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myhauntedsalem · 3 years ago

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10 Cops Share Their Scariest Paranormal Encounters

1. THE PHONE CALL

My uncle works for dispatch in my town and he recently told my family of the weirdest call he’s ever gotten. He says that he had received a call from a landline one night and when he answered it there was only static on the other end. This happened two more times. Finally, he calls a squad to go check out the address from the caller ID. When the cops got there and walked into the house they immediately saw that there was a dead body. The person had been dead for 5 months.

The craziest part about it was that there was no electricity or any other utility working. So there is no way they should have been able to get those calls into dispatch. But if they hadn’t, who knows how long that person’s body would have stayed there.

2. THE HANGING SOLDIER

I had a call to a residence for a mental evaluation or a “5150.” Anyways, I get there and speak to a 50-something-year-old woman, who states her 20-something-year-od son is under the influence of an unknown drug, and kept repeating that he can’t go in his bedroom because there was an old man hanging in his room. She stated she was too scared to go in his room and investigate it for herself, because he constantly brings over friends that are drug addicts, and is unsure if his claims were true or not.

I then go speak to the son, who is clearly under the influence of a stimulate. He goes on to tell me that he was told by a “spirit” to not enter the bedroom, because her father, dressed in his military “Class A” uniform was hanging in his bedroom.

I check the room out and of course there was no body hanging in the room. As I’m in the middle of explaining to the mother that there was no body in the bedroom, a veteran officer arrives on scene to assist me.

He pulls me aside and stated earlier in his career he responded to this residence, and that same bedroom, he had to investigate a suicide by hanging of an older male subject. He didn’t remember all the details, so I looked it up in our report management system in my patrol car and sure enough the officer was correct. The subject who died was a WWII veteran and had dressed in his military uniform and hung himself.

3. “SHE’S INSIDE THE HOUSE”

I’ve never been a believer in the paranormal, but that day I made an exception. I responded to a call made by an elderly lady. She reported that she kept seeing a young girl running through her yard and she was afraid of vandalism or maybe worse.

On my way over, it started to pour like there’s no tomorrow, lightning and thunder too. When I arrived at the residence, she pointed to where the yard was and I made my way over there. I tried to shine my flashlight along and asked, “Is anyone out here? C’mon out.” But nothing, all I heard was the sound of loud thunder in the back.

I made my way back inside the house and the lady (now trembling in a corner) told me, “She’s inside the house.”

I hear a thump in the background and I see a young girl (about 13) running from one side of the house to the other. I quickly moved towards her and asked her to stop, but then she disappears right in front of me. I thought it was my eyes playing a trick on me but then the lady yells out, “There, there she is, right outside.”

I turned towards a big window leading to the backyard and there she was running around, but how did she get passed me to exit to the back door?? I immediately went outside and she had vanished, again. After I wasn’t able to find anything and with no logical explanation, I told the lady the girl had run away and I wasn’t able to catch her due to the weather. I asked her to calm her down. Some months later passed and I found out the elderly woman had passed away and some new people had moved into her old home. Not long after that, dispatch picked up a call from the same house. Now the new tenants reported a young girl running around in their backyard and suddenly appearing inside their house. I let someone else pick the call.

4. THE ABANDONED HOUSE

I worked as a police officer in a small town in rural Nebraska. Back in the 90’s, I was patrolling through town in winter. We had several abandoned houses in town, but one seemed to have the attraction of copper thieves, so we were told to keep an eye on it. Drove by it around 7:00pm, since it sat on a corner lot, I had a clear view of all four sides of the house. As I drove around the corner. Nothing looks out of the ordinary. About two hours later I drive by again and the back door is wide open.

I know that the back door was not open when I drove by it earlier. Looking at the snow on the ground around the house, there were no footprints. So I think “What the hell?”. Call dispatch, tell them I’m investigating an open door at that address and ask for a county sheriff to start my way. I walk to the open door, pull out my flashlight and shine it inside. The house has obviously been gutted for the most part. The plaster walls have been torn down, debris piles everywhere. Since there were no footprints in the snow around the door other than mine, and with all the dust on the floor not showing any footprints, I chalk it up to the wind or maybe the door just opened on its own. I was about to secure the door when I heard a loud thump come from upstairs and what sounded like kids laughing. So I enter the house and yell out “Police department, come downstairs!” More of what sounds like kids playing. I tell dispatch that it sounds like there are kids in the house and start making my way through the kitchen into the living room where the stairs are. All the while cautiously checking the main floor.

Two more times I hear something upstairs, but since I’ve had no response, I start thinking maybe it’s an animal. Still, I hear what I’d swear was kids laughing. I head upstairs and it all gets quiet. The upstairs is relatively small with a hallway at the top of the stairs that has one bedroom on the right, one straight ahead at the end of the hall, and a bedroom on the left. As I get to the top of the stairs, I hear a thump in the bedroom to the left. I carefully peek around the door and it’s an empty room with a small pile of plaster and wood debris in the middle. No kidding, sitting on top of the pile of debris was a page torn out of a child’s book with a picture of a police officer on it. The hair stood up on the back of my neck, I got out of that room, quickly cleared the other rooms upstairs and got the fuck out of there.

Told dispatch nobody was in the house, locked the back door and never went back in there again.

5. THE DISAPPEARING PASSENGER

As a controller about 15 years ago, I took a call from a hysterical man who had picked up a motorcyclist on the slip road to the M6 who had been standing in pouring rain at the side of the road with a petrol can next to an old Norton style motorbike. He drove on the short distance down the motorway to the next service station and as he pulled off the carriageway he turned to talk to his passenger and he had disappeared.

Besides himself he contacted the police, it later transpired that at the very point the passenger disappeared there had been a fatal accident involving a motorcyclist about 20yrs previously.

It still sends shivers up my spine and I still have a copy of the incident print. I spoke with the officers who attended and they were confident the man was a genuine everyday fella!

6. THE FOOTPRINT

Back when I was working as a cop on a military base, I loved working night shift. Didn’t deal with 99% of the bullshit that day shift dealt with and what little stuff we did deal with was usually really interesting.

Well most every building on a base is alarmed and the alarms are tied right into the desk so we know the instant they go off. When we get an alarm activation, we close the base, and go check the building, pull on all the doors, see if we can get in. If we can, we go into the building and secure it, check all the doors and corners to see if someone set the alarm off.

Well, one night I was on patrol with my alpha (partner) and we get called to respond to an alarm activation at the elementary school. So we go, secure the building, and call in that the building is all secure. No problem, keep patrolling. So about 15-20 minutes go by and we get another alarm activation. We get back out there and check and now there is a maintenance door open that leads into a boiler roomish thing. Nothing in it, we close it, lock it and get out.

Another 20 minutes. and another alarm. We respond, all the doors are still locked and we can’t get in, maintenance door is locked. Call in the all clear. This time my buddy and I sit on opposite sides of the school and watch to see if someone is coming and yanking the doors real hard to set the alarm off. We sit there and watch, nothing happens and right as we’re about to leave, another alarm activation as we’re sitting there. We inform the desk that we’d like the building manager on site to help us secure the interior and to let us in. (This is like now 3 am.)

Building custodian shows up and we start doing a walk through, checking all the classrooms and checking all the maintenance rooms and that’s when we see one of the maintenance doors open with the lights on in the room. Now, this room is literally the size of a closet.

We walk down there and look in, no ones in it and that door is locked when it closes. We look in there and we find a single footprint of a bare foot made of water (Left foot as a recall) of a small child. Freaked the living hell out of us because no one reported a missing child and the entire building was clear and still locked up. No one left, no one entered and we checked every inch of that damn place (literally a 3 hour deep sweep including ceiling tiles.)

Freaked the ever loving shit out of us and to this day, my partner refuses to go into that school.

7. THE FLYING MAN

Whilst working in remote Australia, we were forced to ‘move on’ an elderly aboriginal man because the other locals had accused him of witchcraft, and other things. We drove him to his township approximately one and half hours drive away. The other locals were terrified of him as he was rumored to be a witch doctor. We dropped him off and warned him not to return to town for three days. We turned the vehicle around and drove back to town, flying, probably 100mph+. It took 45minutes to drive back, upon our return, we find the SAME elderly aboriginal sitting in the street. To this day neither of us can explain it, maybe the other locals had every right to be scared.

8. “I NEED YOUR HELP”

Not a police officer, but a 911 dispatcher.

There was an old couple who lived on a run-down ranch house about 20 miles east of town. When the husband passed away, the woman would call 911 at least three times a week, asking for assistance with very mundane tasks not normally dealt to first responders. “I need help turning the thermostat up”, “I need help boiling water for my tea”, etc.

The woman developed dementia, and eventually, it progressed to the point where she believed she was calling 911 to ask her deceased husband for help. All of the dispatchers would recognize the address immediately, even though all she could say was “(husband’s name), I need help. Please come home and help me”

One day she called, and again was only able to repeat her husband’s (I’ll call him “John”) name. “John, I need help. Please come home and help me John.” By the time the first responders arrived on scene, they found the woman lying dead in her bed. The first unit on scene called dispatch to confirm that it was the woman herself who had called 911, as rigor Morris had already set in. We wrote it off as the fact that the heater in her house wasn’t working, and the ambient temperature in the room was about 50 degrees.

We continued to receive 911 calls from that woman, at that address for just over a year after she passed away. Even after her home was vandalized, and burned to the ground, the phone calls did not stop. “John, I need your help. John, please come home and help me.” We were obligated to send a response each and every time, but not once did we find anyone on or near the property.

Multiple calls to the phone company confirmed that the phone line had been disconnected, and the call was not coming from another address.

9. POSSESSED

I was a 911 call taker 10 years ago when I received one of the creepiest calls ever. It was freezing that night, which usually equaled a calm, quiet shift due to even the criminals not wanting to go outside. Around 3am my call box popped up green and as usual I asked what was the emergency. A man starting frantically screaming that his still was possessed by a demon and tried to cut his heart while he slept. He had ran when the attack started and locked himself in his bathroom. I ask him a series of questions trying to figure out what the hell is going on.

I ask him a series of questions trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Everytime he tried to answer I heard what sounded like scratching and banging on the bathroom door. He whispered “There is a demon in my sister’s body, it has been battling me for days. It got free from the chains…” I swear what I heard next chilled me to the core. This unearthly voice began taunting my caller through the door. It didn’t sound like a 20-something woman. It was low and guttural, like she had gargled razor blades before speaking. She continued to growl and speak in a strange sounding language until police arrived. She let out a terrifying scream when the officers broke in, then dead end.

The call was over, I was shaking and had to know what happened? Even my supervisor (who had been listening to the call in real time) was pale and speechless when the line abruptly ended. Before my shift ended the commanding officer on my creepy call called in to tell me what they found. He told me he would have nightmares for the rest of his life.

Apparently, when my caller said his sister got out of her chains, he wasn’t joking around. She still had a chain tied to a bloody handcuff when the officers came in. Her whole body was covered in self-inflicted scratches, her one eye had popped a blood vessel and was bright red. Most of what she was wearing was also shredded and her skin looked like she had been drained of her blood. She was taken in for a psych consult and as you probably guessed, stayed there for a long time. The brother was okay except for deep gouges in his chest. His sister literally tried to dig out his heart.

There was some talk about arresting the brother but nothing ever came of it. I still can vividly remember that voice, it still makes my blood run cold.

10. BREAK IN AT THE MORGUE

A friend’s father is a police officer in one of the larger villages of Illinois. He and his partner were working night-shift when they were called to investigate a suspected break-in at the local morgue. They arrived to find the custodian waiting for them out front. The custodian said that he’d been mopping one of the corridors and had seen something move in his peripheral vision. He looked up and saw a person quickly cross from one side of the hallway to the other. He couldn’t tell much about the person as he’d been turning the lights off as he worked his way through the building. Just a dim outline, but enough to be sure of what he’d seen. He was unarmed, so called the police and stepped outside to wait.

My friend’s dad and his partner entered the morgue. They started off by calling out to anyone who might be inside (no answer), then began to do a sweep, walking down the central corridor with hands on their guns, checking each room to the side, occasionally calling out for any intruder to show themselves. My friend’s dad came upon a room with the light off, pitch black inside. He fumbled for the switch and flicked it. The room lit up, nothing but an empty waiting room for relatives of the dead.

He heard his partner call out “Hey, stop! Turn around!” Friend’s dad swung back out into the corridor and his partner had unholstered his gun, was pointing it at the end of the long corridor. He said: “She went around that corner.” The custodian said: “She’s trapped, no exits that way.”

They had the custodian lock himself in the waiting room for safety, then advanced down the corridor, calling out to the woman to show herself, that they wouldn’t hurt her. This time my friend’s dad reached the end first, and with his back to the wall, peered around the corner. The woman was standing by a big grey door. Lights were off here too, so it was hard to see her clearly. But he could see she wasn’t holding a gun, had long, fair hair. He stepped out from behind the corner to talk to her, but she opened the door, disappeared into the dark inside, and shut it firmly behind her.

He sprinted up to the door and pulled at the handle. Locked. Banged on it for a while and called out to her, but no answer. The door had a deadlock on it, so his partner brought over the custodian to unlock it. They turned on their flashlights to see better. The custodian rounded the corner and faltered a little. “This door? You sure? This door doesn’t lock from the inside.”

The custodian found the right key and carefully turned it in the lock. Click. “We’re coming in! Have your hands up!”

They entered the room, flashlights illuminating every corner. The custodian hit the light switch and the room lit up. It was empty except for some equipment against the wall, and two gurneys in the middle of the room. One was empty, and one was covered in a sheet with what appeared to be a body underneath it. Nice hiding spot.

My friend’s dad approached and it was the smell that first spooked him. It smelled like a corpse. He pulled the sheet down and there the woman lay, straggly light-brown hair all around her face. The tag on her toe said she’d died four days ago.

Friend’s father is a devout Christian, does not believe in ghosts or the supernatural (even now), doesn’t know what to make of this event.

#10 Cops Share Their Scariest Paranormal Encounters #shared stories #paranormal #ghost and hauntings #ghost and spirits #haunted salem #myhauntedsalem

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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 4 years ago

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Duplicitous

Warnings: noncon/dubcon elements (rough sex, oral, cuckolding), deception.

This is dark!Loki and ft. some Steve and explicit. 18+ only.

Summary: Loki is new to the team but receives a cool welcome from those at the Avengers compound. Assigned to complete his orientation, you try to start anew with the former villain of New York.

Note: Still working on Omerta and From Eden. Tbh, the last week has been a tough one mentally but I’m working on that. I’ve also been all over the place helping my mother get settled after moving to town. Whatever, life is life. Thanks to all your wonderful people.

Leave some feedback, like and reblog if you can <3

It was a long morning. Much of it had been spent with Tony and as any other meeting with the man, it swung between amiability and antagonism. It was easy to guess why he was agitated as he was determined to thrust the crux of his displeasure upon you. Tony was never one to just roll over and he held a grudge well, but he wasn’t heartless and Thor was one of his best.

It was only unfortunate that the Asgardian had deemed himself a package deal. If his home was to be Earth, it wouldn’t be his brother’s too. Loki was different now, he sought redemption, to right his wrongs. It was a hard sell but the god was relentless and as usual, he prevailed.

“I want you to make this hell,” Tony’s words echoed in your head as you flipped through the workplace standards binder. “You are going to go through this with a fine tooth comb until that jackass can’t take anymore.”

These things were never easy. Going over protocol, safety regulations, workplace behaviour and etiquette. Usually you did your best to condense it all to make it more palatable; as much for you as the new hires. Now Tony wanted you to torture this man via dry ordinances as he wasn’t allowed to do so physically. The boss wouldn’t sign off until he was sure Loki suffered, though you were just as certain Tony had no plans to sign off on anything.

You checked the clock, it was almost noon already. You’d set up the conference room for your first session. The binders and files stacked neatly on one end as you sat in the middle.

You rose and looked through the transparent wall. Pepper’s heels raced by as she hurried to Tony’s office with her phone at her ear. The usual chaos of the tower.

You stepped out into the hall and made your way to the kitchen and popped a capsule in the machine before you found a mug. You added water to the machine and listened to the whir as it spat orange pekoe from its nozzle. You hated the little pods of leaves but you didn’t have time to wait on the kettle. You added a touch of milk and checked your watch before you stole one of the scones left in the box Pepper had strolled in with that morning.

You cradled the crummy scone in a paper towel and as you neared the conference room, you found a broad pair of shoulders awaiting you. You had still not grown used to Thor’s lack of hair. Loki’s dark head appeared just on the other side of him and your dread sank into your stomach.

“Hey,” You approached. “Just in time.”

“My lady!” Thor boomed as he turned to greet you. “How are you?”

“Well, and you?” You couldn’t help but smile. “How is the city treating you so far?”

“We have seen many things,” He announced. “Many delicious foods.”

Loki was silent, his eyes dull as he resisted rolling them at his brother.

“And are you doing more exploring today?” You wondered.

“Eh, I gotta see Tony but I figured I’d see Loki in for his first day,” He lowered his voice. “I told him to behave.”

“I can hear you,” Loki grumbled.

“Yes, well you already know I told you to behave,” Thor said. “So… behave.”

“Yes, mother,” Loki replied snidely.

Thor huffed and shook his head.

“I fear I’ve set him into a mood already,” Thor said. “I apologize.”

Loki blinked in exasperation but said nothing.

“Well, I guess we should begin and you should see Tony sooner than later,” You offered. “He called for the jet so he might not be here much longer.”

“Thank you,” Thor clapped your shoulder. “I promise, he has changed.”

You nodded and gave a weak smile. Thor left you and you turned to Loki. He stared at you a moment then his eyes drifted to the transparent door.

“Allow me,” He pushed the door inward and stepped inside to let you past.

You looked down at your full hands and thanked him as you entered. You set your mug and scone down but didn’t touch them. You had hoped to enjoy them before his arrival but for once, Thor was timely. Or perhaps that was Loki’s doing. He seemed the more stringent of the two.

“Loki,” You waved to the chair across from you. “Nice to meet you.”

“Again,” He neared slowly and grabbed the back of the chair. “Did you forget?”

“A brief meeting, yes,” You said. “But I’ve been told you weren’t yourself.”

He sat carefully and leaned an elbow on the arm of the chair.

“I remember it though,” He assured you.

“I tend to remember other events that day a little more clearly,” You countered.

“Mmm,” His brow twitched. “Yes, you Midgardians do cling to the more extreme details of my last visit.”

You wanted to scoff. Your last meeting had very nearly killed you. As creatures flew upon strange machines outside the windows of Stark Tower and buildings were decimated, you had caught a piece of shrapnel as one of the invaders crashed through the windows. You still wore the scar across your side; still remembered the god behind Tony’s bar, lecturing you upon your inferiority.

“This is a new start,” You slid a binder over to him. “Though not an exciting one.”

His fingers tapped on the blue cover as you opened your own and took a sip of your tea.

“What is this?” He opened his slowly.

“The rules,” You answered. “Combat regulations, mission protocol, office standards… the fun stuff.”

“And did my brother have to sit through this tripe?” He asked.

“Your brother didn’t try to invade New York,” You said sharply. “And Tony likes him.”

“Ah, Stark,” He smirked. “Of course.”

“Did you want a tea? Anything to drink?” You asked.

His eyes flicked up and he considered you. “Very kind, but I’d rather we just begin.”

“Right,” You looked down and took a breath. “Probably best.”

🐍

The clock at the end of the room read past six. You yawned and rubbed your eyes. All the little quizzes and evaluations Tony had tacked on were taking a lot longer than you expected. Loki looked just as uninterested though he read along all the same and had yet to falter.

You sniffed and leaned back in your chair.

“Ready to call it a day?” You asked.

“Up to you,” He said coolly. “To be honest, it has been slightly preferable to my brother’s grating presence. Slightly.”

“He’s not that bad,” You chuckled.

“He’s not your brother,” Loki countered. “Have you ever had the pleasure of eating with him? It’s disgusting.”

You held back another laugh and shook your head. Your eyes caught a figure on the other side of the clear wall. Steve squinted through and pointed at Loki with a tilt of his head. You blinked and shrugged. Loki noticed and glanced over his shoulder.

“Ah,” He slowly turned back. “The golden avenger has returned.”

“Well…” You tapped your fingers on the table. “I am, uh, late.”

“Late?” He raised his brows.

Steve went to the door and opened it carefully.

“Sorry to interrupt,” He poked his head in. But I’ve been, uh…” He looked at Loki warily. “Texting you.”

“We were just finishing up,” You assured him.

“Hello, Captain,” Loki pivoted his chair.

“Steve,” The other man corrected. “Thanks.”

“Ah,” Loki’s mouth twitched and he looked between the two of you. He stood up and turned back to you. “I didn’t realise. I shall see myself out.”

“We’ll pick this up tomorrow. Same time,” You said.

“I look forward to it,” He said dryly.

Loki took the black jacket he’d slung over the back of his chair halfway through your session and nodded at Steve as he slipped past him. He strode along the wall and offered a two finger wave before he disappeared. Steve watched him with hands on his hips.

“What--”

“You haven’t talked to Tony?”

“I didn’t think he was serious,” Steve turned to you. “He didn’t--”

“Oh, you guys need to calm down,” You rolled your eyes. “He was perfectly… tame.”

You pulled out your phone and saw several notifications from Steve, along with a few emails. One was marked with a red exclamation which deemed it urgent and you opened it up. You glossed through it quickly.

“Steve,” You looked up. “You didn’t?--”

“It was Bucky too,” He said evasively. “We were just doing our job.”

“You collapsed a bridge,” You frowned. “Why is it always you?”

“No casualties,” He pleaded.

“Only me,” You scowled. “I’ll be buried in the paperwork.”

He lowered his chin guiltily. He neared shyly as you packed up your bag.

“How can I ever make it up to you?” He touched your arm.

You narrowed your eyes at him as you collected your mug and half-eaten scone.

“Cheesecake?” He smiled.

“You can’t buy me with dessert,” You brushed past him and he followed you out into the hall.

“Really?” He said. “I know you like a little whip cream on top.” You entered the kitchen and rinsed out the cup and placed it in the rack. “But… we could try it on something else.”

You faced him and fought not to smirk. You shook your head.

“So the cheesecake is… foreplay?”

“Part of it,” He got closer and his hand settled on your hip.

“Hmm,” You hummed as his lips hovered over yours. “Strawberry cheesecake?”

“My favourite,” He purred and kissed you.

🐍

The next day, you found Loki waiting in the conference room. You had spent your morning trying to clean up after the super soldiers. You pushed through the clear door and rounded the table as you greeted Loki.

“You’re early,” You said as you took your seat. The binders were as they had been the day before.

“All the better to get this over with,” He said as you sat and rolled your chair closer to the table.

“You know, I am starting to think it would be a lot easier if you and Tony just had it out,” You opened the binder. “Well, easier for me.”

Loki snickered and flipped through his own binder.

“You and the golden boy,” He ventured as you found the right page. “Adorable.”

You glanced up at him and furrowed your brow. You cleared your throat and looked back to the pages.

“So, we were going over required training.” You said.

“Is that allowed in your little Midgardian handbook?” He prodded.

“We will cover that,” You assured him. “Not that I think you need to worry about it.”

“Hmm, no,” He mused. “I wouldn’t.”

You sat back and sighed.

“It might be easier if you at least tried to make friends here,” You said.

“Friends?” He lifted a brow. “Who should I start with? Stark? Oh, I’m sure he’d be open to a little reconciliation. Or maybe Rogers? Hmm? He really seems the forgiving type. Or that little redhead thing? She seems peaceable.”

“You could begin with me,” You offered. “I’m not here to provoke you.”

He blinked and shifted in his chair.

“Have I been unkind?” He wondered.

“Not exactly,” You answered. “But not everything needs to be a… snipe.”

He considered you and his hand spread over the binder.

“It wasn’t meant to be,” He said evenly. “I bear you no hostility, though perhaps I do owe you an apology.”

“Apology?” You echoed.

“Regardless of the circumstance, I said what I said that day, it was cruel and there is no excuse,” He said. “You were wounded and I would have watched you die. It might have been a different version of me, but it was me. I apologise.”

“You don’t have to--” You touched your side without thinking. “Thank you.”

“And I will do my best to withhold my contempt. You do not deserve it.”

You were a bit shocked by his candour. You pressed your lips together and straightened the binder in front of you.

“That’s a good start,” You said. “So, now that’s cleared up…”

“What page was it?” He nodded and looked to his binder. He leaned it against the edge of the table as his eyes roved over the tight font.

🐍

The rest of the week went much the same. However, Tony’s plan to chip away at Loki seemed not to be working as your patience wore away and the Asgardian remained ever stoic. He was almost amused as he humoured your Midgardian codes.

Your weekend was well earned but didn’t allow for much rest. Steve was due to leave again that week so you had to squeeze what time you could out of him. It could be a couple days, or a week, or two. He could never really say and you never expected him to. You knew how it was when you got into the relationship.

All the while, you tried to catch up on the work delayed by Tony’s pointless ploy to drive Loki out. You hated that he had chosen you for this though you doubted he’d trust any other to do so.

On Monday, Loki was late. You were surprised. He had always been annoyingly early. You texted Steve and he replied with a heart emoji. The door whisked open and had your phone face down on the table. Loki sat heavily across from you, a scrape across his forehead and a split in his lip. His cheek was slightly swollen beneath his eye but he seemed barely fazed by his injuries.

“Oh my god,” You said. “What happened to you?”

“Training,” He smiled and hissed as the gesture pulled at the cut. “My brother… got a bit carried away.”

“And how does he look?”

“To the detriment of my pride, better than I do,” He said. “I did try to restrain myself, though my tongue does not obey me as well as my body.”

“Let me get you some ice,” You stood.

“Really, I’m fine.” He insisted.

“You’re bleeding.” You said as blood began to trickle from the split in his lip.

“I thought I’d stemmed it,” He reached up. “Forgive my lateness.”

“That’s the last thing I’m worried about,” You scoffed. “One second.”

You went to the kitchen and grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and the first aid kit from beneath the counter. You returned to Loki and set your wares down. You flipped open the metal box and grabbed an alcohol wipe.

“Did you clean the cuts at least?” You asked.

“I can handle it,” He assured you.

“Sorry, sorry,” You flicked the packet. “I sound just like my mother right now.”

“I do appreciate it though.”

He took the little paper packet and tore it open. He blindly wiped the cut along his hairline and that on his lip. You offered him some gauze and he thanked you before he pressed it to his lip. When the blood slowed, he grabbed the ice pack and held it to his cheek.

He stood and you quickly backed away as he tossed his mess in the bin. You packed up the kit as he sat again.

“Thank you,” He said again and you pushed aside the metal box.

“You know, it’s not too uncommon to have a bloody lip here,” You rounded the table and sat across from him. “You good though?”

“Very,” He said with a slight smirk. “I have been anticipating this section most fervently.” He opened the file before him. “Office etiquette. I suppose I am sorely lacking in that.”

You almost laughed at his quip. He wasn’t so cold as that first day and you no longer saw the villainous invader before you. You saw someone wildly out of place. For a moment, you felt bad for him. The glimmer in his eyes quickly smothered it and you wondered for a moment. This was Loki; he could more than handle himself.

🐍

Steve showed up only a couple hours later and waved at you through the glass. He had his bag. He was leaving. You tried not to stutter as you continued reading through the clauses before you and Loki seemed barely bothered by your momentary lapse. You swept a paper out of another folder.

“So, another pop quiz,” You said sourly. “While you fill that out, I’ll just excuse myself for a moment.”

“Very well,” He accepted and played with the pen.

“Ten minutes.” You promised as you stood and slid the paper to him.

He nodded and looked dully at the sheet. You hurried around the table and out into the hall. Steve retreated and you followed so you could not be seen through the transparent wall.

“Going?�� You asked glumly.

“I shouldn’t be long. It’s an easy in and out.” He rubbed your arm.

“Oh? And who’s going with you?” You asked.

“Um, Sam,” He said.

“Ha, sure, easy,” You kidded.

“And what about him?” Steve nodded to the conference room. “How long’s this gonna take?”

“Well, with all Tony’s bookmarks, probably the rest of my life,” You grumbled.

“Gee,” He frowned. “I don’t envy you.”

“Rub it in,” You huffed. “I’ll miss you.”

“You too,” He leaned in to kiss you.

Your lips met and you grabbed onto his shoulder. You wanted to kiss him forever just to make him stay. But he had to go and you had to get back to work.

“While interoffice relationships are permitted so long as the proper legal protocol is followed, open displays of affection are prohibited as they are unprofessional and unseemly in the workplace and may lead to discomfort of others.” Loki’s voice cut through the air.

You pulled away from Steve and looked to him aghast. You heard Steve sigh and he hitched his duffle up on his arm. Loki held up the paper and grinned.

“Sorry to interrupt but I finished and… well, I think I’ve learned a lot,” He taunted.

“Apparently,” You turned back to Steve as he glared at Loki. “Sorry, I gotta go but… let me know when you can that you’re safe.”

“Of course,” He tore his eyes from Loki. “I love you.”

“You too,” You patted his chest. “See ya.”

“Yeah,” He shook his head and shot Loki one last sneer. “Bye.”

You watched Steve go and turned back to Loki. You hid your irritation and neared to take his paper.

“Thanks,” You said as you swept back into the conference room.

You sat and checked his work. Perfect, as ever. You were certain he didn’t care about any of this but he never wavered. You added it to the pile and looked up at him. He leaned back in his chair coolly.

“Did I pass, teacher?” He teased.

“Why did you do that?” You asked.

“Just practicing my learning,” He smirked.

You shook your head at him and flipped the page.

“Moving on,” You said.

“Must be difficult. Being apart so much.”

“We don’t have to talk about it,” You said. “It’s personal.”

“Apologies,” He said. “I was only attempting small talk.”

“It’s okay,” You said. “I just… to be quite honest, I’m cursing Tony as much as you probably are.”

🐍

Another week of tedium and you were ready to tap out. And you were further irritated that Loki showed no sign of distress. He was just as cool as ever as you went through the ridiculous mandates. Just as irksome as you glanced at your phone between sections. His curious, almost taunting eyes, lit up along with your screen.

But you kept on and on Friday, you let him leave a full twenty minutes early. You stayed another hour as you caught up on the rest of your workload. You barely made a dent but you just wanted to go home and hide in bed. Your empty bed. You hoped Steve would return soon.

You yawned as you drove to your building. Your fatigue mounted as you rode the elevator to your floor and neared the door of your condo. It was unlocked. You hesitated and pushed inside. You blinked as you looked around. The lamp in the living room was on but no other light shone and nothing seemed out of place.

You stepped further inside as you dug your hand into your purse and clutched the can hidden in its depths. Another light came from your bedroom door and you carefully crept down the hall in your heels to peek inside. You pulled out the can and screamed as a shadow appeared in the doorway.

You didn’t have a chance to spray the mace as it was batted out of your hand and the surprised chuckle eased your fears. Steve grabbed your arms as he steadied you. He was freshly showered and smelled of his sandalwood soap. He wore only the pair of old grey sweats with the hole in the knee. You shook your head at yourself and smiled.

“When did you get back?” You asked.

“About an hour ago. Didn’t think I’d beat you home but I had to try,” His hands slipped from your arms and he embraced you. “You miss me?”

“Did you miss me?” You countered.

“Of course,” He bent and kissed your lips, rocking you slightly. He pulled away and lifted a brow. “You look tired. Too tired?”

You giggled and hit his chest. He released you and slid your purse from your arm.

“Don’t worry, I can do all the work,” He offered. “You just get… comfortable.”

He backed away and set your bag on his dresser. You glanced at the chair where you usually put it and shrugged. You stepped out of your shoes and tucked them down beside the dresser. You stood and removed your blazer. Steve moved slowly to the bed and dropped down on his stomach as he watched you, his head cradled in his hand.

You felt like blushing. He hadn’t been like this in a while. The last few times he returned, he’d been tired; quiet. You gave him his space and he came to you after a while. You knew he needed the chance to decompress but sometimes it felt like he thought your time without him was easier. That your job was easier.

You unbuttoned your blouse and tossed it over the chair, shimmied out of your trousers and let them wrinkle on the seat. Your back ached from sitting all day in the chair and your muscles were tense from weeks sitting across from Loki. He was easier to deal with but that little glimmer of paranoia remained.

You unhooked your bra and swung it around before you let it fly across the room. You laughed as Steve hummed and you teasing pushed your fingers under the elastic of your panties. You paused and gave him a cheeky look. He groaned and perked up.

“You need help?” He asked.

“Well, not with these,” You shoved the panties down your thighs and they fell to your feet. “But I wouldn’t mind a nice massage. My back is killing me.”

“Hmm,” He sat up. His pants did little to hide his impatience. “I could do a massage.”

He patted the bed as he shuffled back to the edge. You went to the bed and climbed up. You eased yourself down onto the mattress, your face nestled between the pillows as you sighed. His hand brushed your leg and ran up to squeeze your ass. He urged your legs apart and moved between them.

“You’re tense,” He said as he pushed his hands over your ass and up your back. His fingers traced the scar along your side and lingered there. It was always so sensitive and made you shiver.

“It’s been a long week,” You turned your head to speak.

“Oh yeah?” He wondered. “He… giving you a hard time?”

“Not really but… I don’t wanna think about work.”

“Then don’t,” He ran his thumbs along your shoulder blades and drew a groan from you.

You turned back to the pillows and stretched your arms up around your head. His hands kept moving, firm, attentive, magic. Your voice got louder and louder as he found the knots and the little aches perfectly. It was rare for him to be so thorough. Often he was thinking so much about what came next, he barely glossed across your flesh.

He gripped your hips and you felt his breath on your skin. He laid a trail of kisses along your back; lower, lower, lower. He dragged his lips over your ass and nibbled your thigh, then your other. He urged your pelvis up and you obliged. You bent your legs just a little to support yourself, your head buried in the pillows.

He got down on his elbows as he pushed his head between your legs and slid his tongue along your folds. He gently began to lap and your thighs began to tingle. The flick of his tongue grew more deliberate as he brought his hand up to tease your clit. He poked your entrance with his tongue and hummed.

Your fingers closed around the duvet and you lifted your head. You whined as you felt the pressure building. You breathed through your teeth and your entire body shook. You were surprised by your orgasm, how quickly it swelled and crashed. Your thighs quivered and you bit down on the corner of the pillow as you came.

He kept on and you whimpered. Your voice floated around you as your entire being buzzed. His purrs sent a shiver along your spine as his tongue kept on. Then you heard your name. A hollow tone. Confused, familiar.

The warmth of Steve’s mouth left your cunt and you turned. Frantic you stared at the man in the doorway of your bedroom. You looked between him and the identical figure kneeling on the end of the bed. What the fuck?

The Steve in the doorway stormed the other. They met at the end of the bed and you were almost crushed beneath them as you backed up against the headboard. Scared, you watched them tussle until they rolled onto the floor with a crash. The grunts were startlingly similar.

You crawled across the bed and looked down at the struggle. The panic brewed in your chest. You hopped off and grabbed the naked Steve’s shoulder.

“Get off! What’s going on?!” You pulled and found yourself flung back.

You tried to grab him again and found yourself drawn back by an invisible force around your neck. You were dragged back to the bed, almost choking as the blankets wrinkled beneath you as you tried to latch onto them. You stopped at the headboard and felt along your throat, a searing pain in your palm as the unearthly bound tightened.

You kicked out and the sounds of struggle seemed to fade. You heard Steve groan and watched the naked one stand. He went to the chair and dumped your clothes from it. He carried it to the end of the bed and lifted the other onto the seat. Eerie green lights wrapped around his wrists and ankles, a thicker one snaked around his throat and his lashes fluttered as he tried to blink away his daze.

“What--”

As the naked Steve turned to you, his blond hair darkened to black and his broad shoulders shrunk, a slightly slimmer and taller figure before you. You wriggled and tried to pull at the restraint at your throat once more. You hissed as your hands burned terribly and rescinded them.

“Why?” You kicked your legs and they were stilled by the same odd green glow. “Loki! Stop.”

“Stop? Why, dear…” He turned and slapped Steve’s cheek. Steve shook his head and his blue eyes seemed to focus. “...you were just starting to have fun.”

“Leave him alone,” You tried to get up but were drawn back even more. Your arms were forced out and your ankles tugged further apart. “Loki!”

“Oh, I love to hear my name on your lips,” He purred as he came closer.

He drew a slow circle in the air and your body turned so your head was at the foot of the bed. He knelt and turned your head as he pressed his lips to yours. He devoured you as he pushed his tongue into your mouth.

“Loki!” Steve barked and you heard the chair creak slightly before he cried out. “Lo-ki!” His voice was strained. “Don’t touch--”

Steve’s shouts fizzled out as Loki drew away. You were flipped sharply onto your stomach and you squealed as your head spun. Loki climbed up swiftly and straddled your ass. He ran his hands over your back and squeezed your shoulders.

He leaned over you and grabbed a handful of your hair. He lifted your head so your eyes met Steve’s.

“You want to hate me, Rogers, but you haven’t any reason,” He taunted. “So let me give you one.”

“What do you think Thor will do when he finds out? Tony will--”

“You can tell my brother but he’s forgiven me worse and Tony, well, he could have an unfortunate accident in that lab of his,” Loki slithered. “Or maybe this darling little toy might break before I’m done with her. Pity.”

“You--”

“Would.” Loki insisted as he dropped your head and sat back. He hit the back of your head roughly. “This isn’t love, Rogers. It’s not even a crush. This is just… fun.” His fingers crept down your back as he slid back. “Oh, wouldn’t it be a scandal; the golden avenger murders his own lover. Even if it was an accident, well, that serum of yours… dangerous stuff.”

“No one would believe--” Steve choked before he could finish.

“You think I couldn’t make them? What reason do I have to frame you? And it would be easy enough to stage it all.” Loki preened as he poked between your legs. He rubbed your folds as he spoke. “What they believe hardly matters if she’s gone, eh, Rogers?”

You croaked as the force squeezed your neck and you flailed as you gulped for breath.

“Stop! Stop!” Steve pleaded. The pressure relented and you coughed and gasped. “Loki, please… don’t hurt her.”

“Oh, I never intended to hurt her,” Loki shoved his fingers inside you and you whimpered. “In fact, quite the opposite. Weren’t you having fun, darling?” You closed your eyes and he pinched your thigh. “Darling?”

“Y-yes,” You murmured into the mattress. “Please--”

“Shhh, you don’t have to beg,” He keened. “But I do love to hear it.”

He pushed his legs between yours as he continued to finger you. You could hear Steve’s heavy, angry breaths. Your own were shallow and frantic. Loki spread his fingers and you felt another prod at your entrance. He held you open as he slipped in; two fingers still in you as his cock stretched your walls.

He impaled you and pulled his fingers out. He sighed as he wiggled his pelvis and lifted your ass. He got even deep as his hands grasped your hips. You sniffled as you fought the heat behind your eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Steve uttered. You heard the chair wobble but still again as he let out an agonized growl.

“No,” You gulped. “I’m sorry. I didn’t--”

Loki pulled back and slammed into you. You squeaked and he did it again.

“You can have your little reunion when I’m done,” He thrust so hard the bed jolted with each tilt of his hips. “Oh, look at her. She’s shaking again.”

He sped up, a little at a time, until he was hammering into you. You ached from his relentless rhythm and tugged against the bonds. He bent over you and hooked his arms under your shoulders and pulled you up. He bounced you against him, your thighs draped over his as he worked your body.

You bit your lips and turned your head. You couldn’t look at Steve.

“He can’t look away,” Loki whispered in your ear. “I made sure of it.”

You whined as he continued to use you. His hand slid down to your clit as his other arm wrapped around your chest. He pounded into you from below as he began to rub. You felt the same sudden rise. The same irresistible tickle. You gritted your teeth and moaned.

You let out a pathetic sob as you came. Your entire body convulsed and you pushed your head back against Loki’s shoulder. His breath glossed over your cheek and he bent to press his lips to your flesh. He nuzzled further down and bit into your neck. He snarled as he thrust into you hard and deep.

He shuddered as his hips spasmed and he rocked through his orgasm. He came inside you, a sickly flood of warmth. Your arms were kept suspended to either side of you as you struggled to get away from him. You hung your head and squeezed your eyes shut.

He pulled out and let you fall forward. You caught your breath and slowly moved your hand to your throat. You raised yourself shakily and looked to Steve. His eyes were glassy, his lips parted, his face pale.

“Steve,” You reached out to him.

As you made to climb off the bed, you flew back to the mattress, flat on your back. Loki strode around the bed as he snickered. He pushed his long hair away from his face.

“Now, now, you don’t think that’s it, darling.” He licked his lips as he came to the end of the bed and stood between you and Steve. “We have two weeks to make up for. Two. Grueling. Weeks.”

#loki #Steve Rogers #dark loki #dark!loki #loki x reader #steve rogers x reader #dark loki x reader #dark!loki x reader #fic #one shot #marvel #mcu #dark fic #dark!fic #oneshot

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imagineaworlds · 4 years ago

Text

I Love You (Part Thirty-Two) -- Aaron Hotchner

Written By: @desperately-bisexual

Request: None.

Warnings: SMUT!! Cursing. Unprotected sex. Wrap it before you tap it, ladies, gentlemen, and nonbinary sibs. Dom/sub relationship. Sir kink. Impregnation kink. Soft sex. Emotional sex. The reader does go by they/them pronouns, however, Hotch refers to them as female when saying “good girl”.

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Greenaway!Reader

Word Count: 12194

Timeline: A month after part thirty-one.

I sighed as I pushed all of Hotch’s work to the side just so that I could get to my desk in our office. Since getting out of the hospital about two weeks ago, Hotch had turned our home office into a conspiracy theory pit. He had so many pictures of Foyet, his victims, the crime scenes, the news clippings about The Reaper, and so on hung on the walls that I couldn’t even remember what color the walls were. About a week into this whole project of his was when he pulled out the red string. From there, our office became a maze. It was like I was goddamn Catherine Zeta Jones in Entrapment the way I was weaving through all of it.

But I couldn’t tell him to take it down. Hotch spent two weeks in the hospital, and then he had to spend another two weeks at home as he recovered from Foyet’s attack, underwent physical and psychological evaluations, and I practically made him go on bed rest the rest of the time. Because he wasn’t allowed to go back to work, he had to spend his time working on finding Foyet. I hated that I had to go to work every day without him because of that. I knew that this was eating at him, and I couldn’t stay around long enough to console him or talk him down. It was irritating both of us.

It had only been a month since we said goodbye to Haley and Jack, yet it felt like an eternity. My little man… Every day we were forced apart, I felt a piece of me die. Was that odd? Was it weird to miss someone else’s son like he was your own? Was it weird that I took Red, mine and Jack’s favorite dinosaur, with me everywhere? To the office, on cases, at home. Everywhere. It probably wasn’t as weird as when I would come home to find Hotch napping on Jack’s bed. That mattress was way too small for him. I mean, he would curl up on it as much as possible, and yet his feet would somehow still be hanging off the edge. But it was how he was coping. It was how we were both coping. And the worst part was, we were doing it separately.

In our line of work, Hotch and I had worked dozens of cases with parents that lost a child in a kidnapping or murder. The BAU didn’t just specialize in profiling the Unsubs and victimology—that was a large part of it, obviously, but there was an unspoken part of the job that always struck me during those kinds of cases. Parents mourning the loss of a child were profiled to inevitably always split up. Like the case we worked in Vegas just before Dallas, a son had been kidnapped while walking to a friend’s house, and the parents were slowly drifting apart. They blamed each other. They couldn’t bear to even look at each other. Getting them to cooperate with the investigation so that we could find their son was nearly impossible. Yet we weren’t shocked by that behavior, because that was how mourning couples were always profiled. I just never thought that it would happen to me and Hotch.

No one ever expects that they’re going to lose everything. No one anticipates having to say goodbye to their son. A month ago, we had to say goodbye to Jack, and we honestly weren’t sure if we were ever going to see him again. Foyet was playing the long game with us now. Who knew when he was going to turn up again with another clue so that we could find him? There was a chance that by the time we either caught up to him or he died, Jack wouldn’t know who we were, so there’d be no point in bringing him back. There was a chance that his life would be better off without us. And that was damn near impossible to admit.

However, I thought that Hotch and I were going to come to terms with all of this together. I thought that because we loved each other, and because we knew what the profiles said, that we would somehow work together to prove the profile wrong and work through this side by side. That was what I thought. I spent every day with him when he was in the hospital and I wasn’t on a case. Every single goddamn day. Yet, when he came home, he locked himself in his office, and he practically stopped looking at me altogether.

I would cry every night. I would get home from work, and there were times when I couldn’t even make it to the couch. I would just collapse right there in the entryway, and I wouldn’t get up until the sun started rising for another day. And Hotch never came to hold me. There were other times when I’d come home to hear him sobbing in the office, and I thought about going to console him, but he had locked the door. When I initially tried playing with the doorknob, Hotch immediately stopped crying. He sniffled then told me to go away. So, I stopped trying to go in after that. He stopped trying with me, so I inevitably stopped trying with him. One night, I even thought about moving out. I mean, we weren’t acting like a couple. We had proved the profile correct, and I knew that once that happened—statistically speaking—we were never going to get back together. But I still held on hope. I prayed that he would finally take a moment to realize that he could break down in front of me. I would be there to hold him when he needed it. Until then, there was nothing I could do.

The minute he was cleared to go back to work, Hotch took it. I didn’t think he would go back so soon. One, because of his injuries; two, because going back to work meant that he wouldn’t have all day, every day to pointlessly look for Foyet. He hadn’t found a single goddamn lead in a month, but he was still hacking at it. That was why I was shocked when he gave it up just to go back to the BAU. We even had an argument about it. The day he finally came out of the office to tell me he passed all of his exams, I cracked. I was so fucking pissed at him. He spent a month refusing to look at me, talk to me, sleep in the same bed as me, eat the fucking dining table with me—and then he had the fucking audacity to smile at me and say, “I’m going back to work tomorrow.”

I lost my shit. Truly. I looked back at him and said, “I don’t care what the Bureau says, I don’t want you going back yet. They’re not the ones who have to worry about you, Aaron!”

Hotch’s smile fell. “Drop it.”

I shook my head. “I know you lied during your psych evals. I know that you pushed yourself too hard during your physicals— I saw all the bloody gauze in the trash. So, don’t you dare fucking lie to me again like you did in Cincinnati, Aaron Hotchner—”

“I told you to fucking drop it!” he bellowed. I took a frightened step back. His face immediately softened. “Y/N— I’m sorry—”

“I’m going to Morgan’s house.” I looked at the floor. “I guess I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”

And that was how I ended up in the office upstairs, trying to get into my desk so that I could grab some old paperwork for reference on the case report I was currently working on. I was going to Morgan’s house, but that didn’t mean I was going to stop working. Once I had that stuff, I grabbed my spare go-bag from the closet, then made my way downstairs.

Hotch tried to step in my path at the bottom of the stairs, but I pushed past him. He was attempting to apologize profusely while following me around. I kept my head high and just moved to the front door as fast as I could. Since Foyet attacked him, Hotch had practically turned our house security system into something that rivaled the fucking security systems at the office. He had someone come in to put in a new alarm that was set at all times. If we weren’t home, all of the windows, doors, and motion sensors were set. If someone opened a door, broke a window, or moved within the house, about seven different alarms would start going off. When we were at home, only the doors and windows were set. But if we wanted to leave the house, we had to put a code into the alarm first; and when we were coming home, we had to put the code in as fast as possible before the alarms would be set off. So, while Hotch tried to make me stay, I reached around him to put my code in, then headed out.

“Y/N!” he shouted angrily at me again as he stormed into the yard. “Y/N, get back here!”

I flipped him off as I kept walking to my car. I wasn’t even going to take our car. We put my car, the one I had been using before I moved in with Hotch, in the garage sized shed at the back of the driveway, just against the fence to the backyard. It hadn’t been used in so long… I mean, if we needed to use separate cars, I’d dust mine off so that Hotch could have our car, but for the most part, we made it work with one car. This time, though, I was taking my car to make a point. He fucked up. This argument was bad, but it was more than that. This was the result of a month’s worth of fuck ups, and I was sick of it.

I didn’t want to leave him. I loved Hotch more than anything, and I was still convinced that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him, even when things were bad like this. But I couldn’t stay. Not when I could see that he was ruining his own life for nothing. I told him in Cincinnati that I wouldn’t tolerate him fucking up his own health for selfish reasons. He promised me that he wouldn’t pull this shit again. And yet… There we were… He was fucking it all up again. And I just couldn’t take it. I couldn’t watch him slowly deteriorate. I loved him too much to do that to either of us.

“Y/N—” he banged on my window as I slowly backed out of the driveway. “I’m sorry, please. Baby… Come on… I’m sorry. Stop this. I get it— I shouldn’t have yelled— Baby— I’m sorry—” He had to stop hitting his palms against my windows as the car turned onto the road. He slammed his hands as hard as he could onto the hood of the car. “Goddammit, Y/N! Get out of the fucking car!” I stared him down because he wasn’t moving out of the way. “Stop this, baby,” he pleaded calmly. “Just come home.” I shook my head. He frowned again, his eyes glinting a slight dark red as anger overtook him again. “Get out of the car,” he demanded once more, making his way over to my car door to try and pry it open, even though it was locked. The second he wasn’t in front of the car, though, I laid my foot down on the gas and raced off.

When I got to Morgan’s house, I explained everything, and he set me up in his guest room. This wasn’t the first time I had sought asylum in his house. Since Hotch wasn’t there to comfort me, I had to turn to the only other person who could, and that was Morgan. Granted, this was the first time I was sleeping over. But still. There were plenty of afternoons when I’d detour to his house after work just to cry on his couch as he held me. If I would wake up in the middle of the night with a nightmare of finding Hotch dead on our living room floor, I’d drive over to Morgan’s house and cry on his couch until I could calm down. It was unfair to Morgan. I recognized that. He was his own man with his own life and problems, and there I was, always barging in unannounced to unload my problems. But where else was I going to go? There were times when I thought about how much I missed Elle, and I wanted her to be there for me in moments like this, but she was gone. She abandoned me… and… she wasn’t coming back, apparently. Morgan was all I had.

As it got late, and we both needed to rest, he offered to stay and sleep with me, but I told him I’d be fine. He reluctantly obeyed (not for the reason most people would assume). It was no secret that Derek Morgan was a “playa”, to put it in his terms. He liked getting into the pants of any and every girl that would give him consent, and he liked teasing Garcia in a… less than platonic way, and sometimes we would do that, too, but not really. That being said, Derek Morgan would never, ever take advantage of someone, especially when they were as vulnerable as I was that night. He only offered to sleep in the same bed as me because that was how close we were, and he was willing to comfort me if I needed it. But I knew that I needed some space and time to think, and he needed some sleep in order to be ready for work the next day. So, when I turned him down, he gave in. He kissed my temple, squeezed my shoulders in a tight side embrace, then left the room quietly, carefully closing it behind him.

When he was gone, I opened my go-bag to pull out my pajamas. Yet, when I saw what I had packed away in there, I froze. I had packed this so long ago. I grabbed the first bag I saw. I didn’t even think to check what was in it. I was so fucking stupid. Unfortunately, however, there was nothing I could do about it now. I just had to suck it up and wear them, because it was either wearing what I packed or wearing what I left the house in. Either way, I was not going back just to pick up a different pair of pajamas.

I sighed. Unenthusiastically, I stripped myself of my clothes, then changed into one of Hotch’s old college sweatshirts and a pair of his blue and gold flannel pajama pants to match. I was planning on getting him another pair for his birthday in the next few weeks because I stole his, and I felt bad because of that. Also, because I had originally stolen these and put them in my go-bag recently after the stabbing, figuring that I needed something of his with me on cases while I was gone and he was at home. I had Jack’s red dinosaur toy with me at all times, I just needed Hotch’s clothing with me, too, considering that was the extent of the attention I got from him. But now… Things were just too confusing. I was upset that I didn’t just pack my own goddamn clothes.

That being said, I still cuddled under the blankets, and I pulled the collar of the sweatshirt over my nose to keep me warm while also taking in his scent. Within the past year or so, Hotch had given up his familiar Aqua Velva scent in exchange for a cinnamon and pine. He had gone into his closet one day, pulled out all of my favorite items of his to steal, took them outside, then practically drenched them in the cologne once he knew I liked it. I didn’t know until I came home from dinner with Emily one night to find that the entire fucking house reeked of cinnamon and pine. It took a while for the neighborhood to air out, but once it did, I was left with Hotch’s scent attached to each article of clothing, and I loved it. That night, while lying in a strange bed without the love of my life beside me, I found that my only comfort was that scent. I hugged my torso and inhaled.

I knew that he was sorry. I knew that he didn’t mean for any of this to happen. And, honestly, I knew that neither of us meant for things to blow up the way they did. But now that they had, I wasn’t sure where to go from there, how to navigate all of this. We couldn’t go back to normal. Could we? I’d be the first to admit that he scared me earlier. I knew that he would never hurt me, but deep down, in the pit of my stomach, I was terrified of him. After not having his love for so long, his outburst… It took me aback. There was a moment there, when he shouted at me the first time, I saw a glimpse of that night in high school, and I heard him yelling at me for not cooperating. That was why I had to leave. It wasn’t Hotch’s fault. My mind was playing tricks on me, but I couldn’t let it ruin the one good thing I had in my life: Aaron Hotchner. I just needed some time and space.

Time. And. Space.

That was what I asked for when I arrived at Quantico the next day. Morgan and I drove in at the same time, then he met me at the elevator after we both went through security, and he asked me if I wanted back up (or a mediator) while talking to Hotch. As we stepped into the elevator, I denied his offer quietly. Upstairs, in the BAU, Reid and Emily were trying to show me pictures of Henry, JJ’s son. She had him shortly after Hotch was stabbed. And by shortly, I meant that we hadn’t even left the fucking hospital yet when she went into labor. But now she was itching to get back to work, and I was shocked. It had only been a few weeks. I thought that the human body literally couldn’t handle getting back to work that fast, but maybe she wasn’t looking to work in the field quite yet. I understood if she just wanted to sit in the office to do paperwork around Anderson or hang out in Garcia’s office for a bit. I could understand that. I just thought that she would want to spend more time with Will and Henry, but who was I to judge her? I promised I would never do that after she judged me—and, yes, it was so that I could prove that I was the better person, I wasn’t afraid to admit that.

I headed straight into Hotch’s office. I found that he was sitting on his couch, his head in his hands, an old picture of him, Jack, and Haley in his lap. As I snuck closer, I saw that he had printed a picture of me and him out, and he had it taped to the bottom corner of that picture frame. Our family. Our story. Our everything.

I cleared my throat to let him know that I was there. “Sorry, I’ll come back later.”

Hotch looked up from his hands. When he realized that I was really standing there in front of him, he threw the photos to the side and jumped to his feet. “No, wait—” He hurried over to me. “Please.”

I stopped. “Okay.”

“Baby, I am so sorry.” He wasn’t getting close enough to put a hand on me, which I silently appreciated. “I didn’t mean to yell or get worked up. I’ve just been so worried—”

“Aaron, I really didn’t come to make up.”

His posture changed to something more shy and confused. “What?”

“I’m sorry… But, I, uh… I’m just here as an employee right now.”

Hotch searched my eyes for a moment while he tried to understand what was happening. I wasn’t looking him in the eye, I wasn’t trying to impress him with anything, and I wasn’t even trying to give us privacy by closing the door. In fact, I didn’t want privacy. I didn’t want to give him a chance to try to hug or kiss me. With the blinds and door still open, he had to obey the rules we created for ourselves at work, and I could tell that it was killing him, but I was there for a specific reason, and it wasn’t because I was ready to hear his apology yet. He might have felt he was ready for it, but I wasn’t.

“Okay,” Hotch said while he nodded. He moved to take a seat at his desk. “Sit.” He gestured to the empty seats across from him. “What’s this about?”

“I’m requesting a few personal days off.”

“Why?”

“You’re not supposed to ask me that, Agent Hotchner.”

His eyes narrowed at me. “It’s my job, Agent Greenaway, to ensure that my team is okay both physically and mentally.”

“Well, I’m fine, Agent Hotchner, thank you for checking on me.”

“Stop this, Y/N. Please.”

“I can formally request this time off through Chief Strauss, if need be.”

He hesitated as his brown eyes added a red tint of anger. “That’ll not be necessary.”

“So, you’ll give it to me?”

“Only if you tell me why.”

“You know why.”

“Why?” he asked with a hiss. The tension was growing in the room.

“I just need to clear my head.”

“That’s not good enough!” he exclaimed angrily. I could see that he was holding himself back from hitting the table or swiping his papers off the desk. “What’s this really about? Is it really about our argument, Y/N? Can we please, for a minute, just stop dancing around the truth and say what we feel—”

My blood boiled over. “You’re not the only one who lost a son, Aaron!” I shouted at the top of my lungs. There was a moment where we stared at each other as we both realized what I had said. I was shaking so bad. A thought passed by me that maybe I should have stopped there, left it alone, gone home to take another breather. But I wasn’t wrong. Jack was my son, too. I lost him, too. I was hurting, too. And I needed Hotch there to hold me, but he wasn’t. So, I continued, “I was right there with you when we saw him for the last time. You aren’t the only one suffering here, Hotch. I wake up every day and I wish that I could turn the corner in our home and see him sitting at the table, eating Cheerios for breakfast. I wish that we could still take him to soccer every Saturday. And I fucking wish that I could keep spoiling him even though you tell me not to. I love your son like he’s my own, Aaron. I know he’s not mine, and I know that he never will be… but, damn it, I love you and I love him. And the fact that we’re both mourning over losing him to this asshole, and I’m trying to be there for you, but you keep pushing me away when I need you, too… That’s cruel. It’s unfair. I have never felt more alone than I have over the past month. You need to get your shit together, and I need some time to come to terms with the fact that I may never see Jack again. So, I’ll ask you again, may I please have some time off?”

He paused while staring at me. I could see a sparkle in his eyes that came from the tears welling, the apologetic and deeply sorry tears. It broke my heart to see him like that. It absolutely tore me in half to see him cry because of something I said… but what else was I supposed to do? He wanted me to tell him the truth, so I did. It hurt to do it, but it was necessary, and now that he knew just how horrible he had been, I could tell that he didn’t want to be angry anymore. Now that he understood, I realized that he just wanted to hold me and apologize until he couldn’t breathe. But I still needed time. As much as I would’ve loved to be in his arms, kissing him, telling him that I’d always love him… I needed time away to clear my head. I needed time away from him to come to terms with the loss we had.

“Where are you going to go?” he croaked.

I lied and said that I was going to stay at a hotel for a few days before returning to work; but we both clearly knew that I was staying with Morgan. I wanted to be with someone I trusted. I wanted to be with someone I loved. I didn’t want to be alone. Morgan’s house was a safe haven for me whenever I needed it, and I usually didn’t take him up on the offer, but now I was in desperate need of it.

“Okay,” Hotch gave in. “Take all the time you need. But… Y/N… I need you to know that you will always have a place here, and you will always have a place back at home with me.”

I stared at him for another second before pushing myself out of my seat. “I’ll see you in a few days, Agent Hotchner.”

After leaving Hotch’s office, I saw that the entire office was staring at me. Maybe I should’ve closed the door, in hindsight. Nothing to do about it now, though. They all heard every single word, and now they couldn’t look away from the train wreck that was Y/N Greenaway and Aaron Hotchner. I was sure that somewhere out there, wherever he was, Jason Gideon was laughing and saying: “I told you so.” No one else in the office seemed to be thinking that, especially after the screaming match I just had with our boss, but I knew that Gideon was chuckling somewhere in the world.

I started my walk of shame down the ramp. Even Rossi had come out of his office to lean against his doorframe while watching me, probably waiting for a perfect opportunity to sneak into Hotch’s office to comfort him— or maybe even talk some sense into him. I hoped that it was the latter.

A few days later, I heard the front door of Morgan’s place open up. I turned on the couch to see an exhausted Morgan throw his used go-bag onto the floor, then crash onto the empty couch space next to me. He sighed and rested his head on my lap. He had been away on a case since the day I left Hotch’s office after we argued. We had been texting since he left because he wanted to make sure I was alright and that I was taking care of Clooney, his German Shepard. I loved that dog. I thought he was adorable—and he was so well behaved. He rested at my feet on the bed every night to keep me company. It was nice to have company, even though Morgan was away and I wasn’t talking to Hotch.

“You know, I’ll leave and go to a hotel, if you want me to. I don’t mean to just… intrude on your life,” I said after giving him a moment to relax.

Morgan looked up at me upside down. “Never.” He smirked, “Unless you’re going to be living here any longer than a month, in which case, you need to start paying rent.”

I matched his smirk, “No. I just need a couple more days, I think. If that.”

He nodded understandingly. “You wanna order take out for dinner?”

“Sure.”

He did a sit up before standing on his feet and hurrying over to the house phone so that he could order dinner for us. I sighed and relaxed in Hotch’s sweatshirt. It was starting to smell less and less like him, which only made me more desperate to get home. But I liked the freedom I had been experiencing over the past few days. With the time I got to spend on my own in silence, I got to think about how much I missed my little man, while coming to terms with the fact that this was the best choice—the only choice we could make. Sending them away in order to protect them was the right thing to do. Jack was safe with Haley. They were safe under Sam’s protection. Coming to terms about that much was hard while I was around Hotch, who was only moping around all day. Now that some time had passed, I was a bit calmer about the situation, and I was just ready to get our family back. But I still needed another day or two, just for good measure. After that, I’d race to apologize profusely to Hotch, begging for him to take me back after running away like that. I felt like a bitch, okay. Maybe it was a bit overdramatic to run away, but at the time, I didn’t know what else to do. But now that the tension had sizzled out and I was clear headed about the situation, I realized how sorry I was for leaving in the first place.

When the food arrived, Morgan and I sat crisscross on the couch while facing each other and talking about whatever came to mind. At some point, casual talk turned to work talk. As it always did. I asked him to tell me about the case the team just got back from, and he told me that they had dealt with an Unsub who was drowning his victims in methanol in order to get rid of their stench. When I asked how it ended, he hesitated.

“Morgan?”

He gulped and told me that Hotch took off his vest, handed his gun to Rossi, then went inside to negotiate a peaceful surrender with the Unsub. My eyes shot wide. Why the fuck did Hotch do that? Why would he— I didn’t understand. How could he be so stupid? How could he risk his life like that? How could he risk leaving me and Jack behind? How was I supposed to live with the fact that we ended on bad terms if something were to have happened to him?

“What happened?” I asked, frightened.

Morgan pushed his food around in order to give himself a reason to not look at me. “The Unsub shot the girl, ran away, got in his cab, and we started chasing after him. Half of the city was looking for him, Y/N, yet, somehow, Hotch was the one who found him. The guy tried speeding off again to get away from Hotch, but when Hotch shot at him, he crashed into a truck, immediately killing him.”

“Is Hotch okay?” I leaned forward to express my eagerness for a positive answer. He hesitated again. “Derek Morgan, you tell me right now—”

“He’s okay, Y/N.”

I relaxed and let out a breath. “Good.”

“But…”

My eyes shot up at him. “But?”

“Strauss temporarily promoted me to Unit Chief.”

“What? Why?”

“Because Hotch isn’t fit to be in a position of power right now, sunshine. We both know that. He isn’t fit to lead a team right now.” He set his food on the table next to us. “Strauss and Rossi made the decision when we got off the plane.” He grabbed my hands. “It’s just until Hotch is back to being Hotch, honey bunches, I promise.”

I scoffed. “And how long do you think that’ll be?”

“I’m not sure. But I think that if you went back to work, it might help some.” His eyes pouted at me. “He has nothing to live for right now, Y/N. You left, Jack and Haley are gone, Foyet’s taunting him, and his ability to do this job is… being questioned. Having you around, as you are, it might remind him that he still has everything to live for.”

I understood that he couldn’t read my mind. I knew that he couldn’t’ve possibly known that I had already decided that I was going to go back to work soon, so it made sense that he felt he needed to tell me that Hotch’s best chance was going back. So, I gave in just for the sake of making Morgan feel like he did something.

“I think I’m gonna head to bed early,” I said quietly.

“What? No—Y/N, I didn’t mean to upset you or—”

“Morgan, it’s not your fault.” I set my food to the side. “I, um… Tomorrow… It’s just going to be a long day, so I should get some extra sleep.”

“Sugar, I really didn’t mean to—”

“Tomorrow is Jack’s birthday.”

He immediately fell silent, his shoulders giving out his posture when he realized he had pried too far. He apologized quietly. I opened my mouth to tell him that I didn’t care about his prying, but it got caught in my throat when a sob bubbled up a little too far. I excused myself before running to “my” room.

I crashed onto the bed. As I pulled the covers up over my body, hiding my head from the world, I grabbed my phone and opened the Photos app. The sob I was holding back finally crashed through me when I saw a picture of Hotch and Jack cuddling in the hammock in our backyard. Hotch had been laying out there after work, watching Jack play soccer. By the time dinner was ready, I went outside to collect them, only to find that Jack had given up on kicking the ball around so that he could lay on his dad’s chest. Hotch’s arms were wrapped around Jack’s entire body. They were dead asleep, probably had been for at least an hour. I couldn’t bother them when they were like that. So, I took a picture, then let them be. Finally, when it got too cold, they came inside, Jack still half asleep in his dad’s arms as he was carried upstairs to his room.

That was such a perfect night. We had dozens of nights like that, where the small, random things were taken for granted. Now that we didn’t have Jack, I wished I could go back in time. I wished that I would’ve just sat outside on the patio while drinking my wine, feeling the way my heart swelled as they snored together, the hammock rocking under them.

I reached over for Red, mine and Jack’s favorite toy, and I pulled it close to my chest. Tomorrow was going to be horrible to bear alone.

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of Morgan knocking on my door. I groaned and rolled over to check my phone for the time. That was when I realized that I hadn’t charged it all night. I went to bed around three, my eyelids too heavy from crying for so long. Since I hadn’t plugged my phone in, it was obviously dead. I groaned again. The door opened once Morgan heard me shuffling around on the bed. I hid my puffy face under the comforter while simultaneously trying to trick him into thinking that I was asleep. I felt like Jack. Jack… It was officially his birthday. I mean, I had been awake when the clock struck midnight, but this was different. The sun was out, the birds were chirping, and Morgan was telling me that he was leaving for work. It truly was Jack’s birthday now. There was no escaping it.

The mattress sank slightly as Morgan sat next to me. He put a hand on my shoulder, then leaned down to kiss the top of my head. “I’ll see you when I get home—if we’re not called away on a case.” He made a move to stand.

I grabbed his hand, revealing my red and swollen eyes. “Take it easy on Hotch today. Don’t let anyone give him a hard time. Please.”

“I’ll try.”

He kissed my forehead gently again, then silently stood and left the room, making sure to reclose the door behind him on his way out. I huffed and slumped back onto the pillows, feeling the way I sunk into the comfort of the blankets, the mattress, and the feather pillows. My relaxation didn’t last long, though, because the next thing I knew, the sound of scratching on the door disturbed me. I rolled out of bed and opened the door so that Clooney could run in. He jumped onto my bed and nuzzled his nose under the blankets. I smiled. At least I had someone to keep me busy during the day.

I was reminded of my dead phone on the bed when Clooney kicked it by accident. I plugged it in without hesitating another second. While I waited for it to charge, I played with Clooney’s long hair. He got riled up after a few seconds, deciding to playfully attempt to bite me while I waved my hand in his face. When I heard my phone chime, I booped his nose, then turned to pick it up.

Two missed calls.

I scrolled the rest of my notifications to realize that it was Emily and Anderson who had attempted to contact me. I didn’t want to hear from them, though. Anderson was probably calling on behalf of Hotch, meanwhile Emily was only going t o try to convince me to return to work sooner. I wished that I was a telepath so I could just tell everyone what I was thinking, that way they would leave me alone. I was planning on going back to work soon. I had been over it a hundred times in my head. But if people kept bothering me about it, I was just going to be more reluctant about it.

An hour later, my phone started buzzing again. I pet Clooney as he shuffled onto my lap. My phone just kept buzzing, however, as another call came through. I cursed under my breath, then stretched to pick it up, recognizing the photo and the name flashing on the screen almost immediately. I waited a second. Morgan must have talked to him. After seeing me glued to the bed, left to nothing but a puddle of tears, Morgan probably went straight to Hotch, told him that I was suffering today, and Hotch decided to finally call me after all this time.

I answered.

Silence echoed throughout my room as I waited for something to happen. Even Clooney stilled. It had been so long, I wasn’t sure who should speak first, or if I should even speak at all. I was terrified of saying the wrong thing. After how things ended between us the last time we saw each other, I knew that what I said was wrong. I didn’t want to make the same mistakes. I didn’t want to push him away further than he already was.

And then it happened.

“Hey,” I heard his voice for the first time in about a week.

I nearly melted. “Hey,” I whispered back.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded, though he couldn’t see me. “I’m fine. Are you?”

He hesitated before changing the subject. “I know that I’m not supposed to be calling—”

“It’s okay.”

Hotch hesitated another second. “It’s, um,” he cleared his throat, “it’s Jack’s birthday today.”

“I didn’t forget.”

Of course, I didn’t. How could I when our dinosaur had been sitting on my bed all day, staring at me, and I broke down every time I glanced at it. Jack had been so excited to spend his birthday with us. He was going to have a party at Chuck-E-Cheese with his friends, as disgusting as it was. We were going to get Spider-Man and Superman balloons, superhero themed paper plates, cups, and silverware. I was going to buy a set of Spider-Man walkie talkies for him and his dad to use, or maybe one of those Bat Signal toys so that he could flash it up at the sky whenever he was thinking of us when we were at work. I had all of these ideas to make that day special for him, but George Foyet took that all away. There were going to be no pictures of Jack blowing out his birthday candles, or opening his gifts, or hugging his dad after we wished him a happy birthday. There were going to be no memories of him running around Chuck-E-Cheese with his friends, bragging about how many tickets he got, and Hotch telling him that he was proud. There were going to be no conversations of me trying to convince him to get one prize or another. And there wasn’t going to be a single argument between me and Hotch about me spoiling Jack too damn much. That happiness left when Foyet practically stole him away from us.

“When are you coming home, Y/N? I know I shouldn’t ask, but…”

“I thought about coming home tomorrow, actually.”

“Can I see you before then?”

“Aaron, I…”

“Sam called to tell me that he had to move Haley and Jack again. Apparently, she’s been calling her dad and Jessica.”

I sighed and hid my face in my left palm. This day was already hard enough, but to just keep digging at the hole in my heart wasn’t helping. I thought that, of all people, Haley would do anything to protect Jack. George Foyet was a psychopath with a mission. Why would she risk Jack’s safety just to call her Roy and sister when Sam had told her a thousand times that she couldn’t be in contact with anyone until we found Foyet.

“Are they okay?” I asked.

“They're fine. Sam sent me a video of Jack playing on the swings this morning. He looks… happy.”

“He—” I hesitated to think about it. We hadn’t heard Jack’s voice in so long… We hadn’t seen his bright face in what felt like forever. We hadn’t gotten to hear his laugh since the day Foyet took him from us. A tear slid down my cheek as I considered it. “Could you hear him? See him?”

“Yeah,” Hotch said quietly. “It’s fuzzy, and it’s at a distance, but he says your name. He says he misses you.” Another tear escaped me. “I’d like to show it to you… You don’t have to stay long, just come into the office for a bit. I… I really just…” He cleared his throat again, trying to hold back an obvious sob building in his throat. “I need to hold you. Just for a bit today. I need it really bad, Y/N.”

A tear slid down my cheek. I needed him, too. No matter how mad I was with him, no matter how upset he made me after our blow up, there was only one thing that could make this day somewhat bearable. It was the same thing that Hotch needed. Being in his arms was the only thing that could ever really comfort me nowadays, and I thought earlier about how I needed him to hold me to make the day easier. I thought that he wouldn’t want to see me. After how things ended the last time we saw each other, I thought he would never want to see me again. I had said some pretty hurtful things. Though I meant them, it didn’t erase that they probably stung him to hear.

“I need you, too,” I whispered.

I heard him let out a quiet cry. “Come home to me, baby. Please.”

“I’m coming.” I stood from the bed and raced to grab my purse. “I’m coming, baby.”

His voice perked up, “I love you so much.”

I changed before driving to the office. I had been stuck in Hotch’s pajamas for days, which wasn’t exactly… attractive, and I definitely didn’t smell good. Maybe that was why Clooney was so fond of me. Changing was also important because I was heading to my place of work. I wasn’t going to be a visitor there. I couldn’t exactly show up in a sweatshirt and pajama pants. So, I used what I had in my go-bag to look work-ready, then I headed off to the office.

The parking lot security didn’t recognize my vehicle since I was arriving in my old one. The fact that they didn’t recognize it only prolonged my wait to see Hotch again. They had to check my credentials, then give me a new parking pass for the car—and the whole thing was just a fucking mess. But the second they let me past the barricade, I sped towards the closest parking spot I could find to the building, parked, then ran inside. Security welcomed me with smiles and innocent questions, just like they always did. They were an awesome group of people that were absolutely underappreciated by the agents in our building. There were times when they told me that Garcia and I were two of the only people who ever even acknowledged them, let alone took time out of our days to get to know them. As always, I told them that it was my pleasure, but the second the niceties were over, I ran to the elevator down the hall.

As the elevator opened to reveal the sixth floor, I squeezed through the doors. Garcia was walking out of the BAU, a fresh cup of coffee in her hand. She froze when she saw me, a smile lighting up her face, and I tried smiling back as much as I could even though all of my energy was focused on getting to Hotch. She must have realized what was going on because she held the glass door open for me. I thanked her as I snaked by.

Everyone in the bullpen stopped and turned when Reid spotted me first. I smiled and waved as I kept my head down and maintained my clear path up the ramp, leading towards Hotch’s office. Emily tried calling out my name, but Morgan hushed her and I kept moving. It was nothing against her, but I was there for a singular purpose: Aaron Hotchner.

“Hi,” I said, stumbling into his office. I was so out of breath from running there. I was panting behind my forced smile.

Hotch looked up from the files on his desk. “Hi.”

“I want to see him. I want to see my little man.” My eyes were already watering up, a desperate plea for Hotch’s help to ease my breaking heart. “Please.”

“Close the blinds and lock the door.”

I nodded and turned to do so. Because Hotch and I technically weren’t supposed to have any kind of contact with Haley and Jack, no one else could see the video we were sent. If WITSEC changed their appearance and someone saw, it could put them in danger. If there was anything revealing in that video about where they had been before they were moved because Haley had been in contact with her dad, then it could put them in danger. Hotch and I couldn’t take that risk.

When I was done, I sat down in one of the empty seats across from Hotch. He turned his computer so that it was facing down the width of the desk, giving Hotch and I equal opportunity to see the screen and the video that was queued up. Even while the video was paused, I could see Jack on the swings, his legs kicked out since he had just gotten enough momentum to move forwards, and he was about to go flying back. I grabbed Hotch’s hand from the spacebar, tangling my fingers with his. Both of our breaths hitched.

“Are you sure—”

I nodded. “Do it.”

Hotch pressed the spacebar, then flipped his hand over so that he could hold my hand better. The video began. Jack started swinging back, his legs tucked under the seat. He was laughing. He was laughing, and kicking, and he looked like he was having so much fun. Haley pushed him forward again. He giggled and gave a “whoo” as he flew through the air again.

“It’s time!” Sam called from behind the camera.

Haley looked over with worry since Jack couldn’t see her. He was still having the time of his life, despite the fact that Sam and Haley were both telling him that it was time to get off the swings so that they could leave. Jack dragged his sneakers on the dirt beneath him to slow his momentum. After a few light, useless swings, Jack came to a stop, so he could safely jump off. Haley took his hand. He smiled up at her before he started skipping alongside her on their way to meet Sam at the car in the parking lot.

“Can we see Dad and Y/N now?” Jack asked.

I let out a sob, my face falling carefully against the desk. Hotch reached out to pet my hair back comfortingly, helping me through each of the tears that slid down my cheeks and every single whine that left my throat.

“No, baby, we’re not going home yet,” Haley said.

“But I want to see Y/N!” he complained. “I miss them.”

I tilted my head so that my cheek was pressed against the cold wood of the desk, but also so that I could glue my gaze back to the screen.

“I know, Jack,” she said while picking him up. “But we have to go somewhere else for our trip. Aren’t you excited?”

“Where are we going?”

The was when the video cut out.

“No, wait—” I gasped, sitting up straight. “There has to be more. That can’t be it.”

“That’s all of it, baby,” Hotch said apologetically.

“Play it again.”

Hotch did so. The video started replaying, Jack’s laugh echoing throughout the room. And then it was over faster than it was the first time, somehow. I sighed and let my head fall against the desk again.

“Come on, baby, don’t do that,” Hotch begged.

“I’m so sorry, Aaron. You have no idea how sorry I am.”

“No. I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”

“It’s not—”

“It all goes back to that night in the hotel, Y/N. If I would’ve just taken the deal, none of this would be happening to us.”

“Stop,” I insisted while sitting up and sniffling. “I don’t blame you.”

He handed me a tissue from the box next to his elbow. “I’m sorry for being an asshole. I was blinded by hatred for Foyet and the need for revenge that I didn’t see how much of a douchebag I was being while you were suffering, too. It was insensitive of me, baby, and I’m so sorry. I hope you can forgive me.”

I dodged his apology after a moment of silence. “Are you okay?” I asked. “You know… with missing Jack’s birthday for the first time?”

Hotch had never missed mine, Jack, or Haley’s birthdays before. There were times when we had to miss other holidays, but never a birthday. Ever. That was a day special to that person, and Hotch always wanted to celebrate it with them. When it came to Jack, that urge was even stronger. Jack was apart of this world because of Hotch. He stayed by Haley’s side for hours as she endured labor, and from that pain, they gained a little sunshine, a little miracle of their own. He wouldn’t have missed Jack’s birthday for the world. It was a memory of the good times, and a reminder that Hotch had a reason to live. He had a son. He wanted to celebrate that day every single year. But this time… There was no one to celebrate with, and it was noticeable.

He shook his head. “No. But that’s why I called you. I had to see you again and make things right.” We both took a deep breath, clearing away our tears and our overwhelming emotions. Hotch stood from his seat and slowly walked around his desk, taking a knee beside my chair. “I am sorry, Y/N. I don’t think I’ll ever stop apologizing for what I did. I shouldn’t have yelled at you, and I shouldn’t have chased after you like that. I know I scared you, and I’m sorry. You know that I would never lay a hand on you, right?”

I nodded. “Of course.”

“I’m going to spend the rest of my life making this up to you, Y/N, I just know it.” He took my hand in his. “I could make excuses all day—like how I was just frustrated about how our family is falling apart, and I’m upset the Foyet took the time to specifically go through our house in order to search for the one thing he knew would hurt most to steal… the ring I was going to give you.”

When Hotch and I first met Foyet, we thought that he was just another victim of The Reaper—that he was one of the lucky ones that got away. We were convinced because he distracted us with the one thing that meant everything to us: love. He begged me to not let The Reaper put Amanda’s engagement ring on his next victim. He cried about how he didn’t want that good memory to be ruined by The Reaper. In the end, though, The Reaper put the ring on one of his next victims, and I felt horrible about having broken my promise to Foyet… Only to find out that it was all a lie. It was a facade in order to fuck with us. I didn’t appreciate it. None of us did. He made it personal, and we were all pissed. But what upset me the most was the fact that he knew that using the detail of the engagement ring against me and Hotch would work. That was also how and why he knew to go straight for ours the night he stabbed Hotch.

Now, all I could do was hope and pray that he wouldn’t get the chance to put that ring on anyone’s body. I wanted that ring to be mine. I wanted Hotch to be down on one knee, as he was just then while apologizing to me, and I wanted him to slide that ring onto my finger as I told him: “Yes, I’ll marry you, Aaron Hotchner!” It was my dream. I wanted to call Aaron Hotchner my husband. And I wanted it to be that very ring that he went out of his way to buy after I babied him all the way home from Cincinnati. I wanted to be his. It actually didn’t matter which ring I ended up wearing—or even if I would have one at all. I just wanted to be his, and only his. Getting the ring back was just an added bonus because it came with a free side of “Fuck you, George Foyet”, accompanied with a middle finger.

“I could make those excuses,” he continued, “and I want to… But I won’t. I take full responsibility for my actions. I recognize that what I did was wrong. I shouldn’t have shut you out. I shouldn’t have abandoned you. And I definitely shouldn’t have snapped at you when all you were doing was trying to help me and knock some sense into me.”

“I don’t want you to spend the rest of our lives apologizing, Aaron. I already forgive you. I just want you to spend every second of every day loving me unconditionally. Holding me like this…” I released his hands so that I could grab his face. He grabbed mine, too. “Kissing me like this…” I pressed my lips against his gingerly. “Telling me you love me…”

“I love you…” he whispered.

“It’s music to my ears,” I said, leaning my forehead against his.

Hotch hands snaked under my hips so that he could grab my ass, then lift me out of my seat. I flung my arms around his neck to make sure I wouldn’t fall out of his hold. When he had me out of my chair, I crossed my legs around his waist, feeling his erection pressing against me through both of our pants. We moaned simultaneously. Next thing I knew, to make sure he wouldn’t drop me, Hotch set me down on the edge of his desk.

“Are you—” he tried asking before I cut him off with another kiss. He pulled away. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“What about the rules?”

“Fuck the rules. Aaron, I need this,” I said desperately, rather than seductively.

Of course, I needed him, but I mainly needed the idea of fucking him—of finally sharing that connection with him again after so long of not being anywhere near him. I needed the physical reminder that we loved each other. I didn’t doubt our love or passion, but that didn’t erase the feeling I had growing in the pit of my stomach, and it certainly didn’t make me forget just how wet I was for him already.

“We don’t have to if you’re not ready yet, or if our emotions are too fried—”

“Are you not sure?”

He stared at me for a moment. “I’ve never been more sure in my life.”

I leaned up to kiss him again. “Then, fuck me, Sir.”

Hotch’s lips crashed passionately against mine, his tongue immediately sliding into my mouth, claiming the dominance I loved so much. I grinded my hips against his. He moaned in response, bucking his hips forward, too. My palms dragged down his neck, gliding over his purple button up dress shirt, making their way slowly down to his belt. As my fingers fiddled with the metal clasp, Hotch leaned against me so that he could clear the space on his desk behind me before pushing my back down. I got his buckle undone just in time. Hotch finished the rest of it. He eagerly unbuttoned his pants, then pushed down his zipper. As he stepped out of his pants, I fidgeted with the waistband of mine, waiting for the perfect opportunity to push them down to my ankles. Hotch caught the hint before I could get very far. He yanked my pants and panties down with one fowl swoop, leaving me completely exposed to him.

“Fuck—” I wiggled my hips around to gesture for more. Hotch ran his left pointer finger up my slit, starting at my dripping entrance, working his way up slowly to my throbbing clit. I jerked around when he circled it. “Sir…”

“I don’t want manners right now, Y/N. I just want you.” He cupped my cheeks with his palms so that he could hold me still before kissing me as roughly as he could. “You have to be quiet.”

“I know.”

He nodded. “Okay.” He reached between us in order to push his boxers down to his ankles. “Hold onto me. Please.”

I obeyed, bracing my hands on his shoulders. As he lined his tip up with my entrance, I bit my lip to bar myself from moaning his name as loud as I could. Instead, I opted to whimper, “I want you inside me—” I gasped and let my body fall limp against the desk as he pushed into me slowly. “Aaron…”

“You’re so tight, baby girl. Always so tight and wet for me.” He threw his head back while snapping his hips back, then forward as roughly as he had the strength for.

I saw his muscles tightened under his shirt, and that was when a thought struck me. “You have another shirt in your go-bag, right?”

Hotch thrusted into me again before he realized what it was that I had asked him. He paused. “Why?” I didn’t answer. “Yeah, I have another—” I grabbed onto the seam of buttons lining his chest, and then I yanked them apart. Hotch groaned, thrusting into me as I did so. I screwed my eyes shut and threw my head back in euphoria before I could even get a look at Hotch, like I wanted. “Fuck, baby girl…” He gripped my hips harder. I looked up at him with a smirk, excited to finally see him, but then I froze. Hotch noticed how my face well. “What is it?” he asked as he slowed then stopped.

“Aaron,” I hesitated, my fingers hovering only millimeters from his chest. He stopped to follow my gaze, quickly realizing that this was the first time that I was laying my eyes on his scars. Foyet did that to him… I wanted to cry. “I could have lost you…”

“Look at me,” he whispered as he grabbed my chin between his fingers. My eyes fluttered as I looked up at him through my lashes and foggy eyes. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. Ever. I promise.”

I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him closer, feeling him move inside me as he leaned over me. For the first time, I finally felt my hands touch his scars, running over the bumps and cuts. The stitches had been gone for a while, but I could still feel the irritation. I never knew that it was this bad. How was I supposed to know when he had been working tirelessly towards making sure I never found out?

“I love you,” I croaked, letting him pull me in for a kiss.

He thrust his hips forward at a gentle, loving pace. “I love you, too.”

I grabbed onto his shoulders, my fingers digging into his back slightly. With that silent encouragement, Hotch’s hands took ahold of my hips and he started fucking me roughly. I moaned against his collarbone, my legs falling off of him so that he could increase his pace without being held back by me. I propped my feet on the edge of his desk, and my back fell against the wood entirely. Hotch’s hands moved upwards, stopping just on my breasts. He cupped, massaged, and squeezed them as he continued to fuck me as hard as he could. My hands fell from his shoulders, and I ran my fingers over his scars again. I used to be so obsessed with his chest and how he flexed when he’d fuck me like this, but now, I was so scared of looking or touching because I didn’t want to hurt him. I knew that he wasn’t fragile, especially with the strength of every pump he was giving me, but I was still hesitant. I felt like with one wrong move, he could fall apart, and maybe it would be all my fault.

“I can’t lose you,” I whispered, moving to press my palm against his face.

He leaned down and kissed me. I moaned into his mouth as he gave me another passionate thrust that said: “I’m here, my love, and I’m not going anywhere.” I scratched at his back. I couldn’t do anything but quietly moan and whimper. If we were any louder, the whole office would know, and we couldn’t have that. This first time since he was stabbed was imperative to calming our worries and helping us forget our pain… but the team didn’t need to know any of it. There would be another time soon when Hotch and I would be alone, and I’d finally get to moan his name as loud as I wanted while also gasping between saying “I love you” a thousand times. But this… This needed to be quiet. It was passionate, of course, but it had to be quiet, much to my despair.

“I’m close,” he warned. “I’m so fucking close.”

I pulled him towards me so that our chests were pressed together. He hid his face in the crook of my neck, finally letting out a muffled groan. His hips were doing all of the work now, so I started grinding up to help him. That only seemed to encourage his orgasm, because the next thing I knew, his hand snaked between our bodies so that he could press his thumb against my clit.

I hid my face in his shoulder so that my moan would be muffled, too. “Aaron…” I let out a shaky breath. “Aaron, please. Cum in me…” I needed him to fill me. I needed that instinctual reminder that I was his and he was mine. I needed a part of him to carry around for a bit to remember that he was alive and that he was there with me. “Fuck—” My body gave out. I was shaking and panting as my orgasm crashed through me like a wave. As my walls pulsed around him, Hotch groaned into my neck again. My tightness pushed him over the edge, milking out everything he had to offer me.

“Y/N…” he growled in my ear, thrusting into me once more with such a fierceness that I knew I was going to be sore in just a few minutes. “I love you.” I heard how the words got caught in his throat. I heard how he was holding something back. I knew what it sounded like when he was trying not to cry. So, I lifted his head off me. “I love you,” he repeated, moving to kiss me before I could register just how red his eyes were.

I melted into his kiss again, my body relaxing after my overwhelming climax. It was only when I felt one of his tears hit my cheek that I knew he wasn’t okay. I whimpered sadly. All I could do was hold him close, tangling my fingers through his hair, kissing his lips again and again, feeling him soften inside of me. It was like that time we drove back from Cincinnati, and we couldn’t do anything but be grateful for each other. I couldn’t bear to lose him. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could face seeing him like this. Broken, beaten, bruised, wincing in pain. If it happened again, I didn’t know how I was going to survive.

“Does it still hurt?” I asked, referencing his scars. Hotch groaned as he pulled out of me slowly. He reached into his go-bag under his desk, grabbing a dark blue towel to clean me up with. Silently, he wiped my thighs and everywhere between. “Aaron.” He didn’t look at me. My heart sank in my chest at the realization. “They still hurt, don’t they?” Silence still. “Answer me, baby.”

“I don’t…” He gulped back tears. “I don’t know what to say.”

I sat up on the desk to get a better look at him while he hid the towel away, then stood up straight in order to change shirts. I wanted to apologize for ripping the purple one open. But I found that I couldn’t move or speak. He was stretching to pull the sleeves off, wincing as he did so, then he grabbed the red shirt from his go-bag, and started to carefully put it on.

“Come here,” I said, beckoning him closer with one finger. He sighed and stepped towards me. I started buttoning his shirt up for him. “You should’ve told me sooner.”

“I know.”

“We promised to never lie to each other.”

“I know.”

“So, then, why?”

His lip quivered and his eyes reddened. “Because I didn’t want to lose you, too... Turns out closing myself off in order to protect you only ruined everything.”

I finished buttoning his shirt. “I thought you learned that lesson when you first asked me out.”

Back then, when I first joined the team, Hotch entirely ignored me in order to protect me from his feelings. He didn’t think it was appropriate to let me know that he was in love with me. He thought that pushing me away was the only way to save me from him. What he failed to realize was that his decisions only worried me. I became obsessed with his change in behavior. Finally, I broke after Elle’s hostage situation in Texas, so I confronted him. That evening, we admitted that we had feelings for each other, and he took me out to dinner. The rest was history. But that was exactly why we didn’t keep secrets from each other, and we didn’t push each other away. I needed him to comfort me ever since Foyet attacked me— Actually, I wanted to comfort him. Bur he never gave me the chance. He pushed me away again, and it tore me down to nothing.

“I told you I’m sorry.”

I got off the desk and collected my panties and pants at the same time he grabbed his boxers and pants. We finished getting dressed simultaneously. As I hopped and shimmied into my pants, I looked at Hotch. “Can we start over? Pretend like the past month never happened?”

“And do what?” he asked while fixing his tie.

“Be us.”

His gaze snapped to meet mine. “I’d love that.”

“You can’t hide up in your office all day, and you can’t shut me out… You can’t keep sleeping in Jack’s room… You have to talk to me.”

He shuffled on the balls of his feet.

“Fine, you don’t have to talk to me, but you have to start going to therapy again.”

“It’s a waste of time and money, Y/N.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“I’m not going to sit on a couch and tell some stranger that I miss my son so much I can’t breathe! I’m not going to tell them that I think about how I snapped at you and it almost makes me wish Foyet killed me—”

“Don’t fucking say that,” I hissed. “Ever.”

“You wanted me to talk to you, right? Well, that’s how I feel.”

I inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying to diffuse the tension building in my chest and shoulders. We had just made up; I didn’t want to start arguing with him again. “Okay… Like I said, you don’t have to talk to me… But at least try one more session. You stopped going after we lost Jack and Haley, and I think that’s a big part of why things blew up the way they did. Just one. For me. If you don’t like it, then I won’t make you go again. I think you’ll find it’s helpful, though.”

Hotch sighed, too. “Just one.”

“Just one,” I agreed while nodding.

“Okay.”

I jumped onto my toes and kissed him. “I love you.”

Before he could say it back, there was a knock at the door. Hotch and I parted, fixing ourselves again as quickly as possible, and I returned to my seat at his desk while he went to go unlock the door. When I was settled, I gave Hotch a nod. It looked like nothing had happened between the two of us now, except for the fact that Hotch was wearing a different shirt, but hopefully no one would notice… right…

“Sorry to interrupt,” Rossi apologized from the other side of the door, “but we’ve got a new case.”

I stood from my seat and started walking towards the door to make my way to the boardroom. Hotch stopped me. He looked at Rossi, then asked if we could have another moment alone before closing the door on him. I rolled my eyes at Hotch.

“Don’t do that,” he begged, grabbing my hips in his hands. “Just sit out for one more case. That’s all. One more to collect your thoughts and get settled back in at the house.”

My hands slid around the back of his neck so that my fingers could pull at the ends of his hair gently. He moaned. I smiled and jumped up onto my toes so that I could kiss him. “I love you, Aaron Hotchner. I always have and I always will.”

He let out a breath, letting relief wash over him. “Say it again.”

“I love you. I love you so much. I’ll never stop loving you.”

He pulled me in for another desperate, passionate kiss that kept me pressed against him until I couldn’t breathe. When his lungs gave out, too, he parted from me. “I love you, too.” And then he raced off to be a superhero again.

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

criminal minds family: @peggy1999 @gorgeousdarkangel @alex--awesome--22 @oceaneblu @brithedemonspawn @absolutemarveltrash @bshelley322

#Criminal Minds #criminal minds fanfic #Criminal Minds Fanfiction #criminal minds smut #criminal minds imagine #aaron hotchner #Aaron Hotch Hotchner #aaron hotchner fanfic #aaron hotchner fanfiction #aaron hotchner imagine #aaron hotchner imagines #aaron hotch x reader #aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner smut

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aricazorel · 3 years ago

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Chapter 7: I Hope You Dance

Cullen is told he must attend dance lessons conducted by Lady Vivienne. A surprising alternative is offered as Elowyn deals with the teasing her brother gives her about her friendship with the Commander. At the same time, Madame de Fer once again questions the historian's ability to handle multiple responsibilities. Wyn's frustration is soothed when Cullen comes to check on her resulting in a moment of peace for them both.

Available here on AO3

~ ~ ~

“You agreed to this, Cullen,” the historian reminded him for the 100th time that evening. “If you keep complaining I will just let Vivienne teach—”

“Do not finish that thought, Ellie.” The Commander warned as they stood in front of one another. For the past two weeks, they had set time aside after the evening meal as Cullen’s schedule allowed to practice. He truly did have the basics down; it was just the more complicated moves the Orlesians loved to use for dramatic flair that he needed to be schooled in.

She grinned. “Very well, Commander. One more time and I think we will be done for the night.”

He glanced at her. “Done? We usually spend a few hours…”

“You are tired, Cullen. You are getting cranky,” she replied gently as they took up their positions again.

“I am not cranky. I just see no real use in all these…theatrics,” Cullen replied as they bowed and moved to hold each other in the proper stance. “We are attempting to prevent an assassination not—”

“You are trying to form an alliance with a military power to help end the threat Corypheus presents to all of Thedas,” she reminded him sternly as they waltzed around her office effortlessly. “You can stop being an arse biscuit about dancing if it means accomplishing that.”

“I do not need you to remind me to what is at stake,” he mumbled as he twirled her around and then brought her back to his chest.

“Do you complain this much to everyone else or am I the lucky one that hears all of it?” Elowyn teased as they neared the end of the dance. Their movements slowing as Cullen looked at her with trepidation.

“Elowyn…” he murmured as he lowered her backwards in a slow dip to end their dance.

As he pulled her back up into the proper position again, she noted the unease on his face. “Cullen?”

“I…Perhaps I should go. Thank you for your time and patience. I hope they will pay off tomorrow when Vivienne evaluates my…skills,” the Commander replied with disdain. Releasing her, he moved to gather his things.

Not understanding his sudden desire to leave, the historian asked, “Did I do something wrong?”

“What? No!” he replied glancing at her in surprise as he retrieved his coat. “Why—”

“Then why are you leaving? You objected earlier when I suggested ending early and now…” she said with a shrug. “Did I tease too much? Did I say something? Did I do something?”

Cullen gripped his coat tightly as he concentrated on the floor. “I did not realize I complained to you so frequently. I must seem…ungrateful and self-centered.”

“Complain? You mean the bit where I teased you?” she asked moving to stand beside him. “Cullen, that was just teasing. I didn’t mean—”

“I still do it enough that you feel the need to joke about it,” he commented heatedly. “I never meant—”

“Oh, for Andraste’s sake! Stop, Cullen! You are starting to sound like the brooding Knight-Captain in one of Varric’s books,” she replied in a frustrated tone, hands on her hips. “I don’t mind you complaining to me as long as you don’t become whiny about it.”

He glared at her. “I am not whiny.”

“Not yet,” she muttered with a grin.

#dragon age #cullen rutherford #elowyn tremayne #cullen rutherford x fem oc #won’t let go #read on ao3

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thespianbooks · 4 years ago

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A Court of Nightmares and Starlight //Chapter 24//

Masterlist

(tags: @thron3ofbooks, @df3ndyr, @courtofjurdan, @art-e-mis, @herondamnn, @the-third-me, @im-still-trying-here, @emikadreams, @paytin77, @mis-lil-red, @sleeping-and-books, @lucieisabooknerd, @amandaraey-sunshine, @easy-p-lemon, @azymondias05, @dagypsygirl, @makeshift-utopia) *bold tags don’t work ;-;

I hope this chapter finds you well, and thank you for your patience while I took last week off from posting! Enjoy! ❤️

XXX

I was beginning to feel like this pregnancy would never end, and that I would never sleep again.

As the days stretched on, so did my belly, my skin, and, what felt like, the rest of my body. Along with my middle expanding to a depth I hadn't thought possible, so came the restless nights. From the beginning of my pregnancy, Sebastian had been a gentle glimmer, a beautiful heartbeat that pulsed between my mate and I. After a time, that glimmer was accompanied by light kicks and punches. Now, after a fitful two months filled with little hours of sleep and only growing increasingly uncomfortable by day, my once gentle and calm baby had grown boisterous—especially at night.

"He does hail from the Night Court," Rhys tried to reason as we lay in bed together—another sleepless evening looking to be ahead of us.

"That doesn't mean we never sleep," I complained as he caressed the large expanse of my belly.

His smile as apologetic as he pressed a kiss to my brow, lowering himself down to be eye level with my stomach. "You mustn't be so hard on your mother, Bash. You don't want to be on her bad side before you're born," he said.

I sighed as our son kicked in response, a glimmer flickering through our bond as Rhys watched my stomach; mesmerized as my skin stretched with Sebastian's movement. "I think that was his elbow I saw," he said, touching the spot gently.

My heart warmed at his reaction. "It was," I said. "But you addressing him directly isn't exactly enticing him to settle down in there."

"Right," he said, coming onto his elbows as if he could see our son through my shift and layers of skin and muscle. "Maybe some tea would help you sleep, it could settle you both."

I nodded. "Elain did mix together a new brew for me earlier, and I was able to nap right after...maybe it'll help again now," I said, pushing myself carefully.

"I'll get it for you, my love, you rest here," he said before pushing off the bed-still clad in the black clothes he wore during the day.

I watched him leave and stared down at my stomach, running my hands over it in a gentle caress. The growth I'd experienced in the last couple of months had been exponential, and I was delighted at every check in with Madja when she deemed both of us to be in good health. The midwife, the healer's sister, also regularly attended for my evaluations. She performed her own examinations, using her specialized magic to check on the baby's position and other attributes, like his size and weight—all within the expected range at this stage. At our last appointment earlier in the week, both the midwife and Madja declared that Sebastian had dropped low into my pelvis, head down, which was the correct position for birth. With that assessment, they also determined that I could now go into labor at any time. Although fae pregnancies tended to last up to five weeks longer than a human pregnancy, they assured us that females typically gave birth anywhere in between those weeks—depending on the development of their babes. Sebastian was now fully developed, healthy, strong, and ready to enter the world. Soon my period of nesting would begin and then I'd become reserved in preparation for the undertaking the birthing process would put my body through.

Initially, Rhys and I expected it to happen right away, causing my mate to go on high alert as he remained at my side for every second of the day. According to everything we had been told, as my mate, he would be the first one to sense the change in me. As the days passed, however, they went on as normal with no sign of my diffident state on the horizon. Instead, we followed the new routine and schedule Clotho created for us; meetings and usual court business officially taking place in Rhys's office where I could rest as needed in between work. After matters were settled with the Illyrians, and Mor officially taking her father's place as ruler of the Hewn City, all previous hostility in the Night Court dissipated.

"Elain had the tea ready for you." Rhys said as he re-entered our room, interrupting my thoughts, carrying a tray with a teapot, mug, and covered plates of food.

I pushed myself up with a grunt of effort, eyeing the tray. "What's all this?" I asked as he set the tray on the bed before coming to help me sit upright.

"Well, dinner was hours ago, and based on the past week alone, this is around the time your cravings start." He replied, uncovering the plates filled with an array of fruits, pastries, and a jar filled with pickled herrings.

I beamed. "You brought all of my cravings?"

He nodded. "Even the less desirable one," he answered with a glance at the container of herrings.

Rather than glare at him for his disdain for my cravings, I immediately grabbed the jar with glee. "It's not my fault your son demands I eat these," I countered.

"It's hard to argue that" he said with a smile, his violet eyes sparkling with adoration even as I ate one.

I sighed in content as I ate the entire contents of the jar, Rhys sitting adjacent to me and bringing my legs to rest over his lap as I leaned against the headboard for support. My sighs turned to groans of relief as he began to gently massage my ankles and feet, which had grown swollen recently thanks to walking around with my extraordinary weight.

"Don't worry, they'll shrink back to normal," Rhys assured me, making me realize my mental shields were left wide open for him.

"It's getting harder," I confessed with a sheepish smile. "To keep my shields up, concentrate on work, and lug around this belly."

Rhys nodded his understanding, still rubbing my feet. "You're allowed your discomforts right now my love. In your condition it's impossible to keep up the stamina all day," he sympathized.

"Which is why I need sleep," I said with a frown.

He reached over to the tray, pouring me a cup of the brew Elain had mixed together for me, having found the recipe and ingredients from an apothecary she found at the Palace of Bone and Salt. I eagerly took the steaming mug as he handed it to me, praying to the Mother it would settle my wriggling unborn child enough to afford me a good night's sleep.

"Hopefully with your cravings satisfied and this tea combined, you'll be asleep in no time." Rhys mused, voicing my thoughts aloud. "We wouldn't want you to be cranky during your surprise tomorrow afternoon."

I blinked. "What surprise?"

"If I told you that, it wouldn't be a surprise."

Prick.

He laughed outright. "Regardless, my lips are sealed. Your sisters and Mor have been planning this for months, and I won't spoil it."

I sighed. "I don't actually have to go anywhere do I?"

Rhys chuckled as I sipped at my tea. "No, the surprise is right here in our home," he reassured as he came to lay on his side, setting my feet back onto the bed and propping himself up on an elbow as his other hand caressed my stomach.

"Is the surprise actually for me, or for Bash?" I asked.

"My lips are sealed," he repeated before pressing a kiss to the hand lying idle on my belly. "But I have a feeling you'll enjoy it regardless."

I sighed in mock exaggeration. "I guess as High Lady I have no choice but to attend," I hummed.

"It would be strange not to, especially considering the location," Rhys added in his own playful tone.

"But I expect some recompense," I motioned to my large belly. "For my gallant efforts."

He returned with a roguish grin, "More foot rubs? Or maybe a back massage?"

I pretended to consider for a long moment, dragging it out as I sipped from my tea, before I finally nodded. "Both will do," I agreed.

His dark chuckle reverberated through the room, through me, as he moved onto his hands and knees to level our gazes and pressed a kiss to my brow—staying there for a minute. Setting my now empty mug aside, I brought my hands up to hold either side of his face; both of our eyes slipping shut as he remained hovering above me, breathing in each other's scent. After a minute of relishing each other's warmth, I couldn't help the yawn that broke from my throat as Rhys pulled back with a smirk.

"Let's get you to sleep," he said softly.

I nodded, my eyelids actually feeling heavy as he helped me into a side-lying position; using his magic to wave away the tray of leftover food as well as his day clothes, leaving him in only his undershorts as he lay beside me. It was here, in his continued warmth and lingering scent that I finally succumbed into a much-needed sleep.

XXX

I could still pick up on the residuals of Rhysand's scent when I awoke the next morning—or rather, the afternoon, judging from the way the sunlight shone through the gossamer curtains in our room. I stretched onto my back slowly with a yawn, a new tray of food showing up on the space beside me and a note popping up alongside it. I smiled as I grabbed it, reading the quick words my mate had written.

Have some breakfast my love and come join me in the nursery.

My smile warmed before I slowly pushed myself upright, my stomach growling—a not so subtle indication from Sebastian at how hungry we both were. I took my time eating through the assortment of food Rhys had picked out for me, knowing whatever awaited me in the nursery had something to do with the surprise my sisters and Mor had for me. Once we had returned from the Illyrian camps, following the coup, Elain finally completed all plans she had for the full reconstruction of the nursery, once our sitting room, and recruited Nesta and Mor to see to its fruition. For the last two months it was their project, one they made sure to exclude me from with the promise that it would be ready in time for the baby's arrival. Elain claimed it was an "aunt's only" venture, which I was happy to oblige to thanks to my continued exhaustive state.

Once my appetite had been sated, I tried using the momentum of my legs swinging over the edge of the bed to push myself up to standing...only to have my large belly prevent me from actually being able to sit up at all. I sighed in frustration, but before I could call Rhys through the bond, he was in the room and at my side in seconds.

I scowled as he took both my hands, hauling me up to my feet. "I officially can't even climb out of bed without help," I grumbled.

"Yes, well," he glanced at my stomach with a feline grin. "We saw that coming."

I sighed and ambled towards my armoire. "If you hadn't come, I would've been stuck there and never would've been able to join you for my surprise."

Rhys laughed. "I wouldn't have left you here all day, I promise," he said as he came to my side, grabbing a gown I didn't recognize from the far end of the armoire. "How about this?"

I stared at it as he hung it on the door of the armoire for display. It was a floor length, midnight blue maternity gown with off-shoulder long sleeves. The bust ruched in elegant pleats, creating an elegant sweetheart neckline, and would allow the rest of the soft fabric to fall and hang over my belly delicately.

I smiled at him. "Is it another gown your mother made for me?" I asked softly.

He nodded. "I've been waiting to pull it out for you. I think today would be the perfect opportunity."

"Will you help me into it?" I asked by way of agreement.

Rhys smiled, the rare and soft smile that always warmed me to my core. "Of course, Feyre darling."

After another half an hour spent helping me wash up in the bathing room, changing, and arranging my hair in a simple braided crown, I was ready. I laughed as I caught my reflection in the mirror.

"I look like I'm going to a party," I admitted.

"You are," Rhys confirmed as he looped his arm with mine, escorting me to the other end of our suite and to the double doors that led to the sitting room-now nursery.

Before I could question him further, he opened the doors to the nursery where all of our family awaited us. I barely noticed the smiles on their faces as I took in the transformed space. The once creme colored walls were now painted in a soft baby blue hue, a few clouds painted throughout. A dark-stained wooden cradle decorated with matching soft blue and white blankets nestled inside sat in the middle of the room, a plush carpet underneath and a weaved basket overflowing with stuffed toys sitting beside it. Hanging above the cradle, draped open delicately on either side of it, was a light grey canopy. Tears I hadn't realized gathered in my eyes fell when I blinked at the sight before me.

"What do you think, Feyre?" Elain asked as she crossed over to me, taking both of my hands in hers.

I nodded with a wet laugh, observing the other details of the room—all beautifully and meticulously decorated. "It's beautiful Elain," I said.

"Just wait until you see his closet full of clothes," Mor said with a grin as she came to my side and embraced me. "Nesta and I have been collecting clothes for months."

I looked at Nesta, surprised, but she waved a hand. "It was mostly her and Elain. I organized them according to size," she explained.

"She really doesn't want to admit to the two outfits she actually found because she's worried you'll think they're ugly," Cassian teased from beside her, earning a deadly glare from my sister.

I had been surprised to see both him and Azriel in the room with the others, both clad in the casual clothes we rarely saw them wear.

They wanted to be here for your sister's and Mor's unveiling. Consider this one of the last gatherings we'll all have together before Sebastian arrives. Rhys said through the bond.

I smiled briefly at my mate, squeezing the hand that held mine and turned back to the others, when suddenly the Night Court insignia caught the corner of my eye from the wall to my left. I paused before walking over to it, taking in the tapestry woven from the deepest black to exist and the iridescent silver thread shining like liquid starlight as it shaped the Night Court's insignia.

Void and Hope.

I touched it gently, marveling at the feel of the velvet texture—remembering how it felt exactly as it had that day I saw it in the weaver's gallery. Back then I had no idea where I would hang it, but seeing it here now, recalling the emotions it stirred in me then—the realization of just how lucky Rhys and I were to both return from the war with each other and how far we had come since; the realization of wanting, more than anything, to start a family with my mate as soon as possible. I couldn't think of a more perfect place for it.

"It was Rhysand's idea to hang it up here. What do you think?" Elain asked with a gentle smile, remembering the day she had been with me when I bought it.

I nodded and turned back to my mate, my eyes burning as I rested both hands on my belly. "It's perfect," I repeated, knowing he heard the initial sentiments in my thoughts.

"You're welcome, Feyre darling," he purred in my ear as he returned to my side and pressed a kiss to my temple.

Mor clapped before I could get lost in his warmth, and grinned. "Alright, now it's present time!" She declared.

I blinked. "Present time? It isn't my birthday." I said, confused.

"No, but it's almost his," Mor said as she rubbed my stomach affectionately. "So, we're having a little celebration in honor of his arrival," she explained.

I looked at Rhys, but he simply shrugged. "It is a tradition among the fae, much like the parties thrown for a mated pair."

"We didn't have a party when I accepted our bond," I argued, my face flushing as I realized just how much I had become the center of attention.

"Which is why we all get to celebrate you now," Mor countered with a grin. "It's not every day a High Lady gives birth to a future High Lord."

I opened my mouth to argue the case of Viviane, but was surprised when Amren was the one to cut in. "The Winter Court does things differently than we do, girl."

I surveyed all their faces; Mor, Elain, and Cassian looked the most eager, but even Azriel, Amren and Nesta seemed earnest in wanting to commemorate this moment—one of the last we would all have together during my pregnancy, before Sebastian was born. Given the last arduous several months we just endured, unable to really relish in welcoming his arrival or spending that much time together in a casual setting like this, I knew now our chance.

With another glance at my mate, who dipped his head in approval, I sighed in mock exaggeration before I nodded at Mor with a genuine grin. Her face lit up with delight before leading me over to the rocking chair on the other end of the room.

"You too, Rhysie," Cassian said as he nudged Rhys forward. "You're the dad, so we have a few things for you too."

"Feyre is the pregnant one. She's been doing all the hard work, and I've just been watching," Rhys avowed.

"You've done more than that," Nesta claimed, and Elain nodded in approval as they both began gathering the presents that had been hidden in the closet.

Azriel came and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Technically, as the expectant parents, all of these gifts are for both of you, as well as your son." he reasoned.

"Yeah, so come sit with Feyre and let us shower you with gifts," Cassian insisted with a crooked grin as he pulled up a chair and placed it next to mine.

Rhys looked taken aback by his brother's words, and even Nesta's, as he glanced in my direction. He was the one used to indulging the others, as High Lord he saw it as part of his duty—to accommodate his friends, his family, but now he was the one being tended to.

I smiled as I reached a hand out to him, the other resting on the apex of my belly as I sat in the rocking chair. "If I have to endure this, so do you," I teased.

He half-heartedly rolled his eyes, a feline grin on his face as he took my hand and came to sit beside me. I squeezed it gently, glancing at my stomach as that once-gentle glimmer flickered through us both and down the bond.

XXX

The sleep I had found that night was short-lived. While the tea I had drunk the night before had done wonders at calming down my lively babe and had helped me once again succumb to the embers of slumber, I felt a strange sensation in my nerves.

It wasn't like the panic or fear triggered by nightmares, but rather a gentle buzz that thrummed under my skin. I couldn't place the name for what exactly I was feeling, but it felt reminiscent of Calanmai, or when I had felt the early traces of the bond between Rhys and me. I felt that tug on the bond now, despite Rhys sleeping peacefully at my side, and felt it over and over until I slowly and carefully hoisted myself out of bed. In spite of the effort it took, I didn't struggle as I had earlier, the gentle buzzing seeming to cause a light adrenaline rush. I padded across the room as quietly as I could manage, as to not disturb my mate, and over to the double doors that lead to the nursery.

I stepped inside and admired the sight as I had earlier, touching the cradle gently as I approached it. My chest tightened a bit as I tried to imagine a swaddled and sleeping Sebastian laying in it. I often saw the baby version of what the Bone Carver had shown me in my dreams; of Rhysand holding and cradling him in his arms—a miniature version of himself with some of my own features mixed in. I sighed contentedly as I grabbed a soft blanket thrown over the edge of the cradle, folding it neatly before placing it on the bedding. I surveyed the rest of the room, suddenly finding a few imperfections in the decor, or in the supplies that had been laid out, and before I knew it, I was rearranging the different areas of the room. I started with the cradle, folding the different types of blankets according to size and type, before moving onto the changing station and began organizing the different creams and ointments we might need for that messy business. With the words and lectures of our healer and midwife in my head, specifically on how we would care for and tend to Sebastian once he arrived, I now felt compelled to make sure that I was adequately prepared.

"Look who's being a mother hen now," my mate said from the doorway, his voice a husky mixture of sleep and amusement.

I turned to look at him, a stuffed toy in hand from my work of rearranging the basket of toys sitting beside the changing station. I felt another flush return to my cheeks as he came to my side.

"I couldn't sleep," I admitted as I looked at the toy; a bear with cloth wings Nesta claimed had been hand-sewn by the clothier shopkeeper Emerie, from the Windhaven camp.

"I see that," Rhys said softly, hands coming to hold my stomach. When he felt no answering glimmer or movement in response to his touch, he smiled. "But it wasn't because our little one kept you awake, it seems."

I paused, realizing he was right. Sebastian had remained still, asleep, despite my movements and the tug I had felt on the bond. "No. It was...something else, I think. I fell asleep earlier, but then I woke up with this overwhelming urge to…" I looked around the room, trying to voice exactly what I felt. "Clean?" I tried.

Rhys's violet eyes warmed, starlight smoldering as a hand touched my cheek gently. "Feyre, darling, you're starting to nest," he said.

My eyes met his, astonished, realizing what this meant. "Oh," I whispered and looked down at my belly.

Nesting was the first indication of my body readying for labor. It was an expecting female's first instinct, the midwife had told us, because she would want to make sure her home was aptly prepared for the arrival of her newborn. This period could last anywhere between a few days to a week and would follow with all other instincts cooling into a withdrawn state; a necessary final stage before the laboring process began.

I let out a shaky breath as Rhys caressed my stomach, his brow coming to rest on mine as those sparkling violet eyes stared into mine. "It's okay, Feyre," he reassured. "If you're nervous."

"I'm a little nervous," I confessed. "Not just because I know there will be pain, but because...we'll finally get to meet him."

I stroked my stomach gently as I went on. "After all these years of trying, after the last several months we've had...we're finally going to hold him in our arms. He won't just be what we've imagined him to be, what the Bone Carver showed us...he'll be real."

Rhys brushed away a stray tear as it fell down my cheek and held me as closely as he could, my large belly pressed against the hard planes of his, resting between us.

"Yes, he will," he whispered before claiming my lips with his in a lingering and sweet kiss as my eyes fluttered closed.

"We're having a baby," I whispered after a minute, my lips still lingering on his.

I felt him smile and he pulled back to meet my gaze as I opened my eyes again. His thumbs stroking my cheeks as he held my face.

"Yes, we are, my love, and I don't know how to thank you for this...this gift, this life you've grown inside of you," he said, his violet eyes now lined with silver.

My hands came to take his wrists gently, bringing his hands to my lips in a brief kiss before letting them go so he could hold my waist. "You can start by helping me organize this room...and bringing me some more pickled herrings?" I asked with an abashed smile.

Rhys threw his head back in a laugh, pressing another quick kiss to my lips as he nodded and sketched a quick bow. "As my Lady wishes," he said with a wink.

I laughed along with him as I looked down at my stomach, giving it a gentle touch as I wondered just how much longer it would actually be before Sebastian occupied this room.

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haikwritings · 4 years ago

Text

First Love / Part 03 / Kei Tsukishima

Warnings: Makeout? Kiss?

Y/n’s POV

Monday

“Ready?” Tsukishima asked.

I smiled.

“Yes.” I responded.

We both started to walk.

He’s been more gentle since our Friday conversation.

“How was your day?” Tsukishima asked.

He was more kind and humane.

“It was okay, how about yours?” I asked.

He gave me a small smile.

“It was okay.” Tsukishima responded.

We kept walking and Tsukishima kept looking at me.

“Y-You can hear your music, I don’t mind.” I said.

He looked at me very confused.

“I know you don’t like conversations, so is okay.” I said.

He suddenly stopped.

Making me stop.

“Why are you so nervous around me?” Tsukishima asked.

I try looking at him but I couldn’t.

“W-What, Um, I was just s-saying.” I responded.

“Don’t be stupid.” Tsukishima said.

I looked at him.

Was he going to insult me again?

“I enjoy talking to you.” Tsukishima said.

We continue walking.

Tuesday

“He’s been more kind?” Hitoka asked.

“Yeah.” I responded.

Hitoka was surprised to say the least.

“You know, he isn’t like that.” Hitoka said.

I looked at her and nodded.

“I know.” I responded.

Something was telling me that he was just waiting to insult me.

“I know he doesn’t like me.” I said.

Hitoka looked at me and gave me a sad smile.

“You’re a good person, don’t let a fool get into your nerves.” Hitoka responded.

We continued cleaning the court.

“Need help?” Yamaguchi asked.

Hitoka suddenly got nervous.

She was so into him, I swear.

“Y-Yes.” Hitoka responded.

Both of them walked to clean another area of the court.

They’re so cute, I ship.

Suddenly I hear footsteps coming on my way.

“Need help?” Tsukishima asked.

I looked at him and gave me him a small smile.

“N-No, is okay.” I responded.

Tsukishima didn’t listen and started to help me.

“How was your day?” Tsukishima asked.

I looked at him and smiled.

“It was okay.” I responded.

Tsukishima stayed silent.

“Tell me more about it.” Tsukishima said.

I didn’t expect that.

Was he interested in my life?

“Well, class was okay, I’m just having problem with some math exercises.” I responded.

He kept looking at me, as if he was thinking.

“I can help you.” Tsukishima said.

Why was he so kind to me?

“Is okay, you don’t have to.” I responded.

“No sense, I will help you.” Tsukishima said.

I looked at him and smile.

“Tomorrow we don’t have practice since Coach has an appointment. We can study at my house.” Tsukishima said.

I gave him a soft smile.

“Sure. Thanks.” I responded.

Wednesday

“Welcome to my house.” Tsukishima said as he opened the door of his house.

“Thanks.” I responded.

He guide me towards his room where he had settle everything.

We sit down and looked at each other.

“What do you need help with?” Tsukishima asked.

I got my notebook out with some notes.

“Equations and functions.” I responded.

He looked at me and grabbed some of the notes.

“A function is an equation that has only one answer for y for every x.” Tsukishima said.

“What makes it different from a equation?” I asked.

He giggled a little.

“An equation is a two expressions with an equal sign in between.” Tsukishima responded.

Oh.

Right.

“Oh, I think I understand a little.” I responded.

He started to write equations for me to resolve.

“Resolve them carefully, they can be tricky.” Tsukishima said.

He watch me carefully as I did them.

“Remember that evaluating a function is done the exactly the same way in which we evaluate equations.” Tsukishima said.

I nodded and continued solving the exercises.

He stayed next to me, watching me.

“Finish.” I said.

I gave him the exercises.

“9/10.” Tsukishima said.

He gave me another sheet of exercises.

“Try having 10/10.” Tsukishima said.

I gave him and soft smile and continued.

He kept looking at me.

“Remember that a relation is a set of ordered pairs.” Tsukishima reminded me.

I nodded and continued.

“Finish.” I said.

He grabbed the sheet and smiled.

“10/10.” Tsukishima said.

We both looked at each other.

As if we couldn’t stop looking at each other.

He bring his face closer to mine.

He was tense, I could feel it.

I got my face closer.

I needed to feel him more.

Our noses touched each other.

We both closed our eyes.

“T-Thank you for helping me.” I said.

As I opened my eyes, he crashed his lips with mine.

His kiss was slow, it was full of love, of gratification.

His hand was on my cheek.

Mine were on his neck.

We didn’t wanted to stop.

Until we heard a knock on his door.

“Tsuki, are you there?” A boy asked outside the door.

He looked at me and stopped touching my cheek.

“Yes, Aki.” Tsukishima responded.

Tsukishima got up and opened the door.

The boy looked at me and smiled.

“Who do we have here little brother?” The boy asked.

Little brother?

“Y/n this is the idiot of my bother, Akiteru.” Tsukishima said.

I looked at both of them and smiled.

“Nice to meet you, Akiteru.” I responded.

And before Akiteru could say something, Tsukishima pushed him and closed the door.

“Let’s get you home.” Tsukishima said.

While we walked towards my house, we didn’t speak.

Our walk was filled with silence.

“We’re here.” Tsukishima said.

I was stuck in my thoughts that I didn’t realize it.

“T-Thank you.” I responded.

As I walked towards the door, Tsukishima grabbed my cheek.

I closed my eyes out of nervousness.

He gently bring his face closer to mine and kiss me.

I looked at him and smiled.

He chuckled and left.

Thursday

As I was arriving to my locker, I saw Tsukishima talking with Yamaguchi.

“Y/n.” Hitoka called as she walked towards me.

“Hey, Yachi.” I said.

“How was your date?” Hitoka said joking.

“It was a study section, Yachi.” I said.

Hitoka giggled and smiled.

“Let’s get to the court.” Hitoka said.

We both started to walk to the court where we found Coach Ukai.

“Good evening, ladies.” Coach Ukai said.

We both nodded and started to pick the balls, filled the water bottles and other things.

“So, are you going to tell me what happened at the study date?” Hitoka asked.

I sighed and giggled.

“Fine.” I said.

Hitoka got excited and sat next to me.

“Come on, spill it.” Hitoka said.

I closed my eyes and smiled.

“We kissed.” I said.

Hitoka eyes were wide open and a shock expression was on her face.

“WHAT?” Hitoka asked.

I smiled and giggled.

“Yes.” I responded.

Hitoka just smiled.

“D-Did you liked it?” Hitoka asked.

My cheeks turned red.

“I-I did.” I responded.

She smiled and hugged me.

“If you’re happy, that’s the important thing.” Hitoka responded.

Suddenly we hear all the boys entering to the gym.

“Hello, managers.” Ennoshita said.

We both smiled and waved.

Yamaguchi and Tsukishima walked towards us.

“Hello, Kei and Yama.” Hitoka said.

“H-Hello, Yachi.” Yamaguchi said nervously.

Okay, both of them are crushing really hard.

I smiled and nodded.

“Y/n.” Tsukishima called me.

“Y-Yes?” I asked.

“C-Can you, umm, help me get something from— from the umm— the office?” Tsukishima ask stuttering.

Was he nervous?

“Y-Yeah, sure.” I responded.

We both started to walk and suddenly we stopped in the hallway.

“I didn’t wanted anything from the office.” Tsukishima said.

Well obviously.

“I kinda figured it out.” I said.

Tsukishima turned his back.

“Tsuki?” I asked.

“I wanted to talk to you.” Tsukishima said.

Is he going to confess?

“S-Sure, what’s up?” I asked nervously.

He took a deep breath and sighed.

“Our kiss, it can’t happen again.” Tsukishima said.

I looked at him, heartbroken.

“Oh.” I responded.

He turned his back and looked at me.

“It won’t happened again.” I responded.

I smiled and walked away to the court.

Friday

“Hey.” Tsukishima said.

I looked at him, I was at the library.

“Hey.” I responded.

“You left alone yesterday, you didn’t wait for me.” Tsukishima said.

Oh, that.

“I didn’t wanted to bother.” I responded.

He grunted and rolled his eyes.

“You don’t bother, stop saying that.” Tsukishima said.

I sighed and gave him a sad smile.

“I’m leaving early today. You don’t have to walk me home.” I said.

I got up and started to pack my things.

“Right.” Tsukishima said.

“See you on Monday?” I asked.

He looked away.

“Yeah.” Tsukishima responded.

I smiled and left.

#haikyuu sad #haikyuu angst #haikyuu #haikyuu!!#kei tsukishima #tsukishima kei #kei #tsukishima #yamaguchi #hitoka #aki #fanfic #kiss #haikyuu x you #haikyuu x y/n #haikyuu x reader

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johannstutt413 · 4 years ago

Text

TOURNAMENT ARC 2: PHANTOM VS PROJEKT RED

“Alright, let’s see...Looks like we’ve got a fight tomorrow, Jessie!” The Doctor unfurled a piece of paper from the machine. “First round for Specialists, it looks like; Phantom vs Red. It’s been awhile since Phantom stopped by the office, hasn’t it?”

“...Phantom?” The Feline shrugged; she’d seen records of that Operator before, but never actually encountered them herself.

He sighed. “Right, stealth specialist with mnemonic Arts. Regardless, it’ll be interesting to see what happens, especially since Red- actually, I haven’t seen her recently either. She hasn’t been on a mission, has she?”

“I don’t think so?” Jessica flipped open a tab and scrolled through some of her notes. “No, but she has been on leave for awhile.”

“Really? What kind of leave was it, again? I think you approved that one.”

At that exact moment, Projekt Red walked into the office with a baby in her arms. “Maternity leave.” [not exactly the same universe but hush it’s fine]

“Awww!” The two immediately approached. “What’s their name?”

“Scarlet SilverAsh. I don’t think I can be in the tournament for a while, Doctor; we haven’t moved her to formula yet.” Scarlet fussed a little, which the Lupo solved by licking her forehead.

The Doctor nodded. “That’s alright, Red; I think I know the person to take your spot. Let us know when you’re ready to fight and we’ll put you in the rotation.”

“Thank you, Doctor. I’ll be watching today’s match from home. You can both come over, if you want; Encio’s making burgers.” She watched both of them blink several times. “What?”

“He can cook?” Jessica asked.

She nodded. “There’s nothing he can’t do. I need to feed her soon. Let us know if you want to come over.”

“Will do!” Once she’d left, the Feline smiled to herself. “I’m looking forward to that someday.”

“Having a kid with me?”

Jessie set her head on his shoulder. “Yeah...We should call Waai Fu now, before too much press goes out.”

“Good plan.”

TOURNAMENT ARC 2: PHANTOM VS PROJEKT RED WAAI FU

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, Operators, Staff, and Esteemed Guests! Welcome one and all to the Top Operator Tourney!!! *crowd cheers*

“Thanks, Hung! Hiiiii everyone! It’s your lovable idol and Penguin Logistics delivery girl Sora here, filling in for Click on account of some rather inflammatory commentary she gave during the last one. Joining me in the booth, filling in for FEater after she punched the person who told them that, is Croissant!”

“That’s right, Sora, and I ain’t goin’ any’re! Now earlya Baws ‘nounced we had a lil’ bituva skejul shift, but looks like we still ‘ave a real good’un on our ‘ands. On the north side, wi’ 14 years of fightin’ ‘sperience, she’s student by day and brawla’ by nite, WAAAAAAAI FUUUUUUUU!” *cheers* “Ye, dat’s wut I wanna hear! Annnnd on the south side- hey, where’d they go?” *confused crowd noises* “Uh...Now I ain’t gonna lie, I never did meet dis Phantom guy? We sure he works ‘ere?”

“I mean, Medical had enough data to evaluate with, so I guess he does? Aaaanyway, looking at the numbers, it looks like Waai Fu has more combat experience and raw strength, but Phantom’s faster and trickier to deal with, so hopefully he shows up long enough for us to watch him work!”

“Ye, let’s ‘ope so! Baws itn’t at the podium today, but Amiya’s down there doin’ the hands, so let’s ‘ear it! 3! 2! 1! LET’S RUUUUUUUUUUUMBLLLLLLLLLEEEEEE!!!”

--------

Down on the ground, as the commentators blathered away, psyching the crowd up, Phantom watched his target from the shadows, blades ready but simply observing. His opponent, an orange Feline he’d never seen before, likewise watched, patient. This wasn’t his usual style...but if it was a show they wanted, then he’d give them a show.

“So you are my opponent.” He took a step forward. “Shall we dance our dance for the masses?”

“The Phantom, in the flesh...I expected to face you later in the bracket, but this works, too.”

His eyes narrowed. “You recognize me?”

“I’ve spent my life clearing the street of scum like you, who skulk in the shadows and take others’ lives for your sick games.” She took a defensive stance. “Your ring of thieves deserved its fate-”

“Do not speak ill of the dead, lest you join them sooner than you expect.” A step backward, and he’d vanished.

Two Phantoms emerged from her shadow, blades drawn to strike as they flanked her, only to find she was ready for both attacks; Waai Fu evaded their swords as knocked both Phantom and his mirror image to the ground. “Repent while you still have time.”

And then everything was a blur.

-------

“It’s like it started out of nowhere! They stared each other down forever, and then BAM! Also, why are there two of him?!”

“I ‘unno, darlin’, but I ‘ope Junior ain’t watch’n this! They’re go’n at it ‘arder ‘n an’thin rite now! I can’t even count ‘ow many blows they’re tradin’, but not a single drop of blood on the ground yet!”

“You can tell Waai Fu’s struggling, though - two on one isn’t a fair fight for anyone, but she’s holding her ground someh- OH, what?!”

“Oh! Oh! That’s the Seven-Styles Kick!! ‘Oly shit, I ain’t ever seen it in person bef’r, but damn that was some’n! And one of ‘em’s gone now!”

“Things have slowed down, and she is absolutely whaling into him! Punch, punch, kick, kick; he’s doing his best to evade them, but I don’t think he can keep up like this for long! Especially since he can’t- never mind, he managed to slash her once, at least, but that just left him open for a solid haymaker! He’s not getting back u/p! 1! 2!! 3!!! SHE’S DONE IT!!!”

“Wowza...Not as bloody as last ‘un, ey darlin’?”

“Waai Fu’s getting medical attention, as is Phantom from the looks...Hey, wait a minute, honey, did you see that?”

“See what?”

--------

Aak was there at Waai Fu’s side, local anesthetic applied and staple gun going to work. “A bit of medi-gel will get this patched up in no time...Hey, who was that guy, anyway? Never seen him around before.”

“The Phantom Behind the Curtain, Treasurer of the Night. He was the leading man for a theatre troupe known for less-than-savory wetwork who traveled the world as a closely-knit ring of assassins, although many didn’t realize their actual business until the day it collapsed.” The Feline sighed. “That one killed a crowded theatre with his voice alone. He didn’t want me dead, not enough to speak to me with his true voice.”

“Truer words, vigilante, have yet to be spoken” a spectral figure whispered in her ear, disappearing before she could identify them.

The other Feline next to her cocked her head. “See something? Mighta gotten some hallucinogens in the anesthetic again.”

“No, it’s...nothing.” She shook her head. “It’ll pass, whatever it was.”

“You’d best win the tournament now, child...For your father’s sake.” From the other ear this time, as if standing in Aak’s place.

On the ground, as Warfarin ensured Gaspard began his recovery, a black cat stepped out of the shadows and, once the Sarkaz was done with the greater part of patching him up, sat on his chest, gently pawing at his face. A slight smile came to his face as he and his Christine were taken to Medical for full evaluation; he might have been defeated in this battle, but the war for himself was far from lost.

#arknights #arknights fic #TOURNAMENT ARC!!!#waai fu (arknights)#phantom (arknights)#projekt red (arknights)#jessica (arknights)#sora (arknights)#croissant (arknights)#i'm not gonna lie #i'm surprised no one's asked about Phantom yet #like i know i have a pretty sizable crowd of folks who like yuri fic #but...i 'unno #we'll get to him one of these days

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vgckwb · 3 years ago

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P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework) Chapter 49: The Heart of the Matter

Before school, Makoto Niijima called a special meeting of the student council. “What’s this about?” one asked.

“If you can just be patient,” Makoto explained, exacerbated, “I can explain.” She took a breath. “Ever since Mr. Kamoshida confessed his sins, I've been gathering information about students who have been victims of his. I’ve divided them up into these lists, and I ask that you each take a list and start interviewing them one by one.”

They were handed out their lists. “Why are we doing this?” another member asked.

Makoto stared at them. “We are the student council. Yet we knew none of what was happening with Mr. Kamoshida. This is to evaluate our standing with the student body, and assure them we are on their side, as well as creating a template to make sure something like this never happens again. Are we clear?”

“Yes ma’am!” they shouted in unison.

“Good” Makoto responded. “Now, I divided them up by year. Since the second years are going on their social studies field trips today and tomorrow, the second year student council members will handle them after that. Otherwise, everyone else can start right away. You have free use of the student council room. Dismissed.” The student council members left. Makoto flopped on the couch and sighed. “This is going to be complicated.”

When school started, the second years left to go on their field trips. The three second year thieves, as well as a hidden Morgana, headed to the TV station in hopes of finding some dirt that could lead them to a possible new target. As the trip progressed, they didn’t find that. The only thing they found was boredom. As a TV station worker went over things they already understood, the students were bored out of their mind. “Why did we do this again?” Ryuji asked.

The chaperone, Miss Kawakami, turned to them and whispered “I know you’re bored, but at least act like you’re paying attention.”

“Sorry” Ryuji said. Miss Kawakami looked at them, and turned her focus back to other students and the presenter.

After the bulk of the trip, the thieves met in a hall. “Ugh, what a waste,” Ann said.

“Yeah, we didn’t learn anything” Ryuji said

“Hey now” Ren said. “While it’s true this trip was a snoozefest, we did succeed in acting like normal students for now.”

“Ugh, I’d rather be taken to the principal’s office” Ryuji groaned. “And we still have another day of this.”

“Well,” Ann began, “tomorrow we get to see them shooting an actual show. Maybe that might be interesting.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Ryuji said, still unamused.

Morgana popped out. “Well, that’s tomorrow. Is there anything we can do today while we’re here?”

“I doubt that they’re going to let us snoop around outside of the school’s presence,” Ren explained.

“Yeah, I guess,” Morgana said.

Ryuji’s face lit up. “BUT we have free reign in the area, AND Dome Town’s nearby.”

“YES!” Ann exclaimed. “Soooooo many sweets.”

“Sweets?!” Morgana said. “Like pancakes?”

“Yeah!” Ryuji said. “But we should go on the rides first. I mean, I’d hate to go and puke up all that stuff.”

“Ryuji…” Ann said, disgusted.

“P-puke?!” Morgana said. “Um, cat’s can't go on those things, right?”

“Oh, so NOW you're a cat?” Ryuji fired back.

Morgana growled at him. Ren interrupted. “From what I’ve read, there’s tons of stuff to do. Maybe we can hit up a few things for all of us.”

“Yeah!” Morgana said, cheering up. “And we can start by getting some of those pancakes!”

As they were talking, Akechi was passing by. Their conversation caught his attention. “Excuse me?” he said, walking up to them. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I overheard your conversation. Talking about Dome Town?”

“Uh, yeah” Ann said, shook by this boy’s approach.

“Ah, well, enjoy yourselves,” Akechi responded. “Although, I haven’t really seen any of you before. What brings you here?”

“We’re on a field trip,” Ren informed him.

“Oh right,” Akechi said. “I was told about this. So, are you having fun?”

“Uhhhhhh” Ryuji said, not knowing how to answer that without being rude.

“Well, I guess this is a school event after all,” Akechi said. “‘Fun’ has to take a back seat.”

“Right…” Ann said, confused by his demeanor.

“Well, I hope your visit to Dome Town makes up for it,” Akechi said. “At least, until tomorrow that is. Later.” He started walking away. “Oh, by the way, the pancakes there are delicious.”

“What?” Ryuji said, confused.

“Ah, terribly sorry,” Akechi said. “I heard her say that she was interested in the sweets lineup they had. I just wanted to give my personal recommendation.” He finished walking away.

They were all confused. “Lady Ann, I also recommended the pancakes, '' Morgana said.

“Yeah, but all he heard was meowing, if that” Ann reminded him.

“I guess...” Morgana said, a bit disappointed.

“Well then, shall we head out?” Ren said.

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom first,” Ryuji said. “But then totally.” He rushed off.

“I’m going to give Shiho a call,” Ann said. “I wonder if her field trip went any better.” Ann walked off.

Ren began waiting for her friends. “Amamiya-chan” said a voice from behind her. Ren was surprised. She turned around, almost scared of who was calling out to her.

She was relieved when she saw a smiling man she remembered from not too long ago. “Oh. You’re Yoshizawa’s dad.”

Shinichi nodded. “I’m glad you remember me. So, you’re on your field trip, eh?” Ren nodded. “I’ve got to thank Sumire for recommending this for you.”

Ren was shocked. “Um, she didn’t…” she admitted.

“Oh” Shinichi. “Well, I still hope you’re having fun.” Ren decided not to say anything there. “So, I’ve heard a lot about you from Sumire,” Ren started blushing, “but we’ve only met once before, and that was when she was still pretending to be her sister.”

“Yeah…” Ren said. “I’m sorry.” She said. Shinichi looked at him. “About Kasumi. And agreeing to Sumire thinking she was Kasumi. I didn’t know.”

Shinichi smiled. “You don’t need to apologize,” he explained. “None of that was your fault. Besides, whenever Sumire talks about you she has the brightest smile on her face. I hadn’t seen that in a while. So that alone would more than make up for any wrongdoing you might have done.”

Ren’s entire face was now beat red. “Thank you, sir.”

“Yo” Ryuji said, coming back.

“Hey” Ann said, returning as well. Both were surprised by the man talking with Ren. “Uh, who is this?”

Ren smiled and said “This is Sumire’s dad.”

“Hello,” Shinichi said.

Ann and Ryuji were surprised. “Uh, hello” Ann said nervously.

“These are my friends, Takamaki, and Sakamoto,” Ren said, introducing them.

“Oh, so you’re Ann and Ryuji,” Shinichi said, apparently knowing who they are. “Sumire has told me about you two as well.”

“Good things I hope,” Ryuji said.

“Of course,” Shinichi explained. “Sumire really loves her friends.” He looked around. “Um, are Yusuke and Jose with you?”

Ren shook her head. “They go to a different school.”

“Ah, I see” Shinichi. “Well tell them I say thank you as well.” The trio were surprised. “I haven’t seen Sumire in such high spirits for a while. I know it’s because of her friends. So thank you.”

All three of them were blushing. Ren smiled, nodded, and said “We’ll tell Yusuke and Jose as well.”

“Thanks,” he said. “Well, I’ve gotta go. As you may have learned, working here is pretty busy.” He walked off.

“What part of the TV station does HE work at where things are interesting?” Ryuji said.

“He must be pretty high up,” Morgana said.

“Besides, it doesn’t matter,” Ann said. “After being complimented like that, the least we can do is pretend like we aren’t bored.”

“Right” Ryuji said, slinking himself nowhere in particular.

“So, Dome Town?” Ren said.

“DOME TOWN!” Ryuji rallied.

“DOME TOWN!” Ann yelled.

“DOME TOWN!” Morgana cheered. The four went off to Dome Town.

They had a delightful time. Riding the rides, eating the food, doing all sorts of things. “Man that was great!” Ryuji exclaimed.

“Yeah, and I didn’t go on any of the puke rides!” Mogana added.

“I’m telling ya, you’re missing out,” Ryuji said.

“Really?” Ann said. “Because you were the only one of us to actually puke afterwards.”

“Doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it,” Ryuji explained.

Ann sighed. “Why are boys like that?”

“I have no idea” Ren said. “But today was fun.”

“Totally” Ann said. “And that boy was right. The pancakes were delicious!”

“Yeah, but we need to cap it off somehow,” Ryuji said. “Something amazing, ya know?”

Ren looked up. “Well, we haven’t been on the ferris wheel yet. What do you say? It won’t make you puke, so Morgana can ride along as well.”

“Well, if I’m not puking, then count me in,” Morgana said.

“Yeah, that totally sounds like fun!” Ann said.

“Yeah! Seeing Tokyo from that high up! It’s perfect!” Ryuji exclaimed. They headed to the ferris wheel.

As they approached the front of the line, the person manning the ferris wheel asked “So, is it the three of you?”

Ren shook her head. “Just the two of them.” Ann and Ryuji’s faces went pale.

“I see,” the worker said.

“No! No, it's the three of us!” Ryuji said, panicking.

“Y-Yeah” Ann continued. “She's just joking.”

“I see. A joker, eh?” the worker responded. “Well, hop in you three.” Ren rolled her eyes, as she, Ann, and Ryuji went in.

It started to move. “Why’d you do that?” Ann asked.

“Fun,” Ren replied. In reality, she was hoping to give them the opportunity to maybe open up about how they feel, but she wasn’t about to say that to them.

“Well it wasn’t fun for me…” Morgana pouted.

“Why are you complaining?” Ryuji said. “You weren’t involved.”

“Well…” Morgana said. He didn’t have the courage to finish his thought. “...Nevermind.” Ren giggled.

Ryuji sighed. He turned to Ann. “So, how did Shiho’s field trip go?”

Ann was slightly taken aback, but adjusted to this new conversation. “She was just as bored.”

“Huh,” Ryuji said. Well, I guess that means it didn’t matter where we went.”

“I disagree,” Ren said. They turned to her. “Well, just because we ran into Sumire’s dad. That wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t come to the TV station.”

“Yeah” Ann smiled. “Plus, we had fun here afterwards. So I can’t complain.”

“Yeah. Today was good” Ryuji said. When they reached the apex of the wheel, they looked out. “Woah!”

“This is amazing!” Morgana said.

“Yeah,” Ann agreed. “And I’m glad we all got to experience it together,” taking a slight jab at Ren’s earlier proposal of having them go separately. She rolled her eyes.

Ren took a good look herself. “This is lovely though.” As she looked at the glowing city, she smiled. She found herself blushing slightly.

After being told about how much Sumire liked her, and was shining, she found herself hoping that she could take her on a ferris wheel like this, just the two of them. In this hypothetical Ren created, once at the top, she could compare the bright lights of Tokyo to the girl she adored, and find that the latter would win out. Still, today had been great too, and the ferris wheel perfectly capped off the day. Once they reached the bottom, they got off, and headed for the school’s meeting place for the evening.

The next day, the second years were preparing for the taping. Meanwhile, at Shujin during break, Sumire was walking around when she was stopped by someone. “Yoshizawa,” the voice said.

She turned around and saw a girl from her class. She was a bit taller, with a hairclip in the back of her hair, but her hair still went straight down. “Oh, high Hagiwara-san. How are you?”

“I’m doing fine” she stated, matter of factly. “I’m here on student council business. If you could please follow me.”

“Oh, sure,” Sumire said. Hagiwara led the way as Sumire followed. Once they got to the student council room, they sat down. “What’s this about?” Sumire asked.

Hagiwara took a deep breath. “I’d like to talk about your experience with Kamoshida, if that’s alright with you?”

Sumire was perplexed. “What do you want to talk about?”

“I just want to hear what happened between him and you,” Hagiwara explained. “Is that alright?”

“Um, I guess so,” Sumire answered. Hagiwara nodded, instructing her to begin. “Well, ever since school started, Kamoshida was helping me out.” Hagiwara was surprised, but took notes diligently. “Since I’m an honors student, he took care of me, and seemed concerned with what and how I was doing. However, all of that crumbled the day of the volleyball exhibition. After the exhibition was over, he appeared to me. He was showing himself off to me in a way that made me feel weird. I didn’t understand what was going on. He then tried grabbing me, but before that could happen…”

Hagiwara looked up at her. “What happened?”

Sumire smiled. “Ren-senpai saved me.”

“I see,” Hagiwara said, writing this down.

“After that, we discussed that, and some other things,” Sumire continued. “I’d like to think that was the start of our friendship. But I wasn’t all there, so I don’t know if it counts, you know?”

Hagiwara finished writing. “Is that it?”

“Well, after that, not much happened” Sumire answered. “Like I said, I was having some difficulties of my own, and I soon got sick because of it.The day after I came back, the calling card was sent out.”

Hagiwara nodded. “Thank you. You're free to go now.”

Sumire smiled. “Thank you.” She got up and left.

Meanwhile, the second years were sitting in the audience, waiting for the show to begin. The two hosts were seated, and the crew started counting down to airing. “Hello, and welcome to the show,” the male host said.

“Today, we’ve got a special guest” the female host followed up. “He’s been here before a few times, but today he’s agreed to talk about something big.”

“Pshhh” Ryuji said. “Probably some jerk who’s all high and mighty. Maybe he has a palace.”

“Ryuji! Quite!’ Ann shushed.

“Give it up for the boy being called the second Detective Prince of Japan, Goro Akechi!” the male host shouted.

As Akechi took the stage, there were a lot of cheers, especially from the girls in the audience. However, Ren, Ann, and Ryuji were shocked. “Isn’t that…?” Ann asked

“Yeah,” Ren said.

“Him?!” Ryuji exclaimed, surprised by this whole ordeal.

Akechi sat down next to the hosts. “Welcome back, Akechi-san,” the female host said.

“A pleasure as always,” Akechi responded, smiling.

“So, what is this big scoop you wish to talk about today” the female host asked.

“It’s simple,” Akechi said. “I wish to discuss the Phantom Thieves.”

A wave of surprise overtook the crowd. “Us?” Ryuji whispered. Ann nudged him to keep him quiet. “Ow!”

“The Phantom Thieves?” the male host said. “You mean those people that claim to be changing hearts. Do you believe they actually exist?”

“What?!” Ann asked, incensed.

“I thought we were supposed to be quiet,” Ryuji teased.

“Shut it” Ann snapped.

“Yes ma’am” Ryuji backed down.

“Hm hm” Akechi chuckled. “While it is true that a lot of people don’t believe them, they have been taking credit for two recent high profile stories. So, even if they are fake, they are worth investigating.”

“I see,” the female host said.

“That said, why make that claim if they aren’t actually doing it?” Akechi proposed.

“Well, for attention, right?” the male host answered.

Akechi shook his head. “If this was just for attention, we probably would have seen the people making the claim by now. Nothing about either of the cases makes sense if you’re coming at it from the point of view that the Phantom Thieves don’t exist.”

“So, you really believe these people can change hearts?” the female host asked.

“Well, it does seem bizarre at the outset,” Akechi responded. “But nothing adds up if they weren’t real. Hence, when investigating them, I have to believe they do exist.”

“You seem to be enjoying yourself,” the female host noted.

“Well, to be honest, I am the kind of person who wishes Santa Claus were real,” Akechi replied. “Although, if he were, I’d have to arrest him for breaking and entering.” The crowd laughed.

Ryuji seemed frustrated. “Ryuji?” Ren asked.

“Stupid asshole” Ryuji muttered. “Thinking Santa isn’t real.”

Ren was surprised. “What?” she asked.

“Who gives out all those presents?” Ryuji asked.

“Are you OK?” Ren asked.

Ann turned to Ren and whispered. “OK, so, basically Ryuji’s mom keeps up the Santa act because she doesn’t want Ryuji to know she’s Santa, because then he��ll be even more frustrated that he isn’t doing enough for her.”

Ren was dumbfounded. “That’s...sweet I guess…”

“Yeah...I get it...but…” Ann continued.

“So, you believe these Phantom Thieves to be real?” the male host asked, capturing the teen’s attention once again.

Akechi nodded. “However, I do not support them,” he continued. This shocked everyone.

“Oh my” the female host exclaimed. “Would you care to explain?”

“Of course,” Akechi answered. “While there is no doubt the two high profile cases we’ve seen so far have yielded confessions from heinous criminals, I believe the ability to steal hearts and force them to is in defiance of justice itself.” Another wave of shock overtook the audience. “While these criminals should, and are, being brought to justice, the Phantom Thieves are going around forcing that justice onto them.”

“But wouldn’t that be a good thing?” the male host asked.

“Well, if they stick to criminals, I suppose,” Akechi said. “But what if their sense of justice spreads from criminals to people they don’t agree with? In that instance, they have the upper hand because they can force people to agree with them.”

“My, that sounds harrowing” the male host responded.

“It is,” Akechi agreed. “Which is why I’d like to see them brought to justice.” The crowd gasped and stammered.

“Well, let’s see what our audience thinks,” the female host said. “People of the audience, please take out your buzzers.” Everyone did so. “How many of you believe and support the Phantom Thieves? Press your buzzer if you do.” The results came in. “About 30%.”

“Hm. Higher than the national average ,” Akechi noted. “But then again, there is a higher amount of support for the Phantom Thieves among students, and as I understand it, a lot of our audience today is made up of students.”

“You are correct,” the male host replied.

“Let’s see if we can talk with one of them,” the female host said. She got up and walked to Ren. “How about you, young lady? What do you think of the Phantom Thieves?”

Ren was taken aback. The smart thing to do would be to disengage, but Ren was no stranger to playing with fire. “Oh, I believe they exist, and I fully support them” she exclaimed.

The crowd was ecstatic. “My, it looks like we’ve found someone who disagrees with you” the male host said.

“I see,” Akechi said, still surprised they picked out the girl he talked to yesterday. “Well, I’m not fully surprised. Three in ten isn’t the worst odds. So, if you don’t mind, might I ask why?”

Ren smirked at the provocation. “I think they’re bringing justice to people who couldn’t be brought to justice using conventional methods. People who go overlooked by the justice system in favor of people who are easier to apprehend.”

The whole room was shook. “I see,” Akechi said. “While I am no stranger to some of the shortcomings of traditional police work, the answer isn’t to take the law into your own hands. I agree that things need to change, but this might be going overboard.”

“And who will help the people that need it in the meantime?” Ren asked. “If they’re only going after criminals, then what’s the issue?”

“Hm. You do bring up a good point” Akechi answered. “They are helping people who otherwise cannot ask for it. But again, where does it end? What is a criminal to an unknown group of people? Someone might say I’m an upstanding citizen, but if these thieves think I’m a criminal, then there’s nothing I can do to stop them from changing my heart.”

Ren was peeved, but continued. “Even if that’s the case, how do you know that would happen?” she asked. “People make all sorts of judgments about people they don’t know all the time. It might be smarter to keep those preconceived notions to yourself until you’re face to face with an actual Phantom Thief. Unless you want to provoke them to steal your heart.”

“Oooooooo” the crowd said, collectively.

Akechi smiled. “That’s a fair assessment. While it’s true that all of this is speculative, I can’t be certain one way or another until that face to face meeting occurs. And until then, I need to be honest about how I feel. That’s fair on my part, don’t you think so?”

Everyone looked at Ren. “Yeah” she relented.

Akechi smiled. “Still, I thank you. This has been a most interesting conversation, and I am beginning to rethink some of my conclusions. So thank you.” He bowed.

The crowd erupted. “My, this is the first time Akechi-san seemed so grateful after an audience interaction.”

“My apologies to all those other guests,” Akechi responded. “It’s just, as a detective, and a third year student, I have so much on my mind.”

“Of course,” the female host said, turning to her seat. “Well, I think that does it for today. Join us again, won’t you?” The filming stopped

The audience got out of their seats one by one. Ren, Morgana, Ann, and Ryuji met up in an area by themselves. “Man, that detective!” Ryuji cursed. “Sayin’ we’re the bad guys.”

“Yeah, but some of what he was saying makes sense,” Ann tentatively agreed. “I mean, if someone else had these abilities, what’s stopping them from doing evil things?”

“Well it’s good that it’s us then” Morgana reminded them. “He might have his own sense of justice, but we have ours. And we plan to stick to it until the end.”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself” Ren complimented.

“By the way, you did great up there,” Ann said. “If it were Ryuji, he’d probably blurt out that it’s us.”

“Hey!” Ryuji said, taking offence. He relaxed. “But yeah, you were super cool! You put that detective in his place.”

Ren blushed. “Thanks.”

Ann checked the time. “It’s almost time to go. I’m gonna go get a drink of water. Be right back.” She left.

“I’m gonna head back,” Ryuji said. “The teachers have been watching me like a hawk. Maybe they think I’m up to somethin’ cause I haven’t done anything out of line yet. You wait for Ann, and I’ll wait for the two of you over there, ‘K?” Ren nodded. Ryuji left.

“Pardon me,” Akechi said. He walked up to Ren. “I didn’t wish to interrupt your conversation with your friends again. I wanted to thank you personally. As Hegel said, new ideas can’t be brought out without thesis and antithesis. Still, our conversation today was excellent.” He reached out his left hand. “I wish to continue our discussions, and perhaps we could even become friends, Miss…”

Ren began reaching with her right hand but stopped herself. She switched hands and said “Amamiya. Ren Amamiya.”

They shook. “I see. Well, Miss Amamiya, I look forward to our next conversation.”

I am thou... Thou art I… Thou hast acquired a new vow...

It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Justice Persona I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power.

Justice-Goro Akechi: Rank 1

“Shall we exchange contact information?” Akechich asked. Ren nodded, and they did so.

“Akechi-san” Shinichi from behind him.

Akechi turned around. “Ah Mr. Yoshizawa. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Well, I did wish to thank you for your interview today,” Shinichi said. “Our ratings and people messaging in are through the roof.”

“You’re too kind,” Akechi replied.

“But” Shinichi said, getting a little more serious, causing Akechi to worry a bit, “I’m here to make sure you're not harassing this young woman here. She’s my daughter’s best friend, you know?”

“Sumire’s…” Akechi said, shocked. Meanwhile, Ren blushed at the notion of being Sumire’s best friend. He smiled. “I see. No wonder you make such a wonderful debate partner.”

Ren was perplexed. “You know Sumire?”

“We’ve met once or twice,” Akechi said. “Whenever she was here to visit Mr. Yoshizawa here. I don’t know her as well as you do, but we are friendly with each other, and I know it can be hard for her to get close to people. So anyone she is close with, let alone someone she considers her best friend, is alright in my book.” Ren smiled. “Well, I should get going. I’ve got a million other things I need to attend to.”

“As do I,” Shinichi said. They both walked off.

“OK, I’m back,” Ann said. “Where's Ryuji?”

“He’s with the teachers to take us back,” Ren said. “Apparently the teachers are keeping a sharp eye on him.”

“Yeah, I guess it is hard to believe he can behave himself,” Ann said. “Still, I know he can do it,” she smiled. “Let’s head out then. Don’t wanna keep them waiting.” Ren nodded, and together they met up with the rest of the students and headed out.

#persona fanfiction #persona 5 #persona 5 royal #p5 femc #p5r rework #p5 rework #p5r #p5 #FeMC #female ren #ren amamiya #makoto niijima #ann takamaki #Ryuji Sakamoto #morgana #Sumire #shinichi yoshizawa #akechi

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nejitenforlife · 4 years ago

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NejiTen Month 2020

Day 11 - Pirate AU (Part 2)

Please read part 1 if you haven’t already, before reading this part of the story. The final part will (hopefully) be out tomorrow. I hope you enjoy this part of the story!

Word Count: 2,612

Tenten instantly felt the change of temperature upon awakening. Where she was warm in the storeroom, she could not stop shivering in this new location. After opening her eyes, she realized she had been moved to the brig, a revelation that angered Tenten more than frightened her.

How dare the captain put her behind bars! She was a lady—a woman of station—and he had no right to show such disrespect to her person. Of course, she knew she didn’t look like a woman at the moment. No, she looked more like a homeless person from the streets, not the wealthy young lady she was.

Which was for the best. Tenten refused to give her real identity away to this man—even if he decided to torture her for it. Telling him would equal death—not just her own, but his and his crew’s as well. Not that Tenten should care one bit about what might happen to him or his crew members, but she didn’t want to be caught up in more of her father’s—and his—mess than necessary.

Tenten wondered if the captain would be willing to let her go once he reached his destination in exchange for her working on board. It would be preferable than being kept in this cold, damp cell. But even if she must remain here, if he promised to let her go once they reached land, she wouldn’t complain. Hell, she even contemplated warming his bed for the duration of their journey if that was what persuade him to let her leave without harm. For surely by now her fiancé knew of her absence and was rallying his men to find her.

Tenten would take her chances with these pirates over being handed back to that man.

So no, she would not tell the captain who she was, and she would do everything in her power to leave this ship and make a new life on some unremarkable small town, somewhere her fiancé would never find her.

“Are you awake?”

The voice startled Tenten and she jumped, her head whipping around to find the speaker. A man stepped into the dingy lamp light, holding a tray in his hands.

“The captain asked me to make sure you had enough water, since you seemed dehydrated,” he said, letting himself into the cell and placing the tray in front of her with a kind smile. “He also told me to get you some food. I’m sorry it is only basic. The captain would flog me if he found out I fed you anything other than what he told me to.”

Tenten didn’t care. The piece of crusty bread and watered down soup looked like heaven compared to the raw vegetables she had been eating every day. She would have loved some stew, or something with chunks of meat in it, but she wouldn’t complain. This was more than she had expected to receive from the pirate captain, and she would be an idiot to be ungrateful for it.

“Thank you.” Tenten smiled at the kind pirate, wondering how such a man found this sort living.

“My name is Rock Lee, but you may just call me Lee. I am the first mate to captain Neji Hyuga of the Crimson Night. What is your name?”

Tenten had heard of the Crimson Night. The crew weren’t as vicious as other pirates, but they were still ruthless, and they revelled in looting other ships, pirate or otherwise. Tenten supposed she was fortunate to have found herself onto a ship that took captives instead of killing all their enemies, and she had never heard of stories of the crew of the Crimson Night raping people. But just because she hadn’t heard of it, did not mean it didn’t happen…

“Your name, miss?” the first officer asked again, watching her with shrewd, guarded eyes. Tenten got the feeling that although he was kind to her, he wasn’t one to be trifled with.

“I’m nobody,” she replied. She grabbed the jug of water off the tray and took a huge gulp, not wanting to keep eye contact with the pirate. Although the water tasted slightly stale, she felt as though she could cry as it ran down her throat to settle in her belly. Nothing had ever tasted so nice.

“Even so, you must have a name.”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to say.”

“If you are unwilling to say, I can only assume that you are a lady of means and you are afraid we will recognise the name and hold you for ransom. That, or you are running from someone and do not wish for us to spill your secrets to them.” He spoke in an amused tone, as though he was just making it up, but Tenten knew he meant the words, and she had to stop herself from panicking at just how close to the truth he had come—on both counts.

“Does it matter what my name is?” she snapped, using anger to hide her fear. “You can only be planning to either kill me or let me go, and I don’t see why my name is relevant in either case. If you want to kill me for stowing away on your ship, just do it. I’d rather not have my imminent death dragged out. And if you’re planning on letting me go, then we won’t see each other again so what’s so important about knowing it?”

Lee held her gaze and Tenten had to fight not to squirm under his perusal. There was no way she was going to back down from this. As soon as they knew who she was they would attempt to benefit from that fact. And yes, she realized she could have lied, but this man seemed smart—smarter than perhaps he let on to others—and she wasn’t a very good liar to begin with. It was best for her to just keep her mouth shut so as not to incriminate herself any further.

“Very well then.” He stood up, gave her another long look, then nodded. “I must go. Maybe you will feel like telling the captain.”

Tenten didn’t think a sentence so innocuous could be said in such a threatening way, and she decided to re-evaluate the nice-guy image she had in her head of him. Of course he wasn’t a nice guy. He was a pirate for goodness sake! There was nothing good about pirates.

The first mate locked the cell behind him, taking with him the only lamp and leaving her in complete and utter darkness.

“Captain,” the female captive said from her place on the floor. She was still wearing men’s clothes, and it allowed her to move freely inside the cell, instead of being encumbered by so many layers. Still, Neji wouldn’t mind seeing her in her usual attire—clothes that would hug her body instead of sitting like a shapeless rag.

“Lady,” he nodded in reply, coming to stand at the outside of her cell door.

It had been two days since she was taken to the brig, and Neji had to admit that she was looking better. Not a lot cleaner—he had only allowed her some water and a rag to wash her face and hands, and was still yet to see a bath—but her face held colour once more and she seemed brighter, more alert than when he had found her.

“Is it lunch time yet?” she asked, eyes darting behind him in case Lee was following with a tray of food.

Neji wanted to snort at the gall of her. She was his prisoner; she would be fed when he deemed it appropriate. Hell, he had every right to withhold food from her since she was withholding information from him.

“Lee will bring something shortly,” he replied instead, unable to deny her.

Neji had been visiting his prisoner since the first day she had been transferred to the brig, and each day he found himself looking forward to seeing her. She was a breath of fresh air on this testosterone filled ship, and she didn’t seem intimidated by him. More than once he found himself butting heads with her, but he found her wit and intelligence attractive.

His captive smiled, and not for the first time Neji wondered what those lips would feel like against his. “And a bath too?”

Her eyes were twinkling as she asked, but he detected the hopeful note in her voice. A smirk tugged at his lips. “You get a bath when you tell me who you are.”

She pouted, her shoulders slumping under the blanket he had provided for her on her first day in the brig, after he had noticed how her body shivered in the dark room.

“I’m kind of hoping you get so sick of the stench of me that you have no choice but to order me to take a bath,” she admitted with a grin.

Neji raised an eyebrow at her. “I was not aware that I had the ability to order you to do anything.”

She laughed at his words, the noise feminine and utterly enchanting. “True. Not many people can get away with telling me what to do.”

Not for the first time, Neji had to tell himself why it would be a bad idea to enter the cell with her. He wasn’t worried she would attack him, but he was worried about his own reaction to being so close to her, seeing as though he already felt attracted to the mysterious woman. He pulled up a chair and sat by the door, knowing he would be there a while despite his mind telling him he had more important things to do.

“Captain,” Lee appeared at his side, too early for lunch to be served.

“What is it, Lee?” Neji didn’t want to be annoyed at his first mate, but he also didn’t like being disturbed when he was speaking with his captive.

“Kiba has spotted a ship in the distance, travelling in our direction. It could be nothing, but he wanted to make sure you knew either way.”

“Pirates?” If they were, Neji would be more than happy to fight them head on. Otherwise, he would rather continue undisturbed, not only because their arrival at their destination was time sensitive, but now because he didn’t want to risk any harm coming to his captive if a fight broke out.

“Nay, Captain. It’s a navy ship.”

“Keep an eye on them but let them be. We are too busy to have a skirmish with the navy right now.”

“Aye, Captain. I will inform you if anything changes.”

Neji nodded, satisfied that his men would do their jobs properly. He didn’t believe the navy ship would bother them, but he wasn’t going to be caught off guard either. “Good. You may go.”

Turning back to look at his pretty captive, Neji was startled to see the colour had drained from her face and she was shaking even more than on her first day in the hold, when she had been freezing. He frowned, worried that she had suddenly become ill.

“Are you well?” he asked her, trying to keep the concern from his tone. It wouldn’t do him any good if his captive found out he had taken a shine to her.

Her eyes met his, wild and… frightened? What did she have to be frightened about?

“Don’t engage with them,” she said with an unsteady voice. “Please. If they came after you, don’t fight them.”

Was she worried about a battle? No doubt, if this was her first time on a ship, of course she would be a little apprehensive.

Neji tried to give her a comforting smile, though he wasn’t sure it worked. “You do not need to be afraid. My men are skilled fighters, and I will not let harm come to you.”

But his captive was shaking her head, her body shaking uncontrollably. “No, no, no, no. You can’t. Please!”

He wasn’t sure why this was upsetting her, and Neji didn’t know how to comfort her, so he tried to change the topic. “I am getting tired of calling you ‘lady’. Will you tell me your name so I can call you appropriately?”

Her head snapped up to his, as though it was the first time he had asked her the question. She paled further, making Neji more concerned that something was ailing her. “No, I won’t tell you. Maybe…” she paused, thinking, and then met his gaze. “If you flee from them, I will tell you.”

What made her so certain that the navy ship would attack them? Lee had said they were a distance away, and naval ships rarely tried to fight pirates if they did not have backup—they knew pirates had a reputation of fighting dirty. Neji wasn’t worried, but his captive seemed to think it inevitable that a fight would ensue.

“I am afraid that I cannot make such a promise,” he told her. “I am a pirate; if someone wishes to go against me then they will regret it.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could do so Neji heard feet pounding down the stairs to the brig.

“Captain! They are turning astaboard and readying their cannons!” Lee’s voice was loud and urgent in the quiet of the room, but Neji was still able to make out the sharp intake of breath from inside the cell.

“Ready the cannons, then. If a fight is what they want, then a fight is what they shall have.” He stood, knowing his men needed direction, though he didn’t want to leave his captive alone in her cell. A part of him wanted to stay with her and reassure her but he knew he couldn’t. He was the captain of his ship, and it was his duty to make sure they came out victorious from this fight—he needed to be with his crew.

“Wait!” His captive scrambled to her feet and clutched at the cell doors, just inches from where he was standing. Her eyes held fear like he had never seen before. “At least give me a knife or a dagger to defend myself. I’ll die otherwise!”

Neji frowned, not only because she wanted a weapon to defend herself against the navy—people she should be overjoyed to see at that moment—but also because of the finality of her voice. Did she truly believe she would be killed in this skirmish?

“I will not let you die. You will be safe here.” Neji longed to do something more, to prove he would keep his word. But what would it look like to his first mate if he reached through the bars to caress her face? No, that would not be a good idea.

“I will keep you safe,” he promised, his voice low. He fixed his eyes on hers, willing her to believe him, but she shook her head and stepped away from the grates, a look of defeat on her face. She didn’t believe him. Neji was surprised at how much that hurt, but he couldn’t fault her for not trusting him. They may have formed a rapport over the last few days, but she was still his prisoner.

He turned his back on her and made his way up the stairs, his first mate hot on his heels. He would take care of this problem, but he wouldn’t stay away from his captive for long.

It was about time they got to know each other better.

#NejitenMonth2020 #Nejiten Fanfiction #Day 11

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onewfantaesy · 4 years ago

Text

“Did you wash your hair yesterday?”

“No.”

“Then I want you to wash it tonight.”

Taemin whines and groans and flops over on the couch. It’s another Friday night of sleeping at Luna and Onew’s - both his parents were working late and had called Luna at five o’ clock to say Taemin needed to stay with her that night.

“Do I have to take a shower?” Taemin whines.

“Yes,” Luna laughs. “Why are boys so gross? Go take a shower!”

“We haven’t even had dinner yet!”

“Taemin,” Luna sighs, leaning over the back of the couch to look at him. “If I so nicely let you play your little game until dinnertime, will you promise to take a shower and wash your hair as soon as you’re done eating? With no arguing?”

“Yes.”

“It’s a deal then,” she says. “And you better eat all your vegetables.”

“That wasn’t part of the deal.”

“I’m making it part of the deal.”

Taemin whines and huffs and pouts, but he doesn’t argue. He just keeps playing the Pokémon game he got back a week ago.

An hour later, Taemin is huffing and stomping down the hall in his pajamas, his hair wet and dripping on the collar of his shirt.

“I don’t like your bathroom,” he whines, flopping back on the couch to sit with Luna. “It’s too small!”

“You are so spoiled it’s unbelievable.”

“What’s that s’posed to mean?” He whines, pouting at her.

“You’re too young to be complaining that my very normal sized second bathroom is too small. Little kids shouldn’t be so spoiled like you are with big giant en suite bathrooms.”

“It’s not like you didn’t have the same kinda bathroom when you were little,” Taemin scoffs. Luna only laughs.

“And just what gave you that idea?”

Taemin only looks confused.

“It’s - It’s Daddy’s house,” he stammers.

“Yeah, it is now,” Luna says gently. She smiles at him, laughs a little again, and tries not to make him feel bad. She can tell he’s confused, she doesn’t want to make it worse. “But when I was little, Daddy and my mommy lived in a different house.”

“Oh,” Taemin mumbles. “Was it not the same kinda house?”

“No, it was more like this house.”

“Oh. How come?”

“Well.” It’s Luna’s turn to stutter, not quite sure how to explain. “Daddy didn’t used to make as much money as he does now, so he couldn’t afford it.”

Now Taemin just looks more confused.

“Wasn’t Daddy always a lawyer?”

“Yeah, no matter what job you have, you never make as much at the beginning as you do once you’ve been doing it for a while.”

“What did your mommy do?”

Luna smiles and hugs him close to her, “She was a nurse, like me. She still is. You know that, you’ve met her.”

Taemin hums, and he leans against her side. She thinks he’s done with the questions fornthe night, so she tries to focus what’s on TV. And they’re both quiet for a while, just sitting on the couch together. But then Taemin’s questions start again.

“What was your mommy like when you were little?” he asks, his voice quiet.

Luna takes in a deep breath, trying to think.

“She was so fun when I was little,” she tells him. “We used to make blankets a lot, like the ones I make for you at Christmas still. And you know, Daddy used to work really late all the time even back then.”

She hugs him a little tighter and rubs her fingers through his still-wet hair, trying to comfort him.

“And sometimes, my mom and I would make Daddy his favorite desserts and bring them to the office so he knew we missed him.”

“Brownies?” Taemin asks, looking up at her.

“Brownies,” Luna confirms, smiling. “And sometimes lemon bars - during the summer - and sometimes cupcakes and sometimes cookies. Things he could eat in the office easily.”

Taemin laughs a little bit, and he’s got a big smile on this face. And it gives Luna an idea, and she grins back at him.

“Do you want to help me make some brownies, and we can go take them to Daddy and your mommy?”

“Can we?” Taemin asks, turning towards her. “Is it too late?”

“It’s only 6:30,” Luna hums. “I think it’d be okay. So do you want to?”

“Yes!”

After an hour spent giggling and licking whisks and taking taste tests, Luna is ushering taemin out to the car with the Tupperware full of still-warm brownies. He has a jacket on over his pajamas and his feet were shoved into his shoes, his heels crushing the backs. He’s so excited, Luna is watching him through the rear-view mirror, and he’s just got a big silly smile on his face. His mother is their father’s main secretary, it’s how they met. While it slightly bothers Luna, she knows Taemin doesn’t really realize what that means.

She regrets coming up with this idea almost immediately, however. As soon as they step through the door to their father’s firm, Luna can hear giggling and other explicit noises coming from his office. But it’s clear there’s more than just Taemin’s mother inside.

“Ew, are Mommy and Daddy kissing?” Taemin asks loudly, making a disgusted noise. “You said they were working!”

“I think they’re busy,” Luna says quickly, steering Taemin back out of the room.

“But the brownies,” Taemin says softly, gripping the Tupperware.

“Um, here,” Luna says. “We can leave them on your Monmy’s desk, and you can leave a note. Okay? I think they’re working on something important, so let’s go quickly.”

“It’s not the same,” Taemin mumbles, but he puts the brownies in his mom’s desk, leaves a note on a spare piece of paper that says From Taemin and Luna ♥️ in Taemin’s messy handwriting.

Luna doesn’t think they even heard them come in. It disgusts her, but she doesn’t let Taemin see. After getting home and telling Taemin to head to bed, she has a very heated discussion with Onew in their bedroom, trying to keep her voice low.

“A threesome!” She gasps, pulling back the bed covers and moving pillows around. “They asked us to watch him because they’re too busy having a threesome! With his other secretary! She’s younger than I am, Onew!”

“I know,” he sighs. “But there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s just a good thing you didn’t let Taemin see anything.”

“God, can you imagine? He’s nine-years-old! He’s nine, Onew! And his parents are out having a threesome with some twenty-five-year-old!”

They hadn’t even heard the door creak open, hadn’t seen Taemin inch inside and hug the door until he mumbles, “What’s a threesome?”

“Taemin!” Luna gasps, her eyes wide as she turns to him. Meanwhile, Onew looks like a deer in headlights.

“What is it?” Taemin asks, still gripping the doorknob and fidgeting from foot to foot. “Is it bad?”

“No,” Luna says carefully, clearing her throat. “Um, Onew, why don’t you explain?”

Onew glares at her a bit, annoyed that she’s passing it off to him.

“Well,” Onew starts and it’s his turn to clear his throat. He also waves Taemin over, trying to get him away from hugging the door. “You know how when a Mommy and Daddy love each other very much-”

“Are you gonna start talking about sex?” Taemin whines. “Why?”

“How do you know what sex is?” Onew snaps.

“‘Cause we had family life class last month,” Taemin scoffs. “I know how babies are made, I paid attention!”

“Oh really now?” Onew asks, laughing a bit. “Explain it to me, then.”

“Yeah, the guy puts his penis inside her, they kiss or something, and then nine months later the lady poops a baby out her vagina,” Taemin explains. “Which is just a girl butthole, I don’t get why it has a special name.”

Luna and Onew, meanwhile, are cracking up. It’s a terrible, horrible, and inappropriate situation, but listening to Taemin’s explanation of sex is just too much.

“I think your teacher needs to be better evaluated,” Onew laughs.

Taemin still looks confused, but Luna just waves Taemin closer and hugs him, pulling him down on the bed.

“Why’re you laughing?” Taemin whines, falling on the bed next to her.

“Because you’re too funny,” she says softly.

“They’re not making a baby, are they?” he whines, suddenly looking very upset. “I don’t want another brother or sister! You’re enough!”

Luna would laugh if she wasn’t so horrified about the whole situation.

“I don’t think they’re making another baby,” Luna says, trying to calm him down.

“But what’s a threesome?” Taemin mumbles. “Why won’t you tell me? Why were they doing it?”

“It’s a grown-up thing, sweetie.”

“If you don’t tell me I’ll just Google it later.”

“Do not Google it,” Luna says in a firm voice. “Do you understand? It’s inappropriate.”

“What is it?” he whispers. “Tell me.”

“It’s,” She stutters, trying to look to Onew. He just shrugs. “It’s when three people have sex instead of just two.”

“How?”

He looks beyond confused, and Luna thinks it would be almost funny if it wasn’t simultaneously destroying her baby brother’s innocence.

“I don’t know,” she tells him. “It’s not something I’ve ever done.”

“Is it not normal?”

“I think these are questions you’re still too young for,” she says gently. “I think it’s time you went to bed.”

“You said they were working,” he mumbles, fiddling with a blanket. “That that was why I’m spending the night at your house.”

“They are working, sweetie,” Luna says, smoothing back his hair. “Daddy has a very important case right now, and your mommy is helping him.”

“Is a threesome a case?” he snaps, pouting at her. He looks almost mad, and Luna doesn’t blame him.

“No, it’s not,” she admits. “But we don’t know that they aren’t still working.”

“I wanna go home,” he whispers, moving to hide his face in her neck.

“I know,” she whispers back. Then she smiles and tries to tease him, “But you’re stuck with us for now.”

“I think it’s time for bed,” Onew says softly.

“Come on,” Luna says, helping Taemin sit up with her. “I’ll come tuck you in, okay?”

“I’m not little anymore,” Taemin mumbles. “You don’t have’ta tuck me in.”

“Well I want to,” she teases. “Humor me.”

She brings him into the extra bedroom he stays in when he’s with them, pulls back the covers, and kneels down next to the bed.

“Hey Taeminnie,” she says gently, smoothing back his hair. “When you go home tomorrow, do you think you can do something for me?”

“Uh-huh.”

“I think it would be best if you didn’t mention any of this threesome stuff to your parents.”

“Why not?”

“Because most grown-ups don’t like talking about that sort of stuff with kids. It’s inappropriate.”

“If it’s inappropriate, then why were they doing it?”

“Sweetie,” Luna sighs, tucking his hair behind his ears. “It’s just inappropriate to talk about it with kids, is all.”

“When I’m older, will you tell me why it’s not okay to talk to them about it?” He whispers, playing with the blanket on his bed.

“I’ll tell you all about it when you’re older,” she says. “I promise. When you’re a teenager, I’ll tell you. Okay?”

“What kinda teenager?” he asks. “When I’m thirteen?”

“Try eighteen.”

“Fourteen?”

“Eighteen,” she insists. “Now go to sleep, okay? I’ll make you anything you want for breakfast in the morning.”

“Will you stay a little longer?” he whispers, one his hands gripping hers. “Til I fall asleep?”

“Yeah,” she agrees. “I’ll stay as long as you want.”

Taemin is still pouting, still looks sad, but he flips on his side so he’s facing her and tries to go to sleep. Luna rubs his arm softly, tries to lull him to sleep as best she can. He falls asleep after about twenty minutes, but she stays about ten minutes more. Until Onew comes in to check on them, and he brings her back to bed.

Luna is beyond upset. What was supposed to be a sweet, adorable evening spent with her little brother so quickly turned into something horrifying out of a bad daytime TV movie. And now her baby brother is asking about threesomes and talking about sex and it breaks her heart. She doesn’t know what to do about it.

#taemin #shinee #onew #luna #prankster au

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kitaychan · 4 years ago

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White Flame

Chapter 8

Rating: M

Warnings: Blood, Psychological Horror

General Summary: Royal/ Magical AU. As their two Kingdoms get closer to a war, the past keeps on hovering around their choices. Prince Ivan has a hard time controlling his magical powers while being tormented by a mysterious ghost and Prince Alfred embarcs in seeking a revenge that might cost more than it’s worth it.

Preview: Ivan took out the clock and showed it to him, smiling slightly at the other. “Oh, you mean this?”

Vladimir stepped back, frowning and glaring at him. “I… I advise you to clean that… as well as the wolf,”

“Pardon me?”

“Holly water won’t erase those stains,” his red eyes glinted mischievously, he darted away without other word.

Observing

The fireplace was lit, the windows closed to keep the warm air inside, the room was neat, except for the pair of shoes thrown aside carelessly. In the floor laid a spacious carpet, the beautiful engraves in it hidden by the figure sitting on top of it. Blonde hair was tousled and moved with each shake coming from his owner. Clenching at his stomach, with teary eyes, laugher escaped from the blonde’s lips.

Tolys’ voice broke into the room, he sat beside the blonde, crossing his arms. “Don’t laugh Feliks, I felt really bad for her. She was crying when the guards took her out, she said something about her family but I don’t remember very well.”

The laugher ceased and Feliks sat up. “Oh, no Tolys that’s awful. I am not laughing at that. I am not heartless,” -He wiped a tear from his eye- “but Ivan made a fool of himself in front of everyone. He acted like a child, Yekaterina had to calm his tantrum.”

The brunette furrowed his eyebrows. The wood was cracking and the fire grew brighter. “I don’t see why you are happy, now he will be mad all week. You also need to be more careful with how you treat them and how you talk about me.”

A small laugh and Feliks purred. “Oh, poor Tolys is scared of what Ivan might do to him?”

Tolys glanced back to see the blonde passing his hand through the carpet. “You don’t understand Feliks, It’s not funny, I don’t want to push my luck in here. Yekaterina seems kind but she isn’t stupid, Lady Natalya has suggested throwing me out of here and so far Ivan paying no heed to her is what has kept me around. They don’t trust me.”

Feliks paused, staring intently at the royal engravings in the fireplace. “I know, that’s why I am planning to hide you away.”

The brunette let out a nervous laugh, glancing at the door. “Don’t joke around like that. If he hears us he might ask for your head in a plate.”

“As if he isn’t now.”

Tolys took the blonde’s hand giving it a light squish. “You have to be careful.”

Feliks enveloped him in a hug and whispered. “No, you are the one who has to take care of yourself. I don’t want them to kill you.”

The brunette returned the embrace, muttering softly. “They won’t, Ivan has been decent, he might be a good friend.”

Feliks pushed him apart and scoffed. “Yeah, said that to the ones who died because of him and his greediness.”

“Feliks, that was his father, not him.”

The blonde stood up, walking to the fireplace his eyes following the dance of the flames. “He was there with them. You didn’t saw him, he was galloping with the soldiers, he was leading the army that besieged my city. He killed him.”

The brunette stayed silent, it was of no use to talk to Feliks now, when he was in that state he would get furious, trashing at Tolys if he dared to defend Ivan. Tolys understood the blonde’s frustration, it was humiliating to be under other’s reign, but he also understood Ivan’s situation, being the prince he had to take part in the battles, even more so with such father, it was part of his duty as the heir.

After some moments of silence, Feliks spoke up again. “Why do you think he made a fuss over a clock?”

Tolys shrugged, reaching for the abandoned shoes on the floor. “His father gave it to him.”

Feliks turned to him, receiving the footwear. “It’s not a secret that Ivan hates his father if that’s the case, he’d be glad to get rid of it.”

“I don’t know, perhaps he feels regret, he must be grieving after all. Yekaterina has weighted him with her sorrows but not even once have I seen her asking him how he feels.”

The blonde sat down to try on the shoes, glaring at the untouched state of them. “Tolys, you talk about him as if you pitied him, I want you to disobey him.”

“It’s not that simple.”

Feliks stood up, giving some hesitant steps. “He is not your friend, he doesn’t deserve your kindness.”- He jumped making Tolys step back.-“You’ll leave with me tomorrow.”

The brunette looked worriedly at him, fidgeting with his hands. “Feliks-”

The blonde headed to the door, interrupting him. “No excuses, we’ll have a trip to the countryside.”

Without any other words, Feliks left, leaving Tolys confused and anxious. He glanced at the fireplace, the flames had died down, the ashes and the little wood left were still burning, coated in a bright red warmth.

He straightened his posture and went back to the main hall, if not they would notice his absence.

---

Ivan searched around in the library.

Unluckily, he could not find any book regarding magic itself, there were mentions of it in the history books but none of them gave actual instructions. At the end, he had entertained himself with a book of tales tales that his mother used to read to him, it was more of a epic tale than a children’s book, describing battles against a wicked enemy with outstanding detail. He remembered half of the stories but the endings were new to him as he’d usually fell asleep somewhere between the middle.

He heard someone’s footsteps, and turned around, Katya’s face was beaming with excitement and her eyes traveled around the shelves, she smiled at him. “I am glad that you are trying to learn by yourself.”

Ivan nodded, burying his face in the book again.

“You know that Roderich has quit, right?”

He hummed, going through the pages quickly until Katya’s hand stopped him, she closed the book. “Now I have to find another tutor.”

“Good, I didn’t like him anyway.” Ivan opened the book again, an illustration of a tower engulfed in flames could be seen, a cloud of smoke rising above, soldiers nearing the place, following a general that pointed towards the fire but what got him interested was the clock hanging on the horse reins, it looked like a strange detail to add.

Katya shook his shoulder, raising her voice. “Why do you try to make things harder for me?”

”You brought him from a foreign land and expected me to discuss philosophy and literature with someone who only deems his culture as valid. I asked him about the arts of magic and he evaluated that knowledge as “basic and plain”, everything I do is wrong because it’s not refined or modern.”

She took the book from him, glancing at the pages and rolling her eyes. “Perhaps it is plain, we have to make a lot of changes, you like this library, I picked the books based on their advances and we can’t rely on magic because we know nothing about it, this library was filled with old books, full of dust and cobwebs.”

Ivan frowned. “Katya, we don’t even know what the laboratory is for, Where are the older books?”

“Some were burned, others were gifted and I left the one’s father used in his office. I spared the one you are holding because I know how much you treasure it but I regret doing so, these fairytales are useless.”

“Those fairytales are part of our history, Katya. You can’t erase that.”

Ivan glanced down at the book, scowling. He'd have to search in his father’s office, the place gave him chills, not only figuratively but literally, it was the coldest room in the palace, even Katya refused to stay in there longer than necessary.

Her voice was thunderous, echoing in the library, she was showing him the same illustration from earlier. “We can’t keep looking back, look where that has brought us! Two reigns of constant war, we can change that, we already did.”

Ivan looked at her intently, her eyes were tearing up. He stood up, taking the book from her and embraced her, she hugged back tightly.

Her voice shook as she tried to keep herself from sobbing. “I’m sorry-”

“It’s fine, Katya. I was behaving poorly today”

She sighed, turning to the table and smiling again. “No, Feliks was difficult. You have my permission to insult him next time.” she glanced at the book again and chuckled, pointing at the drawing, “that looks like father’s clock”

Ivan nodded, feeling a prickle of regret at the mention of it.

As they were walking together into the hall, Tolys approached them, bowing slightly and addressing Yekaterina. “Some of the guests are planning to leave and Lady Natalya is asking for you.”

Katya hurried off to talk with Natalya, leaving Ivan without a word. He stood awkwardly with Tolys, next to a window, Ivan tried to seem interested in the view.

A familiar man greeted him, this was prince Vladimir, the last time they’d seen each other he was signing his loss and accepting the terms of the repositions.

He had a sly smile on his face, his eyes standing out for their strange almost reddish color. “I see that you are just as superstitious as your father, I don’t know if I should feel flattered or offended,”

Ivan frowned, staring back, it was strange how he talked with such confidence towards him. “Excuse me, I do not know what you are talking about.”

He snickered, glancing outside of the window. “You didn’t have to wear silver to meet me. Be coherent with your sister's words, there must be a bit of trust between all of us.”

Ivan took out the clock and showed it to him, smiling slightly at the other. “Oh, you mean this?”

Vladimir stepped back, frowning and glaring at him. “I… I advise you to clean that… as well as the wolf,”

“Pardon me?”

“Holly water won’t erase those stains,” his red eyes glinted mischievously, he darted away without other word.

Ivan felt uneasy, he glanced at his hands and the clock, it kept on marching consistently, the silver artifact was completely clean.

He put it back on his pocket, flinching when Tolys placed a hand on his shoulder. ”Do not pay him any heed, your majesty. Vladimir has always been a bit strange, he used to claim to be a vampyre.”

Ivan nodded slowly, shaking his head. “Tolys what happened to the girl?”

The brunette shrugged. “I escorted her out as you asked.”

“I need you to bring her back.” Tolys’ eyes were questioning but he didn’t utter a word. Ivan averted his gaze. “I made a mistake, it is only fair that I apologize.”

---

The moonlight sipped through the window, barely illuminating the delicate hands moving mechanically, blue eyes darted from the wooden door to the window. Natalia was observing quietly, her silent and patient demeanor were the key of her existence, without them, she would have gone crazy a long time ago. Ignoring the dearest person to her was not easy.

Natalia focused on the handkerchief and the needle on her hands, a haunting thought made her heart clench, what if he didn’t love her? what was her purpose if she failed in the only thing she had to fulfill?

Shaking her head, she glanced down, trying to embroider a sun as she was instructed to do, her mother said activities like knitting and embroidery were relaxing but she was desperate, she wanted to tear the kerchief apart and run away.

A sight escaped from her, she would not keep following her mother’s instructions, she came back to her task, mind and heart in it, patience, she reminded herself, doing stitch after stitch, changing the thread, humming to herself, stealing a glance to the moon, and returning to her work, placing a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear, and adding the final touches to it.

When it was finished, she smiled to herself, proud of her work an embroidered sunflower with delicate leaves around it, making it seem like it was falling, she folded the kerchief, and placed it in a little box alongside some letters.

She heard footsteps in the hallway, could it be that he wanted to talk with her? Natalya waited patiently but the footsteps grew further away, she opened the door slowly, barely catching the sight of Feliks and behind him a nervous looking Tolys, he glanced to his sides before disappearing from her view.

Natalya frowned and closed her door again, she would not give him more letters, they didn’t work, words were meaningless, she had to show him she was useful, loyal and brave, she had scared him and she knew it, he was avoiding her. So, she’d be his eyes outside of the palace, she’ll keep those two under her gaze, and if necessary, she’d interviene, that way he’d realize the truth, that she loved him even if it meant to separate from him. She would assure him her devotion.

#hetalia #aph russia #aph belarus #aph ukraine #aph lithuania #hetalia fanfiction #aph romania #hws russia #hws belarus #hws ukraine #hws lithuania

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myhauntedsalem · 5 years ago

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10 Cops Share Their Scariest Paranormal Encounters

1. THE PHONE CALL

2. THE HANGING SOLDIER

3. “SHE’S INSIDE THE HOUSE”

I made my way back inside the house and the lady (now trembling in a corner) told me, “She’s inside the house.”

4. THE ABANDONED HOUSE

Told dispatch nobody was in the house, locked the back door and never went back in there again.

5. THE DISAPPEARING PASSENGER

Besides himself he contacted the police, it later transpired that at the very point the passenger disappeared there had been a fatal accident involving a motorcyclist about 20yrs previously.

It still sends shivers up my spine and I still have a copy of the incident print. I spoke with the officers who attended and they were confident the man was a genuine everyday fella!

6. THE FOOTPRINT

Freaked the ever loving shit out of us and to this day, my partner refuses to go into that school.

7. THE FLYING MAN

8. “I NEED YOUR HELP”

Not a police officer, but a 911 dispatcher.

Multiple calls to the phone company confirmed that the phone line had been disconnected, and the call was not coming from another address.

9. POSSESSED

There was some talk about arresting the brother but nothing ever came of it. I still can vividly remember that voice, it still makes my blood run cold.

10. BREAK IN AT THE MORGUE

The custodian found the right key and carefully turned it in the lock. Click. “We’re coming in! Have your hands up!”

Friend’s father is a devout Christian, does not believe in ghosts or the supernatural (even now), doesn’t know what to make of this event.

#10 Cops Share Their Scariest Paranormal Encounters #paranormal #ghost and hauntings #ghost and spirits

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