#I was going over some old fic things last night. thank god I didn't share any of this lmao I was so green
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they should have arrested me when I was in high school and got so obsessed with tolkien that I ended up planning out a 4 stage fic with something like 55 discreet oc's. 5 of whom designed specifically to fuck principal characters.
#so to answer your question: yes! I have always been like this.#I was going over some old fic things last night. thank god I didn't share any of this lmao I was so green#well that's not true. first like 4 chapters of my merry brandybuck x oc fic are still up on my old ff.net and deviantart#but jesus christ the ancient sins... the ancient sins...#fully ascribed to the heteronormativity of it all back then also (because again. teenager.)#I really should have been pegging those hobbitses.#don't know if I could ever re-work this thing from the sins of my past but it does make me feel hella nostalgic
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still so disappointed that mr pennycrumb [fives dog in the comics] didnt rlly appear much in the show </3
ok ok so its the academy's birthday and the reader is insanely good at gift giving and never forgets to give presents if theres smth special happening. they hand out the gifts to everyone except they avoid five and disappear w/o them knowing where they went, only to come back at dusk w/ a larger box. obviously five went insane and rambles on how worried he was before the reader finally shuts him up by plopping the box on him, and boom. theres a puppy.
[loved the last viktor fic btw. literally bawled my eyes out]
- 🦇
OMG YES the only appearance we saw was in s3 when Luther went on a jog before he got napped :( ; and thank you!! I got bored and I couldn't extend it any further so it's kinda dumb but it's alr haha ; thanks for requesting, hope you enjoy! ; also sorry this is so short and dumb idk writers block is so picky
FIVE HARGREEVES ; mr pennycrumb
summary ; when the umbrella academys birthdays roll around, you get five a whole ass dog
warnings ; language
disclaimers ; some of the gifts are related to hobbies/interests that are more of hcs than actual canon
word count ; 738
masterlist
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When you walked into Allison's with multiple boxes and bags for the Hargreeves, they all knew you were at it again with your insane yet accurate gift giving. They started with cake, then moved over to presents.
Gift giving in the family was like secret Santa in a way. Everyone would essentially get gifts for all the others, and they'd pass around gifts one by one, usually by number order. Luther was always first, Viktor always last. Lila usually snuck in around Diego, because duh. Viktor had gotten used to being last, the forgotten one. But around his family now, he knew it wasn't like that anymore. He'd rather go last so everyone else could have their special time on their special day.
So, the group sets the gifts tagged for Luther on the table in front of him. The kids halfway watch from afar, paying attention to the TV and their toys more than their celebrating parents, aunts, and uncles.
You were among the minority in the house that didn't share a birthday with them, thank God. You would've gone insane over big birthdays like this.
Five, meanwhile, was going insane over you basically ignoring him all day.
You'd gotten Luther some workout gear, knowing he'd taken up going to the gym within the past couple of years. Among other gifts were little trinkets and other things he wanted. He was a little hard to shop for, never really wanting anything, enjoying the quality time over any gift giving.
Next was Diego, and inside the gift you got for him, was a knife sharpening kit. He'd lost his old one just in time. Lila came up next, receiving a few nice outfits you found for her and a gift card to Cosmoprof, as she'd been thinking about re-dyeing her hair to white again.
Next up was Allison, grateful for the numerous acting job business cards you'd given her on top of a bunch of books that were on her Amazon wishlist. She was a serious reader who wanted to get back into acting, now.
Klaus was after her, ecstatic about a carry-around cleaning kit. You were going to go with a joint maker to make his life easier before he got sober. Now he wouldn't need a full bag of cleaning supplies, he'd have your perfect gift.
Five decided to go last, wanting to watch his family be happy more than open presents himself.
Ben was next, receiving some letters from modeling agencies. As he should.
Viktor was second to last, very appreciative for the new drink recipes you'd made and found for him atop the pile of clothes you'd gotten him.
You disappeared around dusk, leaving Five to open his presents without presence. He was physically eighteen, mentally sixty-two today.
As he looks up, seeing the lack of you around, he hides a soft frown. He noticed how you weren't standing near him all night, how you barely even spoke around him.
"Did you do something to Y/n?" Klaus asks out of the blue. "They just kinda... dissappeared"
Five shrugs. "I don't think I did. Even if I did do something, they'd talk it out with me"
Allison shrugs. "I think that's them" she comments, looking out the screen door to see you pull up in your car again. "Diego, could you get the door?"
Diego turns around, unlocking the door for you, holding it open as he sees you holding a big box.
"Why is that box bigger than you?"
"Also, why is it moving?"
You set the box on the table in front of Five, a wide smile on your face. "Open it"
He slowly sets aside the large box of coffee pods he received from Diego to the side, slowly reaching for the box flaps. As he pulls them to the side, out jumps a little dog.
"Oh my God?"
Five smiles, pulling the puppy into his lap. He looks up at you, a glimmer in his eyes. "Why did you get me a dog?"
You shrug, moving the box off the table. "You're a lonely old man, you need some company"
He chuckles, petting the pug's head.
"What're you gonna name it?" Ben asks, arms crossed.
"Him" You correct
"Mr. Pennycrumb" Five answers.
"Why?" Luther asks.
The physically younger boy shrugs. "Why not?"
"Interesting choice" Klaus mutters with a shrug.
Five smiles up at you, giddy like a little kid. "Thank you"
"I try"
#lowkeyrobin#gn reader#gender neutral reader#they/them reader#tua x reader#the umbrella academy x reader#umbrella academy x reader#five hargreeves oneshot#five hargreeves x reader#aiden gallagher x reader#🦇 anon
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slow dancing in the night
→ Pairing. Taehyung x reader
→ Genre. established relationship, fluff, slice of life, model!taehyung, model!reader, taehyung missed you a lot, he is starving (his words not mine), gets a bit hot by the last 40 lines, mentions of oral (f) so I guess this counts as mature content, implied smut, making out (kinda), there is a bit of swearing
→ Summary. what could possibly be better than coming home after a long day of work to someone you love and missed a lot ?
→ Word count. 3.2k (!!!)
→ because I wrote this over a year ago when I still didn't know what I was doing with my writing, I had to go through a deep process of editing and re-writing before posting it. This might not be my best work but it's still a fic that I really really like :,)
→ song rec. slow dancing in the dark, Joji// still with you, Jungkook
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Fridays have always been exhausting days for both you and your boyfriend, especially on runways weeks. As models, you were put under a lot of pressure.
Pressure to be perfect, to smile but never smile too much, to look good, to not fall on stage.
Falling has to be the most tragic thing that can happen to your carreer as a model, the hungry stares of thousands of photographers and reporters ready to share the latest news to the press.
Yeah, it was exhausting.
This week was no exception... or maybe it was since, this time, you were the only one working until late.
It’s four in the morning and you’re already on your way out - kind of running late, oBviOusLy - quietly wishing your boyfriend a good day.
He is not working today.
That lucky bastard.
He gets to enjoy his free day in bed, lazing around, while you work your ass off all day. He mumbles something that you assume is a sort of goodbye. He is still asleep.
You look at him one last time before leaving the room and smile. He looks so peaceful.
You still remember the day you met, by pure luck even though you both call that fate. That was 5 years ago, when you just debuted your career as a model and were not that comfortable around high heels.
Okay no. Let’s be real.
You hated wearing them because you couldn’t walk in heels higher than 5 cm.
It’s still a wonder how you managed to make it in the first place.
Were you wearing flat shoes for the audition ? Damn you really must’ve done an impression on the judges if they made you pass without the heels try-on.
Your first day at the agency was chaotic to say the least. Your manager made you walk around the building, to visit she said. She made you wear heels. HEELS. That devilish person.
But, thank to that, you got to meet Taehyung. Your eyes landed on him as you were visiting the lounge and couldn’t tear them away from his figure. The poor man had to witness you fall down because you weren’t watching your steps anymore.
I mean.
Who could blame you ??
That was Kim frEaking Taehyung
!!!
He even came to help you get back on your feet and asked if you were alright, kind of amused.
It’s not everyday you see someone falling down in here, let alone a newbie
Let’s be honest, you were so embarrassed.
First day of work and you’re already failing falling.
That night when you came home, you spent the night wearing heels and prayed really hard you’d never have to face him again. After all, the building was big enough and there were enough workers that you could avoid Taehyung easily
If only
The NeXt day, you were told that you had a couple shooting, with none other that Kim Taehyung.
GreaT
He would occasionally tease you about your fall and check on you to see if everything was alright. He watched you carefully as you were walking around with heels.
From up close he looked even more handsome.... :)
After this day, you started talking with Taehyung more and more. He introduced you to everyone around the agency. You met outside of work, got to know each other. You both became regally good friends but there was something lingering in the air, in the way you’d look at each other or stood so close to him after a couple glasses of wine that you could breathe his air.
So what was bound to happen happened and you went from friends a to lovers without really noticing it.
He was still your best friend...somehow
Eventually, you took things to the next level and moved in together... maybe a half and a year ago or so ? You’ve never been happier in your life
And, well, you’d actually be happier if you could spend the day with boyfriend instead of running around trying to find god knows which accessories you need for the rehearsal.
8 in the morning is noT a time to be doing cardio.
Especially while wearing heels
Become a model they said, it’ll be fun they said
“Y/n! Come here please I need you to try on this dress before you go!” Your personal stylist calls “I made sure to fix it yesterday so it’d be a perfect fit for the show”
You stop your tracks and go to her “make this quick i have to go get changed before 9 otherwise I’m screwed. Why did they even decide to do the rehearsals so early today ?” You sigh, frustrated, and put on the dress she’s handing you “thank you”
“Okayyy...it looks great. Gold looks amazing on you.” She smoothes the dress and gives an approving nod, visibly satisfied ; “You’ll look perfect for the Grand Finale. Oh god it’s already 8:30 you better go before Mr.Kim throws a fit because you’re late”
You both giggle ; “thank you for fixing the dress Naeun, see you later today. Well, probably tonight. Byeeee”
The rehearsal seems to never end. You’re squeezed in dozens of different outfits, gorgeous for sure but sO tight. Mr. Kim, the one who organised the runway, is such a perfectionist that you have to re-do some things multiple times before he’s satisfied. One time the lighting isn’t right, the other the models are walking too fast, not on beat and so on.
Everyone hates him for that but he always makes the best shows so you just follow.
After multiple tries, the rehearsal finally comes to an end. It’s already 4PM. You barely get time to breathe and go pee before you’re back into the ‘running-around-to-find-my-dress-and-fix-my-makeup-oh-god-i-gotta-be-on-stage’ crazy mess.
Walking on the runway feels amazing, running backstage is terrible.
It’s so hot and small back there you can hardly move around well.
It takes 2 hours for the whole fashion show to be over, one more for pictures outside the catwalk and chat with reporters. Since you’re kind of a famous model now, you get invited to the afterparty and spend few extra hours interacting with some celebrities that attended the show. Other models were invited and you’re happy to see familiar faces amongst them. Jimin, an old colleague and friend of yours, comes your way and compliments you. You chat with him for a while before deciding you’ve had enough for the day and leave the party. A few more people greet you on your way out.
A taxi takes you back to you company, where you left your stuff in the morning. You spend an extra thirty minutes getting rid of your heavy makeup and striping off that gorgeous but awfully tight golden dress you’ve been wearing ever since the end of the runway.
Now, you can FinaLLy go home. yassssss
It’s almost 12am when you leave the agency and climb into yet another taxi. The ride is quiet, background music playing over the car’s radio, and you take some time to look at what you were gifted for your performance : fancy makeup products, accessories, pieces of clothing-but not those from the runway, you sadly never get to keep those. Being kinda famous has its perks :,)
You then decide it’s time to warn Taehyung you’ll arrive soon and send him a few texts. As if he was waiting for them, he instantly replies saying he’ll be waiting for you and proceeds to spam you with heart emojis. Sometimes, it looks like this man just discovered what emojis were and is trying to use them as much as possible. What a child…
It’s way past midnight when you finally step into your duplex and the first thing you notice is that the place is way too quiet.
Maybe Tae went back to sleep, who knows, it’s super late after all…
:(
You remove shoes and jacket and drop your bags in the entrance before going further and you call out quietly “anyone here? Tae, you sleeping?”
There is a faint glow from the tv on your right but the sound has been muted.
Weird…
“Taehyung ?" You call one last time
Suddenly, two strong arms wrap themselves around your waist and you’re pulled into someone’s chest. You gasp, almost scream, but soften up when you feel the warmth on your back
“Hi baby” a deep voice says in your ear, sending chills down your spine “I missed you”
You turn around and are very pleased to see a handsome face and a warm exposed chest your boyfriend smiling at you.
“Mhm, missed you too” You wrap your arms around him and rest your head against his chest, happy to hear his heartbeat. Taehyung places his head atop of yours and gently strokes your hair. You tighten your grasp around him and hum.
Few seconds later, he lifts your chin up and gently lays a kiss on your lips.
“How are you doing?” He asks, his right hand cupping your cheek. The warmth of it is comforting.
“Exhausted, but you know how it goes” You shrug and he smiles
“Not too tired for dinner ? I could cook something if you want”
“Mhm... let me just go shower and put something else on” You sadly let go of him
“Sure, go ahead” he whispers and you give him a kiss before regretfully tearing yourself away from him.
You walk up the stairs to your bedroom, where you find the bed undone. You smile, Taehyung never really liked making the bed and, very honestly, neither did you. You slump onto the mattress and bury your face into the pillows, inhaling his scent. Lavender. Relaxing. Just like he is.
After a warm shower, you find a t-shirt Taehyung left on a chair in the room and wear it. It’s big enough to reach your thighs and, if you were more energised, you’d probably stay like this. You grab large pants and put them on.
Once again, you smell lavender all around you.
When you’re back in the living area, you see Taehyung busying himself in the kitchen. He hears your steps and his eyes find yours as a smile appears on his face when he notices that you’re wearing his shirt
“My shirt looks better on you than it’d ever do on me” He teases, his gaze longing on your frame.
“maybe I should keep it then” you smile and ask ; ”Do you need any help?”
“no no no no no, you’ve worked enough already. Go and have some rest. I'll call you when everything’s ready okay?”
Too tired to argue on this anyways -and thankful for the given rest-, you go lay down on the couch, your body oriented to let you look at Taehyung.
As he hums and moves to the chill music that was playing in the background, you start to detail his beautiful figure. From the curl of his dark hair (which you knoW are so so soft to the touch) to his beautiful profile and his nose you love so much down to his broad shoulder and then his tanned abs you see from time to time when the opened shirt of his pyjama moves according to his steps.
oH! Let’s not forget his perfect hands gripping at the pan’s handle while he cooks… vegetables? Something like that yeah.
Taehyung is giving his best into what he’s cooking. Vegetables with rice, that’s the only thing he could do quickly.
Quickly as in less than half an hour, unlike his friend Namjoon who’d take this time just to cook the rice.
The music he put earlier is slowly starting to bore him. After washing his hands, he reaches out for his phone and plays a different playlist. It’s one you name yourself when the two of you were still friends (aka not dating yet). “Taetae fm” because you once joked he should have his own broadcasting channel on the radio. He’d always criticise the music playing so why not have his own channel 👀
“You know Y/n, I actually watched the fashion show live this afternoon. I mean, of course you know because I always do that haha. Anyways, you really were the highlight of the runway tonight. And I’m not saying this in a biased point of view. Okay I might be a bit biased as your boyfriend but I swear that it’s true!! You literally shone back there, especially in that gold dress you were wearing and even the audience was impressed by your looks maybe you didn’t see it on stage but some cameras filmed their reactions and everyone was looking at you. Really, you were so gorge-oh” Taehyung looks at you and smile fondly “Of course you’re asleep, baby”
He lets his phone aside and checks the now cooked food before making his way to the couch. There’s a blanket on the sofa, he covers you with it, scared you might get cold. Taehyung put a loose strand of hair behind your ear and places a kiss on your chin.
You slowly open your eyes and find yourself face to face with him. You both smile.
“Hi there beautiful” He whispers
“what time is it? Did I sleep until the morning?” You’re scared of having slept through the entire nap without realising
“almost 1:20am, I just finished cooking. I thought you might be cold so I went to cover you with the blanket. You should go enjoy the food while it’s still hot, imma go to the toilet”
You nod as an answer and watch him leave upstairs. Getting up from the warmth of the couch is the hardest part so you keep the soft blanket draped around your shoulders and walk towards the kitchen. You grab two bowls and two pairs of chopsticks that you place on the counter along with glasses and a bottle of water.
You then go take care of the rice and the vegetables, which you mix in the pan. The song playing changes and your favourite nighttime tune starts.
“I don’t want a friend, I want my life in two” you sing along
“Waiting to get there, waiting for you” Taehyung’s voice startles you as he grabs your wrists and pulls your back close to him. You smile as he makes the both of you dance slowly. You put his arms around you so it’s like he’s hugging you from the back. You swing around for a little while, enjoying the close proximity as you both softly hum the song, making your body vibrate against each other, moving in perfect coordination.
“I love you” he whispers in your ear and then kisses it, sending chills down your spine, before lifting one of your arm up to make you turn so that you’re now facing him “did my baby sleep well?” You nod as you place your arms around his waist, paying attention to go under the shirt so you’re touching as much skin as possible.
Taehyung chuckles before asking you in that same, chill-sending, low deep voice ; “Still hungry? Because I’m starving”
If you didn’t just wake up, you would’ve definitely caught that lust in his eyes and also the fact that this wasn’t as innocent as it seemed.
As an answer, your stomach growls pretty loudly, making Taehyung laugh . “I’ll take that as a yes. Sit down, princess. Let me take care of you”
You do as he says, jumping on a stool, detailing all of his moves. You only realise how hungry you actually were when you start eating. Rice with vegetables has never tastes better. You eat everything in less than 5 minutes when you’d usually take your time to finish your plate.
“Damn, that was a well needed dinner! Thank you Tae” you mess a bit with his soft locks
“Imagine me who was waiting for you all evening!! I was hungry too” He pouts.
“Oh come on, I was working today. Cardio in heels isn’t the best way to wake up, let alone spend the whole day standing in tight clothes. When I think you has a day off… pfff. I saw the bed, I’m sure you stayed there all day, you lazyyyyyyyyy ass.”
He mumbles some gibberish and you giggle, knowing that you're right. He looks away, crossing his arms and obviously sulking. You leave your stool and stand behind him, wrapping your arms around his neck. You leave a few kisses on his cheek and neck
“- Don’t be such a babyy. You know I love you.
- You do?
- of course, you dummy” you bop his nose "Sooo, what do we have for desert?
- You. Uh I mean!! Yoghurt, fruits, cakes, fruits…anything” he clears his throat
“Great! What do you prefer?” You open the fridge
“ I’d very happily eat you out honestly but an apple sounds good”
“Oh sur- wait whaT!?” You snap your head to him, eyes wide open
what did he sayyyyyyyy?????
whaT am I even supposed to say noW oh my goddddd
You close the fridge’s door, suddenly not so yogurt-hungry.
There’s a sudden silence between the two of you, only disturbed by the music still playing in the background.
“Mhm? What is it?” He turns around to face you, asking so innocently “did I say something wrong ?”
This man knows what he is doing for sure. Has he ever been that straightforward before ?
Taehyung stands and closes the distance between your bodies, now towering over you.
He lowers himself slightly to speak in your ear “what is it baby? Mhm?” You feel his smile on your cheek when he lays a kiss on it “what happened to my all proud and fierce y/n who was so confident telling me I was being lazy all day, huh? Tell me” He lays another kiss on your temple
OkaY
now he’s being a tease
Great
1 A.M. fluffy and bare chested teaser Taehyung
gReAT
Anyhow, it’s a good turn on.
Really.good.freaking.turn.on
Being tired and turned on was definitely not a good mix for you. You could feel the heat rising in your body and hear your heart pounding in your ears.
“Tae…”
He laughs gently seeing you silently begging for more, brushing your face with his lips, teasing another kiss.
“Tsk tsk, you gotta speak darling, I cannot guess”
You should calm down and go to sleep, it’s 1am and you have work tomorrow you should definitely-
“Fuck-“ You sigh and grab his face, sealing your lips together while closing your eyes.
It doesn’t take long for that kiss to turn into a heated make out session.
You grab and pull some of his dark curls while his hands travels under his your shirt.
You break the kiss just a second to catch your breath.
“Have i ever told you you have the perfect body?” Taehyung asks
“Did I ever tell you how perfect you are??” You reply
He laughs, deep raspy laugh.
You’re too tired for this
And because you’re tired, you’re even more horny :D
Taehyung puts his hands behind your thighs and you jump, locking your legs around his waist, hands still in his hair, lips against his while carries you to the bedroom.
He leaves your lips to travel down your jaw and then collarbone. You throw your head back.
Taehyung gently lays you on the mattress of your king sized bed and makes it his personal mission to pleasure you tonight.
#taehyung fics#taehyung fanfic#kim taehyung au#taehyung fluff#bts fanfic#taehyung#taehyung ff#fluff#implied smut#model taehyung#bts fics#taehyung oneshot#taehyung one shots#taehyung one-shots#taehyung smut#kim taehyung x reader#taehyung au#it's 2am what am I doing#slow dancing in the night
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Fic Origin Story
tagged by @rmd-writes and @mostlyinthemorning
What was your first fandom (reading and/or writing)?
The Rent fandom was my very first exposure to fic, both reading and writing. I was thirteen? Idk. A teenager, definitely. I think some of my Mark/Roger fics are still on ff.net, unfortunately. Including a preschool au because there's something wrong with me.
What was the first story you ever wrote (even if it was never posted) and what made you decide to write it?
First story ever? God, I have no idea. My primary hobby as a child was making up stories. If any of my fellow old millennials remember Storybook Weaver, that was my favorite computer "game". I used to read my stories during show and tell (and several members of the class would fight over the bathroom pass so they wouldn't have to stay and listen). I do remember writing a story about dogs who go into space and fight aliens. I also wrote a story about a second Titanic that was also supposed to be unsinkable that also sank. It was...special.
My first fic was a Mark/Roger multi-chapter fic that's apparently 11k words and the only description I felt necessary to put in was "very angsty, slightly morbid" (thanks to ff.net's lack of a tagging system) and I will not be re-reading it to try to remember what it's actually about. I apparently started posting it more than 20 years ago so I have literally no idea what made me decide to write it.
My first SC fic was Persistence of Memory which I wrote in October 2021. I was writing my dissertation and struggling with some mental health stuff, and I had a dream about David and decided I needed to poke and prod at his anxiety for a bit.
What’s a piece of advice you would give to your younger fic-writing self?
It doesn't have to all be angst. It's FINE to let your characters be happy. Please get some therapy. Also, you're queer.
What’s an early fandom interaction that stuck with you (be it a nice comment, a friend you made, a fic that got a lot of feedback etc.)?
I am still friends with people I met through fandom 20 years ago and I think that's so cool. I felt very alone a lot when I was a teenager, and it was nice to have these online friends with shared interests. They weren't quite pocket friends because I didn't have a cell phone, much less a smartphone, but it was the same idea, and it meant so much to me.
Post a sentence or two from one of your older fics, and a sentence or two from a newer one (if you want).
Oh boy. Okay. So I'll post a few sentences of my first Rent fic but please remember I was a literal child when I wrote this so please don't judge me too harshly (and no, I won't link it).
Mark stared blankly at the ceiling, slowly running the events of the day through his head. Only slowly, because, really, not much had happened. It had been an annoyingly normal day. He wished something would happen, just something.
And a few lines I wrote last night:
The word ‘queer’ makes a series of complicated emotions that David is not nearly sober enough to interpret march across Patrick’s face, and he tenses briefly, a deeply ingrained fear in him flaring up. But then Patrick goes and says, “Wow, that’s…that sounds incredible, David,” with a kind of reverence and awe that adds several more questions to David’s mental list of things he wants to know about this man.
“We’re having an opening next week, if you’re interested.” The words leave David’s mouth before he can even try to stop them.
tagging @hippolotamus @alienajackson @rosedavid @jettestar @gayhoediaz @roseapothecary @plainest @treluna4 @apothecarose and anyone else who wants to play.
#this is deeply embarassing#but i'm happy to report that my writing has improved over the last 20 years
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Merlin/Arthur Fic Rec List
This is going to be a long post, so the recs start blow the cut!
I wanted to make a fic rec list!! So, here I am. Should be doing my uni homework that's due tonight but I am a terrible procrastinator.
I will probably make another one later on when I have more time that is more organized, but this one is in no particular order.
Last Updated 23 Sept. 2021
Also, quickly, a big thank you to @kickassfu for the making gif above for this post, ilysm Maf!!
Onto the fics!
Unsaid Love by AeonTheDimensionalGirl
Rating: Teen & Up
Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Type: Return Fic; Angst with a Happy Ending
Wordcount: 4,022
Quick Summary: Songfic for the song Unsaid Emily from Julie & the Phantoms. Follows Merlin through the years as every century on Arthur's birthday more and more of a song is revealed to him when he goes to sleep. [Regency setting fic]
-- I am still not over this fic of @aeonthedimensionalgirl's, this fic is literally incredible. It is so good. I recommend reading it with Unsaid Emily playing on repeat in the background.
The Wisdom Of The Ages by tehfanglyfish
Rating: Teen & Up
Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Type: Fluff; Getting Together
Wordcount: 4,200
Quick Summary: "Saving Arthur while disguised as Dragoon the Great was all well and good until the king decided the old sorcerer deserved a reward. On the run from Arthur, Merlin finds sanctuary in an elderly women's social club. What was supposed to be a one-time visit becomes a regular part of Merlin's week, as he returns each Friday to discuss recipes, commiserate about aches and pains, and lament the state of his love life." - Summary directly from AO3
-- Such a good fic, honestly, like. Merlin befriends Camelot's elderly ladies. Need I say more? It's great.
Forgetful Days by OnceFutureEmrys
Rating: General Audiences
Archive Warning: None Apply
Type: Fluff; Modern AU
Wordcount: 620
Quick Summary: "Arthur is very forgetful. Luckily, Merlin is there to help." - Summary directly from AO3
-- Seriously, @oncefutureemrys this fic is so cute and it's just great, def recommend it
Home in Your Arms by OnceFutureEmrys
Rating: General Audiences
Archive Warning: None Apply
Type: Pining; Fluff; Modern AU
Wordcount: 1,574
Quick Summary: "Arthur is missing Merlin when when he hears someone knocking on the door..." - Summary directly from AO3
-- Yes, another one from OFE, because I love her and her fics. This fic is so sweet, it is a modern University AU!
Ink On A Page by Hisa_Ai
Rating: General Audiences
Archive Warning: None Apply
Type: Pining; Fluff
Wordcount: 2,170
Quick Summary: Merlin writes his feelings on parchment, because if they are on paper, they are just words on a page, and not really his and didn't hold any meaning. One day Arthur notices him writing on one of these pieces of parchment.
-- Literally so beautiful. I loved this fic so much, and I recommend it so much. It is a canon era confessions fic, and it's just so good.
Fool Me Once by CaffeinatedFlumadiddle
Rating: Teen & Up
Archive Warning: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Type: Humor; Magic Revealed; Dark Humor
Wordcount: 18, 728
Quick Summary: "Uther finds out about Merlin’s magic, but can’t seem to kill him. Merlin is just trying to protect Arthur. They become a begrudgingly effective duo. Arthur doesn't understand why they think he isn't noticing this." - Summary directly from AO3
-- I mean, can I just recommend this entire series? Seriously, the series this fic is in is just--excellent. I love this fic. It has Immortal Merlin and Uther Knowing about his magic. Seriously, though, just this series is amazing ahah Exceptionally Exceptional, Calling the Middleman, Returning the Favor, In Which Arthur Lets a Sorcerer Live and Regrets It, just to name a few, are incredible and I definitely recommend reading them.
for my beating heart is far too small for the entirety of my love for you by kickassfu
Rating: Teen & Up
Archive Warning: None Apply
Type: Fluff; Established Relationship
Wordcount: 1,566
Quick Summary: Arthur is trying to learn a little magic to surprise Merlin at his coronation after their wedding.
-- So, I actually gave @kickassfu the prompt for this one. And oh my gods. How they did it? So soft, sweet. It is so good, and I 100% recommend you check it out!
That’s my Man by AeonTheDimensionalGirl
Rating: Teen & Up
Archive Warning: None Apply
Type: Emotional Hurt/Comfort; Magic Revealed; Arranged Marriage; Angst with a Happy Ending
Wordcount: 2,287
Quick Summary: "By ancient, prophesied law, Arthur Pendragon must wed Emrys.
Problem is no one knows who they are." - Summary directly from AO3
-- I told you Aeon would be on here again! Love this fic so much. Love magic reveals, love arranged marriages. Seriously, this is great.
the house is flooded (as is his heart) by powered_by_notes
Rating: Teen & Up
Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Type: Domestic Fluff; Return Fic
Wordcount: 2,281
Quick Summary: Arthur leaves to do some work in town, and Merlin runs into a bit of trouble with the cottage and their chickens while he's gone.
-- They have chickens. Enough said. No but really, this is so good, they live in a cottage and they have chickens and I definitely recommend this fic.
Emrys the Really, Truly Terrible by lindenwaverly
Rating: Teens & Up
Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Type: Magic Reveal, Emrys Reveal
Wordcount: 15,241
Quick Summary: Arthur has repealed the ban on magic, but Merlin still hasn't come clean about his identity. The issue comes in where, Arthur wants Emrys to be his Court Sorcerer
-- literally. cackled. this is so great, i loved this one. i read it in the morning and do not regret it one bit. some of the dialogue just killed me. it's a great fic, and you should definitely read it.
Arthur Pendragon's Business Judgment Rule by oddishly
Rating: Teen & Up
Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Type: Woke Up Married
Wordcount: 27,459
Quick Summary: "Arthur and Merlin wake up married. Camelot is in the middle of treaty negotiations with a visiting king. It's okay, Arthur has a plan." - Summary directly from AO3
Lord Drake's Bequest by Pennyplainknits
Rating: Mature
Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Type: Modern Era, Fake Relationship
Wordcount: 9,966
Quick Summary: " "To my great-nephew Arthur I bequeath Tintagel Distribution, wholly and without reserve, save for one condition. You must marry, and stay married, for a period of no less than six months. You're a wonderful businessman Arthur, but a full life needs love and companionship, not just a string of affairs. Settle down young Arthur, and your life will be the richer for it." " - Summary directly from AO3
of all things magic, a cerulean haze by powered_by_notes
Rating: Teen & Up
Archive Warning: None Apply
Type: Magic Reveal
Wc: 7,092
Summary: "When Arthur goes missing, Merlin goes off on his own searching for him. He knows to look for things that the others simply do not and has things at his disposal that the others, again, simply do not.
. . .Magical things, of course.
In all his power, worry, anger, and relentless searching, he has no idea the missing king is being shown all the things that Merlin is doing with that power.
. . .Magical things, of course." - Summary directly from AO3
-- Loved this sm. Gods, I was supposed to read this ages ago, but only FINALLY just found the time to last night and it was so great. Arthur is kidnapped while out doing smth for Merlin and it's just really good.
On the Run by Sorceressofdragons
Rating: E
Archive Warnings: None Apply
Type: Modern AU
Wordcount: 18,155
Summary: After an unsuccessful attempt on their lives, new neighbours Arthur and Merlin decide to take off into the woods. Their destination is Morgana’s country estate, but these two city boys don’t know anything about survival—so if the foxes don’t get them, the lack of Monster Munch might. Featuring sex mishaps, weird food, walking in circles, and some obligatory cuddling. Oh, and Merlin is hung. - Summary directly from AO3
-- fucking KILLED me. This was just -- it was great. Literally, from the start I SWORE i knew the who and why only to discover I was totally off with the *why* and it was fantastic.
Hear Your Heart Sing (Love, Love, Love) by schweet_heart
Rating: Mature
Archive Warnings: None Apply
Type: Soulmate Au, Modern Au
Wordcount: 15,834
Summary: Merlin used to like the idea of finding The One – until he fell in love with Arthur Pendragon. Now he has a boss he can't date (but can't stop thinking about), a soulmate he can't find (who has terrible taste in music), and a best friend who can't believe he still hasn't got his act together (even though it's seriously not his fault).Sometimes, life is unfairly complicated, even without your soulmate singing painfully catchy tunes in the back of your head. - Summary directly from AO3
-- This one was just great. The soulmates, the songs, the misunderstandings--it was great. I loved this one.
Note to Idiot by tinylilremus
Rating: Teen & Up
Archive Warnings: None Apply
Type: Harry Potter AU, Modern AU
Wordcount: 9,762
Summary: Arthur and Merlin are members of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad who work different shifts and share the same office. Arthur, who works the day shift, can't stand the rain. Merlin, who works the night shift, can't concentrate without it.
When they both get tired of changing the weather in the magical window in their underground office, is there a more British way to settle their differences than with a few passive-aggressive memos? - Summary directly from AO3
-- HP AU! A Ministry AU at that! I literally. I loved this so much. Merlin & Arthur are both in the AMRS, different shifts, and it's just hnsdsjdkh it's so good. Really, it's great. And we get to see them on the job a bit!!! Which is fun. This one is def a great one to read, esp if you like HP AUs
as stated previously, this list is being frequently updated with more fics!!!
#merlin#arthur#merthur#bbc merlin#fic rec#fanfic rec#fic rec list#not my fics#merlin bbc#merlin fanfic#merlin fanfiction#fanfic rec list#merlin/arthur#angst#humor#fluff#modern era#AU#alternate universe#long post
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The Last One
The Court - Throne of Glass x FRIENDS - Fic Series
S10, E17/18 : Rowan, after realizing he's still in love with Aelin, chases her down, refusing to let her go. Meanwhile, Elide and Lorcan welcome their baby...or babies, into the world.
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Episode chosen for Rowaelin Month 2021. Day 12: Delayed Love Confession
Fic Masterlist | Main Masterlist | Read on Ao3 | Rowaelin Month Masterlist
Warnings: Language, Mentions of Sex, Mentions of Birth
7860 words
*******
Rowan woke up to the bed shifting. He cracked an eye open, still cloudy with sleep, and watched Aelin sit on the opposite edge while she pulled her shirt over her head, concealing the bare expanse of her back.
“Hey.” He croaked, voice still rough.
She turned and gave him a soft smile, whispering, “Go back to sleep, I have to go home.”
Rowan wanted nothing more than for Aelin to never leave his bed, but he knew she had things to do so instead he said, “Oh, okay.” He reached a hand across the sheets and grabbed hers, “Last night was amazing.”
She finished putting on one of her shoes and looked back at him with that same soft smile, “It really was.”
Rowan tried to read the emotions that flashed across her face but then she was standing and bending over to draw him into one last kiss. Her palm rested on his cheek while his gently cupped the back of her head before they pulled away. Rowan kept his eyes on Aelin as she left his room and he didn’t fall back onto his pillow until he heard the sound of his apartment door clicking shut behind her.
***
Elide was scared. Scratch that—terrified. Elide was terrified, but she kept her calm as best as she could while she held Asterin’s hand.
Elide had thanked all the gods she could name for Asterin coming into her and Lorcan’s lives. After getting married and enjoying the first few months of bliss, she and Lorcan decided to try having a baby, but after months of negative pregnancy tests and too many doctors visits, they were told it likely would never happen for them. Devastated, they thought through their options and settled on adoption. But even then, they knew it would take some time.
Elide remembered some afternoons spending hours sitting by the phone desperately hoping it would ring and be someone from the adoption agency to tell them they’d been picked. When they’d finally gotten the call and met Asterin, a young woman who was looking for the perfect parents for her baby, they knew it was meant to be.
Now, standing in the delivery room, Elide held Asterin’s hand as the woman powered through another contraction.
“Breathe, breathe, breathe,” Elide coached encouragingly, “good.”
“Are you fully taking over, or do I get to say breathe?” Lorcan asked as he walked to Elide’s side beside the bed.
She scoffed and tilted her head to meet his eyes. “No. Last time, you said it like a sociopath, and it creeped her out.” She turned back towards Asterin who looked tired, “Can I get you anything? Ice chips?”
“No,” Asterin shook her head, “I’m okay.”
Elide nodded and smiled, “Alright, I’ll be right back.”
As she started to walk out of the room, Lorcan’s hand shot out and gripped her elbow, stopping her.
“Where are you going?” He asked. She could almost detect a hint of nerves as he spoke.
Elide raised a brow, “To the bathroom.”
Lorcan lowered his voice so that only Elide could hear. “You can't leave me alone with her.”
“What?” She asked incredulously.
Lorcan ran a hand through his long hair, and now she could definitely see nervousness etched across his face. “This is exactly the kind of social situation that I am not comfortable with” he grumbled.
Elide snorted, “What kind of social situation are you comfortable with?”
He leveled a stare at her. “It's just that we've never spent any time, you know, alone together.”
Elide rolled her eyes at her husband, “You’ll be fine,” she took a step and turned back, giving him a small smirk, “No, you won't, but I'll be back in two minutes.”
Lorcan sighed but grumbled okay.
He walked back over to the woman lying in the hospital bed, trying his best to seem calm, but by the grimace she shot him, he wasn't doing a very good job.
“So, uh,” He grasped for something to say, “any plans for the summer?”
“I don't know, maybe travel? I wanna do some flying again.”
Lorcan hummed, still not sure what to say. If Elide had still been in the room, she’d have laughed at how ridiculous he looked. Standing well above six feet, with his hands fidgeting and swaying on his toes from being so uncomfortable in the moment.
“So, you ever wonder which is worse, you know; going through labor or getting kicked in the nuts?” Lorcan asked the first thing that came to mind and immediately regretted it. He should've just kept his mouth shut.
“What?” Asterin asked, her eyebrows scrunching in disbelief.
“I mean, uh,” He rubbed the back of his neck, “One of life's great, unanswerable questions. I mean, who knows? Maybe there's something even more painful than those things?” Lorcan cringed and suggested, “like this.”
***
Lysandra walked into Fenrys’ apartment to see him holding two small fuzzy animals.
“Good morning,” She said hesitantly.
“Hey!” Fenrys grinned, lifting up the creatures.
“What's that?” Aedion asked, following Lysandra into the room.
Fenrys grinned, “It's my house-warming present for Elide and Lorcan.”
Lysandra and Aedion shared a look.
“It's a baby chick and duck,” Lysandra said, unnecessarily. “You know they’re living in the suburbs right?”
“Uh-huh,” Fenrys nodded, “And I named them Chick Jr. and Duck Jr.”
Aedion snorted, “I didn’t see that coming.”
“Yeah, I figure they'll love it at the new house, you know?” Fenrys set the animals down, “It has that big backyard. And then, when they get old, they can go to that special farm that Lorcan took the other chick and duck to.”
Lysandra raised a brow at Fenrys and hummed, unable to say what she actually wanted to say.
Aedion barely held in a grin as he nodded sagely to Lysandra and mocked, “Yeah. It's a shame people can't visit there.”
Fenrys was cut off as Rowan showed up and joined them in the apartment,
“Guess what?” Lysandra whirled on Rowan, smiling, “we’re almost all aunties and uncles!”
“What?” Rowan asked, confused.
“Yeah,” Fenrys said, “Asterin went into labor last night. Elide and Lorcan are at the hospital right now!”
“Oh, my gods.” Rowan grinned at the thought of a massive Lorcan holding a tiny baby. He shook his head, glancing around, “Is Aelin here?”
Fenrys glanced towards Aelin’s room, “Uh, I think she's still asleep. Hey, how did it go with you guys last night? She seemed pretty pissed at you.”
Rowan couldn’t—wouldn’t—suppress his smile as he thought about the night before. Being with Aelin again was better than he remembered, and he cursed himself for all the time they’d missed out on.
“Yeah, we, uh, we worked things out.”
Lysandra’s eyes widened as she watched him, “What's that smile? Did something happen with you two?”
Rowan chuckled, “Hey, I'm not one to kiss and tell,” then he muttered, “but I'm also not one to have sex and shut up.”
Apparentally, his last words weren't as quiet as he thought.
Aedion groaned, wincing “Dude, that's my cousin.”
Rowan ignored Aedion as Fernys laughed, “Oh my gods, You and Aelin?”
“I know, it's great.” Rowan didn't think his grin could get any wider.
Lysandra hugged him, squealing, “So what does that mean? Are you guys getting back together?”
“I…” He trailed off, frowning. They hadn’t actually talked about it before Aelin had left earlier that morning. “I don't know. We didn't really get to talk about it.”
“But do you wanna get back together?” She pushed.
Rowan didn’t hesitate as he said with certainty, “Yeah, I do. it just felt so right. When I was holding her, I mean, I never wanted to let her go. I want to be together.”
Lysandra, Aedion, and Ferys all had matching smiles as they listened to Rowan.
Then Fenrys spoke up and Rowan felt himself deflate.
“So is she still going to Paris?” He asked, still holding the small animals.
Rowan had been so caught up in the happiness of last night and that morning that he’d completely forgot the reason why he and Aelin had been so emotionally worked up their argument caused the tension to finally snap, leading them to spend the night together.
Aelin had been offered an amazing job. A perfect job. Perfect, except for the fact that it was in Paris and not New York
She'd had said goodbye to each of their friends. Except him. She’d cried and laughed and reminisced with all of them. Except for Rowan.
He’d been so upset, so angry. How could Aelin not have anything to say to him, after all these years, after all they’d been through?
When he’d confronted her, she’d told him, devastated, “If you think I didn't say goodbye to you because you don't mean as much to me as everybody else, you're wrong. It's because you mean more to me.”
He’d stopped her, not needing to hear anymore as he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her in for a searing kiss. She’d been shocked, unprepared for Rowan’s actions. She’d stepped away, searching his face, before pulling him towards her and kissing him again.
Gods, how could he have forgotten that she was leaving?
“Wow, I hadn't thought of that. I hope not.” Rowan didn't know how he would deal with Aelin leaving now. He’d just realized that he still loved her, and now he might lose her. But how could he expect her, or ask her, to stay? What kind of person would that make him? A desperate one? A man in love? Or an overreaching, entitled one who thought he could step in the way of one of the best opportunities she'd ever been given?
He would have to talk to her before he spiraled any further.
“Oh, this is so great!” Lysandra exclaimed, unaware of Rowan’s churning thoughts, “You guys might get back together, Elide and Lorcan are getting their baby, and there are chicks and ducks in the world again!
They all looked towards the sound of a door opening to see Aelin emerge from her room.
“Good morning,” She smiled at them and ignored the pointed looks and wiggling eyebrows of her friends.
“Hey,” Rowan smiled at her.
She walked up to him and greeted him quietly, “Hey.”
“How’d you sleep?”
She smiled, “Good, you?”
He matched her grin, “Good.”
Fenrys snorted, “I bet you did!”
Aelin flipped him off, shooing him, Lysandra, and Aedion away. Once they’d left, Rowan cupped her face and swooped down to kiss her. It felt like coming home.
When they broke apart, they both wore soft smiles.
“Last night was wonderful,” Aelin told him, rubbing a hand down his arm.
“Yeah, it was.”
She kept her eyes on his as she told him, “I woke up today with the biggest smile on my face.”
He tried to keep the satisfaction off his face but failed and she huffed a laugh, rolling her eyes before softening her features again.
“I know, me too,” Rowan told her, moving one thumb to brush along her cheek. “It was...you know, it was like one of those things you think is never gonna happen, and then it does, and it's everything you want it to be.”
She nodded, “I know,” Aelin leaned up to press another soft kiss to his lips before pulling him into a hug to say into his ear, “it was just the perfect way to say goodbye.”
In that moment, at her words, Rowan felt like his heart shattered into a million little pieces.
***
The hospital room buzzed with excitement.
“It's just a little bit more, honey.” Elide held Asterin’s hand as the young woman pushed again.
She sobbed, more in frustration than anything else “Help me! This hurts!”
Lorcan stood a step back and asked, “Is it really that bad?”
Both women glared at him with a ferocity that made him want to be swallowed up by a hole in the ground.
“Yeah,” Asterin answered through gritted teeth, “I think it's time to kick you in the nuts and see which is worse!”
Elide sighed as she was reminded of the words Lorcan reluctantly relayed to her earlier. She looked back at him, “No tact.”
The doctor cleared his throat, drawing all their attention towards him, “The baby's head is crowning.”
“Oh my God!” Elide cried, walking around to see, “That is the most beautiful top of a head I have ever seen! Lorcan, you have to see this!”
Lorcan had never looked more uncomfortable. “I'm okay.”
Elide whirled on him, “Lorcan, you don't wanna miss this. This is the birth of your child!”
His child. The words rang through him and sparked some sense of resolve. He shook himself of his discomfort, outwardly at least, and stepped up behind Elide to see what she was seeing.
“Wow.” He murmured reverently, “Disgusting.”
Elide scoffed but Loracn gripped her shoulders and kissed her forehead.
“Here we go,” The doctor said, glancing back up at Asterin “Start pushing.”
A shill cry broke through the air and Elide and Lorcan watched as the doctor held up a beautiful little baby. When Elide ripped her eyes away from the infant as the nurses cleaned it, she looked up to find Lorcan already staring at her with tears in his eyes. They didn’t have to say anything, they both felt the same overwhelming sense of love.
“It’s a boy.” The doctor said, leaning back and adjusting his gloves.
“A...a boy!” Elide beamed at Lorcan as he stood open-mouthed before showing her the widest smile she’d ever seen on the man.
“A boy.” He breathed.
“Oh, you did it!” Elide went back to Asterin’s head and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She leaned closer to the girl and whispered, “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
Asterin smiled at them both, “I'm really happy for you guys.”
“How do you feel?” Lorcan asked.
She sighed, “So tired.”
The doctor sat back into position, saying, “Well, you don't have that much time to relax. The other one will be along in a minute.”
The hand Lorcan had been rubbing down Elide’s back froze, as did both of their breathing as they slowly turned to face the doctor with eyebrows up to their hairlines.
“I’m sorry,” Elide said slowly, aware that Lorcan hadn’t resumed breathing yet, “who should be along in a what now?”
The doctor gave them a weird look, “The next baby should be along in a minute.”
“One.” Lorcan finally regained his ability to speak. “One baby. We signed up for one baby.”
“You know it's twins, right?” The doctor asked slowly
Elide laughed hysterically, “Oh, yeah! These are the faces of two people in the know!”
“I…” The doctor trailed off, “I can't believe you didn't know it's twins! This has never happened before.”
“Oh wow,” Loracn snorted incredulously, “That makes me feel so much better.” He ran an agitated hand through his hair.
“Wait,” Elide faced the doctor, “did you know it was twins?”
He nodded slowly, “Yeah, it's here in the paperwork we got from the clinic.”
Elide then spun around to Asterin, “Anybody tell you?”
Asterin furrowed her brows, “I don't think so. Not explicitly.” she insisted. “they did mention something about two heartbeats. But I thought that was just mine and the baby's. They kept saying both heartbeats are really strong, and I thought well, that's good 'cause I'm having a baby.”
Elide let out a shaky breath trying to wrap her mind around what was happening. “This is unbelievable.”
Lorcan gripped Elide’s arm and tugged into the corner of the room. “Can I see you for a second?”
Elide had never in her life seen Lorcan look more unsure of what to do. His hands were shaky as he gripped hers. “What do we do?”
She took a deep breath and looked directly into his eyes. “What do you mean what do we do?”
“Twins.” He stated urgently, “Twins!”
Seeing Lorcan so frazzled oddly calmed Elide down. “Lorcan, you’re panicking.”
“I sure as fuck am, join me!”
She cracked a half-smile, “Lorcan, take a breath, it’s going to be okay.”
“Elide, we are not ready to have two babies!” his eyes were still wide in shock and fear.
“That doesn’t matter!” she hissed, grabbing his arms and making him focus on her. “We have waited so long for this. I don't care if it's two babies. I don't care if it's three babies! We are taking them home because they are our children!”
Lorcan’s face softened and she watched as a steady resolve found its way across his face and through his body. They took a breath together and he pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead gently. When he pulled away, he had a small smile reserved only for her. “Okay.”
“Okay,” she repeated, her arms still wrapped around him.
“Okay.”
“Okay!”
“Okay!” he laughed, and this time it wasn’t fear clouding the sound, but joy.
“It looks like we're about ready over here.” the doctor called, and Elide and Lorcan walked back towards Asterin.
When another cry sounded, the doctor lifted the second baby, declaring, “It’s a girl.”
“A girl?” Lorcan asked quietly, a smile growing.
“Indeed.” The doctor replied, passing her to be cleaned up.
Spinning towards Elide, Lorcan said excitedly, “Well now we have two different ones!” then he whirled back to the doctor and put on his stoniest glare, “And that's enough!”
***
Lysandra, Aedion, Fenrys, and Rowan sat in the coffee house, Cadre Coffee, as Rowan told them what Aelin had said earlier.
“And then she hugged me and said it was the perfect way to say goodbye.” Even repeating it now, felt like chewing on broken glass.
“What did you say?” Fenrys pried.
Rowan sputtered, “Nothing. What do you say to that?” What could he say to that?
“Rowan,” Lysandra pleaded, “you've got to tell her how you feel.”
“I can’t do that to her.” He sighed, defeated. “I can’t lay that on her right before she’s supposed to leave.”
“Rowan,” Aedion leaned forward, making sure he held the silver-haired man’s attention, “Aelin doesn't know that you wanna get back together. If she did, she might feel differently. She might not even go.”
“You really think so?” he asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.
Just then, Aelin breezed into the coffee shop.
“Hi, guys!” She waved before walking up the counter.
Rowan watched her a moment. “Alright, you know what? You're right. I should at least tell her how I feel.” He could do that. He had to do that.
"Rowan, wait!" Fenrys called from behind him.
Rowan spun around, "What?"
Fenrys grinned, "Can you get me a muffin?"
Rowan gave him a one-finger response and took a step towards Aelin.
“Aelin?” Nox, the barista who’d worked at the coffee house for as long as any of them could remember, got her attention.
“Yeah?”
“I know you’re leaving tonight, but I just have to tell you. I love you.”
Rowan stood frozen in place, mouth open, as he watched the scene unfold.
“I... I don't know if that changes your plans at all, but I thought you should know.” Nox nodded earnestly.
“Nox, Oh,” She placed a hand on his shoulder, “I love you too. Probably not in the same way, but I do. And, and when I'm in a café, having coffee, I'll think of you.” She kissed his cheek before waving towards the group and leaving the coffee house.
Rowan sat down, meeting the shocked gazes of his friends. “Oh, my gods!”
Lysandra snorted, “Unbelievable!”
"Hey," Fenrys leaned forward, "you know what might help?"
Rowan glared at him and scoffed, "I'm not getting you a muffin!"
***
“We're going to take Asterin to recovery now.” The nurse told Elide and Lorcan as they each held one of their babies.
“Oh wait,” Elide caught Asterin’s hand, “There's something that we want to tell you. We decided to name the girl-baby Asterin.”
She smiled, “Oh, that’s just like my name!”
Elide held in a laugh. It was clear Asterin was either still on some medications or just very, very tired.
“Okay,” the blonde woman said, “I'm gonna go and get some rest. I'm really glad I picked you guys. You're gonna make great parents. Even Lorcan.”
Despite his eye roll, Elide saw the pride and gratitude in Lorcan’s eyes.
“Bye, Asterin.” Elide called as she was pushed out of the delivery room.
“Bye.”
Moving closer to Lorcan, Elide cooed, “Oh look at all their teeny fingers and toes.”
“I know,” he smiled widely, making him look younger, “You ready to trade?”
“Okay!” They tried maneuvering a few different ways but eventually gave up. Switching babies when you only have two hands is not an easy feat. “Alright, let’s see…”
“Maybe later?” he suggested.
“Perfect.”
***
At Elide and Lorcan’s apartment, Lysandra found Fenrys hunched over the coffee table.
“Hey, what are you working on?” She asked, walking into the living room.
He grinned, “It’s a ‘Welcome Home’ sign for the baby.” He held up the large sign which read Welcome Home Baby in red paint beside a funky-shaped red blob.
“Uh,” Lysandra squinted, “Is that supposed to be the baby?”
Fenrys rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “No, I sat in the paint.”
She snorted just as Rowan walked in.
“Hey,” He nodded at them.
“Hey, so did you talk to Aelin?” Lysandra asked.
Rowan ran his hand through his hair and sighed, “No, and I'm not going to.”
“What?” Lysandra asked incredulously at the same time Fenrys jumped up and asked, “Why not?”
Rowan dropped into a seat at the kitchen table. “Because she's just going to shoot me down. You guys saw what happened with Nox.”
Lysandra scoffed and lightly hit him upside the head. “How can you compare yourself to Nox? I mean, sure, he's sexy in a more obvious way.” She smirked as Rowan glared. “You have a relationship with her, you slept together last night. For gods’ sake, you’re Rowan and Aelin! You’re Rowaelin!”
Rowan huffed, standing up, and told her harshly, “Yeah, and she still wants to go! It's pretty clear where her head is at.” He sighed, shoulders slumping. “Look, even if I were going to tell her, I don't have to do it now. Okay? I'll be seeing her again. We've got time.”
“Gods, Rowan!” Lysandra tried to make him see reason. “No, you don't! She's going to Paris! She is going to meet somebody. Do you know how many hot guys there are in Paris?”
The door opened before Rowan could get another word in and Aedion strode in carrying a rolled-up paper.
“Hey,” He said as he walked over to Lysandra to kiss her before setting the paper on the table.
“Hey, babe,” Lysandra smiled. “Whatcha got?”
“Oh,” Aedion brightened and unrolled the piece of paper. “I made a little something. If I had more time to work on it, it'd be better, but.” He shrugged, revealing a precisely drawn sign reading Welcome to the World, Baby Lochan.
“Damn, Ashryver,” Rowan nodded appreciatively “that’s really good.”
Fenrys scoffed, still standing next to his sign, and rolled his eyes, grumbling, “You know, the baby can't read, Aedion.”
Lysandra laughed as Aelin opened the door and strode in.
“Hi. You guys, my car just got here,” she said dejectedly. “I can't believe they're not home yet! I have to catch my stupid plane. I wanna see the baby!”
Fenrys spoke up, “Elide called a few minutes ago from the car. She said they should be here any minute. And apparently, there's some big surprise?”
As if on cue, Elide carefully pushed the door open and stepped inside carrying a small baby.
Aelin couldn’t hold in her gasp and none of them tried to hide the misting in their eyes.
“Oh, my gods!” Aelin beamed as she walked to Elide, resting a hand on her shoulder.
“Oh, El!” Lysandra gushed, rushing forward.
“So tiny,” Rowan murmured, coming up next to Elide as Fernys and Aedion joined the small group, too.
They turned as they heard another set of footsteps enter, turning to see Lorcan walk in carrying his own small bundle.
“Oh!”
“What the—”
“What?”
“Oh, my gods!”
“Holy sh—”
Five different exclamations happened simultaneously as all their eyes darted between the two babies.
Rowan shook himself and clasped Lorcan on the shoulder, “Okay, awkward question. The hospital knows you took two, right?”
Lorcan glared at Rowan but neither man could keep the grins off their faces as they looked down at the infants.
“Yes, Whitethorn, it’s twins.”
“They’re precious,” Lysandra cooed, making funny faces at the one in Elide’s arms. Aelin, having said hello to that baby, stepped next to Rowan to gaze down at the one Lorcan held.
“This is a boy,” Elide told them, gesturing to the one she held. “And that’s a girl,” she nodded to Lorcan’s.
“Her name is Asterin,” Lorcan told them, not looking away from his daughter’s face.
“Oh, hey, that pregnant lady’s name was Asterin.” Fenrys nodded.
Aedion snorted, “It’s a shame you two didn’t spend more time together.”
Aelin aww’d and patted Lorcan’s arm, the two of them sharing a rare, warm smile.
“The boy we named Cal, after my dad.”
“Oh, you guys,” Aelin whined, “I can't believe this. But I have to leave now, or I'm gonna miss my plane."
“I’m just so glad you got to meet them,” Elide said, watery, pulling Aelin into a hug.
“Me, too,” Aelin told her. “I'm just sorry I'm not gonna be around to watch you two attempt to handle this! Alright, I can't say goodbye to you guys again. I love you all so much.”
I love yous were exchanged and Aelin walked to the door.
“Rowan?” She caught his eye, “come here.”
He nodded and followed her into the hall, shutting the apartment door behind him.
“Rowan, I,” She paused, grabbing his hands and looking into his face with such genuine sadness it made his heart crack and made him want to pull her into his arms and not let go. She took a breath and continued, “I just want you to know, last night...I'll never forget it.”
He cleared his throat, willing the lump in it to disappear. “Neither will I.”
He cupped her cheek and she leaned into the touch. Aelin pulled him in for a hug, holding on tight. When she pulled away, Rowan used every ounce of strength to unwrap his arms from her body, to step away as she walked down the hall and away from him.
When Rowan walked back into the apartment, Lysandra sat next to him and asked, “So, you just let her go?”
Rowan couldn’t reply, he just replayed the last two days over in his head.
“Maybe that's for the best.” Fenrys chimed in, taking up the empty chair. “You know? You just... Look, you gotta... You gotta think about last night the way she does, okay? Maybe sleeping together was the perfect way to say goodbye?"
Lysandra groaned, “But now she'll never know how he feels!”
Aedion walked over and said not unkindly, “Maybe that's okay. You know? Maybe, maybe it’s better this way? I mean, now you can move on. I mean, you've been trying to for so long, maybe now that you're on different continents…”
They kept talking but all Rowan could hear was a buzzing in his head.
“I don’t want to move on.”
He said it quietly but they all stopped talking and looked at him.
“What?” Aedion asked, unsure he heard Rowan correctly.
“I don’t.” Rowan shook his head and stood up. “I want to be with her.”
“Really?” Fenrys asked, excitedly
“Of course really!” Lysandra answered for him.
Rowan kept nodding. “Yeah, I’m gonna go after her. I have to.”
“Yeah, you are!” Lorcan cheered from the living room. Rowan didn’t even have time to find his friend’s enthusiasm funny.
“Finally!” Elide added her own cheer, smiling between Rowan and the babies.
“Come on,” Lysandra urged, standing up and following Rowan to the door. “My car’s downstairs, I’ll drive you to the airport.”
“Okay!” Rowan faced his friends again, “wish me luck!”
A chorus of Good Lucks followed him out the door.
***
“Hey,” Fenrys called excitedly to Lorcan and Eide once Rowan and Lysandra had left, “can I give you guys your house-warming present now?”
The couple shared an amused look before Elide told him, “Now, that you can do.”
“Great! Hang on a minute.” Fenrys left their apartment to walk across the hall to his.
“Okay, my little feather babies where are you?” he muttered as he caught sight of the empty box he’d put them in earlier. “Oh shit.”
He hastily looked in the kitchen, living room, and bedrooms. “Chick Jr? Duck Jr?” he called, running a hand through his hair anxiously. “Don’t hide from mama!”
***
“Lysandra, slow down!” Rowan urged as they almost took out a bicyclist.
She rolled her eyes, “Do you wanna get to Aelin in time?
“Of course I do, but I want to be alive to do it.”
Lysandra huffed at his dramatics but eased up on the gas. Slightly.
Finally arriving at the airport, Rowan and Lysandra rushed past the hoards of people, trying to maneuver their way towards Aelin.
“Rowan!” Lysandra called as he made to run down the hallway. “Where are you going?”
“To talk to Aelin.” Obviously.
“What?” She grabbed his arm, pulling him towards the ticket counter. “What, are you just gonna walk up to her at the gate? Have you never chased anyone through the airport before?”
“Not since the last time I chased the love of my life—no I haven’t Lys!”
She rolled her eyes as she kept dragging him away from the terminals. “You have to get a ticket to get past security, Idiot.”
Oh, right.
“Shit, we’re never gonna make it.” he hissed as they got caught behind the human embodiments of snails on their way to the counter.
***
“Miss, your boarding pass, please.” The gate attendant asked Aelin as she approached.
“Right, of course.” She dug through her purse then frowned, not seeing it. Flashing an apologetic smile to the people behind her, she took her purse off her shoulder and rummaged through it frantically. “Shit, shit, shit.”
The attendant cleared his throat. “Your boarding pass.”
Internally cringing, she put on her most charming smile. “You know, I had it,” she forced a chuckle, “Oh, you wouldn’t believe this—”
He looked unimpressed. “Miss, if you don't have your boarding pass—”
“I have it, I have it! Okay, I don’t have it, but I remember that I was in seat 32C,” she leaned in closer and winked, “because that’s my bra size.”
He sighed again. “Miss, you must have your boarding pass.”
Aelin huffed and stepped out of the line. “Okay, fine! But you know what? If I was in 36D, we would not be having this problem.”
Muttering to herself, Aelin scoured all her bags, finally brandishing the ticket and rushing back to the counter. “Here it is!”
***
Finally getting up to the ticket counter, Rowan slammed down his wallet, demanding, “I need a ticket.”
Lysandra pouted. “Just one? I drive you all the way down here, and I don't get to see how it works out?”
“Fine, fine,” he corrected irritatedly, “two tickets, I need two tickets.”
Lysandra sighed dramatically and leaned into Rowan, giving him her most overexaggerated doe-eyes. “We're on our honeymoon” she stage-whispered to the woman behind the computer.
The ticket agent merely raised a manicured brow and asked, “Destination?”
Rowan already had his credit card ready, “whatever’s cheapest.”
Lysandra sighed again, “I’m so lucky.”
Rowan leveled a glare at her and she tried not to laugh.
Once inside the terminal, Rowan sprinted toward the first departure timetable he could find. “Okay, flight 421 to Paris. I don't see it, do you see it?”
Lysandra stood next to him, eyes scanning the board. “No, did we miss it?”
“No, no, no. That's impossible,” Rowan told her. “It doesn't leave for another 20 minutes.”
“Maybe we have the flight number wrong? Hang on, let me call Elide.”
She stepped aside, impatiently waiting for Elide to pick up her phone.
“Hello?” the new mom answered.
“Hey! It’s me. Here’s Rowan.” Then she thrust the phone into Rowan’s hand.
“Elide, do you—”
“Oh, my gods, Rowan, wait until you hear the cute little noises the twins are making. Listen.”
“What? No, Elide.” Rowan cursed as he heard unintelligible baby sounds. “Elide, Elide, Elide, Elide—”
“Oh sorry,” she said, “They were doing it before.”
“Elide! Listen, please. I need Aelin’s flight information.”
“Oh, sure, hang on.” he could hear ruffling paper as he paced back and forth. “Here it is, it's flight 421. Leaves at 8:40.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought, its not on the board.
“Flight 421,” Elide repeated, “leaves at 8:40, Newark airport.”
Rowan froze, his heart sinking. “What?”
“Newark airport.” Elide gasped. “Where are you?”
But she already knew the answer.
“JFK.” he breathed, utterly defeated.
***
If Rowan wasn’t so upset, he would be fearing for his life as Lysandra sped through the streets at breakneck speed.
“Lysandra, forget it, okay? Newark is like an hour away. There's no way we're gonna make it in time.”
“She’s got her phone,” Lysandra braved a glance at him, narrowly avoiding another car, "you could call her.”
Rowan scoffed, “I am not doing this over the phone.”
“You don’t have any other choice!” She insisted before reaching for her own phone and calling Aelin.
It rang once. Twice.
“Hello? Lys?” Aelin’s voice rings out from the speaker and it was like a tether Rowan desperately wanted to hold onto.
“Aelin?” Lysandra answered, relieved. “oh, good. Hey, by the way, did you just get on the plane?”
“Yeah, I did.”
Leaning over, Lysandra hissed, “For what it's worth, we would have caught her if we were at the right airport.”
“Fan-fucking-tastic.” Rowan sniped.
“Uh, Ae, hang on,” she tried pushing the phone into Rowan’s hand but he adamantly refused to do this without being able to look Aelin in the eye.
“Lys? Is everything okay?” Aelin asked, worriedly.
Glaring at Rowan, Lysandra struggled to find a reason for calling. “Uhm, actually no. No, you've...you have to get off the plane.”
“What? Why?” Aelin sounded bewildered.
“I just,” Lysandra sighed, shooting another glare at Rowan, “I have this feeling that something's wrong with it. Something is wrong with the, uh,” she paused again before snapping her fingers and declaring, “with the left phalange.”
“Lys, babe, I'm sure there's nothing wrong with the plane. Look, I have to go. I love you, and I will call you the minute I get to Paris.”
***
On the plane, Aelin hung up the phone only to feel the man beside her tap insistently on her shoulder.
“What was that?” he asked, looking anxious.
“Oh,” Aelin waved a hand dismissively, “that was just my friend. She told me I should get off the plane because she had a feeling that there was something wrong with the left phalange.” She chuckled, sure it was just Lysandra’s way of finding an excuse to talk to her again before the flight took off.
But the man started to fidget. “Okay, that doesn't sound good.”
“I wouldn't worry about it.” Aelin again waved him off, “She's always coming up with stuff like this, and you know what? She's almost never right.”
“But she is sometimes?”
“Well…” Aelin trailed off, thinking about all the things Lysandra has had an intuition about.
Her hesitation was apparently enough to send her seatmate into a tail-spin because he instantly got up and tried to grab his suitcase, only for the flight attendant to stop him.
“Excuse me, sir, where are you going?” The woman asked, curtly.
“I have to get off this plane, okay?” he insisted, then gestured towards a wide-eyed Aelin. “Her friend has a feeling something's wrong with the left phalange.”
He said it loud enough that other passengers began to panic, while Aelin sheepishly shrugged at the annoyed flight attendant.
“There is nothing wrong with the plane, sir.”
He finally got his bag down and cried, “The left phalange!”
The attendant looked incredulously between the man and Aelin, “There is no phalange.”
“Oh my God. This plane doesn't even have a phalange!”
Aelin watched, wincing, as more passengers overheard and insisted they, too, get off the plane. Person after person marched out the aisle and soon Aelin loosed a long breath, “This is ridiculous,” she watched another two people leave. “Yeah, okay.”
Grabbing her own bag, she followed the crowd off the plane.
***
Rowan doubted he’d ever felt as frantic or desperate as he did right now.
He and Lysandra finally made it to Newark, bought another ticket, and raced to Aelin’s gate.
“Where is she?” He muttered, almost pulling out his hair with how forcefully he raked his hands through it.
“I don't see her,” Lysandra answered.
“Aelin!” Rowan shouted, not caring about the stares he garnered. “Aelin Galthynius!”
“Oh!” Lysandra gasped, pointing towards a crowd, “There she is!”
“Aelin!” He yelled again, pushing past people as he tried to run onto the boarding gate.
“Woah,” the gate attendant stopped Rowan, “excuse me, sir, do you have a boarding pass?”
“I just need to talk to someone,” he pleaded.
“I’m sorry, you cannot go any further without a boarding pass.”
“Gods, please, I just need—”
“AELIN!” Lysandra shrieked, getting everyone’s attention including a specific blonde who rushed back out the gate and stood gaping at Lysandra and Rowan.
“Oh my gods,” she looked back and forth between the two before her gaze locked and held with Rowan’s as she breathed, “What—what are you guys doing here?”
“All you,” Lysandra nudged Rowan then made herself scarce
“What? What is it?” Aelin demanded, pulling Rowan aside, “Rowan, you're scaring me. What's going on?”
“Aelin,” Rowan didn’t know where to start. “Okay, the thing is,” he trailed off again. How could he tell that he loved her? How could he wrap up ten years—more than that—of falling in love with her, even at times when he didn’t know it. How could he explain that to her?
“Rowan?”
He took a deep breath. “Don’t go.”
“What?” Aelin asked, shocked.
“Aelin, please, don’t leave. I am so gods damn in love with you. Please, don’t go.”
Aelin stood open-mouthed, her eyes shimmering with an emotion he didn’t dare name. “Oh, my gods.”
He groaned, “I know, I know. I’m an idiot and a bastard, and any other name you want to call me. I shouldn't have waited until now to say it, Hellas, I shouldn’t have waited until now to realize it, but,” he shook his head, locking his gaze with hers. “That was stupid, okay? I'm sorry, I’m so sorry, but I'm telling you now. I love you. I’m in love with you. Please, do not get on this plane.”
“Miss?” a throat cleared behind them, making Aelin blink and drag her watery eyes away from his. “Are you boarding the plane?”
“Aelin,” Rowan took her hand, urging her to stay, “Aelin, please. I know you love me, too. I know you do. Don’t go. Stay.”
“I,” Aelin looked between Rowan and the gate attendant with shock and regret etched across her face. “I have to get the plane,” she whispered.
“No, you don’t.” Rowan held tightly to her hand.
“Yes, I do.” despite her protests, she didn’t pull her hand away.
“No,” Rowan stepped closer, cupping her cheek and reveling in the fact that she leaned into his touch. “You don’t.”
“Rowan,” her words barely louder than a breath, “They're waiting for me, I can't do this right now, I'm sorry. I'm sorry.”
He couldn’t understand what was happening. Rowan couldn’t accept that she was walking away.
“Aelin.” he pleaded, one final time.
She took a shuddering breath. “I’m so sorry.”
Rowan stood unmoving, felt his breathing freeze and his heart cease beating if just for a moment as he watched Aelin walk away from him and board the plane.
He wasn’t aware of people moving around him or of Lysandra coming to stand next to him before pulling him into a hug murmuring I’m sorry. He wasn’t aware of his surroundings as he walked towards Lysandra’s car or his walk back to his apartment. All he knew was that he’d just watched the love of his life walk away and there would soon be an ocean between them.
***
Lorcan sealed the last box of his and Elide’s things.
“Wow,” Elide sighed, looking around the bare apartment. “Everything’s packed.”
“It’s weird,” Lorcan replied, looking around the space he and their friends had occupied for so many years.
“I know.” She stood on her toes and he leaned down to meet her for a kiss.
“So, uh,” Fenrys spoke up from the kitchen, “does this mean there's nothing to eat?”
Elide snorted while Lorcam tried his best to reign in his smirk. Turning, Elide told him, “I put three lasagnas in your freezer.”
He beamed, “I love you!”
She chuckled as the door opened and Lysandra walked in.
“How’d it go?” Elide asked
“So did you guys make it in time?” Aedion spoke at the same time from his place against the fridge.
“Yeah,” Lysandra sighed, “Yeah, he talked to her, but she got on the plane anyway.”
“Where’s Rowan?” Lorcan asked her, knowing Rowan would be hiding away, brooding.
“He went home,” Lysandra frowned and leaned into Aedion’s embrace. “He didn't want to see anybody.”
***
Sitting on his couch, Rowan noticed his answering machine beeping. More out of muscle memory than an actual urge to listen, he pressed the button.
“Rowan, It’s me.”
Rowan jolted, a mess of emotion flying through him as he listened to Aelin's voice filter through his machine.
“I just got back on the plane. I feel awful. Gods, Rowan, that was so not how I wanted things to end with us.”
End. Rowan braced himself, he had to get through this message.
“It's just that I wasn't expecting to see you, and all of a sudden you're there and saying these things...and now I’m sitting here thinking of everything I should’ve said that I didn’t.”
Rowan heard her take a shuddering breath.
“I didn't even get to tell you that I love you too.”
His breath caught, and hope filled him for the first time since he’d been standing in front of her.
“Because of course, I do. I love you. I love you. Gods, Rowan, I love you.”
He held his breath, he almost couldn’t wrap his brain around what he was hearing, what he’d longed to hear.
“What am I doing? I love you! I need to get off this plane—”
“Oh my gods,” Rowan listened, wide-eyed as he heard Aelin argue with a flight attendant.
“Excuse me? I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, but I need to get off this plane, okay? I need to tell Rowan I love him.”
“Miss, can't let you off the plane.”
“Let her off the plane!” Rowan screamed at his machine.
“Oh, please, you don’t understand. Isn’t there any way you can just let me off—”
Beeeeep.
The message ended and Rowan was left sitting on the edge of his sofa staring disbelievingly at his answering machine.
“No!” He jumped up, carding a hand through his hair, “No! Aelin! Oh, my gods, did she get off the plane?”
“I got off the plane.”
Rowan whirled around so fast he thought his neck might snap. Aelin stood in his doorway, suitcase in hand, staring at him with a watery smile and eyes that blazed with surety.
“You got off the plane.” Rowan breathed and strode towards her, holding her face in his hands as she grabbed his arms, each clinging to the other, not able to let the other go.
Rowan wasn’t sure who moved first, but the next moment he was kissing Aelin, It was as if all the years of pining, love, heartbreak, and friendship, barreled through them and into a kiss full of promise. All the mistakes of the past, all the time wasted, was over. Now, they could finally be Rowan and Aelin. Finally.
When they pulled apart, still unable to let the other go, Aelin leaned her forehead against his and told him, “I do. I do love you.”
Rowan brushed a tear from her cheek and smiled down with all the warmth he could gather. “I love you too, Fireheart. And I’m never letting you go, again.”
“Good," She nodded, gripping him tighter, “because this is where I want to be, okay? With you. Always with you. No more messing around.”
“That’s right,” he agreed, “we’re done being stupid.”
Aelin kissed him again. “You and me, alright?” She looked him in the eye and saw everything she felt mirrored there. “To whatever end.”
“This is it. To whatever end” He echoed, pulling her in for another kiss.
***
The seven of them stood in the now-empty living room of Elide and Lorcan’s apartment. The new parents each held a baby, Fenrys sat with Lysandra and Aedion near the large window, and Aelin leaned into Rowan who had his arms wrapped around her as they stood to the side.
“Wow,” Aelin murmured, looking around the bare space.
“I know,” Rowan said into her hair, “It seems smaller somehow.”
Fenrys glanced at the walls a minute before asking, “Has it always been purple?” His answer consisted of several snorts.
Lorcan and Elide strapped Asterin and Cal into their stroller. Elide sniffed, facing everyone else, “Oh, uh, I promised the landlord we’d leave our keys.”
She said it to Lorcan, but each of them walked toward the counter to place their own keys. Elide laughed, looking at seven pairs of keys to a two-person apartment.
“I guess this is it,” Lysandra commented mournfully.
“Yeah,” Aedion wrapped an arm around her shoulders, “I guess so.”
At Elide’s sniffle, Lorcan pulled her into his arms. Through the fabric of his shirt, they could hear her say, “This is harder than I thought it would be.”
Gathering herself, Elide unwrapped her arms from Lorcan’s middle before turning to hug Aelin who’d come to stand next to her.
“Do you guys have to go to the new house right away?” Aelin asked, “Or do you have some time?”
“We have some time.”
“Okay,” Rowan grabbed Aelin’s hand, “should we get some coffee?”
“Sure,” Fenrys smirked. “Where?”
They all laughed as they walked out of the apartment that had become so important to each one of them. Aedion helped Lorcan carry the double stroller down the stairs, followed closely by Elide. Lysandra and Fenrys were bickering, but smiling as they walked. And Rowan and Aelin had their arms wrapped around each other, not daring or wanting to let the other one go. They shared a smile, and with one last glance at the closed apartment door, they left.
*****
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Chapter 1
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Fanfiction : My First Kiss 'just a kiss'
Genre : best friend to enemies to lovers! Roommates au! Classmates au! Romcom.
Pairings : Taehyung × reader
Series: a drabble fanfiction of 3 sets.
Word count : 2.9 k
Summary : you shifted to a new city for your best friend Taehyung. He's your bestie since birth. You admitted to his school where you find life difficult. Taehyung being a fuckboi and you being is bestie he shares everything with you even his sex life and moves. But your character is far more different from him. You always looked for your comfort person. You dreamt of spending time with your future partners. Summary : you shifted to a new city for your best friend Taehyung. He's your bestie since birth. You admitted to his school where you find life difficult. Taehyung being a fuckboi and you being is bestie he shares everything with you even his sex life and moves. But your character is far more different from him. You always looked for your comfort person. You dreamt of spending time with your future partners. Even you're in high school you haven't kissed anyone as you want to secure your first kiss for your special one. What happened when Taehyung seized the chance from you of your first romantic kiss! you're in high school you haven't kissed anyone as you want to secure your first kiss for your special one. What happened when Taehyung seized the chance from you of your first romantic kiss!
Warnings : fuckboi, bestie bad words, private talks, best friend sharing sex life, abusing, angst, misunderstanding, bullying, kissing, smut, fluff, explicit, student life, dirty talks, wet dreams, hitting on, making out, Dom,sub, yandere.
Author note: here you go again, I loves writing this fic as it's have Loads of dirty talks we shared with our bestie, so just enjoy and read. Tell me your opinions then.
Chapter 2 ∆ CHAPTER 3
MASTERLIST
(๑♡⌓♡๑) (๑♡⌓♡๑) (๑♡⌓♡๑) (๑♡⌓♡๑)
Sitting on your couch you were unfolding the clothes you took from home last weekends. The purple frill short dress of your sister is now yours as she already left for her higher studies at aboard. You were happy but missing your family a bit more these days cause you were new in this high school where only friends of yours is Taehyung. The dumb. Your bestie since ages.
Yesterday, you came back from your hometown Daegu to Seoul for the studies. Or you can say to help your best friend Tae in his studies. As his mother forced you to stay with Tae in Seoul because of his poor academic performance. You're not so happy staying in Seoul leaving your family far miles away. But only for your bestie you were there. The last high school year you were gonna spent with Taehyung. You haven't met him since so long but he was the only one you keep on texting, calling every day when you both live far away from each other.
Here the academic things are quite different. Taehyung was helping you in all of that. He was so happy that you were accompanying him there. Living with eachother was both of your childhood dreams and now it's fulfilling. You and him live in his two storey building. You were on the ground floor and he was on the top. You were stressed but happy that Tae was still the same here. Nothing between you two have changed. He still baby care you like he used to during middle school. You were on the random thoughts of memories.
Suddenly someone patted from the back and you looked "Tae how are you?" He hugged you.
"You already home? I missed you." Tae replied.
"Yes, I'm. Unfortunately only for you here. By the way where were you?" You asked.
"Umm... Just Making out!" Taehyung sighed
"You're life is cool. Making out with Seulgi your girlfriend as much as you want." You smirked.
"Wait, no. I'm not making out with her. Apart from that also Seulgi is just my contract girlfriend. We have nothing like that stuff. We didn't even kiss. Soon our contract being a couple will end. Understood!" He scoffs
"I know. Then whom did you make out with?" You asked.
"Umm... Uhh.. actually I don't her name. But she's also new student in our school like you. But she's junior. But tomorrow I will ask her name!" Tae frowned .
"You're such a dick. Didn't even know her name. Only God can save you." You eyed.
"I'm an angel. Huh. She's the one kissed me first. I just kissed back. But her plump red lips taste like watermelon. God I want to kiss her again." Tae excitedly said.
"Stop. Maybe she use watermelon taste Chapstick. You never know." You chuckled.
"Whatever she uses is delicious. But she bite me in my lower lips so hard. It got redness and swell so much. See." He point out his lips to you.
"Aha! My poor baby got hurt. Use my lip serum or else it will get lump, you stupid." You handed over him your lip serum.
"Don't call me your baby tomorrow at school please. I'm the most popular here. Only your baby bestie at home." Tae smiled.
"Well, I got something to tease you. Baby bestie." You giggled.
"Stop now." Tae frowned.
You chuckled and put the clothes on your shelfs. And arrange your study desk. While you're doing all this Taehyung was sitting there and looking at you all the way. He was looking at your long dark hairs, pale fingers, thin postures and your beautiful small face. After completely setting up all the necessary changes you sit at the couch.
"You have changed a lot. Huh!" Tae asked.
"Me? Why!" You eyed him.
"I mean.. nothing. It's just when I saw you two years ago at our hometown you're so different. Now, everything about you changed. You're not my lil baby bestie anymore." Tae sighed.
"Shut up. I'm still your baby bestie for ages. Might be I'm little more glowing here. You know good looks matters." You smirked.
"Yeah, good looks. You got so much prettier. Now you have curves and boobs-" you cut him off.
"Of course. Got so much wiser too. I'm not 16 anymore. I'm a 18 year old girl with beauty." You said proudly.
"Leave that. You have packed your bag for tomorrow school?" He asked
"Yeah. Pretty much. You've plan for tonight?" You pinned.
"Umm... Yeah. If you're asking me to stay then I can actually. What's your plan? You probably should sleep!" Tae said.
"No, I'm just gonna watch something. You're good to go but remember your mother send me here to look after you. So, don't be late or either I will call Mrs. Kim aunt." You glanced.
"Okay, okay. Don't be so demanding. I'll be back at midnight after clubbing. You can do whatever you want in this home. With whoever you want-"
"Wait. What?"
"Sorry, my mistake. You're single. No one is there to do any fun with you. Poor _____, you can probably drink milk and sleep." Tae laughed so hard.
"You! Fucking Kid. I'll kill you. Stop." I screamed.
"Catch me if you can. Meet you at the morning. Byee." Taehyung said as he gone for clubbing.
You're sitting there getting bored so you watched some shows. Watching webseries is a whole mood. Romantic movies and your imagination for your loves one just increases. You were still searching for that special one who can get you butterflies in your stomach. The show was on climax where the protagonist gonna kiss his lady love. But suddenly you heard someone open the living room's door.
"You're watching porn?" Someone screamed after slamming the door. You can't see cause it's dark in the room and only the television screen light makes the person slightly visible. But you recognized the voice. It's Taehyung.
"What the fuck! You scared me asshole." You screamed.
"What's are you watching, is it porn? I haven't expected that from you." Taehyung sighed.
"Shut up, you ruined my moment. They're gonna share their first kiss. You know how much first kiss mean actually?" You gritted.
"First kiss! Lol! Is there something you should highlight like first kiss?" Taehyung eyed annoyingly.
"Yess! Fucking yes! You don't know how much first kiss mean for everyone. Most importantly for me. I want to share my kiss to my favourite, trustworthy and love of life. I have huge dreams for my first kiss." You explained.
"Ugh! I never thought about like this. My first kiss was... Um.. uh.. I don't even remember who it was! And you're still dreaming for your first kiss?" Taehyung rolled his eyes.
"Is dreaming is prohibited here? If no then shut up. I live in hope and imagination. One day, at the sunset into the sea shore, me and my love gonna share ourselves." You smiled.
"Ew. It's so cringe,______. Your lips gonna die virgin. You get it." Taehyung arrogantly said.
"What's so ever. But you're so early at home? Any special reason or were you missing me?" You asked giggling.
"Ah! That girl. She's the worst. I mean she runied my whole mood. She didn't even know how to moan." Taehyung sighed.
"I see. You were making out again and she wasn't good at it.?" You asked.
"No,she was good but she didn't moaning my name. That's the thing. Moaning is important." Taehyung said.
"Why? You want to hear her screams? Ew." You chuckled.
"It's the best thing. The pleasure in hearing your name when you're getting pleasure is insane. But she's just so silent. That's so important. That motivates me to go hard you know." Taehyung gritted.
"Well, you're just overreacting and nothing. How even moaning matters if anyone is good.!" You yawned.
"Huh. You will not get it. You still are a huge Virgin. Moreover your lips are too virgin. You have such a sad life,_____" Taehyung chuckled.
"I'm not like you. The one who got my lips will be special. Huh." You exclaimed.
A deep silence between two of you turned. Taehyung gazed on your orange plump lips with his pointed eyes. And then he smirked.
"How your lips will taste?" Taehyung smirked.
"Umm.. stop your flirting skills at me. You dickhead." You growned.
"Just kidding. I know it will taste like your peach Chapstick. I used it infinity of times. So I don't need to know." Taehyung chuckled.
"Now, go upstairs and sleep. Tomorrow it's my first day of school. I don't know how the kids gonna treat me there. I'm worried." You sighed.
"Don't worry, I always got your back,____" he pinched your cheeks.
"Thanks for always. Good night, bye. Sleep well, baby Kook." You wished him and went to your bedroom and slept.
Walking down the streets for the school. You looked at Tae , he was playfully kicking the rock across the road and he seems really happy. But on the side, you're super nervous for your first day of school. The hands keeps getting wet of sweat. You again remembered if you have take all your books and stationary in place. You dressed well and you look great as a high school kid. You keep on calculating things you need to tell others to befriend with them. And finally with handful of step counting you arrived on the front gate of your new school. It was huge, big then your previous school. Paintings, article and quotes all over the wall. The names of the top grade student at the board. You were excited to go inside and explore more but your nervousness can be seen.
"____,you look so nervous. Don't worry. I'm here. Student are quite friendly. You gonna love this place. Trust me." Taehyung smiled.
"Y-yeah. I have to love this place." You confidently answered and both of you entered the building.
With entering Tae just left you and went to a group of boys. You decide to find your class on your own and explore the school. The walls were coloured in yellow and purple. Neat and cleanliness all over. You look for the twelve C class at the school map and make your way there. Student are quite disciplined there, sitting at their places and making zero chaos. Looking at all the classroom you finally find yours. Not many student are there. Only some girls sitting at the last benches goosiping about something. You find a known face out of them. It's of Seulgi, Taehyung's girlfriend. He have quite a many times send you her photos. But in reality, she looks more hot and gorgeous. With out interacting with anyone you straight up choose a bench and sit. Few minutes after, the empty classroom get filled with student. You saw Tae with his group of boys. Laughing and kidding with each other. A chaos shifted when they entered. But at your surprise, Tae even didn't look at your face or talked to you. He completely ignored you. But then the teacher walks into and everyone settles to their place.
"Good morning kiddos. I think you probably have seen our new student,____. Introduce yourself to the class,____." Teacher asked me.
"Hey, I'm _____ from Daegu. Your new highschool classmate. Please treat me well." You introduced.
Everyone just rolled their eyes, pretending like they didn't even care about me. No one even came up to you to befriend. The class was horrible basically the kids there. But Tae's behaviour is the most shocking, he didn't even asked or introduce any of his friends to you. You felt really guilty to be there only for Tae. The teacher was kind to gave you enough attention and praising. You answered well in the class as no one other than you was interested in the class. For the first few classes you didn't speak to anyone but at last you thought of talking to Tae.
During the lunch time,you went up to the last few benches which were covered with boys. There your bestie was also present. You walked to him, but all the boys were looking at you. They were making laughing faces or most probably mocking you for talking to Tae.
"Tae, you want to have lunch with me?" You asked him.
He felt a little uncomfortable while speaking to you. "umm.. actually I don't really eat with anyone. We boys gonna eat together. Go help yourself." He rolled his eyes.
You just can't processed what he said. You still were blank. You thought of yourself what he mean by not eat with anyone. He was your fucking bestie and why he was pretending that he don't know you. You felt regretted asking him and walked out of there.
"Another gold digger, Taehyung. Don't let the girl trap you."
"I don't know that she also will be like everyone."
"Taehyung, she's hitting on you. Your pretty face always traps everyone gaze."
"This little nerd also have a taste to ask the most popular guy like Taehyung for lunch. Huh."
Everyone started to speak trash about you. You were just hearing everything carefully. Trying hard not to cry or fall a tear. Tae is literally standing there and hearing all that shit about you and not letting them stop. He just hummed with everyone. You were keep on cussing your self for thinking about anyone betterment. Those tear can't hold but fall from your eyes. You let out a sigh and ignored all of that and ate your lunch.
You were so distrubed that you decide to take a break from the classes and sit on library. You started to read a book comfortably.
"Taehyung, What's I'm hearing? The new nerd is hitting on you?" Seulgi asked
"Ya. You know, perks of being the most popular kid." Taehyung smirked
"Basically I came up to you, cause I just want to tell you that our contract of being a couple is gonna end." Seulgi said.
"Thank god. At last you get the boy you were looking for? Then let's post that officially. Taehyung and Seulgi broke up." Taehyung excitedly said.
"But before that you have to do one thing. That boy whom I'll be dating should know that we broke up because you cheated on me. Okay?" Seulgi said.
"I cheated, why? Then how would we show that I cheated? Any plan." Taehyung sighed.
"Kiss the new girl,____" Seulgi smirked.
"What? No way. She's my bes-" Taehyung stopped mid way.
"She's hitting on you. Then if you kiss her, then probably she also get happy. And you're for sure a fuckboi. So go for it." Seulgi said.
"It's enough. I'm not going to kiss anyone. Shut up." Taehyung arrogantly said.
"Well, then I think I should reveal your secret to everyone. Huh? Do you want it?" Seulgi rolled her eyes.
"But it's totally wrong. I ca-" Tae frowned
"You have to. Or else your secret will be no longer a secret." Seulgi giggled devilishly.
"Umm.. uh.. Fine. I will." Taehyung sighed.
He thought about you so much. He even know that you have high expectations for your first kiss. He knows you haven't kissed anyone. That's you're pure. But he realized that after all you were his bestie. The one you trust the most. The one you love the most. Starting from the birth you were with each other. He realized that you were gonna accept his mistake to take away your first kiss.
Reading your favourite novel of all time. You feel someone call you from behind. You take a look at the back and see it was Tae. You make a annoyance face at him cause he was acting like he don't know you.
"Hey." Tae underconfidently said.
"What?" You growned.
"Umm.. can you lend me something?" Taehyung said and looks at Seulgi and her group who was watching you both.
"Why are you acting so weird today? Don't you know me?" You asked.
"I said can you lend me something?" Tae arrogantly bunched the table Infront of you. It's like he desperately need you.
"Ya!" You screamed.
He walks closer enough to close his dark eyes. He softly breathed across your soft cheeks. You hitched and took a back from the chair. But he pinned you with hand on your arms. You were just going to tell him to stop. But he quietly plant a kiss on your smooth peach lips. For some seconds the moment was out of control, you can feel his plump red juicy lips of your. He again pushed you further to kiss back. Without your knowledge, you can't resist his lips and kissed him back. His soft delicate tongue hit your teeth, you just asked him to enter all along your mouth. The kiss you first shared with your own bestie. But as you gather the knowledge of what's happening, you just pushed Tae so hard with all your strength. He hit across the wall. The moment was shabby, you never thought something like this you have to face in your entire lifetime.
The anger of your first kiss going away, gives you severe pain. That pain turns to anger. You got panic how your own best friend can do this to you. You realized he's isn't trustworthy anymore. He was the same men like everyone who just want to get into your pants. You shuttered to even remind the memory. You looked at Tae with your anger and panic face, he was looking dumfounded.
You walks up to him and straight up slap him in his golden cheeks.
#kpop#bts army#bts#kpopidol#bangtan#bangtan army#btsedit#bts moodboard#bts fanfic#taehyun icons#taehyung#bts taehyung#kim taehyung#taehyung layouts#taehyung smut#taehyung fanfic#taehyung fluff#taehyung × reader#taehyung details#taehyung×you#taehyung fic#taehyung boyfriend material#taehyung best boy#taehyung angst#taekook#taehyung enemy#taehyung cute#first kiss#my first kiss 'just a kiss'#aesthetic
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good god, let me give you my life. — kaeya
another converted oc fic!!!! yes i have many kaeya thoughts....... and i missed this oc in particular QAQ anyways please accept this word vomit its like 2k words im sorry idk what possessed me
pairing: kaeya x fem!reader
content warnings: mentions of blood/injuries + alcohol, light swearing (like, three instances max)
Kaeya had seen that doe-eyed look countless times before, but there was still something about the way your gaze burned almost incredulously into his own that made his smirk grow wider.
"Kaeya, you asshole!" you exclaimed, but your half-exasperated anger just made him laugh—by the Seven, you were even more fun to tease than Diluc!
"What's the rush?" he laughed, ignoring your hand on his chest to balance herself as you tiptoed to where he was holding your Vision right out of your reach. "Is widdle [Name] so scared of—"
You elbowed him in the gut at that, and his grip on your Vision wavered as he let out a pained oof. You pinned it back to where it normally hung, and a glance at your clothes—the buttoned up coat, the bags placed haphazardly on the ground next to your boots—was all it took for the lucidity to return to Kaeya's eyes.
"The others are waiting," you muttered, gaze downcast and cheeks flushed from the cold. Kaeya nodded. Wordlessly, you grabbed his hands and squeezed, ever so gently.
"I promise we'll come back to visit," you said. "And I'll write a lot."
Kaeya nodded again, a devious grin pulling at his lips but faltering at the edges. "When you do come back I'll ask Master Crepus to throw a party and I'll read out your letters for everyone to hear—"
"You—!"
"...So come back safe, okay?"
A sigh, then, and another light squeeze of his hands.
"I promise."
With that, Kaeya finally let you go—and already missing the warmth of your palms and the fleetingness of your touch, he watched as your back disappeared off into the horizon.
Kaeya often found himself waiting, those days, to the point that he might have called himself distracted if he hadn't known any better. The smile that graced his lips at each letter—which always started with your and your brother's neat handwriting, with little comments from your sister sprinkled all throughout, and sealed with some local flower or other—never failed to go unnoticed, to the point that even Diluc found himself sighing at the sight.
"You're an idiot," he had said, and nothing else.
Each year your visits had become a staple of summer, and for days on end Master Crepus' manor was filled with foreign music and dance. Kaeya never read out your letters like he said he would, but you two would always sneak out of the party with a bottle of champagne, and you would whisper gossip to each other like you always used to, conspiratory and scheming.
(Once, just as a laugh was about to spill from his lips, you placed your palm over the lower half of his face and kissed the back of your hand. "I thought you were bolder than that," he teased, and with a scoff you plucked the bottle from his hands.
"Oh? I'd like to see you do better, lover boy.")
One year the letters stopped, and you never came to visit. Winter came all too soon. The calla lilies in your last letter had begun to wilt.
The next year, he and Diluc parted ways. As their swords clashed for the last time, he wished it was your flames that had scorched him instead.
Two years hence, the Knights of Favonius found a young woman, half-conscious and all but bleeding out, under the tree at Windrise.
Kaeya had stopped in his tracks when he heard, his silver tongue going dry behind the calm smile he put on. "Thanks for the news," he told his subordinate. "I'll check it out."
As soon as he was alone, he let the panic sink in.
His walk to the cathedral was exceedingly brief, and Kaeya wasn't quite sure if that was a good thing. As he walked towards the infirmary he heard Barbara's voice—
"...but do you remember anything else?"
A pause, then a blunt, "No."
—And as he walked inside he saw the deaconess with her tome, and a little ways behind her was...you. You seemed a little pale and worse for wear, but when you looked at him with the same doe-eyed look as before, Kaeya couldn't help but feel the slightest bit relieved.
"You really worried me back there, love," he said smoothly. "How are you feeling now?"
You glanced almost unnoticeably at Barbara, who seemed to mouth something along the lines of, "Later."
"Alive, I guess," you responded, then paused for a good moment as you glanced at him fully. Kaeya raised an eyebrow.
"Sorry…" you said, "It's just that I've heard so much about you, but—"
But what? he thought, and felt his blood run cold again.
"—I have no idea who you are."
—
Kaeya thought it the worst of cruelties for you to be so similar to your old self, yet so wholly, horribly different. You walked with the same languid grace, spoke with the same haughtiness and pride, still tapped your teaspoon against the rim of your teacup—three times, every single time, with a resounding chime.
But you no longer looked at him the same, no longer laughed at his old jokes, no longer called him by his name. It was always captain or sir, and never what he so desperately longed to hear.
"You Knights are always so ineffective," Diluc sighed, and for the first time in years the Ragnvindr brothers finally found themselves in agreement.
Kaeya laughed self-pityingly, running one hand through his hair and using the other to swirl the contents of his half-empty glass. Another sigh, and just as he was about to speak again, the door to Angel's Share opened to the sound of laughter.
"Venti, I said no—"
"Oh, come on! All you've been doing is reading that journal of yours! I thought you—"
There was an indignant, ungraceful sounding yell, and the rest of Venti's words were muffled by what Kaeya assumed was your hand. You two whispered together some more—he even thought he heard you threaten him, if he wasn't mistaken—and with your defeated sigh, Venti began to tune his lyre.
Ah, you was going to dance, then.
Kaeya turned in his seat to the point where he could watch them from the corner of his vision, taking another drink from his steadily-emptying glass. With gentle hands, the bard began to pluck at his lyre strings, and with the same practiced, precise movements he committed so dearly to memory, your body began to sway.
He knew this one—it started off slowly, gently, only to speed up as the music did as well. One-two-three, one-two-three, one-two-three-four, went your heels against the wooden floor, and as the song ended and you bowed with a haughty flourish, Kaeya had abruptly stood up and left the tavern.
Your steps were light against the cobblestone when you caught up with him, that same night.
"Captain," you said, "you've been avoiding me."
He turned around to face you, a practiced smile on his lips. He couldn't look you in the eyes, though, no matter how intensely your gaze burned into him. "Oh? What might you be doing out so late, Miss [Surname]?"
You sighed, placing a hand on your hip. "You knew me before, right? That's why you keep running away?"
Kaeya's tongue went dry as he heard you speak. Ah, what does he say to this? He watched you sigh again, but this time you brought out the musty old journal that he knew hung from your waist.
You held it out to him expectantly, but he didn't take it.
"...We knew each other," he eventually replied, soft and without any of his normal bravado. "We were…close."
Your face remained impassive, but there was a glint in your eyes that gave your suspicion away. "...I see," you said. "Then…I want to start again. I can't be the person you knew before, but…"
It was Kaeya who sighed this time, endearingly. "You really haven't changed," he said, before holding out a hand for you to shake. "Allow me to reintroduce myself, then. Kaeya Alberich, at your service."
You smiled, and he felt his heart flutter and ache alike at the sight. Taking his hand, you said, "[Name] [Surname]…a pleasure it is to finally know you, Kaeya."
—
Whenever dusk fell, Kaeya would often find you at one of the many taverns littered throughout the city, but your favourite seemed to be the Angel's Share, of all places. If you weren't dancing along to whatever tune the bard was singing, you were often talking with Diluc from the opposite end of the bar, sipping from your glass of wine.
And whenever Kaeya would walk in you would turn to him and raise your glass in greeting, crowing something or other about coincidence, and he would say something or other about fate; and then you would drink together as his brother grew increasingly exasperated at the volume.
One evening, he had lost track of how many rounds he had when his head began to grow fuzzy. He was only half-conscious of Charles' sigh, and you saying something along the lines of, "I'll bring him home."
With practiced ease—likely from your time hanging around with that drunkard bard—you lifted him up and slung his arm around your shoulders, struggling a bit from his height. "C'mon, captain, let's get you home," you said, to which he merely nodded and buried his face in the warmth of the crook of your neck.
"Y'know, it was always you getting wasted like this," he drawled. "Master Crepus used to—! He used to always scold us for stealing wine, but you were always half passed out so you never heard any of it."
You looked down, seemingly deep in thought. "It sounds like we were very close," you said, and he chuckled and hummed in the affirmative.
He began rambling again as you made the short walk to his house, continuing even as you dug through his pockets for his keys. How he still reads your letters, how you made fun of his eyepatch the very first time he wore it, how you two used to climb the tree at Windrise, hoping always, in vain, to somehow reach the highest bough. If he were less shitfaced and more sober perhaps he would have found it in himself to stem the waterfall of words spilling from his lips—honest and raw in a way neither of you were used to—but as it stood, all he could have done was bare his heart to you like this.
You were silent as you laid him down on his bed, mumbling more to yourself than to anyone else, "You need to drink water, Kaeya."
The silence between you hung heavy like a body on the gallows.
"I really loved you, you know."
Another pause, then, and then the soft caress of your palm against his cheek, and the lightest brush of your lips against his forehead.
"...Good night, Kaeya."
The next day, Kaeya woke up with the worst bitch of a migraine he's ever had in his life. As he rose to get a glass of water, he suddenly became aware of several things: firstly, the fact that he was a fucking idiot; second, the fact that he needs to get black-out drunk less often; and third, the fact that you were lying asleep on his couch, your journal in one hand and your other arm hanging off the side.
He sighed, placing down the empty glass, and walked over to you—and with your same gentleness from the night before, Kaeya brushed aside your bangs to press a kiss to your forehead.
—
"Snrk—you what?"
"Oh, yes, and then after that Jean said—"
You cut off the rest of his story by shoving a piece of meat in his mouth, and when Kaeya managed to swallow it he was met with the sight of your smug smile and your eyes still bleary from laughing.
"There's no way all of that happened because of a rabbit," you said, to which he laughed good-naturedly, followed by a sip from his glass of wine.
"You'd be surprised what kinds of things Klee can get herself into."
You laughed again, and he took another drink of wine. Ah, he missed this, he thought. Missed the way the breeze here at Windrise smelled of asters, missed the way the moonlight trickled down through the leaves of the giant tree.
(Most of all, he missed the little way your nose would crinkle when you laughed, but he'd prefer not to say that aloud, lest he be hit over the head with the wine bottle he brought along today—amnesia or not, he knew very well it was still within your strength to do so.)
Kaeya watched as you closed your eyes to enjoy the evening breeze, your hair like a wildfire in the breeze. You looked at him then, your eyes heavy with a certain lucidity that he couldn't name, but still managed to shake him somehow.
"...I'm in love with you, Kaeya."
When he smirked and said, "So I get to brag that I made you fall for me twice?" he was met with the same indignant, doe-eyed glare from all those years ago.
"I'm being serious!" you exclaimed, but he only laughed again, and covered your mouth with the palm of his hand. Before you could protest again, he kissed the back of his own hand and pulled away, a cheeky grin on his lips.
"Where'd all that bravado go, Mr. Casanova?"
Kaeya was hit with a pang of nostalgia, then. He looked at you, cheeks lightly flushed from the cold breeze and embarrassment alike, and his smile only widened further.
"Hmm? Think you can do any better, dearest?"
#genshin impact imagines#genshin impact scenarios#genshin impact x reader#genshin impact kaeya#kaeya x reader#bee writes
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mind sharing your other fandom favs then? you have me sort of curious if ego is tots ur type LMFAOA .. omg aftwr u-20 win ego was such a proud dad the face he made was honestly sort of emotional ..!!
NEVVER APOLOGIZE 4 WRITING ANOTHER FIC IDEA HEL i think with my pussy half the time and i read ANYTHINGGG as long as it’s dom!reader (can you tell i’m desperate ORR WHATT?) ngl your “pussy dragging on the keyboard” comment made my ass giggle for a full minute LMFOAO i’ll be using that as well thanks!
personally 4 me i never was really into nikko ASSS MUCHH.. but i can see the hype .. cant stop thinking how sweaty and greasy his forehead must be after those thick ass bangs though.!.!?!
WOAH our timezones r so different HELLPP.. by the time you said it was 6:40 am, it was at least night for me, polar opposites in a way sorta! godd you’re a chronic coffee drinker?? i’m more of a tea person myself but coffee does power through most things with ur day anyways, don’t overdose on it or something!! (unless u alrdy do LOL)
i’ve been doing great as ever, taking my time to relax before i’ve got to get back to that tiring education life again.. 🥲 your blogs has been a good way to pass the time though so a win win for me!! for the blue lock anime last week, episode 10 was surprisingly good considering i was scared shitless of animation budgeting and if they would butcher it, sometimes the cgi makes me giggle but hell i’m such a blue lock supporter that i just move on from all of the questionable moments with the animation!
i’m a sub watcher for all animes (which, i haven’t touched a lot of animes .. if you’re an avid anime watcher, any recs?)
for me, u-20 match was an INSANE ride for me, def my fav and i always reread it in a way, i think everything leading up to it like the 3v3 or 4v4 matches were great too, but u-20 match was hype like no other !! whiichhh brings me to my next point, i need to see more of hiori as his design was just too cute for me to pass up, just the hair and the eyes were so ?!? eye catching imo..
oh jeez and there was this one panel with this blue lock player with the most nicest hair but he just. NEVER APPEARED LMFAOO? i haven’t seen him ever since — don’t even think we got a name
ah jeez i’m SOOOO SORRY if my messages get a bit too long, I HATE JUST RESPONDING INSTEAD OF. CONTINUING A CONVERSATION (if this makes sense?) .. so i tend to ramble ^^’ don’t feel pressured to mirror the length though!! i’d be heading off to bed as i send this message in, so this is sort of my goodnight :P - 💌
OH GOD THE OTHERS-
-this will be a dead give a way to some of my very very old followers who've accidentally re found me after I achieved my last blog and took a long hiatus. I have very specific...qualities...to a lot of them that overlap...
in order from top left to right; Kurono Yuichiro (Fire Force absolute love of my life and a near 1:1 character match to Ego honestly), Hanma Shuji (TokyoRev), Sir Nighteye (MHA), Asagiri Gen (Dr Stone), Dazai Osamu (Bungou Stray Dogs), Ginoza Nobuchika (Psycho Pass) ...three out of the six are played by the same English VA so you could say I have a type 😂
To be fair my other categories for favs are literally all copy and print similar too. My "These are my babies I'm breastfeeding them and enabling them" favs are near identical copies in every anime I watch 😂 then the third less talked about group...the dreaded libra group 😒
SOMETIMES YOU JUST WRITE WITH YOUR PUSSY AND NOT YOUR BRAIN AND THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THIS STUPID NIKO FIC THAT'S GOING WELL OVER SIX PAGES FOR NO STUPID REASON BESIDES THE PUSSY DESERVES IT UGH
ok but to gush a moment before forgetting the Ego during the U-20 match...that panel!!! Oh god that panel!!! Of him telling Isagi that what happened to him and his career didn't matter, that he was fine to be blacklisted from the sport he loved bc he assured all 22 of them had a career in soccer after this game, win or loose, OH GOD THAT PART. I will literally fist fight anyone at this point who wants to shit talk Ego and say he "doesn't care" bc that man was ready to throw away his livelihood for them to succeed on a world stage in the sport they love. Man's got protective dilf energy and I'm giving him a child this uterus is open for business rn
Niko is....Ok I'm blaming it on his VA actually (sorry I watch dubbed I just literally can't focus on subbed) and his English VA is a well known one but did a creepy high pitched voice with it and I mean I'm willingly fucking Ego like I'm advertising I'll kiss that weird man's ankles but Niko- Niko is just too fucking weird for me. But apparently the pussy wants to challenge that bc fuck me with a six plus page story over god damn nipples! Niko is still....too ugly for me RIP
My time zone is fucked at the butt end of everything so I am WAY use to being the last one up and last one to go to bed in every fandom I've ever been in 🤣 Learned that as a teen when literally no one was ever awake when I was RIP. But yes I'm a chronic coffee drinker I've always have been the bean it calls to me I must have it (given I don't drink enough to like NEED it or get a headache I just enjoy the taste but love tea too) Drank it thru my pregnancy and drank it breastfeeding no one's pulling the beautiful bean from my mouth. Love me a good tea though I won't deny good green, black and other teas hit different. Just no herbal shit stuff makes me wretch istg
Glad to hear I started this blog in good timing then! Ain't nothing like relaxing with some good pegging when you're trying to forget that book bullshit 💅 And honestly even though I picked up the manga right after like episode two (needed Ego I wasn't waiting lololol) I've been very happy with the animation cuz like the manga is illegally beautiful. Holy shit is the manga just so well done and the drawings are top tier throughout the entire thing (coming from tokyorev and jujutsu god I miss manga artists that don't just scribble on things like a coke addict) Questionable animation or not they keep slut drawing Ego's hands so damn fine and that man's watch I'll forgive any animation doozie long as my weird looking stick man looks fine as hell
I don't watch sub (I just can't take in the actual show and read plus I got a mad voice kink so....dubbed it is for me) But I've watch a fair share of anime. Don't really watch it for like...the sake of just watching anime (prefer western cartoons a little more) but I've watched some really good ones though. First on the list, Fire Force. I've single handedly convinced like two dozen people to watch this. It's my favorite of all time and will be tattooing the weird looking man in the collage on my body at some point bc of how much I love that series. Mob Psycho 100 is amazing as always for so many reasons and it has a bit of everything for everyone. The Case Study of Vanitas was better than it was aloud to be and I hate vampires. Dr. Stone fucking nerdy funny and entertaining. Psycho Pass is a good like murder mystery book. Sonny Boy and Space Dandy done by the same studio and will make you question your existence. Kekkaishi is old but still one of my favorites ever. And Blue Exoricst I wrote a 60+ chapter fan fic on it for a reason and its still going strong and written by a woman! Don't know about any of their sub versions but their stories and characters are so good they're worth it.
That entire block from the five round selection to the U-20 game was just- Fucking illegally good for a sports anime?? A sports anime for crying out loud?? Even the way they introduce so many new characters is so smooth and not even clunky and you genuinely take an interest in everyone even if you only see them for one game?? Hiori is cute...a little more feral than I expected when we first saw him being cute with Isagi and Nanase. But Hiori, Otoya, Karasu and Kurona haven't like wowed me yet. I'm invested but I'm still going real fucking soft on Yukimiya right now like. God. The eye thing. LET ME BABY YOU AND HAVE THAT SAD MAN. God he's gonna be so fucking pretty when he's animated I'm screaming already
Was that the panel of the dude with Gagamaru and Raichi? The one that's shown on the blue lock screen but we never have an actual manga cap of him?
PLS DON'T APOLOGIZE I TALK TOO MUCH I WAS A HAIRDRESSER FOR FIVE YEARS I TALK WAY TOO MUCH PLS NEVER APOLOGIZE FOR TALKING TO MUCH AS YOU CAN SEE I HAVE NO SELF CONTROL I'M SORRY I'M THE ONE RAMBLE. PLS HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY SINCE WE'RE OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE SUNNY TIME. RAMBLE ALL YOU WANT I ADORE IT <3
#pls im sorry i talk so much#and i have so many feelings about blue lock holy shit#didnt feel this way about haikyuu like it was ok but blue lock hits different#helps i played soccer a lot as a kid so it hits home#but also it has ego#so bonus#anyways my types are all pretty strong....all my husbands are simliar for the most part#all my babies i wanna smoother are VERY similar#and then a god awful third thing...libras#im a predictable idiot and assume if i call someone ugly...i'll eventually end up liking them#:: thanks for the ask~! ✩#:: 💌.anon~! ☆
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All I've Ever Known (Ethan x f!MC)
Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Dr. Audrey Lee)
Word Count: 3.5k
Rating: 18+ (NSFW content)
Premise: A spontaneous date night leaves Audrey questioning the future of their relationship. Set between Book 2 and 3.
Author's Note: It's been a year since I joined Choices, so I thought I'd try my hand at posting a fic. Title from Hadestown. Big thanks to @queencarb and @imaneditorthankyouverymuch for betareading!
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I was alone so long
I didn't even know that I was lonely
Out in the cold so long
I didn't even know that I was cold
Turned my collar to the wind
This is how it's always been
All I've ever known is how to hold my own
__________________________________
Doctor Audrey Lee was not used to the sluggishness that once again occupied most of her days. It was not the caffeine-fueled crash she experienced after a long 16 hour shift, nor was it the unpredictable episodes of insomnia that occasionally plagued her.
Leland Bloom had opened up Edenbrook for a few weeks, before shutting it down to finish the major renovations.
As the sun hit her eyes, she felt the warm body pressed against her back tighten its grasp around her waist. For a brief moment, she relished in the warmth surrounding her. She even allowed herself to believe that she could get used to the feeling of waking up in Ethan's arms.
‘If there even is a future for us…’ Doubt whispers into her ear, poisoning the comfort she found in his embrace.
In the weeks before Edenbrook’s inevitable closing, Audrey, like many of her fellow residents, was looking for somewhere to finish her residency. She had been considering a position back home in New York. When she brought it up with Ethan, he acknowledged her response, but there was no following discussion about what that would have meant for their relationship.
Pushing the thoughts away, she settled back into his embrace. She let herself relax as the muffled sounds of the city below filled the quiet space of the bedroom.
The peace lasted all of five minutes before she began feeling restless again. Uneasiness washed over her as the image of her ripping Bloom's billion dollar check flashed in her mind. In the moment, watching the little shreds of paper sprinkling across the expensive hardwood floor of his mansion had been satisfying. Despite that, she couldn't help but wonder if it was the right move.
If she had accepted the check and handed it to Naveen, Leland would have been convinced that she was on his side. In reality, Audrey trusted him as far as she could throw the old man. Her preference was that he landed into the depths of the icy Atlantic Ocean.
Ripping the check was the right move, but it left her in the dark when it came to Leland's intentions.
Sighing to herself, she turned around in Ethan's arms and buried her face into his neck. She felt the reverberations of his pleased hum. There was no use in overthinking things now. They would deal with the repercussions soon enough.
Pressing a gentle kiss against Ethan's neck, she smiled as his eyes fluttered open.
"Good morning," she whispered.
"It is when I wake up beside you," he mumbled back, his voice heavy with sleep.
"Careful, that sounds awfully sentimental. Wouldn't want my favourite grumpy old man going soft."
Opening his eyes, he sent Audrey a half-hearted glare. The sight of Ethan Ramsey bathed in soft sunlight and his hair mussed up by her hands made her melt.
God, she could look into his eyes forever.
"I contain multitudes," he replied. "Speaking of which, this sentimental and grumpy old man wants to ask if you had plans today."
"No plans." A smirk curled across Audrey's lips as she swept some loose hairs from his face. "But if you had plans that involve us spending more time together in bed, I wouldn’t object."
"You're insatiable."
"Are you complaining?"
He grinned at her. "Not at all."
Leaning in to kiss her, Audrey's hands slid up from his shoulders into his hair. Giving the strands a short and sharp tug, Ethan groaned and bit her lower lip. Leaving a trail of kisses down the column of her neck, he lightly nibbled the skin, eliciting a soft moan from her.
He pulled the sheets away from her body and continued his path downwards. Audrey bit back another moan. Almost immediately, Ethan stopped around her navel and lifted his gaze to look into her eyes.
"I want to hear you, Rookie. Don't hold back."
As a warm hand cupped one of her breasts, his tongue lathered the other bringing her nipples to stiff peaks. This time, Audrey let the moan escape her mouth as she felt herself growing wetter. Lifting his head to lavish her other breast, he shot her a coy smile.
"Much better," he panted. Pinning her wrists against the mattress with a single hand, he slowly made his way down her body as his other hand caressed her soft skin. Swiping a finger across her folds, he groaned. "God, you're so wet for me."
The lust that filled his eyes as his face rested by the apex of her thighs made her shiver.
"Ethan, please," she whined.
When his tongue finally met her soaking cunt, Audrey let out a shaky gasp and an incoherent mumble that sounded vaguely like his name. Her hands threaded into his hair again as he let go of her wrists. Using a hand, Ethan lifted a leg over his shoulder, allowing his tongue to delve deeper. As he sucked her clit, Audrey felt herself tense up as an orgasm rippled through her body.
Once Audrey's breathing slowed, Ethan gently lowered her leg. Through her hazy vision, she noticed his lips and beard glistened in the morning light.
"Please," Audrey begged. "I need you inside of me."
"Gladly."
Pressing a deep kiss against her, she tasted herself on his lips and confirmed her earlier observation. Thankfully, his boxers had been removed last night and he hadn't bothered with putting them back on. The wetness of her first orgasm allowed the blunt head of his cock to easily slip into her throbbing cunt. Gripping onto his shoulders, Audrey panted as Ethan set a steady rhythm, his cock rubbing against her already sensitive clit. As his pace quickened, his thrusts became rougher and he bottomed out causing Audrey to gasp.
She trembled as another wave of pleasure coursed through her body. Ethan followed moments later and groaned into Audrey's neck, the reverberations of the sound causing a delicious tingle across her skin. The couple lounged in bed a little longer as they caught their breaths. Pressing a gentle kiss across her temple, Ethan cupped her face with his hands.
"I wanted to say something before we got sidetracked..." His gaze was impossibly soft as his thumb swept across her swollen bottom lip. "I'd like to take you out on a date. A proper one."
Audrey couldn't help the smile that blossomed across her face. "Really?"
He nodded. "I want the world to know the gorgeous woman beside me is taken. So, what do you say?"
"Yes," she answered. "I'd love to go on a date with you."
__________________________________
Several hours later, Audrey was back in the apartment she shared with her friends. Ethan had dropped her off in the early afternoon with a promise to pick her up at six for their date.
She was looking through her closet, searching for a particular dress she had in mind. Ethan had been tight-lipped about his plans. He had only stated it would be a black-tie event.
"Ah ha! Finally found you." She pulled the shimmering gold dress from her closet. Looking into the mirror in her room, she held the dress up to her body and smiled.
With an hour until six, Audrey jumped into the shower to freshen up. Once she finished styling her hair and applying some make-up, she slipped into the dress. Arranging the slit over her leg, she slipped into a matching pair of heels, a black shawl and grabbed the purse holding her phone.
She entered the living room to see her friends sitting on the couch arguing about what movie to watch. Sienna came from the kitchen carrying a plate of her homemade cookies and smiled at the sight of her friend dressed up.
"Audrey, you look amazing! Isn't that the dress you wore when we did our Boston bucket list?"
She grinned at the memory of what was supposed to be their last hurrah in the city. "It is, but I thought it'd be nice to wear it again for my date tonight."
"Ramsey asked you out on a date? Tonight?" Jackie asked from her spot on the couch.
Various groans filled the room as Audrey nodded.
"Finally!" Jackie exclaimed. "Everyone, pay up. You each owe me a twenty. "
Bryce sighed, pulling out his wallet from his pocket. "God damn it, Lee. Why couldn't he have waited just one more week before he asked you out?"
"Quit complaining," Aurora said, tossing a kernel of popcorn from the bowl in her lap at Bryce's head. "At least you were close, my guess was way off."
Rafael shook his head as Elijah and Aurora both handed a twenty dollar bill over to Jackie. "How did you get it down to the day?"
Jackie smiled. "I'm a psychic, obviously."
"Hold up... Just how long has this bet about Ethan and I been going on?"
"Since everyone saw you kiss at The Hopeful Hearts Gala," Elijah replied.
"And thanks to you, I'm a hundred dollars richer." Jackie pocketed the small wad of cash and leaned back against the couch.
“Thank you, Sienna,” Audrey sighed as she wrapped the black shawl around her shoulders. “My only true friend for having the decency to not partake in this bet.”
Sienna smiled sheepishly as she placed her plate of cookies on the coffee table. Before sitting down on the couch, she pulled a folded twenty dollar bill from her pocket and handed it over to Jackie.
“I’m sorry, Audrey. Raf was the only one who didn’t bet,” Sienna said. “ Dr. Ramsey and I had an interesting talk on the car ride to…” Sienna’s voice wavered slightly and she trailed off before falling silent.
On the car ride to interrogate Travis Perry about the mystery substance he had released in the hospital.
Audrey immediately crossed the room to hug Sienna. It had been months since the incident had happened, but her best friend was still grieving the loss of Danny. Sienna wrapped her arms around Audrey before she pulled back and hastily rubbed at her eyes.
“I’m okay,” Sienna reassured. “Go and enjoy your date.”
Audrey squeezed her friend’s hand in her own before she let go. “Sienna is forgiven,” Audrey declared to the others. “Thank you, Raf. My true ride-or-die.”
Rafael, who was seated beside Bryce, spoke up. “I didn’t want to make any assumptions about your personal life.”
With the most dramatic stare she could muster, she glared and pointed at the others. “The rest of you. Thin ice.”
Several knocks at the door cut off any reply that followed. Opening the door, she found Ethan standing in the doorway, dressed in his suit. His eyes lit up as he looked up at Audrey.
“You look radiant,” Ethan said.
Audrey felt herself grin. “You’re looking pretty good yourself,” she replied.
“Ready?”
“Definitely.”
“Yo, Lee!” Bryce called from the couch before she could step forward. “Just a heads up, I’m crashing on your bed tonight once movie night runs late since you won’t be using yours.”
“OKAY! We are leaving before I strangle Bryce,” Audrey announced, taking the arm Ethan offered.
Bryce laughed as she shut the door behind them. “Anyone wanna bet if she’s coming home tonight?”
__________________________________
Twenty minutes later, the pair were seated inside an elegant Italian restaurant by the waterfront. Looking out the window, Audrey watched the bright lights of the city refract against the dark surface of the water.
“I’m a city girl, but I don’t think I could live anywhere that isn’t close to the water.”
Ethan raised a brow. “Why is that?”
Audrey glanced at the gentle waves before she turned to face him. “I find it calming. It reminds me that the world is big. Bigger than any problem I might be facing. Whenever I felt stressed, I would take the subway to Manhattan and just sit in Battery Park for hours to watch the boats in the harbour or watch the people pass by.”
“I believe you called it ‘people-watching’?”
Audrey was surprised. “You still remember that conversation at Derry Roasters?”
He nodded. “I do,” he said. He reached across the table and instinctively, she placed a hand in his palm. “You said I was lost. You didn’t even know about Naveen’s condition at the time, but somehow you knew something wasn’t right.”
Unable to resist teasing him, Audrey smirked. “If I remember correctly, you said I was only half-right.”
“I stand by that assessment.” His thumb traced the ridge of her knuckles. “What baffled me was how this infuriatingly stubborn intern with the potential to be an excellent doctor kept on surprising me.”
“Speaking of surprises…” she said. “Why a date? Why now?”
The thoughts about the uncertainty of their relationship that morning came crawling to the forefront of her mind again, but she held them back. The night had only begun and as much as their undefined status worried her, she was determined to start the night on the right foot. If there truly was no future for them, she at least wanted to enjoy the time they spent together.
“Well…”
His response was cut off as a waiter came to stop at their table. “Good evening. Can I start you two off with something to drink?”
“We’re catching a show after, would you like a drink?”
“We are? I guess I’ll just have some water.”
“Two waters, please,” Ethan ordered.
The waiter nodded and laid two menus on the table. “I’ll be back in a moment to take your orders then.”
“A show?” Audrey asked. “I thought we were just getting dinner.”
The genuine enthusiasm on Audrey’s face made Ethan grin. “I promised you a proper date. That entails dinner and a show. And if you’re not too tired, perhaps a walk along the esplanade?”
“I could be persuaded. What’s the show we’re seeing?”
He shrugged. “You’ll have to wait and see.”
Audrey pouted before an idea struck her. Slowly taking the black shawl off her shoulders which revealed the plunging neckline of the dress, she traced a finger down her neck to her collarbone. “Are you sure there’s no way I could convince you to tell me?” As her finger passed her collarbone, she slowed as she began to trail her finger down the exposed skin.
She felt him squeeze the hand that was still wrapped in his. “You are trying to kill me,” he replied as his gaze followed the path she traced. Gently, he lifted the hand in his and pressed a kiss to it. “As tempting as that offer is, I do believe you will appreciate the surprise.”
Sighing, she dropped the hand he wasn’t holding into her lap. “You win this time, Ramsey.”
__________________________________
As they got closer, Audrey could see the bright white marquee of the Opera House in the distance: L’Orfeo.
“The darkness of night,” Ethan translates for her. “It’s also the Italian and Spanish form of the name Orpheus.”
“As in Orpheus and Eurydice?” Audrey asked, immediately delighted.
“The very same.”
“When I had my Roman Mythology phase as a kid, I used to check out the same big book filled with various myths for months on end.” She had spent countless hours admiring the detailed illustrations and committing the words that filled the pages to her memory, carefully tracing every swooping letter with a finger. “It actually starts somewhat similarly to the first show we saw together.”
“Then tonight, I’ll rely on your expertise.” Entering the theatre, the pair made their way to his private box. They were seated for ten minutes before the house lights around them slowly dimmed and the curtain opened. On the stage, a woman dressed in red held a lyre.
“That’s the Spirit of Music. She’s saying through the power of music, she can calm any troubled heart. She introduces Orpheus of Thrace, who has the same ability as well. He’s the son of Apollo, the god of sunlight and music, and the muse Calliope, ” Audrey whispered to Ethan, their hands interlaced. As the opera progressed, Audrey explained the events of the story unfolding before them. The marriage of Orpheus and Eurydice and the tragic death of the young bride by snake bite that shortly followed. Orpheus, driven by his grief, embarking on a treacherous journey to the Underworld to bring back his lost love.
“Moved by his singing, Prosperina asks her husband, Pluto, to let Eurydice return to the living world with Orpheus. He agrees upon the condition that Orpheus has to lead Eurydice out of the Underworld, but he cannot look back to see if she is following. Orpheus begins the journey, confident that he will be reunited with Eurydice the moment they leave the Underworld, but…”
Audrey swallowed past the lump that suddenly formed in her throat.
“But then doubt comes in. He thinks Pluto is envious of his love. Maybe Pluto is tricking him.” As a sudden noise sounds from off-stage, the actor playing Orpheus turned around to face his Eurydice. His face morphed from happiness to regret in a flash as Eurydice smiled back at him sadly. “Orpheus sees Eurydice. She was behind him the whole time. She begins to fade away and Orpheus is forced out of the Underworld alone.
“This final act deviates from the myth. Apollo comes from the heavens and tells him not to fall victim to his anger and grief. He invites Orpheus to join him. Eurydice won’t be there, but beauty like hers can be found in the stars. Orpheus accepts.”
As the chorus gathered on the stage for the finale, Audrey looked away. Staring into the dark sea of audience members, she took a moment to collect her thoughts.
Building up her courage, she turned to the man beside her, but before she could say a word Ethan’s hand slipped out of her grasp. Audrey jumped slightly in her seat as the audience around them started clapping for the performance.
By the time the house lights turned on, she had lost her nerve.
__________________________________
Although autumn was right around the corner, the weather had been lovely for the past week. Despite the lack of chilly weather, Audrey held the black shawl tightly around herself as she and Ethan walked along the Charles River Esplanade.
Her eyes were drawn to the shining lights of a boat further in the distance. Audrey didn’t even notice that her steps had slowed to a stop as Ethan paused to look at her.
“Are you all right?” he asked. “You haven’t said a word since we left the theatre.”
Shaking herself out of a trance, Audrey nodded and laughed, but even she could hear that it was far too hollow sounding. “I’m fine. I must be more tired than I thought.”
“I can drive you back to your apartment, but that doesn’t explain why you’ve been staring at the river for so long.”
She sighed, a wry grin twisting her lips. “I shouldn’t have told you what my tell was.”
Stepping in front of her, Ethan tilted her chin so that he could look into her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“I-it’s just…” Audrey had to close her eyes for a moment. One breath in, one breath out. The same blue eyes she had seen that morning— the ones she thought she could spend an eternity staring into—suddenly felt like a tsunami that threatened to swallow her. “Ethan, what are we doing?”
The moment she saw Ethan’s eyebrows furrow and the hurt look cross his face, Audrey groaned internally. Barely a second in and she had already stuck her foot in her own mouth. “I phrased that horribly,” she said. Placing a hand by his clenched jaw, her thumb grazed his cheek until she felt the tension he held there ease. “What I meant was, what are we? These last few weeks have been amazing. I can’t describe the happiness I feel when I wake up in your arms, but I also love those moments we just spend together whether we’re making dinner or just having a quiet night in. I don’t think I need to explain how much I enjoy the physical aspects of our relationship…”
She swallowed a shaky breath. “But if that’s all this relationship is-”
“You know it isn’t.” he immediately replied, placing his warm hand on top of hers.
Audrey shook her head. “Do I?”
“I meant every word I said. I don’t want to hide and I’m done pretending.”
“When I was considering a residency in New York, you didn’t say a word.”
“I didn’t want to influence you. I wanted you to make the best decision for your career.”
“And what would we have done? A long-distance whatever-we-are? You're Ethan Ramsey. You’re a world renowned diagnostician for Christ’s sake. You wouldn’t have any trouble finding another position in Boston,” she huffed.
Looking into her eyes, he said, “It’s simple. I would have gone with you.”
She froze. She was certain she had misheard him. “What?”
“As much as I despise idolatry among physicians,” he said. “I wouldn’t be above using my reputation to get a position in the same city.”
“But your whole life is here in Boston.”
“But you wouldn’t have been here.” Ethan cupped her face in his hands, pressing a gentle kiss against her temple and then to a tear-stained cheek. “I need you, Audrey. I know I’m not the most articulate when it comes to my emotions, but know that you’re important to me.”
The sincerity of his voice caused the tears she had been holding back to fall. Wrapped in his embrace, she let the last of her doubts drift away from the recesses of her heart.
__________________________________
All I've ever known is how to hold my own
But now I wanna hold you, too.
__________________________________
Author's Note: Originally this fic was called "Good as Gold" (also based on song lyrics) and was gonna have more smut content, but I might write that and make it a sequel to this instead. 😏
#open heart#ethan ramsey#ethan ramsey x mc#open heart fanfiction#oph fanfiction#choices fanfiction#my writing#ethan ramsey x f!mc#audrey lee
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White Rose (Pre-War!John Shelby Oneshot)
Character/s: John
Word Count: 1,089
Inspired By: TwentyTwo by Thea
Tag List: @dontdowhatisayandnobodygetshurt @myriadimagines @lilyswritings @encounterthepast @writerdream22 @death-of-a-mermaid @lotsoffandomrecs @woahitslucyylu @obsessedunicorn24 @thedarkqueenofavalon @fangirlsarah16 @captivatedbycillianmurphy @theshelbyclan @creativemayhems @soleil-dor @thegirlwithoutaname87 @babylooneytoonz @peakyxtommy @locke-writes
A/N: I am a monster :))) I heard this song it made me instantly think of pre-war Shelbys :) Thank you @lovemissyhoneybee for recommending loml John!!! The more I listened the more fitting I thought he'd be! I know the Peaky Fandom isn't doing so well and I just wanted to bring a lil fluff and joy with a beloved character :) Then I got to the ending and well. . . it was too good of an idea to pass up!!! I promise the next fic will actually be cute all the way through!!! Feedback is always appreciated 💜💖��
Summary: You love can survive anything, even war, right? 💕
Gif Credit: @unintended-yuzuki :) why is he so cute!!!!!!!
FIC MASTERLIST PART ONE. / PART TWO. / PART THREE.
WANNA BE ADDED TO THE TAG LIST?
I know you're scared
But I am scared too
Life is unpredictable
And we're barely twenty-two
Young. Baby faced. You hadn't even had the chance to kiss each and every one of his freckles yet. Counting them to yourself softly, losing track, starting over. Too many kisses, too little time. The scream of the train tracks a constant reminder of what was to come, what you were going to lose, what would and wouldn't come home. Sweet John, your John, all yours, but not much longer. The distance between you already growing. Tangled in the sheets, sleeping so quietly. Watching his back fall and rise, his arm outstretched towards you. He never let a moment go by where you weren't together, not even before the letter. Even as he dreamed, he had to hold on to something, someone. The affection in him undying. And you let him. There was never a touch you welcomed more than his hand on yours. Skin to skin. A sense of home, a safety you found yourself trusting. The sun has yet to rise, peaking her way up in the cloudless sky, perched just above the long, summer grass. Your bedroom, small though not camped. Just enough. Everything in this moment was just enough. Gold streaming through the windows, resting on you like a warm blanket. You didn't want to get up, face the day, the uncertainty , instead pulling him close. Your John, in need of being held, cared for, loved, even when he couldn't find the words. A kiss on his head, the last, you were never quite sure. . . .
I heard your cry
But you'll hear mine too
After all, we're only kids
And this feeling is so new
Blue eyes bloodshot. His face flushed. Behind locked doors, his body shook, sobbed, choking back everything that scared him. Mourning the loss too soon, picturing his own shallow grave, anonymous among the rest. A completely unremarkable life lived by John Shelby. His fate sealed. You learned to pick locks, pick yourself up off the floor and wrap your arms around him. No words. There was nothing to say anymore. Just your racing heartbeats in sync, your fears finding solace in one another. Too many what if's, too many things to go wrong. Neither of you could manage anything more than the strength to hold, to cherish, to will the universe, like all kids do, to keep you together. The privilege of false immortality, of a careless kind of love, thoughts of conquering the world in your youth, none of it was a luxury you could afford. Challenging God instead of bowing your heads, there was that little bit of fight you had left. His heavy head in your lap, hands through his hair, pleading, praying you'd never have to say goodbye.
If you took my heart and you ran away
I hope you'll realize and bring it back some day
And all the while, promise me you'll keep her safe
So you don't ever lose what you can't replace
On one knee, he holds your hand, his words a little slurred, knee dirtying on the cobblestone, asking for your honor of letting him be your husband. No ring, though. Drunk on love, your boy. Offering nothing but a flower he picked on the way. A night on the town, he promised. London, full of life, of joy, a getaway, an escape from all that was to come. Home was too much a reminder. Stumbling your way through the park, his arm around your waist, he decided then and there there was no better time. Now or never. Impulse, the crazed thoughts of a dying man. Proclaiming his love for you so the whole world could hear. It wasn't real. Not in the eyes of any blood you shared, declaring yourselves too young to do so, too impulsive, too blinded by a new romance, even in a time like this. You said yes anyways, and when he kissed you, spinning you until you were dizzy, pulling apart only to laugh, you were kissing a new man, you were kissing your husband. Til death would you part.
We think we both know what the future holds
House in the sun, happy grey and old
There's nothing really wrong with the master plan
But you don't really need one to be a happy man
A house of your own, he promised you. Fingers laced together, the warm breeze welcomed on your cheeks. A house of your own, in a field like this, where no one could ever find you, away from the grey of your home. Wildflowers everywhere. A bedroom big enough for more than just two, with no leaky roofs or moldy spots on the tub. A bath for the both of you, where you could lay as one in between the bubbles. Little feet up and down the stairs. A family of your own, too. Kissing scraped knees and sewing torn shirts. Happy and safe, it's all he dreamed of. A future with you, a lifetime of love. Growing up, lives of their own, leaving you in your prime. White hair, age spots, wrinkling together, hand in hand, as if nothings changed, no time has passed. No ring, just the flower. That would be enough, like it always had. He looks up at you, eyes wide, all smiles. You want it, you want it all, you want to believe that's what you'll have, but you can't let him get his hopes up. You can't crush him, either. So, you nod along, picturing everything that hurts. From ten little toes, to beautiful storms, to the end of a life long and well lived.
So let us love without any thought
Let us love without thinking it over
He saw the end of war, the end of the world, riding the train all the way home. He spoke to the Devil himself, and walked away. Counted his lucky stars every single night, promising himself that he'd come back to you eventually. But you didn't. You'd never know the end of war, the end of waiting, you'd never even know what happened to him all along. Your little flower, a white rose, pressed between the pages of a book where you knew he'd find. Prideful, your worries all for nothing, your sweet John, always too naïve, too hopeful. Mourning a life cut short, but not his. He survived, but he came home to nothing.
We're just young in love
Why would we give up?
#writing#john shelby#john shelby drabble#john shelby oneshot#peaky blinders#peaky blinders drabble#peaky blinders oneshot#john shelby fic#peaky blinders fic#john shelby x reader#john x reader#x reader#drabble#oneshot#gender neutral#gender neutral reader#x gender neutral reader
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Morning Surprise
Type: Short Clip (Blurt Drabble)
Cast: Kuroo Tetsurou
Storyline: Waking up to see your husband was your ultimate dream. Yet with his line of work, that seemed impossible.
Genre: Romance
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You wanted a morning with him, to wake up and watch his face that always looked so peaceful when he was asleep — adorned by the sun rays. You wanted to see him first thing in the morning, to be greeted with his smile the second you open up your eyes.
Yet once again, you were awake with a cold sheet.
Having someone like Kuroo Tetsurou as a lifetime partner was really a blessing. He was someone that could cheer you up, someone that loved to goof around with you, yet knew when he needed to be formal and act all proper.
When he graduated from college and decided to get into that line of work, you could feel that something would be changed. He had a top-notch brain, wide networking, charming smile and smooth whispers that could make a lot of deals without a hitch.
Not going to lie, the two of you used to just live inside a crappy apartment. But now, now you lived with him in a two-storey house that located in a nice suburban — completed with a wide array of facilities and great neighbourhood.
With a great price, came great responsibility. He had to go to work at eight (sometimes even seven if there were any morning meeting), and always home late at night, a miracle if he could share a dinner with you. You were alright with that, especially since you have work too.
But sometimes you just wanted to have him there with you, grocery shopping and have dinner together. You really wanted to spend more time with your husband.
Especially now at your birthday.
You let out a groan as the realisation hit — he was not here. What you did expect anyway, knowing he always busy with work since he was a young executive already. You couldn't help it though, you couldn't help but want more of him.
"Stupid. Tetsurou." You sit up straight on the bed, punching the pillow like a child as you imagine it as your husband. "Stupid. Rooster. Head."
You kept going on and on, blowing raspberry until your annoyance dissipated into the thin air. Knowing that you will be alone, you decided to just wear your (his) loose shirt for breakfast. Didn't bother to change for cleaner or cute clothes since there was no one to impress.
Winter would come soon, therefore you decided to wrap a blanket around your body as you walked downstairs. Your work started in four hours, you had plenty of times to enjoy the serene morning — one that you spend (sadly) alone.
Or so you thought
"Morning, love."
Kuroo Tetsurou, your husband. With a shirt and apron wrapped around his muscular torso, he flipped the pan on his hand so effortlessly. He had this cheeky ass grin plastered on his face when the food didn't splatter everywhere. While you, you still couldn't believe your eyes and just stood there, six feet apart from him.
He turned off the stove and slap down the pancake on the white pristine plate, drizzling it with maple syrup and some berries on top. "Happy birthday!"
That was a very much simple dish, a simple birthday wish. Yet from how he looked so proud with himself, from how his eyes glimmered with love and joy as he looked at you, anticipating any kind of reaction — this exact moment became a lot more beautiful than how it supposed to.
"T-Tetsu," Your eyes flickered back and forth to the pancake on his hand and to his face. "Fuck, why you didn't tell me that you are going to do all of this?!"
"It's a birthday surprise!"
"But that gave me a heart attack!"
"You still alive, you are fine!"
He put the plate on the kitchen island and walked up towards your figure that still dumbfounded. You wanted to say sorry and just ran to his arms, but he beat you to it. "I am sorry for making you surprised." He whispered softly on your ear, pulling your body into his embrace. "Happy belated birthday."
You bit your lips, trying to prevent any tears from falling. But as he cradled you in bis embrace like this, whispering compliment and sweet words, you couldn't help but let all the tears burst.
"You really one, sneaky human." He chuckled when he heard your response, pulling away from you a little as he wanted to see your face. "You make me like this! Don't laugh or I will kick you when the sun doesn't shine."
"Goodness, always so harsh to me." He kept snickering, yet his hands went up to your cheek, cupping both sides of your face. "But really, happy birthday."
You pursed your lips as the playful atmosphere turned into a serious one. Letting out a sigh, you nodded softly and met his gaze. His eyes mesmerized you, and even after years being together, you couldn't help but keep falling and falling.
"Why are you here, though?" You asked under your breath, his lips grazing with yours. "Don't you have work today?"
"I have, but—" He pecked your lips, resulting in you to giggle a little. "Like hell I would choose my work over my wife's birthday, right?"
Tetsurou kissed the crown of your head before resting his forehead on yours, wanting to feel you up close. Something that was rare for him to get the chance to. "And I called your company, you don't have to worry about work until next week."
"Wait what?"
"The flight would be in five hours from now."
"Tetsu what flight?!"
You were frantic now as he shut you up by capturing your lips. This morning you thought you would be all lonely, but now your husband really here with you and announce such a thing. "Seriously, Tetsu. Flight to where?!"
"Anywhere!" He answered instantly. "Don't think too much, everything is already good, I have secured everything." He pulled away from you, eyeing your reaction as he held his hand for you to take "Come on, love. Just the two of us together, me and you, like old times."
"Tetsu you are crazy."
Your answer was short, just like that. And he almost let his hand fall to his side, thinking that you didn't like the surprise that he had in store. But before he could do it, you chuckled and interlaced your hand with his. "But thank God you are my crazy."
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NAOOO @kuraomi HAPPY BIRTHDAY😭😭😭 Baby I love you so so much uwu you have become such a wonderful friend. You are everything. Thank you for becoming my proofreader too, thank you for being such a great company for the last couple of weeks. I hope you have a wonderful birthday, blessed year, this year or another. 💕 Hope you have a wonderful birthday, always safe and sound, and so much loved...
I am sorry this is such a rushed... I want to make something for you and I hope this enough (": Someday I will dedicate more fic for you! Lovee you, Naaooo🥰
#kuroo x reader#tetsurou kuroo#kuroo tetsurou x reader#kuroo tetsurou#kuroo tetsuro imagine#kuroo x you#hq kuroo#kuroo tetsurō
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HANK ‘TRANQ’ LOZA x READER ⨟ PROMPT
Anon asked: could you write a fic/imagine of your promptlist (the new one) angst #21 and #22 with hank loza💖
21. “Please, talk to me”.
22. “You’re hurting me”.
Word Count: 1.3k
Author comments: This work wasn't re-edited, so I'm sorry if you find grammar mistakes! I hope you all enjoy. Gif credits: @angels-reyes.
Tag list: @starrynite7114 @chibsytelford @dazzledamazon @mara-mpou @sammskellington @gemini0410 @1-800-imagines @briana-mishell24 @sassymox @whyisgmora @aquamento @sadeyesgf @viviansafizada @samcrobae @jade770 @witchy-wish @rebel-without-cause-x @xx--day-dreamer--xx @spiced-reads @tita127 @ifoundmyhappythought @enamouravecleslivresetlechocolat @angelxshiba ✨ (if you wanna be tagged, send me a message!)
💬 : i think i have strength enough to have a beer
Long day. Bad week. Worst month. Finally, you have four days off from the hospital. You're driving on the way to Tranq's house, when your phone dings, lightning the screen. He replies to your last message telling you that he's at the club, and that you can come if you want. Actually, no. You don't want. You just want to lie down on the sofa, with him holding you and filling your face with a bunch of kisses. Stopping by a side of the road, you take the phone with a heavy sight dying in your lips.
💬 : okay
He just read it, but there's no answer back. Sometimes, you hate him. It's supposed he promised to spend the night together, but now seems like another Mayans party is more important than your mental health. He's not your boyfriend, not officially at least, but everybody knows that you're hanging out; even so, you can't reproach him for nothing because of that. You have to settle for being around him for a while.
The yard is full of Mayans from other charters, looking like a big meeting and a celebration. Parking your car before reaching it, you step out covering your mouth with a hand to drown a yawn. You're dressed with the white uniform of the hospital and a leather jacket. Your hair tied in a braid is a little mess and there are two slight eye bags over your cheeks. Yes, you look like shit, and Angel has to highlight it as soon as he sees you.
“Damn, mami”. He hugs you tightly, leaving a kiss on your temple. “Hey, Coco! Bring a beer to our nurse!”
“Thanks”. You just say, letting the oldest Reyes lead you inside the clubhouse.
But your steps stop dead when you find Tranq sitting in a couch with one of Vicki's girl on his lap and her waist being surrounded by the man. They're laughing with other members crew, sharing some drinks and old stories. Angel doesn't give credit either. Letting yourself go from his grip, you turn over your sneakers going out of there. No words. Just some tears running down your face, while you go downstairs to the yard.
“(Y/N)! Wait”.
You don't turn at the characteristic hoarse voice of the man, continuing your way to the black car parked outside.
“Hey, hey, wait! Where are you going?”
Tranq stops you, holding your forearm to make you face him, clicking the tongue loudly when he finds out you're actually crying.
“It's just a fr—”.
“I don' care, Hank. You don' owe me any explanation”.
“No? Then, why are you crying? Why don't you stay? Please… talk to me”.
“'Cause I came for you, but you're already busy”.
“She's my friend”.
“So am I”.
“The fuck are you talking about?”
“I don' sit on my friends lap and I don' let them touch me as you do. That's ‘the fuck’ I'm talking about”.
Tranq has both eyebrows raised up, crossing his arms against his stomach, because he knows you haven't finished talking.
“I'm… tired. It's been a bad month, and you promised me that…”
You think you're sounding so stupid that you don't continue de sentence, rubbing your face with both hands and cleaning the tears. Then, you have a deep breath.
“I'm sorry, Hank. I'm just… going home. Enjoy the party”. You just said licking your lower lip.
“Lemme' grab my things and I'll follow you”.
“I wanna be alone”.
“Why?”
“'Cause you're hurting me right now”.
He just nods with pursed lips, realizing he fucked up things for not giving you the place and the respect you deserve. Under his constant look, you step in your car to turn it on, and drive away from the clubhouse.
Your flat is empty, assuming that your two house-mates are having a party somewhere around Santa Madre. So it's kinda good have some time alone, crying without no one asking you what happened. You take a warm shower until the tips of your fingers wrinkle. After that, you lie down on your big bed hugging a pillow, without having a dinner. The little hunger you have, you lost a while ago. You're trying to figure out why he acted like this. Why he didn't keep his promise. And why he was holding a Vicki's girl, being or not being friends. But, who are you to asking for anything?
The cry appears again, more bitter than before, trying to keep yourself awake waiting for him to come, even if you told him to not doing it. Having the little hope that he would to do it anyway. But you end up falling asleep alone.
When you open your eyes, feeling somewhat rested, instinctively your left hand travels to your phone. Unlocking it you check on the notifications, but there are no calls, or messages from him. Maybe it means that you broke up last night, in case you were having a relationship. A knot grows inside your chest, leaving down the phone to rest your face on the pillow spitting a sad sigh. Some minutes after you decide to get up from bed, walking barefoot through the main hallway towards the kitchen, stopping your legs when you see Hank sitting at the table with a mug of coffee supported against his lips, having a sip.
“Morning”. He just says, sounding a little nervous, putting the drink over the wood.
“How did you get in?” You ask with a fine thread of voice, noticing how much your throat hurts speaking.
“Patricia was leaving when I came”. The man gets up from his chair, doubting between getting closer or not. “Are you ok?”
You just shrug your shoulders in silence.
“I'm sorry about last night, I swear to God”.
“It doesn't matter, Tranq. She's your friend”. Even if it sounds like a passive and aggressive comment, it's not intentionally.
“And you're mi reina. You were right. There are some things I mustn't do 'cause I owe you a respect”.
“You don' owe me nothing, Tranq. It's your friend, that's all”.
“Yeah, but at the end of the night, she just wanted to ‘make it up to me’ because I was fucked up by you”.
Your heart jumps hearing those words, quickly creating a movie in your head of what happened, letting your head falls down to your chest. You're about to cry again when he wraps your body between his arms, kissing your head.
“I did nothing”. He's quick to say. “I went home when you left… Uh, well… I actually sat for an hour at your door, waiting you to call me, at least to tell me that I was being an asshole. I didn' want to bother you, so I just went home”.
You surround his back with both arms, resting your cheek on his chest, tightly and closer. You feel stupid, so he does.
“Listen… I was thinking about packing some things and spend these four days at LA”. Pulling himself away, Tranq cups your face in his huge hands. “Just you and me, riding the coast. What you say… Would you like?”
You nod with your lips pursed in a blissful smile.
“Or we can go to Chihuahua. You're always saying you would like to visit it”. Suddenly he sound excited about traveling together for the first time, after six months together.
“Chihuahua”. You say then starting to laugh, after clearing your throat.
“Ok. Pack your things while I prepare you some breakfast”.
Leaning forward, he presses his lips on yours, placing his hands on the back of your head to push you a little closer.
“I love you, okay? Only you, mi reina”.
#mayans mc x reader#mayans mc#mayans mc imagine#mayans x reader#hank tranq loza x reader#hank tranq loza#tranq loza x reader#tranq losa x reader
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Clear and Present Danger (6/16)
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Summary: Homicide detective Killian Jones has been searching for a way to bring Milah’s murderer to justice. There’s only one small problem: Robert Gold is the captain of the same homicide division. Enter Emma Swan, Internal Affairs investigator, looking into Gold’s shady dealings. Between the two of them, can they unravel the web of deals and lies that have gotten Gold to where he is?
Rated: T, for violence, some dark themes, angst, and whump (you expected different?
TW: character death, mention of past self-harm, fatal car accident, school hostage situation
Other ships: mentions past Millian in a good light, Outlaw Queen, Snowing
Art credit/link: The totally awesome @cocohook38 made the cover you can see above and on her blog here. Later in the story, she’s illustrated some key points to the fic and I can’t thank her enough for her work! Chapter Four’s art is HERE. Go show her some love!
Beta reader: @gusenitsaa took on this monster without probably knowing exactly what she was getting into (what do you mean 100,000 words?!) and any mistakes that you find are probably me being stubborn and ignoring her advice! Thank you!
A/N: Written as part of the 2018 Captain Swan Big Bang Challenge. You can catch up with all the other fics that are complete by following @captainswanbigbang and/or subscribing to the Group Collection on AO3 and/or the C2 on FFN. This is complete in 16 parts and will be posted every Sunday from now until its completion.
Take it away, It’s going to be a bumpy ride.
Word count: ~ 6,450 (100k Total in 16 chapters)
From the beginning: AO3 / FFN
Current Chapter: ao3 | ffn
CHAPTER SIX: OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE
Killian sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning alone. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before - after he'd docked the Jolly, Emma had bolted for her car so fast he couldn't even wish her a good night. He wasn't sure what he'd done wrong. He'd thought… well, he'd thought that maybe they were making progress. That maybe she was starting to trust him.
This morning was starting out spectacularly. Liam had left again, before the sun rose and before even Killian was out of bed - a note on the fridge just said "Cabin, Call You" - and had apparently taken the last of the coffee with him. The line at Dunkin Donuts had been ridiculous, some woman and her fourteen kids (he might have been exaggerating) had all ordered a full breakfast and, he'd swear, lunch as well.
Then, he'd gotten to work only to find that somehow, the greasy substance he was waiting for results on had been mishandled and destroyed. No one in the lab could explain how it had happened, but the evidence had been lost and there was nothing he could do about it.
Now they were stuck in traffic. Not the normal, pull your hair out because no one knew how to drive between the hours of seven and nine am kind of traffic. No, it was the slow, torturous crawl of bottlenecked accident traffic. According to the scanner, some idiot had stopped short in front of a tractor trailer, possibly for a small animal, and two lanes had been shut down completely as a result.
While he was glad he wasn't on that particular detail, Killian just wanted to get to Cambridge. He had a feeling that whatever Belle French could tell them, it would be worth the trip. If anyone knew LeGume and what he was into that got him killed, it would be the secret girlfriend.
"Bloody hell," Robin muttered under his breath as the car next to them merged and cut them off. His fingers clenched spasmodically around the wheel as if he were going to strangle it. "Don't they see we're in a police car?"
Killian huffed out an annoyed laugh in sympathy "It's unmarked, remember. And I don't think it's the steering wheel's fault, mate."
Robin cut his glare over to Killian and narrowed his eyes further. Killian resisted the urge to grab the wheel himself, knowing Locksley was capable of driving distracted but not wanting to make the evening news anyway.
Local homicide officers exacerbate accident. Story at eleven.
Finally, Robin gave up trying to wring the frustration out of the wheel and sat back with a resigned sigh. They weren't getting anywhere fast. "Did I tell you that Roland got a gold star for sharing yesterday?"
Killian grinned. "And you and Regina were worried that being an only child would stunt his growth," he teased jovially.
Robin rolled his eyes. "Says the man with a brother."
"You can borrow him any time you'd like," Killian said as seriously as he was able.
Robin cut a glance at him, clearly in disbelief.
"Oh, thank God," Killian muttered under his breath when they finally made it past the orange cones and could pick up speed again. Robin agreed by stepping harder on the accelerator and blowing by the soccer mom who had cut them off.
"So what did Roland share that earned him a gold star and, I'm sure, an ice cream cone?" Killian smirked as Robin grinned proudly.
"He shared his new markers with a girl at his art table. Let her use his green one, even."
Green was quite plainly Roland's favorite color. Killian knew this as well as he knew that his eyes were blue and Liam was his older brother. It was just the way it was.
Robin continued to fill Killian in on Roland's progress in kindergarten as they wound their way north to Cambridge. They finally turned down Ms. French's street and, surprisingly for the way the morning had gone, found a parking spot not too far away.
"Detectives?" Ms. French met them at the door, one hand holding it open while the other flipped up to check her watch. They were much later than Robin had told her they'd be there.
"Yes, ma'am," Robin acknowledged, showing her his badge and introducing both of them. "May we come in?"
She nodded, stepping back into the entryway to allow them access. "You said this is about Gaston? I haven't spoken with him in… well, nearly a week now."
Killian ignored the clenching in his heart that came every time he had to notify kin. "We're very sorry to tell you, ma'am, but Mr. LeGume was found dead earlier this week."
She blanched immediately, and the less cynical side of Killian whispered that there was no faking that. Whatever else she did or didn't tell them, Belle hadn't known that her lover was dead.
Robin took her arm gently when she swayed, her hand covering her mouth to stifle a cry of shock. He helped her towards the couch in the front room, lowering her gently to sit as Killian moved into the kitchen where he found a still-steaming cup of tea. He filled a glass with water from the tap anyway and brought both back to her.
"Ma'am," Killian called gently when he crouched down next to Robin. She looked up to smile blankly at him, and the empty look in her eyes was so familiar that he nearly had to turn away.
"Call me Belle, please," she allowed, taking the cup of tea from him and cradling it in her hands. "I'm not that old yet."
Killian nodded, placing the glass on a coaster made to look like an old first-edition book cover. Treasure Island, he read. The whole room was filled with books - some in floor to ceiling shelves and some scattered on the coffee and side tables. It was a miniature library and Killian got the feeling that it wasn't just for show. For one thing, the books were well cared for - but also well worn. There was no dust on the bookcases; she clearly took pride in each one.
"I don't know what I can tell you," she admitted. "Gaston and I… we talked about books. We went out up on the North Shore where we wouldn't be recognized. We didn't… he didn't talk about anything else."
Killian got the feeling that LeGume didn't do much talking at all, if the way Belle's cheeks grew red as she turned introspective were any indication. He remembered those early days with Milah. "You didn't want to be recognized? Or he didn't?" he tried.
Belle grimaced. "It was more of a mutual agreement. It wouldn't be good for him to be seen with a student, even if I weren't being graded by him. And I-" she cut herself off with a shake of her head and covered by taking a gulp of tea. It was clearly still too hot, and she nearly choked. Her eyes started to water and once that dam was broken, it was as if she'd given herself permission to grieve. Tears came fast and hard, though she was surprisingly silent.
Killian looked guiltily away, unable to handle the young woman's grief. It hadn't been so long ago that he'd been the same way: trying to put on a front when all he wanted to do was collapse into himself and break.
He might have done so irreparably if Liam and Robin and the Nolans hadn't held him together with superglue, duct tape, and chocolate chip cookies. Mary Margaret's cookies were to die for.
Some days, he still felt like he might just shatter, and even the world's fastest jigsaw-er wouldn't be able to fit all the pieces into the puzzle.
"I'm sorry," Belle managed a few moments later, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief she'd produced out of thin air, it seemed. "I know that you're busy trying to find out what happened, but I just-"
"No need to apologize, ma'am," Robin soothed, reaching out to take the mug away when her fingers slackened around it. "I know this must come as a bit of a shock."
Belle laughed daintily, but it rang hollow and the smile that crossed her face was pained at best. "A bit," she parroted wryly and Robin had the good grace to look chagrined.
"An unfortunate turn of phrase," he apologized.
Belle nodded her acceptance of this, but remained otherwise silent. Killian took the opportunity to sidle out of the room and look around the main floor. There were more books scattered haphazardly about - all well-loved and clearly taken care of, but within reach instead of on display. It looked like Belle would wander her home reading and leave the book wherever she was when she finished.
For all of the books that she owned, Belle had very few photographs adorning her walls. There were a few of her in various locations across the world, but she was alone in each shot.
"I've always loved traveling," she said quietly from behind Killian, but it still made him jump.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, placing down the copy of Oliver Twist that he'd picked up somewhere in his search. "I just-"
Belle smiled. "You were doing your job, Detective. I don't blame you for that. Do you read much?" she asked, nodding her head towards the book in front of him.
"My brother used to read this to me when we were kids," Killian allowed. "I'm afraid I don't read as much as I'd like to, anymore, though."
"None of us do."
Killian couldn't argue with that. He smiled politely and followed Belle back to where Robin was still looking contrite. They spoke for a while longer, but it was clear that the young woman's mind wasn't focused on the conversation any longer.
"If you think of anything else, Ms. French, here's my card. Please call," Killian finally allowed her an out which she took with alacrity. She snatched the card from him before looking sheepish, but ushered them towards the door anyway.
Killian would never figure out why they hadn't seen the photo on the way into the apartment. It wasn't like it was hidden, or something they wouldn't have noticed.
It was a picture of Belle, in front of Quincy Market, with Gold's arms wrapped around her from behind. They were both smiling into the camera, taken from such a low angle that it could only have been shot by a child.
"You know Captain Gold?" Killian asked before he could think better of it.
Robin's head whipped around and followed Killian's gaze to the photo.
"You mean Robert?" Belle asked offhandedly, something almost chilling in her tone.
Killian nodded slowly, the disharmony ringing in his ears over seeing his tormentor looking so happy with his arms around a woman who wasn't Milah. He looked so happy; they both looked so goddamned happy while Milah had been so miserable. Killian didn't understand. "When" - he cleared his throat - "when was this taken?"
"Oh, about three years ago."
Gold had still been married to Milah.
Killian was going to tear him apart. There wasn't a dark enough hellhole to drop him in. There weren't enough Hellhounds in the underworld to torment him. There wasn't-
Robin said something that Killian didn't catch, but it was enough distraction for him to mutter a strangled, "Thank you for your help," before nearly sprinting out the door.
The bright light of the sun assaulted him, making him blink rapidly to keep the tears out of his eyes. From the sun. Of course. Not because the bastard had been cheating on Milah for who knew how long and had spent all of that time castigating her for finding happiness with him.
"You all right, mate?" Robin asked a few minutes later, coming up to stand next to Killian so that they were shoulder to shoulder looking down the street. Killian wasn't seeing any of it.
The first time Milah had come to him, tears in her eyes and a stubborn look on her face, she hadn't told him what Gold had said to her. She'd muttered that she didn't want to talk about it, that it didn't matter; they were all that mattered to her and she'd go to Hell and back before she'd allow her husband to ruin the freedom she found with Killian. For his part, Killian had held her close and promised her the world - he'd have moved mountains or fled to the most remote corner of the world he could find if only she'd ask.
He thought she'd have done it, too, if it wasn't for her son. Killian had met the boy a few times, heard plenty of stories about "Bae"and his adventures in the Neverlands and Enchanted Forests in their backyard. But if there was one thing he knew as well as the fact that Milah loved him, it was that Robert Gold loved his son to an unhealthy degree. They'd never wrest the boy from his father's grasp and Milah would never truly leave him behind.
So Killian had settled. He'd accepted his relationship with her for what it was, loved her for the love she had for her son, and made do with the time that was given to him.
"Aye," he finally lied to Robin, squaring his shoulders and opening the car door. "Let's just get back to the station before we hit any more bloody traffic."
Emma couldn't believe it. She was looking at the results herself and she couldn't believe it. She'd found the note buried in one of Jones's files on the boat weeks ago and had tucked it in her pocket to ask him about later. He'd been dismissive, but the threat had stuck with her: LET THIS GO IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU. On a whim, she'd had it dusted for prints at an independent lab. Now, she finally had the results and she couldn't wrap her mind around it.
Detective Nottingham.
She didn't know the man well, just well enough to dislike him, but he didn't seem the type to stick his neck where it didn't belong. Still, a threat to a police officer wasn't something to be taken lightly and when Emma had questioned him, he'd been straightforward and succinct.
"Yeah, I put it on Jones's car. Bugger doesn't deserve the shield he carries." Nottingham had shrugged then and leaned back in his chair, as if he didn't have a care in the world. "Yanked the battery wire, too. Thought about… well, never mind."
Emma blinked. And then blinked again. "You're… admitting to threatening a police officer?" she asked incredulously.
He nodded succinctly, smirking at her.
"Tell me who put you up to this," she tried, sure that he'd never have admitted to it so smugly if he'd done it on his own.
A look of fear crossed his features before it was carefully masked behind the arrogance once more. "Don't know what you're talking about," he deflected - almost convincingly.
"Of course you do," Emma tried again. "The investigation into LeGume hasn't turned up any leads that would tie him to you; you had no reason to threaten Lieutenant Jones. Whoever put you up to it must have wanted the detective to look the other way. Someone told you to put that note on his car. Someone told you to destroy the evidence Jones found at the scene."
She thought that adding in that second charge would throw him off balance. Evidence tampering was much harder to wave off than what ended up being an empty threat to a fellow officer.
Nottingham just shrugged. "Nope. Just me. Thought losing the evidence would get him booted. What are you going to do about it?"
Emma read him his rights.
It was only when she finished that he began to splutter, rising to his feet with a look of utter disbelief as she cinched handcuffs around his wrists and led him to a cell. He didn't fight her, per se, but he wasn't willingly ambling along either. Emma thought about securing him in with the rest of the detainees overnight while she processed his paperwork, but wanted to make sure everything went by the book. So, a cell to himself, it was.
The clang of the jail cell slamming shut seemed to flip the switch in Nottingham, as if he had begun to realize that whoever his benefactor was - and Emma didn't need to pass a detective's exam to guess who it was - he wasn't coming to the rescue. Nottingham stalked the length of the cell, muttering under his breath the entire time, looking up every once in awhile before sulking to the back corner and starting his circuit again.
Emma needed to go fill out all the paperwork, but she was transfixed by the pattern Nottingham was making. Was he really willing to sacrifice himself rather than give up Gold?
"Thank you for taking out the trash as it were," Gold praised as he appeared behind her out of nowhere. Emma refused to jump, though he'd startled her. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye with a sneer. His eyes never left the scene playing out in front of them, Nottingham pacing behind the bars of the cell like a caged wolf.
Emma turned to face him, not willing to watch the scapegoat any longer. "You're not getting away with this," she promised, seething.
"Actually, I am." Gold smirked and leaned forward a bit. "I think you'll find that all your evidence conveniently points to Nottingham. Won't find a thing to tie me to any of this. I'm going to walk away from this with clean hands."
He was right. The bastard was right and there wasn't anything Emma could do to change it.
But that didn't mean she wasn't going to try. "That's not gonna happen," she assured herself more than threatened him. Emma had dealt with her fair share of bullies growing up. He was just another one.
"I like your confidence," Gold admitted with a disarming smile. Emma saw why Jones called him a crocodile, with all his teeth proudly glinting in the fluorescent lighting. "It's charming. But it doesn't change the fact that I win again."
Emma snarled. "You know I'm going to figure this out. I'm willing to roll the dice. Follow whatever bread crumbs I have to to finish this. And when I do, who knows what might come out about you in the process. Somehow I suspect there is more to you than a simple Homicide captain. You really want to start that fight?"
Gold grinned, but Emma could see the flicker of unease that he was trying to hide. It was gone an instant later, but Emma had seen it and that was all that mattered.
Gold's days were numbered.
"I like you, Ms. Swan," he blustered. "You're not afraid of me, and that's either cocky or presumptuous. Either way, I'd rather have you finish your investigation and get out of my precinct."
He walked away before Emma could get another word in. She shuddered with the need to do something. She was sure that Nottingham had been the one to threaten Jones and impede his investigation into LeGume's murder; he'd admitted it and he wasn't lying. But he wasn't the type to do it on his own.
No, Emma would have to dig deeper if she was going to figure out what Gold had on the officer, but she would find it and once she did, she'd use it herself to flip Nottingham on his leash-holder. With nothing else to do with or for Nottingham, Emma turned resolutely away and stomped back to her desk.
She nearly screeched when a hand darted out from the stairway and tugged her inside. Killian grabbed her wrist before she could punch him in the face, using his size to crowd her back against the wall and out of sight from the rest of the precinct.
"What the hell, Jones!" she hissed vehemently, wriggling and trying to get free.
Killian smirked, not hurting her, but clearly using his height advantage to stop her from getting free. "You want to calm down, darling?" he asked, a hint of something sharp in his tone.
Emma stomped on his instep, not hard enough to do any real damage, but enough to make him yelp and let her go.
"Bloody hell, woman," he whined, one hand pushed against her shoulder to keep her in place while the other reached in vain for his injured foot.
"Let. Me. Go!" Emma ordered, reaching threateningly for his pinky finger.
Killian gingerly put his foot down and made a show of taking his hand off her shoulder. "What did Gold want? Are you all right?" he finally asked.
Emma blinked. That was what all of this was for? "Are you kidding me right now? I thought we agreed that the less people see of us together, the better.
Killian shrugged and Emma wanted to be annoyed. She did. Half of the evidence they were able to compile on Gold had remained untainted because Killian wasn't connected with her. And she wasn't connected with him. But he looked so sincere and goddamned endearing that it was a struggle to keep the smile from escaping.
"I'm fine, Jones," she assured him softly, reaching out to lay her hand on his chest. What the hell are you doing? she thought before yanking her hand back like she'd been burned. "He was just spewing nonsense about how he's going to get away with everything. The arrogance…"
Emma could see the frustration and… was that resignation on Jones's face?
"We'll get him, Swan," Killian vowed, shaking away whatever Emma had seen in his eyes. "We have to. I have to. For Milah."
"Get out of my bloody way!" he shouts, trying to push past the two men holding him back. "That's my… that's… I need…"
God, he doesn't know what he needs. To start the day over? To be in the car with her? To get to her side, hold her hand, pretend that he was there in her last moments?
All of the above?
He knows it's too late; he heard the call for the medical examiner on the way across the city, lights and sirens blaring even though he knew he'd be suspended for it. She's already gone and there's nothing he can do about it.
But he still needs to get to her side.
"Liam!" he shouts, catching sight of his brother with a notepad and pen. "Liam, tell them to let me through!"
Killian watches as his brother looks up, can see the regret etched across Liam's face even from this far away. It's not grief there, no of course it isn't. Liam has never approved of what his little brother has gotten involved in. But Killian knows his brother isn't heartless, either. Not even his misgivings about the situation would stand in the way of-
"You can't be here, little brother," Liam says, but the words don't make any sense.
Killian shakes his head, not understanding. "Liam, I have to…"
"You have to go, Killian. You can't be here, right now. The scene-"
"I don't care a bloody whit about the scene, Liam!" he shouts, struggling against the other men still holding him back. "I need to get to her. Brother, please."
Milah is right there, still sitting in the car as though waiting for the tree to pull up its roots and move out of her way. He can't see her face, but he can see her hair, the curls blowing in the breeze. Bloody hell, he couldn't even count the number of times they'd driven down to the Cape and he'd spent half of the ride spitting her hair out of his mouth. It was all about freedom, she'd told him time and time again. She felt like she could breathe when she was with him, so the last thing she wanted to do was restrict her hair.
"I'm sorry, Killian, you know I can't-" Liam's head snaps to the side as Killian's knuckles collide with his cheek. Blood drips from a cut that one of his rings left behind.
Killian almost feels bad. Almost.
"Some bloody brother, you are," Killian hisses, yanking his other arm free from the officer and stepping back. He wants his brother to hit him back, wants to fight with someone - anyone - so he doesn't have to concentrate on-
"I know you don't mean that," Liam says calmly, pulling out a handkerchief to blot at the blood before it can sully his crime scene. That's all it is to him, Killian realizes, just another case.
"Liam," he pleads, "I have to see her. I don't care what the rules are."
"But I do," Liam insists, ducking under the tape and trying to pull Killian away.
Killian resists, tearing his brother's hand off his shoulder and spinning away from him, trying once again to get to her car.
"Killian, listen to me. You can't help her, not anymore. All you're going to do is give Gold an excuse to implicate you."
Killian freezes, but only for a moment. "You think my fingerprints, my DNA isn't all over that car? I'm already going to be a suspect, you bloody moron. What difference does it make?"
Liam takes a step back, the look on his face some combination of brotherly horror and resignation. "I'm sorry, little brother," he tries again.
"No! Liam, you have to-" he cuts himself off, shoving Liam aside and storming through the tape.
Liam grabs him one more time and Killian swings again, red coloring his vision as he gives in to the fiery anger coursing through him. He doesn't know how many times he hits his brother before he's lying facedown on the ground, Locksley's knee in his back and handcuffs around his wrists.
"No! Liam, no, don't do this! Robin, let me go!" he keeps shouting, not noticing nor caring how many eyes from the precinct are on him. Not caring about how all of this is going to get back to Gold. Let him know how much Killian still… will always love Milah. Let him see what Gold should have felt about her.
Robin doesn't move as Liam kneels next to Killian's head. Killian forces his head back, arching his neck so that he can glare at his brother. Liam is bleeding from the nose now, his left eye already swelling.
"I hate you," Killian hisses. "I hate you and I wish-"
"Don't say something you'll regret later, little brother. I already forgive you," Liam says gently. "Robin's going to get you out of here before someone decides to-"
"I hate you," Killian hisses again, but the fight is leaching out of him as quickly as it came. Even his anger isn't enough to get him out of handcuffs.
Liam nods sadly, but motions to Locksley and moves to help stand Killian up. They frog march him back to the squad car and fold him into the backseat, both ignoring the threats and the callous remarks he throws their way.
"I'm sorry I have to leave you with him like this," Liam apologizes to Robin and it just ramps the anger right back up. Liam has been apologizing for him all their lives; Killian hates it now even more than he had growing up. "I wish I could-"
"Captain Gold is already gunning for him, sir," Locksley interrupts. Their words are muffled through the window, but Killian can still hear them. "We don't need you getting in trouble, too. I'll take care of him."
"I know you will, mate. Here, I don't know if he has the keys with him." Liam hands over a set of keys, wincing when Killian's shoulder hits the glass. Killian glares at him when he bends down to make sure he didn't hurt himself. "Take him to the marina, see if you can't get him inside. I'll be along as soon as I can get away."
Killian doesn't even wait for Robin to shut the driver's door before he lays into him. He keeps screaming as they pull away from the scene.
Away from Milah.
"Where'd you go, Jones?" Emma asked softly, drawing his attention from where he was staring a hole in the wall back to her. The haunted look in his eyes frightened her; men who looked like that were unpredictable when it came to their crusades.
Captain Gold and his eventual downfall was definitely a crusade.
But Killian just shook his head as if clearing the cobwebs and grinned disarmingly at her. It didn't reach his eyes. "Nowhere fun," was all the answer he'd give.
Emma didn't need him to tell her - she could read him like an open book. She wondered how many times a month… or week… or day Killian relived Milah's death. He'd never told her the story, but officer reports put him at the scene soon after her official time of death. Emma could put two and two together.
"Look, Killian, I get it. I can't even begin to imagine what it's been like for you, working under him every day while you know what he did to her. But we've got to be smart about this. We-"
"You think I don't know that?"
Emma stared for a moment. "What part of 'we can't be associated with each other' did you miss, then?"
He shrugged. "No one's paying attention. I just…" he trails off, scratching behind his ear. It was a tell if ever Emma saw one.
"You just what?" she prompted beseechingly.
But Killian didn't answer. The slam of a door somewhere above him echoed through the stairwell and was followed by thudding footsteps.
"Go home, Jones," Emma hissed to avoid being heard by whomever was above them. "I promise I'll steer clear of Gold and his fancy words if you'll be a little more careful about being seen with me."
Killian nodded, slipping silently down the stairs before whoever was coming saw him. When he was gone, Emma slumped back against the wall and let out the breath she'd been holding for what felt like ever.
"Afternoon, ma'am," Henry Mills called out when he stepped onto the stairs just above her. "Can I help you with something?"
The sheer feeling of relief that overtook her seeing it was Nolan's rookie rather than one of Gold's lackeys surprised her. Would it really kill her case if someone saw her and Jones talking? No. She'd done fine without him before all this and she would do fine when this case was over and they were back to separate departments. So why the concern?
A niggling feeling at the back of Emma's mind told her she already knew the answer, but didn't want to admit it to anyone - least of all, herself.
"Ma'am?" Mills questioned again when Emma was silent for too long.
She nodded. "I could use some help pulling Nottingham's files," she began.
"Sure!" the rookie practically beamed at the idea of helping her. No one would bat an eye at the kid working with her, so the question remained.
Why is it different with Jones?
Hours later, Emma and Henry had pulled dozens of cases that Nottingham had closed. One thing was certain, though no one seemed to like the man, he was effective in what he did. The problem was, there were too many complaints sandwiched between the successful cases for Emma to even begin to decipher where Gold's interference came into play.
"Thank you, Henry," she said sincerely after making her last copy of the day. She was exhausted and even the rookie's exuberance had waned with the passing hours. The poor kid looked as dead on his feet as she felt.
"No problem," he replied tiredly, slamming the last filing cabinet drawer closed and pushing the lock button. He tossed her the keys, nodding his head towards the officer who was waiting to log them out. "You want to take care of 'Grumpy' over there?"
Emma bit back a smirk. "I'll handle him. You get out of here."
He grinned gratefully before slipping past the surly officer with a nod. Emma watched him go before squaring her shoulders and heading out the same way.
"It's about time, sister!" the officer growled as he snatched the keys from her. "Some of us got better things to do than wait around for you IA rats to burrow into the past."
Emma just raised an eyebrow. "I'll be back tomorrow," she promised, determined to find some kind of link.
Leroy - according to the name tag that had seen better days - just scowled. "Fine, fine. Just try not to stay so late, huh?"
Emma whipped her head around to find the clock behind his desk.
11:45pm.
No wonder the little man was pissed. Emma's stomach voiced its own protest at her long hours, the bear claw she'd had for lunch long since forgotten. She tried to look a little sheepish to mollify the officer, but he just glared and turned away. Taking the dismissal for what it was, Emma beat it out of there, determined to keep going until she'd crossed the threshold of her apartment and found her bed.
The squad room was nearly deserted as she passed by, only a few angry eyes watching her progress as she walked, head held high. She barely stopped at her desk to grab her bag before walking calmly for the elevator.
The night air was cool on her face and she paused for a second to soak it in. Boston may be filled with city air and city sounds, but it was home. She loved the bustle and the smell, the history and the modern melding into one culture that filled the city with whatever someone wanted to find. It was all there, waiting to be explored.
Her stomach growled again and Emma amended her earlier resolve to head straight home. If she hurried, she could get to Downtown Crossing and find something to eat that wasn't freezer burned or past its expiration date. Sleep could wait; her stomach couldn't.
Footsteps. Damnit.
Emma rolled her eyes as she turned the corner into the same alleyway where she'd first threatened Jones all those weeks ago. It was late, she was tired, and she'd honestly thought that he'd left the station hours ago. She was glad that Killian had taken her edict seriously and he wasn't trying to corner her in the office again, but whatever he wanted could wait until tomorrow. On the boat. After she'd had some sleep.
"For the love of God, can't you take a hint?" she asked testily, whirling around to face him.
Emma was still speaking when the fist ploughed into her face and sent her sprawling. "What the-" was all she could get out around the vice that gripped her chest when the wall behind her knocked the wind out of her.
Not Jones, her brain helpfully informed her a split second before someone's billy club sliced through the night air. Emma only just managed to duck away, the hard rod impacting her shoulder blade rather than her neck - her assailant's intended target. The blow still stunned her, making Emma stumble and throw one hand out to steady herself against the wall. The other reached for the knife she always kept in her pocket, needing something - anything - to protect her.
She rued the fact that she didn't carry her gun on a daily basis.
The familiar icy feeling of the metal grip pushed back some of the fear from being attacked. Emma harnessed the adrenaline as she'd been trained and spun on her heel to face her attacker.
Attackers.
There were three men circled around her, masks on their faces that made them look like they'd come straight off a B-movie set.
"Who are you, the Three Stooges? It gonna take all three of you to take down little old me?" Emma snarked, eyeing the badges clipped to their belts.
Cops.
Gold's men.
None of them were small enough to be Isaac, but Emma couldn't worry about their identities now. Stringbean and R2-D2 stepped back and she turned to face her third attacker head on. She ducked and slashed when the beefiest of the three took a swing at her, trying to grab her jacket. He pulled back with a howl, clutching his hand where blood oozed out. A painful wound, but not enough to slow him down, she catalogued automatically.
Keep track of all targets, it may save your life, her training echoed in her thoughts.
It was easier said than done. They came at her all at once, ducking and weaving around her own strikes and trying their best to catch hold of her. Emma wasn't aware of the damage they were inflicting at the time, her fight or flight response far too well engaged to notice trivial things like pain.
And then she was very aware of the lightning strike of pain at the base of her skull. One of the bastards had caught hold of her hair and yanked her off balance. Another trapped her arm under his and pried the knife from her desperately clenched fingers.
"What are you, seventh grade girls?" she managed to mutter before Beefy slammed his fist into her solar plexus, driving every last bit of air from her lungs.
Gasping and choking, Emma could do little more than go limp as Stringbean shoved her face-first into the brick wall. Her head hit the wall with a resounding thump and Emma slid down in spite of her best attentions.
R2-D2 began to kick at her and Emma pulled herself into as small of a ball as she could manage, wincing each time he connected with her ribs and biting back the tears - of pain and frustration both - until she could find an opening to regain her footing.
It never came.
Emma howled when Stringbean stomped on her hand, something underneath it shredding her palm open. He didn't give her the opportunity to pull it protectively into her chest, just stood with all his weight on it before hauling back and kicking her in the head with his other foot.
"Get your ass out of our house, bitch," was the last thing she heard before blackness closed in around her.
tagging: @killian-whump, @gilliangrissom, @nothingimpossibleonlyimprobable
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