#I definitely considered adding a 'break a leg!' joke here but I didn't

[beaningeneraldenial]

Clown is angry.

He has every right to be; for about a week now, he's been trying to track down the guy who shot him in the head with little to no success. A few rumors here, a few rumors there. People around have been calling him 'Hot Guy', because apparently that's his only catchphrase.

Oh, yeah. The man is trying to play hero. In Lifesteal, there are no heroes. You're either a villain or a peasant trying to stay alive a day longer and now that stranger is trying to cause issues for everyone.

'Everyone' being the people in the heart trading business. That includes Clown as well but he only wants revenge -though a free target for hearts would be nice too.

"There is this avian who has been spotted with him", Branzy comments off-handedly from the bed, where he is tinkering with some cogs and wires and some other bits that Clown couldn't hope to name. "He's called 'Cute Guy', god knows why. They're a hero duo now"

Clown lets his forehead bang against the desk, right next to Branzy's elaborate redstone blueprints and his own neat row of knives.

Some shuffling comes from the bed, followed by footsteps and the badly hidden chuckles of his partner in crime. Leave it to Branzy to console someone through their sulking.

"There, there, Clown" -he pats his back- "You're the deadliest assassin in all of Lifesteal. Even if they're stab-proof, they aren't trap-proof"

---------

The following week is a whole lot of diggin'. Well, it's more like Clown watching Branzy run around the old funhouse design in the bottom of his casino, connecting and disconnecting wires and repairing the damages Vitalasy and Cube caused the last time they were down there. This lucrative endeavor of an establishment has been closed for that period of time, so that the new 'content' won't be leaked.

All he does is wriggle his fingers together as he sees the plan slowly but surely take shap and sharpen his scythe until the blade can slice the thinnest, most see-through slice of a tomato.

"How- It's that sharp?", Branzy is bewildered at the sight of the perfectly skinned tomato on the bar counter. Clown grins. "You know what, I won't even ask how you managed to do that"

"It was a lot of hard work, sweat and tears of the innocent"

"Tears of the innocent"

"I had to test the sharpness somehow"

Branzy stares for a second, then shakes his head, gives him a pointed look, silently communicating 'The less I know, the less I can confess in court' and walks back to the pit.

----------

Hot Guy and Cute Guy are a lot easier to lure than anticipated. Upon opening night, Clown spots the two bantering with some guests near the blackjack tables from the overhead, 'Staff Only' balcony. He gently nudges Branzy's side and watches as the man walks down the stairs to go collect them.

As he does that, Clown grabs his scythe and descends to the bottom of the funhouse pit.

The swirling red, purple and black colours are familiar and comforting. He stands right in the middle of the floor, listening intently on the laughter and joyful screaming coming from the funhouse rooms that are meters above.

Soon, the first target is falling through the ceiling. It's Hot Guy, the wingless of the duo and the sickening crunch that follows his fall is music to Clown's ears. He doesn't pounce yet, wanting to kill two birds with one stone.

Cute Guy is close to the other's timing. Though winged, the avian can't do much more than flap his parrot wings fruitlessly and collide with the wall and then slide to the ground in cartoon fashion.

"Welcome to the Funhouse!", Clown calls out, dashing to Hot Guy and swinging his scythe. The man yells and shouts apologies at him to stop but the blade has already been set into motion.

The other hero has managed to stand on shaky legs by the time he's done with the now-corpse that is already sizzling away, one heart down and Clown one heart up. Back to twenty.

"Hey, we can talk about this, fella!"

Clown doesn't think that they can talk about this. Silent as always, he stalks towards his pray. Branzy whistles above, probably looking at the bloody mess that is the pit he worked so hard on.

And Cute Guy pulls a gun out of nowhere. A pink gun with a heart on either side to match his equally pink outfit. The warning shot misses Clown's ear by a hair. It's a power play, he undesrtands that but now that he has an audience to appease, he has to play into the theatrics as well.

"Next time, I won't miss!", his voice dances. There is a light tremble to it; barely there but Clown's senses are enhanced and he picks up on it without issue.

Then he slices clean through the muzzle of the gun with his scythe. The hero is absolutely shell-shocked, shrieking and Clown laughs as he mocks him.

"Next time, I won't miss!", he follows through with his words. The guy's heart doesn't add to his count but it instead floats right above the hero's corpse. It's a deep purple with a swirling darkness inside it; Clown has never seen anything like it.

At the end of it, all that's left is the blood, the adrenaline and the slow, impressed clapping coming from Branzy.

Revenge had been served.

[phr3ia]

Fragmented Glass (Satoru Gojo x Fem!Reader) [Chapter 12 : Confessions]

Satoru pulled his car over across the street from the bakeshop, the bouquet of flowers secure on the seat next to him. He took a deep breath before getting out of the car. He couldn't help but smile as he walked towards the bakeshop's entrance. The bell chimed as he entered, drawing the attention of your co-workers. They whistled and catcalled, teasing you about your adoring husband.

"Look who's here! The king of romance is back visiting his queen!" your workmate Hina, exclaimed.

"Damn, you're one lucky woman." Chiyo added.

Satoru blushed, shifting his weight from one leg to another, avoiding eye contact with your workmates.

"He's going all out today. You better show him some love at home, Y/N!" Ichiro teased, grinning at you.

You peeked over the counter, a blush creeping up your cheeks at the sight of him. "Satoru! You're early!" You exclaimed, trying to hide your shyness.

Satoru sheepishly approached you, holding out the bouquet of flowers. "Hey. I didn't want to be late for dinner, so I decided to come early."

Your heart fluttered at his unexpected gesture. You accepted the bouquet, the sweet scent of the blooms filling your senses. "This is so thoughtful of you, Satoru. Thank you." You gently touched the petals, admiring them for a moment before looking up at him. "I'll finish up quickly."

"Take your time, I'll be right here." Satoru smiled before walking to the nearest table by the window.

After a few minutes, you carefully packed your things, making sure not to leave anything behind. You couldn't help but feel excited as you made your way to Satoru's table. "Alright, I'm done. Shall we go?"

"Where do you want to go for dinner? I'll take you anywhere you like." Satoru inquired, clearly waiting for your answer.

You hesitated for a moment, considering his question. "I was actually thinking of something simple, like ramen. How does that sound to you?"

"Ramen it is. I know just the place." He replied with a grin, leading you towards his car. Satoru couldn't shake the thought that you deserved better than just a bowl of ramen. After all, you are his wife. But secretly, he was glad you wanted something simple. It showed that you were comfortable with him, which brought a warm sensation to his feelings.

On the drive to the ramen shop, Satoru stole glances at you, admiring the way the sunlight played with your hair. Nervousness washed over him, but he mustered up the courage to ask you one question. "Uhm, Y/N...would it be okay if I...hold your hand while we ride?" The strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer was definitely flustered. This time, he wasn't just looking for your attention, he was reaching out to claim your heart.

You were suddenly left speechless at his request. Looking back on the past few weeks, you had to admit that things were definitely changing between you two.

You smiled, recalling all the sweet gestures he'd made for you. From making you a cup of coffee every morning, to buying you flowers without any occasion, simply because he thought you'd like them, the late-night chats and making you laugh with his corny jokes. Each moment felt more loving than the last. He'd given you more than you ever thought you'd need, slowly breaking down the walls you had built around your heart.

Without saying a word, you gently intertwined your fingers with his, and the simple act felt so right. Satoru's blush intensified, and his lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but the words failed to come. At that moment, you realized you were falling in love for Satoru.

Upon arrival, Satoru led you inside the small, cozy ramen shop. The smell of hot broth filled the air as you found a table to sit at. He helped you take off your scarf and hung it on the back of your chair.

Once seated, Satoru reached for your hand again. You chuckled, finding comfort in his hesitance and his eagerness to be close to you. He may be the strongest sorcerer in the world, but with you, he seemed to be just a man trying to find his way in a world where love was more powerful than any curse or spell. The two of you enjoyed a quiet, intimate dinner, savoring each spoonful of ramen and the butterflies that fluttered in your stomachs every time your gazes met.

After finishing your bowls of ramen, Satoru looked at you and suggested  "How about we walk around Shibuya for a bit? There are a bunch of dessert shops nearby."

"That sounds like a perfect way to end the night. Let's go!" you responded with a beaming smile. Both Satoru and you have a sweet tooth, and all those desserts you shared with him were simply the best.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Satoru guided you back to his car. But instead of driving straight back to your home, he took smaller roads that spiraled upwards, eventually leading you to the mountain view deck overlooking the sprawling city of Shibuya.

"Why did you bring me here?" you asked, bewildered by the sudden change in route.

Satoru stopped the car and turned to face you, his eyes soft and sincere. "I wanted to show you something." He opened the door and stepped out, offering you his hand. Once you were both standing beside the car, he led you to the edge, where the breathtaking view of Shibuya illuminated below.

Satoru looked at you, his eyes gleaming in the darkness. "I came here many times when I was young, thinking about my future and how I wanted to change the world. It's one of my favorite places in all of Tokyo."

"This place...it's beautiful." you whispered, entranced by the sight.

Satoru's hands trembled slightly as he hold yours, his grip gently tightening as if to reassure himself that this moment was real. "Y/N..." He hesitated, swallowing hard, before looking deep into your eyes. "Being with you, I feel different. I never thought I could feel this way. You've shown me that there's more to life than just being the strongest or changing the world. You make me feel vulnerable, and it's...it's intoxicating. It's a feeling I want to experience for the rest of my life. You've led me to places and made me do things I've never imagined myself doing...things I wouldn't have done if it weren't for you. Before I met you...My life, it was...meaningless. I was just going through the motions, fighting curses, trying to be the best, but I never truly lived. Being with you has changed everything." Satoru's voice shook with emotions as he continued. "The past cannot be undone, I know...our start, it was bitter, filled with...hatred. But I promise you, I'll do everything in my power to give you a future worth living for even if it means sacrificing myself to protect you, then so be it. I'll do it in a heartbeat."

In the silence of the night, you found yourself gazing into Satoru's eyes, seeing the purest, rawest form of love and vulnerability. You realized that Satoru was laying himself bare for you. The Satoru Gojo, the overconfident, arrogant, cocky Sorcerer, had vanished. In his place stood a man who was humble and vulnerable, seeking your love and acceptance.

The tenderness in Satoru's voice escalated as he confessed "I am afraid. Afraid that you won't feel the same way. But regardless of your answer, I need to say it.  I am terrified that it might change the way you look at me, but I cannot bear the thought of not telling you. You've stolen my heart, and I never want it back."

Satoru paused for a second, taking a deep breath. "Y/N....I Love You..."

You could see the pain, the fear, and the hope etched on his features. As you returned his gaze, your eyes spoke volumes of love, affection, and acceptance. In that moment, Satoru finally understood what Itadori had meant. Your eyes were the windows to your soul, and it revealed the depths of your love for him.

Feeling the rush of emotions, Satoru leaned in closer, his lips brushing against yours, sealing his declaration with a tender kiss.  Satoru's arms circled your waist, pulling you closer, while yours wrapped around his neck, returning his embrace. In that moment, the world around you ceased to exist, leaving only the two of you, sharing an intimate, heartfelt kiss under the enchanting moonlight.

Satoru slowly pulled away, his forehead resting against yours, and he whispered, "Thank you, Y/N...."

His words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of his gratitude. You smiled, feeling the warmth of his breath against your lips. "I love you too, Satoru."

���┈••✦ ❤ ✦••┈•

End of Chapter 12 🥀...

@kalopsia-flaneur @thatmartinkitten @staruus @miizuzu @haikomaiko

[sweetestlamb]

Let's Play A Love Game

Author's note: this one is rated 😈 so yeah. There was originally more angst in my mind but once I got to that part I was over it lol I'm the worst at angst I much rather make it naughty. It's more rushed than I wanted but I don't really have time to write 10k fics right now. But hopefully soon.

Summary: it's just pretend, right?

She hadn't meant to push the event in the corner of her mind until she forgot about it completely, so much so that when the e-vite showed up in her inbox she stared at it in wide eyed shock not even noticing Mi-Seon creeping up behind her.

"It's already time for that? I usually know it's coming because you start buying expensive dresses you can't afford and crying at your credit card bill. Maybe country life has really changed you hm?"

False. Inaccurate. Utterly wrong to the every core.

She lets out a shrill scream letting her head fall painfully on her desktop.

"I'm an idiot! Just kill me now, I deserve it." She has nothing to wear, okay the mountain of boxes in her living room, bedroom and some hidden in the linen closet beg to defer but none of that is worthy of this event. The annual dentist convention in Seoul, it's a week long getaway. It's meant to be an opportunity to build connections and attend professional learning classes, but that has long been abandoned. Now it is a fashion show and chance to show off your success and this year more than ever she has to impress everyone. They all look down on her and her cute little practice. Those judgemental snarky bitches.

"Do we have anymore patients?" She absently asks her best friend, only friend already getting up and walking away.

"No that was the last one. Do you want to call it a day?" She doesn't give a verbal reply lost in her phone and the disease that is online shopping, in the span of three minutes she has already added seven dresses to her cart.

"Chief Hong is going to have a long day."

It's just as Mi-seon says the next day the nosy know it all shows up glaring at her over the handful of packages in his arms.

"Don't tell me you're doing this again. What more could you possibly have to order? How much things does one woman need?" His voice is an air warmer than the last time they were in this very same position, but she tries not to think too hard about it. Their relationship is too confusing these days, as temperamental as the sea.

"Are delivery men allowed to complain this much when they're doing a job they are getting paid for?" She snarks back, snatching her packages from his arms with a huff. Ignoring the grin on his face as she disappears into her house.

"That better be all you order. I'm not coming back."

He comes back. At least six more trips, more boxes each time on the last day he doesn't simply leave after making his delivery.

"I'm coming in for tea because of you I've been working too hard." She squeaks indignantly as he pushes past her, their shoulders brushing in the tight space of the doorway.

She should wait until she doesn't have an audience but she's too impatient so while he's making the tea in her kitchen (so rude and intrusive), she starts to open a few boxes pulling out the contents. Dresses, blouses, shirts, hair accessories, lipsticks in all shades and hues, and of course shoes; heels, flats and everything in between.

"Your house looks like a department store." She jumps at his voice glancing up at him, almost laughing at the hedgehog mug that he's drinking out of that Mi-seon gave her as a joke. Leave it to him to pick the most ridiculous mug.

"Hurry up and go so I can try everything on." She starts to take the objects out and organize them, putting together possible outfits lazily.

"Why not have a fashion show?" He slurps loudly at the tea, sighing and smiling down at the warm beverage. Acting like he's never had tea before, such a plebian.

"A fashion show?"

"Yeah, model all that", he motions to the new boxes littering her bedroom floor, "and I'll let you know what looks good."

She scoffs, loudly looking at his lackluster outfit; a simple white tee tucked into dark cargo pants with suspenders.

"What do you know about fashion?" She replies meanly, despite the little voice in her mind that reminds her that while his outfits are more practical than fashionable there is something distracting about the way his shoulders fill out his shirts and the way his long legs sit in his pants.

He shrugs looking down at himself, "I'm the town handy man I have no need to look good. But I'm still a man I can tell you what I think looks good on a woman."

Oh. It's a nonchalant statement said with no real heat but the implications make her skin warm up, she's never once thought that he saw her as a woman; nor considered looking at him like a man. (Lies.)

"I--why woul--why?" She stutters through an answer, tongue heavy in her mouth. He looks back nonplussed, sitting down pointedly on her couch.

"Never took you for the shy kind. You growing bashful now Ms. Dentist?" His eyes twinkle with mischief and she knows that she's being played but she wants nothing more than to wipe that smug look off his face. Slamming her room door, she pulls off her casual house clothes and grabs the first thing that catches her attention- a buttery yellow dress that grazes her knee, pairing them with white heels and a high messy bun. A swipe of lip tint completes the look and she confidently opens her room door.

Du-sik is staring aimlessly at his phone and doesn't notice her reappearance at first, so she coughs loudly folding her arms and when his eyes land on her, a chill runs down her spine at the look that lands on her body. It's been a long time since a man looked at her in this way, his eyes are undressing her even though he was the one who implored her to dress up in the first place. She hates it. At least she should hate it. But she can't ignore the satisfaction that washes over her at his dumbfounded look, that smug look obliterated by her very first look.

"Well?" She pushes harder, twirling to give him the full look. His gasp is loud behind her, she knows exactly why. The deep revealing plunge that travels all the way to the small of her back. There's no way she would wear this to the convention much too suggestive but that's her business.

"Wher-" his voice cracks and this time she can't contain her smile, dimples flashing now at her clear affect on him, clearing his throat he tries again, "Where exactly are you going again?"

She hums turning back around, gleeful at the vibrant blush on his cheeks. So he is just a man after all.

"A dentist convention." She answers cheekily and he guffaws loudly, eyes narrowing at her like he knows exactly what she's trying to do. They stare at each other for a long moment and she ultimately breaks the stand still, realizing what's happening. It feels a lot like flirting.

Collecting herself, she barrels back into the room.

"What the hell are you doing?" She whispers to her reflection, face too flushed for her liking.

A hard knock at the door pulls her from her self chastisement, "You didn't even wait for my rating."

She sighs loudly covering her face in embarrassment at her own action. She doesn't even have alcohol to blame this time.

"I don't care. This was stupid, let's stop."

Of course he ignores her.

"I liked it. But it's too...sexy for convention. You should wear that for someone special. I doubt anyone with a beating heart would be able to resist you."

What the fuck.

This isn't who they are, when did they become comfortable enough for conversations like this? They despised each other, right? Confused and annoyingly flattered, she peels the dress off her body trying her hardest not to think about the fact that only a door separates him and her naked body.

"I would love to see the others. But I have to go, but if you want my opinion. Red is definitely your color."

"What?" She replies, but she can hear the too loud click of the front opening and then closing and just as capriciously as he arrived, he leaves. 

Burying something that feels a lot like disappointment she flops onto her bed, head fuzzy like its been wrapped in cotton.

"What is going on?"

They don't see much of each other the next day and it's unusual given how much they see each other on a regular basis but she refuses to think about it or even consider that he's avoiding her. He's just busy and she doesn't care anyway, they have nothing to do with each other.

The convention is in two days now, she has her overnight bag packed with all her new purchases and the messages have been pouring in their group chat. She's mostly chosen to ignore them but on a whim she decides to check what they're so excited about, only to feel her stomach drop.

Why isn't Hye Jin answering?

Maybe she's busy with her mystery man 😉

Oh! She has to bring him, we need to interrogate him!

Yoon Hye Jin don't pretend you don't see these messages!!

That she had forgotten about.

"Why did you tell them that he's interested in you? Has living here altered your brain, you idiot." She berates herself.

"Who's interested in you? Why are you an idiot?" Mi-seon looks curious from the doorway, without waiting for an invitation she hops onto the bed with two cans of beer. She grabs one, drinking it in a flash.

"Oh it's that kind of night." Mi-seon says excitedly running to grab more beers.

"So let me get this straight, you told them that Chief Hong is interested in you and that he's been chasing you but you're not interested?"

She nods meekly, wishing the floor would swallow her up.

"Why did you lie?"

That's the brunt of the issue, she's a liar. She should have sent her initial message and told them that there was nothing between them but how could she when they were all calling him handsome and acting like she finally did something right? She'd spent that entire dinner feeling like her teenage self on the outside looking in, wanting nothing more than to be someone worthy of being included.

"I know I should have told the truth."

"Yes, you should have told them that you're interested in him too."

Huh.

Time stops as she processes the words that her best friend just uttered. There is static in her head as she tries to make sense of it.

"What are you talking about?"

Mi-seon looks at her unimpressed.

"You can both keep lying to yourself but the rest of us aren't as stupid. You're both interested in each other. It's mutual."

She wants to ardently deny the accusation but the words are caught in her throat and all she can manage are refusing sounds.

"You've been wearing red all week." Mi-seon says accusingly and she jumps up in huff, "So what? I'm allowed to wear colors!"

"You hate wearing red. You said it makes your skin look too pale. You hardly ever wear it. So color me surprised when I learned that red is the favorite color of a certain part timer."

That damn town chat. There has to be a way to get Mi-seon out of it. Maybe it was a mistake letting her live here. She was learning too much.

"Don't even bother to deny it. I won't believe anything you say. But I think you should ask him to go with you, you'll get some time alone to figure this out."

There's nothing to figure out. They are..... acquaintances who can admit that the other is vaguely attractive at times. His face isn't all that bad and she's pretty, so it's natural that there is tension at times, like he said they were still humans.

So she doesn't tell him about her fib, pretending everything is fine until it's the day of the convention and her anxiety has all but smothered her and her hands have a slight tremble in them as she starts to drive.

"It's going to be fine. Everything will be okay." She doesn't believe a word she's saying to herself, her heart is thumping in her heaving chest. She doesn't want to go alone. Convincing Mi-seon to leave was a failed endeavour, her and that police officer becoming inseparable. She knew what that smile meant when her best friend had realized that she would have the house to herself. She could barely get a word in as Mi-seon started frantically shaving her legs then pushed her out of the bathroom to "shave her wild cat".

With a sigh she starts driving, the car too quiet despite what she'd told Du-Sik and the Gongjin grannies. Uncharacteristically she turns on the radio, kpop blaring from the speakers. She recognizes the tune, never before has something as mundane as butter seemed so interesting but the kitchen essential was given new life by the song. She bops her head to the catchy beat, trying to ignore the fact that she's driving to the lion's den.

Some time later, she pulls into the hotel a valet already coming over to get her car. Grabbing her overnight bag, she exits the car handing her keys to the waiting hands of the valet.

Everyone is here and none of them had come alone, she was the only one without a plus one. They haven't noticed her yet so she watches as they all laugh at a joke she can't hear, unnecessarily stroking at their husband's chests as if to show off their exorbitantly priced wedding rings. Everything was always a competition here.

She shouldn't have come. Their was nothing about her life that they would be envious of. She was going to make a fool of herself. Impulsively she starts stepping back but it's too late, Hong In-A spots her and points her out and immediately all eyes are on her, they all start walking over to her and she wants nothing more than to run far, far away. Get on a bus and go to the beach and never see any of them ever again. But she's no longer a child, no longer that scared little girl; worked too hard to shed that skin.

Fortifying herself she puts on a fake smile. Ready for war.

"Hye-Jin ah, there you are. We were beginning to think you wouldn't come. You never responded in the group chat." Ye-Ri states with an attitude, looking around her as if searching for someone and eyes brightening when she sees no one. "Did you come alone?" This makes all of them perk up, looking around like chickens with their heads clucking. She swallows the shame the question elicits, "Who would I be with? I told you in already, it's not like that."

They all look at her with pity, it makes her want to slap them all across the face. Who were they to make her feel like shit, she didn't need anyone that didn't make her pathetic.

Finally one of the husbands cracks the awkward tension by introducing himself, she tries her best to ignore the pervasive way his eyes run down her body. Instinctively she crosses her arms, feeling naked under his stare. Nobody else notices her discomfort and after all the introductions, they all walk away as if she's no longer worth their time.

Lump in her throat she walks into the hotel, determined not to show them that they've gotten under her skin.

There's a scheduled lunch and she tries to find a new table but Sung-Mi waves her over and she doesn't see anyone else she recognizes or wants to sit with.

He hadn't been wrong, she has no friends besides Mi-seon.

"You were looking around, were you looking for someone? Are we not good enough to sit with?" The question is asked with a bite and sneer as if the idea is laughable that she would ever be better than any of them.

She swallows her pride, "No nothing like that. I was merely looking around."

Sung-Mi looks satisfied as if putting her in her place has righted her world.

They begin a conversation that completely excludes her, regaling drama that she knows nothing about and doing nothing to bring her up to date or invite her to join. It's the polar opposite of her experience in the countryside and with shocking clarity she realizes that she wishes she were there, it's only been a few hours but she misses it. Nobody looks down on her there, no usually she's the only doing that she notes with shame.

"I'll find the restroom." She says to no one because none of them are paying her any mind except the husband with the wandering eyes and she would much rather not have that attention.

Thankfully the bathroom is empty and she has to stop herself from splashing water on her face, her make-up was done perfectly it would be a waste to ruin it. Pushing her hair behind her ears she takes a deep breath and then another until her head is clearer, the noise lessening.

"It's only a day and a night. You've suffered far worst."

With that lacking pep talk she exits the bathroom, almost colliding into a wall. Wait, no it's just a person- a chest to be specific. She looks up ready to apologize when a familiar face stops her in her tracks.

"What are you doing here?" She stares flabbergasted at him, more dressed up than she's ever seen him. In a white suit with a white vest, the tee-shirt peeking under the only thing that feels like him to her. And his white sneakers. She can't hide her surprise at his sudden appearance and without thinking she starts to pull him to the side, to avoid being seen but she's not fast enough and soon they are swarmed by her colleagues, before she even has a chance to talk to him.

"Aren't you the man from the picture?" Yoo-Jin asks blushing way too much for a married woman if her husband's cold stare means anything.

"The picture?" Du-sik replies, clearly confused.

"You're the guy that's chasing after her. She told us that you liked her and you were courting her." Sung-Mi answers for her, she wants to vanish. It would be better if she had never existed. Even non-existence would be better than this embarrassing moment. "I got a picture of you two last time, when you followed her."

His eyes ping-pong between the group and her and she realizes this is his chance to ruin her. After everything she's done, all her rude comments and snobby remarks about the town and people he cares for so much, this is his chance for revenge. He can laugh and deny any feelings for her, tell them all that she's a liar and he's never been interested in her, not even once. This is what is going to happen. She prepares herself for the fall out, surely after this she won't be able to show her face in Seoul again.

He starts to laugh and her stomach tightens, her palms are so sweaty.

Here it goes.

"Oh I guess she wanted to keep me a secret."

Wait. What. That doesn't sound like denial.

"We're together now. I finally bulldozed those walls and made her mine. Nice to meet you all I'm Hong Du-sik, Hye-Jin ah's boyfriend."

Her eyes widen as he bows and starts to shake hands with the husbands, the one that stared at her looking disappointed. Their handshake goes on for a second too long, eventually with the latter pulling away with a pained look. She's too confused to consider what that means.

"And you were so cold earlier saying you had no one. Did you want to make a fool of us?"

He answers for her, "It's nothing like that, my honey is still getting used to us. I'm sorry I'm so late I had something to take care of."

Her head is spinning too fast to keep up with everything happening and she's grateful when he excuses them and guides her outside with a large hand on her hip.

Fresh air is much appreciated and she takes in huge heaps of it as soon as they're free.

Then reality crashes down on her.

He knows about her lying.

He had called her bluff.

But he didn't out her.

"Why didn't you tell them the truth?" She finally manages to say, head still reeling.

But instead of answering he's staring at her legs, then slowly his eyes swivel upward cross her thighs curving around her hips, past her breasts (a bit too slow there) before moving to her collar and settling on her face.

"You look great."

She feels the heat rushing to her face. What was he doing to her?

It hadn't been in purpose but she finds herself in red again, an a line dress with criss crossing straps over her shoulder and a middle slit. It was conservative without being too formal or professional. She'd felt comfortable in it but now seeing that look on his face, comfort is the last thing she feels.

He was distracting her and she couldn't afford that with those harpies inside waiting for her downfall. They needed to get back on track.

"What are you doing here?" She tries again, but he responds with his own question, "Why did you tell them that I was chasing you?"

"It was a mistake. They thought we were together and I just....said that for no reason." It's half the truth.

"They don't seem like your friends. You looked like you needed someone on your side, so I just found myself saying we were together for no reason."

She looks at him blankly, heart pounding now. In her moment of weakness instead of kicking her, he'd lended a helping hand. What kind of person did it make her for expecting the former?

"So what now?" She asks still in disbelief that he's here and that he'd told people that there were dating, she would be angry and offended later that they had readily believed it. Perhaps it didn't seem too farfetched now with him looking like that right now.

"Well, don't look but they're watching us through the glass."

This time she finds herself turning to look and he's the one that has to stop her, he does so by suddenly grabbing her hand and tugging her into his body. She squeaks at the collision. Leaning down so his lips are level with her ear, he speaks, "We can give them a show. I'm happy to be your pretend boyfriend."

Why?

She yearns to ask him why he's willing to go this far for her? Why was he even here when she had never told him where the convention was taking place? But his words were hot on her ear and she's tired of being their source of entertainment so she nods looking up at him, "Just this once. I'm going to lean on you. Let me borrow your eraser and copy your homework."

He stares before a blinding smile graces his handsome face.

"Let's go then." His hand is heavy on her waist as he walks back towards the hotel, taking his role very seriously it seems.

He fits in perfectly. Able to talk about a plethora of topics to anyone he's introduced to and even she's impressed by him. Be it travel, philosophy or poetry he seems well versed in everything things that even she is ignorant to and it makes her regret the way she looked down on him before, he was anything but a country bumpkin.

She leaves him to his conversation to get a drink, a whiskey on the rocks. Needing something hard tonight.

Not that. Down brain.

"Yoon Hye Jin? I would recognize that face anywhere."

Twisting to face the voice, she sees a familiar face- old classmate. Rung Do-Bae, they weren't anything more than classmates despite his many, many attempts.

His eyes sweep over her hungrily. She swallows her drink, painting on a shallow smile.

"Sunbae, how nice to see you here."

Invading her space he grabs her hand, "There is no need for such formalities. You can just call me by my name, Hye Jin ah."

As if she ever would.

Gently she tries to extract her hand but he won't let go and she doesn't want to make a scene.

Suddenly she's warmed by a body pressing into her, she knows who it is without even looking, her body relaxes immediately.

"Sorry I got lost in conversation honey. Who might this be? Another friend of yours?" He thrusts his right hand out and Do-Bae has no choice but to release her hand to return his handshake. Scarily enough she's starting to become used to his nickname, barely reacting to him using it again.

"Yes, this is my sunbae from school. Sunbae this is Hong Du Sik my....."

She knows that this is all an act, they were doing this to help her but she can't bring her tongue to form around the word, boyfriend.

"Her boyfriend." He finishes for her, pulling her tighter to his body.

But Do-Bae looks suspicious now.

"Boyfriend? I thought you were still single. You never changed your status on SNS. I've checked."

"Why are you so curious about that?" Du-sik challenges in return, doing a great job of sounding like a jealous boyfriend. She's almost even convinced.

"Hye Jin ah and I have always had a very special relationship. Beyond that of a hoobae and sunbae. Isn't that right?" He directs the last bit to her and she feels Du-sik stiffen next to her, seemingly believing these lies. So she clears that up.

"I have no idea what you're referring to honestly. We have never had anything that would constitute as a "special" relationship. I would appreciate if you didn't spread such lies, especially to my boyfriend. Enjoy the rest of your night."

She tugs Du-sik away, not waiting for a reply from the other man. The conversation was over anyway.

When they get far enough he speaks, "You have a lot of admirers."

She raises an eyebrow at the non-sequitur.

"Are you surprised?"

He brushes a hand across her cheek, making her freeze.

"No. It makes sense."

She blinks slowly before laughing, it sounds fake even to her ears.

"You should have been an actor. Your acting skills are incredible." He doesn't laugh, doesn't move before they're pulled into another conversation and she tries not to think about how tightly his body is pressed against her own.

"How is he in bed? He hasn't left you alone all day, I bet it's passionate." As soon as lunch had ended they had invited her to a spa, she'd considered saying no but she knew they would talk about her even if she wasn't there so it was best to at least know what they were saying.

Du-sik looked sad to see her go, but she told herself that she wasn't good at reading his faces. They hardly knew each other.

"I can't remember the last time I had a passionate night of sex. Kids and a full time job, leave no time for that. I'm pretty sure he's cheating on me and I'm too tired to even care." Sung-Mi confesses and she's shocked when the others nod in agreement instead of threatening to castrate him, as she'd done when Mi-seon told her about her ex boyfriend cheating.

"I have no complaints. He's... attentive. He's always touching me and pushing his way into my space. He's gentle but passionate, and I like...that he's so much bigger than me." She knows she should stop, this is definitely taking the lies too far. But that night bleeds into her thoughts, making everything she's saying feel true. He'd been so gentle with her, those huge hands cupping her face. She wondered how they would feel on other parts of her body.

"Damn. Look at you getting horny just from remembering. I'm so jealous."

Jealous. There were envious of her, it was all she'd been hoping for but the happiness she expected to erupt never comes. Instead she feels cheap, like she'd used Du-sik for her own benefit. She had tainted that night. This wasn't what she wanted.

As the day had gone on she found herself looking at him too much, he'd come all the way just for her and regardless of her brain trying to minimize that, it was huge. He hated snobby people like them who based a person's worth in their monetary success and yet he put on a smile and chatted with everyone, letting them mock his way of life and call people like him useless dreamers. All while she did nothing to defend him and drank wine, happy that they were being accepted.

He was the perfect gentleman all day and he was getting nothing in return for this. It was all just to help her.

Would a friend truly go this far to help? Was she being naive or was it like Mi-seon said, was she lying to herself?

"I'm such an idiot."

Without another word, she flees the sauna rushing to the locker room and changing back into her clothes. Nobody follows her because they aren't her friends. Why had she wasted so much time trying to impress these people who aren't even truly happy in their own lives?

The drive back is long, and she doesn't know what she's going to say but she knows that she's tired of being scared.

Leaving the key in the car she rushes past the valet, into the hotel elevator pressing their floor and waiting impatiently.

It takes three tries to get into their hotel room but once the door opens, he's right there. Sitting in the seat by the window reading a book.

"You're back early. I thought you would be gone until three?" He looks up, dog earring his book and giving her his full attention. Her heart skips a beat.

"Why did you agree to do this for me? Why go through all this trouble for me?"

It's the same question he's been asking himself since he first met her. Why was he was interested in her and why did he keep wanting to save her?

It was the desire that led to him being here.

He had accidentally overhead Mi-seon talking to Eun Chol about being worried about her, the convention was overnight and everyone would be bringing someone and she'd be all alone. The thought of her alone and isolated, made him race to her without a plan. Only stopping at a store to buy his outfit so he would fit in with her crowd, he'd spent more in that shop then he usually did in a week. But it was worth it for her.

It was a miracle that she hadn't questioned his presence more, he knew it was shameless and deceiving but none of this felt like pretending to him. His jealousy had been real, he'd had to strangle the urge to kick the pervert husband with the wandering eyes and then the insistent sunbae who wouldn't take a hint. She was a vision in the red dress and it wasn't a surprise that men found her enchanting, he just didn't like them looking at her. But she wasn't his, never would be because he couldn't confess.

They weren't right for each other.

"Do you like me?"

That question again. Last time he had laughed it off, called it absurd. But it wasn't. Not liking her would have been absurd.

"I don't know why you're asking me that."

"Because I'm tired of us lying to ourselves. Don't laugh and don't you dare say it's absurd again."

He can't respond, he's stuck on the word "us". It wasn't just him, they were an us?

Hearing that gives him courage he had long thought had been most forever.

"I wasn't pretending today. Nothing was fake to me, I meant it all." It's terrifying, unchartered land for them and he waits to see which one of them will chicken out first. It's sure to happen.

"I'm going to kiss you." She says instead of running like he expected and secretly wished for.

And then she's crossing the room and leaning down to grab his face, she watches him giving him a chance to pull away but he does the opposite, this time he meeting her half way. As soon as their lips meet the kiss is already too much, she's sliding into his lap and he wraps his arms around her tugging her closer until their chests are squished together.

He hasn't kissed anyone like this in a long time.

Hasn't been this close to losing control in a longer time.

"You're dangerous." He whispers into her mouth and she giggles at the statement, wiggling in his arms and rolling into him forcing a punched out groan from his lips.

Carefully he lifts her shirt watching her face closely for any signs that she wants to stop but finding nothing but her palpable lust.

Her skin is unbelievably smooth and soft and he can't stop himself from stroking her, rubbing at her back his hands resting right above her butt.

"How long have you felt this way?" She asks softly seductively nipping at his neck and running a hand over his shirt to caress his stomach, he physically aches for her.

"I wanted you the moment I saw you. But I didn't feel this until you convinced grandma to get her implants. That was when it became more for me."

She looks surprised and he is too, that they're speaking so candidly about feelings they've always denied.

"What about you?"

She stops licking at his neck to look him in the eyes. He's nervous to hear her reply.

"I.... don't know."

He tries to hide his disappointment. Maybe she was starting to retreat back into her shell. Maybe he shouldn't have been so honest.

He's about to untangle them when she continues, "It wasn't at first sight but one day I found myself looking for you. Seeing you become the best part of my day, I started to count on you to be there for me. To expect it. Just like this, I've been scared to lean on anyone until I met you."

Now that's a confession.

Impulsively he stands with her still on his lap, forcing her to to latch onto him so she doesn't tumble to the floor. Not that this would ever happen because he would never let her fall.

"I could have fell!" She cries, clinging to his shoulders and wrapping her legs around his waist. Her half naked bra clad body so close to him is causing another biological crisis in his pants.

Walking to the large bed in the middle of the room he falls backwards, enjoying the view of her on top of him a little too much.

It's all probably too soon and they should probably slow down, but his body is strumming and he wants nothing more than to break her apart.

"I'm all sweaty. I should take a shower."

Instantly an image of her wet and naked under the downpour of a shower flashes in his mind and he has to twist away from her.

"Pervert." She accuses but he can hear how satisfied she is with his reaction. Damn tease.

"Do you want to join me?" She teases some more, having fun now that she knows her power over him.

He looks at her helplessly.

"Are you having fun? Remember what I told you before? I'm still a guy. You're sitting here in your bra taunting me, do you think I'm that much of a good guy? Do you think I don't want to throw you down, rip your clothes off and eat you alive? I'm so hard right now just seeing you naked would be enough to push me over the edge. So don't make propositions you can't follow through on."

She looks dizzy from his words, eyes hooded and glossy. He watches her gulp and then stagger off to the bathroom, without a word to him. It's probably for the best, everything is too charged right now.

A shower for her and many glasses of water for him later, she's back and it's almost time for dinner.

"I think they said dinner starts at 6. Should we head down?"

She glances at him, while opening her bag and pulling out skin creams and some fuzzy socks.

"Would you be opposed to ordering room service and staying here?"

It's the best offer he's heard all day, only second to her asking if he wanted to join her in the shower.

"What about your colleagues?" He asks to make certain that she's really okay with this.

"What about them?" She replies with a shrug and he grins picking up the room service menu.

They order too much food and not enough alcohol but neither of them want to forget this night. She tells him stories about her time in dental school and he's happy to get to know her better, chuckling at the funny stories and commiserating at the sad ones.

Before he knows it night has fallen.

And he realizes that they'll be sharing a bed. Unless she wants him to sleep on the couch.

She's wearing a big shirt and loose shorts and he still can't believe he gets to see her like this.

"Are you coming to bed?" She's already getting under the sheet and that answers his question, this is really happening. He starts to follow her lead, getting under the sheets but keeping a respectable distance between them.

"I'm cold." She announces suddenly and he starts to look for a thermostat in the room or an extra blanket, before realizing that she's looking at him over her shoulder, he stares back confused before she lifts an eyebrow and oh, he gets it. Carefully moving closer he feels her warmth surround him as they meet, forth to back.

"Took you long enough." She grumbles, pulling his arm over here body and settling back into him moving until she's comfortable.

She's so close and warm and her smell is all around him and he feels his restraint dissolving and when she presses back into him, her hip rubbing against his crotch he bites down on his bottom lip.

It's too much for him to resist and without warning or preamble, he's turning her to face him and swallowing her moan of surprise eagerly. He grabs her head firmly holding her in place and slips his tongue into her open mouth, her unique taste exploding on his taste buds. He's hungry for more. So he starts to tug down her shorts, heart beat thundering in his groin. She kicks the shorts away, and he groans at the sight of her panties she was trying to kill him, he was certain.

"You're the devil." He chokes out staring at red lace, he'll never be able to see the color again without getting a raging hard on.

"You haven't seen anything yet. Honey." The word drips from her tongue just like the real thing.

Forgetting all reason and logics he lunges at her, devouring her mouth and sticking his hand in her panties. She's so warm and fuck, wet drenching his fingers.

Simultaneously he thrusts his tongue into her mouth and his fingers in her wet folds, groaning as she melts like butter under his touch. There's no resistance, as he plunges two fingers inside her experimentally before picking up his place when she clutches onto him and grinds back on his fingers, begging the whole time.

"More, more, please!"

As if he could ever deny her anything, with one hand he grabs her ass and the other he thrusts into her opening over and over until her voice gets breathy and she starts to stutter, squirming wildly in his arms and he knows exactly what's coming: the beautiful end. So without warning he pulls back the sheet and slithers down her body, throwing her legs around his head and pushing his tongue in to the brim, hungrily drinking at her until she shakes and combusts in his arms. Sweet on his tongue, he swallows it all greedily.

He strokes her as she recovers from her high, climbing back up her body. So much for taking things slow, but he can't even think about regretting it when he sees the blissed out look on her face. He wants to imprint it in his mind. Nobody else will ever get to see this face but him.

"It's your turn." She says sounding loopy like she's drunk and he laughs as she reaches for the tent in his pants but misses his bulge and instead falls into him.

"You're tired. Go to sleep. That was enough for me, seeing you like that fulfilled every fantasy I've had. "

He truly means it. He's a giver. And it's not like he can't tug one out later in the bathroom with her face and moans playing on repeat in his brain.

She starts to argue, but her phone vibrating on the nightstand distracts her. Reaching over she picks it up before chuckling and flopping back into the bed.

"What?" He asks curious, jealous of whoever is making her smile like that.

Ignorant to his inner thoughts, she thrusts her phone into his face. The room is so dark it takes a moment for his eyes to adjust to the bright lighting of the phone, but once he can see he reads the message on her phone and starts to laugh too.

"Dusik is missing! Nobody has seen him all day!! We started a search party."

[brideofcthulhu10]

The Lost Boys Find Out Their Fem!S/O is Pregnant [3/4]

Guh, this one has taken the longest so far. Dwayne is such a strong silent type, and unfortunately got the least lines in the film so I had to really push myself to get into the right mindset. I think it came out fantastic, I hope you guys love it too. Now it's time for:

DWAYNE

Rays of light were beginning to crack through the little nooks of the ceiling, a slow sunrise ushering the vampiric quartet into the depths of the hotel ruins for a long anticipated rest after another wild night. The last to go was your night bird, Dwayne. Calloused hands dragged on your cheek, stealing away any kisses he could. You savored the smokey scent his hair carried and nearly giggled at how his stubble tickled your neck.

"Dwaaayne, I'll still be here tonight," you insisted, gently nudging him off. "Go inside before you burst into flames."

He chuckled with a wide grin, taking one last kiss. "Alright, I'll be back. 6 o'clock on the dot, as soon as the sun goes down."

"It's a date."

You watched him scurry into the cove, pushing past collapsed beams and cobwebs. How they could sleep in that you would never know. Still, that meant you had an entire day to kill before they would be up again. A long, boring day.

You had stopped verbally complaining long ago, every time you did David would insist if you just let Dwayne bite you, this wouldn't be a problem. But you just weren't ready. At least, not yet. The night was so alluring, and every day you felt yourself wanting to be beside them more. However, you still had some final days to cling to. Maybe it was just the fear of making such a massive change. Cowardice.

Just waiting around the cave quickly grew boring, laying atop the bed that once housed Star and Laddie now eerily vacant. You tried to pass the early morning hours by flipping through magazines, listening to your portable cassette player- yeah, you knew it was going out of fashion, but CDs were so expensive, and you were not about to let the boys steal a $200+ player just to listen to Mötley Crüe on a slightly different player. You'd brought your own entertainment after so many visits, but you soon groaned when you realized it was only 10 am. There were still 7 and a half hours of waiting to go, and you were nowhere near tired enough for a nap!

Maybe a quick walk would kill your boredom, a quick snack on the boardwalk, pick up the guys something to munch on before they go out hunting. Yeah, that should be good.

With a soft grunt you scooted off the bed, wedging your feet into your boots with your backpack slung over your shoulder. "I'll be back soon," you whisper out loud, looking over at the dusty hole they'd disappeared into. Dwayne definitely couldn't hear you, but it still felt nice to give a little goodbye every time you went out. This time you'd use the cave entrance that led up those old wooden stairs. The walkway was a gorgeous deck barely over the water. On high tide it could wash over and hit your feet. Part of you was amazed it was still standing after so many decades of wear and tear.

However, the moment you looked outside it made your eyes squint, weighing heavy on your brow. Was it always this bright during the day? 

It got significantly worse once you were fully outside shuffling around the debris littered across the rocks. It wasn't just your average tired eye sting. That was pretty common after spending all night out, and half the day in a dimly lit cave. But you'd never experienced it like this. It was a splitting, throbbing headache that almost made you lose your footing. You had to close your eyes just to feel any kind of relief. Noise was amplified- Oh god, those stupid seagulls made your ears ache! 

Walking just made it hurt more. It was taxing on your body, like wading in molasses in August. Now, you weren't a stranger to the heat. After all you grew up on California sunshine. Almost thrived in it. Now you barely made it up the stairs atop the cliffside, until you just had to sit down. Wedged tightly against the banister you reveled in the tiny slivers of shadow that cascaded from the wooden railing. When your jacket became to much you peeled it off to use for cover, and eventually you forced yourself to continue walking. What was happening?? Those few steps were enough to make your stomach wretch and twist with starvation. Truthfully you hadn't been eating well lately, everything just made you nauseous. Stomach flu, maybe. Why was the ground spinning..?

And that was it. The next time your eyes opened the last bits of sun were long gone. Something- no, someone, was shaking you, trying to snap you out of that fog. They yelled out, nearly swinging you around like a ragdoll in a panic. It was muffled, you could hear another voice, then another.

"Y/N! Y/N!"

"Dude, you keep shaking her like that, she's gonna break something."

"What is she doing out here in the first place anyway, man?" 

A huge breath of life reanimated your body, almost screaming as you sat up crashing into the chilled chest of Dwayne who still had you in his arms. "Hey, easy, easy. You're okay, it's just us."

Quickly your eyes darted around. Dwayne's arm was hooked under your back elevating you off the ground, Marko was knelt on your other side with Paul leaning on the smaller vampire's back. David was just behind Dwayne with arms crossed, looking down at you. 

"You know, Y/N, if your bed was uncomfortable we woulda gotten you another," Paul teased. 

"Dude," Marko questioned, lightly elbowing him in the ribs. 

"Ow. Aw, c'mon I'm just kiddin'."

Dwayne still wouldn't set you down, pushing sweaty locks of H/C from your face. "What happened," you managed to ask in a raspy voice, carefully shifting your weight onto your butt. 

"We found you out here, I was hoping you could tell us," David answered with a cigarette clenched between his teeth, a small flame roasting the end into ashy cinders. 

"I honestly couldn't tell you. I only wanted to head over to the boardwalk for an hour or two. I thought I could pick you guys something up on the way back but..," you held the side of your head, the remains of your headache still lingering from earlier. "My stomach hurt all over and.. I just fell."

Something just wasn't adding up, enough that David paused, looking at you. Your heart beat was calm but… every other beat an entirely new rhythm would chime in. Rapid, quiet, stirring. "You sure you hadn't been with anyone else, Y/N?"

"What," You questioned, immediately offended by the implications of that question. Unsurprisingly, Dwayne was equally outraged as he helped you onto your feet. 

"Y/N isn't like that, you know this David," he snapped. Dwayne always had that sulking gaze but it wasn't often he was legitimately upset. With his arms still around your waist you could feel his muscles tighten into cement. The atmosphere was so thick you could cuz it with a knife, and after a few minutes of intense glares… Dwayne's eyes widened. 

He heard it too. Faster than your own heart beat, buried deep below it was almost too soft to hear. A pulse submerged in water.

He had been so busy worrying about your fainting, he never realized why. It made sense the more he thought about it. Grabbing you, he spun you around to face him. He hadn't intended to be so rough that even Marko was telling him to ease up. "You swear.. you swear you haven't..." The suggestion was cruel. He didn't want to even say it out loud, and your face twisted into one of disgust, slapping his hands off your shoulders.

"Alright that's enough," you snapped, stepping away from all of them. "What is with all of you?! Is this just how you guys check up on people who faint, accuse them of adultery? What the fuck?!"

You could feel tears forming in your eyes and you immediately had to look away. You were not about to show weakness while angry. Dwayne gently took your wrist before you could storm off, looking deep into your eyes. Why did he look so afraid, even in the inky night you could see something haunted those chocolate orbs. "Dwayne...What's going on…," you asked again, this time softening your tone. David, easily sensing the building tension, cleared his throat. 

"Marko, Paul, let's wait inside."

"Aw what," Paul chimed in, arms up in the air. "No way man, I wanna know what's going on! What's with all the crazy??"

Marko looked at David, then back and for between you and Dwayne. Oh. He got it. While Paul still protested, Marko slung his arm over his shoulder and yanked him down to whisper in his ear. At first he looked utterly confused, but then his face went wide. The realization of the century. "Ohhhhhhh," he finally said, looking over at you. "Gotcha. Good luck babes, we'll give you guys a little alone time." Both blondes had these odd smirks on their face, no doubt clued in on the inside joke you were definitely a part of yet left completely clueless. David followed them down the steps with a smug grin, giving a small wave. 

Alright, now you were confused. Dwayne didn't speak though. He just clasped your hand tightly in his. All he said was "c'mon" while lightly pulling you along. The moon was so huge tonight in lit up the ocean, a sea of stars dipped in black. There you both sat, legs just barely hanging off the edge in utter silence. Whatever it was must have been weighing heavy on his mind because he never turned to look at you. Instead he kept your hand firmly clutched in his own, staring straight off into the unknown. His sigh broke the silence, fingers tightening around your hand again. "There's more than one heart beat… coming from inside you."

It took a moment for what he said to sink in. Another..? What did that-...

Oh. That's why they were being so weird. It was hard to breath, like someone was sitting on top of your chest. And now what haunted Dwayne's thoughts now crept into your own. Their suspicions were reasonable. No one figured that.. well considering the boys were undead it wasn't exactly expected for you to..

"Dwayne I…," you started, looking at him. "I've never been with anyone else. You know that, right?"

This time he couldn't speak, just nod in agreement. Of course he knew you were loyal. Honestly he never doubted it, but the shock of what that meant was a bit much for him to handle. He'd taken care of Laddie alongside Star for years, even before he turned, he was great with kids. But the thought of fatherhood never really crossed his mind. Were he human it'd be common sense, he'd be at the proper age. Maybe even already have a family.

But he was 19. He just… happened to be 19 for a very long time. Quietly he pulled you by your waist so you were beside him, then nudged your head onto his shoulder. You weren't scared, just in awe. For a moment you brushed your hand over your abdomen. It was warm, already firm to the touch. In the months to come you knew it would grow, your baby would grow. But in that moment, as Dwayne's calloused hand placed over yours feeling that little life stir inside you, you felt at peace. That was that. You two sat there for what felt like hours, watching the waves, watching the moon rise high above. It really was a beautiful night. A perfect night. The first night of many more to come.

[todoshotoki]

➽───────❥ INTUITION ; CHAPTER THREE

katsuki bakugo x reader

important side note for the story: so um, i didn't know what to do with the whole twenty students thing so i did y'all a favor and fed mineta to the birds. he doesn't exist in this universe, horray!

word count: 1346

taglist: @aria-bnha @00ashpop00 @internetrashh @videogameboiwhowins @doggy-48

as a result of the quirk apprehension test being an absolute flop for you, no one besides kirishima knew what your quirk was. you planned to keep it that way until the support items you had adjusted onto your hero costume arrived.

you had thought long and hard with isayama about your final designs for your costume. it would consist of a sleek bodysuit that complimented the colors of your skin and eyes. a simple mask would hide your identity with equally complimentary colors and your hair was bound by two clips in space buns. the clips weren't just regular clips though, a built in tracking device was in the right and a hidden switch blade was in the left. these would only be used in cases of emergencies. after all, thinking ahead was your specialty.

you were stronger in your legs rather than your arms so you worked with the support course to create a support item that aided your arms. a weapon; this was an electric staff. it had the ability to become a whip which could constrict around opponents and shock them up to the power of 50,000 volts (as much as a taser, for those who didn’t know).

the staff could also break off into halves and uncoil itself to becoming nunchucks. as a bonus feature, there was a magnet in each glove that could recall it from up to ten meters away. you had fought with the admin to permit the item despite it’s very fatal capabilities so when you heard about it being added to your costume you were more than ecstatic. 

you would finally have a level playing ground with everyone else. it wouldn't be available for the next training exercise you would join with your class but as long as some improvement was being made.

"(l/n), come and sit with us!" kirishima called to you during lunch period. he wave you over to sit with the ones you recognized to be ashido, sero, kaminari, and... bakugo???

“the fuck are you calling her over here for shitty hair?!” bakugo objects the idea of you joining the table. “oh shut it,” you say sitting on the other side of the red head, “i’m going to get a migraine at this point. let me eat my god damn food.” you groan while rubbing your temples.

“where were you during the rest of morning training? we had the test and then you were gone. you didn’t skip, did you?” kirishima asks, looking slightly dejected that you weren’t there. what’s up with him and acting like you two were best friends or some shit.

so much for keeping your quirk a secret, the element of surprise was thrown out the window as soon as kirishima gave you that look.

“i have special training because my quirk is mental,” you explained. “woah! i knew you were advanced but i didn’t know you were this far ahead, (l/n)!” kaminari says, getting a little to excited for your liking. “yeah, i can’t wait to see what you can do at ground beta later today!” mina chimes in.

...

“it’s time for a trial of battle!” all might exclaims in his attempt to hype up the students who except for a confident few looked scared out of their minds. you all were in your hero costumes and the bodysuit you had on was surprisingly comfortable considering the fact that literally every curve in your body was on display.

lacking your main weapon was probably one of the main downfalls of the situation but as long as you got someone with a quirk worth working with then, you were fine. “this will be an indoor battle! for this test, you’ll separate into “villan” and “hero” groups for a two-on-two team battle!”

you pretty much tuned out the amount of questions that everyone brought up afterward and looked around in who could possibly be your favored partner. you shift your gaze over to the boy with heterochromia who happened to stare right back at you. the awkward exchange of eyes made you sharpen your gaze to send a message of “what are you looking at?”

“he’ll be your partner,”

you’re joking.

“alright, let’s get this started! team a will be izuku midoriya and ochako uraraka, team b will shoto todoroki and (y/n) (l/n), team c will be...”

and of course your intuiton happened to be right.

you couldn’t stand looking at that egotistical prick. you could just see it in his eyes that he felt like he was better than you. you shifted next to him but enough distance to clearly show you didn’t want to be associated with him which he definitely took note of shared the same energy.

team a and d were up and all you could say was that you felt bad for broccoli boy. the only big impression he made on you was that throw during the quirk apprehension test and the beginning of class when he had indirectly made bakugo you hit you in the head.

he was no doubt at the bottom of the class.

usually you wouldn’t pay attention to these and build your own strategy using intuition and the knowledge you already had but bakugo for some reason wasn’t triggering anything but useless information.

you had to watch this fight closely and try to train your quirk to focus on him.

the way your quirk worked is by tracking your thoughts and focuses which was movement that would directly affect you or the people in a five meter radius of you and the relationships between you and others so maybe if you shifted your focus hard enough then it would be able to read bakugo like a book.

it was more than clear that he was driven by pure and utter anger and ego. the way he handled his opponent in his match was more than exasperating. they certainly had some type of history together and he was overconfident that he would be the one who came out on top.

he was smart, yes, but he was irrational.

“i can’t believe we did it!” the two from the winning team celebrated, bakugo lookng completely dazed as they finished. you were about to make a snarky remark when your team was up for the hero end and the invisible girl and the guy with the tail were on the villan team.

you looked at todoroki and nodded. once you entered the building, he had taken the initiative to lead. you called out to todoroki, “instead of going out blindly how about we make some type of plan.”

he stops from walking down a hallway and says, “like what?”

“give me a second,” you close your eyes, focusing on the matter around you. forcing a prediction was hard on your body but you finally had a chance to do something and you weren’t going to let the opportunity go.

“the one with tail is on the north side of the fourth floor, he plans to go head on the opponent using martial arts techniques. he doesn’t seem to have a plan.”

you groan a bit from the energy you used and in frustration as the girl has yet to be found by your quirk. you then open your eyes and relay the message to him. he opened his mouth to say something but closed it, shaking off whatever he had in thought. he began to walk down the first hallway, “this’ll get hairy so go outside,”

“what?! we’re supposed to be a team!” you holler at him.

“do what he says, the whole place will be frozen over in a matter of seconds,”

you falter before gritting your teeth and run outside just as the whole place is covered head to toe in ice. you practically felt your soul leave your body. the power that he exuded was unironically chilling. 

soon enough, the whole building was frozen over just as predicted and then was melted back to normal just as quickly as it froze over. 

“endeavor’s son, huh?”

CHAPTER INDEX

[annaphoenix1994]

Horseshoe Overlook - Polite Society, Valentine Style

"You sure you'll be alright here by yourself?" Jameson asked Minnie as she helped him mount her horse.

"I know I will, nothin' is gonna happen while you're away," She assured. "Now, smoke you a pipe as Trace leads the way. He'll take care of you and knows when there's trouble," She explained. "Now, if he starts to get antsy, hang on!" She giggled. She could tell her father was intimidated by her horse who towered over anything close to him, but he knew that she was confident in her horse as he had been in her possession for a few years now. Trace was considered "broker than broke" as he was more used to gunfire and running than walking along a trail, which Minnie considered to be a good break for him as he toted her father along the way to the town of Valentine, which was a good hour-long ride at a walk.

"Be good, I'll see you when you get back tonight!" She cheered.

"You too," Her father replied.

"I was talkin' to Trace," Minnie teased.

"I see where I stand!" He joked.

She playfully scoffed, "Get outta here!"

She smiled and shook her head as she returned to her duties around the cabin. Sweeping the porch, making the beds, tidying the cabinets, and tending to the chickens while replacing the straw that lined their nesting boxes. She enjoyed being an outlaw, but something about the simple and honest life suited her. She guessed it was where her mother had always wanted to be. 'Momma would slap me blind if she knew how I made a livin',' Minnie said to herself as she wiped her hands on her apron, letting her thoughts wander to the loving memories of her mother, not paying any mind to the two pairs of eyes watching her from the treeline a few hundred yards away.

"Is that her?" One of the stalkers asked the other, using his green scarf to wipe the beads of sweat on his temple.

"Oh, that's her," The other one replied, licking his lips.

"Should we go and get her?"

"No, we go back and tell Colm where she's at, then he'll give us the go," He explained. "The place is nice and quiet - good to lie low for a while. Colm's itchin' to get off of that mountain."

"Why is he sending us after this woman anyway?"

"He didn't tell you? That's Minnie Barlow - the most dangerous woman outlaw since Pearl Hart!"

"So he has some sort of crush?"

"I guess you can call it that. He met her in a saloon a while ago and she threatened his life. Reckon it embarrassed him since he expected to get along so well with another outlaw, but you know how Colm is. His pride gets the better of 'em. She also has a high bounty of a few thousand dollars. Enough to get us outta here for a while!"

He scoffed, "Shit, I say let's get her now and take the money and return it to Colm!"

"No, we do as he says. Let's hurry and get back. Reckon he'll want to make a move when her father gets back. You go to Valentine and scope things out and I'll get back to camp," He directed as the other man nodded. "Don't screw this up!"

───※ ·❆· ※───

𝓦𝓮 𝓰𝓸𝓽 𝓸𝓯𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓽𝓪𝓲𝓷 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓻𝓸𝓭𝓮 𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓽 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓸 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓽𝓽𝔂 𝓮𝓷𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱 𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓽𝓻𝔂 𝓬𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓗𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓼. 𝓐𝓲𝓷'𝓽 𝓫𝓮𝓮𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓯𝓪𝓻 𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓽 𝓲𝓷 𝓶𝓪𝓷𝔂 𝓪 𝔂𝓮𝓪𝓻. 𝓓𝓾𝓽𝓬𝓱 𝓼𝓮𝓮𝓶𝓼 𝓪 𝓵𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓵𝓮 𝓫𝓮𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓻. 𝓗𝓲𝓼 𝓮𝔂𝓮𝓼 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓼𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓴𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓸𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓘 𝓬𝓪𝓷 𝓼𝓮𝓮 𝓱𝓮'𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪 𝓵𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓵𝓮 𝓬𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓮𝓻. 𝓘 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓴 𝔀𝓮 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓯𝓮𝓮𝓵 𝓪 𝓵𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓵𝓮 𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓲𝓮𝓻. 𝓢𝓹𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓑𝓵𝓪𝓬𝓴𝔀𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔀𝓱𝓸𝓵𝓮 𝓶𝓮𝓼𝓼...

Arthur closed his journal and put on his jacket, which was something he was eager to wear as it was lightweight, yet warm. Something to keep the morning chill off of his shoulders. He looked around the new camp as he placed his hat on his head, nodding at Hosea as he approached him with a hot cup of coffee.

"Arthur," Hosea nodded.

"Hosea," He greeted, taking the warm tin cup from the old man's hands.

"Quite a day!" Hosea smiled, his arms wide.

"Let's hope so," Arthur grunted, taking a sip of the coffee.

"There's a bunch of the boys already in Valentine. Bill, Charles, and Javier... I'm sure they're, uh, finding some way of relieving some stress, and Swanson found something down at the train station by the lake apparently. And Strauss came back with that creepy little smile on his face. I'm sure there's a whole list of unfortunates he's forced money upon," Hosea explained as he watched Arthur sip his coffee, yawning in between.

Arthur chuckled, "Thank you. And you?"

"I'm gonna read a book," Hosea replied hastily.

Arthur nodded with a chuckle, finding a comfort in talking to the old man as he will forever look up to him as a father figure - something he never had, or at least he never remembered.

He was eager to get out and explore the Heartlands, but he would also rather sit back and rest without having to use all of his energy to stay warm. He looked around as he walked to the pot to get a bowl of stew, scarfing it down before making his way to the sleeping older man sitting up against a wagon. The man went by the name 'Uncle,' which nobody knew his real name, nor did they want to know. All Arthur knew him as was the old man who was just another mouth to feed, but was much entertainment when the camp needed it. He at least had some stories, whether they were true or not.

He shook his head as he stormed over to the old man, waking him with a solid kick to the leg. "Careful not to work yourself to death there, Uncle," Arthur said.

"I was thinkin'," Uncle replied as he staggered to his feet, his white beard stained with tobacco just below his bottom lip.

"Does it pay well?"

"Eventually," Uncle grumbled as Arthur placed a palm on his shoulder.

"So, while the rest of us are busy stealin', killin', lyin', fighting to try to survive, you get to think all day," Arthur explained.

"It's a strange world we live in, Arthur Morgan," Uncle said.

"Do you wanna head into town, see if we can find anything out?" He proposed.

"Sure, I got some errands to run!"

"Great, go check the horses are ready," Arthur commanded as Uncle did as he was told with a grumble.

"If you're gonna take the old man into town, can you take us too?" Karen Jones asked as she eavesdropped into their conversation.

"Why, what you got planned?" Arthur asked, striking a match on the bottom of his boot, lighting a well-needed cigarette.

"Nothin'," Karen replied, waving her hand for Mary-Beth and Tilly Jackson to follow her, hoping to pressure Arthur into taking them into town. "We'll find somethin' for y'all to do, we always do!"

"We're bored out of our minds!" Mary-Beth added, her brown eyes begging Arthur for approval. "Karen's about ready to murder Grimshaw!" She giggled.

"Well, can Miss Grimshaw spare you?" Arthur asked, puffing his cigarette.

"Can't Miss Grimshaw spare you?" Karen repeated. "What's happened to you, Arthur? Three young healthy women want you to take 'em robbing and you're worried about house chores! Let's go!" Karen begged.

"Fair enough, you got me," Arthur chuckled, throwing away his cigarette as the women loaded themselves up onto the wagon.

The women cheered in excitement as they were about to see civilization, something completely opposite from Arthur's thoughts, of course, but he was eager to see other people aside from the ones he shared his life with. He could definitely use a drink, especially sharing a bench seat with Uncle.

───※ ·❆· ※───

"Howdy!" Jameson Barlow said as he entered the general store, making his presence known to the shopkeeper and his long-time friend, Graham.

"How're you, sir?" Graham replied.

"Eh, I'm gettin' on," Jameson replied. "I need some produce and canned foods. Runnin' low back at the cabin!" He chuckled.

"I understand. I just got these in this past Tuesday - nice and fresh! How's little Anna doin'?" Graham asked, referring to Minnie by her middle name as he knew she was well known around Valentine. He and Jameson have become close friends throughout the years as they once attended church together and he kept a close eye on the rumors he had heard, wanting to do his best to protect Jameson and Minnie as he held them dear to his heart.

"She's doin' well. She's actually stayin' with me for a few days I reckon. I don't like when she goes out on her own like that," Jameson frowned, referring to her "work" as an outlaw. If he could change one thing, it would to keep her a good, honest young lady instead of a thief, but nonetheless, he loved her.

Graham nodded, "I understand. I haven't seen her in a while. I miss seein' her little curly blonde hair on Sunday mornin' when she was little!" He chuckled. "Miss hearin' those church songs, too. She has the voice of an angel!"

"That she does. She didn't learn it from me! That's all her momma's doin'!" Jameson smiled. "I think I'll get me a couple of cigars and a bottle of whiskey. Can't leave out the whiskey!" The men shared a laugh as Graham gladly packed up Jameson's provisions, nodding at the new customers who had walked through the door. "Good day, gentlemen!" Graham greeted. Jameson turned to look at the men, one of them around his age, but with a coarser white beard and the other around Minnie's age, wearing a worn leather hat and light leather jacket. He took note of the bright blue shirt he had on underneath as it was one of his favorite colors.

New faces.

Jameson nodded at the new faces as he made his way out the door of the general store, taking a seat on the bench just outside, cracking open the new bottle of whiskey.

"I'm gonna run to the saloon real quick, Arthur," The old man addressed as they were now outside the general store as well. The younger man nodded as he walked towards Jameson, greeting him. "You mind if I rest here, bud?" He asked.

"Sure!" Jameson said as he scooted closer to the edge of the bench, giving the younger man plenty of room as he was broader than most young men he had seen in the area.

"Name's Jameson," He said after taking another sip of whiskey, offering his hand to the other man.

"Arthur," He nodded, shaking his hand.

"You from 'round here?"

"Not really," Arthur shook his head. "We've been travellin' for a while, tryin' to find somewhere to settle down. So far, we think this place looks good."

"You and your wife?" Jameson assumed.

Arthur chuckled, "Nah, I don't have a wife. Me and a few of my colleagues were laid off from our jobs at the oil plant. Guess we're livin' like a bunch of gypsies now, but that's all we have." He chuckled.

"I'm sorry, friend. Times is tough nowadays. You sound like my daughter. She's all the time travellin' and I get worried. Gangs and all that," Jameson explained. "She used to be a homebody, never wanting to leave home. I guess she grew out of that,"

"What's her name?" Arthur asked, getting a hint that he was talking about who he thought he was.

"Anna." Jameson replied after a brief pause.

Arthur chuckled, resting his suspicion, "You folk from around here?"

Jameson shrugged, "Somewhat. We moved here from Annesburg years ago, right before Min-Anna was born," He hastily corrected himself, hoping Arthur didn't take note, in which he did, but kept a calm demeanor when he was erratic inside. "We were real big into church for a few years. Anna sang in the choir and has the voice of an angel. I wish she'd sing more when she's home. Reminds me of her momma. She passed a couple of years ago," He frowned.

"I'm sorry to hear that, friend," Arthur assured. "I can tell you were sweet on her."

"I sure was," Jameson chuckled, remembering his lovely wife. "I don't know much about you, friend, but I can tell you have more heart than any other fool who sat and listened to my troubles. When you find that special person, you'll know. Once you do, don't ever let them go. Anything can happen and it's a hard feeling, but it's worth it in the end - to have all kinds of special memories with someone you hold dear to your heart. My daughter is the only thing I have left and I try so desperately to hang on to her, but when she leaves, I worry that she won't come back and that's what keeps me up at night." He explained.

Arthur's heart broke for the man, realizing that he had never had this type of feeling before. He actually wanted to listen to him and his stories. Not just because he put together the pieces that Minnie Barlow was his daughter, but Jameson had a heart that reminded him of himself. He cared deeply about those close to him, but a stranger would never know it.

"I hope things get better for you, friend," Arthur sighed. "What does she do, if you don't mind me askin'?"

Jameson sighed, not wanting to tell Arthur in fear of him being a bounty hunter, but something about Arthur told him that he could be trusted as he didn't seem the one to seek information so boldly. He at least cared to hear about her life story beforehand. "She's, uh, I guess you can say a traveller..."

He really wanted to get her secret off of his chest as he has kept it inside for almost ten years now.

But for her safety, he couldn't.

"She works here and there as a journalist. She's been back and forth to Saint Denis a many a time. I worry, but she has been takin' the train a lot, so I don't worry as much," He lied. Arthur took note of this, but he understood why. All he could do was nod as he listened.

"I'm sure she will be fine, sir," Arthur replied. "So, I see you got some bait here, you like to hunt?" He asked, changing the subject.

"I sure do. I like goin' after deer and elk, but I'm not as young as I used to be." He chuckled.

"You sound just like my father," Arthur smirked, referring to Hosea.

"If you're ever free, I live north of Citadel Rock back in the woods. It's a little cabin that I named 'Six Point Cabin' after my wife..." He suggested.

"I'll give that some thought," Arthur nodded. "Why'd you name it that, if I may ask?"

"She killed a six-point buck before she passed and thought it was the greatest trophy in the world. She remembered that for a long time as it made her dearly happy as she never went huntin' much, especially for deer," Jameson smiled. "Like I was tellin' ya, when you love someone that much, you remember the things that make them more happy than yourself," He explained, pointing his finger. "I remember her every day looking at that trophy over my fireplace, remembering how happy it made her. And come to think of it, I remember her every day I see my daughter. I guess she's the last thing I have left of her and I worry every day about losin' her. I guess it's better to have loved and lost than never loved at all," He frowned. "Anyway, I won't keep ya much longer. I gotta get back," He continued as he slowly rose to his aching feet. "It was nice to meet you, Arthur."

Arthur nodded as he shook the old man's hand, watching him walk towards a tall buckskin Quarter Horse, putting his provisions in the saddlebags. Jameson turned to Arthur once more, "I gotta run to the hotel real quick and wash up, care to keep an eye on the horse for me? The old bastard will spook on my watch!" Jameson joked.

"Sure thing!" Arthur nodded as he looked at the horse once more, taking in how beautiful the animal was. 'He must've paid good money for that one,' Arthur thought. To pass the time, he pulled out his journal, noting a quick sketch of the horse for his memory before writing a brief passage:

𝓜𝓮𝓽 𝓪𝓷 𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝓯𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓻 𝓷𝓪𝓶𝓮𝓭 𝓙𝓪𝓶𝓮𝓼𝓸𝓷 𝓲𝓷 𝓥𝓪𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓮. 𝓘'𝓶 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓶𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓲𝓷 𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓷𝓲𝓷' 𝓽𝓸 𝓪𝓷 𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝓶𝓪𝓷'𝓼 𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓼, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓱𝓮 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓻𝓲𝓰𝓾𝓮𝓭 𝓶𝓮. 𝓦𝓮 𝓰𝓸𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓪𝓵𝓴𝓲𝓷' 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓶𝔂 𝓷𝓸𝓽-𝓼𝓸-𝓯𝓪𝓿𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓼𝓾𝓫𝓳𝓮𝓬𝓽𝓼: 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮. 𝓘 𝓵𝓮𝓽 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓭𝓼 𝓰𝓸 𝓲𝓷 𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓮𝓪𝓻 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓱𝓮 𝓱𝓪𝓭 𝓪 𝓰𝓸𝓸𝓭 𝓹𝓸𝓲𝓷𝓽. 𝓢𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷' 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝔀𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓮, 𝓲𝓽'𝓼 𝓫𝓮𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓽𝓸 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓵𝓸𝓼𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓷 𝓽𝓸 𝓷𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓭 𝓪𝓽 𝓪𝓵𝓵. 𝓘 𝓰𝓾𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓘'𝓵𝓵 𝓪𝓵𝔀𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝓻𝓮𝓶𝓮𝓶𝓫𝓮𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽. 𝓦𝓮 𝓪𝓵𝓼𝓸 𝓰𝓸𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓪𝓵𝓴𝓲𝓷' 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓭𝓪𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝔀𝓱𝓸 𝓘 𝓫𝓮𝓵𝓲𝓮𝓿𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓫𝓮 𝓜𝓲𝓼𝓼 𝓑𝓪𝓻𝓵𝓸𝔀. 𝓘𝓽'𝓼 𝓼𝓸 𝓸𝓭𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓘 𝓴𝓮𝓮𝓹 𝓼𝓮𝓮𝓲𝓷' 𝓸𝓻 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓲𝓷' 𝓼𝓸 𝓶𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓼𝓮 𝓹𝓪𝓼𝓽 𝓯𝓮𝔀 𝓭𝓪𝔂𝓼. 𝓦𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓲𝓼 𝓲𝓽 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝔀𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓷 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝔀𝓱𝔂 𝓪𝓶 𝓘 𝓼𝓸 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓲𝓷 𝓱𝓮𝓻?

He closed his journal, feeling better that his thoughts made it from his brain to paper. He leaned back in the bench, stretching out his legs and crossing them at his ankles as he crossed his arms over his chest, bowing his head to rest his eyes. He soon was joined by Uncle, hearing him through his muffled thoughts, going on about how he pictured himself to be married to an heiress by now instead of moving with a band of outlaws.

Small patters of shoes gently nudged him awake, seeing that Mary-Beth had some interesting information for the men. He sat up slowly, looking at the woman as she kept her voice hushed. He blinked the sleep from his eyes as he listened to her explain.

"Gentlemen, I think I got somethin' good!" Mary-Beth proposed, giggling at how rapidly Arthur blinked as he tried to keep his focus on her when his main focus was on napping.

"What?" Arthur slurred.

"I snuck into this fancy house - acted like a servant girl, usually works," She explained. "Someone was saying her sister was taking a trip from New York or someplace. Train full of rich tourists heading to Saint Denis and then cruising off to Brazil!"

"Okay," Arthur nodded, his attention fully on her.

"A train laden with baggage and passing through a bit of deserted country at night as to get to the docks in time for the tides in some place called Scarlett Meadows..."

"Yeah, I know it," Uncle nodded, his face plastered with a cheeky grin. "Yeah, yeah, it's right out near New Hanover. Right, it's real quiet out there,"

"Sounds good," Arthur nodded, scratching his growing beard. 'I really need to get a shave!' He thought. "Where's Tilly and Karen?" He asked.

Mary-Beth scoffed, "I think at the hotel, they were pickin' up some drunken fellers that they was going to rob-"

"Why?" Arthur asked, almost panicked.

"Seemed easy!" She argued. "They have been gone for quite a while..."

Arthur sighed, "I guess I'll go see if there's any trouble," He groaned as he stood to his tired feet, feeling Mary-Beth's hand graze his arm as he walked by, getting his attention.

"There's Tilly over there!" She pointed. "That does not look ideal..." She trailed off as she watched a tall colored man grabbing all over her, almost dragging her to the alleyway to the side of the hotel.

"Excuse me," Arthur growled as he quickly made his way to the scene, wasting no time in intervening.

"You thought I wouldn't find you, Tilly?" The colored man hissed as Arthur was coming closer to the pair.

"You can go kiss a damn snake for all I care! Get off me!" Tilly pleaded.

"Get your hands off her, friend," Arthur sneered, relieving his pistol from its holster.

"Who are you?" The colored man growled.

"A friend of mine!" Tilly replied.

"Get off her," Arthur said in a low tone, hinting that his next move would be fatal if he didn't follow direction.

"Or what exactly?" He taunted.

"You wanna find out?" Arthur questioned, pulling back the hammer slowly.

The colored man backed off slowly, pointing his finger at Tilly, "You're makin' a big mistake, Tilly Jackson," He warned.

"Just get lost!" She hissed before turning and walking towards Arthur, seeking his protection.

"I ain't doin' this with you right now!" He mumbled.

"Go wait with Uncle and Mary-Beth, they're across the street," Arthur directed.

"Okay, thanks Arthur," She smiled. He nodded as he gently pats her shoulder, "Uncle! Look after her! I'm gonna go see about Karen in the hotel!"

He steadily made his way into the hotel of Valentine, politely asking the receptionist about the woman's whereabouts, informing him that she was in her mid-twenties and had blonde hair and was last seen with a man. The receptionist nodded as he said a woman fitting her description made her way upstairs not too long ago.

"A-Are you a friend of his?" He dared to ask.

"A friend of hers," Arthur grit. "Where is she?"

"Uh, 2B! Please, no trouble!"

"Just a word," Arthur assured as he ascended the stairs, cracking his knuckles as he knew this wasn't going to be pretty.

"Get off of me!" He heard Karen plead. His pace became faster as he tried to pinpoint the exact location of 2B. He gripped the knob firmly, growing agitated that it was locked. Instead, he stepped back and got enough momentum to kick open the door, seeing a man in his underwear putting his hands all over Karen. Sure, Arthur could be a bad man and easily kill a man, but something about a man putting his hands all over a woman made his blood boil.

"Hey!" Arthur shouted.

"Who are you?" The stranger questioned, obvious that he was drunk. Arthur quickly scanned the room, growing more aggravated that he saw Karen's lip bleeding.

"A friend of hers," Arthur growled.

"Get outta here, buddy, I paid!" The stranger slurred.

"Ain't paid to hit her, you goddamn animal!" He said as he balled his fists, lunging at the man before he had a chance to lunge at him. Arthur was upset that it was a brief fight, but was glad it was over with.

"What the hell were you doin' here?" He questioned her.

"Tryin' to play him... Not very well," She explained.

"You okay?" He asked, looking her over.

"Fine..." She said, waving her hand and gripping her wrist as Arthur ushered for her to walk in front of him just in case the stranger got another wild streak to come after her again.

"You sure?" He continued to question as they were now walking down the hallway.

"Yeah, nothing... Nothing to worry about... Just men, but, stupid bastard - the stupid bastard was boasting about the bank..." She explained.

"The bank?"

"Sure, I know small-town banks are usually a waste of time, but this is a livestock town, there's lots of cash sometimes," Karen explained as they descended the stairs.

"Okay," Arthur said as he scratched his beard. "Keep investigating,"

"I will," Karen breathed. He nodded at the receptionist as he ushered Karen outside, motioning for her to meet the others at the general store. He looked both ways before crossing the muddy street, taking note of the buckskin Quarter Horse still hitched next to the general store.

"Thank you, Arthur," Karen said, holding her cheek. "I don't much like bein' saved, but when I have to be,"

"I understand," Arthur assured her as they met up with the others, Mary-Beth and Tilly quickly tending to Karen's injuries.

"You okay?"

"Sure, he only punched me!" Karen replied. Arthur chuckled as he pat her shoulder in assurance, knowing that she secretly wanted it. "Arthur punched him a lot harder."

"Yeah, alright then," He replied, furrowing his brows as he looked at Mary-Beth, seeing the concern in her eyes.

"Hey, who's that guy over there looking at us?" She whispered.

"Weren't you in Blackwater a few weeks back?" A well-tailored stranger questioned.

"Me? No, sir. Ain't from there," Arthur replied sternly.

"Oh, you were. Well, I definitely saw you. With a bunch of fellers!" He accused from the back of his horse.

"Me? No," Arthur shook his head. "Impossible. Listen, buddy, come here for a minute," He coaxed.

"I saw you!" He spat, spooking his horse. "Come on, get!" He encouraged.

"I don't like this..." Uncle said as Arthur turned to the others.

"Me neither," He groaned, rushing to the buckskin horse, hoping he won't regret his decision. "Go get the girls home! I'm gonna go have a word with our friend," He explained as he mounted the tall horse.

"Be careful, Arthur!" Tilly said.

"Just a word!" He replied as he encouraged the horse into a gallop, amazed at the animal's agility and speed. 'Jesus Christ, what an animal!' He thought to himself as the horse made it seem easy to stay caught up with the stranger.

"Hey! That's my horse!" He heard Jameson yell from the hotel as it was now clear that Jameson was done with his chore.

"Just borrowing it!" Arthur yelled in response, hating himself for feeling like he stole an old man's reliable horse for his own selfish need. The horse had no trouble in catching up to the stranger, almost stopping on a dime when Arthur asked him to slow down to dismount as the stranger had now fallen off, hanging dearly to the cliffside.

"Why are you tellin' lies about me?" Arthur questioned.

"No, no! I-I-I got it wrong, partner... I got it very wrong, now please, help me up!" He begged.

"I ain't never been in Blackwater," Arthur growled.

"Then why are you chasing me?"

"I've got an unfortunate face!"

"Yes, yes... Me too... Now please, pull me up, please!" The stranger cried.

"Alright... Come on," Arthur sighed as he easily pulled the stranger to safety. "You okay, partner?" He asked.

"No... No, I am not," The stranger groaned as he staggered to his feet. "I'm a mess," He panted, looking at his now dirty clothes.

"Well, you ain't dead," Arthur reminded.

"There is that," He breathed, bracing his palms against his knees before standing up straight, offering his hand to shake. "Jimmy Brooks."

"I think it's best for both of us if we pretend this never happened," Arthur explained.

"Oh, I agree," Jimmy Brooks nodded. "You saved my life. You're a good man and I, err... Here, you want a pen? It's one of those steel ones!" He bargained, pulling the pen from his pocket.

Arthur nodded, amazed at the new stationery before him, "Oh, that's very kind of you, but I'm not a good man, Jimmy Brooks, not usually," He said before stepping closer to him. "You see, I was in Blackwater. I kill people. And maybe I should've killed you. Should I have killed you, Jimmy Brooks?" He intimidated, keeping eye contact with the man.

His lip quivered as he searched for a response, "Me?... I n-never saw you... Not-not now, not-not never... I think we have an understanding?"

"Of course we do," Arthur replied. "Jimmy Brooks - I will remember that. I've got a good memory," He smirked.

"I haven't! Not one lick in this old mind!" Jimmy pleaded as he made his way to his horse. Arthur shook his head as he approached the horse he had borrowed, admiring how the horse was patiently waiting on him to mount back up. A brief thought crossed his mind that if he didn't know the man who owned the horse, he would keep it as his own, but he knew the horse had to return to its rightful owner: Jameson.

The horse loped slowly along the trail until he arrived back in town, meeting Jameson halfway as he was happy to see the horse's return. "My horse! Thank you!" He smiled as Arthur dismounted.

"I told ya I was just borrowin' him!" Arthur chuckled.

"Well, my daughter would've had my hide if I let somethin' happen to her horse!" He joked. "His name is Trace," Jameson added.

"Well, Trace is a very nice animal. You're lucky, sir," Arthur said. "I had a horse like him once. Big mare who I called Boadicea," He explained.

"That's an interesting name..." Jameson replied, stroking Trace's muzzle.

Arthur chuckled, "My father named her that after a queen," He explained, his cheeks flushed as he was embarrassed.

"Ain't nothin' to be shy about, my friend. Thank you for bringing him back. Saves my daughter the heartache and me the headache!" He joked, winning a laugh from Arthur.

"I'd say so, sir," He smirked. He held out his hand to him as they have now earned each other's respect and trust. "Arthur Morgan,"

"Jameson Barlow,"

His suspicion was now confirmed: he had borrowed Minnie Barlow's horse and had a deep conversation with her father.

'And now she may kill me for ridin' her horse...'