#but he hates violence so he just sniffed it until it realized he wouldn’t grab it and ran away

[hafwen]

Gigi was hunting a mouse and it ran towards Toni so she grabbed it but didn’t know what to do with it. She just stared at me with it in her mouth, dropped it and let it go who knows where

[cherienymphe]

Protect & Serve V (Steve Rogers x Reader)

WARNINGS: Cop!Steve, NON-CON, mentions of violence and murder and assault

IF ANY OF THIS OFFENDS YOU, PLEASE DNI

➥ {page breaks done by @whimsicalrogers}

summary:  escaping an ugly past, you have no choice but to return home. While much has remained the same, Officer Rogers is a new addition who has won over the hearts of the town in your absence. And no one believes you when you start to see him for who he really is

~

When you woke up, you felt like you’d slept for days. Knowing Steve, and having no clue as to what he injected you with, that might be true. You had dry mouth, that much you could tell, and your head still felt like it weighed a ton. Peeling your eyes open was rather difficult, but when you did, you realized that you were in a different room from the one before.

You pushed yourself up to lean on your forearms, looking around and listening. The house was quiet, a far cry from the last time you were here. You guessed that all of Steve’s guests were gone, and you didn’t know if you should be relieved or not. You didn’t know why you thought their presence would protect you when it wouldn’t. They had literally helped Steve recapture you after also watching your unconscious form be carried into his house to begin with. Maybe it was better that they were gone…

Now you could start formulating another escape without them around to catch you.

A stabbing pain struck you behind your eyes, and you squinted, bringing your fingers up to pinch the bridge of your nose. You cursed Steve to hell and back. Why had he given you the option of walking back with him when he was going to do what he wanted anyway? Did he get some sick pleasure out of it all?

Speaking of pleasure, you noted the soreness in between your thighs and wondered if Steve had done a lot more to you while you were out. He’d said that it wasn’t his style, but he couldn’t be trusted. You pressed your thighs together and winced, sitting up. Just as you considered what to do next, the bedroom door opened.

You sharply inhaled as Steve filled the doorway, heart rate picking up at the sight of him. Was it crazy that you were more terrified of him than you had been of your ex-husband? At least with Killian, you had grown to know what to expect. Steve had shattered every one of your expectations.

“You’re awake,” he said, stepping further into the room.

You didn’t know what to do, so you just stared at him as he approached. For your own sake, you needed to keep your eyes on him at all times. Escape was your top priority, and you had to think smart about it. He gripped your chin, turning your head to the side to gaze at your eyes, and hummed, clearly satisfied.

“You’ve been asleep for almost an entire day,” he informed you, grabbing your arm.

He helped you out of bed, and you let him. Your body was still fighting off whatever he gave you, and you stumbled. Steve was more than happy to catch you though, arm thrown around you, hand digging into your shoulder as he leaned you into his side.

He was patient as he helped you out of the room and down the stairs. The smell of food hit you, and you sniffed, stomach grumbling. Steve heard it and chuckled.

“I made breakfast,” he said, leading you into the kitchen.

A modest dining table was on the far side, and your eyes fell to the food laid upon it. You couldn’t trust him, having no idea as to what he wanted from you, so there was no telling what was in the food. However, you couldn’t afford to not eat. Steve turned his back after helping you sit down, and you glanced through the living room to look at the lake on the other side of the window. Getting across that lake was your best chance…

Too busy staring, you didn’t notice him approach until your hands were being handcuffed to the arms of the chair. You gasped, and he did the same with your ankles. Forgetting about your injury, you jerked your legs, only to cry out at the pain that traveled through your ankle. Steve hummed at that, sitting next to you.

“You gave Bucky and Sam hell. Thor too,” he added.

You watched as he picked up some scrambled eggs on a fork before bringing it to your lips. Realizing that you didn’t have much of a choice, you reluctantly parted them. The food tasted good enough, and he fed you again.

You licked your lips.

“You sound surprised,” you whispered, eyes meeting his.

A faint smirk was on his lips, and he chuckled.

“Not surprised…impressed. I like a fighter,” he said, reaching out to grab his glass of water.

He never broke his gaze from over the rim of the glass, and you blinked.

“…but I could tell that from the first moment I met you. So reluctant to accept a ride from a nice small-town cop-.”

“There isn’t anything nice about you,” you sneered.

Steve chuckled, nodding fondly.

“I suppose you’re right about that,” he agreed. “Nevertheless, the average person doesn’t pick up on that. Of course…you would…”

You glanced away as he fed you again.

“…tell me about him,” he eventually said.

You looked back to him with a frown. You knew who he was talking about, and your heart clenched. He pressed his elbows into the wood of the table, hands clasped together as he eyed you.

“Your ex-husband,” he elaborated.

You heaved a deep sigh, frustration coloring your tone.

“Why?”

“Because I want to know,” was his simple response.

You swallowed, a shiver climbing up your spine as you thought about the other blond man in your life.

“What…what do you want to know?” you wondered with a shrug.

He reached out to brush a finger down the side of your face, running it over your bottom lip.

“Tell me why you stayed,” he quietly demanded.

Figuring there was no harm in humoring him, you answered.

“I…was afraid. I had nowhere to go and…part of me…felt like I was being punished. Like I deserved it…”

“For what?”

“For leaving my family and friends behind,” you murmured. “For ignoring them for years…”

Steve nodded at that, pulling his hand away.

“I am sorry about your family. I meant that when I told you that. They were good people,” he replied.

You blinked. Of course, he had known them. How could he not? It didn’t sit right with you that someone like him had interacted with your family…especially while you weren’t around. You wondered how he behaved towards them, if he ever made any of them feel as uncomfortable as he did with you.

“The funerals were lovely. Was he the reason you didn’t go?”

You suddenly found it hard to swallow, and tears kissed your eyes as he brought that up. He reached out to brush a rogue one away, and you jerked away from him. Missing the funerals of your family was definitely your biggest regret. Every time you thought about it, your hate for Killian grew.

You didn’t have to answer because Steve already knew.

“Bucky told me that you thought he was the one at your house every night. He said that you had feared he would find you,” he said, making you frown at the mention of the brunette.

You looked down when his hand found yours, brushing circles into the skin with his thumb.

“You don’t have to worry about that anymore,” he murmured, and your frown deepened.

You clenched your jaw, biting back what you wanted to say, and seeing the look on your face made Steve laugh. You looked up at him, gaze cold.

“I know what you must be thinking…that I won’t get away with this…”

He took another bite, leaning back in his chair as he eyed you smugly.

“…but I will. Hell, I’ve gotten away with worse,” he chuckled.

Your brow twitched, and you narrowed your eyes at him, recalling something that Wanda had said.

“Peggy?”

You watched the way his face fell, and you continued.

“Wanda said she’d just…left right after the breakup. I never thought that seemed her style…”

Your tone was accusatory, and apparently with good reason. Steve slowly exhaled, straightening up as he rubbed his hand over his chin, elbow pressed into the table as his eyes gazed at something you couldn’t see.

“Peggy…was an accident,” he admitted, and genuine remorse registered on his features.

Remorseful or not, your eyes still widened as he confirmed what you had initially suspected but brushed off, convinced that your paranoia was getting the best of you. Now, you knew the truth. You weren’t just sitting with a kidnapper, but you were sitting with a murderer too.

“You see, I started having my fun before I came here. I’d help out unsuspecting girls in need. Sometimes they were homeless…sometimes they just needed a ride home…to the store…”

Horror filled you as he spoke, and you started to realize that you weren’t dealing with an amateur.

“They’d get in, and I’d offer them a bottle of water I kept inside.”

Of course, they would. Steve Rogers looked like the poster boy for good Samaritans everywhere. Those soft blue eyes could convince anyone. Said eyes met yours, serious.

“They’d always accept. Either out of genuine thirst or just to avoid being rude, I don’t know. I didn’t care. They’d be knocked out within minutes…”

You felt like you were going to be sick.

“…when I was done, I’d park at wherever they had wanted me to take them to. They’d eventually arouse, and I’d convince them that they had nodded off. None of them ever suspected, and if they did, what could they say?”

He rose an eyebrow.

“The friendly neighborhood cop, Officer Rogers, drugged and raped me?”

He scoffed, and you blinked away tears.

“…and Peggy?” you forced out.

Steve sighed.

“I got tired of the coldness and casualness of it all,” he said with a shrug. “I realized that I wasn’t getting any younger, and Peggy… She was so sweet.”

He sadly shook his head.

“Like every other woman in this town, she was itching at the chance to have me. But unlike the rest, she wasn’t bold about it. She was coy, and I liked that. It wasn’t long before I had her in the palm of my hands,” he chuckled at that. “Literally.”

Disgust churned in your stomach.

“She was everything I thought she’d be. Except…she wasn’t.”

When he looked at you again, his eyes were hard, face taut with tension as he recalled whatever memory you hadn’t been privy to.

“Peggy had plans,” he dragged out, voice low as he took another sip. “She wanted to achieve all of these great things…see the world…leave me.”

He huffed.

“We fought. Things got…physical, and the next thing I know, my hands are around her neck.”

You swallowed, tears spilling over now.

“Jesus,” he quietly scoffed. “I didn’t even realize until I let her go and she just…dropped.”

More tears fell, and he finally took notice. He reached over to wipe them, and you flinched.

“That’s right,” he hummed. “You grew up with her.”

He moved to feed you some more, but you shook your head, appetite lost. He let the fork drop before leaning back in his seat. He turned to look though the living room, eyes roaming over the lake through the window.

“She’s in that lake, you know. I think about her every time I look out onto it,” he quietly said, more to himself than you.

You sniffed, throat tight and chest burning. Fear gripped you, and you wondered if that was going to be your fate. Steve suddenly moved his chair closer to you, and you cried harder. He shushed you, reaching for you to wipe your face with his thumbs.

“That won’t be you. I promise,” he said as if reading your mind, hands resting on the sides of your face.

You shook your head.

“Why me?” you quietly asked him, no longer able to keep it in.

You had to know.

“I could see how broken you were,” he hummed, eyes roaming over your face. “…and I thought that I could fix you. That maybe we could fix each other, hmm? I give you the safety and security and love you’ve been craving for years, and you give me what I want.”

You frantically blinked, eyes searching his face.

“I could see that you wanted me too. Deep down, anyway. After all, I was a good guy. I’m sure Wanda told you something like that, didn’t she? That I would be good for you…and you had thought about it, considered it. I could see it in your eyes that night,” he continued. “Wondering what it would be like to be with a genuinely good guy…”

“I wasn’t ready,” you mumbled.

He took a deep breath.

“I know, but unfortunately for you… I don’t have much patience. At least not when it comes to something I know I want.”

“What…what do you want from me?” you finally wondered.

He let out a breath, brushing his thumb over your bottom lip as he stood, towering over you.

“I want you to look at me with complete adoration as I come inside of you. I want to come inside of you every night, calling you wife while I fill you with my children. I want to make love to you when you’re glowing and round with my child, but…right now…”

He reached for your plate again, bringing some more eggs to your lips.

“I want you to finish your food.”

Too stunned by his admission, you allowed him to feed you, fear gripping your heart at what would happen if you didn’t escape.

When you weren’t locked away in the room, and when you weren’t handcuffed at the table, Steve pretty much allowed you free reign. He was at your side at all times, of course, closely hovering. You figured it was best to seem cooperative. Of course, you didn’t think Steve was gullible enough to believe that you had accepted your situation. You both knew that you were just biding your time. It was only a matter of thinking of a way to escape before he thought of a way to stop you before you even tried.

You feared what he would do to keep you here…feared what he would do if he caught you trying to leave. You thought of Peggy, of how she had simply brought up the idea of leaving and had died for it. Steve’s desires weighed on your mind, and you knew that you only had so much time before he started to go through with them.

That second morning, you had woken up to the feel of a hard chest pressed against your back, a thick arm curling over your waist. It had taken you a moment to understand that the second room you had woken up in was his room. You had jerked in his grip, attempting to get away from him, but your movements had aroused him…in more ways than one.

His hold tightened, pulling you closer, and he groaned as sleep began to leave him. You could feel him poking against you, hard and hot, and you had panicked. You fought to get away from him, and he swiftly pushed you to lie on your back, settling in between your legs. Your hands, having attempted to push him away, were pinned between your bodies as he kissed you.

You gasped against his mouth, and his tongue slipped past your lips, tasting the inside of your mouth. His arms were pressed down on either side of you, caging you in, and you felt like you were suffocating. Steve paid no mind to your aversion, moaning against your trembling lips. One of his hands reached down to wrap around your wrists, dragging them above you until they were pinned just below the headboard.

His other hand slid down your side, kneading your skin as it descended. He ground himself against you, his hardened member poking at you through his shorts. You only had on a nightgown that he’d left outside of the shower the night before. You had briefly wondered if it belonged to Peggy. This very thing was a pressing concern of yours when you noticed the absence of underwear.

His free hand moved to make a home in between your legs, fingers brushing against and poking at you. You bit his tongue, hard, and you tasted blood. He ripped his face away from you with a hiss, and your satisfaction was short lived when he shoved two fingers inside of you to the hilt.

Your chest arched, a choked sound escaping your lips as he roughly fingered you. You turned your head away when he leaned back down, and his lips met your cheek.

“Do that again,” he whispered, lips moving against your skin. “…and I’ll make you pay for it.”

You squeezed your eyes shut as you felt his fingers glide within you more easily now. He hummed, mouth trailing down to your neck, sucking on the skin. You squirmed beneath him, trying to fight off the pleasure that was being forced on you. Your legs kicked around him, and he widened his, pushing his knees underneath your thighs to restrict your movement.

You pushed your wrists against his hands as he added a third finger, stretching you out. A moan threatened to bubble out of your throat, but you swallowed it down, whimpering instead. Steve wasn’t pleased with that. He continued to thrust his fingers in and out of you, thumb coming up to brush against your swollen bud, and you whimpered again.

His hands tightened around your wrists as he sped up, almost painfully so, and he grinded against you. His lips attached themselves to your neck, pulling the skin in between his teeth, laving his tongue over you. He curled his fingers, and a broken moan finally slipped from your lips. He did it again and was met with the same result.

You turned your face as much into the pillow as you possible could, but Steve’s lips sought out your own, covering them in another kiss. He swallowed your moans, groaning into your mouth as your hips bucked against his hand. The hand that was holding your wrists down moved to intertwine with one of yours. You quickly pushed your free hand against his stomach, and when that didn’t work, you wrapped your hand around his wrist.

Your efforts were useless, Steve effortlessly working his fingers into you again and again.

“Stop,” you finally begged against his lips.

“Come for me, and I will,” he roughly replied.

He flicked his thumb over your bundle of nerves again, and you fell apart beneath him. He pulled back ever so slightly, your moans permeating through the air as he looked down at you. A few of his blond strands tickled your own forehead, and his nose kept brushing against yours as he worked you through your climax.

He looked down, eyes focused on the way you clenched around his fingers, hand a mess. Your chest heaved, breath shaky as he tightened his hold on your hand. You’d just woken up, but you felt tired all over again. He finally pulled his fingers out of you, bringing them to his lips and humming.

“Good girl,” he murmured as he kissed the corner of your mouth.

He rolled off of you, and you caught sight of the large tent in his shorts. You looked away, hurriedly pulling your nightgown back down, disgust coursing through you. You didn’t move as he strode into the bathroom and turned the shower on. You only did so when low moans reached you minutes later, and you moved to exit the room, but it was locked. You noticed what looked like a key pad on the wall next to the light switch. You hadn’t noticed it the day before.

Realizing that you’d have to sit here and listen to him get himself off, you sat back down, covering your ears. You were still in that position when he finally exited, a towel loosely hanging on his lips. You watched as he walked into the closet and came back out with clothes that were clearly meant for you. Again, you wondered if these belonged to Peggy. He ushered you into the bathroom before you could give it any more thought.

Your time in the bathroom was quick. Your quick search of the cabinets turned up nothing useful for you. No type of medication or sedatives or anything. You would have loved nothing more to spend all day in the bathroom, but you didn’t want to give Steve the opportunity to check on you and see you naked. The clothes fit perfectly, and it was then that you decided they weren’t Peggy’s.

The idea that Steve found clothes that were perfectly in your size made your stomach churn.

He was waiting for you when you got out, and he reached for you as soon as you were near. One hand went to the back of your neck, holding you beside him while the other went to what you thought was the keypad. You watched in awe as he pressed his thumb against it, and the pad flashed green just before he reached to open the door.

“Buck and Sam are coming by later,” he told as he guided you down the stairs. “I don’t think I need to remind you not to do anything stupid, do I?”

You shook your head.

“Anyway, just in case…”

He stopped before the door of the basement. Apprehension filled you as he opened it and guided you in, his chest brushing your back as you walked. You walked down some stairs, stopping at another door. This one was sturdier and had a bar that fell across it. You watched as Steve lifted the bar and pushed you in.

You stumbled, tripping over your feet before straightening yourself. You could feel Steve behind you as you looked around, and your heart dropped. It was a room, furnished with a single bed, a toilet, and a sink. You swallowed in fear, taking a step back, recoiling when you bumped into him.

Steve wrapped his arm around you, lips at your ear.

“I don’t want to have to put you in here, but I will if you force me to. Is that understood?”

You gave him a shaky nod. His hand closed around your throat, and you gasped, reaching up to grab his arm as he lifted you, your toes grazing the floor.

“I want to hear you say it,” he whispered.

“I understand,” you shakily replied, and satisfied, he let you go.

He spun you around, one hand on your jaw as he tilted your head, lips brushing your cheek and then your ear.

“Be good for me…and I’ll be good to you,” he quietly told you.

He didn’t wait for a response before guiding you up the stairs. You reached the hallway again just as a knock sounded on the front door. He pulled you along, keeping you at his side as he went to answer it.

Sam and Bucky had grins on their faces and greetings on their lips when Steve opened the door. However, Bucky’s face fell when his eyes met yours. You took in the red marks on the side of his face, and you couldn’t keep the smug expression off of yours even if you tried. He let them in, hand sliding around your waist as he closed the door.

You flinched, and he tightened his arm around you. Bucky looked over his shoulder at you, lips curled into a cruel smirk.

“Like the new look?” he wondered, gesturing to his face.

You simply looked at him, and both Sam and Steve chuckled.

“Maybe if you weren’t slacking…” Sam’s words trailed off as they entered the kitchen, but Steve pushed you towards the living room.

He pressed his lips to your forehead before pushing you down onto the couch. You swallowed, watching as he joined Sam and Bucky in the kitchen. Sam’s eyes were on you, and he turned to Steve.

“She’s quiet,” you heard him say.

“No. She’s not quiet,” Steve replied, calculating eyes meeting yours before he ran them over you.

He smirked.

“She’s smart,” he argued.

He looked away, and so did you, eyes looking through the backdoor to roam over the lake. If only you could get to the lake. When the time was right…

Sam and Bucky didn’t stay for long. Steve had waved them goodbye with one arm securely around your waist. You watched them get back into the car, the police cruiser, and your stomach churned, still in disbelief that the supposed good guys were nothing but scum.

You wanted to know how they could be okay with what Steve was doing. You wanted to know how they justified it, and unable to keep it in, you asked him. He didn’t respond right away, instead heaving a sigh as he pressed one hand into the wall beside your head, caging you in.

“After Peggy, I went back to my…casual encounters…”

You frowned at how he worded it, and he chuckled at that.

“…not often like I did before, but just enough to satisfy me… They caught me one day…”

He smiled as if he were thinking back on a fond memory, and you were almost sorry you’d asked.

“They wanted in on it too.”

Your eyes widened as they met his gaze, and your lips parted as you registered what he was saying. He reached up to brush his thumb over your trembling lips, his own parting.

“Eventually Thor got roped in too. His brother Loki prefers to sit out on the festivities, but he doesn’t mind. I don’t think you’ve been properly introduced to them,” he added. “Loki is a lawyer, and Thor is a cop in the next county over. They come over from time to time. Usually for a game.”

Now you were positive that you were going to be sick, and Steve continued.

“Thor wasn’t exactly the most inconspicuous about it when he’s here…and the boss caught on one day. We’re the best cops in town though. We keep these people safe and crime is practically nonexistent, so… So long as we’re discreet, he looks the other way,” he told you.

You turned away from him, tears in your eyes. He pressed his lips to your cheek, inhaling.

“Do you see, now? You have no one to run to. No one will help you,” he whispered darkly, hand landing on your shoulder, digging in, the other trailing to cup your ass. “We run this town…”

He pressed a leg in between yours, and you pushed against him, but he was faster. He grabbed your wrists, slamming them against the wall as he forced his mouth on yours. You kicked at his legs, but it was hard to do when one of his separated yours.

He pulled you away from the wall, lips never parting from yours as he turned and forced you back. You stumbled and tripped over your feet, trying to put as much distance between you two as possible. When that didn’t work, you brought your knee up, and Steve pulled back with a grunt.

Slipping out of his arms, you ran towards the backdoor, but his hands in your hair stopped you. You screamed as your scalp protested his tight hold, and he yanked you back into his chest, one hand closing around your throat. His chest heaved against your back, harsh breaths in your ear.

“Remember what I said,” he whispered, deep voice threatening. “Be good for me…and I’ll be good to you…”

You hadn’t realized you were crying until he walked you forward towards the couch. Your face crumbled as he pushed you down, one hand sliding up the thin dress he’d given you to wear. His hand grazed your bare slit, and you cried harder.

As awful as Killian had been, he’d never forced himself on you. It was crazy to think that in all the years you’d experienced violence at his hand, none of it had ever been sexual. That was a line that he had never crossed.

Steve flipped you, and you immediately fought against him as he ripped at your dress. He caught your wrists, holding them away as he dipped down to wrap his lips around one breast, bud hardened from the cool air in the house. He moved his head to give the other the same attention, and you cried out, pushing against him.

He suddenly jerked your wrist, and you cried out, pain traveling down your arm. He looked up at you, eyes cold as both desire and anger warred within them.

“I will break both of them,” he harshly said, making you freeze.

You couldn’t swim across the lake with a broken wrist, let alone two. He let you go, hands hovering over your own for a while to make sure you would behave. Pleased, he swiftly undressed, and you looked away from him, eyes on the ceiling. He tsk’d, reaching for your chin to turn your head.

“Eyes on me,” he ordered.

Too afraid to defy him, you watched as he grabbed your ankles, spreading and lifting your legs as he moved closer. He was hard and throbbing, bigger than Killian was, and you shook beneath him. There was no warning, no teasing… Steve slid into you with one thrust.

Having been wholly unprepared, you yelped in pain, head falling back on the arm of the couch. He rested your legs on his shoulders, leaning over you as he forced your knees to your shoulders. All of your movement was restricted, and the only thing you could do was press your hands into his waist. A few tears escaped your eyes, and Steve kissed them away.

His breath was shaky, blond hair hanging into his forehead as he savored the feel of you wrapped around him. He rested his forearms on the arm of the couch, caging you in, and you felt incredibly hot being surrounded by him. His lips brushed the corner of your mouth before moving them down to your jaw, nipping at the skin there.

He slowly pulled his hips back until nothing but the tip of him remained inside of you. He was slow to thrust too, and you squirmed, nails digging into his waist. The position you were in didn’t allow for you to do anything other than lay there and take it. Steve gradually began to pick up his pace, and the couch trembled from the force of his thrusts.

You wanted to close your eyes so badly, but you were afraid of what he’d do if you did. His lips never stayed in one place, kissing every part of your face that they could. Occasionally, his hand would brush over your cheek or shoulder. Sometimes he’d reach down and flick his fingers over you. Unable to do anything, you had no choice but to accept the pleasure he was forcing on you.

His skin slapped against yours in the quiet house, and you whimpered as he rested his forehead against yours, blue eyes boring into your own. As quiet as you tried to be, he could see the pleasure on your face, and the corner of his lips curved upwards. He kissed you, slow and soft, and you hated it. His lips didn’t part from yours as his thrusts grew erratic and choppy.

Too many things were happening at once, it was too intense for you, and you turned your head. Steve snarled at that and fisted his hand in your hair, yanking your head towards him again. He kissed you harder this time, slamming into you as he did so. Tears streamed down your face as you felt your stomach tightening, toes curling while you clenched around him.

“That’s it,” he murmured into your mouth. ���Come for me…”

You pressed your nails harder into his skin, trying to fight it off, but it was no use. Steve didn’t relent in his movements, and soon, you were coming around him. Your climax struck you like a punch, stomach aching as it tightened, core fluttering around Steve’s unyielding cock. You slapped your hands against him as he fucked you through it, tears in your eyes again.

“Be good for me,” he reminded you, and you shook your head.

You reached in between you to press your hands to his stomach, turning your head away. Steve’s breathing was harsh above you, chest heaving as he thrust into your soaking core.

“Steve,” you begged, pushing against him.

“You’ve got another in you, I know you do.”

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before he threw you head first into another, and your mind spun as a choked moan slipped out of your mouth. You couldn’t swallow it down even if you tried, and Steve groaned. One of your hands was on his chest, the other on his shoulder, but he wouldn’t budge. Your legs trembled, and you involuntarily closed them as you tried to stem the oversensitivity, inadvertently locking them around his neck.

“Steve... Steve, please,” you begged, out of breath.

His lips found yours again, and he growled into your mouth.

“One more,” he whispered. “Give me one more.”

You tried to duck your head, but he followed, lips brushing the corner of your mouth.

“Give me one more…”

Stars appeared behind your eyes as you came for a third time, choking his cock. Steve let out a low moan as you gripped him, the sound drawing out into a groan. You could feel the mess you were making, but Steve didn’t mind as he pressed kisses to your cheek, your jaw, your neck…

“Look how good you are for me. Such a good girl for me,” he mumbled, spilling into you.

You shuddered at the feel, and Steve fucked his cum into you, hissing. He sat up to move your legs off of him, and relief filled you as they fell limply around him. He pressed his chest against yours again, hands cupped underneath your thighs as he lazily moved within you.

“See how good I can make you feel…” he said, lips grazing yours. “…when you’re good for me.”

~

tags:  @xoxabs88xox  @darkficreposter   @mcudarklibrary @captainchrisstan @nickyl316h @buckybarnesplumwhore @harryspet @readermia @sebabestianstan101 @villanellevi @opheliadawnwalker3 @notyourtypicalrose @coconutqueen21  @stargazingfangirl18   @lou-la-lou @izzfizzh @thatgirly81 @autty0314 @hinata7346 @lokislastlove @honorarytenenbaum @void-hoechlin  @autty0314​ 

[sound-of-the-cosmos]

Demon Slayer; Tanjiro x Reader: “You don’t leave the one you love when they need you the most.”

Genre: Heavy angst!!

Fandom: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer)

Paring: Kamado Tanjiro x Reader

Summary: After Tanjiro asks you to accompany him on a mission, you accept and travel with him. Once arriving at the Red Light District, you both come into contact with an upper moon named Daki- and you run into the people you never thought you’d see again.

Warnings: Major historical inaccuracies (the demon’s name, personality and appearance are from the manga- everything else is purely fictional), violence, blood, PTSD, mentions/implications of rape

Word count: 2.2k

“Get away from them before I break every bone in your body!” “It’s alright; I’m right here, ok? I’m not going anywhere.”

Third Person P.O.V

Originally, the mission was meant to be his, with only a Hashira with him. However, once coming to the realization that all of them were gone on their own missions, a sense of dread began to fill his senses. Would he have to ask Inosuke, or Zenitsu? They were currently on their own mission, so that wouldn’t work..

He let out a sigh, thinking over his options on the roof of the Butterfly Manor. A soft tap of the ceramic tiles alerted his mind, while your scent had already flooded his senses. 

For some reason, you always smelled of Lavender and Rain. It was a clean, pleasant scent, but the connotations always concerned Tanjiro. You sit gingerly beside him, your haori fluttering ever so lightly in the wind. Odd how at dusk, the light seemed to highlight his eyes and features so gently. 

“Something wrong?” Your voice was always soft and silvery, now being no exception. Your gentle e/c eyes gazed into his, and he smiles a little, grateful for the company. 

“I have a mission I have to leave for soon, but I don’t have anyone to accompany me. The Flame Hashira was supposed to meet me here, but I was told he left 3 days ago for another mission.” As per usual, his voice was modulated and kind. He glanced your way, before returning his gaze to the skies. 

“I currently don’t have any; I may not be as strong as a Hashira, but I can accompany you, if you’d like,” A gentle smile danced across your lips, and Tanjiro’s cheeks felt heated, his gaze and expression mirroring your own.

“Yeah- that would be great!” With a nod, you stand and walked down the side of the roof, taking a step off the edge. A startled noise escaped his lips, before you laughed softly, staring up in bemusement. “We’ll leave tomorrow at dawn, then?” He questioned, and you hummed. 

“Tomorrow at dawn.”

__________________________________________________

~Slight time skip to morning~

__________________________________________________

A crow cawed in the window, speaking in its usual shrill tones. “Today’s mission is in the Red Light District! Deaths in the Kyogoku House have been reported! The owner is missing! Head North at once!”

Groaning, you sat up and rubbed your eyes, glancing at the spot where the crow had once been. You throw your legs over the side of the bed, before getting freshened up. After changing into your (freshly cleaned) uniform, you find your dragon haori folded neatly on a chair. 

A ghost of a smile flashed across your face as you shrug it over your shoulders. As you pick up your Nichirin sword, the familiar coolness of the hilt eased your troubled mind. Adjusting it so you can walk with it attached to your hip, your hand raised to open the sliding door.

However, moments before you can, another hand beats you to it. Tanjiro’s eyes meet your own, and the gentle pink dusts over his cheeks once more. He stepped back, raising his hands as a type of surrender. “I wasn’t going to do anything- I just wanted to make sure you were awake with the crow and all-” 

Then, you did something that surprised him. You laughed. 

“Ah- Tanjiro, it’s alright, I woke up when I heard it. Thank you for deciding to check on me though,” You flashed him a quick smile, noticing that once again, he had the wooden box attached to his back. While you sensed there was a demon inside, he would’ve told you if it was something to worry about.

His expression melted a little, smiling along with you, though he made a mental note to ask you as to why that yours disappeared so quickly. 

As the two of you waved goodbye to the people from the house, sunlight finally streamed through the trees and illuminated the path ahead. Tanjiro cast a grin your way, but you didn’t respond, instead looking into the trees the opposite way. He frowned a little, confused, before humming. “What do you make of the mission?”  

You swallow a small lump in your throat. The Red Light district was known for housing brothels, and that made your stomach churn. “I think we need to keep our senses sharp. I have a really, really bad feeling about this.” He nodded slightly, before sniffing a little. The smell of sage was radiating around you, which he supposed was understandable. 

“If you don’t mind my asking,” you began, and his body tensed. He knew the question coming, “Why do you carry a demon with you? Is it family?” He and the box had a similar aura, a gentle teal mixed with blues or purple tones. Nervously sweating, he opens his mouth to try to deflect, but you stop him. “If  you don’t want to tell me, that’s alright too. I trust your judgement.” 

You stopped a few paces in front of him, the District not far from your sight. Your blood ran cold before he responded. “It’s my sister.” He finally spoke, and you nodded lightly, crossing your arms across your chest. He smiled a little, unbeknownst to you. A gentle scent of sandalwood mixed with the sage. 

Placing a hand on the hilt of your sword, you began to walk once more. “I want to get this over with- not because I dislike you, but I don’t like this place. Something isn’t right.” He nodded, taking in a small breath. 

“I know what you mean. Something doesn’t smell right here- there’s a lot more fear than there should be.” The scent of ash filled the air, and his senses were on high alert. You pull your haori just a little further over your shoulders- while the uniform Demon Slayers were given was fully covering, there was still a sense of nudity that had you unnerved. 

The house in question stood in front of you, lights flashing and the sliding door open. A beautiful woman with dark hair stood in the entryway, greeting the both of you as you enter. “Welcome to the Kyogoku House. Who is your appointment scheduled with?” Her aura wasn’t right, you noted. Sickly green, with dark purple tendrils here and there. What was she? Who was she?

“We don’t have an appointment. I was wondering if you could tell us who the woman was that disappeared from here?” Your voice was somewhat friendly, but you didn’t miss the flash of understanding in her eyes. They looked like pools of honey.. 

“Ah, yes- the last owner of the establishment didn’t go missing. Instead, she committed suicide, jumping off the roof of this place. I tried to stop her, but,” She sighed, shaking her head, “I didn’t reach her in time.” There was a forced tremor in her voice, and by that alone you could tell she was lying. But you couldn’t call her out quite yet. 

“Is there anyone else we could talk to, to try and understand what happened?” Tanjiro questioned, and from his voice, you could tell he believed her. Then again, you had met more than your fair share of manipulative people. Tanjiro could smell the sage stronger now, mixed with the rain. 

“You could talk to Himari- though she’s with a client as of right now.” That snake-like smirk didn’t miss your gaze. You swallowed the bitter words you were dying to say, and asked a question you knew you would hate yourself for. 

“Would you mind showing us around while we wait?” 

As you would expect, the brothel was as filthy as you thought it would be. Your gut screamed to leave, but there you sat, drinking tea with the woman and Tanjiro. His gaze fell on you every so often- how your hair framed your face, how your voice was so soft and gentle- everything about you entranced him. The scent of Sage and Rain were still present, and stronger than ever. 

You raised slowly, bowing as respectfully as you could to the lady in front of you. “Excuse me, but would you mind directing me to your washroom?” It was a lie simply so you could look around on your own, but she didn’t seem to catch that. 

With a nod, her dainty hand raised to point to your right. “Down that hallway, down the stairs and the 4th door to your left.” Oddly specific. You bowed once again, turning around and leaving the room. You follow her instructions to the floor she directed, before opening the first door. 

A storage closet, with cleaning supplies and extra uniforms meets your gaze. A soft sigh of relief escaped your lips, and you close it. You continue to do this up until the 4th door on the left- the room she’d instructed you to go to. 

Your heart pounded in your chest, like a wild animal trying to escape it’s confines. You slowly open the door, and 3 men pounce on you, slapping their hand over your mouth before you can cry out. “She didn’t lie, this one is pretty. This the one with the rape fantasy, right?” Your eyes widened, and they grinned wickedly. 

A rush of wind behind you is the only warning you receive before you’re out cold. 

Everything hurt.

Your head pounds, and you feel nauseous. A slap across your face wakes you up, and you find yourself tied to a chair, nude, and... 

“No...” you managed to whimper, shaking violently. Not only was this the same thing, but these men- they were the same as all those years ago. You thought you’d become strong enough that you wouldn’t have to be afraid anymore.

“When Daki told us she had demon slayers comin’, we never thought you’d be one of them. Guess that’s lucky for us then, eh?” The largest one laughed, grabbing your hair and forcing your gaze up. Your whole body shook violently, your mind trying to force itself to shut down. 

“Screw you,” you spat, your voice trembling too much for it to be taken seriously. A harsh punch to your stomach sent the chair backwards, and you land on your back, the wind knocked out of your lungs.

Their dirty hands all over you, defiling you, touching you, grabbing at you-

“What was that, sweetheart?”

Not again. Not again. Not again- A loud thud and muffled screaming of a woman echoed from upstairs, not that it mattered to you. Your scream joined hers as a knife entered your shoulder, tears streaming down your face. “You like that, eh?” He licked the wound, grinning like a madman. As his hand reached towards your most intimate region, the door slammed open, Tanjiro standing there looking as livid as ever.

“Get away from them before I break every bone in your body!” His sword still bloodied from what could only be presumed to be a demon, the men laughed, cracking their knuckles. Their hands morphed into claws, and the man- demon?- beside you growled angrily at him. Within mere moments, each of their heads lie on the floor as they disintegrated. 

Tanjiro was instantly beside you, untying you and wrapping his haori around you. The room smelled of sage and rain, with only a few traces of demon blood making their way through it. Simply by your scent, his heart broke as he tried to help you calm down. You couldn’t breath, you couldn’t think- 

Your fear and sorrow filled the room with a scent so strong Tanjiro found himself fighting tears. He wrapped his arms around you slowly, and you clung to him, burying your face into his shoulder. 

“It’s alright; I’m right here, ok? I’m not going anywhere.”

__________________________________________________

~Slight time skip to  when they arrive at the Wisteria estate~

__________________________________________________

You were in a daze, and unresponsive. Tanjiro felt fear pulse through his veins as he sits your fragile form onto a chair in a bathroom to get you cleaned up. Once you were clean, he helped you change into nightwear, your being too dazed to respond. It was as if you were dead to the world.

After taking you to your own separate room, he guided you to the bed and sat beside you, taking in a shaky breath. “If you need anything, come and get me, alright?” He tried to smile, but your expression remained blank. He stood up, turning out the lights and leaving the room. 

That night, and the next week, Tanjiro didn’t sleep well. You were unresponsive, not matter how hard he tried to make you laugh, no matter how hard he tried to make you smile, to make you speak- nothing.

As the usual had become, he guided you to your room, telling you that you could come and get him if you needed him, and shutting the door after. This time, however, Tanjiro sat outside the door, and placed his head in his hands. “I should’ve told her.. I should’ve been there with her.. I should’ve-” He choked on his words, and the tears flowed freely down his cheeks. 

He wasn’t sure how long it would take to help you heal- but he wanted to be there as best as he could be. 

You don’t leave the one you love when they need you the most.

[ffangirlingsince2001]

Silence

theichabbieclub asked:

Geralt x Reader. Reader is hyper and talkative. One day Geralt has a bad day and takes it out on reader. He tells them that he wish they would be silent. They listen to him and stop talking n become shy. They don't say when they're hurt (emotional/physical). Reader ends up having a major anxiety attack. Geralt feels really guity. He tries to calm them down. They end up passing out in his arms. Their pulse is fast and their skin is clammy. He makes sure they don't fall and puts them to bed. Thx❤️

A/N Thank you for this request it was fun to write, though if I got anything medically wrong please let me know

Geralt x Reader

Warnings: violence, language, self-hatred, panic attack, angst

“Geralt look, wildflowers,” you gasped leaping off your horse and running towards the field. You couldn’t believe it was finally spring, after months of cold rides and attempting to pull your cloak around you a little tighter. The day had gotten off to a rough start, you and Geralt had been thrown out of your inn after someone reported feeling uncomfortable with a Witcher hanging around. Geralt had been a silent rage all morning, but you were just glad the world was warming up.

While you picked flowers, you missed the dark look and thinly veiled curses he was sending your way. You wrapped daisies around your wrists and wove lavender in your braids, reveling in the sun painting freckles on your skin once more. You flopped back, arms spread out wide and considered flattening angels in the grass but settled for sighing with delight. You would have laid there forever had Geralt not been waiting for you.

“Isn’t it gorgeous,” you sighed. “I mean springtime, and flowers, and sunshine. I was so sick of the cold but now I could just stay outside forever. I mean do we really need an inn, who cares what they think, right? I mean I don’t even like inns that much, I think we should stay out more often. Don’t you? Oh god, speaking of that-,”

“Do you ever shut up Y/N?” Geralt snarled. You closed your mouth slowly and stared at him. He had already turned away, Roach kicking up dust as he went. You could feel tears welling up in your eyes and the flowers you had picked wilting against your skin. Slowly you dropped them to the dirt rode and climbed onto your horse, sniffing softly.

The road was quiet after that, though there was so much you wanted to talk about. It had been years since anyone had asked you that question, you thought he didn’t mind. You knew he was quiet, but did he really hate it? A tear slipped from your eye when the prospect crossed your mind. He hated you. How long? How long had he wanted to get rid of you? How long had you annoyed him? You’d been hunting together for five years? How much of that had been thinly veiled attempts to get rid of you?

The thought of leaving crossed your mind, but you couldn’t bare it. You knew he hated you now, but you didn’t hate him, far from it. You had been dreaming about him for half of those years, dreaming of him staring at you fondly and kissing you softly. You couldn’t leave, no matter how much he wanted you gone. So, change was in order. Silent change.

You could do it, you could do anything if it made him happy.

So, you did.

Geralt didn’t notice at first. He knew he had hurt your feelings but you were never one to stay quiet for long, it’s why he kept you around. He loved the way your eyes widened at the sight of anything that you thought was remotely pretty, from wildflowers to the way ale glittered beneath rays of sun. And the way you described it so he couldn’t help but love it too. Yet, he had told you to shut up when you were doing just that, and now he couldn’t get you to talk.

“Did you notice the… pastries?” he attempted awkwardly, and you glanced at him over your roll before taking a silent bite. “They smelled good.” You hummed nonchalantly, cursing yourself as you did so. He was trying to cover up his dislike by mocking you, not exactly the most subtle way to tell you to go away, but you understood.

“I’m going to bed,” you declared as you stood, leaving a large portion of your dinner behind. You didn’t turn to witness the frown that had etched itself across his face, worried you would find a silent chant of victory instead.

The stairs were a heavy climb, his hatred weighing on your shoulders. Tears were harder to keep in these days, so as you wiped the heavy stream of saltwater you didn’t notice the three men who had gathered outside your door.

“You’re his whore, right?” one of them called, pulling your attention to the knives sheathed in their belt and the stench of liquor that hung in the air. You shook your head, trying to push past them but he grabbed your wrist and pulled you away from the safety of your room. “You travel with him, what else are you good for?” You silently shrugged and reached for your blade, panic bubbling inside of you when you realized you had left it at the table. A solid fist connected with your side and you gasped in pain. It didn’t take long before you were on the ground, hands over your face as you struggled to avoid their drunken kicks. Your body ached and you longed to call out, but fear kept you silent. He would think you were weak, and then he was sure to leave you behind. A Witcher had no use for a weak, annoying girl. So, you endured their abuse until they got bored and wandered away. You could only thank the gods that they had not chosen to take other liberties. Whispering “whore” was different than treating you like one, although you weren’t entirely sure you didn’t deserve it.

Your muscles screamed as you dragged yourself to your room and fumbled with the doorknob before falling in. You considered staying there to bleed out, or at least pass out from exhaustion, but Geralt didn’t deserve to have to clean up your mess.

You made it to the bathroom and surveyed the damage. Not too much to your face which was good, but your stomach was a different story. At least on rib had suffered breakage and the normally pale skin was black and blue. One had taken a knife to your thigh, it was lucky they had only gotten one good hit in before the leader had chastised him. It was nothing a few stitches couldn’t solve, and the rest could be hidden by clothing. All except the busted lip you were currently trying to make up a story for, maybe falling into the bedpost? The real trick would be moving without a limp, but you could manage, you had managed a lot worse.

By the time the stitches were sewn, and you had wiped off the blood, covering everything else with a long sleeve you reserved for winter, the sun had long since set. Geralt was laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. When you stepped out he glanced at you, and then he was out of the bed storming towards you. You backed away terrified. Had you missed something? Did the men brag to the bar about the little girl they had taught a lesson? But instead of yelling his hands caught your face and examined your lip with a rough thumb.

“What happened?”

“I tripped,” you muttered.

“Fuck you did.”

“Would you just trust me?” you snapped, ducking beneath his arm and climbing into bed, waiting with bated breath to see if he noticed the slight stiffness to your walk. He hadn’t, and only stared at you, confusion written all over his face.

It was hard to fall asleep that night your whole body was throbbing and the soft snores that you normally fell asleep to never came. You could feel his golden eyes trained on your, waiting for you to admit you weren’t sleeping and tell him what was going on.

“Y/N,” he whispered but you didn’t move. You couldn’t let him know you were weak, and anyway once you started you wouldn’t be able to stop. The weeks of silence would finally boil over and he’d be annoyed all over again. It was best to just remain silent.

And that’s how it went, a sleepless night for the both of you, and by god were you exhausted. Between the mental beating of staying silent and the physical one that had happened the night previous it was a wonder you were able to eat your breakfast and climb onto your horse. He had offered you stay the dead and relax, but that wasn’t him. You knew he was just doing it for you, and so you insisted that you didn’t have time for such frivolities. His worry was engulfing now, wrapping around you, thick and suffocating.

He was going to find out, he probably already had.

Oh god he knew.

That’s why he suggested staying in town. You would take a nap and then he would slip out, abandoning you in this little town.

You had failed.

You hadn’t done anything but make it worse.

“Y/N,” he shouted, interrupting your thoughts and suddenly you couldn’t breathe. Your breaths were short and quick as you gasped for air, clawing at your chest and then you were tumbling off your horse. “What’s wrong? Y/N what’s happening?”

He was pleading now, but you couldn’t bare to tell him, though you weren’t even sure you could. Your hands were trembling as you scrambled away from a very worried Geralt. In your fall you had snapped your stitches and blood was coating the leg of your pants, and his hand was pressing against the wound.

A shrill sound echoed in your ears and struggled to block it out with shaking hands, but it was all in your head. It kept getting louder and you felt tighter, like your lungs were expanding, threatening to break your ribcage if you didn’t exhale, but you couldn’t. You no longer knew how.

Someone was holding you, they were whispering into your ear but you could only feel their breath. You hadn’t realized you were moving until the smell of lavender and daises clogged your senses.

“Take a deep breath.” It was an order but you had no idea how you could hear it, they were miles away, yet you thought you could feel their arms wrapped around you. You did your best to listen, the inhale the wildflowers that had caused this whole mess, but it caught in your throat. “Breathe in and out. C’mon Y/N like this.” They were holding your shaking hands to their chest and you could feel the deep rise and fall of their chest, like waves enveloping the beach and then surging away. “There you go, nice and easy,” they coaxed and you nodded. Your face was wet with tears, but so was theirs. “Look, there’s some lavender, you were right it’s gorgeous, but you’ve got to open your eyes to see it. There you go,” he was whispering now, but everything was going fuzzy again. Golden eyes and purple flowers were the last thing you saw before the blood loss pulled you to sleep.

When you woke again you were in the same bed you had pretended to sleep in the night before. Geralt’s head was laying on the thick comforter, the snores you had so desperately craved filling your senses. You tried to sit up but your head spun and you crashed back down to the pillow.

“Y/N,” he whispered and you glanced him, mouth opening to thank him, to apologize, to say anything after the weeks you had spent silent, but his hatred forced them closed again. “No, don’t do that. Fuck.”

“I’m sorry,” you whispered and he grabbed your hand tightly pulling it against his lips.

“You have nothing to be sorry about. I shouldn’t have told you to shut up, I never want you to shut up again.” He had tears in your eyes that you didn’t hesitate to wipe away.

“It’s not your fault.”

“Fuck, yes it is. You should never feel like that. God, someone beat you up and you didn’t feel like you could tell me about it. That’s worse, everything is worse when you’re not there smiling and telling me how wonderful it is. You have to promise you won’t ever listen to me again, I might die.” You smiled and pulled him in for a hug.

“I promise,” you whispered, finally letting the tears that you had been holding in fall. With tender fingers he wiped them away and you giggled softly. You pulled him into bed with you and as you fell back asleep you decided this was a silence you could get used to.

[hale-13]

Euarthropoda

By Hale13

For the Summer of Whump Day 9 - Bugs

Peter enjoys visiting Tony out at the lake house - even though his mentor insists on going hiking.

Words: 1924, Chapters: 1/1 (Complete), Language: English

Fandoms: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)

Rating: Gen

Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark

Characters: Peter Parker, Tony Stark

TW: Light Discussion of Mental Health

Read on AO3 or below the line break.

“A hike?” Peter asked, his voice dubious and still heavy with sleep. Tony had dragged him out of bed at an ungodly hour to shove a homemade breakfast with all the fixings down his throat before their supposed foray into the ‘great outdoors’.

“A hike,” his mentor confirmed, putting an ungodly amount of ketchup and sriracha on his omelet, making Peter crinkle his nose in disgust. “Eat up! We want to get out there early so we aren’t out in the hottest part of the day.”

“Maybe you haven’t noticed,” Peter pointed out, talking around a mouthful of hash browns with grilled onions – it still blew him away that the Tony Stark he remembered severely burnt or set everything on fire before the Snap but now was perfectly capable of cooking a delicious meal. Wild. “But neither of us is what one might call ‘outdoorsy’,” Peter pointed out, air quotes included, adding another mound of bacon and sausage to his plate when Tony nudged the platter closer.

“Sure we are!” Tony protested. “You spend most of your day outside and I live at a lake house.”

“First of all,” Peter said imperiously, using his fork to point at this mentor and speaking with his mouth full. “Living at a lake house doesn’t mean that you’re suddenly a skilled outdoorsman. It just means that you have money. And second,” Peter continued, speaking louder over Tony’s spluttering, “I spend no time outside at all whatsoever.”

“Lies and slander,” Tony argued. “I’ve seen the logs for your suit so I know just how much you aren’t in your apartment no matter what you tell May.”

Peter threw his arms up in indignation. “Time in the suit does not equate to time spent in the wilderness! It’s climate controlled for fuck’s sake.”

“Language,” Tony admonished with a glance toward the stairs. Morgan had a penchant for creeping around to eavesdrop and had picked up lots of new… vocabulary… that she was all too pleased to teach her multitude of friends at school much to her teacher’s anger, Pepper’s embarrassed rage and Tony’s chagrin. Peter just rolled his eyes – he had super hearing, he would know if Morgan was creeping up on them. “Finish your breakfast.”

“Ugh,” Peter groaned but gave in. He knew a losing battle when he saw one – he was pretty stubborn but, if anyone could beat him out, it was Tony Stark. “Where are we even going?”

“Just around the lake,” Tony answered, spreading Nutella liberally on his toast. “It’s a few miles and I realized I hadn’t shown you the trails yet.”

Peter hummed and looked out the window where the watery light from the early morning sun was cascading over the kitchen and leaving long shadows. It was so much quieter here than the city, the only noise coming from the birds and the gentle lapping of the water from the lake onto the shore. It really was a beautiful place and, despite his verbal protests, Peter actually wasn’t that upset about spending a quiet morning walking around the shore of the lake and relaxing – it had been a rough week of Spider-Manning and he was ready for a break.

“Pete?” Tony asked, pulling him from his musings. “We don’t actually have to go if you really don’t want to. You know that right?”

“I know,” Peter reassured him. “I think I do want to.” Tony gave him a bright smile before grabbing his empty plate to put in the dishwasher.

“Go get changed,” the man said. “I’ll meet you by the dock in a few minutes once I get this put away,” he gestured to the few dirty dishes left on the table, completely empty due to Peter’s voracious metabolism.

“Sure,” Peter agreed. “I’ll do my best not to wake up Mo.”

“Oh God,” Tony groaned. “Please do. We’ll never get out of here if she wakes up.”

Peter laughed, leaving the kitchen to climb up the stairs and enter his room. It was supposed to be a warm day so he pulled on a pair of shorts and a worn out tank top along with a pair of beat up sneakers. Tony was already down by the dock when Peter made his way outside, stretching out his calves, two HydroFlasks sitting in the dirt next to him.

“Ready?” Tony asked, tossing him a bottle which Peter caught easily.

“Yep,” he agreed, stretching his own arms over his head to pop his back and release the tension in his shoulders that was a constant from all of his web-slinging. Tony set an easy pace, following the dirt trail around the lake and Peter fell into step next to him, their conversation light and lulling into comfortable silence in some places as they hiked, just taking in the scenery.

The area truly was stunning; an uncovered gem that Tony had been lucky to find. Land like this didn’t sit around unoccupied for long in the upstate area and Peter could see himself – one da, hopefully – retiring somewhere similar. Maybe Tony would let him build a house out here someday, he was certainly developing a taste for peace and quiet.

“May said you’d had a tough week,” Tony finally brought up lightly, confirming Peter’s suspicions for the alone time away from curious and meddling ears. The two were the absolute worst gossips at their bi-weekly co-parenting lunches – Peter was just lucky Happy hadn’t started joining them since he and May had started dating. Peter wouldn’t get away with anything if all three of them were involved.

Peter mulled the question over for a few minutes before shrugging, deciding to try for nonchalant. “It wasn’t great but I’m okay,” he finally conceded, voice carefully light.

“You can talk to me Webs,” Tony said carefully, his tone neutral. “If anyone knows what this business is like its me.”

They continued in silence for a minute more before Peter stopped in the path and leaned against one of the trees overlooking the lake, watching a Great Blue Heron wade in the shallows a few hundred feet from them pursuing its next meal. “I lost somebody,” he ground out. “I was right there and I’d already webbed up the bad guy but I guess one of his arms was free enough to still aim and fire his gun and…” Peter sniffed, eyes dry but stinging.

Tony sighed but didn’t offer any platitudes. “It sucks and it’s not fair,” he agreed, reaching out a hand to squeeze Peter’s shoulder quickly in solidarity. “And its going to happen again; all that matters is how you handle it. How are you handling it?”

“Mostly by punching a brick wall until I break my knuckles,” Peter admitted, carefully not looking at his mentor’s facial expression which he knew would be disapproving – Tony wasn’t really a fan of Peter’s penchant for using pain and violence to work through his emotions. He held up his right hand though, allowing the man to inspect the unmarred skin and healed bones without protest knowing he would be fighting a losing battle.

“I think we should talk about healthy coping mechanisms again,” Tony joked without humor. “Because this isn’t it.”

“I know,” Peter admitted.

“You give any more thought to my offer?” And Peter had. After the ‘Blip’ both Tony and May had tried to talk Peter into seeing one of the therapists the Avengers had on retainer. His identity would remain secure and he could vent and develop healthy coping mechanisms. Work through some of the issues he knew that he was repressing. Figure out how to deal with the PTSD WebMD told him he had. He had refused them a couple times over the months he had been back but now…

“I‘ve thought about it,” he admitted.

“And?” Tony asked, voice patient but with a hopeful undercurrent he couldn’t quite hide.

“I’ll try it,” Peter agreed, grunting in surprise when Tony pulled him into a firm hug that Peter leaned into, returning it with equal force and closing his eyes to rest his forehead on Tony’s flesh shoulder, tension he didn’t know he was carrying releasing from his muscles.

“I’m so proud of you kiddo,” the man whispered into his ear and Peter felt a watery smile pull up his cheekbones.

“Thanks,” he said as he pulled back to meet Tony’s eyes only for his mentor to be looking at Peter’s shoulder instead of his face. Peter knit his brows in confusion. “Tony?”

“Hold still Pete,” he said, gesturing to Peter’s shoulder. “Got a little wolf spider on you. I’ll get it.”

“A WHAT!” Peter screeched, jumping backwards and yanking his tank top off, ripping it to shreds and tossing it before running his hands over his arms, hair standing on end and skin crawling like he was covered in bugs.

“Uh,” Tony said, looking caught between laughter and confusion. “You okay bud?”

“I HATE spiders,” Peter said, shuddering and climbing halfway up the tree behind him to get away from his shirt on the ground and the arachnid that may still be in it. He was taking no chances. “Aren’t you going to kill it?”

“Kill it?” Tony asked faintly before letting out a snort. “Hate to break it to you Pete, but we’re in his territory not the other way around.”

“He lost the chance to live when he climbed on me,” Peter spat out venomously, eyes still locked on the shirt. He wasn’t letting the little bastard escape. “Can you please just kill it?”

“Pretty sure you flung him halfway to the city already,” Tony choked out around his laughter, picking up Peter’s discarded shirt and shaking it out to check it. “Think your shirt is toast.”

“You’re sure its gone?” Peter asked suspiciously, still perched on the trunk of the tree and feeling over his arms to make sure it wasn’t still on him.

“Yes Peter, Christ. Can you get down from there?” Peter narrowed his eyes but dropped back to the ground, scanning the area nervously. His Spidey sense was tingling uncomfortably from the adrenaline that was working its way through his system. Tony looked him over for a second to make sure he was okay before letting out a snort and then bursting into laughter. “Spider-Man afraid of spiders. Oh this is good!”

“Yeah yeah,” Peter grumbled, crossing his arms over his bare chest and feeling his cheeks heat up. “Laugh it up.”

“Aw its okay buddy!” Tony said, draping his arm around Peter’s shoulders and pulling him back down the path toward the cabin. “We all have at least one irrational fear. Say,” he said, voice teasing, “does May kill them all for you at home?”

“Hell no!” Peter said, shaking his head. “She’s worse than me – Ben always had to handle the various vermin that would come in the apartment uninvited.”

“So what do you two do? Go ask a neighbor?” Tony teased, lightly elbowing Peter in the ribs and causing him to scowl. “Scream until someone comes running? Call Happy?”

“We just… leave. You know, let it do it’s thing. Then we come home and are just really uncomfortable for a few days,” he said squirming a little in discomfort at the thought.

Tony let out a bark of bright laughter, pulling Peter into a side hug. “We can work on something to help you with that later in the lab I think.”

“Please,” Peter agreed in pure relief, following along back towards the house and keeping a weary eye on his surroundings… just in case.

[teaplease1717]

Story: Ashes of Love and War

Chapter: 15 / ?

Couple: Todoroki Shouto / Yaoyorozu Momo (TodoMomo)

Rating: M (for language and violence)

Betas: @flourchildwrites​ (Link)  & C’s Melody (Link)

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21638800/chapters/74623470

Thank you everyone who follows and supports!

XXXXXX

50 days post the fall of Troy (Morning after the attack)

The next day, fog covered the mountaintop in a heavy gray that seemed to match the mood within the orphanage. Silent and bloodless, the humid mist rolled off the sea and breached the orphanage's walls like a harbinger of the danger surrounding them all.

The men that had escaped the stympahlian’s attack unharmed trudged silently around the quarters, fixing what they could or preparing for that night’s battle. No one had slept.

There was an anxious tension in the air. Momo had caught a few of Fukukado’s men siphoning alcohol from the orphanage’s last wine barrel but hadn’t stopped them. All anyone could do was try to keep their mind off of the upcoming battle.

Momo grabbed a jar of honey and fresh bandages from their dwindling supplies and then hurried back into the makeshift infirmary. She was the only one on duty at the moment. Aizawa and Asui were busy bringing the unhurt children and the few injured pirates that could still walk down to the ship.

She went over to the nearest man’s pallet and sat down next to him. The pirate was feverish and shaking. A stymphalian had sliced through his arm, down to the bone. Long gashes along his back were already starting to fester. She helped him sip from a flask of wine, laid the man back down, and began redressing his bandages.

Her shoulder throbbed at the movement, but Momo ignored the pain. The work and sting were a welcome distraction. If she stopped, if she paused, she’d think about Tokoyami. And then she’d just be upset.

He had come by her room that morning before departing for his patrol. Momo had known the sound of his footsteps as he stopped in front of her door, but he hadn’t knocked and, after a few moments, had left without saying anything even though he had said he wanted to speak to her.

Not that Momo wanted to talk. She didn’t even know what they’d say to one another. Yesterday, she had been so incredibly furious. But now, whenever she thought of Tokoyami, she just felt hollow.

Tokoyami was her oldest friend. He had been her confidant, had protected and guided her throughout the war and politics of Apollo’s temple. But Momo had taken his companionship for granted.

And now it felt too late.

The harder she fought to hold onto their friendship, the more it broke. All that was left were chipped pieces of glass that cut her every time she touched them.

The most painful part was that Momo was coming to the realization that no matter how the night played out, their friendship would never go back to how it was.

She finished dressing the patient’s wounds. Then she left the makeshift hospital wing and paused, sniffing the air.

There was a strange smell laced in the wind. It was hard to tell over the dark magic-infused fog, but it almost smelled like smoke.

Momo walked back to the kitchen and paused. Todoroki was standing there, looking out the window. He didn’t appear to have seen her, and Momo debated if she should leave him alone.

He was another factor in her life that was difficult to think about. But at least he talked to her.

Momo stepped into the room. “Todoroki.”

He didn’t respond, and she moved closer. She looked up, following his gaze. In the distance, through the fog, there was a faint red-orangish tinge. It looked like a fire flickered on the far south side of the island.

Momo’s eyebrows drew together. It was an unusually hot summer. There had been two small fires that month already, but this felt different. It felt bigger.

A shiver ran down her spine.

If it was a fire, who’d lit it? Had Tokoyami done it? No. He should still be on the other side of the island and wouldn’t have been able to see the flames from where he was.

She turned towards Todoroki and found him still staring at the red tinge in the distance, his eyes unfocused. His index finger absently tapped against the hilt of his sword, but otherwise, he hadn’t moved since she had arrived.

Momo frowned. She reached out to lightly touch his arm.

Todoroki flinched and looked up sharply. His expression immediately relaxed. “Yaoyorozu.”

Momo searched his face. His reaction was odd, but she brushed it off. There were more important things to think about. “What do you think? This fog isn’t normal. Could the magic in the air have created it?”

Todoroki glanced back out the window. “Maybe,” he said after a moment. “I don’t know. We’ll have to check it out once Aizawa gets back.”

Momo’s lips thinned. If they could see the flames’ flickers from the orphanage, it was a lot bigger than a simple brush fire.

“Do you think it’s…” She couldn’t finish the thought.

Todoroki’s jaw tightened. “With how strange the stymphalian were acting yesterday, we can’t discard the possibility that they’re behind this.”

Momo’s stomach sank, but before she could respond, footsteps sounded from the hallway. Momo turned around as Aizawa appeared in the kitchen doorway, his expression hard.

He looked at Todoroki. “Good. You’ve already seen the fire. I need you to go check out if it’s anything we need to be concerned about.”

Todoroki nodded and moved towards the door.

Momo stepped forward. “Wait.”

Aizawa and Todoroki paused and looked back at her. Momo swallowed and brought a hand up to clench in front of her chest. “Should I go find Tokoyami?”

Aizawa looked at her, considering.

“No,” he said finally, his tone calm, but brokering no room for argument. Momo cringed internally. “We’ll wait for now, at least until Todoroki has confirmed how bad the fire is. We don’t want to stretch ourselves too thinly.”

Momo felt sick as she watched Todoroki disappear into the fog from the kitchen’s window. First the attack last night, then the fire this morning. There were too many coincidences that made her uncomfortable.

She wrapped her arms around herself. At least Aizawa seemed to be as wary as she felt. It wasn’t that he was brushing off her concerns; he was just trying to keep everyone calm. They needed to stay unified if they were going to win.

She drew in a shaky breath. Aizawa was a seasoned warrior, and she trusted his judgment. She shouldn’t be feeling so unsure. The fire may be nothing.

Behind her, there was the sound of the door opening. Momo looked over her shoulder.

Asui walked in carrying soiled bandages for cleaning. She dropped the bandages onto the floor, next to the wash bin, and brushed her hands off, giving Momo a small smile.

“Aizawa is getting ready to move Eri as well as some of the injured from the infirmary down to the boat...” She paused, giving Momo a long look. “Are you okay? You look tired. Have you rested yet, kero?”

Momo reached up and rubbed her injured shoulder. “No, I can’t sleep. There’s too much to do.”

Asui nodded and moved closer to look out the window. Her expression was unreadable. “Don’t worry about Todoroki and Tokoyami,” she said after a moment. “They’ll be okay, kero.”

Momo forced a small smile. “I know. But I can’t help but worry.”

Asui nodded. “I know. That’s because they’re important to you.”

Momo opened her mouth. The rehearsed lines denying that Todoroki was someone important to her were on the tip of her tongue, but she suddenly realized she didn’t know if they were true anymore.

Her feelings towards Todoroki were... complicated.

At first, it was only a sense of obligation and responsibility to repay her debt that kept her bound to him, but now she didn’t know.

Momo had realized that she couldn’t hate him. No matter what Tokoyami said, Todoroki had never done anything to earn Momo’s distrust. She may not understand what he was after. His actions and words may confuse her, but she knew he wouldn’t hurt her. And then, last night, when she had held Todoroki’s hand between her own as she treated him, it had felt like she had finally seen the real him.

And he was sad. And lonely.

She got the sense that Todoroki was afraid of letting people get too close. Momo didn’t even know if he had any friends. Perhaps Prince Bakugou but his relationship with the monarch had seemed more like mutual respect than a close friendship. And he had never mentioned if there was a lover waiting for him back home in Sparta either. The only relation he had spoken of was his sister, but it had been over ten years since he had seen her.

In a cruel sense, Todoroki seemed to be as alone as she felt. The thought made her chest tighten.

“It’s not really my place to say anything,” Asui began, snapping Momo out of her thoughts. She started and stared at the nereid. “But I don’t think Tokoyami meant to hurt you yesterday. He meant well, even if he should have gone about it differently. He’s worried about you. He doesn’t want to lose you.”

Momo pressed her lips into a thin line. Her fingers fidgeted with her chiton. “I know,” she said stiffly. “I just–” Her voice cracked.

Her chest ached. Momo didn’t know if she could tell the nereid about her and Tokoyami’s strained friendship. It was obvious she knew.

Everyone knew.

She just hadn’t spoken about it with anyone.

They had been on Aretias for over a month, but she wasn’t close with the nereid. They roomed together and were on friendly terms, but she still felt like there was a rift between them. Momo rarely ever spent time with Asui alone. The nereid was always with Tokoyami. She’d probably even report everything Momo said back to him, but-

Momo was so tired of holding it all in. Tired of shouldering everything by herself. She wanted someone to understand. Someone to talk to.

She drew in a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. “Everything...it just feels like it’s all changing between us. Ever since we came here, everything has fallen apart between Tokoyami and me.”

Asui didn’t say anything.

Momo swallowed thickly. “He’s always angry at me these days. I know it's not all his fault. I’m to blame too. I haven’t listened to him, but...but it feels like, even if I try to be better, even if I stay here, we’ll never go back to how it was in Troy. Nothing will ever be the same again.”

Her lips trembled. Momo hadn’t realized how painful it would be to say the words out loud.

She reached up and brushed her bangs behind her ear, blinking to stop herself from crying. She was so sick of crying.

Asui was silent for a moment.

“Perhaps so,” she said slowly. Her large dark eyes seemed almost sympathetic. She reached out and took Momo’s hand. “Tokoyami doesn’t mean to be harsh. He’s having a hard time moving on from the war. He needs time. But maybe that’s how it has to be?”

Momo didn’t say anything. Asui dropped her head to stare at their hands.

“War is horrible. You know that better than I ever will. There is no such thing as a war without casualties, even for those not physically injured. It touches everything and takes and takes and takes, forcing you to mold yourself into a person you may not have chosen to be. The only way to survive — to stay sane — is to form bonds and adapt. So for ten years, you and Tokoyami had to rely on each other to survive. But, now that the war is over, maybe you’re just finding out who you were always meant to be, kero?”

Momo bit her lip. Her chest hurt. She shrugged half-heartedly and sniffed.

“Maybe,” she repeated. Her throat felt tight. “It’s not like I didn’t know there would be changes once we left Troy. I thought I had prepared myself for it, but I-I just didn’t expect us to fight this much. Even after tonight…I just don’t know what I’m supposed to do anymore.” Her voice quivered slightly.

Asui stared at her. “What do you want to do?”

Momo smiled bitterly. “Tokoyami thinks that I should stay here.”

Asui shook her head. “If your decision is to go with Todoroki or Fukukado, Tokoyami will be okay with it. And if he isn’t, he’ll need to be. It’s not his decision. He just doesn’t want you to make a decision based on a feeling of obligation or sense of duty. He wants you to be happy.” She squeezed Momo’s hand.

Momo looked down at their hands, and her lips thinned. She had always thought she’d stay with Tokoyami, here, but after everything that had happened...

“What do you want? Do you want to go with Todoroki?”

Momo didn’t know.

She left Asui to go prepare Eri for the journey down the mountain.

Momo picked up the surgery basket from the infirmary and headed towards the courtyard.

The men she’d caught stealing wine earlier in the day were sleeping, slumped against the wall. Drool hung from the sides of some of their drunken mouths. Their breath reeked of stolen spirits. Momo wrinkled her nose but left them alone as she hurried along, up the stairs and to the children’s room.

Eri was still feverish. Momo changed the cloth on her forehead and swaddled her in her blanket. She looked so tiny that Momo wanted to hug her. Instead she sat down on the edge of the bed beside her.

If she left the orphanage, she’d miss the children. And Aizawa and Tokoyami and Asui, probably.

Her chest tightened, and she reached over to brush back Eri’s white hair.

She didn’t know what she wanted anymore.

Aizawa had become her mentor of sorts, and she loved the children dearly. She had never been close to Asui, but maybe she could be if she stayed? Momo liked the thought of that.

She smiled faintly, then let it fall.

If she stayed here, would she be happy? Could she be happy?

Momo had always assumed that someone else would decide what would happen after the stymphalian were defeated. She had never even considered what she might want.

She liked being with Aizawa, Asui, and the children. She was comfortable here. But there was nothing on the island. Her life would be confined to working with Aizawa, making potions, and domestic chores. She’d have Tokoyami...if he ever forgave her, but there were no other people for her to connect with beside the occasional visits from the pirates.

This would be it.

Was that what she wanted?

Momo got up. She walked over to the window and looked out towards the fire in the distance, then paused. Her stomach twisted viciously. The fog had grown so thick and dark that she couldn’t even see over the ridge anymore.

It was like night had fallen.

A guttural scream abruptly cracked through the air. She turned and grabbed the first sharp object she could find — a surgery knife. Then she rushed out the door.

The courtyard was in chaos.

Stymphalian were climbing the walls and mounting the roof. The pirates were fighting as best they could, but they were outnumbered.

Dread filled Momo’s heart as she watched a man attempt to attack one of the creatures, but his movements were slow and sluggish.

Like he was drugged.

Momo’s eyes widened, and she looked around quickly. Her eyes landed on the men she had passed on her way up the stairs. They were still slumped over in the same position she had seen them earlier. Her heart pounded against her rib cage, and it felt like the floor had dropped from under her as a realization struck her.

The wine.

It had been poisoned.

Guilt slammed into her like a tornado.

Momo stumbled back. She should have known. How could she have forgotten? The missing jar from Aizawa’s storage room was belladonna, a highly toxic and untraceable poison. Aizawa had taught her how to extract the poison from the purple berries himself. How could she have forgotten? And she had given some to the men in the infirmary too.

Momo bit down on her lip until she tasted blood. Her fingers shook around the knife clutched in her hand. This was all her fault. If only she had remembered. If only she had-

“Yaoyorozu!”

Asui’s sudden scream broke Momo out of her despair. She jerked back sharply just as a feather grazed her cheek.

She hissed between her teeth at the sharp sting. It was a shallow cut; she had been lucky. But she didn’t have time to brush the blood off her face as a shadow appeared above her.

Momo spun out of the way as a stymphalian landed, shaking the wooden veranda. She drew in a deep breath, trying to calm her pounding heart, as she straightened and held up her knife.

It was hardly a useful weapon, but it was all she had. The spear that Aizawa had lent her was still in her room behind the creature.

She needed to think of some way to get around it. A winning strategy.

It was just one creature.

The monster lunged. Momo braced herself for the impact, but before the stymphalian’s claws were within reach, there was a sharp crack as a green blur slammed into the creature.

Asui stumbled forward as she landed before catching herself. A feather had sliced across her leg, and she was panting heavily.

Momo ran towards her. “Asui!”

“I’m fine, kero.” Blood was running down her leg.

Momo reached down to tear her chiton to act as a bandage, but Asui stopped her. The nereid raised her head. Her eyes hardened as they met Momo's. “I’ll cover for you. Go! Go get Todoroki. We need him.”

Momo’s stomach felt like it had a weight in it, and she nodded jerkingly. She stepped back and then turned, bolting down the stairs and through the house out the front door. She felt lightheaded. Her heart was beating so fast she thought she might be sick as she pushed herself forward.

There was a loud, pained shriek behind her, but she didn’t stop to see if it was a stymphalian or someone she knew.

When she was out of the orphanage, she paused momentarily to stuff the knife into her chiton. She wouldn’t be any help if she fell and impaled herself.

She took a deep breath, staggered forward, and then she was running, over the cliff and down towards the south side of the island.

It was a trap.

It was a trap.

Everything had been a trap. The attack last night, the wine, the fire...it had all been planned.

Momo wanted to scream as she bolted down the path but forced her anger back down. She needed to find Todoroki and then Tokoyami. She had to get them back to the orphanage.

The smell of smoke grew stronger as she raced down the path. Momo thought there was also a faintly sweet smell that swirled through the air too but didn’t have time to think about it.

The heat suddenly hit her. Hot and suffocating. Momo coughed and tried to look for movement through the fog and smoke.

“Todoroki!” she screamed.

She spotted something move ahead of her, and she dashed down the hill and through the smoke.

Her heart almost leapt as Todoroki came into view. Then her gaze landed on the two things he was carrying.

They were Fukukado’s men.

They were slightly burned but appeared to still be alive. Momo’s heart hammered against her ribs.

Todoroki laid the men down on the ground gently and then looked up. His eyes widened.

She didn’t have time to stop as her momentum slammed her into his chest. He reached out and caught her.

“Yaoyorozu,” he said, surprised.

Momo grasped his arm for support as she gasped for breath. Her chiton was ripped from the bushes as she had run down the mountain. And there was a stabbing pain in her side; her lungs felt like the fire from the brush had moved into her chest.

Todoroki’s eyes darkened. “You’re bleeding,” he said, lifting his hand to touch her cheek.

Momo started and pulled back. “Don’t worry. It’s just a scratch,” she said quickly, wiping at her cheek with the back of her hand.

Something rippled across Todoroki's face. He dropped his hand and then stared at her. “Yaoyorozu, what are you doing here?”

“You need to go back. Now!”

“What?”

“It’s a trap! The stymphalian set the fire to lure you away. You need to go back and help. I'll go get Tokoyami.”

Todoroki’s eyes widened. “I’ll go with you.”

“No.” Momo shook her head. “Aizawa and Asui are fighting. They need you.”

She tried to pull away, but his grip was firm on her wrist. “No. I’m not letting you go by yourself, weaponless.”

Momo’s stomach curled. She swallowed and nodded. She was suddenly tired and didn’t have the energy to argue with him. The faster they found Tokoyami, the faster they could get back to the orphanage. He couldn’t be too far away right now.

Satisfied with her response, Todoroki’s expression softened. “Okay. Let’s go. He’s probably around the southeast side,” he said, picking the men up and moving past her.

Momo turned to follow and stumbled slightly before catching herself. She straightened and shook her head to clear her mind.

Todoroki looked back at her. Then, his eyes abruptly widened, and he practically dropped the men as his hand flew to his sword.

“Yaoyorozu!”

Before Momo could react, an arm slipped around her waist, and she was yanked backwards. A dry, rough tongue slid across her cheek.

She gasped in shock. A shiver ran down her spine. It was like she had suddenly been plunged into a freezing, cold lake.

Momo tried to scream, but her voice caught in her throat.

Something was wrong. She inhaled a quick, sharp breath, but her voice wouldn’t work. It felt like her lungs were shriveling inside of her.

Instinctually, her eyes darted to Todoroki.

He was pale and stone-faced as he glared at the one behind her. “Let her go, and I’ll spare you,” Todoroki said slowly, his voice vibrating.

The one holding her barked a dry, guttural sound that was as cold and rough as his tongue had been.

“Like you spared all those Trojans?” the man snarled mockingly.

Momo’s heart dropped into her stomach.

“I think not, Shouto Todoroki. My sponsor wants you to suffer.”

Todoroki’s grip tightened around Endeavor’s hilt until his knuckles whitened. Then he lunged forward. Steel feathers shot out from the foliage, and he jumped back, raising his arm as they sliced into his skin like knives.

He hissed, his eyes flashing in rage, and pulled the feathers from his arm. Blood splattered onto the ground.

Momo watched in increasing terror as eight stymphalian materialized from the fog. They were bigger than any stymphalian she had seen before and more human-looking.

Todoroki slid into a fighting stance as the monsters surrounded him.

She needed to get away. Todoroki was at a significant disadvantage with her as a hostage. Momo tried to wrench away from the man but just trembled and couldn’t. The pounding of her heart against her ribs increased, and her eyes widened as a sense of terror overtook her.

The stymphalian screamed and closed in on Todoroki. He turned and blocked one of the creature’s talons. Then he jumped back, though not fast enough, as black magic clipped his arm.

He rolled his jaw, and his eyes flashed. He lunged for the closest monster, but it was like his whole body had suddenly grown slower. And he missed.

Momo swallowed thickly.

He couldn't take on all ten of the stymphalian with only a sword. He would be killed.

The arm around her waist tightened, like a steel band that pulled her tightly into her captor’s chest. “This, Shouto Todoroki, is your punishment for all the blood you’ve spilled. The pain you've caused. My sponsor will take what you desire most.”

Suddenly, she was lifted into the air.

Todoroki raised his head sharply. His gaze was fierce as he met her eyes. "Yaoyorozu! Hold on, I'll come for you!” he yelled, blocking another attack.

The man carrying her laughed. “Try your best, hero. Struggle, fight, rage,” he rasped as he descended the cliffs into the fog. “Fakes like you are undeserving of being called heroes. Undeserving of happiness."

"Yaoyorozu!" Todoroki's voice was already faint as her kidnapper jumped through the shrubs, carrying her down the mountain.

The world moved past her eyes at a frightening speed. Blood roared through Momo’s ears as the ground seemed to blur. Her captor was agile, jumping from rock to rock with almost inhuman speed.

She needed to think of something, but the jerky movements were disorienting, and her mind lagged.

The smell of the sea grew stronger. Suddenly, her stomach jolted as she was dropped onto a hard wooden surface. The floor rocked.

From the side of her eye, she could make out that they were on a small fishing boat.

She tried to push herself up, but her body refused to move. Panic tightened in her chest as Momo lay there frozen.

There was a scraping sound, and the boat rocked again, but Momo couldn’t move to steady herself. A shadow moved over her, and Momo's eyes widened in terror as a man looked down at her.

He had no nose.

It was as if it had been cut off of his face, leaving only a gaping hole.

A scream bubbled through her, but her mouth refused to open. The man leaned closer. His long black hair tickled against her sternum.

There was a mad glint in his small, blood-red eyes that glowed as he studied her. “Mandrake fumes,” he said after a moment. “They paralyze anyone who smells them.”

She tried to push herself further back into the wood, but nothing. She couldn’t control her body at all.

The man continued. “Unfortunately, they don’t work as well on demi-gods, but on mortals, they are known to be quite effective.” He pulled away and sat back on his heels. “I got lucky you had already breathed in enough, all I had to do was apply a little more of the paste to your cheek for it to have the intended effect,” he continued conversationally as if he were speaking of the weather. Then he looked at her, and his face rippled.

"It’s truly unfortunate that you must be involved in this punishment. As a fellow Trojan, I dislike the idea of having to involve you, but Todoroki must be punished, and my sponsor has specifically asked that you be part of that.” The man’s thin lips twitched and he looked away, his stare becoming distant. “Todoroki was given the name of hero, but we both know he is a hero in title only. I need to make him suffer for destroying our home. Even if it means your death.”

Momo couldn’t move. Couldn’t even scream.

He was crazy. She wasn’t anyone special. Why would her death affect Todoroki?

The man looked back at her, and his stare grew cold. “He killed our citizens. He’s a murderer. Surely you understand?”

The boat bobbed on the waves. She needed to get away. She needed to think of something, but she couldn’t even move her body. She felt tears prick at the edges of her eyes and tried to force them back, but even her control over that was gone, and she felt the liquid run down her cheeks.

It wasn’t enough. She wasn't enough. Her chest constricted at the thought. If only she were stronger, none of this would have happened.

“It is unfortunate.” The noseless man leaned forward and ran his thumb along her cheek, catching the tears. “But this is for the greater good,” he said, flicking the tears from his finger. “My sponsor will be here any moment.”

As if on cue, from the corner of her eye there was a bright flash and the boat suddenly rocked violently. The sweet smell from the mandrake fumes intensified.

The man hovering over her pulled away quickly, moving out of her vision.

“Overhaul,” the noseless man said in greeting.

“I see you’ve brought me what I asked.” The voice that responded to the noseless man was honeyed and sticky but slightly muffled as if he were covering his mouth.

“As promised, the woman in exchange for Todoroki’s life.”

“Of course. You may go now to get your revenge.”

She could practically feel the noseless man’s glee. The boat dipped, and Momo could sense him leave. She tried to wiggle to look at the god, but her body was still frozen.

She couldn't move. Couldn't even scream or cry. Tokoyami didn't know she had been taken, and Todoroki would never be able to get to her in time. She was only a replaceable slave. She couldn't fight well, could barely cook a decent meal. There was no reason he'd come for her, especially against a god.

Sandals clicked against the wood and a figure moved into her vision. A handsome man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties with short, dark brown hair and piercing gold eyes. A long gold-tipped beak covered his mouth.

Momo felt a cold dread curl within her.

Overhaul. The god of nightmares.

“Momo Yaoyorozu.” The god said her name slowly as if he were tasting each syllable. “Thank you for your cooperation.”

His gold eyes stared at her unblinking. Her body broke out in a cold sweat. His eyes were cold and filled with a thinly veiled cruelty. Momo had to remind herself to breathe as they lingered on her.

Suddenly, the god tilted his head as if something had just struck him. “Ah, I see the mandrake fumes are still in effect.” His voice sounded almost amused. “No worries, they should wear off soon. We can’t have you sitting out during the main event. ”

Momo stared at him, a cold dread pouring over her. Her heart pounded in her chest so fiercely she thought it might stop as his words sunk in.

What was he going to do?

As if he could read her mind — and perhaps he could — the god chuckled before saying, “The son of Ares will be here sooner or later.” His eyes burned with promise. “But, until then, we should prepare.”

The god knelt down next to her. He reached out with a gloved hand and brought two fingers to her temple. “Let’s make the Spartan suffer some. See how well he can fight when he sees the woman he wants drowning in her dreams.”

Her world spun violently, then turned dark.

[superwho-am-i-kidding]

Raise the Stakes (PART 2)

This chapter includes warnings! Major character death, as well as graphic depiction of violence. Please be cautious when reading.

(PART 1) (PART 3)

Always open for requests! Find prompts on my page, or send in your own! At work on the ones already submitted. Thank you!

Bill finally hung up his coat, rubbing his forehead in exhaustion. What was supposed to be an overnight shift turned into sixteen hours of nonstop work. He managed to text Alec a few times throughout the night, updating him as the hours wore on. He grabbed his phone and keys from the lounge and made his way to the parking lot. After locking the car doors, he dialed Alec’s number. “I’m finally done,” he said.

“You sound tired.”

“I am tired.”

“Why don’t you get something to eat on the way home?”

Bill closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. “My head hurts, Alec. I just want to go home and lay down.”

“Alright. Drive carefully, I don’t want you falling asleep and getting yourself hurt.”

“I’ll be fine, Alec.”

Alec sighed. “I love you, angel. With all my heart… and pacemaker.”

Bill laughed, turning the ignition on. “I love you too, Alec. See you soon.”

“Yeah, I–” Bill heard the doorbell ring. “I have to go. It’s probably Miller with more paperwork. Love you.”

“I love you– Alec?” Bill looked at his phone when the line went dead. “Weird,” he muttered, tossing his phone aside. He began the drive home, but his stomach grumbled. Bill pulled into the parking lot of a local café. He sat down to enjoy a couple pastries and a cup of hot tea. He sighed, inhaling the scented steam before taking a slow sip.

Bill texted Alec to see if he wanted anything brought home, but there was no reply. Bill waited another ten minutes before standing and returning to his car. His headache had lessened with the help of the tea, but it was still crying out for pain medication and a good nap. Within another few minutes, Bill was turning the last corner into the neighborhood. He was more than ready to collapse into Alec’s arms and sleep for a day.

His heart sped up a bit when he saw a cluster of vehicles parked outside his home. Alec wasn’t kidding. Ellie must’ve brought everyone along with her. He parked as close as he could, eyeing all the officers that were darting about on his lawn. “Ellie!” he called.

She turned, her face pale and streaked with tears. “Bill? What are you doing here?”

“I live here… what’s going on?”

“I thought you were in America.”

“Got home yesterday. Is Alec alright?”

Ellie’s eyes darted back to the house. “He, uh–”

Bill cursed. “I told him to take his heart medication. But he never listens to me. Let me go stick the damn pill down that stubborn man’s throat.”

“Bill–”

“He hates being surrounded, especially when it involves medical personnel. Do you know how long it took him to trust me? Even when we started dating, he didn’t want to be alone with me.” Bill was marching his way across the lawn. “I suppose that he was just nervous about being around a doctor. I didn’t know he had a heart condition then, but he was right to assume I would become the overprotective doctor once I found out.”

“Bill, you can’t go in there–” Ellie tried desperately to get him to stop walking.

“Ellie, I’m a doctor. He’ll feel much more comfortable with me than with these other paramedics…” His voice trailed off when he moved around an ambulance and saw crime scene tape flanking the front door. “Ellie? What–?” He stared wide-eyed at the teams of police moving in and out of his home. “What’s going on?”

“Bill… I don’t know where to start,” Ellie looked close to tears again as she put a hand on Bill’s shoulder. “Alec, he…”

“He what?” Bill prompted. “What happened to–?” His eyes widened when he read the lettering on the back of the jacket that disappeared inside the house. White block letters stood out against the black of the entryway.

CORONER

Bill scrambled from Ellie’s grip. “Alec? Alec!” An officer he didn’t know held him back as he began screaming the detective’s name. “Let me in there! His heart–”

“It wasn’t his heart,” Ellie said quietly, moving to stand between Bill and the officer. “He was working a high-profile case… He knew the risks…”

“What case? The only one he’s working on that I know of is…” Bill’s eyes widened in terror. “The Butcher! Alec!” he screamed; his voice desperate. “Alec!”

His head snapped towards a pair of officers pulling Ellie aside. “We found eleven 9-millimeter bullet casings near the body. He didn’t even know what hit him.”

“Bul–?” Bill sputtered, his knees buckling. “Bullets? Body?” He turned his head as the black jackets reappeared, a gurney between them. “No. No!” He shoved through the forensics, forcing his way next to the bag. “It can’t be him!” He tugged feverishly at the zipper, his hands shaking. Officers began to pull him away, but he locked gazes with a pair of glassy brown eyes and limp hair stained red. He screamed.

And screamed.

Ellie had to drag him away from the coroners, forcing him to sit on the grass. Bill’s body collapsed, sobs beginning to rip their way from his throat. He clung to Ellie, crying and screaming in agony. She held him, her own shoulders shaking. Time passed around Bill in waves, sometimes moving quickly. Sometimes, he could feel the hours dragging on through each passing second.

He wasn’t sure how he ended up at the town hall, standing next to Ellie as the Chief Superintendent gave a press conference. “Detective Inspector Alec Hardy was found murdered in his home this morning. He was shot eleven times.” Bill forced himself to suppress a gag. “We believe his death is linked directly to the escape of the Broadchurch Butcher. We will not rest until this man is caught and brought to justice.”

Bill was ushered to Ellie’s house, his feet moving without thinking. It wasn’t until he had a cup of tea in his hands that he realized he was in Ellie’s living room. Fred was on the couch next to him, solemnly keeping watch over the distraught man. Bill stared blankly into the teacup watching his reflection swirl in the murky liquid. He was going to have to plan the funeral.

Ellie came into the room and sat down on a chair across from him. “We’re already taking care of it.”

“What?” Bill looked up.

“The funeral,” Ellie said. “We’ve got it. He left a copy of his will in his desk at the station in case he–” She stopped, meeting Bill’s near-hysterical eyes. “In case something happened to him in the line of duty.” She swallowed. “He knew it was a risk to take on the Butcher a second time.”

“So why did he?” Bill’s voice cracked. “Why couldn’t he have just stayed home with me?” Ellie moved to hug him. Bill let himself be enveloped in her arms as he burst into tears. “I hate him!” he cried. “I hate him!”

Ellie held him tighter. “Let me get you something to eat. You need it.”

“I’m not hungry,” Bill sniffed. “I just want to go to sleep.” Ellie nodded, gently pushing Fred out of the room. Bill lay down on the couch, facing the backing. Maybe if he pretended, Alec would appear behind him at the edge of the couch. His daydream lasted for a week until the funeral. Even then, what was going on didn’t hit him until he got into the elevator in his black suit.

He stepped into the funeral parlor, trying not to show how badly he was trembling. He made his way next to the casket, forcing himself not to look inside. He didn’t care if it would be the last time he would see Alec on this planet. He wasn’t going to see him like that. As Ellie made her way to him, Bill pulled out a small, black box. “He never got to wear it,” Bill said, opening the box to reveal a detailed gold band. “Will you give it to him? He’ll be so excited to see it when he wakes up.”

“Bill…” Ellie sighed.

“I know!” Bill screamed, startling everyone in the room. “I know, okay? I know he’s not going to wake up,” Bill’s face was getting redder by the moment, “I know a third of his skull is missing because it got blown to shit in my kitchen! I know they did their best, but I know it doesn’t look like him. He wouldn’t have wanted this.”

“He requested an open casket in his will.”

“Yeah,” Bill scoffed bitterly. “Bet he didn’t expect to lose his head in the line of duty. I can’t stay here anymore,” Bill said. “I’ll head to the– Ellie!” he shoved the DS out of the way, screaming when a flash of hot pain tore through his stomach. He looked down at the knife protruding from his stomach, looking back up when he heard shouts. Bill fell to his knees the same time the man who stabbed him was tackled to the ground.

“It’s the Butcher!” someone screamed.

“We’ve got him!”

“Bill!” a couple voices called his name. He looked at Ellie, then behind her to the man in uniform with a full beard. A familiar Scottish brogue and a pair of warm brown eyes glittered with panic as the beard was torn away. “Angel!”

Bill let himself be caught in a set of lean arms. “Al…?” His breathing hitched as his heart sped up in anger. “You fucking… kilt bastard…” he muttered to the man above him before the blackness dragged him down.

[candyandlollipops]

The Avatar of Lust's Princess (4)

Pairing: Asmodeus x Sarah (OC)

Warning: Mentions of blood and gore, violence, emotional trauma, attempted somnophilia and yandere! Asmodeus moments. Some OOC moments will occur (I'm sorry).

That wedding night, which was supposed to be a private time for Sarah and her husband, turned out to be a murder scene.

Later on, as funeral for Sarah's husband came, one of Sarah's maids sneered at her.

"Poor Sarah," the maid scoffed at the traumatized girl. "That's what you get for being a primadonna child of my master. Serves you right!"

This words alone made Sarah tear up.

Why do they still target her with insults despite being in a tragedy? Just because she is her father's only child does not mean she makes up the percentage of spoiled rich kids around her.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Sarah, Asmodeus was watching her crying again while she is seated.

Sure, Asmodeus doesn't really want to hurt her feelings but, now that her husband is gone, he thought this will make her turn to him and love him back now. Even if this will cause someone's loss. But for Asmodeus, it speaks as good riddance for getting in the way between him and Sarah.

However, this will prove him wrong.

+++

Many months later, Sarah soon found another man for her to marry. Asmodeus of course, didn't like this, not one bit.

And just like what happened to the first, the second husband didn't last another day with Sarah.

This continued after another husband went in place. Then another... And another...

Until the arrival of the seventh one, the poor guy didn't stand a chance.

As Asmodeus smiled at his kills after sneaking out into the window, he soon outhears Sarah crying inside the room, in a point of becoming insane.

"Why? Why does every man I marry had to die?!" she wailed, her hands in either side of her head.

Asmodeus felt pricked in his heart. To be honest, he hates seeing Sarah cry. But on the other hand, this will be the only chance to grab her heart to his.

Heck, he can even literally take her heart out and see all her desires, but he can't.

He wouldn't dare hurt his precious Sarah.

Finally, after a long wail, Sarah, now exhausted from all her tears, soon lies on her bed asleep, still on her wedding gown, which is being splattered by her seventh husband's blood.

In a dash, Asmodeus quickly went to Sarah's side, hugging her and kissing her face as he started whispering sweet nothings on her ear.

"I don't want you to cry, sweetie," he said, as he played her ginger strands. "I'm just proving you all my love I could give to you. I may be arrogant, casual, and flamboyant, but I will swear my loyalty to no one but you. I knew I hurt you, but at least I'm here with you. "

Sarah meanwhile, was deep in her dreams. Yet, unconsciously, she embraces Asmodeus as she snored peacefully in her sleep, not knowing it was him.

From that whole night, Asmodeus couldn't help but to wrap his arms around her form, hoping he will comfort her out of her misery.

+++

Morning after, Sarah slowly woke up from her sleep, her eyes trying to avoid her seventh husband's corpse at the floor.

However, as she faced her messy form in the mirror, she noticed a scent on her wedding dress---a sweet scent that smells familiar to her.

Quickly, as she sniffed her dress for a long time, she gasps in a horrified realization.

This can't be him, she thought.

+++

Meanwhile, back to the Devildom, the brothers were having a pleasant breakfast.

However, while they were in the middle of eating at the table, Lucifer noticed some strange scent coming from Asmodeus himself. And not only him, even the others around the table can smell it as well.

"Asmodeus?" Lucifer called out.

Asmodeus cocked his head towards his direction.

"Yes?" he smiled.

"You seemed to buy some new perfume for yourself?"

This made Asmodeus blush a bit. "Perfume? You know I take my body with great care. So expect me to smell good this time."

Lucifer and others doesn't seem convinced at Asmodeus' response.

Even Mammon scoffed at this as well, while the others would even roll their eyes, facepalm, or would just pretend not to hear (or even smell) anything.

There's something going on with him, the black-haired demon thought to himself, his eyes never leaving Asmodeus' form.

(To be continued?)

[pastelwitchling]

Can you do one with Flint redemption? Whether it's him defending Alex to somebody or him protecting Alex. I just really need Flint to have redemption. I know you would write something really good too.

warning; homophobia and violence.

***

               Forrest woke up to find Alex’s side of the bed empty.

               The blanket pooled at his naked hips as he sat up, looking around the airman’s bedroom. “Alex?” he croaked. He dressed in his sweats and Alex’s Air Force sweater, washed up, and padded along the corridor, the hardwood floors cold against his bare feet.

               He smelled the coffee before stepping into the kitchen to find Alex sitting at the counter, two mugs in front of him, his head in his hands.

               “Hey,” he said, kissing Alex’s temple before taking a good look at him. “You okay?”

               “Mhm,” Alex nodded and gestured at the black mug next to his own blue one. “I made you some tea.”

               “How’d you know I was awake?” he asked, and Alex shrugged a shoulder.

               “You always wake up around the same time I do.” He gave Forrest half a smile, the exhaustion evident in the dark circles around his eyes, his hollow cheeks, the way he seemed barely able to hold onto his smile for longer than a second.

               Forrest sighed, pushing his hair back. “Rough night, huh?”

               “Yeah,” Alex muttered. “Something like that.”

               Forrest was about to ask what Alex meant when Flint came in, fully dressed in his uniform. Alex watched him pull an apple out of the basket on the counter.

               “I made you some coffee,” Alex said. “Cinnamon and two sugars; your favorite.”

               “I don’t have time,” Flint said curtly and turned to leave. “I have to be at the base.”

               Alex sat up straighter in his seat as Flint disappeared into the hall. “You’re still coming to the Crashdown for lunch, right?” he called after him.

               In lieu of an answer, Flint shut the front door, and Alex and Forrest were alone. Alex’s shoulders sagged and he rubbed his eyes wearily.

               “He hates me,” he said.

               “He doesn’t hate you,” Forrest said, running a soothing hand up and down Alex’s back. “He just needs some time to adjust to all of this. You both do.”

               Alex sighed, falling against Forrest’s side, the historian always ready to catch him. Alex rested his head on Forrest’s shoulder as if the weight of his thoughts was too heavy to bear.

               “It’s because of me that dad is dead,” he said quietly. “He’s never going to forgive me.”

               “He knew the kind of man your dad was,” Forrest said into Alex’s hair. “What happened was for the best. On some level, your brother knows that. He needs to come to terms with it on his own now. Let him get there.”

               Alex said nothing a moment, then he whispered, his voice cracking, “I don’t want him to be alone.”

               Forrest’s eyes shut. He tightened his arm around Alex’s shoulders and kissed the top of his head. “My sweet baby.”

               “Don’t call me sweet,” Alex grumbled half-heartedly, and Forrest laughed.

               “Would you prefer it if I called you sexy?” he offered. “I mean, I could, but that always gets you going and it’s pretty early – ah!”

               Forrest doubled over, laughing harder now after Alex elbowed his stomach.

               “Why do I bother telling you anything?” Alex said, lightly hitting Forrest’s back with his fists before pressing his face against the historian’s spine. Whatever he said next was too muffled to be coherent.

               Forrest remained bent over, laughing. “What?”

               Alex turned his face so that his cheek was squished against Forrest’s back. “You smell good.”

               “I’m wearing your sweatshirt,” Forrest smirked.

               “No,” Alex said faintly, his eyes closing. “You always smell like this.”

               Forrest tilted his head. His neck ached from bending it like that, but he didn’t want to disturb Alex’s rest, even if it was against his own spine.

               “Alex,” he said. “Flint will come around. You’ll see.”

               Alex sniffed, his lips pursed. “You know, when we were kids, Flint used to let me sleep in his bed with him when mom and dad would fight. He used to cover my ears really tight and tell me to pretend it was just a storm, and soon it would stop.”

               Alex sat up and Forrest followed, scooting closer on his stool so that his shoulder was pressed against Alex’s. Alex huffed, his eyes red and glassy as he looked to Forrest. “He’s so much more than what dad taught him to be. I just wish he knew that. I already lost my brothers once, Forrest, I can’t do it again.”

               “Shh, shh,” Forrest pulled him in against his chest, and Alex tightly gripped his sweater, releasing a deep, shaky sigh. “It’s okay,” Forrest kissed him. “It’s gonna be okay.”

               Alex said nothing as Forrest held onto him. He didn’t know how to explain to Alex, how to reassure him that he believed Flint would come over to his side soon enough. How could he tell Alex that it was inevitable anyone would be willing to die for him because of who he was? How could he say that there was something so inherently pure about him that it made anyone around him eager to please him, to see him happy, to get his approval?

               Forrest couldn’t manage it. All he could do was tighten his hold on Alex and make sure the airman had his breakfast for the morning despite his unwillingness to eat, all the while thinking – not with any small amount of amusement – that Alex really didn’t know his own power over people. Flint would come around because Alex was his brother, and if anyone knew how important it was to have Alex in their corner, to have that unimaginable love and protection, it had to be another Manes man.

               It was one of Alex’s rare days off, so after breakfast, he had let Forrest lead him to the couch where they lied and watched Merlin for hours, Buffy curled at their feet, barking whenever the Great Dragon came onto the screen. Forrest combed Alex’s hair with his fingers while Alex pressed his face into Forrest’s chest, inhaling his scent until it was time for them to get dressed for lunch.

               “He’s not coming,” Alex said as he came back into the living room, fixing the collar on his hoodie. “You’ll see, he’ll find any excuse to stay at the base, and he won’t even text us.”

               “He’s coming,” Forrest assured him.

               “How do you know?”

               “I just know.”

               So, taking Forrest’s word as good enough, Alex climbed into the passenger’s seat and laughed despite himself when Buffy jumped in after him, choosing to stand on his stomach until Alex directed her into the backseat.

               As Forrest parked in the Crashdown parking lot, Alex scanned the area.

               “His car’s not here,” Alex noted.

               “He’s coming,” Forrest insisted, unlocking the doors.

               “He’s not coming.”

               “He is,” Forrest smiled. “You’ll see.”

               Alex’s brows furrowed, undoubtedly as he tried to understand what made Forrest so sure. Forrest couldn’t have told him.

               They stepped inside to the scent of tomato and cheese, meat and fries, and Forrest’s stomach growled. “Man, I’m starving.”

               “Look,” Alex pointed, “there’s a free booth.”

               As they passed the other line of booths, a man turned in his seat just as they were nearing, and he tripped Alex. The airman was too exhausted and limping far too much already to stay steady, so he fell to the ground with a gasp.

               “Alex!” Forrest crouched down beside him, helping him up. “Are you okay?”

               “Yeah,” Alex winced, rubbing his right thigh. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

               The man that had tripped him, a lanky piece of work with beady eyes and a scowl that promised nothing good, glared at Alex as if disgusted that they’d touched at all. “Watch where you’re going, freak.”

               “How ‘bout you watch who you’re talking to, cowboy,” Forrest seethed, but Alex kept a firm grip on his arm, keeping him back.

               “Forrest, it’s okay,” he said, barely shooting the man a sharp look before turning to his boyfriend. “Just forget it. Come on, let’s go sit down.”

               Forrest turned his back on the creep, and he and Alex took their seats. “Has that been happening a lot?” he asked as soon as Alex ordered for the both of them and the waitress was gone.

               Alex shrugged a shoulder. “Enough that I’ve started to notice, which isn’t often. When you’ve got a purple heart, no one has a single bad word to say to you, not around here.”

               Forrest scoffed. “And that changes because of who you like?” He shook his head at the window. “I am so over humanity.”

               Alex laughed. “There’s the emo angsty history buff I love so much.”

               A smile tugged at Forrest’s lips despite himself. “I did say pissing off the bigots and homophobes would be fun. Gotta admit,” he sighed, “never a dull moment.”

               “No,” Alex raised a brow, “‘dull’ never really was my thing.”

               Forrest held up his glass of water in salute. “You’re welcome.”

               Alex’s smile widened, his cheeks red, and Forrest could already feel the anger in his chest dissipate.

               “Oh crap,” Alex said and stood, “I forgot to ask for the milkshakes.”

               “Uh, Alex,” Forrest glanced at the table where the cowboy and his friends sat, “let me go.”

               “Stop making such a big deal out of it,” Alex said with a roll of his eyes. “I can’t be afraid to place an order because some loser gives me a funny look.”

               “But –”

               “I’ll be right back,” Alex said and pecked Forrest’s temple.

               As Alex made his way to the front counter, Forrest kept his eyes on the cowboy. He seemed to be following Alex with his eyes, his scowl carving itself even deeper as the airman completely ignored him.

               Forrest leaned over in his seat with narrowed eyes, trying to figure out what they were planning to do. The cowboy nudged his friend, gestured at Alex with his chin, then muttered something. He grabbed his glass of soda, wiped his nose with the back of his hand, and stood, making his way towards Alex, intent in his strides.

               That’s when Forrest realized what the cowboy was planning to do. He knew because it had been done to him before; and this guy looked like he wanted to cover Alex in more than just the drink.

               Forrest got up quickly and came around the other booths and tables, making his way to Alex. He didn’t know exactly what he would do when he caught the creep, but as he imagined Alex drenched and hurt and humiliated in front of the whole diner – the place he associated with friends and family, the place he was supposed to be safe – he knew it wouldn’t be good.

               The cowboy was catching up to Alex faster than Forrest could, trapped behind a rowdy table of teenagers. When he finally got around them, the cowboy was a mere few feet from Alex, holding his glass high over his head as if ready to throw it.

               “Alex!” Forrest called just as Flint suddenly appeared, grabbed the cowboy’s arm, and punched his jaw.

               Alex turned with wide eyes just as Forrest reached him, but Flint was relentless. He straddled the cowboy as he punched him again and again and again, until the cowboy lay there, bloodied and bruised. Finally, Flint pulled away only because Alex and Forrest grabbed his arms and pulled him back. Flint yanked himself free of their hold as the cowboy’s friends came to help him up.

               Flint stepped close to the cowboy, apparently indifferent to the fact that the entire diner was watching the events with bated breath.

               “You touch my brother again,” Flint warned darkly, “and I will kill you.”

               The cowboy did not seem able to mutter a response, but his friends quickly pulled him away as Flint glared after them.

               After they disappeared and the other customers seemed sure that Flint wouldn’t start beating up anyone else, the usual activity of the diner slowly returned.

               Flint ignored Alex and Forrest in favor of ordering a burger for himself from a startled and highly nervous waitress. Alex looked to Forrest with an expression that so clearly said, Can you believe what just happened?

               Forrest wanted to say that he not only believed it, but he’d half-wished he’d joined in and started pummeling the guy himself. Not that that would’ve been very helpful right now.

               “You’re bleeding,” Alex said as he scanned Flint’s bruised and red knuckles. He asked a waiter for ice, and Flint tore his hand away.

               “I’m fine,” he said. “You have a booth or what?”

               “Flint,” Alex said more quietly. “You shouldn’t have done that.”

               “You wanted to get hit?”

               “I can look after myself.”

               Flint stared at his brother a moment before he turned away and said, “You can barely stand, Alex.”

               Alex clenched his jaw. “You think I’m weak because of my prosthetic?”

               “No,” Flint said, “I think you’re weak because you don’t sleep or eat or ever consider where you are. Ever since dad died, you’ve gotten less and less cautious. You should know, better than anyone” – Flint glanced at Forrest and their linked hands – “that a Manes man is always in danger.”

               “That can’t be true,” Alex said, but already, Forrest could hear the resignation in his voice, as if he’d always known Flint’s words were the reality and had managed to pretend otherwise for long enough.

               Flint seemed to have sensed the same thing in his brother’s tone because instead of snapping, he pulled out his wallet and paid for the plate that was handed to him, and sighed.

               “Doesn’t really matter now, does it?” he said, and Alex’s brows furrowed.

               “What do you mean?”

               Flint raised a brow. “Because I’m here. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the universe doesn’t like us very much, and if you insist on making life that much harder for yourself –”

               “I do if it means I get to be with who I want to be with,” Alex said unapologetically.

               “—then that means it’s gonna be that much harder for me,” Flint finished, and shrugged a shoulder, the faintest trace of a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, only for a second. “Luckily, I’ve always been better at weathering the storm than you.”

               And Flint turned towards their booth.

               For a moment, Alex said nothing as they watched him, then, “How did you know that he was coming?”

Forrest huffed a chuckle, staring at the side of Alex’s face, watching his brother with confusion and hope and the fear of both coloring his dark eyes.

               Forrest ran a hand down the back of Alex’s neck. He really had no idea of his power.

               “Who wouldn’t come for you, Alex Manes?” Forrest said, and Alex turned to him, slightly startled by the blunt confession.

               Alex’s cheeks turned red and he looked away. Forrest’s grin widened and he brought Alex’s hand up to his lips to kiss.

               “Come on,” he said. “Always being right can make a man hungry.”

***

I really enjoyed writing this one 💙

[pop-culturereference]

Up High

Characters: Damian Wayne, Tim Drake, Dick Grayson

Relationship: Damian Wayne and Tim Drake

Summary: After KGBeast shoots Dick, Damian is angry. He even contemplates killing KGBeast. Good thing Tim is there to talk him down. (Even if Damian was tempted to kill the KGBeast, he would not actually do it. idk what DC was thinking with this arc in Teen Titans.)

From the tallest building in Blüdhaven, the city was completely different. Damian sat, dangling and swinging his legs, as the sun rose and shone off of the water in the bay. Up close, Damian knew, the water was murky and clogged with bobbing debris, but the glint of the sun hid that from him when he saw it from all the way up here. It was quiet; the noise of the streets didn’t reach up here—the workers cleaning the streets, the screeching of the metro, the shouting. 

Grayson had taught him to love places like this. Up high, everything was different. Grayson had called it  “a clearer perspective.” He’d told Damian, “I come up here to re-orient myself. You know, Robin, when you’re down there, everything is so up-close and you’re right in the thick of it. The buildings are taller than you, you get shoved and pushed in the crowd, and the streetlamps are just bright enough to show you all the rats crawling out of the sewers.” He’d taken off Batman’s cowl then, and ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s the same thing with being Robin. You have to look at it like this. That way, instead of showing you the rats, the streetlights are like stars.”

Damian had scoffed. At the time, he didn’t believe anything Grayson told him: he wasn’t Damian’s father; his father was dead, and Grayson thought he could replace him. Now, though, he felt like Grayson’s words had seeped down into his bones.

That was good, because Grayson probably wouldn’t be saying any more of that; it was Damian’s duty now to hold onto as much of him as he could. Just after Damian thought he had his brother back, KGBeast had shot him in the head, and he was gone again. That was what brought him up here: he needed a clearer perspective. He itched to kill KGBeast. It scraped at his every thought. He couldn’t go a day without rage crawling in him.

How was any of this fair? First, Damian had died. Then, he came back to life, but Grayson was dead. They’d been reunited and things had miraculously worked out, and Damian had been almost ready to believe that the world was a genuinely good place. But after all that, after things aligning so well, finding hope, KGBeast had ruined it. Grayson deserved better, and KGBeast deserved worse.

Damian kicked his legs harder against the concrete of the building. Above the city like this was the perfect place to make his choice.

Grayson was the one who’d taught him the value of life. He would be disappointed in Damian if he killed the KGBeast. Damian could already picture the look: Grayson standing sternly with his hands on his hips, but sadness and pity in his eyes. Grayson would never make that look again. Grayson was no longer Grayson. 

Something had to be done. The world was unfair, and Damian wasn’t going to wait for it to take away the only good things he had left. Grayson was gone and Ric wouldn’t care; Ric didn’t even like Damian. 

Earlier that day, when they were finally allowed into the hospital after the surgery, Damian planned to tell Grayson about the animals. He always liked hearing about them; he would smile, ask questions, and try to ruffle Damian’s hair, so Damian hoped that it would distract him from the possibility of forced retirement from Nightwing.

“I am teaching Ace how to open doors, he is progressing very quickly. He now fetches my blades for me, even when my door is closed. It was a brilliant-”

“Look. Kid. I’m sorry, I don’t know you, I don’t know your dog, and I don’t care. I’m not Dick. I need you to leave me alone.”

“Do you remember Pennyworth? Last week, he caught Alfred, the cat, in the-”

“What part of leave me alone don’t you understand? I. Don’t. Know. You. I can’t babysit, God,  I’m strapped to a hospital bed! Get! Out!”

Damian had stormed out and come directly to Blüdhaven to get above and away from everything. The tear tracks on his face had long since dried, but he didn’t think he could face everything yet, so even as the sun rose, he stayed. The sunrise was beautiful but cruel. He couldn’t start another day with his family, he could never adjust himself to Ric in Grayson’s stead. 

The world was horrible, and killing KGBeast wouldn’t fix the damage he had done, but the world would be slightly better with him gone. Damian was already a killer; he’d killed more people than he could count, not that he’d ever bothered to keep track. One more wouldn’t make a difference.

When the sun rises above the waterline completely, he thought, I’ll leave, and I’ll track him down and kill him.

Until then, he looked out over the city and tried to find what Grayson saw. 

Damian could almost hear him saying, Don’t worry so much about it, Little D. The point is to not worry.

“Tt. Nonsensical as always,” he replied to the voice in his head. Then, “I,” he started. He quickly looked around, just to double check that he really was alone up here. “I miss you already,” he whispered. He felt the beginning of tears and snot, so he sniffed and blinked until they left.

When the sun left the water, he stood up and turned around to leave, only to see someone else on the other end of the roof.

“Damian,” Drake called. 

“Turn around and jump off, Drake,” Damian called back. He stood with his arms crossed. Had Drake followed him there? Was he going to lecture him? Did his father send him?

“I just talked to Dick,” Drake said, walking closer. That gave Damian pause—did Grayson send Drake? “He told me to leave him alone.” With every word, he stepped forward and he didn’t have to yell so loud to be heard. “And, he told me that he sent you away and that he wasn’t a damn babysitter.”

Drake sounded bitter, so for once they had something in common.

“Tt,” is all Damian could say, unable to even come up with an insult for Drake.

Drake sat down where Damian had been sitting just barely watching the sunrise and patted the concrete next him, motioning for Damian to sit. Damian did not.

“Dick loved to climb up high,” Drake said. “I think it made him feel at home, plus, he always said something about perspective.” He heaved a sigh and craned his head back to look at Damian. The sun glistened off tears in his eyes. “You and I both know that the Dick we saw today was not Dick. One day, he may make it back to himself, but for now… I think it’ll be a bit.” He pulled one leg to his chest and let the other dangle off the edge as he continued, “I know he loved you a lot. I can’t figure out why- I’m sorry, forget I said that last bit. What I’m saying is, even though we haven’t ever gotten along, I want to try. For Dick.”

“Tt.” Damian took a hesitating step toward Drake, then lowered himself down to sit next to him. He refused to look at him, though, eyes on the horizon. Drake moved to pat his shoulder, but Damian grabbed his hand and twisted. “If you try to touch me again, I throw you off.”

“Ha! So endearing. I see now why Dick likes you so much.”

After that comment, they sat in silence for a while. Drake swung his legs like Damian was doing earlier, so Damian very pointedly did not kick or swing his own.

“You know,” Drake said, glancing at Damian from the side of his eye, “I don’t think I ever quite understood Jason until today. Dick was shot, and Bruce does nothing? Weak. Doesn’t Dick deserve more than that, after everything?”

“My father-” Damian starts, defensively, but Drake doesn’t stop at the interruption.

“Then, I realized, I get it. Bruce is right. If we went and killed the KGBeast, that would just continue a cycle of violence. It would just go from generation to generation. Bruce passes it to us, just like Talia passed it to you.”

“My mother-”

“Changing the world isn’t easy, Damian. Especially for us. It always starts with little things like this. If we killed KGBeast, why don’t we kill every criminal? It would be unfair to only kill criminals who only hurt us personally.”

Damian agreed. If he killed the KGBeast, he would have to kill most criminals he met. For the sake of justice and fairness.

Drake sighed and turned his head to Damian, trying to look him in the eyes. Damian still refused to look back, gazing out over the city.

“Not every criminal, not even every murderer, deserves to die,” Drake said. “I stick by this more than ever. I need to, for Dick. God, Damian, when you first showed up, I thought you were hopeless and that we either needed to send you back to Talia or lock you up. You had killed people, and, sorry, but you were an insufferable brat.” He huffed a short laugh. “Still are sometimes.”

“I will push you off.”

“Wait, Damian. Listen, for once. It took years to convince me. Dick kept telling me that it wasn’t really your fault and that I just had to give you a chance. I never really did, and I’m sorry for that.” He took a deep breath. “That’s his legacy. His legacy is you. He loved you and was so proud of you, Damian. And he was right. I hate to say this, but I just needed to give you a chance. What do you say? Will you give me a chance?”

“Tt.”

Drake laughed, a little teary. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

They sat in silence as the sun climbed the sky and the shadows shortened. Damian still itched to kill the KGBeast, but maybe that wouldn’t be justice after all. He had been just about to leave and hunt him down when Drake showed up, but now, he’d thought better of it.

“Drake,” he said.

“Hm?”

“I don’t need babysitting. Tell that to Grayson when you see him next. And, also tell him that...  he was right about perspective.”

[mickmarstookmyheart]

Trust pt 2

Here is Part One!

(to John)

Summary: John was pretty pissed off. You had a big fight at home.

Warning: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE!

"Look, John, I'm so sorry." You cried and followed John.

"In the car, now!" He yelled. You bit down your lip knowing what will happen. If he was jealous, he was really jealous. Mick grabbed your wrist.

"Just let me go, please."

"He is out of his mind. He will hurt you. Can't you see it?" He literally screamed in your face.

"Please, Mick. I will be okay, I promise. Just go home and relax, alright?"

"(Y/N)!" Your husband was furious as hell. He was shouting from the window of the car from the driver's seat. You bowed your head and prepared yourself. This will be a pretty good evening.

∆

"John, please not in front of her." You asked your husband who was ranting and throwing things at you. Zoe was crying on the couch but you didn't dare to approach her.

"Why? Cause she will realize she had a bitch mother?"

"Please wait until I put her to bed." To your surprise, he sightly nodded and sat down on the couch beside her daughter. You picked Zoe up and rushed to her room crying. You hold your daughter for dear life and didn't let her go until she drifted away. You were sitting on the floor with her in your arms.

"Mommy, why is daddy so angry?" She asked wiping away your tears. You closed your eyes and felt her little chubby hand running on your face.

"I did something wrong. That's why he is angry." You mumbled.

"But I drew on one of his papers and he wasn't that angry." She said while hugging you.

"I know, baby girl. I just did something worse, something I shouldn't have." You sniffed smelling her scent. She gave you the strength to deal with John. "Now, I have to talk to daddy. Go to sleep and then we will give you a goodnight kiss, okay?" You placed a kiss on her cheek and put her in her bed.

"I love you, mommy." She mumbled before snuggling to her toy.

"I love you, too." You said closing the door behind yourself. You walked to the living room where John was still sitting on the couch. You cautiously sat down beside him and put your hand on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry. It was a big mistake. And I...I don't know what happened. I love you the most, John. You and Zoe are my everything." You apologized. He turned to you and slapped you in the face. You felt your mouth bleeding but didn't say a word. You gulped and was already planning. You will not bear this anymore.

"I'm glad. Now that you understand my view go to the bed. Please." He placed his fingers under your chin making you look into his eyes. He leaned closer and pecked your lips. "Clean yourself up. You look like a mess." You nodded and went to the bathroom. You put a wet towel on the corner of your mouth and cleaned all the blood. You will have a bruise on your cheeks but you didn't care. You just had to wait.

That night, you got laid with John, he showed you how much he worth and that he is better than men. When you heard him snoring you got out of bed and headed to your daughter's room.

"Honey, please wake up." You whispered to her while caressing her cheeks. She opened her eyes and flinched.

"Mommy, is it already morning?"

"Shhh, darling. Just stay quiet okay? We are going to visit some friends. New funny friends. You will like them."

"Okay, mommy." She closed back her eyes while you picked her up and went to the hall to took on your clothes. You quietly opened the door and closed it after yourself. You felt a stone to fall from your heart when you closed it. You put Zoe in her seat and when you fasten her seatbelts you heard the door crack.

"(Y/N), what are you doing? You can't go away with Zoe. You two belong to me." He was approaching you, but you quickly got in the car and closed it from inside so he couldn't open it. He was knocking on the window hard waking Zoe up. You started the engine and set off with screeching tires.

"Mommy, was daddy still angry?" She asked sleepily.

"No, darling. He was just tired, you know. He couldn't sleep. Just go back  to sleep, honey."

"Alright, mommy." When you heard her snoring you let out a long breath. You couldn't believe John slapped you. He had never done it before, but deep inside you felt he was gonna do it. You gripped the wheels tightly and was hoping they still lived in that house. After an hour driving, you took Zoe from the seat and knocked on the door. Then you rang the bell until the door was opened. You were still in shock and you feared your husband followed you.

"(Y/N)? What the hell?" Vinnie opened the door rubbing his eyes.

∆

"So that freak slapped you?" Vince asked walking around in the living room. "I'm gonna kill him." You smiled being with the guys again. Though you hoped you would meet in other circumstances.

"He did, but it's not a big deal." You touched your swollen lip and flinched.

"Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital, it looks pretty bad!?" Nikki asked observing your face.

"No, I'm okay. And sorry for bothering you, but I didn't know where else to go. My mother-in-law would immediately call him since she hates me so I came here. This is the only location he doesn't know about." You were gazing at the floor and you hugged your knees.

"Don't be. It's awesome meeting you again. We missed you." Tommy pulled you in a sideways hug before Mick came back to the living room.

"She is sleeping like the dead." He declared while bending down to you. "She will be okay, (Y/N). So do you want to talk about it?" You only shook your head and hid your face being your knee and started to cry. You let out everything. All the tears you had been hiding since you met John. You let out all the fear. You knew you were in good hands now.

The next morning when you woke up you felt your head pounding and your eyes hurting. You went into the attaching bathroom and checked yourself. You indeed looked like a mess, you hardly sleep anything during the night. You had dried blood on your lips and you already had a bruise under your eye. Zoe wasn't in the room so you headed towards the kitchen, you simply had to follow the voice of your daughter. You leaned on the wall and crossed your arms when you got there.

"It's an airplane, Zoe. Wooosh. See it's yummy." Tommy was feeding Zoe who was just looking at him with an odd look.

"Tommy, she is three years old. She can eat alone and she doesn't fall in airplane mode anymore." You said before walking to her and hugging her strongly. "Good morning, baby." You snuggled into her hair and smiled. She was the only person you loved more than anything. You would sacrifice yourself for her without hesitation.

"Good morning, mommy." She said when you started to tickle her. At least she was happy.

"So what are we doing today, Uncle Mickey?" Zoe asked making you laugh at the name.

"You already started to call them uncle? You learn fast." You said looking at them.

"She knows what's up, (Y/N)." Vince took a look at your daughter before eating from the pancake Mick was making.

"We are gonna go to the amusement park and have some fun." Mick said casually. He placed a plate in front of you and Zoe, too. She was eagerly waiting for it and after a couple of minutes, her mouth was full of pancakes and her face was covered with maple syrup. When Mick said the news she almost spitted out the food.

"Hurray! Amusement park, amusement park!" She was scanting along with Tommy.

"You know, Tommy, you didn't change a thing." You said.

"Sadly, he didn't." Mick agreed while taking a seat in front of you and you all started your breakfast.

∆

"Just easy, Nikki. Please, she is just 3 years old!" You yelled at the bass player who was laughing in one of the huge swings with Zoe in his lap. She was smiling from ear-to-ear and was clapping her hands happily.

"So what are you gonna do, now?" Mick asked standing next to you with an ice cream in his hand.

"I guess, I will have a talk with John. Maybe I can confront him somehow and things can be back to normal, again."

"What? No way you are going to live him again, (Y/N)! He hurt you, physically for the fuck's sake. You should sue him!" He snapped. He promised that he would never let you near to that sick man again. A man who hurt a woman is no man. Just a coward jerk.

"I don't know. He has connections and I'm afraid he will take Zoe away." You glanced at her. "I can't let that happen, Mick. I wouldn't survive that." You sniffed. Mick hugged you tightly and was rubbing your back. You hugged him back and placed your face in the crook of his neck.

"We won't let that happen. We are here for you, (Y/N). We will help you through this. I promise." He placed a kiss on the top of your head.

"Your dude sucks, (Y/N)." Tommy stated which made you eye-roll. He was being busy with his huge blue candy-floss.

"Thanks, Tommy. You are truly helpful." You mumbled. Mick just hit the drummer's head making him rub it. You laughed at how goofy Tommy could be.

"You deserved it, man." Vince snickered while licking his ice cream.

"It was a hell of a ride, right, little girl?" Nikki asked Zoe who was sitting on his shoulders.

"Again, again. Please, Uncle Nikki."

"Later, you monkey." He said before taking her down off his shoulders and started to drop her in the air. She was screaming from the top of his lungs but in a good way. She was giggling when Nikki was dropping her farther.

"Does she notice anything from the things happening around her?" Mick asked.

"Luckily, she doesn't." You sighed.

"She is a badass, girl. I will keep her." Nikki stated still dealing with Zoe.

"Put me down, please." She told Nikki and he did as told. She ran to you and climbed on your lap. You started bouncing your legs so she was jumping. She leaned closer to your ear.

"Mommy, I have to pee." She giggled.

"Alright, let's go. We are going to the restroom. Be right back." You told the boys and left. When Zoe was ready you told her to wait outside. You washed your hands and exited the room when you felt a hand on your mouth. You were gasping for air and you saw John. He pushed you back and closed the door behind himself.

"Are you out of your mind? She is alone out there. You will scare her." You snapped. He put his arms beside your head forming a cage. He leaned closer but you turned your head sideways.

"What is your problem? You told me you love the most, didn't you? But now you are hanging out with that filthy bastard..."

"Don't dare to say anything about him."

"Or what? You will hit me?" He asked, not believing you. You took the chance and kicked him in the balls and ran out of the facility. You immediately searched for Zoe who was in Vince's arm, now. All of them were standing there waiting for you and John.

"Did he hurt you?" Mick asked worryingly.

"No."

"How nice that you all gathered here. It's quite a day to spend it at the amusement park, right? Right, Zoe?"

"Don't dare to talk to her." You snapped.

"She is my daughter. I call her anytime I feel like. So, Zoe, you don't want to come with me? We can go to the cinema and watch that movie you were talking about." He started. You knew what he was playing. Vince held Zoe tightly, not letting her go. Not that she moved.

"You hurt, mommy." She said showing him her fist.

"That's my girl," Vince said giving her a high-five. After that, she hugged Vince's neck and showed her tongue to her daddy. You relieved that he can't take your daughter from you.

"That wasn't nice, Zoe." He stood closer to you but you stepped back. "Are you afraid of me or what?"

"Leave her alone." Mick said in his usual threatening voice. "And if you ever lay a hand on her again, or on Zoe, I will kill you."

"Are you threatening me?" John stepped closer and his face was inches away from Mick's.

"Not just him. Each of us will kick you to death if you hurt her again." Tommy said.

"We will kick you in the ass, man." Nikki added.

"You got yourself some friends as I see, (Y/N). But you exactly know I also have some connections. So, see you at the court." He said while taking a final glance at you and on Zoe. When he left you walked to Vinnie and took your daughter in your arms.

"Was I good, mommy?" She asked.

"You were the best." You kissed her cheek. "I love you."

∆

"I'm so sorry, Doc, for ditching you like this. I was mad and couldn't think properly." Doc came over after the boys called him about you.

"No problems, (Y/N). You already did almost everything then so I barely had anything to do." He put your hand into his and gripped it. "And I'm happy to see you."

"I'm glad, too."

"So where is this little troublemaker I heard a lot about?" He asked looking around for Zoe.

"She is sleeping. We had quite a day." You sighed rubbing your arm.

"I heard your so-called 'husband' appeared there. What did he want?"

"He wanted to take away Zoe. He knows what she means to me and he wants to take away everything that makes me happy. I guess, he will somehow sabotage my company, too."

"What a dick," Doc said. "Anyway, I still had that job if you want. You can come back and continue our journey with those bastards." You smiled from the thought of being back on the road and bringing your daughter with you.

"Thanks, Doc. It would be a dream."

At the court

"Full custody is exercised by the mother. " The judge declared. At least three months passed since the amusement park but you did it. You and with Doc's help you managed to beat down your husband who was by the way was sent to prison for months for hurting you. You were smiling and the tears were running down your cheeks from happiness. You stood up and hugged Doc.

"Thank you, Doc." You said while looking back at the boys who were grinning while sending death glares towards John. You didn't even glance at him. You wanted to lock him out of your life, even if you knew that he will revenge it sometime.

Months later

"Uncle Tommy, can you do that again with the sticks?"

"Sure, little one." He was grinning and spun the stick between his fingers for like thousands of times. You were preparing for the concert to start backstage. After the court, you sold your company to a friend and accepted the job as a co-manager with Doc.

"Look, Uncle Mickey, Uncle Tommy is doing it again." Zoe giggled admiring the drummer.

"I see it, kid." Mick leaned closer and whispered in your ear. "When will I upgrade from Uncle Mickey to daddy?"

"You just proposed or what?" You asked looking at him wide-eyed.

"Maybe." He grinned and kissed you passionately, already knowing your answer.

Next Part!

Tag: @leatherandheels

[talpup]

Summary: Yami Sukehiro just wanted to join the Magic Knights and make his mentor proud.  He knew there would be trails.  He knew trouble would come his way.  Knew he would be faced with discrimination for being a foreigner and a peasant.  What he didn’t know.  Didn’t expect.  Was that literal Chaos would come his way.  That he and his mentor’s sister would be at the center of world ending trouble.  Or that he would fall in love with his mentor’s sister and face more than discrimination; but the jealously of Nozel Silva who loved the same woman he did.

Please remember this fic is rated mature and has warnings of violence, abuse, sexual tension, eventual sexual behavior, and other possible triggers.  For a full list of story tags please check the fics AO3 (link to that at the top of my tumblrs homepage).

Chapter 79

Zora had only stayed one night at the Black Bulls base.  Zara’s sister arriving the afternoon after Zara’s death to take Zora to live with her and her family in Rizon.  While probably fortunate for Zora’s mental and emotional healing, it was unfortunate for the case and cause of justice that Zora hadn’t seen anything.  With no idea who or why Zara had been killed, murdered in his own home; Zora seeing or hearing something would've be of great help to Magic Investigations.

It was mid-morning twelve days after Zara’s death when Julius arrived at the Black Bulls base.  He had been carrying the final report from Magic Investigations; brow deeply furrowed, lips set in a hard line, and furious tears shining in his eyes.  The case of Zara Ideale’s death was officially closed.  Zara had been more than a friend to Julius.  The man had enlightened and inspired him.  Which made both the report, and things he overheard when walking the grounds of Magic Knights Headquarters all the more upsetting.

Seated behind the desk in his office, Jax lowered the report and looked up at his friend.  “How could they find nothing?  No trace.  No lead. Is Magic Investigations really that incompetent?  I’ll send some of my people out and we’ll find something.”

Julius shook his head and downed the whiskey he had let Jax pour him when he first sat down.  Grimacing at the burn, he set the glass on the desk. “The case is closed.  Sir Jorah was adamant about that.”

Jax frowned at the empty glass, eyes narrowing.  “What’s going on here, Julius?  There’s something you’re not saying.”

Julius sniffed, lip twitching.  “I overheard some Purple Orcas.”  His voice cracked with emotion forcing him to pause and swallow the painful lump in his throat.  “They were conversing.  I didn’t hear a name.  But…  They were talking about having killed someone in their own home.”

Jax straightened in his seat.  Unable to believe it, he leaned forward and questioned.  “You think Zara’s comrades murdered him?”

Eyes stinging, Julius looked up at his friend.  “I’ve never known a Magic Knight to laughingly boast about having killed someone in their own home.  I had Marx check the mission reports.  There was nothing sent in from the Purple Orcas about entering someones home.  Let alone killing them.”

“But why?  Why kill one of your own?”  Jax asked, incredulous.

Julius’ hands balled into fists.  If he was right, just how far did this go? Surely Sir Jorah knew.  Why else would he be so adamant that the case was closed?  Why else would the Wizard King refuse to hear him out? Such news would be devastating for the Magic Knights.  Was that why Sir Jorah was keeping it quiet?  Or was it to protect the image of the nobles in the Purple Orcas?  No matter the reason, it disgusted Julius.  He had to get stronger and become Wizard King.  He had to fix the hierarchical corruption within the Magic Knights.  Sir Jorah might have taken the first step by implementing the star system.  But it wasn’t enough if things like this could happen and be swept under the rug.

More dismayed than he’d been in years, Julius replied.  “Heath may not have been the one to pick Zara for the Orcas, but he tolerated Zara well enough during his time as Captain.  Whlif on the other hand.” Teeth gritted, he shook his head.  “Zara might not have said anything.  But I could tell things got exponentially worse for on him when Whilf became Captain.”

“Are you saying a Magic Knights Captain had something to do with the murder of one of his own?”  Jax questioned, struggling to keep his voice down.

Rubbing his brow, Julius slumped back.  “Mana.  I truly hope not.  Not wanting to cause Zara any problems, I didn’t openly reveal we were good friends.”

Jax nodded, understanding.  Back in the day, before his rank had risen to the point of protecting him, Jamie and Pyter had set upon him more than once for forgetting his place as a merchants son and being friends with Julius.  Even now, he still occasionally got flack for his friendship with the royal.

Realization dawned, a deep foreboding crawling up Jax’s spine.  “There were three other royals and a noble who weren’t so careful about their friendship with Zara.”

Julius frowned and looked away.  He should have said something.  Should have told his sister and the others to be more mindful.  That hate and jealously among the nobles was a very real and deadly thing.  Maybe if he had...

“Are you saying I’m the reason for Zara’s death?”  Sounded a voice from the doorway.

Julius jumped up, knocking over the chair as he spun.  “Teris!  You shouldn’t listen in on others conversations.  Especially your Captain--”

“I wasn’t listening in.  I was coming to ask Jax if he’d heard anything from Magic Investigations about Zara’s case.”  Teris pushed the door open looking from her brother to her Captain and back.  “Was our friendship with Zara really the reason he was killed?  Murdered by members of his own--”  She fell silent unable to go on.  “What’s going to happen to them?  Will Magic Investigations need more time to gather irrefutable proof?”

“The case is closed.”  Jax said, pushing away a copy of the report Marx had smuggled out to Julius.

“So they’re being arrested?  The entire squad?  Or was it just a few? What’s going to happen?”  Teris asked.

Julius and Jax shared at look.

Heart aching, Julius stepped toward his sister.  “Teris.”

“No!” Teris stepped back.  “Don’t say my name like that or look at me with that face!  Something has to be done!”

“There’s no proof.”  Julius told her, throat constricting.  “I didn’t see who was talking.  Only part of a squad cloak.”  If only he had stepped around the line of shrubs.  “Even if I did.  I didn’t hear them say a name or give any details.”  He told both her and himself.  “They could argue it was a story.  A game.  A training scenario.”

Teris stared up at Julius with a look that hurt him almost as much as the wounded look she gave when he first left home after their mother’s death.  Only this pained look of hers carried a spark of hope.  As if she still believed he could do anything.

“You could go back to where you heard them.  Use your time magic.  Get a look at their faces.  Better yet, you could go to Zara’s and see exactly what happened and who did it.”  Teris said.

Julius swallowed, eyes red and shining with tears.  He shook his head.  If only he hadn’t been away on mission when Zara Ideale had been attacked and murdered.  “It’s been far too long for that to work and you know it.”

“Then Marx or Advisor Ellara.”  Teris tried.  “They could--”

“Teris. No.”  Julius interrupted, gently.

Teris spun around.  Julius grabbed her arm.  Pulling free, Teris made to light travel away.  Julius used his magic to slow the time around her and speed his.  He grabbed her once again and pulled her into Jax’s office, slamming the door closed.

Keeping a firm hold on her arms, Julius released the spell.  “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Where do you think!”  Teris snapped.

“You can’t.”  Julius said.

“Watch me!”  Teris growled, struggling to pull free.

Holding her tighter, Julius shook her.  “Teris!  Stop!  There’s nothing you can do.”

“There’s plenty I can do.”  Teris said.

There was wild look in her eyes that frightened Julius for her.  If she went to Magic Knights Headquarters or the Purple Orcas base and made a fuss she could be brought up on charges.  She could possibly even be dishonorably discharge from the Magic Knights.  Any chance she had of becoming Magic Knights Commander before her twentieth birthday would be ruined.  Slim as that chance was with Commander Greywright not looking to retire until Sir Jorah did, Julius didn’t want that chance taken from her.  He didn’t think he could stomach it.  Not when he would’ve been the cause, her having overheard him and Jax. Not when his friend had been murdered twelve days ago.  Not when his faith and love of the Magic Knights had been shaken to its core.

“No.” Julius said, grip tightening.

“Someone has to do something!”  Teris expressed, angry tears welling in her eyes.

“Not you.”  Julius mournfully told.

Tears slipping out of their banks, Teris stared up at him.  Silently pleading him to fix this.

Julius’ throat bobbed with emotion.  He had failed both his friend, and his sister.  His friend was dead, and his sister was hurting.  And there was nothing he could do about either.  He hated it.  He hated that the Wizard King he looked up to, and Magic Knights he loved would cover-up the murder of anyone.  Let alone cover-up the murder of someone as kind and generous as Zara Ideale.

Julius felt powerless.  Useless.  And in his current position he was.  But he swore he wouldn’t always be.  When he became Wizard King he would make sure nothing like this ever happened again.  He couldn’t seek justice for Zara.  But he could honor the mans memory by making the Magic Knights a better, safer, more welcoming organization for all people, no matter their societal rank.

Brows pinched together Teris uttered hoarsely.  “He was my friend, Juls. He had a son.”

Julius pulled her into a too tight hug.  His eyes squeezed shut.  A single tear escaped, rolling down his cheek to wet her hair.  “I know.  He was my friend too.”

79.2

A portal opened in the Black Bulls great room.  Jax tensed, the gateway similar but different from Bronn’s.  Fuegoleon stepped through with Randall and a group of other Magic Knights.  At the sight of two Purple Orcas, Jax cast a quick glance about the room.

“You!” Jax pointed and whispered harshly to the Purple Orcas.  “Go back the way you came.”  When the two stared wide-eyed and didn’t move, the Captain stepped to them and growled.  “Don’t think I’ll throw you through?  I said out!”

The Purple Orcas turned and slowly stepped back through the gateway just as Cob stepped through.

“Close it up.”  Jax commanded.

Cob looked back at the gateway.

“Now!” Jax ordered.

Confused as he was, Cob did as the Black Bulls Captain commanded.

Jax released a long exhale of relief.  The last thing he needed was Teris seeing two Purple Orcas in the base.  Looking at Cob, Jax told. “You’re lucky Bronn’s not here.  He’s territorial about people magicking into the base, and doesn’t like other Spatial Mages.  How’d you get in anyway?”

“Clearance.” Cob answered, cheerily.

Jax nodded.  He should have figured.  After all Cob worked for Magic Knights Headquarters.  He turned to the Crimson Lion’s acting Vice Captain.  “How’s Quince?”

“Still unconscious.”  Fuegoleon reported, holding out the mission order for Jax to take.

Jax skimmed it and handed it back.  “The geyser labyrinth, huh?  Then let’s find you Yami and Teris in a hurry.”

“Did you note Xerx and Revchi’s names on there?”  Fuegoleon questioned, referring to the two Purple Orcas Jax had ordered out and back through the portal.

“Drop the sarcasm acting Vice Captain.  It’s not going to happen.  You can have those two or you can my two Black Bulls.”  Jax said.

“Sir Jorah wrote the order and names himself.”  Fuegoleon told.

“I know the Wizard Kings hand.”  Jax said.  He turned to the Spatial Mage.  “Cob.  Fetch me Commander Greywright.  Quickly, please.”

“Righty’o.” Cob created a portal and stepped through.

“Bran!” Jax called, seeing the boy enter the room and immediately do an about face.  “Where’s Yami and Teris?”

Bran slowly turned back.  “Yami’s in the training room.  I think Teris is in the sun room.”

“Don’t think.  Know.  Go fetch Teris.”  Jax watched Bran disappear down another hallway.  He took in the Magic Knight’s gathered behind Fuegoleon.  It was quite a mix.  Randall from the Crimson Lions. Hamon and William from the Golden Dawn.  Charlotte and Fraya from the Blue Rose.  And Jack and En from the Green Mantis.

Knowing Jack was Yami’s friend.  If finding enjoyment from always fighting each other could be considered friendship.  Jax point at the Green Mantis then down the hallway.  “Jack.  Training room’s down that way.  Take the hall to the right.  First door on the left.  Go get the big lug.”  Thinking someone sensible should go along so Yami and Jack didn’t get caught up fighting, he added.  “Charlotte. Go with him.”

Fuegoleon stepped closer to Jax.  “Captain.  The geyser labyrinth--”

“I’m well aware the geyser labyrinth is only accessible for a set amount of time, acting Vice Captain.”  Jax interrupted.  More to himself, he went on.  “What’s curious is it opening up now.”

“Sir?” Fuegoleon blinked.

Jax smirked at the younger man and teased.  “What?  Didn’t know that the geyser labyrinth has been opening up like clockwork for hundreds of years and wasn’t set to do so for another two?”

Fuegoleon shook his head in answer.

Bran entered the great room with Teris.  “She was looking at the page of Chaos.”

“Traitor.” Teris glared.

Bran looked hurt.  “I only--”

“Teris!” Jax scolded.  “What’s the matter with you?”  He shook his head, waving off her excuse.  “I don’t have time for this.  The acting Vice Captain has a mission for you and Yami.”

“Acting Vice Captain?”  Teris echoed as Bran slunk off.

“You heard about Quince.  Did you expect Mereoleona to go without a Vice Captain?”  Jax questioned.

Teris looked at her cousin.  “You?”

“Just till Quince recovers.”  Fuegoleon said, too concerned about his Vice Captain to smile or be proud about the temporary position.

If he recovers, Jax thought.  From the sound of it, Quince was in a bad way.  Though the man was finally stabilized, he was still unconscious and the healers had no idea when or if he would wake up.

Greywright stepped through a portal.  “What is it, Jax?”  He frowned seeing the group of Magic Knights still present and followed the Black Bulls Captain in stepping away from them.

Yami arrived with Jack and a beet red Charlotte.

Concerned, Randall asked the Blue Rose.  “You feeling unwell?”

“I’m fine.”  Charlotte snapped.

Jack cackled.  “I think seeing Yami shirtless and doing pull ups with iron weights hanging from his waist might’ve been a bit much for her.”

“Dirty, disgusting...”  Charlotte voice tapered off, her face reddening further.

“Think she’s talking about you.”  Yami told Jack.

“I’m talking about the both of you!”  Charlotte scowled.

“Well now you’ve gone and hurt my feelings.  I took a bath this morning.” Yami said.

“Yeah. But after working out you stink now.”  Jack said.

Yami lifted an arm and sniffed.  Teris arched a brow at him.

Yami made his way to her, voice low and playful.  “What do you think, Princess?  Am I disgusting and dirty?”

“You could certainly use another bath.”  Teris remarked, admiring the way Yami’s shirt clung to his broad sweat drenched chest and chiseled abs.

“Maybe you could help me with that.”  Yami teased for her ears alone.

Thinking a change of subject was prudent, Teris asked.  “Did you know Leon was made acting Vice Captain?”

“Good for him.”  Yami circled around Teris and stood behind her.  His chest grazed her back with every inhaled, breath tickling her neck with every exhale.  “You smell delicious.”

“Stop it.”  Teris breathed, feet wanting to turn around, hands itching to touch him.

“You’re beautiful.”  Yami murmured, fingers trailing down her back where no one else could see.

“You’re hard.”  Teris shook her head at the mistake.  “I mean.  You’re making things hard.”

“You have no idea.”  Yami chuckled, hand sliding down to cup her ass.

Teris squeaked.  The gathered Magic Knight’s looked her way.  Yami chuckled again.  Hands slipping into his pants pockets, he took a step back from her.

Fuegoleon looked from Yami to Teris, noting the blush in his cousin’s cheeks. The acting Vice Captain shook his head.  Yami was a rogue.  A nuisance.  Fuegoleon would much rather have had Nozel on this mission.  He didn’t trust Yami to obey a Captain's commands, let alone his.  At least Teris was going, Fuegoleon thought, both grateful and disturbed that the foreigner seemed of bend to Teris’ will easily enough.

After a brief exchange with Jax, Greywright snapped, angry and annoyed. “Cob!  Go get two Silver Eagles.  I don’t care which.”  As Cob disappeared, the Knights Commander frowned at Jax.  “We’re wasting time.  The geyser labyrinth is only open for so long.”

“I know.”  Jax said.

“With it opening early, who knows if it’ll open when it’s suppose to.” Greywright said.

“Would you have rather I let it stay as it was?”  Jax questioned, quietly.

“Of course not.  Don’t be stupid.”  Greywright looked about.  “Where the hell is Cob with those Silver Eagles?”

“Geyser labyrinth?”  Teris looked at the Knights Commander and her Captain.

“That’s the mission.  We have-- Had six hours to get in.  Find the vault.  And get out before it closes back up.”  Fuegoleon told.

“Quit complaining.  You have the map showing the route those before you traveled.  You should find the vault easily enough.”  Jax told.

Greywright glanced at Jax knowing the Captain had been in the geyser labyrinth ten years ago when it opened at its scheduled time.  The place was a literal maze.  Hence the maps showing the routes previous explorers had taken.  And the command that current explores map their progress. No one knew how big the place was.  Only the entrance appeared when the labyrinth revealed itself.  But the mapped out portions hinted at the places massive scale.

“Seems the acting Vice Captain's afraid his first mission will be a failure.”  Jack cackled.

Teris made a face and turned away.  Yami saw her distaste and smirked.  He didn’t know why Teris didn’t like Jack.  Given that she couldn’t give him a straight answer when he asked her, Yami doubted Teris knew herself.

“I’ve been an acting Vice Captain before.  And had much success.” Fuegoleon reminded.

“Yami. Teris.”  Jax waved them over.

“Here it comes.”  Yami muttered, walking with Teris toward their Captain.

“I want you two back here as soon as the mission’s over.”  Jax said. “No delays.  No stops.  Straight.  Back.  Here.  Understood.”

“Why are you looking directly at me while you say that?”  Teris asked, already knowing the answer.

“Understood.” Jax repeated, unblinking gaze fixed on her.

Teris stared back.  Did her Captain really think she would head to the Purple Orcas base after this mission?  Now that she thought about it, the idea didn’t sound so bad.  She had no clue what she would do when she got there but she was she’d figure something out.

“Teris.” Jax prompted.

Teris rolled her eyes.  “Fine.”

“No. Not fine.”  Jax said.

“Understood.” Teris amended, snidely.

Jax's eyes narrowed.  He tried to recall if Teris had always been this difficult or if Yami was rubbing off on her a little too much.  He fixed his gaze on Yami.  “No deviations.  No delays.  You don’t let her out of your sight when the mission is over.  Knock her out and carry her back if you have to.”

Yami almost made a joke but took in the Captain's expression and Ki.  He shifted on his feet.  “Really?”

“Yes, Yami!  Really!”  Jax ran a hand through his hair, cursing under his breath.

Yami looked at Teris out of the corner of his eye.  It had only been four hours since he had seen both her and Jax at breakfast.  What had Teris done in that time to rile their Captain up like this?

“Jax. The Sliver Eagles are here.  Quit badgering your squad members and let them head out.”  Greywright told.

Cob opened a portal to the labyrinth.

Greywright looked at Fuegoleon.  “You have the countdown stones for each of the teams.  Vault or not, be on your way out with no less than an hour and a half remaining.  I don’t want anyone stuck in there when this thing disappears.  Got it.”

“Yes, Commander.”  Fuegoleon nodded.

Nozel and Neyres were sweaty and out of breath from their sparing session. The two Silver Eagles looked at their fellows wondering what was going on.

“I’ll explain as we head in.”  Fuegoleon told the Silver Eagles, leading them through the portal.

As soon as the group was gone Cob closed the portal.

Eyes on Jax, Greywright ordered the Spatial Mage.  “Wait outside if you would, Cob.”

“Yes, Sir.”  Cob said, cheerily.

When the front door closed behind Cob the Magic Knight’s Commander stormed.  “You told Teris it was Zara’s own squad?  What the hell were you thinking?”

Jax shook his head.  “I told Teris nothing.  She overheard Julius telling me what he heard some Purple Orcas say.”

Greywright frowned.  “Julius told me the same.”

“And?” Jax inquired.

“And what?  It’s hardly enough to bring them in for questioning.”

“They’re Magic Knights.”  Jax argued.  “We should expect questions. Especially when one of our own, a member of their squad, is killed. Zara didn’t die on some mission or battlefield.  The man was off duty--”

“We’re never off duty.”  Greywright cut over him.

“He was in his home.  His son was there.”  Jax said.

“And there might have been a different outcome if the boy had seen something.”  Greywright said.

“Who’s to say he didn’t?  Maybe he’s too afraid to talk.  Or has blocked it from his mind.  Did Ellara have a look?  Did any memory or communication mage?  Or are you all too afraid to look too hard cause you’ll have to do something about it?”

“Careful, Captain.”

“I mean Zara Ideale might’ve been a Magic Knight.  But like most of my squad, he wasn’t really one of you all.  Was he?  His life and service didn’t really matter.  Did it?  He was a commoner.  A peas--”

Greywright’s mana cloaked fist hit the stone wall.  Several large rocks crumbled and fell.  Cracks broke through the surrounding stones.  Spider web fractures splintered through the grout from ceiling to floor.  Voice dangerously calm, the Magic Knights Commander warned.  “Next time it’ll be your face.”

Jax stared at Greywright moment then lowered his gaze.

“The case is closed.”  Greywright said.  “Zara Ideale died in an unfortunate attack that we will never understand or have answers to. Magic Investigations combed the scene.  They spoke to everyone in town and interviewed his squad members.  It seems the man was loved by all.  He had no enemies.  No outstanding debts.  He rarely drank and didn’t gamble.  Everything he made went to provide for his son or help his less fortunate neighbors in and around the town he lived.”

“Julius heard--”

“Julius heard something that could’ve been anything.”  Greywright interrupted.  “He didn’t even see their faces.  What do you want, Jax?  You want us to question the entire Purple Orcas squad about something Julius overheard?  Even if anyone admits to being party to such a conversation it could easily be explained away as the most benign thing.”

“Ellara--”

“Isn’t going to enter the minds of upstanding Magic Knights so we can find out if they murdered one of their own.”  Greywright told.  “Do you have any idea the fuss that would cause?  Not just with the other Magic Knights but with the ranking classes?”

“If it were one of mine dead I’d freely volunteer if there was a chance justice could be served.”  Jax said.

“Leave it, Jax.  Do the smart thing.  Follow Julius’ lead.  Much as he doesn’t like it, he’s letting it go.  You need to do the same. You need to get Teris to do the same.  She’ll run into or have to work with someone from the Purple Orcas eventually.  I can’t be worrying about what she’ll do when that day comes.  She’s yours. Accident or not, you’re the reason she knows.  Fix it.”

“Knows what?”  Jax asked, latching onto the phrase.  “You said it was something we’ll never understand or know the answer to.  So what would she know?”

Greywright growled, mana rising again.  Did Jax think he liked this?  Refusing to dig deeper because of what they might find.  He was following orders.  And it wasn’t easy for Sir Jorah to make those orders. But the Wizard King did what he had to for the sake of the kingdom and the Magic Knights.  “Enough.  You’re beginning to make this difficult on me.”

“Good. It should be.”

“We live to defend and serve the kingdom and its people.  Sadly that comes with every sort of danger imaginable.  Even sadder.  Sometimes we die.”  Greywright said.

Jax shook his head.  “Not at home.  Not by attack from--”

“If you say ‘from one of our own’ Jax Jerren, I swear this squad will have a new Captain by the end of the hour.”

Teeth tightly clenched, a muscle in Jax’s jaw ticked.

The possible truth behind Zara Ideale’s death and Sir Jorah ordering the case closed with no findings had disenfranchised Greywright to the point he had seriously considered handing in his resignation. What further disturbed him was the reason that he hadn’t.  It had nothing to do with his promise to serve Sir Jorah until the man retired.  Nor was it because of anything the Wizard King had said. The reason Greywright remained was because of Julius’ suspicions about Ellara.  Greywright still had his doubts, but they weren’t as firmly held as they once had been.  If Ellara was working with the Agents of Chaos and using her magic to effect the Wizard King, Greywright couldn’t leave.  He owed it to Sir Jorah, to his Captain's and Magic Knight’s to make certain no one was controlling the Wizard King.

“It isn’t right.”  Jax said.

Shoulders slumped, Greywright turned toward the door.  “There’s a lot in this world that isn’t right.”

79.3

Yami stood beside Teris at the mouth of the geyser labyrinth.  He had thought that once away from Jax she would calm.  But the opposite happened.  Her mana flow becoming so rough and volatile he had to take a side step away from her to keep his harnessed.

Fuegoleon looked over the Magic Knights.  A spiteful, personal side of him wanted to put Yami and Teris on separate teams.  But like it or not, they worked better together.  And without Teris or someone Yami marginally respected, who would make Yami submit and obey?

Fuegoleon sighed and ordered.  “Yami.  Teris.  You’re with me and Randall.”

Nozel looked at the acting Vice Captain.  He wanted to challenge the call. But after the unquestioning support Fuegoleon had shown him during his time as acting Captain.  He didn’t feel it would be right.

Fuegoleon gave Nozel and Hamon, from the Golden Dawn, a time stone and copies of the mapped areas of the labyrinth.  “Nozel, you have Neyres, Charlotte, and Fraya.  Hamon, take William, Jack and En.  You heard Commander Greywright.  Vault or not.  Give yourselves at least an hour and a half to make your way back out.  Nozel, take the left split.  Hamon the center.”  He looked at Randall, Teris, and Yami. “We’ll take the right.  Be careful and good luck.”

The three teams entered the labyrinth and went their separate ways.

Fuegoleon, Yami, Randall, and Teris well into the labyrinth when Randall commented.  “It’s almost like we’re back in the Diamond Kingdom.”

“Hardly.” Fuegoleon said.

“Well, we’re missing Nozel and--”  Randall fell silent.

Teris glanced at the Crimson Lion.  “Can’t even say his name.”  Her nose wrinkled, lip curling.  “You disgust me.”

Fuegoleon watched his cousin take point despite her not having a map.  Randall made to speak, but the acting Vice Captain held up a silencing hand and shook his head.

Yami pulled up the rear, following in line behind Randall.  He looked up a head taking in Teris’ straight back and stiff shoulders, once again wondering what had gotten to her.  She had been fine this morning.  A little somber and more temperamental than usual, but much better than she had been during the first week after Zara’s death.  He knew she harassed Jax daily, inquiring what Magic Investigations had found and when the full report on Zara’s case would be filed and ready for viewing.  Maybe the report had come in and she hadn’t liked what it said?  But even if Magic Investigations hadn’t found the culprits. Whatever info they discovered might lead to finding them.  Teris might’ve been disappointed by such a report, but she wouldn’t be angry.

“To the right.”  Fuegoleon said, looking at the map.

Teris took the sharp left turn.

“I said right.”  When Teris didn’t turn back, Fuegoleon hurried his steps.  “Teris!”

Teris kept on walking.

Fuegoleon grabbed her arm and spun her around.  “ Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me.  I said we’re going to the right.”

“That’s the wrong way.”  Teris said.

Fuegoleon waved the map in front of her.  “The map clearly shows--”

“Then the map is wrong.”  Teris said.

Fuegoleon took a breath, trying to control his rising temper.  “The map shows where those before us have traveled.  Someone already went the way you’re going.  There’s nothing down there.”

“There’s something definitely down there.”  Teris looked at the three men. “Do none of you sense it?  Really?”

“Sense what?”  Fuegoleon asked.

“Maybe it’s a beast or some left over trap.”  Randall offered, knowing a royals magical sense was far better.

Teris looked at Yami, hope and question in her eyes.

Yami stayed silent a moment, focusing his Ki and magical senses down the path.  He looked at Teris almost apologetically.  “I don’t sense anything.”

Teris’ shoulders sagged, even as she insisted.  “There’s something down there.”

“What sort of something?”  Fuegoleon asked, impatience making his voice sharp.  They didn’t have time for this.  They had already lost twenty minutes when Captain Jax had refused the Purple Orcas and called for Commander Greywright.

“I don’t know.  But it’s powerful.”  Teris said.

“A powerful trap or beast?”  Randall questioned.

“No.” Teris snapped.

“So you don’t know what it is, but you know what it isn’t.” Randall said.

“Leave her alone.”  Yami rumbled.  He looked at Teris.  “I believe you.”

“Well now I feel so much better.  Yami Sukehiro believes his girlfriend.” Randall drawled.

“Hush.” Fuegoleon commanded his friend.  He turned to his cousin.  “We’re turning around and going to the right.  That’s an order.  Don’t like it.  You can head back out and wait.”

“Fine.” Teris snapped.  She looked over her shoulder down the path then headed back to the main tunnel.

Fuegoleon gave a nod of satisfaction and led Yami and Randall in following her. Fuegoleon frowned when Teris didn’t head down the path he had instructed.  Teris turned back up the tunnel they had been traveling that would lead her back out.

Fuegoleon sighed, exasperated.  “You can’t be serious.”

“You told me to head back out if I didn’t like it.  Well, I don’t like wasting my time so I’m heading back out.”  Teris said.

Fuegoleon ground his teeth.  He didn’t have time for this.  “Stay just inside the entrance.”

Teris waved and continued on her way.  Yami passed Fuegoleon, following her.

“Where do you think you’re going?”  Fuegoleon questioned Yami.

Yami looked back over his shoulder.  “Do you really have to ask?  Good luck, acting Lion King.  Don’t die down here.  Or do.  See if I care.”

Fuegoleon spun around heading down the soft sloping curve to the right. “Randall.  Let’s go.”

Teris walked another hundred paces and stopped.

Yami halted a step behind her.  “You’re about to do something I would do.”

“Yeah well.  What can I say?  You’ve rubbed off on me.”  Teris replied.

Yami’s eyes lowered to take in her backside.

Teris turned around.  She a lifted an eyebrow.

Caught in the act of appreciating her form, Yami smirked.  “This is the part where you usually try to reason with me.  I should probably do the same.  But all I can think of is rubbing off on you some more.”

“Yami. Can you focus.”  Teris chided, lightly.

Yami looked her over.  “I am focused.”

“On finding out what’s down there.”  Teris said.

Yami slipped his hands into his pockets.  “Not sure that’s a good idea.”

“You said you believed me.”

“I do.  That’s not the problem.”

“Then what’s the problem?”  Teris questioned.

“We don’t have a map to mark and follow to get out.”  Yami said, knowing how easy such a thing could be worked around.

“We can set blazes in the rock.”  Teris said.

“And we don’t have a time stone telling us how much time’s left before this thing closes up and disappears.”  Yami said.

Teris paused at that.

The fact that she was still considering doing this.  The fact that she had planned on doing it at all.  It told Yami that whatever she felt down there was pretty strong and inciting.

Looking about the tunneled cave, Yami sighed.  “Tell you what.  I’m gonna round the time remaining down to four hours.  And we have to head back out with two hours left.”

“Two! Greywright and Fuegoleon said an hour and a half.”

Yami crossed his arms.  “So now you want to listen to the Lion Cub?”

Teris looked away.

“That leaves you two hours, Princess.”

“Me?” Teris questioned.

Yami grinned.  “Don’t worry.  You’re not getting rid of me that easily.  But I’m following your lead on this.”

“Thank you.”  Teris smiled.

“You’re gonna owe me something big for this.”  Yami told.

“I’m alright with that.”

Yami grew serious.  “Soon as I call time we head back.  No arguments, Teris.  I have no problem hauling you out carried over my shoulder.

Teris gave a nod.  “Deal.”

“Let’s go.”  Yami sighed, already regretting this.

Teris set the blazes into the rock while Yami focused on keeping his breathing even as his counted down their time.  They had walked for roughly an hour and a half, and never once happened upon a trap.  It seemed as if someone had indeed come this way as there were faded blazes set into the stone.  As for creatures.  It was possible they sensed the same thing Teris did; but unlike her, were repelled by it.

“Thirty minutes left.”  Yami told.

Teris continued walking without a word.

Yami scrutinized her as he followed.  He wondered what she would do if time was up before she reached whatever it was she sensed.  Yami had begun to feel something as well.  Though it had happened so slowly, like a rising sun, that he couldn’t say exactly when the feeling begun.  It was sort of a teasing tickle of warmth.  He wanted to ask Teris more about what she sensed.  What it felt like.  How she knew something was there.  But he didn’t want to disrupt his breathing and mess up his counting of time.  He had rounded up every so often preferring to have them head back with more than two hours remaining rather than less.  He just hoped he hadn’t made a mistake in agreeing to this.  It was almost as if Teris was in a sort of trance. He should have made her promise.  Deals could be broken. Renegotiated.  But promises.  They had yet to break a promise they had made to each other.

As they went on Yami began to squint though he didn't know why.  The tunnel was no different.  The surrounding magical glow providing just enough light to see.  A sort of hum rang in his ears, distant but constant.  He began to sweat, the coolness of the labyrinth turning uncomfortably warm.

A sense of foreboding squeezed at Yami’s gut.  “We should head back.”

“How much time is left?”  Teris asked.

“Teris--”

“How much time?”  Teris persisted.

“Five minutes.”  Yami told.

“Then give me five minutes.”  Teris said, without glancing his way.

Yami took her hand as they turned another sharp corner, not wanting her out of sight or out of reach.  The turn led to a dead end.

The tempting, more sensed than heard, whisper that had first lured Teris down the left path had grown louder and more insistence the closer they drew.  Frustratingly, the voice hadn’t gotten any clearer. She still couldn’t understand what it said.  As soon as she came face to face with the stone dead end the voice had ceased, leaving a distant ringing hum in her ears.  As if her ears were trying to compensate for the voices absence.

Yami released her hand and placed his hand on the small of her back. “Time’s up, Teris.  Let’s go.”

“It’s here!  Just behind this wall.”  Teris said.

Yami frowned.  He didn’t doubt something was on the other side.  But his gut told him it was something they shouldn't mess with.  “I believe you.  We just don’t have time to break a wall down.  We have to head back.”

“But...” Teris fell silent.  Her hands pressed flat against the solid stone barrier.

Yami fought the urge to pull her back from the rock face.  He didn’t know why he was so unnerved.  “Come on, Teris.  You agreed.”

Teris stared at the wall willing something to happen.  Something to show itself.  She urged the wall to disappear.  Or the voice to return. Anything.  But nothing happened.  There was no doubt that something was on the other side.  Maybe it wasn’t meant for her.

Teris sighed in frustration.  “Fine.”

Yami relaxed then immediately tensed.  Teris looked back at him, feeling it too.  It started as a low vibration and quickly built.  The cave floor and surrounding walls quaking.  Yami reached for Teris but was too late.  The wall came alive, swallowing her.

“Teris!” Yami pulled his katana from its scabbard.  Cloaking it in darkness and himself in mana skin, he called upon all his strength and slashed out at the rock face in three quick successions.

79.3.2

“Yami!” Teris pounded on the rock wall.

She stepped back and raised a hand to blast a hole through the stone face.  A rustling caught her attention.  She turned, eyes darting around the enclosed space.  A skeletal corpse rose up from the ground.  Teris directed an outstretched palm at the mummified figure.

“I’d rather not hurt you.”  Teris said, a faint waver to her voice. Frightful as it was to see a dead body come to life,  the scholarly side of her couldn’t help but look on in wonder.  Could a living dead body feel pain?  Was it even still a person?  “I just want to get out of here.”

The corpses jaw fell open.  A bright golden light emanated from its mouth.

“I’ve been waiting for you.  Ray of Annihilation.”  A voice rasped in Teris’ head.

The hair on Teris’ neck stood on end.  She had been called ‘Ray of Annihilation’ before.  Once when Iban used his magic against her. And again by Alowishus Spade.  Yet it wasn’t the title that made her skin prickle.  It was the corpses voice.  It resonated with something inside her, carrying a familiarity.

“Who are you?  Why did you call me here?”  Teris demanded.

Again the voice, as dry and brittle as the mummified body standing before her, sounded in Teris’ head.  “I am the Light Bringer.  The Harbinger.  I called you here so I could fulfill my destiny and finally rest.”

Teris stepped back.  Her outstretched hand half lowered.  Her other hand reached behind her, touching the wall that had swallowed her.  “Why call me?”

“The Lord of Destruction is coming.”  The voice rasped like dry sand swirling in the wind.

“He’ll tear this place apart trying to get to me.”  Teris said.

“He will do much more than that for you.  And you for him.”

“Are you similar to the page of Chaos?”  Teris asked.

“I was a girl.  Blessed with light magic but not Light itself.”

Teris’ hand lowered fully, curious interest overshadowing wary concern. “You’re referring to the primordial forces the Agents of Chaos are obsessed with.”

“You hold the creation of Life and Chaos.  You are Light given form. Death’s greatest enemy.”

“By Death, you mean Alowishus Spade?  He has death magic.”

“Death needs you to wield his creation to his will.  Death and Chaos made the Darkness.  But only Light can bend Darkness.  Only Darkness can shape Light.  Light cannot exist without Darkness.  Nor can Darkness exist without Light.”

“What does Spade want?”  Teris asked.

“That is not my reasoning.”

“Then what do you want?  Why did call me here?”

“I am the Light Bringer.  The Harbinger.  I called you here so I could fulfill my destiny and finally rest.”

“Yeah. You said that already.”  Teris readied her stance.  “Get on with it then.  Fulfill your destiny.”

“I nearly have.”

Teris looked herself over, taking stock.  She felt no different.  Looked no different.  Lifting her gaze, she looked at the corpse.  “No offense.  But if you’re my Harbinger.  How is it that you’re locked up in here, nothing but a dried up husk?”

“I am the Light Bringer.  The Harbinger of Darkness.  I called you here so I could fulfill my destiny and finally rest.”

A cold prickle shot up Teris’ spine.  Her heart clenched, even as it raced.  “You said nothing about being the Harbinger of Darkness the first two--”

Teris stopped.  Her breath fogged, the air suddenly filled with a permeating cold.  Her feet shifted at an invisible pull.  As if the earths natural gravity was unseated.  The constant, steady tug came from the stone wall.  No.  It came from who was on the other side of the stone wall.

“Yami.” Teris breathed.  She stepped to the corpse.  “Let me out!”

The glow within the skeletons mouth dimmed.  “I can finally rest.”

The mummified remains collapsed into a pile of ash.  Teris spun to face the rock wall, hand lifted to incinerate the barrier.  But the wall broke apart before she could call upon her magic.  The once solid slab of stone exploded out in a mass of pulverized rock.  Before it could reach her, the debris was sucked back by the new gravity field.

“Yami!” Teris rushed to him only to skid to a halt.

Yami’s warm tan eyes had been replaced by black bottomless pools reminiscent of the small black holes he created with his magic.  He had his own gravity field which was growing stronger by the second.  Teris’ arms pinwheeled, her boots sliding along the ground, pulled closer to him.  She created a magical sword of light and thrust it into the rock floor, holding on to stop from being drawn in.

Yami radiated a biting cold that burned as badly as any heat Teris could create.  Teris’ hands dried and cracked in the bitter air.  The skin around her knuckles split open; blood freezing before it could spill.  Her cramping hands lost all sensation.  Fingertips turning blue, then purple.

Teris stared at her love.  What had she done?  This was all her fault.  If only...  “Yami.  I’m sorry I led us here.  Please.  Please, come back to me.”

Inky black waves rolled off Yami like smoke from a hearth.  The wisps of darkness consuming everything they touched.  The tangible dark plumes squeezed the space, choking the air out of the cavern.  The light of Teris’ magical sword began to dim.  Not because Teris’ mana was draining.  But because of the void Yami was producing.  It was smothering her magics light faster than the light could cast.

“Yami! Please!  I can’t do this without you.  I need you.  I love you.  I came back to you.  Please!  Come back to me!”

Even more quickly than Yami had broken through the wall, the darkness emanating from him pulled in on itself like the snap of a bow string. Teris was lifted off her feet, yanked horizontal to the ground. Cloaked in mana she held onto her wavering sword of light hoping it and her strength held.  Boulders bigger than Pilfer and No Name broke off from the cavern walls and went flying.  Sucked up into the retreating darkness.

In a fraction of an instant the darkness and its immense pull were gone. Teris fell to the stone floor with a thud, magic sword and mana skin disappearing.  Yami’s eyes returned to their natural tawny brown. Breathing heavily Teris rolled over.  She already loved Yami’s warm, tender eyes but decided in that moment that they were most beautiful color in existence.

“I told you.  Let’s go.”  Yami’s eyes slipped closed as he spoke the last two words.

Teris rushed forward and caught him.  Or at least tried to.  They fell together as she tried but was unable to bare his weight, too shaken and weakened.

“Yami. I’m so sorry.”  Teris pulled his torso onto her lap, hugging him close.

A great rumble sounded.  The entire space trembling with its vibration. Teris looked about, body shielding Yami’s unconscious form.  The labyrinth couldn’t be closing.  Could it?  That much time hadn’t passed.  Had it?

The geyser labyrinth had a powerful mana coursing through it that hindered ones magic.  As such Teris hadn’t been able to light travel.  But that overwhelming mana had disappeared.  Teris didn’t take the time to wonder how such a disrupting mana pool could come from a mummified corpse.  Nor did she think on anything that had occurred.

Holding onto Yami, Teris light traveled.  They appeared on a grassy knoll a couple hundred meters away from the labyrinths entrance just as the entrance crumbled and disappeared.  She had a moment of relief at seeing the others standing a ways from the vanished entrance.  Glad they had made it out safely.  Then she fell over on top of Yami, succumbing to hypothermia.

Wishing you all a Happy Christmas and/or Happy Holiday's.

Thank you to those who have left hearts.  And a special THANK YOU to those who have recently left comments or re-blogged. They really mean a lot.

Next chapter snippet:

Greywright cleared his throat.  This was becoming uncomfortable even for him. And the Magic Knights Commander had both seen and given his fair share of dressing downs over the years.  Even though Yami had played a part and stood beside Teris, Jax mainly addressed his scathing remarks to Teris.  Greywright wondered how much longer the two could take it.  Though they both remained at attention.  Teris seemed to sink further and further with every word.  While Yami’s muscles tensed and trembled, hands balling into fists.

[margoshansons]

Desperate Measures: 11/?

Masterlist

Summary: Worried about the people she loves, Y/N retreats inside of herself. Meanwhile, Raven and Bellamy do something unforgivable.

Warnings: swearing, ANGST, violence, intrusive thoughts

Notes: based on episode 1x11 “the Calm”

The Ark had gone silent. Ever since Unity Day. Not even a whisper or crackle of the radio was heard over the next few days.

Everyone she loved was dead.

Marcus, Vera, Abby, Kyle, Sinclair….

They were all gone and the few people she trusted on the ground were already at each other's throats. Footsteps trailed behind her as she continued work on the walkies, knowing exactly who they belonged to.

"You okay?" Bellamy asked gently placing his hand on her shoulder.

Y/N sniffed, wiping her nose as she shoved everything she was feeling behind her brick wall. It had taken some time to rebuild, but she was ready. "Yeah," She spoke, feigning the happy tone in her voice, "I'm fine."

"Y/N--"

"I can’t focus on that right now Bellamy," She cut off, refusing to turn to face him, "Not when we have grounders on their way."

Bellamy eyed her up and down, knowing there was more behind her wall than she let on, but thankfully he let her be.

She exhaled, relieved as his footsteps dissipated, the clanging becoming quieter as she turned to face Monty.

"You know he cares about you right?" The other engineer asked rhetorically. She nodded before gesturing back to the task at hand, "get back to work."

Raven came barreling in at breakneck speed, tension still rife from their previous conversation. "These are great, but without the proper wiring and transmitters we won't be able to talk long distance."

She knew Raven Reyes better than anyone, and that meant knowing her coping mechanisms as well. She was upset about Finn, but unlike some other people, Y/N let her be, knowing how she felt. She needed time to cope.

"What does that mean?" Monty asked.

Raven shot a resigned look at Y/N, "It means we have to dismantle the radio."

"No!" Monty stopped the mechanic from moving any further, "We need this to talk to the Ark"

"Monty get out of the way--"

Sparks flew behind them as Y/N snatched the radio free, stomach lurching as she did. It was over. Everyone was gone. She needed to accept that.

"Thanks" Raven's eyes narrowed in surprise as she began to break apart the very device they had rebuilt from the beginning.

"What the hell Y/N?" Monty asked, crossing his arms, "Do you not want them to find us?"

"They're dead Monty" Her breath hitched as she spoke, trying to prevent the tears from spilling out, "We need to use every part we can to survive."

The silence that fell over them didn’t last long. Soon the air was peppered with cries of a fire, causing Y/N to abandon the walkies to deal with the commotion outside. She watched in shock as the meat tent went up in flames, and she showed up just in time to see Murphy lunge at Del.

"hey!" Y/N called, storming between the two, "That's enough" She pulled Del off of Murphy, "I said Enough!"

Bellamy joined the commotion, "What the hell happened?"

Murphy wiped his nose, "Del built up the fire because your sister told him not to."

Y/N rolled her eyes in annoyance. "None of this is salvageable" She announced turning toward Bellamy, "We need to go hunting."

"I want one gunner in each group!" Bellamy called from the front of the dropship, "Use the spears and blades for hunting, bullets are for grounders only, we can’t spare the ammo."

Y/N tried to hide the involuntary smirk on her face as she continued to wire the speaker into the walkie talkie. "You're good at that" She responded, picking through the parts.

"Good at what?" Bellamy asked, joining her at the workbench.

"Ordering people around," She commented, "Leading."

He shuffled his feet, gaze scanning her body as her brow furrowed, creasing her beautiful features into a concentrated expression as she began to work with the walkie. "So are you" He decided on saying.

She scoffed, a small chuckle escaping her, "No I'm not, but thanks for the ego boost, god knows I needed it."

"Y/N--"

She turned to her side, facing him as his arm threatened to keep her trapped against the table. She wasn’t ready to talk right now. "Go, your people need you."

He swung his hand as he left, pulling at each finger before exiting the dropship. Relief flooded her body once again, upset with herself for pushing him away again. He was only trying to help.

But not today.

No one could help her today.

Night had fallen by the time she had finished the second walkie, Raven taking her leave long after Finn and Clarke had disappeared with Myles on the hunt. She wanted to reach out, to say something, but she also knew Raven had a very specific coping mechanism and she didn't want to intrude on that.

Y/N would hate if it happened to her, so why should she do it to Raven? They'd been burying their feelings since they were kids. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

"Y/N!" Octavia ran in breathless, "Have you seen Finn and Clarke?" She asked, green eyes growing wide.

"Not since they left for the hunt, why?" She asked, creasing her brow in worry.

Octavia hestitated, her mouth opening and closing until she spat out the news, "All the other groups have returned. All except them and Myles."

Y/N inhaled sharply, leaving her work abandoned on the table before her. "I'll tell Bellamy, we'll wait until he gives the okay, then we go to find them."

Octavia nodded, picking at her fingernails, "I'll see if anyone else has seen them."

Anxiety tickled her stomach as the two women parted ways. Clarke and Finn were fine, she told herself, they had to be. Clarke had faced worse than grounders. She brushed her hands together as she approached Bellamy's tent, pulling open the flap.

"Bellamy! Clarke, Finn, and Myles haven’t come back yet so we--"

The sound died in her throat as realization struck her. He wasn't alone.

Raven sat on the edge of his bed dressed in only her shirt and underwear, the mechanic froze as she was pulling on one of her socks. Her gaze wandered toward Bellamy, who was hiding the lower half of his body underneath the blankets they had found in the depot, his torso bare.

Y/N Franco had words and ideas for every situation, but as she found herself staring at the frozen pair, her mouth refused to work as she stuttered out a series of filler words.

Everything came crashing down at once.

Pain shot through her heart, spreading across her chest and lighting her body on fire. Every emotion she had ever felt toward the two of them culminating in the mantra that she had abandoned.

Love is weakness.

Except this wasn't love. This was betrayal. This was confusion. This was humiliation. This was anything but love.

She spun on her heel, walking away from the tent. Away from the scene that permeated her mind. Away from the numbness that took hold.

"Y/N," Miller asked, concern lacing his features. "Are you okay?"

She could only shake her head as she sat down slowly, staring deep into the fire as the other campers stared at their leader, having never seen her like this before. Bellamy called after her, the muffled sound crashing against her brick wall.

Disgust filled her body at the sound, her anger joining the emotions to create a sick concoction in her stomach as Miller watched his best friend tear herself apart.

She had trusted him. Let down her walls for him. She had cared for him, told him things she had kept from others her whole life. She had loved him and he had thrown it back in her face.

She grit her teeth, anger cutting through the numbness to fuel her. There were people waiting for her, people who needed her help. Clarke and Finn were out there.

"Y/N--" Miller cut through her thoughts, silencing himself as he saw Bellamy approach the firepit. He stood up, putting the pieces together as he caught the regretful look on the soldier's face. Miller felt rage stir in his stomach at the thought of him hurting his best friend and he clearly wasn't the only one. Octavia had joined him as they faced the older leader.

"Don't even think about it" Miller shot at the older guard, placing his hand on Bellamy’s chest.

A pleading look crossed Bellamy's face. "Please, just let me talk to her."

Miller refused to budge.

"There's nothing to talk about" Y/N's cold voice rang from the firepit as she stood up, her icy gaze landing on Bellamy's pleading one before turning toward Octavia. "Grab your things, we're headed after Finn and Clarke."

The younger girl nodded, grasping Bellamy by the arm before he could run after her, "You've done enough." She spoke, leaving him alone in the middle of the camp, watching in baited breath as Y/N disappeared inside the dropship, the familiar numbness taking hold.

"Is everything okay?" Monty asked, watching as the engineer finished the last walkie talkie with more force than she'd usually use.

"Yeah" She spoke, lying through her teeth, "Grab your stuff we're headed after Clarke, Finn, and Myles."

The smaller kid nodded, pausing as footsteps made their way up the dropship, Y/N growing tense at the sound of Raven's voice.

"Hey did you guys get those walkies fixed--" She stopped when her eyes met Y/N's.

Tension filled the room as the two girls stared at each other, Monty wishing he would disappear.

"Y/N listen I didn't know--"

"Shut it Raven and stop lying," She cut the mechanic off, drawing a surprised look from Monty. "Besides, There are more important things at stake here than hurt feelings."

Y/N whipped around, facing the mechanic with a cynical smile on her face. "You know other people exist outside your bubble Raven, but I suppose that would get in the way of using sex as a coping mechanism, wouldn't it?" She moved forward pressing a radio into her chest, "Don't worry, I fixed your damn walkie."

She stormed out of the dropship, gun in hand as they began to search the woods.

"Anyone see anything?" Monty's voice rang through the walkie as the ground crunched underneath their feet, rifles at the ready.

"Not yet" Raven whispered into the walkie, an unsure look drifting toward Y/N as the two women drifted through the forest. Octavia had insisted on talking with Bellamy and going with him, which only left Raven and Y/N together.

"I just want to say I'm sorry." Raven brought up, causing her to tense up. "It was a stupid mistake and you were right. I was using him as a way to cope instead of dealing with my feelings."

She remained silent as they stalked through the forest.

"Y/N please," The other woman grasped her wrist, pulling her back. "You have to believe that it didn't mean anything,"

"That doesn’t make it okay Raven." Y/N ripped her wrist away, "You can't just sleep with someone to make yourself feel better," She snapped, turning around before pausing. She faced the mechanic again, "You could've talked to me. I would've understood."

Raven was speechless until Monty's voice came over the radio once again.

"Is anyone else hearing the exodus black box signal right now?"

Y/N grasped the radio from Raven's hand before responding to Monty again, "If you hear it again, you get out of there okay Monty?" Her voice was desperate, pleading for him to survive. 

"Keep the moon on your left," Bellamy's voice ordered, her stomach stirring in anger as the sound came through the speaker, "You should be able to find us then."

A low moan was heard from the bushes and the two women clicked their guns in place, the barrel staring down the moving bush. They crept forward, ignoring the tension that existed between them, ignoring the silence that now draped itself across the forest.

The groan filled their ears once again and Raven nodded before Y/N pulled the bush apart, pointing her rifle at a shaking kid.

"Myles?" She asked in disbelief, lowering the gun as she stared at the pale bloodstained face of the younger delinquent.

"Bellamy, Monty" Raven's voice spoke through the radio, "We found Myles, he needs to get back to camp immediately."

"F-Finn and Clarke" Myles squeaked out, his trembling fingers wrapping themselves around Y/N's shoulders.

"Where are they?" She asked, eyes growing wide in urgency at the thought of Clarke not making it.

Myles gulped, one word falling off of his lips. "Grounders."

Bellamy and Octavia joined them a little while later, the siblings staring in shock at the shaking kid. "Where are Finn and Clarke?" Octavia asked, unable to tear her eyes away from Myles.

"Grounders took them," Raven explained.

"We won't be able to find them in the dark." Y/N clenched her jaw at the sound of Bellamy's voice, "Besides we need to get him back to camp."

The other two nodded as they leaned down to carry Myles back, Y/N fingering the walkie before calling Monty.

"Monty, we're headed back, do you copy?"

Silence.

She creased her eyebrows in fear.

"Monty, I repeat, do you copy?"

The only response was the crackling of the radio in her hands. The walk to the camp was silent, Bellamy and Y/N refused to even look at each other, while Raven and Octavia placed Myles down in the dropship.

Without saying another word, she marched to her tent, throwing the rifle to the ground before she zipped it up behind her.

Monty was gone. Finn was gone. Clarke was gone.

She held her head in her hands as her thoughts drifted upward. She wished her mother was here, wished Wells was here, she even wished Marcus was here to tell her what to do. All of her anger faded until she was left with nothing but pain.

Pain at Raven's betrayal. At Bellamy's betrayal.

Was it even a betrayal if there was nothing there in the first place?

But there was something there. There had to be. He had become her reason for living, her reason for surviving. Who was she if she didn't have that down here?

Like she said, he was all she had left, and now she didn't even have him.

She had trusted him and he betrayed that trust by ripping her heart out like it was nothing. Like it was second nature to him. And now only pain remained in that hollow cavity.

The unzipping of her tent made her freeze, wiping what little tears had spilled out from under her eyes before facing the intruder, pulse racing as she saw who it was.

"Leave me alone" She uttered coldly.

"Y/N please let me explain--"

She whipped around, heart melting at his pleading gaze. But her wall was up and this time nobody would get past it.

"No" She snapped, moving toward him, "You don't get to explain, not after what you did." She directed everything she was feeling at him until he crumbled.

Bellamy began to beg, hoping to reach the part of her that had fallen for him. "Please, I know I fucked up if you just gave me a chance--"

"I gave you a chance Blake" She snarled back, "I gave you a hundred chances! And I would've given more until you decided to sleep with one of my closest friends."

Silence sat between them, the tension pushing them further and further apart.

"Why did you do it?" Her voice quivered as she asked the question, "How could you do it?"

Bellamy moved closer, his jaw clenched, "She came to me, she was the one who wanted it."

Y/N shook her head incredulously, "Don't you dare try and pin the blame on her, she owned up to her mistake, you haven't. You had a choice and you chose wrong."

"You wanna know why I did it?" Bellamy asked, his tone growing darker as he moved closer, Y/N pushing herself backward. "You shut me out" He blamed, "You left me alone in the camp while you went to go blow up a bomb, you refused to talk to me about anything regarding the Ark. You pushed me away. You pushed me toward Raven because I was trying to forget about you."

She stepped backward, caught off guard at the admission, sucking in her breath sharply as guilt wracked her chest, the back of her thighs against the worktable, stuck against the working area as Bellamy moved closer, eyes scanning her for a reaction.

"Your safety is all I think about. You are all I think about. Before I go to bed, when I wake up. Before I even consider the others I always have to ask whether it's safe enough for you. I can't get you out of my head!" His gaze flickered down to her lips, pondering the movement for a second before speaking softly, "And I don't want to."

She flicked her gaze upward, tilting her chin to meet his, silver bracelet digging into her skin, three words dripping venomously from her lips. All too reminiscent of the last time she stood in this position. 

"Love. Is. Weakness."

Bellamy's face crumbled, his mouth trying to form words but being unable to. Pain swirled in his eyes as he stared down at her.

"Now get. out." She commanded.

He clenched his jaw, nodding weakly as he turned on his heel, ignoring the lump forming in his chest. Bellamy disappeared and Y/N collapsed, leaning against the leg of the table as saltwater hit her cheeks. She couldn't stop the sobs from coming any more than she could stop the grounders from marching.

Her tent flew open and she scrambled atop her bed, not wanting anyone else to see her like this. "God, can you not take a hint?" She snapped at the intruder.

"Not down here apparently," Miller's soothing voice called to her and she dropped her walls. "Don't worry, no one else knows."

She collapsed into Miller's arms, his heartbeat keeping her grounded as her hysterical sobs rang through the tent. "Why couldn't I let him stay? What did I do wrong? Why did he leave?" She whispered her doubts into Miller's chest as he ran his hands through her hair and up and down her spine, the calming effect not nearly as powerful.

Because as much as she loved Miller, there was one thing he wasn't.

He wasn't Bellamy.

Ugh this one hurt. Don’t worry, like I said it will all get resolved by the end of the season.

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[deamstellarus]

In Viata Asta (1)

Pairing: Stucky x Reader

Summary: It was possible you’d been on your own for too long. Maybe all you needed were two boys from Brooklyn to help you find yourself again.

Word Count: 4.5k

Warnings: Uhm...some violence, language I guess?

Series Masterlist

A/N: So I started this fic last summer and I just got around to editing it, but I hope you guys like it. It starts in 2018, and we’re gonna ignore the main MCU plots after Age of Ultron (also Clint does have a secret fam but they’re his sister and nieces/nephews because it literally makes so much more sense). Definitely some canon-divergence. And I’m trying for a slow burn. Anyways... enjoy.

__________

You struggled in the dark, kicking your legs as hard as you could, trying to get close to the light you saw at the surface of the water. Your legs were useless, your body felt like lead, dragging you deeper into the abyss. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t reach the top. Just a little more…

Then you saw his face, his eyes wild. And his hand reached out toward you. You stretched for it, your fingers grazing his. He tightens his grip around yours, sending you that nervous smile he reserved for when you were in desperate situations and he wanted to reassure you. Even when it was all going to hell. You felt a tug upward, your body being pulled toward the surface.

Then there was a bullet hole in his forehead.

His hold on you was gone. His eyes frozen wide open.

You opened your mouth to scream…

You gasped awake, jolting up in bed. Panting, your hand flew to your chest. Your eyes darted around the cabin, confirming it was another nightmare. You squeezed your eyes closed. Ten, nine, eight, seven... an attempt to slow your heart rate. You shouldn’t be surprised at this point. You had the dreams often enough, your subconscious morphing the memory, each time more disturbing than before. 

When you could take full breaths again, you flopped back onto your pillows, staring up at the stars that peaked between the leaves through the skylight. You wished they could stop making such a common appearance in your nightly routine. Your sleep schedule was shit, and if you were being honest, it had long since taken a  toll on you. 

Maybe your friends were right, a change of scenery might be just what you need.

__________

A creak sounded from the front porch. Your head snapped to the door. It wasn’t exactly uncommon for the local wildlife to make an appearance on your front steps, curious about the structure in the middle of their forest and sniffing for food. It was, however, unusual for creatures to come around in the middle of the night, they were more likely to come wandering through just before sunrise. 

Your eyes slid to the digital clock on the small nightstand beside your bed. The time confirmed your theory, still a few hours until daybreak - far too early for anything other than trouble. Another groan from the wood boards of the porch and some shuffling had you leaping out of bed and reaching for the knife next to the clock -- one of several knives you kept around the cabin. Through the windows, you could vaguely make out a few shadowy figures in the obstructed moonlight.

With the smooth blade in your hand, you slowly crept down the stairs leading from the loft and toward the kitchen drawer that held a couple hand guns; your blade hand poised and ready to strike when the time called for it. Your eyes never left the door. Your fingertips had just brushed against the handle of the drawer when you heard the quiet snitch of the latch and the door creaked open. 

You threw out of instinct. 

A hand shot out, catching the knife by the handle. With the door wide open now, the silhouettes became more distinct. You counted three bodies, but you couldn’t be sure there weren’t more surrounding your cabin. You took a step forward with your gun now in hand, fully intending to strike, until a sliver of color caught your attention. You squinted. The dim light made it hard to see but you’d recognize that copper hair anywhere. In fuller light, you suspected you’d see her signature smirk. 

“Is that any way to treat your friend, zvezdochka?” You let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding. Flicking on a light, you made your way to your old friend.

“Fuck Tash, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were coming by.” You pulled her into your arms for a much needed hug. She jerked beneath you upon contact. That wasn’t normal. You released her, searching her for injuries. She had a large gash in her abdomen, and while the bleeding had stopped for now, it would have to be fixed immediately.

“Yeah, it’s a long story, Blue. Sorry we didn’t give you a heads up.” 

“I hate to be rude, but can we get out of the cold?” A voice said.

Just that quickly, you’d forgotten about the other two people in your company. A man with warm brown skin and a metal pack of some kind strapped to his back stood behind Natasha. Next to him was a man you’d seen on the news several times. The TV stations didn’t do the man justice. Captain America was in your cabin in the woods, and you were suddenly very aware just how little you were actually wearing at the moment. You tugged at the hem of the over-sized shirt you’d stolen from Clint months ago.

“Sorry! Please, come in.” You ushered them passed you and locked the door behind them. 

“Guys, this is Blue. Blue, meet Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson,” Natasha said, setting your knife on the coffee table in front of the couch.

“Sorry about intruding, ma'am.” Captain America was apologizing to you. That's sweet. 

“Don't you worry your pretty little head about it.” That earned you a blush from the blonde. “And I'm far younger than you. 'Ma'am' is not necessary, Captain.” 

“Steve. You can call me Steve.” The pink on his cheeks spread down his neck, and if he were to take his suit off, you were sure his chest would be sporting the same rosy hue. 

“Fair enough. It’s nice to meet you both, and I would say it’s great to see you again, Tash, but it seems like it’s under… difficult circumstances.” Natasha waved you off.

“Minor shootout on a mountain. Nothing we haven’t done before.”

“Minor shootout, she says,” you scoffed. “You need to be more careful. Come on.” You grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her to the kitchen. “There’s a bathroom through the door on the right, if you guys want to clean up,” you pointed behind you.

You could hear the shuffling of their feet as they dispersed through your home for the past year. You made Natasha sit on a stool by the overhang counter, while you rummaged around in a cabinet for your first aid kit. You peeled the top of her suit down and pulled up the tank top she wore underneath. The large gash looked uglier exposed in the light but nothing you couldn't work with for now. You soaked a cotton ball with alcohol and wiped the area clean as gently as you could. She hissed upon contact but didn’t say anything. You slid a bottle of whiskey to her before you pushed the tip of some surgical thread through a needle. She took a swig and you started to sew up the wound. You could feel her eyes on you. When you were done, you smoothed on antiseptic ointment and covered it with a bandage. It would have to do for now. You turned to put the kit away and washed your hands. She still hadn’t said anything to you. You sighed.

“I can practically hear you thinking, you know.”

“I see your aim hasn’t changed, zvezdochka.” Here it comes. It was only a matter of time. “You could be putting your skills to good use.”

“Natasha, khvatit. We’ve been over this. I’m not going back.” 

You slid a cutting board from its place along the wall before gathering ingredients at random. You quickly diced an onion and minced a couple cloves of garlic, sautéing them in a saucepan on the stove, before pouring in a couple cans of crushed tomatoes. A bit of tomato paste, along with oregano, salt, pepper, and a couple of bay leaves, and you had your go-to sauce mostly done.  You gave it a stir and covered it, bringing down the heat to a simmer when it showed signs of boiling. You glanced behind you when you hadn’t heard anything from Natasha. She looked frustrated, her brows furrowed, but held her tongue. You pulled the cork on a bottle of sweet moscato and poured her a glass, replacing the whiskey bottle in front of her. 

“Look, it has nothing to do with you. You know I love you and I miss you and Clint. I actually just texted him yesterday but he hasn’t responded yet.”

“Yeah, he’s on an op in East Asia right now.” She paused. “You should see his hair, he uses more product now than ever.” Her tone was light, the previous topic dropped for now. You chuckled, Clint had always used heavy amounts of hair gel. You’d teased him endlessly about it once upon a time. 

“Hey, can you go tell your friends there are some of Clint’s old shirts and maybe a few pairs of sweats that might fit in my dresser, if they want to change. This’ll be ready soon.”

“Sure.” You flinched at her closeness, not expecting her to be so close to you. She pecked your cheek and threw her arms around you, squeezing you as she would have before, had she not been freshly injured. She released you and sauntered out of your kitchen, leaving you to your thoughts. In another pot, you filled it with water, then set it on the stove to start heating it up. 

Your mind wandered as you waited for the water to boil. You didn’t miss that Natasha hadn’t told you where the three of them had been on their mission. Nor why they’d been on a mountain in the first place. In all fairness, she didn’t have to, couldn’t if she were following S.H.I.E.L.D. rules. 

But it did make you nervous. You doubt anyone would have followed them to your location in the middle of the thick wilderness in northern Washington. But then again, they had been near enough your location that Natasha thought your safe haven of a cabin was the best option. That unsettled you, but she wouldn’t have given up this location if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. You were going to have to keep a look out if there were unsavory people in the area.

The water started to boil, so you threw in a few dashes of olive oil and some salt. You felt the presence of someone behind you as you dumped the linguine into the bubbling water. 

“You know, it’s not polite to stare, Captain.” 

You peeked over your shoulder. You’d only just met him but making America’s Golden Boy blush was becoming your new favorite hobby. His face had been cleaned of dirt and the few cuts on his face were already healing. Must be that super soldier serum you’d read about. He was wearing an old white t-shirt that was definitely a size or two too small, and a pair of sweatpants that you were certain would show off his ass nicely if he turned around. And yet, he looked far more relaxed than he’d been when he first stumbled through your door.

“I, uh... thank you, for letting us crash here,” he stuttered. You gestured to the bar stool Natasha previously occupied and he sat down. 

“It’s not a problem, Steve. Anything for the friends of Natasha and Clint.” You took the lid off the sauce. Steam billowed into your face as your stirred. 

“How do you know them anyway?”

“Ah ah, that’s a story for another time, Mr. Rogers. Now, do you want cheese on your pasta?” He smiled and nodded. You handed him a slicer and a block of parmesan after you showed him how to make cheese curls.

By the time Natasha and Sam stepped into the kitchen, the two of you had just finished filling the bowls around the table.

“Mmm, something smells amazing,” Sam said. He, too, looked more comfortable out of his combat mission-wear. He landed heavily into the chair next to Steve at the table, a strong contrast to Natasha's elegant descent next to you.

“It should be. It’s one of my go-to recipes. I hope you like it.” You pushed a bowl in front of him. He all but inhaled the first few forkfuls, switching between moaning and taking in sharp breaths from the heat of the food. 

“Girl, this is amazing.” You nodded your appreciation. To Natasha and Steve, he said, “Can we keep her?” Your cheeks warmed. Natasha smirked. 

“Maybe if you ask nicely.” 

Her eyes were playful. She seemed much better from the last time you’d seen her around Christmas. Natasha and Clint had been brief in their visit, having stopped over long enough to bring you a few gifts-- a fuzzy blanket, thick socks, and a beautiful new knife-- before leaving abruptly for another mission they couldn’t miss. She had been tense then, frown lines gracing her face. Observing her now, there was a certain slack visible in her shoulders, and the creases in her forehead had given way to smile lines around her mouth instead, faint as they were. She was still beautiful as always though, still your pseudo big sister. 

“Maybe I’ll come visit New York soon, Bird Man.” You bit back a laugh at his outrage at the nickname. 

“Has she been talking to Barnes? Geeze, can’t catch a break,” he grumbled.

“Sorry, I don’t have a great filter sometimes. But you are the Falcon, right? It’s fitting.” You shrugged. “Suppose I can think of something else if I’m not being original enough for you.” Sam just rolled his eyes.

“This really is great, ma’- ah… Blue?” Steve’s comment came out like a question.

“Yeah, Clint’s nickname for me. Blue Moon, like the ice cream? I had blue hair when we met. I kept it up for a while and the nickname stuck. Everyone used to call me that.” You shrugged. “I guess I’ve gotten used to it.”

Steve nodded. You finished your pasta and rinsed the bowl in the sink. “Anyway, I’m sure you guys are exhausted. There’s not a ton of room here, but a couple of you can take the back room, the bed should be big enough for two. And my loft is available, if you don’t mind a little climb, just watch your head. There are extra blankets and a couple pillows in the linen closet. Please make yourselves at home.”

“What about you?” Steve asked. 

“Don’t you worry about me, Captain.” You knew you weren’t getting sleep any time soon, the small couch in front of the fireplace calling your name. “I’ll be just fine.”

__________

They didn’t fight you on it. Two hours later, Natasha and Sam were cuddled together in the bed in the back room. You found that interesting and made a mental note to bring it up with her later. Steve on the other hand was curled into your bed in the loft. The low ceiling made him look like even more of a giant within the small space, especially with your favorite plush blanket draped over him. From your place on the couch, you could see half his face behind the slotted railing of the loft. Even asleep, it seemed like he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. At least you could allow him this reprieve. 

You tiptoed to the side door a few minutes later, a fresh mug of tea in your hand. You were careful not to wake Steve up as you slowly slid the door open, softly latching it behind you. You sat on one of the chairs on the deck, settling in for your morning routine. Clint had told you the reason he chose to build the cabin in its current location was for the view. He couldn’t have been more perfect in his choice. The cabin sat on the edge of a small lake in the middle of a thick forest that butted up against a range of mountains. You’d learned the best part of your nightly predicament was being awake to watch the sunrise over the water, the beams of light breaking through the gaps in the leaves of trees and the crevices of the mountains. The reflection of the morning sky colors in the ripples of the water were beautiful. It seemed this view was the only version of a body of water you appreciated, from a distance at least. You weren’t jumping in anytime soon. 

You sipped your tea as the warm hues spilled over the horizon. The forest started to wake up, birds doing their morning calls and squirrels and rabbits scurrying over the forest floor. The breeze picked up a bit. It rustled the leaves and caused shallow waves in the water in front of you. Mornings were definitely your favorite, if only because they were always slow and peaceful here. 

“That’s a gorgeous view.”

You whipped your head to the intruder. Steve leaned against the door frame. Orange and red tones lit up his face like a painting. He wore a small smile. He was beautiful in this light. You looked back to the lake.

“Yeah, it really is. Best part about this place. Sorry if I woke you up. I tried to be quiet.”

“Nah, it wasn’t you. Honestly, didn’t even hear a thing. It’s just my internal alarm clock. I’m used to getting up and running first thing with the sun, and believe it or not, I never get used to the different time zones.” You hummed and nodded.

“So when do you guys have to leave?”

“Tired of us already?” Steve teased.

“No.” Truthfully you weren’t. You were bracing yourself for when you’d be alone again. “Just trying to plan ahead. Maybe I’ll make something for you guys for the trip back.”

“Oh...” He was silent for a moment, his face unreadable. “You could come back with us, you know. If Clint’s half as happy to see you as Nat was, it seems like it’d be a great reunion. Plus, you could meet the team.” 

He had a point. You did miss Clint, and you had wanted to go back and visit New York again. You supposed meeting the famous Avengers would be interesting. If not daunting. But that would mean putting yourself in range of Fury and you weren't ready for that yet. “I’ll think about it.”

“Fair enough.”

"Would you like a cup?" You raised your mug in his direction.

"I'm alright." His smile sparked made you feel the warmth you wished the sun would give off.

"Well have a seat at least. You're making me anxious." 

He plopped into the chair beside you, his long legs stretched out in front of him. His elbows propped on the arms of the wood lounger, his interlocked hands resting on his stomach. He flash you another small smile and looked out toward the water. You took a moment to really study him. 

You weren't stupid- you were well-aware how much the media wanted Steve- no, Captain America- to be portrayed as flawless and perfect. And in every instance in which you'd seen him on a screen, he was. In person, the reality of what he must go through, not only as an Avenger, but as a national icon, is ever apparent. There’s a line in his forehead, as if it’s constantly creased, which is plausible. The fine lines around his eyes revealed his weariness, and at the rate you guessed he’s constantly in missions, it made sense. 

"You know, it's rude to stare." Blue eyes flicked to yours. 

"Yeah well, I don't have a lot of company." You took another sip of your tea, now definitely too cool for your liking. "But can you blame me? I'm in the presence of a celebrity." 

A corner of his mouth tucked up. 

"Yeah yeah."

"Still watching sunrises with blondes, I see?" Natasha's head poked out on the sliding door, Clint's old sweatshirt hanging off one shoulder. 

"Still too nosy for your own good, I see?" You quipped back. She grinned at you, looking younger than you've seen her in a while.

"Of course, zvezdochka." She winked. You sighed, standing up.

"I better get some coffee started and then I'll head into town if you all will be staying for a while. Not exactly equipped to feed superheroes."

"I can go with you." Steve got his feet, stretching his arms over head, the action lifted his shirt just enough to give you a glimpse of his well-toned abs. He practically towered over you.

"Erm, are you sure? It's over a half hour drive into town." 

"Well, it wouldn't be right to let a dame like you do all the work while we're crashing with you unannounced " He sounded so genuine. It must be some of that 40′s charm and etiquette Natasha had told you about. 

"If you're sure then."

__________

That's how you ended up driving down the winding roads together with trees and steep drop-offs on either side. Steve flipped through station after station of static on the radio before you took pity on him and switched on an indie rock CD. 

"There aren't many radio stations out this far so it's hit or miss when we're close enough to catch anything."

He hummed, nodding along to the music, and watching the trees rush by. He had a far off look in eye. You let him be, content with the silent company for now. Who knew how long it's been since he's had time to just think without being needed.

You pulled up to the general store in the closest town almost forty minutes later. There weren't many cars in the lot, but there hardly ever were. You bit your tongue when you saw Steve had donned a discarded cap from the back seat. If he thought that would disguise him, he would be sorely mistaken. Or maybe not. To be fair, there weren't a lot of people in this town, and even less were likely to recognize him at first glance.

A couple teenagers stood behind the registers near the entrance, popping gum and flirting most likely, from the blush on the girl's face at least. You grabbed a cart, Steve following closely behind you. You passed an older woman in the produce section, tossing items in as you went by. 

"Is pick up soon or should I get stuff for dinner too?" When there wasn't a response, you turned around. Steve was helping the woman grab the parsley off the top shelf. He was so genuinely nice, it was so easy to see him as the national icon you assumed most people learned about in school. You shook your head and continued down the aisles. He could catch up; it's not like there was too much area to cover if you got separated. You nodded at a man in a black jacket nearby when you made accidental eye contact, and made a beeline to the cereal aisle. The decision to treat yourself to sugary cereal was too great, especially since you had no self-control and it was always the first to run out at home. You reached for your favorite brand, going up on your toes to grab it off the top shelf. Before you could though, a hand settled on your lower back and Steve pulled the box from the shelf effortlessly. 

He smirked, dangling the box in front of you.

"Thanks." You rolled your eyes, snatching the box from his grip. He chuckled behind you as you shuffled down the aisle. 

"You looked like you were going to climb the shelves." 

"I would have. I usually have to-" You stopped abruptly. Steve stumbled into you. The man at the end of the aisle was watching you. No, blatantly staring at you.

"Blue?"

You ignored him in favor of the man. The staring wouldn't have bothered you on a normal day; you don't come to town often so people tend to be nosy and keep an eye on the outsider. But the hair on the back of your neck was standing on end and you had a sinking feeling in your stomach that your casual day with new friends had come to an abrupt end.

"Blue?" 

"How many people are near the exit?" You said in a quiet voice. Steve tensed beside you. He finally looked to where your attention was drawn to at the end of the aisle. "None at the moment."

"The old lady?" You murmured, backing up slowly when a second man, the one in the black jacket you had just passed, rounded the corner to stand next to the first man.

"Two lanes over by the soup." You were thankful his height gave him the advantage to see over the shelves. 

"We're going to have to make a run for it if we want to keep the civilians safe. Creep and Creepier are definitely packing." You let go of the cart, reaching into your hoodie pocket for your car keys. 

"On three, we make a break for it," Steve said. "One-"

"Three!" You turned on your heel and took off toward the entrance, Steve serving as a human shield behind you when a gunshot sounded. How you wish he'd brought his official one with him. The glass of the door shattered in front of you but you barreled through, holding your arms over your head for cover. Dodging bullets, your raced to your Jeep. You jumped in and shoved the key in the ignition, taking off before Steve even had the door closed. 

"How did they recognize me so quickly?" Steve gasped. He turned around in his seat, eyes on the road behind us. You rolled your eyes.

"Right, because a baseball cap is going to disguise your six-foot-plus frame in a town of less than a hundred people. Sure." You glanced in the side mirrors. A grey SUV followed you. Raindrops crashed against the windshield. "Fucking great," you muttered to yourself. You needed a plan. Well you had a plan, but it was going to be more difficult than necessary if the clouds were any indication of the water they held. "Steve, the glove box."

He gave you a quizzical look but did as you asked and pulled out the gun you kept stashed there. He rolled down the window, rain pelted his face as he leaned out the window. He took aim and shot at the SUV. They swerved on the road, attempting to avoid the bullets but Steve was able to hit a tire and the SUV made a hard turn into a large tree. 

You let out the breath you’d been holding. That much fuckery without substantial food in your system was definitely bringing your mood down. But you couldn't deny the rush of adrenaline that coursed through your veins.

"Romanoff," Steve spoke into his watch. "I've been made. We're on our way back now."

"Fuck," you breathed. "Can’t catch a break, huh Cap? That was obnox-"

You didn’t even see it coming. The hit to the passenger's side caused the car to flip and roll several times, eventually rolling you over the edge of the road and down a steep incline. You closed your eyes and braced against the handle grips on the door and the steering wheel. Every impact of metal to pavement and forest floor jarred your body. 

Then the airbag deployed and the world shut off.

[Part 2]

A/N: Gonna try to post every Thursday or Friday, so fingers crossed I can actually stick to that schedule. Let me know what you think so far!

[gerec]

Vampire AU - Cherik, Xavierine

Another AU that I started for Rare Pairs and never finished; here’s 1300 words about pining vampire!Erik, human!Charles and vampirehunter!Logan :D

Pairing: Logan/Charles, implied Erik/Charles Warning: Non graphic violence mentioned

Some of this was already posted as an answer to ask, but there’s more of it here :D

And here’s a link to the first snippet I posted - a Charles/Jean centric historical powered au!

---

Perhaps it was a little fitting, Erik conceded, that they were meeting here of all places; tucked away in the warren of catacombs beneath the City of Lights. It was more for sentiment than any real need, for the coven had a perfectly functional penthouse overlooking the River Seine. No, they were meeting here because Shaw liked walking amongst the dusty old bones, lording his immortal status over the uncaring dead. It served too, as a way to remind his children and theirs of a long and shared history, while blithely ignoring the discontent brewing within.

Erik would happily volunteer to lop off the bastard’s head, if he didn’t have other, more deserving enemies to slaughter.

The others filed out one by one, until Erik was left alone inside the hollowed room with his maker. His eyes drifted to the candelabra with its dancing flames, and then down to the half a dozen empty bottles on the table. Though it hadn’t sated him for over three hundred years, Erik still ate food and drank wine on rare occasions, evoking memories of a pleasure he no longer felt but couldn’t entirely relinquish.

It rankled that he was so like Shaw in this way, unwilling to give up the vestiges of humanity, and all that had once made him Erik. But where he longed to find the man that still lived inside the monster, Shaw had no such qualms about his nature. He saw himself as god to their weak human prey and acted accordingly, using his vast resources to influence the affairs of mankind. In this way Shaw remained closely connected to the times – no matter that he’d lived hundreds of years already before their fateful meeting.

It meant that he had access to information that most of them couldn’t easily obtain. And that made Shaw a necessary evil, with Erik doomed to live forever in his shadow.

I know you, Erik. I know what you are. But there’s still good in you too. I felt it.

He pushed the stray memory away, digging sharp nails into his palms until he felt the blood ooze through his fingers. Now was not the time to think about him, and how much his heart still twisted and ached, over a man Erik had no business ever befriending in the first place.

“Erik, my boy,” Shaw said, and he bristled at the faux sympathy that colored his honeyed words. “I wish there was more I could do to help you. I can see that you’re still hurting from the loss of that human--”

“Leave it, Shaw.” He had no patience for lies tonight, not when he knew just how much the man had hated Erik’s…hated Charles Xavier. “Tell me what you want, so I can get the hell away from this place.”

Away from you was what he meant, and of course they both knew it, though Shaw was happy to ignore Erik’s rage and defiance, as pointless now as it had been the day he was turned. It would have been better to die with the rest of his family, though Erik came to realization much too late. No, Shaw would never let him forget that Erik had chosen his destiny; that he was the one to go down on his knees, and beg the caped stranger to take him away.    

“I have information,” Shaw intoned, deliberately drawing things out to get a rise out of his protégé. “Information I know you’ve been searching for these past few months—”

“You know who killed him?”  

Shaw smirked, and patted Erik on the shoulder. “I do. As it turns out, the Professor was murdered by one of his own.”

He stilled, and fixed his eyes on Shaw’s ageless face. “Who was it?” he snarled. “Was it Howlett?”

“Xavier’s lover? No.” Shaw poured himself another glass and sniffed at the wine delicately, oblivious to the way Erik’s blood burned and his insides raged. “Nathaniel Essex, their resident doctor. Some rivalry over research, from what I understand. He knew about you, so he made you the scapegoat. Now the Order thinks that you killed him, Erik. Drained his blood and then burned everything to get rid of the body.”

“I would never—” Erik bit his lip and exhaled harshly, until he could speak again without screaming. “Is he still there? Essex?”

“Still at their headquarters in London, yes,” Shaw answered, “and surrounded by at least twenty vampire hunters. I don’t think I have to tell you that it would be suicide, hm? If you try to take them on by yourself.”

“I’ll take Emma, and Azazel too,” he said, already making plans in his head, and a list of what they would need – surveillance equipment, weapons, explosives – to get them inside. “Summers is powerful but imprecise, and McCoy holds back too much when he’s fighting. McTaggert, Cassidy, and the rest of the others…we can handle them.”

“What about the boyfriend? Howlett,” Shaw said blithely, knowing full well how Erik felt about the man and the number of altercations they’ve had over Charles. “That one has a healing mutation that makes him tough to kill. Perhaps a diversion would be the better strategy there.”

“Or you could come with me, and help me kill them all.”

Shaw chuckled, and wrapped an arm around Erik’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t want to deprive you of your revenge, dear boy,” he demurred, managing to sound almost genuine in his sympathy for Erik’s plight. “And besides, Xavier’s life meant nothing to me. I did my part by getting you a name. The rest I’m afraid, is entirely up to you.”

“Fine,” he snapped briskly, shrugging Shaw’s arm away, disappointed though not surprised by the answer. Shaw made no secret of his disdain for humans after all, not even the ones like Howlett and his team who had powers that made them dangerous to their kind. “Then tell me what I owe you for this information. I don’t want the debt hanging over my head.”

Shaw tsked. “You are my child, dear boy; the closest thing I have to a son. And when the time comes you’ll be the one to take my place at the head of this coven. What I do for you, I do out of love, Erik, so there will be no more talk about debts.” Then he smiled and added, “I think it will be quite some time before we see each other again, hm? Perhaps the next time we meet you’ll have put all of this ugly business behind you.”

Erik sneered. “Going somewhere, Shaw? Is it to plot world domination again or something a little more manageable?”

He didn’t like the way Shaw’s eyes gleamed in the low light of the cavern, icy blue pin pricks that seemed to mock Erik’s petty defiance. “Nothing quite so grand,” his maker said with a wave of his hand. “Some…personal business to attend to, and then some time to enjoy what this new century has to offer.”

The shiver down his spine was entirely unexpected, given the benign response, though Erik knew he could never trust what was behind Shaw’s words or intentions. Still, he had business that was more important than uncovering whatever mischief his maker was scheming; Erik just hoped it wouldn’t get in the way of his own plans.

“Then it’s goodbye.” He grabbed his coat and slipped into it deftly, pulling the hood over his head. “Let’s not see each other again anytime soon.”

Shaw’s wry chuckle followed as he headed to the tunnel exit, and words he would have missed if it weren’t for his enhanced hearing;

“As you wish, dear boy.”

Erik grunted in disgust, determined to put all thoughts of the conniving old bastard right out of his head. So he turned his thoughts to the Order, and to exacting revenge, and to Charles’ smiling face the last time he called Erik ‘old friend’.

He was going to rip Essex’s heart out with his bare hands.

[joeycupcakerichter]

Zach Dempsey - Changes

A/N: So I watched the trailer and I saw Zach with Chloe and so I had to write something because my heart was screaming. As always, gif not mine but I needed it for reasons and it wouldn’t pop up in the gif search thing >< (also, any and all dislike discern toward Chloe is because of Steel Bars and not a reflection of how I actually feel about the character outside of the fact I am a little surprised Zach is going to be with her despite the fact that I suppose that should’ve been obvious)

Pairing: Zach x Reader

Warnings: There’s some violence, there’s a reference to what Monty did to Tyler, there’s angst and there’s Monty

Prompt: The goddamn S3 trailer if I’m perfectly honest.

Word Count: 1939

Masterlist

Pulling the door open with a long groan, you weren’t ready for the sight you were treated to within. Zach, your Zach, was snuggled up with her. With Chloe. Shaking your head, you reminded yourself, again and again, he wasn’t yours anymore. You had seen to that. You just hadn’t expected him to move on so quickly.

Realizing you were frozen in your place by all the stares pouring in around you, you shook your head sharply. Pointedly avoiding all of gazes burning holes into your skin, you took extra care to avoid the one that felt like an actual fire lapping your skin. You could feel Zach’s eyes following you as you disappeared into the bathroom, wiping away the tears that started stinging in your eyes. The bathroom was blissfully empty, and you allowed yourself to dissolve onto the floor as the weight of your pain sunk onto your shoulders. 

“(Y/N)? Are you in here?” A cautious voice cut through your sobs. Jerking your head up, you found Jessica pushing through the door at the sight of you crumpled on the filthy bathroom floor. “(Y/N)! Are you okay? What’s wrong?” she asked, shaking her head almost immediately when she realized how stupid of a question that had been, instead addressing the obvious, “I thought you broke up with him?”

“I didn’t think he would move on so quickly,” you croaked, looking back at your hands through your blurred vision, “I told him I wanted to take a break for a little while. We’d been having a lot of problems lately but I didn’t think he would go straight after… her.”

“Sweetheart, I hate to be the one to tell you this but-”

“Save it Jess, I really don’t need this right now,” you cut her off, pushing yourself off the floor and moving over to sink to see where to start salvaging your make-up.

“Uh, okay, rude. Fuck you too then.” She rolled her eyes, turning on her heel and pulling the door open with enough force to send it ricocheting into the wall behind it.

Taking a breath, you focused on your make-up, knowing if you thought about how much you’d just pissed Jessica off you’d only serve to make yourself more upset. Using a damp paper towel, you started dabbing under your eyes, trying to reduce the redness that had taken over your face. The bell ringing startled you, but you resolved to finish up first, telling yourself that first period would just have to understand. When you were finally satisfied that your appearance didn’t give away that you’d been crying, you pulled the door open to the bathroom and headed to first period.

“Ms. (Y/L/N), thank you so much for joining us.” Mr. Clarke frowned as you entered the classroom.

“Uh, feminine issues,” you muttered as you found your seat and plopping into it.

“Yeah, she thinks she fu- messed up dumping Dempsey,” a smug voice called from behind you. You turned to find Monty staring at you lecherously, “You should give me a chance, (Y/N). Dempsey can’t treat you right like I can.”

“I don’t think we have the same kinks,” you shot back dangerously, “See, I don’t like foreign objects in any of my orifices like you seem to be more than happy to prov-”

“That’s enough!” Mr. Clarke interrupted you.

“I didn’t fucking do whatever that little fucking psychopath said I did,” Monty glared, ignoring the teacher.

“So worried about being a ‘man’,” you scoffed, “Why don’t you man up to what you did to Tyler.” You stood up, knocking your chair down.

“(Y/N), Montgomery!” Mr. Clarke intervened again, pushing his way between the two of you. Your chest heaved with anger, grateful to have someone to take your aggression out on.

“Everyone knows what you did, Monty. Just because you didn’t go to jail doesn’t mean you got away with it,” you glared coldly. “I mean, just look at what happened to your pal Bryce.”

Everything happened so quickly, Monty’s chair hit the ground with a loud slap as it came in contact with the floor and he lunged for you, stopped only by the teacher cutting in between the two of you again. He shoved Monty back onto the floor but Monty leapt to his feet again, pushing Mr. Clarke into the desk behind him. He balled up his fist and sent it crashing painfully into your jaw. Initially stunned by the impact, you were able to dodge out of the way of his follow up, leaving only the wall for his fist to come in contact with. He cried out in anguish, trying to shake the pain out of his hand.

“Montgomery! Principal’s office!” Mr. Clarke bellowed, finally at his wit’s end as he grabbed the scruff of Monty’s shirt and dragged him out into the hall. Monty glared at you the entire time, spitting at you as he was pulled through the doorway.

Unable to take the stares from around the room, you grabbed your bag, following the two out of the classroom, heading out the front door instead. You started walking, to nowhere in particular, until you finally threw your belongings onto the bleachers as you rubbed your jaw gingerly. How could things have gone so wrong so quickly? Two days ago, you and Zach had been sitting out here, talking about random bullshit and now you were alone nursing a bruised jaw.

“H-Hey, (Y/N),” a voice you were simultaneously ecstatic and enraged to hear called nervously behind you, “You okay?”

“Leave me alone, Zach,” you shot him down, despite every fiber of your being begging you not to. You were silently relieved when he ignored your demands, plopping his bag down next to yours as he sat down next to you.

“I heard about Monty hitting you, are you okay?” he asked again, trying to get a good look at your face to assess the damage.

“I’m just mad I didn’t get the chance to hit him harder,” you lie, looking out onto the field opposite of where he was sitting, not allowing him a good look at the bruise already formed on your chin.

“You expect me to believe you hit him at all?” Zach grinned, reaching out and grabbing your hand gently, “These knuckles have never seen a fight a day in their lives,” he murmured, rubbing them softly. “No sense in tarnishing them on Monty’s ugly face.”

“Don’t you have a girlfriend to worry about?” you demanded, ripping your hand out of his.

“G-Girlfriend?” he asked, genuine confusion flooding his voice. “I thought that’s what I was doing?”

“You know what I mean Zachary.”

“A-Are you talking about Chloe?” Just by saying her name, you could feel his words cut open that fresh wound open all over again. Tears welled in your eyes as you looked over at him, demanding he continue wordlessly.

“I really don’t know what that was about. I was talking to Clay and Alex about how we were on a break and the next thing I knew she had her arm around my waist and-”

“I really don’t need to hear anymore,” you cut him off, grabbing your things as you started making your way off the bleachers, “I hope you guys are happy together.”

“(Y/N)- Come back!” he called after you, as you stormed off the bleachers. He caught up when you were halfway across the field, grabbing your arm to get you to turn and face him. You rip out of his grip, turning to glare at him when he raised his hands in surrender.

“Like I said, Dempsey, leave me the fuck alone,” you told him coldly, meeting his gaze with a determination that surprised even you. “These hands may not have been sullied by Monty’s face, but I’m sure your face would do fine just the same.”

“(Y/N), Jesus, chill the fuck out,” Zach shot back, stepping away from you, “I don’t want to be with Chloe, I want to be with you. Why don’t you believe that?”

“You’ve been dodging my calls for the past two weeks and I’m not supposed to pick up on the fact you’ve been acting weird? I’m supposed to just smile and assume everything’s okay?”

“(Y/N), I’ve been busy!”

“Zach, you’re always busy, but somehow you were able to make time for me before. What changed now?” you demanded, securing your hands on your waist as you glared up at him.

“Well before, we weren’t all being called in because of a fucking murder investigation for one? Bryce is dead, (Y/N), and we’re all fucking suspects,” he reminded you.

“Okay? How does that explain why you’ve been avoiding me?”

“Jensen has been trying to figure out who did it, just like he always fucking does, and he’s enlisted my help and it’s just been a lot of talking with no real conclusions and I miss your calls and-”

“So now your game is to blame Clay?” you seethe, “Just fucking admit it Zachary, I told you I wanted a break, and you took that as a fucking free-for-all.”

“What are you talking about?” Zach asked, running his hands through his hair wildly. “Is something going on? Where is this coming from?”

“I thought everything was great and then you stopped texting me all the time like you used to, you stopped answering my calls and then I show up to school to find you all snuggled up with fucking Chloe Rice- I’m a little fucking pissed off,” you finish, letting out a huge breath, happy to finally have it all off of your chest.

“(Y/N), I need you to listen to me,” Zach murmured softly, grabbing your arm again, far more gentle than before, “I love you. The past couple months I’ve spent with you have been amazing. I’m sorry if I made you feel insecure, I didn’t mean to.” Tears poured down your cheeks as you force your way into his arms, relieved to finally hear words you hadn’t realized you’d been so desperate to hear.

“I-I’m so sorry,” you wept into his shirt, sniffling as you pull away to look up at him. “Th-there’s just been so much going on, everything with Bryce a-and Tyler-”

(Y/N), it’s okay. Trust me, I understand. I just need you to trust me. Trust what we have together, okay?”

“I’ve just been so messed up and I felt like I didn’t have anyone to turn to,” you murmur, pushing your way into his arms again, “I thought maybe if I asked you for a break you would notice something was up but you just seemed so happy to let me go and I guess it just broke my heart a little, I’m sorry, Zach, I’m so sorry,” you rambled.

“You don’t think that didn’t kill me inside?” he asked softly, running his fingers through your hair. “I thought Bryce was going to take everything away from me from beyond the grave,” he scoffed.

“I guess we better get back to class,” you remarked as the bell rang across campus. Taking Zach’s hand into yours, the two of you walked back into the school, earning you a sharp glare from Chloe.

“You never answered me, how’s your face?” Zach asked again, raising an eyebrow as he looked down at you.

“It fucking hurts, what do you think?” you grin up at him.

“You know if I have to kill Monty too we’ll just have to go through this all over again, right?” he lamented, sighing dramatically.

“W-Wait? TOO?”