#also if something in the timeline catches your eye feel free to reach out too

[silenthowls]

Now that I've gathered some thoughts and done some brainstorming with a few people, I'm going to be making a more cohesive timeline and put my plot ideas from my initial post here so everything is all organized. Later, I will be making a specific page for events summarizing Yohan's reactions and interactions during them for posterity ~ I'll also do smth similar to this when the next part of the event hits as well.

⸻ THE ALIBI

Yohan was, admittedly, not thinking of giving too many people an out for this one. Unless you were Bae Yunhee, that is. The narrative is that Yohan overheard their plans to go to the resort for a getaway; his own presence there being a reluctant chaperone and alibi for their sake. Just in case their parents disapproved of their sudden private tryst and needed an out for being alone together. The rest of the story is that he, for the most part, kept to himself, wandering around the building quietly like a man intent on meditating — which is actually true to the real events of that day prior to the dinner party.

⸻ TIMELINE

DEC 20TH : Yohan was out on an arranged date when the news broke, and proceeded to make several phone calls. Needless to say, he rushed back to campus the minute after he hears it, trying not to throw himself into a panic. That night is his first sleepless one — he stays up all night.

DEC 21ST : The funeral comes fast; so fast that Yohan still hardly has much time to register what's happened. It is clear he is in distress. During this day, he is quiet, trembling as he attempts to keep himself together in the presence of others. He mentions after, off-hand, that maybe he should speak to the police.

DEC 22ND : By now, it is beyond clear Yohan has hardly gotten much sleep in the past two days, nor eaten from the way his stomach bubbles in protest. However, he is in intent on attending each day of the funeral. His parents attend with him this time to console Hyungseo's. Unfortunately, this is also the day Yohan happens to lose his mind and has his outburst, spurred on by the hostility that already rests in the air. He is dragged away and piled into his parent's car. They take him home shortly after where he continues his meltdown and subsequently punches a hole in the wall of his room. His father gives him the beating of the lifetime to knock some sense into him, and discipline him for embarrassing them in front of everyone. "You may be too old to send back, but we can sure as hell disown you. Did you forget how lucky you are?"

DEC 23RD : Yohan shows up to the final day, too; more rested, but keeping to himself this time. There is a bandage over his knuckles now and a far off look in his eye, light wincing as he walks. It is quite obvious he is seething, though. The same day, he visits the memorial for the first time and places the pocket watch he intended to gift Hyungseo after his victory among the other things. He decides it's time to throw himself head first into self-destructive behaviors.

DEC 24TH : Another memorial visit to assess what's been left for Hyungseo. Another day of thinking of taking up smoking. Another day of plotting revenge on everyone who has wronged him and Hyungseo.

DEC 25TH : His father, once again, is unhappy with his adopted son. He's caught wind of the police interview taking place the next day and decides to remind Yohan of his place. If he had any thought of exposing the entire thing, it's been forced out of him now. He's in no mood for Christmas dinner and leaves to do something more productive with his time.

DEC 26TH : The interrogation, interview; whatever you may call it. Yohan keeps to himself for the most part if he sees anyone at the station. He's decided. Everyone will pay for this somehow.

⸻ PLOT IDEAS

It is a couple days after Hyungseo is found. His funeral is taking place, and Yohan is none too calm about it. When his outburst comes, only MUSE A is the one who takes action and pulls him back before something bad happens. They are the one who loads him into the car that takes him to his parents' home where he is met with his own version of Hell. Not that they would ever know what they'd done.

SONG SUNYOUNG is determined to convince Yohan to cease in his determination to tell the entire truth. Whether it's done in a gentle manner or not is of no consequence. He doesn't seem like he's backing down the day the news is revealed, and he has it already set in his mind. Maybe it's time to set him straight. But, at least you aren't the only one trying to talk some sense into the man.

In this time, Yohan finds himself more willing to do things he wouldn't normally be inclined to do. In his search for distractions and in his attempt to put his mind off of completely going off the deep end, he finds solace in MUSE C for the time being. What's a little scandalous rendezvous between two people in a difficult time? Especially if it means he will chill out a bit and stop threatening to cause havoc? It might offer a temporary slice of stress relief along the way. And, no, it doesn't matter if they've always hated each other or will ruin their friendship with it.

MUSE D just doesn't get it. What was so great about Hyungseo anyway, and why is Yohan so damn hung up on someone like him? They are the first to express this out loud, deriding the man's method of mourning. It seems he's lost his mind, after all, so aren't their feelings justified? Anyway, it wouldn't be the first or last person who Yohan gets in a fight with during this week of turmoil. Physically or otherwise.

[conchcronch]

Every Kiss with You - Part 2

Sanji x You

Sanji told you to wait, but it’s never been something you’re good at. But he takes pity on you and makes up for neglecting your needs for far too long.

Part 1 if you haven’t already read it.

NSFW Below the cut.

You pull yourself out of the kitchen, blanket dragging behind you as you step out onto the deck. The sky is golden kissed with light red and orange tones, the sun peaking over the horizon casting a romantic glow over the whole boat.

You try to get back to your quarters as quickly as possible, the throbbing between your legs becoming overly distracting as is the slick that’s made its way to your inner thighs. You’re briefly stopped by Robin who is surprised to see you up and about so early, but you assure her you were just helping Sanji with his morning prep since he seems especially tired this morning. She waves you off to bed, assuring you she’ll convince the crew to help clean up the dishes so he’s able to get some more rest. You’re about 60% sure she saw right through your lie but you couldn’t care less as you beeline to your room.

You close the door behind you, pressing your back against it as you mentally try to figure out how much time you have left. You deduce about 10 minutes but you know you can’t realistically hold him to such a tight timeline. You throw yourself on the bed, laying on Sanji’s side with your face pressed into his pillow loving the smell he left behind. You can’t help but wiggle your hand between your body and the mattress, pressing against your neglected clit, a whine caught in your throat as you feel how tacky the inside of your thighs are. You struggle to contain your voice as you rut against your own hand, wishing it were his. You can hear the crew stir in their quarters, Zoro staggering into the shared wall as he forces Luffy to get up, his groggy voice clear as though he’s in the same room as you. Normally being reminded of the thin walls would have forced your hand away from your wet folds or at the very least cover your mouth with your free hand, but not this morning. You bite your bottom lip in hopes it stifles your sounds but your fingers only pick up their pace against your sensitive nub.

Your hips are raised off the bed, your hand working your clit as you chase after your orgasm, the 15 minute countdown long forgotten. You’re so close, the smell of his pillow paired with your hand that’s almost cramping from the unhinged pace has you right on the edge. “What did I say?” His voice catches you entirely off guard, you had been so caught up in chasing your own pleasure you hadn’t even heard him come in. You felt a warm hand on your ass, shoving you over so you were on your side, staring up at him through teary eyes. His curled eyebrow is raised as he loosens his tie. “Well?” You blink your eyes a few times, trying to swallow but your mouth is so dry it almost hurts.

“I-I didn-” He reaches out to grab your chin, his grip is tight enough to lead you but not enough to leave any marks. He pulls you gently as you push yourself up on your knees as he guides you as high as you can without standing.

“What did I say?” His eyes scan over your form, eating up the way your stolen shirt is off center so your shoulder is exposed, your hair still mussed from sleep. “How many times am I going to have to ask?”

“You said to w-wait.” You hadn’t thought that’s what he had meant, you thought it was more like he wanted you to be there when he returned. But really you should have known Sanji never liked you to indulge in your own pleasure without him, something you had never taken seriously but also never admitted to.

“And what didn’t you do?” Another rough swallow that was loud enough for him to hear, making him smile.

“I didn’t wait.”

“You definitely didn’t.” He lets go of your chin, your body naturally slouching from the extended position he had been holding you in. “Imagine my surprise when I come down the hall and hear you moaning.” Your face burns “Moaning for everyone to hear.” With a knee on the bed he starts to unbutton his dress shirt, leaving it open as he pulls his tie over his head and hanging it off the headboard. “It’s like you want someone else to hear.” You want him to touch you, you want him to throw you back on the mattress and do anything he wants. But he does everything he can not to give you what you want. He carefully unbuttons the few buttons holding the shirt you stole together, taking great care to let the tips of his fingers ghost over your exposed skin every time he separates the button from the fabric.

“I couldn’t help myself.” It’s all you can manage to say, you have no excuse and he knows it.

“Well if you want it so bad,” He pushes the shirt off your shoulders, leaving you entirely bare before him. You can tell he’s restraining himself, he wants to run his hands along your chest, wants to pepper every inch of your skin with his lips but it’s not often he gets you in such a vulnerable position and he was going to enjoy this. He leans forward, bringing his lips to yours for the first time since entering the bedroom but stopping a hair away. “What do you want to do first, mon cœur?” He didn’t give you a chance to respond before his lips were on yours, tongue sliding along your bottom lip, begging to let him in, and who were you to deny such a request? He slowly crawls onto the bed as you find yourself being pushed back, one hand cupping his cheek the other running along his bare chest. The kiss could have gone on for hours, but when he finally pulls back there’s a string of saliva connecting his lips to yours. He tries to lean back in to continue the kiss but your words give him pause.

“I want to…” Your voice faded, and you hoped he got the message as your eyes darted downward, lingering on the tent in his slacks. Even if he did get the message though, he wanted to hear you say it.

”Want to what, my Princess?” His lips curved up at the edges, confirming he did, in fact, know what you meant. You decided to show him rather then tell him, knowing he enjoys when you take charge. You begin to sit up, a hand on his chest pushing him back slowly. When you’re both sitting up you ungracefully scoot around him and off the bed, he turns himself around so his legs are dangling off the bed just how you want him. Your hands make quick work of his slacks, pulling them open and tugging at them to signal you wanted them off. He laughs a bit at your determined expression, lifting his hips for you to guide his pants and boxers off his hips and down his legs until you could toss them behind you. You normally would have enjoyed having him at your will but the white hot iron that was turning in your loins was too much to ignore.

You were quick to wrap your hand around his cock, loving the fact that his tip was already slick with precum. Despite the high bed, his long legs were planted firmly on the ground, allowing him to thrust into your mouth with ease if he so chose. You ran your hand down his muscular thigh and calf as you lowered yourself to the ground, coming face to face with his thin but above average member. You hazard a glance up at him, his eyes glued to you almost unblinking as you licked a long strip from the base of his cock to his head, tongue circling his tip before engulfing it with your mouth. Your name was hot on his tongue, slipping out the same way breath does. You’re quick to take more of him in your mouth, expecting your skills to be rusty but thankfully the nights spent fantasizing about this very moment come in handy. It isn’t long before your nose is nestled against his groomed blonde hair at the base of his cock, your gag reflex ignored as long as you can before you force yourself to pull off for a gasp of air.

His hand grabbed your hair, pulling it back as though it were tied up in a ponytail. His grip only really affecting your rhythm when he wanted you to pull off. “T-to think” You could tell he was struggling to get the thought out, taking his time to pause and let out a shaky breath every few words. “I n-neglect-ted y-you so long-g” His head was lolled back, his eyes scrunched closed in concentration. You finally released his cock from your mouth, your jaw only aching a little bit as you messily lap at his head, loving the way his whole body all but vibrates. You slowly stand up, hands running up his thighs until you can press kisses to his chest, pushing his open shirt off his shoulders.

“I’m sure you’ll find some way to make it up to me.” You said against his neck, unable to resist sucking hickies as you trailed up to his face.

“I want to taste you.” Words you never got sick of hearing.

“I suppose it’s the least you can do.” You say before kissing up to his lips, his tongue greedily exploring your mouth once again. His hands find their way to your ass, picking you up like you weigh nothing and moving so he could lay you on the bed. Slowly you watched him lay back against the mattress, he looked at you with a love drunk expression.

“Ride my face” you knew your face was bright red from how it burned. “Please” he reached a hand out to you, reaching right between your thighs to rub his thumb against your clit. You knew your apprehension wasn’t long for this world the moment his hand slid between your legs but something deep inside you fought against his request.

“What if…what if I weigh too much, what if I suffocate you?” You couldn’t even make it through the sentence without both a sigh and a laugh, realizing how ridiculous your concerns were even once they left your mouth.

“Then that’s the way I want to go.” With the hand that wasn’t between your legs he led your hand to his lips, peppering it with reassuring kisses. “Ma puce, you have nothing to worry about.” He watched as your hesitation melted away, giving way to pleasure. “Please my sweet” your brows knit together before finally you nod. He guides you from where he laid you on the bed to straddling his face.

He could tell even though you agreed you were still unsure so his hands moved along your skin slowly, making sure to ease you into things barely able to restrain himself from tasting you. As he felt you ease into his hands more, your core lowering to be within tongue’s reach. He lapped a long strip along your lips, both of you morning in unison. You glanced over your shoulder and watched his cock jump, his precum making a small puddle just above his belly button. With every movement of his tongue he would moan wantonly into you, his sounds getting progressively more pornographic.

“S-Sanji you’re be-ing so loud” you stuttered out, barely able to string words together to piece together a sentence that made any sense. His grip only tightened on your thighs, tugging you down further so you were fully sat on him. The feeling of his facial hair against your ass as you grind down on his mouth was something you never expected to feel nearly as good as it so clearly does. His nose nudges at your clit every time he laps a long strip along your core, his face sure to be covered in your slick. You feel the twitch of an approaching orgasm right behind your navel, as you rut against his mouth his needy moans pushing you over that edge, a slew of incoherent words spilled from your mouth.

Your hands supported you as you fell forward, your vision blurred and the sting of overstimulation bit at your clit but Sanji didn’t stop. His tongue still ran over your core, teasing your hole every time. Each time his nose grazed over your clit your whole body tensed but despite all of that, you felt yourself ushering towards another orgasm. You could feel how wet your thighs were, you knew he was bound to be drenched but from between your legs he coaxed you. “You can give me another one” He managed between his greedy lap, his voice muffled by your cunt.

“S-Sanji” His name seemed to be the only word you remembered in this moment, your brain cells long since gone only to be replaced with his name. With each breath you exhaled, his name was on your tongue. You found it in yourself to hump against his face, your arms shaking the more weight you put on them, your muscles felt like jelly but the need for another orgasm outweighed everything else.

“Cum for me, please, I need it” You could feel his breath on your cunt, his lips moving against your folds as he spoke. And yet, what sent you over the edge again was the way he moaned greedily into you, as though his desire for you to cum was a need more then anything else. And when you finally felt the earth shattering orgasm take your body you couldn’t control the volume at which the moans fell from your lips, you knew everyone on the boat could hear you but in that moment nothing mattered.

Your body slumped, your arms barely able to hold your body up as he lightly licked between your folds, unable to resist your taste despite the pitiful pleading whimpers that slipped from your lips. Eventually he forced himself to stop, his hands very gently guiding your hips to the side, your whole body rolling until you were laying down facing him. He sat up slowly, his entire chin slick with you, his facial hair was shiny and his tongue was licking his lips repeatedly. “A-are you okay, my love?” His hand touched your cheek, his form moving so he was crouched neck to you, the smell of his arousal and your’s filling your nose.

“Fuck” Was all you could manage, your eyes falling closed as he held your face with one hand, moving your hair from your eyes with the other.

“I should have stopped” He said quietly, it was unclear if it was intended to be heard by you or kept to himself. You stayed quiet for a few minutes, enjoying when he laid down next to you, pulling you to rest your head on his chest.

When you reached down and grabbed his neglected cock, you’re sure he was half asleep and you startled him awake, earning yourself a surprised moan. “Did you think I was just going to ignore this?” Your words were quieter than normal, maybe trying to make up for just how loud you had been earlier. “This is what I’ve been waiting for, fantasizing about '' You slowly slid your hand along his shaft, loving the way he leaned his head against yours as he breathed heavily. “Sanji '' He hummed as you ran your thumb over his hole, gathering the bead of pre cum and working it down the rest of his cock. “Sanji, I need you to do something for me.”

“A-Anything for you, ma petite.” His hips bucked to meet your strokes, “I’ll do anything for you.” His tone was whiny, his lips covered yours, the position was awkward and you knew if you stayed like this much longer you would have a kink in your neck. A kink that you’d be sure to mention in passing so Sanji could help you get rid of it later.

“I want you to fill me to the brim until I can’t take anymore.” You spoke into his mouth, his affirming hum returned into yours.

“You want my cock that bad?” You shook your head, feeling his lips pull away, opening your eyes to see his staring back at you a few inches from your face. Confusion painted across his expression. Without another words you cleared the distance, your hands wandering down his lean form as you moaned into his mouth.

“No Sanji,” You breathed into him, forcing yourself to pull back because you needed to see his reaction to your next sentence. “I need you to fill me.” You knew he was trying to process every possible meaning behind the sentiment other then the true meaning you were intending.

“My love, I don’t think I understand.” You cupped his face, loving the way he leaned into your touch, moving his head so he could press a kiss to your thumb.

“Oh that’s the thing, I think you know exactly what I’m asking for.” His expression blanked, and if your gaze had been downcast towards his cock that was currently drooling pre cum onto your belly you would have been the very noticeable way he bobbed at the realization. As his brain tried to wrap itself around your words, you took advantage of it, pushing him off of you similar to what he had done to you earlier. Wasting no time getting on top of him, and rubbing your folds against the head of his cock. He scrambled to sit up, pushing you both up further on the bed so he could prop himself up against the wall, his hands grabbing your waist.

“Y-you’re sure?” You very slowly sat down on his cock, slow enough that you could feel every inch of him enter you until he was fully inside of you.

“I’m so sure.” You couldn’t help but moan out, your hips grinding against his pelvis, feeling him stretch you out.

“I won’t last long” His cheeks flushed at the words, the sensation of your heat wrapped around him with no barrier was already making it hard for him to resist, his words coming out in puffs with his breath.

“I don’t need you to.” You leaned forward, your lips meeting in a sloppy kiss as he guided your body off of his cock until just the head remained inside. He moved your hips around, fucking you on just his head, the sound of your slick was the loudest thing in the room, that is, before he pushed you down onto his cock with no warning evoking a surprised moan to lurch from your throat.

He clenched his jaw tight as he manipulated you on top of him, his blunt nails digging into your waist as he tried to stave off his orgasm as long as he could. You could tell he was close, anyone with eyes could see the way his brows were knit together and his hips were even beginning to buck into you. But just as you thought he was about to cum, he picked you up and all but tossed you onto the pillows to your left. His breath was short and his skin was dewy, he ran a hand across his face trying so hard to will his orgasm away. You watched as he clenched his hands into a fist, the muscles in his stomach tensing and untensing for a minute or two before he looked back at you, “I’m not done with you.”

Next thing you knew, he was on his hands and knees, grabbing your ankle and pulling you underneath him. His hands guided your legs onto his shoulders, his lips attaching themselves to your neck so you could hear every grunt, moan and breathe, “Just tell me if this is too much.” You were surprised to hear his words so steady, you half wished you could speak in such an even tone in this moment but any chance of that was gone as soon as he slipped his cock back into you. Your thighs were sandwiched between his chest and yours, the burn in your hamstrings was intense but somehow only served to enhance everything else you were feeling. Every time he thrust into you he let out a low moan, lapping at your neck between sounds.

“S-San-ji” You were repeating his name as though it were a prayer, the smacking of your skin filled the room and just when you thought you were teetering on the edge, you forced words out”’Ji I want you to c-cum” He stifled a moan in your neck as a response, swallowing hard before managing to piece together a sentence.

“You want me to c-cum…inside?” You nodded the slapping of him against you got quicker, and surely louder.

“Fuck yes, please!” You begged, the words tumbling out of your mouth so quickly you couldn’t even keep track of what you were saying. You could feel his hot breath on the side of your neck as he turned all his focus onto reaching that peak, which truthfully wasn’t going to take that much. “P-puh-lease cum inside” You dug your nails into his back, dragging them downwards so you could claw at what little of his ass you could reach. His thrusts began to lose their rhythm, until finally you felt a wave of heat fill you from the inside, his hips pressed flesh against you for a moment before he began thrusting hard into you again, fucking his seed into you as you both were unable to control your volume.

His thrusts slowed until they stilled, his head laying limp against your collarbones as his breath warmed your chest. You knew there would be a mess once he pulled out but you couldn’t help but think about how good that had felt. Your mind was blank, no thoughts, no opinions, just how this moment felt. The comforting weight of him on top of you, the way you could just barely hear the slightly hint of a whimper every time he exhaled, how good his hair smelt. You nuzzle your nose into his hair, pressing lazy kisses as he slowly returns to the land of the living, the realization of your position taking a few seconds of dawn on him before he scrambled to sit up. The sudden movement caused his flaccid cock to shift inside of you, causing both of you to moan almost painfully as he carefully helped your legs off of his shoulders. His gaze flipped between your expression as he pulled out and watched his cum slowly drip out of your hole once he was fully out.

If he hadn’t already drawn 3 orgasms out of you, he would have been extremely tempted to clean up the mess he made between your thighs but he resisted. Opting to grab a towel that was hanging to the back of the door and carefully wipe at his seed before it began to dry into a crusty mess. When he felt he had cleaned up the majority of his cum that was working its way out of you, he crawled back onto the bed next to you, pulling a forgotten blanket from the bottom of the bed over both of you. You were quick to readjust yourself so your head was on his chest, listening to the sound of his steady heartbeat as you felt yourself being lulled to sleep.

You couldn’t remember the last time you had both fallen asleep at the same time, the last time he had carded his fingers through your hair as you dozed off. You heard his voice, heavy with sleep whisper something to you, but your mind was still too fuzzy to be able to piece his foreign words together

“Je te choisirais plutôt que tout le reste.”

[rise-my-angel]

Bonds and Seizure

Pairing: Javi Gutierrez x Female Reader

Length: 18.3k

Warnings: angst/hurt comfort, happy ending, kidnapping, held against will, threats of violence, mentions of guns and drugs, slowburn, smut, masturbation, p in v, dry humping

Notes: Set before movie events and timeline but you don't need to see the movie to follow this story.

So far, your chances at every visiting Spain for a second time were looking quite slim. You had maybe about two hours of time to enjoy the warm sun and the beautiful waterside view of your hotel until your brother finally knocked at the door. You were only able to see him for a fraction of a second before a second man pushed through the door. 

The same man who was now kneeling in front of your face with a slimy grin speaking to you condescendingly like you were a petulant child. You weren't actually sure how you got there, but judging by the slight pain at the side of your head and how strangely groggy you had felt just minutes after waking up? You guessed you had either been hit on the head and drugged before you could wake up, or drugged and hit your head on the floor as you passed out. 

Either way, you had woken up to a terribly bright light as your hands were tied behind your back of the chair you were sat at. This man with dyed white hair and a look in his eye you could only describe as unhinged wasn’t even your biggest concern, nor was it the darker haired man with a furrowed stern expression standing a bit behind him that entered just minutes before this nightmare hopefully ended.

But it didn’t. This white haired man finally left you alone with this newcomer but not before leaning into his companions personal space and looking with gleeful eyes back at you, “Don’t worry, you’ll be perfectly safe in Javi's hands. Our head honcho’s are always well stocked with security afterall.” 

The darker haired man shot him a sideways glare, but didn’t say a word. He stood with little move to follow, just sliding his hands up to his hips as he turns his head to watch him walk away. A small aggressive bout of Spanish flying from the white haired mans mouth, far too quick for your somewhat limited language skills to catch. 

What had surprised you was after you were left alone. Looking back on it you think a degree of shock must have kicked in, you had been silent and shaking, you hadn’t really even looked at him. You’re not sure if he said something or what, but he just cut the ties to free your arms and at some point, led you into a washroom where you stood now. 

The water had been on a hot setting with high pressure as you cranked it all the way right, and finally your senses floated back into the forefront of your mind as you slowly turned it down to a gentler level. You truly had taken nothing in, was this even the first stop he brought you too? Why even bother with giving you this, if you were just a prisoner? 

On one hand, you could feel the sluggish grog slip down the drain and relax the muscle tension of how you woke up, but it also felt like a trick. 

These were arms dealers. That was made quite clear to you, the white haired one spitting out in venom that they were much more lucrative then ‘careless coke peddlers’. You weren’t sure if that scared you more, the reach of those cartels involved in guns and weapons far exceeded that of drugs. How your brother got involved in this was beyond you. 

Two of you had barley spoken, he had left for Europe around two years ago and kept quiet ever since. Occasionally he had called for money, and you were weak enough to send it to him. Never specifying what he needed it so desperately for, but you handed it over. Now it seems, he had handed you over as a payment he knew you couldn’t cover.

“You still don’t get it do you, princesa?” You could feel the vile musk of his breathe slamming against your ear as he kneeled in front of you. “You are our payment. He does what we tell him, his work pays off that debt, and you get put up as collateral.” 

You could still feel the trembling in every limb, as you just told him you didn’t understand.

The man grinned in response and that's when you truly knew how bad this was. “Easy. He pays off his debt doing whatever we order him to do, and you get to go back to your cushy little home in America. He fails to pay off what he owes though? And we keep you as compensation.” 

You ran your hands over your face and up over the top of your head as you stuck your entire face in the water stream. As long as you couldn’t see, you could act as if the world right outside of that door wasn’t a hell waiting for you. 

He had called this a compound, and you were a prisoner. The only images able to be conjured up was cells and dungeons from too many films to count. Chained up on a harsh dirty floor or locked behind a freezing barrier of cell doors. Running wasn’t an option. Everyone here probably kept guns on their person at all times. Why not? They had them in droves. 

As the hot water begun to cool though, you knew there was a large man waiting for you on the other side, if not just his own people ready to drag you down and lock you away. The other had said something about this man being in charge. How egregious was your brothers crimes that the only suitable place to store you was the prison walls of the cartel leader? 

Each step you took slowly, taking your time to slowly grasp everything to dry you off, small baby steps towards where you had haphazardly peeled your clothes off. By the time you had redressed, there was nothing else to stall you. Your fate was set and you had to deal with it no matter what. 

The handle was turned painfully slow, your jaw clenched and teeth subconsciously biting into the inside of your cheek. There was no breath in your lungs as you inched the door open to see who was waiting for you on the other side. 

But there was none. Just a modest hallway lined with rich woodwork and high open windows brightening it with the sunlight. You leaned your head out into the hallway more, peeking as if you were being tricked. But as you slowly made your way into the hall, it was clear there was no one there to drag you away. 

The hall wasn’t long but you stepped through it timid and slowly, feeling as if it went on forever and perhaps that what you wished it would do. Go on so long you never had to think about what was at the end. There weren’t that much in the way of doors. 

Tall arches that reached the high ceiling that let even more sunlight filter through the building and casting a warm glow on the bright walls. There was a door in sight though once you reached the end of a hallway, a few ones in fact sparsely spaced out giving a sense of good privacy between them. 

One of them, was halfway open, and the corner of what appeared to be a bed in the sight. These all must be bedrooms. You’re not sure why you went to look inside. Maybe it was the tease of a luxury you’d never know or feel, catch a glimpse of wealth before you were used as a tool to take it away from your own brother. 

The room was brighter then even the others you passed, a large window with the glass planes turned outward and letting a cool breeze fly around the curtains. Moving further inside, you saw a familiar figure with his back to you looking through drawers as he mutters to himself. He seemed to sense someone entering the room as he turned around. 

That same furrowed brow lightening up to a strangely softer wide eyed look. He gestured behind him to the drawers as he finally spoke to you. “There is not much here, but I can send someone out to buys some things for you, or we-” He cleared his throat almost hesitantly. “Or my assistant can help you look on the internet so you can pick whatever you want yourself.” 

Your hands hung loosely at your side, fingers clenching and unclenching against the fabric of your pants. Your eyes narrowed in confusion but were too nervous to speak up in front of him. 

Sensing your lack of understanding, he moved away from that side of the room to stand in the open middle, nothing on his face that screamed anything close to the threat of his other companion. He pointed to your clothes, “You were only brought here with what was on you, clearly not realizing you may want actual clothes of your own to wear. Small details are not Lucas’s strong point.” 

It was hard to tell if he was just judging how cheap and uninteresting your choice in outfit was compared to the soft and rich fabric of the brown button up draping over his broad frame. Your feet switching weight from side to side, “Lucas?” 

His own face fell, an unhappy sort of frown following. “My cousin. The man who brought you here I could only assume against your will.” Having his name didn’t make you feel any better. “He told me to keep you here but I see no point in making you uncomfortable. More comfortable I mean.” 

A nod was all he got in return, it was odd though, for who he was that he just kept rambling after every lack of response as if anxiously filling the void of silence. “This is your room, I-hopefully it’s good enough but feel free to speak up about anything you need, more pillows, less, if the comforter is too heavy or not warm enough. I know the guest rooms tend to not have very soft blankets but they aren’t...used very often.” 

The room teased you with luxury your small 4 room apartment above a small restaurant mocked you. This was nicer then your whole life. You crossed your arms meekly across your chest near your stomach, shoulders shrinking into themselves as if trying to become smaller. 

The man nodded to himself, in opposite to you he straightened up more. “This is not a prison, and I don’t want to treat you like one. It’s my home, and I want it to feel welcoming to anyone staying here, no matter the circumstances.” 

It was clear you didn’t want to discuss why you were here, but you couldn’t wrap your head around being given any sort of comfort or freedom. 

“It’s an island which is likely why Lucas chose to bring you here, but it is large. Plenty of space inside and outside to have your privacy. Me and the people who work here don’t want to keep you on a leash, there is a security system but they don’t exist to watch your every step.” 

You approached the bed, fingers reaching out to lightly trace the white blanket so untouched it almost looked new. The inside of your cheek stung from how much your teeth bit against it, but you weren’t brave enough to stop doing it, or to find your voice. You had been ready to start crying out of fear, but now they sat just glazing over enough to redden them from an unexpected overwhelmed feeling. 

He spoke up one last time. “I’m sorry you probably want some time along right now, I should leave you be. My home is not off limits, you can go anywhere you like you aren’t restricted to your room. You didn’t choose to be here, but I don’t want you scared to just exist. You are free to do anything you like.” 

You turned your body away from him as he passed, despite the wide path he took to not invade your personal space. Whatever distressed emotion that flickered across his features at your anxiousness went unnoticed by you your head down at the floor. You gave him just one bit of feedback before he left. 

Your name. “I don’t uh, know how much he told you, but that’s my name.” 

You peeked up at him, a much more relieved smile passed his face and sat in his brown eyes. “I’m Javi. If you need anything, just ask. Please. I would rather you feel comfortable then scared while you are here.”

For a while you were left alone in the room. The breeze and sun dancing over the still damp skin as you paced around the room. This guest room reminded you much more of what you imagined a vacation home would be like instead of the more sterile empty hotel like bedroom you would assume a leader such as him would bother to provide. 

Despite the promise of freedom, you were still trapped on an island under the watch of people more dangerous then you could imagine meeting. For a good portion of the afternoon, you sat in a corner hidden from the view of the door. Back against the wall and arms hugging your knees pressed up tight. 

It wasn’t quite a cry. There were no sobs or panic turned into gasping for air in fear. But a steady stream of tears that fell with no effort as you hid your face for a while. Body curled in protection as the soft waves of the nearby shore provided an upsetting contrast to their act as a weapon. 

Once the sky said goodbye to the bright blue and simmered into a gold unobstructed by a tall hideous city seen, you found the courage to get up, to explore somewhere other then the 3 rooms known to you.

Luckily, you ran into next to nobody. There wasn’t brawny gunmen pacing and guarding the surroundings or displays of force to intimidate any island onlookers. Just normal people fluttering around doing such normal jobs. 

At one point you were near what you assumed was the kitchen, sounds of a sizzling and two female voices chatting and laughing, the Spanish all too advanced for you to catch. Javi seemed to be true to his word, you found your way outside and walked the comfortable cliffs edge by the water. Well tended greenery flourished around the property with an illusion of peace. 

Turns out much of your first evening here was spent out there. The splashing water the only sound you could stomach right now. You had stood arms crossed for quite a while until your legs needed a rest. So in the same spot, you just sat with your legs crossed, arms hugging your torso. 

Mostly, you only had one thought swarming your brain. Why would your brother do any of this to you? 

For the next two days, you kept to yourself and very little of the staff bothered you. They all smiled and greeted you as they passed you as normally as one might greet their coworker. You didn’t know if Javi wasn’t on the property or if he was making himself scarce on purpose, but you didn’t see or hear from him since that first day. 

The only two people you even spoke to in fact was his assistant, Gabriela, and the woman who works the kitchen, Camilia.

Gabriela you met first, turns out you had seen her many times as she could usually be found walking a quick pace around the property usually with a stern somewhat intimidating expression either speaking rapid fire at another employee or going just as fast on the phone. 

It wasn’t until you both turned a corner and startled the other when you first spoke. She quickly ended her phone call, and the stern look faded away to something much more gentle without coming across as fake or condescending. Introducing yourselves, it felt odd to act as if these people didn’t know exactly why you were here. 

“I’d ask you how you were settling in, but I’m sure you’re long past that formality. Have you eaten since you got here yesterday? Camilia says she hasn’t even met you yet.” Her voice wasn’t coddling or judgmental. It almost held a parental tone to it, reminding you of a your aunt back home who would accost you every visit for not eating more and just piling food on your plate regardless. 

You shook your head, fidgeting in place as you looked out a window to the sunny sky and back. “No, I uhm, it felt..weird to just barge in like that. She doesn’t know me or anything and...” 

Gabriela smiled softly with an amused tint in her eye. “Trust me she wants you too. She’s been here for years and still will cook a mountain of food for Senor Gutierrez to eat anytime he’s busy enough to skip a meal. Come, she’s abrasive but not cruel.” 

Clearly she was used to giving orders as she turned and started walking in the direction of the kitchen, expecting you to follow her without question. Which you did. Coming up on the room you had avoided the first night, you both walked in and it surprised you how small and homey it felt. 

There were no stark silver white walls and stainless steel plastered everywhere with lifeless energy. Instead the walls were just as warm and brightly tinged in yellows and orange as the rest of the house, dark wooden counters with pots, pans, and plates everywhere without being messy and an open wooden threshold that led into a neatly organized pantry beside a spacious fridge that matched the darker counters. 

In the middle of the pantry stood a woman huffing as she counted something on one of the shelves. Her hair was a light orange wrapped up on the top of her head with loose strands starting to fall out of the loose grip. “Camilia,” 

Gabriela shouted to her, and the woman whipped over to the door and stood beside her with her hands balled into fists pressed against her waist. She didn’t waste anytime with formal pleasantries.

“If I had known you were going to hide from me like the plague I would have just woken you up first thing and forced the food down your throat.” Your eyes widened, body wanting to step back as a lurch formed in your chest. Not out of fear though, no this was the blunt attitude that was far more of giving a child a lecture. “I understand how Lucas brought you here like a brute, but that’s no excuse to skip meals or avoid bothering to ask me for anything whatsoever.” 

You opened your mouth hoping to soften the blow and maybe just give a white lie, but she was quicker on the draw. Her finger pointing out again, too much of a stern mothering lecture to let you even consider being intimidated. “Don’t you even try. I keep tabs on every little thing going in and out of this kitchen I’d have noticed if something went missing. The rest of these people know to just mark down what they’ve taken when I’m not here.” 

She nodded her head to a list tacked to a cork board on the wall by a small table and a variety of chairs, with empty drink glasses still sitting fresh. A small tally of items listed, mostly small things to munch on likely. You’d come to learn that Camilia tended to cook for the staff already knowing their schedules and just sitting it out when they would normally come in. And that Javi himself preferred to work around her and make something for himself. 

At that moment you weren’t sure if you could even stomach a full meal, but she fed you anyways. Had you sit down at the circular wooden table with Gabriela next to you, her elbows perched casually on the surface an amused smile never leaving. She was far less intimidating like this, and it gave you a bit of reprieve. 

Camilia asking you about your tastes, asking if you enjoyed olives only to interrogate you on what kind you’ve eaten. Apparently telling her ones in a jar from the store was the wrong answer. She huffed and turned back to the cutting board with a shaking head. 

“The years I’ve worked here, having all those olive groves at my fingertips and here you are sitting in my kitchen telling me what you like came out of a cheap chain store jar.” Gabriela was laughing at that point, your face totally taken back as you froze in your seat. 

This was not the kind of abrasive treatment you had expecting from forced captivity. 

The next day or two it got easier. Camilia used to seeing you slink in quietly, typically after the sun already went down as she was making dinner for herself. No one was around the kitchen area at that point, and you think she understood that. Never judging you for trying to avoid people, but she also know that when you said people, you meant Javi. 

Tonight was the night she broached the subject. The night sky was cloudless with the window wide open letting the colder air simmer the usual stuffy kitchen heat. For the first few minutes she watched as you pushed quietly at your food, only taking small bites before mostly filling up on water. 

“Listen, I’m not going to beat around the bush with you. We all know why you’re here, but believe me when I tell you none of us are comfortable with Lucas essentially holding you hostage here. The man’s not even brave enough to do his own dirty work so he dumped you onto Javi and made it his problem.” 

Your head looked up at her in doubt. Sure the staff have shown you kindness, but you didn’t understand how a man in Javi’s position would have something like this thrown at him by his own people. You shrugged and leaned back onto your chair, willing your heart to calm down from the steady racing it’s done for days. 

“I guess I don’t really understand what the point of keeping me here even is. Lucas told me something along the lines of wanting me to be kept an eye on by his own blood but,” You sighed. So many emotions yelling over top one another. “I mean I haven’t even seen him. Why keep me here if I basically don’t exist as far as hes concerned.” 

Abruptly you leaned forward to distract from looking at her with a larger bite this time. Your breathe tightening a twinge at the realization that maybe speaking about her cartel boss was a mistake. Camilia seemed to disagree. 

“You’ve barley seen him because he’s spent the past two days trying to argue with Lucas about letting you go home. Despite what it may feel like, Javi is not the kidnapping type.” Standing up she gathered your dishes and headed to the sink, her muttering just close enough for you to catch. “Whatever the opposite of that is more like it.” 

Unsure as to why, but you compelled yourself to walk through the house a bit more. It was large and spacious and you couldn’t deny that it was somewhat confusing to you still. It was in that wandering that you heard the faded sounds of speaking. 

Speaking though, much closer to dialogue then a regular conversation. Stashed in the end of one of the halls you hadn’t been in before was a tall sliding wooden door that sat half open. A red velvety fabric draped a few feet in front of it muffling the sounds from inside and obscuring any subtle peek you could take. 

Pulling the fabric across gently, you found yourself tip toeing into a windowless room covered in soft fabrics and a couch sitting just down the slight slope to the main area and an evenly as rich looking chairs diagonal to it facing a large screen. A film playing on it’s screen in a language you didn’t even recognize, no subtitles to hint at either. 

Your heart lurched in your chest though at the figure in the middle of the couch. Slouched over somewhat with a pen, scribbling at a few papers as he glanced up on occasion. He didn’t seem to realize he wasn’t alone, so you stepped closer. 

His dark hair was luscious with long curls that sat messier and unkempt then that first day. A multicoloured cardigan stretched across his broad shoulders you tried to push past the nerves of how large he was and how not strong you were. Would that ever be needed? 

You were about to quietly try to whisper his name, but his deep voice beat you to it. “There is plenty of room, there is no need to stand quietly in the corner.” He turned to look at you, soft brown eyes with no malicious in them nor in the tone he spoke. 

You fiddled with your fingertips rooted in place, “I didn’t know this was-I didn’t mean to bother you I mean.” 

Face falling into one of trouble again, his voice lowered not to a whisper but a soothing reassurance. “You’re no bother at all, I’d enjoy the company actually.” Nodding, you walked over. 

Debating on taking the furthest seat from him on the chair, you opted for the further end of the couch. Hands tucked into your lap as your back sat straighter then it was used too. You glanced at his papers before looking away realizing how bad of an idea that may be. Javi chuckled though. 

“You can look if you like. They’re not very interesting though, just scribbles of ideas going nowhere it seems.” Curiosity got the better of you and you tried to crane your head to glance at them without moving closer. 

You could just barley make out what you recognized as characters or plot. “Are you..writing a story?” 

Javi looked rather sheepish, glancing at his work and back to you a few times. “It isn’t much. I’ve always dreamt of writing screenplays. The drama of larger than life stories, trying to create characters that your audience can feel in their hearts, but my ideas in my head struggle when I actually try to write them down.”  

That touched somewhere inside of you. A passion you shared but never before with someone like him. Not being able to help yourself, you were ready to drone on for far too long. Everyone did always tell you that it was boring hearing you go on about something they didn’t care about. 

Javi, whether you knew it or not, felt the same way. “I shouldn’t bore you with this.” He scrambled to organize them all into a pile, off to the side. “The last thing you probably want to hear is me going on about my own work when you’re in my house against your will.” 

Striking you as odd he looked almost downtrodden. As soon as that day once Lucas left the room, there was not a lot about Javi that said you should be scared of him and it was a juxtaposition you didn’t understand. “Can I ask you something?” 

He whipped his head over to look at you, wide eyed and eagerly nodding. 

“Camilia said that you didn’t know about any of this until Lucas showed up with me...” You fiddled with you fingertips once again, squeezing your eyes shut as you took a deep breathe before meeting his warm ones. “Why would someone who works for you..just dump all of this on you out of nowhere? I mean it just, kind of feels weird that he’s making me your problem.” 

Javi’s eyes narrowed in a darker flash that you didn’t quite catch perfectly. A shift of demeanour that radiated something much more angry and serious like how he first looked to you, but simmered down as he leaned forward to rest his forearms on his thighs. “I assume you know what it is my family does.” 

You nodded, unsure if he really cared for an answer, but he patiently watched you before continuing. “I’m the one who winds up handling Lucas’s problems because I’m in the public eye, and he wants to keep himself out of it. Far easier to run this business when no one outside of it knows who your leader really is.” 

That sat heavy in your stomach, if he was trying to come up with a lie then this was a weird way to go about it. “So-wait. You don’t...run all of this?” 

Javi smiled without much emotion behind it, leaning back to rest against the plush couch again he smoothed his palms over his thighs. “Lucas prefers someone else takes the spotlight, and, well..” He turned his head to look at you as it rested against the back, “It’s much harder to live your own life after you’ve been raised in this one.” 

You hated it, the churning in your gut and passing all the way up to your throat. You weren’t supposed to sympathize with this man, let alone sit next to him in a quiet tucked away room. But there was a distance in his eyes that rung a lot like sorrow. And it pulled at the part of you that still fought past this angry resentment you were holding. 

“Why keep me here though, if you have nothing to do with it? I mean this was all about my brother and he, clearly, doesn’t work for you. I’m not exactly a flight risk why throw this onto you if you don’t run things?” 

You had shifted somewhat to the side, one leg remaining over the couch edge, but the other sat much more tucked underneath you as if debating if you wanted to get comfortable. The couch very much so tried to entice you to it. 

That flash of hardness returned. Javi’s eyes now trained focused on the screen as his jaw clenched. Finally when he spoke it felt as if it was being forced out of this throat in a deep grit. “I take the heat, I run his front, and in return, he forces me to bear the weight of his own problems. Why? Just because he knows I’ll do it if he asks.” 

It wasn’t the caged rage behind his words, but how much you were thinking of your own brother. Your heart pulled back and forth between a sickening anxiety of how and why you ended up here, but there was a much more tender reach, desperate to find any slight modicum of meaning in what these people wanted from you. “My brother and I barely talk.” 

You leaned back against the arm of the chair, your hands no longer wringing together but limp on your lap as you looked forward into nothing. “He left two years ago and ever since it’s one thing. He calls, I send him money, he calls I send him more money. No matter how much I needed it for myself, I found myself sending it over anyways only to have him just call for more months later. I guess now he figured he ran his bank account dry, so I was the next best thing to my wallet.” 

You didn’t hold the resentful anger that Javi felt, yours was just pain. The sting of watering eyes threatening to fall frustrating you. Looking up, Javi now faced you more. His head tilted as he looked you over in question. “Maybe it just wasn’t Lucas who put us together.” 

That wasn’t something you wanted to think about. How much in common this conversation had. Your chest filled with lead as your muscles screamed at you to lash out just to find any use for this building up conflict inside you. Javi though, refused to let it escalate. 

“Would you like to watch something with me?” You looked up in surprise, his face once again a soft hopefulness as he continued. “I rarely have anyone who likes to sit down and watch movies with me, and I thought maybe it would be a nice distraction to focus on for both of us.” 

He looked at you like a tall, large version of a needy child who doesn’t quite get the attention he should. Your brain told you no, he’s too dangerous to spend any real time around, but the other reached out to him in need. Like it was crawling through a desert looking for any connection to keep you alive. So you nodded. “What uhm, what would you want to watch?” 

Javi shot up suddenly, his tall stature hovered over you as he moved the coffee table forward enough to give you room to move as well. “I have many options. It’s not really sorted alphabetically like I should, but more like by what kind of moods you might be in, take your pick.” He turned to look at you only to find you had barley stood up from the couch. 

Your heart beat fast still, but perhaps you were just getting used to it. “Y-you want me to pick the movie?” 

Javi looked taken back, as if that was a question so obvious he didn’t know why you asked. “Of course.” 

You took a deep breathe, and nodded as you walked over. Hoping that Javi turned away in time to miss the sight of you wiping at your eyes to get rid of whatever tears had wanted to fall. He pointed out many suggestions. Going through what section was for what kind of movie feel, telling you what was maybe too serious or heavy and what was more fun and lighthearted. 

Everything about him in that moment as someone entirely separate from where you were. Excited and passionate about you both choosing a movie together like his entire life was dedicated to it. It tricked you into feeling as if this was normal. 

Just two people who enjoyed watching and writing fiction, finding something to enjoy the evening with. And you really did. None of the evening broached anywhere near the conversation of what you both were outside these walls. No you both laughed, and pointed out things you caught in the story or goofs in the production, and it was light. It was fun, and it wasn’t until hours later as you climbed into your large bed in this foreign bedroom that you went over it. 

It would be a slippery slope to find any friendship in this man, and you told yourself it was a real possibility this was all a ruse to get you comfortable only to be struck like a snake bite if your brother didn’t work what he put you up for. Would it be Lucas that deals the venomous blow? Or would the curtain pull back and reveal Javi as the snake he seemed reluctant to be? 

Either way, you didn’t listen to yourself. During the day little of your routine changed. Camilia still lectured you about the strange meal times you insisted on sneaking into the kitchen for, Gabriela had on many occasions explained what it is the public Gutierrez business was and how much work she always had because Javi always took on so much work himself. 

You learned things about them, little tidbits that felt safer then getting to know Javi. Camilia had a large family, five boys and a loving but aloof husband who she is sure lets her younger boys do whatever they want when she’s gone. Gabriela would talk a bit about her husband. That he worked just as much as she did, but they both lectured the other about trying to convince their bosses to grant them time off. 

“I know how hypocritical I am for it, but I have more resolve then he does I’ll break him one of these days.” The two of them were kind and helped ease you into living your mornings and afternoons without as much fear strangling you. 

It was your evenings though that were the most usual. The next few nights, you always ended up in Javi’s theatre room, the pair of you always alone and finding more and more in common as you shared a joy for movies and story writing. Some of those nights you found yourself even forgetting that this wasn’t just a night in with a close friend. 

You knew that could be a dangerous thing, but it was the thing you found yourself looking forward too the most. If not the only thing you looked forward to. He was passionate when he spoke in those times, full of life and you were so endeared towards the silly, goofy side of him that was unashamed to show their colours in those quiet, tucked away evenings. 

Javi had a strange knack for helping you forget the world you both were in those evenings. He spoke to you as a friend it felt. He kept his own past vague, but he eagerly asked you endless questions. Prodding you to elaborate or having that sharper seriousness cover his face when you’d try to meekly claim your life wasn’t anything near as interesting as whatever he’s experienced. 

At that moment, he stood on the other side of the room pouring a glass of what looked like rather expensive wine. Glancing up to you, he lifted the bottle up slightly better to your view as he read the label out. “Quite an uncommon one, if you ask me the honey makes it a bit closer to a mead but wine sells better. Would you like to try some?” 

You shook your head, curling your legs into your chest more as you sat once again against the arm of the couch. “No thank you. I don’t really drink wine..or anything for that matter. Water’s fine, please.” 

Javi didn’t waste another thought, he simply put the bottle away. Pouring you water, Javi walked back over and handed you the glass as you muttered a small thank you. A smirk forming on his face as he sat down. His body turned halfway to face you with one of his arms stretched across the expanse of the couch top. “You’re lucky I own groves and not vineyards. Otherwise I might have been offended.” 

Your own fingertips tapped at the glass as he looked away from you to take a sip. Pausing right before he did so, speaking into the rim of his wine glass causing his voice to echo in a slight husk. “Though you buttering me up with your politeness doesn’t hurt as well.” 

You breathed out a kind of small laugh and brought the glass up to your mouth, both hands holding it almost in comfort watching Javi chuckle to himself. The glass made a clank as he put it down on the table and turned to you once again. You both had a movie already picked out, but it sat unplayed with the screen not yet even turned on. 

Instead the crackling from the fireplace acted as the soundtrack for your in between silences. Javi’s own eyes bore into yours, the corners of them scrunched in a somewhat endearing way as he seemed to look for something in your expression alone. 

The orange glow dancing across his skin had your heart lurch in odd ways as it struck you that it truly painted him in a handsome light. He was making this feel more like a vacation then being held captive and you knew it could get taken away at any moment, but you let yourself fall further down the rabbit hole. 

A question slipped out before you could stop it. Maybe it was out of nerves the way he looked at you trying to understand something you didn’t know, or maybe it was the need to learn something about him that kept his real intentions shrouded in mystery still. Either way he looked surprised to hear it. “Javi, why let Lucas run things if he claims you’re in charge?” 

His eyes narrowed, looking deeper for that answer he seeked and you sat up straight suddenly. The sudden movement swishing some of the water over your lap a bit as you sputtered and backtracked. “I don’t mean it like- I wasn’t trying to imply anything I just- I was only..curious.” 

Javi had softly called your name a few times before you finally stopped talking. He looked calm compared to your now tense, rigid posture. Afraid that pushing any limit too far would rumble this house of cards. “I’m going to tell you something, and I need you to listen carefully do you understand?” 

When you nodded, Javi prompted more. “I need to hear you.” 

“Yes, I understand.” 

Nodding satisfied, he slid across the couch, his torso twisted so he could place his palm gently near one of yours but far enough not to invade the space. His head leaned down to etch close to your timid gaze. “I’m not going to ask you to forgive me, or demand you forget about all this and relax. But, I am asking you to settle your heart a bit. You’ve spent the past week terrified that one wrong thing will somehow push me over an edge I’m not even standing by.” 

Your shoulders slumped down a tad, teeth somewhat biting at your lip as you looked at his face, much harder like your first encounter but his eyes once again holding a distant sorrow that others on the property didn’t have. 

“You have every right to be terrified for what’s being forced on you, but I wish you at least will start to understand that as long as you are under my roof, there is no harm that will come to you.” One of his hands reached out, grazing your cheek to better have you looking at him. “Lucas’s men may consider you a prisoner, but I only wish to treat you like a guest, a friend. You don’t deserve to live in fear just spending time in here with me when there is more then enough of that across the water.” 

A hand of yours shakily raised up, lightly grasping at his wrist. Your hand so small in comparison to his that your fingers barley grazed the ends of his knuckles. You tried to squeeze as if a hand hold and he seemed to get the idea. A caressing hold on the side of your face before letting go. “To answer your question though, Lucas is in charge instead of me, because I didn’t want to be. That wasn’t a life I ever wanted, but now?” 

You whispered, partially to yourself but enough to make sure he understood you right back. “But escaping what your family puts on you isn’t that easy isn’t it?” Your eyes met and you for once felt a calmer relief at how unbothered this all seemed to make him. “I think we both know exactly how that feels. Kind of like-”

“Being a prisoner?” 

His face as serious, but you chuckled instead. “Yeah, something like that.” You smiled to yourself once again sipping at your drink, now trying not to look at him. You missed his watchful eyes shine in a particular way at you before shaking it off as you spoke up. 

“Alright, I think we had movie plans right?” You shifted up in place, legs now crossed almost underneath you as Javi agreed. For almost two hours, this quiet bubble you two created for yourselves kept itself around you both. 

You didn’t try and press yourself as far into the other end of the couch as possible, and Javi finally felt like it was alright to sit closer to you without making you uncomfortable. One hand of his rested on his thigh only moving to grab his wine glass while the other remained laid stretched out across the way, his large hands resting on the cushions just above your head. 

At some point you sat with your legs resting on the wooden table as you slinked back into the couch more. Had Javi put his arm down, you would have been in such a perfect reach to pull you into his side, but he never did. 

You weren’t sure at what point in the movie you begun slipping away, but the mixture of the quiet, peaceful film on screen, the warm glow of the fireplace and the heat even just coming off of the man next to you had your eyes drooping in sleepiness. 

The movie was still playing as you dozed off, but you weren’t aware of how naturally you had leaned your head onto Javi's shoulder, and it wouldn’t dawn on either of you until later, how perfectly you seemed to fit there. Instead, at some point in your dreamland, part of you could sense a pressure resting against the top of your head. 

If you could pay attention, you’d have also felt the tickle of loose curls brushing across the side of your cheek, and the gentle cradle of Javi’s stretched out arm, now having pulled you more into his side. Neither of you had been awake for either of your actions, but perhaps your unconscious selves understood both of you better then your waking brains did. 

By the time you woke up, your body was stretched out across the couch, a pillow tucked neatly under your head and a warm blanket draped carefully over your body. The side closest to the couch back tucked somewhat down between you to make sure it didn’t pull away. Both these things weren’t in the theatre room beforehand, and you also could tell by their immense soft material that they weren’t from your room either. 

As far as you knew, no one but Javi spent any significant amount of time in here and you fell asleep next too him. Swinging your legs down to the floor, your hands gripped the blanket in curiosity. Ideas passed through your head that your still wakening brain tried to shut down whatever fantasies it so desperately craved. Logic wanted to reign over your heart and refused to give up the idea that Javi was intentionally trying to manipulate you to make you comfortable, so you’d put up less of a fuss being forced to stay here indefinitely. 

Still a bit puzzled from sleep brain, you gently folded the blanket up and sat the pillow on top of it. In true movie theatre fashion, the morning sun was waiting to burn your retinas. When you stepped out into the sunlight from the darkness of the movie room, you had only two things on your mind; Javi Gutierrez, and where the hell this blanket goes. 

The hallway was empty, so you walked through to the direction of the bedrooms in a calm silence. The only thing hitting your ears was the distant voices muffled through the walls, and the calming sounds of natures morning. 

Part of you considered if this should go in Javi’s room, but you didn’t dare go inside uninvited. He told you that nowhere was off limits, but certain places just felt wrong. You eventually stepped quietly to a small side table against a wall in between two rooms and stacked them on top. 

You hadn’t taken up much of Javi’s offer to buy you proper amenities, so your wardrobe was limited to mostly the same few pieces that you either wore on you coming here, or what of her sons spares that Camilia had brought you along with an aggressive toss of a wrapped bag that contained brand new ‘unmentionables’ as she put it. Her sons clothes didn’t quite fit, so you felt ashamed that you’re pants had just been the exact same for a week. 

Everyone else here dressed in a degree of luxury. A level of wealth that made you look cheap and made you feel even cheaper. Gabriela had been kind to you as well, but currently you didn’t really want to pass her. Dressed beautifully, always looked immaculate. The face and body of a model compared to the slightly oversized hand me downs on your far less attractive body. 

Stepping into the kitchen, the time of day you knew she’d be long gone and Camilia would be far too busy yelling at her own assistant, or dish boy as she would say when annoyed, to notice you. There was a bowl of fruit on the small table, and that's all you ended up picking at. Peeling a small orange looking into nothing. 

So when Javi’s voice came floundering into the kitchen, you jumped in your seat from the sudden startle. The pair of them spoke rapidly in Spanish and you tried to pick up on certain words but their speed and how muddled your brain was, it was as if you never took a Spanish class a day in your life. 

You felt embarrassed to look at him. The feeling of inferiority and the embarrassment of being so uncomposed around him that you fell asleep on him causing your heart to beat what felt like an irregular pattern. It wasn’t until he sat across from you, eyes wide and bright that you realized he had been calling your name. 

It wasn’t even close. His perfectly tousled hair, bright face, and a soft yellow shirt no doubt a price you couldn’t even name. You wanted to disappear from how he looked in front of you. “Sorry, what?” 

Nice articulation you thought to yourself. Javi clamped his hands together on the table leaning in somewhat in a nervous look with a harsh body posture. “I don’t want this to alarm you in anyway, but my cousin is stopping by very shortly.” 

Your nails dug so deep into the orange that it smushed an otherwise perfect piece. Now your heart raced along with a churning of fear in your stomach. “He...is it,” 

Javi shook his head as his hands spread out as if to placate you. “No, no. It is totally unrelated, but he might expect to see you stick close around.” His head tilted to the side along with a shift of his eyes. “I’m not quite sure he would agree with how much you are free to do as you wish. He prefers keeping those he...” 

“Abducts? Tight on a leash?” Your voice was tight, and your jaw was clenched but your eyes felt a fear that he may demand something much harsher then Javi had given. “What uhm, what should I do when he gets here?” 

Narrowing his eyes, a ferocity claimed them that froze your body in place. “You stick to my side. He wants you under my watch, but I refuse to lock you under a camera to prove anything to him. There is one more thing.” 

Now that look in his eye was also shaded with anger. A painting of so much contrast to the softness he showed you in the evenings. “You’re brother will very likely be brought along.” Your wide eyes restricted your breathe together. “No doubt Lucas has ordered him not to speak at all, but he also is not above bringing him just to taunt you. I just want you to be prepared for that. My cousin loves to play mind games.” 

Your nails continued to dig into the orange and Javi moved to take it from you. His arms stretched so close to you, he effortlessly peeled the rest of it off, opening it up easy for you to grab the slices. He didn’t even say a word about it. He just pulled back, leaning against the back of his chair and watched you in deep thought. 

Your voice whispered somewhat, “Is he the only one?” 

It didn’t quite intend to hurt but your swirling insecurity spat the words out. He didn’t react with anything other then a confused head tilt. Gabriela as her usual, came flying in the room and they both quickly went to leave. Before exiting view, Javi turned back to you with a hand braced on the threshold frame. “You know where the patio tables are, yes?” 

Nodding, you didn’t quite look at either of them. Missing Javi’s harsh worry and Gabriela’s tense frustration. Nothing about Lucas’s presence made them happy and they both at this point at spoken at length how they felt about this situation with you. Your eyes glanced up just to hear what he had to say. 

“Meet me there in thirty minutes. He said an hour but my cousin loves to arrive early to catch me off guard.” Gabriela shook her head with an eye roll behind him. 

You nodded, but said nothing more. Seeing that man’s face would be one thing, but you knew he was dragging your brother along to rub it in both of your faces, the choke hold he had on both of you. As stupid as it was, you tried to clean up anything about your appearance. Wanting to not look so lost and out of place but there was only so much you could do. So long you could look at yourself in the mirror without wanting to cry or smash it. 

To your surprise, Javi wasn’t sitting yet when you arrived. He leaned against a banister and handed you a pair of sunglasses without question. You held them out confused as he shrugged. “I’ve never seen anyone squint so painfully in the sunlight more than you.” 

It wasn’t lost on you that they were one of his pairs. Almost matching the ones he had on his face right now. You noted to yourself to try and find a way to get a cheap pair, he’d get annoyed always having to lend out ones from his personal collection to add to your increasing lack of belongings. 

Javi waved his hand for you to follow, nudging you ahead of him towards the patio with a hand on your lower back. Thankfully, the sunglasses were dark enough that no one could see the slow blink accompanied by a wide eyed warm feeling pooling inside you. “Just so I know, should I not say anything while he’s here?” 

Javi shrugged, a much calmer demeanour then you. “He may ask you questions directly, though I am not sure if it will be to get a rise out of you or me.” 

He pulled a chair out for you before finding his own. “I guess it makes sense. If I’m not thrown away in the dungeon, he probably wants me as scared and submissive as possible.” You played with your nails trying not to look at Javi which also gave you a view of the area entrance. You missed the dark look behind the sunglasses as he did with your earlier one. 

Javi softly said your name. “I am not asking either of those things from you, I want you to understand that. There’s...there’s very little I can do to change his mind. All I can do right now is help protect you from him making this worse.” 

The man’s slimy demeanour was painfully clear in the bright sun, a cocky uncaring walk alongside a facade of goofiness. The comparison to this show and to Javi’s time alone with you was comical. His voice climbed into your ears like a bug. “Always took such good care of your pets, cousin.” 

Biting the inside of your cheek you reminded yourself to not say a word. Javi sat a little more rigid then moments before. This was the first time you had seen them together since that first day, and the previous appearance of harsh uncaring now read more like an uncomfortable civility. 

Javi opted to reply in Spanish, stirring a bit of a back and forth between the two men. Lucas appeared to take joy in riling his cousin up, and Javi continued to fail at any kind of relaxing in front of him. You could tune the out for a while, they assumed you weren’t keeping up with what they were saying and you couldn’t find the energy to try.

That was until Lucas jumped forward to stretch his torso across the table. “Did you hear me, princesa? I asked to see how you’re looking under those things.” 

Slowly you peeled them off, squinting still in the harsh sunlight as he looked over you. Lucas’s wandering gaze felt far more invasive then Javi’s introspective one. Nodding with a very fake smirk, he flopped back into his seat, limbs balancing themselves in an over dramatic way. “I’m impressed, Javi. You can’t even tell she’s been crying. One might think she’s been given no reason to cry at all.” 

His head tilting to rest on his palm as Javi swallowed. Saying his cousins name almost in warning, again Javi opted to respond in Spanish. You couldn’t be sure if it was because he didn’t really want you apart of this conversation, or if he maybe was annoyed enough that getting all of that out in his native tongue was easier then translating it in his head. 

Lucas laughed at a few things Javi clearly didn’t say in jest. He ignored you for a while, the pair of them going back and forth with Lucas trying to talk over his cousin multiple times. You couldn’t be sure how long you had been out there, but it was long enough that the sun had now trailed itself closer to the peak in the sky. 

Without knowing where this conversation went, Lucas suddenly slapped Javi’s arm with playful force before leaning his arm back onto the chairs top, one ankle resting on top of the opposite knee. His head leaning back he called him out. Your brother. 

He watched you tense up without daring to move, not bothering to look back as he ordered something harsh to the man. You knew your brother was looking at you, but you couldn’t stomach it. Part of you previously wondered if what you felt was sorrow for the situation he also was in, but now that pit in your stomach just made you want to cry. 

He tricked you here, and now just stood there watching you chained to this place as an offering for his own shortcomings. He didn’t care about you, but crying here was exactly what Lucas wanted. His voice creeped over to you, as he now stood in between you and Javi’s chairs. One hand braced on the tops of both. 

“Take a good look, princesa. ‘Cus I may not feel as generous if you end up coming over to me. Certainly not as generous as big boy over here.” He slapped Javi’s back twice, causing Javi to genuinely flinch. Jaw clenched but he didn’t respond as Lucas moved more to lean over him and speak closer to the side of his head. 

“Our new friend here,” Nodding over to your brother, “Isn’t settling in as well as his female counterpart is. Maybe you should break her in for me. Just in case.” He whispered into Javi’s ear before slinking back to where he previously sat, but just flipped his sunglasses up into his hands as he looked around him. 

It was low and not in English. You didn’t catch it, but Javi did. When you tried to lean forward, hoping to quietly see if Javi was okay, his hand shot out and grasped your knee. A tight grip that stopped you in your tracks as he gave a slow shake just once. 

He looked as tense as you felt.  

“I’ll be back in a few weeks, cousin. Keep everything in top top shape for me, would you?” Lucas winked at you before sipping his sunglasses on and turning to your brother. Spitting harsh words at him as they finally left. 

Javi’s hand didn’t leave your knee, but he did use his free one to toss his sunglasses onto the table and run a hand over his face. “Javi?” 

Your voice was so small and meek, it stirred something within him clearly. Javi suddenly turned more to face you, his hand now grasping yours and his hold on your knee now sliding up to your lower thigh, a much more soothing spot in his large hands. “I don’t even know where to begin, an I’m sorry doesn’t seem good enough, but I am so sorry.” 

You felt confused by how earnest he was when he was the one who felt the brunt of whatever Lucas spoke about. “Javi, I’m fine it’s like you said he’s just trying to rile me up.” 

He squeezed your hand, his eyes closing for a moment as he breathed heavily through his nose. In a shocking move, Javi let go of your hand to rest gently against your cheek. “I didn’t want this for you. I wanted to find a safe way to return you home, but that is not an option anymore.” 

Your hands hovered in mid air, your anxiety rising like bile in your throat. “I- what does he want?” 

His eyes flared in a raging no. “All he cares about is finding ways to control people for his own entertainment. He’s done a great job at this with me, but he will be far more unkind to you. I’m family but you are like money. Nothing more then property to him.” 

The blood in your veins felt as if it had frozen solid, a paralyzing fear of what that meant. “Do I at least...am I not staying here anymore?” 

Javi’s grip on your cheek tightened as well as his hand slipped further up your leg as he leaned in to make you hear him loud and clear. “You aren’t going anywhere. I don’t want to scare you, but I’d rather not leave any chances for you to find yourself alone with him and find you suddenly nowhere I can look.” 

Your hands had dropped to your lap but nails were digging into the skin of whatever fingers they reached. “So, what? I’m just put under a closer view of the cameras, be watched at all times.” 

Javi’s head dropped. His gaze clearly realizing how naturally he had grabbed onto you he cleared his throat and pulled his hand away from your upper thigh while his other let go of your cheek gently. He was still quite close to you though. 

“I want to keep your life here as normal as possible. I don’t think I’m wrong in guessing that you’ve started to find some comfort here, at least with me- us. I want to keep giving you that, but I think it will also be safer to have you close by me more often.” 

It felt out of place to have that warmth swim over you, Javi truly much more fierce when put on the offence, then perhaps he normally lets himself be. “Alright. Is everything still okay? Between us I mean?” Your eyebrows raised in a hopeful look that you knew extended from the gaze he couldn’t see. 

Javi finally gave a real smile. Huffing a relieved sigh, “Of course. I would be quite sad without the one person who actually shares so much of my own interests.” Standing up, Javi offered you a hand to help your as well. 

His hand was just so large, and so warm. The twinges of roughness from the life he leads hidden in between the gentle smooth skin felt nice in your own hands. Javi beckoned you to come with him away from the patio, only letting go of your hand after he lead you up the small staircase until your grips simply lost by distance. 

Neither of you mentioned how good it felt to know how matching your hands fit together. You were trying to find a settled ease from this looming dread clouding your future, while Javi was distracted with finding a way to give you a life where you were happy here. 

For a while though, that did actually work. As long as Lucas was out of the country, there was peace in Javi’s Mallorca home. You both spent increasing amounts of time together, and with no direct eyes on you Javi was able to sneak you into town for what he hoped was a fun day trip. He knew Lucas had his own guys watching, but without himself present, none of them would dare try anything. 

Unbeknownst to you, beneath the tender heart in Javi, there was a merciless protector. His shining smile and easy laughter made you forget that he was a man raised in arms trading, and he was one with an aim and shot far better then any of the unruly men Lucas preferred to keep around. So for once, he wasn’t worried. 

That particular day he finally convinced you to let him just buy you what you needed. He was sick of hearing you bashfully decline and just shoved you to his below ground garage with a hand on your lower back. “I’m not taking no for an answer anymore, I want you to have your own belongings here. Not rely on whatever scraps you ask from my employees trying not to be an inconvenience.” 

The drive to town was beautiful. The short tunnel to the mainland opened up to a cliff side covered in plant life with winding roads that showed off the unobstructed view of the sun beaming against the water. You had barley said a word the entire drive there, your eyes refusing to focus anywhere else on a look of nature you never encountered in your entire city life. 

Javi had continuously smiled over at you, his heart fluttering at the true awe on your face, nothing to hold it back and bury it deep. His hand barley left you on the streets as he guided you through to stores he thought you may like. Many times you had denied his offer of more expensive places with a luxurious selection. You simply didn’t feel yourself in it. 

Every time you peeked out of each dressing room, you’d ask “Is this too many” Nodding to the small stack in your yes pile. Each one had maybe 4 things, and each ask Javi would frown at you. 

“We’re here to buy what you like, not what I tell you to, hermosa.” It was a new term he called you. He started one night as he shared a small edible with you and it slipped out. He had thought of you that way for weeks but he only felt brave enough to let it stick after it already slipped out. 

On the second to last store, you nodded and went to put your regular clothes on when he shouted slightly over the door. “We are not finished until the backseats are full, remember that when you keep putting things back.” 

It made you flush behind the door. Things between you both felt like you were two normal people who had known each other for a long time. His goofiness helped tame the ever present anxiety of your future, and your polite bashfulness stirred a much deeper emotion tucked away in his heart. 

For now though, maybe you wouldn’t tell him half of the reasons you put the clothes options back, were because as soon as you looked at them on you in the dressing room mirror, the harsh lighting pressing right down on you? Every flaw screamed in your face that you were trying too hard. Luckily Javi hasn’t yet questioned why you’ve requested a size up from what he knows you fit perfectly more then once. 

He was a rich, caring, and incredibly handsome man. He didn’t need you by his side painting yourself up as if this was anything but two trapped people playing house. Each touch and brush of your hands, every time he leaned down to say something quietly in your ear mocked you. You just wanted to play house a little longer before this little play time was thrown away forever. 

He made it so easy though. You both currently sat at a little table in a small plaza clearing, opting to eat something before making the trip home. Careful eyes watched as you self consciously took small bites with little substance and typically when you thought he wasn’t looking. If you were looking at each other, you’d cover your mouth to spare him of your completely neat and inoffensive eating. 

You weren’t like this before and you both knew it. He was asking why, but you were trying to come up with a lie for it. It was as if you didn’t like him watching you eat, and you were well aware of why. Each bite sinking down into your stomach and reminding you that you’re not sure if you have never seen such powerful wealthy people, with any woman on their arms that wasn’t essentially a gorgeous, tiny waist having supermodel. 

Wanting to get you talking, Javi leaned back comfortably against his chair with a soft smile. “Tell me, what’s one food you truly miss back in America?” 

Instantly you smiled to yourself. It was such an easy answer there was no hesitancy in your voice. “It’s actually kind of stupid. Everyone always has such varied answers, but here I was always defaulting to soup, or just a nice bread. Like my stomach is stuck in peasantry heritage mode.”

Javi grinned, a mock curious look on his face. “Is it? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you make soup in your time here.” He knows why, the same reason he tries to make his meals when Camilia is the busiest. 

You laughed a bit, “I mean they taste great but look like garbage. I’d never hear the end of it making it next to Camilia. Not to mention the reaming I’d get for how spicy I make it.” You both chuckled, having seen her smack Javi for doing the same thing to his own food. 

His tone amusingly mimicking her patronizing way of lecturing, “What good is giving me all this for when you’re just going to blast your taste buds off without me?” Once again, he watched you cover your mouth as you laughed as well. Flipping his sunglasses down from his hair, he sat up. “Would you like to sit and finish, or do you want to make our way home before the sun sets too low to catch it?” 

He called it home, and you didn’t even consider that he meant his and not yours. But you felt as if it had become home. When left to your own devices things at his home were so peaceful and calm. It encouraged you to relax more then the city. Shoulders loose from their tension and only rarely creeping back in the middle of the night in your too big bed. 

You nodded at him though, gathering your bags before Javi non nonchalantly grabbed nearly all of them. You yelled out mostly in play, “I can carry those, you know?”

Javi twisted his face as you caught up beside him. “You eat, I’m more then capable of handling a few bags. Besides, only one of us has any upper body strength.” 

Your face fell flat at the insinuation, but honestly you were more amused then annoyed. “Thank you for pointing out how week and feeble I am. I am so humbled by your complimentary flattery Senor Gutierrez.” Javi rolled his eyes as he bumped you with a heavy clump of bags in his hand as you raised your hand in mercy as you got into the passenger seat. 

Just as you got out of town earshot, Javi’s spoke up over the gentle breeze. “Do you miss it? Your food from home?” He made a noticeable clarification when you turned your head very quickly to look at him. “I can’t imagine anything quite can compare to where you came from.” 

Does it though, you wondered. If you were here of your own accord, if you didn’t know Javi because you were thrown onto his life drugged and tied up, would any of this be possible? Or would you still be back in your tiny apartment too afraid of taking chances to even move to a better building? Maybe you didn’t want to think about it. 

“Sometimes it feels like I do.” Javi glanced at you curiously before looking back to the road, waiting for your words to catch up. “There was never anything special for me back home other then that's where I lived and called it. But I also can’t give up why I’m here. That this is all just set dressing and when the curtains finally close I’ll just be trapped in the dark.”

You both knew it wasn’t anything close to food you were talking about anymore, and Javi’s knuckles tightened much more against the steering wheel as his heart did the same to his chest. “Home is where you feel you belong. And Lucas, even your brother would rather you not go back to that. I can’t blame you for wanting to leave here.” 

His own voice felt deep, a husk to it as it forced through a scratched pain that he tried to hide. The deepness flowed into your airway until it sat into your stomach, and you felt that sickening feeling once again. The longer you were here, the less you’ve thought about back home. But you didn’t know if that’s what Javi wanted to hear. So you switched gears. 

“So are you sure you want to watch all three of those tonight? I know you have an early start in the morning, I don’t want to keep you from that.” You saw him smile, maybe more of a smirk as he took his sunglasses off of him for good in the golden sunset. He was so handsome it was cruel.

His chuckle was just as cruel, and for more then one reason. “You say that as if I’m not also keeping you up. You promised you would come with me tomorrow and I’m holding you to it.” 

You sunk in your seat somewhat, arms crossing your stomach to put pressure against that heavy feeling inside. “Oh yes, I can not wait to look at trees all day.” 

Javi pinched your thigh, making you yelp that dissolved into a giggle of his name. “I can always send you over to one of my partners. Have you crush grapes in a vineyard all day making your favourite drink.” He taunted as if he didn’t specifically gift you your own little drink fridge in his theatre room, full of your preferred soda as it was pushed comically up against a shelf of ecliptic wines. 

You threw your hands up in surrender. Shaking your head with a barley concealed smirk at his chuckle of victory. Indeed, Javi made it dangerously easy to forget you were stolen from your home to find each other. 

It was one particular day that things seemed to rear their ugly heads for the both of you. Neither of you had even realized Lucas was on the property until he walked into Javi’s office with Gabriela giving Javi a very pointed look behind him. 

The door was shut behind her as she left, wondering if he had come alone or if one or more of his cronies followed. 

The only one that mattered though, was the one who snuck up on you as you sat by a natural overhang. Legs dangling in the open air as you mindlessly drew the view in front of you. Suddenly though, your sketchpad was send careening down onto the rocky shoreline as a hand covered your mouth and yanked you backwards onto your feet. 

Instantly you dug your nails into their hand with a muffled yell, only to discover the person grabbing you wasn’t all that much of a fighter. “Ow, fuck knock it off.” That uniquely obnoxious tone only belonged to one person. Right as he let you go, you spun around with a burning fire ready to explode in your eyes. 

Him being not that much taller then you, he raised his hands in defence backing up. “Hey, hey, whoa calm the fuck down it’s just me. I wanted to talk, Jesus.” He looked down at your barley red nail imprints with a wince. Not bothering to care about your rage towards him. 

Your own hands clenched at your sides, you wanted to be aggressive, you wanted to fight or even hit him, but you weren’t like that. You weren’t raised that way, and you know damn well he only learned to be that way after getting into whatever illegal gig he had going on back then.

“What do you want? After everything, what could you possibly have to say that I care about?” 

At least your brother had the decency to look sheepish, rubbing a hand behind his neck. “I was in a bind, okay? Got a gig with this Spanish dude, moving a couple things over the borders and you know things just escalated.” 

Your head fell into your hands, eyes squeezed shut as your overwhelming anxiety threatened to make you cry. “How does that translate to you selling me off to a fucking-” You looked around to see no one, but lowered your voice anyways. “An arms cartel? How does that just happen?” 

It was hard to ignore how bad he looked. The bags under his eyes were dark, and his posture screamed overworked to the bone, but it was hard to feel sympathy for any of it. He shuffled back and forth debating if to sugar coat it or just be stupidly honest. “Okay I mean, look, fucking...I took out a loan to make smuggling this shit easier and I kept owing this fucking shark more money and you kept giving it to me,” 

It was hard to keep the tears at bay. Just glossing over how much of a burden he put on you in the first place. You shouted his name, “Get to the present, please.” 

Fidgeting non stop, he had the gall to roll his eyes before continuing, barley even looking back to you. “Look, he bailed me out of the fucking debt I was in,” he clearly meaning Lucas you assumed. “I didn’t have enough to pay him back which he fucking knew, and he was like you owe me big time and you eventually came up and I don’t know man it just got out of hand and now like, now we’re here. Shit.” 

Your inhale was shaky, the stuttering of trying to force a choked up cry from showing it’s weary head to him. “What am I supposed to do then? What did you expect me to do here? I have no idea what Lucas would even do to me, and I’m really don’t want to find out.” 

You knew you weren’t at crying yet, but the sting behind them told you they must look red from the strain. He didn’t even seem to care. He just looked around worried for his own sake. “Look, I’ll figure some shit out. Get you a fake passport or something, just trust me okay?” 

It was so strange to you, the realization that after everything that’s happened and whose done what to only find out that the person you trusted most was the very man you were told was keeping you here. Javi was the only one who showed you any kind of care for your well being, or just you as a person. You didn’t know if that made you feel devastated, or somewhat relieved that there was a strong likelihood that just maybe, Javi’s been nothing but entirely truthful to you. 

Honestly? You didn’t care if your brother helped you. “Why are you even here?” He looked at you confused and you just felt more upset. “Seriously why are you here? Bothering to find me? To try and absolve yourself of guilt? To get my blessing for trying to sell me to a man who would have done god knows what with me?” 

You had more to say, you had eons of yelling to give, but it also just wasn’t you. You didn’t feel it in your heart to lash out so much, and there was no energy left in you. So you started to walk away. 

He grabbed your arm, but you pulled it away. Ignoring the second attempt as a grab and him yelling your name. You brushed past him, the only force you could summon being shoving his shoulder slightly with yours, but he always being the obnoxious loud mouth he is needed the last word. 

“You know I came all the way here to see you and this is the thanks I get? I could get in shit if he realizes I’m not by the docks you know? You’re so fucking ungrateful, as usual.” The more you responded the louder he got and the quicker your insides wanted to cry. 

You turned around, ready to yell at him, but nothing really came out. You just stared at him with a deeply brewing thought that maybe you didn’t want to go home. Maybe you didn’t want to just go back to the life he carelessly tore you away from. What did he really care if you got out of this okay? What did anyone here care. 

The tears finally started to fall, and you just tried to wipe your cheeks, but it was useless. You just stared at your brother for a while before walking away entirely. He didn’t care what would happen to you, so why should you care about what happens to him. Maybe no one really cared, and the universe was trying to tell you that. 

That anyone who seems like they care about you, might actually not. You weren’t sure anymore that anyone even should care. 

Without really thinking about it, you made the path up to the guest room you were in hoping that you could just get away with crawling under the covers for the day and will everything to just stop. Javi on the other hand, had the opposite feeling. 

He couldn’t be sure what exactly his cousin was planning, but Javi got the feeling it was nothing he wished to be apart of. There was a malicious glint in his eye as he vaguely hinted at some bigger plan he had just started the works for. But what he wanted from Javi, was to make sure he tends to a public image a bit more in the coming weeks. 

“Have Gabriela start calling out favours for a nice big party for you, lots of people, lots of eyes on you and all you need to do is be your wonderful self, Javi.” Both of them it wasn’t out of his cheer familial affection, but the less Lucas involved him the better. 

Javi asked about you though, right before Lucas walked out the front door. “You can’t just dangle threats over her head indefinitely, she’s done nothing to deserve this and you know that.” He rarely ever confronted his cousin about anything with conflict, but it ate away at him. 

How dismissive he was about your well being. Lucas though, shrugged like you were an afterthought. “Her boy’s turning out to be quite a good little solider, pressure does wonders for motivation. Do whatever with her, cousin. I’ve got bigger prospects on my plate now, she’s your servant to keep or whatever you have her doing.” 

As if the world craved irony, you walked up the steps just as he stepped out into the sun. You froze in place, whatever bravery leaving you in a chilling crawl up your spine as he smiled at you. Your shoulders rose up when he paced around you like prey until you looked at him. 

“I’ll see you around, princesa. Hopefully my dear cousin will treat you kinder then I would, such a short temper he can have. Runs in the family.” He flicked at your hair, causing you to tilt away eyes shut in disgust as he laughs to himself. Fading away into distant yells of orders. 

Javi stood tall and huge in the doorway, one hand still keeping it open, the other resting on his hip as he looks down, tracing from the floor to yourself and back again. Lost in thought, just as you were lost in general. Eventually, he noticed your reserved silence, and beckoned you over with a wave of his hand.

Grabbing yours gently as he led you up the few steps his hold lasted a beat longer then what would be normal before pushing you forward on your lower back as he stuck so close to your side, his hand teetered on resting on your hip. “I think there are some things we should talk about.” 

There was no way Javi didn’t notice how much you tensed up, how frozen you became as the gut wrench of just what would become of you stirred. You wanted to just go back to the other day, how much you loved just being out and about with Javi. Like you two belonged like that. You wanted that stupid little world you had together to not turn out to be harmfully fake. 

You had never been in his office before, but it looked painfully normal. As if you had been expecting something grand or secretive, but like so much else about Javi, it looked as if there was nothing dangerously extraordinary about him. On the opposite end of the door was a balcony, glass doors wedged to sit wide open with bright curtains pulled to the side as they blew lightly in the oncoming breeze. 

Everything felt so upside down. You were supposed to want to go home, escape this strange sort of kidnapping and yet you looked out to that balcony. Seeing the blue sky with such crisp fresh air waving over the island landscape, and you dreaded having to leave it behind. 

Javi though, didn’t look much better. He leaned against his desk, perched just on the edge with his fingers tapping at the wood on each side of him. Nothing about right now made any sense to either of you. You had so much to say, and turns out as soon as you spoke up Javi also felt the same need. 

“What’s going to happen to me?” 

“There’s been some change in plans.” 

Javi’s eyes looked at you, wide but bordering on heart broken at how defeated you sounded, but all you could do was seize up. Something that had become too common of a response. The only change in plans you knew of was the worst case scenario, and you knew you weren’t anywhere near ready to be forced to give this us. 

“I’m sorry. You...you go.” Even you could hear the exhaustion in your voice at this point. 

Javi nodded, mostly to himself as he considered his words. “Lucas came to discuss a change in some of his plans. Turns out your brother has proven quite useful to him,” You winced at the mention of him. Of course he would be useful to these people, because selling you out clearly wasn’t weighing heavily on his conscience.  “I’m not sure exactly what they have started planning, but Lucas assured me it is bigger then what he’s done before. So he’s deferred some decisions onto me.” 

Your eyes trailed on the ground. “Meaning what happens to me.” Not able to look at him, you missed the awkward distress he wore on his expression. A stuttering of not being able to decide exactly what he should say and how to cheer up such a defeated mood on you. You expected the worst and he felt ill at thinking it was directed towards him. 

His chest rose and deflated in a large sigh, crossing and uncrossing his arms wishing you’d just look at him. “I tried my best to make you feel welcome, to treat you like you deserve and hope it helped distract you from how you were brought here. I never liked the idea of holding anyone hostage, let alone having to keep you trapped in my own home against your will.” 

Javi pushed up from the desk, pacing over to the balcony and braced his arms against the railing. You followed him enough that you kept a hand lightly on the edge of a glass door, his wide shoulders taut with stress much deeper then just you. You debated saying it, but spit it out anyways. “My brother came to see me.” 

Javi’s head lifted up, but didn’t turn to look at you. “Today?” 

You nodded even though he wasn’t facing you. “All he wanted was to get me to forgive him, but it was clear it didn’t really matter. He just didn’t want to feel guilty if something happens to me, but not enough to do anything about it.” 

Nails tapped rhythmically along the glass, and your subconscious finally caught up to your mouth. “I guess me being here never really mattered in the long run. If Lucas just decided I’m your problem now.” 

Javi’s response was harsh in his tone. Deep and almost rough with a boiling up anger. “You are not just a problem.” Your heart lurched painfully but he kept going. “Ever since you arrived, I’ve been torn apart. Because very quickly I knew why he put you with me. Every chance my cousin has to drag me back into this life he takes, and letting me get so attached to you only to rip that way just before I could truly explore how I feel? It’s an easy way to control me if you ask him.” 

Your brows furrowed, “But I thought he said that...it’s up to you now?” 

His head tilted somewhat, and you found yourself stepping out more onto the balcony. Giving a wide space between you still not knowing where this was going. 

“He did. He’s moving onto bigger prospects, and using you to force my hand no longer applies anymore.” Finally he flipped his body around, and instead of a harsh glaring intensity you found only a crestfallen expression, one that broke your own heart at it’s sorrow. 

“Which means he doesn’t care if you just send me back to the States.” 

He was quick to answer. “Is that what you want?” Your eyebrows raised in confusion at him. So he repeated the question. “Is that what you want? To go home to America? That’s what you’ve been wishing for this whole time is it not.” 

His words were clipped, and there was something beneath the surface that might have been just too deep for you to dive in to find on your own. “I thought that's what I wanted.” 

Looking back out, the sky was still as clear and blue as it always had been since the day of your arrival. At first you thought it was a taunt. Mocking you for how bright the world shined onto such a dark experience. “Everyone knew why I was here, but they went out of their way to know me, make me feel welcome, try to make me belong even though I should be just a footnote to them.” 

Your arms braced on the railing, not quite like Javi though. You crossed your forearms across the length of it and rested your upper chest onto them, knees bent back to brace yourself up as you looked at the water. “You were supposed to hate me. That’s what I thought when I first met you. Lucas was so frustratingly chatty, but you came in just so, large and silent and angry that I couldn’t help but assume it was towards me. But we talked. We talked and I got attached.” 

The warmth of his closeness overwhelmed one side of you, his shadow casting across part of your view as he came to your side. One hand resting close to where your elbows bent with the other on his hip. Those large brown eyes looking deeply at you with that internal question you didn’t know. 

“Do you really think you’re the only one who feels that way?” 

You looked up to the side, struck with how softly he looked at you. Sliding to the side, you leaned against the railing mimicking his posture, but your own hand hovered around your torso not quite sure how to stay. “I hoped you did. Sometimes it really felt like there was something, but other days I couldn’t help but worry that it was all just an act...trick me into being complacent. But then you look at me like that,” You dropped your gaze along with your voice. “And then everything just gets muddled.” 

Trickling forward, Javi’s hand inched closer to yours. The buzzing need to touch you moving through this entire body. “What I feel, hermosa, isn’t fair to you. I should be sending you home on the first plane out, giving you your life back no question. I just didn’t know how much the right thing to do would hurt.” 

You looked back out to the water, eyes squinting at the bright sun reflecting off of it. “Going home was all I wanted. I had nothing to do with this until my brother was too stupid to pay back his own loans. But now going home feels like the last thing I want to do, and maybe I should be the one who feels stupid for that.” 

Javi’s person stood now closer to you. Not pressing against you, but giving you much less room to back away before you hit the edge. There were no words between you for a moment until Javi mumbled in a somewhat aloof, amused tone. “Maybe we’re both stupid.” 

Now that got an honest to god laugh from you. “I think you might be right about that one.” For that moment the burning tension took a notch down, and it felt so much more like any other day you’ve grown to adore with him. 

Your name fell gently off of Javi’s tongue. His fingers pressing gently against your cheek to look up at him. His feelings weren’t unfair, it was how beautiful he was. His hair always curled so perfectly, always enticing your hands to itch over through them, face framed perfectly by his nose and facial hair that would burn against your skin in an addicting way. 

His eyes were the worst though. Big and so transparent with how he felt, and now you had to look into them with nothing but a screaming desire in them that made you melt. “I need you to tell me. You have to be the one to say it, make me send you home. I might be too selfish to do it on my own.” 

Javi’s eyes fluttered shut as your hand gently held onto the wrist close to your face. Your thumb tracing over the skin as his pulse grew faster alongside your own. You smiled though, and chose a side you never expected. 

“I’m stupid, remember?” 

It wasn’t long that Javi’s expression made you doubt yourself. Eyes shut tighter as his face pinched in conflict. Barley opening them, Javi muttered roughly in Spanish before his fingers slid to let his hand encompass your whole cheek. Very quickly his other one joined the opposite side, and sealed the distance with his lips. 

Unlike his soft and sometimes silly disposition, Javi kissed you anything but that. His hands pulled in your face up towards him as he wasted no time in hardening his kiss. Lips demanding from you, forcing you to surrender to him in ways he never asked before. 

Your hands found their way to his chest. The orange shirt leaving so many buttons undone that there was no shame in how much chest you could touch. Palms sliding over his skin and mindlessly rubbing up and down the length of his torso. Feeling his muscles twitch as he hesitated in his kiss, before moving one of his hands to pull you in closer behind your back. 

Holding you closer to the back of your neck, Javi deepened the kiss, teasing you with his tongue and bites, almost nibbles against your lip. The sharpness of his teeth bringing high pitched gasp from you, only to have Javi consume the sound and grant himself access to you more. His tongue teasing inside of your mouth, you started to tremble against him. 

His tongue grazing against yours and pulling back to kiss you rougher just when you wanted to return it. You could feel the burn of his facial hair against your skin and no doubt it will haunt your memories of how much you wanted to feel it elsewhere. 

One of his hands wandering to your side, pushing your shirt up just enough to grasp at the skin on your waist he could blindly find. Javi once again tasted you with his tongue only to deepen it greatly as he roughly pushed you the remaining distance against the railing. 

Your fingers tightened against his chest, finally sliding up to the back of his neck and into his hair. The softness amazed you, as well as how easily you could rake your fingers though it. Shivers running down Javi’s spine he stuttered against you, groaning into your mouth. His hips pushed against yours in an instant reaction to the feeling. 

Finally summoning the strength to pull back, Javi parted from you but barley left your touch. A tiny string of saliva still between your lips, Javi pulled your chin into him as he took just once more needy kiss from you before pulling back, resting his forehead against yours as you took longer to catch your breathe. 

“I won’t make you stay here, hermosa. But if you did, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to prove myself to you for it. I am too selfish, I’ll do anything to keep you here if you let me.” A needy hum leaving his throat as you now ran your hand through his hair much more gentle, almost soothing. 

“If you’re selfish, and I’m stupid maybe we were meant to fit together like this.” 

Javi still shook his head, as if unable to grasp why you would give him this. He moved to brush his nose against your hair before you both moved closer into the others arms. He gripped you as if this was the only thing he was ever allowed to have, and it was possible that he got to experience very little like this. 

You both held one another for quite a while. Enough to feel both of your bodies relax into one another settling a calm over the turmoil of this morning. His voice vibrated against your chest as he spoke. “Gabriela and Camilia will certainly be happy.” 

Pulling back you looked at him with am amused but questioning smirk, neither of your hands willing to leave the other yet. His own running over the top of your head, before nudging against your chin and back as if unable to chose where to touch. “Gabriela called me an idiot anytime I said you couldn’t possibly share how I feel. And Camilia? She just yells at me to move you into my own room already.” 

His face was flat and eyes rolling at just how much he heard an earful from the woman if he so much as hinted at sending you home. Clearly not a sacrifice love for their own good kind of person. You chuckled, your cheek resting more in the palm of his hand. 

“The guest room bed doesn’t exactly have the most comfortable blankets to be honest.” 

If at all possible, his face fell flat even more. His eyes narrowing at you as he pulled away keeping his hands on your forearms. “I thought I told you to bring up anything you’d like me to change for you?” 

Your shoulders shrugged, smile much more sheepish as you looked off to the side. “I didn’t want to bother anyone, I wasn’t really a guest at that time to be fair.” Javi just rolled his eyes once more, pulling you into his warm body wrapping his arms around you again. 

“Well that’s about to change, now I know better. Clearly I will have to pull what you want out of you by force.” You leaned into each other, Javi turning you both to head inside. It wasn’t going to be an easy day still, no doubt a lot had to happen if you were to stay. 

He let you speak to Gabriela for a little while, Javi somewhat in the distance trying desperately not to interject every time you were far to humble about what you said or suggested. Eventually stopping by the kitchen where he ended getting smacked by a wooden spoon as Camilia yelled at him for how ridiculous you both were. 

The sight of a short Camilia mercilessly smacking the tall and large Javi, as he tried to bend away in very little defence like a child as a comical one, but not unusual for this strange little family. 

Nothing was set in stone quite yet. Your future was uncertain, but then again, so was Javi’s. Both of your lives placed in between two possibilities and a not quite yet clear path along either one of them. Javi did however, waste no time in his greedy desire to have you sleep next to him in his own bed. Which was admittedly, far more cozy then the guest room. 

Not quite asleep yet, you found yourself being yanked up onto Javi’s lap as his own back collapsed against the pillows. Grasping your hips when you went to follow, “Let me just look at you for a while, preciosa.” 

You trailed your own hands, dancing along his chest now covered in just a simple white tee shirt. Occasionally reaching up to scratch at his facial hair. “You say that as if I don’t have an absolutely beautiful view below me now.” 

Javi’s cheeks tinted a bit, holding back a flustered smile as he readjustment his grip on your hips to squeeze the skin below your shirt once more. He seemed to toy with pushing the fabric up more, but not subtle enough for you to miss it. You reached for it in a pull, but he held them in place as he looked at you much more serious. “I wasn’t trying to pressure you, I am perfectly happy with you just like this.” 

Heart melting at how quick he was to deny himself what you knew he was thinking about, but you wanted to give him something anyways. Pulling your shirt up and letting it fall beside your bodies. The dark greed in his eyes as he looked over your skin, he clearly was not aware you didn’t have anything on underneath. 

Shooting up from the bed, he held you steady from the force as he shot one hand up to rest just underneath one of your breasts. His face sharp and his eyes with desire. “I will not take this from you tonight, hermosa. But you are playing with fire here.” 

Your hands trailed under his own, not lifting it, but following the line of his pants. “I thought you were the selfish one. Doesn’t quite feel that way, now-” 

Javi’s jaw clenched, teeth muttering out curses you didn’t understand as he effortlessly flipped you onto your back. His body knelt in between your legs one holding your leg bent gripped by your hip, the other palming your breast in his large hand. “Unbelievable. Trying to take advantage of how weak I am for you.” 

You threw your head back in a moan as he caressed you rougher, his other fingers tracing the nipple of your neglected breast and pinching them as he kissed your neck, a whiny gasp coming from you. “Sinful. So beautifully tempting.” 

His hands worked your breasts over with every kiss and bite as his facial hair rubbed red your skin as he moved. Your hands fully moving under his shirt to trail your nails over his skin and grasp at him at a particularly harsh pair of his teeth and tugging at your nipple roughly. 

You could feel a smug grin against you, and your hips writhed against his slowly. One of his hands gripped the side of your jaw to pull your lips to his, while the other pulled your grinding hip up into his more. 

His kiss was messy but Javi was to preoccupied with granted you the feeling back. Nothing frantic, just a delicious grind of your hips together as you kissed. Your core begun to coil, quick. Too quick, you felt so pent up that the weight of his bulge against you send you careening closer to that burning orgasm so fast. 

Each grind pressed harder, the pressure for both of you that much better feeling, but still neither of you moved faster. Javi mumbled into your mouth nothing you could make out but he eventually pulled away, rubbing his nose against yours. 

Your hold on each other softened so much more the closer you got, and you were pulling Javi’s orgasm right along with it. His thumb traced over your bottom lip, only to almost slip into your mouth as you gasped out as it hit you. Your orgasm flooding through you without warning, as Javi pushed still against you to find his. 

You hadn’t even been able to come down, you were plagued with aftershocks as he rubbed against you. His head moving to tuck itself into your neck as he crossed that line, but you didn’t want it. Your hands cupped his face to have him look at you, one of his gripping tight to you as his own orgasm fell over him. 

His mouth agape, with a needy moan as his eyes braced shut. As he came back down, you finally felt yourself back onto the sheets, no longer floating in mid air. You ran a hand once again through his hair, eyes not leaving one another. 

Javi turned one of your hands so he could kiss your palm, and you met halfway to the others lips. This time it was far more gentle. A soft caress, no demand and no need beyond just wanting to feel the others touch. 

He kept you quite close to him that entire night. Gentle whispers passed back and forth like secrets, neither of you wanting to break the serene quiet of the room. He had kept one window open, your chests inhaling and exhaling against the other with the splash of waves against the shores. 

Feeling how right you were fit together didn’t make the outside any less messy. Nothing about your time in Spain has taught you that this was something for the better in your life, but being curled up into Javi’s chest tucked warmly under his sheets did. 

Lucas wasn’t gone, in fact he was likely to cause more of a problem in the future if Javi’s suspicions were correct, and you wouldn’t imagine what sinister ploy could possibly have included genuine help from your brother. Whatever they wanted, whatever was in planning was going to ultimately end badly.

Most stories such as theirs did. Of course there was no way either you or Javi could ever predict how that would possibly end, or just how much would end at Javi’s own hand or how quickly his actions will end it. 

The Gutierrez family was one not to be trifled with, and now you lay here in the chest of the one masquerading as it’s leader. You were dragged into this life and force to endure the cruel games at the real masterminds behest. Javi couldn’t convince you at this point to leave for your own well being, to avoid their lives. It was what led you to this moment, your hands braced against his chest and his own curling around you. 

Sleep begun to overtake you both, deep and slurring words between you, Javi’s mumbling into the hair as he pressed a kiss to the top of your head. His arms tightened around you, refusing to let you slip away from his heart as he slept. You wouldn’t. 

He found you after being thrown at his feet, and now he was too scared to let you back out, and you had no true intention to follow that though regardless. 

A small smile graced your features as you snuggled in closer to him, “Javi?” He hummed into your hair as a reply. “What on earth am I going to get you for your birthday?” 

Javi laughed deeply, pulling you in closer in almost a dismissal of your worry. “The only thing I wanted was to find a way to keep you in my life any way that I could.” 

Melting into him, your heart a kind of warmth you only had ever felt with him. You did however, give him one suggestion. “I don’t know, if anyone could beat my presence in your life it might be Nic Cage.” 

Javi rolled his eyes even if you couldn’t see. Tugging you into his chest he mumbled playfully into your head along with another loving kiss. “Fair, but you’re the one I stroked myself imagining you bouncing on my cock every time I could sneak away for a shower.” He laughed once more as you shrunk into his chest with a tiny whine. 

You weren’t sure you were confident enough to tell you how badly you wanted that as well, but you unequivocally dreamed about it as you slept. Unaware of just how much you and Javi pressed into the other as you desired the same things. 

You had each other’s heart, and for now that was all you and Javi truly wanted.  

[showrunnerihardlyknowher]

Does the infection within your NGE ripoff have stages? For example, in the beginning, if one is infected, you are just high alert before extreme paranoia rises (along with physical manifestations such as Taiyo's tentacle fingers and arms). If this is the case, what stages did Taiyo go through and what stage is he currently experiences within the timeline of this story? Or is it fast acting that it takes immediate hold on the host? Genuinely curious if you thought out anything about this.

I have thought about it quite a bit because it's been in my little noggin for like 2-3 years lmao

It all definitely depends on a) the scale/strength of a host and b) how much the parasite was able to infect. In Taiyo's case, he's pretty freaking big compared to a human (who tend to become fully infected within a day or two) and his infection point was a wound made on his side that's minor enough not to incapacitate him. Because of that, his infection is much slower and appears more in "stages" rather than rapid symptoms.

The very first stage is that even though he does clean and dress his wound, he doesn't tell anyone about the extent of his injury despite that at this stage there's a solid chance he could be treated. Something in his mind is resisting the idea of revealing his infection, which is actually just the parasite forcing its host to avoid fully getting rid of it. His senses also gradually heighten, especially hearing and smelling, to the point it can become irritable with how overstimulating it can be. He's never quite comfortable; always too hot or too cold or too stiff, but he masks it as best he can.

Eventually, the infection will spread further along his body, although most of it is hidden under his suit and because again, he hides his sickness. That's when the blackened veins start becoming more pronounced on his skin. There's this new urge to maim and bite and feed that pounds in his skull like a migraine, but he's able to keep that to himself or only give in to the more primal instincts when he can take out the aggression on another parasite he's fighting. Overtime, it becomes more and more obvious he's struggling with keeping instincts and logic separated, more so to Kumiko because now he's being extra clingy with her (due to the heightened instinct to protect).

And of course, it starts to come to a head when the infection physically manifests on him, primarily on his left side as that was where the wound originated from. That includes fully darkening the skin, external teeth, barbed tendrils, arm spikes, claws, and additional eyes. The accommodation of these new features causes the left arm of his suit to be broken off and prior to that, he had already lost his helmet in the original fight that led to him becoming infected, so it's no longer easy to hide that something clearly Is Not Right. In his defense, he didn't know it had gotten this bad until he was reaching for Kumiko to block an attack from hitting her, only for his gauntlet to practically explode with tendrils wrapping her up instead. She cut herself free of those pretty quick.

Unfortunately, he can only keep the parasitic instincts at bay for so long before he ultimately gives in. And that does include using humans to feed on. At first, he did so in secret because he knew it was wrong and would extremely upset Kumiko, and only a few humans at a time were enough to satiate him to take back control of his instincts. When Kumiko catches him doing so as the hunger becomes more intense, it's the last straw for her, because she can't stand this dude to begin with, let alone when he's literally becoming the monsters she's fighting. She's lucky enough that even in the throes of his infection, he doesn't see her as another food source or potential host to also infect. Instead, his protection is now borderline possession dialed up to a twenty-seven, because the feeling was so strong within him that the infection could only warp his perspective than get rid of it entirely.

There's some fun other factors that the infection can do with Taiyo and where it ultimately leads him at the end of their story, but that's to save when it's been written ;)

[weasleywinchester]

I Can't Help Myself - Ch. 5

Leaving Just You Picture Behind

Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4| Ch.6

What is this thing called free time??? I managed to write another chapter for this series! I can't believe it's almost done!! And before the show comes out this month!! We get a little time jumpy in this chapter, mainly because I am following the timeline of the games. We also go from super cute parent/ellie vibes to sad vibes. mainly because I don't want to write the sad ending, but the little thing in my brain says I should... so I'm going to write sad ending and happy ending because this is my fic and yall are going to have to choose what ending you want to read, of course you can always read both. Thank you to everyone who's given this series a read, I love seeing you make your way through each chapter! And still taggin @sarahbellesaurus because you liked part 4 so here's part 5!

Series Summary:

This world isn’t kind to anyone; and heaven forbid anyone wants a slice of happiness. You wanted the stereotypical, as most people would tell you, dream of falling in love, getting married and having kids. After coming to Jackson, you kept that dream to yourself. Until your stupid best friend’s stupidly handsome older brother waltzes in, and you tell him. Joel thinks it's nice that you can hold onto a dream like that... and he let's his guard down just long enough to think maybe...he might want that too.

Chapter Summary: Thankful, Grateful, Blessed. In the world before it almost felt like those words haunted you; from stores to friends houses to birthday gifts. And then once the infection hit, it felt like the mocked you as you scavenged through houses, trying to survive. But maybe now, the could be some of the few words to describe your life. Warnings: All the feels, TLOU Pt. 2 spoilers, fighting (vocal and physical), illusions to death

A Year Later

“Momma!” Ellie shouts as she lets herself into the house.

“Upstairs!” You shout back. You can hear her take the steps two at a time, slowing as she reaches the doorway to your office.

“What’s shakin’ sugarpie?” You look up from the quilt you’re making, giving her a little smile.

“Where’s Billy?” She nods to the empty playpen next to your desk.

“He’s with Joel and Tommy.” You chuckle, kicking a pile of fabric off a stool so she can sit down.

“Bit young for a boys day out.” She softly chuckles.

“Never too early to get them out of my hair. But what did you want to ask me?” Your sewing machine softly whirs as you continue your project.

“I was talkin with Cat… about getting a tattoo.” She shrugs. Lots of people in town had them, and Cat was a pretty amazing tattoo artist. She learned from her uncle, who was an artist before the infection.

“Over the acid burn?” You nod. It was something you both had talked about. Ellie found it absolutely hilarious that you had a tiny knife tattoo on your middle finger, and ever since she saw it she wanted a tattoo.

“Ya… I was hoping you’d help me design one.” Your machine stops and Ellie looks up to see your look of surprise.

“Really?” You ask, the corners of your mouth gently tugging into a smile.

“Ya. You’re an amazing artist, with some of the best designs. And I want it to be a reminder.” She swallows hard, eyes focusing on the floor.

“Reminder of…” you prod.

“Of my family.” She shrugs again.

“I love that.” You smile, quickly packing up everything on your desk so you have space to work. You tell Ellie to throw a record on, while you pull out all your art books. You both flip through pictures, tabbing things that catch your eye.

“You still have your wedding dress?” Ellie asks as she flips through an old catalog. 

“Ya, in the closet. Why?”

“It had a fern design didn’t it?” She looks over to you, a smile slowly appearing. You quickly dig it out, putting it on the table. Both of you draw a few variations and compare.

“Think this one.” She points to one of hers. The fern is fully inked in, many tiny leaves on each stem.

“Ok, one piece down.” You sloppily recreate it on your own sketchbook, doodling around it.

“So you have a piece of me… maybe a piece of the mom you never got to meet?” You ask gently. Ellie nods slowly, trying to rack her brain for something.

“What about something like this?” You turn your book to her. You’ve drawn a different type of fern, but this one is just a simple outline. “Mine’s filled in, because we’ve gotten to live a life together, we’ve filled in a lot of gaps. Hers is an outline, a life lived before and for you, but not with you.”

Ellie gently reaches for your book, fingers gently tracing the outline. She hardly thought about her birth mom lately, only turning to her journal in empty nights alone.

“Do you ever think about her?” Ellie asks.

“I do.” Ellie’s eyes flick to your face. “I only know what you’ve shared. But somewhere deep in my bones I can feel her; mainly guiding me through your temper. I hope wherever she is, she’s content with how Joel and I have tried to take care of you.”

Ellie soaks in your words. She thought about what her mom might say to Joel, how she would thank him for keeping her safe. Or maybe how she’d lay into him for stopping the fireflies. But she hadn’t thought what would happen if she met you. A stranger that was the only one who ever felt like home.

“She’d be thankful, for everything. Much like I am.” Ellie pats your hand.

“Thanks Sugarpie.” You lay your hand on top, taking a deep breath in. “Feel like you need one more piece.”

“I already know what it is.” She sighs.

_______

“How’s your ink?” Joel chuckles. The dirt crutches beneath his feet as he guides you along the patrol route.

“Healin’ nicely.” You pull him down to you, kissing him on the cheek. He gently takes your arm, turning it to reveal your tattoos.

“Can’t believe my own son stole my nickname.” He playfully grumbles as his fingers gently caress the little bumble bee that sits on top of a lavender flower.

“Who else could ever be worthy?” You giggle.

“I guess that’s true.” He gives you a kiss, letting his lips linger for just a second more. It’s the moments like these that he remembers best. The way you smile at him, how you dance in the sunlight, the way the breeze carries you laugh.

“Have you seen Ellie’s?” You quietly ask, threading your fingers through his.

“Much bigger than both of yours.” He nods. It wasn’t much of a shock that she got one, she always liked the one on your finger. He was a little surprised it wasn’t anything Savage Starlight related though.

“We designed it together.” You tell him, “You like the moth?”

“Reminds me of the one on my guitar.” He flashes a smile, pulling your hand up to his lips and kissing the tips of your fingers.

“‘Cause it is.” You whisper. His eyes narrow at you, not sure what you’re playing at. “All I’m sayin’ is don’t stop trying. She’s comin around. There’s too much between you to let that all go forever.” You press your lips to his, smiling when he pulls you close.

"And you didn't want a matchin' one?" He chuckles.

"And miss the opportunity to permanently adorn my skin with a Joel Miller original weapon design?" You laugh, flashing the little pipe with scissors taped to the top.

"Only you Darlin'." He shakes his head, grabbing you and smothering you in a kiss.

_______ 

A Year Later

“(Y/N), your terror is pullin’ on the lights again!” Tommy shouts from the top of his ladder.

“Mmm, can’t help it if Billy loves his uncle!” You shout from behind the bar. You look around at the team putting together the dance hall. It looks so magical with all the lights strung everywhere, the warm glow of the fire.

“Come here munchkin.” Ellie sighs, picking him up as he giggles in excitement. He wraps his little arms around her, trying to grab her hair that’s been scraped into a ponytail. She moves it out of the way, giving him a silent no.

"Pie!" He giggles as her fingers tickle his sides.

"Got you booger." She chuckles as he giggles louder.

“We gunna see you at the dance tonight?” You ask, leaning around her to smile at Billy. He gives you a toothy grin, tucking his head into his sister's neck.

“Uh… maybe” Ellie shrugs. Things have been a little less tense with Joel, she’s managed to keep herself in line for the sake of you and Billy;  but she still tries to keep her distance. “Who’s babysittin?”

“Molly next door. She said she wants practice.” You chuckle as Billy reaches for you. You take him from her, bouncing him as you hand Tommy the rest of the lights.

“I heard Dina is newly single.” You say low enough for only her to hear. She hums in acknowledgment, which makes you smile. They were always friends but Ellie started lookin at her a bit differently after Dina started hopping from boyfriend to boyfriend, and yet always ended up stumbling to Ellie’s every time she broke up with them.

“Remember what I told you the night Joel proposed?”

“That you love us?” She smartly remarks. You shake your head and lean over to her.

“That you have to dance with the people you love at least once.” You wink.

_______

“I don’t need your help Joel!” Ellie yells. You quickly make your way around the bar, closing the space between you and him but he quickly turns and brushes past you.

“Joel!” You call after him, your body following but your eyes glued on Ellie. You give her an apologetic look, running after your husband. As you stumble outside you see Joel making his way toward home, but Maria is standin' across the street with-

“Seth!” You yell, calmly walking over to him.

“You gunna claim her as yours you need to get her-” He spits as you slam your shin right into his crotch before he can finish.

“(Y/N)!” Maria warns. You ignore her, throwing a jab to his eye and the heel of your hand up his nose. The force is enough to knock him flat on his ass, the snow around dotted with red.

“Stay away from my daughter you jackass!” You scream, kicking him for good measure and running off to find your husband.

“Joel!” You shout after him, jogging as fast as you can to catch him.

“She’s made it clear she doesn’t want anything to do with me.” He yells over his shoulder.

“That’s not true…”

“Then what the hell was that in there?” He whips around so fast you startle, tripping over your own feet and landing flat on your ass.

“Ow.” You wince.

“Sorry Darlin.” Joel sighs, helping you to your feet. He helps brush the snow off you, grunting as you wrap yourself around him. You put your chin on his chest and wait until he looks down at you.

“She’s trying to figure out where she fits in Honeybunch. And it constantly feels like it’s not here.” Joel pulls your hood up, tightening the cords as he mulls over your words. “She came to the dance…”

“Not for us.”

“No teenager goes to a community function for family. Does that matter anyways? Not everyone can be as… lucky as us. She’s gotta find her way, in her own time.” You pucker your lips at him, which makes him roll his eyes as he gives you a kiss.

“How do you do that?” He mumbles against your mouth.

“What?” You smile against his.

“Get my head out of my ass.” He presses another kiss to your lips, his tongue gently sliding along the seam of yours, both of you humming happily as your tongues tangle.

 “I was coming to see if y’all were ok, and clearly you are.” Tommy chuckles. You begrudgingly unseal your mouth from Joel, shooting Tommy a glare.

“Momma!” Billy lurches in Tommy’s arms for you.

“Come here honey bee.” You take Billy, laughing as he burrows his face in your neck.

“I’ll meet you back at the house.” You tell Joel, tilting your head for his kiss goodbye.

“Want me to take Billy?” He gives you a quick peck, gently rustling Billy's hair.

“Nah, we’re gunna go see Sugarpie.” You tell Billy, who gives a small yea in response. Joel gives you a curt nod, walking back inside with Tommy. You watch for a minute and then quickly make the trek home.

You knock on Ellie’s door, happy when she lets you in.

“I have an early patrol.” She states.

“And I have half a mind to smack you.” You cheerfully tell her as you set Billy on her bed.

“I don’t need his help.” She huffs, sitting at her desk.

“I know, and it doesn’t matter.” You sit on the crate across from her. “Ellie, he’s your dad for all intents and purposes. He’s always going to want to help you, protect you, be there for you. None of that stops simply because you want it to.” You watch as she picks at a loose thread on her pants.

“Sugar, we don’t know when our last days are. Don’t let the last words you say to people you love be ones you regret.” You gently put your hand on her arm. Her green eyes turn to you, knowing that, like usual, you’re right.

_______

The Next Morning

“Hey, I gotta stop at the house.” Ellie tells Dina as they make their way to the stables.

“Ya, sure.” Dina shrugs following after her. Ellie slowly makes her way up the porch, letting herself in.

“Pie!” Billy yells in delight from the living room.

“Hey B.” She gives him a kiss as you come around the corner.

“His shift already started.”

“You responsible for the black eye?” Ellie questions. Maria made Seth apologize to her this morning, not that it did anything to make her feel better. It did warm Ellie's heart to see Seth's big black eye. Maria wouldn’t say who did it, which meant it wasn't Tommy or Joel. And of course Seth would have told everyone if it was Joel, and he would never admit if you were the one to beat him up.

“That all he walked away with?” You frown, trying your best to keep your smile at bay. Ellie rolls her eyes, wrapping you in a hug.

“Think your route crosses path with his, maybe say hello…” You give her one last squeeze before letting her go.

“You mean sorry.”

“Smarter then you look sugarpie.” You pat her shoulder and spin her toward the door. “Make sure to stay warm, keep your eyes peeled.”

“Do you think he would... want to watch a movie tonight?” Ellie quietly asks, opening the door and giving you one last hug.

“I think he’d love that.” You smile, waving to Dina, who flashes a smile. Ellie quickly walks down the stairs, turning to give you one last wave.

“Watch her Dina!” You yell. You assume Ellie rolled her eyes by the way Dina laughs.

_______

“(Y/N)!”

You turn to see Jeremy running toward you, a look of worry on his face.

“Jer, what’s wrong?” You catch him as he slows to a stop.

“Jesse radioed in, Joel and Tommy never checked in. And there were strangers spotted not too far out of town.”

“Ellie?”

“Jesse went to find her and Dina. They’re going to cover the route, figured you’d want to be on the scout team too.”

You can feel the panic rise in your chest; you take Jeremy by the hand and run into the barn.

“Woah there-” Maria chuckles.

“Can you watch Billy?” You ask, trying your best to saddle your horse.

“(Y/N)... what’s wrong?”

“Can you watch Billy?” You ask louder.

“Ya sure.” She nods, backing up as you mount your horse and take off on the trail. You ride hard to the ridge that surrounds the mountain lodge; it was a place that Joel and Tommy frequented when they wanted to play their instruments in peace. You’re not sure why they would end up there in this bad weather, but something was telling you to start there. As you reach the ridge you leave your horse in a nearby stable.

Jeremy managed to keep up, quietly following you as you scuttle toward the edge. You belly crawl the rest of the way, using the scope of your gun to see down below.

“Anything?” Jeremy whispers.

“Two of our horses, lots of people outside. Burned infected at the gate” You whisper back.

“Clear up here.” He confirms. You can feel him sit by your feet, his back to you so he can keep watch.

You try to calm your breathing, watching as the people outside patrol the lodge. Your scope moves to the large windows at the front, and you can see him. You watch as a girl not much older than Ellie shoots Joel in the leg. You jerk, feeling Jeremy keep you in place.

“What’s happening?” He harshly whispers.

“Joel’s been shot.” You push past your teeth. You watch, seeing the flash of something silver come in contact with Joel’s face. That’s when you see her. Her little brown pony tail poking out of her hood. Ellie, get out of there.

“Be ready.” you whisper, taking a deep breath in and cocking your gun. You hear Jeremy do the same. The girl winds up once more and you pull the trigger. The shot rings out, scaring the horses below and sending the guards scrambling. You manage to shoot several of them, the pure white snow now a river of red.

You turn back to the lodge window, seeing two people dragging the girl, one dragging Ellie and two more dragging Joel. You let two more shots fly; one hits one of the people dragging Joel and the other gets the person dragging Ellie right in the neck.

“Jeremy?” you whisper, panic rising in your throat.

“Clear.” He whispers back.

You let a few more shots fly until the group drops Joel and Ellie, fleeing into their vehicles. You scramble back from the hillside and dig out your radio.

“Heather, do you copy?”

“Copy.”

“Lodge trail. Light it up NOW.” You yell. Jeremy peels you away, leading you back to the horses. You can hear gunshots in the distance, hoping that it did some damage. You quickly ride down to the lodge, staying close to Jeremy as you both make it inside. He does a quick sweep, coming for you when it’s clear.

You hear her before you see them, her sobs bouncing off the walls and deep into your skull.

“Ellie.” You engulf her in your arms, blood smearing across your jacket as you try to calm her.

“Back-up is on the way.” Jeremy whispers, keeping his eyes on the windows.

“Move her into the next room, away from the windows.” You command, pushing Ellie into Jeremy’s arms. Her scream is like a baby being ripped away from their parents, you can feel it vibrate your bones. Calm, stay calm. You take a deep breath and turn to Joel. He’s bloody, his shallowing breathing matching the pace of your heart.

“(Y/N)?”

You turn to see Tommy slumped against the wall.

“We got people on the way.” you nod.

_______

“Ellie?”

You startle at the unexpected voice, moving to your hiding spot along the wall.

“Shit.” You hear two sets of feet scramble, immediately going to Joel.

“Dina? Jesse?” You stand up, your brain not quite believing your eyes.

“(Y/N), what the fuck happened?” Jesse asks, arms reaching for you.

“Ellie’s in the next room, grab her and get back to Jackson. She’s a little roughed up but she’ll make it.” You rub his arms, like a mom warming up her kid from the cold.

“Joel…” Dina asks.

“Can’t do anything until the cavalry is here." You glance at him, "Please, take Ellie and ride as fast as you can.” You swallow both of them in a hug. You take a deep shaky breath, gasping to keep the sob inside.

“I’ll stay.” Jesse whispers. “Dina can take Ellie.” 

“No! No.” You take both of them and lead them to the next room. “You have to watch each other, we don’t know if anyone is hanging around.” You gently shake Ellie, helping her stand and handing her off to Dina.

“We’ll make sure to put the whole town on alert.” Dina nods, helping Ellie out of the lodge. Jesse gives you one last hug, handing you his snacks and jogging after his friends.

_______

The mumbling. You’ve always hated when people talked in hushed tones, as if you didn’t know what they were talking about, or who. It didn’t help that the storm outside had settled, leaving the trees to groan in the silence, the snow to snapping the weakest limbs.

“(Y/N).” Jeremy’s voice is gentle, his hand resting on your shoulder. Your voice is lost in your throat; so you simply turn your head toward him.

“We have to move him.”

Your eyes turn back to Joel, his lungs wheezing with every breath. Silent tears blur your vision, a fat drop falling on Joel’s sleeve as you nod. 

Jeremy helps you to stand, making a note that you’ll need a set of new clothes before you go back to town. You’d scare the shit out of everyone with how much blood you have down the front of you. A few people come in with a stretcher, staring at the state Joel is in.

“Be careful.” Jeremy tells them, snapping everyone out of their daze. The four of you move Joel, trying your best to be quick and gentle.

“Blankets.” You mumble, gathering the few that were found in the cupboards and wrapping Joel. The two gently lift the stretcher and take him outside where the covered wagon is waiting.

“Ready?” Jeremy asks.

“Be right up.” You swallow hard. You listen as his footsteps fade down the hall, the door quietly closing. You look up to see the golf clubs still sitting in their bag. You walk over, taking out the one with the biggest head. You twirl it around, feel the weight of it in your hands, and start swinging.

[moonrisecalamityretreat]

Catch a Break | Jinpachi | Trial 3.7 | Re: Maxime, Hotaru

Jinpachi had felt bad about his outburst...even when it subsided and he dried his tears by dabbing at his tear ducts. Hisakata was so angry...so furious at being accused but was that okay? Is it okay for Hisakata to throw a fit when Jinpachi is in the same boat? Jinpachi looks on in what can only be seen as carelessness.

There are only two possible options...Jinpachi can't see this as anything more than acting out to throw the blame onto him. Shoving his dirty work onto Hisakata...he scowls in his direction. It would look callous to anyone else...but to Jinpachi his feelings of disdain were completely justified...because he knows his innocence.

Yet...

"Through that outburst...Imai-san does have a point. It isn't fair that people have come into this trial with biases towards him. I shouldn't simply be looked at as innocent because people are my friends. Be objective in your thoughts about both of us."

He tries so hard to not lash out again. Hold his tongue and not break down into tears of his own...he wishes someone would hold him...

"Hanji-kun's point still stands. Theories centering around me as the culprit or...any Devil in general...Are circumstantial and don't fit a coherent timeline. I could make my own to explain how asinine the idea that I did it is but that would still be completely biased since I'm the accused. So I'll leave that up to one of you to clear up."

His attention turns to Maxime and with a nod, Jinpachi does exactly as he is instructed to do. He reaches into his pockets to empty them. All that he sets on his podium is his personal phone and some starburst candies. He gives a shake to show he isn't making any noise. Next, he holds up his hands.

"I'll allow Hotaru-chan and Denda-sensei, since they are closest to me, to confirm for all of you that my nails are perfectly in tact. They are also free to give me a pat down if they so choose."

He shows his hands off and it can be seen that just as he had said, his nails were in perfect condition. He lowers them and brings his hand back his hair.

"As for the hair...I knew it wasn't mine the moment I saw it. I didn't feel I needed to look any closer at it to confirm this. I wasn't on that ferris wheel."

With that out of the way he throws his head to let it hang the other way. He let's the trial move and a light-bulb goes off in his head...Of course. He hadn't thought about it...his eye makeup was such a natural part of him...to prove that it doesn't run...

"You make a good point, Hotaru-chan. Why didn't I think of that?"

He can't help but feel silly...he straightens himself up and removes his glasses to give everyone a better look at his eyes. Jinpachi goes for a more natural look but clearly his eyes are lined and mascara fills his lashes.

"I wear waterproof makeup...and if not, at least enough sealant to make sure it doesn't run. It's a habit I've made from having to always wear makeup for such a long time. If you don't believe me then witnesses can attest to it."

Jinpachi puts his attention on both Mikazuki and Hanji.

"Both Soma-san and Hanji-kun have watched me get completely drenched. Soma-san saw me get flung off the boat in the tunnel of love and Hanji-kun saw me fall into the water back in that cave on the beach. Both times, my face remained in-tact."

But that wasn't all that he had to say, there was more.

"Of course, those two are close to me so I think it'd be better to bring up a more concrete example. A good number of you saw me in Cargo Bay. To not give too many details, I saw something extremely upsetting and couldn't help but let my emotions run. Everyone that was with me can attest to this. Hotaru-chan, Soma-san, Hanji-kun, Yvette-san, and Denda-sensei. Not just them...but another group in the Cargo Bay can as well."

He turns his attention to the center of the room as he speaks. Even if he was looking at someone, without his glasses they would be nothing but a blur.

"I didn't need to fix my makeup after I cried. So when they saw me, I hadn't done anything besides have the tears wiped from my face. Again this can be backed up by the people who saw me cry. Among that other group of people who saw me...are both of you. Loic-san and Imai-san. My makeup didn't run. It hasn't in years. If you want to claim that today was the single day I didn't wear waterproof makeup against the three examples I gave...you better be able to back it up. Also...don't say that I just used the makeup wipe for no reason and then reapplied my makeup simply to create a piece of evidence that could be used against a Devil. That's truly reaching for straws."

[vrishchikawrites]

Hello :) Here's another prompt if you're still taking them? WWX & LWJ met as children and declared that they would marry upon their first meeting. Their guardians just thought that it was cute, and that they will forget about it over time. (They don't)

(SOFT. SO SOFT. AU without SSC and GC transfer)

They first meet when Cansge Sanren and Wei Changze are still alive. The wandering cultivators find themselves in Caiyi town and Lan Qiren is reluctantly dragged from his duties to have lunch with a cheerful Cangse Sanren.

He brings little a-Zhan along.

His nephew has just recovered from a fever and is feeling a little clingy. Lan Qiren will never admit it, but something is in his chest softens when his little nephew clings to him with a pout, refusing to let go.

Cangse Sanren's son is exactly when Lan Qiren expected him to be; excitable, curious, restless, and frustratingly intelligent. Bright silver eyes track everything, fascinated and eager to know more.

Lan Qiren reluctantly nudges a-Zhan forward at Cangse Sanren's pointed stare. She's a protective mother and if he so much as implies her son is unworthy of making acquaintance with his nephew, she will cheerfully gut him.

a-Zhan is reluctant at first. He has never been the most social child, rarely interacting with anyone but his immediate family.

But Wei Ying, also a bit shy and reluctant, peeks from behind his father's robes and smiles.

Lan Qiren has to admit it is a pretty sight. The child is plump and healthy with bright eyes and a wide, sincere smile.

a-Zhan is enamored at first sight.

Lan Qiren is astonished when a-Zhan steps forward and grabs Wei Ying's hand, pulling him from behind Wei Changze and towards Lan Qiren.

Wei Ying comes willingly, curious and entertained by the unusual situation. Lan Qiren doesn't doubt he has had even fewer interactions with children his age than a-Zhan, being the son of traveling cultivators.

"Shufu," He pulls Wei Ying's arm up as though presenting him to Lan Qiren, "a-Ying."

"Indeed," He says, secretly amused but refusing to show it, "I am Lan Qiren, Wei Ying."

Apparently, the child doesn't lack manners because he attempts to bow even with his hand still firmly held in a-Zhan's grasp.

Lan Qiren is somewhat charmed.

He is less charmed when their lunch comes to an end and a-Zhan reaches for a-Ying's hand once again, refusing to let go.

"a-Zhan, it's time to go home. Don't you want to see a-Huan?"

"Show a-Ying to a-Huan." a-Zhan insists, "a-Huan sees too!"

"a-Huan can meet a-Ying later." Lan Qiren says patiently but he feels his eyebrow twitch at a-Zhan's stubborn pout, "a-Ying is staying in Caiyi for a few weeks, a-Zhan, I'm sure we can bring a-Huan next time."

"a-Huan see pretty now."

Lan Qiren winces when Cangse Sanren muffles a laugh in her husband's shoulder and the man looks at the sky, amused but too dignified to react.

a-Ying tugs at his hand, trying to free it only to pout when he can't escape.

The scene is too adorable for Lan Qiren's poor heart. He sighs.

"Alright, let's show a-Huan the 'pretty'."

---

The little wandering cultivator family stays in Caiyi for three weeks to rest, replenish their supplies, and give their child some time to play with others.

a-Huan, of course, is just as enamored by a-Ying as his little brother. Lan Qiren is getting accustomed to the sight of a little white-clad Wei child lead around Cloud Recesses by one nephew in the morning and another in the evening.

a-Huan is at least gracious enough to let Wei Ying walk on his own. a-Zhan is stubborn. If he's in a-Ying's company, he's holding the child's hand.

Wei Ying is a free spirit and being dragged around annoys the child at first. He tugs and pouts but eventually starts reaching for a-Zhan's hand on his own accord.

There's not a single person in Cloud Recesses that doesn't adore the sight.

---

"a-Zhan," Lan Qiren sighs, "a-Ying must leave with his parents. He belongs to them."

a-Zhan is red-faced and angry, his eyes wet with frustrated tears, "a-Ying stay. a-Ying stay, stay, stay!"

Oh goodness, a tantrum.

It is, unfortunately, a drama with three actors.

a-Huan is weeping with a tragic appearance of a love-scorned maiden; eyes wide and imploring, lips trembling, and face wet with silent tears.

a-Ying is burying sobs into his father's shoulder, his little body trembling with acute distress. "a-Ying not leave," He wails, "a-Ying wants stay with a-Zhan!"

"a-Ying," Wei Changze is compassionate instead of amused, his expression soft with sympathy. He rubs his son's back in gentle motions, rocking the child soothingly, "Baba promises we'll return. We'll be back before you even have a chance to miss your friends."

"Aiya! What a mess," Cangse Sanren says, amused, "a-Ying, do you want to leave us and stay with a-Zhan? We must go so you need to choose."

"Xingan," Wei Changze chides as Wei Ying looks up with wide eyes and shakes his head, looking heartbreakingly distressed, "Be gentle with our child."

Lan Qiren huffs in disapproval, glaring at her as she smiles sheepishly and presses a kiss to Wei Ying's head, "Aiya, baobao, you'll break your mother's heart. It's alright, little treasure," She plucks him from Wei Changze's arms, her face incandescent with love, "We'll bring you to your a-Zhan every two months, I promise! We would never keep you from your friends!"

Perhaps she knows something about raising children, after all. The definite timeline goes a long way to soothe all three children.

There are still many tears at their parting. a-Zhan and a-Huan sulk for days. Sometimes Lan Qiren catches a-Zhan looking at his hand with a forlorn expression.

"a-Zhan," He sighs one day, when his nephew spends an entire evening pouting and staring at his hand, "He'll be back soon."

a-Zhan doesn't say anything, just nodding gently and tucking his hand away.

The expression on his face melts Lan Qiren's heart, "I'll convince Cangse Sanren to stay a bit longer." He thinks about asking her to just let the child attend Cloud Recesses for his education. He's very bright, possessing a native intelligence that must be nurtured.

"Mn."

"Missing a friend is natural," He says softly, "But you must understand that everyone has their own life and obligations. a-Ying belongs to his parents. He must live with them."

"Mn. Will marry a-Ying so he belongs to me."

Lan Qiren chokes on his tea, "What...?"

"a-Ying promised he'll be my wife," a-Zhan nods solemnly, like he isn't nudging his uncle towards qi deviation, "a-Huan saw."

Lan Qiren turns to his older nephew, who nods with a cheerful smile, "They bowed to me and each other. I told them bowing to ancestors can wait until they're older!"

... what?

---

Tragedy strikes and Lan Qiren sees his nephew's heart break. Once. Twice. Three times.

Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren are killed. a-Ying is nowhere to be found.

Madam Lan perishes, and his little nephew deals with the weight of grief again, silent and solemn at her doorstep.

His brother retreats entirely and his nephews are left without a father.

They don't see Wei Ying again for well over a decade.

---

Wei Wuxian arrives at Cloud Recesses like an unstoppable storm.

Lan Qiren takes one look at him, sees the jaded edge in his eyes, watches his appeasing smile, and feels nothing but wrath.

This isn't the boy he remembers, raised under the boundless love of his parents. This one has faced injustice and doesn't trust the world.

The first time the boy challenges him in class, silver eyes sharp and assessing, he throws a book at him and assigns punishment with Wangji.

Let his nephew handle his cherished friend. He needs to look at the situation at the Lotus Pier.

He keeps assigning him lines, even for offenses that warrant the cane. Wei Ying doesn't remember much of his childhood but it is clear that the connection is still there.

The three children fall into their old friendship quickly. Xichen being amused and indulgent. Wei Ying being annoying and lively. Wangji never letting go.

Lan Qiren investigates.

What he finds doesn't please him.

He pens a scathing letter.

'She entrusted you with her treasure. You've made a hash of it. What do you mean by sending that child here in such a state? Did you think I would ignore it? Will you tell me the scars on his back are warranted?

Your audacity appalls me. You swore on your honor that you would raise him as your own son. I offered to take him in when you found him but you swore he was happy with you and his martial siblings.

My nephews love him. Your son only berates him.

You have deceived me.

I swear on my honor that I will find a way to wrest him from your sect, Fengmian.

You do not deserve him.'

---

Wei Ying is a naturally good-humored child. It takes just a month of being in Wangji and Xichen's company to soften all of his edges. His mischief no longer has a jaded edge to it.

He's still far too unruly for Lan Qiren's liking but he supposes that is a symptom of his youth.

"Jiang Yanli is betrothed," Xichen says as he serves them tea. He has a solemn expression but his eyes are sharp. He's almost as fond of Wei Ying as Wangji, after all, "I see no reason why Wangji and a-Xian can't be too."

Lan Qiren stills, staring at his nephew, "Betrothal." He repeats flatly.

Xichen dares to shrug, discarding his habitual poise in his anger, "Wangji has never loved another. It's unlikely he ever will." He looks up to meet Lan Qiren's gaze, "We wouldn't be able to separate them now, Shufu, not after Wangji saw-" He grimaces.

Lan Qiren looks away with a scowl, combing his beard furiously. His youngest nephew had discovered Wei Ying's scars, after all.

"We have letters from Wei Changze," Lan Qiren says, "Discussing a-Ying and a-Zhan's formal marriage arrangements." It had all been in jest, of course. When they found out the children had 'wed' with Xichen as a witness, their amusement had known no bounds.

Lan Qiren had quite enjoyed carrying out mock betrothal negotiations.

He clears his throat, "Very well."

---

Wangji and Wei Ying are officially betrothed before the lectures at Cloud Recesses come to an end.

Yu-furen's wrath knows no bounds. Soon enough, Jiang Fengmian sends Wei Ying back to Cloud Recesses with a letter full of excuses.

Wangji takes one look at his beloved's ashen expression and turns to Lan Qiren, "No more."

Lan Qiren nods.

It is difficult to negotiate but they pull it off. It helps that Wei Changze's letters speak of the marriage as an inevitable fact rather than a joke between parents.

The Jiangs lose their Head Disciple by the time the boy is seventeen. Lan Qiren arranges their marriage by the time they're twenty.

Wei Ying never leaves Wangji's side again.

[cafecourage]

The moment they realized they loved you. (Isekai Au Edition) Part 2

If you want more information on this AU here is the Link!

Sky:

- It started slow and very sweet.

- He took a long time realizing who you were. But he still believed in the others when they started to recognize you.

- When your behind him cheering you on, he feels invincible. Since during his adventure Impa tore into him pretty badly when he was late to save Zelda.

- Your presence is comforting to him. It feels like home despite being on the ground.

___________________________________

Being back in Skyloft was a small blessing for the chain. The tight knit community had already welcomed the travelers with little to no questions about their origins. It was a stroke of luck that they landed in front of the bazaar in the early morning when no one else was up yet. Their first day there was a resting day in attempt to gather information on the black blood monsters and inventory checks.

Sky took his time catching up with everyone. Letting the Headmaster and Sun know about the situation that had the hero hopping around in the timeline. Then he needed to go down to the small settlement on the surface to check on them. Sun did already tell him that things where still safe down there and that he should take a break. But he still would rather check it out himself just in case something did happen it better to be safe than sorry.

Despite being able to jump off from any of the decks in Skyloft. He automatically went towards the plaza near the tower of light. During his adventure it was the quickest way to the opening above Faron Woods. Sky was just turning the bend when he saw his Loftwing was already there on the docks and under its wing was You. You were trying to put a small amount of distance between you and the bird but the creature kept bring you closer to hold.

“(Y/n)!” Sky was baffled at his Loftwings reactions to you. He dashes to your side. “I’m so sorry. He isn’t normally like this.”

“It’s fine.” Your uncontrollable laughter the was full with childlike glee finally reached him. “In fact, I think he recognizes me!” You whispered smiling. The Crimson Loftwing cooed now leaning into his masters touch as Sky softly pet the side of his necks. Sky wondered if what you said was the truth. Since a Loftwing and its rider do share a special connection, it’s fully possible that his also felt and heard you. “Hey Link?” Suddenly your demeanor changed. “Can I ask something?”

Your bashful and embarrassed expression made Sky feel soft inside. “Of course.”

“One of these days can you show me around the sky or the surface?” You shifted awkwardly from him. He actually forgot that you haven’t physically been to his era before. That for the longest time you only saw things from his point of view without the ability to truly explore anything. “You don’t need to- “

“Are you free now?” He quickly cut you off. “I was actually heading down there now to check on the settlement.”

“Really?” Your face seems to brighten but then you remembered something and leaned closer to him whispering again “I don’t have a Loftwing though.”

He gently takes your hand “my Loftwing is strong enough for both of us.” He guided you to his side. You eyed the bird with uncertainty but you let him help you up onto the harness. Sky got on behind you reaching around you to get the reins. “Hold on to me if you get scared.” He teasingly warned and before you could question him. His Loftwing took off nose diving off of the deck.

You let out a small squeak as you latched onto his tunic. Sky almost felt bad that he actually scared you. But once in the air and on a steady path you finally opened your eyes again. “Woah!” The sight was nothing special but it was still just as beautiful. The clouds below them created an endless sea of white. “It’s so pretty.” Pride bubbled up as Sky watch you taken in the beauty of his home. This was just the start of what he wanted to show you as different locations came into his mind. ��Hey.” You looking over your shoulder with hope in your eyes. ”Next time can we go to the Lumpy Pumpkin? I remember you singing high praises about their pumpkin soup.”

Sky tried to think of what he wanted to do tomorrow, right now there wasn’t anything that needed his attention. “If we have time tomorrow, I can take you there for lunch or dinner.” Maybe he could take a break from being a hero for a bit.

“Great! It’s a date then.” You sent a wink his way that sent his brain into a haywire before looking back into the endless sky. He was lucky his Loftwing is able to steer himself. As dot’s where finally connecting in Sky’s head. Pure love and affection bubble up as he embraces his new found feelings.

- He will be the one to uno reverse card on you. All love and affection will drown you instead. There was so much he wanted to tell you before to thank you for being by his side and encouraging him.

- Cuddle time will start here because of his need to make sure you know your loved too.

- He would be the one to confess first, but it would probably be played off as friends telling each other that they love each other.

- You’re not dense but overly affectionate. He might just need to spell out how you make him feel on a daily basis. Maybe then you’ll understand what you’re doing to him.

___________________________________

Legend:

- It hit him like a freight train.

- He isn’t mad at you. He is mad at himself. He had made his dues with what the people he had lost. Yet here he is. Already going too far.

- Your ability to make the situation brighter slowly eroded the walls he put up years ago.

- It might be all in his head, but he swears that you always make sure his needs are met even if he is trying to hide them.

___________________________________

“Link!!!” You barreled towards him ignoring the questioning stares the people of Windfall Island. “Link! Link! Link! LOOK!!!” You hold up a pink rabbit stuffed animal that you bought. “It you!”

The veteran in question huffed, “seriously of all things.” He turned on his heels “I’m going back on the ship.” He didn’t know why he was still entertaining your antics at that point.

“Wha- Hey! I was joking!” They were stocking up in Windfall and Legend was not happy to be on a boat nor in the ocean again. He wouldn’t say that he afraid.

Just… cautious…

You on the other hand looked like you were having the time of your life on the ship talking the it’s Captain and crew member’s. Yet most of the time you would stay by his side. The reason was obvious but nether wanted to talk about it.

Which is why you dragged him out to the port island. ‘An easy distraction.’ You told him, ‘I can show you around so we won’t get lost!’ He wasn’t worried about that. Legend trusted you. A fact he will never say out loud. However, he would rather hole up somewhere and escape the world then be here.

A soft hand took his when Legend reached the docks. He already knew who it was since you’ve been following him like a lost puppy all day. “One more place please?” You looked at him expectingly. “Then you can go back.”

“What are you a child? Why can’t you just go alone?” Legend snapped back, “you don’t have to be around me.”

“Legend I like being with you.” You pointed out like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “However.” You let go of his hand. “I also understand if you don’t want to hang out anymore and want to go rest.” There was no fighting back. No offense to his words. Nothing. Just a warm smile that filled him with warmth, that was accompanied by words fueled by unlimited care and understanding which made his heart beat faster. The silence between you two seemed to give you an answer. You turned around. A panicked feeling shot through. Legend was surprised with himself when he almost reached out to you when you walked away.

Instead, he watched you go. In the wake of his own emotions, he realized what had been happening. How he has been acting around you was starting to get familiar. “Not again.” He whispered disappointed in himself.

___________________________________

- Legend is going to be bitter about it. He isn’t going to take it out on you, but his mannerisms are going to be different after this.

- Not quite closed off, but it’s almost like he is mourning another loss.

- You would need to drown him in love and affection before he realizes you like him back. But like Twilight, he is going to be heartbroken if you decide to leave him to go back home.

___________________________________

Wild:

- Its progression was as natural as breathing.

- He just got off of his adventure so he always had you by his side. Just being near you is second nature.

- If anything, he was more than excited to actually have you physically be here alongside him.

- It rare to see ether of you not near each other when traveling together you two are inseparable.

___________________________________

The only upside of being in Wild’s Era is that the champion knew what to expect, it’s chaotic was normal for him and actually brought him a bit of peace. You came with that peace of mind. Having you join the chain to him was almost like you never left his side in the first place. From the moment he woke up after being told his name and what he needed to from Zelda, he was aware of your presence. You were the one to encourage him to explore the ruin kingdom. You were the one to recognize structures that the people in his world didn’t know about. The weird part was that you didn’t know how he was before the calamity, but he didn’t question that fact too much. He was more than happy to have someone treat him as a different person from before.

Now having you physically with him. Wild wanted to bring you to all of your favorite locations that you vocally told him about.

But that had to wait for now, because the downside to Wild’s Hyrule was the amount of things that wanted him dead. Moblins? Bokablins? Those guys are fine to fight they were push overs unless infected with the black blood. Actually, most of Wild’s monsters were like that. Once you get a hang of fighting them and recognize their patterns. They are a breeze.

A common threat that was annoy to deal with however, was the Yiga Clan. Which leads to the situation Wild and the others found themselves getting in while on the road to Hateno. He should of figured that they were going to strike when he got back to his Era. But he honestly didn’t think it would be in this quantity they were out number but thanks to Warriors taking control of the situation where managing. He was trying to make sure everyone was accounted for and was alive when he heard a string of curses coming from his right.

You had been knocked on the ground by a Blade Master. Your sword was near the clan member. Wild felt his world freeze in that moment as he bolted towards your body. With a falcon bow in hand. Wild side jumped. Locked in an ancient arrow and let it go.

The arrow sped towards the Blade Master. Hitting him directly. Turning the Yiga member into a bunch of Sheikah blue ribbons before collapsing into an orb where the arrow hit.

Wild slide towards your body. A pulse he needed to feel a pulse. Placing the tips of his index and middle finger on the base of your thumb and wrist. He pressed lightly to feel the blood pulsing beneath his fingers. A sigh of relief escaped him. Wild was lucky that the battle had come to an end. As the other Yiga members ether retreated in horror of what happened to one of their own or cut down quickly.

Hyrule join him soon after shooing him out of the way gently. Wild didn’t move from your side all that much. He didn’t want to. Just in case you left him too. He doesn’t know a life without you in it. A world like that just doesn’t exist.

Wild knows the name of the cause of his feelings. It’s the same thing that drives him to share his experience with you. He wants to be by your side and to make you happy.

___________________________________

- He is protective but not controlling. If anything, he wants to spar with you more. So, you can get better at fighting.

- You can bet he is going to start making you taste the different foods he had discovered, or sneak out to visit areas in his world more often. He doesn’t want you to miss a thing.

- There is so much he wants to do with you. So much he wants to share. So many things to say. That he just wants to do it all at once so there can be new things you both can discover together.

(Part 1)

[messrmoonyy]

Have you seen that popular post of tonks going to Remus class after the war and taking teddy with her? cood your write something with that? Please 😃

I sure have anon! I loved this. Some happiness amongst all the angsty asks I have lmao.

I took some mild creative liberties with the conversational abilities of portraits and the timeline is slightlyyyy wobbly. But enjoy

Read my other writing in my masterlist and feel free to drop me a request

Pairing: Remus lupin x Nymphadora Tonks

Warnings: none

When Tonks woke up Remus was already gone, her fingers reached around blindly on his side of the bed and found nothing but cold sheets and she groaned. In the year that they had been living at Hogwarts with Remus back teaching again, she had gotten herself into the habit of waking up with him. But Teddy had simply refused to sleep last night so she had been up for hours with him so that Remus could sleep. She opened her eyes and saw there was a steaming mug of tea on the bedside dresser with a little note propped against it and she reached over to grab it.

'My dear Dora,

Don't be mad at me for not waking you, you needed to rest. I checked on Teddy before I left. I have a class of 6th years 3rd period so feel free to come down if you want to. I have a free afternoon too, so tea in Hogsmede?

Yours always, Remus'

She smiled and sat up in bed stretching her arms up above her head with a yawn, grimacing slightly as her arm popped. It was one of the main reasons she still hadn’t gotten back fully into working herself, an injury from the war that still hadn’t recovered. The curse still that had hit her making it seem like it might not ever recover properly. Madam Pomfrey saw her once a week to help with it, but it wasn’t much better really.

She felt quite useless some days. She was desperate to get back into working again. She was never one for just lazing around doing nothing. She had been offered her job back at the ministry when ever she was ready to return to it, a hefty promotion waiting for her too. She still dis small things for the ministry, Kingsley has worked very closely with her and Remus on getting equal rights for Lycanthropes, made wolfsbane much more accessible. But for now she didn’t really mind that much, it meant having plenty of time with Remus and Teddy. Now in terms of work she she just helped out around the school where she could, because they didn't mind if she brought Teddy along with her. Some days she helped out in the hospital wing, her extensive knowledge on healing coming in handy. Other days helped with Minervas homework study groups, helped Remus plan his classes, she kept busy.

Teddy started to fuss and she got out of bed with a roll of her shoulder to try ease the morning pain. She peered into his cot to see him wide eyed and awake. He had Remus’ eyes. Big and brown and beautiful. He looked so much like Remus, she knew the older he got he’d simply be a double of his dad. Minerva was already joking that with them looking so identical now she would resign the day he was old enough to attend Hogwarts. With Remus and Tonks as his parents he was certain to have a mischievous streak in him for certain. It was practically fate.

" my silly boy huh " she said as she saw he’d managed to completely change ends he was sleeping on. She smiled, rolling her eyes with a smile and picked him up. His hair was a vibrant shade of red today, like the phone boxes back in London. His hair was the one of the only thing that seemed to change about him at the moment but he was already starting to control it. He had seemed to have learnt how to change his hair to match who he wanted to be held by when he was particularly grumbly. Which made things particularly difficult if they were staying at the Weasleys. But also quite cute when they would visit Harry and a little scar would appear on his head. She didn't even mind that just lately it would go brown more often than pink because seeing Remus and Teddy together was one of the greatest feelings in the world. Seeing Remus happy was one of the greatest feelings in the world. Because he so often would wake up in the night in a cold sweat as his nightmares replayed all the trauma of the war back to him. But work kept him distracted. And Teddy did. And she did. And though he would never admit it, the fact that he was sole income for the family now kept him motivated too.

She carried him over to her bed and sat down with to feed him, knowing that must be the reason he was fussing. It was quite peaceful sitting there in her room with him, it was raining outside and the rain hitting the window panes was almost melodic. Remus loved the rain and she’d grown to love it as well, sometimes convincing him to go out dancing around in it with her. If she listened closer she could hear the chatter of the children, she glanced at the clock and saw second period would be starting in 5 minutes so they were noisily moving between their classes. Even though there were no classrooms by the teachers wing in the castle, she could still hear them.

When Teddy had had his fill she propped him up on her pillows as she opened up his little wardrobe to get him something to wear. There was a quidditch friendly later on the evening, so she pulled out his little hufflepuff quidditch jumper ready. Molly had knitted it for him and it was an almost perfect replica. Even though Harry had tried to convince her he should be wearing Gryffindor. But even Remus agreed Teddy would be a hufflepuff. Through and through.

" wanna go see daddy teach later, hmm? You like being in his classroom don't you? Mummy does too because daddy looks very handsome in his teaching robes doesn't he? He does " she said as started to get him changed, unhooking his foot that he had shoved into his mouth “ are you going to be a good boy whilst he’s teaching? My good boy huh? “ Teddy gurgled an answer and went back to trying to get his foot into his mouth again.

With a half hour or so to go until his 6th year class she left their quarters and took Teddy down to his second favourite place in the castle. In one of the corridors off the main entrance hall a long row of portraits of those that had been lost in the war had been hung. Including one of Sirius. The first time they had seen it both Remus and Dora had cried only to have had the painted Sirius tell them both to grow a pair. But getting to introduce Teddy to his family was worth it, even if it did still make her emotional to see his face and hear his voice again.

When she reached Sirius frame he wasn't in it and she rolled her eyes knowing exactly where he would be. She walked down a couple more portraits to Fred Weasleys. And there was Sirius. Turns out even painting Sirius and Fred were mischievous and Sirius acted like the marauder he once was around Fred as they tried to play pranks on the others in the hall.

" do you ever actually stay in your frame?" Tonks said with a smile, bouncing Teddy lightly on her hip.

" Tonksie! And my little man! " Teddy started laughing as he heard Sirius voice and made grabby hands towards him. Tonks held him to the frame and Sirius pulled stupid faces at the little boy making him laugh even more. She wished Sirius was still around to truly play with Teddy. To make him laugh and turn him into the little prankster she knew he would grow up to be. But a portrait would all she was going to get nowadays. So she took what she could get " where's moons? Teaching? "

" yeah. We're going to see him now. Arent we Ted? Gonna see daddy? “ Teddy’s hair shifted brown at the mention of his dad and with a slight worry he would start crying and disturb classes, she said a quick goodbye to Sirius and made her way down to Remus’ classroom. She was a little early but Remus tended to let his class go early if he knew she was coming down.

And as exactly as she had suspected he had let his 3rd years go early when she arrived and they were piling out of the room. They all smiled as they saw her, all of Remus’ students knowing who she was.

" morning Mrs Lupin! "

" hi Ted! Hi Mrs Lupin! "

" good morning Mrs Lupin, oh hiyya Teddy! " some of the children greeted her as they left the classroom and she smiled at them all eagerly still just loving the sound of ' Mrs Lupin ' as she stepped into the classroom Remus had his back to her, tidying something on his desk and she snuck up behind him, wrapping her free arm around his waist.

" hi " she said softly and stood up on her tip toes to kiss his cheek. He turned in her embrace immediately, a smile gracing his faces the sight of his family. He leant down to kiss her only to be disturbed by Teddy yanking on his hair.

" oh I'm sorry, does someone feel left out? " Dora said with a laugh and handed him over to Remus who kissed his nose and both his chubby cheeks.

" kisses for both my favourite people " he held the baby boy up in the air and playfully tried to bite at his little feet making Teddy squeal in delight. Remus was well and truly in his element as a father. He had taken to the role so well and it warmed Doras heart watching them together. He may have had a rocky start. But he was more than making up for it now. He doted on his son, spoilt him completely rotten and showed him all the love and affection she’d known he’d had in him from the start.

Teddy soon became disinterested and far more interested in the model of some small creature on his desk. Remus handed it to him and sat him down on the floor as he gurgled to himself, inspecting the skull as if it was the most amazing thing he’d ever seen.

“ did you catch up on your sleep? “ Remus asked turning to Dora then as she watched Teddy with a smile “ you look tired darling “ he pulled her into, his hands on her waist. She gave a small shrug and looked up at him. His face was mildly concerned. He always worried too much. Always.

“ a bit “

“ you should’ve stayed in bed. Gotten some more rest “

" I’m fine Remus. Honestly. Besides. I like watching you teach " she said with a smile and hopped up to sit on his desk after a look towards Teddy. He was still babbling to himself as he investigated the small skull, still insanely amused by it.

" people aren't allowed to sit on my desk you know " Remus said and moved to stand in front of her, his hand reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear.

“ if I recall we’ve done much more than sit on this desk Mr Lupin “ his cheeks flushed and she couldn’t help the giant grin on her face. After all the time since they’d first met she could still get him flustered. She loved it.

" you're a tease you know that? " he murmured and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

" I'm well aware. But you married me didn't you? You signed up for it " he smiled and she brushed her lips against his with an smile to match his. Though he’d barely kissed her for a second when there was the sound of children in the corridor, his next class arriving. Dora gave a small sigh and pressed a quick kiss to his lips before hopping off of the desk and picking up Teddy.

“ you’ll stay? “ Remus asked, straightening up his desk and pulling her back in gently before she could go “ it’s mostly just a study lesson, you won’t be a bother darling “ how could she say no to him when he was looking at her like that? He made her melt. She gave a nod and pressed a kiss to his cheek, before retreating to the back of the classroom so she and Teddy wouldn’t get in the way “ in you come class! “ the children piled in, some stopping briefly to talk to Tonks and Teddy before finding their seats.

She’d attended so many of his classes by now and she’d never seen any children really misbehave. They all seemed to love him, all listening with pure interest in everything he had to say. And maybe it was his parental instinct, but he was practically a father to some of them. They went to him for advice, just to talk, some of the more quiet students would even seek him out at lunch break so they didn’t have to eat alone. There were the odd few that were still coming to terms with the new easing of laws regarding werewolves, having grown up around people always saying they were bad. But everyone quickly grew to love him.

Just like she’d said they would.

He’d been a little hesitant to take on his old job after the war and had declined twice before finally accepting. She’d had the joy of watching him flourish after returning to work, he was truly in his element. He was happier. More confident than ever. And she loved him even more for it.

Teddy remained quite as Remus started teaching, always looking at his father almost in awe. He only became a little restless when Remus set the students off to do their own working, a quiet chatter filling the classroom.

“ Mrs Lupin? “ Tonks turned her head as she heard her name and smiled as Ravenclaw girl looked at her expectantly “ could you give me a hand with this one? “ she happily walked over to the girls desk, crouching down to help her with her questions on the behaviours of Pukwudgies. Teddy continued to wiggle around as she tried to help the student so placed him down to sit by her feet.

She had only taken her eyes off of him for a few moments , but Teddy took his chance and wiggled out of his mothers grasp and crawled away to sit at Remus foot who was stood a few desks away helping a student himself.

" oh- Teddy " Dora hissed and went to snatch her child back to their place in the back of the classroom. But Remus simply bent down and picked Teddy, not even stopping his explanation to his student , and placed him on his hip which made Teddy clap his chubby little hands excitedly. Tonks finished helping the girl before hurrying over to Remus, ready to relieve him of their son. But Remus declined with a smile.

“ it’s okay. Have a break. He’s fine sweetheart “

He held him for the rest of the lesson , even when he brought the classes attention back to the front for the final part of his lecture. He held Teddy in his arm and acted as if it was a perfectly normal thing to teach about the life expectancies of dark creatures with a small child on your hip. None of the students seemed fazed by it either and Dora sat at the back of classroom with a smile so wide it hurt her cheeks. Nothing would ever come close to the sight of Remus happy. So at ease with being a father now, so at ease back in front of classroom. Helping. Teaching. Shaping small futures as he has always dreamt of doing.

And of course the cherry on top. His family. Something he had never thought he could have. He was finally living the life she’d wanted him to have since that first meeting back when she joined the Order. The war was over. He had lived most of his life in war. And now he was finally free. Free with her. And their son.

[owl-with-a-pen]

brainy or nia try on karas glasses one day and kara realizes that they were brenda/brandon?

- Oh my god, yes! Thank you for the prompt. x

“No, no,” Alex said decisively. “It’s been years and I still don’t get it. How the hell do glasses make it impossible for people to recognise you? I’d know you from anywhere.”

Nia grinned from across the table, lifting her drink to her lips as Alex pinched Kara’s cheek, only to be batted away by her little sister a second later.

“Okay,” Kara said with a snort. “Your next round is gonna be water shots.” She turned her head from the table, making a show of searching the bar. “Where’s Al?”

“Oh, you know he heads out back the second this party rolls in,” Kelly said with an impish smile, raising her own glass. She took Alex’s hand before she could pester Kara any further, winding their fingers firmly together. “Although, I have to agree with the water.”

“Hydration would appear useful at this stage,” Brainy added with a sage nod. “She may also benefit from lining her stomach with something a little more substantial.”

Nia grinned, leaning back against Brainy’s chest. “Is that your not-so-subtle hint that you want more onion rings?”

She’d perched herself on the edge of Brainy’s stool some time into the evening; her smile widened when she felt his hands link around her front in response. “Sometimes, multiple issues can call for a single solution,” Brainy pointed out, tucking his face into her hair. “What is the saying? Two birds, one stone?” Nia's face warmed when Brainy’s lips traced idly along the side of her jaw.

Kara grinned. “Well, hey, I’m not gonna say no to more onion rings.”

It was fair to say that they’d all had a few drinks between them by now, although Kelly and Alex were strictly drinking from the human menu. Things always got a little whacky with alien grade alcohol, and despite her half-Naltorian genetics, Nia had barely been able to stomach a single sip of Brainy’s drink of choice. It suited his tolerance level far better, and made for a slower automatic response for his body to factor out the alcohol and sober him up. If his sudden confidence with intimacy in a public environment was anything to go by, Nia figured it was definitely working.

Nia knew Kara was drinking something similar to Brainy, although her Kryptonian biology made her far more resilient against its contents. She wasn’t even slurring.

Meanwhile, Nia was feeling all kinds of warm inside. Although, Brainy’s hold on her was probably a major factor in that.

It had felt like forever since they’d last gone out like this, and from the recent stress they’d all been under, it wasn’t exactly surprising that they’d found their way to Al’s bar. Plus, after the number of times they’d saved this place from one catastrophe or another, they got some incredibly generous discounts even on some of the rarer beverages. It was just unfortunate that Alex’s human tolerance really wasn’t matching up. And, considering Kelly was still on her first drink, she was currently the only person everyone was sorely worried about getting home safely that night.

With that in mind, Nia was just about to suggest heading up to the bar to go order, when Alex made her move, whipping her hand out quick enough to snatch Kara’s glasses straight from her face, balancing them across her nose.

She turned to Kelly immediately, staring at her levelly. “Well?” she asked expectantly. "How do I look?”

“It’s like looking at a total stranger,” Kelly deadpanned. She smirked, leaning in closer. “Although, they do make you kinda mysterious.”

Alex’s smile broadened. “Oh really?”

“My turn!” Nia chirped, plucking the glasses from Alex’s face. She rested her elbows on the table, propping her chin up with her hands the moment she had the glasses on. She narrowed her eyes, testing out her new perspective. As anticlimactic as it was, nothing really changed. It was just like staring through two pieces of clear glass. Nia pouted. She supposed it wasn't unexpected - that was exactly what she was doing, after all.

“It’s weird being able to see clearly while wearing someone’s else’s glasses,” Nia mused, playing around with the glasses’ temples, wiggling them up and down in front of her face. “Has anyone who didn’t know your secret ever done this before?” She jerked her head up, snapping her fingers. “Ooh, I know, I bet you just tell them you both need the same prescriptions. Am I right, or am I right?”

Kara didn’t answer.

“...Kara?”

When Nia turned, she realised that Kara was staring directly at her, a half-stunned daze in her eyes.

“What, did the alcohol finally kick in?” Nia prodded good-naturedly, only for Kara to reach out suddenly, taking the glasses away from her. “Hey! I was using those!”

Kara remained silent. Instead, with unnerving intensity, she came forward, slipping the glasses onto Brainy’s face. Brainy jerked from the unexpected contact, lifting them away from his nose as though they'd burned. He blinked quickly in affront, eyeing Kara suspiciously. “What was that for?” he asked.

“It was you two,” Kara said mildly; her voice sounded far too calm for comfort, like she was on the verge of a full-blown freak out. “All those years ago, in Midvale. It was you.”

Nia spluttered at the exact same moment as Brainy. She snapped her head towards him desperately. “What?” she asked, registering the panic in Brainy’s eyes that she knew was reflected identically in her own. “No—what—no?” She dug her hand into her boyfriend’s shoulder, squeezing tight. “Do you know what she’s talking about?”

“I have no idea what you are- what she’s talking about-” Brainy snorted defensively. “Do-do you?”

Nia nudged him nervously, eyes wide. “I just said I didn’t, genius.”

“...Right,” Brainy said quickly, clearing his throat. He raised his voice, turning back to Kara. “Two admissions though! Thus further proving that we have no idea what you are talking—”

But, Kara was still staring, a cold glare of certainty in her eyes. “I’d know that scrambling for an excuse anywhere,” she said, taking Brainy’s hands and guiding the glasses back into place over the bridge of his nose. She met no resistance this time, Brainy was far too busy gaping at her. “Brendan.” She turned to Nia accusingly. “Brenda.” Her lips split into a pained smile. “Rao- I thought you two were hiding something, but I was willing to accept it, because... I thought you were lost.”

“In our defence, we sorta were,” Nia admitted sheepishly. “The crash wasn’t part of the plan.”

It was Brainy’s turn to nudge her. “Nia.”

“Give it up, Brainy.” Nia cringed. “We’re caught.”

Kara ran her hands through her hair, shaking her head in bewilderment. “What were you guys even doing there? When did this even happen for you?”

“When you were in the Phantom Zone,” Nia said slowly, ducking her head.

“We needed your DNA,” Alex said softly. It sounded as though the recent commotion had done a good job at sobering her up. “To track you down.”

“It was thanks to these two that we were able to save you at all,” Kelly added.

Something crossed Kara’s expression then, but it was so quick that Nia barely caught it. All she knew was that in that moment, Kara looked entirely vulnerable. “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked weakly.

Brainy swallowed hastily. “Had you known our true identities in 2009, it would have caused ramifications in the timeline that could have irrevocably changed the future.”

“I don’t mean then,” Kara said sharply, attention snapping to Brainy. Her expression fell. “Why not when I came back?”

“It didn’t seem… necessary,” Brainy said uncomfortably. Nia felt his grip tighten back around her and ran her hand across his arm, squeezing gently.

Kara scoffed, folding her arms. “Not necessary? You guys were in my past—you saved my life, and you didn’t think to tell me?”

“So much happened,” Nia said carefully. “Kara, we didn’t want to stress you out any more than you already had been.”

“Come here,” Kara said suddenly.

Nia blinked her surprise, catching Brainy’s eyes quickly for confirmation. Hesitantly, Brainy nodded, unlocking his arms from around Nia’s waist. Nia slipped from the stool, stepping towards her alongside Brainy.

They stared at her unsurely for all of two seconds before Kara came forward, swooping them both into the most intense super hug Nia thought either of them had ever experienced.

Nia gasped for breath, wrapping her free arm automatically around Kara’s back. The brush of Brainy’s fingers confirmed to her that he had done just the same.

“I never thought I’d get a chance to say this,” Kara murmured into the space between them. “But, thank you. Both of you, for everything that you did.”

“For... saving your life?” Brainy asked, voice muffled with confusion. “You’re... very welcome?”

Kara laughed, pressing her face into his hair. “Not that. Okay, well, of course that. But,” She sighed, drawing away again, her hands still locked tightly against each of their arms, “you both came to me at a time where I was questioning so much. My future, my identity, my place on Earth. I was hurting, in more ways I ever let on. And without you two—I don’t know what I might have done differently.”

Nia smirked. “Wait…” She turned her head towards Brainy. “Does that mean we were always meant to travel back to 2009?”

“Pre-destined time travel.” Brainy pondered on that thought for a long moment, his lips twitching into a smile of his own. He shrugged. “I suppose stranger things have happened.”

“You did crash, though,” Alex pointed out from across the table.

Brainy shot her a glare.

“Destiny,” Kelly cut in, sighing dreamily. “I like that, though.”

Nia knocked Brainy’s arm playfully. “Just like how you coming to this time gave you the chance to live freely. With us.” Nia squeezed her boyfriend's hand secretively before she turned back to Kara, smile softening. “Maybe we gave that same chance to you, too.”

“Thank you,” Kara said again. She blinked, wiping quickly at her face where tears were near approaching. “I- I don’t even think just saying that cuts it.”

Nia's smile widened mischievously. “Hey, does that mean the next round isn’t on us?”

Brainy raised a finger in consideration. “I believe tap water is on the house, anyway.”

“Hey, no water,” Alex shot back. “And you guys are not getting out of shots that easily.”

They all laughed at that. And, just like that, Nia felt as though an invisible tension that had been tethering them together had finally loosened.

She smiled as she re-joined her family back at the table, hand-in-hand with Brainy.

For the first time in a long time, it really felt like everything was going to be okay.

[kanmom51]

JM JK timeline.- my observations how they grew over the years

Disclaimer: these are my own opinions and conclusions.  Feel free to disagree, but hate or aggression will be unacceptable.

2017 - Part 3

Ooh, we have reached a major event here.  Serendipity. 4 September 2017, or is it 1 September 2017 (??), as I will explain bellow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEMaH9Sm3lQ&t=16s .  

Or what I like to call:  JM’s love ode to JK.

Now tell me this: If Jimin’s song Serendipity was released 4th September 2017, and uploaded to BangtanTv on 5th September 2017, why is the date stamped on the MV 1 Sep 2017? 

 Does that date mean something? Let me think for a second….oh, it does, doesn’t it?  It’s someone’s birthday !!!

JM tells us himself: “All of this isn’t just a coincidence”.

Serendipity is a beautiful love song, and I honestly believe it is JM’s love ode to JK, a birthday present to his love.  

I am aware that Jimin is not the one who wrote the lyrics for the song.  RM did though.  RM, that at this point was very much aware of the relationship and JM’s great love for JK. RM that had written JK’s Begin, a song that everyone agrees is a very personal song of JK’s.  

The “I am you, you are me” line actually originated from a song released by Zico in early 2016.  There are theories that Jikook used a reference from that songs MV (the band aids on their fingers) during a Puma fan sign on April 2nd 2016.  So, if this is true and the line had special meaning for them to start with, and it found it’s way into the song lyrics... feel free to make your conclusions...

And although we have no way of knowing just how involved JM was in the process of writing this song (did he ask for a love song? Did he give ideas to insert into the song, like destiny, not being a coincidence, the cat?), but at the end of the day, JM ‘owns’ the song, believes in what he is singing.  When he talks about the song you can feel the emotional personal connection he has with the song.  This is his song,  and he sings it for JK.  And JK knows this is Jimin’s gift to him.  

Serendipity related, check out the 18th September Dance with DNA Vlive -  https://www.vlive.tv/video/42069 .

JK’s reaction when JM says Serendipity is his favourite song.  So cute. The thing with this one is that you could easily overlook it or not read too much into it. Only Suga’s reaction here is the tell all.  

At the point that JK is acting all shy and smiley to himself, Suga moves closer to him, whispering “Jungkookah”, something that brings on a change to JK’s entire facial expression.  There’s even a slight head nod from Suga when JK wipes the smile off his face.  

Suga hinting to JK not to be so obvious, only made it more obvious.  I also noticed that just before JM starts singing Serendipity, just after he was asked what his favourite song from the album is, JK looks sideways to Suga, as if he knows he isn’t supposed to react too obviously – looks a bit like little JK might have been scolded or reigned in prior to the live broadcast.    Remember that this is really quite a short time after the song’s release, so JK’s excitement, happiness, is still really fresh.  The song is for him, and it’s JM’s favourite...

I am not going to analyse the MV, but there are many who have done so before me.  Was JM involved in the planning and did he have any input to the choices made?  Idk.  There is a similarity to the motif of the DNA MV. Is it a coincidence that the dominant colour used is JK’s favourite colour? Who knows. But doesn’t the song say “all of this is not a coincidence”?

Add to that JM starting to use the paw print emoji by JK’s name on Twitter?  A coincidence? Mmm… interesting.

From this point on it is clear that “you are me, I am you” is a JM and JK thing. 

21 September 2017 BTS comeback show.  JK was in charge of putting together each of the members DNA.  Very enjoyable.  But why did JM have to mention again that JK comes to their room to sleep?  Also, how does JK know that JM doesn’t wake up Hobi when he is playing games late at night?  JM telling us how he now learnt how to play games – then what games was JM good last year (re: Vlive 22 April 2017)?

22 September 2017 Love Yourself fan sign– JM singing Serendipity, JK joining in.  How happy JM looks when JK sings “just let me love you” with him all while making eye contact with each other at that point. The way JM looks at JK while singing the song.  Singing to him.  

Still think Serendipity is not JK and JM’s song?

They have a way of looking at one another that sometimes make me feel like I’m intruding on a very intimate moment.

24 September 2017 SBS Inkigayo Super concert – found it!!!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fb-_jkdxgh4 start watching at 3.36min.

This is the one I remembered, where JM, saw the need to grab JK’s butt, run his hand up and down his back side, right through the crack, repeatedly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7fv0CaQT9M start watching 11:30min , JM walks to his place past JK, lightly brushing his hand against JK.  

When I mention the brushes or light touches – this is what I mean (see attached photos).   Obviously, there will be those who say it wasn’t intentional, that he was walking by him and didn’t mean to touch him.  I say bollox to that (excuse the language).  

First, there was plenty of room not to walk so close to JK.  Second, if you notice, he circles JK only to make it back to the same actual side he was on to begin with.  All he had to do was back up, just like JK did, and not circle JK to make it to his place on stage.  Third, to me it looks as if he was aiming to touch JK’s hand, only it was too high up.

26 September SBS MTV The Show.  Happy happy boys.  

30 September 2017  Love Yourself fan sign Sinchon –  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMIdoK9rfAI .  

Another one I was looking for.  I have seen this moment and wasn’t sure where or when it was from.  This is one of those clips Jikook’s use to show Jimin being jealous, and to be honest, first time I saw it it made me wonder too.  But watching it again and again, I have come to the conclusion that that wasn’t the issue.  

To me this is more JM being protective than JM being Jealous.  Setting the boundaries for V when it comes to JK, and it is something we see with JM more than once.  

JM wasn’t happy.  V wasn’t happy.  Boundaries were set.  

I actually wrote a separate post about this moment.  

1 October 2017 BTS live – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwU-NOMLvqQ 

Tipsy JK must be a Jikooker. His guard is down, inhibitions are gone and he becomes really chatty and tends to say and do things that he most likely regrets later on.  We didn’t see the members drink what seemed to be alcohol, but the vibe I got from JK’s talkativeness and behaviour during the live was that he was tipsy.  Not outright drunk, but tipsy.

To the fan’s request to show his abs, JK starts checking himself out, looking under his T-shirt, only to be scolded by JM to keep it to himself.  This is also the first time we hear him Jikooking, talking about eating with Jin and JM, referring to them as Jin-jikook, and then turning to JM, while the others try to call them by another name (I wonder why…).  Did I not say tipsy JK is a Jikooker???

3 October 2017 Run BTS episode 22.  https://www.vlive.tv/video/43438 start 7.00min.

JM turns to JK asking him to vote for him.  The softness in JM’s voice when he asks him acting all coquettish.  The way JM approached JK and the way he spoke to him, that’s not the way someone talks to his mate, or to his ‘brother’.

There was a softness in the approach to JK.  coquettish is the only way I can describe it.

 Love hearts were added by the show’s editors, not me !!!! 

12 October 2017 BTS countdown. Can be found on Dailymotion. 

All JM had to say was one word – Jungkookah and JK, surprisingly (not) chose him.  The look of joy on their faces at that point.  And again the editors with the heart emoji effects.  Uhm… 

JM and JK’s team was the team chosen by the fans, and guess what song they both choose to sing, as JM piggy backed JK? Their song obviously… Serendipity.  

And yet again, JM gets to tell us JK comes to his room to sleep.  We hear you JM.  We hear you.

Jimin birthday surprise (BangtanTV 1 November 2017) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aAhNAl53ZY.

JM gets flowers sent from his father.  J-Hope and Suga pretend JM’s dad has arrived to surprise JM, Suga pointing and saying he saw him.  JK slowly backs up, shocked and alarmed smile on his face, trying to move behind RM.  Then the boys start laughing.  

Now, why do I think this is a moment worthy of my timeline?  Well, when the boys start laughing, revealing it was a joke, the one Suga points at, laughingly, is JK.  

The whole thing feels like a joke on JK, not JM.  JK is the one being teased.   Why would JK be so stressed out from JM’s dad being there?  And why would the boys be teasing him like that? Hm…

The funny thing is that the camera is on JK and Suga, not on JM, who was supposedly just told his father was there. That feels slightly strange to me. Wouldn’t they want to catch JM’s reaction? Not JK’s?

28-30 October 2017 JK and JM Tokyo trip together.  This trip was long anticipated by JM.  He had been looking forward for his trip with JK for a long time.  It was a private trip planned and paid for by JK as a gift for JM.  What we know about the trip is mostly what they tell us in retrospect.  

Saying that, this was truly a memorable trip for them both, and they both can’t seem to shut up about it, talking about it at any possible moment.  JK telling us how JM stayed up (only JM?) until 5 am, so they both woke up at 12pm and missed out on plans they had for the morning, JM tells how they went shopping in Harajuku, how during their trip was the longest walk they took, referring to their trip during interviews.  As I mentioned – a memorable trip.  

31 October 2017 - When returning from the trip JM posts a selca/selfie.  I know I said I won’t be doing this, but rules are sometimes meant to be broken, and this specific selca is gorgeous, so…

BTS Wings tour Japan documentary - filmed October 2017, published 12 November 2017 - https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7sz5rq .  

Both acting cute together. For some reason, they are the only ones that are paired for the one on one interviews, when Suga, Jin and Hobi were all interviewed by themselves. 

 Felt like JM and inhibitions were strangers during the group interview.  

Not really sure what JM was searching for in JK’s thigh during the group interview (when V was talking) – tupping, fingering and squeezing JK’s thigh.  And yet again RM and J-Hope’s reactions to die for.  Hobi eyes on the action throughout the whole episode, and RM when he notices, I would pay a lot of money to know what was going through his head at that point.  My educated guess is: “God, please get me out of here, why did I agree to be the leader????” LOL.

Then when asked what their impressions were when coming to the dome, JM tells how JK was crying, all while caressing JK’s ear.  JK tells how he was emotional, and they look at each other.  All the while, RM’s face when JM touches JK’s ear, only to continue to place his hands on their shoulders respectively.

JM continues to surprise, telling viewers to anticipate for JK’s sweat.  The minute he says that, RM turns to look towards Suga, the vibe I get is: “god, please help me here…”.  

Then JM goes on to tell us how in his opinion JK’s sweat is beautiful, Holy water.  What???? J-hope repeats JM’s Holy water, then glances for just a second towards RM and looks down nervously – great save Hobi.

The group interview was shot on JM’s birthday.  Maybe that had something to do with his good un-inhibited mood.

8 November 2017 – GCF in Tokyo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrTNLkqGrlc  .

While the Tokyo trip was JK’s birthday gift or JM.  GCF Tokyo is JK’s love ode to JM.  

One of JK’s grand gestures.  Up there with RB, as far as I am concerned.

This is not an analysis of GCFT, but I do have a few words to say on the matter. Explain why in my eyes this is a JK’s love ode to JM.  

This video was filmed and edited by JK, and JK alone.  It supposedly documents their trip together.  It was his choice and his alone to edit and publish this video and did so to JM’s surprise.  

In the video to start with, he lets us know that it’s the two of them, but from there on, other than seeing JK through the mirrors in the elevator while he is filming JM, the one we mostly see is JM.  JM smiling, JM goofing around, JM eating, JM enjoying himself on the Tea Cup ride at Disneyland, JM walking, JM dancing, and as a whole just JM having the time of his life. For a video that is documenting a trip to Tokyo, there is not too much of Tokyo we get to see.  

The end credits name JK as the photographer, director and editor, while naming JM as the actor.  

There is a strong romantic vibe to the video.  

JK’s editing choices, including his music choice for the video are well thought out.  His choice to edit to the beat of the song.  All cleverly thought out to accentuate both the footage and the lyrics of the song he chose:  ‘There for you’ by Troye Sivan and Martin Garrix.  

JM told us already: “this is not a coincidence”.  

The level of preparation from JK, acquiring the rights to use the song, the amount of time it took to go over the footage and edit the video, all while managing to do that will a full working schedule (working throughout the night). This was clearly something big for him.  His joy and pride when it was uploaded to Youtube, clearly showed, him smiley and dancing.

2 days prior to GCFT, on 6 November 2017, JM published his short clip of the trip.  JM too took the time to edit a cute footage of the trip, documenting both of them having fun. Putting them both side by side only emphasizes the difference and showcases just how much GCFT was all about JM, being JK’s love ode to JM.

To be continued...

[givemethatgold]

Fix’er Upper Pt. 3

Pairing: Eventual Frankie Morales x F!Reader Warnings: Clumsy injury, more stupid fighting Length: 2.5k Notes: If these two dummies could have one (1) adult conversation they’d be in bed together by now. Instead, we get this! *waves around vaguely*

PART ONE, TWO

Money was tight. You had been trying to ignore the dwindling stack of cash, telling yourself that you didn’t actually need to fix the cracked drywall, replace the old oven, or fill in the missing patches of shingles. 

That ignorance had finally come to bite you in the butt. You were rudely woken at three a.m. to the clap of thunder and the pat-pat-pat of rain hitting the house. You loved storms, the excitement of the lighting, and how fresh the air smelled once the rain had passed. 

You rolled over onto your back so you could watch the lightning flashing between the cracks of your curtains. A tap on your forehead quickly destroyed the excitement you were feeling. The wet ‘splat’ was quickly followed by another, and another, and before you were able to scramble up and search for the closest thing resembling a bucket, it had turned into a steady stream.

“Fuuuuuuuck!”

The next morning, the sun rose and shed its light upon a beautiful scene. The leaves, now free from dust, were beginning to turn, the grass glimmered with raindrops, and the sky was clear. You, on the other hand, were a verifiable disaster. 

Hair unkempt, heavy bags under your eyes, and wearing the first items of clothing you could find in your scramble last night. Your exhaustion was so complete, it hadn’t even dawned on you to change or freshen up a bit before going out into the public eye. All you could focus on was getting to Hank’s Hardware and buying all the shingles you could get your hands on.

Once again, however, you were harshly reminded of your dwindling savings and just how expensive fixing up a house could be. The owner, Allan if you remembered correctly, had shown you the right size and style for your home’s roof and you nearly choked at the price.

“You know,” he had said gently, “we do have the option of a payment plan. I don’t let just anyone use it either. It’s for trusted customers. I have a good gut on who I can trust.”

“Really?” You asked, feeling a little pathetic while also knowing now was not the time to let pride ruin such a good thing. “And, um, what does your gut tell you about me?”

“Welllll,” he smiled, hooking his thumbs into his suspenders and leaning back a little to size you up. “You’re hard-working, feel like you have something to prove, won’t back down from a challenge, and are in way over your head with that damn old house.”

“Oh.”

“No offense, ma’am! Sometimes I forget myself and talk to strangers the same way I’d talk to my friends.” He patted your forearm gently then hooked it back into his suspenders, pretending he didn’t notice you jumping at the physical contact. “But it’s true. No denying you won’t be able to shingle all by yourself. I’d offer, but I’m in no shape to be climbing up roofs.”

“That’s very sweet of you, truly. But I’ll manage! I doubt I could afford a handyman, so it’ll be me and my stubborn self scrambling around up there.” You joked, but it fell a little flat since the both of you knew it was the truth.

“I’ve got an idea...” Hank trailed off, his gaze searching around by the till. “Maybe you two can help each other out?” He fiddled at the computer for a minute, then grabbed a flyer from the corkboard mounted behind the counter before handing you two pieces of paper. One was a receipt of what you owed him after this latest excursion and a detailed timeline of when small payments could be made. 

Glancing up at him, you gave him a watery smile and thanked him for being so kind. Allan waved you off and pointed to the second paper.

‘Help Wanted’ it read, ‘Morales Acres. Light physical labour, quiet environment, rate of pay dependent on quality of work.’

“So friendly and welcoming,” you murmured, sarcastically, under your breath. Not quietly enough though because Allan snorted out a laugh and agreed that the ad was worded very abruptly. However, he vetted for the owner of the farm and suggested you head over to see if he would be willing to trade labour for labour.

Or at the very least, you thought, pay you so you can afford a roofer.

Following the directions Allan had provided for you, you quickly found Morales Acres. Surprisingly, it was a very short distance from your own home, making you wonder if the owner had been one of the people to drop by during your first weeks here.

The driveway was a beautiful, winding drive. The view of the farm was obscured by thickets of trees on either side of the road but you managed to catch glimpses of a pond and a few bales of hay before rounding a bend and driving into the yard.

A small gasp left your lips at the sight. It was picturesque! Something out of a travel magazine, or on every city girl’s Pinterest board. The driveway came to an end in front of a statuesque barn painted in the classic red and white, stone walls cordoned off certain areas that, from where you sat, looked like they could be used to house sheep or hens. A few small sheds were lined up along the other edge of the yard but the main attraction was the neatly lined rows of apple trees all heavy with fruit.

Climbing out of the cab, you slowly made your way into the yard with your mouth hanging open dumbly. It was just so peaceful here and it was obvious that the owner cared deeply for the property. You were enchanted and fell immediately in love.

“You must be the help Allan called to say he was sending over,” a warm voice rang out.

Looking around for the source your gaze widened, then immediately hardened, when you caught sight of who was talking to you.

“You!”

“You?!”

To say it had been a smooth business agreement would be a total lie. You and Market Asshole, Frankie you reminded yourself to call him, had bickered back and forth for the better part of an hour before shaking hands. Surprisingly, you had both argued more for the other person’s benefit, something you had been mulling over since.

If this guy was such an ass, why was he also acting like his help with your renovations wouldn’t be worth as much as you picking apples? You knew your presence disturbed his peace, and that you weren’t as strong as he might have hoped his helper would be, and he still hadn’t trusted you with all the workings of his orchard. 

So, while you weren’t going to argue anymore, you knew you were getting the better end of the deal: you help him gather his harvest and get it safely stored in the barn, then he spends the same amount of hours helping you. While the weather during September was prone to drizzle, you had convinced him that a tarp thrown over the baldest patches of roof would be fine and that the apples couldn’t wait. 

He had grumpily conceded your point but had sworn that as soon as the last of the fruit was picked he’d be over to do a proper job of it. So continued the uneasy truce between the two of you for the past four weeks. The first week was the hardest as your hands, unaccustomed to work, blistered, and your muscles ached from sudden use. You had initially tried to pass the time by making conversation but you got the hint and stayed quiet once Frankie started choosing trees farther and farther from yours.

Slowly, however, the blisters healed and gave way to callouses. Your muscles became accustomed to the work and you were able to carry twice the amount as you had started off with. Your home could now boast electricity and running water everywhere it should be, and the pile of discarded furniture had been reduced to ash by a spectacular bonfire which Jacquie and her family had joined you in admiring.

Today started off as a normal day. You showed up for harvesting at the break of dawn, having discovered you much preferred the cool morning air over being up on a ladder with the midday sun beating down on you. The trees were obscured by a low fog that had yet to burn up, but you knew what section you needed to start on. 

Enjoying the way the fog enveloped you, making you feel like you were in a magical world, you began to hum and your steps took on a dreamy dance-like quality. You had never taken lessons or had even been allowed to make such a spectacle of yourself while living with Brad but now you felt free enough to spin, twirl, and glide. Overcome with the joy your freedom gave you, you began to belt out “These Are a Few of my Favourite Things”, The Sound of Music having been played on repeat when you were a child. 

Once you reached the ladder, you hoisted the basket onto your back and continued to sing whatever songs you could remember while you worked. A particularly boisterous rendition of “Do Re Mi” had you flinging your arm out wide and leaning back on the ladder for a dramatic finish.

The apples threw you off balance. 

With a screech, you fell backward, managing to twist yourself around to land awkwardly on your hands and knees instead of on the basket of apples strapped to your back. You seemed to have come away unscathed, with just scratched knees and a throbbing in one wrist. Thankfully it wasn’t your dominant hand.

“Whoa!” Frankie called out, catching sight of you on the ground with the ladder tipped on its side, “Everything okay? Are you okay?”

Coming to a skidding stop next to you, he grasped the basket and slipped it off your back with ease. 

You took a few deep breaths and nodded. “Fine! Fine, just bruised knees and ego...” you assured him.

“What were you thinking?!” He tore into you, “You could have broken your neck! Or ruined a whole barrel of apples! Then what would I do?! This job doesn’t come with health insurance for Christ's sakes!” Running his hands through his curly, brown hair he let out a huff of air and walked over to where your ladder lay on the ground.

“Un-be-fucking-lievable!” You called out, incredulously. While trying to get to your feet, to march over and wag your finger in his face, you put too much pressure on your injured wrist that caused pain to scream down your arm.

You managed to mask the cry of pain as a cry of frustration and got to your feet. Surreptitiously cradling your hand against your chest, you grabbed another basket and walked past Frankie to start climbing the ladder again. Looking at the ground so he wouldn’t see the tears of pain in your eyes, you mumbled, “I’ll be more careful, alright? I’m sorry.”

Stopping your ascent with a hand on your arm he stuttered out what might have been the beginning of an apology but he couldn’t quite seem to put the right words together so he just cleared his throat.

“Just...” he said in a much softer tone, “just be more careful. Okay? I can’t lose my best worker.” 

The lame joke made you smile despite yourself. 

“Employee of the month,” you replied in a dry tone, “hurrah.” 

You shared wry smiles while a silent apology passed between the two of you. His dark brown eyes held a warmth to them you had never noticed before. Their hue reminding you of every tree in the orchard from the early light to the sunset, golden flecks reminiscent of the sun. His face, weathered from so much time spent outdoors, was marked with laugh lines, worry lines, and a small scar gracing his left cheek. 

Your eyes wandered past the scar to note how long his scruffy facial hair had grown and how it had started to obscure those pleasantly pouty lips. 

Then, with a start, you realized you were staring at this infuriating man’s lips like a hormonal teenager. With an embarrassed squeak, you quickly scurried up the ladder, hooking your elbow around each rung to avoid any more pressure on your wrist.

To say Frankie was coping well with having someone around would be a gross overstatement. 

It’s not that he didn’t like the company or wanted to be alone. The problem was that he was starting to like her company too much, to care too much. And caring too much had been the root cause of all Frankie’s sorrows.

First, there had been his Dad, trying to impress the man who never even wanted kids. Then the force, always feeling like he needed to prove himself and desperate for praise. After that was his wife, ex-wife, and trying to be someone he wasn’t so she would stay interested and in love. The pressure created by caring about these people and the expectations they had for him drove him to abuse drugs. Then his friends came calling and Frankie went against his gut because they had cared so deeply about something and he had cared deeply for them.

His wife, his kid, his family, his job, his friends. He had cared more than they did and he had come away worse off. At least now he was clean and sober, and was very aware of the irony of him now making and selling an alcoholic drink.

No, it was best to stay alone. He loved too freely and put too much stock in being loved back and every. single. time. it hurt him.

So, he closed himself off from you. Initially, he didn’t think it was going to be an issue, especially considering how you two had met. But then he found himself smiling at your stories, idly leaning against a branch so he could watch your graceful moments. He hated watching you leave, knowing you were going home to that piece of shit house that he should really be fixing up for you.

He recognized the signs and nipped them in the bud; working farther away, replying to questions with the fewest possible words, focusing purely on work, and maintaining a professional relationship. It pained him to push you away but deep down he knew it was best for the both of you.

Which brings him back to this moment.

Frankie was too stunned to notice your awkward climb up the ladder. Standing there, dumbly, for another few seconds. Wondering, all the way back to the idling tractor, what the hell had just happened.

One minute he was just driving the tractor minding his own business and the next he was having a mild heart attack after seeing his only worker laying limp on the ground. Then, after arguing like usual, you had shared a...a moment and stared at his mouth almost long enough to tempt him to use it.

Part Four

If you’d like to be tagged please send an ask!

@rebelliouscat @pedro4ever @speakerforthedead0 @yespolkadotkitty @ilikechocolatemilkh @weirdowithnobeardo @pedro-pastel @disgruntledspacedad @a-skov @trash-dino-5000 @reader-s-cantina

[pips-fics]

ask: Hi! I have a request too, if you have time. 👉👈 Chan and Changbin having both an stomach ache. (I’m good with any reason). Just those two need more attention 🥺

ask by @sickminnie - be sure to check out their blog if you enjoy bts, txt, or ateez fics!!! they have an impressively varied list of things that they'll write within the sickfic uhhh genre (?) and also one of the most aesthetic blogs i've seen! thank you for the ask 💛

tw: vomit

from then to now ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

the last time changbin had been sick was predebut. he’d been pretty new to the company and very young - he hadn’t been nervous about any of it up until that point, but something about the fever or the chills or the nausea or the loneliness had welcomed the homesickness that, up until that point, he’d had no trouble shutting out.

now, years later, he felt just as small sitting there on the bathroom floor, stomach aching. he was determined not to cry this time. it’s not like it would help, anyway. what would help, he hoped, was medicine, so he forced himself to his feet, and scoured the bathroom cabinets for something to help his stomach. he came up empty, nothing but a spinning head to show for his efforts.

changbin thought to himself that he should look harder, or go out to a convenience store to get something, and then he sat heavily on the ground in front of the toilet again, right back where he’d started. his ears felt so much like they were stuffed with cottontails that he actually stuck his finger inside to be sure. it wasn’t just that, though - everything felt fuzzy, and weighted down. he didn’t feel strong enough to carry himself, so changbin laid his head on the cool toilet cover, thinking, as he drifted off, about how gross it was, but also how convenient.

——

changbin woke up to his stomach muscles clenching and ready to forcibly eject anything in his belly. he scrambled desperately to open the toilet lid and jumped at the noise it made when he succeeded, but he stayed firmly put. changbin didn’t have much of a choice. his body’s actions were out of his control for the next five minutes, dredging up more and more vomit. he shuddered during one of the few breaks he was awarded, wiped the mess off of his face using toilet paper, and had just a few seconds to wish that someone would wake up and help him. even as he thought it, changbin felt guilty; first and foremost, he wanted his group members to be healthy, and that included receiving a proper amount of sleep.

of course, he couldn’t linger over the thought for too long, as he was promptly being sick once again, but the sense of loneliness pressed on, more present than before, and he felt tears - not just of exertion - prick his eyes. he’d wake up tomorrow to a house full of too-loud boys, but for the time being, changbin felt really, truly alone for the first time in a while.

so, when a blanket fell on his shoulders, he just about jumped out of his skin.

“sorry,” a voice said, and changbin immediately relaxed, and then almost felt like laughing.

there was a part of the past that he’d forgotten. when he’d been sick all those years ago, he hadn’t been alone. chan had been there, the whole time, and here he was again.

“hyung,” changbin said when he was able, throat raw and tasting of bile, “you’re here again.”

changbin didn’t realize he’d been expecting chan to read his mind until he saw the confused look on the older man’s face.

“you must have a sixth sense for when i’m sick,” he explained - and then he hesitated. chan looked… well, regretful wasn’t quite the right word, but something about his expression made changbin feel bad. he cringed, and wiped tears from his cheeks.

“sorry, i mean– you’re always stuck taking care of me. you don’t have to, hyung, you should get some sleep.” the words pained changbin to say, even though they were entirely true. chan seemed to feel similarly, sitting ramrod straight, suddenly, face crumpling into an expression that was, very clearly, regret.

“oh, no, bin, no. i don’t–” chan hiccuped, and something suddenly clicked in changbin’s fevered brain, the final piece of the puzzle of the past coming together. chan kept talking, explaining how he couldn’t sleep anyway, and changbin nodded, but his mind was on a different timeline.

not long after he’d been sick, back when he was still a trainee, he remembered hearing that chan had caught his bug. back then, changbin hadn’t had a clue of chan’s illness until well after he was healthy again. he’d felt infinitely guilty for it - for not returning that favor - but chan himself and some of the other older boys had reassured him that it wasn’t his fault. chan was just really good at hiding things like that.

pushing his own nausea as far away as possible, changbin inspected chan closely. he really was good at hiding things, changbin thought. still, there were cracks.

in the dimly lit room, changbin couldn’t hope to tell whether the other man was sweating, but he did catch him wiping his brow. he caught chan shivering, once, his whole body shaken by a tremor, and after that changbin could see that the trembling never really stopped. and then changbin noticed chan’s hand moving to his stomach, hesitantly.

changbin spoke with every ounce of tenderness his body possessed. “why are you still up, hyung?”

the words came out sad, concerned, and warm, but chan didn’t seem to notice. he simply shrugged. “couldn’t seep,” he said, eyes darting away from changbin. “you know, the usual - i told you before.”

changbin thought that was probably part of it, but highly unlikely to be the whole story, especially when a heady belch escaped chan’s lips. he covered his mouth, quickly, with the back of his and, but there was really no way for chan to hide that once it had happened.

feeling nauseous once again at the sickly noise but determined, changbin stood, and walked over to chan. he put an arm around the older man’s shoulders.

“c’mon, hyung, i think i’m done. let’s switch.”

finally, chan relented, kneeling in front of the toilet. he was shaking, still, more now, but he turned towards changbin again, shaking his head.

“you don’t have to stay here, bin. you should get some rest.”

“hyung!” changbin scowled. maybe it was his fever getting the better of him, but he felt tears of frustration wet his eyes again. “let me help you,” he demanded. “please.”

a lot was the same now, as it had been. chan had always been a steadiness, not just for changbin, but for all of the members. he did have a sixth sense for when any of them were sick.

but some things had changed. changbin had gotten older - more stubborn, some would say, but he just wanted to do things right, this time. he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

he couldn’t tell if chan understood, or if his body had decided he’d run out of time, but it didn’t really matter. changbin stayed stubbornly where he was, kneeling next to chan as the older man threw up.

changbin’s own stomach flipped immediately upon seeing chan be sick, but he repressed the urge to vomit by sheer force of will. chan kept mumbling silly things, like “i’m okay,” and “don’t worry, bin,” in between possibly the most violent rounds of puking changbin had ever seen.

it wasn’t like he didn’t get it, though. watching someone he loved suffering like this - it was hard for changbin. every time chan gasped for air, changbin felt like he was drowning with him. every time chan whimpered at the force of a heave, changbin felt a little bit like crying.

he would have felt very useless, if he hadn’t felt the comfort of chan’s presence in the past. it felt odd, to changbin, to stand there and just rub chan’s back, but he knew it meant something.

he felt it, later.

when chan was about finished, just about ready to lean back, relax, and then try to sleep off the remnants of the bug, chan’s stomach rebelled one last time. it was an inopportune moment, and chan was too slow to get back over the toilet in time, so when his stomach muscles tightened, he curled over himself. the very little that was left in his stomach ended up as a dark brown stain on his shirt, and even after that chan kept retching. when he finally was done, for real, chan’s eyes were scared and pained and open, vulnerable in a way changbin hadn’t seen before.

shaking, chan reached for changbin. “bin, what– what’d i do,” he said, looking his shirt. “i can’t - what do i do now? i–”

“hyung! hyung, it’s okay.” changbin had the urge to laugh, once again. “do you remember what a mess i was, a couple years ago?”

chan’s lips twitched uncertainly. “but you’re sick, too.”

changbin snorted. “yeah, and you just barely stained your shirt. you don’t even like this shirt, hyung, take it off and we’ll go to bed, come on.”

and that was really all it took. it wasn’t easy, of course, getting themselves settled - they ended up on the couch in the living room, not wanting to disturb the others. by the time changbin gathered water for them to stay hydrated and trashcans - just in case - he was bone tired. but then, by the time he got back, chan was already asleep. conscience just a little bit lighter, changbin was soon to follow.

——

no reader survey this time, too tired and my computer is breaking but please feel free to send in any thoughts you'd like to share, about the fic or otherwise!

——

feel free to send more asks! / rules

[teamddixon]

A New Normal

Summary: Set in the future of the TWD timeline, this story follows Daryl, Y/N and her brother through their journey in the world of the undead. It wasn’t like Daryl to let people in to his heart easily, but it was Y/N’s smiles that had captured him completely, and before he knew it, there wasn’t a scenario Daryl could think of about his future that didn’t have Y/N in it.

A/N: Hi guys, this is my first time writing a fic of our TWD badass, Daryl Dixon. It’s gonna be a long one, and a work in progress. I write because it makes me happy, and I hope it’ll make you happy too. The intro for this fic would be pretty long, and Daryl wouldn’t appear until slightly later, but I thought it would be important to touch on Y/N and her brother’s background since we already know Daryl’s background pretty well. I’m not a zombie apocalypse expert, and neither dare I call myself a TWD expert (I’m not, please pardon me if I get some facts wrong!), so some parts of the story may not be realistic. It is most certainly strayed from the current universe since this is meant to be set in the projected timeline after the eventual season 11, which of course we don’t know yet how Daryl’s narrative would be changed or if it would at all, (or do we?), so this story may or may not make sense after season 11 ends (maybe think of this as a spin off?). I do hope you like it, and don’t mind the fact that it is set way in the future of the universe. As mentioned, it’s still a work in progress and I don’t know how many parts it’ll be. But writing this is extremely cathartic for me so I’ll continue writing for as long as my brain (and my full time job) allows.  Comments and feedback are welcomed and appreciated! Please sit back and enjoy this journey with Daryl. :)

Photo is not mine. All mistakes in this are mine, please pardon them. 

There aren’t many moments in Y/N’s life where she’d just sit on a spot, completely and utterly at a loss. The camp where she’d called home for the last month was gone – just like that. Along with it, the people she considered her family. When an unexpected rogue herd of walkers stumbled across the cabin, she was out on a supply run with her older brother, Andrew. By the time they had came back, the cabin was in shambles and the smell of the dead overpowered their senses. Y/N stood rooted to the ground in shock behind the bushes, throwing a look of fear at Andrew. Biting back a scream, knowing it’ll give her position away, Y/N looked around, hoping to see a familiar face. A familiar face that was alive. There was none. It was too late for them to do anything to salvage their family, their home. There were too many walkers to take on and honestly, nothing much left for salvation.

Y/N had no idea how long she was behind the bushes watching the dead feeding on mangled bodies of people she once knew. She knew she had to move, but her feet wouldn’t allow. It was as if they were locked in position, trapped in the nightmare of a scene before her. The only comfort she could gather was seeing quite a number of fallen walkers with slash marks on their heads – meaning they had put up a strong fight against them.

“Come on, we got to go.” Andrew’s voice called out, his hand grabbing hers nudging her to move. There was a catch in his voice, although he tried to hide it. Still in shock and tears, Y/N willed her legs to move. Just one foot in front of another, just one foot in front of another. She had to keep her mind focused on what was in front, and to keep her legs moving forward. Y/N followed him, almost in complete auto-pilot. 

Without actually knowing how long or how she even managed to keep in tandem with her brother’s pace with her state of mind, he had led Y/N to a spot in the woods where the two of them finally crashed on the hard grounds. Y/N was shaking violently as she buried her heads between her knees. She had no idea if she was shaking because of the nip in the air, or because of shock. A low growl shook her awake from her reverie. She looked up to see a lone walker approaching from the right. Reaching for her hunting knife from her belt holster with her shaky hands proved to be a tremendous task. Y/N finally managed to unsheathe the knife and plunged it hard into the walker’s temple right before its jaw got onto her. She had no idea she still had that strength somewhere in her.

“Are you okay?” Andrew had walked over to her just in time to plunge his machete into the head of another walker that had approached Y/N from her blind spot. “Thanks. I didn’t see it coming.” Y/N mustered her strength and stood up before kicking the walker in its head with a mixture of anger and disbelief.

“I don’t, I cant –“ Y/N finally allowed herself to sob into Andrew’s shirt. While there were only a few people in the group to begin with, she have had time to know them through this shitstorm and had grown to like them like her own family. They were the people she had been moving with for years. They had lost some people in their journey, but they’d never lost all of them entirely before. To lose them all at once was devasting. But all in all, she was glad her brother was there. Andrew was fiercely protective of her, especially in this new world. She wouldn’t be alive and standing today if not for him. All her survival skills, her knife works, hunting and tracking skills, had all came from him. Y/N was not prepared for this world at all. Without Andrew, she would have become one of the walkers a long time ago. But she was a fast learner, and had more than proven her survival skills. Despite all that, she never lost her sense of hope and cheerfulness, that was until that day.

She was thankful for Andrew for giving her the time to grief while he single-handedly took down more than a dozen walkers while she was still in a daze. She felt horrible, leaving her brother to keep her alive knowing he needed his time to process everything too. Andrew didn’t say anything, he just kept her alive.

Nightfall brings another set of danger – the temperature had dipped drastically. Y/N worked with her brother to build a makeshift shelter with leaves and twigs. Andrew had also got a small fire going to provide a bit of warmth. If the walkers doesn’t get to them, the elements most certainly would. Satisfied with the perimeters, lined with makeshift cans and marbles to alert them when any walkers enter the camp, Andrew gestured for Y/N to sleep while he kept watch.

Y/N tucked herself in next to the small fire and tried to sleep. But of course sleep eluded her. Every time she had her eyes closed, all she could see was the grotesque bodies of her friends back in the cabin. She kept your eyes close despite that, hoping to catch at least a little sleep. Y/N knew she would be in no state to fight for survival without rest. Andrew sat next to the fire and finally allowed himself to process the events of the day. Most of the people in the group had been his friends since he was a child. He had grown up with them, went through triumphs and heartbreaks together. Losing them was painful. Losing them and not being able to do anything for them was painful. He looked at Y/N who had now finally fallen asleep and willed himself to stay strong. He couldn’t – he wouldn’t let the same thing happen to his sister. Y/N was his only family left.

Three hours into Y/N’s fitful sleep, she woke up in a pool of sweat despite the night cold. Before this all happened, Y/N always slept like a log. An earthquake could literally be breaking her room down and she would have no idea. But in this new normal, her body had adjusted itself to wake up within a few hours and it had learned to survive on a couple hours of sleep each night.

She saw Andrew throwing logs into the fire to keep it going. Approaching him silently, she gestured for him to sleep while she took over the watch. Nodding his head, he vacated his space before taking over hers. Y/N was on high alert, determined to keep her brother safe while he catch his much needed rest. Andrew had been there for Y/N all her life. She was only a couple of years younger so they were very close since young. This trip was supposed to be a break from work, but instead, they were thrown with an even bigger shitstorm than they could imagine. Y/N almost laughed when she thought about the irony. She would choose to go back to her office job any day over this. Before long, the cackle of the fire begin to diminish as the day broke. Y/N looked up at the skies, trying hard to fathom how this was the very same sky before the world had turned into hell. The sun still came up in the East and the morning birds still sang, but nothing else about the world right now was the same.

Gathering up all of their belongings, Y/N and Andrew set off for another day. They had to find a more permanent shelter, a sturdier shelter than twigs and leaves at least. Stopping by the creek to gather some water, Y/N took the chance to splash herself with the cold water. As the water hit her face, she perked up. Having not had a shower for days, Y/N’s skin was starting to itch and peel. Her feet was swollen with blisters and her arms were filled with dried scabs from all the cuts she sustained while running away from walkers. Y/N looked at Andrew with a longing in her eyes. She needed that shower. Convinced that the area was free of walkers, Andrew gave in and gave her privacy while Y/N washed yourself. He told her he would try to track something for their food today and set off with his bag, gesturing for Y/N to follow when she was done. A smile almost crept up Y/N’s face as she washed away days of sweat, dirt, and walker blood off her body. She hadn’t dared to take her time though. Once she was done, she quickly put on a fresher set of clothes that she had and set out to look for Andrew.

Feeling more refreshed, Y/N tried to put on a new perspective of how life was going to be moving forward. She was determined to continue living, living for the friends who couldn’t. She was going to continue living for Andrew. She didn’t want all of Andrew’s effort teaching her survival to go to waste. Y/N followed the tracks on the floor, hoping to find Andrew soon. No more than 10 minutes into following the tracks, she heard a slight ruffle of leaves to her left. It was so slight it was almost unnoticeable. It can’t have been a walker – a walker would have made a louder noise than that. It was most certainly a person. She smiled and moved towards the direction where she heard the sound from, anticipating to see Andre.

“Hey, did you managed to –“ Y/N’s whispers faltered into complete silence when a tall, crossbow donning man with striking blue eyes, greeted her. The man had his crossbow trained on Y/N’s head. She stopped in her tracks, knife in hand ready to strike.

“Who are you?” The man demanded. Not only was his crossbow trained on Y/N, his eyes were trained on her too.

“Y/N.” She spoke calmly, hand still steady on the knife. While she knew she’d be dead with his arrow before she could attack him with the knife, she weren’t about to go down without a fight if she had to. Y/N looked at the man, trying to download as much details about him as she could. He wore a long sleeves black shirt with two top buttons missing, a pair of cargo pants that were slightly ripped on some parts and his boots carried the obvious evidence of blood and someone who had been out in the open. Y/N tried not to wince as she stared directly into the man’s eyes. Although his hair covered the side of his face, she could make out his stern expression – an expression of someone who had been surviving on his own. But behind all that, she just had a sense, a strange and unspoken sense that he wasn’t a dangerous man.

“Look, I’m just looking for my brother, all right? I don’t mean to walk into your zone.” Y/N explained. “If you promise not to shoot me, I’ll just turn around and be on my way.”

Adrenaline from meeting a lone stranger in the woods had had blood rushing to her ears, muffling her surrounding sounds. As she prepared to turn and leave, the man spoke again. “Behind ya!” That was when she heard it – the unmistakable sound of a walker behind her. As a reflex, Y/N bent her body forward and side stepped, but in her haste to evade the walker, she had missed her footing. Y/N cursed under her breath but quickly regained her posture. She raised her arm, ready to strike, but before she could, the walker’s dead weight had pushed her, causing her to fall backwards on the hard ground, losing her knife in the process. Y/N quickly worked to fight the walker off but all she heard was the hustling sound of an arrow and the silenced growl from the walker. Feeling the full weight of the walker now, she pushed it off and saw that it had an arrow right smack between it’s eyes. Y/N turned to look at the man as he approached the walker. With one foot on the walker’s head, he pulled out the arrow with one swift motion with his free hand. He then turned sideways to look at Y/N.

“That was really cool.” Y/N couldn’t help but chuckle slightly. Seeing that the man had made no move to point his crossbow at her again, Y/N relaxed. She spotted and dug out her knife that had been partially buried during the fall and tussle with the walker.

“That was really cool.” Y/N couldn’t help but chuckle slightly. Seeing that the man had made no move to point his crossbow at her again, Y/N relaxed. She spotted and dug out her knife that had been partially buried during the fall and tussle with the walker.

“Thanks. I owe you.” Y/N gestured to the walker on the ground as she dusted herself off. “What’s your name?” She smiled.

Daryl was immediately captivated by Y/N’s smile and the sound of her chuckles. Earlier when he had heard someone approaching, he was ready to strike, ready to take them down if he had to. But as he heard Y/N’s voice for the first time, he knew immediately that she was no threat. He hadn’t seen or heard another person’s voice for days. But even if he had, there was something about Y/N’s voice and her smiles that enchanted him. Despite the situation the world was in, Daryl was comforted to see a smile that seemed to make him forget everything else.

“Daryl.”

“I’m sorry again, you know, for walking into you.”

“Sorry for ta’ crossbow on ya head.” Daryl nodded his head slightly at Y/N as apology.

“We’re even then.” Y/N smiled again. It was nice meeting someone else in this crazy world of the dead. Something about Daryl had made her feel a sense of comfort and calm, despite just meeting him a few minutes ago. Daryl looked away, feeling his face flushed from seeing her smiles. There had never been anyone who had that effect on him before. Her smiles were a huge contrast to everything he had come to know in the last ten years. He wanted nothing but to remember them.

[kaiparker-avengerssmut]

Their Doll 8

Let me in

B.Barnes x Reader, S.Rogers x Stark!Reader

series synopsis:  y/n Stark, all records of her non existent, and yet Hydra still find her. When she is kidnapped by a certain super-soldier and no one believes her, she finds herself searching for unexpected familiarity in her not-so-distant past.

Series Warnings: smut, violence, torture, swearing

Chapter Summary: y/n gets emotional

Warnings: swearing, feelings

A/n: The timeline in this has been altered, as there I things I wanted to include but I also wanted this fic to follow the storyline/timeline of Winter Soldier and Civil war.So for purposes of this fanfic, Peter Parker was discovered by Tony at a much younger age - when he was bitten - and has been an intern with him since, almost like a protégée.(For the purposes of this story Peter was bitten much younger too - more like when he was 9 or ten rather than 14/15)

Masterlist | Series Masterlist

Life at the tower was...tiring, to say the least. During my free time I often found myself in the gym, lobbing knives at a target and trying my hardest not to biting one in Steve's chest every time he would correct my technique. When I wasn't trying to murder the avenger in cold blood, I was usually dragged into things by the other: briefings and debriefing for missions I'd never go on, my dad's parties, group training sessions and study periods with Bruce in his labs to name a few.

But for now, I was huddled in my rooms - fresh out of a hot shower after a brutal two hour training session and four mile run with Natasha - curled up on my bed and attempting to catch up on a few of the films I'd missed. But the exhaustion and drowsiness clouded my eyes, the noise from the TV merely in the background as I felt my eyes growing heavier by the second.

A sharp knock at the door snapped my out of my lowsey state, the people movie across the screen simple a blur of colour as my eyes darted past the tv and over to the door.

"Mr Stark is waiting at your door. Would you like me to let him in?" FRIDAY's evenly calm voice chimed, making me groan and mumble a 'no' into my pillows. The last person I wanted to see right now was my dad.

"Come on kid, let me in." My dad called from the other side of the door, and I could practically hear him roll his eyes and shake his head when I stayed silent. When he spoke again, it wasn't directed at me. "FRIDAY, override command and open the door."

"Wait! That's hardly fair!" I whined like a five year old, groaning again when the door swung open and my dad stood on the other side, quite clearly just as exhausted as I was.

"Get used to it, kiddo. Life isn't fair." Tony chided, walking over to my bed. I tried to shuffle away slightly when I felt the bed dip, my dad perching on the edge as his eyes scanned over the room. "I see you haven't decorated yet." He commented casually, as if nothing had ever happened between us.

"Yeah, well, I thought It'd be a shame to spend so much time on something when you're probably waiting to kick me out anyway." I mumbled, refusing to look at him.

"What the hell is wrong with you, y/n? Ever since you got back you've been-"

"Acting different?" I cut in, and when Tony simply swallowed thickly I nodded. "Funny that, seeing as I was kidnapped and tortured for three years. Not to mention made to kill people for another year after that."

"Y/n I'm sorry..."

"But you're not! You can't be, otherwise you'd actually have tried to save me, rather than leaving me to rot!" My voice cracked, tears pricked at my eyes and I now sat up straight in my bed, facing my dad but not looking him in the eye. "And you can't change that, you can't go back in the past and fix your mistake. And trying to fix it now sure as hell won't work, so I suggest you leave before I'm tempted to use you as my target for my training session tomorrow." I raised my voice, eyes now keeping his captive as the tears rolled freely down my cheeks.

"Oh, kid, they broke you." Tony murmured, cupping my cheek with his hand, eyes swimming with sorrow. Sorrow that I didn't want.

"You can't fix me either, because I'm not broken!" I said harsher now, voice only getting louder. "I don't need to be fixed..." I trailed off, voice barely above a whisper Joe as my eyes broke the contact, averting to my lap as the tears dropped onto the bed sheets.

That's how I found myself in my fathers arms, face pressed against his shoulder as the sobs made my body shake, hiccups escaping me as I tried to speak.

"A-all I needed W-was my D-dad, and yo- you took him f-from me!" I wailed, hands clutching my dad's shirt and his arms wrapped protectively around my shoulder, hands rubbing circles over my back soothingly.

"I know, kiddo. I'm sorry."

...

"Who is that?" Clint frowned, staring at the pictures scattered over the table in front of Natasha and Steve as they studied them deeply,  brows creased in thought.

"Our newest pain in the ass." Tony answered for them, slapping a thick folder down in front of Clint as he said so. The marksman was quick to pick it up, flicking through the documents, news stories and information sheets greedily.

"The...winter soldier?" He asked, looking at the three superheroes in front of him as if they'd gone mad. "But he's a ghost story!"

"I've seen him. Been shot by him, actually." Nat said, an sadistically proud smirk forming on her lips with her last words, almost as if it were an achievement.

"We're trying to find out more about him, maybe that way we can beat him." Steve explained, sitting back in his chair with crossed arms as he huffed in defeat, sick to death with staring at the same five pictures all morning.

Y/n walked in, a skip in her step as she crossed the room to Tony.

"Morning, dad." She greeted, placing a quick kiss to his cheek and heading over to the cupboard to grab a mug. Clint and Natasha frowned in confusion, looking between the two as if they'd witnessed pigs fly.

Tony shrugged, y/n too preoccupied with making herself a coffee to notice the avengers' reactions. When her coffee was done, y/n swiped her mug from under the machine and sipped happily, letting out a content sigh before wandering over to stand behind Natasha.

"What are you working on?" She asked, peering over the spy's shoulder to get a glimpse of the pictures.

A loud smash crashed through the room, Tony's eyes widening in shock and Natasha jumping from her seat in order to not get covered in spilt coffee. Y/n stood paralysed, eyes never leaving the photo in front of her as she started at the Soldier. Steve frowned deeply, studying the girl as her eyes glossed over with with what seemed to be...sadness.

Clint was already at her side, a comforting hand on her shoulder as they all asked y/n what had happened and if she was alright. It was like a constant ringing in her ear interrupted their words before they reached her ears, and y/n suddenly felt nauseous as she starred at the bright red star on the soldier's arm, his long and messy dark hair shrouding his face and his leather clad, muscular body. Only his cerulean blue eyes could be seen, the rest of his face covered in a black mask she didn't usually see him in.

"I-I need some air." She stuttered, stumbling blindly out of the room and down the stairs, tipping over a few steps from the bottom and tumbling down the last few. She quickly pulled herself to her feet, hearing still ringing and vision offset, hazy, as she scrambled for the double glass doors. Luckily they already stood open, so she flew through them and out into the busy streets of New York.

Y/n found herself colliding will someone almost instantly, angry shouts of 'hey, watch it!' And 'look where the fuck you're going, kid!' Being called after her like a chorus as she pushed through the bustling people.

She finally stopped, dropping to her knees and simply staring straight ahead, no intended subject in her line of vision as she tried to comprehend the-the grief, at seeing the a soldier's face again.

It had only been two weeks, and yet two weeks without him, his touch, his scent - it felt like an eternity to y/n now. She hasn't registered what her feeling meant for him before, liking him beyond a source of comfort had just felt...wrong, after all he'd done, and yet y/n couldn't deny it.

She was in love with the Winter Soldier, and she didn't even know his name.

...

I wasn't aware of when someone had found me, nor of how they got me back to the tower or even how I was now stood staring blankly out of the window that stood next to my bed. I gazed longingly, almost as if I stared long enough, hard enough, he'd appear.

But of course he wouldn't, he was probably half way across the world, knowing HYDRA. A soft knock on my door and my head was turning, facing my visitor with a look of pure grief and want. Desperate, unhinged want that could eat you up from inside out and you'd still feel it.

"Hey, y/n. Can I talk to you for a moment?" Nat asked tentatively, clearing trying to to disturb my shaken up state. I nodded, offering a small smile which she returned as I now faced her. She walked up to me, talking my hands him hers and playing with the as she spoke, eyes kind and full of understanding.

"There's a mission, and we want you to go." She said calmly, almost as if the mere thought of it would send me into some kind of heart attack.

"Okay," I begun, eyes flitting down to the floor before back up again. "What is it? Aren't you scared that I'm still HYDRA and all I'd do is stab someone in the back?"

"Not exactly." Nat informed me with a smile, amusement glinting in her eyes at my assumption. "For starters, we all trust you, well maybe not steve - but everyone else does." Nat and I both laughed slightly. "And I think you wouldn't have it any other way it to go on the mission yourself." Nat finished.

"How come?" I asked, brow raised.

"There's been a lead..." she started. "On the winter soldier. We thought you might want to help check it out, possibly capture him. Your powers may be the best chance we have a detaining someone as strong as him." Nat spoke. "And if we can detain him.."

"We can save him." I finished.

"Exactly."

[secret-engima]

In your LC Birbs verse, what would have happened if Ardyn had found Ozpin before Ramuh had intervened?

hgfgf forgive how long I’ve been perching on this ask but it’s just- has many possible answers and so I was hoarding it a little. Also I shall proceed to meet timeline for the sake of Prompto’s existence, just be aware XD.

-If Ardyn had found Ozpin before Ramuh had, he would have likely been in denial at first. He would have likely just been skulking around during a bout of restlessness, since as the Accursed sleep isn’t really an option very often, and found this isolated clone tank. Because the clone in that tank is dark skinned, at first he wouldn’t even have suspected the child was his. But then Ozpin, dimly sensing magic outside his tank and desperate to be free of this constant sedated haze, reaches out and Ardyn.

-Freezes.

-He knows that magic.

-He presses close to the tank, hands rising up to shakily touch the cold glass as the little one inside (probably only about half a year old in this AU? If that) stirs faintly. Gold eyes fight open to half-lidded cracks, and little fingers struggle through the haze of sedation to reach for Ardyn on an almost subconscious need-help-please-please. Ardyn feels his breath stutter as he looks at those gold, gold eyes and feels magic that burns slightly at his Scourge in a mix of LC-Oracle-Ardyn-Aera and feels the pieces collide.

-He yanks himself away from the tank and stalks away. It can’t be. It can’t be. The Scourge is toying with his mind again, making him see things, feel things.

-He mentally slaps at the magic that desperately reaches for him, and tells himself he feels no regret when it turns from hopeful-pleading to terrified and shrinks away.

-Ardyn tells himself he was imagining things for a month. Maybe two. Maybe far more than that, time is so hard for him to grasp. He tries to forget. But he can’t. He obsesses. The sight of the child in the tank haunts him whenever his eyelids shut, burns at him whenever he visits the lab after and catches a flicker of magic before it vanishes again.

-Finally, the need to know is too great. He returns and breaks into Besithia’s private office. He sorts through the papers about the MT project with growing frustration, yanks open locked drawers with raw strength of the desperate and paws through files of words that make little sense until he finds it.

-Project: Remnant stares back at him, a collection of photos of the tank child, of reports of various infant experiments that he cannot fully understand but sound like they would hurt (for doesn’t even the mildest strike of electricity hurt no matter how ultimately harmless it is?) and ... his origins. A project to clone the Accursed (to clone ARDYN) and while he doesn’t understand all the fancy words and self boasting littered in the reports, he understands the gist. That the initial clones all failed, daemonified within days. That Besithia had to eventually combine two extra strands of DNA in order to stabilize the child now in the tank. One of those strands was just a placeholder, a sample he had on hand that is at fault for the subject’s dark skin. The other strand-

-Tombs of the Oracles. The First Oracle.

-Aera.

-Aera-Aera-her-child-his-child-AERA’SCHILD

-Things get hazy. He remembers standing in Besithia’s quarters while the man writhed and screamed and paid for daring to desecrate Aera’s grave. He remembers setting ... a lot of things on fire, his armiger tearing open the walls as he raged.

-He remembers the crash of glass and black blood pouring from his arms before they healed as he pulled Aera’s drugged child free of the tank. The little one was so small, so alone, and somewhere with that thought in his head he thinks he snatched up another child on the way even though it was of Besithia’s blood, because there’s a screaming in his head that isn’t human but isn’t entirely the insanity of daemons insisting that hatchlings need playmates to grow up properly.

-He comes back to himself far away from the ruins of the laboratory, trekking through the wilderness with not one, but two children in his arms, one of them an infant barely a few months old. The other is his- is Aera’s- is their son. The infant is shivering and he takes a moment to securely wrap it in a spare coat (he didn’t intend to steal one of Besithia’s little MTs but he did and so this child is HIS now) before inspecting his blood child. The little boy is still drugged into sleep, unresponsive to Ardyn’s careful prodding, and Ardyn feels something inside him crack in pain as he inspects and realizes that the boy is no longer an infant, but a toddler. Perhaps two years old, bordering on three even.

-How long had he spent running away in denial while Aera’s child floated in that tank at Besithia’s mercy? Too long. Unforgivably long.

-“Oh my little one,” he breathes hoarsely, “Oh Aera. I abandoned our son. I would strike myself down were he not in need of me.”

-He carts both children through the wilds, slinking into the nearest town only to steal as many supplies as he can before flitting away again. The blond infant he’s stolen is not drugged and so wake up periodically. Ardyn had no real intention of getting attached, but his own son has reawakened things inside him, and the realization that this tiny infant is already well trained to not cry even when hungry or in discomfort makes his stomach churn and his armiger flicker briefly into being. He tries to distract himself from his worries over his sleeping son by fussing over the infant, making silly faces and cooing as he tends the infant who will be his own child’s playmate and little foster sibling. The little one needs a name.

-He will decide later. He must name Aera’s child first.

-He must ensure Aera’s child is alright first.

-The toddler finally wakes up on the second day of their travels, sluggish and confused. Ardyn feels precious, precious magic unfurl sleepily, tentatively little fingers of energy trying to pinpoint his new surroundings. Ardyn reaches back, eagerly, instinctively.

-The flinch from his son as gold eyes snap awake in fear, the way too-young magic all but recoils from him, hurts worse than Somnus’s blade through his heart all those centuries ago. The toddler in his arms gasps faintly, looking around, wide awake and confused-afraid. Ardyn shakes free of his shock and tries to hum a soothing note, but all it gets him is his child clumsily trying to raise his arms over his head like he expects a blow.

-Ardyn remembers that first meeting, that first sighting in the tank, the way magic had reached for him half asleep and needy and so vulnerable.

-He remembers how he had lashed out and slapped it away.

-It’s painfully, achingly, burningly clear that his son remembers it too, even though he shouldn’t, even though he should be too young to recall that horrible mistake, and Ardyn has to fight to breathe past the guilt screaming in his skull even louder than the Scourge. He can’t lose his mind, not yet, not again. He can’t lose his mind or run away or try fruitlessly to execute himself for the crime of hurting Aera’s child, because the little one (little ones, he hasn’t forgotten the burbling infant) need a caretaker and Ardyn is the only one (the only one who knows, who can be trusted, a magic child will suffer if given to non magical parents and he wouldn’t trust Somnus’s bloodline as far as he could throw Ifrit).

-He talks soothingly, mindlessly, trying to get the toddler in his arms to uncurl. He does eventually, looking around in fear-confusion, but his magic stays coiled tight inside him, and Ardyn’s tentative poke at it is met with another flinch and a wild-eyed gasp of terror.

...

-Ozpin wakes up and doesn’t know what’s going on or where he is. At first he reaches out, but the moment he brushes up against another, larger, magic, memories of Salem and half-formed impressions of this same magic striking him in anger that might be a dream or might be truth make him retreat and curl in on himself. He feels small, helpless, there is an eerie silence in his head where only faded memories lie instead of a new voice and a new host and he doesn’t understand.

-Talking draws him out of the haze of half-panic, but when large, dangerous magic pokes at his core again he recoils, expecting it to turn into fangs and the burning agony Salem was so very good at unleashing. It’s been so, so long since he felt any other magic than Salem’s or his own that he cannot stop himself from assuming pain will follow. That all magic not his own is intended for pain.

-The man holding him falters in his speech, like he’s in physical pain, and Ozpin uncurls again to peer at him. Is he injured? Who even is he?

-Ardyn, Ozpin learns as they travel. The man’s name is Ardyn, and Ozpin is in a toddler’s body that seems to belong to no one but him, there is another child, a blond infant who doesn’t look like he’s related to Ardyn or Ozpin but is with them anyway, who gurgles too-quiet in the way abused children do. Ozpin thinks, hazily, that this man might have rescued the pair of them from somewhere horrible. Or he might be at fault for that horrible place.

-Ardyn names the infant Prompto, and calls Ozpin “Zagreus” and Ozpin is too wary to tell him he already has a name. They’re traveling through the wilderness, one that Ozpin doesn’t know, and the moon above their heads is strange and unbroken.

-Ardyn has magic. Ozpin is too wary still to do more than flinch and hold painfully, obediently still whenever the man cautiously brushes it against Ozpin’s senses, even though he knows it hurts Ardyn to be rejected so, even though he knows he should be brave and reach out in return, because he doesn’t think this man has ever hurt him. Not yet at least. Not intentionally. The man is terrible at self care, so Ozpin thinks those repeated stretches of forgetting to feet him and Prompto are unintentional. Ozpin works up the nerve to keep track of time himself and repeatedly (hesitantly) tug on Ardyn’s coat when he thinks it’s time to feed Prompto and himself.

-Ardyn calls Ozpin his son. Ozpin has yet to figure out if that’s true or not. If he mingled magic, he’d be able to tell he thinks, because there is a strange new magic woven into his core, bolstering and healing his long-faded green and mingling into it with strands of blue and gold he can see behind his eyelids, but- he can’t.

-Every time he thinks of trying, all he can think of is Salem. And all the ways she killed him. All the times she forced their magics to mingle so he could feel her rage and hate and possessive, poisonous love as she carved him open and ended yet another lifetime.

-It doesn't help that Ardyn is ill. It’s not Grimm Darkness, he thinks after the first three panic attacks that trigger when he glimpses the man’s sickness. But it is very similar. Too similar. A part of Ozpin, his gold magic, itches to reach out and fix it, but after seen Ardyn look more Grimm than man when tearing apart the strange night monsters that sometimes hunt them, it’s all the self control he has not to grab Prompto and run into the wilderness. To let Ardyn pick them up and continue on their way. They will die without Ardyn, he knows that.

-It doesn’t make him any less afraid.

-It takes a long, long time to be able to fight down that fear even a little, to not stiffen in preparation for a strike when shaking hands pet his hair, to not duck his head and breath slow when Ardyn looks at him and speaks to him, trying to coax out a response that remains frozen silent on Ozpin’s tongue. He knows he’s acting poorly. But despite his infection, despite being so very hauntingly like Salem in some ways, Ardyn never loses his temper at either of them. He never turns violent or raises a hand against them, or withholds food or clothes or stuffed toys when Prompto misbehaves or Ozpin once again recoils from the touch of Ardyn’s magic.

-They’re wandering another continent entirely, and Prompto has already started babbling his first choppy words (Ze and Dyn respectively), by the time Ozpin works up the nerve to let his magic out into the air again. To probe at the air around them while Ardyn goes desperately, fragilely still and watches him without daring to reach out for fear of scaring Ozpin. It takes a lot of nerve, but he manages to brush his magic against Ardyn’s in gratitude-trust before retreating again, exhausted from pushing past so many lifetimes of Salem’s pain to do even that. He’ll try actually speaking aloud another day. Maybe.

-A few days later though, Ozpin hears two birds cawing hoarsely in the air and feels something familiar, and suddenly he’s racing away from Ardyn as fast as his tiny legs can carry him, chasing those birds in the sky and reaching for them with magic and need because that feels like-

-The birds plummet from the sky, and a moment later, two scraggly, wild eyed children with black hair and bright red eyes burst out of the underbrush to tackle him with gleeful cries.

-He’s found Raven and Qrow.