#I’m so glad she didn’t yell at me I would’ve cried and then would go hide in a ditch

[gottarunfromthelaw]

I have had less than five hours sleep for the past few days and I went to a mall and then got lost. I had to call my mom and she called me a ostrich

[galaxycunt]

You Turned Me Inside Out

4k ish fluff and angst

Leave a comment if you wanna!

You’ve sent the divorce papers with a news coo until they became tired of you. Still, you persisted. You figured Buggy wasn’t dead yet, you would’ve been told right?

Your think back on that quick courthouse wedding, you were seven months pregnant, Buggy even bribed a clerk to keep quiet. Wouldn’t do a husband any good to be arrested on his wedding day.

You thought it was romantic at the time, even if your first marriage was officiated by your first mate. Less complicated that way. Maybe that was a bad omen, he was good for awhile. He left you both, even a guy with a bad childhood didn’t see anything wrong with giving it to his own. Even left your daughter with his nose.

You kept your bar, plenty of sailors talked shit about marrying you. The townsfolk pitied you, you decide awhile ago to say you were widowed. Less humiliating that way. Even if he was dead, Buggy never was letting you go anyway. Your baby had your smile, so she smiled for the both of you these days.

The baker’s daughter watched her awhile you ran the bar. It was an easy enough arrangement, you always adjusted to new plans on the fly.

And that’s when you see him.

“Cabaji,” you yell across the crowded bar, “unless you’re waving a white flag, get the fuck out!”

Your loyal patrons readied themselves for a fight, who needed a ship when you had drunks?

”Look! Sorry! The captain wanted me to check the place out!”

You hop over the bar, marching straight to him, “where is he?”

He obviously didn’t enjoy this task, you always liked Cabaji.

”On the ship.”

”Folks, I’ll be right back. I got kids upstairs, don’t start a riot. Alright?”

A rousing ‘aye, aye!’ surrounds you both, you may have never had a high bounty like your husband, but you had that.

Cabaji leads you to the Big Top, your nerves gnawing at you. You’re worried you’ll kill him, his crew then turning to kill you. Leaving your daughter all alone.

You shook those thoughts out, settling in the pit of your stomach.

Buggy was waiting for news in his cabin, and Cabaji reluctantly leaves you to knock on his door alone.

He swung the door open, like he was waiting for that knock. Only to be faced with you.

”You…it’s really you.”

“You have a fucking wife, remember?”

His shoulders drop, “I…I know.”

You slap him, and he takes it with grace. You decide one isn’t good enough, slapping him a few more times.

”Glad that wasn’t a punch,” he tries to joke.

”I’m a better person now, for my daughter.”

”How is she?”

”You don’t get to ask that.”

He gives a nod, “how are you?”

”Sign those papers, I’ll be much better.”

”I can’t do that.”

You search his face, Buggy looking like a kicked puppy pissed you off more than anything else.

”You left us, just let me go.”

”I have plenty of excuses, none you wanna hear.”

You stare into his eyes, hoping he would combust. You damn your heart, because you want to hear it all. You spit on the floor turning to leave, Buggy following you back to your bar. You’ll feel better once it was on your turf.

The patrons watch him over their mugs, you motion Buggy to sit on an empty stool. You ignore him for most of the night, thinking if you should go get your baby. Buggy looked pathetic, staring at his beer. You had a soft spot, begging to be acknowledged.

With a sigh, you go upstairs to let your sitter go home. Your baby looks too much like him, especially when she cries. You love your kid, you do, you just wish she wasn’t his.

”Here,” you say, “you run off with her I will kill you.”

She’s a lot bigger than he remembers, it had been 4 months since he held her last. Buggy knits his brows and frowns, holding her tight. The man sitting next to him coos at your child, making him beam with pride.

You should’ve known that’s all it would take, Buggy loved the spotlight. At least the little red nose was cuter on her, he kissed it enough to make her giggle. Being a dad was easy, he just got to sit there and make her happy.

You hate him for this. You consider killing him now anyway.

“Out with it then, another fucking bird try to eat you?”

”Do we gotta talk here?”

You look around, a few people are pretending to not eavesdrop. It gives you some courage, that you’re totally in the right here.

”Yup.”

He sighs, “damn it. Fuck, okay fine. I was nervous. I was tired. I needed a fucking break.”

”Oh, this is incredible. Please keep going.”

He groans, “I was gonna only be gone a few days. Retire on a high note.”

”Captain Buggy retiring? I liked the bird story better.”

He looks down at your daughter, his finger being gummed to death. He lets her have the whole hand, rubbing his face with a forearm.

”Okay, so not a permanent one. But long enough! You’ve done it, you know the deal.”

“I didn’t have a kid yet.”

He whispers your name, “I love you. I love her. I’m here now, that’s gotta count for something.”

”Do you even remember her god damn name?”

He looks down at her, “Marcela. She has my heart on a string, you both do.”

You should’ve known better, pirates didn’t get tied down. You both knew a baby’s place wasn’t a ship, and his wasn’t a nursery.

”Well, you saw her, guess you’ll see her again when she’s 18.”

“Oh come on, barkeep, I haven’t seen my own kids in years. Man’s gotta work.”

”Shut the fuck up, Benny. Your wife hates it and so do I. All wives do!”

You point at Buggy, “not all husbands have detachable dicks. Should’ve cut that off while I had the chance.”

”You’re a real bitch, you know that?”

You smile, “you married this bitch. Guess you’re gonna have to sign those papers.”

He grumbled, reattaching his hand so he could hold the baby better before slamming his beer. Buggy continued to glare at you the whole night, to his credit, he would stumble upstairs occasionally to change her and hand her off to you to get fed.

At closing time, you found them both asleep in the corner. You could cry, seeing her peacefully in his arms. He should’ve stayed, he was cruel and nothing would let you forget.

You whisper in his ear, “Buggy. Let me take her up.”

He yawns, gently passing Marcela to you. She only stirs a little bit, and you hope she’s at the point where she’s finally sleeping through the night.

Buggy notices how tired you are, “permission to come aboard?”

You shake your head, “no.”

”I’m your husband.”

”You didn’t care about that detail until now.”

He balls his fist, “I never forgot.”

You shush him, shooing him away as you take her upstairs. He follows you anyway, and you remember the rifle above your bed. You’ll use it if you have to.

You put Marcela to bed, Buggy right beside you, regarding her like she was made of glass. He let out a breath you didn’t know he was holding. A shy smile you could see in the dim light.

”I’ll walk you out,” you urge.

He doesn’t put up a fight, only lingering at the front door.

“Goodnight, Buggy.”

”Wait, can I come back?”

”Why would I want that?”

“Oh, come on! I’m not the first fucking pirate having to go do their thing! Not like she’s too old to even remember me!”

”Fuck off Buggy. You made a fool of me more than once.”

He frowns, “baby I’m sorry.”

You shove him outside, slamming the door and locking it tight. He bangs on the door a few times, shouting and cursing.

“Don’t wake up the baby!”

He stops, storming off in a huff. You figure this was going to be a yearly occurrence, more if you were lucky. You wonder briefly if you should take up one of those regulars on their offer of marriage, if only to make Buggy pissed off.

Buggy was persistent, showing up early the next day. You had stepped outside with your baby to walk around only to be surprised by him, a punch to his gut for his trouble.

”God! Morning to you too.”

”Buggy, I’m surprised you’re still in town.”

You can’t stand the sight of him, but he does look good without his make up. The morning sun bathes him in a heavenly light, picking up stray strands of hair like a halo. He looks at you like he was thinking the same thing. He smiled the way he always did with you, his gaze soft as he stepped in your personal space.

Buggy knew how to turn on the charm like a switch. You didn’t want this Buggy, you married the real one.

”How’d you sleep?”

”Fine, been doing fine for months I’ll have you know.”

He grazes your shoulder with his as you kept walking, “where you headed?”

”The beach. She likes waves.”

A futile attempt to shake him off, he spent time on the ocean even with his weakness. Buggy didn’t show any hesitation in following you, eyes glued to the carriage in front of you. You figure it’s an ego thing, she looks like his little clone.

He helps set down a blanket with all her toys, laying on his belly with her as he she coos. You couldn’t fold this easy, turning away to count the ships docked in the distance. It was easier when it was just you and him, sleeping together before he took off for who knows how long. You really should’ve married someone else, he knew how to sell himself too well.

“Does she get, uh well, do people,” he motions to his nose.

”Oh no, I think it’s cute on her. Don’t think anyone really wants to insult a baby in front of me.”

He smiles, “glad to hear it. You let me know if I need to knock some heads. Both of you.”

He lays on his back, dangling Marcela above him.

”Stop that.”

”Oh, she’s fine. She’s laughing, I got her.”

”No,” you're on the brink of tears, “stop acting like you give a shit. Just get outta here. I’ll marry the baker, he’s bonafide.”

”Bonafide? Ain’t I bonafide?”

You shake your head and he huffs.

”I give a shit. I actually take my vows seriously.”

”You left, couldn’t be fucked to be a real husband and father.”

Buggy sets the baby back down, turning to look at you. You swat his hands away, regretting that you been humoring him this long.

”If I knew letting you keep my balls would settle things, I would’ve,” he grumbles.

”Yeah, it would actually! I need a new stress ball!”

Buggy grits his teeth, “you’re the only one in the East Blue who’d even think about saying those things to Buggy The Clown.”

It was getting childish, kicking sand at him, “I’m not your god damn fan. I say whatever the fuck I want.”

”At least I’m not a fucking baker.”

”Yeah, if your baking is like your cooking, you’d be lousy at it!”

He laughs, a long hearty one. He picks up your baby, walking her to the edge of the shore, letting her toes dip into the warm waters. You’re hiding a smile, fatherhood looks good on him. And he knows it, laughing in your face like that. You suppose you couldn’t blame the guy, Roger was the last person you’d expect to teach a kid manners.

”Hey,” he calls out, “you pack a lunch?”

You nod, and he gives a thumbs down, “I’m taking my girls out. Get some good grub.”

You really should decline, “there’s a cafe on the pier. Great pancakes.”

”Let’s go then!”

So you spend the day with him, Buggy was mostly hush about what he was out doing. Out of shame or boredom, you couldn’t tell. Buggy even helps you stock the bar, shooing away your extra help when she arrived. You let it happen, and you’re not sure why.

Maybe if he wants to spend the night, you’ll lock his hands and feet away so he can’t escape this time. You look at his hands, thinking about the last time you let him hold you.

God, are you that weak? Are you really falling for your husband again?

Funny joke, he should hire you as a writer.

”What’s up, baby?”

”I think you should stay the night.”

His face lights up, “great. That’s so great.”

He detaches from his legs, letting his torso twirl around with you and Marcela in his arms. You let out a gasp as he did it, holding onto him tighter.

The first time he did this to you, you felt like a fairy.

“You’re so cute when you blush.”

”I’m not blushing.”

He tilts your chin up, “you are.”

You shake your head, finishing up your tasks. It had been hell since you saw Buggy last, your heart yearned for him every day. Pirates aren’t used to being so open with their feelings, you wonder if he meant it when he wanted to keep your hair in a locket. You sent it with a letter, he only thanked you.

”Buggy, did you even miss me?”

He was changing a diaper, nearly dropping the pin, “of course I did.”

”Are you lying?”

His hand flies to you for a moment, stroking your hair. You shove it away, and he recalled it back to pop into place.

”I could never lie to you.”

”You just leave out the truth.”

He looks as heartbroken as you, “I’m not a good man, I’m sorry I gave you that impression. But I love you, I love our family.”

You only nod, ignoring him the rest of the night. The patrons don’t flirt with you, now that your daughter was being held by her father in the corner of the bar. Someone puts on the record player, a romantic song wafting in the air. Didn’t fit for a sailor bar, catchy enough that they sing anyway.

”May I have this dance?”

”They'll have my head if drinks ain’t poured fast enough.”

”Let ‘em,” he whispers in your ear.

Two hands are still holding Marcela in her seat, his forearms wrap around you as he swings you around. You always loved a man who can dance, and as expected Buggy was a showy dancer. Even without fingers he dipped and twirled you, lifting you up and over.

You collapse into his chest once the song was over, you’re guided back to the bar so you could pour drinks. A smile doesn’t leave either of your faces.

”Sir, your girl is the best thing that could ever happen to us salty dogs!”

”Don’t I fucking know it,” he beams.

There’s a twinkle in his eye as he returns with your baby, hopping on the counter he gives a sharp whistle.

”Alright listen up, today’s my little girl’s half birthday. A round on me!”

The loud commotion doesn’t bother her too much, Buggy still making sure to cover her ears as he grins at you. In this moment, you’re completely charmed. You’re too afraid to kiss him, you know you shouldn’t kiss him. But he grins and your daughter laughs and maybe, just maybe it’s okay.

He offers to close the bar, and you insist to count the money. He didn’t leave you high and dry last time, but you weren’t that stupid.

Soon he trudges upstairs, kicking his boots off. He sits on the bed only a moment, before shaking his head.

”Do you want me here? Or should I sleep on the couch?”

”Couch.”

”Okay. Hey uh, can I kiss you?”

”What?”

”Just the cheek? The nose? A hand?”

You must be tired, “kiss me like a man, Buggy.”

He kisses you slowly, treading carefully until you push him away. He clears his throat, and sleeps on the couch as promised.

You wake up before him, realizing he let you sleep the whole night. You always liked watching him, it was rare that you were up before him. Buggy was like some strange version of an angel, those long lashes fluttering, chiseled jaw and lovely lips.

You crawl closer to him, his breath hot on your face. You kiss his nose, if you could even call that. It’s so light, there was no way he could feel it.

His eyes flutter open anyway, “well, hello.”

”Thanks for letting me sleep.”

”Go back to bed, she’s still sleeping too.”

Your heart goes soft, come with me, you want to say. Instead, you let sleep overtake you again.

You aren’t sure of the time it is now, and you notice Buggy was gone. You strain to listen to your baby, you didn’t hear anything either. In a panic, you shoot up.

”Buggy?”

”In here!”

Oh thank fuck.

He’s on the floor, playing with your daughter. You ease your heartbeat, standing there a little awkwardly.

“C’mere.”

He drapes an arm over you, “can that kid watch Marcie today? I wanna take you out, just us.”

”I’m not a cheap date.”

”Oh, I know.”

You haven’t dressed up in ages, nervously fussing with your hair until he knocks on the bathroom door.

“Be out in a minute.”

What were you even doing? How many women do you know with husbands like him? The loneliness, the worry. It was easier when you were younger, Buggy was made for the sea. He couldn’t stand being on land for long.

So why did you marry him? Because he was funny? Because he was cute? He loved you the only way he knew how; a captive audience, an adoring fan.

But that’s not really true, is it? It never was for you, he loves you honestly. A rare thing from a pirate.

Buggy whistles at the sight of you, “gorgeous.”

“Thanks, Bug.”

”Only stating the obvious, I could go on but, we got plans tonight don’t we?”

He doesn’t fit in amongst the diners surrounding you. If not his best outfit being a striped shirt and dirty pants, it’s his leg on the chair arm with a drink in his hand. People gawk at his nose when he’s not looking, thankfully focused on you.

If you were honest, you didn’t belong in this place either.

“Why are we here Buggy?”

”You deserve it, had a pretty good haul awhile ago.”

”That why you left?”

He grimaces, “yeah. Found a map.”

You look at your plate, chewing slowly. Buggy drinks more than he eats.

”We were arguing more, you seemed so unhappy. I uh, figured it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission.”

Your vision blurs, “you should’ve told me.”

”I know honey, I know. I never…I never sat still long. As much as I’d like to.”

He insisted it could work at the time, claiming that pirating would be a side gig. Pirates weren’t built for that, as much as Buggy loved his circus you know he loved treasure more.

”So now what? When’s the next time you’re just gonna run?”

Buggy wouldn’t face you, “I-I don’t know. I do know…I won’t leave you stranded. Not again. Ever.”

You lose your appetite, running out on him. You aren’t sure where you were going, running towards the ships docked in the pier. He’s right behind you, shouting your name. You ignore it, reaching his ship.

You wish you kept a bottle, you’d burn the damn thing down. You laugh bitterly, the sea really is his mistress.

“Baby, hey. Let’s talk.”

”If I didn’t send that letter, would you even come back? When I was pregnant?”

Buggy holds your face in his hands, forcing you to look at him. His jaw is tense, his fingers tremble. You never seen him so undone.

”I never left. Not really. I married you because I love you.”

”Don’t bullshit.”

”I’m not.”

You slap him, “don’t lie to me.”

”I’m not.”

You shove him, “don’t lie to me!”

“Baby stop! I’m sorry okay! God damn.”

You attempt to knock his head off his shoulders. He grabs your hand before you do, “come on. Let me show you something.”

He leads you to his cabin, among the mess and clutter he digs for something. He hands you a box, all your letters, photos, even an old wanted poster. He even kept a onesie and one of the footprints you thought was thrown away.

“I did it for us, I always do it for us.”

You’re on the verge of tears, “You’re going to Grand Line soon, aren’t you?”

He nods, “I had to square away my affairs, I had to see you again.”

You swallow hard, “how long?”

You never sailed that far, your own crew wasn’t ready for that. If he lived, you knew how long he could be gone.

”I don’t know. I do know one thing, I’ll be back.”

You let him hold you as you cry, you could feel droplets on the top of your head. You both stand there crying for who knows how long. Eventually Buggy kisses your eyes, and you tug on his shirt to pull his lips to yours.

It’s a good sign, you feel fireworks even now. He lifts up your skirt, fingers grazing the waistband of your underwear.

”I love you,” he whispers, “my North Star.”

Buggy stays with you for several weeks, and a small part of you wants to pretend he’s going to stay. When your first love died, you promised to remain by the sea. They’d protect you, even in spirit. You hope that promise extended to Buggy, they would’ve like each other.

You help him ready the ship, Buggy stalling in every way he knew how. Not enough costumes, a spotlight was out, you both knew how this was going to end.

He doesn’t let go of your daughter, showing her every single part of his ship. The crew adores her, promising to make her a cabin girl once she’s old enough. It kind of sounds nice, Buggy plans to bring you along too when the time comes. That sounds pretty good to you too.

Eventually, the Big Top sets sail. You teach Marcela to wave to her daddy, you blow kisses as you shout farewells. You promise to tell her about him, and he promises his damnedest to write every day.

It wasn’t going to be easy, it was going to be lonelier this time around. But you are a beacon, an angel of the sea to guide him home.

[anaiiz]

‘RUN’ Young!Spider Socorro x Young!Sully fem-reader

warnings: none really. reader gets a little scratch on her knee, Spider gets yelled at by Jake.

requested: Yes | No

plot: You and Spider go wandering in the forrest without permission and get caught.

notes: Lo’ak and Tuk aren’t born yet and kiri hasn’t been adopted yet. Reader is Neteyam’s twin. Neteyam isn’t with them because he was being a good boy and stayed with Neytiri.

“C’mon y/n keep up!” Spider whined impatiently. Ate the rate you were running you would surely get caught. “I’m tired wait a second.” You said picking up the pace. “We have to hurry before Jake and Neytiri notice we left.” Spider said hoisting you up to the tree branch he was sitting on.

“So why’d you bring me up here?” You question. “Just wanted to spend time with you.” Spider replied watching his feet dangle. You spent most of your days with spider on this very branch. Watching life bloom around. Even hiding from Thanators on that branch with him. Always him. You two stayed up there for hours until you heard-

“Y/n where are you?” Jake yelled slightly nervous that he had lost one of his children. “Shit! RUN!” Spider yelped. “We’re gonna get in trouble.” You said on the verge of tears. “You thought you two were so clever sneaking off while your mother and I were busy.” Jake said slightly irritated. “Come on!” Spider yelled pulling your arm rather harshly.

You had no time to prepare yourself for the fall so when Spider tugged at your arm, your frail body immediately hit the ground. “OUCH! What the hell Spider?” You cried out. Spider didn’t have time to answer before you pushed past him and started sprinting.

“Where was all this energy when we first came out here?” Spider chuckled sprinting beside you. “Shut up!” You groaned slightly in pain. Spider didn’t notice when you pushed past him but you were limping. “Wait stop.” Spider called out as soon as he noticed. “We need to go back.” “Why? You’re the reason we’re running right now!” you said irritated.

You would’ve immediately given up if spider hadn’t tugged your arm. “You’re hurt.” he argued. “No shit.” you replied bluntly. “JAKE.” Spider yelled. “SHUT UP.” you yelped. You were about to start running again when Jake appeared behind you. “Y/n hurt.” Spider said quickly. “No i’m not.” you said. “Where?” Jake said ignoring you. They were conversing like you weren’t even there.

“Her knee or leg I’m not sure but when we were running, she was limping.” Spider said immediately. “Come.” Jake said tugging the same arm Spider had. You winced and glared at Spider as Jake dragged you away and Spider tailed behind.

“What were you thinking?” Jake said. Already starting his lecture. “You could’ve gotten hurt!” “I already did!” You said, expecting him to say that. His lectures were always the same. ‘what we’re you thinking’ ‘you could’ve gotten hurt’ ‘you had me and your mother so worried’

“You had me and your mother so worried” He said. Spider slightly chuckled. “What’s funny?” Jake asked. “Nothing sir.” Spider said quickly. What Jake hadn’t seen was you mocking him behind his back. Before you two knew it you were back at the hometree. “There you are! Ma ite why have you wandered off” Neytrir said sobbing.

(A/N: because she alaways is for some reason)

You glanced back to Spider who was being lectured by Jake a few feet away. “Just wanted to. I was bored.” You said calmly. “I’m so glad you’ve- you’re hurt.” she said cutting herself off. “No- i’m- It’s fine.” You said dismissing her completely. “I will take you to Mo’at.” She said. “Okay.” You said defeated. If there was one thing you weren’t going to do was argue with your mother.

You looked over at Spider who now looked extremely sad. “At least we had fun right?” You called out for him. Spider smirked and looked over at you. “Yea.” He said chuckling.

KAYY SPEAKS-

I really have nothing to say here

PLEASE SEND IN REQUESTSSS!!!

like, comment, and reblog.

if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say it at all!!!

[little-creature-business]

TRANS SANJI RAMBLE!!

I am an enjoyer of headcanons and WILL and HAVE headcanoned the straw hats and other characters with different/conflicting headcanons bc you wanna know why?? I can make different universes and versions of them bc DAMN a lot of these headcanons are hella good

Though I will say, as an enjoyer of headcanons, I am in a drought of transmasc Sanji stuff <\3 I DUNNO IF IM LOOKING IN THE WRONG PLACES OR NOT qwq

+before anyone says, I adore transfem Sanji w all my heart and I am glad she gets the representation bc WOW a lot of people are clever w the stuff they come up will, I really do love it and a lot of you even think of things I would’ve never thought about !! ^o^ jus a little bummed out there’s not as much transmasc Sanji content bc as soon as I saw him on screen I was like “the radar is going off”

ps if you read this far, transmasc Sanji headcanons (hear me out, most likely ooc) (also zosan)

I have been thinking about them SOOO MUCH tbh.. Sanji doesn’t feel 100% while cooking because of cramps?? You bet Zoro will notice and try and help out best he can in the kitchen despite how many times he would get kicked and/or yelled at..

sparring?? Sanji feel miserable and always thinks Zoro is going easy on him so he accidentally blurts it out one time while they are going at it and Zoro is just like “No lmao??” And might reveal smth about Kuina.. and then Sanji cries about it because even in smth like sparring he’s seen as equal to him

I think during WCI (I have not.. watched it yet teehee) while Sanji sees his brothers + sister again they’re all like “what the fuck happened to you” and Sanji is all high guarded about it but says he’s trans and he’s a guy now and they’re all like “oh ok, anyway-“ and it goes on like normal but they respect him (please pleaseeee)

Sanji while he’s with Zeff,, ofc Zeff is like “well now I got an 8-9 year old daughter to take care of” and Sanji doesn’t mind at first because he doesn’t exactly know what he’s feeling but he knows that being called “daughter” doesn’t feel right. I feel like he would discover later on what being trans meant from a frequent customer and he’s all happy because!! Wow he found out!! What best describes him!! And the next time he talks to Zeff he’s all like “so you know that regular we get through the door?” And then tells Zeff and Zeff is all like “well then, I’m happy either way for you, do you want your hair cut or different clothes?”

Running with ideas,, Sanji would probably be scared of taking testosterone/one piece equivalent because of the needles if they didn’t have a gel form. Which is why awhile after chopper joins he asks the little reindeer about it..

I also have a feeling Sanji would be afraid of surgery?? He wants to get top surgery but the idea is SO scary to him,, so he ops for binding,,

Mainly Zoro but also the crew has to remind him to not bind for too long since he can get caught up in cooking, Zoro will ALWAYS ask him to take whatever he binds with off before they spar/fight not wanting to let the cook hurt himself

this is it this is the post (I’m so mentally I’ll)

[gnrbitch]

Grunge Days pt.17 - Estranged

Warnings: Physical violence, drug mention

Lowkey trigger warning on the violence

————

1992, Los Angeles

Y/n ran her hands through her hair, putting her luggage down onto the floor. Alice had just finished mixing their record, so now they just had to get the cover done and they would be able to release it.

Upon their arrival back to LA, Y/n was filled with this hollowness in her body. She was okay during most of the making of the record, but now she had nothing to distract her from her fucked up life.

Downstairs, Jerry opened the door to see a very fucked up Duff.

“Where’s Y/n” He asked Jerry, his voice strained.

Jerry’s eyebrows furrowed, “She’s upstairs, why?”

Jerry turned back to look at Duff, who just stormed pass him. “Jeez” Jerry mumbled to himself.

Y/n jumped as she looked at Duff, who had slammed her bedroom door shut.

He paced to the side of the bed where she was sitting on, the girls heart racing because he looked pissed.

Duff raised his hand, slapping her across the face. “You fucken idiot!” He yelled

Y/ns eyes teared up as she put her hand against her face, “what the fuck Duff” she said, her voice cracking.

And the next thing she knew, Duff had his hands wrapped around her throat, she laid on her bed as he strangled her.

She attempted to pry his hands off her, her tears falling off the side of her face. She couldn’t breath, she was fucken mortified.

“Duff” She said, trying to breath,

“I fucken told you Y/n” He said “I told you that if you ever touched another fucken needle i was gonna kick your ass!” He yelled.

As she looked into his eyes, silently pleading for him to let go of her, she saw nothing. No remorse, no Duff.

This was it she thought, she was gonna fucken die, and Duff was gonna be the one to kill her.

Huh, who would’ve thought.

That was until Jerry and Layne bursted through the door. To be honest, they heard Duff yelling and they thought it was weird that Y/n wasn’t yelling back, so they decided to see what was going on. And they were so glad they did.

“Duff let her go” Layne said as him and Jerry attempted to pull Duff off of Y/n. “Sean!” Layne called out.

“What the fuck” Sean said as he entered the room, immediately grabbing Duff and ripping him off of Y/n.

“What’s your fucken issue!” Sean yelled at Duff as Layne rushed to Y/ns side.

“Y/n” Layne said

Y/n was hyperventilating, her fingers lightly touching her throat as she cried.

Duffs eyes widened when he looked at his baby sister, what the fuck had he done? “Oh my god Y/n i’m sorry”

“Get him out” Y/n said, her voice barley coming through.

Sean grabbed him by his shirt, dragging him out of the room as Duff protested and repeatedly apologized.

“Just let me talk to her” Duff cried to Sean as they were now standing outside “Please man i didn’t mean to do this, I-i fucken blacked out”

“Get the fuck out” Sean said, shoving him.

“No- no that’s my sister” Duff stuttered out, running his hand down his face

Sean scoffed at him, walking back into the house and locking the door. As much as he wanted to kick Duffs ass, he mainly wanted to see if Y/n was okay.

Sean walked back into Y/ns room, her head laying on Laynes lap as Jerry was sitting on the floor.

Sean kneeled down, looking at Y/n “I’m so glad you didn’t die” he said

Y/n cracked a smile as a tears fell out of her eyes “Me too” she croaked.

“We were saying we should call Susan” Jerry spoke up.

“Is that okay?” Sean asked Y/n

Y/n nodded her head slightly, and Sean & Jerry left the room.

Y/n removed herself from Laynes lap, she looked at him as she whispered, “I can’t do this anymore Layne”

Layne looked at her, his eyes watery “Don’t say that”

“Everything is too complicated” She said “I just need a break”

“We’ll get you a break okay? We could go anywhere you want” Layne held her “Just please don’t leave me” He whispered

Y/n clung onto him tightly “I won’t” she whispered

————

No this was too crazy

Tagged: @deeznutsworld @hoodiesandicedcoffee @eddiiiieeee @killazilla777

[twinkleimagines]

Hiii drew smut where they meet from Madison and have been talking and then the cast plus y/n go out clubbing and they confess there feelings / also can drew be rough.

*Keep it on the low*

Warning: smut and language.

I got carried away with this one so I hope you guys like.

“ I just feel like we never see each other anymore “ you spoke over the phone Bailey.

“ I know” she whined out. “ listen we’ll fly you out this weekend so we can hang and you can meet my friends okay? You’re going to love them “ she insisted.

“ okay” you agreed, the feeling of excitement rushing through you. Madison was your best friend since middle school and it had been a touch transition since she began filming her new tv show, Outer Banks. Of course you talked on the phone but it wasn’t the same, and you missed her truly.

You had almost became envious of her new cast mates because they were daily posting videos and pictures with each other and it made you miss her more than ever .

You quickly went back to your bedroom, packing a suit case- the weekend couldn’t come any faster .

****

“ I’m walking down the escalator now” you spoke as you sat on the phone with Madison trying to find your way to her.

“ okay - wait I think I see you” she spoke out.

“ y/n!” You heard someone yell from in front of you. You lifted your head only to see Madison standing at the bottom of the escalator, her hand waving at 90 miles per hour.

“ Maddy!” You yelled before jogging your way down the already moving steps.

“ oh my gosh!” You yelled out as you both wrapped each other in a tight hug.

“ I’m gonna cry “ she spoke as she squeezed her arms around your shoulders.

“ ugh I know I’ve missed you so much” you poured .

“ c’mon we’ve only got the weekend and I have soooo much to show you” she insisted, tugging on your arm .

****

The ride to Madison’s hotel that she was staying it a was a bit of a drive from the apartment. She was staying pretty close to the beach and Charleston was probably one of the most beautiful cities you had ever laid your eyes on.

Madison had updated you on a lot, including a new girl she was talking to as well as her new friends and their characters on the show.

“ this Rafe guy sounds like a dick” you joked.

“ yeah but you’ll love Drew he’s literally polar opposite than his character . “

******

"Ahhh she's back!" a blonde headed boy beamed, running over towards your friend, ingulfing her in a hug.

"Rudy this is Y/n" She said with a wide smile, pulling you over.

"Hi" You beamed holding your hand out but Rudy instead pulled you into a hug.

"So glad you finally made it. Maddie over here wouldn't shut up about how much she missed you" He joked.

"Awe Maddie " You said with a sympathetic pout.

"Shut up" She laughed while rolling her eyes before pulling you further into the hotel.

"Guys" She spoke out loudly to a group of people sitting on her couch causing all of their eyes to advert towards you. " This is Y/n" She announced pulling you up next to her.

You awkwardly waved, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks as she practically put the spot light onto you.

"I'm Chase" One guy said leaning over the couch, holding his hand out.

"I'm Madelyn " The blonde girl next to him said standing up, walking over towards you. " it's nice to meet you" she beamed, pulling you into a hug.

'Okay so everyone is big into hugs,' you thought. You smiled widely at her before you looked over at another one walking towards you.

"I'm Jonathan Daviss, but you can call me JD" He spoke. you nodded excitedly.

"That's a cool nickname" you beamed, causing a smile to form on his face. You then looked over towards the last face on the couch.

Woah.

Now this man- he almost took your breath away. He stood up, his tall figure stretching high towards the ceiling.

"Hi, i'm Drew" He spoke, his voice the perfect tone, almost sounded like music to your ears. He had these sky blue eyes, perfectly pink lips, a little bit of fuzz on his jaw from being recently shaved, and brown hair draped over the sides of his forehead, parting perfectly down the middle. Your heart began to pound as he reached his hand out for you to shake. You hadn't realized you were staring until Madison nudged you with her elbow, bringing you out of your trance.

"Oh uhm yeah- i mean hi I'm y/n" You stuttered embarrassingly. He smiled a bright smile, his white teeth shining perfectly on his perfectly aligned face.

You sighed deeply. You never believed in love at first sight until now. How perfect this stranger was to you. If it weren't for you not wanting to humiliate yourself even more than you already were, you would've continued looking at him with admiration, but instead you turned your head to look at Maddie, trying to not to creep the poor guy out.

"okay guys I'm starving" Chase spoke up as the room filled with silence. "who wants to go eat?" He asked throwing his hands up. You grinned , already loving everyone's bubbly personality.

You sat your bag down onto the ground before tucking your hair behind your ear, watching as everyone began to make their way out the door.

"After you" Drew said, you and him being the last ones left in the room.

"Thanks" you said softly, walking out in front of him as he held the door open for you.

Who would've known that this would only the beginning of a very special relationship.

********

"Drew" You spoke out before his lips placed onto yours once again, his hand placed firmly on your thigh as your were tangled in his hair.

"Hmm" He hummed against your lips, his teeth nibbling on your bottom lip.

"We should tell them" You breathed out in between kisses.

"Mmm" he mumbled, his eyes closed as his lips trailed down your jaw towards your neck.

"I'm serious Drew I don't want to hide you anymore" You responded pulling away from him.

He stopped his movements, making eye contact with you.

"You sure?" He asked.

You and Drew had instantly hit it off that first weekend Madison brought you over.

It had happened the first night you had stayed the night. Everyone had fallen asleep and you and Drew stayed up for hours on hours endlessly talking about anything and everything. The sparks were flying. You were so engaged in every word that came out of his mouth, his sentences sounding like lullabies to your ears.

Before you had left you both had exchanged numbers and before you could even make it to the airport you were both texting each other. Throughout the first week you both spent every night on the phone until one had fallen asleep. It had almost became addictive the way he made you feel.

Neither of you spoke of your friendship to anyone though. Mainly wanting to take things slow but you also didn't want to upset anyone or cause any issues between Drew and Madison. He assured you it wouldn't upset anyone or cause issues but at the same time he wanted to respect your wishes and keep things a secret.

You both had been virtually seeing each other for three weeks before he flew you out for a weekend, just the two of you. You had stayed with him the whole weekend, movie nights and a lot of sex.

This week though you were invited by the whole group, and right now you were hidden off in Drew's hotel hiding from the group with Drew laid on top of you, the both of you shirtless.

"We can tell them tonight okay, i just want to enjoy the time we have together right now" He insisted. You simply nodded before leaning your head forward before placing your lips against his once again.

Drew sat up, smirking at you as he tugged on your jeans, pulling them down your thighs, exposing your pink laced panties that complimented your skin so well.

"So beautiful" Drew mumbled as his hands massaged against your thighs before reaching up towards your panties pulling them down as well. He reached over to the nightstand grabbing the condom on the top before pushing his own pants down, exposing his hardened pink shaft, the veins popping out the side.

You stared in admiration at the size as he placed the rubber over him.

"Flip over" he instructed. You quickly obliged, your face in his pillow. He tucked his arm under your waist, pulling your hips bag some to wear your bottom was pointed upwards.

You gasped loudly as you felt his tip insert into you, stretching your walls around him.

"fuck" you moaned out as he pushed into you, his hips pressed against your cheeks before he pulled back out, letting your own juices help lubricate him before he pushed back in at a faster speed.

"Fuck you're tight" Drew groaned out as he slowly pulled himself of you again, leaving just the tip in. You looked over your shoulder, smirking up at him as he looked down at you, his Adams apple poking out. Drew sighed heavily , closing his eyes for a brief second almost coming undone right then and there just from the sight of you.

He finally regained his composer, looking back down at you before pressing his hand onto the back of your head pushing your face further into the pillow before he began moving his hips once again, this time at a much faster pace.

"God Drew" you cried out as he hit your spot with each thrust, your hands balling in a fist around his sheets as you struggled to breath, overwhelmed by the amount of pleasure you were receiving. You arched your back further against Drew, giving him more access to go deeper into you, your hips moving causing your walls to tighten around him.

"Fuck" He breathed out, lowing his head some as we watched himself sliding in and out of you, his abs flexing with each thrust.

"Oh yes daddy yes "You moaned out, reaching behind you, grabbing hold of his hand that was placed on your bottom.

"You like that baby?" He asked before placing a firm smack against your left cheek. You hissed out , biting down on your bottom lip as your eyes focused on his body jerking forward over and over again, every inch of his body flexing as he moved himself in and out of you.

Since that first weekend you and Drew had spent together alone, he had learned more and more ways to work your body, especially when he realized you enjoyed it rough like him.

"Pull my hair baby" you pleaded, attempting to tug on his hand that had a firm grip on your hip while your body continued rocking back and forth.

Drew quickly obliged, reaching up to grab a hand full of your hair, pulling you back towards him, your back arched to where your arms stretched out, your hands placed against his pillows.

"God yes" You winced out, a slight stinging as he had a tight grip on your hair.

"Fuck princess" he groaned feeling his climax beginning to build. His thrusts began to speed up, your tits bouncing in the air as he continued to pound into you. You leaned up some, arm wrapping around his neck . You both began to lower, you practically sitting in his lap as he leaned back, propped up on one arm as the other had his hand wrapped against your throat. His thrusts were now at a steady but rough pace, slamming up against you as he placed sloppy kisses alongside your shoulder.

"God" He groaned out as his thrusts slowed down, turning more into grinds as his cock pulsed inside you, his warm load filling the condom. You begin rocking your hips back and forth along him riding your own high out, moaning his name out loudly as your toes curled, your climax euphoric. You climbed off of Drew, flopping your body down onto the his bed, breathing heavily as you ran your hands through your hair.

"That was amazing" you breathed out. Drew nodded, himself out of breath as well.

"I'm gonna get a shower" He responded as he stood up, his member beginning to soften. "We gotta meet everyone in two hours. Wanna join?" He asked. You smiled up at him before nodding, grabbing ahold of his reached out hand.

*****

"Finally" Madison groaned as she saw you climbing out of the black SUV that escorted you to the night club you and the gang were linking up at .

"Sorry got caught up" you responded brushing the hair out of your face as the wind blew against it.

"I can see" she chuckled, her eyes focused on the round purple hickey on your collarbone. Your eyes widened, you had almost forgotten about it. You had saw the hickey as you did your make up and Drew's shower but had forgotten to cover it.

"Who were you with?" She asked out of curiosity but you only shook your head, pretending to be shy about your actions.

"ugh okay come on everyone else is inside" She responded. You nodded before tugging slightly on your black dress as it rode up your thighs. You had your hair down with white sneakers on, a simple butterfly necklace and a skin tight strapless dress on that barely that went down a few inches on your thighs.

The music was loud, everyone definitely lit as you both walked in. Your eyes roamed the club. It was definitely a party style. There a lot of people around dancing, and neon objects glowing in the black lights. Madison guided you to the corner booth your shared friends resided in, including Drew.

""You look so cute!" Madelyn beamed as she wrapped you in a tight hug.

"You too babes" You responded, well yelled as you placed your chin on her shoulder, only to see Drew standing behind her, his eyes focused on your body. He almost looked upset. Seeming how you were still on the low about your relationship you didn't confront him, but you did check him out from afar. He stood on the side next to JD black denim jeans with a white striped button up collared shirt, with his signature gold chain around his neck and a black watch on his wrist.

Despite just getting your back blown out by Drew, you had to leave before anyone came searching for you so you didn't get to see Drew dressed up, the last image you had of him was of him in a towel and his wet hair slicked back.

He was looking so good at this point you had to distance yourself from him before you made it obvious of your secret.

"Come dance" Madelyn pleaded tugging on your arm.

"I need to be drunk before i get onto the dance floor" You joked. Madelyn though took you serious and walked over to the bar, ordering at least two shots for everyone since you were each going to be getting an Uber back to the hotels.

"Okay drink up" She responded holding both yours and her shot in the air. You quickly glanced over towards your secret boyfriend who was watching you intensely before you tossed your head back opening your throat, letting the alcohol burn its way down your throat.

"phew" you said, a shiver following shortly after.

"Okay, One more " Madelyn insisted. You didn't plan to get shit faced of course , but you were definitely interested in a good time so you obliged, repeating the same action again, this time the liquids going down a bit easier. You both stood for a second in silence before she shook her head.

"I think one more with do us justice " She grinned. You chuckled, already feeling a slight buzz coming as the alcohol spread through your blood stream.

"Don't you think you've had enough?" You heard someone mumble from behind you. You looked over to see Drew standing behind you. You furrowed your brows together. How the hell did he get over there so fast?

"Don't " you mumbled before looking down at the table trying to avoid his gaze. "You're making it obvious" You responded before taking a step away, turning your back towards him.

Unfortunately you didn't notice how much those words actually upset Drew. IT had almost felt like he was an embarrassment to you with how much effort you put in to hiding him so he walked away, finding his way back next to JD.

"You okay man?" JD asked as he saw the obvious frown on Drew's face.

"Yeah man" He mumbled as he looked across the both of them, watching you quickly gulp away yet another shot of alcohol, bursting into laughter shortly after with Madelyn. He shook his head in disappointment. Of course he wanted you to have fun but he just didn't want you to get so waisted you end up doing something you regret and him not being able to help you since you didn't want him to show his affection towards you in front of everyone.

"Want a shot?" Drew asked glancing over at JD who also looked not too amused at the moment with the environment and in need of some lighting up. They both watched you and Madelyn make your way to the dance floor, merging in with the crowd as the quickly took their first shot, both of them sighing heavily as they attempted to mask the burning feeling.

You immediately began swaying your hips to the upbeat music, the alcohol coursing through your body, giving you an almost out of body type feeling, something you usually didn't get unless you were in bed with Drew.

You didn't intend to jump into the party that fast. after 2 songs Chase had came by with more shots, unaware to the previous t3 you both had taken but neither of you denied them, quickly throwing your head back, wiping the drips off your chin as you looked over at Drew who surprisingly paid you no attention. You dancing slowed down as you realized the group Drew was associating with.

You could see JD and Rudy with Drew which was not an issue. it was the 3 bimbos standing with them too, one in particular standing too close for your comfort towards Drew, her index finger twirling in a poorly curled strand of hair.

You rolled your eyes, jealously now running through you. It was obviously intensified from the alcohol but you wanted to drag him away from the girls and show those girls exactly who he belonged to but you knew you couldn't say anything considering you and him were a secret.

"Hi" You heard from behind you. It was a tall brunette guy, pretty stocky with what looked to be hazel eyes and curly brown hair. At least that what you guessed since the dance floor was only lit up from black lights above you.

"Hi" You said with a friendly smile before turning back around, a frown forming as you noticed Drew laughing at whatever the girl closest to him just said.

"You got a name?" The guy asked, dancing behind you. You turned your head, almost ready to tell him to piss off until you glanced over towards Drew who still had not even given you a glance.

"Y/n" You responded as you turned your body completely around, facing towards him.

You studied his face. He looked cute, or maybe that was just the alcohol clouding your judgment. To your drunken eyes, he favored Timothee Chalamet to you, which was some one who was a sight for sore eyes.

- but, never the less, he wasn't Drew.

The guy mentioned his name back to you but between the alcohol and the music , you didn't hear him clearly. You looked to your side to see Chase and Madelyn in their own little world so you shrugged your shoulders, turning back towards the tall boy.

"You come here with someone?" He asked as he took a step closer, his body swaying along with yours to the music. You glanced over your shoulder towards Drew, the same scenario playing as earlier . You rolled your eyes becoming agitated with Drew before you looked back forward trying not to be obvious.

"I thought i did but it's looking like they didn't come in with me" You said, your lips close to his ear as he leaned forward to hear you.

"Huh" He responded leaning back. "That's to bad. You're very beautiful" He responded. You grinned widely, enjoying the attention.

The song changed, turning to a slower song, a more sensual vibe to it. You turned around, swaying your hips up against the guy as his hand wrapped around your waist.

You usually wouldn't do this, but between the alcohol and your jealousy towards Drew, you were enjoying every second of it in hopes Drew would catch on and realize what he was losing.

And surprisingly , that's exactly what happened.

Drew tried to play things your way. He tried to pretend that there was nothing going on between the two of you. He even gave other women attention to make it believable but it was all fake smiles and laughs when really all he wanted was to hold you. He did try his best though, that is until he looked up to check on you only to see your body being held by another guy, your ass pressed against the guys crotch as he practically dry humped you from behind.

Now Drew didn't drink as much as you did, but he did have 1 to 2 shots , enough to help spark a fire inside of him, rage flowing through his veins. Drew didn't hesitate to make his way over to you, his mind only focused on removing the guy from his girl.

"Y/n what the fuck" He spat out as he tugged on your hand, trying to remove you from him. Your eyes widened, guilt instantly flowing through you. You didn't mean for any of this to happen and seeing Drew standing in front of you fuming, you couldn't help but to feel embarrassed by your actions.

"Man back off alright she's just having a good time" The guy said with a cocky smirk plastered across his face.

"Fuck off " Drew scolded before looking back at you, completely brushing the guy off.

"This is really how you want to sell it ?" He said, his voice louder than normal because of the music, but those surrounding him including Chase and Madelyn hearing.

"Oh go fuck yourself Drew" You scoffed, rolling your eyes. You began to march off of the dance floor, making your way towards the table you were previously at, leaving the stranger stranded.

"REal mature Y/n" He responded following closely behind you. The rest of the group followed behind, beyond confused as to why the two of you would even be arguing like this.

"Oh but you weren't doing the same thing over here with the chick ? Laughing at every little thing she said" You spat out.

He threw his hands up.

"Y/n i was trying to play your little game of secrets" He argued back.

"Wait what secrets?" Madison spat out. The both of you stared at each other, unsure who was going or not going to spill the truth.

"No point in hiding it anymore Y/n" Drew argued. You furrowed your brows in frustration, crossing your arms over your chest as Drew spoke. Which he was absolutely right which upset you anymore.

"Somebody better start talking in point two second or -"

"We're dating" you interrupted, looking over towards Madison.

Everyone's jaw dropped except for JD's, his response was jut of him shaking his head.

"What!?" Madison yelled out in shock.

"Like talking?" She asked, looking between the two of you. " Or like, dating dating?"

"More like dating dating" Rudy butted in, pushing his index finger into a circle he made with his other hand, indicating intercourse.

You quickly placed your head in your hand with embarrassment.

"No fucking way" Chase responded, a wide grin on his face.

"Bro why didn't you tell me?" Chase yelled out placing his hand on Drew's shoulder.

"We didn't want anyone mad at us or like, i don't know it ruin this friendship we all have" You responded, lowering your head in disappointment.

"Y/n are you delusional? Why would that make any of us mad ?" Madison replied with a wide grin on his face.

"You guys, i called it" JD finally spoke, a cocky smirk across his face.

"Whaattt? " you responded looking over at him with confusion.

"You guys have been clung to each other since you first met. I'm not stupid" He laughed. You shook your head, a grin forming on your face.

"Okay the cats out of the bag so you guys don't have to continue pretending okay? " Madelyn responded. "Can we please get back to dancing?" She pleaded. They all nodded before the group once again went their separate ways, leaving you and Drew alone at the table.

"I'm sorry" You responded stepping closer towards him, placing your hand on his.

"ME too" He responded looking down at you.

"I kind of want to get out of here, yanno" You said with a smirk on your face. He grinned back, nodding his head.

"agreed".

*****

Hope you guys liked!

✨feedback as well as a like and reblog is always appreciated 💗✨

[messers-moony]

Wish 2 | F.H

Paring: Five Hargreeves X Wife!Reader

Summary: Five storms out to time travel after an argument with his wife and comes back to an unexpected surprise.

A/N: Five time travels at 26 instead of 13

The shock that settled on Malachi’s face could’ve been recognizable from miles away. His Aunts and Uncles were right; he did look like his father. It astounded him. He wanted to be angry. This man had left him for almost his entire life. He was nearly eighteen and would be in November. So why did he show up now?

More importantly, why did he leave Y/n?

“ Why did you leave? “ Malachi’s voice was quiet, and Five swallowed, “ I- I didn’t know she- “

He interrupted before Five could continue, “ I don’t care that you left me. I stopped caring a long time ago. “ Malachi stated, “ I want to know why you left mom. “

“ I didn’t know that I would be gone for seventeen years your time. “ Five informed softly, “ I ended up at the Academy and immediately came here. “

“ That is no excuse! You left her when she needed you! “ The boy was desperate for his father to understand, “ How am I supposed to trust you? To love you after you left the one person you swore to love? “

“ I don’t expect you to trust me immediately, and I don’t expect you to be understanding of my actions. “ Five was almost too calm, “ Understand your actions?! Are you insane? “ Malachi retorted, irritated.

“ You left for seventeen years to prove a point! That’s extraordinarily too far-fetched. You risked never being able to see mom again because of your stupid pride! “ The boy yelled, standing in front of his mother protectively, “ Malachi, please. “ Y/n pleaded.

Tears filled her son's eyes, “ No! Mom, you deserve better than this. “

“ She does, and I’m aware of it. “ Five informed, and Malachi turned to glare at him, “ I’m not ashamed to say that she does deserve better. But you need to know– whether you believe me or not, I didn’t break all of my promises. “

Y/n and Malachi stared curiously, “ One of my wedding vows was ‘No matter what happens, no matter what we go through, I’ll always find my way back to you’. I may have broken most of my vows, and I can’t express the amount of pain I went through knowing I did, but I didn’t break all of them. “

“ I spent forty-five years alone in the future. It isn’t what you think it is either. But I spent every second of those forty-five years trying to get back here to your mom, to my wife. “ Five explained, “ I didn’t know she was pregnant. Perhaps I would’ve stayed. We won’t know now. What’s done is done, and all I can do now is try to earn your trust. “

Malachi didn’t stand down. His glare was harsh, and his eyes turned a shade darker. It was almost scary to see how protective he was. But maybe it made sense because that’s how Five always was. He always held his ground and protected what he loved. But that didn’t heal the breaking in his heart when his own son was being this aggressive towards him. Would it be cowardly to say he was afraid of a seventeen-year-old boy even after being an assassin for nearly five years? Probably.

“ Why did you show up now? “ Malachi’s voice was hurt now, no longer aggressive, “ A doomsday is upcoming. I had no idea when I’d come back or when I’d be back. “ Five answered.

The man swallowed before speaking again, “ How- How old are you? “

“ Seventeen. I’m about to go into my senior year of high school. “ Malachi replied reluctantly, “ He’ll be graduating with honors and as Valedictorian of his class. “ Y/n added.

Five chuckled, “ Glad to know you inherited my smarts. Y/n is hopeless. “

“ You asshole. “ She retorted playfully, and Five smiled, “ You- You really want him back in our lives? “ Malachi questioned to his mother.

She nodded, “ Yes. “

Five stood up from the chair at the island and made his way to them. He kept his distance from them, leaving three feet between them. It was better for Malachi to come to him than the other way around. His back was leaning against the island counter while his son pondered his decisions.

“ Malachi, it’s your decision too. If you don’t want to associate with him, that’s okay. “ Y/n stated comfortably, looking at her son's teary eyes, “ I would like for you two to have the bond you always wished for. But you’re grown up now. This is your choice. “

He sniffled, “ I- I’ve heard stories about you. “ Malachi informed, and Five chuckled bitterly, “ I’m sure you have. “

“ They weren’t all that great. “ The boy added, “ Uncle Diego wasn’t fond of you. Aunt Vanya talks about you a lot. She said that you were always nice to her. “

“ She said that you weren’t nice to anyone else. “ Malachi informed, and Five stared at him curiously, “ Uncle Diego said you were an asshole and prideful. “

Five had a feeling this wasn’t going to work in his favor. His own son was feeling the same way as his siblings had. Admittedly Five wanted that bond too. He wanted to create a bond with his son despite all his faults. He wanted to be there for him now that he was here. Five wanted to prove himself.

“ I wished for years that you’d show up. Every birthday, every Christmas, every thanksgiving, everything. I prayed and wished upon every shooting star that you’d come home. “ Malachi chuckled bitterly, “ But now that you’re here, I’m not sure that was the right decision. “

His father didn’t get a chance to respond before Malachi walked toward the door, grabbing his car keys and leaving. The door shut normally despite the amount of anger and sadness residing in the boy's body. He wouldn’t be another version of his father. He just needed to calm down. Five stared at the ceiling to prevent the tears from falling down his cheeks.

Gently Y/n turned his head down to look at her despite him being taller. Her sleeves covered her palms, and she wiped away the tears. Her sleeves were turning darker from the water. Eventually, Five couldn’t take it anymore. His body shook, and he pulled her into his embrace, sobbing on her shoulder. He held the back of her shirt tighter than ever.

“ I’m- I'm so sorry, love. “ Five cried onto her shoulder, “ Shh, it’s okay. You didn’t know. “ Her voice was calm and steady.

Her fingers ran through his brunet hair, “ Who helped you through it? “ His voice was so gentle and hesitant as his head laid on her shoulder, “ Diego was a great help. “

Five sniffled, holding her closer, “ When did you find out? “

“ A week before you left. I didn’t know when to say it. I was nervous and scared at how you’d react. It turns out I waited too long. “ Y/n chuckled humorlessly.

The man pulled from her embrace to cup her cheeks and gently kiss her lips. The gesture he had missed for forty-five years. At that moment, he felt like they had just gotten married all over again. The softness and gentleness of the kiss made him feel like nothing ever happened between them. He leaned his forehead against hers.

“ I’m sorry. Truly I am. I didn’t know, but even if you had told me then, I don’t think I would’ve listened. “ Five admitted, and she nodded, “ I know. “

A silence cut through the apartment like a spider creeping up a web, quick, careful and skilled, “ Do- Do you think he’ll ever forgive me? “

Y/n shrugged, “ Maybe. “

[inkandpen22]

The Princess and The Pogue (pt. 6)

Pairing: JJ x Female!Reader  / Topper x Female!Reader  

Word Count: 3.7k

Warnings: Swearing, mild smut, fluff, angst, mentions of abuse (wow a lot) 

Part Summary: The aftermath of the bonfire is pushing you to your limit. Meanwhile, JJ is slowly losing himself in his grief. 

Masterlist

You and Topper meet your friends at the Ocean Club for lunch as arranged over text after the chaos at the Boneyard. You, Rafe, Rhett, Kelce, and Topper are all gathered around the table on the patio of the club. Despite looking put-together, you're all discombobulated in the head. All of your Kook friends are startled, to say the least by the events. More than half of them have never been close to a gun and all of them share a hatred of Pogues. 

Your brother Rhett invited his "friend" Crystal.  She's been fawning after him since their freshman year. They hooked up one time and she was practically picking out an engagement ring. She hangs around Rhett, Rafe, and all of their friends, hoping one of them would show a slight bit of interest. Her bottle black hair and bottle tan scream more New Jersey than OBX, but she throws on a Lily Politzer dress calls herself a Kook. She's always been low-key intimidated by you and envious even. She wants your title of the Princess of the OBX, but she struggles to get past being an associate. In summary, Crystal thinks acting like a stuck-up brat is how to be a Kook. She's delusional.

"Last night was unreal,” Kelce exhales deeply as he leans back in his chair. 

“You know how Pogues can be,” Topper remarks bitterly, placing his arm across your shoulders. 

"Where were you last night?" Rafe questions your brother from down the table. 

"My dad had me in Charleston on business," Rhett explains with a roll of his eyes. 

Crystal places her hand on Rhett's arm, giving it a supportive squeeze. The sight nearly makes you gag. Never in a million years will you call her your sister-in-law. 

"Lucky you," Kelce chuckles. 

"Yeah you really dodged a bullet," Rafe makes a pun. 

"Nice Rafe," Topper nods his head slowly, giving his friend a disapproving look. 

You toss around bits of lettuce around your salad, not exactly hungry. You wouldn't be here right now if Topper didn't already say you two were coming. It's not that you dislike your friends. You just don't feel like a review of last night and a Pogue roast session. Topper notices your lack of voice and interest in the group. He rubs his thumb over your shoulder, gaining your attention. You offer him a weak smile, your mind elsewhere. 

“At least Maybank has what’s coming to him. Apparently, the police are looking for him," Crystal announces to the table. 

Your fork slips from your hand accidentally, causing everyone to stare at you. “Wait, what?!" You glance between the girl and Topper to see if it's true. Topper doesn't react despite seeing your worried expression. Did Topper already know this? Did he not tell you? 

Rafe frowns at your reaction and his flicker to Topper before he answers. “Yeah, people told their parents what happened and the parents reported the incident to the police," he explains hesitantly. 

"As they should!” Crystal adds with a scoff of disgust, wearing a smug expression. “Who knows what that good-for-nothing white trash would’ve done to us if given the chance!" She justifies from across the table. 

“Oh my God, shut the fuck up, Crystal!” You snap. 

Everyone's jaws drop, astounded that such a vile sentence could come from your lips. 

“Ugh! Excuse me?!” Crystal gasps. 

You lean forward in your chair, turning your body to face the entitled girl. 

“What? Are you deaf all of a sudden?" You wear a mocking grin. "Wouldn’t be surprised with your big loud fucking mouth going constantly!” 

“What’s up your ass Whitfield?!” She fires back, drawing the attention of some other patrons. 

“Your piece of shit attitude!” You bark. 

"Ohh," Kelce drags out. 

"Wow," Rafe struggles to hide his amusement. 

Topper places a warning hand on your shoulder which you shake off. 

“Why are you defending him? He pulled a gun on Topper! On you!” Crystal reminds you in a shout. 

“I know that, Genius! Considering I was on the other side of said gun!” You hiss between your teeth. 

“Then what possible justification is there for what he did?" She huffs. "JJ Maybank is insane! A trash Pogue!” 

You slap your palms against the table, making everything raddle. “No, he’s not!” 

"Y/N!" Your brother warns. "Remember where you are!" 

You don't give a shit about where you are! If this girl continues to run her mouth, you're going to do a lot worse than yell. 

“What? What is it about him, huh?" Crystal presses with a wicked smirk. "A charity thing? Wealthy guilt? Rooting for the underdog?” 

“Crystal!” Rafe barks her name defensively. 

“What?” The girl giggles. "It's true, isn't it? She's got a thing for the bottom feeder!" 

“Back off!” Topper warns her, finally backing you up. He may agree with her, but once she starts making digs at you he doesn't hesitate to put her in her place. 

Then, a lightbulb snaps on in her head. “Oh wait... or is it that you have the hots for him? Have you officially run out of guys on this side of the island? You a Pogue whore now?” She laughs mockingly. 

Having enough of her, you impulsively pick up your full glass of white wine and toss it in her face. She gasps as the liquid covers her, her mouth in the shape of an "O." The boys' jaws hit the table as all they can do is watch you toss your drink at her white tube top. 

"Y/N!" Topper utters your name in shock. This is nothing like you. You never lose your cool. You're always the calm and put together one of your friends. 

"You bitch!" Crystal nearly cries. "This is designer!" 

You groan, tossing your head back. "Oh my God! Get over yourself!" 

“JJ Maybank should be sent to jail with his dad and if he rotted in there I doubt anyone would miss him!” Crystal remarks with a snarky smirk. 

That's it! Without a second thought, you fly up from your chair, causing it to toss backward onto the floor. You leap across the full table, reaching your arms out for the girl. Kelce and Rafe move out the way as Crystal screams. Glasses and silverware fall off the table onto the wood-paneled floor patio floor. Topper moves quickly to wrap his arms around your waist, pulling you back, but not before you get a good slap across her face. 

“Woah, Woah, Woah there!” He pants, struggling to get a good hold on you. 

“Let me go!” You scream, wiggling in his arms. 

“Nope, not letting you get arrested today,” he grunts, stepping backward away from the table. 

“You crazy whore!” Crystal yells, holding her cheek. 

 “You’re calling me a whore? That’s ironic considering your name is Crystal! You were practically named for the corner, bitch!” You fire back, tossing up your middle fingers at her while Topper drags you toward the exit. 

“Damn!” Kelce laughs, covering his mouth to hide it. 

You don't care who's watching. Crystal had this coming a long time ago and she's pushed your patience to its limit the moment she touched JJ. She'll know now to never speak of him. 

“Fuck you, Y/N!” Crystal screams one last time. 

Rhett grabs her arm, quietly begging for her to stop. He's certainly pissed at your impolite actions and will likely run to tell your parents. 

“No thanks! I’m not into insecure, loudmouth, prostitutes!” You snap out one final dig before Topper gets you out the door. 

You never noticed Pope cleaning a table just yards away, you were pretty preoccupied. He watched in awe as you quite literally flew across the table and slapped a girl because she spoke wrongly about JJ. After Pope saw you with Topper, he wasn't sure what to think. He was just as confused by your relationship as JJ. The turn of events he's just witnessed sealed the deal in his mind, you're in love with JJ, whether you know it or not. 

________________________________

After his shift at the Club, Pope immediately went to John B's, knowing that's where his friends would be waiting to go out on the HMS Pogue. 

“You guys! You’ll never believe what happened at work today!” He rushes out as he jogs down the dock. 

“All the Kooks got swallowed up by the ocean?” JJ remarks bitterly in a grumble as he lounges on the front of the boat in his swim trunks

“No!” He pants as he slows to a stop. “Y/N and Crystal got into this huge fight!” 

“What?!” John B gasps. 

“What do you mean? Is she okay?!” Kiara questions as she helps Pope onto the boat. 

“Yeah, yeah, she’s fine, but it was insane!" Pope laughs in amazement. 

“What about?” Sarah inquires, eager to learn more. 

“JJ!" Pope explains with the utmost enthusiasm. "Crystal was talking shit and the next thing I know Y/N throws her drink in her face and jumps at her. She slaps the hell out of her! Topper literally had to carry her out!” 

“Holy shit,” John B mutters, wide-eyed. 

“God I would’ve paid big bucks to see that,” Kiara chuckles. 

“I can’t even envision Y/N doing something like that,” Sarah shakes her head in disbelief. 

“I know, she’s usually so polite, calm, civilized," Kiara lists. 

“You should’ve seen her guys. It was so badass. Lesson learned, don’t piss of Y/N!" Pope settles down on the bench beside Kiara. 

“It was over me?” JJ finally voices quietly. 

Pope hums. “Crystal wouldn’t stop and Y/N told her to “shut the fuck up.” 

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard Y/N swear,” Sarah admits. 

 “That’s because she rarely does,” John B adds. 

“So she’s not pissed at me?” JJ questions, his tone steady and expressionless. 

“Based on how she was going to claw a girl’s eyes out in your defense, I vote no,” Pope determines. 

JJ stands up in a rush, moving to hop down into the boat. “Well, where did she go after that? Did Topper take her home or did she-" 

“She went looking for you,” you call out from the opposite end of the dock. 

Everyone's heads snap in your direction. All of their eyes are wide with surprise. They all smile, honestly glad to see you. JJ, however, just stares blankly with an unreadable reaction. 

“Hi JJ,” you greet timidly, doing your best to smile but you fall short. 

The boy never breaks his eye contact with you as he jumps off the boat. He marches toward you and you're not sure what to expect. You haven't spoken since last night and you wouldn't exactly call that a conversation. "What do you want? Come to gloat?" He sasses. 

“Okay, that’s our cue!” John B announces, starting up the engine. 

“Yep! We'll catch you guys later!” Pope rushes out. 

“Good to see you Y/N!” Sarah adds.

The Pogues desert JJ, leaving you two to work out your problems. JJ doesn't even turn around or react in the slightest as John B hurries the boat away. An ounce of you wonders if it's because he wants to stay, to talk to you. 

Your eyes flicker down to his chest and torso. The bruises you saw last night as a tad more healed, but still, look awful. Now that his body is more exposed, you start to notice more marks and cuts all over his arms, chest, ribcage. The sight makes your heart sink. Without thought, you place your hand on JJ's stomach. "Did Top do this?" You worry. JJ's muscles clench under your touch. The feeling of your fingertips glide across his bare torso makes him go weak in the knees. 

"No, got into a fight with a bobcat. You should see the bobcat," he smirks slightly, making light of the situation. 

Your face falls as your eyes meet his. "Don't joke-" 

"Sorry!" He steps back. "Can't take you seriously when everything you say is a lie," he scoffs. 

Your brows scrunch together in confusion. "What are you even saying right now?!" 

"It was all bullshit!" He snaps. "All of it! Everything you said! You're no different than the rest of them!" He exhales deeply, taking a moment to stare at you. He immediately regrets yelling considering how guilty he felt after what he did last night. Yet, JJ's hurt and he's pent up these emotions for days now. They're driving him nuts. "You lie, cheat, you take what you want when you want it no matter the consequences or who you hurt!" 

"I never lied to you, JJ!" You defend, equally as passionate as him. "Every fucking word was true!" JJ's brows rise slightly at your use of language. It appearing so foreign coming from your mouth. You sigh, "Jesus, JJ you can be so oblivious sometimes!" You turn on your heels, marching back down the dock toward the yard. 

"At least I'm not playing both sides of the fence! I know what I want and where I belong!" JJ fires. 

You whip your head over your shoulder and stomp back toward him. "You freaking psycho!" 

"Psycho! How am I a psycho?" JJ laughs, astonished. 

"You pulled a gun!" You remind him. 

"He was drowning me, Y/N!" JJ screams, getting in your face. You swallow hard. Despite the intensity of your arguing, you can't help but feel a rush of satisfaction having JJ so close again. JJ looks to the side, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. "I'm not gonna be your little plaything while you wait on Topper of all people to fuck you again," he shakes his head, meeting your gaze again. "I won't do it." 

Your lips part, not believing the words coming from him right now. "Fuck you, JJ," you hiss between your teeth before turning again to walk away. JJ stays where he is and watches you stomp away. A part of him wants to beg you to stay, the other tells himself that you deserve everything he's saying. 

You come to a slow stop as your mind races. You're Y/N Whitfield, you don't have to take this shit, especially from JJ Maybank of all people. You spin on your heels and JJ glances up as you do. "For someone so smart you're an idiot!" You clench your jaw. "Topper is my best friend, that's it!" You reason. "Whatever Sarah told you, that was before I met you! He could never be you!" 

JJ simply stares at you blankly. The silence kills you. One minute he won't shut up and the next he stands there like an idiot. 

"The way I feel when I'm with Topper..." you sigh, unsure how to describe it. You're not entirely what to call it. "It's comfortable, sure, but it's not anything glorious. There's no excitement there, just a sense of security from knowing each other for so long." You hesitate to continue, but since you'll probably never speak again, you might as well lay everything out on the table right? "You don't even have to touch me, your glance is enough to make me feel alive. When I went to bed, I thought of you. When I woke up, I thought of you. You're... you're it for me, JJ. I can't imagine there's anything better than when I'm with you. But... I guess we already fucked it up didn't we?" 

There's a pause between shots and you prepare to walk away from JJ forever. Then, something in him sets off and he starts rushing up to you. Startled, you begin to shuffle back. 

"What are you doing?" You question, placing a hesitant hand up. 

"Showing you how much of an idiot I really am," he replies swiftly as he brings his hands up to cup your face. 

He pauses for a second, looking at you with hooded eyes. You lose all capability of breathing, melting into his hands. You glance down at his parted lips, waiting for what's next. JJ smashing his lips to yours hungrily. Without hesitation, you reciprocate the action, combing your fingers through the hair on the back of his neck.

 You meant every word. Being with Topper can be great and there's so much history there. Yet, being with JJ is entirely different. It's new. It's organic. It's what keeps you awake at night in the best way. You imagine exploring every inch of his body and never letting go. 

JJ breaks from you, pressing his lips to your forehead as his eyes fall shut. "I'm so sorry, Baby, for everything!" He whispers against your cheek before planting a kiss there. 

"Me too," you reply. 

He pulls back, meeting your gaze. "I don't think you're a slut." 

You laugh, "I sure hope not!"  

"You're too good for me," he shakes his head as he still wonders if this is all in his imagination. 

"Quite the opposite actually," you debate. 

"No, don't say that." He shakes his head frantically, hating it when you speak badly about yourself. "You're everything to me!" 

You place your hands over his on your cheek and plant a kiss on his palm, making JJ totally simp for you. 

"Do you... would you maybe wanna have a little hot tub night?" The boy asks nervously, still kinda unsure of himself when it comes to you. 

"I'd love that," you smile, wanting to spend every moment with him from this day forever. 

_____________________________

Settling in the hot tub, JJ tugs at the rim of your panties, pulling you to sit across his lap. You drape your arms on his shoulders, resting your forehead against his. 

"Are you warm enough?" He whispers, placing a gentle kiss on your cheek. 

Hum as your eyes falls shut, pondering the closeness. 

"You're so soft and warm. You're like a human Pillow Pet," he comments with a slight snicker. 

"Excuse me?" You lift your head to look at him. 

"Minus the furry part," he elaborates. 

"You're such a goof." You laugh, placing your palm against his head and pushing it away playfully. 

"Only for you, Baby," JJ grins. 

You place a quick peck on his lips before shifting to move off of his lap. 

JJ pouts, letting out a minor whine. "Uh uh, don't leave." 

"I'm just grabbing my drink," you giggle at his childlike expression. As you take a sip from your beer, you can feel JJ watching you. You glance over your shoulder and sure enough, his eyes remain locked on your ass. "You're starring," you smirk. 

"You bet your amazing ass I am," he mumbles, reaching across the water and grabbing your ass, giving it a squeeze. 

"JJ!" You gasp, swatting his hand away. 

He tilts his head back, exposing his sharp jaw as he wraps his arms around your waist, bringing you back to him. "Couldn't help myself! It was practically begging for a squeeze." 

"Right..." You nod, straddling his lap. 

As an act of retaliation, you press your palm to the center of his boxers, making the boy jolt lightly from surprise. 

"Holy shit," he swallows hard. 

"Couldn't help myself, it was practically begging for it," you smirk, repeating his words. 

"You're too good to be true," he whispers, bringing his lips closer to yours. 

"Dido," you grin, leaning in to kiss him. 

_____________________

After pondering the bliss of you and JJ finally being reunited in the hot tub, you two make dinner together in the Chateau's kitchen. You two move in sync as you prepare the oh-so-difficult meal of pizza rolls. You share a place of them while cuddling watching Goonies. During it, JJ comes up with the idea that you two should be Andy and Brand for Halloween. It makes you smile and all warm inside to hear him making plans for two months from now. It makes you fully realize how much JJ sees a future with you. Somewhere before Goonies was over, you fell asleep in JJ's lap while he was playing with your hair. The last few days have worn on you emotionally, mentally, and physically. 

The Pogues came home and when they saw you and JJ on the couch, especially you, they quietly stayed outside. Except, John B lingered, smiling at the sight of his friend doting on you. He's never seen JJ be so gentle and patient in his life. 

“You’re different with her," John B whispers not to wake you. 

JJ glances up from observing you look at his friend with a satisfied smirk. “She makes me want to be better." His fingers comb through your Y/H/C locks, utterly content. 

“I think she’s really good for you,” John B nods in agreement.  

“She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I want to change, to be worthy of being with her," JJ confesses quietly as he returns his focus to you. 

"You two deserve each other," John B assures his friend. 

"You think?" JJ wonders, still unsure of his place in your life. 

John B snickers lightly. "I mean, she did leap across a table in front of all her friends and slap a girl to defend you." 

"Yeah she did, didn't she? Pretty badass," JJ chuckles, still amazed that you did that. 

"She loves you man," John B concludes with a shrug. 

"Really?" JJ narrows his eyes with curiosity at his friend. 

"Well, it's obvious isn't it?" John B laughs breathlessly with a crooked grin. 

"I thought it was all in my head," JJ confesses with a childish fall of his lips like he just learned some overwhelming news. 

"It's not," his friend shakes his head, happy to see his friend finally have some hope. "She looks at you the same way you look at her." 

JJ's brows scrunch together and he looks up at John B. "When you and Sarah said it to each other, how did you know it was the right time?" 

"You'll know. You'll feel it," he describes confidently.  

"What if I feel it now?" JJ asks softly, glancing down at you. 

"Then say it. Say it whenever you can, as often as you can," John B advises before stepping away quietly to give you two time. 

JJ sits with your head cradled in his lap. He's not eager to join his friends around the fire outside. He's content with you here with him, whether you're asleep or not. You're enough for him. You're everything to him. 

JJ leans down, planting a kiss to your temple, then gliding his lips down to your ear. "I love you, Y/N," he whispers while you sleep.  __________________________________________________

Masterlist

Tags: @starkeythinker @bethii1 @thegunnerkelly@cc13723things@hockeybabe87 @jolomez 

[treesnutsandleaveswrites]

Finding Home

Pairing: The Bad Batch x Reader (Polyam)

Summary: Your mission with the Batch is a success and you get time to relax

Warning: mentions of weapons, fluff, light angst

Word Count: 1582

A/N: Just a little relaxing chapter for you all xoxo

pt xiii, pt xv

XXXXXXX

You laid on the ledge, watching over the others through your scope.

“Lodestar, anything?”

“No movement whatsoever.” You responded, looking to your side where Omega was laid next to you with binoculars, “Omega?”

“All clear. Nothing.”

“I’m going in. Echo, cover me.” Hunter affirmed.

You nodded, looking through the scope of your rifle again. You watched as he and Echo made their way through the small valley, moving stealthily between the rocks. You then averted your attention to your surroundings, looking out for some unwanted company. Tech and Wrecker were on the other side of the valley, waiting just above also.

“Um… Lodestar?” Omega caught your attention, “What’s that?”

She handed you the binoculars and helped you look to the direction she was observing beforehand. You then saw the lizard-like creature stalking Hunter and Echo’s trail. You quickly gave the binoculars back before speaking into your communicator.

“Hunter, your 5 o’clock!”

He turned, pulled out his knife, and swiped at the creature. It moved back and hissed at him. You positioned your rifle and prepared to shoot, but then Omega exclaimed.

“Wait! Behind it! Look!”

You furrowed your brows before moving your scope to see a nest full of eggs.

“Hunter! Move away slowly! Put your dagger away!” Omega instructed. He hesitated, but did so, which also caused the creature to retreat.

“There’s an alternate path to your left.” Tech declared, “It’s fairly faster than the one you’re taking now.”

“Better timing next time, Tech.” Echo grumbled.

The lot of you made your way back to the speeder after retrieving what Cid’s client wanted. You helped Omega into the speeder before looking at Wrecker as he readied his bike. You smirked and signalled Hunter to drive the speeder while you made your way to the other speeder bike.

“Race you back, Wreck.”

He laughed, “Oh-ho, ad’ika! You’re on!”

You boarded the bike and nodded to him while starting it up.

“Do us the honors, Omega?” You insisted, which caused her to grin.

“Ready… set… GO!” She cried and you took off with Wrecker, who was whooping.

The both of you egged each other on, but then the speeder caught up and found its place between you two. You looked briefly to see the small smirk on Hunter’s face as he maneuvered the speeder. You laughed and revved the bike, overlapping both the speeder and Wrecker.

“Oh no you don’t, ad’ika!” Wrecker shouted, urging the bike.

You and him were at the same pace, but before you could reach the house, Hunter managed to outrun the both of you. You slowed your bike to a stop before hopping off it and laughing while Wrecker grumbled. Omega cheered as she got out of the speeder while Echo laughed at Tech, who’s hair was unkempt and goggled were dusty. Hunter patted Wreckers shoulder to comfort him. D-5 rolled out of the house, circling you.

“He-Hello! Home, home, home!”

You urged him back towards the house, “Kapu might be back in town. The sun’s not up yet, so we can go see him in an hour or so. Come on.”

Omega rushed into the house with D-5 while you all followed behind her. You and the Batch relieved yourselves of your armor, then you went into the kitchen to make a meal for everyone. Omega played with D-5 on the floor while Hunter was discussing some things with Echo, Tech was messing with one of his devices, and Wrecker was knocked out in one of the chairs. This was a sight you missed, it had something new in it, but was still missing a little bit of something else. You managed a small smile while going back to cooking. You then placed a large bowl down with the food along with some plates.

“Dig in.” You announced.

They didn’t deny the food being offered and started eating. It has been a long time since they’ve had a real cooked meal other than rations and Mantell Mix, so they cherished every bite taken. You stood, watching and admiring them. You were finally relishing that they were really here with you and it wasn’t some fantasy you would often have after the incident on Coruscant. Omega was a great addition to the Batch, but it didn’t fully fill the hole where Crosshair was supposed to be. If he were here, you knew the two of you would be yelling over each other, but then ended up in one another’s arms as if you hadn’t left. You felt a small bump and looked down to see D-5.

“Sad. Star sad.”

You shook your head and crouched down, “You keep bumping into people like that, your balance module will come out of place again.” You pushed him back towards Omega before making your way to the bed where Hunter was sitting, having finished eating. Echo had moved to the sofa where Tech was, talking to him about his arm or something like that. Omega was leaning against the chair Wrecker was sitting on, eyes getting droopy. You laughed gently before going over to her and picking her up.

“C’mon.”

“Not tired.” She murmured as you placed her on the bed behind Hunter, moving the covers so she could get under them.

“Wrecker used to say the same thing.” You whispered while tucking her in.

You turned back to the others while taking your seat again.

“You should rest too.” Echo insisted, “You haven’t since your last mission.”

You shook your head, looking down to your hands, “I… don’t sleep that often anymore. I’ll be alright.”

D-5 rolled in front of you, “Bad-bad dreams.”

You sighed, “Mind your business before I shut you down.” You kicked him gently.

“You sure it wasn’t you who made his balance module wonky?” Tech smirked.

You rolled your eyes, “Wow… when did you find your sense of humor?”

He tossed a pillow from the couch towards you, which you caught.

“Hey,” You whispered, “Omega’s sleeping!”

They all managed to chuckle, nearly all the tension off their shoulders.

“It’s been a while since you’ve all relaxed, huh?’

Echo nodded with a sigh, “We’ve had to deal with a lot… bounty hunters, jobs, even Crosshair…”

“This… is different than just staying on Ord Mantell and waiting for Cid to send us off on a job.” Tech admitted, “It feels almost… like before.”

You nodded, “Yeah… I was thinking the same thing.” You smiled gently, “I really missed this.”

“We missed you, mesh’la.” Hunter murmured, bringing you closer to him and placing a kiss on your head, “So much…”

You looked at them as they all nodded, which caused tears to come to your eyes. Hunter placed a hand on your face and shushed you.

“It’s alright, cyare, we understand.”

Wrecker spoke up, “Are you… are gonna come back with us? To Ord Mantell?”

You took a moment to look at him before shrugging, “I don't have much here. This place was just… refuge. It was never home.”

“Kamino was home-”

“No,” You muttered, “Kamino wasn’t home. Not to me. Kamino was an escape from my past… Home was with you. All of you. That was home.”

“Are you ready to come home then, cyar’ika?”

You looked at them all before nodding, “Yes. Yes, I am…”

*******

You stood in the shop while Kapu talked to Cid through the holo device.

“Yeah, your boys got it. They’ll be back soon.”

“Good. Nice doing business with ya, Kapu.”

“Does that mean I get that date?”

Cid scoffed before hanging up, which caused Kapu to laugh.

“She loves me.”

You rolled your eyes with a smile before heading to him.

“Gonna miss me, Kapu?”

“I’ve been tryna get rid of you, girl!”

You laughed and set down a bag of credits, “Here.”

“What for?”

“Letting me stay here?”

He picked up the pouch and poured it out into his hand, then used another had to take half the pile before putting the rest of the credits back into the pouch and tossing it back to you.

“I ain’t no charity. And take D-5 with you so I don’t need to worry about smashing him with no door again.”

You nodded before walking out with the Batch. You hiked up your bag on your shoulder and looked down at Omega as she was holding D-5.

“Gonky will have a new friend!”

“Gonky still works?” You asked incredulously while Tech nodded.

“Surprisingly, yes.”

After a bit of walking, you all arrived at the ship and you stood there for a moment, taking in the sight of it.

“Wow… still looks the same.”

“Wrecker wanted to put Senator Amidala up there above the hatch.”

“I thought that was just a joke!” You exclaimed.

“He thought it’d cheer us up after Coruscant.”

You shook your head with a smile while boarding the ship.

“I’m glad you didn’t or else I would’ve turned back around.”

Omega rushed in with D-5, climbing up into the gunner’s mount. You furrowed your brows slightly.

“It’s her own little space…”

You nodded, “That’s good. It’s hard dealing with you guys all the time.”

“She’s used to it by now.” Echo laughed before making his way into the cockpit.

You placed your bag down and walked into the cockpit also, relishing the feel of it again. Omega rushed in and sat in the seat that used to be yours. You smiled and took the seat that was once Crosshair’s.

“Alright, setting route for Ord Mantell.” Tech announced as everyone settled in.

XXXXXXX

Taglist: @darkangel4121 @lightning-wolffe @alucas528 @rintheemolion @shadowfoxey @butch-medusae @gabile18

[chezzywezzy]

Yandere Chic (1/5)

Word count ; 3.9k

*Edited.

*Clarification : at the start of the story, reader is 18, Chic is 22, and Sweet Pea would probably be 17 if he’s a junior.

When I first moved to Riverdale with my dad, I never would’ve expected to be caught upon the lives of the Cooper family. My father and I had just returned from living abroad, as I was admitted to the Riverdale University, a private college, that offered me a good scholarship for being a diversified and talented student. Even with my daddy issues and overall familial family problems, I was able to work hard and become a pristine student worthy of a college discount. Of course, even if I wasn’t particularly fond of him, I used my dad’s house - he had moved to the northern suburbs - to save money, and per chance, Betty lived across the street.

I hadn’t made any friends in college except with my teachers, coworkers, and fellow community service volunteers; I was quite the introvert. However, Betty and I hit it off immediately. It was convenient to hang out with her, so almost every weekend I slept over, and several times a week I was invited over for study sessions, movie nights, or dinners. Even Alice was fond of me, because apparently, there was a - small, but noticeable - growth in Betty’s grades.

And, of course, Betty was glad to have a friend that wasn’t involved with the various Riverdale scandals. To have a friend who gave her a sense of normality, since even her family had constant issues. Sometimes when she told me about her accomplishments and secrets, it made me feel like this whole town was just the stage for a soap opera.

The latest mystery was Betty finding out about her brother’s where-abouts. And this time, Betty was stressed enough that I became involved for the first time. Betty told me that her mother wanted to visit Charles with her, and from the unease on her face, I offered to join her. Betty was quite gracious, so there we were, stepping out of the Cooper car in front of a shady hostel.

We walked through the entrance, Betty holding my arm nervously. At the front desk, a woman droned,” Forty dollars a night for a single bed, twenty for a bunk.”

Betty gulped. “Oh, we’re actually looking for someone. His name’s Charles Smith. Do you know him?”

“Two-thirty-seven.”’

We roamed the hostel. I was calm, since someone had to be. Alice looked like she was about to cry at any moment and Betty was clearly on edge. The distant car alarms and muffled yelling didn’t help comfort them.

Alice sighed to herself.

“Hey, it’s okay, Alice,” I sympathetically spoke.

We paused in front of the door and Betty knocked. “Come in,” a masculine voice called.

Alice rushed into the room, hysteric. “Charles? Charles. My name’s Alice Cooper. This is my daughter, Betty. We’re —“

“I know who you are.” Charles stood across the room, a cold frown spreading across his face. He had light blue eyes, dirty blonde hair, and was a little taller than me. His arms were crossed and his demeanor screamed ‘get the hell out.’ “The sisters gave me your address when I turned eighteen. When they kicked me out. I even went by your house. A nice place to grow up.”

Alice gasped. I made sure to stand in the back and leaned against the wall. “You didn’t want to come in? Meet us?”

Charles shrugged. “You probably didn’t want somebody like me around.”

“That’s not true,” I intervened, since both women were dealing with an emotional rollercoaster.

Charles quirked a brow. “Who are you?”

“Well, um, I’m Betty’s friend and neighbor, Y/n —“

“Okay. And you’re my sister,” he directed his attention to Betty, and his expression turned sour. “You’re lucky she wanted to keep you.”

“Charles, I —“ Alice cried.

“It’s Chic. But how would you know that? Anyways, forget it. Get out. I have a client on the way.”

“What work do you do?” Betty inquired.

Chic scoffed. “For real? Fantasy fulfillment. Now go.”

Betty sighed. “Come on, Mom,” she caved.

When we returned to the car, Alice broke into loud sobs. Betty cried silently, and wrapped her arms around her mother, and I quietly hugged her from the backseat. Betty thanked me for coming with them at some point, but I didn’t need to be thanked. I just wanted to help the grieving family.

~~~

I knew it wasn’t any of my business, but I felt the need to get involved. Sure, Alice was crying her heart out, but Chic had a reason to hold a grudge against. her. But Betty? She didn’t deserve to be shunned. I was only a third party, but I hoped that by talking to Chic one-on-one, I could convince him to get to know Betty.

I hopped off my bike and secured the lock, dropping it out front. I had enough faith in humanity that grubby criminals wouldn’t be interested in a flimsy bike. I went past the desk attendant, who didn’t acknowledge me, and strode straight to room two-thirty-seven.

I was shocked, though, to find Chic outside his apartment pushed against the wall, a knife lodged in his shoulder.

“Hey, let go of him!” I shouted, pouncing at the terrifying giant.

I caught him off guard, which was quite lucky on my part, and knocked him over. I took the knife out of Chic’s shoulder and grabbed his hand. “Come on!”

The man was stumbling to his feet, and we took our chance to run. We ran out the front door of the hostel. My bike was still there, so I grabbed it. “Let’s keep running and when we’re far enough away, I’ll call an Uber. Sound good?”

He was as out of breath as I was and nodded. We both kept going a few blocks away until we were walking along a dirt road on the outskirt of town. “How’s your shoulder?” I asked while we waited for the Uber.

“I was stabbed, what do you think?” he sassed.

I huffed a bit and took off my hoodie. “Here, just use this to cover up. I am poor so we’re going to the Coopers’, not a hospital.”

He rolled his eyes. “Oh joy.”

I sent him off in the Uber before trailing behind on bike. The speedometer showed that I was going up to speeds of fifteen miles an hour, and home was about twenty away. So, I was certain that by the time I would arrive, Alice would have either dragged him to a hospital or tended to his wounds personally.

And I was correct. I was out of breath from biking the whole way nonstop, and my legs almost collapsed when I stepped off. I made sure to pay the Uber driver, apologizing for the late pay, and invited myself in.

There was a late dinner going on, and I was still panting. I certainly didn’t look presentable, but I was welcomed in with open arms.

“Y/n, my goodness! Thank you for helping him,” Alice exclaimed, inviting me to sit.

Hal didn’t seem happy. But Betty, well… it was safe to say going back was worth it. I grabbed a plate and collapsed into the cushioned seat, scooping some food.

“Why did you go back?” Betty asked.

“Yes, please enlighten me, Y/n,” Hal grumbled.

I bit my lip a bit. “I mean, I can understand if you held a grudge against your mom, Chic, but I just wanted to try talking you into getting to know Betty. Ever since she found out about you, she’s wanted to be your sister, so I hope you’ll give her a chance at the very least.”

Chic narrowed his eyes slightly, but it was Hal that reacted strongly. He slammed his fists into the table and rose to his feet. “That’s it! We’ve let a complete stranger into this household! Y/n, I appreciate you caring, but it’s none of your business. Betty, the only reason you’re acting out is because of Polly! And Alice, it’s way too late to make it up to him. We have no idea who this guy - Chic - really is! He has a shady job in a shady neighborhood. Alice, it’s either he goes or I do.”

“You can’t be serious, Hal, he’s just staying for the night. And - and he’s only forced to be in those conditions because of me. Because I’m the one who gave him up for adoption!” she cried back.

I shrunk into my seat, eating as quietly as possible. Betty and I shared a knowing look. Man, she may have had a very attentive family, but it was incredibly dysfunctional. It goes into ‘yikes’ territory constantly.

Hal sighed. “Fine. I’m going. Call me when this stranger is out of the house.”

Safe to say, after Hal left, the rest of the dinner was spent in an awkward silence. Betty and I were quick to go up to her room and watch The Good Doctor - a show we both agreed was sappy, dramatic, and not our taste, but made our show anyway - to try and distract ourselves from the tense atmosphere lingering in the home.

It was relaxing, to say the least. So relaxing, that we both fell asleep.

However, Betty clearly was getting better sleep than me. I woke up a few hours later, a bit groggy. I rubbed my eyes, readjusting to the lamp light that cascaded the bedroom. I was careful not to move too much, as Betty’s head was deeply buried in my shoulder and she was snoring quietly. I was about to try and drift back to sleep, but I noticed that Betty’s laptop was sitting on the edge of the bed, at risk of being kicked off my Betty’s leg.

I gently moved her off me and grabbed the laptop. I set it on the bedside table and decided that I’d move myself down to the couch like I usually did when I stayed over. I tenderly tucked my friend in and turned off the lamp. I did my nighttime routine in the bathroom. The entire house was shrouded in darkness. Ironically, when everyone was asleep, it was one of the few times it was peaceful.

I checked my phone one last time to set my alarm before exiting the bathroom. I almost screamed though, because right in front of the door was Chic. I placed a hand on my chest and panted. “Holy shit, Chic, you scared the hell out of me! You okay?”

He stared coldly at me. “Why did you really go back? You want my services, didn’t you?” He stepped towards me, which caused me to take a step back into the bathroom.

I held my hands up in defense. “N-no! What are you talking about? Listen,” I placed my shaky hands on his shoulders,” everything I said at dinner was true. Betty has a hard enough life as it is. And you clearly do, too! You two are siblings, family, that were separated under terrible circumstances, and if you just got to know her, life might be easier. I mean, maybe I’m not making any sense, but… it sucks not to have a support system, ya know?”

He narrowed his eyes and he removed my hands. “…You’re kidding. You really think that I want to meet the sister that my parents wanted to keep?”

I gulped. “I know. But it’s Alice’s fault. Betty was so, so excited to find out about you, to meet you, to have you as a part of her life. I respect your decision no matter what, though. I mean, I’d have a hard time not hating them if I were in your shoes.”

His nostrils flared but he seemed to accept my defense. “Thanks, I guess.”

I sent him a smile before motioning over his shoulder. “I’m going to sleep now, so can I get past?” I requested.

Chic silently moved away, shoving his hands into his pockets as I walked to the stairs.

“Good night. See you in the morning.”

“Yeah. Good night,” Chic replied.

~~~

That morning, I woke up to Alice slaving away in the kitchen. My alarm hadn’t even gone off yet, and I felt bad that Alice was working so hard in the morning to please her family, so I got ready for the day and joined her in the kitchen. I was always envious that Betty got to eat a gourmet breakfast everyday, while I ate a piece of plain-ass bread if I had the time. Alice was appreciative of my help, and when my alarm for seven finally rang, Betty and Chic had funneled down the stairs.

So, there we were, sitting at the breakfast table. But Betty quickly started a conversation fueled by curiosity. “Why were you all bloody when you came? What happened?”

“Betty,” Alice gasped.

“The person who attacked me, his name was Marcel. He runs the hostel. Sometimes he books clients for us. The night you showed up, Y/n, I wasn’t in the mood to work. He was trying to convince me otherwise.”

“So what kind of clients?”

“All kinds. Ranging from nice to, hell, even nastier than Marcel. I, uh, can go into specifics, if you’d like.”

“That won’t be necessary, Chic. You’re safe here,” Alice soothed.

“Um, Chic,” I started, getting his attention,” if you want a safer job, you can come to campus with me. I do a work-study job at the library, but they probably have stuff open at the cafeteria or office…?”

His gaze softened a bit. “Uh, I need to get back to my room before I get into even more trouble. Thanks, though…”

Alice was in such a nice mood she offered to drive my to college after, and told me to call when I was done for the day. Quite kind of her. However, it was clearly an inconvenience, since Alice had to go back to whatever she was doing after she dropped me at the house.

I checked the time. It was four, but by the emptiness of the house, Betty was clearly off adventuring with her friends. Maybe it would’ve been better to just head home —

Chic burst through the front doors, clearly fuming. He shoved right past me, but I grabbed his arm. “Chic, what’s wrong?”

“Because of yo — no, because of this family’s intrusiveness, all my stuff’s been thrown out! How the hell am I supposed to work with a broken laptop? Huh?”

I gulped, but didn’t let go of his arm. “I’m sorry.”

“You were just being nice. Betty and Alice were just being nosy.”

“Well - listen, I can’t buy you a new laptop or anything, but I can buy you a milkshake at Pop’s Diner. Maybe some good food can help calm you down,” I suggested anxiously.

He paused momentarily, scanning my face suspiciously. “…Fine. Are you asking me on a date?”

I waved my hands defensively, taking a step back. “N - no! I just wanted to treat you. I’m not the type to be interested in someone I just met, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

So, no more than an hour later, there we were, sitting in a booth at the said diner. I had ordered a side salad and vanilla milkshake and Chic got a burger with fries. Now, we were just waiting for our meals.

“You and Betty come here often, huh?” Chic mused.

“Yeah. If I had unlimited money and metabolism, I’d come here everyday. However, I’m just a poor college student. Have you eaten here before?”

“No. I don’t come to this side of town.”

I frowned slightly. “A shame. If you’re sticking around, I’ll make sure to treat you more often. The food here is phenomenal.”

He leaned forward on the table. “If you’re so poor, how the hell are you living in the suburbs?”

I felt my cheeks redden a bit from embarrassment. “My dad got a job as a teacher at Riverdale High. He’s renting the house and stuff. And I just live with him. The university gave me a generous scholarship so it helps with saving money, plus I do part-time. So, I’m not dirt poor, but it’s because I’m really frugal with my money.”

He nodded. “Your father must love you a lot.”

“Maybe. He ended up in Riverdale by chance. It wasn’t originally to help me out with college. Things were just getting dicey overseas,” I shrugged. “So, favorite color?”

“Blue.”

“Favorite animal?”

“Lions.”

“Hm… Favorite movie?”

“What is this, an interview?” he snickered, leaning on the table further.

“W- well, uh, I mean, I don’t know,” I stuttered bashfully.

“Just teasing. I’ve seen the Matrix, like, twenty times, so probably that. You?”

“Definitely F/m. It’s my comfort movie.”

“I’ve heard of it, but haven’t seen it. Let’s watch it sometime,” he offered.

I grinned excitedly. “Hell yeah! You should join me and Betty when we watch stuff. On thursday, we watch the new episode of The Good Doctor, but weekends we usually browse Netflix and stuff.”

His smile faded slightly. “Maybe. Betty and I haven’t… officially talked at all, though, so I’ll pass for now.”

The waitress kindly dropped off our meals. We continued to get to know each other during the meal, and at around six, we headed back home to the Cooper household. While walking up to the front door, Chic inquired,” Are you staying the night again?”

“I don’t know. At the very least, I need to clean up a bit and change… I mean, should I? You guys probably want some family bonding time.”

He pursed his lips and we both paused at the front door. “My… sister isn’t used to me. And Alice has been doting on me ever since I’ve arrived, so…”

I sent him a grin. “Cool. I’ll be back in half an hour-ish.” I patted his back reassuringly before heading home for some business.

I did the usual : hopped in the shower, changed my clothes, overall took care of my health. However, I had poor timing, as when I skipped down the stairs, the front door opened.

I didn’t even have any time to register the scene in front of me. My father stumbled through the front door all while making out with an elegant woman with bright red hair. I was absolutely stunned. My phone slipping from my grasp, even if a part of me should’ve been expecting it. After all, I should’ve known better than to expect a new location would be enough to change my father’s perish and neglectful ways.

The pair paused when they heard my phone clatter agains the wooden floor. My father looked momentarily guilty, but pretended that he hadn’t just invited an escort into our house. “Uh… Hey, kiddo. Going out with friends?”

“As if you care. Get a fucking room, pervert,” I fumed, snatching my phone and trying to shove past him.

He gripped my shoulders, cheeks red from humiliation. “Hey, that’s no way to talk to your father —“

“I’ll start talking to you like one when you start being one.” I pushed him away and glared at the woman before storming out.

I tried my best to cheer up for the sake of appearances. Alice was in the kitchen, but I was tired, so I just made my way to Betty’s room. She was inside her room, eyes glued to her laptop screen. I came up from behind and wrapping my arms around her.

“Whatcha doin’?” I asked.

“Researching. I knew something was off with Chic! Kevin told me he’d seen my brother from somewhere before, and he was right. Chic is a web-cammer. I mean - see, look, I found four profiles on different websites for him,” Betty ranted.

I blinked. “Okay. I mean, I figured it was obvious that he did something in the category, with the clientele stuff and all that.”

“Yeah, but he didn’t tell us, and that’s what’s important. He’s hiding things —“

“Betty, he was just doing what he had to do. He didn’t have family, he didn’t have money, he didn’t have connections, and he didn’t have any educational opportunities,” I gently argued. “So what if he’s some pornstar? It was what made him money and I guess he’s probably good at it.”

Betty bit her lip and shut her laptop. “Yeah… You’re right.”

“By the way… Chic got kicked out of the hostel, and all his stuff is either gone or destroyed. And since you know what he does for work, you know how much he needs a computer… I mean, I know they’re expensive, but —“

“Actually, I have Polly’s old laptop,” Betty recalled.

I gave a thumbs up while Betty went through her dresser. She pulled it out and sighed. “I guess this can count as an apology for approaching him about his job earlier…”

I followed her out aimlessly, leaning against the hall wall. I noticed that I had several missed calls from my dad - surprising. I’m assuming that the escort he hired had enough empathy to remind him that there was more to life than pussy. It was pathetic of me to still feel hurt from his nonexistent fathering, but here I was, letting it ruin my mood.

Betty brushed past me, knocking me out of my stupor. Chic opened the bedroom door, and his gaze immediately landed on me. “Why’d you buy me a laptop?”

He clearly didn’t notice Betty, and he jumped a bit when she answered. “I didn’t. It’s just an old computer I had from the Register. It’s the least I could do.”

“Why are letting me stay here?”

“You’re my brother,” she stuttered,” and my mom was depressed —“

“No. Sorry, everything is a transaction,” he interrupted. “No one, even you, is that nice. So, why do you care, Betty? And careful. I’ll know if you’re lying.”

I gulped when Betty gripped my upper arm anxiously. “To… figure out why I am the way I am,” she reluctantly admitted. I sent her a sympathetic glance. I felt incredibly out of place here. “There’s this darkness in me that I don’t understand. That scares me. And I thought that maybe, if you had it, too, which I think you do, you’d be able to help me make sense of it. And Y/n was right, that web-camming is probably a hard job, so if you ever wanna talk about that, or compare scars —“

“No thanks, I’ll pass,” he stated coldly with a scowl. He glanced over at me. “Hey, Y/n, can I have your phone?”

Betty furrowed her brows, confused, and stared at me accusingly. I went over to Chic, feeling Betty’s eyes boring into my back. “U - uh, yeah, Chic.” However, instead of Chic taking my phone, he took my wrist and pulled me into his room with his free hand, closing the door behind him.

I was feeling a bit awkward, as to be expected when getting in between a sibling rivalry. If one could even call it that. That was when he decided to take my phone and put his number in. Once done, he handed it back.

“Why’re you looking at me like that?” he asked accusingly.

“I just… thought you were going to give Betty a chance.”

“You heard her. She has a reason for wanting me around. Plus, let’s be real here. The only reason I have a laptop is because you mentioned it.”

I sighed. “Chic, I know you’ve developed a certain philosophy about humans and life in general, but Betty’s trying. She just met you, like, two days ago! And you did show up under dramatic circumstances. Give her a chance. Please?”

“…Yeah. Wanna watch a movie?”

“I’ll be back in a minute. Just let me do my homework. It should only take an hour, if you don’t mind waiting.”

“Cool.”

[cocobeanncteez]

ATEEZ Hongjoong: Tame (Part 2)

Genre: Fluff, angst, smut, mafia au.

Pairing: Mafia!Hongjoong x OC (written in 2nd person)

Word Count: 17k in total, 4.8k in this part. (Part 1, Part 3, Final Part)

Warnings for all parts combined: Mafia themes such as torture, abuse, violence, human auctions, murder, drugs, guns. Mentions of rape, human trafficking, sex slavery, organ trafficking, unprotected sex (pulling out), facesitting.

Other than Ateez, all other names are fictional.

You woke up in a room that was similar to the one you were in at the human auction. You shivered in fear. Was your cousin really going to sell you now?

You broke down in tears. You didn't expect things to turn out this way at all. You wished you knew where your father was so that you could report your uncle and his son easily.

The door of the room you were in opened and a man walked in. "Ah! You're awake!"

"Where am I?" you asked Bojoon, glaring at him with disgust.

"At an auction, sweetheart." Your heart dropped. "Let's hope someone buys you for a very high price." You felt your stomach churn with anxiety. Who was going to help you now? You wished you hadn’t gone to the club.

"But before that..." he stepped forward to caress your cheek with the back of his hand. "I'm going to make you scream."

He moved his hand slowly from your cheek, down to your chest. "Stop," you whispered, earning a hard slap from him. He pushed you against the wall, forcing his knee in between your legs. Your cheek stung badly and you were sure his hand would’ve left a mark.

He snarled, harshly pulling on your hair. "Don't you dare open your mouth, you fucking bitch!"

He ripped the top part of your dress in half, exposing your upper body that was now only covered by your bra. You brought your hands up to cover yourself, but he pushed them away. Reaching into his pocket, he took out a pocket knife, making a large cut on your arm. You whimpered in pain, eyes filling with tears. He smirked at the cut that had began to bleed.

"Blood, my favorite! Ah, this makes it more exciting, doesn't it?" you didn’t reply, trying to control the urge to break down.

He moved his hands to your thighs. "Let's have some fun now, shall we?"

Bojoon was just about to touch your core, but someone snuck up behind him, piercing his neck with a syringe.

You slid down the wall, eyes scrunched closed and ears covered while Bojoon screamed in pain. In a few seconds, the screaming stopped and you heard him fall to the floor with a thud. You slowly peaked, finding Bojoon unconscious on the floor. Was he dead?

You glanced up at the two figures who were present in the room, both dressed in all black; one of them was smaller than the other. Both of them were wearing a black mask and hat. The bigger one approached you, kneeling down. He took his leather jacket off, wrapping it around your body.

"Wear it. It's cold," he said softly, helping you slide your arms into the sleeves. He zipped the jacket up to the top before helping you stand up. The jacket came right below your knee.

"Let's get out of here fast, Yunho," the smaller one said and you recognized him. You were surprised you couldn’t recognize Yunho by his voice.

"San…?"

"Yes, it's me, Kiah," San replied and you sighed in relief before breaking down in tears again.

San approached you and slowly pulled you into his arms. "Shh, you're safe now. We won't let anyone hurt you, alright?" You didn’t say anything while you cried onto his chest, tears soaking his shirt.

"Kiah, we have to get out of here before his men come here," Yunho remarked. "Can I carry you?" You nodded and Yunho took you from San's arms, lifting you bridal-style.

"Yeosang, is the area clear?" San questioned through his earpiece.

"Yes, but there's someone at the exit," Yeosang informed.

"Got it," San said before turning to Yunho. "Alright, let's go. Kiah, just close your eyes, okay?" You nodded, obeying him.

You could feel Yunho running fast with you in his arms. You heard a gunshot, making you let out a scream, scrunching your eyes tightly.

"Don't worry. I’ve got you," Yunho whispered to you.

After a few more seconds, you felt Yunho place you on a car seat. You opened your eyes, watching Yunho close the car door and run to the driver's seat. San quickly slides into shotgun before shooting someone who came out of the building.

Yunho immediately started to drive and San shifted to the backseat, sitting beside you. He took off his mask and hat, ruffling his hair with his hand.

"Are you okay?" San asked worriedly.

"Y-Yeah," your voice broke and you began to cry. San pulled you into his arms, letting you cry on him again. There was a lot of blood dripping down your arm from the cut Bojoon gave you.

"Yunho, how far are we from home?" San questioned. "Kiah's bleeding and we don't have a first aid kit in this car."

"We're about two kilometers away," Yunho answered, speeding up.

In about three minutes, you reached Ateez's mansion. This time, San carried you inside, walking at a fast pace.

"Yeosang! Seonghwa!" he yelled before setting you down on the couch in a room that looked like a medical laboratory. There was another room attached to it and you could obviously tell that it was an operating room. You weren’t surprised as you knew Ateez had enough money to have their own mini hospital at home.

The two men cautiously approached you, not wanting to accidentally trigger you in any way after they were filled in about what happened.

"I'm fine," you told them.

Seonghwa sat beside you, slowly touching your arm. "Can I?" he asked and you nodded. He pushed the sleeve of Yunho's black leather jacket up, revealing the bleeding cut. “Could you take the jacket off so that I can treat you?” you did as he said.

He cleaned the cut with cotton dipped in lukewarm water and you flinched at the sting. Looking down at the cut, you noticed how it was wider on one side.

"You will need stitches," Seonghwa stated. You glanced at the cut; he was right, of course.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Yeosang asked.

You shook your head. "No... Only my head hurts." Seonghwa started to gather whatever he needed to stitch up your wound.

Yeosang nodded. "I'll give you a painkiller for your head." He said, moving to the cabinet.

"Okay," you replied before turning to look at San and Yunho. “Thank you…”

"You don't have to thank us, Kiah," Yunho said with a smile. "We're just glad you're safe."

After Seonghwa stitched and bandaged your wound, he asked you a few questions about how you were feeling while Yeosang made you take a painkiller.

A loud bang was heard and Hongjoong stormed into the room.

"Do you even realize what you've fucking done?!" Hongjoong yelled at you in a stern tone. He looked extremely angry; it actually really scared you.

"I'm sorry," you whispered, lowering your head in shame.

He scoffed. "You should be fucking sorry! And you two," he turned to face San and Yunho who looked just as scared as you. "How dare you both start your own little mission without asking me, hmm?! We made a deal with Moon Younghyun long ago that we will not interfere in their personal matters and they won't interfere in ours! Do you even realize who you killed?! You killed his fucking son!" You flinched at the way he was yelling. "You've put yourselves and our entire gang in unnecessary danger!"

"We didn't kill him," San mumbled, not making eye contact with Hongjoong. "We only made him unconscious."

"And you went through all that fucking bullshit for what?" Hongjoong pointed a finger at you. "To get this damn chick out?! She doesn't even want to be here!" You felt really bad that the boys were getting scolded because of you.

"She was going to get sold again, hyung," Yunho mumbled while looking at the floor.

Hongjoong chuckled bitterly. "So what? Like I said before, she doesn't want to be here. She escaped from us, right? Why the fuck are you so bothered about her?! Whether she gets sold or not, it's not our fucking problem!" Your eyes teared up; you felt so guilty for escaping.

"That's enough, Hongjoong," Seonghwa stated sternly.

"Don't take their side when you know that they're wrong, Seonghwa," Hongjoong retorted.

"Do you even know what Moon Younghyun's son was going to do to Kiah?"

"No, and I seriously don't care about what he was going—"

"He was going to rape her, Hongjoong. He already assaulted her," Seonghwa explained, cutting Hongjoong off. "Fortunately, San and Yunho got there in time."

There was pin-drop silence in the room.

Hongjoong opened his mouth a couple of times to say something, but nothing came out. He looked like he was in deep thought.

"I… I'm sorry," he whispered, not looking at you, before leaving the room. You wondered what suddenly came over him.

"Is he okay?" you questioned.

"Don't worry about it," Seonghwa said with a small smile. He exchanged a glance with Yeosang who nods and leaves the room as well. You were pretty confused by their glance-communication, but you didn't say anything.

"I'm really sorry,” you apologized to San and Yunho. "You both got scolded because of me."

San frowned. "Don't apologize, Kiah. We've been scolded many times before."

"Yeah," Yunho agreed with San. "Hyung is just angry because we didn't tell him about it and he’s scared to lose us. If we had informed him, he would be the first person to rescue you."

You only nod, accepting whatever they said. "By the way… how did you both find me?" You couldn’t help but ask.

"Well, Yunho and I were searching for you everywhere after you left," San explained. "We figured you'd go to a club or some bar, so we checked everywhere. Yunho saw you passing out and by the time he ran to our own car to go after you, your cousin's car was no where in sight. Yeosang had to hack into a lot of cameras in close-by areas to find out where exactly you were taken to." You nodded, listening to whatever he was saying.

"Kiah?" Yunho started in a hesitant tone. "Do you… really not want to live with us?"

You let out a sigh as you pondered about what he said. "I don't want to, honestly. There's nothing wrong with you guys, but the whole mafia lifestyle… I just didn't expect that. I really just want to become a nurse and live a normal life."

"Kiah, I'd like to mention something," Seonghwa said in a soft tone. "Your uncle has been in the mafia business since before you were even born." Your eyes widened at his words as you didn't know that; you thought your uncle was just a corrupted politician. "You were basically born into that life even if your parents aren't into it. And since you lived under his roof, you were actually constantly at risk." You only keep quiet, letting his words sink in.

"Stay with us for a week," San suggested. "If you still want to leave after that… we'll let you go."

~

The next morning, Yunho and Mingi gave you a tour around the mansion while they told you random stories of the missions they've gone on. You found yourself enjoying their company. You were quite surprised at the amount of money mafias make; you were so sure that Ateez were billionaires.

The three of you sat on the benches at the mansion's garden, getting a little sun.

"When did you both join the mafia?" you curiously asked the two giants who were literally a foot taller than you. They had such bright and bubbly personalities that you couldn't even believe they were in a mafia gang, let alone one of the most powerful gangs out there. 

"Yunho and I have been close friends ever since we were thirteen, and we joined Ateez together," Mingi said. "After my parents were murdered when I was seventeen, Yunho's parents took me in. But since I witnessed my parents' murder and saw the murderers' faces, they came after Yunho's family and killed his parents while searching for me because I had escaped before they could kill me as well."

"But we got our sweet revenge after we joined Ateez," Yunho added with a smirk. "Hongjoong came up to us during my parents' funeral and promised to kill the murderers if we joined his gang. He kept his word and the murderers were, in fact, another mafia gang."

"Do you ever regret joining the gang?" you questioned, curious because they joined only to take revenge.

"Nope."

"Never."

"Ateez is our family now," Yunho stated with a smile. "Hongjoong created this family and we're all genuinely happy even if this isn't a normal lifestyle. We're almost always at some risk, but we got each other's backs." Mingi nodded his head in agreement.

"Wow," was all you could say. The boys only laughed at that.

"It's a little overwhelming, I know," Mingi chuckled.

"Let's go back inside," Yunho suggested.  "It's cold out here, you know?" You and Mingi nodded before making your way inside the mansion.

As soon as you entered the mansion, you were hit with the scent of something absolutely amazing. Mingi inhaled deeply, a wide smile immediately appearing on his face.

"Wooyoung is cooking!" Mingi squealed before running to sit on the couch in the living room. You sat beside him, and Yunho sat on the opposite couch.

"He always does, dumbass," Yeosang muttered from the kitchen while helping Wooyoung. Even Jongho was there, cutting some vegetables.

Mingi pouted a little. "Seonghwa hyung cooks sometimes too, okay! Besides, I'm really hungry."

"Food will be ready in another hour," Wooyoung informed while stirring some stew. "Why don't you eat an apple for now, Mingi?"

"Jongho," Mingi called out.

You watched Jongho wash two apples before he made his way to the living room where you, Mingi, and Yunho were seated. He stood in front of Yunho and effortlessly split one of the apples in half, handing one half of it to Yunho and putting the other half in between his teeth, leaving you dumbfounded. He split the other apple and handed one half to you and the other half to Mingi.

You glanced at Mingi and Yunho who didn't even seem fazed by Jongho's actions.

"Did I just witness the baby of the family break two apples in halves with his bare hands?" Jongho smiles brightly at your words.

"He may be the baby, but he's scary as fuck," Mingi mumbled from beside you, making you raise an eyebrow while you ate your piece of apple; you found Jongho absolutely adorable. You were about to say something, but Hongjoong came into the living room, his eyes on you.

"Can we talk?" he asked, making eye contact for barely three seconds before he turned around and walked away. You bit your lip nervously, unsure of what to do after the way he lashed out on you last night.

"Go on," Jongho said. "He won't yell at you or anything, I'm sure of it." You only nod before getting up and following Hongjoong.

You followed Hongjoong to the large library of the mansion. You didn't get to see the inside of the library when Mingi and Yunho showed you around. They said you would spend a lot of time in there anyway.

When you entered the library, your jaw dropped. The large bookshelves were floor to ceiling, and only one of the walls had a window that was floor to ceiling as well. You loved reading, so you were quite astonished at the amount of books they had in here. You could see big, thick books on one of the shelves and you just knew that they were definitely medical books. There were also large couches to lounge on while you read. It even had a fridge and a coffee maker.

Hongjoong sat down on one of the couches placed at the end. You stood there awkwardly, not uttering a word. He patted the free space beside him, signaling you to sit down.

You hesitantly move to sit down beside him, looking down at your hands and fiddling with your fingers while you waited for him to talk about whatever he wanted to talk about. Somehow, you felt quite nervous. Was he going to yell at you for causing a huge problem for his gang? Or was he going to kill you for that? If any of the two are going to happen, you were hoping for the former; you really did not want to die in a mafia's mansion… although, it wasn't that bad of a place to die in.

You heard him inhale and exhale deeply. "I'm sorry, Kiah."

You stopped playing with your fingers and looked up at him, wondering if you heard him clearly. "What…?"

"I’m sorry," he repeated, running a hand through his hair. "For lashing out on you like that without knowing what exactly happened." You were not expecting that at all, considering Hongjoong had quite the temper.  

Your eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion. "Shouldn't you apologize to San and Yunho instead?"

"I already apologized to them," he remarked. "I shouldn't have yelled at you when you were in such a state."

"No, it’s okay, I understand why you did that," you mumbled, looking away. It was true, you really did understand. "I put your gang at risk."

He nodded. "Yes, you did. But I'm glad San and Yunho saved you before…" he gulped, “before anything worse could happen."

"Why?" you murmured. You really thought that he hated you after whatever happened.

Hongjoong leaned back against the couch, head titled back, staring at the ceiling.  "Because I had to witness someone I loved and cherished get raped in front of my eyes,” he said in a soft voice. "She was my sister… she didn't survive. They raped and then killed her right in front of my eyes… four months ago."  A soft gasp escaped from you; your heart felt like it just got shattered. Tears spilled from your eyes as you choked back a sob.

"I'm so sorry," you whispered to him, pulling him into a comforting hug that he immediately melted into. "I'm really sorry."

Hongjoong couldn't control his own tears. He broke down as soon as he saw your tears, unable to control himself any longer. As the leader of a powerful mafia gang, he always tried to stay strong in front of his gang members, never showing how broken he felt at times even though he knew that they knew how he felt. He just didn't want to show any signs of weakness when he has people to lead.

But right now, Hongjoong needed this. He really just wanted and needed someone to hold him while he cried his heart out.

He sniffled. "I know you hate this life, but I want you to stay with us… with me," he whispered the last part but you heard him.

"Please, let me protect you," he continued. "I will never forgive myself if anything happens to you. Please, stay here."

His words caused your heartbeat to speed up, butterflies fluttering about in your stomach. You pulled away from the embrace, reaching out to wipe his tears. “Okay, I’ll stay.”

He smiled a little, lightly placing his lips onto your head, making your heart go crazy. "Thank you, Kiah."

~

The next day during breakfast, you found two unfamiliar faces seated at the dining table with the rest of the boys and Jiwoo.

"Good morning," you greeted before you took the free seat beside Hongjoong. He gave you a smile that you couldn't help but return.

"Good morning!" A few of them said while the others just smiled at you. The dining table was filled with waffles, bacon, and cut fruits.

"Ah, so she's the little trouble!" one of the two girls with short hair said.

You chuckled. "The one and only," you replied, making her laugh.

"I like her already," she remarked with a smirk. "I believe we're the last of the members who you haven't met. I'm Aeji and she's Yeoreum." So these were Seonghwa's and Mingi's girls respectively.

"Sorry to interrupt your introduction session, ladies," Wooyoung said. "But could you please pass the chocolate syrup? My waffles are getting cold, you know?" 

Aeji snorted before passing the bottle of chocolate syrup to Wooyoung whose face lit up immediately at the sight of it.

Hongjoong put two chocolate chip waffles on your plate. "Eat well, hmm?" he said and you nodded before talking a bite of the waffle.

Your eyes widened at the taste; these were definitely the best waffles you have ever eaten in your twenty two years (and counting) of existence.

"She loves them," Aeji said to Seonghwa who gave you a happy smile while you ate.

"I'm glad," Seonghwa stated. He always felt good whenever someone enjoyed his food 

"Everyone loves whatever you make anyway," Mingi mumbled while stuffing his face. 

"So true," Yunho agreed. "If we didn't have Wooyoung and Seonghwa hyung, we would've pretty much survived on take out."

You couldn't even believe how these people were in the mafia. They just seemed so normal. At least in this very moment, they did.

All eleven of them made you feel so welcomed. Even Hongjoong was being so nice to you. When you told them that you decided on staying with them, everyone was ecstatic. You were quite surprised that they trusted you so easily; you had seen a couple of mafia movies before, and usually, the hostage isn't trusted at all. People in the mafia are portrayed as cold-hearted monsters, but these people in front of you seemed far from it.

After breakfast, you headed to the library of the mansion to check out which books they had. You were surprised to find so many fictions and comics. You pulled a book off of one of the shelves, reading the blurb on the cover at the back.

"Found something interesting?" you heard Hongjoong say from behind you, scaring you. You took a step back as reflex, your back pressed against the bookshelf. You had no idea when he entered the library.

"Fuck, you scared me!"

Hongjoong chuckled before his eyes fell to the book you were holding. "Mastering her senses," he read the title of the novel aloud . The way he said those three words made you suck in a breath; it sounded so hot. His eyes stared into yours while a smirk formed on his handsome face.

You involuntarily bit your lip and it didn't go unnoticed by him. "Have you read this book?" you questioned, looking up at him with innocent eyes despite holding a book that was erotic. 

Hongjoong took a small step towards your body that was still pressed against the bookshelf. "Mhmm, I have read it," he answered, his tongue darting out to wet his plump lips. "I like erotic romance novels," he remarked, his gaze falling to your lips for a second. His phone started ringing and he takes it out from his pocket. "You should read it," he said before walking away to answer the call.

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath before shakily exhaling. "Fuck," you whined, exasperated due to the dull ache you felt down there. Kim Hongjoong really just made you get aroused. You wondered if he did it on purpose or if you were just feeling that way because it has been pretty long since you got some action. You were guessing it was both.

~

Sometime before twilight, you decided to take a walk around the mansion, exploring the area more. There was a small building at the back that wasn't attached to the mansion; it was just a plain white block with a door and no windows. Mingi and Yunho didn't tell you what the building was used for when they gave you a tour around the mansion. You were quite curious to know about it now as you stared at the large steel doors that required a passcode to open.

The door of the building suddenly opened, revealing Wooyoung and Hongjoong who were having a conversation. They stopped talking when they noticed you standing a few feet away from the entrance.

"Oh? Kiah? What are you doing here?" Wooyoung asked, a little surprised to see you here of all places.

"I was taking a walk," you answered. "What is this building? Mingi and Yunho didn't tell me anything about it."

"Ah, they probably didn't want to scare you off," Hongjoong replied.

"Oh…” you murmured, obviously understanding that it had some mafia-related stuff inside.

"By the way," Wooyoung starts, making you look at him. "Uh, I don't know how else to put this, but you really need to learn how to use a gun, Kiah."

Your eyes widened. "A gun? Why?"

"To protect yourself, just in case," he answered. "Everyone saw your face at the auction and they all will assume that you're a sex slave now. If any of them find you roaming around freely, even if you're with any of us, they might abduct you." Wooyoung's words made a chill run down your spine, but you acted like as if you were fine. Honestly, you were terrified, and they both could see that.

"Okay," you agreed without a second thought.

"I'll teach her," Hongjoong said, earning a nod from Wooyoung. He looked at you, giving you a small smile. "Do you want to start now?"

"Sure," you answered and he took your hand in his, pulling you inside the white building. You were surprised to find that there was absolutely nothing inside except a few bicycles. Hongjoong pauses at another set of doors before entering the passcode, revealing a set of stairs. He pulled you along with him, walking past a couple of doors, and you felt like this place was familiar.

"Haven't I been here?" you questioned, eyebrows furrowing in slight confusion as you tried to recall when you’ve been here.

"Yes, the interrogation room is here," Hongjoong explained, "This entire area is connected to the mansion."

"What do you use this area for?" you blurted out.

"Various things," he simply answered before stopping in front of a door and entering a passcode again; they had a lot of security here. Once you entered the room, you realized that it was a large shooting range. Your eyes widened at the sight of various guns adorning one of the walls. You couldn’t even imagine how much money was spent on it.

Hongjoong took a pair of headphones and yellow tinted glasses before making you wear them. He handed you a small, thin silver gun after loading it with a few bullets. "Safety's off, be careful," he warned and you nodded, holding the gun like as if it was very delicate.

"Well, using a gun is very simple," Hongjoong starts, "It's exactly how they show it in movies, aim and pull the trigger. Your aim will always be the most important thing when it comes to shooting, and it's best to shoot the heart.”

Hongjoong demonstrates how to shoot, and the bullet perfectly hit the dummy target’s heart. “See? It’s that simple. You can try it now.”

You put both your hands on the grip of the gun, tilting your head slightly to check if your aim was at the dummy target's heart. You were shaking a little, but you tried your best to ignore it.

"Pull the trigger when you’re ready."

And so you did.

However, the gun recoiled, making you shriek as you fell backwards… right into Hongjoong’s arms.

"Oops, I forgot to mention about the knockback," he chuckled against your head before helping you stand up straight. He looked at the dummy target that you shot. "Mhmm, not bad for a beginner. You shot him in the liver, princess." Your heart raced at the name he called you.

Hongjoong put an arm around your waist, pulling your body against his while he raised your arm a little, focusing on the target. "Shoot," he whispered, and you pulled the trigger again. "See? Bullet to the heart. We're going to practice everyday, yeah? That’s how you’ll become better at it.”

[beifongsss]

firebending [zuko]

Pairing: Zuko x reader

Requested?: Yes! By a wonderful anon: “your zuko fics are all so well-written! I have a request for a firebender reader who hates the fire nation and was never trained in the art of fighting. then she/they join the gaang and learns firebending with aang from zuko. it’s awkward between them at first but cue ~ romance ~”

Summary: If someone told you that you’d end up dating the Fire Nation prince one day, you would’ve laughed in their face. If only you knew how right they were.

wc. ~5.2k

.masterlist.

~

When you first joined the Gaang, everyone expected you and Katara to hate each other. After all, you were from the Fire Nation and everybody knew Katara was the biggest anti-Fire Nation enthusiast there ever was.

They were quickly proven wrong when you didn’t fight against Katara’s harsh remarks, instead agreeing with them and even adding more scathing words of your own to show your distaste towards the Fire Nation. Since joining them, you never wore anything related to the Fire Nation. Nothing that is, with the exception of an elaborate hairpiece that your mother had left you. The hairpiece never left your body, the sunstone in the middle of it shining from its place on your head.

Escaping Ba Sing Se (and therefore the Earth Kingdom) had simultaneously been the best and worst thing that had happened to you. You were glad that Aang was alive, obviously, but being back in Fire Nation clothing was making you anxious.

Ever since the battle in the catacombs, you had been avoiding everyone. You had revealed your firebending in a panic, shooting a strong blast of fire at the banished prince as he snuck up on Katara. He had been taken off guard just long enough for you to subdue him before he realized that you didn’t know what you were doing.

There had been no time for Katara to question you after that. You had all fled and met up with her father, Hakoda, before seizing a Fire Nation ship to use as a disguise. As soon as you stepped foot on the ship, you had scrambled to an empty room and locked yourself inside. You had ignored Katara’s pleas for you to open the door, never once moving from your spot unless it was to use the bathroom or to get the tray of food that you knew had been placed at your door.

No one had known you were a firebender, and the initial shock eventually wore off as everyone found themselves missing your presence. It wasn’t until Aang woke up that you finally emerged.

~

“(Y/N)?” Sokka asked hesitantly, knocking softly on your door.

“Go away!” was the muffled reply that came from your room.

“Nope. I think Aang wants to see you.”

Sokka waited for a few seconds before the door swung open, reveling you standing there. You were wearing your Earth Kingdom clothes, trying to delay the inevitable. You looked up at him, making his heart hurt when he noticed the exhaustion in your eyes.

“Is he really awake?” you asked, your voice small. Sokka nodded.

“Hurry up and get changed. He’s on the deck.”

You nodded softly before closing the door. You opened it again a few minutes later, now dressed in red. As much as Sokka hated to admit it, you looked good in red. The Fire Nation was your home, after all. You followed him up to the deck, your finger nimbly twisting part of your hair into a knot big enough for your hairpiece.

“(Y/N)!” Aang yelled when you came into view. He launched himself at you and you caught him with a small “oof”. You giggled softly as you rubbed his head, making his hair stick up in all directions.

“Aang!” you cried in reply. “You have hair!”

Aang made a funny face at your words before fixing his hair. “Yeah, I guess I was out longer than I thought.”

You leaned down and swept the boy up into another hug, pulling him close as you held tears back. “I’m so glad you’re okay Aang. I don’t know what we would’ve done if you-”

“Don’t worry! Look at me, I’m fine!” Aang said, trying to make you feel better. He led you over to where everyone else was, Katara looking up and smiling softly as you glanced at her. “They also told me about your firebending! How come you never told us?’

You reeled back in shock, looking around wildly as everyone heard Aang’s word. When there were no negative reactions, you relaxed slightly.

“Everyone already knows huh?” you asked drily, being met with nods from everyone on board. You sighed and tapped your foot before speaking. “Okay, yes I’m a firebender. The reason I never told you guys is because I never wanted to use it. I was young when I fled and I never got a chance to learn anything other than the basics.”

Aang nodded in understanding. “But you could’ve built your skills that time we met Jeong Jeong.”

“No. After my family...” you trailed off, thinking about why you never became a master bender. Aang gave you an encouraging look and you breathed in deeply. “I promised myself I wouldn’t firebend ever again. Not after that.”

Aang nodded in understanding as you fell silent, thinking about your past. The Fire Nation was the reason why you had been all alone. They had killed your family with the weapon you now hated: firebending.

The silence engulfed the entire ship, everyone lost in their own thoughts. There was a peaceful atmosphere as the ship drifted along, but of course it didn’t last long.

Soon enough, you found yourself chasing after Aang, eventually being forced to hide in the Fire Nation as the Day Of Black Sun loomed closer and closer.

~

The promise that you had made to yourself to never firebend again was still intact. You hadn’t let any bursts of fire out, not even when you had found yourself surrounded by Fire Nation troops on the Day of Black Sun. The eclipse was a blessing to you, the brief eight minutes just long enough to make you feel normal.

Of course, you soon found yourselves fleeing to the Western Air Temple, silently mourning the loss the rest of the invasion army. Once you all settled in, you kept wearing the red top you had acquired in the Fire Nation. You don’t know why; it just brought you some type of comfort. Aang had grinned when he noticed, wondering if all your adventures in the Fire Nation had lessened your hatred towards the nation.

It had.

But not by much. Wearing the color red weighed heavily on your soul and you spent many of your waking hours debating whether or not keeping the red clothes was the right choice. It frustrated you to no end, how a simply piece of cloth could jumble your thoughts so easily. The red reminded you of the pain and grief you had experienced when you had lost your family, but in a twisted way it also reminded you of them. It reminded you of the days back when you still had them, back when you still had a home and you were happy. Deep down, you knew that you were Fire Nation but that knowledge didn’t stop your inner turmoil. And over the next few days, it only got worse with the arrival of a certain someone.

“Hello, Zuko here.”

You tried to hold back your groan, you really did. But it was as though the universe wanted to test you and had decided to do so by sending the Fire Nation prince your way. Zuko’s soft smile had dropped at your reaction, the corners of his lips quirking downward.

“Hey, I heard you guys flying around down there, so, I just thought I'd wait for you here,” he continued. Appa walked up to the prince and sniffed him before proceeding to lick him. Zuko’s face twisted up in disgust. “I know you must be surprised to see me here.”

"Not really,” Sokka said. “Since you've followed us all over the world!”

“Right,” Zuko said, wincing slightly as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, uh, anyway, what I wanted to tell you about is that I've changed, and I, uh, I'm good now, and well I think I should join your group, oh, and I can teach firebending to you. See, I, uh-”

“You want to what now?” you asked sharply, exchanging a look with Katara.

“You can't possibly think that any of us would trust you, can you?” she asked, opening her water skin. “I mean, how stupid do you think we are?!”

Zuko’s eyes shifted to you before he answered. “You trust her. She’s a firebender.”

Your eyes widened in anger and you began to march up to the prince, only stopping when Katara held you back.

“I am not, a firebender,” you hissed, staring Zuko down. “And I am not Fire Nation.”

Zuko stayed quiet, his eyes drifting from your red shirt to the hairpiece on your head. You followed his line of sight, eyes widening when you realized he was staring at the sunstone. You yanked your arm out of Katara’s grip, angrily stomping out of the room. You quickly stripped yourself of your red top as soon as you were out of sight before sighing deeply and pulling your hairpiece out. You arrived at the sleeping chamber and sat down on your sleeping bag quietly, holding the hairpiece in your hand tightly.

You stared at it sadly, the sunstone glinting in the dim light. Without hesitation, you pulled your arm back and flung it away, watching the sunstone glint in the sunlight as it rolled towards the edge. It was gone in a second, tumbling over the edge of the temple.

Now you were truly no longer Fire Nation.

~

Your life had just gotten ten times harder now that Zuko had been allowed to join the group. The defeat of Combustion Man had been intense and you had found injured when it was all over. Unlike Sokka, you had never been good with fighting, always relying on your intelligence to get you out of dire situations. With Combustion Man however, that proved to be a problem, and you had found yourself caught in the middle of a fight with no protection whatsoever.

In addition to the pain of your injury, you found yourself dealing with the prince’s presence. You found yourself avoiding the group entirely, taking on the more tedious chores (like laundry) to avoid spending time with the group and even hanging out with Haru, Teo, and The Duke as they explored the temple.

Tensions didn’t rise until a few days later, beginning when Aang approached you with an idea. After your tragic failure with Combustion Man, Aang believed that you needed to learn how to protect yourself and he thought that the right way to do that was by learning how to firebend. You had vehemently refused, accidentally yelling at the Air Nomad as everyone else watched in silence.

The argument was put on pause for a few days when Aang and Zuko traveled to the Sun Warriors’ ruins but when they came back, Toph had sided with him as well. You felt slightly betrayed by the small earthbender but still refused, stating that there was no way you would willingly learn how to firebend. At least you still had Sokka and Katara on your side.

At least you did until Sokka and Zuko took a trip to The Boiling Rock the next day. When they got back two days later, Sokka was on Aang’s side as well. The fight with Azula on the gondola had left him shaken as he realized just how hard it was to fight a bender with just a sword. You didn’t know how to use a sword, but you could firebend and so Sokka became one of Aang’s supporters. Katara was the only one who was still on your side, but that changed when Azula raided the temple.

Everyone had been woken up suddenly, reacting a bit slower than normal as Azula appeared. She immediately lunged at you, shooting blasts of blue fire as she stalked closer to you. Your eyes were wide with fear, dodging her attacks as much as you could.

“Watch out!” Zuko yelled, tackling you from the side, a pillar crashing down where you had been standing as a result of Azula’s lightning. You grunted softly as you landed, the breath leaving your lungs as Zuko landed on top of you. You opened your eyes immediately, meeting bright gold irises before they looked away as Zuko began to scan you for any visible injuries. Zuko’s hands rested on either side of your head as he tried to keep his weight off of you, not that it helped considering you were still struggling to catch your breath.

Or maybe you were struggling to catch your breath because of how close he was.

“Are you okay?” Zuko asked, drawing your attention back to him. Scowling, you threw him off of you before scrambling to your feet, rushing to help Katara when you heard her yelp. Zuko noticed Toph earthbend a tunnel into the side of the temple, and rushed to join the others. His eyes landed on you as you threw yourself to the side, narrowly dodging another one of Azula’s deadly blasts. The princess grabbed you by the hair, laughing maniacally before dragging you to the airships.

“What are you doing?” Aang yelled, noticing that Zuko had stopped in his path.

“Azula has (Y/N)!” Zuko replied, turning around and facing the airships. “I’m gonna go get her.”

Katara rushed to Aang’s side, exchanging a worried look with him before getting on top of Appa. The rest of the Gaang joined them, holding on tight as they tried to maneuver the sky bison through all the debris. 

Zuko ran and launched himself onto the airship, landing safely on top of one. He glared at his sister, noticing that she was still holding onto you.

“Let her go, Azula!” Zuko yelled, his eyes never leaving hers.

“Hmm, I don’t think I will,” Azula replied, the blue flame in her palm growing brighter as she held it up to your face. “I think I’ll get rid of her instead. Then I’ll get rid of you. I can’t wait to celebrate being an only child.”

She inched the flame closer to your face, prompting Zuko to shoot a fire blast near her head. Growling, Azula tossed you to the side before confronting Zuko. The two siblings fought for a few minutes and you tried your best to avoid any wayward blasts. The fight stopped when they both struck at the same time, the resulting blast blowing both of them backwards.

“Zuko!” you cried, sprinting to grab the boy before he fell. You managed to grab onto his hand but his momentum sent you both tumbling into the chasm, a scream getting stuck in your throat as you plummeted. You were so overcome with fear that you didn’t notice Zuko pulling you into him, holding you close as you fell.

The fall didn’t last long, Appa managing to swoop in and save the two of you. You sat quietly on Appa’s saddle, both you and Zuko watching Azula as she kept falling.

“She’s...not gonna make it,” Zuko said softly, his arms tightening around you slightly. You watched with wide eyes as Azula used firebending to propel herself to the cliffside, sliding down a bit further before she took out her hairpin and stuck it into the side of the cliff, effectively ending her fall. “Of course she did.”

The seven of you sat in silence for a few minutes before Katara spoke up, tears in her eyes as she looked at you. “(Y/N), seeing Azula capture you got me thinking. I think...I think that you should learn how to firebend. You need to know how to defend yourself.”

“And I think that you can let go of each other now,” Sokka said cheekily, trying to diffuse the tension that had settled upon the group at Katara’s words. You shimmied out of Zuko’s hold, walking up to the Water Tribe girl and looking at her in disbelief.

“You’re supposed to be on my side Katara,” you hissed, flinching when she tried to reach for your hand. Without another words, you walked away and took Appa’s reins. The rest of the flight was silent, everybody knowing that now was not the time to be chatty.

~

Once again, you had retreated from the group. It wasn’t exactly hard considering the fact that now it was Katara and Zuko who had disappeared, gone on a quest to find her mother’s murderer. After a few days, Zuko reappeared alone and you found yourselves traveling to Ember Island.

Upon your arrival, you made your way over to Katara, who was standing quietly on the deck.

“I heard what you did,” you spoke first. “I’m glad you didn’t kill him.”

“I couldn’t bring myself to do it,” she whispered back, still looking straight ahead.

“Why?”

She turned slightly, facing you before speaking. “It’s not in my nature to kill. I couldn’t bring myself to use my bending for that. I have the chance to prevent other’s from going through what I went through; from going through what you went through. I want to use my bending for good.”

You mulled over her words for a few seconds before sighing deeply and walking away. Aang watched you quietly as he walked over to Katara, his eyes widening slightly when you walked up to Zuko.

“Ok,” you said quietly, looking up at the prince. “Teach me how to firebend.”

Zuko’s eyes widened briefly before he crossed his arms and composed himself. “Tomorrow at dawn. Be ready.”

And ready you were. Every day. Firebending was a lot easier than you expected, and you found yourself breezing though the basics and the intermediate moves. It wasn’t until you got to the advanced moves that you began to have some trouble.

“No!” Zuko barked. “That’s not how it’s done. Again!”

Your eye twitched before you took your stance again, launching yourself into the move that you were currently working on. You sighed deeply when you realized you had done it wrong again.

“Wrong. Again.”

“If you’re so good at it then come and show me,” you snapped, fed up with his attitude. Zuko straightened up before walking over to you, motioning for you to take your stance once more. You rolled your eyes, blowing the hair out of your eyes before complying.

“I will,” he said, moving your arms into the right position. He walked around you and you opened your mouth to make another comment, stopping when his hand came around from behind and gently shut your jaw. “Don’t say anything.”

Your breath hitched in your throat as he spoke. He was closer than you thought, his lips brushing your ear as he spoke. You shivered when his hands landed on your back, fixing your posture before they made their way to your waist. He gripped your waist firmly, shifting you into position before leaning forwards slightly, whispering in your ear once more. “Do it again.”

Fighting a blush, you did as you were told. You chuckled breathlessly when you did it correctly this time, a blast of fire leaving your hand at the right moment.

“See? You did it,” Zuko said, a faint smirk on his lips. “You’re a natural.”

You bounced up to him, wrapping your arms around his neck in excitement. His arms immediately wrapped around your waist, enjoying the closeness of the hug. You leaned back slightly, meeting his eyes as you smiled cheesily. “It’s only because I have such a great teacher.”

The two of you walked back to the beach house, joking around after a long day of training. Upon entering the beach house, Katara pulled you aside. “(Y/N)! Thank goodness. I need your help in the kitchen!”

You gave Zuko an apologetic smile as you followed Katara, being met with an understanding nod as he went off on his own. Katara handed you a tray of cups, smirking slightly before speaking. “So, you and Zuko huh?”

“What? N-No,” you replied immediately.

“I’m talking about firebending. How’s that going?” Katara said, filling the cups with watermelon juice as she arched an eyebrow.

A bright blush spread across your cheeks as you realized what she was talking about. “O-Oh. It’s going great. Zuko’s been teaching me some advanced moves now!”

Katara hummed in reply, waving you away now that the cups were full. You headed out of the kitchen in a hurry, loosing your footing when you heard Katara speak yet again.

“I bet the next move he makes is gonna be on you.”

~

The conversation between you and Katara was basically forgotten as the days went by. 

Zuko had informed the Gaang about his father’s plan to destroy the Earth Kingdom, causing you all to worry greatly. In addition, Aang had disappeared overnight and all attempts to find him had been futile.

And that’s how you found yourselves following June and her shirshu as she led you to Ba Sing Se, where Zuko’s Uncle Iroh was supposed to be. You had been warmly welcomed by the Order of the White Lotus and Zuko and Iroh had made up, leaving you with only a day to plan out what you were going to do before Sozin’s comet arrived.

It was quickly decided that the Order of the White Lotus would stay behind and reclaim Ba Sing Se while Sokka, Suki, and Toph would set out to destroy the airship fleet. Zuko had asked you and Katara to join him in defeating Azula and although Katara had agreed immediately, you were a bit hesitant. Of course, Zuko noticed and he decided to confront you about it.

“(Y/N),” Zuko said, coming up to you when you were prepping Appa for the ride. Katara was a few yards away, giving the two of you privacy. You glanced at Zuko before climbing onto Appa’s saddle, the prince following closely behind you. “What’s wrong?”

“Zuko, I,” you paused, breathing deeply. “I shouldn’t go. I just started bending and what is something goes wrong? I don’t want to be a liability to y-”

“Hey,” Zuko whispered, ducking his head to make eye contact with you. “I meant what I said on Ember Island. You’re a natural. You’ll be fine.”

You sighed before hugging your knees to your chest. “I just can’t believe that I’m actually returning to the Fire Nation, even if it’s to help you reclaim your throne. I’m just glad that maybe under your rule, things might finally change.”

Zuko stayed quiet before standing up and reaching for his bag. He shuffled around for a moment before kneeling behind you, his fingers gently grabbing your hair.

“What are you-”

“Shh,” Zuko cut you off. “Give me a second.”

His fingers weaved through your hair, putting it up into a style you were all too familiar with. He was gentle with his actions, letting his hands fall to your shoulders when he was done. “There.”

You reached up, your fingers trembling slightly as they brushed over the sunstone that you had known your whole life.

“M-My hairpiece,” you gasped, tears springing to your eyes as you realized how much you had missed it. “How did you-”

“I found it at the Western Air Temple,” Zuko interrupted quietly. “It was after I came to you guys the first time. Katara sent me away and when I was walking under a balcony, it fell onto the ground. I recognized it so I picked it up. I assumed you would want it back at some point.”

Zuko fell backwards when you threw yourself at him, wrapping him up in a tight hug.

“Thank you,” you whispered, leaning up and pressing a kiss to his cheek. A tiny gasp escaped him and you pulled back, meeting his eyes as he stared down at you. The two of you stared at each other for a few tense seconds before you both leaned forwards rapidly, your lips meeting in the middle.

Maybe it was a spur of the moment decision, kissing Zuko. Maybe it was due to to the anxiety bubbling up in you, your emotions hard to control as you prepared to end of the war in one way or another. Or maybe, it was simply two teenagers too shy to tell each other how they felt, finally sharing a tender moment.

“So, are we ready to go?” Katara asked. The two of you sprung apart, blushes on both of your faces as the Water Tribe girl smirked at you. Zuko nodded and you looked away, taking your place at Appa’s reins.

“Ready as I’ll ever be. Yip yip.”

~

The fight had been a blur to you. You didn’t remember much other than the fact that Zuko had taken a bolt of lightning meant for you. After Zuko had been injured, you and Katara had teamed up to take Azula down. She had challenged you to an Agni Kai after striking Zuko and you had accepted in order to lure her away from his body. To say she had been surprised when you actually fought back with fire was an understatement.

With Katara’s help, you managed to chain her to an old grate before rushing over to aid Zuko. After Katara had done all she could, you helped Zuko into the palace where he had been taken to the infirmary. You hadn’t seen him since.

You had however, met back up with Aang, Sokka, Toph, and Suki. They informed the two of you of what they had done and in turn you had told them about Zuko’s injury. They were all worried about him but after hearing that Katara had healed him, they were slightly relieved.

The next time you saw the prince was on the day of his coronation. Some of the palace guards had come for you, stating that Zuko was requesting your presence. You felt your heart jump into your throat as you nodded, allowing them to lead you through the palace until you came to a pair of gilded doors.

“He’s in there,” one of the guards said. “Would you like us to announce your arrival?”

“No, it’s fine. I can just knock,” you said meekly, causing the guards to smile amusedly. You bowed shortly to them before turning to face the door, gently knocking and waiting for a response.

“Come in!”

The door swung open at your touch and you awkwardly stepped inside, still standing near the doorway as your gaze landed on Zuko.

“Close it,” he said, his voice quiet yet rough. You complied, stepping aside and shutting the door before inching closer. He was shirtless, thick bandages covering his torso. Covering the new scar he had earned because of you. He turned around, his face softening when his eyes met yours.

“Hey,” he said softly, his eyes scanning you for injuries the way he did back when Azula raided the Western Air Temple.

“Hi, how are you?” you squeaked, shuffling awkwardly. You winced at your words, blushing in embarrassment as Zuko’s lips quirked up. He walked over to his bed before picking up the shirt he was going to wear.

“I’m fine. How are you?” he asked, a teasing smile on his lips as he began to put it on. His smile dropped as he moved too harshly, pain shooting through his torso as he struggled to pull the fabric on.

“Spirits! Be careful,” you said, all embarrassment leaving you as you rushed forwards and took the shirt from his hands. “Here, let me.”

You helped him slide one arm in before slipping it over his shoulders and guiding his other arm in as well. You grabbed the belt used to hold it in place before standing in front of him. Your breath caught in your throat as you eyed the bandages, guilt settling in your stomach as you softly placed a hand on his chest. Zuko’s hands automatically went to your waist, pulling you closer to him as he stared at you worriedly.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, still looking at his chest. “This was my fault.”

“Hey,” Zuko replied, one of hands leaving your waist to lift your chin. You shivered softly at the action, your eyes finally meeting his bright gold ones. “It wasn’t your fault. Azula shouldn’t have done it in the first place. She challenged me to an Agni Kai, not you.”

“You should’ve let it hit me,” you said, looking at him sadly. “I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if Katara hadn’t been there. Zuko, you could’ve d-”

Your eyes widened and your words died on your throat when Zuko leant down, softly pressing his lips to yours. The hand that was still on your waist wrapped around you, pulling you closer as Zuko kissed you gently. He began to pull away after a few seconds, noticing your lack of response. Mentally kicking yourself, you began to kiss back, closing your eyes as you wrapped your free arm around his neck to keep him close. Zuko couldn’t help but smile at your response.

“I took that hit because I love you, (Y/N),” Zuko whispered, finally pulling away and leaning his forehead against yours. “I couldn’t let Azula hurt you.”

“Zuko, I-I love you too,” you confessed, your eyes still closed. Suddenly, you pulled away before gently swatting his head. “But that doesn’t make what you did any less stupid.”

“Hey! I saved your life!” he exclaimed, rubbing his head.

“I know,” you said, rolling your eyes before hugging him close once again. “And I love you for it. But never, and I mean never, do that again.”

“No promises,” Zuko replied, guiding your lips to his once more. This kiss was different, full of trust and love and peace.

You pulled away reluctantly, fixing his shirt and looping the belt around him before taking his hand. “Now let’s go. You have a coronation to get to.”

Zuko stopped for a second, pulling you back to him as he looked at you uncertainly. You looked up at him curiously, prompting him to speak.

“Are you-” Zuko stopped abruptly, trying to get his thoughts in order. “Will you stay with me? Here? Even after everyone else leaves?”

You hesitated for a split second, remembering everything that you had suffered at the hands of the Fire Nation. You opened your mouth to reply, looking up to meet Zuko’s gaze. You faltered for a moment, taking in the way he was looking at you. Here in front of you stood the crown prince, the very symbol of the nation that you had spent the majority of your life hating. But he was also just a teen, and he was willing to put in the work to fix the Fire Nation’s past mistakes.

Your heart swelled in your chest as you thought about the golden-eyed boy , and everything he had done to help the Avatar. Because of him, the Fire Nation now had a chance at redemption, and you knew it wouldn’t be easy to undo centuries of imperialism and pain. Especially not when it was so deeply rooted in the nation. And so you answered his question, confident that you were making the right decision.

“Of course I’ll stay, Zuko. And I’ll be here to help you every step of the way.”

~

taglist!

@musicalkeys, @mywigglybaby​, @bubblebars​, @iguessthefloorislava​, @dekahg​, @boxofteenageideas​, @bottledcotscowater, @butterflycore​, @coldlilheart​, @the-firebender-girl​, @ajediherowitchrunner​, @lammello​, @astroninaaa​, @samsmultifandomblogs​, @sadskater25, @oddment-niwit-blubber-tweak​, @duh-dobrik​

[stonedregulus]

I Can And I Will

on the third day of ficmas i gave you angst and sadness because the past two days have been far too happy in my opinion

tw: domestic and child abuse, homophobia, inhumane prison conditions, illness, torture, death, suicidal thoughts

“Bart.”

“What is it, Lottie?” He didn’t even look up from the report he was reading.

“I want to go see him,” she said, anger clouding her voice.

“We can’t see him.”

“Why?”

“He tortured two innocent people.”

“We don’t know that.”

“There were witnesses of him fleeing the scene.”

“But what if he didn’t do it? He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” she pleaded with her husband, who still refused to look at her.

“He has the Dark Mark on his arm.”

“That doesn’t mean he’s hurt anyone.”

“You have always been blinded by his charm and too soft on him.”

“You drove him to this.” He looked up then, glaring at her menacingly.

“How dare you. All I ever wanted for him was to be happy and follow rules, but he could never seem to do that.”

“Beating a child does not make them want to follow your direction.” He stood up from his desk so quickly his chair fell over behind him, and Lottie stepped away from him carefully, just out of arm's reach.

“Think carefully about what you’re accusing me of.”

She swallowed timidly but stood her ground, “Did you even check his wand to see if the spell had been cast? Did you use veritaserum?”

“I didn’t need to. The people he was apprehended with confessed.”

“But he didn’t.”

“Guilty by association.”

“You sent my son, my only baby to Azkaban!”

“Do not raise your voice at me,” he said deathly quietly.

She blinked twice, fighting every instinct to back out of the room as she clutched her wand in her fist. “I want to see him.”

Bartemius stared at her with his dark, angry eyes so unlike her son’s. She was glad, now more than ever, that Barty had inherited almost none of her husband’s features. Barty was hers through and through. Her child. Not his. He had her light brown hair, her ice-blue eyes, her warm pink complexion, her slim nose, her full lips. It made it hard to look in the mirror when all she saw was him, but at least she never had to see her son’s face making the expression her husband was making now.

He was her son despite everything he’d been accused of. The only reason he went down this path and joined the cult was because Bartemius had pushed him there. There was no other explanation, no other reason her perfect, loving, caring son would have done this. He would’ve kept the boys from joining too if he hadn’t been pushed. He could’ve kept Evan and Regulus out of this, and he would’ve. She knew it in her heart. This monster that the Daily Prophet kept reporting about was not her Barty. She had to prove it somehow.

“Please let me see him. I didn’t… I didn’t even get to say goodbye,” She blinked at the ceiling attempting not to cry. She had sworn to herself she wouldn’t, Bartemius hated when she cried.

“Stop.”

“I’m sorry,” She muttered, wiping her eyes quickly. “Please, can I see him? It’s almost Christmas.”

“I don’t want to see him.”

“You don’t have to come with me.” Please don’t.

“I’m not allowing you to go see our felon of a son, especially alone.”

“He would never hurt me.” Bartemius rolled his eyes as he scoffed at her. “Bart, he’s in a cell. He can’t hurt me.”

Bartemius crossed around the desk quickly, she backed up into a wall, unable to correct her mistake before he was in front of her, grabbing onto her shoulders painfully. “Why won’t you listen to me?”

“Ouch, Bart, please you’re hurting me.”

“What did I ever do to you to make you love him more than me?”

“Let go,” she said through tears, grabbing at his fingers before remembering she had her wand. She cast a wordless shield charm between them, pushing him back against the desk as she scrambled away from him.

“Lottie.”

“No!” She yelled, racing from the room and down the stairs, grabbing her coat and bundling it around herself before stepping out the front door into the snow and apparating on the spot.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

It was cold here. Not normal cold. Unnatural-chill-due-to-horrid-creatures cold.

“Expecto Patronum,” she whispered and the large silvery-white badger leaped from her wand and ran in circles around her feet, sniffing at her ankles. “Hi, buddy.”

The not-quite-solid animal cocked his head at her curiously and then ran in front of her as she started walking. The prison was massive and took up most of the horizon. She swore she could hear people screaming as she made her way up to the building.

“Stop!”

She turned around quickly, searching the empty beach behind her. There was no way she had imagined that. It wouldn’t have surprised her if he had followed her here but he was nowhere to be seen.

“Why are. You. Here?” It was Bartemius’ voice speaking to her, but it was a jumble. Almost like the words had been ripped right out of her memories and placed together to create a sentence.

A large cloaked figure floated out of the building staring at her. She’d never been this close to a dementor. The only time she’d ever seen one before was at Barty’s pitiful excuse of a trial.

“I am here to see Bartemius Crouch Junior,” she said clearly as the ghostly badger bared its teeth and claws, silently hissing at the dark creature.

The dementor backed up slightly as her patronus advanced. “Fine! I will. Escort. YOU!” The last word reverberated in her ears and she realized it was indeed from her memories, one of the worst ones. The moment when Bartemius had bellowed, “YOU ARE NO SON OF MINE!” as the dementors had dragged Barty off. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath to replay her happy memories in her mind - the moment Barty had been placed in her arms the first time, watching Barty flying in the game where they’d won the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup and he’d been all but tackled off his broom by Regulus and Evan, the look of excitement on Barty’s face when he’d read that he’d achieved twelve O.W.L.s, when he’d told her he was engaged, when she’d attended their wedding without her husband and watched the three boys smushing cake in each other’s faces. She opened her eyes again and saw the badger glowing even more brightly and the dementor cowering before her.

The dementor turned, gliding down the hall. She followed it past cell after cell. Some of the prisoners were sleeping, some were crying, others were talking to the walls. A few stuck their arms through the bars, begging her quietly to help them, that they shouldn’t be there, that they were wrongly accused. Another dementor glided in front of them, making a low guttural noise. The dementor guiding her emitted a cracking hoarse groan at the newcomer. They both made creaking noises, and the shoulders of their cloaks shook. Were they laughing? The new dementor glided away, and her guide continued, leading her to a staircase. She climbed at least seven flights of stairs, chest heaving. Her lungs were burning and she was reminded of how sick she really was, but she pushed through, ignoring the black spots in her vision as it led her down another hall, to the very last cell.

“Leave us,” she said quietly, watching her son’s head pop up from his bed before he scrambled to the bars.

“I. Cannot. GO!” Her husband’s voice rang through her head.

“I said leave,” she said angrily, and the badger chased the dementor down the hall before returning to her side.

“Mum, what are you doing here?” Barty whispered, clutching at the bars. He was dirty, his hair so oily it sat flat on his head rather than its usual bird’s nest appearance.

“Do you not get to bathe?” She asked, pointing her wand at him, performing a cleaning spell until his skin was shiny and his hair fluffy.

“No. I get a toilet and some food scraps twice a day.”

“I-” Her eyes began to water, “How does anyone deserve this? No matter what they’ve done. This is completely inhumane.”

“Mum, why are you here? You don’t need to see this.”

“I didn’t even get to say goodbye,” she whispered, wiping the tears from her cheeks quickly. “Sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize for crying in front of me, you know that. I’m not him.”

“No. You’re a much better man.”

Barty smiled softly before looking at the ground, “Are you okay?”

“It’s getting worse.”

“Have the Healers-”

“It’s called Damnum Magicae Aegritudo Cordis.”

“I’ve never heard of that,” He said quietly, reaching through the bars to grip her shoulder lightly.

“I’m losing my magic. Some days are fine, like today. Other days… I can’t do anything.”

“Mum-

“They,” she paused, swallowing as she glared at the dark stone ceiling, “They say it’s weakening my heart. And stressful events make it worse.”

“I’m sorry this is my fault.”

“Stop it. It’s not your fault. You didn’t put yourself in here.” Barty pressed his lips together, staring at her silently.

“You didn’t do it, right?”

“Mum-”

“I’m trying to convince them to give you veritaserum. They snapped your wand so they can’t do priori incantatem but it’s ridiculous they didn’t even-”

“Mum, that wouldn’t have helped me any.”

They were both silent for a moment before Lottie sunk to the floor, “It’s true?”

“I didn’t have a choice.”

“You always have a choice, baby.”

Barty shook his head, tears threatening to escape his eyes, “No mum, I didn’t. Both my husbands were considered traitors. Regulus disappeared to try to take down the Dark Lord himself and died. Evan went to give information to the Order and they murdered him. When the Dark Lord died I tried to hide but they found me and tortured me, thinking I’d betrayed him like Reg and Ev had. It was everything I could do to keep them from killing me. They took me with them when they found those Aurors and they made me do it. Eventually, Bellatrix took over because she’s a fucking psychopath but… I did that, Mum. I can’t deny it. My wand wouldn’t help and neither would my statement under truth potion. I did it, even if I didn’t have a choice.”

Lottie looked away from him, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear as she looked down at the badger that was resting his head on her knee. She patted it a few times as tears fell from her cheeks onto the dusty floor.

“I’m sorry, mum.”

She nodded quietly, watching the badger fade.

“Mum, you have to… Mum without a patronus you’re not protected.”

“What’s the point?” She whispered.

“Mum, no you can’t. You don’t get to do this, please don’t do this. Please,” Barty whimpered, grabbing at her hands. “Please you’re the only thing I have left mum.”

“I’m dying anyway.”

“They won’t kill you, just take your soul. Mum, please. Remember… Remember when you took me and Reg and Ev for ice cream during the summer a few years ago? After we told everyone we were engaged and you were the only one who was excited for us, you were the only one who cared, who congratulated us, who didn’t disown us. You were the last one we told and we were beaten down and sad and we probably didn’t even sound excited. And you were so happy you cheered and you hugged us and you took us to Fortescue's to celebrate. We were all so happy. Do you remember?”

“It was a good day.” The badger glowed brightly, lifting its head happily to sniff at Barty’s arm.

“It was. Maybe you can just remember me like that, not like this.”

“I don’t know how I’m going to do Christmas without you.”

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

“I’m going to get you out of here.”

“Mum, you can’t-”

She cut him off, running a thumb over his cheek, “I can. And I will.”

[chironshorseass]

hello yes i’m OBSESSED with your writing so if you’re still taking prompts maybe “please look at me” bc i also have an unhealthy relationship with pre-tlo percabeth angst and live for pining percy

SYD U GAVE ME THIS AND I JUST HAD TO PUT ALL MY PROMPTS ASIDE!!! because how could i not!!!

for what i wrote, i kind of mention this clarisse one-shot.

anyway enjoy <3, since I sort of went crazy with percy being powerful :) like i always do :) and of course, pre-tlo percabeth :)

read on ao3

The waves had grown restless these past few days. Violent, brutal. The night was quiet, the moon hidden beneath darkened clouds, drenching the camp in heavy ink. Percy knew many demigods proclaimed it as the quiet before the storm. They couldn’t have been more wrong.

All he heard was noise.

He’d been like this—unsteady, overwhelmed—for some time, now. Everywhere he went, he felt like a ship sailing into giant waves, water crashing against his deck, threatening to bring him under.

Grover would’ve understood, maybe. But Grover, like the moon, had vanished. That only left a few of his other friends—and of course—Annabeth.

Percy couldn’t avoid her gaze, no matter how much he wanted to. She was always there, watching. Maybe she awaited the day when he’d sink to the power of those waves that plagued the beach, that plagued him. Maybe she anticipated with bated breath on the day when he’d turn sixteen and he’d have to make one decision that would change everything.

Nevertheless, she’d drift away from him. Then come back, again and again.

It drove him crazy, how much their relationship had changed with the times and circumstances. Only now, Annabeth wasn’t what bothered him.

His gut was.

It tightened and loosened, the same way the currents flowed to the rhythm of his rushing blood. He could hear that now, too.

His blood. The sea. The clashes against rock.

Everything was beating to a powerful symphony of drums.

But worst of all was his gut.

Something had gone terribly wrong.

Percy knew there was a war. He had nightmares about it, in fact. Nightmares leading to frantic waking-ups from the feeling of lava burning into his skin. But he hadn’t sensed the war’s presence so strongly in all his three years of attending camp as he did now—and he felt it, because the source of conflict had to do with the sea.

The shadows of cabin three clung to his skin in a comfortable blanket, but he couldn’t ignore this dread. It had trickled patiently into his system for a week now, culminating to this exact moment. He couldn’t sit still. He had to leave. Now.

Not long after stumbling outside while shoving his armor on did he hear the conch horn ringing as a warning. The lookouts had seen something. His legs moved faster.

Doors of other cabins began to smash open, and with it came the spilling of panicked campers. He was already way ahead of them, though.

“To the beach!” someone cried.

Percy arrived just in time to see Chiron assemble with Michael Yew and Austin Lake. The sons of Apollo. They’d apparently been the ones on night duty. The centaur saw Percy before the others made out his heavy footfalls.

“Percy,” Chiron said. “Thank the gods you’re here.”

“There’s something,” he gasped, doubling over once he’d reached them. “There’s something out there,” he finally managed to say, gulping mouthfuls of air. “The sea.”

They already knew, however. The conchorns were signal enough. But what was more obvious was the glimpse of the giant tail, jutting out of the water like a spear cutting through flesh.

The breath he’d managed to find from his mad dash was stolen away at the sight of the monster.

“Yeah,” Austin said, swallowing. “There’s something out there, alright.”

Chiron eyed Percy warily. “My boy. We are dealing here with something I fear that you are only capable of stopping.”

“Yeah, well...it looks like a pretty big fish. I—”

A howl punctured the atmosphere—probably the same sea monster he’d seen earlier. Percy gasped, feeling a stabbing jolt in his stomach. He didn’t know why this sudden change of the sea was affecting him so, but he had to stay strong. So he stood up straight and concentrated on his breathing.

“Are you alright?” Austin asked, studying him.

Percy looked at Chiron, who met his eyes as well. You have to be, his teacher seemed to say.

“I...I think so.”

Michael chose the moment to turn his back on the sea, blowing the conchorn once more. He shouted at the incoming campers, “Greek fire! We need Greek fire!”

The rest of the multitude showed up right away, Hephaestus kids priming canons while others exchanged weaponry. Through all of it, Percy’s gut became a pressure cooker, a fist closing around glass, about to break. He cried out in agony just as a tidal wave shook the world. Falling to his knees, his arms encircled his middle, muffling that pain. He wanted nothing but to make it stop.

He vaguely heard a sound of surprise, coming from someone nearby, then the rush of hands holding onto his shoulders. They helped somewhat, a comfort to the madness.

The hands were warm and soothing. The voice of the person became clearer. He knew that voice. He knew those hands.

Annabeth appeared in his vision, all worry lines and pinched eyebrows. She said something to him again, but the words might’ve been ghosts; the stampeding blood behind his ears was too thunderous to make out anything else.

He closed his eyes and concentrated like he had earlier.

Sharp as a blade, his senses switched to the outside world.

“Are—are you okay?” Annabeth was saying. “You doubled over, and I…”

“No.” He opened his eyes to meet hers. They matched the storm that raged across the sea. “I—I’m not okay. I need to stop this, I need—”

“We were just discussing strategy,” she said. He was glad for the distraction she’d offered. “The Scolopendra isn’t just any ordinary sea monster.”

“The Scolo what?”

She helped him stand up, steadying him with her arms.

“The Scolopendra,” she repeated. “A child of Keto. It’s one of the biggest sea monsters in existence, and it won’t leave the camp border.”

“No shit.”

Annabeth ignored him, glancing backwards at where the monster had last been seen. “There’s no telling what it can do. There’s barely any recordings of it.” She swiveled back to him. “Chiron says that it can control the tide. It might be capable of drowning the camp if we don’t kill it.”

“I won’t let that happen.”

“I told Chiron that we needed to try my strategy first. As in, bombing it with Greek fire before we go with the last approach.”

“And what would that last approach be?”

He had some idea, but before Annabeth could speak, the creature shot out of the water, faster than lightning. He only caught a glimpse of the crayfish-like tail and rows of webbed feet before it disappeared again.

“That looks like a giant shrimp,” he declared.

A giant shrimp that was probably capable of crushing a decently-sized trireme. Shrimpzilla, he was about to call it, as a way to lighten the mood. But he thought better of it, once he saw the hard line of Annabeth’s lips as she watched the campers rev up the Greek fire.

The Scolopendra dared to peek out of the waves for the third time, giving the chance for Beckendorf to yell out an order. Instantly, canyons discharged the green substance directly towards the monster.

It roared defiantly, maybe in pain, maybe in anger. No one was sure, because as soon as the night sky lit up with green flames, the Scolopendra crashed against the water like a wrecking ball. For a moment, all was silent.

No one dared breathe.

Annabeth squeezed Percy’s shoulder. She looked hopeful, as if relieved that she didn’t have to go with the second plan.

Chiron’s tail twitched. Beckendorf held out a hand, urging the campers to wait. Some stood anticipatedly, swords ready. He saw Clarisse in the front line, her electric spear aimed at the sea and crackling with energy.

Percy sensed what was about to happen next before he heard it.

“Annabeth,” he said frantically. “Annabeth, we have to go. Now.”

“What? But—”

“NOW!”

He’d already separated himself from her, yelling at the rest of the campers to leave. They didn’t have the chance; milliseconds later, the Scolopendra appeared. It bellowed with the power of a thousand hurricanes. Many campers covered their ears.

To everyone’s horror, it had closed in on the shore, its back legs likely reaching the sand floor as it rose to its full, terrifying height. Lightning crackled, and with it, came another roar.

“No,” he muttered. “No, everyone get out!”

Too late. The monster had already spit out a million gallons’ worth of salt water.

Instinctively, Percy let out a yell and threw his hands out.

The water halted in midair, rippling like a broken mirror. It was as if time had slowed down, as if Kronos himself had been the one to interfere. But Kronos wasn’t interfering. It was all Percy—with nothing but his willpower. A bead of sweat rolled down from his temple.

Annabeth reached him just as he cried out and threw the water back to the sea with everything he had, forcing the giant shrimp to hide as well.

He caught his breath while Annabeth looked back and forth. From him to the sea, from the sea to him.

She shook her head at no one in particular. “The plan didn’t work.”

“No shit.”

Then she gazed at him again. “Thank you for doing that, Perce.”

“Yeah,” he breathed. “No problem.”

“About the second plan...”

“I have to kill it, don’t I?”

“I...maybe. But we can help—”

“It isn’t a maybe. It is a certainty,” a voice said, strong and firm.

They both turned around.

“Chiron,” Annabeth said. “How can he possibly—”

“He’s the only one capable,” the horseman said. “You know that better than most.”

Her eyes flicked to Percy. Memories flashed through his mind. A quick, burning kiss. A promise. Then, the way fire engulfed him. The call of the sea. An explosion, strong enough to wake one of the most dangerous monsters of all.

When the bombard was over, he understood. He had to face this monster alone, like he had with the telkhines.

“Okay,” he finally said.

“Okay, what?”

Chiron nodded at him, ignoring Annabeth’s question. Without glancing back, he retreated to where the rest of the demigods were watching by the sand dunes as a precaution.

“I need to face him alone,” Percy told her, once Chiron was gone.

“No! Percy, that thing is bigger than—”

“I’m the only one that can’t drown, Annabeth!” He grasped her shoulders so that she was looking directly at him. “If anyone can do it, it’s me.”

“Don’t think I can’t see what’s going on with you,” she said, voice bitter and rough. “You’re distant, like, like the ocean is—”

“We’re both growing distant, ‘Beth. That’s not the problem right now.”

She pushed his hands away. “And that’s not what I’m talking about, and you fucking know that!”

Before he could reply, the monster's call came again. A reminder that this night wasn’t over.

“Please. Just trust me on this, Annabeth. I have to try. It’s our last option. You said so yourself: it may be capable of drowning the entire camp.”

She said nothing, not even sparing him a glance.

“And—and I don’t know why I’m like this! Maybe it’s because I can feel the ocean getting agitated, or because the war is getting worse, or—”

He realized it, then. Annabeth's tears. They were silent rivers, flowing gently down her cheeks and into her mouth. Flowing down to where everything ended up, to the sea.

“Hey,” he said, approaching her slowly. He took both of her hands in his, but she repelled away from his touch. “Please, ‘Beth.”

This time, he cupped her damp cheek, moving it in his direction. “Please look at me.”

And when she finally obliged, her gaze was fractured with glistening tears, like diamonds.

“I can’t lose you again,” she whispered.

Percy had yearned for too long; he let go of that rope tugging him in the opposite direction and instead let Annabeth in. They melted into each other, both shamelessly giving away the little warmth they preserved. It was the kind of hug that felt like a lifeline, the kind that made them both sway like the tide.

“I missed you,” he mumbled into her curls.

She held him tighter. “I missed you, too.”

“But I have to fight this one myself.”

Annabeth pulled away slightly—and when he saw the look on her face—he knew that she knew.

-

“HEY, SHRIMPZILLA!”

The Scolopendra reared its head, even uglier up close. Its nostrils flared with hairs, beady eyes staring down at him. When he charged, the monster bellowed and threw itself in the water, sending sprays taller than a house.

But none of it touched Percy.

He didn’t stop running, a plan in mind. Meanwhile, the sea churned around him in one giant mass of power, but it parted with each step he took, forming a trail of now exposed ocean floor. Water collided with the sky, flying with the salt in the air.

Hello, friend, it seemed to say. Or rather, hum. The sea was a song, and he was just there to dance to its melody.

The Scolopendra had disappeared again.

He didn’t look back, though he knew the entire camp was there, watching—maybe in awe, but he didn’t care enough to find out. He kept walking, alone, surrounded by a pool of green and blue. Was this how Moses felt, In those stories he’d heard? Bricks of ocean water, flinging up into the sky, just so that Percy could pass. The feeling distracted him from the objective.

That’s what he’d argue later, because Percy can’t explain how the monster managed to sneak up to him that easily.

The pool of green seemed endless. There was a moment where nothing moved, not even the water. But then something did tug him violently, up, up into the sky.

For a second, he couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t scream out, the breath stolen from his lungs and the icy rush of air when flung into the sky nauseating. The only feeling he knew was of the Scolopendra and its death grip on his entire body.

With each second, the roiling waters grew farther and farther away. The Scolopendra’s growl, however, couldn’t have sounded closer. Sharp claws sank into his chest and arms. If he didn’t react now, he’d be eaten before the next flash of lightning struck the sea.

Somehow, he managed to uncap Riptide.

And with a scream, he stabbed, as hard as he could.

-

“Hey. Want company?” A soft voice said.

He craned his neck around.

Annabeth subconsciously made the world easier to look at. Especially now, as she stood behind him in the pier with the last vestiges of harsh sun striking her back. Her stance was stiff, hesitant. He understood why.

So instead his eyes bored into his lap. He shrugged.

That was a sign enough for her. She crouched next to him, pulling her legs under herself and then flinging them out to where the wooden planks ended and the open air began, toes nearly kissing the placid lake.

She sat next to him, quiet as the wind. It took a few seconds or minutes or hours before she decided to speak.

“I’m sorry.”

From his peripheral vision, he could tell that she’d been studying him instead of watching the reflection of herons flying above the water. Something he’d thought she’d been doing. Apparently not.

It also took him seconds or minutes or hours before he could respond.

“What for?”

She exhaled, “Letting you go alone. Being a part of the campers who…”

She didn’t finish that sentence. He knew why.

Being a part of the campers who abandoned you alone after what you did.

“S’okay. I get it.”

A lie. He didn’t get it.

“Doesn’t make it right.”

He stared at his hands. “Guess not.”

The details of the fight were yet to go away. The memories were still fresh—like his mother’s batch of cookies whenever he came home from camp. Teeth were ever-present in his mind. And those webbed hands. Those twisted sounds as a monster choked on its own blood.

Afterward, everyone had taken a step back. Even Annabeth and Chiron seemed to contemplate him as though he were doomed. Maybe he was.

“I wish Grover were here.”

“Yeah,” Annabeth sighed. She kicked her leg up, swatting at some mosquitos. “Me too.”

“He’d pull our shit together, fix everything.” He found himself sounding wistful, longing for a missing piece of himself all of a sudden.

She didn’t reply to that. They both missed their best friend. Now, more than ever. Percy tried to not dwell too much on the fact that Grover hadn’t responded to his Iris Messages or to his calls from their shared empathy link.

“I’m sorry.”

“You already said that.”

“No, Percy. I’m serious.”

“I know.”

“Just look at me.”

He did the opposite, gazing at the trees to his left. They were a deep, mystical green. The colors looked like the ocean, where he’d displayed his powers for everyone to see. Worst mistake of his life. He realized that tears had begun to form in his eyes; he quickly blinked them away.

“Percy,” Annabeth insisted.

Her tone wasn’t hash or demanding—but rather, a light pink sky. A hand brushing his, sweet and tender. He noticed that it wasn’t just his imagination; glancing down, he found her fingers ghosting against his knuckles.

“Please look at me.”

This was eerily familiar. It hit him, then, that he’d said those exact words when she’d panicked about him going alone to fight the Scolopendra.

Hesitantly, his eyes focused on her face. Her freckles were there, golden like the rest of her. Only now, her eyes were rimmed with tears.

Something changed inside them both. She stared at him, he stared at her. Her face contorted, and the both broke down, crumbling like ruins with the slightest gust.

“I’m so sorry,” she sobbed, clinging to his shirt.

“Me too,” he murmured back.

He held unto her as if she were a life force, breathing in her lemony scent. Tears were exchanged, mingling in the other’s hair. They held each other, an embrace that didn’t deserve to end. It only made him cry harder, while Annabeth held him closer.

“Why are you sorry?”

He couldn’t say it out loud.

I’m sorry for why we’re like this. I’m sorry for scaring you. I’m sorry for leaving.

Instead, he pulled away. He studied her, every single feature, from those grey eyes and that upturned nose to those curls that no longer appeared to look like a princess.’ They were just Annabeth’s.

“I scared you,” he said.

His arms loosened around her, just now realizing how long they’d hugged, but their hands stayed interlocked—like some sort of middle ground.

She regarded him, eyebrows furrowed. “I can’t ever be scared of you,” she said matter-of-factly. “You’re my best friend, Perce.”

He looked away. “Everyone else was.”

“I should have gone to you after—I just...I thought you were angry at me.”

Their hands separated. “Why would I be angry at you?”

“Because I let you handle all of it alone. The monster, the campers—”

“‘Beth.” He took her hands again, cupping them with his. “I couldn’t ever be angry at you.”

“That’s not true,” she said wryly.

An observation, not an accusation. Still, that didn’t make it hurt any less. He recalled the shouting, the fights. The only thing they looked for in those moments was to hurt the other, twist and pull at any chink in the armor they could find.

She winced, remembering that, too. “Sorry.”

His mouth twitched. “You’ve said ‘sorry’ too many times. It’s getting repetitive.”

She hit his shoulder playfully. “Well, I mean it.”

He didn’t retort anything back. They found peace in this lake, once again gazing at the horizon.

“It’s not true what you said, either,” he said, his mind lingering on what she’d told him earlier. “You’re scared, as well.”

The sound of the incoming crickets carried on in Annabeth’s hesitation.

That is, until she said, “I am. Scared. I’m scared.” He glanced over. She was staring in his direction, but she wouldn’t meet his eyes. She cleared her throat. “I didn’t know you could do that.”

“Neither did I.”

She laughed, breathless. “See that’s what scares me. What else can you do? Honestly?”

He shrugged, turning away from her.

“How’d you do that, anyway?”

“I defeated it, didn’t I?” It was better to deflect than to answer her question.

Defeating the monster should’ve been what mattered, anyway.

“Percy.”

“Annabeth,” he said, in the same condescending tone.

“All I’m saying is that you could hurt yourself. You don’t know what you’re capable of. And then when your birthday happens—”

“You think I’m going to destroy Olympus or something?” He shook his head. “I should’ve known that you’d side with the gods on that, too. You think that they should kill me?”

“What? Percy, I’d never—”

He whirled, facing her, and finally let go of all those pent-up thoughts that just like the sea, wouldn’t leave him alone.

“Just admit it, Annabeth! Admit that it freaked you out that I blood bended or whatever the fuck Chiron called it! Admit, that it freaked you out how I killed that monster! That I’m fucking cursed!”

“Percy Jackson, you are not—”

“Yes, I am. Why would my dad give me powers like that? Huh? Just say it with me: you’re scared—of me.”

Her eyes were red, face hard as stone. Just like her voice when she said, “Look. I just wanted to help. But if you want to sit in your self pity, then go for it! You clearly don’t need me.”

She made no move to leave, however.

Their eyes held, until the anger from both of them melted. He huffed out a breath, shoulders hunching. “We can’t ever stop fighting, can we?”

She sighed.

“Guess not.”

“I won’t do that again.”

She lifted her chin. “Why?”

“Like you said. Scared you.”

That made her purse her lips.

“You’re not cursed, Percy. You know that, right?”

She reached for his hand. It was becoming a strange routine. Finding comfort in hand holding and then dismantling it as if it never happened.

“You’re mostly right all the time, so.” He squeezed her hand. “I s’pose I’m not cursed, then.”

“I’m right most of the time?” she said, eyes twinkling.

“Okay, fine,” he conceded. “You’re right only sometimes.”

She opened her mouth in mock-offense. “Percy Jackson—”

He cut her off with his laugh, a laugh that fit with the music of the crickets. She rolled her eyes, something that he’d missed achingly, now that he saw her do it for the first time in what seemed like forever.

Scooting closer, she nudged him. “I could help you. Alongside Clarisse.”

His eyes widened. “You knew about that?”

“She’s my friend, too.”

“Of course she is,” he muttered.

Him and Clarisse...they might’ve had a rocky relationship when he’d first arrived at camp, but now, he didn’t know what he’d do without her help—without her friendship. They both understood the other in a bizzare, not very common way. She’d helped him hone in his powers, but it had yet to be something he’d wanted to admit to Annabeth. To everyone else, for that matter.

“I get why you didn’t want to tell me,” she said. “But...I do want to help. You’re my best friend, and, and I also want to spend time with you. If...that’s alright.”

“It’s alright by me.”

Annabeth gave him a look.

“Yeah, yeah. I know.” He tried for a smile. “I guess you could come along, then.”

His grin was shared with her, though her eyes were serious. “You’ll see. We’ll figure out your powers. What you can do, why you can do it, why the sea is affecting you…”

“All of it?”

She nodded. “All of it.”

They left it at that, though what they didn’t leave was the canoe pier. Not until the sun hid under the trees, spilling its ink of reds and oranges across the horizon.

The golden of the sun was replaced by the silver of the moon for the night, then it rose again for the day.

And in between, the waves lapped against the shore, constant and content. The ocean had calmed. For now.

[loki-hargreeves]

Loki x Reader - Thanos controls You

Warnings: angst, mentions of torture, mind-control, fighting, choking, blood and gore, more angst (it's a lot ok)

Word Count: 5,8K

Summary: After failing to deliver the Tesseract, Loki has been living in fear that Thanos will one day find him again and seek revenge. You have been missing ever since Loki was imprisoned after what he did in New York. Little did Loki know that you were with Thanos all along. During the events of Infinity War, Thanos makes you battle Loki in order to obtain the Tesseract

Author’s Note: I know Thanos doesn’t have the mind stone at the beginning of Infinity War but it’s fiction and I’m gonna do what Marvel does best, ignore canon. Let’s blame the Other’s powers, okay? Please enjoy this angsty little thing! :)

YOUR POV

“There’s room for more!” Loki yelled over the cries of scared children and their crying families. There was no way he would send a half-empty escape pod on its way to Midgard. That’s when he saw a child all by herself a little further away. She was clinging onto the wall for dear life and the ship trembled due to the impact of getting shot at. Her parents were nowhere to be seen. Dead. Loki felt sick to his stomach when he knew they were most likely dead. Thanos’ children were slaying kids and their parents heartlessly and they had the audacity to say they were being rescued. That their deaths were part of something bigger than life itself.

They viewed Thanos as a god who was being merciful even when he ripped a beating heart out of someone's chest.

Loki’s heart clenched in his chest painfully. Before it would be too late, he made his way to the tiny child and picked her up carefully. She seemed to recognize the prince but she wasn’t afraid of him. Instead, she hugged Loki so she wouldn’t fall out of his grasp.

“Where’s mommy?” The girl sounded absolutely petrified.

Loki didn’t know what to say as he made his way to the pod. Once he reached it, he saw a woman by the entrance.

“You’ll be safe here,” Loki promised the child as he handed her over to the lady. That’s all he had time for as he returned to the corridor. A particularly loud blast made him stumble over his feet and he had to catch his balance by taking support from the metal wall. The lights flickered, which meant the electronics of the ship were injured. There was a strange smokey smell in the air, which lingered with the irony stench of blood.

Loki couldn’t believe this was happening. Had Thanos finally come for him? Or did Thanos somehow know of the tesseract? Either way, if Thanos succeeded, he would kill two birds with one stone. The thought of this being all his fault made Loki nauseous. Guilt was nibbling at his skin and he knew it would eat him alive in the end. He never wished for this to happen!

As he ran down the corridors frantically searching for Asgardians that needed help, he heard different kinds of cries. People were letting out guttural screams. Others were pleading for their lives. Listening to the massacre that was taking place was worse than any nightmare Loki ever recalled having. They were all drained after Ragnarok and now Thanos had found them. It was haunting how ruthless fate could be.

Footsteps began to approach Loki and they were awfully close. Too close for his liking. He was quick to grab his daggers and turn to face whoever dared try to sneak up on him. When he saw a familiar figure, he nearly dropped the blades from his hands. Seeing you there was like shock itself punched him in the face.

You were there, real and clear as day.

How long had it been since the last time he saw you?

Ever since Loki had found out about his true nature, his life had gone downhill. After he ended up with Thanos and went through pure hell with him, he had changed. During his time away from Asgard, he had only missed one person truly - you. You, who had been by his side through everything. You, who hadn’t loved him any less when you saw his deep blue skin and those crimson red eyes that in Loki’s mind resembled blood. You, who had seen him as the rightful king of Asgard when everyone else betrayed him. The light of his life, the angel that had cared for him even when he felt like a monster.

You, who hadn’t been on Asgard when Thor brought him back to face Odin in trial. Loki had spent a lot of time in his cell, alone. He waited for you to appear but you never did and no one ever told him why. They rather left him to drown in his own vicious thoughts. It wasn’t until Loki pretended to be Odin that he began to learn what had happened on Asgard during his exile.

The people at the palace loved to gossip. Some claimed you had stolen a ship and left Asgard behind for good, that living as Loki’s widow had been too hard for you. In Loki’s darkest hours, he wondered if you truly felt ashamed for being associated with him. So ashamed in fact, that you had left it all behind and started anew. Sometimes, he believed that, but it never stopped him from trying to find you. He had searched night and day but it seemed like you had vanished into thin air. It had killed him more every day living in the unknown. His only wish had been that you were okay.

Now there you were, looking like you had never left. In a moment of pure shock, Loki couldn’t even begin to comprehend how you appeared on the ship - seemingly out of nowhere. He was happy to see you, despite how appalling everything else was at that moment.

“Y/N,” Loki spoke your name softly and dared to blink. When you were still there as he opened his eyes, he felt goosebumps all over his skin.

You looked at him so innocently, but then he noticed that something was off. The look in your eyes was cold. You weren’t in your typical Asgardian gear. Instead, you were dressed in dark armour that Loki could’ve sworn he had seen before, but he didn’t know where. Nevertheless, it made him feel uneasy.

“It’s been a while, Loki,” You attempted a smile as you walked closer to him, your husband. It still counted since he had never truly died, right?

Loki didn’t stop you as you walked right up to him. His eyes never left yours. Part of him wanted to kiss you, to hold you and feel you were real, but the shrieks in the background reminded him of how dangerous everything was. The daggers disappeared from his hands and Loki held you by your shoulders. He needed to see that his hands wouldn't go right through you, that he hadn't lost it.

“You need to get off this ship, Y/N!” He told you seriously. There was profound fear in his voice.

Instead of being worried at all, you just smiled back at him.

That was so unlike you.

“Y/N, do you hear me?”

“Oh, I do,” You confirmed nonchalantly, “I’m not going anywhere. Not yet.”

A bloodcurdling cry startled Loki. They were coming closer and closer. The two of you wouldn’t be safe in that passageway for long. By now, his heart was racing with his thoughts. He felt panic settling into his bones.

Before Loki could say another word, you cupped his face rather gently. The fact that you didn’t seem disturbed by what was happening was eerie to Loki. He knew that you had a heart much bigger than anyone else he knew of. The version of you he remembered wouldn’t have been so calm. Something was terribly wrong.

“I need something,” You admitted and batted your eyelashes. Before, Loki would’ve found that quite adorable, but at that moment it was so wrong. He had been so ecstatic to see you and know you were alive, but now he almost wanted to run the other way.

“What?” Loki barely found his voice at that point. He felt sick and heartbroken. This had to be a nightmare, the worst kind.

“The Tesseract, Loki. I really need it,” You blurted it out.

Shivers ran down his spine. How did you know about it? Why did you even care? He was unsure if he could even trust you with the knowledge that he had it in his possession. Usually, he would’ve trusted you with his life without any hesitation, but you had been gone for years and returned like this, with bizarre motives.

You returned at the same time as Thanos and you were looking for the tesseract. Loki wasn’t a fool. He finally put two and two together and the realization was too arduous to believe. The idea of you and Thanos even meeting was something Loki could only see happening in his worst nightmares, but he was afraid it had already occurred. If so, he needed to hear it from you,

“Is Thanos making you do this?”

The tone of his voice seemed to offend you as you sent him a nasty glare. Your softness turned harsh and you pushed Loki against the metal wall with a loud thud. Before he could get out of the way, you grabbed your own dagger and pressed it against his neck so it was ever so slightly pressing against his exposed skin.

“He is not making me do anything. I am glad to serve the all-mighty Thanos. I won’t fail him, unlike you,” You snarled at Loki spitefully.

Never in a million years had Loki imagined this moment to happen. One where you would be fighting against each other. It was supposed to the two of you against the nine realms. Being held like that by the one person he loved more than anything was tearing his heart to shreds, but he tried not to show it.

Deep down, he knew it wasn’t truly you. He knew exactly what Thanos had done to you so you would act like this, and it only made it hurt so much more. It felt like someone was pouring salt into an open wound, and his entire body, heart and soul were wounded.

“Now give me the tesseract and we will be on our merry way,” You tried to obtain it again. This time you seemed more serious. Was it the tone of your voice or your weapon pressed against his pulse? Loki didn’t know.

“I don’t have it,” Loki lied as smoothly as he could because even thinking straight at that moment felt impossible. The world was caving in around him at supersonic speed.

You pressed the sharp edge of the blade closer to him, feeling how just a little bit more pressure would've broken his skin “You’re a great liar, my dear, but I know that’s not the truth.”

Loki didn’t want to fight you, but he didn’t see another way out. And it was good for him that you had learned most of the tricks from him. Your every move would be more easily predictable for Loki. He had to find a way to distract you.

“Why do you need it?” That was a foolish question. He knew damn well what Thanos would do if he got his dirty hands on the infinity stones.

“Why do you care?” You didn’t answer his silly question.

Suddenly, Loki grabbed your wrist tightly and yanked your arm to the side. He tried to be as gentle as he could, but Loki knew you wouldn’t go down without a fight.

At least your weapon fell out of your hand, but you knew how to defend yourself without it. So did Loki.

Loki tried to turn things around so he would have you pinned down against the wall, but you didn’t let him get that far. As he turned you around so your back was pressed firmly against his chest, you kicked your legs against the wall hard, pushing both of you back. Loki took the biggest impact as he fell on the floor, with you on top of him. Quickly, you rolled out of his grasp, turning around in one swift movement so that you were now sat on top of him, with your legs tightly against both his sides.

A powerful orb of magic grew above your fingertips and you brought it closer to Loki’s face - so close that he could feel the heat of your burning powers. The magic created an electric sensation on your skin. It felt like you pushed your fingers deep into warm sand. Toying with it was exhilarating, and seeing the astonished look on Loki’s face made it so much better. The green light of your powers cast light in his eyes, only deepening the look of disbelief that was painted all over him.

“It’s sweet that you’re trying not to hurt me,” You taunted him at that point, “but that doesn’t mean I won’t hurt you.”

“This isn’t you, Y/N,” Loki groaned. He was so sure of himself.

You tilted your head and smirked, looking at him like a cat would at a mouse. “I don’t know, Loki. It’s been a while,” You explained casually and leaned closer and closer to his face, stopping when your noses brushed against one another. By now, Loki was frozen on the spot. He was trying to come up with a plan and he felt hopeless.

“I’ve changed,” You whispered to him and felt tempted to kiss him, to taste him. Would you taste his fear? His heartbreak? You were sure it would taste sweet.

“The torture must’ve been painful,” Loki pushed his feelings aside. Yes, he felt like his heart had been ripped to shreds, but he had to do something. He had to surprise you, even if it would hurt. Words could hurt more than actions, and if Loki wanted to survive and to help you, he needed to reach the real you even if the only way to do so was cruel.

How did he know? You narrowed your eyes and surprisingly, found yourself waiting for him to continue.

"I was trained well."

"Trained?" Loki spat out harshly, "I know you're afraid. He has promised you something worse than the pain he has inflicted on you already. It won't happen. If you let Thanos continue his reign, he will not care about your loyalty!"

"Shut up!" That was too much for you. With tears brimming your eyes from anger, you put your hand over his mouth to silence him. He didn't budge and you didn't know why.

You pushed the memories aside. The painful memories of the time Thanos first found you. It was wrong to think of it as torture. No, he had shown you what you're truly capable of. It was training. Training to become a stronger person after the hell you endured on Asgard.

But now that you found yourself thinking about it, it seemed like the memories were all blurred as if you were looking into the past through a broken lens. Someone had spilt oil all over it and the pictures were warped.

"I know you have it," You needed the tesseract. "Give it to me and then this will all be over," you removed your hand from his mouth because it looked like he wanted to speak.

Loki knew that if he’d push you, your magic could burn him, but at the moment he couldn’t come up with another plan. He couldn’t just stay on the ground as people were being killed on the other side of the wall!

"Okay," Loki blurted out. Okay?

For a moment, he had you surprised which was the perfect distraction.

Loki grabbed your wrists tightly and pushed you to the side, but not quickly enough. You released your magic and it graced the side of his face, making him growl out either in pain or frustration - or both. The two of you rolled over and this time Loki was on top, holding your arms pinned above your head. You were trapped because of one mistake. You couldn't believe Loki had used the element of surprise to turn the situation upside down.

Furiously, you tried to kick your legs free, but he had you pinned down beneath him and Loki was strong. There was no point in squirming, you had to come up with another idea.

The two of you faced each other and Loki revealed his face and the damage you had done. Your magic had burned his skin and left a bloody cut on his eyebrow. It had just barely missed his eye. If he lived, it would surely leave a scar.

You flinched when a drop of his blood hit your cheek and it rolled down the side of your face.

"What are you going to do, kill me?"

Loki could never bring himself to kill you. He wouldn't be able to live with himself with your blood on his hands. No. He had other ideas. Loki remembered what it was like to be under Thanos' control. He remembered how much it hurt to even think about the torture. He had to remind you, he had to make you see that this wasn't the real you.

"This version of you, or I certainly hope so," Loki replied mysteriously. Before you could ask him to elaborate, Loki released your wrist and slammed the palm of his hand against your forehead. In a split second, you were in a different place - in your head. You could've sworn you heard him mutter "I'm sorry," before everything turned black.

It was hot, burning hot. Metal chains were attached to you and they were glowing red. Torching. You could only scream in pain as the metal sunk into your skin, your bones, your nerves. It felt like he had chained your mind and with the tiniest movement of his finger, he could make you do his dirty work.

He, Thanos, was sitting on his throne. He was the puppet master and you the puppet. He didn't look at you fondly. No. He was smiling as he watched you cry your lungs out, letting out animalistic growls as the pain got worse. It was so overwhelming that every once in a while, you would scream until you passed out. But every time, one of his children would be there to wake you up.

It was time for another round. And another. And yet another. Would it ever end?

Each time you tried to resist the chains, the strings that were sewn onto you and connected to his fingertips, it hurt more. Eventually, you learned that allowing the strings to tighten around you made it hurt less. It almost felt good, like a long embrace after a long day.

"I don't want to hurt you, my child."

Lies. You knew that all he said were nasty lies, but sometimes it was easier to believe lies than the truth.

"Make it stop!" You would beg him. How long had you been there?

You could remember Thanos touching your face gently, which was so comforting after everything you had endured. At the same time, it made you sick. You couldn't believe that the one who had caused you distress could have such a gentle touch.

"You're ready," Thanos had realized. The Other had appeared right before you and his fingertips were pressed against one another, making him look like he was deep in thought. You had no idea what they were doing, but the next thing you knew was that you no longer felt pain.

The chains, the strings, they were all invisible. It looked like you were free, but the weight of the metal was still pressed against your skin. Had you imagined it?

No,

Deep down you knew that the strings were still attached to you, but they had only made it seem like you had a choice.

"Excellent," The Other's voice surprised you. You merely blinked and you had returned to the vessel. Loki was above you and the Other was standing right there, "You found him."

The Other used his powers to push Loki off you. Shock had made your entire body numb and you couldn't scramble up to your feet. It felt like your limbs had been turned to stone and you were anchored to the floor.

Loki got up slowly with his arms raised in surrender. He was well aware of the powers the Other had and Loki wasn't going to fight him now. If he followed you for long enough, then maybe just maybe he could come up with a plan. Loki looked at you as you finally got up. As you stood next to the Other, you couldn't believe your legs carried you. Something was so wrong. You felt sick and you couldn't shake it off. It felt like something had snapped within you, but you didn't know what.

"He is waiting for you," The Other explained as he turned to walk away, most likely to wherever Thanos was waiting.

Loki had no choice but to follow, and you walked behind, making sure he didn't try to escape.

Why did Loki make you remember that? What did he think he would obtain with making you relive something so awful? It hadn't worked, right?

There he was. Thanos was standing by a hole that had been ripped into the side of the ship. Magic was keeping it sealed so the vacuum of space wouldn't suck everyone into it. But still, the emptiness of space wasn't frightening at all compared to the titan who was standing right there.

Loki swallowed thickly as he saw him again. It had been years but he remembered everything like it had happened yesterday. Seeing Thanos standing in the middle of the piles of bodies, in the room that smelled like smoke and blood, was sickening. Thanos hadn't just killed a part of Loki. He had just slaughtered these innocent Asgardians with the help of his so-called children. He had taken you.

He will make you long for something as sweet as pain

Loki closed his eyes and took a deep, shaky breath. They had stayed true to their threats.

"I know what it’s like to lose," Thanos turned around now that he knew Loki was there. At long last. Thanos had not forgotten what Loki had failed to do, and Thanos was a man of his words.

"To feel so desperately that you’re right yet to fail, nonetheless," Thanos continued dramatically and slowly made his way closer to Loki. He saw Thor on the ground, bloodied and weak. The brother of Loki. As tempting as the idea was to torture Thor right in front of the god of mischief, Thanos had different plans. If there was only one way Loki would ever give him the tesseract, it was going to be in order to save you. You were Loki's true weakness.

"It’s frightening. Turns the legs to jelly. I ask you, to what end?" Thanos looked Loki right in the eye. He could see that Loki was afraid, yet Loki never looked away from him. He was either too proud or fearless. Thanos had liked that about Loki initially. But he had failed Thanos greatly. It had cost him infinity stones.

"Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same. And now, it’s here. Or should I say I am," Thanos finished his dramatics because it was time for action, to turn the wheels and see the bigger picture. This was the end of an era and a new beginning for a different universe. In Thanos' mind, only he could bring balance and order. He gestured for you to walk up to his side.

Too afraid of the idea of what would happen if you disobeyed, you walked right up to Thanos, feeling like a fly that was willingly flying into cobwebs. When you were close enough, you kneeled and dipped your head so he wouldn't see the worry in your eyes. It wasn't there before.

"I didn't obtain the tesseract from him, but I am sure that he has it, father," You muttered quietly. Why did you say that? There was a pounding headache growing within your skull. You didn't know what was right or wrong anymore and you couldn't fight it either.

Father

Loki clenched his jaw as he followed the situation closely. Hearing that made his blood boil. He wanted to rip Thanos apart after this. Never in a million years had he imagined this, to see you pledge your alliance to Thanos, kneeling before him and respecting him. Thanos didn't deserve that. Hell, Thanos didn't even deserve to look at you. It was wrong.

At that moment, Loki worried that his trick hadn't worked. That the memories hadn't awakened anything within you. That it was all too late now. This was the end, the one thing in life that was inevitable.

"I know, my child," Thanos let out a sigh. Then he grabbed you by your jaw like he had done before, forcing you to face him. "I know he has it," He repeated and suddenly his touch turned violent. He closed his hand around your neck tightly and you gasped for air helplessly. Your hands - tiny compared to his - grabbed his fingers and you tried to pry them apart, but he was tougher than you. Panic shot through your entire body when you realized you couldn't breathe. It turned your blood to ice and your poor heart was beating so hard you were afraid it would explode.

What was he doing?

The moment he pulled you to your feet, so high that you had to stand on the tips of your toes, he spoke, "The tesseract or her life," Thanos smiled devilishly, showing no remorse. He didn't care about you. You were a pawn in his game and if you would die at his feet, he would just walk over you and carry on.

"You choose," Thanos put the weight of the world on Loki's shoulders.

Loki wanted to rescue you from that monster, but he wasn't stupid. With all of Thanos' children surrounding him, he knew that he would be dead before he could reach you. Nonetheless, it didn't mean he wouldn't try. Seeing you clawing at Thanos' hand, fighting for something as simple as air and not getting it was heartbreaking. Loki's body was trembling with hatred and hurt. Tears blurred his vision and he struggled to keep his composure.

How had it all come to this?

The thought of Thanos with the tesseract was haunting. Soon he would have all the stones and he would destroy reality as they knew it. But Loki could live with that. He couldn't live knowing you had died when he had a chance to save you. Perhaps he was selfish for choosing you over the entire galaxy, but Loki didn't care. Nothing mattered if he would lose you again.

"Alright, stop!" Loki made up his mind. "I choose her," Finally, Thanos released his grip on you and let you fall on the cold ground. Your hands wrapped around your throat gently and you coughed painfully. It took you a while to finally breathe again, which was a huge relief for both Loki and you.

And now Loki was holding the tesseract. It was so bright that it painted the space blue. It was almost too bright to look at. The power within the stone was so strong, you could sense it like heat from the sun in spring after a long and cold winter. Loki was tempted to use the tesseract to grab you and escape, but he quickly shut those thoughts away. Thanos would follow him for the end of all days.

"You...you really are the worst, brother," Thor was following the situation to the best of his abilities. He spat out blood as he watched Loki holding the cube. It made him sad. Everything they ever knew was destroyed in the name of power, pure and raw power that the tesseract could offer. Was it worth it?

Loki glanced at Thor who was too weak to even get up. He didn't care too much about what he had to say. Then he looked at you. There you were, on the ground struggling to breathe after Thanos had crushed your windpipe. There was bruising on your skin that would only deepen with time. Time that you possibly wouldn't have after this.

He saw the tears running down your face, but you didn't sob and whimper. It seemed like you were as still as stone. You couldn't bring yourself to face Loki.

"I assure you," Loki found his voice and he addressed both you and Thor with his words, "the sun will shine on us again."

What did he mean by that?

You were ashamed to tilt your gaze to see him, to see the tesseract. The damn infinity stone had ruined it all! It was why Thanos had wrecked Loki, why he had destroyed you too. Why so many people were now dead. If you had one wish that could come true, you would wish for the tesseract to be destroyed forever.

Thanos had his back turned to you. Loki was slowly but surely making his way closer to the titan, almost like he was afraid to move but he forced his body to comply. Why? Why would he trade the tesseract for your life? It seemed like whatever spell you had been under had worn off. You were free, but it was more terrifying than being under Thanos' control under these circumstances. He didn't need you, and soon enough the vessel would be blown to bits. All of you, even Loki.

Would you be able to tell him how sorry you were?

"Your optimism is misplaced, Asgardian," Thanos wasn't fond of Loki's strange choice of words.

"Well for one thing I'm not Asgardian," Loki replied quickly. It sounded a little bit witty, which was confusing. Where did the boost of confidence come from? Was he up to something?

"And for another," He continued dramatically. This time it was Thanos' turn to be confused.

"We have a Hulk."

Everything that happened after that happened so fast that you could hardly keep up with it. Loki dropped the tesseract and he leapt toward you. Thanos barely had time to turn around when a huge, green beast appeared out of nowhere and it seemed angry. It was eager to fight the titan.

Loki had you up on your feet in no time and the two of you ran away from the immediate danger. He led you to one of the many corridors on the vessel until no one could possibly see you. They were too distracted by the Hulk to even think about Loki and you. It wasn't until he was right in front of you that you could comprehend what was going on. He was kneeling on the floor and you were sat against the wall for support. Your hands were trembling so hard, it seemed like you were freezing up and you couldn't make it stop.

Loki had tricked Thanos.

He was relieved when you didn't fight him, yet he was unsure if it meant you were no longer under Thanos' control, or if you were simply too tired to fight.

He cupped your face gently and searched for answers in your expression. Back in the day, he had been able to read you like an open book.

You put your hands around his wrists and pulled him closer. You were desperate for the comfort he could bring in the midst of the living hell you were stuck in. How did he not hate you?

"I'm s- I'm sorry," You whimpered, finally cracking like a plate that had fallen on the floor. "I'm sorry."

"Shh, it's okay," Loki couldn't possibly let you apologize for what had happened. He was possibly the one person who understood exactly what you had gone through and what it was like to follow orders from that monster. There was not an ounce of judgement to be found in his heart.

What mattered now was that you were together again. You could come up with a plan, but you had to work fast. As much as Loki wanted to hold you and comfort you, to feel that you were real, he knew there wasn't enough time for that.

"We need to get off this thing," Loki's mind was running a marathon as he tried to come up with an escape plan.

"They're gonna blow it up," You explained, feeling how bad your lips were quivering as you spoke. The moment Thanos had what he came for, they would leave and destroy everything they'd leave behind.

Shivers ran down Loki's spine as he heard that. It only confirmed that you had to act quickly. Loki wasn't sure how long the Hulk could fight Thanos. Would they be able to rescue Thor? How much time did they have?

The blood in the wound you had caused on his face was beginning to dry. It looked gnarly and all you wanted was to make it all better. Knowing that you had hurt him made you sick with guilt.

"I'm sorry, Loki. I didn't w-want to fight you," You sniffled, breaking Loki's train of thought. For the first time, he felt lost. He didn't really know what to do. Were there any escape pods left?

"I know," Loki assured you. "I know that. I was in your shoes when I was on Midgard," He explained briefly, unaware whether or not you knew of it. Had Thanos talked about him to you?

A sense of impending doom weighed you two down. If this was the end, then at least you were together, right? You and Loki against the nine realms, you would face the end together if there wasn't another way out. Whenever you had pictured your final day, you had imagined something entirely different than this. You would be old together, with hundreds of stories of your shared life. You would be surrounded by people you cared about. It would be calm, the exact opposite of this.

"I love you," You needed to tell him that. Any moment could be your last. The world would cave in and you would be gone forever.

Loki hated how much that sounded like a farewell, but at the same time, it had been so long since he had last heard those three words, let alone from you. Perhaps it was sick and twisted, but it made him smile.

"I love you too," Loki was sure of it. He had never stopped loving you and he didn't think he was even capable of that.

It seemed like you acted on instinct. You found enough strength to push yourself right against Loki. There was no hesitation in your actions as you kissed him. Loki closed his eyes when he felt your trembling lips pressed against his. Your scent, still sweet and familiar despite it all, punched its way into his lungs. He held your face gently but the kiss was passionate, almost despairing.

You wanted to scream out in agony because at last, you were reunited with Loki but not in the way you imagined. You felt like the shell of the person you were before, and now you knew for a fact that Thanos had done the exact same things to Loki. That titan had killed your souls beyond repair. But all you could do was kiss Loki and hold him and hope that he could feel how sorry you were. You didn't want to let go, afraid that if you did, it would all end. Just like that.

Loki broke the kiss, and for a moment you rested your foreheads against one another like you had done so many times before. It was comforting. You both wanted to stay close like that, but you recognised that you couldn't. Letting go of each other and getting up on your weary feet was so incredibly difficult, but it had to be done.

The world around you began to glow brighter. You quickly held onto Loki, startled as the mysterious light surrounded the two of you.

Loki held his breath as he studied the warm glimmering magic that had swallowed you. In between the bright rays of light, he saw all the colours of the rainbow. Shimmering. He saw reds and blues, yellows and greens, shining brighter than the other and it changed smoothly.

The Bifrost

He didn't know how or why, but he knew for a fact that you were in the magical portal. He couldn't see beyond it anymore. He couldn't feel the floor beneath his feet. It was like he was levitating mid-air, with you tightly in his arms.

Heimdall must've conjured the forefathers, letting their powers flow through him one last time. Where to? Loki assumed that anywhere would be better than where they had been mere seconds ago.

And it was a miracle.

A/N: I think it would've made more sense for Heimdall to send Thor or Loki to earth rather than the Hulk. So that's why I ended it like that

I'd absolutely love to hear your feedback! <3

TAGS:

Loki: @yuna-belikova @ornella0910 @castiels-majestic-wings @lucywrites02 @myraiswack @prettysbliss @weirdfangirl2416

Forever Taglist: @iraniq  @embrycallsgirl  @blackroseyaz @badass-psycho @r-alexandra01 @p3aches13 @your-pixels-are-showing @disasterren @iamsuperjenna @yuna-belikova @ornella0910 @optimisticpeacecollector5 @thehumanistsdiary @your-pixels-are-showing @klanceiscannon14 @i-have-arrived-bitch

[uzuitengensfourthwife]

Fallen hard (Sanemi x femReader)

Warnings: none its pure fluff, and well my bad writing and grammar lol

Word count: 2410

Authors note: Okay I got to be honest with you guys. I wrote this back in September or October and posted it on Wattpad, I think (Yes I used to be on wattpad cries) But I really like REALLY wanted to share this on tumblr because its cute and sanemi deserves fluff. I really hope you enjoy it. Im already working on part 2 :)

Sanemi’s POV

,You're going this time right?'' Genya looked up at his brother, eyes full of hope that his brother would go to today's parents' evening. Especially now, that he had a new homeroom teacher. His brother, however, really couldn't care less, he maybe went once a year and that's usually the first and last time a teacher would see or talk to him. Still, he had to go today, Genya wanted him to go.

Yet his Brother's answer was bold and harsh. , And why would I?" Yeah, why would he? Genya started to think of a good reason why it was so important for him to attend today, but all he really could think of was his new teacher and that would certainly not be enough of a good reason for his brother to go. Well, he could at least try and give him this as a good reason to go, but in all honesty, he didn't want to get yelled at.

Sanemi however seemed to notice his brother's nervous behavior. , Just spit it out already.'' he demanded in a sharp tone, staring down at Genya. , W-well... we have a new teacher since last month... and don't you think you should show up? J-just to be polite...'' Genya stuttered, trying to avoid his brother's piercing gaze.

Sanemi just scoffed, trying to get away from this pathetic behavior of his brother. He would not join this damn parent's evening, not even if there was a new homeroom teacher. He already went once a year, wasn't this enough? Of course, the school disagreed with this, but goddamn it this was just a waste of time and that's exactly why he only went once a year. No more.

, Aniki, please... I'll do the dishes for the rest of the month!'' Genya tried again, he had to make his brother go and this was the last thing he could think of that might, just might work as bait on his brother.

Surprisingly, it worked. Sanemi then turned around, looking at his brother as he made another offer. , Two months, and I'll go." This was too good to be true. Genya smiled at his brother as he nodded, agreeing to his brother's offer. , Okay, sounds fair." - , Good. When do I have to be there?'' Sanemi asked. , 8 pm.''

Well and this, this was the reason why Sanemi was now waiting in front of the Classroom. Waiting for his brother's teacher to come out and finally talk to him. 

Sanemi sighed in annoyance as he thought about how convincing his little brother was. He should've charged him way more than just two goddamn months, he should've charged him at least a whole damn year. If not even more. Even so, he could not return time and now had to deal with this new teacher of Genya. And if he was honest, he did simply not care about this new teacher. He was already thinking of how great he'd feel when he could finally leave when the door of the classroom suddenly opened and a woman, most definitely younger than him, stood there smiling at him.

, Mr. Shinazugawa, please come in." her voice was soft like a feather, kind of soothing as she said his name, kindly inviting him to enter the classroom. He was shocked, he did not expect his brother to have such a teacher, all day he imagined her to be an old hag, but instead of an old hag, a wonderful young woman was standing in front of him.

, I'm Y/N L/N, nice to meet you." She held out her hand as she introduced herself and waited for him to take her hand for a handshake. And so he did. , Sanemi Shinazugawa, pleased to meet you as well." he coughed out, slowly shaking her hand. God, why was he so nervous all of the sudden? It was just his little brother's stupid teacher.

Yeah, what the actual fuck was he even nervous for?

, I'm glad you had the time to come, Genya was afraid that you might not be able to attend." - , Well.." Sanemi started as he looked in her (e/c) orbs, I guess I was able to take some time.''

Her smile only grew bigger, showing him to take a seat in front of the teacher's desk. , And for that, I am very grateful. There's a lot of stuff I want to talk about.'' She sat down in front of him, going through a pile of paper, probably looking for Genya's folder. , So... what did the idiot do?" Sanemi sighed out, already preparing himself to hear what Genya did wrong and what HE had to pay for. But instead of hearing any complaints, Y/N only chuckled, leaving Sanemi dumbfounded as he watched her with confusion. , Oh he didn't do anything bad. No, indeed he's a very good student! Everyone adores him!" But that, Sanemi didn't hear.

As she started to brabble how great of a student his brother was, all he could do was watch her. Examining her soft features. He was fascinated, nearly hypnotized by her beauty. For once, he was thankful that his brother was so convincing. Sanemi might be harsh, however, he was able to acknowledge a beautiful woman when he sees one. And this woman right in front of him, was out of his league, maybe even out of this world. If he had to describe her beauty, he wouldn't be able to find the perfect word. She was just too pretty, too beautiful, too stunning. Probably even an angel, sent from above. And her soothing voice just fit her beauty so well. God, she was perfect, and for the first time in a while, Sanemi had forgotten how to think properly.

,,-and that's why Genya has already gotten so many good reviews from teachers from all subjects. So- Mr. Shinazugawa?" He suddenly heard her calling for him, snapping out of his thoughts.

Oh god, he was so deep in his thoughts that he even had forgotten to listen. He knew the moment he saw her that he has fallen for her, but ....he didn't know he has fallen that hard., Ah... I'm sorry..." he whispered in an apologetic tone, rubbing the back of his neck. The teacher in front of him however just chuckled again waving her hand, as if she was telling him that there was no reason to apologize. , No worries! But well as I was saying, Genya is a really good student and has gotten many good reviews from all kinds of teachers. Not only that... but his grades are pretty good as well. Almost only A's!" She then handed him a pile of all the grades his little brother has gotten so far, he didn't care, but for the sake of her, he took a good look at all the reviews and grades she has handed him.

He hummed in response, once he looked through all of the stuff, giving her back the paper as he answered. , I have to admit, he isn't that bad." She shook her head and scoffed, taking the papers he was holding. , Please, not that bad? God, he is pretty amazing if you ask me!!" The young woman then leaned in closer, frowning as she looked Sanemi in the eyes. , You should be more proud of him. After all, he told me you are his role model. He looks up to you and thinks you are an amazing big brother." Sanemis eyes widened at the statement, as Y/N slowly leaned back, obviously waiting for him to say something.

He then let out a low laugh, once again not sure what he was supposed to say. , That's... surprising.." The young teacher then slowly shook her head. , Well..." she shortly after said looking back up. , Just remember that he adores you a lot... oh and with that being said... You should read through this. This is just one of Genya's amazing essays he has written." the smile was back on her face, easing the tension between the two adults.

She handed him over an essay his little brother wrote, he knew he was supposed to read through it, but oh god he was just so distracted by her.  So he just had to pretend he was reading, while in reality he still tried to get over the beauty of this woman in front of him. He wasn't usually the type to show affection towards anyone, nor fall for someone this easily. But she, for some odd reason, got him all riled up.

, So...?" the younger woman nagged, curious about what Sanemi was going to say. , I'm surprised that my brother is actually this good." She nodded, agreeing with him. , He indeed is very good."

Sanemi had to confess, he hated the way she was praising his brother, for basically everything he did. Of course, she was his teacher and was actually supposed to say these things and yet he felt like she shouldn't praise his brother, but him. Yes, she should praise him, however, she probably knew too little to even be able to praise him. Damn, they have only ever met. So where did this sudden jealousy come from? And why only after they have met? It would've made so much more sense if it happened months after they've met, but now? After literally 10 minutes. Stupid, he thought, that was just stupid.

No, he was stupid.

, Is that all?" Sanemi looked at the small figure in front of him, still, inside he was hoping she wouldn't let him go so easily, that she would keep him here a little longer.

, Hmm... let me think.." she went through her bag, that she had now on her lap, looking for things she still had to mention before she would let him go. , Ah yes.. here." she handed him a few brochures of Universities, smiling at him. , You should start talking with him about applying to a few Universities. Probably these in particular. They'd fit him really well.''

Sanemi grasped the brochures and went through them, just then he noticed those were high qualified Universities. Even the one he went to himself, was listed as well, which made him feel some kind of pride.

, I hope you have realized that those Universities are popular amongst qualified students." - , I know," he answered as he pointed at his former University. , After all, mine is listed as well." Her eyes widened in surprise as she took a glance at where his finger was pointing at. , Tohoku University?" She was amazed, he could see that right away. The way she just looked at the brochure and her tiny hand that was placed right in front of her mouth.

, Yes indeed, but I don't see why my little brother-" she shushed him without hesitation, suddenly standing up and looking him in the eye. , Mr. Shinazugawa, your brother is a smart and a very skilled person! You should encourage him to go to Tohaku University as well!" this time she wasn't saying it to just sound nice, no it was the other way around. She said it because she actually meant it. She was dead serious about this. , Why... just why do you think he is that great?"

She slowly sat down again, a small smile forming on her lips. , Because he's just as great as his bigger brother." Sanemi was shocked, no not shocked but rather.. surprised, yet, she didn't hesitate to add more to this statement of hers. , Now that I've met you, I can totally see the resemblance. He's just like you and I totally see why he has chosen you as his role model."

He was once again astonished. , Has- has he said that?'' She nods, as she watched him. , Yes he did. He has mentioned you a few times. Fact is, he looks up to you, so I've guessed you must be an amazing brother.''

Part of him was embarrassed and wanted to disappear right away, the other part however was full of pride, thanking his brother for talking so highly about him in front of his teacher. The teacher that left him speechless.

So, sanemi smiled a little, looking away und scratching his neck as he did so. , Guess my brother wants to be a Mathematics major as well, huh.'' She hummed in response as she put away his little brother's folder. , Well... I guess we have talked about everything. Is there anything you want to add, or mention?''  Sanemi started to search for something, but obviously, there was nothing he could think about. She had probably mentioned everything she wanted to talk about and he, well he didn't want to attend the parent's evening, to begin with. So, he sighed and shook his head.

There was nothing, and with that disappointment came. He didn't want to go yet, but he couldn't just possibly stay here and talk to her any longer, let alone ask her out. That would probably seem to be very rude. But little did he know, that she just felt the same.

The sudden silence that lingered between him and her, made both of them nervous and uncomfortable.

, Then... I guess there is no reason for me to hold you back any longer.'' she was the first one to break the silence, and oh god he most definitely didn't want to hear these words. And yet, he played it off cool, getting up and marching towards the door. But before he could even reach the door, she suddenly spoke again, stuttering at the beginning. , M-Mr. Shinazugawa?''

Sanemi turned around, glancing at her. He then realized that she seemed... somewhat nervous. But why?

, I know... this is probably inappropriate to ask... but... would you mind joining me for coffee once..?'' Without even thinking, he answered, I would love to.'' and with that, he smiled at her as he exited the room and leaving the young woman perplexed.

Strolling through the building, he realized that there was a stupid little smile plastered across his face. Oh these feelings, so exotic and wild. He was not used to them, but somewhat liked the thrilling feeling.

Falling for someone wasn't even that bad.