoyed it.

He usually left a body count wherever he was.

People had called him a sociopath. Someone who didn’t give a damn about anyone other than what was being put into his numerous accounts across the span of the globe.

But you knew him as the smart-mouthed asshole with a heart that was hidden under an ice age’s worth of tundra. And somehow…you’d managed to make it under all that ice to see just the kind of person that he truly was.

Broken from his past heartbreaks, and years of psychological abuse from his parents and so-called friends, Lloyd had walls higher than the earth’s atmosphere. But you managed to find the cracks and slip through them.

“Inmate Hansen…Dr. Sanjay has asked me to take a look at your injuries.”

Lloyd huffed, his mustache twitching.

Lloyd only ever let you treat him. Before you came along, he would stitch himself up with dental floss if he was stabbed, refusing to let the medical team at the prison touch him. And after the last time he bashed a nurses skull against the wall, they decided to let him do it to.

Until the fateful day that Lloyd first saw you.

“Who is she?”

His raspy voice cut through the medical wing like wildfire, sending a pulse straight through your core as your eyes met. Your senior doctor tried to brush off the comment from the normally silent inmate, but you were drawn to him like a moth to a flame.

“Dr. Sanjay, should I tend to the other inmate while you-“

“Don’t bother with Hansen,” he grumbled, not sparing him a look as he worked on cleaning inmate Gentry’s cuts, “he won’t let anyone treat him. Just throw a few of the antiseptic wipe packets at him so he can clean himself up and he’ll do it on his own…”

“Sanjay…he-he’s got a gash in his brow,” you whimpered softly, instantly gravitating towards the inmate. You rushed to the cabinet, typed in your code, and grabbed a kit to sew him up as well as some other things to clean his other, lesser wounds, “Inmate Hansen…a-are you alright?”

“Li-“

But Sanjay stopped himself when he watched your small hands cradle the inmate’s face, examining him. The doctor watched, eyes wide as you rushed to start cleaning his wounds, the inmate’s jaw remaining firmly closed together.

Dr. Sanjay couldn’t place it, but there was something about the way that Hansen looked at you. It was obvious that he didn’t mind your presence.

“Inmate Hansen…I-I need to close up that gash-“

“I know, princess,” he muttered softly, his fingers flexing against the orange material of his jumpsuit while he managed to keep his hands to himself, “get on with it, yeah?”

“I will…I just need you to know that this may sting a little…” you warned softly as you opened the antiseptic wipes and unfurled some of the gauze and butterfly bandages. He gave a heavy sigh, watching as you delicately tilted his chin up, his eyes meeting yours once again. Your lips parted ever so slightly as you examined his cuts and he audibly gasped as he could only focus on your irises.

“Get on with it, angel,” he ordered as he tried to break apart his more delicate thoughts about you “I’m used to a bit of pa-FUCK!”

You didn’t even flinch as your hand swept over his injury. No. You giggled.

His eyes snapped to yours once again, and even though the surprise and pinch of pain had caught him off guard, he was firmly entranced by your sweet, innocent little attitude.

He knew in that moment that he’d do whatever he had to in order to keep you safe…to hear that sweet little giggle coming from your lips yet again.

But Sanjay had other ideas, perceiving the look as one of aggression from the inmate, “Lila…back away from inmate Hansen…”

“I won’t be long, Doctor. Sanjay, I promise…it’ll just be a few stitches!” she said over her shoulder.

“Inmate Hansen is dangerous, Lila…and only one hand is cuffed to the bed, so-“

His words stopped once more when Lila went to turn away, and Lloyd’s arm wrapped around her own, “I want her to treat me…”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Hansen…I will!” you offered warmly, your eyes meeting his once more as you gently pushed him back onto the gurney, “please…lay back so that I can finish cleaning the wound and get you sutured up! Dr. Sanjay believes you are a danger to me, and if you prove his suspicions right I’ll have to cuff your other hand. Can you please lay back for me?”

And wordlessly, Lloyd laid back, his eyes never leaving hers.

“Thank you, Mr. Hansen.”

Before that day, Lloyd would always find some weirdly creative way to treat any infections or aches. But after you…oh, that man would come in whining about the sun being too bright if it meant he got to spend some time in the medical bay, even if it meant being cuffed to the bed.

Dr. Sanjay chuckled when Lloyd kept his mouth shut. Lloyd wouldn’t talk in front of other inmates. He’d had to keep up some tough guy rep. But the senior doctor quickly saw through it, and noted his affections for the junior doctor. So with a smile, Sanjay would disappear, knowing that someone managed to get through to Lloyd Hansen, and keep him almost docile in comparison to his former actions.

Any time that he saw Lloyd, the senior doctor would go off into the next room to complete charts and paperwork, and he knew that the stoic inmate would babble on for hours, because he would hear your giggling following.

He knew about the relationship, and was sure of the inmate’s affections for you, but you were too hard to read, sweet as sugar, he just attributed your actions as part of your personality, as you didn’t care which inmate walked through the doors, you would treat them regardless.

“You have a cut on your brow that I’m going to treat first.” you said gently, advising him of what you were doing every step of the way. You took a few steps away to the medical cabinet and grabbed everything you would need. When you returned to his bedside and placed the items on the tray, you felt his hand gently reach out, searching for yours.

You sighed and took his hand.

His eyes met yours and your heart melted. You didn’t take it personally that he hadn’t been talking. You knew Lloyd well enough to see through his tough guy act.

But that never stopped him.

“Pronge was harassing Jake again…” he said in a firm voice, nodding over to the other side of the room, where Robert Pronge was animatedly talking to the senior doctor, “told him to fuck off, but he didn’t get the idea until I headbutted the son of a bitch.”

“I wish you would stop fighting anyone that looks at me or Jake wrong…” you whispered as you wiped some of the antiseptic along his brow. He took a sharp intake of breath as you wiped away the dried blood, “Are you ever going to stop being a baby over some rubbing alcohol?”

He smirked, “are you and Jake ever going to stop being bratty pains in my ass?”

“You know that we belong to you and only you, Lloyd…”

“That’s right! And that means that the only one that gets to give you two a hard time is me!” he said in a playful low tone as his hand fidgeted along the rail until he was maintaining what little contact he could by touching the edges of your lab coat, “you’re my girl…and he’s my guy…I’d protect either one of you with my life…”

“What did Jake do to egg on Pronge?”

“Being his normal brat self,” he muttered sadly, “I didn’t…well, we haven’t…you know…he was flirting with Drysdale and I cut him off…him and that bitch CO were trying to take him back from us…she tried to transfer him to another cell block but Bodecker found out that he fucked her…”

Lila stopped treating Lloyd’s brow, “he what?”

“You know how Jake is,” Lloyd sighed, his hand reached up and you took it, needing to feel what little connection you could have with Lloyd after hearing that Jake had gone back to Viv, “I wasn’t giving him any…and you haven’t been on a shift where he’s doing his work release…he was getting antsy…felt abandoned…so he ran back to what he knows…”

“Lloyd…”

“He’ll come back to us baby,” Lloyd said reassuringly, “he always does…”

“Viv and Ransom…”

“He left them for us for a reason, angel…they don’t treat him right…they don’t really care about him like we do…Viv only cares about Drysdale and Levinson…Jake’s disposable to them!”

You nodded, wanting to believe in the little bit of comfort that Lloyd was trying to give you. He gave your hand a little squeeze and you gave a forced smile, “yeah…”

“If I could show you how much you mean to us…you know I would…”

“Lloyd…”

“Jake will be out soon…and I’ve got some government contacts who want me back…”

“Lloyd…”

“It’s only a matter of time until they admit that they need me and spring me, pumpkin…then it’s me, you, and Jake…and I’m going to make sure you two don’t have to lift a finger…I’ll have them wipe my record again…and have them wipe Jake’s…and then it’ll just be the three of us. And I’ll have you both naked in bed waiting for me to come home…hav-“

“Lloyd…” you begged, cutting the normally stoic man off. You looked around the wing. While it was pretty quiet, and you knew that they couldn’t hear you from the other side of the room, his words were affecting you more than you wanted to admit. He smiled, sensing the fact that you were getting worked up at his promises.

“You like it when I talk like that…don’t you?” he teased, “it’s been a while…for all of us…I know how Jake felt…getting a little antsy…I miss stretching your pretty litt-

“Stop,” you whimpered, not really wanting him to stop, “Lloyd…we-“

“I knew you were working tonight…Jake had his work release today and I told him to make a loop for tonight…Pronge isn’t that bad and Sanjay will let him go back to the block when he’s done cleaning him up…say I need to stay for observation…I headbutted him…s-say I need to stay because I might have a concussion and you need to make sure I stay up…”

“Lloyd…that’s risky…”

“Once I beat up Pronge, Jake knew I still cared about him…he knew he wasn’t abandoned by us, sweetie…he said he would cut the camera and loop it from 10 to midnight…we can have the night…”

“Only if no one else comes in…” you caved, agreeing to what the man you loved was saying, “but we need to find a way for me to see Jake…I-I need to talk to him…”

“We’ll figure it out, sunshine!”

“Sunshine…”

“I’m almost done, I promise.”

Lloyd chuckled from the next room as you finished up the last of your charts for the night.

“It’s five after ten…”

“I know…just one more minute.”

He huffed, “you know…if it’s like this when we’re out on the real world…there won’t be any handcuffs keeping me in a separate room. The only handcuffs we’ll have at home will be the ones I keep you and Jake cuffed to the bed with.”

You giggled, unable to stop the blush that rose to your cheeks, “but for now…I have all the time in the world…because you’re the one wearing the cuffs in bed.”

“Princess…”

You caved.

The way he called you those delicate little nicknames. The breathy little huff to the edge of his voice. You knew all of the red flags that were going off in your mind because of who he was in the real world, but you fought yourself every time his gorgeous cerulean eyes stared at you. You stopped your writing and came out of your office. Planting yourself against the frame into the medical wing you couldn’t help but giggle even more when you saw him looking longingly at you.

“Angel…”

“I’m coming,” you sighed happily. Lloyd smiled like a kid at Christmas as you made your way over to him with the keys to his cuffs. You couldn’t help but take a gander at the clock, “ten after ten.”

“The loop is running…”

“And how do we know this for sure?” you asked, holding the key away from his cuffs.

He gave a low growl in your direction. It wasn’t aggressive or dangerous, but it did send a shiver down your spine. His pupils were lust blown already, “baby…the red dot that usually blinks when it’s recording isn’t on…let me out…I wanna play doctor with you.”

“Hmm,” you teased as you put the key on the tray and reached across the bed. Your fingers grazed over the blankets, and you untucked him from bed. On your way back up the length of him, your nails danced along his bare legs and over the medical gown he wore. He gave another low growl, and you noticed his cock twitching to life beneath the thin fabric, “you wanna play doctor, hmmm?”

“You’re playing with fire, sunshine…” he warned, his voice husky and low, “you want to play this game…and we can, but you know if you get me riled up, you’ll be trying not to limp out of here in the morning…”

Your thighs clenched together at the thought. But you smiled and crawled on top of him, straddling his thighs. You reached for him and lifted his gown, making the material bunch up on his abdomen. Then your hand reached forward and wrapped around his length.

He took another sharp breath in as your hand gently squeezed his girthy member.

“Shit, angel…I love it when you touch me…”

“And what about this?” you teased, angling yourself on one of his thick thighs. Your hips rocked, and you knew the way his eyes lit up that he could feel just how much of your wetness soaked through your thong.

“Baby…” he groaned, his eyes closing ever so slightly. His hands reached forward, wanting to grab you, but were stopped by his cuffs. His eyes snapped open, and he huffed, “let me go pumpkin…I wanna play with my little doc…”

“Lloyd,” you moaned softly, ignoring his pleas. He groaned, huffing once more as your hips continued to rock against his thigh, your core riding the thick, toned muscles. Your hand began to pick up pace, stroking his now fully hardened length, “Lloyd…I want to ride you…”

“You’re not on the pill, baby…” he growled, reminding you of your own errors, “We can’t…”

“I-I have condoms…in my purse…”

His brow raised, “Y-You do?”

You nodded, “I-I always carry some…just in case we had a day where the cameras went out.”

“You naughty little minx,” he smirked, “go get em…and you can ride me all night, sweetheart…”

“Yeah?”

He nodded, and you let go of his member. He sighed, his head falling back to the pillow while you raced out of the room more excited than a teenage girl. Snatching the foil package from your purse, you were shocked when you came back.

You hadn’t been gone more than 30 seconds.

But Lloyd had managed to get the key off the medical tray and free himself from the cuffs.

Your throat went dry with the way he looked at you.

‘You thought those could hold me, princess?” he smirked, like a demon straight from hell, “you left the keys right there when you were grabbing the protection…did you really think I wouldn’t get out?”

“L-Lloyd…”

He licked his lips and made a come hither motion towards you, “I get to play doctor, sweetheart…you get to be the inmate cuffed to the bed…”

Your thighs clenched again, the excitement firing off every synapse in your body, “I-I…”

“Be a good girl, pumpkin,” Lloyd coaxed as he stood up and made his way towards you. The cuffs warbled on the edge of his finger as he stalked over, “and just maybe I won’t ruin that pretty little pussy of yours…not all the way, anyways…”

Your mouth opened and you tried to think of something to say to him.

“Come on, sweetheart…say something smart so I can fuck your brains out and leave you aching in the morning…”

“C-can we skip the condoms?” you asked timidly, “I-I wanna feel you…really…feel you.”

“I don’t know if I’d be able to pull out in time,” he warned gently, his finger tipping your chin up so that you were looking him directly in the eyes, “and anyways…I promised Jensen he’d get to breed that sweet little cunt of yours first…”

“Wh-what?”

“Oh, sweetie…when we get out of here…we have so many plans…and they don’t involve you coming back…so get your little doctoring out of the way while we’re locked up…because me and Jensen are going to keep you nice and occupied when we’re free…and that’s a promise.”

Chapter 6

Tag List: @lohnes16, @prokey16, @tenaciousperfectionunknown, @teambarnes72, @cjand10

#locked up #lloyd hansen #the gray man #prison au #prison #chris evans characters

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