#I’m still surprised that nothing has happened while I’ve been walking Sadie… | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

nanagoswife · 4 years ago

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For You? Always.

Chapter Six

Summary: You, Sadie and Ben go out to a local bar, but things go sideways.

W/C: 3.7k

Warnings: Swearing, harassment

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The rest of that night was spent with the two of you doing more catch-up and talking about current events. It helped you forget about what she had said before about the ‘ultimate test’. In fact, you had forgotten about it completely, making the next day embody a much lighter mood.

With Sadie by your side, you had gone for lunch. You would’ve gone for breakfast, but the two of you were not huge morning people. Sure, you woke up early most days, but the only thing that kept your energy up until the afternoon was purely coffee. So, the two of you decided to wait for the lunch hour.

Then, the rest of the afternoon was spent by the entertainment of watching Sadie’s routine for getting ready to go out. This takes hours for her to do. Even though she started that early on, you knew she probably still wouldn’t be done until after Ben had arrived. Which is why you did warn him to expect that you wouldn’t be leaving right away.

Thinking about seeing Ben again did make you feel happier through the afternoon as well. You had to restrain yourself from telling him to come over earlier, if it weren’t for the fact that you still had to get ready.

By the time Sadie had been close to the end of her procedure, you had begun and finished yours. Tonight you wore a comfortable yet stylish skirt with a button-up dress shirt. Then you were ready. You weren’t one to really put on makeup or style your hair as you felt good just by the way you dressed.

Time rolled by and Ben showed up right as you had told him. That is, five minutes early anyway. Even with that, though, he technically was very early as Sadie was still finishing up.

“So, how was your day dealing with this?” Ben said gesturing towards a quite frantic Sadie.

Stifling a laugh, you turned to him. “I mean, I’ve only dealt with this for almost my whole life. How was yours?”

“It was spent with great boredom until now. I was very close to asking if I could’ve come over early.”

As he said this, guilt that you didn’t ask him to come over early started to creep in until you pushed it away.

“Well you’re here now. Hey, is this the first time you’ve actually been inside of my house?” Ben looked around, taking in his surroundings as he nodded to himself.

“Yeah, I guess it is," he said. "Beautiful.” This he said while looking at you.

Thanking him while pretending he was talking about your place, you blushed and smiled at him with pleasure.

“It can’t be too much better than where you live.”

“Trust me, it is. I have my room but everything else looks almost as if no one lives there. I have my desk for work in the living room with a hardly used T.V., and my kitchen has virtually nothing other than coffee, mugs, cream, sugar, and some other drinks and snacks.”

You laughed in disbelief.

“Really! I’ll show you one day.” He joined you in laughing.

Both of you were brought out of your moment once Sadie had finally finished getting ready.

“You’re lucky. This was one of her quick days,” you whispered to him. He could only give a faint chuckle so Sadie wouldn’t catch on.

Grabbing a few essentials for the night, the three of you walked to the nearby local bar.

On the way, you held Ben’s hand, occasionally walking into him and slightly sending him off of his balance to gain a laugh from the two of you.

Sadie looked back at you with kind smiles as the walk was mostly silent. The bar wasn’t far, only a few minutes away, making the silence short either way.

Walking into the bar, it was a bit busier than usual. That didn’t bother you too much, though, as it was still decently calm and wasn't packed with people.

While you and Ben found a table, Sadie went and got drinks from the bar. You found a booth and this time you sat across from Ben with the expectation that Sadie would sit beside you. Instead, she took a seat beside him after placing the drinks and a serving of deep-fried pickles on the table.

That move confused you a little until you realised this meant she wanted to be able to have more direct conversation with him. You chuckled at the thought that he didn't know what was coming.

Together, you all talked in a much calmer manner than the day before. This time, Sadie hadn’t rambled off in her fast paced story telling, but listened more and had more paced responses and stories.

"Did you know," Sadie started after taking a sip of her drink, "that Y/N was almost always at work in her free time?"

You started to slightly panic. How would Ben react to the days in the cafe? Did he even remember how you always saw him there?

Looking at Ben, his eyes met yours. They were soft and telling of something that you couldn't make out. Not until you realised that it was because he did remember.

"Is that so?" The way he said this, as he looked back to Sadie, confirmed your thoughts.

A sense of relief filled you when he didn't say anything more.

"I swear, we had to pry her away to actually do things."

So as to not give away your unease of the current topic, you chuckled. You wanted to the cafe situation to be more private with Ben. Especially because you kind of liked him back then.

Sadie didn't need to know that Ben was the reason that you started to question your relationship with your boyfriend in high school. All she knew was that there was someone else.

To your immense relief, Sadie changed the topic. It helped you forget the tricky conversation you had narrowly avoided.

A bit later, you decided to grab the next round of drinks as Ben and Sadie had been in a deep conversation about what you could only guess was politics.

You had kept up on it but clearly not as much as those two. Going up to the bar to grab more rounds was a well needed breather.

While you waited, a guy that was not far gave you a friendly greeting. “How’s your evening been?” he asked in a very friendly way.

“Pretty good. I haven’t been here for a while.” you replied as you turned back to wait for your drinks.

He kept talking to you. At first, it slightly annoyed you. All you wanted was to get the drinks and go back to Ben and Sadie.

After a few moments, though, you eventually started to engage more in the conversation. It was actually quite pleasant. The man seemed very friendly and looked genuine in his just wanting to talk.

The man then asked who you were at the bar with. Pointing over to the table, you could see the two were still in deep conversation.

“Well, they look like they’re having fun,” this earned a laugh from you, knowing how passionate Sadie would especially be about the government's situations.

“Yeah, that’s one way to describe it.”

“Well, why don’t I buy you a drink. It doesn’t look like they’ll be paying attention to how long you’ll take.” You agreed, but the way he said that put you off a little. It was true but there was something that seemed weird.

Calling the bartender over so you could say what you wanted, he introduced himself properly. His name was Tony. Over the drink, the two of you started talking a bit more. When you told him what your job was, he almost couldn’t believe it.

“Wait, so if I see any advertising for a book being published by your company?”

“I was most likely the one who made it or signed off on it at the very least,” Tony seemed almost dumbfounded at that fact. It made you laugh.

When Ben realized you hadn’t been back in a while, he pointed it out to Sadie as he looked around. She had looked too.

He found you standing at the bar talking to another man as he heard your laugh. Though he didn’t like it too much, he let you talk. He didn’t want to stop you from finding new friends.

Going back to the conversation with Sadie, he couldn't help but look over constantly as he felt like something wasn’t right.

“Are you okay, Ben?” Sadie asked as she noticed his constant looking over at you.

“Yeah. I just know what some guys can be like. I just want to be ready in case-”

“In case she does something?” He looked down in shame. “Ben. Don’t worry.”

“But I am. Not about what she’ll do, though. What if he tries to force himself on her? I’m not just going to sit here and let it happen.” Sadie gave him a thoughtful smile which only slightly annoyed him.

A bit reluctantly, he turned back to Sadie and continued talking with her. There were a few more things to discuss.

Ben tried to stop looking over, but he couldn't help but notice how the man grew increasingly closer to you. It got to the point that he was now almost grazing against you.

Then, the very thing he feared in that moment happened.

The man you were talking to advanced forward, grabbing your wrists and holding them down to lean forward. Without hesitation, Ben jumped out of the booth and ran over to you.

“No, stop!”

“Get off of her!” Ben yelled as he pushed Tony away. “Don’t you know what the word no fucking means?”

There was anger in his voice which you had never heard. It was even the first time you ever heard him swear. There was something about it that sent chills down your spine.

Off to the side, you saw Sadie come up beside you and pull you into her side.

“What? Are you her boyfriend?” Tony said in a mocking voice.

“Yeah, he is,” you chimed in. Tony’s expression went from arrogance to one of shock. Ben, too, had a light look of surprise but didn’t let it distract him from the moment.

"You never said he was your boyfriend," Tony said accusingly.

"I didn't think it mattered," you said a small, quiet voice. It was shaky as you felt tears well up in your eyes.

Sadie noticed this and pulled you tighter to her. She knew exactly what you were about to start thinking about.

“Now, I suggest that you fucking leave before he does something," Sadie had piped up, pulling you the slightest bit closer while gesturing towards an angry Ben with her head.

With a glare from Ben, Tony scoffed as he walked to the door. Thankful that not many people were watching, relief flooded through you.

Slowly, while making sure you were okay, Sadie released you. Absently, you rubbed your wrists from where Tony had tightened his fists around them. The tears that stung your eyes were threatening to fall.

Sadie had pulled you back into her embrace when she saw this.

Then you remembered and whispered, “Sadie, was that the test you were talking about?”

“Fuck no! I didn’t even actually have anything set,” she said this as she pulled you tighter to her. “I was just joking around. I may be mean, but not that mean. Not after-” she cut herself off at the memory.

You knew what she meant. That didn’t need to be brought up now.

Looking at Ben, you saw he was watching Tony leave. When his gaze rested on you, his once hard gaze immediately softened. Then, he gave a reassuring smirk.

Escaping Sadie’s grip, you went and pulled Ben into a tight hug as you said, “Thank you so much.”

Putting his own arms around you, he pulled you in tighter. He lightly pressed a kiss to the top of your head. That's when a few tears fell. He held you and whispered reassuring words until you felt better.

After this, you all agreed to get some fresh air. Even though Tony was gone, you especially felt the need to get away from the area. At least for a moment.

Together you walked around, almost tightly holding onto Ben’s arm, and Sadie walked on the other side of you. Both of them made you feel like you were being protected.

When you got to a certain point, Ben asked, "Would it be alright if I have a moment alone with Y/N? There's something I'd like to discuss with her."

When Sadie nodded, she had a knowing look in her eye. Almost as if this were a plan.

Giving you a small smirk, Ben led you down a pathway that you hadn't realised was next to you.

The path eventually opened up to a sandy beach pinched between gentle waves and an area of grass at the top. This grass area was surrounded by bushes and trees, cutting this area off from the street and making it completely private. It helped that the path was quite long, meaning that it wasn't even right beside the street on the other side.

On the grass, a blanket was laid out which was lit by a soft light given off by an electric lamp.

“I wanted to bring you here for a while now," Ben said as the two of you paused at the end of the pathway and looked at you. "It’s usually where I go to get away from stress. When you left for the drinks, I told Sadie about this.” He paused for a moment.

In the momentary silence, you took it all in. It was a beautiful area. Calm and quiet but amazing in the sights and sounds.

There was something in you that wished that this didn't happen after the recent event. You wished that this happened after something more positive.

When these thoughts filled you, you didn't notice that a frown had made its way across your lips. You started to feel guilty.

Ben saw this and turned to face you. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

Concern had swept into his tone. Assuring him you were, you told him to not let it worry him.

“But I am worried. I care about you and I want you to feel safe.”

“I do, Ben. I always feel safe with you.”

Ben relaxed his shoulders as he smiled.

"I'm glad. That doesn't stop me from worrying that you're lying when you say you're alright."

The concern in his eyes was real. You couldn't help but chuckle.

"Don't worry. I ensure you that I'm okay."

"Alright," he said quietly.

There was still worry in his eyes, but he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he offered his arm and started to lead you to the set up area.

“By the way, that lamp will probably go out soon. I set it up quite a bit ago.”

Letting out a bit of a laugh, you leaned your head on his shoulder as you walked over towards the, for now, lit area.

Stepping up to the blanket, you stopped and looked towards the water. The ever enchanting moon was reflecting against the surface, doubling its beauty.

Together, you were surrounded by the privacy of the trees and bushes. As Ben moved to be in front of you, he took your hands in his and looked down at them.

“I thought this place seemed like you. Quiet, modest and calm. Yet loud in its power, strength and beauty.”

Ben looked up from your hands and gave you a warm smile.

“The night I found you in the park, I was going to come here, but I needed a change of scene. Then, whenever I returned here, I could only ever think of you.”

Your heart felt like it was going to explode. His words brought a warm feeling flowing through you as your heart beat faster in anticipation.

Raising a hand, you placed it on his cheek feeling the slight scratchiness of his days stubble. It was contrasted by the softness of his cheek.

Staring into your eyes, Ben leaned into the touch. As you placed your other hand on his chest, he placed his on your waist and pulled you softly against him.

You gazed into his eyes, seeing the tenderness in them. There was so much that you could see. In this moment, you knew how much he cared for you.

This was a moment you've wanted to happen for almost a week now.

Pulling him closer with the hand on his cheek, you pressed your lips to his. Easily, he kissed you back.

It was soft, warm and welcoming, everything you imagined. There was something about it that made you want more.

As you deepened the kiss, he pulled you closer, moving his hand to your back. You moved the hand that was on his cheek to his soft hair. The longer strands were a comforting change from his cheek.

After a moment, you pulled away, feeling heat flood your cheeks as you breathed deeply. He breathing was also heavier and you enjoyed feeling the rise and fall of his chest against yours.

Ben, still looking into your eyes, put one of his hands behind your head. Once both of you caught your breathes, he pulled you back in. You ran your fingers through his silky hair even more, taking in the moment.

Suddenly, the two of you were distracted as the light suddenly flickered off.

When you looked back at each other, you laughed, letting your foreheads rest against each other’s. In the light of the moon, you looked up into Ben’s eyes. If you could stay in this moment, you would.

“I’m sorry,” you said as guilt from the earlier once again creeped in.

“What do you mean?” Confusion flooded Ben’s face as he lifted his head away.

“For earlier. I shouldn’t have let it happen. It’s my fault. I let it get to that point and didn't tell him about you. I-”

“Hey!” he cut you off as he laid a hand on your cheek. “It's okay. It wasn’t your fault. There was no way you could’ve known that he would be like that.”

A grin snuck its way back onto your face, the guilt slowly disappearing at Ben's words again.

“Also, do you really consider me your boyfriend?” Ben said this with a light-hearted touch, causing you to chuckle.

Watching his eyes, you nodded as you said, “I really do.” The gentle hand that had been on your cheek pulled your face to his.

“Then,” he mumbled against your lips, “it’s official.”

After a smile and a happy laugh from both of you, you tugged him back in for one more kiss before resting your head on his chest. In response, he rested his head on top of yours as he wrapped his arms around you. Listening to the beat of his heart, togetherness was all you could feel.

Interrupting the moment, you remembered that Sadie was still waiting, “Ben, should we get back to Sadie?”

“She went home."

You were almost shocked when he said this, but then he explained.

"I told her of this plan at the bar. When I told to her, she said she would head back to your house. I told her she didn’t need to but she insisted.”

You weren't surprised about that. Sadie had always been one to support plans like this.

“Well then, shall we sit?”

Looked into your eyes with a smile, Ben nodded.

When he pulled his body away, you shivered from the cold air. Like he had before, he slipped off his dress coat and draped it over your shoulders.

Settling yourselves on the blanket, Ben laid down with you beside him, your head resting on his chest. With his jacket as a blanket and his arm around your back, you felt bliss.

After what you could only guess as hours, Ben suggested that he should bring you home. At this point, you started to get drowsy in the comfort., but it was also getting colder.

This led you to agree, but not without a small protest.

Getting up with a chuckle, he gathered the blanket and wrapped it around both of you as you clung to his arm.

During the walk back, you let your head fall against Ben’s shoulder. He guided you home as you occasionally let your eyes fall closed.

“Ben?” you said as you drew close to your house.

“Yes, darling?”

“Will you stay over tonight?”

Looking down at you, Ben smiled with great fondness. No words were needed, just the small nod of his head was enough.

Stepping up to your door, Sadie was there opening it for you. Not only were you tired, but the drinks you had earlier had made you a little tipsy. Walking into the foyer, Ben slid the blanket off of you both as you took off your shoes.

Following you to your room, Ben helped you get settled, you still wearing his jacket. He pulled the blanket over your shoulders and kissed your forehead before heading towards the door.

“I’ll sleep on the couch. I’m sure Sadie will-”

“You will do no such thing,” you said quickly. A feeling a bravery came over you, “I don’t want you out there, I want you here.”

A small grin appeared on his face and his voice was soft, “Okay.”

He closed the door before he took off his tie and unbuttoned his dress shirt to reveal a t-shirt underneath. Taking off his belt, he placed all of them carefully onto the shelf beside the door. Ben turned the light off before making his way to the other side of the bed.

You snuggled up to him as he made himself comfortable. The steady sound of his heart and breathing combined and lulled you to sleep. Ben’s warmth and comfort also helped it along.

Next>>

@stardancerluv @jaydenwoo @madmax2003

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andrewmoocow · 4 years ago

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Steven Universe Alternate Future chapter 16: Enemy of my Enemy (originally published on May 3, 2021)

AN: At long last, Black Rutile strikes! I have been anticipating writing this inevitable confrontation between her and the Crystal Gems for ages, and now finally everything I've building up to these past two parts will come together in a neat little package! We got a big battle, a villain song, fusions, who could ask for more?! But I'm getting ahead of myself, let us finally begin.

Synopsis: Jasper is unofficially sworn into the Crystal Gems when some old foes come together.

Cast:

Zach Callison as Steven

Estelle as Garnet

Michaela Dietz as Amethyst

Deedee Magno-Hall as Pearl

Noël Wells as Black Rutile

Lauren Ash as White Topaz

Grace Rolek as Connie

Jennifer Paz as Lapis, Zuli, Mean Lapis

Shelby Rabara as Peridot, Squaridot

Uzo Aduba as Bismuth

Matthew Moy as Lars, Dante

Kathleen Fisher as Fluorite

Enuka Okuma as Rhodonite

Ashly Burch as Rutile Twins

Erica Luttrell as Padparadscha Sapphire

Christine Baranski as Hessonite

Della Saba as Aquamarine

Charlyne Yi as Eyeball

Larissa Gallagher as Bluebird Azurite

Jinkx Monsoon as Emerald

Melissa Fahn as Demantoid

Kari Wahlgren as Pyrope

Kimberly Brooks as Jasper, Biggs Jasper

Aparna Nancherla as Nephrite

Michelle Maryk as Larimar

Ian Jones-Quartey as Snowflake Obsidian

Amy Sedaris as Teal Zircon

Martha Higerada as Topaz

Dee Bradley Baker as Lion, George, Elaine, Cosma

AJ Michalka as Stevonnie

Nancy Linari as Martha

Featuring Catherine Tate as Lepidolite

Alan Oppenheimer as Professor Poindexter

And Burt Ward as Mangolin

It has been a hectic past few hours for Steven. He was having another nice day when suddenly, Hessonite, Squaridot, and the Off-Colors all came flying out of Lion's mane, telling him that Lars needs to see him just as the Destiny Destroyer crash-landed on the beach.

Not too long after, Lars was rushed to the hospital and Steven decided to follow him in the ambulance. Steven had never been to a hospital before, so it was a little frightening for him to be somewhere on Earth that he had never been before, especially since many humans go there regularly.

"Hello, did you admit any patients into this place recently?" Steven hurriedly asked the receptionist.

"Name please." the college-aged receptionist answered, barely glancing up from her phone to meet Steven's panicking eyes.

"Steven Universe!" Steven gave his name.

"You're going to have to be more specific Mr. Universe." the receptionist stated.

"He's got pink skin, a scar over one eye and his hair is a portal to a pocket dimension where there's like a couple of trees inside." Steven explained. The woman just stared at Steven in confusion for a bit before going back to her phone. "Anything the matter, miss?"

"I'm happy you said all of that with a straight face." the receptionist said, putting down her phone to go on the computer. "One sec Universe." She looked up the most recent patients on the monitor and turned it to show Steven his desired patient. "Are you looking for Mr. Laramie Barriga?"

"Yes, that's him!" Steven exclaimed. "I was there when he got taken away in that ambulance! Where is he now?"

"Room 723." the receptionist answered. "Take the elevator, make a left and then a right. Got that?"

Before the woman could turn back, Steven had already vanished to find Lars. "Kids." she grumbled.

As Steven raced through the hospital in search of his undead friend, numerous unfamiliar sights greeted him. A doctor's office contained a child receiving a flu shot, a man in a wheelchair let Steven pass him by, a woman was on her way to an operating room, and a doctor solemnly fixed an empty hospital bed while a family was mourning.

Finally, Steven reached Room 723 just as a nurse was passing by the room. "Hello, I'm a friend of the patient occupying this room, and the Off-Colors told me what happened. Can I please come in and visit him?"

"You may." The nurse replied and opened the door for Steven. "Doctor Laurie, our patient has one more visitor." She said to the doctor standing by a bedridden Lars along with his parents, Sadie and Shep. "He said a bunch of "Off-Colors" told him everything."

"I'm here Lars!" Steven exclaimed as he rushed into the hospital room to be by Lars's side. "Hessonite and the Off-Colors told me what happened after they came flying out of Lion's mane!"

"Steven, finally!" Lars cried happily as he grabbed Steven's shoulders. "Listen, I need to warn you! You and the entire planet are doomed!"

A little while later, Lars was given a clean bill of health and was allowed to go home by ambulance. He sat on one side of the ambulance with his parents while Steven sat on the other end, and Lars continued to reveal what happened on Homeworld.

"What I'm trying to say Steven is that there's this Gem who's been inspiring others to rebel against you and Era 3!" Lars explained. "She's gathered up tons of your old enemies so they can get revenge too, and they're coming for Earth!"

"Lars, I understand your concern," Steven calmly stated. "but you're getting a little wound up over nothing. Almost everyone loves what I've done to the Gem race. There's nothing bigger going on, outside of Aquamarine being annoying."

"Seriously, you don't believe me?" Lars flatly asked in disbelief. "Well, do you at least believe what Hessonite said?"

"I believe that you teamed up for a fun space adventure!" Steven answered before his phone started ringing. "Whoops, got a call from Garnet." he said before answering the call. "Hello?"

"Steven, you need to come to Little Homeworld quick!" Garnet urged Steven from the other end. "Rogue Gems are on the attack, and they want us dead! Me, Amethyst, Pearl, Lapis, Peridot and Bismuth have already helped evacuate everyone, but we still need you to save the day again!"

"I'll be right there!" Steven bravely declared before hanging up and turning to the driver. "Sir, I need you to take us to Little Homeworld!"

"It's an emergency!" Lars added while showing him a picture of the Gem village.

"I don't see why not." the driver replied as he made a detour to Little Homeworld.

"You sure about this Lars?" Dante asked his son. "I mean, you just survived falling from space, I don't think we can handle you risking your life again so soon!"

"I promise you guys, I'll be back home when this is all over and I'm back in space." Lars assured his parents and hugged them.

"Be safe Laramie." Nancy said. "But then again, you got Steven to help out."

"Yeah, he's got me alright." Steven assured Mr. and Mrs. Barriga.

"Okay kid, we're here." the ambulance driver declared as the vehicle came close to Little Homeworld. "This is probably the first time I've escorted someone to stop an alien invasion."

"Here's good, thanks, sir." Steven said before the two boys bust the ambulance doors open and raced off to Little Homeworld.

What the pair discovered when they finally reached Little Homeworld was utter chaos. Almost everything was in ruins, smoke billowed everywhere, Light Warriors, Cluster Gems & Cactus Stevens were pillaging & demolishing, and at the center of it all was Aquamarine and Eyeball.

"Steven Universe, what a most pleasant surprise." Aquamarine purred as she turned to face Steven and Lars, batting her wand in her hand. "And look you've even brought Lars as well."

"Aquamarine, Eyeball." Steven laughed nervously while looking at the chaos behind the pair. "Did you, uh, maybe come to reconsider?"

"Reconsider, my facet!" Eyeball yelled before her fusion partner stopped her.

"But we did come with a few new friends." Aquamarine answered smugly.

"Well, that's certainly a start." Steven grinned before a massive hand made of water grabbed him and its creator brought him up to face her. "Hey, you're one of those Lapises! What brings you to Earth?"

"Sorry kid, I'm one of those new friends." Lapis 1J9G announced before dropping Steven to the ground and folding her arms as she landed right next to Aquamarine. "And we're afraid not even half-listening to you will work this time."

"See Steven, this is what I was trying to talk to you about!" Lars exclaimed, gesturing wildly to the three Gems. "A bunch of Gems want to get back at you! Though I thought there'd be more."

"I believe he's referring to me." Emerald bragged as she stepped forward with a panicking George in her hand.

"George!" Steven shouted. "And you, I know you! You're uh," He began getting off track as he only ever saw Emerald through a video screen. "Sorry, I've only met you that one time and now I've kinda forgotten-"

"IT'S EMERALD!" Emerald shrieked furiously. "How could you forget about me after Era 3 made the Diamonds let Lars off with a slap on the wrist for stealing my Sun Incinerator?!"

"Oh, calm yourself Emerald." Pyrope calmed the elite Gem down as she held aloft one of George's sisters, who was in full panic mode and pulling on her pigtails.

"Indeed," Demantoid added, also holding one of George's sisters in her enhanced arm. "You wouldn't want to make yourself less presentable for our victims."

Just then, the six Gems moved aside and kneeled to their leader, whose very appearance completely rocked Steven's world. Black Rutile walked towards Steven with a bowie knife to a rose while White Topaz followed her. When she cut the rose's head, Black Rutile finally faced Steven with an evil smile.

"I know you, you're that reporter!" Steven exclaimed. "Why are you hanging with these guys?!"

"I'm hanging with them?" Black Rutile scoffed at Steven. "I believe you're mistaken; THEY'RE hanging with ME!" She then threw away the rose's stem and steepled her fingers together. "Anyways, do you have any last words?"

"This is not good at all certainly fits." Steven declared nervously before the eight Gems slowly began marching towards the boy, eager to finally get their revenge.

However, their plans were quickly cut off before they could be put into action as Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl swooped into saved Steven and Lars from the rogue Gems.

"We trusted you, you psycho!" Pearl roared while her spear clashed with Black Rutile's knife.

"And everyone was dumb enough to trust you." Black Rutile replied snarkily. "So as you humans say, hello pot, meet kettle."

"Seriously, what makes you think we're worse than you are?" Amethyst asked.

"Something about how your ways will make the Gem race a bunch of puny hippies or whatever." White Topaz answered. "No hard feelings when we destroy you and everything you worked so hard for?"

"What did I tell you about getting friendly with the enemy?" Black Rutile hissed at her Topaz bodyguard before turning back to the Crystal Gems. "Now, let me repeat myself. Any last words?"

"My future vision tells me you will fail." Garnet declared defiantly. "And we will find a way to make that future happen."

"Such noble sentiments from a couple of Gems who are gonna die!" Black Rutile replied as her knife turned into a sword that she prepared to slash the Gems with until a loud rumbling sound was heard. "What was that?"

"Need a hand?" Peridot asked as she, Lapis, and Bismuth appeared on a makeshift flying machine made out of scrap metal that she controlled with her ferrokinesis.

"So that's where you ran off to!" Pearl exclaimed while Bismuth picked her up by the hand to toss onto the metal pad.

"No time to talk, we have to move!" Lapis exclaimed, picking everyone else up with her water powers. When everyone was on board, the pad zoomed off.

"Uh, why aren't we stopping them?!" Lapis 1J9G exclaimed before preparing to fly off when Black Rutile stopped her.

"Let them run." Black Rutile smiled deviously. "I want to see how they can lie their ways out of this situation. But in the meantime, I have another idea."

Before the Crystal Gems knew it, they finally returned to the beach house where Hessonite, Squaridot, and the Off-Colors awaited their return.

"I still can't believe it!" Steven gasped in denial of their current situation. "I get that not everyone would like what I've done with Homeworld, but I don't think I'd make them angry enough to want to kill me!"

"I tried to warn you, Steven." Lars declared sassily. "But you just didn't listen! Probably because you're so in denial of wanting to accept that not everything will go your way."

"Lars, this is no time for backtalk, Earth could be in danger!" Pearl scolded the pink-skinned human as the group walked into the house to think of a plan. "That Rutile seems to have thought of everything! I mean, she's a Rutile for crying out loud, they barely held any power in Homeworld!" However, Pearl then turned to the Rutile twins standing right next to her. "Uh, no offense you two."

"None taken." The twins replied.

"Still, she's got quite an army at her side." Lapis said. "She's got one of those Lapises I fought on Aozul 2, she's got Aquamarine, Eyeball, Pyrope & Demantoid, an Emerald, and that's not even accounting for the minions they got!"

"But what does Black Rutile want with us?" Peridot and Squaridot asked in unknowing unison.

"According to her Topaz, it must be something to do with that Steven did to the Gem race." Bismuth analyzed. "But who knows what she'll do next?"

"I know." Garnet declared. "I've looked through dozens of possible timelines trying to uncover Black Rutile's true plans. This is what I feel could be the worst possible one."

"What does it look like?" Steven asked before Garnet kissed him on the head, temporarily bestowing Steven with her future vision and a glimpse at what could be to come.

It took centuries of careful planning but at long last, Black Rutile had finally won. Once the Crystal Gems were finally destroyed and she indoctrinated the Gems they had enslaved to her noble cause, she then reawakened the Cluster that was slumbering within the Earth's crust, ultimately finishing what the Diamonds were too cowardly to do and destroying that annoying little planet once and for all.

Within mere weeks, the Diamonds met their demise, and Black Rutile installed herself as the new ruler of all Gemkind. And with the beginnings of her dictatorship came the Gems reverting to their old ways during Era 4. The caste system was reinstated but also reinvented at the same time. Now, it was Black Rutile above everyone else.

As countless Gems were tormented into building a grand statue to their magnanimous leader, a lone Pearl solemnly marched through the throngs of enslaved Gems under the orders of Emerald, until she was brought before Black Rutile, who was sitting on a throne as black as her body & her heart while the shattered remains of all who opposed her hanged above her in one big bubble.

"My Rutile, I come with the most glorious of tidings." Emerald decreed as she shoved Volleyball forward. "We have succeeded in terminating the resistance, but I feel you'd find particular interest in shattering their leader yourself."

"Ah yes, Pink Diamond's little Pearl." Black Rutile snickered as she descended from her throne to meet Volleyball. "Who would've guessed a submissive little slave would try to start a revolution? Well, anything to say?"

Volleyball, however, was too terrified to speak, having just witnessed her fellow rebels being shattered before her eye and now faced with the thought of being destroyed herself.

"What's that? No grand speech about how hope will live on or that there will be others like you that will rise against me?" Black Rutile asked rhetorically. "Oh please, I've destroyed every last threat to my power on both this planet and the Asteroid Field Formerly Known as Earth." She declared, gesturing towards the shard-filled bubble floating over her throne. "What's another pile of shards to add to the collection?"

With that, Black Rutile extracted her bowie knife from her gem and used it to jab Volleyball in hers, ending her life within mere seconds.

"So ends the legacy of Pink Diamond." Black Rutile purred as she collected the Pearl's shards in a bubble. "A real shame. She had so much potential and wasted it on being a total brat and threatening her own kind."

She then returned to her throne, where she lifted the bubble towards the bigger bubble, and the two merged. Now Volleyball's remains joined the tons of Gems that Black Rutile had heartlessly shattered. Ruby, Sapphire, Amethyst, Pearl, Peridot, Lapis, Bismuth, Hessonite, Citrine, Spinel, the Diamonds, all nothing more than shards. But her proudest achievement was the small gathering of pink dust that was once Steven Universe.

Returning to the present day, Steven was left utterly aghast at this possible future, but it made his resolve to stop Black Rutile even stronger. "We have to keep this future from happening!" he declared. "All we need to do is gather up an army of our own!"

"I'll call Connie and see if she's free to save the world again today." Pearl stated as she picked up her phone and started dialing.

"Which Gems do you want me to recruit out of everyone we evacuated?" Garnet asked.

"I don't know, just pick anyone!" Steven exclaimed.

"That's the Steven we know and love!" Amethyst replied, cheerfully giving Steven a noogie when she came to a realization. "Hey wait, if Black Rutile is gathering up Gems that have a beef with us, then what would you think if she tried recruiting Jasper?"

"Y'know, Jasper did say she was eager to fight again." Steven agreed with the little Quartz. "Maybe we should try and get to her first."

"I'm not sure Steven." Pearl said as she got off the phone with Connie. "Besides, I don't think Jasper would ever want to side with us."

"Black Rutile has gathered as much information as possible on all of us, and Jasper has likely been given the same treatment." Squaridot stated. "So it's just as likely that she'll try and ensnare Jasper to her side."

"We have to get to Jasper before Black Rutile does!" Steven hurriedly declared before turning to the Warp Pad behind him. "Gotta go, I'll be back soon!"

As Steven left for the forest via Warp Pad, the other Gems just gazed at the pad where he once stood.

"Good luck Steven." Pearl muttered before turning to Lion. "Go fetch Connie, okay?"

Lion nodded obediently and let out a roar, creating a portal that he leaped through to get to Connie.

Meanwhile, deep within the woods of Beach City, Jasper had been watching all that was going on in Little Homeworld from on top of her cave. As she watched smoke billow from afar, she couldn't help but feel that Steven brought this upon himself for enforcing peace for all Gems.

"He could've just ended colonization and leave it at that, but no!" Jasper muttered to herself while leaping down to the entrance of her cave. "He had to make them all into peace-loving weaklings!"

"Couldn't agree more." Jasper heard a familiar voice concur with her opinion. When the orange Gem turned around, she discovered Black Rutile leaning on a nearby tree with Aquamarine standing on a branch above her. "Jasper, correct? I don't think we got properly introduced to each other."

"If you're here for another interview, then forget it!" Jasper bellowed at Black Rutile before bringing her attention to Aquamarine. "And I see you got that little brat with you too."

"You are indeed correct Jasper." Aquamarine declared. "In fact, I'm not the only one who she recruited because of how dissatisfied I am with Era 3. Many Gems have been rallied by my master here to rebel against Steven's oppression and create a utopia."

"Are you sure about that?" Jasper asked with an eyebrow raised. "Sounds to me like you're starting some kind of cult?"

"A cult?! Stuff and nonsense!" Black Rutile assured the quartz. "We are simply fighting for our rights! Would you like to join us?"

"Jasper, don't!" Steven exclaimed as he rushed to the cave, where he saw Jasper standing with Black Rutile. "Please, you have to listen, Black Rutile is not to be trusted!"

"Don't you dare listen to him!" Black Rutile insisted. "He's the son of Pink Diamond, and it's both their faults you went from mighty Gem warrior to a lonely shell of your former self! Don't you see, you could finally get your revenge on Pink!"

"Revenge on my Diamond?" Jasper growled. "Fat chance! Why would I ally with some low-ranking Rutile just because she hates Pink like almost every Gem on this planet?! I'd rather be a peace-loving weakling than one of your lackeys!"

"Low-ranking?!" Black Rutile argued. "I'll have you know Jasper, I was one of a kind among Gems of my type because I worked my hardest to receive White Diamond's highest honors and join the upper-class of her court! You're just a mere Jasper who probably didn't even know Pink in person for the selfish, bratty sociopath she w-"

Before the Rutile could finish, Jasper summoned her crash helmet and sent her flying out of the forest with a single headbutt. "I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS, YOU ROTTEN QUARTZ!" Black Rutile cursed Jasper. "YOU JANKING CLOD!"

As Aquamarine chased after the flying Rutile, Jasper turned to Steven with a grumpy look in her eyes. In contrast, the starry-eyed Steven squealed excitedly while staring at Jasper. "Quit looking at me like that." Jasper snarled. "Let me guess, you want to recruit me too?"

"I thought you'd never ask!" Steven declared eagerly.

"Yes indeed, my Ministry of Maliciousness shall soon destroy the United Defenders of the World and conquer the world at last!" a weirdly animated mad scientist with three circles arranged in a triangle decorating his bald head declared as he gestured to his fellow supervillains. Amethyst was watching this happen on television with some of the other Gems in Steven's room.

"Apex Predator!" A muscular man decorated in animal skins fired his highly advanced hunting rifle at nothing in particular.

"Electric Ellen!" A young woman in a black suit with lightning bolt patterns demonstrated her powers for the other villains.

"Automato!" A bronze robot with green optics simply stood by his seat at the table of criminals, his soulless eyes unblinking.

"Scare Master!" A large man in a monster costume that continuously leaked hallucinogenic gas and wearing a yellow ring let out a ghoulish laugh.

"The Unidentified Felonious Extraterrestial!" A cybernetic insectoid alien made a shrieking noise, exposing the smaller head in its mouth.

"And of course, your illustrious leader!" the scientist introduced himself. "The world's greatest criminal mind, Professor Poindexter, Ph.D.!"

"Uh, why are we watching this show?" Zuli asked Amethyst while she sat next to Lapis.

"This is what our current sitch reminds me of!" Amethyst explained. "Mangolin's archenemy Professor Poindexter gathers up each of the United Defenders of the Globe's enemies to form, like, a team of supervillains!"

"Why is the animation so lazy?" Peridot wondered as she leaned on Biggs Jasper.

"It was the 70s, limited budget." Amethyst said. "Ooh wait, here comes Mangolin!"

The cartoon then changed scenes from the Ministry of Maliciousness to the United Defenders of the World, which included Mangolin, Uber-Chap, Battle Goddess, Pyro-Nado, Shamrock Cavalier, Gizmo-Chick, and Vincent the Visitor.

"Termite terrors, Defenders!" the pangolin-themed hero Mangolin exclaimed. "Our foe Professor Poindexter has assembled our enemies to destroy us once and for all! We must do something!"

"They just explained that to us!" Nephrite said. "What, do they think the viewers are stupid or something?"

Just then, the group of Gems heard the Warp Pad go off, signaling that Steven has finally returned.

"Hey, Steven's back!" Teal Zircon exclaimed before racing down the stairs to see her half-human friend again, and this time she was in for a surprise. "Hey Jasper, remember me? Your new best friend?"

"I regret this decision already." Jasper cringed at having to ally with Teal as the other Gems came back downstairs. "Oh look, a whole menagerie of useless clods! Why even bring them all together when I can just take Black Rutile's forces on myself?"

"Jasper, no need to brag about your strength." Lapis said to the more muscular Gem. "This is serious, the whole planet is at stake here!"

"And I should care because?" Jasper snarled in disagreement.

"Um, this is your Diamond's planet?" an exasperated Pearl replied. "Surely you wouldn't want anyone to touch what Pink owned, right?"

"I suggest you don't talk that way to a Gem like her." Rhodonite said to Pearl. "She looks like she could go wild on us at any moment."

"Just calm down everyone." Fluorite advised calmly. "I know we're all stressed because of our current situation, but let's not start arguing."

"And who are all of these?" Jasper asked as she gestured to the Off-Colors, Hessonite & Squaridot, Zuli, Snowflake Obsidian, Little Larimar, Nephrite, Topaz, and Biggs Jasper. "I suppose they're all from that stupid school of yours?"

"Well, most of them are." Steven pointed out. "And maybe when this is all over, you could finally give Little Homeschool a chan-"

"Pass." Jasper coldly declared. "Shouldn't we be getting ready to fight right now?"

"Jasper's right." Bismuth agreed. "We're all in this together, for Earth."

And right on cue, Lion finally returned with Connie on his back, her sword at the ready. "How convenient that I finished most of my work in time for another chance at saving the world!" Connie stated as she dismounted from Lion and hugged Steven. "So, who are we fighting?"

"Come with us to Little Homeworld, I'll show you." Steven answered before he began to walk towards the Warp Pad. "Gems, let's get a move on."

And so, the Crystal Gems and all their assorted allies marched towards the Warp Pad, ready to take back Little Homeworld from Black Rutile's rebels and defend the planet once more. When Steven spread out his arms, off they all went in a beam of light.

"Ugh, I'm so bored!" Eyeball complained, pacing around while the rest of the alliance mindlessly caused more damage to Little Homeworld out of complete boredom. "I suppose they finally realized they were stupid to stop us and skipped Earth without telling?"

"Patience Ruby." Aquamarine advised her fusion partner. "They should be coming soon."

"What makes you so sure?" White Topaz asked Aquamarine as she revealed her weapon, a pair of brass knuckles.

"Steven came running for Jasper thinking she can join his side." The little blue Gem answered. "What an idiot, am I right?!"

Suddenly, Aquamarine was in for a scare as Little Homeworld's Warp Pad activated from right behind her, and on it were the Crystal Gems.

"Okay Black Rutile, we're here." Steven declared with Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Connie, Lion, Peridot, Lapis, Bismuth, Jasper, Hessonite, Squaridot, Lars, the Off-Colors, TZ, Zuli, Topaz, Snowflake, Larimar, Biggs, and Nephrite behind him. "All of us!"

"Oh, you finally showed up! Good timing." Black Rutile sarcastically applauded her foes. "And I see you got a little rag-tag bunch of over-eager losers by your side too."

"Hey 2F8D, so this is what you've been up to." 1J9G cattily greeted her ex-partner. "Being a pacifist baby and letting yourself be Steven's slave."

"I'm not a slave, neither to him or you!" Zuli yelled at 1J9G. "I came to Little Homeworld not just to learn how to appreciate Earth, but to learn how to make actual friends! Not be submissive to overly-controlling jerks!"

"I thought I could trust you Aquamarine!" Topaz went next. "I thought you changed by meeting that Ruby and fusing with her, but now I see you'll always be the same little monster you always are!"

"Oh stop Topaz, you're too kind!" Aquamarine said to her former Topaz.

"Crystal Gems, assemble!" Garnet bravely pointed forward to prepare for one last attack, but Steven stopped her.

"Wait!" Steven exclaimed. "Before we all get into one big fight, I want to know. Why do you hate me in particular? Outside of Era 3, I mean."

"You really want to know?" Black Rutile replied. "Well, allow me to put this in the only way you'll probably understand." She turned to White Topaz while fetching some kind of device from her gem. "Music please."

White Topaz turned the device on and music began to play, cuing Black Rutile to start a song. "When one era ends, another begins. It's such a big change for all us Gems." She sang. "But some aren't new fans of the old ways, and prefer to look back on the old days. But I on the other hand got a chance, to make this the Crystal Gems' last dance. And now I pray through endless days, to finally get rid of you."

"Is she singing?" Lars gasped at the musical number that just began as drum music kicked in. "Did she have a machine made for that purpose?"

"When I first emerged for my Diamond, White the master tactician!" Black Rutile began telling her origins through holograms on her visor, showing a just-emerged Rutile in a Kindergarten standing before White Diamond. "She revealed to me in secret signs, the markings of a great Gem! And she was indeed no clod, could reduce entire armies to sod! And all the fools that dared cross her, she'd just shrug and then shatter!"

"I studied well, got my tools of the trade, always got nothing but an A-grade!" After Black Rutile did away with the hologram showing her emergence, she started revealing the hard work she did to gain her high status among White Diamond's subjects. "But then he walked in and called himself Pinky, soon everyone got down to one knee." A stylized version of Steven's first arrival on Homeworld came next, and the stylized Black Rutile wasn't very pleased. "What never died was my ambition, and my keen intuition. Both of them gave me a complex, and made me want to rule the universe."

As the song went on, Steven began learning more about the consequences of his actions and how much Black Rutile truly despised him. "Every glimmer from your smile makes me want to puke!" his new foe complained. "Who to slay, who's the one, who's to doom? You know the only one would be my new archenemy, Steven U!"

With that, the chorus soon began with Black Rutile's minions joining in, sans White Topaz. "Wither the rose! Growing shadows! Sow a world of chaos!" the seven Gems sang in harmony. "Wither the rose! Only highs, no lows! In a world of chaos!"

"Is this the time for a song?" Connie asked. "Why don't we just attack them while they're singing?"

"Black Rutile is going to put on an admittedly wonderful song!" Padparadscha exclaimed.

"Ha!" Black Rutile laughed as the musical break reaches its end before turning to her Cluster Gems, cyborg Cactus Stevens and Light Warriors. "Come on minions, hurry along, this little school will soon be gone!" she commanded them before hugging herself in excitement. "I could squeeze myself with glee! Next the Diamonds and then this galaxy! I would really stop at nothing, shattering, treachery and lies! Whatever it takes to reign supreme, you really can't blame me for trying."

The tune soon began to reach its climax. "Wither the rose! Growing shadows! Sow a world of chaos! Wither the rose! Don't you doze!"

"We shall restore Homeworld's true order!" Aquamarine soon joined in.

"Vengeance will soon finally be ours!" Eyeball added sadistically.

"Saying sorry just won't cut it!" Emerald chorused.

"Dismantling the new superpowers!" Lapis 1J9G stated.

"Armies rampaging across the stars!" Demantoid declared.

"Covered in so many scars!" Pyrope boomed.

"Nothing but eternal war," Black Rutile concluded. "Join us as we make our own colony!"

"Genocide, slaughtering, jingoism, in enemy blood we shall wade!” The seven Gems announced. "Homeworld Gems come celebrate, as we make this bratty starlight fade!"

The song finally ended and the alliance of hatred took a bow before Black Rutile changed her knife into a broadsword with a massive blade and a tiny handle. "Now that we explained everything," she stated before pointing her sword forward. "CHARGE!"

The two sides finally clashed at Little Homeworld for the fate of Earth. Lapis & Zuli took to the skies against 1J9G, Pyrope & Demantoid led an unwilling Light Army, Emerald sped forth to personally confront Lars, and Black Rutile, White Topaz, Aquamarine & Eyeball personally confronted Steven, Garnet, Amethyst & Pearl.

"Fire!" Demantoid commanded some Light Warriors bearing laser cannons to shoot at Teal Zircon & Nephrite, but Jasper and Topaz were there to shield her from the blasts. "You!"

"You saved me!" TZ exclaimed. "Guess you really do think of me as your best friend, dontcha Jasp?"

"No, I still find you one of the most annoying beings I've ever met." Jasper replied. "But still, better to side with someone as irritating as you."

"I thought we were all friends!" 1J9G exclaimed as she clashed her water with Lapis and Zuli's. "I only joined these guys just so I could get you back!"

"Why would we ever take you back?!" Lapis stated.

"When we ran into 3E8C after years, she showed me that she and Steven were the best of friends!" Zuli added. "Not an overly controlling jerk who refuses to let me have fun!"

"See what she means?!" 1J9G said. "He's brainwashed all of you!" The only response she got was a punch to the face from Zuli.

Down below, Lars and Connie sparred against Emerald. "Don't think Steven will be there to save you today!" Emerald taunted, snapping her fingers and revealing electric powers to fight with. "He'll just throw you away, just like how Pink always threw everything away!"

"Sheesh, sins of the mother much?" Lars dryly commented.

"Steven is nothing like that!" Connie argued. "If you knew him, you'd know he's the sweetest, most caring guy you could ever meet!"

"Oh blah blah blah, I get it, he's too pure for this universe and he must be protected at all costs!" Emerald said. "Black Rutile has shown me what he truly is like."

Finally, the Crystal Gems battled with Black Rutile and her three most loyal followers. Garnet went up against White Topaz, Amethyst vs Eyeball, Pearl vs Aquamarine, and finally Steven vs Black Rutile.

"Why are you doing this?!" Steven asked Black Rutile while in utter denial. "I brought peace to the galaxy, I ended the Diamonds' oppression!"

"And stripped all Gems of their livelihoods in the process." Black Rutile coldly replied as her sword clashed with Steven's shield. "Look around you kid, these Gems came to my side because they have no status, no allies, no power over others! And now, they come to Earth for retribution against you!"

"But this still isn't right!" Steven claimed. "I understand that some may not be comfortable with what I've done, but that doesn't excuse you for all this."

"Kinda like how you excused the Diamonds for all they did just because they were sad, or something stupid like that." Black Rutile insulted.

"That's because they were!" Steven exclaimed. "They were in mourning!"

"Mourning the so-called death of an annoying brat I had the displeasure of sharing a planet with!" Black Rutile yelled as she began fighting in a way that resembled capoeira and gymnastics. "This all could've been avoided if you just put your enemies out of their misery, or at least punished them, rather than just excusing them with a stupid song and acting like everything was just water under the bridge!"

"You're thinking of retributive justice, where the offender did something wrong and the punishment is just as severe in exchange." Steven replied. "We Crystal Gems practice restorative justice, where we actually talk to the offenders and try to see how we can help them without using lethal force."

"Well, whatever you're talking about, you can call me a proud supporter of retributive justice." Black Rutile declared herself. "As in, me and my pals are seeking retribution against you and your posse for what you did to our society, and will do so by any means necessary. Because you think everything can just bend to your will if you just make everyone around you cry?! You really are no better than Pink!"

"Well, I'm trying to be better than my mom, both Pink Diamond, and Rose Quartz." Steven responded, blocking another attack from Black Rutile. "But I'm pretty sure they'd both find a sociopath like you beyond saving."

"Me, a sociopath?! You barely even know me!" Black Rutile yelled before bunting Steven's shield away when he tried to throw it. "Well, you're certainly right on me being a bit selfish, but look at you. I mean, you've made excuses for murderers, bigots, and toxic friends, yet anyone who's just doing what they're made to do is instantly made a pariah just because they don't like you and your dumb little sidekicks!"

Behind Black Rutile's back, however, her alliance was slowly beginning to fall apart, yet she didn't seem to care. Hessonite, Peridot, Biggs, and Squaridot hid behind a wall to avoid the Light Warriors' attacks.

"Got a plan, you guys?" Biggs asked the other three Gems.

"I have." Hessonite replied. "The Peridots shall distract them by taking control of Demantoid's limb enhancers while I swoop in and steal back the Light Prisms! Then perhaps we can turn the Light Army on them."

"I'll see what I can do." Peridot stated, but then Squaridot put a green hand on her shoulder.

"No, allow me." Squaridot stated before using her ferrokinetic powers to meddle with Demantoid's limb enhancers.

"No no, not again!" Demantoid yelled as she was dumped out of her mech, and the Light Prism she was holding hostage fell out with her only to be caught by Hessonite at rapid speed. "My Prism!"

"Demantoid you child, you could've just fought back instead of letting yourself get defeated!" Pyrope said, unaware that her Prism was stolen as well. "Wait, what?"

As Hessonite returned to Peridot and Squaridot with the Light Prisms in hand, the Light Warriors dropped their current activities and began to surround the three Gems peacefully. "Now that you know who's really in charge here," Hessonite bragged before she pointed at her fellow Garnets. "FIRE!"

"No, it can't be!" Pyrope squealed in utter defeat as the Light Warriors pointed their weapons at her and Demantoid.

"Hold me close Pyrope!" Demantoid added while hugging Pyrope in fear before the Light Warriors charged, attacking the pair and poofing them once and for all.

As for Emerald, she was now getting ganged up on by Lars, Connie, and the Off-Colors, who all took turns using Connie's sword against her. "You're all just humans and Off-Color Gems!" Emerald screamed as she desperately tried to fight back. "What makes you think you all can stop me?!"

"'Cause we're all more walk than talk!" Lars declared, once again using his musti-yuddha skills to knock Emerald to the ground. "Connie, care to do the honors?"

"With pleasure!" Connie replied, hopping up on Fluorite's head and jumping high into the air before zooming down with her sword pointed directly at Emerald.

"I hate you all." Emerald snarled bitterly before Connie poofed her, ending the threat she possessed to Lars and the Off-Colors.

High up in the air, the battle of the Lapides raged on with 1J9G using vapor from the clouds as makeshift weapons against her former friends.

"We could've stayed together if 3E8C hadn't been dropped on Earth like an idiot!" 1J9G yelled. "I just wanted us to stay friends!"

"Well, if you want to keep your friends," 3E8C stated, forming a massive water hand from a nearby cloud. "then you should act like a friend." The hand grabbed 1J9G and tossed her to the ground, creating a massive crater that caused a building to start falling over, and one piece of sharp rubble was aimed straight at 1J9G's gem.

"So this is it, huh?" 1J9G monologued to herself as death was mere moments away. "I feel like this is karma for being a horrible friend like they keep calling me. In that case, I'm sorry. Maybe somewhere else, we could've stayed together."

As 1J9G accepted her demise, the rubble was punched out of the way by a massive silhouette in the dust, and it settled to reveal Jasper as her savior.

"Get up you!" Jasper roared at the Lapis.

"But, we're on different sides!" 1J9G exclaimed. "Why did you save me?"

"It's what a certain someone would've done, but he's too busy at the moment." Jasper replied. "Plus, I know what it's like to be alone too."

"Oh look, that Jasper is becoming just like you!" Black Rutile yelled as she watched her alliance break up. "But then again, they set themselves up for this the moment I recruited them all, so what are you gonna do?"

"But still, we're fighting a losing battle!" White Topaz advised her Rutile. "What do we do now?"

"I think I know." Black Rutile smirked before snapping her fingers at one of her surviving allies. "Aquamarine, grab the boy and take him to the nearest mountain!"

"I thought you'd never ask!" Aquamarine purred before she grabbed Steven with her wand and began flying off, with Eyeball also in tow, and Black Rutile & White Topaz on a mini-hovercraft. "Oh, where will you be without your precious little abomination?!"

"Steven!" the Crystal Gems all yelled.

"Topaz, subdue the Lapises!" Black Rutile then commanded White Topaz, who gave a shaky nod before leaping up and grabbing Lapis & Zuli, followed by pinning them to the ground.

"Don't worry guys, I got this!" Connie said before mounting on Lion and riding off after Aquamarine.

"The only one who should defeat him is me." Jasper said as Connie fled, right before following the human. "Wait up girl!"

At the mountain, Steven was dropped by Aquamarine at the highest cliff, where Black Rutile stood by with a boulder next to her and White Topaz.

"What do you want now Black Rutile?" Steven asked as he got up to face the evil Rutile.

"Simple, toss you over the edge and throw a boulder to crush you to death, since you can fly apparently." Black Rutile declared. "I've been waiting for ages to destroy Pink Diamond, and you, my little friend, are just the thing to satisfy my vendetta."

"But why do you hate Pink so much?" Steven exclaimed. "Let me guess, she treated you like trash just like almost every other Gem I've faced?"

"No, she didn't treat me like trash!" Black Rutile answered. "She treated everyone around her like trash, yet the Diamonds almost always let her get away with everything! And here you are forcing Gems against their will to change their very way of living! Hey, at least you didn't fake your death to recklessly endanger the lives of others, because I'm going to endanger yours!"

Black Rutile then picked up Steven by his shirt collar and walked to the edge of the cliff, where she dangled him over such dangerously high heights. "You know what's ironic?" she smiled cheerfully before it turned to a hateful scowl. "You're able to get humans and Gems to get along, yet you're neither of them yourself."

With that, Black Rutile released her grip on Steven's shirt and he began falling from the cliff, followed shortly by White Topaz tossing a boulder that fell right above him. "NO HARD FEELINGS!" she yelled.

"So this is how I'll die, falling to my death off a cliff while a boulder is going to crush me." Steven realized as he fell to his doom. "Maybe Black Rutile's right. Maybe this is punishment for only thinking of myself all the time, and never taking others' feelings into account. Punishment for letting all these enemies run free instead of punishing them. Punishment for being an awful person in general."

However, just as Steven shut his eyes, accepted his demise, and did not even use any of his powers to escape, a voice cried out to him. "STEVEN!"

"Connie?" Steven exclaimed as she warped in via Lion's portal and reach out to him. "Don't worry, I'm with you till the end of the line! Just grab my hand!"

Steven gave a big smile, realizing that even with all his faults there were still people looking out for him, and took Connie's hand, causing the two to merge into a mass of light.

"Well, that should take care of him." Black Rutile declared, dusting off her hands and beginning to walk away. "Come along you three, let's go reawaken the Cluster and wipe this planet off the face of this universe for good."

"Uh, my Rutile?" White Topaz said while she, Aquamarine, and Eyeball gazed over the edge of the cliff to discover a pink light rapidly approaching them. "I think Steven is….not dead."

"Wait, seriously?!" Black Rutile yelled before Stevonnie leaped up the mountain and onto the cliff where the four enemy Gems stood. "You fused with a human?!"

"Bet you didn't see that coming!" Stevonnie declared as they swung their sword to try and poof Aquamarine, but she swiftly dodged and fused with Eyeball to form Bluebird Azurite.

"Of course I knew you can fuse with humans kid, it was in my data!" Black Rutile exclaimed before turning to White Topaz staring in amazement at the fusion. "Topaz, fuse with me!"

"Wait, we get to fuse too?!" White Topaz giddily exclaimed. "Eee, I can't wait, we've been practicing for so long!"

"Just shut up already." Black Rutile snarled before extending her hand. "Now, may I have this dance?"

"Gladly." White Topaz responded, taking her superior's hand before they began dancing the tango, their gems glowing as they danced until they formed into a giant light that resulted in a new, much larger fusion with four eyes & arms, spiky hair that went down to her back, a black-and-grey uniform and Black Rutile's white cape.

"BEHOLD FOOLISH LESSER BEINGS!" the new fusion bombastically declared. "THE GODLIKE SUPERIORITY OF THE MIGHTY LEPIDOLITE!"

"One fusion against two fusions." Stevonnie muttered. "Have to admit, those aren't very good odds."

"You bet." Jasper declared, zooming up the mountain to stand by Stevonnie's side and pounding her fists together. "For them!"

"You followed us?" Stevonnie asked Jasper.

"I don't like the Crystal Gems, but I hate them just as much." Jasper explained roughly. "Now come on, let's finish this!"

"Oh, a fair game, I see!" Lepidolite asked as she summoned two pairs of claws on each pair of her hands that extended from her knuckles while Bluebird summoned her ice cutlass. "Well, game on!"

Lepidolite clashed her claws with Stevonnie's sword while Jasper grabbed Bluebird in her massive hand and smashed her face into the rock face. However, despite Lepidolite being surprisingly evenly matched with Stevonnie, there was one thing they had that she lacked. Control over the fusion itself.

"So you can fuse with humans?!" White Topaz exclaimed cheerfully while Lepidolite slashed at Stevonnie before she switched to Black Rutile. "Did you even listen to Aquamarine's report, why are you acting like this is so new to you?!" Black Rutile yelled. "Why do you always have to be so dense?!"

"This is almost like Malachite." Stevonnie compared the abusive control Black Rutile had over White Topaz to the strained but peaceful relationship between Lapis and Jasper. "Listen, why can't you just work together?!"

"Because she's a completely moronic clod!" Black Rutile yelled through Lepidolite.

"Even if she treats me like trash, she's still my boss!" White Topaz added. "After all, isn't that what master/servant relationships are kinda like?"

"Master, don't!" Bluebird yelled as Jasper kept beating her up. "You're going to make them do some speech about the stupid power of friendship or something!"

"Well, you want us to work together?!" Lepidolite said, now no longer personified through Black Rutile and White Topaz's arguing. "Then work together we shall!"

Lepidolite then grabbed Stevonnie by their arms and once again threw them over the edge of the cliff before walking off to assist Bluebird. But just like when Steven was tossed over the cliff, things went horribly wrong for them.

Stevonnie reappeared in a massive gust of wind, now bathed in a pink glow and with a furious snarl replacing their confident grin. "Why won't you listen?!" they yelled, lunging at Lepidolite and striking their sword straight into her chest. "I'm not the real monster, YOU ARE!"

"No no no no no no!" Lepidolite screamed as Stevonnie's sword cut into her body and striking her straight in Black Rutile's gem, causing the two to ultimately defuse. As the pair of Gems were dropped to the ground, White Topaz laid on her back, utterly stupefied. Black Rutile on the other hand was terrified beyond all recognition, a far cry from the confident mastermind she normally is.

"W-w-who are you!?" Black Rutile shivered in fear of the pink Stevonnie, who now had a psychotic smile on their face. "WHAT ARE YOU?!"

"I'm-" Stevonnie began when they suddenly stopped and gazed at their hands. "I don't know." With that, Stevonnie finally un-fused back into Steven and Connie, just in time for the other Gems to arrive.

"Steven, Connie!" Garnet cried as she, Amethyst, Pearl, Peridot, Bismuth, Hessonite, Lars, Squaridot, and the Light Prisms were carried up the mountain by a massive water elevator created by the trio of Lapides. When they reached the cliff, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl all rushed to give the two kids a big hug. "What happened?"

"I don't know." Connie replied shakily. "First we fused into Stevonnie to fight Black Rutile, who fused with White Topaz to create this big fusion called Lepidolite, then after we were tossed over a cliff, Stevonnie turned pink and-"

"Wait, pink?" Pearl wondered. "It's just like all those other times Steven lost control! What could it be?"

"That's exactly what I'd like to know too!" the utterly defeated Black Rutile yelled. "What is that, a human thing?"

"Uh, no everyone! Everything's fine!" Steven began lying. "It's just a human thing, but I'm the only one who can do it!"

"Alright, keep your secrets brat." Black Rutile declared before she snapped her fingers again. Getting up from Jasper's beatdown, Bluebird picked up Black Rutile & White Topaz and carried them away. "Your little power fantasy will soon come to an end!" she declared. "And Gems, I'd keep an eye out on that monster if I were you! He could become a bigger threat to Earth than I am!"

As the three Gems got farther away, everybody turned to Steven with nervous looks on their faces.

"Steven, is there anything you need to tell us?" Connie asked her best friend.

"Uh, anyone wanna go out for pizzas?" Steven tried to change the subject, and everyone went silent in response.

"What is this pizza you speak of?" Hessonite piped up.

Later that day, reconstruction of Little Homeworld had quickly begun. With Peridot and Squaridot's help, the Cactus Stevens were now fully organic once more and helped in the repairs, alongside the Light creatures created by George and his sisters.

"Wow George, you, Elaine, and Cosma are one great team!" Steven said to George as they looked upon the Light Army's hard work. George turned to Steven with a confused look on his face. "Oh, I came up with those names for your sisters based on this TV show with a character also named George."

"Hey Steven, the pizzas are here!" Lapis called for Steven.

"Ooh, gotta go you guys!" Steven said before leaving George and his newly named sisters to work. "See you again soon!"

Steven returned to the Little Homeworld Warp Pad, where the Crystal Gems and the Off-Colors were setting up a little picnic with pizza boxes all around. "You see, this is what we need more of." Steven said. "Just us hanging out, no Gem monsters or evil Gems threatening and scarring our lives."

"Are you sure you're okay kid?" 1J9G asked Steven.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Steven replied. "Wait, what are you doing here? Weren't you on Black Rutile's side?"

"That Jasper saved my life because she knew what it was like to be alone, so I'm coming here as gratitude." 1J9G stated. "I came with Black Rutile as 1J9G, and I'll learn to become a better friend as Laz. You like the new name I got?"

"I love it!" Zuli exclaimed happily. "It's so wet!"

"Well, if you say so." Steven said awkwardly before he found Lars and Hessonite collecting the inactive gemstones of Emerald, Pyrope, Demantoid and all the Cluster Gems. "And what are you going to do with those?"

"We'll take the Cluster Gems back to Homeworld." Lars answered before pointing to Emerald and the Garnets. "As for these three, I'm not sure yet."

"They'll be safe with us." Garnet said, taking the three Gems out of the bubble. "And who knows? Maybe they'll become students of Little Homeschool."

"Speaking of which, Squaridot." Hessonite said to her Peridot sidekick. "You said that you were given the chance to come to Little Homeschool before you joined me? You think the offer still stands?"

"You know what?" Squaridot said. "I think I'm gonna stay here. Thank you Hessonite for everything." She then hugged the orange Garnet. "And tell Citrine I said hi if you find her."

As the group all sat down to their victory picnic, many eyes were still on Steven, who paid more attention to his slice of pie.

"Seriously, that boy just ain't right!" Jasper said as she prepared to leave.

"Yo Jasper, have a little more tact!" Amethyst scolded her fellow quartz while turning to Steven. "But what if Black Rutile is right? What if Steven becomes a threat to Earth?"

Steven still didn't pay any attention and kept on eating, but the Gems guessed that he might've been deliberately distracting himself. But why?

Elsewhere, Black Rutile had now touched down deeper in the forest, letting Bluebird Azurite drop her off in front of a cave. "Ah, this should make a good hideout."

"Why can't we just flee on your dropship?" White Topaz asked.

"I'm pretty sure it's been seized by now." Black Rutile said as she sat down on a rock formation, slouching and pressing her fingers together. "Tell me, my friends, what do you think is Steven's greatest weakness?"

"He can't fend for himself!" Aquamarine stated as she and Eyeball un-fused.

"He always has to get his nose in everyone's business." Eyeball remarked, rolling her eye with arms crossed.

"Uh, he's got boatloads of trauma that no one bothers to bring up?" White Topaz asked meekly.

"Correct Topaz, very good for once." Black Rutile congratulated her Topaz. "Now, as you see, he can't deal with his whole worldview changing, since learning there were so many Gems against him shattered everything he almost knew about his actions." She declared. "But what if we did the same, but we turn the humans against him?"

END OF PART 2: GRADUATION

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 3: FRAGMENTED MIND

And that was Enemy of my Enemy and Part 2 in general! This was a really long one, filled with ideas that I've had in my head for ages! The whole group of past enemy Gems was inspired primarily by the Evil League of Mutants from Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I imagined the bad future to be similar to Deliver Us from Prince of Egypt, and the justice debate was basically the Ship of Theseus scene from WandaVision. And that's not even getting into what I have planned for Part 3, but that's another time for another day. And if the subtitle is any indication, you all know what's coming.

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ms-maj · 5 years ago

Text

Sadie Hawkins Dance

More songfic y’all! It’s only taken six months to do nine of them so, I’ll maybe finish this challenge before I’m ninety...

Again, ALL the love and thanks to @bettycooper for her amaze beta skills and wonderful header.

The Sadie Hawkins dance

In my khaki pants

There's nothing better

Oh oh oh

The girls ask the guys

It’s always a surprise

There's nothing better baby

Do you like my sweater?

Sadie Hawkins Dance- Relient K

Time: 12:47 p.m.

Location: The hallway outside the cafeteria

Objective: Get Jughead alone for five minutes to ask him to the stupid dance

The Sadie Hawkins Dance. It had been her idea, after all, in some convoluted (not-so-subtle) attempt to get control of the raging crush she’d developed on one of her childhood best friends. The natural course of events should have put her firmly crushing on her all-American neighbor and other childhood best friend, Archie Andrews, and for the briefest of moments, she had... until Jughead walked up to their favorite swimming hole the summer before ninth grade and inadvertently taught her all about what true desire was. To say Betty had been blindsided was an understatement.

Three years later and she’s still staring at him from across the room—though it might as well be the other side of the world for all he seems to notice—as he sits with the friends he made during his brief tenure at Southside High. Even if she made it impossible for him to forget her by calling and texting constantly, Betty hated (and still hates) those three months more than anything. When he walked back into Riverdale High with Toni Topaz—who was ten ways of sexy Betty could never measure up to—her heart broke.

Despite reassurances from Jughead himself that they were only friends and Toni was far more interested in the fairer sex, Betty couldn’t help but wonder what it would take for him to ever look at her the way she swore he looked at Toni, but wondering was all she did. Despite her initial beliefs, as time went on, she saw only genuine friendship between them, and nothing else.

As relieved as she was, she was more guarded with him than she’d been before. She tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to will her crush away on more than one occasion, but his proximity and renewed involvement in the Blue and Gold made it damn near impossible.

Read me here or on AO3

When she’d mentioned a Sadie Hawkins Dance a month ago, he scoffed. “Really, Cooper, did we time travel in our sleep? Is it somehow the fifties again?”

As annoyed as she’d been, she hadn’t exactly expected him to be enthusiastic about the concept. Jughead wasn’t particularly fond of any, or all, typical high school activities. Least of all school dances.

“Would you go?” He looked at her with furrowed brows and an incredulous smirk. “If someone asked you to the dance, would you go?”

She hoped her face didn’t betray just how anxious she was for his answer. “The only reason I ever went was for the food. I don’t know why that would change now.”

Her heart dropped from her throat to her stomach. All the other dances he’d gone to were with her, and apparently it had only been for access to the refreshments table. Choking back tears, she nodded and went back to work on her article.

That was the last time they’d spoken more than a few words to one another. He’d tried, on several occasions, to initiate conversation between them, but she always found a way out. Between the paper, the dance committee, and cheerleading, Betty always had a viable excuse, but it was getting harder and harder to avoid him.

Especially since nothing seems to get by their vulture friends. Veronica, Archie, Kevin, and even Reggie know about her crush and despite all their reassurances that Jughead would reciprocate, she simply cannot get their last conversation out of her head. Of course, he’d say yes if she asked him to go to the dance. She was in charge of the food which guaranteed the selection would be everything he wanted.

(Not that she had suggested his favorites first, or anything. That would just be weird.)

Betty pulls her phone from her back pocket and checks the time just as the bell rings. She knows he has Chemistry after lunch and if she keeps stalling, Ethel Muggs is going to ask him then. As much as she likes Ethel, she won’t let that happen...even if his saying yes only means he’s hungry.

“Betty!” She swings around, book and binder for her next class held tightly against her chest.

“Kev, what’s up?” Her tone is short and words clipped as she looks back at the now empty Serpent table.

“You will not believe who asked Jughead Jones to the Sadie Hawkins!”

Betty’s head snaps back to her brunette friend. “Wh-what?” She manages to stammer as she realizes she’s lost Jughead in the receding crowd.

“You know the new girl, Sabrina?” Betty nods even though she’s a world away trying to remember if she’d seen the petite blonde at his table. “Well, she just walked right up to him and sat on his lap—”

“Oh crap, sorry, Kev, I’ve got to...I mean I have this...I have to go.” Holding her books even closer to her, Betty makes her way to class trying to will away the bile and tears that keep threatening to spill over.

Of course, she’s glad she didn’t have to actually see it. She spent the majority of her lunch period psyching herself up to ask him, so Kevin’s unwelcome interruption saved her much of the face she’d have lost if she actually had caught up to Jughead.

There are only two periods left in the day, and one is study hall. She just needs to make it through Trig then she can have a proper breakdown in the Blue and Gold. Betty takes her seat quickly and wills the minutes to pass faster than they ever had in math.

Eighty-five minutes later she slinks into the Blue and Gold. Closing the door as she enters the room, Betty’s forehead smacks against it as it clicks closed.

“That hardly sounded pleasant, Coop,” the voice behind her causes her eyes to pinch tightly. “Now, you wanna tell me why you feel like you need to slam your head into doors?”

She takes a deep breath in and turns on the exhale, dewy lashes fluttering open. The smile on her face is forced and fake, and she knows instantly he can see right through it. Still, she steps toward where he’s leaning against the desk. “It’s just been one of those days, Jug. Nothing’s going my way, but, it’s mostly my fa—”

“Don’t you dare,” he punctuates with a sharply pointed finger in her direction. Her eyes roll as it retracts, and his arms cross over his chest. “I don’t know what’s going on with you, but I highly doubt it was your fault.”

“How would you know, Jughead? Where have you been?”

His bag falls to the ground as he stands up, confusion and anger sewn into his brow. “Excuse me? I’m right fucking here, Betts. I haven’t gone anywhere!”

Betty’s own brow raises incredulous. “No? Then where are you on movie night or game night? I know Archie misses kicking your ass as much as I do, but every single time we ask you…” her voice trails off knowing that, while this is all true, it’s nothing to do with the matter at hand. “I miss you, Jug.”

“Okay, so why are you freezing me out? If you miss me then why can’t I spend more than two minutes with you? Every single time I’ve seen you in the last three weeks you’ve literally run away from me.”

Her tongue feels heavy with the words she wishes she was brave enough to say. She wants to scream at him, ask why not her, why never her, what does she have to do to get his attention?

Instead, she drops her books onto the nearest surface and crosses her arms, staring back at him intently. “Why do you think, Jug?”

She’s met with a blank stare that hurts as much as if he’d just said ‘no’ to her. Betty tightens her ponytail and drops into the desk she’s set her stuff at. “Just forget it. Shouldn’t you be in class?”

“It’s just English. I will not be missed.”

Betty sits up a little straighter, slightly more curious than before. “I thought you had English with Sabrina?”

“I do,” he leans back against the desk directly in front of her.

“Well, I just thought after lunch you’d want to spend as much time with her as possible.” Somehow, her voice barely breaks as the words leave her mouth.

His head shakes as confusion emerges as the dominant emotion. ��Were you even at lunch? I don’t remember seeing you...but no, Betts. After that Debra Morgan confessing love to her step-brother level of awkward, the last thing I want to do is see Sabrina.”

“Oh. I just thought since you were going to the dance together maybe you’d want to see her more, I don’t know. At least you have a real date this time and won’t have to use me for access to the refreshments table.” She tries her hand at levity, and it falls flat between them. She’s not sure she’s ever seen the particular look adorning his face.

“Betty,” he sighs softly as one of his dexterous hands pulls the beanie from his head and the other slides through the dark waves. “That wasn’t, I mean, that’s not what... You can’t actually believe that’s what I meant!”

She finds herself standing despite not wanting to react. “That’s what you said. It’s not like I was trying to decode it the way I do ninety-nine percent of our other interactions. For the first time since you came back to Riverdale High, you actually said what you meant.”

“Decode? What the fuck does that mean?” He pushes off the desk he’s been leaning against and surges onto hers. “I have never been anything but real with you. Only you. Only ever you.”

“Bullshit.” She leans in, both sets of their hands grip the edge of the desk as the staredown continues. “For the last year, I’ve done everything I can to try to get you to notice.”

Jughead scoffs. “Notice what?”

“Me, Jughead!” She sighs, pushing off the desk and turning away from him. “I wanted you to notice me.”

Betty runs weary hands over her face. She’s so sick of crying, so tired of feeling lonely even though she never seems alone. The tears crest in her eyes but don’t spill down her cheeks until she’s grabbed by the elbow and spun around.

“Do you really think I didn’t—that I don’t notice you? That I don’t see just how often you tighten your ponytail, or the way your hands ball up at your sides when you’re angry, or the red rings around your eyes—”

“I have allergies!”

“No, that’s what you tell everyone but I know they’re only bad in the fall. This is something different,” he stops holding onto her elbow but doesn’t stop touching her. In fact, his hand slides up her arm and cups around her shoulder before finally resting at her neck. Long fingers wrap around the base of her neck, he thumbs at the hollow of her throat and the breath stills in her body. “Betty…”

Her eyes flicker to his. They’re dark, tidal pools in a tempest as his body invades her space in the most perfect way. She wraps a hand around the wrist that holds her, his pulse pounding beneath her fingers. Betty doesn’t even notice he’s moved, not until his lips are on hers and she’s carding her free hand through his unruly hair. An undignified moan escapes her, and she stills, only to feel Jughead’s grip on her throat tighten as his other hand slips to her ass and pulls her tight against him. His thumb traces a path up to her chin, guiding her head so he can kiss her more deeply.

She’s not sure how long they’ve been kissing. Frankly, she’s not sure she even cares. If kissing him once feels like this, she can’t wait to do it again. And again. And again. Maybe at the dance…

She pulls away abruptly, Jughead’s eyes slowly blinking open and crossing in confusion. “What? Did I do something wrong?” Betty doesn’t break the contact, just leans back as his hands drop to her waist.

“No, Jug, that was perfect. This was everything I hoped it could be. My thoughts just got a little ahead of me.”

A frown creases his brow while a hand slides up her back and threads through the flaxen waves of her ponytail. “Then what is it, Betts?”

“Sabrina,” she blurts out. “I know she asked you to the dance, and here I am, practically throwing myself at you. But, to be fair, I had planned on asking you to the dance which is why you didn’t see me at lunch. I was too busy trying not to have a panic attack over it, and then I saw Kevin first, and he told me Sabrina made it very clear she wanted to take you to the dance—”

“Hey, hey, breathe Betty,” smirking, Jughead stops her before she rambles all of her oxygen away. “Did Kevin happen to tell you what else happened at lunch?”

Betty’s eyes drop in embarrassment as her head shakes no. The light tug on her ponytail forces her eyes back to his, which implore her to tell her story. “I kinda, sorta, maybe ran away from him after he said she sat on your lap.”

“So you missed the part where I said ‘no’ and asked her to remove herself from my space. She did not take too kindly to that, so avoiding English wasn’t unintentional.”

“Why did you say no, Jug? If you were just looking for an excuse, she’s a smart, funny, gorgeous one.”

“Because the only person I wanted to ask me is standing in this room.” Both hands come to frame her face as she holds onto the lapels of his threadbare flannel. “Because a few weeks ago I thought she was going to, and I was only recently made aware of how gloriously I fucked that up,” she laughs, feeling his thumbs sweep up her cheekbones while she drowns in his eyes. “Because I never wanted an excuse to go to the dance. I just wanted to spend time with you, be around you, and how could fourteen-year-old me have ever imagined that the girl of his dreams actually dreamed about him too?”

“Jug,” her voice a whisper swallowed by the silence. She grabs his face between her hands and pulls it toward her.

“Wait,” he breathes against her lips. “I think you have something very important to ask me.” She feels the upturn of his lips on hers, and her bottom lip finds itself between her teeth as she tries to hold her grin at bay.

“Jughead Jones, will you go with me to Sadie Hawkins?”

“Only for you, Betty Cooper,” he says no more, simply slants his mouth over hers and kisses her like she’s never been kissed before. For the first and only time, she's happy that it's taken this long for anything to happen, because she can't imagine there's a better feeling in the world than this. And she fully intends to test that theory for as long as he'll let her.

#bughead #bughead fanfiction #songfic writing challenge 2019 #*2020 #cat is a rock star

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moominquartz · 5 years ago

Photo

rating: G fandom: Steven Universe prompt: Secret Relationship word count: 1.4k requester: @krisseycrystal

Sharing an Ube Roll After Hours

In the Spacetries Bakery, past closing time, Lars and the Cool Kids have a heart-to-heart.

The ship in this fic is Lars/Jenny/Buck/SC, and it was so much fun! I haven’t written a poly ship in a long time. I hope y’all like it! It takes place pre-Little Graduation.

[Read on AO3]

“I… I can’t believe it.”

Lars struggles to wrap his head around the idea as he stares at the three of them. Sitting in his bakery after hours, the doors are locked and the lights are dimmed. The original trio sits at one of the only booths in the joint, all splitting an ube roll, while Lars leans against the counter by his empty display.

“Seriously. All of you?”

“Sure.” Jenny says it like it means absolutely nothing at all. Like it’s the easiest thing in the world to admit. “I like Buck and Sour Cream, and they both like me and they like each other. So why should we have to pick and choose?”

Lars’s brain is broken. “B-but… That’s so easy.” And it’s so hard? Why can’t he comprehend this?

“’Sides,” Buck says around another bite of subtle sweetness, “it’s pretty fun to go on a date with more than one person.”

Is it? Lars has never done that before. The only person he’s ever dated was Sadie, and…

“How come I never knew? How long have you guys been...?”

“A few years now,” Jenny answers with a grin.

“You never knew because we didn’t want you to know,” Sour Cream adds, which is honest if nothing else. “It was nothin’ personal. Most people don’t know, and that’s how we like it.”

“Less people being nosy,” Buck agrees.

“I tell my daddy that I’m gonna get an apartment with my two ‘besties,’ and he’s all about it.” Jenny laughs. “But if I told him I was dating two bi guys, he’d probably flip a lid.”

“H-he would…?” Lars’s voice is more nervous than he should be.

“Over the two guys thing,” Sour Cream clarifies.

Buck nods. “Not because he’s biphobic or anything.”

“That’d be super lame.”

“Yeah. Biphobia is for chumps.”

Lars wants to beg them to slow down, but at the same time, he’s realizing that… this actually makes a lot of sense.

How many times has he seen them walk down the boardwalk, arm-in-arm? How many times has he seen them on the beach, curled up a little too close; had hands linked in what looked like a prayer and broken up too quickly as he came near? How often has he felt like a ‘fourth wheel,’ on the outside looking in?

He’d always chalked the latter up to his own intense social anxiety, but maybe there’d been more to it. Maybe he’d felt like that because there’d been evidence for it right in front of him, and he just hadn’t known this kind of thing was possible.

“I’m… really happy for you guys.” They all turn to look at him, blinking in surprise, and Lars feels… surprisingly heartfelt. He laughs, the sound less nervous, softer. “I’m real honored you’re opening up about this to me. I promise I won’t spill the beans to anyone.”

Jenny sighs. “Oh, honey.”

Lars blinks.

“We’re not giving you all the back story because we think you’re a super chill friend.” Buck pauses. “Although, you are a super chill friend.”

“Th...thanks?”

“We’re asking you, dude.” Sour Cream shifts so he’s no longer got an arm wrapped around Buck. He picks up the fork, breaks off a piece of ube roll, and extends it to him. “Make our trio a quartet.”

Huh.

“Huh?!”

“Everybody knows you need four wheels on a car,” Buck says with a solemn nod, like that’s some wise proverb everyone’s grandma says.

“Four pieces to a band; vocalist, guitar, keyboard, drums.” Jenny hums in agreement.

“W-wait, wait, wait!” Now he desperately needs them to pump the metaphorical brakes on this conversation! He’s waving his hands wildly, face burning — which shouldn’t be possible because he’s undead, and yet! Apparently dying doesn’t absolve you from the mortifying ordeal of having your embarrassments broadcast to the entire world! “What are you guys talking about? Me?”

“Is… that a no?” Sour Cream asks, crestfallen, fork setting back against the plate.

“It—it—” It’s … not a no? That revelation slaps him in the face. Hasn’t he always been envious of what they’ve had? And here they are, inviting him into it. So what’s his hang up?

“It’s… It’s a why me?” The question comes across as somehow both self-deprecating and disrespectful to them, but he can’t wrap his mind around it. “You guys were looking for a fourth, and you picked me?”

“Well, sure!” Though she says it with cheer in her voice, there’s a look on Jenny’s face that Lars has seen too often and knows too well. She’s reading him, and she’s concerned. “You’ve practically been one of us for like, two years now. And you’re a real sweet guy, Lars. You’re like a pineapple.”

“Prickly on the outside and soft on the inside, huh?” Lars sighs.

“Actually.” Buck speaking up surprises him; he even removes his sunglasses, which almost never happens. “I think you’ve become softer over the years, man. You’ve got a lot more emotional intelligence than you did as a teen and you’ve become more genuine, too. We all have. And it’s really shining through in you.”

Sour Cream smiles. “I’m bad at words, but you’re pretty hot, too.”

“I…” His voice fails him suddenly, and his eyes start misting, and it’s not because of the ‘hot’ thing.

It’s partly because of the ‘hot’ thing.

“Y-you guys would… seriously want me around?” His voice breaks, and it’s pretty pathetic. “All of you?”

“Of course,” Jenny says with all the sincerity in the world. She pats the empty seat next to her, raising an eyebrow, an open invitation.

Lars has never thought of himself as lovable.

He’s made mistakes. More than anyone else ever has, probably. His social anxiety led to him a landslide of them: purposefully throwing school so he wasn’t seen as ‘nerdy;’ overemphasizing his own masculinity to the point of toxicity, because heaven forbid someone see him as even slightly feminine; mistreating Ronaldo, who used to be his best friend; and then he repeated that mistake, over and over and over. With Steven, it was like water off a duck’s back; that boy didn’t care what anyone thought of him, and he had enough in him to love every person in the entire universe.

But Sadie… Sadie hadn’t been like that. She hadn’t deserved it — more so than anyone else. She’d been kind, and caring, and sensitive. And Lars had needed someone like that, someone willing to pry him open and listen to him when he needed it, someone to trust him enough to let him do the same. But she wasn’t ‘cool,’ and he couldn’t be allowed to be seen with her like that, and so he did things like pretend he hated her when she wasn’t around and like he didn’t want to be with her when she was, and then he still expected her to be there for him and—

“Hey.”

He blinks and realizes he’s crying.

Sour Cream has a hand on his shoulder, concern on his face, and Lars doesn’t even remember the three of them standing up, but suddenly they’re there, and then Buck pulls him in for a tight hug. Then Jenny joins, and the three of them are surrounding him, holding him, enfolding him in all the warmth and love he never thought he’d ever earn.

And slowly, through the tears, Lars gives a soft laugh, arms wrapping around them in turn. “Hey, uh… if you’ll have me… then. Yes.”

Jenny squeals, leaning in to plant a solid kiss on his cheek. The motion is dizzying, something he’s seen Shep and Sadie do dozens of times and felt the green monster burning in his chest — not for Sadie, but for what they had.

“You guys… wanna head back to my place?” Lars asks, cheeks heating up, even though this is no different than anything else he’s ever asked of them. “There’s… this new horror flick on Webflicks, if you guys are up for it.”

“Sweet. I love sampling that stuff.”

“Sure thing, babe, I’ve been meaning to see that one.”

“Buck is pleased.”

Buck takes Lars’s hand as they all separate, and it’s the smallest thing, but Lars feels his spirits lift, heart beating as fast as it can, to do the same things they always do in a new, exciting context.

Lars is pleased, too.

#su #su fic #lars barriga #jenny pizza #buck dewey #sour cream (su)#i have no clue what their ship name is so please enlighten me if you know it #isaiah writes #isaiah original

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flamehairedwritings · 4 years ago

Text

The Fire In Your Eyes: Chapter Seventeen

Characters: Arthur Morgan x Original Female Character

Rating: The whole series will be E, 18+ ONLY for violence, gore, character deaths, animal deaths, parent deaths, swearing, grief, sexual themes and unprotected sex.

Summary: Saved by Arthur Morgan when her town is attacked, a young woman’s past comes back to haunt her when she has no choice but to join the Van der Linde Gang.

Some scenes and dialogue have been taken from the game!

Read on AO3

The Fire In Your Eyes Masterlist

Please don’t copy, steal or re-post my work; credit does not count.

—

When Trouble Comes To Town, Men Like Me Come Around

“Hey, where the hell were you two?”

“Huntin’.” Arthur dropped the three turkeys they’d shot on the way back onto Pearson’s table.

Pearson grumbled something under his breath.

“What did you say?”

“I thought you’d gone.”

Arthur frowned as his hands went to his belt. “What?”

“After... what happened, I thought you’d both gone.”

His jaw moved slightly as he looked at him. “Well, we ain’t. We ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

Pearson nodded, and Ada thought he was going to say something else when his head bowed and he studied the state the turkeys were in. “So, uh, where did you get—”

“Oh, you’re a fuckin’ peach, ain’t you?”

“And you’re better than all of us, are you?!”

She turned with Arthur to watch Karen storming after Miss Grimshaw, coming up the path from the river. Both women looked thunderous.

“At least I didn’t fuckin’ shoot someone who didn’t even know what was goin’ on, you miserable bitch!” Karen yelled and Grimshaw turned sharply, halting and thrusting a finger at her.

“Listen here, you little ungrateful cunt, I did us all a favour!”

“You did yourself a favour, you’ve been wantin’ her gone since Dutch cast you aside and took her in!”

“They ain’t stopped since,” Pearson muttered behind them, and Arthur released a long breath.

Starting to move forward, he murmured, “I better—”

“No, Arthur,” Ada murmured, her hand settling on his arm making him stop.

It seemed Susan had had enough, though, her face red and twisted.

“You don’t know what you’re talkin about, you bitch.”

“Oh, ho, I don’t?” Karen’s hands went to her hips. “You get real fuckin’ sad when you drink, Susan, and you don’t fuckin’ shut up so I know what I’m talkin’ about.”

“You keep away from me!” Susan hissed, turning on her heel and striding towards the fire pit.

Karen scoffed, for once not looking delighted that she’d gotten the upper-hand. “Gladly.”

Turning, she, too, strode away, nearing Arthur and Ada. Lifting her head, she stopped abruptly as she caught sight of them, her gaze flicking between them. Her eyes settled on Ada and her lips pressed together. Then, she turned, heading in another direction.

Swallowing, Ada released Arthur’s arm as he turned to her, arching an eyebrow.

She gave a small smile as she lowered her voice. “It’s better if we just leave them to it, let them get it all out.”

He nodded, then his hand lifted and rubbed her arm as he sighed, his eyes scanning the rest of the camp. “Let’s find Sadie, see what’s been goin’ on.”

They found their friend down by the river, guarding the small path. Her features lit up at the sight of them, shouldering her rifle and striding towards them.

“Hey, I got a plan to get John, now,” she said before either of them could even open their mouths.

“You do?” Arthur didn’t sound particularly surprised.

She nodded, keeping her voice low. “Yeah, we can’t all go, though, it’ll be too suspicious. I’ve just had to talk Abigail out of comin’ with me, for Jack’s sake, and she’s mad as hell.”

“I’m comin’ with you,” Arthur answered instantly.

Ada pressed her lips together slightly but said nothing.

Sadie inclined her head at him. “All right. Now, we obviously ain’t tellin’ Dutch.”

Ada almost laughed. “Yeah, good idea.”

The older woman turned her gaze to her. “Can you stay here and just, make sure he doesn’t suspect anythin’? Say we’ve gone huntin’ or somethin’?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Maybe we’ll just have another explosive argument, that’ll keep him occupied.

“Thanks. We shouldn’t take long but, just incase.”

“Of course.” She raised her eyebrows, releasing a breath. “Look after each other, please.”

“We will, I promise.” Her friend’s features softened for a moment before she was patting Arthur’s arm and heading back up towards the camp. “C’mon, we ain’t got a lot of time.”

“All right, give me a minute.”

Ada’s gaze shifted from Sadie’s back to meet Arthur’s, a light smile pulling at her lips. He returned it as his hand went to her arm again, squeezing gently.

“I’ll see you later.”

“Bye. Be safe, please.”

“I will.” His smile lingered as he pressed a kiss to her forehead, and then he was turning and following after Sadie.

Ada folded her arms as she watched him walk away, her heart twisting slightly. He was eager to get back out there, to be useful, to save his brother, she understood that, but she’d only just got him back, what if—

No, no, don’t think about that... He’s with Sadie, they’ll both be fine.

Occupied, she needed to keep herself occupied.

Blowing out a breath, she headed back up to the camp, reaching it just in time to see them riding away. No one looked up, unbothered. It was like she could feel the very life had gone out of the camp, and she knew it couldn’t all be down to Molly’s death, though that was still going to be raw.

She found her few things on Arthur’s bed, grateful that whoever had set it up had taken the initiative and grouped their things together.

It was a lovely, strange mile-stone, a quiet acceptance of what they were.

How long would that acceptance last, though? She glanced up, trying to find if anyone was watching her but, again, people were unbothered.

It’s in their minds, though.

Stop it.

She pulled a blanket down across the small space, the garment acting as a curtain so she could change in privacy. With Arthur having ripped most of the buttons off of her blouse, not that she’d complained too much, though she had complained as they’d dressed, earning a smirk from him, she’d had to just wear the flimsy corset and her jacket, buttoning it entirely and praying they wouldn’t be stopped on the way back. It was a crisp, almost cold day but she and Arthur had moved quickly, having no difficulty in hunting the turkeys and then cantering back.

She pulled on a light blue blouse, one that she’d bought from a group of travellers she and Sadie had encountered, the colour reminding her of a shirt Arthur had.

She’d worn it the day he’d returned, almost like she’d known. Then again, she wore it nearly every single day so she couldn’t really put it down to fate.

After buttoning it, she brushed the blanket aside and stepped out, tucking the blouse into her trousers. She left her gunbelt and jacket on the bed, not planning on leaving the camp due to her mission, and there were plenty of guns around if trouble came.

Her gaze drifted to Dutch’s tent as she straightened the sleeves. The opening of it moved gently with the breeze and she could just glimpse him in there, lying on the bed, napping, possibly.

That makes this a lot easier.

She was planning on just sitting on Arthur’s bed and keeping her eyes fixed on the tent when Jack’s faint giggle drew her attention away, making her heart twinge.

Abigail.

Rounding the wagon, she found mother and son a short distance away from the camp, Abigail sat up against her tree, hugging her legs as she watched her son draw in the mud with a stick. Ada glanced back over her shoulder to Dutch’s tent.

He won’t move, and if he does then, well, guess I could start up that argument.

Abigail raised her head at the sound of someone approaching, twigs snapping beneath boots. Ada smiled warmly as the woman’s alert gaze met her own.

“Hey, Abigail.”

She relaxed a little, letting out a breath. “Hey, Annie.”

Ada sat down next to her with a soft groan, wiping her hands against her thighs, watching Jack along with his mother. He was drawing random shapes and swirls, then occasionally stabbing the mud with the end of the stick and giggling at the sound it made as he pulled it back out. A smile pulled at her lips.

“I’m gonna have to wash all his clothes, again,” Abigail sighed, prompting a soft laugh from Ada.

“Can’t you just leave them? From how frequently and earnestly he gets them dirty, I think it’s a strong choice.”

His mother huffed out a sound, maybe a laugh. “Can’t have him being too much like his father.”

Ada turned her head to her, her smile fading a little. “How are you doing?” she asked quietly.

Abigail kept her gaze on Jack, gripping her legs. “Arthur’s gone with her, hasn’t he?”

“Yeah.”

She released a breath. “Good.” She nodded a few times then. “That makes me feel a little better.”

“That’s good.”

They fell into silence as Ada watched Jack, too, the boy now trying to squish leaves into the mud.

“How are you doin’?”

Abigail’s quiet, gentle question made her blink as her gaze returned to her.

“Me?”

“Yeah.”

She searched her features, finding genuine concern there, knowing there was more to it. So she took a chance.

“Abigail...” she began, lowering her voice even further, almost whispering. “... What Molly said, about me—”

Abigail took her hand, shaking her head. “It’s okay, we don’t have to talk about it here, now.”

She swallowed lightly as Abigail squeezed her hand. “Okay.”

The other woman nodded then released her, hugging her legs again. Ada gazed at her for a few moments longer before looking back to Jack, playing with her ring. The small act of kindness was threatening to bring tears to her eyes. She couldn’t tell if Abigail believed it or not, but the very notion that she would listen, in time, bolstered her.

They sat in silence for a little while, both women thinking about the men they loved and not saying so for fear of upsetting the other. It wasn’t until the boy raced after a butterfly that Abigail sighed and pushed herself up with a groan.

“Come find me later,” she murmured before striding off after her son, her skirt billowing in the breeze.

Ada watched her go as she got to her feet, trying to ignore the twinge in her heart.

If anything happens, I’ll get them out.

Don’t think about that.

She made her way back to the centre of the camp, looking to anyone who might be watching, which they weren’t, as if she was just getting herself something to drink. She poured herself some fresh water from a wooden jug into a tin cup, taking a long drink, her eyes fixed on Dutch’s tent. He was still in there, still sleeping.

This was turning out to be a lot more boring than she’d expected. Swallowing the last of the water, she placed the cup down and wiped her mouth.

What to do, what to do, what to do...

...

Guess I could take a watch.

No one had taken over from Sadie so it left the small lane unguarded and, after the last couple of days, she could do with just one day of no bad surprises. Returning to Arthur’s tent, she pulled her jacket on and then secured her gunbelt around her waist before taking one last glance at Dutch’s tent and then heading around the wagon to the path.

It was quiet around here, almost eerily so sometimes, the only sound the rustling of the trees, some small animals, or the gentle rush of the river. Taking up Sadie’s position, she angled her back so it faced the camp and she could keep an eye on the other bank and the path that stretched ahead.

It took all of two minutes before her mind began to wander.

When they returned with John, and they would return, she’d insist to Arthur that they make a plan. She knew he wouldn’t just leave, not unless he knew everyone would be okay. The gang would have to be in a good position... or not a gang at all.

Increasingly, it was seeming like the latter was the way fate was taking them.

If only they could get some people to leave, others would then go, too... maybe if they got John, Abigail and Jack away—

She fell forward with a sharp gasp as something blunt collided against the back of her head, and the world went black.

—

“... stop it, I want that...”

“Nuh-uh, I gots my hands on it first!”

“That ain’t fair!”

“Shut up!”

Her head ached and her face felt wet. Slowly opening her eyes, she had to blink several times for her vision to focus. At first all she saw was leaves and trees, realising the wetness on her face was due to her cheek being pressed against mud.

“He said I could have what I wants!”

“He said we could have what we wants!”

Her gaze slid up to the two men sat nearby, one of them holding her jacket, the other her boots. Ah, that’s why she felt so cold.

Murfree Brood. They had to be. She’d never encountered them, but it was hard to not recognise them for who they were.

Something grabbed her foot suddenly and she gasped sharply, her head twisting to see what it was.

A third Murfree grinned at her, spit sliding out of the corners of his mouth. He laughed gleefully, gripping her ankle tightly. “Hey, lady, you got pretty toes, I’m gonna cuts off one little toe first, then all the other pink little toes, then I’m gonna wear ‘em as a pretty pink necklace.”

Oh, fuck...

“Hey, hey, she’s awake!” one of the other men said, the argument swiftly ending.

Gritting her teeth, her heart and head pounding, she tried to push herself up before realising her wrists had been tied together tightly. Too tightly. Her fingers were tingling from the lack of circulation.

“Pretty, pretty toes...” The Murfree holding her foot sang, his other hand searching in the pocket of his overalls.

The other two men stepped closer, leaning over her.

The one holding her jacket, patches of long, thin hair on his head, grinned, revealing missing teeth. “I’m gonna cut your hair, it’s so bright and pretty.”

Her gaze darted down as she suddenly felt the cold flat of a knife against her foot. The drooling man giggled, waving the knife. “I can’t wait to get me a pretty new necklace—”

He yelled in shock as her other leg lashed out and her heel struck him in the nose, sending him falling back. Grabbing at his face, he howled in pain, sobbing, and she tried to push herself up. The man with thin hair dropped the jacket and grabbed her shoulders, though, shaking her hard and making her already sore head spin.

“That ain’t nice!” he yelled, and she could hear the other man trying to console the crying one.

“Fuck off,” she hissed through her teeth, feeling queasy and cold.

“That ain’t nice either!” He shook her again and she closed her eyes tightly.

Then he dropped her and she grunted as her back collided with the ground.

“You okay, Den?”

The crying man whimpered in reply, blood seeping through the fingers he held against his face. The man who held her boots, his hair dark and balding, glared at her, baring his teeth.

The man above her huffed out a breath before lunging down, his arm sweeping out, and he scooped the knife up. Turning back to her, his other hand gripped the front of her shirt and he tugged her upper body off the ground, making her groan.

His face inches from hers as he leaned over, spit landed on her cheeks as he hissed, “I’m gonna cut your hair off and you’re gonna apologise to Den for bein’ a nasty bitch and then you’re gonna make it up to him and—”

Short gunfire erupted.

The Murfrees barely had time to cry out. She stared at the man standing over her as a bullet tore through his face, spots of blood landing on hers, and his grip instantly loosened on her as he died and then his body was crumbling, falling on top of her as she fell back.

Gasping out her breaths in shock as she landed, her eyes wide, she felt panic clawing its way up her throat as the dead man lay on her, his features now unrecognisable. Gritting her teeth, she grunted as it took three attempts to shove him off of her completely.

Sucking in deep, harsh breaths, she then went to turn over, wanting to see who had saved her, when a shadow fell across her.

“Fuckin’ inbred trash,” Colm O’Driscoll tutted, his gun by his side as he looked down at the body.

In her peripheral vision, she saw men moving behind him, going to the bodies and their little camp, but she just stared up at him.

Oh, fuck...

Holstering his gun, Colm’s gaze then shifted to her and he smiled. Bending at the knees, he gripped her under the arms. “Come on, darlin’, don’t wanna be hangin’ ‘round here too long.”

Hauling her up with a grunt, she winced, finding that her feet were so cold she could barely feel them as she stood.

“Jesus, you’re shiverin’. Hey, Zach, hand me that...”

A tall dark-haired man with a large beard picked her jacket up and tossed it to Colm who caught it and then draped it around her shoulders. She just continued to stare at him, silent.

He hummed as he removed a knife from his belt with one hand and gripped her arm with the other, keeping her hands out so he could cut through the rope. It took a couple of attempts but then her hands were free, and she hissed out a breath as she started to rub at the red marks they had left, blood rushing back into her fingers.

“These yours?”

She glanced at Colm as he accepted her boots from Zach, arching an eyebrow.

She nodded silently.

“All right.” He dropped them near her feet and turned away, his hands going to his hips as he surveyed the small camp, watching his men search the bodies of the Murfrees.

After tugging her jacket on, Ada then bent down and pulled the boots back on, tying them tightly. Her gaze darted about the ground, trying to locate her guns and gunbelt. They were nowhere to be seen.

Fuck.

Once she’d finished tying them, straightening, she still felt cold so she folded her arms tightly, trying to warm herself. Her eyes lifting, she found Zach stood a few feet away, watching her.

Probably making sure I don’t go anywhere.

Wonderful.

She still felt queasy, too, possibly from the knock to her head... and also the Murfree’s destroyed face which she was very much avoiding looking at.

“All right, let’s go, boys.”

The men, seven of them, started to move at Colm’s announcement, and the man himself approached her once more, nodding his head in the direction they were heading.

“Come on, darlin’, our camp ain’t too far away.”

He held an arm out, gesturing for her to walk first. She paused for a moment, before moving with a long exhale. What choice did she have?

He fell into step with her and rubbed his hands together, glancing at her with a smile. “We heard all the hollerin’ and fancied havin’ a little fun. Who’d have guessed what we’d come back with, huh?”

She remained silent.

“Oh, you ain’t gonna talk to me, is that it?”

Silence.

“Ain’t gonna thank your uncle for savin’ your life?”

Silence.

... and she felt very, very queasy.

“Ahh, that’s all right, I didn’t do it for the—”

She stopped abruptly and doubled over, vomiting onto the damp grass. Her eyes were shut tightly but she heard Colm let out a whistle before feeling a hand rubbing her back.

“Jesus, girl... All right, get it out...”

She heaved again but this time nothing came out, so she spat to rid the awful taste from her mouth, sucking in deep breaths. She was shaking and she didn’t know if it was from the cold still or from how peculiar she felt.

“Zach, can you...?”

She just had time to wipe her mouth with the back of her hand before she was suddenly swept up with a gasp. Staring at Zach as he carried her bridal-style, she tried to push herself out of his arms, albeit weakly.

“What are you—”

“Don’t fuckin’ start, all right, just let the man carry you,” Colm sighed as they walked, Zach looking ahead and not saying a word.

She pressed her lips together, folding her arms, her body tense, but again... no choice.

The camp was only a few minutes away, and despite the current circumstances it felt good to have some time to try and breathe and settle her stomach. It gave her a chance to recognise the woodland, too. They weren’t too far away from Beaver Hollow, she thought, they couldn’t be, the sun was still relatively in the same position. She could escape, she could get back, maybe even before Sadie and Arthur returned. There’d be no need for him to worry, God, she didn’t want to worry him, not when they’d just got each other back.

The trees thinned out into a small clearing and the men broke off to either the fire pit or one of the three tents set up. Two wagons resided to the right and there were probably four or five men here, talking and laughing. She kept her arms folded tightly, her gaze darting between them.

“This way.”

Her eyes returned to Colm, staring at his back and watching him head to the smallest tent, Zach following him. A blonde man sat on a chair outside it, a small table next to him, though he quickly rose from it and trotted away as Colm neared, and as they approached Zach lowered her and set her down on it. She resisted the instinct to thank him, instead just keeping her mouth shut and staring at the ground. He turned and walked away instantly though, not waiting for gratitude.

Humming again, Colm picked up a cloth from the table and dunked it into a bucket of water, squeezing some out of it before turning to her.

As he gripped her chin with his free hand, she hissed as the wet cloth touched her skin, ice cold, which was the last thing she needed. He chuckled, continuing to wipe the specks of blood and mud from her face.

“I don’t think you could be any more pissed off with me, huh?”

She just looked at him, her features tight, jaw clenched.

He chuckled again, wiping hard at her skin. “Don’t tell me you’re the strong, silent type now, huh? I kinda miss you bein’ all loud and shouty.”

She didn’t saw a word, just let him clean her face, willing to make allowances now that she hadn’t been tied up again and he hadn’t demanded a ‘thank you’.

“What happened to your face?” he said after barely two seconds, gesturing at her scar.

The gentle tone of the question surprised her.

“Nothing.”

Damn it.

“Oh, she speaks,” he grinned, gentle tone gone, and tilted his head. “Dutch do that? Or one of his boys?”

She was already shaking her head, her brow dipping at the insinuation. “No, no... Pinkerton agent did it.”

“When?”

Well, I’m already talking and he’s not gonna shut up...

“When we had to escape from where we were staying, a place called Shady Belle.”

“Ah, yeah, I heard about that.” The grin returned as he wiped at her chin. “How is Dutch doin’? Heard he’s just come back from a nice trip.”

Exhaling a weary breath, she moved her head away from his grip, his movements pausing. “What are you doing here, Colm.”

He raised his eyebrows innocently. “Here? Just cleanin’ up my wayward niece.”

She wasn’t in any kind of a mood for this. “I mean this far east.”

Colm grinned, placing his free hand on his chest. “I’m here by invitation, darlin’. You met him, didn’t you, Angelo Bronte? Italian feller, greasy as they come?” She gave no reaction to the mention of the man who’d held Jack and she’d once been hell-bent on killing, but Colm was continuing anyway. ��He extended a little invitation to me some time ago. I’d say it’s been a very prosperous relationship indeed, despite Dutch killin’ him which I’m pretty pissed about but, hey, from it I got Dutch cornered, got me better guns and business here, got my niece back—”

“You don’t have me back.”

He sighed, dabbing repetitively at her nose and making her pull her head back to try and get it away. “C’mon, join us, Adaline, it don’t make no sense for you to be runnin’ ‘round alone—”

She snatched the cloth out of his hand, wiping it against her forehead because it suddenly felt warm. “I’m not alone.”

He chuckled, folding his arms as he leaned against the table. “Ah, yes... your little affair with Arthur.”

She froze, her eyes darting to him. “What—”

He tilted his head. “That’s how we knew where you was campin’, darlin’, down at that big house, Shady Belle. Followed you back there after your stay at that fancy hotel. Kieran just decided to take a little walk at the wrong time—”

She rose to her feet, raging. “You bastard—”

His hand was already on her shoulder, easily shoving her back into the chair. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m a bastard. I ain’t any worse than Dutch, though.”

She fell silent once more, folding her arms and staring out across the grass.

He laughed, and she didn’t think she could hate him any more. “Nah, you can’t argue with that. ‘specially with all the time you’ve been spendin’ with him—”

“Where’s Thomas.”

He blinked in surprise as her gaze met his, then smiled. “You believe me, then?”

She released another weary breath. “I just want to know the truth, Colm. I’m tired of it all.”

Her uncle shifted his stance slightly, tilting his head. “Well, he ain’t here.”

That was it, then, finally, what she’d known all along, he is dead, he—

“He’s out with scouting groups.” Her eyes met his again as he smiled. “Tryna get rid of the last of these Murfree fuckers. This is good land.”

She stared at him.

It had to be lies.

“You’re a sick man—”

He just spoke over her. “We’re regroupin’ soon, though, west of here.”

She’d had enough, again.

Standing, she smiled tightly. “Well, you can send me a letter when he gets back.”

She was about to stride away when his hand was on her shoulder once more and he pushed her back down, chuckling, it all too easy as she was still a little unsteady on her feet.

“Every time I forget just how damn funny you are.” He placed a hand on his hip, the other on the table as he looked at her. “You know you ain’t goin’ anywhere. Sooner you get used to it, sooner you’ll be happier.”

Smiling brightly, he then straightened and clapped his hands together. “All right, I’ll see if I can get someone to get you some food. Don’t you move, now!”

He strode away, whistling, and she stared at his retreating back, her lip almost curling into a snarl, her fists clenched. It had to all be a lie. Another game he was playing for his own, unknown amusement. It was all too convenient, Thomas not being here, meeting with him ‘soon’. What the hell did ‘soon’ mean, anyway? Well, she wasn’t going to hang around long enough to find out. Her gaze shifting from Colm, she played with the cloth in her hands, surveying the camp.

It was a mess in the most sparse of ways, if that was possible. Another table beside one of the other tents, what looked like it had maps strewn across it with a couple of tins and an empty glass bottle. A few blankets balled up here and there along with saddlebags, even more tins lying around. The wagons were half-filled with a few sealed crates and sacks filled with something she couldn’t identify, unevenly shaped. She could hear horses but couldn’t see them, they must be somewhere behind her or one of the wagons. The men sat around the fire, talking, sleeping or drinking. Zach was with them, watching her. Her eyes quickly left his and looked to the treeline. She could see a man there, guarding. If she just waited until it was dark then she could sneak out and hide in the trees and be back in camp by morning and then—

“Hello!”

She jolted, her head whipping to the side.

An Irish boy, well, young man, really, with shoulder-length, strawberry-blonde hair, possibly a few years younger than her, stopped abruptly, raising his hands as the grin faded into a sheepish smile. “Woah, hey, sorry. I forget how loud m’ voice is.”

She eyed him, still. “What do you want.”

His smiled widened a little more. “Nothin’, really, I just wanted to say hello.”

“Why.”

He was rather taken aback at that. “... Because it’s polite.”

She just continued to stare at him, trying to work out what his ulterior motives could be. He lowered his hands and took a few steps closer.

“I’m Peter, the camp doctor. And, well, I’m here for another reason, too. Colm wants me to have a look at ye.”

“I’m fine.”

He nodded, taking a slight breath. “Sure, sure, he just wants me to double check.”

“I’m fine.”

He opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again, lowering his voice gently. “Look, I might be polite but I think ye know Colm always gets his way.”

Her jaw moved. Well, he wasn’t wrong there. Shrugging, she looked away, releasing a breath.

“Fine.”

Taking the granted permission, he took the last few steps closer and cleared his throat. “May I?”

She glanced at him and his raised hands and nodded.

“Thank you.” One hand settled on her forehead, the other on the back, feeling the small lump from where she’d been hit, which made her wince.

Fucking Murfrees. She hadn’t had time to think about it but now she did... what the hell were they doing so close to camp? Trying to take back their land? Shit, another thing to worry about.

“The bump should go in a few days,” Peter was murmuring, “Ye’re a little warm, too, but that could be from all the excitement.”

Lord, give me strength.

She raised her eyes to him. “Yes, because I’ve never experienced excitement before.”

He laughed sheepishly. “Yes, sorry, I bet ye have. Does ye’re head hurt?”

“It aches a little, yes.”

“I’ll get ye some water, you should be okay tomorrow.” He removed his hands and she looked at him, watching his nose wrinkle as he studied her. Smiling gently, he gestured at her face. “What’s this?”

She assumed what he was referring to. “A scar.”

He laughed nervously again and she probably would have felt guilty if she wasn’t so pissed off.

“Stupid question. How’d it happen?”

“A knife.”

“Right...” He cleared his throat, then pointed at her throat. “And this other scar? How’d this happen?”

“From when a man held a knife to my throat as Dutch van der Linde killed my father.”

There was a pause. It went on so long her eyes rose to look at him to see what he was doing. His mouth was moving slightly, a sympathetic frown on his features.

“I know about that. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring it up.”

She just hummed, his sincerity finally starting to make the guilt creep in.

“Does anywhere else hurt?” he asked gently after a moment.

“No.”

“You sure?”

Go easy on him.

Licking her lips, her eyebrows rose slightly. “My wrists ache but it’s fine.”

“Yeah, that’ll just be from how they’d had ye tied, it should have gone by tomorrow. Let me know if it doesn’t. Ye’re shakin’, too, lemme get ye a blanket...”

She watched him duck into the tent and come out moments later with a thick green blanket, allowing him to drape it around her. She was about to ease up a little more and thank him when his hand went for the cloth.

“C’mere, ye still got some blood on ye—”

She moved her hand away. “I can do it.”

He instantly drew his hand back, smiling lightly. “All right. It’s just on ye’re left cheek there.”

She began to wipe at it, expecting him to make some kind of an awkward, drawn out goodbye, but he just stood there, his hands clasped together.

“Can I ask ye a question?”

Guilt was still very much lingering so she didn’t want to abruptly turn him away. “Sure.”

“What’s he like?”

She paused in her wiping, taking a moment to fold the cloth. “Who?”

“Dutch.”

Ada exhaled a breath, having half-expected it. “I don’t want to talk about him right now.”

Was this his ulterior motive? Had Colm asked him to gain her trust and then enquire about Dutch? See what state he was in? She had no love for either men but giving information to Colm that might hurt Dutch was something she’d never do. Hurting Dutch meant hurting Arthur, unfortunately.

Peter was all apologies. “Sure, sorry, I was just curious.”

I bet you were... but maybe he just genuinely is.

Glancing at him, she then looked away again, staring at the ground as she twisted the cloth in her hands.

“What do you want to talk about, then?”

Why isn’t he going... Lord, please give me all your strength.

“I don’t.”

“Oh, all right.” The guilt came again at his crestfallen tone, but he brightened a moment later as she looked at him. “I’ll get ye that water and maybe somethin’ to eat, yeah?”

“That would be nice.”

“All right. I won’t be long!”

Watching him walk away, she took in a long breath.

You can be back at camp by morning, just wait until it’s dark and most of them are asleep.

Just wait.

—

The tent was to be hers that night, Peter told her when he returned with a bowl of tasteless stew and a tin cup of warm water. He said it with a smile, like it was a lovely treat. Looking at the state of the camp, it seemed like it was, though.

Situated a little way from the camp fire, they could still keep an eye on her, and she sat on the ground outside it, the blanket still wrapped around her, staring at the grass as darkness fell, lost in her thoughts, mentally mapping out the area and, depending on which main road she was closest to, the quickest way back to Beaver Hollow.

No one approached her or said a word, even Peter left her alone, having finally taken the hint, hopefully, but every now and then she’d look up and find Zach’s eyes still on her. She’d just return her gaze to the ground.

To them she probably just looked tired, dejected, resigned, but she was just biding her time, waiting for them to relax a little more, to drink more, to sleep, to leave longer gaps between when they looked at her.

She did feel odd, though, hot all over, almost feeling hot inside, the sensation having overtaken her rather suddenly about an hour ago, but maybe it was just the blanket. She kept it on, though, the night cold. Her head pounded still, too, but, as Peter had said, that would go soon.

She glanced up at the men. Colm was sat amongst them, smoking a cigarette and drinking from a flask, quiet, smiling, looking at each man as they spoke. Zach was beside him and, thankfully, for once not looking at her, watching the flame of his match as he lit his own cigarette.

A loud laugh went up suddenly from the group and she took her chance.

Pushing the blanket off, she crawled under the table and around the tent. She hoped they would just assume she’d gone in the tent, but she knew that was just wishful thinking; one of them would check, just in case, most likely Zach.

So, knowing time was precious and keeping low, she instantly ran to the trees, straightening only when she was several feet into the woodland. The density of the trees made it seem darker than it was but she hoped that would aid her.

Then she heard shouting from the camp. They had realised what had happened.

She kept running, bowing slightly as she went up an incline. It didn’t matter where she was going, she’d find her way back to Beaver Hollow, she had to, she had to get—

A bullet sounded, then more shouts.

“Don’t fuckin’ kill her!” she heard Colm thunder over the rest of the voices, sounding closer.

With a grimace, she tried to run faster, her leg starting to ache, head pounding, the odd feeling lingering no matter how many deep breaths she inhaled. The men were drawing near, though, she could hear them calling to one another.

“Here! She’s this way!”

Shit.

She was headed down the hill now, slipping slightly on the mud but she kept her footing. She could hear the river, close by, maybe only a few minutes away. If she got to it she could cross it, and then disappear into the trees there, or maybe even hide by some of the large rocks that were usually dotted along it, maybe she could bide her time and then—

Someone barrelled into her, knocking her to the ground.

Landing with a loud groan, her teeth slammed together, narrowly missing her tongue. The person was grabbing at her shoulders, trying to keep her down, but she was thrashing too much, trying to crawl forward as she hissed out sounds.

“Stop, stop it, okay, he’s really angry!”

Peter.

"Let me go,” she hissed, striking her elbow back and knocking him in the chest.

He grunted at the impact but was stronger than he looked, or was she weaker? She certainly felt weak, drained, even.

“I can’t, I’m sorry, please, the others are comin’, they won’t be as nice—”

“I have to get back,” she was hissing, still trying to crawl forward, kicking her legs back in an attempt to push him away.

Tears were pricking at her eyes as she thought about Arthur, imagined him returning to camp, unable to find her, no one knowing where she was, what he would be thinking.

I have to get back to him, I just told him I love him, I can’t leave him, I can’t—

Peter’s weight was suddenly off of her and she released a breath, but before she could surge forward, one hand gripped the back of her jacket and an arm slid under her and then she was hauled up and on to someone’s shoulder.

Zach’s.

He was instantly walking, heading back towards the camp, his arm like a vice around her lower back, keeping her in place. That didn’t stop her from trying to push herself up, though, her hands gripping at the back of his jacket, her legs kicking out again. He didn’t move or say anything, just continued walking, and her struggles were useless.

Why was she so drained?

She could hear the rest of the men catching their breath or coughing out curses, not entirely delighted at having been made to unexpectedly sprint through the woods. She ignored them, trying to blink the tears away because the last thing she was going to let happen would be Colm seeing her cry.

He was angry? Good. So was she, but she would bide her time until she got the upper-hand because, God help her, she would.

Zach halted abruptly and when he set her down, surprisingly carefully, she turned and found they were back at the camp, the fire glowing to her right. It didn’t have her attention, though, because a foot away stood Colm, flask in one hand, finger tapping against it, resting his weight on one foot, his other hand hanging by his side, cigarette resting between his fingers.

His gaze was fixed on her, hard, unreadable. She held it, her chin lifted, breathing even.

What had he expected?

His tongue ran over his teeth and then he turned his head to the side, hawking and spitting. Tilting his head, his voice was light.

“If you try that again I will keep you tied to a post, you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

Taking a drag on the cigarette, he nodded leisurely a few times before dropping it to the ground and pressing it into the damp grass with his boot.

“Well, all right, then.”

His hand suddenly lashed out, slapping her. It wasn’t particularly hard but the surprise of it was enough to have her already unsteady legs falling from beneath her. Zach caught her arms in time, though, holding her up, and she swiftly shook one of his hands off so she could raise her own to her stinging cheek.

Hissing out breaths through her teeth, shaking from what now she didn’t know, her eyes tracked Colm, the man having already turned away, watching him move back towards the fire to join his men.

“All right, where was we, then,” he called out loudly, resuming his seat as they continued their conversations like nothing had happened, their backs to her.

Zach was still gripping one of her arms so she wrenched it out of his grip, though she knew it came free more from him allowing it than her own strength.

“I think it’d be best if you went to sleep.”

She stiffened slightly at his voice, American, deep but quiet, and for some reason it made the tears return to her eyes. Sniffing, she dropped her hand from her cheek and swallowed hard. Without saying a word, she turned and moved past him, heading for the tent. If she’d deigned to look at the men around the fire she would have found Peter watching her, regretful, torn.

Stooping and entering the tent, taking the blanket she’d left at the entrance with her, she settled on her knees, letting the flap fall closed behind her. It was tiny, only enough space for her to lie down and maybe lay a few items next to her. She only had her jacket and boots. She just removed the jacket, and realised as she did so that her shirt was sticking to her skin, a light sheen of sweat covering her. Had the run been that strenuous?

Lying down on the bedroll, it was thin but it’d do, she pulled the blanket over herself, rested her head on her arm and closed her eyes, willing sleep to come quickly.

Tomorrow would be a new day.

Tomorrow she would come up with a plan.

Tomorrow she would leave.

—

The next morning she could barely move. Her entire body ached and she felt hot and cold all at once, shaking.

Peter, thankfully, was the one to come and check on her when she didn’t emerge, guilt still troubling him. Taking one look at her, guilt turned to concern and he placed the back of his hand against her forehead.

“Think ye got a fever,” he murmured, pressing his lips together. “Nothin’ too serious I don’t think, but we’re gonna have to wait for it to break.”

Ada just nodded slightly, her throat too sore for her to speak.

“I’ll get ye some water and see what medicines I’ve got, all right?”

He smiled gently before exiting, and she just felt like crying.

Just let me go, just take me to a doctor in town, I don’t want to be here...

“She ain’t up yet?” Colm, stood right outside her tent by the sounds of it.

To no surprise, so was Zach. “Peter says she got a fever.”

“What? Awh, shit...” She heard him hawk and spit. “... We’re still movin’ on today. You and Peter look after her, do what you can, keep up.”

“Will do, boss.”

She heard Colm walk away, whistling to himself.

A tear leaked out of the corner of her eye. They were going to move on, taking her further away from Beaver Hollow. And with how awful she felt... It could be days before she could even sit up without feeling queasy. She’d had a couple of fevers before as a child, could remember how awful she’d felt for days, how her mother had tended to her, had tried to soothe her as she’d cried, wanting to play with her brother.

Peter returned then with a small bag and a skin of water, and she was suddenly struck with how young he was. Maybe even still a teenager. What the hell was he doing here as a doctor? Could he even look after her properly?

She licked her dry lips and swallowed, wincing with the motion. “Take me to the doctor in town,” she rasped.

He glanced at her, and she thought she saw guilt in his eyes before he resumed looking through his bag. “You know I can’t do that.”

“Please...” she murmured, and she thought she had him when he paused again, his eyes closing briefly.

“Ada, I can’t,” he whispered, placing his hand over her clammy one unexpectedly. “I’m sorry but I can’t and ye know it. But I will take care o’ ye and ye will be fine, I promise.”

She just looked at him, knowing her eyes were shining. She didn’t care, now, if she cried, she just felt so awful, every single part of her aching.

“Pete, we got ten minutes then we gotta go,” Zach called, and Peter’s hand left hers, quickly going through his bag.

“All right!”

He had her drink some kind of a tonic, the thick, syrupy, sugary taste of it nearly making her gag.

“I think you just got t’ sweat it out, all right?”

‘I think’ didn’t fill her with confidence.

She nearly burst into tears when Peter helped her sit up and shifted her to the mouth of the tent so Zach could reach in and pick her up. Her body hurt so much but she knew Colm wouldn’t make any allowances for her. Knew even if she hadn’t tried to escape last night that he still wouldn’t have.

She was placed in one of the wagons on a pile of blankets, another one placed over her, and Peter sat in with her as Zach drove it. She stared up at the white canopy of the wagon, feeling every stone and dip the wheels of it went over. It felt almost like a dream, to the point where when she closed her eyes and fell asleep and did dream, she was still lying in the wagon, but now her mother was at her side, fussing and stroking her hair from her face.

“You’ll be all right, you’ll be okay, Mama’s here, darling...”

Peter pretended not to notice when, after she awoke only a few minutes later, the wagon jolting her out of it, silent tears poured down her cheeks.

She didn’t know how many days passed, the fact they moved every day not helping. Whenever she was awake and somewhat lucid, she was either in the wagon with Peter at her side, or in a tent. It sometimes took her a while to work out if it was real or not as her dreams were so vivid.

Her mother came to her often, humming a lullaby like she used to, telling her she’d be all right soon, that the weather is improving. Sean came, too, asking her what the hell she was doing, why she was wasting a perfectly good sunny day when she could be out robbing, making him proud. He was always smiling.

Then there were the dreams she had about Arthur.

Sometimes, she thought she could feel his arm around her, or his voice was in her ear, murmuring to her that she was okay, she was fine, he loved her even though she was a sweaty mess.

Then sometimes he’d be at the other end of the tent, asking where she was, why she was here.

No matter who came, though, they always looked slightly off, like it was them but wasn’t them. Her mother’s eyes were a different colour, Sean smiled differently, Arthur was expressionless, his voice bland.

Several times she thought she’d died and was in hell.

What she wouldn’t remember was Peter sat by her side for most if not all of it, hearing her mutterings and murmurings, hearing her mumble to people who weren’t there, barely able to make out what she was saying. Sometimes he’d have to place a hand on her shoulder to keep her still as she thrashed a little, telling her quietly she was all right, she was okay.

Zach was the only other person to visit, bringing Peter food and water for him and Ada. Sometimes he could get her to eat, when she was having a lucid period, could get her to have half a bottle of a tonic then some water before she’d be out again.

He thought about changing her out of her sweat-soaked clothes, but couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead he placed fresh garments he believed would fit by the opening of the tent, in case she woke in the rare times he wasn’t there.

And he kept watch, keeping his promise of looking after her.

—

When she awoke, she knew something was different.

She wasn’t hot or cold, just normal. She could see and hear properly, her body didn’t ache. She felt drained still but nowhere near as much as before. She was so thirsty, too, and hungry; she could feel her stomach groaning in protest.

Staring up at the roof of the tent, she just took in a few, even breaths, hoping this wasn’t a dream.

“Oh, hey.” Her gaze dropping sharply, she found Peter sat just outside the slightly open flap, smiling widely. “You’re awake.”

As he ducked his head into the tent, she swallowed, feeling like nails were in her throat.

“Water,” she croaked.

Peter paused, raising his eyebrows a little. “What?”

“Water.”

“Oh, shit, yeah, sorry...” His head ducked out before it returned again moments later, and he leaned in, offering her a skinful of water.

Pushing herself up, her arms shook a little but her head was fine. Accepting it, she took long sips, her eyes closed. She could feel Peter watching her, but it wasn’t until she finally lowered the skin that he spoke.

“You okay?”

She wiped her mouth with her fingers as she looked at him. “Little hungry.”

“Yeah, you’ve not eaten much, but this is good, means you’ve got ye’re appetite back.” He was grinning now, thoroughly pleased. “I’ll get ye somethin’—”

“How long?” she asked just as he started to turn away.

He understood what she meant, his features softening. “A week.”

She nearly felt sick.

“A week?” Her already hoarse voice cracked on the word.

Fuck... We could be anywhere by now.

Peter smiled sympathetically. “Yeah, ye... It wasn’t the worst I’ve seen but it was pretty bad.”

Ada just nodded, her eyes on the blankets covering her legs, trying not to cry. She heard Peter shift slightly.

“Do ye still want somethin’ to eat?”

Clearing her throat, wincing, she shook her head. “It’s all right, I’ll come out and get something. I could do with some fresh air.”

“Yeah, I think that’ll do ye good.”

There was a slight pause in which she met his gaze, and then she allowed a faint smile to lift her lips. “Thank you, for looking after me.”

He shook his head, returning the smile. “It’s all right, no need t’ thank me. ‘m just glad ye’re okay.” Pointing at a corner near him, he continued, “There’s clothes for ye here, they should fit. I’ll be by the fire.”

Before she could thank him again he was gone, the tent flap closing.

Closing her eyes, she ran a hand over her hair as her head bowed, feeling how dry it was but ignoring it for now.

A week.

They could be on the other side of the county, or in another one, miles and miles and miles away. It hurt her unbearably to think of Arthur, to think of how he must be feeling, what he was even doing. Would he be out looking for her? Would gang business keep him away? What if something awful had happened to them all?

She couldn’t cope with it, not now, not with how fragile she felt, so she shoved it to the back of her mind, focusing instead on something smaller; food.

She took her time changing into the odd assemble of black, pinstripe trousers and brown, faintly checked shirt. They were a little big, but once she’d tucked the shirt in and used her belt to tighten the trousers she deemed that they would do. Pulling her boots on, she then neatly folded her beloved blue shirt and her own trousers, and placed them on the bedroll. After running her fingers through a few knots in her hair, she took a breath, licked her dry lips, and moved out of the tent.

She was rather stiff as she straightened so she just stood for a few moments, rolling her shoulders and neck. As she did, grimacing, she surveyed the new camp. They were on top of a hill on a flat patch of grass, and for miles and miles all she could see was the tops of trees, nothing distinguishable anywhere. She took in a breath, fighting the faint feeling of panic that was starting to build.

It’s all right, you can find your way back to him, you will get back to him...

Is he even alive.

Stop it.

She didn’t want to think about that, that the mission to get John might have been unsuccessful. That any of them could have died.

Exhaling a breath, she looked towards the fire pit. She estimated it must be morning, a couple of hours until noon possibly, and the camp was quiet, a few men still sleeping. There were more blankets and saddlebags dotted around so she assumed they must have picked up some more O’Driscolls along the way, wherever the hell they were heading. She saw no sign of—

“Well, look at you, you made it.”

... Speak of the Devil and he shall appear.

Turning her head, she watched Colm approach, tin cup in his hand, the other in his pocket, a lazy grin on his lips. It wasn’t until she saw him that she remembered he’d slapped her. It shouldn’t have surprised her but it had; despite the man he was she’d gotten the sense that he wouldn’t lay a hand on her, yes, even despite the fact he’d had her tied up previously. She’d thought there was some part of him that really did care for her, in his twisted way. What a fool she’d been.

She eyed him warily now, grateful that he stopped a few feet away, sipping his coffee.

“I did.”

The grin lingered. “Good, I would’ve hated to waste time buryin’ you.”

You bastard.

“Come on, boys!” he suddenly called out, in such a loud tone that some of the men sleeping jerked awake and she flinched. “We’re goin’ west to meet with the others.”

His gaze shifting to her, he smiled over the rim of his cup.

She knew what the smile meant; Thomas was supposedly going to be there.

Not giving him a reaction, she asked flatly, “When is this regroup happening.”

He shrugged a shoulder, still smiling. “Couple days.”

Fine. Just a couple of days and then she would have the truth.

—

They travelled for another week.

She would have thought it was on purpose if they didn’t move on every single day. They were always moving, heading west she could tell by the sun, but still a week passed with no sign of a regroup.

And so Ada was forced to acclimatise to what life was like in an O’Driscoll camp.

It was nothing like Dutch’s where there was community and cohesion; here there was no organisation, she was more than certain the men stole from each other, and they found food and drink for themselves. A few would go hunting together and share what they killed but beyond that, nothing. From eavesdropping she gathered they were conducting business as they went, trading, bartering and killing when they stopped at night. She never saw any of it or was asked to go with any of them, though; both not trusted and not allowed to do anything, stuck between being a captive and their boss’s niece.

So with nothing to do, not even a book to read, all she could do was sit and watch and stare and think. Sulking, Colm called it once with a laugh, which just made her press her lips together and made her look like she was sulking even more.

It felt like torture, left with nothing but her thoughts.

She asked Peter if she could assist with anything but he was so adamant that she rest, so polite that he wouldn’t allow it, that to save herself from screaming she just gave up asking. She did sit with him, though, needing something, anything, to do, and she learned from his never-ending stream of consciousness that he had just turned twenty one and only recently come over from Ireland, his father, now a doctor, having known Colm in a former life. So Peter had arrived here, with a letter from his father, and asked around until he found them, and had been welcomed with open arms; there was always limbs to be reattached and wounds to heal. He was excited to be in America, giddy, even, and he either hadn’t witnessed was the O’Driscolls did, ignored it, or was frightened because he didn’t say a bad word against them, didn’t even raise a minor gripe, even when a few jokes were made at his expense. It was nice to make conversation with someone, though, to distract her, and he had saved her life.

She spent all the daytime hours with him, and he eventually did allow her to roll bandages and repair them, though that was it. When they travelled she would sit in a wagon with him, almost bored to tears as they took turns pointing out things they saw.

Zach watched her constantly, even when she bathed in any rivers or lakes they came to, but he never leered, never stared, never even spoke, just stared at a part of the water near her so she was in his peripheral vision, and then above her head when she got out, even though she’d opted to keep her underclothes on. That was useless, though, as they just stuck to her body, but there was no one around to see; no one dared sneak a peek. She quickly realised the men both deeply respected and were kind of afraid of Zach, and she didn’t think it was just to do with how tall he was. He was silent, muscular, and had huge revolvers strapped to his belt and she didn’t doubt that he very much knew how to use them. He shared his food and drink with her, he seemed to have an endless supply of tinned goods, and they sat in silence together, which she didn’t mind one bit. She did murmur a thank you every time, though; she was her mother’s daughter.

His ever watchful gaze gave her no chance to slip away.

At night, tears would trail down her cheeks at knowing Arthur was out there, her heart aching unbearably. What if he thought she was dead, his heart breaking all over again. Would he give up? What if he was grieving her. Spiralling, doing stupid things in disbelief and anger. The darkest, cruellest parts of her mind whispered to her that what if he thought she’d gone, disappeared when she’d had the chance. She was aching to get back to him so much it hurt.

On the fifteenth night of being their captive, she was keeping count now, with the second week spilling over into a third, these insecurities and anxieties swirling in her mind yet again, she sat outside her tent, staring at the ground sullenly.

Zach was sat on a chair a few feet away, whittling something and smoking on a pipe. Peter was asleep a short distance to the right, snoring softly. A few men were talking around a fire some way off, but other than that it was quiet. That’s what surprised her most about the O’Driscoll camp; the quiet. She’d expected raucous laughter, copious drinking and shouting, insults flung this way and that but, no, the men spoke to who they wanted to talk to and got on with what they needed to. Part of her wondered if this was why Colm chose these men to be around him, for the quiet. Maybe they were just the best listeners, the ones least likely to disagree.

Her thoughts lingered on her uncle. He’d barely spoken to her since she’d recovered, only grinning when he caught her eye or bidding her a cheerful good morning or evening when he passed. Other than that, she didn’t see much of him and she liked that just fine. She was... apprehensive of his company now, knowing he wasn’t beyond physically hurting her if she disobeyed him. It made her all the more anxious for whenever there would be this regrouping; who better to make an example of than his own niece?

She couldn’t even think about it, the prospect of being around more O’Driscolls, ones she knew for certain would be rowdier than this group... and also finally knowing Thomas’s fate.

She knew it already, though; he was dead.

Once it was confirmed she was going to leave by any means necessary, but not before—

“Hey, darlin’.”

She caught herself before she flinched. Lifting her eyes, she found Colm sauntering closer, smoking. The apprehension grew; she’d learned that any conversation with him didn’t turn out well.

He coughed and then took a drag, blowing out a thin stream of smoke. “You better get some sleep, we’re all meetin’ up tomorrow.”

Tomorrow. Part of her believed he was actually telling the truth this time.

Her eyes followed him as he passed, smiling. “You’re gonna need all your energy for seein’ your brother.”

I hate you.

Her teeth were clenched so tightly. She didn’t believe it. It was a cruel trick he was playing.

And she was going to kill him for it.

—

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tonyspep · 5 years ago

Text

my sweet tooth got the best of me

a/n: this is a companion piece to my dad!richard madden and dad!kit harrington fic home sweet home (a couple kids running in the yard). again, this is all @rocketrhap4229's fault because she talked about writing a fic where richard's kids in her stories are older and he and his wife end up babysitting a baby and he longs for a baby again. i told her she should write it, and it made me think of doing the same thing for kit, so here we are.

~*~my sweet tooth got the best of me~*~

pairing: kit harington/you (sadie)

summary: the last thing you expected was kit to develop a case of baby fever when your baby sister asks you to take care of your six month old niece

rating: k+

You knew all too well the intense need for a respite that came for new mothers and fathers, just a night – just one – where you weren't woken up by a piercing cry at three am and the like, so you didn't hesitate when your sister pleaded with you to watch your niece, Savannah who had just turned six months old a few weeks prior. You were out at your favorite cafe` and you recognized the bags under your baby sister's eyes, the way she could barely keep her head up and how her normally perfectly done up hair was twisted into a messy top knot.

Easily you lifted the baby out of her stroller and the blue eyes both you and your sister inherited from your father blinked up at you. You laughed and lightly tossed her in the air, catching her without fail and she giggled as your fingers lightly pressed into the softness of her baby-round tummy to tickle her.

“We'll have a good time, won't we, Savvy girl?” You murmured, reaching for your keys to dangle in front of her, laughing when her chubby hands reached for them. “Yes, we will. Yes, we will.” She wriggled and squealed as you peppered her face with kisses.

“Kit won't mind?” Faye questioned, her voice wary, but you brushed her off with a wave of your hand.

“Has it been a tick since we've had a little one around? Sure, it has, but he adores Savvy, you know that. It's not as if you're leaving her with us for months, it's just a few nights so you and Cam can get the sleep you desperately need. He'll understand. It wasn't that long ago that Jax and Jade were in nappies.”

“She can be a handful....”

“Stooooooop,” You insisted, drawing out the word as you shook your head. “We've got nothing to worry about, do we, sweetheart? You're going to be an angel for Auntie Sadie and Uncle Kit aren't you?” More tickling of her tummy and she unleashed another stream of giggles, slapping her hands together as she flashed a gummy smile that made your heart melt.

“See?” You shot back, sticking out your tongue. “She'll be perfect. Now, you go on home, shoo. My angel of a niece and I will take a walk round the park, get some fresh air and then we'll have a nice little nap, a spot of tea and soon it will be time for supper. Does that sound fun, Savvy? Does it? Awwww, it does, doesn't it?” You babbled in a baby voice you hadn't used in so long.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say Faye looked like the weight of the world had been lifted from her slim shoulders and you laughed as she flung herself at you, nearly knocking your chair backwards. You remembered that feeling of relief washing over you like a summer rain, all too well, after Kit's parents graciously offered to take their grandchild off your hands for a few nights just so you could breathe.

Though, you loathed to call it such out loud, about an hour and a half later after doing everything you had told Faye you would do with Sadie, you had arrived at your summer cottage in Hambeldon just outside of Hampshire. You didn't like thinking of yourself as part of the bougies set who jetted from this home to that home with a turn of the weather, but you missed the country terribly as you and your sister had been raised on your family's farm in Yorkshire. And while you understood Kit's need to be based in London, you couldn't stop yourself from missing the fresh air and the rolling hills and such.

It felt strange entering the door with a baby on your hip and a bursting Burberry bag hanging perilously off your shoulder, as you hadn't done so in quite some time, but everything about caring for Savannah came naturally to you.

You bounced her as you carefully shut the door with your heel, as your hands were quite full, and just as you set the baby bag onto the floor and propped the stroller against the wall, you heard the familiar rhythm of Kit's footfalls against the stairs.

You bit your lip, twisting the flesh between your teeth, as you took in the sight of your husband.

Nearly twenty years and two children later, he still had your pulse racing and butterflies flitting about your stomach. You didn't know how, but he had only gotten better with age, his black velvet curls becoming streaked with grey here and there but still as unruly and thick as ever just as his facial hair was sporting silvery tones as well. He was as fit as he'd ever been, something you couldn't help but appreciate as he gave a hearty yawn, the tee he was wearing slipping upward to reveal a sliver of his still toned stomach.

“Surprise,” You cooed, reaching him in four quick strides, your mouth pressed against his ear.

“Surprise?” His voice dipped low, like a caress against your skin. “Is this surprise,” There was a rough edge creeping in and you had to try hard to stifle the giggle bubbling in your throat, he had no idea Savannah was in your arms as he was too focused on you. “Something lacy or something silky? Or perhaps,” He stroked at your cheek and you nearly reached for him to steady yourself as your legs turned to jelly from his voice. “Tonight I'll find you the way I like you best, bare and waiting for me after we've wrangled our rascals off to bed?”

“I'm afraid that will have to wait for some other night,” You murmured, shaking your head.

You couldn't hold back your giggles at the way he outright pouted. His lower lip thrust forward the way your daughter's would when she didn't get her way. “You said...” He sputtered, his eyes blinking rapidly while his brows became pinched together and that only made you laugh harder.

“I said surprise,” Your reply was tart. “I never specified what the surprise would be. You assumed,” You poked him in the chest and he clutched at the spot, falling backward slightly, as if he had been struck.

“What's this suddenly not very interesting surprise then, love?”

“It's not a what...” Your voice trailed away as you transferred Savannah from her perch at your hip to your front and nearly thrust her at your unsuspecting husband. “Faye and Cam are in desperate need of a proper night's rest,” You explained. “So I said we'd watch Savvy for the next few nights. You remember what it was like having a baby round in those early days? How there were times we could barely keep our eyes open for more than five seconds, how we were run ragged and the lot? They need that same break your parents afforded us. Plus,” You batted your lashes in the same way Jade would when she was trying to get him to give her what she wanted, and you knew he wouldn't be able to resist. “I've missed having a little one around,” You brushed your lips along Savannah's hairline, breathing in her baby smell.

“You know I can't say no when you do that,” He groused, but you knew he didn't mean it, not really, anyway. “But as soon as Savvy goes home,” You gasped at the sudden and insistent press of his body against yours. “I want the surprise I thought I was getting,” He breathed the words, husky and low, against the elegant glide of your neck while his large hands roamed along your body, giving your breasts a barely there squeeze before he pulled back.

“Savvy!” Your daughter Jade squealed excitedly as she and her older brother came through the door at the back of the cottage. Each toed off their muddy shoes, having spent the day roaming round and playing. You couldn't help but smile as she plucked her chubby cousin out of the same high chair she and Jax sat in so long ago. The baby gave a squeal of her own before she giggled at the way Jade babbled on about her day.

“Are Aunt Faye and Uncle Cam here, too?” Jax questioned as he reached into the fridge.

“No, they're not. We're watching Savvy so they can get a proper night's rest. And you, young man, better not be fishing round for food,” You warned. “Supper's going to be done in about twenty minutes.”

“Muuuuuuuuuummmmmm,” He groaned and you found yourself longing for the days before he became a teenager and was absorbed in his phone or computer except on the rare occasions where you or Kit basically ordered him to go out and play, whether you were here or back in London.

“Don't give me that and I definitely don't want to here any of that I'm a growing boy business. I'll not have you eating us out of house and home, Mister. You've already had breakfast and lunch, plus what you and Jade took with you as a snack while you were running round, that's enough.”

“Yeah, Jax,” Jade piped up from her spot on the kitchen floor where she was bouncing Savannah in her lap. “Mummy and Daddy won't have you eating us out of house and home.”

“Shut...” Before he could finish, you knew Kit had come into the kitchen, effectively stopping him from telling his sister to shut up. “I didn't think you wanted to finish that sentence,” Your husband said smoothly. “And what do you know? I was right. You know the proper way to talk to your sister. Go wash up and then set the table, and don't even think about turning on your phone. There's nothing Earth shattering that's going to happen between you washing up, setting the table and supper being over.”

“Yes, Dad,” Jax droned as he sprinted up the stairs, the familiar refrain of no running in the house was on the tip of your tongue, but you let it go.

You couldn't help but sigh as Kit's hands found purchase at your hips while you were at the stove, keeping watch over the pasta bake you had in the oven, ready with your mitts on to retrieve it. He placed a soft kiss against your temple and murmured, “I know. It seems so long ago when we were his whole world, doesn't it?”

You leaned backwards so your back was pressed against his front and you gave him a fond smile, pushing the bridge of his glasses onto the bridge of his nose. “Because it was so long ago,” You laughed. “Keep the specs till we retire to our chambers, Lord Harington,” Your tone was teasing as you slipped into the easy rapport you had created with him nearly two decades before.

“As you wish,” Came his familiar reply as he bet to press a dainty kiss to your freckled nose.

Kit felt something stir inside him that he never expected as he watched you help Jade feed Savannah her mushy peas throughout supper. He adored the tiny thing from the moment Cameron had placed her in his arms as a new born. As he inhaled her familiar baby smell, there was a brief flicker of want inside of him and he thought of pulling you aside and whispering about how he would like another, but it was quickly extinguished after she had become fussy and let out a wailing cry about being passed about and not being near her mother.

After Jax had been born, there wasn't a need in him for another baby like he had heard his mates go on and on about. Neither of you were from terribly large families and hadn't discussed having even more than one baby when you discussed about whether you would even have children at all.

He meant every word when he said he would have been happy with just you, but you wanted at least one, and he believed as he watched Jax grow that his son was enough. Then after his fifth birthday party was over and you had put him to bed, you came to him – in a lace slip he thought about every now and again, even now – and murmured against his lips, “surprise,” and then, seven and a half months later, Jade Marie was in his arms.

A girl...

Nearly all his life, girls had been quite the mystery to him, having been more used to the rough housing and ruggedness brought on by boys and suddenly he was going to have one calling him, “Daddy,” and from the moment, he cut the umbilical cord and she was nothing but a squalling mess as she wriggled about in distress at having lost her comfortable resting place within you, she captured him in a way even her own brother hadn't.

If Jax was his spitting image, Jade was yours, and it only made him love her more.

You both had the same smattering of freckles along the bridge of your nose and cheeks, only coming more alive in the summer months as your skin would darken under the sun, but it was her eyes – the same pure crystal blue as yours – that would get him to do whatever she asked, without hesitation.

She knew all of your tricks, too. Such as making the already round shape of her eyes rounder by widening them ever so slightly while her velvet lashes batted furtively. A plaintive and sweet, “Daaaaaady” just like the way you pronounced his full name “Chrisssstopher,” whenever you wanted something. Rocking back and forth on her little feet. Her pout thrust forward and quivering slightly.

There was a want coursing through his veins as he remembered Jade being as tiny as Savannah. She had been quite the clingy thing, the opposite of her brother. Jax, as a baby, couldn't wait to explore everything around him, hating to be confined and always wanting to move, even when he could barely keep his head up. But his little gem – as he was fond of calling her – never wanted to part with him, coming close to bursting both of your eardrums with her nearly inconsolable wails when you would lay her down in her bassinet or crib.

It was a struggle, once she was older, to even get her to sleep in her own room. He winced at the thought, knowing he hadn't been much of a help in that area, as all she would have to do is cling at his leg and bat her lashes and he had been turned to mush and would sneak her into the bed he shared with you after he was sure you'd fallen asleep, thinking you were none the wiser as long as she ended up in her own bed before you woke.

“Someone,” Your voice cut through his thoughts. “Needs a change.”

Kit laughed under his breath and without a second thought, rose from his chair. “I'll take care of it. Jade, help your Mum clear the table. Jax, you're going to wash and your sister will dry. Don't put up a fuss. If you do, we'll keep that computer of yours back home next time we go on holiday. And I don't just mean when we're summering here at the cottage, either.”

Jax gave a heavy sigh, but no remarks were made, which Kit knew – like him – you considered as a win.

Baby talk had never been his forte, but he slipped into it like a well worn pair of trainers, laughing and making faces at a wriggling Savannah as he powdered her bum and placed a new diaper on after disposing of her previous one. She laughed – high-pitched and with abandon – the same way Jade had at this age and there was a twinge in his heart. Snapping the buttons of her onsie in place, a soft white number with light purple stripes going across, he scooped her up easily and when she yawned and her head came to rest against his shoulder, the want that had been coursing through his veins during supper, was only growing stronger.

Her sweet baby smell surrounding him, he rocked her gently and walked around your bedroom, humming the familiar refrain of The Beatles “Obladi-Oblada,” which had been Jade's favorite lullaby.

Something bittersweet swept over him, wishing she could be this small again.

Though, she had yet to take on Jax's defiance and sullen moods, she was growing up, too.

She no longer had him putting on tiaras and feather boas while they sipped at imaginary tea with her teddies and dolls. She was going to you for her braids and ponys, saying his were sloppy and they needed to be neat for school. She didn't need him to tie her laces on her saddle shoes or trainers anymore and suddenly she didn't want the crust cut off her sandwiches.

She played soccer now and was going to be going to camp next summer, meaning for the first time, she'd be away from home for a long stretch of time and she wasn't even batting an eye.

To the contrary, it was all she could talk about.

So different from the tiny thing whose bottom lip would quiver while her body shook with the fear that when he was filming and wouldn't see her every day, that he would forget her.

“Your cousins are practically grown,” He murmured to Savannah who was sleeping soundly in his arms. “Soon Jax is going to be chauffering you and Jade about town, he'll have his learner's permit any day now while Jade's going to camp next summer. She's not at all apprehensive about being away from home. Or me,” There was a sad tinge to his voice. “Your parents don't want you to right now cause you're runnin' them ragged, but you should stay this way forever. Tiny and needy. Don't be like your cousins and grow up. They won't want you to.”

Kit sighed as he pressed a loving kiss to the sleeping baby's forehead before placing her in the bassinet that he pulled from the attic that had once housed both his children. He gave another soft kiss, this time to her cheek, before he turned on the baby monitor, something he never thought he'd do again and found himself wishing instead of a strawberry blonde – taking after Cameron's auburn tinged hair – there was a dark haired little girl, the perfect mix of you and him, swaddled inside.

“A little one runnin' round again wouldn't be so bad, would it?” Your husband's voice in your ear, sounding hopeful as he snuggled next to you on the couch, the cushions dipping with his weight, nearly had you spitting out the sip of wine you had just taken.

“Kit...” You drew out the three letters of his name, as if to say you can't be serious. Though, neither of you were old, you weren't young anymore, either.

“Think of it...” He brought you into his arms, your head falling perfectly against his shoulder. “Another little girl... Not a mini you or me, but a mini us,” His voice was soft and warm, sounding like he did when he asked you to marry him, and your heart rose and fell at the same time.

“Christopher,” You sighed as you put your glass on the coffee table before turning so you were face to face. Those brown eyes boring into yours and head tilted just so, almost like an expectant puppy waiting for a bone or a table scrap had you shaking your head. If you stared at him for even a fraction of a second longer, his bottom lip now thrust forward, you'd cave in for sure.

“Getting there,” His voice husky along the soft skin of your neck, his lips nipping and sucking here and there until his are hovering just above yours. “Would be fun, wouldn't it? All of the trying? Then guessing,” His hands are no longer still, they're roaming – your body now in his lap – over your back, under your top, squeezing a breast and then a cheek. “Where they were conceived? Perhaps when you're bent over on the stairs, my favorite dress – you know the one, the little black one that barely covers your delectable arse – all rucked up about your waist because I can't wait to have you, because I need you. Just like I needed you the night I took you on the dining room table and nine months later Jax was born. Or since we'll be trying for another girl, I could put candles everywhere in our bathroom again, draw you a bath and then take you slow and sweet, just like the way you like until you're begging and there's water everywhere and you're aching and then Jade will have herself a little sister.”

If you were standing, you're legs would have completely given out. The combination of his sinful words – spoken so low and warm against your skin, his teeth grazing along your pulse point and then his lips soothing your skin after every few words – his woodsy scent with that hint of something musky and manly underneath and his roaming hands, had your head swimming and your pussy throbbing.

It all sounded so wonderful, so delicious that you couldn't stop the heady moan that fell from your lips as your nipples came alive against your lacy bra.

Somehow, though, you didn't understand how you fought through the intense haze of lust he wove around you with his sinful words. A soft smile cupped the sharp edge of his jaw, your fingers gently scratching at the bristles of his beard as you drew his forehead against yours.

You bit playfully at his plump bottom lip before kissing him soundly. You pulled back before things could get too out of hand, a sharp hiss escaping your lips as he ground his hardness against your center while your tongue slipped away from his. Through your velvet lashes you peered up at him, struck – yet again – by how handsome he was, even with the streaks of grey among his curls and the flecks of grey in his still thick beard.

You were nearly overwhelmed by the love you had for him, by how much the two of you had shared for as long as you had been together and the family you made.

Another addition, of course, would be lovely but your foursome – you, Kit, Jax and Jade – were everything. Another while welcome wasn't necessary. You just hoped he felt the same way.

“It's far too early for empty nest syndrome and such. Another would be lovely and the trying,” You giggle. “Would be fun as would the guessing,” Another giggle. “But Jax and Jade still need us.” You assured, able to understand where his want was truly coming from. “Jax is terrified about practicing for his driver's test. He'll be coming to you for help any day. I told him he has to because I'm more terrified about him behind the wheel. My baby driving round London with all of the crazy drivers is not something I want to think about. I'll have him strapped in like Richard Hammond in Top Gear or something ridiculous.”

Kit laughs and you relish in the familiar sound washing over you, his brown eyes alight with warmth.

“I'm not supposed to say,” You're whispering now. “But Jade has picked out very special stationary and paper to send you hand written letters from camp. She practices her cursive every night so it's perfect. They don't teach that in school any more. She had to ask me how to write her letters all over again.”

“What?” He blinks, clearly stunned by your revelation. “She...”

“Uh-uh,” You assure. “She wants you to do her braids before we send her off. She said she wants to make the smiley pancakes with you. Just you, by the way. No Jax,” A heavy sigh as you shake your head. “And no me. Just her and Daddy.”

“No....”

“Yes,” You emphasize the word, rolling your eyes at his disbelief. “I know it gets to me, too. Thinking they don't need us any more, that we're not their whole world like we were, but we have more than we ever thought. At one point, it was just going to be you and me, remember?”

Kit takes your hand in his, linking your fingers together and he brings your knuckles to his lips. He pushes a wayward strand from your top knot behind your ear. “It would have been enough, you know that don't you? If it was just you and me?”

You nod a soft smile blooming across your lips. “Of course I know. I hope you think this is enough; you and me and Jax and Jade. We are aren't we?”

“Don't ever say that,” His tone is fierce, his jaw ticking slightly. “The three of you will always be enough. I'll never want for anything at all as long as you three are with me. Even if our son has his face buried in his phone for the rest of our days and our daughter starts slamming her bedroom door and complaining about having nothing to wear.”

“What about when she gets her first crush?” You tease and Kit's nose instantly wrinkles. “You will not speak of such things,” He declares making you laugh. “Jade's not going to notice boys until she's graduated from uni.”

“Suuuuuure,” You murmur as you click your tongue. You retrieve your wine glass and take a healthy gulp before you pat your husband's cheek and say, “It's so cute you think she hasn't already noticed boys.”

“What?” He sputters, his eyes going comically wide. “C'mon, Kit,” You chide. “You can't tell me you haven't noticed the way she fawns over Finn? She's been doing it since they were in nappies.” You roll your eyes. “You and Richard are completely oblivious, I swear.”

“Wait... What? Finn? Finneas Oliver Madden?” More sputtering and you simply slid off his lap and glide into the kitchen, your wine glass in hand, intending to pour yourself another. “That Finn?”

“No,” You snark. “The other Finn she's been friends with since she was in nappies.”

“She's ten!” He practically shrieks and right on cue, a high-pitched wail echoes through the house, signaling Sadie is either wet, hungry or has woken up and realized she's in a completely new place than she's used to.

You can't help but scowl knowing Kit's shriek most likely didn't help matters. “Well done, Christopher,” You remark, shaking your head. “Yes, let's have another. I have quite missed the high-pitched wails of distress from a baby.”

Kit looks appropriately sheepish as he follows behind you as you make the journey from the living room to your bedroom, taking the stairs two at a time.

#kit harington x you #kit harington x reader #dad!kit harington #kit harington fanfiction #fanfiction

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the-awkward-outlaw · 5 years ago

Text

Second Chances - Ch. 26

Seeking Forgiveness

Warnings: swearing

Word count: ~6800

Masterlist

Read on AO3

You stir awake in the morning, the sunlight streaming through the leaves amidst the song of birds. If you weren’t stuck in this horrible clearing of Beaver Hollow, you’d enjoy this moment. You reach for Arthur, but your hand falls onto the cot. Opening your eyes, you see he’s not there, nor is he in the tent. Upon further inspection of the camp, you find he’s left camp entirely, but he had neglected to tell anyone where he was going or what he was doing.

Not wanting to be trapped here alone again, you head over to Rannoch with the intention to leave. An obstacle appears in the form of Grimshaw. Turns out Pearson’s too drunk to cook again and everyone liked whatever you had done to the stew a few days ago, so she wants you to make it again. You almost tell her no and that you’re going out to do a job, but the thought of bringing in at least one good thing to camp stops you. Sighing, you nod and go to the table.

The day passes slowly as you prepare the stew, using what ingredients you can. Sadie marches passed with a repeater in hand, prepared to take guard duty. She gives you a brief greeting, which you return. Javier walks by, staring at you coldly. It surprises you.

“Hello, Javier,” you say lightly, trying to sound neutral.

“Y/N. There are rumors that you and Arthur have been going behind Dutch’s back. This is the time we need to stick with him.”

“Who’s saying these rumors?” you demand. “And where’s the proof?”

“You two have hardly been in camp, and after that thing with John. All Dutch asks is for us to be loyal.”

“And where’s his loyalty to us?” you snap. “We are the ones risking our necks to get us out there, all Dutch does is sit in his tent and talk about a plan he hasn’t bothered to share with any of us. So where’s the loyalty to the ones doing the real work?”

Javier glares at you. “That isn’t the way it works, Y/N. Maybe if you had been more often or been with us longer, you’d understand.”

He stalks away, leaving you shaken. You’ve always been on good terms with Javier, yet here he is acting like you’re the one causing all the trouble. Turning back to cutting up the rabbit on the table in front of you, you wonder if he’s just frustrated and taking it out on you.

Charles wanders over to the table an hour after your interaction with Javier. He stops for a moment, not saying anything until you greet him.

“Hello, Y/N. I’ve asked Arthur to help out Rains Fall. Think he mentioned you met him.”

“Yes, of course. Did he agree?”

“He did. Just thought you might like to know.”

You thank him and he sits down next to the table, offering you his company which you heartily agree to, glad for some of it.

“I’m sorry that all these horrible things have been happening. I’m sure you’d rather be planning on a wedding with Arthur, not an escape plan to Tahiti or Australia or wherever.”

“Well, one thing at a time,” you say, reaching for a carrot. “Yes, I’d love it if Arthur and I could sit down for five minutes without feeling like we need to be worried about everyone else. Set a date, at least. But it can wait, Arthur and I aren’t going anywhere so we can deal with the wedding later.”

He nods and rubs his chin. You notice his hair, the sides of his head shaven away. You want to ask him why but decide not to, figuring it has something to do with the recent losses everyone has suffered. For the next little while, Charles helps to lift your spirits as you talk.

Dutch and Micah end up leaving by midday, claiming they need to go and investigate something to do with a bridge near Cotorra Springs. You sigh, feeling like a part of the heavy cloud that has been looming over everyone’s heads has gone with them.

Early afternoon and Arthur returns to camp, looking angry. Charles nods to you and then gets up to leave, figuring Arthur will probably come talk to you. You wait patiently as Arthur dismounts, but he doesn’t head over. Instead, he goes to the opposite side of the clearing where Strauss sits on a boulder. He looks up at Arthur and even from where you stand, you can see his lizardish grin. He says something to Arthur, but his back is to you so you can’t see his face.

Suddenly Arthur grabs Strauss by the shoulder and yanks him to his feet. He marches Strauss across the clearing and towards Strauss’s tent. You aren’t the only one to stop and watch as most of the others have done the same.

“Vhat are you doing?” Strauss demands as they reach his tent.

“Something I should have done a long time ago,” Arthur growls. “Get your bag.” He grabs it and starts throwing some of Strauss’s possessions into it. Strauss watches him, clutching his ledger.

“I don’t understand,” he says in a surprisingly calm voice.

“I ain’t gonna kill ya, though I probably should.” Arthur stands up, still holding the bag. He glares at the other. “You disgust me, and you shame us, if we could be more ashamed than we already are.”

He tears Strauss’s ledger away from him and throws it to the ground, shoving the bag into Strauss’s arms. “That should do. Now go.”

Strauss is forced to walk backwards as Arthur marches towards him, his eyes boring into Strauss with intense anger.

“I don’t understand you,” Strauss begs. “Vhat are you doing?”

Arthur grabs his shoulders again and takes him towards the horses, finally pushing him to the path. “Go and get a job!”

Strauss turns and stares at him, taking a few steps forward. “I vas your friend, Herr Morgan.”

“You and me, we ain’t decent, but those folk. They was.” Arthur reaches into his satchel and pulls out a bundle of bills. He quickly counts them and then tosses them to Strauss’s feet. “Take that and get lost.”

Strauss hesitates, but then he bends down and picks up the money. When he straightens up, he points to Arthur. “I’m-”

“Leaving,” Arthur cuts him off.

Strauss gives him a sad look but then turns away and walks down the path, his head hung low. Arthur watches him leave, breathing hard. You wipe your hands off and quickly join his side as the others begin going back to their chores. “Arthur. What was that?”

He sighs and finally looks at you. “It was time, Y/N. We don’t need filth like him makin’ things worse for us.”

You grab his hand. “Come on, come sit down and talk to me while I finish making dinner.”

Arthur lets you take him to where Charles had been sitting. He sits down, watching you go back to slicing up vegetales.

“Come on, Arthur,” you say. “Tell me what happened. You’ve been tolerant about Strauss and his bullshit until now. What changed your mind?”

He sighs and explains how he went to collect the last debt. Turns out the man died from an illness, a likely result of being overworked in the mines. Arthur had gone to retrieve the debt from his widow, but he found her with her young son, claiming men were coming to take their house and what little they had left.

“She looked at me like I was the devil,” he says, his voice somber. “All I could think of was how Eliza and Isaac must have looked when those men… I couldn’t do it. I told ‘em the debt was cancelled and gave ‘em some money. But I’m tired, Y/N. I’m tired of chasin’ these poor people Strauss sets himself on, takin’ what they don’t even have. I can’t sit here and watch him ruin people’s lives like that, we ruin enough already. He ain’t contributin’ to camp, he ain’t helpin’ feed us. It was time.”

You grab his hand, your heart breaking for him. “You did the right thing, Arthur. Strauss has never done anything to help us and we’re in enough trouble already. But you did one thing I don’t know if I agree with.”

“What?”

You smile softly at him. “I wouldn’t have given him any money. If he has enough money to lend to these poor bastards, he has enough to take care of himself.”

“Oh,” he says, hiding his eyes beneath his hat. “Well, Strauss and I were friends at one point, I at least owed him a chance out there on his own.”

“I’m sorry, Arthur. I wish I could take some of this weight from your shoulders. You keep going on like this, it’s gonna kill ya.”

He squeezes your hand again. “I ain’t gonna die. I got you by my side.”

You smile at him and scoop the last ingredients into the pot. “Well come on, cowboy. Help me get this onto the fire.”

He stands up with a sigh and lifts the pot onto the fire. Once it’s down, he grabs your hand and starts heading over to the tent.

“You’re not even gonna try my cooking?” you say, coming to a stop.

He looks at you and then over to the pot. “Well, I suppose.”

“Come on, I didn’t cook it like Pearson does.”

He smiles and grabs a plate, tasting it. “Hmm, actually pretty good, considerin’ your limitations.”

You eat as you head on to the tent, several gang members lining up to get dinner. Once he’s done eating, Arthur looks over at you.

“You wanna come with me tomorrow? Promised Charles I’d help out Rains Fall, you remember him.”

“Of course. Any idea what he needs help with?”

“Sounds like this Colonel Favours feller is givin’ ‘em a real hard time, can’t figure why. Anyways, I figured we’d stop by tomorrow, see how they’re faring.”

The sun dips behind the trees, casting Beaver Hollow into the cool shadows. The mood of the gang does little to bring warmth to the clearing. You sit on the ground, your head leaning on Arthur’s thigh as he sits on the chair. John, Charles and Javier sit on the log, but no one says a word. You wish you could think of something to say, but nothing comes to mind.

After a while, you get up and walk towards the horses, unable to stand being stuck in the middle of the awkward silence. Rannoch rumbles affectionately as you approach him, pulling out a treat. It’s been hard, being so close to the site where Rain died and having a new horse, although Rannoch has been a blessing.

“You make the stew tonight?” Bill’s harsh voice comes out from behind you. He takes you slightly by surprise.

“Oh, um yeah.”

“Well, I’m… I’m just surprised, is all.” He takes a few steps closer to you and Rannoch. Your horse suddenly snorts in irritation. He’s never like anyone much with the exception of you, Arthur and Kieran before he’d been killed. Bill ignores the warning signals and takes another step forward, causing Rannoch to stomp angrily.

“Watch yourself, Bill,” you say immediately, patting Rannoch’s neck to try and calm him. He lifts his nose, snorting again and Bill steps back.

“Figures,” he spits. “I knew he’d be a turncoat, too.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?” you demand, turning to face Bill properly.

“You know what I mean, Y/N. People been sayin’ you and Arthur have been doin’ a lot lately since you ain’t been in camp much.”

“Oh, and who said that? Micah?”

“Micah’s the one sayin’ there’s a rat in camp. Seems like ever since you and Arthur got engaged, we been dealin’ with nothin’ but trouble.”

“So this is my fault?”

“You tell me, Y/N,” Bill hisses. “You’re the one runnin’ around everywhere. Who can say where the two of you go?”

“Hey, take it easy there, Williamson,” Arthur says from behind him. “What’s going on?”

Bill whips around to glare at Arthur. “Nothin’, Morgan. I just think you need to keep a tighter leash on your woman.”

Arthur slowly walks up to Bill and they size each other up, the air between them seems to crackle. “I suggest you stay away from my woman, Williamson. She ain’t done nothin’ wrong, and if she ends up killin’ ya for antagonizin’ her, I don’t think anyone can stop her.”

Bill grumbles something and marches off after throwing you a sharp glare. Arthur walks up to you, putting a hand on your elbow. “Bill was out of line, darlin’. Don’t listen to him.”

“I’m not, Arthur. Bill’s a fool.” You pause as Arthur pats Rannoch’s neck. The horse rumbles happily again, settling down. Artemis walks over, almost as though she’s jealous that Arthur is giving your horse attention and not her. As he rubs her head, your mind wanders back to how bad things have gotten.

“I can hear you thinkin’, sweetheart. What’s goin’ on in that head of yours?”

“It’s just… why is everyone acting like it’s only a matter of time before we start ripping each other’s throats out?”

He sighs heavily. “Like you said, Bill’s a fool. He’s been angry a long time, I ain’t surprised by this.”

“It’s not just him, Arthur. Earlier I heard Javier going after Charles. Charles, of all people! Saying he ain’t being loyal to Dutch. All Charles has done is help out the Wapiti a little. And it’s not just that. Tilly was ranting to me about you and all the other boys, saying you all been causing too much trouble and you’re gonna get us all killed.”

Arthur sighs again, finally lowering his hands from Artemis’s face. “I know, sweetheart. Things are bad. But we at least owe it to all of ‘em to try and get us someplace better. Y’know, that whole ‘night is darkest before the dawn’ bit.”

“I hope so,” you sigh. “I just hope that all this fighting doesn’t come between us.”

Arthur smiles and looks down, his eyes finding your left hand resting near your side, the ring on your finger glinting from the distant firelight. He grabs it, rubbing his thumb across the back of your hand. “Me too, darlin’. I wish things were better right now, that we could sit down and plan on our weddin’ instead of plannin’ on how to get outta this mess.”

“Me too, Arthur. I just hope that things calm down enough eventually that we can.”

“We will. All things come to an end, even the bad things.”

He suddenly pulls you close so your head is resting against his chest, his hand planted on your head. You sigh, closing your eyes as you enjoy the sensation of his other hand rubbing up and down your back. You fold your arms around his waist, pulling yourself closer as you hear his heart thumping.

In the morning, after having coffee, Arthur and you head out towards the Wapiti reservation, as per Charles’s instructions on how to find it. The reservation lies north west of Beaver Hollow at the northern tip of the Cumberland Forest. You both pass a long railroad bridge near a large station which seems to have been abandoned. Across the gorge that the tracks cross over is a military fort. Arthur leads you up north on the trail and you look to the right, your eyes going up the steep mountainside and resting on a boulder sitting at the edge of a small peninsula. An eagle sits upon it and takes flight, his wings glinting gold momentarily in the sun.

The scenery begins to change as you head farther away from the railroad bridge. A swift river runs to your left, the banks going from gray and green to a brilliant orange. You come upon a bridge which hovers above the end of a wide section of the river, which dazzles a clear, enticing blue amongst the orange rocks. An elk somewhere hidden in the trees calls out, his cry echoing through the forest. Across the river and tucked amongst the pines, several columns of smoke from campfires swirl lazily into the sky.

Arthur leads you across the river and up the trail until the village appears. You’ve always known about teepees so you’re surprised to find a few buildings nestled among them, along with wagons. Men and women mill about, throwing you and Arthur suspicious stares. After hitching the horses, you feel incredibly self conscious, knowing exactly how unwelcome you are. Arthur seems tense as well, his hand folds around yours. He approaches an older man sitting cross-legged outside of the nearest teepee.

“Uh, excuse me, sir,” Arthur says calmly.

“You two should not be here,” the man says bluntly, looking from you to Arthur.

“I know, but I have some business with Rains Fall. Said I could meet him here.”

The man narrows his eyes before he finally points to a teepee near a large shack. Arthur thanks him and you both go to it. He hesitates, clearly wanting to knock but not knowing where. Eventually, he settles for hunching over to try and look into the flap of the teepee and say a gruff and unsure “hello?”.

“Come in,” a voice answers from inside.

Arthur glances at you before going in, you following. Inside, the teepee is more spacious than you had imagined, a fire in the center, making the teepee swelteringly hot. Crates, pots and other items line the walls, including finely woven blankets and a large bull’s skull with feathers attached to the horns sits high. Rains Fall nods in greeting to you both, another member of his tribe sitting close to him.

“Thank you for coming, Mr. Morgan, Ms. Y/L/N,” Rains Fall says gently, staring at the fire. “Tell me, how is your friend, Mr. Van der Linde, fairing? My son has spoken much about him.”

“He’s uh,” Arthur begins awkwardly. “Well, I don’t know. He’s angry, I suppose. Throwin’ us all into a lot of chaos.”

“Then I hope, amidst all the chaos, you both may find peace.” Rains Fall begins poking at the fire.

“I don’t know too much about peace,” Arthur says.

“Apparently not. Did you have fun with my son, the impetuous Prince? I believe you went on a raid with him.” Rains Fall and stares hard at Arthur, clearly pointing to how Arthur helped Eagle Flies retrieve their horses. Arthur had told you about that, how Dutch had gotten Eagle Flies ruffled up, how they had attempted to sneak onto the boat and steal the horses quietly but it had gone badly, ending with Dutch crashing the boat.

Arthur sighs, clearly embarrassed and ashamed. You squeeze his hand. “I’m sorry,” he says.

Rains Fall reaches into a pot with hot water, pulling out a cloth. He approaches another man you’ve just noticed, his face shining in sweat. He dabs at the man’s forehead with the cloth. You suddenly realize why he keeps it so hot in the teepee. He must hope the heat will break the mens’ fevers.

“I suppose I lack the grandeur of a conventional king,” Rains Fall says gently.

“I don’t know too many kings,” Arthur says. He pats your back softly, urging you to speak.

“Um, I don’t either.”

“Colonel Favours,” Rains Fall straightens up, looking at Arthur. “He has already exacted some measure of revenge for the raid. Two women were assaulted by his men.”

Your heart sinks upon hearing this. While your ex husband, James, had raped you many times, you can’t imagine the horror of being attacked not only by a stranger, but a known accomplice of your enemy. You and Arthur both hang your head in remorse.

“I’m very sorry about all of this,” you say as Arthur rubs his nose. “Arthur would never have done it had he known it’d end that way.”

Arthur nods in agreement. “No, I wouldn’t. A few horses ain’t worth it.”

“Yes, sometimes the correct path, the bravest path is the least obvious, and also the gentlest.” Rains Fall straightens up, his eyes show a certain depth and intelligence you’ve rarely seen. “I’m a great disappointment to my son.”

“Your son seems to want a war,” Arthur says.

“My son thinks there is glory in death. I saw death being handed out so freely by the most foolish of men, I never could equate it with victory.”

“I’ve killed a lot of people,” Arthur admits. “For a whole lot of dumb reasons, I ain’t never seen much glory in it.”

“Perhaps we could go for a ride. Discuss a few things. Your friend is more than welcome to come.”

Arthur nods, squeezing your hand as Rains Fall leads you out of the teepee.

“I’m an old man,” Rains Fall continues. “All my life, I have tried to bring peace. Perhaps you both can take pity on my plight. It won’t take long.”

Arthur pauses and looks at you, as though questioning whether you should both do this. You nod, doubting that a simple ride with this man could do any damage. He sighs and goes with you to the horses. Just as you’re about to mount up, a voice rings out from behind you.

“Sir!”

Turning, you see a military man on a huge red roan draft horse approaching. Rains Fall nods in recognition and welcomes the man.

“Captain Monroe. Do you know my friends, Mr. Morgan and Ms. Y/L/N?”

“No sir, I haven’t had the pleasure.”

Arthur introduces himself and you to the captain. You nod in greeting when he says your name.

The captain turns back to Rains Fall. “Sir. I was just in Saint Denis, spoke with the mayor. It’s not good news, I’m afraid.”

Rains Fall sighs as though he were expecting this. He offers for Monroe to ride with your group a short ways, to which the captain agrees. You and Arthur mount up as Rains Fall climbs onto his horse.

“Mr. Morgan, Ms. Y/L/N, come with me. I want to take you to a sight in the mountains, a place that’s long been sacred to me. A place for reflection.” Rains Fall begins trotting down the trail, you and the others following in a line.

Rains Fall asks Monroe to tell him the news from Saint Denis. Monroe reports that an oil company has already been approved to drill upon the Wapiti’s land, but that nothing would be likely to happen for a few months.

“I promise I will continue to do as much as I can,” Monroe finishes. He then glances back at Arthur. “Mr. Morgan, would you have time to help me? It would be better if certain actions were taken by friends outside the tribe.”

“Of course,” he replies.

“I will too.” You say.

Monroe thanks you but then warns that some of the work may be potentially dangerous. You just chuckle. “You clearly don’t know nothin’ about me, captain.”

“I suppose not, but I appreciate your eagerness. Come meet me on the reservation when you can. Anyway, I won’t take up any more of your time, sir.” Monroe kicks his horse into a canter and runs down the path which leads to the long railroad bridge. Rains Fall lifts his hand in farewell.

“I hope you don’t mind,” he says after a moment, “but I am going to look for some herbs that might help some of my people. The army has been making things difficult for us, but I’ll go more into that later.”

The group heads on a little further up the path and up ahead on the foot of a mountain, something large and gray is moving. As you approach it, Rains Fall says, “You see those wolves up ahead?”

As you get closer, you can see the wolves feasting on a horse.

“Brutality and beauty are both all around us,” Rains Fall continues in his calm manner as he leads you both up the fork in the road. “So often, though, we’re unable to see past our own grievances. I try to teach this to my son.”

As the group approaches the wolves, they stop eating and growl, lowering their ears.

“Don’t shoot them,” Rains Fall warns. “They may not be a threat.”

As he predicted, the wolves snarl once and then run off into the forest, abandoning their kill.

Rains Fall leads you both further up the path until there is another fork in the road, traveling up the side of the mountain. “We can talk if either of you want, but please don’t feel like you have to. It’s a beautiful ride ahead if you need time to think.”

“Well,” Arthur begins, “we don’t know you too well, but I wanted to speak to you about your son. I figure you know something about Dutch.”

“A little, your friend Charles told me about him.” Rains Fall leads you off the path towards a rather steep area of the mountain. He heads over to a copse of bushes and stops to gather herbs. Looking around, you once again see the large boulder on the lip of the peninsula. The view is breathtaking as it sweeps across the Grizzlies and the Cumberland Forest. You feel an immense sense of peace, something you’ve seldom felt since the bank job that ended in Hosea and Lenny’s deaths.

Rains Fall slides the herbs into his satchel and gets back onto his horse. Arthur, who had been admiring the view as well, turns back to Rains Fall.

“I don’t know why Dutch is gettin’ involved in your situation,” he says. “This ain’t easy to say, but I don’t trust that he’s got your son’s best interests at heart.”

“So what can we do?” Rains Fall asks.

“I don’t rightly know. I just thought you should be aware.”

“Ah, I understand. What do you think, Y/N?”

You’re caught by surprise that Rains Fall would ask your opinion as he leads you both up the path again. “Well, I only been runnin’ with Dutch a few months. Before, he always seemed like he genuinely cared for everyone, but now he just seems to want a fight. Much like your son but for different reasons, I think. He’s changed a lot since I first met him, but I agree with Arthur. Just be aware of him and try to steer your son away from him, if you can. I don’t think Dutch has any good intentions in mind.”

“Well, thank you. Both of you. I appreciate the warning.”

The three of you continue traveling along the path once more as the path winds east along the mountain. It rounds to the left, opening up to a spectacular view. You’re sure you can see Lemoyne from this vantage point. The sun beats down pleasantly as you admire the view.

Arthur suddenly brings you out of your own head. “I had a son once. Years ago. Don’t talk about him much.”

“What was his name?” Rains Fall asks.

“Isaac.” Arthur tells the story he had told you, of how he had met a waitress named Eliza and she had gotten pregnant. He also explains how he promised to do right by them, despite her knowing what kind of life he led. You can’t help your heart tugging painfully when he describes finding their graves after they were murdered for nothing more than ten dollars.

Rains Fall pulls off the path again as Arthur finishes telling his story. He dismounts and picks some ginseng, putting it into his satchel. “I appreciate you both coming with me to pick these herbs,” he says gently. “And I’m sorry about your son, Mr. Morgan.”

“It hardened me,” Arthur says. “Feelin’ that kind of pain. But I know now you don’t get to live a bad life and have good things happen to you. That’s why I’m tryin’ harder this time.” He looks pointedly at you when he says this. It does not go unnoticed by Rains Fall as he mounts up again.

“I think you’re being hard on yourself, Mr. Morgan.”

“Maybe,” Arthur says as he follows Rains Fall down the path again. “All I can do now is try to make some things right. Try to earn the good things I got and the ones I want.”

“Arthur,” you say with a soft smile. “I’m hardly a desirable prize.”

He grunts something you can’t hear as Rains Fall calls back to you from up ahead on the path, which is rounding to the right. “I think you underestimate yourself, Ms. Y/L/N. The way Arthur here looks at you makes me think he believes otherwise.”

You feel your cheeks burn at this comment and Arthur looks at you over his shoulder, winking. You can see his cheek is pink.

“Well, I done bad things too.” You kick Rannoch to walk side by side with Artemis so you can better talk with Rains Fall. Something about this man makes you want to trust him, to open up about your past. You tell him about your father and his abusive ways to try and raise you, your passive mother who let him, your cousin and then about James, who your father bribed with money to marry you and how he constantly attacked you.

“I couldn’t take it anymore,” you say, shaking a little from your story. “So I finally shot my husband and was still so enraged that I went to my parents’ house. Shot my father and… tied my mother up before setting the house on fire. That was the thing I regret doing the most. At least my father’s and James’s deaths were quick. Hers wasn’t. I wish I had just shot her too.”

“Hmm, anger is a powerful emotion, especially when it’s grown from that sort of pain,” Rains Fall says.

“Sure. I’m just surprised Arthur still wants to marry me when he knows exactly how I killed my last husband.”

“Yeah, well I ain’t foolish or cruel enough to treat you like that, darlin’.”

You smile at him as the path winds into a switchback, going down the mountain. A few more moments pass in silence, allowing you to admire the sweeping landscape, marking the Heartlands.

“That feller Monroe,” Arthur says. “How do you know him?”

“Captain Monroe was reassigned here from a regiment in the north. The news of our conflict has spread all the way to Washington. He’s a good man and he wants to help. The army aren’t all bad men, just as my people aren’t all good. But this Colonel Favours, he walks an old line. He’s obstinate, and he hates Monroe. I just hope we can work things out between us.”

Rains Fall goes silent as the path evens out and goes west. You can see that it travels up between two peaks of the mountain, where a copse of pines grow. The group goes up it and smoke rises from the trees. You’re expecting to see a campfire as a source of the smoke. Instead you see some of the pines have been burned and among them sits a Wapiti hut, charred to the point that only the branched structure still stands with tatters of the coverings on it.

Upon seeing it, Rains Fall dismounts. “No. It can’t be. What’s happened?” He approaches the burnt hut, a long, low tune coming from his mouth. Although you don’t understand why he’s making the sound, you realize it means something horrible has happened that has shaken him. He kneels beside the burnt ground, looking devastated.

“No! They destroyed everything!”

You and Arthur dismount, walking up behind him.

“ Who would do this?”

“Someone who wanted to enrage you,” Arthur says.

“Help me look around please. I need to find the Chanupa.” Rains Fall stands up and looks at you, his eyes begging. He describes the Chanupa to you, a kind of smoking pipe. You and Arthur begin looking around. You see a few bottles of whiskey and a bundle of rum-soaked logs. Just as you’re bending down to inspect the logs, Arthur hollers out.

“Over here!”

You and the Chief go to where he’s standing on the west side of the burnt hut. At the edge of the path, the mountainside looks out across the valley once more, and at the foot of the mountain lies a large camp, a smoke trail rising from it. Pulling out your binoculars, you look on the camp. Without a doubt, it’s the army. You can see their blue uniforms. You hand the binoculars to Rains Fall and he takes them, looking.

“These… brave men,” he says gruffly. “They are Colonel Favours’s men. They must have been the ones who did this.”

“Are you surprised this happened?” Arthur asks. He lowers his binoculars.

“Not at all, but I hoped we were past this.”

“Well you got land they want, land with oil.”

“But they were the ones who moved us here,” Rains Fall says, clearly confused. “They’ve taken everything we had. I signed three treaties myself and they’ve broken each one. Now they’ve taken the last hope, and my people will want a war.”

“This Chanupa,” Arthur says. “If we get it back, will it makes things better?”

“Some. It will at least deter my people from demanding we fight.”

“Then I’ll go,” Arthur says. “I’ll go in the camp and look.”

“Me too,” you say.

“Thank you, both of you. But please, try not to hurt anyone. Their dead will not help my people.”

You nod and head down the path with Arthur on foot. The path leads into another switchback until it slopes out to a less steep decline. You and Arthur hide in the cover of the boulders and sparse bushes that dot the land, sneaking your way closer to the camp.

When you’re close, you both stop and observe the men. There’s only about eight or nine, three of them sitting by the campfire while most of the others patrol the camp. Arthur takes out his binoculars again and sweeps the camp.

“There’s somethin’ by their fire. Looks like a long rod of some kind. I think it’s the Chanupa.”

“I’ll go get it,” you say. “Cover me.”

“No, I’ll go.”

“Arthur, I’m smaller than you and you’re a better shot. If anything happens, you can take them down quicker. I’ll try to be quiet though.”

He sighs but lets you go. You scurry from your boulder to a bush and wait for the nearest patrol to you walk a little further away. Dashing into the camp, you sidle between a tent and a wagon. As you’re tip toeing on the side of the tent, you hear someone inside of it snort as though waking up. You hear the sounds of him getting up and walking towards the front, causing you to flit to the back again in case he comes to your side. He does, and you watch, peaking around the corner, until he’s gone.

You sneak up to the front of the tent again, which isn’t far from the campfire. The three men sitting around it talk unconcerned.

“I heard old Favours was trying to get him transferred. Don’t like him much,” one says. You creep up to the front of the tent and peak around to see the men. Two of them have their backs to you but one could easily see you from the corner of his eye if you move too quickly. You take a few seconds and look around the area, spotting a long pipe in a colorful leather sheath. It must be the Chanupa.

“He always seemed like a decent fellow,” another man responds.

“That’s exactly the problem.”

The man whose side is facing you turns his head away to scratch his neck. You take the chance and dart forward quickly, grabbing the Chanupa and retreating back to the cover of the tent. Standing to the side of it again, you pause again to make sure you weren’t spotted.

“Monroe went to west point, Favours never made it.”

You sigh in relief, they didn’t see you. Although your heart beats hard in your chest, feeling like it’s about to leap into your throat, you calmly back away towards the back of the tent the way you’d come. Checking that the patrol hasn’t come around to your side again, you hunch over and sneak from the bushes to the boulders until you finally meet up with Arthur again.

“You got it?” he asks. You show him the Chanupa in your hand. “Good. Fellers don’t seem to have seen you. Let’s get back.”

You follow him up the side of the mountain, still using whatever cover you can find until you reach the switchback. After climbing it, you breathing heavily and Arthur wiping his brow, you find Rains Fall sitting cross-legged next to the burnt hut where the opening surely would have been. He looks up at your approach.

“Please tell me you found it,” he begs.

As you both walk up to him, you hold up the Chanupa and set it in his outstretched hands.

“I think that’s it,” you say, a little uncertain.

“Yes, thank you.”

“I’m very sorry about all this,” Arthur says.

“Even sacred things are only things,” Rains Fall says. “People, the heart, matter more. Was anyone hurt?”

“Don’t think those bastards even knew we were there,” you say simply.

“Good, good. I wish my son knew such restraint. My people owe you both a great debt and I’m giving you very little.”

“You don’t owe us anything,” you say.

Rains Fall reaches into his satchel. “Please, take this,” he says as he holds out what looks like a bracelet with a carnivore’s teeth and an owl feather. Arthur takes it from him gently. “We believe it is sacred,” Rains Fall explains.

“Thank you,” Arthur says, handing it to you. You hold it just as gently, though you run your hand over the owl feather. It slips easily between your fingers without making a sound like other feathers would have.

“I must get back to my village,” Rains Fall says. He begins to stand but seems to struggle slightly so Arthur helps him up. “I hope you both can find peace within yourselves.” He heads off to his horse and trots away. You raise your hand in farewell as Arthur inspects the hut.

“Come on,” he says when Rains Fall has vanished around the curb of the trail. You both hop onto your horses and make your slow way back towards the direction of Beaver Hollow.

“He’s different than I thought he would be,” you admit on your way down the mountain.

“Who? Rains Fall?”

“Yes. I thought, being in the situation he’s in, he’d be more like his son. Angry. Even when we found that place, he wasn’t. I don’t know if I’ve ever met anyone quite like him.”

“Hmm, well, to be honest, he’s a man who, not so long ago, I would have found weak and pathetic,” Arthur admits. “But now I see him as wise, thoughtful and sensible.”

“I know what you mean. Maybe we’re both changing.”

“No, I think just our perception of the world is. I would love to help him, or at least stop Dutch pushing his son to do something real stupid.”

“Why do you think Dutch is doing it? He killed Cornwall, but you said all that’s happened is Pinkertons have swarmed into Van Horn and Annesburg.”

“They have. Dutch said he killed him because Cornwall had his hands dipped in the Pinkerton’s pockets, shoveling money into them. Said he was hoping with Cornwall dead, they’d ease off. But to be honest, I think Dutch is… just startin’ to like killin’ folk. Exactly the opposite of what he told me and John not to be when we was growin’ up.”

“He’s not who I remember first meeting,” you admit as the horses walk into a thick covering of oaks dotting the path. “I remember he was suspicious of me, but it was because he feared I might be a threat to you. If I had been in the same situation and you’d brought me into the gang with Dutch the way he is now, I’m not sure he wouldn’t kill me on the spot.”

“Nor am I, though I think even now you’d have to give him a reason. Mind you, he don’t seem to need much at the moment. I just hope we can help him see reason, make him see that our situation ain’t good for any of us. We at least owe him the chance, sweetheart.”

“I know, I know. We’ll try, Arthur.”

#Red Dead Redemption #red dead redemption 2 #red dead fanfic #arthur morgan #arthur morgan x female reader #arthur x reader #arthur morgan x reader #arthur x female reader #van der linde gang #R* Games #rockstar games #second chances #I'm awkward

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suitofvibraniumarmor · 4 years ago

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Yours Truly [Part Fifteen]

Summary: Sadie attempts to make the best of life without Chris and Layla as summer comes to a close. Pairing: Chris Pratt x OFC, Chris Evans x OFC Word Count: 1990 Warnings: Minor cursing, kinda angsty? A/N: This fic was previously posted on my multi-fandom account; in honor of OC Appreciation Day, I figured I would queue it all up for your reading pleasure throughout the day! This was a collab with @captain-s-rogers , and I will link her chapters at the end of all of my posts! Some GIFs were difficult to find again, so if there’s no credit, they’re from Google Image Search or from the original post.

GIF Credit

July 27

Caroline,

Everything went well in Wichita, and you were right – Aunt Marie and Layla were joined at the hip while we were back home.

No, I haven’t told Chris that I love him, and it doesn’t matter anymore. Emily was waiting for Chris and Layla at the farm house when we came back from Wichita. Emily. As in Chris’s ex-wife and Layla’s mother Emily.

Maybe it was supposed to be a summer for good things, but they just weren’t meant to last.

Enough of my mopey shit. How was the fundraising event? I’ve been avoiding the news recently – I wish I could explain to you the difference I see even just on TV from when you were with Chris (okay, not WITH Chris, but you know what I mean) and when you’re with Charlie.

Feels like it wasn’t that long ago that I was all giddy over both of us finding a Chris to steal our hearts – now the thought makes me want to slap myself across the face a little bit. Or a lot.

I think we should keep writing these letters, even after the summer is over. I’ve written things and gotten things off my chest that I don’t think I would have otherwise. But another few weeks and we can nix the limited phone call rule!

Yours truly,

Sadie

After putting the last stenciled letter of her name above the dry erase board, Sadie stepped back and looked around her classroom. The decor was perfect, the organization was impeccable. Still, she felt like something was missing.

She sat at her desk and went over her class list, trying to decide how she wanted to do her seating chart to start the year. Everything was in order for the open house the next week, and once her seating chart was completed, Sadie would be ready for school to start.

Except that her excitement about a new job and a new school was overshadowed by her broken heart. Emily’s presence had put an abrupt halt to her relationship with Chris, although that was more Sadie’s decision than Chris’s.

After Emily joined them for an awkward, mostly quiet dinner, Sadie excused herself and Layla to play outside so that Chris and Emily could talk privately inside. Layla was quiet while Sadie read to her on the front porch swing, but refused to talk about what was on her mind, even when Sadie promised that she wouldn’t be upset about anything that Layla said.

“She’s asleep,” Sadie said, coming into the kitchen. “Sorry to interrupt. I’m heading home.”

Chris was right on her heels as she walked out to her car. “Sadie, wait. Talk to me.”

“She wants to come back,” Sadie stated.

“How did you know that?”

Sadie gave a sarcastic chuckle. “Because I saw the look on her face, Chris. Her sister stopped me at the elementary school the other day, and now Emily is here. Just because I come across sweet and innocent doesn’t mean I am, you know.”

“I never said –”

“I’ll ask you one thing and if you can answer it honestly, then maybe I’ll stay.” She took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. “If I wasn’t in the picture, would you even hesitate to hear Emily out? Or would you be less hesitant to see if your marriage can be reconciled?”

Chris’s mouth opened and closed a few times, but he couldn’t form words. Sadie nodded, having figured that would be the reply she received. Walking up to him, she kissed Chris on the cheek and bid him goodbye.

She had returned to the farm only once, to tell Layla that she wouldn’t be around so much now that Emily had returned. Layla had yelled at Sadie that it wasn’t fair, shut herself in her room, and refused to come out until after Sadie left.

“Ms. Coleman, I’m surprised to see you here.”

Sadie broke from her thoughts to see Libby Anderson coming into her room. “I’m sorry to disappoint you.”

Libby frowned. “Why do you think I would be disappointed? Sweetheart, I’m thrilled that, despite recent changes in your personal life, you’ve chosen to stay here in Lawrence. I was simply meaning that I personally wouldn’t have that fortitude. I mean, if the guy I was super into went back to his ex-wife, I’m not sure I would stick around.”

“Fortunately for me, my professional life isn’t dictated by my personal life,” Sadie said, standing up from her desk. “You know though, Libby, I’ve been thinking a lot about my personal problems recently. I’ve been thinking about what reason you could possibly have for wanting Emily to come back to Chris – which I’m assuming is what happened here due to the timing of our exchange and your sister’s return – and I’ve only come to one conclusion that makes any sort of sense: if you can’t have him, it’s better that your sister has him than someone you don’t know, right? You have no interest in spending time with your niece, so that’s not a motivator. But if your sister has him, then at least you get to be close to him on occasion. And of course Emily is a selfish bitch, so she wouldn’t want anyone else to have her family, even if she doesn’t want them.”

“How dare you!” Libby sputtered.

Sadie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “You and your sister are cut from the same conniving cloth. You got what you wanted, Libby, so stay the hell away from me.”

She glanced at the door and waited for Libby to catch a hint. When the other woman finally stormed out of the classroom, Sadie returned to her desk. Her heart was still broken, and now a shard of anger had been added to the heavy emotions already weighing her down.

By the time the open house came around, Sadie had settled into her house, gotten her seating arrangement figured out, and was ready for inservices the next week.

She put on a yellow summer dress, the same brown sandal wedges she had worn for her first date with Chris, and added some of her favorite accessories. After fixing her hair so that she appeared to have put in some effort but hadn’t just thrown it into a ponytail, Sadie applied her usual natural looking makeup. She gathered her bag and her keys, and headed for the elementary school.

Meeting the seventeen students in her class was just the thing Sadie had needed to lift her spirits. She was immediately enamored of all of the kindergarteners, even the ones she could already tell would be ornery. Twelve of them had come through when Chris, Layla, and Emily arrived in the kindergarten hall. Sadie held her breath and turned the other way; somehow, she had thought she could avoid seeing the Pratt family.

As they walked toward her classroom to the room on the other side where Layla’s teacher could be found, Sadie casually but purposefully wandered into her own room, but it was in vain.

“Adie!” Layla cried, running up from behind and wrapping herself around Sadie’s legs. “I’m sorry I yelled, please come back! I’ll be good!”

Sadie turned carefully so that she could detach Layla from her legs and crouch down to talk to the small girl. She glanced briefly in the doorway to see Chris grab Emily’s hand to stop her from interrupting Sadie and Layla. Seeing his hand wrapped around Emily’s broke her heart even more but she maintained her focus on Layla.

“You have no idea how much I miss you, Layla. Me staying away has nothing to do with anything you’ve done, understand?” She waited for Layla to nod. “Do you remember when we talked about grown-ups need time to figure things out sometimes? And about doing what’s best for you? Your mommy and daddy need to figure out what’s best for the whole family, and that includes you. I’m staying away to give them space to do that, but also to give you space, sweetheart. It would be confusing to have me and Mommy around, don’t you think?”

Layla nodded again. “But I miss you.”

“I don’t want you to be sad, but it’s nice to know you think about me. We will still see each other. Here at school and probably in town sometimes, and I’m sure if your parents ever need a babysitter for you, they’ll give me a call.”

“What about Daddy? Don’t you love him?”

Sadie looked at Chris before whispering to Layla, “Yes, I do. But we can’t tell him that right now, okay? He and mommy —“

“Are figuring things out, I know.” She hooked her tiny pinky with Sadie’s. “I promise, I won’t tell.”

Layla hugged Sadie tight again before turning to her mother calling her name. She took Emily’s hand and glanced back at Sadie once more as they left the classroom.

Sadie waved, keeping her eyes on Layla. She could feel Chris looking at her, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of a returned gaze. She wasn’t okay, and he had made his choice. Sadie had to deal with that, and so would he.

The rest of the open house was smooth sailing. The Pratts didn’t pass by her room again that Sadie saw, and she met the rest of her students before the evening was done. Everyone had filtered out, and she was straightening up the students’ folders with the information the parents had filled out for her. Once that was all done and she made a couple of adjustments to her seating chart, Sadie could get home.

“Can I talk to you?”

Sadie’s shoulders fell as she turned to where Chris was standing near the door; she hadn’t even needed to see him to know who was there. “What could you possibly have to talk to me about?”

He let out a deep breath. “That’s the thing, I shouldn’t be here talking to you. I lied to Emily about where I was going. I don’t know what to do, Sadie, but I don’t know who else to talk to about it. I had a handle on my life before you came in but nothing really made sense. Layla and I were barely holding on, and then you came in, and everything made sense. I have no right to come to you as my friend, but I don’t know who else to talk to.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t help you,” Sadie said, choking back the tears. “I want to, but Chris – do you understand what Emily coming back has done to me? You know what, it’s not even about her coming back, it’s the way you handled her coming back. I asked you, to your face, if you would have any hesitation in working things out with her if I wasn’t around, and you couldn’t give me an honest answer.” She wiped away a tear that had escaped down her cheek and shook her head. “I was worried all along that I was only filling a void for you, and when Emily came back and you couldn’t answer me, it’s like my worries were validated. So, no, I can’t help you with this one, and you’re absolutely correct – you have zero right to come here and ask me to help you make sense of your life. I will warn you of this, but it’s for Layla’s sake, not for yours: Emily only came back because Libby told her that you were with someone else. She still doesn’t care about being Layla’s mother or not. Hopefully that gives you something to think about. Good night, Mr. Pratt.”

She turned back to the student folders, hoping to God he wouldn’t say anything more. When he finally turned and left, closing the classroom door behind him, she slumped into one of the small desk chairs and cried.

Part Sixteen

#chris pratt #chris evans #fanfiction #collab #new to this blog

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porkchop-ao3 · 6 years ago

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A Thrill I’ve Never Known (Chapter 3)

Put to Work

Spending some quality time with Arthur :) This chapter contains hunting, just a heads up.

(All chapters tagged with #ATINK and also posted on Ao3, username PorkChop)

A few days passed in the camp and I was starting to feel like a spare part. Dutch would find something for me, that's what everyone kept assuring me, but I'd been doing nothing but chopping vegetables next to Sadie and hanging up the washing to dry with Tilly. I felt like a housewife; it wasn't what I had in mind when I pictured the sorts of things I'd be doing with a gang of outlaws… then again, they were jobs that needed doing whoever you were.

I overheard Pearson telling Charles about a lack of meat. Charles hadn't had a chance to go out hunting in a few days and that wasn't changing on that particular morning, considering he was on guard duty for the camp. I all but spat my tongue out trying to interject.

“I can hunt,” I said with all the hope and enthusiasm of a five year old. They both looked at me blankly. “If you need meat, I can go. Almost everything I've eaten for the past year has been killed and cooked by myself. Dutch wants something for me to do to contribute, maybe this is it.”

“It's worth asking him,” Charles shrugged. “We do need the food.”

“I can forage too. I know a few good places around here to pick berries and carrots.”

“Yeah, alright, he's asking,” Pearson chuckled, gesturing to Charles as he crossed the camp to find Dutch.

Oh, it'd be nice to get out of the camp. I used to move around almost every other day when I was on my own, it was easy enough to pack up my things with how little I actually kept with me. Four days in the same place had me feeling antsy. I watched hopefully as Charles spoke with Dutch, nodding attentively as he listened to whatever he was being told.

When Charles returned he looked a little withered, sighing quietly before speaking; “he says you can go but you'll need someone to go with you. I can't go, so you'll have to find someone else.”

“I'm perfectly capable of going on my own,” I said.

“I bet you are. But you're used to feeding yourself, not an entire group. You'll be better off with a partner. Why don't you ask Arthur? I've taught him some things about hunting,” he suggested. My heart thudded at the mention of his name.

“He's asleep,” I pointed to where he was laying on his cot, hat sitting on top of his face.

“Well, he can't lay around in bed all day. Arthur!” Charles yelled, and he jumped, groaning as he dragged his hat off and peeled his head up to look around. “Hunting.”

“With who?”

“The new girl.”

“New girl…” Arthur murmured, moving to sit up as he scrubbed at his face. He looked up at me, sniffed, then put his hat on and stood up. “Alright, gimme a minute,” he said, his tone tired and exasperated.

I felt like a prize idiot. He was bound to hate me now.

I waited quietly as he readied himself, drinking coffee and spending a few moments with his horse; a Tennessee Walker with a coat a deep, burnt plum colour, mottled with white patches. A very beautiful animal who seemed perfectly calm as he brushed it and saddled it. Charles spoke with him for a moment before heading to the outskirts of camp, standing guard. When Arthur was ready he came over to me, jabbing a thumb back over his shoulder.

“You ready? You'll need to borrow some weapons.”

“If you don't mind lending them,” I nodded.

“That's no problem,” he said, turning and leading the way. I followed him over to his horse, watching as he pulled himself up onto it. “Charles said you could borrow his horse; it's that one just over there.”

I nodded and walked over to it. I took a moment to familiarise myself with the animal, patting it and speaking softly to it; it seemed like a calm horse and didn't mind me mounting it. I arranged my skirt as best I could, though it still rode up my legs a little but damned if I was going to ride sidesaddle. I missed my pants.

“Come on then, new girl,” Arthur flashed a smile at me before leading the way, taking us through the trees that surrounded the camp.

He rode a ways away from camp, I still remembered the area from when I'd stayed there and I realised he was leading me to some open space that was heavily populated with deer. I'd hunted there before, and that brought me comfort. At least I wouldn't make an idiot out of myself by being unsuccessful. Hopefully.

We stopped our horses by a large boulder. Arthur dismounted and with his back to me he asked; “you any good with a bow?”

“It's what I usually use to hunt,” I nodded, taking the opportunity to climb down while he wasn't looking. Dismounting a horse in a dress wasn't particularly easy to do in a dignified manner.

Arthur pulled a bow from his horse and turned to me, nodding towards the horse behind me. “There's one on your horse. Grab it and let's go, I'll let you get the first kill.”

I did as instructed, quickly building up some nerves about performing in front of him. I'd only ever hunted on my own. Arthur waited and let me lead when I was ready. I readied an arrow in anticipation as I began to head through some nearby bushes. I stepped quietly through the cover of greenery, knowing there was a clearing just on the other side. I stopped before the edge, spotting a buck grazing in the clearing, its rear to us. I crouched down, sensing Arthur do the same right behind me.

I waited for a moment, raising the bow and drawing back the arrow; aiming above the deer where it's head might be if it looked up. As I waited, my heart raced. Arthur was so close to me I could hear him breathing, and it was more than a little distracting. I took a peek at him and he met my gaze immediately. His eyes held me and I struggled to look away, the worst part was, he looked totally unaffected. I was sweaty and anxious and tense, and for what? In the moments our eyes were locked I could see how nice his were – so striking and blue – he was handsome, and that was probably why I was acting like a dumbass.

Arthur's eyes snapped away from mine, back towards the deer. It'd raised its head and was in the perfect position for a clean kill; I drew in a quick breath and raised my bow again. I rushed it, I knew it was a bad move, I knew I should've taken a deep breath, adjusted my posture and taken my time. I let go of the arrow and it sailed right past my target. I cursed under my breath and Arthur chuckled as the deer bolted.

“If that's how you normally work a bow I'm surprised you ain't starved,” he teased me and I sighed, feeling my face burn.

“I don't normally have company,” I muttered, rising back up and looking around. More deer were off in the distance.

I went to step out from the bushes, but something held me back. I turned with a frown and Arthur reached out to help me, untangling the fabric of my skirt from the bush it'd hooked onto. I stared at him with slightly widened eyes as he absentmindedly smoothed his hand over the fabric, which happened to be on my backside. He realised his actions and held his hands up.

"My apologies, miss," he said, and I shook my head dismissively.

“I messed that one up. I know,” I said as I strode out from the bushes and retrieved my arrow from where it dug into the ground.

“Don't beat yourself up. I weren't expecting you to do it first time.”

“What is that? Talking like I've never done this before,” I cocked a brow at him and he tilted his head.

“I didn't mean it like that,” he said softly. I kicked myself for my defensiveness and the bite in my tone. I really was making myself out to be a total bitch.

I took a long breath and turned. “Let's try that again. Stay back a little, would you?”

“Of course, ma'am,” my legs went a little weak at his tone, but I soldiered on.

I kept low as I crept towards a small group of deer I'd spotted at the bottom of a gentle decline in the earth. This time, Arthur gave me some space and I felt more at ease, though slightly pressured. I had to get it this time, if I didn't I'd be mortified. He'd think I was a fool who couldn't work a bow, didn't know what she was talking about.

I aimed, ignoring the chatter in my mind and taking a series of slow, deep breaths. With a buck as my target – albeit smaller than the one I'd missed – I let go of the arrow on empty lungs. I could've cheered when it went down quickly and cleanly, but I kept myself composed and straight faced. I looked back at Arthur for his approval, as if I needed it, and he gave me a nod and a smile. My mouth threatened to curl into a smile too, but the last thing I wanted was to look cocky.

“We'll come back for that. Let's go for another; you wanna do it or shall I?” he questioned.

“I don't mind. I could look for some rabbits while you go for another deer?” I shrugged, knowing I could grab a couple of those easy, especially if we separated and Arthur wasn't watching me.

“As in, split up?”

“Yeah.”

“You can't wait to get away from me, huh?” He laughed and my mouth opened with no words to come out. “I'm just messing with you.”

“I've been alone for a long time, Arthur. I'm sorry if I'm a little… if I come across as rude.”

“You're fine. Go look for some rabbits,” he waved me off with an amused shake of his head. I watched him walk away in the direction of where the deer scattered, feeling odd. Like I suddenly didn't want to be there. Like I didn't belong around other people, at least not for extended periods of time.

With a heavy feeling in my chest I set off looking for rabbits. They were everywhere around these parts, it wasn't hard. I got three before heading back to where our horses were waiting, hooking them onto Charles’ saddle. I went back to where the first deer was still laying, deciding what the best way to lift it without getting blood on Mary-Beth's dress would be. It was at that point Arthur found me and lifted the animal for me without even asking. I felt the need to explain myself.

“I wasn't just waiting around for you to do that, I would've carried it myself, but this dress doesn't belong to me,” I told him and he glanced at me with a strange look.

“I didn't think you were,” he said, puzzled. “I don't mind carrying it, I already put another on the back of my horse. No point in you getting covered in blood too.”

I noticed the stain on his shoulder, “thank you.”

“Are you alright?” He asked, still giving me an odd look.

“Weird week,” I sighed. “Don't mind me.”

We reached the horses and he strapped the deer down on the back of the horse I was borrowing. He turned to look at me again.

“How you settling in, anyway?”

“Alright, I guess. People have been kind to me,” I told him, walking over to the horse and stroking it's mane. Arthur didn't move from where he stood right next to me, I'd expected him to mount his own horse. “And it's been nice falling asleep to Javier's music, when he plays at night.”

“Yeah? You seem a little sad.”

“You don't know me, how can you tell whether I'm happy or sad? Maybe I'm always like this,” I questioned and he pursed his lips. It looked like he wanted to say something, but was holding back.

It was brought to the forefront of my mind that I still felt I recognised him. With the opportunity presented, I just came out with it; “Have we met before?”

There was a beat of silence, Arthur seemed surprised yet sort of relieved.

“We have,” he nodded, his shoulders seeming to loosen.

“Why didn't you say something?”

“I couldn't work out if you remembered me,” he laughed a little, but soon turned serious, thoughtful.

“I recognise you. I know I've seen your face, I've been wracking my brain.”

“Well, I didn't wanna bring it up, cause…” he trailed off. “It weren't exactly a good night for you.”

It clicked into place then, the guilt that appeared in his eyes. An uncomfortable air about him.

“Oh, it was you!” I exclaimed, turning to face him head on. “The night my brother got himself killed. You're the man who helped me.”

#rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #arthur morgan #arthur morgan x reader #fanfiction #ATINK #rdr2 fanfic #arthur morgan fanfic #arthur morgan x female reader

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waltzofthewifi · 5 years ago

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Kota Chapter 1: A New Start

Table of Contents | Chapter 2 | AO3 | Fanfiction

So this story, at least at the start, takes place mainly in Paris with the Miraculous Ladybug characters. More PJO/HoO/KC characters will show up, and eventually there'll be things happening in America and at Camp Half-blood, but it builds up to that. For now, it focuses on Lacy and the MLB cast. That being said, there is a lot of references to events that happen in PJO/HoO/KC, specifically Lacy's friendship with Sadie and her relationship with her sisters Piper and Silena.

Mild amount of angst, some Lila/Bustier salt (and a very small pinch of Alya salt), lots on dealing with anger/grief (which is great because I know nothing about that), more character development than I've ever written before, and whole ton of headcanons on the miraculous, their origins, intended use, who can use it, and backstories for Fu/the butterfly and peacock miraculous. Adrinette endgame with some Lukanette, as much DJWifi as I can work in because they're cute. and mild amounts of Julerose.

There will be no redemption arc for Lila or Gabriel, but possibly for other characters. We'll see.

Lacy will eventually get a miraculous, as will some not-yet-confirmed Miraculous Ladybug characters, a few other PJO/HoO/KC characters, and few a OCs.

Oh and chapters will be much longer than my standard in this story.

Kota

Chapter 1: A New Start

Lacy Hatzi, for once in her life, was awake when her alarm clock went off.

Of course, it wasn't like she slept much that night. Her usual nightmares combined with the unfamiliarity of her new room and nerves for the day ahead of her made her restless. When her alarm went off, she was laying face down on her pillow, trying to block out the impending morning.

With a groan, she pushed herself out of bed and pulled herself downstairs.

Her dad was eating oatmeal calmly at the kitchen table, while her stepmother Elisabeth stared intensely at the coffee machine.

"Good morning, squabby," her father said, giving Lacy his most affectionate smile. "Ready for your big day?"

"No," Lacy admitted. "I'm terrified."

"You'll do fine, dove," Elisabeth said, coming up behind her. She squeezed Lacy's shoulder. "You'll see."

"You tell me that every time," Lacy replied, leaning against Elisabeth. "And it's never worked so far."

"You likes your last school," Elisabeth said. "Got along with Sadie and -"

"Elisabeth, love, Lacy has every reason to be nervous," her dad chimed in. "Starting a new school is always nerve-wracking, especially in a new country. Don't try to pretend to not be nervous."

"Right," Lacy replied. "I'm nervous. That's okay. Everyone's nervous - bad school record or not."

"Principle Damocles didn't mind your school record, Dove," Elisabeth said. "And neither did any of your teachers. Or anyone at BAG."

Lacy nodded. "Right."

Her dad stood up and placed his hand on her shoulders. "Remember to breathe."

"I'm breathing," Lacy said. She took a deep breath to prove her point. "I'm also starved. Did you find that cereal?"

Her dad chuckled. "It's next to the oatmeal."

"Thanks." Lacy walked into the kitchen, looking over the apartment's cabinets. "One question. Where's the oatmeal?"

One bowl of cereal, a quick shower, and three changes of clothes later and the start of school was almost there.

Lacy eventually settled blush pink shirt, light blue jeans, and her pink Toms. She pulled on her gray jacket and reached to pull her hair back into her usual ponytails.

She hesitated. New country, new school, should she try a new hairstyle? Her sister Piper always had her hair in such beautiful braids, and Lacy had been wanting to try it out. Making her decision, Lacy brushed it her hair out again and started on a French braid.

It didn't look as good on her as it did on Piper, but she was willing to give it a day.

Finally satisfied with how she looked - and thankful she looked like someone who had a normal sleep schedule - Lacy reached for her new knapsack. She double-checked she had everything. Textbooks, snacks, sewing kit, first aid kit, the Swiss Army knife Valdez made for her, emergency nectar and ambrosia.

None of which she needed to hide. To her surprise, her new school had a lax rule on sharp objects - something about wanting to encourage emergency supplies? It fit well with the habits she learned from Camp Half-blood, and the instructions Piper had drilled in her head.

Any big city like Paris had lots of magical threats. Stay armed. Stay aware. And don't get involved.

Getting involved was the reason she decided to switch schools in the first. Sure, it coincided with a major need for her father's job in Paris, but her family wouldn't have moved across the ocean just for that.

With Camp Half-blood running into more and more different magical beings and people, it was much more important to stay away. Especially for someone like Lacy, who wouldn't be able to hold her own the same way Piper or Clarisse could.

No, she just needed to keep her head down, even if that meant she had to leave her school, and her friends.

Still, Lacy hesitated to put her real weapon - a celestial bronze dagger she definitely didn't know how to use, disguised as a sunglass case - in her bag, even with the special pocket Piper made for it. Was it worth bringing a weapon she didn't know how to use with her?

But Piper had said to stay armed.

With a sigh, Lacy followed her older sister's instructions. Besides, monsters did have a habit of masquerading as teachers. She needed to be prepared.

Lacy secured her pack over her shoulder, flicked the lights off on her room, and headed down the steps of the apartment.

Her dad had already left, having a full day of work ahead of him, but Elisabeth offered to walk her to her new school. They lived close, and after that incident, Lacy was wary about public transport.

Elisabeth was dressed for work, in her blue slacks and blazer and black shell, but there was still a warmness and casualness to her as she walked beside Lacy. She bumped shoulders with Lacy as they walked, teasing her about every "handsome European" boy they saw.

They were technically early, but the outside of the school was already bustling with students. A teacher stood off to the side, checking something on a tablet.

Lacy felt a pang of anxiety in her chest, like an alarm going off in her head. teacher teacher teacher teacher

Lacy forced herself to take a deep breath. She rolled her shoulders a few times, trying to release the tension building in her chest.

"Are you Miss Bustier?" Elisabeth asked. Her obviously accented French reminded Lacy how grateful she was that she magically spoke French.

"Yes," the teacher replied. She smiled at Lacy. "You must be the new American student."

Lacy nodded. "Nice to meet you."

Miss Bustier smiled, and Lacy could tell that the warmth was genuine. She knew that she had been placed in Bustier's class because the teacher had a high record of helping students like Lacy, but that could mean anything. Meeting her now, Lacy could tell Bustier had a passion for teaching.

Good intentions only went so far, but it was a start.

Lacy watched her teacher's facial expressions as she talked with Elisabeth, and then she was walking with Bustier as her mom headed to the metro.

"There's no need to be nervous," Bustier told her. "Our class is really nice."

As far as you know, Lacy noted. She didn't know how fairly Bustier appraised her class. Teachers didn't always see everything.

A few moments before they reached the classroom, another girl skidded in front of the door.

"Miss Bustier! I'm so sorry I'm late!" The girl huffed.

"It's okay Marinette," Bustier said. "I know I asked you here really early." She looked at Lacy. "This is Marinette, our class president. Since you're new to the city and your parents said you were nervous about starting school, I thought you'd like to meet her."

The first thing Lacy noticed about Marinette was that her hair was in pigtails, and she looked with them. Oh, I knew pigtails would still look cute, I should have-

Marinette reached out a hand. "It's nice to meet you, Lacy."

Lacy smiled and took the hand. "You too."

"The rest of the class should be arriving soon," Bustier said. "Let's go in."

Marinette's usual seat mate was on vacation, so she offered the seat to Lacy.

"It must be scary, moving to another country," Marinette said.

Lacy nodded. "It is. But it's such a great opportunity. I try to remind myself of that when I get too homesick."

"My best friend Alya moved here recently," Marinette said. "I know she still missed her old friends for a while, but she fit in fine here too. I'm sure you will too!"

Lacy chuckled. "Thanks, but I've already heard enough pep talks today. Doesn't help with the nerves much."

"No, I guess it doesn't."

More students began filing in, some coming up and introducing themselves, others too interested in what they were doing to notice Lacy. Lacy was thrilled to meet an adorable couple - Mylene and Ivan - who always looked at each other with admiration. The romantic in Lacy awwed every time they looked at each other.

Wish I had my camera, she thought wistfully, before turning back to the front of the class just to see another student approaching her.

"Who are you?" She asked, hands on her hips.

Lacy blinked. She'd heard that attitude a thousand times in her cabin before - snotty, possibly spoiled, and definitely an incoming headache.

"Chloe, be nice," Marinette said, exasperation bleeding through her voice.

Lacy looked over the other girl - Chloe, was it? Yeah, she would fit right in with some of Lacy's sisters, with her expensive clothes, bratty expression, and face full of high-quality makeup. Better just ignore her, she figured.

"I'm the transfer student," Lacy said. "No one important."

"Obviously," Chloe replied, before heading to her seat.

"Ignore her," Marinette said.

"I was planning to," Lacy admitted.

"She's not always that bad," the blonde hair, generic-facial-expressions student in front of them - Adrien, or some other European name- commented.

The student next to him made a face. "Dude, she kinda is."

"I'm used to people like her," Lacy said. "Just duck your head and don't say anything."

"You don't have to hide here," Marinette said. "Chloe or not. Don't let her scare you."

"Sorry I'm late," another student said as she walked in.

Marinette tensed up immediately, almost like a cornered animal.

"It's okay, Lila," Bustier replied. "Just go take your seat."

Lila smiled and turned to the class, and Lacy could see a million red flags in her facial expression. If Drew had any Italian relatives, she was she was meeting one.

And then Lila looked at her, and Lacy wanted to run.

"Oh, are you new?" Lila asked.

Lacy nodded. "First day." She pulled on her jacket sleeves nervously.

"Welcome," Lila said. "I'm Lila. I'm fairly new here too."

Lacy forced a smile. "I'm Lacy."

"I'd love to show you around later," Lila said, before walking to her seat. Lacy felt herself withdraw into her seat.

"Are you okay?" Marinette asked.

Lacy nodded. "Just... reminded me of someone. That's all."

Lacy gripped the strap of her bag as she scanned the cafeteria.

"You can sit with us," Marinette offered, stepping up beside her.

Lacy nodded. "Thanks."

Most of the class sat together - three had gone home to eat, and another was calling his girlfriend, and thankfully Lila seemed otherwise occupied - and they all greeted Lacy nicely. She ended up squished between a girl named Alix and Marinette.

"I love your hair," Lacy said after they introduced themselves.

"Thanks," Alix replied. "So, what brings you to Paris?"

"I calculate there's a 90% chance her parents are Kumer boomers," another kid, Max, said.

Lacy frowned. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Kumer boomers," Marinette replied. "It's what the media's been calling all the new workers coming in. Therapists, teachers, social workers, politicians, any job that's in more of a demand thanks to Hawkmoth."

Lacy spluttered. "Hawkmoth? What kind of name is that?"

"I ask myself that every day," Alix replied with a chuckle.

"A lot of people have been complaining that no one has warned the boomers what they're getting into," Marinette noted. "The Hawkmoth situation hasn't been publicized much outside of Paris."

"Don't worry about," a student named Rose chimed in. "Ladybug and Chat Noir have the situation under control."

"Ladybug and Chat - did I step into a Marvel movie?"

"I ask myself that every day," Marinette admitted. "But yeah, they're superheroes."

"And Hawkmoth's a super villain?" Lacy questioned. "Great. I live in the same city as a super villain."

"Rose is right," Alix replied. "You have nothing to worry about. Being Akumatized sucks, but Ladybug fixes everything in the end."

"Okay, whats being akumatized?" Lacy asked. "Because that doesn't sound fun."

"Hawkmoth has the ability to create super villains out of ordinary people," Marinette replied. "By capitalizing on negative emotions."

So much for safer.

Then again, Lacy's father was a therapist. Even with everything she's been through, Lacy always had an advantage with dealing with negative emotions. Maybe she'd fly under the radar. After all, Paris was huge city - there was no reason for super villains (or superheroes) to notice her, was there?

"Besides, all the Kumer boomers are helping us handle those emotions," Rose said.

"Or replacing those who don't want to deal with it," Alix added. "A record number of teachers have quit because of Hawky."

"Thankfully, we have Ms Bustier!" Rose said. "Who's been so helpful with dealing with our emotions."

"Like that compliment thing we started with," Lacy remembered. "That was cool."

"You have the best teacher in the school," Alix added. "Trust me - she's awesome."

"So what-" Lacy was cut off by a loud boom.

"Akuma," Alix said.

"It has been a while," Marinette muttered.

"Sources say it's on the other side of - no, wait, it teleported," Max read. "It's getting close."

An alarm went off, with purple flashing lights.

"That's the akuma alarm," Alix said. "If you live close enough, you should head home."

"But where is it exactly?" Lacy asked.

Max helped her find it on the map on her phone.

"Okay, and that's about..." Lacy scanned the map helplessly. "I don't actually know where I live."

Max asked her for her address, and he typed it in.

"It's on the other side from you," Max said. "You should head home."

Lacy nodded. Most of the table had already begun scattering - Marinette had been the first person out the door - and now only her, Max, and Alix were there.

"I'll walk you there," Alix said.

"Don't you-"

"It's too far for me. I'd be stuck waiting it out here, and that can get boring fast. Besides, you're still new - I don't want you getting lost."

"Thanks."

The walk back to her house was quick, and Lacy let Alix into their tiny living room. Alix sat down on their couch and Lacy on a box of... something.

"Sorry about the mess," Lacy said. "We haven't finished unpacking yet."

"That's fine," Alix replied. "Spend enough time on the Liberty, you get used to anything."

Lacy frowned. "The liberty?"

"Juleka's House boat," Alix replied.

"Juleka has a houseboat?" Lacy asked. "That's so cool!"

"I know, right? Plus her mom is super chill," Alix added. "Lets Juleka invite us over whenever. Some of us are going over there tonight if you want to come."

"I'll have to check with my parents," Lacy said. "But I'm sure they'll say yes."

"Great!" Alix replied. "Marinette said she'll bring snacks - have you been to her parents bakery yet? They have the best pastries in Paris."

The akuma attack lasted for 2 hours, a long time according to Alix.

"It's probably because she could teleport," Alix guessed. "Those always last longer."

The classes they missed would be made up the next day through a load of homework - "Hawkmoth's doubled our load of homework," Alix had complained. "He's truly evil." - but they still had history with Miss Bustier to end the day.

"Would anyone be willing to let Lacy work with their group?" Bustier asked. "American ciriculem doesn't focus on French history as much as we do, so I'm sure she'll be happy to have help catching up."

"She can join me and Alya," Marinette offered.

"Unfortunately, Alya already has to catch up herself after she comes back tomorrow," Bustier said.

Adrien raised his hands. "History is easy for me. I'd be willing to help."

"But you're already helping me," Lila said. "I mean, I think I'm fine by myself if-"

"Me and Nathaniel can work with her," Alix offered.

"We can?" Nathaniel asked.

Alix flashed him a grin. "We talked over lunch. I think she'd work well with us."

"Alright, now that that's settled-"

Bustier reviewed some of the major parts of the homework, and Lacy did her best to pay attention and keep notes. But paying attention was not her strong suit, so she hoped her new partners had longer attention spans than she did.

Well, she already knew Alix didn't. But maybe Nathaniel did?

When Bustier dismissed the class, she asked for Lacy to stay a little after.

"Yes?" Lacy asked.

"I was just wondering if you were okay," Bustier replied. "This was your First Akuma attack."

Lacy nodded. "I was surprised. But, I'm fine. I went home, and it didn't get close to me."

"Good," Bustier said. "The school has plenty of resources if you ever need them. Just let me know."

Elisabeth had bought tea bags on her way home to work, saying they were famous for calming people down after akuma attacks.

"Your dad is stressed from it," she said as Lacy sat down across from her. "It's no wonder they're hiring so many therapists."

"One of my classmates, Mylene, told me about he therapist she and her boyfriend went out after the first attack," Lacy added. She sipped the tea, surprised at how good it tasted. "She also said our teacher is putting in extra effort to help us stay calm."

"I've heard nothing but good things about your school's response," Elisabeth said. "Still, I can't imagine going to school like this."

"When does Dad start seeing patients?" Lacy asked.

"Friday," Elisabeth said. "I guess he knows why they're putting him through so much orientation now."

"His job must be so much more stressful here," Lacy said. "I mean, what if one of his patients gets akumatized and targets him?"

"That's part of the training," Elisabeth reassured her. "I think he's more worried about you."

"Me?" Lacy questioned.

"We moved here to get you away from this type of thing," Elisabeth said. "But he's starting to think he put you in something worse."

Lacy shook her head. "Magic like this is everywhere, it's just so much more obvious here. I left BAG not because the Egyptian demigods were there, but because I was starting to become involved with them. If I keep my head down and not befriend anyone too involved, I'll be fine." Lacy took a shaky breath. "Besides, whats the chances of me actually meeting Hawkmoth or one of the superheroes?"

#kota #mlb pjo fanfiction #miraculous ladybug fanfiction #Percy Jackson fanfiction #mlb fanfiction #miraculous ladybug

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yeet-or-be-hawed · 6 years ago

Text

Hunters of Flesh and Money Part 2

The chilly wind sent a shiver up your spine as you stepped out of the post office in Strawberry. The wind cut through you like knives as you flipped through your parcels. The envelope second from the bottom of the stack was thick, once you flipped to it, you smiled. In Sadie’s chicken scratch handwriting was your alias. When you opened the envelope, there were two letters inside. You opened the first:

Dearest Fletcher,

I must say I am very excited to be writing this letter. It feels so wonderful to finally have a piece of my old life back. I wonder what Jake would think of me now; on the run with a bunch of outlaws and criminals. I try to tell myself he would be proud of me for reclaiming what little life I had left, but I can’t help but feel he would be disappointed in me. I’ve killed men, I know it ain’t that big a deal to you, but it just feels so...unsettling. But please, do write back with details on yourself and how you’ve held up. What jobs have you been working lately? Have you been getting yourself a proper night’s rest? Don’t ever hesitate to write if you befall hard times. The group I ride with now are kind of rough around the edges but they’re kind people. They remind me a lot of you. I look forward to your next letter, maybe next time you’re in Rhodes we can meet up. Our little group has settled down near a lake just outside of there. I miss you dearly and look forward to seeing you again.

P.S. Mr. Morgan just gave me a letter to send to you with this one. He wouldn’t stop with the questions the whole ride from Rhodes to the camp the day we met you. I promised him I wouldn’t read it, but I didn’t make any promises about asking you what it says.

Yours, Sadie

You could almost hear the sadness behind Sadie’s words and it broke your heart. She was such a lively and happy woman, the loss of Jake had shook her to the core. When you opened the second letter, you didn’t recognize the scrolling handwriting.

Ms. Fletcher,

I would like to thank you for everything you have done for Mrs. Adler. Since the day we saw you in town, she has changed drastically. She has came out of her shell and makes attempts to speak to some of the other members of the gang. It ain’t much, but it’s something. It’s something we wouldn’t have had without you. She was so closed off and aggressive when we found her, almost feral. You made her a little more human again, and I can’t thank you enough for that. Any friend of Sadie Adler is a friend of mine, don’t be afraid to write me if you need anything-work, shelter, food anything- just send a letter our way.

Arthur Morgan

You had to admit, you were quite shocked to see the second letter from Arthur. The hard looking man you met that day didn’t even look literate, but the way his handwriting neatly scrolled across the page gave off the impression he may be smarter than he seemed. You ducked into the saloon and pulled out an old worn notebook. With a nod to the bartender, you pulled out a pen and began:

Sadie,

I am also very happy to have reconnected with you, and I’m glad it has made this dark time in your life a little brighter. I think Jake would rather the life you’re currently leading towards worse alternatives. You could’ve came down that mountain and straight into a brothel like so many other widows do. You could’ve died on that mountain, drowning in your own grief. There’s a lot that could’ve happened, but this is what did. Whether it’s unsettling or not, killing is a part of life and it’s kept you alive this long. I for one, am proud to see you handling yourself and surviving. You know me, ain’t much in my life that changes. Since I found the Adler Ranch I’ve been on the lookout for more jobs. The young fellow outside of Blackwater that talked funny ain’t been in his usual spots the last few times I’ve gone to find him. He mentioned having a group he got separated from, I hope he’s found them instead of dying or getting kidnapped. He was a smart mouth, but he was a good kid. Found a lady down south in the bayou who paid good for killing, but I ain’t been there in awhile. I been getting most my work from a funny fellow down in Rhodes. I been spending the last few weeks on Mount Hagen doing some hunting. I’m currently in Strawberry, selling off my quarries. I reckon the cold weather is moving in so I should head south. I’ll be taking work in Rhodes for awhile, I should be there by the time you receive this. When I’m not working, you can find me at the Rhodes Parlor House. As for Mr. Morgan’s letter, it was nothing more than a thank you. He said you were in brighter spirits since we met. He seemed nice Sadie, but don’t start trying to match make me again.

-F

You rolled your eyes, Sadie was nothing if not stubborn, you were certain this wasn’t the last you would hear on the subject. With a quick fold and a slip inside an envelope, the letter was ready to be sent. You stood to deliver the parcel to the post office, but hesitated, it would be rude to not respond to Mr. Morgan would it not?

You sat back down and pulled out another piece of paper.

Mr. Morgan,

I accept your thanks, though you don’t need to give it. I hadn’t intended to lighten her spirits, or to even see her for that matter but I am thankful I did. Jake and Sadie were the best damned couple I knew, it still breaks my heart to think about poor Jake. Although it saddened me, I wasn’t surprised to hear she had been so unlike herself after his death. She’s the strongest woman I know, but even the strongest of us are prone to breaking. I appreciate the offer, but I ain’t one for handouts. Just keep Sadie safe and we’ll be square.

-F

Sadie approached Arthur excitedly, a big smile on her face. It was a sight he wasn’t used to. “Mornin’ Sadie, what’s got you so happy?”

She held up an envelope, “letters, from Fletcher!”

“Letters?”

“One for me,” she gave him a side eye. “And one for you.”

“Me, huh?” He laughed nervously as he took the letter. Sadie gave him a strange look he didn’t recognize as she wandered away. He read the letter carefully. Your handwriting was...well it wasn’t sloppy but it wasn’t very pretty either. He thought it looked like you wrote in a hurry. You wrote eloquently which surprised him. The line “even the strongest of us are prone to breaking” made his chest feel hollow.

The parlor was nicer than what you were used to, it was modern and bright which you weren’t sure was an improvement or not. It was your third day in Rhodes and you wondered when Sadie would receive your letter. You would’ve never admitted it to her, but you had spent the majority of your time waiting in the Parlor. Trelawny’s jobs tend to sound bigger and grander than they really are, leaving you with more time during the day than you had planned. Most the time you spent your free time like this hunting, but you wouldn’t forgive yourself if you missed Sadie.

Friends weren’t something that came around very often in your line of work and they rarely stayed very long. The news of Sadie’s survival had made it more difficult to be alone. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to join their camp, but that would be selfish. Your bounty was too high, the list of people you had pissed off was too long. It didn’t feel right endangering a whole group of people just for the sake of feeling good. You took a long swig of your beer and grimaced, why did life have to be so goddamn complicated?

You knocked back the last of your drink and headed back to the caravans just outside of Rhodes. Trelawny wasn’t there when you arrived earlier that morning, but it wasn’t a surprise. What was a surprise though, was the disheveled state of his caravan when you arrived. As you walked up the steps, the book that he was always reading was flipping upside down, thrown haphazardly to the edge of the small porch. You hadn’t realized when you came through, but there wasn’t a soul in sight. “What happened here?” You whispered to yourself as you crouched down and picked up his book. You slowly moved into the caravan and continued your search. There seemed to be a struggle inside too, and some blood on the floor. A plate of food was left on the dresser, barely touched. As you took a bite of the hard bread that was left on the plate, you heard hooves approaching. You quickly dived under the bed and pulled your Mausers as voices came close enough for your to pick up the conversation.

“...ckon it’s the one with the fire outside.”

“Let’s take a look.”

Two men, easy enough. You slowly cocked the pistols before the men entered, ready to pounce. Adrenaline pumped behind your ears as two sets of boots made their way up the stairs of the porch.

“Someone got here first.”

“So it seems.”

“By the looks of things it wasn’t a social call.”

“Check the house.” One man said in a hushed tone. You tensed, ready to strike at a moment’s notice. If these were lawmen, you were screwed. Not only would they blame you for being at the scene of the crime but it wouldn’t take them long to figure out they’d caught themselves an outlaw with quite the bounty on her head. You held your breath as the men entered the threshold of the small caravan.

Arthur entered the caravan slowly and cautiously, whoever took Trelawny may still be around or stashed away a trap for some unsuspecting looter. Charles was investigating the small kitchen area while Arthur searched around the bed. The mattress was tucked away into a nook, unmade and a disheveled mess. He couldn’t help be recall how Grimshaw would beat him with a shoe if he didn’t make up his bedroll as a kid. Arthur got down on his hands and knees to search for any clues under the bed, the last thing he expected was to be face to face with two golden pistols.

You almost dropped the pistols in surprise. “Mr. Morgan?”

Arthur stared at you in disbelief as you crawled out from under the mattress. “Fletcher? What the hell-”

Your eyes flicked to the giant man just behind Arthur, bow pointed between your eyes, you lifted your guns in response. You didn’t look away from the big man. “It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Mogan. I hope you aren’t the men I’m looking for.”

“Depends,” the big man said. “Where’s Trelawny?”

“Dunno,” You said as you lowered your guns as a sign of peace. “I came by to see if he had any work. Saw there was a struggle and decided to let myself in then you two showed up.”

The man looked to Arthur who nodded. The man lowered his bow but kept his gaze on you. “Well, I guess the two of you can help me find him.You two keep searching in here, I’m going to check out outside and see if there’s any clues.”

Arthur and Charles just watched as you sauntered outside. Charles turned to Arthur. “You know her?”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Long story.”

Charles chuckled. “Bossy, that one is. Can we trust her?”

“I think so. She’s friends with Sadie, apparently she used to be good friends with her and her late husband. Outlaw on the run, just like us.”

Charles turned to say something, but he was cut off. “I got tracks out here!” You yelled from outside the other end of the caravan followed by a sharp whistle. When the two men walked out, you were already mounted on your huge horse. “You boys know how to track?”

“Yes ma’am.” Charles responded.

“Good. Tracks start here and head this way, follow me. Yah!” And with that your horse was barreling down the road, leaving a dust cloud in its wake.

You didn’t have time to wait on the two men to saddle up, you were growing anxious to find Trelawny. You had only known him a couple of months, but the funny man had a charisma that made it hard to dislike him. Truth be told, you had grown to be quite fond of the silly little man. Last time you saw him, you actually promised to let him take out Garbanzo for a ride. You intended to keep that promise, if anything purely for the sight of such a small man on such a large horse. As Rhodes disappeared behind you, Arthur and the other man were riding behind you. Arthur had a beautiful white Arabian and the other had a lovely grey snow capped Appaloosa. You made a mental note to compliment them both of their horses once this was all said and done with. You could pick up bits and pieces of the conversation the men were having as they approached, but you remained focused on the tracks. They led you to a small camp just on the edge of the forest just off the road. You dismounted quickly and approached. Two men sat under the shelter of the tent and a third by the fire. You put on your best smile and approached. “Hello gentlemen, what brings y’all out here this time a night?”

The man by the fire eyes you wearily. “I could ask you the same question, miss.” His eyes darted behind you, you could hear the two horses come to a stop.

“Me and my friends here have lost the fourth member of our party, you haven’t seen any funny men runnin’ around here? Dresses kinda formal?”

The men looked at eachother, to the men behind you, and back to you. “Seen plenty of funny men, sure. Ain’t seen no fancy ones.”

“He uses a cane, just like this one.” The bigger man plucked Trelawny’s cane from the grass. You saw red, and jumped the man in front of the fire. Your fist beat into his face. “Where is he goddamn it? Don’t play stupid with me!”

A brawl abrupted, three on three. Arthur questioned the man he had pinned and the other man beat his opponent silently. Your hands clasped around the man’s neck and you slowly added pressure. “Son, I ain’t got all night. Now either ya tell me where my friend is, or I crush your windpipe and me and my friends kill your buddies.” You heard a gurgling sound to your right and turned to see Mr. Morgan lifting himself off his limp victim. “Looks like one of your buddies is already dead, wanna join him?”

The man cried under you, “Fine fine I know where he is!”

You smiled coldly. “Hear that boys? He knows where our friend is!”

“th-they took him to a cabin, over by the cornfields!”

“Well now,” you cooed. “Was that so hard?” You pulled your pistol and shot the man right between the eyes. “Cornfields. Let’s go.”

As the two men mounted, the third surviving member of their team get up and began to run in the direction of the fields. You shot him in the back and he fell. “What was that for?” The bigger man asked.

You mounted your horse. “He was headin’ in the direction of the corn fields. Probably gonna try and give his friends a heads up.”

Arthur nodded in agreement and the other man shook his head. The three of you took off together. The Braithwaite cornfields weren’t far and to be quite honest, you’d be more than happy to kill a few of those inbreed yocals. As you approached, two men were dragging another out of a cabin. As you approached, you noticed it was indeed Trelawny. Without batting an eye, you placed a bullet between each of their heads and Trelawny fell forward. You jumped off your horse and ran to him. You pulled your arm around him and helped him onto your horse. “You okay, Josiah?”

He half coughed half laughed, “Fletcher is that you?”

You rolled your eyes, “Yeah it’s me.”

“So, you’re alive!” Arthur called as his dismounted his horse.

Trelawny looked up and gave as much of a laugh as he could. “Allegedly.”

He was in the worst shape you’d ever seen him. The pomade was worn out from his hair-it was tousled and messy. He had bruises and dried blood on his face.

Arthur cut his binds as you held him upright. “Don’t worry, they won’t be for much longer.” His voice had a cold deadly note in it you had not recognized.

“Go get them Arthur, I can handle this.”

Arthur nodded to Trelawny and headed down towards the cornfields. You reached into your satchel and pulled out some fine brandy to give to Trelawny. He took a deep swig and gave you a swift pat on the back. “Thank you, my friend. I don’t know what would’ve happened to me had you three not came along. Are you riding with the Van Der Lindes now young Fletcher?”

You laughed. “The who? Nah. I stopped by your ol caravan to see if you had any work. Saw a struggle and started investigatin’. Not long after I showed up, these two came along.” You turned to Charles, who was tending to his horse. “I never caught your name, by the way. People call me Fletcher.” You extended a hand to the big man. He took it and gave it a firm shake.

“Charles.”

You nodded and the gunfire in the fields took your attention. Trelawny laughed, “Leave me here with Mr. Smith, I can tell you’re itching to get down there.”

With a smile and a nod, you grabbed the semi-auto shotgun from your horse and your mausers to be safe. You crouched through the cornfields cautiously. Normally you would go in guns blazing, but normally you don’t have a comrade in the fight either, you would need to be careful and not hit Arthur.

The corn was thick and the fields were huge. it was damn near impossible to see anyone. A flock of birds flew up not too far from you and you smirked, mother nature was giving you a hand it seemed. You slowly snuck in the direction and found your target. a single shot to the back of the head and he fell. After taking out three more men, there was commotion over by the barn. You rushed over just in time to see Arthur with a lasso around his neck, struggling for air. “Duck!” you shouted as you placed a bullet right between the eyes of the man holding the rope. As soon as it was released, Arthur choked and gagged for air. “Thank you.” He gasped. You slapped his back hard, “No problem.”

The two of you made your way up the hill back to Trelawny and Charles. Trelawny rode of the back of your horse with you and the four of you silently rode back to the caravans just outside of Rhodes. You dismounted first and helped Trelawny down. He seemed shaken still. “T-thank you for all your help today, all of you.” He chuckled nervously. “I suppose I’ll be lucky if they don’t come back for me in my sleep tonight.” He half joked.

You rolled your eyes and hitched Garbanzo to the hitching post beside the caravan. “You ain’t gotta worry bout that, Josiah. I’ll stay here with ya tonight, if they come they’ll be comin’ to their own funeral.”

Trelawny looked at you and you could see all the gratitude he couldn’t speak in his eyes. “Thank you, madam I feel truly safe knowing you’re watching over my threshold.” He turned to Arthur and Charles. “Thank you gentlemen again for everything. Send ol’ Dutch my regards.”

“Will do.” Charles said.

Arthur nodded and turned his horse the other way. “I’ll come by tomorrow evenin’ and check on ya. Stay safe you two.”

You tipped your hat to the men as they left and Trelawny hesitated at the door. You gave him a reassuring smile. “Go on to bed, you need your rest. I won’t leave ya, I promise.”

He patted your head and even though it made you feel childish, you took comfort in it. “Thank you my dear girl. My life is eternally in your debt.” With that, he turned and entered the house. You looked up at the sky, the moon was bright and the sky was full of stars. What a strange world we all live in.

#arthur morgan #arthur morgan x reader #arthur x reader #red dead redemption 2 #red dead online #rdr 2 spoilers #red dead spoilers #josiah trelawny #charles smith #oc character #arthur morgan x oc #red dead online fic #hunters of flesh and money

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writingsofmyimagination · 6 years ago

Text

Conjecture |4|

Yoongi x Reader

Idol Reader Au, Enemies to Lovers AU

Summary: Your management refused to renew your contract unless you collaborated, so you ending up working with Min Yoongi. A guy you’d disliked from before both of your debuts. There is more to their past than meets the eye.

Words:2713

Links to other parts in my masterlist

if you want to be tagged let me know :)

@msunnsstuff @rosey-roseu @eyelessmin

Warnings: Swearing Suggested smut. (Smut in next chapter YAY :)

(Mention’s on Monsta X’s Wonho)

Reblog, Like, Comment :)

//Yoongi had to consciously stop his mouth falling open when you came onto the set. He had to retain the same control over his gaze stopping them from constantly soaking up the view. When he was directed to grip at your hip, his heart forgot to function for a few beats. He wasn’t surprised by your irritated reaction given how you’d been acting and made himself empathise with you even though his less than innocent thoughts were permeating through.//

You jolted awake

“Fuck” was all you heard muffled through your door accompanied by the sound of glass shattering. You rushed out of bed to the source of the noise. A section of the floor was blurred with a pool of orange juice with glass shards floating as debris. What was more alarming was the droplets of red falling and causing a red orange ripple throughout the pool. Yoongi was hissing through pursed lips and gripping his left hand with his right nursing it with a tea towel.

“What happened? Sit down” you ordered. He looked at you through his fringe which overshadowed his eyes.

“I just turned with the glass in my hand which wasn’t high enough and just smashed into the worktop. I’m fine, sorry I woke you”

“You’re obviously not, sit the fuck down and let me have a look” Your tone drew his eyes wide and he submitted, taking big steps to avoid any more glass took a drooped himself on the sofa.

“Please tell me you have something that resembles a first aid box or something” you pleaded.

“Under the bathroom sink”. You washed your hands and brought the box as well as some tweezers and sat on the coffee table facing him.

“Give me your hand” he did as he was told and gave you his hand.

“I don’t know how I feel about you bossing me around” Yoongi quipped a pained smile directed your way. This is nothing you thought.

“No? Why’s that?” You slowly pulled away the towel, there were several small cuts and a couple of large but thankfully not too deep gashes. You removed all his bracelets quickly erasing any blood which had invaded them.

“Because I normally hate being told what to do” he exhaled forcefully as you picked a couple of glass fragments from his hand.

“And what? With me you like it? Brace yourself” You wiped his palm over with a disinfectant wipe.

“Shit!” his other hand retracted into a fist, his knuckles washing over with white. “That stings, and yeah something like that” he chuckled with a light heartedness you’d not seen before, a light heartedness that was acting as a decoy to disguise the confession of something less innocent and playful than the reality of what he meant. You found the confession amusing yet curious but you hid any reaction, you cheeks on the other hand let you down and tinted a shallow shade of red. A quick smirk peeked out on his lips noticing this before his pained expression returned.

“What was you rushing around for anyway?” you asked completely steering away from any more teasing remarks.

“I was trying to make you breakfast before you woke up” You paused wrapping the bandage around his hand and stared at it for a moment, why was this guy so god damn sweet!

“And why was you doing that?”

“I could see you were pissed yesterday, and just thought it might make you feel better” you resumed your final wrap around with the bandage and pinned it.

“And I know you don’t particularly like me for some reason and I’d like to try and change that” he added as sincere as you’ve ever heard him but it was also laced with sadness that loaded you with slight guilt. You heart sank down feebly to the bottom of your stomach, you felt kind of bad that he’d picked up on it but then you acknowledged how much of a bitch you’d actually been to him at times. You wasn’t by any means going to enter into a discussion about the details but you told yourself from now on you’ll try and be more amenable. The guy you started working with a few days ago had been nothing but professional, kind and thoughtful.

“There, all done” you stood and gathered the rubbish and ignored his previous comment and went to go and make a start on the kitchen.

“I’m more than capable of cleaning up my own mess and thank you for this” he stood after you and waved his injured limb.

“Consider it my apology for being difficult and my thanks for making me breakfast. It has made me feel a bit better” You smile and words were resolute; he went to protest further

“Don’t make me boss you around” you teased. He raised his hands up in surrender and waited while cleaned the chaos and finished serving up the omelettes he’d prepared. They were amazing. He wasn’t sure on the toppings you’d want so he’d gathered a few bowls of a few different options.

“What’s the plan for today?” you enquired

“Well we’ve more or less smashed out the lyrics so let’s get those finished and polished off and then we can get started on the music, I’ve took some ideas from your singing the other day and made some demo’s we can trial. I reckon we can be in the studio by the end of the week and make a start on recording” he ended brightly

“Sounds good, I’d like to have some solo studio time if that’s okay while I just work out the sections I’ll be rapping and singing. If you trust me in your set up that is”

“I’m sure I can cope. What time you want the guys to come pick you up later?”

“Probably about 20:45 if that’s okay? My hairdresser will be here around half seven. You should really come it will be good exposure for the single if we go together” You omitted the part that you’d actually just like to spend some more casual time with him, you wasn’t keen on accepting it yourself let alone speaking it aloud.

“I’m sure that will be fine, and nope, nothing will change my mind I’m staying in my cave”

“Fine suit yourself” you carried the dishes cleared them and loaded up the dishwasher, the mechanical hum merged into the background.

“Will Wonho be there?” he asked hoping he wasn’t coming across too curious.

“Yeah, but my manager bit my ear off yesterday about the whole dispatch thing. I’m not to go near him all evening” you sulked. There was a slight brightening of Yoongi’s demeanour, he felt slightly guilty for being pleased by this revelation.

“But they’ll be no press inside surely?”

“There’s always a couple who will have been given exclusive access, so means best behaviour for me”

“Is that even a thing with you?” he bounced back at you quickly.

“Very funny, I’m going to grab a quick shower and I’ll meet you in the studio”

A better attitude even if it was a slightly forced one at times made the days session fly by, you’d both completely finished and agreed with the lyrics and were soaring through the music. You ended up being so engrained into your work you were shocked when the bell rang at half seven.

“Oh shit, please can you let her in and tell her I’ll be like 15 minutes, I need to get dressed properly” you were staring into a face clearly amused by your panic and stared right back at you void of motion to wind you up.

“Yoongi!”

“Fine, fine, I’ll go”

You rushed to your room, launched your clothes to scatter behind you and unzipped the dress bag hung over the wardrobe door. The Alexander McQueen dress staring back at you made you happy you’d changed your mind last minute. It was a black mini dress with a deep V-neck line, the v-line was filled with tonal floral lace inserts. The same style of lace also covered the arms leaving scalloped edges at your hands. The neck line was too deep to have a normal bra so you’d have to rely on the lift tape to keep you in place and secure for the night. The dress was on the thinner side but the material was thick on quality, it sat nicely on your figure and gave you a smooth silhouette. You secured the thigh choker your assistant had dropped off tightly around your thigh. It was a simple black leather strap with rounded studs on it and connected to a metal heart. You slung your behind on your unmade bed and slipped on your long black ankle boots, also Alexander McQueen. The foot section was adorned with hammered silver studs, the leather that crept up your calf has a strip of nappa leather buttons going down the outside. The silver needle heel was sturdier than you thought it would be as you cat walked yourself up and down in front of the full length body mirror. Grateful you checked, your bruises needed a quick touch up of concealer.

Now just the hair and makeup left

Yoongi nearly floored you coming out of his room in an unnecessary rush.

“Sorry…” the other words got lost as his eyes scanned you intently

“Seeing as you’re there would you mind?” you turned and scooped your hair up exposing most of your upper back. He gripped the zip which sat at the small of your back and made every effort to pull it outwards slightly as too avoid contact as he pulled the zip up.

“Thanks, sure you still don’t want to come with a date looking like this?” you twirled in a joyous motion, enjoying the awkwardness of watching his eyes not know where to settle.

“With you looking as magnificent as that I’d be near enough invisible, I’ll leave Wonho to deal with all the admirers”

Why did he even bring him up? Was he implying he wouldn’t be able to deal with other people looking at me in a certain way?

“Your loss, and he’ll just have to look and not touch with all the others tonight” you affirmed seemingly pleased you’ll be teasing him.

“I don’t envy him this evening” The penny dropped Sadie was still waiting patiently in the living room and you hastily made your way to the woman capable of performing miracles.

“Sadie I’m so sorry, I was too absorbed in this new record” You grabbed a bar stool and placed it in front on the mirror on the wall next to the window. Her stack of boxes piled up on the coffee table.

“Don’t sweat it girl, now sit down and let’s finish this look off”

The boys arrived early to get introductions out of the way and to have a few pre drinks, Yoongi had resigned himself to being a solemn bartender. They repeated trying to convince him to make an appearance but he was as stubborn as he was talented.

“Cars here guys” RM announced. J-Hope bounced up, his face already a little flushed from alcohol.

The party was an exclusive event, anyone who was anyone in the industry gets invited, it’s more of a showcase with new or up and coming artists performing throughout the evening and general atmosphere to network. The car stopped outside the venue and the chauffer opened the door and the guys climbed out to a blinding screen of flashes and excited demanding noises. RM offered his hand and assisted you out of the car. Only a couple of media networks were allowed inside to take official photos and interviews; this only made the frenzy of media into the venue more ravenous. You stood and posed for the camera’s when directed, when you were freed you spent the remainder of the carpet time by the fans, taking selfies, signing autographs and generally giving them as much of your time as you could before you were ushered inside.

The buzz of the room when you entered was electric, crowds of people fluttering around reconnecting and mingling. Everyone had a drink in their hand and looked stunning, J-Hope and RM managed to find you amongst the chaos and showed you to your reserved booth for the evening at the side of the room. At the end of the room was a small elevated stage with equipment stacked neatly at the side, including some brilliant speakers. The room was decorated with mostly a royal red with silver vines twisting around features of the room; it was similar to the décor you’d expect at a theatre.

“You can order your drinks on this, we don’t even have to get up and go to the bar” J-Hope beamed as he slid you a small phone like device and you immediately went to the gin section and ordered a few pink gin cocktails. You’d sweetly smile when your eyes caught someone you were familiar with; your eyes fritted around for people you actually wanted to speak to. You and Wonho finally spotted each other pulling your lips into a grin, moments later your phone buzzed.

- You expect me to stay away from you all night looking like that?-[20:59]

You knew instantly it was going to be a long frustrating night

- well we’re just both going to have to do as we’re told, doesn’t mean we can’t have fun, you know I like to tease – [21:02]

You watched his expression diffuse into manic anticipation as he read your reply. When your drinks arrived you drifted from the boys and mingled with your friends, who imposed more than a few shots on you. Your manager managed to come out from backstage preparing a newbie to your label for his performance and casually checked in on your progress, you’d always loved his relaxed approach and how he just mostly left you to work, he didn’t even have to learn the hard way.

You slumped yourself back into the booth out of breath from owing the dancefloor, downing the last of one of your drinks including the ice cubes.

-That dress belongs on my bedroom floor, with me bound and gagged under you and my chest all marked up because I misbehaved-[22:39]

RM was looking at you amused with your intoxication or your wry smile as you read your message.

You almost choked on your drink, seemingly forgetting how to swallow as your body was too preoccupied controlling its arousal levels. He knew how to get you. You made a conscious effort to divert from being drawn in to Wonho’s gaze which you knew would be more than you could tolerate without dragging him somewhere private.

“What?” you questioned with a challenge.

“Nothing, nothing” he lied unapologetically. J-Hope returned reuniting the three of you at the table.

“Performances start in fifteen minutes” he announced. You were sat perfectly content until your eyes fell on the reason you’re mainstream career struggled to take off and the reason you’d vowed to never work with a male artists again. When his gaze melded with yours the bastard winked. Your eyes widened and mouth dropped slightly open with disgust. Anger swelled in your chest, raising your heart rate, adrenaline flooding your system preparing your for battle. You jumped up and made a b-line straight for him with everyone else in the room becoming a blur into the background.

“Hey, watch it!” you complained as you’d crashed into a figure. He grabbed your wrist and refused to move out of your line of fire.

“Let’s go get some air before you ruin your career” a voice spoke sternly yet quiet enough to keep the demand just between the two of you. You looked up

“Yoongi… What the fuck, I’m not…”

“You’re telling me you’re not on your way over there to attack that asshole?”

“He deserves it” you spat

“I’m not disputing that, outside now and cool down” he applied more pressure to your wrist, the way he was glaring at you, you knew he wasn’t backing down on his. Your rage hit a wall and sat simmering on hold. You rolled your eyes as he essentially escorted you out of the building.

#bts #bangtanarmynet #kpopwritersworldnet #kpopwonderlandtag #min yoongi #yoongi x reaer #BTS suga #suga x reader #suga imagines #bts fanfction #enemies to lovers

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