#THE LONG AWAITED CHAPTER 13 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

mistyshane30 · 4 months ago

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You Were Never Mine to Lose (Chapter 13)

Synopsis: You wake from a short nap, but the day has already shifted—conversations tense, glances lingering, something unspoken hanging in the air. As night falls, ghost stories and laughter blur into something else, something quieter, something charged.

Word count: 6.6K

Warnings: Sexual tension, Mild language

A/N: My sincere apologies for the delay in updates. My studies as a maritime student, including recent training exercises, have unfortunately limited my writing time. Thank you for your understanding and continued support♡

You wake to the sound of soft rustling and the smell of food.

Your eyes flutter open, and the first thing you see is Agatha crouched next to you, holding a plate.

"For you," she says simply.

You blink, still groggy, pushing yourself up onto your elbows. "How long was I out?"

"Thirty minutes, give or take." She shrugs. "You looked dead to the world."

You rub the sleep from your eyes, staring at the plate. It’s rice and some beef strips. Simple, but warm.

"You—" You clear your throat. "You brought this for me?"

Agatha smirks, setting the plate down beside you. "You did tell me to wake you when lunch was ready."

You hadn’t expected her to actually bring you food, though.

There’s a flicker of something soft in your chest.

But Agatha is already turning away, crawling toward the tent entrance. "Come on. Eat with the rest of us."

You glance down at the plate, then back at her.

For a second, you consider just eating inside the tent, away from everyone, away from the possibility of Wanda staring at you again.

But Agatha pauses at the tent’s entrance, looking over her shoulder. She raises an eyebrow.

"What?" you mumble.

She tilts her head, amused. "Don’t tell me you’re hiding."

Your face heats up. "I’m not hiding."

Agatha hums, not believing a word of it.

Then, before she exits, she adds, "Better hurry before I eat your food instead."

And just like that, she’s gone.

You groan, running a hand down your face.

She’s insufferable.

You crawl toward the entrance, preparing yourself for whatever chaos awaits outside.

The moment you step out of the tent, Alice calls you out immediately.

“There you are! We thought you were gonna sleep through lunch.”

You barely have time to react before your eyes land on Wanda.

She’s looking at you—but she’s also looking at Agatha.

Your stomach clenches.

"Are you feeling better?" Wanda asks, her brows knitting together in concern.

Well, of course you are. It’s a hickey, not a damn injury.

But they don’t know that.

You clear your throat, nodding quickly. "Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. Just needed a quick nap."

You step forward, grabbing your plate—the one still in Agatha’s hand.

She doesn’t say anything as she hands it over, but there’s a look on her face.

Alice raises an eyebrow.

“Wow, Agatha, serving Y/N food?” she teases, grinning. “Since when?”

You nearly choke on air.

“I—She didn’t—” You fumble for a response, but Agatha beats you to it.

“She was practically dead to the world.” Agatha shrugs, completely unfazed. “Figured I’d do a good deed.”

Jen snorts. “That’s a first.”

Lilia leans in, amused. “What’s next, Agatha? Carrying Y/N’s backpack?”

Agatha smirks, eyes flicking to you. “I mean, if she asks nicely.”

Your face burns.

You’re about to snap back—say something, anything—but then you feel a hand on your arm.

It’s Wanda.

You glance at her, and she gives you a look. “Can I talk to you for a sec?”

Oh, shit.

You force a nod, letting her pull you aside while the others go back to eating.

Once you’re out of earshot, Wanda folds her arms.

“So…” she starts, tilting her head. “You sure you’re feeling better?”

You gulp. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

She stares at you for a long moment, then exhales.

“Look,” she says, softer this time. “I know you don’t wanna make a big deal out of it, but… if something’s going on, you can tell me, okay?”

Your heart skips.

Shit.

Does she know?

You force a smile. “Nothing’s going on.”

Wanda watches you carefully. Then, finally, she sighs.

“Okay,” she says, though she doesn’t sound convinced.

Before you can dwell on it, Alice calls out, “Hey, are you two coming back?”

You immediately turn away, heading back toward the group. “Coming!”

You take a seat next to Wanda on one of the logs, the warmth of the fire licking at your skin despite the afternoon heat. Across from you, Agatha settles down next to Jen, her posture relaxed, legs stretched out in front of her like she doesn’t have a single care in the world. Alice and Lilia share the last log, already picking at their food as they talk about something you’re not paying attention to.

You blink, glancing up just in time to see Agatha standing up, making her way over to you. She hands you the can of soda, then, just as smoothly, returns to her seat across the fire, smirking.

You didn’t even ask for one.

She just knew.

You hesitate for a moment before cracking it open, taking a sip, and looking away before anyone notices the warmth creeping up your neck.

Well. Before most your friends notice.

Wanda is staring.

She’s watching Agatha, then you, then Agatha again.

Then, suddenly, she clears her throat. “So, about that bite.”

You freeze mid-sip.

Agatha raises an eyebrow. “What about it?”

Wanda tilts her head slightly, eyes narrowing just a little. “You were with Y/N when it happened, right?”

Agatha leans back, unbothered. “She was with me, yeah.”

Wanda’s fingers tap against her knee. “And you didn’t see it?”

The air shifts slightly.

Agatha shrugs. “Guess I was looking the other way.”

Wanda doesn’t look convinced. “That’s weird, isn’t it?”

You clear your throat, trying to cut in. “It happened fast, Wanda. It’s not a big deal—”

“It’s just—” Wanda exhales sharply, shaking her head. “You’re usually more aware of things, Agatha.”

Agatha just tilts her head. “Well, guess I slipped up.”

There’s a flicker of something in Wanda’s eyes. She’s still staring at Agatha like she’s trying to piece something together.

You grip your can tighter, resisting the urge to press your hand over the band-aid again.

Alice, sensing the tension, jumps in. “Well, let’s just be glad it wasn’t worse, right?”

Lilia hums in agreement. “Yeah. Could’ve been a snake.”

Great. Now you have to worry about that too.

Wanda pushes further, ignoring Alice and Lilia’s attempts to steer the conversation elsewhere. "It could've been worse, you know. What if it had been something venomous? What if it got infected?"

She crosses her arms, gaze flicking between you and Agatha. "And earlier, Agatha, you were laughing like it was funny. What’s so funny about Y/N getting bitten?"

Agatha smirks, lips twitching as she fights back another chuckle. "Nothing. Just—" She waves a hand vaguely. "It’s not as bad as you’re making it out to be."

Wanda scoffs, not letting up. "You sure about that?"

Before Agatha can reply, Jen suddenly cuts in. "Alright, alright," she says, loud enough to break the tension. "Let’s talk about something else. What’s the plan after lunch? Maybe we should explore the area a bit?"

The group agrees, though Wanda is still watching Agatha with narrowed eyes. Eventually, she exhales sharply and shrugs it off, but you can tell she’s still irritated. Agatha, as expected, doesn’t seem to care.

After lunch, the group decides to explore the surrounding area. The air is crisp, the trees providing shade as you all navigate through the trails. It’s peaceful—until Agatha falls into step beside you.

“You’re walking kinda slow,” she comments, smirking. “Getting old?”

You roll your eyes. “Or maybe I’m just enjoying the view.”

Agatha raises a brow, glancing around dramatically. “Oh yeah, breathtaking trees. Real once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

You shove her lightly with your elbow. “I meant the scenery.”

She snorts. “Sure you did.”

Behind you, Wanda is keeping a close eye on the both of you. You can feel her gaze burning into the back of your head, and every now and then, when you steal a glance, she doesn’t even try to hide it.

At some point, the group stumbles upon a really scenic spot—overlooking the valley, the trees opening up just enough to give a perfect view of the horizon. Jen immediately pulls out her phone. “Okay, group photo. Everyone get in.”

You shuffle into place, Wanda beside you, and Agatha on your other side. Just as Jen is setting up the shot, Agatha reaches out, flicking a stray leaf out of your hair without a second thought.

You freeze.

Your eyes meet hers, and for a second, everything around you fades. The warmth of her fingers lingers near your temple, the touch barely there, but enough to send a shiver down your spine.

Then—

Wanda clears her throat.

Loudly.

The moment shatters. Agatha pulls her hand back, smirking like nothing happened. You force yourself to look straight ahead, pretending your face isn’t suddenly burning. The camera clicks, and just like that, the moment is over.

The rest of the afternoon passes with the group continuing to explore, snapping photos, and taking in the scenery. Every so often, you catch Agatha looking at you, and each time, when your eyes meet, she just smirks. It’s infuriating. It’s distracting. And yet, you can’t stop yourself from glancing at her, too.

Eventually, as the sun begins to dip lower in the sky, the group makes their way back to camp. As you settle in, Lilia glances around and announces, “We need more firewood.”

You straighten, about to volunteer, when Wanda nudges you sharply. When you glance at her, she’s already shaking her head, giving you a look that clearly says, Don’t.

Before you can argue, Agatha stretches lazily and says, “I’ll go.”

“I’ll go too,” Wanda adds immediately, tone firm.

Your stomach twists.

Agatha lifts an eyebrow, clearly amused. “Afraid I’ll get lost?”

Wanda just crosses her arms. “Just making sure we get enough firewood.”

They hold eye contact for a bit too long before Agatha chuckles under her breath and starts walking. Wanda follows, glancing at you one last time before disappearing into the trees with her.

You exhale, slumping slightly as the rest of the group starts chatting again. A small pit of unease settles in your stomach, knowing Wanda isn’t the type to just let things go—especially when it comes to you.

After some time, Agatha returns with some firewood, but Wanda isn’t with her.

When Jen asks, Agatha just shrugs. "She’s still out there."

You frown. "Alone?"

Agatha glances at you, tossing a log onto the pile. "She insisted."

Without another word, you turn and head into the woods, calling out for Wanda. The sun is starting to dip, casting golden light through the trees. After a few moments, you find her silently gathering wood, methodically picking up sticks and branches as if she’s trying to focus on anything but whatever’s on her mind.

"Wanda," you call again, stepping closer. She glances at you briefly but doesn’t say anything, just bends down to pick up another branch.

You sigh. "Why did you let Agatha leave you out here alone?"

She shrugs. "I didn’t let her do anything. She just left."

You press your lips together, watching her work. "Wanda, what’s going on? You’ve been acting weird."

She lets out a sharp breath and straightens up, turning to you. "You tell me."

Your stomach twists. "What do you mean?"

Wanda crosses her arms, her gaze sharp. "That 'bug bite,' Y/N. Neither of us saw it happen. Agatha didn’t see it happen. But she thought it was funny—she was laughing earlier when we found out. Why?"

You freeze for a second before quickly composing yourself. "It’s not that deep, Wanda. We’re in the woods, bugs are everywhere. It’s not a big deal."

She squints at you, unconvinced. "It’s just... Agatha’s been weird with you. Clingy. She wasn’t like this before. And now she’s always near you, touching you, looking at you like—" Wanda exhales sharply, rubbing her temples. "I don’t know, Y/N. It just feels off. Like something’s changed, and I don’t get why. I just don’t want you getting hurt, okay?"

You hesitate. Your best friend is worried. And she has every reason to be, given how complicated things have been with Agatha. You want to tell her��you should tell her—but now doesn’t feel like the right time.

So instead, you shake your head and offer a small smile. "I get it, Wanda. I do. But you don’t need to worry about me. I can handle Agatha."

She studies you for a moment before sighing and shaking her head. "I don’t know if I believe that."

You nudge her shoulder. "Trust me."

She exhales, then reluctantly smiles. "Fine. But if she messes with you, I will fight her."

You chuckle. "Noted."

The two of you walk back to camp, the tension easing slightly. As you step into the clearing, your eyes immediately land on Agatha. She’s sitting on one of the logs with Alice, casually chatting. Then she looks up and meets your gaze.

Your breath catches for half a second before you manage a small smile and quickly look away, following Wanda back to the group.

The afternoon stretches on as the scent of sizzling food fills the air. You’re standing by the fire, stirring a pan of stir-fried mushrooms and bell peppers, the wooden spoon warm in your grip. Wanda, Lilia and Jen are chatting nearby while Alice turns marinated chicken on the grill with practiced ease.

A voice behind you makes you pause. "What’s this supposed to be?"

You glance over your shoulder. It’s Agatha, peering into your pan with an amused smirk.

"Stir-fry," you say. "Want to try?"

She picks up a piece with her fingers before you can even grab a fork and pops it into her mouth. She chews, then makes a face. "Needs more flavor."

You blink. "Seriously?"

A second later, she grins. "Nah. I’m just messing with you. It’s good."

You huff, shaking your head. "You’re impossible."

She leans in slightly, voice just for you. "And yet, you like it."

Your breath catches for a half-second, but before you can respond, she winks and walks away. Not before glancing back with a teasing smile, though.

By the time dinner is ready, everyone is starving. Plates are passed around, laughter and conversation flowing easily. You sit beside Agatha this time, knees brushing, arms occasionally bumping. It’s casual, natural—except for the way Wanda, sitting on the log across from you, keeps glancing over. Her expression is unreadable, but you can feel her eyes on you both.

After dinner, Lilia claps her hands together. "Okay, so... horror stories. Who’s in?"

"Absolutely not," Alice groans. "I hate scary stories."

"Which is exactly why you need to hear them!" Jen grins. "Come on, it’s a camping tradition."

Alice groans again but stays put, resigned to her fate.

Everyone takes turns sharing stories. Lilia starts with a classic—something about a woman in white wandering the roads at night, her ghostly figure appearing in car mirrors before vanishing. Wanda follows with a chilling ghost encounter from her childhood, describing the eerie whispers she once heard in her grandmother’s old house. Jen’s is dramatic and animated, her gestures exaggerated as she recounts a tale about an abandoned cabin deep in the woods, making Alice grip her own arms and mutter, "Why did I agree to this?"

Then it’s your turn. You recall a story you heard years ago—one about a cursed path in the woods, where travelers who stray from the trail hear footsteps behind them, but when they turn around, no one is there. Some say the footsteps get faster the more you ignore them, until they’re right behind you, breath on your neck, a shadow stretching too close. And if you run? That’s when they reach for you.

As you speak, the fire crackles, casting shadows that dance against the trees. The wind rustles the leaves, making them sound almost like whispers. A twig snaps somewhere in the darkness, and Alice jumps, clutching Lilia’s arm. "Nope. Nope, I hate this."

Jen leans in, intrigued. "What happens if they catch you?"

You hesitate for effect, letting the silence stretch. "No one knows," you say finally, voice barely above a whisper. "Because no one who’s been caught has ever come back."

The group shivers collectively, drawn into your words. Even Agatha, who had been smirking through most of the stories, watches you with quiet intrigue, her expression unreadable.

And then there’s Agatha.

Her voice dips low, deliberate, weaving an eerie tale that seems to creep into the very air around you. "There was a girl," she begins, her tone almost hypnotic. "She went missing in the woods, not far from here. Search parties looked for weeks. They never found her." The fire crackles, casting long, twisting shadows.

"Some say she never really left," Agatha continues, her gaze flickering to the darkness beyond. "They say if you listen closely, you can hear her crying at night—begging for someone to find her. But if you answer? She takes your voice. Steals it. And then... she’s not the one crying anymore."

The fire flickers, and suddenly, a gust of wind rustles the trees. The woods seem darker, the silence stretching uncomfortably. A branch snaps somewhere unseen, and Alice lets out a startled yelp. Your pulse jumps.

You don’t realize you’re leaning in until Agatha meets your gaze and smirks, knowing exactly what she’s doing. Her eyes glint with amusement, but there’s something else there too—something unreadable. The moment lingers, heavy, before she suddenly claps her hands sharply.

You flinch. "What the hell!"

She laughs, clearly enjoying herself. "Gotcha."

"I hate you," you mutter, but there’s no heat behind it.

She leans in just slightly, voice near your ear. "Liar."

Before you can respond, Alice jumps up. "No. Enough. We need to shake this creepy feeling off. Play some music or something!"

Jen pulls out her phone, scrolling through her playlist. A lively song starts playing, breaking the tension, and soon enough, everyone is swaying, moving to the beat. Lilia and Jen dance dramatically, spinning each other, and even Wanda bobs her head slightly, a small smile breaking through.

Then the music shifts. A slower song comes on, soft and warm against the cool night air.

Your friends pair off playfully, and before you can react, Agatha grabs your wrist. "C’mon," she says, pulling you up.

You roll your eyes but let her guide you. "You just want another excuse to mess with me."

She spins you once, teasingly, before settling close, hands resting lightly on your waist. "Maybe."

The firelight flickers, casting a golden glow over everything. Wanda is still watching. Definitely watching. But you can’t focus on that because Agatha’s hands are warm against your sides, and she’s closer than she probably should be.

Her voice drops just for you. "Still scared?"

You scoff. "Scared? I’m not—"

"Yeah, right" Agatha cuts in, smirking.

You shake your head, exasperated but smiling. The two of you dance, and so do the others. The music and laughter blend with the crackling fire, easing the lingering tension from the ghost stories.

The song fades, but Agatha doesn’t let go right away. Her hands linger at your waist, her fingers just barely brushing your sides before she finally steps back. It’s only a second or two longer than necessary, but you notice it. And so does Wanda.

You settle back onto the logs, the fire crackling as everyone starts reaching for marshmallows and skewers. The conversation is lighter now, the eerie tension from the ghost stories fading into quiet laughter and teasing remarks.

“Okay, but real talk,” Jen says, stuffing a marshmallow into her mouth before she even roasts it. “If we hear something in the woods tonight, are we ignoring it or investigating like idiots in a horror movie?”

“Ignore it,” Wanda says immediately. “Don’t be stupid.”

Alice, still jumpy from the ghost stories, shivers. "I swear, if something taps on my tent, I will freak out. Or—whoever I’m sharing with, you better be ready to wake up with me."

Jen grins. "Speaking of that... who’s sharing with who?"

“I’ll be with Lilia,” Jen adds before anyone can answer.

“Guess that leaves me with you, Y/N,” Wanda says, her tone casual—but there’s an edge to it, like she’s already decided for you.

Before you can process that, Agatha scoffs. “Actually, Y/N and I are sharing.”

Wanda turns to her, eyebrows raised. “Since when?”

“Since this morning,” Agatha says smoothly. “Before lunch. Y/N went into a tent, and I followed. We already put our stuff there.”

Wanda’s gaze flicks to you, expecting some kind of confirmation or denial. You hesitate.

“I mean… yeah,” you say, rubbing the back of your neck. “Agatha’s right. That’s kind of how it happened.”

Wanda’s lips press into a thin line. “You could’ve said something earlier.”

You shrug, suddenly feeling awkward. “Didn’t really think it was a big deal.”

Alice looks between the three of you, blinking.

The tension in the air is impossible to ignore. Agatha smirks slightly, clearly enjoying the way Wanda bristles, but she doesn’t say anything else.

Wanda, on the other hand, exhales sharply, visibly holding something back. But after a moment, she just shakes her head and mutters, “Whatever. Do what you want.”

Lilia, oblivious to the quiet standoff, yawns and stands up, brushing off her hands. “Alright, I’m heading in.”

One by one, the rest of the group follows, dousing the fire until only the faint glow of embers remains. Wanda hesitates for just a second, shooting you one last unreadable look before stepping into her tent with Alice.

You let out a slow breath, suddenly aware of the way your shoulders had tensed. Agatha is already beside you, watching with a knowing expression.

“Didn’t really think it was a big deal, huh?” she murmurs, her voice laced with amusement.

You shoot her a look. “Don’t start.”

Agatha just chuckles, bumping her shoulder against yours before turning toward the tent. “Come on.”

You sigh, following her inside, the quiet rustling of the trees outside the only sound accompanying you.

The air inside the tent feels warmer than it should, the weight of the day settling in as you shift slightly on your sleeping bag. Agatha mirrors your movement, lying on her side, propped up on one elbow as she looks at you. The soft glow from the dying bonfire outside barely illuminates her face, but you can still make out the teasing glint in her eyes.

"So," she starts, voice hushed, "what's up with Wanda breathing down my neck all day?"

You huff out a quiet laugh, turning onto your side to face her. "You noticed that, huh?"

"Kinda hard not to when she looks like she wants to tackle me every time I get near you," Agatha mutters, lips twitching into a smirk. "What did I do to piss off your best friend?"

You hesitate for a second, then shrug. "She’s just… protective."

Agatha raises a brow. "That protective?"

You sigh, running a hand through your hair. "Wanda knows I got hurt before. Not, like, physically, but… you know. She doesn’t want me to go through that again."

There’s a beat of silence before Agatha tilts her head slightly, studying you. "And she thinks I'm the one who's gonna hurt you?"

You don’t answer immediately. Instead, you pick at a loose thread on your blanket, avoiding her gaze. The truth is, she did hurt you—even if she doesn’t realize it. And she still doesn’t know how much. But it’s not like you haven’t wondered the same thing yourself. There’s no label on whatever this is between you and Agatha. And sure, she kissed you last night—really kissed you. But is that enough to say she wouldn’t hurt you?

You don’t have an answer, so instead, you just shrug. "No. You know what? Let’s just forget about it. Wanda’s protectiveness will pass… eventually."

Agatha watches you for a moment, then smirks. "You sure? ‘Cause I think she’s about two seconds away from putting a leash on you."

You roll your eyes but can’t help the small smile that tugs at your lips. "She’s just—she’s Wanda. She’s always been like that."

"Mhm." Agatha props her head up with her hand, grinning.

A comfortable silence falls over you both, and then you find yourself asking, “By the way, what did Wanda say to you earlier? When you two went to get firewood?”

Agatha exhales, like she expected this. “She told me to stop messing with you.”

You frown. “Messing with me?”

Agatha turns on her side to face you, her lips curl into a smirk, even in the dark. “You know, like annoying you, pissing you off—” She leans in slightly. “Making you blush.”

Before you can protest, a sudden rustling noise outside the tent makes you both freeze.

Your breath catches in your throat. “Did you hear that?” you whisper.

Agatha sits up slightly. “Probably just the wind.”

Another rustle. Louder this time.

You tighten your grip on your sleeping bag. “Or it’s one of those ghosts from the stories earlier,” you mutter.

Agatha chuckles. “Only one way to find out.”

She starts unzipping the tent, and you grab her wrist. “Are you serious? Just ignore it.”

Agatha grins. “Where’s the fun in that?” Before you can stop her, she slips outside.

You wait a few seconds, listening intently. “Agatha?” you call quietly. No response.

Your stomach tightens. You fumble for your phone, turning on the flashlight, and crawl out of the tent. The beam cuts through the darkness—but Agatha is nowhere to be seen.

Your pulse quickens. “Agatha, this isn’t funny,” you whisper-shout, stepping toward your friends’ tents, ready to wake someone up.

Then—

“Boo.”

You whip around, nearly jumping out of your skin. Agatha stands behind you, arms crossed, a smug grin on her face.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” you hiss, shoving her arm. “I thought—I thought something happened to you!”

Agatha shrugs, looking amused. “Relax, it was just a rabbit. I saw it.”

You glare at her, still catching your breath. “I hate you.”

“No, you don’t,” she says easily, nudging you back toward the tent. “Come on, scaredy-cat.”

When you both get back inside the tent, you’re still pissed at Agatha. She’s still grinning, stretching out lazily on her sleeping bag like she didn’t just scare the hell out of you.

“I didn’t know you scared so easily,” she murmurs, amusement still laced in her tone.

You glare at her, still feeling your heart race from earlier. “I wasn’t scared. I just didn’t want to be the idiot in a horror movie who investigates a noise and dies first.”

Agatha chuckles, shaking her head. Then, quieter this time—like it’s something she hadn’t meant to say aloud—“I wouldn’t let anything happen to you, you know.”

The air shifts. The usual teasing in her voice is gone, replaced by something softer, something real. You glance at her, expecting a smirk, but she’s just looking at you, eyes unreadable in the dim glow of the tent.

A beat passes. Then another.

Agatha reaches over, her fingers brushing against your cheek before tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. It’s such a small, simple gesture, but the way her touch lingers sends a shiver through you. You feel the warmth of her skin, the way her fingers hesitate—just a second too long.

She looks at your lips, then back to your eyes.

Your pulse pounds, but you don’t pull away. Maybe you should. Maybe you should say something snarky, break the tension—but you don’t.

Agatha’s fingers trail down to your jaw, tilting your chin slightly, as if testing. As if waiting for you to stop her. When you don’t, she doesn’t ask for permission—she just moves.

The kiss starts slow, hesitant—like neither of you can quite believe it’s happening. But then something shifts. Agatha lets out a quiet sound against your lips, and suddenly, it’s like neither of you want to stop.

Your fingers find the hem of her long-sleeved white polo, gripping it like you need something to ground yourself. Agatha responds by pressing closer, her body half over yours now, her lips moving against yours with a hunger that makes your breath hitch.

Agatha’s fingers slide higher, tracing the curve of your spine. Her touch is slow, unhurried, like she’s memorizing the feel of you beneath her hands. The weight of her palm lingers, pressing into your skin in a way that makes your breath stutter.

Then she pauses.

Her hands still under your tank top, warm against your bare skin, but she doesn’t move further. Instead, she leans in just enough that her breath ghosts over your lips.

“Is this okay?” she murmurs, her voice quieter now—softer.

The teasing edge is gone, replaced with something else entirely. Something careful. Something that makes your chest ache.

You swallow, pulse hammering. You should say something, but the words stick in your throat. Instead, you nod, barely more than a small tilt of your head.

Agatha studies you for half a second longer—like she’s making sure—before she kisses you again. This time, there’s no hesitation.

Her hands begin to move, slow but deliberate. Fingertips tracing up the curve of your spine, then down again, pressing into the small of your back as she pulls you closer. Her touch burns, leaving a trail of warmth wherever she goes.

She shifts slightly, half rolling you onto your back as her palm flattens against your stomach, sliding higher beneath your tank top. Every inch she covers feels electric, every slow drag of her fingers leaving you breathless.

When her thumb brushes just beneath your ribs, you gasp against her lips. Agatha catches the sound, swallowing it with a smirk you can feel rather than see.

“You’re so sensitive,” she whispers, her voice rich with amusement—and something else. Something darker.

Her hand moves higher. Testing. Exploring. Her fingers skim over the edge of your bra, teasing but never quite going further. Like she’s waiting for you to stop her.

But you don’t.

And that seems to be all the confirmation Agatha needs.

Her fingers slide higher, brushing over lace and skin with an unbearable slowness. Her touch is teasing, savoring every reaction—every shiver, every caught breath, every way your body responds to hers.

“You’re shaking again,” she whispers, her lips barely grazing your jaw.

You exhale sharply, fingers gripping the fabric of her sleeve. “And you’re talking too much.”

Agatha huffs a quiet laugh against your skin, her breath warm, teasing. “Bossy,” she murmurs, but there’s no bite to it—only amusement, only something softer.

The tent fabric rustles as she shifts, pressing herself closer. The weight of her is dizzying, grounding, and when her thigh slides between yours, the sensation makes your breath hitch.

Her fingers move again, slipping beneath your bra with deliberate slowness. The tent isn’t exactly thin, but it isn’t soundproof either. A few feet away, their friends are probably asleep—but not far enough that they wouldn’t hear if either of them got too carried away.

Agatha seems to remember this at the same time you do.

She leans in, lips brushing against your ear as her thumb finds your nipple through the lace of your bra, pressing just enough to make you shiver.

The thin fabric does nothing to dull the sensation. If anything, it makes it worse—frustrating in the way that leaves you aching for more.

Then, Agatha suddenly pauses. Her breath is warm against your ear when she murmurs, “You do realize these tents aren’t exactly soundproof, right?”

You swallow, pulse still racing, and murmur, “Yeah.” You pause, lips brushing against hers as you add, “Let’s just hope everyone’s actually asleep.”

Agatha hums, her fingers still teasing over lace.

You should be more careful. You should be thinking about the thin fabric of the tent, about the way sound carries in the stillness of the night.

But then Agatha’s hand moves again—slow, deliberate—her fingers slipping just beneath the lace, and suddenly, nothing else seems to matter.

A sharp inhale catches in your throat, your body tensing under her touch. Agatha stills for half a second, like she’s waiting—giving you space to stop this, to pull away.

You don’t.

Instead, your hands move—almost on their own—reaching for the buttons of her long-sleeved polo. Your fingers fumble slightly, the fabric slipping under your grip as you undo the first one, then the second.

Agatha exhales a quiet laugh, her breath warm against your lips. “In a hurry?” she murmurs.

You don’t answer. You just keep going, pushing the fabric apart, your fingertips skimming over warm skin.

Agatha doesn’t stop you. If anything, she encourages it—shifting slightly, letting you peel the fabric away. The sight of her, the heat of her beneath your hands, sends something electric through you.

Then she’s kissing you again, deeper this time, hungrier, as if your touch has set something loose inside her. Her hands slide up your sides again, slipping fully beneath your bra now, her palms warm, fingers tracing, exploring.

She groans softly against your lips, and the sound sends a shiver straight through you.

The air between you is feverish, breathless, but somewhere in the back of your mind, you remember—your friends are still nearby.

Agatha must remember too, because when she leans in, her voice is barely more than a whisper against your ear.

“We really shouldn’t be doing this here,” she murmurs, though there’s no conviction behind it.

And yet, neither of you stop.

You let out a quiet breath, your hands still resting against the warm skin beneath her open polo. “Then stop,” you whisper back, but neither of you move.

Agatha’s lips twitch, her fingers flexing slightly against your skin. “You don’t want me to.”

You don’t. Not even a little.

Instead of answering, you slide your hands further beneath her shirt, palms skimming up her stomach, tracing the curve of her ribs. She exhales shakily, her grip on you tightening for just a second.

“Thought so,” she breathes.

Then she’s kissing you again, swallowing whatever response you might’ve had.

And just like that, the rest of the world—the tents, the risk, the lingering thread of reason—fades away.

You break the kiss just long enough to pull your tank top over your head, the fabric slipping from your fingers as you toss it aside. The cool air brushes over your skin, sending a shiver through you—but then Agatha’s hands are back, and she’s so much warmer.

Her eyes darken as she takes you in, but she doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t have to. The way she looks at you—like she wants—is enough.

You reach for her next, pushing her polo past her shoulders, dragging it down her arms. She helps, shrugging it off in one smooth motion before leaning back in, her lips finding yours as if she can’t stand the space between you.

Her hands trace your sides, fingers ghosting over bare skin. She moves slow—like she’s savoring every touch, every inch of you.

Then, with deliberate intent, her fingers slip beneath the strap of your bra, tracing the curve of your shoulder before gliding lower, lower—

Her breath is warm against your lips. Your pulse thrums beneath her touch. The rest of the world fades.

Nothing else matters.

Your hands move without thought, sliding over the bare skin of her back, tracing the dips and curves with slow, deliberate strokes. You feel the shift of her muscles beneath your touch, the way she tenses slightly when your fingers drag lower, just above the waistband of her pants.

Agatha exhales, her breath fanning against your cheek, but she doesn’t pause.

Her hands begin to wander—slowly, deliberately. They glide down past your waist, fingertips barely grazing the curve of your hips before trailing lower, teasing over the fabric of your leggings, where your skin burns beneath.

Your breath catches.

She lingers there, her touch light, almost too light, like she’s waiting—watching for your reaction. And when your body responds—when your legs part just slightly, instinctively—her lips curl into the faintest smirk against your skin.

Her fingers press in just a little more, still teasing, still not enough.

The anticipation coils in your stomach, heat pooling low, your grip tightening against her back.

Still, neither of you speak.

There’s no need.

Everything is understood in the way your bodies move, in the way you hold onto each other, in the way she touches you—slow and purposeful, like she has all the time in the world.

Like she’s savoring this.

Savoring you.

Agatha’s hand drifts lower, fingertips barely brushing over your thigh, featherlight and deliberate. She moves in slow, teasing circles, each pass of her fingers bringing her closer—so close—to where you want her.

Your breath stutters, your grip tightening against her back.

Then, she presses just a little harder, her fingers grazing the inside of your thigh, just shy of where you need her most.

A quiet whimper escapes before you can stop it. Your body reacts on instinct, heat pooling low, thighs twitching as you clench around nothing.

Agatha notices. Of course, she does.

She exhales a soft, amused sound, her lips brushing over your jaw. Her fingers flex against your skin, lingering, not giving you what you want—not yet.

She’s savoring this. Drawing it out. Watching the way you react, the way your body responds to her touch.

The tension coils tighter, your breathing uneven, anticipation burning through every nerve.

Agatha’s fingers slip from your thigh, trailing up—slow, agonizing—until they reach the waistband of your leggings. She toys with it, brushing her fingers just beneath the fabric, just enough to make your stomach tighten, to make your hips shift ever so slightly toward her.

She notices. She always notices.

Her lips ghost over your cheek, her breath warm against your skin. Then, with a slow, deliberate drag, she tugs at the band, just an inch, just enough to make you shiver.

Her voice is barely a whisper. "You still okay?"

You nod—maybe too quickly, too eager—but she doesn’t tease you for it.

Instead, her lips find your pulse point, pressing a kiss there as her fingers slip further beneath the fabric, dragging lower, lower—

Just as Agatha’s fingers dip lower, the faint sound of footsteps crunching outside makes both of you freeze.

Your breath catches, your heart pounding for an entirely different reason now.

Then—

"I know you guys are still awake."

Lilia’s voice.

"I heard… muffled noises."

Your heart stops.

Muffled noises?

You snap your gaze to Agatha, wide-eyed, heat rushing to your face. But Agatha—Agatha—has the audacity to look amused. The startled tension in her face melts in an instant, replaced by something far too smug for the situation.

"Muffled?" she calls back, feigning innocence. "You mean, like, whispering?"

Lilia hesitates. "I mean… I guess? I don’t know! I just—do you have extra socks? My feet are freezing."

Agatha sighs—dramatically—but finally pulls away, reaching for her bag. You use the moment to press your palms to your burning face, silently willing your body to calm the hell down.

The tent unzips just slightly, and Agatha wordlessly slips the socks through the small opening.

"Thanks," Lilia mumbles, footsteps crunching away.

The moment Lilia’s footsteps fade, the tent falls into silence.

You exhale, pressing a hand to your face, still trying to cool the heat burning under your skin.

Agatha, of course, is thriving.

"Muffled noises, huh?" she echoes, lips twitching.

You groan, shoving at her shoulder, but she only laughs—low and pleased with herself.

Then, her laughter softens. Her eyes flicker over you, glinting with something darker. Something mischievous.

She leans back in, close enough that her breath tickles your lips, fingers already finding their way back to your waist.

"Now… where were we?"

Taglist: @6stolenangel9 @charlottelinlin1 @milflovers4 @claramelooo @loveshineslikethesky @kaymariesworld @marcelinaceciliarose @misskassycollins @greyella @theothersideofthescreen @whitelotus00 @agathaallalongg @psychickryptonitebouquet @sweetmidnights @angel-kitten-babygirl-u-choose @filmedbyharkness @brekker157 @rizzlesregal13 @starbucks-06 @aboutcustardcreams @crescendoofstars @neverfindmegone @mommy-mommy-mommy-hi @theonefairygodmother @isixxxx @starryjeongyeon

#agatha harkness x reader #agatha harkness x fem!reader #agatha harkness x you #agatha x reader #agatha x you #kathryn hahn x reader #agatha all along #agatha harkness #YouWereNeverMinetoLose #agatha harkness smut

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cherrrydragon · 1 year ago

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➤ find something worth saving (it's all for the taking) CHAPTER LIST

✓ COMPLETED

← back to main masterlist

official playlist!

You find yourself suddenly thrown into a universe where the silly characters in the comics you read are real, living people. Now, you have to find a way back home, so try not to get distracted by all the characters you had a crush on growing up, or the fact that you know far too much about pretty much everybody. (And definitely don't think about how this means your life is probably a comic book in another universe.)

(jon kent x gn!reader x damian wayne, reader is a spider-man variant, read it on ao3)

1. we're not in kansas anymore

2. spidey luck (good or bad? you'll never know)

3. debut

4. way down we go

5. good old-fashioned lover boy

6. make out fake out

7. inhibition (or lack there of)

8. connections

9. warmth

10. never wound what you can't kill

11. down came the rain and washed the spider out

12. picture perfect

13. back to our regularly schedule programming

14. please please please (let me get what i want)

15. and the world kept spinning

16. long awaited

17. home

18. the talk(s)

19. intertwined, sewn together

EPILOGUE: saturn

#damian wayne x reader #jon kent x reader #superboy x reader #robin x reader #dc x reader

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scariusaquarius · 6 months ago

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rehab. 13.

Avenger! Bucky Barnes x Winter Soldier! Fem! Reader

Summary: While on a mission to find any more possible super soldiers that were a part of the Winter Soldier program, Steve and Bucky make a discovery in an abandoned HYDRA base that was cleared out a few years prior to their mission. They discover the Reader, a long-forgotten soldier that was still asleep within a functioning cryostasis pod; still awaiting orders. While Bucky isn't happy about it, he is put up to the challenge of helping to rehabilitate the soldier in Wakanda where she may be able to become a person again.

A/n: Since the Avengers are all gonna be doing their own thing with each group, I want to make sure to include everyone and introduce the rest of the avengers! Also, if you enjoy my work, please consider buying me a coffee! If you would prefer to read Rehab on Archive, you may do so right HERE!

This is an au where Bucky joined the avengers but still rehabilitated in Wakanda (sometime before Infinity War [canon divergent cause NOPE]). I am NOT fluent in Russian, so I did use google translate cause I couldn't find a good translator that I trusted. If anything is wrong, PLEASE let me know!! Also, I tried to list as many warnings as possible so you know what the story will contain as chapters are posted. Stay safe!

Genre: Slowburn, Enemies to Lovers/Friends to Lovers, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Humor, Drama, Dark Content Rated: Explicit Warning: Angst, Dark Content: Graphic Depictions of Sexual Assault, Blood and Gore, Mentions of Manipulation, Kidnapping, Canon-Typical Violence, Body Horror, Nonconsensual Body Modification/Scarring, Emotional and Physical Abuse, Mentions of Murder, Mentions of Suicidal Thoughts/Ideation, Graphic Depictions of Human Remains, Mentions of Sexual Coercion/Manipulation, Death, Misuse of Drugs/Forced Drugging, Self-Harm (Graphic Depictions and Mentions), Nightmares

Author: ScariusAquarius

rehab masterlist. chapter 10 / chapter 11 / chapter 12

There were voices all around her, some familiar and some not. As her head pounded with pain, the soldier was unable to open her eyes. They were so heavy, feeling as though they were like concrete weights stuck to her face, and there was a sicky sweet scent wafting into her nose.

There was an oxygen mask stuck to her face, and though the soldier wanted to tear it off, her limbs were too heavy to really move. She could hear the Fist of HYDRA speaking to someone, but she couldn't place it. All she knew was that he sounded young and sounded worried.

But why?

'Nobody would ever worry about you. You're weak. You're nothing. I don't know what Doris saw in you.'

Doris? The woman from her dream? Why was she relevant? The soldier tried to open her eyes again, but she was unsuccessful still. Her body was too heavy for it to be normal fatigue. They must be drugging her.

"What do you want me to do if something goes wrong?"

The younger man was speaking now, sounding nervous, and if the soldier listened closely, she could hear the boy shuffling from foot-to-foot with anxiety.

"I mean, if she's a super soldier like you, wouldn't she be able to break through the webs?"

"Aren't they supposed to be strong enough to hold two halves of a ship together?"

The young boy chuckled nervously, asking in a small voice.

"Please don't remind me about that. That was almost the worst day of my life."

The Fist of HYDRA just sighed before he stated.

"You'll be fine. With how much anesthetics she's been pumped with, I think she will be too drowsy to fight if she does wake up."

But that wasn't true. She was a machine. A soldier. It was in her nature to fight no matter what condition she was in. Failure was not an option.

Her fingers twitched slightly as she tried to regain movement, and it seemed as though the two men didn't notice as she began to become conscious and aware.

"Didn't Shuri state that she had removed the programming? What even is the programming? All I know is HYDRA is, like, the worst."

As the Fist of HYDRA began to go into depth about what the Winter Soldier program was and how they did the programming, the soldier couldn't help but to pause as her eyes fluttered open.

"-If you began to show signs that you were remembering your old life, they would put you in a Mind Chair and pump as much electricity into your brain as they possibly can without killing you to erase those memories."

"That's...that's horrible. I'm so sorry."

The lights above her were so blinding that she had to squeeze her eyes shut. They opened again, and she sluggishly began to move, ripping the mask off of her face. The young boy who had been speaking seemed to gasp and jump up from the fright, his red and blue suit almost an eyesore to her pounding head.

"Bucky!"

The Fist of HYDRA immediately stood up, hands in the air as if to calm her down, and she had to hold onto the side of the bed as her legs became jelly.

"Все в порядке. Ты в порядке."

She felt nauseous, bile swimming in the back of her throat, and she gripped the side of the table so tightly that she bent it within the shape of her grip.

Standing up carefully, there was a brain fog that was clouding her mind. Things looked too bright; sounds were too loud, and her head began to pound. She stumbled slightly as she stood up completely, and she hissed out.

"Нет!"

The soldier groaned and fell to her knees, and the Fist of HYDRA bravely came to her side, placing a warm hand against her back as he knelt on the ground beside her.

"Все в порядке. Вы помните что-нибудь, что произошло после моего ухода?"

For some reason that the soldier could not understand, tears began to fill her eyes. She looked away from the man with shame, whispering as her shoulders began to shake.

"Voices....people...places...Что вы со мной сделали?"

She looked back at the Fist of HYDRA and she became guarded when she remembered that the boy in red and blue was here as well. He was keeping his distance, his hands raised in a strange position, and the Fist of HYDRA said gently.

"Shuri got rid of the HYDRA programming...or, at least most of it, I think. You're no longer under HYDRA's complete control."

The soldier began to grow anxious and irritated, her hand shooting up to grip the Fist's throat as she hissed.

"Who am I if I am not HYDRA?"

The Fist was calm, his metal hand gripping her wrist tightly, and she knew deep down that she would not win a fight with the Fist of HYDRA if it came down to it.

She never could.

"If you calm down, I can tell you. We found you, (Y/n). We found who you were before you were with HYDRA."

That name. Why was he calling her that name? The soldier gripped his throat for another moment before her hand relaxed slightly, and she whispered in a broken whisper.

"Эта красивая женщина - я?"

The Fist of HYDRA nodded, whispering softly.

"Yes. The pretty woman from your dreams is you."

Suddenly, the faceless mannequins from her strange dreams began to morph into faces, a beautiful woman greeting her by the record player and an angry sneering man yelling at her to get out of his office. The soldier began to feel sick again, and she whispered softly, crying.

"I don't understand. I...I....I'm malfunctioning...my programming is flawed. I...I need to be recalibrated...reprogrammed. I don't want to remember."

In a bout of bravery, the young boy in red and blue knelt to the ground, asking her softly.

"How come you don't want to remember? Don't you want to know who your family is?"

"My only family is HYDRA!"

She threw a metal table at the boy, who yelped and shot out some strange substance that clutched onto the metal and stuck it straight to a wall. The Fist immediately stood up, standing in front of the boy protectively as he urged.

"It's okay. It's okay, we're not going to hurt you. Peter's gonna say sorry, aren't you?"

The Fist gave the boy, Peter, a firm look, and Peter looked sheepish.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you."

He then leaned in close to the Fist, hissing in exasperation.

"She just threw a whole table at my head!"

"At least it's not a knife. That wasn't very fun either."

Peter's eyes seemed to bulge out of his head, and the soldier shook her head as the pounding became worse. The soldier couldn't deal with standing anymore, so she sat down on a metal chair and clutched her head.

"(Y/n)?"

A strange feeling filled her, and the soldier looked up with confusion. Why did he call her that?

"Who is that?"

The soldier winced as the lights became unbearable, and the Fist of HYDRA looked at Peter, asking him gently.

"Can you turn the lights down low for her?"

Peter quickly jogged to a control panel on the wall, dimming the lights just enough that the pressure within her head lessened. The Fist of HYDRA carefully sat down in front of her, saying as he slid over a file to her.

"We found out who you were, (Y/n). We found who you were before you were HYDRA."

The confusion and fear spilled from her eyes as she stared at the file; stared at the pretty woman in the picture on the front, and she whispered brokenly; sounding unsure as the words sputtered out of her chapped lips like a desperate plea.

"Ты мне врешь. I was born in HYDRA. HYDRA is my only family."

The Fist shook his head before he sighed and chewed on his lip slightly, trying to figure out a different way to approach the subject before he asked the soldier.

"Do you remember what I told you before you were reactivated about how my name was given to me before I was with HYDRA; About how I had a family before HYDRA kidnapped me?"

The soldier was struggling to remember, bits and pieces of the conversation coming to mind despite the difficulty, and she nodded after a moment. The Fist replied, his expression calm.

"You had a family and a name too. You had a whole life before you were taken by HYDRA and made into a Winter Soldier. Just like how my parents named me James, your parents named you (Y/n)."

Peter asked, mostly to himself, though the Fist gave him a dirty look.

"Wait, your first name is James? Why do they call you Bucky then?"

"My middle name is Buchanan."

Peter made a face of understand, and the Fist rolled his eyes. Settling his attention back onto her, the soldier felt her body tremble uncontrollably as his body seemed to loom over her. In her mind, she was becoming a speck on the floor; an insignificant piece of trash that deserved nothing while the Fist seemed to grow a thousand times taller. His eyes were angry; his lips snarling, and the soldier began to cry; covering her face and whispering softly.

"Please stop. I'll stop remembering. I'm sorry. There are...flaws in the programming. I need to be rebooted. I must be punished."

She began to ramble, the words spilling from her lips despite the voice in her head yelling at her that she must not speak unless spoken to. She does not deserve to have a tongue in her throat for speaking out-of-line. She must shut herself up and if she cannot, she must utilize her surroundings.

"Hey, hey, slow down. Breathe, (Y/n)."

The name sparked so much confusion; so much pain within her pounding head that she could not help but to scream, lashing out and throwing her balled fists wildly.

"Stop calling me that! I have no name!"

Suddenly, that same sticky substance that had attached to the table was wrapped around her hands. The force of being hit with the web smacked the back of her hand against the wall, and she tried as hard as she could to pull away. However, she was still too weak; too panicked to think clearly.

She became frustrated and upset, kicking at the bed and screaming loudly as the flesh of her hand began to pull painfully; the web stuck on like glue. Despite the pain, however, she kept pulling her hand; even when the webs finally cut deep into her skin and blood ran down her arm.

Arms came around her, making her scream louder; fear running through her scrambled mind. This was it. She was finally going to be punished. She had been out-of-line for too long. She'd been remembering too long. They were finally going to put her in her place.

"Hey, it's okay! It's okay. Listen to my voice. Listen to me. You're okay. Follow my voice, солдат. Вы не в беде."

Tears streamed down her scarred cheeks, and the soldier was hyperventilating. She was still struggling, trying to break free of his hold, but he was much stronger than her.

He had always been much stronger. Much better. Everything that she could not be.

'You're despicable. Even the Fist of HYDRA would do better than this. Shall I call him to teach you a lesson?'

"Мне очень жаль. Прости, Кулак ГИД��Ы! Пожалуйста, не делайте мне больно. Я буду слушаться!"

Bucky swore his heart had never shattered so hard before in his life. He remembered when his mother had passed away; Rebecca too young to really understand what was going on and why their mother wasn't waking up. His father hadn't even been home that day; too busy working that Bucky had to run for a neighbor.

He remembered being scared; confused and distraught about his mother suddenly passing and the way he just couldn't understand why. Why did his mother die? Why did she have to leave them so soon? How was he going to take care of Rebecca?

That weight that had settled on his shoulders had eased when he met Steve, but that side of him that had been jaded by his mothers death and the world and the ignorance of how to care for another human being...it truly never went away.

To hear the woman in his arms plea for The Winter Soldier not to hurt her...it was almost akin to death.

"What on Earth is going on in here?!"

Shuri's voice trilled through the air, and though (Y/n) was still thrashing in his arms, Bucky let her go as his arms fell; too shocked and winded to be able to function properly. Peter took over, webbing the girl completely while giving Bucky a concerned look, and though his mouth was moving, Bucky couldn't hear a damn thing.

Please don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me.

Fist of HYDRA. The Winter Soldier. That is who you are and who you will always be.

I'll obey!

Oh, god, Howard!

"James."

Bucky's head shook slightly as he was roused from his thoughts, and he was immediately aware of the lack of screams. Glancing down, he noticed that (Y/n) had been sedated and was completely out; webbed up and lying on her back on the ground. Her cheeks were wet, eyelashes dewed with tears, and Bucky could feel bile rising up in his stomach.

"James, I need you to focus on me, alright? Listen to me."

Shuri's voice was calming, but Bucky could only stutter out his words as the shock continued to blow through his body.

"I...I'm here. I just...I...I think I need a moment."

Bucky immediately made his way to the balcony outside the lab, breaking the door from how hard he had pushed it open, and when he got outside and around the wall, Bucky immediately braced himself against it and began to cry.

You can never escape HYDRA. Where one head falls, two shall grow back in its place.

You will always be HYDRA. Even if you escape, you will miss your time here. It will call you home whether you like it or not.

I don't care. He killed my parents.

He was hyperventilating; panicking. His hand was going numb; the tips of his fingers tingling, and he could feel the need to vomit growing. His skin was sheening with sweat, but Bucky only felt cold.

He felt the cryogenic frost crawling up his body and invading his ears and nose and mouth, and he slid to the ground, placing his hands over his head to drown out the sound of the screams; of Maria Stark's cries; of (Y/n)'s pleas.

"Um, Mr. Barnes?"

Peter's voice was gentle, though Bucky was still lost within his head. Peter shifted from foot-to-foot, unsure of what to do, so he just sat next to Bucky quietly. He stared at the ground and pursed his lips, a furrow in his brow.

Peter didn't really know how to deal with panic attacks. He could recite complex inorganic compound formulas like the alphabet and he could describe the Standard Model Lagrangian like it was another day...but Peter had never been good with mental health.

Hell, he wasn't really a star model when it came to mental health and had no room to talk, but seeing Bucky like this...to see that woman in the lab that had been so badly abused by HYDRA plea for her life...it was horrifying.

At least, it sounded like she was pleading for her life. Peter didn't really know any Russian despite Natasha teaching him a few words. Taking a deep breath, Peter spared a glance at Bucky, hearing the way his heart was starting to slow down a bit. He was patient, just sitting with Bucky quietly as the man began to come down from his panic.

Bucky's jaw clenched slightly before he looked down at the ground, wiping his eyes and cheeks, and he said softly as Peter glanced over at him with a caring expression.

"Thanks, kid. I'm sorry you had to see me like that."

Peter shook his head, replying carefully.

"Oh, it's not a problem, Mr. Barnes. Sometimes we...sometimes we need a friend, and sometimes we need to be a friend. It's what we do. We help people."

Bucky nodded carefully, muttering.

"I see why Steve likes you, kid."

"Captain America likes me? That's so cool."

Bucky snorted, and Peter chuckled in embarrassment. The boy then paused, looking nervous before he asked.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

Bucky replied without missing a beat.

"Don't push it."

"Understood."

Bucky shook his head before he watched Peter get up and dust his suit off. Bucky was quiet, just observing the kid for a moment, and he turned his gaze away when Peter stated.

"I'll go back inside and check on her. I'm here for you if you need it, Mr. Barnes. Honest."

Bucky nodded, and he called after Peter before Peter could get into the lab again.

"Hey, Queens."

"Yes, sir?"

Bucky almost bristled at the way Peter called him 'sir' and instead retorted with a pointed look.

"It's Bucky. Mr. Barnes was my dad."

Peter smiled gently, nodding his head before he said.

"I'll make sure to remember that, Bucky."

STORY NOTES: The soldier has woken up despite the anesthetics going through her body, possibly due to her heightened metabolism adapting and gaining tolerance to the drug, and she is aware that Bucky and another person are in the room with her, who turns out to be Peter Parker aka Spiderman. They are conversing on what to do if she wakes up, and Bucky makes a comment about the incident with the ferry in Spiderman: Homecoming.

Peter then asks about the Winter Soldier programming, in which Bucky explains the process and what it was and how they would take the memories of their subjects if they started to remember their old life. At this time, the soldier finally gets up, and Peter alerts Bucky. While the soldier is trying to orient herself, Bucky tries to comfort her, but the soldier is unwilling to accept comfort.

The soldier asks what Shuri had done to her, and Bucky explains that Shuri had removed most of the Winter Soldier programming that it would no longer affect the soldier. The soldier is distraught by the loss of her HYDRA identity, and she makes a comment internally about how if she wanted to fight Bucky, she wouldn't be able to as she never could, implying that she knew Bucky when he was the Winter Soldier as well. Bucky takes that time to introduce her name to her and let her know that he found her previous identity.

(Y/n) becomes distraught, and though Peter tries to ask her about her feelings and family, (Y/n) lashes out and tells Peter that her only family is HYDRA. She lashes out, and Peter uses his web to detain her. She suddenly has a lapse in her memory when Bucky calls her by her given name, and Bucky tries to tell her that they found out who she was before HYDRA again. He shows her the file, and (Y/n) is perturbed by seeing a picture of the woman she had seen in the mirror.

Bucky reaffirms to her that her name is (Y/n) (L/n) and she had a whole family before HYDRA, and she begins to panic so badly that she begins to hallucinate. Bucky calls her by her name again, and the soldier finally snaps, trying to lash out at him again. She begins to have a meltdown, and though Bucky tries to comfort her by holding her, the soldier has an auditory flashback of when she was told she was going to be punished by the Winter Soldier.

She begs Bucky not to hurt her, that she is sorry and she will comply, and Bucky is devasted. He recalls how he had felt when his mother had passed away, and he relates the feeling to (Y/n) begging him not to hurt her to the feeling of death. Shuri comes in, asking what is going on, and Peter finally completely webs (Y/n) when Bucky becomes too shocked to keep a firm hold on her.

Bucky begins to have a panic attack and exits out of the lab, and Peter follows after him to make sure that Bucky is okay. Peter thinks about how he doesn't really know how to deal with mental health properly and that seeing Bucky in such a state of disarray and hearing (Y/n) plead for her life was scary for him to witness.

Peter chooses to sit with Bucky quietly, and Bucky is thankful. Peter reassures Bucky that he doesn't mind helping him and asks if Bucky would like to talk about it, and Bucky tells Peter not to push his luck. After Peter tells Bucky he is going to check on (Y/n) and calls him Mr. Barnes, Bucky tells him to call him by his nickname, implying that they have further their friendship. End scene.

TRANSLATIONS

Все в порядке. Ты в порядке. - It's okay. You're okay.

Все в порядке. Вы помните что-нибудь, что произошло после моего ухода? - It's okay. Do you remember anything that happened after I left?

Что вы со мной сделали? - What have you done to me?

Эта красивая женщина - я? - That beautiful/pretty woman is me?

Ты мне врешь. - You're lying to me.

солдат - soldier

Вы не в беде. - You're not in trouble.

Мне очень жаль. - I'm so sorry

Прости, Кулак ГИДРЫ! - I'm sorry, Fist of HYDRA. (This translated directly as "I'm sorry, HYDRA Fist")

Пожалуйста, не делайте мне больно. Я буду слушаться! - Please don't hurt me. I'll obey!

TAGLIST: @tilldeathripsusapart @vicmc624 @mgchaser @aash3 @samfunko @seventeen-x @valckenaux @babybeeelle @sc4rrc @cjand10

#bucky barnes x reader #james buchanan barnes x reader #james bucky barnes x reader #winter soldier x reader #the winter soldier x reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes #james buchanan barnes #james bucky barnes #the winter soldier #winter soldier #marvel #marvel x reader #captain america #captain america x reader

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kikyoupdates · 11 months ago

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⭑˚🗡️⭑ yandere!ocs x reader

yandere, reverse harem, isekai, original characters x fem!reader, slowburn, slowburn yandere

Reincarnation isn't as great as it sounds, especially when you've been reborn as none other than the villainess. Fated to die if you stand in the heroine's way, you immediately resolve to distance yourself from the plot. As long as you have nothing to do with any of the relevant characters, surely, you'll be able to avoid an untimely death. But in a horrible turn of events, the heroine ends up wanting to get close to you. Are you really doomed to meet the villainess' tragic end? Or is there an even more sinister fate that awaits you?

00 — prologue: a new life 01 — severing ties 02 — unexpected encounter 03 — suspicions 04 — far too desirable 05 — animosity 06 — ever-changing 07 — bitter emotions 08 — a night to remember 09 — face to face 10 — villainess and heroine 11 — impossible to forget 12 — a perfectly imperfect date 13 — hired gun 14 — a convenient meeting 15 — murder on the mind 16 — mathletes 17 — completely different person 18 — what couples do 19 — object of affection 20 — the pain yearning brings 21 — intruder alert 22 — caught red-handed 23 — loving friendship 24 — greatest sin of all 25 — for an eternity

More chapters are available on Quotev!

⊱.⋅follow + post notifications on for story update announcements or join the author's discord!⋅.⊰

🗡️main masterlist ♡ character appearances

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chexxycheol · 2 months ago

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Chapter 10. Eternal Love || 13 Forget-Me-Nots

❀ Seventeen x Reader

title 13 Forget-Me-Nots or 13 Eternal Loves

synopsis You couldn't wait for your 20th birthday to finally reveal the one person you'd spend the rest of your life with. Well the 13 people you'd spend the rest of your life with. Or that story where reader has 13 soulmates, who happen to be idol group seventeen

genre Fluff, Angst, Romance

tags Soulmate!au, Idol! Seventeen x Non-idol! Reader, OT13 x Reader, Seventeen x Reader.

warnings Anxiety, Mature language, Inconsistent upload schedule, Reader is gender neutral but sometimes certain depictions lean feminine.

⚘ author the long awaited chapter 10 is here, i'm sorry for the delay. i was in a writing slump, work got hectic and i saw stray kids in seattle so i decided i needed to get back on track. this is definitely not my best work and it stupidly took me so long to write this.

constructive criticism is welcomed and my asks are open for feedback! this story is a work of fiction and should be separated from reality. thank you and enjoy!

Join the taglist by commenting on any post!

—chery

wc 1.1k

《 previous || masterlist || next chapter 》

Jeonghan talked with you more to help you calm down and you learned more about him. He did suggest you listen to their music and watch their content on Youtube but you knew their on camera personalities and filters would be completely different from their off camera personalities.

He did ask if you knew how to play any instruments, and you looked around Woozi’s studio and at the instruments that were placed meticulously around. “I can play piano, guitar, ukelele, flute, trumpet, a little saxophone, and clarinet” You named off while Jeonghan looked at you amazed.

“You should definitely be a music producer or write music” You’d thought of the possibility throughout your life and had a few songs sitting on your computer that you had written and some instrumentals but didn’t know the general vibe of the lyrics you wanted.

“Maybe, let me finish uni first then we can cross that bridge” You rested your head on Jeonghan’s shoulder before you began to think about the times you helped Han tweak a few songs and the experience definitely helped you and taught you many things.

You got up and walked around Woozi’s studio and admired all the things he had placed around, how his studio felt cozy and though you couldn’t imagine the amount of hours and hard work he put into the studio for the group, you were proud of him and your boys.

Your boys.

You turned and extended your hand to Jeonghan’s to help him off the couch to head back to the others. The smile he gave you made your heart skip a beat as he took your hand and stood in front of you before grabbing your hand and walking out with you.

The practice room was still dim when you both walked back in, but mostly everyone was now awake and on their phones or talking amongst themselves. Wonwoo, Woozi, and Seungcheol still slept but nobody wanted to disturb them.

“Okay it’s been a long day and as much as I want to stay here with everyone, I should head back to my hotel. I think Felix is expecting me” You announced. A few of the members looked sad but mostly understanding that it had been a crazy day for you. The others woke up from your announcement.

Before you left you got everyone's numbers and they even made a group chat with you, they all gave you long and lingering hugs. Jeonghan and Seungcheol walked you out, they conversed with you more, mostly Seungcheol. “Do you think we can see you before you leave? We’d like to talk about how we’re gonna be going about everything” He made a waving motion when mentioning saying everything. “I think I’m free tomorrow, I would love to spend time with you all” You smiled at the two trying to ease their worries.

You knew they’d all want to spend time together, and spend time separately to get to know you one-on-one there wasn’t enough time to do that.

“We’ll send you one of our drivers and you can come to our house and spend time with all of us there” Jeonghan suggested “If you’re comfortable with that, of course” He rushed out realizing that his suggestion sounded a bit creepy but caused you to laugh. “I’d like that, thank you” They got to the elevator where their manager was standing there waiting to walk you the rest of the way out.

You happened to peek behind the two eldest and saw the rest of them standing outside their practice room and waved at them with a smile, a smile you couldn’t seem to get rid of now.

“Bye soulmates” You waved to them as you stepped onto the elevator with their manager.

Before you could even fall onto your hotel bed to take in the events of the day a knock came to your hotel door. Groaning, you walked back, opening it to see Felix, Chris, Changbin, and Minho.

“Before you shut the door on us, please let’s talk about this” Chris pleaded when he saw your face. You hesitated but opened the door wider letting them all inside your room, they all sat around your room before starting the long conversation.

“I wanted to apologize firstly, I shouldn’t have kept the information of your soulmates to myself and make Changbin keep it a secret as well. It was wrong of me and if there is anyone to blame, it should be me” Chris knew he had fucked up.

He also knew that there was a possibility that you would never forgive him, and if you did it would take a long time for you to do so. You were still on a high from meeting your soulmates and spending most of the day with them and you didn’t want to ruin that high.

“Honestly I shouldn’t forgive you Chris. I’m more inclined to forgive Changbin but it was still fucked up that he didn’t tell anyone, though I do understand listening to you as his leader” You paused thinking of how you want your friendship to remain with your best friends bandmates, who in return accepted you as one of their friends.

“It’ll take me a long time to trust you again Chris, but for now I don’t want my good day to be ruined. You’re not fully forgiven but for the duration of this trip I will be civil with you because all of your families are here” You were being nice, maybe too nice for what Chris did but you were on a break and didn’t want the rest of your trip to be clouded with hate and or disappointment though you knew it would linger for the remaining duration of the trip.

“I’ve spent my day and trip surrounded by nothing but eternal love from everyone's families, and more importantly my soulmates. I don’t want my trip ruined. But you both need to call Mingyu and apologize to him and or meet with him in person to talk like adults” You were firm with what you were telling them. “But for now let’s work on moving past this, I had time to think and I understand not telling because you don’t want to get in the way of ‘fate’ but sometimes you have to think that maybe fate wanted you to tell all of us” You smiled at them, wanting to break this tension.

You stood abruptly causing all of them to look at you like you grew a third head. “Let’s go get food now, I’ve had an exhausting day and now I want to end it on a good note” You started walking towards the door, Minho stood grabbing his shoes to put on and you turned back to look Chris and Changbin in the eyes with a smile.

“Just because I’m suddenly in a good mood doesn’t mean I have forgiven you, you both have a lot of making up to do” Your carefree smile was a bit worrying and creepy to them but they won’t argue with you.

“Now come on, Chris is paying”

taglist @gigglensnort @amanda08319 @neivivenaj @allys-reads @sarabencze @kkochiau @ateez-atiny380 @flora19308 @mikrokosmos530 @shadowofdk @ayeitskayy @lunaryoongie

#seventeen x reader #seventeen fanfic #scoups x reader #jeonghan x reader #joshua x reader #jun x reader #hoshi x reader #wonwoo x reader #woozi x reader #the8 x reader #mingyu x reader #dk x reader #seungkwan x reader #vernon x reader #dino x reader #ot13 x reader

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athenagc94 · 5 months ago

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Dear Daddy Long Legs - Chapter 13

Jason Todd x Fem!Reader

First | Prev | Next

Chapter 13

You hurried up the stairs of your complex, a dark cloud swirling overhead. The elevator stopped working that morning, meaning you had to scale seven flights to get to your apartment. Class wrapped for the day, but your philosophy professor wanted to be a bigger ass than usual and threw a pop quiz in your face. You were sure you failed, which was the last thing you needed this close to the end of the semester. You couldn’t even share a harried look with Steph because you stopped talking to her to focus on your studies. A decision you were now beginning to regret, but you tried to hold firm.

In conclusion, you were going through it, and you wanted nothing more than to sink into your couch and binge-watch Bridgerton for the umpteenth time.

As you reached the landing on your floor, you paused, noting the package that awaited you outside your door—a small, unassuming brown box.

Huh.

You didn’t order anything.

Upon closer inspection, it seemed legitimate with the appropriate shipping labels and all that jazz, but you didn’t survive this city without being at least a little wary of pleasant surprises.

It was heavier than you expected. Something you took mental note of as you tucked it under your arm and headed inside. While it could be an explosive or trap sent by a gang or super villain, you hoped they had bigger fish to fry than a college student on the cusp of a mental breakdown.

And at this point, a small part of you welcomed the sweet release of death if it meant you didn’t have to take your finals next week.

You settled cross-legged on your couch, turning the package over in your hands as you tried to guess what it contained. Its contents shifted slightly, and you still had all your limbs intact, so you took that as a good sign.

Sparing yourself the suspense, you ripped it open. A leather book tied with a cord sat on top, unmarked saved for the braided border etched on its cover. Next to it sat an ebony fountain pen with vials of ink. A small smile flitted across your face as you removed the journal, flipping through its pages to appreciate the rough texture of the pages. It was almost too nice to write in.

Beneath it, sat two more books. On Writing by Stephen King, and a collector’s edition of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. You appreciated the first as a good resource for your upcoming submission, but your attention snagged on the latter. Its deep blue cover looked expensive with gold-pressed fleurs dis lis along its border. You flipped it open to the first page, noting that it was written in French. Somehow, you knew it would be.

A handwritten note sat at the bottom of the empty box.

You’re doing well. I chose you for a reason. Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not for my sake. Take a break from the letters and enjoy the holidays. You’ve earned it.

—Your Dear Daddy Long Legs

Your skin pebbled with the twist in your gut, simultaneously too cold and too hot. You laughed, because you couldn't decide what else to do in that moment. Gifts were one thing, expected even from a man who had plenty of money to spare, but a few words of encouragement and the joining of an inside joke... that was priceless and exactly what you needed right now.

Writing letters had quickly lost its appeal once you started double and triple guessing every word that went onto the page. Life had gotten in the way, so you distanced yourself from your new friends to focus on your studies. You assumed you made the right choice, but it only succeeded in making you feel more isolated. With the end of your first semester looming, you wondered if you’d made a terrible mistake by taking his money.

Bruce Wayne clearly didn’t care about you or your struggles, especially after never receiving a response to your frantic letter apologizing for your misstep.

But maybe you’d been a little too quick to judge.

Your laughter died on a wheeze as tears gathered in your eyes, hot and searing, relieved you hadn’t fucked this up. It wasn’t often the actions of billionaires brought you to tears, and happy tears at that. Hah. You wanted to laugh and sob and scream. Perhaps, an ugly combination of all three. A weight you’d carried over the last few weeks lifted, and you could finally breathe a little easier.

He wanted you to be yourself.

Your paranoia could settle, and you could finally enjoy life instead of sitting around and waiting for him to pull the plug on your academic pursuits.

Grabbing your new journal, you headed for the window. Ice and gray-flecked snow gathered on the grate outside. You sat on the small bench inside your apartment and cracked the window, relishing the chilly Gotham night. As you considered how best to christen your new journal, you heard the pop and drag of a grappling gun. Everyone from Gotham had come to recognize the call of an incoming vigilante.

Your gaze snapped toward the sky, searching the rooftops for the telltale smear of red on the black canvas of night.

Several seconds passed, the air thick with tension before you saw him. A speck of red landed on a roof two blocks down. Red Hood bolted, swallowed by the shadows before you fully realized you’d spotted him. You squashed the urge to call out to him.

Catching a glimpse of him every now and again was enough, you tried to reason with yourself. Knowing that if you ever ran into trouble again, Hood might be the one to save you was enough.

You almost believed yourself this time too.

To avoid the temptation of watching the sky, you retreated further inside with your journal. You sat cross-legged on your couch, anticipation buzzing through your veins as you tried to focus on the blank page. Much to your chagrin, words were harder to come by with your attention drifting back to the window every few seconds.

A distraction—that’s what you needed.

You turned on the TV, resuming where you left off in your rewatch of Bridgerton. It wasn’t long before you caught your attention straying toward the window once more. You groaned and laid out flat on the couch so you couldn’t see the window at all.

When he decided to grace you with his presence was outside your control. You knew that. The only logical step was to focus on something you could control. Pulling out your phone, you scrolled through a slew of unread texts. Your thumb hovered over the picture Steph had uploaded. One of her posing with Cass after one of their self-defense classes.

She tried texting.

She tried calling.

You never answered.

She had every right to ignore you now if she wanted to, but it was worth a shot. You clicked the ‘call’ button and raised the phone to your ear. At the very least, you could leave a voicemail. Steph deserved an apology, even if she never wanted to speak to you again.

The call connected after two rings. “My horoscope has never led me wrong. It told me to expect an unexpected call today.”

You struggled to contain your smile. At least you could count on Steph to remain consistent in these trying times. “If you expected it, can it be unexpected?”

“Psh. Begone with your logic. So, does this call mean you want to be my friend again?”

You had the decency to act sheepish. “I know it was shitty of me, to disappear. I just...” There was no real justification for your actions, and you didn’t try to explain yourself. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have cut you out like that. I was in my head, and if you want to tell me to pound sand, be my guest. But, if you’re amendable to an alternative, I would like to grab lunch tomorrow and catch up.”

Her phone crackled as she readjusted her phone, quiet save for a small hum of contemplation. You held your breath as you waited.

“Are you feeling better?”

“I am,” you answered honestly, “I got the pep talk I needed.”

You could hear the smile in her voice as she said, “Good. Though, for the record, I’ve been known to give a pretty stellar pep talk myself. You could have come to me. I love telling people how great they are.”

She also loved devastating people with a single, well-aimed slight. You’d seen it for yourself on several occasion but thankfully had never been on the receiving end. Steph truly was a woman of multitudes.

You laughed despite yourself. “I’m getting used to friends. Sad, I know, but I panicked and this was the result. I am sorry. I’d like to make it up to you. Lunch is on me.”

“Ew, keep your money. I just want to hang out and talk shit about Dr. Edwin. I mean, can you believe he had the gall to throw a pop quiz at us? It's a philosophy class for fuck's sake? I wasn't even aware there were tests," she groaned before quickly adding, "You can also tell me about this life-changing pep talk while we’re at it.”

Your tongue darted out to wet your lips. If she knew it came from Bruce Wayne, you’d never live it down. “Just a friend.”

“I thought you didn’t have friends?”

“Do you want to hang out or not?”

“Hm, suspicious,” she said with a sniff, “I’ll drop it for now, but we will talk about this tomorrow. Can I invite Cass? She missed you too.”

“Yeah, that sounds gr—”

Several things happened in that moment.

You heard the pop of a grappling gun.

Something large hit your fire escape.

A voice, warped by modulation, groaned.

Your heart lurched.

It couldn’t be...

“Hey? You still there?” Steph’s voice dragged you back.

“I—yeah, I’m here. Someone—I gotta go. I’ll text your tomorrow.” You hung up before Steph could respond and sat up.

Red Hood ambled to his feet, outlined by the flickering streetlamp outside. He rolled his shoulder experimentally, another round of colorful curses crackling from his mask.

“Hood?”

He froze.

Slowly, his attention shifted to where you perched on the couch, then toward the TV. You followed his gaze. Daphne Bridgerton hung off a ladder as Simon's hands disappeared beneath her dress. He pressed searing, open-mouthed kisses to her exposed throat, their moans heavy and loud in the silence that stretched on.

Your eyes widened as you hurried to turn down the volume, to turn it off, anything to spare you from the mortification of explaining the plot of Bridgerton to him.

The screen went black, and you whipped around to face him. “I—”

“I preferred Anthony’s season.”

Your brain turned a little fuzzy. “You’ve... you’ve seen it?”

“Out of morbid curiosity. Nothing more.”

The lie was far from convincing, but he stared back, daring you to call him on his bluff. You let it go because you had yet to fully accept that he was here, talking to you. He crouched to speak with you through your window. It was a sight to behold, his shoulders comically wide for the frame.

You stepped toward him, fearing moving too quickly might scare him off. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s been a while.”

That much was obvious. “It has.”

His fingers flexed around your windowsill, his leather gloves squeaking softly. Neither spoke. You waited, but he seemed reluctant to say anything more. That meant it fell to you to fill the empty air.

“Did you want to come in?”

It was smarter not to let him in. This was more than enough. No need to be selfish. And yet, you offered anyway.

He nodded and said, “Sure.”

Shoving the window up, he managed to squeeze inside, grunting softly as he rolled his shoulder again. You stepped forward to meet him halfway, nearly touching him now, but not quite closing the distance.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I, uh...” He stood a little straighter. “I fell just now.”

Another silence wrought with tension settled. You glanced around your apartment, wishing you’d known he would appear so you could have tidied up a bit. His attention, however, didn’t stray from you. It sat like a weight on your chest, pressing the air from your lungs.

After months of nothing, his presence shouldn’t have affected you the way it did, but your body fizzled with anticipation. Your hand fell back to your side. “You still haven’t told me why you’re here.”

“I wanted to see you.”

He recoiled, and you imagined that was something he meant to keep to himself. Still, his confession hung in the air between you, waiting for you to do something with it. He stayed rooted to the floor, not even the crackle of his breaths passing through his modulator.

You broke away from him as you considered your next move. You imagined what this meeting would be like. What you would say? How he would respond? Reality was far more daunting. Hesitantly, you turned to the small collection of books organized at the foot of your bed.

One chance.

You had to make this count.

Pulling three from the lowest shelf, you turned to face him once more. “I realize I don’t know anything about you.”

He didn’t correct you.

You pressed on, “I also realize that it’s probably safer that way considering who you are and the life you lead.”

Again, nothing.

Closing the distance once more, you offered him the stack. He reached for them, though you couldn’t tell if it was a deliberate choice or simply reactional. He released a shuddering breath that rippled through his modulator—the only indication that his brain hadn’t completely shut off.

Before you lost the nerve, you continued, “I read the Emily Wilson translation of The Odyssey. I know that feels like a lifetime ago, but I think it helped me understand the man who hides behind the mask a little better.” You looked at him in earnest as you fiddled with the strings on your yellow hoodie. “Our favorite books can say a lot about a person’s character. I wanted to share a few of my favorites with you too. Maybe this is how we can get to know each other without sharing too much.”

You waited for him to say something.

Anything.

Seconds passed, each more constricting than the last. This was the most vulnerable you’d been in a while. You’d hoped for a little more of a reaction, though it was difficult to know what was happening under that damn helmet. Your fingers twitched at your side as the silence stretch on between you.

You cracked first. “I’m sorry if this is weird, I just thought—”

He handed the books back to you, effectively shutting you up. You knew outright rejection was a possibility but experiencing said rejection was much worse. Your throat tightened as you fought back whatever knee jerk reaction clawed at your chest.

Once more, you were caught staring at each other, the space between you cavernous and achingly cold. Your grip tightened around the books, half-tempted to chuck them at his head.

How dare he come here.

How dare he toy with your emotions.

He could have stayed away.

He stepped toward the window. “I need to go.”

You didn’t stop him when he ducked through the window and shot into the night. Numbness quickly settled in his wake, soothing the sting of rejection as you set the books on your table and drifted listlessly back to your couch.

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A/N: Let me take a second to thank those of you who have taken the time to read and comment. It means a lot, and brightens my day whenever I get a notification! I hope you enjoy the ride.

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Tag List

Let me know if you want to be added!

@bungunz @emu-lumberjack @goldendistrict

#writing #fanfiction #jason todd #batman #fanfic #jason todd x reader #red hood #red hood x reader #stephanie brown #dear daddy long legs fic #x reader

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the-case-book-of-fanfiction · 1 year ago

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Love Bites {Masterlist}

With your memory spotty, you gravitate toward the first person you see—an old friend from a very old past. But Astarion is keeping plenty of secrets...and he's never been the best liar. How long will it take before his deceptions unravel? And what will you do when you realize just how much damage he's done?

Ship: Astarion Ancunin x fem!vampire spawn!elf!Tav/reader

Warnings: 18+ MDNI, vampire spawn!Tav, fem!Tav, manipulative but guilty/regretful Astarion, Astarion's sexual trauma, Cazador, vampire bite, reader is turned into a spawn, reader is technically one of Astarion's victims

18+ Warnings: vaginal sex, consensual sex, mirror sex, riding, fingering, oral, blood kink, bite kink, loving sex, non-descriptive noncon/dubcon (Astarion’s trauma), Astarion experimenting with his boundaries

Total Word Count: 47,397 words (87 pages)

Notes: The title of this fic (and some of its chapter titles) is heavily inspired by Def Leppard's song Love Bites.

Posting Schedule can be found on my {Updates Page}

CONTENT NOTE: Where Astarion's perspective comes into this fic, I tried writing his experience with his hurt that he has been treated this way along with his "this is what I do" mentality; he's very back and forth about the abuse he's endured and some of my writing reflects that. If that upsets you or makes you uncomfortable in anyway, I completely understand and I encourage you to leave the fic at any point. However, I do believe writing this perspective is necessary, as his blasé take on his sexual trauma is one that I myself have struggled with, as I am sure other survivors have as well.

☟ story parts linked below ☟

Best Unremembered {Chapter 1} Waking up with a spotty memory and the only person you do remember is jarring enough—but it only gets worse when the people who remember you are monsters and strangers.

Walking Corpses {Chapter 2} Astarion's night spent searching for prey is interrupted by an unwelcome feeling of familiarity. Your life is derailed by recognizing a long-dead friend.

Little Love {Chapter 3} Appearances can be deceiving, but they can also tell you everything you need to know. A second look at the elf you once called a friend is all you need to fill in the two-hundred year gap.

The Golden Elf {Chapter 4} Sometimes, vampires choose their spawn specifically. Sometimes, they're in the wrong place at the wrong time and are lost to their loved ones for centuries. These days, that's all you can think about.

Little Star, Little Sun {Chapter 5} A long-awaited reunion that doesn't go quite as planned can lead to many things, especially when two manipulators both lay their traps for one another. Though is it really a trap when all you want to do is spare your lover from yet another night of torment?

Love Bites {Chapter 6} Astarion remembers you, but it's already too late. He's bedded you and remembered the love and life you had together, two hundred years ago, and now he has to make a choice. Does he sacrifice himself, or does he sacrifice you?

Love Bleeds {Chapter 7} Fangs gleam in the shadows and a coffin lies open nearby. Vampire lords are nasty creatures; even a changed heart can do very little when there are claws around it.

On My Knees {Chapter 8} A betrayal so severe even centuries of love threaten to break beneath its weight. Yet you offer forgiveness, even if Astarion has not felt its kindness in two hundred years.

Second Chances {Epilogue} Home is a place and home is people. You have quite the large family now, and it's time to provide for them, however you may.

Love Bites Soundtrack — 3h50min

Chapter 1: tracks 1 - 6 Chapter 2: tracks 7 - 13 Chapter 3: tracks 14 - 19 Chapter 4: tracks 20 - 26 Chapter 5: tracks 27 - 32 Chapter 6: tracks 33 - 40 Chapter 7: tracks 41 - 46 Chapter 8: tracks 47 - 53 Epilogue: tracks 54 - 60

[Image Caption: I do not give permission to repost, translate, or publish my work on any other site or app by anyone except myself. I do not give permission for my work to be fed into AI (for audio, art, or writing).]

Baldur's Gate 3 // Astarion Ancunin

Taglist: {comment and let me know if you'd like to be added to the Astarion taglist!} @wayward-hel @cheeslyy @ofmyth-andmagicart @neetheslayer @whispering-depths @freesidexjunkie @lightsinmycity @the0ldmann @gobbodoggo @oooof-ifellforyou @beeblisss @fangboner @aquaarietes @fiercest-eigengrau-skies @niqhtfell @call-me-nyxx @lueji-m @ceres-xiv @tricksy-trinity @graynstairs @rosa-rubus @ynisthatyou @thegoodwitchs-blog @catching-fire-in-the-wind @kiyastrf94 @vincemachina @silverfangmarks @ravenswritingroom @hinata7346 @hellethil @caramel-hufflepuff @beemiilk @mypainischronicbutmyassisiconic @starwatch77 @julianmarie @sadexistentialism @supernaturallover15 @writinghound @frankie-mercury @kindadolly @infernalrusalka

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trikruismybitch · 6 months ago

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Clexa Fanfics

Hey guys these are all the Clexa fanfics that i love and wanted to share!

None of these are mine and all of the fics i added are completed works unless stated otherwise

Clexa

A Different Landing by RhinoMouse ****

The drop ship was always going to have problems coming down. Unfortunately for the 100 they ended up in Ice Nation territory where the locals were far less forgiving. With all the wristbands gone and the survivors unable to contact the ark, the ark never came down. Now four years later the surviving members of the 100 have been assimilated into Nia's army. When Lexa calls for the armies of the coalition to march on the mountain Clarke finds herself leading the Ice Nation forces.

[probably one of my favorite Clexa fanfics. The writing, world building, just everything is so well written and interesting. Highly recommend]

Runners From Azgeda by ellaaa25

Clarke and Raven are sisters only one month apart in age. The day before Clarkes 9th birthday, Jaha drops a block of the ship filled with 40 people to save oxygen with no warning. Clarke and Raven are in a pod and land in Azgeda and are taken to Nia. They are beaten, tortured and broken before being trained in the fighting pits of Azgeda to win their freedom as a pair. At age 16, the sisters are still searching for freedom

The Shadow by Clexa1205

Clarke leaves Camp Jaha and ends up getting captured by Azgeda where she comes face to face with Queen Nia and an unexpected enemy. Two years later, after being blackmailed, tortured, and trained, Clarke is forged into the ultimate weapon: an assassin known as the Shadow.

The Ursa & The Heda by SweeTarts151

Spirits are a large part of grounder culture, when Clarke switches places with Finn to spare him his life and get the alliance, something happens that changes her. Changes the way the grounders and her own people look at her. (Warning torture in first chapter)

When a Fallen Star Finds a Home on the ground by LMS (LMS180)

Torn between the hate Clarke felt for this betrayer and old feelings she wished could be forgotten, Clarke made a choice. And before she could live with the consequences of her actions, life pulled her down an unforeseen path. Today the Skai princess’s story is nothing but a distant memory. One long replaced by curious whispers surrounding Azgeda’s mysterious new Heir, Klark. With a new enemy threatening the Coalition’s Western borders, the Commander had no choice but to summon the 13 clans together. As the clans begin to assemble for the upcoming war, many eagerly await the arrival of Azgeda's mysterious Winter Wolf

(my) Destruction Within Your Mouth by KL_Morgan

Clarke loses: her head, her voice, her heart.

Survivals a Fools Errand by Ebozay

Clarke is spared the same fate as her father by being sent to Earth in a drop pod, a metaphorical canary in a coal mine. All in the name of saving what is left of the human race. To her surprise and short lived excitement she finds that the ground is survivable, that she won't burn as soon as the air touches her. But the scarred and brutal people she encounters? Maybe she's a fool to think she could survive life on the ground after all

Where Green Meets Blue by Clexaisbae

Clarke left Camp Jaha, leaving behind a very confused Bellamy. She stumbles through the forest, lost and unsure of what to do but a pair of green eyes pushed her on. At night, after a close encounter with a panther, Clarke was captured by the Ice Nation and now she has to fight her way out, with only a pair of green eyes to guide her out

The White Queen Running by KL_Morgan

Clarke wakes up wearing the tattoos of the Ice Nation.

(OR: Soulmates, parallel worlds, and Ice Queen Clarke; oh my. Canon divergent from 2x16.)

Clexa Alternative Universes

Blood (Must have Blood) by LexAlexAU

Hunger Games AU

(Just a) Little of Your Love by M_E_Scribbles

Clarke Griffins back in her hometown and working her dream job, as a detective and the leader of Polis Police Department's Search and Rescue. Then she's told to take the SAR to a local kindergarten class for a safety program.

That's where she meets an interesting young girl who takes to her immediately. When adorable handmade cards start appearing at her desk. She goes to the school to thank the girl and runs into a gorgeous woman who begins to invade her thoughts.

Of Sharp Talons and Sharper Eyes by AlexielMN

Daemon AU & Azgeda!Clarke

A Day In The Life of a Demigod by soshy (Sosh_022)

Demigod AU

#clexa deserved better #clexa #clarke griffin and lexa #commander lexa #azgeda clarke #clexa au #archive of our own #ao3fic #ao3 fanfic #ao3 #fanfiction #recommended #10/10 would recommend #not mine

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persevereforahappyending · 7 months ago

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A Beacon in the Dark |11|

Pairing: Joey x Reader

Summary: Joey likes helping people, it's what she's best at. Hunting down the monsters of myth and legend might be the best way to save people.

Warnings: Death, Murder, Killing, Kidnapping, Guns, Shooting, Stabbing, Blood, Violence, A LOT of Violence

Word Count: 17.6k

Note: This chapter was always going to be long but turned out MUCH longer than expected. Probably should have tried breaking it up... but oh well!

Main Masterlist | Series Masterlist

You rolled over with a groan, as soon as you opened your eyes you closed them, bringing a hand to shade them from the bright light. You rolled over again, blinking the spots away as you focused on the cool ground beneath you. You furrowed your brow, tilting your head as you looked at the cold concrete you were apparently laying on, there hadn’t been any concrete in the woods. Your head snapped up, your eyes going wide, the woods. You had been in the woods. Joey. Joey had been with you.

Your heart began beating out of your chest as you frantically looked around, you’d never forgive yourself if you hurt her. You finally looked down at your hands and saw them stained red. You shook your head, there was so much blood. You backed away, as if you could get away from it. When you looked down you saw your entire body was caked in dried blood.

You looked up when you heard a door open. You held your breath until you caught the familiar scent of Grace. You were home, you were in your cage. You remembered giving Joey the device, meaning she used it if Grace found you and got you back here. You had no idea what you did before that though, no idea how long it was before Joey pressed the button, what you did during that time before or after. Your eyes tracked Grace as she walked across the room to your cage before pulling out her phone and unlocking the door. The door swung open, she stood at the entrance, but you didn’t move.

“Did I hurt her?” You rasped out. Your throat was always so dry after changing, especially if you had killed. You couldn’t help the way your eyes filled with tears as you awaited Graces answer.

“No,” Grace whispered. She always spoke so soft after you shifted back, like she was afraid to spook you.

You let out a relived breath. “Who did I hurt?” You might not have hurt Joey, but you clearly killed someone, multiple someone’s from the amount of blood covering you. You knew it wasn’t an animal, you weren’t that lucky, besides, you could smell it.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, it does!” You roared. You pinched your eyes shut, this was why Grace treated you like this after shifting back, you were always irritable at best. “Who did I hurt?” You looked up, meeting Graces eyes for the first time.

Grace walked up to you; she brought a hand to your cheek, but you pulled away. She gave you a pointed look and when she caressed your cheek again you couldn’t help but lean into the touch. “The witches.” Your tear-filled eyes searched her face, trying to figure out if she was saying what you thought she was saying. “They were the only ones killed.”

You let out a shaky breath and ran a hand through your hair. You didn’t care about the blood, you were already covered in it, you would need a shower anyway. “The girls?” You ask hesitantly, just because you apparently didn’t kill them didn’t mean someone didn’t. You got ambushed by the witches and once you shifted everything was blank, you weren’t sure what happened, if the witches started the ritual before you killed them all or not.

“They escaped.” Your lip twitched, you wanted nothing more than to smile at a successful mission, but you couldn’t. “Were found by a park ranger, who got them help.” You nodded, your eyes drifted down to the concrete, all that mattered was that the girls were safe. “They didn’t see you; they just said a group of women kidnapped them. An investigation is underway, they’ll find the tunnel and the room the girls were kept in, but no bodies.”

You nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for.”

You mindlessly nodded. Every time an incident happened you apologized, and every time afterwards Grace said the same thing. You wondered what it would take for you to need to apologize. You couldn’t control what you did while shifted, you had no memory of your time as a wolf. Despite all that, the guilt never seemed to go away, you never knew what you felt guilty for, you just knew you deserved to feel that way.

“She’s in the living room,” Grace’s soft voice cut through the self-hatred. You froze, you weren’t expecting that, you didn’t know why Joey was still there, she saw you for what you truly were, she should have run back home where she would be safe.

“Why?” You asked, keeping your eyes fixated on the floor. You thought she was warming up to you, but you didn’t think you had developed the kind of loyalty where she would stay. She probably only wanted to get answers, learn the truth, learn why you lied to her, then she’d cut you off, tell you exactly what kind of monster you were. “She probably hates me.”

“I convinced her to stay.” You looked up, meeting Grace with tear filled eyes. “She deserves the truth.�� She was right, Joey never deserved you lying to her. Everyone was entitled to their privacy, but your secret could have gotten Joey killed, or worse.

“What did you tell her?”

“Nothing, it’s your story to tell.” You nodded, it was never easy to talk about, the only one you talked to about everything was Grace and that was because she was the one to find you. You would tell Joey though, you would tell her everything, assuming she wanted to stick around and hear it. “Get cleaned up.”

You mindlessly walked out the door. You made sure to take a path that wouldn’t lead you past the living room. You listened for Joey’s heartbeat, hearing it was steady as she didn’t move from her spot. You didn’t want her to turn a corner and come face to face with you all naked and bloody, she might have already seen you at your worst, but you were hoping she didn’t see the aftermath.

When you got to your room you went straight to the bathroom. You didn’t have any clothes to peel off since shifting shredded them, so you just hopped right into the shower. You turned the shower on the hottest setting and let the water pour over you. You didn’t react as the water got progressively hotter, until it would burn a normal person, but you could take it, you liked the sting. It felt like the only way you could ever clean yourself of all the blood was by taking a scalding hot shower, you weren’t sure if it was because it hurt, and you deserved the pain or because the hotter the water was the more it felt like you were actually getting clean.

You kept your head down, your eyes staring at the drain as all the water going down was tainted red. After a few minutes of letting the water run over your body you finally grabbed your scrub brush and got to work. It took several minutes of scrubbing your entire body before it was finally not stained red. You tilted your head back, letting the water wash over your hair before running your hair through it a few times, making sure to get the clumps of blood and anything else out. When you didn’t scrub well enough you learned glops of blood or chunks of flesh tended to get stuck in places. Ever since the first time you learned to be incredible thorough with your scrubbing.

When you were finally cleaned up you stepped out of the shower, looking back to see the tile stained as well. You would have to bleach and spray it down when you got done with your talk with Joey. You went through this every month, you wished there was an easier way to clean the shower, you felt bad for always leaving it a mess, even though Grace understood and always said it was fine. You grabbed a towel off the rack wrapping it around yourself then grabbed another to run through your hair.

You made your way out of the bathroom, smiling when you saw Grace laid out a set of clean clothes, all nice and folded at the end of the bed. You slipped on the sweats and the t-shirt, not even bothering to put on socks as you walked back into the bathroom. You put an obscene amount of toothpaste on the toothbrush and began scrubbing your mouth, trying to get rid of the taste of whatever you tore apart out of your mouth. Not that it mattered, it was usually a few days before things went back to tasting normal. When you were finished you frowned at the toothbrush, seeing all the bristles broken and curved. Ever since you changed you went through a toothbrush pretty much once a month.

After tossing the toothbrush in the trash you gripped the edge of the sink and stared at your own reflection. There were dark circles around your eyes, you usually took a very long nap after shifting back but you didn’t have time for that, you needed to talk to Joey. At the thought of Joey, you gripped the counter tighter, the last time she had seen you you were a raging monster filled with bloodlust, you remembered the fear in her eyes when you started to change in front of her. You finally released the counter when you began to hear a crack, it wouldn’t be the first time you broke one of Grace’s marble countertops, but you knew it wasn’t cheap to replace, and it was always awkward trying to explain how it happened.

You shook your head, you couldn’t keep stalling, Grace got Joey to hear you out, she had been here long enough. You flung open the door and made your way out of your room, as soon as you got to the stairs you hesitated again. You didn’t kill her, but you didn’t know what you did do, if you hurt her, how close you came to hurting her, you knew you didn’t bite her, Grace would have told you that.

“Stop stalling,” you heard Grace whisper. Your head snapped up; she was probably in her office, if she wasn’t still cleaning out the cell, but you heard her as if she were standing next to you. One of the perks to what you were, came in handy on missions, but the benefits definitely didn’t out way the consequences in your opinion. No amount of strength, speed, heightened senses, none of it was worth it when you had to go through what you did every month.

You let out a shaky breath and took the first step. You had to get it over with. There was no doubt in your mind Joey would hate you, she would hate you for lying, for being a monster, for almost killing her, she’d never want to see you again. You slowly descended the stairs, completely lost in your mind, it was better this way, probably. Joey hating you was for the best, she would be safer, it’s not like you actually thought she’d ever like you back, this would just help rip off the band aid. Joey would be alive and safe with her son as far away from you as possible, and you were better off alone where you couldn’t hurt anyone.

You came to a stop once you hit the entryway of the living room. Your eyes instantly found Joey, she was sitting on the couch, hunched over and had her hands bawled into fists. Her entire body was tense, and it was all your fault. “Hey,” you whispered, afraid to break the uneasy silence.

The second you spoke Joey somehow tensed up even more. She slowly lifted her head, and you could tell she was cautious, she had no idea what she would see when she looked at you. You held eye contact for a moment, seeing the distrust all over her face. You walked across the room, her eyes tracking every move you made. You would normally sit on the couch, it was much more comfortable, but Joey probably didn’t want you anywhere near her, so you opted for the chair that was as far away from her as possible but still around the little coffee table.

“Ar-are you okay?” You asked. Your arms were on the armrest, but you gripped it tighter than necessary. You wanted to appear open to Joey, showing her there was nothing to fear, even though you knew that was useless at this point.

Joey let out a humorless chuckle. You couldn’t help but look away when she looked at you, the anger burning behind her eyes. “Am I okay?” She scoffed.

“Did I hurt you?” You whispered, gripping the armrest tighter. You would never hear the end of it if you ripped Grace’s chair, but you couldn’t relax until Joey answered the question, until you knew you didn’t hurt her.

“No.” Your grip instantly relaxed making you flex your fingers and let them hang loosely on the armrest again. “You certainly tried though.”

You closed your eyes. You wondered how close you got; how close you were to tearing Joey apart. “I’m sorry,” you rasped out. It didn’t mean anything, even if it was true, you still did it, you lied and almost killed Joey, an apology didn’t mean shit, it’s not like she’d forgive you anyway, it’s not like you deserved her forgiveness.

“You lied to me, from the very beginning. You told me we were going to hunt down monsters,” she let out another humorless chuckle. “You talked about how much you hated them. When all this time…” you flinched at her words, she never finished her sentence, but you knew what she was about to say when all this time you were a monster as well. “Why lie? Why put me on a mission when you knew what would happen?”

“I didn’t want you on that mission,” you said instantly. “I fought against it every step of the way. I wanted to go out there alone, it’s what we should have done.”

“Grace said she wanted me there.” You nodded. “Not for the witches or the girls but for you.” You let out a deep sigh, Grace was always trying to protect you, you didn’t deserve it. “Why? It’s not like I could have stopped you.”

You nodded, taking in Joeys question. You fought her on it but you knew exactly why Grace wanted her on that mission. “It was to give everyone else a chance,” you answered. “If I had gone alone, I would have torn through everything in my path.”

“You did.”

You looked up at Joey through tear filled eyes. “It would have been so much worse.” You looked back down in shame; you couldn’t stand the judgment coming off of Joey. “You alerted Grace, that allowed her to get to me in time before I could hurt innocent people. You being there also stalled me, the wolf only wants to hunt and focusing on the witches and then you kept the girls alive and Grace getting there stopped me from finding campers or who knows what else I could have come across.”

“So, I was just a distraction,” Joey scoffed.

“No, not exactly,” you quickly denied. “Grace always hoped that if I was around someone familiar when I was changed, that I would hesitate, that I might recognize them.”

“You don’t recognize people when you turn?”

You swallowed a lump and just shook your head. “I don’t remember anything after I shift. The last thing I remember before everything goes black is my bones breaking.”

You didn’t know why you didn’t remember. Every other werewolf you ever came across had control, they attacked who they wanted and left others alone, they had their human memories as a wolf and vice versa. You learned a few blacked out their first few shifts but you had yet to experience that.

“So, you know you don’t remember things and you left me completely defenseless,” Joey nodded along. “A heads up would have been nice, a way to stop you. I don’t know what kills a werewolf but-”

“Silver,” you cut her off. You looked over at her to see her eyes widen, as if she didn’t expect you to say that, or didn’t expect you to answer at all. “Anything made out of silver will hurt me.”

At that Joey furrowed her brow. “That knife,” she said slowly. “It wasn’t like mine; it wasn’t iron.”

You shook your head. “It was a precaution; I had hoped to use it to hold myself off.” You scoffed, “Lot of good that did.” You thought maybe having the knife would give Joey a better chance, but you never even got the chance to hand it off to her before the witches got you. “Silver will hold me off but a silver bullet right here,” you held a finger to your head. “Will kill me.”

“Is that how Grace restrained you?”

“Partly,” you nodded. “She had that trailer rigged in case anything like that happened.” Which it had happened more times than you cared to admit, but at least Grace’s invention was getting use. Despite the fact that it was literally meant to contain you, you had to admire the device, it was pure genius. “She avoided my head, but she did shoot me with silver bullets, then the trailer is metal, thick and strong enough for me to not instantly break through.”

“Meaning you can break through if you want?” Joey raised her eyebrows.

“Technically yes.” There were metals you couldn’t break through easily, like the cage downstairs but to use that for a trailer would make it too heavy and Grace needed to be able to drive you away, whether it be in the middle of the woods where you couldn’t hurt anyone or back home. “The spikes she shot me with,” you gestured to your shoulder where one of them hit you. “Are made of silver. Then once I was in the container, she released wolfsbane.”

“Wolfsbane?” Joey raised her eyebrows at that. “That’s also real?”

You couldn’t help but smile. There were so many movies and shows about werewolves, like vampires, one didn’t know what was real and what was pure fiction. There were a lot of weird things fiction brought into the werewolf curse but the two things they always seemed to get right were silver bullets and wolfsbane.

“It’s a plant but it can be spread through the air or mixed in with a liquid, there’s a lot of ways to get it in the system,” you said. “It won’t kill a werewolf, but it hurts like hell, it burns us.” You winced just thinking about all the times wolfsbane had been used on you.

“Why are you telling me all this?” Joey asked. Despite what you and Grace told her about her questions being answered she clearly didn’t believe that would actually happen or maybe she didn’t believe you would be so willing to tell her how to kill you.

“So, you know what to do next time,” you shrugged. “Even if you don’t continue working with us, it’s good to know what’s out there and how to stop it.” You let out a deep sigh, if Joey by chance wanted to continue working with you, you wanted to give her a chance to escape next time. You also knew what else was out there, the kind of wolves that existed, not many of them were as restrained as you.

“You’re literally telling me how to kill you,” Joey let out a disbelieving huff. “Who does that? You kept this secret from me the entire time and now you’re just willingly telling me how to kill you.”

“Because I hate what I am!” You snapped. You closed your eyes then clenched your fist and slowly unclenched them. “I don’t want to hurt you, or Grace, or anyone.” You opened your eyes again. When you looked at Joey this time, it was through tear filled eyes. “If it came down to it, I would rather be killed then have to hurt you or Grace or someone innocent. That’s not who I want to be.”

You gripped your knees tight. When you slowly release your knees you stared down at your hand, it was still human looking. You had been getting better at control, there were times you’d grip your knee or clench your fist so tight that your claws popped out and you usually didn’t notice until blood was running down your arm or leg.

“How long have you been like this?” Joey asked softly. You weren’t sure if she was being kinder because of your outburst, and she was worried you’d rip her throat out or if she actually cared about not upsetting you.

“I was bit two years ago,” you rasped out. Looking down at where the bite mark was, you had forgotten about until it was all over, that night flashed through your mind.

“That’s how it works?” You looked up to see a spark of curiosity in Joey’s eyes. She might have been pissed at you, but she still had that wonder about all this stuff. “A bite?”

You nodded. “Not sure how it all started,” you shrugged. “There’s families who are born into this, but then someone can also be turned by a bite.”

“H-how did it happen?”

You sucked in a breath. You knew the question was coming but you still weren’t ready for it. “That’s a long story.”

“I know you promised me answers, but if it’s too much to talk about, you don’t have to.”

The corner of your mouth twitched up, even after lying to her, Joey was still so understanding. “No,” you shook your head. “You deserve to know.” You let out a long sigh as you leaned back in the chair. “It’s not a pretty story.” You looked at Joey until she gave you a nod to continue. Just because it wasn’t easy for you to talk about didn’t mean it wasn’t hard for other people to hear. “Two years ago, I was on my way home when…”

You walked down the street like any other day. You had just got off a late shift at the bar and were making your way back to your crappy apartment. You shoved your hands in the pockets of your jacket, trying to keep them as warm as possible. You really needed to save up for a car, the New York winters weren’t doing you any good.

Someone came up behind you, throwing a bag over your head. You tried whipping around but you felt strong arms grab you and hold you in place. Your eyes darted around, even though you only saw darkness. You could hear the squeak of brakes as, what you assumed was some sort of vehicle, pull up to your left. There was a click, a door sliding open, and the next thing you knew you were tossed into the back of the vehicle. You crawled around, trying to find your footing when you heard the door slide shut and a second later a car door close.

You reached up and ripped the bag off your head only to be met with more darkness. You blinked, trying to get your eyes to adjust to the little bit of light coming from the little lights on the roof of the vehicle. You were definitely in a van of some sort, you looked back and saw nothing but a metal wall blocking you from the front seat, there wasn’t even a window to see the driver.

You whipped back around when you heard whimpering. You squinted and could just barely make out a group of two girls and two guys huddled in the corner. With a shaky finger one of the girls pointed to the other side of the van. You followed her finger to see a large man in all black and a mask covering everything but his eyes and mouth. He jerked his head to the side, telling you to huddle together with the others. You couldn’t see any weapons, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have any and there were at least two more people in the front seat, so you did as he asked.

The two girls gripped onto you, pulling you into the huddle as soon as you got within reach. You could feel the others trembling against you, or it might have been you, you weren’t quite sure. You weren’t sure what was going on, you had heard stories of human trafficking and people getting kidnapped, you just never thought it would be you. Something about this felt different though, they were wearing masks, but they weren’t worried about restraining any of you, maybe they were just that cocky or they were confident that none of you would fight back. You could only stare up at the man in the back with all of you, his body jostled from side to side as the van continued to speed down the street. All you could see was his dark eyes when they met yours, you held your breath, waiting for him to say something but he just smirked.

You weren’t sure how long all of you were in the car before it came to a stop, sending all of you flying forward into the far wall. You heard the man chuckle and through the pile of limbs you noticed him get up. He was just a giant shadowy figure towering over all of you, then someone opened the back doors of the van, and the man was illuminated in moonlight. The man walked backwards, not bothering to turn around until he hopped out of the van.

“Let’s go!” Another man shouted, slamming his fist on the side of the van. You and the others froze, you were sure ignoring the man was a bad idea, but you didn’t know what would happen if you didn’t listen to him. “Now!” He pounded the side of the van even harder.

You and the others scrambled to your feet, most of you needing to crouch down so you didn’t hit your head on the top of the van. All of you hopped out of the van single file, with you making sure to stick towards the middle of the group, you wanted to bring as little attention to yourself as possible. You kept your head down; you didn’t know what would happen if you began looking around or caught the eyes of one of the men around you. You tried to sneak a peek through your lashes though, you saw three men near the van, most likely the ones that grabbed you, then you saw more boots further to the side, though you couldn’t make out whether they belong to men or women.

You tensed when you heard the wheels of another vehicle approach, you took a risk and looked up, seeing an identical van come to a stop. Two men hopped out of the van and made their way to the back, where the man from the passenger side opened the back doors, allowing a third man to hop out. They did the same thing as the guys from your van, they banged on the side of the van and ordered everyone to get out. A few seconds later a group of another five people, one girl and four guys, hopped out of the van and stood in a single file line, each of them with their heads down. You could practically see them shaking from where you stood. There was now a total of ten of you, with six masked men standing around all of you.

“Everyone line up!” A man shouted. Everyone seemed to freeze at the same time, you weren’t sure if your two groups were supposed to line up together, technically you were lined up, unless they wanted a different type of line. “Now!”

You all quickly scrambled, forming a long single file line. You all kept your heads bowed as the men walked up and down on both sides of you. You held your breath when you heard the crunch of boots getting closer. You weren’t sure where you were, but you were standing on dirt, you tried glancing out of the side of your eyes at your surroundings, but everything was so dark, the only lights seemed to come from the vehicles.

“March!” The man ordered. This time none of you hesitated to get moving.

You all marched in single file, some people moved too quickly and stepped on the heel of the one in front of them. You weren’t sure where they were taking all of you but eventually you crossed over onto a grassy area. You strained your ears to try and decipher anything that might tell you where you were, but you heard nothing, not even bugs.

Everyone bumped into each other as the line slowly came to a stop. There was a loud groan, like a latch on a metal door being lifted, then there was the sound of a large metal door creaking open. “Move!” Someone from the back shouted. You assumed whoever it was shoved the person at the end of the line because the person behind you stumbled into you, making you stumble into the person in front of you.

All of you shuffled forward, eventually leaving the outdoors and entering some sort of building. You couldn’t tell what it was, there were no lights inside, but when you passed by the door you saw it was indeed a giant metal industrial style door. The door had a large latch that had to be lifted up to unlock the door, and there was nothing to open the door from the inside. You had never seen a door quite like that, you knew a door that only opened one way was always meant to keep something in, though you couldn’t imagine what they possibly wanted all of you for, that would make them want to lock you all up.

“Along the back wall!” A male voice echoed throughout the room.

Since there was no light you all stumbled forward until you hit a brick wall. You kept one hand on the wall, feeling the cold stone beneath your fingers as you turned around. You kept your head down even though it was dark, for some reason you thought they’d know if you looked at them. You heard several pairs of boots shuffling away from all of you, indicating the men were making their way out of the room. A second later there was a loud sound of the metal door slamming shut, and then the latch being flipped back into place, locking all ten of you in the cold dark room.

There was only the sound of everyone’s breathing for several minutes. It seemed as though all of you were afraid to move. You were pretty sure not a single one of the people who had taken you were in the room, but you didn’t know what would happen if you moved. You weren’t sure what game they were playing, why they wanted you or any of these other people. For all you knew there were cameras or listening devices in the room and as soon as any of you started trying to escape someone would come in and take and do who knows what to you.

“What the hell is this?” One of the guys asked.

“I-I-I-I was ju-jus-just wa-walk-walking ho-home,” one of the girls got out. You couldn’t see her, but it sounded like she was hyperventilating or close to a panic attack, not that you could blame her for that.

“Me too,” one of the other girls whispered.

“Same,” one of the guys spoke up.

“So, they grabbed all of us off the street?” the same man who asked the question spoke again.

“Seems that way.”

“What do they want? Who the fuck are these people?”

“I didn’t even know they were there until they tossed a bag over my head,” another man said.

“Same,” you finally rasped out. “Two men grabbed me, tossed a bag over my head, I didn’t see anything, I just heard the car roll up before they tossed me in.”

“Someone had to see something right?” another girl spoke up, sounding more hysterical than the first one. “We were picked off the street, there’s cameras, witnesses, something!”

“It was the middle of the night,” the first man replied not unkindly. “I don’t know about all of you but as far as I know there was no one around.”

Everyone remained silent, everyone seemed to have been in the same position, you knew it had been the same for you. The girl wasn’t wrong about cameras, there were traffic cams, store cams, ATMs, there was some form of camera all over the city. The only issue was that if no one knew any of you were missing, or no one knew where you last were, then there would be no reason to check the cameras. You highly doubted some store owner checked the cameras to his shop every morning, unless he had a reason to, and even if by some chance they did, they’d also have to care. People had a habit of remaining quiet when something happened, usually not wanting to get involved, or not wanting to put a target on their own back. In this case you honestly couldn’t blame anyone for not wanting to talk about a van rolling up and grabbing someone, the speed and way it happened told you it was definitely not the first time for these people, they were professionals.

“Well, someone will miss us, right?” the girl asked again. “Family? Friends? Someone will definitely notice when we don’t show up to work!”

You let out a humorless chuckle. “I have no one,” you said with a careless shrug. You had a job but even if you didn’t show up your boss would only be pissed about the inconvenience, he might leave an angry message but otherwise he’d write you off, fire you without giving your existence a second thought.

No one spoke up, no one tried to say their friends or families would look for them, it seemed everyone was in the same boat as you. All of you were taken the same way, all of you were people that no one would miss. You furrowed your brow, for the guys who grabbed you to know all that it meant they had to be watching all of you for some time. They had to know when and where each of you would be to plan this so perfectly. You let your head flop back against the stone wall and slid down to the floor, something this big, with this much planning and so many people involved, there was no way any of you were getting out of this.

“What if we attack them when they come back?” one of the guys asked. “We can work together and as soon as they open the door, we grab them!”

“What about the other five?” the first man asked.

“Not to mention all the others,” you added. “No idea how many, but there’s a lot more than the six who grabbed us.”

“There’s still ten of us!” the guy continued to try and be hopeful.

“And who knows how many of them there are!” the first guy snapped. “They’ve clearly planned this all out. We don’t know their numbers or what kind of weapons they have.”

“I didn’t see the guy in the back of the van with a weapon,” the man said weakly, still trying not to give up on his argument.

“That doesn’t mean he didn’t have one.”

“Or that others don’t have one,” you added. “They’ve clearly done this before; it would be way to risky to take this many people and not have a way to keep us in line.” Even if all of you made it out of the room you had no idea what awaited you on the outside. You didn’t get a good look, but you had to be out in the middle of nowhere or on a large patch of property. You didn’t know the area so odds were if you ran, you’d get lost, it would probably be easy for them to catch you all again, or take you out, they might just shoot you in the back as you tried to run away.

“So, what do we do?” the guy asked.

You and the man didn’t respond, there didn’t seem to be anything you could do besides wait and meet your fate. When no one answered it seemed to take all of the fight out of him because you heard someone plop down on the floor with sigh. Hope was the strongest thing one could have in this type of situation, hope of someone rescuing you, hope of surviving this, hope of getting out, but none of you wanted to provide hope. As much as you wanted to fight back, you wouldn’t just roll over and let them do what they wanted, but it was still hard to find any sliver of hope that you would get out of this. If you were being honest with yourself, your only hope was that your death would be quick.

You remained against the wall, your leg propped up and your arm resting over your knee, while the other leg was stretched out. Your eyes had adjusted to the dark as best as they could, but it still wasn’t like you could see anything. Everyone had shuffled around the room, it sounded like someone was feeling around the walls, hoping for some sort of weakness, two of the girls were huddled together to the left of you and were sobbing as quietly as they could. You turned your head, when you felt someone slide down the wall and sit next to you, even though you couldn’t make out any sort of features on the person.

“Hey,” the guy said, and you recognized him as the one who first spoke up. “Are you the person who actually agreed with me?”

You huffed out a laugh. “Yeah,” you replied. None of you could see each other, you barely knew what anyone looked like. The only way to identify each at the moment was based on each other’s voice, and not everyone had spoken, there were still two guys who had yet to speak.

“My name’s Cody.”

You weren’t sure why he was telling you; you didn’t believe any of you would be alive long enough to warrant knowing each other’s names. “Y/N,” you told him anyway.

“What’s your take on all this?”

You let out a deep sigh as you gave it some thought, not that you hadn’t been trying to figure that exact thing out since they first grabbed you. “I have no idea,” you shrugged. “At first I thought maybe human trafficking.”

“It doesn’t feel like that.” Cody seemed to be thinking as he said that, he wasn’t trying to dismiss your thought, he just wasn’t sure he agreed with it. “I’m not sure I can explain why.”

“I know what you mean.” You let your head flop back against the wall again, you weren’t sure why, but you didn’t think the people who grabbed you would be coming back to transport you all again, you had a feeling that whatever was going to happen to all of you would be done here.

“Clearly they’ve been watching us,” you whispered, even though the room was empty, and you knew the others could hear your entire conversation. “There’s a reason they grabbed us, they didn’t pick us at random.”

“But?” he asked, clearly already sensing you weren’t done yet.

“But it also doesn’t seem like they care who they grabbed. They grabbed both men and women, but not an even number.” You furrowed your brow, there was ten of you and you’d normally think if they were kidnapping both men and women that they’d want an even number of each but that’s not the case, the number of men was higher than the number of women.

“Maybe that’s not what’s important to them. Maybe the most important part is people who won’t be missed.

“Then that makes what they’re planning even more concerning.”

Cody sucked in a breath, seeming to understand what you meant. They didn’t care about gender, that didn’t play any importance in their plan, that just meant the same thing was going to happen to all of you. That didn’t do anything to ease your worries, that only made them worse. You weren’t sure if the guys were going to come in an take you out one by one, take you out in pairs. Or do something to the entire group of you, there were endless possibilities of horrors they could put you all through.

“Whatever happens,” Cody whispered. “We need to stick together.”

You weren’t sure if Cody actually had some sort of hope that you guys could make it out of this or not. The way he spoke to the other guy made it seem like he knew fighting back would be pointless, but this kind of comment made it seem like he thought there was a fighting chance. Even if there was no chance, even if you all faced what was surely a guaranteed death, at least sticking together would mean you might not die alone, and maybe it would mean making things a little more difficult for your captors, which even if you did die would definitely be worth it.

Everyone fell silent after that. Sobs eventually died down, whether it was because they passed out or because they were finally gathering themselves you didn’t know. The guy who had been looking for away out kicked and pounded on the door, screaming in frustration until finally slumping to the floor, seeming to realize there truly was no way out. You weren’t sure how long all of you had been in there, no one ever came to check on you, no one ever came to drop off food or water, for all you knew it would be days before anyone ever came back. Eventually you found it hard to keep your eyes open and you fell into a restless sleep.

You shot awake, your eyes darting around trying to make out anything but only seeing darkness. “Hey, hey,” Cody said, his hand coming over to rest on your shoulder. “You fell asleep.”

You let your head flop back against the wall and you closed your eyes as you let out a shaky breath. You had hoped everything had been a horrible nightmare, but it wasn’t, you were still locked away in some mysterious dark building. You didn’t open your eyes again until your heart no longer felt like it was about to beat out of your chest.

“Did I miss anything?” you rasped out. You cleared your throat; you couldn’t tell how much time had passed exactly but your dry throat told you it had been several hours.

“Nope,” Cody sighed.

All of you continued to sit in the dark, occasionally the sound of someone shuffling around could be heard but no one tried to find a way to escape again. You and Cody sat in silence for the most part, some of the others had whispered conversations but you didn’t see the point. There was no use in getting to know each other when you didn’t know what was going to happen, you didn’t want to build connections with these people, for all you knew this was some weird fight club and you’d be forced to fight and kill each other. That was doubtful in your mind but still, there was a chance something would happen, and you might have to choose between yourself and one of the others, or maybe they’d make you choose who lived and who died between the others, you had no idea what these people planned.

The sound of the latch being lifted had all of you perking up. You straightened your back but didn’t pull yourself back up to your feet again. You held your breath as you waited to see who would walk through the door, but no one did. There was a groan as the door swung open slightly, just enough to show it was open, but no one came through. It was dark outside, but a small bit of moonlight was enough to let a bit of light in the room.

You and Cody, both pulled yourselves back to your feet and glanced at each other. You each had the same suspicious look in your eyes, not quite sure if you should move and what would be awaiting you if you stepped outside. You finally got a good look at Cody, he hadn’t been one of the guys in your van, he had been in the second one. He looked about your age, his hair was dirty blond, he was in a blue t-shirt and jeans, each of which were rather dirty, and his boots were caked in dried mud. Cody definitely looked like he did manual labor, most likely working in construction of some sort.

“This could be our only chance,” the guy who kept trying to convince you all to fight back said. He ran to the door but turned around when he realized no one else had moved. “Come on!” he gestured with his arm.

“We don’t know what’s waiting for us,” Cody said.

“So, we should just sit here and wait to die?” you looked at Cody and saw the way his eyebrows knitted together. Cody seemed just as conflicted as you, if you stayed you were just giving up, waiting to let them do whatever they wanted but if you ran, it was an unknown, who knew what they’d do to you then, it could be so much worse. “Whatever,” the man scoffed. “I’m not sitting here to wait to die.” And with that he pushed the door open the rest of the way and took off out into the night.

You stepped forward and Cody instantly grabbed your arm. You looked back to see the worry in his eyes. You raised your hand, silently asking him to give you a minute, you could see the internal struggle behind his eyes but eventually he, although reluctantly, let go of your arm. You inched forward towards the door; you could feel everyone’s eyes on you as they waited to see what would happen.

You finally came to the threshold and couldn’t bring yourself to cross it yet. You peeked your head out the door and saw nothing and no one. You furrowed your brow, you could see the man still running at full speed towards the woods, but no one was chasing after him.

“What do you see?” one of the other guys whispered.

“Nothing,” you answered, shaking your head. “It’s just a giant open field and it looks like woods surrounding us.”

“I’m out of here,” he said and pushed past you and took off towards the woods.

You opened your mouth, but nothing came out before the other three guys pushed past you, taking off after the others. You looked back to see Cody had stepped forward a bit, but he still seemed cautious about leaving the room. One of the girls stood up and made her way to the middle of the room. “What are we waiting for?” she asked. “This is our chance!” when none of you moved, she just rolled her eyes and ran out the door as well.

You looked back to the two other girls, seeing one curled in a ball in the corner of the room, while the other stood on her feet, trying to get the other girl to stand as well. The other girl tried to coax the girl to get up as softly as she could, but the girl just sobbed and shook her head, curling in on herself even more. The girl eventually let go of the other one and took a few steps away, shaking her head as she made her way out of the room as well.

“What are you thinking?” you asked Cody.

Cody shook his head as he stared out the open door. “Something about this doesn’t feel right.”

“Agreed.” Someone clearly opened the door, they wanted all of you to run, but you couldn’t figure out why. You weren’t sure why someone would kidnap ten people only to just let them go. “But we can’t stay here.”

Cody gripped at his hair and groaned. He eventually nodded, seeming to reluctantly agree with you. “We can’t just leave her,” he pointed at the girl still in the corner.

You opened your mouth, but Cody was already crouching down next to the girl. He was whispering comforting words to her, trying everything to get her to stand up. It seemed futile though, the girl wouldn’t budge, she wouldn’t so much as look at any of you. It was harsh but you needed to leave her, you couldn’t stick around waiting for them to come and pick you off, all because you didn’t want to leave some girl you didn’t even know.

“We can come back for her,” you suggested. Cody looked up at you with a furrowed brow, clearly not liking the idea of leaving the girl here. “If she doesn’t want to come, we can’t do anything.” You were really jus trying to be practical, even if Cody wanted to carry the girl it would only slow the two of you down. “We can’t do any good if we don’t save ourselves first.” You didn’t lie, if you somehow managed to make it out alive, you would come back for the girl, you would send help, but you weren’t about to stand there and die for someone you didn’t know.

Cody slowly got up and reluctantly nodded as he joined your side. You grabbed Cody by the arm and pulled him through the door, he didn’t take his eyes off the girl the entire time. When the cool air hit you both Cody finally turned around. “Everyone took off that way,” you said, pointing towards the right where the woods were.

“Where the hell are we?” Cody asked.

The two of you stepped away from the box and spun in a circle. A box was the only way to describe what you were kept in; it was literally a giant box made out of stone and metal. There were no windows or ventilation of any kind, if you were all left in there, after a few days you would have all surely suffocated. There was nothing else around, there was a patch of dirt that you had all been standing on when you first arrived, but the rest of the area was just a large grassy field. There wasn’t even an actual dirt path the vehicles drove on, just tire tracks from them driving the same path over and over again.

Both of your heads snapped back towards the woods when you heard a howl echo throughout the air. Your eyes widened, you had never seen a wolf in the wild before but that was most definitely a wolf, though it sounded larger than you expected. A few seconds later a screamed ripped through the air, making your entire body shudder. You didn’t know who the scream belonged to, but you knew it was a man’s scream.

“We need to go,” you said. You weren’t sure why, but every fiber of your body was telling you to run. “We need to go now!” you took off to the woods and only looked back once to see Cody was following your lead.

As the two of you ran for the woods you heard several more howls begin to echo throughout. You weren’t sure where any of them were coming from, it sounded like they were surrounding you, yet nowhere near you. As soon as you hit the woods you came to a stop, every direction looked the same, you weren’t sure how far you were from civilization to begin with. You jumped back, Cody and you grabbing onto each other when you heard a girl’s scream pierce the air next.

“What the hell is going on?” you whispered. You hadn’t seen any of your captors, but you had a feeling this is exactly what they planned.

“Let’s just keep moving,” Cody said.

It was clear he was trying to come off as confident, but you could see the way he was shaking. You nodded and the two of you began making your way through the woods. Unlike the previous night it was now a full moon and lit your surroundings as well as it could, but there were still too many obstacles that prevented the two of you from taking off and running again.

You heard another girl scream, but this time it came from behind you. You and Cody both looked back in the direction you had come, each of your eyes widened when you realized there was only one person in that direction. Cody didn’t hesitate to take back off the way you had just come. “Wait!” you called after him, but nothing seemed to be stopping him. You looked in the direction you had been going and then back to Cody’s disappearing figure, you groaned, internally slapping yourself before turning and taking off after Cody.

You quickly caught up to Cody before he broke through the woods. The two of you slowed down as you approached the box again, the screaming had died down, but you could hear snarling and growling coming from the inside. When you got close enough you could see a large black wolf chomping down on something in the corner. You brought a hand to your mouth when you noticed the pool of blood now coating the floor and the human hand at the wolf’s side.

You must have made some sort of noise because the wolfs head snapped back and glowing yellow eyes were now staring back at you. You stepped back, nearly tripping as you realized it wasn’t a normal wolf at all, it turned around on all fours, but you could see that the creature definitely wasn’t just a wolf. It lunged for you, but Cody slammed the door on it. He kept his back pressed to the door, putting all his weight on it as he tried to keep it closed. Cody’s eyes widened as his feet began to slide and claws slowly started to inch their way out of the door. You shook yourself out of your shock and ran towards Cody, slamming your body into the door. The monster let out a whine as it pulled its claws back in and you and Cody flipped the latch, locking the creature inside.

“What the fuck was that?” you shouted, gesturing at the box. You jumped back when the entire box shook as the monster began throwing itself at the walls and growling.

“Who fucking cares,” Cody said. “We need to go!” He grabbed your arm and the two of you took off back towards the woods. This time neither of you slowed down when you hit the woods, you just kept running, jumping over logs and rocks as they appeared in your path, and ignoring the way the branches smacked you.

There were two more screams just like the others and if they met the same fate as the girl that meant there was only one more girl left and two more guys, plus you and Cody. Your numbers were quickly dwindling, and you were pretty sure you and Cody were the only ones paired up. You weren’t sure if the creature you locked in the box was the only one out there or if there were more, you also weren’t ready to admit to yourself what it was, all you knew was that it wasn’t a normal wolf.

You and Cody kept running until your foot got caught on a branch, sending you tumbling to the ground. You groaned as you pushed yourself up, but your eyes widened when you were met with the face of one of the girls. You scrambled back and snapped your head back when you felt a boot but quickly relaxed when you saw it was only Cody. Cody reached down and helped you back to your feet, neither of your eyes ever leaving the body.

“What the fuck,” Cody whispered. “She was torn apart.” You shook your head, the girls’ lifeless eyes stared up at you, the rest of her was ripped to shreds, her entire stomach look like it had been clawed open and her rib cage was practically ripped in half.

“You think this is from the same one?” you whispered. Almost as soon as the question left your lips you heard another howl, then another, and another, as if they were communicating.

You let out a shaky breath as tears filled your eyes. “They’re hunting us,” you whispered. Cody shook his head as if denying your claim, but he still couldn’t form the words to actually argue against it. You didn’t say it outright, but you implied that the people who captured you were these monsters, and they brought you out here to hunt you down. Which was insane, monsters weren’t real, the Wolfman, all of that, it was just fiction.

“We need to keep moving,” Cody whispered.

You nodded even though you honestly didn’t see the point. You trapped one in the box, but that was only because it was already in there. You weren’t sure how many of these things were out there, you had no weapons, there was no way you could outrun a normal wolf so you highly doubted you would be able to outrun one of these things.

“Come on,” Cody said, and gently led you over the body.

The two of you took of through the woods again, not as fast as you had been moving before but much more careful than previously. You tried to ignore the howls as you ran through the woods, none of them sounded close but for all you knew they were waiting and watching for the perfect time to attack the two of you.

Cody suddenly stopped, making you run into him. You furrowed your brow until you heard a branch crack, making you freeze. Cody scanned one side while you scanned the other, each of you holding your breath. Not even the insects were making a sound, you were just waiting to catch the glimmer of yellow eyes before you saw razor sharp teeth lunging at you again. There was another crack and then more, whatever was coming at you was coming fast. You and Cody both turned when you could determine the direction the sound was coming from only to see one of the guy stumbling out of the woods.

You both jumped back, it was the guy that ran out the door first. He was panting and covered in dirt and blood, you weren’t sure if the blood was his own or someone else’s. He looked around until his eyes landed on the two of you, there were tears streaming down his face. “It killed them,” he sobbed.

“Who?” Cody asked.

“The-the girl,” he pointed off in the direction he had come from, that meant all the girls were dead. “And two of the others,” he shook his head. That meant that there was at least one man still out there, you, Cody, and the man in front of you. You weren’t sure if the guy you heard scream was part of the one’s the man mentioned or if that had been two other men. “It-it just tore them apart.”

“What did?” the man was looking around frantically; you weren’t sure he had even heard Cody’s question. “Hey,” Cody grasped the man by the shoulders and forced him to look at him. “What was it?”

The man was still shaking, and tears were still streaming down his face as he stared right into Cody’s eyes. “Werewolves,” he whispered.

Cody let go of the man, giving him a forceful shove away. “Bullshit.” The man stumbled back but remained upright. “Those aren’t real!”

You stumbled back, grabbing Cody by the arm to pull him with you. Your eyes widened and stared above the man’s head when you saw a large grey wolf standing on his hindlegs as it towered over him. The man choked on a silent sob, seeming to already know what was behind him before he turned around. You and Cody could deny it all you wanted but there was no arguing that standing before you was a werewolf, there was nothing else it could be, despite how insane it sounded.

The werewolf swiped its large claws at the man. The man stumbled slightly as he slowly turned to face the two of you again. He brought a hand to his neck, and you could see blood gushing between his fingers. He opened his mouth trying to speak but nothing came out, nothing needed to though, you could see the word he was trying to form, ‘run’ that was all it seemed Cody needed to grab you by the arm and yank you off in another direction. You looked back over your shoulder to see the werewolf swipe up, impaling its claws through the man’s back before lifting him high in the air. The werewolf let out a monstrous roar and you turned back around, unable to watched what happened next.

As the two of you took off through the woods you heard another scream from a man, not too far away from you. The two of you slid to a stop, the scream came from just in front of you. You tugged on Cody’s arm to drag him to the right, you needed to keep moving, you already knew what awaited you if you continued forward. If your math was right, then you and Cody were most likely the only ones left. There was a small probability of one other guy was still out there, but for all you knew he was already dead, and if he wasn’t dead yet, it was only a matter of time before one of the wolves caught up to him.

The two of you continued to run until you broke through the woods. You slowly came to a stop, furrowing your brow at your surroundings, it was different than where you were previously. There was still a large patch of land but in the center of it was, what you could only describe as, a giant mansion. There was a paved driveway that led to the house, making a giant circle out front and to the right was a giant four car garage. There were no gates or walls around the mansion, it was completely open, and then surrounding the area was woods. It seemed the driveway led to the only road out of this place. You wanted nothing more than to run the entire way, but you knew if you didn’t get a car or weapons of some sort, the two of you would never make it.

You heard more howling, making the two of you turn back to the woods, it sounded like the monsters were all off, still trying to hunt you down, they probably didn’t know the two of you had reached their home. “Let’s go,” Cody said, nodding at the house.

The two of you took off across the lawn as quickly and quietly as you could. You tiptoed up the front steps, you and Cody shared a look before Cody rested his hand on the door handle and gently pushed it open. It was unlocked, meaning they certainly didn’t expect anyone to make it to their home. Cody slipped into the house first with you right behind him, you quietly closed the door as soon as you entered.

You strained your ears, listening for any sort of movement in the house but heard none. The house was gigantic though, so you knew you’d have to be careful, you weren’t sure how many of these people there were still. You followed Cody as he creeped forward, gently pushing open the door to the left before peeking his head in. He looked back at you and gave a small nod, indicating it was all clear.

The two of you moved through the house, checking each room before entering them. You hadn’t run into anyone yet and still had yet to hear a sound. Besides the werewolves hunting you outside, this seemed like a relatively normal mansion, well, as normal as a mansion could be. You finally pushed open the door to what appeared to be an office. Your eyes widened at the large oak desk centered at the back of the room, there were two oak chairs in front of it, then in the middle of the room was an oak coffee table, accompanied by two oak sofa’s, each of the chairs and sofas had matching lush red cushions, and everything looked hand carved.

“Hey, over here,” Cody whispered as he made his way towards one of the cabinets in the room. He tried to open the doors, but they didn’t budge, he groaned as he began searching the surrounding area for what you assumed was a key.

You started to make your way towards Cody when something above the desk caught your eye. You walked past Cody and made your way around the desk. You sucked in a breath as you stared up at the painting hanging on the wall. “Hey, help me look for a key,” Cody said. You were only partially aware of him beside you as he began opening the drawers of the desk. “What’s wrong?” he finally stood up and you could feel his presence behind you.

You were staring at a hand painted family portrait. If you counted right, there were fifteen people in the portrait. Several men and several women, standing side by side in matching outfits. Most of the men were large, anyone of them could have been the ones to grab you off the street. Your eyes landed on one man in the middle of the back row. You pointed your finger at him, as it tried to click in your brain as to how to recognized him.

“That’s the man,” you said. You looked at Cody who scrunched his eyebrows together before looking back at the painting. “He was the one in the back of the van.”

“Are you sure?” Cody asked hesitantly. “You said they were wearing mask.”

“He was but yes.” You turned to face Cody, absolutely confident that that was the man from the van. “He’s got the same stupid smirk,” you flicked a glare at the portrait.

“So, what,” Cody’s furrowed brow only deepened. “This is like some family bullshit? They kidnap us then hunt us down? Like, some weird sort of cult?”

“Like a pack,” you whispered, your eyes widening in realization. You didn’t know how everyone in the portrait was related but based on what you’d already seen tonight, you would say this wasn’t just some psycho family, it was a pack of werewolves, who seemed to like to hunt for their prey under the full moon.

“This is insane!” Cody shook his head.

“I know! But I got nothing else, do you?” Cody just closed his eyes, unable to come up with a better argument.

“There’s weapons over there,” he pointed at the cabinet he was trying to get into before. You looked over to see a large wooden case that had several types of guns and various other weapons locked behind it. “We need a key.”

You nodded and turned to help Cody continue digging through the desk. Eventually you found a small metal key taped under one of the drawers of the desk. You handed it to Cody, giving him a hopeful look. If the key didn’t work you would need to find another way to get the cabinet open, there was no way you’d survive without any weapons. Cody rushed over to the cabinet and after jiggling the key in the lock a few times there was finally a click.

You ran over to the cabinet, swinging both doors open so the both of you could look at everything together. You grabbed one of the shotguns and a box of shells. “Do you know how to use that?” Cody asked.

You opened your mouth then shook your head. “Never really been into guns or hunting,” you admitted.

“Here,” Cody took the shot gun from you. He opened it up and held out his hand and you dropped two shells into his palm. He placed the shells into the barrel of the gun and then flipped it up, snapping it back into place. He pumped the bottom part of the gun; you weren’t sure on the technical name, but you knew from movies that doing that meant as soon as you pulled the trigger the gun would fire. “It’s got two shots,” he handed you back the gun. “Then you’d need to reload. You nodded and slipped the box of shells into your pocket.

“Will any of this even work?” you looked at Cody. He grabbed one of the magazines and placed it into a handgun; after giving it a quick check he slipped it into his waistband. “It’s all we have.” He grabbed another handgun, doing the same thing but this time he handed it to you. You looked down at it before copying Cody’s move and slipped it into your waistband.

Cody pulled open one of the drawers and revealed several types of knives. You each grabbed a large hunting knife and another smaller one you could slip into your pocket. You opened another drawer, and your eyes widened as grenades lined the drawer. You looked at Cody who had the same look as you, you each grabbed a few grenades, and the stuff needed to strap them to your bodies.

Your head snapped up when you heard the creak of a floorboard. You both froze and heard nothing for a second until the floor creaked again. Cody held a finger to his lips and pointed at the door to the right of you. You inched towards the door with Cody following behind, neither of you taking your eyes off the door to the office. You turned the doorknob, flinched at the quiet squeak it made but sounded loud as it echoed throughout the otherwise quiet mansion.

You pushed open the door as quietly as possible and backed into the room. As soon as you turned around your eyes went wide. You stumbled forward when you felt Cody bump into you as he made his way into the room as well. You could hear him suck in a breath, telling you he was seeing the same thing you were. The entire room off the office was filled with werewolf stuff.

The two of you stepped further into the room that seemed to show the history of werewolves, or at the very least this family. There were paintings of various werewolves, none of which looked like the two you saw earlier, based on the clothing of who they were killing they looked older, possibly this family’s ancestors. Each of the paintings involved a werewolf standing over someone, based on the weapons strewn on the ground they were most likely a hunter. There was also a bookcase lining one of the walls and it was stuffed with, not books, but what appeared to be leatherbound journals.

Cody made a noise, making you turn around, he waved you over to a large table in the middle of the room. You furrowed your brow as you joined his side, looking down at the table when you got close enough. Your eyes widened, the table had a large map pinned down, it seemed to be the layout of the land, there was a red dot that you assumed represented the house you were currently in, then surrounding the house, as expected, was nothing but woods, then there was a large patch of land with a small yellow dot, which you assumed represented the box.

You found the driveway and ran your finger down the path, trailing it through the woods, then eventually finally hitting a road, which you followed down until you hit what looked to be a main road. You let out a scoff and shook your head, you were literally miles from civilization, you had to get onto a small two-lane road, then turn down a one lane path that led through the woods, then you would finally hit the driveway that led up to the house. You really need to find a car to get out of there otherwise the two of you would be walking for hours.

You felt Cody brush your shoulder and you looked to see him sliding photos and documents across the table. You scrunched your eyebrows together, they weren’t just any normal photos, they were photos of you, and everyone else that they had grabbed. The photos were taken from far away, like they just snapped the picture while you were walking down the street or coming out of a store. You noticed there was a single page document on each of you, each of the papers said the same things, some basic details about where to find each of you, what your patterns were, and that none of you had any family.

You shook your head and walked away from the table, needing a minute to process everything. It was one thing to suspect how well they planned everything; it was another to see all their plans and researched laid out on a table in front of you. You ended up making your way over to one of the walls that had the largest painting of a werewolf, it was standing tall, it had dark grey fur, its arms rested at its side, but the black claws glinted in the moonlight, and its glowing yellow eyes stared down at you, with the moon being partially blocked by the beast standing so tall. Unlike the other paintings this one didn’t have any bodies around the werewolf, it was just the creature itself, standing tall and imposing.

You noticed a little golden plaque at the bottom of the painting. The plaque had the name ‘Edward Whalen’ etched into it. Underneath the name plaque was another one, this one was slightly bigger and has an inscription on it as well. You bent down to get a better view, your eyes scanned over it and learned Edward was a rather infamous werewolf a long time ago, he was the original leader of this pack, known to be the biggest and strongest of all the wolves. As you read on you learned Edward was slain by a hunter, who used a spear to kill him.

You looked down at the case and noticed a painting of the man who seemed to be the hunter. There was a knife and a few other items that looked like they would have belonged to that period of time. You looked to the right where there was another display case, this one talked about how the rest of the pack hunted down the hunter and killed him. You nodded, those were definitely his actual items in the other case. You looked up to see there was a large spear mounted to the wall next to the painting of Edward, the little gold plaque under it confirmed it was the spear the hunter had used to kill Edward.

“We need to get out of here,” Cody whispered. You nodded and followed Cody to a door you hoped led back out into the hall and not to another room.

You held your breath as you turned the doorknob and waited, listening for any sort of movement. You hadn’t heard anything since the floors creaked, you figured that was just the house settling, it was old, those types of homes made noises all the time. When you heard nothing you both slipped into the hall, staying back-to-back as you check both ends, making sure it was all clear. The two of you slowly made your way down the hall towards the other end of the mansion where you knew the garage was located. You both froze as you passed the main entry when you heard a howl. You waited and listened, it still seemed like the wolves were out in the woods.

You continued to make your way through the mansion, eventually getting to the garage. You opened the door, your eyes widened, as it was in fact, filled with four vehicles. The two vans all of you had been tossed in weren’t there, you weren’t sure where they kept those. The garage was filled with two large SUV’s and two large trucks.

“Which one?” you asked.

Cody shrugged and pointed to one of the trucks. While Cody dug through the little key box on the wall to search for the correct key set you ran around to the passenger side. As soon as Cody unlocked the truck, you hopped in, and Cody jumped in the driver’s seat a few seconds later. He hit the garage door button and began backing up before it was up all the way.

Cody whipped the truck around and began speeding down the driveway. Before you could hit the edge of the woods a large brown werewolf dropped down in front of you. Cody jerked the wheel, making the truck swerve, trying to avoid the werewolf. It was no use though, the werewolf jumped onto the hood, and smashed it’s clawed hand through the windshield. You pushed yourself against the door, trying to avoid the claws and smacked around for your knife until your hands finally wrapped around the hilt. You stabbed the knife through the creature’s palm, making it let out a pained howl. Cody jerked the wheel back and forth, trying to regain control until you slammed into a tree, pinning the werewolf between the truck and tree.

The werewolf arched its back, letting out another howl. Cody slammed his foot down on the gas, pushing the werewolf harder against the tree. “Gun!” he shouted.

You struggled but you lifted the shotgun and stuck it out of the newly shatter windshield, aiming it right at the creature’s head. You pulled the trigger, the kickback making you groan as it pushed you back against the seat. The werewolf’s head snapped back, both of you held your breath as you watched the blood and chunks of fur drop down onto the hood. The werewolf slowly lowered it’s head, acting as if half its face wasn’t blown off by the blast, and then then it let out a growl right in your faces. You raised the gun again and fired at his head once again. Its head snapped back again but it slowly lowered it and showed all its teeth as it snarled.

“Go!” Cody shouted, already opening his door as he bailed out of the car. You followed his lead, running around the truck as you reloaded the shotgun just as Cody showed you. The two of you could only stand there as the werewolf gripped both sides of the truck, its claws digging into the metal as it began to push the vehicle away. Your eyes widened; it was slowly rolling back, but it was only a matter of time before the werewolf was free, then two of you would be dead.

Cody raised his gun and began firing at the gas tank on the car. You saw a few bullets go into the car but only gasoline poured out, nothing caught on fire. “Fuck!” Cody said.

A large grey werewolf jumped into the bed of the truck. Both of you stumbled back, your eyes now on the newcomer. All of them probably heard the howls of the one pinned, it was only a matter of time before they all showed up. The grey wolf looked to the one pinned and you could swear its eyes darkened as it slowly turned its head towards the two of you and let out a snarl.

You reached around and grabbed one of the grenades strapped to you. You looked down at it, pulled the pin and threw it. The grenade landed in the bed, making the werewolf look down. A second later the grenade blew, the reaction causing the back of the truck to explode, the bit of gas that leaked onto the ground catching fire. The grey werewolf caught fire and was slashing around its claws, trying to put itself out. Almost instantly the fire traveled to the front of the truck and blew up, setting the wolf that was pinned on fire as well.

The two of you could only stand there as you watched the truck along with two werewolves burn. The one pinned to the tree eventually slumped forward and the one in the bed fell forward out of the truck. Both of them were left unmoving in burning heaping lumps of flesh. You felt Cody grabbing at you and you turned and ran back into the house where the garage door was still open.

As soon as you got back inside Cody closed the garage door again. You furrowed your brow; you figured you were just going to grab another vehicle. “We’ll never make it,” Cody said. “Not with them still out there,” he pointed towards the outside. “We need to kill them.”

You let out a humorless chuckle. “Did you not see what it took to kill those two?” you asked. “I shot one in the face, twice!”

“And fire worked!”

“There’s at least thirteen left.” Cody furrowed his brow, you just shrugged. There were fifteen people in the family portrait and now two of the werewolves were dead, assuming there weren’t others in the pack and the entire family was out there tonight that meant there were thirteen left. “How can we possibly kill all of them?”

“We need a big explosion.” Cody looked up; his mind looked like it was running a mile a minute as his eyes darted around the garage. “There!” he pointed to a few gas cannisters. “We can pour this around the house, then light it up and…” he made an exploding motion with his hands.

You nodded, blowing up the entire house with them inside would certainly work. At the very least it might weaken them enough that a shot gun to the head would kill them. “That only works if they’re all in the house,” you pointed out.

Cody nodded. “They had to have heard all that,” he gestured towards the outside again. “It’s only a matter of time before they come running.”

You nodded and the two of you got to work, knowing you wouldn’t have much time. You each took two gas cannisters and began walking towards the door. The doorknob started to move as soon as you approached it. You dropped the cannisters and slammed your body into the door, closing it on whoever was on the other side. You stayed like that for a moment, tilting your head as you listened for movement on the other side.

A hard forced slammed into the door pushing it open. You gritted your teeth as you pushed back trying to keep the beast at bay. You screamed at you felt something sharp pierce your side, you looked down to see your shirt torn and blood already beginning to soak through. You didn’t have time to dwell on it though because on the other side of you a claws had burst through the door. You saw Cody flinch, raising his hand to block the woodchips flying at him. You saw Cody’s eyes widen before you felt something sharp stab you in the shoulder.

You were pulled through the door and dragged through the hall. “No!” you heard Cody scream as you were dragged further away from him.

You kicked your feet trying to catch yourself on something. You tried punching back at the beast, but it only made it dig its teeth into you further. You reached down and felt the hilt of the smaller knife you had grabbed earlier. You brought the knife up, stabbing blindly until you heard the creature let out a whine, finally releasing its hold on you.

The wolf was whipping its head around and then suddenly an axe came down, slicing right through the top of the creature’s head. Blood gushed from the wound, dripping down on to you. You felt a hand grab you and yank you back to your feet. You saw Cody looking at you with concerned eyes. You jumped when you heard something flop to the ground, you looked down to see the werewolf dead, an axe sticking out of its head. You then noticed you had stabbed the knife right through its eye, you bent down and pulled it out, swiping the blood on your jeans.

“Oh god,” Cody whispered. You turned to see him looking you over. You let out a hiss when his finger brushed over the wound on your shoulder. “Sorry.” You looked over to see blood was now soaking through your shirt over your shoulder and through the tears you could see the puncture marks of where it dug its teeth into. “Are you okay?”

You looked up, meeting Cody’s eyes. You could feel your hair sticking to your forehead and your body suddenly felt much more exhausted than a moment ago. “I’m fine,” you brushed it off. “Let’s end this.”

Cody looked at you for a moment then reluctantly nodded. You followed him back to the garage and picked up your cannisters again. “I’ll take the upstairs,” Cody nodded to the staircase.

You nodded and picked up your cannister and began pouring. You started at the garage and made your way down the hallway. You made sure to open the rooms you passed and pour some gasoline in there as well, though you didn’t enter the rooms all the way. When you got to the staircase you saw them already soaked with gas. You looked up at the balcony to see Cody making his way down the hall.

“Hey,” Cody whispered. “Look for a lighter.”

You nodded and continued on your way down the hall. You sat the can down when you got to the kitchen. You had already ransacked the office, so you knew there was no lighter there, the only other logical place would be the kitchen. You entered the kitchen, slightly taken aback by how large it was, there was a dining room with a large wood table off to the left of it. You shook your head and began digging around until you finally came up with a lighter.

You smirked to yourself as you twirled the lighter around on your finger. When you looked up you were met with glowing yellow eyes staring back at you through the window. You dropped to the floor just as its arm shot through the window, shattering the glass. You flipped open the cabinet under the sink and dug through it until you found a cleaning spray. You slid to the side and stood up, you raised the spray can and pressed the top, spraying the werewolf in the face. It shook its head, but you raised the lighter, clicking it a few times until a flame appeared, instantly igniting the spray and creating a small flamethrower.

The werewolf backed away from the window, clawing at it’s face but you knew that wasn’t enough to kill it, it wasn’t even enough to catch it on fire. You didn’t waste time as you ran over and opened the oven. You turned the knobs on the stove, making sure to turn everything on but not ignite the gas. You then hit the button to start heating up the oven even though the door was open. You dug around through the drawers again and pulled out all the silverware you could get your hands around, you shoved it all in the microwave and shoved the cleaning spray in there as well and slammed the door shut.

The door that led outside burst open and the werewolf stomped in, standing on its hindlegs. You hit the popcorn button and ducked down, barely catching sight of the werewolf snapping its head in your direction. The werewolf stomped around the island, and you ducked out of the way, making your way out the door. You looked back to see the werewolf look at the microwave just as it began to spark and make a popping sound. You slammed the door shut and took cover. A second later there was a loud explosion and a howl of pain. What followed was another bigger explosion that blew the door apart, sending wood pieces raining down on you.

You pushed yourself off the floor and peaked your head back in the kitchen, seeing everything charred black, small fires still going on the wood surfaces, and a werewolf laying dead and burnt on the ground. You picked up the gasoline cannister again, silently thankful the explosion wasn’t big enough to ignite what you had already poured.

You made your way into the office and actually poured a trail of gas all around the room. You dumped some on the desk and tossed some on the family portrait. You then made your way into the history or trophy room and poured more gas all around the room. You made sure to toss gas on each and every single one of the paintings and a good amount on the table with the map and all the files on you and the others.

You stopped at the display with the spear one last time. You weren’t sure why, but you ripped the spear off the wall. You figured if the spear was actually used to kill a werewolf before then it would surely work again. You poured the remainer of the gas out as you entered the hallway again. You dropped the cannister when you heard Cody scream.

You ran to the entryway and saw Cody on the balcony with a large werewolf standing over him. The werewolf raised its paw and swiped Cody across the chest, making him let out another yell.

“Hey!” you called out, but the werewolf didn’t even look at you. You reached for the handgun Cody gave you and fired, aiming for any part of the werewolf you could hit.

The werewolf whipped it’s head around and glared down at you. It seemed to forget about Cody as it stood up on two legs and launched itself over the railing. You fell to the ground as the creature landed on top of you, dropping the spear in the process. You turned your head as the wolf roared in your face. You pinched your eyes shut, preparing for the tearing of your flesh to begin but it never came.

You slowly turned your head and opened your eyes to see the werewolf still above you, tilting its head as it stared down at you. You let out a shaky breath as the creature raised its paw and gently pulled back your collar with its claw. The werewolf leaned forward and took a good whiff. You weren’t sure why it hadn’t killed you yet, you searched its face, it opened its mouth in what you could only describe as a smile.

You fumbled around until you could wiggle the shot gun out from under you and slide it around to your front. You raised the shot gun up, pressing it under the werewolf’s head. It looked down at you, so the barrel of the gun was directly under its chin. You stared into its yellow eyes and pulled the trigger, sending chunks of werewolf raining down on you. Its body slumped to the side and your grip on the shotgun only tightened. You looked over to see it was in fact dead. You guessed that at such a close range the werewolf couldn’t survive having its head half blown off. You wiggled out from underneath the creature the rest of the way and grabbed the spear.

You whipped around when you heard Cody stumbling down the stairs. You caught him, wrapping an arm around his waist and one of his around your shoulder so he didn’t collapse. “We’re not done yet,” Cody said through gritted teeth. “Down there,” he pointed to one of the doors.

“Let me,” you said. “You’re too weak.”

Cody shook his head. “I’m fine.” He stumbled as he moved away from you and let out a long groan as he picked up his second cannister. He shuffled on his feet towards the door and opened it, revealing a staircase that descended down into the dark.

You rolled your eyes as you went and grabbed your second cannister. You knew there would be no arguing with Cody, you would just have to make sure he didn’t bleed out. You followed him down the stairs into the darkness, making sure to pour the gasoline as you made your descent. As soon as your feet his the ground you brought a hand to your nose, even the gasoline wasn’t strong enough to cover up the wretched scent that was the entire basement.

There were flickering lights lighting the way as you pour gasoline behind you. You bumped into Cody when he suddenly came to a stop. You turned around, your eyes widening at the sight of cages lining one side of the room. You weren’t sure how you didn’t hear them before but there were five wolves, each of them locked in a cage. They were pacing back and forth, snarling and snapping at you and Cody.

“Keep going,” you said, nodding at Cody.

He got to moving and you each poured more gasoline, making sure to toss some into the cells, watching as the locked-up werewolves flinched away and growled at the intrusion. You weren’t sure what made these werewolves different, why they were locked up if the others got to roam free. Assuming these five were part of the same family, you began counting in your head, by your math there were only five werewolves still running around somewhere.

A large force hit you, sending you flying back. You coughed as it knocked the wind out of you. You pushed yourself up on your forearms to see a large werewolf standing in front of you. “Hey!” Cody shouted and fired his shotgun at the back of the monster’s head.

The werewolf smacked its arm back, not even looking as it hit Cody, sending him flying into a brick wall. Cody slumped to the ground, his shotgun falling to his side. You had just begun to pull yourself to your feet when the werewolf turned around and dug its claws into Cody’s gut. Cody tried to let out a scream, but it was more of a cough as he began to gag and spit up blood.

“No!” you yelled. You didn’t even think as your grip around the spear tightened and you ran to Cody. You jumped, raising the spear high and shoved it through the werewolf back, impaling it through the heart, and coming out the other side.

The werewolves in the cells began to howl and throw themselves at the bars of their cages as the werewolf slumped forward. You dropped down next to Cody, pressing your hands to his wounds to try and stop the bleeding. Cody coughed again, spitting up more blood.

“You need to go,” Cody rasped out.

“No,” you said, shaking your head. “I’m not leaving you.”

Cody’s bloody hand dropped onto yours, making you look up at him. “I’m done.” Tears filled your eyes, and you shook your head, this couldn’t be the end, you almost made it, the two of you needed to make it out. “I can at least do this.” You furrowed your brow then you looked down when you felt his hand move, you followed his hand as he reached for a grenade.

“No,” you reached up, covering his hand holding the grenade.

“You have to go.” He blinked his eyes a few times, you could see how hard he was fighting to stay conscious. “This has to be worth it.” You buried your head in his chest and shook your head, this was exactly why you didn’t want to care about the others. “I’ll buy you as much time as I can.”

You looked up at Cody one more time before pulling away. “I’m sorry,” you whispered.

“Go,” he ordered, getting weaker with each breath. As soon as you started backing away, he pulled the pin from the grenade but didn’t let go of it, he couldn’t risk it blowing until you were out, and the remaining wolves were in the house. “Hey!” he yelled with a burst of energy. “I’m down here!” he lifted his handgun with his other hand, despite all the shaking he fired a few rounds, hitting one of the wolves in the cell, making them cry out.

You wiped your tears on your sleeve as you realized what he was doing. You ran across the room and hid on the side of the wall when you heard the pounding of something big running down the stairs. You pressed yourself against the wall as you watched one wolf run into the basement, then another, then another, then another. Four. There were now four wolves in the basement, the last ones left. You looked back just as Cody pointed his gun at the incoming wolves, firing more rounds, even though he knew it wouldn’t stop them.

You took the opportunity, knowing Cody was buying you as much time as he could to run up the stairs. You heard an explosion just as you reached the top of the stairs, you didn’t look back, you could feel the heat of the flames as the fire quickly spread. You burst out the front door, not bothering to close it behind you. You barely got away from the house before a bigger explosion happened, the force of it sending you flying further away from the house and into the grass.

You stumbled as you stood up again, watching as the entire mansion was ablaze. You could hear the cries of the remaining werewolves as they slowly burned alive. You reached for your wounded shoulder, not even flinching when your fingers brushed over where the wound should be. You pulled your collar down to see the bite mark was still there but had completely healed. Your eyes widened and you lifted your shirt, only to see the gash that you had gotten was also healed. You shook your head and turned away from the burning house, you couldn’t think about what this could possibly mean as you began your long walk down the driveway.

“Eventually I stumbled upon a gas station,” you said, blinking away the tears that had started to fall during your story. “There was a bathroom around back and used it to clean myself up. Jumped in the back of a pickup as it left the station.”

You looked over to see Joey nodding, seeming to process your story. “That’s how you became…” she said but unable to finish her sentence.

You nodded. “Tried to pretend everything was fine, acted like everything was normal, and it was normal, for about a month, until…”

“The full moon.”

You nodded. “I had no idea what was happening to me. I was walking home from work when…”

You stumbled out of the bar. You had gotten a job at a different place because even though you were only gone twenty-four hours, as you had suspected, your boss had replaced you. You didn’t know what was wrong as you gripped the edge of a dumpster, you felt like you were burning up and you had been irritable all day. Customers were always jerks but for some reason you seemed to have a short fuse today.

There was a pounding in your head, making you bring a hand to it, trying to ease the ache. You pulled your hand away when you felt something sharp scratch your scalp. Your eyes widened when you held your hand out and you saw claws where your fingernails should be. You pulled away from the dumpster when you saw that hand looked the exact same. You shook your head and ran down the alley.

“No, no, no,” you mumbled to yourself. “This can’t be happening.” You tripped as you tried to cross the road, your ankle snapping in a direction it wasn’t meant to go.

You pushed your way forward, dragging your broken angle with you as more of your bones snapped. You eventually made it to the closest bit of woods you could find and collapsed to your knees. You pressed your palms into the ground, your eyes watching as your claws dug into the dirt. “No!” your growled out, your back arching as it snapped, forcing you to look up directly at the full moon.

The werewolf that stood over you played through your mind, it had peeled back your shirt, it saw the bite healed, it knew. You had been bitten and now you were one of them. Tears streamed down your face as more of your bones broke and reformed until everything went black.

You groaned as you rolled over, slowly opening your eyes only to raise a hand to block the sun shining down on you. You were squinting as you tried to get your eyes to adjust, the last thing you remembered was leaving work. You looked down and scrunched your eyebrows at the sight of leaves and twigs under you. You brought a hand to your head, trying to remember what happened. Bones breaking flashed through your mind, you jolted backwards when you remembered your hands having claws.

You raised your hands to see they were back to normal, but they were covered in blood. You looked down, seeing the rest of your body was stained with dried blood. You shook your head as tears filled your eyes, you had hurt someone, you became one of those monsters and hurt someone. You collapsed forward, pressing your forehead into the ground as your fingers dug into the back of your head, you just wanted to wake up from this nightmare.

You froze when you heard the sound of a shotgun. You held your breath as you felt the barrel of the gun rest against the back of your head. You slowly lifted your head and came face to face with the barrel of the gun. Past the gun was a blonde woman, wearing jeans and a leather jacket, her eyes were unforgiving and trained on you.

“Please,” you whispered. Tears continued to fall from your eyes as you leaned forward, putting your forehead directly against the gun. “Please,” you pleaded as your body shook with sobs. You didn’t know who this woman was, but you wanted her to pull the trigger, you deserved it, you couldn’t live like this, you couldn’t hurt people like the monsters who hurt you. “Please.”

“That was Grace,” Joey concluded. You nodded, neither of you talked about that day but it never left your mind, you would never forget begging Grace to end it all. “But she didn’t shoot.”

You shook your head again, wiping away one of the tears that had started to fall. “Said she saw something in me,” you said with a little shrug. You still weren’t sure what made Grace save you, she had no reason to. She came across a monster covered in blood, and she should have put a bullet in their head, but she didn’t. “She took me in and said she’d help me.”

“And you’ve been with her ever since.”

You nodded. “I owe Grace everything,” you looked over at Joey. “She saved me.”

You suddenly stood up, wiping your eyes as you refused to look at Joey again. “Now you know,” you looked down at the floor. “That’s my story.” Joey still hadn’t said anything, and you weren’t sure you wanted her to, you weren’t sure you could handle whatever she had to say. “I’ll send Grace in; she can take you home.” You knew there was no way Joey would want to be alone in a car with you ever again.

You made your way across the room and rested your hand on the entryway as you glanced back, but not enough to actually look at Joey. “I understand you probably never want to see me again,” you cleared your throat, you couldn’t breakdown again. “But it was an honor working with you, anyone would be lucky to have you as an employee or a partner.” You quickly left the room, not waiting to see if she’d respond as you went to get Grace.

Taglist: @thinking1bee @so-to-aqui-pelas-fic @alexkolax @thatshyboy1998 @chxrry-lov3

@bella423 @morganismspam23 @pianogirl2121

#joey abigail #joey (abigail)#ana lucia cruz #ana lucia cruz abigail #joey (abigail) x reader #ana lucia cruz x reader #ana lucia cruz (joey)#melissa barrera #abigail movie #abigail 2024 #a beacon in the dark

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aethon-recs · 10 months ago

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This Week in Tomarrymort (20 – 27 September 2024)

A lot of really amazing updates this week — I have so much reading to catch up on this weekend! Thank you to the talented, hard-working authors in this ship for their lovely contributions and amazing updates for us to feast on!

As with last week, please feel free to add some extra context to your fic update in the reblog, like a little bit about the chapter(s) updated. For this format of weekly list, there’s no space to add a summary or extra info about the fics (or else it’d be like 8 pages long), so I’ll rely on the authors to share a bit more about their updates, if you’re so inclined! 🤍

A recap of the author notes from last week:

These Fragments We've Shored by @rowena-rain (M, 23k, WIP) “This week on These Fragments We've Shored: Harry mental-gymnastics his way into trying the Stone again. You know, just in case it brings back someone besides Voldemort this time.” The Dinner by @moontearpensfic (T, 3k, complete) “A crack treated seriously soulmark AU! Voldemort takes second-year Harry to meet his parents--Grindeldore a;lskjfasdf. Awkward family dynamics ensue over the course of dinner and dessert.” Saint Harry by @alenablack @chaos-bear (E, 26k, WIP) “The moment Harry is struck by the killing curse, it’s not death that awaits him, but ascension. A story of faith, obsession, and the burden of divinity.” Dream a little dream (of me) by @cenedrariva (E, 13k, WIP) “Starts off with newly resurrected Voldemort suffering frequent migraines as a result of Harry's nightmares. He quickly discovers the best way to prevent the migraines is to turn the nightmares into good dreams, and in the process realises Harry is a fascinating and entertaining person. In an ideal world Voldemort would have made him a favoured Death Eater. Such a waste that Harry's destined to die!” Liquida Tenebris (Remastered) by @dymis (E, 499k, WIP) “Harry falls in love with Scarcrux (Standard). They share control of one body and are so smitten it's practically sickening; however ||SPOILERS|| the Dark Lord also carries Harry's sentient Horcrux (Not standard). Harrycrux--Crux for short--is the antithesis of Scarcrux, and I love him so much, your honour; he's an uncontrollable animal with dubious life goals.”

Tomarrymort Ongoing Fics and One Shots

Chapter 58 of No Glory by @obsidianpen

Chapter 13 of the stars, my destination by @milkandmoon-ao3

Chapters 12 and 13 of Sits the wind in that quarter by @mosiva

Chapter 8 of Ills of Murder by @shadow-of-the-eclipse

Chapter 22 of Paved With the Best Intentions by @perhaps-sunlight

Chapter 21 of What In Me Is Dark, Illumine by @telelli-writes

Chapters 124 and 125 of Liquida Tenebris (Remastered) by @dymis

Chapter 13 of Just Business by @holaolla1

Chapters 33 through 38 of Terrible, But Great by @isalisewrites

Chapter 35 of Part One - The Solitude of Suffering by @iseliljathedreamer

Chapter 3 of Forbidden Darkness by @neurowriter14

Chapters 9 and 10 of Saint Harry by @alenablack @chaos-bear

Chapter 1 of unfinished stories by @betweendisorders

Chapter 24 of would that i'd loved (long ago) by @sprst1tion

Chapter 2 of War Prize by @duplicitywrites @moontearpensfic

Chapter 4 of Fetters of the Damned by @sc0rpiflow3r

Chapter 2 of Memories of a Killer by @chemfreak89

Chapter 18 of Learning to love by @l-archiduchesse

Part 3 of I need you to live well by @onehitpleb

Chapter 5 of Hole in the Wall by tomrddle

Chapter 9 of A Snake in the Grass by @teaandsweaters9

Chapter 3 of Dream a little dream (of me) by @cenedrariva

Chapter 1 of Touch of Death by @moontearpensfic

Chapter 3 of doublethink by confunded

Chapter 6 of midnight train by @girl-with-goats

One Shot | The Challenge by Disrespectful_Chinchilla

#tomarry #tomarrymort #harrymort #tomarrymort recs #aethon recs #tomarry recs #ao3 recs #fanfic recs #hp fic recs #harrymort recs #tomarry weekly #this week in tomarrymort

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scariusaquarius · 6 months ago

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rehab. 14.

Avenger! Bucky Barnes x Winter Soldier! Fem! Reader

A/n: Last chapter was pretty hard. Poor peter :(( and poor Bucky!! Let's hope we can get through to the soldier soon. Also, if you enjoy my work, please consider buying me a coffee! If you would prefer to read Rehab on Archive, you may do so right HERE!

Author: ScariusAquarius

rehab masterlist. chapter 10 / chapter 11 / chapter 12 /chapter 13

Tony Stark had never thought himself as a completely terrible person. He was a genius; a philanthropist with a humanitarian mindset; a scientist...and he could still make mistakes. Hell, Tony did it all the time with Pepper, with the Avengers, with Ultron and Sokovia. He was just bad at executing his good intentions.

Tony wasn't sure if he could say the same about his dad.

Although Tony adored his parents and his father was his biggest inspiration when he was young, Tony didn't remember a time where it wasn't hard to impress his father or to satisfy him. Howard had expected a lot of Tony, even when he first started showing a higher intellect than normal children had.

His mother had been the opposite. Tony could say that his relationship was a thousand times better with his mother, but Tony had deduced long ago that being her only son, it was expected of her to be doting and to spoil him however she could.

For a long time, Tony resented his father. He resented how hard he was on him, he resented how much pressure Howard put on him, he resented his fathers alcoholism that followed Tony later in life, and he hated that he never got to hear his father say he was proud of him until years after his death.

'What is, and always will be, my greatest creation... is you.'

For almost all his life, Tony hadn't ever heard his father say that he loved him. Honestly, if Tony had to think about it, he'd say that his father hated him with how he remembered his childhood.

And then he found the tapes, heard his father's voice, and everything came crashing down all over again. He was instantly reminded of what had happened to his parents, how he never even got to say goodbye, and Tony was just goddamn angry.

When he saw Bucky Barnes for the first time after finding out that he was the one who killed his parents, he had wanted to return the favor. It was the first time that Tony had ever wanted to actually kill someone besides Aldritch Killian, and that was a whole other can of worms Tony really didn't want to think about.

He still had nightmares about Pepper falling from his grasp that fateful night.

Now, Tony was being faced with his father's work all over again. Granted, there wasn't any way that Howard knew what was going happen until it was too late, but it bothered Tony ever since he learned about Project Rebirth and his dad's involvement and how he still went on to make more serums.

Tony was a genius, but he didn't understand a single damn thing about why his father did what he did. There just wasn't a clear explanation.

And Tony felt haunted by it.

He had seen the recorded memories the woman had; had seen the horrible things HYDRA had done to her; could still hear her pained wails as they cut her open and sewed her back up just to do it all over again.

Almost as a act of self-harm, Tony had forced himself to sit and watch every single minute of every single clip, stewing and horrified and becoming enraged by not just her experiences, the organization, or the nightmares that came after seeing the clips...Tony became enraged and confused at his father all over again.

He remembered Robert (L/n) and how much he didn't like the man. He never seemed happy and always had a mean sneer on his mustached face as if he was never satisfied with any work he did with Howard.

While Tony's father regarded Robert with high respects, the knowledge that Robert had been using him all along made Tony wonder that if he had said anything to his father about how sketchy Robert was, would his parents still be here today?

Would he be tinkering in the lab with his dad and making the flying cars Howard had aspired to make? Would his mother still make her delicious apple pie that she baked for special occasions? Would JARVIS still be here?

There were so many what if's that plagued Tony's mind, and irrationally, he wanted to blame the soldier as well. While Tony knew that she wasn't at fault and was a victim of her own father's sick agenda, it was almost easy to equate her to Bucky.

He still wasn't over it, and that's why being in the goddamn cold sucked ass.

While his suit was equipped with heaters that let him keep warm, it didn't take away from the difficulty of being able to see through the snow that was accumulating on his face.

Vision didn't seem to have a problem, seeing as his body was completely synthetic so he wasn't really able to feel temperature (or really much of anything), it almost made Tony jealous.

Hell, Bruce Banner being in the quinjet above them made him jealous.

"Tell me why I have to be outside like this again? I feel like I'm being singled out here."

Banner's voice came over the intercom, a slightly annoyed tone in his voice as he replied.

"Tony, if you say something about the cold again, I'm turning around and leaving."

"I'm just saying that it might be more considerate to let me inside and let Vision handle it from out here."

"Mr. Stark, if I may interject?"

Tony just huffed, and Vision added as he flew next to him, completely ignoring everything Tony had just said to instead shift the focus of the conversation.

"If we are able to locate Mr. Rollins, what is it that you intend to do with him? Given the history that Mr. Barnes has with HYDRA, would it be wise to bring this criminal back to Wakanda?"

Tony was torn. While he knew the risks of bringing Rollins to Wakanda, there was a darker and jaded part of his brain that didn't even care what Barnes would do. Hell, if anything, Tony hoped that (Y/n) would kill the man.

But as an Avenger, Tony couldn't exactly voice that. Glancing at Vision, Tony replied nonchalantly.

"Well, I can't say I'd exactly stop Barnes from playing a deadly game of Twister with the jackass, but I'm not gonna say that I'm condoning it...even if I am."

Vision pursed his lips slightly, a look of confusion spreading across his face as he glanced down at the ground below them with a thoughtful expression.

"I must admit that I am still learning the human behavioral patterns and the data streams of human emotion...so I am puzzled at why Mr. Barnes feels so strongly about this situation...let alone Steven Rogers."

Before Tony could respond with a snide remark, Bruce replied with a thoughtful explanation, stating with an understanding tone of voice.

"Well, if you look through Barnes' files, you'll understand the pattern and begin to know the why. Barnes was also a victim of HYDRA, theoretically either longer than this woman has been...possibly for the same length of time."

As Banner began to explain, Vision's eyes seemed to be lighting up with understanding as he listened.

"For a long time, and even now, he's been dealing with the thoughts and memories of his time with HYDRA. Hell, even to this day, he's still remembering and uncovering those dark times. It's one thing to be the one to experience these traumatic experiences...and it's another to be on the outside looking in. It's all about perspective, Vision."

Vision was quiet for a moment before he asked, making Tony and Banner fall into a state of surprise and stupor.

"Do you think he seeks to amend the wrongs he has done by willingly rehabilitating this woman? Despite the fact that it was Steven Rogers who suggested the idea, it wouldn't be entirely invalid to believe that Mr. Barnes is taking this opportunity to rectify his own experiences, let alone Ms. (L/n)'s."

Banner was the first to speak, Tony too deep into his thoughts to be able to give a good answer to Vision.

"Well, we don't really know that for sure. The only way to know would be to ask him, and I'm not sure that even he knows the answer. I think what is important is that he is willing to do so despite the traumatic experiences he also went through. It's better to have a friend...or to be one in a time of need."

"Thank you for your input, Dr. Banner. It is incredibly helpful."

Banner acknowledged him, and Tony took a deep breath, saying with mock relief.

"Thank, god. Great existential talk, everyone. I'm glad that we have all come to the understanding that Barnes is mentally ill, which was kinda already a given."

Although Tony couldn't see Banner's face, he knew the man was rolling his eyes at him, and FRIDAY's voice popped up, making Tony give his undivided attention to the AI.

"Mr. Stark, the HYDRA base is just up ahead. I am not detecting any activity. However, the base seems to be protected by the same type of energy shield that was used in Strucker's research facility located in Sokovia."

Tony hummed, shrugging slightly.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to knock on the front door like last time."

"You know, Tony, I have this really nagging feeling that it's not a good idea to knock on the front door."

Tony then deactivated his thrusters to begin falling down a large crevice within the Ross Ice Shelf that was emitting the signal of the energy shield, saluting Banner as he did so.

"Well, guess we'll just have to see. Let's just hope the service is like it was in Germany!"

"Tony!"

As he dropped into the crevice, it didn't take very long to see the ingenuity of the architecture and structural genius that went into ensuring a secret base. To Tony, it seemed as though the whole ice shelf was being held together by intricately-designed industrial ice anchors that were drilled and cabled together.

Despite the immensely inconspicuous location of the base, there didn't seem to be a single soul in sight. There were no lights on, no heat signatures, nothing. It was dead, cold, and barren.

It made Tony become suspicious and on edge.

"Mr. Stark, I'm not sensing any life inside of this facility."

"Yeah, I'm getting nothing on my sensors either. Banner, you see anything from up there?'

Banner was stressed, stating as the sound of the quinjet flying overhead reverbed down the Shelf and made Tony's spine tingle.

"Nada. It's completely dead up here as well."

Tony muttered, shaking his head slightly.

"That's never a good sign. Let's get in here and see what we've got. There might be something of importance. FRIDAY, where are the generators?"

"There are no traditional generators within the facility. This facility specifically functioned with hydropower. If you are able to get the hydroelectric system running again, you should be able to regain power."

Vision looked to Tony, nodding to him before phasing through the floor below.

"I will get that started for you."

Tony nodded, and he turned on a spotlight, looking around the facility. There was a good layer of ice and frost covering the inside of the facility; papers frozen in time; a HYDRA flag frozen mid-wave, and Tony had to admit: it was a bit spooky. As he looked around, he was startled by Pepper's ringtone echoing into his ear, and he took a deep breath as he answered.

"You have amazing timing, Pep, I was just thinking about how amazing this one place would be for a vacation."

Pepper Pott's voice was amused as she responded, Tony's racing heart calming just the slightest as he listened to her voice.

"Given how the last vacation went, I think I'm good. So, I followed up on that guy, Robert (L/n), like you asked, and I think I might have found something."

The lights in the facility suddenly kicked on, and Vision phased back into the room through the floor; not a spec of water on his body. Tony put Pepper on speaker as he removed his mask, his nose immediately becoming cold as he looked around the desolated facility.

"That sounds promising. What'd you find?"

"So, after Steve went under the ice, Robert left Stark Industries shortly afterwards and just kind of fell off the face of the earth. I asked myself 'why would a renowned scientist suddenly disappear unless he was secretly a bad guy'? So, I asked Shuri to send me the files that she had copied from the CIA, and it seems that around the time that (Y/n) became active, the CIA began their own super soldier project."

Tony frowned immediately, his eyes darting around as the gears within his head began to turn.

"Conveniently right after she became a part of the agency?"

Pepper hummed in agreement before she added.

"Not only that, but it seems that her and the current Director might have known each other at some point."

Tony paused, glancing down at a file that was frozen against one of the desks, and he frowned deeply. At the top was the name Project Achilles, and though the file was completely frozen and unable to be accessed without damaging it, Tony carefully pried the file off of the desk. Vision came to stand beside Tony, stating.

"The computers have sustained intensive damage due to the frost and ice that has accumulated within the consoles over time. I can attempt to search through the drives, but they might be beyond repair."

"If we can extract the floppy discs and dry them off as fast as possible before the moisture can damage them, then we'll be all set."

Vision hummed to himself, looking down at the consoles before his fingers phased through the plastic and metal. After a few moments, the sound of ice gently cracking and breaking echoed around them, and Vision was able to extract a floppy disc from the frozen console. Gazing at Tony, he stated.

"The casing sustained a bit of damage, but it is relatively unharmed."

Tony immediately grabbed it, stating.

"FRIDAY, you got hot air?"

"Yes, Mr. Stark."

As his gauntlet began to blast hot air at the floppy, rapidly drying it, Pepper's voice came through again.

"Shuri also told me that (Y/n) had a meltdown."

Tony immediately became anxious, his tone becoming furious as he asked.

"Is Peter alright? She didn't hurt him, did she? I shouldn't have trusted Barnes to keep him safe. I'm heading back right now."

"Hold on, Tony, you didn't even let me finish."

Tony pursed his lips, his brow furrowed deeply as he became quiet.

"Bucky was trying to get through to her and tried to show her the file, and she just seemed to start panicking and lashed out. Peter is completely unharmed, and Shuri told me that he's been watching over (Y/n) since the incident. Barnes needed to take a break for a while."

Tony felt a huge wave of relief go through him, and he sighed after a moment, his eyes closed and internally counting his breaths. Pepper continued after a moment of letting Tony breathe.

"Shuri sent the clip over."

A hologram showed up, the camera feed of the incident playing, and he was expressionless as he watched Barnes attempt to get through to the soldier. He could tell, however, that the woman was anxious and becoming agitated; especially when she gripped Bucky by his throat.

While the sight was alarming, Tony was as alarmed until he watched as (Y/n) began to cry.

"I don't understand. I...I....I'm malfunctioning...my programming is flawed. I...I need to be recalibrated...reprogrammed. I don't want to remember."

There was a feeling of apprehension filling Tony's body as he watched as Peter tried to make contact and ask about her family. When she threw the table at Peter, an undeniable feeling of defensiveness came over him, his chest tightening, and Tony clenched his jaw.

After a few more minutes of interaction, Tony could tell that she was starting to become too panicked. She wasn't thinking clearly; wasn't remembering details that were just spoken, and she was becoming scared.

Because of this, she finally lashed out, trying to attack Bucky but was restrained by said man. The screams and wails were horrific, and when she began to seemingly beg, Tony wasn't even sure if he wanted to read the translation that FRIDAY provided for him.

"Мне очень жаль. Прости, Кулак ГИДРЫ! Пожалуйста, не делайте мне больно. Я буду слушаться!"

I'm so sorry. I'm sorry, Fist of HYDRA. Please don't hurt me. I'll obey.

Tony clenched his hand, and Tony had finally had enough. He wasn't completely angry with Bucky, but he couldn't help to be. Tony understood that it was irrational to turn his anger towards the man, but all Tony could think about was his parents.

But as he watched Bucky's face turn into one of haunted horror, an expression and feeling that Tony knew all-too-well, Tony couldn't bring himself to be angry. He was just as much of a victim of HYDRA just like his parents. It wasn't Barnes' complete fault. It was just easy to blame him.

He watched as the horrified man left the lab, Peter running after him before coming back inside and carefully placing a chair next to (Y/n)'s sleeping body and looking over her with the saddest eyes Tony had ever seen Peter have.

Well, except for when Tony grounded him from the suit. That was a pretty rough day.

"Shuri told me that Peter hasn't left her side since Bucky ran off, and she's going to be upping the dose of the anesthetics in the mean-time. The stress of the situation caused a slight swelling at the site of the surgery, so Shuri wants her to stay sedated until then. She specifically stated that she doesn't want to put her back into cryostasis because it won't allow the wound to heal; it'll just freeze."

Tony nodded and he replied softly.

"Thanks, Pep, you did a great job today. I still think we should definitely get on a plane to Cancun or something once I leave Wakanda."

"We'll see about it. Love you, Tony."

Tony closed his eyes, comforted by the words, and he didn't hesitate to respond.

"I love you 3000. See you soon."

The line cut, and Tony handed the dry floppy disk to Vision and then clapped his hands.

"Alright. Let's scope the facility a bit more, gather anything else of significance, and get the hell out of here. I don't know how much more of this freezing cold my balls can take."

"W-What? I thought your suit was heated."

Banner's disgusted and confused voice sounded off, and Tony sighed.

"It only does so much before it gets uncomfortable. Alright? Do you want sweaty balls? Didn't think so."

Banner just sighed once more before asking.

"Can we just get this over with and go home?"

Tony nodded before he waved a finger in the area.

"Alright. Pack it up, everyone."

As Vision and Tony left the facility after extensively searching through everything and they both piled into the quinjet, Tony sat in a corner mostly to himself, staring down at the floppy disc within his hand. There was going to be something on this; something big, and Tony could feel it. He could feel the weight of the drive within his hand, and he could only hope that whatever information that was on this drive would be enough to finally get rid of HYDRA once and for all.

That his father and mother, and Tony's rage, could finally rest.

STORY NOTES: Tony Stark reflects on the type of people his parents were. He reflects on how hard his father was to impress, how his father was incredibly pressuring towards Tony, even from a young age. He remembers how his mother, Maria Stark, had been the opposite of Howard and how doting and loving she was while growing up. Tony then reflects on his internal struggle of his resentment towards his father and the struggle to please him. He reflects on how much he resented Howard for his tough love, the crippling pressure, and Howard's struggle with alcoholism. He particularly remembers that not once had he heard his father tell him that he was proud and that he liked him.

Tony then reflects on Bucky Barnes and the anger and hatred he had felt for him for murdering his parents, how he had wanted to return the favor. Tony mentally remarks that despite being a genius, he still doesn't understand why Howard was apart of such a serious project like Project Rebirth and why he went on to create more serums. Tony reflects on how he had forced himself to sit and watch through every single memory of (Y/n)'s that had been recorded, watching the horrific things that HYDRA had done to her, and he becomes angry with his father all over again.

He then goes on to think about Robert (L/n) and how he didn't like the man growing up. He remembers how weird the man seemed to be, and Tony wonders that if he had said anything to Howard about how weird the man was, if it would have changed anything that had happened afterwards. He wants to blame the soldier as well, but he finds it hard to do so completely as Tony understands that she is a victim as well.

Outside of Tony's mind, he, Vision, and Bruce Banner are currently on the way to the Ross Ice Shelf in the Antarctic where the supposed HYDRA facility is located. While Bruce and Tony bicker, Vision begins to ask questions about Jack Rollins and what is the intention behind finding him. He makes a remark that with Bucky's intense history with HYDRA as well, Vision does not know if it would be wise to bring Jack to Wakanda.

Tony doesn't confirm nor deny that he would stop Barnes from hurting Jack Rollins if they are able to locate him, and Vision goes onto remark that he doesn't understand why Bucky and Steve feel so strongly about the situation itself. Before Tony can answer, Banner begins to explain to Vision that Bucky was also a victim of HYDRA, though they aren't certain for how much longer in comparison to the woman.

Banner goes on to tell Vision that Bucky is still suffering from the trauma of his time in HYDRA, and is even still remembering more things to this day. He makes sure to point out to Vision that being in the situation and being on the outside-looking-in are two completely different perspectives, and that can be difficult to digest. Vision then asks if Banner and Tony think that Bucky is trying to seek redemption for the wrongs he had done as the Winter Soldier in rehabilitating the woman, and Banner replies that he doesn't know and isn't sure if Bucky knows either.

After arriving at the HYDRA base located deep within the ice shelf, Tony is on edge due to the highly-inconspicuous location being barren of people. The whole base seems to be frozen in time, and when Vision goes to get the hydroelectric generators running, Pepper Potts calls Tony. She goes on to tell Tony that after Steve had gone into the ice, Robert had left Stark Industries and seemingly disappeared. However, after (Y/n) joined the CIA, the CIA began to work on their own super soldier project. Pepper also mentions that (Y/n) and the Director seemed to have known each other before she became a Winter Soldier.

Tony finds a file that is called Project Achilles, and although the file is completely frozen shut, he carefully pries it from the desk. Vision tells Tony that the computer consoles are all too damaged to be functional, but he can attempt to save whatever he can from the hard drives. Tony refutes and tells Vision that if they can retrieve the floppy discs without damaging them, they should be able to extract the data that way. Once Vision recovers a disc, Tony begins to dry it out while Pepper tells Tony that (Y/n) had a meltdown.

Tony begins to become anxious, worrying heavily over Peter's safety, and Pepper tells Tony to calm down and let her explain further. She goes on about how Bucky was trying to get through to her and show her the files they recovered of her, and she began to lash out. Pepper tells Tony that Shuri has sent the clip of the incident, and Tony watches it intensely. During the height of the incident, FRIDAY provides live translations of (Y/n)'s cries, and Tony reflects on his parents once more. He becomes enraged with Barnes again, but tells himself that Barnes is just as much of a victim as his parents were. After searching through the facility more, the three Avengers leave. End scene.

TRANSLATIONS:

Provided in chapter.

TAGLIST: @tilldeathripsusapart @vicmc624 @mgchaser @aash3 @samfunko @seventeen-x @valckenaux @babybeeelle @sc4rrc @cjand10 @bane-y-zane

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crescent003 · 6 months ago

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Behind the Mask: A Family's Promise

Behind the Mask: A Family's Promise Master list

Squid Game Master list

Chap 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Chapter Five: The Return of the Babysitters in Red

“Alright, listen up,” your husband said, pacing in front of the group of guards like a drill sergeant. Ji-ah, nestled in his arms, babbled nonsense, completely unaware of the sheer fear she struck into the hearts of these grown men. “You did okay last time. No casualties, no permanent trauma—good start. But this time? I expect excellence.”

One of the guards, the youngest, raised a hand. “Uh, sir, respectfully—why are we babysitting again?”

“Because my wife and I need a night off,” your husband said firmly. “And because Ji-ah likes you idiots.”

The group exchanged glances. It was true. Ever since their last encounter, the guards had become weirdly attached to the baby. Some of them had even started carrying little trinkets for her—tiny stuffed animals, makeshift toys, even a pacifier they found somewhere (they refused to say where).

Ji-ah let out a happy squeal, reaching toward the oldest guard, who immediately abandoned all sense of authority and reached for her like a grandfather greeting his favorite grandchild.

“…Fine,” he grumbled, cradling her gently. “But if she starts crying again, I’m out.”

Your husband smirked. “Good luck with that.”

And just like that, you and your husband left for your long-awaited night off, while the guards stared at the tiny human now ruling over them once more.

—

Hour One: The Calm Before the Storm

Ji-ah was perfectly content, chewing on a plush toy one of the guards had given her.

“She’s so cute,” one of them whispered in awe.

“She’s a menace,” another corrected, remembering the last time she had screamed their souls out of their bodies.

“She’s perfect,” the youngest sighed, already prepared to lay down his life for this child.

So far, so good.

Then she sneezed.

And absolute chaos erupted.

—

Hour Two: The Crisis

“She’s leaking!!”

“It’s just a runny nose!”

“She’s sick! She’s sick!!”

“NO, SHE’S JUST A BABY.”

The guards scrambled like Ji-ah had activated an alarm. One of them attempted to wipe her nose with his sleeve. Another tried handing her his glove. The youngest ran in circles in sheer panic.

The old guard—who, at this point, had officially accepted his role as Ji-ah’s unofficial grandpa—sighed, grabbed a tissue, and wiped her nose without ceremony.

The room fell into stunned silence.

“…You’re a hero,” one of them whispered.

—

Hour Three: The Escape Attempt

Ji-ah had discovered movement.

Specifically, crawling.

And she was fast.

One moment, she was sitting peacefully, babbling to herself. The next, she was gone.

“WHERE IS SHE?!”

“I TURNED AWAY FOR TWO SECONDS—”

“I SWEAR SHE TELEPORTED.”

The guards tore through the room, flipping over chairs, searching under tables, scrambling like their lives depended on it.

Then, in the corner, a tiny giggle.

They all turned.

Ji-ah sat proudly next to a stack of confiscated masks, clapping her hands like she had won something.

The youngest guard collapsed onto the floor. “She’s too powerful.”

—

Hour Four: The Return of the Parents

By the time you and your husband returned, the break room was destroyed.

Chairs overturned. Papers scattered. A single guard lying face-down on the floor, muttering, “So small… so strong…”

And in the middle of it all, Ji-ah sat happily on the old guard’s lap, chewing on a mask like a teething toy.

Your husband blinked. “…Do I even want to know?”

The old guard simply handed Ji-ah back to you. “Take her. Before she takes us.”

Ji-ah, well-rested and completely oblivious to the destruction she had caused, smiled up at them sweetly.

The guards, despite their exhaustion, melted.

“She’s an angel,” one whispered.

“She’s our queen,” another added.

Your husband rolled his eyes. “You guys are ridiculous.”

But as you glanced at the exhausted men—grown killers who had somehow been completely defeated by a baby—you couldn’t help but smile.

Ji-ah had them wrapped around her tiny little fingers.

And somehow, you knew this wouldn’t be the last time the guards babysat.

Not by a long shot.

#squid game #squid game x y/n #squid game x oc #squid game x reader #squid game x you #dad!#squid game x wife reader #squid game guard #squid game guard x reader #dad!guard

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juniper-sunny · 6 months ago

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The Art in the Heart* - Chapter 14

A long-awaited confrontation brings back unwanted reminders of the past…

Happy Ending AU | Silco x Reader | Young!Silco | F!Reader | No [Y/N] | Slow Burn | Romance | Smut | Fluff | Angst | Hurt/Comfort | Fix-It || SFW | TW: Stalking | WC: 4.0k

beta reader: @silcoitus

ao3 || Masterlist || Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13

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For as long as you can remember, the Undercity has been covered from top to bottom in graffiti, oozing and dripping bright colors everywhere. The strong, artificially fresh smells of paint and aerosols are just as prevalent as the smoke and fog, weaving their way through the Lanes, heavy and thick enough to grab with your fist.

Most painters take it upon themselves to learn some form of martial arts; it’s a useful skill to have if they want to encroach on someone else’s territory. After all, most artists aren’t going to give up good real estate without a fight. You’ve gotten into scuffles before in your youth, protecting your art from being vandalized by an older boy who backed off only when you bit deep into his wrist, drawing crimson blood richer than any artificially created color.

You don’t miss that aspect of your childhood at all.

One alternative is to climb or crawl somewhere remote and difficult to reach. The challenge in these instances is to successfully navigate Zaun’s crumbling infrastructure without falling to your death. Cracked ledges, shabby roofs, dislodged pipes, and shoddy scaffolding could all fall to pieces with the lightest of touches.

After securing a good spot, you can’t even dedicate your full attention to whatever you’re working on. After all, your back is exposed and you still have to stand guard over your supplies. Your fellow Zaunites are nothing if not bold enough to try stealing your property from right under your nose.

You purposefully ignore all your hard-won wisdom as you stroll leisurely into a dead-end alleyway, whistling loudly as you drop your bag of painting supplies with a loud thud. You kick an empty beer bottle out of the way, and it clatters noisily against the ground. The crumbling brick wall is dusty but sturdy, the stone rough and bumpy under your fingertips as you sweep your hand across it. You pull out your sketchbook and flip through it dramatically. The crisp snapping of the pages echoes loudly through the air.

Every instinct in your body is screaming at you to stop being so obvious. To drop everything and run away as fast as you can.

But you can’t. Because you’re not going to be the victim tonight.

Tonight, you’re the bait.

It takes every ounce of your willpower to stay rooted in the alleyway. Every second that drags on is torture, the longest ten minutes of your life where electric panic fries every nerve in your spine. As if being stuck in a dead end with only one exit wasn’t bad enough, the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end as a stinging, unbearable pain stabs at your temples. Your skin prickles as if it were desperate to escape as well.

You lean over your bag and pull out a spray paint can with trembling hands. Gripping it tightly for dear life.

Your heartbeat is thumping so loud in your ears that you almost miss it:

A quiet, low shuffling, at the other end of the alley.

You force yourself to keep looking forward. To not turn towards them even as hesitant footsteps approach you.

They’re slow, at first.

Picking up speed, growing louder and louder as they rush towards you.

Something sharp and pointy glints brightly out of the corner of your eye—

High-pitched yelling breaks out on your left. It’s much more juvenile sounding than you anticipated, but it sounds just like the children at the orphanage when they’re playing during recess, if their playtime involved ripping each other’s hair out by the fistful. Something metallic clatters to the ground, and you finally turn to look at them properly.

Silco has a little girl pinned down, his knee on her back as he ties her wrists with rope. Her feet flail wildly in the air, kicking up clouds of dirt. He manhandles her roughly before picking her up with ease as if she weighed nothing. She’s reminiscent of a stray cat as she swears at Silco, hissing and writhing furiously to no avail. An old but highly polished knife lies on the ground underneath her feet.

Cold fury burns in Silco’s eyes as he mutters to her, his teeth bared and eyebrows furrowed at the girl as he strides towards you. His words are too low for you to hear, but she responds with a vitriolic string of curses that he doesn’t flinch at. He drops her unceremoniously at your feet.

“OWW!!” the girl yells as her chin collides with the hard ground.

You frown at Silco. “What happened to not hurting them?”

“It’s no less than they deserve,” he says dismissively.

You sigh but bite your tongue, not wanting to argue with him in front of a stranger. Cautiously, you lower yourself inch by inch into a crouch, scooting closer to the child as you set your paint can down.

She scrambles to sit upright, glaring at you.

Silco’s shoulders stiffen as he steps closer, hovering behind her ominously. He makes a point to pick up the fallen knife and tuck it into his own belt, resting his hand on the hilt. Ready to unsheathe it at a moment’s notice.

But he doesn’t try to keep you away from her. Just like you made him promise earlier.

“Hi there,” you say gently. “What’s your name?”

She spits angrily at your feet.

Silco raises a booted foot, ready to kick her over. You raise a placating hand, scrutinizing the kid.

It’s always hard to tell with Sumpsnipes, but she looks barely older than Vi, just approaching the cusp of teenagerhood. She’s lean but not emaciated, with a halo of soft, curly gray hair above emerald-green eyes. Her blazing, angry eyes are smudged with dirt, but not dark circles of sleeplessness or stress. When you glance at her clothes, they don’t have any holes, patches, or loose stitches. In fact, they look clean and fresh, maybe even brand new.

You furrow your brow, thinking hard. Whoever this kid is, she’s living better than the average gutter rat.

Slowly, you settle on your knees and reach for your bag. Her eyes track your hands as you pull out a tin lunchbox and a flask.

“Have you eaten today?” you ask. You unscrew the flask and hold it out to her.

She doesn’t answer, but her eyes widen with surprise. Then she turns from you forcefully even as her stomach rumbles loudly.

“It’s not poisoned,” you promise her. You take a sip first, making sure that she’s watching.

When you hold the canteen out to her again, she inches forward warily, licking her lips. She opens her mouth wide, and you carefully tilt your flask, making sure not to pour too much water too fast. You ignore Silco as he folds his arms in disapproval.

The girl smacks her lips as you put your half-empty canteen back in your bag. Her eyes dart to your lunchbox as you open it to pull out a sandwich wrapped with paper. You peel the wrapping off carefully, revealing an overstuffed sandwich with grainy bread slices, large lettuce leaves, juicy tomato discs, a deep yellow square of cheese, and peppered cuts of dark pink meat.

“We’re going to untie you so you can eat this,” you say calmly. You grab your lunchbox and close it with your free hand, placing it in front of the girl to act as a makeshift plate. Carefully, you place the food on the container, as if you were a waiter presenting a gourmet dessert. “You can leave after you’re done, but I’d like to talk to you, if that’s okay.”

Her eyes flick down to the food, then back up at you, studying your face carefully. She nods just once, still stoic and ornery.

You nod at Silco. He frowns, displeased, but still leans down to untie the child. The girl snatches the sandwich as soon as her wrists are freed. She snarfs it down messily, crumbs flying everywhere as she chews with an open mouth.

“If I had known your pursuer was a wild Poro, I would have brought proper wrangling equipment,” Silco snorts.

“Slow down, or you’ll choke,” you warn the girl.

She glares at you, but then starts hacking and coughing. You quickly grab your flask again and open it, holding it out to her.

“Slow sips,” you instruct her.

She swipes the canteen from you. She closes her eyes as she glugs, a trickle of water spilling over her chin. You sit patiently as she returns her attention to the sandwich. The girl starts chewing much more carefully this time. When you offer her a napkin, she takes it without reservation. Her eyes are no longer hostile, but curious now, wide with wonder as she wipes her mouth.

You tell her your name and hold out your hand. She doesn’t take it, but hands the canteen back to you.

“What’s your name?” you ask again as you put the flask away.

“…Leksy,” she grunts out.

“Hi, Leksy,” you say as warmly as you can, trying to stay calm. The months of resentment for your stalker are slowly dissolving, replaced by a nagging inquisitiveness. The stalker’s youth goes a long way towards making you less scared of her. Besides, she reminds you too much of every other unruly kid you’ve taken care of at the orphanage. More often than not, they just need a safe place and a helping hand.

This kid might just be another one of those orphans.

“Do you have parents?” you ask.

Leksy nods before licking her fingers clean.

“Where are they?”

“Dad’s at work,” the little girl says. She crumples up the napkin and tosses it over her shoulder. It misses Silco’s leg by inches.

“Is it just the two of you?”

“No. Mom’s at home.”

“Why don’t we walk you home? You’ll be safer with us,” you offer. You don’t have to look at Silco to know that he’s rolling his eyes.

“I can’t,” she says curtly.

“Why not?”

She glances away again, eyes downcast with shame. “I’ll get in trouble.”

You glance at Silco, worried. His expression is impassive as he stares down his nose at her.

“Is there someone at home hurting you?” you ask quietly.

Leksy shakes her head vigorously, her hair bouncing everywhere.

“What’s wrong, then?”

The girl looks down, mumbling, “Mom said to leave you alone.”

Confused, you look up at Silco, wondering if he heard Leksy’s answer. He raises an eyebrow, sharing in your bewilderment.

You ask her, “Did she tell you to take pictures of me?”

“No.” Leksy’s eyes bore into a small rock on the ground.

“Who’s your mom?”

“She’s actually my stepmom,” Leksy clarifies, still avoiding your gaze.

“What’s her name?” you ask patiently.

“…Nyle,” the girl finally mutters.

You sit there, stunned into silence as your heart seizes. Your hands clench into fists involuntarily. Anger seeps through your veins as the memories of everything Nyle did to you come rushing back.

Some of your fury must be leaking into your face as Leksy scoots away from you, eyes wide, looking truly afraid for the first time that night. Silco says your name in worry as he steps around the girl to reach out for you.

“I’m okay,” you say automatically, flat and mechanical. You ignore Silco’s hand and get to your feet unsteadily, almost stumbling to the ground again. Still seeing red when you turn around and close your eyes, trying to take deep, calming breaths.

Unreasonable as it is, a part of you still feels guilty for letting Nyle down. Guilty for being inadequate and incompetent. Guilty for not living up to her expectations. And regret for things turning out the way they did. Regret that you lost her because you still miss her so much. All coiling together with a desire for revenge, to hurt her as badly as she hurt you. Twisted up against a strange happiness for her, happy that she found new people to love who seemingly love her back. Only to crash against a fury that she found happiness at all. That she had the audacity to move on and leave you behind.

Silco’s voice calls out your name again, echoing faintly as if he were far away. But his hand lands on your shoulder, bringing you back down to earth.

You jerk your head as if you could physically dislodge your feelings from your body.

“I’m okay,” you say again, letting out a deep breath. It’s a smaller lie this time, as you feel better just looking at the man standing next to you. His brow is pinched with concern.

You might not have Nyle anymore, but you have Silco now.

And you know which companion is superior.

You take Silco’s other hand and squeeze it reassuringly before turning to Leksy. “What did she tell you about me?”

“She said you work for Pilties. You must be rich, right?” Leksy asks, her fear forgotten as her eyes shine with eagerness.

So there it is: the real reason why this little girl has been stalking you. The same thing that tore you and Nyle apart is what brought Leksy into your life. You hold back a snort at the irony.

“Your dad works, right? Doesn’t he have money?” you counter Leksy’s question with your own.

“We need more money,” she says, agitated. “Mom can’t work anymore. She got hurt.”

“What happened?”

“She fucked up her wrist.”

As if the maelstrom of emotions in your stomach wasn’t overwhelming enough, that part of you that still cares for Nyle is now worried about her. If her injury is severe enough to affect her livelihood, then she’s suffering in more ways than one. But another part of you crows with delight at her getting what she deserves.

Silco turns to tower menacingly over the little girl, uncaring of how she leans away from him. “So you’re a cutpurse looking to make up for your mother’s lost income. You should have chosen better.”

The girl glares back at him in defiance. You can’t help but admire her spirit.

“Did Nyle ask you to do this?” you ask, heart breaking a little at your own question, a shallow but piercing stab into your sternum. Even if Nyle had told Leksy to leave you alone, you still need clarification on her part in all this, to find out if she has something more insidious planned for you.

And, of all things, hope takes root in your chest, a creeping tendril worming its way through your ribs to your heart. Hope born from the optimistic—or more likely, naïve and misguided—part of you that still clutches onto the fragments of your shattered friendship with Nyle. A nostalgia for memories of better times that weren’t ruined beyond repair. The belief that one day, the two of you might be able to pick up where you left off.

“No,” Leksy answers. “She grounded me when she found out.”

A revelation. You wonder if Nyle is trying to prevent Leksy from making the same mistake that she did, feeling entitled to money that isn’t hers. Maybe your former friend is trying to repent in her own way.

As you mull over Leksy’s words, Silco glowers at her.

“And yet, here you are,” he snarls. “Too greedy to understand that you should have kept your hands to yourself.”

“I’m hungry!” shouts Leksy. “We need money!”

She flinches again when Silco reaches for the rope. He grabs one end and whips it forcefully against the ground, a harsh slap on stone.

“Run home, little Sumpsnipe,” he rasps through bared teeth, a low whisper of violence like a promise made to keep a secret. “And tell your mother—”

Silco cuts himself off when you gently but firmly take hold of his wrist. Reminding him silently of his promise that he’d let you take care of this. He tears his gaze away from the girl to lock onto you, his boiling rage still simmering as you look at him with determination.

You crouch down again next to Leksy. Her eyes are wary as she scoots away, afraid you might lash out at her, too.

She flinches as you raise your hand.

But you bring it down slowly, patting her tenderly on the head. Her hair is soft and bouncy, and you fight off the temptation to poke your finger through the corkscrew curls and play with them.

Whatever Nyle’s faults are, it’s clear she cares for Leksy very much. And your former friend seems to be a great parent, if she’s inspired Leksy to take such drastic measures. When you remember how Nyle let herself go hungry to feed you, it’s easy to imagine her doing the same for this little girl.

And you knew what you needed to do for Leksy as soon as you first laid eyes on her.

It doesn’t matter who her parents are.

“I get it,” you say softly. “You just want some food, right? Maybe feed your mom and dad, too?”

Leksy nods energetically. “When Mom got hurt, her boss let her take a break… but her wrist got worse and she got fired…”

“It’s going to be okay,” you reassure her. You turn around and kneel next to your bag, pulling out your leather coin purse. Silco grinds his teeth, imploding with disapproval as you place it on the ground in front of the kid.

“That’s for you. If you take the elevators up to Lower Piltover, go to Janna’s Embrace. You and your parents can get food there,” you tell Leksy. “And… tell your mom… that she can eat as much as she wants.”

The Sumpsnipe’s eyes narrow with suspicion. She swipes the money and turns away from you. Her eyes widen with relief, not greed, when she opens the purse, the gold reflecting brightly in her eyes.

You topple backwards as Leksy throws herself forcefully at you, her small hands clinging around your neck in a tight hug. Your butt collides painfully with the hard ground, but the child’s muffled thanks warms your heart.

“Are you sure you don’t need us to walk you home?” you ask.

She nods excitedly. The joy on her face turns to spite when she turns to Silco. Quick as a flash, she kicks him in the shin and yanks her knife out of his belt when he doubles over, swearing.

As his knees collide with the ground, Leksy dashes away, yelling over her shoulder. “Your girlfriend deserves better!!”

You quickly get to your feet, reaching out to take Silco’s shoulders even as you try your best not to laugh. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he spits out through gritted teeth, rubbing his shin with one hand. He takes your wrist gently to stop you from rummaging in your bag for your first-aid kit. “I should ask the same of you.”

“I’m—” you start, but panic surges in your chest.

If Nyle is going with her family to the Embrace, that means you might see her there. And you’re not sure if you’re ready to face her.

But at least you don’t have to face her alone.

When Silco stands to his fullest height, you hug him, burying your face in his chest. His arms immediately wrap around you as your eyes well with tears. So overwhelmed that you crumple into him for support, the full force of your emotions battering you.

“It’s okay,” he whispers. “Let it out.”

You shake your head, wiping your tears on his vest as a giddy laugh rises out of you like bubbles in a fizzy drink. So exhilarated at finally being able to put this whole ordeal behind you. It’s almost funny that such a small child gave you such a hard time for so long.

But now, a weight has fallen off your shoulders. You feel so light you wouldn’t be surprised if you started floating off the ground. All of it is too much to contain as you keep giggling.

Concerned, Silco lets go of you to hold your face in his hands.

“Silco… thank you,” you say breathlessly before he can speak. When he cups your cheek, you lean into his hand, taking deep breaths to settle your nerves. “I couldn’t have done this without you.”

You’re not just talking about needing his help with wrangling the little girl. His companionship and support helped you put an end to this once and for all. Seeing him stand up fearlessly to Piltover’s countless injustices inspires you every day; if he can fight back against a colossus, then surely you can confront one individual.

His love for Zaun is so similar to your own. It reminds you of the most important thing of all:

That nobody in the Undercity deserves to go hungry.

“That was all you, my lovely,” he murmurs. Silco’s eyes dart between yours as he studies your face. “You were too kind to the child. She needed to be taught a lesson.”

“Leksy’s just a kid,” you say, frowning.

“All our enemies were children once. The only way to defeat them is to stop at nothing,” he says grimly. But his arms fall to your sides, holding you tenderly in a loose embrace.

“She’s not my enemy,” you say with a chuckle. “You’re just mad that she’s faster than you.”

“…Perhaps,” he admits reluctantly. “But I will never forgive her for what she put you through.”

“She’s just a hungry little girl. There are hundreds of them like her down here,” you point out. “Hell, I used to be one, too. Can you honestly tell me you wouldn’t have done the same in her shoes?”

“Of course not—”

“Really? Even if we didn’t know each other?” You pull back from him, raising a skeptical eyebrow. “Pretend that the only thing you know about me is that I’m rich. What about then?”

“No riches in the world could compare to the joy of having you by my side,” he answers without dropping a beat.

“Yeah, yeah, I know I’m great,” you laugh at the smoothness of his delivery. “But that’s not an answer.”

He sighs and pulls you into his chest, hugging you tight. Not out of concern, this time, but to comfort you. The musk of his cologne and cigarette smoke fills your nostrils as you plant a kiss underneath his collarbone.

“You may be right,” he grumbles. “What about the mother?”

“What about her?”

“Is she your enemy?” he asks quietly.

“I—I don’t know… I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive her…” you admit. There’s too much to untangle, and you’re not quite ready to start. “Does that make me a bad person?”

“Not at all. You have every right to keep her at arm’s length,” Silco answers immediately. “Your offer of charity is more than she deserves.”

“It was the right thing to do,” you murmur. You nuzzle into him, his heartbeat a soothing metronome in your ear.

“That’s my girl,” he whispers proudly.

Your heart stutters at his words and you can’t help but blush. Still, you bite your lip, fisting his shirt as your frustration rises to the surface again.

“So… I’m ‘your girl’, now?” you ask, trying to keep your voice as neutral as possible.

Silco stiffens, his arms tensing around you. He pulls away slowly, stepping backwards to look at you. His expression is stoic, but a tiny notch between his eyebrows betrays his hurt. You rub your arms as you keenly feel the loss of his embrace.

“Am I wrong to hope you feel the same way?” he asks in a low, flat voice.

“No!” you answer immediately. “But…”

It hurts you to hear Silco speak with that tone. You’ve always tried your best to be a safe space for him to express himself, to listen with empathy and compassion whenever he told you about his fears and insecurities. Not to mention the countless times you’ve patched him up, whether it’s wrapping his bloody knuckles or holding ice to his bruises.

But you’ve never been the one to hurt his feelings before.

And you almost hate yourself for it.

You take another deep breath, forcing yourself to slow down and choose your words carefully. “Silco… I can never thank you enough for all your help today, and these past few months… but…

“We need to talk.”

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Chapter 15

#Arcane #Arcane fanfic #Silco #Silco fic #Silco fanfic #Silco Arcane #Arcane Silco #Silco x Reader #my writing #The Art in the Heart #TAITH #tw stalking #stalking tw

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