#We move uneasily in our restraints

[akrahan]

Tagged by @undyingmedium, tagging whoever is interested... oh and @facemeandperish

For the version of Akrahan here on Tumblr, this may not apply.

But the Tyranny campaign involving a much more mature and serious version of the character oh yes. If Akrahan died tomorrow. These would be his final thoughts. There's so much left to accomplish.

[storm-angel989]

Outside The Office Part Twenty Three

Two chapters in one day! Enjoy!

Trigger warning for the following: body image issues, sex and Valentino

“Val, I’m not so sure about this,” I said uneasily. 

“Relax, princessa. You need to trust me.” Valentino said calmly as he ran a finger down my bare stomach. “That’s the entire reason I suggested this…exercise. Especially while you’re free from the pain on your wrists. ”

I tugged at the silk scarves that held me taut against the bedpost. Soft enough that when whatever sorcery Lucifer had used to mask the bruising and pain wore off, it wouldn’t hurt. As much as Valentino told me pain and pleasure went hand in hand, I still wasn’t convinced. In consideration of my feelings on the subject, he suggested I be tied down, held in place for a punishment for a crime of my choosing. He wanted to tie my ankles as well, but I balked at the idea. Allowing myself to be that exposed, to be trapped, even by him? I just wasn’t comfortable with that yet. 

“Princessa, you’re so tense,” he said softly as his hand settled on my belly. “You do not have to do this if you don’t want to.” His grin darkened. “We can always trade places.”

I shivered at the idea of him in the restraints but shook my head no. Honestly, I wouldn’t even know what to do with him if I had him there.  “I want to do this, Val, but please don’t hurt me too badly.” 

“Pain and pleasure, princessa. Remind me,what is our safe word?” He asked as he leaned over me. His lips hovered above mine and his hands moved up to my chest. 

“Safe,” I replied softly. 

His hands ran down my sides and gripped my hips as he straddled me, the tip of his cock pushing ever so slightly against my insides- a teasing threat that immediately made me soaked. 

“That’s my good girl,” he cooed. His lips pressed into mine for the briefest of moments. “So tell me, what put you into this predicament in the first place? Remind me why you’re being punished.” 

I swallowed and tried to think of a reason that would warrant such a situation. Without any ideas I definitely couldn’t write a porn script if I tried. 

“I…talked back?”

To his credit, he didn’t miss a beat. I moaned as his kisses moved down my neck, pausing at the base for the softest of bites. I felt his hands grip my hips as he continued to explore downwards. 

“That was naughty, princessa. You need to learn to listen. After all, I know best, don’t I?” 

His finger slid into me. First one, then two. I bucked my hips, trying to find the friction that would allow the release I already so desperately craved. 

“I believe I asked you a question,” he said calmly as his fingers thrusted in and out, his thumb brushing against my clit. “Princessa, it would be in your best interest to answer it.”

Fuck, the dominance in his voice alone was a turn on. I bit back a moan. His fingers in me, he leaned towards me and put the slightest pressure on my lower belly. The fire inside burned hotter and I felt myself squirm- I was already so close to that release. 

“Yes, Valentino.” I whimpered. 

“Good girl.” He answered darkly. His fingers slid out from inside me. “Let’s see how well you follow commands, hm?” 

I let out a groan of protest as he left me alone and dripping. In the restraints, I squirmed. He leaned over me and from the nightstand, he produced a blindfold and dangled it in front of my face. I swallowed. When he asked if I was comfortable being tied down and blindfolded, I envisioned it being so much less sexy than it was currently. Some part deep inside of me wanted him to take that control away from me, wanted him to take command of every inch of my me. He tugged the blindfold over my eyes, the silk cushioned against my skin and blackness clouded my vision. Nervousness flooded my body and I tugged my arms to find him, to feel him. The restraints tugged on my wrists, a soft reminder that he was in control. I felt his hand pull away from my belly and settle on my chest, pressing down lightly. 

“Follow my orders. Deep breath in. And out.” I felt his body shift closer, the heat of his breath in my ear. “Relax your body and surrender to me, my princess. Trust me. You’re okay, and I have you.” 

Safe. I was safe with him. I inhaled and exhaled out, willing every bit of fear, every bit of uncertainty to leave my thoughts. Gone were the events of the day, the fight we had, the tears and anger. It was Valentino and I alone- and at the moment, nothing else mattered. I was safe. I was secure.

“Again, princessa. In. Out. Let me have this control over you.” 

I felt his hand move from my chest and press lightly against my throat. I swallowed, out of both fear and excitement. 

“Swallow again.” He commanded, his fingers on my throat.  

I swallowed and shivered under the weight of his hand. 

“That’s my good girl. I’m here, my love and for the time being, you are under my command.” 

I felt something heavy rest on my belly and the scent of his favorite strawberry lube filled the room. 

“V-Valentino?” I pleaded. “What are you doing?” 

“Breathe, Princessa. In. And out.” He responded evenly. 

The object on my stomach began to buzz and I felt his fingers fall again to my clit. The weight was removed from my body and I felt the buzzing sensation slide into me. 

“Valentino!” I moaned, “V-Valentino!”

“Yes, my love?” he asked nonchalantly as his fingers toyed with my clit. 

I bucked my hips and moaned as I involuntarily came around the toy. 

“Oh mi amore, I didn’t give you permission to come,” he said darkly. “That’s going to warrant a punishment.”

Fuck. 

I felt his hands gently cup my chest, his fingers toying with my nipples. A sharp pinch on both and I gasped as the warmth of his hands left me, but the weight stayed behind. His finger again fell to my clit. Another pinch. 

The buzzing on my insides, the pain and the feeling of him controlling my body caused me to come again. He laughed darkly, and I felt his hand on my throat again, his thumb brushing against the pulse point on my neck. 

“You just can’t control yourself, can you, my love?” he taunted. “Your heart is going a mile a minute. I think you’ve earned another punishment.” 

I felt his body straddle mine and the tip of his cock pushed deep into me. I moaned and bucked my hips as he pumped into me, fast and hard. I felt the buzzing go deeper into me with each thrust of his hips, causing an almost unbearable sensation. Pain and pleasure indeed.

“I’m going to fill you up,” he grunted harshly. 

I felt the weight of his head on my chest as his hips continued to move, harder and faster with each passing second. I could hear him breathing speed up as he moved quicker. Somewhere deep inside, his cock hit that sweet spot. I came once, and then again. The weight, the buzzing, the feeling of his cock exploding inside of me caused me to spasm around him. My stomach felt heavy as I felt him pant as he pulled out. 

“I didn’t tell you you could come,” he panted softly in my ear. “That’s another punishment.” 

I tried to squirm but again, my body betrayed me. The sound of Valentino laughing as he caught his breath, the feeling of his fingers untying one of my wrists completely, the other partially. With the partial untie, I felt him tie both my hands behind my back. His weight shifted, and I felt him sit down and pull me to him, my belly resting on his thighs. I could feel his erection already beginning to form again under me, pressing into my body. The pressure on my stomach, the fullness, the buzzing that spread to my clit, the pain and pleasure from the clamps that weighted on my nipples proved to be too much and I again moaned as I came for the fourth time. The warmth of his hand on my ass. 

“Count for me,” he said darkly. “Outloud.”

The strike of his hand against the soft skin of my behind. I let out a groan.

“One…”

Another smack. Another orgasm. 

“Tw-…Fuck, Valentino!”

“Oh no, princessa, thats not how we count. Come on now, you know better.” He teased. 

His hand against my skin again. “Do it correctly and I’ll reward you with my cock.”

“Two!” 

I made it to five before I broke down into a mess. The overstimulation, the pain, the pleasure and the hormones rushing through my body. 

“Safe! Valentino, Safe! Please!” I choked. 

Almost like magic, the silk scarf and blindfold disappeared. He laid me on my back and gently, carefully, undid the clamps. The relief of the weight vanishing was almost too much and I let out a shiver. I felt his fingers slide into me and the buzzing stopped before the pressure of the toy released from inside me. I could feel his come dripping out of me, and I tried to catch my breath. 

“That’s my good girl, inhale. Exhale. Deep breaths.” his tone changed from dominating to soft in less than a heartbeat. He pulled the blanket over us and wrapped us in it. “It’s alright. In, out. You did so good, babydoll.”

I sputtered a choke, a gasp as my body tried to make sense of this feeling. He guided my head to his chest and I felt the pounding of his heart vibrating against me. 

“Come on princessa, listen to my voice. In. Out.” 

I felt the weight of his hand on my belly as he told me to try to move it, much like we did last time. I tried to do as he asked, but choked again, my vision clouding as I felt myself breathe faster, trying to force my way through the feeling. My body felt cold, like I couldn’t get enough air. 

He shook his head. “Babydoll. You’re hyperventilating. I need you to slow down your breathing- you need to inhale deeply to get oxygen into your body.” His hand fell to my chest. “I want you to breathe with me. When I inhale, you inhale. When I exhale, you exhale. I know you can hear me, nod your head if you understand.” 

I nodded my head as I shook in his arms. 

“Alright. Close your eyes. Feel my chest rise and fall. Listen for each breath. Focus only on that. You do the same. I breathe. You breathe. Got it?”

I felt his chest rise and hold until I did the same. After a few seconds, he let out a slow exhale and I tried to keep the same timing. 

“Good, again.” His chest rose and I heard the air rush into his lungs. 

I inhaled as well, and exhaled as long as slow as he did. After a while, it became easier. He breathed. I breathed. I felt the dizziness go away, the lightheadedness vanish and exhaustion rushed over my body. I could feel the warmth of his body, the thudding of his heart, and the grumble of his belly. The pressure of his hand as it pushed my hair away from my face. The feeling of his fingers on my throat. 

“Keep breathing with me, princessa, you’re not there yet,” he said calmly. “Relax. I’ve got you. You’re safe in my arms, mi amore.” 

“Talk to me Val?” I asked as I kept pace with his breathing. “I want to hear your voice.”

“I love you, my princessa,” he responded softly, “once we get your breathing back to normal, we’re going to take a nice, hot shower and get you all cleaned up.”

“Bath, Valentino. I want a warm bath. My body hurts.” I responded quickly. “But I need to wash my hair, I feel gross.” Panic in my chest. Why did I admit that to him? 

“Slow breaths, princessa,” he reminded me. “In. Out. Breathe with me.”

I felt him inhale and I did the same. He held his breath for a few seconds and at his exhale, I followed his lead. 

“I can run a bath if that is what you desire, but I’m not putting you anywhere near a body of water- not even with you in my arms- if you’re struggling to catch your breath. Can’t have anything happening to my princessa.” He shifted me ever so slightly downward, so my ear rested just below his ribcage. He ran his hand through my hair and I closed my eyes as I listened to his internal noises. Slowly, I felt myself begin to settle. Valentino was here. He was alive and underneath me. He was safe- I was safe. 

“That’s it sweetheart,” he said after a few minutes.”Much, much better. I think we can start the water, wouldn’t you say?” 

I reached my arms up and pulled myself so I was holding around his neck. “Don’t leave me alone.” 

He gave me an indulgent smile. “I won’t, princessa, but that means you’ll have to come with me.” He swept me up in his arms and covered me with one of the smaller blankets. I rested my head on his shoulder as he carried me into the bathroom. The warmth of his body and the warmth of the blanket, the reminder that he would protect me, left me feeling sleepy, secure and loved. 

He set me on the counter and I watched as he started the water, carefully testing it every few moments. The bathroom quickly filled with steam and he tugged the blanket off of me and lifted me back into his arms. He stepped us both into the warm water and slowly sank us down. I laid my head on his chest and tried to match my breathing with his as the water hit every nerve in my body. Valentino gently rubbed my back. After a few seconds, I felt myself start to relax. 

“That’s my good girl.” he praised. He kissed my forehead. “More of that. Close your eyes, I’ll turn on the sprayer.” 

I did as he commanded. He gently adjusted me so that I sat upright and felt the warm water from the nozzle run through my hair. 

“The only thing this tub is missing is a remote control start,” I joked quietly as his fingers slowly worked the shampoo through my hair. 

Valentino chuckled. “I mean, I’m sure I could make that happen if you wanted it so badly, princessa.” 

I felt the water trickle down my back as he gently rinsed my hair. “I think it would be excessive, but definitely cool.” 

“Nothing you desire is excessive in my eyes, my princessa.” He replied. 

I felt the water stop and heard the conditioner bottle open. His fingers gently rubbed against my scalp and I relaxed into him, my eyes closed. 

“Why princessa, I had no idea you enjoyed this so much,” he said gently. “You should have told me.”

“I can wash my hair myself but it feels soo good when you do it Val,” I replied, my eyes still closed. “Same feeling as when you rub my back. It just feels good.”

“Mm, I understand that.” 

I heard his fingers swish in the water and his hands fell to my shoulder, his thumbs pressing into the muscles of my back. “When was the last time you had a massage, princessa?”

I let out a laugh. “Never?”

“Never?” 

The surprise in his voice caught me off guard. “Well, I mean, no. You’re the first person to touch my body like that. Ah- that hurts. And feels good. I can’t tell.” 

“Princessa, you need much more than just a back rub,” he said disapprovingly. “I’ll book us a massage for tomorrow afternoon.” 

I heard the water restart and felt the warmth trickle through my hair as he rinsed the conditioner out. “Unnecessary and frivolous, Val.” 

“On the contrary, princessa. You’ll feel so much better when the tension you hold is relieved. Vox, Vel and I all get them regularly. Helps with the stress.” 

I felt his lips press against the back of my neck. 

“Taking care of yourself isn’t frivolous, or unnecessary, my princessa. And I’ll be right there next to you, I promise.” 

“Okay, Val,” I relented. I shifted myself around and reached for the body wash. “But it’s my turn now.”

He laughed but allowed me to run my soapy hands all over his body. “Ah, princessa. You do know this is going to be a mess, right? We’ll need to rinse off in the shower before we get comfortable for the night.”

“Fine by me.” I leaned up and kissed him softly. “I don’t mind making a mess.” I slipped my hand under the water and ran my fingers against his cock. He instantly hardened. 

He groaned. “Princessa. You tease.” 

“Oh, do I?” I asked as I slid my hand up and down his shaft. “Teasing would indicate you wouldn’t get any relief from me at the end.” 

He groaned a bit. “Princessa.” He pulled himself up to the built-in seat in the corner of the bathtub, leaving only his legs covered by water. 

I followed him and pulled myself up so I sat on his lap. I ran my hand over his chest and slowly sank myself down on top of him. He let out a moan, and put his hands on my hips to steady me. Slowly, I began to ride him, taking nothing but pleasure at the feeling of him growing harder inside of me. 

“You said you wanted to fill me up, didn’t you?” I whispered into his ear as I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Go ahead, Val. Fill me up. Make my tummy bulge….if you can.” 

He groaned but desperately tried to buck his hips against me. I stayed firm as I moved slowly, deliberately on top of him. I could feel his heartbeat faster with each slow movement. He squeezed my hips in a desperate attempt to push me down deeper onto him.

“Fuck, reader, this isn’t fair,” he whined in between groans. “I need relief.”

“Then beg, Valentino.” 

I half expected him to push me up against the wall, to slam his body into mine. His eyes met mine and for a moment, I thought for sure he would say the safe word. Instead, I watched him soften under my words, under my touch. He closed his eyes, his words desperate and pleading. 

“Please, princessa. Please let me come inside you.” 

I moved my hips faster at his request, my body leaning forward as I rode him until his cock exploded deep inside of my belly. I held myself there as I caught my breath, collecting each drop of his seed. I pushed myself upright as I sat on top of him, holding his shoulders up. 

“You…are the only one who ever gets to do that to me. Got it? Hard. Fucking Limit. With anyone else. Not you.” He held me tighter to him and rested his head on my chest. “Not you, princessa.”

I kissed him as softly as I could. He kissed back and after a few moments, I gently pulled myself off of him. He sat there, eyes closed, head tilted back

“Val, did I hurt you?” I asked, reaching for his hand. “Are you okay?”

He smiled first and then opened his eyes. “I’m fine, princessa. Just…never thought I would trust someone as much as I do you.” He stood up and hit the drain, the soapy water dripping from his body. “I think we both need a shower. And then dinner.” He offered me his hand.

I accepted and he pulled me to my feet. He looked me over, his gaze falling to my stomach. He laid his hand on the protruding bump and I watched him instantly grow hard. I wondered if he would pin me against the wall, fuck me again. Instead he knelt and gently kissed just below my belly button, and rubbed my lower belly ever so softly. 

“I love you, princessa. More than you will ever know.” He said quietly. He stood back up and planted another kiss on me, and his hands fell against my waist. He stepped out of the now empty bathtub and took my hand as we walked towards the shower. 

Steam quickly filled the room and we stepped inside. I let the warm water hit my back and sighed in relief as the soap washed off of me. Valentino seemed to feel the same. He leaned over to me after a few seconds and planted a kiss on my cheek as the water washed clear down the drain. 

“What do you want to do for dinner, mi amore?” He asked once we were both sufficiently soap free. He shut the water off and together, we stepped out of the shower. He wrapped a towel around me and then around himself. “We can do whatever you desire.”

I hesitated as the reality of the day came back to me. I really shouldn’t eat anything for the rest of the day, but knew from previous experience that Valentino would pick up on that in a heartbeat. That wouldn’t do me any good. 

“We can stay home, I can cook…chicken? Veggies?” I suggested. 

He shrugged, “If that’s what you want, mi amore.” He picked up his phone and typed quickly. “I’ll have housekeeping pick it up. What else do you desire? Whole wheat pasta?”

I shook my head no. “Limited carbs. Building muscle should be mostly protein.” 

He raised an eyebrow. “Carbs are energy, princessa. And you’re going to need some sort of energy source if you’re kicking your workouts into higher gear- which based on what Lucifer sent me, sounds like you’re planning on doing. Remember what happened when you didn’t eat when you first arrived here? Think about that happening, but without the fun of alcohol, if you don’t fuel your body appropriately.” 

I scowled. Leave it to Valentino to call me out. “I thought you said it was my choice what I put in my body.”

“That isn’t what I said. It's your choice only if you are being healthy about it princessa,” he responded calmly. 

I picked up my comb and looked into the mirror. My face felt round, and the shame swept through me. Gently, Valentino took the comb from my hand and lifted me onto the counter. 

“Allow me, princessa,” he said gently. “In as much fun as we’ve had, it's been a long day for you.” Gently, he began to comb through the tangles.  “Will you trust me to take care of dinner? I promise I’ll make something that will make your body feel good when you workout tomorrow morning.”

I was quiet. Honestly, I couldn’t see a choice out of it. He trusted me so much, I would have to trust him back. When my father was alive, he controlled what I ate, how much I ate, and when I ate- it was just part of the military lifestyle. On off days, he taught me carefully how to fuel an angelic body, with stark warnings about the dangers of over indulging. Something I had definitely been doing during my time here. 

“Princessa?” He asked gently. “Talk to me.”

I shook my head. No, this wasn’t something I was willing to discuss, but I didn’t want him to know that. “Sorry, Val, I was staring off into space. I’m tired. Whatever you make for dinner is fine, I trust you.”

“Hm.” He responded. He paused and finished typing. When he looked back at me, he studied my face and gently ran a thumb under my eye. “You’re exhausted princessa.” He said softly. He picked the comb back up and unknotted the last of the tangles out of my hair. He took my hand and helped me down back to the floor. “Pjs, dinner and then you, in my arms, snuggled and asleep. Deal?” He kissed the top of my head and waited for my response. 

“Deal.” I agreed. 

An hour and a half  later I was snuggled against Valentino, tucked tight against his chest as the television across from his bed played softly. True to his word, Valentino cooked what I would consider a healthy dinner, with lean protein, vegetables and as little whole wheat pasta I could get away with- which honestly, was more than I intended to eat but it wasn’t any use in arguing. At least he didn’t say anything about my choice of water over sweet sixteen. 

“Sleep, mi amore. You don’t have to watch with me- it's just the news.” Valentino said as he looked down at me. His hand fell to my back. “Close your eyes. I’ve got you. You’re safe, mi amore. I promise.” 

I tucked myself tighter into him and closed my eyes. Between the warmth of his body and the sheer exhaustion of the day, sleep washed over me.  

[89rooms]

We all move uneasily within our restraints.

Kay Redfield Jamison - 'An Unquiet Mind - A Memoir of Moods and Madness'

[blackjackkent]

Because nothing in this group can remain normal for two seconds, Lae'zel and Shadowheart are fighting the next time we go back to camp.

(This was all playing out during the multiple long rests I had to take to secure the owlbear cub but I had other things on my mind then. :P )

"You carry a githyanki relic. I will have an explanation - or your head."

"Walk away. Now. I won't warn you again."

Obviously, this is about Shadowheart's artefact, which is apparently a githyanki heirloom of some sort. Lae'zel is not happy about the fact that it is not in her possession.

Hector tried to channel the calming wisdom and authority of the abbot at the monastery and suggested everyone chill the hell out and that maybe sniping at each other wasn't the best use of their abilities. This seems like the base facts of the situation to him - they're in this together, for better or worse.

But, because everyone here is a paragon of restraint and common sense, Lae'zel's solution was that they should have pistols at dawn, and Shadowheart responded by putting a knife to her throat in the middle of the night.

I'm no conflict resolution expert but this feels unproductive.

This is a bit disheartening for Hector to see. He was starting to believe that perhaps he could learn to trust all these people, that they could learn to trust each other. Especially with the addition of Karlach, who has already started to act as a binding agent between the various disparate elements of their little band, all depending uneasily on each other.

This...is a backslide, to say the least.

Shadowheart claims they don't need Lae'zel, only the artefact - and Lae'zel says the same thing about her. Hector, for his part, sees only that he needs both of them, that if one of them turns on another, this whole house of cards will collapse.

[PERSUASION] "Shadowheart - stop. You don't have to do this."

For a moment, he doesn't think she's going to listen to him. She was willing to confide in him - but does she trust his judgment?

And then she shifts, pulls the blade back a little.

"Can I do that, Lae'zel? Can I turn my back on you?"

Lae'zel squirms, snarls up at her, struggling against her grip. "Never. Thieves aren't afforded such luxury."

Shadowheart scowls, and the knife presses into Lae'zel's jaw again. "Loosen the grip on your pride for one blasted moment, won't you? We needn't be enemies - there's plenty of those to go around already!"

This is, Hector reflects privately, an argument that loses a little weight when you are the one who took the initiative to put a blade against someone's jugular. But he keeps silent, watches, knowing that any sudden move might tip the delicate situation over its edge.

Lae'zel's lip curls disdainfully. "Tsk. What would you have - that we be *friends*?"

Shadowheart grins faintly. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

There's another long, pregnant pause - and then she leans back, pulls away the knife, and stands.

"But imagine what we might achieve if we channeled some of that hostility back at our real foes instead of each other. They wouldn't stand a chance!"

Again, Hector thinks, you were the one that drew the knife first. He waits, half-expecting Lae'zel to lunge at her with her resumed freedom of movement - but the githyanki remains very still, seated on her bedroll.

Her eyes are hard, angry still - but she does not attack. She does not even respond. She just waits until Shadowheart turns away, and then lies back down and stares into the fire.

[blindbabybutterfly]

We all move uneasily within our restraints.

This is for the ones that feel like they’re not making any progress in life.

Do what you can and never underestimate the importance of a baby step.

Left Right, left right 🥾🏃🏾

July 12, 2019

society6.com/abiwhales

[thethirdbear]

we all move uneasily within our restraints.

[bellakitse]

All night, I'll riot with you

After the fire, Andrea lashes out at Gabriel and Owen for putting the boys in danger. At the end of his rope, Carlos joins in when he hears them say they weren’t thinking of them.

He and TK have a conversation about what happened at the firehouse between them.

Spoilers for 2.12

For my forever love @beka1820

TK stands quietly beside him as the doctor checks his lungs. They’ve already run tests on TK, and he should probably be outside with their fathers, but TK goes stony silent when the doctor even suggests it. Instead, he stands inches away from him, holding his hand, watching him like a hawk as he breathes for the physician.

“I’m fine, babe,” he says for the third time since they arrived at the hospital. TK’s frown just deepens at his reassurance, having the opposite reaction he wants. He lets out a low sigh before breathing in again like the doctor asks him to.

It takes another ten minutes before he’s allowed to leave the observation room after promising the doctor he’s going to take it easy.

“You’re going to experience some shortness of breath for the next few days,” she tells him, getting an absent nod from TK. “Rest. The both of you,” she looks at them sternly before she turns to leave the room.

“Thank you, doctor,” he calls out to her to be polite as she leaves him alone with TK.

“Home?” his boyfriend questions, cringing instantly at himself.

Carlos can’t help the humorless chuckle that escapes his sore throat but nods anyway, standing up sluggishly. TK instantly lets go of his hand to wrap his arm around his waist, and Carlos finds himself leaning into him, pressing a kiss at his temple as a silent thank you, ignoring the smell of smoke on him.

They walk out slowly, making their way down the hall where they had left Owen and where he knows his father is with the fire captain.

He hears his mother before he sees her.

“Of all the reckless, stupid things you have ever done, Gabriel Antonio Reyes, this one really takes the cake. Our son could have died tonight,” he hears her hiss angrily at his father. He feels TK tense against his body, and when he turns to him, he finds his boyfriend looking back at him with wide, fearful eyes. They round the corner to find his mother’s back to them as she points a finger in his father’s face. Carlos stares in shock, watching as his larger-than-life father shifts uneasily in the face of his mother’s rage.

“Andrea – “ Owen interrupts, proving he truly has no preservation skills as he stands closer to his father, providing a united front. “You can’t blame Gabriel – “

“I don’t just blame him,” his mother cuts Owen off, and he winces at the sharp edge he hears in her voice as she turns her head to look at him. “I blame you too.”

Owen’s eyes widen at her words, opening his mouth once more, but his mother doesn’t give him a chance to speak.

“Two old men acting like cowboys,” she says with a disgusted shake of her head. “So concern with your secrets and catching this guy, you never once stopped to think about the boys and how your actions and arrogance put them in harm’s way.”

“Andreaita, vieja,” his dad says softly, and Carlos swears under his breath. That pacifying tone is the last one his father should be taking with his mother right now.

“No me llames así cuando estoy enojada, Gabriel,” she says tightly, her jaw clenched. “No jodas conmigo ahora mismo.”

“Andrea,” his father says roughly, stunned, and Carlos knows it’s because he’s not used to his mother being vulgar. Neither of them are.

“Your secrets got our boys hurt,” she continues calling them out. “It cost them their home, and it almost cost them their lives. You two messed up. Own up to it.”

He watches as Owen and his father share a look between them, both letting out deep sighs, and Carlos feels something ugly tighten in his chest.

“We were trying to catch an arsonist,” his father explains, or maybe he’s trying to justify his mother’s criticism. He isn’t sure.

“We weren’t thinking about them at the time,” Owen says softly, and Carlos feels the last bit of his restraint snap. He moves out of TK’s hold, pushing his hands away when he tries to steady him.

“You weren’t thinking about us?” he questions, anger coursing through his body so strongly he thinks he’s vibrating with it.

“Carlos,” Owen says with surprise. His gaze moves over his shoulder to look at TK, his eyes shifting downward quickly with something like shame in them. He doesn’t turn to look at TK, but he can only imagine the look he just gave his father. Instead, Carlos focuses on the source of his anger, the two men he admires and who let him down tonight.

“So you lied to us to put on this great spectacle, pretending that you,” he points at his dad. “Arrested my boyfriend’s father,” he says, letting out a bitter chuckle. “Never once stopping to think how that could hurt my and TK’s relationship.”

“Carlitos, mijo – “ his father tries gently, and just like with his mother, it’s the wrong tone to take, and he continues, ignoring the attempt to defuse the situation.

“But hey, you got your bad guy,” he grins cynically.

He feels his eyes sting, ignoring it when a tear rolls down his face. “TK and I fighting over the two of you is just collateral damage, right?” he questions.

Owen and Gabriel share another look, guilt coloring both their faces.

“Except that wasn’t the end of it, was it?” he continues, the anger he feels and the fear from earlier colliding inside him until he thinks he’s going to explode. “A madman tells the two of you that he’s going to take what is most important to you, and you didn’t think of us?”

“Carlos – “ Owen tries again, but Carlos can’t hear it over the rushing of blood in his ears. “We didn’t know – “

“We lost our home, Owen!” he shouts, his throat screaming in protest, but he doesn’t care. “We almost didn’t make it out, and I have to live with the fact that I could have lost TK tonight. I don’t care about me, but I almost lost him because of the two of you,” he points at both of them, his hand shaking as he cries. “My father, and the man who is supposed to take care of TK when I can’t.”

His head spins as his vision clouds from sudden dizziness, and he tries to take a breath as panic claws at his chest. He feels hands he would recognize anywhere on his back and sternum as TK presses himself to his side.

“Breathe, baby, slow and steady,” he whispers urgently, and Carlos hates how worried he sounds. He does what he asks, taking a trembling breath and then another.

“That’s it, cariño,” his mother murmurs to the other side of him as she rubs his back softly like she did when he was a kid, needing her comforting hands.

He takes another breath, grateful when it’s easier to take than the one before. Once he feels in control again, he lifts his gaze to Owen and his father.

“I’ll get past this eventually. I’ll forgive you both,” he tells them quietly, knowing he will in the end. “But I’ll never trust either of you with TK’s safety again.”

Everyone is quiet as his promise resonates through them. After a moment, his mother clears her throat, holding out her hand to his father.

“Keys. I’m taking my boys home with me,” she says to him, leaving no room for argument. His father, still shocked by his words, hands over the keys silently. “Let’s go boys, you two need a shower, some tea, and rest.”

“Dad,” he starts to say to her, looking over at him.

“Your father’s new buddy can drive him home later, or maybe offer him somewhere to sleep for the night,” she answers as she herds him and TK away from the other men. “Either way, if he comes home, he’s sleeping in the den,” she declares, looking over her shoulder at his dad one more time before they leave them behind.

Carlos doesn’t look back like she does. Instead, he focuses on TK’s hands on him, and breathing. Slow and steady, just like his boyfriend asked.

֎֎֎

 Carlos walks into his childhood bedroom, fresh out of the shower. He’d rubbed himself red, but he can still smell the smoke clinging to his skin.

He finds TK on his bed with a cup in his hand, a soft smile on his face as he looks at him.

“Your mom made us some chamomile tea,” he explains, lifting his cup to show him. “It’s really good.”

“It’s fresh,” he answers as he hangs his towel before coming to sit down next to him. “Mom grows the herb in her garden.”

TK makes a soft sound at the back of his throat before passing him a cup of his own. He takes a sip, smiling down at the familiar taste before placing the cup on the bedside table.

“How are you?” TK questions softly as he runs a hand through his wet curls.

“I’m okay,” he answers automatically, getting a sigh in response from TK and a shake of his head.

“I don’t think you are, baby,” he whispers before leaning in to press his forehead against the side of his face, his breath tickling his skin as he circles his arms around him. “And it’s perfectly fine if you’re not. You don’t need to hide it from me.”

Carlos brings his hand to TK’s arm, pulling him in closer, closing his eyes as he clings to his boyfriend’s warmth, feeling safe for the first time in the night.

“We need to talk about what you said tonight,” TK continues softly, kissing his shoulder before pulling back to look at him. “I’m so sorry about pushing you, Carlos.”

“TK,” he starts with a loud sigh. “We talked about this. You don’t need to apologize – “

TK shakes his head at him again. “You’re wrong,” he says to him, remorse clouding his green eyes. “I do need to apologize. You didn’t deserve that, and I should have never put my hands on you.”

“You were upset,” he tries again, only for TK to stop him once more.

“That is no excuse, and you know it,” he says, now completely out of their embrace as he looks at him. “I hurt you, and that’s the last thing I ever want to do. I fucked up, plain and simple, and I am so sorry for it, baby.”

Carlos looks at TK, taking in the gutted guilt in his expression, and reaches out to touch his face. “I forgive you,” he says softly as TK’s shoulders drop with relief. Carlos is ready to take him back into his arms when TK’s expression changes yet again.

“There is one more thing,” he starts, biting down on his lip as Carlos realizes he is trembling. “When you said you almost lost me and that you didn’t care about yourself,” he whispers, his voice cracking as his eyes fill with tears. “Please never say that again.”

“TK – “ he whispers as TK shakes his head, tears rolling down his face as he takes a deep breath.

“I would lose my mind if I lost you,” he continues, steadier. “I love you so much. I don’t know how to do this without you anymore, and I don’t want to. So please, never say that again, and never put my safety above yours.”

“It’s my job to protect you,” he whispers, feeling his eyes burn again as he remembers how close he came to failing tonight.

“And it’s mine to protect you,” TK shoots back fiercely, taking his face in his hands in a desperate hold. “So let’s do that. Let’s take care of each other together, equally, but never putting one above the other, okay? Please,” he begs once more.

Carlos hates the pleading in TK’s voice, not standing the pain he hears there. He takes TK’s hands off his face, bringing them both up to his lips, laying a few soft kisses over his knuckles. “Okay, baby,” he breathes the words into his skin. When he looks up, he finds TK watching him with the same love Carlos feels in his eyes. “Let’s take care of each other.”

֎֎֎

Spanish translations to what Andrea said:

No me llames así cuando estoy enojata - Don't call me that when I'm mad. No jodas conmigo ahora mismo - Don't fuck with me right now

[spxllcxstxr]

The Seven Potters Plan Part 1 • R.L

(Gif not mine)

Request: Nope, just wanted to torture myself with this idea :)

Summary: Harry Potter needs to be relocated from his house in Surrey to the Burrow, however, because he’s not quite seventeen yet, he still has the Trace. Your father, Mad-Eye Moody, comes up with a Plan B. Here’s how it goes.

Warnings: canon character death, canon Deathly Hallows, cursing, death, grieving, mention of injury and blood, death eaters, Voldemort, just a lot of hurt/angst

Word Count: 2.6k

A.N: So the first like 1k words are taken straight from the book. Why? Because I’m a sucker for that kind of stuff. Implied that you’re Remus’ age, the two of you are married, why do I think of these things? I’m like 99% sure I made this gender neutral? But if I didn’t like let me know. I know this is angsty, but I hope you all enjoy. Love you all ❤️

EDIT: So the full fic exceeded 250 word blocks, which is shit because this is not meant to be split up. Meaning, the ending is abrupt because I had to split the whole thing. This is fucking stupid, but whatever. Please don’t forget to read Part 2 for the whole story

****

“All right, all right, we’ll have time for a cozy catch up later!” Your father roars from beside you, cutting off Harry’s conversation with Tonks.

A silence falls over the kitchen, everyone staring uneasily in his direction. You tinker with the zipper on your jacket, nervous about the next few hours.

“As Dedulus probably told you,” He continues, one eye glaring at Harry, the other rolling around in its restraint. “we had to abandon Plan A. Pius Thicknesse has gone over, which gives us a big problem. He’s made it an imprisonable offense to connect this house to the Floo Network, place a Portkey here, or Apparate in or out.” You watch his knuckles turn white, the grip on his staff tightening in anger. “All done in the name of your protection, to prevent You-Know-Who getting in at you. Absolutely pointless, seeing as your mother’s charm does that already. What he’s really done is to stop you from getting out of here safely.”

Harry’s lips tug into a frown.

“Second problem: you’re underage, which means you’ve still got the Trace on you.”

Harry glances around the room, dark eyebrows knit together in confusion. “I don’t—“

“The Trace, the Trace!” Mad-Eye continues impatiently. “The charm that detects magical activity around under-seventeens, the way the Ministry finds out about underage magic! If you, or anyone around you, casts a spell to get you out of here, Thicknesse is going to know about it, and so will the Death Eaters.”

You swallow roughly at the mere thought of being swarmed by Death Eaters unprepared.

A calloused hand grabs yours, and just by the feel you recognize it at Remus’. His hand is warm and comforting in your grasp.

“We can’t wait for the Trace to break, because the moment you turn seventeen you’ll lose all the protection your mother gave you. In short: Pius Thicknesse thinks he’s got you cornered good and proper.”

“So what are we going to do?” Harry questions, his determined tone hiding fragility behind his words.

“We’re going to use the only means of transport left to us, the only ones the Trace can’t detect, because we don’t need to cast spells to use them: brooms, thestrals, and Hagrid’s motorbike.” You father answers gruffly.

You squeeze your husband’s hand hard as you shift around. You hated this plan. It left you all open and vulnerable, and the pit in your stomach was screaming at you that something bad was going to happen. But it was, in reality, the only way to safely get Harry away from his house.

A skeptical look flashes across Harry’s face as well, though he doesn’t say anything.

“Now, your mother’s charm will only break under two conditions: when you come of age, or“—Mad-Eye makes a head gesture around the kitchen, his pockets jingling.—“you no longer call this place home. You and your aunt and uncle are going your separate ways tonight. In the full understanding that you’re never going to live together again, correct?”

He nods.

“So this time, when you leave, there’ll be no going back, and the charm will break the moment you’re outside it’s range. We’re choosing to break it early, because the alternative is waiting for You-Know-Who to come and grab you the moment you turn seventeen.”

The cool metal zipper is still between your fingers, a distraction from all of the grim looks around the room.

“The one thing we’ve got on our side is that You-Know-Who doesn’t know we’re moving you tonight.” Mad-Eye informs him. “We’ve leaked a fake trail to the Ministry: they think you’re not leaving until the thirtieth. However, this is You-Know-Who we’re dealing with, so we can’t just rely on him getting the date wrong; he’s bound to have a couple of Death Eaters patrolling the skies in this general area, just in case.”

You swallow roughly at the thought.

“So, we’ve given a dozen different houses every protection we can throw at them. They all look like they could be the place we’re going to hide you, they’ve all got some connection with the Order: my house, Kingley’s place, (Y/n) and Lupin’s, Molly’s Auntie Murial’s—you get the idea.”

“Yeah.” Harry responds, nodding once again.

“You’ll be going to Tonk’s parents.” You father goes on to explain. “Once you’re within the boundaries of the protective enchantments we’ve put on their house, you’ll be able to use a Portkey to the Burrow. Any questions?”

“Er—yes.” Harry stutters. “Maybe they won’t know which of the twelve safe houses I’m heading for at first, but won’t it be sort of obvious once”—he starts counting the heads around him—“fifteen of you fly off toward Tonk’s parents’?”

“Ah,” You scoff. “And here’s the kicker.”

Harry looks at you with a frown. Your father lightly jabs you with his staff.

“I forgot to mention the key point.” Mad-Eye scowls. “Fifteen of us won’t be flying to Tonk’s parents’s. There will be seven Harry Potters moving through the skies tonight, each of them with a companion, each pair heading for a different safe house.” He takes out his old flask from the inside pocket of his jacket.

“I hate this plan.” You mutter under your breath. Remus’ fingers trace figure eights between your knuckles.

“No!” Harry loudly protests. “No way!” His hands are balled into fists as he frantically looks at all of you surrounding him.

“I told you he’d take it like this.” Hermione lightly points out.

“If you think I’m going to let six people risk their lives—!“

“—because it’s the first time for all of us.” Ron rolls his eyes at his friend.

“This is different, pretending to be me—“

“Well, none of us really fancy it, Harry.” One of the twins jokes. “Imagine if something went wrong and we were stuck as specky, scrawny, gits forever.”

Harry doesn’t smile but the other twin lets out a snort.

“You can’t do it if I don’t cooperate, you need me to give you some hair.” Harry stubbornly tells you all.

“Well, that’s the plan scuppered.” One twin dramatically sighs. “Obviously there’s no chance at all of us getting a bit of your hair unless you cooperate.”

“Yeah, fourteen of us against one bloke who’s not allowed to use magic; we’ve got no chance!” The other teases.

“Funny.” Harry sarcastically remarks. “Very funny.”

“If it has to come to force, then it will.” Mad-Eye growls.

“Dad!” You yelp, the idea of piling on top of this kid just to get a strand of hair repulsive to you.

Your father glances at you, face softening, though only slightly. You’re probably the only one who notices. The perks of growing up with him, you guess.

“Everyone here’s overage, Potter, and they’re all prepared to take the risk.”

Taking a deep breath, you focus back on your anchor. Remus’ hand is honestly the only thing keeping you from succumbing to a total breakdown.

“Let’s have no more arguments! Time’s wearing on. I want a few of your hairs, boy, now.”

“But this is mad!” Harry laughs humorlessly. “There’s no need—“

“No need!” You dad snarls. “With You-Know-Who out there and half the Ministry on his side? Potter, if we’re lucky, he’ll have swallowed the fake bait and he’ll be planning to ambush you on the thirtieth, but he’d be mad not to have a Death Eater or two keeping an eye out, it’s what I’d do. They might not be able to get at you or this house while your mother’s charm holds, but it’s about to break and they know the rough position of this place. Our only chance is to use decoys. Even You-Know-Who can’t split himself into seven.”

You let out a sigh, watching as he quickly glances at his friends.

“So, Potter—some of your hair, if you please.”

Still, he’s hesitant.

“Now!” Your dad barks, causing Harry to jump ever so slightly.

Silently, Harry brings a hand up to the top of his head and yanks at his hair as hard as he can, effectively pulling tufts of hair out. He barely even winces.

“Good.” Mad-Eye limps over to him, his prosthetic clanging against the white tiles. He waves the flask in front of him. “Straight in here, if you please.”

He drops them in and as the potion bubbles and sizzles, Ron and Hermione take a glance over his shoulders.

“Right then, all the fake Potters line up over here, then.” Mad-Eye grunts.

Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Fleur casually line up in the kitchen like they aren’t participating in something that might just kill them.

You also notice someone missing.

“We’re one short.” Remus observes.

“Here.” Hagrid grunts, shoving his way through, practically dragging Mundungus by the collar of his brown and dirty robes. He’s placed next to Fleur, who promptly shifts to stand between the twins. You don’t blame her.

“I told you,” Mundungus complains. “I’d sooner be a protector.”

“Shut it.” Mad-Eye growls. “As I’ve already told you, you spineless worm, any Death Eater we run into will be aiming to capture Potter, not kill him. Dumbledore always said You-Know-Who would want to finish Potter in person. It’ll be the protectors who have got the most to worry about, the Death Eaters’ll want to kill them.”

A cold chill runs down your spine. You were to be paired with another protector, mostly because your dad wanted you to be protected as well as the Potter you were guarding. In any other situation you would’ve argued against it, that you were more than capable of handling it all on your own, but this was different. You were absolutely terrified of being on your own.

It’s quiet as Mad-Eye pours the Polyjuice Potion into separate glasses. When the six of them drink the space is filled with gags and gasps as they morph into Harry Potter.

The Harry’s being to change, but you’re too caught up in your own thoughts to pay attention to any witty remarks. Anxiety courses through your veins and your foot taps against the floor.

When all of them are done, Mad-Eye starts announcing the pairs.

“The pairs will be as follows.” He declares, one eyes trained in the parchment in front of him, the other gazing at everyone. “Mundungus will be traveling with me by broom—“

“Why am I with you?” Demands a Harry in the back.

“Because you’re the one that needs watching!” You shout, glaring at the form that now backs away.

“Arthur and Fred—“

“I’m George!” Laughs one of the Harry’s. “Can’t even tell us apart when we’re Harry!”

“Sorry, George—“

“I’m only yanking your wand, I’m Fred really—“

“Enough messing around!” Mad-Eye growls. “The other one—Fred or George or whoever you are—you’re with Remus.”

You bump shoulders with the man next to you.

“Miss Delacour—“

“I’m taking Fleur on a thestral.” Bill interjects. “She’s not that fond of brooms.”

“Miss Granger with Kingsley and (Y/n), again on a thestral—“

Hermione smiles warmly at you and Kingsley, though it’s actually Harry’s crooked grin.

You aren’t surprised with who your father’s paired you with, Kingsley was honestly the only person he trusted with his life. He felt safest with the two of you together. And Hermione was resourceful as well, making the three of you probably the best team.

“Which leaves you and me, Ron!” Tonk’s cheers, hair fluctuating between pink and orange.

Ron, however, doesn’t look too pleased with the setup.

Harry and Hagrid are of course paired up together on his motorbike.

“I make it three minutes until we’re supposed to leave.” Your father grunts, glancing at his pocket watch. “No point locking the back door, it won’t keep the Death Eaters out when they come looking...come on...”

You turn to Remus, eyes suddenly brimming with tears. The lump in your throat makes it hard to breathe.

“You stay safe, alright?” You whisper, voice cracking.

“Hey, look at me, love.” He utters softly. A finger rests on the bottom of your chin, faces close together. Reluctantly you bring your gaze up to his own honey brown ones, shining with unshed tears. “We’ll be alright, yeah? We’ll be fine.” He tried his best to be convincing, he really does, but it falls flat.

Whatever movement is happening around you fades away.

“I love you, Remus.” You force out almost breathlessly. You might tell him this everyday but he needs to know. He needs to understand it.

“I love you, (Y/n).” He kisses you, lips chapped against your own, but it doesn’t even matter. “I’ll see you soon.”

Hesitantly, the two of you part, him to one of the twins and you to your father.

While everyone else is preparing and saying possibly their final words, your father stands alone, surveying the space.

“Let me have a look at you, yeah?” He grunts, eyes raking over your figure as you approach. “Just like your mother.”

“Mum probably would’ve thought this was a stupid idea too.” You attempt to joke.

You father rests his heavy hands on your shoulders, the weight oddly comforting.

“Yeah well, she thought all my plans were stupid.” He mutters. “She’d be proud, y’know? Fighting for what’s right.”

Your lip trembles which your father notices immediately.

“Oh, c’mere.” He wraps his arms around you, engulfing you in a rare hug.

Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody was the best Auror out there with a tough exterior that frightened most to death, but he was always a soft and caring father when it came to you.

“Don’t cry, (Y/n), hm?” His scruffy chin rests on top of your head. “I love ya, I know I don’t say it too often, but I do. I’m so proud...” His own gruff voice catches at the end.

“I love you too, dad.” You sniff, pulling away and wiping your eyes with your sleeves. “You’ll be alright with Mundungus?”

“Eh, the little bastard’s harmless.” He shrugs, trying to wipe his own eye quickly. “If you don’t come back in one piece, Kingsley’ll never see the light of day, though.”

“Wouldn’t expect anything less from you.” You chuckle.

Mad-Eye glances at his watch. “Damnit.” He mutters. “We’ve got to go. Stay safe, (Y/n).”

“You too, dad.” You reply, making your way to Hermione and Kingsley at your ride.

Your thestral is dark and practically skin and bone like usual. Being in two iterations of the Order of the Phoenix has unfortunately granted you to see threstrals in all their hauntingly beautiful glory.

“Good luck, everyone!” Mad-Eye shouts. “See you all in about an hour at the Burrow! On the count of three. One...two...THREE!”

You hang on tightly to the Harry in front of you, Kingsley guiding the animal to soar into the night sky, the wind almost taking your breath away. You have your wand at the ready, pointing into the void.

Hands shake both from the cold atmosphere and the nerves running through you.

All you do is blink, and five hooded figures have you surrounded, deathly close to you.

“We’ve got company!” You shout over the roaring wind.

You and Hermione fire off spells, Kingsley trying to multitask, but getting away from the cloaked figures was a bit more important.

The two of you try to dodge the best you can, but it’s hard when you’re sitting on the back of a horse.

You don’t know what you cast in the moment, but your body seizes and suddenly one drops like an anvil to the ground below.

The bone chilling feeling of death overtakes you and You-Know-Who, shrouded in a black cloak, quickly rushes past the three of you.

The battle seems like it lasts forever, the back and forth of spells almost unbearable, but eventually you make it to your meeting point, completely exhausted.

•

All Character Taglist: @aspiringsloth20 @amourtentiaa @cherie-draco @mullthingsoverinthehotwater

[elsanna-shenanigans]

August Contest Submission #20: Love Delivered

Words: ca. 1,200 Setting: mAU Lemon: No CW: none

Did Elsa have any idea what she was doing? No, of course not. She was completely out of her element. Her heart was pounding and she desperately wanted to turn heel and head back out the way she had come in. She didn’t though, and tightly clasped her hands behind her back as she ventured forward. She had already been at the flower shop for half an hour. Nothing was standing out.

She paused in front of a flower with long, pink petals. She stole a glance at the name card: geraniums. Maybe she would enjoy these? For fuck’s sake, Elsa, you should have paid attention when she rattled off her favorite flowers. Why didn’t you?

Elsa snorted at herself. You know why; it’s the same reason you’re here to buy these damn things. Get a grip; her favorite was a spring flower with…yellow petals? No no, that can’t be right; yellow is one of her least favorite colors…

“Can I help you find something, miss?” Elsa jumped and swirled around to see an apron-clad young man standing behind her. A crooked tag on his apron told her his name was Kristoff and that he was a “flower expert.” Though she didn’t much feel like talking to anyone at the moment, Elsa sighed and admitted defeat to herself.

“I’m looking for a specific flower for my s-friend. But for the life of me, I cannot remember what it’s called. I‘m positive it’s a spring flower with… purple petals?” Elsa said as she made vague hand gestures. Kristoff’s lips twitched and Elsa could see the laughter in his eyes which brought her irritation to a new level. She breathed a sigh of relief when he nodded, gestured for her to follow, and headed off in a different direction.

“What about these?” Elsa looked at the flower that Kristoff was pointing to. It had long, purple petals cupped protectively around an orange stem. The card said: crocuses. Although the name sounded familiar, Elsa knew that these weren’t the right ones.

“Mmm, no. I recall the petals being wider than that.” They moved down a few displays.

“What about pansies?” Elsa eyed these new flowers that could have been what she was looking for, except there were too few petals on the stem and the purple hue was too light of a shade. So, she shook her head.

“No; too light, not enough petals.” Kristoff hummed and stroked his scruffy jaw. His eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers.

“Primrose.” Elsa just stared at him with a blank expression. Once again, there was laughter held back as he led her over to a bouquet of flowers that were just what Elsa was searching for. She rushed over with a grin on her face.

“Yes, yes! Thank you so much! I’m quite surprised you were able to decipher what flower I was vaguely describing,” she commented. Kristoff chuckled.

“Of course; we aren’t called flower experts just for the heck of it. How many would you like?” 

“A dozen, please. And the nicest vase you have.”

  ~~~~~~~~~~

  Elsa couldn’t believe she was actually going through with this. She readjusted the collar of her shirt for the fifteenth time as she slowly walked up the pathway. Her hair was free from any restraints and rested on her shoulders; a heavy contrast to the dark blue fabric of her suit jacket.  

This was definitely the cheesiest thing she had ever done. The tapping noise of her heels against the pavement echoed in her head. This had better be worth it. Finally, she was at the bottom of the few stairs that led to the door of the house before her. She took several deep breaths before climbing them.

It took her a few more minutes to work up the courage to knock. She raised her hand, but before her knuckles made contact with the door, it opened. Her sister leaned against the doorframe and crossed her arms over her chest. Though Anna’s expression was nothing short of annoyed, Elsa could hear the sharp intake of breath as she glanced over Elsa’s outfit.

“What do you want?” Anna asked quietly. Anna was wearing a robe and it was quite obvious that she wasn’t wearing anything beneath it.  Anna cleared her throat and Elsa’s grip on the flowers in her hands tightened, reminding her of them. She suddenly thrust her arm out and it collided with Anna’s side, causing the younger woman to wince in pain.

“Oh, Anna!  I’m so sorry!” Elsa said and made a move toward her sister but was stopped when Anna held up her hand. Her eyes fell on the flowers that Elsa held and her jaw dropped.

“Those are…” Elsa beamed and carefully held her hand out to Anna, tapping the flowers against her hand.

“Primrose flowers.” 

“Are those for me?” Anna asked in a small voice. Elsa swallowed and nodded. Anna gently took them from her. Elsa slid the box of exotic chocolates from beneath her arm and handed them to Anna as well.

“Favorite flowers, favorite chocolate, favorite suit, and an apology from your favorite person. Or, well, I hope I’m still your favorite person,” Elsa said. Anna looked up at her with her jaw set.

“Well that depends, doesn’t it?  What are you sorry for?” Anna’s direct tone only increased Elsa’s nervousness and fueled the fire that was building inside of her.

“I’m sorry that I’ve been preoccupied these last few weeks; working late, missing meals, not returning calls. I’m sorry that I put work before you,” Elsa paused to take a deep breath.

“Most importantly, I’m sorry for missing our anniversary. There isn’t really an excuse. I was just focused on earning more money so we could move out of this dump and I took it too far.”  Silence fell except for the chirping of crickets and other insects that usually make their presence known in the dusk. Elsa shifted her weight uneasily.

“I’ve got a reservation at Finelli’s, if you’d be willing to join me for dinner.” Anna hummed and, instead of answering, she turned around and walked into the house. Elsa wasn’t sure if she should follow or not and opted for the latter, hoping Anna would return. She did just a few minutes later wearing a short, slitted black dress that had Elsa’s jaw on the ground.

Anna closed and locked the door. She faced Elsa with her hands on her hips. She took a moment to revel in the stunned face of her sister. She hooked her arm through Elsa’s, shaking her gently.

“Let’s go,” she said, tugging on Elsa’s arm. Elsa’s feet finally decided to move and they began to walk back to her car.

“So… am I forgiven?” she asked while opening the door for Anna, who took her sweet time sliding in so that Elsa got an idea of just how short the dress was.

“It depends,” Anna replied as Elsa shut the door. Before she could step away and walk around the car, Anna grabbed her tie and pulled until their lips met in a passionate kiss. When they finally parted, Elsa’s face was flushed and her breath was coming out in short pants.

“On what?” Elsa managed to breathe out. Anna smiled and licked her lips; there was a mischievous glint in her teal eyes.

“Dessert.”

[onenerdtwonagas]

Maybe a prompt where Orpheus is in heat, kinda like a mating season, and he's a little more aggressive/dom than usual, and Uriah keeps teasing him and being flirty, and Orpheus is trying to give him chances to quit before loosing it on him

Well. This was going to be troublesome.

Orpheus stared himself down in the bathroom mirror, grasping onto the counter and frowning. He wasn’t heated from the cold shower he’d just taken; it was coming from the inside, where certain urges were stirring.

“Behave,” he grumbled sternly at his reflection. “You’ve only been living with him for a few months. Behave.”

Nature was running its course. There was no avoiding it; he’d just have to endure. Maybe when Uriah went to work, he’d be able to get himself some relief. After two days of struggling at the mere sight of his sweetheart, though, restraint was proving increasingly difficult. A sideways glance, a brush of the hand...it was driving him mad.

Orpheus sighed heavily and shoved his hair back.

“It’s fine. Uriah’s leaving for work soon, it’ll be—“

“Babe? Working from home today,” Uriah called. “Boss called, said they’ve got our office temporarily closed for some electrical work.”

“...Greeeaaaaat!” He tried to sound sincere. He really did. But Uriah still poked his head around the frame of the door.

“You alright?”

“Never better!”

Uriah’s brow quirked up at an angle.

“You sure?”

“Mmhmm! Positive!”

Orpheus shifted his coils, trying to resist the urge to reach out for the man eyeing him. The longer Uriah stared, the more instinct was calling to him. He couldn’t just launch himself at him; after what Uriah had told him before about his previous partner, Orpheus didn’t want to risk scaring or hurting him that way.

“Okay then...”

Uriah backed away from the door, and Orpheus followed at a slower pace, easing himself as calmly and quietly onto the bed as possible. If he couldn’t keep his conscious mind silent, maybe he’d just sleep through it. He was about to lay his head down when Uriah suddenly opened a drawer and began shrugging off the collared shirt he’d put on for work.

Oh no. Oh gods, ancients, and elementals help him. Orpheus bit back a whine as he found himself staring at Uriah’s back. That slender frame, the tone to his shoulder blades, the beautiful cascade of freckles down his spine... He wanted to touch him, to feel him...

“See something you like back there?” Uriah chuckled, meeting Orpheus’s gaze through the bedroom mirror. The naga tensed and swallowed with difficulty.

“Honestly, what’s eating you, huh? Been weird for the past few days,” Uriah went on. He pulled a sleeveless shirt from his pile of casual wear and slipped it on as he turned to face Orpheus directly.

“I...simply enjoy taking you in.”

“Uh-huh. Right.”

Uriah crossed his arms and smirked at his partner.

“Wanna tell me what’s really going on?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing.”

“Babe.”

Orpheus shrugged as casually as he could manage. But when Uriah crossed the room and leant towards his face, studying his eyes for a tell, a sign, Orpheus felt his pulse beginning to quicken. He was so close. He could just pull him in. He was stronger, and quicker, and he could have Uriah out of those clothes just as quickly as he’d put them on, if not faster. He could even use his powers to make him submit—

Orpheus felt a pang of shame. No. No, you’re not going to do that to him. Alpha urges or not.

“Orpheus,” Uriah pressed, “I’m not gonna let it drop until you’re honest with me.”

The naga exhaled slowly through his nose and met Uriah’s gaze with embarrassment written plainly across his face.

“Fine. I am...” He growled softly.

“I am going through my season.”

Uriah’s expression turned to confusion.

“Your...season?”

“You know... Mating season,” he emphasized.

The man straightened and folded his arms, blinking in disbelief.

“Really?”

“I’m not making up! Gods know it’s hard enough keeping my hands off of you as it is!”

“So you’re saying you’ve been fidgety and uptight for the past few days because you need to get laid?”

Orpheus frowned at him. Uriah bit back a laugh, barely.

“I-I’m sorry, it’s just—you’re a demigod and you can’t handle being horny?”

Shame faded into pride. The voice in his head that had been keeping him in check was getting harder to listen to. It was one thing to want Uriah, but to have him mocking him, too? Before he could stop himself, Orpheus latched his tail around Uriah’s wrist and pulled him down onto the bed. He placed himself firmly above him, a low grow rumbling in his throat. Uriah stared back with wide eyes, the amusement he’d had before totally lost.

His senses snapped back.

“I...I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—Uriah, I—“

Orpheus pulled himself back, wringing his hands uneasily.

“Maybe...M-Maybe I should go back home until this is over.”

Uriah was silent for a moment, but didn’t move.

“...I mean...it’s kind of hot.”

Orpheus looked at him in surprise, expecting to see some sort of apprehension or fear on his partner’s face, but instead Uriah’s cheeks were pink.

“I don’t want to force myself on you. Well, I do, but I know I shouldn’t. I don’t want to be like...like that.”

“It’s not like you’re more violent when you’re like this, right?”

“Gods, no! Just...insistent.”

He slid one of his four hands down his face and groaned.

“Once I get started, it’s like...my body won’t let me stop until I’m finished. With another naga, it’s normal; we can both take it. But you’re human, and your body is more fragile than mine. I don’t know if I’d accidentally harm you.”

“We’ve gone at it for a while before,” Uriah reminded him shyly. “And I like when you constrict me a little, remember?”

A shiver ran the entire length of Orpheus’s serpentine spine. Uriah felt a mix of amusement, excitement, and flattery. It was nice to know someone could be that attracted to him.

“I don’t have to start until ten.”

Orpheus looked at him, heat turning his cheeks a dusky purple. Uriah held out a hand for him. The naga bent down and nuzzled against it, melting into his palm and purring almost drunkenly.

“Wow. You really are a hot mess, huh? H-Hey!”

“Final warning, Uriah,” Orpheus growled lowly, one of his hands palming firmly between Uriah’s legs. Uriah shivered, head falling to the side as Orpheus nuzzled down his neck before his lips made purchase.

“I told you, I won’t stop once you let me start,” his voice rumbled in Uriah’s ear.

“If you have any doubts, tell me now so I can go.”

Uriah squirmed slightly beneath him.

“Y-You got me this worked up already,” he murmured.

“I mean it. Last chance. Otherwise, I’m not letting you leave this bed.”

Uriah made eye contact with him, his breathing already heavy. He raised his head and captured Orpheus’s lips with his own, listening to the naga’s deep, velvety purr before he took his bottom lip between his teeth. Orpheus flinched in surprise, staring down at him.

“You’ve got until ten, big boy,” Uriah breathed. “Come and get me.”

[avocadogirl216]

It Wasn’t You

AN:  Please let me know what you think and let me know of any mistakes that I have made.  This helps me improve my writing.  Thanks!

Summary: You finally get to go on a hunt with your brothers but things don’t go as planned.

Pairings: Dean Winchester x sister!reader, Sam Winchester x sister!reader, Bobby x reader, Possessed!Dean x sister!reader

Warnings: Violence, Possession, Language and Fluff

Word Count:  3,477 Words

(I do not own this gif)

The day has finally come.  The day where you get to go on a actual hunt with your brothers.  Usually you had to stay behind with Bobby and do research but today you get to actually get to go on the road with them and hunt whatever monster was causing trouble.

You were giddy with excitement considering that you were only 14 and you get to put your training to the test. Everyday after school you trained with either Sam or Dean, whether it was self defense or weapon training, you took whatever you could get.  You were a pretty damn good hunter for your age.  You can take down two people three times the size of you at the same time, you can handle almost every kind of gun known to man, you know how to hack into security cameras, you can get your way out of any restraints and you can track almost anyone or anything.  

Your brothers wanted to keep you out of the life as much as they could.  They didn’t mind training you because you never know when it can come into handy.  Especially in this line of work.  Every time they mentioned a possible case you immediately jumped in, trying to help in anyway that you could.  You always begged them if you could go with them, for backup, but they always said no.  Up until last week they decided that you were ready to go with them.  They made rules to keep you safe, which were: always listen to them, never go off on your own and follow orders down to the T.  If you broke any of those rules, you can say goodbye to hunting.

You got out of bed and got dressed in a red and black flannel with a white tank top underneath, a pair of dark blue jeans with rips in them and of course black and white high top converse because you were too clumsy to wear a different kind of shoe.  You coaxed your hair into a high ponytail since it was extra frizzy today and brushed your teeth.

You grabbed your prepacked duffel bag with all of your necessities from under your bed and ran down the stairs into Bobby’s living room.  You lived with Bobby since A) He was like a father to both you and your brothers and B) It was the safest way to keep you close but away from the road life that came with hunting.  Once you made it into the living room you found Bobby with his nose in a lore book, figures.  You see Sam and Dean talking among themselves on the couch.  They didn’t notice your presence until you announced:  “What are you guys doing sitting around?  Let’s get this show on the road!”

Bobby, Sam and Dean look up at you with small smiles on their faces.

“Man I was hoping that you would forget.”  Dean said as he was getting up from the couch.

“When have I ever forgotten anything?” You asked.

“Hmm lemme see.  Homework, dishes, laundry...”  Bobby started to list off.

“Okay, okay.  I get it.  But there was no way in the history of well, ever that I would forget about this.” You said with a smile growing on your face.

“Yeah, yeah.  We know.” Sam said as he grabbed his own duffel bag and slung it over his broad shoulder.

“Got everything Sammy?”  Dean asked his younger brother.

“It’s Sam and yes.”  Sam answered.

“Okay, well I guess that we should get going.”  Dean said as he got his car keys out of his jacket pocket.

“You guys be careful you hear.  (YN) listen to your brothers.”  Bobby said as he stood up from his cluttered desk.

“Will do”  Dean said as he started towards the front door.

“Bye Bobby.” You said as you have him a hug.

“Please be careful.”  Bobby said again.

“When am I not?” You asked as you pulled away from his bone crushing hug.  You walked over to the front door and waved goodbye.  Bobby returned the wave with a hint of worry in his eyes.  You walked out of the house and closed the door behind you.  Sam and Dean were already getting into the car so you jogged over to the back door and slid into the backseat.  Dean put the key into the ignition and brought the beautiful car to life.  He pulled out of the scrap yard and onto the road.

You pulled out your phone, opened your favorite playlist on Spotify and put in your headphones.  You sat back into the leather seat and watched as the scenery around you zoom by.  The case was in Sidney, Nebraska which was about 8 hours from Sioux Falls.  In about 2 hours into the trip you pass out from a sudden, unexpected wave of exhaustion.  You wake up to Sam nudging your knee.  You look around to see that it is dark outside and you are parked outside of a motel.  Dean wasn’t in the car so he was more than likely already in the motel room.

“Hey (YN).”  Sam said in a soothing voice.  “We’re at Sidney, in case if you were wondering.  You passed out on the way here.  Why don’t we get you inside.  Okay?”

You took a deep breath through your nose and nodded your head while rubbing your eyes.  You grabbed your bag and started to walk towards the hotel room.  You walk in to see that Dean was already in his sleepwear and in bed.  He opened one eye to see who just walked in.

“Mmm.  Look who decided to wake up.”  He said with a tired voice.

“I’m not planning on staying up any longer than I need to.”  You said while walking over to the empty bed next to Dean’s and placing your duffel at the foot of the bed.  You grabbed your pajamas and toothbrush and walked into the bathroom.  You closed the door behind you and quickly changed clothes and brushed your teeth.  You opened the door to the bathroom and turned off the light.  Sam was already changed and in bed.  You walked over to the bed and climbed under the covers.  Sam scooted over to give you more room and you moved around until you got comfortable.  After a minute of listening to Dean snore you lulled yourself to sleep once again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You wake up to the smell of bacon and coffee.  You sit up and rub your eyes as you look around the motel room.  Dean was sitting at the table situated in the small kitchen eating bacon and cheese biscuits while scrolling a local news sight on Sam’s laptop.  You walk over to the table and peer inside the paper bag to see three biscuits with no indication on what was in what biscuit. 

“They’re all the same.” Dean said as if he read your mind.

You nodded and picked the biggest one as you sat down in the chair next to Dean, seeing that he went from the news website to the local police radar.

“Anything new?” You asked as you took a bite from the biscuit.

“Nothing’s changed from yesterday.”  Dean stated as he took a sip of his coffee.

You nodded.  After a minute of silence, Sam exited the bathroom while drying his hair with the cheap motel towel.

“Morning Stilts.”  You said.

“Morning short stack.” Sam said back as he walked across the motel room and took a sip of his coffee.  

“So what’s the plan for today?” You asked.

“Well, I was thinking that Sam and I would talk to the families of the deceased.” Dean said as he looked up from the laptop.

“Sounds good.” Sam said as he started to unwrap his first biscuit.

“What will I do?” You asked with hope in your voice.

“You are going to stay here.” Dean said as he got up from the table and walked over to his duffel bag at the end of his bed.

You quickly followed.  “What?  I thought that I was going to work the case with you guys.” You said with disappointment.

“You are going to work the case with us.  You’re just gonna stay here.”

“That’s not working the case.  That’s just me being here and doing nothing.”  You said as you crossed your arms.

“You’re not going to do nothing.  You just can’t come with us to pose as FBI.  You’re too young and no one would buy it.”  Sam explained.

You understood.  Of course you did, the last thing that your brothers needed was to have their cover blown.  You sighed.  “I guess that makes sense.”

“Glad you understand.”  Dean said as he walked over to the bathroom and closed the door.

“We promise not to go after the thing without you.”  Sam said as he looked into your eyes.

“Okay.”

A little while later, Sam and Dean were dressed and ready to talk to the families.

“You know the rules.  Door is locked until we get back, no opening it for anyone and keep your phone on you at all times.  Got it?”  Dean asked in a strict tone.

“Got it.”  You said while looking at the floor.

“We won’t be gone long.”  Dean promised as he and Sam walked out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You were pacing the room trying Dean’s cell again.  

They should have been back by now.

It has been 4 hours since Sam and Dean have left and they haven’t called or texted.  Saying that you were worried was an understatement.  You’ve called them a million times and texted them a million more.  You wanted to go find them yourself, but there was two problems with that plan.  One was that you didn’t know what you were hunting and two was that you didn’t know where in the world your brothers have gone or where they might be.  Your heart was racing as were your thoughts. 

“Screw it.” You announced to no one in particular as you walked over to your duffel to get every weapon that you packed.  As you were about to put some holy water into your jacket pocket, the door to the motel opened and Dean walked in.

You gave a sigh of relief and walked over to him.

“Dean where the hell have you been?  You and Sam didn’t answer your phones and I was just about to go out and look for you myself.” You said in a pissed tone.

“We were jumped and our phones were damaged in the process.  Sorry to worry.”  Dean explained but the way that he said his words were different.  They sounded colder and on edge.  

“You couldn’t call from a pay phone?”  You asked, taking a step back.

“Didn’t have any change.”  He said with coldness and anger in his eyes.

“Umm okay.”  You said uneasily.  “Where’s Sam?”  You said as you looked over Deans shoulder.

“Out.”  Dean said as he locked the door and started to step closer to you.  You took steps back, hoping that he would get the message that you were starting to get uncomfortable.  He didn’t.  He continued to step forward as you stepped backwards.  

“Dean stop.”  You said with your most confident voice that you could muster up at the moment.  You eventually hit the wall and Dean stopped in front of you, his toes touching yours.  He placed his hands on either side of your head.  You tried to slow your breathing down, trying not to show Dean how scared you were getting.

Dean noticed this.  “Am I making you uncomfortable?”  He asked as he tilted his head.

You slowly nodded, pressing yourself against the wall more trying to create more space between the two of you.

“Oh I’m sorry.”  Dean said with fake sincerity.  He leaned in close enough to where his mouth was next to your ear.  “I wouldn’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

When Dean leaned in you caught the smell of sizzled flesh.  You looked over at Deans left side of his chest to see a burn mark where his anti possession tattoo should be.

“You’re not Dean.” You stated.

“What gave me away?”  The demon said as it backed away from your face.  It flashed its eyes black and gave you a smile.

You looked over at your duffel to see your holy water.  The demon followed your gaze. “I don’t think so.”  It said as it dug its nails into both of your shoulders.  You grimaced and inhaled sharply.  You struggled for a bit then used some of the training that Sam and Dean taught you.  You kneed the demon in the groin as hard as you could.  It yelled out in pain and released its grip on you.  You punched the demon in the face and ran for the holy water.  The demon quickly regained itself and tackled you to the ground.  You landed on your face as one arm was underneath your body while the other was being held in a painful position behind your back by the demon.  

“Nice try.”  It said as it flipped you over.  The demon pinned your arms above your head with one hand and sat on your thighs, disabling your legs.  You moved as much as you could but after a minute of struggling you realized that you were trapped.

“Dean fight it!”  You said as you looked up at the demons eyes, hoping that Dean would take control.

“Oh believe me he is.  He’s giving me one hell of a headache but he’s too weak.”  The demon said as it trailed a finger along your jaw.  “I expected more.”

You moved your head as much as you could to keep it from touching you.  The demons eyes started to roam your body with no shame.  It finally looked at you in your eyes and gave you a smirk.  “You sure are a pretty one.”  The demon said as finger started to move down to your collarbone.

“Screw you.”  You said viciously.

“Ooh.  You’ve got a mouth on you.”  It chuckled was it ran its thumb over your bottom lip.  You bit its thumb as hard as you could, tasting blood.

The demon hissed as it retracted its hand.  It then clenched its hand into a fist and punched you in the face.  You vision blurred for a second before focusing back on your possessed brother.

“Dean fig-”  Before you could finish was your were saying the demon punched you in the face again.  And again.  And again.  Pretty soon you were a bloody mess.  Your left eye was swollen shut, your lip was busted and you had multiple cuts on your cheeks not to mention the bruises that were starting to blossom your face .  You coughed up blood and spit in the demons face.  It gave you a disgusted look and wiped it off.  The demon then let go of your arms and used both hands to strangle you.  You tried to hit the demon anywhere you could reach but the demon didn’t loosen its hold on you.  You tried to suck in air but all that came out was a wheeze.  Black spots danced across your vision and you started to feel light headed.  The demon then lifted your head from the ground and slammed it into the dirty motel floor.  You grabbed onto its wrists, hoping that it would stop but the demon kept slamming your head into the floor.  The motel door banged open and Sam ran in.  Before you saw Sam do anything else, you blacked out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You woke up to a pounding headache and the smell of sulfur.  You slowly opened your eyes but immediately shut them from the light.  You groaned as you opened them once again, letting them adjust to the light..

“Hey champ.”  Sam said in a quiet and soothing voice.  You looked up at him, seeing that he was in a chair that was pulled up next to the bed.  He gave you a sad, small smile while rubbing circles into the back of your hand with his thumb.

You looked around the room to see Dean leaning against the dresser giving you a guilty look.

“Wh-what happened?”  You asked looking back at Sam.

“What do you remember?”  Sam asked with a curious look in his eyes.

“I remember you busting through the door and then nothing.”

“Well, we were jumped at one of the families houses and we were taken to a warehouse outside of town.  The demon burned Deans tattoo off and possessed him.  I eventually got out of the bindings and I hot wired a car to the motel.  I walked in to see the demon strangling you.  I fought the demon off of you and eventually exorcised it out of Dean.”  Sam said.  You noticed some cuts and bruises on his face that you were too disoriented before to see.

“How long have I been out?”  You asked with a tired tone.

 “3 hours.”  Dean said from across the room.  You looked back over to him, seeing that he hasn’t moved a muscle.

You closed your eyes and sighed.  After a minute, you tried to sit up.

“Whoa, whoa.  Easy there tiger.”  Sam said as he put a hand on your shoulder, trying to get you to lay back down.

“I’m fine.” You said as you continued to sit up.  Eventually Sam helped you and leaned you against the head board.  You looked over at Dean to see some bruises marking his face along with a cut on his right cheekbone.  “Are you okay?” 

“Don’t worry about me.”  Dean said as he started to make his way over to the bed.

“I’m sorry have you met me?”  You asked.

“Unfortunately.”  

“Hilarious.” 

“I’m known for it.” 

“Sure you are.”

Sam chuckled and patted your hand before letting it go.  “I’m gonna go get us some dinner.”  He said as he looked between you and Dean.  He grabbed his jacket and the keys to the impala and walked out of the motel room.

There was a minute of silence before Dean spoke.

“(YN) I am so sor-”  Before he had a chance to finish his apology you interrupted him.

“Stop, just stop.”  You said as you looked into his guilt ridden eyes.  “You have nothing to apologize for.  It wasn’t you.”

“Yeah but I could have stopped it.”  He said while avoiding your gaze.

“Come here.”  You said while patting the empty space next to you.

Dean hesitated before finally moving next to you, still avoiding your eyes.

“Look at me.”  You said.  He didn’t.  “Dean Winchester I said look at me.”  You commanded in the tone of voice he used when you were in serious trouble.  Dean looked up at you with eyes starting to fill with tears.  “I forgive you.”

“You shouldn’t.  I failed you as an older brother.”  He said as a tear made its way down his face.

You moved your hand to his face and wiped the tear from his cheek with your thumb.  “No you didn’t.  Don’t you ever think that.  Ever.  You are the best big brother I could ask for.  You’ve done so much for Sam and me.  You’ve taken care of us when no one else would, you made sure that we had a happy childhood despite our situation, you’ve protected us and you’ve always been there for us, no matter what.  I couldn’t ask for anyone better.” 

Dean gave you a small smile.  “And I couldn’t ask for a better sister.”

“Come here.”  You said as you held your arms open for him.  Dean leaned in and gave you a hug that wasn’t as tight as it usually was.  “You’re not gonna break me Dean.”  You said as you hugged him tighter in which he returned.  After a minute of holding each other, you two let go.  You yawned while rubbing your non hurt eye.

“You tired?”  Dean asked.  You nodded.  Dean helped you lay down and get under the covers. “Night sis.”  He said as he smoothed your hair.  When he started to walk away you caught his hand.  Dean looked down at you with curiosity.

“Stay with me?”  You asked with your puppy eyes that matched Sam’s.

“Sure sweetie.”  He said as he started to lay down next to you.  You scooted over to give him more room on the bed.  When he got comfortable, you layed your head on his chest as he wrapped his arm around your body.

“Love you De.”  You said tiredly.

“Love you too kiddo.”  He replied back. 

You yawned once again and closed your eyes.  You were quickly lulled to sleep to the sound of Dean’s heartbeat and to the soothing fact that Dean would always protect you from the monsters of the night, no matter what.

[halothenthehorns]

All in the Family

Chapter 114: The Lion and the Serpent

Frank groaned, already missing the towel bed back as he lay on the cold floor once more flat on his back. His leg was propped up uncomfortably on a chest, and it was only after his head stopped ringing did he realize it wasn't his whole body shaking, just that.

He jerked quickly away with a startled yelp, drawing Alice and Lily's attention at once. He watched carefully, but they were in an open office with no obvious danger in sight, the two girls circling around a desk to get to him.

He didn't recognize it, but found himself unsurprised who did when the explanation came.

"I didn't even know Madam Hooch had an office," the older Black was tapping his chin and circling curiously on the spot. "Where in the castle would that be?" They were on the ground floor he was certain, bright sun streaming in through a window that directly showed the Quidditch pitch's entrance, but none of them really paid enough attention to her when she was refereeing to notice if she came and went from any door in particular down here.

"I've heard of it at least," Frank grumbled, now eyeing the chest in understanding, everybody knew the Quidditch balls were in here in between games to stop with tampering, and were returned here after practice so teams couldn't do anything in the meantime. It was probably the bludgers trapped inside that gave him a fright.

He smiled at Alice and Lily and told them, "did you know this is probably the most guarded office in the whole castle, even better than Dumbledore's. I once heard a Ravenclaw tried to sneak in here for her team to get at those, and no matter what she tried, she couldn't get in."

The younger Black came out of an adjacent door stretching, a bed beyond him showed this was also her room compounded.

"I've never heard that," Alice laughed.

"But I believe it," Lily rolled her eyes as she looked around in exasperation.

"Must be a Quidditch chapter!" Potter hooted in delight, shouting the summoning spell first. The chest went zooming across the office, Potter yelping in shock and ducking just in time as it sailed over his head and crashed into the wall behind him. Frank was now even more grateful he'd moved when he had the chance or he would have gone with that thing.

He tried to pry it open, but the lock on it would not give. Muttering in disdain, he went circling around the desk and went rummaging through it with no care for some keys, throwing things pell-mell in his wake.

"And here I thought this was the one place you'd show some restraint," Lily sighed as she spoke to him and had to dodge a magazine lobbed near her. "Madam Hooch is the only adult in this place you lot actually use her title for."

To everyone's utter disbelief, he ignored her and abandoned the desk to go into the room instead.

Every eye in the room turned to Sirius for explanation, and he quickly scrambled to hide his face wasn't as shocked as everyone else's, muttering audibly about body snatchers as he followed and keeping the building shame to himself.

How had he not realized the last time he'd talked to Prongs something had been on his mind? Sure he'd been distracted by having some fun with Moony, and then Longbottom just confirmed he was an arse, plus the mess with Regulus and Peter, not to mention the entire mess that was this future every time his name came up, but still, it bothered him greatly if James had somehow fallen through the cracks by not even registering if his best friend wanted to talk about something during all of that!

He walked in the room brazenly, determined to put Prongs in a headlock until he told whatever his problem was, but he'd already found the keys in a side drawer next to the bed and was trying to skip past him just as fast.

Sirius seized the back of his robes and kicked the door shut instead.

"The hell Padfoot?" James yelped in surprise, turning to him in genuine confusion. "Quidditch?!" It really would have been all the explanation needed under other circumstances, even he'd been distracted from Evans when one of their games was coming up, but Sirius wasn't buying that this time.

"Sure that's the only thing on your mind? I know there's not space up there for much else, but I'm just checking," he frowned, still casting his mind back to try and place when this could have started and still kicking himself violently he really couldn't say the last time Prongs had spoken up what was on his mind.

"I, err," he met his eyes uneasily and still glanced longingly at the door. "I was, just," finally he huffed and put it as bluntly as he could. "I was trying to give everyone some space, thought that's what you wanted."

Sirius looked stunned stupid, and James found himself just as confused as him now.

"What on Earth gave you that impression?" He demanded, glowering back at the door with a now familiar look that made James exhausted just recognizing it.

"You, you idiot," he said quickly. Sirius opened his mouth to protest so James continued with a halfhearted shrug, "I get a lot's been going on with you lately, I've been dead through all this so it's not like I know how it feels to be hearing about this future version of me, and you've been talking to Moony about it 'cause, he's alive, I guess, and I'm glad you two are friends again, honestly, but ever since you two have been talking to each other again," he stopped and rubbed at his temple, thinking that had come out all wrong.

Sirius wished a pit would swallow him whole already. Was he just cursed to ruin everyone's life? He really hadn't considered any of that at all!

The two were interrupted by a tentative knock on the door, and then it opening anyways and Remus shoving Peter inside.

Sirius had half a mind to kick the two out, he clearly needed to have a chat with his best mate, but Remus quickly intervened by smiling at the two and saying cheerily, "oh good, we weren't interrupting."

Peter laughed awkwardly, still eyeing the door like he wasn't even sure if he was supposed to be in here. Just because they didn't want to kill him now didn't make him automatically think he was invited back just like that.

James tapped the jangling key ring against his hip with nerves as he realized this was the first alone moment they'd gotten in a very long time, and they all just stood there awkwardly now. He was really starting to believe nothing was going to be the same anymore, and he looked miserably at the door and tried to stammer some half-hearted excuse to leave.

Sirius startled him by throwing his arm over his shoulder like old times, and then tightening around his throat in that choke hold that meant he wasn't going anywhere.

"Look, I'm sorry Moony and I didn't share our brilliant idea to try and get those others to relax around him by making a few more furry little jokes in front of them," Sirius said honestly, bouncing on his toes a bit and making James squirm all the more uncomfortably under his arm.

"Our?" Remus frowned at him, but Sirius ignored him and kept going.

"It, err, was a bit spur of the moment, and look, we really should have, but look, we-"

"It's not like I disagree," James nodded now that he understood, finally wrangling out of his grasp. "Just, I'd have liked a little warning."

"Sorry Prongs," the two said together, Remus adding, "I just, I saw an opportunity and went for it before I chickened out."

"Don't be ridiculous Moony," Sirius snorted, "you'd rooster out, and even then, it certainly wasn't a full moon, you had too much energy."

He stopped with a remorseless laugh as Remus shoved him. James smiled at the display as he told himself that whatever had happened, he was glad for it. If things had changed enough that Remus got through to him but he couldn't anymore, well, it's not the first change that had happened, and probably wouldn't be the last. He'd adjust...

Peter laughed in surprise at the idiots again, and then Sirius lunged without warning and snatched the keys away from Prongs, darting for the door himself now. James pounded after him shouting profanities, and the two barely had time to get out of the way of the door as the two began pushing and shoving each other, laughing madly by trying to get back to the trunk first.

James finally tackled Sirius to the floor, and the two went rolling around for several minutes before he came up victorious with the keys once more and finally retrieved his prize.

Sirius just grinned and threatened to release the bludgers on him if he didn't get started.

Remus stayed leaning against the door jam with a fond smile as Prongs read out The Lion and the Serpent, and wasn't even surprised when Peter wandered back over to Regulus and the two began smiling about the feeling Harry carried of his pride in the DA group.

He still winced internally as the root of the problem definitely hadn't been solved, they hadn't even seemed to realize Peter hadn't gotten a word in, again, but they weren't looking traitorously at him anymore as he went off. He didn't know if that marked a good thing that they had faith he'd come back if needed, or if he really wouldn't try to be a part of their group anymore. He seemed like he still wanted to be, having knocked and all, but Remus wasn't any better just shoving him like that, he scolded himself far too late. Would an apology just sound dumb so long after the fact?

Sirius finally seemed delighted to fix one problem right now though, as he stayed attentive at James's shoulder, trying to read with him and the two chatting loudly about the brilliance of Hermione's coin system.

As talk of Quidditch was built up and the two were louder than ever, she turned back to Frank and the three of them continued their much quieter conversation.

"I know you didn't mean anything by it darling, and you apologized right away," she squeezed his hand once more, "but I know you've been uneasy from him since all this came out, and it seems like he's trying a bit now. Can't you do the same?"

"It's not that simple," he wasn't even sure how he had to explain this to her, it still baffled him he seemed the only one with this problem. It's not like he'd been the only one in that cage, the mad animal having to be pinned down to stop from killing them, yet they'd gone back to acting like that never happened, that it couldn't happen again before all this was up. "Telling myself that and still doing it just aren't," he waved his other hand vaguely, but turned to watch him again. Seeing him now laugh along at Ron's inept yet impressive Quidditch save of accidentally kicking a Quaffle across the field into a goal post was the most normal thing anyone could do, but he doubted this would be the first thing his brain thought of if any of them had copious amounts of blood while in his vicinity again.

"I think Alice was right before though, maybe it would do us some good to, talk to them more," Lily paused with an eye roll as Crabbe and Goyle were announced as the new Beaters for the Slytherin team and the boys were mocking this. "At least, maybe when they stop being idiots about this game later."

Both of them watched her in surprise, she certainly hadn't agreed moments ago when Alice had said such a thing.

Lily just shrugged, waving vaguely at Lupin as well. "Couldn't hurt, maybe we've had them pegged wrong all this time, I know they've surprised me more than once during all this."

"I, yeah I guess," he sighed. "What are we even supposed to talk to them about? I'm with Lily, you know neither of us are the biggest Quidditch fans," he needlessly informed Alice.

"Oh, I'm sure we'll come up with something," Alice answered him with a beaming smile, leaning forward and planting a kiss on his cheek, before standing up properly and now sitting on the desk, joining the others in their disgusted shouts of this new low by the opposing team of making a full song about the Weasleys' life just to mess with them while the game was in full swing.

Lily and Frank exchanged an exasperated look, but still decided they'd wait for a better opportunity and began discussing games they wished they could be playing in a much more normal volume, like Gobstones. No one ever almost died playing that. The two did stop in outrage when Malfoy lost the game, and continued further insulting Harry now, even dragging Lily into it with more crude language.

She pursed her lips and couldn't say she blamed Harry or George attacking Malfoy, she'd curse anyone who called her that. She'd mostly forgiven Regulus for once doing the same, especially as he hadn't ever since that one time, and he'd only technically laughed along rather than out right saying it. She'd caught Sev even laughing at some cruel jokes before looking apologetically at her and changing the subject, insisting it was just force of habit from having to pretend around the others in his year.

Regulus's moment with his brother back in their house, each expressing they didn't want the other dead, was honestly the first step any of them had seen he'd even been willing to change. More than her own best friend had ever made, he wouldn't even say with any force he'd stop hanging around that awful lot.

The dragon bogies really hit the wind when McGonagall dragged the two up to her office for a telling off, but even though however much of that was deserved varied per person, Umbridge's arrival and banning Harry and the twins from said sport met a deadly silence from all.

"Well that sucks," Frank finally spoke into the heavy air.

Lily gave a nervous kind of laugh beside him, still watching all of them as if she expected someone to blow up any second.

"As if we didn't have reason enough to kill her before all this," Lupin said with an ugly scowl, then shot a guilty look at him, and Frank almost wanted to laugh at himself; Alice had been right already, he agreed with him. He still hadn't quite gotten over his fear of what this woman would do to Neville and the rest of the DA if she found out about that, but it would likely be the same if not something crueler as this woman carving up Harry's hand, and now stepping in from his own head of house and dueling out such punishments as lifelong bans.

Potter finally kept going with that same cold, calculating look in his eye Frank was now all too familiar with, but he'd help along with any plan these guys came up with to keep this woman from ever entering their school, let alone getting as far along in life as she had when they got back.

It was only in the last line of the chapter did any good news seem on the horizon, Hagrid was finally back.

[thesparhawke]

“We all move uneasily within our restraints.”

-Kay Redfield Jamison, An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness

[azaerlyn]

A chill ran down her spine as she exited the bar and she pulled her sweater tighter around her for warmth as she began walking down the street toward the bus stop. 

She knew better than to leave the bar alone, what with all of the recent disappearances that had been happening lately, but she was tired and wanted to go home. She wasn't a party girl, the bar wasn't her scene, but she went anyway because it was her cousin's birthday and would have felt guilty if she hadn't shown up for at least a couple of hours. The group had been too wasted to notice her slip out the door, having only had a couple of fruity cocktails. 

As she neared the end of the block an unwelcomed feeling overcame her. She braced herself against the corner of the brick building and closed her eyes tight, dizziness waving through her head as she felt her body become weak. 

They stood back, watching her. Waiting for the right moment. The drug the bartender had slipped into her last drink hadn't taken full effect yet but it was working. Yes, it was all going according to plan. One of them chuckled darkly, eyes darkening as he watched her uneasily round the corner into the alley to sit against the wall in an attempt to regain her senses. She was falling right into their trap. 

"Now!" hissed the second

This one was impatient. Always ready to jump on their prey and take her as his own without thinking of the consequences that would form if the abduction wasn't done just right. 

"Not yet." 

The older, larger, and more sensible of the group shushed his partner with a finger to his pointed lips. His eyes never left the poor girl who was fading quickly. 

"Help" came a quiet mewl 

"Now" the leader growled 

The second man scrambled out from the dumpster and hurried over to the inebriated girl, changing into character before he knelt beside her.

"Miss?" He asked, holding her head up and looking into her eyes

He felt his cock twitch along the lining of his pants as her green eyes flickered up at him weakly. They appeared desperate, lost, scared. He resisted the urge to lick his lips and continued the facade. 

"Help me" she whispered "I..I don't feel.."

"Shhhh, Darling, take it easy. Don't look so good, did you have one too many?" He chuckled softly "Do you have a cell phone? I'll call for help."

With little strength she pulled her phone out of her pocket, her energy giving way as it fell out of her hand onto the ground. He picked it up as her body slumped over into his chest, eyes closing as she faded into unconsciousness. 

He made quick work of making sure no traces of her or him would be found. He held the mobile device in his hand, chanted a quick spell, and watched as it burned to ash against his palm. Dropping the remaining soot to the ground he picked up her bag and lifted her easily onto his shoulder. 

"Let's go." The eldest took one last glance over his shoulder before opening the back door to a building and they entered, a flash of red light appearing behind them as they stepped through the portal with their victim. 

"Put her down, on the grate." 

"You know, Kenaji, one day I'm going to get sick of taking orders from you." 

"Is today that day, Dane?" The leader stood, broad chest taught and dark eyes narrowed, challenging the inferior one "You want to do this now, because I'm ready."

"No, man, come on we have a job to do." Dane muttered, looking away

"That's what I thought." Kenaji laughed, teeth shining with a cheeky smile at his victory

Dane rolled his eyes and placed the unconscious girl on the ground, laying her body across the metal grate and shackling her limbs to the metal bars. 

"Should we start now or wait for Benji?" Kenaji asked as he looked over the girl's body

"Start now." Dane shifted from one foot to another as he rubbed his hands together

"Figures. Go on, have your fun before she comes to." Kenaji rolled his eyes and sat down in the black leather chair

Dane knelt down between the girl's splayed legs and ran a hand up one of them.  As he went further the hem of her dress rose, exposing her thighs. 

"Look how smooth and pale she is." Dane commented as he slapped her thigh hard "Oh yeah, this one's going to mark up nice and red for us."

"Just don't damage this one. You know how He feels about damaged goods." 

"He can lick my ass." Dane muttered as he held out his hand above the girl

A silver knife appeared and he gripped it, running it down her body until he got to the exposed panties. He quickly sliced the cotton material off of her, paying no attention to the small starry print on them as he ripped them away from her crotch. 

"Fuck, look at that pussy. Looks so tight." Dane growled 

He ran his thumb through the folds of her vagina, brushing it against her clit. With his other hand he removed his cock, stroking it as he coaxed the nub out of it's hiding place. 

"Alright, baby doll, you ready?" He laughed, knowing that she couldn't consent

Dane positioned himself at her entrance and shoved his cock inside her dry hole. It didn't hurt him because demon cock was always slick from constantly being in heat. The girl's poor pussy, however, would be sore upon awakening but that would soon be the least of her worries once they really got started with her. 

Once Dane had unloaded his hot cum inside of her he pulled out, put his cock away, and walked over to the fridge standing in the corner. The contents of the fridge mostly held concoctions of  drugs used on the victims but even demons get thirsty after strenuous activity. 

"Toss me one, would you?" the third man asked as he stepped through the portal and into the room

"About time you got here." Dane tossed a beer to his comrade and smirked "How was work?" 

"Shut up." 

Benji, the youngest of the trio, hated being the worker bee. He was the one with the charisma, the "people skills", so naturally he would be the one to land the jobs that would discreetly allow him to scope out the next victim. Their Boss wanted specific types of girls lately so just grabbing them off the street without taking a few notes first was no longer an option. 

"Boys, don't fight. We got to get a move on with this one. He's going to want her quick especially with how disappointed he was with the last one" Kenaji glared at Dane

"What?" Dane shrugged in feigned innocence "Stupid cunt deserved it." 

Kenaji just glared at Dane as he stood from the chair. He made his way over to the girl and waved his hand over her. The rest of her clothes tore into shreds, leaving her completely exposed to their gaze. Her nipples hardened as the cold air hit them, causing all three men's cocks to stiffen as they thought of the possibilities. 

Their victim began to stir, chains rattling as she attempted to work her limbs. Small whimpers and helpless moans left her lips as her eyes fluttered open. 

"Showtime" 

Benji clapped his hands together as he knelt down at the girls side. Dane took his place at her head and Kenaji knelt between her spread legs. 

"Wha-" the girl muttered as clarity began to return "Wher-?"

Upon realizing that she was chained against a cold metal surface and that three large and intimidating men were surrounding her she began to struggle. 

"None of that now" Kenaji's deep voice spoke as he placed his hands on her shaking legs "Not gonna get out of these, so you might as well save your energy."

"You're going to need it" Benji laughed 

"Please!" She flailed more, attempting to cover her exposed body "Where am I? What do you want with me?" 

"Well, Sweetheart, you're in Hell." Benji smiled, sharp teeth shining against the flickering candle light "And it isn't us who wants you."

"Hell?! Am I dead? I don't understand, I'm a goo-"

"A good girl. Yes." Kenaji shook his head as he squeezed her thighs "They all say that, but it's never true. You're not dead. You see, we used a little black magick to transport you across the realm without harming your physical body. We need you perfectly intact to meet the Master."

"M-master? Lucifer?" 

"Enough. Gag her and let's get started." Kenaji ignored her question and began to run his hand over her pussy

"No, please!" She screamed and flailed at the touch, begging them to let her go "This isn't real, this can't be happening!"

"Oh it's real, whore. It's very real." Dane said as he produced a ball gag from thin air 

Upon seeing the gag she instantly tightened her mouth shut, shaking her head vigurously. 

"Open wide, bitch" Dane slapped her across the face but she did not relent. He sighed. "A little help here, Benny?'

"For the six billionth time, Fuck Face, it's Benji." 

The demon reached over and pinched his fingers around the girls nose, blocking all air flow while she continued to keep her mouth closed. 

"Fighting us is cute, but it'll only entertain us for so long." Kenaji said as he rubbed his finger in a circle around her clit 

Within seconds she gave up the fight and gasped for air, barely getting a full breath into her lungs as Dane pushed the gag between her teeth and secured it. Sharp intakes of air and snarles left her nose as she felt tears roll down her cheeks. 

"Oh quit crying, we haven't even got to the worst part yet." Dane slapped her again before kneeling back to his place beside her 

"Watch closely boys. I'm going to show you how to break a slut like this one in nice and quick." Kenaji smirked down at the girl as he pushed the long black hair away from his face "You are a slut, aren't you?"

She shook her head furiously, arms still pulling at the restraints. 

"Oh but you are." Benji chimed in, reaching out to grasp a nipple and squeeze it "I know all about you. You think me pouring you a drink at the bar was our first interaction? It wasn't."

As Benji spoke Dane handed Kenaji the tools needed to begin his process. A bottle of warming lube and a vibrating wand joined the space between her outstretched legs and the lead demon began to prepare her pussy. 

"I've been following you for weeks now, you just didn't know it. I've watched you go to work, volunteer at the animal shelter, grocery shop…" Benji paused to squeeze her breasts in his hands, kneading them hard as she squealed with fright "I've even watched you shower."

Her eyes widened at the thought and her mind raced  back to her recent showers. For a split second she almost forgot that Kenaji's fingers were finding their way inside of her used hole, still sticky with cum, and she winced as the tenderness of being raped with Danes' long and thick shaft shot through the muscles of her pussy. 

"You guys want to know what my favorite part about spying on this slut was though?" Benji laughed, flicking a nipple "Watching her cum to all that filthy, degrading porn she watches." 

Her cheeks reddened and her chest flushed with humiliation. She writhed her hips to try to attempt escape but that only made Kenaji's fingers slide deeper inside her. 

"I knew you were a slut" laughed Dane

She began to cry, muffled protests and please left the gag. They fell on deaf ears as Kenaji thrust his fingers in and out of her. 

"You've thought about this. Being taken, used, fucked like a piece of meat." Benji growled "Now you're going to get your wish." 

She screamed as she felt Kenaji's hand slide into her, fisting her sore pussy now. She trashed as much as her bonds let her and Benji held up a hand as Dane went to hold her down. 

"Let the little cunt fight it, let's see how long it takes her to figure out that the more she squirms the harder she fucks herself against Kenaji's fist."

She instantly stilled her efforts at the statement and was met with a series of "awws" from the three demons. 

"No, go on, keep fighting it." Kenaji urged "Turn yourself into a fuck puppet on my hand. No? Alright, we'll make you then."

Another scream attempted to fall through her gag as the vibrator was turned on and pressed against her budding clit. She thrashed as much as she could against the grate, screaming for it to stop. It didn't stop. In fact they kept going. Dane and Benji slapped and pulled at her tits, Dane choked her while Benji laid a series of punches across her chest and stomach, all while Kenaji continued to fist and vibrate her pussy. After several minutes of the treatment her body began to betray her. Her pussy pulsed around the hand inside it and her clit fluttered against the head of the toy. The pleasure of orgasm overtook her, distracting her from the pain, and soon she was shuddering. She panted as she came down, hoping that they would stop. It continued. For hours they beat her, tortured her tits, pulled at the hairs of her pussy, and made her cum over and over again until she thought she would pass out. Dane reached up and removed the gag and shoved three fingers into her mouth. He pushed to the very back of her throat, causing her to gag as she came again. As he removed his hand a stream of spit came with it and he wiped it across her face in disgust. 

"Filthy fucking animal" 

A slap across  her face didn't phase her. Her pussy was on fire and she knew she couldn't cum again. 

"No..more...please" she feebily shook her head, the fight long gone

"No, Baby Girl, you don't get to say when you've had enough." Kenaji punched his fist into her again, his knuckles brushing against her cervix. She wailed. "You're going to cum for me until I'VE had enough"

The growl that ended his sentence sent a shudder through her entire body and she shook, her limbs tensing hard and her body convulsing. 

"Three…" he began as he rubbed the vibrator over her clit harder 

"No, please!"

"Shut up, cunt!" Benji hissed 

"Two..come on, you can do it, give me one more."

Kenaji's tone was encouraging now. Coaxing her to be a good girl for him, to give him what he asked for. She couldn't wrap her head around the sudden softness in his demeanor but whatever he was doing was working. 

"That's my good little cum slut. You ready to give it to me, Baby Girl? Come on...CUM NOW!"

The scream that left her body as she exploded into orgasm echoed throughout the hallways of Hell's dungeon. Prisoners, slaves, and the Master's harem of playthings could all hear the gruelling, devastating sound of her soul being twisted as she lost control to the demons. They shuddered, thankful that it wasn't them this time, and winced as the reminder of knowing they would continue to be tortured resignated which each piercing shriek from behind the iron door. 

Her eyelids fluttered and she gasped for air, feeling darkness overcome her. 

"Good little slut" Kenaji chuckled as she collapsed against the metal grate, falling back into unconsciousness. 

As they rose from the floor to leave her there, dripping with her own juices that was dropping through the bars and down to the discarded sluts chained below, Benji made a slight twitch of his fingers over her and smirked. Her slumber wouldn't be peaceful with the images he'd placed in her head. He walked away as she began to whimper in her sleep. 

To Be Continued…

[null-whump]

It’s whumptober baby

I’m so excited for this you guys don’t even know

Warnings: Restraints, stabbing/cutting, knives, whump on a character who appears to be a minor but is not actually a minor (Felix is called ‘kid’ by other characters)

Word Count: 1,900

Whumptober Prompt – Waking up Restrained

––––––––––––––––

The first thing I noticed was the cold, and the wind. Then, as I slowly became more aware of my surroundings, the coarse ropes around my wrists, and a hard, rough surface against my back. I forced my eyes open, blinking away the heaviness of sleep that lingered unnaturally on my mind. My vision was blurry, but I could make out trees, a flickering light, and – people. Four of them, moving indistinctively. I pulled at my wrists, craning my neck in an attempt to see the bindings. I was tied, standing upright, against a tree, my arms pulled behind me. I realized I could hear the people speaking, arguing, it sounded like.

Four people, and I knew one thing for certain – Varren was not among them. I wouldn’t put it past him to tie me to a tree in the middle of the night, but he was gone. Away on a three-day trip, alone. So where was I, and how did I get here?

“Hey, jackasses, he’s awake.”

Great. He sounded friendly. My vision slowly started to clear, enough to see two of the figures approaching. One of them grabbed my hair and roughly pulled my head up, knocking it against the tree in the process.

“You said he would stay out for longer,” the first figure, man, said, glaring accusingly at the second figure, who was holding my hair – a woman, I could tell now, with brown skin and long black hair.

“I said that it would last six to twelve hours. Besides, he looks pretty out of it.” She turned her attention to me and waved her hand in front of my face.

I flinched back, as much as the hand in my hair would allow, and the woman laughed.

“Jumpy, are you?” She teased. “That’ll make this more fun.”

The man glared at her back. “You’re not here for fun,” he emphasized. “You’re here as hired help.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it,” she shot back, releasing her grip on my hair. “How else are you planning to get anything good out of him?”

I looked between the two of them, taking stock of their appearance now that my vision was nearly back. The man was tall and muscular, with short blond hair and a scar down the left side of his face. The woman was shorter, and a maliciously eager light danced in her eyes. It reminded me of Varren. I hated it.

“Would you two shut up?” A third voice, a woman, interjected. “The cat has ears, you know.”

The woman rolled her eyes and turned away. The man hesitated, glancing me over once more before following. I looked to where the third voice had come from and identified another man and woman sitting by a fire. Four of them, one of me. Not great odds.

I considered my options. On the one hand, did I really want to escape? Whoever these people were, and whatever their intentions were for kidnapping me, they must dislike Varren, and that was enough for me to have some good feelings towards them. Even if they had knocked me out and tied me to a tree. Maybe I could even help them.

On the other hand, all it would take for Varren to realize what had happened was a quick check inside my head, something that was all too easy and that he enjoyed doing when I least expected it. And when he found out I had even considered helping these people, whoever they were…I shuddered.

“Enough arguing!”

My attention was pulled back to the group as the second woman, tall with blonde hair, shoved past the others and towards me.

“We’re on a time limit,” she said to her companions. “If we want to get this done, we need to start.”

The blond man looked away; his mouth set in a hard line. The second man, a shorter figure with brown hair and the beginnings of a beard, stood from his place by the fire. “Tali’s right,” he said to the blond. “You don’t have to like it.”

He approached me alongside the blonde woman, Tali. The dark-haired woman hung back, an unsettling grin on her face. I found myself shrinking back, but with the tree behind me, I didn’t have anywhere to go.

“We’re not going to hurt you unless we have to,” the man said, as if that was supposed to be comforting. “Give us what we need, and we’ll all be happy.”

I decided it was about time I said something. “Who are you? And what do you want?”

“Hey, we’re asking the questions!” Tali snapped.

The man held up a placating hand. “It’s alright, Tali. He has a right to know.” He ignored Tali’s eye roll and continued. “This is Tali, as I’m sure you’ve guessed. My name is Jace.” He gestured to the blond man. “That’s Tali’s brother, Rolf.” He pointed to the dark-haired woman. “And of course, Avis.”

“Now that we’re done with introductions,” Tali said, “could we get back to what’s important?”

Jace smiled disarmingly. “Of course. Now, if you cooperate this will go much smoother for all of us,” he reminded me. “All we want is for you to help us steal something from Varren Evrenden.”

He said it so confidently, so casually that for several seconds all I could do was stare at him. “Oh, is that all?” I asked in disbelief. “You didn’t seem to have any trouble kidnapping me, why didn’t you take what you want then?”

Jace shook his head. “Not possible. He keeps this item with him at all times.”

“Help us get it, and we won’t have to hurt you,” Tali said, though it sounded more like a threat than a reassurance. “It’s a charm, one of a kind.”

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about,” I told them. I wasn’t lying either – whatever ‘charm’ they were after, Varren had never shown it to me.

Tali scowled. “Don’t make this difficult.”

“I’m telling the truth,” I insisted. “I’ve never seen any charm!”

“You’re his familiar!” Tali shot back. “Why wouldn’t he tell you about it?”

I nearly laughed out loud. “That doesn’t mean anything to him!”

“He’s telling the truth,” Avis chimed before Tali could respond. “The kid is worthless.” She shook her head. “There goes your one plan.”

Jace frowned. “You’re sure?”

Avis laughed. “Am I sure? What did you hire me for? He’s so easy to read it’s pathetic. I thought cats were supposed to be good at telepathy, but here we are.”

I clenched my jaw. A high-level empath, I guessed, high enough to tell when people were being truthful. I was so used to having my guard down around Varren that I hadn’t even thought to mentally shield myself.

“We can still use him.” Rolf, who had been observing silently, spoke up. “Maybe the witch will negotiate when he hears we have his familiar.”

“Didn’t you hear me?” I asked. “He doesn’t give a damn what happens to me!”

“I find that hard to believe,” Tali said. “Every witch I know has at least some sort of attachment to their familiar. Why should Evrenden be any different?”

The absurdity of it nearly made me laugh out loud. “Do you not know anything about him at all? I’m probably last on the list of things he cares about.”

Tali looked to Avis. “Is he lying?” She demanded.

Avis shrugged. “No. Either he has really bad self-esteem issues, or Evrenden is a heartless bastard. Which we already knew.”

Tali turned back to glare at me, as if it were somehow my fault that Varren was a sorry excuse for a human being. “We can still use him,” she decided.

“Oh?” Jace inquired.

“If we can surprise Evrenden when he doesn’t expect it, we’ll have a chance at overpowering him.”

Rolf shifted uneasily. “That doesn’t sound like a good idea.”

“Agreed,” Avis said. “I didn’t sign up for a suicide mission.”

Tali scowled at the two of them. “What else do you suggest?”

“We all know I’m only in this for the money,” Avis said. “Don’t ask me to solve your problems.”

“An ambush is the best option we have.” Jace looked apologetically at Rolf. “Sorry, but once again, your sister is right. We must take the risk. Our employer will not be happy if we return empty-handed.”

“At least someone is thinking clearly.” Tali turned back to me. “Alright kid, start talking.”

I didn’t let myself entertain the thought of helping them. Ashamed as I was to admit it, I was more afraid of what Varren would do to me to let the potential good outweigh it.

“I’m not telling you anything.”

Avis smirked. “Guess we’re doing this my way.”

I felt a shiver of fear make its way up my spine as she approached, and consoled myself with the thought that nothing she had planned could possibly touch what Varren had already done. That didn’t mean it wouldn’t hurt, though.

Tali and Jace stepped aside. Rolf looked away. I got the feeling he didn’t exactly approve of Avis, or her apparent penchant for torture, but he also wasn’t doing anything to stop her.

“Last chance,” Avis taunted, pulling a knife out of her belt.

I didn’t say anything. She stepped closer and held the blade against my face, the sharp edge barely digging into my skin. It was cold against my skin, and uncomfortably close to my left eye.

“Cat got your tongue?” She smirked. I suppressed an eye roll. “You have quite an adorable face,” she mused, digging in the knife ever so slightly. Not enough to draw blood – not yet. “Not a single scar on it.” She leaned closer, too close, and I was pressing myself further against the tree despite knowing it was useless. “I can fix that.”

She twisted the knife sharply, and I hissed in pain as it cut a line of fire down my face. Warm blood flowed down my face, catching in the collar that was still around my neck. It hurt, but not bad.

“A fun warmup,” Avis said brightly. “I like to start small.” She flipped the knife in her hand lifted to my shoulder, this time not waiting at all before plunging it into my shoulder.

I cried out, my vision going white for an instant. I shut my eyes tightly and forced myself to breathe, but it was hard when I swear I felt the knife hit bone.

“Hey, stay with me.” I felt a hard smack against my injured cheek and forced my eyes open. Avis was still smiling. “That’s better! Feeling more inclined to talk now?”

I clenched my jaw and glared at her. She seemed unfazed. Then she took hold of the knife and twisted, and I must have screamed but all I was aware of was white-hot pain – I didn’t know it was possible for a knife to hurt this bad – then it finally stopped and I struggled to breathe through the feeling of the knife that was still in my shoulder, all while Avis stood there, grinning.

“Having fun yet?” She moved the knife, no more than a centimeter, and I shut my mouth against a whimper. She leaned close again, jostling the knife as she did and causing more pain to shoot through my body. “We’re only getting started.”

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[patchwork-panda]

If A Moment Is All We Are (26/?)

AO3 link: HERE

Music is recommended for this chapter. When you hit the first **, please open up this link: HERE When you hit the second **, please open this link for the BSD 1st ED

It was dark.

So, so dark.

I opened my eyes as wide as I could and then squeezed them shut just to check that they were actually open. They were.

I swallowed uneasily and tried to stay calm.

Earlier, when he was carrying me to the car, Dazai had accidentally jostled me awake. When I looked at him, he simply said he was taking me back to the ADA, specifically to the infirmary so Dr. Yosano could heal me with her Ability.

“It’s going to be rough,” he’d murmured softly into my ear, “and she’ll probably keep you overnight, but it’s better than being in a hospital for several weeks.”

I heard a crack of a smile in his voice.

“You’ll be okay.”

I’d then floated in and out of consciousness as Dazai had gotten in the back seat with me, buckled in my seat belt and laid my head against his shoulder for support. As the low rumble of the engine starting slowly filled the car, I found myself drifting off yet again. I was so out of it that I didn’t really remember the trip... Except for one small detail.

At one point during the ride, I thought I felt Dazai brushing his long fingers through my hair. He was singing something under his breath, something low and pleasant that sounded like it had nothing to do with suicide... and his singing voice had sounded so beautiful that I could feel myself smiling as I listened...

That was the last thing I was aware of before I passed out entirely and woke up in this pitch-black room. Where the heck was I?!

Groaning a little, I tried to stretch out but found almost immediately that I couldn’t. My arms and legs were strapped down to a partially upright table—a cold, hard slab of a table I didn’t remember being strapped into. I then tried moving my hands and flexing what little muscle I had but instantly regretted it when my entire body was suddenly flooded with a sharp, electric surge of pain.

Right. My arms and ribs were still broken.

I rolled my head to the side with a sigh of defeat, my neck cracking loudly as I moved. It was pretty clear to me now that even if I were at full strength, there was no way that a weakling like me would be able to break free from these restraints. They were probably made for holding down the monstrous strength of an angry Kunikida or a starving Kenji... Which just left one question...

Who strapped me in here?

There was a soft creak.

I swiveled my head towards it and saw a sliver of light appearing in the corner, watching as it grew wider and wider until I realized it was the light from an open doorway. Then I heard a hollow “snap.” Lights—bright, white and blinding came on all around me, flooding into my eyeballs with such intensity that I winced and screwed my eyes shut against the onslaught.

** “Well, well, well,” a low, feminine voice purred, “If it isn’t our newest recruit? You’re hurt, aren’t you...? Kyou-chan?”

Heels clicked against tile, the sound echoing sharply throughout the room. I looked up to see Dr. Yosano in a lab coat and gloves, the golden butterfly clip gleaming brightly in her hair. I should’ve felt comforted at the sight of her but there was something about her smile—something sinister that made the blood turn cold in my veins...

“Y-Yosano-sensei.”

I tried to crack a smile but found my face feeling oddly stiff and frozen.

“Yeah, I guess I am... Dazai-san said you were going to heal me?”

Yosano’s smile widened.

“But of course, my dear.”

Her black-gloved fingers went for the buttons of her lab coat and that’s when I realized she hadn’t been wearing her tie. In fact, she wasn’t even wearing her shirt.

I suddenly wished I’d opted for a normal hospital...

“Welcome to my special operating room,” Dr. Yosano continued, slowly shrugging off her white lab coat. “I’m sure Tanizaki-kun has told you plenty of stories about what happens here, but let me be the first to reassure you...”

Her lab coat dropped to the floor and she kicked it under a tarp.

“It’s not as bad as he makes it sound.”

My eyes widened.

There were tarps everywhere, covering the other chairs, the floor—even the surgeon’s lamp over my head was covered in a thin sheet of plastic.

“Y-Y-Yosano-sensei...”

I could hear my own teeth chattering as I spoke.

“Wh-why’s everything covered in plastic? What are you—?”

I heard a heavy thunk.

Clad in only a lacy black bra and a matching set of panties, Dr. Yosano had dropped her thick black faux-leather bag on the ground and was now bent over it, fumbling with all sorts of things that jangled and clattered with a jarring metallic frequency. I couldn’t see past the edge of the table where she crouched but I could definitely hear her squeal of delight when she found what she was looking for.

“Kyou-chan.”

Something gleamed from underneath my table and I bit back a scream when I saw Yosano rise from the floor with an actual honest-to-God machete—the kind I once saw in a horror movie—in her gloved hands. The shine of the machete’s long, polished blade was reflected in the manic glint in her purple eyes and as I struggled against my bonds, I fully understood why the patients in this room needed to be strapped down.

“I believe I once told you how my Ability works, yes?” she whispered. “That I can heal you back to perfect health so long as you’re on the verge of death? Well, unfortunately, Kitten... you’re not quite there yet.”

“Unfortunately?!”

I started to shake.

“See, that’s where this beauty comes in,” the good doctor explained, running one finger along the edge of the blade. “You’re not quite injured enough, so I have to speed the process along. I mean...”

She shot me a pointed look.

“You do want to get better quick, don’t you?”

I didn’t have the courage to shake my head ‘no.’ For some reason, I found myself nodding instead.

“Good. In that case...”

Running her tongue over her glossy pink lips, Yosano approached.

“The doctor is in.”

Slowly, lovingly, she leaned in and tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear. The golden butterfly shone in her short, dark hair.

“It’s not very often I get to patch up a girl,” Yosano crooned, her fingers deftly sliding from behind my ear down the line of my jaw. “Kyouka-chan is very good at avoiding severe injury you see, and it’s not like the office girls ever see combat...”

She cupped my chin and lifted my face up towards hers.

“But don’t worry, Kitten,” she whispered softly, “I promise I’ll take good care of you...”

She let go of me, raised the machete high into the air and let out an absolutely maniacal laugh.

“Hold still.”

She swung.

The last thing I heard before her machete buried itself in my flesh was the sound of my own terrified screams ringing in my ears.

***

“All done!”  Yosano called brightly.

Fully clothed once again, she threw open the door to the main office, which hit the wall with a loud crack but not even that was enough to shake me from my stupor.

With no wheelchair available in the Agency infirmary, Dr. Yosano was forced to cart me into the room on a dolly, the kind that movers normally used to bring furniture into a house. While the wheels squeaked against the tiles below me, I sat mutely on the flat metal surface, staring straight ahead with blank, unseeing eyes in an upright fetal position. My knees were drawn up against my chest and my arms were wound so tightly around my body that I was cutting off the circulation the good doctor had just restored. But it’s not like having any amount of blood flow would’ve made a difference.

I was still feeling completely numb from the trauma of what had just happened. Had I spent the entire night in the infirmary? Two nights? I wasn’t sure. All I knew was that it was mid-morning, that there was bright sunlight streaming in through every open window but I was still feeling cold and numb in a way that had nothing to do with my body.

Someone approached and it took me a full ten seconds to remember where I had seen his concerned face before.

Tanizaki Junichiro frowned.

“Told you,” he mouthed without actually speaking, shooting a nervous, furtive look up at the terrifying woman who had literally just cut me apart and put me back together again.

“Come on,” he mumbled instead, struggling to pry my arms away from my body. “Let’s get you to your desk. You can pass out safely behind your laptop the way the rest of us do after ‘treatment’...”

As he gripped my wrists over the jacket sleeves and pulled me off the dolly, I looked up into his face, full recognition dawning at last. I tried to speak but found my mouth unable to cooperate with my brain.

“T...T...”

Tanizaki raised an eyebrow.

“Yes?”

“T...Ta...Ta...!”

Tanizaki was now looking slightly disturbed.

“What is it, Kusunoki-san?”

Unable to hold back any longer, I burst into tears.

“Tanizaki-kunnnn!!!!” I wailed, latching onto the redhead’s waist.

“What the—?!” Tanizaki squawked, instantly blanching. “Kusunoki-san, get a hold of yourself!”

“I was so scared!” I bawled, hanging on tighter even as Tanizaki tried to peel me off of him. “You were right! You were right about everything! I swear, I’ll never let myself get hurt ever again! I’M SO SORRY—”

“Kusunoki-san...”

Hiccuping, tears and snot running down my face as I clutched at the ends of the red sweatshirt Tanizaki tied around his waist, I turned to my left to see Naomi, standing there with a chilling look in her dark blue eyes.

“May I ask you why you’re hanging on so tightly to my dear brother?” she asked, her voice no louder than a whisper. “Is there something I need to know?”

Shaking my head, I was forced to let go as Tanizaki finally succeeded in pushing me away. I hit the ground with a sharp smack as Junichiro ran to his sister’s side, apologizing profusely and begging her not to take it out on him later on tonight, at which point I finally remembered to clap my hands over my ears and do my best not to listen.

Fortunately for me, someone else’s indignant shout suddenly shook the room.

“Like I said before, we’re the Armed Detective Agency, not the Lost and Found! Go take that thing to the police station instead!”

As one, we all turned to the door to see Edogawa Ranpo, standing in the doorway looking extremely irritated, with his arms loaded to the brim with an actual stack of pastry boxes. Behind him was a rather short, thin young man with close-cropped brown hair in a black tie and gray slacks—a regular office worker from the look of him. He was clutching a pink embroidered handkerchief in one hand.

“Now let go!”

Scowling, Edogawa snatched the end of his brown poncho out of the young man’s other hand and stomped into the room, the boxes in his arms wobbling dangerously as he went. Suddenly spotting me, he stopped walking and paused to squint at me.

“Oh, Kusunoki.”

Edogawa looked me up and down and frowned.

“I heard you got sent to the Infirmary. You all better now?”

When I gave him a very shaky nod, Edogawa nodded approvingly, then jabbed an index finger back at the guy in the doorway and demanded:

“Then do something about this guy, will you?”

“Do something?” I repeated, glancing towards the door.

The office worker waved.

“What... do you want me to do?” I asked blankly.

Edogawa slapped a palm over his face.

“Ugh. Do I have to do everything around here?” he griped. “Here—!”

He shoved the boxes in my arms and I let out a tiny squeak as I struggled to keep them all from falling over.

“Take these to my desk—and if you drop a single one, you’re going out to buy me two of whatever hits the floor. You!”

He jabbed his finger at the guy in the doorway once again. When the office worker perked up, Edogawa pointed in the direction of the client booth.

“In there.”

No sooner had I finished putting the boxes of pastries on Edogawa’s desk (taking extra care not to drop or smush a single thing) than the Great Detective grabbed me by the back of my shirt and dragged me to the client booth. The young man was already sitting and appeared to be fiddling slightly with the handkerchief in his hands.

I sat down opposite him.

“I’m Kusunoki,” I said, bowing slightly. “Pleased to meet you.”

“Miura,” the office guy said, also bowing awkwardly. “Thank you for your time.”

I glanced up at Edogawa, who had not taken a seat on the detectives’ side with me. His arms were crossed and he was tapping his foot impatiently.

“Tell her what you just told me,” he ordered.

“Uh, yes!” Miura stammered. “You see, I found this earlier today, at the subway entrance around the corner from here.”

He held up the pink handkerchief. There was a capitalized “R” embroidered in one corner and it looked slightly damp, as if the young man had taken the time to wash it in the sink before bringing it in.

“I don’t know who dropped it but, if it’s not too much trouble, could you help me return it to the rightful owner?” Miura asked.

“Uh, Miura-san,” I started, shooting a quick look over my shoulder at Edogawa, who was standing behind me and seemed only to be growing more irritated with every passing second.

Clearly he didn’t want to be kept from his pastries while they were still hot and fresh...

“I hate to repeat what my senpai said earlier, but...” I pressed my lips together. “We’re not the Lost and Found. Lost items are better off being returned to the police station—”

“But you’re a detective agency aren’t you?” Miura pressed. “I heard you’re the best in Yokohama! My friends tell me you solve cases the police can’t handle. They told me...”

He dropped his voice and looked around even though the door to the client booth was closed and the three of us were clearly alone in here.

“They told me a newcomer solved that recent serial kidnapping in their first week here—”

I flushed.

“Oh, uh, that—”

“—and that if all else fails, you have the power of a legendary genius at your disposal—”

“That is absolutely, one-hundred percent correct!” Edogawa crowed, suddenly beaming like he was being interviewed on TV.

I turned all the way around in my chair to gawk at Edogawa just as he slammed both hands on my shoulders and shook me in a friendly, if somewhat overly excitable way.

“In fact...”

He grinned and I suddenly felt the need to run.

“Kusunoki-kun here is the one who caught the serial kidnapper! And she’d be more than happy to help you return the handkerchief.”

My jaw dropped as Miura looked on in amazement.

“Ranpo-san, what—?!”

“On two conditions. One...”

Edogawa held up a finger.

“You buy the whole office a party-sized box of pastries from that new macaron shop downtown.”

I balked but Miura only nodded readily.

“Two...”

Edogawa held up a second finger.

“You have to go with her when it’s time to return the handkerchief. In fact, I want you to be the one to personally hand it over to the owner.”

Edogawa shot me a meaningful look.

“You got that?”

I breathed in sharply as I suddenly understood his meaning.

Edogawa wanted me to see into this man’s future and find the person he hands it back to. But how was I supposed to do that when I didn’t know when this event was going to take place?

As if reading my thoughts, Edogawa motioned me closer.

“You said that before,” he whispered in my ear, “when you looked into my future, you saw a massive book, right? And that there was writing in it, right?”

I nodded.

“Look for the word ‘handkerchief,’” Edogawa instructed me.

And with that last bit of advice, he patted my shoulder and walked out of the client booth.

‘Look for the word ‘handkerchief?’’

I frowned. I must’ve still been a little dazed from Yosano’s “treatment,” because this made no sense. Look for a word... Look for a word...? Why would Edogawa instruct me to do something like this? Unless...?

I let out a soft gasp as it came to me.

Edogawa really was brilliant...

Taking my cell phone out of my pocket, I set a timer to “vibrate,” and tucked it back inside my coat pocket. I turned to Miura and stuck out my other hand.

“Can I see the handkerchief?”

Miura nodded and as he passed the handkerchief to me over the table, I carefully switched on the timer and reached out for Miura’s hand.

If this worked, I’d have a new way to use my Ability...

My fingers brushed against Miura’s just as the timer went off and I closed my eyes and let the vibrations wash over me.

I felt a pull—just the slightest of tugs on the tips of my fingers, as if a small child were yanking on them and leading me forward. Taking a deep breath in, I concentrated on the sensation and let it lead me away...

...And I floated down, weightless, and sank into that dark tunnel once more.

When I opened my eyes again, my body had disappeared. All that was left of me was a pair of eyes and the memory of a form I’d long since left behind. Taking a moment to look around, I examined my surroundings. Words, silvery and undefined, twinkled all around me like stars, floating in the air in long, sparkling columns, like strings of crystal beads hanging from a massive chandelier. I quickly spotted the four walls of the tunnel and the four corners where the walls met and nodded to myself (or at least that’s what it felt like) as I realized I was once again in a giant, translucent book.

This was the “Story of Miura’s Life.”

I stared ahead of me, down the “tunnel” that was actually not a tunnel, but reams and reams of transparent pages and considered the task ahead.

Edogawa had said to look for the word “handkerchief.” Basically, he wanted me to find the very next instance of the word “handkerchief” and touch it to “activate” the vision—in the same way I’d done with the date and time when I’d looked into Edogawa’s future.

But what if the word showed up multiple times in Miura’s future? How was I supposed to know which one to touch?

Feeling nervous, I looked around and randomly selected a word to focus on. As before, the longer I stared at it, the more it began to take shape and within moments, the silvery amorphous blobs to my left condensed and became a legible set of characters.

“Armed Detective Agency.”

Okay, not what I needed.

I glanced back down at the hall of loosely glittering words and grimaced.

I may have found my way back to that strange metaphysical space where a person’s future was written down as if it were a literal story, but today the situation was different. If the words didn’t properly materialize until I spent enough time looking at them, how was I supposed to pick out a single word like, “handkerchief,” much less get to it in time before Miura got weirded out by my so-called “narcolepsy” and pulled away?

If only Edogawa was in here with me to give me some kind of hint...!

Fighting the growing sense of panic, I closed my “eyes” once again and tried to focus.

Concentrate. Think about the words you’re looking for. What exactly are the words you need to see?

Without thinking about what I was doing, I wrote the words “return the pink handkerchief” in the air.

At once, there was a sound like a chime. I opened my eyes to see the words I’d written hanging in the air, glowing before my eyes like molten gold. But before I could reach out and touch them, they shot off into the distance, streaking through the book like a shooting star in the sky.

I ran after it, phasing right through the translucent pages like a ghost, silvery words parting around me like curtains and fluttering in my wake. My Ability was guiding me—taking me to the exact moment I needed to see. I stopped running as the glimmer of gold stopped moving at last, shining like a beacon in the air, just up ahead of me. Knowing instinctively what I had to do, I reached forward and touched it, shielding my eyes as the entire page in front of me suddenly materialized like a solid wall.

I’m standing in front of a train station.

I’m halfway across town, nowhere near the place I picked it up, but the detective girl is insisting this is the place...

The clock nearby chimes three times... It’s two in the afternoon, a full week after I first picked up the handkerchief...

I sigh and glance down at the handkerchief in my hand, this tiny pink square I happened to pick up. I stare at the softly embroidered “R.” Something about this feels familiar but I’m not sure what...

I look up. A girl is walking towards me. She’s not really looking up at me or any of the other people around us but at the ground. She has softly curled, light brown hair and big eyes and—woah!! She’s really cute!

I can feel my heart beating faster as she approaches. Her skirt and purse are the same color as the handkerchief in my hands.

Panicking, I wave to the dark-haired girl behind me, the detective—oh man, she’s not even standing anywhere close is she? I can’t see the look on her face but she’s mumbling something, pushing me towards the girl with the pink skirt.

I can’t do this—I can’t!!

My mouth’s already open—too late!

“Excuse me, Miss,” I hear myself say.

Uwaaah... she’s looking at me... What do I do?! She’s so freaking cute...

I hold out the handkerchief

“Are you looking for this?”

She stops, she stares at me and her hands fly to her lips. She’s nodding...!

Suddenly, the girl disappeared. Darkness fell over my eyes, something pressed against my face and I let out a strangled gasp when I realized I was now back in the physical world. The handkerchief slipped right out of my hands.

“Guess who?” a warm, familiar tenor whispered right into my ear.

“What the—Dazai?!” I shrieked.

Irritated, I reached up and tried to remove his large half-bandaged hands, but before I could grab hold, Dazai jerked my head to the side and laughed.

“Let go of me!”

“Not until you turn around to check~!” Dazai sang.

“Dazai, I know it’s you,” I snapped, getting to my feet, “so take your hands���”

Wrenching his hands away at last, I spun to face him. But as the cool air hit my face at last, I realized my cheeks were wet.

I froze.

I hadn’t been crying, so that could only mean one thing...

Gingerly, I reached up and brought the tips of my fingers to the area below my eyes. They came away wet with flecks of bright, red, fresh blood.

“...shit.”

Had Miura seen...?

At once, Dazai gasped dramatically.

“Oh my gosh, Kusunoki-kun!” he cried, frantically digging a handkerchief out of his own pocket. “I’m so sorry! Your makeup is all smudged.”

He smushed his handkerchief against my face and stared smearing at the area over my eyes.

“But don’t worry, I’ll fix it!”

“Ah—wait—Dazai-san, stop!!” I sputtered, making a face as part of the hankie went into my open mouth. I spat it out and tried to fight him off as he kept wiping at my eyes.

“I said stop! I can do it myself!”

“But I wanna help,” Dazai whined as I finally snatched the hankie from him and held it up against my eyes.

“I think you’ve helped enough,” I mumbled.

Clearing my throat, I tried to turn around so I could speak to Miura again. Unfortunately, because I couldn’t take the hankie away from my eyes, I ended up doing an awkward shuffle and bumping back into my own chair instead. I hissed as a bruise appeared on my shin and immediately scowled as I heard Dazai stifle a tiny snicker behind me. Thankfully, before I could hurt myself further, I felt Dazai’s hands at my back as he helped guide me in the right direction.

“Uh, Miura-san?”

I did a sort of half-bow in apology, hoping I didn’t look too stupid doing it (what if I was bowing at the wall the way Katai had done with me?!). At least Dazai hadn’t laughed this time, so maybe I was safe...

“Yes...?” Miura’s voice sounded tiny and unsure, and thankfully, was coming from right in front of me.

“I can figure out who that pink handkerchief belongs to, but you’re going to have to give me some time,” I babbled. “Do you think you could meet me back here in a week? Around one in the afternoon?”

“One in the afternoon?” Miura asked, sounding ecstatic.

There was a loud clattering noise as he hurriedly got to his feet, nearly knocking over the table from the sound of it.

“Yes, Detective! I’ll set my calendar—oh crap, it’s this late already?!”

I heard the glass door slide open, followed immediately by the sound of running feet.

“I gotta go back to work,” he called, his voice growing quieter as he ran further out into the hall, “But I’ll be back! See you in a week Miss Detective!”

There was a bang—the front door of the Agency office slammed shut and I took Dazai’s handkerchief away from my eyes at last.

“Oh my God, that was too close!” I gasped, turning to the tall, bandaged detective beside me. “Do you think he saw the blood?”

“Judging from his reaction, probably not,” Dazai said, shrugging.

“Thank goodness...” I moaned, sagging on my feet in relief.

I probably should’ve expected something like this to happen, given what happened the last time I used my power with Edogawa. But in all honesty, I’d expected the side effects to be a little better this time...

I should probably have more control by now. After all, Edogawa hadn’t seemed worried...

Shoulders slumping a little, I glanced down at Dazai’s handkerchief and winced. Two bright red spots, roughly the size of a pair of ten-yen coins, had bloomed like rose petals in the middle of the white and gray striped cloth. They were still wet to the touch. I crumpled the handkerchief in my hand and sighed.

“Thanks for helping me out back there, Dazai-san...” I mumbled sheepishly. “I’m... sorry about your handkerchief. I’ll go wash it for you.”

But as I took a step towards the open door, Dazai shook his head.

“You don’t have to do that right now, Kusunoki-kun,” he said, waving his hand dismissively. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Yes, it is!” I insisted, to Dazai’s apparent surprise. “President Fukuzawa asked you to keep my Ability a secret, didn’t you? You really helped me out back there. I mean...”

I chewed the inside of my cheek. Heat crawled up my neck as I remembered that the last time I’d interacted with him, he’d been carrying me (princess style) around because I was injured. I suddenly couldn’t look him in the face.

“It’s not only that... you saved me from getting blown up after I fought Akutagawa. You... you saved my life. Dazai-san, I...”

I twisted the handkerchief in my hands. My face felt hot.

“I... owe you one,” I finished lamely, staring at his feet.

For a moment, silence reigned. Dazai watched me quietly as I fidgeted with my hands in front of him. Then he raised an eyebrow.

“You owe me one, huh...?” he asked, rubbing his chin. “Well...”

I looked up just in time to see a familiar smirk crossing his face and before I could stop him or even react, he walked over to the door and started pulling it closed.

“I can think of a few ways for you to pay me back,” he whispered, his dark eyes gleaming with possibility. “In fact, why don’t you keep that handkerchief. You might need it later...”

My breath hitched in my throat.

“What do you mean by that, Dazai-san?”

“Oh, I think you know exactly what I mean...”

I took a step back, only to hit my chair again and I cursed as I accidentally sat back down in it.

“What’s the matter, Kusunoki?”

Two half-bandaged hands shot out and grasped the armrests. I glanced up only to find myself staring directly into Dazai’s chocolate brown eyes. His lips parted seductively.

“You seem a little nervous.”

“I-I’m not nervous,” I stammered, heat flooding into my face. I struggled not to squirm in my seat as Dazai’s grin widened.

“I just want to know why you closed the door...!”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Dazai asked.

His dark, tousled bangs fell into his eyes as he cocked his head to the side.

“I wanted to make sure we weren’t interrupted.”

“Inter...?”

My cheeks were on fire. My voice was no louder than a squeak. I shrank back into the chair as Dazai slowly leaned in close.

“After all,” he murmured, his voice low and husky in my ear. “This is a very personal matter...”

“Dazai-san...!”

This was it. My heart was beating way too fast and my face felt so hot, my brain was probably boiling over. I was going to pass out on the spot...!

I closed my eyes and braced myself. But to my surprise, nothing happened. Instead, I heard the flapping of paper and when I opened my eyes, a sealed envelope had appeared before my eyes. I blinked at it.

Dazai grinned.

“For you,” he said sweetly.

I stared, looking from Dazai to the envelope and back.

“Eh?” was all I could manage as Dazai placed the envelope in my hand and went to take a seat on the coffee table in front of me.

“What?”

He propped his chin up in his half-bandaged hands and looked at me.

“Disappointed?”

I scowled and returned my attention to the envelope, my cheeks burning in humiliation and rage.

“You wish,” I snapped, refusing to look at him as I tore it open. “And you know what? I take back what I said earlier, I...”

I trailed off as I looked inside the envelope. There was only one thing inside and I grew quiet as I lifted it out.

It was a Polaroid—a very old one—and the rectangular image nestled within the yellowed, off-white frame was grainy and faded with age. I could see three people in the picture, all laughing and smiling as they toasted one another with tiny cups of sake. They looked like they were having the time of their lives. Squinting at them, I brought the picture closer to my face, peering more carefully at the two figures on the left and I let out a soft gasp as I finally recognized them as a much younger Mr. and Mrs. Yamazaki. They were wearing their wedding clothes—the same clothes they were wearing in the big photo in Mrs. Yamazaki’s apartment—and as I followed their gaze to the left of the photo, I realized I knew who the third person was.

He had to be the former president of Tanaka Investments—Tanaka Ichiro’s uncle, the man who started the business. The more I stared at him, the more I began to see the family resemblance: the angle of the jawline, the shape of the nose...

I lowered the photo and looked at Dazai.

“Where... did you get this?”

“Shimada-san dropped this off last night while you were resting in the infirmary,” the bandaged detective answered. “He said to tell you, ‘President Tanaka sends his regards.’”

My eyes widened.

“He did?”

Dazai nodded.

And as I glanced back down at the photo, I thought I saw something written in black on the back side. I flipped it over.

“To Tanaka Isshun,” I read aloud, “Thank you for everything. I owe you my life...  Yamazaki Shuji.”

I grew quiet. Dazai took his chin out of his hands and sat up.

“Something wrong, Kusunoki-kun?” he asked. “You look confused.”

I put the photo down and glanced up at him.

“I... I don’t understand,” I said. “If President Tanaka had this in his possession the whole time, then why would he have told me that Shuji-san was a bad person?”

Dazai’s eyebrows drew together.

“When did he tell you this?”

“Yesterday,” I said, thinking hard. “Or maybe it was the day before...?”

I shrank down in my seat a little as I told him the truth.

“It was the day you were in Nagano...”

“Ah.”

Dazai’s expression grew placid. I looked away from him and back at the photo.

“I-in any case, he said Shuji-san was desperate to escape Nagano, that he was willing to do anything it took to leave CORVID, include faking his own death. If this photo tells the truth, then why...?”

The photo wrinkled in my hand.

“Why did he give me this?”

Dazai grew quiet. Noticing my hand was shaking, he gently took the photo from me and examined it.

“I think...” he said quietly, lowering his eyes and scanning the picture, “that this is a thank you present. A gift for the rookie detective who saved him from being killed by a car bomb in that dingy parking garage.”

His expression softened into a smile as he handed the photo back.

“It’s also an apology.”

“Apology...?”

Confused, I took the photo from him.

“For what?”

“You remember that conversation we had back there in the conference room?” Dazai asked, as I looked back up at him. “The one about the goodly apple? About whether or not the apple is still good when you finally learn the truth?”

I nodded.

“Well,” Dazai said, his deep brown eyes sparkling as he regarded me, “I think this is President Tanaka’s way of saying you were right. That Yamazaki Shuji was, in fact, a good person.”

He leaned forward, his expression gentle.

“While I was in Nagano, I got to talk to Shuji-san’s family,” he said. “Do you want to know the reason why he wanted to leave CORVID?”

He leaned forward and tapped the photo.

“I heard he left...”

The tip of his finger brushed Mrs. Yamazaki’s face. Dazai smiled.

“So that he could get married.”

I breathed in sharply.

As I stared at the photo in my hands, at Mrs. Yamazaki’s smiling face, Dazai stood.

“I have one more present for you. And before you say you don’t want it,” he said, waving me off as I opened my mouth to protest, “It’s not from me.”

He placed a second envelope in my hands. Inside was a short letter and a beautiful bookmark in the shape of a flowering tree branch.

“It’s from Tomie-san’s family,” he said as I took out the bookmark. “They wanted to say thank you for saving her.”

“But I...”

I swallowed thickly. A lump was forming in my throat.

“I didn’t...”

I heard my own voice crack as I spoke. I hung my head.

“I didn’t save her,” I whispered.

As I stared at the photograph in my left hand, Mrs. Yamazaki’s smiling face began to blur.

“She was still murdered a week later... How could they still think I saved her...?”

“Because you gave her an extra week.”

Something large and warm settled on my head. I felt Dazai’s fingers slipping through my hair as my eyes began to burn and sting.

“A full seven extra days that she was able to spend with the people she loved, who loved her in return.”

Dazai smiled, his expression tender.

“And those seven extra days may have meant more to them than you and I could ever know.”

** A single drop fell onto the photo, followed swiftly by another.

“See,” Dazai said, as one by one, the tears began to fall like spring rain onto Mr. and Mrs. Yamazaki’s smiling faces.

“I told you that you’d need the handkerchief later.”

Taking the photo from me, Dazai reached over and placed a comforting arm around my shoulders as I broke down at last.

“In the end you were right, Kusunoki-kun,” he whispered, gently rubbing my back as I cried into my hands. “I guess all a goodly apple needs to be a goodly apple... is someone to believe in it.”