#He is hella bruised from fighting a second ago.

[neckromancy]

"Let's play Honour Mode with a Heart Rate Monitor" they said, "it'll fun" they said...

IT WAS MEANT FOR WHEN I GET STRESSED, NOT FOR CALLING ME THE FUCK OUT.............

(Honour Mode = party dies, game over without save file restoration, so it's supposed to be stressful)

[thisuserislilsilly]

Summary: A Captain makes the decision that'll seal his life (I won the bet against @jaghatai-khock, you're welcome dear, now cry >;] )

Pairing: Jubik/Ascilen (Ascilen baby my boy @jaghatai-khock is precious OG creator)

Genre: Angst/fluff

TW: Hella angst, grimdark, gore

Goblin tag squad (lemme know if you wanna get tagged too): @finchly-tintinnabulation @cardinalcanis @jaghatai-khock @artemisareia @echo-of-damnation @meervalv0

Vision of a promised doom

"Oh mother, you who taught me everything I watch the lights up above and I think of you Those wonderful days under your warm arms I saw the earth, at first, the one that welcomed me home It came the beauty of the fire, taking my hand and showing How the world could be fine, could be beautiful like it My brothers, who await for my arrival I ask for forgiveness, as I lay down here Hugged in warmth, with my soul resting at last I love you all, my brothers, but I must pass away We'll see each other where the songs never stop This I promise you, for all that we've been through Goodbye, at last, Ascilen, who loved me whole"

Jubik opened his eyes, looking down at his armor, all broken and in shambles, there was blood everywhere, his bolter was cast aside. That was it, his last moments alive, and it was not in his own homeworld nor in the ship where he saw Neophytes grow and brothers reuniting. It was in his new home, Kianxe, on the very steps where he had once walked upon to meet the gaze of the love of his life. He made a painful chuckle, his mouth spilling blood everywhere as the memories flooded his mind; he had lived a well and long life, full of brothers he cared for and a family he never in a thousand years could've imagined he would be able to get.

His back was pressed against the door, that golden, heavy, massive door that held inside the second love of his life; his child. They had grown, strong, brave and true to the ideals of both his parents, who had loved that kid since the day he was born. yes, Jubik had lived that child from the moment he had ran up to Ascilen, finding his love calm gaze as the birth was taking place, he remembered how nervous he had been the first time he held his baby in his arms and cradled it against his massive chest; Jubik at that moment had ignored his bruises, his weak complexion and the multiple open wounds shown in his body after that fateful encounter with the Howling Griffons. It had mattered not how much pain he ws feeling, how much adrenaline his body had at that moment to keep him in his two feet and fully awake.

That had been the most precious moment in his entire life, and would stay that way even after all the blessings he had received afterwards; day after day waking up besides his love, kissing him, loving him, then leaving the Merciful side only to attend their child, play with them, make silly faces and talk in a deliberate slow and "dumb" vocabulary so their mind could comprehend how much their father loved them, how proud he was of being that kids father. When it came the moment of raising that child, to teach him about the universe and be very careful in how to handle certain subjects and be better than those who had come before them. Jubik saw them grow, become one of the greats in their field of expertise, then too form a family, oh how Jubik had loved to be a grandparent, to see his children children's grow, be with them as well, get everyone together for a cuddle session as soon as he and Ascilen arrived from a long and tiring campaign.

A cough brought the Nomad back to reality, to his last stand for the Imperium against those Tyranids that had the audacity of attacking the Merciful's home. A soft chuckle again escaped his lips, he had given them a hell of a fight, one for the ages, worthy of being in the life song of any of his brothers, but not for him; no, that was it, his body had given up on him about an hour ago, when one of those Xenos had punctured his lungs and chew at his stomach before dying pierced by the sword of Ascilen, of course Jubik had denied being injured, of course he smiled and said everything was fine when he heard the Emperor calling out to him for his vigilance to end at last. He began to sing again; "Oh mother, you who taught me everything..." His head leaned on his chest and the warrior exhaled his last breath, his lump body slowly sliding down the door until his head touched the cold floor with his long braided hair. His lifeless eyes were still open, a smile was upon his lips. He had lived a well and long life.

In the darkness of the medical facility of the Merciful, Jubik shuddered, his eyes still closed. That had been a warning, that had been the Emperor or the Kahn or maybe the Spirits of his ancestors showing him his fate, showing what would happen if he kept going down that path he was walking on. If he stayed with Ascelin, he would die like that; there was no doubt of it, but just if he stayed. The weaves of fate are feeble and one could change his destiny by taking the smallest of different decisions that, in turn, would ripple through time and space in a completely different direction. Jubik thought of this, inhaled deeply, pondered if he disappeared, fled the Merciful or break his relationship with Ascilen perhaps they could live a different life, perhaps his child might turn out different, Jubik death avoided, the sorrow of Ascilen completely avoided, their entire life and future together changed.

"No" Jubik told himself, he would not change fate, he wouldn't run away from Ascilen, he would spend his time there, enjoying the hours, the days, the events that had yet to come as they may. The expected birth of his son. He would not let a vision persuade him to desist on loving the love of his life. But he now knew this: the end of his life, one of the ways his life could end.

But it was okay.

He knew it. He had chosen it. He would let his soul hold on to Ascilen forever and ever.

The vision faded, Jubik felt the world around him once more, the pain of the injuries still healing; he felt his hands touching some soft warmth. His eyes opened and saw his hand placed on top of his pregnant lover.

"Hey you" Jubik slowly formed the words, his mouth aching slightly from all the movement

"Oh good your vocal chords are working again...I have missed them so much" Ascelin left the book he was reading and kissed Jubik forehead tenderly.

A single tear rolled down the Nomads face; no, he wouldn't change this for anything of the world, no matter what the future would be.

[popopretty]

Storm Bringer Spoilers (8)

I said I would translate this part earlier and the last week has been a busy one but it’s finally here. This is the part in CODE;03 (I guess) where Shirase finally got over his fear and risked his life to help Chuuya when Chuuya was fighting the skeleton that is supposed to be his “original” (I said so because we never know if it actually is the original or not). For a boy like Shirase with no special power, to throw himself into a battle like that for someone is a really beautiful thing to me. Their interactions here are so precious too. I couldn’t help smiling when I was translating it. I hope you enjoy it too and have a great weekend.

Feel free to retranslate it if you want. Just remember that I don’t speak either Japanese or English as my first language so there might be some mistakes or imperfectionness in this translation.

...

Hey, hey! 

Hey, hey, come on! What the hell is that? A skeleton? Are you kidding me?

Shirase rubbed his own eyes. That was not an illusion. The surrounding scenery was distorted. The abnormality of the gravitational field left the surrounding gravel floating in the air. 

In other words, the gravitational skill is being activated over there. In other words, Chuuya is over there. 

Too frightened, Shirase almost dropped the clothes bag that he was holding with his two hands. He held it back in a fluster. That was a clothes bag, however inside it was not clothes. It was a bag of stolen items. On his way to find an escape route, he entered a research facility and went gold hunting. After all, neither the securities nor the researchers were out. On top of that, in the research facility, there were a lot of jewels used for laser transmitters, high-speed computing terminals and a lot of other things that could be worth a fortune if sold. 

Shirase thought. These things will surely be burnt down to destroy the evidences anyway. If that’s the case, then wouldn’t it be of better help for people if we use it as a foundation to rebuild “The Sheep”, and let it be reborn as military money? I’m such a genius. He was thinking so as he got lost during his looting.

Then he wandered into this room. 

Shirase looked around restlessly. There was no sign of anyone other than Chuuya and the skeleton. Apparently they were fighting each other. He could catch a glance of the pained expression on Chuuya’s face. 

“Chuuya!” Reflexively, he ran forward, but stopped himself in panic. 

What am I doing? If I go to such a place, I will die. There is a limit to how foolish you can be to get involved in the fight between two monsters. I’m not that stupid. I act wisely and firmly. That’s how I have survived until now. 

Fighting is Chuuya’s job. Getting hurt is Chuuya’s job. Engraving our terror onto the enemies is also Chuuya’s job. And we handle everything else. That’s obvious. That guy has power. It’s only natural that he has to fulfil that responsibility.

But Chuuya today is weaker than ever. 

The Chuuya who is fighting right now has wounds all over his body. He has never seen Chuuya like that. He looks just like a boy of his age. 

No, not “just like”. Chuuya IS a boy of his age. Shirase suddenly realized that. 

... 

But still...

Still, it has nothing to do with me!

“Like I care! I am running away. Alone or not! You guys can do whatever you want about those war weapons or the truths of those special skills! I simply want to live a happy live!”

Shirase held his stuff carefully, turned his back and start walking away, as if he was carving each of his long steps into the ground.

***

The weight from the skeleton increased. In addition to the sound of their bones creaking against each other, there was another lower, heavier sound, probably the sound of the floor’s foundation being bent. If it were an ordinary human’s body, it would have become one with the floor long ago. 

“Stop...”, Chuuya spoke with his lungs being crushed as if he was whispering. “You are me...” 

There was a hint of hesitation shining in his eyes. 

The chin of the skeleton made a sound. The eye sockets carrying no lights at all were staring down at Chuuya. There was no emotions there. There was nothing. A complete void. 

From those eye sockets, from that nothingness, Chuuya heard something. Maybe it was just his imagination. But he couldn’t stop one word from popping up inside his brain. A meaningless word that seemed to be coming out from those white bones. 

”You were supposed to be like this."

“You are... me.” Chuuya said, glaring at the skeleton that had drifted so far from humanity, unaware of what he himself was saying. “If that’s the case, who in the world am I...?” 

The gravity got even stronger. The face of the skeleton which looked like death itself drew closer in front of his eyes. At that moment, someone shouted. 

“Ahhhhhhhhh!!” 

Someone just threw themselves at the skeleton and sent it flying to the side. The skeleton and that person rolled on the floor together. Chuuya opened his eyes wide. He knew the person. 

“Shirase...?” 

Shirase, who just rolled over, stood up and screamed in a squeaky, inarticulate voice. The skeleton that was using up all of its gravity to push down on Chuuya, was powerless to the attack from the side. Its elbow bone was dislocated from the impact. But that had little effects on its movements. It opened its jaw, trying to bite Shirase to death.

Shirase raised his clothes bag, which the skeleton bit right into. There were sounds of high-value jewels and electronic devices breaking inside, but the hardness of jewels had won against that of bones and iron. The lower jaw of the skeleton cracked vertically.

“Stupid Shirase! Run!” 

“Aaaaaaaa!!” 

Shirase shook his two arms with his eyes closed. His arms accidentally got caught in a transfusion tube connected to the skeleton’s spines. The tube came off and a black and blue chemical solution spilled out from inside. The skeleton suddenly tilted and stopped moving for a few seconds.

Chuuya noticed that. He screamed, “Shirase! Pull out those cables! All of them!”. 

Shirase was still waving his arms around incomprehensibly but after a short pause, he came to understand the meaning of that instruction. He rolled around, covered in chemicals, and grabbed all the cords and tubes that were dragging around like tails. He pulled them in and pulled out everything at once.

The bundle of cables leading to the next room were pulled out of the skeleton’s spine. 

The skeleton let out a scream. A body made out of bones only does not have a vocal organ. Its throat cannot vibrate to scream. That was the sound of gravity and the vanishing power of the skills that shook the bones and resonated like a musical instrument. It was the resonant sound of a scream that can take your soul away.

It sounded like a young boy crying in agony on the verge of death.

Eventually, the skeleton that had lost its instruction system and its source of energy supplies fell to the floor headfirst, breaking at its waist. Losing the gravity that was keeping its body together physically, it crumbled into pieces. Furthermore, the cracks from the attacks stared spreading through its body and it ended up breaking into countless fragments before vanishing.

 And just like that, the skeleton disappeared. Like nothing was ever there from the beginning. 

Chuuya was watching over it in shock, before he finally stood up. 

“Shirase.” 

Chuuya looked at Shirase while holding his side. 

“What?” 

Chuuya stared at Shirase as if he was trying to say something. He looked at Shirase who was covered in dirt, mud and the black and blue chemicals for a few seconds, then said.

“You look hella dirty now.” 

“Shut up!” 

Chuuya held out his hand. Shirase grabbed that hand and got up. 

“Let’s go. We need to meet up with Adam first.” 

“’kay.” 

Shirase and Chuuya walked alongside each other. Shirase took a quick glance at Chuuya. He was covered in wounds, dirt and blood. There were countless bruises and his side was still bleeding.

“Hey Chuuya.” 

Chuuya turned around. Shirase’s expression showed that there was something he had to say, something he had to apologize for. 

Chuuya waited silently. Then Shirase said. 

“You look hella dirty right now.”

Chuuya laughed with his eyes downcast, “Shut up!”.

....

[mell-bell]

Running from the Past - Part I

Luke Patterson x Reader

Words: 1982

Series Summary: You and Luke became close friends months before he played the Orpheum with Sunset Curve....will he meet you again?

Chapter: 1/?

Part I / Part II  / Part III

TW: Mentions of abuse

Author’s notes: Ngl Julie and the Phantoms is the cutest show ever and I just want all the boys to be happy okay - next part will be post-hotdogs aka time jump

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You had met your fair share of bands. Rock stars. Up-and-coming singers. Women who claimed they would make it big. Boys who wanted to be the next big boy band.

You helped your uncle manage the bands that played in his night club. And tonight, the club had booked a new up-and-coming band that had been making the rounds around town. But the lead singer was nowhere to be found. Your uncle sent you to hunt him down, which was why you were running around backstage breaking through door after door trying to find some wanna-be rock star teenager.

“Luke!” You yelled as you slammed yet another door open. A woman in the far back of the room glared at you as she wiped a makeup smear off a young lady’s face.

You mumbled your apologies, slowly pulling the door shut behind you, before taking off down the hall once again. As you rounded the corner, you ran headfirst into someone, both of you shrieking as you slammed to the ground in a jumble of limbs.

“Woah!” The shaggy hair boy in front of you exclaimed as he pulled away from you, stumbling ungracefully to his feet.

He offered you his hand, but you ignored him as you stood slowly.

You squinted your eyes as you looked him up and down. A smirk formed on his face as he watched you look him over. Just as he opened his mouth, probably to say something smart, you shoved a finger in his face and the smirk slipped off his face.

“Luke?”

The boy’s eyes widened and he nodded.

Without wasting another second, you grabbed him by the arm and began dragging him down the hall. The boy stumbled over his feet as you pulled him along behind you.

“Where are we going? Damn your grip is hella tight. Could you maybe let up?” He stopped as you threw him another glare, “....no? Okay.”

He managed to remain silent as you continued down the hall until you both passed by a grinning Alex, who had just stepped out of your uncle’s office. Luke reached out to him for help, but the blonde boy just held up his hands as you passed.

“Not cool, Alex!” Luke yelled. Alex’s laughter echoing behind you.

You finally made it through the door of your uncle’s office and shoved Luke right in front of your uncle’s desk.

“Oh, you found him! You can go help the stagehands set up now!”

You sighed, your head and feet throbbing from searching for rock star for the past two hours. Turning on your heel, you started out the door but skidded to a halt when Luke stepped right in front of you.  

“Wait, can I get your name?” He said, offering you a lopsided smile.

“Y/N.”

“Y/N.” He said slowly, “That’s pretty- I...wait!” He stammered as you walked right around him and out the door.  

He stuck his head out the door of your uncle’s office, “I’ll see you around!”

“No, you won’t!” You yelled back.

“Yes, I will!”

You smiled as you rounded the corner. Maybe one day you would see him again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two months passed and you arrived at your uncle’s club earlier than normal. It was too early to set up the stage, so you wandered around aimlessly backstage. As you rounded the corner, you tripped over something, slamming hard to the ground.

“Crap sorry!” The man scrambled to his feet and helped you up, “Y/N?”

Your eyes widened as you met Luke’s green eyes, “Larry?”

He rolled his eyes and held out his hand, “Luke.”

“Nah, I like Larry better.” You shook his hand quickly before taking a step back and running a hand through your hair nervously, “You playing here again?”

The boy nodded, a grin lighting up his whole face. He looked at you as if waiting for you to say something.

You stumbled over your words, “Um - well I should....” You pointed behind you and started to slowly back away.

“Wait! Keep me company until the rest of my band gets here?” He begged, pouting his lip out.

A smile pulled at the corner of your mouth, and with the roll of your eyes you motioned for him to sit back on the ground. He did. You plopped down next to him, settling yourself up against the wall.

“So you work here?”

You shook your head, “I help my uncle, I don’t really like staying at home, so he allows me to help out around here.”

Luke’s eyes grew darker as he nodded knowingly.  

You both continued to talk and before long you were laughing as he stood in front of you, guitar in hand, trying to write a song that rhymed with your name.

“It’s not going to work.” You chuckled.

“It will. It will. Hold on I’ll get it.” He strummed the guitar again, his mouth wide open, but no words came out, “Okay, maybe not.”

“Y/N!” A voice echoed down the hall, “Your uncle needs you.”

Sighing, you stood up, brushing off your jeans. You hesitated for a second, turning to face Luke, “I’ll see you around?”

Luke smiled as you walked away and just before you rounded the corner he called out, “Hey if you ever need a place to stay that’s not here, we have a pretty comfortable couch in our studio.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A month passed and you saw Luke more than you thought you would.

You were friendly, but you tried to keep your distance. There was a reason you didn’t have many friends. And you didn’t want to drag Luke into your family drama.

When you heard footsteps around the corner, you curled in on yourself hoping whoever it was would ignore you. Your pencil continued to scratch lightly over the paper as you continued to sketch.

When the footsteps sounded closer, your shoulders stiffened as you saw Luke step up beside you.

You shot to your feet and darted away. But he followed after you, his puppy dog eyes wide as he tried to get your attention. When he lightly grabbed your arm, you turned your eyes flashing at him.

He took a step back.

You sighed, “Sorry.”

“No,” He stepped back a little more, “I’m sorry.”

You closed your eyes tightly, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall, “It’s just...”

“You don’t have to tell me.” His voice was soft.

You sank to the ground, burying your face in your hands as you took deep breath after deep breath. A few seconds later you felt him settle beside you.

Luke began to speak, probably to apologize when you abruptly look up straight into his eyes, “I don’t have the best home life I mentioned before. It’s gotten worse and I don’t....”

He grimaced as your once bright eyes began to darken as bad memories were pulled to the surface. Your eyes glazed over as you turned to stare at the wall opposite you.

Luke was quiet for a few minutes before moving closer to you. He gently took the sketch pad that you held tightly to your chest.  

He began to speak, softly and slowly about how he ran away from home because he and his mom had a horrible fight. And he wanted to go back because he missed her and didn’t want to disappoint her, but he needed to prove to her that music was his thing. As he continued speaking, you began to relax in his presence. Everything he spoke of was in a way similar to what you were going through.

As the weeks passed, you both grew closer and you began to trust him more and more, telling him more about yourself and your family. He was easy to talk to and you felt safe telling him your secrets because he had secrets of his own. He listened without judgment and offered support without forcing it on you.

You didn’t know how different everything would be after this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You walked up to the garage hesitantly. Alex’s parents had explained where the studio was in the back of the house, and that you should just follow the sound of the music.

You gripped the strap of your bag tighter and raised your hand to knock on the door. But you froze. Sighing you turned. But before you could walk away, the door creaked open behind you.

“Y/N?”

You froze and turned around slowly, refusing to meet the boy’s eyes.

Luke was looking at you confused, his eyes darting to the packed duffel bag on your shoulder, to your downcast face.

“I...um.” You swallowed hard, still looking at the ground. You took a hesitant step back.

But before you could run, Luke stepped up to you, his hand raising, gently lifting your chin. Your eyes darted to the side, so they didn’t meet his.

His own eyes darkened when he saw the bruise on your cheek but knew better than to breach the topic.

“Can I stay here for a few days?” You said faintly.

Luke’s eyes roved your face, and for a moment you thought he would refuse. But then he pulled the bag from your shoulder, slinging it over his own. His other arm lifted to wrap around your shoulder as he led you into the studio.

“Boys! We have a guest!”

Alex and Reggie looked up, both smiling widely when they saw you. They ran over, about to pull you into a group hug, when Luke raised his hand causing them to skid to a halt. They both froze at the sight of your bruised face.

You cringed, waiting for the bombardment of question. But instead, they led you over to the couch and Reggie began a long rant about the new Star Wars that was supposed to come out in a few years, until you were giggling on the couch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You snuggled into the couch, wearing one of Luke’s sweaters you had “confiscated” a few months ago. It was big on you and hung down below your knees. You had the sleeves rolled numerous times yet they were still long enough to fall over your hands.

“Y/N? I need opinions on what to wear for our Orpheum performance tomorrow night and- is that my sweater?”

You didn’t bother looking up as you continued sketching a new Sunset Curve Album cover, “That it is.”

When Luke didn’t say anything, you raised your head to look at him, your brows furrowing, “Are those my slippers?”

“Yes. Can I ask why you’re wearing it?” He said softly.

You tilted your head, confused at his statement, “What?”

“The sweater. My sweater. Why are you wearing it?”

You definitely blame your sleepy brain for your next response, “It makes me feel safe.”

After a beat of silence and a slight quirk of Luke’s mouth, you realized what you had said. Stumbling over your words you frantically spit out, “Nope, I didn’t say that. Ignore that.”

Luke’s smile took up his whole face. He looked you up and down before his eyes widened, “Wait.  Isn’t that the sweater I was looking for months ago?”

“Well…”

“Y/N!” Luke exclaimed, “I asked you for weeks what happened to it! I can’t believe you had it all this time. Have you taken anything else I’ve been looking for?!”

You scoffed, lightly blushing, “What no of course not why would I ever do that….?”

Lies. You always wore his clothes. His shirts to bed. His pants during cold days. His sweatshirts. You loved his shirts and sweaters the best. They smelled like him. They made you feel safe. You loved being able to cuddle up at night tucked in something that reminded you of him. You loved falling asleep surrounded by his scent. Especially if you were feeling particularly down or sad, his scent would wrap you in a cocoon of safety until you relaxed.

[whiskehorange]

RZ Michael scenario where y/n is a nurse at Smith's. There's a lockdown & she's trapped in Michael's cell. Pls make it nsfw & hella fluffy. TY

Hell YEAH BABY. I got carried away im so sorry-

Michael

Today, of all days, why did it have to be the day that you traded your later lunch for an early lunch.

You had always managed to get the last lunch schedule; which happened to be close to two o’clock. At this point, you’d absolutely give anything to have the twelve o’clock lunch just once.

And that’s what you did. And hour or do before the the call for the twelve o’clock lunch sounded, you had asked the front nurse if there was an opening for at least one person at that lunch, or at least anyone willing to take her spot just for today in trade for the last lunch.

Flipping through the nurse charts, she picked out one file that was near the bottom.

“Joyce was moved for today down in corridor three for today, and we’ve been looking for someone to take her place for patient checkup today. For Myers. That’ll give you first call lunch.”

She pushed her glasses back up and looked at, awaiting a response.

You moved your head back slowly, a sigh of relief escaping your lips. You’d take it.

She handed you the key and went back to the routine click-clack of her keyboard after handing you the key to Myers cell.

Myers was a famous name around the lunch room and just about everywhere in the sanitarium, really. Most nurses commented on his chilling yet oddly attractive height, while other combatted them with hoe dangerous he was. One recalling how she was there when he snapped a guard’s leg for getting in his face.

Hey, all you had to do was check up on him, take his tray, and do a routine mattress inspection, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about.

His inspection was in a few minutes, so it wouldn’t hurt to do it now so that you could head to the cafeteria early.

Jingling the door keys, you make it to Michael’s cell. Stepping inside, your stomach dropped, only for a moment, however.

That was normal for you. It’s that unexpected pit of fear that you’d get entering anyones cell, but it never lasted that long, knowing that you’d be out of there in a flash anyways and guards were at the end of each hallway.

“Hi Michael. I’m you’re nurse for today, Joyce was moved to another corridor just for today.”

You’re voice was cheery, something that a lot of your other regulars enjoyed and got you patients who respected and acted well. Michael, however, didn’t say anything.

You close the door behind you, setting the keys in your skirt pocket.

“This should only take a few minutes. Now if you could stand up for me and move to the side, that would be great, please?”

Michael, sat at his desk, didn’t move at first, but eventually stood up. He was much taller than you’d expected, he towered over your small form. He moved to the side as you walked over to his desk, taking the tray from breakfast.

You set it on the little shelf under his door window for you to take when you left. There wasn’t too much room to move, considering there was enough for a desk, the bed, him, and maybe a nurse. his walls were covered with what looked like paper-mâché masks. He himself had an orange one on. Either way, the masks took a little more space from the room to walk.

You smiled up at him, tilting your head slightly, “I like your mask. Orange is my favorite color.” Once again, there was no answer, but that was common with some patients.

Turning back around, you stand at the foot of his bed, “I’m now going to do a mattress check, then I’ll be out of your way.

Lifting up each corner and running your hands across the sides and tops of the mattress you found nothing, expect a small paintbrush tucked in between the wall and the bed. 

It wasn’t carved for a pointed end or anything like other patients would have, but it was mandatory that you should take it anyways. It could have been “hidden with the intent to harm someone or oneself.” But come on, it was a paintbrush, and Michael seems to actually use it for something else, he probably didn’t know it was there.

You felt eyes narrow in on you, the feeling was overwhelming. Almost scary.

You turned and held it out to Michael.

“I know I should take it, but I doubt you where going to use it. If you were you’d have it on you. Go on, this’ll be our little secret. I’d hate for you to not be able to make anymore masks.” You cheerfully offered

Michael’s hand slowly took the brush out of your hands and held it, remaining eye contact the entire time. 

“Thank you for being cooperative, Michael. Hopefully I can be your nurse again another-”

Your sentence was cut off by a loud ringing that echoed off of the empty halls. It was the lockdown alarm. Normally they tell the nurses when a routine drill is happening but you didn’t get one... which.. meant that there was... an actual emergency 

“Michael, if you could step back into the corner for me that would be amazing,” you said, but much more serious. The smile fading off of your face .

You slowly turned back to the door to open it before the automatic locks kicked in to not raise suspicion, but inside your heart was practically pounding at the door already.

You grabbed the door handle and pulled as hard as you could, expecting it to open for you. You were a nurse of course, you didn’t have to be locked in here.

The door didn’t budge.

It was locked. With you inside.

Stepping back, you bump into something firm. Gulping, you slowly turn to see Michael standing directly behind you.

You’d expect someone in this sort of place to think about how they’d kill you. Maybe he was going to use that brush and plunge it into your eye. But it was quite the contrary. 

Michael appreciated your kindness, you had a likable spunk to you that the rest of the nurses just didn’t have. Maybe because they were dealing with mentally insane people all day, but at least you were a nice light in this place. 

You looked to... innocent. For a place like this, at least. Micheal was still a man, after all. You looked very pleasing to his needs. 

“M...ichael?”

By the look in his eyes you could tell he was thinking of something. You didn’t know what, but it couldn’t be something good.

Michael took a small step forward, making you step back. The another, and another, until the top of your legs touched the edge of his desk.

He had never wanted or desired to do this to a nurse, or anyone since he had gotten here, but you looked so pleasing to him. Delicious isn’t the right word for someone as twisted as him, but he just knew that he wanted you and that he was going to have you. 

The guards would have all been down attending to another situation, so it was only you and Michael in the cell.

He reached down, moving a piece of your hair to the side of your worried face as another hand hiked up your skirt. The hand that had moved the hair was ready to quiet your screams, but instead you only blushed madly, looking to the side in embarrassment. 

Pulling your underwear off, he lifted you up onto the desk with ease to match his height. Tugging at the small belt on his pants, he shoved them off and out of the way.

Your mind raced as you thought of how wrong this was, hoe you should be screaming for help and fighting back, but instead you eagerly scooted to the edge of the table. Closer to him.

The gasp that escaped your lips as his length was pushed into you was a mix of pain and confusion. You had a small feeling he would be big, but not this big. You clenched your legs together in an attempt to get comfortable with him, but he pushed them back open. 

Your mouth was agape. Michael’s hand reach up and grabbed your face, pulling your face to his as another pulled you closer to him. Bringing you forward onto his entire length. The twitched of your eyelids and legs were enough for Michael to stay hard.

Leaning his forehead against yours, your face still in his hand, he began to thrust himself into you slowly, but picked up the pace the moment he could adjust to your small form.

Your body was limp for a moment, the only way to stay in this position was to wrap your arms around Michael neck, which you did. At this rate, there was no getting used to Michael’s length, but you couldn’t deny that this was better than anything you’ve ever had before.

The wailing of the alarm was loud enough to drown of your own moaning. With each hard thrust came an equally powerful moan. Michael gripped your hips with both hands as you set your back against the wall. There was nothing to hold onto but the desk itself that was leaving scratch marks on the painting brick.

Your legs quivered with need as his cock continued to ravage your insides for what seemed like hours. You had already came but there was no use in attempting to speak. It’s not like your overstimulated body would be capable of producing words.

One of Michael’s hands ripped open your blouse, gripping your breast as he pushed his head onto your neck. Your hand running through his hair as he did so.

He was close, very close. As tight as you were he wondered how he had lasted so long, but it wouldn’t be too much longer. The clapping of his skin against your sped up as he did everything to push himself over. 

You cried out his name as his final thrust buried himself deep inside you, spilling every last drop of his seed. His nails made cuts into your hips and ass while he firm grip left purple bruises.

As he pulled out you went limp against the wall, attempting to think about what to do next. The alarm had gone off about 30 seconds ago and the guards would be doing their rounds to make sure nobody else was causing trouble.

You stumbled off of the desk, pulling up your panties and up your skirt. Your legs were still shaking, you doubted you’d be able to walk in the heels you came in with.

Michael had already pulled up his pants and stood in front of the door so that nobody would see you as you bashfully buttoned up your blouse. Your hands were pretty shaky too, struggling to get the buttons in the correct slot. Michael bent down and buttoned the last three for you.

You head heavy footsteps approaching the end of the hallway as a guard could be heard lock checking each door. Panic spread throughout your body at you fixed your hair and wiped the tears off of your cheeks. Even attempting to control your shaking.

Michael brushed the hair out of your face once again and fixed himself, standing behind you as the guard looked through Michael’s cell window.

“What the- where you in here this whole time?”

You nodded. Michael’s hidden hand rested inside the top of your pants, making you blush madly once again.

“Did he touch you?”

You shook your head, “No, sir.”

[themadauthorshatter]

Time to check back in in Kai.

PG-13 NINJAGO REWRITE PILOT EPISODE 2!

We open on Zane as he ninja flips and parkours ahead of Wu and Kai. Wu's fine, but Kai's tired and asking if they can take a very fast five minute break.

Wu complies and they take a seat on the grass, Kai falling flat on his back, reminding Wu that they had a deal.

Yes, they did. And Wu says Kai can ask whatever he wants.

First question: Why did they take Nya?

Garmadon's doing. Who's that? The guy that ordered Samukai to attack Four Weapons and take Kai's sister. There you go, happy? Next question, please.

What did they want with the map? Wu explains, not as fed up this time, that the map leads to four golden weapons, which Wu is trying to find, so they need to go get it back.

What makes these weapons so special? They're elemental. Fire, earth, lightning, and ice. And they can do some pretty cool stuff, though Wu's never seen it happen, because he helped hide them. Supposedly, though, they have the power to get people in and out of the Underworld, which makes Kai's eyes widen.

Kai jolts off his back and asks what they're waiting for and tells Wu to keep leading the way.

Wu, in a mood, asks what happened to taking a break, but Kai says that can wait becuase they need to go.

Wu obliges and they continue onward, though find Zane standing in front of them, about 10 to 15 feet away. Kai asks him if he could get moving, but Zane doesn't respond. Kai and Wu get closer and see he's trembling and seizing, crumbling to the ground and jerking around as his eyes roll back.

Wu acts quickly and holds onto him until he stops siezing. Kai doesn't see it fully, but does see Wu help up Zane and hold an arm over his shoulder.

They continue, which we see in a time montage, which shows Wu half carrying Zane, until Zane gets better enough to run ahead of them again, until Wu is leading Kai to the monastery, where Kai, quite tiredly, questions, why Wu expects him to fight in a place of peace.

Wu corrects him: he's not fighting, he's TRAINING, and his first lesson is patience.

Wu commands Kai to sit tight and wait while he goes in to grab some things for him.

Kai watches him go inside and has a big brain moment: He turns his heel and spins, continuing until his body burns and he falls down.

Wu returns and shakes his head; LESSON. FAILED.

Kai asks how they're training, if there's nothing there and Wu reveals the training equipment. Kai will train alone in the beginning, and must complete the training course.

Kai gives it a go and gets beaten off by a spinning mini obstacle course.

Kai lies there and asks if this is the only way he can save Nya. Wu replies, beginning that he knows Kai is frustrated and just misses his sister, but must focus. Kai cuts him off and asks again if this is the only way to save Nya.

Wu sighs. Yes. This is the only feasible way Kai can save his sister. He knows because, once upon a time ago, he was Kai. He lost his brother, so he tried getting him back on nothing but his wits and whims. The world beat the EVER LOVING F*CK out of him for it. Wu needed a Wu in that moment of his life. He doesn't have a Wu. He has a Kai, and Kai needs a Wu, so he's got one.

Kai nods and gets back up, ready to try again. He has a question, though: how long does he have to complete the course?

Wu sits cross legged, places a cloth on his lap, and prepares and drinks some tea from a small cup.

Kai's annoyed at this, because Wu did all that in a matter of seconds, and asks how he knows Kai can do all that in the same amount of time. He's a blacksmith, not a gymnast.

Wu picks up the tea, cup, and cloth, and states that Kai is his father's son, and Ray was a man who was nothing, but ambitious to accomplish his goals.

Kai asks if Wu really knew his father and Wu goes inside, telling Kai to keep practicing.

Kai only watches Wu leave and then looks around. TV perspective, we get Kai's perspective as he looks around. The training course and equipment is now bigger and there's more space between them. The only thing we hear is the wind and some bird song, but, out of the perspective, Kai tenses up and hugs himself. Cut to a bird's eye view of Kai in the monastery as he looks around, the empty space more than obvious when we see him on his own.

While still in this shot, we see a couple figures leap over the training equipment, all of them in black. Kai doesn't notice them, but the camera does, focusing on the two. One is much of built and muscular than the other, who is more expressive, giving Muscles a confused glance before turning back to Kai.

They observe the anxious Kai, who stands and does just about nothing until Wu returns.

We cut to this happening and Wu asks why Kai hasn't been training, seeing as he's hell bent on saving his sister.

Kai counters that he can't exactly train properly, if there's no one to give him pointers on what he could improve.

Wu is suspicious, but takes a seat anyway and tells Kai to practice.

Kai nods and takes a breath, running and leapong onto the obstacle course.

Which jumpcuts to him faceplanting on his new bed, fully clothed, bruised, and groaning from the massacre that was training.

Wu, standing at the door, remarks that tripping and getting swept up in the obstacles is not a massacre, but lets Kai be overdramatic just a little longer.

Kai sits up and asks if they're doing this again tomorrow.

Wu nods. They're doing this every day until Kai gets through the training course.

Kai sighs and nods, willing to training even though he's going to be hella sore tomorrow.

Wu commends him for getting here and at least doing training and lets him go to bed, so he can rest.

Once he's gone, Kai changes into some pajamas and lies down in his bed on his back, staring out the window. He then turns on to his back to stare better, and to just reflect.

This is the furthest he's been from home, and the longest he's been alone. And not having Nya with him isn't helping.

He hears the floorboards creak outside his door, and Kya jumps to his feet and throws the door open, looking into the hallway; "Nya!?"

Nope. No one's there, much to Kai's dismay, which we see clearly as he goes back to his room and gies to bed.

TV perspective, the camera pans away from Kai's door to the not-as-muscular ninja as he's on the ceiling, having wedged himself in a corner to avoid detection(so ninja).

We zoom/cut in on him as he's joined by Zane, who swings down to him, hanging upside down by his knees, and silently greets him.

Jay- if this was legit, we wouldn't know by now, but this is for simplicity sake, sorry- almost says, "Hi," but Zane shushes him and points to Kai's door.

Jay nods and Zane points down the hall and gestures, 'outside.'

Jay nods and we cut to Wu in his room, meditating as three figures surround him from behind and kneel down. Wu turns and faces them, greeting them with a head bow, which they return.

Wu asks for what they found and we cut to the Underworld, more specifically Nya being thrown to the ground with her hands tied behind her back as Samukai takes a knee, apologizing for his absence and tardiness to Lord Garmadon himself, who we and Nya see as the camera is panned up.

He's shrouded in smoke and darkness, the smoke because of some dying embers that act as an insense that make him strong, for magic BS reasons I can't come up with other than it just looks cool and would look cool.😅

Garmadon asks if Samukai was just wasting his time on tormenting people like Nya, who looks between them in fear.

Samukai denies wasting time, because he found the map for finding the four golden weapons.

Garmadon chuckles and commends him for finding the map, and then asks why the hell he's standing around and wasting his time, when he should be working and getting his ass and army to the surface, so he can find and retrieve the weapons.

Samukai reports his army got weekend whipped by Sensei Wu and his rag-tag team of ninja, which confuses Nya. Garmadon notices her confusion and politely commands she voice her thoughts, please and thank you.

Nya does so, saying that her brother said ninja weren't around anymore, not a group of them, at least.

Garmadon laughs and approaches and kneels down in front of Nya, telling her that if she's in the Underworld and seeing living skeletons, there are ninja left in the world, and she will bring them right to him.

Nya's confusion returns, along with some fear, and we cut to Kai as he trains, wearing a uniform provided by Wu.

He does well enough, but fails when he notices Zane agility his way to Wu and whisper something to him before leaving.

Kai asks who that was, but Wu tells him to be patient because, for now, that was no one of consequence and Kai will meet him later. Now, however, he'd better be focusing on training.

Kai does so, but in an awesome montage that shows him training and slowly realizing he's not alone, which we see when Jay hand springs behind Kai while Kai's brushing his hair, Cole meditates beside Wu while Kai trains, and, and this is going to freak people out, but trust me on this, Zane crawls across the ceiling as Kai sleeps, at least until Zane falls and Kai races out of bed to see what it is. He finds nothing, because Zane threw himself out the windkw and is caught by Cole, who gets him back inside.

After a week or so, in the early morning, Kai steps out to the training course with Wu next to him. Kai stands resolute, determined and focused before noticing Zane, Cole, and Jay take their places on different points of the roof, though Zane is next to Cole😉. Wu readies a cloth on his lap and barks for Kai to begin.

We see a split screen view as Kai races forward and Wu picks up his little teacup. Cole leans forward a little bit and Jay, who was sitting, hops into a crouch. Kai passes the first two obstacles with almost sheer ease before noticing Wu filling his cup. Thinking fast, he flips and throws a sword at Wu as he reaches the next obstacle. Wu ducks out of the way, which almost gives Jay, Cole, and Zane heart attacks. He's fine, which he shows by taking a sip of tea, but stops as he looks at and shakes his cup, like uppends it. Damn Kai, made him spill his tea😔. Speaking of Kai, he races through the last obstacle and practically launches himself beside Wu, picking up his tea kettle and offering a cup.

Wu stares up at Kai, impressed with him, and a little offended, because you don't touch Sensei Wu's tea, but holds up his cup.

Kai pours him some tea and takes a seat as Wu drinks, asking if this means he passed. Wu, not pausing from his tea, nods. Kai then asks, very excitedly if it also means they're going to save Nya. They lock eyes and Wu gives a, "Mm-mm." and finishes his tea.

Kai, thrown through a loop here, asks what they're doing then, what all that training was for, if it was nothing at all, but enjoyment for Wu, who tricked him into joining.

Wu picks up his cloth, cup, and tea, and explains he gave Kai a choice, and Kai chose the better of the two. He was not manipulated, at keast not in the way Kai thinks, which is, "if you want your sister back, come to my side, which is the dark side." The training wasn't for nothing, either. He's going to need it later.

Kai asks what that means, but Wu leaves, telling Kai to rest for the day, because he's earned it.

Kai gives a look of confusion and that fades/transitions to Kai in a bathroom as he brushes his teeth. He's worrying about Nya again, but he's also thinking about what Wu said, about how he needs his training. Kai wonders what he needs it for, and is too distracted to see Jay, Zane, and Cole sneak up behind him.

Kai finishes up his dental hygiene(keep those cavities away, Kai👍), and stares at himself in the mirror, mentally promising to save Nya, then notices too late that Jay is behind him.

ACTION TIME! Jay pounces and grabs onto Kai from behind with an arm and his neck. Kai tries shaking and throwing Jay off him, but ultimately does so by elbowing him in the ribs and face, which makes Jay let him go.

Before Kai can celebrate or ask who this guy is, he gets his legs swept out from under him by Cole, who also kicks him. Kai turns to fight him, but Cole is joined by Zane. All three glare at him and Kai glares back, readying himself for a fight.

Cut to Wu as he meditates and is in a state if hearing nothing but bird song, leaves ruffling, and wonderful outdoor noises. TV perspective, we stay focused on Wu as Kai is kicked into frame by Zane, who kips up to keep fighting.

Kai more or less pushes himself up and punches Zane away before shouting for Wu. Jay stops that with a tackle. Cole runs by, stops, but continues with Zane following.

Kai is quite literally thrown outside as Jay races around him, no cool visuals other than he's there one second and gone the next in a blur.

No time to worry about that because Cole leaps into the fray with Zane hopping off of any high place he can until he's in a battle stance next to Cole and Jay.

Kai backs up a little, but gives an, "AHA!" as he picks up and draws a katana.

The trio respond accordingly, Jay showing off his nun-chuck skills, Cole unsheathing and twirling a scythe before holding it out to Kai blade first, and Zane holding out his hands and "magic tricking" shurikens in between his fingers.

They all charge toward each other, Cole and Kai going at it for a bit before Kai pushes and kicks him away. Zane throws his shurikens at Kai, who deflects them with his katana, and Jay races forward, which leads Kai to have to ignore Zane for a bit to take care of him.

He dodges the nunchucks and grabs Jay, throwing him down and punching him hard in the face.

Cole spots this and literally throws Kai off of him.

"Enough!" Wu shouts.

All three stop, though Zane helps Jay to his feet and Kai sits up. The three bow and reply, "Yes, Sensei," like before, but this time Zane is completely silent.

Kai stands and asks if these three maniacs are Wu's students as well, and Wu nids, which leads Kai to kick himself.

Jay also has confusion: If Kai's this new kid Sensei told them about, then why didn't Wu tell them sooner? And why four, because last time he checked, there was always three in a group. When Jay starts stuttering and can't form words, Cole puts a hand on his shoulder and carlifies that they're all confused at the new arrival of a fourth ninja, seeing as the three are all close with one another already.

Wu grins and admits hes glad for the question and spinjitsus towards and past all of them, giving them plain gold emblems that are tied around their gis, though Kai gets his own now, too. They're all still in black, but that'll change, trust me. They also have their weapons, as well, so there's that.

And here, Wu introduces the ninja to Kai, and vice versa, and us the audience.

Muscles and strongest of the group, leader of the team, is Cole, who's as grounded and strong as stone. He's been training under Wu the longest and has since become his confidant and right hand; so if Wu's not around, Cole's in charge.

Speedy is Jay, who's as bright, as powerful, and as fast as a lightning strike. Jay removes his hood and first greets Kai and admits he's a little more than all that. He builds too, and dabbles in poetry, from time to time("But, OP, I thought you said Jay doesn't like reading?" I said from time to time, so don't worry about it), has tried and failed at cooking, but did fix the oven in the process, and lots of other things he's about to go into before Wu taps his staff against the ground to politely silence him.

Dropkick is Zane, whose as silent and dangerous as a winter's night. He's the most practically skilled, too, being able to cook, track, see the future, sort of, and be just about anywhere anytime. He's the newest after Kai, having been training for only a year under Wu's wing. And in that time, he's seldom spoken a word.

Kai asks if anything happened to make him mute and Jay stage whispers to him that 'seldom spoken' doesn't mean 'mute.'

Last, but not least, is Kai, who burns hot as a flame and just as quick to act.

With the meet and greet over, Wu gets to the point: Samukai and his army are on the move, and they need to act NOW because if that bonehead gets his hands on the weapon, there'll be hell to pay.

Kai asks about saving Nya, which gets Jay curious. Wu tells Kai to cool it because they'll save her soon enough, for now they need to catch up with Samukai.

Wu tells them all to go to sleep, so they're all rested for tomorrow, and retires for the night, leaving the boys alone.

Jay wonders if Wu was being serious about tomorrw, but Cole removes his hood and tells Jay not to worry. They've all fought the skeleton army before, so this will be a cake walk.

Zane and Jay exchange a galnce, Zane giving a shrug, and Jay asks if there are really dragons guarding the weapons, like Sensei said, correct him if he's wrong.

Cole shrugs it off. Kai asks if he's got a problem with dragons, but Cole simply says he has a team, a new kid, an army of bastard skellies, and four weapons on his plate, no room for dragons, thank you very much.

To change to subject, Jay inquires about who this Nya girl is, and Kai snarls that it's none of his business. Cole barks at Kai to be nice, because Wu never had to ask Kai to come along.

Kai sighs and states that if this is voing to help him save Nya, then so be it before he leaves to get some sleep.

The other three watch him go. Jay gives a, "huh," and wonders if this is an 'Orpheus and Eurydice' situation or if this is a family matter, but Cole tells both Zane and Jay to keep an eye on Kai; as much as he trusts Wu's judgement, he isn't ready to trust Kai, who's settling into bed.

The episode ends with match cuts of Kai in the monastery and Nya in the Underworld. Both are lying flat in a bed, but Kai is in his room while Nya is in a cell, guarded by a pair of skeletons.

[cutelittlestar]

Unconditional Love || Peter Parker x Reader

Pairing(s): Peter Parker x Reader, Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: While on a mission, you get exposed to an unknown substance, causing you to fall in love with the infamous soldier, Bucky Barnes. Peter, on the other hand, gets extremely jealous and angry, wishing that he was the one you fell in love with. 

Word Count: 5.9k

Warning(s): swearing, angst, fluff mentions of blood and pain, fem!reader, avengers!reader, physical fighting, sad petey :( 

A/N: I was hella bored, so I wrote this imagine for you guys. Hope you enjoy this story!

*gif is not mine

“Where are they?” Peter asked in a panic tone as he paced around the room, biting his fingernails. You and Bucky were sent on a mission a few hours ago, but both of you should’ve been back by now. As the sun was slowly disappearing, horrible scenarios started to develop in Peter’s mind, and he feared that something terrible happened to you or Bucky. What if you were hurt? What if you or Bucky couldn’t escape? What if you were captured? Peter thought to himself. For a short moment, Peter feared that you were killed, but he quickly got rid of the thought, not wanting to think of the dreadful possibility. Peter couldn’t lose you, not like this. Peter pulled his hair in frustration, hating that he couldn’t do anything but wait. You and Peter were friends since high school, and you were the best thing that happened to him; he didn’t want to live in a world without you, and his heart burned, hating that he couldn’t confess his deepest secret to you before you left. 

“You need to relax, Peter,” Steve stated, attempting to ease him; Peter was pacing around the room for what seemed like hours, but Steve couldn’t blame him, he had every right to be worried. However, Steve had to remain strong for the sake of his team. 

Peter quickly turned around, irritated that Steve and the others were sitting down and not expressing the same fear he had. “How can you remain calm?” Peter said in disbelief, growing hot by the second. Tony, Nat, Steve and the other briefly looked at one another, not knowing how to respond. While all of the Avengers feared that you and Bucky were in serious danger, both of you were well aware of the risks. Bucky and you knew that one day, you might not return, but it seemed as if Peter was ignoring that horrible scenario. 

“I’m scared too, Peter,” Steve continued, standing up and walking towards him. Steve grabbed Peter by the shoulder and reassuringly squeezed it, “-but we have to wait.”

“I can’t lose her,” Peter heartedly confessed, his voice cracking. “I need her. I can’t live without her because-,” Peter closed his mouth as he realized he almost confessed his true feelings towards you. Although the strong emotion was slowly destroying him from the inside, Peter remained quiet. 

However, Peter didn’t have to say anything else. “I know,” Steve softly whispered, knowing the exact reason Peter was so agitated; it was clear that Peter was deeply in love with you, and the mere thought of losing you was causing Peter to completely break down. 

Suddenly, the bright red alarm started to quickly flash in the room, disrupting Steve and Peter’s heartfelt conversation. Friday announced that you and Bucky had returned, but judging by the loud alarm and the distressed tone of Friday, it alerted the group that something was wrong. Within seconds, they all ran down the hallway and towards the door. Looking through the glass windows, Peter watched the quinjet shakily land and he immediately felt relieved, knowing that you were back. Unfortunately, that emotion rapidly disappeared as Peter watched a bloody and frail Bucky walk out of the quinjet with you in his arms, your body unresponsive. There were cuts and bruises scattered around Bucky’s face, his clothes were torn, and it looked as if he took a beating. Yet, Bucky’s main concern was you, and he continued to limp towards the group, hoping they could do more than he could. Bucky was on the brink of collapsing him and Peter wasted no time, running towards you as fast as he could. 

“What happened?!” Peter hastily asked, feeling his heart drop as he examined your body. You had the same, if not, worse injuries than Bucky, but Peter’s eyes immediately focused on the large gash across your stomach. 

“Am-ambush,” Bucky weakly answered. He attempted to explain more, but no words came out of his mouth; Bucky’s body shook with such intensity, but before he fell on the floor, Steve stepped in and held him by the shoulders. 

“Quickly, Peter,” Steve rushed out, “take Y/N to the emergency room.” Peter hastily took you away from Bucky’s arms and sped down the hallway, with Tony and Bruce right behind him. Kicking the door open, Peter laid you on the medical bed, stepping aside as Bruce began to work. Sweat was dripping down Peter’s face, and he tightly held onto your hand, tears streaming down his cheeks. 

“Please, Y/N.. please wake up,” Peter choked out, pushing your hair away from your face. Your eyes were closed but you softly let out a whimper once you heard Peter’s voice; your minor movement indicated to Peter, Bruce, and Tony that you were still alive. Peter let out a sigh of relief, placing a tender kiss on your forehead, but his heart continued to rapidly beat in his chest, unsure of what was to come next. Bruce grabbed the scissors and began to cut off your suit to further inspect the gash on your stomach. Once the fabric was removed, Bruce stopped moving, his eyes widening in the process as he stared at your stomach. Peter took note of Bruce’s sudden change of behavior, and Peter’s eyes landed on your wound once again, only this time, he felt his panic grow stronger. 

“What the hell is that?” Peter exasperated in shock and horror, unable to believe what he was seeing. Your stomach was covered in a layer of sweat, blood, and dirt, but instead of the injury gushing out blood, a thick concentration of pink substance was seeping out. Bruce and Tony glanced at each other but immediately continued to clean your injury. Peter closed his eyes and turned his head away as Bruce attempted to close your wound, and Peter held onto your hand tighter, rubbing his thumb across your delicate hand. 

You groaned in pain as you felt a needle prick your skin, but you patiently laid on the bed until Bruce was done bandaging your wounds. You felt someone tap your shoulder, and you slowly opened your eyes as you were met to face Bruce, Tony, and Peter. Your breathing becoming erratic as you were unable to find Bucky but Peter instantly grabbed your cheek, forcing you to look into his eyes. “It’s okay, Y/N, I’m right here. You’re going to be okay.” Tears were spilling down Peter’s cheeks, and your first instinct would’ve been to wipe his tears, but instead, you moved your face away from Peter’s touch and began to look around the room. 

“Wh-Where’s Bucky?” you inquired in a worried tone. Peter felt a lump form in his throat as you slipped away from his touch, but he disregarded his pain, knowing you were anxious for Bucky’s condition. 

Peter cleared his throat, “he’s with Steve right now.” Your breathing was becoming heavier by the second as you hated the idea of being away from him. 

“I need him here, please!” you shouted in pain and sadness, tears quickly forming in your eyes and sliding down your face as Bucky was no longer by your side. Peter watched as you screamed Bucky’s name, and within a second, Bucky came barging into the room. Bucky’s eyes hastily darted around the room until he met yours, and he sped towards you, placing his hand above your head; Peter felt his heart break as he watched you gravitate towards Bucky, and he felt an unsettling emotion grow in the pit of his stomach as he watched your hands land on Bucky’s chest. 

“I’m here, don’t worry,” Bucky reassured you, rubbing your head with one hand and holding your small hands with the other. Peter’s face fell as he continued to watch the intimate interaction, but nothing could’ve prepared him for your next words. 

“I love you, Bucky,” you admitted, causing everyone’s eyes to widen. Peter’s mouth opened in shock and tears began to fall; his heart utterly shattered into a million pieces as he watched your loving eyes stare into Bucky’s, but he failed to realize how Bucky didn’t reciprocate those emotions. Instead, Bucky froze, unable to believe your words. That couldn’t true, Bucky thought to himself. You once told him about your feelings towards Peter, there was no way in hell that you were in love with Bucky. 

“Uhh,” Bucky breathed out, attempting to step back, but you tightly held onto his fabric, refraining him from doing so. 

“It’s true,” you professed, “I can’t help it, Bucky. I’ve always loved you, and I want you to be mine forever.” Bucky felt his face turn red from embarrassment as he continued to stare into your eyes, but as you finished your sentence, he noticed something unfamiliar and unsettling. Your eyes weren’t your usual color; instead, Bucky noticed a faint hint of pink cloud around your pupil until it expanded and covered your irises, the color becoming brighter and impossible to not notice. 

While Bucky was examining your eyes, your hands sneakily snuck around Bucky’s neck; in a swift movement, you pulled him closer towards your body and placed a long, loving kiss onto his rough lips. Bucky eye’s widened in pure panic and shock as your lips collided with his, and he tightly grabbed you by the shoulders, disconnecting your lips and forcing you to lean back onto the pillow. You let out a giggle as you wrapped your hands around his waist and pulled him closer, placing your head against his chest. You turned your head, noticing how all eyes were on you and Bucky, but you didn’t seem to mind; Peter and the rest of the team felt as if the room was swirling and all of their mouths dropped to the floor, unable to believe what they saw. Despite everyone seeing you passionately kiss Bucky, they were more worried about how your eyes were a different shade of color and your flamboyant behavior with the soldier. Bruce quickly connected the dots, figuring out that the wound on your stomach, which oozed a strange pink substance, could explain why your eyes were a different color.

Peter felt his blood boil but also extreme sadness engulf him. He wanted nothing more than to land a hard blow on Bucky’s cheek, but he knew it would be wrong of him to unleash his anger onto Bucky for something he couldn’t prevent. However, something was very off, and it deeply displeased the team, especially Peter. Peter turned around to face Bruce and Tony, hoping they could explain what he had to witness. 

“What the hell just happened?” 

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

While you were resting in the emergency room, the rest of the team were patiently sitting in the conference room, thinking of possible explanations to your odd behavior. Peter angrily leaned against the chair, burning holes at Bucky. 

“Tell us what happened on the mission,” Steve said, glancing at Bucky, hoping that they could find the solution to their problem if they went over every detail of the mission. Bucky sat on the chair as Bruce bandaged the cuts around Bucky’s face and body; Bucky let out a sigh as he rubbed his forehead, feeling horrible for not being able to protect you nor having a proper explanation. He ignored Peter’s glare as he attempted to think of any specific information that could be relevant. 

“Everything was fine in the beginning,” Bucky affirmed, “but then as we were about to leave the compound, we got ambushed by Hydra soldiers. Y/N and I were fighting the men until one of the bastards cut her with a dagger.” Tony nodded his head, listening to the words of the winter soldier. 

“Was there anything on the blade? A weird substance?” Tony asked.

Bucky shook his head, not recalling anything on the blade. “I didn’t see anything on it, but the minute they hurt her, they retreated back to their base. I carried her back to the jet and she immediately passed out when we left.” 

Natasha directed her attention away from Bucky to Thor, hoping the Asgardian God of Thunder could provide more about this strange topic. “Thor, is there anything that you know about magic that could explain Y/N’s weird fixation on Bucky?” Thor leaned against his chair, taking a second to think of any possible supernatural explanations. 

“Actually,” Thor announced, gaining the attention of the team, “there is.” Peter felt an intense flood of relief wash over him, glad that there was a reason that you fell in love with Bucky. It’s not real, Peter reassured to himself, you’re not really in love with Bucky. 

“It seems as if Y/N was put under a love spell. Judging by the pink substance that was coming out of her wound and her eyes turning into a bright pink color, the person behind this has to be doing supernatural or witchery activity. Bucky is the first person she saw, which explains why she’s deeply in love with him.” 

“A love spell. There has to be a cure, right?” Nat further asked, hoping they could quickly resolve the issue. She knew how much this was hurting Peter the most; although the affection you were showing to Bucky was not real love, Nat saw how much it broke Peter’s heart. She was willing to do anything to get you back to normal. 

“There is. But, we don’t know the spell, so there’s no way we can reverse it. In order to get her back to normal, we need to find whoever put this spell on her,” Thor disclosed. 

“Then the viable solution is to head back to the compound and find the person,” Peter suggested to the team, his eyes desperately pleading. The team was silent as they stared at Peter, but before Peter could say his idea, Bucky interrupted him.

“I doubt the Hydra soldiers are still there. They’re long gone by now.” 

“Then what the hell do you suggest!?” Peter angrily countered, slamming his hands on the table in frustration. Peter closed his eyes and tried to think of something positive, but the image of you kissing Bucky fueled his anger. Peter let out a sigh, removing his hands off the table, softly apologizing for his sudden outburst. 

“We’ll find them,” Steve remarked, assuring Peter that they’ll bring you back to your usual self, “in the meantime-” the sound of the doorknob wiggling caught Steve’s attention, and he stopped talking as he watched you enter the room. Peter quickly stood up, wondering why you were walking despite your conditions. 

“What are you doing Y/N? You need to be resting,” Peter stated in a worried tone, walking towards you; your eyes were still a bright pink color, and all Peter wanted was for you to get a proper night’s rest. 

“What do you mean? I’m fine, see?” you lifted the shirt, revealing to Peter and the team that you weren’t hurt nor in extreme pain. The gash was gone, but Peter was still anxious, not knowing the effects of the love spell. As Peter tried to force you out of the room, you stepped away from him. You ignored his protests and began to scan around the room until you found the person you were looking for. You brightly beamed as your eyes landed on Bucky, and you pranced towards him, pushing Bruce to the side and sitting on Bucky’s lap. You began to place kisses on Bucky’s cheek, despite Bucky trying his hardest to push you away without hurting you. 

“There you are,” you said in between kisses, wrapping your arms around Bucky’s neck. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, sweetie. Did you know I love you? because I do,” you continued to ramble on, playing with the hair strands that fell onto his face. 

“Please stop,” Bucky groaned, hating every second of your affection, but you pretended to not hear his comment. All eyes were on Peter as he stood by the door, his fist clenched by his sides. He absolutely hated every second of it, but there was nothing he could do. Until they found the person who cast the spell, Peter would have to deal with your hectic yet romantic remarks and actions. He hated Bucky so much as this moment, but at the same time, he was envious, wishing that he could take Bucky’s spot. Once again, Peter felt his eyes water, but he wiped his tears and cleared his throat. A melancholic expression was embedded on his face, but before Tony could comfort him, Peter turned around. 

“Let me know when you reverse the spell. I’ll be in my room,” Peter sadly confessed, walking out of the room and slamming the door shut. 

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

As days went by, Peter’s attempts to stay in his room until you were back to normal was futile due to the fact that Bruce and Tony desperately needed him. The rest of the team went on various missions in attempts to find the culprit, but they always showed up empty-handed. Therefore, as they continued searching, Bruce and Tony decided to stay in the lab to see if they can create a reversible cure, and Peter was another great mind that can help them during the process. However, Peter was not fond of it. This meant that he would be out of his room, and there would be a higher probability of seeing you with Bucky. Although it already hurt Peter enough since he constantly thought about the various types of affections you were giving to Bucky, his room was like a shield, and it protected him from reality. On the other hand. Peter was glad that he was working with two great scientists; hopefully, their chances of finding the cure would be far greater.

One day, after hours of trying to find a solution and failing miserably, Tony thought it was best to take a break. “Hey, kiddo, how about you relax and eat something in the kitchen? I’ll be there to join you soon.” Although Peter wanted nothing more than to go back to his room, he didn’t want to say no to Tony, so he begrudgingly nodded his head and headed towards the kitchen, hoping he wouldn’t bump into you nor Bucky. As usual, he was wrong. Once he entered the kitchen, he saw you digging through the cabinets, observing as you took out the cake mix and a tray.

“Oh, hey Pete,” you greeted, setting down the objects on the table. You gave him a smile, to which Peter softly returned, but Peter looked around, baffled that Bucky wasn’t there with you. 

“Where’s Bucky?” Peter wondered, but his voice was seeping with rage and jealously. He knew it was childish of him to speak like that, but he couldn’t control his anger. 

You ignored Peter’s rude tone, “in his room. Do you want to bake a cake with me?” Peter weirdly eyed you, confused as to why you weren’t chasing after Bucky, but he decided to disregard it. If this meant that he could spend any time with you without Bucky getting in the way, then Peter would happily accept. Peter felt his stomach twist with happiness, and he gleefully nodded his head. 

“Of course.” 

And for a moment, it felt like everything was back to normal. Despite your eyes being a different color, you were acting like your usual self. You were playfully joking around with Peter, you were jamming to your favorite songs, and you were dancing around the kitchen, with Peter following your movements. It was the little things like these that made Peter realize why he was so in love with you. The energy you brought to the room instantly made Peter’s day better, despite the adversity he faced. While a part of him regrets not having the courage to confess his real feelings sooner, being here with you eased the pain. After you carefully covered the strawberry cake with frosting, you leaned back, a satisfactory grin plastered on your face. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” 

Peter admiringly stared at your face but turned his attention away from you to the cake. “It really is.” 

“Wait!” you gasped, turning around to face him. You roughly grabbed him by the shoulders, bringing him closer until he was inches away from your face. Peter felt his face get redder by the minute as you proudly smiled at him. “We forgot something!” Peter opened his mouth but you already began digging through the drawers, searching for something. “Aha!” you exclaimed in delight, holding up a red decorating pen. You quickly took off the cap and began to carefully write on the cake, and Peter felt his heart warm as he watched you bite your lip in concentration. As Peter moved to the side to get a better view of what you were writing, his smile immediately dropped as he read the phrase over and over again in his head. 

I love you, Bucky

You placed the cap back onto the pen, setting it to the side and turning to look at Peter. Within an instance, you engulfed him in a tight hug, squeezing him as hard as you can, but Peter stood still, unable to speak nor move. You broke away from the hug, grinning at Peter. “Thanks for helping me make this cake for Bucky! I’ll make sure to tell him you helped me.”  

No matter how many times Peter tried to convince himself that you didn’t mean those words, it felt impossible. Watching you be in love with Bucky shattered Peter’s hopes and dream, but he forced himself to smile, not wanting to ruin your gleeful attitude. “Of course, Y/N. Happy to help.” You gave him another smile before turning your attention to the cake, prudently picking it up, planning on delivering it to Bucky’s room. 

“I’ll make sure to save you a slice,” you promised Peter before saying goodbye and walking out of the kitchen. Peter stood in the middle of the room, his smile quickly disappearing once you were far away. A lump formed in his throat, and although Peter tried his hardest to swallow it, the lump remained lodged, stubbornly rooting itself in his mouth. Just as Tony finally appeared in the kitchen, Peter stormed out, hastily walking towards his room with a distressed expression on his face. 

Unfortunately, this wouldn’t be the last interaction he had with you or Bucky. Instead, Peter had to endure various incidences, and every time, he had to swallow his anger and pretend nothing was wrong. He would try to focus on anything that could distract him, but it wouldn’t keep him engaged for long. Every now and then, his eyes would land on you, and it felt like someone was digging a knife in his chest. Whenever Bucky was in the living room sitting on the couch, you would be pressed up against him, your head laying on his chest. Whenever Bucky was in the kitchen or the dining room, you would always sit next to him and hold his hand. You followed Bucky around like a lost puppy, and it was torture for Peter. All of the things you used to do with Peter were no longer happening anymore, and it made things worse for him. Now, he was utterly alone, and although the rest of the team would try to include Peter in their activities, Peter would always decline. Moreover, Peter hated how bright and beautiful your smile was because he wasn’t the reason for it. Peter hated how you looked untroubled and delighted whenever Bucky was by your side. Most of all, Peter absolutely loathed how much Bucky looks unbothered by your undying love for him; Peter noticed the way Bucky would return those smiles, or how he would hug you tighter whenever you laid on his chest, or how he didn’t seem to mind your touches; it absolutely enraged him because Bucky didn’t love you the way Peter did, nor will he ever. 

Days turned into weeks, and Peter finally lost his patience. After numerous times of either walking out of the room or remaining quiet, Peter couldn’t take it any longer. Now, Peter stood in front of Bucky’s room and was harshly knocking on his door, ready to confess his true emotions to let Bucky know how much this was destroying him. 

“Open up, Bucky! We need to talk,” Peter roughly shouted, growing angrier by the second as Bucky didn’t answer the door. “I know you’re in there!” There was another moment of silence, but Peter could clearly hear Bucky shuffling inside the room. Without any hesitation, Peter grabbed the doorknob and twisted it, swinging the door open. As he entered the room, Peter stopped moving, his heart dropping into the pit of his stomach and his body shaking from immense rage at the sight in front of him. Bucky was dressed in nothing but his boxers, and Peter’s eyes flickered towards you, watching how you failed to cover your body with a towel. Peter’s breathing became erratic as he glared at Bucky.

“Peter,” Bucky panted, putting on a shirt and trying his best to distance himself from you, “I promise you, it’s not what it looks like.” 

“Not what it looks like?!” Peter shouted in rage and betrayal. “It’s exactly what it looks like!” Tears started to pour down Peter’s face as he assumed the worst, but he quickly wiped the tears away. Pure hatred started to course throughout his body, taking complete control, and without a second thought, Peter charged at Bucky, grabbing him by the neck and slamming him against the wall. You let out a scream as you watched Bucky’s face turn red, but his attempts to push Peter away were useless. 

“You fucking asshole!” Peter roared at Bucky, tightening the grip he had on Bucky’s neck. “You think you can just manipulate Y/N like that? I’ll fucking kill you!” Within a second, Peter lifted Bucky up and tossed him across the room, his body hitting the wall; the amount of strength Peter used caused a huge crack to form on the wall, and Bucky doubled over, the impact catching him off guard. Bucky groaned in pain, but he, too, felt his anger become stronger as Peter attacked him without giving him a chance to speak. As Bucky attempted to stand back up, Peter fully charged at him, colliding with so much strength that they both managed to break the wall entirely. Due to his spider abilities, Peter was the first to stand up, and he roughly grabbed onto Bucky’s shirt. Peter curled his hand into a fist and aimed it at the bridge of Bucky’s nose. Blood splattered all over Bucky’s face and onto the floor, but Peter continued, landing punch after punch, despite your screams and sobs. Within moments, the team shows up to separate Peter and Bucky, and as Tony and Bruce grab Peter by the shoulder and successfully drag him away, Bucky manages to stand back up with the help of Sam and Tony. However, Bucky shakes off their grip and counters with an upward cut to Peter’s jaw, causing him to stagger backward and fall down. Peter angrily spits out blood, but before he could charge at Bucky again, Peter lays on the floor as he watches you gingerly hold onto Bucky’s face, delicately rubbing his jawline in attempts to calm him down. The mere sight of seeing you pick Bucky over Peter caused him to immediately break down; Peter’s lips trembled and a gut-wrenching sob tore through his chest once he realized what he’s done. 

“What the hell is wrong with the both of you?!” Steve furiously shouted. Peter looked away due to embarrassment and regret, and he slowly stood up, wiping the blood running down his mouth. Everyone’s eyes prudently observed Peter as they expected him to fight, but Peter’s eyes were filled to the brim with tears. Bucky felt immensely guilty for what happened, but he didn’t say a word either. 

“I’m sorry,” Peter whispered out, wiping his eyes to the point that they were red and swollen. “I’m so sorry,” Peter repeated before turning around and running down the hallway.  

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

A day after the incident between Peter and Bucky, the team finally managed to find the person who cast a spell on you, and within a few hours, the love spell was finally broken. However, Peter decided upon himself that what he did was unforgivable, and he didn’t deserve to see you. Peter let his rage and jealously take control of him, and he unleashed his pent up emotions onto Bucky. Peter didn’t deserve any love nor forgiveness; no matter how much it broke him because he couldn’t be near you, he also knew that it was a worthy punishment. He feared that you and the rest of the team couldn’t look at him the way you did before, and it absolutely terrified him. Peter pricked at the skin around his nails, completely unfazed as a long layer of skin was ripped from his ring finger, causing a small ounce of blood to seep out; Peter felt completely numb. This was his breaking point. Although the team tried numerous times to speak to Peter, he would either ignore their remarks or scream at them, telling them to leave him alone. 

However, you yearned to see Peter, despite what happened a day ago. You knew he was feeling extremely guilty, but all you wanted to do was be by his side and console him. Therefore, this was the reason you were standing in front of his door; you hesitantly knocked, listening to him slightly move but no response came out of him. You knocked again, putting a bit more force, causing Peter to rise from his bed; he didn’t want to yell at the person standing in front of the room, but he was already growing tired of explicitly telling the team that he wanted to be left alone. 

“I told you to leave me alone,” Peter spat as he came closer to the door and began to unlock it; Peter intentionally made sure every word reeked of frustration so the person got the gist that he wasn’t fooling around. As Peter grabbed the doorknob and slightly opened the door to personally confront the person, he felt his heart drop once he realized it was you who was standing in front of his door.

“Y/N?” Peter said in disbelief, completely taken aback; he thought you would want to be as far away from him, but yet, here you were. You sorrowfully stared at Peter, noticing how there were tear stains on his face; his eyes were completely red and swollen and you wanted to engulf him in a hug, but you were afraid that he would push you away. You gave him a soft smile, and you pulled your hair behind your ear. “Can I come in?” you gingerly asked him. Peter opened his mouth, but no words came out; instead, he nodded his head, opening his door and allowing you to come into his room.

Your eyes wandered around the room as you were unsure of how to start the conversation, but you looked into his eyes and gave him a half-hearted smile. Peter returned the simper before it quickly disappeared; his face distorted into one with fear and guilt. “How’s Bucky?” Peter managed to say. 

“A broken nose, but he’ll be alright,” you said, noticing how Peter flinched once you told him the truth. You gave him a reassuring smile, but you knew that what you were about to say next was going to make him feel horrible. You let out a sigh, hoping he wouldn’t beat himself up. “I know you think that Bucky was trying to take advantage of me, but that’s not what happened. It was the love spell’s fault, not Bucky’s; I snuck into his room while he was taking a shower, and I tried to seduce him, but he quickly turned me down, saying that it wasn’t the real me, just some chemical in my body that made me believe I was in love with him.” 

Peter opened his mouth but no words escaped. He heavily groaned as he walked towards the bed and sat down. You followed his movements, but you left an immense gap between you and him; you were still unsure of what he wanted, and you wanted to respect his boundaries. “Fuck, I look like a fucking idiot now.” There was a thick silence that engulfed the room, but you waited for Peter to continue, hoping that he would tell you more about how he felt. After a minute or so, Peter spoke out. “I didn’t mean to get so angry,” Peter confessed, a solemn look embedded in his facial features. The image of you on Bucky’s bed caused Peter to shake with rage, but then it quickly died down. “But, when I saw you in that bed... I just lashed out. I’m so sorry, for everything; I understand if you or the others don’t forgive me.” You sorrowfully watched Peter’s slouched body, and you took it as a cue to move closer towards Peter. You slowly grabbed his hands, causing him to flinch, but then he instantly relaxed. Although his reaction was capricious and terrifying to witness, you also believed that Peter knew what he did was unjustifiable. 

“It’s okay, Peter,” you conveyed, giving him a tight squeeze, “everyone knows you feel guilty, but you shouldn’t carry that guilt until the day you die. As long as you know that what you did wasn’t right, then the others will forgive you. We miss you, Peter. I miss you. A lot, actually.” Peter turned his head as he listened to your words, his heart warming as you tried to make him feel better. 

“I missed you too,” Peter revealed, earning a smile from you. 

“Can I tell you something?” you whispered, afraid that if you said it loud enough, you would regret opening your mouth. Peter nodded his head, leaning further into your touch. 

“Anything.” 

“I love you, Peter Parker. More than anything in this world, and I’m sorry that I waited so long to tell you this, but after everything that’s happened, I couldn’t hold it in,” you unveiled, feeling your face turn red as you watched Peter stare into your eyes. The silence that followed after caused your heart to beat faster, and you instantly regretted saying those three words to him. Just as you were about to stand up and take back your confession, Peter slowly reached his hands out and gingerly placed them onto your face. 

“I love you too, Y/N, and my love is unconditional,” Peter revealed before pulling you in for a passionate kiss. Time stopped when your lips met his, and the feelings you had for Peter only intensified. Your heart pounded in your chest and you felt your body shake; the raw emotions in the way his fingers cradled your face only confirmed that his love was real. At that moment, every breath he took smelled like you, a coconut scent, and he adored every single millisecond. The warm feeling was inviting, and it caused you to pull him closer. 

You broke away from the kiss after a while and opened your eyes; it felt as if his lips were still on yours. Peter’s eyes brightened, and he pulled you into his arms, holding you, unable to believe the intimate moment you just shared. 

Finally, you stood up from the bed and grabbed Peter’s hand in the process, pulling him up. You gingerly held onto Peter’s face, placing a soft kiss onto his lips as his hands rested on your waist. You smiled into the kiss before breaking away, tugging Peter out of the room. “C’mon. Let’s make Bucky a ‘sorry I broke your nose’ cake.” 

[fairyoftbz]

[13:27]

🎄Day 1 of the Christmas project🎄

Last day of November. It felt like the entire world was hit by a tidal wave of cold, freezing everyone on its way. Wrapped in your coat, you were taking hurried baby steps on the slippery pavement, the only thing that you wanted was to go home and stay under a hot shower for the following hour. You were legitimately freezing, fingers almost going numb despite your thick gloves. It felt like the low temperature got more and more aggressive throughout the past years, despite your choice of warm clothes.

But, as you paced down towards the exit of the university perimeter to go to the nearest Starbucks to buy a coffee, you felt something hit you on the shoulder. It was swift, round, and cold.

A snowball, the puffiness of your winter jacket fortunately toning the impact down, because it landed on your shoulder with quite some strength.

Turning around, you see a bunch of students fooling around in the snow, two of them staring at you from afar. You relaxed a bit when you noticed their childish behaviour, shrugging it off as you continued on your way, knowing that it wasn't probably aimed at you. One was trying to hide behind his friend, probably the culprit. Thinking that he wasn't going to say anything, you just kept on walking, ready to accomplish your mission of getting a warm beverage before going home. However, the student took the responsibility upon himself and jogged towards you, a hand gently landing on your upper arm to stop you from walking away.

"Hey, um, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to aim at you. Did I hurt you?" You looked up and noticed a good-looking man in front of you, somewhat out of breath, the tip of his nose bright red because of the cold.  "It's fine, don't worry about it," you shrugged it off with a smile as the man in front of you worryingly looked at you because, well, he had some strength and threw a snowball at full speed directly towards you.

It was meant for his friend - Sunwoo - but the latter managed to dodge at last minute, avoiding the projectile which hit you. You were sure that you would have a small bruise from the shock tomorrow morning, but it didn't matter, it wasn't like you were clutching your shoulder, gasping for air.

"Are you sure you're not hurt?" he asked again as he gently wiped the remaining snow off your coat, a smile appearing on his face when he looked at you. His gesture felt comforting and reassuring. He was kind of cute, you weren't going to lie. He was pleasant to look at. "I'm just glad I had my coat on," you giggled at your words but immediately stopped as you saw that he was still being serious, "no but don't worry, I'm just more startled than hurt, you don't have to worry too much about it," you reassured him with a smile.  "Jae! Stop flirting and come back, we're leaving!" you heard a male voice coming from behind, followed by a few snickers from his other friends.  "I guess your friends are calling you," you vaguely gestured towards the other young men behind him. You were about to bid farewell to him when he gently grabbed your forearm, again. 

"They can wait. I don't mean to come off as a creep but... Do you think... I could get your number? I wanna apologise by offering you a cup of coffee some time." Now, his nose wasn't the only red thing, his cheeks were practically glowing like a red light. You were surprised that a man ever approached you like this, it was the first time, and you didn't know what to say or do. "O-Only if you want it, of course," He immediately added as he took your silence for a form of doubt and you blinked a few times as you tried to think of a negative point about giving him your number. What could go wrong?  "No, no, it's f-fine," you were stumbling on your words, something that Hyunjae found quite endearing, as well as your reddening cheeks.

He took his phone out of his coat pocket and handed it for you to enter your number. You took the device with shaky hands, not sure if it was due to the cold or the man in front of you. Maybe both. 

Probably both. 

As you handed him his phone back, your fingers accidentally brushed, sending electricity down your spine. This situation seemed so unreal, so scripted that you started to think that you were the main character in a cliché Christmas movie. The young, handsome man randomly meeting you, the tender looks, the flirting. Oh god, stop Y/N, you're starting to blush!

"Thanks... Y/N," he said as he read what you've just entered on his phone, your name rolled off his tongue very naturally. "I guess I'll see you around. And again, I'm very sorry for hurting you," you gave him a soft smile as you reassured him one last time before parting ways, your mind still clouded that a gorgeous person like him just bluntly asked for your number and flirted with you.

The following day after the incident, you found the time to have lunch together as a first date, to which you were quite nervous, and a bit taken off guard. Hyunjae seemed genuinely a sweet man when you texted him, his words considerate and attentive, making you laugh and blush at the same time. This motherfucker was good at flirting, damn.

You arrived at the coffee shop you had both agreed on going a few minutes before the hour given, and Hyunjae was already there. Hiding for a few seconds near the entrance, you made sure that your hair and your makeup still looked good as when you had gotten ready in the morning.  Greeting the barista with a smile, you immediately paced to Hyunjae's table, where he was waiting for you while checking his phone. 

"Hi!" you sweetly said, and he looked up, his face lighting up when your eyes met. He looked like a model with his black turtleneck and navy-blue darted trousers, you were relieved to see that you had both made an effort to dress appropriately for your first-time meeting.  "Hi, Y/N," he stood up and gave you a light hug before drawing out the chair for you. Your cheeks immediately went up in flames, not anticipating this act of chivalry from him.  "Thank you," you said as you comfortably sat in the chair, the waiter coming to take your order.  "I'll have the English brunch with a cappuccino please," you said, and Hyunjae placed his order as well.

The date went well, you couldn't be happier. He was the same as in his messages, sweet, gentle, and caring, that's all you needed to feel comfortable with a man. While you were waiting for your food, he had his arms crossed on the table, and his upper body slightly shifted forward, you knew that his attention was on you and only you.

"I-I think your phone is buzzing," you said as you stopped explaining something to him, your forefinger pointing at the vibrating device next to him.  "Doesn't matter, it can wait," he stated as he lowered the button of the side of the phone, making it immediately go silent.

Much to your relief, he wasn't the type that only talked about himself, he was also very attentive and didn't hesitate to ask about your centres of interests or the subjects of your major. He was a marketing student, and you were studying political sciences, so you still had some things to talk about even if it wasn't related to you or your private life. When you were both done eating, you had tried to pay the bill, but he just wouldn't let you. And since you didn't want to throw a tantrum in the middle of the coffee shop, you politely thanked him.

"You'll pay next time," he replied, shooting you a wink with a smile as he handed the waiter his credit card.  "N-next time ?!" your reaction wasn't long in coming, making your date chuckle as he got his card back, as well as a receipt.   "All right, let's go," he said, ignoring your widened eyes while you absentmindedly put on your coat, still dazed by the words that came out of his mouth a few seconds ago.

When you got out of the building, the cold was there to attack again, biting at any showing skin unprotected by an item of clothing. As you nested your nose in the side of your coat, you couldn't help but let your mind wander as you imagined how it would feel to be in his arms right now. Not knowing how or why he looked hella comfortable and warm to you. Your brain couldn't look at him without saying: a source of warmth. Must hug. Maybe it was his big, puffed coat and woollen scarf, you didn't know, but your body was ready to throw itself into his arms at any point. However, you had another idea, cuddling has to wait a bit.

What about payback? Mh?

You seized the opportunity that Hyunjae was distracted looking at the buildings around you to gather some snow in your bare hands, the contact of your skin with the white powder sending chills up your arms. Shaping the snow with your hands, you quickly managed to create a snowball, slightly hiding it as Hyunjae was sometimes looking at you with a smile. When he made the mistake to have his back turned to you while looking at the front of a shop, you aimed and threw the snowball at him.

The projectile surprised him as it landed in the middle of his back, making him turn around. His face showed nothing but surprise before turning into mischief as he glanced at you with a smirk.

"You think you can get away with this, uh?" he mumbled, loudly enough for you to hear as you started trotting away while giggling, gathering some snow on the way to make another ball, ready to defend yourself. "Come back here, little madam," your laughter increased in embarrassment at the pet name, feeling your cheeks lightly blush as you didn't think he'd ever say something like that.

You started having a snowball fight in the middle of the park, some adults looking at you either adoringly or weirdly, but you both didn't care. You were in your game, your bubble. For once, you couldn't care less about what the other people around you thought of you. Currently, having fun with your date was more important to you than anything else.

A few minutes later you stopped a bit out of breath, shivering as you chased each other for a while.

"Come on," he said while extending his hand towards you, "you look cold, let's get going."

He was right, your hands were turning red and numb since you didn't have any gloves on. You grabbed his hand, and he plunged them in his coat pocket, keeping you close to him. While you rode the bus on the way to your apartment, you sat next to each other and carried on with speaking, as if you were still on your date at the café.  You were hopeful that Hyunjae was feeling the same as you did, and the light he had in his eyes as he looked at you, as well as his actions completely erased your doubts. Your hands were trapped between his two gloved ones, sometimes blowing hot air on them, or vigorously rubbing them together to create some warmth. This kind of gesture had your heart racing, scared that he would hear it from your proximity.

When you both stepped out of the elevator to arrive at your door, you fumbled with your keys with your frozen fingers and unlocked your front door, not knowing how to part ways.

"D-do... you want a cup of coffee or s-something else?" you offered, but he shook his head with a smile.  "It's very sweet from you Y/N, but I have to attend a lecture in a few minutes," he said as he got closer to you, his warm hands cupping your cold face.  "Good luck, and thank you for this date," you hesitantly mumbled, and he smiled, kissing your forehead before taking a step back.

You almost collapsed at the display of affection and smiled as he walked back to the elevators, shooting you a wink before pressing the button to call it.

"I'll give you a call when I get back to my apartment," he said, and you nodded, waving at him as he stepped into the machine, "oh, and make sure to warm up your hands by drinking tea, it's important to keep yourself warm!" "I will. See you soon!" you said before locking your door, heart filled with feelings for the charming uni student that threw a snowball at you a few days ago.

[oohnoniall]

Hawk & Sparrow [Rowan Whitethorn x OC] - Chapter One.

WARNINGS; Fantasy violence, cursing, Mirima doesn’t have self-control and that leads to her burning out a Lot, Rowan avoiding his feelings, Mirima having no idea about her feelings, there’s a lot of feelings being avoided, power dynamics in the relationship.

Prologue.

        "Guard your left," his voice drilled into her very soul. Harsh, brutal, beautiful.

        Thirty years. Thirty miserable years of Rowan Whitethorn telling her that she wasn't good enough. Her control would never be what it should. She didn't have focus, didn't have the drive. He'd been trying to make her give up and go home since the day she had arrived. 

        All it had ever done was make Mirima go harder. She was stronger than she had been that day Maeve had found her. She didn't wobble when she used her power, didn't rely on surprise to vanquish her enemies. She couldn't surprise Rowan Whitethorn if she tried.

        Her blade came up to block his, guarding her left side as he had told her. 

        "Really, Whitethorn," she breathed out, sweat coating her brow. "You can't come up with something more imaginative? 'Guard your left'. Where's the drama? I'm missing out!"

        Rowan swung his blade towards her neck, Mirima quickly brought hers up to block it. She grinned at him, a feral thing with both of her elongated canines showing. 

        "Focus, Mirima." Rowan growled out, blocking her as she took the opportunity to attack his right side. "You keep that mouth and you'll lead an entire legion to their deaths."

        "Just because some of us can fight and compose poetry doesn't mean we're less focused," Mirima thought about pouting but figured that would send the wrong message. 

        A soft yelp did leave her lips as she jumped over his left leg. He was quick to use her jump to point his blade at the base of her throat. 

        "Dead." 

        Rowan lowered his blade, sheathing it as he stared straight at her. Her chest heaved, soft pants leaving her. Rowan never let up, never gave her a moment of peace. It was something that she had needed. 

        Mistward was different than Varnsway in every sense of the word. The quiet town was nothing like the fort. Messy, loud, full of those who couldn't wait to get to Doranelle or those who never would. She was one of those who needed to be trained first. Maeve did not need a hurricane set loose upon her city.

        But she was close. So close that she could taste it on the breeze. That elusive spot on the cadre would be hers. She would stand side-by-side with some of the greatest warriors that history had ever known. She would laugh with Fenrys, Gavriel would teach her how to heal. Rowan would be less of a stick in her ass.

        Not to mention getting to fight beside Lorcan Salvaterre. That thought kept her up late into the night, often filling her with shameless giggles that she struggled to keep hidden from Rowan during training the next morning.

        "You fight dirty," Mirima told him as she wiped the sweat from her brow. "You and I both know that I could've won had you not been a jackass."

        "The enemy will use whatever advantage they can," Rowan's voice was nearly dead as she wiped at the small dot of blood that had bloomed on her throat. "There is no such thing as fighting dirty on the killing field."

        "Oh so if I bite someone I will be seen as a hero?" Mirima's grin spread across her lips, lighting her face as though it had been hit by the first rays of summer.

        Rowan's scowl made the tattoo on his face scrunch in an awkward way. She knew better than to laugh. "No, you'll be put down."

        "You speak as though I'm an animal." 

        "If you go around biting people," Rowan shrugged just slightly as he looked at her. "You might be seen as one."

        "Don't be an ass, Whitethorn. It doesn't suit you," Mirima shot him a wink as she stretched out her arms. It didn't matter how many times she and Rowan worked, swordplay always made her sore. She was better with daggers and knives, better with her magic. Maybe a bow if she didn't have another choice.

        "Get back in position," Rowan sighed, pulling his white hair up into what could only be described as a messy bun. Mirima had learned the hard way not to tease him about it. Not unless she wanted to run until Luca was holding her hair while she vomited for the rest of the night. She shuddered at the mere thought.

        "How long are we going today?" Mirima questioned as she moved to get into their normal fighting stance. They worked more on hand-to-hand than they did on swordplay. If she could learn to control her breathing and her body, Rowan thought she'd be able to control the storm inside of her.

        "Another hour. I have business in Wendlyn."

        Rowan normally did not tell her so much. It made her curiosity flare.

        "You're not coming." He stated before she ever had a chance to open her mouth. "Now bring up your shield."

        "Rowan..." Mirima swallowed uncomfortably as she looked at him. "I ... I can't keep it up."

        "That's why it's called training, Mirima." The sardonic tone in his voice made her bristle. "Bring it up. I won't ask you again."

        Mirima stared at him for a moment before she gave a very subtle nod of her head. She took a deep breath, held it for a count of seven, and then exhaled for the same count. Slowly, water began to come up from the ground, forming what looked like an old wooden shield in front of her.

        The moment the shield had been created, Rowan came at her. He used his full force, never slowing as he brought his fists toward her body. The shield was supposed to be a way to anticipate his movements. She would block where she thought he was going. If the shield worked as it should, his fists or his feet would be repelled. 

        Most of the time, the shield was not solid enough for it to work.

        Mirima wore her bruises like battle scars. In some odd way, she was proud that she had survived each day of her training sessions with Rowan. Not many people would. She knew his techniques were brutal. That he would not stop until she was crying out for an end, or when he had to leave her.

        Rowan brought his knee up towards her sternum, Mirima blocked him with the shield of water. It held. He was knocked back a few feet.

        The smirk on his face told her that it was just the beginning. A wise woman would have fled in the other direction. Mirima was not a wise woman.

        "Come on, Whitethorn," she challenged with that feral grin. "Stop going easy on me."

        The challenge in the words brought a snarl from Rowan. She loved to make him angry, to see that animal nature come out of him during training. It meant she was a threat. Or at least that she was annoying. He rushed forward, lunging for her left side.

        She brought the shield down, ready to block his attack. 

        He feinted, jabbing his fist into her right underneath her rib cage. Her breath left her lungs, the pain bringing tears to her eyes.

        "Don't get cocky, Floros," he smirked at her. She wondered what it would be like when she one day wiped that smirk off of his face.

        Droplets of water fell from the shield, more began to run down her arm. She breathed in again, holding it and letting it go, praying that the shield would come back together.

        It didn't. One good hit and she was done for. One good hit and everything came crumbling.

        "I'm not cocky," she stated as the shield began to lose its solid form. She brought the water down on Rowan's head, watching as it exploded into a tiny rainstorm. "I'm good."

        Rowan scowled at her, water running down his face and soaking his hair. "How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?"

        "Twenty-eight? Not counting the first time." Mirima crossed her arms in front of her chest, moving to rest against the stump of a tree that one of her floods had broken. The flood had happened less than a month ago. The meadow was only just starting to go back to normal. 

        "Mirima," Rowan warned, his glare should have been enough to dry him off. "You need to begin taking this seriously. I'm meeting with Maeve in two days. Should she ask about your progress, I won't be able to tell her anything good."

        With just the word 'Maeve', Rowan could get Mirima to sober. She stilled, her arms falling to her side. Her eyes focused on him, on the water that was slowly dripping from his hair. She did not think about her own failings. How she could not control the hurricane that lived within her heart, nor how she could barely keep up during their drills in swordplay.

        She was getting better. But it was not good enough. Not yet.

        She had a long way to go before she ever became cadre worthy. She knew that, yet she would not accept it.

        "Can we go again?" Mirima asked, taking a few deep breaths to still her mind as he had taught her years before. She still remembered that first lesson.

        Rowan had been ruthless. He had put her through her paces, made her reach her limits and exceed them over and over again. She had thought about giving up that day, had thought that he was right. She wasn't cut out for this. She was nothing more than a girl in over her head. But she had stayed. She had done her damned best to prove him wrong every step of the way.

        She still felt like a girl who was in over her head.

        "No," Rowan shook his head, causing Mirima to scowl at him. "I need to leave. You'll be working with Fenyrs for the next few days. If he tells me you've given him any of the hellas you give me, you'll be running until your legs give out."

        "What happens if I give him a different type of hellas?" Mirima knew she shouldn't have said the words the second they came out of her mouth. She didn't like the look that crossed Rowan's face. Any trace of the handsome Fae prince was gone. Instead he looked like the killer she had always known him to be.

        "Then you'll wish Maeve never found you." 

        He turned his back to her, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Mirima watched the horizon for half an hour, just trying to keep from following after him. She knew for a fact that she would get in even more trouble if she followed after him.

        It had been a difficult lesson to learn. Mirima had trouble when she didn't know what was happening. It made her anxious, made her want to claw out of her own skin and release the hurricane that was constantly building inside of her. Rowan had made her shift time and time again to relieve the tension when he had learned of her restlessness. 

        Mirima still found it hard to stay still and silent. She found it hard to not rush after him when she wasn't allowed to. It took all of her resilience to keep herself from fleeing Mistward. That and the knowledge he would send her right back to Varnsway if she did. 

        "Mirima," Luca's voice pulled her from her thoughts. She hadn't noticed that she had walked back to the fort, her feet having listened to Rowan when her head had not. 

        "Hmm?" One of her brows cocked, her suntanned face looking over at the curly-haired boy. 

        "Emrys is about to lose it," he warned with a grin. "You're late for kitchen duties."

        "I am never late, Luca." Mirima scoffed, praying that he could not see the way she wanted to rush from the fort itself. Ride the winds and find Rowan before he did something stupid that might get himself killed. She knew he could keep himself safe but she didn't trust him to.

        How would she get into the cadre without him?

        Luca laughed brightly, taking Mirima by the arm and leading her towards the kitchens. It was a fairly normal occurrence. Since he had arrived, the pair had gotten close, mainly by making fun of Rowan Whitethorn at every turn. There was only so much scowling that they could handle.

        It was a miracle more people hadn't realized how easy it was to joke about Rowan in the silence of Mistward.

        The fort offered a sense of comfort to those inside of its walls. Even the restless souls of would-be soldiers could find solace in the stone building. Mistward was more of a home to her than Varnsway had ever been. 

        There were times when she missed the sea breeze, the scent of the salt on the air. When she missed sparing with her father, laughing merrily whenever she managed to block a blow or land one of her own. She missed climbing to the tops of the highest trees, watching as ships sailed into the harbors. But that had never been the type of life that she had wanted.

        Solitary. Confined. Alone.

        Mirima couldn't stand being alone.

        "There you are," Emrys' voice was warm, friendly even. She always felt more at ease in the kitchens. It was better than dealing with aggressive Demi-Fae males when she was cleaning rooms. "Do I need to speak to Whitethorn about keeping you too late?"

        "Whitethorn isn't going to be a thorn in our side," Mirima smirked as she washed her hands. "He's run off to Wendlyn for some mysterious reason."

        "I bet Maeve is finally declaring war," Luca piped up from his spot at the pantry. He was gathering the ingredients for dinner, whistling softly to himself as he did.

        "She can't!" Mirima cried out as she wiped her hands on a tea towel. "I haven't been let in yet. How can she hope to win a war without her greatest warrior?"

        "Oh yes, Mirima Floros the conquering hero," Luca stuck his tongue out, laying the ingredients down on the countertop.

        Mirima took up a position at the counter, taking a knife out of the great wooden block that Emrys' mate had carved for him. She twirled it between her fingers for a moment, a wordless threat to the young male who stood across from her. 

        "No one else could dare keep Whitethorn in check," she thought too much of herself. Anyone who listened to a word she said could tell. "We all know that I'm the only one who keeps him from growing stagnant."

        "Of course you are," it was Emrys who spoke this time. A smile crossed his features, making him appear like a kind grandfather from a mortal tale. "Little Bird, you would do well to remember that he's moved mountains. You're still struggling to move stones."

        It was Mirima's turn to stick her tongue out. Emrys laughed, filling the room with a vibrancy that she was sure would be a shade of the brightest yellow.

        "My shield is getting better each day and my swordplay is coming along," it wasn't. She was trying but Rowan was faster, stronger. She didn't have time to block and plot out his next move. She was certain he was trying to avoid her getting to that point.

        "You'll get there in time," Emrys assured her, stirring a pot filled with what smelled like Mirima's favorite stew. "You just need to be patient. Maeve will see you when the time comes."

        But Maeve had seen her. She had known what Mirima could do from the moment she had sat at her bedside. She was certain that was the only reason why Rowan had even been assigned to train her. A dream would come crashing down as soon as he returned from Doranelle. The hurricane had not been tamed. Doranelle would drown if Mirima ever stepped foot in the city. 

        Her stomach hurt at the thought.

        She said nothing to Emrys or Luca about her thoughts. She hadn't said a word about her feelings to Rowan either. She knew he would tell her it was a sign to give up. To make things easier on herself and go home, never to see his tattooed face again. She dreaded Rowan telling her that it was worthless. She dreaded knowing that there would be a time when Rowan lost faith in her. 

        She just hoped it happened after she lost faith in herself. 

        "Fuck," she cursed under her breath as she sliced her finger with the knife. Ruby red droplets of blood landed on the countertop, avoiding the vegetables by inches. She sucked the finger into her mouth, wincing at the coppery tang. She never should have been thinking about anything other than the knife in her hand. Rowan would have yelled at her for twenty minutes all the while patching up her finger.

        Rowan had a habit of making sure she regretted her mistakes while also taking care of whatever wounds she sustained. There had been many nights where he had sponged her forehead with cold water while reprimanding her for going too far. She wouldn't say she enjoyed those days, but they weren't the worst of her life.

        "Careful," was all Luca said. It was a far cry from what Rowan would have done. It almost made her miss him.

        The three finished cooking without any more injuries. She was able to eat quickly, wash up her dishes, and disappear into her bedroom.

        The room was on the third floor, high enough that she could see the horizon without too much obstruction. It was fairly basic. The same furniture that had been there when she had arrived. A single bed with a threadbare quilt that her mother had made for her, a washstand with porcelain basin and chipped pitcher, and a single oak wood desk that was now strewn with letters from home. A tapestry of Varnsway was hung above the window, blocking it so the sunrise did not wake her after a burnout. Different knives hung on the wall by her bed. Several had come from Rowan after good training days. Others were presents she had received during Yulemas celebrations.

        The room did not appear inviting, just basic. Bare. Almost cold. 

        Mirima thought it was perfect. It kept her from falling into a comfortable lifestyle. She was ready to leave at a second's notice, ready to run out and fight whoever she needed to. 

        She doubted she would ever want a stationary life. She had always dreamed of something ... More. Something grand. The cadre was her way to grand.

        Mirima sat on the cold stone floor, a sharp intake of breath at the feeling of the stone against her legs. The chill seeped through the worn leather of her pants. She would have to get rid of them at some point, but not yet. Not now. She'd wait until they had holes or one of the legs had fallen off at the knee.

        Soft breaths left the woman's throat, her legs crossing in front of her while her eyes fluttered to a gentle close. Breathing helped her to clear her mind, helped her to calm the storm that was warring inside of her. Even if it was not always the best method. She needed a chance to reflect on the day. On what she was going to do in the morning to prove herself.

        Mirima knew that proving herself would be more than a flashy shield made of water. It would be more than fabulous swordplay and witty banter. She did not quite know what it would take to be who Maeve wanted. To be who Rowan wanted. But she would find it at some point. She had to. Mirima did not know who she was. She did not know what she believed in, or if she believed in anything at all.

        All she had ever known was that she felt alive when she was using her magic. When she was in the midst of a fight it felt as though her blood was singing. She had always known that she was supposed to be a soldier. Someone who lived their life chasing that thrill, that singing of blood. 

        The closest she had ever been to a real battle was those raiders thirty years before. She didn't know if she had killed them. She didn't know if she had even stopped them. But that was the most alive she'd ever felt. Protecting the only home she'd ever known. Being the person she was certain she had to be. Mirima was still chasing that high again. She was chasing the feeling of being someone other than just a girl with magic that was too powerful. She wanted to be someone to look up to. Even if she knew it was a ridiculous goal.

        As Mirima opened her eyes, she felt a sense of calm wash over her. Fenrys had arrived at Mistward, his scent clear on the air. Tomorrow was a day of proving herself all over again. She was ready for it.

[snarkwriteswrasslin]

24.12, mistletoe, mjf

Title: Mistletoe Theme: Mistletoe Fandom / Character(s): MJF x OFC/Reader female Warnings: Alcohol tw. Also, probably hella fluffy. Teasing reader. Word Count: my guesstimate is roughly around 1.7k

So tonight is the finale. The final night for @champbucks​ 12 days of Christmas challenge. If you guys are reading this, Happy holidays. I chose to go with MJF tonight, because well... I love 1 goober with horrible fashion sense and a whiny fuckin voice upon occasion. 

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 “Oh c’mon, it’s tradition. You have to kiss the person standing under the mistletoe.” Jake Hager was staring me down, practically smirking because he assumed that it was a done deal. That I’d just cave in and kiss him. Just the thought of his mouth… anywhere near mine… It was enough to make bile rise to my throat. I stepped up a little, toying with the collar of his polo shirt. Playing into things, toying with him a little because I just couldn’t resist having some fun with his ego. Especially not after my own had been bruised not even an hour ago. After a second or two of toying with him, I gave a soft laugh and shook my head no as I told him calmly, “Never in a thousand lifetimes, Hager.” 

I rolled my eyes and shoved right past him, laughing to myself as I heard him calling out to me. I turned back only long enough to call out to him, “I’d kiss literally anyone but you under the mistletoe, you disgusting shitbag. Try again with some random because tonight is not that night and I am not that girl.”

I slid onto a barstool and pounded the top of the bar. “Hit me. Tequila.”

Britt’s gaze shifted to me and she sipped her own martini as she mused aloud, “Rough night?”

“Just go ahead and say it, Baker. I know you’re dying to say you told me so. Lesson learned. No more Tinder for me. Nope.”

“Were you really calling me from the bathroom of the restaurant?” Britt laughed and I flipped her off wordlessly, shotgunning the tequila as soon as it got sat down in front of me. Britt eyed the bottle and then shifted her gaze to me in warning. “Easy. You keep that up, you’re liable to wake up in bed with some random.”

“It’d be better than the fucking guy I just left. Do you know what he asked me, Britt?” I whined as I continued to drink. The tequila was burning it’s way down my throat and I could feel myself getting to that blissful warm and fuzzy beginning stage of a good buzz. I knew I needed to slow down, to pace myself, but at the same time, it had been one hell of a night.

“No, what?”

“ If I charged by the hour.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah. Then he proceeds to go on a five minute rant about how nobody finds their soulmate on Tinder and I’m sitting there like… But you… messaged me… On Tinder…” I tried to give the guy a fighting chance because he had like five wine glasses lining the space between us and I assumed he was nervous or whatever, but I couldn’t last more than twenty minutes. But he just kept talking. I had to lie and get up, go to the bathroom, then sneak out of there.”

Britt gave a quiet laugh and I stood just as one of my favorite songs started to play.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“The night is young. Gotta circulate.” I answered, turning back to grab my bottle of tequila and then walking away, shoving through a thick crowd, making a beeline for the dance floor, dancing my way out into the middle of it.

About halfway into the song playing, I felt a tap to my shoulder. Warm breath against my ear as Maxwell chuckled quietly, “I couldn’t help but overhear what you were saying to Hager on your way in, princess.”

I whirled around to face him, biting my lip when our eyes met. “And?”

“And, in case you haven’t noticed, you’re standing right under mistletoe. Right now.” Maxwell tilted his head, glancing up at the disco ball suspended by a chain from the ceiling. And on that chain?

More mistletoe.

I gave a soft giggle and shrugged. “Depends on who’s asking. But Maxwell?” I stepped away from him, smirking as I did so, my fingers tangling in my hair. I stared him down intently, waiting to see if he’d take the bait and play my little game.

“Yeah, princess?” Maxwell was stepping closer all over again. I stepped back a little more, putting space between us. Apparently, this didn’t suit him, because no sooner had I done that than he was stepping close all over again, a hand at my hip this time.

Like he thought that might stop me if I decided to just walk away.

The thought had me giving a soft laugh as it crossed my mind. I almost did it, just to see if he’d actually follow me around. I doubted he would, but still, drunken curiosity is one hell of a drug.

I decided against doing it because I’d already had my fill of disappointment for one night. I tilted my head slightly, locking eyes with him again. A teasing grin played at my lips as I tapped my foot impatiently.

“Do it. I dare you.”

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. A brow raised and he asked, “This is a joke, right?”

I shrugged and with a smirk, I answered, “I double dare you, Maxwell..”. He took a few steps closer, closing the distance between us again. My back met the wall with a soft smack and I sucked in a sharp breath, raising to my tiptoe, grabbing hold of his tie as I whispered into his ear, “I triple dare you.”

I lowered myself back down and stepped away, turning my back to him. I was about to walk away, figuring that he wasn’t going to do anything, and just as I did, he caught up to me, spinning me around and practically catapulting me against him in the process.

“So you’re just gonna walk away? Not give me time to make my move? Now that’s not playing fair, princess.” Maxwell pouted.

“Either you’re going to kiss me or you’re not, Max.”

“It’s Maxwell.”

“It’s whatever I feel like calling you.” I quipped, smirking a little. Stepping just a little closer. Staring up at him with my head tilted slightly. I saw the exact second that his eyes left mine and settled on my mouth. He stepped closer, pulling me completely against him.

Wait a minute, is my heart pounding a little right now?

I barely had time to process that because he was lifting me off my feet slightly, thick fingertips digging into my body as he slid me up into his arms. If I thought my heart was pounding before, it was definitely pounding now.

He pulled his face away and chuckled. “The look on your face right now.”

“Is what?” I asked, licking my lips. My eyes darted away from his, settling on his lips. When he leaned his face in closer to mine again and his mouth brushed my lips when he muttered quietly, “Priceless. I haven’t ever actually seen you caught off guard. Until now.”

“Yeah, well.. Don’t get used to it, either.” I mumbled against his mouth, daring to nip at his lower lip, tug it just a little. His grip on me tightened and I squeezed his hips with my thighs to keep myself up.

“Merry Christmas to me, huh?” he chuckled quietly, his mouth brushing against mine just barely. Enough to send a shiver racing through my body and have my fingertips digging into his shoulder, squeezing. He groaned quietly, especially when my fingers left his shoulders and dragged through his hair, tugging a little as I inched my lips so that they rested right against his and mumbled with a bold giggle, “I guess if I want something, I’m going to have to take it.”

“Take it, huh? I like it.” Maxwell muttered, his tone dazed as his eyes locked on me. I trailed my tongue over the outline of his lips and when they parted, I slipped my tongue past, tangling with his tongue, battling for control of the kiss. His fingertips dug into my body, squeezing and he laughed into the kiss, especially when he took total control and I whimpered, melting against him just a little. The kiss broke and he rested his forehead against mine.

“I could get used to this. I’ve always kinda liked challenges.” he muttered into my mouth, pulling me into another deep and slow kiss….

[thephantomofthe-internet]

The Battle of Troy

Steve Harrington x Reader

Word Count: 5,817

Warnings: Swearing, violence, fighting

Author’s Note: I’m hella sick and in need of some sort of pick me up so here ya go! Does anyone still like Steve Harrington?

Tag List: @carolimedanvers @moonstruckhargrove @casaharrington @thechickvic @balladblood @alex--awesome--22 @so-not-hotmess @lilmissperfectlyimperfect @hipsmcgee @ashecilev

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“Tell me why I don’t like Mondays, tell me why I don’t like Mondays, tell me why I don’t like Mondays; I wanna shoot the whole day down…”

You’d turned your car radio up, still parked outside Hawkins High School, in the closest spot to the middle school across the field. You’d been waiting for almost half an hour and you’d taken to chewing angrily on a pencil. You’d run out of bubblegum fifteen minutes ago.

The Boomtown Rats hated Mondays. But you? You hated Wednesdays.

On Wednesdays, you had to pick up your half brother, Troy, from school. Every other day of the week, your mother picked him up and you went home or to your job at the Hawkins Public Library. But on Wednesdays your mother worked the afternoon shift at the beauty parlour. So you had to take up the role of taxi driver and chauffer him home.

The problem was that you absolutely hated that damn kid.

Troy was a monster. You swore that he was a psychopath. He was a dick to everyone and everything but the second anyone called him on it, then he cried crocodile tears to his mother who took his word as law and destroyed whoever Troy claimed hurt them. He was vile. When he broke his arm a year prior, you laughed. It helped that his story was insane, but your mother still took him to the police station and forced some poor officer to take down the wild story Troy told of Michael Wheeler’s cousin Ellen from Switzerland. According to the Wheelers, they had no family in Switzerland and no family visiting them at the time. The case was never pursued further and Troy was stuck with his arm in sling for his whole Christmas break. He got nothing that could be played with using one hand; it was all baseball equipment and Atari games he couldn’t play. You watched with a smirk as he sulked for the whole holiday.

But that was a year ago, now he was back with vengeance. And he was set to take it out on the foursome who tried to destroy him, in his eyes.

And now, he was late. You let out a dramatic sigh as the Boomtown Rats switched to White Snake and you popped open your driver’s side door. You intended to figure out where that kid was. It wasn’t that you had anywhere to be, not exactly, it was simply that he was wasting your time. All you wanted to do was go home and bask in the icy air of central cooling Dave had finally invested in. And Troy was ruining that.

You marched down the sloped hill of the browning field, dodging kids as they run off in various directions. In the centre, you saw an awful scene unfolding.

First, there was the terrible foursome your brother hated so much. You recognized Michael first, because you had met him and his mother during the investigation your mother insisted on. Then there was the kid they called ‘zombie boy’, on the grass, in the foetal position, cover his head in preparation for being pummelled. Then, there was Troy, straddling him, fists landing sharp jabs all over his body. Michael and his nameless friends were screaming and one of them, a goofy looking thing in a science themed tee shirt, was trying to pull Troy off by his shoulders.

And then, sprinting in like a golden retriever, came Steve god damn Harrington, in his awful sailor uniform from the new ice cream shop in the mall. Your friend Robin worked there too and you’d seen the pair of them serving the cold treat with a forced smile. Why on earth he was there, you had no idea. No seniors showed up during the last weeks of school, they all skipped right up until graduation. The only reason why you showed up was because you had to submit your photos to the yearbook committee, late as usual. The yearbook went out in a week, so naturally the whole photo team was pissed off at you.

You still had your Polaroid camera around neck, where it usually sat as you scanned your terrain for images you wanted to capture. In front of you stood a moment that needed to be captured. None of the group had noticed your presence, so you pulled it up to your eye and snapped a singular image. The sound of the click and bright flash brought most of the group’s eye to you. Unfortunately for him, it didn’t draw in Troy’s attention and you caught the perfectly blurry image of him beat the shit out of some innocent kid. You caught it before it hit the grass at your feet, shoving it into your back pocket.

Steve pulled the kid in the science shirt off Troy and grabbed him by the back of his shirt, lifting him off the zombie boy on the floor. You marched up to him, looking up at his annoyed looking face. It was almost cute, he looked like a little puppy dog.

“I can take it from here.” You said with a smile. Steve looked at you curiously, doing his best to hold his stern look. The smile turned into a scowl “Drop him.”

Steve did so easily, letting him hit the floor knees first. You pulled him up off the ground, squeezing his arm to keep him from turning on the guy. “You are going to get your ass in the car right now or I am going to kick your ass right here.” You whispered harshly, tightening your grip when he looked away.

“You don’t get to tell me what to do, I’ll tell mom that you hurt me.” Troy shot back.

You pulled out the picture, now almost developed, hold it up to his face. “You try anything and I’ll show mom this and explain why you made us late. Now,” you pulled the image high above his head “Get your ass in the car. Now.” You released his arm and Troy ran off like a shot towards the parking lot.

You turned your attention to the group. The little zombie boy was off the ground, grass stained and bruised. Science kid was arguing with Steve and Michael and company were looking over zombie boy.

“You alright?” you asked awkwardly. Four heads turned to look at you, each more judgemental than the last. You maintained your smile, keeping your focus on the beaten boy. He nodded shyly, looking away from you towards Michael, who stepped forward boldly. “Alright, he bugs you again; you come to me, okay? I’ll deal with him.” You said.

Michael looked you over curiously “Aren’t you his sister?” he said. It sounded more like an accusation than a simple question.

“Half-sister.” You shrugged. Michael nodded without another word and you took that as your cue to head back to your car. Troy was tugging violently on your door handle, trying to climb into the driver’s seat. You made your way over slowly, creeping up behind him and smacking him upside the head.

“Backseat, dumbass.” You grumbled. He stomped away and you started up the car. You had already decided that you weren’t going to bring this up to your mother, let him wet his pants over it for a few weeks. School was almost out and Troy was going to sleep away camp for the whole summer, a breath of fresh air for you.

You drove off fast, leaving Steve staring after your car. He’d never even seen you before, and you just saved one of his kids. But you were a hero to them now, in a small way, the grandest gesture he’d seen all day. Hawkins was full of selfish people who didn’t bat an eye at the suffering or problems of others around them. Nobody else tried to even stop that kid when he tackled poor Will to the ground, most of the kids passing looked over with vague surprise as they passed. Nobody seemed to notice or even think it was that interesting. But you? You handled it with grace and poise, camera at the ready, and no fear anywhere on your face.

You were fearless.

Not that Steve was afraid of a stupid kid, just the danger he provided for the kid.

He was ready to handle the situation with ease, but you strode in like Joan of freaking Arc, your hair shining in the afternoon sun like a halo, camera strung from your neck, guarding you like a shield. Your fists were clenched at your sides, but you went for the camera first. You were tactful, you thought quickly, and harmed only those who had earned it. You were just…cool.

Steve made up his mind to thank you properly in that moment.

He just didn’t think it would take all summer.

It turned out there was a reason he could never find you, you were practically an enigma. You seemed to have no close friends in school, you had shared no classes, and he couldn’t find you in his yearbook. You were a ghost. He spent the whole graduation ceremony on edge, hoping that you were a senior so that he could at least get a name. Dustin and his friends had no idea what Troy’s last name was and they weren’t willing to risk their safety to help him. So Steve was on his own.

Luckily, you were a senior. He nearly jumped out of his seat when he saw you take the stage and heard the announcer call your name. There you were, shrouded in a golden glow, smiling as you took the rolled diploma from the principle’s hand. You looked heavenly, tall and proud and golden in the sunlight. So you had a name. Cross checking with his yearbook, you had a missing photo symbol instead of a picture. It almost made sense.

Now he had a name, all he needed to do was figure out how to find you. Of course, he found your phone number in the Yellow Pages, but just calling would be creepy. So he decided to set out and find you. He worked at the mall, it shouldn’t be impossible to find you.

Except it wasn’t.

You didn’t spend much time at the new Starcourt Mall, you didn’t have the time. You spent every day in the library, working. You switched to full time pretty much immediately after graduation, since Stella MacLeod had left to marry some guy in Appleton and they needed another full timer. You liked the peace and quiet of the library, where nobody bothered you unless they wanted to know where the bathroom was. You especially loved running the children’s story time, purely because they were a captive audience and it made the library quiet for awhile.

But did Steve realize that? No. He had a one track mind, driven to complete one task at a time. He was certain he’d find you at the mall. He asked every teenage employee in the whole mall if you worked there. And no dice, you were still MIA. He took to just watching out the big bay windows of the shop, hoping to see you pass by. He’d dropped so many ice cream cones thinking he saw you pass by. But it was never you.

Unbeknownst to him, Dustin knew exactly where you were. He was gone for all of June, sent to sleep away science camp by his mother, but when he came back he dragged his ass to the library. He was still certain he’d discovered a new species of lizard and needed to do his proper research to write his scientific thesis on the merits of the demo-dogs, trying to remember everything he could about Dart.

You dealt with that kid every damn day. He was a very funny nuisance to your work. He pestered you with questions about writing the second he realized that the grey moleskin you had on the desk everyday was not a journal but a novel in the making. It didn’t matter to him that you were more versed in fantasy than academic papers, he wanted every ounce of knowledge you had. You’d sat with him on several afternoons, reading and editing with a red ballpoint pen, circling and scribbling out every error he made. It could a good portion of July, but by the end of it he made a pretty great paper to deliver to Mr. Clarke for approval and assistance in submitting to some sort of academic magazine.

There was one problem though. His overdue books.

Every day he came in, you had to try to stop him and yell at him about his monstrous late fees on five books he took out in November. They were mounting on a forty dollar late fee now and you were under immense pressure from your manager, Darlene, to get the books back. She’d seen how the kid had taken to you and decided that you could handle getting the missing materials back. It was a lot of pressure, especially because no one was exactly looking to take out the books. You knew it was because the books were expensive and the library was underfunded and needed to keep every book it had in good condition in the library.

And Dustin was messing that up.

You had the afternoon to close shift that insanely hot Friday in July and the library was open late. Of course, you liked the closing shift since the library was pretty much empty and you could be as loud as you wanted.

As you came in, Dustin was rushing out, backpack falling off his shoulder and hair barely contained by his red, white, and navy blue baseball cap. You grabbed his arm with a cunning smirk “Henderson!” you grinned, spinning him back to you.

“What’s up, Y/N? I gotta run Mr. Clarke says that I have a reply on my paper!” he replied, grinning his toothy grin.

“When am I getting these books back, you’re getting me in shit with management.” You replied, letting his arm go and crossing yours over your chest.

“Look, I’ll bring them back tonight, okay? Lemme just get this paper approved somewhere.” Dustin promised and you nodded. Did you trust him to come back with those books? No, but you had all summer to get them back.

You and Dustin went your separate ways: him to the middle school, you behind the desk to start your long shift.

Dustin, after receiving his letter and a pat on the back from Mr. Clarke, headed off to the mall to sit in Scoops and eat free ice cream at the counter. Steve was the only person he could celebrate his success with, since the rest of his friends had gone off and gotten girlfriends, except for Will, who still clung onto them as his primary source of camaraderie. Dustin had Steve and Robin, and strangely Erika Sinclair, whose little friends had started following him around and he’d taken a sort of liking to them and their sassy attitudes. And he had you, to teach him weird literary devices and suggest him novels to fuel his DnD games. He liked you. He was sure he recognized you from somewhere, but he couldn’t place where.

When he arrived at the mall and Scoops, Robin was on cash duty, with Steve standing over the freezer filled with tubs of ice cream, staring wistfully out into the mall, eyes scanning the room for something or someone.

“What’s up little dude?” Robin asked, wiping her hands on the tiny white apron provided as part of her uniform. The shop was dead, despite it being a Friday, which was a rare treat for the employees of the usually busy shop.

“Nothing much, finally heard back from Science Quarterly.” He replied with a shrug, pulling out the red stool and climbing up easily.

“What’s wrong with him?” he gestured to Steve, who hadn’t even acknowledged him yet.

“He’s still looking for that girl.” Robin shrugged, walking over to scoop some of Dustin’s favourite bubblegum ice cream into a basic cone, so he could eat all the evidence of the missing ice cream.

“Oh yeah, what’s her name again?” Dustin asked, gladly taking the free cone and biting directly into the freezing pink and blue treat.

“Y/N…” Steve sighed bitterly “I’ve been looking for her all summer, remember? The girl who helped out Will.”

“Oh, you mean the one that works at the library?” Dustin asked, his mouthful of ice cream muffling his words. Steve whipped his head around, looking Dustin up and down with fiery eyes.

“You know where she is?” Steve asked slowly, stepping closer to Dustin, sheer rage flashing over his expression.

Dustin simply rolled his eyes “Yeah man, she’s not exactly hard to find.” He replied, licking up a long line of melted ice cream from his hand up to the top of the cone.

“She’s worked there since sophomore year, if I had known you were looking for her, I would’ve told you weeks ago, dude.” Robin added with a small shrug.

“I’m going back later if you wanna come along.” Dustin said to the pair.

“We’ll go at the end of my shift, asshole. And you’re gonna tell me everything you know about her.” Steve grumbled bitterly.

Robin raised an eyebrow quizzically, looking between the two boys. When Steve headed into the back, Robin turned her attention to Dustin.

“So, what’s his deal? Why all the interest in Y/N?” she asked, leaning her weight on her elbows, propping herself up on the counter.

“I don’t know man, she like…helped Will right before school ended, stopped this asshole from beating him up, and Steve’s been weird about it ever since. I think he’s got this like...thing about her. I don’t get it, but he’s been searching for her all summer.” He explained, hands turning sticky from his forgotten ice cream. Robin reached for the napkin dispenser, pulling out a wad and handing them to him with a grimace. Watching Dustin eat was nauseating-he didn’t know how to eat anything without making a mess of himself and anything he touched.

Robin nodded, pursing her lips in thought “Reverse Nightingale Syndrome…” she muttered to herself.

“What?”

“Reverse Nightingale Syndrome, it’s when a patient falls in love with their nurse because of the kindness and personal care they give them. In this case it’s when our lonely friend falls head over heels for the girl who saved one of his friends. It won’t last.” Robin explained cockily, unable to hide the pride in her voice, finally getting to explain something to the wiseass kid who insisted on explaining everything to her.

“He isn’t…he’s not into her. He just wants to…thank her. I think. I don’t know what he wants to do anymore but it’s not date her. He doesn’t know her.” Dustin replied, tossing his half-eaten ice cream in the built in trash can in the centre of the counter. Robin hummed in response, not believing him for a second. Dustin opened his mouth to respond, but a large group of preteens rushed the shop and Robin turned her full attention to the group with a forced smile.

The rest of the afternoon went about as well. The shop stayed busy long past Robin’s shift ending and customers had to be asked to leave when the shop was set to close, along with the rest of the mall. By the time Steve was done cleaning the shop and locking up, it was closer to eleven than it was to ten, the time he was supposed to be done at.

“Come on, Steve, we have to go! I’m gonna miss my curfew and you owe me a ride home.” Dustin said testily, crossing his arms over his chest, his letter still clutched in hand.

“We’re going to the library first.” Steve said tightly.

Across town, you were struggling to stay awake at the front desk. You never understood why the library stayed open this late, nobody came in after eight pm and while during the high school exam season the library would stay populated by the exhausted, drained students trying to get through school without slowly combusting. But you couldn’t pack it up yet, if Darlene found out that you’d closed early again, she’d fire you for sure. And since you liked your job, you wouldn’t push your luck.

But it was almost quarter to twelve; it wouldn’t hurt to start your cleanup, right? You didn’t think so, so you grabbed your cart and started your pickup of every book left behind by careless patrons. Then, once you’d re-shelved everything, you vacuumed the kid’s area and put all the plastic toys back into their primary coloured storage bins.

That took you right till five till twelve. You grabbed your keys and purse, throwing your moleskin into it, and made your way to the front doors.

Before you could shut off the lights, someone rushed the doors, scaring the absolute crap out of you. You let out a blood curdling scream, slamming the light switch to illuminate the library’s main entrance.

It was just Dustin. You clutched at your heart. “Jesus, kid, you scared the shit out of me. We’re literally closing in…” you checked your watch “A minute! You better have those books!”

“I do.” He pulled out the pile from his backpack and you grabbed them quickly, tossing them into grey rubber bin behind the desk. “I would’ve put them in the drop box, but it’s locked.” Dustin added as you wrote out a sticky note, telling the opening crew to check the books in.

“Yeah, Darlene probably locked it when she left, some assholes keep dropping random shit down it. Last week it was a stink bomb.” You explained, turning your attention back to the exit. Your eyes met Steve’s for the briefest of moments. They were prettier than you remembered. You looked away quickly.

“I see you brought your body guard today. Nice to see you, Harrington.” You said, readjusting your purse strap on the shoulder.

“Hey…” he replied awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. He mentally chastised himself for being so awkward; it felt like his mouth had turned into a desert and his mind had gone even blanker than usual.

“Well, I think we’re good. Now, get out of my library, I wanna go home.” You chuckled, making your way to the front doors again, gesturing with a flick of your wrist for Steve to walk out. It was as though you’d used the force on him, he’d moved so quickly, so fearfully, and so jerkily out the door you could have sworn you’d moved him with your mind. You flicked off the lights and, after ushering Dustin out the door, you stepped out and locked the front door.

“Dustin, you better come back tomorrow and pay off your damn debt, alright? I won’t take anymore shit from my boss because of your lazy ass.” You declared, planting your hands firmly on your hips.

Dustin rolled his eyes “Yeah, yeah, okay mom.” He scoffed.

“I’m serious dude! You’ve gotten me in so much shit, you don’t even get it.” you replied, rolling your eyes.

“Are you in tomorrow?” he asked sceptically.

“Yeah.” That was a lie, Saturday was your first day off in weeks, but it felt like the right lie to tell in the moment.

“Then I’ll bring it over.” Lying was the right choice, so it seemed.

“Good, anyway I’ll see you tomorrow!” you turned on your heel, heading off towards the sidewalk.

“Hey! Y/N! You want a ride?” Steve called quickly. Dustin smacked him hard in the chest, but he ignored it as you turned back around into view again.

“Oh, I’m okay to walk. It’s a nice night.” You replied with a small shrug, your left hand subconsciously coming to grab your right elbow. The way he was looking at you made you nervous for some reason.

“Nah, come on its late. Lemme drive you.” Steve said, motioning you towards the car he was already walking to.

“Are you sure? I’m off Beech Street…” you said. Steve had already pulled the backseat up and was forcing Dustin into it.

Steve turned back to you quickly, popping the seat up again roughly. He brushed his messy long hair out of his face, his expression wild and yet self-aware, smiling even though his eyes screamed over how awkward the scene he created was. “Nah, its fine. You’re right between Dustin and me.” He said, gesturing to the front seat. You nodded awkwardly, stepping past him and into the car. He shut the door for you. It would’ve been chivalrous if him standing there while you settled into and adjusted the seatback wasn’t uncomfortable.

Steve rushed to the other side of the car, climbing in and starting the car. Immediately, Wham!’s Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go started blasting from the speakers. Both you and Steve cringed as the upbeat sound playing at you, second-hand embarrassment coursing through your veins. Steve looked to you briefly and you kept your gaze on the world outside, hoping to keep your expression as neutral. Without a word, he pulled out of the space and headed onto the main roads.

Both Steve and Dustin knew that you were nowhere near his house, but he was insistent on seeing you through. He had made it this far, he had his chance, all he had to do was take it. So, he drove Dustin home without a word, working up the nerve to say something to you.

“So, any good news for your essay?” you asked, turning back to look at Dustin.

“Got a response from Science Quarterly.” He replied vaguely, looking away from you and out the window into the dark streets.

“And?”

“I haven’t opened it yet…”

“Well open it!” you cried, smacking your headrest excitedly. Steve glanced over at you. You looked so…well beautiful. Your smile lit up the whole damn car, it lit up your whole face and made your eyes shine with so much mirth and brightness that it rivalled the stars above him. You looked like…something inhuman. God like maybe, maybe just like an angel, he couldn’t decide on what, but it was beautiful. It captured his attention far more than it should’ve while he was driving. That was going to cause a problem for him, he just knew it.

Dustin swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly from the dry swallow. He nodded, tearing open the envelope and reading aloud.

“Dear Mr. Henderson, we at Science Quarterly are very interested in your study on the new form of lizard you have named the D’Artagnan. While we would love to publish your article on sight alone,”

You let out a cheer, beating up the leather headrest excitedly.

Dustin raised his voice over your cheers “We must ask you to provide all of your research notes for the board, including images of the D’Artagnon beyond the preliminary sketches you provided with the article. Please reply to this letter with your full notes and unaltered images of D’Artagnon so we at the board can confirm this creature’s existence and relevance as a new species. Thank you for your interest in the magazine.”

Dustin dropped the letter on the seat sadly, crossing his arms over his chest and turning his attention to the window.

“So, what’s the problem? I saw your notes, they’re great! All they want is a couple pictures, I’m sure you can-”

 Steve cut you off, a sympathetic look sent Dustin’s direction “We only had Dart for a few days before he ran off. Didn’t get a chance to take photos of him and haven’t found another since. It was a once in a lifetime discovery.” He explained softly to you before raising his voice “I’m really sorry man.”

“Yeah well, we don’t all make out career defining discovery at fourteen.” Dustin said. Steve pulled up to Dustin’s house and, before he could even stop the car, Dustin pushed up your seat and popped the door, rushing out into the night and towards his well lit house.

“Bye, man!” Steve called half heartedly, waving before rolling his eyes “Or whatever…”

You smiled sympathetically “He’s just a bit upset, he’ll get over it.” you pulled your door shut and pushed your chair back to a more comfortable position.

“Yeah…Beach Street?” Steve asked.

“1215 Beach Street.” You confirmed and Steve sped off.

You sat in really uncomfortable silence for most of the ride, listening to the radio play pop music on repeat.

As Steve turned down Beach Street, he finally made his move.

“So…um, I just-I wanted to thank you.” He said, keeping his eyes on the road ahead.

“For what?” you asked, furrowing your brow.

“For…you helped Will at the beginning of the summer, he was getting the shit kicked outta him-”

“By Troy, I remember now.” You finished with a small smile “It’s really not a big deal, I’ll take any excuse to get the upper hand over that kid.” You chuckled, leaning back fully into your seat, lulling your head to look at him, eyes running over his face.

Steve was prettier than you remembered. He had the face and physique of an ancient Greek athlete, lanky but strong with the wide, deeply emotive eyes that bore into your soul and revealed every ounce of feeling he’d ever felt. You’d been at the party with Samantha Barks when Steve got his ass handed to him by little Nancy Wheeler. You remember how broken he looked as he pushed by the pair of you, interrupting Samantha as she half heartedly talked to freaky Jonathan Byers to tell him something, you didn’t remember what. All you remembered was his eyes. They were so full of heartbreak, unbridled sadness that shook you to your core despite barely even knowing him.

“It was really cool. I mean, nobody ever pays any attention to that kid and I mean I was late getting there and you just-you showed and you don’t even know them and I just-look, I really appreciated it. It meant a lot to me.” Steve struggled his way through, running his fingers through his pretty brown hair over and over again, as if it would anchor him to the ground.

“Oh…I didn’t realize…Well, I’m glad I could help out.” You said quietly, smiling softly to yourself. You were genuinely proud of yourself for stepping in and for helping out.

“Yeah…” Steve muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. He lowered his head, focusing his gaze on the seat peaking out between his legs. “I-I’ve been trying to thank you for that all summer, I kinda don’t have a plan anymore.” He said, turning down the opposite end of Beach Street. He knew that he’d have to loop around and head across town back to Maple Street and leaving out the other end would cut some time.

“Really?” you asked. That bit of information was shocking to you. Most people weren’t looking too hard to find you. You doubted that your own mother would care where you were in that very moment.

“Yeah…” he chuckled “I even searched the entire mall for you. I didn’t find you.”

“Oh.” Oh. That was very unexpected. “I…I didn’t even know…” You looked down, in part to hide the blush burning into your face and in part because you didn’t know if you could look him in the eye.

“Yeah, I figured as much.” He laughed again and you looked up, peering deeply into his deep brown eyes in search of some clarity. Your whole body was buzzing with energy and your mind was on fire with thought. And all of the thoughts were over Steve fucking Harrington. And you didn’t want it to stop. He’d taken over your mind in a single look and you wanted to feel that way forever.

Steve pulled up outside your house, parking in front of your driveway. Neither of you moved, not even to unbuckle your seatbelt. You simply sat, staring out the windshield blankly.

You turned sharply to look out the window, frowning “She didn’t even leave the light on for me…” you whispered to yourself, sighing softly. Steve stared at you for a second, unsure what to do or say. Words were pushing to pour out from his throat.

“Hey, listen, this is gonna sound so weird but do you wanna maybe…go out sometime? Like with me?” Steve asked the back of your head. You turned quickly to look at him, taking in the sheer nervousness his whole body radiated with. You absorbed the energy, feeling your stomach tighten and your palms sweat.

“Yeah…yeah I’d like that.” You said, feeling a smile pull at the corners of your lips.

“Yeah?” Steve asked, his voice endearingly hopeful.

“Yeah!” you exclaimed with a little giggle. It slipped out unintentionally, but it lit Steve’s face up brighter than you’d seen before.

“What are you doing tomorrow? Wait, you told Dustin you’re working, what about-”

You cut him off “I’m not working.” Steve raised a curious eyebrow at you. “I might have lied to the kid…” Steve burst out laughing. Now that was music to your ears. “He deserves it! Let him deal with what I dealt with for months!”

Steve laughed until his stomach hurt, until he forgot why he was laughing. He felt like the light you had shining off you from every angle was seeping into his skin and healing him, the scars left behind by the world fading away under your light. And you just kept smiling at him, this bewildered, precious look of embarrassed joy that he’d brought on.

Finally, after what felt like a never ending loop of laughter, Steve took a heaving breath and pushed it out with a sigh. “I should probably let you go here…” he muttered, looking at the time from his watch. You nodded, reaching over the gear shift and planting a gentle kiss on his cheek. As Steve’s face turned beet red, you popped the door open, climbing out with a grin you couldn’t manage to push off your face.

“I’ll see you around, Harrington.” You said “Come and visit me sometime, now that you know where I am.” You shut the door, turning and heading inside “I’ll pick you up at eight tomorrow!” he called after you as you bounded up the front steps, taking them two at a time. You heard, just as you shut your front door, an overjoyed cry, and watched Steve’s car speed off.

“Oh god he’s such a dork…” you muttered to yourself, shutting the door softly. ‘Oh god I like it…’ you thought, but you wouldn’t dare admit that out loud.

[kuratoki]

Changes 11

Heads up, this part is HELLA long with dialogue but it’s also Y/N telling Jeno EVERYTHING about her past in Europe but there was so much fluff in here that I had to UWU

Changes Masterlist

Do you agree that things change in time? Well four years abroad would tell wouldn’t it?

Pairing: Reader x Jeno ft. NCT`

Words: 3744

Warning: Swearing, Mentions of torment and death, this is just an angstyish chapter with a tiny bit of fluff

Two hours later, Jeno pulled into an underground parking garage and with both your bags in one arm, he carried you bridal style to the elevator and up to his penthouse that his parents had gifted him for his 18th birthday. He was happy that the elevator went straight to his floor and that he didn’t need to open any doors. The last time he was here was when he needed to escape from everyone for a while but that was almost two year ago before the place was actually his. It still looked lived in, the people his family hired kept it in tip top shape for spontaneous visits like this one.

Placing you on the bed in his room, he decided to go take a shower and thought about what to order for food. There was a chance you’d wake up and be hungry and outside of the standard bottled water and juice, the fridge was pretty much empty.

 He walked out a few minutes later, fresh, dressed in sweats and a  muscle shirt, contacts out and glasses perched on his face. Deciding to call for Jjangmyeon and a few other things, he made his way back to his bedroom where he heard your voice talking quietly. Turning the corner, the sight before him took his breath away. 

The lights were off but the room was fully illuminated thanks to the moon shining bright through the floor to ceiling windows. You must’ve gotten hot at some point because his hoodie you wore was now beside you and you were left in your pink  tank top that accentuated just the right features. You were looking out the window, your phone attached to one ear and the glow from the moon made you look almost ethereal to him. 

“I’m sorry that happened.” you said quietly, unaware of Jenos presence, “He’s such a jerk and then what happened?” your eyes widened, “Seriously? 

Jeno decided to wait till you were finished your conversation and decided to text Doyoung. He could trust that his favorite Hyung would keep their location a secret.

[11:02pm] JeNo - Hey Hyung, I’m with Y/N right now. She’s fine. I decided to take her to the city for the weekend to get away from things ...please don’t tell anyone where we are...she needs some time to breath

[11:05pm]KDyoung - Oh thank goodness. We were so worried after the two of you ran out. Johnny and Mark went looking for you after you guys didn’t come back for an hour. WHY DIDN’T YOU ANSWER YOUR PHONE YOU DISOBEDIENT CHILD!?? AND WHERE THE HECK ARE YOU GUYS?!? SICHENG IS HAVING A PANIC ATTACK, HE’S SUPPOSED TO BE THE CALMEST ONE OF THE CLUB BUT HE LITERALLY HAD A MELT DOWN WHEN THEY COULDN’T FIND YOU. WHEN I GET MY HANDS YOU LEE JENO!

Jeno’s eyes widened as the tone in the text message escalated.

[11:06pm] JeNo - I was driving and uh...she was holding my hand and she fell asleep and you know, I really shouldn’t text and drive anyways… I took her to my place in Gangnam, we’ll probably stay the whole weekend and come back late Sunday...You can tell Sicheng and the rest of the leaders but NO one else. I don't want Y/N to get stressed out if people start showing up.

[11:07pm] KDyoung - So you want to confess...got it.

[11:08pm] JeNo - Wait no Hyung- 

[11:09pm] KDyoung - I’ll tell Sicheng that you guys are safe, come back Tuesday, I’ll make up an excuse for you two. Renjun, Yukhei and Y/N are going to be granted time off because of the death of a loved one and I can get Tae to use the emotional support reasoning for your absence.  Take care of her, that’s all I ask.

[11:10pm] JeNo - Thank you so so so so so much Hyung. Thank you...We’ll see you back at the house Tuesday night.

Jeno put away his phone as he heard you saying your goodbyes to Renjun.

“Take care of yourself.” you said, “Don’t worry about me...I will… I can’t believe you got caught, you were doing so well too...oh well..but yea I’ll talk to him. You guys are welcome to crash at my place tonight and the weekend or whatever...I’ll let you know when I know., Goodnight my dear prince.” 

After hanging up your phone, you let out a soft sigh, looking up when you felt someones presence at the door, making eye contact with Jeno.

Silently patting the spot next to you, he took it as an invitation that you were ready to talk and judging by the look on your face, it had seemed that you processed quite a few things in the short amount of time.

You curled into him the moment the bed dipped and he leaned back against the headboard, pulling the blanket cover the two over you before he wrapped his arms around you in an embrace. This sensation was familiar for the two of you as you spent many weeks of your childhood here watching thunderstorms through this very same window. 

“So Yukhei and Renjun got into a fight..” you said breaking the silence that consumed the two of you. 

“Shit seriously? What happened?” Jeno asked surprised, knowing that Renjun had started yelling at Yukhei when you ran out of the house.

“Renjun came to my defence, threw the facts in Yukheis face and I guess he couldn’t take the  truth.” you said, your voice coming out as a sigh, “Yuta, Johnny and Jae broke it up after Yukhei threw the first punch, got Renjun in the eye. Yukheis back on probation and they’ve assigned Kun to look out for him and to keep him in check. ”

“Finally, I’ve been trying to get Taeyong to do that for weeks. He didn’t even show up to practice at all this week. Also, is Renjun okay?” Jeno asked as he felt you shrug.

“He says it’s just a small bruise but Renjun’s also tough. He told me that in exchange for taking a hit for me...I had to do something for him…” you said and laid your head on Jenos shoulder inhaling the scent of his shower gel and realized that it hadn’t changed all these years.

“It would’ve been worse if I stayed behind...after hearing those things leave Yukheis mouth, Jaemin and Jisung had to hold me back from punching that asshole in the face.” Jeno said and felt you shift in his arms so you could look at him.

“Thank you for coming after me..” you said quietly, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek and he leaned down to kiss your temple, the two of you savoring the small moment your foreheads touched briefly, this was how he always calmed you down when you were upset, he was the only one who could. Like all the other times, you were able to feel yourself breath properly for the first time since you left home. The shock from the news wearing off slowly and the heavy sadness you felt was no longer present, “I guess you want to know what happened.” 

“Only if you want to tell me.” Jeno said as the two of you looked outside the window once more, “Like I said, I don’t want to push you.” 

“I want you to know…” you said, faintly playing with the ring on his index finger, the ring he was sure he’d give you one day, “You deserve to...but are you ready to hear it?“

“I’m open ears.” Jeno nodded, resting his head on your shoulder, letting out a huff, the hot air dancing across your neck, ticking you slightly “I just don’t want you to be hurting...I know how well you bottle things up and it’s so unhealthy.”

You smiled at the sound of concern from his voice and intertwined your fingers with his, feeling him hum in contentment, “What do you want to know?”

“You” Jeno responded simply, “I want to know about the girl who left town to pursue her own dreams only to come back a different person. The girl who stole my heart then…” he stopped himself for a moment when he heard you suck in a breath and realized he had nothing to lose now it wasn’t like either of you could run away, “The girl who still has my heart now.” he whispered softly but because he was next to your ear, it was loud and clear. When you didn’t say anything, clearly deep in your own thoughts, only to feel you shift deeper in his arms and he tightened his embrace, “How about you tell me about what happened tonight and we can go from there?” he suggested.

You nodded your head and cleared your throat, you couldn’t tell if it was the feeling of Jeno’s bare arms against your skin or the fact that he practically just confessed to you but the butterflies in your stomach were going crazy and you were afraid you’d explode if they didn’t stop soon.

“You remember earlier tonight when Renjun and I told everyone we were invited back to the Selects Performance team right?” you asked and felt him nod against your shoulder, “Anne-Marie...the backbone of this whole operation...her son, Xander passed away today. Only a few hours ago actually...but they suspect that he went sometime in the night. He was…” you paused, biting your lip and wiped a stray tear, “He was someone special to a lot of people. He was a mentor, a friend and a brother...he was the glue that kept everyone together.” you sniffled, feeling the urge to cry once more and you had to take a small moment to yourself.

Jeno stayed silent, his head resting between your neck and shoulder. His thumb ran comforting circles on the bare skin between your tank top and leggings while he whispered words of comfort. Urging you to continue only when you were ready. 

“He was also one of the few Select Competition Team members that Renjun and I actually went to school with. But even though he was one of the best in his year, he still treated everyone as an equal. The same way his mother taught him. He was the one who told us to audition for the Selects performance team our second year after seeing the progress we made.” you paused and choked back a sob, “He was the one who encouraged me to continue dancing even after my accident…” 

“Were you guys close?” Jeno asked curiously, wondering of the impact this person made in your life, at first you didn’t seem so upset but now you were trying not to have a breakdown. 

“We got closer when Renjun and I got the roles...he was once again assigned as our mentor...along with his partner who was another Junior, Wong Yuwen.” you muttered and Jeno stiffened.

“Yukheis sister..” Jeno muttered and felt you nod and heard your chuckle.

“She HATED my guts.” you said shaking your head, “She went to school with us too and had it out for me the moment I walked into the room.” 

“Seriously? But she didn’t even know you.” Jeno said, scrunching his nose and felt you shrug.

“It was her way of showing her dominance. Apparently she was a potential recruit for the same China club that Renjun is part of. When Renjun got accepted and she didn’t, she cut off all ties with him, even though her brother and Renjun were apparently good friends. When we met at the Selects training camp, hell broke loose.” you said thinking back to your first and only year with the Selects Team, “Because Xander, Renjun and I were already close from school, it was easy to joke around with each other during practice and he introduced us to his sister Mia, aka Renjuns current girlfriend. But on the day they met...Renjun...” you let out a sigh, “was an embarrassment to mankind and I almost regretted introducing him as my dance partner.” 

“Yikes.” Jeno said chuckling slightly, “What’s the story.”

“Mia is the one girl Renjun made a fool of himself by introducing himself as Reggie.” you deadpanned and Jeno had to laugh.

“She must’ve loved that.” Jeno said still shaking with laughter as you joined him with giggles, the heaviness of your heart lifting slightly.

“She did cause they were an item by closing night.” you said smiling slightly, “But during training and rehearsal, things were tense and this is kind of where it gets twisted, let me know if you need me to reiterate anything okay?” 

Jeno nodded and you took a breath.

“The Select Dance Company has ONE golden rule and it is a rule to be followed by everyone with no exceptions." you started.

“ You aren’t allowed to be romantically involved with your partners.” the two of you said at the same time and Jeno chuckled.

“Renjun explained it to me after I caught him talking to his girlfriend.” he explained when you gave him a look of curiosity, “But that’s another story, go on.”

“There were three known partner pairings within the dance company. Renjun and I represented the Juniors all around, Jongin and Mia were known for their strong stage presence and both incorporated Hiphop into a lot of their styles while Xander and Yuwen danced beautifully together but during rehearsal, it was an eyesore because Yuwen constantly threw herself at Xander and it was painfully obvious. I always found him hiding out in one of the practice rooms during our breaks when he needed to get away from her and I wanted to leave Renjun and Mia alone.” you smiled thinking of the short twenty minute breaks the two of you spent in the small practice room, talking about life, his battle with cancer which you only found out about by mistake and your transition from home to a new school.

You explained to Jeno that with Xander, it was like you and him. The practice room was your haven where you forgot about dance and were just yourselves even for a short period of time. 

“Did you...did you ever have feelings for him?” Jeno asked hesitantly, it wasn’t like it mattered anymore but he was just curious. 

“I asked myself that a lot during my time with him. Honestly, I don’t really know.” you answered honestly, “He was everything a girl could want, he was kind, smart, good looking...more princely than Renjun for sure..But I could never think of him that way and I made it clear the day he confessed.” 

“Wait, he confessed?” Jeno asked shocked and you nodded once more.

“Right after the semi-finals of our first year.” you said, “It was short and sweet, I like you more than a friend and it was the reason why I never asked to dance with you was all he told me. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find it in my heart to accept him…” you whispered looking down, “I couldn’t accept him knowing that I left my heart back here with you. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us…So I told him that I couldn’t be with him knowing that deep down, my heart belonged to someone else and that he would always be an older brother to me. He took the rejection a lot better than I expected and I was glad our relationship didn’t change from that. If anything, it got better for everyone for a while.” 

Jeno listened intently as you told your story, he was glad to know that you always kept a part of him with you. It wasn’t like he didn’t know that already, the little reminders he saw around your bedroom ranging from pictures to gifts he’d given you, displayed for everyone to see were enough to tell him that you never stopped thinking of him. He still had one question though, how did Yukhei play into all this? “So Yuwen hated you and Yukhei wanted you...but Yukhei and Xander were best friends so technically, Yukhei broke the bro code by pursuing you in the first place.” 

“Pretty much…” you confirmed, “Xander wasn’t an idiot. He knew what Yukhei and Yuwen were doing. He didn’t know they were behind my accident till much later though and that was after we finished performing Swan Lake for the first time. After that…” you frowned and your hand tightened around his, “he started getting sick again...right around competition season our second year...we were hanging one day and he collapsed and I rushed him to the hospital. Renjun was with Mia and her mom on a trip to Paris that weekend so I stayed with Xander till they got back. I was with him when he got his test results back...he made me promise not to tell anyone. I didn’t out of respect, as much as it bothered me...I kept it to myself.” you sniffled, “I didn’t compete that season...I wanted to be there for Xander...when Renjun, his sister and mom got back...we had to break the news to them that his cancer returned and was growing at an aggressive pace..he had to start treatment immediately.” you smiled thinking about how much your friend fought for his life.

“What about Yukhei and Yuwen?” Jeno asked, “How did they react to it all?” 

“Xander cut all ties with Yukhei once he realized that he was behind my accident and he pulled out of the competition team when he got sick, leaving Yuwen to go solo once more.” you explained, “When it was announced that Xander would withdraw, she had a freak out. She blamed me for it all. Cornered me in the hall and pretty much yelled at me...She lost it when Xander came to my defense...she tried to slap me but Renjun and Jongin were able to hold her back while Xander and Mia took me somewhere else.” you chuckled to yourself, “I think she was more shocked that Xander actually yelled at her as opposed to him coming to my defense...She was dismissed from the Selects team that year by Anne-Marie herself. When we got back to school the following year, it was also Renjun’s last year before he went to train with the Chinese Ballet Association so he and Mia spent as much time together as they could and I took care of Xander up until I left. He and Jongin were the ones who encouraged me to attend SMAA.” you finished and let out a big sigh, “The last time I talked to him was two days ago and he said he was doing fine…” you said with a frown, “But he always didn’t want us to worry...I figured he lied.” 

“He probably did it for a good reason…” Jeno reasoned, running his hand through your hair in a comforting manner, “From what you told me, the two of you seemed to care for each other a lot... I would’ve loved to meet him.” 

“He said the exact same thing two days ago when I was telling him about you.” you said with a tearful smile, “He knew all about you, our past, everything. I think if it weren’t for him, Mia and Renjun, I would’ve lost my mind back there.” you chuckled and wiped more tears, accepting the tissue Jeno offered you and leaned into him so there was literally no space between you, “Thank you for letting me explain...for letting me get this off my chest.” 

“Thank you for letting me in. For letting me get to know the new you.” he whispered, placing a kiss on top of your head before resting his face in your hair, inhaling the scent of your shampoo that he knew all too well, surprised it hasn’t changed all these years.

Everything was sinking in for Jeno, he was glad you opened up about your past. The pain you went through, the person you became, he couldn’t believe you went through so much alone. You were a fairly private person to begin with and he knew that back in the day, he was the only one you would confide in, the only one you could trust. Now, you had Renjun, Jisung and Hana, three people who he saw as the keys that unlocked the door you called a heart. 

Hana was the female presence you needed. You didn’t really get along with the other girls when you were growing up and mainly depended on him and Jaemin from time to time. Hana on the other hand understood you and you shared the same sense of humor which was probably why she and Jaemin were going so strong. 

Jisung was essentially you in male form. You both had a lot in common from video games to your favorite foods and you were both extremely talented dancers. Your sense of humor, like Hana was the same and Jisung would often push boundaries with the two of you more than he would with Jeno and Jaemin. He also knew that Jisung cared deeply for you, to fly to another continent to be with you in your time of need was one thing, but the fact that he actually carried your iron supplements around showed that the memory of you collapsing was still fresh on his mind and despite reassurance, he still wasn’t sure what his friends feelings towards you were.

With Renjun, Jeno couldn’t figure it out yet. With Renjun, he saw sides of you he had never seen before. He saw your violent aggressive side that you unleashed on a daily basis towards your Chinese friend who did not hesitate to unleash his wrath right back, he also saw your serious, focused side when you and Renjun would review choreography, often harshly critiquing the other but the critiques made you both better right away. He got to see a new you, the real you. So many sides of you he was unfamiliar with yet, they were all qualities that made him fall deeper.

“So...I know this is sudden..” Jeno said breaking the silence and you shifted in his arms to look up at him, “Do you want to go on a date tomorrow?”

[buckysrighthanddoll]

Speechless

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: cursing, angst, hella fluff

Summary: Four times “Speechless” by Dan and Shay perfectly fit Bucky and the reader’s relationship

Word count: 4915

i.

Tony was infamous for his extraordinary parties. It gave him joy, not because he was rich and he could, but because it was one of the rare times the entire team was in the room without fighting for their lives.

He threw a glorious party, this time in your honor. He wanted to introduce you to the team as the newest member, and what better way than with dancing and liquor?

You were informed that this was a formal event. And, although you much preferred your suit or a pair of sweats, you did occasionally enjoy dressing up. You enjoyed the feeling of it, the added confidence to your normal amount made you absolutely giddy.

So, here you were, dressed to the nines, and about to walk into your very own Stark-made party. Everybody else was already there, and Tony was announcing the events of the night before introducing you to the world.

You stood in your dark green dress that just brushed the floor, hair and makeup done to perfection, and a pair of gold flats on to match your golden necklace. You took a deep breath as you smoothed down the dress that you hand-picked, and you listened to Tony speak.

“Without further ado, here she is, the star of tonight’s event, and the newest Avenger, (Y/N)!”

You stepped around the bend, descending the staircase that Tony was standing on. It was a stereotypical fairytale, and you thought back to the hardships you had gone through to get to where you are now. You looked over the crowd of applauding people, looking at the front row to the current Avengers.

One, in particular, caught your eye. You recognized him to be James Buchanan Barnes, the former Winter Soldier. You had read very little on all of the team, wanting to get to know them on your own. But, damn, the pictures in James’ file didn’t do him justice. He couldn’t seem to not look at you (even though all eyes were on you in the first place). He drank you in, his mouth slightly agape as his face flushed pink.

You reached to wear Tony was, forcing yourself to look away from him. You offered a small smile to the crowd as Tony gestured to the microphone for a speech. He had told you beforehand that the press would be there recording this. This was, after all, a big event.

“Thank you so much for all of this, Tony,” You started, smiling at the man who orchestrated this entire thing. Not just the party, but you joining the team as well. You took a moment to ground yourself, hearing the quiet music and the slight movements of the crowd as they waited to hear your next words. “This party was very much over-the-top in my opinion, but Tony insisted that it was needed. Who am I to argue with the one providing all of this for me? Not just the party, but also my room in the tower, the food in the kitchen, and the opportunity to serve this country and this world alongside the bravest and most selfless people this world has to offer. I am grateful for all of this, and I am very excited to have the chance to be called an Avenger. Thank you,” You said, trying to keep the speech concise. The crowd applauded once again as you handed the microphone back to Tony, who gave you a big hug. You gladly accepted, knowing that he wasn’t an affectionate man toward many people.

You stepped down the remaining stairs and got in line with the rest of the Avengers, standing next to Natasha. She gave you her signature smile, and you returned it. “Welcome to the family. I’m Natasha,” she said, holding a hand out. You shook it and introduced yourself, turning back toward Tony.

Once he finished talking, it was time for the crowd to come up and talk to you. You hardly got a moment of peace the entire time. It seemed as though the entire population of the event had greeted you, except for one. James hadn’t come to see you yet, and you nearly took offense to it until you remembered that he was once the Winter Soldier, and that kind of torture must make it hard for him to want to talk to new people. He stuck by Steve and Sam for most of the night.

The one moment that you got, you were walking through the middle of the dance floor in order to get to a table. A slow song called “Speechless” by Dan and Shay had the majority of the people dancing with each other, which allowed for your momentary escape. This was the moment that James finally came up to you. “I’m Bucky,” He said. It was short and sweet, and it was a start.

“I’m (Y/N),” you introduced with a soft smile. He repeated it to himself as if he was trying it out to see if he liked it. He gave a tiny smirk as he focused his attention back on you.

“Would you like to dance?” Bucky asked, holding his hand out to take.

“I would love to, Bucky,” You said. He liked the way his name rolled off of your tongue. You stepped closer to him, placing one around his neck and the other in his hand. He placed his arm around your waist and gently squeezed your hand in his, making you smile.

“How did Tony find you?” He asked.

You gave him a sad smile. “Perhaps another time for that story,” You said. He understood just fine. There was plenty that he didn’t like to talk about, so he didn’t press it further. “But, I will say that if it wasn’t for Tony, I would be rotting in a very different place.”

“Why did he recruit you?” He asked next.

“I’m kind of a Thor, but less godly,” You laughed. Bucky disagreed entirely. Everything about you screamed goddess. You were picture perfect in looks, and that laugh--damn, that laugh--made the room seem like it was lighter. “What about you?”

Bucky’s eyes widened momentarily. “Tony didn’t tell you about us?”

You shook your head. “He gave me files, but I like to personally get to know people. Having a file on someone is sort of like cheating, I guess,” You explained.

“I like that,” Bucky smiled. “Steve and I are super soldiers.” This time you gave him a smile.

As the song came to a close, neither of you really wanted to let go. However, you figured that all of the eyes on the two of you were suspicious enough, and you didn’t want to give them a reason to think that you were more than attached to any of the team on the night you met them. Reluctantly, you stepped away from him, holding onto his hand a moment longer as a form of flirtation.

“Well, James, I think we’ll get along just fine,” You smirked. He raised his hand, bringing yours with it to his mouth. He gently kissed your knuckles, making you blush.

“I agree. I look forward to working with you,” He smiled. He dropped your hand, and you decided to go sit with Steve, Sam, Natasha, and Clint at the table. Bucky soon joined, sitting on the opposite side of you as all of you conversed.

Bucky knew right then that you were someone special.

ii.

After almost two years of being close friends and pining over each other, Steve finally convinced Bucky to ask you on an actual date. You, being you, casually said yes to his face, but the second you got to your room, you jumped and danced in excitement. Nat walked in. You were red in the face. She’ll never let you live it down.

Getting ready for the date made you incredibly nervous. Natasha and Wanda helped you decide what to wear since they knew where Bucky was going to take you. You were in a simple grey a-line dress that ended just above the knees, topping it with a black cardigan. While Wanda curled your hair, Natasha helped you with your makeup.

All three of you knew that you could get ready on your own, but it was exciting to have them help you. You had realized that you fell in love with Bucky well over a year ago when you opened up to him and told him about how Tony had discovered you. You had never told anybody that you accidentally killed a man in cardiac arrest with your powers. He held you while you cried (you didn’t think you’d ever be able to tell the story without crying at some point during it).

Bucky, however, didn’t realize how you felt. He had fallen for you when you had comforted him through a flashback. You knew a lot about mental health, so you helped him ground himself back in reality and dismiss those memories. Then, you made him cookies just like his ma and sister did when he was sick, back before the war. Yes, he was enraptured when he first met you, but he saw you in a new light through the months just prior. You were no longer just some bad-ass girl who had electricity in her veins, but instead he realized that you were much more personable. You were easy to talk to, and you always managed to make him smile when he had no other reason to. You showed him a vulnerable side to you instead of your overly confident front that you always had with everybody else. Not even Natasha got to see as much of that side as he did.

“(Y/N), calm down. Your fingers are sparking,” Nat said as she set down the mascara. You looked down at your fingers, which were indeed sparkling a dull golden color. You chalked up to nerves because damn you were nervous. You weren’t the type to let nerves get to you, but right now they were.

“It’s just Bucky,” Wanda said. “The same exact Bucky who has been there for you the last two years.”

“Yeah, but now Bucky and I have this thing between us and we’re actually going on a date. A proper date, not just some movie night in my bedroom.”

“You two have had that thing for over a year,” Natasha pointed out. She used a wipe to take off the light powder on your lips, opting to just leave them blank.

“You know, he’s probably just as nervous as you are,” Wanda added as she put some hairspray into your hair.

Taking a deep breath, you look at yourself in the mirror. Wanda had used a straightener to add loose waves to your hair, tying up the sides and leaving a couple of loose strands at the front. It was subtle yet so perfect. The same thing went for the makeup that Natasha chose. She did a slight amount of concealer to cover a bruise from last week’s mission, then she added a bit of bronzer and highlighter. Then she gently filled in your eyebrows and put mascara on you. The entire look was natural and cute. You hoped that Bucky liked it.

“Go get him,” Nat said, handing you your purse. You thanked both the girls and hugged them, slipping on some black flats and heading out. You opted to take the stairs, meeting Steve in the lobby.

“He’s right outside,” He told you, a bright smile on his face. He gave you a hug as well, telling you to be safe.

When you opened the door to the tower, you saw Bucky nervously standing by his car. You stopped in your tracks, taking in the sight before you. He was in dark denim jeans and a light grey button-up shirt, a bouquet of flowers in his hand. Upon hearing the door open, he looked up at you. He opened his mouth to say something but came up empty. He was utterly speechless at just how beautiful you were.

You took a step toward him, which snapped him out of his gaze. He closed the remaining distance and handed you the flowers, making you smile nervously. You could feel your hands tingling from the electricity, but they weren’t sparking like they were just minutes ago. You took a deep breath, attempting to calm the nerves. This was Bucky. Bucky, who welcomed you with open arms. Bucky, who comforted you when you got flashbacks about killing that man. Bucky, who opened up to you and trusted you. Bucky, who allowed you to talk about anything in this entire world that you wanted to. Bucky, who helped you control your power. Bucky, who always made sure you were comfortable in every situation. Bucky, who never laid a hand on you. Bucky, who never so much as tried to kiss you. This was Bucky. You could do this.

“Would ya look at that?” Bucky asked, looking between the two of you. “We’re matching,” He smiled. “You look amazing, doll,” He added quietly.

“You look fantastic, Buck,” You replied. “I like grey on you.” Of course, you did. They brought out the icy blue of his eyes, and the way his dark brown hair paired with the lightness of the grey made your heart smile. 

He gestured toward the car after a moment of silence, opening the door for you. He took you to a small diner in Brooklyn that had been around since the 1920s. “It was my favorite growing up,” He told you when you were sharing an appetizer.

“God, I really am with an old man, huh?” You joked. He laughed, which made you laugh. He loved hearing your laugh. It made him happier.

“Well, we’re physically the same age.”

“I don’t know, sometimes after a fight, I feel like I’m ninety-seven years old.”

He chuckled as the food came out. “You are something else, sweetheart,” He says.

You pondered over the nickname. He usually liked to call you doll or princess, but sweetheart was new. “Sweetheart,” You muttered to yourself, trying it out for size. “I like that,” You finished, smiling to yourself.

After dinner, you went to the drive-in. You had no idea that they even existed anymore. And, truthfully, this one wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for Tony organizing it and getting trying to keep it on the down-low so that there weren’t many other people there. The Breakfast Club was playing, which was a good movie in your eyes.

Sometime near the middle of the movie, you cuddled into Bucky’s shoulder. He gingerly wrapped an arm around you and pulled you tighter into him, which made you smile widely. You two had leaned on each other and held each other during panic attacks, flashbacks, and nightmares, but you had never intentionally cuddled with each other just to do it. It made Bucky feel like he did before the war when he was really into a girl.

Although, none of them had been like you.

You were something else altogether, Bucky thought. He thought that you were imperfect. You had your faults and your insecurities and you hated being vulnerable with anybody except for him. You were his kind of imperfect, though, and he adored every single insecurity.

“(Y/N)?” He asked toward the end of the movie. He had intended to say that he thought he was falling in love with you, but when you looked up at him through those lashes with those beautiful eyes of yours, he was speechless again. Bucky Barnes had never been so affected by anybody like he had been by you. “Thank you for coming out with me tonight,” He said after moments of grasping for words.

You smiled. “Of course, Buck. This is a lot of fun, and I’d love to do this with nobody else,” You told him. His heart stuttered, and he hoped that you didn’t feel it, but you did. The electricity in your veins had started to flare again with the way that he looked at you, so you pulled away from him before you could accidentally shock him.

After the movie, you went back to the compound, although the date wasn’t over. He carefully led you around the building so that you wouldn’t have to see the team, and you told F.R.I.D.A.Y. to make sure that the team didn’t know you were back yet.

He led you to the roof long after the sun had set, and you both sat on the roof underneath the half-moon with your bouquet of flowers and your head on his shoulder again. You nuzzled close to him because you were cold, and he gave you his jacket, even though you had told him not to. You knew that he hated the cold and you didn’t want him to get chilly, but he assured you that with the serum in his veins, he was naturally very warm. You couldn’t disagree. He was like a warm blanket fresh out of the drier. This man had you feeling nostalgic for things that you didn’t quite know.

Bucky pointed out different constellations to you, including the one that corresponded with your zodiac sign.

“James, it looks as though our story is written in the stars,” You said after he pointed out two constellations right next to each other. “That constellation is you, and that one is me, and we’re right next to each other, always chasing. I think that we’re written in the stars and that one day, we’ll finally catch each other.”

He looked down at you, smiling gently with a certain look in his eyes. You wish you knew what it was, but he definitely knew. It was love. He was falling for you, and he needed to tell you.

“We should get back inside. It’s 1:50 and Tony and Clint warned me that if I didn’t get you back by 2:00 that he just might shank me,” Bucky laughed. You laughed along with him as he got up, offering you hand to get up as well. When you got up, you didn’t let go of it. It made your heart warm.

“I wanna show you something,” You said. “Give me your other hand,” You said, letting go of his metal one and grabbing his flesh one.

“What are you--”

“Just feel,” You quietly commanded. You focused your electricity to a dull roar, letting it flow from your hand to his, which made him smile.

“That feels nice,” He commented. You giggled and laced your fingers together, dropping them to your sides as you walked back inside. He walked you to your bedroom, where you gave back his jacket. “Thank you for going on this date with me,” He said quietly, as to not wake your teammates.

“I had a great time,” You smiled. You got on your tip-toes and softly pressed your lips to his cheek, giving a small dose of that warm electricity in a lingering kiss. When you pulled away, Bucky gave you that same meaningful look. His eyes glanced between your eyes and your lips as he slowly leaned in, and you unconsciously did the same. Your lips met somewhere in the middle, and he gently tugged you closer to him. You placed one hand behind his neck and the other on his chest as you both got lost into the kiss, It was electrifying, even without your power. Neither of you had ever felt anything like this.

Bucky was the one to pull away first. “(Y/N), I think I’m falling for you,” He whispered while your foreheads rested against each other.

“James Buchanan Barnes, I know that I’m falling for you.”

Just then, over the hallway speakers, “Speechless” played for the first time since you and Bucky met.

“And I may have had Tony set that up,” Bucky muttered, looking back at you.

iii.

You and Bucky had your first fall out eleven months after the night of your first date and start of the relationship. Your ex, Jason, had reached out to you to apologize for cheating on you when you were together. You agreed to meet with him and hear him out, but you didn’t want anything else. Life was too short for hatred, so you at least wanted to give him the chance to clear the air.

Bucky hated that. He didn’t want you to talk to him or even see him for that matter. You had told him that you wanted to give him the chance to apologize, but Bucky just didn’t believe that. He had truly believed that you were going to give Jason another chance and that you were going to leave him. You assured him that you weren’t going to do anything of the sorts, but both of you were heated and the argument kept escalating until he said something that pushed you over the edge.

“I can’t believe that you’re still going to meet with him after I told you that I didn’t want you to!” Bucky exclaimed. “You’re such a selfish bitch!”

You both stopped talking, the room falling completely silent. You were shocked that he had actually just called you a selfish bitch, especially when you had done everything for him, just like he did everything for you. You were a healthy, loving couple, so you found it absolute bullshit that he had just said those words.

Laughing in disbelief, you threw caution to the wind with your next words. “James Barnes, we are over,” You sneered, grabbing your purse and your keys and exiting the room, leaving Bucky in a state of shock.

After a week of completely ignoring him, he was getting desperate. You had moved back into your old room, you had told Tony to not put the two of you on missions together unless absolutely necessary, and you hadn’t spoken a word to Bucky since that day.

Bucky tried talking to you during lunch. He had started simple, by asking for some bread for the sandwich he was making. You calmly handed him the loaf of bread, but you didn’t say a word.

It was true that you missed him. He was the best thing that ever happened to you, but you just couldn’t be with him if he genuinely believed that you were being selfish after everything that you did for him over the past three years.

“(Y/N), would you please just talk to me?” Bucky asked as he turned to face you. You didn’t turn toward him; you just kept making your sandwich.

“Why? So you can tell me that I’m just being selfish?” You quipped.

“I didn’t mean that, doll,” He started. You could tell that if he kept talking about it, that you would go back to him. Yes, you missed him, but his words really hurt you. “We were getting heated, and I hated the idea of your ex trying to apologize to you and possibly making a move on you. I shouldn’t have said what I did, and I regret it. (Y/N), I love you so much and I just want you to forgive me.”

You didn’t say anything to him, instead, you just grabbed your now finished sandwich and went to the living room to sit with Natasha and Bruce.

Bucky was making a plan.

The next day, you went out for a run with Steve. You managed to keep up with him for the most part, and it felt amazing to clear your head with some fresh air. When you got back to the tower, you went straight to your room to avoid Bucky. You knew that you were missing him so much that you were about to ask for him back. But you couldn’t. It still hurt.

Upon entering your room, you noticed a box on your bed with a note on top of it. You furrowed your eyebrows as you picked up the note, immediately recognizing the handwriting to be Bucky’s.

Meet me in the conference room at six o’clock. Please wear this.

You opened the box and pulled out the dark green dress that he had gotten you. It fell just above the knees, and it flowed gently past the waist. It was a stunning dress that was reminiscent of the one that you had worn when you first met Bucky.

You sighed, deciding to go along with whatever Bucky was planning. After showering, you styled your hair and put on very light makeup, throwing on the dress and picking the gold flats that you wore when you first met him.

The clock read 5:54 when you were done, so you walked out of your room and to the conference room on the next floor down. The lights in the hallway were dimmed, which confused you. All of the lights in this tower were usually rather bright.

The conference room was at the end of the hall and on the left, so you walked in and observed. The lights were off, save for the warm Christmas lights that lined the walls. Rose petals covered the floor around the edges of the room, and Bucky stood in the center of the room. “Speechless” was once again playing, and you knew that this was your song.

There he stood in the same tux that he wore the night you met him, his hair pulled back into a bun. He softly smiled at you.

“Bucky, what is all of this?” You asked gently as you stepped into the room further.

“I messed up, sweetheart, and I want to make it right,” He said. He held his hand out, making your body tingle with electricity. You missed him so fucking much. “Would you like to dance?”

“I’d love to, Bucky.”

The two of you swayed to the music, staring into each other’s eyes. “I didn’t mean what I said, you know,” He started. “It was a mistake, and I’m sorry.”

“I know, Buck,” You whispered. “I forgive you.”

You rested your head on his shoulder and he gripped you tightly until the song ended. Even though the song was over, you still held on to each other, too scared to let go as if you would fade away if you did.

After a couple of minutes, Bucky was the first to pull away. He reached into the pocket of his jacket, pulling out a small box. He got down on one knee, opening the box to reveal a stunning diamond ring.

You gasped as he spoke. “(Y/N) (Y/L/N), you have been the light of my life ever since we met. You make me feel more human than anybody else, and I’m so honored to be able to call you mine. And I want to be yours for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?” He asked.

You nodded your head and he stood up, smiling widely and putting the ring on your finger. You threw your arms around him, hugging him so tightly that you thought for a moment that he couldn’t breathe.

He took your hand and guided you out of the room, leading you to the living room area back on the residence floor. When you got there, the entire team was waiting for you. They looked at you guys expectantly as you subtly hid behind Bucky.

Bucky looked down at you, and you smiled up at him, holding your left hand up for the rest of the team to see. They cheered loudly, coming up to you and hugging you guys while asking to see the ring.

The entire time, you kept looking to Bucky, who looked the happiest he had been in a while. It made your heart soar and tingle.

iv.

The ceremony went beautifully. It was the wedding of your dreams, and you had those closest to you there on your big day.

You smiled as you walked down the aisle, noticing a tear escape from Bucky. The minister did the ceremony flawlessly, and you were announced Mr. and Mrs. James Barnes.

The reception was just as beautiful. The head table was small since it was just you, him, two bridesmaids, and two groomsmen. Natasha and Wanda sat to your right, and Steve and Sam sat to Bucky’s left.

The speeches were lovely. Natasha, Steve, and Tony spoke about the two of you and your relationship leading up until this point. Tony, of course, included embarrassing moments and a lot of humor to make the crowd laugh. Natasha’s was full of sentiment and love, and Steve’s was gloriously written--it seemed he was as good of an author as he was an artist.

The first dance came up. The choice for the song was obvious-- ”Speechless”.

As you danced to the song, you stared into each other’s eyes. “We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?” You asked him.

“And I would do everything all over again just for this moment,” Bucky smiled. You placed a gentle kiss on his lips and smiled. You couldn’t believe just how lucky you were to have someone as loving and special as he was. He was your everything; he was the sun, the moon, and the stars. You loved him more than you loved yourself.

“James Barnes, you are the love of my life,” You smiled.

“(Y/N) Barnes, I love you more than life itself.”

[elopez7228]

Scenic Route 33/47

Read on AO3 : https://archiveofourown.org/works/18268208/chapters/43229774 

Start over : https://elopez7228.tumblr.com/post/620919089893933056/scenic-route-0147

***

“Do you think Earth Soldiers did this?” Shakti asked, staring at the remnants of his pickup truck. “Should I alert Hux?”

Looking at the carnage, he suspected that after his timely getaway with Rey, Skylar and Syed returned to finish the job. The tires were slashed like Rey described, but now the windows were broken too—probably with the same bat that they used to rough him up.

Once in the car, Ben had easily slipped into his old persona, as laconic and mysterious as ever. He had managed to dodge all of Shakti’s attempts at conversation. In truth, he had no idea how to broach the subject of Syed and Skylar, or Rey, with the rest of the Knights. How could he convince them that Syed had betrayed him by following Snoke without calling his own loyalty into question? Was it even possible to talk about Skylar’s unacceptable aggression when violence was a part of their collective job description? And above all, how the hell was he supposed to explain the whole “Rey situation”?

He was tired enough to realize that he didn’t bother with strategy.

“No, it was Syed. And Skylar.” He answered her. “She decided to make me pay for...you know, Rey.”

Shakti nodded. “Yeah, seems like something she would do. She was seething that Rey took her place. No offense Kylo, but who is that girl? She came out of nowhere and everything went to shit.”

Ben licked his lips. It felt like walking through a mine field.

“She’s a worm. She infiltrated Earth Soldiers on our behalf and Skywalker fell for it...took her in like the daughter she never had.”

A fresh wave of bitterness overtook him. He had made the story up on the spot, but somehow the words felt strangely true, truer than they should have been.

Leia had trusted this girl, willingly or not, with her most valuable possessions. It was more than she had ever confided in him. Was he really jealous of what existed between his mother and Rey?

Shakti was silent. Talk about an explanation. If Kylo’s phone call a few minutes ago was anything to go by, his affair with the infamous Rey was serious...apparently it was more than just a tryst.

She had worked with Kylo long enough to know that he was a flirt; he slept with most of his collaborators at one point or another. Given the stress of their everyday job, the constant adrenaline highs...it was practically inevitable. Kylo Ren was debauched, but she’d never seen him get attached. The declaration of love back there was definitely a first for him.

“So, Syed thinks she’s pursuing an Earth Soldiers agent...what about Skylar?”

“Skylar always had a thing for Syed. They were always a pair...it’s a folie à deux for sure. They’re a force to be reckoned with, I don’t think Rey can keep up.”

Apparently that was the right answer, because Shakti changed the subject.

“What’re we going to do about that?” She asked, pointing to the truck. Ever the pragmatist.

“I’ll take yours, you take mine to the shop. I’ll give you the registration and everything. Tell Hux that we were targeted by Earth Soldiers—nothing about Syed, alright? I’ll fix this myself. And no cops, obviously.”

“Obviously,” Shakti agreed as she handed him her keys.

Ben’s fist curled around the keychain. He withdrew his own keys and tossed them in her direction. As he was surveying the rest of the damage to the truck, he instinctively reached out and peeled off the “Kylo Ren” sticker from the rear panel.

“Not a word to anyone else,” he warned. “If they have questions, they answer to me.”

Satisfied, Ben drove the grey SUV to the hotel while Shakti called a friend of a friend who knew how to make the evidence disappear.

As he sped down the highway, his phone buzzed. He took the call without checking the number, his heart stuttering when he recognized Rey’s voice on the other end. He wouldn’t have bet a penny that she would call him back. He was touched that she would even try...not that he knew how to voice his feelings right now. Clearly, she had listened to his message and determined that he was worth calling. Maybe, just maybe, he had a second chance.

“Solo, what the hell is going on?!” Rey hissed menacingly, skipping any semblance of greeting. “I mean, killers, seriously?”

“Syed and Skylar.” He said automatically, trying to hide any emotion in his voice. “They’re the vengeful type and you picked a fight with them. Ultimately, they’re looking for the chip my mother gave you.”

“I didn’t pick anything, I’ll have you know,” she scoffed. “Your stupid mafia pact doesn’t apply to me. I’d appreciate it if they would stop hunting me like some sort of renegade. Aren’t they your people?”

“They were. Syed and Skylar went rogue. You saw that yourself.”

“Listen to me, Ben Solo,” Rey snapped. “It’s the easiest thing in the world for you to call me and tell me to watch out. But this is your fault. So what are you going to do about it?”

Ben didn’t know how to respond. He never had the time to put a plan together.

“Go ahead, I’m listening,”she huffed. “You’re the one who let these dingos loose on me, so you should know how to stop them.”

“Rey, it’s not like I saw this com—“

“No,” Rey cut him off. “You love playing the czar but now you won’t own up to it, Kylo Ren. No more games. Take responsibility and fix things for once. If you don’t want Syed to drop me in a ditch somewhere, stop her. Yourself.”

Ben swallowed. He had no idea how to catch Syed. If she found Rey, she would kill her, but that was unacceptable.

“Rey, you can’t go this alone with those two out there. Come with me, I know what they’re like and I can protect you from—“

“Perfect. If you know how to protect me, and you know what they’re up to then just do that from afar.” Rey said brusquely. Then she paused, her voice suddenly tired:

“Look Ben, I’m leaving for California. Right now. I’ll drive straight through Idaho and Nevada and I’ll be there in about fifteen hours. I’ll deliver whatever’s here from Leia, and then get out of your lives forever. You had no right to throw me into this.”

“But she was the one who—“

“Oh seriously, come on! Are you really going to say that she was the one who started it?” Rey was at a breaking point. “We’re talking about killers here! If anything you said last night or this morning had an ounce of sincerity, then tell your bloody friends to let me go.”

She sighed, her voice breaking.

“Just let me go.”

Syed Ren was having a rough night. She didn’t know where in Satan’s ass this Rey bitch managed to find whatever the fuck she sprayed at them, but she knew that it was more potent than pepper spray or tear gas, whatever it was.

It took her a good ten minutes to catch her breath and force her eyes open despite the tears.

Ten very long minutes on the cold hard ground, while every breath felt like a stab in the lungs.

Skylar fared no better, having suffered a bruise to his ego on top of the physical trauma: he’d lost to a girl who weighed 120.

Eventually they limped somewhat pathetically towards the SUV. Syed had worked up enough rage to go back and smash Kylo’s windshield and mirrors. Of course neither of them was in any condition to drive, given that they could hardly keep their eyes open.

Skylar ordered an Uber which dropped them off in front of a 24-hour CVS, where they bought saline, a first aid kit, and a fuck ton of supplies to help treat their burns.

She contemplated returning to the hotel—would Kylo be waiting there? Luckily the coast was clear, and they managed to escape. They only took their weapons and a few sets of clothes, no need for instruments anymore.

Another Uber, another miserable motel. At least this one was on the outskirts of town. The fucking spray still clung to their clothes. They undressed immediately, unfazed by the casual nudity as they rubbed their bodies clean with oil and soothing aloe vera gel. In this state, water was out of the question.

They must have used dozens of gauze pads by now, but it was better to prevent the cross-contamination of such harsh chemicals. They finished by taking turns to carefully wash and rinse each other’s hair in the bathroom sink.

It occurred to Syed that they must look terrible, eyes still swollen and bloodshot.

After a painfully long hour of cleansing, they crawled into bed silently. Neither one dared to admit the true extent of the disaster out loud.

Snoke and Hux had demanded that the knights destroy the car and kill the dog. But the girl was to be left alive, in one piece. Snoke wanted to question her, Hux probably wanted to tie her to a cement block and toss her into the San Francisco Bay. Not that he had the guts. There was a big difference in between finger-wagging and cold blooded murder. Hux was too prim and proper to ever be capable of such a thing.

Syed thought about how she was going to form her own team, to succeed where Kylo Ren had failed miserably. No doubt she would make good money.

If she ever succeeded.

It had sounded simple enough: the target was a flip-flop wearing tourist. So what was she missing?

The night was brutal and provided little reprieve. But by the next morning, Syed’s vocal chords had recovered and her vision was less blurry. At least she would be able to drive.

Beside her, Skylar deigned to speak, after hours of brooding silently.

“I want the cash,” he said by way of greeting.

Syed lay on her stomach, facing away from him. She growled in reply, which turned into coughing.

“You’ll have your half when we deliver the girl.”

“Except you never mentioned she was a  fucking ninja,” Skylar complained. “You said that once we got Kylo we’d have no problem getting her. How was I supposed to know we were going to cough our guts out on all fours and end up in some shitty motel like rats? That’s gonna cost you hella bucks, Syed.”

Syed propped herself up on her elbows and turned to face him.

“You’ll get your part, a bonus, and your own team. When. We. Deliver. The. Girl.” She said through gritted teeth. “Besides, Hux won’t give us a penny until the job is done. But when we’re done with him, Kylo Ren will fall in line.”

Skylar snorted in disdain. If his eyes didn’t sting so much, they would be rolling into the back of his head. Syed slapped his shoulder in response.

“What? What the hell’s your problem?”

“Well for one, Kylo Ren is a fucking Skywalker, Syed!”

“And?”

“And Snoke will never let him go cause he’s goddamn royalty.”

Syed closed her eyes, in pain, and in contemplation. She clung desperately to the idea of what was on the microchip.

“Unless Kylo changes sides. Putting Snoke at risk, and Skywalker or not, he’d be dead.”

She got up, and Skylar couldn’t help but trace the curve of her body with his eyes. He watched her dress.

“Sky, you beat Kylo Ren to a pulp. It’s him or you now. Man versus man for the right to control FORCE.”

Skylar rose, pulling a shirt over his head. He knew that Syed was right. This was going to end with only of them on top.

“It’s time to take initiative. Where is he?” Skylar asked.

“Probably playing with his new dolly. We find one, we find the other.”

Syed disappeared into the bathroom where she rinsed her eyes with saline and finished dressing.

“There’s only one way out of Bozeman,” Skylar said matter-of-factly. “I’ll warn Hux to keep an the I-90.”

“That bitch was at the concert,” Syed echoed from the bathroom. “She’s gotta be staying somewhere. Check the local motels. And Kylo Ren is travelling on foot now, he can’t be far. Honestly, I almost want to wait for him next to that’s left of his junk, I’m sure he’ll try to go back.”

“And the others?”

Right, the rest of the band.

Syed emerged from the bathroom looking better than before. She had managed to coax her mohawk back into shape and overall appeared more put together, not counting her swollen eyes.

“Kylo has Shakti eating out of the palm of his hand. We all know she’s sleeping with Kelsi; we can’t trust either of them. That leaves Tyra and Saul. They’ll have to side with the winner when all this comes crashing down...and that better be us.”

The sound of her telephone tinging made Syed jump. Unknown Caller. Her heart pounded in her chest. Should she risk answering it? She hadn’t mentally prepared for a conversation with Kylo, if she answered now she would risk giving up a strategic advantage, or even an opportunity to get back at him.

But if it was Hux, she couldn’t ignore it.

She pressed a finger to her lips so that Skylar would remain silent, and answered in the most neutral voice she could manage.

“Hello?”

“Syed! It’s Saul. Where the fuck are you? Are you with Kylo? What the hell is happening?”

[adrrianraines]

shackles

genre: romance book: bloodbound pairings: adrian raines x reader insert song inspiration: kings and queens and vagabonds—ellem

disclaimer: my very first fic for the fandom! hella

EXHAUSTION WAS ONE of the strongest emotions you felt as you slumped over the couch inside Adrian’s office. Hell, it might as well be an understatement. It had been a long day—a long week even. When was the last time that you’ve had peace? You barely even remember. You slouched on the couch, hair strands sticking everywhere as you stared at your shaking palms, the rush of adrenaline slowly leaving your body.

You stared at your hands, flashbacks of the events just hours ago invading your mind with arrogance. You shut your eyes tightly, trying to forget the horror of what happened and what you did.

Murderer.

A voice echoed deep within your consciousness.

You’re no different from them.

”Are you alright?” A soft yet stern voice asked as you felt the space beside you sink, jerking you out of an emotional disarray that is currently your thoughts.

You turned towards the owner of the voice, a small and weary smile plastered upon your lips as you whispered her name in acknowledgement. “Kamilah. What’s up?”

”I can sense the dread a feet away.” She bemused, the expression on her face a bit bland. Though you caught on the flash of worry in her eyes.

”You’re one to talk.” You chuckled, though mirth was no where found on your tone. “I’m okay,”

The brunette studied your physiognomy for a few moments, possibly weighing out her options of whether to wait for you to talk or leave you be. It seemed that the latter won because she let out a sigh. 

Kamilah was not the one who would push someone to spill their gut—quite figuratively—if one had no desire to open up. She’s not being pushy about it either.

”I’ll leave you be.” The words rolled out of her mouth as quickly as she rose. Her footsteps slowly fading away in the distance, silence now reigning in the area.

The room is quite heavy, per se. Each person inside the room had their spots wherein they were lounging about. You had a talk with Lily a bit earlier before she eagerly got up and looked for something to sooth her thirst.

Oh how you sincerely wished you had her enthusiasm at the moment.

You talked to them — Jax, Kamilah, Lily and then Kamilah again — each and everyone of them except one.

Adrian.

For some reason, guilt crept your system as you swept your gaze around his office. Heck, you couldn’t even lay your eyes on him for more than a few seconds. A morbid voice kept ringing inside your head of accusations you can never deny.

Murderer.

“What the hell...” Clenching your fists, you shut your eyes tightly, trying to forget how her dead body looked like. How you mercilessly pulled the trigger. How the arrow went through her skull. How she fell limply on the muddy terrain, a whole in her head and a look so ghastly it might as well be forever embedded on your brain.

You killed Nicole.

All moral capabilities left your side the instant this thought sank. Your hands were bloodied. You took one life away and now it’s starting to weigh you down. Slowly, painfully until it was sure it will drown you down to the pits of despair.

It was for self-defense! The woman was evil! She was gonna kill me!

Several voices fought inside your head, all unwilling to back down. The clatter in your brain was severely heightened by the emotional guilt and the moral err you have committed.

You clutched your head, in hopes that the voice would shut up. The internal turmoil was making your head hurt so bad you’re feeling a bit light headed. Fatigue was slowly catching up. The ache on your legs was more evident than earlier. But what was running rampant was the voice inside your head.

Was it your conscience? You were human, after all. The woman was awful, yes, but was it really you who had to decide her judgement? Did you have the right to execute?

It was the right thing to do...! For self-defense...!

No matter how many times you tried to make these claims sound morally plausible, it wouldn’t. It shouldn’t have been you. You shouldn’t have stained your hands with her filthy blood...

The decadent room didn’t help your guilt ease a bit. Your mind played images of Nicole, alive, working and minding her own business before you came. How she could have lived her life as she wanted it if you never stepped foot in Raines Corporation. If you remained ignorant of the real world. Of their world. The image of her dead face haunted your mind like a broken record, whispering menacingly, murderer... Murderer... Murderer...

If you hadn’t come back at Raines Corp office that night, then all of this wouldn’t have happened. For sure, that mandrake extract could have waited? Those split second decisions turned everything around, your fate could have turned a different way. No lives would’ve been traded. Lily wouldn’t have been attacked—she could’ve stayed as a human if you hadn’t stuck your nose to where it didn’t belong.

Maybe... Just maybe... the debriefing would’ve been the better choice..?

She was going to kill you — she was out for your blood... It was the right thing to do.

No...

It’s what should be done.

I could’ve talked to her—

There was no other way.

That’s not—

MURDERER.

You gasped for air as if you were drowning, the dilation of your pupils returning back to normal as you readjusted your vision, specks of tiny stars slowly coming in to view.

”Are you alright?” Your head jerked towards the figure kneeling in front of you, granite eyes scrunched with worry. His thick brows were furrowed as he gently caressed your cheeks, wiping a lone tear that rolled down.

”Adrian...?” Your voice croaked, throat dry as you swallowed the lump that was threatening to get out. “I... What...”

“I was so worried...” You felt yourself being enveloped in a tight embrace, the coldness of your flesh being chased away by his warmth.

Kamilah, Lily and Jax were now hunched towards you—Lily sitting at the empty space beside you while rubbing your back—Kamilah looking both curious and worried behind Adrian.

“You alright there?” Jax queried, the look on his face seemingly disturbed and hella bothered by your sudden episode.

”You were groaning in so much pain, clutching your head with your hands...” Adrian breathed, fingertips brushing the side of your face to tuck away a stray hair. He whispered gently, as if he was trying to ease the pain, his voice a soothing lullaby. “Tell me, where else does it hurt? I’ll make it feel better.”

The look on his face was so broken it almost made you choke. Your eyes softened at the man before you, taking in all the cuts in his features that were starting to heal. His suit was a mess, his tie loosened and the several bruises around his neck that were starting to heal brought back the slaughter you witnessed earlier.

But damn it all. Adrian Raines was the perfect mixture of heaven and hell combined. The morality he shows outweighs the complexity of decisions his path has taken him as one of the immortal life forms that ever walked the earth. This complex man lay his emotions bare. He openly showed you a weakness that you can see up close.

And for some reason, you were alarmed by it all.

“Adrian...” You began, barely choking your words out. “I’m sorry... I killed-” You couldn’t even dare to continue the sentence. It was all too much.

He looked confused for a moment before realization hit him like hail. When you stared in his eyes, the room faded in the background, everyone else didn’t matter and now it’s just you and him.

”Don’t be. It was the right thing to... do.” Adrian bit his lower lip at the last word. Even he had a hard time finishing his sentence. Anger flashed by his countenance as he recounted the fight and it disappeared as quickly as it came. “It was bound to happen.”

”No, I didn’t wish for it to happen, I swear—” In a swift motion, you felt him cup your face as he gently brushed his lips over your own. He nipped at your bottom lip as you gasped, granting him access inside your mouth. His tongue swirled inside as you let out a soft moan, fully taking him in. All of him. He had a cut on his lip that was healing, causing you to taste him in your mouth. A mixture of metal and salt danced in your taste buds. His agony and regret washed over you, as you tasted the blood in your mouth.

The two of you broke free when you heard a couple of snickers and one intentional clearing of throat. You felt yourself flush at the thought that you made out with Adrian in front of everyone without reservations. In which, for the record, the two of you have never done before.

”Weeeeeellll... we’ll be around!” Lily snickered suggestively. “Don’t hold back, ‘kay?” The slight teasing on her tone only intensified the shame that you felt for being vulgar with your affections. The deep shade of crimson engulfed your cheeks in flames as your gaze darted from Adrian and then towards your friends, and back at Adrian again. He only managed a small smile as he lightly shook his head in amusement.

”We have to party! I mean, come on, we have a reason to celebrate!” Lily exclaimed excitedly only to earn an exhausted groan from Kamilah.  You watched Lily link her arms with her, dragging her away, the older vampire grumbling in her wake as an answer.

”Uh— I’ll be by the, er, bookshelves.” Jax, clearly not having any idea as to why he was still idling around, immediately walked away without even looking back.

“Feeling better?” You can almost hear the smirk in his voice as he moved to sit beside you, arms wrapping around your shoulders. And when you tilted your head to look at him, you saw how he was gazing at you so softly, metallic hues searching your own.

You nodded as you leaned against his solid frame, forcing yourself to drown out the unfamiliar voice inside your head who kept repeating the same words over and over again.

Murderer.

You closed your eyes, trying to resonate with whatever it was that lied beneath the surface. These words kept reverberating in your consciousness, unable to put two and two together. You could almost pinpoint it, the existence was there, but it’s way farther from your grasp. You couldn’t have been more thankful with Adrian who tried to disentangle you from your train of thoughts.

“Now that I have the chance.... I wanted to thank you... for everything that you’ve done. For saving my life and having my back.” A small, warm smile spread evenly on Adrian’s lips as he moved to kiss you once more, a kiss that lingered with a promise. “I owe you. I lost count of how many times however... I promise to always keep you safe from here on. I... care for you.”

Adrian’s words were like a promise. A promise of a better tomorrow. A promise of a peaceful companionship.

Perhaps, even, a promise of something more.

You let yourself be enchanted by his voice, hoping that it can drown away the demons that lurked beneath the shadows. But, at the back of your mind, you knew that everything was far from over. The voice inside your head let out a sinister laugh as it said, slowly but surely, almost a taunting promise, the words,

Humans are indeed fragile little things.

And what scared you the most was how you found yourself agreeing to it.

[boycacti]

Quick fix it - Reddie

Spoilers ahead!

I came back from watching IT CH2 not too long ago and though the film was an absolute masterpiece I cannot get over my son dying.

Here’s something my brain threw up in like ten minutes, the anxiety to proofread is unreal so I’m sorry if there’s hella mistakes I just needed to blow off some steam from how overwhelming that film was. I might make this into a short story or a long one, idk yet. Enjoy?

••••

The ground shook as Pennywise thrashed at the crevice they’d just escaped from, unaware of their dash to momentary safety on the other side.

Thrown down out of exhaustion, Eddie inhaled deeply, his back pressed awkwardly against the uneven surface of the rocky wall. It hurt. It hurt, the way they’d put him down, it hurt, the stones that rest deeply into his bruised skin, it hurt, the wound that remain bloody and gaping in the middle of his chest.

With a gasp for air he grabbed at his friend. His Richie. His friend Richie. Eddie couldn’t think. With what he thought was so little time he had left his mind ran at a million miles per second. Tell him, tell him, tell him, TELL HIM.

“Richie-“ tone serious as he jutted his chin slightly to breathe easier. Richie paused, leaning in, waiting. Stop this isn’t over. I can’t think. I can’t take this. I can’t lose you. I love-

Eddie swallowed. “I fucked your mom.”

He hadn’t exactly meant to say those words, but he hoped it would put a smile on his friends face. He’d give anything to see Richie smile right about now.

But the fear Richie felt at the thought of losing Eddie spiked. No, no, NO. No way on God’s green earth would Richie let Eddie’s last words be a mom joke. He got it though, he understood. But he hated it. Hated that Eddie would try to make light but also bite back one last time.

And for what? A win? Richie would give this man the world if he could and Eddie had no idea, but that was his own fault. Pushing Eddie away, making fun of him. How he wished he’d been the one to get impaled. Would do anything to swap places. But yeah, as far as Eddie was concerned, he got it.

Richie shook his head, gazing up at his friends with a new found force running through himself. “I’m getting Eddie out of here. You can do this. You can all do this. I’m not letting Eddie- I- He doesn’t have long. I’m not losing him. Not again.”

What Richie meant by that last part was open to interpretation for the rest of the losers. Though right now it was the last thing on their minds.

And he was right. They could, and they would.

Bill nodded. “Go. We-we’ll distract him long enough for you to get Eddie out. No one here is dying. Not if I can help it.”

Eddie kept zoning in and out, unsure of what was going on. Until strong arms grabbed at his waist and pulled him to his feet.

It was a blur. He couldn’t focus on where he was going or how he was going, but he was, going, nonetheless.

Not long after the noise became an echo and loud pants of strained breath filled the air, he felt things slow, his body being hoisted upwards.

“Eddie you’re gonna have to help me here, i can’t climb for the both of us.” Richie begged. His voice laced with so much desperation that Eddie did his best to comply.

“...It’s hard, Rich... I can feel myself drifting.” Unaware of pretty much everything around him, Eddie blindly grabbed rocks and gradually pulled himself up, Richie practically pressed against him making sure he didn’t fall.

“No man, you’re doing fine, we’re almost there.”

And they were, almost there, eventually. Just like moments before Eddie continued to space in and out, every time they seemed further and further away from the fight down bellow.

Then there was light. A phone call. An ambulance? Eddie wasn’t sure. But he did know that Richie was there the whole time, and that made everything okay.

Richie held Eddie’s hand, all the way to the hospital. A sense of dread never leaving the pit of his stomach. What if, what if, WHAT IF?

No, Eddie was fine, he was safe, they were safe, god he hoped their friends were okay.

Because he wasn’t sure. When he’d said it, about them being able to take care of it on their own. He just knew that he needed to get Eddie out of there, in that moment that’s all that mattered. And now, in this moment, all that mattered was making sure that Eddie stayed alive. He didn’t know what he’d do if he didn’t.

The questions came flooding in as they reached the emergency room in Derry’s local hospital. What happened? Where were you? Who did this? Was anyone else involved? Are you hurt too?

Richie knew that he probably didn’t make any sense, going on about a killer clown with claws and too many legs. They were quick to separate the two men, sending Eddie straight off to an operating theatre and Richie to a nice quiet room where using general anaesthetic, doctors could knock the man out before he hurt himself because of the hysteria he’d worked himself up into.

By the time he came to, the sun had started to paint the sky a soft salmon color.

With a soft sigh and an ache in every bone, he sat up. Head foggy, he glanced to his side, finding his cracked glasses resting on the bedside table. Putting them on he stared up and across the room to his bloody coat lain over a chair.

Eddie. Heart jumping into his throat Richie flung himself off of the bed, and straight for the door.

Doctors and nurses jumped out of his way as he sprung out into the hallway like a deer between headlights.

“EDDIE KASPBRAK. WHERE IS HE!?” He yelled at no one in particular.

A nurse sped over to him with a hand up, palm flat to show they meant no harm. “I’ll take you to him now, Mr Tozier, but you have to calm down first.”

Richie breathed hard and narrowed his eyes. “I. Am. Calm. Where the fuck is he?”

“Mr Tozier I can’t tell you if you’re not willing to coop-“

He felt himself crumble on the spot. “Just tell me that he’s okay. Please. Just- he’s okay. Right? Eddie’s fine? Tell me... Please.” His eyes began to water and his bottom lip started to tremble. He just needed to know. That’s all.

The nurse nodded curtly. “He’s stable. God knows how. But he is. Follow me.”

And he did, follow her. Right to Eddie’s room, where the man lay fast asleep, probably so high on pain meds he didn’t even know it.

Richie felt his heart swell, a sob racked it’s way through his lungs and up through his dry mouth, which he tried fo cover with his fist.

Eddie was okay. Eddie was safe. Eddie was breathing and here. The nurse had said a few things that had flown over his head, nothing mattered, only the beautiful man before him, nothing else mattered- except his friends, they mattered too. Oh god. His friends.

For the second time in the last five minutes, Richie’s heart beat sped up as he pushed past the nurse mumbling about needing to leave. Doctors and nurses called after him, advising him to stay. But Eddie was fine, so he couldn't. He had to know if the others were as well.

And sure enough, they were. He’d walked back to the god for saken house on Neibolt street to find that it was no longer standing strong on haunted beams. His friends weren't there, where they were, was down by the quarry, sat pondering on what they’d all just been through.

Richie was a welcomed sight. And though they’d all since dried off from jumping in the water, they dragged the trashmouth in for a wash.

They’d been more that relieved to discover that Eddie was in hospital, and decided to head straight up there once they’d all dried off again.

It had been a stressful day. And once reassured that their friend would be fine, the losers headed back to the inn for a good night's sleep.

Except for Richie. Who chose to sleep in an old hospital recliner. It wasn't a good night’s sleep, but it didn’t matter, as long as he was by Eddie’s side, he knew everything would turn out just fine.