#and yet they still copy my OC at every turn

[katsigian]

[ereardon]

Snowed In || Friday [Jake Seresin x OC]

A Jake Seresin AU miniseries

Summary: When a massive storm shutters every airport in New York, you receive an unexpected call. Jake Seresin, the ex-boyfriend of your college roommate, is stranded at JFK with nowhere to go. Somehow you find yourself hosting Jake for a long weekend in your studio apartment. What happens when you realize that maybe your long-standing hatred for him was covering up something else? 

Pairing: Jake “Hangman” Seresin x OC [Ella Finnley]

Trope: Forced proximity; enemies to lovers

Warnings: Cursing, references to cheating, eventual smut

Wordcount: 3.2K 

Masterlist here

“And this just in. More than a foot of snow is expected in areas across the Tri-State, with Scarsdale already at seven inches and counting. LaGuardia has shut down their runway, with Newark and John F Kennedy airport soon to follow.” 

You groaned, flicking off the TV and opening the cabinets. They were predicting the worst storm in two decades and somehow all you had in the cupboard was a lifetime supply of ramen noodles and red wine. 

Outside, the snow was falling in soft clumps. You looked out the window which overlooked Fifth Avenue. Very few cars or taxis were on the road, and the people who were outside looked miserable. 

And then the phone rang. You dove for it, expected it to be your mom with yet another tidbit of news that she thought was groundbreaking, as if you didn’t already know that Diet Coke was bad for you, but the male voice on the other end startled you. 

“Ella?” 

You squinted, pulling the phone back and registering the caller ID. Jake Seresin. You groaned. “What could you possibly want, Jake?” 

“Nice to hear from you, too,” he replied and you rolled your eyes. It had been a decade since you last heard from Jake Seresin. He was just as obnoxious as you remembered. 

“Listen, Seresin, if you called just to give me shit, I didn’t need a reminder that you’re a dick. Memory serves well enough. Goodbye.” 

“El, wait!” 

You frowned. “What?” 

His voice softened. “I’m sorry to do this,” he said and you felt your stomach tightening. “But you’re the only person I know in the city.” Jake paused. “I’m stuck at JFK.” 

“Don’t eat the egg sandwich,” you said, recalling a moldy sandwich you had gotten once at the airport on the way to Berlin. “Have a good flight, Jake.” 

“Ella, I’m stranded,” he said and you groaned. “Can I stay with you? Just until the airports open back up.” 

You looked outside. In the two minutes since Jake had called, snow had started to fall faster, coating the streets and sidewalks and innocent pedestrians. 

“I’m sorry,” he said and for perhaps the first time that you had known him in almost fifteen years, Jake Seresin sounded genuine. “I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t my only option.” 

Jake Seresin. The last time you had seen him, he was standing in the doorway of your college apartment with a bouquet of flowers that Suzannah had grabbed and trampled on in fury. 

“Ella? Are you still there?” 

“Fine,” you said, surprising even yourself. “Fifth and 12th Street. Apartment 4B.” 

“I owe you, El.” 

“Two days, Seresin,” you replied. “Anything more and you get a hotel.” 

“I’ll see you soon.”

***

You had hated Jake Seresin for as long as you could remember. Or at least, since the first time you saw his smug face in a poli sci lecture. He was sitting in the back, drinking a cup of coffee and doodling on a notebook. At the end of class, he had come right up to you and asked if he could copy your notes. When you said no, asking why he hadn’t taken his own notes, he had called you sweetheart and shot his best grin. 

You turned on your heel and walked away. 

Two years later, your roommate Suzannah has been stupid enough to fall for his charm, and you were treated to the unfortunate experience of having to listen to the two of them having sex behind the thin walls of your apartment. More than once you had stumbled into a shirtless Jake in the bathroom, smelling like sex and acidic cologne. Once he had walked in on you naked and instead of hurrying out like a normal person, he had leered. 

You had doubled down on your hatred for him from that moment on. 

When the doorbell buzzed you sighed, peering at the small ring camera before pressing the buzzer. “Come up.” 

The minute between buzzing him in and Jake knocking on the door felt like a century. It always did. There was something so awkward about shuffling around, waiting for the door but not wanting to be too eager to open it when the knock finally came. 

Taking a deep breath, you swung the door open. 

Jake Seresin in the flesh. The same goofy, brilliant grin from a decade before. Sandy blond hair dotted with melting snowflakes, cheeks ruddy and pink from the cold. He wore a light jacket, far too light for the extreme weather, and held a duffle bag in one hand, cowboy boots soggy and wet, dripping on your doormat. 

“Jake.” 

He smiled, leaning in for a hug and you pulled back at the last second so he stumbled over the threshold. Jake righted himself. “Ella. Still hate me, I see.” 

You turned, shaking your head. The sound of the door closing was followed by the plop of Jake’s bag on the ground. “Shoes off,” you called out, and there was a clattering as he kicked off his boots. 

Jake appeared a moment later, his jacket removed, revealing a tight henley shirt and a pair of jeans. He took a look around the studio. It was surprisingly large, for New York standards. Not Sex and the City unrealistic, but nice, with an alcove to the right that held your queen sized bed, a large couch against one wall and a dining area in the center. 

The galley kitchen off the main hallway was large and the bathroom was relatively spacious for a studio. It had just been you for so long that you didn’t think twice about the size. But something about Jake in your space made you realize maybe it wasn’t as spacious as it looked to your smaller frame. He hulked in the hallway. 

“Nice place,” he said. “Been here long?” 

“Four years.” 

He tipped his head. “Always knew you were going to end up in New York, didn’t you?” 

You sighed, plopping down on one end of the couch, crossing one leg over the other. “What are you doing here, Seresin?” 

“I told you, I was stranded at the airport,” Jake replied, stepping forward and taking a seat on the chair opposite of the couch. You grimaced. His outdoor pants were touching your indoor furniture. That was the downside of having guests. If Jake could even be considered a guest. Don’t guests have to be invited? Or wanted. 

“On your way to where? Somewhere without extradition laws?” 

Jake rolled his eyes. “Ten years, Finn. Ten years and you haven’t changed.” 

“Have you?”

The words clung to the air. The elephant in the room. It didn’t matter that it had been nearly a decade since the last time you had seen Jake Seresin. 

His betrayal still stung, even if it had never been directed at you. 

“Ella,” he whispered. Outside, the sky was darkening. Without the constant bumper-to-bumper traffic that was a given on Fifth Ave, the street was uncomfortably dark. There was a dampness that chilled your bones, even from the comfort of being inside. “Please. Can we just put aside the past for the next few days?” He looked older. Small lines at the corners of his eyes. Jake Seresin had a loud, boisterous laugh, you remembered that about him. The way he could liven up a party. The way he could make you feel like you were the only person in the room. 

This time you were. 

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Finn?” he said, bringing back your nickname from college. “Truce?” 

You leaned back against the soft white couch cushion. “Fine.” 

Jake grinned. It was magnetic and you hated him for it. “Well, let’s celebrate then. Got anything to drink?” 

“Been here one minute and you need a drink already?” you asked, standing up. Jake’s eyes roamed over your leggings and sweater as you made your way into the kitchen, emerging a moment later with a bottle of wine and two glasses. “Someone never got over their frat days I see.” 

Jake reached out, taking the bottle from your hands and turning it on its side. “You must be doing OK,” he said. “This is a one hundred dollar bottle of wine.” You handed him the wine opener and he undid the top easily, sliding out the cork and laying it on a stack of magazines on the marble coffee table. 

“Anything is better than that Franzia shit you used to love.” 

Jake ignored your comment, instead turning the bottle and reading the label. “I did a wine tour in Lebanon a few years ago. This was one of my favorite vineyards.”

You frowned, holding out a glass and he tipped the neck of the bottle against the thin rim, dribbling it into your glass. “So did I. That’s where I got that bottle.” You pointed to the 2015 Chateau Musar in his hand. 

“What were you doing in Lebanon?” 

“Writing a story,” you replied. “What about you?” 

“Went with a friend,” Jake said. “We met in Portugul and decided fuck it, let’s go to Lebanon.” 

“Still wildly dependable I see.” 

“I have a job, Ella. I’m an adult.” 

You laughed, tugging your knees to your chest. “Oh yeah?” 

Jake nodded, setting the bottle of wine down. You let your eyes roam over his fancy jeans, cashmere socks, shiny watch that you hadn’t noticed before. Maybe he wasn’t lying. Maybe he was doing OK for himself. 

“Fine,” you said, taking a sip of your wine. “You have a job. Slow clap. Who doesn’t?” 

Jake shook his head. “Still bitter,” he replied, tilting his glass to his lips. “Whatever happened to you and Connor Gray?” 

“Oh God,” you muttered. “Fuck no. Do you know what he’s doing now? He’s a fucking DJ in Bushwick.” You mimed gagging. “I’d rather eat my left foot than date some Chelsea-boot-wearing guy who drinks craft beer and tries to serenade me on a hot rooftop in Brooklyn on his shitty guitar.” 

Jake tipped his head back with a laugh. It filled the room. You had almost forgotten how boisterous his laugh could be. 

“What about you?” you asked. “Any poor unsuspecting women?” There was no ring on his finger, no tan line or dent to show that perhaps he was divorced instead. 

“Nope.” Jake put his glass down. “Single.”

“Really? Jake Seresin, single.” 

“It’s hard out there, Finn,” he said, his voice hitting a register you couldn’t quite place. Something between sadness and begging for understanding. 

“You were never without a date to a formal in college. Couldn’t even go out without girls throwing themselves at you.” You shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t think the player in you would just shrivel up and die the minute we hit thirty.” 

“I’m still twenty nine,” Jake corrected. “And I don’t know what to tell you, El. It was fun for a while. But then I started to feel kind of gross. Like Leo DiCaprio. A new girl all the time. I couldn’t go to a single wedding without people asking about the girl who I had brought to the last one. But she was long gone.” He paused. “Couldn’t tell you the last time I saw the same girl for more than a month or three dates.”  

You frowned. Jake Seresin, a reformed manwhore? Not possible. 

He shrugged. “There, is that my dues for the night? Told you my dating life so now you owe me shelter from the storm?” 

“For now,” you said, standing up. “Interrogation can resume later. I’m hungry.” 

“Then let’s eat.” Jake looked outside. “It’s pretty shit out.” 

“Agreed.”

“What do you have for food?” 

You winced. “Honestly? I mostly eat out, so not much.” 

Jake stood up, brushing past you so closely you could feel his broad chest press against you for a second on his way toward the kitchen. “I’ll figure something out. You relax.” 

“Relax? With you in my apartment? Fat chance, Seresin.” 

He rolled his eyes. “Going to be a long weekend, isn’t it, Finn?” 

***

Jake somehow managed to make a perfectly edible dinner out of the almost-expired food in your fridge and what was left in the pantry. The two of you sat at the small two-person table you had pressed against one set of windows overlooking Fifth Ave. 

Anyone looking in might think it was a date. Even though Jake had dated Suzannah for almost a year, you two had barely spent any alone time together. That’s how you always tried to keep it with your friends’ significant others. A simple conversation here and there, usually while your friend was showering or getting ready or coming back from the store. 

Never like this. 

After dinner, Jake insisted on cleaning. As if it would make up for the countless times he had left shit in your apartment sink in college. You stood at the window, watching the snow pummel from the sky, coating the street in a thick blanket that it couldn’t shake. There was no one outside walking around. It felt apocalyptic and you cringed knowing that you still had at least a day alone with Jake and nothing to do but be in each other’s presence. 

“It’s dark in here,” Jake said, startling you. You turned as he reached for the overhead light. 

“Stop,” you said and he froze. “Lamps, dumbass. Why do men always want to use ceiling lights? Do you like being bathed in fluorescent light?” You strode over to the dresser along one wall, flicking on a candle warmer lamp and another small lamp on the far side of the room. Warm light spilled out into the room. 

“Does it matter?” Jake asked. 

“Yes.” 

Jake shook his head. “Alright, Finn. I’m all yours. What do you want to do?” 

“You mean other than throw you out in the snow on your ass?” 

Jake stepped closer. “Am I really that bad?” he whispered. 

You looked up. Clear green eyes, perfect almond tanned skin. Hair swept back in a carefree manner. You could tell why Suzannah has lost her fucking mind over him all those years ago. He really was too pretty to be true. “Maybe.” 

Jake looked around. “Well I would say I can get out of your hair for a few hours, but there’s not really many options.” He was right. Minus the alcove where your bed sat, the apartment was a pretty open floor plan. 

“Let’s just watch TV and watch the minutes tick by on the longest day known to mankind.” 

Reluctantly, you settled down onto the couch and flipped on the TV. After scrolling for a solid five minutes, Jake groaned. 

“What, Seresin?” you demanded. 

“Take longer,” he complained. 

“Fine, you do it.” You shoved the remote into his chest, trying to ignore how nice his chest felt beneath his shirt. 

Jake took the clicker and flicked through the apps before settling on a movie. 

“No,” you argued. 

He turned to you with a grin. “It’s a guilty pleasure. Humor me, Finn.” 

You grimaced as Twilight started. Jake laughed his way through the serious parts of the movie, cackling out loud at the spider monkey bit and you found yourself laughing along next to him. God, Carlisle really was hot. So was Charlie. That’s how you knew you were almost thirty. 

By the end of the movie, the two of you had shifted comfortably on the couch. You were no longer three feet apart. Instead, your feet were crossed over each other, almost precariously touching Jake’s where they sat propped up on the coffee table. 

It was the first time in years that you could remember sitting through an entire movie without some guy trying to feel you up or make a movie. 

The credits started to roll and you reached for the remote just as Jake did. You pulled your hand back like it was on fire and he handed it to you. “Sorry,” Jake said softly. His voice had grown huskier in the hour and a half since the movie started. “Your TV. Your remote.” 

“It’s fine,” you said and it was gentle. He smiled. There was something devilish about Jake Seresin’s smile. It was too perfect. You cleared your throat. “I, um, should get to bed

“Me too.” 

You stood up, clicking off the TV. The room felt darker without it, just the soft lamps illuminating small circles of light. “I’m going to shower. I’ll get you some blankets and pillows. The couch should be big enough for you.” 

“Thanks, El.” There was something so genuine about the way he said it that threw you off. Who was this stranger and what had he done with the dickwad from Stanford? “For letting me stay.” 

“See how much you like me after a night of sleeping on that,” you replied, digging in the closet near the hallway for pillows and a comforter, dumping them in Jake’s arms. “Do you, um, need to use the bathroom first?” 

“I’ll go after you.” 

In the shower, you were acutely aware that no more than twenty feet away, Jake Seresin was fiddling around in your apartment. You had spent hundreds and hundreds of hours with him at Stanford, but this was different and you both knew it. When you entered the living room, steam pummeling out of the bathroom door, Jake looked up from where he stood shirtless in the living room. “Oh, God!” you exclaimed, holding one hand up to your face. “What the fuck?” 

“Fuck, fuck, sorry!” Jake grabbed for his t-shirt on the couch, tugging it on. “OK, you’re safe. All clear.” 

“This isn’t Barcelona, Seresin,” you complained, stepping toward the dresser and sliding open a drawer, pulling out a pair of silk pajamas. “Or a rave in someone’s basement.” 

He sat down on the edge of the couch cushion. “Been that long since you’ve seen a shirtless guy, huh, El?” 

You hated that he was right. “Fuck off.” 

Jake chuckled. “Sorry, couldn’t help it.” 

“Maybe that’s why no girl wants to date you for more than a week,” you snapped. “Because you’re a dick.” 

Silence hung in the air, thick like the snow clumping on the streets outside the window. You held your breath, letting your lungs sit there and burn. Jake’s eyes haunted yours. 

You felt bad. Never had you ever expected to feel bad for Jake Seresin. Golden boy. Womanizer. Player extraordinaire. But this was obviously a sore spot and you knew it. 

He looked sad, sitting in your apartment living room in the near-dark, face drawn and quiet. An unease squeezed at your stomach. 

“Jake, I–”

Jake stood, cutting you off. “It’s fine. I’m going to use the bathroom if that’s OK.” 

“Yeah, sure.” 

You watched his frame disappear down the hallway, rounding the corner into the subway tiled bathroom. As you sat down in your silk robe at the edge of your bed, the silence in the apartment, usually so comforting as an alternative to the bustle of the city outside, felt stifling. When Jake returned in the dark, flicking off the final light and settling onto the couch, you held your breath, waiting for him to say something. 

But nothing ever came. The two of you laid there, ten feet apart, separated by a wall of silence. 

You had spent ten years who knows how many miles away from Jake Seresin and never given him another thought. Why was it that ten feet now felt like a lap around the equator? 

The chill in the room wasn’t in your head and it wasn’t from the blizzard outside. You and Jake had created frost all on your own. 

Tag list [using my list from The Off-Season since it's my most up-to-date Jake list but if you're not interested in these types of fics just let me know!):

@double-j @topguncultleader @momc95 @hangmandruigandmav

@teacupsandtopgun @xomrsalliej4787xo @xoxabs88xox @blue-aconite @seresinhangmanjake @eminyourjeans @shawnsblue @babyminghao @sadpetalsstuff @angelbabyange @taytaylala12 @wkndwlff @mygyn @oneelleandaneye @averyhotchner @rosiahills22 @djs8891 @rxmtoon @valkyrja-siren-blog @horseshoegirl @abaker74 @clancycucumber230 @theharddeck @redbarn1995 @shanimallina87

@memeorydotcom @joaquinwhorres @bobfloydsbabe @gretagerwigsmuse @djs8891

@blackcatdhisgf @fangirlvoice @buckysteveloki-me  @eli2447 @bellaireland1981 

[starcrossedxwriter]

Wicked Fantasies Part 3 (MBJ x Black OC)

Warnings: NSFW, Smut with a plot, Heavy BDSM (spanking, bondage, daddy kink, name calling)

Raven hoisted one of the three heavy canvas bags onto her shoulder as she hastily swung open her door. She let out a shocked yelp as she looked up from her phone to find Michael standing at her door, his arm frozen in air as if she had interrupted his attempt to knock. She glanced from him to her beaten up watch. They still had hours before her date.

“Oh… hi? W-what are you doing here? Did I miss a text or something? N-Not that I don’t wanna see you or anything.” She added quickly. She certainly was not complaining. She would never grow tired of seeing him,  he looked damn good per usual. 

He laughed. “Yea, I texted you an hour ago saying I was gonna pick you up? Hair and makeup is waiting at my spot for you.” 

She hit herself in the forehead, frustrated with herself. “Ugh, I’m so sorry. Been running around town and lost track of time. Do you think we have 20 minutes to spare? I really need to drop these off.” Her arms weakly lifted up the other two bags in her hands, both heavy laden with books. 

“What is all this?” 

“Just books for the kids in book club. It looks like a lot but most of them live on the same streets or in the same apartment buildings so it’s not many stops. Promise.” 

He waved her hand to dismiss her clear anxiety and stress. “No worries. We got plenty of time.”

She let out a breath of relief. “Perfect, thanks. You know you didn’t have to do all this? Hair and makeup… I was just gonna do it myself before I came over.” 

Though his presence was a surprise, Raven would have been lying if it was not a welcomed one. She had filled the morning with pampering, as he requested. She had been shocked to find an envelope filled with $2,500 in cash under her door the day before with a note that said this was her first payment and to use a portion of it to get a mani, pedi, and whatever other self care things she chose in preparation for their date.  

Her first instinct was to give it all back since it was not part of their agreement. However, he seemed to anticipate that action and warned her not to try to return it or he would just find another way to give it to her. So she used it for the things he requested and to get a wax and then used part of it to buy all the books for the kids in her club since the library did not have enough copies. She sat aside a small portion to cover the rest of her rent. The rest was sitting in her wallet until she could deposit it in the bank to replenish her savings. Though she knew her father or sister would likely come calling needing something at some point. They seemed to have a sixth sense for when she came into any amount of cash. 

“Nah, all good. We’ll need to post on instagram after the night so professional hair and makeup will help.” 

“And you really didn’t need to pay me. I haven’t done anything yet.” She dropped the bags so she could lock her door. However, when she turned to pick them up, they were already in his hands and one was outstretched to take the one on her shoulder. 

She bit down the independent voice in her head that wanted to tell him she did not need help. And she didn’t but she rarely had anyone offer to help her with anything so she appreciated someone lightening the load for her. Besides, as she watched his bulging biceps flex, she could tell the three bags weighed nothing for him. 

“You agreed, which was more than you had to do. Consider it a signing bonus.” 

Their journey around her neighborhood was virtually silent, Raven instructing the driver where to go and jumping out at each stop. Michael waited for her at each one, surveying the neighborhood and people watching through his tinted windows. 

He did understand what she meant about community. Every time she got out of the car, he could hear her chatting with folks who were outside, see her waving and interacting with people. It seemed like she knew everyone, and not just in a polite way like she knew their faces but nothing more. She knew their names and details of their lives, checked in on people on a far deeper level than most people ever cared to. 

“You a local celebrity yourself, seems like?” He asked as they drove to her last stop, which he found odd since she still had a bag full of books left. 

She shrugged. “Not really. I just know a lot of people between the library and their kids. Also just being around, you meet folks. I like to walk so you know, eventually you just get to know everyone.”

“This neighborhood is safe to walk in?” 

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, dad. It is. You gotta leave Beverly Hills or where you live at sometime. Right here is perfect,” she told the driver as he pulled up in front of an apartment building. She glanced down at her phone. “He’s on his way down. This is the last one.” She paused before sitting up in her seat. “Oh and I never got your name?” 

Michael’s driver glanced in the rearview, surprised she was talking to him. “Oh, Allen, ma’am.” 

“Allen, got it. Nice to meet you. Thank you, I’m sure all these stops were not on your to-do list. I appreciate it.” 

Allen merely nodded. “No thanks necessary. I go wherever Mr. Jordan tells me.” 

“Well I’ll say thank you anyway,” she told him with a smile as she rolled down her window. A few moments later, a lanky kid made his way out of the building, Raven’s manicured hand waving him over. 

“Hey Jamal!” 

“Yooooo Ms. T. This a fine ass whip. Where you get this at??”

“Boy… language,” she reminded him as he braced himself on the frame of the car. However, her voice was void of any real discipline. “Got you something.” She pulled the last book out of one of the bags and slid it into his hands. “And…” She handed him the entirety of the third bag, the young man rifling through it to find several brand new SAT prep books, practice tests, and vocabulary flash cards. “Saw you hunched over that one in the library and it’s a hot mess so figured you’d need new ones.” 

His face immediately lit up. “Thanks, Ms. T. These are clutch. That one had all the answers marked up and sh- stuff.” 

She chuckled. “I know, I know. We tell people not to write in them but they don’t listen. Well, just wanted to make sure you got those before the weekend was done. Won’t hold you up for too long. How’s your mom?” 

The young man’s eyes dimmed ever so slightly, his shoulders hunching over in exhaustion. “She’s better. Back at work this week. But we gotta catch up on bills so it’ll be a rough two weeks till her paycheck. Behind on things since the funeral…” his voice trailed off.  

Raven adored all the teens who frequented her book club and would go above and beyond for every single one of them. But there was a soft spot in her heart for Jamal. 

“Rent’s paid and good though?” 

“Yea, that’s it. Every other bill though…” 

She grabbed her purse, which was sitting in the middle seat between her and Michael. Truth be told, she was so caught up in her conversation that she forgot he was even there. She grabbed the rest of the cash out of her wallet and slid it into his hands. 

“Here. Utilities first, whatever’s left, see if you can get caught up on the other stuff like your mom’s car and stuff like that. It’s probably not enough for everything but should get you caught up on the most important stuff until your mom’s back on her feet.” 

He immediately shook his head and tried to thrust the money back toward her. 

“Nah, I can’t take that. I walk in with that much cash, ma’ll ask where I got it and we can’t repay you for months.” 

Raven pushed his arm back gently and smiled. “Tell your mom it was payment for computer support at the library. You recovered a year’s worth of work on my laptop two weeks ago, which was honestly priceless. I owed you.” 

“You sure?” he turned the money clip over in his hand. “This gotta be a grand or more here.”  

“Positive. Just remember lil ole me when you start the next Google. Cool?” She winked at him as he nodded enthusiastically. “Enjoy the rest of the weekend. See you on Wednesday.” 

She waved at him before rolling up the window, the driver taking off to drive them toward downtown. She noticed Michael staring at her with an incredulous look on his face. 

“What?” She asked softly, wondering if he was upset that she gave his money away. Well, technically it was hers now but she knew he intended on her spending it on herself, not blowing it on someone else within 24 hours. However, she knew better than anyone that sometimes people just needed a boost and someone willing to give it to them, no strings attached. No one had ever done that for her when she needed it so, when she could, she tried to do it for others.  

However, he just turned and glanced out the window. “Nothing.” 

She opened her mouth to explain herself before closing it immediately and fidgeting with her phone. She did not know what to say or how to explain herself or if she even should. So she opted to say nothing. If he was mad because she was a giving person, he would just have to be mad. 

***

She was fine when they first arrived at Michael’s place. However, she quickly realized that the styling of the rich and famous was far from the relaxing experience she would have envisioned. Michael barely had time to introduce her before the glam team and Michael’s stylist started bombarding her with questions about “her look.” And she had no earthly idea. When she stripped in college and for her dates, she had to curate a look but the point was always to show off her sex appeal. It was fairly simple. This was far from simple. 

She stayed silent as Michael’s manager and stylist argued back and forth, a heated tennis match that she could not get a word into even if she tried. 

“That’s too sexy… we’re not trying to make it seem like he’s dating a fuckin’ video vixen.” Alex dismissed yet another dress the stylist pulled out for her without giving Raven even a chance to look at it.  

“But look at those curves. No one’s gonna want to see him with a church girl either. That looks hella forced.” 

“It needs to look like a regular date night. If she’s too dressed up, it’ll seem orchestrated. This is their introduction, it’s gotta strike the right tone. She needs to compliment him but also stand out cause no one covets the vapid trophy girlfriend anymore. But she can’t outshine him, that’ll lead to too much attention she and we don’t need.This photo is gonna follow them for the entirety of their relationship so it’s gotta be perfect.” 

Raven sheepishly glanced between all of them as they talked about her like she was not sitting there getting her hair done. She sent a pointed glare at Michael, begging him to take over and say something. After all, he was the only person in the room who knew even the first thing about her. And he did not disappoint, immediately swooping in like her own personal Avenger. 

“I think we’re overthinking this a lot. It’ll be more natural if we keep her style the way it is. Ain’t gotta dress her up into something she’s not. Some of this ain’t her anyway.” 

Michael made quick work of narrowing the options down, immediately eliminating all the ones Raven silently hated herself… everything that was loud or too outrageous. By the end of his pruning, they were left with a more palatable selection of muted tones, all items that Raven would have dreamed to have in her closet one day. He held them up one by one, having her dismiss or keep each one until she was down to two options. 

She opted for an olive midi silk dress. It was simple but elegant and classic. And felt like exactly what Michael wanted: an elevated take on her own style. 

By the time they finished her make up and blew out her coils and she stepped into the dress, she almost didn’t recognize herself. 

While Raven was good for a daily natural beat, she could not deny the power of professional makeup. The glam team made her routine look like child’s play. 

She stood in front of the full length mirror in the second bedroom and studied herself, her fingers grazing over the soft silky material hugging her hips. She was so enthralled by it that she did not even notice Michael in the doorway staring at her. 

“You like it?” 

“I love it. How’d you pick these out?” 

He smiled. “I sent my stylist your Instagram and he had pieces pulled for you. I bought this one and the other ones you liked. They’ll be in the closet here so you can wear them on dates. So we aint gotta go through all that shit every week.” 

“And how much was that bill?” 

“An amount that you don’t need to worry about.” He answered shortly before walking up behind her. He ran his fingers through the big curls they put into her hair. His hand moved to her shoulder, her breathing hiking slightly as his fingers grazed her bare skin to move all her hair out of the way. “Hold it up for me.” 

He reached around and placed a gold choker around her neck. He adjusted it before she let her hair fall around her. 

Michael’s hands grabbed her hips to turn her around in his grip, his eyes trained on the tops of her breasts, perfectly pushed up and on display in the deep neckline of the dress. He licked his lips as he drank her in, part of him wanting to forgo the date and public spectacle to fuck her brains out. But he forced himself to take a step back. 

Just business, he reminded himself as he stuffed his hands in his slacks. Just business. 

He cleared his throat, “You ready?” 

Raven merely offered him a nod, afraid if she spoke, her voice would betray her and reveal the overwhelming need she felt. She hated the effect he had on her. He was the sweetest addiction, her body craved him. And she had been feeling the effects of that withdrawal since the first night they met. She could still feel the ghost of his hands on her, the paths he treaded etched into her skin like a brand. But she knew this was merely sex. No feelings, no desire beyond pleasure. That was the only way this would work. 

She nodded and fell into step behind him as he led her down to his car. She opted for silence as they drove, her sole focus trained on trying to ensure she did not pass out again as her anxieties ran wild in her mind. Once was a fluke but twice? She did not think she could survive such embarrassment.

Typical LA traffic slowed their approach to the restaurant to a dreadful crawl, giving Raven several minutes to stare at the gang of paparazzi and cameras packed out at the entrance. She supposed it was great that the owner and chef had such a significant buzz for their opening night, and was the perfect introduction for their relationship. But as she counted each person holding a camera, she could not help but look down at herself and wonder if she had made a terrible mistake agreeing to this. If it were possible for her knuckles to turn white as she gripped the door with all her might, they would have as a million and one ways she could embarrass herself popped up in her brain. 

What if the paparazzi saw right through her? She may be dressed in the role of a star’s girlfriend but she was far from it, a regular girl with nothing spectacular or special about her. And certainly nothing that would have made someone as handsome and important as Michael look twice at her. Was it even believable for him to date someone like her? What if she did something to embarrass her in the mere ten feet she needed to walk? She glanced down at her impossibly high heeled shoes. What if she fell?

It also did not help that, as she inched closer and closer to the cameras, she realized that this step made their ruse real. It was one thing for his team to put out a statement with her first name and allude to a girlfriend. But now, she would be putting her face and identity to it, giving the world the ability to private detective their way into every faucet of her life. Was that a mistake? Was she playing with fire to allow anyone close enough to discover the skeletons she kept hidden in the closet? Would she wake up tomorrow morning to find all of her dirty laundry in a viral tik tok for the whole world to see and dissect? 

“Hey, hey, Raven, breathe for me.” She felt two hands grab her cheek lightly, clearly cognizant of not disrupting her makeup as they forced her eyes toward his kind ones. “There you are,” he whispered, his voice light as if she would crumble if he spoke too loudly. “Deep breaths for me.” 

At first, she was confused as to why they seemed so filled with concern. That is until she heard it, the ragged breathing that filled the car. It took her longer than it should have to recognize it as her own. 

“Circle to the back, Allen.” 

“N-No, no!” She called out, a bit louder than she intended. “Y-You’re paying me to do this. I c-can do it.” She hated that she was already failing him. She was utterly useless to him. “J-Just got overwhelmed. F-feel l-like I’m g-gonna have a heart attack,” she admitted as she pressed one palm into her bare chest. “I’m sorry. I-I can do it.” 

Michael immediately shook his head at her insistenting. He knew this would be overwhelming. His hand rested on the meat of her thigh, the slit in her dress allowing his warmth to touch her skin, an action she immediately found calming. 

“Don’t apologize, aight?” He helped her slow her breathing while he rubbed gentle patterns into her skin. “You’re about to be on every gossip site and your life’s about to change. I’d be more worried if you weren’t freaked out. We’ll go in through the back.” 

She clenched her eyes shut, hating herself for disappointing him. “How am I managing to ruin every interaction between us?” She mumbled. “Like a fucking’ embarrassment magnet over here.” 

“Aint shit to be embarrassed about. Panic is normal, swarms of those fuckin’ vultures is terrifyin’  even for people who are used to it. We’ll go in the back, by the time we leave, there’ll be way less of them and easier to get out. We already got our picture for the gram so we’re good. You fulfilled your duties for the night and then some. The rest’s just for fun.” 

“You sure?” She bit her lip as she studied him, expecting to find anger or annoyance. 

He tugged her painted lip out from between her teeth and nodded. “We’re good. Now relax, take some deep breaths. We’re gonna enjoy dinner and then go back to my spot and enjoy some other things. I promise we’re good.” 

He reached over and pried her fingers from the door and took it into his. “Wanna squeeze somethin, squeeze my hand instead. I’m right by you the whole time, promise.” 

Raven found her heart was still racing but she did feel more at ease and she knew it was all because of him. He did not take his hand off her thigh as Allen looped them around to the alley behind the restaurant so they could enter through the kitchen.

Before they stepped out of the car, Michael squeezed her hand. “Just take a breath and enjoy the night.”

And he was not wrong. The restaurant was spectacular and bustling as the owner led them to their table. 

“This is amazing.” Raven’s eyes drank in the soft decor of the restaurant, it felt intimate and romantic. “How’d you find this place again?” 

He shrugged. “One of my boys… well’s one of my boys’ boys opened this spot. Figured it was a good option for our first date. Get him a lil publicity and it’s a natural reason for us to be out on the town. And I knew we could get a hella secluded table.” 

She nodded, their table was perfect. They could see most of the main restaurant and main dining without actually being in the midst of everyone. They were tucked away and hidden, which eased most of her remaining anxiety. 

He ordered a bottle for them, the pair sipping on wine as the head chef brought them his specialized tasting menu. She enjoyed not having to think and decide what to order as dish after dish made its way to them in a steady fashion. 

“Can I ask you a question?” Michael asked, the pair sitting in comfortable silence for a bit as they ate. 

“Shoot.” 

“Did you spend any of that money on yourself?” 

Raven tilted her head to study him, trying to decipher if he was upset. “Yea, I did what you asked. Manis, pedis, wax. And then I set aside a bit for the rest of this month’s rent. And then I used some to buy all those books and gave the rest to Jamal.” She sat her fork down. “I hope that’s ok?” 

“You don’t gotta ask me how to spend the money you earned and I paid you.” He chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. “I was just curious. Why’d you have to buy the books?” 

“I don’t have to,” she admitted. “But the kids use the library copies and then can’t keep them when they like the book. Since I had the cash, thought’d it be nice just to buy the copies so they can keep them. These kids all love to read, just trying to help foster that in small ways.” 

“But what about you?” 

“What do you mean? I own a million books as you saw,” She chuckled as her attention focused back on her plate.

“Nah you don’t need a single other book,” he teased before lowering his voice. “I mean… you lost your job. You didn’t have shit to do with that money for yourself?” 

“Oh of course I did. But I dunno, when someone needs a boost, I give it. Besides, I always figure my shit out.” She paused before adding, “Part of building community is taking care of others. And you hope if you ever need it, they’ll take care of you.”

“Who takes care of you now?” 

Raven stilled. For some reason, that simple question knocked the wind out of her. 

“Since I met you, all I’ve seen you do is take care of other people. Inconvenience yourself and sacrifice for it seems like… everyone you know. Tasha has an emergency so you take care of her client even though you’ve never met me before, which I know was terrifying. You’re sitting in a hospital bed and you spend hella bread to bail someone who didn’t seem to appreciate you at all outta jail. You get paid and you spend pennies of it on yourself before giving it all away to someone else. I’m in a bind professionally so you agree to change your whole life, even just temporarily to help me out.” 

She jumped in, “Yea but I’m getting something outta this whole thing too.” 

“Ok fair. But still… Your coworkers, your neighbors, these kids, even me. I mean it’s great that you care so much but who takes care of you? Who sacrifices or inconveniences themselves for you?” 

She rolled the stem of her wine glass in her fingers as she contemplated his words. 

“No one,” she whispered, the two words felt painful leaving her lips. Saying them forced her to acknowledge an ache she ignored on a daily basis but now she felt it and she wished she could lock the pain away again. But she knew he knew the answer before he even asked it. She cleared her throat, forcing herself not to fall into that sea of despair. If she thought too much about it, she’d never break through the surface again. So she offered a nonchalant shrug and a half smile. “It’s not bad though, I guess? Been taking care of myself since I was 19. Got pretty good at it.” 

“That ain’t lonely?” 

“Maybe if I knew something different? But that's all I know so it’s fine.” She took a long sip of her wine hoping to end the conversation there but she could feel him studying her. 

He wondered why that was, she was so vibrant and kind, too kind for this world in his opinion. Did she not have a family? Friends? People who cared whether she was safe and attended to. He simply could not fathom having someone like her in his life and not ensuring she had the world resting at her feet. 

“So who takes care of you, superstar?” She flipped the question around on him, desperate to remove the uncomfortable spotlight of vulnerability from her. 

“My family, they keep me grounded… keep me sane. Make sure I’m not runnin’ myself completely into the ground, though I still do a lot.” 

She raised her glass and lifted it toward him as if to toast him. “That’s good. Everyone deserves that.”

He could hear the sadness in her voice, a sign that she longed for what he had. He was used to people coveting his life but it was always the money, the fame, the women, the superficial things that could disappear within an instant. It was never the one thing he often forgot was not the norm for everyone: the love and support of family. He took care of them financially but that was a small price to pay for the emotional support and care they offered him along the way. 

“Yea, they do. So I feel like I should know more about you if we’re gonna sell this whole thing.” 

“What? You wanna play 20 questions or something?” 

“Nah, I just don’t know shit about you except your name and that you’re soft as fuck,” he winked at her, which caused her to roll her eyes. “I don’t know where you grew up, where you went to school, if you went to school, your major, hell I don’t even know your birthday.” 

She nodded and leaned forward.  “Ummm ok. Grew up in North Carolina, went to UNC for college, took out loans and worked a couple jobs to afford it but I got through it. And October 15.” 

His eyes grew wide. “Wait, that shit is in like two weeks? You only giving me 14 days to put together a celebration worthy of our fake relationship. Ain’t enough time, baby girl.”

“Because you don’t need to. I don’t celebrate my birthday, never have. It’s just another day.”

He was shocked at how her tone and demeanor shifted at such a simple conversation. Who didn’t enjoy their birthday? However, it was very clear to him that she did not. Her body shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she tried to force a neutral expression on her face but it did not really work. He tucked that information away for another day, so many questions and conversations he had but knew he could not ask today.  

“Understood. Can I, at least, take you to dinner?” He could not imagine letting the day pass without celebrating her somehow. He quickly added as he could see her starting to shake her head. “Some tik tok detective’ll figure out your birthday and then the blogs will think it's weird if it passes and we don’t do anything.” 

She hated it but she knew he was right. 

“Fine. But no fancy shit or gifts,” she warned. “Just dinner and you’ll pay me like any other date.” 

“Aight. Fair enough.” However, he knew that there was no way he was letting her birthday go by without getting her a gift of some kind. He did not care if he had to send it anonymously to her damn apartment. 

“What else do you wanna know?” She asked, shuffling the conversation away from her least favorite day of the year to other topics. 

“You said you’ve been on your own since you were 19. You’ve always done… you know?” He tilted his head causing her to laugh. 

She understood why he was being discreet. There was no one table close enough to hear their low conversation but that did not mean wait staff or others were not lurking around. 

“No, I didn’t jump off the deep end immediately. I worked on campus, work study shit for my loans and I danced,” she put a slight emphasis on ‘danced’ to ensure he understood the implication. “It was Durham so not the biggest market in the world but I was good and it paid the bills. When hard times came around again, an old friend from those days hooked me up with Helen… figured why not. Thought it would pay better and faster than a club.” She shrugged. 

 “You said you were a writer. Publish anything?” 

She scratched her head, frustrated that he was asking so many questions that she knew likely felt innocuous to him. But to her? He was stomping on the landmines of her life. 

“Umm yea, just a young adult fantasy novel. Nothing special,” she answered. “Do you read often? Favorite genre?” She quickly pushed the conversation back toward him, her skillful albeit obvious attempt to avoid yet another conversation she was not ready to have. 

“You don’t like talking about yourself, do you?” 

“Not much in my life is worth rehashing.” And she certainly did not want to rehash the greatest failure of her life to anyone, least of all the most successful person she had ever met. 

“Ain’t no way that’s true.” 

“Unfortunate, sure. But it is most certainly true. But I’m also ok with it. Not all of us are destined for lives worthy of a lot of fanfare. You,” she emphasized with a smile, “Are a main character. The narrative, the story, all of it and everyone around you revolves around you. You take up the most space as you should. Some of us though? Destined to be the sidekicks… foundational, necessary for the main character, faded into the background. We take up as little space as possible. And every story needs them. Personally, I think it’s ideal. Flying under the radar has its advantages.” 

He took a sip of his wine. “Well you’re about to be everyone’s main character, the farthest thing from under the radar. Tomorrow, half the women in America are gonna want to be you. You ready for that?”

“Or kill me so they can have you for themselves,” she joked. “But I haven’t really thought about it? It’s also temporary, fleeting. And when it’s over, I’ll go back to my life in the shadows where it’s safe.”

The word safe hung in his ears. He wanted to press more but he could tell she was uncomfortable. 

He stretched his hand across the table to take hers. She hesitated but then remembered couples do things like this, hold hands and share intimate but appropriate touches in public. She slid her hand into his, his thumb rubbing the back of her hand. 

“I dunno… I think you underestimate how important you are. You can force yourself into the shadows but all I’ve seen of you so far is a main character who doesn’t realize we are all in her story. The spotlight is good on you, you should embrace it more.”

Her heart fluttered a bit at his words. This dude, she thought to herself. Every word out of his mouth was perfection. Why couldn’t he be more of the asshole Tasha claimed he was? That would make this arrangement far easier. But instead, every interaction made her fall deeper for him in ways she knew she could not. 

“W-what else d-do you wanna know?” she asked quietly. 

They spent the rest of dinner trading critical information about each other, their makeshift game taking up the rest of dinner. 

“Ok Beyonce’s your favorite artist… Not surprised by that. Favorite album?” 

She laughed, “She makes stanning so easy, I’m gonna be honest. Been a fan since Destiny’s Child. And probably Renaissance or self-titled.” 

“Ever seen her live?” 

Michael enjoyed how the wine made her a bit looser and energetic. He could tell the nerves melted away with every glass. She was far from drunk but she was more relaxed than she had been all night, “God I wish. But she’ll go on tour next year for Renaissance hopefully so if I can set aside money for it, I’ll go.” 

Michael nodded, the wheels in his brain already turning. He glanced at his watch, realizing how long they had sat there chatting even after the courses concluded. 

“You ready?” At her nods, he stood up and helped her from her seat before wrapping one arm around her waist as they walked toward the front door. 

As they walked, he leaned down and whispered in her ear, “When we get outside, don’t engage with them or look at them. Eyes straight ahead on me, hand in mine. Security’ll clear a path so don’t worry about that. Whatever they ask you or say, don’t respond, aight? Squeeze my hand if you get overwhelmed but it’s just a few feet and it’ll be over before you know it.” 

He stopped her as he thanked the owner and shook his hand before they reached the glass double doors to leave. She was immediately overwhelmed by the blinding camera flashes pointed in their direction, her smile faltering ever so slightly. However, before she could even squeeze his hand, Michael pulled her body flush to his and kissed her. Her body melted under his touch as he set every sensor in her ablaze. He was intoxicating. That’s how she felt every time she was in his arms, completely and utterly drunk on his being. She had to stifle the whimper that almost escaped when he pulled away, a sly grin and wink thrown her way. 

“Better?” 

“Y-Yea.” 

“Good,” he responded, the evidence that his kiss worked wonders clear on her face. He wrapped her hand in his again and gestured for her to follow him out. 

With the grace and poise of a trained movie star, he offered the crowd of paparazzi a few waves and a bright smile. Raven kept her smile small but natural as she held onto Michael’s arm and he led her through the cameras. He was the perfect gentleman, not letting his driver open the car door for either of them so he could help her in himself before getting in. As soon as the door slammed shut, she let out a deep sigh of relief and sat back in her seat. 

“See? Wasn’t so bad. First paparazzi experience and you were a pro. Now we gotta pick a photo for instagram and a caption. Alex sent me all the ones from earlier.” 

He scooted over to the middle seat so he could show her all the photos in his text chain with his manager. 

“This one’s my favorite but…” he went to the next one. “Alex says this one’s the one we should post.” 

She wrinkled her nose. “Absolutely not. Look at my three chins in that.” 

“I only see one very cute, kinda pointy chin.” 

She moaned and rolled her eyes. “Be serious, please. This is our first instagram post. It needs to be perfect. And it’s not just the triple chin. I look so stiff, we both look uncomfortable.” 

Her finger continued swiping through the photo set, her voice muttering no as she passed photo after photo of the pair looking as if they were strangers forced to take a photo together. She finally stopped when she reached the last two, the only two candids in the entire bunch. One was of her laughing at a corny but well timed joke Michael told as they wrapped up their photos and the other was of Michael adjusting the choker right after he put it on her neck. She had not even realized the photographer caught that one. 

“Those two.” 

“Why those?” 

She shrugged. “The others are clearly staged. But we both look the most relaxed and at ease with each other in those two, like we aren’t trying. We’re just being. Trust me.”

Michael knew he should take Alex’s expert opinion over all else but he did… trust her. So he saved all the photos, hearting the two she identified. 

“Ok caption?” 

“I’m terrible with those. I picked the photos. Caption’s all you. But I would do something short and simple. One word, an emoji. Or no caption and just let it speak for itself.” 

The short ride to his condo was quiet as he mulled over what to post. He hated how much energy he had to expend on something so trivial but that was his life. So he decided to just post it with a simple brown heart, taking Raven’s advice, yet again. 

Once the post was up, he tossed his phone down to the middle seat between them and watched her as her eyes followed the passing buildings as they weaved through LA. He would have been lying if he said he had not been worried about how the night was going to go, if she was going to come to regret their whole arrangement. However, she seemed content. Happy even? He doubted that. She gave the impression of someone who rarely felt that emotion, knew precious little of what happiness truly was. He desperately wanted to know why, the puzzle pieces he had gotten thus far were so incomplete he could not even imagine what picture he was putting together. And while he knew he shouldn’t, he desperately wanted all the pieces so he could truly know her. And not just so he could get to know her for the sake of this ill-conceived plan but so he could satisfy the urge in his very soul to tear down whatever barriers stopped her from being happy. If he only had six months with her, the least he could do was ensure she was happy during it.

“You still up for the rest of the night? I know that shit was a lot so no worries if you wanna call it.” 

Raven shook her head, though she appreciated that he was giving her an out if she wanted one. She, of course, knew she could have said no and left but she appreciated he understood the pressure the transactional aspect of all this put on her to say yes. Thankfully, going home was the furthest thing from her mind. 

He had not even touched her in a sexual manner all night and just being in his presence, she could feel the wetness growing between her legs, her nipples hardening with anticipation. She wanted him, all of him. 

“No, I’m good. Besides, our last date got cut short. Gotta make that up to you somehow.” She winked at him. 

“Yea, you do.” 

The rest of the ride was filled with silent anticipation, Michael and Raven’s thoughts were simply runaway trains of lust and desire. Their first night together was imprinted into Raven’s brain matter, like he had altered her very chemistry. 

And Michael, well, he had more than enough time to fantasize about all the things he wanted to do to her perfect body. He would need to build up to some of it but the lengths he wanted to push her? The heights he wanted to take her? She said she wanted to live out her fantasies and he was more than happy to make the wildest ones come true. 

By the time they found themselves in the private elevator to his penthouse, the sexual tension between them was overwhelmingly thick. To the point where Raven did not even care about foreplay, she just wanted him to bend her over the nearest surface and fuck her senseless. But she knew that was not the game either of them truly wanted to play. 

Obedience. Submission. That is what she wanted. She wanted to fully surrender control and let someone else do all the thinking, all the decision making. She thought it would be blissful, to have her thoughts only be consumed with bringing him pleasure and enjoying her own. 

They immediately exited the elevator and made their way to the master suite. There was an awkward pause as they stared at each other, Raven biting her lip as she wondered if she could take charge or let him lead. 

“You good?” 

“Y-Yea… just this part is still kinda awkward,” she admitted. 

“You still nervous with me?” She picked up on the tone of surprise in his voice. 

“I mean you are you and I’m just…” she played with her hair as she spoke, her eyes forced down to the ground. “Me.” 

She did not lift her eyes even when she saw his loafers into her line of vision. He hooked his finger under chin, forcing her eyes to his. 

“I know your hard limits but you should know one of mine. I won’t tolerate you actin’ like you’re some nobody and like you aren’t the baddest bitch around. I told you once, you’re one of a kind. The only person who seems confused about that in this room is you. Say some shit like that again and I’ll take that paddle to your ass so hard, you won’t sit for a week. Understand?” 

She let out a breath she did not realize she was holding in. “Y-Yes.” 

“See, I thought we were gonna make it through the night without punishment but I see you’re a slow learner. 10 spankings. Yes what?” His usually soothing baritone had lost all of its warmth within seconds. It held a menacing quality that made her want to cower beneath him but not in fear. She was far from afraid of him. But the tone did something to that quiet part of her that craved submission. 

“Yes, sir.” 

“There we go. Much better. I remember your limits. But if you feel overwhelmed or need a break, say yellow. If you need me to stop completely, use your safe word. You remember it?” She wished the ground could swallow her whole as she heard the hint of humor in his voice as if he was struggling to hold in laughter at her ridiculous choice of a safe word.

“Unfortunately,” she mumbled, still overflowing with embarrassment. “Can we change it?”  

“Nah,” he answered immediately. “I like it.” He winked at her. 

“I hate you.” 

He closed the space between them and slid his hand up her thigh, slow and tantalizing, he dragged his fingers against her skin until they reached her promised land. She widened her stance slightly to give him better access as he slipped one finger into her thong and between her lips. 

She stifled the moan that almost escaped as he dipped that finger inside her, her eyes fluttering closed for a moment. She could not stop the groan that escaped when he removed his finger, leaving her feeling empty. He held it up to her, her juices glistening on his skin. 

He kept his face neutral though internally, he was grinning. He had touched her once and she was already drenched. That one touch had almost been enough for him to fall to his knees and worship her.

“That tells me otherwise,” he whispered in her ear. “Suck.” 

She had never tasted herself before and something about it felt oddly erotic. She parted her lips enough to allow him to slip his finger between them. She savored the taste of herself as she sucked his finger clean. 

“You like the way you taste, baby?” 

“Yes, sir,” she admitted, her voice flush with embarrassment at how easily he read her. But she found that the embarrassment also turned her on. She guessed he knew that too. 

“I knew you would. Strip.” 

She took a small step back from him, her fingers finding the straps of her dress as she let it slide off her body to the floor. She immediately picked it up and glanced around for a second. 

“What’s wrong?” 

She bit her lip. “I need a hanger.” At his incredulous look, she shrugged. “What?? I don’t leave nice clothes on the floor. Don’t want it to get ruined.” 

Michael almost wanted to laugh before nodding. It was so perfectly on brand for her that he merely took the dress out of her hands instead of following his instinct in telling her that he’d just buy 8 more dresses like it if that one got ruined. 

“When I come back, I expect you naked and on your knees waiting at the foot of the bed. Eyes on the ground.” 

“Yes sir.” 

She waited for him to exit before making quick work of removing her spanx, bra, and panties. She cared far less about leaving them in a heap on the floor as she sank down to her knees at the foot of the bed. As directed, she kept her eyes trained on the carpet beneath her as she waited with bated breath. This was the hard part: waiting, resisting the urge to lift her eyes and turn to search for him at every sound. 

The seconds stretched to minutes, letting her know he was taking his sweet time. A test, and the brat in her wanted to fail it deliberately. But that was outweighed by the desire to hear him praise her for her obedience. Every moment spent in that position made her pussy grow wetter and wetter. She could hear him moving around the penthouse, heard his voice fill the hall as he talked on the phone for a few minutes. She desperately wanted to rise to her feet and find him so he would fuck her. But that wasn’t the game. The game was total obedience, sacrificing to his will. That was harder than she expected but as she sat down on the floor listening to his voice drift through the open door for over 10 minutes, she knew it had the exact effect he wanted: turning her into a needy mess. And showing her that what she wanted meant little. Everything, from when they started to how they would finish, was under his control and he could leave her waiting for him as long as he wanted. 

Even when she finally heard footsteps returning to the bedroom, she did not move an inch. 

“That’s my good girl.” She let out a breath of relief that she did not even realize she was holding in when she finally heard his voice directed at her. “I think I could’ve left you down there all night and you wouldn’t have moved a muscle. What’d you think? Would you stay down there for me?” 

“Yes, I would. But it sounds like torture,” she added. 

“Torture we’d both enjoy,” he whispered. His hand ran through her soft hair, cradling her face. “This is how you should wait for me after every date. Just like this.” 

She continued staring at the ground as she heard him move throughout his bedroom. Every sound ratched up her anticipation. She could hear him fiddling with a latch, her mind immediately going to the chest of goodies he kept in the corner. His hands rummaging through it made her wonder what he was searching for. Was it something to punish her, pleasure her, or both? 

“Look at me.” 

Michael could have come right then and there as she lifted her head, an innocent doe-eyed look painted on her gorgeous face. Her plump lips were parted ever so slightly, he was unable to stop his thumb from grazing over it with the lightest touch possible. His dick strained against the confines of his pants and briefs, his desire to be buried in her heat almost painful as he looked down at her. 

Patience, an inner voice growled at him. Patience… one trait he was not fairly good at.

“You trust me, baby?” 

“Yes, sir.” She answered immediately. She was nervous but the one thing she knew is that Michael had no intention of hurting her. She knew he respected her body and limits if nothing else. 

“Good girl. Stand and get on the bed, legs spread.”

She shuffled to her feet, her legs wobbling like a fawn as they had fallen asleep beneath her. She tried to temper her excitement with slow, measured and sensual steps. She could feel his eyes trained on her ass causing her to add a sway to her hips as she walked around to the side of the bed and crawled on. She laid down and spread her legs, putting herself on display for him. 

Michael licked his lips as he took in the glistening mess at the apex of her thighs. He could see the slight shake in her legs as she laid there, waiting for him to strike. 

“You’re being such an obedient slut for me,” he praised as he walked to the corner of the bed. She felt his touch against her ankle before it was replaced with the cool leather of a cuff. She felt it tighten around her ankle before it loosened a bit. Instinctively, she tugged at it, finding that her mobility was heavily restricted. She did not have time to react before he moved to the other side and bound her other ankle, keeping her legs spread eagle and open for him. 

His fingers dragged a tantalizing slow pattern from her ankle up her thighs onto her soft belly over the peaks of her breasts and down her arm until he got to her wrist. He brought her hand up and put another cuff around it so it was restrained to the headboard. He repeated the motion before climbing on the bed and hovering over her naked body. She looked delectable as she pulled against the restraints but she could not go anywhere. Her body was completely and utterly at his mercy and she would not be able to move until he allowed it. She would not even be allowed to touch him and that felt like the true punishment in all of this. 

“One last thing,” he pulled a silk black blindfold out of his pocket and tied it around her eyes, plunging her into utter darkness. She felt him move off the bed, his weight shifting before she felt and heard nothing around her.

It only took a mere moment for the fear of sensory deprivation coupled with the loss of Michael’s presence to hit her. Her head turned left and right in a panic as her ears strained to listen for him, for any sort of movement or sound that let her know he was still around. She felt utterly vulnerable without her eyesight, a prey waiting for their predator to pounce. A whimper escaped her lips as the seconds stretched on without an utter sound. 

“M-Michael?” she whimpered his name this time. She hated how she sounded, fearful and needy but she just needed reassurance that he was still there. 

“I’ll let that slide cause this is new and I know the blindfold is scary,” his voice filled her ears, causing her to relax a bit. His usual gentle tone was back, a stark contrast to the demands he had been giving just moments earlier. She felt safe, assured, cared for. “I’m right here. Not gonna let anythin’ happen to you, I promise. Just remember your safe word and use it if you need it. You ready for your punishment?” 

She let out a soft gasp, “This isn’t it??” 

“Nah… this is just for my own pleasure and yours. But I owe you ten spankings. But we gon’ try something different. Use your safe word if it’s too much.” 

She could feel him moving around the bed before she felt the featherlike touch of soft leather straps against her skin. A shiver racked through her spine causing her to arch off the bed as every sensor in her body focused on the trail of arousal he created. It was so faint, like it was not even there. However, as the straps rolled over her aching breasts and her core, she wanted to plead for more. Begging, she wondered if that was what he wanted, to hear her plead for more. She was a brat but she was not prideful. The pleas were on the tip of her tongue, ready to fall off without much prompting. However, before she could start begging him to touch her, she let out a gasp of pain as she felt the straps whip against her thighs. 

“What the fuck??” she cried out, unexpected pain radiating through her. She was not surprised that it still sent a shockwave of pleasure through her but fuck did it hurt significantly more than his hand did last time. 

“Watch your fuckin’ mouth. 10 more. Talk to me like that again and I’ll use it on a spot far more painful than your thigh.” 

To emphasize his point, he resumed his teasing, running the straps right over her clit causing a moan to escape her. If that was how badly it hurt against her thigh, she shuddered to think how it would feel against her clit. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I-I just w-wasn’t expecting that. No more, p-please. I’ll be good.” 

“That’s a good slut. I forgive you. But you still have 19 left. Count ‘em out for me.” 

She took a deep breath as he brought the flogger down on her other thigh and counted. She forced herself to breath through it and relax, finding that tensing and anticipating each blow just made them hurt more. He switched where he hit her so she found it difficult to anticipate them either way. Her counting was barely audible in between her shrieks of pain as he rained each blow down on her breasts, thighs, and her stomach. He made sure to hit each one several times, the additional lashings stinging ten times as much than the first one. By the time she whispered 20, her voice was broken and her blindfold was soaked with tears.

Despite the stinging pain radiating from every portion of her body, she could not deny her pussy was throbbing for him. She could feel the mess she made on his comforter as her juices dripped onto the bed. And the aspect of it all that she could not truly understand was that, even at the height of the physical pain, she had not once even contemplated calling out her safe word or even asking for a break. She was drunk on the pain because every bit of it was really just pleasure in a different form. Part of her was almost crestfallen when she said 20. She did not think she could have handled much beyond that number but something in her wanted him to keep going, to push that physical limit as far as he could. 

“You should see your body right now. All red and marked up. It was hardly a punishment,” he mused. “It just made you wet like the filthy whore you are. Next time, you’ll remember that daddy chose you, won’t you? That he doesn’t like it when people talk badly about his plaything.” 

Plaything… every degrading name he called her felt like a heavenly chorus in her ears. She nodded quickly. “I’ll remember. I promise.” 

“You want daddy to touch you?” he asked as he ran his fingers over her thighs. With every circle he drew, he came closer and closer to her flower. 

“Yes, daddy. Please,” She willed him to stick something inside her. At this point, she would take anything. 

The teasing was hard for him too but he enjoyed the way her limbs arched into his touch, trying to steal more stimulation than he was prepared to give, how her moans of pleasure turned to whines and whimpers, how he could feel the heat of her core against his hand without even touching her, how her entire body seemed to vibrate with need and anticipation. It all just increased his own pleasure and knew it would make her first orgasm of the night spectacular. 

She let out a sob as she felt him hover right above her clit, so close she could almost feel his touch but it wasn’t enough. Her hips started to hump the air, as much as she could with her legs restrained but his hand held them down to the bed. 

“P-please, p-please. It’s… I-I n-need you.” She had never heard such desperation in her voice. She never knew sex could feel like this. It was overwhelming how much she needed him. It was a sexual need but it felt as foundational as air or food or water, like she would die right then and there if he did not caress that bundle of nerves between her legs or slide his fingers between her lips again. She recalled that sweet moment when they first got home. That felt like hours ago now, like he had deprived her for hours without his touch when she knew, realistically, it had only been a maximum of 30 minutes. 

“This what you want?” he whispered in her ear as his thumb drummed against her clit. 

A high-pitched scream of pleasure filled his bedroom, Raven not even realizing it was her for a few seconds. He settled between her thighs as he slid two fingers inside her. She moaned and rocked her hips against his hand as his thumb continued to rub her clit. 

“That’s it. Fuck my fingers like the cum slut you are. So desperate to cum all over my hand. You gonna cum for me, baby?” 

She knew it would merely earn her another punishment but she was so enthralled in the building pleasure in her core that she could not answer him. He had stolen all her words and thoughts that weren’t pleas for more, pleas for him to ram his length inside her and send her to another dimension. She wanted him to destroy her, her back… her walls… her entire being until she was just a mess left behind. 

“Y-Yes… s-so c-close. C-can I c-come, d-daddy?” She begged him as she felt the telltale signs of her approaching orgasm. She was dangling on a rope over a cliff, her grip loosening so she could free fall into that sweet abyss of pleasure. However, she remembered his rule from the first night. He could give orgasms and without proper permission, he would take it away. She wanted his praise and she wanted to fall. She just prayed he would give her both. 

“Cum for daddy. That’s it, that’s a good whore. Such a perfect little slut for me.” 

His voice guided her through as she let go and allowed herself to fall apart, and the free fall was well worth the wait he had put her through. If this was the result, she would endure whatever forms of torture he wanted her to to reach this promised land. 

She muttered nearly incoherent words of thanks as he continued praising her and fucking her with his fingers. Her legs spasmed slightly as he forced her orgasm to drag out for a bit longer than she was used to. He only stopped when he felt her hips stop rocking and start shying away from his hand. 

He gave her a few moments to calm down while he stripped off his own clothes. His dick stood at attention, a weapon ready to destroy the perfect pussy laid out for him. He undid the cuffs around her feet, her legs still wide open which let him know she was too out of it to notice. 

“Check in for me, baby girl. Use your words, you need a break?” 

She shook her head. It was the exact opposite actually. “F-fuck me. I need you.”

With pleasure, he thought to himself. He climbed between her legs and immediately sheathed himself inside her with no warning, causing a guttural moan to ring out in the air. 

He ripped the blindfold off of her eyes as he positioned her legs over his shoulders and fucked her with abandon. 

It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the soft lighting of his room before she made eye contact with him. She forced her eyes away from his, training them on the ceiling. She could not look into those deep brown eyes, afraid she would mistake the clear lust she saw there for other things, other emotions she knew in her soul he could not hold for her. She almost wished he would put the blindfold back on her. Not being able to touch him did help, though she longed to run her nails down his biceps and claw into his back as he fucked her, cradle his head into her neck as he sucked and bit the skin there and marked her as his. But so much of that was so intimate and she did not need intimacy, they did not need intimacy. This was fucking, plain and simple.

“Oh God!” she cried out at a particularly deep thrust. 

“God can’t save you, baby girl. Only name you should be calling out is mine.” Each word was punctured by particularly forceful thrusts to emphasize his point.  “F-fuck I missed your pussy,” he cried out as he pushed her knees up to her shoulders, causing her body convulse with another orgasm beneath him. She felt as if he was splitting her into two. She wanted him to destroy her and this was pure, unadulterated, blissful destruction. 

“D-don’t stop,” she panted. “F-fuck me harder,” she begged as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. This time around, she saw stars yet again but only the good kind. 

She groaned pitifully as he pulled out of her. He quickly undid the cuffs around her arms, allowing her only a quick moment to roll out her wrists and shoulders. He wrapped an arm around her waist and flipped them over so she was on top. 

“Get to work. You’re gonna ride me until I cum inside that pussy.” 

She sighed as she sank back down on his dick, savoring every inch until she bottomed out on his lap. She remembered what he said at dinner about liking the spotlight on her and decided then and there that she would put on a show that had him showering her with praise. She started off with a slow grind, one hand braced on his chiseled chest while the other roamed her own body. She let her head fall back in ecstasy as she fondled her titties and got lost in pleasuring him and herself. Her body was exhausted but she was committed to her task and was desperate to feel him fill her. 

He swatted her hand out of the way and leaned up, his teeth sinking into the swell of her breasts. 

“Fuck!” she cried out. “Just like that.” 

He moaned as he felt her pussy quiver around him, feeling her body’s response to everything he did. She got off on nipple play, he noted to himself as she continued grinding on him while he sucked and bit every inch of her perfect breasts that his lips could find. 

He only paused to wrap his hand around her throat, he squeezed ever so slightly. Just enough for her to get her attention before he used the other hand to slap her ass. 

“Playtime’s over. Fuck me like you mean it,” he growled in her ear. 

“Yes, sir.” She decided to up the ante and slid off of him. She could hear the growl and command about to bubble up when she pressed a finger to his lip. “You trust me, don’t you? I’m your good girl and good girls follow orders.” 

She flipped her hair behind her as she turned away from him with a wink and slid back down on him, her back to him so her ass was in his face. 

Michael was in pure heaven as she bounced up and down on his dick, her ass shaking in his face. He almost resisted the urge to slap it but he did not have that level of self control. 

“You like that?” he demanded as her screams of pleasure grew louder with every slap against her soft skin. He loved watching the skin grow redder and redder with his handprints. He knew bruises would likely form the next day but something told him she would like that as her moans got louder the harder he slapped her ass. 

“Y-Yes I love it!” 

Her thighs burned but she kept her mind focused on one singular goal: bringing him the same pleasure he offered her. She could tell he was close when he grabbed her hips, his fingers digging into her skin and he used his brute strength to lift her up and down on his dick. She could have been a rag doll with the way he lifted her body with ease, furiously fucking her before slamming his hips into hers with a loud shout.They had forgone a condom so she felt the warmth of him fill her as her body collapsed forward. 

She could barely move her limbs as she fell limply, her body hinging at the waist. Michael stayed inside her for a moment before he lifted her off of him. He positioned her on her stomach, Raven too exhausted to say or do anything other than continue to let him lead. He straddled her back before she felt his hands softly knead her stiff muscles. 

“W-what are you… doing?” she moaned out, confused by the gentleness of his actions after how rough and dominating he was. 

“Taking care of you. Just relax and close your eyes, Rae.” 

Her heart melted as she heard those words. He was taking care of her, that was all he had done since they met: take care of her when he had no cause or reason to. How was it that the most transactional relationship in her life, the one that was strictly business and should not include any care, was the only one that did not leave her feeling utterly depleted and empty? The only one where someone put her needs first. Hell, even when the entire point was to center his own pleasure, hers was still center stage. 

She did not expect how that would make her feel, like hot chocolate on a frigid day, like stepping into the warmth of a thousand suns after being stuck in the cold. It was everything and deep down, she still felt as if she did not deserve it. Tears sprang to her eyes and she hastily wiped them away and sniffled. 

“You ok?” he asked quietly, his hands stilling. 

She cleared her throat and nodded. “Yea, yea. You just hit a sore spot. I’m good,” she whispered. She knew she should have told him to stop or used her safe word, this was more dangerous and unsettled territory for her than anything he had done to her that evening. But she couldn’t, couldn’t find the words or desire to stop someone from filling her up while everything else only took away. Even as she drifted off to sleep, Michael’s expert hands working out the kinks and knots he created, she knew she could not rest in that feeling for long. 

His kindness could not be mistaken as love or anything of the sort. It was still just business and everything he made her feel: all the pain, all the pleasure, all the butterflies, all the spotlights, and everything in between was fleeting. All of it would come to an end and she would fade back into obscurity. 

Mere hours ago, she thought she would welcome that. But now? For the first time, she feared how painful the return to her lonely life, regardless of how fake this one was, would feel now that someone had taken the time to show her something different. 

Tag List:

@readinghere2023 @blackerthings @prettyisasprettydoes1306 @physicxal @purplehairgawdess @miyuhpapayuh @rueruesclues @geemamii @certifiedlesbianbaddie @pipsqueak-98 @nyifly22 @destinio1 @twocentaur @gopaperless @musicisme333 @roguekiki @majesticbrownjawn @taurusqueen83 @mysteryuz @miamormilan @itsknor-thedeep @naj-ay444 @mads-grace4

***

A/N: The babes had their first official date! And had a swoon worthy after party at Mike's lol What do you think the public reaction to their romance will do? We also have some key folks (Raven's family, Tasha) reactions to their "relationship" lol so we'll see how that unfolds next week. Also, just as a note cause I changed it and didn't want it to be confusing, MBJ's birthday is in September not February like in real life. Should've clarified that in chapter 1 but didnt want folks to be confused lol

Drop a comment and let me know what you think or if you want to be tagged! Thanks for reading!

[resowrites]

Suddenly It Happened - oneshot (request).

Summary: Henry’s longtime personal assistant wonders if he’ll ever return her feelings…

Pairings: AU!Henry Cavill x Reader

Warnings: fluff, slight angst, brief mention of relationship difficulties, nondescript OC body type/appearance, hastily written/lightly proofread.

WC: 2040

A/N: My work must not be copied, reposted, or translated elsewhere. Likes, follows, reblogs and comments are thoroughly welcome and appreciated! Gifs/pics not my own. I hope you all enjoy and thanks for visiting!

Suddenly It Happened - oneshot.

The door to the waiting area closed softly. She looked up to see her boss, smiling casually as he motioned for her to join him. The meeting with his publicist lasted only half an hour but she still had to drive him into central London for a day of press. Naturally, he was dressed to the nines and looking as handsome as ever. She sighed as she got into the car, wondering how despite his ever-increasing popularity, he’d managed to remain single. She'd worked closely with him for the last five years, doing all manner of tasks, many far out of her purview as a personal assistant. But Henry wasn't like the other celebrities she'd met. He was kind, humble, and undemanding, the sort of man she'd always dreamed of meeting but knew was way out of her league. Her personality was very much like his own but whereas his looks were talked about and admired the world over, she was plain and bookish. Hardly his type. But that didn't stop her from daydreaming occasionally or stealing a loving glance. She knew nothing would ever happen, and she was far too serious about her job to ever risk being so stupid. Yet still, she wondered. He looked over at her from the passenger seat, his gaze as warm as his smile. She kept her eyes firmly on the road ahead "Tell me again where we're headed first?"

"The Thistle Hotel, you'll be there hopefully no more than a couple of hours. Did you manage to look over the list of questions I emailed you last night?" His smile grew wider.

"Yep, seems pretty standard stuff. Thanks for making sure there were no personal questions, though I must admit it gets a bit tedious being asked about Kal all the time..." She uncomfortably cleared her throat but otherwise said nothing. "You're still coming to the premiere next week aren't you?" 

"Of course, wouldn't miss it."

"Great, you know how uncomfortable I get at those things. All those flashing lights, the shouting, the hordes of people..."

"Well, don't worry. We'll whip you through it all pretty quickly." She tried to smile reassuringly.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it. And thanks for being with me today."

"No problem. It's what I'm here for." Her voice sounded thick as she finished her sentence and she hoped she hadn't come across too awkwardly.

"No, I'm serious. You make this job a thousand times easier and I don't thank you enough for it." She smiled again but remained silent. "... Are you okay?" Her brow furrowed.

"Of course, why?"

"I dunno, you just seem a little quiet." She tried hard not to blush. Being under such close scrutiny always made her cringe.

"Oh, no I'm fine. Just running through today's checklist in my mind. I've got to email Armani's head office again, your suit for the premiere still hasn't arrived." Henry chuckled softly.

"Well, relax. You work hard enough, and I can always find another suit." She shook her head, amused. "What?!"

"It's not quite that straightforward." He harrumphed.

"Well, it ought to be. I mean it though, don't run yourself ragged--"

"Well, I wouldn't be much of a personal assistant if I didn't." She gave a tired smile and he considered her for a moment. Eventually, she had to look away. "So, who are you taking to the premiere besides your family?" Why had she asked such a thing? She felt her face turn crimson, annoyed that her desperation to change the subject had caused her to well and truly put her foot in it. She certainly had every right to know, but it was information usually offered up by the client first.

"Er, I'm not really sure at the moment..." Henry returned to looking out the passenger window and she could have kicked herself. What did it matter who he invited anyway? She knew he dated around and would probably turn up on the arm of some young starlet. For a moment she both loathed and envied them. She'd worked hard all her life for very little in return. When could she expect the happiness she read about in her books or saw in the films she watched? A melancholy thought then entered her head, that being a personal assistant was the closest she'd ever get to someone like Henry. And she supposed that was fair enough. Surely someone as rich and handsome as him deserved someone equally beautiful and successful? She caught her reflection in her wing mirror and stared crossly at it. There was no use in her pining and indulging selfish thoughts. She had a job to do. Today was all about Henry. "Did you manage to get a table at La Cuchina?"

"Yep, in the private section at your usual table." She relaxed somewhat at the thought of having lunch with him, in private he was great company to be around, always joking and telling stories.

"Brilliant, to tell you the truth I'm already famished." She suddenly remembered the bagel and pecan brownie she'd picked up at Starbucks earlier that morning just in case. Henry had a habit of missing breakfast and she hated the thought of him going hungry. 

"Reach in the glove box, I picked you up something from Starbucks." His face lit up and he happily munched away as they came closer to the hotel. As was her custom on press days, she then moved on to her usual pep talk. "Now remember to relax and have fun, we've kept the questions light and entertaining so just keep your answers brief and focused."

"Is that your way of telling me I'm long-winded?" She shifted in her chair, not quite willing to meet Henry's mischievous gaze.

"Of course not, but I know you get carried away. Especially on your favourite subjects..."

"And what might those be?"

"Well, you do love your history for starters--"

"Oh, that reminds me, I read that one you recommended about Port Royal in the eighteenth century." She glowed inwardly at the thought of him reading something she'd enjoyed.

"Oh yeah, what did you think?"

"It was fascinating... do you think I could play a pirate?" She choked on the bottle of water she was sipping from. "I take that as a 'no?'"

"Well... you might have to drop the accent." They smiled at each other. "Anyway you'd get completely obsessed in the research and muggins here would be sent off on all manner of errands--"

"And when have I ever made you do those?!"

"Are you kidding?! The guys in the Warhammer store know me by name!"

"Ooh I wonder if James will be interviewing me again?" 

"Yes, he is, but remember to stay on track--"

"You call me obsessed, that guy knows everything there is to know. I wonder if he got the custom model I sent him a couple of weeks back?"

"He did, he sent a card to the office, didn't I tell you?"

"No... though you have seemed a little distracted lately." Her brow furrowed, but she didn't get a chance to respond. "How are things going with Simon?" She was afraid Henry would bring him up. Her six-month on-and-off relationship was the last thing she wanted to discuss. The truth was she hadn't heard from Simon for several weeks. 

"Fine," she said a bit too quickly.

"... Is he joining you at the premiere? You know you're allowed to bring a guest."

"No, he's... busy." The next couple of minutes were swallowed up by an uneasy silence.

"Oh, that's a shame. It's a big night for you though, what could he possibly have to do that's more important?" She bristled slightly at the question and decided it was best not to respond. "You know, you're a good person. You deserve someone who treats you well." She felt a curious mixture of embarrassment and delight.

"Nah, I'm nothing special. Besides, I'm married to the job..."

"Tell me about it, I have the exact same problem." She couldn't help but scoff.

"Oh come on, someone like you could have anyone. I bet you're spoiled for choice."

"What do you mean?"

"Well it's just, you know, you're... you. Who wouldn't want that?" She regretted the words the minute they came out of her mouth and her face flushed a deep crimson.

"You'd be surprised. People don't really love me they just love whatever image of me they have in their mind."

"And what makes you think you don't match up to that?"

"Well for one, I'm not always in such great shape." Was he joking? With him, it was sometimes hard to tell. "I think people expect me to be a lot more outgoing than I am as well." That part was certainly true, she'd definitely noticed how shy and introverted Henry could be.

"Well, I'm sure you'll meet the right person eventually." To this, he didn't reply and she began to wonder if she'd overstepped.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why are you still working for me?" She blinked several times, at first wondering if she'd misheard him.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you're an intelligent, hard-working woman, don't you have an economics degree?" She hardly knew how to respond. If she explained the real reason she kept working for him he could very well leap from a moving car.

"I dunno, I like what I do I guess." Another thought then crossed her mind. "Why? Are you unhappy with my services?"

"No, of course not! You're the best. I'd be totally lost without you. I just... hope I'm not holding you back." Did he mean to keep sending mixed signals? One minute he was singing her praises and the next he was questioning why she was even in his employ.

"To be honest... I have thought about moving on." Henry snapped round to face her.

"What? Why?!"

"Cos you're right, it's not very ambitious of me to keep spinning my wheels."

"But... but I need you." She felt her heart begin to thump.

"Oh stop, you could train a chimp to do what I do."

"... Pull over."

"What? Why? Henry, we're going to be late." But his hand pointed towards a free parking space free on the left-hand side of the road. Reluctantly, she reversed into it and came to a stop. They then sat there quietly for several moments. "Henry, we really need to get going."

"... Do you hate me?"

"What? Look, we really don't have time for this, you can't miss your first interview--"

"Sod the bloody interview!" Henry's outrage almost made her jump. "Answer the question." She sighed and took the key out of the ignition, figuring they were going to be there for a while. 

"No of course I don't hate you, you're one of the nicest people I've ever known." He worked his jaw, clearly choosing his next words carefully.

"... So will you go with me?"

"With you? Where to?"

"The premiere." She stared at Henry, utterly confused.

"I already said I was! Now let's get going, otherwise, we're going to get stuck in traffic." But he put his hand over hers, causing it to jerk away from the steering wheel. 

"No, I mean... will you go with me? As my guest?" The look in her eyes was blank at first and then almost tearful. She felt the heat rise in her cheeks and a horrible pit open in her stomach. She snapped off her seatbelt and bolted from the car. "Wait, where are you going?!" For nearly five minutes, Henry chased after her, eventually catching her by the wrist when she turned to head down a quiet side street. "W-where do you think you're going?!" He leaned over for a moment out of breath and she was surprised to realise she'd outrun him.

"I'm sorry... I just needed some air."

"What? Why? Did I upset you?" She bit her quivering lip.

"You know it's not very nice to tease me. I know I'm just a plain Jane from the office but it really hurt my feelings. Please don't do anything like that again." Henry just gawped at her, dumbfounded.

"You think I was joking?" But this time she felt indignation rise up through her stomach.

"Well, aren't you?!"

"Of course not!" She tried to read his expression but then backed away and scoffed.

"Don't be ridiculous - what could you possibly see in me?!" The look on Henry's face was pitiful.

"... I see the sweet, gentle-natured woman who's put up with me for half a decade and gone above and beyond not only to help me but to be my friend when I've needed one most. There are so few people I can trust but with you, I can always be myself. I can't promise it'll be easy, but if you'll have me, I really hope you can be more than just a friend..." She hardly knew what to think, say, or do. These sorts of things just didn't happen, and she had a horrible feeling the trapdoor was going to open any minute.

"But... but why me?" It was his turn to look confused.

"Well, why not you? You're everything I've ever wanted. But, if you still have feelings for someone else--" she didn't let Henry finish. Instead, she threw herself into his arms and they spent the next few minutes kissing amidst the throng of passersby. 

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[mako-neexu]

Id chapter is insane. im so stressed even after more than 2 months of its release. because the Class who won for the entirety of Ordeal Call (dare i say it: the entirety of FGO?) so far are the Avengers. (so far... at least for me..lets hope ruler and foreiner OCs are good...also idk read my og tags for this)

its probably just me overthinking... i dont know if sakurai thought this far but its just so good. because... like. the current arc's focus is on the Classes and the recent main story focused on Avengers.

Avengers. heroic spirits. Extra Class. Those who speak of hate yet are born from love and those who speak love yet are born from hate. The basis of each and all of the heroic spirits in the Throne are simply because they are all records. They are spirits and shadows of those who have lived long ago and those are currently living somewhere or those who have still yet to live and are from the future. Either way, anyone summoned from the Throne is what makes them a Servant. A copy of the real thing. Beings made of ether, ghosts who are a set of records and memories given form.

Avengers are the very embodiment of holding onto the past. Oblivion Correction, being able to remember even beyond time loops or universes could be considered more of a curse than a blessing for these flames whose lives burn endlessly from hate and anger and sorrow from towards those who have wronged them. Flames who would burn endlessly and would stop at nothing even should their retribution be at the cost proper human history's ashes.

Records. Human and beast shaped memories given form. They are beings of stagnacy and cannot grow well past beyond their current state. As only those who are currently living have the privilege of being the only ones to grow. Do you understand me? Do you understand what I'm getting at?

Avengers are more records and fragments of themselves - Alters, Innocent Monsters, collective will of hatred from many people condensed into one - beyond any Class of the Throne. As such they cannot grow. They will never grow for they will remain as flames and inhuman creatures that will ultimately consume and burn all that is within their sights.

And yet, the very Avenger considered to be the greatest, to be the representative and leader of the group was able to transcend the impossible.

Only the living have that right to escape their impending deaths, their doom, their fate. Servants, nothing more than familiars, don't have that right anymore. Not anymore as they don't truly exist in the present.

And yet. And yet.

The Count of Monte Cristo claws an eye out, splits his skull open, rips an entire arm out, bleeds himself dry to change himself. Change himself down to his very core and almost every aspect of him, all for the sake of one person alone.

He was able to take a step forward. An extreme impossibility in and of itself to these burning spirits who are broken records incarnate.

Just one step. Look away from the past without discarding it, still carrying it close, still remaining who he is and yet his sights are on the night sky above, to that star twinkling so gently, so brightly ahead of him that there is no helping that feeling of breathlessness he feels.

Far different from choking on smoke, far different from drowning beneath the icy waves of a prison tower by the sea.

To that person who is his fate, who is his star, his light, and fire in this second life, they extend a hand out to him with a dazzling smile.

Oh.

The Count of Monte Cristo, far beyond salvation and absolution, must think, This in itself is poison. This in itself is ambrosia given form.

With a hand, a resolute gaze telling him he isn't alone, Edmond Dantes, King of the Cavern, the Count of Monte Cristo was able to move forward, change himself and turn into a flame that would pave the way for that star which seeks its own wishes to be fulfilled. To that partner, co-conspirator, accomplice who always walked forward and never wavered in wanting to fight by his side, the Avengers won here and now.

Because to be loved is to be changed.

And being able to change, find yourself capable of it, there is growth. And in growth, for these heroic spirits, ghosts, those who have long passed...

What is that, if not, victory to all of the Avengers themselves?

[brights-place]

You should write Creek x Caine hcs /j……unless…../hj

Creek X Caine Headcannons

Pairings: Creek X Caine

Warnings: Cursing, Ugly ass Creek

A/N: This is my friend Kris is OC named Caine please go check my chaotic friend out this is their blog @memow-kris and they are gay af but I love them sm because of their dumbass also the art isn't mine it's kris is art work <33

- Since Caine found creek in his stupid ass abandoned emo sad boy phase he looked down at creek who was begging for atleast something - When Creek kept on pleading for caine to help him caine couldn't help but stare in utter disgust before smirking slightly "I like broken men... okay lets go ugly" Caine stated motioning Creek to follow Caine - since Caine lived near the outskirts of pop village and volcano rock city right on the border

- Caine was walking to help find pop village for creek while Creek was confused thinking Caine was going to kill him - Though Caine wanted to kill the teal haired male they couldn’t help but feel slight pity yet it faded when remembering the troll was an traitor to its own kind - What felt like weeks even though it was an day of Creeks Non-stop bitching they finally arrived as creek thanked caine with an huge grin - "Oh, thank you so much mate!" Creek said with an smile as Caine rolled their eyes turning around "Sure man, no problem" Caine was starting to walk away as creek quickly stopped him "Y'know, I'm sure everyone will be wondering how I got back... maybe you could uhm... stay longer?" - In all honesty Creek wanted caine to stay longer since he found the troll quite interesting - Caine groaned in annoyance wanting to go back home but creek kept on trying to persuade the male which had surprisingly worked - After that the two soon grew close together somehow - Dated after an year of Caine hating the ever loving shit of creek yet wanting to aggressively make out with him - Creek loves showing off but but when it comes to Caine he likes to be an even bigger tease but doesn't mind teaching caine new things especially if it's something spiritual - Creek would show the scars he got for being in the wilderness but he allows Caine to grace them with his soft warm fingers as caine ask questions about them - Caine's tail wrapped around creeks waist or on creeks belly, or curled arounfd creeks wrists when you two are sitting next to eachother, - Creek has a lot of trouble sleeping, but if caine is with him? this mother fucker would cling onto the male since he was in the wilderness for awhile I feel like he's a huge fan of cuddling it brings him comfort knowing he is safe now

- He's feeling guilty about betraying the trolls for his own selfish needs but he still thinks the others would do the same if they were in his position - Shared kisses with each other sometimes when caine feels like it or just to tease the shit out of creek - Creek praises caine every chance he fucking gets like have you seen him around poppy and the others he wants to be likeable! he wants his title back but he knew he wasn't able to get it back

- Creek showing caine how much he cares for him and loves having new experiences with you and quite enjoys the fact that caine would make an disgusted look - Either way it's an love hate relationship yet they both know they love each other deeply

reblogs + comments are appreciated ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

©brights-place 2023 — do not repost on another platform, copy, translate or edit my works! if you fit my DNI list please don't interact!

[justalonelyslytherin]

Legacies | four

Previous Chapter | Masterlist | Next Chapter

Pairing: Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin x Kazansky!OC

Summary: After every Up comes a Down. Or in this case, another reason for Ana to be annoyed at Hangman.

Warnings: military inaccuracies

Wordcount: 1.6k

If you enjoyed reading this, please consider leaving a comment or reblogging. I don’t allow for my content to be copied, translated, or reposted on other websites/apps. Please don’t steal my work.

A/N: A rather short chapter this time - I know, the next chapter will be extra long in turn - but a just as important scene in the evolving relationship between Ana and Hangman. They don't have it easy and it certainly is an up and down with those two. One step forward and immediately two steps back.

Taglist: open, message me or comment to be added, will be put as reblog

The hallway was empty and quiet as Ana walked through it. It felt unusual for the middle of the day but in truth, they were all simply busy getting ready for the mission. Every day had been dogfights against Maverick. Various constellations of teams had been sent up against him. Singles and duos mixed up, sometimes two single-seaters. They had yet to manage to get a shot on Maverick.

Maverick and Rooster’s now infamous fight followed by that risky Cobra maneuver still occupied her mind from time to time. The air between her godfather and Rooster was icy. Rooster kept stubborn as ever, perched on his spot and refusing to move even an inch. It worried her. But it frustrated her even more as she was helpless. Damned to watch from the sidelines. Rooster now kept her at a distance too.

She wanted to believe in what she had told Hondo, but it was hard. Her father however was still sure they would come around. He knew both of them even better.

Don’t worry. Focus on your performance and the mission, read his latest text message to her. His texting had become more frequent. She found herself more often surprised with simple messages from him, just small notes of his day, stories of her family, or reminders that he loved her and always would. He wasn’t trying to distract her but rather ease her mind which she found incredibly sweet. She’d always been especially close to her father. A father's girl out of the book.

She loved all her family dearly, they were a tight nit bunch but her father had always been…special. From the moment she could think he’d been her hero. The one she’d looked up to. The one whose approval she craved when she was an otherwise independent child. The one she would run to when she was hurt, be it a scraped knee or a broken wrist, or a broken heart.

Taking a left at the corner, she crossed the hallway. The door to the ready room stood open as she entered. She’d thought the room to be just as empty as the hallways but came to be surprised.

Stopping short after just two steps into the room, Ana looked over at the two aviators who had turned around and risen. As if they had been caught. Suspicion arose in her upon their innocent but strange behaviors. 

Coyote looked at her like she was a nuisance, like a fly that wouldn’t stop buzzing by one's ear. His defensive pose, arms crossed in front of his chest and feet placed hip-wide apart made her cock a brow and think she definitely caught them in something. 

“What are you doing?” She asked both of them. Hangman looked much less defensive. He exuded his usually calm and relaxed stance, simply eyeing her with that wolfish smile of his. 

Coyote entirely lacked that nonchalant air. 

“We could ask you the same.” He raised one brow and jutted his hip out. She wanted to roll her eyes at the sass he was throwing her way. Her nerves were entirely stretched too thin for that, instead, she pointed over to the two couches. 

There was a small table in the middle of them. On top of it lay the miniature F/A-18 model Hangman loved to twirl and a couple of magazines and on top of them lay a pair of sunglasses. Her sunglasses. Which she had left there, forgotten from the last round of dogfights she’d listened to.

She could see Coyote go slack, his mouth opened in a small o-shape. He looked almost embarrassed but quickly covered it with a simple nod toward her.

Before she could make a step forward to get the glasses and leave as quickly as she could, Hangman spoke up.

“Come over for a second, Sweetheart.” He waved her over with one hand and was already on his way to turn toward the showcase. Ana however didn’t budge. Instead, she crossed her arms in front of her chest. Rolling his eyes, Hangman grinned at her with that cocky, self-assured grin. 

“I’m not going to bite you,” he joked. She could see the mischief glint in his eyes as he added, “Not unless you want me to.” 

It made her huff, stubbornly keeping on her spot. Only when he once more called out with a soft ‘Come on’ did she reluctantly shuffle over to him. She didn’t know why but that last soft call pulled her towards him. 

Walking around the football table she came up before the two. Coyote still eyed her, his features now relaxing. She thought to imagine his lips to have twitched upwards before he moved to the side. 

Stepping up next to Hangman she looked at the blonde aviator, silently waiting to see what he wanted from her. Hangman put his hand on her shoulder, slowly turning her towards the cabinet before he slid his arm over, draping it entirely over her back. Confusion filled her, as she was pressed against his side. Then his arm pushed her down, forcing her to lean forward. That’s when he pointed toward a picture. 

Ana recognized it instantly. It was all too familiar to her. She had seen it a thousand times in her father’s study, standing on his desk together with a picture of him and Slider the day of their Top Gun graduation and a picture of Maverick and him. 

Dread pooled in her stomach, a huge, heavy chunk that weighed her down as her heart started to race. Why did he want to show her that? Had he found her out? It couldn’t be, could it? Nervously she eyed him from the side. Hangman was still grinning, watching her intently.

“See that?” His breath hit the shell of her ear. A shudder shot through her body, one she barely managed to hide from him. She was fighting to keep her cool, to hide the way her breath wanted to hitch, and even more how nervous she had gotten.

“See what?” She pretended to be naive, “Is that Maverick?”

Hangman scoffed, “Yeah but whatever. Look beside him. That’s Rooster’s old man isn’t it.” Ana’s eyes jumped from the image of her young godfather to the man left and slightly behind him. Her eyes stuck to the image of a younger version of her father for a moment until they centered on Goose. 

Every time she looked at a picture of the young man gone too soon her heart ached. The story of his passing was tragic and while she had never met the man, she felt for him still. Especially since she knew how it had affected Bradley. And Maverick. She’d been born years after the tragic event. Carole and Bradley had been frequent guests in the Kazansky home. It had only been natural she had learned of him too. They had never shied from mentioning Goose and telling the many stories of him. 

“Why are you asking me that?” Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat the longer she had looked at the picture, she turned back towards Hangman. There was a brief moment his eyes jumped back and forth between hers, where his expression had gone slightly slack revealing some kind of softness. It was gone faster than she could blink. Hangman’s grin returned even brighter. It appeared to turn vile and menacing, sending another shiver down her spine.

“Because you seem to know Maverick rather well. Better than the rest of us.” For a moment Hangman glanced back at the picture, his knuckles tapped the glass of the cabinet. “Just the same as Rooster.” He straightened up again and she followed him in his movement.

“Now I don’t know how or why but I bet you knew that Maverick was in the same year as his old man.” Once more Hangman examined her intensely. Ana’s silence was answer enough for him.

She didn’t understand what he wanted with that information. Especially since it wasn’t any secret knowledge. The picture in the ready room alone spoke for itself. Why bring her into this? 

Ana took a step back, pushing his arm off her. “And why do you want to know that?” 

She observed him closely. The way he grinned, the way he eyed her. As if he had won the jackpot. Then it clicked. Realization hit her like a brick in the face.

“Seresin don’t!” she growled threateningly. And Hangman? He continued to grin.

“I don’t know what you are implying here.” The way he said it so innocently while shrugging his shoulders sparked a flame in her. One that gave her the impulse to punch him in the face right then and there. He was trying to find dirt on Rooster and Maverick.

“I can’t believe you.” There was disappointment mixing with the anger she felt. She didn’t think he’d stoop down so low just to win. There was one thing to have a healthy – albeit petty – rivalry and to make a competition out of who was getting the spot of team leader. But to snoop around in their backstories for a personal hit? 

Hangman didn’t need to throw in such a foul to gain the upper hand on Rooster. If he could come down from his horse and work together with others. No. Instead, he went even lower. She couldn’t believe it. Ana didn’t want to believe it, in truth, she wanted to be able to respect Hangman. He was an incredible pilot, talented, even if he was cocky. Her father had been cocky as a young pilot too. Maverick even worse from the stories she had heard. They were great pilots and great men too. 

Turning around she shook her head and marched towards the small table. Clutching her aviators tightly in her hands she stormed out of the room.

[elinorterror]

ok but Really Ava! Your actual Prime! When you were the strongest, how about that? Come on! We gotta see!! :3

". . . Fascinating, truly marvelous. So you are those. . . voices from within the void. The way you speak is always different within screams We can no matter understand. You fascinate me little thing. . . This date holds importance to many, but for Us it's . . . horrifying" "October 14th 8̷̛͙̟͖̳̗̞̖̤̱̽̃̾͗̀͗͂̔̋͝5̵̛̟̩̤̠̺̮̤̊̑̿5̴̡̢͎̙͕͇̫̦͙̌ We held his body within our still arms, within every second we heard this so adoring heart quiet down and stop. He didn't deserve it. We were terrified, as we cried, what was left for us if he was gone? He was our anchor to humanity after all that happened. Why can't they understand it hurts? It hurts, it always hurts. I look at those symbols remembering each and single one... Tracks, Nio, Bellamy... Shogun. Our dearest friends turned their back upon us once more as we cried out, called a monster for our reaction. For bloodshet comitted in pain. It was their fault... always their fault! . . . Unless it's me? And no matter what in this world I could give, it's not enough to get through the walls they've conjured up to live? Is this what they've felt... This suffering and pain because of someone's mistake, because world decided otherwise. Because I'm different than all other identical copies upon copies upon copies. By the standard I should be like all the rest. . . me and that thing you speak of are seperate, yet the same. We suffered, the small one will suffer, we will all suffer in the end and called Monsters, all because we hurt." "Is this what you've wanted to hear? Simple drop of information? To understand what we are? You take this as a game don't you? A silly little game with characters that don't exist. I'm aware of you, I'm aware of stories where we never existed, ones where we were somewhere entirely different. All together or seperated, nothing matters... Nothing will ever matter..."

((Pose for this was inspired from a drawing by @rykundsz-art , specifically this post:

thank you for this inspiration. To whoever actually bothered to try and put the pieces together, I hope you're satisfied with what you did. Because interracting with people that follow my blog is the best birthday gift I could have had. October 14th, 2024, happy birthday to me and whoever shares this celebration. I love you all.))

[stupidthoughtsinwriting]

Try Again | Loki x OC

Chapter 1 - (Next Chapter) -(Chapter List) - (Main Masterlist)

Summary: Enjoying a holiday in Greece until a dreadful call changes it all...

Note: Ohhh I've posted it! okay, first of all, I am open to making a tag list to those interested, just tell me in the comments and I'll put you in. Two, this is the fastest fic i've finished and to me that's astonishing because as you may notice, most of my fics take me months to complete and in finishing this in a few nights is a feat to me. And third, understand that i am going back to class on Monday and thus i might not have as much time to update this as much but i promise i will be working on it and have patience with me. I am unreliable in consistency but I can promise results, even if the time is indefinite. The second chapter is in the works so bear with me and i hope you enjoy!

The sun rests low on the horizon, slowly dipping down amongst the waves. It turns the water a gorgeous shade of gold and the sky flies past in a flurry of bright and brilliant colours. Though as slow as the bright star sinks, it still let off a bit of heat. A welcoming warmth caressing the tanning skin of those still out, enjoying the last rays of the day before heading inside to avoid the chill night.

A child plays in the sand. Building castles of great architecture and collects shells and rocks of all forms and sizes, anything piquing his interests really. A bucket sat beside him and in it rests all his collected treasures. He uses some of the colourful shells and stones to decorate his castle, giving it colour amongst the muted tones of sand.

His mother sits not far from him, basking in the last of the heated rays before the inevitable task of packing up for the day. She watches her boy, clad only in his swim trunks, unruly obsidian curls bouncing at every movement as he fiddles and plays with his toys in the sand.

A warm yet solemn smile painted her thin lips as she watched over her young one, seeing features oh so similar to her husbands. From his ivory skin and up to his emerald eyes, their son was but a copy of his father. The spitting image save for the too few features he had of her, like the scattered bloom of freckles that decorated the bridge of his small nose and cheeks.

He also seems to have gotten mannerisms eerily similar that of his father, despite the brief and few memories he had of him in their short time. The pick at his hands and furrow that would rest on his brows whenever he was confused or sad was just so like her husbands. It brought an overwhelming need to be protect him from the dangers of the world, but she knew that as he grew, she won’t be able to protect him from everything and the best she could do was to teach him how to protect himself. But as of now, she would do just about everything to keep him safe.

Just as the sun began to descend the horizon, the boy abruptly stood up and walked over to where his mother lay beneath an umbrella, clutching tight on the offering he wished to show his mother.

‘Mama!’ he called out as he reached near her.

‘Yes, my darling?’ she replies warmly.

‘Wook at what I found mama’ he urged for her to look once he reached the tail end of her towel, plopping down on her lap, causing her to grunt at the sudden weight while he thrusts his hands to her face, the offering in question presented. She moves to sit up, the young boy still in her lap as she adjusted her position and lifts her Ray-Ban’s to her head so to properly see whatever it was he so wanted her to well, see.

In his small hands, lay a green sea stone. Big enough to dwarf the small hands of a child like his own yet still small in the eyes of others. It rests softly in her son’s palms, smooth surfaced, and tinted seafoam, she understood why it would pick at her son’s interest.

‘That is beautiful love’ she praises, earning a prideful look from the little boy, his chest puffing out as his grin stretched much like a Cheshire cat. It earned a hearty chuckle from the mother, watching her son’s actions. Joyous and confident, much like how his father was before.

‘May I?’ she asked and once a nod was returned, she plucked the stone from his hands, holding it up to the sky. She hoped that what was left of the day was enough for the light to pass through the translucent glass and it did. The stone glowed bright like the waters before them.

A look of awe shaped the boy’s face, his mouth hung open as he stared at the rock, but the mother’s gaze only strayed for a bit before turning back to her son. The look on his face made every hardship worth it and yet again, it brought another wide grin to her face.

Pressing a quick kiss to his temples, she gave the rock back to him and still, he stared at it as if it contained the hidden magic of the world. Taking the moment with his attention pre-occupied, she brushed away the sands stuck to his skin, from his face to his pale torso, she brushed away as much as she could, but the rest would have to be washed away when they get back to their room.

Speaking of which, she glanced at the sun, the sky a canvas of pinks, oranges and violets as the sun sunk down low enough and it now meant that it was time for them to pack up and head back inside.

Her gaze lingered in the horizon until a tiny voice called her back.

‘Mama’ the child called for her.

‘Yes dear?’

‘Do you think papa would wike this?’ he asked, turning her attention back to him. There had been few and brief times that his father was asked about and often this was the question asked. The other times he’d ask were always of his father’s character. Stories of the man were told and a picture of him was kept among the boy’s things as a remembrance, but it had been a long while since he’s asked of him again.

She stared at the orbs identical to her son’s fathers and she couldn’t help but think of him. His charming smile, his careful touch, his loving gaze, and intoxicating smell. She longed to be back in his once safe arms, but she couldn’t, and that truth is to be accepted.

‘Yes he would luv’ she answers. The truth was, knowing her husband, he’d love anything and everything their little boy gave him. From a messily drawn card for Father’s Day and his birthdays down to a piece of cereal the boy had been eating, the man would have been grateful for anything his boy gave him.

 ‘Bwilliant’ he murmurs, and she just knows he will keep it safely stashed amongst the other things he thinks his father would like. It warmed her heart to have a son so kind and giving. It made her proud that he was growing up to be as so and she just hoped her husband would be as well.

‘Alright darling, we have to go pack up now. Go get your stuff and then we can go back to the room so you can have a bath and then dinner’ she explains to the young boy, tucking away the curtain of curls that hid his face behind his ears before cupping his cheek and giving his little button nose a kiss, causing him to giggle in her hold, his face scrunching up. ‘Alright?’

‘Okay mumma’ he nodded to her command and set off to get his toys and treasures from the sand. Watching him pick up his stuff, she began to pack up as well. Tidying up the drinks and towel she had brough and place them in her bag before brushing off the bit of sand that stuck to her skin before putting on the blue summer dress atop her swimsuit for when they head back to their room.

The boy trudged back to her with a heavy bucket in hand and his kiddie camera slung around his neck. The bucket nearly overfilled with all the stones and shells he collected, along with the beach toys he used to make the castle.

Dropping it with a heavy grunt, the boy huffed and puffed at the exertion, causing his mother to stifle a laugh yet still a sound managed to escape, her hand immediately flying to muffle the sound but seeing it went unnoticed, she relaxed and dropped it.

‘A bit heavy love?’ she asks.

‘A wot heavy’ he says, emphasizing the word like a true drama king. Wonder who he got that from?

‘Alright. Now, do you want to wear a shirt before we go back?’ she asks, offering him the top he wore earlier.

‘No tank you’ he declines, shaking his head.

‘Alrighty then’ she puts his shirt back in the bag before slinging it on her left shoulder and picking up the castle shaped bucket (which did weigh a lot, no wonder her son was left panting) with her left hand. Her right: out in offering for the young boy to hold as they slowly walked back to their hotel.

‘Did you have fun today?’ the mother asked as the walked along the beach.

‘Yes! Yes! Yes!’ he shouted in enthusiasm, jumping up and down. The mother could only smile at the boy’s joyous behaviour, glad that she could give him fun memories to look back on.

The rest of their walk was filled with conversation about what the new thing’s he discovered about the sea life, the castle he so artistically constructed and the promise of coming back here another day and by the time they reached the lobby of the resort, the mother could see how the exhaustion of the day was taking a toll on her little boy.

‘Ahh, Miss Ackland’ Mr Birch, the evening manager greeted from behind the reception ‘good day I presume?’ he questions, noting how tuckered out her normally energetic son was started to sag against her. With a brief glance to the boy and a small chuckle, she nodded.

‘Yes, it was good day. Especially for this one’ she replies, rubbing a thumb over the hand in her grasp, hoping to at least rouse the child until he’s eaten dinner.

The man chuckles a bit, seeing how unresponsive the boy is to her attempts. ‘My, the young tyke seems real knackered.’ he comments with an accent much like her own yet the way the words flow so smoothly would have anyone wrapped in a trance,

‘Yes well, all day out in the beach seems to do that’ she responds politely.

‘Well, best not keep you from your young one and leave you to it. Have a nice evening miss.’ he bids her well off with a gentle smile that would leave any woman with a common-sense to a puddle, yet she has her immunity, and she powered through with it.

‘Actually, would you mind sending some food to our room in 15, 20 minutes? We haven’t had the chance to get some dinner and I’m hoping to feed at least a little into him before he’s off for the night.’ She requests of the manager, really wishing to at least have her boy a few bites before going dead to the world.

‘Certainly miss.’ He dutily responds, already picking up a phone to call the kitchen ‘Just the usual ma’am?’  he asks of the meal, turning to her with the phone to his ear.

‘Yes, that would be lovely. Thank you Mr. Birch’ she says with a kind grin, faintly hearing his conversation as mother and son walked away.

‘Yes, to the Amphitrite suite in fifteen minutes… Thank you’.

---

Once the pair arrived back to their room, the sun had finally set, casting a now dark canvas, littered with twinkling stars, though it went unnoticed to the weary boy who had let go of his mothers’ hand as soon as they entered and dropped with a thud on the chalk white cushions once he was near enough while his mother, Ms. Ackland, relieved herself of the heavy weight she had been trudging since the beach.

‘Leo’ she called to the boy softly, opting to not chastise the young one when he was already weary. ‘Come on darling. Quick bath and some dinner then off to bed, sleepy head’

‘But I’m not sleepy’ he whined, an indicator of his true predicament, even as he refuses.

‘Well, a quick wash and some supper then’ she bargained even though she knew he’d out like a light by halfway through dinner and when she received no response, she added ‘and we’ll also wash up the shells and rocks you collected, and you can sort through them after.’ And with that, his head shot up, his curls bobbing as he ran (well more speed walk than run) with what energy he had left to her side, awaiting for her instructions and wanting to get his bucket of treasures so he could wash them.

With the young one finally clean and sand free, dressed in his favourite dark blue pyjamas, they set off to the sitting room portion of the suite, just in time for room service to arrive with their supper. Since Leo had his attention to his rocks and shells (fully washed and draining on a colander borrowed from the hotel), his mother was the one that had gone to get the food, still wearing her blue summer dress since there wasn’t enough time for her to get cleaned herself but she planned on doing so after her little boy had gone to bed.

She thanked the room service and closed the door of the suite before fixing up the plate of food and brought it to where little Leo was pre-occupied, seemingly sorting the rocks by colour and size on the towel laid out before him while he let the shells dry out in the colander a little bit longer. She sat beside him, setting the plate a good distance away from his work area and began to feed her little man.

The rest of that time had been quiet, save for the thud of rocks on the whitewashed coffee table and the occasional murmur to open his mouth so the mother could feed him bites of the pork Souvlaki. In between bites, she’d offer her opinion, helping out a bit on his activity but not once has he said anything. Only responding in nods and a shake of his head, another symptom of his fatigue and true to her word, with the plate half cleared, she noticed the lack of hands working through the rocks and a weight leaning on her. Turning her head, she found the boy sound asleep, a rock he had been looking at still in his grasp but the lack of movement and the slow and steady breaths he let out was enough for her to know.

Pushing the plate aside, she carded a hand through his curls, making him curl up more beside her and all that did was take her back to when it was her husband that did the same thing. Head on her lap, she would comb through his raven locks and all that would do was press a face farther onto her stomach, arms wrapping around her waist so he could pull her closer.

This was most endearing when she has pregnant. Her beloved would whisper to her belly in a hushed tone. Her hand, as always, in his head of hair and when her nails would start to scratch at his scalp, a content sigh always left him before he burrowed in the warm mass of her stomach.

Thinking back, those were near the last good moments she had of just the two of them. A loving husband, doting and caring to his beloved wife as the two prepared the arrival of their little one. So cheery and full of life, once was he and now all she could help but do is miss those moments, let alone the man he was back then.

After a small while, the mother took the boy in her arms and having done this so many times before, it was an instant that the boy instinctively wraps himself in his mothers’ hold, arms circling her neck, legs locking behind her as he laid his little head to her chest, right over where her heart beat a rhythm that often lulled him to sleep. She planted a kiss at the top of his head, right on his unruly curls at she took him to the bedroom.

Laying him down in the middle of the queen-sized bed, she laid with him for a bit to make sure he would no longer stir before carefully untangling herself from his hold. She propped some of the pillows beside him, just to make sure he wouldn’t move to far to edge and fall and covered him with his blankie before deciding it was enough and she left the room, shutting the door quietly.

Taking a survey of the suite, she figured on tidying up and finishing what was left of supper before taking a shower herself, wanting to be rid of the day’s clothes and into her own pyjamas while she indulged on some wine in the balcony.

Nearly giddy at the thought, she set off in doing so and half an hour later, she emerges from the ensuite in fresh clothes, warmed somewhat by a thin green cardigan she put over.

The mother then set off to the kitchenette where a good bottle of wine chilled in the mini fridge. Now without any distractions or hesitation, she took a wine glass the concierge so kindly provided, and poured herself a hearty amount, tasting the aged, fermented juice and relishing at the thought of getting lost from her head for a few hours after a glass or two.

With the glass near empty, it was then that she remembered that she hasn’t even touched her phone nearly the whole day and seeing it sat on the counter, with a quick reach, she had it in her hand. She wasn’t surprised of the lack of notifications, so she set it down and finished the last of her glass’s contents. What did surprise her though was the call that connected a minute later, the familiar name on the ID catching her unexpectedly.

She answered the call before it dropped, wanting to hear from the man after a while of no contact.

‘Thor’ she starts, putting the phone to her ear as she poured herself another glass. ‘Long time’

‘Yeah, um. It has, hasn’t it?’ his deep voice grumbles through the phone’s speaker.

‘Five months to be exact’ she clarifies, bringing the glass to her lips and takes a sip.

‘Sorry, it’s just…’ he started to explain himself, but she cuts him off.

‘No. Don’t, don’t do that. Don’t say that. I could have called but I didn’t, and I am as much to blame’ she clarifies, regretting making the comment when she didn’t want to take apologies when she was just as much at fault as he was.

‘Right, alright. Um, where’s little Leo?’ he asks, diverting the conversation to the boy so to get out of that uncomfortable subject. 

‘Ohh, he’s already in bed. Sorry. Had a long day’.

‘Wow, that early. It’s just a little before nine. Usually, he’d still be very active. Well from what I can remember that is.’ The blond man chuckles, remembering the nights he’d spend with the very energetic child.

‘Actually, it’s about ten before 11 here.’

‘Her- Wudduya mean here? Aren’t you in town?’ the man asks, clearly very confused and he sounds it and that is her fault.

‘Ohh, were in Santorini on holiday. Sorry, I haven’t informed anyone really and I would have you but-’ you haven’t called, and I couldn’t make the call myself the last bit went unsaid but the both of them knew.

‘Oh, okay. Alright.’ He pauses for a while, leaving a pregnant silence to fill until he did. ‘Well, is it good there?’

‘Very’ she responds immediately, uncomfortable by that gap. ‘it’s beautiful. The water, the architecture, the culture, the people, it’s absolutely wonderful.’ She describes, looking to the balcony where there was a perfect view of the sea. ‘Leo’s enjoying himself too. Playing in the beach all day, making sandcastles and he collects shells and rocks that take his interest and earlier he went about to sorting them, but the little man fell asleep halfway into dinner. Too worn out from the day to even finish his sorting.’ She giggles a bit, remembering how the little boy looked all curled up beside her.

‘Seems like you’re having a good time.’ The man responds, a bit despondent but she didn’t hear that.

‘We are.’ She says with a bit of pride ‘we are’ she repeats though this time she’s uncertain and dejected because a part of her is guilty. For actually having a good time and without the man she loves. And another part.. just wants him. To be here with them. To enjoy this with them but, we can’t have all we want now can we.

She faintly heard someone talking, someone angry and that was followed by the sound of the phone shuffling before she heard Thor again.

‘Sorry Em, could you hold for a minute?’ he requests, and she answers back yes but before she could ask anymore, he mutes.

She put the phone on speaker and set it down, taking a gulp of her wine and as promised, after a minute, he came and called her back.

‘I’m back. You still there?’

‘Yah’ she manages before swallowing her drink ‘still here. Everything alright?’ she asks, wondering who it was that was so angry (though she should have known).

‘Yeah. Everything’s just fine’ he replies, sounding out breath.

‘You sure?’

‘Yeah, absolutely. Terrific’ he says with far too much cheer, it annoyed her enough to know it was fake.

‘Thor.’ She says firmly, setting her glass down the marble counter ‘What’s going on?’ she demands sternly, using the voice she rarely would use to chastise Leo with when on bad behaviour, not wanting some half-arsed answer.

Again, a long of silence stretched on until with a heavy sigh, he began.

‘He’s in hospital again.’ He confesses and she shakes her head, knowing well who he meant. Irritated was she, evidently enough to pick up her glass and divide its contents into half.

‘He’s always in hospital’ she replies after swallowing, swirling the liquid around the glass and she watches in fascination, wanting to get her head from what he just said.

‘No. This is different.’ He presses, knowing the times he’s said this before were for minor and abrasive accounts.

‘What do you mean?’ she pesters, her voice now wobbly as a burst of possibilities swirled in her head.

‘He um- ‘he stops himself, swallowing the hard pill because knowing her, telling her this would only tear her apart. ‘He rang me earlier.’ That enough was a giveaway that something was wrong, the severity was the only missing piece. ‘He was in pain, and he could barely let out anything before he dropped the phone and groaned in agony.’ Her breathing hitched then, tears welling her eyes while her hand flew to her mouth. ‘I got to him as soon as I could, and when I found him, he was on the floor, in pain’ He hated repeating that but all he could do was relay the accounts of what happened as it was still all so fresh and hope he could filter it as much as possible. ‘I called for an ambulance and tried to get him to tell me what was happening, but he couldn’t even respond’ he chokes, remembering the sight and it flashes before his eyes, as if he was reliving the whole painful ordeal again.

Emma on the other hand, had tears quietly running her cheeks, hand still tightly clasped to her mouth for fear she would let out a sob that would not only alert Thor but Leo as well. Her mind ran rampant, creating images and images of her pained husband, lying helplessly in pain on the floor, asking for help to no one because of his solitude. Not knowing if he there was anyone coming at all.

Guilt held a tighter grip on her breaking heart as her mind convinced herself that it was her fault that he was alone. She should have been there. She shouldn’t have left. She should have taken care of him and maybe he wouldn’t be where he was if it she had just stayed and cared for him. But she didn’t and she wasn’t there when he was helplessly lying on the ground, wondering if the last thing he’d see was the dirt and bottles that undoubtedly littered the floors around him instead of his beloved wife and darling son.

She swallowed back the sob itching to escape her lips, desperate on not making a sound.

Her mind was taking a turn in the labyrinth it already was, taking her to unknown ends of painful scenarios her unyielding mind procures when she still doesn’t have the pieces to the whole story.

A creep of silence then went on for the benefit of both. Time for them to compose themselves before the once boisterous man continued.

‘The ambulance-’ he begins once more, though demurely ‘-arrived quickly. And they took him to the hospital immediately, seeing the state he was. Even the doctors didn’t know what was happening to him, but they gave him morphine for the pain.’ He somewhat assures and it relieves her a bit knowing he wasn’t in pain anymore. ‘They let him rest for a bit before they took him for tests. He’s resting now though. They’re keeping him for the night under observation but there was talk that the stay might be indefinite until they figured out what was wrong. Just in case another attack happened but you know him’ he teases lightly, not wanting to drown in the dampening mood this whole conversation, hell this whole ordeal has taken and neither did she so, she appreciates the lightening.

And she also knew what he meant. Her husband hated hospitals. Even stepping one foot inside churned his insides enough and being a patient? We’ll she knew enough to give her an idea of what happened.

It didn’t help her to think of his reaction to being told that he had to stay the night. Scared as he might have already been, the prospect of staying even longer undoubtedly terrified him and thus she concluded that he refused the longer stay.

Thinking of it, the only time he was at some sort of ease while in the hospital was when they took baby Leo for his newborn check up and even then he was anxious. The check-up had been a necessary. Just to assure the new parents that their little one was alright and properly checked on since a homebirth lacked that formality. The man himself had been the one to insist on the homebirth and Emma didn’t object to that, wanting to give the man a sort of peace as they brought their child to the world. His fears only eased once the doctor told them that everything is just as it should be about their newborn and there and only then did he relax as he rejoice on the fact that they had a health baby boy.

That clued her enough of his fear of hospitals and that information didn’t help her at all now.

‘The doctors are coming back in the morning for the results but after that, he insists on leaving’ he continuous to inform her, wary of her lack of response.

She hasn’t said anything since the start of his recount. Not a sound could be heard from her end of the line, and it unnerve him, making him check to see if the call was still on and it was. It took him a few good minutes, but he deduced why she was so silent.

He knew his sister well and the things he’s regaled to her… he just knew it was breaking her being apart.

‘Emma’ he called out, wanting to be sure he was still taking to someone. ‘you still there?’

‘yah’ she muttered, barely audible but he heard.

She had sunken to the floor, leaning against the counters as she pulled her knees to her chest, arms wrapped around them as she silently cried. Her phone still sat atop the island, her call with her brother-in-law still ongoing yet there she was, listening, tears running her cheeks as she listened to him describe the torment her beloved endured.

‘He needs you now’ the man murmurs, pleading for his brother’s sake that she come back. He knew his little brother wouldn’t take it if these pains continued on and he feared the day he would give up. And without the person he loves most, the person that had been his solace long before, his rock and home, he is terrified of that end coming too soon.

The woman could only swallow at the man’s words before clamping a hand on her mouth and burying her head to her knees as an unrelenting sob escapes her. She had no control of it and the others that followed but she did have control of how loud they would come to so she did her best to make as little sound as she possibly could.

Try as she did though, Thor heard her. Muffled as it was, he knew that sound better than he liked to admit and not once did his heart break not break for her every time.

‘just… please come back’ he begs her once more, intending to end the call and leave her to some privacy. He stays on for a bit longer and just as he was about to press the end button, she called out to him, saying his name in an unsteady voice, congested and clear that she had been crying.

Two days she wanted to say. Give her two days and she would do everything she could to be there as soon as possible but what left her mouth wasn’t so. ‘Take care of him for me’ she pleads her own, on the brink of another fit of sobs but she held on till the call ended.

‘Always’ he responds before ending the call and with that her resolve crumbles.

Once again, her hand flies to cover her mouth, going in to cover and muffle the onslaught of sobs she had no hope of controlling but… they never came. Whether it was for some preservation for Leo’s deep sleep or her sudden inability to, they never come. What took its place though was a rush of tears and a heavy heart.

Leaning back on the limewashed cupboards, she let her tears run and her heart sink for she thought she deserved it. The guilt eating at her from the inside. Churning her stomach to knots and crushing her heart to shreds. It manipulated her. Turning her to the villain at the heart of this mess when she had done nothing but protect herself and her son from the tragedy that was once a happy family.

Her mind was a cruel and fickle thing. Making her believe the lies it comes up with and without the one person who knew how to lead her out of the labyrinth, she was lost. Facing every new dreaded possibility at every dead end without escape or clue on how to get out because the person that always led her to the exit, became the reason she was lost and missed it.

She didn’t blame him though. Despite what the others do, not once did she blame the poor tortured soul of her husbands’ because how could she. She could have helped him and stayed by him, just as she vowed but breaking that promise lost her the right to blame, not that she would.

In sickness and in health… clearly she didn’t hold her promise on that.

She drew her knees back to her chest, letting her heart wrench while a hand rose to reach for the bottle of wine that still sat on the bench. Once she got that down, Emma took a big swig right out of the bottle, never minding the glass she used before. Her only goal. To suffer and hope she’d be numb enough to stop the tears from flowing.

And that’s how she spent the rest of the night. Sat on the kitchenette floor of her suite, back against the cupboards as she let her tears dry out while burning a bottles’ worth of wine through her liver, letting her guilt and sorrow drape over her as it would a child under a tablecloth on Halloween.

(Next Chapter) -(Chapter List) - (Main Masterlist)

[nrdmssgs]

A wall of silence

Masterlist with OCs AN: My friends @sofasoap @siilvan and @gamergirlbonestaskforce141riot inspired me for a tiny backstory to a A heart full of pity. This happens a day before the main story.

Characters: Lieutenant Olga (not yet Zhar) Samoilova and Doctor Heather Green (an OC of @gamergirlbonestaskforce141riot)

As usual, Olga came exactly 3 minutes earlier for their appointment.

"Doctor Green, Lieutenant Samilova re-"

"Cut it, Olya, how many times do I need to ask you." Heather stood up from her desk and moved a chair closer to the one, on which her patients would usually sit.

For many years Heather monitored the now so-called Task Force and some things never changed. Soap turning their sessions to a little stand-up of John MacTavish, Ghost sharing much more with Price than with her, Gaz balancing between the calmest logic and a raging storm of emotions. And Olga, trying to be the quiet, the 'i'll cause no problem', the 'please don't banish me' one. It felt as if she knew, how every answer should sound in order to make a perfect report.

No matter, how hard Heather tried, she couldn't get into Olgas ears - to her psychologic evaluations were not an instrument to help her, but an endless test, she had to pass with flying colors in order to stay in Prices group.

So without any big hopes Heather asked, how Olgas week went so far.

"Great! The mission planning is almost done, I'm waiting for the Captain to give me all clear, I also controlled the amount of resting hours as you advised, here is my report, I also sent a copy on your email address..."

Heather listened patiently as Olga recited an obviously prepared in advance answer. Behind all the razzle-dazzle, her patient tinkered till the last smallest detail, Heather still saw a very scared girl, who was willing to do anything to stay in the Task Force. If Heather was honest - she didn't want to corner her own patient, when she already was in a survival mode for a long time. But there was no other choice.

"Tell me about the last Sunday."

"Had a nice training session with the Sgs, worked on reports, had a walk, about an hour long. Then there was some gathering in one of the hangars, but I left early. Read a book, not a work-related topic, as you suggested. And thats about it!" Despite Heathers concerns, Olga didn't tense up. The same smile was plastered upon her face as she reminisced on her weekend.

"And what made you leave the gathering early?"

Olga looked down for a moment and sighed. "Gaz? Or Soap?"

"Olya, darling, don't get the wrong picture of it: nobody in the 141 is trying to find any imperfections in you, or make you go. They are worried about you. One of their own makes you frustrated, there is something going on between you two, and they want to help." Heather reached out to Olga, touched her shoulder, but her patient just froze and looked back with an unfocused gaze. Trying to guide her out of the blackout, Heather added, "you can always tell if you're uncomfortable. With me or with Nikolai."

"Nothing is going on between me and Nikolai." Lieutenant came back to senses. "I joined the gathering, I left early, because I got a new idea for the mission plan, that's the story. We didn't say a single word to each other - there was no conflict, doctor."

"Darling, it was a gathering to celebrate Nikolai coming back to our base after a long leave. And you stood up and left the hangar the very next moment after he entered it. This doesn't scream 'nothing is happening' to me. And I`m afraid, that you look at how everyone appreciate him, and hide something, that makes you so distant. You see, how we greet him every time and think that nobody is going to take your side once you reveal the reason behind your reaction to him. I want you to know, it's not like that."

"Doctor Green, it is not my place to lecture you." Olga leaned back, defending herself from any possibility of a physical contact with Heather. "But it takes a very special personality to serve, where that man served. I know, you all believe that ultranationalists are the worst, that they represent everything thats wrong with Russia. But I assure you, they are just kids in comparison to what beasts are lurking in Kremlin. And that man served them. Maybe he still is."

Heather understood that their time was almost up and made the last attempt to make her point.

"Olya, I can't manipulate on Nikolais background. I won't deny, he worked for the FSB, but I can't draw a conclusion from my or your emotions. But what I can do is to analyze the facts. You see a monster right there, and you feel like you are the only one, who sees his real nature. Neither I nor anyone from the Task Force can change your perception. But I can share, what personally see, when I look at him."

When Olga hesitantly noded, Heather went on.

"I see a guy, who cares for his friends, even when it remains unnoticed. A guy, who found out, one of the TF was on the brief medical leave for a minor reason and his very first question was 'do they need any medication or anything?'. A guy, who is always asking if every member of 141 is ok. A guy, who looks at somebody, he cares for, and smiles broadly even though they don't have an opportunity to touch base with each other."

"Doctor, I'll stop you there. I am aware of Nikolai's and our Captain's friendly bond."

"I'm talking about Price, Olya. Everything, I just told you, was about Nikolai and you."

In a dead silence infesting the room, Lieutenant shook her head. The last words that reached Heather were muttered quietly.

"He is lying. Lying to you all."

***

Price came half an hour after Olga left: Heather wouldn't want them to stumble upon each other in the hall. Doctor Green still had a small hope, that Captain would change his mind about Olgas upcoming mission. But when Price asked her, if his Lieutenant was ready, that hope was forgotten.

"John, she hates him."

"That I know." Prices deep voice echoed in the walls of her office. "My questions was, is she able to work with him. This mission is critical, if Olga makes it - we are promoting her. So, please, give me a sign."

Heather took a pause. She didn't want to torture Olga, when she's already living in constant stress. At the same time she understood how much this mission might serve Olga and the whole Task Force. Heather didn't like, what she's about to do, but something told her, it's the right thing. So she finally answered Price.

"She will do anything for you."

[lifenconcepts]

you do have oc’s yes. give the lore now. That is an order, mister /j /nf

BHSXHHDOBSOXBXBI HAVE TOO MANY

UHM

I GOT LIKE A MILLION ESSAYS OF LORE FOR MOST BUT HERE ARE THE INTRODUCTIONS:

For this show I wanted to write I have 3 main guys I love dearly, Lifen Heid who is the main dude and German- is secretly holding some kind of power and yet isn’t aware of it. This spirit guy Fhelix (quite OP but is so fed up with every being that he litterally does not use his powers at all except for his main goal) knows though and was set off on a journey to help him become a god like he once was but can’t say what he’s doing otherwise they would both die an agonising death. They got some chemistry and lore together plus I advanced the plot into a full blown book. Robin, a side character whom I love dearly, is a pathetic little kid who was forced to flee from his planet from false vigilante accusations and resides in the realm (this whole new world only accessible through a portal) with Fhelix, whole ordeal, and also some other people that also had the same fate, basically heroes turned sour and he got trapped into their little group (There’s this massive group and all got their individual relationship with one another and personality but in short they’re like 15-23 year old losers with some sort of dramatic past and incredible talents (lemme tell you about them..) ) So there’s Batrose - an emo shithead who is 99% a sadist and is a very good swordsman, and despite that, he is in a relationship with Florence, an absolute sweetheart who also is quite a dangerous individual. Basically that meme template where they both can absolutely kill you but one visibly has intention and the other is bubbly. Both dress somewhat goth. There’s also Dan, a daredevil cat hybrid who always looks for trouble and is a horrid influence on Robin but I still love him, not too much older then him. Westifer is this ginger kid the same age as Dan and yet is much more secluded than the rest and has an amulet passed down from generation to generation which allows him to practically bend water to his will, but he sort of struggles with it. He has a floating blob of water he can activate anytime and it’s somewhat sentient and has bubbles for eyes but mostly just helps him get to places sometimes as it’s body can act as a cushion. Also has a pet flamingo named fern. There are some other others but they’re not worthy enough of being saved in my mind.

one of my newest two is Neil Wolfman, he got a shitload of lore which I could copy and paste here in a second. Absolutely adore him but in short he’s a pathetic little soggy boy who has a car and out of paranoia spends most time out in the suburbs and owns an adorable German shepherd named Arc. also this mad scientist I haven’t bothered with making a name for that I do quite love and is my most attacked character for art fight!

also idk if it counts but just any variety of me whenever I draw myself, ranges from abstract concept to realistic depiction to absolute goofy doodle to entirely new creature or human.

I also realised like not lately that they almost all were some representation from me and I was incredibly surprised.

[braveclementine]

Five Years Later

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book.

Copyright: My OCs are Coach Yonce, Emma, Ila, Tempus, and Itty Bitty. I own these characters. I do not condone any copying of this.

"Morning sweetheart." Sebastian said softly as I woke to the feeling of him running his fingers up and down the dip in my hip.

I rolled over, pressing my face into his chest. I wasn't ready to get up. I was tired.

Sebastian chuckled, pulling me back a little to pepper my face with kisses. "You slept well last night."

I cracked a smile though I didn't open my eyes. "I always sleep well after we have fun in bed."

Sebastian laughed lowly, a sound that sent shivers straight to my core. "Is that so? Hmm, would never have guessed."

I finally opened my eyes, glaring at him playfully. "I'm trying to go back to sleep here."

"Well, you can't. It's Ila's birthday, now wake up." He said softly, kissing me again.

If it had been anyone but our daughters birthday. . .

I groaned as I sat up, stumbling out of bed and headed for the bathroom. Sebastian joined me, waking me up more completely with a lovely morning sex session. It wasn't just hot water that steamed the mirrors this morning.

When we finally managed to pull apart from each other, my legs wobbly and unsure, Sebastian chuckling, we got out of the shower and got dressed.

I headed downstairs first to make pancakes for our little girls' birthday. She was three years old, with Sebastian's blue eyes and my H/C colour hair.

Emma, our five year old, honeymoon child, was already sitting up at the kitchen table, colouring in her colour book.

"Morning mommy." She said, brushing back black curls from her forehead.

"Morning sweetheart, what are you colouring this morning?"

"Thanos!" She cheered, "Look!"

It mostly looked like a purple crayon mess, but I just smiled and said, "Looks just like him sweetheart."

"What are we doing for Ila's birthday?" Emma asked, turning the page and started to scribble red all over the Hulk.

"Well, some friends are going to come over. We're going to use the pool, maybe a pinata, a lot of unhealthy food-"

"Are Uncle Robert and Uncle Donald going to come over? What about Aunt Itty?" Emma asked excitedly.

"Yes Uncle Robert, Aunt Susan, your cousins Avri and Exton, Aunt Itty, and Aunt Page are all coming over." I said calmly as I fried up the cakes. "Uncle Donald and Aunt Melania on the other hand, I don't know. Your Uncle is very busy trying to run a country."

"But I'm his niece." She pouted.

"It's not your birthday." You smiled. "It's Ila's. Besides, we're already going to the White House for Christmas."

She still pouted.

"Grandma and Grandpa are coming too." I said to cheer her up- which worked.

Eventually the pancakes were done and Sebastian came downstairs with our lovely daughter, who was clutching her Otter stuffed animal in one hand.

"Hey Ila." I murmured, putting her pancakes down in front of her. Sebastian took a seat next to her to help her cut them up. "Happy birthday sweetheart."

Once the girls were finished, they both ran off together to the living room where her presents were.

"Don't open them yet girls!" Sebastian yelled after them. "You need to wait until at least Grandma and Grandpa get here!"

He picked up my left hand, kissing the new, metal pinky there. "How's it feeling sweetheart?"

"Like a real finger." I murmured, smiling back at him.

Sebastian had been incredibly worried about how the prosthetic would turn out. He was probably even more worried than I had been. Every day since I'd gotten it, he'd asked how it felt to make sure I wasn't in any pain.

"Good." He said, flipping my hand over to place a kiss on my palm.

I giggled, bending down to kiss him.

The door bell rang and I hopped up, racing to get, Sebastian close behind me.

I was always afraid that one of the kids would answer the door and it would be a bad guy, so I always made sure to answer it. Even though I knew several relatives and friends were showing up today, I still couldn't help the fear that came along with the ringing or the knocking of the door.

"Hey Y/N!" Robert said, pulling me into a hug.

"Hi Robert!" I exclaimed, hugging him back tightly. "Hi Susan."

I ruffled their son and daughters heads before those two scampered into the house to go and find Emma and Ila.

"How are you two?" I asked, eyeing the huge present that Robert was carrying into the house, "What is that?"

"A present." Robert replied sardonically while Sebastian rolled his eyes.

"I can see that." I replied, rolling my eyes as well. "It's wrapped. What the heck did you get her? It's huge!"

"Well, she's three. She needs this." Robert said and I glanced up at Susan. She just smiled because he was being Robert.

Sebastian got the door again and Uncle Chris came in with Uncle Tom and Uncle Benedict. Emma ran over to greet her favorite Uncles, climbing up Benedicts leg- or trying to.

"Hey monkey." Benedict said, bending down and lifting her into his arms.

"Uncle Strange!" Emma squealed, hugging him tightly around the neck.

Sebastian laughed, as he always did.

"Emma, that's Ben." I said with a smile. "Dr. Strange is just a character."

"Which he plays." Emma said with a serious face. "Therefore, he is also Strange."

"I agree." Tom said. "He is strange, isn't he?"

"Exactly!" Emma squealed and I gave up, giggling.

"It's fine." Benedict assured me, laughing as well.

"Uncwle Chwiss." Ila said, toddling over to Chris and he bent down to hug her.

My parents were next, quickly mingling with the group, greeting their grandchildren.

Everything was moved outside and the kids jumped on the bouncy house while the adults relaxed in the large pool that Sebastian had put into the house long before I had married him. With the settlement money that we'd won in the Russo lawsuits, we were set for a long time before either of us had to get a job. And of course, Sebastian was still acting so he was getting large paychecks on that.

I looked over when I saw some people coming into the yard, not having expected any guests. I hopped out of the pool when I saw who it was.

"Uncle Duck!" Ila shouted, waddling over to the older man who was still wearing a suit and red tie despite the relaxed occasion.

"Hey pumpkin." Donald said, lifting her up into his arms. "Hello Y/N."

"Hey Don. I didn't think you were able to come over today." I said with a smile. "You know, being the President and all."

"Well I've got all the time in the world for my nieces." He said, clapping his hands together once.

"How's Melania?" I asked, not seeing anyone but him here.

"She's great! She's got another photo shoot today but she sends all of her love to this little lovebug." He said, holding one hand out to little Ila. She gave him the high five with a giggle. "Okay down!"

He put her down on the grass and she tumbled over to where the bouncy house was. Emma was laying dramatically on the ground after being hit by one of the plastic balls they were playing with.

When she popped up and saw who was here, she shrieked, racing towards him.

"Hey Em." Donald said she ran smack dab into his chest.

"Uncle Donald you came!" She laughed and then tried pulling him over to the bouncy house. "Come play with us."

"How long can you stay?" I asked.

"At least till the cake." He said with a grin.

I laughed and headed back to the pool, though most everyone was getting out around this time, sitting around the unlit firepit and popping open beers.

I sat down next to Sebastian, who wrapped an arm around my waist. "I didn't know he was going to show up."

"Yep!" I beamed. "A surprise present."

Things evened out and as it grew later and the kids grew tired, we pulled out the cake and presents.

Turned out that Robert had gotten her one of those foldable princess tents. It was massive and pink and I knew she was going to want it in her bedroom and she was totally going to get it in her bedroom.

She received a variety of other things, mostly barbie or princess dolls, a couple of Littlest Pet Shop toys and sets, and also a couple of the Marvel Lego sets which I rolled my eyes at. Scarlett had gotten her one of those playdough sets where you're supposed to make kitchen creations, while Elizabeth Olsen had gotten her the ice-cream set.

Anthony had gotten her one of the drawing mats which would help her learn to draw, while also teaching her ABCs and 123s, along with some shapes and some animals.

Tom had gotten her some of those CDs with the little kid nursery rhymes on them, which were some of her favorites right now.

Benedict smothered her with Disney stuffed animals including Stitch, Dumbo, Baby Yoda, and Simba. She declared that they were all her new favorite stuffed animals.

Chris had gotten her an American girl doll, which she also loved.

Really, she just loved everything she'd gotten.

Donald won the competition though. He gave her a dollhouse. But not like, a normal dollhouse. He gave her a life sized dollhouse.

"Don't worry." He assured me, handing me a panel with a screen on it. "It's got cameras and you can lock it so no one can hide in the house or anything."

"Thank you." I murmured, glad he'd taken that safety precaution into mind. I had just been thinking about how a bad guy could hide in there and attack her before she went inside to play.

It was a nice dollhouse too. You could fit inside, although Sebastian had to stoop pretty low. It was like a cottage, more like, with a tower in the front and even a small balcony- although it wasn't that high up.

It was decent sized of course- although you couldn't go to the second floor as you were not small enough and the upstairs wasn't really much more than five feet apart second floor to roof. There was some small furniture- though no bed which you were happy about.

"Thank you!" Ila squealed, wanting to go into it right now while Emma stared at it with wide eyes and a dropped mouth.

"Don't worry." Donald winked at her. "You'll get one for Christmas."

Sebastian laughed. "Then you two will never have to buy a house in the future. You're all set."

Emma giggled, "Can mine be pink please?"

"Emma!" I scolded. "You can't ask for that. It's a gift."

Donald just laughed.

Emma's future Christmas present:

Everyone later departed with high spirits, the two girls of yours already fast asleep. Benedict had to carry his kids back to the car.

"Well that was exciting." Sebastian said once the two of you had cleaned up and were now settled in bed.

"I hope they were really happy with everything." I fretted. "I don't want them spoiled- but that happened anyways. But I don't want them to grow up ungrateful either. You know? Taking everything for granted?"

"We'll teach them, don't worry." Sebastian said. "You know the only time they get presents is their birthdays and Christmas anyways. And maybe small things on like Easter or the Fourth, but that's it. You and I both say no to them about everything else on normal days. And they're young so we don't have to worry about it till they're a little older."

"I know." I said. "I just want to be a good mother."

Sebastian pulled me into a tight hug, my back against his chest. "You. Are already an amazing mother Y/N. And." He rolled over pressing me down into the pillows. "I think that you would make an amazing mother to a third or fourth or maybe even a fifth child."

I giggled, taking Sebastian's hand. "Oh? But didn't you know?" I moved his hand down to my stomach. "I already am."

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓔𝓷𝓭

⬅️

[itsthecherryontop]

Adrenaline Rush (Archive of Our Own)

Pairing: Billy Hargrove x Henderson OC

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 120,000+ and counting

Chapters: 22/49

Summary: Dustin Henderson's older sister, Halle, is forced into a school project with none other than the new hotshot Billy Hargrove. A boy she can't get along with despite her best attempts. All she wants is to forget the events of last year and graduate. Will she be able to complete the year unscathed or will Billy pull her into his self-destructive tendencies? Between dealing with the residing trauma from Barb's disappearance, Billy's hot-and-cold bad-boy attitude, and Dustin's new peculiar pet, her junior year is about to get dicey.

UPDATES WEEKLY!

archiveofourown.org

...

Halle's Introduction to Billy:

When Steve stood up I followed as we walked through the crowded halls to my locker.

“I’m not looking forward to this dinner,” I muttered, pulling my English book from my locker.

“Neither is Nancy and I. She just beats herself up over these dinners. Being in that house only makes things worse,” he huffed as we made our way to his locker. “Not to mention awkward.”

“I know, but we have to. I mean Barb was our friend so we owe it to her parents. Plus, we have you there,” I added, bumping my shoulder into his. “You know like a cute little emotional support puppy.”

I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped my throat at the look Steve threw at me, “Take that back.”

“As if it isn’t true,” I teased, walking into English. It was the only class I shared with Steve seeing as he was a grade above me. English was my favorite subject and my best, which allowed me an advanced placement.

Sitting in the back row next to Steve he continued, “If anything I am your guys' knight in shining armor.”

“I think you need to get your ego in check. Your King Steve is showing.”

“Ugh, don’t call me that,” he stated as the chatter of our classmates picked up. I took out my copy of Daisy Miller and the assigned chapter notes I took the night before. “What a tool,” Steve grumbled as the volume of the class increased.

At the excitement, I raised my head from my desk searching for the source. It wasn’t hard to find as almost every head was turned towards the front of the class where an unfamiliar boy was talking to the teacher. He was obviously a new student seeing as I have grown up with everyone in this suffocatingly small school and didn’t recognize him. It was surprising that we had a new student.

People rarely moved to Hawkins and after last year this is the last town I would want to move my children to. Even if I didn’t know about the Upside Down, two kids going missing within a single week in a town with less than 20,000 people is a big warning sign.

It was even more surprising that I hadn’t heard we had a new kid, even if he was a grade above me. However, I suppose that had something to do with me not paying attention. It felt like I was just drifting through the motions most of the day. Physically I was present but my mind was always absent. Drowning in a sea of thoughts too muddled to be understood. Only emerging to the surface when called upon, yet still lost.

Once the shock of a new kid wore off and I took in his appearance. I immediately knew Steve was right. It was the way the boy stood as if he thought he was superior to everyone in the room.

I didn’t have to hear what he was saying to know he was flirting with Nicole as he walked away from Mr. Collingwood. Just the smug smirk on his face and the blush covering Nicole’s cheeks was a big enough tell.

While still flirting with Nicole he flashed Vicki a wink, causing a snort to erupt out of my throat as I tried to stop myself from laughing. Steve shot me a look as I quietly laughed into my hand. Sure the boy was attractive and he definitely knew it, but seriously? He hadn’t even been there a full day and he was already planning his hook-up roster.

“Do you think they are oblivious to the fact that he is playing them or do you think they just don’t care?” I whispered to Steve. “I mean it is obvious that he is gonna drop them as soon as they have dropped their panties.”

“I know, right? He has flirted with nearly every girl he has seen today. He even flirted with Ms. Pershall,” he hissed back leaning over my desk.

“The science teacher?! Oh shit.”

“Yeah, it was so gross. She even blushed. What do they even see in him?”

“His ass and hair. But don’t worry I bet all his dick is in his personality,” I rebutted, causing Steve to loudly crackle while looking over to the new boy catching the attention of the class. “God, make it obvious why don’t you,” joining his laughter.

When Mr. Collingwood called the beginning of class we fell into silence again. Steve and I rolled our eyes and passed glances whenever we caught the new kid –whom the teacher introduced as Billy Hargrove once corrected that no one called him William– turned to smirk or wink at one of our classmates always earning a blush in return. It wasn’t till I passed a glance at Steve and he dramatically mimicked a flirtatious wink that I choked back a laugh.

The whispers between girl friends as they gushed over the pretty new boy with a curly dirty blonde mullet and blue eyes seemed to be a constant that day. I started to miss my earlier ignorance of the blonde’s arrival, it was truly a blessing in disguise. Now that I noticed it, it bugged me to no end. It was like the ticking of a clock, once you acknowledged it, the rhythm seemed engrained into your mind.

[nifolution]

I Quit 6

Warnings: noncon touching, harassment, sexual harassment, Ransom is his usual asshole self, the Thrombeys are horrible, unsolicited dick pic/video, bribery, breaking and entering, arguments, a bit of somno

A/N: This is a revised copy of my oc fic. It is written in 3rd person. The Thrombeys’ opinions are NOT my own. Thoughts are in italics. 18+ only due to smut and dubcon situations. No stealing, no reposts, no translations, no feeding to AIs. Comments, reblogs and likes are always welcome and appreciated. 

Chapter 5 Series Masterlist  Main Masterlist

Chapter 6

Y/N couldn't stop herself from looking out the window every few minutes. Large chunky flakes of snow slowly fell, covering everything in a fluffy white blanket. It was beautiful. The fireplaces in the manor were lit, making the house smell a little smoky and almost sweet. If she was quiet, she could hear the crackling of the burning wood. It was so calming, homey. She could pretend she was still in her pjs, warm mug in her hands, watching nature’s display without a care in the world.

The crash of the front door being forcibly opened disturbed the serene atmosphere. Followed by someone stamping their boots and swearing. Making everyone aware of his distaste for the road conditions and what the weather was doing to his new car.

Ugh, he’s back.

A few minutes later, she felt Ransom standing behind her. Tingles ran up her arms as she inhaled his intoxicating scent mixed with the winter chill still clinging to his skin. Y/N knew too much of his body at this point. Since his vacation, he continued to send daily dick pics and explicit messages. Relentless in his attempted seduction. Yet she hadn't blocked him yet. A twisted part of her wanting to know what he'd do next. How far he'd go before he gave up. Or maybe how long before she’d give in.

Ransom stood next to her at the window. Slowly sliding his hand into her back pocket, squeezing her rear possessively. If someone were to walk in, they would look like a cute couple admiring the scenery. As far as he was concerned, that was exactly what they were. “Did you like the flowers?”

“Burglars don’t usually leave gifts. So I threw them in the trash. Why don’t you do the world a favor and throw yourself in there too.”

“That’s not very nice,” he chastised. “It was only a little B&E. No malicious intent. Barely even a crime.”

Y/N scoffed and turned to walk away from him. His next words stopped her in her tracks.

“I wanted to thank you for the gift you left for me.” Ransom cackled when her confused face turned back to him. He pulled his prize out of his front pocket. “It was just too cute, I couldn't resist.”

Her face burned seeing her pink bunny thong swinging from his finger. She attempted to snatch them from him, which he dodged. He then mockingly held the material above her head, making her jump for them. Laughing each time he moved them just out of her reach.

Giving up, Y/N threw up her arms, telling him to keep them. She wouldn't want them back after his nasty hands have been on them anyway.

His eyebrow quirked, “Not just my hands.” He stuffed the thong back into his pants. Completely changing the topic, he asked her what she was making tonight.

“Chicken with honey garlic pan sauce and steamed green beans.” She crossed her arms, waiting for his scathing remarks.

“Pssh, what are you burned out already?” Ransom opened the fridge, “No appy? And what is this, chocolate mousse for dessert?” Clicking his tongue, he slammed the fridge closed, rattling its contents. “Unacceptable. I won't eat it. I want lobster tail.”

Y/N rolled her eyes at his demand, returning to her duty at the stovetop. “We don’t have any. I only planned on cooking for Harlan tonight. If you want lobster so badly, you can see yourself to the store, or suck it up and have chicken.” She added the prepared poultry to the hot skillet.

He scrunched his nose at the idea. “It’s the helps job to run errands. You really need to be trained properly. Sadly, I don’t have the time right now. I’m late for my date with Tina… Terri? T-something.” He waved off the blunder. “No matter. I doubt we’ll make it past drinks.”

Ransom leaned in to whisper in Y/N’s ear, “I want you to know I’ll be thinking of you the entire time I’m fucking her... It coulda been you.” As he moved away, he swiped at the pan, intent on spilling it and ruining the meal.

Not thinking, her hands darted out to catch it before it fell, burning herself in the process. A stream of hissing and curses leaving her mouth.

“Ouch. Don't be so sloppy, Killer. You may want to put some ice on that.” He swept out of the room and out the front door. Not sparing a minute to greet his grandfather.

 What the fucking fuck? Cannot believe that fucking asshole.

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

The next family dinner came too soon. Y/N felt she would begin having nightmares about the hell that was dealing with the Thrombeys. Their fabulous vacations hadn’t seemed to calm any of them down. The opposite in fact. Seeing as how they spent most of the night screaming at each other.

Linda and Richard were having it out with their son and each other. Walt was picking fights with Richard and Ransom. Donna with Linda and Ransom. Harlan with Walt and Ransom. All spewing the most vile things at their relatives at the top of their lungs. It was chaos.

Little Jacob ignored them all, playing games on his phone. Joni and her daughter were not in attendance, but Harlan’s mother was. The old woman was dressed to the nines. Smartly not participating in any of her family’s bickering.

Ransom snuck away to join Y/N in the kitchen. Looking every bit like the cat who ate the canary. His family quarreling seemed to energize him. He spared no time in flirting with her. Asking her to come home with him. That it would be good for her to have a drink, destress. Promising a full body massage with a happy ending.

“No.”

“Just no? Why, what’s the problem?” He hopped up onto the countertop next to where she was putting the finishing touches on a strawberry cheesecake. “You need to loosen up and I'm offering to help you. I think we'd have a great time.” 

Her voice came out sharp, “Can you please move your ass off my work area?” Y/N already had a headache from the noise. She wanted to finish her job, go home, take a painkiller and go to sleep. Not deal with his frustrating egocentric crap.

He narrowed his eyes at her. Not liking her attitude. Taking out his wallet, he began putting hundred dollar bills down one at a time. “How much is it going to take? Everything and everyone has a price. Let's negotiate.”

Y/N’s eyes moved away from her task, to the pile of cash, then to Ransom. Giving him a half smile, she scooped up the money, folding it in half. She stepped over to stand between his long legs, placing her free hand on his knee before traveling up his thigh. Hooking a finger into his pocket, she shoved the bills inside.

“I’m not for sale. Go back to your country club skanks.”

“I don’t get you. I’m a catch. You should be begging on your knees for someone of my caliber to give you the time of day. I go out of my way for you and you deny me.”

Y/N stepped back, shaking her head at him. “You’ve never worked for anything in your life. You have the world laid at your feet. Money, cars, women. Why don't you go play with one of those things and leave me alone. I’m done putting up with you. You play these mind games and act like a giant toddler when told no. Throwing a tantrum and probably pissing your pants.”

His jaw clenched tight enough to crack a tooth. Y/N was ready to chastise him again, when he suddenly stuck his hand right in the middle of the dessert, ruining it. She gasped as he brought a huge handful to his mouth, taking a bite, before throwing the rest at the closest wall. Some of the mess splattering back at them. 

Ransom jumped down, going over to the sink to wash his hand. He walked out backward, his vicious glare focused on her, “Stupid fucking dyke.”

“That just proves my point, ya know.”

He kicked open the kitchen door, turning to walk back to the table. Unfortunately, she had to follow him. The family were still talking over one another. Harlan's mom sat staring at her wine glass. Y/N had to shout that dessert will be just a few minutes. Doubting anyone even heard her.

Random laughed to himself, proud that he wrecked her hard work and now she was scrambling. He expected the arguments to soon shift to dessert being late. Imagining her in the kitchen, crying and frantically trying to make something new. His grandfather may even want to fire her and he'd gallantly swoop in to her defense. She'd have to go on a date with him if saved her job. Right?

To his shock, she came back out in only five minutes. Setting small glass containers in front of everyone. Crowned with a large strawberry, cut to resemble a rose. They were layered with sliced strawberries, preserves and cheesecake filling. She called them strawberry cheesecake jars. He refused to eat it.

Donna sported a disapproving look on her face, but after noticing the happy faces of her kin, changed her demeanor to match. No one seemed more delighted than Harlan's mom. She gobbled up her dessert so fast, Harlan gave her the one untouched in front of Ransom. She smiled at him, digging into her second helping.

Ransom's lip curled watching his family. His mind on the young chef. Why wasn't she playing his game? It almost felt like he was playing hers. He contemplated how he would make her follow his rules. Get his power back.

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

Saturday night found Y/N putting the finishing touches on her makeup. She had a date planned with a guy she’d been recently seeing, Patrick. They had gone on two dates already and had really hit it off. The conversation flowed and they had a lot of fun together. He was sweet and thoughtful, a romantic. They had similar goals and interests, they clicked. Things seemed to be headed in the right direction.

Hearing the knock on her front door, Y/N ran over, bouncing on her toes as she answered it.

It wasn’t Patrick.

In place of her date, stood Ransom. Wearing an expensive suit with a bouquet of flowers held in front of him. 

“What, no smile? Not happy to see me? You know, it occurs to me that I've never seen you smile. Not once.” He tried to hand over the flowers, but she didn’t take them.

“You don't inspire a smile.”

Undaunted, Ransom told her how hot she looked all dressed up for him. And how he couldn’t wait to see what was underneath.

Y/N gritted her teeth, “It’s not for you. I have a date. Now leave!”

Ransom cocked his head to the side, perplexed. “Why do you resist me so hard? Just give in. Let me have you. I'm a significant upgrade from whatever farm boy you're seeing.” He spun around to give her the full view. “With me, you get to be on the arm of a devastatingly handsome, rich, ivy league grad who can spoil you.”

“That may be more impressive if your family didn't pay your way through. I'm sure my date got better grades than you and he earned them.”

He tried to push his way into her apartment. “Fine, we’ll stay in then. You really need that attitude fucked out of you.”

Y/N blocked him, “I told you, I have plans. Now get out of here before Patrick arrives.”

He barked out a laugh. “Farm boy’s not coming. I paid him off. One hundred bucks. Making this my cheapest date by far.” The mix of surprise and anger on her face made him stiff. “I may not be able to buy you, but I think for an extra two, the guy would’ve sucked my dick. He didn't even think about it, just took the money and ran.”

Seeing red, she shoved him away. Telling him off and slamming the door in his smug face.

Ransom yelled through the door. “No skin off my nose. I’ve got Dorothy on standby. She’ll appreciate being wined and dined by Boston's most eligible bachelor.”

Y/N finished her night sitting on her couch, drinking a bottle of wine and watching trash tv. Wiping the occasional tear from her cheek. Hating every one she shed for that idiot. A hundred bucks, seriously? She thought they had something. Frickin’ waste of time. Grabbing her phone, she blocked Patrick’s number. Forget him.

Why are all men such disappointments?

The next morning, she awoke to texts from Ransom. It started out the same sexual shit as usual, then stating how cute she was when she slept. Her blood froze. Included was a photo of her asleep on the couch, her top pushed up, breasts on full display.

A new message pinged. [I was right. You are sensitive… even in your sleep.]

Her mind blanked. She wasn’t sure what to feel. Alarmed, disturbed, violated, pissed off, and a little turned on. Her brain seemed to short circuit. There were no words, just static.

Chapter 7

[jeongyunhoed]

As seen on my FF.net

Following the events of fifth year, a new adventure awaits for Norah Lee. Boys, exams, school events, common room parties, and old foes outside of Hogwarts. Even battling pensieve guardians was easier than this.

Main Pair: OC/? Genre: Adventure/Angst/Fluff (it's a little of everything, tbh)

KEEP IN MIND: Characters are aged up (even if the story's got them in sixth year) to make it more appropriate. Time period is leaning towards the modern day so in case you might find anachronisms in the dialogue or references, this is why. This may also be quite a lengthy fic too.

BE WARNED: Social anxiety, mentions of blood and injury, grief, drinking, kissing but nothing more than that, death (this is Hogwarts Legacy, after all)

P.P.S: Sorry if the previous chapters seemed unformatted. I literally copy-pasted everything from my FF.net to here.

Masterlist

Chapter 5

"Does it get any more cozy than Hogsmeade?" Norah muttered to herself when she stepped inside the archway that marked the entrance of the village. Ernie Lark was once again conducting the enchanted musical instruments in front of one other shop, already getting a whiff of the sweet smells of pastries and treats emanated from its windows all the way from Honeydukes. There were more people than usual, perhaps lining up near Sprintwitches for broom upgrades after its shopkeeper Albie Weekes promoted posters for it. Dropping a few coins into the hat, she walked ahead, stopping by Steepley & Sons to see if she could probably stop for tea.

She wouldn't dare to go inside Madam Puddifoot's tea shop just yet, knowing that the place was full of couples on dates. The sickly sweet pink decor definitely provided a sappy couple setting for its patrons. Maybe one day, she'll go there on a date. Just maybe. Perhaps with the one she felt strongly for.

Norah turned her thoughts back to one big reason why she was in Hogsmeade during her free period. She was planning to see if of ' Potions needed any deliveries made. It was a way for her to follow on the lead Sebastian gave her the other evening, all the while making a few galleons along the way.

As she walked on, she said hello to several others who noticed her. That included Betty Bugbrooke, whose unicorn Hazel she was now taking care of. Norah informed her that Hazel has been thriving inside the vivarium with the other beasts, even handing her a sample of unicorn hair she got from brushing her.

"Oh, thank you, I miss Hazel every day, but I'm happy to know that she's doing so well, that stubborn girl," Betty smiled, holding the vial close. "You're very kind for remembering me for this."

Norah smiled. "It's no trouble at all. You found Hazel first, I thought you'd want to know how she's doing now."

Norah bid her goodbye and continued walking on, noticing Garreth Weasley about to go inside Honeydukes when he saw her as well. He approached her, his expression somewhat softening. "Hello Norah," He said.

"Hi Garreth. Still looking for billywig stings?" She teased.

A pink tinge appeared on his cheeks. "Just a few more and my brew will be done...again," He muttered. "It'll be done in time for the party next weekend. I hope you'll come."

"You do realize you're entering through the front and not the back, right?"

Garreth grinned. "I've managed to make a deal anyways. A few of those stings in exchange for a few errands at the back. He's surprisingly supportive once I told him what I planned on doing. Think Sirona might give my brew a go?"

"It's worth a try, you'll never know," Norah nodded.

"Thanks. I'll do just that. What brings you here?" He asked curiously.

"Oh, well, just looking around. I might help out again since he asked me to do a delivery for him last time," She shrugged. She wasn't sure how he'd react if she told him she was following a lead to Keenbridge. She needed a reason to go there after all.

Her reply seemed to convince the red-headed male. "Alright then. I'll see you back at the castle, yeah?" He said. "Oh, uh, would you be doing anything when you get back?"

"I...don't know, I'm wondering that myself," Norah said. "You need help with Transfiguration?" She teased.

A slight tinge of pink appeared on Garreth's cheeks. "Perhaps. You know my aunt. She's doubling down on me lately because I passed her subject."

Norah chuckled. "Well, if you think I can help you, just let me know, hmm?"

"I will, I will. I'll hold you to that, sure," He said.

Norah bid goodbye and turned to leave, stopping by the vendor selling copies of the Daily Prophet. Harlow was still last spotted in Keenbridge, the photo only showing the terrified witnesses. She quickened her steps further into the village, stopping when she arrived at the potions shop. As she had expected, the proprietor himself was hunched over the cauldrons at the back, all of which were brewing several different colors of potions.

"Oh hello, good to see you again. What'll it be?" He asked. "I've just finished a batch of pepperup potions if you need to cure a cold. Memory potions too if you want to retain whatever you'll learn in class."

"Actually, I've come to ask if you'd need any deliveries done. I was on my way to-" Norah didn't want to reveal where she planned to go just yet. If she did, he might have sensed that she was going to face off against Harlow again and word would get out. "Feldcroft to check in on someone."

"Well, that would be nice. I've got two bottles of cough potion to bring to a family in Aranshire and if you can, I've got three vials of the dreamless sleep potion for a lady in Brocburrow," He took out the vials and handed them over to her. "The delivery fee will all be yours if you do. I still have to keep an eye on these other potions I'm brewing."

"Got it. I'll deliver all of these today," Norah agreed, keeping the bottles into her small satchel.

Norah made a mental note to write to Anne before leaving Hogsmeade, just to let her know that if she was asked, she was coming to visit her. She went down the same route again, thinking that to fly would be better than to simply apparate straight to the hamlet. She had all day anyway. She also hoped Anne wouldn't tell Sebastian what she planned to do just yet.

She missed the feeling of flying long distances. As much as she appreciated the speed that floo flames took her, there was still something calming about taking the scenic route to wherever she planned to go. Yes, even if it meant dealing with goblin loyalists or poachers or even evil beasts along the way. Perhaps there were still hidden ancient magic spots for her to tap into.

As Norah took to the air, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, wanting to savor the moment before leaning forward in her flight towards Aranshire. Hopefully the owl would come to Anne in time before Sebastian or anyone else asked.

It wasn't long before she arrived in Aranshire, being greeted by its residents, including Crispin Dunne, who often had business in the hamlet.

"The absconder assassin! How are you?" Edgar Adley greeted her the moment she was spotted. "What brings you here to our hamlet?"

Norah smiled and took out the bottles of cough potion. "Just here on an errand for . Two cough potions bound for Aranshire," She immediately spotted the woman who needed it, having been waving at her when she was informed that the potions would be arriving soon. She immediately thanked the woman who handed her a few hundred coins.

"I hope you're doing well, protecting yourself too," Edgar pointed out after noticing the exchange. "With Harlow on the loose and all."

"Don't worry, Mr. Adley, I'll be fine. I'm not afraid at all," Norah shook her head. She knew it. If Harlow wanted her, all he needed to do was come to her.

"You know, for someone as young as you, to have to do that already, I wouldn't be surprised if you became an auror now. I'll hold you to that," Edgar pointed out as she placed her broom into her satchel. "In fact, I'll bet you a butterbeer you become an auror when you leave Hogwarts."

"You have a deal," Norah smiled. "Best be on my way, it was nice seeing you and Mr. Dunne again," She said.

The sound of a whip cracking later and she apparated into Brocburrow.

-

Sebastian, after having managed to go through his detention period that day, rushed back to his friend in the common room. Once again, Ominis had taken it upon himself to trick the first-years into waiting for mermaids. "Alright, alright, that's enough you all, go and have fun elsewhere," Sebastian shooed away the hopeful looking students from the window. "You really need new hobbies other than get their hopes up."

"At least what I'm doing doesn't get me in detention often," Ominis pointed out. "But I don't know whether you sound either excited or worried."

"Both," Sebastian said, holding up a piece of parchment. "Anne said Norah was coming to see her."

"And? Isn't that nice?" Ominis said. "Although it does seem unlike her to suddenly want to visit Anne. She only goes if we're going-"

"If you're thinking what I'm thinking, then we'll need to head to Keenbridge before she gets herself into any trouble," Sebastian said, and the two of them rushed into their rooms to change into more casual wear.

It was in a situation like this that Sebastian and Ominis learned (again) how stubborn she could get. And they had once or twice expressed their annoyance at how she always felt like she had to go at something like this alone. Of course they understood her reasons, but if their adventure into the Scriptorium and the catacombs meant anything, it was that they worked better all together. Even with Natty, Poppy, and Amit.

Even Anne understood this side of Norah from the time they spent together, and privately expressed her worries to them. It took spending more time with her for Anne to even start to forgive Sebastian.

The two boys fled the common room, with Ominis quickly letting his wand guide him to where Sebastian was going. "Where are we going exactly?" The blonde asked, trying to keep up with him.

"Keenbridge. I suspect Norah's in Brocburrow now," Sebastian held up the letter again, having never let it go while they made their way to the central hall. "Anne said she was doing potion deliveries for on her way. At least she told Anne she was on her way."

Ominis cursed under his breath as they walked past several girls who immediately giggled upon seeing them. "I told her last year, there is such a thing as trying too hard."

"Yeah, and look what happened, she's the hero of Hogwarts," Sebastian said, once they were finally in the grounds. He too, didn't take notice of how several groups of girls were eyeing him as well as Ominis.

"Hey, what's gotten you two in a rush?" They bumped into Imelda, proudly clad in their house quidditch uniform. Naturally, Imelda served as the new team captain of their house team. "If you're looking for Norah, we spotted her going into Hogsmeade."

"Yes, we know," Ominis replied as the two of them approached the floo flame.

"If you see her, tell her we'll still need a chaser," Imelda reminded them. "She's got a spot on the team."

"Keenbridge," Sebastian muttered, and one by one, the two of them disappeared.

They soon appeared at the entrance of the hamlet, next to the floo flame, the two of them looking around for a sign of Norah. "Merlin, this girl's going to be the death of me," Ominis muttered, his wand guiding him and following Sebastian, who was trying to spot signs of the girl.

"Merlin, she's going to drive me mad," Sebastian frowned as they approached the nearest merchant, Fatimah Lawang. "She's going to drive us mad."

Even with the concern, Sebastian was trying not to be so excited about this pursuit, his heart racing with excitement at what they were going to do. But it wasn't the only reason why he got so excited.

He first came to terms with his feelings a little after the House Cup in fifth year. Sebastian Sallow long accepted the fact that what he felt about Norah had crossed beyond friendship and into romantic territory. But after everything they've been through, from accidentally killing Solomon, to going through the catacombs and fighting trolls, how could he not care for her so intensely?

As much as Sebastian wanted to tell Norah how he felt about her, he knew their friendship was much too valuable to cross the line. Even when he felt the green-eyed beast of jealousy whenever other guys would go near her, he always tried to remind himself that she was his friend. Even if he told her how he felt, Sebastian knew that there was always a chance that she would only see him as a friend too.

What Sebastian didn't know was, Ominis had also fancied Norah. She was the reason why he often slipped away in the common rooms and wrote to Anne. He wanted her advice on how to approach her. Ominis was aware of his and his family's reputation. Anne, as he read, was incredibly supportive. Not wanting to tell Sebastian, he confided in Anne about his growing feelings. Anne, however, would continuously tell him to pluck up the courage to do so, or at the very least, attempt to ask her to the Yule Ball.

Ominis knew the risks if he were to confess his affection for her. Knowing full well the reputation his family held in the entire wizarding community, Norah would be incredibly out of his league. It would be even worse if his family found out. They would absolutely despise her even more than they already do. It already didn't help that there were some people in Hogwarts who thought she deserved to be with someone just as accomplished, or at the very least, not from a wizarding family known for the dark arts.

It was a pedestal Ominis thought was too high for him to reach.

"Hello, I was wondering if you have seen Norah? She's got brown hair down to her shoulders, possibly coming here on a broomstick?" Sebastian asked. "Or maybe on a hippogriff? Or even, possibly...a graphorn?"

Fatimah looked at the brunette boy incredulously. "No graphorns and hippogriffs have come here. And no, I haven't seen Norah come here. How is she, by the way?"

"She's doing very well. Drowning in our NEWT exams like the rest of us," Ominis spoke.

"Oh, I wouldn't be surprised if she becomes an auror. Or a curse-breaker even," She said. "Well, I've got potion ingredients for you if you are in need of any."

The blonde seemed to catch Sebastian off-guard when he asked Fatimah about the headlines on the news. "I don't suppose you have heard about Harlow? He was last seen here, according to the Daily Prophet."

Fatimah leaned toward them, keeping her voice low. "Oh yes, he was last seen here not too long ago. It was a dreadful sight. He looked all...ghastly, but he's still as dangerous as ever. I was about to clear up the stand for the day when there were explosions everywhere. He's managed to gather a few more ashwinders, fugitives now, to his cause. Even pilfered some barrels of drink and nearly cursed the barkeep."

"So you think there'll be more of them?" Sebastian asked this time.

"I wouldn't be surprised. They're still so desperate for their cause, those fiends. Even after Victor Rookwood's death, he plans to take power," Fatimah frowned. "The beasts are in danger once again."

"I take it he's able to cast wandless magic," Ominis said.

"Which makes him just as dangerous as ever," Fatimah said with a sigh. "If you two know what's best for you, you'll be sure to keep away from places where those poachers and ashwinders are near. I'd advise that we leave this to the authorities, but if Norah had to intervene, they wouldn't be doing any good, would they?"

Just then, they saw Norah dismount from her broomstick and tuck it away in her satchel. She stopped in her tracks upon seeing the two boys. "Oi!" She called out to them, brow raised, making them turn around.

Sebastian crossed his arms while Ominis tilted to face her. "That's not very ladylike, isn't it?" He teased, and Norah slapped his arm. "What brings you to Keenbridge?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Norah pointed out. "I was on my way to visit Anne. I just needed her opinion on something rather personal. Hello, Ms. Lawang," She greeted the potioneer behind them.

"Hello Norah, these two asked for you earlier, wondering if you came here on a hippogriff or graphorn," Fatimah chuckled.

Norah smiled. "Ah, well, Highwing and his Lordship are currently resting from playing with other beasts in my vivariums," She said, with Fatimah's eyes widening at her explanation. "They love playing with others, especially the diricrawl offsprings. Fwoopers love playing with Highwing."

Fatimah looked impressed. Sebastian couldn't help but look proud, and a slight smirk played across Ominis' features. "Back to the question, why'd you stop here if you were going to visit Anne?"

"Can't I stop here?" Norah asked. "What are you two doing here anyway? I thought you were in detention and Ominis...was just there," She said.

"Norah, we know why you're here," Ominis said bluntly. "And Harlow's not here anymore."

Norah's shoulders dropped. She turned back to the potioneer. "Ms. Lawang, would you have an idea of where he might have gone?"

"I'm afraid I don't. I barely managed to leave the hamlet with everything intact at the time."

She sighed and thanked the woman, opening her satchel once again to take out her broomstick as she turned to looked over across the river, where Keenbridge tower was located. It gave her an idea. But before she could take out her broomstick, Sebastian caught her wrist.

"I suppose you two were also looking for Harlow," Norah glanced at him and at Ominis.

"We just had a feeling we knew where to find you. You really ought to let us help you this time, you know," Sebastian replied.

Norah stared at them. "I would let you help if I was sure none of you would get hurt."

The naturally stoic expression Ominis had began to soften. Sebastian's expression also softened. Norah raised a brow at them, anticipating what they would say next. But both of them knew to make some assurance.

"I would help knowing that you wouldn't get hurt," Ominis spoke, taking a step forward. "You can't just throw yourself into this without knowing that there are people who will help you. You once told me when we looked for the Scriptorium that I had the same thoughts as my aunt Noctua, and that when she never made it there alone, we could do it together and we did."

It was Sebastian's turn to speak. "You've helped everyone around you, no matter how silly it might have been. At least let us return the favor. I'm pretty sure Fig would've wanted you to do that."

The thing was, Fig never got to tell her anything else. Norah put her broom back into her satchel. "If I let you help me in this, you will see why I want to keep all of you out of it and safe," She said, her voice low, making her way toward the bridge to cross it. Ominis and Sebastian followed her closely, agreeing amongst themselves that they needed to be prepared.

They approached the ruins of the abandoned Keenbridge tower. Norah cast revelio a few times, as if trying to check for anything suspicious until she found a set of footprints. Multiple sets of footprints. One particular set seemed to stagger. "Harlow," Sebastian muttered upon seeing it. "He went in here," He pointed to the broken down entrance. "But it's quiet."

"Too quiet," Ominis added, taking a step closer toward the ruins as if to let his wand pick up any presence. "I don't think there's anyone in there. I can't hear anything else at least."

"Alright, but we should still check to make sure it's clear," Norah said. She had some idea of how Harlow, Rookwood, and their empire moved. Perhaps it wasn't so different this time. She led the way, wand at the ready. She was trying to assure herself not to worry about Sebastian and Ominis tagging along. Norah knew they could handle themselves, with Sebastian being an especially skilled duellist. Still, they were her friends and she cared about them, the last thing she wanted was to see any of them get hurt.

Norah, Sebastian, and Ominis climbed up the porch, seeing the doors somewhat broken down. If it wasn't because of her having busted it open, it was likely because of something else. They heard a little rumble, as if of feet. They moved a little closer, Norah's arms a little outstretched, as if posed to shield the two boys behind her. "Protego" Sebastian whispered, his wand-bearing arm out from over her shoulder, shielding all three of them instead.

"If it isn't the hero of Hogwarts herself."

From the shadows behind the broken down four-poster bed emerged the man himself. Theophilus Harlow unsurprisingly, looked the way they suspected he would. His tall, stocky frame was replaced by an almost frail looking stature. He looked gaunt, as if a lot of years had been taken out of him, yet now, it seemed like he was gathering strength.

"Harlow," She said.

"Seems like you brought friends with you," A grin slowly appeared on his face. "I knew we'd meet again sooner or later," He coughed. "Didn't think it'd be a lot sooner."

"You managed to escape those dementors, you must be desperate," Norah tilted her head, her tone almost mocking. "Face it. Your business empire is no more. Horntail hall's dissolved. The authorities are all on the lookout for you."

Harlow forced a cackle that mostly came out as a cough. "That's what you think. Much like how I expected you to come here. You're just itching to play the hero again, aren't you?"

Ominis swallowed hard. "We're surrounded aren't we?" He said.

Soon enough, they heard loud cackles coming in from all directions as several masked poachers and ashwinders apparated. "I'm going to enjoy this," They heard one of the female ashwinders, a duellist in their bright red coat and top hat, say.

Norah leaned back. "When I say 'go,' we go, okay?" She whispered.

"Okay," Sebastian muttered.

Once the shields were down, Norah struck a few with several rounds of banishing charms. Ominis was able to hold his own, levitating several while Sebastian sliced through them. Norah had a knack for the depulso charm, something both boys seemed to notice. It was only since discovering Herodiana Byrne's depulso training rooms that she gained an appreciation for the spell.

Norah was quick to shield Ominis from another crimson-clad duellist, suddenly retaliating with the spell they had tried to use all too often on her for the very first time. "Expulso!" She yelled, sending blue jets of light in the duellist's direction and then towards the taller, broader man, who was preparing to electrocute the three of them.

She banished them again, followed with a successful attempt at casting bombarda non-verbally, defeating the last of the Ashwinders that tried to corner them. Ominis let out a loud sigh of relief. "For a moment, I thought we wouldn't make it out of here alive," He said.

Norah sighed as well as she and Sebastian looked around. "Bloody hell, Harlow's disapparated," He said.

"We're back to square one, he's certain to come back for us," Norah frowned.

"We can fight him again another day," Ominis advised. "We can either go to Feldcroft or go back to the castle. I'm sure Anne will understand."

"Understand? She'll have it in for me if she finds out what we just tried to do," Sebastian groaned. "Merlin, she'll kill me."

"We should go back to the castle," Norah agreed. "I just remembered Garreth might need my help with Transfiguration."

The mention of the Gryffindor's name made Sebastian and Ominis turn to her, both of whom looked incredulous. "Weasley? You're meeting with Weasley?" Sebastian questioned as they walked out of the castle, the three of them nearly falling over in surprise when the wooden beams inside crashed behind them.

"Yeah, I ran into him when I went into Hogsmeade. Butterbeers? My treat," Norah offered, pointing to the pub by the entrance of the hamlet, non-verbally blasting the spider eggs nearby.

Merlin, she really was going to drive them crazy. But the two boys didn't mind one bit.

[vilemint]

Steeled Revenge

(Sebastian Michaelis x OC) fanfic

CH III

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(you can also find this fic on AO3, linked here with over 20 existing chapters with +89k words in case anyone is interested.)

Before reading:

There will be mentionings of situations most will not find comfortable. Please when reading that you understand that these themes exist and it is not targeted towards any person, groups, sexual preferences, religious beliefs or any of the sort.

I am not responsible for your feelings after reading the warnings!! Most of the time, certain words and expressions were commonly used during this time era. It isn't targeted towards you!

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MINORS DNI.

DO NOT COPY, REFERENCE, OR REPOST MY WORK.

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WC: 2.6k

First Ch Prev Ch: Next Ch:

Unknowingly Mavis was tossing and turning in her sleep. A sinister memory casually replayed in her unconsciousness. It was a memory that she wished it’d disappear for good, already having to go through it once she’d love to not have to go through it again.

“You have to repent for your sins, filthy scum.” A voice, but whom it belonged to was unknown, cooed.

She opened her silver eyes at the voice, the typical bright color in them duller and darker, life seemingly being drained. Her body ached, from her arms strung above her head, to her legs that freely dangled to the floor, barely able to scrape against the cold cement tops. “I never asked..to be born…like this..” She panted, her dry throat scratching against the flesh in her body.

Her captors held Mavis in the basement of a church. What church? She doesn’t know. But she is sure it was a place of worship, for the unmistakable sight of crosses blessing every archway and entrance to different rooms, hung pictures of worshiped individuals, and the muffled songs of hymns and passages from some scripture up above. It’s not like it’d do her any harm however in her current state.

“And yet, you still were. Disgusting. Your father got what he deserved, ensnaring a poor soul to do his bidding.” The voice sneered, a form taking shape, but any identifiable features were blacked out. The figure was made entirely of darkness. It stopped short and bent down to her level so they saw eye to eye.

In retaliation Mavis spat in its face, enraging the figure. “You..will regret that..In the meantime-” It turned to a different figure that walked into the cell, holding a rabbit and knife in each hand. “I bet you’re hungry, no?”

She could hear it cackle. “Do it.”

At the command, the servant plunged the knife into the rabbit, letting out an ear piercing squeal as its blood plopped to the ground.

“You were born from an animal, so you’ll be treated like an animal.”

They tossed the creature to the floor with a forceful throw, aiding in its misery. “I bet you’re hungry after all this time. Go on, eat.” It gestured to the rabbit, before turning around and leaving Mavis alone with..a dying..bleeding..defenseless life…

The feeling of hunger coarsed through her veins, and being so young Mavis didn’t have the time to go through these feelings first handedly, nor in an environment like this. Her hunger was sufficed easily with human food, and having her parents around caring for her there wasn’t a lack of meals throughout her day.

But human food will only work for so long. And leaving a starving half demon, or any demon in general, is bound to snap any second.

One eye slowly changed color, iris turning cat like at the sight of a flailing and vulnerable animal before her. It’s as if it was teasing her, spazzing on the ground in the means to tempt her as the predator, and it the prey. Soon enough she ripped her restraints free from the wall, letting the chains fall with a loud clatter before she joined it on the floor. No time was wasted in lunging at small life before her, everything happening in a flash.

But the rushing sensation of liquid gold running down her throat was undeniable. A deep purr rumbled from within as her maw clamped around the furred mammal. The life, flailing with every last ounce of fight left, slowly died between her teeth. Her heart beated harder and faster, thumping hard against her chest enough to snap her back to reality as a small bead of sweat rolled down her neck.

In timing with her heart beating, Mavis lurched up in the bed, wiping away the beads of sweat running down her face and neck, slowly feeling the garment she wore and the sheet below cold to the touch. She had sweated extensively throughout the night. Even the poor pillow that cradled her head was dampened with the outline of moisture soaked into its fibers. A low rumble of her stomach ached her muscles. The sweets she grabbed the day before were small in portions, not enough for a filling meal. It was only then that the soft knocking on the bedroom door distracted her, following with the call of her name. “Mavis? Are you alright?”

Great. Just fucking great. The last person she wanted to hear this early in the morning.

“Yes, I’m fine.” She replied with a sharp tone. But Sebastian entered anyway.

“Oh? Are you sure about that?” He casually remarked, walking closer to the woman. “Because your soul doesn’t smell like you. You’re hungry, aren’t you?”

Mavis shot her head in the man's direction. He can tell just by its scent?

When their gazes met, one of her eyes was glowing, mimicking the same way hers did in the nightmare. She saw that Sebastian’s were slitted, but not glowing. “It appears my assumption was correct. Come, its time to wake up anyway. I’ll wait for you out here as you change.” And closed the door.

Mavis growled softly, not used to getting up at such a ghastly hour, and the growing ache in her stomach. The sun wasn’t even up yet! But with a heavy sigh, she pushed down the hunger and heaved herself out of bed, going over to the folded butlers uniform that sat atop the dresser, right where she had moved it just hours ago.

She had to admit, this uniform was..exquisite. Made of the finest silks, woven into tight threads, it looked just like Sebastian’s uniform. Everything was the same, the tail coat, shoes, hell he even gave her a pair of gloves to wear, though her demonic mark inherited from her father rarely ever showed up. She still put them on anyway.

Upon opening the door, Mavis spotted Sebastian standing to the side of her, patiently waiting. “Hmm…although the butler outfit suits you, I do wonder what you would look like in a maids outfit.” He purred. Mavis was about to say something in retaliation, but her hunger reappeared again, this time more powerful than the last and making her hunch over in discomfort. The rumbling and growing need for a feast grasped Sebastian’s attention towards her again, even hearing her stomach growl. To her surprise, when she looked up at the man she saw the look in the head butlers face wasn’t one of satisfaction, but one of slight worry. “I guess before anything else, we should fix your issue, yes? There’s far too much to do to hunt down a hungry demon.”

She nodded, hugging her sides. “But..n-no meat..” She insisted, which caught Sebastian off. “I’ll eat anything that doesn't have red meat in it..I refuse to touch such things.” The male just nodded and turned away, becoming for the new employee to follow closely behind him.

“Your day will start off at the same time mine does. Since we are basically the head of the servants its important to be up early to get everything ready.”

She nodded, trying her best to pay attention as they passed by rooms, Sebastian pointing out each one and describing what was in it, if she was allowed to go in there and so on. Finally they made it to the kitchen, Mavis at this point was barely able to stand. But seeing an open chair tucked underneath the island was an offer she didn't hesitate to stick up. With the last bit of strength she mustered herself to pull the chair back and plopped herself heavily into the seat, laying her head down on the cool countertop to ease her senses.

The silent boring Sebastian drilled into her was uncomfortable. “Please..Do you mind..?” She said it in such a way..As if she was..begging? Oh, the word hurt just as much as her stomach did. To show such weakness like this was unacceptable to her. Especially in front of another demon..One she knew hardly anything about.

Nonetheless, Sebastian understood. He began to make some random quick dish, while keen eyes lifted up and watched him to assure herself the food wouldn't be tainted with, or Lord forbid he sneak in some meat.

In no time Sebastian was done. He presented his creation to the starving woman. “Here, some Treacle Tart and English Trifle, with some extra fruit.” It wasn't even a second after Sebastian explained and Mavis already began to sink her K9’s into the delectable fruit and sweets. The roaring sound of her stomach screaming slowly died out, feeling utterly satisfied with something at least in her stomach. She was so indulged in her comfort she hadn't realized the soft nearly inaudible purr escaping between her teeth, till a quiet chuckle caught her.

The demonic butler just silently watched her, trying his damndest to just not approach Mavis and coddle her as he usually does with cats. He instead held a coy smile on his face, muttering to himself, “And another check for feline..” Even though he knew the woman would hear him.

Her ears perked up at his voice, giving Sebastian a squinted stare as she finished the last pieces of her food. “Now then, let us continue shall we?” He inquired, pulling out his pocket watch and quickly glancing at it. “Good, we have some time left before the young Master is due to wake.” With a smirk he turned and began to push a tea cart filled with warm water and various teas for Ciel to choose from. Though, the cart smelled far more of Earl Grey than the rest of them

The rest of said time was used to show Mavis where the garden is located, Ciel's study, and finally where Ciel’s bedroom is. Sebastian stopped in front of said door and turned to Mavis. “Would you kindly fix the young Master some breakfast? You can use the extra pieces from the tart I made, as well as any leftover ingredients. You know how to cook I assume, no?”

“Yes of course, I did some at my last job.” She nodded. ‘Even though there were plenty of other people to do it, it was more fun for them to force me to do it. At least he asked, I’m not in the mood to deal with this guy right away in the morning. Plus he did make me breakfast..’

“Good, put that and some crumpets, eggs, and Earl Grey tea together and meet us in the dining room in 15 minutes.” Sebastian smirked softly, pushing a tea cart into the boys room after a soft knock.

‘He’ll need to drink tea again in 15 minutes..?’

-15 minutes later-

Finally having put together the quick breakfast Sebastian asked her to make, Mavis pushed past the swinging double doors with the extra cart she found in the supply closet, rolling it up next to Ciel. She began to explain each one as he took delicate bites out of each dish. Pulling back and placing her hands behind her back.

“These are better than what Bardroy can put together. Well done.” He gave her a single eyed stare, slightly surprised to see a smile on her face. “Thank you Young Master, you humble me. Though not all of this was my doing. Thank you nonetheless.”

Sebastian soon walked in with the early days mail, looking through each one till he landed on a cream colored envelope with an all too familiar red waxed seal keeping it closed. “It appears you have a new bone to chew on, my Lord.” He slid the letter to Ciel, catching it before it could fall off the dining table, eyeing it before the butler.

Grabbing one of the unused knives, the cream envelope slit open with ease as the metal slid across its surface. He studied the letter then sighed. “It’s another victim of Jack the Ripper. We are to investigate immediately.” He turned to the male butler, all the while Mavis stood idly by, watching curiously. Before he could add in on how annoying this case was, Mavis piped up. “Oh, so its you who's been on this case.” Immediately both turned to her, “I guess I didn’t tell you what I truly do behind being just a toy factory owner, I-”

“Ciel. I know full well of what you do. Honestly, what would I be if I, Mavis, with half of the soul of a demon, not really know what goes on in London’s Underground?” She smoked at him, silver eyes shining brightly beneath the chandelier of the Dining Room.

The boy clicked his tongue and looked on as she continued. “If it helps, I caught a glimpse of the killer.”

Now even Sebastian looked surprised

“How do we know that you’re not the one that's doing this?”

“I can answer that, actually.” Sebastian interrupted. “When I first made contact with Mavis, I noticed she wasn’t normal. Being half demon, they can't go long without feasting on a human soul and turning into a full demon, let alone live past the age of 5. But to my surprise, I can tell she hasn’t eaten one before. I envy the self control she’s got.” He eye’d her sharply, then again glanced down to her chest. That’s where he got the info from. He was looking at her soul.

Ciel hummed, briefly looking at Sebastian then to Mavis again once he knew the butler was sincere. “Alright. But, I’d like you to come along for this one. We can talk about it on the way to the crime scene. Sebastian, prepare a carriage. We leave immediately. I’ll do my studies and extra paperwork when we return.”

All the clad butler did was nod and smile, hurrying off to the stables.

As soon as Sebastian had left, Mavis asked a question that she’d been meaning to ask for since she met him yesterday. It was out of her place, but she had no control over the impulsive need to ask a reasonable simple question like this.

“Ciel, why did you get into this profession?”

This caught him off guard. “First of all, how dare you speak to me by my name. Secondly, since I guess you’re kinda..in the same boa, or friends of a feather, that and now that you work for me-”

She clicked her tongue and looked away, not wanting to remember the game she had lost, and the fact that he was trying to refer to her being the same as Sebastian. “I guess it’s fair that I let you in on our contract. Sebastian is to stay by my side till I find whoever killed my parents, and I exact my revenge on them.”

He said it so proudly and confidently that Mavis was slightly taken aback, but regained herself. “I see..We have the same goal in retrospect. Only I have to figure out who killed my father.”

She began to walk past Ciel, but stopped when he asked a question she hated to remember, let alone answer.

“What happened to your mother?”

She didn't turn to him as she answered. “I was forced to eat her against my will. But I guess she deserved it in the end.”

She continued to walk on as Ciel just stared at her in bewilderment, not expecting that to be her answer.

“The carriage, Master.” She piped up, opening the door for him to go through. He blinked a few times, still trying to process her words. After collecting himself, he walked up and out the door, stopping next to the female butler. “We will speak of this later. For now, the Jack the Ripper case is our first priority.”

And with that, the two left the manor, joining up with Sebastian and the carriage, all getting in and driving off into town.