#also he always looks at her so warmly and proudly and it absolutely kills me

[princessmacedon]

( 👗 + No Champagne ) Lustrous fixtures of silver and gold overshone by a crowd of even brighter faces. The scene is no dime a dozen from the likes of his once war-torn homeland and to him that is to appreciate all the more, but of course the Hero-King appreciates other things as well and by much more at that—like the friendly Macedonian flower that has thought to join him at the refreshment table.

“Dear Maria,” Marth greets with a look of warmth, eyes crinkled merrily at their corners as he assesses her with uncontained pride. “You appear as if you are glowing! The Red Dragoon that your sister may be, I believe we should take to calling you Macedon’s Red Rose.” Indeed; Macedon’s youngest daughter was a fine blossom of the court on this night and he was far from the only one who thought so with many eyes trained upon her.

One such pair even made daring, his attention flickers to a point behind her head as an older Fódlanese gentleman makes to approach with his sights set—a second champagne glass in hand. Much older than her. Too old. Quickly, the prince intercepts the offering with a hand raised, gentle face set in stone.

“...Ah, none for her, I’m afraid. She has redeemed her single cup already.” The excuse is probable enough, though untrue, and the Archanean lord watches on as the man slinks away. No doubt to an inspiration of some curiosity for the princess. When he circuits back to her in a moment of greater honesty, the prince sounds a tinkling laugh as if returned to his good mood. “Forgive me. I am sure the man had good intentions and I would not have wanted to spoil either night, whether his or yours, but... Well, I suppose my heart just felt it right.”

As the Ethereal Ball continues its merriment throughout the night, Maria flits about the ballroom like a hummingbird, all shimmering colors and uncatchable flights; in the time between, she returns to the sky, to her favorite blue-- to the side of the Hero-King, who, by all indications, is a gardener true. He must be, the way he shines warmth upon this rose and showers her with praise, and though her cheeks warm and her chin tucks oh so slightly down, she is sure of it: there is no other garden she would rather walk through than his, for she can see the seeds of the future he will one day sow, and they will blossom beautifully.

But here and now, she covers her smile with both hands, earnest eyes peeking up at him from atop their rose-tinted throne. The man has an inherent talent for compliments as it is, but to be compared so kindly to her sister, to bask in praise and pride... Her nose ducks beneath her makeshift shield, sweet laughter slightly muffled in its cage. Such is the way of Archanea's warmest sun, her brightest dawn-- he draws speeches from the breviloquent and silence from the silver tongued, and though Maria would never dare to consider herself the latter, she is most certainly bubbly enough to be spurred to quiet nonetheless.

It is in this fond and gentle quiet that she witnesses something curious: the sight of Marth's charm and warmth at odds with each other. He practically sparkles as he coolly stops a hand she had not even noticed from offering a drink to her, the spurned gentleman casting a forlorn glance at her as he vanishes back into the crowd. Alas, he does not have the favor of receiving a glance in turn, for Maria is looking to her friend with eyes full of questions and no answers. She understands well enough what has just happened, but it is not the what that lingers on her mind so; it is the who, and she blinks at Marth again. Almost certainly, he shielded her as Minerva would have, albeit with far more social grace. Then she wonders: would Michalis have done something like this, too, if he had stayed with them? It is no one's fault the three of them are not together, and one day they will be together again (they will, they will), but... she had hoped for what family remained to her to see her grow up. ...It is a funny feeling. She is happy, and she is sad, too. And all at once, she is grateful for the fairytale prince, for the king of a future forged, for her friend, gentle and true.

"Prince Marth?" Her hand latches, gingerly, onto his sleeve, and her smile at last returns to her face, a warmth spilling across it like the setting of the sun. It is enough-- it is more than enough-- that he sees her; she will do her utmost to see Marth, too.

"...Thank you."

[in-tua-deep]

20 for Vanya?

20. What-ifs/Alternate Timelines

I have a lot of what-ifs and alternate timelines for Vanya lmao, especially ones that prevent the apocalypse because I’m a sucker for a happy ending tbh

What if Vanya was included? Why not? Klaus’s powers weren’t useful for missions, Allison’s story for Claire was literally like “yeah Klaus got distracted by ghosts in the background lol” so it’s not like a kid without offensive powers couldn’t do it

you have rebellious Vanya aus, where she decides, like some neglected children do, so act out. If her father isn’t going to acknowledge anything good about her, she’s going to make him acknowledge the bad. Punishment might be the only time he pays attention to her, after all.

(let’s call this an au where the pills suppress her powers but not so much her emotions)

So you have an au where she sneaks out and joins the missions. She breaks into the mausoleum and picks Klaus up and stares her father down with a challenge in her eyes. 

Five vanishes, and Vanya gets worse. She plays her violin at 2 in the morning. She refuses to eat her broccoli. she teams up with diego to see who can piss dad off the most

(her and Diego actually get along very well in this sort of au, honestly)

Vanya gets out and plays the violin and gets angry. She plays with fury and fire and gets second chair, because Helen is actually really very good. But she makes Helen work for it. Helen isn’t secure in her position, she always knows that Vanya is a step away from taking it from her

and maybe that should make them enemies, but it doesn’t. They’re rivals. Helen respects the hell out of Vanya, and Vanya can’t help but admire the woman who makes the most difficult pieces look effortless

(RIVALS TO LOVERS: VIOLIN EDITION)

Vanya writes her book. Except she kicks down Diego’s boiler room door and is like “DIEGO”

“WHAT”

“I WANT TO WRITE A BOOK ABOUT HOW MUCH DAD FUCKING SUCKS”

“I’LL BE RIGHT THERE”

as one of the rebel kids, Vanya actually got along well with Klaus as well since she helped him sneak out and 100% also smoked at least some weed with him because it would piss off Reggie tbh though she didn’t get into the harder drugs like he did

(showing up absolutely plastered to breakfast when they were sixteen was hilarious even if the laps they had to run around the block were not)

anyway Klaus crashes at her apartment sometimes, with supervision, because she loves Klaus but he has a problem and has stolen from her before but he’s still her brother but regardless

Klaus-Diego-Vanya sleepovers where they brainstorm the book to shit talk their father. Honestly it’s kind of a blast. They all get super wine drunk and end up watching Mary Poppins together with some Very Loud Opinions about nannies in general tbh

klaus throwing popcorn at the screen: BOO WHY WAS OUR CHILDHOOD NOT A MUSICAL???

diego: idk if you can have cheery musicals about child soldiers

vanya: i mean if they can have a musical about child labor in factories and the starvation of the workers in oliver twist you could do something with child superheroes

klaus: EXACTLY thank you vanya

they publish the book (luther is uNHAPPY, vanya dedicates her book to ‘all my siblings who survived the Reginald Regime but especially those who didn’t’, and she gifts Reggie a copy that says “fuck you lol” and is signed by her, diego, and klaus), they continue living, they go to the funeral when reggie kicks the bucket

and then five shows up, feral and aching

and five tells vanya about the apocalypse, and vanya thinks about their father saying time travel messed with the mind, and then she thinks - fuck the old man he was wrong about her (ordinary, fuck that, she’s Vanya Fucking Hargreeves) and he was probably wrong about Five, too

and Five is wholeheartedly believed

“Let me call Diego,” Vanya says when Five tells her about the eye, “I bet he could totally wear a police uniform and get info about the eye. And if not, I’m absolutely sure Klaus could improvise a solution. He’s good at that.”

“Klaus??” Five asks, vaguely suspicious.

“We don’t talk about the Sleepover of 2012.” Vanya intones solemnly, and refuses to answer any further questions on the topic.

Harold Jenkins comes to the apartment and tries to woo Vanya or whatever, and Vanya is kind of like... “Look, Leonard. I can be your teacher for violin. It’s my job. But I am in a relationship. And also like, super gay. If you have a problem with that then I am not the teacher for you.”

Actually scratch Diego and Klaus getting called, which they do, Vanya looks at them and her thirteen year old brother and is like “wait. actually i know someone infinitely better to crack this case wide open.”

“Who?” Five, Klaus, and Diego all ask

“My girlfriend.” Vanya says proudly, called Helen up.

And Helen walks into the building like she’s at fucking war and has such demanding confidence that they just give her the information she seeks and apologize for inconveniencing her.

“Hey Vanya are we still on for date night tomorrow?” Helen casually asks after, and Five kind of wants to be her when he grows up honestly after watching her verbally eviscerate Lance or whatever the fuck his name is

“Yeah.” Vanya confirms, “Unless there’s other apocalypse stuff to do?”

“You take all the time you need, honey.” Helen says warmly, “After all the more time you take the less you have to practice.”

“I’m gonna destroy the concert piece and you know it.” Vanya threatens.

Helen sniffs, “Okay, whatever you say second chair.”

and then they kiss and Helen ditches and the others just kind of look at Vanya judgingly

“In fairness, she’s very hot and very talented.” Vanya defends herself.

Klaus nods sagely. Vanya nods back. He gets it. 

“Concert piece?” Diego asks, because he has priorities.

“Yeah, I’ve already asked for tickets for all of you and you will be attending Diego.” Vanya smiles prettily with all her teeth.

“When is it?” Five asks

“April 1st.” Vanya tells him, “And no that isn’t an April Fools joke. You will attend and you will marvel at my skill. And maybe run interference between Helen and Allison because I’m kind of afraid they’re going to rip each others throats out to establish dominance.”

“That’s the day of the apocalypse.” Five informs her.

“Not on my goddamn watch.” Vanya says, because her family will attend her fucking concert and they will make awkward small talk with her girlfriend and the fucking apocalypse has better lay down and get over itself because nothing can stop Vanya’s goddamn plans

“I can investigate Meritech more.” Diego offers, because Lance-or-whatever-his-name-is is clearly shady as shit, “I have police contacts I could go through. Hey Vanya, your concert tickets include a plus one?”

“They can.” Vanya shrugs.

“Sweet, let me see if Patch can come.”

“She’s way too good for you, bro.”

“Shut your goddamn mouth.”

Anyway the point is they all go home, and Diego goes to talk to his police contacts and Five is definitely at home for when Hazel and Cha-Cha attack the mansion, oops. 

“Whomst the FUCK.” Vanya yells, kicking Hazel in the crotch because she’s Vanya Fucking Hargreeves she knows self defense thank you very much

“Ah.” Five says. “Hazel. How’s it going.”

“Just peachy.” Hazel wheezes, “Why’d you betray the Commission?”

“Well, you know. They cut the dental. That was really the last straw.” Five says, sarcastically.

“The dental.” Hazel echoes back, nodding very seriously, “I fucking know. You know physical therapy isn’t even covered anymore?”

“No shit?” Five says, “I mean you’d think with a job as physical as ours...”

“I know.” Hazel howls, vindicated. 

“Five.” Vanya says, rolling her eyes, “The house?”

“Oh, right.” Five frowns, looking at Hazel, “I mean. Can you like, leave? And not come back?”

“‘Fraid not.” Hazel actually sounds somewhat apologetic, “You know what the Commission is like. They’re really gunning for you.”

Five nods, because really what did he expect, “Can you leave like, temporarily? I mean you’d pretty clearly outnumbered. I don’t even know where Cha-Cha is, but judging by the furious yelling she probably met our sister and brother and Luther is hard to kill. Trust me, if he wasn’t we would have killed him when we were like, eight. But for real, can you get out of our house? I mean. Storming the den? Seriously? What kind of information did they even give you?”

“They didn’t give us any information.” Hazel responds back, sounding appropriately outraged, “They didn’t even tell us you could teleport.”

“Well that’s just rude. You’d think they wanted you dead or something.” Five muses, “But seriously, get out of my house.”

“Yeah, that’s fair.” Hazel admits, and leaves, because honestly Hazel is chill like that and knows when he’s lost. And Hazel also has a lot to think about. Like the fact that the Commission sucks and doesn’t even have dental, and how pretty the donut lady is. 

and Vanya is just like... okay. Weird. Is that going to happen again? Probably? I mean. Okay, this day has already been so goddamn weird. This week, honestly.

And they keep getting attacked by the Commission. And Vanya finds out someone broke into her apartment and stole her meds. What the fuck. 

“Did your shitty assassin friends do this?” Vanya asks, waving an empty pill bottle.

“Why would they?” Five asks, honestly confused.

“Because they’re assholes?” Vanya says, honestly outraged.

“You got me there.” Five admits.

The combined forces of Diego-and-Patch (because Patch is actually thrilled that Diego is asking for help regarding an actual fucking crime) figure out that the eyeballs are being sold illegally

Klaus is not kidnapped so he’s fine, just tagging along and living his best life, however this also means that Klaus does not steal the briefcase and Hazel and Cha-Cha are fine

Vanya keeps Five close at hand because frankly she doesn’t want him to leave again and she did really miss him. Also if she does save the world she can lord it over Helen’s head forever. 

And so Five is around when Vanya’s powers manifest, probably because they just got targeted by commission goons again because they’re trying real hard to kill five and separate Vanya

“Holy SHIT.” Five says, very intelligently, “You have POWERS.”

“Wow. Gonna have to write a fucking sequel to the shit-talking-dad book.” Vanya says, honestly a little light headed.

And then Vanya finds out her powers are sound based.

“Oh no.” Vanya says, “Where the fuck are my pills. I am not relearning how to play the violin with-powers a few days before the big concert Five, what the fuck.”

“But you need to learn to control them!” Five protests, “They’re your powers!”

“They’re a goddamn inconvenience is what they are.” Vanya states, “I mean, what am I going to do with them? Stop a bank robbery with the Umbrella Academy? Yeah, no thanks, that ship has sailed and sunk to the bottom of the ocean Titanic style. I’ll figure them out when I’m not in danger of blasting the audience halfway across the continent.”

“Yeah.” Five admits, “That’s fair.”

“Besides, if I’ve been on that shit as long as I have, and it’s been a long time, I cannot even IMAGINE what quitting cold turkey will do.” Vanya points out, very sensibly, like a siblings who has watched Klaus go through withdrawal symptoms more than once.

“Maybe there’s extra at the manor?” Five suggests, “Pogo probably knows.”

“Oh yeah I bet Pogo knows something.” Vanya mutters maybe a little bitterly.

They go back to the mansion and the Commission is honestly pulling their hair out tbh, and they ask Pogo who kind of pales and is like “UHHHH YES I CAN GET VANYA EXTRA PILLS” and goes to get them from whatever stash

“Fucking sweet.” Vanya whispers, entirely done with this situation, “The only adult male role model I had and he hid my powers from me and betrayed me. Love that for us.”

Five shrugs, “I mean, you’re right. All of our adult role models were all kinds of fucked up.”

“You vanished when we were 13.” Vanya says, “Didn’t you find like, any other adults ever?”

“Oh let me tell you about the Handler.” Five says, and proceeds to do just that. Because let’s be real, the Handler was the only human interaction Five had after forty odd years alone it was pretty damn important

Vanya, on the other hand, has strong plans to eviscerate the Handler should the two ever meet because Five deserved way better than to be forcibly made into an assassin?? honestly fuck that woman

that’s it that’s the au

Vanya finds out she has powers and is like “i have a LIFE i don’t want to interrupt it with bullshit POWERS,,, also going cold turkey off my meds seems like a bad idea if I don’t want to deal with withdrawal symptoms during my concert for fucks sake, my gf would never let me live it down if i skipped”

so vanya takes her meds, does NOT destroy the world, makes every one of her siblings go to the concert and even invites Hazel and Agnes after Hazel betrays Cha-Cha to join team No-Apocalypse. 

and then introduces them all to her girlfriend

“Holy shit Vanya.” Helen deadpans, “Your family is all kinds of fucked up.”

“I know.” Vanya says, aggrieved, “It’s been a long fucking week. Want to go camping and help me figure out my cool sound based powers? Bet they’ll make me a better violin player than you.”

“I think the fuck not.” Helen hisses, always up for a challenge, “Let’s do this. Me and my violin vs. you and your dumb baby powers. You’re on.”

“FAMILY CAMPING TRIP.” Klaus hollers, with all the enthusiasm in his little heart.

“Holy shit this is going to be such a disaster, I just know it.” Diego mutters.

“Shut up, it’ll be nice.” Allison says, elbowing Diego with her pointy pointy elbows.

“It’s going to be a shitshow.” Vanya says serenely, because it is. That’s just who their family is. 

Wouldn’t have it any other way, though

[masked-buffoon]

Chapter 13: Filled emptiness (Part 3)

Warnings: addiction, mentions of murder

Author notes: here is part 3...! It is a quieter part compared to the previous one, I hope you’ll like it!

We went back early enough for me to take a small shower and trade my shirt for a clean one. The doctor wanted to meet me in front of the dorms at half past seven, which also allowed me to have breakfast. While I was getting prepared, Dazai had gone to his bedroom to rest, but I was convinced he had most certainly fallen asleep. He rarely did sleep, even when he felt exhausted, so I hoped he could at least close his eyes without becoming an easy prey for his nightmares. I took a deep breath and exited his apartment to start my day, which would be the first of my therapy, too. I had not slept at all, yet I felt more energised than ever, and determined to finally turn a page of my life to start anew.

As expected Yosano-sensei was there, easily recognisable by the peculiar hairpin in the shape of a butterfly she wore everyday. I walked towards her, and greeted her with my brightest smile.

"Good morning sensei…!"

"Ogawa…! Just on time…! Today—"

She stopped, then grabbed my chin to take a closer look at my face. She narrowed her eyes, annoyance clearly changing her expression.

"... Are you kidding me, Ogawa…?"

"W-Well…"

"You didn't sleep, did you?" She clicked her tongue "I refuse to start your treatment today. You'll only feel pain, and it won't help at all."

"I see… I should have expected as much…"

"It doesn't matter." She patted my shoulder lightly "You surely had something important to do… I still have something to show you, though…!"

"And I'm impatient to see what it is…!"

She took a couple of keys out of her pocket, then led me towards the door to an apartment. I first thought it was her place, but that guess was pushed aside the moment I saw the room was empty. With a smile, she showed me around, and I quickly understood what was happening.

"Is that… My future home…?"

"You're wrong." She corrected me "It's not your "future" home, it's your home from now on. The former resident has just left, so you can use it."

"But… I don't have enough money to rent it… I thought that was why I was still living at Dazai's…"

"Money isn't an issue since the Agency pays for us. It was simply a matter of freeing some space for you. And, at last, it happened…!" She exclaimed, rather proudly "Do you like it?"

"Do I like it…? I love it…!" I answered, wholeheartedly "I finally have a home… Ever since I was born, no place had ever felt so warm… I'm so glad, thank you, Yosano-sensei…!"

"I'm happy for you, then." She smiled "You already have a futon, and a table. You can add other furniture when you have enough money to buy some."

"Yes…! I can already picture a bookshelf right here… It would be filled with books… And a pillow too, to create a cosy reading space…" I imagined.

"That's not a bad idea." She agreed "Oh, and… Look inside the wardrobe."

I was curious, so I did just as she said and opened it, only to find a set of new and colourful clothes. There were a few identical white shirts, as well as a navy blue suit composed of a jacket and a pair of pants. I looked at the doctor, astonished.

"Sensei, I… That's so much… I can't accept it…"

"It's a late welcome gift to the Agency." She said softly "Your clothes are… Well, I'm not sure you can call them clothes anymore… This is a new life, you need some changes."

"Even so, they are so beautiful…"

"You also have a new pair of shoes at the entrance, although you were too amazed by the place to notice them." She chuckled "I'd also like to do something for your hair… But let's wait for that addiction  to go away first."

"I agree… I'll really be freed when morphine won't control my life anymore."

"That's right. For now, you should rest. Have some sleep, too. I'll see you tomorrow at the Agency for your treatment."

"Thank you again, sensei… Oh, and… I have a case, too… A request from a friend… I have to go to Hokkaido by the end of the week." I remembered.

"I see… Do you think you can handle this while following your therapy…? It might be too hard…"

"I want to be cured. And I can't go back on my word. Besides, it is rather urgent, since someone's life is at stake. I'll manage, somehow." I assured her.

"If you say so, I have no other choice but to trust you." She nodded "See you tomorrow at the Agency, we'll discuss the case and prepare for your departure."

"Yes, sensei…!" I smiled at her "See you tomorrow…!

As soon as I closed the door behind her, a feeling of relief and joy overwhelmed me. I had a new place… My own place, one I would call "home", where I would go back to, where I would hide from the world… Since I had been generously given a day off, I grabbed my keys, enjoying the light tinting sound they made between my fingers, and decided to head off. I at least needed to buy a teapot and a book to occupy my quiet day, before starting one of the toughest times of my life, my therapy. I had lived in the streets, killed people for the Port Mafia and had even merely escaped from death, yet separating myself from morphine seemed like an impossible challenge to overcome. The simple thought of not getting my injection anymore made me crave the sweet sensation provided by the product, and I immediately stopped in my tracks. After all, it would only start the next day… For the moment, I was still an addict and had the right to consume morphine. For the moment…

Once the drug was freely flowing in my vessels, I was ready to leave and go shopping. I also needed to fill my empty fridge, and Uemura-san's store seemed like the perfect place to spend my money. He knew me, and it would not be an issue to use the laundered money I had earned from the Port Mafia. From an illegal point of view, I was pretty rich, but it was money I could never use, except with a few rare people. The man welcomed me warmly, glad that I had finally settled down somewhere.

"And how is my disciple? I hope he takes good care of you." He said, scanning the price of my purchase.

"He does." I told him "He's too worried about me for my liking, but I suppose I can't help it… I'm touched, but…"

I sighed. I could not say it made me feel irrational when it came to Dazai…

"He can be pretty insistent." He shrugged "I think you remind him of his sister, that's why."

"His what…?" I frowned.

"He didn't tell you? Well… He had an older sister, back then… She was very kind, and lived absolutely unaware of her brother's activity. A nice girl, really…"

I took the bag he handed me.

"What happened to her?"

"She met a man. The wrong one. She went on a date with him and her body was discovered the next day. Her head, however… It was never found."

I felt a shiver running down my spine, then recalled the case. It was a famous one, I had heard about it, even in the Port Mafia. The culprit was a serial killer, and had never been arrested…

"He was only seventeen back then… A young teen with an incredible gift for his current activity… It left him with quite a trauma."

"I see… That serial killer…"

I clenched my fist. I was not one to work for justice, nor to defend Yokohama, but, somehow, it angered me that such an awful man was still running free in the world. Besides, since the case of the Fox's sister, many other headless female bodies had been found in our city… It was strange that the Agency and Ranpo-san had not already arrested the criminal… Maybe he had not been requested to work on the case, after all…

"Well, now, you may understand his behaviour better. Don't tell him that I told you." He winked.

"I won't." I promised "Oh, and, thanks for your advice. About cooking, I mean."

"Don't worry about that…!" He chuckled "I can't let you eat junk food everyday after all. Besides, if you want to start a new life, you've got to start by eating better…!"

"Still, thank you." I smiled "I'm very grateful that you support me so much… I'm not sure if I deserve your kindness… But I'll try to be worth it."

"You sought my support, and I am glad to give it to you." He patted my shoulder "Do your best. You're a good person, Ogawa."

"Thank you, Uemura-san… Thank you…"

It felt comforting to have someone who believed in me and in the fact I was able to redeem myself, somehow. I had never been a good person, and it was a lie to say that the Port Mafia had turned an innocent girl into a monster, for that beast had always lied dormant within me. However, being given a chance to be a better human was something I would forever be grateful for. We all had the right to change, after all…

When I came back to the dormitory, I instinctively walked towards Dazai's door, before remembering the reason I had gone out was to slowly inhabit my own place. Delighted, I inserted my key into the lock to open my door, and immediately relished in the quiet atmosphere of the room. Slowly, I removed my shoes and went to my fridge, feeling oddly satisfied as I placed the diverse vegetables and goods I had bought for the first time. I had never gone grocery shopping before… The only shop I had ever visited was an old pharmacy to buy morphine with a forged prescription. Even so, the pharmacist had never taken a look at the said prescription, too eager to chase an addict away from his store quickly, which explained why I had never lacked pain relievers despite leaving the Mafia. Truly, it felt… Normal.

Delicately, I unpacked the kettle Uemura-san had given me to celebrate my new place. With it, boiling water would be so much easier, and making tea would only take a blink. Five months ago, when I had just become a detective, I had decided to stop drinking alcohol whenever I needed a distraction from the world. Yosano-sensei had strongly warned me about the state of my liver, and I had decided to listen to her. Following her advice, I had discovered tea, which had then slowly replaced sake and whisky, although I still drinked alcohol from time to time. Immediately, I prepared a cup of tea, ready to relax for the rest of the day, before realising that I had forgotten to stop by the bookstore to buy the first book I would read in my new home. It was important to me, and I needed time to choose… Thus, I prepared to leave again, but when I opened the door, a small package had been placed in front of it, accompanied by a note.

"Welcome, neighbour!"

I giggled as I recognised Dazai's handwriting, and unwrapped the gift. It was a book, of course… The mystery I had been reading just the previous evening, and which I had yet to solve. That one would be the first book of my home, and it was not a bad thing that it was one I would continue. Because I now had a home, it did not mean I had to start everything anew… With a slight smile, I went back inside. Finally, I was ready to spend a relaxing day off, the last one before a series of troubles. Even so, I knew that everything would be fine, eventually.

[hajimes-erect-ahoge]

Postmortem- Chapter 10

Kokichi deals with the aftermath of his conversation with Shuichi and attends group therapy again. ao3

Ouma’s eyes slowly fluttered open, his consciousness gradually awakening. Opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was Saihara peacefully sleeping in the chair besides his bed. They were still holding hands, and Ouma made the decision not to move, lest he wake up Saihara. His eyes flickered back to the bed sheets, staring at them aimlessly as he let his mind wander.

...What the hell did I just do? Saying all those things to Saihara-chan… It’s not like me so be so weak.

...And Momota-chan is so damn predictable. I knew he would at least tell Saihara-chan about when he saw me in the emergency room, but I never expected it to come back to bite me in the ass like this.

Who the hell do I think I am, making myself so vulnerable to a stupid boy just because I might like him just a little bit. Saihara-chan has no right to make me feel this way…

The truth was, Ouma had been waiting for this moment. During the killing game, when he wasn’t focusing on his mastermind plan, he daydreamed about how he would tell Saihara off for telling him he would always be alone. He hadn’t expected to be exhausted- in his rawest form with no mask- and crying when it happened.

In his mind, he had this exact moment planned out in exact detail. He would swiftly tell Saihara off for saying all those awful things to him, for not accepting his offer to work together, and then shut the other boy out, making it clear that he wanted nothing to do with him. That was how it was supposed to go…

Ouma buried his face deeper into the sheets, sighing audibly.

Why did he have to get so emotional in front of Saihara?

It’s like there was something about him, something in his unfairly adorable face or his sickeningly gentle personality that just made Ouma melt, becoming completely helpless. And it absolutely infuriated him.

He hated being seen as weak, having developed a strong distaste for being vulnerable, especially during the killing game. So why did he have to go and ruin it all because of some stupid crush?

Ouma felt anxiety bubbling in his chest, his heart rate quickening. Soon enough, Saihara would be awake, most likely expecting a follow-up from their conversation the night before. If Ouma had to be that vulnerable for even another minute… he didn’t know what he would do.

He glanced over at Saihara. Still asleep.

Ouma let out a shaky breath. How the hell was he going to face Saihara when he woke up?

“Nng… Ouma-kun?”

Saihara’s gentle voice startled Ouma out of his thoughts, causing him to jump a little bit. He quickly swiped his hand away from Saihara’s, hoping he would forget about that part of last night at the very least.

But it was too late.

Saihara blushed the faintest bit at their previous contact, retracting his hand from where it lay limp midair. Ouma scoffed.

“S-Sorry…” Saihara’s voice was soft, barely audible, yet to Ouma it was all he could hear amongst the noise of the hospital. Sitting himself upright, Saihara continued, “I didn’t mean to fall asleep here…”

Ouma hummed, acknowledging the other’s statement but not quite responding to it.

“Um… About last night-”

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” Ouma stated firmly, still refusing to make eye contact. “It never happened. I was tired and being irrational. Just forget about it.”

“...Okay. I won’t ask you about it.” Saihara conceded.

Ouma lifted his eyes, gazing over at Saihara. The latter squirmed in place uncomfortably, refusing to meet the other’s eyes. Ouma looked away.

A brief silence flashed between the two boys, even if only for a moment.

“Can I just say one thing?” Saihara asked, testing the waters of Ouma’s boundaries.

“Shoot.”

“I… I want you to trust me, Ouma-kun. I understand that that’s hard for you, but…” Saihara’s gaze hardened, determined. “I want to be there for you.”

Ouma seemed taken aback, if only momentarily before regaining his composure. He sighed, interlocking his fingers behind his head, leaning back on the headboard of the bed.

“I’ll get going now.” Saihara stood up, taking Ouma’s silence as his cue to leave.

He paused once he reached the door, looking back at Ouma.

“I’ll be in the dining hall if you want to come out.” Saihara glanced at Ouma, then back at the door. “Goodbye, Ouma-kun.”

And just like that, Saihara was gone, leaving Ouma alone with his thoughts once more.

----------

Group therapy still occurred twice a week as per schedule, but Ouma hardly attended. Despite knowing that there might be negative consequences for his actions, he just couldn’t bring himself to face everyone again. At least, not that often.

He attended sometimes. It wasn’t necessarily easy, but he did go sometimes. He would mostly keep to himself, with the occasional nod or hum in agreement, which made things slightly easier, but by no means bearable.

Saihara would show up at his room, reminding him about their biweekly meetings. Ouma would either wave him off or join him, walking to the meeting with him. They wouldn’t really talk, but it helped them both to have each other. Saihara insisted on sitting next to Ouma, ready at a moment’s notice to calm him down if he looked particularly uncomfortable.

Ouma appreciated the gesture, he really did. But he didn’t like being smothered, Saihara’s pitying glances and honey-filled words and gestures suffocating him. As of late, Ouma hasn’t really been going to group therapy. Two weeks to be exact. But Saihara always came to his door, checking up on him before the meetings just in case he did want to attend.

Now was one of those times.

“Ouma-kun?” Saihara knocked twice on the door before gently pushing it open, it having been left slightly ajar.

Ouma was laying in the bed, his limbs tangled in the sheets and his face smushed into the pillow, audibly snoring.

“Ouma-kun, I know you’re awake.” Saihara rolled his eyes, gently nudging Ouma. The other boy’s eyes slowly opened, looking up at Saihara. Noticing the way Saihara fondly smiled at him, Ouma flung a pillow at his face, smirking.

“Ha! That’s what you get for waking me up!” Ouma giggled triumphantly.

Saihara removed the pillow from his face, setting it down on the bed near Ouma’s head.

“You weren’t even sleeping in the first place…” Saihara chuckled, feeling whatever annoyance he was feeling fading away.

“Mean! Saihara-chan knows me too well!” Ouma huffed, sticking out his tongue and crossing his arms.

“Mhm…” Saihara hummed, tapping his fingers on the nightstand. “So are you coming or not?”

“Coming where?”

“To group therapy. You haven’t been there in two weeks, and it’s starting to worry me…”

“Aaaand?” Ouma cocked his head, staring up at Saihara with those innocent doe eyes of his.

“And I would really appreciate it if you came with me today.” Saihara finished, “Come on, Ouma-kun…” He sat down on the bed next to Ouma, who was now sitting up, pouting. “If you can’t do it for yourself then do it for me.”

“Fiiiine…” Ouma pushed himself off the bed, standing up and stretching. “But only for my beloved Saihara-chan!”

Saiahra smiled warmly at him, “Great! Then let’s get going, okay?”

Ouma nodded, following Saihara out of the room.

----------

Once they had arrived at group therapy they sat down in their usual seats, right next to one another. Ouma slumped back in his chair, arms crossed as he was clearly beginning to regret coming. Meanwhile, Saihara sat up straight, proudly, while talking to Momota to his right.

When the therapist walked in she quickly glanced at Ouma, noticing his presence before continuing on her path to her seat. The other participants occasionally glanced at him as well, shifting in their seats and doing their best to ignore him. Ouma was used to this, figuring that the unpredictability of his attendance often put the others on edge. He paid no mind to it, instead focusing on the warmth of Saihara’s body right next to him, while ignoring Yonaga’s nonsensical chatter on the other side of him.

The meeting quickly kicked into gear, the therapist hushing the participants and getting started with her usual greetings. Ouma didn’t pay much attention, as per usual, and about ten minutes went by before he actually started tuning in to the conversation at hand.

“Well, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way…” the therapist continued, though Ouma couldn’t be any less aware of what she was talking about, “Why don’t we talk about nightmares? I’m sure nearly all of you should have experienced them by now, so why don’t we discuss what’s been bothering us?”

The sudden change in topic seemed to cast a dark cloud over the room, as the members of the room immediately stiffened. Ouma, however, was unfazed, ever aloof and detached from his feelings.

“Well? Who wants to start us off?” the therapist asked.

“I do.” Ouma stated firmly, not necessarily surprised when over a dozen pairs of eyes gawked at him, including Saihara’s. Even the therapist seemed taken aback.

Ouma wasn’t really sure what had gotten into him. Maybe it was some internal desire to impress Saihara with how open he was being, maybe he just wanted to prove how much he had progressed so Saihara would get off his case already, or maybe he wanted to prove to everyone that he was human too and also had nightmares about the killing game, just like the rest of them. Whatever it is, it was too late to back down now.

The therapist turned to him, “What was your nightmare about, Ouma-kun?”

Almost instantly, memories of one of Ouma’s most common nightmares came flashing back to him, images of Iruma and Gokuhara’s distraught faces racking his brain. He felt his heartbeat quicken, his breathing becoming shallow as he tried to focus his mind on how he was going to get out of this or, even worse, tell the group about it.

“Um… If Gonta can say something here…” Gokuhara spoke up, tripping over his words. He had been going to speech therapy to improve his language skills, and he was trying to apply what he had learned. “Gonta- I mean, I sometimes have nightmares about what happened in the virtual world. Maybe that’s what Ouma-kun is trying to say?”

Ouma nodded, staring intently at the ground by his feet, refusing to look up. Being vulnerable in front of Saihara was already unbearable enough, so why was he subjecting himself to this ordeal again?

“And… You aren’t lying right now, Ouma-kun?” the therapist asked cautiously, as if trying to choose her words very carefully.

Ouma’s eyes shot up to look at her, giving her the most indignant glare he could possibly muster.

“Forgive me, it’s just… I’ve never seen you be so… vulnerable, before. That’s all.” she defended, as if those words would amend the hurt she just caused Ouma.

She had a point though, Ouma thought. He had never been particularly expressive during these meetings, so it made sense for the therapist to be a bit suspicious. However, that didn’t change the fact that it still stung, his reputation as a liar ever so prevalent.

And to make matters worse, Harukawa just had to be the next one to speak.

“I find it hard to believe that you have nightmares about what happened in the virtual world.” Harukawa stated flatly. “You had plenty of chances to prevent that murder from happening, but instead you chose to manipulate an innocent person into committing murder. You chose to have that murder occur.”

“But would you have believed him if he came to you, saying that he was about to be murdered?” Hoshi of all people cut in, fighting against Harukawa’s words. He sighed when he received quite the number of glares, putting his hands up defensively. “Look, all I’m saying is that given how little trust you all have in him, none of you would’ve believed Ouma if he came to you saying he was about to be murdered. You basically forced his hand.”

Harukawa had another rebuttal prepared but Iruma spoke first, cutting her off before she even had the chance to speak.

“I-It’s all my fault, okay? I’m the one who wanted to kill Ouma in the first place, so if you’re gonna blame anyone blame me!” Iruma sputtered, guilt lacing her every word. “Don’t take it out on him, just… I’m sorry, okay?”

Ouma was genuinely taken aback by Iruma standing up for him, not having expected her to be on his side. If anything, she should be the one who was the most opposed to him resulting in her death, so having someone besides Saihara be on his side for once felt refreshing.

“I think we should believe Ouma-kun if he says he has a nightmare about something.” Saihara steered the conversation back to the original topic. “I don’t think it would benefit him to lie here…”

Ouma crossed his arms and slumped back in his seat, sulking. The fact that it took multiple people standing up for him to get people to believe him was insulting to say the least, and it didn’t help that he barely wanted to be talking about this in the first place. He prayed that someone else would talk soon, changing the focus of the conversation onto them instead.

Luckily, Saihara must have sensed this as well, as he cleared his throat and began talking about the nightmares he experienced. Ouma finally relaxed, closing his eyes and simply listening to Saihara’s voice, pretending they were alone together. It didn’t take long for the session to end after that.

----------

When the session was over Ouma left as quickly as possible, wanting to avoid getting into any unwanted conversations. Saihara noticed this and called out to Ouma to get his attention.

“Ah, Ouma-kun!” Saihara jogged up to Ouma, walking side by side with him.

“Yessss, my beloved Saihara-chan?” Ouma fluttered his eyelashes, staring up at Saihara innocently.

“Uh, I have to tell you something, but…” He glanced around him, noticing all the other people around them, “We should probably go somewhere private first.”

“Hmm…” Ouma lifted a finger to his chin in mock thought, “Okay! But only because you asked so nicely!”

Saihara smiled, walking Ouma back to his room. Once they got there Saihara shut the door behind them while Ouma flopped down on the bed.

“So what did you want to talk about?” Ouma asked.

Saihara’s smile only grew wider as he observed Ouma, who finally seemed to be warming up to trusting him.

“I can’t believe you did that today.” Saihara stated, still smiling.

“Hm? Did what?” Ouma pretended to be confused, but he knew exactly what Saihara was talking about.

Saihara walked closer, sitting down next to Ouma on the bed.

“You volunteered to talk about yourself during today’s session. I’ve never seen you be that vulnerable in front of everyone else…” Saihara turned towards Ouma, making eye contact with him. “I’m proud of you, Ouma-kun.”

Ouma felt his face heat up after hearing those words. Saihara was… proud of him? Something about that sentence made his heart flutter, as if he would do anything to hear those words again, or to have Saihara look at him so fondly again… But for now, he wanted to enjoy this moment.

“Y-Yeah, whatever…” Ouma looked away, hoping that Saihara wouldn’t see the blush on his cheeks. “It’s not a big deal, you know…”

Saihara laughed, a real, genuine laugh, one that he reserved for close friends and family, one that was seldom heard by even those people. To say the very least, it was mesmerizing to Ouma.

It was over all too soon as Saihara stood up, making his way to the door.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” Saihara gave him one last smile before he exited, leaving Ouma to deal with his flurry of emotions.

----------

Ouma wasn’t the only one dealing with his feelings right now.

Saihara closed his door behind him, slumping down against the doorframe.

...There’s no way, right? It’s just not possible! I can’t…

He sighed, burying his face in his hands.

I can’t have feelings for Ouma-kun…! There’s no way he would ever like me back!

Saihara squeezed his eyes shut, trying to steady his breathing.

Okay, just relax… Everything is going to be fine… Just because you’ve been spending a lot of time together, and the way he looks up at you with those big purple eyes is adorable, and the way your heart flutters whenever you’re around him, doesn’t mean that you like him that way!

He looked up, staring at the ceiling of his room before speaking aloud.

“...Oh no…”

[iam93percentstardust]

Pining for Lost Innocence

Written for @heamarvel‘s Hallmark Event: Prompt 10

Find on ao3 here

It’s a long one so look out for the read more

In Becca’s defense, it isn’t like she could have known that she’s picked the day Bucky had gotten left at the altar.

He and Brock had been very lowkey, so lowkey in fact that when Brock had asked if they could just get married at the courthouse, it hadn’t seemed off. That probably should have been the first clue. And then there’d been the two witnesses and no one else- clue number two. And then the fact that both witnesses had been Bucky’s friends and not Brock’s- well, Bucky should have known by then that Brock was going to walk out on him.

But he had fancied himself in love and had thought that Brock was just as in love with him. So he had waited, waited there in the judge’s office with Sam and Tony as his witnesses for as long as he could until the judge had finally, reluctantly, told him that she had other weddings to attend to. He’d gone back to the apartment they shared to find that Brock had cancelled their lease. He’d called Brock’s job- the other alpha had quit three days earlier, no forwarding address. He’d tried once to reach Brock’s phone; he received a message informing him that the number was no longer in service. It had hit him then, really truly hit him that Brock hadn’t just left him at the altar, he’d gone and abandoned him. He’d shown up at Tony’s door thirty minutes later and had never really left since then.

So when he gets Becca’s wedding invitation and sees that she’s set the date for December 23rd, the same day that Brock left him, he takes a deep breath, resolutely does not crumple the invitation in his hand, and just carries it inside.

Tony’s stretched out on the couch, a heating pad across his lap. His heat’s coming up in a few days. The pre-heat cramps have always been the worst for him, to the point where he usually has to take an additional couple days off work along with the regular three for his heat. Bucky can’t stop himself from sniffing at the air surreptitiously to try to catch a hint of Tony’s sweet pre-heat scent.

Tony smells the best, always has. It had driven him crazy after they’d both presented as teenagers, it had driven him crazy during the one heat they’d shared when Ty had walked out on Tony only hours before his heat and he hadn’t had time to get his suppressants into his system, and it still drives him crazy now. But Tony doesn’t want him, not really. He’d been convenient after Ty but that was it. He wants to ask for more but he also doesn’t want to ruin the fantastic friendship they’ve got by trying to push, not when Tony’s never asked for it. When Brock had come along, he’d thought he’d managed to move on from his feelings but he’d lived with Tony for barely a month before they were back in full force.

He’s loved Tony since they were children. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he’s convinced that he’ll love him for the rest of time, no matter who he mates with. And if Tony never loves him back, he’ll have to be okay with that because he’ll take Tony any way he can get.

“Hi honey,” he announces, shoving his moping to the back of his mind. “I’m home!”

Tony looks up from his phone and smiles brightly, spying the grocery bags in his hand. “Hello darling. Did you bring home the bacon?”

“Nope,” Bucky says, popping the p. “Doc says bacon isn’t good for your heart.”

Tony pouts. For a fleeting second, Bucky has the urge to turn around and run back out to the store to get bacon but he holds firm. Tony’s had a weak heart for years. His last surgery should have fixed the problem but it doesn’t hurt to be careful. Tony can’t die. Bucky doesn’t know what he’ll do if Tony leaves him too.

“What’s that?” Tony asks. He nods at the envelope.

The beginning of Bucky’s good mood deflates. “Becca’s wedding invitation,” he says gloomily. He tosses the envelope Tony’s way, sending it spinning through the air. “She and Stevie picked a day.”

Tony completely fumbles the catch and ends up having to bend down from his reclining position to grab it from the floor. His shirt rides up, showing the smallest sliver of tanned skin. Bucky catches his breath, hoping that his scent blockers keep Tony from smelling horny alpha. Tony’s got enough trust issues after Ty; he doesn’t need Bucky adding to them.

He marches into the kitchen as Tony opens the envelope. He doesn’t need to see the look on the omega’s face when he sees the date. It’s sure to be pitying and he doesn’t want that, not from Tony.

There’s the shuffle of feet from the doorway to the living room. Bucky doesn’t turn around, just keeps putting away groceries. Even so, he manages to catch a glimpse of Tony in the mirror above the sink. The little omega’s wrapped the blanket from the couch around his shoulders. One hand is both clutching the heating pad to his stomach and holding the blanket closed. The other is holding the envelope. There’s no pity in his eyes, just soft understanding. Bucky smiles fondly to himself. He doesn’t know why he expected any different, except that maybe that’s all he ever seems to get from Sam (that and the occasional “You know, if you asked Tony out, you wouldn’t have this problem.”).

“Are you going to go?” Tony asks softly.

He shrugs. “Can’t not. It’s my sister and my best friend. Sides, Becca’d never talk to me again if I missed it.”

“You could tell her. She’d understand.”

And that’s the crux of it. He’d never told his family about what had happened last Christmas. His romance with Brock had been such a whirlwind. They’d gotten engaged after only two weeks of dating, moved in together a week after that, and nearly walked down the aisle three months later. He’d never even gotten around to telling his family that they were even dating, let alone that they were getting married (and subsequently, that he’d gotten left at the altar). He’d just told them that he didn’t feel up to visiting for Christmas and had spent the holiday curled up on Tony’s couch, letting the omega hold and soothe him.

“I won’t ruin Becca’s day,” he says decisively. It’s high time he stops letting Brock ruin his life. The man didn’t even bother breaking up with him. He certainly doesn’t deserve the right to determine the rest of Bucky’s life.

He tells Tony so. A huge grin breaks across Tony’s face. “That’s my alpha,” he declares proudly.

Bucky’s hand slips on the milk carton. He just barely manages to catch it before it hits the floor, glad that the mishap keeps Tony from seeing the red glow on his face. He wants to be Tony’s alpha, wants to hear Tony say that he’s his alpha. But if wishes grew on trees…

Well, wishing never did anything but cause misery.

“Dunno if I can do it by myself,” he mutters as he puts the milk in the fridge. Tony quirks his head curiously. “’s just I wouldn’t’ve had to do it if Brock was here. I dunno if I can handle Becca’s wedding on what was s’posed to be my anniversary.” He takes a closer look at what they’ve got in the fridge. “How does spaghetti sound?”

This close to his heat, Tony usually craves Italian food. Bucky’s more than happy to make it for him. If there’s a little voice in the back of his mind reminding him that any good alpha would take care of their omega before their heat, that’s nobody’s business but his own.

“Okay,” Tony says quietly. “I’m gonna go lay down again.”

Bucky watches him go before busying himself with dinner. He mulls over the problem of the wedding as he rolls the meatballs. He doesn’t want to go alone. If he goes alone, he’ll spend the entire time moping, fixated on what he almost had, and Becca will kill him. But-

“Tony,” he pants, skidding into the living room, “will you go with me?”

Tony, despite being fully clothed, clutches the blanket to his chest. He blinks at him sleepily. Bucky curses himself for disturbing the omega’s nap.

“To the wedding,” he clarifies. He’s already woken him up, might as well keep going. “Will you go with me to the wedding?”

There’s a strange, eager light in Tony’s eyes. “With you?” he repeats.

Bucky turns over the request in his mind and hastily adds, “As friends. I wouldn’t expect you to be my date.”

The eager light disappears. “Oh,” Tony murmurs. If Bucky hadn’t known any better, he might have thought that Tony sounded disappointed. But he does know better. There’s absolutely no way Tony’s upset that Bucky’s not asking him as a date.

Tony reaches up and holds onto one of Bucky’s hands with both of his much littler ones. “Of course I’ll go with you,” he says warmly.

He was imagining the disappointment. That’s all it was.

Imagining.

For Bucky, at least, the wedding of Steve Rogers and Becca Barnes is a strange one. Mostly because Steve’s his best friend and he remembers when they used to groan when Bucky’s mother would insist that they include Becca in their games. They had been six years older than Becca and so they really hadn’t had much to do with each other, which is why it had so surprised him when Steve had told him three years ago that he was madly in love with his sister and planned to ask her to marry him.

“I didn’t know you were even dating,” Bucky had said, utterly dumbfounded. Steve had scuffed his shoes along the floor and mumbled, “…we’re not.”

That was the point when Bucky had burst into laughter but he’d given Steve his blessing to ask her out, given it again when Steve had come back a year later and asked for his blessing to marry her, and continued wishing that he had the courage to ask Tony out like Steve had for Becca. They’d waited a few years to get married after announcing their engagement so Becca could finish college but everyone had known they were as good as mated. Steve was absolutely besotted with her and she was just as enamored as Steve.

Steve’s in the middle of his vows when Bucky hears a quiet sniff from beside him. He looks over to see Tony dabbing at the corners of his eyes with a tissue. He leans over. “This can’t possibly be making you cry,” he whispers. “It’s Steve. You two fight like cats and dogs.”

“Shut up, you useless alpha,” Tony hisses. “It’s romantic.”

Bucky wrinkles his nose and sits back up. It’s his alpha best friend and his beta sister. Bucky’s seen both of them (and Tony too, now that he thinks about it) naked in the kiddy pool. There’s nothing romantic about it.

Well, maybe it’s a little romantic. Just a bit. Barely more than a smidge. Fuck, if he and Tony were together, he knows that he’d think that it was romantic, with how they’ve known each other since childhood. He casts a sideways glance at Tony, who’s staring raptly at Steve and Becca with bright, shining eyes. He remembers the first time he’d ever seen Tony, standing alone on the playground, smaller even than Stevie because he was four years younger than everyone else in their year; remembers how Tony had come yelling to their rescue when Bucky had taken on a couple of Steve’s bullies. He’d gone home that day and told his mom, “There’s a new boy in our class and one day, I’m gonna marry him.” 

Only he never had. Somehow, the timing had never worked out and they’d passed each other by like ships in the night- except for Tony’s heat.

They’d had three perfect days together. Three days sharing Tony’s heat because his heats were always terrible and Bucky couldn’t stand seeing him in so much pain. Usually, Tony’s suppressants were enough to smother the worst of the heat cramps but Ty had never liked him on suppressants so he’d gone off of them for the duration of their relationship. For Ty to dump him only hours before his heat when everyone knows that suppressants needed at least a day to take effect…

He growls, low enough to be nearly subvocal, the thought still making him angry after all this time. Tony swats him and he jumps. “Sorry,” he whispers and lets his mind drift again.

Tony had called him after Ty had left, sobbing. It had taken Bucky an age to figure out what Tony was telling him and when he’d finally managed it, he’d been up out of his chair and halfway out the door before he’d paused.

“Tony, honey,” he’d said. “You’re asking me to come over now?”

Tony had sobbed out a yes but Bucky had still hesitated. “Right before your heat?” He’d known that omegas in heat could be needy, known that they craved attention and touch, but Tony wasn’t his to hold.

“Please, Bucky,” Tony had whispered into the phone. “Please share my heat, just once. I need you.”

And Bucky had had to put his phone on mute so that Tony couldn’t hear his broken cry. Just once. That was all he could have Tony for. Just that one heat before he had to let the omega- his omega- go again.

They’d had three perfect days. Three days of Tony writhing beneath him, of him crying, “Alpha!” in that perfect way of his. Tony had been perfect, responsive and lovely and so, so beautiful. He’d made the prettiest noises, soft little mews when he was overwhelmed and breathy sighs when he was happy, the cutest growls when he was being bratty and demanding and when he’d come- his sweet cries could have rivaled the birds for their songs. “Pretty omega,” Bucky had murmured, nosing into Tony’s throat. “Sweet omega. My omega.”

Three perfect days and then never again. 

“-for the first time as mates, Captain Steven Rogers and Rebecca Barnes Rogers,” the priest concludes.

…and now he’s missed most of the ceremony. Great. He hopes that Becca didn’t catch his drifting mind. He likes his dick where it is, thank you very much. Steve leans Becca backwards in a thorough kiss. For all of two seconds, Bucky entertains the thought of yelling, “Get some, Becca!” but he thinks that might be even worse than missing the ceremony.

“Did you pay attention to any of it?” Tony asks as they stand and clap with the rest of the guests.

“No,” Bucky sighs.

“Useless alpha.”

~

Becca finds him halfway through the dancing lurking in a corner. “Hey, dickwad,” she says as she bounds up to him.

“Fuckface,” he replies cheerfully, not able to tear his eyes away from Tony dancing with one of their younger cousins. Becca’s beautiful of course, brides always are, but Tony’s radiant in his traditional male omega formal wear. It’s nothing more complex than an ensemble cut like a suit across his torso but the back is entirely lace, dipping low across his hips where it flares into a gown. Bucky can’t stop staring- and neither can most of the other unmated alphas here.

“Are you staying for Christmas this year?” Becca asks.

“Hmm?” Bucky hums, still watching Tony dance with his five-year-old cousin. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Good. We really missed you last year. Actually, no, just Mom and Dad missed you. I was delighted that I didn’t have to see your stupid face.”

“Right back atcha.”

“But really, Bucky, it isn’t really Christmas if the family isn’t together and I know you had plans with Tony last year but maybe you could bring him this time?”

One of Steve’s artist friends, an alpha by the looks of him, cuts in and steals Tony away. Tony looks absolutely bewildered and keeps glancing back at Bucky’s little cousin, left alone on the dance floor. Bucky clenches his fists. That hadn’t been necessary. The alpha could have let them finish the dance or better yet, could have left Tony alone for the rest of the night.

“If you could take your eyes off your omega for five seconds,” Becca says archly.

That gets through to him. “Tony’s not my omega,” he replies confusedly.

Becca looks just as confused. “What? But you RSVP’d together.”

“Yeah…” Bucky says slowly, not certain where she’s going with this.

“He could have just come on his own. We sent him his own invitation. He didn’t have to come with you.”

He gets it then, where she’s confused. She doesn’t know that Tony’s here as his support. She’d just seen that they had sent two separate invitations but had replied together to only one of them, the same way a couple might have.

“Tony’s not my omega,” he repeats quietly. “We came together because this was supposed to be my anniversary.”

“What?” Becca’s mouth is gaping slightly open. Under his misery, he can’t help but be a little pleased that he’s stunned his normally unfazed sister. 

“I was seeing someone last year,” he mutters. “We were going to get married. It was supposed to be a quick, private ceremony, just us and a couple witnesses. I thought it would be a nice surprise for Christmas. And then he left me at the altar.”

“Oh Bucky,” she sighs. “Why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve picked a different day.”

He glares at her. “You’ve worked so hard on this. I wasn’t going to ruin it.”

“Taking care of yourself isn’t ruining things,” she says firmly. “Is that why you didn’t come for Christmas?”

He nods miserably. “Tony said I wasn’t in any state to go anywhere so we holed up in his apartment and watched shitty Hallmark movies.” More quietly, he says, “It was perfect.”

Becca bites her lip. He watches her detachedly, wondering if she’s going to say what she’s thinking or not. She’s quiet just long enough that he’s getting ready to excuse himself before she blurts out, “And you still think he’s not in love with you?”

“What?”

“I can’t keep doing this,” she says quickly. “I know I told Steve I wasn’t going to interfere but I can’t watch you two miss out on this.”

“Becca, what are you talking about?” he says harshly.

“Isn’t it obvious?” she says helplessly. “You think just anyone would’ve given up on their Christmas like that?”

“I was upset!” he replies. “Yeah, I think any decent friend would’ve done that.”

“So Steve was there too, huh?”

It’s rhetorical. They both know that Steve spent last Christmas with the Barnes. “That’s different,” he begins.

“You said any decent friend. But fine. What about Sam? Was Sam there? Or how about Nat? Maybe Clint?” Bucky gapes at her. “You don’t have to say anything, it’s fine. I know it was just Tony.”

“Just because Tony spent Christmas with me doesn’t mean he’s in love with me,” he argues.

She throws her hands up in the air. “For fuck’s sake, you shared a heat together!”

“How do you even know about that?”

Becca sneers. “Steve tells me everything. I mean, come on, Bucky. Heats mean something to omegas. Sure, Tony was going through a breakup but he could have spent it by himself if he really wanted to. He wanted you.”

“He told me, ‘Just this once.’”

“Did he?” she asks. “Or did he ask for just once? There’s a difference.”

Bucky falls silent and turns to look at where Tony’s stepping firmly away from the alpha and going back to the kid he’d been dancing with earlier. “Becca, does he love me?” he murmurs, half-dazed by the very thought.

“He hasn’t dated since Tiberius. He invited you into his home. Hell, Bucky, you’ve seen his nest. No one gets to see his nest. If he doesn’t love you, then I don’t know what love looks like.”

He takes several deep breaths. “I think I need to sit down,” he gasps.

“Nope,” Becca says, pushing him in the direction of Tony. “You need to go ask that pretty omega to dance and tell him how you feel and then you need him to bring him to Christmas with you because I’ll never talk to you again if he’s not there.”

Bucky takes two steps away from her and then turns back around. He swoops down to drop a light kiss on her cheek. “You look stunning,” he says honestly. “Now please go find your husband and stop meddling.”

~

He waits for Tony to finish his dance with his cousin before he comes up behind him. He settles a hand at Tony’s back and murmurs into his ear, “Walk with me?”

Tony turns his head, so close Bucky can feel his breath on his cheek. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s great.” He pauses and then amends the thought. “I think. I just wanted to ask you something and I’d really like it if I could do it away from my very nosy family.”

Obediently, Tony trails behind him until they’ve left the wedding tent behind and are winding through the labyrinth behind the tent. Becca picked this reception hall specifically for the labyrinth and had thumped Bucky on the head when he’d informed her that it wasn’t like she was going to be spending any time in it. He’s glad for it now though as it offers them some small bit of privacy.

He comes to a stop when he has to start straining to hear the music. They’re in a small corner; if they were trying to find the center of the maze, they certainly wouldn’t have succeeded. It’s cold out, the way it always is in upstate New York in December. He can see their breaths hanging in the air between them. It’s supposed to snow soon, he knows, but it hasn’t started yet.

Tony rubs his arms. “Cold?” Bucky asks. When Tony nods, he holds out his arms. “I could warm you up.”

Tony doesn’t even hesitate to step into his arms, burrowing his hands beneath Bucky’s jacket to wrap around his waist. Bucky holds him close, settling his hands low on Tony’s hips and resting his cheek against the little omega’s hair. This close, he can smell Tony beneath the scent blockers he always wears. He inhales deeply. Peaches and honeysuckle, his favorite scents.

“Omega,” he murmurs. “Pretty omega.”

“You never call me that,” Tony says just as softly, shivering slightly. Bucky wishes he could know if it’s because Tony’s cold or if he likes it.

“I could stop.”

Tony hesitates. “Don’t stop,” he whispers finally.

Bucky smiles into his hair and turns his head so that his lips just barely brush the top of his head. “Sweet omega,” he rumbles. Tony trembles in his arms. The band begins a waltz and he shifts on his feet. “Would you dance with me?” he asks. Tony nods, his cheek rubbing against Bucky’s shirt.

Bucky doesn’t move much, just moves so that one hand holds onto Tony’s. They’re still pressed together. He’s still resting his head against Tony’s. But they’re turning in place, breaths whispering in the still night air.

“Becca wants you to come for Christmas,” he says.

Tony tenses just slightly. “Can’t.”

“Why not?”

He can feel Tony shrug against his body. “Christmas is for family.”

“So you’re going home to Stark Mansion?”

Tony’s silent, not that it matters. Bucky already knows the answer. Tony left that life behind a long time ago. “You could come back with me,” Tony says eventually.

“Christmas is for family,” he parrots. Tony growls, the hand hidden in Bucky’s jacket clenching in his shirt. He decides he’s teased him long enough. “Don’t you know you’re family?”

Tony shakes his head. “Not like that. Not for Christmas.”

“Especially for Christmas.”

“Bucky, don’t tease,” Tony says quietly. He starts to push away.

Bucky panics. Somewhere, this has gone wrong. Somewhere, he’s made a mistake. It’s started to snow, big white flakes falling to coat the ground around them. “Don’t go,” he says desperately. “Let me start over.”

But Tony’s standing away from him now, wrapping his arms around himself like he’s trying to replace Bucky’s warmth. “What are we doing out here?” he asks. He can’t keep his eyes on Bucky, keeps darting them away to look at the hedges around them.

He doesn’t know where to begin, doesn’t know how to ask him if what Becca said was true. So instead he asks, “Why did you ask me to share your heat?”

Tony stills, gaze coming back to him. “Wha- that was years ago,” he says incredulously.

“I know,” Bucky says steadily. He falls to his knees, shuffles forward to take Tony’s hands in his. “Honey, I can’t stop thinking about it. Why did you ask me?”

Tony’s gaze darts away and then back. His eyes are wide and a little fearful. Bucky prays that he’s not the reason that Tony looks scared. The omega swallows hard before saying, “Ty broke up with me. I-I-”

“It was your heat, Tony. It would have been awful but you could have gone through your heat alone. I would have been there waiting after it was over.” He presses his forehead to Tony’s hands. “Omega,” he begins. “Pretty omega, my omega. Why did you ask me to share your heat?”

He looks back up then. Tony’s eyes are as bright with unshed tears as they were a few hours ago. “I wanted to,” Tony breathes. “Ty left me because he said he couldn’t be with an omega who loved someone else.”

Bucky takes in a shaky breath. “Loved?” he asks, hesitant to say anything but he has to know.

Tony looks about as wrecked as he feels as he slowly shakes his head. “Loves.”

The word’s little more than a sigh, barely louder than the wind in the hedges, but Bucky hears him clear as a bell. 

He surges to his feet, one hand dropping Tony’s so he can catch his arm around Tony’s waist and reel him in. Tony’s now-free hand curls into the fabric of Bucky’s shirt. Bucky drops his head to press his forehead against Tony’s. This close, he can see the light dusting of freckles on Tony’s nose that the little omega tries so hard to pretend doesn’t exist.

“Honey, can I kiss you?” he asks, trying to tamp his desperation down. He doesn’t want to scare Tony. He can’t scare Tony. Tony’s precious and sweet and doesn’t deserve to be scared by a hulking alpha.

Tony flashes him a quick smile, bright as the sun. “Call me omega and we’ll see.”

He rubs his nose alongside the length of Tony’s. “Omega,” he rumbles, putting as much Alpha into his voice as he can. Tony shivers.

“Alpha,” Tony breathes and Bucky feels like roaring his triumph. “Yes.”

Their first kiss is little more than a brush of Bucky’s lips against Tony’s. “I love you,” he says, pulling back to drop a quick kiss to the tip of Tony’s nose. He presses another kiss to Tony’s lips, there and then pulling back. Tony’s eyes flutter closed on a soft sight and Bucky’s arrested by the sight of those long eyelashes against his cheek. His next kiss lands on Tony’s right eyelid. “Love those pretty Bambi eyes,” he says. Another fleeting kiss on Tony’s lips and then back to Tony’s left eyelid. “Love that pink blush on your cheeks.” Tony’s cheeks immediately heat. Bucky can’t resist placing his next kisses on each cheek, feeling the heat under his lips, before coming back to Tony’s pouting mouth. He’s there longer this time, placing quick teasing kisses on his lips, pulling back slightly, and then coming back, too overwhelmed by the feeling of Tony in his arms to stay away for long. “Love your perfect scent.” He buries his face in Tony’s neck, nuzzling into his scent glands. Happy omega is pouring off of him, filling the air with the smell of honeysuckle and peaches.

He fits his teeth around the gland and bites gently, not hard enough to spark a bond, just enough to tease. Tony goes limp against him, falling into his shoulder with a whimper. “I’ve got you, honey,” he says and presses a line of kisses up Tony’s throat to the corner of his mouth.

“Love you,” he says again, just because he can. 

Tony smiles at him, bright as the sun, warming up the winter night. “I love you too.”

Bucky kisses his smiling mouth, firmly this time. He takes the omega’s bottom lip between his teeth and nibbles on the soft flesh. When Tony gasps, he slides his tongue between his lips and licks inside. He pulls back to trace his tongue over the outline of the omega’s mouth, dips back in for another taste. Tony’s hand moves from his shirt to his arm, digging his fingers into his bicep. Bucky groans and hauls Tony even closer.

“Let me take you home,” he whispers, tearing his mouth away to suck at the smooth skin at the juncture between Tony’s neck and shoulder. “Let me lay you out on my bed, keep you safe, keep you warm.” He rolls his hips so Tony can feel just how hard he is. “Keep you full.”

Tony whines, hand clenching and unclenching. “Yes,” he says on a gasp as Bucky bites down. “Please.” Bucky takes his earlobe between his teeth and tugs. “Alpha.”

“My omega,” Bucky says. He drops his hand to where Tony’s ass meets his thighs and lifts. Tony immediately wraps his legs around his hips. “So perfect, honey.”

He carries Tony out of the labyrinth, kisses him quiet when Tony protests leaving without saying goodbye to Steve and Becca. “If I know them, they’re already gone,” he mutters. “’Sides, we’ll see ‘em in two days.” He takes a quick look at Tony’s blown pupils, the barest hint of omega gold around the edges. “Maybe.”

~

Bucky shifts on the front stoop for only a second before Tony slides his warm hand into his. “It’s just your family,” Tony points out.

“Yeah but I told Becca about Brock so she told everyone else so they’re all going to look at me like-”

“-you’re the luckiest alpha in the world,” Tony finishes. He reaches up with his other hand to thumb at the bondmark on Bucky’s neck. 

“More like the stupidest,” he mutters. He bends down to drop a quick kiss on the tip of Tony’s nose. “Coulda had this years ago.”

Tony wrinkles his nose. “Don’t know why you like my nose so much.”

“Your freckles, honey. I like your freckles.” He presses another quick kiss to the side of Tony’s head. “Even if I can’t see ‘em under that foundation you wear.”

Tony preens. “Well, that’s okay then.”

“Love you,” Bucky says and presses one more kiss to Tony’s lips. Tony mews and opens for his tongue. Bucky indulges in Tony’s taste for only another second before pulling away. “Pretty omega.”

Tony blinks his eyes back open, hazy and dreamlike. “Love you too.”

“Yes, yes you both love each other,” Becca says dryly. She snickers as they jump apart.

“When did you open the door?” Bucky demands.

“Too early. You two are gross, look like two seals wrestling over a grape.”

Tony sniffs haughtily. “It isn’t like you and Steve were much better,” he begins but Bucky presses his fingers against his bondmark and he falls silent with nothing more than a quiet whimper.

Becca watches the byplay with a tiny smirk before casually saying, “Are you just going to stand there the entire time or are you going to come inside? You’re letting all the cold air in.”

“Come inside,” Bucky says promptly and shoves her aside.

“Dickhead,” Becca snaps.

He replies cheerfully, “Fuckface,” and drops Tony’s hand to pull her into a tight hug and mess up her perfectly styled hair.

“Glad to have you back,” Becca mutters sullenly. She hesitates. “Better Christmas this year?”

Bucky looks at where Tony’s flounced off to the kitchen, probably to wheedle cookies off his mother. At the door to the kitchen, he pauses and looks back at Bucky to blow him a kiss. He smiles fondly. “Much.”

[brisfanfictions]

Chapter Two: A Jealous Landon & the End of the SXSW Awards [JSE]

Once Rose and Seán got on the elevator, Landon hurried to get on the same one. He could see a bunch of people, probably game designers and producers, climb into the same elevator. He ducked down and followed them inside. Just so he could keep an eye on the green haired man. With a very Irish cap on his head.

“Are you going to make an ‘Open Your Gifts’ video again?” She politely asked the Irish man. She wanted to hear his accent all the more. Since she always heard her aunt and uncle’s accents all the time. She would never grow old of hearing the Irish man’s accents.

“Probably,” Seán answered. He glanced down at the blonde woman next to him and smiled. “I’d probably open yer gift for last because of how big it is.”

She giggled in an innocent way. She hoped that he’d show off her painting in a video. “I’m sure you’ll love it,” she eagerly told him. “Because I’ve been working on it since I was sixteen and still painting in high school.” She looked so proud of her work.

His eyes widened, though. He could have sworn that she was sixteen.

“How ol’ are ya, if I may ask?” He softly questioned her. Glancing down again at her in curiosity.

She giggled again and answered, “I’m twenty now, I’ll be twenty-one in August. I’ve been subscribed since I was sixteen and watching your channel grow. As well as all your videos. You’ve saved me more times than I can count on my fingers.” She had the most innocent smile ever. As if she never went through any horrible childhood.

“An’ how did I save ya?” He softly asked.

The elevator PINGed to signal that the were on the fourth floor and most people got off on that floor. Once the people were off, him and her stayed on. Not knowing that Landon was still following them.

“Well,” she said, thinking about where to begin. “My father is Irish and my mother was American. My father ran off when I was just an embryo in my mother’s womb. And my mother was an alcoholic and clinically depressed. After I was born, my mother never took great care of me. It was usually a woman across the hall that took care of me.

“My mother died after I was just five, so I don’t remember her that much.

“My aunt and uncle, then, flew out from Ireland to take care of me.

“Sometimes I have nightmares surrounding my father and mother. They all vary too. Most of them consist of finding my mom dead on the floor. With blood gushing from her wrists.”

Her face went from happy to sad during her story.

“Every day, I wonder if it’s my fault my mom killed herself… If I hadn’t been born, then she would still be alive.”

Seán swiftly gave her a reassuring hug.

“It’s not yer fault that yer mother committed suicide,” he softly said. “Ya are an amazing young laddy. That male fella is a lucky lad.”

She hugged him back, looking confused.

“What ‘fella’?” She asked. Not sure what he’s talking about.

“That brunet male that you came here with,” he clarified. He pulled away to look her in the eyes.

“Oh!” She said, knowing exactly who he’s talking about. “He’s not my boyfriend. He’s my best friend.” She had a giggle fit, too.

Landon winced upon hearing her giggles at Seán’s assumption. After setting him straight.

“Sooo,” the green haired male said, coughing a bit to hide his embarrassment.

She has a wonderful laugh. Probably broke many hearts with her innocence and her obliviousness.

He continued to hug her for comfort.

Landon was shocked that she even had nightmares. That was something that she’s never told him. And he felt betrayed. Since she told that Irish bastard her nightmares than him. Her best friend.

The elevator PINGed again.

“This is my floor,” Seán softly told her. He had released her, grabbing a part of the painting to help her with carrying it. He was raised to be a gentleman afterall.

Rose accepted his help with a huge smile. Her eyes sparkling in excitement and pure joy. She grabbed the other end and hurried on out behind him. She got a weird feeling of being watched, but brushed it off.

He continued walking, looking at the different room numbers. Obviously searching for his own room.

Once he found it, he gently set the painting on the ground. He pulled out his room key from his pocket and unlocked the door to 608. He picked his side of the painting up again. Then he gently guided her and her precious painting inside. After he put it down, he placed his rolling luggage on the bed.

He was feeling guilty for not telling his fans what’s going on with him and his girlfriend.

Landon had hurried off the elevator to catch up with them. However, he arrived a bit too late because Rose had already gotten inside the same room as Seán. He quietly swore out loud and waited, behind a large ficus tree in the middle of the hall.

When Rose entered the room, she was absolutely amazed at the entrance of the room. She put her painting down on the red couch to look around. He helped lean the unknown, to him, painting against the couch. Excited to see her art skills. It looked as if it was an apartment for one. There was a coffee table, a small desk with a wooden wheelie chair and a bed behind a wall. The bathroom was in a small crevice of the whole room. The floor is carpet up until the beginning of one wall. Then it turns into hardwood flooring that leads to the bathroom.

After she had her fill of looking around the room, she made sure that the painting part is towards them. She grabbed two parts of the blanket.

“Rosalie Ashlen Watson proudly presents,” she jokingly said in an announcer-like voice. Then she pulled the sheet off to reveal the masterpiece underneath. “Seán, Sam, and his beautiful Korean girlfriend.”

She had her arms in a “Ta-DA” fashion.

He saw and thought it was absolutely gorgeous. However, it made him depressed.

“Do you have a YouTube channel?” He asked her. Out of curiosity.

“I have two, actually,” she told him. “One is gaming and the other is for vlogs and drawing tutorials.”

He had pulled out his phone to make a quick vlog. To spill the beans to her and his subscribers.

“Want to make a vlog together?” He asked. “Then we can swap cell numbers and Skype contacts.”

“I’d love that,” she eagerly said. “Then I can make one for my channel.”

“Cool,” he said. He unlocked his big iPhone 12 Max and went to the camera option. He moved the bar options to the left for the video one. Then he clicked the red circle to start recording. He made sure that the painting and Rose was out of the shot.

“Top a the mornin’ to ya laddie,” Seán said, high fiving the camera. “My name is jacksepticeye. And I’m doing a vlog. I already have the videos done for my ‘trip’.” He made quotation marks. “But, this is a special kind of video.

“One of my friends has made something for me. However, I’m sure some of you have noticed that… I haven’t been… In the greatest of moods.”

He started to walk around his hotel room. Using his hand gestures that he makes during his vlogs.

“The reason is because my girlfriend, Signe, or Wiishu, broke up with me a week ago.”

He looked back at the camera. Visibly looking as if a weight has been lifted off his shoulders.

“Moving on from the bad news,” he said with a smile. “The friend that I have with this very moment. They are my new friend that I have met today while I’m in Austin, Texas. She made me a beautiful painting of me, Septiceye Sam and my ex-girlfriend. When I get back to Ireland, I’m going to hang it up in my recording area.”

Then he began to look dramatic.

“Now,” he said. Echoing as if he’s in a cave. “Presenting… My new friend… ROSE!” Then he yelled her name at the top of his lungs.

She came into the shot, laughing at the way he introduced her.

“Hey, guys!” She excitedly told his viewers; his friends. “My name is Rosalie Watson. I’m a very small YouTuber, but I’m working my way up through the ranks. I have two channels. One is my vlogging, ‘how to draw’ tutorials and time-lapse videos of a subject that someone wanted me to do. I do have drawing requests open every day on my Twitch account. My other channel is my gaming channel. I play video games every day. So you get two videos every day on two different channels.

“So I post a video on each channel every day. Even I had to plan some videos ahead.

“Not for my vlogging, of course. Don’t really need to do that.” She cutely giggled at that.

“Check out my vlog channel, Rosalie Watson, and my gaming channel, alwaysathorninmyside, for more details.”

She looked over to Seán to finish up this video. She planned to do his outro with him.

“That does it for this video,” Seán said, watching Rose follow along and repeat his words. He had the most joyful expression on his face. “If you liked it, PUNCH that like button in the face LIKE A BOSS! Aaand high fives all around. But, thank you guys and I will see all you dudes… IN THE NEXT VIDEOOO!”

“Later, guys,” Rose commented, holding up a peace sign to the camera in a fare well.

Seán ended the video, looking towards her.

She smiled, pulling her own phone out to record a similar video. Her phone was, also, an iPhone. But, hers was an iPhone 7.

“Hey, guys,” she greeted the camera with a smile. She made sure that Seán was out of camera shot. “As you guys might have known, my favorite YouTuber is jacksepticeye. If you haven’t been following my gaming channel, that is. And you guys, probably, know that I was on my way to Texas to go to the SXSW Gaming Awards. Last time I vlogged was yesterday, while I was on my way there.

“Well, I’m here now. I saw Seán in the lobby and hugged him.”

She got close to the camera to whisper, “he’s the best hugger I’ve ever hugged.” She laughed, smiling warmly at her audience.

“Anyways, I’m here with him now.”

Seán knelt down a bit to look into the camera. Since Rose was shorter than him by nine inches.

“Top a the mornin’ to ya laddies,” he greeted, smiling at her own audience. “My name is jacksepticeye.”

She giggled, lightly poking Seán. Then she turned back to her viewers.

“Seán and I are going to talk some more about gaming collaborations and, hopefully, do challenges together. Even streaming for charity events is an option.

“Ready?” She asked, turning to him. She wanted him to do part of his outro.

“Where do you want me to start?” He asked. Getting the idea that she wanted him to finish the video.

“Start from ‘thank you’,” she answered, giggling some more. She was ecstatic to do the outro with him on her channel this time.

He turned to the camera, rolling his eyes. Then he began.

“Thank you guys sooo much for watching this video and Rose will see all you dudes… IN THE NEXT VIDEOOO!”

“Peace out, guys,” she said, laughing when Seán changed it up.

Then she ended the video, going to upload the said video, uncut, on her YouTube app.

He was doing the same thing as her. He looked up both her channels and linked them at the bottom of his video as well as all his other social media.

Once he was finished uploading his video, he went to her gaming channel to watch her latest video. Which was the Sims 4 game.

“What’s new, guys?” She asked her audience with an angelic smile. “I’m playing, if you haven’t guess, the Sims 4! As you guys know, it’s my favorite game of all time. I love playing it.

“Today, I am going to flirt with Seán McLoughlin. And then fool around as well.

“With that said, let’s get started.” She, in the video, had the biggest smile.

Rose heard her own voice on the camera and blushed. She was embarrassed that he chose that specific video.

“Y-you don’t need t-to see that video,” she told him. In hopes that he would stop watching it.

He looks at her slightly red face. Then chuckled.

“Nonsense,” he responded. “If it has to do with me, then I deserve to see it.”

She blushed even darker and walked away. Mainly so that she didn’t have to hear her voice again. And watch him view her most embarrassing video. After all, it comes off that she is a complete stalker and she didn’t want that. She wanted to become Seán’s friend. She didn’t want him to think that she’s some psycho stalker of his. Even though she really isn’t.

--------------

“I hope to see you guys in the next video,” Rose said her small little outro. She smiled sweetly and waved good bye as the screen faded to black.

“You must really have a crush on me,” Seán said with a playful smirk. He turned to her and finished uploading his extra video of the day.

“U-uh huh,” she commented, turning even darker. She had did her best to tune her own voice out from the video and just do her own thing. Even though she had nothing to do.

“Mister jacksepticeye,” someone said from the other side of the door. “You need to get ready for the awards in a half-hour.”

“T’ank you,” Seán said to the employee on the other side. “I’ll be right out.”

“I guess I have to get going,” she softly said. Her eyes said that she didn’t want to leave and that she wanted to spend some more time with him. However, she knew that this would be ending soon anyways. “Hopefully, I’ll see you after the award ceremony.”

She turned to leave the room.

“Wait a minute,” he said with a smile. “Stay here and I’ll get changed quickly. Then we can exchange numbers as well as Discord accounts. We can even check out the entire convention while we’re here together.”

“L-like a date?” She asked, blushing a really dark red at the idea. She hoped that it would be a date.

“Sure,” he shyly commented. He felt as if he could be happy with her. As if they were meant for each other. Even though he just met her.

“Awesome,” she eagerly said, gently pushing him towards his bedroom. “Go get ready. I’ll be waiting here for you.” And it was a promise.

===============

Previously

Next {COMING SOON}

[saelwen]

The Bird Who Couldn’t Sing

Myth!Loki x Oc!Mute!Reader

Chapter 2

Masterlist

Summary: For centuries the folk of the north have been conquering and killing everything in lands beyond the vast sea, with the help of their Gods.  In which the girl’s village, named Emily, was a victim of these cruel acts. After being mistreated and bowing to the will of all, given as a consequence of all these cruel events, Emily was mute for a lifetime. But something changes your horrible life. The day her village is being invaded by Vikings, she caught the eye of a certain Nordic god, who was disguised as one of them. Since she was the only one who wasn’t screaming and begging for her life. Follow the journey of Emily as she discovers the world of the Norse Gods.

Warnings: Angst, mention of rape 

Words: 2k

The sound of metal clicking woke me up from my heavy slumber. Opening slowly my eyes, I saw Snákur opening the cage door, where he has put me in. “Good Morning, Kjære.” He had a cup and bowl with some kind of stew. The smell of warm food made my stomach growl back alive.

After all the devastation that they did to my village, the armor beasts took us to a very strange boat that was in the river near the town, ready to take us to their lands. It was all made in wood, with the sides full of shields that it had some strange symbols and colors. In the front of the boat was a huge dragon head, in his eyes were two big rubies, shining bright with the light of the moon. They put the women in iron cages, locking them there with nothing but a thin cloak to warm them up. The man with the beautiful red hair took me to a large room, there was a cage waiting for me. He locks me there all night, a while he ate and fuck some warrior women from their group in front of me. His piercing green eyes always on mine a while pounding the women into the straw mattress, a wicked smirk on his thin lips.

Pushing myself to the corner of the cold cage, I wrap my arms around my knees and look to him suspiciously. Studying closely all his movements.

“No need to be so tense, Kjære.” he said a while putting the food on the floor in front of me. I look down at the warm stew, seeing the steam leaving the bowl, spreading the lovely smell through the air. Do not eat it, Emily! It must be poisoned! The sound of my stomach growling broke through the air, making a soft blush form on my face.

“Go on! Eat.” he said, pushing the warm bowl towards me. Can't stand it anymore the hunger, I pick the bowl and started eating like there wasn’t a tomorrow. Pushing spoon after spoon into my mouth, some of the soup has dripped from my chin, making me look like an animal. I close my eyes as I started feeling the warm food filling my stomach, spreading a pleasant feeling through my body.

A warm touch made me shot my eyes open. Looking up, I saw Snákur smirking to me a while stroking gently my black hair. “Such delicate skin...soft hair...beautiful eyes... you are noble to walk among the Gods.” his voice was rich and deep, making a shiver run through my spine. His delicate hand moves from my hair to my cheek and then to my neck, rubbing gently my scars. I feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Pushing my back into the cold metal of the cage, I look away from his burning gaze. Something about him made my guts twist.

How his green eyes glow in the dark, like a cat hiding in the darkness waiting for his prey to show his vulnerable side. How his body radiates a peculiar aura, making the air in the room difficult to breathe. I even notice some of his hair glowing, looking like he had flames instead of hair.

“I know that you’re scared but I won’t hurt you...Hmm, maybe a little.” he said, his wicked smile returning to his lips. My body starts shivering from fear and anxiety. He grabs the chains on my wrists and pulls me out of the cage, dragging me out of his room.

As we walk outside, my eyes flew closed from the bright light of the sun. “Come on, little dove! I don’t have all day.” he pulls the chains harder, making me stumble on my feet. Looking around, I see that we had arrived on their land.

I must say that it was beautiful. The port was in a huge valley, surrounded by tall trees, that shake gently with the cold wind and the water was like a mirror, so gentle and calm. There was a trail that most lead to their village. The wails and screams from the young women sounded in the air along with the snarls and growl that the men gave them when one of the women slap or kick them.

Snákur mounted his steed and starts slowly trotting, with me follow them at a quick pace. A hiss escapes from my lips when I felt a small stick pierce my barefoot. Taking a deep breath, I look down at my bonded hands, seeing some blood dripping from them due to how tight were the chains around my wrists. What did I do to deserve such awful alive...

After walking for almost two hours with bloody feet and aching legs, we arrive at a huge town. I look around with wide eyes, shocked by the strange people and things in front of me. Some of the children and women stop what they were doing to just look to the new treasure that their men had brought with them.

The men stopped and open the cage that had the women from my village, and started to distribute them to the men of the village for their own pleasure.

My stomach twist when I saw some of them raping some of the young women right there in the dirt, with people cheering and laughing. The screams from the women made my heart break, tears were running down my face freely, seeing the cruel scene before me. Monsters!

Suddenly, a hard pull grabbed my attention. Looking up, I see Snákur smirking at me “You better keep up with me or else you'll end up like them.” nodding quickly, I pick up my pace, trying to keep up with his horse.

Looking around, seeing the wooden houses with strange roofs and with some oddly draws in them. There was some goat meat and they pelt hanging on the porch and also some old rugs and blankets.

The people here had strange hairstyles. The men had long hair and long beards, with braids and small jewelry to decorate them. The women also had very long hair that has at least three sets of braids. Their clothes were based on animals' pelt and pieces of iron or leather.

The warriors had some unusual war paint on their faces. It had various colors, Blue, red, white and black. They draw odd symbols that must be some tradition or something similar to this folk of the north.

Seeing the houses as I walked down the street, I notice that we were entering into the dense forest, following a small trail. Shouldn’t his house be in the town? Confused, I look up to Snákur and tug gently the chains, trying to get his attention.

He turns his head to the side, the smirk still on his lips “I don’t live there, Kjære. My house in the dense forest...You will like there.” He said with a giggle. Turning back, I gave one last look to the strange village. Well...at least I don’t have to see those men every single day.

I let out a sigh and continue my long walk to my new prison. In the distance, I could hear the cheers and screams from the poor women. Please, God! Safe those poor souls.

After four hours of walking, we finally arrived at his house. I was shocked when I see the huge wooden house on the top of a hill. It was almost like a small castle, the wood was all in dark brown almost black. There also were strange draws but these ones were different. There were tons of snakes delicate drawn on the dark wood, on the door, on the sides of the windows and in the columns. Strange...Why so many snakes?

He dismounts from his horse and pulls me inside the dark house. To my surprise, inside was warmly decorated.

The cold stone floor was covered with huge rugs and pelts. There was a fireplace in the middle of the living room, roaring with blazing flames. There some doors in the hallway beside me, it mostly leads to the bedrooms or kitchen.

He walks around the living room, putting his bag on the wooden chair and taking out some jewelry and gold from my village.

Tears escape from my eyes when I saw the necklace from my mother in his hands. It was a simple necklace but very beautiful. It was all in gold with a simple white pearl. My father was always with him and when I tried to touch, he slapped my cheek with such force that I fell to the floor. I heard my brothers saying that my father had given it to my mother on the day he asked her in marriage.

“Why the tears, little dove?” he asked with a mocking voice. He looks to the necklace in his large hands and then to me. A grin grew on his lips, he walked to me, putting his hand on my cheek, cupping softly. “No need to cry anymore, little dove! For I will protect what is mine...and you are mine.” his hand moves down a little. His long fingers stroking my scars with such tenderness, his emerald green eyes piercing into my blue ones, almost like he was gazing into my soul.

With the bright light of the flames, I could see better his face. His face was absolutely flawless, without a single imperfection except for the small scars that he had on his lips. It was like someone had sewn his lips.

I gulp when I feel both of his hands on my neck, knotting something behind it. When he was finished, he took a step back and grin proudly to me “There! Let that be a gift from me to you.” I look down and saw my mother necklace on my neck but with something new. In the pearl was a small symbol. It was shaped in S that was two snakes around each other. How did he do that? This wasn’t here before!

“As you have heard, the people in the town call me Snákur since I'm known for the love that I have for snakes.” he said a while sitting on his chair by the fireplace. My gaze follows his movements, seeing how graceful he walked. Something that the men from the strange village, hadn’t.

He rests his chin on his right hand, a smirk still on his lips. He lifts the other hand and snaps his fingers, making a loud noise in the room. I feel the weight of the chains vanish from my wrists. Looking down, I notice that they had disappeared.

Shocked by this, my head shot up, looking at him trying to look for answers in his mischief eyes.

“But you can call me Loki...or write in your case.”

Hey Guys!! New chapter here. So? what do you think so far of this story? I hope you like it and feel free to comment and tell me what you think!

Taglist is open! If you want to be tag click--- HERE

XOXO

Taglist: @crazyonesarethebest​ @gwendelerynan​ @llama2264​ @yes-captainstark​ @i-am-a-peanut-007​ @marvelfansworld​ @reddhead95​ 

[aurodontdoit]

Sabo X Reader: Chapter 2:

The next day, Y/n woke up to the sound of her mother putting more herbs in a jar, placing yet another medicine basket together. 

"Hmmm where did I put the- oh good morning, Y/n." She warmly greeted her. 

"Morning, mum. Whatcha doin'?" Y/n chirped happily. 

"Oh just putting another basket together for Dadan. She's been needing a lot of medicine as of late. I hope everything's okay." She stated concerned. 

Y/n felt a wave of panic wash over her. "What happened when I parted ways from Sabo and Ace? Did they get hurt? " She shook her head out of it and smiled. 

"Could you deliver this basket for me? I'd ask Rhi, but they're sick today." She asked softly. 

"Absolutely." She agreed with a determined smile. 

"You're a love!" She smiled while squeezing Y/n in a hug and kissing her temple. "thank you, so much sweetheart. If you could deliver the goods before noon, that would be awesome." She smiled. Y/n nodded once again before going into her room, and putting on a pair of blue shorts, and a simple tank top, she did her hair tied back into a ponytail as she slipped her sandals on and grabbed the basket before running out to Dadans hut. 

(_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-)

Once Y/n arrived, she knocked on the door of the hut.

Y/n could hear rustling and shouting from the other side before a tall woman with long curly red hair opened the door. 

"What do you- oh hello there what can I help you with?" She asked nicely. 

The smaller girl gulped "hello miss Dadan… My name is Y/n, and I'm Keely's daughter… I was asked to bring you some medicine." She spoke. 

Dadan smiled "thank you sweetheart, tell Keely I say hi, and-"

"Whoa! is that Y/n?" Sabo asked while smiling and peeking from behind Dadan. 

Ace smiled too "hey! Y/n good to see you! You look different!" 

"Yeah she's not wearing that frilly dress her aunt makes her wear." Sabo grinned. 

Y/n blushed at this and began to feel a little insecure. 

"Oh god does Sabo think I look weird like this? Wait, what? Why do I care?" 

"She doesn't need to be bothered by you right now, little brats." Dadan barked. 

"Please do come in. Your mom has told me much about you and Rhi. It's been a while, I haven't seen her since our glory days as the mountain bandits. I guess marrying and settling down does that, huh?." She spoke sweetly to me. 

Y/n nodded, not questioning it before stepping in, and handing her the basket. 

Upon stepping inside, she saw a third boy sitting at a table, eating copious amounts of meat. 

"Oh ghhj mmvhjmmbhj!" He spoke with his mouth full. 

"Luffy! Don't talk with your mouth full!" Dadan scolded. 

Luffy swallowed his food and smiled "shishishi my bad! Hi there! I'm Monkey D. Luffy!" He smiled. 

Upon seeing the small child Y/n smiled happily 

"Hello there you precious angel bean, I will now die for you!"  

"nice to meet you, Luffy. My name is Y/n." She introduced politely with a sweet smile.

"So Y/n.. your mom tells me you're a healer and herbalist intraining is that true?" Dadan asked. 

"I sure am. I'm hoping to become a medic someday." She smiled proudly. 

Dadan chuckled "big dreams. Keep at it, kiddo. So how old are you now?" She asked. 

"I'm 12. Gonna be 13 soon." She stated before hearing the boys practically spit out their drinks. 

"You're 12!?!" Ace and Sabo stated in unison. 

"Whoa you're practically an adult." Luffy blinked. 

"Wait does that mean you're super strong like my brothers?!" Luffy asked excitedly. 

"Well-" Y/n started only to be cut off by Ace

"Hardly! She needed our help yesterday!" Ace scoffed. 

"Ease up on her Ace. They had knives, she was unarmed." Sabo justified. 

"Sabo you're a freaking saint!" 

"So? We've beaten bigger men with bigger swords! Being so weak where you need help from two 10 year olds? Pathetic!" Ace shook his head. 

"Oh you're that motherfucker." 

Before Y/n could say anything, Dadan thumped Ace across the head "be nice!" 

"Ow why the hell should I be nice?!?" 

"Because she brought medicine for you guys since you three little Fuckheads always come back injured!" 

Sabo blinked before looking at Y/n "you brought this for us?" 

Y/n blushed softly before gulping and holding the basket to him "y-yes… p-please accept this as a token of my gratitude for saving me!" She stammered nervously, holding the basket out while bowing slightly to hide her rosy cheeks. 

Sabo blinked and blushed before smiling and accepting the basket "thanks, Y/n! That's really kind of you." He chuckled. 

She looked up and blushed before smiling. 

Ace watched in annoyance "geez it's like watching a love confession." He groaned while his pinky was knuckle deep up his nose, digging for gold.

"So Y/n, would you like to stay for dinner? I invited your family too for a get together since it's been a while." Dadan asked. 

She smiled up at the lady "is that really okay? I don't wanna impose or nothin'" 

Dadan smiled softly "absolutely! You're such a sweet kid!" She then pulled the smaller girl into a bone crushing hug. 

She laughed while being hugged tightly. "Okay!" 

"Yay!!! New Nakama!!!" Luffy cheered. 

"Yeah…. Whoohoo…. " Ace groaned. 

"So in order for dinner to happen, you guys need to hunt. Got it?" 

Ace, Sabo, and Luffy smiled and nodded. 

"We're on it!" the trio cheered in unison.

"Take Y/n with you, too." Dadan requested. 

Ace sighed and frowned. 

Luffy smiled happily while cheering and proceeded to latch himself onto me. 

"What are you doing, little Monkey?" I giggled.

"Piggyback ride!" He smiled. 

"Alright but I gotta warn you… I go pretty fast!" She then proceeded to quickly Sprint outside as Luffy laughed. "WHOOOOHOOO!" he cheered. 

"You gotta admit, it's kinda nice how she brought us medicine and is getting along with Luffy." Sabo smiled with a dreamy look in his eyes. 

"Yeah I know. She's awesome." Ace stated. 

"Then why are you annoyed?" Sabo asked. 

"Because since you met her yesterday, you've been acting like a lovesick boob!" Ace defended. 

"I have not!" Sabo defended and blushed

"Oh yeah?" Ace challenged before proceeding to imitate Sabo in a mocking fashion. 

"She was so cool! Her hair was so pretty! I feel weird when she smiles! I hope I see her again! Ohhh Y/n, marry me~" Ace mocked. 

Sabo frowned while blushing "okay dude! Not cool! I never said marry me!" 

"You might as well have said that, with how obsessively you've been talking about her! And I bet you're just so excited to show off your manly hunting skills!" Ace retorted with a smirk. 

Sabo rolled his eyes "whatever bro, let's just go catch up before they get lost or worse." 

Ace nodded and shrugged while smirking "you're right… oh wait do you hear that?" Ace asked before stopping in his tracks. 

"What?" Sabo questioned also proceeding to halt his stroll.  

"Y/n and Sabo sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g!" Ace sang teasingly before Sabo began stomping off. 

"What? I'm just messing with you! Isn't she like the first girl you like?" 

"Yeah and what about it?" 

"....how's it feel to have the hots for an older woman?" Ace smirked. 

Sabos' eye twitched 

"How's it feel to have no teeth?" the blonde sneered

"I dunno." Ace shrugged

"Keep talking and you'll find out, brother dearest." Sabo sneered. 

"Whoa! Easy killer! I was just playing." Ace raised his arms defensively. 

"I'm sorry… I just.. I dunno.." Sabo sighed. 

"It's fine, bro. I know you like her, and that's fine. I mean dude, you practically begged me to help you save her from those goons." He smiled. 

"I know those guys… their parents allow them to run around hurting people… I couldn't let her get-" 

"Hey guys, everything okay?" 

"Ack! Y/n, how long have you been standing there?!?" Sabo practically shrieked with shock. 

She blinked at his odd behavior before giggling "not too long. Why? Did ya' miss me?" She asked with a slight teasing tone and a smirk. 

Sabo blushed harder before stepping back "uhh n-no, I mean yes- wait why are you teasing me, and where's Luffy?" He changed the subject. 

Real smooth, Sabo.

"Here I am!" Luffy cheered before tackling Sabo with a hug. Sabo caught him. "Sabo! Y/n's amazing! She found a bunch of herbs we can use for dinner! Plus, she's super fast too!" Luffy grinned. 

I smiled and held up the herbs with a grin. "So about the hunt… what do you guys normally look for?" I ask. 

"Usually whatever is around, not really anything-" 

"We ate a huge boar once!" Luffy interrupted Ace. 

Her eyes widened "whoa! Really? That's so cool!" I smiled. 

"Shishishi! Ace and Sabo helped me kill it. They're super strong, and brave! I'm gonna be just like them when I'm 10!" Luffy smiled 

"I'm sure they are, they gotta protect such a sweet little brother. I'm sure you'll be just as strong as them." Y/n smiled. 

Ace groaned "oh brother give me a break…" 

"Sabo beat up this big tiger that attacked me!" Luffy bragged again. 

"Oh wow! That's so cool." I smiled. 

Sabo blushed. "Luffy what are you-" 

"He also took care of me when I got hurt! He shares food with me too. He's really strong and nice!" Luffy continued. 

I giggled at his eagerness to boast about his amazing brothers. 

"Well, I don't know them very well, but I can say this. They are by far the kindest boys I've met…" Y/n smiled warmly at them. 

"Aww what about me?" Luffy whined. 

"What do you mean what about you? You're first on that list, silly!" I giggled and hugged him. 

Sabo watched as Luffy hugged Y/n It was like watching a big sister hugging her precious little brother. 

[artificialqueens]

Under Her Eye - Chapter 6: Shatter (Branjie) - Gab

a/n: Sorry for the delay! I decided to split this chapter into two thus a shorter update. Uni has been an absolute whirlwind and I’ve been adjusting to the workload, but I think I’ve gotten into the groove of writing a little bit every day. @artificialmeggie is a wonderful beta and overall human being as usual and I HIGHLY suggest giving her all the love. As always, you can find me @gabby-writes! I’m also writing a much lighter, much less angsty Chicago au if that’s your jush. With that being said, enjoy!

Chapter 6: Shatter

Word count: 1852

Vanessa didn’t know how long they stayed there, their figures illuminated by the stage lights. It could’ve been anywhere between two minutes and two hours—she hasn’t seen a clock in so long that it barely mattered.

All she could feel, see, think was Brooke.

How she moved on the stage as though she had never stopped dancing. How she had hugged her so warmly. How her lips tasted like tea and honey.

How she just made sense.

How they made sense together, even though they shouldn’t.

They broke apart after a couple of attempts, prying their lips away as one would split a magnet. Though it was still dark outside, the pitch black of the night sky had begun turning a deep blue, as though the sky was warning them of their fading hours.

Vanessa’s smile matched Brooke’s perfectly as they made their way back to the house, tracing their fingers over their lips when they thought the other wasn’t looking, deep blushes concealed in the shadows.

Their hands were linked the whole way, daring the world to break them apart.

The block was quiet as they darted across the streets, both women charged with electricity and adrenaline and possibility.

They did it.

Escaped, even if it was just for a moment.

They could do it again.

They entered the house like giggling school girls that just cut class, smiles impossible to remove from their faces. The house was silent as ever as they returned their coats and sat by Vanessa’s bed.

The room felt different now, more temporary. As though they wouldn’t have to be there for much longer.

“You kissed me.” It was strange to Vanessa. Two people in their situation, sharing a moment so pure and happy. She should be conflicted, confused even, about where she stood in Brooke’s life, but her mind and eyes kept drifting back to Brooke’s lips and she let the light feeling in her chest take over her thoughts.

“Yes,” Brooke answered softy. They were on Vanessa bed, legs winding together in order to fit. Neither seemed to mind as the dawn came in through the window.

Maybe they were pushing it, letting the sun catch them like this, holding each other close in the daylight. The thought had crossed their minds surely as the room grew brighter, but Brooke’s lips were on Vanessa’s again and maybe it didn’t matter.

The haze of the late morning set in as Vanessa woke, not even realizing she had fallen asleep, soft touches of lips on skin being the last memory she could conjure in her mind. She stretched out her limbs, finding herself alone in her room.

They weren’t so bold as to stay together all night, perhaps not yet. That didn’t prevent the pang of disappointment from hitting her chest.

She sat up, recharged despite the few hours of sleep. There was no way she could let this go now, no way she could allow herself—allow them both—to stay here, to act as if they could stand Gilead for one more second.

The ceremony would be the next day.

We have to leave,

Tonight.

Vanessa felt a surge of fire through her body, something she hadn’t felt since she had led riots on the streets, since the night she was taken. A boldness she’d lost over the last few months, renewed overnight.

All because of her.

And maybe she wore it too proudly, a skip in her step as she made her way down to the kitchen, following the smell of the maple syrup over warm pancakes, just as Nina promised.

Brooke was already there, smiling warmly at Vanessa, her fork halfway towards her mouth.

“Morning, dear,” Nina called out cheerfully, flipping the last of the pancakes on her pan and placing it on an empty plate.

“You do too much Nina,” Vanessa said fondly as she gratefully accepted the plate and doused it in maple syrup, making Brooke giggle beside her.

“Commander left real early this morning,” Brooke provided, somewhat explaining the cheerful mood Nina was in.

“Hey, I promised pancakes, didn’t I?”

They laughed, ate pancakes, lazed around like a group of friends after a sleepover. In the early afternoon light they washed up together, as though they could’ve lived like this in another life.

Brooke must’ve thanked Nina a thousand times, held her hands, kissed her cheeks, drunk on happiness she hadn’t felt in months. They stayed like that for the rest of the day, only interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell.

“I haven’t seen you so happy.” Nina squeezed Brooke’s hands before releasing one to cup Vanessa’s cheek. The younger woman leaned into it, a happy sigh escaping her lips. “And maybe… Maybe you’ll leave someday, yeah?” Nina’s voice dropped to a whisper as she said this, a hopeful tone to her voice.

The door bell sounded once again.

“Maybe we all will.” With one final squeeze of her hand, Nina went to answer it. Once Nina had left, Vanessa turned to Brooke, a new fire in her eye replacing the sated, dazed look she had on all day.

“We should.”

Brooke looked at her for a moment, not fully grasping the words.

“Should what?”

“Leave. We should leave. Tonight.”

“‘Nessa—” The endearment slipped through Brooke’s lips before she had a chance to think. It was so much, the words hit her like a jolt of electricity cutting through the slow morning happiness that had settled into Brooke’s stomach. Still, she found herself agreeing to every word, and her mind spun at the dizzying possibility of freedom.

“I know it’s a lot, and I can’t risk—I can’t ask—I know you’re safe here. But you need to be out there. And I need to be out there with you.” She paused for a moment, allowing Brooke to absorb each word before delivering the final blow. “I can’t do another ceremony, Brooke.”

Guilt clouded Brooke’s vision and Vanessa winced as she said it, but then the blonde nodded, taking Vanessa’s hands into her own. She had a look of understanding in her eyes, and maybe they could do it.

Maybe this was it.

A sound from the front door caused Brooke to look up.

It was Nina.

“Please, what are you—”

The sound of a body being pushed over.

A door slamming into the wall.

An angry cry from the living area that sent chills down Vanessa’s back.

It was too late to run, to hide, to do anything other than watch as two figures in black rushed into the kitchen.

—

It happened so fast.

One moment Brooke’s hands were warm in hers, possibility and excitement coursing between them, then Vanessa was being dragged away—by her hair, by her elbow—and Brooke felt all the warmth Vanessa had imparted to her drain into a cold chill. Her feet followed automatically, unable to say a word, unable to stop her lungs from freezing in her chest as she watched Vanessa shake, shout, plead.

The two figures dragged Vanessa out the door, slamming her into the concrete.

There was blood on her face, on her hands, and she was shouting at them.

Still fighting.

But Brooke was silent.

All the screams she wanted to let out were dry in her throat as she watched a small crowd forming in front of their household, watching the scene unfold as if it were some kind of pantomime.

As she watched her worst fears materialize in the form of Vanessa’s body being thrown into the ground each time she moved to get up.

As she watched the men in black pull out firearms and aim them at Vanessa’s head.

Brooke had never felt fear like this before.

“Stop.”

Brooke’s hand came up to her mouth in surprise, not knowing how in the world she was capable of speaking.

But it wasn’t her voice, and the men were facing away, looking at a man standing in the street.

George.

The commander had walked up to the scene, glancing at Vanessa for a moment before tilting his head towards the van, a signal for the men in black to drag her inside, shutting the door with a deafening slam.

His eyes were cold, focused, deadly,

And trained directly at Brooke.

Something in her had snapped—all quiet, logical thought completely gone from her mind as she moved on instinct, grasping at every sensory input her mind could comprehend.

Vanessa isn’t dead.

Vanessa isn’t dead yet.

The van is leaving.

Where are they taking her?

Should I go with them?

George is here.

George stopped them from killing her.

George is looking at me.

George is coming towards me.

Will he kill me?

He’s in front of me.

He—

A sharp pull on her shoulder caused her to gasp in pain, and she was being dragged backwards into her house, unnoticed by the crowd outside.

Nina is on the floor.

Is she bleeding?

She’s not moving.

The same two men in black had followed them inside, locking the door behind them. Brooke’s shoulder stung as the grip on it tightened and a sudden, sharp pain in her back caused her to cry out.

Fuck, what is that?

She fell over as soon she was released, the sudden rush of blood searing through her body, a cattle prod pointed at her from behind.

“Get up, Brooke.”

George’s voice was severe as he stood over her. Her eyes darted around, recognizing the bare surroundings of her sitting room, the curtains drawn. When she finally propped herself up on her shaking arms, she saw something burning—furious—in his eyes.

Brooke had never seen that before.

“What—” Her mouth was dry, cold. She wrapped her arms around herself as if it would stop her from trembling. Whether it was caused by the cold, fear, or anger, she couldn’t tell.

“I ask for one fucking thing, and that’s for you to behave like your father told you to.” Each word hit her face as if he had spit on it. “Look what you’ve done.”

“What I’ve done? You called the guardians on us, in your own fucking home!” Brooke lashed out, shocked at the volume of her voice before her outburst was rewarded with a hard slap to her face from the guardian to her side.

“You could’ve cost us everything, my job, my life.” “Hang me then.” Brooke’s voice was filled with spite, her anger working faster than her thoughts as each word spilled from her mouth.

He smiled, a smug look in his eye.

“I’ve got a better idea.” He made a move to leave the room, allowing the guardians to knock her down one more time before they locked the door behind her.

Brooke’s mind had gone quiet again, barely registering her surroundings, solely focused on a single word.

Vanessa.

She didn’t notice when the sun began to go down.

Vanessa.

She didn’t notice the faint click of the door behind her.

Vanessa. She didn’t notice the sudden darkness that surrounded her.

Vanessa.

She didn’t notice the needle pricking into her skin until suddenly she couldn’t hear the voice in her head saying the one name that mattered most.

[r3b3lgrrrrrrrl]

A LunaTic and her Gunn (Part 65)

"Beers, Cheers & Unexpected Tears"

@creatureofthen1ght-v3

@lovemythsworld

@crystalbaby12

The After Party is raging. The music is loud as shots are flowing. Everyone is laughing and congratulating each other.

Luna and Ashley are changing to join them when Luna notices a singular text amongst dozens. It's from an unknown number.

"Seen U 2nite little one 😛"

"This motherfucker and his burner phones." She thinks, deciding not to delete it this time in case Colson asks. She blocks the new number again and pockets her phone. Luna has a boyfriend to enjoy.

--------------------------------------------------

As soon as he sees her, Colson pulls Luna close. "I'm so fucking proud of you, Kitten. The way you and Ash changed it up was beautiful." He places his hands on the back of her head and back. Kissing her deeply. Any thoughts of Tommy disappearing.

"Thanks for including Case. She had a ball." He tells her, while still holding her.

Luna looks around to spot the little girl, goofing off with Benny and Slim. She smiles as she looks back up at him. "Of course! It wouldn't have been the same without her. Did you see what she drew?" She asks him.

"Yeah, I told you she was hella smart." He answers proudly.

"She must get it from Em." Luna teases him.

"Shut up." He laughs, kissing her again.

"Remind me to grab it before we leave, please. I wanna frame it for her."

"She's so fucking amazing." Colson thinks holding onto her as she rests in his arms.

They're interrupted by Rook. "This is for you." He tells Luna handing her a shot.

Laughing, she easily swallows it whole.

"Where's mine?" Colson complains.

"Bring your asses on then, bitches." Rook jokes.

Luna kisses Colson once more before they follow behind Rook. Luna's grandmother grabs her hand, pulling her back as Colson proceeds on.

"Oh, Luna, you and Ashley were WONDERFUL!! I love how you stripped it down. I feel like it made your message clearer to some who may not have gotten it originally." Patti praises her.

"Thanks Mom-Mom. I didn't think of it that way." She admits before asking her if she'd like another drink.

"I would!!" Joni interrupts them, laughing as she shakes her empty glass. She grabs Luna for a tight hug, making sharp pain shoot through Luna's already pounding shoulder. Pulling back from her, Joni says "You did so great, Luna Bug! I'm so proud of you." before squeezing her tight again.

Luna grins at the old nickname, hugging Joni back and thanking her. Taking the woman's glass, she says "I'll grab you a refill. 7&7?" She asks, to Joni's nod. She already knew. "Mom-Mom?" She asks before heading to the bar.

"I'm okay for the moment, Loons. Thank you though." Pattie says  before Luna makes her way off.

--------------------------------------------

Before hitting the bar, Luna stops into the bathroom. Working quickly she crushes up a few percs to bang them. Her shoulder is killing her and she knows between the happiness and hugs, it's only gonna get worse.

-------------------------------------------

"SHOTS!!!!!" Pete hollers, gathering everyone around, as Luna slips back in. "To a great show, great performance and most of all GREAT family!!!!

"CHEERS!!" They all shout as the raise their glasses. Slamming them in celebration.

--------------------------------------------

Everyone is having a good time, mixing with each other. Music and laughter floating through the room. Pete is busting it up with Kate, Colson and Rook. Benny, Baze and Slim are getting more drinks, mixing with the cast and crew. Dom and Ashley talk to Patti and Joni.

--------------------------------------------

"You girls were extraordinary!!" Patti raves at Ashley, after hugging her and Dom warmly. She had met Dom during Christmas, Ashley bringing him to Christmas Eve dinner.

"Thank you so much, Mom-Mom. You know your opinion means the world to me." Ashley beams. She has a great relationship with Luna's grandmother.

They continue talking about upcoming Nightmare performances, life and the album Ashley's working on. Patti watching adoringly as Dom gushes over his girlfriend. Delighted her girls have finally found men who seem to be deserving of them.

Luna drops off Joni's drink without interrupting the conversation. Looking around the same room, she finds Casie sitting and talking with Ashleigh. "Hey Dilla!!" She calls to her with a smile.

Casie looks up, grinning at Luna. She walks over to them and squats down as the little girl jumps into her arms full force. Both Ashleigh and Luna laugh.

"Yup. Percocets." Luna thinks, still feeling a slight throb. Yet, it's much better then it was.

"That was so much fun!" Casie exclaims. Kissing Luna on the cheek and squeezing her tight.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, Dilla!!" Luna beams at her, giving her another hug. "Do you have your picture? I wanna save it for you."

"Really!! THANK YOU!!" Casie dives into her again. "I'm gonna go get it!!" The little girl shouts over her shoulder as she runs off.

Colson is watching Luna and Casie. Feeling buzzed, plus overly happy and grateful for his girls, he prepares himself. "Here goes..." He thinks walking over to Pattie.

Luna is still sitting with Ashleigh. "You guys were great!!! It was really cool for you to involve Casie." She says as she smiles at Luna.

"Thanks." Luna smiles back. "I thought it was important, since she was in the video and everything, you know?"

Ashleigh nods. She likes Luna, always has. As she watches her with Colson and Casie, getting to know her better, she likes her even more.

"I'm just glad Emma thought it was just as cool..." Luna continues.

"You guys get along well, don't you?" Ashleigh asks her.

"Oh yeah, Em's fantas...." She's interrupted by a jumping Casie.

"Here it is!!!" She proudly displays her art to Luna and Ashleigh.

Luna takes it from her, saying "I'm gonna put it in my dressing room to keep it safe." as she stands up.

"Okay!!" Casie says, trusting Luna completely. "C'mon Ash!!! I wanna show you something cool!" She tells her, pulling her out of her seat.

"Byeeee..." Both women grin at each other.

As Luna heads to her dressing room, Colson walks over to Pattie and Joni. Ashley and Dom are now over with Pete and Kate. Approaching them, Colson has butterflies in his stomach.

"Fuck.... Fuck.... Fuck.... Get it together Kells." He tries to calm himself down. He's been thinking about this for the last few days. Not knowing when he'll see Pattie again, he tells himself to "Shoot your shot."

"Hello ladies." Colson greets Patti and Joni with his boyish grin.

"How are you, Dear?" Patti asks him with a hug. He hugs Joni also as they praise the performance.

Colson blushes while thanking them but stating humbly that it was all Luna and Ashley.

This makes Patti smile. She likes Colson. Respecting him as a man, parent and an artist. Appreciating how he cares and interacts with her granddaughter and absolutely adoring Casie.

"Do mind if I speak with you for a moment, Patti?" He asks her. There's a slight tremble to his voice.

Taking her cue, Joni heads off to mingle with the other young boys.

"Is everything ok, Colson?" The older woman asks him delicately.

Cheeks flushed, he looks away as he begins to rub his hand on the back of his head. "Yes ma'am." He answers, looking back at her.

"Spit it out, Honey." Patti encourages him.

"Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Oh fuck." His mind races.

Looking around, he asks if she'd like to sit. She tells him No. That what she would like is for him to talk to her. Patti listens and watches him intensely as he begins to speak.

Her directness reminds him of Luna. "The apple doesn't fall far from that tree." The thought slipping into his mind.

"I uh, I.." Colson stutters. Closing his eyes, he musters up the same courage he found the night he met Luna.

"I love your granddaughter, Patti. I love everything about her. Her strongwill, her kindness, how she loves Casie and Casie loves her. The two of them mean everything in the world to me." He's rambling. "I know it's been a short time and you may think I'm crazy but I don't know what I would do without her. She makes me a better man and even though she doesn't need it, I have this insane urge to protect her." He sighs, looking down at the ground then back up at Patti. "I know it's Luna's choice and being who she is, I don't even know if she'll say yes or when I'll ask but...." He trails off as he inhales deeply. "I'd like to marry her one day and it's important to me how you feel about it."

Colson is nervously waiting for Patti's response. A soft smile spreads over her face. In the seven years Luna had dated and lived with Justin, he had never approached Patti in this capacity.

"When's her birthday?" She asks him. Deciding to have a bit of fun with first.

"July 16,1992." He answers without hesitating.

"What's her biggest fear?" The first was clearly too easy.

"Fame and deep sea diving." Colson states, postive of his answer. This impresses her grandmother.

"Luna's middle name?" Patti knows she hates it and tells very few.

Colson grins, feeling confident. "Adelaide."

Patti decides to dig deeper. "If she asked, would you sign a pre-nup?" Thinking of Luna's inheritance and the rights to both her and Robert's catalogs.

"No doubt." He nods his head, the thought never popping into his mind.

Patti has one last question. "What if she doesn't want to have kids? Would you be okay with that?" This one is very important.

Colson's eyes soften. "Then that's okay. We've talked about her not knowing if she wants to or not. I want you to know, I don't love your granddaughter for what she can or can't give me. I love her for who she is. All parts of her. The independence, the stubborness, the unpredictableness. All of it. Besides, we have Casie." He shrugs lightly.

Patti takes his hand and squeezes it. "She's lucky to have found you. You'll make a great partner. Whether she let's you marry her or not." She tells him kindly.

It takes a minute for it to register with Colson. Once it does, he asks Patti excitedly "Does this means what I think it means!??" Blue eyes bright.

Patti nods as Colson lifts her up for a tight hug. She's laughing when he puts her down.

"Thank you! Thank you!" He says taking both her hands before hugging her again and kissing her cheek. Promising her she has nothing to worry about. That he'll never waver from Luna's side. Married or not.

"Go get her, Kiddo." She tells him with a wink. He kisses her cheek again before asking if she needs anything.

"Go have fun." She tells him with a pleased smile. He thanks her again sincerely before going to check on. Casie.

"What was that?" Joni asks moseying over to her bestfriend.

"He just asked for my granddaughter's hand in marriage." Patti tells her with a pleased look with a mix of amusement.

"I guess chivalry isn't dead." Joni muses, spipping her cocktail, watching the next generation with hope.

Coming back from her dressing room, Luna heads over to Pete, Kate, Ashley and Dom. She doesn't see Colson walking over to them. Casie is now with her grandmother and Joni. Ashleigh is talking with Kenan as The Boys still mixing with the cast and crew.

"Yo! Tonight was epic!" Pete says. Raising his glass, he toasts "To the baddest bitches I know, changing the world one song at a time!" The five of them laugh through their "CHEERS!!"

"I'm always fucking missing out on drinks tonight!" Colson complains with a laugh as he slides his arm around Luna's waist.

"Poor Bunny." Luna leans up, barely reaching his cheek to kiss it. He gives her a boost by the ass. She then turns and grabs him a fresh Rolling Rock off the bar.

"A1, Day 1!" He laughs again while bending down to kiss her.

"So how long have you guys been together?" Kate asks Luna.

"Almost 10yrs in their minds!" Pete teases them to Luna's smirking, rolled eyes and everyone else's laughter.

"No, for real, a little over a month?" Colson answers, looking at Luna to double check.

She shrugs, "Yeah, about a that." She agrees, touching the padlock around her neck.

"Wow, you guys are really in sync with each other." Kate admires.

Luna and Colson exchange that One Look before a quick kiss. "I'm gonna check on Case, come on Pete." He coaxes his friend. Dom had already wondered off towards The Boys.

Ashley, Kate and Luna continue to talk. The bestfriends asking how Kate and Pete met. It wa by random, at a coffee shop in MidTown. Kate asks about Yellowhammer.com and their activism in AL. The girls explaining their work with the ACLU and Planned Parenthood. Kate's quit impressed. She loves how outspoken, motivated and fearless they are as young women. They continue to laugh as they get to know each other better. Ashley deciding she likes Kate. Luna already coming to the same conclusion. Kate's smart and funny. She's also really sweet and mature. Not some little kid who's going to play with their friend's heart.

"Oh, Petey!!!" It's so good to see you, Lovey!!" Patti hugs Pete as he squeezes her back tight.

"Glad you could make it, Pat!" He says with a huge smile as he leans to greet and kiss Joni too.

"How's your mother?" Pat asks him. He responds with a 'GREAT' before Pat tells him to have her call so they can have lunch soon.  Complaining how she feels like it's been ages since she's seen her friend. He agrees happily.

"Tell me about this lovely woman you have with you..." Patti changes the subject

Colson laughs as Pete turns as red as a tomato. He's saved by Casie.

"Dad can I stay the night with Ms. Patti and Ms. Joni? We're gonna have a sleep over...." She asks excitedly, looking up at the nodding women beaming down at her.

"Uh... Let's ask Luna." He tells her before calling out "BROOKLYYYN!!" into the crowded room.

His voice makes Luna smile as she turns to find him. He's with Pete, Casie, Joni and her Mom-Mom. Him and Pete are waving her and Kate over.

"Looks like girlfriend duties call!" Ashley laughs. She goes to find Dom as the other women walk over to where they're being summoned.

"Hello, how are you this evening?" Patti asks of Kate with an inviting. Before she can answer, Casie interrupts them.

"Can I spend the night, Looney!? Can I spend the night???" She's jumping up and down.

"Where at, Dilla?" She looks at Colson confused.

"Ms. Patti's. We're gonna have a slumber party with Ms. Joni!!" She explains as she's about to burst.

Colson shrugs and Patti nods when Luna looks at them. "You don't have any clothes...."

"Clothes, smlothes." Her grandmother tells her. "She can sleep in one of my old band Ts. You guys come by tomorrow with fresh clothes and we'll all go out to brunch before you leave again." Patti has it all planned out.

Luna laughs in agreeance, knowing her Mom-Mom had an ulterior motive.

"It's settled then. Why don't you collect your things and say your goodbyes while I talk to Petey." The old woman tells the little girl.

"Petey?" Casie smirks with a laugh. Skipping away she sings

🎶Petey, Petey such a little sweetie🎶

The adults laugh as Luna and Colson follow behind her. Pete going on to finish introducing Kate to Patti and Joni.

"It's an honor." Kate states in awe of the musical legends.

"Ooohhh... I like her." Joni says as they all laugh.

They enjoy polite conversation, Joni recognizing Kate from Pearl Harbor, asking what it was like to work with a young Ben Affleck. Kate laughs sliding her hand into Pete's, saying that they're good friends

Meeting up with Benny, Rook, Ashley, Dom, Slim, Ashleigh and Baze across the room, Casie tells them about her epic night plans as she kisses and hugs them all goodbye. Benny offering to walk Casie, Patti and Joni out to Luna's gratitude.

Heading back to her grandmother, Luna introduces Patti to Benny. "He's gonna walk you guys out. And I don't wanna hear it, Mom-Mom. It's late and you'll have Case with you." Knowing her grandmother's protests of independence.

Listening to her granddaughter, Patti thanks Benny for being a gentleman. Luna kisses and hugs her grandmother and aunt as Colson squeezes Casie goodbye.

They switch off. Colson hugging Patti while whispering 'Thank You' in the old rebel's ear before taking Joni's hand, thanking her for coming and kissing her lightly on the cheek. The two women are smitten by the charismatic young man.

Luna squeezes Casie, telling her to have fun and that she loves her. The little girl grins, saying she will and that she loves Luna too as she squeezes her tight again.

Standing up, Casie turns to Benny, imitating her father "WE OUT!!" she shouts. Erupting the adults into laughter again.

Luna grabs her grandmother's hand, telling her she loves her and to call if she has a problem. Patti squeezes her hand back, reassuring the young woman that they'll be fine. Admiring this new look on Luna.

As they leave, Colson leads Luna over to everyone else by the small of her back. "WE READY TO FUCKING PARTY!!! He shouts as the room erupts.

More drinks are ordered, music bumps and the laughter is contagious. Congratulations still making their rounds.

"Yo! You guys were fire!!" Slim compliments Ashley and Luna.

"Yeah, the way you guys stripped that shit down and then had us come in hard was fucking GENIUS!!" Baze agrees.

Luna and Ashley look at each other beaming.

"We couldn't done any of it without you guys. Seriously, all off you. From playing on it to producing it. This OUR baby, so THANK YOU GUYS!!" Luna lifts her glass. "To family!"

"TO FAMILY!!" They all cheers.

"I have to say, great song, phenomenal performance from you all, BUT, Case stole the show." Ashleigh laughs.

"That girl is smart as a whip!" Benny agrees. "You got your hands full Kells!" He laughs.

"FACTS!!" Rook chimes in, nudging Luna. "You ready for a crazy pre-teen because she's coming our way soon."

Colson overhears them. "That motherfucker better not scare her away." Thinking how he jumped the Patti hurdle, he doesn't need an imaginary one blocking his way to Luna.

"Enh, she's a great kid." Looking at their group, she laughs, "There's not much here for her to rebel against." Rook laughs with her as Luna shrugs and continues "Plus, both Colson and I were bad ass kids. Whatever she may slide passed Emma, she's deff not getting through the two of us."

She looks over and winks at Colson who's staring at her.

"FUCK I LOVE HER." Is all he can think.

Dancing, laughing and drinking, the night carries on. Shots be downed together all over the room.

"To the two chicks I know with balls bigger than most dudes. NOT MINE THO!!" A drunken Slim laughs loudly, cheersing The Girls. Slamming another round with Luna, Ashley and Benny.

Glancing over her shoulder, Luna sees devious Colson and Pete standing in the doorway.

She walks up to them. Before she can all what they're up to, they attack her. Trapping her tiny body between they're two tall, lanky ones.

Rocking her back and forth between the two of them, they sing laughing.

🎶We got a drunken Moon Pie🎶

🎶Not gonna let her get by🎶

Drunk and shocked. With her body bouncing off of them, Luna's bursts into fits of laughter as she begs them to stop.

🎶Even when she asks why🎶

🎶Cuz she's our drunken Moon Pie🎶

They keep shaking her till their song is over. Dizzy from her weird ride, Luna clings to Colson to catch find her balance.

"You guys are fucking maniacs." She laughs, resting her face on Colson's chest. "How long you been planning that?" She asks sarcastically.

"Five WHOLE minutes." Pete tells her, scrunching his face up. "Be careful, or we'll do it again." He warns playfully, sticking his tongue out.

"Is this what I have to live with now?" Luna drops her arms from around Colson. Looking between the two of them with a miffed look on her face.

"Yup." Colson and Pete say in unison, grinning at each other.

🎶We gotta...🎶 They go to start again before she springs out of their grasps.

"Fuck you guys." She laughs, trotting away.

Pete goes to find Kate as Colson chases after Luna, scooping her up from behind. She squeals as he kisses all over the back of her neck. Both are drunk.

"Ready to go?" He asks her. It's close to 3A.

"Yeah, I gotta grab my stuff first." She agrees.

Colson rallies up the bunch while Luna runs to her dressing room. Everyone's going back to the brownstone. Including Dom & Ashley and Pete & Kate. Benny offers to take Luna's bag and Casie's poster. She thanks him with a peck on the cheek.

"WE OUT!" Colson shouts as Luna runs up and jumps onto his back. Even caught off gaurd, he catches her easily.

"HIGH HO SILVER AND AWAY!!" Luna shouts from on top of him.

"You're so fucking weird!!" He laughs as their rowdy group makes their way through the empty building.

"YOOOOOOU LOVE IT!!!" She continues to drunkenly yell. Making him laugh harder.

--------------------------------------------

Back at the brownstone, they find Cards Against Humanity. Rook puts on  music. Ashley clears off the kitchen table for Colson, Pete and Slim to start rolling joints. Luna grabs everyone beers while Ashleigh and Kate find snacks. Baze helps Dom set up the game. And Benny's searching for food on his phone. The Stay Fresh is delivering to everyone's drunken, hungry roars. They order a shit ton of wings, mozzarella sticks, cheese fries and more beer.

It doesn't take long for the food to arrive. Munching and drinking, the group passes around joints while they play the game. All of them are drunk and can hardly contain themselves.

Rook laughing hard enough, he falls out of his chair onto the floor. Luna almost losing a mozzarella stick out of her mouth from laughing at him. Colson snorting as he laughs loudly at them both. Everyone else laughing at one of the three of them.

They're so fucked up and distracted, they don't even finish the game. Hanging out, they one by two disappear. Leaving Benny asleep at the kitchen table.

Luna feels bad but Colson reassures her that he's immovable. To leave him be.

--------------------------------------------

Making out on the bed, Colson pulls away from Luna. His drunk eyes stare into hers with fear. He sometimes becomes emotionally vulnerable when he gets really wasted.

"Do you feel alright?" Luna asks, hoping to catch a smile from him. She does but it's tiny and weak as he rolls into his back. "Talk to me Colson." She shifts on her side, stroking his hair.

Staring at the ceiling, he let's out a sigh before telling her "I can't shake this Tommy thing."

"Oooohh Boy." Luna thinks. She's drunk and tired. The sun is coming up and all she really wants to do is fuck and sleep.

"What can't you shake?" She lays her head on his chest, facing him.

"Why you would cheat with him and not me." He tells her quietly.

Luna closes her eyes, trying to keep her patience with him. Sitting up, she climbs on top of him. Placing herself on his groin.

"Because when we seen each other, I was very much in love with Justin. We were still new, intimate, engaged in each..." She looks away, closing her eyes for a moment.

Head swimming from all the shots. Luna's never made it a habit of explaining herself. Drunk or not, she will for Colson though.

"His addiction sent us through spurts where he would shut me out. All of us, only hanging with people he knew wouldn't bitch about him getting high.  There were months where we shared the same bed but weren't speaking about anything relevant, let alone fucking. I hooked up with Tommy during one of those cycles. I had felt like Justin had been cheating on me for years. I was pissed and felt rejected. Tommy was an escape that paid attention to me." One solid tear slides down her cheek. He wipes it away as she continues to look at Colson.

"Fuck, that sounds so pathetic." She thinks, disappointed in herself.

"Why didn't you leave him?" He asks her the same question from last night.

Luna sighs. This one is hard. "Because whether I liked his actions or not, at one point he was my bestfriend. I think I loved him so much that I clung to the idea that maybe we could get that back." She looks away, multiple tears dropping now. "Plus, I didn't know if he could survive without me. And that wasn't worth the risk." She wipes her own tears now as she shrugs. Lightly saying, "Didn't matter though, you know. I finally snapped and he killed himself the next day while I was out." She closes her eyes to keep the tears in.

He pulls her down onto his strong chest. Stroking her hair as she silently cries into. "You know it's not your fault." Colson tries to console her.

She sniffles a "Yeah...."

"Sure it's not.... That's why his entire written last words were dedicated to telling me to fuck off.... " She thinks sadly, feeling her soul hurt. Luna will always love the brilliant man she fell in love with. Not the shell Justin had become in the end. Although Luna misses him, she misses the life he should've had more. Even if he wasn't supposed to spend it with her.

**********************************************

Colson's heart rips apart for her. "She's too fucking loyal for her own good..... He didn't fuckinug deserve her..... At all.... Fuck.... And to let her find him... That's some asshole shit." Colson thinks as he holds her tight, vowing to himself to never hurt her.

Their conversation was heavy. Neither wanting to talk anymore, nor needing to. Their bodies telling each other everything they need to know as Luna lays on Colson's chest and he strokes her hair until both their worried minds finally shut off.

--------------------------------------------------

To be continued...

[ellebabywrites]

Judas Kiss 4 - Mark Lee

Type : Series // Angst // Fluff // Future Smut // Gang!au

Warnings : Violence // Character Deaths // Cussing

Summary : There’s only one rule. You protect your own. None of you had chosen this life, but sticking together was the only way to survive it. When one of you dies and things start going wrong, the boy that saved you once on a whim, might be the only one who can keep you together.

Author Note : Finally an update, thank you for being so patient !! I’m posting this on my birthday and I worked super hard on it so please give this chapter some love and let me know what you think !! (Flashbacks are in italic!!)

Walt’s. A local diner just on the other side of the tunnels, open from 7-11 every single day for the last 50 years. Also the only place King would willingly drink something other than coffee, and even then, only to appease his friends’ worried stares. Yes ‘friend’, perhaps the only true friend King had. He had known Peter Walt since they were teenagers; King followed in his father's footsteps and Walt followed in his - in running the diner. Despite their differences as time went on, they never lost contact, never gave up on each other. Walt was always there to give King a fresh pot of coffee after every rough night and King had always protected the diner from gang activities. King spent most of his days at Walt’s. Having just returned to N.City from a long vacation, he was taking a moment to readjust to the harsh realities of life here; no matter how long he’d been involved in the gang world, he could never fully get used to it.

King was sitting at his usual table, in the back corner by the window, facing the front street. He was sipping on his second cup of black coffee while reading the newspaper and occasionally people-watching.

“That stuff will kill you y'know,” a deep voice came from beside him. He didn’t bother looking up, already knowing whom it belonged to.

“No faster than a bullet would,” he replies indifferently, taking another long sip as if to make a show of it.

“Jesus King, do you have to be so morbid this early in the morning?” The man sat down opposite him, topping up the now empty coffee cup despite his previous warning. His thin figure leaning back on the burnt seats, folding his arms and giving King a cold stare in mock-anger.

“Sorry Walt,” King says, flashing a smirk and putting down the paper so he could talk with his old friend, “how’ve you been?”

While Walt proceeds to fill King in on all the news he’d missed in his time away; his wife’s new craft project redecorating the living room; his nephew’s College acceptance etc etc - King’s attention drifts to the people outside the window. Walt doesn’t mind; he’s known King a long time, aware that despite his seeming uninterest, the ticks of his eyebrows and slight lift of his lips let Walt know he’s listening.

Across the street, sitting on a bench huddled together, were two kids. The taller boy takes a foil-wrapped sandwich out of his coat pocket and hands it over to the younger girl; encouraging her to eat and smiling warmly, but they didn’t look very warm. The winter was fast approaching and there was no way the two could possibly be okay in just those thin coats, King thought. Noticing King’s sudden lack of attention, Walt follows his gaze out the window. Spotting the two kids, he calls over one of his waiters and tells him to take them out two hot chocolates.

“Those poor kids,” Walt starts, shaking his head sadly and watching as his worker made his way over to the two of them, “They’re homeless, I try and give them a drink or some food y’know, whenever I see them; it just doesn’t seem enough.”

King looks back at Walt, his eyes showing slight worry, but keeping his composure. “It’s not safe for young kids like that on the street,” He says, more to himself; looking back through the window. The two kids were sitting closely, sipping on the warm drinks they’d just been given; the taller boy stopping to help the girl roll up her sleeves.

---

“This is the gym.”

It’s the first official day of Mark’s training; you brought him down to the gym on the lower level of the firehouse, ready to show him around.

Down in the pit, there was an old busted up boxing ring, ropes frayed and mat wearing thin.

“That’s the ring, Ty works with us in there,” you explain, walking him around the edges of the gym showing off all the different sections with pride, “he teaches us all these crazy military fighting moves he picked up in Iraq, it will absolutely kill you at first but once you get the hang of it, you’ll feel totally badass!” Mark likes it when you’re excited like this. Your eyes light up and lips stretch into a beautiful smile, one you try to contain by pulling them between your teeth, but fail. It’s obvious how much you love this place, these people. It makes him want to work hard enough to make you proud too.

There’s a row of windows along one of the walls that looks into a room adjacent.

“That’s the ‘shooting range’, it’s kind of small but there’s never more than three of us in there at once,” you explain, opening the side door to show him inside.

There’s a shelf next to a bench, loaded with weapons; rifles, handguns and knives.

“This is Rikky’s I’m guessing?” Mark asks with a chuckle, pointing at the broken skateboard lying by one of the shooting stalls. You giggle along with him and jump on top of the split wood.

“Yup, he always breaks them so he uses the pieces as steps now,” you jump down and stand next to Mark opposite, facing the target sheets on the far end of the room, “Rikky will show you how everything works when you’re in here with him. He may act like an idiot, but he’s the best shot I’ve ever seen.”

“What about you? Mark asks, shifting a little bit closer, “What do you do?” He wasn’t exactly sure what answer he was expecting, considering how he had met you, it honestly could have been anything.

“I am the resident thief,” you say; proudly smiling up at him, “I pick locks and get us in and out of… difficult, places.”

“Ahh so that night at Bangtan’s you were stealing something, no wonder they were mad,” Mark teases, nudging your shoulder playfully and laughing at the way your lips automatically fall out of the smile and into a pout. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding! So what exactly will you be teaching me?”

“Nothing now,” you grumbled, turning your face away from him. Mark teased you like Johnny teased you. He knew how to play with you without pushing it too far; it made you feel comfortable, like you’d found a piece of the puzzle that was missing from your heart.

“Nooo, Y/N I’m sorry, please teach me,” he whines, tugging on your arm to get you to face him again.

“I suppose I could show you a trick or two,” you sigh, ready to continue the teasing, but a sound coming from the pit interrupts you both.

“I swear to God Rikky, I’m not in the mood!”

“C’mon big guy, scared you can’t take it? C’mon, hit m… ouch!”

You and Mark look out to see Rikky following Ty around the gym, wearing boxing gloves too big for him and throwing punches into thin air. It was comical watching the two of them; Ty, a 6ft marine, whining and pushing away this tiny string bean of a man full of energy, relentlessly pining for his attention. You both look at each other for a split second before bursting into a fit of laughter.  

“Y/N!!” Ty called out, getting tired of dealing with Rikky and wanting to get away from him as quickly as possible, “Let’s go on a store a run! NOW!” you giggle again at his impatience.

“Time to save Ty,” you joke, poking Mark in the side when you move away, “I guess you’ll be with Rikky today, do you want anything from the store?”

In the background you can hear Rikky’s incessant chanting, ‘one two punch, one two punch, c’mon Ty just once, I’ve gotten so much better,’ followed by Ty calling out for you again, a heightened sense of urgency to his voice.

“No thanks, I’m think I’m good,” Mark says, feeling a little nervous about being here without you.

“Okay, I’ll see you later,” you wave goodbye, jumping onto Ty’s back when you reach him in the pit.

“Hey! Don’t forget my hot chocolate this time! It’s cold and you know my stomach is too delicate for that nasty coffee!!” Rikky yells behind you, making Mark laugh quietly, but of course that was his intention. Johnny made him feel at home a lot quicker by making him laugh, so he figured it would do the same thing for Mark.

“Yeah yeah, we got it!” Ty shouts back, halfway out the door already before Rikky can yell any more about his dietary requirements.

---

“Okay Mark let’s shoot some stuff!” Rikky came barrelling into the shooting range, a big smile on his face that in all honesty made Mark a little bit nervous. He’d never even touched a gun before, never thought he’d have to; now he had one of the best shooters around, according to you, showing him the ropes. Rikky grabbed a 9mm pistol off the shelf, checked the magazine and handed it over to Mark. “This is a pretty standard one to start you off with, it’s already loaded so just pull back the slider, aim at the target and,” Rikky moved Mark by the shoulders to stand in front of the target area and patted him on the back in encouragement, “squeeze the trigger.”

Swallowing dryly, Mark raises his arms up and takes aim. It’s a lot heavier than he imagined a gun would be; he almost doesn’t want to look as he pulls the trigger and hears a loud bang that definitely doesn’t sound right. Rikky’s hysterical laughter behind him is a pretty solid tell that he missed the target though.

“Jesus Mark, you might want to try keeping your eyes open next time!” Rikky is hunched over dramatically, still laughing his head off at Mark’s terrible first shot when he turns around.

“That was my first time, let me try again, I can do this,” Mark tried to pump himself up, when Rikky only laughs harder Mark decides he agrees with you - Rikky is a bit of an asshole. After a few more failed attempts and just a few half-decent ones, Rikky steps up to show him how it’s done; and that’s when Mark decides he also agrees that Rikky is one of the best.

“How the hell did you get so good at this!?” Mark asked, in complete shock at how Rikky hits every single shot dead centre. His mouth is gaped open and eyes wide, while Rikky just smirks, loving feeling like he was the best. It had been a while since anyone had had that kind of reaction to his talent.

“I used to run with a real bad crew,” he starts to explain, unloading the gun and putting it back on the shelf, “the kind of people I was with, if you didn’t learn quickly, you were dead .” His whole demeanour shifts slightly, no longer the joking ball of energy Mark had seen before, but now turning serious, almost sad, recalling the memories of his old crew. “It wasn’t like here with us. No one had your back, it was everyone for themselves. No one would come to save your ass if you were in trouble, no one cared. It was…. Dark.” Rikky handed Mark a bottle of water from his gym bag and sat down on one of the benches, Mark following him.

“Honestly, if I hadn’t gotten out when I did, I would be dead right now,”

It was total chaos. People rushing, shouting, shooting in every direction. Johnny grabs you by the arm and quickly pulls you behind a pillar just before a wave of bullets came darting passed your heads.

“KING !!!” Johnny shouts out over all the noise, “KING C’MON !!!”

All of a sudden everything stopped. An unsettling silence followed by the sound of bodies dropping to the ground.

“Okay kids it’s clear,” Lifting your head hesitantly, you see King standing among a pile of now deceased members of ‘The Pythons’, “Johnny, go take a look around back, see if we missed any hostages. Y/N, help me load these bags back into the van.” King ordered you both, grabbing one of the bags filled with cash and supplies, carrying it right out the front door.

“How did he do that?” you wondered out loud.

“C’mon Y/N, you know Kings’ bulletproof,” Johnny sends you a teasing smile before walking away to clear the back rooms. Back when you had first met King, you had been adamant he was some kind of iron man, the way he always managed to survive a shootout. Hence - bulletproof.

A month or so ago King had received a tip about a new crew from out of town, ‘The Pythons’, who were causing trouble. Kidnapping; arson; robbery - they were trying to move in on N.City and they were not being nice about it. It took three weeks to plan the take down; locating their current base; identifying the members and executing the whole thing. You’d rescued roughly 6 teenage girls from one of the storage rooms before it all kicked off. They were bloody and bruised, clothes torn and dirtied; you didn’t even want to think about what kind of things The Pythons made them do. You’re not ashamed to say that you all took great pleasure in putting them down.

Johnny circled round to the back rooms, using the barrel of his gun to push open doors enough to look inside. The door to the last room in the hall was slightly ajar; Johnny raises his gun and takes slow steps forward, ready for a sudden attack. But when he pushes open the door, what he sees is a man cowering in the corner; hands covered in blood and entire body shaking. Johnny recognises him from their surveillance photos, he was new, just a kid not much younger than himself.

“Hey, hey you’re Rikky right?” Johnny asks, crouching down in front of the trembling boy, “I’m Johnny. It’s okay, we’re not going to hurt you.” Rikky’s eyes were heavy and his breathing rapid, “no no no, buddy stay with me, it’s okay we’re getting you out of here! KING A LITTLE HELP!!”

“King carried me out in his arms. Y/N held me in her lap the entire ride back to base. Hell, Johnny wouldn’t stop telling me how it was all going to be okay and how I was safe now - even while I was drifting in and out of consciousness.”

Mark sits in awe listening to Rikky tell his story, he couldn’t imagine the strong, charismatic man in front of him being so broken and vulnerable. Maybe there really was more to the team then met the eye.

“What was Johnny like?” Mark asks carefully, noticing how Rikky’s eyes had started to glass over; but at the mention of Johnny, his whole face lights up.

“Oh man, Johnny...” he suddenly leans back smiling, wiping his eyes and letting out a small chuckle. “Johnny was my brother. Hands down one of the greatest people I have ever met, or ever will meet in my entire life. He dragged me out of that dark place kicking and screaming and put me back together with nothing but a bottle of mountain dew and FIFA,” Mark watches how Rikky’s face softens at the memories, “he..he taught me a lot. Johnny..Johnny was special,” after a beat of silence Rikky starts laughing again, “couldn’t shoot for shit though, still…better than you for a first try.” He nudges Mark’s leg teasingly, trying to lighten the mood.

“Hey! I’ll get better,” Mark promises, not being able to hide his shy smile behind a pout. Rikky reaches out to ruffle his hair before standing up again,

“I know you will, I’ll help you.”

---

There’s old Jazz playing, one of Ty’s vinyl's. King is busy chopping onions while you and Ty unload the groceries when Mark and Rikky walk in.

“Hey you two,” Ty calls out, handing you cups of ramen to put away, “How’d training go?”

You can’t ignore the way your heart skips a few beats when you see Mark walking in; he looks good; he’s smiling and joking with Rikky about something and there’s a small piece inside your chest that just clicks back into place.

“It was interesting,” Rikky answers, playfully shoving Mark towards you, where he instinctively starts helping unload the groceries. It’s cute, you think.

“Scratch that, it was absolutely terrible,” Rikky laughs, sending you a wink when you scowl at his teasing.

“Don’t worry Mark, you’ll get the hang of it in time,” King gives him an encouraging smile that makes Mark feel a more settled. He was still a little nervous around King, but I guess growing up hearing all the stories and legends would do that to you.

“Thank you, S-sir”

You all stifle a giggle, still not used to Mark’s over-politeness, but it was funny seeing him get so flustered over it.

“You don’t have to call me Sir Mark -” King starts,

“Yeah, Grandpa’ is fine,” but Rikky interrupts, earning a slap on the back of the head from King and a laugh from Ty when he dramatically falls to the ground.

“King, is fine Mark, Just call me King.”

You, Rikky and Mark all sit at the island, watching King and Ty cook; Rikky continuing to fill everyone in on their day of training, not leaving out how Mark may have made some new holes in the wall with his first few tries. “Yeah we’re definitely going to need a lot more training with Bangtan on our asses.”

“What exactly is all of this over?” Mark asks, eyes flickering to you next to him, “I mean, there are just so many different rumours.” That makes you smirk slightly. You’ve all heard the rumours, none of them true of course, but it made you feel like you were in some kind of reality show. If your talk with Mark on the way to the base was any indication, you could only imagine what kind of stories were running through his head now.

“You shouldn’t always believe the rumours Mark,” you tease, knowing full well that less than a week ago he was convinced King was some hell-sent demon dropping bodies left and right - when now he was making him spaghetti wearing the baby pink apron Johnny had gotten him for Christmas. While you and Mark lose focus, sending each other teasing looks and nudges, King get’s Rikky to help stir the sauce so he can prepare the spaghetti.

“We’re on good terms with most of N.City,” Ty explains, gaining the both of your attention once again, “Bangtan wanted to try and take one of our clubs-”

“They failed miserably obviously; King’s name’s too strong for them to take down,” Rikky adds, not really paying attention to his assigned kitchen duties and earning another nudge from King.

“They burned down one of our warehouses in retaliation,” you say, watching how intently Mark is listening to everyone.

“...a lot of our allies then cut ties with them, so now,” King finishes explaining, starting to plate up the food, “they’re looking for revenge.

A small silence falls over the room as Mark takes in everything; it’s a lot more straightforward than he’d expected, but nothing has been like how he’d thought it would here.

“They’ve been quiet for a while though,” Rikky turns off the sauce and brings it over to King, “They’re probably planning something.”

“There was nothing quiet about what they did to Johnny.”

Everyone looks at you. You’re staring down Rikky with such a harshness to your eyes that it makes Mark shiver. No one says anything for a moment, before King hands Ty a pair of plates and tells him to set the table.

“We’re going to have a nice, quiet, dinner to welcome Mark into the family - okay?” King’s voice is stern as he directs it at you; you clench your fists in anger that once again he’s pushing what happened to Johnny under the rug. You feel Mark’s warm hand gently tug onto yours, releasing you fists and pulling you towards the table where you all sit to eat.

It’s awkward to say the least, but not for long. Ty quickly bringing up a lighter conversation to try and dull the tension.

“Can you play FIFA Mark? We play a lot of FIFA here in our down time.”

When Mark shakes his head Rikky, who was sitting next to you, hits your shoulder making a joke that ‘I doubt you could be any worse than Y/N.”

“Actually….I remember Y/N absolutely destroying you the more than enough times Rikky,” King jests along with the group, raising his eyebrows and winking at Mark. Rikky’s incessant whining after that making everyone laugh again, nerves a little lesser.

---

Mark’s been training with you all at the base for the last couple of weeks; alternating between working with Rikky in the shooting range; Ty in the boxing ring and you teaching him other useful tricks. Today Mark was with Ty. The last few hours spent dripping in sweat and throwing punch after punch; quick footwork dodging Ty’s advances around the ring.

The gym was silent, bar from the sound of their heavy breathing and hands making contact. It was getting late but Mark kept going; he’d just started noticing improvements and didn’t want to stop.

The gym door opens with a slow squeak as you poke your head through, “Guys,” you call out, finally gaining their attention, “King’s out so we’re ordering pizza for dinner,”

Breathing heavily, Ty takes off his gloves and gives you a thumbs up, “Cool, We’ll wrap up.”

Shooting Mark a quick smile, you disappear again; leaving Mark staring at the door where you were stood. Ty picked up on Mark’s feelings for you pretty quickly, hell, it was obvious as anything even on the first day; he doesn’t miss the way Mark’s focus is still glued to the door even minutes after you’d gone and he’d started packing up.

“You like her,” he says plainly, as if it wasn’t this big secret Mark had been keeping for weeks.

“W-what, I mean, of course she’s great, she…” he looks adorable, cheeks flushed and stuttering over his words, damn he had it bad.

“No,” Ty interrupts, saving him from digging an even bigger hole, “you like like her.” Teasing Mark had become Ty and Rikky’s new favourite hobby, especially when it came to you. Even more so when you were there because of how it would rile you up too; it was all in love but still Ty worried. He cared deeply for you and didn’t want to see you hurt again.

Mark was just standing there, speechless, in front of Ty. Was he really that obvious?

“Look kid, I can see you care about her,” Seems he was, “but you need to be careful.”

“What do you mean?” Mark asks. You were one of the strongest people he’d ever met so Ty’s warning confused him.

“You’ve heard about Johnny?” Mark nods, “Well, when he died Y/N took it really hard, she was the one who found him,”

Johnny had been gone for a while and you were already running late for the mission, “King I’m going to grab Johnny!” you yell out before running out the door, picking up the discarded umbrella Johnny had left behind, and heading out in the rain.

The tunnels to the city are empty, as they usually are, but something about tonight made you feel on edge. Something was wrong. You didn’t get paranoid; living on the streets had taught you plenty about walking around in the dark; so why were you feeling so off?

The city is just as bad. There’s an eerie silence that makes the hairs of your arms stand up; again, normal, but something was definitely wrong

You start running through the streets, taking a few twists and turns till you get to where the store is; and then you see him.

You weren’t crying. Not yet. Why was he lying in the street? Maybe he fell asleep? He was gaming pretty late last night, yeah, he just fell asleep in the middle of the road in the pouring rain like an idiot. Yeah.

You’re frozen. You don’t want to move any closer, if you stay right here then everything will be fine, then Johnny will just be asleep, everything will be okay. But the rain is getting heavier by the minute and he’s getting wet, why isn’t he waking up if he’s getting soaked?

With slow steps you move forward, vision blurring when you see the ground is stained a deep red. You shake and whimper at the sight. He’s on his back, staring blankly at the sky, letting the rain wash away the blood surrounding him.

You take out your phone and call King.

“K-king,”

“Y/N where are you guys, we missed the….”

“K-king.” You can’t bring yourself to say it, that would make it real. You don’t need to though, just hearing your voice King knows something’s wrong and says he’s coming.

When they get there, you’re sitting on the floor, cradling Johnny’s head in your lap, combing his hair with your fingers and begging for him to wake up.

King, Ty and Rikky stand there, frozen just as you were, watching the scene. It was heart-breaking.

“Y/N,” King’s voice is soft behind you, he reaches for your shoulder but you’re quick to pull away, not wanting to be dragged into reality just yet.

“No!” you yell, “Johnny’s not waking up,” Your trying to keep your voice steady but all that’s coming out are whimpers, “He’s getting wet King, he needs to wake up,”

“Y/N,” Ty repeats, coming to kneel beside you, trying to get you to look at him. Rikky stays back, still in shock, unsure of what to do or how to help. He can’t see Johnny like that.

“Y/N we need to go, it’s not safe here,” Ty reaches for you but you push him back harshly, you can’t just leave him there.

“I said No!”

Ty looks up to King, his own eyes glazing over as well. When King gives him a subtle nod, he wraps his arms around your waist and forcefully pulls you away. He’d hear your screams every day for the rest of his life. Feel the hits and punches you attack him with every day. Remember the look on your face, before he wrapped you around him like a koala and pressed your head into his neck, forever. He carries you passed Rikky, back towards the base, taking you as far as possible so you didn’t have to see anymore.

King reaches down to close Johnny’s eyes, placing a hand on his forehead gently and choking back his own sobs. Rikky finally makes his way over and mutters out an ‘oh god,’ he’d seen plenty of bodies before, many worse off than Johnny’s, but it’s different when it’s your own brother on the ground.

“Let’s get him out of here.” King says blankly, turning to his ‘boss’ persona, keeping his feelings hidden.

“She passed out on the way back here,” Ty explains, “She didn’t wake up for two days; refused to leave her room for another two after that, then when she was finally getting back to herself, she went to Bangtans’.” Ty keeps his head down. It’s hard for him to think about that day, but Mark needed to know, to understand. You weren’t as strong as you seemed.

“Jesus,” Mark whispered, hearing about Johnny’s death for the first time, “They were close then? She always mentions him but never really talks about him too much,”

Ty nods eagerly, “Oh yeah they were each other’s other half's,” he goes on to explain, “they met in a foster home when they were just kids, apparently the place was a real shit show, tons of abuse, so they ran away. Lived on the streets till King found them. They’ve only had each other their whole lives - when Y/N lost Johnny, it was like she lost a part of herself.”

Taking a deep breath, Ty gets up and grabs his stuff, throwing Mark a water bottle in the process. When he’s packing up his gym bag, Mark spots a photo of a girl next to Ty, “Is she on the team too?” he asks curiously, he hadn’t heard any other names being mentioned.

“No uh, that’s Beth,” Ty grabs the photo and hands it over for Mark to get a closer look, “my little sister.” There’s a hint of sadness in his voice as he tells Mark about his sister, the reason he joined the team.

Walt’s is busy today. In the back corner at his usual table, King is waiting for Ty.

“Are you King?” Ty asks nervously, sitting at the table when he’s given a nod in confirmation and handing over a photo. “This is my sister Beth. I heard you could help me find her.”

King takes the photo in his hands and looks at the young girl, Beth, who couldn’t be much younger than you, he already knows he’s going to help but he needs to know more.

“What happened to her?”

With a nervous shuffle, Ty opens up his phone and shows King the messages between him and his sister, “I just got back from the Army and I get these messages, she says she’s coming to N.City with some new ‘friends’, and no ones seen or heard from her since.” King quietly listens, looking at the texts filled with emojis and kisses, swallowing hard when it reminds him of you. “She’s my little sister and she’s in trouble.”

“And why do you think I can help you? There are hundreds of people in the city and they’re not exactly the ‘friendly’ type,” Just as King starts to ask more questions, making Ty a little nervous, the door to the diner chimes open followed by a ‘Hey Uncle Walt!’

You and Johnny spot King at his table and immediately make a b-line to join him.

“Hey King, who’s this?” Johnny asks, shuffling next to Ty in the booth while you sit opposite next to King.

“I’m Ty,” he introduces himself, pocketing his phone feeling more nervous about this meeting than he had when he first walked in here.

“Ty needs our help finding his sister,” King explains, “She came to the city with friends a few weeks ago and hasn’t been seen since.”

“We can help!” Johnny buts in, giving Ty a warm smile, you eagerly doing the same, prodding King with your elbow to get him to speak.

“We’ll help you.”

“We looked for Beth for weeks but found nothing,” Mark almost regrets asking, seeing the look on Ty’s face, “That’s why I’m so protective over Y/N, I can’t lose another sister.”

“I won’t hurt her Ty,” Mark says, looking him in the eye, “I’ll protect her.”

“I know Mark.”

---

It must have been passed midnight when Mark woke up on the couch; training most days with Ty was exhausting him, but he could definitely see the changes it was making too. He forces himself to get up and make his way to his actual bed.

Dragging himself down the hall with heavy steps, Mark passes your room, noticing the door was open. Inside, you’re lying on your side tucked into Ty’s chest. His nose buried in your hair and arm hanging on your waist.

“Don’t worry about that,” Rikky’s voice came from behind him, noticing how Mark was just standing outside of your door looking flustered, “Y/N gets night terrors.” Rikky leans against the doorframe next to Mark, watching silently as you nuzzle further into Ty, searching for warmth.

“Johnny used to sleep in with her; since they went through stuff together on the streets, he could always calm her down. Since he died they’ve been getting worse, so Ty does it” he explains quietly.

Mark looks over at your sleeping figure again and notices the way you keep stirring, then he notices the way Ty holds you tighter each time you do and he can’t hide the slight jealousy that washes over him.

“She’s got it bad for you anyway dude,” Rikky teases, “she gets all googly eyed and mushy, it’s kind of gross,” he makes a disgusted face and they both laugh silently.

---

“Jesus Mark what did you do!?” you yell slightly, seeing Mark hunched over on the couch holding an ice pack to his face.

“I hit the practice dummy too hard and it hit me back,” he laughs at himself, it really was pitiful. Shaking your head your head you grab the first aid supplies and sit next to him, “at least it’s practice for when I really get punched.”

“Don’t make those jokes,” you can’t help but laugh a little with him though, how was he so clumsy? Since he’s been here he’s hurt himself half a dozen times already and that’s not including the training. “I’m sorry,” you whisper after the giggles have died down, taking the ice pack off of him and applying ointment to the bruise, “...for dragging you into this mess I mean, I’m sure this isn’t exactly what you wanted.” As much as you love having Mark around, you couldn’t help feeling incredibly guilty for bringing him into this life, no one chooses to be here, Mark’s only in danger because you were stupid enough to get caught at Bangtan’s, this was your fault.

“Hey,” he grabs your hand to make you stop and focus on him instead of his wounds, “I wasn’t going anywhere in N.City, I didn’t have anything, at least now I have you,” you both stared into each others eyes for a beat, cheeks slowly growing flushed ‘till you can’t help but let your eyes fall to his lips. 

“...The team… I mean,” he covers nervously.

“Oh, yeah of course.”

“How exactly did you get involved with this stuff?” Mark asks, trying to talk about something, anything, that would stop his ears from burning.

“There’s this diner in the city called ‘Walt’s’, when Johnny and I were on the streets, the owner would give us free drinks and stuff; then King noticed us and started getting us meals each day…”

“Johnny I don’t want to,” you were pulling on his arm, desperately trying to drag him the opposite direction, “that’s KING, the scary guy from the stories, it’s not safe Johnny!”

He agreed with you, but it had been days since you’d last had proper food and it would be a while yet before you could again.

“It will be okay,” he turns to you and kneels down to your level, holding your hands, “We need food Y/N, he’s Walt’s friend so he can’t be that scary right?” Johnny could always calm you down, it was like his super power, no matter the situation he would always make you feel safe and protected. “Besides, I’ll be with you the entire time, I’ll keep you safe.” Maybe he was just your superhero.

After a few meals with King, you both opened up to him exponentially. Like Johnny had promised, he stayed by your side and you both soon realised King wasn’t even half as scary as what people thought - at least not to you. Truthfully, King had started to see you both as his children; eating dinner together almost every day for years, it became harder and harder for him to watch you walk back into the streets afterwards. For some reason he felt the strong need to protect you both. Maybe he saw the innocence that still lingered somewhere beneath all the trauma and shattered glass. That’s when he decided he was going to take you in.

“...He took us in, gave us beds; clothes; food. He got Johnny the Xbox and taught us how to cook. He’s basically our father,” you smile. King really had done so much for you, sometimes you forget.

“Do you miss Johnny?” ‘Stupid question Mark of course she does’ he thinks as soon as he says it.

You look at him again and nod once, you never really talk about Johnny as him with anyone. Sure you’ve mentioned him in stories, much like the others had, but talking just about Johnny was hard, because it’s just a reminder of how you don’t have him anymore.

“So much,” you decide you won’t cry in front of Mark, he makes you feel safe, “he is my favourite person. He was the ‘rock’ of the team, everyone could go to him with any problem, anything at all, and he’d make it better. He brought us all together.”

This Christmas sucked. You all failed a mission two days before, leaving you all pretty beaten up; King was busy with meetings all day, the fridge was empty and none of you could stand long enough to get anything. Everyone was in a mood; hungry; tired and just over it.

“Right!” Johnny suddenly announces, hobbling up from the couches you were all sprawled across, “FIFA tournament, now! Rikky and Y/N vs Me and Ty, Winners get to choose the movie for movie night for the whole of January!”

Despite the initial reluctance, you all agreed and after a few rounds, it made things better. Suddenly the four of you were full of energy, hyping each other up and having to remember not to jump too quick on your bruised legs when you scored. Laughter, cheers and shouting soon filled the dull room.

“What’s with all the noise?!” King shouts, smiling when he walks in to see all of you huddled together around the tv, “I bought Ramen!” he shouts again, finally gaining your attention.

“...we ate ramen and played games all night that year; Johnny turned one of the worst Christmases in to the best, just by using his stupid football game as a way to make us watch 27 dresses every week for a month,”

Mark puts a hand on yours and rubs circles over your knuckles as you talk, still sitting impossibly close, he could feel you pouring your heart out to him and he was going to catch every piece of it.

“Can I speak to Mark for a moment please Y/N,” King had appeared behind you both and was giving you the look that told you to leave. You give Mark a sad smile before going, missing the warmth of his touch the second it’s gone.

“How are you doing Mark?” King asks, taking your place on the couch, though not sitting nearly as close as you were. “You’ve improved a lot, I’m proud of you.”

There was something to the way King had said it that made Mark feel good, he was proud of himself too, he was truly happy here.

“Thank you King Sir,” King smiles softly at the boy who still can’t seem to stop calling him ’Sir’, but he’d given up trying to correct him, he was starting to get used to it.

“Now Mark, I think you know by now that Y/N is like my daughter, she’s very precious to me,” it felt like he was about to get ‘the talk’ so Mark swallows dryly and nods along in agreement, “Y/N cares deeply for you, that makes you important to me too. I hope you know that whatever happens, you are apart of this family, you will always have a home here, that is a promise.”

Mark felt like he could cry. King was looking at him with such sincerity, opening his arms and welcoming him into his home, into his life - he’d never felt so at home before and it was overwhelming. To be wanted somewhere, to be apart of something.

“T-thank you, I-I, just thank you for everything,” Mark says, holding back the tears and smiling at the man who was giving him a fresh start in life, a life with meaning.

“If you’re thankful, how about helping me make tonight's dinner son, I’ll teach you how to make my famous Risotto,” King stands and gestures for Mark to follow, leaning in and whispering teasingly, “it’s Y/N’s favourite.”

[the-house-of-the-nine]

In Depths Below, Masquerade, Part 5

Elsewhere...

“Yeah yeah.  I see him.  A nearsighted leper gnome could see him.”  the gruff voice of the demonic Bladewarden snarled.  

He was sitting atop the large walled structure with his lovely frozen counterpart beside him.  His leathery black wings tucked up against his spine while the pair of them watched several large carts and mounted guards stroll through the first gate into the courtyard.

“. . .what does being a leper gnome and being able to see far away have to do with this. . .let alone one another?”  she asked inquisitively as she shifting lich fire eyes locked onto him.

“Well you know. . .the. . .and then there's. . .because. . .”  Koltun stumbled through his words as he tried to find a reason for it.

“Mhmm.” she hissed, turning back to the scene unfolding as her spyglass was placed back on her eye. “It’s Dawnseeker alright. . . I can see the emblem to his House on the back rider.”

“Lepers lose parts. . .maybe he lost his eyes?  Or they’re just bad.”  the demon continued to wrestle with his comparison.  Straining to think behind that contorted face.

“And there is Sennaris. . .” Pyravari added.

They were both atop the large stone wall of the bell tower.  Below in the court, several of their Illidari and the Harbingers elite personal guard were well placed as carriage riders, valets and groomers.  Several of them were stable hands and others were just simply house folk who would be there to tidy the beautiful carts which were waiting to be taken home.

“And Zalra. . . Both of them with their meat shields.” Vari seethed while she scanned over the crowd of guards and nobles who were arriving in the entourage of the powerful Magister. “They are moving over to his cart. . .”

“I’ve got it.  A leper gnome that lost his eyes due to the radiation.  So even he could see it. . .” the demon proudly puffed his chest out.

“Focus. . .”  she added, motioning with her hand toward the lavish and grand cart that was being surrounded.

Out from the cabin, a large elven man stepped out.  His hair was a lovely flowing amber; hanging down to his middle back with braids of various sizes scattered throughout.  His robes were that of the colors of their people; the brilliant gold and crimson that so many others adorned.  He was slender, and rather graceful in his action as he was warmly welcomed by the stewards of the House Honeywell.

“And here we go. . .He is meeting with Sennaris and Honeywell now. . .Sunwood. . . they’re in. . .” Pyravari hissed when she lowered the spyglass and collapsed it in on itself.

“Go. . .You move to the southern entrance. I want a sweeping flank.  Two moving, while two recover.  No blood, no bodies and absolutely no sound.  I'm going to take the front gate and start the pincer.. . .What?. . .what is it?”

“And you’re not going to say anything about the leper. . .”  he groaned with a look of disappointment across his face, he too started to stand and prepare to depart from their bell tower. “Typical.”

“Sweet Kolty. . .” she said turning around where they had climbed up from.  In her hands was the large braided rope which was attached to the grappling hook wedged in the wall.  She wrapped the end around her back, funneling it around to her other hand and coiling it there.  “Get over it. . .”

His hopes dashed, here he had half expected her to praise him for his efforts.  And as she back peddled and leapt from their vantage, he heard her toss out a phrase.

“A blind seer.”  

“Dammit!” he snarled as his bat link wings sprung from his back.  His clawed foot stomped against the stonework as he clenched his teeth.  “A blind seer. . .why couldn’t I think of that. . .that's good. . .”  

Both he and the Harbinger separated at that point.  His silent gliding wings taking him to his destination, and her own physical prowess carrying her down the side of the bell tower and into the courtyard where they would begin eliminating their threats.

Back within the ballroom. . .

There was a dead silence that fell across the gathered guests that evening.   On the center stage, the mechanical musicians had been silenced via remote control.  And the collection of servers, chefs and artisans were asked to hold their affairs.

From the front of the ballroom, the lord of the manor and host for the evening; Magister Honeywell took the opportunity to greet everyone who had come out, and start the evening off.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, my esteemed collages and fellow Magisters. It is my honor and the honor of my house to welcome you all to our thirty seventh annual Vintner of the Year ceremony.  I would urge you all to mindfully keep away from the Sweetblossom Merlot; it is absolutely sinful.”  

Magister Honeywell was greeted to a full room of applause.  And at his wise crack about the wine; the audience in attendance would laugh and clap as if the words were some of the most rich to ever grace their ears.  

In realty though, most of these people were probably just trying to muscle their way higher on the food chain in order to gain more for their respective houses.  Bumping a few elbows always greased the wheel.

“Now many of you may also know that this night, marks a very special occasion.  It is not only our annual tasting but also the anniversary of the splendid couple, our own Magister and Madam Sunwood.” He said in announcement; his hands beginning to clap as he looked about the ballroom at the shining faces.  To his right, both Zalra and her ‘husband’ took a bow.  

The room cheered when they shared a little innocent kiss, and hoisted their glasses in celebration of the wealthy couple.  Sennaris stood beside her Master as he prepared to speak again; hands raised over his head while he quieted them down.

“We have one other reason for gathering this evening.  As we share a common ground within the courts and magistrate respectively; one among us is celebrating his centennial marker.  His house has served the court of Quel’thalas, and remained a dutiful supporter of the Sin’dorei for countless years.  We would like you all to help welcome and honor. . .”

Around the room people were absolutely astounded by the fact that they were about to meet with a very influential person within their city.  But elsewhere around the room, certain individuals were more focused on the fact that they were about extract their revenge.  Siida was sitting in a chair at the table of Magister Sunwood.  Her hands had been magically fused in her lap so she could not try anything.  

She was dressed in a lovely ball gown, no doubt the same style that the Lady of the manor wore.  Her hair and makeup had been done properly.   Everything that presented her to look like a guest, and not a sacrificial lamb.

Marseille, Verzatea and her several magical wards all continued to watch for the lead man himself.  Zalra would have to keep her emotions in check, being up front and with eyes upon her, being so close to the man responsible for all of this.

“Please. . .let us welcome Magister Darnallas Dawnseeker.” Honeywell said completing his sentence after holding for effect.

Blood was not something that would have been allowed tonight.  Because of that simple rule, Vari and Koltun had agreed they needed to use stealth, and they needed to use subtlety.  

Garrote wire, bludgeoning tools, anything that would make a softer and more silent attack.  But this was not an all out war.  They needed to specifically target the ones who were guarding these Magisters belongings and not harm the innocents.

Koltun and several of his elite moved with the shadows; their clawed hands and powerful wings encasing people.  They were working from the back and moving forward.  

“Thank you all, It is an honor to have served the courts of our beloved Silvermoon City these last few decades.  I am but a humble servant to our people and it gives me great pleasure to continue serving; hopefully for another century. . .”

Koltun locked his under arms around the throat of a guard, his larger size easily allowing him to be hoisted upward.  The guards feet dangled like two pendulums swinging as he struggled and grunted to escape the horrible choke hold.  Beside him, another one his guards were having the same treatment.  Both men watching the other die, and in a simultaneous -SNAP-, their necks were broken and they were dropped to the ground.  A pair who were there to clean up the dead swept in after Koltun and his chosen fled, they would move the bodies as the others worked.

“Years ago, my father told me about the necessary steps that must be taken and sacrifices that must be made; in order for our people to prevail.  He would say, you need to snap a few branches to get to the fruit, and that remains true even to this day.  Nothing worth having comes without a price!”

The massive winged demon took another swing, the guard dodging to his left and attempting to cut him with a blade.  “No Blood”  he thought to himself and skillfully avoided taking a jab to the gut.

“When I was just a boy, I knew that I would go on to follow in his footsteps.  And had it not been for the morals and values instilled in me when I was young; I would never stand before you, a beacon to our people for what it means to put your mind toward victory!”

Koltun stood atop the guard with his clawed foot firmly planted on his chest, his arms flexing as he proudly showed dominance over the dead man.  He had also been a bit too aggressive there and snapped his spine when he delivered the killing blow of a back breaker across his knee.  But subtlety was not always his strongest point.

The cleaners rushed in, scooping the last of the southern guards away and bounded over the wall which led to the wooded area.  Koltun and the others would cling to the sides of the manor like little dark winged bats all arranged along the cave walls.  

One after another, the dark demons would swoop down like vicious hungry birds snatching their prey and devouring them whole.  It was a singular, and brutal attack which would only be relieved once the target was dead and the ones collecting would rush in behind.

“And nothing will tarnish my resolve!  I will continue to dutifully repay the kindness our fare city has bestowed upon me with every ounce of energy I have.  It is my honor, nay privilege to stand before you.  So many faces I recognize, and so many more I hope to someday soon know very, very well!”

Vari continued to sweep through the corridors and path ways of the front part of the estate.   Her elite keeping track and rushing behind her, their own blades were locked snug one their backs.  “No Blood” She reiterated once more.  And she and her several Valkyries charged toward the guards who were enjoying the night off.

“I hope you all enjoy our festivities this evening.  Magister Honeywell has provided us with our food and wonderful beverages this evening.  As well as a fantastic little surprise, I am sure he is eager to introduce. . .Aren’t you Aloysius?”

And what a surprise it was.  She would slam her large plated forearm directly into the unsuspecting guard, while she climbed on top of him with two clawed, plated hands curling around his neck and suffocating him.  Two other of her personal guard rushed in beside her, tackling the others and matching her near perfect delivery with similar attacks of their own.

“Magister Sunwood has organized the entertainment for this evening, from what I see it is a marvelous little robotic musical box.  And of course, the many fabulous vineyards from around our beloved Quel’thalas have all entered their hat in the race to be crowned this years Vinter of the Year.  And please, do not forget to fill out your voting cards and place them in the ballot box by tenth bell this evening!”

The bodies that continued to toss aside were cleanly removed and taken with the rest as the cleaners worked from both ends, swooping in and picking off any that were marked for delivery.  One by one the Bladewarden and Harbinger would cut a swath through the enemies, and those who were innocent remained unharmed.

“Thank you Magister Dawnseeker!”  Honeywell said as he clapped his hands in unison with the rest of the crowd.  

A cupped wave would be made as one of his own personal guards handed Dawnseeker his own glass of wine as he made his way toward the rear of the presentation.

“Now, I would like to announce our very special treat for everyone.  Along the waterfront while we have been enjoying meals and festivities, a wonderful treat has been set up for all to witness.  We have a magnificent fireworks display that will carry us up to the announcement of Vintner of the Year, so please. . .if you all would follow our escorts down the carriage path out the rear balcony doors.  They will take you all the short distance through the gardens and down to the water.”

Honeywell smiled and began to motion people in the direction of the large double doors that were leading them out to the gardens.  It was this distraction that would help to ensure whatever was going to happen in the manor; stayed there.  At the behest of the young lady Kash’ebahl, no innocents were to be harmed if it could be avoided.

To be continued... In Depths Below:Masquerade,Part 6