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sweater-daddiesdumbdork · 4 years ago

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Home Sweet Home: Moving Day

Summary- 3.1k Andy Barber x You. You and Andy almost have it all, married and with a jointed family consisting of Andy’s teenage son Jacob, as well as your two younger children John and Cassidy. Looking to add another member, your family is in need of a bigger house, a forever home. You find just the place, 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville Long Island. Home Sweet Home

Written for @optimistic-dinosaur-nacho Spooky Scary Stories challenge. Divider by @firefly-graphics

Warnings- Not many that I can see. Mentions of murder and spooks.

A/N- I chose Amityville Horror for the challenge because its one of my favorite Spook Stories growing up. When reading you will find a lot of similarities to the 2005 Movie, some of the scenarios and dialogue are specifically from that film. Other parts of it are from the book itself. The family name was changed for my own personal reasons. Happy Haunting! 🎃

Chapter 1 / Masterlist

The day the family moves in, you couldn't have been more excited to be moving into your dream home. The home you and Andy would be raising the family in. The movers were quick under your and Andy’s directions of where to put boxes and furniture. Jacob managed to keep Cassidy and John occupied by exploring the yard and along the lakes edge until most of the chaos ended.

Andy and you called them in once the movers left. When all three came back in, you took them on a tour of the house, going through the downstairs and then going on upstairs to show each one the bedrooms you and Andy had chosen. Andy took the boys to their rooms, dropping John off in his to check out, and then Andy opened a nearby door to Jacob's room. Jacob walked in, looking around. “Yup, looks like a bedroom.” he commented, sounding just like Andy in that moment. Andy stepped in, remarking at him.

“Smartass... do you like it? Y/N thought this one would be better for you. It's a bit away from the kids, give you a bit more privacy you didn't have at the other house.”

Jacob gave a smile to his father while nodding. “It's great dad, seriously.” he assured him, and Andy nodded.

“Well I will leave you to unpack then.”

In Cassidy’s room, she was excited over the unique windows facing the front, and she ran to the first one looking out over the driveway and the rest of the neighborhood. “Wow, I can see everything.” She started waving at people passing by on the street.

“You really like it Sweetheart?” You asked, having picked this room just for her cause of the pink flowered wallpaper, and there was a small vanity already built into the wall. She nodded and giggled at the window.

“Yes mommy, I do.” She went back to looking at the window, and you pulled open a box to start taking care of clothes when she started speaking again. “Hi, hello… what's your name?” She tilted her head with a nod and another giggle. “I’m Cassidy, see you later!” You had been working on putting clothes in the dresser from boxers when you heard her odd words.

“Who are you talking to Baby?” You go over behind her and she looks up at you.

“They said a friend, but they had to go.” She shrugged like it was no big deal and went to go open more boxes to help you unpack. You peek outside curiously, but saw nothing out of the ordinary when Andy saying your name turned you around.

“Hmm, what?”

“I said the boys both approve of the rooms you chose for them, and are currently putting their rooms together. I'm gonna go build our bed and then come take care of Cassidy’s.”

Agreeing that was a good idea, the rest of the day was getting the basics together. By the time dinner rolled around, Andy had insisted on ordering a few pizzas and you agreed tiredly. Andy eased a hand over your shoulder and to the back of your neck, massaging gently while you let your head fall forward, breathing in deeply. “How about you take a shower? I will get dinner handled. By the time you come back down, it should be already.”

“You really don't mind Andy?” You ask, and he gives a shake of the head, kissing your forehead he eased you towards the stairs.

“Baby, I insist.” He winked at you, and you gave a nod while heading up the stairs. The allure of a hot shower and getting into your ultimate comfort clothes you already pulled out and were on the bed just sounded like the best thing you've ever heard.

Grabbing your towels and a washcloth from a box, you wandered into the master bathroom. This was the first time you’ve had a bathroom all for just the two of you, and you couldn't help but feel like this was truly living. Soon the hot water was going, and you were stepping into the shower, humming happily to yourself.

Downstairs Andy had made the call for a few pizzas after googling for a local restaurant. He went to check on John and Cassidy to find that they had found a board game and were making up their own version. Jacob, he could hear music playing up in his room. You were in the shower and he would be taking one soon as everyone was fed and the little ones put in bed. All in all a good day he thought. Going back to the kitchen, he searched out for plates, and took care of a few more dishes. It wasn't long till the doorbell rang. “Coming.” Andy called out while checking to be sure he had his wallet on him for a tip to whomever was delivering that night.

He opened the door to find a teenager warily standing on the bottom step, looking up at the house. Jumping a bit when he heard Andy open the door, he went up the stairs and held the boxes out. “Been a while since anyone has came out here.”

Andy took the pizzas and set them just inside the door on a small table and then dug out his wallet to pull out a tip. “Oh yea, is that so?” Not really giving the kid’s words much thought, but he ended up continuing regardless of Andy’s uninterested tone.

“Yea, last time anyone came out was before that night.” He took the tip, and pocketed it. “You know about the night, right?”

Andy shuffled a bit, wanting to close the door. “Yes, we were made aware before we moved in.”

The teenager just continued. “Yup, all five of them were in their beds. I knew Ronnie, he was a lot older than me, but he was cool. Can't believe he took a rifle and just shot them all. Guess you just never know what people are capable of.”

Now Andy was done, and snapped out. “No I guess not. Bye.” Stepping back, he let the door shut firmly and flipped the lock, gathering the pizzas to take to the kitchen. What the kid said unsettled him. But he shook it off before addressing John and Cassidy. “Are you hungry, Kids?”

A thud of feet sent Cassidy and John racing into the kitchen, and Andy simply sent a message from his phone to Jacob upstairs, knowing it would be faster than going up to knock on his door. Grabbing plates, Andy looked at the two littlest ones.

“Okay kids, I got… anchovy and extra anchovy. What do you want.” He grinned innocently at them, and they both made funny faces at him in disgust.

“Cheese?” John asked hopefully. Andy popped open the top, and showed off a cheese pizza. Peeling off a slice and plating it, Cassidy reached for the plate.

“Andy, can you add an extra slice for Jody? They say they want a piece.” Cassidy hummed and Andy indulged her, putting on a second slice.

“Who’s Jody Kiddo?” Andy questioned as he also handed over paper towels for napkins.

“My friend. But you can't see them. They don’t like grownups although I told them you were nice.” She said as if it was everyday and John rolled his eyes at her

“You're so weird Cass, Jody isn't real.” John snickered as he reached for a piece and bit off the end while Andy handed a plate over to him to use.

“Is to! Jody says boys like you are mean.” Cassidy cried out and then the siblings stuck their tongues out at each other and Andy was quick to jump in.

“Hey hey hey, John don't pick on your sister. Cass, Please just tell Jody not to make a mess.”

Jacob came in the room, following his nose to the scent of pizza. “Who’s Jody?”

Andy moved aside the cheese to the pizza with toppings underneath he knew Jacob would prefer. “Jody is Cass’s friend.” Cassidy took a bite of her pizza and gave Jacob a nod, and the teenager nodded in understanding. Picking out a slice of pepperoni. “Ya know, I had a friend like that.”

“You did?” John asked, suddenly on board with the imaginary friends cause Jacob seemed okay with it. Andy went to find a couple wine glasses while listening to Jacob recall the story of his imaginary friend Stan the Man. Andy had to smile at the memory of Jacob and Stan the Man, his son had insisted he was taller then the house but could shrink down to his size in order to play. Laurie had been a bit concerned about how often Jacob had talked about him, but Andy wasn’t. Pulling out a bottle of wine, he opened it up and checked the time, figuring you would be down pretty soon.

Upstairs you were finishing your shower, your head tilted back into the spray and fingers scrubbing out your conditioner when you happened to look towards the showers curtain and saw what looked like Andy standing there. “Andy? You trying to sneak in with me for a few minutes?” You rubbed the water from your face, expecting to hear an answer.

“Andy?” You looked again and the shape moved like they were about to get in, but there still isn't an answer.

“Are the kids okay? Andy?” you frowned and went to move the curtain, to open it and when you looked around it, there was nothing. No one was standing there, the door was still shut, and you could feel your heart race a bit. You suddenly didn't want to be there anymore when your chest tightened in discomfort, you knew you saw someone on the other side of the curtain, and was sure of it. A chill ran up your spine and you hurriedly rushed to turn the water off and get out. Drying off, you hurried off into the bedroom, completely missing the whisper of your name as well as a figure moving out of the fogged up mirror, leaving behind the word ‘Catch ‘em, Kill ‘em’ streaked through the condensation.

Dressing, you made your way downstairs to see everyone Andy and Jacob laughing about something while picking at toppings of their pizza slices to pop in their mouth, the kids sitting at the table, legs swinging as they peeled off bits of cheese. You approached to peek in the box, grabbing a piece of pepperoni, and Andy hugged you from behind, his beard tickling your neck as he hummed against your ear.

“Feel better Mrs.Barber?”

“I will feel better if there is a glass of wine with my name on it.” You chuckled and he was quick to hand you one. Sipping from it, you set it aside and turned in his arms, cupping his face in your hands. “Now I’m much better, thank you.” Tilting up you gave him an affectionate kiss, John and Cassidy making eww noises and Andy chuckled against your lips at them.

“Man, we're trying to eat. Take it to your room.” Jacob joked from the other side of the counter, and Andy gave a smug look at his son. “We probably will later.” Jacobs scowl had you covering your mouth in a laugh and you finally reached for a slice of pizza, nipping at the tip.

Dinner was eaten, and after Jacob goes to his room, and the kids are in bed all tucked in, you go to the bedroom with wine glass in hand, Andy is stretched out on the bed to relax for the first time that day. You set your wine glass aside on the dresser, and go to work on hanging Andy’s suits in the closet before going to lay down, unsettled a bit as you look towards the bathroom.

“Andy, you didn’t happen to come into the bathroom when I was in there, did you?”

He looked up from his phone with a curious furrow to his brow. “No, I was downstairs with the kids the whole time. Why?”

You shrug as you hang another suit up, coming out of the closet and picking up another. “I just thought I saw someone in the bathroom, and when I opened the curtain, nothing. I think I'm just over tired.” you admitted, and he opens his mouth to say something when your phone rings. You turn away to go back in the closet, and Andy stretches out to grab it off your side of the night stand. He doesn't bother to see who it is, but swipes his thumb across the answer button while keeping an eye on you.

“Barber residence?”

You are humming while fixing the suits so they don't wrinkle.

“Of course, here she is.” He lowered the phone and “Y/N, it's your mom.”

You brighten when you hear who it is, and flick off the light to the closet. You swear you hear a muffled growl behind you, and turn towards the sound with a frown when Andy gets your attention once more. “You have to tell her to stop gushing over me baby.” He winks teasing as he rolls up off the bed, and you scoff at him with a smack to his chest while taking the phone. Tumbling on the bed and getting comfy, you raise the phone to your ear. “Hey mom! Yes, we're all settled, kids are in bed, but you call tomorrow, you can skype with them. They would love to see you.”

Andy feels a chill up his neck and he rubs at his arms, lowering to settle his hand over the heating grate. It feels like a heavy draft coming through and he glances up at you, mouthing. “You feel chilly babe?”

You shake your head in a no while still listening to your mother. “Oh mom, you will love it. Plenty of room for you to come stay as well. Maybe at Christmas time? We have the most perfect family room for a good big family Christmas.”

Andy heads out of the room while you're on the phone, sure the heater in the basement isn't turned on even though he knew that he had someone come in before to turn all of it on to get ready for them. Quick to go down to the first floor, he went into the kitchen and flicked on the basement light.

The lights flickered several times like they were about to go out. Once it became steady, he went down the creaking stairs and rubbed his hand against his arms looking around the dimly lit basement. Basements always felt awkward. He knew there wouldn't be anything to be necessarily scared of, but they always seemed hidden away from sight, where secrets of the house might be kept. Even now when peering into the dark corners of the interior, he shivered in distrust of the shadows.

Andy it's just a basement. He would scold himself as he crossed the icy cement floor, and tried to ignore what he thought was his imagination.

A shadow shifted, darker than the shadows of normal for an old house. It stalked along behind the man. Andy went over to the heating system, a state of the art boiler system that was almost brand new, having been installed when the previous owners updated the house.

Now Andy wasn't any expert in heaters, so when he squatted down, he looked along the switches, that all appeared to be in the on position, which he flicked anyways. He also leaned down to see the pilot light was still on, which it flickered reassuringly when he peeked.

He leaned back up with a frown, and while he was sitting there on the cold basement floor, a bone chilling coldness stabbed him in the back, paralyzing his spine, and the hair on Andy's body bristled as he heard something shuffle behind him. His chest ached in a panic that made breathing almost impossible. A dread settled on him, sunk from his shoulders and down through his body.

This must be what a condemned man must feel like.

His eyes squeezed shut and he fought to turn around. He had to turn around, see what was coming for him. Andy felt it come closer, the air around him freezing cold that he felt it burn with each breath that he inhaled and released. Could feel something hover near the back of his neck, like it was just about to reach out and snatch his life. Rational thought had gone into hiding, now was just the sudden fear for his soul, and he whipped around suddenly when he broke from it to see nothing.

Absolutely nothing was behind him.

Cursing as he gasped in relief, the memory of impending death turning into fear and scolding himself for being afraid of nothing, he pulled himself up off the floor to a stand. Andy’s heart was still racing as if it was going to crash out of his chest cavity, but he ignored it while he slammed the panel shut, and looked to see one of the heating ducts. Pressing his hand against it, a sudden hum came and a rush of warm air breezed against his palm.

“Fucking finally” He growled, and started to make his way back upstairs, what Andy missed was the hissing from the duct work, barely audible. “Catch ‘em, Kill ‘em.” As he started up the stairs, he shivered again and a racking cough exploded from his chest out of nowhere.

The shadow seemed to crouch further in its hiding place with a flash of red orbs before swirling away into nothingness.

He continued coughing as he went up the stairs, weariness coming over him. When he went into the bedroom, You sat up with a teasing look on his face. “Get that heater running Andy?”

Settling on the end of the bed, he started to peel off his shirt, and you scooted over, rubbing at his back while kissing the back of his neck. “Mmhh, yes I did Y/N. Can we not tonight Love?” He looked over his shoulder and smiled weakly. “Not feeling my best tonight.”

You pulled back with understanding, and ran your hand down his back and nodded. “Of course Baby, long day.”

Andy eased back and opened his arms for you to settle in. Your head went on his shoulder, and soon he coughed hard, pulling away from you to lay on his side. Frowning in worry, you settle into your spot and fall asleep.

Once he fell asleep, Andy did nothing but dream awful dreams all night. Dreams filled with him staring at you at the end of a rifle, finger on the trigger to ease it back with a click. Images of Jacob, John and Cassidy running away from him to race into bedrooms and slam the door shut on him. Something cackling from the walls, constantly whispering “Catch ‘em, Kill ‘em” till Andy was trying to smother the sound under his palms. Waking with a jerk, he doubled over in the early morning light, coughing again and shivering in the cold.

#Home Sweet Home #andy barber x you #andy barber x reader #andy barber au #DinoScaryStories2020 #amber writes #sweater writes #halloween #halloween 2020 #writing challenge #amityville horror

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chemist-ana · 4 years ago

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Chapter 11- The Shopping Trip— Sams POV

Book: The Nanny Affair

Characters: Sam, Ana Schuyler (MC), Robin

Pairing: Sam Dalton (male) x Ana Schuyler (MC)

Rating: 18+

Content Warning: NSFW, Sexual Language, Adult Language, Sexual Situations

A/N This is a brand new series that I was inspired to write. I am going to go chapter by chapter in Sam Daltons POV. This story is completely inspired by Choices The Nanny Affair. I have used most of the dialogue from the actual story, anything written in BOLD was taken directly from the book and therefore is not my writing- credit to our good friends over at Pixelberry! All characters are credit to Pixelberry except for my OCs

Summary: Sofia corners me into taking Ana for the day on a shopping trip, what happens next is anyones guess.

Word Count: 3500

Tag List: @txemrn @secretaryunpaid @lifeaskim @aussieez @pixie88 @thefrenchiemama @sfb123 @mainstreetreader @shewillreadyou @khoicesbyk @lady-calypso @choicesficwriterscreations @somersetmummy @melalicious8383@chrissythadon

I eye Sofia warily as she sticks her hip out, arms crossed, her brown eyes not leaving mine.

“I don’t see what the problem is, Sam. I just want to borrow Ana for the day.” Her voice has a measured evenness that makes me question her true intention.

“Alright, I will take the boys out.” A smile curves her lips at my words.”But, Sofia, please treat her with respect.”

My hands grip the marble counter as she turns to walk away, her heels clicking as she rounds the corner towards Ana’s room without another word.

This is a bad idea…

I quietly follow Sofia, stopping right outside Ana’s door. I can hear their muffled conversation. I take a step closer.

“Fine. Give me the card.” I hear Ana say reluctantly.

“You’re a lifesaver, Ana. I will see you very soon.”

I dart into my open bedroom door before I hear Sofia leave Ana’s room. I wait until I hear the elevator doors close before walking back over to Ana’s room, knocking softly on the partially open door.

“Is it safe to come in?” I ask with a crooked smile.

“Sam, you really are scared of Sofia, huh?” Her lips curve up into a mocking smile. “You’re a grown man sneaking around his own fiancee. You see that, right?”

“I wouldn’t call it ‘sneaking’. More like… walking with discretion.” I slip into her room. “But I am sorry she ambushed you like that. I owe you, big time.”

“Good thing I know just what I want as compensation.” She looks me up and down, her eyes lingering.

“Oh? And what’s that?” I lean against her dresser, crossing my arms across my chest.

“I want you.” She takes a step towards me, her eyes darkening. “Just you, all to myself. Send the kids to spend the weekend with their grandparents, and leave us the penthouse…”

My mind instantly jumps to every fantasy I have ever had of her, spread in front of me on the kitchen counter, her moans echoing through the living room as I pin her to the floor to ceiling windows, and her wet and screaming my name in my shower. I push off of her dresser, taking a step towards her.

“That seems like a… dangerous proposition.”

“That’s what makes it fun.” Her gaze slides up to mine and I can see every speck of gold mixed with her emerald eyes.

“Ana…” I can feel the desire growing before my brain finally takes back control. I lean back, clearing my throat. “For the time being, maybe there’s something more immediate I can do to make it up to you?”

“I’m listening… intently.” Her eyes travel down, lingering on the now-obvious bulge in my pants. Damn, woman.

“I was thinking I could make you breakfast with…. You know, pancakes, eggs, bacon, the works.”

“Sofia would never approve.” She smiles as her eyes rise to mine.

“Sofia isn’t here. I’m willing to risk it. What do you say?”

“I guess making me breakfast is the least you can do.” She says with a sigh.

“Right this way. Chef Sam is at your service.”

I follow her out to the kitchen, my eyes glued to her hips as they sway left to right, her perfect peach of an ass daring me to grab it. I swallow as I watch her slide into a bar stool, my eyes snapping up to hers as she turns her gaze on me.

I take a deep breath, grabbing the apron from the pantry and knotting it around my waist. Alright, it’s been a while, but you know how to do this, Dalton. Impress the lady. I can at least fake it til I make it, right?

I grab some butter and set it to melt in a nonstick. I can feel her eyes on me and I give her a crooked grin.

“Normally I’m the one enjoying the view while you make breakfast.”

“I didn’t notice you were taking in the scenery.” She smiles as she squirms slightly in her seat and a blush spreads across her cheeks.

“I do try to be subtle… even if I don’t always succeed.”

Alright Dalton, pancakes first. I start adding the ingredients to a bowl.

“You have a favorite thing about what you saw?” Her voice breaks the silence.

Ahh, fishing now are we Ms. Schuyler. I will gladly take the bait.

“I’m not sure I can narrow it down to just one thing… between your adorable bedhead and cute little pajamas, my eyes just don’t know where to look.” My eyes flick up and notice her nipples have hardened under her thin t shirt. “But I definitely appreciate how sweet you are with my boys… even when they’re loud and rambunctious before coffee.”

“Sam… I care about them.” Her cheeks warm even more. “That makes it easy.”

“I’ve met my boys, Ana. I’m under no illusion that taking care of them is easy, even if you do have a magic touch.” I give her a wry smile before looking back down at my breakfast preparations. “Would you like to help, or would you prefer to relax?”

“I’ll watch you from over here. This is my treat, remember? I intend to enjoy it fully.”

Oh well, I tried to get her to come closer to me. My eyes swing up to hers and she is giving me a devilish grin as she leans back in her chair.

“Good. I hope I… live up to your expectations.”

“You’re doing a pretty good job so far.”

“That’s because I haven’t set the kitchen on fire yet. I’ve always been a little helpless when it comes to this sort of thing…”

I grab some walnuts for the pancakes and chop them on the cutting board, all while trying to ignore the heat from her gaze.

“You know, for someone who claims to be ‘helpless’, you seem to know your way around a chef’s knife.”

“The chopping part comes naturally from years of working hands-on in a lab. You need the same sort of steady strokes for both. But when it comes to the rest of it… I swear, I’ve never met a chicken I couldn’t burn to a crisp.” Why did I offer to cook for her again?

I flick the walnut pieces into the batter and stir them in.

“Should I be worried about these pancakes? You are going to have to cook them…” She chides.

“You can supervise while I attempt to not burn them.” I give her a small chuckle as I start pouring the batter. Expertly flipping them and cooking them to a beautiful golden brown. I plate her a stack of steaming pancakes. “A little cinnamon, a little honey, top with strawberries…” My eyes rise to hers as she watches me with a smile. “I hope you like ‘em sweet.”

“You know I do. Don’t forget the secret ingredient… lots of love!”

My chest tightens at her words as I turn to present her pancakes.

“Looks delicious.”

I watch as she delicately places a small piece of pancake in her mouth, her pink lips wrapping around the fork as her eyes flutter closed. Who knew watching someone eat could be so erotic…

“Mmmm… so good.” She moans as her eyes open again and meet mine. “Are you sure you’re bad at this?”

“Pancakes are the one dish I’ve perfected over the years. Theres’s a reason I offered to make you breakfast and not dinner.” I smile at the satisfaction on her face.

“And here I thought it was because you wanted to lick syrup off of me.” Her tongue darts out to lick the syrup off of her bottom lip.

I can’t help but groan at her words. “Ana…” Our gaze lingers on each other before I watch her reach for the syrup. I would lick syrup off of every single inch of your skin if I could…

“Whoops! Sorry…” Her eyes grow wide when she knocks the bottle over. She smiles sheepishly as rounds the corner of the bar to help clean up the spill. The sweet smell of jasmine and syrup fill my senses as she stands close to me.

“I’ve got it.”

“No, let me help…” She insists.

I turn to watch her as she insists on wiping up the mess with a napkin. Finally she turns to me, and I realize just how close we are standing to each other. The familiar arc of electricity flowing between our bodies, charging the air.

“Did I get it all?” I ask her breathlessly.

I watch her tongue dart out and lick her lips as she swallows heavily.

“You missed a spot on my neck.” She tilts her head to the side and my gaze narrows in to the delicate curve of her neck and throat.

I lean in, bringing my tongue to her sweet skin. I can feel her heart beating at her pulse point, and she tilts her head further to give me better access.

“Mmmm… so delicious.” I smile into my kisses on her neck. So fucking sweet.

“Wait until you taste the rest of me.” She says, her voice low.

“Oh god…” Her words send desire surging through me as I imagine the small taste I have already gotten. My hands find her delicate waist as I bunch up her shirt trying to expose her soft skin. “Ana…” I moan as I continue kissing her neck.

She twines her fingers into my hair and pulls my lips to hers, kissing me with a sense of urgency and passion that I match stroke for stroke.

“Touch me, Sam…” She whispers against my lips. “I need to feel you…”

My hands find the hem of her shirt and I reach under to explore the planes of her bare skin, relishing in the curves of her back.

“Like this?” I whisper.

“God yes…” She moans.

My hands continue exploring all of the muscles of her back, pulling her tight against my body and my growing desire. Her breathing is accelerating as I can feel her nearing the edge. Oh beautiful girl, the way you respond to my touch is unbelievable… where have you been all my life?

I completely forgot that we weren’t exactly alone in the penthouse when I heard the thunder of bare feet running down the hall. I immediately drop my arms from Ana and take a step back.

“Crap!” She says breathlessly.

I reach up and run my hands through my hair as my eyes scan Ana’s face. Her lips are swollen from our kisses and she is trying to catch her breath.

“I thought Aunt Sofia threw away all our good food!” Mickey yells as he rounds the corner.

“Boys! We made pancakes!” Ana says quickly averting her eyes from mine.

“Score!” Mickey cheers as him and his brother slide into the seats at the kitchen bar.

I watch Ana carefully as she serves two plates of pancakes for the boys, blushing furiously.

“Boys, what do you say to Ana?” My eyes fall on Mickey and Mason as she slides their plates in front of them.

“Thank you! It’s really good!” Mason says with a mouth full of pancake.

“Mmm. Yeah, way better than Aunt Sofia’s- I mean, thank you!” Mickey stops mid-Sofia insult as I narrow my eyes at him.

Ana studiously ignores me for the rest of breakfast as she slowly regains her composure.

When the kitchen has been cleaned and pancakes have been finished, she makes her way towards the foyer.

“Ana, wait! Before you go…” I walk up quickly behind her holding a travel mug with fresh coffee. “Something tells me you’re gonna need the extra caffeine to get through your day.” I smile as our fingers brush.

“Thanks.” She brings the cup to her lips, taking a small sip. “I’ll see you later.”

“Thank you, again, Ana.”

She gives me a small smile before the elevators close between us.

I let out a sharp breath before walking back into the kitchen with Mickey and Mason.

“Well, boys, what should we do today?”

***

I check my phone for what seems like the hundredth time since Ana left the penthouse this morning. My mind wanders to all the possible things Sofia could be saying to her. I turn my gaze up as Mason and Mickey put their batting helmets on.

“Alright boys, are you ready?”

“Ready, dad!” They say in unison.

I shove my phone in my pocket, it will all be over soon… right?

***

Mason and Mickey dash into the penthouse as soon as the elevator doors open. I pull out my phone… still nothing from Ana.

I sit down on the couch, turning my attention to the trees swaying in the wind in Central Park.

Suddenly my phone pings with a text message. I grab it and look at the screen, Ana.

Ana: I don’t think Im gonna last a whole afternoon w/Sofia

I sigh and sit back on the couch.

Sam: What did she do this time?

Ana: What HASNT She done?

Ana: I’m trying to not let her get to me but…

Sam: She wears you down.

Sam: I know the feeling all too well.

Sam: What can I do? Would a distraction help?

Sam: Ana? I lose you there?

When she doesn’t immediately respond, I text her again… what are you? A fucking highschooler.

Ana: Ok, I have to ask… Is our relationship all in my head?

I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. Fuck

Sam: No, definitely not. Where’s this coming from?

Ana: Just something Sofia said…

Damn it, I knew this was going to be a problem.

Sam: Ana, please don’t listen to her.

Sam: She doesn’t know anything about our relationship. And she’s a master at manipulation.

Ana: I kno I kno, its just she found a sore spot I guess.

Sam: I should’ve know she’d pulls something like this. She was so insistent when she asked. I didn’t want to arouse suspicion by resisting too much.

Ana: Her mind games are seriously next level. At this point, I wonder if her assistant even has a kid.

Sam: Ana, I WILL make this right. Sit tight.

I stand up, sending a quick text to Carter to let him know I am running out and leaving the boys at home. I stuff my phone in my pocket, grabbing the keys to the Porsche and ignoring the many incoming texts as my phone pings in my pocket. Hold tight, Ana. I am coming for you.

***

After stopping at Laudree and getting a box of macarons, I park the Porsche outside of Viver and make my way inside.

“Did you know there’s a gourmet bakery just down the street from here?” I smile as I walk into the back, Ana is bent over her phone on the chaise.

“Sam!” I watch her face light up as stands up, her long legs stepping up to me as she throws her arms around my shoulders.

“I should surprise you like this more often.” I smile as she steps away from me.

“If our think you’re gonna get away with pawning me off on Sofia for an entire day ever again…” She rolls her eyes.

“I guess I’ll just have to come up with another way to surprise you.” I give her a nudge with my elbow.

“Sam, you know how to turn my day around. Thank you for finding a way to show that you care.” She grabs the box from my hands.

“It’s the least I could do, given what you’ve done for me today to show that you care.” I place my hand on her arm and give her a long look. “You need me, I’m here. Okay?”

She gives me a small nod and I watch her melt at my words.

“Is that my boo-bear?” I flinch slightly as I hear Sofia’s voice call from the dressing room. She rounds the corner with a smile on her face. “And you brought… cookies! That’s very sweet, literally. I’ll have to save it for my cheat day.”

“I’m told they’re the best cookies in the city. Consider it my way of thanking you two, since you spent all day preparing for an event on my behalf.” I look at Sofia with a smile. “But since it looks like you’re done already, maybe I can kill two birds with one stone and take Ana home with me?”

“Hm? Oh yes, that’s fine. I have an appointment soon anyway.” Sofia grabs her phone out of her purse and barely spares me another glance.

“Ana? Shall we?”

I watch Ana give Sofia a weird look, which I decide to ignore, before she follows me out of the shop.

I open the passenger side door for her and she gracefully slides into the seat of the Porsche, her long legs look so damn good in this car. I bite my lip before I close her door, climbing into the drivers side and I put the car into drive.

My hand is resting on the center console. I feel her fingers gently brush mine before she intertwines our fingers. I glance down at our hands with a small smile.

“So, you’re going to a charity gala this weekend?” She asks casually.

“It’s not as fun as it sounds, believe me. Even though it’s not official business, it’ll be all shoptalk, all night.”

“With fancy food and fancy drinks and fancy dancing? That doesn’t sound all bad.”

“You’re right, it’s not.” I squeeze her hand lightly. “And with the right date, it could be downright fun. But-“

“You’re going with Sofia.” Her voice sounds sad as she shifts her gaze out of the window.

“Yeah. She has her moments, but she tends to stay laser-focused on business events like this.” I wish you were coming with me though…

“I wish I was going with you. You’d have so much more fun with me. Just like at your engagement party.”

“Maybe it’s a good thing I’m not bringing you, then. You were dangerous that night.” My mind wanders back to her body pressed against mine, the dark look in her eyes.

“Just that night?” I can see her look at me out of the corner of my eye.

“And every night since.” I flick my eyes to hers. “It’s not fair to tease me when I’m supposed to keep my eyes on the road.”

“I never said I play fair.”

“Ana…” My voice almost sounds like a growl as I try not to imagine her body pressed up against me, her hips pressing into mine.

“Fine, fine. I’ll be good… for now.” She smiles before facing forward, our fingers still interlaced.

***

“Are you serious, Sof? You know how big of a deal tonight is.”

“I know, Sam, and I really do apologize. I do not feel well enough to attend.” Her voice sounds quiet and subdued. “I have an idea that would keep my seat filled at the table.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. I could bring Ana…

“You should bring, Ana.” My eyes widen at her words. “She was with me when I was practicing, she should know who everyone of importance is.”

“I don’t know, Sofia.”

“I do, Sam, I insist. She won’t look as good at me on your arm, but she is better than nothing.”

I pause for effect.

“Alright, well, I hope you feel better.”

“Thank you, Sam. Don’t have too much fun without me tonight.”

“Bye, Sof.”

I am glad she can’t see the grin on my face as I end the phone call, sending a quick text to my assistant to order a gold dress from my personal shopper at Nordstroms in Ana’s size and to change my tux to one that will match.

***

The doorman delivers the suit bag and the dress box to the elevator and I walk quickly into my room, changing into the tux with the gold accents and gold tie. I take one last look in the full length mirror before turning to the box.

I carefully unbox the dress, damn this is going to look so fucking good on her…

I make my way to Ana’s room and knock softly on her closed door.

I hear her voice on the other side of the door before she swings it open. Her brown hair cascading down her back and chest, wearing that thin t shirt that leaves nothing to the imagination. I clear my throat as I remember why I am even standing here in the first place.

“Sam… you look amazing.” She reaches out and adjusts my lapels and runs her hands down my chest. “There. Now you’re perfect.” Her eyes find mine again with a sigh,

“What would I do without you?”

“Walk around with a wrinkled lapel, I expect.” She laughs softly, such a beautiful sound…

I clear my throat and her face turns serious.

“Ana, I know this is terribly short notice, but… will you be my date to the gala?” I hold my breath as surprise flashes across her face, followed by confusion.

Oh god, say yes.

#choices the stories you play #the nanny affair #choices sam dalton #samdalton #tna #sams pov

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radishaur · 4 years ago

Note

May I please request 87, 93 & 95 from dialogue prompts to make a reader swoon for Zuko? I'm in the mood for something angsty. Thank you!!

We love a good angst moment. I hope this lives up to your expectations! I might write an optional happy ending later on, but for now I’m going to leave this one open ended. I feel like that’s the ultimate angst. Just not knowing. Anyways, I hope you enjoy! For those who haven’t read the prompt list here they are. #87 is “Don’t tell me you love me unless you mean it”, #93 is “They told me that you’d break my heart but, holy shit, they never said it’d feel like this”, and #95 is “I just want you to be happy, even if your happiness doesn’t include me, I just want you happy”.

- Zoe

•••

All Just Lies (Zuko x Reader)

Warnings: None

Genre: Angst

Part: 1/3

Summary: See Request

•••

You hated Ba Sing Se. It all seemed too happy. Traveling with the Avatar had shown you that pretty much every town was touched by the war in some way. Even if it wasn’t physically touched, the stress and emotions that war brought along was undeniably present everywhere you went. Everywhere expect here. To you, Ba Sing Se seemed just too good to be true.

There wasn’t any mention of the war anywhere you went. Not a single conversation or passing comment. Not even the hint of one.

Granted, you had only been allowed to stay in the Upper ring of the city. It was easy for rich socialites to ignore the hardships of war. You wanted to explore the other rings, but Joo Dee had insisted that you stay with the group to be under her careful guidance. You weren’t buying it. She was hiding something for sure.

That’s why you decided to sneak into the lower rings on your own. You pretended to be sick and left the house when the group had gone with Joo Dee. And that’s how you found him. You were walking around the lower ring watching for anything out of the ordinary when you saw him.

He was serving tea to an old couple with a forced smile on his face. His hair was longer than it had been the last time you had seen him and you probably wouldn’t have recognized him if it wasn’t for the scar. It made him hard to miss.

You decided to watch him carefully to see what he was up to. You spent the entire day outside of the shop and he simply continued serving tea. You were about to leave when you saw him walk outside. You hid further in the alley way as he began looking around. He had his hair smoothed down the middle which made you laugh. He looked ridiculous. It was almost worse than the ponytail. Almost.

Your mouth hit the floor when you saw a girl come up to his side and ruffle his hair. You trailed after them as she brought him to a restaurant. You watched in disbelief as you began to realize what exactly you were watching. Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation was on a date.

You continued watching mostly to make sure he really wasn’t onto anything, but also out of curiosity. Unfortunately, you let your curiosity get the better of you. When you saw him kiss his date you accidentally knocked over a crate. You snapped your head to see Zuko staring at you, recognition crossing his face. You had been seen. You immediately ran off to avoid him finding you, but no such luck.

Just when you thought you were out of sight, you felt a warm hand grab your wrist and yank you into a dark alley way. Zuko stood in front of you with the familiar angry glimmer in his eyes.

“What are you doing here?” he growled, his hold on my wrist still firm.

“What are you doing here?” I shot back.

“I’m the one asking the questions. Answer me,” he ordered.

His grip was beginning to get warm as he struggled to contain his anger. I wanted to rip my arm away but I knew he was stronger than me.

“I was trying to figure out why this place gives me the creeps. I stumbled across your little tea shop as I was exploring,” I answered, desperately hoping that he would let go of my wrist.

“You’re lying,” he hissed, his palm now beginning to burn my skin.

I whimpered slightly and began to tug my wrist out of his grip. He held on tighter which caused me to let out a small cry of pain. At that, his eyes widened in shock and he cursed slightly under his breath as he let go. I cradled my wrist in my other hand and saw that it had burned slightly.

“Come with me,” he huffed, reaching out to grab my arm again.

I immediately back up against the wall and looked up at him in fear. I was stupid for believing that this would end any other way than badly. Why did I have to trail him on his stupid date.

His eyes softened at my response and he seemed almost upset as he realized I was terrified. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

“I’m not going to hurt you. My Uncle can fix your burn,” he said.

I hesitated, but decided to go with him. His Uncle was a kind man and the burn on my skin was really painful. Not to mention that it was dark out. I didn’t want to walk alone in this part of town injured. I sighed before nodding and following him as he lead me to their apartment.

When his Uncle opened the door and saw me, he sent his nephew a questioning look. I waved slightly and his eyes widened when he saw the burn on my wrist. He immediately pulled us inside.

“I see my nephew has still not learned to control his temper,” he scolded as he sat me down on the couch.

“She was following me!” he exclaimed, sitting himself down on the opposite end of the couch.

“So you burned me? That seems equal,” I snipped back in response, glaring at him.

“You know, I liked you better when you were terrified,” he snarled.

That earned him a smack against the back of his head from his Uncle. I had to hold a hand up to my mouth to muffle my laughter. Zuko was practically glaring daggers into me.

As his Uncle parched me up, I continued to explain what I was really doing in the lower ring and why I had been following Zuko. That lead to his Uncle explaining why they were there in the first place. To say I was shocked was an understatement. I promised not to tell the others they were here in exchange for them letting me check up on them. Just to make sure they kept true to their word.

The gaang had been super worried when I finally got home, but I gave them a story about how I had burned myself trying to cook while they were gone and had to go get myself patched up. They all seemed to buy it.

For the next few weeks, I continued to do surveillance checks on Zuko and his Uncle. At first they were just that: checks. I would slip in and out. But they soon became longer and longer. I got to know them both and I would even have called Zuko a friend. As my stays became longer and longer, Zuko and I became closer and closer. Eventually, we even started dating.

He seemed happy. He had given up on searching for Aang and seemed to be content living the rest of his life here with his Uncle. He made me laugh and he treated me well. It was everything I could have hoped for, until it wasn’t anymore.

When the time came to choose, he chose Azula. I managed to hold them off with Uncle as Katara escaped with Aang, but I was then taken as a prisoner. Zuko didn’t visit me the entire ship ride back to the Fire Nation. The first time I saw him after his betrayal was a week after his return.

“You have a visitor,” the guard informed me.

I was shocked to see who it was. There Zuko stood, a plate of food in hand and an unreadable expression on his face. I glared at him and stayed silent as he sat down on the floor outside my cell.

“I brought you some food. I figured you might be hungry,” he said, shoving the plate under the whole in the bars.

“I have no interest in speaking with you,” I growled, turning my head away from him and crossing my arms.

“I thought you might say that. So, all I ask is that you hear me out,” he pleaded.

He took my silence as his invitation.

“I know you don’t understand and that you’re upset. But you have to understand that I did what I had to do. This is where I belong and I wasn’t going to give it up. But I still.....that doesn’t mean I don’t miss you. That I don’t still have feelings for you,” he said, scooting closer to the bars in an attempt to get my attention.

I scoffed at that. If he thought I was stupid enough to believe that he had another thing coming. I expected him to get angry and yell at me for not responding. What I didn’t expect is what he actually did.

“Y/N, I’m in love with you,” he said quietly.

His words broke my heart into a million pieces. I clutched my fists at my side and turned to look at him.

“Don’t you dare say that. Don’t tell me you love me unless you mean it”, I spat venemously, “Which, by the way, I can assure you you don’t.”

“You can’t tell me what I feel!” he exclaimed, finally giving me the angry response I was expecting.

“Oh really?” I challenged, turning my body to face him, “If you loved me, would I be sitting in this cell right now?”

“That’s not-“ he began, but I cut him off.

“Everything you’re saying is a lie! It’s all a lie!” I screamed, pointing a finger at him in accusation, “I’m in this cell because you decided to sacrifice your Uncle and I for your own selfish need. You gave up the only two people who cared about you for a man who burned you and threw you away.”

“Shut your mouth,” he hissed, small flames igniting in his hands.

“And don’t think I haven’t heard about your new girlfriend. Mai, I believe her name was,” I said cooly, leaning back against the wall.

He was shocked into silence. The flames that were in his palms immediately disappeared.

“H-How....How did you even find out about that?” he asked in disbelief.

“Maybe you didn’t visit me on the ship ride home, but your sister sure did,” I said, wiping at a stray tear that had begun to fall.

“Oh,” was all he said.

His head hung in shame. I shook my head and laughed as I wiped yet another tear from my cheeks.

“Can you believe I was stupid enough to fall for you? I even told my friends about you,” I said, chuckling slightly about my own stupidity.

“You did?” he asked.

“Katara saw you and your Uncle in the upper ring when Iroh opened The Jasmine Dragon. I told her you had changed,” I let myself laugh at the last sentence, “I told everyone about us and how much I cared about you. And do you know what Katara said?”

He didn’t say anything.

“She told me that I was a fool. Who knew just how right she would be,” I sighed.

“Y/N, I didn’t do this to hurt you,” he argued, clearly grasping at straws for what to say.

“I should have listened to them. They all warned me. They told me that you’d break my heart but, holy shit, they never said it’d feel like this,” I admitted, now letting the tears fall shamelessly.

“You could have come home with me. The Fire Nation would have welcomed you as a hero,” he said.

“You’re delusional. I’m not from the Fire Nation. I’m your enemy. I’d be in this same spot wether I helped you or not,” I snapped back, my temper finally getting the better of me.

“I knew this was a bad idea! I take back everything I said. You can sit in this cell and rot away for all I care!” he exclaimed, standing up and throwing fire at the wall in frustration.

I watched him and I couldn’t help but feel so sad. Sad about what could have been if things had been different. If we had not been on opposite sides of a war we never asked for. I wanted to be angry at him, but I couldn’t. I looked at him and smiled.

“You know, even after everything, I don’t hate you. In fact, I know I’m in love with you. I just want you to be happy, even if your happiness doesn’t include me, I just want you happy,” I said sadly.

He stopped at my words. I could tell he was struggling with what to do next.

“I hope the sacrifice was worth it,” I said, turning my head to hide my tears.

“What kind of mind games are you trying to play?” he snarled.

“I’m not playing any game, Zuko. When you truly love someone, you want them to be happy no matter what,” I huffed, desperately wishing he would leave.

I just wanted to lay down and cry. I wanted to cry until my head hurt and my eyes were puffy and red. I wanted to cry until my voice gave out. I wanted to mourn what we had so I could forget about him.

Zuko didn’t say anything. He stood up and opened the door as if to leave. He paused to look over at me one last time.

“Goodbye, Prince Zuko,” I said, smiling sadly.

He slammed the cell door. The sound reverberated back and forth into nothing. And the silence was back. The horrible, head splitting silence that comes after such a moment.

The calm after a storm.

#zuko #prince zuko #prince zuko fanfic #prince zuko fanfiction #prince zuko fic #zuko imagine #zuko x reader

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sherlockfanficwriting · 4 years ago

Text

Sherlock “Dangerous Love” (x reader)

Summary - You were always as smart as your brother, Sherlock, however you functioned....a little bit more normal. Breaking into your sister’s psychiatric prison brings forth danger, making you and Sherlock susceptible to it. Will Eurus’s tricks and aid of Moriarty fail to overcome your combined intelligence and skills, if so, will it come with a price? What sacrifices will be made?

Warnings - blood, violence

A/N - I’m certain most of you will love this story as from the feedback from the sibling stories. It’s something you’ve been waiting for. I kinda added some more things to eurus too. Enjoy. @redheaded-hobbit @fanfictionsilove love all u huge credit to @bakerstreethound for basically giving me an amazing dialogue and action scene with Moriarty and the shot, couldn’t have done any better. Check out her works if you love Sherlock ❤️

You skipped up the steps to Sherlock’s flat and burst through the door. He sat on his usual chair. John stood next to him, pacing. Your brother locked eyes with you.

“Did you know?” He asked.

You shook your head. How could you know you had a sister? You’ve had no memories. All you remembered were your brothers, much smaller.

“Did Mycroft tell you anything else?” You asked, walking closer to him. Sherlock’s eyes gave way into his thoughts. He was concentrating, processing a plan.

“I know where she’s at. I got a summary and went on from there.” He squinted his eyes. “Did you get anything else?��

You pursed your lips. “Maybe. Tell me what you have first.”

Sherlock breathed hard. “Master mind. She’s connected with Moriarty. Went to Sweden then the states on multiple jobs, developing a base. In prison now. She was a scientist, worked in chemistry.”

“Like you,” John said, looking at Sherlock.

“She’s involved with Moriarty, however I think he’s tricked. Multiple disguises. You’ve seen her already,” you faced John, “you have too.”

A confused look spread across his face. “I have?” He asked.

You nodded. “She’s good at this.”

“I don’t doubt that she was behind some of Moriarty’s plots. Lestrade has a hit on something else. Threats on the prime minister. They’re talking about a bomb. I went over and spoke with him. It’s Moriarty’s work.” Sherlock said, looking up at the ceiling. He was stumped, which was quite odd for him.

“We have to stop her. Break the connection. Find out her motives. We couldn’t possibly know.” You said. John sighed and lightly cursed under his breath.

“Threats to the government. Perfect,” John huffed.

“She’s using him,” you added. You already knew it. Moriarty was merely a puppet. His only flaw was his trust. It was too easy. She offered him momentary pleasure. He was easy.

“We’re going to go see her.” Sherlock said, standing up and walking to the kitchen. You followed him.

“How?” John asked.

“You’ll see.” Sherlock said, putting on his coat. You walked out the door with Sherlock. John followed behind. He called for a taxi. One came sprinting by and you hopped in with everyone.

“Waterloo station.” Sherlock said.

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

The train took you from London to Wales. The skies were dark with dismay. John still looked confused.

“I’ll see you there?” You said to your brother.

He nodded. “Stay on time.”

You began walking off.

“(Y/N)!” Sherlock called. You turned around.

“Be safe.” He said. You smiled at them. You weren’t exactly the best at being safe.

Danger was in your blood. You could sense almost everything, but you couldn’t always sense danger. Most times, you placed yourself in it. You didn’t know why, but thinking about it led you in a loop, undiscovered.

You continued walking onwards from the station and turned around. Sherlock and John went the other way, their bodies soon became lost with the people. You called for a taxi which took you further up the bay, closer to the water. You toyed with your nails, couldn’t refrain from thinking about Eurus. Did you share any traits with her? Were you similar? Was she like you? You knew about her disguises, but you never knew what she looked like. She was manipulative. You could only elaborate on that. You were eager to find out more, pieces together the missing remnants of your childhood. You hopped out of the taxi after paying the driver. You were much closer to the water now. Dark waves hit the stone supports harshly. Small boats were on the water. You scanned the abyss.

“Got it.” You said to yourself.

The small distinct cargo ship you were told to look for was parked and getting ready to leave. You quickly looked around and saw a construction vest and a few jackets hung over a rail near the ship. You walked to it and swiftly grabbed the vest, putting it on in one move. You messed up your hair a bit and shirt, trying to look worn. You were wearing a pair of black palazzo pants and heels which made you rethink your plan. You walked up to the side door of the ship. A man stood pacing around on his phone, smoking a cigarette. He looked up at you when you walked inside.

“I left a few tools in the back from before. Management asked me to get them real quick.” You looked at him and smiled, trying to radiate your charm.

“Sure, sweetie. We leave soon, just so you know,” The man said.

“I’ll be out before you know it.” You winked at him which caused him to shake his head and blush.

You began walking around near the back, pretending to know where you were going. You opened another door, which lead to a series of steps to the keel. You closed the door and walked down. There was ship machinery in every corner. You wiggled through some engines and sat down on a spot between two. You were certain no one would see you here. You waited six whole minutes until you felt the ship start moving. You sighed in relief and patiently waited. Trying to pass the time, you tried to envision Eurus which was difficult. All those deceptive things she did made you question your lineage. You were nervous for what you were about to do. Spying, solving cases, software, criminals - it was all in your blood, but you felt particularly nervous today. You hadn’t done anything like this before. Your mind went over to Mycroft. You decided that he wouldn’t be much help to this. Thinking about Sherlock and how you were on the same waters now comforted you. You leaned your head against the engine behind you. Your eyes closed, but your unconscious intuit didn’t subside.

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

You woke up from a quick doze, hitting your head on the engine you were against. The ship stopped, causing you to move forward.. You quickly stood up and walked up the sharp stairs. You had to be careful. You couldn’t be seen.

You opened the door and poked your head out, scanning your surroundings. Seeing that no one was nearby, you walked out and opened the main side door. No one was outside yet, which gave you time to run out. You sprinted across the sand and nudged your body on the side of a cliff, hidden. You took off your vest. You didn’t look at the prison in details, but you noticed the sad stone walls. The prison was on top of the mossy stretched cliff.

You peeped your eye out of your hiding and saw a man walking out of the ship. You didn’t see him before. He carried boxes and wheeled a larger box out. You knew they were all supplies. The man boarded back on the ship which started the journey back under watchful eyes from the security. You put half of your body out of the cliff and waited until a few men walked out to pick them up. They were security, but acted casually, now that the ship was out of sight. They walked up the steps. You sneaked up behind them and stepped to the side before they stepped in. After the last man walked inside, you grabbed the door handle right before it closed. You angled your body to reach the combination code pad. You squeezed it a certain way, just how you’ve done countless times before, which enabled it to open and reveal the colorful wires activating it. You stretched your body further to spark two wires. Immediately after doing so, red lights and a light buzzer began flashing and going off inside and outside. You opened the door and walked inside casually. A few security guards jogged down the hall. You walked past offices and an occasional guard, who paid no attention to anything except his cell phone. You maintained a confident posture and gaze. No one even saw you.

You didn’t know where Sherlock was, but by analyzing the design and structure of the building, you had an idea where Eurus’s cell was. You walked down the staircase and through the hallway. As you were walking down, a door slammed open immediately and out came Sherlock and Mycroft - Mycroft? A second later came John and a man with a suit. Sherlock noticed you first.

“Well done. I was getting worried. As soon as I heard the alarm, I knew.” He said. Sherlock was in a better mood. You knew he was alert. Highly alert. He was excited. It was as if he was almost built for this, and you as well. The red lights and alarm stopped.

“Mycroft? What are you doing here?” You asked, trying to maintain your composure. He wore a suit, directly coming from the London.

“I-.” He started.

“Enough with that. He had full intention to come here on his own to handle this situation by himself.” Sherlock said.

“You’re unbelievable. You don’t trust us. What would your plan be to get around this?”

“This is what I was trying to avoid. I am the government who is taking great care of those threats. How did you even get in?” Mycroft asked you, scoffing.

You rolled your eyes at him. “Do you not know anything about me? You always do this.”

Mycroft sighed and seemed sincere. “I’m sorry.”

Although Mycroft and you were different, you still shared similarities, and it wasn’t only blood. He was always tender to you and didn’t usually yell, like Sherlock. Mycroft never really treated you like mutual. You were still trying to find out why, possibly because you were merely his sister.

“There are memories.” You said.

“Blank ones. I’m aware. I’m sorry. Surely, you can try to understand why.” He replied, rubbing his temples.

“There are more important things to do. I know,” You added.

“I’m leaving.” Sherlock called out. You looked at Mycroft again, then ran up to Sherlock and followed him. He walked up the staircase and down the hallway, making a turn to the right. He opened a door which led to a blank room. Your heart began to beat faster. You knew what was through the other door. You beat him to it and swung the door open. There, in a glass wall was your sister, Eurus, playing a violin. You stood still, wrapping your head around her. Your mind naturally tried to analyze and inspect everything, but you couldn’t figure anything else out about her. Sherlock moved you aside and walked inside, next to you.

John came inside, but Mycroft wasn’t here. Eurus stopped playing and looked at everyone. She locked her eyes with you.

“Sister,” She said. “How much you’ve changed.” Her voice was soft. She possessed a kind demeanor, but underneath it, you sensed desperateness. Evilness. Intellect. Eurus looked at Sherlock.

“Hello, Eurus,” Sherlock said. Eurus’s expression didn’t change.

“Where is Mycroft?” She asked.

“Not here.” Sherlock said.

“No, silly. I know he’s here.” Eurus turned around and began walking in a circle.

Sherlock walked closer to the glass. “Eurus, what are your plans?”

Eurus walked closer. “Don’t you know them?”

“You’re with Moriarty. Why? What can you give him?” Sherlock asked. He thought hard. “I know about your plans with the government.”

Eurus looked at him. She wasn’t surprised. “It’s mutual. I gave him ideas.”

“Ideas?”

“Are you thinking about Redbeard?” Eurus asked. Sherlock didn’t say anything.

You were finally starting to understand everything. “You can give him something else.”

Eurus looked at you and smiled. You knew it all.

You walked out of the room and began running as soon as you entered the hallway and sprinted up another flight of steps. You passed by a glass office, covered by an entirety of glass walls and windows. The abyss of the ocean lay idle in your vision. There, you saw Mycroft sitting on a chair. You opened the door. He looked up at you, but didn’t say anything. Something’s wrong.

“What is it?” You asked. He didn’t look up. You walked closer to him and breathed hard when you saw what was on the floor. A man, recently shot, was dead. Blood poured from his stomach.

“What happened?” You asked him. Mycroft stayed silent. You put your hands on his shoulders and shook him. He looked up at you finally and stared you in the eyes. Then you knew.

Moriarty

You turned around. There he was. He wore a casual silver suit and had a glimmer in his eyes. He was confident, ready, excited. He stood by the door straight up. You scanned him without even moving your eyes. He had a gun, but he didn’t hold it.

“It’s so great to see you here!” He exclaimed. You didn’t say anything. Your mind moved quickly, planning your next move. You knew his intentions.

“I’ve finally outsmarted you.” He said.

You stood up and walked closer to him.

“(Y/N),” Mycroft said. You ignored him.

Moriarty adjusted his shoulders and stood up straighter. You kept eye contact with him.

“What are you going to do?” You asked him, trying to make him think you were ten steps behind.

“What would be the fun in giving that away?” He leaned closer to you, touching your neck.

You opened the door and walked out. Just like that. You knew he wouldn’t shoot you. He was enjoying this. You walked by an alarm and stopped. You opened the alarm case and sparked two wires, the same process you did earlier. You punched in a code. An alarm went off, fulfilling your next plan. You ran downstairs and walked into the room where Sherlock and Mycroft originally were. You knew there was a weapon somewhere. Emergencies. You looked up and down everywhere. You placed your hand under the table and smiled when you felt the cold metal, just where you thought it would be. You hid the gun in your waistline then walked into Eurus’s room. Sherlock rushed out, almost bumping into you, but stabilized you with his arms. A worried look spread across his face when he looked into yours. He didn’t have to ask you anything to know what was going on. He ran out with John.

You opened the door to see Eurus standing in the middle of the room. You knew what you had to do. Your mind was thinking. You acted fast and quick. No emotions played through you. You opened the glass door and entered her room.

“I never got to know you.” She said.

You pulled out your gun. She didn’t react when she saw it. You held the gun up at her.

“We were never similar,” you remarked. “I don’t want to know anything about you. I already know what I need.”

Eurus laughed at you. “You won’t win this. You do realize that?”

You shook your head. “I’ll win. I know that it comes with a sacrifice.”

She scoffed. “You give up that easily? You never did know how to think, did you?”

You walked closer to the glass and kept your gun to your side. “I know more than you think I do. You wouldn’t have a slight idea. Here you are, thinking you’re a mastermind. A perfect place to be, a prison, filling everyone with delusions. You call that winning?”

Eurus walked in another circle. “It’s working. Isn’t it? If you kill me, you’ve still lost.”

You opened the glass door and held your gun to the level of her head.

“You’re insane. Does it look like I need you? You think I do, but that’s great, cause I don’t.” You pulled the trigger, shooting her in the head. Instantly, a red dot formed and grew larger. Her lifeless body fell down immediately. Eurus underestimated you. Although you seemed more human, you weren’t. Your mind was full not even near capacity of concepts and secrets she wouldn’t be capable of attaining or understanding. She was confident you wouldn’t kill her. That’s where you outsmarted her. You knew where Moriarty’s was and his next move, but you were right before. Sacrifices had to be made. Just thinking about it caused your stomach to twist in knots.

You put the gun inside of your pants, on a hinge of your waistline and ran upstairs. You walked up the steps to see Sherlock standing away from Moriarty. Moriarty was saying something. Mycroft still sat down on the chair. John stood behind Sherlock. The alarm wasn’t on anymore.

Moriarty turned around to face you. “The gang’s all here!” He said cheerfully, pulling his gun out casually.

“Each one of you has ruined my chances of success and hadn’t even thought twice about it.” His voice shrilled. “That’s it.” He was right. We have. Delusional. You saw how Eurus messed with his head.

Moriarty walked around in a circle. “Who wants to die first? I have all the time in the world!”

“Moriarty!” John cried out. Sherlock placed an arm blocking him.

“Mycroft, stand up.” Moriarty demanded. Mycroft slowly stood up and walked out of the office, cautiously. You knew they didn’t know that Eurus was dead. You would shoot Moriarty now, but there wasn’t any more bullets left.

“I’ll save the best for last,” he said. Moriarty pointed his gun to John. Sherlock couldn’t do anything. Mycroft wouldn’t. John shrunk down in horror.

“You don’t have to do this,” John said. He was terrified. You couldn’t take a chance with your gun.

You knew your plan.

Sacrifices.

You were the smartest one to initiate the approach. John dying first would mess it up. Without any hesitation, you began running to Moriarty. You jumped up on him and tried to throw him on the ground. He overpowered you and swung you across himself hard, throwing you down on the cold floor. Your body ached, but this was the first step.

“Don’t do that again!” Moriarty screamed. You lied on the ground, motionless.

“She’s dead,” you said.

Moriarty looked at you, shocked. You were pleased. “What did you say?”

“She’s dead. Are you....slow?”

Moriarty gripped his gun tightly and pointed it to everyone. He grew angry and looked at you with pure resentment in his face. He fled down the stairs, not looking back. Sherlock ran to your side. John stood near you. Mycroft walked closer, but he began pacing.

“I have a gun.” You said.

Sherlock didn’t speak. He pulled it out of your waistline. He sighed.

“None left. It might help you”

“I’m lost, but I’m thinking,” Sherlock said.

“We’re all dying today,” Mycroft added.

“Sacrifices. You know what to do. You all do. Go,” you demanded.

Sherlock was puzzled. “Sacrifices? You can’t surely mean-.”

You rose your voice. “I know. I do. It will work. You know what to do. You have time, just go.” Your voice was soft, full of reality.

“Don’t talk like that,” Mycroft said.

“She’s right,” Sherlock added. Mycroft didn’t understand nor did John. It was as if you and Sherlock shared thoughts. He got up from your side and kissed your head before he left. He motioned the others to follow him. You leaned against the glass window. The waves smacked against the cliffs hard.

You heard quick foosteps up the stairs. Moriarty came up. Anger filled his eyes.

“You didn’t think I would do it.” You said.

“I don’t need her,” he replied. He tried to make himself believe that. Moriarty grabbed your neck, but only lightly squeezed it.

“I was saving the best for last,” he said. It was all working.

“If you kill me, what will you accomplish?” You asked, going along with your preset plan.

Moriarty chuckled. “You’ll find out.”

“Will I?” You stalled. You saw out of your eye, Sherlock’s shoes come into your vision. You didn’t look away. You stared into Moriarty’s eyes.

“You killed everyone here, for what? Eurus is dead. You want to kill us. Solid plan.”

He shook his head. “I don’t understand you. You were always there, silently judging me! You ruined me! It was never Sherlock, it was you! Justice for what?!” He screamed.

“You’re weak. You rely on others to do your work. You can’t even manipulate anyone, you’re so bad at it. You are an awful criminal.” You spoke nonchalantly which angered him even more. As much as you were scared, you felt brave.

Moriarty snarled, cocking the gun, the hot metal pressed against your skull.

“You’re no smarter than you sound.”

Here we go

You swore you could feel your heart rate spike as you saw Sherlock’s shoes moving quickly met your eyesight in the split second. He stood to the side of Moriarty, behind him, working efficiently. You felt he was far away, but trusted him. Silence passed but for a moment, a silent bomb ticking with each breath that exhaled. Finally, as if it were a fine orchestration, a man you knew all too well sprinted, his mass of curls wild as he bolted to you, not before the shot rung out, slamming you harder against the wall, aiming the gun away from your head. Your mind began to spin, pulling your hands away only to look at the crimson coating your hands. Your eyes fell on your stomach, now a pool of redness. Your life played in slow motion. You saw Sherlock’s body move through the air and slam Moriarty into the glass window, causing it to shatter in pieces. Your body began to fall backwards, but strong arms pulled you back up. As your body twisted in the moment, you saw Moriarty’s body fall through the opening. Your senses came back to you. Pain filled your mind.

“(Y/N)!” Sherlock screamed. You met his eyes. He was panicking.

You looked into his eyes. “We did it,” you said. The shock numbed your pain. Mycroft and John ran to your side. Their voices were all mixed together. You felt blissful. Your mind flooded with happiness and peace. Is this really death? You doubted it felt like this. You went in and out of your senses a few times. Sherlock picked your body up, your head was snudged in his elbow. He ran fast. The ceiling changed from glass to stone as he ran quickly. Rain droplets fell on you as he ran outside.

“Where’s the boat?” Sherlock cried out. His voice was scared and cracked. You couldn’t see Mycroft. “It’s supposed to be here!”

“Where is the helicopter?! You had precise instructions!” Mycroft’s voice boomed through the phone. Your vision began to blur. It was weird. You didn’t know how you felt about this. You had no control over your body. Memories from your childhood, high school, college rushed through you. Sherlock placed you on the ground and firmly pressed on your stomach. You felt John do the same.

“(Y/N), I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Sherlock cried. You heard the others sob. You tried to say something, but you couldn’t. You were in bliss. You managed to move your hand and squeezed Sherlock’s jacket. He held your hands. Someone else hand your other; you couldn’t tell who. Everything happened so quickly. Memories of crimes, computers, spying, all came flooding back. Exciting times of your life - moments where you almost died, you remembered it all now.

“(Y/N)!”

Your vision started to turn bright white and by doing so, your body shifted through a trance of euphoria. You felt proud. Dying with dignity - it never sounded as good as it felt. You accomplished what you needed. You knew there had to be sacrifices. The whiteness grew brighter, almost as if it was blinding you. You felt welcomed as if you belonged here. Your body was gone, but your mind was undecided. You chose to stay in this state for a bit longer. You continued to hear your siblings cry for you. Sherlock slumped his body over you and hugged you tightly. In the distance, you heard a helicopter. You didn’t know how you were doing it. If you hadn’t been the person you were, you could never manipulate death.

All you felt was peace

Part 2? You’ll find out

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zigtheeortega · 5 years ago

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as good as gold

✿ pairing: mal x mc

✿ word count: 2971

✿ tags: @roguemal ; @violinet ; @nickyvalentinos ; @adrixnrxines ; @senatorraines

✿ author’s note: okay so this is honestly the weirdest coincidence... i started working on this fic back in early march, and i abandoned it bc it was originally going to be smut, but i just never got around to finishing the actual smut because i wasn’t feeling it, and i wasn’t that confident in the plot. i totally forgot about it, until i read today’s chapter... and i saw parallels between this fic, that i’d abandoned, and the diamond scene/elite skill scene today with mal.

it made me a lot more confident in this because it made me feel like i genuinely understand mal’s character more than i ever thought? (there are parallels between his list of favorite things, stealth, the sneaking around, etc.) anyways, i wrapped it up and thought i’d post it; thank u andrew for writing one of my favorite characters ever and confirming actions and dialogue i thought he’d do ! andrew stans rise. (hope u enjoy pls lmk if u liked it!)

“Thank Gods they sent us. I’m dying to stretch my legs,” Mal said, tossing the gold coins in the air, the clinking of the metal ringing out against the walls of the abandoned safe house.

They walked towards the entrance, the fresh air hitting them, and their lungs were grateful for the relief. The mildewed stench had been unbearable, but they had to suffer through it. The bounty on their head was enough to turn anyone against them.

Their collective rations weren’t enough to keep them fed. With Tyril being the perpetrator, they agreed it was safe enough for Mal and Zilyana to visit the marketplace, as long as they laid low.

“You’re telling me,” she smiled, inhaling deeply. The scent of the damp, mossy alleyway was incredible in comparison to the moldy smell of their hideout.

She shielded her eyes, squinting at the intense light. They had not seen the sun in days, so the warm blanket was a semblance of hope. She’d rescue Kade soon enough; the warmth on her face proved that all hope wasn’t lost.

They walked in silence, weaving through the alleyways towards the marketplace. Mal stopped abruptly at the end of the alleyway, bracing his forearm against her chest to keep her from going any further.

She caught herself gaping at him as he peeked around the corner a couple of times. His windswept hair framed his face beautifully, curling around his defined jaw, the tips resting neatly against his beard.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, a smirk on his face. “Caught you staring.”

She averted her eyes, looking upwards. “Was not.”

“The blush in your cheeks betrays you.”

There was no hiding the violet heat creeping across her face and ears. She’d been drawn to his charismatic nature, his carefree, adventurous attitude one that she envied. He owed nothing to anyone, and he never thought twice about his perception to others.

But underneath the snarky, flirtatious facade, lurked layers of melancholia that she wanted so desperately to uncover.

He cocked his head towards the opening, signaling the coast was clear. “Thought I heard something. We’re safe.”

She scoffed, following closely behind him. “Your definition of safe is ‘not currently being chased’?”

He laughed breathily, and shrugged. “You hit the nail on the head. I’m like a honey trap for trouble.”

The sound of bartering shoppers hit them before the smell of fish and sweat did. “What’s the plan? They might recognize us,” she whispered in his ear, acutely aware of the proximity of their bodies.

She noticed him pocket the gold Tyril had given them for the food. “Mal, what –”

“Just trust me on this, kit. I’ve probably stolen as much food that’s in this marketplace, twice over. I can get us the food and we can keep the loot.” He tried stepping forward, but she grabbed a fistful of the back of his shirt.

“Or we could just stick to the original plan and use the gold for our food and go,” she said, tugging him backward.

“As long as we can have a quick escape route, it’ll be seamless,” he said, turning to meet her eye. “Trust me, Zilyana.”

And she did.

The mischievous look in his eye was enough to send her heart into a tailspin, but his mention of her name was what sealed the deal. It was a rarity that Mal traded in her nickname for her real name, so when he used it, she knew he was being honest for once.

She didn’t know what part of her compelled him to take her under his “wing”. Maybe he was tired of being alone. Maybe he was desperately crying out for someone to get to know the real him. Maybe he’d been calling out for so long, and she was the first to answer.

“I trust you, Mal.”

His eyes softened. She knew he hadn’t heard that in a long time. “Follow my lead.”

At the end of the last alleyway, there was a large fabric trade stand, with various cut and uncut fabrics of different colors and materials, finished garments hung from a clothesline.

He tossed a dagger into the wooden scaffolding holding up the stand, startling the old man at the booth. When he stood to inspect it, Mal snagged two black cloaks.

“These cloaks serve as both a disguise and a red herring. If we’re caught, ditch the cloaks as fast as you can. Then we can walk freely without anyone knowing what we looked like in the first place,” he said, slipping his hood on. “It’ll be a piece of cake.”

“And we’re distracting them and snagging their food? Seems cheap,” she said, putting her hood up, annoyed at her ears poking into the fabric.

“You’re distracting them, and there’s a reason old tricks still work, kit.”

----

Zilyana used her natural seduction to trap a few unsuspecting suckers, and Mal snagged the food, storing it on the roof of a taller building, just high enough to not be spotted from other rooftops if they laid down.

“I’ve never had an apple before,” she purred, stroking the vendor’s arm with the tips of her slender fingers. It was a horrible lie, but it was working.

“Y-you haven’t?” he stammered, clearly flustered.

“I’m not from around here,” she smiled, leaning forward, exposing just enough of her collarbone and the top of her breasts to reel him in.

“I don’t normally do this, but this one is on me,” he smiled timidly, handing her a bright red apple. Little did he know, Mal had been snagging item after item from his stand behind his back.

She took it from him, brushing her fingers across his knuckles. “You’re too kind. I owe you.”

He blushed furiously, looking anywhere but her face. “I wouldn’t mind taking you out to my favorite tavern down the road––”

“Oh, I’m leaving town tomorrow,” she pouted, batting her eyes. “I wish we could’ve spent more time together.”

Mal emerged from the alleyway, watching closely. She didn’t know if he was capable of jealousy, but his nonchalance vanished when the vendor asked her on a date.

“I’m closing up shop soon, if you’re willing to wait for me.” He said, the blush still lingering on his cheeks.

“Balmed is that you? Oh my Gods, it’s been so long!” She exclaimed, looking at Mal, who still watched from the shadows.

The vendor turned quickly, noticing no one was there. He looked back at her, then double-taked, scrutinizing his stand of apples. “Hey…”

She sprinted past him, kicking the back of his knees so he crumpled, but it didn’t stop him from yelling, “Thief!” at the top of his lungs.

Mal grabbed her hand, whisking her down the dark alleyway. The sun had dipped just below the buildings, making the alleys a perfect getaway.

They rounded the corner, ready to discard their cloaks, but they spotted guards barreling towards them from both directions.

“What do we do?” She practically cried, gripping his shoulder.

“There’s two of us, and four of them, kit. You do the math,” he smirked, unsheathing his dagger.

“But that makes it sound like we should run–”

He whipped his arm forward, sending a dagger into the nearest guard’s shoulder before decking the other in the jaw.

Zilyana knew that Mal’s sheer dumb luck was part of the reason he was a notable thief. He somehow managed to survive in every situation, like a rodent.

She drew her sword and slashed the guard in front of her in one fluid sweep, kicking the other in the chest, sending him sprawling.

“That was a little too easy,” she trailed off, her senses sparking. She had no control over her elven senses, but they usually came to her when she needed them most, similar to a fight or flight response.

“I think the guards have us cornered but we haven’t met them yet. I can hear footsteps.”

Mal’s eyebrows rose. “We’re completely surrounded?”

“Yes.”

“Alright.”

“Alright? What are we gonna do?” she asked, hysteria begging to burst through her calm demeanor.

“The rooftop where we stashed the goods isn’t far away. I’d say five buildings or so over. After they pass, we’ll have to jump from roof to roof –”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. I’m not even in the right garments to jump right now,” she shook her head, gesturing to her casual dress.

“You’re just gonna have to flash the entirety of Port Parnassus,” he teased, turning to the wall next to him, covered in mossy vines.

He grabbed onto a vine and started climbing, her on his heels. The footsteps were within Mal’s hearing range by the time he got to the rooftop, so he extended an arm for her to grab.

She gripped his forearm, pushing herself off of the wall. It sent her flying into Mal, the momentum too much for the short distance. They fell over, her landing on top of him, chest to chest, their noses nearly touching.

She could see a snarky quip forming on his lips, but it never came. She watched his smug grin dissolve into admiration, his gaze softening as he glanced back and forth from her eyes to mouth. The lingering rays of sunlight struck their rooftop, hitting Mal’s face, transforming his dark brown eyes into a stunning liquid pool of amber, flecks of gold she’d never noticed before reflecting the light.

He reached up, pressing a gloved hand on her face, gently stroking her jaw. She leaned into the embrace, closing her eyes and sighing just low enough for him to hear.

A low growl rumbled through his chest, the vibrations passing through her own. He watched her, transfixed, through half lidded eyes.

“Have you always been this beautiful, kit? Or have I just been too stupid to notice?” He whispered, tenderly gripping her chin with his thumb and pointer finger.

She smiled, holding back a laugh as they heard the guards clamor down an alley nearby. “I don’t know if I’d say you were stupid…”

With his eyes trained on her lips, she leaned down, closing the distance between them, her parted lips meeting his. He could’ve frozen up – he could’ve pushed her away. Instead, he tangled his gloved hand through her hair, deepening the kiss.

He snaked his arm around her waist, his grip firm and commanding. He tasted sweeter than she could’ve imagined, his scent even more intoxicating up close.

He pulled away, searching her features. She couldn’t tell if he was thinking she’d regretted it that fast, but she was determined to ease his mind. Zilyana recognized the walls he put up; they were familiar because they mirrored her own.

“Anything we do from this point on, I won’t regret. Don’t worry,” she whispered, stroking her thumb across his beard.

He looked at her like he was truly seeing her for the first time. Like he was safe with her. Like he wanted her too.

The guards passed through the alleyway next to them, the clanking of their armor drowning out Mal and Zilyana’s labored breaths.

He pulled her close, tucking her underneath his head, his arms circling her protectively until the guards passed.

They stayed in the same position, embracing, until the sun set, making way for the midnight skyline freckled with glimmering stars.

After the street lanterns were lit, and the residents of Parnassus were tucked into bed, they were momentarily safe enough to discard the cloaks and sneak back to the rooftop where their food was stashed.

Once they were on the rooftop, Mal gestured to her to walk towards the edge of the building. She looked out at the edge of the port city, the vast body of water rippling, the waves flicking calmly against the docks, the water reflecting the moonlight.

“I never get tired of views like these,” he sighed, snatching an apple and taking a bite. “I love gold, but I love a pretty view more.”

She eyed him, brows furrowed. “Alright, I love gold more. But scenery is a close second.”

“Mal the Magnificent is getting candid? Color me surprised,” she grinned, watching his expression match her own.

“What can I say? You’ve grown on me, kit.”

And that was all the validation she needed. She was chipping away at his facade brick-by-brick, and one day his defense would crumble.

She’d be the only one to witness the beautiful destruction.

She crossed the distance between them, facing him while he chewed and swallowed his mouthful of apple. Juice dribbled down his beard, and she wanted so badly to taste the sweet flavor of his lips again.

“You’ve grown on me, too,” she said, reaching for his hand with her own, hooking a finger around his. She used the other hand to delicately swipe her thumb across his facial hair, drying his face of apple juice.

He watched her in awe, looking at her as if she were the only being in the world.

“We should probably get back,” she whispered, refusing to break eye contact. “They might be worried.”

“Yeah, they might be worried,” he repeated, still staring at her, squeezing her finger with his own. “But I think it’s better we stay the night.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to miss a second of seeing the moonlight on your skin,” he said, eyes roaming over her face.

Her face heated, breaking eye contact first. She knew the violet tones in her cheeks would betray her calm exterior once again.

“I could look at you for hours…” he trailed off, stepping closer towards her.

Their bodies were barely touching, their faces close enough so that the wind made the tips of his hair tickle her cheek.

He took his leather gloves off, revealing his scarred, calloused hands, likely from the years of training with blades. He cupped her face in his bare palms, the heat from his hands counteracting the chill of the sea breeze.

It was the first time he touched her with his bare hands, and she relished in the contact. It was a feeling of intimacy she hadn’t felt before.

She’d been abandoned by her birth parents and adopted by a human family. When they passed, she felt not only the tremendous loss of her parents, but the longing to be wanted by those who willingly left her before.

She saw so much of herself in Mal. The classic signs of abandonment issues were blatant in his personality. He wouldn’t admit it to her then, but he’d grow comfortable with her and come around. And she’d be there for him.

She watched as he leaned in tentatively. She closed the gap between them, pressing her mouth firmly against his, wrapping her arms around his waist.

He melted in her grip, a low groan coming from his throat at the initial kiss. She parted her lips, begging to taste him again.

She drug her hands around his torso, meeting at his belt buckle, unlatching and untying until they fell to the ground with a clank. She slid her hands underneath the tail of his tunic, pulling upwards. She was met with the firm muscles of his stomach, a soft tuft of hair from his navel to the waist of his pants.

“Zilyana, I…” he breathed, eyes half lidded.

“I want you,” she finished, pulling back just enough so that she could meet his gaze.

His hair had become unruly, whipped by the sea breeze and the momentum from running through the alleys of Parnassus. Loose strands framed his face like vines on a stone wall, begging for her hands to wrangle them.

“You sure you want this? We can pretend like it didn’t happen when we go back,” he said. She detected a twinge of uneasiness in his voice, like he didn’t know what he wanted from her.

“We can work it out later, Mal,” she whispered, running her hands farther up his chest.

He groaned, both because he was trying to maintain responsibility and his body was responding to her touch. “You’re right. Fuck it.”

He kissed her fervently, ripping at the laced-up ribbons on the back of her dress. The air between their bodies crackled, their unbridled sexual tension finally reaching its climactic end.

She tried helping him out of his clothes, but stopped after a few failed attempts. “For a simple guy, you have a complex wardrobe.”

He laughed, the deep bass of his voice barely audible over the sound of the waves. “I can be flashy when I want to be.”

He stripped his tunic off, then his boots, before helping her slide out of her dress. Her undergarments were thin, just thin enough so that he got a glimpse of her naked body underneath.

He rested his hands on her waist, pulling him towards her. She grazed her fingers across his stomach and lower back, lightly touching the dozens of scars. He had a story behind each scar, and she wanted to hear every one.

He eased her onto the stone, gently, like she was as fragile as a priceless heirloom.

“Look at you, Zilyana… so beautiful,” he whispered, a hint of a smirk on his lips. “I told you I like a pretty view.”

She searched his eyes, the trace of golden flecks gone with the sunlight, and she smiled internally. She was learning to love gold, too, as greedy as it sounded.

----

#playchoices #blades of light and shadow #mal volari #mal volari x mc #mal x mc #mal the magnificent #mal the rogue #my fic #jade writes choices fics

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verai-marcel · 4 years ago

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We’ve Only Just Begun (RDO OC x OC Fic)

Summary: Everett, a few weeks out of Sisika, has paid his debt to Mrs LeClerk. Though he’s now free, he can’t return to his old life as a ranger, so he opts for the next closest career: bounty hunting. When he’s handed a lead to some slavers related to the ones that had kidnapped his sister before, he jumps at the chance to wipe them out once and for all. But there’s a catch: he has to take a partner with him.

Author’s Notes: I’m being self-indulgent. This is how Verai and Everett first met.

Tags: oc x oc, rdo oc, origin story, historical racism, slow burn, strangers to friends, gun violence, minor wounds

Word Count: 8764 (I know it’s long, but mostly dialogue.)

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

Everett stood in the middle of the police station in St. Denis, listening to the sheriff ramble on about the man on the bounty poster he was looking at. The sheriff had heard that the bounty had been seen skulking around the ruins of the old train station a couple hours outside of the city. It wasn’t going to be a hard bounty; the man was just a sneaky bastard that had given his deputies the slip one too many times.

“Alright, I got it. I’ll bring’im back in one piece.”

“Preferably alive, Mr. Osborn.”

“Of course, who do you take me for?”

After taking the poster with the sheriff’s condescending ‘good luck’, Everett left the city on his black chestnut thoroughbred, the only thing tying him to his past. He had left Sisika swearing that he would drop his old life and everything around it, but he wouldn’t give up Ares for the world. Once Mrs LeClerk had told him he had some free time between jobs, he had snuck back to his old stable and taken him away. He was pretty sure they just let him take Ares back with no trouble, since he swore he saw a guard nod his way and turn around when he thought he had been caught.

The sun had moved overhead by the time he reached the ruined station. He let his horse rest a few hundred feet away and snuck over to the building, his navy revolver out and at the ready. Hearing some rustling amongst the rubble, he slowly turned a corner.

A man, sneaking past a broken wall, looked over his shoulder at the exact moment that Everett appeared.

"Shit!" the man exclaimed, bolting over the crumbling piles of bricks.

Everett immediately gave chase. Leaping over the wall, he landed with a loud squish into the bayou mud.

"Goddammit," he muttered as he pulled his boots out of the mud and made his way to solid ground. Putting on some extra speed, he whistled for his horse to follow.

"Leave me alone!" the man yelled over his shoulder.

Everett ignored him and saved his breath for running.

Then the man pulled out a gun and shot blindly over his shoulder.

Ducking and weaving, Everett dodged most of the bullets. The last one grazed his upper arm, tearing his shirt and burning his skin. His temper running a little short already because of the mud, he whistled again for his horse and kept chasing after the man, now more pissed off. He hated being shot at, and given that the man was running and shooting blindly over his shoulder, he really shouldn’t have been able to hit him.

The sound of a horse made him smile. He was going to run the bastard down before tying him up. Maybe drag him through the mud a little.

Then his smile faltered. That didn’t sound like Ares—

A blur of brown and white rushed passed him as a criollo leapt into his path, cutting him off.

As if in slow motion, he met the eyes of the rider: a woman, hair as dark as the midnight sky, eyes as sharp as a hunter’s knife, lips painted red like the lanterns near the gunshop of St. Denis.

He kept running, but watched as she expertly threw some bolas at the bounty. Hitting him in the legs, the man went down face first into the ground and slid a few feet. She skidded her horse to a stop and leapt off, landing in front of the man.

“Stupid bitch!”

The woman casually knocked the man out with a swift drop kick to the head before she pulled his arms out of the mud and tied his wrists together.

Everett caught up to her and was quickly met by a Schofield revolver pointed at his chest.

He put his hands up. “Whoa, hold on, I was hunting him first.”

The woman raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh? Since when?”

“Since this morning.”

The woman pulled a bounty poster out of her satchel with her free hand. “I’ve been after him since last night.”

Everett stared at the poster for a moment before clicking his tongue. “Damn sheriff,” he muttered.

She stowed the poster away, but didn’t stop aiming her gun at him. “You can go, I got it from here.”

For just a moment, he wondered if he could fast draw on her, shoot the gun out of hand, knock her out, and take the bounty, but quickly thought better of it.

“I’ll shoot you before you take a step,” she said, reading his thoughts.

He sighed. “I wouldn’t actually try anything,” he relented. “I know when I’m beat.”

“But you did think about it.” Nodding her head towards the man, she continued. “Help me put him on my horse, and we can split the bounty 20-80.”

“40-60.”

The woman hummed. "30-70,” she finally said, looking at him

Everett narrowed his eyes, glaring.

The woman shrugged. "You don't have to help me. I can do this myself."

And take the bounty for yourself, he thought. "Fine, fine. 30-70."

She stepped back, her gun still trained on him. Everett got the hint and slowly walked over to the unconscious man, picked him up, and dumped him on the back of her horse. Standing back, he turned to her, noticing her eyes were focused on something behind him, but he didn't dare take his eyes off someone with a gun aimed at him.

A soft nickering and the wet thud of hooves got closer until he could feel his horse nudging him in the back of his head.

The woman raised an eyebrow.

"Not now, Ares," Everett muttered.

His horse kept nudging him.

"Ares, stop."

He felt his horse's lips playing with his hair. Everett sighed. So much for trying to be a tough guy.

The woman snickered. "I guess you aren’t so bad, if your horse is this silly." She holstered her gun and walked towards him.

"Wait, Ares doesn't like strangers—" he started to say, just as she held her hand out. To his immense surprise, Ares dipped his head and pushed his muzzle into her hand.

"Hey there, big boy. Are you bothering your owner for a treat?" she said gently, her voice changing into something more sing-song while she spoke to the horse.

The woman was now close enough for her scent to wash over him. Most women he knew smelled like perfume, flowers, something exceedingly feminine. Her scent was different. She smelled of rain and thunderstorms, of leaves and meadows. And when she turned to look at him, he found himself drowning in her dark eyes. He noticed an emotion flicker in her eyes before she glanced away, looking back at his horse. What was that?

Everett swallowed. He suddenly had a strong urge to get to know her better. "Name's Everett. Everett Osborn."

Without looking away from Ares, who she was now petting with soft strokes, she replied, "My friends call me Verai." She turned to him with a wry grin on her face. "So you'll have to call me Ms. Marcel."

Everett grinned back. "Alright Ms. Marcel." He gave Ares a pat on the neck before mounting up. "Lead the way."

She nodded before heading back to her horse and trotting towards the city.

Everett took his cutter hat off the saddle and put it back on his head as he followed her. They rode in silence for a while, nothing but the sounds of birds and the occasional passersby accompanied them. Soon enough, he got curious about her.

"So what's his name?" Everett asked, gesturing at her horse.

"Sleipnir."

"Where'd you learn that name?"

"A friend."

When she didn't give any further details, he tried another question. "So, you do a lot of bounty hunting?"

"Yup."

Another few moments passed. Everett sighed. She wasn't a talkative one. "How long have you been a bounty hunter?"

Verai looked up at the sky for a few moments. "Nine years. Probably."

"Probably? How old were you when you started?"

"Nineteen."

Everett did the math in his head. She didn't look even close to his age, so he was surprised to find that she was only two years younger than him. He thought she was in her early twenties.

"And you?" she asked.

"Just started a few weeks ago," he said, a bit abashedly. He looked over at her to find her watching him with a patient expression, like a parent waiting for a child to confess.

But he was no child. He didn't particularly want to share the whole tale of why he suddenly decided to become a bounty hunter.

She eventually shrugged and looked away. Everett let out a small sigh. He wasn't going to get her to open up to him if he didn't do it first.

He wondered why he even cared.

The rest of the ride was made in silence until they reached the police station, nodding at the officers outside as they brought their horses into the courtyard. Dismounting easily, Verai moved to take the man off the back of her horse.

Everett quickly went to help her. "Let me…"

He trailed off as he watched her easily lift the man up into a fireman's carry and walk into the police office without breaking her stride. Following her inside, he could see the sheriff looking as if this was normal.

"Took a little longer than I thought," Verai said, dumping the body in a cell. "He's alive."

"I know, you're good about that." The sheriff opened a drawer and pulled out a wad of bills. "This is for you."

Verai took the money and counted it, then counted out a third of the bills and handed them to Everett.

The sheriff finally noticed Everett. "Oh, I see you ran into our lady hunter."

"Why didn't you tell me there was already someone after him?" Everett asked, trying not to growl.

The sheriff shrugged. "She didn't come back in the morning. Thought she might've died."

Verai let out a short laugh. "Please, you sent this greenhorn to me on purpose."

The sheriff grinned, like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar. "You never stick around, Ms Marcel. It was the only way I could get you to meet Mr Osborn."

"And why would you do that to me?" Verai asked with only a small quirk to her lips indicating her faint amusement.

Everett felt a little affronted at being talked about as if he wasn't here. He opened his mouth to speak just as the sheriff suddenly stood up.

"There's a group of men that need to be arrested."

Verai raised an eyebrow. "I'll just get–"

"No. It has to be with Mr. Osborn." The sheriff turned to Everett. "It concerns those slavers."

Everett's eyes narrowed. "How do you know–"

"Your pa and I go way back. He told me to keep an eye out for you if I ever saw you. So here I am, throwin' you a bone."

Everett glanced at Verai, who was standing quietly, listening to every word. "Why does she have to come?"

"Because she's familiar with this area, much more than you."

Everett couldn't argue with that.

Verai finally spoke. "Why do I have to bring him?" She nodded her head at Everett. "This tenderfoot will only get killed if this group is as dangerous as I think they are."

"I–"

The sheriff interrupted Everett. "He's experienced."

Verai and the sheriff quietly stared at each other. Everett sensed a silent battle of wills and wisely stayed out of it.

"Fine," Verai said after a while. Then she turned to Everett. "But this is my job. I'm taking point."

Everett furrowed his brow. "Listen, I know this group, I know how they operate."

Verai ignored him as she turned back to the sheriff and held out her hand expectantly. He wordlessly handed her an envelope.

Taking the letter without reading it, she used it to salute the sheriff and left the building, Everett nodding at the sheriff as he followed her out.

***

"So where are we going?" Everett asked, falling into step beside Verai as they led their horses out of the courtyard and onto the road.

"The hotel."

"I know we just met sweetheart, but I like your style," Everett teased, reaching out to touch her elbow.

Gracefully dodging his hand, Verai rolled her eyes. "I am getting some sleep because I've been up all night tracking that halfwit. You are going to get supplies for our trip."

"Now hold on, I'm not your servant–"

"I thought you would want to be efficient. Otherwise you can wait until I've had some rest, then we can buy supplies together." She gave him a droll look. "Up to you."

He couldn't say anything at all. She was right. "I'll get supplies," he finally mumbled.

***

Verai split off from Everett at the intersection; she was going to get a bath and sleep, while he procured supplies for the trip. She didn't need to read the letter from the sheriff to know where they were headed. Having heard whispers about men hiding in Roanoke Ridge, taking people into caves who were never seen again, she had a feeling they would be traveling north and would be up there for a while.

Paying for her bath and a few hours sleep, she made her way to the room in the back and waited for the bath lady to fill up the tub.

"Rough day, sugar?"

"Yeah. And the sheriff just partnered me with some novice on the next job."

The lady gave her a sympathetic smile. "Well, good luck out there."

Verai nodded to her as she left. "Thanks."

Removing her clothes and sinking into the warm tub, Verai let out a deep sigh. She didn't want to work with the man. Nothing against him personally, but when she had finally gotten a good look at him while she was petting his horse, she saw a resemblance to her former partner, and her heart had squeezed tight.

She could stare down ten bandits without so much as batting an eye, but when face to face with a man who reminded her of far too much, she had shut down.

“Don’t be weak,” she muttered to herself as she scrubbed herself clean, finally hauling her ass out of the tub, getting dressed, and heading to her room for a few hours of shut eye.

***

A light rapping on her door pulled Verai from her dream. Blinking away the sleep, she was surprised to find tears streaking down her cheek. She couldn’t recall her dream, just felt a deep sadness. Deciding to bury her feelings, as she always did, she sat up to face the day, or what was left of it. She looked outside to see the sun low in the sky; she had slept longer than she had planned.

“Ms. Marcel?” A deep voice came from outside her door.

“I’m gettin’ up, hold your horses.” Grumbling, she rolled out of bed, pulled on the rest of her clothes and her gun belt, grabbed her satchel, and opened the door.

Everett was leaning against the door frame, a smile on his face. “I was about to come in and wake you up, sleeping beauty.”

“And I would’ve punched you,” she said without missing a beat. “C’mon, let’s get out of here.” She walked past him to the front of the hotel. Passing the key back to the clerk, she exited the building and went straight to her horse.

“You’re not even going to ask about the supplies?” Everett asked, falling into step next to her.

“I trust you to accomplish at least that. Or are you saying that I shouldn’t?”

Everett shook his head. “You’re a tough one, ain’tcha?”

Verai checked the saddle one last time before mounting up. Turning to him as he did the same, she responded, “I’m not particularly tough. Just straight shootin’.”

She could hear Everett’s amused chuckle as they turned their horses towards the main road and started north.

***

“We goin’ to stop for the night?”

“The night is young. Best to get as far north as possible while we can.”

“We could’ve started earlier.”

Verai glared at Everett, who was focused on the road ahead, though his eyes did glance over at her before looking forward again. “I overslept. You could’ve left without me.”

“And leave a lady behind? Never,” he said, a little more seriously than she had expected.

Unable to think of a response, Verai just left it alone and changed the subject. “Let’s go a little faster then, if you can keep up. We’ll hit the border of Lemoyne and camp near there.”

Without waiting for a response, she urged her horse into a gallop and took off. Hearing the pounding hoofbeats of his horse behind her, she smiled.

***

They reached the border and headed off the main road towards a small clearing. By lantern light, they set up their bedrolls.

“Should we start a fire?”

“No.”

Everett looked at her, wondering at her terse response.

“Smoke will attract bandits,” she finally said.

“Oh.”

Verai considered Everett for a moment. “You haven’t been bounty hunting for very long. Have you spent a lot of time on the road?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I did. I guess I never really thought about bandits attacking me. Usually traveled with a posse.”

“I see. When you’re alone, you have to prevent anyone from finding you.”

“Is that why we’re in this circle of trees?”

She nodded.

Everett considered her for a moment. A woman, alone, bounty hunting. He watched as she switched off her lantern and plopped down on her bedroll. Following suit, he lay on his back, staring up at the stars through the trees.

“Ms. Marcel?”

“Yeah?”

“Sweet dreams.”

When she didn’t respond, he turned to look at her, only to find her staring at him blankly.

“What?”

“Been a long time since someone’s said that to me,” she said wistfully. “Good night.”

As she turned away from him and fell asleep, Everett watched her steady breathing and lost track of the time as he wondered how long she had been alone.

***

They got up in the morning and headed north once more. And once more, Everett tried to get to know his reticent companion.

“Why’d the sheriff stop you when you said you were goin’ to get some help?”

Verai shrugged at Everett’s question.

“C’mon, you can tell me, I can keep a secret.”

“More like you’re nosy.”

Everett shook his head. “Forgive me for giving a damn.”

Rolling her eyes, Verai decided to humor him. “I occasionally ride with another posse, but they’re… a bit wild.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. They’re good people, but wherever we go, there tends to be a lot of dead people in our wake.”

“Did those people deserve it?”

“Let’s just say that if I utter their name, other gangs steer clear.”

Everett wanted to ask more, but she was clearly protecting them. “They sound fun. Maybe you can introduce me to them some time.”

Verai laughed out loud. “Oh, no, they’d eat you for breakfast.”

“I am mighty tasty, you know,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

She delicately snorted. “Right.”

***

“You sure you want to stop here?” Everett asked as they entered Van Horn, the derelict buildings creaking with the wind.

“Just for a quick meal before we head on. We should hit Annesburg sometime after nightfall. Then it’s all wilderness from there.”

Everett eyed the people in town warily. If he were still a ranger, he would’ve kept going. A lawman seemed like the last person that anyone in this town wanted to see. Following Verai into the saloon, he took in the patrons as he always did, quickly judging who would be a threat and who was safe.

Three men at the back of the room had turned their heads when Verai had walked in and hadn’t looked away. His hackles raised, Everett stepped closer to her.

“Been a while, Verai,” the owner said with a smile.

“Sure has, Ms Dawson.”

“I told you, call me Josie.”

“Alright, fine, Josie. Two stews, please.”

“That’ll be six dollars.”

Everett leaned past Verai and slapped the money on the bar.

Verai glared at him.

“Just treatin’ a lady right,” Everett said with a wink.

The owner looked at Verai. “You finally got yerself a nice one,” she said, chuckling.

“No, he’s not–”

“I’m just teasin’ ya,” she laughed. “I’ll get you your stew. Go sit down.”

“Thank you,” Verai said as she turned to find a table. Everett followed her, and she couldn’t help but feel like he was following her a little too closely, like an overprotective dog.

Sitting down, she noticed that he kept glancing over her shoulder. “Ignore them,” she muttered. “There are always people like that.”

“I don’t like how they’re lookin’ at you.”

“Well, get used to it. I did.”

Everett looked at her, and the pity in his eyes both infuriated her and saddened her.

“Listen,” she said quietly. “I don’t want your pity, or your misguided sense of justice. There’s no point in raising a ruckus if it’ll just cause more misunderstandings.”

“But–”

“No buts. Just. Let. It. Go.”

Everett let out a breath and huffed. “Fine. But if they try anything, I’ll tear them apart.”

Verai sat back. “And why do you care?”

“Because you’re my partner. That’s all the reason I need.”

“Oh,” she said, taken aback. Surprised by his response, she could only look down at the table until the food arrived.

***

They finished their food quietly, with the occasional comment on the quality, and left the saloon satisfied.

"We're being followed," Everett whispered.

"I know," Verai whispered back. "Don't do–"

"What do you want," he growled as he turned around, addressing the three men from the back table.

Verai closed her eyes and sighed silently before she, too, turned around. Facing the three men, she assessed each one. The one on the left was shorter than the other two and had a bowler hat on. The one on the right was a little lanky, with an ill-fitting jacket. And the one in the center had unruly mutton chops and a wicked look in his eyes.

"This isn't ideal," she grumbled.

"Don't see many of your kind around here," the man in the center said as he looked her up and down, as if he was appraising a piece of meat.

Verai narrowed her eyes as a cold calm started to settle into her stomach.

The man chuckled. "Maybe we can take you for a ride."

Without warning, the other two men leapt onto Everett, taking him down. As they wrestled on the ground, the man with the mutton chops stalked towards Verai. He leered at her, licking his lips. "Never had one of you before. Bet you're a crier."

Then he lunged.

Verai swiftly dodged, spinning out of the way and using the momentum to roundhouse kick the man in the back of the head, knocking him to the ground.

"And you'll never find out," she muttered as she quickly drop kicked him in the head, knocking him out.

Turning to Everett, she watched him throw one man off his shoulder just as the other man threw a punch into his stomach. Coughing harshly, Everett grabbed the man's arm and tugged hard, lifting up a knee and delivering a hit to his stomach in return. Seeing the other man get up, Verai ran and tackled him just as he was coming back for another hit.

Knocking out his current attacker with an elbow to the back of his neck, Everett turned around to see Verai pummeling the other man until he was out cold. When she stood up, breathing heavily and wiping the sweat from her brow, she looked over at him and half-smiled, a quirk of her lips that made his heart stutter.

What a woman.

***

They left Van Horn quickly after that, not wanting to stir up more trouble. Riding hard until sunset, they finally reached Annesburg, a small mining town filled with run down buildings and run down people. Everett followed Verai as she hitched her horse next to a nondescript building, the green paint faded and peeling from the wall boards. To his bemusement, she walked towards the gunsmith next door.

"I already bought ammo," he said.

"We're not here for that," she said as she entered, the door creaking loudly on its hinges.

The man behind the counter nodded in greeting, glancing at Everett for a moment.

"Two baths and two rooms, please."

"Only have one room available."

Verai balked. Turning to Everett, she opened her mouth to suggest camping, but he stepped forward.

"We'll take the room," he said, handing over a dollar and two quarters.

Verai stared at him in shock.

"You'll catch flies like that," he teased as he accepted the key and two bath tickets from the gunsmith.

Quickly shutting her mouth, Verai shook her head as she snatched one of the tickets out of Everett's hand and left the shop, walking back to the first building.

“Thank you, mister,” he said over his shoulder to the gunsmith as he followed after her.

The inside of the puke green building wasn't nearly as shabby as the outside, Everett observed as he looked around in the little hallway between the bathroom and the two sleeping rooms on the other side. It was rather sparse, but it was tidy.

Verai handed her ticket to the bath lady leaning against the wall. As she went to fill the tub, Everett opened the door to their shared room and tossed his satchel in the corner. Verai stayed at the door, leaning against the jamb and shaking her head. The bed wasn't very large and the rug on the ground looked muddy. She decided on bringing her bedroll in here to sleep on the floor.

"Not even going to ask if I wanted to bathe first?" Everett asked with an eyebrow raised as he sat on the bed, groaning softly as the pain in his ribs made itself known.

Verai turned to him with a droll stare. "I already know you'd turn it down. I'm not going to waste my breath."

"How do you know that?"

She grinned knowingly at him. "Because you're not an asshole."

"Why, thank you." Everett then gave her his most charming smile. "C'mere," he coaxed, patting the spot next to him. "Sit with me."

Laughing, she shook her head. "Nope."

"Why not–"

"Bath's ready!" the lady called out from the hallway.

Verai waved goodbye as she walked away, shutting the door behind her.

"Dammit," Everett uttered under his breath.

***

“Your turn.”

Everett was sitting in the creaky chair at the small table in the room, cleaning his guns. Getting up, he let out a pained breath. The punch to his ribs was hurting more than he thought it would.

“You alright?”

“I’m fine,” he lied as he got up and walked past Verai. The fresh scent that was distinctively hers hit him as he walked past, and it took everything he had to keep walking, to not turn around, pull her into his arms, and bury his face into her neck. There was something about her that made him both calm and restless, as if something was just not quite right, but it lay just underneath her composed yet snarky exterior.

Heading into the bath, the lady smiled at him. “Need some extra help? Fifty cents.”

Everett looked at her, with her corset pushing up her ample bosom, her blond hair in ringlets around her shoulders, her red lips, her powdered cheeks, and her eyes lined with makeup. She smelled like roses and had a very cute smile.

And for the first time, Everett declined. “Sorry. Not this time, sweetheart.”

She pouted. “Too bad. Not often I get to see a fine man like yourself around here.”

Shutting the door behind her, he was left alone, wondering what the hell he was doing. He had always welcomed the warm touch of a woman, whether in bed or in a bath, though he was a little picky about his choices. But he had never gone long without satisfying his baser desires.

Was it because of her?

Taking off his clothes, he looked in the mirror and examined the bruise that was growing on his abdomen. The coloration on his skin made him raise an eyebrow. How hard had the guy hit him? Figuring that there wasn’t much he could do about it other than wait for it to heal, he sank into the tub and bathed himself, lost in thought.

***

“No,” he said matter-of-factly.

“What?”

Everett had come back into the room to find Verai sitting on her bedroll that she had laid out on the floor next to the bed, mixing some herbs with a mortar and pestle. The fact that she had assumed she would be taking the floor hurt his honor.

“You’re takin’ the bed,” he said in a tone that brooked no argument.

“You’re more injured than I am.”

Everett blinked. She noticed?

She sighed. “Lie down on the bed and take your shirt off.”

He smiled, his eyes softening. Taking a few steps closer until he was standing over her, he went down on one knee so he could look her in the eyes. “Sweetheart, been waiting all this time for you to say that to me.”

Verai reached over and pressed two fingers into his abdomen, exactly where he had been punched. He gasped and winced.

“Just do as I say,” she groused.

“Yes ma’am,” he said wryly as he took off his shirt and lay back on the bed.

He watched her stuff the herbal paste into a small muslin pouch and tie it off. Then she sat at the side of the bed and assessed his condition, observing him with a clinical blankness.

“What?” he said, his voice softer than he had intended.

She shrugged. “Just looking for other wounds.” Placing the poultice on his bruise, she flattened it out to cover more of his bruise and pressed down slightly.

“Hold this down,” she said, taking his hand and pressing it against the bag. “I’ll be back.”

“Where you goin’?” he asked as she got up and headed for the door.

“Need to stretch my legs, been sittin’ for too long, grinding those herbs for you.”

“Oh.”

She left before he could say anymore.

***

Verai quickly walked outside into the cold night air and took a deep breath. When Everett had walked in, his hair damp, his shirt half-buttoned and untucked from his pants, she had felt a heat in her body that she had not felt in a very long time. Very few men had this affect on her. The fact that he did wasn't lost on her. Old feelings were slowly being rewritten with new ones.

She did like him. She didn’t want to. But she did.

Taking another deep breath, she stared up at the night sky, the stars hidden by the gas lamps that dotted the road. Only the morning star and the waxing moon could really shine past the man-made illumination.

“What would you say, ài rén?” she whispered to the sky. When the morning star winked, she sighed.

I can’t let go of you. I won’t.

***

When Verai walked back inside, Everett was already asleep with the occasional light snore. She smiled softly at him, not understanding why she felt a fondness for him, only knowing that she did. His hand had slipped from his torso, so she quietly took the poultice away, setting it on the table to clean up later, and slipped the blanket over him.

“Sweet dreams,” she whispered before she crawled into her bedroll and closed her eyes, but her last thoughts were of the past, and as she drifted to sleep, she had a feeling that it would not be restful.

***

Everett woke up to the sounds of shifting fabric and soft gasping. Springing up, he hopped off the bed and knelt beside Verai.

“Sweetheart?”

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see her curled up in her bedroll, shivering slightly. He touched her shoulder but quickly removed his hand when she gasped again.

“Ms. Marcel!”

Verai’s eyes shot open and she turned to him, her eyes wide. She was breathing heavily, her heartbeat audible in the silent night.

“It’s alright,” he murmured.

She swallowed and nodded. Slowly sitting up, she waved her hand in a 'don't worry' gesture. “I’m good.”

He held her hand. “You're freezing.” He leaned in closer. “You want to sleep on the bed?”

She shook her head.

“Even by yourself?”

She kept shaking her head.

He sighed. “Then I’m joining you.”

“What?”

Everett lay down next to her. Not touching her, he turned to his side and offered his back. “Use me for warmth,” he said softly.

He waited.

Then he felt her lay back down and curl up against him.

He smiled.

***

The next morning, Everett woke up alone. He bolted upright, looking for Verai. When he saw her sitting at the table, cleaning her guns, he breathed a sigh of relief. Wordlessly, he got up and got ready to go, tapping her shoulder when he was done.

She looked up at him and nodded.

Neither of them spoke as they headed out, mounted their horses, and traveled north.

He wanted to ask what she dreamed, wanted to ask if she was really alright. But seeing her, seemingly fine, he felt his heart squeeze tight. She was shut off tighter than a mason jar and no amount of cajoling was going to get her to speak.

So he'd respect her silence. If she needed time, he'd give it to her.

They reached a crossroads north of Annesburg, and that's when Verai finally pulled out the letter the sheriff had given her. Opening it, she read the contents and flipped the paper over.

Everett maneuvered his horse closer and looked over her shoulder. "What's that map?"

"It marks where people have been reported missing."

She pulled a pencil out of her satchel and lightly drew a line through all of the dots, connecting them into an oddly shaped oval. "The slavers are probably around here," she said, tapping the middle of the shape.

Everett looked at the map, then looked at her. "Alright. Lead the way."

"Not trying to take lead?" she remarked with a wry grin.

"I can admit when I'm out of my element."

"Good. I like people who are self aware."

"So you like me?"

Instead of snorting or laughing at him, she only turned away and urged her horse faster.

"I'll take that as a yes," he mumbled, suddenly feeling happier.

***

They searched caves and abandoned cabins all day, but couldn't find anything, until they reached a small road that had recent hoof prints leading up towards the cliffs. Dismounting, they grabbed their weapons and quietly made their way up the hill.

Spotting a couple of guards, they both nodded at each other and split up, sneaking up on them and knocking them out before moving onwards, all the way to the cave mouth.

As Verai began to step into the cave, Everett grabbed her arm. She looked at the offending hand, then up at him.

"I'll take lead from here," he whispered.

"Why?"

"Because the first thing they'll do is dispose of the merchandise."

Verai's eyes widened as she realized what that meant. Nodding, she gestured towards the cave. "Lead on."

The cave was damp and smelled awful, but it was relatively well lit with torches dotting the path. Everett had his trusty navy revolver at the ready, while Verai had her Schofield, aiming upwards in case they ran into a victim.

Down the tunnels they went until they came into an opening with several cages, all locked. Inside three of the cages was a person, some curled up in a ball, others sitting with their backs to the outside, slumped over as if they had given up all hope.

Verai tapped Everett's shoulder.

No guards? she mouthed to him.

He leaned closer to her and whispered quietly in her ear. "They went on another hunt. Let's free them before they get back."

Together they shot off all the locks and herded the kidnapped victims out of the cave. There was one girl, one woman, and one boy. Scared and shaking, they barely registered the fact that they had been set free. Verai could only watch as Everett quietly calmed them down and got them to move as quickly as possible.

Outside of the cave, both Everett and Verai whistled for their horses. Walking down the path, they kept an ear out for the return of the slavers, but there was no sign of them for the time being.

Putting the children on Everett's horse and the woman with Verai, they rode back to town and returned them to the sheriff's office, where they could find their families from there.

Everett looked at Verai. "We have to go back."

"I know."

"They’re not going to be happy with what we did."

"They won't be happy with what we're about to do to them."

Everett smiled. "I like you."

Verai smiled back. "I tolerate you."

Laughing, Everett charged forward on Ares with Verai following close behind, back to the cave to capture the criminals.

***

The slavers were further up the road to the cave just as they were riding around the corner.

"Should we just carry on and circle back behind them?" Verai suggested.

Everett nodded. "Good idea."

"Of course, I came up with it."

He chuckled as they rode on as if they were just two travelers, keeping one eye on the slavers just in case. They rode a little further before turning up the hillside and through the forest to come up behind the gang. Grabbing their rifles, they left the horses and snuck through the bushes to a high point where they could see the gang riding down the trail towards the main road. Verai counted about ten men on horseback.

Keeping her ears open, she could overhear just a little bit of chatter as they rode past.

"They killed Kenny and knocked out Jimmy, freed our merchandise. Follow the tracks, get'em."

Verai glanced at Everett. "You killed him?"

"Only good slaver is a dead one," Everett growled, a darkness in his eyes that Verai noted for later.

"So. Five for me and five for you. You got this?" she asked, getting her Lancaster repeater in position.

"Of course." He raised his bolt action rifle.

Together they whispered. “Three. Two. One.”

Together they shot their marks. Two men went down, and the other eight men immediately scattered, some hopping off their horses and ducking behind cover, others brazenly charging forward to flush out their attackers.

Verai went right while Everett went left. She took a pop shot at one of the horsemen, striking their arm. Dodging past some bullets, she found a good spot behind some rocks and waited for the hoof beats to get closer. As they slowed, she pulled out her Schofield and peeked around the corner.

The man was slowly coming closer, his rifle aimed in her general direction, but he still seemed unable to see her. She quickly got two shots off, one hitting the man’s forehead. With no time to waste, she moved onwards, using the horse’s panic as a distraction as she headed in the opposite direction. Diving behind a fallen log, Verai holstered her revolver and pulled her rifle out once more. Peeking up, she saw three men coming towards her, and ducked back down again. Taking a deep breath, she gripped her gun, counted to three, and stood up.

“There’s the bitch—”

Bullets whizzed by, but she was focused.

Three shots.

Three men down.

Letting out a breath, she felt the burn of a light graze on her arm. Counting her lucky stars that she had only gotten grazed, she hopped the log and kept moving towards the sound of gunfire. She came upon the road once more and quickly ducked behind a rock. She counted three men shooting towards Everett, who was standing behind a tree. He shifted out and quickly fired off three shots with his revolver, finally hitting one of the men with his last bullet in the head, his skull opening up like a glass jar breaking apart.

At the same time though, another bullet flew past Everett, blood appearing on his shoulder as he quickly hid behind the tree again, gasping.

“Everett!”

The remaining men immediately turned to her location.

"Shit," she snarled as she shot her rifle from the hip, her shots going wild. She moved backwards until she heard a noise to her left.

Another man, bloodied and angry, burst out of the bushes and tackled her, knocking the rifle out of her grip. Throwing her elbow back into his face, she crawled out from under him, scrambling away.

She leapt up just as he slashed at her back with his hunting knife. The blade cut through her shirt and into her skin, the sting making her wince as she stumbled away.

"Was goin' to grab ya and sell ya," the man rasped. "But maybe I'll try ya out first."

Verai turned and pulled out her revolver only to have the man charge forward and knock it from her grasp. He then wrapped a huge hand around her neck and squeezed.

So she kicked him in the groin, hard and with precision. The man gasped and went down to his knees, panting in pain. She quickly landed a hard kick on the back of his neck, the cracking sound reverberating through the trees as he went down like a fallen log.

She took a moment to listen for anything else around her. Upon hearing nothing, she picked up her guns and headed to the last position she had seen Everett.

She heard the sound of a very hard punch and saw several dead men up the road. Following the trail of blood and death, she saw Everett holding a man up by his neck against a tree, his fist held up, ready for another punch.

"Where is your leader?" Everett snarled.

"I told you, I don't know."

Everert dropped the man and promptly pulled out his revolver. Pressing it to the man's forehead, he glared with dark promise. "One last time. Where is he."

The man started to blubber incoherently.

Verai stepped forward and put her hand on Everett's arm. He twitched in surprise, apparently so intent on his interrogation that he had not noticed her approach.

"He doesn't know," she said quietly. "Let's take him back to the sheriff."

Everett looked at her, but not seeing her. She lowered his arm, the gun moving away from the man's head.

Then Verai quickly stepped behind the man and elbowed him at the base of his skull, knocking him out.

Everett was standing still, his eyes still blank, watching her as she pulled out a lasso and tied him up.

"Everett," she called to him quietly.

He blinked. "I, uh, I lost sight of the job."

Verai glanced back at the dead men they had left behind. "To be fair, they probably deserved it," she said with a wry grin. "At least, that's what I tell myself so I can sleep at night."

Everett smiled in return; he understood it was her roundabout way of cheering him up. Holstering his gun, he picked up the unconscious man and together, he and Verai walked back to their horses.

"You're hurt," Everett said when he saw the angry red line slashed along her back.

She waved her hand. "It happens."

He stopped himself from asking if she was alright. With the way she was carrying herself, she was clearly in pain, but holding it in, just like she did most things. He would wait until they got back to Annesburg.

Then he'd treat her right.

***

Dumping the unconscious man at the sheriff's, Everett explained the situation. Verai shared the letter and got his signature so she could take it back to the sheriff in St. Denis. By then it was the end of the day, the sun sinking into the water and coloring the sky with reds and oranges. They left the sheriff’s office and started to head back towards the gunsmith.

"We need to take care of your back."

“We?”

“Yes, we. You can’t reach back there.”

Verai suddenly looked away. “I… I suppose.”

***

Everett took charge, getting a room and a bath, guiding Verai by the elbow into the bathroom, with nary a peep from her, which was both gratifying and upsetting. He liked that she trusted him enough not to protest. He didn’t like that she was in so much pain that she couldn’t even snark back at him.

“I’ll turn around, so get in the bath. I’ll clean your back.”

“Alright,” she said, barely a whisper.

He heard her clothes drop to the floor, heard the water splash as she got in, and then a soft cough.

“Ready?”

“Yup.”

He turned. Seeing her curled up in the tub, her head on her knees, dried blood giving the water a reddish hue, Everett’s heart clenched. He swallowed hard and rolled up his sleeves, took a washcloth and sat on the edge of the tub. Gently cleaning the wound, he started humming softly, a melody from his childhood. Once she was clean, he handed the wash cloth to her, letting her wash the rest of her body on her own, while he turned away, giving her some privacy, but unwilling to leave her alone.

He suddenly felt her leaning against him. Turning his head, he saw her eyes fluttering shut, as if even sitting up was too much effort. She looked up at him as he reached out to touch her hair. He saw the bruises on her neck when her braid shifted over her shoulder and felt a rage that he quickly tamped down. Now wasn’t the time for that. Besides, the man who did that to her was probably already dead.

“...��Rett?” Her voice cracked.

“Hm?”

“I’m sleepy.”

Everett nodded and got up to grab a towel. He held it out and turned his head away as she pulled herself up and stepped out of the tub, letting him wrap the towel around her, drying her off.

“You lose a lot of blood?”

“Feels like it.”

He could only nod. “Let’s hop back to the room, I’ll bandage you up.”

“Lemme put my pants on, at least,” she said with more vigor than she had since they returned to town.

Everett chuckled. She must be feeling a little better if, even in pain, she was worried about little things like modesty.

***

Everett poked his head out into the small hallway. No one was around at this time of night, so he quickly ushered Verai out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, locking the door behind him. Without being told, she sat on the bed facing away from him.

He could see her back, covered in white scars, and wondered about her past. Gathering up the bandages, he started to wrap them around her.

“Don’t ask,” she said all of a sudden.

“I wouldn’t,” he said softly. “I’ll wait ‘til you’re ready to tell me.”

“You’ll be waiting forever.”

“If you ain’t ready, you ain’t ready.”

He saw her shoulders sag a little, realizing that she had felt relief with his words. Finishing up the bandage, he handed her one of his shirts. “Somethin’ to sleep in, since your other shirt is cut up and bloody.”

She took his shirt and eyed it suspiciously.

“It’s clean,” he said, affronted.

She smiled and looked up at him. “Didn’t think you’d be offended if I thought otherwise.”

“I wouldn’t offer a lady a dirty shirt.”

“Who said I was a lady?”

“I did. End of story.”

Verai laughed softly and shook her head as she pulled his shirt on. It was one of his favorite ones, a light blue shirt that was starting to become a bit threadbare with age. She buttoned it up and slowly laid down on the bed, positioning herself on her side.

“Thanks ‘Rett,” she mumbled as she closed her eyes.

“Can I sleep next to you?” he asked before he could think better of it.

“If you like.”

Everett crawled into the bed with her, facing her back, and wondered why, for the first time in his life, he had wanted a woman in his bed, but only to sleep beside and nothing more.

***

The next morning as dawn broke through the curtains covering the one small window in the room, Verai awoke, her muscles sore and her throat dry. Her neck hurt from where the man had dug in his fingers, but otherwise she was alive and mostly healthy. She pushed herself up slowly and turned her head.

Everett was still sleeping, laying on his back with one hand on his stomach, one arm hanging off the side of the small bed. She smiled at the scene; he had kept his distance, giving her most of the bed while he hovered at the edge, making sure she was comfortable.

He wasn’t a bad guy at all.

She carefully got up and saw his cutter hat on the table next to their gun belts. Taking the hat, she smirked and put it on before looking in the small mirror hanging on the wall. Looking left and right, she grinned.

“Not bad,” she mumbled.

“I agree,” Everett said, startling her.

“Dammit,” she grumbled as she turned around. “Now I have to steal it.”

He laughed. “I’ll tie you up if you do.”

It was her turn to laugh. “You’d have to catch me first.”

They looked at each other, their eyes meeting, and her laughter died as she caught something a little more serious in his gaze.

“We need to get back to St. Denis, tell the sheriff what happened. And deliver the letter,” she said, rapidly changing the subject as she removed his hat and placed it back on the table.

Everett nodded. “Well, let’s get goin’ then.”

***

They packed up and rode hard back to St Denis. Riding as fast as their horses could carry them, they made it back to the sheriff by sundown, handing over the letter and receiving the bounty, though it was greatly decreased since most of the men were dead.

“Personally, I think you did the world a favor,” the sheriff remarked as Verai counted the bills. “But rules are rules.”

Everett nodded. “Appreciate the sentiment anyway.”

Satisfied with the payout, Verai took half and gave the other to Everett. “See you around, sheriff.”

“Have a good evenin’, you two.”

***

“Where to next?”

Verai looked at Everett, a little surprised by his question. “I need to get back to my posse. It’s been a week, I said I’d come back by then.”

Everett nodded as he stepped a little closer to her. “I’d like to work with you again.”

Verai looked up at him, his natural smile more brilliant than the flirty ones that he had tried when they first met. Was it only a few days ago? She took a step back, but then held her ground. “That’d be good. Maybe in a week we can meet back here and catch another bounty.”

“Sounds great.” He took his hat off and placed it on her head.

“What’s this for?”

“Keep it. Looks better on you anyway.”

Verai smiled shyly at his words. “How about I just borrow it. I’ll give it back to you next time I see you.”

Everett laughed. “Alright, it’s a promise.”

“A promise,” she said softly, making his heart skip.

They mounted their horses and looked at each other as they started to head in separate directions.

“Can I call you by your first name?” he asked.

She smirked. “I suppose you can.” Patting her horse, she gave him a wicked grin. “Maybe one day, you’ll get to call me by my real name too.”

“Wait, what?”

“See ya!” Verai turned her horse and bolted out of town, laughing as she went.

Everett huffed and shook his head before chuckling. She left him with more questions than answers.

He wouldn’t have her any other way.

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

End Notes: Completely self-indulgent, I know. Hope you enjoyed it!

#everett osborn #verai marcel #rdo oc #oc x oc #rdo oc x oc #writing #fanfic #very long post #everett x verai

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star-spangled-eyes · 5 years ago

Text

Dirty Mind: Part 3: Love Hurts

This alternate universe fan fiction uses characters created and owned by Pixelberry Studios. Character names, descriptions and likenesses are owned by Pixelberry Studios. Some dialogue and events in Book 1 of TRR are property of Pixelberry Studios. The MC, Bragnae Bennett, and story is created and owned by this author.

Book: The Royal Romance (Alternate Universe)

Alternate Universe Theme: Drake’s perspective

Pairing: Drake Walker x MC (Bragnae Bennett – *pronounced Brawn-yah)

Warnings for this miniseries: NSFW, Adult content, suggestive and strong language, angst, sex (including character’s thoughts and innuendos)

Masterlist

A/N: I wrote this miniseries in the first person perspective of Drake Walker. It follows events in Book 1 of TRR, but not everything is as you’d remember it from the story. Some things have been altered to better fit this fanfic.

I really enjoyed getting into the brain of Drake, and I hope you like it too. He’s a stud, and I love his sexual, angsty mind.

Enjoy the conclusion! Thanks for reading!

Word Count for this chapter: 6144

Permatags: @burnsoslow @cora-nova @dcbbw @thorfosterlove @emceesynonymroll @edgiestwinter @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @msjr0119 @notoriouscs @drakewalker04 @pedudley @desiree-0816 @choices-lurker @kingliam2019 @loveellamae @drakexnadira @flutistbyday2020 @indiana-jr @yukinagato2012 @i-bloody-love-drake-walker

The next day I drove my truck to Ramsford earlier than I was scheduled to. Maxwell called me, frantic and desperate for help getting the estate prepped before the rest of court showed up the following day. Apparently their staff took the day off unbeknownst to the Brothers Beaumont, and there was a ton of shit to do.

Normally, I’d say no, but I’d grown closer to Maxwell over the past couple months and felt bad for the guy. Not to mention Bragnae would be there. I was excited to see her, but after I came back down to earth from my pleasured high of being with Bragnae, I realized what we’d done.

I couldn’t shake the doom and gloom feeling I had since this morning. I betrayed my best friend to be with his girl. I lost all sense and control and I shouldn’t have. I should have been stronger than that. I had plenty of opportunities to leave her room last night that I chose to ignore. I was a shitty friend. And worse yet, Liam didn’t even know. The poor guy had no clue I even liked her let alone that we shared an intimate experience last night.

How the fuck am I going to tell him? He’ll hate me forever. We didn’t technically have sex. Maybe he’ll be more forgiving of that. I sighed in disgust at myself. Who am I kidding? We both kissed, grinded and moaned our way to incredible orgasms that we both needed and craved from each other. Goddamn it.

When I arrived at the Beaumont estate, Bertrand told me to help Maxwell in the kitchen, so I headed there. I stepped into the room to see him and Bragnae standing across from each other with a counter in between them as they worked on what I assumed was a caviar appetizer. I’d been to enough of these fancy parties to recognize the pretentious delicacy all the nobles went nuts over.

“I’m here. What do you need me to do?”

“Drake! Oh, thank God!” Maxwell shouted. “Thanks for coming to help out.”

“Hey, Drake,” Bragnae said with a smile.

I gave her a side smirk and a quick nod, not wanting to make a big deal about it in front of Maxwell. I couldn’t trust myself around her now. Even if I smiled in her direction, I’d give myself away. I needed to get my head wrapped around the situation before I was ready to talk about it. No one could know until I talked to Liam.

I felt like an ass because I didn’t want her to feel like I changed my mind about her. Because I still very much cared for her. If given the choice of having Bragnae by my side or a bottle of cold water in a hot desert, I’d choose her every damn time. But, I failed as a best friend, and I needed to make that right despite my own happiness.

Maxwell typed something on his phone quickly before shoving it back in his pocket. “Bertrand said we have caterers for the rest of the food for tomorrow. Whew! Drake, why don’t you help me make the rest of these Jewels of the Sea as I’m calling them, and Bragnae, could you go help Bertrand with the cleaning?”

Dodged a bullet there. Even though I’d love to stand here and look at her, smelling her sweet perfume, it’s probably best she go somewhere else in the house.

“Sure thing!” She walked around the counter, and brushed her hand across my lower back as she left the kitchen. I hesitated, but watched her leave anyway. She had turned back and smiled at me before leaving the room.

I sighed and got back to work while Maxwell jabbered on like a monkey in a tree.

Later, I found myself arranging goddamn flowers in glass vases for the dining room. Me. Arranging flowers. I sighed. How the fuck do I get myself into these situations?

I heard Bertrand telling Bragnae to help me with the center pieces, and my heart skipped a beat. Goddamn it. I already missed her. It had been a few hours since I’d seen her around. Part of me wanted to pull her in close and never let go, but the other part of me wanted to keep my distance. Keeping her near would only hurt more in the long run. Fuck. I hated how complicated this got all of a sudden.

“Hey, Drake. I didn’t know you had a knack for arranging flowers like this.”

I kept my eyes on the vase in front of me as I responded. “Yeah, who knew? The things I do for you people.”

“Seems to me that you have a lot of hidden talents we all aren’t aware of. I wonder what else you can do.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her face tilted up to me with a bright smile. I had to look at her otherwise she’d suspect I was ignoring her.

So I did. Goddamn, she was pretty. I scoffed a laugh. “Guess you’ll just have to wait and see.” Wait and see? When, idiot? You’re supposed to push her away, not give her little pieces of hope to cling to. I’m so bad at this.

“Well, I can’t wait.” She touched my arm. Her warmth sent a tingle down my spine. My heart beat faster and my breath quickened. All from one little touch. Jesus Christ.

“Lady Bragnae!” Bertrand shouted from across the room.

Startled, she whipped around to face him. “Yes?”

“Come here for a moment, please.”

Bragnae darted off to Bertrand, and I could breathe again. I needed a moment or two to myself. Now was my chance to sneak off. I quietly left the dining room and headed down the hall to the study. I shut the door behind me, and leaned against the wall. No sooner did I close my eyes did I hear the sound of high heels clicking down the hallway.

I sighed. Damn it. I opened the door as the footsteps approached to see Bragnae fill the door frame. She beamed as soon as she saw me.

“Hi! Can I come in?” She was incredibly enthusiastic, and too charming to deny. Shit.

“Of course.” I stepped aside and invited her in the study before closing the door behind her.

“Are you hiding out in here?”

“You could say that.”

“Well, this is perfect because I wanted to talk to you. First things first…” She said before reaching up to kiss me. No matter how much I tried to push her away, as soon as her lips hit mine, I couldn’t turn her down. I was an addict and her kisses were the drug. After a drawn out moment, she pulled back. “I’ve been waiting to do that all day.”

I couldn’t help but smile at her. “Me too.” It was the sad truth I couldn’t deny.

She rested her hands on my chest as she continued. “I decided I’m going to tell Liam that I’m withdrawing from the Social Season.”

“Why?” I kept my hands on her hips because I couldn’t resist not touching her.

“Because I want to be with you, Drake. Last night was amazing. I woke up with a big smile on my face this morning, and it won’t go away. I think about you all the time, and I’m always searching the crowd for your face. I’m so happy when I’m with you. And finding out that you also cared about me was like a dream come true.”

Her words humbled me. But how could she feel so strongly for me when she had Liam? “I’m glad to hear that I make you happy. Last night was… incredible for me as well. But maybe you shouldn’t make this decision now. Liam really likes you. I know he wants to pick you as his bride.” I cringed at the thought.

“I know, Drake. And that’s why I have to tell him before his coronation, so he’s not humiliated in front of the entire court when I decline his proposal.”

She was really set on this, but she wasn’t being practical. “I have nothing to offer you, Bragnae.” I couldn’t help the sadness that fell over my face.

“Drake, believe it or not, I didn’t come here to be queen. Going through all of this made me realize that I’m not really cut out for the job anyway. I’m independent, impatient, and sarcastic. I’m not very diplomatic either. I will always say what’s on my mind, and I don’t want to screw up something big for the country because of who I am. I truly have no interest in it.” She paused. “When Maxwell invited me to Cordonia, I was looking for an adventure to reignite my life. And I said yes because I also wanted to fall in love.”

That word. I drew back slightly, stunned a bit if I was being honest. I swallowed as I focused more intently on her face. “And did you?” I didn’t know what I wanted her answer to be. I cared for her very deeply, but was it love? My feelings for her were more than I’ve ever felt for anyone else. I wasn’t sure it was love, but I knew it was more than a crush.

Love was deep. Love was a commitment. Love was special. I’d never been in love before. It was never something I saw happening for myself even though I hoped to someday. With my life dedicated to Liam, there wasn’t time for relationships. Or maybe I just didn’t care to engage in them. Just one night stands. Sometimes even dragging some of those out to three or four dates if the sex was good.

“I’ll let you know.” She smiled at me. “I have to tell him sometime this weekend while we’re still in Ramsford. I’m sure things will get busy for him once we head back to the palace.” She stood on her toes again, pulling me in for another kiss. “I’ll find you later. I have to go help Bertrand with something.”

Before I could say anything more, Bragnae scurried out of the room leaving me with my thoughts. I walked over to a chair and slumped down into it. This was worse now. She was going to throw away a life of luxury and security just to be with me. I still couldn’t fathom it. Why would she do such a thing?

I’m nobody. Liam was everything.

Of course I wanted to be with her, but it just couldn’t happen. I couldn’t let it happen. Liam deserved to be happy, and he cared about her. Who was I to stand in his way?

My heart ached with a miserable heaviness as I realized what I was going to have to do. If she couldn’t see it, then I’d just have to tell her myself. We couldn’t be together.

Later that evening I found myself on the terrace sipping on some whiskey looking out at the stars over the vineyard. It was a beautiful night. A slight cool breeze came in occasionally, and crickets chirped in the distance. Being outdoors always helped to clear my head.

The conversation I needed to have with Bragnae, however, was taking its toll on me in every way imaginable. It was all I thought about since this afternoon. I dreaded it – the conversation I’d have to have with her and the aftershocks of it all. Having to see her as queen on the arm of my best friend. I didn’t think I’d have the strength for it.

Maybe I’d move away. I’d done it before when I went to college. I could do it again. Once Liam had Bragnae, he wouldn’t need me anymore.

I heard the hinges of the door creak, and my gut told me it was Bragnae. Sure enough, the very same clicks of heels from earlier could be heard as she made her way over to me. I took a deep breath and sat my glass of whiskey down before I turned to her.

“Hey, Bennett.” I couldn’t hide the agony on my face. She picked up on it immediately.

“What’s wrong, Drake? Are you okay?” She affectionately ran a hand down my arm.

Ugh. I didn’t even deserve that. She would hate me for this. “You can’t tell Liam, Bennett.”

A look of confusion contorted her face. “Why not?”

“You care for Liam, right?”

“Well, yes, but…”

“And he cares for you. You two would be great together.”

Her expression transformed into frustration and anger. “Drake, did you not listen to anything I told you earlier?”

“I did.”

She threw her hands up. “And yet, you’re still pushing me away.”

I sighed and looked to the ground for support. “He needs you.”

Bragnae took a step forward maneuvering her head to lock eyes with me again. “Don’t you need me, too? Don’t you want me? I mean… don’t you want to be with me?”

Yes to all of that – God, yes. I hated doing this to her. The hurt and pain on her face was almost too much to bear. I had to be strong. I had to finish this before I faltered. “Liam needs you more.”

My own words felt like a knife to my heart. I watched her eyes fill with tears, and I wanted to die. I’m doing this to her. I’m such a fucking asshole. “Bragnae, I’m sorry.” I reached out to touch her, but she moved away.

“No! Don’t fucking touch me. Don’t even talk to me anymore. You are such a coward, Drake.” Tears streamed down her face as she turned to go back inside.

I moved quickly in front of her, grabbing her shoulders. “I just don’t want you to make a mistake. You’d be throwing everything away just to be with me. And you deserve the best, Bragnae.”

“No, Drake. I deserve to be happy, and to be happy with who I want to be with. But it’s clear I’ll never have that.” She shrugged out of my hands and ran inside.

Great. That couldn’t have gone worse. I blew out a frustrated breath, and walked over to the table that held my whiskey. I knew I’d need this tonight. I threw back the rest in one gulp. My grip tightened around the glass as I thought about how I just hurt Bragnae, the one woman I ever truly cared about. And now she didn’t even want to me to talk to her.

The sting of tears pricked my own eyes as I looked out across the vineyard. In an attempt to give Liam and Bragnae a happier and more fulfilled life, I gave away all that I had. Not only would I not have the girl of my dreams, but she wanted nothing to do with me anymore.

Angry with myself, I threw the empty glass far into the vineyard, losing sight of it in the night. What the fuck is wrong with me?

A week had gone by since I last spoke with Bragnae. It felt longer. The amount of pain that I carried with me was insurmountable. When the rest of the court showed up in Ramsford the following day, it was clear Bragnae had lost that extra pep in her step. Even as she sat next to Liam, she’d put a smile on when addressing him and the king and queen, but as she turned back to her plate, her face fell.

I tried to approach her, but she walked away from me. I wanted so badly to console her, but I knew my presence was only making her feel worse. So, I honored her wishes and kept my distance. I didn’t try to speak with her, but I couldn’t stay away completely. I had to see her. I had to make sure she was safe. I wanted her to smile like she did before, but every time she did, I could tell it was forced.

Seven days had passed and not one look from her. Not one smile in my direction. Not even a middle finger from her telling me to fuck off. Hell, I’d take that just to know she still acknowledged my existence. Nothing. She had cut me out. I couldn’t blame her. I knew she hated me. I hated me, too.

I just wanted to talk to her again. It was such a shock to go from having her actively in my life every day to having nothing. I missed her. I missed the way she laughed at my sarcastic jokes. I missed the way she never let me get away with anything. I missed her touch.

I would think of the way she kissed me, and let the thought of it whisk me off to sleep at night hoping for pleasant dreams of her. That never worked. Even my subconscious was punishing me for my actions with restless sleep and nightmares of losing Bragnae.

In that time, however, I found solace in the fact that I realized I was in love with her. Having her cut me out like that forced my head out of my ass long enough to recognize how deeply I cared for her. I was happy to know I was capable of falling in love with someone, but I berated myself for figuring it out too late.

Given the chance now, I would never give her up like I did back in Ramsford. She had opened her heart to me that day, and instead of embracing her affections, I stomped on it telling her what I thought she wanted and needed. I was a real dick.

I wish I could change the past or even apologize now to try to win her back, but she wouldn’t even allow me near her without finding some excuse to leave the room. I screwed up big time. And now I have to live with it. I only wish that she would find the happiness she deserves.

I straightened my tie, and looked myself over in the mirror. I put on a suit tonight for Liam’s coronation. It’d been a long time since I wore a suit, but tonight meant something to my best friend, and I didn’t want to disappoint him.

I considered not going at all. I wasn’t sure how I could handle seeing Bragnae accept his proposal. She was still in the running for his hand. The press would have announced it if she withdrew her standing. So, that must have meant that she considered being with Liam after all. Good for her.

After everything I’d been through to get to this moment, I decided I had to show up and support Liam no matter how uncomfortable I was.

I made my way to the ballroom. There was still an hour until King Constantine turned the throne over to his son. I dragged out the night as long as I could, but it was time to make my appearance. As I walked down the hallway, a door opened to my right, and a shimmering gold dress got my eye. I turned to see Bragnae standing there frozen in place.

She was a sight to be seen. The golden sparkles in her dress brought out the amber in her eyes, and her silky hair was pulled into an elegant side-do. She looked magnificent.

“Hi, Bragnae,” I said softly. My nerves got the best of my voice, or perhaps I spoke that way out of fear that I’d spook her. I just wanted to spend five minutes with her without her running away.

She stood there staring at me, not saying a word. Her eyes scanned the length of my body undoubtedly surprised to see me in a suit. She pursed her lips together and straightened her posture keeping her walls up for protection. It was understandable, but it hurt that she felt she needed protection from me. But at least she hadn’t run off yet. These 30 seconds had been the longest I’d spent face to face with her since Ramsford. I’d happily take it.

“You look very nice,” I said, trying to break the ice.

Her mouth opened as if she was going to speak, but she blew out a ragged breath instead. Her expression left its resolute phase and became one of torment. It was hard to see her like that knowing it was my fault.

I took a small step towards her. “Bragnae, I’m sorry.”

I barely got the words out before she turned on her heel and walked towards the ballroom. My head hung in defeat as I stood in her jilted wake. I should have told her I loved her, but it probably wouldn’t have been received well. I just wanted her to know.

Twenty minutes and a glass of whiskey later, I was hanging out in the corner of the ballroom watching the crowd gather in anticipation of not only seeing a new king crowned, but to find out which of the suitors Liam was going to choose. Madeleine, Olivia and Bragnae were considered the top contenders.

The king and queen obviously favored Madeleine. The press adored both Olivia and Bragnae, but the people seemed to rally more around Bragnae. All of those factors including the recommendation of the Royal Council, and of course, Liam’s favorite were all taken into consideration for who the next queen would be.

I hadn’t seen much of Liam over the past week. He had been extremely busy getting ready for tonight, but when we did have the chance to hang out, he told me Bragnae was the one. At that point, he’d only had Constantine and Regina to convince. Everyone else supported his decision to choose her.

Now, it was just a matter of time. As the clock ran down, the crowd started to form around the stage. I moved closer too, spotting Hana. As I sidled up next to her, I noticed she was crying.

“Hana, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

She sniffled and wiped her eyes before turning to me. “Yes, I’ll be fine. I just found out Bragnae’s leaving Cordonia tonight.”

“What? Why? Had she been planning this?”

Hana shook her head. “No, she made the decision just a little bit ago.”

“Does Liam know this?” I scanned the room for Liam, but didn’t see him.

“Yes. She told him after they danced. Now, she’s in her room packing. I’m just so sad she’s leaving, Drake.”

“Fuck.”

Hana winced. “Drake.”

“I’m sorry, Hana,” I said, patting her shoulder. “I have to go find Liam.” Before she could reply, I was working my way through the crowd to find him. I had to get to him fast to explain everything, so I could stop Bragnae before she left. This had to be done right.

I’m sure Liam was crushed, and he had to know I was the reason. I spotted Bastien standing near an entrance to a private room for the royals in the far corner. I ran over to him immediately.

“Bastien, do you know where Liam is? I need to speak with him.”

“He’s taking a moment to himself before the coronation, Drake. It will have to wait.”

I stepped closer to him. “Please, Bastien. It’s important. I wouldn’t bug you if it wasn’t.”

Bastien looked around the room and sighed. “Okay, but make it quick.” He turned to unlock the door behind him to let me in.

“Thanks, Bastien. I owe you.” I clapped him on the shoulder, and made my way inside the private suite.

“Liam?” I called out to him as I navigated through a small hallway.

“Drake? Is that you?”

I turned the corner to see Liam dressed in his royal regalia slouched in a chair at a table with a drink in his hand. He looked depressed as fuck. God, what a mess I’ve made.

“Liam, I need to talk to you.” I pulled out the chair next to him and took a seat.

“I’m not in the mood, Drake.” He took a sip of his drink. Liam favored scotch. I’m sure that’s what filled his glass.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “Look, I know why you’re upset, and it’s because of me.”

He turned to look at me with a bewildered expression. “What are you talking about?”

“Bragnae withdrew from consideration tonight, right?”

He took another sip. “Yeah, she did. Now, I don’t know what the fuck I’m going to do. I have twenty minutes before I’m crowned fucking king of this country, and the woman I was going to ask to marry me just told me she’s moving back home. I can’t believe it, Drake. I didn’t see this coming.” Liam shook his head, and took another swig of his scotch. After another moment he returned his attention to me. “Why is it your fault?”

My stomach rolled at the thought of hurting my friend. But time was of the essence, and I needed to tell him the truth. “I’m in love with her, Liam.”

He straightened in his chair. “Say again?”

“I’m in love with Bragnae. I’ve had feelings for her for some time, and about a week ago, I found out that she reciprocated those feelings.” I proceeded with caution despite the anger slowly consuming his eyes. “I know this is hard to hear, and I’m sorry that I have to tell you all of this. She wanted to be with me, but I told her she needed to be with you instead. I knew she cared about you, and I knew how much you cared about her. I thought I was making the right decision by insisting that she stay in the running as a suitor.”

“What the fuck, Drake?” Liam said with a raised voice, slamming his glass on the table.

“I know. I’m a monumental prick.”

Liam abruptly stood from the table, and walked a few paces away, keeping his back to me.

“Liam, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I didn’t want this to affect your coronation, but I just found out that she’s planning to leave, so—.”

He whipped around to face me, cutting me off mid-sentence. “Did you kiss her?”

“Yes.” I wasn’t going to lie to him.

Liam glared at me. His breathing became heavy. “Did you fuck her?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but hesitated trying to think of the best way to respond. “Sort of.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” He was growing irate by the second.

I sighed. The clock was ticking. I had no idea how fast Bragnae would pack, and I needed to get this conversation over with. “Look, I’m not going to get into those details with you. Let’s just say I’ve never been inside her, and we’ll leave it at that.” God, I hope he accepts that answer. I’m completely at his mercy right now.

He crossed his arms over his chest, still burning holes through me with his piercing blue eyes. “You asshole.”

I dropped my eyes to the table. “I know. I’m the biggest asshole on the planet.” I stood to face him properly. “I know you must hate me right now, and that’s okay. I should have been more honest with you about how I felt about her, but I didn’t want to stand in the way of your happiness. I thought I’d just get over it. I knew you liked her, and I’d do anything for you including push my feelings for her to the side. You’re my brother.” I swallowed in an attempt to clear the lump of emotion forming in my throat.

“I tried to bury my feelings for her. I was prepared to be unhappy for the rest of my life knowing you’d have the girl of your dreams, but then…Bragnae told me how she felt about me, and I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I’m in love with her, Liam. And because I pushed her away and told her to be with you, she has since cut me out. She won’t even talk to me.” Tears started to form in my eyes for God’s sake. “And now she’s packing to go back to New York. I need to stop her, and tell her I love her.”

“How are you going to do that if she won’t speak to you?” His demeanor was calmer now. Perhaps because I was showing sappy emotion for the first time since he’d known me made him see this was a serious situation. This gave me hope.

“She can at least listen, right? I’ve gotta try, Liam.” I took a deep breath. “But I can’t do that unless I have your blessing. I know it’s a lot to ask, but it’s important to me.”

Liam lowered his gaze to the ground, and worked his jaw as he considered my request. He was silent for a long moment before he looked at me again. “She and I never did anything more than kiss. I wanted to, believe me. I even tried to lead her in that direction a couple times, but she always declined.”

That’s… a relief. But why was he telling me this?

“She’s the first girl that’s ever told me no. I told myself she just wanted to wait until she was officially mine, but it wasn’t that at all.” He smirked as he looked me over. “But she was willing to do… whatever it was that you two did together with you, so she must care about you.”

“Liam, I’m so—.”

He held up his hand, taking another moment of contemplative silence. He already had a commanding presence, and he wasn’t even king yet. “In all the years I’ve known you, I’ve never once heard you speak of a woman this way. Nor have I seen you get so emotional over one.” He looked me over and smirked. “Cry baby.”

I grinned at his teasing remark.

He took a step closer to me. “You have my blessing.”

I closed my eyes, blowing out a breath of relief. “Thank you, Liam.”

“You’re welcome. Now, go get your girl.”

“Right.” I spun around to leave the room almost losing my footing.

“And Drake?” Liam called as I was about to round the corner. I turned to face him again. “Good luck.”

A smile transformed my lips. “Thanks. Oh, and I’m really sorry I’m going to have miss your coronation. I’ll make it up to you.”

“Yes, you will,” he replied light-heartedly. “Get the hell outta here already, would ya?”

“I’m gone!” And with that, I turned tail and left the royal suite.

I pushed my way through the growing crowds until I made my way out of the ballroom. Thankfully everyone was corralled there, which made the hallways clear. I could run without any interference.

And run I did. And I didn’t stop until I got to Bragnae’s room. Taking only a second to catch my breath, I knocked on her door. And waited. I knocked again. My mind raced through all the possible locations she could be if she wasn’t in her room. I had to have a plan B, C, D… whatever it took. I needed to find her before she left. If I had to stand on the fucking runway itself, I would.

I knocked a third time. “Bragnae? Are you in there? Please open up if you are.” I laid my head against her door. Fuck. Okay. New plan. I’d have check the front of the palace to see if the guards knew if she’d left yet.

As I turned to leave, I was stunned to see Bragnae standing in my path. She had changed out of her gown and into jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. Her hand rested on the extended handle of her suitcase.

“I forgot my phone charger.” It was so good to hear her sweet voice spoken in my direction again.

“Don’t leave, Bragnae. Please.”

She blew out an exasperated breath as she walked toward me – rather, she walked toward her door. I stepped out of her way as she unlocked it and opened the door. This was a good idea. At least we’d have some privacy and I could tell her how I felt. She tried to shut the door on me, but I pushed it open anyway, and followed her in.

I shut the door behind me and stood in front of it. I watched her walk over to her bed side table and pull a charger cord out of the drawer. She shoved it in her purse, and cocked her hip when she saw I was blocking her path.

“What are you doing? I have a flight to catch. Can you please move?” She was annoyed, and tried to hide the emotion in her voice, but I heard it anyway.

“No.” She sighed at my response. “Not until you hear what I have to say.”

She relented, exhaling a deep breath. “Fine. Make it quick.”

“Put your bags down.” She started to protest as I walked towards her, taking the purse off her shoulder and tossing it on the bed. I yanked the suitcase handle out of her grip and rolled it away. “I want your attention on me, not your flight.”

She crossed her arms in front of her chest putting up the last piece of armor she had left. “What do you want, Drake?” Her voice shook a little, and definitely lacked the fiery zing it had just a few minutes ago.

I put my hands on the sides of her arms stepping closer to her. She turned her head slightly, but didn’t move out of my touch. “I wanted to tell you how sorry I was for being an idiot. For denying your affections and making you feel unwanted. And for any pain or hurt I caused you.” I tilted my head to the side to catch her eye. “I was wrong. And every day since then I’ve regretted my words.” Goddamn these emotions! The lump in my throat returned as I continued.

“Not having you in my life over this past week has been torture. I missed your smile, the way you laugh. I wasn’t happy at all because I knew you weren’t. You were right, Bragnae. You do deserve to be happy, and I want you to have that no matter what. If you need to leave Cordonia to be happy again, then I won’t stop you. But you have to know something first.” I took a deep breath, and poured all of my energy and feelings into my words. “I love you, Bragnae Bennett.”

Her mouth fell open as she inhaled a sharp breath. “You do?” She barely squeaked out the two words.

I smiled. “Yeah, I do. I have for some time, but I didn’t realize it until after I’d hurt you. And I’m sorry for that.” I took another step closer, lightly tugging on her arms to loosen them, so I could hold her hands. “Bragnae, you’re an amazing woman. I love everything about you, and I know I can’t live without you in my life. I’m not strong enough. And if you decide to stay in Cordonia, I’ll do whatever I have to do to show you how much I care about you.”

Bragnae took in another breath. “Say it again.”

I paused, giving her a questioning look. “Which part?”

“That you love me.”

I grinned, standing so close to her our chests touched. She had to tilt her head back just to look at me. “Bragnae Bennett, I love you. And I will always love you.”

Her eyes glistened with emotion. “I love you, too, Drake.”

My body filled with goosebumps hearing her reply. I smiled, stroking the side of her face with my finger. “Your love means the world to me. And I will never take it for granted.”

“Good.” She ran her hands up my chest, forming a loop at the base of my neck. “So, kiss me already.”

“Yes, ma’am.” We met in the middle as our lips connected in one of the most wonderful and fulfilling kisses two people could share. As the kiss deepened, I lifted her up and walked over to the bed to sit down with Bragnae in my lap. “This brings back pleasant memories.” I was getting turned on just thinking about it.

She giggled. “And we’ll make plenty more.”

“So, does that mean you’re going to stay in Cordonia?”

Bragnae outlined my jaw with her finger. “There’s no way I’m leaving you.”

“Good answer.” Our lips came together again as we both fell back on the bed getting lost in our love and desire for each other.

#TRR Dirty Mind Fanfic #drake walker #drake x bragnae #trr fanfic #trr drake

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suffering-and-happy-about-it · 4 years ago

Text

A Story You Won’t Believe (Geralt x fem!witcher, Part 5.)

Series description: The Butcher of Blaviken has a long and famous past, thanks to his friend Jaskier. Yet, neither of those dies easily and it still lurks behind Geralt like a shadow after all those years. History, neither unfriendly relationships, doesn't die easily.

Part Summary: Your arrival to villages of Borin and Corin were more or less accepted by the folk living there. Yet with uncovering the mystery risen up around Mahakam mountains, there were more questions than aswer.

A/N: Why did I fell so hard so the Witcher politics? It was almost not mentioned in the series at all, but I am all about Temeria this and Redania that.

Tagging: @osgon-azure @davnwillcome @missdictatorme @nemodoren

Word count: 1.9K

Master list: H E R E

Talking with the survivors was the worst part of your journey, you would most likely say. You had to wake up the pain inside these people, which wasn’t making you happy at all. You had to keep the whole emotionless mascarade on your face while they were crying their eyes out. All the things they told you and Geralt over the next three days were practically identical - something about the size of a sty was crossing the villages, rampaging them with footsteps shaking the land, each of them being as loud as a thunder.

No wonder why you wanted to drink your ass off that night. Soon, you were supposed to leave for Corin to ask the refugees there, but you just felt as your heart sunk deeper and deeper. Mostly, when the contractors wanted you to slay some nekkers, foglets, or vampires, it was okay - but this was a giant. And not just one giant. There were more of them.

How in the world were you supposed to slay these fuckers? Two witchers against a whole tribe? You didn't stand a chance. At least you hoped that Jaskier will escape and that he'll make your funeral nice. Whoever said that witchers and witchresses can’t feel emotions was wrong. You were scared to death and that was why you were drinking a fourth ale.

“Is there someone who can play Gwent? Huh?” - You yelled on the whole inn, raising your deck in the air. - “I’m one of the last witchresses of the Kaer Morhen and whoever will pay my next drink will get to listen to my stories all fucking night long.” - Then you dragged Jaskier by his jacket so he was standing next to you. - “And I have this jester with me who is known as the bard Jaskier. He can play you some royal banger if you wish him to.”

To Geralt’s surprise, few men got up and brought you beer and ale. They were taking turns in playing Gwent with you while you told them the craziest stories you had. There was the Nightmare of the Mire West, Golden mist on the coast of Temeria, the Fake Witcher of Lyria... You had a lot of stories. The drunker you got, the more fun you were telling them with a burst of man-like laughter, having some wrinkles on your forehead. Curse words were falling out of your lips. It was rare to see someone like you behave so... Human.

No matter which story you were telling, you were still concentrated on playing Gwent, knowing what your opponents are about to do. You couldn’t understand a shit the dwarves and gnomes were telling you, yet you laughed like crazy at their words which certainly made them contained.

“Oy, really, ’ere, not too far is a camp of some Temerians.” - One of the human men told you, which made you giggle again. As you drank more and more, it was hard to exactly tell which one of the three men was speaking to you. Understanding the language was a completely next level shit for at that moment. You were just glad that you had enough food, alcohol, and someone to play cards with.

“Not too strange when we are in Temeria, good lord. And to your information, I won the round, didn't eye?” - You rose your eyebrows and put another card on the table, looking at the sober gnome who was counting the points. He nodded back at you so you knew that you're still winning. His small hands prepared the table for another round while other gnome started to mix the cards. Both of them made sure you or the man sitting in front of you weren't cheating.

“No, lady, these Temerians are the ones who ran away from the castle. Or that’s what I’ve heard. Sometimes we see ’em sneaking up in the woods, sometimes ya can hear a horse driving by at night.” - The man told you again and you took a frustrated breath when the dwarf put the nekker card on the table, putting another three of them on the table since this was the skill the card had. You hand banged the table, making the pints on it shake.

Geralt watched you turn the match around, still thinking about the Temerians. He heard that some of them had run away - but not because they wanted to betray King Foltest. They were sent to spy on the Mahakam to inspect the situation and to try to put an end to all of the horrors. Could his old friend, Vernon Roche, be there, probably leading the spy group?

“Another row for everyone, good man!” - You yelled at the innkeeper, punching Jaskier’s shoulder to make him play the lute. Normally, you had better manners than Geralt - but when you got drunk, you were worse than a sailor, punching around you, cursing, being overall pain in the ass. Jaskier didn't say a word, his palm just gently massaged his shoulder before he played the first chords.

“And now, I will tell you the story of how my friend Geralt visited the great Cintral ball.” - You yelled with your hands above your head, smiling. Everyone cheered and so you started telling the story.

It was a while after midnight when the fight came around. The fights weren't the aggressive, provoked ones - the inns had usually a tournament and a list of fighters that usually came there to fight. The best one usually won the prize.

"Oy! I want to fight too!" - You cried, standing up with supporting your weight by Geralt's shoulder. The white-haired man rose the pint, grinning into its bottom as he watched walking you to the corner.

"Ye a woman, and I ain't about to hurt you. Ye shall go continue drinking for now." - A dwarf answered you and you shifted your weight as you tried not to spin around. You leaned one of your palms into the wall, supporting yourself as you watched the men around you.

"Geralt tell 'em that I can't fight!" - You yelled through the whole inn, making everyone turn at the white-haired witcher. Jaskier also concentrated on the dialogue there since the comment itself was highly captivating.

"I saw her cutting a head off of a werewolf which she killed just minutes prior. No offense gentlemen, you'd shit yourself and ran as soon as you'd hear it." - Geralt praised you without a single problem, making a toast to you. Your finger pointed at him as you nodded.

"See? Now stop fucking with me and let me fight." - A drunk exhale came out of you again when you put your hair off your face, yet the men laughed again. They pointed at your clothes and so you did just what they wanted you to do. With two quick moves, the chest piece fell on the ground, followed by your gloves and shirt. After taking off all the clothes you weren't supposed to have on you, you kicked in the direction of Geralt's table. Only bandages were now covering your chest as you stood in front of the huge and tall fisherman.

Geralt nor Jaskier hadn't seen what was hiding underneath the chest piece - long, deep scars, bruises, and cuts; which were way worse than Geralt ever had. Some of the wounds weren't even properly healed until this very day. No matter if you'd be speaking of the old ones or new ones, some of them still appeared to be open, or at least fragile. You still had the wound from the Nightmare of the Mire West next to your stomach. It was badly sewed and the scar was puffy and completely reddened around. It was a miracle that you hadn't got an infection. Your face was perfect, your arms were also without a scar... But your torso... That sight was horrendous, making most of the men shut up and watch you.

You started the fight without anyone excepting you to. Your fist was blatantly thrown into the tall man's face, making him step away. You didn't exactly hit the bull's eye, but you didn't miss either. In that courageous drunkard state, you hadn't even the need to cover your face, you just stood there and grinned at the punched man. It could be seen that you're drunk as fuck, but you still moved out of the way elegantly when the man wanted to punch you back.

At that moment, you kicked his stomach with your knee, catching his forearm before he could hit you, still keeping him bowed. It would be easy to just luxate his shoulder completely. You felt the gristles and bones play under your touch, tensing and relaxing with the muscles. Numbly, you could hear the beat of his heart and his breathing. He wasnt screaming, no, but this particular position was hurting him. You got to know that since the pulse inside his veins was off the charts.

After realizing that it's not fair to win with such an advantage, you let go to let him take a breath in, pushing him away like a little girl. Without you expecting the fisherman to, he punched your face.

Your nose cracked directly on to the top, making blood drip on your upper lip and your teeth. The men never saw anything as scary as that - a witchress with blood dripping from her nose, with white hair; bruised, scarred body and glowing golden eyes.

"That's all you can do?" - You asked before punching him into the stomach and giving him an elbow into his spine. After that, he fell flat on his back, coughing blood as well. He didn't lose his consciousness, but it was obvious that you won this round.

Everyone watched you standing above that man before you looked at the innkeeper. - "Well, you have a list here, don't you? Who's next?" - You looked around clapping your hands while the other two men helped the fisherman away.

You beat six various men until they couldn't pick themselves off the ground, still having only your nose cracked. To put it nicely, you were a monster when you got drunk - suddenly, the hidden aggression and rage needed to leave your body at once. It didn't matter how many men you had to fight, you wouldn't stop until you'd win the prize, which happened.

To end it quickly, you had ended up around two in the morning when you fell asleep on the table, having the Gwent cards waved into your hair and blood all over your face. Your armor was somehow put on your body, your swords were put next to you on the bench along with your pouch.

When it has woken you up, you first thought that you’re dreaming. The pints on the table were shaking and loud sounds were coming from behind the walls. Your head hurt like living fuck, you wanted to curse, you barely stood up on your own feet. You understood that you’re not dreaming when you heard screaming and smelled fire.

#the witcher #geralt of rivia #the world of the witcher #andrzej sapkowski #bard jaskier #dandelion #vernon roche #i love my bois #geralt of rivia x reader #Geralt of rivia x female! Witchress

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mrslittletall · 5 years ago

Note

For the bingo: may I suggest Simon with "Dragging Themselves Along The Ground"? He had to get to that hut in the Fishing Hamlet somehow lmao

Prompt:Dragging themselves along the ground

Fandom:BloodborneCharacters:Simon the Harrowed, The Good Hunter, Brador the Church AssassinWordCount: 2.022AO3-Link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/18718291/chapters/48553112

Summary:This is pretty much Simon’s questline written out.

(Author’snote: First, I am very sorry that it took me SO long to fulfill thisrequest. I really fell out of doing the bingo prompts and had toomany other stuff instead that I wanted to write.

This pieceis pretty much Simon’s dialogue with the bits we don’t know filledin. Enjoy.

Warningfor Major Character Death.)

Blood vials have already been filled out, Madman’s Knowledge have already been requested/planned. Feel free to send me a prompt and a character for any unmarked prompt to fill out. I have been in a Healing Church mood though, so characters from there are preferred.Written for @badthingshappenbingo

Simon observed the Hunter who slowly had walked in the room, taking a look around. They didn’t look blood drunk for once. Once they noticed him they came over and stared at him with wide eyes, burning with thousand questions. Simon decided to give them a little explanation of the place they were in:

“You’re a hunter with your sanity, aren’t you? Must’ve taken a wrong turn then, eh? Well, we’re more alike than you think. This is the Hunter’s Nightmare, where hunters end up when drunk with blood.”

The Hunter listened with interest and once he had finished, they stared at him, clearly asking for more. Simon gave them his answer.

“You’ve seen them before. Aimless, wandering hunters, slavering like beasts.”

The Hunter nodded at this words, a sudden understanding in their eyes. Simon continued his explanation after they gestured for him to go on:

“This is what the poor fools have to look forward to. So, don’t be brash, turn back before it’s too late. Unless, you’ve something of an interest in nightmares?”

Now it was their turn. Simon waited with growing anticipation. After a good minute of waiting, the Hunter gave him their reply.

Nightmares are fascinating.

Looked like they hadn’t been fallen on their mouth like he first had thought. This had been the first words they spoke and it felt for him that it had been the last for now. But this…

Simon couldn’t help but grin under his bandaged face. How long had it been that not only a hunter that wasn’t blood drunk had entered the dream but also one that was keen on finding out its secrets? The deserved an answer. And… a warning:

“Ahh, yes, I see… You sense a secret within the Nightmare, and cannot bear to leave it be. As if the spirit of Byrgenwerth lives on within you!”

At the mention of the old college he noticed how the Hunter briefly tensed. He continued:

“Such inquisitive hunters will relish the Nightmare. But beware, secrets are secrets for a reason. And some do not wish to see them uncovered. Especially when the secrets are particularly unseemly… “

The Hunter gave him a long elaborate stare before waving to him and leaving to explore the nightmare. As soon as they were out of sight, Simon started to follow them in silence.

They were a skilled one, managing to plow through the myriads of beasts and drunk blood hunters as if it was a graceful dance. They entered the nightmare cathedral, clearly taken aback by the giant flaming cleric beast resting there, but overcame their fear and snatched the item it hold right out of its claw, then followed the path until they came to the part where Ludwig the Accursed usually roamed around.

It had been a spectacular battle. Halfway through the once Captain of the Church Hunters even managed to regain his humanity, thanks to the guiding moonlight. Once the Hunter had released him from his sorry state as an amalgamated monster the only thing left was his head. It even was still able to talk.

Simon expected the Hunter to give Ludwig the last blow, not let him live without a body and the knowledge of what he did.

They surprised him however. First, by not telling Ludwig the truth. And second, by letting his body lay where they found it.

Simon sneaked into the building and eyed the severed head of Ludwig with one half pity and one half disgust. This guy didn’t even knew what really had become of his church hunters.

…Maybe it was better that the Hunter had told him a sweet lie. Right now the head had fallen into some kind of uneasy sleep. Simon pulled out his weapon of choice, the bow blade and gave the head a quick ending.

Shortly after he had done this, the Hunter returned to the building, apparently having forgotten something and gave him a confsued look when they noticed that the head wasn’t moving anymore. Simon explained his reasoning to them.

“Oh, he’s well and truly gone, now. A tragic figure. But he will shame himself no longer. He died with his ideals untarnished. He was a true hero, and earnt that much, at least. Here, this is Ludwig’s guiding Light. The blinding thread, that lead, and mislead, that consummate hero. The poor brute.”

The Hunter didn’t say a single word. They just looked from the head to him and in their eyes there was this burning question, like if they wanted to ask “why?” For someone who barely talked, they were astonishingly expressive with their questions. Simon spoke:

“Do you know why the Hunters are drawn to this Nightmare? Because it sprouted from their very misdeeds. Things that some would rather keep secret. A pitiful tale of petty arrogance, really. High time someone exposed the whole charade.“

Now, now, go on ahead.

You seek nightmares, and the secrets within, do you not?”

The way to the research hall was open for the Hunter now. Simon sneaked in before them and awaited them right in front of the entracce after the giant elevator. They were getting close to uncover the real secret and he had to guide them on the right path.

Once the Hunter had peaked into the Research Hall, they came back to him, cocking their head, their gaze wanting answers. Simon told them the truth. The truth he once, in another life, had lived for himself.

“Oh, hello. Not a pretty sight, is it? The true face of the blood-worshipping, beast-purging Healing Church. But that’s not all. You seek the secrets field by the Nightmare, do you not?vThen here’s what you must do. Climb the Astral Clocktower, and kill Maria. She hides the real secret… “

The next part took the Hunter a good while. The Research Hall was huge, confusing and a majority of the patients were rather aggressive. Time and time again, they appeared back at the lamp, both the advantages and the curse of a dreaming hunter, brushing off their coat and ran back into the Research Hall.

Eventually some shifting was heard, the architecture of the Research Hall changed and Simon hid himself when the Hunter took care of the Living Failures who guarded the clocktower and then finally faced Lady Maria. This was a battle of the utmost grace as both hunters clashed at each other.

Lady Maria would have easily been able to win this round, but the Hunter was a dreamer and could come back to challenge her again and again. It was impressive to see how they got better at predicting her movements and eventually overcame her.

Finally, the way to the real secret was free. Simon snuck his way past the Hunter who seemed to stay for a while, maybe praying for the poor soul of Maria, and made his way into the Fishing Hamlet.

The uncovering of the secret was so close now, it was within his arm’s reach.

That was when he heard the tolling of the bell.

With an uneasy feeling he looked behind him, grabbing his bowblade. What appeared in front of his eyes wasn’t a happy sight. The church assassin. The one in the beast hide hood. The one normally locked in a cell below the Research Hall.

It became very apparent for Simon that he had become his mark.

Simon picked up the fight and managed to win but not without sustaining a few injuries on his own. This was fine, he had blood vials with him. He treated the injuries done to him with them and moved on. The uncovering of the secret was within his reach. He wouldn’t give up now.

But… the tolling of the bell didn’t cease.

The beast-hide assasin came back for another round. And he was a tough one. Even though Simon managed to banish him this time too, it cut his blood vial supplies in half.

He wouldn’t hold through much longer when he would come back again.

And he came back, again and again, each and every time Simon picked up the fight, banishing him until his very last blood vial had been used.

It barely had managed to cease the bleeding of the multiple wounds, his bones ached and a few of them felt broken. Would the assassin come back for him again, he would be done for.

Simon tried to get up from his kneeling position only for his legs to give out under him and he fell in the ground of the hamlet, water and and mud splattering from his impact. He hissed in pain as the mud mixed with salt water seeped into his open wounds.

Walking was out of the question.

What also was out of the question was staying here. He couldn’t die here. Not after he had come so far.

His legs had given up, but Simon’s arm still had enough strength to get him moving.

Slowly, very slowly, Simon started to work on his body along the ground, having to catch his breath every few inches. The muddy saltwater seeping into his wounds didn’t made the pain he already experienced any better. It felt like hours had passed before he even had made a few feet of the way.

He had made a botch of things. He had been found out. Even in the nightmare, the church had its ways to make sure that their secret kept been uncovered.

At least… at least, there still was the Hunter. They wanted to find out the secret too. Simon had to find them… or at least find a place where he could wait for them. He steeled his body and dragged himself along until his tired arms gave out and all strength left his body, his face falling in the mud.

If the Hunter also would have to deal with the assassin…?

As Simon pulled his body back up with great effort, he greatly regretted that he never had taken care of the assassin at his cell. He had a perfect key for this lock with him. But as someone who never had heard the bell’s tolling he always had been talking about, it hadn’t been of any use.

Until now.

He truly played the prize for his ignorance at this very moment.

The last few meters to the hut were a drag. He barely could even get his upper body up anymore. At his rate, Simon had to drag pretty much his whole body over the ground. When he had been covered in blood before, now he was covered in blood and mud and should he manage to survive this whole ordeal, he wasn’t too sure if he would survive the aftermath of the infection that would surely await him.

As he finally made it into the hut, he let his head fall down on the ground, gasping. Not a moment too soon. Not a moment too late. The Hunter had just entered the hut, coming near him with a concerned look. He gave them his final words as he pulled out the key and handed it to them:

“…Oh, you, I’m afraid, I’ve made a botch of things… …I can hear the bell, now……The beast-hide assassin, he’s after me……Again and again……It never ends……Please, I need you to do something… …This village is the true secret.Testament to the old sins……It feeds this Hunter’s Nightmare……Please, bring to an end to the horror……So our forefathers sinned?…We hunters cannot bear their weight forever……It isn’t fair, it just isn’t fair… “

After Simon had spoken his words, he could feel how the last ounce of strength left him. So he didn’t made it. He would die on this very ground of the hut. As his conscience faded, the hand that still had clutched the bowblade as he had himself dragging along fell on the ground, letting go of the weapon.

The last thing he saw was the Hunter picking it up and a kind of new found resolve in their eyes.

#bloodborne #badthingshappenbingo #dragging themselves along the ground #simon the harrowed #the good hunter #major character death #brador the church assassin #littlewritesstuff #sorry for the long wait #Anonymous

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musical-in-theory · 6 years ago

Text

Magnificently Malcontent Pt 9

JJ shoved his hands into his pockets and kept his head down as he made his way toward the abandoned part of town. He didn’t want to attract any unnecessary attention that might tip Anti off about his whereabouts. As he got closer to his and Marvin’s old hideout, JJ made sure to stick closer to the shadows. He only had one shot at this, only one chance to save them all, and he couldn’t afford to give up the element of surprise.

His breath hitched when the building came into view. It was still hard for JJ to believe that this place which used to house some of his best memories now harbored the one man who had caused his worst. He steadied himself before sneaking around to the back of the structure. Thankfully the thick vines that lead to the second story were still intact.

JJ carefully made his way up the vine, and silently slipped in through the window. In all of his pranks with Marvin, JJ had mastered the art of moving silently and without trace. He had never been more grateful for that trait than he was as he worked his way towards the room his brothers were in.

At the end of the hall, a room emanated a mixture of purple, blue, and green light. JJ’s heart started racing when he saw it, knowing that it meant that Marvin was using more of his magic towards Anti’s twisted plan. JJ quickly but quietly darted to the side of the door before poking his head in.

JJ peered into the room and took stock of everything he saw. Marvin was in the middle of the room standing with his back to the doorway. He had a book in one hand while his other was hovered over a large sigil on the floor. The light was coming from his hand. Marvin’s hair was whipping around wildly as if there was a wind that was solely focused on the young magician. JJ focused back on the sigil. It depicted an intricate design that he had seen earlier in Marvin’s books. It could only mean that Anti was already having Marvin prepare the spell-binding ritual.

JJ looked to the left wall and found his three brothers. They were each chained by their wrists to a pipe on the wall. JJ felt his heart break at the sight. Their eyes were still glazed over with the purple haze JJ had seen before. Their faces contained no emotion, and the way they sagged against the wall resembled the posture of a ragdoll. They looked so helpless. If he wasn’t careful, JJ could end up the exact same way.

He shook the thought from his head. The only way he was going to get through this is if he keeps his mind clear. He scanned the room again, but couldn’t seem to find any trace of the glitch. The more JJ thought about it, the more unsurprising it was. Anti was most likely off recording a video about how he had taken down the rest of them and gloating about his victory.

Sticking to the wall, JJ tiptoed to his brothers. His heart sunk to the floor as JJ realized once he got to them that he had no plan for how to actually get them all out of there. He wasn’t strong enough to carry all three of his brothers, and he certainly didn’t have the time to be able to get them out one by one. He looked at each of their faces in turn. JJ wished that he could trade places with any of the three. They would know what to do better than he did.

JJ hadn’t noticed that he’d lost focus until he heard static slowly build in the room. He hesitantly turned around to where he had seen Marvin last and found that both he and Anti were staring straight at him.

“Well, well, well. What did I tell you, my puppet? I knew it wouldn’t be long before the man out of time found his way here.” Anti’s broken voice rang out in the quiet. JJ nearly tripped over himself. Did Anti tell Marvin to leave that hint? No. That wasn’t possible. Only he and Marvin knew what it meant. JJ’s eyes shifted from the glitch over to Marvin who was kneeling in front of Anti. His expression was hard to see from behind his mask, but JJ could tell that it was one of anger. It was the same look he gave Chase right before Anti had ordered him to attack.

“Why so quiet, little one? Cat got your tongue?” he laughed hysterically at his own joke as he placed his hand back onto Marvin’s head. “It was noble of you to try and rescue them, but surely you understand that I can’t have you messing with my plans for them. However, in the spirit of compromise, I’ll meet you halfway. I’ll have my pet here let you join your brothers.” Marvin rose to his feet as Anti gave him the command to cast the same spell on JJ.

As soon as he saw Marvin’s hand begin to glow purple, JJ sprang into action. He had come too far to let himself be taken now. He didn’t want to do this, but his best bet at that point was to take Marvin out of commission. JJ ducked beneath the spell Marvin shot at him and dashed toward the middle of the room.

Anti barked out a crazed laugh as he glitched around the room to see his pet fight from different angles. “Run, little one! Go ahead and put on a show for me. The stage is set and my performer is ready. Let’s see how long you can keep up with his act.”

JJ bobbed and weaved just how Jackie had once taught him. He was able to dodge most of his attacks, but every so often a stray playing card would cut into him. Even so, JJ kept gaining ground until he was right in front of the magician.

Before Marvin could even react, JJ dropped low to the ground and used his legs to sweep Marvin’s from underneath him. Marvin fell to the ground hard. JJ took advantage of his lack of balance and, after signing a quick apology, punched his face with a right hook that even the mighty Jackieboy Man would’ve been proud of.

Behind him, the purple haze gradually vanished from Henrik, Jackie, and Chase’s eyes. JJ’s hit was just powerful enough to break Marvin’s concentration on keeping them in their hallucinations. All three were disoriented as they came out of their trances, but they quickly got their bearings as they heard scuffle occurring before them.

Jackie was the first to get to his feet. Impulsively he rushed over to go help JJ fight. However, he was stopped halfway as Anti glitched right in front of him. “And just where do you think you’re going, hero? I’m not finished with you yet.” Jackie sneered at the glitch with a downright murderous glare. Sparks of lightning sprung forth from Jackie’s hands in an instant, and suddenly arched toward Anti. He was able to glitch away in time, but it left an opening for the hero to get to his little brother.

Chase and Henrik weren’t too far behind. They all raced over to help JJ in his fight, but JJ was losing steam rapidly. He didn’t want to fight Marvin. Each time he looked into his furious eyes, JJ felt another piece of him shatter. It caused JJ to keep getting sloppier and sloppier in his attacks, while Marvin was getting sharper and stronger in his after getting over the initial shock of the fight.

Soon enough Marvin had turned the tides on JJ. It was all the little ego could do just to keep dodging his spells and curses. Between each assault, he desperately tried to get through to his best friend. His hands flew as they spelled out apologies and pleas for him to snap out of it. Tears streamed down his face which only made it harder for him to hold his own.

Jackie arrived just in time to pull JJ out of the way of a large, blue fireball. JJ’s sleeve sizzled from the heat of the fire that had barely swiped his arm. Jackie held his little brother close as he frantically searched for the exit. He was about to dash over there when JJ squirmed right out of his arms. His littlest brother sprinted back toward Marvin. He couldn’t leave without him!

Chase caught him by the elbow and kept an iron grip on the ego. “I know you want to save him, but we can’t stay here. We have to go. I’m sorry.” Chase picked up JJ and tossed him over his shoulder. Then he began to run toward the exit where Henrik and Jackie were waiting. JJ fought him the whole way, pounding away at his back, but it didn’t do any good. The last thing JJ saw as they escaped was Marvin tied with strings that led back to Anti and identical smirks on both of their faces.

“You better keep running, little one. You’re almost out of time.”

Thanks for reading! I just got done with school, so I should have a lot more time to focus on writing at least until my job picks up. Please tell me what you think so far, ask me a question, leave me a comment. I love interacting with you all! I hope to have the next chapter up by Tuesday. I’m also still doing the dialogue prompts, if you want to submit a request. Thanks again!

Taglist:

@beerecordings @hexatrash @egopocalypse @i-don-t-believe @whydoilovesomanyvillians @aether-mae @egos-n-others @antibeaneverybody

#writing in theory #magnificently malcontent #marvin the magnificent #antisepticeye #jameson jackson #jackieboy man #henrik von schneeplestein #chase brody #jacksepticeye #jse egos #jse fanfiction

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imaginethemultiversedoms · 6 years ago

Text

Tangled Webs (Part 1)

Fandom: The Flash

Rating: G

Summary: When Ralph confronts the youngest Team Flash member about the powers she’s been hiding since the bus event, Parker (OC) has to confess she’s been moonlighting despite the ever-present danger of Devoe.

A/N: Hey, hey! I’m back! So as I’ve been slowly catching up with Flash, I’ve noticed that all of the metas Team Flash has dealt with are adults. In the context of the fiction, I find it hard to believe that kids weren’t affected by the explosion or the Enlightenment. Plus it is a good story concept of a teenager trying to juggle high school and superheroing. So here is a small piece of that I may turn into something more (notice how that happens a lot?)

For the sake of this story, it’s not completely important how Parker ended up being on Team Flash. She just is at this point.

I’ve also fallen in love with Ralph. He has great depth of character and a great story arc. It was bound to happen.

EDIT: Yes, I did just add a “part 1″. While the story is pretty much the same, I did change the dialogue a bit at the end to keep it more in Parker’s POV. 1: it keeps a better flow and 2: I’m going to retell this in Ralph’s POV.

So yeah, Tangled Webs is turning into something more.

"Hey," Barry touched Parker’s shoulder gently, "why don't you head home? We still have a couple hours of clean up to do and you have that history test tomorrow." Parker nodded and shut her binder, shoving it in her bag. She noted it was four-thirty - about her usual patrol time. “I’ll run you home.”

"Nah, I've got band practice anyway. Jo said they would meet me at Jitters. Thanks anyway." She noted with relief the team accepted the excuse. Only Ralph looked a little suspicious, but she figured it was because she was the youngest and a non-meta.

Supposedly, at least.

Barry insisted on running her to an alley around the corner of Jitters. As soon as he left though, she breathed a sigh of relief and tugged off her bag. Ducking behind a dumpster, she pulled off her coat and stripped down to her leggings and cami top. Shivering in the late fall air, she pulled out a white and black suit, a prototype Cisco tossed for Ralph's new suit. It was still too loose in places, but it fits what she needed to do well enough. It was even warmer than the cobbled together suit she started out with a few months ago.

She put her backpack on and pulled out her phone. Metal would do nicely for this patrol. Letting the sounds of Godsmack bang in her ears, she pulled her mask down. It’d been a good day for Team Flash. Hopefully, that luck would bleed into her patrol. Afterward, maybe she could even set herself up in a construction area for some quiet reading. She smiled at the prospect. Pointing her web-slinger at the top of the building, she launched herself from the ground and started her patrol.

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

Parker sighed as her web hammock swung gently in the breeze. It had turned out to be a decent patrol. She caught a robbery in progress, webbed up the baddies, and deposited them in front of the police station. She was in even better luck that Captain Singh was the one who saw her. Joe would've probably recognized the jacket.

Then she webbed up some asshole who tried to steal a kid's bike, helped someone with directions, and walked an elderly lady across the street. That lady also ended up buying her a sandwich as thanks. Now she found herself a nice spot at the top of the new office building under construction, studying for her history exam, with a great view of the sunset.

"Gotta say, you found yourself a pretty great view, kiddo." Parker looked up from her studying, confused and alarmed. There was only one person she allowed to call her "kiddo". Not even Barry could get away with it. She looked all around but didn't spot Ralph. It wasn't until she heard him stretching on her left that she found him walking across the platform towards her. He was obviously trying not to look down. "Take it you're not afraid of heights?"

"Never," she admitted softly. "How much trouble am I in?"

"Depends." He gestured towards the web hammock and she nodded. He stretched himself slowly onto the hammock, making sure it would hold both their weights. Parker wasn't worried; her webbing was stronger than spider silk. Silk…maybe that could be her codename... "Does the team know you were even on that bus that morning?" he asked, breaking her from his thoughts. She picked at a stray thread on her jacket.

"No," she whispered. Guilt and shame filled her again at the lie she'd been telling her family for months. She knew Devoe was searching for all the bus metas and she should've told the team what really happened that day. Risking a glance at Ralph, she saw his expression said the same thing.

"What were you doing on that bus that morning?" he asked gently.

"That was the morning everyone was trying to get Barry out of the Speedforce." She glanced at Ralph, who nodded for her to continue. "I wanted to be there, but Joe made me go to school nonetheless. Said it was better if I just went to keep my mind off what was going on. But I couldn't stop thinking of being able to see Barry again, so after homeroom, I kinda..."

"Ditched?" Ralph supplied gently. Parker nodded. "And hoofed it to the nearest bus stop and tried to sneak on?"

"I forgot my money pouch at home." She caught his eye for a moment and smiled crookedly, remembering the drunk/hungover guy that paid for her fare and let her sit at the window so no creeps bothered her. "I still owe you three dollars, huh?"

"Buy me a coffee and we're even," he joked. "And the powers?"

"There was a spider crawling on your bag when you were dozing. I meant to get it off, but the bus jerked and the spider bit me just as dark matter flooded in."

"Whaaaat?" Ralph gasped. "You mean you actually got bit by a radioactive spider?" Parker giggled and nodded. "Oooh, I'm so jealous! Wait, what happened to the spider?" Parker cringed.

"Accidentally squished it." Ralph's lips curled up, disgusted for a moment. A question burned in her mind and before she could stop herself, the words slipped out. "How did you find me?"

"When Barry and Iris had me hypnotized, I remembered you a little more clearly," he explained. "At first, I thought you were being a teenager about school and quitting band, but your routine became a little too predictable" he pulled out his phone and pulled up a YouTube clip of the mystery spider meta swinging past and waving. Parker noted it was taken a couple months ago, shortly after her powers manifested. "Coupled with the routine of that mysterious spider meta swinging around, it didn’t take long to put it together." Parker handed him back his phone.

"That doesn't explain how you found me." Ralph gestured at the webbing to the building.

"You leave a trail, kiddo." She blushed and picked at her backpack again. He nudged her to get her to look up. His expression was worried, bordering on panic. "An extremely easy one too. If I could follow you halfway across Central City, what makes you think Devoe couldn't either? The man had a flying chair and is now taking over metas. It would be terrifyingly easy for him and we wouldn't know until it was too late."

Tears burned behind her eyes as she turned away to stare at the bay. She knew the risk she was taking not telling. But she wanted to help her city like her friends. Then when she realized the juggling act between school and superhero, she knew she couldn't tell them just yet. Then came the comments about the spider meta, the video clips, and the mystery behind the spider mask. The lies just continued stacking up and when the team realized Devoe was tracking the bus metas, she was in way too deep. So she kept moonlighting and swinging and ignoring the ever-creeping danger of Devoe and breaking everyone's heart.

Sniffling, she wiped her nose on her sleeve. "I'm sorry," she whispered. “Even though I knew lying about being on the bus would have disappointed everyone, I thought that if I could prove how good of a superhero I am, they wouldn't yell at me." She scrubbed at the tears that kept falling. "By the time we knew Devoe's intentions, I was in too deep. I just wanted to ignore the danger and keep doing what I was doing."

With a heavy sigh, Ralph reached up and wrapped an arm around the teen's shoulders in a hug. "I get it. I know what it's like to feel you live in someone’s shadow and want to prove yourself." He rested his chin on top of her head and sighed. "And the thing is, you have. I've seen the footage. You help people and relate to them. They love you, way more than Elongated Man." Parker looked up, surprised to hear the bitterness in his voice.

"People think you're cool too, Ralph," she insisted. "I think it's cool how you can stretch and stuff." Ralph grinned, looking both surprised and pleased at the compliment. She sighed, staring at the sunset. "They’re going to be pretty pissed, huh?"

"Oh, no doubt.” At the dejected slump of her shoulders, he hugged her again. "But I withheld crucial bus meta information too. I'll take on some of that anger for you." She looked up, surprised.

"Really?"

"Really. I can take it. Besides, we're a team now, right? I'll stand beside you." Parker grinned and hugged Ralph tightly around the middle. He laughed softly. Noting the sun was pretty much set, he pulled back. "Come on, break down this webbing and we'll pick up some Big Belly Burger to sweeten their tempers."

"Are we going to drive there?" she asked, packing up her stuff. Ralph scoffed and put his mask back on.

"When we have a faster mode of travel? There's a Big Belly on the corner of 31st and Park. Race ya there?"

She grinned wider and pulled her mask down and hood up. "Best swinger pays for dinner?" she asked, spider-crawling up the metal frame. She didn’t notice Ralph’s grimace, her mind on her growling stomach. That sandwich was a good three hours ago; a Big Belly Triple Decker with large fries sounded like heaven about now.

"Yeah, I could go with that. Ready...set..."

"Ralph?"

"Yeah?"

"You're not just my teammate. You're my big brother too." For the third time that evening, she was surprised at her own admissions. While they were genuine fears and feelings, she had a hard time expressing them and usually resorted to some sort of action rather than words. She wasn’t ready to face the emotional war of telling the team she’d been lying, much less tell Ralph how much she looked up to him. But here they were.

She stole a glance at him and was glad that her mask completely covered her face. Even behind his eye mask, he was surprised and touched at the admission. Clearing his throat, he nodded. She could see his eyes glistening a bit, but he hid it behind a playful wink. “You might soon regret giving me that title, kiddo.”

She lifted her mask enough to stick her tongue out. "You gotta catch me first. Ready...set...GO!"

#the flash imagines #ralph dibny imagine #kid!fic #oc character #i would like to see how team flash would handle a kid meta running around trying to help #ralph dibny

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