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bellakitse · 5 years ago

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It takes a Village

It takes a village to raise a child is an African proverb that means that an entire community of people must interact with children for those children to experience and grow in a safe and healthy environment.

* When TK is forced to move in with Judd and Grace Ryder temporarily, he learns he has his own village taking care of him. Along the way, he finds friendships and a love that has been standing right in front of him since the beginning.

E. 19k fic

TK has listened to his father talk for the last 10 minutes without blowing up, and he thinks he should get credit for that.

“Let me see if I got this straight,” he starts when his father has finally stopped proposing his frankly stupid plan. “You want to kick me out of the apartment?”

Owen makes a face at him like he’s annoyed at TK for not understanding. But given that his father has just told him that he thinks working and living together might be a little too much right now, and he’s not telling him to look for a new firehouse, he’s not sure what the misunderstanding is.

“Don’t say it like that,” Owen has the nerve to roll his eyes while TK bites the inside of his mouth to keep from answering with a childish gesture of his own.

“I just think that working together and living together – it’s been a lot now with my diagnosis, and I think a little separation might be good. This shouldn’t be in your face 24/7.”

TK raises an eyebrow at the wording, ever since he found out about Owen’s cancer, he’s noticed that his dad tries not to use the word around him. It’s like TK is five years old again, and Owen is trying to keep him from learning a swear.

“I thought you said I wasn’t weak,” he questions softly, hating that he sounds hurt. He can tell his father instantly picks up on it by the way his eyes soften even more than usual.

Owen sighs as he gets up from behind his desk, coming to sit on the other side of it next to TK.

“I don’t think you’re weak. I know you’re strong. You have always been strong.”

“You want me to move out because you don’t think I can handle seeing you sick,” TK shoots back at him, that’s the point of this conversation after all.

Owen hesitates as he opens his mouth, sighing once more. He puts out his hand, palms up, letting him decide if he wants to take it or not. TK doesn’t for a moment as hurt and anger swirl inside him. In the end though, he can’t deny his father the comfort he seeks and takes his hand.

“I’m worried,” Owen admits, his eyes finding TK’s, they look tired and troubled. “You have been so on top of everything, researching everything about my cancer, keeping up here at work, making sure I have everything I need at home. You’ve been taking care of me.”

“I’m your kid, dad, it’s my job!” he jumps in, not liking the way his dad’s words don’t feel like a positive. Owen gives him a half-smile that is a little sad at the corners.

“And I thank you for it,” Owen answers, clutching his hand. TK responds with a noise of disbelief.

“I do,” he insists sternly. “But your first priority needs to be yourself, and you haven’t been doing that. You missed your group meetings twice this week and your therapist last week.”

TK lets go of Owen’s hand and starts to pace back and forth in his father’s office. He catches a glimpse of the engine room below; their crew goofs around as they clean the truck. “You’re point, please?”

“My point, Tyler,” Owen starts, causing TK to straighten up, his father calling him by his first name, is always serious. “Is that you’ve been so focused on me that you are neglecting yourself. We work and live together. My illness is in your face at all times. Maybe if we didn’t share so much space for a while, you wouldn’t worry so much.”

TK looks at his father with what he hopes is a disbelieving face. “You think I’ll worry less about you if I’m not home to make sure you’re okay? I think there’s a flaw in your thought process, dad.”

Owen smiles dryly at him, but TK can see, his stomach churning, that his dad has made up his mind about this, and once Owen Strand has made up his mind about something, it might as well be set in stone. “Humor me.”

TK racks his brain, trying to find something he can use to persuade his dad that this is a bad idea. “What about wanting to keep me close to make sure I don’t relapse?” he asks desperately, wincing at the hard look his dad gives him.

“That’s not going to happen,” Owen says firmly. “I believe in you,” he continues, making TK feel like shit for bringing it up. “But since I already found you a place, I know I don’t have to worry about that at all.”

TK’s brow knits together in the middle as he gives his dad a confused look. “You have a place for me?” he questions just as there’s a knock on the door.

Owen smiles again, this time a little smug, filling TK with dread. “Yep, and here he is now,” he says, waving towards the door as Judd Ryder walks into the office.

Well shit.

֎֎֎

“Let me see if I got this straight,” TK finds himself saying for the second time in the last hour. “You think that I should move in with Judd and his wife?”

He looks over at the man in question, finding an equally unimpressed expression on his face, so at least he knows Judd agrees with him on this being ridiculous. Owen has gone over his reasons again, that working and living together puts unnecessary stress on TK.

“He has an apartment above his garage,” his dad informs him as he smiles at the man. “Isn’t that right, Judd?”

Judd sighs deeply but nods all the same. “Yeah, Captain. Grace and I rent it out sometimes. It’s currently tenant free.”

Owen’s smile widens to the point he’s all teeth. “See? Perfect!”

TK nods. “Yeah, perfect, I move out so that I don’t ‘worry’ as much about you because that makes complete sense, and you still get to have a babysitter on me. Real perfect, dad,” he finishes with a bit of a shout, feeling instantly like an ass at the hurt look on his dad’s face.

“I mean,” Judd clears his throat, drawing their attention to him. “He’s got a point.”

TK points victoriously at Judd, looking back at Owen. He lets out a sigh at the serious look on his face.

“You’re not weak,” his father starts, making TK tense up.

His eyes flicker back to Judd, who is looking away to give them as much privacy as he can when he’s still in the room. “That’s not what this is about, but I would be lying if I say that I’m not worried about this negatively affecting you. I wouldn’t forgive myself if this causes you to backtrack.”

TK looks at his father, there’s pain and worry in his eyes, and TK knows that the cancer isn’t what scares his father at all right now.

As always, his worry starts and ends with TK. He wonders for the first time since this conversation started if his dad has been taking care of himself as much as he should, or has his focus been once again TK.

He swallows hard, overwhelmed by his father’s unconditional love – what he didn’t get from his mom, he got in spades from his dad.

“Okay, dad,” he starts quietly, holding his hand up when his father begins to smile. “I’ll agree to this on one condition. I’ll move in with Judd, give us some space. I’ll even focus on myself and go to my meetings. But – “

He points a finger at his dad, making sure he’s listening. “I get to go to all your doctor appointments with you, not just your chemo sessions, and if they say you’re getting worse, I move back, and I take care of you without you being annoying.”

Owen pouts, and TK can’t help but smile for the first time since this conversation started. “I’m not annoying.”

“You’re always annoying, dad,” he laughs as his dad’s pout deepens. He turns towards Judd, raising an eyebrow at him. “How does your wife feel about you bringing a stray home?”

Judd smirks at him, and TK knows he’s going to hate what comes out of his mouth next.

“Oh, no worries man, Grace has always wanted a puppy,” Judd’s smile widens when TK scowls at him. “Now I’m bringing home a golden retriever? Shit, I’m going to earn major husband points with this.”

TK is full-on glaring at the older man when his father lets out a snort, and he turns his ire towards his dad, narrowing his eyes at the innocent smile his dad tries to give him.

He stands up, heading towards the door. “I hate you both,” he declares as he leaves, grinding his teeth as his back is met with laughter.

Assholes.

֎֎֎

“He called me a golden retriever!”

“I mean, that’s like the best dog breed there is.”

TK pauses in the middle of his rant to shoot Carlos Reyes a dirty look. The police officer doesn’t look the least bit fazed as he bites into his taco. They’re both off shift, eating out of what Carlos claims is the best food truck in Austin. The cop offers him a soft smirk that makes his already handsome face even prettier. It’s fucking distracting when TK is trying to wallow in his pissy mood.

“I was going to put out tonight,” he tells him, getting a raised eyebrow in return. “That comment just ruined your chances.”

“You’re talking about another guy on our date again,” Carlos points out with a serious look on his face, though the way his eyes twinkle with amusement betray him. “The same guy as last time. If anyone is not putting out, it’s me, Tyler Kennedy.”

TK makes a scrunched-up face at his full name and the comment. “That’s an empty threat if I ever heard one,” he scoffs at him.

Carlos gives him a shark-like grin in return. “That’s funny; I was thinking the same thing about your threat.”

TK rolls his eyes at him. “I don’t find you as hot as you think I do,” he lies, feeling his heart tick up at the way Carlos’ eyes darken. TK watches as he licks his lips before rising from his chair to lean over the small outdoor table they’re using, bringing his face close to his.

“Are we just going to lie all night, Ty?” he questions softly, a slow-growing smile on his face when TK is helpless but to stare at Carlos’ full mouth. “Is that what we’re doing?”

“Umm…”

His eyes shut as Carlos’ mouth brushes against his for a second, the slightest touch, before he pulls away and sits back down.

TK can’t help it as he sways forward in his chair chasing after Carlos’ mouth, only to find air. When he opens his eyes, he finds Carlos staring at him with a smug look on his face.

“That’s what I thought,” Carlos says with a tilt of his eyebrows.

TK wants to be mad, but he can’t in the face of Carlos’ playfulness. After their less than stellar beginnings, what they are now – they aren’t putting a label to it yet, but TK looks forward to every second he spends with Carlos more than anything else – is nice and comfortable, while also being exciting in a way that just a look or touch from Carlos has a way of making his heart speed up.

They finish their tacos and jarritos, throwing their garbage away before they wave their goodbyes at the food truck owners. Carlos thanks them for the food in Spanish, a friendly smile on his face before turning back towards him.

“You want to walk for a little bit?” Carlos questions throwing his arm around his shoulders, and TK agrees, slipping his arm around Carlos’ waist. “So, besides the golden retriever comment, how do you feel about this?”

TK stays quiet for a moment, trying to think how to word what he’s feeling. He doesn’t think moving away from his dad is going to serve to distance himself from the situation. Ever since finding out about his father’s cancer, it’s become a constant thought in his head even in the background. He doubts that will change, but he also wants to make things easier for his dad anyway possible, and if this is what it takes, then so be it.

“He’s worried about me,” he says finally. “He’s worried I’ll be so focused on him, I’ll relapse,” he continues softly, swallowing down the lump forming in his throat. “Which is fair, I’ve proven I can’t always handle a stressful situation without reaching for the Oxy.”

Carlos stops in his tracks, they’re in the middle of an active street downtown, and a few people throw them dirty looks, huffing as they go around them, but Carlos ignores them all as he turns to face him. “Do you think you’ll relapse?”

TK looks into Carlos’ kind brown eyes, finding no judgment, just compassion, and patience. It makes the knot behind his ribcage loosen.

“No.”

Carlos raises an eyebrow at him. “No, what?”

TK narrows his eyes at him, but he can’t help the small quirk of his lips. “No, I’m not going to relapse,” he states, not being able to help the smile that grows as Carlos looks at him proudly.

Carlos’ warm hand cups the back of his neck, squeezing it, his fingertips digging into the base of his skull, it makes TK feel instantly relaxed. “That’s right; you’re not. You know it, and I think Captain Strand knows it too. He worries because he’s your dad, TK. Not because he thinks you can’t handle things.”

TK brings up his hands, touching Carlos’ arms in a gentle hold, he hopes Carlos understands it’s his way of saying thank you. The way Carlos’ eyes go even softer makes him think the man gets it. “That’s what he said,” TK admits. “But he’s still worried, and I’m starting to realize that he’s not focusing on himself while focusing on me, so if this helps – “

“You’re willing to do it,” Carlos finishes for him.

“Yeah,” he says, sighing deeply. “It won’t be so bad, right? It’s not inside Judd’s home, so hopefully, I won’t bother him and his wife too much.”

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Carlos reassures him as they start walking again. He pauses, and out of the corner of his eye, TK can see him lick his lips, his expression hesitant as he continues. TK can feel him tense up under his hand. “And you’re always welcomed at my place if you need an escape,” he turns his head to look at TK, speaking softly. “Anytime you want.”

TK feels his heart stutter; he ducks his face into the crook of Carlos’ neck to not show it. “Thank you,” he whispers, pressing his lips against the underside of Carlos’ jaw.

Carlos pulls him closer; he feels Carlos press a kiss into his hairline. “Anything I can do to help, you let me know.”

֎֎֎

“You have a lot of stuff.”

TK looks up at Carlos from where he’s putting down a box in his new place. The apartment above Judd’s garage is surprisingly big. His first studio apartment in Manhattan was half the size. Texas’ real estate doesn’t stop shocking him.

“I’m not surprised, given all the stuff the Cap has at the station, figures his kid would be high maintenance too,” Judd comments, coming up behind Carlos with another box.

TK rolls his eyes at the older man, earning himself a smirk from the cowboy. Judd had greeted TK and Carlos outside as they drove up with TK’s things, a friendly smile on his face as he started to help Carlos and TK unload.

“You offered to help,” TK points at Carlos with his index finger.

“I’m not complaining, just making an observation,” Carlos answers, closing the space between them. “It’s just more than I expected.”

“I like my things; they make me who I am.”

“And I like who you are,” Carlos says easily, catching TK off guard with his casual sincerity. “So, I like them too.”

TK looks down at his feet, feeling his body go warm. After a moment, he looks back up at Carlos, finding his gaze on him. “Thanks,” he says softly as he sways into Carlos’ space, ready to thank him with more than words when he hears gagging by the window.

He turns his head, finding Judd watching them with an unimpressed look on his face. “Oh no, by all means, continue to moon over each other, I’ll get the rest of the Princess’ things myself,” Judd says sarcastically.

TK opens his mouth to shoot back when a beautiful woman he’s seen with Judd at the bar walks up the stairs. He instantly recognizes her as Judd’s wife, and thinks silently that she’s even prettier up close than what he already thought. Judd really married up.

“Judson Ryder, I hope I didn’t hear you being rude to our new tenant.”

Oh yeah, he likes her, TK thinks, curbing the desire to smirk as Judd starts to try and talk his way out of his wife’s hard stare.

“I was helping,” Judd grumbles, pouting at his wife, the tiniest of smiles on his face when Grace rolls her eyes at him. “Then, they started to get all gooey with each other. I had to put a stop to it before they completely forgot I was even in the room.”

TK feels Carlos shake with silent laughter next to him, when he looks up, he finds the man grinning shamelessly at him.

Grace looks up towards the sky for a second, an amused smile on her face as she looks back at her husband. TK watches in amazement as the big gruff man melts under her gaze. She looks over at Carlos and him, that smile still on her pretty face. “You’ll have to excuse Judd, he’s an emotionally stunted Texan,” she grins when TK can’t help his snort as Judd gives a protesting ‘Baby!’

“He also seems to have forgotten his manners,” Grace continues, stepping further into the apartment. “I’m Grace Ryder.”

“TK Strand,” TK says, extending his hand to her. “Nice to officially meet you, sorry I’m invading your home, but I’ll try to stay out of the way.”

Grace motions his words away with one hand while holding on to his other. “Don’t speak such nonsense; you’re very welcome here. The apartment has a small kitchen, but please feel free to come into the house if you need anything.”

“I’m not much of a cook, but thank you,” TK confesses with a shrug, turning to introduce the man next to him. “This is Carlos.”

“Carlos Reyes, ma’am, nice to meet you,” Carlos takes a step forward, shaking her hand as well. “I’ve heard you on the dispatch calls.”

“Me too, Officer Reyes, nice to put a face to the voice,” Grace smiles at Carlos with a twinkle in her eye as she looks at him. “Especially since it’s such a nice face.”

Carlos gives her a wide grin, though TK spots the hint of a blush high on his cheeks. “Thank you, ma’am.”

“Call me Grace, please,” she tells him, turning back to TK. “That goes for both of you.”

TK smiles as he feels warmth and sincerity from her.

“Are you two done flirting with my wife?” Judd asks with a raised eyebrow when they all look over at him. “Pretty boy still has more boxes to bring in.”

Grace shakes her head, her mouth curving upward. She closes the space between her and Judd, placing her hand on his shoulder she goes to her toes to kiss him. TK watches as Judd melts again, holding her close.

“I’m going to start dinner, how does chili sound?” she questions Judd, making him close his eyes, a smile on his face.

“Like heaven, baby,” he answers, placing a kiss into her curls.

“Okay,” she says softly before looking back at TK and Carlos.

“You’re joining us, TK,” she says, pointing at him when TK opens his mouth to say he doesn’t want to intrude. “That wasn’t a request. It’s your first night here, and I want to get to know you. Carlos, can you join us?”

Carlos shakes his head regrettably. “I have a shift in two hours, so I have to go home soon to change. Raincheck?”

Grace looks at Carlos for a moment before nodding once. “I’m holding you to that.”

She turns back to Judd. “Finish helping and then bring TK into the house,” she tells him as she turns to leave.

“Yes ma’am,” Judd calls out as she leaves them alone.

“Dude,” TK starts, letting out a whistle. “I think I’m in love with your wife.”

Judd shoots him a look that is a cross between annoyed at him for the comment but also proud because, of course, everyone should love his wife.

“Thin ice Strand,” Judd gives him a look that lacks heat before heading back down the stairs for more boxes, leaving TK alone with Carlos.

Carlos slides in behind him, wrapping his arms around TK’s chest. “You know what I think?”

“What?” he asks, leaning back into Carlos’ embrace, he shivers as Carlos presses his nose against the shell of his ear.

“I think it’s going to be hilarious to watch Judd lose it as you charm his wife,” Carlos says, humor coloring his voice.

TK laughs, silently agreeing but putting up a front. “Who says I’m going to charm her? She might end up not liking me.”

Carlos snorts softly, his lips brush against his neck, making TK shiver. “Have you ever not charmed someone, TK?”

TK chuckles again, turning in Carlos’ hold. “Is that your way of saying I’m charming, did I charm you?” he teases, grinning when Carlos lets out a huff.

Carlos cradles his face, tilting it up, his lips hover over TK’s. He tries to move forward to close the hair-thin distance, the desire to kiss Carlos overwhelming.

“I’ve been charmed by you since the moment you sucked at line dancing,” Carlos says softly, his voice so smooth it takes TK a moment to understand the diss.

“Hey –” he starts, only for the rest to get muffled as a grinning Carlos covers his mouth with his. He deepens the kiss, making TK’s toes curl inside his sneakers, and TK figures his comeback can wait.

֎֎֎

They finish bringing the rest of his stuff in, and Carlos leaves after giving him a soft kiss goodbye and a promise they’ll talk later, all under Judd’s watchful eye.

TK turns to his crew member after Carlos has pulled out of the driveway to find Judd looking at him with a smug realizing expression on his face.

“What?” he questions as he follows him into his home.

Judd ignores him, laughing as he crosses the living room and goes to the kitchen with TK hot on his heel. Grace looks up from a pot, raising an eyebrow at them as Judd continues to chuckle, much to TK’s annoyance.

“What’s so funny?” Grace questions as she stirs, a half-smile on her face at Judd’s amusement.

Judd turns towards them from where he’s been digging in the refrigerator, pulling out two bottled waters, throwing one at TK.

“That’s what I’m asking,” he says, opening the offered water. “Your husband has a case of the giggles.”

Grace looks back at Judd. “Judson?”

Judd chuckles again, walking over to his wife. “TK and Reyes,” he starts, he makes a ridiculous kissy-face and lets out a deep sigh.

TK feels his face go hot at the obvious implications. “We’re friends,” he blurts out, he feels his face get hotter when Grace and Judd look over at him unconvinced.

“Oh sweetheart,” Grace starts, giving TK a tenderly amused smile. “I’m sorry, but that dog won’t hunt.”

TK frowns, confused. “I’m not sure what that means.”

Judd gives him a wide smirk. “It’s southern, for you are full of shit.”

TK opens his mouth to protest only to close it again, frowning at himself. He’s not lying, he and Carlos are friends. He likes his crew a lot, but after his dad, Carlos is the person he’s closest to in Austin, or at all these days. He hasn’t kept up with his friends back in New York, between settling into a new firehouse, his recovery, and now his dad’s health problems, those friendships have fallen sideways, especially since a lot of his friends where Alex’s friends too. Carlos is the only one that knows about his struggles, though he’s sure his crew has an inkling since he never drinks when they go out. Judd, who’s closer to his dad and Paul, who never misses a beat, probably have their thoughts. But Carlos knows because TK told him. That evening at the police station, he didn’t have to explain, and yet he did. He couldn’t help but tell him, a part of him hoping that Carlos would understand and that opening up to him would give them another chance after the failed dinner.

He told Carlos because he wants him in his life, he likes spending time with him. The sex is amazing, but just getting a bite to eat, catching up on their day, making Carlos laugh, or getting him to look at him in that way of his, that makes TK feel worthwhile, is more than amazing, it’s extraordinary. And like a true addict, he craves more of it, more of his attention and affection, two things Carlos gives him without hesitation. So, he guesses Grace and Judd have a point in suggesting he’s not being honest in the description of his and Carlos’ relationship.

A hand on his forearm pulls him out of his thoughts, and he finds Grace in front of him, a gentle smile on her face as she holds up a bowl of chili. She doesn’t say anything as she hands it to him, but there’s a look of understanding in her dark eyes that settles the sudden barge of thoughts in his head.

“Let’s eat,” she says, nodding toward the set-up dining room table with her chin. “Not to brag, but I make the best chili in the state.”

“Brag, baby,” Judd says as they walk towards the table, each taking a seat. “It’s heaven in a bowl kid, get ready to see nirvana.”

TK smiles, biting into what is honestly the best tasting chili he’s ever tried. He makes a noise that has Grace giving him a wide pleased grin. He continues eating, speaking when Grace asks him a question, adding to Judd’s stories about work. It’s nice, much more comfortable than he thought it would be, and he feels as he makes Grace laugh while telling her about a call they had the other day, that maybe this living situation won’t be so bad.

֎֎֎

TK lays down in his new room, the phone in his hand tells him it’s after midnight. The rest of dinner had gone well, and he’d spent some time with the Ryders before excusing himself for the night, telling the couple he needed sleep. The only problem now is that he’s in bed and he’s wide awake. Without thinking, he pulls up his messages, typing one out to Carlos before he questions himself.

‘What are you doing? Catch any bad guys?’

He doesn’t have to wait long before he sees the writing bubbles appear.

‘Yes, actually, and as a reward, I get to stay at the station until I finish writing up my report. What are you doing up? Don’t you have an early shift? 7 am, right?’

TK smiles, feeling warm at the fact that Carlos remembers his schedule.

‘Can’t sleep, brain is too loud.’

TK waits for Carlos to answer, startling when his phone starts to ring instead. He picks up the phone on the second ring. “You didn’t have to call,” he protests softly instead of greeting Carlos.

“It’s fine,” Carlos reassures him. “Are you okay?”

“I can’t sleep,” TK mutters, surprised when he feels frustration tears spring up. “Can’t quiet down my brain.”

“What do you need, Ty?” Carlos questions softly, the tone in his voice lets TK know without a doubt, that Carlos will do anything to make it better for him.

“You?” TK answers in a moment of honesty and weakness. He knows if Carlos were here touching him, he would be able to sleep afterward.

Carlos inhales sharply before going quiet, and all TK can hear is shuffling.

“I locked myself in the supply closet,” he says like it’s supposed to make any sense to TK.

“What do you need,” he repeats with intention, and TK gets what he means so suddenly it leaves him breathless as he realizes what Carlos is offering, hardening instantly.

“You,” he says again, this time with a sigh as he settles deeper into his bed, palming himself through his pants.

Carlos makes a soft, considering sound. “And what would you want me to do if I was there right now? Help you out of your clothes?”

“I’m just in bottoms,” TK answers, feeling a shiver as Carlos lets out a pleased hum.

“That makes it easier,” Carlos answers, his voice still smooth and controlled. “I could take them off myself, or have you do it, put on a show for me. Do you want to take them off?”

TK holds the phone between his ear and his shoulder as he kicks off his pants.

“Are you hard, Tyler?” Carlos questions.

“For you?” TK asks, teasing a bit. “Always.”

Carlos laughs softly. “I bet you look good, you always do, but you’re even prettier when you’re hard. Your skin gets all flushed, your cock pink and leaking. You have such a pretty cock baby. I want to get on my knees for you all the time.”

TK makes a whining noise at the picture in his head Carlos’ words make. He grabs hold of his dick and squeezes at the base to keep from coming. This is barely getting started, and he can’t believe Carlos is having phone sex with him while on shift, but he plans on enjoying himself.

“Is that what you want, TK?” Carlos asks softly. “My mouth on you? I like it, fuck, TK, I love it,” Carlos lets out a sound that makes TK’s stomach clench with need. “You taste amazing, the feel of you in my mouth and the sounds you make? I can’t get enough of those sounds. You just beg so pretty.”

“Carlos, please,” TK pleads.

“Yeah,” Carlos sighs. “Just like that.”

TK makes another noise at how Carlos sounds.

“Start touching yourself,” Carlos orders him, and TK is more than happy to listen. “Slowly. Make it last.”

TK does as he’s told, his strokes are soft and slow as he teases himself.

“I like sucking you off,” Carlos picks up the narrative again. “But I love eating you out even more. You always seem so surprised.”

“Not every guy likes doing that,” TK answers, not bothering to mention his ex.

Carlos hears it all the same. “He’s an idiot,” he says quickly before moving on. “I love it. If I were there with you right now, I would suck you just long enough to make you beg, but then I would turn you over, get that hot ass of yours in the air. You’d be shaking, knowing what’s coming as I spread you open. I would make you wait though, just touch my fingertips to your sweet hole.”

TK tightens his hold on his dick when he feels his hole clench at Carlos’ words. He feels empty as it spasms around nothing.

“After playing with you for a bit, I would give you the first soft lick, circling your hole as my finger pressed in the tiniest bit. Would you like that?”

TK makes a desperate noise. Yes, of course, he would like that.

“Use your words baby,” Carlos whispers. “Do you want my tongue?”

“Yes,” TK gets out, trying to take a deep breath, feeling it catch in his lungs. “I want your tongue.”

“I’ll give you whatever you want, TK,” Carlos continues, his voice just as low but rougher, and all TK can picture is Carlos hard in his uniform while his coworkers are on the other side of the door, not knowing that Carlos is taking TK apart with just a few words and promises.

“I’ll give you my tongue, lick you open, suck on your rim until it’s red and puffy, and you’re crying into the mattress, your legs spread for me, begging for more as you push yourself into my mouth seeking to get off. It’s not enough though, is it, Ty? You need more than my tongue teasing you.”

“Yes,” TK gasps, stroking himself harder with one hand, lights starting to go off behind his eyelids as the beginning of his orgasm builds at the base of his spine. He lets his other hand slip behind his balls, pressing against his perineum, making his body shake. His dick shoots off once. “I need your cock, Carlos. I need it so bad. I need to be full.”

“You’re close,” Carlos whispers, groaning softly into the phone.

“I’m there,” TK let’s out a shaky laugh as his hand moves faster to chase after the high.

“The next time we’re alone, I’m going to do everything I just promised,” Carlos swears hotly. TK’s breath halts in his lungs at how wrecked Carlos sounds. “I’m going to fill you up until all you know is me and my cock.”

TK comes in spurts, moaning loudly as he makes a mess of his chest and stomach. He keeps tugging on himself until he gets the last drop out and lets go of his spent dick.

Everything is quiet for a moment; the silence filled with only their breathing.

“Think you can sleep now?” Carlos questions quietly, and TK lets’ out a tired laugh. He’ll be lucky if he hears his alarm, he’s so relaxed and sleepy now. He tells Carlos, earning a chuckle from him.

“I’m glad,” he says, and TK can hear the smile in his voice. “Now, I’m going to go recite the APD manual to calm down; you go to sleep.”

TK feels something warm spread through him as he hears the fondness in Carlos’ voice. “The next time we’re alone –“

“I’m not letting you out of my bed until I’ve had my fill,” Carlos promises, making TK shiver.

“I’m going to hold you to that,” he whispers back.

“Go to sleep, cariño,” Carlos orders him tenderly before TK ends the call and once again does as he’s told.

֎֎֎

“Hey, look! It’s the roommates!” Marjan calls out as he and Judd walk into the station.

“And they have matching lunch bags, that’s so sweet,” Paul teases as he comes over, pointing at the brown paper bags in their hands. The morning was rushed. After his late call with Carlos, TK had slept like a baby, and like predicted almost slept through his alarm. Luckily, he wasn’t the only one running late since Judd overslept too, neither having time for breakfast. Grace took pity on them and packed them egg sandwiches and some fruit to go.

TK tells them as such, getting a grin from Marjan and Paul in return. “Damn, maybe we should move in with Judd and his wife,” Paul questions, looking over at Marjan who nods back at him.

“No more strays,” Judd declares, smirking in his direction.

TK waits for the comment to annoy him, but it doesn’t come. It’s taken him a while, but he’s starting to understand Judd’s brand of humor, and the sibling-like roles they’ve taken with each other.

If Judd can be the aggravated older brother, TK can play the bratty younger one. “You’re just worried that I’ve only been there one day, and Grace already loves me,” he says, grinning when Judd lets out a huff.

His smile grows when Judd doesn’t answer with anything other than a grumpy ‘whatever.’

“TK charming your wife, Ryder?” Owen asks as he comes over, having overheard their conversation.

“It’s the Strand charm,” TK says to his dad, amused when his father puffs up his chest.

“That’s my boy,” Owen says, grinning widely when Judd shakes his head, muttering about pain in the ass Yankees as he walks away from them.

Marjan and Paul follow him, teasing as they go, leaving TK alone with his dad.

“How was your first night there?” Owen asks quietly. “Okay?”

TK nods quickly, reassuring his dad when he hears the worry in his voice. “Yeah, everything was fine. Grace is very welcoming; she made the most amazing chili, and Judd was his usual gruff self, but you know that’s just the way he is. He’ll take the shirt off his own back if it helps someone. He helped me with my stuff.”

“Sorry I couldn’t be there,” Owen says with an apologetic look. “I had to go over paperwork with Captain Blake.”

TK shrugs, knowing this the day before. “That’s okay, Carlos helped out too.”

He realizes his mistake when Owen raises an eyebrow at him. “Officer Reyes? That was nice of him.”

TK clears his throat, shifting from one foot to another, he hasn’t talked about Carlos with his dad yet, not knowing what to say.

That they hang out? They have sex? That Carlos is the first person he reaches out for when he can’t sleep?

He blushes slightly when he thinks about the night before.

“Well, he’s a nice guy,” TK stutters, feeling like when he was 14, and had his first crush on a boy while his father gave him the same knowing grin he’s giving him now.

“That he is,” Owen answers with a small chuckle as TK’s blush deepens.

“Shut up, dad,” he mutters, walking away to the sound of his dad’s laughter.

֎֎֎

They get called to a three-car accident downtown a little after two. Austin Police is already there, and TK spots Carlos taking statements from a witness. The moment he spots them, Carlos wraps up with the woman to walk over to them.

“Captain,” he greets Owen, his eyes finding TK’s for a moment before he starts to explain the situation. “Green Chevy ran the red light at top speed, t-boning the silver Sedan before getting its rear hit by the truck,” Carlos points. “The truck driver is fine, the idiot in the Chevy seems fine too, Michelle is checking him out. The sedan driver is conscious, but we can’t get her out, a teenager named Lily.”

Owen nods and starts calling out orders after assessing the situation. It doesn’t take them long to pry open the car, the girl inside is awake the whole time but crying.

“My dad is going to be so pissed,” she sobs, letting out a pained groan as they get her out as gently as they can. “It’s his car.”

“Your dad isn’t going to care about the car,” he tells her as they put her on the stretcher where Michelle is waiting to take over. “He can get a new car, not a new you, Lily,” he gives her a kind smile when she gives him a small nod.

He starts to walk back towards the fire truck, picking up some of their equipment.

“Good job,” Carlos says as he falls into step with him.

“You too,” he answers, stopping half-way from the truck to speak to him.

“Did you sleep well?” Carlos asks curiously, the hint of a smile on his face.

TK feels himself go hot, and he knows it has nothing to do with having his safety gear on, or the Austin weather, it has everything to do with the heat he sees in Carlos’ gaze as he looks at him.

“Better than I’ve slept in months,” TK admits, his pulse spiking as Carlos’ eyes darken even further.

Carlos takes a step closer to him, angling his body as he leans in to whisper into TK’s ear. “Think how much better you’ll sleep if you spent the whole night in my bed.”

TK’s breath hitches, they haven’t done that yet, every one of their encounters has ended with TK leaving afterward.

“There’s a saying down here,” Carlos continues in a low voice that makes TK shiver. “Rode hard and put away wet.”

TK swallows hard as he looks at Carlos, wobbling slightly into his space, causing Carlos to smirk.

“I’m going to wear you out,” Carlos promises, his tongue licks at his bottom lip, and all TK can do is follow the movement with his eyes and try not to whimper.

“My shift ends at eight,” he says, not even trying to be coy. He knows what he wants, and right now, it starts and ends with Carlos Reyes.

Carlos gives him a slow grin, his eyes sparkling with joy and promise. “I’ll pick you up at the station.”

֎֎֎

TK is by the mirrors fussing with his hair when Judd comes up next to him, freshly showered like TK.

“Am I driving you home?” Judd asks, looking through his toiletries for his razor. “Grace texted asking if we feel like take-out, said she had a long day.”

“I have plans with Carlos,” TK says as he works in some mousse into his hair. “He’s picking me up in a few.”

Judd makes a noise, and when TK meets his eyes through the mirror, he sees that the older man is grinning to himself.

TK knows he should ignore it, but he’s always been too curious for his own good, sighing at his lack of control, he asks. “What’s with the grin?”

Judd turns to face him, giving him a shrug, the grin still firmly in place. “Nothing, it’s just nice that your friend is coming to pick you up.”

TK rolls his eyes at the clear mocking in Judd’s voice. “Don’t start man, we are friends,” he says, even though he knows there is so much more to it than that, he’s been thinking about Carlos all afternoon, thinking about getting his hands on him. Still, he also realizes that as much as he thinks about having sex with Carlos, he finds himself thinking just as much about the other moments. When they eat and share, when Carlos goes out of his way to make TK feel comfortable, how he’s willing to sacrifice his night to help TK cheer up a friend, or how he’s ready to talk him through a frankly spectacular orgasm just to help TK sleep, even if he doesn’t get off himself.

He likes having sex with Carlos; there is no denying that they’re perfectly compatible in that area, but he also likes all his other moments with him too. He simply just really likes him.

Judd laughs, breaking through his thoughts. “Yeah, kid,” Judd chuckles, he points a finger at him. “Your face right now says just friends, the way you two were looking at each other earlier, with little to no space between you guys, says just friends too.”

TK’s face grows hot, and he finds himself shifting from foot to foot. “You saw that?”

Judd snorts at the question. “We all saw it, kid,” he tells him, smirking when TK shakes his head. He looks around, his eyes lighting up when he spots Paul coming out of the showers.

“Strickland, you saw TK and Reyes earlier after we pulled out that girl from her car?”

“You mean when they were whispering and eye-banging each other?” Paul questions, not missing a beat even as TK turns redder while Judd lets out a shout of victory.

“Ha!” Judd crows.

Paul raises an eyebrow at them. “What’s the big deal? They always look at each other that way.”

Judd grins, looking back at Paul. “And what way is that, Strickland?”

Paul looks from Judd to TK, an amused smirk on his face. “Officer Reyes looks at TK like sunshine comes out of his ass.”

TK brings his hands to his face, it feels like it’s on fire, but he can’t deny the spark of happiness the comment brings him. Paul never misses anything, that’s his thing, so if he’s saying it, there has to be truth to it. Still, he can’t help but feel embarrassed when Paul continues.

“And TK isn’t much better with the moon eyes he gets when the good officer is around,” he finishes, walking away now that he’s said his peace.

“Thank you, Strickland!” Judd calls out before turning back to TK with an expectant look. “You were saying?”

TK opens his mouth before closing it again.

He ends up shrugging. “Fine, I like him, okay?” he says looking at Judd, he’s lost his amusement, now looking back at TK with zero judgment. “I really like him. I just –“

Judd tilts his head, waiting on him to see if he wants to keep talking or stop. When he first met Judd, he’d written him off as just some redneck, rough around the edges and probably not someone who would become his friend. Now, he’s ashamed of his snap judgment. Judd was blunt and harsh, but he was also kind and patient with every single one of them. He’d seen it with the others, and he’s seen it with his dad, but especially with him. Judd said they were brothers, and he meant it.

“You know about my ex,” he questions, getting a nod in return. “That really messed me up, more than anyone here knows,” he hesitates, looking up at him, hoping it’s enough.

Judd gives him another nod. “In your own time kid, it’s your story to tell.”

TK exhales, swallowing around the lump in his throat. His therapist has told him time and time again that part of healing is being able to talk about what he’s been through with others.

“I got addicted to pills years ago, and OD’d,” TK doesn’t look at Judd as he continues, not ready to see the expression on his face. “I got clean and didn’t use again until the night I proposed to Alex, and he told me he had been cheating on me with his trainer. I OD’d again, my dad and our team saved me,” he looks up at Judd now, finding a look of sympathy on his face.

He lets out a surprised sound when Judd pulls him into a bear hold of a hug.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” he says quietly, as TK returns the hug. Being an only child and growing up with just his dad after his parents divorced – wife number two wasn’t around for long – TK finds himself clinging to him and the brotherly affection he’s so freely offering.

“Thanks,” he whispers back before pulling away. They’re both quiet for a moment when Judd asks.

“And Carlos?”

TK sighs. “I like him,” he repeats. “I just don’t want to mess him up with my shit.”

“Does he know?” Judd questions, a small smile appearing on his face when TK nods. “And he’s still sticking around,” he says pointedly. “So maybe he doesn’t see it as you messing him up. Paul wasn’t lying when he says Carlos looks at you like you’re something special, it’s obvious.”

TK can’t help but smile at that.

“Which is weird,” Judd continues, his tone and expression turning to tease. “Cause honestly you’re a pain in the ass,” he grins when TK shoots him a dirty look, the heaviness of their moment alleviating. “No accounting for taste, I guess.”

TK scoffs even as he’s not able to stop a laugh from passing his lips; he opens his mouth to answer back when Mateo sticks his head in the room.

“TK?” he says, spotting him. “Officer Reyes is downstairs looking for you.”

TK feels his pulse tick up. He thanks Mateo before he turns back towards the mirror, making sure he looks good.

“You look fine pretty boy,” Judd assures him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Can I give you some advice?”

TK looks at his friend and nods.

“Forgive yourself for the past,” Judd starts, his expression serious. “Once you do that, you’ll open yourself to the future. Be that Carlos or not, from where I’m standing, yours looks pretty bright.”

֎֎֎

“Fuck,” TK lets out a low groan, his hands grasp Carlos’ slick back as he thrusts into him, his strong body covering TK’s as he clings to him, legs wrapped around Carlos’ waist as he takes him higher and higher, his body tightening like a coil ready to spring.

Carlos lays open mouth kisses against the length of TK’s throat, biting down softly. “You feel amazing,” he says hotly against TK’s skin. “I can’t get enough of you. I always want more.”

TK licks at his dry lips as he tries to answer, but at that moment, Carlos gives a snap of his hips, touching a part inside of TK that sets off sparks through his body, and all TK can do is dig his fingers into Carlos’ back as he frantically meets him thrust for thrust. He lets out a whimper when Carlos sneaks a hand between their overheated bodies to wrap his skilled fingers around his cock.

TK can’t help the pleas that fall off his lips as Carlos times his thrust and strokes perfectly, pulling a shouting orgasm out of TK that leaves him shaky and weak as he continues to come. Distantly in his post-orgasm haze, he realizes that Carlos is close himself. His movements aren’t as smooth as before as he grinds himself against TK’s ass, and he can feel him pulsing inside him.

Leaning up, TK presses his mouth against Carlos’ ear. “You feel so good inside me,” he whispers, smiling when he feels Carlos freeze. “I’m so full, just like you promised,” he continues letting out an almost pained whine as Carlos presses himself even further inside TK’s body. “Come, baby,” he whispers, his eyes fluttering as residual bursts of pleasure pass over him. “Come for me.”

Carlos lets out a low groan, shaking as he does what he asks, and TK can’t help but let out a noise of his own from the feeling of Carlos throbbing inside him.

They stay locked in each other until Carlos completely softens and pulls out. TK makes another soft sound, this one of loss. He knows it’s not practical, but if he could have it his way, he would have Carlos inside him forever. He tries not to overthink what wanting that means.

Carlos rolls off him breathing heavily. “Is it just me, or do we just keep getting better at that?”

TK laughs breathlessly, his body shaking not just from amusement, but from the mind-melting orgasm he just finished having. Carlos looks at him, a giddy smile on his face. He leans over, giving TK a soft kiss.

“I’ll be right back,” he says against TK’s mouth, getting up before he can answer.

TK watches him head for the bathroom, admiring the spectacular view that is Carlos’ backside. He closes his eyes as he hears the water run, he’s cozy and sated, and he thinks he can fall asleep right this instant; he’s that satisfied.

A few minutes pass before the bed dips again, but TK doesn’t bother opening his eyes until he feels a warm wet cloth run over his stomach, cleaning him up. TK looks at Carlos, a lump of emotion forming in his chest as Carlos takes his time, moving pass TK’s stomach, going lower. His touch is gentle and light as he cleans TK’s tired cock, and TK can’t help the soft gasp he lets out when Carlos slips the cloth between his cheeks, wiping softly at his entrance.

The care is so loving and tender, and not something TK is used to, that he has to blink back the stinging sensation he feels behind his eyelids.

When Carlos is done, he looks at TK, his expression gentle as he sees that TK is more than a little emotionally compromised. He leans back down, brushing his lips across his. “How about breakfast for dinner?” he asks, kindly not drawing attention to the fact that a tear has slipped down the side of TK’s face. “Pancakes?”

TK clears his throat, a shaky smile on his face. “Banana pancakes?”

Carlos’ smile grows. “I can be convinced,” he teases, standing back up. Crossing over to his dresser, he pulls out a pair of AP sweats. “Here, put these on and meet me in the kitchen.”

TK takes a moment after Carlos has walked away to take a breath and center himself, no doubt Carlos’ intention. He feels a rush of warmth and gratitude for the man. He seems to know precisely when TK needs to pull back for a breather and gives TK the space he needs without complaint or demands.

He walks out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, smiling as he spots Carlos already working on the pancakes, music plays softly throughout the house. He steps up behind Carlos, kissing the back of his neck gently, smiling into the skin when Carlos tips his head back.

“Anything I can do to help?” he asks, poking at Carlos’ side when he chuckles.

“You’ve confessed that you’ve burned water before,” Carlos reminds him, evading his fingers when he pokes him again.

“That was said in secrecy and not to be used against me at a later date,” he pouts against Carlos’ shoulder, biting down on the meat of it.

Carlos lets out a heavy breath, his body letting out a small shudder. “Keep that up, and I’m dragging you back to bed without food.”

“Oh no, not that,” TK teases, laughing hard when Carlos gives him a small shove.

“Go stand over there and try not to be so attractive,” Carlos points towards the counter with a spoon.

“I mean, I can try,” he says, smirking at the man as he hops on the counter, spreading his legs slowly in a way that makes Carlos shoot him a warning look. “But that’s like telling a fish not to swim or a bird not to fly.”

Carlos looks at him, a reluctant smile starting on his face, and TK feels his cheeks hurt as he grins back. He can’t remember the last time he enjoyed bantering with a partner this much. Alex had never really taken to his jokes or teasing personality.

“You think you’re real cute, don’t you,” Carlos asks, that amused smile still on his face as he shakes his head.

“I think you think I’m cute,” TK shoots back.

Carlos’ expression softens. “I do.”

TK feels his eyes widen in amazement at how easy it is for Carlos to just say things like that to him. He lays his heart bare for TK to see. Carlos just seems to want TK to know he cares about him with little to no concern for himself. Remembering what Paul and Judd said earlier about how Carlos looks at him, he can’t help but ask.

“Do you think sunshine comes out of my ass?” he blurts out, cringing even before the words leave his mouth.

Carlos startles, his eyes wide as he lets out a hesitant chuckle. “What?” he asks as he puts down the spoon, turning his body to look at TK head-on.

TK shifts on the counter, his face turning red from his ridiculous question and the intensity of Carlos’ focus on him. “Something Paul said earlier about the way you look at me,” he answers, feeling dumber by the second. “Forget it. It’s so stupid. I’m stupid.”

TK looks down at the floor, shaking his head at himself, amazed at his ability to put his foot in his mouth. He startles when hands slide up his thighs before resting on his waist. Looking up, he finds Carlos standing between his knees, looking at him with that same tender expression he seems to have for TK alone.

“I don’t know if sunshine comes out of your ass,” Carlos starts, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiles warmly at him, and TK can’t help but smile back, letting out a huff of laughter that makes Carlos’ smile grow before his expression turns serious.

“But I do know that being around you is like being out in the sun,” he continues, his hand coming up to cup the back of TK’s neck. “Everything is brighter and warmer when I’m with you.”

TK looks at Carlos, eyes moving over his features, the warmth of his brown eyes, the softness of his smile, the character of his eyebrows, and he finds himself nodding slowly.

“I feel the same way when I’m with you,” he whispers like it’s a secret. In a way it is, this thing between them is so new and precious to him already, it feels like saying it louder will disturb it. “I see colors with you,” he gets out, his heart thundering under his ribcage at the blinding smile his words get in return.

֎֎֎

Judd comes into the weight room, stepping in as his spotter as TK lifts. “You didn’t come home last night.”

“I stayed at Carlos’ apartment,” he gets out as he pushes through the last of his set. He sits up after a moment, thanking Judd when he hands him a towel to dry his face. “He took me home this morning to change and then dropped me off here.”

Judd smiles at him pleased, and TK can’t help but roll his eyes as the Texan radiates smugness. “What?”

Judd continues to grin as he gives him a shrug. “You just called my place home is all.”

TK looks at Judd a moment longer, rolling his eyes again but softer. “You know you come off as this grumpy jackass, but in reality, you’re just a lovable teddy bear.”

Judd narrows his eyes at him, but it doesn’t hide his amusement from TK one bit. “You better not tell anyone.”

“The secret is out big guy,” he says, laughing hard when Judd gives him an unamused look. “We all know.”

“You know, I was going to help you out with something,” Judd answers, all cryptic and annoying. “But now I’m just going to sit back and watch.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” TK questions just as his phone bings with an incoming message. He smiles for a moment when he sees that it’s from Carlos only to lose the smile when he reads the message.

‘Grace called me? Not sure how she got my number, but she asked me if I wanted to have dinner with you guys tonight. I told her I couldn’t agree without running it by you first.’

TK looks up from his phone to find Judd smirking at him knowingly. He glares at the older man, sighing when it does nothing but amuse him some more. “It wouldn’t surprise you to know Grace invited Carlos to dinner at the house tonight, would it?”

Judd’s answer is a wide grin that makes TK shake his head. “How did she even get his number?”

Judd snorts. “She works answering calls all day. Do you really think it’s hard for her to get a phone number?”

TK rolls his eyes at the answer, he waits to feel annoyed by the turn of events, but he can’t deny that he likes the idea of dinner with his friends and Carlos. It feels serious to start bringing him around to the people in his life, but there is something about it that makes him excited, while also fearing that it’s putting Carlos on the spot. He swipes his phone open and types out a quick message.

‘I can get you out of it if you don’t want to have dinner with them. Sorry, she shouldn’t have ambushed you like that, but I think she thought I wouldn’t tell you if she asked me first.’

TK presses send. He doesn’t have to wait long for Carlos’ answering text.

‘I didn’t feel ambushed, I like Grace, and I did promise her a raincheck. It just depends on if you want me there.’

TK licks his lips, his pulse ticking upward as he sends another text. ‘What do you want?’

‘Nope. What do YOU want?’

TK feels a reluctant smile on his face; he can hear Carlos’ patient but gentle teasing through his text. He takes a calming breath before typing honestly.

‘I want you to come to dinner.’

He waits a moment, smiling when he sees Carlos’ answering text.

‘I texted Grace. I’ll see you guys at 8.’

He looks up from his phone at Judd, and he can’t help the smile on his face. “Carlos is coming to dinner.”

֎֎֎

TK walks into the Ryder house, showered and dressed, making a beeline for the kitchen that smells delicious. He finds Grace chopping a carrot as he goes around the counter to her side.

He leans in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. “You’re a meddler,” he teases as he pops a piece of carrot into his mouth.

“Goal-oriented,” Grace corrects him with a raised eyebrow daring him to say otherwise.

TK raises a brow back at her. “And that goal would be?”

Grace lifts a shoulder as she keeps chopping, smirking as Judd walks into the kitchen. “Dinner with three gorgeous men, of course.”

TK chuckles, watching as Judd’s face goes from pleased to irritated for being called gorgeous but being lumped with him and Carlos.

Turning to TK, he gives him a hard stare. “Stop flirting with my wife, Strand.”

“I’m just over here appreciating beautiful things,” TK raises his hands while Grace grins, looking down at what she’s working on. “And Grace is one of the prettiest things I’ve ever seen.”

Judd opens his mouth, closing it after a moment, saying nothing.

He looks over at Grace sharing a conspiring grin with her. “It’s funny how he wants to tell me off, but he can’t because he knows it’s the truth.”

Judd lets out a huff as he comes around the counter to stand next to Grace, looking over her head to look at him. “I know she’s the most beautiful woman in the world, kid.”

Judd smiles down at his wife, and TK gets the distinct impression that he’s not really in the room anymore as they look at each other lovingly.

“I knew she was the prettiest girl in the world when I saw her across the football field and saw her in rival colors cheering at the top of her lungs as her team hammered mine. I fell ass over tits in love right there.”

Grace smiles amused; she looks at him with a twinkle in her eyes. “Lost the game and then crossed the field to ask me out as the team and my squad stared at this bold redneck.”

TK laughs, charmed by the story and the couple, there is something beautiful about watching them be together, even as it makes something inside him ache. He wants what they have, that level of comfort and affection. He sees the happy smiles on their faces, and he wants that excitement of knowing you’re with who you’re supposed to be.

There’s a knock at the door that pulls him from his thoughts, his heart ticking upward from who it is, and he knows there’s a broad smile on his face by the amused look Grace and Judd give him.

“Go,” Judd jerks his head towards the door. “Don’t keep lover boy waiting.”

TK rolls his eyes out of habit, already heading for the door. He opens it, his breath catching as he takes Carlos in, he’s dressed like the dinner date that wasn’t. Slacks and a dress shirt that fits him like a glove. The two top buttons are opened, and TK wants to rip the rest off just like the last time.

He looks back up at Carlos’ face after checking him out, finding the man grinning at him pleased, aware of what he’s doing to TK no doubt.

“You look good,” he blurts out, earning another smile.

“Thanks,” Carlos answers before stepping closer to TK, brushing his front against his. He’s so close, TK is forced to look up to keep eye contact. “You look good too.”

TK opens his mouth to make a joke but is stopped by Carlos covering his mouth with his. He grabs hold of Carlos’ arms, leaning heavily against him as he gets lost in their kiss. The swipe of Carlos’ tongue against his makes him whimper as he clings to him.

“I know you two fools aren’t making out in my doorway while making us wait for you.”

TK reluctantly pulls his mouth off Carlos’. He turns to find Judd staring at them with a judging look, his eye narrowing when he looks down at Carlos’ hand.

“Those flowers better be for princess here,” he warns Carlos, making TK notice for the first time that Carlos is holding a small bouquet of sunflowers.

He looks back up at him and finds Carlos grinning, causing TK to grin too, his smile turning into a chuckle when Carlos answers that they’re for Grace, and Judd gives him a sour look.

“Great, another asshole trying to steal my wife,” Judd grumbles as he turns away from them.

TK giggles. “Nice touch,” he says, nodding towards the flowers.

Carlos shrugs. “They’re your friends,” he says like it explains everything. “I want them to like me.”

TK stops.

Carlos’ words and reason sinks in, Judd is like a brother to him, and even though he’s only been living with them a short while, he already adores Grace more than words can say. She’s like the loving big sister he never had.

His crew is important to him. Carlos understanding and wanting to be part of that, warms something inside him.

He takes Carlos’ hand in his, linking their fingers as a silent thank you, the smile Carlos gives him back, feels like you’re welcome.

֎֎֎

“Who do you keep texting?”

TK lifts his eyes from his phone to look across the room at his father. He takes in his half-amused smile and bright eyes. He’s half-way into the day’s chemo round and luckily not looking worse for wear.

“Weren’t you sleeping?” he questions instead of answering, he ignores his phone as it buzzes again.

“I was just resting,” Owen corrects him, he points at TK’s phone with his chin. “Then I opened my eyes and have been watching you for the last fifteen minutes, grinning down at your phone as you text.”

TK can’t help but blush, feeling caught by his father. “Do you want anything to drink? Water? Maybe some ginger ale?” he asks as he stands up to look through the bag he’s taken to bringing with him when his dad has a treatment. He feels himself go hotter when Owen lets out a humorous chuckle.

“Damn, it’s that serious, huh?” Owen teases, his eyes playful as TK huffs and shoots him a look. “The last time you were this evasive, was when you had a crush on that boy in your English class senior year. What was his name? Matt?”

TK rolls his eyes as he sits back down, knowing it’s pointless to ignore his father, he’ll just keep going. “His name was Marcus,” TK answers. “And this is nothing like that.”

Owen’s eyes light up, just as TK realizes he’s made a tactical error by admitting anything.

“So, you’re not staring at your phone like a schoolboy with a crush as you talk to…” Owen trails off, the look on his face daring as he waits to see if TK caves.

“Carlos,” TK admits reluctantly, and if he thought Owen looked pleased before, it’s nothing like the grin he gives TK now.

“Carlos?” he starts, the name said with a pleased tone, the corners of his mouth twitching. “As in Officer Reyes? That Carlos?”

“Have you seen me hanging around any other Carlos?” TK grumbles, feeling distinctly juvenile but unable to stop. “Yes, dad, that Carlos.”

Owen raises his hands in defense. It would mean something if he wasn’t smirking at TK. They both go quiet for a moment when TK’s phone buzzes again.

TK stares at his dad for a moment before giving in to the urge to look down at his phone.

‘Want to hang out after my shift tonight? I miss your face.’

TK huffs softly, staring at the message, unable to help the way the simple text warms him from the inside out.

“There’s that smile again, TK.”

TK finds his dad’s eyes on him, a gentle look on his face, he opens his mouth, pauses, and closes it again.

His first instinct is to deny, but he doesn’t even know what he’s trying to deny anymore. He thinks of the conversations he’s had the last couple of weeks, with Grace, with Judd, Paul’s comments, and finally his moments with Carlos.

How easy it is for Carlos to let TK know he cares about him, never expecting anything in return for his affections. He thinks about how good he feels around Carlos, the bright colors all around him when he’s with him. The smile on his face he can’t hide when he’s with the other man, talking to him, or even just thinking about him. He can’t deny it, and he doesn’t want to anymore, somewhere while he was busy trying to keep this thing between them casual and unimportant, it became utterly vital to his existence.

He’s always been an open book to his father, so he’s not surprised when his father makes a stunned sound, his eyes shining with happiness.

“Oh kiddo,” Owen gives him a tender smile, his eyes a little wet. TK feels his own eyes sting, but he smiles widely as he comes to grips with his realization and the strength of his emotions; they’re overwhelming but incredible.

‘I’m in love with Carlos.’

TK gets up and takes Owen’s hand, giving it a squeeze when his father reaches out for him. “I’m happy for you son.”

“Yeah,” he manages to get out, still in shock by what he’s feeling. “I’m happy too.”

֎֎֎

They’ve been called on their third emergency of the day, a fire at a two-story frat house at the local college. They manage to put out the fire, the last licks of it on the far west corner of the house being handled by his dad and Mateo as the rest of them start to make their way through the floors making sure no one is trapped. Paul and Marjan make their way up the stairs while he and Judd search the ground floor.

“Austin Fire and Rescue!” Judd calls out. “Make a noise!”

They push through a door, finding it full of smoke and ruined walls but no victims and move on to the next.

Each room they check is empty to their relief.

“We might get lucky with this one, and no one got hurt,” he comments, as they step softly. The house seems to be fine, but you can never be too sure when it comes to structural damage of a place after a fire.

“Yeah,” Judd agrees, assessing the place. “Looks like everyone got out.”

TK nods, biting down on his lip. He’s been wanting to talk to Judd since the moment of clarity he had with his dad, but he hasn’t found the time. The night before he’d spent it with Carlos, enjoying his company now with the knowledge that he loves him. He’s sure it showed on his face the whole time as they enjoyed their date before making out in Carlos’ car outside the Ryder’s home. Carlos’ soft smiles and even softer kisses made TK feel like the most precious thing in the world, and he had to press his lips harder against Carlos’ to keep from blurting out everything he’s been feeling.

“Can I ask you a completely inappropriate question for what we are currently doing?” TK asks, unable to hold back. They have one more room to check before they’re done with their sweep.

Judd shoots him a wary look over his shoulder, sighing as he goes. “Okay.”

TK sucks his lip into his mouth, trying to figure out how to phrase his question. Finally, he just says what first comes to mind. “When you realized you loved Grace, did you tell her right away?”

Judd comes to a stop, turning to look at him with an incredulous look. “Really, TK, now?”

“Hey, I said it wasn’t time appropriate,” TK defends himself. “I warned you, I wanted to wait, but I’ve been holding it all day, so I’m asking.”

Judd gives him an eye roll, but TK sees the amused upward quirk of his lips. “Finally stopped bullshitting yourself about Reyes, huh?”

“Don’t gloat,” TK whines. “Help me, like a good brother would.”

Judd’s expression softens, even as he gets the last door opened. “You know Grace is too good for me right?”

TK smirks at him, that’s an understatement. Judd is a great guy, but Grace is perfect, better than all of them combined. “I’ve noticed.”

Judd glares at him as they move into the room, checking the other doors. “I’m trying to help you, brat, so watch it.”

TK makes a ‘shutting up’ motion to appease him. It doesn’t fool either of them, and Judd gives him another look before softening again.

“My point is, Grace is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. So you best believe the second my dumb ass realized I was in love, I told her. I didn’t wait for a second, because every second not telling her that she’s my whole world is a second wasted,” Judd tells him with a serious look.

They finish the sweep and head back for the hallway.

“So if you are finally ready to admit that you and Carlos aren’t just friends, or casual, or messing around, or whatever other bullshit terms you’ve been using in that head of yours to deny your feelings. Tell him. Tell him and don’t waste a second. We aren’t guaranteed the next one, TK.”

Later, when TK has time, he will think Judd’s words are prophetic. Right now though, when one second Judd is walking a few feet ahead of him, and the next he’s crumbling to the ground as a large part of the floor above them drops on him, TK doesn’t have time to think.

“Judd!” he screams, coughing as dust and plaster fills the already smoky air.

He rushes to the man’s side, eyeballing the hole above them, making sure nothing else is coming down. He pushes the broken pieces of debris off his friend, finding that he’s out cold with a large gash on his head. “Judd, wake up,” he demands, his pulse spiking with fear when the older man doesn’t move. He gets two fingers under Judd’s coat, pressing them to his neck. He lets out a relieved exhale when he finds a pulse.

He grabs his radio, speaking into it. “Firefighter down. I repeat, firefighter down on the ground floor left corner of the house.”

It takes but a second for his dad’s voice to come through, demanding but calm. “TK? Report.”

“It’s Judd, dad,” TK swallows hard as he sees more blood running from Judd’s wound, fear gripping him again. “Hurry.”

֎֎֎

There’s a low buzz around him as he stares out the window while he and the rest of the crew wait in the hospital to find out about Judd. No one has tried to approach him since his dad hugged him in support before going to sit with Captain Blake.

He doesn’t turn to face his crew, his emotions are too at the surface right now, and he doesn’t know if he’ll snap in anger or burst into tears if he has to deal with their concerned looks. Judd is the one in the hospital bed, not him, but since the rest of the crew helped him get the older firefighter out of the house, unconscious and unresponsive, they’ve been giving him looks like he’s the one hurt.

The noise behind him picks up, and he vaguely realizes that there are more people in the waiting room with them now, he doesn’t acknowledge them either. He tenses when he feels someone step up behind him, and he finds himself curling his fist. A hand touches him between his shoulder blades, and he spins on his heel, ready to rip whoever is trying to comfort him a new one.

He’s not the one hurt. That’s Judd and Grace, who’s inside with her injured husband, and who had an absolutely heartbreaking look of fear on her face before she ducked into the room with the doctors.

He opens his mouth to shout when he finds those kind brown eyes he loves looking at him with concern.

He doesn’t shout; instead, what comes out is a wounded noise that he would be embarrassed if it were anyone else hearing it. Carlos pulls him into his arms before the sound has completely died out, and TK finds himself clinging to his strong frame as he shakes.

Carlos makes shushing sounds as he cradles the back of his head, rubbing his back, and TK realizes with a burning shame that he’s started to cry without meaning to.

“Shhh, Tyler, sweetheart,” Carlos whispers into his ear, his hold on him unbreakable. “I need you to take a breath for me.”

TK shakes his head because he can’t. Judd is hurt, and if TK hadn’t been distracting him with stupid questions, maybe he wouldn’t be right now.

“My fault,” he gets out, the words choking him.

Carlos pulls back, shaking his head. “It was an accident,” he says sternly because he doesn’t understand. TK loves him, but he doesn’t get it right now. “Accidents happen in our line of work unfortunately.”

TK wants to argue – he opens his mouth to do so, he’s to blame, and Carlos needs to know – when Grace rounds the corner, coming into the waiting room. Everyone who is sitting stands up, taking a step towards her.

“He’s okay,” she says with a trembling smile. “Sitting up and making a fuss about going home.”

Everyone lets out a breath, some even laughing. TK feels his knees go weak with relief. He’s not sure he would be upright without Carlos’ hold on him.

“Can we see him?” Mateo asks eagerly, and Grace smiles.

“Yes,” she says, holding up a hand when everyone starts to move. “But he wants to see TK first.”

All eyes turn to him, making him take a step back into Carlos.

“I –” he stalls.

Grace crosses the room until she’s in front of him. “He said he wants to see his kid brother first, TK.”

TK swallows, his eyes flooding with tears as Grace looks at him earnestly.

“I should have watched out for him better,” he whispers to her, though the room is quiet enough he knows the other’s hear. “It’s my fault.”

Grace raises an eyebrow at him. “I guess now I understand why he said ‘I want to see my dumb kid brother’ when he asked for you.”

TK startles at the insult but doesn’t have time to get offended as Grace pulls him into a hug.

“It’s not your fault,” Grace says as she holds him, and TK finds himself holding her tight right back. “You had his back and got him out.”

“Always,” TK promises her.

Grace pulls out of the hug smiling at him as she cups his cheek. “I know. Now go see him before he scares the nurses with his scowls.”

TK musters up a wane smile for her before turning back to look at Carlos, not surprised when he sees the supportive look on his face. Carlos tugs him back to his side for a moment, pressing a kiss at his temple before giving him an encouraging nudge forward. Grace takes his place next to Carlos, and TK has to smile at the way he immediately pulls her into his arms.

She looks back at him with a smile on her face. “Make him eat his jello.”

֎֎֎

TK pauses at the door of the hospital room. Judd is sitting up, but his eyes are closed. He has a bandage over his left eyebrow, and except for some scrapes on his face, he looks fine.

“Are you going to hover there like some timid mouse, or are you going to come in?” he calls out, cracking one eye open to look at him. “You know we only have at maximum ten minutes before the rest of the crew barges in here right?”

TK cracks a smile, making his way into the room. “That’s being generous, six minutes, max.”

Judd lets out a snort; he nods towards the chair next to his bed for TK to take.

TK sits down, and he fidgets as the silence in the room feels heavy. Finally, he looks up, meeting Judd’s gaze. “I’m sorry, man,” he starts quietly. “I should have been paying attention. I should not have been distracting us with dumb questions that could have waited. I’m so sorry, Judd.”

Judd looks at him for a moment before letting out a sigh. “I hate always being right.”

TK frowns at him, confused by the comment.

“I told Grace to get you in here because I knew your dumb ass would be blaming yourself for this,” Judd explains, holding up his hand when TK opens his mouth to argue. “This was an accident, kid. Shit happens in our line of work; you know that.”

TK licks his lips nervously. “Carlos said the same thing.”

Judd smirks at the mention of the cop. “Obviously, he’s the brains of your relationship. You, pretty boy, can be the looks.”

TK scowls at his friend, holding up one finger. “One, hey. Two, Carlos is beautiful so again, hey, and three, obviously Grace is the beauty and the brains in your relationship, so what do you bring to the table?”

Judd stares at him with narrowed eyes. “You’re a fucking brat.”

TK grins a wide smile, the tension inside finally easing up as he falls into the easy banter he and Judd have. “You want to play know-it-all, big brother, then I’ll play my part, as the annoying little brother. Your wife said for you to eat your jello,” he points at the tray on the other side of the bed.

֎֎֎

They all stay with Judd until the night nurse comes to kick them out. One by one, they say their good-byes until it’s just TK and Judd in the room. Grace, who is staying the night, though Judd wants her to go home, steps out with Carlos.

“She should go home, she’s just going to be uncomfortable here,” Judd sighs tiredly.

TK raises an eyebrow at him. “If Grace was in that bed,” he points. “Would you go home?”

Judd stays quiet for a moment, probably annoyed that he’s using logic on him.

“I’ll tell you what,” he says quickly to appease him. “We’ll come back early with breakfast for both of you and see if we can annoy some doctors into springing you out of here early. Okay?”

“We, huh?” Judd smirks at him. “Which ‘we’ are you talking about, kid? You and the Cap? The crew? Or you and your boyfriend?”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” TK says quickly, swallowing nervously as his body reacts to how badly he wants to be able to call Carlos that.

Judd gives him a superior look, that if he didn’t already have a head injury, TK is pretty sure he would smack him. “Well, then you better have that conversation with him and change that, don’t you think?”

“You’re in a hospital bed, and you’re still trying to give me romantic advice?” TK asks, rolling his eyes, though he can’t help but smile.

Judd gives him a bored shrug. “Stop being so slow and do as I say, and I won’t have to.”

TK rolls his eyes again. “I’m leaving now. I don’t have to take this abuse.”

Judd nods at him. “Good, talking to you gives me a headache anyway,” he says with a grin.

TK shakes his head with a reluctant laugh. He crosses the room and leans down to hug him. He gets a few thumps on the back in return. “I’m glad you’re okay, brother,” he says quietly as he pulls back.

“Thanks to you, kid,” Judd answers, nodding towards the door. “Go, let your boy take you home to get some rest.”

TK says good-bye one more time before he exits. He finds the hallway empty except for Grace and Carlos, who are talking quietly to each other, they turn towards him as his sneakers squeak. Grace goes on her toes to hug Carlos. TK watches as she whispers something into his ear that makes Carlos’ eyes snap to him. He swallows a sound at the turmoil he finds reflecting in them as he looks at him. He hadn’t noticed it before.

Grace pulls out of their hug and crosses over to him. He leans down when she cups his cheek and presses a kiss on the other. “Take care of him,” she says quietly, giving him a soft smile when he nods, his eyes still on Carlos as he fidgets under his gaze.

“I will.”

֎֎֎

The ride home is quiet and tense in a way he hasn’t felt around Carlos since the night he ended up in handcuffs for fighting. He watches from the corner of his eye the hard grip Carlos has on the wheel of his precious Camaro, and all TK wants to do is reach over and take his hand until it loses its stiffness.

Carlos pulls into the driveway and turns off the engine plunging them into more silence without even the radio to fill in the quiet. TK looks over at him, biting down on his lip, not sure what to say. Luckily Carlos helps him out, he turns his head to face him, and TK takes in how worn out he looks.

“Can I – ” Carlos clears his throat, closing his eyes for a moment before looking at TK with such a look that it would knock him over if he were standing. “Can I stay here with you?”

TK bites down on his lip harder to keep the tremble from being visible, relief washes through him at Carlos’ request. He nods and keeps nodding, getting a small half-smile from Carlos in return.

“Thanks.”

They get out of the car, making their way up to his apartment above the garage. Flipping on the lights, TK stays by the top of the stairs as Carlos looks around. He hasn’t been up here since he helped TK move in. Their overnights always happen at Carlos’ apartment.

“It’s nice,” Carlos says, looking around once more before his eyes settle on him.

TK doesn’t say anything; instead, he studies him, his beautiful Carlos, who wears his heart on his sleeve and every emotion on his face. TK reads fear on it now. He knows the expression well, having seen it on his own face plenty of times. He grew up with a father who runs into crumbling towers.

“I’m okay,” he says quietly, knowing he’s hit the nail on the head when Carlos’ eyes widen, and his hand at his side shakes.

“TK –”

“I’m okay,” he repeats, his heart clenching when Carlos makes a noise that sounds close to a sob. “I’m right here.”

“But you almost weren’t!” Carlos shouts, his arms going tight around his waist as he tries to hold himself. “You could have gotten hurt just like Judd, or worse, it could have been you under that caving ceiling. It could have been you in the hospital, and I’m an asshole because I’m just so relieved it wasn’t you. Judd is your friend, your family, and he’s my friend too, and I’m glad he’s in the hospital because at least it’s not you!”

TK’s chest aches as he sees tears in Carlos’ eyes, the frustration and fear even more evident.

“I’m sorry,” Carlos continues, not realizing how his words leave TK feeling breathless. “I’m sorry for thinking that, I’m sorry for laying this at your feet right now especially after the day you’ve had. I should be comforting you, and instead, I’m just spilling my feelings all over you.”

“I didn’t mean to – ” Carlos cuts himself off, his expression pained, and TK knows what he won’t finish, his heart pounding hard under his ribcage at Carlos’ unspoken confession. “I know it’s not what you want,” he ends unhappily.

‘I didn’t mean to fall in love with you.’

TK hears it like a shout even as it’s silent, he takes a breath before letting himself finally say out loud what has been crawling at his throat to get out.

“I love you,” he says, feeling the last broken piece inside his heart mend with the confession. Carlos’ eyes go wide, and his hands fall to his sides.

“What – ” he asks, his voice barely above a whisper.

TK nods, his eyes are starting to sting, but he’s not sure from which emotion, they’re all a chaotic mess inside him right now.

“I love you,” he repeats. “When Judd got hurt, I was asking him if he told Grace the moment he realized he loved her. That’s what I was distracting him with when the ceiling fell. He told me that a moment not telling the person you love that you love them is a moment wasted. I don’t want to waste a single moment with you, not one second. I love you, Carlos.”

TK watches Carlos move, but he still finds himself gasping when Carlos crushes his mouth to his, his hands holding on to TK’s face, hard and desperate just like the kiss.

“I love you,” Carlos says between their frantic mouths, hands trying to hold on to any part they can. “I love you so fucking much.”

TK half-laughs, half-sobs into the kiss, feeling lighter than he has in years.

Carlos pulls back to look at him, his eyes shining with unshed tears, but there is a smile on his face that takes TK’s breath away. “Tell me again,” he asks softly, the amazement evident on his face, and TK makes himself a promise in that moment to never go a day without telling Carlos how much he loves him. He’ll never again let him doubt his feelings.

“I love you.”

֎֎֎

TK sits on the edge of the bed, knee bouncing while he waits for Carlos to finish up in the bathroom. He tries to get himself to calm down. He and Carlos have been doing this for months; if there’s one part of their relationship they’ve got down, it’s the sleeping together part. This time isn’t any different.

The thought isn’t even over, and he’s scoffing at himself. Everything is different now, better, and that’s a good thing, even if there’s a part of him that is terrified he’s going to mess it up.

“Your face right now.”

TK looks up, his breath catching. He’s known Carlos is a good-looking guy since the first time he saw him. Even with the emergency, the baby in the tree, and him feeling pride over his dad, he still noticed Carlos. And then later at the bar, out of his rain gear, in sinfully tight clothes that showed off his beautiful body. TK remembers having a moment of damn and want when Carlos asked him to dance. That feeling has only grown with every moment he’s been privileged to have with him.

Looking at him now, dressed down to just his boxers, all that beautiful skin on display, TK has that moment again mixed in with ‘I love him, and he loves me.’

It leaves him staring, his heart thumping hard under his skin.

He must be easy to read because Carlos gives him a smile that is equal parts loving and filthy as he walks towards him. He looks up as Carlos towers over him, his eyes fluttering shut when he leans down, cupping his face as he gives him a soft kiss.

He sighs into it as Carlos’ tongue licks it’s way inside, his body lighting up when Carlos responds to the sound by tightening his hold on him, turning the kiss from a gentle touch to something dirtier as he sucks on TK’s tongue.

Carlos breaks the kiss slowly, his eyes dark and promising, the corner of his lips quirk upward before he sinks to his knees between TK’s legs. Hands on his knees, he slides them up his thighs, tapping TK’s hips for him to lift them. TK leans on his hands and does as Carlos asks, swallowing hard when Carlos pulls down his boxers. He feels himself grow hot as his hard and leaking cock slaps against his stomach.

Carlos smiles at him one more time before he ducks his head down. He presses his face where TK’s thigh and groin meet as he breathes TK in. “I love the way you smell,” Carlos says against his skin, his hot breath making TK shiver. “I love even more how you taste,” he continues right as he gives the meat of TK’s thigh a soft suck that makes TK moan helplessly.

He watches through slit-open eyes, his body tight like a coil as Carlos takes his time, kissing and sucking, biting gently only to smooth the sting out with his tongue. He touches everywhere but where TK wants him the most. He’s harder than he’s ever been in his life, his cock red with beads of pre-come sliding down his length, making a mess as Carlos teases him by getting close but never taking him in his mouth.

“Carlos, please,” he begs when he can’t take it anymore. Carlos looks up at him from where he’s been licking the crease of TK’s groin.

“Yeah, baby?” Carlos asks easily, and it would come off as uninterested if it weren’t for the fact that there is a rosy color high on his cheeks, and his brown eyes are all but black. “You need something?”

TK whines quietly. “Don’t tease.”

Carlos smirks up at him; his lips are cherry-red from the mess he’s been making out of TK’s inner thighs. “Use your words, Tyler.”

TK narrows his eyes at him, lust pumping through him at the game Carlos is playing. He surges forward pulling Carlos into a filthy kiss, he bites at his bottom lip, feeling smug when Carlos groans. Licking his way into his mouth, he mimics everything he wants from Carlos before breaking the kiss. “I want you to suck me,” he says against his lips. He pulls back, leaning back on his hands once more as he tilts his hips towards Carlos. “There, I used my words.”

Carlos grins half-amused, and TK returns the gesture, feeling smug. It only lasts a moment as Carlos leans forward, and with his tongue flat against the underside of TK’s cock, licks up slowly.

“Fuck!” he shouts, falling back on the bed, and he hears Carlos chuckle right before he closes his mouth around the head of his cock as he begins to suck. TK curses again. He grabs on his own hair pulling on it for something to do with his hands as Carlos circles one hand around his base and starts to bob up and down, hollowing his cheeks as he sucks TK in deep.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” TK chants, the tight wet heat of Carlos’ mouth is the most perfect torture TK has ever experienced. It continues for a few minutes as Carlos licks at him, sucks him like it’s what he was made to do. TK feels his body start to tighten. The edges of an orgasm beginning to get sharp just as Carlos pulls his mouth off him.

“What?” TK asks, downright pouting when Carlos stands up instead of finishing. Carlos gives him a soft lingering kiss, letting TK taste himself on his tongue.

“I want you to fuck me,” Carlos whispers against his lips, the words wreaking havoc to TK’s system. It’s not that they don’t do that, they’re both versatile guys, but it still catches TK by surprise. “Up on the bed baby, lay back.”

TK moans softly, his cock giving a jerk as he starts to get the picture of where this is going. He pushes himself up on the bed, lying down in the middle. He watches as Carlos pulls open his side table, taking out a condom he throws next to TK before he opens a small bottle of lube. TK licks at his dry lips as he watches Carlos coat his own fingers.

Carlos climbs on to the bed, throwing a leg over TK as he straddles him. He flashes him a dirty little grin right before he slips his lube-covered hand behind himself.

“Fuck me,” TK breathes, his mouth open in awe as Carlos’ eyes flutter to a close as he starts to open himself up for TK.

Carlos grins as he starts to move against his fingers, taking them in deeper. “That’s –” he trails off, letting out a low moan as he touches himself, opening his eyes to look down at him. “What you are going to do to me,” he jokes, letting out a breathless laugh when TK groans.

TK looks at Carlos to find that smug grin on his face again. With narrowed eyes, he sits up, careful not to jolt Carlos as he reaches for the discarded bottle of lube.

“What are you doing?” he questions, his breath catching as TK trails his wet fingers over his hip and down the slope of his ass. He slips between his cheeks as he joins Carlos’ fingers.

He smirks at him, his tongue touching the corner of his mouth as his fingers press against the rim of Carlos’ opening before he slips one digit in next to Carlos’ two. “I’m helping.”

“Dios mio,” Carlos chokes out, his body arching when TK finds and presses the small bundle of nerves he’s seeking out.

TK watches in awe as Carlos twists and bends as he rides their fingers, he doesn’t think he’s seen anything more beautiful.

“You look amazing like this,” he whispers, leaning in to lick at Carlos’ collarbone. “You’re perfect.”

Carlos moans softly, pulling his hand out, he grabs hold of TK’s shoulders, he pushes his ass against TK’s fingers for a moment before he uses his grip on TK to shove him back on the bed.

TK lays there watching Carlos with wide eyes as the man grabs the condom next to them, rolling it on to TK’s hard cock. He gives TK a couple of pumps of his hand that leaves TK panting before he slides up, and with one hand on TK’s cock presses it to his opening before sliding down slowly and smoothly.

The tight heat of Carlos’ body around him leaves TK gasping, his head thrown back as Carlos sets his pace with controlled lifts of his body before he presses down again, taking TK as deep as he can, grinding himself to the hilt.

“You feel so good inside me,” Carlos moans. His body is all flushed and hot as he rises and falls. TK watches mesmerized by the sight Carlos makes as he uses him for his pleasure. “I’m so full.”

TK groans at the words and the feel of being inside Carlos, he all but sobs as he clenches around him. His hands go to Carlos hips as he plants his feet on the bed for leverage, snapping his hips upward, pulling a choked moan out of Carlos when he does it again, meeting him for each thrust.

“Yes, baby, keep going,” Carlos groans falling forward. He kisses TK, all tongue and teeth as they wrapped their arms around each other. Their moves take a frantic turn, as Carlos rubs himself against TK’s body, his cock between them leaving a wet trail on TK’s stomach. “I’m going to come,” he pants, his face tucked into TK’s shoulder. “Don’t stop, baby, please.”

TK holds onto Carlos’ ass, spreading his cheeks as he pushes his cock into Carlos harder and faster, his orgasm is fast approaching, he can feel it build, and his body tightens with the need to release, but Carlos is shaking in his arms, and the noises he’s making are the hottest TK’s ever heard. He’s going to make him come first if it’s the last thing he does.

He lifts his head to kiss the side of Carlos’ face. “Come for me, sweetheart,” he whispers against Carlos’ ear, getting a soft whine in return. “I want to feel that tight squeeze around me as you come.”

Carlos shudders once, his body locking before he lets a long drawn out moan, and comes between them. Just like he wanted, TK feels the squeeze of Carlos’ body as he spasms around his dick. Snapping his hips upward three more times, TK follows him, spots appearing behind his eyelids as he comes.

They lay there intertwined, catching their breath, Carlos’ body is heavy on him but comforting. Once he’s softened, he slips out of Carlos’ body and runs his hands up and down Carlos’ sweaty back to soothe him as his body lets out a few last tremors. Carlos is pliable like this, and with his arms still around him, it’s easy for TK to roll them over.

He gets up on shaky legs, telling Carlos he’ll be right back when he makes a questioning sound. Getting rid of the used condom and cleaning himself up, he comes back with a wet cloth. He gently cleans up a sleepy Carlos the way he did for TK a few days ago.

“Mmm,” Carlos mumbles, there is a soft smile on his face as he looks up at him through half-opened eyes. “Thank you.”

TK smiles back at him, leaning down to give him a gentle kiss. He lets out a shout, laughing when Carlos uses the moment to pull him into bed. He giggles helplessly as Carlos moves him where he wants, and TK finds himself with an arm full of a beautiful, incredible, hopelessly in love with; Carlos Reyes.

“Cuddle time?” he teases as his fingers find their way to Carlos’ hair, his fingertips softly scratching at his scalp. He turns his head, grinning as he presses a kiss on Carlos forehead when he all but purrs under his touch.

“Mmhmm.”

TK chuckles softly, pulling Carlos closer, and he’s starting to fall asleep when he hears him.

“Tell me again?” Carlos asks softly. TK can hear the smile in his voice, finding it on Carlos’ face when he tips his chin up to look into his eyes.

There is so much love in Carlos’ gaze, the way his expression softens tells TK, Carlos is seeing the same love reflected back at him.

Touching the corner of Carlos mouth, he leans down to press his forehead against his. “I love you, Carlos.”

֎֎֎

Two Weeks Later

“You’re doing it wrong.”

“I know how to use my own grill, Strickland.”

TK leans against his boyfriend, grinning as he watches Judd and Paul argue over how best to cook the chicken on the grill in the backyard of the Ryder’s house. He hides his face in Carlos’ shoulder when his snicker makes both men look over at him with a glare.

“Something to add, Strand?” Paul questions him with a raised eyebrow.

TK shakes his head, still grinning as he rests his head on Carlos, his arms relaxed around the cop’s waist. “Nope, just enjoying the show,” he shoots back, his smile growing when he feels Carlos shake with silent laughter.

Judd narrows his eyes at them. “Pretty boy is all smug over there because he’s in love,” he smirks at him as he continues. “Like he wasn’t the last to realize the truth while the rest of us knew from the beginning that he was ass over tits for Reyes.”

TK feels himself blush as Carlos’ silent laughter turns into a loud snort. He looks up at Carlos with a glare. “Who’s side are you on?” he pouts at him.

Carlos smiles softly at him, closing the small space between them to give him a soft press of his lips. “Yours, of course,” he whispers, his hand tilts TK’s chin to give him another peck. “Always.”

TK sighs into the kiss; he lifts his hand to touch Carlos’ neck. Their lips part, but TK doesn’t break away. Instead, he holds Carlos close, smiling as he rubs his nose against his.

“Gross,” Marjan calls out as she makes her way over to them with Mateo a step behind her. “Is this what an in love TK is like, all mushy?” she mocks with a teasing grin on her pretty face.

Mateo laughs at him, and he isn’t the only one, Paul and Judd also grin in his direction. When he looks back at Carlos, he finds his face carefully blank, but the twinkle in his eyes give him away.

He pulls himself out of his hold and crosses his arms. “I’m going inside to help Grace with the sides,” he declares, taking a step back, he mock-glares at all of them as their grins grow. “I like her more than any of you anyway.”

He turns away from them, grinning as he makes his way up the house while they shout they love him to his back.

He walks into the house to find Grace and his dad at the kitchen counter. His dad cuts veggies while Grace works on a dip.

“Hey dad,” he greets him as he sneaks a piece of celery, giving Grace a boyish grin when she shoots him a warning look. “When did you get here?”

Owen smiles at him as he continues to chop. “A little while ago,” he answers. “Came in through the front and stayed to help Grace. It sounds like you guys are having fun out there.”

“Yeah, fun teasing me,” he grumbles, rolling his eyes when Owen and Grace shoot him a look. “I came to hide in here with Grace because she’s my favorite, so don’t you two start too.”

Owen and Grace grin at him for a moment before Grace moves towards him, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. “I love you too, TK.”

TK beams down at her, pulling her close. “My Favorite.”

“How quickly I’m replaced,” Owen says sadly.

“You dramatic city boys,” Grace shakes her head, her dimples popping as she smiles. She takes the finished dip and the tray of veggies Owen has ready. “I’m going to take this outside to tie them over.”

“I can help,” TK reaches for the tray only for Grace to pull it away.

“No,” she starts, she shoots a look in his dad’s direction before looking back at him. “You two stay and talk.”

TK frowns at the purpose behind her words as he watches her walk out of the kitchen, leaving him and his dad alone.

He turns to his father, noticing a paper in his hand. “What’s up?”

Owen looks at him, pensive, his expression giving away nothing. “I saw my doctor today.”

TK goes still at the words, fear, and frustration seizing him. He focuses on the anger instead of the fear. “I thought we made a deal,” he starts, taking a breath to keep from shouting. “I moved in here with Judd and Grace. Just like you wanted, and I go to every doctor’s appointment and chemo.”

“TK –”

“Every last one, dad!” TK continues, not letting Owen interrupt him when he’s wrong. “Not the ones you pick and choose to ‘protect me,’ we had a deal damn it!”

Owen holds up his hands. “I know, I know, I’m sorry,” he rushes, trying to calm him down.

TK presses his lips together, his arms crossed, anger vibrating inside him.

Owen lets out a deep sigh, leaning back on the counter. “I’m sorry,” he says again, this time slower. “You’re right, we had a deal, and I broke it.”

Owen looks at him, his blue-green eyes full of anguish. “I get scared TK,” his voice barely above a whisper. TK lets his arms drop as he hears the pain in his dad’s voice. “When I allow myself to think about it, I get so damn scared that I’m not going to beat this, and when that gets into my head, it’s all I can think about. If you come with me, you’ll see it. You’ll see that I’m terrified.”

TK’s eyes sting as he holds back the tears, and he sees his dad is doing the same.

“I’m your dad, TK,” Owen says with a watery smile. “I’m supposed to be strong for you.”

TK shakes his head, the tears slipping down his cheek. “Not with this, dad,” he says quietly but firmly. “We’re a team. It’s been you and me for so long; you have to let me be there for you, please.”

Owen nods, sniffing as he runs the back of his hand under his nose. “You’re right,” he gives TK another shaky smile. “Of course you’re right, I’m sorry.”

TK crosses the space between them, pulling his dad into a hug. “No more hiding things okay?” he askes into his dad’s shoulder. “We do this together.”

He feels his dad bob his head as he holds him tight.

When he pulls back, he finds Owen smiling brightly at him. He gives him the piece of paper, and TK frowns as he looks at a picture of two sets of lung x-rays. “What does it mean?” he asks tentatively, his worry easing slightly when Owen beams at him.

“This one is from when we first got to Austin,” Owen points at the left scan that shows a mass. “This one is now,” he points to the right where the mass is considerably smaller. “It’s shrinking, TK.”

TK lets out a stuttered breath, licking his lips as he looks at the scans through another fresh round of tears. “You’re getting better,” he whispers.

Owen swallows as he gives him a fatherly look. “Yeah.”

Letting out a small cry, he hugs his dad again as his body shakes. They hold on to each other, fear, and relief mixing in both of them. In the distance, TK hears the team outside talking and laughing. Pulling back again, he wipes under his eyes, smiling when his dad claps the back of his neck.

“I get why you wanted me here,” he starts. Owen waits silently for him to continue. “You wanted me to have a support system. For so long, it’s been you and me. We had our crew back in New York, but it was still always you and me. You wanted to give me more, that’s why you wanted me to move in here with Judd and Grace.”

Owen gives him a soft nod, his shoulders relaxing as he understands.

“You were right,” he continues, he grins as he hears Judd shouting something in the back, followed by roaring laughter. “I needed this. I needed them.”

Owen smiles softly. He opens his mouth to say something, but TK holds up a hand to stop him.

“But that doesn’t let you off the hook,” he tells his dad, his lips quirking upward. “You still have to stick around for a long time, so you need to keep kicking cancer’s ass. Deal?”

Owen chuckles as he shakes his head. “Deal, son.”

TK smiles, throwing his arm over his dad’s shoulder. “Come on; let’s go join them before they leave us without food.”

Owen laughs again as they walk towards the back. They get to the back door and stand there together as they watch their crew mingling around the yard. TK’s seeks Carlos out, not surprised to find his eyes already on him. He smiles softly at him when Carlos gives him a questioning look, tinted with concern.

“That smile is back,” Owen says at his side as he watches him. TK shifts his gaze from Carlos to look at his dad. “I’m so happy you’re happy, kiddo,” Owen echos his words from their last visit to the clinic.

“I’m in love,” he says easily, earning a small chuckle from his dad.

“Yeah,” Owen says, laughing. “That much is clear.”

TK looks over at Carlos again; he’s crossing the distance of the backyard to get to them. He holds out his hand to him, interlocking his fingers with his when Carlos reaches them.

“Everything okay?” he questions gently as he spots TK’s red-rimmed eyes.

TK nods yes, just as Owen shakes his head, making them look over at him with concern.

“Actually,” Owen starts, staring at Carlos with a raised eyebrow. “I recently found out that my son’s boyfriend had dinner with Judd and Grace before having dinner with me. This is obviously a mistake that needs to be corrected immediately.”

TK rolls his eyes, his shoulders relaxing. He lets go of Carlos’ hand to slip his arm around his waist, surprised to find him tense. He watches as Carlos stares at his dad with wide-eyes, and looks back at his dad, shaking his head as the man smirks in their direction. “Cool it with the dramatics before you freak Carlos out. He’s not used to your dad humor yet.”

Owen’s smile softens as he watches them. “He’ll have plenty of time to do so.”

TK looks from his dad to Carlos, silently agreeing, there’s plenty of time. Now that TK has him, Carlos isn’t going anywhere, and neither is his dad if he has anything to say about it.

“I’m off next Thursday evening, Captain,” Carlos offers, remembering that TK has three days off starting that day.

“Great!” Owen says happily. “We’re off too, Thai food or pizza?”

TK throws his head back, letting out a groaning laugh. Carlos coughs, trying to hide a smile of his own, he gives TK’s hip a squeeze in their shared amusement.

“Or I can cook?” he offers shyly. “I’m a decent cook.”

TK glares at him before turning to his dad. “Don’t listen to him, dad, he’s not decent, he’s a fantastic cook.”

Carlos blushes at the compliment, his eyes shining as he looks at him. “You’re biased.”

“You’re amazing,” TK pokes him in the chest. “Deal with it.”

Carlos pulls him closer, and TK is ready to get lost in his eyes when Owen clears his throat. They look over at him, finding a smirk on his face as he looks at them.

“You’ve twisted my arm,” he jokes. He nods towards the crew who have started lining up for food. “Now, if you excuse me, I’m going to use my Captain hat to cut the line.”

He cups TK’s shoulder, giving it a pat before walking away.

Carlos turns to him, his hands on TK’s waist, while TK lets his hands rest on his shoulders. “You sure everything’s okay?”

TK turns his head to look out at his family. He smiles as his dad tries to sneak in behind Marjan and Michelle for food. Paul, Mateo, Nancy, and Tim are talking and eating together at the table, while Judd has an arm around Grace; she grins up at him as he whispers something in her ear.

He looks back at Carlos; he’s watching TK with a loving look in his eyes that TK is never going to get enough off. He tugs him forward, and Carlos goes easily, his lips covering TK’s. He sighs into the kiss, lost in the feeling until he hears loud heckling.

Pulling back from the kiss, he laughs as their friends continue to tease them. There’s a gorgeous blush on Carlos’ face along with a beautiful happy grin.

TK loves him, and every other person here, what’s even more amazing is that they all love him right back.

He looks at Carlos and with a happiness that warms him to the tip of his toes, he says, “I’ve never been better.”

THE END

#911 lone star #tarlos #tarlos fic #911 lone star fic #tk x carlos #my writing #trying to post once more #in the hopes it actually shows up on the tags

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writing-gifts · 4 years ago

Text

we ain’t in kansas anymore ch.02 (bruno x gn!reader)

chapter 01

-----

A/N: okay im trying to do gn!reader but a lot of italian is gendered so when i'm trying to use cute little names or have someone refer to reader it causes issues. So I could use * or @ for the ‘a’ or ’o’ at the end of these terms for writing but that doesn’t work for dialogue, so i'm just gonna use ‘u’ for ex: instead of cara or caro ill say caru

anyways bruno isnt in this chapter but you get to do ur laundry heh

Italian dialogue is “italicized like this”

---

The whirring sound of the payphone buzzes in your ear as you wait for someone to pick up. You close your eyes as the seemingly perpetual sound fills your head, hoping for the result you want.

Please please please...

A click.

"Hello?"

"H-Hello, is this ___ ___? Or do you know someone by that name?"

"Sorry, I think you have the wrong number."

"Oh, okay. Thanks," you reply, furrowing your brows and biting your lip. You hang the phone back on the receiver.

What now?

Someone knocks on the door behind you.

You lift your head from the glass you had rested it on and see a man looking at you impatiently from outside the phone booth.

You open the door to get out. "Sorry about that. I accidentally zoned out..."

What?

“Uh nevermind." Grimacing, you quickly walk away towards Fugo who’s waiting for you.

The moment you're close enough you realize that Fugo is giving you a disapproving look. “Please don’t talk to random people.”.

You can't help frowning at his tone. It wasn’t that harsh but you're tired. “I know, it's just habit but I'll try to stop...

He sighs. "No, I shouldn't have said it like that. Just try to avoid it okay."

Even though you were a bit caught off guard by how quickly he backtracked, you nod and follow him as he walks ahead of you.

"I'm taking you to a hotel nearby that you'll be staying at until further notice."

At least that was one less thing to worry about.

After some silence Fugo speaks up again.

“...Did you find out what you wanted?”

“I found out something but it wasn't what I hoped. That guy’s powers--”

“Stand ability,” Fugo corrects.

“Yea that...I’m 100% sure he could pull people from different realities or universes or something along those lines.”

"So you getting home has become much more unlikely."

You rub at your temples. "There has to be a way though…"

Fugo doesn’t look convinced but doesn’t say anything more.

After hailing a taxi, you and Fugo finally reach the hotel. It was a small business that looked like it had been there for many years.

“Who’s paying for this?” you ask.

“Buccellati has already taken care of it.”

You felt a bit strange about that, but it was nice that he was doing all of this instead of leaving you confused in the streets.

For being in the mafia these guys aren’t too scary, especially Narancia. At the same time, you haven’t even known them for a full day however you choose to ignore the small knot anxiety within you.

Maybe Buccellati just felt he was responsible for you...

As soon as you and Fugo enter, you are immediately greeted by a pretty, older woman standing behind a counter.

Fugo and the lady converse in Italian while you look over to the side waiting. You hoped you showing up suddenly like this wasn’t too much trouble.

“___--” your attention snaps back to them, “this is Signora Rizzo”

“Stella Rizzo”, she interjects. “You can just call me Stella caru mio.”

Fugo deadpans but continues, “She’ll show you to your room. If you need anything just come to her.”

You nod. “Um, are you coming back again or…?”

“Most likely, but I don’t know when.”

Fugo moves to leave and you tell him bye which he awkwardly returns.

Stella gives you a warm smile and you feel yourself relax and return your own smile, although not as full.

“Let me take you to your room, you must be tired.”

Mrs. Stella leads you up the stairs to the 2nd floor of the hotel. The hallway’s a bit narrow and there's only 4 doors from what you can see. You wondered if there was anyone else staying here right now.

She stops in front of the door 2nd closest to the stairway. “Okay here's the room you'll be staying in--it’s the best one.” She winks at you before pulling out a key from her skirt pocket and unlocking the door for you.

“Here’s the key.” Her polished nails touch your palm as she places the key in your hand. “I think you're going to be holding on to it for a while so make sure to keep it safe kay?”

"Okay." You look at the key in your hand and slip it into your pocket for now. You needed to find a keyring or bag for yourself later.

“I'll be right back caru. You can get yourself comfortable.”

She leaves you in the room alone. It was simply furnished, with a bed, a desk, a dresser, and a small old tv. There's a door to the side which you go to open and see is a small restroom.

You walk in and look at yourself in the mirror. Your eyes immediately go to your neck. It’s stained with dried blood, but there wasn’t any type of cut. Other than it feeling pretty strange, there was nothing.

Was this another stand thing?

You sigh to yourself. Your shirt was also stained, but the workers at the restaurant hadn’t even shown a hint of anything being out of the norm. You honestly wish you could do the same.

You wanted to shower first but had no new clothes. Maybe you could hand wash and let them dry overnight?

You're about to turn on the faucet to the sink when you hear a knock on the hotel room door. Expecting it to be Mrs. Stella, you leave the bathroom to let her in. She holds out some folded cloth and a basket filled with various items to you .

“I brought you some clothes caru. I thought you would want something to change into for bed--I'm sorry that they aren't very appealing looking-- and I also brought you a toothbrush, soap, towel, and some other stuff I can’t remember grabbing too.”

The appearance wasn’t an issue, you were just glad you wouldn’t have to sleep naked tonight. You laugh a little,“Thanks. By the way, do you have a place where I can wash my clothes?”

“You have to hand wash them. I can get you a tub and detergent.”

“Oh guess you had the right idea. It wasn't a lot so you could just use the sink like you originally planned.”

“Detergent is enough, thanks! Actually I'll come with you.”

“Sure and if you need anything else don't be afraid to come down to the front desk and ask. My children sometimes take up the front but they should still be able to help you.”

Were her kids anything like her?

After you're given the detergent, you head back to your room.

You empty your pockets and change out of your clothes to take a quick shower. After you're done and dried off, you put on the spare clothes you were given--a plain t-shirt and some comfortable athletic shorts.

You loosen the drawstring until you're comfortable, then grab your dirty clothes that you tossed on the bathroom floor. When the sink’s filled halfway, you pour detergent into the (too hot) water. Even after all the scrubbing, the stains were still slightly visible but not enough to notice unless someone was close.

You wring out the excess water and let the sink drain so you can rinse out your clothes. You then take them out to the small balcony attached to your room and hang your clothes on the railing.

The streetlights light up parts of the empty street and sidewalks, while the alleyways seem to only embrace the darkness making it impossible to see or tell the things that could be possibly happening within.

You frown, suddenly feeling even more exhausted and go back inside. The moment you get comfortable in bed, you’re asleep within a minute.

----

You stir from your sleep feeling as if someone has turned on the lights. Your eyes open just slightly enough and you immediately pull the covers over your head when you realise that the light from the window is shining directly on your face.

Did you have work today? You reach out to grab your phone where you usually left it on your night stand but your hands grab at air. You grumble. What time was it?

A minute passes before you poke your head out from under your covers and stare at the glass door of the balcony across the room. You stare wondering when you got a balcony. Your eyes widen and you sit up and look at your surroundings.

So that wasn’t a dream.

You frown remembering your situation, and rub the sleep from your eyes.

You honestly just want to go back to bed but you’re too awake now, so you force yourself to move towards the restroom and go through your usual morning routine. When you finish brushing your teeth, you walk on to the balcony, watching the people going about their day as you gather your clothes.

You snap out of it when you realize that a random person has noticed you staring and go back in to change with sluggish movements. You try to get your appearance in order the best you can with the items that were given to you yesterday..

While you’re in the middle of cleaning your face, Mrs. Stella shows up at your door, giving you a quite chiper good morning and asks if you want to join her for breakfast. Even though the thought was kind, you felt a little nervous going out of your room for too long, so you ask if you can eat in there instead.

“I hope I’m not taking up too much of your time.”

“It’s fine caru mio. I’m serious when I say don’t be afraid to ask for anything.”

Mrs. Stella comes back with eggs, bread with jam, fruit and a caffè latte--you mimic her words--to drink.

Seeing all that food made you realize how hungry you were. You thank her before you take it into your room to eat.

It was delicious and you honestly wanted seconds but you weren’t comfortable asking.

After you’re done, you realize that you need to take the plate downstairs but you don’t want to bring it back down dirty. Cleaning it in the restroom sink wasn’t probably the best idea either.

Other than that you don't really know what to do now. Were you going to spend the whole day here?

You rub at your neck without thinking. Something was definitely wrong with it--you could barely turn your head without discomfort.

A knock sounds on the door and you get up to open it expecting to see Mrs. Stella again.

"Fugo?"

The teen stands in front of you, wearing the same green, holey suit from yesterday. (Did he have multiple of the same outfit?)

“I came to pick you up.”

“That was quick. Uh where are we going?”

“You’ll know when we get there. We’re kinda on a tight schedule; we only have a small time window for this.”

It must not be safe to say here but you can't help thinking it was bothersome not knowing what was happening.

You run inside quickly to grab your phone and key. You see the plate on your dresser and also grab it.

”What's that in your hand,” Fugo asks as you walk down the stairs.

“...My dirty plate?”

He looks at you as if you said something stupid. “No I mean in your other hand.”

“Oh,” okay that was a little dumb, “That’s my phone.”

“So that’s what phones will evolve to...”

You hum showing him your phone more clearly, “Touch screens are pretty much the norm in like 2 decades. I can’t imagine going back to anything before it at this point!” There could be a prototype or something existing right now for all you know.

You wave goodbye to Mrs. Stella after giving her your dish which you can’t help apologizing for. She waves it off of course, but next time maybe you’d eat with her so you could wash your own dish.

You’re then led outside of the building to a car parked at the other side of the street.

You see Narancia’s head poking out of the window on the passenger side.

He perks up when he sees you. "Good morning ____!"

“Good morning”, you say back you can't help grinning. His smile was kind of contagious.

You get into the back of the car and lean towards Narancia’s seat to catch his attention. “Hey, you know where we’re going? Oh wait--nevermind.” You shake your hand next to your head as if you’re fanning your words away.

Leaning back, you pull the seat belt across your body. You wish you knew more than a few basic Italian phrases.

Narancia looks a little confused but understands that he doesn’t need to worry about it.

You play with your phone and Narancia listens to the radio as Fugo drives you all to wherever you are going.

As you slide the screen back and forth looking at the no signal symbol--your phone only had 50% charge left--you land on the page with your translation app.

...Would it still work?

You open it, pick the Italian option and type something into it.

When you press the speaker symbol, you and Narancia slightly jump when the sound of a robotic voice sounds in the car. Woops, you didn’t realize the volume was that loud.

“Uh, what was that?” Narancia asks.

“Ayy, really works!” the app said.

“What are you doing?” Fugo asks, furrowing his brows from the weird sentence but trying to keep most of his focus on the road.

“I have a translator app on my phone. It might come in handy? Probably only for simple statements though.” Typing ‘ayy’ probably wasn’t helping though.

You wonder when stuff like this actually came out. You didn’t have strong knowledge on when certain technology showed up (or became obsolete). These things just came and went into your life without you giving it much thought.

Narancia forces Fugo to explain and then he turns towards you, he eyes your phone with a very curious look on his face.

“I don't completely get it but sounds cool!”

You couldn't see Fugo’s face but he was curious as well.

#bruno aint in this chapter so im not even gonna tag the ship or him lol #this is pretty much a setup chapter #reader insert #jjba #JoJo's Bizarre Adventure #oc #this is my first time making an oc in a fanfiction #Pannacotta Fugo #Narancia Ghirga #my writing #gift's writing #x reader

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chaoticookie-autonomous · 4 years ago

Text

Under Your Spell

Day 6 - AU

AU: Drive (2011 Film) with some of my own twists; Star Wars-verse(ish). No space magick, Jedi, or Sith. Pairing: Maul x Móni (OC) Rating: T Word Count: 2.5k

A/N: So... did a thing. Hope you enjoy :]

_________________________________________

A small window framed a dark location covered in smog and sweating buildings, often a flash of bright lights from speeders zooming past was about all the color that splashed onto the bleak picture. It was also the bedroom’s only view, the resident never bothering to cover up the gaping reminder of a life she had to force herself to wake up every morning to.

Durmónia tied her thick head of black curls on top her head, unable to pull back the stray strands over her forehead. She checked her dark features in the bathroom mirror and noted the black circles forming under her eyes--their sunset hues dimmed under the poor lighting. For a moment she considered hiding her weariness with some layers of make-up but decided it wasn’t worth the risk of being late.

Outside the room was the chattering voices of the holonews coming from a hologram displayed before a theelin teen in a hoverchair. He stared on without interest in what was being said, his thoughts far away from the drab apartment.

“Kyp,” Durmónia returned him to the present. “Want me to bring you something back from the diner?”

He angled his hoverchair to face her better, his blue eyes blinking slowly with a hardship no one his age should be allowed to carry.

“No. I’m okay. Betts is making something for me right now.”

Coming around the kitchen was a service droid on a single wheel holding a tall cup that gave off a whiff of fruit juices Durmónia was skeptical about.

“Where did you get those ingredients from?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” was its terse response before holding the smoothie’s straw to Kyp’s mouth.

With no time to argue, she gathered a double-breasted jacket with faded stains off a chair and slung a bag over her shoulder.

“Okay. I gotta go,” she pressed a kiss to Kyp’s lavender forehead then smacked Betts’ metal head. “We’re having a talk about stealing when I get back.”

Checking the chronometer, she cursed under her breath and sped down the hall of doors and glowing numbers to the lift at the end of it. The seconds it took to reach the garage floor, irritation igniting her nerves when it halted for other residents, was endless. At its final stop, she slivered her way out the moment the door spun open and sped walked to her landspeeder, passing the silent neighbor who was making their way to the lift.

His crown of ivory horns curved out prominently against the crimson skin where black tattoos marked every section of his bare skull, face, and neck. She glanced his way a moment and caught drops of golden amber peeking back at her as well.

A hand smacked a panel with buttons bent and faded from the number of times it had been pressed for an order ready at the window. Within the steam of food in the clamorous kitchen, a balosar female sigh in aggravation.

“Hey!” she pressed the panel several more times. “Get the kriffing food! Stupid droid…”

“Shysha, give them a second,” Durmónia came around and plated sizzling, charred meat. “Their processors are as old as some of the freeze packages of food still packed in the storeroom.”

“You know you can do better than work in some backwater diner, right?” Shysha rubbed one of her antennaepalps with discomfort from the oil spitting at them. “Only reason why this place is still open is because of you.”

“Yeah, well,” Durmónia finished sautéing a pan of multicolored vegetables and distributed them on several plates, “not easy to find work when you have an extensive criminal record you’ve been falsely accused of.”

“Thanks to that we got less shoot outs and bar fights in here.”

Durmónia broke into a laugh, “Is that the real reason why I’m being kept here?”

“Secret’s out.”

“And here I thought it was because of my charming personality.”

Shysha raised her brows, “Charming isn’t quite the word I would use to describe you.”

The order she had placed on the window was still being warmed under the heat-panel and slammed the panel prompter again.

“Droid!”

“I got it.”

Durmónia checked for the table number on the console and took the plate to the customer who had their blue hands patiently folded over their face. He moved aside his wide-brimmed hat to make space for the meal.

“Sorry, Bane,” she met the striking, red gaze meant to keep bystanders at bay. “It’s on the house.”

He waved a hand of indifference and spoke with grains in his throat and the support of his breathing tubes, “I’ll pay what needs to be paid.”

Unconvinced, she grinned at a proposition, “Ale on the house?”

“Two,” he agreed easily.

Durmónia squinted, “You didn’t sabotage our droid did you?”

“What gave you that idea?” he hid a coy smirk by taking a bite into his meal.

“I’m only allowing it this one time as a thank you for taking your bounty outside the restaurant and not shooting up the place the other day.”

“Much obliged, ma’am.”

Past the transparent pane that extended across the diner’s front face, a speeder bike parked alongside the other vehicles and a male with a horned helmet and a black, leather jacket swung off the seat.

“Is it our steel-legged regular?” Cad Bane observed. “What does the fellow order here anyways? Don’t think I’ve ever seen him eat.”

Durmónia followed the masked male, the neon lights of the diner’s sign reflecting off the visor.

“Tea.”

Bane hummed with mild interest and remained silent when the being with crimson skin removed his helmet and sat himself down.

“He’s a strange one.”

“You’re one to talk,” she scoffed. “You order the same thing every week too.”

“He wears the same jacket every night he comes here,” he explained. “New markings on it each time. New bruises. Carries no blaster. And he’s no bounty hunter. I would know.”

“That’s quite a study. You thinking of asking him out on a date?”

He released a grainy growl, “Get me my ale. Two of them.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Her eyes followed a droid hovering to the zabrak’s table and taking its order before returning to the kitchen where there was a single order on the console’s display.

“Same thing?” Shysha came up behind her.

“Same thing,” Durmónia confirmed.

“You have got to be kidding me.”

Three in the morning and her feet hurt from being on them all day without taking a single break, but her speeder decided to steam and made strange noises when she started it. She opened its hood and was engulfed with black fumes she waved and coughed at then stared at the coils, cylinders, and wires as if they were her greatest enemy.

“Okay,” she calmed herself and started to reach for the first thing Kyp had taught her from memory. But she yelped in pain at her burning fingers.

“Kriff!”

In the corner of her eye was a shadow looming beside her and on impulse slid her foot forward and brought a fist into an undercut that was stopped with ease by a leather bound hand.

Amber eyes gleamed with mild amusement at her hand in his, then fell away to the somber exterior she always saw on him in the sparse seconds of their silent interactions.

“Sorry!” she returned her hand. “Didn’t know—didn’t hear you. You’re so quiet.”

Durmónia cleared the nerves building in her throat at the proximity and catching the details of his tattoos for the first time; how well the designs accentuated his features.

“Do you require assistance?” his voice rumbled smoothly from his chest.

“Ah,” she rubbed her bare arm, the uniform discarded long ago to release the kitchen’s heat. “A bit. Not good with machines. They have a vendetta set out against me.”

“Let me take a look.”

“Oh, no. You don’t have to,” she held her hands up. “It’s really late and I can take the train home.”

Halfway through her protests he maneuvered his way to the speeder and dug his hands into the engine.

Durmónia scratched her head in thought, considering several times to push him out of the way and be more direct about it being alright to take the train. However, she lost herself in his tinkering, the knuckles moving under the fabric of his gloves in the low light of the neon sign which also reflected a helix earring.

“You need more light?”

“No. Almost finished.”

“That was fast.”

“A temporary fix to get you home. You will need to have it looked at.”

“I know someone who’s pretty savvy with this stuff. Keeps telling me to just get a new one.”

“It is...,” he faded as he straightened himself up, “not a good speeder.”

“The model?”

“This one specifically.”

“No need to be so harsh,” she patted the vehicle. “It’s been through some tough times.”

“Its time has ended.”

Durmónia barked a laugh, “Alright. Well…” What am I thinking? “To thank you for your troubles would you like to come over for tea? I have your favorite kind.”

He paused halfway to shutting the hood.

“I mean—,” spurts of panic elevated her heart rate and backtracked. “I mean, maybe not now. It’s super late and you probably have other things to do and I take stuff from the diner all the time, so I have a bunch of other stuff at home, not just that tea specifically. Plus, I don’t live alone and—”

“Now is fine,” he closed the lid then turned from her being able to see his face. “I will see you there.”

It wasn’t until he reached the speeder bike and placed on his helmet did Durmónia stumble into the driver’s seat and whirred the speeder’s repulsorlift to life.

The lift’s glowpanels flickered when they raised to their floor.

Durmónia softly chewed on her lower lip, taking in the disciplined posture of the being beside her who also stared intently ahead of them.

“I’m Móni.”

His rigid form softened, the shoulders dipping in just the slightest, and showed her a bit more than his profile.

“Maul.”

Steaming, black liquid poured through a strainer and into a cup, which was then set on the kitchen’s island that divided the living area. Durmónia did her best to not stare at the black diamonds on his knuckles when he grasped the beverage in his hands.

He didn’t take a seat, instead standing while he took a sip.

“How long you been on Coruscant?” she leaned back against the sink, steadying the quake in her legs.

“Several years.”

“So, only relatively new here in the building.”

“Yes,” his attention was taken away to subtle movements behind a closed room. “You live with a boy.”

She nodded to Kyp’s room, “Yeah, he’s been with me a year before you moved in.”

“Related?”

“Uh,” Durmónia shifted her weight with discomfort and decided to start cleaning the single cup Kyp drank his smoothie out of before she left. “No. I’m a friend of his father who’s in prison. Taking him in until he gets out.”

The cup striking the counter hit her ears louder than the running water, and from over her shoulder caught a scowl pouring into his cup. Before he could open his mouth to speak his apologies, she dropped the dishes and dried her hands on her pants.

“What do you do?”

This time, it seemed it was her turn asking the wrong questions when he searched for an answer to give off to the side.

“I am a contractor for a businessman,” he chose his words carefully.

“Oh,” Durmónia felt she had broached a taboo subject which pushed her curiosity. “What kind?”

Maul remained unmoving, a shadow of anger casting over his features; hardening his appearance into something wild.

Cad Bane’s warning echoed in her head, inciting her to scan the leather jacket that was frayed at the ends and had darkened splotches of carbon scoring. There was also a decolorization on his cheek bone she recognized from experience what the cause was.

He downed the remainder of the tea and gently set it aside.

“The kind that provides my services to those in need of it,” the helmet slid off the counter and under his arm. “You should rest.”

Before Durmónia could try to act like a good host and show him out, the area littered with articles of clothing she really should have put away when she woke that morning, Maul already had his finger to the door panel.

“Thank you for the drink.”

“Not a problem. Hard to pass on a free drink, right?”

Maul inclined his head some, unable to hide the deep furrow of concern on his brow ridge.

Not wanting to end the night on a sour note, Durmónia sucked in a deep breath.

“See you at the diner again?”

He stopped just past the doorframe and faced her.

Their similar height forced them to look directly at the other, a spark igniting in between the distance.

How long had she watched the unnamed zabrak? From the moment he moved-in to his constant appearance at the diner. Never eating, only taking the same order while staring past the customers and the muggy moisture that fogged Coruscant’s lower levels. Always deep in his world, never been seen with another or held any interactions with another lifeform, except when she caught his stray glances into the kitchens.

But now the mysterious rider had a name to the face, and he had become a reality she could possibly touch and not this unattainable being. And when the lines of his discomfort smoothed away, she melted into the kindness that rose on the corner of his lips.

“Yes.”

She watched him off, the joints of his cybernetics whirring past several doors down the hall, until he reached his apartment.

“Who was that?”

Durmónia jumped at Kyp hovering close behind her.

“A friend,” she recovered from the scare then gathered her clothes from the couch and chairs.

“That’s good.”

She faced the teen with a pile in her arms, “Good?”

“Yeah,” he maneuvered the hoverchair to the couch and motioned his eyes to the space behind it. “You haven’t hung out with anyone since I’ve been here.”

“That’s…,” a bra was recovered she thought had been lost forever. “It has been awhile.”

“Shouldn’t stop your social life on my account. Also, if you’re worried about how I feel about it because of Dad, don’t be. I know you two haven’t really been together for some time now.”

Durmónia spun on her heel, “Alright. What do you want?”

Kyp hovered back to his room, hiding his victory, “I get to bring a friend over too.”

“I never said you couldn’t bring him over.”

“Yeah, but,” he gave a dramatic sigh, “didn’t want to make you feel like a third wheel.”

“How considerate of you. Little monkey-lizard,” she paused at pulling out a pair of shorts from under the couch. “Wait a second. Maul isn’t that kind of friend.”

“Alright,” Kyp didn’t sound convinced. “Tell me that when you’re not actually cleaning the apartment you haven’t touched in months.”

She clicked her tongue at him and carried the high stack to her room, “Go to bed. And tell Betts I haven’t forgotten her recent escapades.”

“Night, Móni,” he chuckled.

Durmónia collapsed on her bed, breathing in the rush still thrumming in her veins from the encounter and hugged a pillow to bury her grin into.

Her grip loosened when she recounted Maul’s possible occupation, though. How it could affect her life. Kyp’s life. If it was something that should be pursued.

She undid her hair and massaged the scalp under the thick mass of curls from the main dilemma at hand. How she had been completely trapped under his spell.

_________________________________________

A/N: I will be writing Maul’s POV for the SWPOC week for coded characters of color. As for the story itself.. depending on how many notes the fic gets, may or may not continue with this.

Thanks for reading!

#darth maul #maul #drabble #fanfic #fic #oc #swpocweek2020 #swpoc #drive #drive 2011 #au

12 notes · View notes

saiilorstars · 4 years ago

Text

The Girl in the Forest

Chapter 24: All About Us

// Story Masterlist //

Fandom: The Originals

Pairings: Klaus Mikaelson x Female OC

Pronunciation of OC’s name: Ma-leh-nee

Requested tag: @queenmj10 @ocfairygodmother

~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~

Chapter Summary: Freya struggles to get Maleny and Klaus on her side. She's desperate to get them to hear her because she has a secret that'll change their lives forever.

Because Maleny has been switched bodies once again, her temporary face claim is Adriana Louvier.

Freya had her eyes trained on her anxious brother Finn as he stared out the window of the cathedral bell tower they were hiding in. She was leaned back on a table, her hands gipping its edges, wondering when their argument would continue.

"They're taking longer than I thought," Finn finally remarked to break the silence between them. He turned from the window and looked at his sister with a half-smile, "They're never patient, unless they have a plan."

"That could very well be," agreed Freya with a chalant nod.

"Now that i'm healed, I'll need power," Finn began to devise his defense strategy, "Now, our father's still in the tomb where I left him. I think it's time that I go back and I channel him."

At the idea of seeing her father, Freya couldn't help express her excitement, but even then she put her promise before it all, "Would this be before or after you hand over the body spell I've been nagging you about for days?"

Finn rolled his eyes, "Are we really going to discuss this again, sister?"

"Yes," Freya leaned off the table, pointing a finger at him, "because we have not finished this. Now I've been patient, and I've waited for some of your anger to fade but you still refuse to give me the spell."

"I don't understand what it is your deal with this woman," Finn couldn't understand why Freya had taken such an interest in Maleny if they hadn't even known each other, "You don't know her, Freya. Our concern is Dahlia whom you told me is already on her way."

"You do not know what my business is but rest assured I will see it finished - whether you want it to or not," Freya declared, leaving Finn confused.

"Freya, what are you up to?" he almost demanded of her, for the first time becoming suspicious of her.

"Nothing that will harm you," Freya assured, "I may not have jumped bodies like she has, but what I've lived through was similar to her life. My life was stolen by someone who wanted my power. I didn't have control of my sleep curse much like she didn't have a choice but to live within her curse's cycle. Give me the spell so I can return her to her body. Now."

Finn straightened up and faced his sister, much like he did with his younger brothers. Freya wasn't backing down from her requests as she took on the same stance as he had.

~ 0 ~

After discovering Finn's corpse had mysteriously disappeared from the morgue, Klaus and Hayley set out to plan capture him and even Freya once and for all. In the meantime they devised a plan, Elijah and Cami were tending to an attacked Rebekah across the Algiers.

"It's time to use our werewolf army. Finn and the woman who calls herself my sister are in this city. The wolves can help us pinpoint their location," Klaus was telling to Hayley, Jackson and Maleny.

Jackson stepped forwards and refused the plan, "No," he shook his head, "we need all hands on deck here with Hope,' Klaus turned to him, his eyes half-widening as if surprised, "Nik, you can compel humans to track your enemies."

"Do my ears deceive me or did you just give me an order in my own home?"

"This ain't about your ego, Klaus! It's about what's best for that little girl."

Klaus would let anything slide except for the remarks about his daughter, "How dare you question my intentions for my daughter!"

Maleny groaned and cut into the looming argument, "Can we not argue when we're all clearly on the same side?"

Hayley agreed with a nod of her head, "Look, Jack, Klaus is right. Finn's body disappeared from the morgue, which means that he's either powerful enough to heal from that explosion, or Freya's powerful enough to save him. Either way, we're not finding them unless we send our best people out there."

"I'm sure you and all your merry men will find them posthaste," Klaus then told Jackson with a hint of a patronizing tone.

"Just to be clear, I'm giving this order because Hayley is asking," Jackson warned him, "Don't think for one second that I take orders from you," with that statement, he left the room.

Maleny rose from her spot on the couch and cleared her throat, "Just to be clear, will there always be tension like this?"

Hayley crossed her arms and shot Klaus an annoyed look, "I don't know. Will there?"

Klaus saw nothing wrong with his behavior and turned away from the two women, "Talk to your husband, Hayley, and there shall be none."

Hayley rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Maleny, "Mal, talk to your boyfriend so there won't be tension."

"Oh, sure, leave this on me," Maleny raised her hands to show her separation of the problem. She backtracked to the threshold of the room, "And, by the way, I will go with Jackson and help him," and just as Klaus turned to her with an open mouth ready to disagree she cut him off, "and I promise it'll be okay. Alton's coming too."

"Oh, that's supposed to make this entire situation better," Klaus muttered under his breath but even then Maleny was able to hear him.

"Yes, actually, it is. I'll be fine," she assured went off to go find the others. On her way downstairs she met up with Amarrah who was just entering the courtyard.

"Hey, Mal! I think I have a new spell to try on you!" the French witch excitedly announced as Maleny came to a stop at the end of the stairs.

"Um…" Maleny was distracted in trying to find where Jackson had gone off to, "...can we try it later? Or maybe tomorrow?"

"What? Why?" Amarrah frowned, desperately trying to catch Maleny's gaze since the brunette was oh-so-focused on looking for Jackson.

"Because Jackson and the pack are going to go and try to catch Finn and I want to help."

"Woah, what?" Amarrah grabbed Maleny's head and forced her to look at her, "You actually want to go fight the man who did this to you?"

Maleny rolled her eyes and pushed Amarrah's hands off her head, "I have to help, Ams."

"No, you have to let me try and put you back in your body," Amarrah slowly said to the brunette for her to get the point.

"Yes, okay, but later tonight."

"Mal, what are you doing?"

"Nothing except finally realizing that this is a chance to actually help." Maleny shrugged. "I've been looking at this wrong, while you find a spell that can for sure work I can go and help the others."

Okay, well, I think I found one so let's go try it out!"

"Just not right now, okay?" Maleny persisted and patted Amarrah's cheek. "I really want to try at least once to help and not be babysat. Can we do that just once?"

Amarrah saw easily she would not win this argument and so gave in. "Fine. But be careful. In the meanwhile I'll go research more spells just in case."

"Yeah, after I get this done," Maleny patted Amarrah's cheek and tried going on her way but Amarrah latched onto her arm and stopped her.

"Mal, the main thing for you is to get back to your body and-"

"And once again be left to be babysat?" Maleny shook her head, "Absolutely not. I finally have an advtantage - I'm finally useful - and I'm gonna use it."

~ 0 ~

The fact Rebekah had been attacked by unknown witches was troubling enough but the fact that it had been Marcel to save her was putting Rebekah on edge. He apparently had figured out it was her soul inside the new body and he was quite content to have her back. To be truthful, only to herself though, it was nice to have a little flirting. It had been so long since any of that happened. But it didn't mean that was what she wanted to do back. So, when Elijah and Cami appeared at Marcel's loft she was a little relieved to have some of the attention off her.

Elijah ran straight for his sister on the couch, "Are you alright?"

"Barely," the woman sighed, not quite scared but very much annoyed with her attackers. She had tried to tell them she wasn't who they thought she was but apparently they were too eager to kill her to pay attention, "The attackers knew me, Elijah. Not me me, but…" she gestiured to her body, "this, her, whoever she is. And they want her dead."

"Then we find them," suggested Cami who looked over to Marcel, "make them see it's not really what they think."

"Nah," Marcel shook his head in refusal, "If you want answers we need to ask Josephine LaRue. She serves as matriarch to the covens outside the Quarter. She'll know who wants Rebekah dead."

Elijah turned back to him, suspicious, "How can you be sure?"

"She bankrolls Fauline Cottage. She'll know who you are and why you were locked up in there."

Rebekah nearly had a heart attack at the name, "And what if she wants to lock me right back up?" she looked up at Elijah, "I won't go back to that horrid place-"

Elijah assured her with a hand it wouldn't happen to her, "The two of you go and see what you can find about this body you now possess. We," he gestured to Cami and himself, "shall pay a visit to Josephine," but he gave a warning look to Rebekah before they left, "A warning to you. You are not who you once were. This body is all too vulnerable."

Rebekah rolled her eyes, "And now I guess I understand Maleny with the whole babysitting problem."

Marcel still wasn't quite on board with the plan and had to warn as well, "Elijah. Josephine is an eccentric old bat with no love for vampires. Your charms might not work as well as you think."

To that, Elijah replied back with a smirk, "My charms are quite adaptable, Marcellus, let me assure you," he motioned to Cami it was time to go.

"We should probably do some research on this woman," the blonde suggested as they left the loft, "See how we can get on her good side."

Elijah agreed with a nod, "That shouldn't be too hard…" he gave an encouraging smile back that was well received.

~ 0 ~

"What do you mean he's not there anymore?" Maleny was staring in almost awe as Jackson finished telling her, Alton and Aiden what some of the other wolves had discovered in the cemetery.

"As in...Finn has either released Mikael from the crypt or he can turn himself invisble now," Jackson repeated himself with a long sigh.

"Hey, the sass is my thing," Maleny warned him but sighed herself afterwards, "Okay, so, Mikael the terror is gone and...probably hunting us down as we speak."

"Meaning you gotta get out of here," Alton gripped her arm with urgency, his eyes pleaidng hers to take her leave.

"I don't think so!" Maleny waved him off with a hand and looked at Jackson once more, "Okay, so forget Finn for now - Mikael is the target."

"I thought the same thing," Jackson nodded, "we need to attack him before he does to us. I'll get the others rounded up."

"No," Aiden spoke up and made Jackson look back at him, "we should, um...we should spread out...you know...play it safer…"

Jackson shook his head, "No, man, we need to be together so we can take him down."

"But I just feel like it would be a better move," Aiden insisted. He knew if he told Jackson it was Klaus who had advised him with that tactic it would be shot down almost immediately. He had to make it work as his own.

"No," Jackson refused, "We're a pack and that's how we'll take him down," he declared before walking away from the trio.

Aiden couldn't follow that order, as much as he knew it was his obligation. He looked over at Maleny and Alton, practically begging them to help him.

For a long while it was silent, and then Maleny finally gave in and motioned for Aiden to speak up, "What's your idea, then?"

~ 0 ~

Inside Gia's apartment, Elijah was rather reluctant to follow through with Cami's apparent idea since it involved her new friend's ability. They'd done research on Josephine and apparently the woman had been a fanatic violinst player. Discovering that and a couple other things, Cami declared she had a good idea in mind.

"Why am I going to do this again?" Gia came out from the hallway with her violin case in arms.

"Because, I told you, Josephine was like a musical prodigy in her time," Cami rolled her eyes, hating to have to repeat something so simple, "So, I thought why not have you play her something."

Gia's eyes flickered over to Elijah, "And you're on board with this idea?" her question implied doubt.

"More or less," Elijah admitted with a small shrug.

"He's on board," Cami assured with a wide smile, "Will you please just do it? For me?"

Gia rolled her eyes at the dramatics of her friend and went to place her violin case over the glass table in her living room, "You know I will. It may not work but whatever. So," she glanced at the two, "what exactly is the plan here?"

Elijah stepped forwards and handed her a couple of music sheets for her to see, "Josephine would surely love to hear some of the music she adored in the past. Beethoven, "sonata number 9, opus 47."

Gia raised an eyebrow at the papers, "How about I bring my laptop, speakers, add a drumbeat?"

"Don't you dare," Cami warned her quickly, "Look, its your performance that will open the door for us with that woman. If we fail...Elijah's sister sort of…" she made a face that indicated the gravity of the situation.

Gia sighed, "Why don't you make both our lives easier and just compel someone from the symphony?"

"Because," Cami spoke before Elijah could, already knowing his disagreement with her plan, he just didn't understand it was a two-part plan, "You're far better than anyone from any local symphony. Besides, Josephine despises vampires, so we need to show her that our community can be classy and sophisticated."

"So I would assume I'd have to wear one of those fancy dresses, then?" Gia made a face at the idea.

"Absolutely," Cami winked, and grabbed Elijah's arm, "so we'll be leaving you to practice that in the meantime we set everything else up."

"Fine," Gia sighed as she took another look at the music sheets, "but I'm only doing this for you Cami - I could care less about stupid old witches."

"And I appreciate it," Cami assured and dragged Elijah for the door.

Elijah waited until they were out of full hearing range from Gia to express his disagreement with their choice, "Camille, are you sure your friend is capable of this? I admit she can definitely play but it's going to take a lot more years to master the needed skills for Josephine."

Cami mockingly sighed as they strode down the street, "Oh, Elijah, do you not trust me?"

"Of course I do," Elijah answered almost instantaneously.

"Then trust me when I tell you Gia is exactly what we need for this to work," the blonde laughed, "I know you're discouraged because of the style Gia usually plays but I assure you everything will work out fine."

"I do trust you," Elijah insisted but added his concern, "It's your friend that I have issues with."

"Then put them away," Cami mocked a warning finger at him, "cos we have a lot of work to do for tonight."

"Lead the way then, miss," Elijah gestured her to take lead, making her smirk as she strode off.

~ 0 ~

Near the bell tower where Finn was apparently taking refuge, Jackson had sent nearly all the pack to capture Mikael. Apparently there had been a sighting of the man and they weren't going to waste it. However, Aiden had taken his idea and set it to action with a good part of the pack, instructing them to stay scattered. In one of their hiding spots was Maleny, who stood behind a building overlooking the cathedral. While nervous, she felt confident enough to at least help put Mikael down. She took a step out of the hiding place and started to discreetly make way for the belltower when she felt a hand on her arm yank her into an alley.

"Hey!" Maleny cried as she was pushed to the wall. To her surprise, it was none other than Freya who stood in front of her, "You're…"

Freya gave a warm smile of greeting, "Think we established who I am, Maleny."

Maleny pushed herself off the wall and stepped away from Freya, on edge of what the blonde witch was plotting, "Quit acting like you know me - you don't know me."

"I assure you that I do," Freya said, and with the confidence in her tone Maleny doubted herself for a second. "I'm actually not here to hurt you."

"Funny, cos when people say that there's usually some pain afterwards," Maleny replied with her common sarcasm, "What do you want? Why do you keep coming to me? You do realize your siblings are in trouble right? Your niece!? What the hell is so bloody special about me?"

"So much," Freya said with a light smile. "And I do want to meet my siblings, believe me. But I made a very important promise to someone and because I love him I want to do this first."

"What, your boyfriend or something?"

"No," Freya shook her head, still maintaining an eerie, soft smile that made Maleny shift. "He's family. I'd like to start with the most recent meeting - that would be 1914 - and see how much you remember."

"Why?" Maleny arched an eyebrow.

"You and I were friends, don't you remember? As Maya."

Maleny's eyes widened. "Oh my God you were at the Christmas party! Weren't you the one that Rebekah said was on a date with Kol or something?"

"Yes, something like that! Back then you were Maya who was suffering some images in your head," Freya explained.

"I'm sorry but...some of my lives were lost after I transferred back into my original body," Maleny said, crossing her arms. "I remember lives just...not all of them."

"Understandable - they were plenty I assume. You can't possibly remember all of them. Maleny, you were my only friend in New Orleans for the entire year I lived."

"Year? What do you mean?"

"I'd like for you to listen to me, Maleny. I will tell you about me and why I want to help you."

"And what's the catch? You asking me to bring in Hope or something?" Maleny laughed and started turning away, "because if that's it then I'd rather stay in this body forever."

"Would you really take that deal?" Freya called out in honest wonder.

Maleny turned back, almost indignant the question had been asked, "Of course I would. That innocent child should have the chance to live and if I had a say in it I would make it so."

"Your care for my niece is extraordinary," Freya complimented and stepped towards her, only to have Maleny take the step back, "I suppose much of that affection comes from your own affections for my brother, Niklaus."

"My feelings for your brother have influenced them but separately I loved Hope even before she was born. And I will do anything it takes to keep her safe make no mistake. I didn't have the luxury of having a family so I will make sure that Klaus get to have his own with his daughter."

Freya was impressed as she heard the woman's words. She started walking for Maleny, ignoring the brunette's attempts to leave, "I want to talk with you, Maleny. Just talk. There are things that my family needs to know about," Maleny noticed the sudden anxious tone Freya had picked up on.

"Like?"

Freya had a glimpse of a smile on her lips, "You wouldn't believe me if I came straight out with it. You must first listen to my story to believe."

Maleny frowned, "I could really care less about your history. All I know is that you want Hope dead like Finn and Esther did."

"I assure you the last thing I want for that baby is her death. She does not need to die," Freya declared and grabbed Maleny's arms, "I want a chance to talk to my friend. Because if you trust me, then it will be easier for my siblings to do the same."

"So I'm like a pawn?"

"No, I really do want to talk to you. It's been a century since we've last seen each other."

"But why?" Maleny felt tired of asking this question. "What the hell is so damn special about me, Freya?"

"I have heard all about you for centuries - in a way you were family before I met you in 1914. Please, all I ask is that you listen to my story and then you and I can go to Niklaus himself where I will divulge very important information that needs to be known."

Maleny considered the deal shortly - she had come to accept Freya didn't want to hurt her. It was like she was told before, if Freya had wanted to hurt her she wouldn't have given back the body and much less let them leave.

~ 0 ~

Later that day, Josephine De was visited by the three vampires endeavoring to win her over. As Gia finished up her performance with her violin, Josephine decided to speak up, and calmly despite her words having a stingy tone to it.

"You are as calculating as I've heard, Mr. Mikaelson, having your companion play the very piece I once performed to great acclaim."

Gia looked over to Cami nervously, thinking perhaps she had messed up. However, Cami seemed at ease despite the old witch's words.

"Is it not also a piece that you enjoy?" Elijah asked her, also a bit nervous.

"It's best not to insult those more powerful than you," Josephine said, "which is the only reason I allowed you into my home. Now, if you will excuse me, I have many things to do."

"Wow," Cami raised her eyebrows as if she were surprised, "And here I thought we would have a more cordial greeting."

Josephine briefly sent the blonde a sharp look before addressing Elijah again, "Since your family has returned to this city, our Elders have been murdered, promising young witches have been inhabited against their will."

"And we can put an end to all of it," Elijah tried to say but Josephine cut him right off.

"With all due respect, I can believe that as much as I believe I will play my violin again someday…" she looked down at her shaking, swollen hands. Her fingers were stiff and almost pain looking, "... because, Mr. Mikaelson, beneath your formal attire, and behind the lovely Beethoven, you are all the same. Liars, monsters wearing the skins of humans. Good day to you both."

Elijah was startled to hear the woman, momentarily regretting following Cami's idea, "Ms. LaRue, we needn't be unpleasant!

"I hold no animosity, nor do I want to do you any favors," Josephine declared, "I simply want you to leave my home."

Gia had had enough and exclaimed, "Screw her, Elijah. I don't see a frigging crown on her head."

Josephine glanced her way, seemingly calm, "I beg your pardon?"

Cami silently watched the exchange happen with a half smirk.

"You're not the Queen of the Witches. You don't speak for all of them," Gia spat and sighed as she looked at her purple dress, "You know, I can't believe I dressed up and learned how to play Beethoven. I hate Beethoven. I only did it for my good friend over there," she nodded over to Cami, "whom you decided to be rude to for no reason."

Josephine looked more amused than anything else, "And so, what do you like, young lady? If not for Beethoven, then what?"

Instead of responding with words, Gia raised her violin again and began playing one of her more familiar sounds. Josephine became awed by the young woman's talent and allowed her to finish her piece.

"Eddie South. That makes you a true jazz girl!" the old witch exclaimed.

"You know Eddie South?" Gia gaped.

"At one time, I nearly eloped with a jazz musician. Um, my mother learned of my plans and, uh…" Josephine looked down at her hands, "Your candor is refreshing. I find most vampires more calculating…" with that, she glanced at Elijah, "No offense."

Cami spoke up before Elijah did, "Absolutely none taken. I love my friend's candor. But now, on more serious terms, won't you allow us to explain ourselves? Clearly we want no tension. We only want...answers. An hour, that's all we ask."

Josephine considered the deal for a minute then looked at Elijah with a polite smile, "I suppose I should just hear you out, Mr. Mikaelson."

That was like music to Elijah's ears. He nodded happily and at once began their story.

~ 0 ~

Freya had led Maleny far away from the cathedral, knowing her father - whom she had helped resurrect from Finn's channeling spell - was about. She didn't want her friend to get hurt. Instead, she walked the street with Maleny, seemingly heading for the cemetery. All the meanwhile she had explained to Maleny her basic history, beginning with Esther's deal with her sister, Dahlia, all the way to the present day.

"Honestly that's awful," Maleny sighed, but not at all surprised the eldest Mikaelson had been led to such a life cycle, "One year of life? That's all you get in a century?"

"Yes," Freya nodded, "It's been going on for many, many centuries and I fear it will never stop."

Maleny studied Freya from a sideways glance, "You don't look like a bad person," she concluded, "but your actions haven't been able to prove that. You helped Finn nearly kill Hope - your niece."

"I didn't know my brother's hatred would go to such an extent. I don't want to hurt my niece - I want to help her. She's in trouble," Freya honestly said, "But I cannot do that if my siblings don't allow me to."

"What's in it for you, though?" Maleny inquired suspiciously, "Because I assume if you go up against Dahlia it'll be like an act of treason for her. You could die."

"So could you," Freya pointed the detail out with a warm smile, "Yet you're still out there, hunting down one of the baddest vampires in history. Why do you do it, hm?" she gave Maleny along state but the brunette only fidgeted in response, "You do it for love," Freya continued on, "Love for my niece, love for my family, love for my brother."

Maleny weirdly looked over to the blonde witch, "Okay, it's really weird how you know stuff about me. Stop it."

Freya lightly chuckled, "I'm sorry. I cannot help it."

"That year…when we were friends..." Maleny became pensive as she tried her hardest to remember her apparent friend Freya, "...I mean, I can remember that life easier because it's only in the past century. But you…"

"You had a lot of people in your life," Freya tried to reason, "Plus, you had about four years more of life than I did after 1914 so I would assume you'd forget one friend you only saw for a year."

"Still...sorry," Maleny flashed a small, yet honest, smile Freya's way.

Freya had herself a good chuckle, "I can help you remember if you'd like," she announced.

At that, Maleny stopped and turned to the woman, "Really? How?"

Freya turned as well, gesturing to her hands, "It's like a memory jog spell. I can resurface our shared memories. It's easier when they're memories from recent times."

Maleny looked at Freya's hands with hesitance, "Will...will it hurt?"

Freya was quite pleased Maleny hadn't even stopped to question if it were a trick. It had to mean she was slowly believing in her. That would bode well for them in the future.

"No, it's only going to tickle at most. May I?" Freya gestured to her hands once more.

Maleny gave a nod and shuddered a breath as Freya stepped forwards and placed her fingers on her temples, soon beginning the spell. In a matter of moments Maleny was revisiting 1914. She could definitely see Freya, all the times the witch had helped her with her 'headaches' and even as simple as a shopping day. Freya told the truth - they had been friends for an entire year.

By the time Freya had shown Maleny all of 1914, Maleny was close to tears, "I...I can't believe I forgot all that," Maleny swallowed hard and blinked with wide eyes at Freya.

Freya stood in front of her with relieved face, glad to see she was entirely believed. If Maleny believed her about their friendship, then it would be a little more believable when she told her and the rest of her family the most important secret of all.

~ 0 ~

In the cemetery, Elijah and Klaus were busy bickering over the fate of a their brother Finn, who laid on the ground bleeding from an attack of Klaus. Elijah had just barely made it in time to stop Klaus from actually killing Finn but it seemed like convincing him altogether would be more difficult.

"Let him die, Elijah!" Klaus was in the middle of saying, agitated more as his brother seemed to be stuck on the defensive side.

"The witches want that body returned unharmed," Elijah continued to press. It was the deal he had made with Josephine and he was not going to let anything ruin that.

"And what else do they want? A parade? Free broomsticks for all?"

At that moment, Maleny and Freya appeared on the other side of the aisle. Freya had insisted they'd find Finn and Klaus, because no matter where one was the other would surely be there as well...trying to kill the other.

"As a witch, I take extreme offense to that," Maleny remarked, none too pleased with the sight before them.

Klaus would've remarked with his own sarcasm if it hadn't been for Freya standing beside her. The two women walked over to then, and at once Finn began to plead to Freya for assistance.

"Freya... Freya, help me."

Freya knelt down beside him, "Don't worry, brother. I won't let them hurt you," she pointed her blue pendant of her talisman towards him in order to cast a spell, "Yovara vimuna virael," as the spell was placed Finn screamed in agony as his body heard from his wounds.

When the spell finished 'Finn' sat upright with shock and looked about his environment with utter confusion, "Who are you?"

No one answered as Freya cast another spell, "Sleep," she ordered and now Vincent, the original owner of the body, fell asleep.

"What...did you do to him?" Maleny asked after deciding she was utterly confused.

Freya turned to her holding her necklace, "Finn is now safe from harm, and his hatred of you can no longer do damage to our cause."

"Our cause?" Elijah repeated, none too pleased to hear her act as if they were closer than ever.

"Yes. Ours. And now, if you two can stop arguing long enough, perhaps you'll allow your older sister to offer you a deal," Freya looked over to her brothers.

"What could you possibly offer us besides fairy tales and lies?" Klaus scoffed and glared at her.

"Whatever you may think of me, brother, know this... When I speak to you, it is the truth. If you have any doubts, remember that it was I who rescued Rebekah from the Fauline Cottage."

"And I trust her," Maleny added, surprising the two brothers. At their looks, she elaborated, "Look, it's weird, okay? But she was telling the truth. I know her, from 1914. She was my friend and the only thing she did was help me with my headaches."

"You seem to forget she was the one who led Finn on his vile mission to take Hope's life," Klaus turned his glare momentarily to Maleny.

Before Maleny said anything back, Freya cut in, "The threat to Hope came from Finn, not me. The brother I knew would never have stooped to threaten a child...you, everything she touched."

Klaus was horrified and grew even more angry at the declaration, "Do not speak as though we are familiars. We know nothing of you."

To give proof, Freya cast a spell allowing him and Elijah to see the moment she was taken by Dahlia as a young child. But even that was not enough to convince Klaus.

"That proves nothing but your ability to conjure illusions," he declared.

Freya grew more desperate. "If you would just listen to me you would learn that-"

"I don't bloody care what you have to say!" snapped Klaus. "I don't want to listen and I won't."

"That's mature," Maleny declared, earning further points against him.

Elijah seemed to have better patience than either of the pair and so asked Freya, "I suppose you come with the knowledge of Dahlia?"

"Yes," Freya nodded, "And before you dismiss me, you should know this: if I've woken from my slumber, Dahlia has as well. It'd be only a matter of time until she finds us."

"That's quite convenient, isn't it? You show up in the nick of time to help us kill the woman with whom you've spent a thousand years with!" Klaus couldn't help but blurt right after, offending Freya.

"You have no idea what it took to escape her or what I lost in the trying. Her punishment will be profound."

Elijah seemed more willing to listen, "And you know how to stop her?"

Freya nodded, "Given the proper materials, yes. I've sent Father to procure them."

That was the final straw for Klaus, "You put the life of my child in the hands of Mikael?" he stormed away but was called by Maleny, who was more frustrated.

"Are you kidding me? This woman has knowledge of the threat we now face and is willing to share that information and you're just going to walk away?"

"Well, you'll excuse me, if I'm not inclined to trust the mysterious sister we only just met-"

"I know her-"

"You knew her for one bloody year, Maleny!" he cut her right off, "That's not enough!"

"There's really something you need to know-" Freya interjected the disagreement, but it only seemed to infuriate her brother more.

"There is nothing I want to hear from you!" he almost shouted at her. His eyes flickered to Maleny, "You should have better judgement in people, Mal - I thought you would've learned that after Riley Dawson."

It was now Maleny who was nearing a whole new type of fury, and after that comment it was only a matter of seconds before she shouted, "Do not bring that man into this!" she moved towards him but stopped after a couple steps, "I have learned from my mistakes and I can assure you your own sister isn't here to hurt you nor Hope. I've been with her all day and-"

"All day?" Klaus stopped her after that foul revelation. For a minute it seemed like Maleny regretted mentioning it, "Are you telling me that you not only went after Finn on your own but that you also spent hours with that woman?" he harshly pointed over to Freya.

"I know it sounds bad but-"

"No, you're right, it's awful!" he then fully shouted, his anger having reached the maximum level, "I should have known better than to let you go fight on your own with that Alton man who can't even keep an eye on you!"

"We're getting off track, here," Maleny pursed her lips together, forcing herself not to shout back like he was.

Freya decided to once again try and make her point, "I would really like to speak to the two of you-"

"Not now Freya," this time it was Maleny who interrupted. She was facing Klaus, and upholding the same glare he had on. "Just because you're mad, Klaus, doesn't mean you get to shout at me."

"If I could just talk-"

"NOT NOW!" both Maleny and Klaus bellowed to Freya, making her flinch and silencing her once and for all. Beside her, Elijah just rubbed his forehead.

Meanwhile, the pair had their stare down.

"I'm not backing down," warned Maleny as if she were reading Klaus' thoughts. "We have to look at the bigger picture here. Freya can help us-"

"She will do no such thing," Klaus declared with a shake of his head, "I will not listen to her, but by all means, if you wish to entertain this idiocy, have at it."

Angrily, Maleny watched him speed away from them. With a huff, she turned back to Elijah and Freya, "I hate your brother sometimes. But if he thinks he can get away with this by just speeding away - ha! He's got another thing coming - that stupid hybrid!" She stomped after him.

With a deep sigh, Elijah turned to face Freya with a face that basically read 'this is actually normal for us'. Freya wasn't paying attention very much. She was biting her lip anxiously, staring after her friend and brother and berating herself for not being more assertive and finally telling them the truth. At this rate, she would never be able to!

~ 0 ~

"Okay, so that's the last of it," Cami put down the last of Josephine's boxes on the floor of Marcel's loft. Elijah and her had manage to get Josephine to relinquish information on Eva Sinclair for Rebekah to read. While Elijah went to stop Klaus from hurting Vincent's body, she and Gia had taken the boxes to Marcel and Rebekah.

Rebekah was staring at the files she held with a big frown, "I'd rather not read anymore," she sighed.

Cami looked up from the box near her and raised an eyebrow, "Why? Something bad in there?"

"The easier question would be if I can find anything good about her," Rebekah put down the file, "This woman is...awful. The worst of the worst."

Cami looked concern and walked to the couch to take a seat beside Rebekah. She took the file and skimmed a couple lines, which was more than enough needed to get an idea of who Eva Sinclair was, "Oh my God…" making a face, she looked at Rebekah, "Maybe it's a good thing you took this woman's body - it's like a public service."

While amused of the joke, Rebekah was still guilty, "It doesn't matter what she's done. I've still appropriated her body without her consent."

Cami gave her a look but didn't get to say anything when Elijah came into the loft. The two women turned their attention to him as he walked towards them with a grim look.

"I take it Klaus wasn't too pleased he wasn't able to hurt Finn?" Cami assumed with slight amusement.

"He's not pleased but it's not entirely our fault," Elijah replied with minimal desire, "Freya has made an appearance," he looked to Rebekah, "and she wants to make a deal. She spoke to Maleny and has her on her side already, something Niklaus isn't too fond of."

"Well, maybe Mal saw what I saw," Rebekah shrugged, "our sister seems honest and if she wants to help us, then so be it."

"Still, it's best to have a close eye on Freya."

"So, that means we're going to let her help us, then?" inquired Cami. She'd yet to meet Freya but she knew if Maleny had decided to trust the witch then she couldn't be evil.

"We'll see," Elijah ended the conversation as he took Cami's hand to make her stand, "In the meantime, Rebekah you will stay away from the marketry and out of trouble," he warned his sister who rolled her eyes in annoyance at him, "I mean it."

"Yeah, yeah," Rebekah dismissed him with a wave of her hand, "I have a ton of reading to do as you can see," she gestured to the other boxes Cami had placed near the couch, "I'm sure Marcel wouldn't mind having me as a guest for the night. You two go on - and give your friend, Gia, a thank you from my part, Cami."

Cami nodded and lightly smiled, "Of course. Now please, let's go home," she looked to Elijah beside her, "I want to change out of this stupid dress," she looked down at her orange, formal dress she hadn't been able to change out of due to the moving of boxes.

Elijah just smirked in response as they turned and walked to leave. Cami noticed the look and concluded it was his 'I have an idea' face which made her curious.

"What are you planning?" she asked after they'd left the loft, "And don't waste time by telling me it's nothing because it damn well is something."

Elijah had a small chuckle as he responded, "I was merely going to ask if you wanted to have dinner together."

"Oh…" and while the idea was surprising, it didn't mean Cami would forget about the truth of their reality, "But we don't even need actual food, Elijah. Did you have two blood bags in mind or…?"

"Alright, so the dinner was an excuse," Elijah admitted, "I have never gotten the chance to thank you for helping me at the safe house, nor for your plan today. We may not need it, but I'd like to take you to a restaurant to talk and eat food we don't even need."

Cami tried her best to maintain her heartbeats at a normal pace as she felt like the air was leaving her lungs. That sounded like a date, no? That was a date - their second date? Did he mean for it to be a date? Could she even ask him if it were a date?

Elijah nervously smiled at the blonde as he pointed, "So, do you think you can put off changing out of your beautiful dress?"

Though nearly all her vocabulary was evading her mind, Cami remembered the basic words usable and nodded, "...yes, um, yes…" she flashed a smile afterwards that indicated for them to get going.

Their 'maybe second date' was about to begin.

~ 0 ~

"So, are you finally going to drop the childish behavior and talk to me in a calm manner?" Maleny stood across the lounge room where Klaus had taken refuge in the bourbon stock of the family.

"Is this really how you wish to start a conversation?" Klaus lowered his glass to send her a brief sharp look.

"I don't know," Maleny let her arms fall to her side as she went to sit at the couch, "because when you're in one of your temper-moods there's no clear way to begin. You should make a guide book for me, you know."

"Sure thing, right after I make you one on how to judge people correctly."

"Are you seriously going to do that again?"

"Are you seriously going to trust Freya?"

"Oh my God, stop that!" Maleny exclaimed, "We sound like kids, do you know that? Let's not forget we're on the same side here. We just want to protect Hope and maybe Freya has the way. Do you not trust me? Do you think I would let someone hurt Hope?"

"I trust you," Klaus clarified with a pointed finger at her, "But Freya is powerful as we have seen and she can manipulate you against your own will."

"It's not happening," Maleny declared with certainty, "She was an old friend of mine, Klaus. I remember her and all she used to do was help me and be a true friend. The proof is in my mind if you want to see it," she stood up and walked up to him at the bar counter, "My mind is yours to see through. Look and see that Freya is telling the truth," she took his glass from him and put it on the counter. She grabbed his hands and placed them on either side of her head, "Look!" she ordered him.

It appeared Klaus was considering the idea. He'd never actually done that to her if he remembered correctly - there was never a need to.

~ 0 ~

"So this is my present for coming up with a good plan?" Cami laughed as she took a sip of her red wine, "I gotta say, you Mikaelsons' can be what you want but your rewards are oh-so-good."

Elijah, who sat across their table, smiled in satisfaction to see her having a good moment with him, "I was proud of you today, Camille. You devised this entire plan to perfection."

"Well," Cami put her glass back on the table, "it was a little easy to, honestly. I knew if Josephine acted like the old bat Marcel made her to be then Gia would react the way she did today."

"And did you also know Josephine was a rebel in her days as well?" Elijah raised an eyebrow.

"So and so," Cami gave a light shrug, "I saw something about jazz in her information and I knew then that Gia would make the perfect violinist for us."

"Well done," Elijah gave a faint clap with his hands and made Cami laugh once more, "I look forward to seeing more of your brilliant plans."

"Right," Cami raised her eyebrows as she made a face, "because those come to me often. This was more like a one-hit-wonder."

"I doubt it," Elijah clarified and surprised her with the mild certainty he had in his tone, "You're smart," Elijah explained, "and you're a people person. Those plans will never stop."

Not knowing what else to say to that, Cami raised her wine glass again and the two shared a clink between their glasses before they drank. The next voice that spoke was a startling one, but not at all unfamiliar to Elijah.

"Elijah," Freya stood only a couple feet away from their table, and the look on her face was that of urgency and fear.

Cami studied the features of the witch and soon came to the conclusion it was Freya Mikaelson, "Wow…" was the first thing she said. She did share some resemblance to Rebekah, Cami thought first.

Elijah stood out of his seat and went to his sister, confused, "What are you doing here?"

Freya ignored the question and went straight to what she came for, "I'm truly sorry but I fear Niklaus is not ready to hear me and we don't have time to waste. I already talked to Maleny but she too didn't give me the opportunity to explain-"

"Explain what?" demanded Elijah impatiently.

"To prove it to you I have to show you," Freya took in a breath. "Because a secret like this is one you will not believe with just words."

"Elijah, what is she talking about?" Cami was getting out of her chair.

"Allow me to show you," Freya held her hands to Elijah, "Please. You'd know how to tell this to Klaus better than I would. Please?"

Elijah could see the deep urgency settled in her eyes and taking the chance, he gave his approval in a nod. Freya then placed her fingers on his temples and the two closed their eyes as they shared an important memory of Freya's. Cami could only shoot the other customers of the restaurant apologetic smiles as the siblings saw each other's minds. What she would give to see what Elijah was seeing at the moment.

When Freya was finished with the memory, Elijah was left stunned. Cami didn't think she'd ever seen such a look on his face which only made her fear for the worse.

"Elijah...what is it…?" she meekly asked, "What did you see?" But Elijah was left staring at his sister with his mouth hanging open.

~ 0 ~

Maleny and Klaus had take a seat on the lounge's couch, both now with bourbon glasses in their hands – the atmosphere far less tensed than earlier.

"You realize this is the last time you go out with Hayley's pack, right?" Klaus was giving a hard look to Maleny as the brunette swallowed her drink.

Maleny rolled her eyes, "Oh, okay, so you trust me enough not to look through my head but going out is something else?"

"Glad we're on the same page, love," Klaus mocked a toast before he drank his drink.

Maleny gave a light sigh but didn't push. He had decided not to look through her mind for what she claimed was evidence Freya was not against them. That was a huge win for the estranged sister and Maleny was not going to ruin it.

"I won't be left in this compound anymore, though," she did have to warn, "I can do things now. I just have a tendency to split from the group…"

"Always," Klaus made sure to add, making her roll her eyes once more.

"I'm an explorer," she sarcastically said before chuckling, "Yeah, that was a lame excuse. But, I do mean what I said. At least let me come with you when you guys head out. You wanna keep an eye on me, here's your golden opportunity."

"You always do strike good deals I like," Klaus held his glass to hers for a peace making.

Maleny smirked and leaned towards him, "I figured you like having your eyes on me so everyone wins," she clinked her glass with his and laughed while he mockingly glared at her.

However there was no more time for responses as Elijah, Cami and Freya made an appearance in the room.

"Brother, we need to talk," Elijah came forwards first. Maleny was busy looking at the women behind him and knew instantly there was something wrong.

"I know I agreed to allow Freya to help but this is fast," Klaus looked at Maleny in irritation, believing her to have called the three.

"Klaus, just listen," Cami urged and it was then that Maleny knew something horrendous was happening or was going to happen or maybe had happened.

"What is it?" Maleny wearily questioned.

Elijah looked back at Freya who was near tears. She was unable to talk at the moment. Klaus rolled his eyes at the spectacle before them and rose to his feet, "Someone better speak in the next minute," he warned them all.

Freya took a breath before she forced herself to speak up, "You think Dahlia is coming for Hope to complete the deal Esther made long ago. And yes, she is coming, and she's probably on her way as we speak-"

Maleny frowned, "But-"

This time Freya was not accepting any interruptions. She spoke louder and more urgent, "You misunderstand the reason Dahlia is coming for Hope. She's coming for Hope not as payment...but for revenge for what the previous Mikaelson first-borns did to her. I'm the first born of our generation-" she threw a look at Elijah for example, "But..." she then laid eyes on both Maleny and Klaus, "Hope is not the first born of her generation."

#ocappreciation #dailyreblogs #the originals #klaus mikaelson #the originals fics #klaus mikaelson fics #the originals imagines #klaus mikaelson imagines #tvd fics #oc: Maleny Rowan #fic: the girl in the forest

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bssaz97 · 5 years ago

Text

Fun Times #1

*Atlas Academy, Recreation Room*

The RWBYNOR group have been experiencing a problem that many Huntsmen experience from time to time....boredom. They had no missions as of late and everything else was pretty much run of the mill errands to do. Something that they all either didn’t want to do or found too tame. The door to the rec room opens and comes in Jaune Arc with frizzed hair and a ‘STOP’ sign he got from his babysit- er, primary school voluntary work. He took a look at the room around him and found a spot to sit at on the end of a couch, in between RWBY and NOR. He sat down and sets the sign on his lap.

Yang: ....Ok I’ll bite, what happened to you Vomit Boy? Did those kids become rascals and tried to climb you like a tree?

Jaune: Pff, I wish, the kids were fine. It’s the mothers of those kids that I had to ward off.

Ruby: Wait what? Those ladies are still giving you trouble?

Jaune: (Rubs his face) No, it’s not that, they’re actually very friendly. A bit too friendly. I swear I had so many of them trying to ‘thank me’ for taking care of their kids that it’s really starting to get on my nerves. I think I’ve been given so many casseroles from Mrs. Lars that it’s starting to pile up in the fridge faster than we can get rid of.

Ruby: Well have you tried I don’t know......telling them to back off or that you’re not interested in their advances.

Jaune: I’ve thought about doing that but I’m worried that if I do that and they take it the wrong way, or maybe they aren’t trying to flirt with me and were just trying to be nice in a over friendly way and they’ll look at me like I’m the one getting the wrong idea.

Nora: Mmm. That’s a good point, a lot of ways they could spin it to make it seem you’re the bad guy. Thirsty moms are a scary thing.

Ruby:(Murmurs) I’ll give 'em something to be scared about....

Jaune: What was that Ruby?

Ruby: What? I didn’t say anything. I was....thinking about that casserole that you mentioned. I’m gonna go get some! (Saying the last statement very tightly then left for the kitchen)

Oscar: So, I’m gonna assume we’re going to be having casserole again for dinner?

Nora: Looks like it. I gotta say, I loved the idea of you getting more attention from the ladies because of the new haircut, but now it’s starting to become old. I miss eating other food!

Blake: Maybe we can go out somewhere to eat so that we have something to do.

Weiss: Actually that does remind me of something. Winter said that the academy was going to be holding a ceremony for a class reunion for older Atlas graduates that she’s going to be attending this evening. Perhaps we can go there.

Oscar: Wouldn’t you all need clearance for that from Ironwood?

Weiss: Nonsense, the event is open to all the Atlas students and hunters, besides it more of a formality for old friends to reacquaint with old peers.

Blake: Well that could be fun. What do you think Yang? ....Yang?

She turned to see that her partner was locked on to her scroll and was having a content smile. Yang looked to be texting someone when all of a sudden she feels a nudge on her shoulder. Yang looks away from the screen and sees everyone’s eyes looking at her inquisitively.

Yang: (Closes her scroll) Haha! Sorry guys you were saying?

Nora: Well.~ You seemed in a good mood, who were you texting?

Yang: Hmm. Oh! I was just reading a message from a pen pal of sorts.

Weiss: Pen pal? I wasn’t aware you had kept in contact with any social relationships outside the rest of us.

Yang: Well Weisscream, I’m sorry to disappoint but I do have a life outside of you all and saving the world. Plus you can’t tell me talking to the same people everyday doesn’t sometimes get on your nerves.

Weiss: Hmm. Fair point. So who are they?

Yang: Oh they’re called Nunya.

Weiss: ‘Nunya’? That’s a interesting name.

Yang: Yeah and their full name is Nunya Business!

Weiss: What kind of name is.....Hey wait a minute!

The other remaining friends starts to laugh at the expense of former heiress. While on of the more intellectual of the group, slang was still foreign to her.

Weiss: Alright! Alright! I get that I walked myself into that one. Sense you are not willing to reveal the identity of your friend Xiao-Long, I will not pry any more.

Yang: Great. Glad to hear Weisscream. Now if you’ll excuse me I’m gonna go to the dorm.

Blake: You’re not going to the ceremony with us?

Yang: Sorry Blakey but I’m gonna be flying solo tonight. Miss me too much you guys!~

With that Yang left the rec room and was out of sight from the group.

Jaune: Well sense she’s gonna be doing her own thing, maybe we should try going out someplace fun. Be nice to spend with people my age than moms and kids. By the way is Ruby back yet? She’s been in the kitchen for awhile.

Ren: I’ll check. (Walks from couch to rec room Kitchen) Ruby were you able to-

Ruby is seen looking at a burning pile of what smelt of casseroles in a trash bin. She looks at Ren and they make eye contact for a brief moment before he slowly backtracked his steps and made his way back to the couch.

Ren: Just checked with Ruby, turns out we’re out of casserole. Went bad.

Jaune: Dang it! I knew we wouldn’t be able to finish them before they spoiled.

Ruby:(Coming back from kitchen) Welp! Since we’re out of food, I vote we go do something fun! Maybe we could get Penny to join along.

Weiss: I think she maybe too busy attending the ceremony with Winter as she’s a Atlas representative.

Ruby: Oooohhh yeah. Bummer.

Jaune: Hey Ruby how about we all go see that new movie that we’ve been seeing on the posters lately?

Oscar: Can I come along?

Ruby: Oh, sure I don’t see why not? Jaune?

Jaune: Yeah that’s sounds good the more the merrier!

Oscar: Yes!

Nora: Well you can count us in too! Beats going to a snore fest like a social event. (Grabs Ren and wrapped her arm around him)

Weiss: Well I guess that just leaves you and me Blake.

Blake: You know actually I noticed that the Atlas library had a book that really seemed interesting to read-!

Weiss:(Grabbing her via summon arm) Oh no you don’t! I refuse to attend this event by myself, and you’re the only one singled out by everyone here. So dare try to weasel your way out of this!

Blake: But-! Books!

Weiss: (Dragging her friend to the exit of the rec room exit) They aren’t going to grow legs and run away, they’ll be there when we return.

Blake:(Whimpers)

Soon both W and B of team of their group left the rec room leaving only five of the eight friends by themselves.

Jaune: Guess that just leaves us. Kinda funny, this may be one of the first times we’ve had a chance to hang out as team RNJR.

Ruby: Wait really?! ....oh yeah! Oh this’ll be great then, this will be just like when we had time to relax during our time in Anima!

Nora: Oh yeah Team RNJR is back baby! Wait a minute, we have Oscar with us so that does kind of chance the name a bit.

Ren: So what should we call this arrangement then?

Nora:Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

Jaune: Guys we don’t need necessarily a new name for the group, we’re just going to see a movie, not fight a final boss Grimm.

Ruby: Besides, it’s just like Jaune said, doesn’t matter what we’re called. As long as we’re together. (Smiles)

Nora: Yeah you’re right. I’ll think of something later. Anyway let’s make this night a killer!

Ruby/Jaune: Yeah!

Ren/Oscar: Yeah.

*RWBY Dormitory*

Yang entered the room and sighed. That was a close one, she almost didn’t think they would let her leave that easily. Before she could think about the matter further she felt her scroll vibrate as her friend had messaged her once more. She opened the scroll to view the message.

White_Knight: Are you still up for tonight? I didn’t rush you too soon did I?

White_Knight: I could always reschedule!

Sun_Dragon: Nah . You’re good, just my friend was trying to be nosey.

Sun_Dragon: Anyway, you still want to go see that new horror flick that’s out now? Heard it’s supposed to be intense.

White_Knight: Most definitely. I’ve reserved private seats for us on top where we won’t have anyone being ‘nosey’ as you say it.

Sun_Dragon: Really?! Dang I thought reserving a seat was hella expensive on primere night!

White_Knight: Never to fear, I have good connections so the seats are very much legit.

Sun_Dragon: ....bet?

White_Knight: On everything.

Sun_Dragon: Geez Knight, keep tryin’ to impress me and you might get yourself a girlfriend by the end of the night cutie~ ;-)

White_Knight: I like to impress my dear. But let’s keep it slow before we start talking about relationships. Or you might come off as desperate ;-)

Sun_Dragon: Ok see you tonight <3

White_Knight: Can’t wait! <3

Yang smiled after the chat with her pen pal. She originally started talking to Knight after download Instaspam on her scroll when she took that selfie with Blake. Originally she got a lot of likes for how the two looked like a cute lesbian couple but she put a plug on that real quick. While she and Blake we’re getting back to better times, she wasn’t really interested in starting a full on relationship with her partner. Kind of brought bad thoughts about her own family dynamic so that was a no-no. Of course she did lose a few subs for the apparent ‘queer baiting’ from some of the ruder people on the app, but others were actually glad that she made the clarification early on so that people wouldn’t make inaccurate assumptions.

It was actually how she met Knight, through a personal message saying how brave she was to tell the truth and not to take the fake friends words seriously. Yang was a bit suprised about the message so she thanked him later and one thing lead to another and they were talking almost everyday whenever she wasn’t on missions. She got a look at his profile and it looked like he was a music enthusiast and played multiple instruments like the piano and violin. She of course teased him of being a nerd for apparently liking classical music for being a young man. However to her suprise he sent her a link to one of his tracks of his music and while not of fan of classical, he was very good at playing piano covers. He didn’t have a profile picture so she asked if she could send her a picture, she had to be sure he wasn’t a creepy old man or something. To her suprise he did send a picture. Granted he was wearing a hat and a pair of glasses but he definitely looked young. Maybe a bit too young. She was a bit uncomfortable about this little tidbit about Knight, but she knew he was definitely only two years younger than her.

Yang’s sisterly instinct was too let Knight know that he shouldn’t try to flirt with girls older than him but the more she thought about it....it couldn’t be that bad. They stayed only as friends and besides casual teasing it wasn’t anything excessive that would send people the wrong message. So she kept in contact with him. Besides her own sister had a massive crush on a guy two years her senior so it wasn’t that bad. Besides Knight was a nice guy, always polite, never vulgar or tried to ask for body shots of her. What really got her was his respect for women. He apparently had a family mostly consisting of women so that put some insight. So Yang was very glad that Knight didn’t turn out to be a creep. Who knows, maybe she might give him a reward if this first outing goes smoothly.

Yang: Guess I’ll see you tonight Mr. Knight.~

*Schnee Manor*

Whitley has been rereading the chat for the past two minutes and couldn’t believe how far Sun_Dragon and him have come from complete strangers to good friends. He originally gotten Instaspam as a way to entertain himself and share his musical taste to other musical enthusiasts. When one of his recommended came up one day and he saw a picture that immediately took his breath away. That was when first was introduced to Sun_Dragon. He saw at the time how people were bashing her for the honestly miss assumptions about her relationship with a friend. He couldn’t believe how others could be so ignorant and uncouth behavior they were treating the poor dear. He normally doesn’t try to engage in these types of topics but he knew he needed to say something that would let her know that not everyone was like these wolves who just enjoyed to harass her. From their their interactions developed then blossomed into the first genuine relationship he’s ever had.

Truthfully if he had to say, Sun_Dragon may have been his only friend. A friend that he had grown especially fond of. Whitley tried to reason that he was only had a small crush because of her majestic beauty, but soon he began to realize that he found everything about her wonderful, her personality, her casual attude and her plain honesty she told. He had never met a more genuine person than Sun_Dragon. The only problem he was worried about was if his age had worried her some, because being a underage minor made some who were female admirers scared off because of fear of being called a pedophile. However she seemed not too worried about the age gap as she was only two years older than him. That made his whole day when she told him that. Whitley was content for the most part with the screen conversations they had but soon he desired to step up the pace, to meet in person. Whitley was sure she would turn down his advances but surprisingly Sun_Dragon favored the idea as well and now brought him to this moment. In a mere few hours he will meet the woman of his dreams. So naturally he only had one response.

Whitley: YES!!! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes yes, yes! Whitley you’re a genius! Oh my gods! Thank you! Oh......this is officially the best day of my life.

So yes, he was excited.

*Trying something different just a bit of a side story, not canon to anything just a spoof or omake if you will. More for comedy than anything. Hope you all enjoy!*

#rwby lancaster #lancaster #ruby rose x jaune arc #ruby rose #jaune arc #yang xiao long #weiss schnee #blake belladona #nora valkyrie #lie ren #oscar pine #whitley schnee #rwby frozen dragon

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mimiorzea · 4 years ago

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XXII: Argy-bargy

If there was something Vhox had learned in his twenty or some odd years, it was this:

the people in his life didn't come back.

The lesson took him a while to learn -- he wasn't always a 'quick on the uptake' sorta lad. But when your own mum couldn't be arsed to come back to feed you or pay rent for the musty room she left you in a few days shy of your fifth summer, and you got kicked out by the smarmy landlord some weeks later with little more than a sympathetic pat and a lukewarm egg salad sandwich (for which Vhox could still credit his lifelong intolerance of egg salad -- it wasn't even good, and he probably woulda spewed it over the edge of the lower decks had he not been starving)... well. You'd have to be some special kind of dense to think anyone else out there was gonna put up with your shite, either.

Such an assessment might not have been exactly fair, because Vhox himself was, at times, responsible for kicking old mates to the curb. He did it with a bit less courtesy than he'd been afforded by one Sharlayan Mooncat, too; would up and vanish to another haunt somewhere on the li'l smack of land they called Vylbrand, or find himself picking drunken fights until one of 'em finally had the nerve to break things off. One fellow in the crew that raised him even went so far as to send him letters, moping about the good ol' days before Vhox put his fist through Toffwyb's chest. Bloody sap, he was. Vhox spent days reading that letter, considering what it might be like to go back, to mend a few in the sea of bridges he'd torched, and even scavenged a pen to try to write out a reply -- but when he imagined facing the rest of the crew, the things they might say and the things he might come back awares to find that he'd done, he tossed the letter out with the rubbish and didn't once look back. Didn't read another damned one, deciding they better served being rolled up and smoked with the fogweed, as if the inherent disrespect of doing so might convey his disdain for the mere idea that he would ever go back, and better loosen that awful knot of indigestion he got any time he thought about what would happen to ol' Ortolf if Vhox lost control again.

There was a comfort in moving on, he would say. Always feeling his way forward, spending his days with a lot of fresh faces who didn't know a lick about him other than he was a decent lay and could bull's eye an apple right off the top of a brave sod's head with a knife even after putting back three pints of ale. No one expected anything from him -- and when things changed and people moved on, as they always did, there was ever a new batch of faces to replace the old, pissing his life away in the comfort of warm shallows for fear of all the things that could drag him under in the deep.

And Rin -- well, Vhox would have wagered his thumb that Rin was the same way, if not for that swivin' yellow-bellied shitestain Razhe kicking him into the clearing before every godsdamn member of the tribe during the mornin' group wank over Her Majesty Azeyma.

"Here you are: Vhox's k'tashlum* lover, the proof of his sins against our Goddess."

. . .

"You bloody--"

Rin did not finish that statement, though Vhox could imagine any number of words he could have used to fill it. Under more favorable circumstances, he might have offered them. But as it was, he was too dumbstruck by the man's presence in this dingy cave somewhere out in bumfuck nowhere, Gyr Abania, and the lilt of a plummy Sharlayan accent that he should not have missed as much as he did.

"Why didn't you play along? Still saving all that wit for persuading your way into banquet receptions and warm beds, is that it?"

"Play along with--" Vhox had to mentally backtrack to their encounter in the clearing, only to find that it kicked up a whole new wash of rage. His ears still thrummed with the chorus of angry voices that came in the wake of Razhe's announcement, furious rebukes and demands of retribution, a whole-arse argy-bargy (and for what? Suckin' a cock? Vhox would be on trial for days) -- in the midst of which sat Rin, verbally flogging himself like he was the most measly and groveling son of a bitch to ever waste air.

"You expected me to agree with that hot load of bullshite? Gods, Rin -- if it had been anyone else talkin' like that about you, I'd've knocked their teeth out."

The man gave an agitated huff. "What choice did I have? Whatever is going on, it's clear they're not happy to see me -- and if you had just let me play the scapegoat, then..."

Vhox couldn't be sure what sort of expression he made at that remark, although it made Rin falter, the shadow of something meek and embarrassed crossing his expression.

"What're you even doin' here?"

"Hells if I know." Part of Vhox knew he should be paying better attention, but he found himself studying the sharp lines of Rin's collarbones instead. They were more prominent than he remembered. Probably back to eatin' once a blue moon.

"That Razhe fellow showed up at the Gate looking for me by name, saying that you were in trouble -- wrong side of the local militia, or some such. Given your track record, it seemed believable--"

It took a moment to recall how in the seven hells Razhe would have known the first thing about Rin. Then: oh. The conversation they'd had shortly after Vhox's initial arrival, before he discovered what a miserable prat Razhe was, during which he had been prodded to confess details about the man whose absence had reawakened the depth of a loss that Vhox could not articulate -- something yawning and empty and desperate, a void he could not fill with fresh faces and drunken trysts no matter how hard he tried.

At the time, Vhox was sure as anything that he'd never see the man again. Yet now, Rin was here, in the flesh, looking especially small in the low light, more like he had when they first met than when things were good -- when Rin stopped straightening the life out of the beautiful mess of slate-blue curls that framed his violet eyes, and when he could sometimes, if Vhox was possessed to say something particularly stupid, be coaxed to smile.

"Who are these people?" Rin's voice broke the thought, with a bite in his tone that made another part of Vhox recoil. These people. These poor backwater desert dwellers who slept out in the elements and could rarely afford to eat more than the sinewy animals they caught out in the wilds, the antithesis of everything a dignified and well-learned individual like Rin could possibly respect. Just like him. "Why are you here?"

"They're -- my family, Rin."

An uncomfortable silence rose, both of them seeking words they couldn't find.

"After we went our separate ways, I... went lookin', I suppose. Turns out I had some family left after all." People like him, after Vhox had grown up thinking there were none. "There's a lot I never told you. A lot I did to you that I shouldn't've done," and if Vhox were a more tactful man, he might've thought to word himself in a way that didn't make Rin shrink back, in a way that didn't ring with the fresh memory of a crowd who had declared their coupling a sin. "I'm sorry you were brought here. I know it all seems strange, but... ever since I got here, I've been thinkin'... this is for the best. These people, Rin, they..."

He choked on the words. Even now, confessing what he was...

"Look--" when Rin spoke now, it seemed restrained, as though he were speaking against a hand at his throat. "Vhox, look at me."

Vhox did not abide him. In that moment, it was Rin who reached out, brushing messy bangs away from the other's eyes -- and then his hand lingered for too long, uncertain.

"Is this what you want?" A pause, as if to consider. "Are you happy here?"

Try as Vhox might to find it, he could not find the judgement in those eyes. He saw only a muted confusion, a sadness: an unspoken query that seemed to read, but what about the sandy beaches of Bloodshore? The look of the summer sunsets over Costa del Sol? The satisfaction of pulling a good haul in the nets off the fishing boats? The freedom to come and go -- to jump on the next boat due out of the harbor and end up anywhere, any time?

Rin always had been sharp, even if a bit scatter-brained and way too easy to misdirect. But maybe it was obvious: it was not what Vhox wanted. It was what he deserved. Quarantined from the rest of the world, people who couldn't understand what it meant to be born something dangerous and unwanted. People he would hurt. People who would hurt him, not realizing what he was and what that meant. The world was like that, full of change and fresh faces and people who never knew more about you than you wanted them to know. Vhox lived his whole life riding in those waves, and for once... for once, he wanted some of those faces to stay the same -- to have something in his life to hold him steady, something he didn't have to run from. Something he had in that time with Rin, and Luma, and...

Vhox tilted his head gently into that hand, a quiet and wordless moment of vulnerability, savoring the warmth of another touch that he wasn't sure he would feel again. Then, when he held Rin's wrist to move it away, he was struck again by how delicate it was in his grip, renewing an overwhelming and protective desire that reassured: this is for the best.

"... I should be. And if I don't get to say anythin' more to you, let it be this: I'm glad you cut things off. You deserve better than what we had -- better than someone like me."

Rin opened his mouth at once, flashing teeth in the start of a reply that Vhox expected would sting. But whatever he meant to say, he didn't get to. A shadow cast from the cave entrance, and Vhox recognized Razhe in the silhouette.

"Good. If that is how you feel -- then may Azeyma grant what you both deserve."

. . .

No. Godsdamn it, no--

His recollection of it all was dark, murky, churning waters over an abyss he could not peer into. There was Razhe, spouting some shite about Azeyma like the sort of overzealous madman you only hear about from the poor sods who bounced out of Ishgard; grabbing hands amidst a shuffle of movement (Vhox saw a form dive toward Rin and landed a solid kick in the whoreson's stomach), raised and desperate voices, panic like the tide rising up over his head when the realization of what Razhe meant to do hit him full force.

All of it was distant, almost intangible, disjointed sights and sounds that lacked the necessary cohesion for Vhox to clutch them in his hands. But there was one thing he did remember clearly: the terror and confusion writ in Rin's face.

"Fuck!" Even now, his arms wouldn't hold the weight of his swaying body. He was crawling on hands and knees, the deep rusty hue of dried and flaking blood stained up to his elbow, fingers smearing almost-black in the puddled ichor that gathered and settled in the crevices of the floor. Just like before. Just like the last time. As he struggled to discern other shapes in the space, he spotted one in the corner of the cavern, mouth agape and eyes glassy, a gaping wound painted crimson where a throat should have been.

If panic was the tide, then that was the moment in which Vhox snapped open his mouth, watching the distant glimmer of the ocean surface as he abided a futile impulse to breathe, drawing nothing for his lungs but seawater. It filled his throat, stung in his eyes, and his stomach churned, chanting no, no, not this, not him, until he was spared the oncoming breakdown by the reveal that the body was not Rin's -- but Razhe's.

He still felt like he was swallowing seawater.

"Rin, gods -- Rin, where are you?" Everything was so dark, masked in a stench so thick it was no wonder he couldn't breathe. "Rin, if you're there -- if you can hear me--"

"He's gone."

Another shape at the entrance of the cavern. Imzha.

"What the bloody fuck does that mean?" Whatever elaboration Imzha intended was lost beneath the force of Vhox's own voice, sharp with a wild anger. He rose onto unsteady feet, fists clenched, the stick of lingering blood an ever-present reminder of the monster that yet stalked at the edge of his consciousness. "How could you let that godsdamned nutter in here with a fistful of poison, knowing what he could do with it--"

"Vhox -- please, calm down--"

"Don't you fucking tell me to calm down! Where is Rin?"

He had trusted them. He had trusted the tribe. And then this--

"Your -- Rin, is fine."

He exhaled a bated breath.

"He is gone. He left, safely, of his own accord. I made sure that the tribe let him be."

Vhox staggered back down onto his knees. All of the fight ran out of his legs.

"Razhe acted of his own volition. He was not told to attack you." Imzha moved ever nearer, taking cautious and measured steps, as if she thought that to approach him too quickly might trigger the instinct to strike. It reminded him too much of the crew, after it happened. Too much of Ortolf. "For what little it may be worth, I'm glad you're safe. And your... 'friend' -- well. I suspect he won't be back."

Vhox might have expected that. It was what he expected to begin with. That was how it should've been. And yet it didn't... somewhere, in Vhox's chest...

"We didn't get to..." he didn't even say goodbye.

"It is just as I told you," she spoke softly, gently, as though she could read the despair in his features. "Outsiders don't understand. Who we are, what we can become -- it frightens them. Much like prey knows to fear its predator, even if they do not consciously know of the power that lives in our blood, they can sense it." She came to crouch onto her knees beside him. "Whatever you and Rin had... he never could have been with you."

"How do you know--"

"He said so."

The corners of his eyes stung. Everything smelled of salt and tasted of bitter.

'Course he would.

"He said you were a monster." Imzha's voice was a resonant murmur in the still of the cavern. "A dangerous creature he was afraid to imagine he might have ever loved."

He was a fool if he ever thought Vhox a man worth loving. And what a fool Vhox had been -- both of them. Better that Rin live long enough to find someone proper and refined, with whom he could have educated conversations (without the distraction of Vhox's carnal appetites) and who could make good money without subsequently spending moons looking over his shoulder, who would never gut him in a fit of terror or look at that precious nephew he so loved and think, what if something goes wrong and I--

"Do not think of him, Vhox. He is gone, and your place is here, with your family."

A hand touched to his face, with fingertips so much less delicate and nails that scraped just so. Nothing like Rin's, whose touch had been full of a fondness that Vhox missed so much that he hated it, so much that he wanted to trace over the lines with his own nails until they bled -- a fondness he was not sure he would ever feel again.

"Come. Let us see to those wounds."

Rin Weise is owned by @idealistsinc

*k’tashlum is a fanon Huntspeak word used as a slur for Keeper of the Moon subgroup Miqo’te by some Seeker of the Sun tribes. Although this particular word makes no appearance on the page, general ideas and grammar structure for the fanon Huntspeak I follow can be found [here]. (Note that I am not the author of the article in question, and do not claim ownership of its ideas!)

#wow what this bitch is actually still writing fills?#although i finished this maybe a week ago or something lmao i forgot to post it #ffxivwrite2020 (late)#ffxiv vhox tia #ffxiv rin weise

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pastelwitchling · 5 years ago

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All Hallows’ Roswell New Mexico Fictober Challenge

Week 4: Occult (All about magic, and witches, and warlocks)

Rated M for Graphic Violence

***

“You look troubled, my dear.”

“Hm?” Mimi looked up. Her mother’s old friend, skin as white as snow and hair as grey as a storm cloud, frowned at her. “Oh, it’s nothing Aunt Margarite.”

“Mimi,” her mother, Lily, frowned, her hands around her mug of coffee. Her dark eyes still twinkled as brightly as Maria’s when she looked at her daughter. “You don’t think I can tell when you’re upset? Has someone bothered you?”

“It’s Maria,” her aunt Sophia shook her head. “Don’t bother yourself about it, baby, it’s this whole generation. All they do is sleep with one another and get drunk off their chairs, they don’t have time to spend with their parents.”

“Maria’s working,” Lily said with a rather stern look at her sister. “It’s not like she’s off lollygagging.”

“It’s not Maria,” Mimi said. “It’s Alex. I’m scared for him.”

“Dakota’s son?” Margarite’s eyes widened. “What on earth for? Has he been hurt?”

Mimi shook her head. “It’s the alien forces, the ones we feared. He got his hands on a spaceship, and I’m afraid it’s already started affecting him.”

Lily frowned. “No, that’s not possible. Alex is one of the saviors destined to save the alien race, he couldn’t be hurt by it.”

“Not by it alone,” Sophia said. “But that boy has always been on a very thin thread between light and darkness.”

“What about that Michael Guerin character? He certainly seems to be on a thread!”

“Guerin has a temper,” Lily waved her friend off, “but his heart is pure. Alex, on the other hand…. If the potential for evil inside of him wins –”

“He and the aliens he was destined to protect will suffer,” Mimi agreed. “And he keeps everything so close to his chest, the poor boy. All the pain, the misery, the anger – it could devour him –”

“You told him to let it go, didn’t you?” Lily demanded.

“Of course I did!” Mimi said, her eyes burning with the thought of her Alex flinching with pain, his eyes shut tight as he tried to carry the weight of that heartache all by himself. “I just worry,” she whispered, “I worry that, after so many years of suffering, it may not be enough.”

Lily shook her head, her eyes filled with hate. “Damn that man. He should never have been allowed to be a father.”

“If you’re talking about Jesse,” Margarite started.

“Who else would I be talking about?” she snapped. “Look at his youngest son! Look at what he’s endured, and now, he is forced to endure again! I never liked him, I told you I never liked him!”

“Mother,” Mimi sighed. “Can we focus please? What do I do about Alex?”

“Aren’t his friends helping him?”

Mimi hesitated. “He doesn’t speak to Maria anymore. They think I don’t notice, but I do. Nor does he speak to Michael.”

“Great,” Sophia groaned. “Wonderful. Maybe the one person who could’ve helped him, and he and Alex aren’t even speaking?”

“Too much has happened,” Mimi said with furrowed brows, her eyes shut. “I’m hazy on the details.”

“Well, what about you? That magic you inherited, what did you think it was for? Growing daisies?”

“My magic isn’t as powerful as yours was,” Mimi said.

“You may not be a witch, Mimi,” Margarite said. “You’ve inherited too much of your father’s human blood, but you still have magic. So long as you have something to fight with, fight. Fight for your son.”

Mimi nodded, and swallowed past the lump in her throat. “I keep waiting for Alex to come to me. I’ll have to pay him a visit myself. I admit I’m a little scared. If I can’t save him –”

“You will,” her mother said, covering her hand on the table with her own. “You’ve got a coven on your side, Mimi, no matter how small.”

“You’re right,” she said. “You’re right.”

“Mom?” Maria stepped into the kitchen, her brows furrowed. When she saw her mother, she smiled hesitantly. “Um – who’re you talking to?”

Mimi looked around the table. Lily, Sophia, and Margarite looked at Maria with a fondness and longing for a life they no longer had. Mimi wondered if someday, she would carry that same look. “Your grandmother,” she said, “and some friends.”

Maria’s expression faltered, and Mimi’s heart jumped. Could it be her daughter could finally see what she could? Did Maria have the magic of their family?

“Oh,” Maria finally said, smiling. “Okay.” And she left, taking Mimi’s hopes with her.

She heard a sigh behind her. “What’d I tell you? It’s the generation,” Sophia said. “Blind to everything.”

Alex stood at the door to the bunker. The sun was high in the sky. Alex looked down at his hands; the violet, blue, gold, and orange in his veins bright and vibrant. He closed his eyes. He knew they were of the same color. He clenched his jaw, took a deep breath, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw that the coloring in his veins had vanished completely. He smiled.

Alex pushed the steel door open, and stepped inside. The place was cool, normally biting into Alex’s skin and chilling his bones, but this time, the airman hardly noticed.

He clicked a few buttons on his computer, and Michael’s mugshot shone on the screen. Alex felt a pang in his chest. He gasped, his hand over his heart.

“Whoa, soldier,” he huffed a chuckle. “He’s the enemy, remember? I’m trying to protect you from him.” Alex looked up at the curly-haired cowboy. He sighed, letting his hand fall limp to his side. The pain didn’t last longer than a second. It felt like a victory. “And I will protect you.”

The bunker door opened, and Kyle stepped in. Alex remembered the way he would hurry to hide how he felt, destroy the evidence of any emotion he had, of any love he might’ve carried for Michael Guerin. Now, he felt nothing.

No, Alex thought. That’s wrong. I’m excited.

“I’ve looked over all my dad’s journals, I can’t find anything I haven’t already…” Kyle’s words trailed off as he set his bag on the table, and looked up to see Michael’s face on the computer screen. “You – uh – you good?”

Alex raised a questioning brow at him.

“Come on, Alex,” Kyle said. “You don’t have to put up the act for me.”

And Alex felt anger surge through him. Act? Was he meant to be devastated and falling apart because of someone who’d chosen one of his best friends while he’d waited on a chair with his bad leg for hours in the cold? Was he meant to cry for the man who’d blamed him for his father’s mistakes?

It made his blood boil to have his brother now, of all people, question whether or not Alex could survive disposing of someone so toxic.

But he mustered the best comforting smile he could, a smile filled with the same guilt and pity and fear that had always haunted him, yet he knew deep down he had never deserved to feel.

“It’s tough,” he croaked. “Obviously, I-I’m devastated, but, you know, I have to keep working. I have to stop my family’s crimes.” He inhaled a shaky breath for dramatic effect. “No matter what.”

Kyle nodded. “Whatever you want, Manes. Just remember I’m here.”

Alex smiled appreciatively, then, when Kyle turned away, rolled his eyes.

He searched through the files, the locations where aliens had been spotted since the crash-landing, unidentified heat signatures that continued to come up years later, paths that led to Caulfield, as well as other places.

Weak, Alex thought. What a pathetic race his turned out to be. They had powers of destruction, powers to turn the world on its back, and they just cowered away. None of them had had the anger Alex did, none of them the great potential for destruction.

Alex grinned. “You see, little soldier?” he muttered. “See how well we fit together?”

Alex’s mind and heart hammered, and he could feel the old Alex fighting back. It didn’t matter, he thought. It was only a matter of time until the airman saw things his way. Once he ripped off Michael Guerin’s head, once those who had turned their backs on him were pleading to be spared, then Alex would find the satisfaction he deserved. Alex would know true power, and he’d be happy to have it. Alex would love his darker counterpart, and he would welcome it in with open arms.

“Only a matter of time,” he repeated.

“Hm?”

“Oh,” Alex looked over his shoulder at his friend. “I’m just reading some of this stuff out loud.”

“You find anything interesting?” Kyle asked.

Alex made a pensive face as he looked back at the screen. “I think so. Look at this coding here, it’s so familiar. I think it might be a poem, but… it’s hard to tell for sure until I can compare it to your dad’s journals.”

Kyle’s expression faltered. “You mean the poems he wrote when he was –”

“—losing his mind,” Alex finished, and saw his friend flinch. He backtracked. “I mean, slowly – because of the illness. Poor guy.”

“Yeah,” Kyle said with an unreadable look on his face. “Yeah. Here, let me look through his writings. Can you figure out which poem it is?”

“Yeah, let me just… what the hell?” Alex feigned surprise as the computer screen began glitching. He felt the heat and electricity running in his body surge through the keyboards and every bit of equipment.

“What’s going on?” Kyle tried touching a key, but it electrocuted him and he stepped back, holding his hand.

“I have no idea,” Alex pretended to click a few buttons, and through his fingers, the virus continued to eat away at everything, the glitching getting worse and worse. Only Michael’s mugshot was left on the screen before it, too, glitched and disappeared. The computers all turned black, the lights flickered, and then stayed off. Alex and Kyle were left standing in the dark.

“What the hell just happened?!” Kyle pulled his phone out, and turned the flashlight on.

Alex beat at the keyboard, but the computers stayed off. “I think something just wiped out our hard drive.”

“Wh – you can bring it back, right?”

“It’s a covert operation,” Alex said. “All the information we had was all the information we had, Kyle. And now it’s gone.”

Kyle shook his head. “Do you – I mean, do you think it was your powers?”

“How?” Alex said. “I got rid of those.”

“Here, let me see your arm,” he said, leaning the phone against the table so that the light shone on them.

With a sigh, Alex unbuttoned his shirt. Kyle seemed momentarily taken back, and Alex remembered that he wasn’t usually the kind of person to strip so easily.

Still, Kyle searched his skin, and found no trace of any abnormal coloring.

“Like I said, I got rid of it. All that stuff that was eating away at me is dead.”

Or it will be.

Kyle nodded, his thoughtful eyes searching Alex’s face. Finally, he sighed, pressing the bottom of his palms into his eyes.

“Well,” he finally said, “at least we still have the journals.”

Alex gave him a small smile. “At least.”

Kyle patted his friend’s shoulder and headed outside, the light flooding in through the open door. Once he was gone, Alex faced the black computer screen, his smile falling off his face.

“Let’s see how long you survive, cowboy,” he hissed, “when I’m not there to save you.”

Kyle didn’t think he’d come back to the Wild Pony so soon, but he needed a drink. He had made the resolve not to answer any of Maria’s questions about Alex. Alex wouldn’t have wanted him to.

It turns out it was something he had to worry very little about as his thoughts had been so entirely consumed by what had happened that it was only when Mimi touched a cold glass of water to his cheek that he realized he was being spoken to at all.

“Your mind’s running,” she said with the kind smile she always wore, though her eyes held something else that Kyle couldn’t read.

“Mimi,” he breathed.

“What’s going on, Kyle?” she asked. “Two women have already tried speaking to you, and you hardly noticed they were even there. What are you worried about?”

Kyle tried huffing a careless chuckle, though it sounded forced even to his own ears.

“Me? Come on, I’m never worried.”

“Kyle,�� she said softly. “Whatever you tell me stays between us. I promise you that much.”

Kyle hesitated. He ought to have said no, ought to have assured her there was nothing wrong, but he remembered the way she’d held on to Alex when he was in pain, the way she’d cared for him. Kyle didn’t remember much of Alex’s mother, but he was sure that Mimi came pretty close.

“It’s Alex,” he finally said.

Mimi tensed. “Is he alright?”

“Yeah, he says he’s fine,” Kyle shook his head, “but I don’t know, something just feels off.”

“Off how?”

“I can’t explain it,” he said. “Today, all of our computers in the bunker were wiped clean. Everything we had on Michael Guerin, and Max and Isobel, it’s all gone, and… Alex didn’t really seem to care that much. He nearly burned his own house to the ground yesterday, but when I checked his arms today, everything was normal. The danger’s just gone. Is that even possible?”

Mimi frowned, her brows furrowed as she stared at Kyle.

Kyle sighed, staring into his drink. “Like I said, I don’t know. I’m probably just worrying too much.”

“Alex’s history with Michael – it’s strained, isn’t it?”

Kyle frowned. “Are you saying Alex didn’t care because he doesn’t want to help Michael anymore? No, I can’t believe that. Alex wanted to stop Project Shepherd from the beginning because it was hurting the aliens. He wouldn’t abandon them just because he broke up with one.”

“That’s not what I’m saying,” Mimi said. “You don’t think I know what Alex is like? I know what he’d risk, I know the sacrifices he’d make to protect the people he loved, and whether or not he ended things does not change the fact that he does love Michael. Not caring about someone is not the same as hating them, Kyle.” She looked into the distance, her eyes darkening. “If Alex doesn’t care, then we have a problem.”

“What does that mean?” Kyle asked, and when she didn’t answer, he leaned in, his voice quieter. “Mimi, is Alex in danger?”

“I –” she started, but her words were cut short by the sound of a large crash.

“Damn!” a man in a cap, obviously drunk out of his mind, laughed hysterically as a woman cowered against a corner, shards of broken glass in her hair. “Did you see her fall? Like a rock!”

Some of his friends, it seemed, were trying to pull him back, but he kept fighting them. Kyle stood, ready to pin him to the ground, but Maria had already directed one of the men to toss him out the door.

When she was sure the woman on the floor was alright, and had dusted the glass shards off her (thankfully, they’d left no mark), she made her way towards the bar, huffing. “I should call Max, have him arrest Joel before he does anything he’ll regret tomorrow.”

Kyle raised a brow. “Does Joel ever really regret doing anything?”

“Fair enough,” Maria muttered, and disappeared into the backdoor as she dialed the sheriff’s number. She looked like she hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep all night.

“Get up,” Mimi suddenly said, throwing her scarf over her shoulders. “We have to go.”

“What?” Kyle hurried after her. “Go where?”

“To save Alex,” Mimi said. “Before he does something he’ll regret.”

Alex had known exactly where he would go after destroying the files in the bunker. And he knew exactly where to look. He could feel the alien power of the spaceship consuming him, and he welcomed it. Power led to power, and it was as Mimi had once told him; everything looks for its home.

That was where the voices echoing in his head were leading him. Home. Alex thought of that drunken idiot he’d seen only moments ago when he had first stopped by the Wild Pony, hoping to catch a glimpse of Maria through the window. To his satisfaction, she looked exhausted.

Guilt-ridden, he thought with a grin. As she should be.

Of course, he’d been irritated with Joel who had failed to cause her the slightest bit of harm. The dimwit had had half a broken glass bottle in his hands, yet he’d been unable to do more than cause Alex’s ex-friend some inconvenience.

When he’d stepped out of the bar, Alex was waiting for him. He looked down at his bloodstained shirt, and turned his jacket collar up to hide it. Not that there was anyone around to see it in the desert.

He thought of the way his anger at Joel, anger at Maria, anger at everyone had surged from him through Joel. How the pressure was too much to take, how Joel’s nose began to bleed, then his ears, then his eyes, and how his whole head had burst like a balloon.

Alex felt the urge to laugh, so he did. He had been so frustrated with the idiot, so frustrated with Kyle for talking to Mimi of all people, so frustrated with everything. And he’d let go so easily. It was such a relief.

He neared a bunch of caves, and let the power coursing through his veins guide him through one. He found the pods almost instantly, and his smile widened.

“There you are,” he cooed. He touched the surface of one ship, and sighed deeply at the way it rippled under his touch, reacting to his body. He chuckled. “Let’s see if you break as easily as I remember you do.”

“Alex?”

Alex whipped around. There Kyle was with a frown on his face, his eyes looking from the pods to the airman.

“What’re you doing?”

Alex blinked. “The pods, they radiate some heat signatures that I thought might match the ones in our files, or what’s left of them anyway. I told you I would look into that, didn’t I?”

Kyle’s frown deepened. “I don’t really –” he shook his head. “Look, I’ve been searching for you. I’m worried.”

“What’re you talking about?”

“There was a murder outside the Wild Pony,” Kyle stepped closer. “His head had just exploded. Max thinks it was an alien attack.”

Alex gasped softly, his eyes widening. He covered his mouth with his hand, subtly pulling his jacket collar further up. “Another alien?”

“Yeah, and when I couldn’t find you in the bunker or the cabin, I figured you already knew, and you’d gone to Guerin, but he said he hasn’t seen you since yesterday.”

“No,” he said. “Oh man, I – I had no idea. I don’t even really go near the Wild Pony anymore, I thought you’d know that.”

Kyle stared. “Alex, are you sure you’re okay?”

Alex scoffed and shrugged a shoulder. “Do I look like I’m glowing to you?”

“No, but you don’t have to be for something else to be wrong.”

He smiled tightly. “I’m fine, Kyle.”

“Alex, I’m just –”

“And, by the way, all of these checkups are getting kind of annoying. Michael and Maria weren’t really my life source. Believe it or not, I’ll learn how to live without them.”

“But you loved Guerin.”

“I don’t even know why,” he said with a clear edge in his voice. “He never deserved anything I’d done for him anyway! He could end up just like Joel tomorrow, with his head splattered against the pavement, and I wouldn’t bat an eye. Good riddance.”

There was a moment of silence when Alex returned his attention to the pods, his back turned to Kyle. Then –

“Alex,” his voice was barely below a whisper.

“What?”

“I never told you the victim’s name.”

Alex froze. His hands fell limp to his side, and he stared at the cave ceiling. “Damn it.”

When he turned to face Kyle, the doctor was pointing a gun at him. “I knew something was wrong. I was right. You’re not Alex.”

Alex rolled his eyes. “Put that away, Valenti, you and I both know you’re not good with it.”

“Who are you?”

He shrugged. “I’m Alex.”

“No, Alex is good. You murdered someone.”

Alex scoffed. “This is a treat, it really is. Kyle Valenti finds me out? Seriously? Well, then again, you are the only one who’s ever been family to me.”

“I’m Alex’s family,” Kyle seethed. “I’m not going to ask again. Who are you?”

“Oh, okay,” he huffed. “But only because you’re so sexy when you’re angry.” Alex took a deep breath, allowing every bit of anger and resentment inside him to surface. As he did, his veins changed color, spreading like a glittering spiderweb all over his body. His eyes, he knew, had changed to that same violet, blue, orange, green, and gold color.

Kyle’s gun nearly fell out of his hands. “No,” he whispered. “Alex killed you.”

“That’s the rule, isn’t it?” Alex grinned. “No body. No death.”

“I saw him get rid of you! He beat you!”

“Why would he want to do that?” Alex asked. “I’m the only one that gives him the freedom to breathe, to feel what he wants to feel!” He scoffed. “‘Do this, Alex, do that, Alex!’ No appreciation, no one cares how he feels or what he’s going through! Everyone just needs him for something. I actually love him. I’ll actually protect him!” He huffed. “Even from you.”

Kyle felt like there were chains around his heart. Even now, with Alex possessed by whatever he was possessed by, Kyle could still feel his pain. The airman really had been suffering for too long a time, but even so –

“He’d never choose you,” Kyle said, and Alien Alex seemed startled at the certainty of that statement. “He’d never choose darkness. He’s a hero.”

“Is he?” Alien Alex said. “Because according to everyone else, he’s the villain. Nothing is enough, nothing is right, nothing is good about him. What’s the good in being good if no matter what you do, you’re always at the bottom of everyone’s list?” He sighed. “He’s tired, Kyle. You know he’s tired. He deserves a family who loves him, doesn’t he?”

“I love him. Mimi loves him, and so does Liz and –”

“Who’re you kidding?” he barked a laugh. “No one loves him.” He shook his head at Kyle with a look of disgust. “And you? If you don’t understand that this will help him, then you’re no different.”

Before Kyle could understand what that meant, Alien Alex raised a hand at him, and he went flying into the cave wall, his breath knocked out of him. He struggled to sit up, his gun flying to the other end of the cave as he tried reaching for it.

He looked up at his friend with blurry vision.

“You know,” Alien Alex said, “I should thank you. Pretending to give a crap about any of those assholes was getting really difficult, really quickly.” He started laughing. “Alex really hates them, especially Guerin. I mean, he hates him.”

“You’re wrong,” Kyle breathed, though even that sent a crushing pain through his chest.

“Yeah?” he knelt in front of Kyle, hands rested on his knees. “How do you figure that?”

“Because when Alex loves,” Kyle tried, “he loves with everything he has. That’s why he forgave me. Because he loves me. And I love him.” He reached out and grabbed Alex’s arm. “And I’m not the only one.”

Alien Alex’s brows furrowed, and just as he opened his mouth, Mimi walked in. She flicked a finger at Alex, and he went flying across the cave, hitting the wall hard.

“Get out of my son,” Mimi hissed.

“DeLuca,” Alex said with a bloody grin, though Kyle could see the fear that flashed in his expression. “Never thought I’d see you again. I thought you would’ve gone crazy in some mental hospital by now. Tell me,” he slumped against the wall, “how are the hallucinations coming along? Can you even recognize your own daughter anymore, or do you still see one of the Dream Girls? Because that’d be hilarious.”

Mimi pointed another finger at Alex, and Kyle didn’t miss the way he flinched. He’s afraid of her, he realized. All of these years, Kyle could never imagine Mimi hurting so much as a ladybug. Now she towered over the bravest man Kyle had ever known. It was both relieving and heartbreaking at the same time.

“You’re not getting to me, you demented piece of space dust,” she said.

“Fine,” Alex grinned. “Then how about this; If I can’t have Alex, no one will.”

Mimi’s eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t.”

“Wouldn’t I? I’ve fought your coven once before, but this time I have leverage. You see, I love Alex too much to give him up now. So if you so much as try to get me out, I’ll kill him from the inside, and we’ll die together. Poetic, isn’t it?”

Mimi glared at him with more hate than Kyle had ever thought it was possible for her to have.

“What’s it going to be, witch?” He scoffed. “My bad. I meant bitch.”

To Kyle’s, and evidently the alien’s, surprise, Mimi leaned forward, brought her hand gently behind Alex’s head, and pulled him in to kiss his forehead. “I love you, Alex,” she whispered. “And I promise we’ll save you.”

The alien frowned. Mimi tapped two fingers to Alex’s temples, and he suddenly closed his eyes, falling back against the wall.

Kyle stood, his eyes wide. “Did you just knock him out?”

“I only know a few spells,” Mimi muttered, wringing her hands together. “They’re small, but effective.”

“Spells, witches, aliens,” Kyle groaned, rubbing his face. “One of these days…”

“I don’t have nearly enough power to pull that alien out of him,” she said.

Kyle leaned down, brushing Alex’s bangs from his eyes. The coloring in his veins had yet to fade. He sighed. “Sorry, Alex, but we’re doing it my way now.” He pulled out his phone and began dialing.

“Who’re you calling?” Mimi asked.

With his eyes on Alex, Kyle braced for what he knew would be the longest night of his life. “Guerin. I’m calling Michael Guerin.”

***

I don’t think I’m very good at this. I realized, about a week ago, that I might’ve been better off creating an au type of thing because I don’t really think I’m following the prompts particularly well.

Either way, I hope you enjoyed reading. Halloween’s coming up, and I’m very sad because I can already feel the season and holiday slipping away. Still, I plan to enjoy what’s left of it, and I hope this little piece of mine gave you the spooky feels as well. Happy Halloween 🎃👻🦇🧡

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zurilux · 5 years ago

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Vent session 4/26/20

A couple things. First, the not so serious.

I’ve been living with my parents for a little over a year now since the second year of my boyfriend’s ST program basically makes it impossible to work while doing the program. We decided to move our in with our parents to save money (especially since there’s no way I could support us and our two dogs on my own.) My parents are fine. They’re not perfect but they’re fine. I’ve realized as I’ve gotten older though just how different I am from a lot of my family. My parents are definitely products of their time. They dont believe in therapy. I go to therapy. I’ve gone to therapy since I was a freshman in college (When I could go without them paying for it/knowing about it) I’ve recently started Trauma counseling, trying EMDR to process past traumas and maybe stop some of my more toxic/ bad habits and the cycle of abuse. (my current relationship isn’t abusive but I’m scared that I may make it toxic because thats really all i’ve known or if it fails I’ll go back to the cycle)

I myself have had quite a few traumatic events happen in my life. In the last few years I’ve become pretty open about my mental health, hoping that it might help others (so no one will feel the way I felt, like I was alone etc) I think a lot of my family would benefit from therapy, as now that I am so open, sometimes my family will share their stories. My parents, like I said don’t believe in therapy, and now they also believe they are too old to be fixed. Especially my mom. Which, for me, is really saddening. My mom, when overwhelmed, will hit herself in the head. Which can make it hard to talk to her about anything serious because she also takes a lot of things super personally (and I cant blame her for that. I’m sensitive AF) and it sucks that she feels she, or her inner peace, is worth it at this point. I’ve found a lot of my family just doesn’t really seem to want to better themselves and would rather just say “This is how I am, take it or leave it”

It’s exhausting to be around people who are in that sort of mindset when you’re working very hard to be better. Trying to be happy, get my anxiety/depression/PTSD under control, process traumas....

Also. some of my traumas happened in the house, or when I was teen living here. SO, sometimes just being in this house is a struggle. Being back in this room where my ex-wife tried to kick me out and pushed me to a breaking point. Being in this room where I found out my ex-wife kissed someone else while they were deployed and decided they didnt want to be with me anymore. Being in this house where I broke down shattered, screaming and crying for the world to stop spinning, and my ex-wife yelled at me, belittled me, harassed me so much over the phone I had to get my parents involved so she wouldnt speak to me again. In this house where I had to hide so much of myself, had to pretend so many things didnt happen....Its really hard being here. especially in this time of super stress, being in Quarantine and a Pandemic due to COVID-19.

and to add on top of that, my mother has started trying to inch me out. My grandma is supposed to move in when I move out. I guess my grandma is hounding her, so in turn, she’s hounding me. Even after I have explained that COVID has messed with my boyfriends program, and my planned summer vacation. Originally he was supposed to be done in June, and we had a FL trip planned in Sept, so we’d move out after our FL trip, to save money, and hopefully not stress the dogs out. (moving to a new place and then all of a sudden your parents are gone for 8 days might be a little much for our pups). Depending on when he started, and how much money I saved, and if my coworker would be moving in with us we could possibly move in August, gives the dogs a month to adjust to their new surroundings before we would move. BUT, now....he may have to do a summer term, to make up for the lack of ST time in ORs at different hospitals, which means he wouldn’t start working in June, he may, depending on how they do their summer term, not be done with his program till July or August...and obviously he needs to work, for at least a month or two before we could move. also, we don’t know if we’ll be able to travel to FL in September, THere isnt really a point in going if Disneyworld and Universal aren’t open/fully functioning. soooo....a lot is up in the air. The added stress of my mom constantly asking when I’ll be moving out is not helping my stress level at all. It’s irking me more than I thought. I didn’t want to admit quite how much it bothers me. oi.

Secondly,

probably a month ago now...or a couple weeks I’m not sure (time is hard right now ya’ll) our dogs started fighting. Very suddenly. We’ve had Carbon since September 2018. Frank (Jake’s dog) and Carbon have never fought till this point. I’m not sure what changed because they both have lived with me (Frank and one of Jake’s parents’ dog dont get along, so he had to live with me) the entire time I’ve lived at my parents house...It seemed like we were making progress, we were able to have them out in the same room without any trouble for a few days recently. (previously we had been crating one, and switching them out about every 4 hours if we were both home) They do fine on walks together. they seemed to be doing okay, but then another fight happened a day or two ago...Jake’s suggestion is to remain living separate. I’ll move in with my co-worker, he’ll either move out on his own or with a roommate with Frank.

to backtrack, Carbon is a almost 2 year old pit/lab mix. He was a rescue, I got him when he was 5 months old. He’s fairly mellow for his age, but he is 2, he’s young and playful. Frank is a 6/7 year old potato dog (he’s short, a little long and has a round/barrelesque body, supposedly a chihuahua, pug, staffy mix. He isn’t fat either, its solid mass. He’s older and grumpy. so maybe he just snapped at Carbon’s youthful shenanigans. They both are very much daddy’s boys. they may have fought over his attention (now that they see him more, he has been basically quarantining at my house ) it’s kind of impossible to know.

I don’t like the idea of living apart. I’m needy. Plus, for a majority of our relationship we have lived together already. Jake is not only my boyfriend but also my bestfriend. I’m very physically affectionate, and Jake kind of sucks at texting...Also, I’m worried that our schedules wont line up. I work M-Thurs 6:30 am to 5pm. his ST schedule could have him working 12 hour days, he could have to work on my days off. having him spend the night once a week is not enough for me, if I can help it, most of this year that’s all I’ve been getting and its been awful (Quarantine has changed that but, thats special circumstances) We already were only supposed to live apart while he was finishing his program, and now we may need to live apart another year...or more...for the rest of Frank’s life, unless Carbon passes suddenly I guess...thats a long time. I get that he doesnt want to crate them “forever” if we lived together. and if we wanted to go on a trip, we’d need specific people to help us, to be sure no fights ensued or whatever, if someone gets bit...it’s over. I understand that...it might not be fair to “crate and rotate” them for however long we need to and neither of us is giving up their dog....I thought maybe if we could get a big enough space maybe it wouldnt be so bad. we could kind of section them off away from each other...(this past year its been me and the 2 dogs in like maaaaaybe 500sq ft) but finding that might be difficult in our price range...especially since we’ll be renting and probably moving to Portland (which is expensive) it’s causing a lot of stress for me...my anxiety is causing me to overthink. Like. is this somehow a sign that we shouldnt be together? He and I got together before i was even officially divorced (granted he was supposed to just be a confidence boost, not actually a legit relationship..but we fucked up and fell in love) and he has broken up with twice over our three years...the second time really wasnt necessary because he was trying to take care of me, to not cause me to be miserable during his second year of school when he knew I wouldnt be able to see him much and that I am needy, but we ended up doing what I had suggested...which is what we are doing now..being together but living apart. sigh. I don’t know. It’s a lot going on right now. I’m not a fan....everything is super stressful as is...and now all this too...oi oi oi. sigh. it’ll work out somehow...right?

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whenimaunicorn · 5 years ago

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The Pussy Willows Mission - Part One

Fandom: Wynonna Earp Pairing: Bobo Del Rey x OFC Warnings: Explicit, dubcon: undercover stripper gets coerced into things she didn’t expect

Timeline divergence note for canon sticklers: let's just assume that the Earp gang realized that Pussy Willows was owned by revenants some time before Bobo Del Rey was out of the picture...

The plan had started off perfect. Once we realized Pussy Willows was the center of some shady revenant shit, the next step seemed obvious: infiltrate the joint and see what the demons were up to. Wynonna couldn’t do it; she’d have been recognized. Haught had said “hell no,” and no one would let Waverly volunteer, so it was on me to initiate phase one and go get a job at the infamous strip club just outside Purgatory.

How hard could it be? Pose as a dancer for a few nights, long enough to get close to the revenants at their next meet-up, and learn exactly what they were doing. I had just enough confidence, and just the right lack of hang-ups or personal boundaries, to nail the audition and get myself assigned to the right nights.

My first shift wasn’t crucial. I just had to manage to not get fired before the weekend, when the real stake-out would happen. My plan was to be exceptionally mediocre at this job; take my turns on stage, make a few bucks, and just kind of blend into the background of the staff. You know, not work too hard.

The boss didn’t like it. Jonas had me pegged for a slacker within the first hour, scowling at me for hanging by the back bar and flushing me out to go try harder at drumming up business with the three customers making an early night of it at the beginning of my shift. I discovered lapdances were kind of fun, anyway, since these guys were following the rules and keeping their hands to themselves. It was nice to feel appreciated, if I didn’t think about it too hard.

I was enjoying myself on stage, shimmying into the mood and out of my clothes, when the trouble started with a flash of fur in the seats at the right-hand corner. Most of the demons in Purgatory had no idea I had an association with the Earp family. That’s why we had considered this plan foolproof; but there was exactly one fucker who did, and at the sight of his trademark coat I felt my heart sink lower than that panties I had just dropped to the stage floor.

Bobo Del Rey shouldn’t be here. Our informant swore up and down that the trailer park boss was not involved, that this gang of revenants was cooking up something completely separate from whatever his bullshit was. And yet, there at the end of the stage was that greasy black mohawk, the two-toned beard surrounding a lazy smile full of sharp teeth.

Somehow I managed not to trip in my 6-inch platform heels. I turned away from him and took a deep breath, trying to think fast without betraying the notion that anything was wrong. There was a decent chance he hadn’t recognized me yet. I was wearing a long, full, pink wig that was definitely not my natural hair color, and maybe he wouldn’t look very hard at my face. With luck, I could finish out my set without him paying any more attention to me.

I rolled my shoulders and snuck a peek past my curtain of fake hair in Bobo’s direction. A crisp dollar bill now lay on the stage in front of him.

Fuck. The place was so dead that he had no competition; there would be no way for me to pretend I hadn’t noticed him there, or that there was no time left to get to him for a little one-on-one tease before my song was over. Especially with the boss already suspicious of my ass… I was going to have to go over there.

Standard procedure is to get down on your knees in front of the customer, make some kind of friendly or sultry eye contact, depending on the kind of stage persona you’re going for, and then do a few seconds of body rolls or contortion-y dance moves that show off your assets, up close and personal to them. Overachievers might lean in and touch the guest, rub her tits on their face or whatever, but I was definitely going to try and get away with the bare minimum with Mr. Del Rey. Then you hold up your garter strap and wait for them to slide the money in, and you’re done.

Even the eye contact part of that formula was too risky for me; the cotton-candy-pink of the wig was probably only going to be disguise enough if he never got a good look at my face. So I chose the bored-and-sultry persona, dancing my way over to his side of the stage with a slow sashay, ending with my heels on either side of his dollar bill and my backside facing out.

My inner monologue had one shining, screaming moment of what-the-fuck-are-you-doing-with-yourself-right-now. Bobo had sat down at the stage after all my clothes were already off, and now one of our greatest enemies was about twelves inches away from my ankles and staring up at the bare cleft of my ass. But what else was a girl to do? I rolled it, popped it, and dropped it with as much skill as I could muster, then bounced on my heels with my ass sticking right into his face.

I dared a glance over my shoulder. I just had to; my skin was tingling under even the idea of his gaze. Bobo’s face had gone slack, eyes fixed on the bounce of my buttocks and whatever glimpse of my pussy he was able to get in between. The simple pleasure I saw in his eyes tempted me to bend forward, spread myself a little further for him as I felt goosebumps rise along the back of my thighs.

Because the other problem was… did I mention I totally had the hots for Bobo already? I knew it was wrong, but there was no denying the way that he made me feel the last time that Wynonna and I had a run-in with him. So there was a little part of me, a little part that was getting bigger and needier by the second here, that wanted to relish this chance for incognito flirting. To think that Bobo liked my body, even though he didn’t know who he was looking at… I undulated my hips and indulged the temptation just a little bit longer.

Bobo leaned in, closed his eyes, and took a deep sniff of me. It should have been gross but it really, really wasn’t. Pure, animal appreciation was in his gaze when he opened those eyes and locked them onto mine.

Watching his reaction from over my shoulder, I returned his gaze for probably a second too long. He snapped his teeth together with an audible click and I realized myself, flipping my hair to hide my face again. I spread my knees wide and dropped almost to my belly in my haste to distract him with other body parts. I writhed with an arched back before him for a few beats, then closed my legs and switched to a catlike sort of body roll on hands and knees, getting ready to transition out of there. That was fun, but now I was just about to lose my nerve.

I finished by sitting in front of him, one bent knee braced on the stage while I swirled the other thigh open and held up the elastic of the g-string just a few inches away from my exposed cunt.

Bobo wasn’t letting me off that easy. He picked the dollar bill up off the stage between us and traced it along the wrong leg, knee to hip. His fingertips brushed my skin too, when he ran it along my lower belly, and then finally backtracked toward the required destination. I thought I could hear a pleased little growling noise emanating from his chest as his eyes followed his fingers. He tickled me a little as he slid the bill into position, and grasped my leg in a light squeeze for just a second when I moved to pull away.

“You,” he said, eyelids narrowing as he inspected my face. “Come talk to me when you’re done on stage.”

I tried not to betray the chill that ran through me after that, smiling and nodding like the compliant girl eager to make a buck that I was pretending to be. I gathered myself up enough for a few turns around the pole before the D.J. started speaking over the final notes of the song. “Everybody give it up for Angel. It’s her first night tonight, guys. Give her a try, let her show you some love.” The music shifted, and I tried to match its quicker beat as I swiped my outfit off the floor and strode down the stairs opposite Bobo’s end of the club. “Desert Rose to the stage next, Desert Rose.”

‘Come talk to me,’ he had said. I turned the words, and the inscrutable smoothness of his face when he had said them, over and over in my mind as I pulled my strappy thong and mostly-sheer pastel babydoll back over my body, quick as I could. For the first time that night, I wished I had chosen an outfit with just a touch more coverage. Had he recognized me? It could have been innocent, he could have just liked me and been asking for a private dance, but I was afraid I had seen something else behind his eyes.

So, I stalled. Another patron waved me over with a cry of “Hey, new girl!” and I plopped into his lap and chatted him up – at an angle where I could still keep an eye on Bobo. My hope that Desert Rose might catch his interest failed, as every time I looked up I found Mr. Del Rey continuing to stare at me. Every minute of delay made me more sure I was in deep shit; I highly doubted he would scowl this hard at any old girl that just wasn’t giving him the first turn.

He probably knew who I was. So why hadn’t he raised hell and had my ass thrown out as soon as he realized? What game was he trying to play, here?

There was only one way to find out.

With a polite little “let me know if you wanna get a dance later” for my new friend, I extricated myself from his lap and sauntered straight across the room to meet my fate.

Bobo looked peeved to be kept waiting. He sat at one of the high-top tables off to the side, one long leg splayed off the edge of his stool as leaned into his elbow and watched me come.

I’m sure my face looked guarded. Threat stiffens my back, makes me puff up to my full height and try to convey that I am not one to easily be fucked with. “Hey,” I said, bumping the back of my arm against Bobo’s table as I came to a stop before him, but making no move to initiate contact.

“Hey,” Bobo echoed, extending an arm to beckon me into his personal space. “Having a good time tonight?”

I ducked under his arm because it was expected, and his warm palm came to rest on the bare skin of my lower back. “Sure,” I shrugged, looking around the room because I figured I still ought not to let him get a good look at my face. I let the music take me, shimmying with my back against his front, and trying not to memorize his tobacco-and-campfire scent.

I felt his nose brush against my ear, his hands coming around to cover my stomach and hold me close against him. “You don’t belong here,” he murmured low, drawing out the words like they were something delicious to savor.

My heart skipped a beat but I still found a way to reply. “That obvious it’s my first day, huh? I’m trying to learn as fast as I can –”

Bobo cut through my excuses. “I know you. You work with the Earps.” One hand traveled up to the side of my face, pulling the hair off my cheek. “And now you’re here, of all the places a girl could get a job. This can’t just be a coincidence.”

I forced a breath out of my ballooning lungs. “Times are tough, man, and I heard strippers make great—"

“We could talk to Jonas, see if he thinks it’s a coincidence.”

I cut the shit. “Don’t.” My muscles locked, ceasing any pretense of dancing. “He’ll kill me.”

“Yeah, he probably will,” Bobo agreed. His hand wrapped around my hip. “But don’t worry yourself, Angel. Just keep dancing.”

I turned inside his arms, now that we were past disguises. “Why shouldn’t I worry? You keeping my secret, Bobo?” On to Plan B: keep the problem contained.

One notched eyebrow lifted. “Depends on what you’re here for, darlin’.”

“Nothing that involves you.”

Bobo took a long sip from his straw, chewing that over. “Can you guarantee that?”

I tossed my head. “You trying to be a part of this thing Jonas is cooking up?” I held his gaze as levelly as I could, pretending we already knew more about the revenants’ plans than we really did.

Bobo scoffed. “Hell no. I’ve got more important things to do.”

I shifted my weight, just a little bit distracted by the way the line of my body was brushing against his. “Then we’re good. No conflicts of interest here.”

Bobo tucked his arm around my waist more firmly, smiling down on me. “Then I can keep a secret, darlin’. So long as you can play nice.” He ran his palm down over my ass, but I was too nerve-wracked to enjoy it.

“Watch your hands,” I said, pulling away. “The guests don’t get to touch around here.”

Bobo’s face was smug. “Is that what you think.”

I reached for his near-empty glass, grasping at any excuse to walk away and clear my head. “Let me go refill your drink.”

My body slumped as I waited for the bartender. What exactly did Bobo mean by ‘play nice,’ and how far was I willing to go to keep this operation from tanking? This was getting way more complicated than we’d anticipated. Tonight was supposed to be the quiet night, the warm-up to establish my cover, that’s all. I didn’t need Bobo fucking with me on top of everything else.

And then Jonas came striding down from the other end of the bar at me, his scowl apparent even in the dim mood lighting. “What the fuck was that, Angel?”

I creased my brows in what I hoped was a cute pout. “What do you mean, boss?”

He motioned in Bobo’s direction. “He doesn’t look happy.”

I glanced over my shoulder. Bobo Del Rey was indeed glowering at me again. In a flash, I reviewed what our conversation must have looked like from the outside. My body language had not been very inviting. And Jonas already thought I wasn’t working hard enough. I tried going for the sympathy plea. “I had to walk away, he got handsy. I think you need to send Rodrick over there to remind him of the rules.”

Jonas didn’t even glance toward the bouncer. “Oh really.”

“Yeah,” I continued, though it didn’t look like I was swaying him. “Dude was being a real creep.”

He shook his head, face twisting. “Where do you think you are, princess?”

Damn. I had only pissed him off more. Bobo’s fresh drink landed at my elbow, and Jonas scooped it up with one hand while grabbing my upper arm with the other. “Come on.”

He practically towed me over to Bobo’s table, though I tried to walk with a little more dignity than that. Bobo’s eyebrows climbed, like he expected something really interesting to happen next.

I didn’t get a look at what Jonas’ face was doing, though there was an edge of tension in his voice when he spoke. “So you’ve met my newest girl, Angel.” He wiggled my arm for emphasis, and did not let it go. “Pretty, right? Nice set of tits on her. She doesn’t know how things work around here yet.” Jonas turned to me, eyes deadly serious. “This guy right here, he’s a very special customer. He gets anything he wants.” My stomach started to drop. “VIP.” He used his grip on my arm to thrust me closer to Bobo before releasing me. I stumbled a little, extra graceless because I turned to grab the table for balance rather than Bobo’s thigh. “You’re gonna treat him right tonight, aren’t you Angel?”

I swallowed the hot words that were already thick on my tongue. If I didn’t come off as compliant, a team player, then I doubted Jonas would let me near the important guys when the real shit started going down. If there was one thing I had to make him think I was tonight, it was revenant-friendly.

I settled into a silky smile, letting my spine sway. “Of course. Anything you say, boss.” And then, because Jonas was watching, I gave Bobo my brightest, most inviting grin as I pushed his spread knees out a little wider and settled myself between them.

“Good,” Jonas said, “show him what you can do.”

I rolled my ass against Bobo’s crotch. Table dances were a little tough in these tall pub chairs, but there were a few moves I could think of. I bent at the waist and put my hands on my knees, grinding my ass up, down, and side to side against Bobo’s jeans while I arched my back and tossed my hair. Jonas retreated back to the bar, but he watched me like a hawk. This performance was for more than just one.

I worked it good, in time to the heavy beat, but I kept the contact against Bobo’s body light. I wasn’t ready to know if I was making him hard. I felt his hand land on my lower back, felt it ooze up my spine, sliding under the sheer fabric of my halter top. Customers don’t get to touch, except Bobo does.

The song changed. I straightened and swiveled around between Bobo’s knees, daring to meet his eyes. Smug satisfaction and lust met me there in equal measure. The new song was slower; I rolled my body in half time as I stared down the enemy from just inches away.

Bobo raised his hand as if to touch my face, rings glittering in the flashing lights from the stage. I flinched, and he frowned, and I remembered Jonas was watching closely. I straightened up and let Bobo caress my cheek.

The boss was too far away to hear us talk, though. And speaking to Bobo like I wasn’t afraid of him helped me keep my nerve up. “I thought you said you weren’t working with him.”

Bobo smiled at me like I was cute. “I don’t have any deals with him, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want a deal with me.” His fingertips traced down my jaw, heading along the side of my neck. “The perks of being the baddest thing out of hell around these parts. He kisses my ass.” He leaned in closer, curling those long fingers behind my ear. “And that means you have to, too, if you want to keep this job in time for whatever fool plan you all are cooking up here.”

My breath slipped out of me, with a quiet little noise that Bobo’s ear may or may not have been close enough to hear. Being presented up just about on a literal platter here for Mr. Del Rey, it had my unfortunate crush bubbling up full force, making my legs weak as they struggled to balance around the tingling between them.

I could handle this. And I could even enjoy doing it, and show Jonas just how good I can treat his VIPs. Earn myself a place right on the lap of one of tomorrow’s revenants, or maybe even Jonas himself, as they had their little meet-up and spilled all the beans about their plan. All I had to do was live out one of my wilder fantasies, and give Bobo a really fuckin’ good dance right here.

Bobo’s fingers left the back of my neck, coming to idly play with his beard as he looked down the line of my body. Taking the hint, I thrust out my chest and undulated more widely to the beat. I let my hands run up my ribcage, tossing my head and arching my back so that Jonas had a good angle too, so he could see what a good sport I was being.

Bobo bit his lip as my hands covered my tits. I played with myself a little for him, made sure my nipples poked hard and strong through the thin fabric that barely covered them. His hands came to my hips, grasping like he was trying to keep control and inching me closer to him. “Jonas was right,” he rasped, “you’ve got some of the nicest tits I’ve ever seen.”

I mimicked what I had seen some of the other girls doing out at the tables, pulling the fabric of my top to the sides and letting my nipples pop out the top of my costume. I didn’t think we were supposed to be taking things off out on the floor, but technically all my clothes were still on.

Bobo groaned and leaned closer, and I ran my cheek against the shaved side of his skull. “You make a man wanna lose all control,” he growled, “and do some unseemly things to you.”

The lust was spiraling fast. I would have been much more afraid if we weren’t in the middle of the slowly-filling club, if my boss weren’t right there watching us. Because my desire was answering Bobo’s and I wasn’t sure how much control I was going to be maintaining either.

Bobo pulled back with a noticeable swallow, lidded eyes still fixed on the rhythmic motion of my body as I continued to follow the song. “What’s the plan here, anyway?” he asked. I got the notion that he was trying to clear his head too. “You a spy, 'Angel,’ just keeping an eye on Jonas and his gang?” A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he met my eyes. “Or is this the beginning of some kind of undercover sting operation. Maybe you’ve got some guns stashed somewhere,” he tried to look down my back, “so you can cover Wynonna in a hail of bullets from the stage later? Now that would be something to see.”

I dropped and rolled my body low for a beat, then came back up with a teasing little grin. “I’m not one to kiss and tell,” I quipped.

“Oh, you wanna give me a kiss?” Bobo let his lips part, gazing down at mine.

I put both hands on his shoulders, leaning in slowly. I ghosted my lips just above his cheekbone, close enough for him to feel my breath. “Against the rules,” I whispered in his ear.

“But whose rules are you following,” he whispered back, tempting me with a grip stretched wide around my ribs, both thumbs sliding up to tickle the bottoms of my breasts.

Fuck. I could pretend my panting breaths were solely the fault of the physical exertion of dancing, but that would be a bold-faced lie. The adrenaline and lust were mixing together in a cocktail more intoxicating than any alcohol, and I found myself wishing that we were somewhere more private, where Bobo and I could do more than just tease each other.

I failed to notice Jonas walking over, hypnotized as I was by the sensation of Bobo’s fingertips swirling over my nipples. “What do you think, Bobo, you like her?” the boss asked, smirking at the adorned hands that had just started palming both my breasts.

“She’s all right,” Bobo said. He dropped his hands to my hips and looked over at Jonas like he was interrupting.

Jonas wasn’t stupid. Reading the situation, he knew what play it was to his advantage to make next. He ran his hand over my shoulders, possessively. “I’ve got a good feeling about Angel, here. She’s gonna make me a lot of money. Once she learns how to work a little harder.” His hand came to the back of my neck and he turned my face up to meet his. “Why don’t you take Mr. Del Rey here back to the Champagne Room. Thirty minutes.” He turned back to Bobo. “On the house, of course.” They exchanged smiles. “Then come talk to me, we’ll see how you feel about my business after that.”

So now I was a bargaining chip. Bobo nodded to Jonas, not giving him much to read in his face after that final comment.

Jonas drew me back and pointed me toward the hallway leading to the “private” booths. Here at Pussy Willows, the Champagne Room was past all those, a truly private area with a door that closed and its own wet bar and tiny stage.

I guess I was getting my wish. I tried not to shiver as I put on a bright smile for Jonas’ benefit and reached out for Bobo’s hand. “Right this way, darlin’.”

Jonas grabbed my arm before I passed him up, leaning down to growl into my ear. “And since you seem so concerned about the rules, Angel: you let him touch you everywhere. And you do whatever he asks you to. He ain’t no cop. And I need you to make him feel like a king.”

Part Two Here

Taglist: @allsharingonebreath, @demoncrypt1066, @writingfromasgard, @that-was-not-supposed-to-happen, @peachieowl @savismith @ceridwenofwales @equalstrashflavoredtrash @ivarinleatherpants @fandomfic-galore

#bobo del rey #bobo del rey imagine #bobo smut #wynonna earp fanfiction #wynonna earp fic

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janellion · 4 years ago

Text

You are my favorite place to go

pairing: daichi sawamura x f!reader (intended as f!reader but can be read as gn!reader)

genre: fluff (best friends to lovers, mutual pining)

summary: in which a tough night leads to one of the best days of your life

wc: ~3.7k

written for @megalodon-writes ♡ you really inspired me with your thoughts on a dream day with daichi & i wanted to bring that to life. i’ve never written anything like this before, but i hope that you enjoy this & that it brightens your day a bit 🥰

songs i recommend listening to while reading: 🌙 I’m with you — vance joy | ☀️ favorite place to go — layup | ✨ soft glow — taletta | 💫 homemade holiday — babygirl

The day starts off with your phone buzzing itself off the edge of the bedside table 🌙

You groan as you reach over to grab it off the floor, only to flip it over and have the bright screen shock your still-adjusting eyes. When they do adjust, you see 10 messages from your best friend, Daichi, screaming at you in all caps

GET UP AND GET READY CAUSE I’M TAKING YOU OUT TODAY, I’LL BE THERE IN 15 MINUTES

Late last night you had messaged him about how tough your day at work was, but Daichi being the responsible person he is, had gone to sleep at 10:30pm and had not seen your messages until this morning

When he did wake up, only to be greeted by these texts from you. he was ready and determined to take your mind off the tough and disappointing events of the previous day with a whole day dedicated to spending time with you, doing your favorite things

15 minutes on the dot after his text, you hear the rumble of Daichi’s old truck pulling up through your window. You peek your head out, only able to see his hands on the steering wheel through the windshield. You watch as they clench tightly before putting the truck in park, turning it off, and disappearing as he opens the door and gets out.

As daichi walks up the familiar path to your front door, he sees your head peeking out of the window and his face immediately lights up, his arm already raised in a wave.

“Well, let’s get going! We’ve got a lot to do today!” he calls as he jogs up to your front door.

You race down the stairs, running to open it before he has a chance to knock.

“Hah! Beat you” you say, a smile tugging at your lips as you open the door to see his arm raised with his fist poised to knock.

He chuckles sheepishly and brings his raised hand to the back of his neck, rubbing it as a subtle blush paints its way across his cheeks. He looks down to try and hide it, but you’re too busy turning around and locking the door to notice, before jogging down to his truck and climbing into the passenger seat like you’ve done it a million times before which you have

Daichi smiles at you fondly from the front step before walking around and climbing into the driver’s seat. He turns to look at you, with a smile that lights up his eyes and makes them shine.

“Guess where we’re going?,” he says through that smile, one that you’ve come to know so well, but still manages to send your heart racing.

You feel a smile start to creep onto your face, despite the previous day’s troubles that had been weighing on you, and your attempts to seem nonchalant about being swept away for an entire day with the man across from you.

“The ice cream place?” you ask, your eyebrows raised in question

“Nope,” he says as he grins, starting the truck and pulling into the street

“The park?”

“Nope”

You smile, and just because you know it’ll get a laugh out of him, “Hmm, the office supply store?”

This question has the desired response, as Daichi laughs and moves to set his arm on the back of the seat, before looking over at you.

He smiles again, his eyes shining before he says, “Yup! We are going to get you some new type 2 pencils and ballpoint pens,” laughing warmly before he even finishes the sentence

He pulls his arm back and goes to select a song, turning the volume up before his arm returns to the steering wheel

With that, you turn to look out the window, taking in the scenery outside as it rushes by. The sun shines high in the sky, brightening everything it touches, and as you take in the scenery, the music, and the presence of the man at your side, you feel content, like there’s nowhere else you’d rather be

You don’t know how much time has passed, before you jolt yourself back and realize you never determined where you were going. You turn to Daichi and ask him as such, to which he responds with a warm chuckle

“We’re almost there, just wait and see”

With that, you turn back towards the front of the vehicle and start to look more closely at where you are. When you start to realize, you turn to Daichi, your hands going to grip his forearm with excitement

“Daichi, are you serious? Are we—“

Before you can finish your sentence, daichi pulls into the parking lot of the aquarium, and turns to you with the biggest grin on his face

“Surprise!” he exclaims, as he looks over at you, your eyes wide with excitement and mouth stretched into a smile as you take in where you are. He bites the inside of his cheek to keep his smile from growing any wider, instead gesturing to the front of the building with a sweep of his hand

“Well, let’s head in!,” he laughs affectionately as he watches you scramble out of the truck, your excitement pulling you forward before you realize that Daichi is lagging a few steps behind you

You sigh in exaggerated frustration before backtracking, grabbing his hand, and pulling him forward with you, almost jogging into the building. With you looking forward, you fail to see Daichi’s blush, starting at his cheeks and spreading to his ears and his neck, as he looks at your hand in his

When you push through the front doors of the aquarium entrance, it takes your eyes a moment to adjust before you are greeted by the huge glass wall featured in the lobby of the aquarium, showing all sorts of fish and aquatic life swimming around

You think you see a giant pacific octopus perched lazily on one of the rock formations, and are just about to tug on Daichi’s arm to point it out to him before you realize he’s not standing beside you. You look around for a moment before you find him, smiling kindly at the ticket clerk as he pays for your tickets

You feel a bit of heat color your cheeks with a rosy blush at the idea of him really taking you out today. Although you had been close, arguably best friends, for years, you had always been fair about paying for your own tickets, meals, and other events

This, however, was something new. Not unwelcome at all, but new

Shaking this thought from your head, you turn to him, about to offer to pay for your ticket, before he holds his hand up to stop you

“Look, it’s my pleasure, it was my idea, and I want to take you out. Let me?” He smiles, before dropping his hand and gesturing towards the floor to ceiling glass wall in front of you

“Okay I know you want to, tell me everything about everything,” daichi says, his voice fond as he glances over at you, the shine in your eyes and the smile on your face betraying your excitement

You smile and nod enthusiastically, before spilling into an explanation about the different species of fish and aquatic life that occupy the environment in front of you, throwing in ocean and fish related puns between your wealth of knowledge

The entire time, Daichi watches you, the way you gesture with your hands when you’re talking about a species or fact you’re particularly passionate about, or the way your eyes light up as you point towards a fish you want to tell him about — and he knew his heart had never felt as full or as much someone else’s as that moment ☀️

He wasn’t left much time to dwell on this particular thought before he was wrenched back into reality by your hand tugging on his shirt, as you looked at him impatiently

“Daichi, come on! We have a lot more to see!”

The rest of the morning consisted of you dragging Daichi to various different exhibits, starting with the tide pools. There, you spent the better part of an hour telling him about all the different anemones and tide pool life, and laughing as he rolled his sleeves up and hesitantly dipped his finger in to touch one

He squealed jumped and pulled his hand back as he felt the anemone attach to his finger, looking at you in surprise

“What was that?!” He exclaimed, eyes wide and hand clutched to his chest, cradled gently in his other palm

You laugh as you explain, “that’s how they get their food! It swims by and sticks to them and they uh, eat it!”

He looks at you in shock, as though you had personally led him to his death via anemone. You laugh at his bewildered expression and grab his hand, pulling it up to your face to inspect it. You make a show of rubbing your chin before looking him in the eye with a completely straight face.

“It was a close one, but I think you’ll live,” you say, trying to keep your voice serious, but the teasing tone and smile tugging at your lips are unmistakable

He pulls his hand back, rubbing at the back of his head, as he tries to hide the blush developing on his cheeks at having your hands so gently holding his

Before he can say anything, you take off for the rest of the exhibits, the seals, sea otters, river otters, and tropical fish, with Daichi following after you, watching with a faint smile on his face. He eagerly asks you questions and is so excited and happy (also very impressed) about all the ocean facts that you have stored up.

You visit all the exhibits in the aquarium before finishing up in the gift shop. You browse some of the books on marine and aquatic life, as well as some of the toys, before turning to see Daichi approaching you, his hand stuffing something into his front pocket

“Find anything you like?” He asks, gesturing to the stuffed octopus that doubles as a hat in your hands

You smile and put it on for him, “How do i look?” you say, trying to make a goofy face

Daichi just smiles and looks at you, eyes full and trying to communicate something you can’t quite identify. He opens his mouth, about to say “You’d look amazing in anything, even that” before he bites his lip and says instead, “That poor octopus, what did it do to you?”

You gasp in mock offense before tossing the octopus back in the pile and walking out of the shop, a smile tugging at your lips

As you get back in the truck, you turn to him, face still slightly flushed from excitement and a smile painted across your face.

“Thank you so much for taking me out today, that was so much fun,” you say, turning to face daichi as you buckle yourself in, already feeling much better than you did a few hours ago

He turns to you, raising an eyebrow as he grins mischievously, “Oh we’re not done yet” he says, as he puts his arm behind your seat to back out of the spot

You look at him in surprise, mouth falling open slightly. “What do you mean? What else is there to do?”

He returns his hand to the wheel, before turning to you and smiling. “Since you guessed so poorly last time I guess I’ll just have to tell you”

You roll your eyes at that, giving him a light punch in the arm “Just tell me, Daichi, c’mon”

He grins, and pulls onto the road, “We’re going to the amusement park”

Just as you’re about to respond, he guns the truck because he knows this will make you grab onto his arm and gasp. Slowing down a few minutes later, he turns to you laughing, and you start to feel laughter bubbling up in your chest

Before you know it, the two of you are laughing together, tears welling in your eyes as you look at the man next to you, his eyes bright and shining as they look in your direction with that same feeling you still can’t quite identify

As you calm down, you smile at him and say “Alright, I hope you’re ready to get some popcorn and go on every ride they have”

He laughs, his hand coming to rest on the seat between you resisting the urge to reach over and put his hand on your thigh as he grins in your direction

“I wouldn’t have it any other way” ✨

Before long, you’re pulling into the amusement park parking lot and Daichi is turning the truck off. You hop out of the truck and close the door behind you, before moving to stand next to Daichi in front of the truck

You both take in the environment before you, the large arching metal rides, the faint sound of excited screaming, and the smell of popcorn and cotton candy, before turning to each other and grinning

“Last one to the entrance buys the popcorn!” You yell over your shoulder as you take off in the direction of the sounds and smells

With your back turned, you miss the warm look on his face as he takes in your hair flowing behind you as you run and the sound of your laughter as you get further away

It takes him a moment before he realizes that he’s supposed to be racing you too distracted by how the light hits your hair and the feelings threatening to break out of his chest, into his throat, and out his mouth and he takes off running after you as fast as he can

You beat Daichi to the entrance, laughing as you see him run to your side. For a brief moment you wonder why it took him so long to get there when you know how fast he is daichi!thighs! but you shake the thought from your head as you watch him walk toward the ticket booth

You’re moving to pull your wallet out before he turns to look at you, points his finger, and with a stern look that doesn’t reach his eyes says, “Don’t even think about it”

Your cheeks starting to warm but that’s just from the heat and the excitement of running, right? before you shrug. “If you want to blow your money on me, that’s fine,” you say as you grin

He laughs, taking both of the tickets, and walking forward into the amusement park. You follow behind him, taking in the rumble of the rides above your heads, the laughter and shrieks of the fellow patrons, and the smell of popcorn now that you’re really there

You spend the rest of the day going on every ride in the amusement park, adrenaline high fueling the laughter that bubbles up in your chest whenever you look at Daichi in the seat next to you and see him laughing with a carefree smile on his face

As the sun begins to set, you settle on one of the benches as Daichi goes off to buy some popcorn, but not before you tease him thoroughly for losing your earlier race. He takes the teasing like a champ, sheepish smile on his face, warm look in his eyes, and hand rubbing the back of his neck as he looks down to hide the blush creeping up his face

He uses getting the popcorn as an excuse to get a breather, because if he kept looking at you, hair windswept, cheeks red and bright from the rides, and wide smile on your face from the excitement and adrenaline of the afternoon, those words and feelings that threatened to burst from his chest and out his mouth may actually be successful

And today was about making you feel better, not about making his undeniable feelings for you known

As he returns with your popcorn, he hands it to you, your fingers brushing against his for a brief moment before he settles on the bench next to you. You look up at the sky as Daichi checks his watch

“It’s 8:00” he says, looking over at you with a soft smile

You freeze, your hand midway to your mouth with a piece of popcorn “Already?!,” you ask in surprise, looking over at him

Daichi chuckles, feeling a blush creep onto his cheeks as he takes in the site in front of him. He turns to look up at the sky, dusk settling as the sun moves down the horizon, blanketing the sky in a dark blue, before he stands up, brushes his hands on the fronts of his pants, and offers you a hand

You take it briefly, trying to ignore the warmth and strength of his hand as he helps you up, before standing and throwing your popcorn container into a nearby trashcan

The walk back to the truck is quiet as you both reflect on the events of the day and any feelings you may or may not be stifling down. As you climb into the truck, you sigh contentedly, a small smile on your lips. You look over at Daichi, who has just gotten into the truck, and can’t help the softness in your voice at your next words

“Daichi,” you pause as he turns to look at you with brown eyes full of feeling, eyes turned up in the corners and shining as he gives you a fond smile, “thank you so much for today. You are such an amazing friend and I am so thankful to have you in my life. You really helped me feel better about everything”

It’s not exactly how you feel, but it’s as close to it as you can get for the moment

He shakes his head, closing his eyes and breaking eye contact as he rubs the back of his neck. There’s a brief pause before he looks up at you, “It’s my pleasure, really” he says warmly, before turning the truck on and pulling out of the parking lot 💫

He rolls down the windows and turns the radio on, and you both watch as the sun sinks behind the horizon, painting the world in inky blackness, save for the fading lights of the amusement park behind you and the twinkling stars in the sky

You expect to have a quiet drive back to your house, before you notice that Daichi is driving in the wrong direction. You look over at him expectantly and he seems to sense your eyes on him, as he looks over at you with a warm smile on his face.

“Our day’s not over yet,” he says, eyes flitting back to the road, though the smile and flush creeping onto his cheeks remain

With that, he pulls off to the side of the road and shuts the truck off. You look around, noticing that you’re in the middle of nowhere. You turn to Daichi with your eyebrow raise.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were about to murder me or something,” you tease as you grin at him

You stick your head out the window, feeling the fresh night air on your skin and taking in the open sky in front and above you, before turning back to him

“But seriously, what are we doing here?”

He just chuckles and gets out of the truck, moving to the back and gesturing through the window for you to follow him. You walk around to the back, meeting him and quirking your eyebrow. He gestures to the back of the truck where you see blankets and pillows laid out in the bed

Daichi looks at you, eyes full in that way you’ve been noticing more and more as the day has gone on. He smiles and holds his hand out to help you climb up

“I thought we could end the night stargazing,” he says, voice soft and gentle, the only sound filling the quiet space between you

You take his hand, failing to ignore the warmth it seems to radiate and the increase in your heart rate, as you climb up into the back of the truck. You lay down and get comfortable, briefly wondering how you didn’t notice all of this set up back here, before you feel Daichi settle in beside you, your arms pressing against each other from wrist to shoulder

You feel the warmth of his skin and can’t help but smile, heat coloring your cheeks. Next to you, Daichi shifts so that he’s facing you, his brown eyes open and honest and full of what you’re just now realizing is love

“I know that you had a tough day yesterday so I didn’t want to make today about me at all but” he pauses for a moment, eyes searching your face, continuing after you give him a slight nod, “I need to be selfish for a minute because I need you to know that while all of this originally started as me wanting to support you and take your mind off things, it really turned into me—“ he pauses, takes a deep breath, and looks into your eyes before continuing, “realizing how I feel about you. I want to be the person that you talk to about your crappy day, that you tell ocean facts and puns to, that gets to go on every ride with you and would probably puke if it didn’t mean cutting their time with you short”

He grabs your hand in his and brings it up to his lips, searching your eyes for any sense of hesitation. Finding none, he closes his eyes briefly and presses a gentle kiss to your knuckles before continuing

“I don’t think you have any idea what you do to me,” he says softly, chuckling as he looks back up at you, finally letting all of those feelings burst out of his chest and shine through in his eyes. “I want every day to be like today,” he says, squeezing your hand and letting it rest on the space between you

You look at him, blush coloring your cheeks, smile growing on your face as you squeeze his hand in yours.

“I’d like that too,” you say, your eyes shining and full of love, showing him that you feel the same way

You both grin at each other, before turning onto your backs, Daichi pulling you to his chest as you both look up at the stars and talk into the night, the first of many like it.

a/n: i forgot to include this but Daichi bought a keychain at the aquarium to commemorate your day together. He starts using it the next day and never stops

thank you so so much for taking the time to read this! i love you all 🥰

notes: i’m open to taking requests but can’t guarantee that all will be fulfilled

also, i based the aquarium off the seattle aquarium! The big glass wall is a real thing — it’s like a giant window into the puget sound that they have in the lobby. fun fact: my senior prom was held there

100 notes · View notes

staytheb · 5 years ago

Text

Errands

Pairing: SF9′s Youngbin x OC [Seul] Genre: slice of life, slight fluff Word Count: 4,925 Summary: Seul runs errands believing she’ll get a job, but finds out that she’s doing them for her friend that was supposed to do them. Still though, a job may still be in the talks after she finishes the errands earlier than expected. part two: Acting Secretary (somewhat)

Warning: none, swear words lol

so... this is new, but not really. i had wrote this with another idol in mind like a year or so back. i changed it with Youngbin instead and gave my sister what she wanted. lol anyways, this was supposed to be like an idea for a chapter fic, but i don’t have any interest in doing that and why this story is the way that it is. i may or may not actually make a chapter story, but shall see in the future. i just didn’t want this written thing to be left hidden and forgotten. other than that, happy reading and kthxbai, Admin Lia~

After dropping Yeon at her new work place, Seul dropped off her three year old daughter, Jangmi, with her usual babysitter, Yuna. Yuna was also a good friend of the sisters as well as a fellow mother. Seul could always depend on her for help, especially on such short notice.

"Thanks for watching Jangmi, Yuna." Seul thanked the older woman.

"No problem, Seul. Besides, the boys just love Jangmi like their own sister." Yuna commented as she watched her oldest son leading Jangmi in a random game.

"Yeah, Wonjin’s a great older brother and Jangmi just loves baby Jiho, too."

"Oh, I know. She loves cooing at him. Anyways, how's the job hunting going?"

"Um, okay? Just a bit rough."

"It's because of Seokwon, huh?"

Seokwon was Seul's ex-boyfriend and the father of her daughter. The separation was a bit messy and quite complicated, but Seul eventually pulled through. It was Seokwon who was having a fit about it and obstructing her life. He would contact other companies to prevent Seul from working with them when he found out she was working under whatever company she would have applied to. It was so that she would be force to return to work for him again and Seul wasn't having any of that. She would never let that man control her life and happiness ever again. Even if it meant having to constantly look for employment every few weeks or months.

"If I was still working I would have gotten you through and or pull some strings. I mean I could still ask Kyungtae if you wanna work for his company?"

"Nah, it's all good. Besides, I don't think I could ever work for Kyungtae with how he manages."

"I know. I don't blame you."

"Yeah, but luckily, Yeon is doing well and she hasn't messaged me yet."

"Yeah, I never pictured her as an office lady."

"Me either and neither did she."

Seul let out a sigh remembering what she had told herself to do today.

"Alright, Yuna, I gotta go, but do let me know about Jangmi if she gets too much."

Yuna cast her an understanding smile while patting her back.

"No worries, Seul. Get yourself a job first and just leave Jangmi to me in the mean time."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, hon."

~~~~~~~~~

Seul had gotten back on the road when her phone rang. It wasn't her sister or friend, but another friend who was a male. She answered through the bluetooth.

"Aren't you supposed to be working, Dawon?" Seul asked the caller as the male chuckled. "I am, Seul."

"Uh huh. Right."

"Yeah, yeah, but back to the subject of working, that's why I'm calling you."

"What do you want? I'm out driving looking for job openings that isn't related to my ex."

"I've heard and know that it's been impossible since he has such huge connections."

"Unfortunately."

"Anyways, that's why I have a proposition for you which for now involves you driving, but not looking further for a job."

"You couldn't just say that you know of an opening for me to apply for?"

"That's no fun. Anyways, the first thing I need you to do is go to Banana Boutique and the rest I'll send you in a text in a minute."

"Okay. That's it? Does this job pay well because I really do need the money as soon as possible."

"It does, but you'll get a fat bonus if you can complete everything on the list I've sent you."

"How much of a bonus are we talking about here?"

"Three times than I would make in a two weeks."

"Dang. That's more than what I would make if I worked with Seokwon again."

"Yeah, but it's better because you won't have to work with Seokwon again."

"Shoot. I'm in, but why so much?"

"Boss' orders and he won't tell me."

"Okay then. I'm down"

"There is a catch."

"Which is?"

"You'll need to be back before twelve-forty-five though for anything to count to get the job."

Seul glanced at the time on her dashboard and rolled her eyes.

"Which is like less than four hours. That's a lot of time."

"It may seem like so, but it's not."

"Then is it even worth it?"

"I know you can do it! Seul, I swear. It's worth it."

"Yeah, yeah, fine. See you soon, Dawon."

"See you soon and good luck!"

"Thanks and bye."

Seul ended the call with a chuckle as she signaled left to head on over to Banana Boutique. While waiting at the light she received Dawon's detailed message and was confused by the name, Youngbin Kim, and the credit card information that appeared in the beginning of the text. She learned that it would be the person she would be running errands for and his account information to make all of the purchases through before scrolling down to see a weird to-do list.

"Go to Banana Boutique. Buy a business casual outfit along with heels and accessories." Seul read aloud with a raised eyebrow. "Afterwards go to Tangerine Beauty Salon. Get hair and makeup done."

Seul scoffed at the list and wondered if this was even work related, but she trusted Dawon on this despite his playful personality. So she was gonna go with it for now as she really did need the money and that Yeon couldn't be the only one working. Seul scanned the rest of the long list and realized that it was all over the place. If she went based on how it was written then it would have her be driving all across town and even backtracking which would make her waste more time and gas. Quickly, Seul scanned her surrounding to pull off to the side and park for a while.

~~~~~~~~~

After finding a parking spot to rest for a bit, Seul copied the list that Dawon had sent her and put it into her notes. While re-reading everything she rearranged the list so that it would have a better flow for her to complete everything on it without wasting time or backtracking and to even get that triple bonus easily. It also meant that she wouldn't go to Banana Boutique or Tangerine Beauty Salon until nearly the end of the to-do list. To which she didn't mind at all as it would make her look fresh and put together. She finished the new to-do list within ten minutes while getting back on the road again.

The first place that Seul had gone to after the new arrangement was to a dry cleaners where she only had to wait for two minutes. Then she went next door to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription that was already ready for pick-up. After that Seul drove down a few streets to the home improvement store to pick up some paint and home decor that this Mr. Kim wanted. Seul also realized after finishing three errands off the list of twenty-something she had no trouble in stating his card information without the actual plastic card being present in front of these businesses. She wondered how often this guy came that it went this easy.

Seul dismissed the idea and continued to the next item on the list. She drove for awhile before she found the place she was looking for. It was a toy store and besides purchasing the several items that this Young person wanted, she had also purchased three stuffed animals for her daughter and sister. As for Youngbin's belongings several of them she could pick up and take with her like some of the sports balls and smaller items while the rest of the things were to be shipped out as they were either too big to fit in her vehicle or weren't in stock at the store itself.

~~~~~~~~~

Seul let out a tired sigh upon placing the two small bags from a jeweler's shop she had just visited inside her car. She was happy that she had a vehicle to accommodate all the things she was stashing into her car for this supposed job. If not, she would have declined Dawon's proposition for it. She just wondered what kind of person this Youngbin Kim was as she couldn't help but imagined the guy upon doing his errands. He either seemed too lazy to pick up his stuff or the fact that he was super busy and had no time for minor inconveniences.

Then again, someone that purchased toys couldn't be all that bad either. Maybe he had a child and a wife, but work was constantly demanding that it didn't leave him time to do such small errands. Or he could just be showering his loved ones with material things to make up for his lack of presence. Who knows what it could be as it could seriously be anything. It really gave her some insight, but then again she knew that she couldn't just based everything off of some list. Seul usually knew the person a bit better once she actually met them, but for now she would just let it be.

Anyways, Seul started her car and drove to the nearest grocery store so she can buy this Youngbin person some groceries before having to go to another location and buy some house cleaning supplies as well for his home. After this errand she would have two more stops to complete and she would be good on time and closer to a job. The second to last stop would be taking a majority of all the items to this apartment complex before heading to Dawon's work place with the other things on the list to be given to his boss. Of course before heading to the work place she would have to stop by some restaurant to pick up the boss' lunch.

Still, Seul was seriously confused as this seem more like a personal errand run that the person himself could do it, but she was doing it instead for a job opening. Nevertheless, Seul reminded herself that it was for the bonus and that she badly needed the job as soon as possible. Then again, she was wondering if others were doing this just as she was and it would be pointless since it meant that this Youngbin Kim person was getting things done more than once and spending a lot more than needed. Seul shook the thoughts away as it didn't matter to her since it wasn't her money or items that she'll be dealing with.

Anyways, once she got done grocery shopping she headed towards Water Apartments which to be honest was a high-end luxury apartment complex building that she for sure wouldn't be able to afford in her entire life. Even less of knowing someone personally who actually lived here. Anyhow, just like using this guy's name and his information to do the errands, Seul was instantly assisted in having the items transported easily to the guy's apartment by a few of the staff members after she informed them where she had to take them.

Seul herself took care of putting away the groceries and cleaning supplies. Upon seeing the apartment, Seul knew for sure that this Youngbin Kim guy was indeed a bachelor and had no significant other whatsoever. She wondered if Dawon's boss even lived here as there was practically no food in the fridge or the cabinets. Neither were there any picture frames or personal touches to the overall place when she had put away the bagged clothing and the prescription when she entered the main bedroom to lay them on the bed. It seemed like it was in a presentation mode to be shown to potential buyers for the place. Then again, Seul assumed the guy must be a minimalist or could have just recently moved in hence the to-do list and a family must be on the way to add those touches.

Shaking the thoughts away and getting back to focus, Seul resumed putting the things away. Once everything was settled, Seul took photos of the places where the items were now settled as it was required of her to do so since it proved that she actually completed the errands and sent the images to Dawon. Seul returned to her car and went to the post office to drop off some of the packages she had done earlier before heading back towards Dawon's workplace to finish out the rest of the list. She felt proud as she had shaved off basically an hour. Everything felt like it would be smooth sailing from here on out.

~~~~~~~~~

After quickly purchasing a basic yet cute outfit from Banana Boutique with minimal accessories to complement and visiting Tangerine Beauty Salon to style the way she preferred to look, Seul arrived at Hot Potato to pick up Youngbin's meal along with her own with less than an hour to spare. Luckily she had called in earlier to make an order so that when she arrived she just had to do a pick up. So when she entered the restaurant she was checked out by her cousin upon walking up to the counter for pick-ups.

"Oh ho ho. You're looking good." Kwangjin complimented. "A hot date? A new candidate father figure for Jangmi?"

Seul rolled her eyes.

"No, Kwangjin. It's for a job. Anyways, I have a group pick-up order."

"Oh, so it was for you."

"Mmhmm."

"Okay. I'll be right back."

Kwangjin momentarily left to fetch Seul's order before returning shortly with four bags in hand along with three drinks.

"So who's the other order for if not you or Yeon?" Kwangjin asked while setting the items on the counter.

"My future boss. I'm picking up something for his lunch today, too."

Seul held her phone out for Kwangjin to read.

"Anyways, the buldak with both the rice cake and steamed egg is for my future boss. The rest is mine which I'll pay separately."

Kwangjin was inputting Young's card info before recognizing it soon afterwards.

"Your future boss is Youngbin Kim?"

"Possibly. Why?"

"Oh, well, he's a friend of mine. I could put in a good word for you like I did for Yeon."

"Yeah you should've done that in the first place like you did with Yeon."

Kwangin chuckled as he recalled that situation.

"I'm pretty sure she still wishes to be working here though."

"True, but she can't stand working with you though."

"Not my fault I'm here everyday."

"True, but you keep messing with her schedules and that's why she didn't want to work here again."

"Haha, yeah, that's right. Anyways, Youngbin didn't have any job offerings so that's why I didn't say anything. Also you don't want to work here either."

"Oh okay, and yeah true about working here. Although it isn't bad or anything."

"Because you just don't want me as your boss and me messing up your schedule."

"That too, but are you done inputting the info yet?"

"I am, but why not make him pay for it all?"

"Because I'm not like that."

"Yeah, I know, but here."

Kwangjin handed his cousin the receipt for Youngbin's meal and rejected Seul's card.

"Yours is on the house."

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

Kwangjin cast her a smug look while handing the bags over to her along with the three drinks he knew were her and Yeon's favorite.

"I didn't order any drinks." Seul declared with a confused expression.

"I know. It's on me, too. Enjoy and good luck in getting the job."

"Thanks and you better not be calling him to get me in without my own merit."

"I would never do that."

"Mmhmm. Bye."

"Later."

Seul took her things and waved him off while taking a sip of her Green Tea Latte of the three drinks that her cousin gave her.

~~~~~~~~~

When Seul arrived to Dawon's workplace, her eyebrows furrowed upon recognizing the streets and the buildings before heading towards the underground parking lot she had dropped off her sister earlier today.

"Does Dawon work here, too?" She mumbled as she found a parking space not that far from the elevators. "Maybe I could give Yeon her meal while I'm at it."

She had messaged Dawon earlier that she was almost done, but didn't let him know she was here while making sure her appearance was presentable. She did send her sister a message about having her lunch and to let her know where to meet up. As for Dawon he had already messaged her about what to do at the front desk and where to go from there so she figured she could surprise him. Seul got out of her car and opened the truck of the vehicle. She pulled out her blue collapsible wagon and unfolded it for usage while setting it on the concrete floor. This was a nifty item when going to places with Jangmi.

Seul placed the food and the items that Youngbin had wanted inside the wagon. Like the documents he had left at his apartment along with two succulents of nine he wanted to be at the office for some reason. As well as some other things like books, caps, and a Janggi set. She even placed her drinks in the pockets on the outside of the compartment before shutting and locking up her car. Seul placed her other bag over her shoulders while heading to the elevator.

Seul arrived on the seventh floor of the B building after checking in with a Park Haeyoon at the receptionist desk and obtaining her visitor's pass. She arrived on the floor and pulled her little wagon behind her in search of Dawon as he didn't appear like he said he would. She was given curious looks by the workers on the floor and knew it was because of the wagon, but no one questioned her about it. Seul was gonna ask one of the staff if they knew where Dawon was, but came upon a familiar face instead.

"Inseong?"

Inseong met Seul's gaze as it lit up with recognition.

"Seul! Wow, what are you doing here?"

He enveloped her into a friendly hugged before noticing her wagon. He gave her a knowing look once he pulled away.

"Did Dawon tell you there was a possible job opening and that you had to do all of these errands for our boss because he'll pay like triple the amount?"

"Um, yeah, how'd you know?"

"Because Dawon was supposed to be the one to do that. Not you."

"Excuse me?"

Inseong held back a laugh upon knowing how his friend was going to react while also taking a few steps back just in case Seul got violent.

"You're joking, right?" Seul asked with a not amused expression. "Because I didn't just waste my time to do his job for him for nothing, Inseong."

She then motioned at her whole attire.

"I also didn't spend money to get new clothes, my hair, and makeup done either."

"I know, Seul, I know, but..."

"Just lead me to his ass and don't worry, I won't cause a scene. I'm not like that."

Inseong chuckled at his friend's words before leading them both to Dawon's work desk.

~~~~~~~~~

"Don't worry, sir. Everything will be done before the allotted time." Dawon spoke into the phone when Seul and Inseong arrived in front of his desk.

Dawon's back was turned away from them and wasn't aware he had visitors. It wasn't until he turned around like he wasn't at work, but at home in mid-conversation that he took notice of his friends.

"Oh, hey." Dawon said in a slow manner as his eyes glance from Inseong to Seul and back and forth totally forgetting that he was supposed to be on the phone with his boss and discussing important matters.

"I'll leave it between the two of you." Inseong said with a playful tone while patting Seul's back in a fair warning to be calm as possible.

"So... uh, Seul," Dawon began nervously while unconsciously placing the phone on his desk and not back into its proper place, "How's your day going?"

"Pretty well until I learned the truth about you using me to do your boss' errands for you."

Her dark eyes bore into his as Dawon's averted his gaze to something behind her and looked down. He noticed the blue wagon and let out a nervous chuckle as he returned his gaze back on to his friend.

"Oh yeah?" Seul mused with a wry smile. "So this job opening you mentioned was just a lie for me to get it done for you so that you wouldn't get in trouble for not doing them?"

"What? No. It's totally real. Look at you. All dressed up thanks to Mr. Kim's credit card information. Now you can have an official interview with him."

"That's not what you told me on the phone when I agreed to this supposed errand run, Dawon."

"True, but I did tell you that it would be worth it."

"How? Your boss doesn't even know what you did or that I'm even here."

"True and I'm sure I could put in a good word for you."

"That's not how I roll, Dawon, and you know that."

"Okay true, and yes, Seul, I know but for now, most importantly, do you have his lunch?"

Dawon stood up from his seat and maneuvered around his desk to stand before his friend eagerly.

"I do," Seul answered with a weird smile that Dawon couldn't interpret, "But I'm not giving it to you."

"What? Why not?"

"Because your dumb ass used me when you could've done it yourself."

"Seul, you don't know how busy I was today to do any of the things he wanted me to do."

"Inseong told me that you had a whole two weeks to complete all of that minus the meal. You made me do all of that in less than four hours."

"I know, I know, but just let me off the hook this one time. I'll pay you back in a big way. Just wait and see."

"You do realize you've done this multiple times on multiple occasions, right? Not just with me, but with Yeon, too."

"Yes, bu-"

Seul didn't let him finish as she continued her rant.

"Besides, Kwangjin knows him, too. They're good friends. Now I feel like a fool because Kwangjin believes this was legit as I mentioned this errand thing in passing. Thanks to you I wasted my whole morning when I could've gotten something more important done with my time."

"I'm sorry, Seul. I really am."

"Your sorry isn't gonna do anything for me, Dawon. Besides, you're not the one that had to pick up and drop off all of his stuff at his apartment. I even had to figure out which of his succulents he wanted here in the office when he had so many. I'm not even his personal assistant, but I still did all of this without knowing him or even having this job now."

Before Dawn could counter her words he was interrupted by his boss who overheard the whole conversation on the phone and exited his office. Youngbin was curious about Dawon's female friend who happened to know Kwangjin as well. Even though Dawon was Youngbin's subordinate, he was also a good friend of his outside of working hours. Maybe a more dependable person to take care of things he nor his other subordinates couldn't have time for be given to this woman instead.

"If you're looking or a job, then how would you like to be my personal assistant?" Youngbin asked from behind Dawon as the duo's attention turned towards Youngbin whose attention was set on Seul more than Dawon.

"What do you say, Miss...?"

~~~~~~~~~

"Well then, Miss Lee, you're hire." Youngbin informs her after interviewing Seul.

Before the interview they all had their lunch and Seul sat with Dawon at his desk eating it since she found it awkward if she ate alone or at the worker's cafeteria. She did meet up with Yeon, but her sister had to return to work immediately as she had this business and sales report to write for her own boss already on the first day of work. Luckily, Dawon was able to inform her about his company, the department, and his colleagues, but still Seul wondered if it was all a joke or not. It turned out that it wasn't and the interview lasted less than an hour. Seul felt a little odd about it when Youngbin told her that she just got the job soon afterwards.

"Just like that? You didn't ask to see my resume or asked me about my past work history, Mr. Kim."

"Mmhmm. While I ate my lunch I reviewed Dawon's information he had given to me of you. Although it was quite limited, but it was enough to make the judgment. The skills and management you've demonstrated with what I've seen so far with what you've done with the to-do list that he gave you earlier this morning impresses me. I see that it will correlate well with the position of being my personal assistant."

Youngbin then sifted through the images on his iPad and pointed out the things that he was most curious about that he got from Dawon to send to him while they all had lunch so he could have a heads up on Seul's competence.

"I noticed that I have a receipt from Hot Potato for my lunch, but the price is way too low for what I saw you brought in when we ate lunch. I also noticed there isn't a receipt for Banana Boutique nor one for Tangerine Beauty Salon although these locations was more for your attire than for me. Is there a reason for those, too?"

Seul nodded with an expression indicating that it was obvious.

"Yeah. I used my own money at the boutique and salon since it was something I was picking out and that you shouldn't even be paying for these in the first place. As for Hot Potato, a close friend covered the cost."

"I see."

Youngbin closed down his tablet, set it aside, and looked at Seul with a calm demeanor.

"Since you'll be working for me, Miss Lee, any inconveniences befallen on you should be my responsibility as your boss from now on."

Youngbin partially turned to open a drawer to the right of him before finding what he was looking for. He scribbled some things onto the small pad before ripping a piece of it from its place and held it out for Seul to take.

"This is a reimbursement for the boutique and salon that you spent with your own money."

Seul declined with a polite smile.

"It's fine, Mr. Kim. You don't need to reimburse me for it."

Youngbin slightly frowned while retracting his hand and placed the pad and slip aside. He then went through one of his other drawer once again before finding what he was looking for. He faced the woman again and gently set a black card before her and slid it closer for her to take.

"Then this card will be for your own personal use among other things to do your job efficiently without any hindrance. There's no limit and I wouldn't have to write you a check for reimbursement each time you pay out of your own pocket."

Seul stared at the black card intrigued, but made no move to take it. She glanced back up at Youngbin who was already watching her as he motioned with his hand for her to take the card.

"Please, take it. It's yours while you're working for me."

Seul still regarded him a bit.

"And when I stop working for you in the future?"

"I can just cut that line out with ease."

"I see."

Youngbin leaned forward and pushed the card even closer for Seul to take. Seul continued to gaze at the small plastic item, but didn't take it once again. One side of Youngbin's lips quirked up amused before relaxing back in his chair while gazing at her calmly.

"The card can be used freely without a pin or inputting my information if that's what you're worried about."

"I'm not worried about your card, Mr. Kim. I just don't see why you would entrust me with your money so casually just like hiring me so easily."

Seul's cool demeanor raised the corners of Youngbin's lips higher before he responded back.

"Because you've proven yourself to be trustworthy and responsible, Miss Lee. That's why I've hired you as I have no problem with giving you that card to further build the trust and reliability I see in you thus far."

Seul kept quiet as she contemplated the whole thing in her head more before slowly nodding in agreement.

"Okay. Thank you."

"Good. So when's the earliest you can start, Miss Lee?"

Seul didn't hesitate to take the card this time around while matching his gaze.

"As soon as possible, Mr. Kim."

"Perfect. You'll officially start after the weekend on Monday as your first day on the job. Today we'll count it as an orientation and I'll have Dawon show you around the buildings so you can familiarize yourself of the surroundings. He'll also fill you in about everything else that I'll be unable to do."

Youngbin stood up with Seul following soon after as he led them out of his office.

"Welcome to Marketing of NEOZ Group, Miss Lee."

#staytheb #sf9 scenarios #kim youngbin

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