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fen-luciel · 5 months ago

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The mistakes of a Acolyte

Chapters

Summary: You are pregnant with Qimir's child and the universe is not big enough to hide you from him.

There was an embarrassed silence for a few minutes before Sol decided to clear his throat.

"I understand the fear, but this time we'll be more prepared, we won't let him even touch you" I looked at him unsure, I didn't know what was worse, if I brought them there and he was there... even hiding my belly, being seen with the Jedi would be a death sentence, or he could speak out of turn and get me arrested while he escaped, the possibilities were endless and each worse than the other.

"Excuse me, I need... to wash my face" my hands trembled as I tried to get up, Yord beside me stood up worried before offering me a hand which I quickly took, with a nod he pointed me to the bathroom and I hurried there.

The door opened automatically and I rushed inside, closing the door behind me, the sterile light illuminating the small room burned my eyes.

When I rubbed them, I realized the problem, unshed tears filled my lashes, the burning sensation I was starting to feel was the familiar one of crying.

I turned off the light and turned on the smaller, dimmer one above the mirror, in the dark I took a few deep breaths, hands resting on the rectangular sink before placing one on my belly and gently rubbing it.

The dark atmosphere calmed my nerves and fortunately, I managed to hold back the tears, turning on the water I washed my face with my still trembling hands, my shadowed reflection in the mirror was terrible, like the night before, it was written on all my features how bad I felt, the almost sickly purple bags under my eyes, the reddened irises, a disaster that seemed only to worsen.

As I took more breaths, I realized there was talking in the background happening a few meters from me, I could hear them discussing even with the door closed, especially Yord who seemed to have a particularly loud tone.

I pressed my ear to the door to better understand what they were talking about.

"I'm just saying we could try another way" the rhythmic sound I heard was probably his nervous footsteps, I could imagine him pacing back and forth nervously. "I don't like doing this either, but it's our best way," Jecki replied calmly. "We can get an approximate direction and go—" "With the risk of being discovered?" Sol interrupted her.

"And if he's really there? Maybe waiting for us. He'll assume we've rummaged through his things and found his partner" Jecki speculated. "Ex-partner" Yord immediately intervened afterward.

There was a few seconds of silence, I could imagine them looking at each other grimly. "He could be waiting for us with traps, or see us coming and escape while we search for the way, in the best-case scenario he'll be there to retrieve the last things before disappearing, we must seize the opportunity while it's available. He was injured the last time we clashed but I doubt it will slow him down, we must keep up" more muffled sounds followed, and some words I didn't quite catch as they continued to speak in a more controlled tone.

"We should at least give her time to process and understand if she wants to—" Yord's tone was irritated, you could hear it a mile away, but again Jecki intervened. "We must act now. We can help calm her nerves, but we need her and now."

I pressed my forehead against the metal door, weakly rubbing my eyes, I took a deep breath.

I had to think clearly, now more than ever I was caught between two fires ready to explode in my face, what was happening to me? What was I doing? How many times had I already said the wrong thing without even realizing it?

Was this farce I was carrying on the problem?

Had I become too weak?

Had these months of calm made me more docile or was it just me wanting to be? After all, it had already happened many years before.

Sure.

It had already happened.

When everything around you is a lie, you adapt to it, believe you are part of it, accept it, and carry on that fairytale.

I was doing it again, I had adapted to that desire that had started growing in my chest.

To be a normal person, a mother, a civilian like everyone else.

But I had never been that.

I had never been a victim.

Even what Qimir did to me. I let him do it, because deep down, it was what I wanted.

To feel loved regardless of the consequences, of how it would present itself and how I would live it.

I knew what I had to do.

I left the bathroom after washing my face again.

Immediately everyone turned to me, so I gave an encouraging smile. "Sorry, I needed a moment to think. I'll do it... I just ask that you keep me informed of the plan, if something goes wrong I want to understand it. Especially to escape the danger if it arises" I announced with a deep breath.

The reactions I received were different, it was obvious that Yord was not happy about it, Jecki nodded impassively, but Sol was clearly happy with my choice.

"Certainly, we'll organize the plan this afternoon and let you know when we've decided" Sol replied. I nodded before taking a few steps forward. "If it's not a problem, I'd like to go home, especially if we have to leave early, maybe put some clothes in a bag, or retrieve my old blaster." The three nodded. "If all goes well, you'll be away from home for a maximum of one day, but it's right to prevent, thank you again" Sol replied with a slight bow that I returned.

"Wait, I'll accompany you" Yord offered me an arm which I took with a smile. "Thank you"

We left the ship at a slower pace, the city was fully awake by now, the streets were full of busy civilians, but they seemed to easily step aside as we passed, whether to help a pregnant woman or for fear of the Jedi I couldn't tell.

"You're not obligated if you don't want to" Yord suddenly said, I looked at him with a small smile on my lips, he was deliberately avoiding my gaze, walking with a rigid posture, eyes fixed ahead of him.

"It's okay Yord. I want to end this story. Maybe for real this time" the only response I received was a snort from his nose, it was a rather amusing reaction despite everything, although I didn't understand the reason, sure Sol and Jecki were also worried, but he seemed on another planet.

"How sweet, you're worried" I intoned teasingly as I slightly squeezed his arm, the muscle contracting under my fingers.

"Of course I am. We are putting a pregnant woman in danger, I know you're not inexperienced, but we're Jedi, we should protect you, not ask you to be on the front line" I exhaled a snort of amusement. "Well, I have my Jedi knight to protect me, don't I?" I gave him a playful smile, but I could clearly see a slight dark blush on his cheeks.

When we reached my building he accompanied me to the door of my apartment where I let go of his arm.

"See you then?" he nodded before crossing his hands behind his back in a rigid posture. "We'll contact you as soon as we're organized, I'd tell you to bring something you need so maybe prepare a bag, but I don't think we'll contact you before evening. So rest" rummaging in his pockets he handed me a small comlink which I put in my pocket.

"See you later"

I closed the door behind me, the comlink left on the kitchen table as I quickly headed to the bedroom.

I had to do things right if I wanted to get out clean, to kriff with the Jedi, Qimir, and this shitty life I had tried to get into, peace had never existed, all the notions that had been taught to me were dictated by hypocrisy, but I had come out of it and I would come out of it this time too.

Rummaging through the closet, I took a loose shirt to put on, took off my shoes for comfort, and quickly tied my hair in a messy bun on my head.

Sure, if he didn't answer... but at that point, I didn't care, I would make another plan and another until I freed myself from the problem.

I sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed, the shutters were still down leaving the room dimly lit, I took deep breaths before closing my eyes, hands resting on my legs.

Over the years Qimir and I had developed a direct bond in the force, which had helped us on many occasions, the more time passed the easier it was for us to use it and outside it was almost impossible to perceive us. In recent months Qimir had repeatedly tried to call me through the force, I had closed the bond as soon as I escaped into hyperspace, the first days were a nightmare, he tried to contact me in every way, dozens of times a day, forcefully. It was obvious he was furious, he immediately realized something was wrong, he was more the type to disappear without saying anything, I wasn't. I would have warned him, I would have told him what I had to do, when I would return, anything, I was paranoid by nature and Qimir was a companion, so it seemed logical to tell him everything.

Even when I had to keep a low profile, I found a way to warn him of the problem, that day 5 months earlier, however, was particularly calm, we weren't doing anything special, so when I took my things and left it took him less than 12 hours to realize something was wrong.

The first calls were calm but insistent, when he realized I didn't intend to answer him, he got furious.

It was absurd how, despite being equals, his presence made me uncomfortable. It was a change I hadn't perceived. It took me five months to realize that what was happening was wrong.

And now I had to reactivate the bond.

And talk to him.

The last time he thought it was a dream, and he still managed to hurt me. I couldn't let him terrify me.

I tried several times, taking deep breaths, trying to reach him through the Force, but between the back pain and the nerves, I could barely concentrate.

I needed to relax, to find his familiar signature.

I lay on my side and closed my eyes again. I had to find Qimir, I had to remember his presence. The night before, we had connected in a dream, more out of visceral instinct, probably. I had emptied my mind of him, had forced myself to forget him, but the arrival of the Jedi had awakened everything, and it would have been hypocritical to deny the truth.

I was worried about him.

Where he was, if he was hurt, if he felt lonely... because of me.

My heart tightened in my chest. A tear rolled down my cheek, but I wiped it away with my sleeve. I hugged one of the pillows to my chest, seeking comfort, rubbing my face against the soft fabric.

The truth was that I missed Qimir terribly.

No matter how much I lied to myself, there was a void in my heart that only he had filled. He would have been so happy to know about this child, would have been by my side, worried about my well-being, massaging my back, and cooking my favorite dishes every day.

I loved him.

And he loved me.

But... the dark side of him wasn't just due to what he had gone through. There was something more visceral, possessive, violent... something that he took out on me.

I thought we were on the same page, that we were equals. But he didn't see it the same way.

I tried again, my arms tightening around the pillow. I tried to imagine him there with me, his delicate yet strong scent, reminiscent of a rain-soaked forest, the warmth of his body, the defined muscles, the numerous scars felt under my fingertips, his soft lips on my forehead... and it was then that I felt him.

It was like seeing a house with an open door from afar. He hadn't noticed that I was searching for him, trying to reach him, but he had left the door open, waiting for me.

And that's how I reached him. The darkness behind my closed eyes was soon illuminated by a cold blue light. I rubbed my eyes from the discomfort before realizing I had made it. My physical form had projected through the Force near Qimir.

I immediately recognized the place, the one I had hinted at to the Jedi. I immediately knew I was right. He had returned here, perhaps for the map, perhaps just to hide.

Looking quickly around, I noticed nothing different from usual. In fact, nothing seemed to have changed at all. It was an old stone room we had turned into our bedroom, although at first glance, it looked more like a storage room. Scrolls, books, devices of all kinds were placed in every corner, on the floor, under or on top of furniture. The windows, usually covered with rudimentary curtains we had hung, were now open, showing the night sky outside.

Walking towards the back of the room, I noticed a backpack carelessly placed on the floor, his clothes haphazardly thrown nearby, and then I spotted some bloodstains but ignored them. I knew who he had fought with, and I remembered Sol and Yord talking about an injury.

And finally, there he was, lying on an old double mattress against the wall at the back, pillows and blankets messily strewn on top, surrounding his sleeping body. A small bandage wrapped around his arm, but apart from that, he seemed fine. He had his back to me, sleeping deeply, his hair tousled on the pillow. I wanted to approach him while he was still asleep, to watch him while he was still peaceful, but I couldn't risk it.

So I did what I had come for.

I approached the small table next to the bed where he kept a flask of some foul-smelling drink and began to hit the metal surface with an open hand, once, twice, three times until Qimir woke up, pulled the lightsaber to him, and ignited it in my direction, terribly confused even as he tried to stand.

"I leave you alone for a few months, and this is the result?" I started, approaching the bed with a flat tone.

I had to be confident. I had dressed specifically to hide the curves of my pregnancy. If I showed any hesitation, he would realize I was hiding much more than I was letting on.

The surprise on his face was almost endearing, his eyes wide and still a bit clouded by alcohol. It took him a few seconds of silence to fully register what was happening.

"Sabrina..." he began to get up from the bed, but I stopped him with a gesture of my hand.

"Let's skip the pleasantries. You're in deep shit" He slowly sat back down on the mattress before deactivating the lightsaber, suspicion clear in his gaze.

"What are you doing here? You disappear for months and then come back to do what exactly?" There was acidity in his tone. This wasn't the dream he thought he was having. He didn't know I was really pregnant, and he didn't see me crying or sad. This probably wasn't the kind of reunion he hoped for. It was just me, waking him rudely and treating him with indifference.

"I've come to warn you. The Jedi know where you're hiding and will be here soon" The surprise and then the confusion were clear in his features. He opened his mouth to speak, but I didn't let him start. "The idiot you were dragging along talked, but I guess you suspected that already. They found... our photo" I added the last part with a frustrated sigh.

"Wait, they found you? Were you captured?" He jumped up, reaching out a hand toward me, but I stepped back a few paces.

"No. I convinced them I was an unaware colleague of yours. But they knew too much, and I had to say some things"

The more details I added, the more confused he seemed. He tilted his head in that cute way I often teased him about, and I held back a smile. It wasn't the right time.

"I'll have to bring them here. We'll probably arrive in less than two days, maybe even sooner. So pack the most important things and hide them on the ship, especially all the Sith artifacts. I don't want those dogs touching or, worse, destroying everything we've recovered..." Without realizing it, I started pacing back and forth in front of him, lost in my thoughts. It was true that many of the things were scattered across the various hideouts we had, but what we wanted to study and analyze, we kept within reach.

Needless to say, between things to do, other... hobbies, and the undeniable laziness of both of us, a lot of things had accumulated here too.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when Qimir suddenly grabbed my wrist. I turned quickly, my heart pounding in my chest, mentally cursing myself for letting my guard down so easily. I shouldn't have let him get too close. Yet in his gaze, I read none of the emotions that made my knees tremble. He looked at me with an unreadable expression.

"Are you okay? How did you reach me without getting caught?" I exhaled deeply before yanking my wrist away from his warm hand. I was sure he noticed my accelerated heartbeat, but it wasn't unusual given the situation we were in.

"Yes. I'm... in a hotel I rented. They left me alone to decide a plan. I hoped to contact you after knowing it, but I doubt I'll have time. We need to think carefully about what to do next." I cleared my throat before sighing. "If you just want to leave before they arrive, I understand. But make sure not to leave any traces. I told that Jedi about our map. If they don't find it, you'll have time to hide and heal," I continued, nodding towards his arm. He shrugged in response, making an irritated grimace. "I'm fine. It's nothing."

"And you? They know about us now. Do you really think they'll let you go?" he continued. I gave him a half-arrogant smile. "I was very convincing in my story. They think I'm just a former colleague and lover. They actually want to protect me from you" I said mockingly, but instead of smiling as I hoped, he lost every ounce of lightness he had. The rigid posture of his back and the darkening gaze made my toes numb from how tightly I was keeping them to avoid stepping back.

"A hotel? Is that what you've been doing for five months? Wandering the galaxy doing what? You left without telling me anything, cutting me off from the bond, and now you reappear, warning me about the Jedi" he began to slowly step towards me with a gloomy look. The anxiety gnawed at my stomach, but I had to keep the façade.

Attack was the best defense, after all.

"And you? I leave for a while, and you find an acolyte, get caught by the Order, and then what?" He stopped mid-step, fists clenched at his sides. I could see how tightly he was keeping his arms contracted. It was obvious he was furious, but my words had hit him at least a little.

"I was looking for you. But I didn't want to let the Jedi go. At one point, I even thought they had taken you, that you had run away to keep me safe... but it seems I was wrong" the last sentence was almost growled, as I raised my arm towards him and instinctively grabbed his wrist, pulling him towards me. With my other hand, I grasped the t-shirt he used for sleeping, forcing him to bend down to my eye level.

The unexpected movement left him silent as he looked back at me, confused.

"I feel like I've always been honest with you all these years. I've always told you everything. I've included you in my personal and non-personal life. For once when I needed my own space, you're angry? And how should I feel?" Both of us were short of breath, our gazes hard, too many things left unsaid, or at least, I was hiding everything from him and continued to lie to his face, since we were friends, an unspoken rule was that I was always honest with him, not because he asked me or some code imposed it on me, but because if there was something my past experiences had taught me, keeping secrets only led to disasters.

But this was different. I had to lie.

I pushed him away from me and he didn't resist. "I'm trying to help you in case you hadn't noticed."

Qimir snorted before crossing his arms over his chest. The muscles in his arms bulged with the movement. Had he become even bigger while I was away? I mentally pinched myself at the thought. It was really the wrong time to fantasize about those arms.

"I have no intention of leaving you alone with the Jedi. Maybe you've tricked them for now, but it's obvious they won't let this go so easily. If they decide to report this to the higher-ups, sooner or later someone will recognize you. And you don't know when or how. I'm staying. And I'm taking you with me," I swore I heard his voice grow huskier towards the end, but I ignored the shiver down my spine and cleared my throat.

"I know. But we have to keep up this facade until the end. At least as an emergency plan"

The silence that followed was tense, almost suffocating. I rubbed my eyes tiredly, and swore I saw him lean towards me for a second before dropping his hands to his hips again, probably bitter and disheartened by how this conversation was going.

"I could pretend to kidnap you" he hypothesized. "You said you're playing the victim, right? Tell me what you told them and maybe I could-"

"No. We want them to leave us alone, not to pursue us more aggressively" it was obvious things would only get worse if we pretended a kidnapping. They were bringing me there, pregnant, by that time they would have felt responsible and there would have been chances that they would call the council. "We have to make sure you slip from under their noses. They mustn't realize you knew about their arrival. But... you could hurt me" an idea finally flashed through my mind. "Of course, they don't know about my Force abilities, you have to attack me-" I began to pace the room as a plan formed in my mind. "No, wait, I don't want to hurt you—" "—as if you could" I interrupted with a mocking tone.

Maybe it was the fact that we weren't really in the same room, maybe it was the months apart, but I felt much less uncomfortable now in his presence, and having the upper hand gave me more confidence. Sure, Qimir wasn't stupid, but I had the advantage. And I needed to get rid of him like the Jedi.

"I told them we were engaged and that I ran away when I realized you were dangerous—" he rolled his eyes before making an irritated grimace "—we can pretend I betrayed you, you attack us in anger, I slip inside and reach the ship we have down here. While you fight the Jedi, I'll activate the doors to buy you time. They'll think a droid helped you, and we can leave on two separate ships" I turned towards him with a satisfied expression.

"Sweetheart. I thought we agreed not to play the kidnapping card" he whispered with an ironic smile on his lips as he took a few steps closer. I ignored the affectionate name he called me, not letting him get into my head and distract me with less important things.

"And indeed, we'll take two separate paths. They'll be too worried about chasing you, and in the meantime, I'll cut off all communication. We'll both have time to disappear"

He looked at me irritably before walking away, throwing the lightsaber casually on the bed as he started taking off his shirt. "This plan sucks" he hissed through his teeth as he continued to undress, calling his usual tunic abandoned in a corner with the Force and starting to get dressed.

"Do you have a better idea? I don't think so. And anyway, for all we know, they could come in four or twenty" I snapped irritably, raising my voice. "Do you realize how many things could go to kriff?" he ran his hands through his hair, frustrated, and I sighed in response, irritated. "I know! We'll improvise, as we always do, but it's better than nothing... Where's Sam?" I asked suddenly, looking around.

"I deactivated him, he kept bugging me because you weren't here and was blaming me" I rubbed my eyes once again before turning towards him and pointing my finger at him. "Reactivate my droid, get help, and keep your eyes open. If everything goes well, we'll drop off their radar for a while, and maybe we can shake them off since you decided to get caught" I snapped irritably.

"Sorry, but can't we just ambush them?" he replied, frustrated.

I swallowed bitterly before answering more calmly, "I can't. Not now. We need to get rid of them calmly" I saw him make another grimace, ready to protest, but I interrupted him again.

"Shut up. You created this problem. That's why I'm the master between the two of us. Don't forget that. You have orders. Execute them." My tone was hard. Disappointed. I sounded convincing. Maybe I was venting a different kind of irritation at the moment, but he couldn't imagine that. Fortunately, I struggled to read him just as he struggled with me.

Ours was more of a dance, armed with sharp claws and lightsabers, ready to attack each other for sport or wound each other out of personal pride. I could suffer as much as I wanted for his actions, be afraid of him, but I had no doubt that deep down, Qimir had the same fear of me.

It was a race to see who would break first.

That's why I couldn't allow him to see my weakness.

"Don't get yourself killed."

And with that, I looked at him one last time before severing the bond. Darkness returned, and when I opened my eyes again, I was still in my bedroom, hugging the pillow, as that forest scent faded from my senses.

#the acolyte #qimir #qimir x reader #qimir x oc #star wars #yord fandar #jecki lon

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yevmarie · 11 months ago

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Light My Fire | Chapter 5

Masterlist

< Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 >

Plot: having lost everything you are drowned in depression, which had happened to you a year ago. Now you need to struggle with the apocalypse as well with no sparkle in your heart. But there is one man who can light your fire to live.

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Female Reader

Word count: 2.5k

Pronouns: you, she/her

Warnings: angst, mentions of depression, swearing, smoking, vomitting, Shane gaslighting, soft Merle (in his own way), hurt and comfort, fluffy Daryl, differences from the main plot may occur, bad English (not my first language).

If I miss something, please let me know. I hope you enjoy :).

Taglist: @your-shifting-gurl @bae-live-0 @richardsamboramylove55 @deansapplepie

The sourness gathered in your jaws, and cold sweat soaked your tank top. You realized you were almost throwing up because of the anxiety overwhelming you. Barely hearing a familiar voice calling your name, as it was ringing in your ears, you ran several feet, stopping near one of the trees and vomiting. Daryl came up to you, seeing your pathetic state.

“Are ya okay?” the archer’s voice sounded concerned. You breathed heavily, shaking your head.

“What’s goin' on with ya?” the man couldn’t stop but continued asking, hoping he could help you somehow.

“Nothing,” you replied, not wishing him to be immersed in your problems. He’s a great buddy but not a friend to spill everything on.

“Merle’s on a run tomorrow. Should he bring a pregnancy test?” Daryl shifted from one leg to another and started to chew his fingers. Every body movement showed how he was nervous and regretting what he’d just said. He understood it wasn’t his business, and this probably would make you push him away.

“Who taught you manners, Dixon?” you spat the remaining bitterness out of your mouth.

“Ya’ve been looking like shit for a fortnight,” the man bit his lower lip. “Being pale, crying, now throwing up. Thought ya…”

“I’m not pregnant, Daryl. Just a rebound effect and anxiety,” you straightened up, wiping your mouth with your forearm, and went past the embarrassed archer, getting back to the place you had been sitting the whole day.

“Wanna talk 'bout it?” he stood behind your back, keeping his distance, ready to leave you alone.

“Dunno,” you closed your face with your palms. “Just not sure you want to hear complaints from a stranger,” you sobbed as your own words hit your weak point: your fear of loneliness you’d been through this time.

“I’m not good at labels, but ya’re not a stranger to me, Y/N,” Daryl stood for a while, then decided to walk away before he heard your “okay.” He slowly came back to you to sit beside you silently, as if you were an animal he was hunting for, and any noise could scare you.

“So, if ya don’ need a test, then could he find medicines for ya?” Daryl turned his face to you, hoping to see yours.

“Thanks, ain’t no need,” you faced him with a sad smile. “I’m afraid it’ll do worse. I just need time, and this will go away. At least I hope so.”

You both looked into each other's eyes, sitting silent for a moment.

“Who hurt ya?” Daryl’s low, raspy voice sounded soothing, and his blue eyes still pierced yours.

“A lot of things and people,” you gasped, looking somewhere away. “I lost my parents a year ago, which led to depression. My boyfriend couldn’t bear it anymore and broke up with me half a year later,” your tears spilled, recalling Shane and Lori in the forest, then thought about Rick who would be there, and nothing similar would have happened. “I lost my best friend, almost my brother, right before the outbreak. I…” your voice cracked, “I’m so fucking tired, Daryl,” his heart flipped seeing your face grimace because of the pain you were suffering from. To his own surprise, he hugged you, gripping you by your shoulder and stroking it a bit clumsily but gently. You laid your head on his chest, which made Daryl tense his muscles for a moment, but he overcame the tension and relaxed. “I will not make it. I can’t. I’m fed up with everything. I did have hope I could overcome, but… I’ve seen something today I shouldn’t have to,” you silenced for a moment, not sure if you want to continue talking about it.

“I’ll hold any secret of yours if this is an issue,” Daryl’s voice became almost a whisper, while he didn’t stop comforting you, which he himself found so natural though still strange.

“I found my ex fucking with my best friend’s wife… Widow.” your lower lip quivered in pain, and your eyes stung with the new wave of tears.

Daryl frowned as he figured out who you were talking about. “Shane? Your ex?”

The man felt your nod and the warmth of the tears dropping on his shirt.

“He’s a dickhead and doesn’t deserve your tears,” Daryl’s hand gently squeezed your bicep, slightly gripping you closer to him. The archer was shocked by his own words and body movements as if he was not in control of himself. Everything wasn’t typical for him though he instinctively wanted to make you feel, if not fine, then a bit relaxed. You reminded him of a small kitten curled up in his big palms, shivering and crying. Such a small and fragile creature that needed protection.

“Thank you,” your whisper completely melted Daryl’s heart.

You were sitting silently for several minutes which seemed like an eternity. There was only him, and you were caged in his warm hug, sitting on the ground and hearing cricket sounds. This was enough for you to finally calm down. His body warmth and his natural scent mixed with tobacco and hand strokes were so soothing that it made you feel safe. You closed your eyes, relaxing into his hug.

“Talking about Merle. Could I ask him to find me a tent then?” you asked in a sleepy voice.

Daryl nodded. “Mhm. I’ll ask. And ya can sleep in mine today if ya want. I’ll be at Merle’s,” the archer’s low voice vibrating in his chest where your head was leaning made you feel dizzy.

“Thank you, Daryl,” you raised your head, aligning too closely with the man’s face, as his brain didn’t work out to lose the hug quickly. You met his crystal blue eyes, and his hot breath near your lips. Daryl, feeling butterflies in his stomach, forced his arm to loosen the hug so the awkwardly small distance became longer.

“Ya need ta eat and sleep, Y/N,” Daryl stood up on his feet and offered you his hand. You laid your arm in his and stood up clumsily, almost losing your balance. Daryl held you by your bicep. “That’s what I’m saying.”

“I’ll eat tomorrow, want just to sleep,” Daryl nodded, and you both walked towards the camp.

“Daryl,” you gently grabbed his hand, making him look at you.

“Wha’?”

“Can we get around the camp?” you looked up at him sheepishly, leaving his arm. “I don't wanna see either Shane or Lori now,” Daryl nodded in response, and you walked in another direction.

When you approached the archer’s tent, Daryl kneeled and unzipped it to take a blanket and make sure it would be cozy enough for you to sleep.

“Here it is,” the archer stood for a moment looking at you, waiting for you to get inside the tent.

“Thank you,” you replied in a sheepish voice.

“Stop it, please, ‘s nothin’,” Daryl felt uncomfortable as you were too thankful for such simple things, as he thought. In reality, he hadn’t just gotten used to it as no one had ever said these words to him.

“Good night,” Daryl whispered gently.

“Good night, Daryl,” you smiled at him and got inside the tent.

—

You woke up quite early when the sunlight was only showing on the horizon. The morning was quite cold because of the forest and water nearby. The air was so humid that it was hard to breathe in.

You covered yourself with a blanket and headed to Lori and Carl’s tent to grab your bag where your essentials were. You made it successfully without much noise and headed back. You put your bag on the ground and went nearby to find some wood and stones to set a small fire.

After the preparations, you took the jezve out of the bag with a coffee package and a bottle of water left from the previous brewing. Should be enough for two. You put some coffee in a jezve, poured some water, and put it on the fire.

When the coffee was brewing, you had a look at the camp which was still sleepy. You heard the sound of footsteps on the dry leaves and turned around to see Daryl walking out of the forest. You met his gaze, which made you smile gently. He was coming up to you, biting his lower lip and holding a flower in his right hand.

“Good morning, Daryl,” you said silently and put out two small cups to pour the coffee.

“Morning,” he sat in front of you with a grumpy face as he was too nervous and gave you the flower. “Sorry for being an asshole, Y/N.”

You chuckled and took the flower, tucking it behind your ear and giving him a cup in turn. “That’s okay, Daryl,” you replied, blushing, as he was so freaking cute, and it made you smile wider.

Daryl held the cup and wasn’t quite brave enough to look up at you. “Didn’t know I deserved this,” his gaze still somewhere on the ground.

“You are always welcome here until supplies stop,” Daryl finally looked at you, seeing you smiling. He blushed a bit and chuckled in response. You both felt so calm and relaxed.

“Morning little birdies,” Merle’s voice hit you both. You saw him going out of the tent, stretching his muscles after the night's sleep.

“Morning. Coffee?” you replied calmly, smiling while noticing how Daryl’s expression changed, the reason of which you didn’t get.

“Nah, thanks,” Merle replied to you and grinned at his brother, messing up his hair. Daryl jerked at the touch. “Got some business today. Looking for a tent for some stunning lady. But it can be unnecessary till she lets me know she could stay in mine before I go,” the man winked at you before you choked on the coffee.

“Merle,” Daryl almost growled at his brother.

“Wha’? If yer a pussy who cannot stay with a hottie in a tent, god knows I won’t miss the chance.”

“Merle,” the archer’s voice started having furious tones.

“Jus’ kiddin’ lil brother, keep calm,” Merle patted Daryl’s shoulder. “But if you change your mind…” the man paid attention to you still coughing.

“Almost died,” you cleared your throat, wiping the tears. “You’d better invite me for a date first,” you exhaled, hoping the spasms relieved. Merle sighed and walked up to you.

“If the younger wastes time, I promise, ‘ll do this,” the man took your hand and pecked it, looking into your eyes. “Have a good one, princess.”

You were watching Merle go away and then looked at Daryl, who was looking on the ground, already holding a cigarette and fidgeting his fingers.

“Daryl, are you okay?” you asked the man whose mood changed drastically compared to what he had before. The archer simply nodded and stood up.

“I’ll be tomorrow, want ta check another perimeter further from ‘ere. Maybe I‘ll find somethin’,” he mumbled, taking his crossbow.

“Take care, Daryl,” he looked at you, admiring you sitting in his blanket with the flower tucked behind the ear. Your eyes pierced his with an exhausted look. The archer nodded, biting the inside of his cheek, and walked away.

—

You were helping Carol in the kitchen. The woman couldn’t hide her happiness seeing you around, telling how nervous she was. You were just shyly chuckling in response, also feeling awkward as Shane and Lori were passing by you time after time. Sometimes Carl was trying to talk to you, showing you the pictures he drew with Sofia, and you were happy to talk to him, but Lori always called him, finding a new reason every time.

“Is it me or she doesn’t want you to communicate?” Carol asked silently, standing beside you to cut a few vegetables.

“You’re right,” you replied, glancing at the woman who was sitting near Carl, who was reading out loud.

Your attention was caught by a new sports car that arrived at the camp, making so much noise. Shane already ran up to the car, seeing it was Glenn, happy like a kid finding a new toy.

Then a van arrived at the camp. People around seemed cautious until they saw your group going out. You smiled with relief.

“Carol, I’ll be later. Maybe my new tent has arrived,” the woman nodded to you, and you went to the van almost running. Reaching out to the side of the driver's seat, you saw Merle was missing.

“Where’s Merle?” your voice got an anxious tone, your eyes roaming between people to find the answer when suddenly you saw another man wearing a sheriff's uniform going out of the car. “No way,” the air was caught in your throat as if you forgot how to breathe. “Rick!” you whispered.

“Y/N,” the man’s hoarse voice hit you, causing tears of happiness. You jumped into his embrace, caging him in your arms. Here he is, safe and alive as if nothing had happened before.

“I thought I’d never see you again,” your voice is trembling because of the tears washing your face. The man tugged you closer, his hand on the back of your head.

“I can’t believe it,” he whispered and turned his head to see if there are Lori and Carl when you felt his heart started almost jumping out of his body. You relieved the hug and saw Rick going towards Carl, already running to him. Shane standing near the sports car turned pale.

“Where’s Merle?” you repeated the question, seeing T-Dog and Andrea hesitating to answer.

“There was a problem in Atlanta. We needed to cuff him. He was behaving dangerously,” T-Dog mumbled, wiping the sweat appearing on his forehead.

“What?” you silenced. “How could you..?” You couldn’t find any words, feeling the emotions boiling in your chest.

“We didn’t have a choice,” Andrea’s voice caught your attention.

“What the hell does it even mean?”

Your blurred vision started to be clear when you saw yourself already screaming at Glenn, asking him to give you keys.

“Y/N,” Rick was coming up to you, “What’s the problem?”

“You cuffed a person in the city full of walkers, are you serious?” you were quickly cut off by Shane chuckling.

“Rick, don’t pay attention. She’s just hanging out with him and his brother.”

“Mind your own business, Shane,” you barked in response.

“Rick, should we cuff her as well? She absolutely went nuts without her pills,” you made several running steps toward Shane when felt Rick’s hands gripping you tightly.

“What did you just say?” you yelled at the man, trying to free yourself from Rick.

“One fool makes many. Ah, no, two fools.”

“Hey, hollyrolly, which part of 'Mind your own business' didn’t you get?” you barked in response to Shane, whose facial expression turned furious.

“Shut up, you both!” Rick shouted, “Y/N, let me explain,” the sheriff cupped your face so that you could see him and listen.

< Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 >

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hamofjustice · 3 months ago

Text

Nemona the Unrivaled

Chapter 4 - Stars Align

Info / Chapter Select: here

(by popular demand, this fic continues!)

Nemona, Arven, and Cyclizar were making good time on their ride to Uva Academy. The young Champion thought maybe they'd even have time for a battle or two before they had to go sign in… right as the gleam of some familiar white helmets caught her attention.

"Whoa, hold up, Cyclizar." she commanded in a low voice, and the motorcycle-like lizard slowed to a stop a few yards away from her least favorite staircase -- gradually, so as to not throw Arven off. It didn't particularly enjoy stairs either, so they were going to stop there regardless.

Arven had been uncharacteristically quiet most of the way, but the commotion ahead got his attention. "Huh?"

Two members of the delinquent student gang known as Team Star seemed to be blocking the path of a teen with short but eye-catching red and blue hair and a big plush Eevee backpack. Even though their target didn't seem to be wearing Uva's uniform, Nemona quickly decided it was her duty to watch what happened next and possibly intervene…

"Don’t you get it?! If you join Team Star, you can shine as bright as anybody!" "Yeah! Seriously, what’s with you? Don’t you wanna burn bright with awesome friends like us?"

The girl they were harassing sighed. "… Not really."

The pair's casual demeanor quickly flipped to aggressive. "Look, we’ve got a quota we’re supposed to fill for new members, so just sign up already!"

Typical recruiters. Nemona rolled her shoulders and began stomping toward them.

"Um… I'd rather not…" the cornered girl muttered flatly, unmoved -- though her Galarian accent poked through, regardless.

The student council president made her presence known behind the delinquent duo, as Arven dismounted her Cyclizar in the background. "Oye! Pero bueno, what's going on here? Trying to pressure people into signing up again?"

The two punks jumped out of their skin and spun around, instantly toppled from the high ground they thought they had over the situation. Now that she saw their faces, Nemona remembered their last names from having reported them previously…

"Gah! It's that student council dweeb!" shouted Gruntae, the newer recruit. "Shh! Ah, hi. We weren't… NOT doing that…" added Gruntby, unhelpfully.

Nemona's expression shifted from protective anger to a dangerous smirk as she got closer. "Well, it just so happens me and my friend here are just DYING for a battle--" she began, tilting her head in Arven's direction.

"We are?" he asked, glancing down at Cyclizar as if expecting the lizard to shrug.

"-- so why don't you two help me make an example of what happens when someone tries bullying kids on my watch?"

"Uh, yeah, pick on somebody your own size, like her!" Arven awkwardly joined in, pointing at Nemona.

The Eevee fan pushed up her round glasses. "Um, actually I'm perfectly capa--"

"Bullying? Hey, you heard us, we're just looking for new friends! Right?" Gruntby asked Gruntae. "Yeah! W-we just want folks to know how much more popular they'd be with us!" "Right! Seems SOME people are fine with being total nobodies forever, though…"

"HEY!" yelled Nemona, which made the quiet girl trying to slip past the grunts unnoticed jump in surprise and skitter the rest of the way to her defenders' side.

Nemona cleared her throat before continuing, feeling a little hoarse after her previous outburst that morning. "I don't know what you call that kinda talk except bullying! Now, if you really wanna-- *cough* wanna 'make friends' with this girl, you're gonna have to get past us first." Nemona challenged. She held out a Poke Ball with one of her arms bracing the other, like it was an arm cannon ready to fire. "Ready?"

"Hold on, I'm not sure I should, uh…" Arven began to protest.

"Right, right, this would be a much more fruitful battle if we got our new Pokemon some beginner's experience with it! Silly me!" she said, swapping out her Tauros's Ball for Sprigatito's.

Arven blinked. "… Yeah, I mean, I… sure. Okay. Just what I was gonna say, Prez." he said with a shrug before holding up a Ball of his own.

"Beginners?! Hey! You can't just go treatin' Team Star like easy pickings! For the honor of the team, we've got no choice but to burn you to ash now!" shouted Gruntby. "… We don't?" asked Gruntae. "Shouldn't we just book it? I mean--" "No way! C'mon!" her teammate insisted.

With that, the four students spread out and turned the side street into their impromptu battlefield. The red-and-blue-haired girl stuck around to watch as well, lightly knocking on the side of her head like she was trying to remember something…

Arven, staring down their opponents, stepped up to Nemona's side and whispered "Didn't we both just get these Pokemon? Are you sure they can handle this?"

"Hey, we're both pros even if they're not yet, right? And we've both got Tera Orbs -- I'm sure these punks don't."

"You think I'm a pro…? But you're--"

"YO, EARTH TO DWEEBS! Less prattling, more battling!" interrupted Gruntae.

"Nice." approved Gruntby with a high-five.

=====

Gruntae and Gruntby of Team Star want to battle!

Gruntae sent out Shroodle! Gruntby sent out Yungoos!

Nemona sent out Sprigatito! Arven sent out Skwovet!

=====

"Haha, weak! You must be really full of yourselves if you think you can win with those!" taunted Gruntby.

"Callate, you! Now, let's focus down that Shroodle, before it--"

"Acid Spray!" interrupted Gruntae.

"Dive low and Scratch!"

After a moment, Nemona's Sprigatito did in fact pounce on the Shroodle and dodge the Poison attack in the process, correctly predicting the spray would launch in an arc and not straight at the little cat's face. She was also correct to assume that a starter Pokemon from the school would have some basic training.

"Bite that Shroodle like a Berry, before it moves again!" called Arven to Skwovet, keeping up the pressure on the opponent that had a type advantage just as Nemona wanted.

"Tackle 'em!" ordered Gruntby to his Yungoos, knocking back the weaker Sprigatito several feet and chasing it down to finish it off.

"Here goes… Terastallize!" shouted Nemona, tossing her Tera Orb to encrust her Sprigatito in brilliant green crystal. "Overgrown Leafage on that Yungoos!"

Arven followed suit, turning his little squirrel a shining white. "You too, Skwovet! Use this to Tackle that Shroodle with all you've got!

And soon…

=====

Nemona and Arven won the battle!

=====

"W-well, um, uh, h-hasta la vistar! ☆" Gruntae sputtered, hastily signing the team's signature star symbol before she ran off toward a nearby alley.

Gruntby, meanwhile, stood his ground, gritting his teeth. "Hmph. Figures your pal here would be a cheater like you, Prez. Did your daddies buy you those toys, just like your grades?"

Nemona's eye twitched as her face scrunched up to mirror his. "I earned mine fair and square, by putting in the work -- and so could you, if you'd stop skipping class and causing trouble! I'm not special!"

"Tch! Like you're gonna let any of us set foot in that school again without reportin' us. You got a point with that last part, though -- you ain't special, just lucky."

Nemona did her best to ignore that jab. "You guys do realize you haven't been expelled yet because we don't WANT to, right? Because the Director's been holding out hope that we can help you grow like we're supposed to?"

The Team Star boy stared blankly for a moment, then flipped back to casual mode. "Whatever. I'll be on my merry way back where I don't need fixing… Hasta la vistaaarrr! ☆"

She watched him run off, her face frozen in a frown. It was so frustrating how Team Star thought they were in the right, even as they insulted, hassled, and blockaded whoever they wanted. Neither she nor the teachers could really figure out what to do about them, especially given that they were just kids in need of guidance and not real criminals. If only she could solve this problem through battling. That was one of maybe two things she was actually good--

"I… uh… I just… Well, thanks." stammered the girl they helped, snapping Nemona back to normal.

"Wha-- Yeah! Yeah, no problem!"

"You all right there, Prez?" Arven asked.

Nemona suddenly realized she had quite a few eyes on her at that moment, human and Pokemon alike. She cleared her throat, straightened her tie, and tightened her glove before turning around. "Yeah, I'm fine! Wish battling actually solved anything, though. Um, how about you, uh…?"

"… Oh, P-Penny. Name's Penny. I'm a student here, too…"

"Hi, Penny! I'm Nemona!"

"And I'm Arven."

"You're not hurt anywhere, are you?" Nemona asked, twisting herself around to inspect the new girl curiously.

"No, Team Star doesn't, uh, didn't hurt me, no." she stammered.

"Good!" Nemona exclaimed, as Arven nodded.

"I… wouldn't let them." Penny added with an unexpected confidence.

"I don't think I've seen you around before -- I'll be your student council president this semester, in theory. Nice to meet you!" Nemona said, holding out her gloved hand.

Penny glanced between Nemona's smile and hand a few times before going for the handshake. "N-nice to meet you, too, Nemona. Arven. Um… g-good to, uh, know we've got… h-heroes watching over us… I, um, we should probably get going before we're late, though…"

"Right, I guess that ate up the time we had to spare, eh?" Arven noted.

Penny turned to face the massive staircase up to Uva Academy. "See you around…"

"All right! We'll catch up to you in a sec! Cool bag, by the way! Love that fluff!"

"Uh… thanks."

Nemona sighed contentedly as she watched that Penny girl make her way up, proud to be someone's hero. She rattled her head to get her mind back to business and started digging through her bag, looking for a healing Potion to spray Sprigatito with and the Balls to put it and Cyclizar into, as the two Pokemon looked up at her expectantly.

"Sorry, I, uh--" Arven began to mutter.

"Wha-huh? For what?"

"Those guys kinda remind me of what I'm normally like…"

"Pshhh, not even close! Besides, we turned over a new leaf, bud! Right?"

"I… yeah, I guess. I've just never been on your side of something like that before."

"Well… I'm glad you're here now." Nemona said with a warm smile.

Arven averted his gaze toward the stairs, rubbing the back of his neck while Skwovet sat on his other shoulder. "Bit weird she's not in uniform, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I wasn't sure if she went here at first! She must be new -- the Director or somebody'll probably say something to her about the dress code before I have to, though." Nemona reasoned as she finished up her team maintenance. "All right… ready for the worst staircase in the world?"

"Yep." Arven answered, pulling the straps taut on his heavy backpack.

Nemona took a deep breath, and… dashed up at full speed!

"Whoa, take it easy, you maniac!"

… She only made it about halfway before she stopped to catch her breath, and looked back to see Arven -- as well as several other students -- catching up to her at a comfortable walking pace.

Arven smirked as he walked up to her again. "Guess you were right about not making it up here easily. You looked like more of an athlete than that…"

"Haha… nope… definitely… not…"

"Well, you'd probably make it further if you took your time and paced yourself. Less likely to break something if you trip, too." Arven advised. "Keep those legs loose at least, you don't want to cramp up from suddenly standing still." His Skwovet squeaked in agreement.

Nemona took the suggestion and started shifting around on her feet. "Heh… are YOU an athlete, Arven?"

"Me? Nah, just stuff you should know if you do a lot of hiking."

Nemona nodded. "Guess I've been pretty reliant on my Pokemon to help me get around…"

After a moment or two, she looked back up from the ground and was pleasantly surprised to realize Arven was still waiting for her.

"You ready?" he asked.

"I think so. Pacing myself, huh…"

This time, they walked together the rest of the way, and made their way inside…

#pokemon scarlet and violet #pokemon sv #pokemon scarvio #nemona #nemona pokemon #pokemon fanfiction #nemonaposting #hamfiction #nemona the unrivaled #arven pokemon #arvenposting #penny pokemon #pennyposting #team star #zero crew

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bunnyfern · 5 months ago

Text

Chapter 4

Double Take And Never Give

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ 𝄞

Today was the day that Crowe had to start acting lessons. And she was stressing out.

Well, it was more like full on panicking and sweating through her shirt. The idea of being on tv terrified her, but at least none of it would be live so millions of people could see her fuck up and die of embarrassment. But even then, who knows if she’ll be able to form proper sentences in front of a large group of people filming her every move.

Kelly had informed her yesterday of what Gustavo had planned for her and the band, giving Crowe a sheet of paper with lines to practice with in preparation for class. Reading her lines while cleaning her apartment or reorganizing the shelves was easy enough. Moving to the mirror in her bathroom though, got her stammering and avoiding eye contact with even herself. Crowe found it incredibly annoying and stupid that she was acting like this, or not acting. It was hard for her to not overthink this.

“It’s fine,” Looking at the light brown eyes in the mirror. “Just. I have to just,” Darting her eyes around the dirty bathroom. “Say this line.” Bringing the sheet up and not a single noise coming out. She slunk down to the floor and sighed. “Maybe I’m not cut out for this. He can’t be right.” Everything was silent aside from next door. It sounded lively over there, but laughing brought her back to the script, sighing once more.

And continued to sit. Until she felt a small wet spot on her pants, “What the-” Crowe shot up and stepped away from the mysterious liquid. “Ew ew ew ew, gross.” Groaning and blocking it out of her mind.

But if she had to do this to stay in school which means staying a songwriter for the band and Gustavo, then she had to push herself out of her comfort zone. It’s easier for her to stay and fight through the anxiety plaguing her all through the night than going back and dealing with loneliness for the rest of her life.

So on the way to Rocque Records the next day, the only thing Crowe did was ready her voice with some tongue twisters and memorization of her lines. Fumbling her words when one of the boys was looking in her direction, starting over and over again. And Carlos thought it was a fun game in seeing how much he could make Crowe stutter her lines. He got up to five times before she finally gave up.

Logan was the one who asked, “So, is that for the acting role you’re gonna do?” The rest looked at her and she answered, wanting to rest as much as she could before getting to work. Putting the folder down on her lap, “No. Well, technically . But this is for my acting class. I don’t have a role yet.” She didn’t know how many classes she had to take before landing a part, let alone auditioning for one.

But it has to be soon or I’ll get kicked out of school. It’s easy for her to overthink.

“And you have to do that?” Kendall knew nothing about the details of what she had to do to be in school, only hearing it in a passing statement from Kelly. “Yeah. If I wanna stay living here,” she began to count out her list, “Be your guys’ assistant, be a songwriter and get away from the cold, depressing weather. Then yeah.” Crowe didn’t want to lose any of this or do anything that could potentially get her fired.

She laid her head back, waiting for the drive to be over.

⟡

“You,” Gustavo and an older woman, presumably the acting coach, entered the empty room where Crowe was quietly waiting. “Are you ready to be on the big screen?” He seemed to be in good spirits, probably because he got away from the band for a minute.

“Should I answer that?” Crowe second guessed herself in wanting to do this. Thinking for a split second to change it to singing, but only for a microsecond. Darting her eyes between the two adults and swallowing her fear.

“If you want to honestly, you can. It might help calm your nerves down.” The woman was confident, in the way she stood and spoke. Leaving Crowe to mimic her confidence, straightening her posture.

Gustavo stood by Crowe to give her the run down of the day ahead. “Alright, I’m going to be working with the dogs on harmonies while you do some acting. Either me or Kelly will come check up on you about every hour or so, see how you’re doing.”

Crowe nodded.

“Good. Now, get to work!” Yelling at the two, waving and shutting the door behind him.

Crowe waited for instructions, not sure if she needs to be doing something specific or not. Her teacher could feel the nervousness radiating off of the younger girl, “It’s fine if you’re nervous or scared, just let me know. I want you to be comfortable.” A large purse was placed on the table, taking out random objects and setting them in a line. “Now, it’ll be a bit different since I’m only teaching you and not a proper class with more students. But that just means you’ll get all my attention.” Her warm smile sedated Crowe’s fears for a short minute before starting her lessons.

She motioned for Crowe to stand up. Handing her a rubber chicken, Crowe eyed the yellow plastic as she wasn’t sure how this had anything to do with acting.

Apparently her teacher said it could help represent her feelings of anxiousness, letting her squeeze it and hear the ear aching sound that came from it.

Crowe laughed a little. Like this is going to work.

The surprising thing is, it did help her in some way. As for the next few hours, it consisted of only Kelly checking in, stretching to help loosen her stiff muscles with yoga, and belting screeches from the chicken. And since Crowe read her lines yesterday, she had to perform it while learning about markers.

Halfway through the lesson, both her teacher and Gustavo let the teens have a break for lunch. The outside felt like a good idea to Crowe as she could stretch her legs properly, from all the moving around in the room, and feel the warmth of the sun.

“What are you doing out here?” Kendall’s voice was heard as he walked out the double doors of Rocque Records.

Crowe waved hi to him. “I was going crazy in there learning so much stuff, needed to see the outside world for a bit.” Sipping on her cold strawberry banana smoothie. “You?”

“Carlos wanted corn dogs and sent me to buy some. And Gustavo is killing us in there with all that singing.” Flopping his head on the back of the bench and sighing.

She just hummed, knowing how Gustavo might be working them down to the bone. It was just luck she had a nice teacher.

“You can join us upstairs if you want, we’re just hanging out until he calls us back in.” Kendall suggested to her as he got up to pay for Carlos’ food. It was a nice thought but she didn’t want to deal with a certain someone.

“No, I’m good.” An appreciative nod came from her.

Kendall didn’t push her knowing that Crowe wasn’t too fond of James, and that was probably putting it lightly . He knew how dramatic, and sometimes shallow, James could get but he didn’t think it was so bad that it made her not want to hang out with the rest of them.

Him and the others barely had time to hang out with her, aside from when they’re working. And the only time she would talk to them outside of it was because of work related things and nothing else. Making it harder for the band to know anything besides her name.

Kendall left Crowe alone on the bench, going back to the boys and thinking about ways to get her talking.

The smoothie had cooled Crowe down and ready to continue. It made her miss Minnesota a tiny bit, being used to the freezing temperatures rather than the heat that welcomed her everyday. But that was the only thing she missed, and because of that she promised herself that she would get accustomed to the way LA people lived. Even if it meant sweating through her jacket multiple times a day, it was worth it in her eyes.

⟡

It was an exhausting day for the teens, more so for the boys than Crowe. They had gotten back to the Palm Woods as night was approaching, wanting to relax near the pool they all laid on the empty lounge chairs.

“Thank goodness we can escape the stresses of Hollywood at the amazing Palm Woods pool.” Kendall was more than ready to relax, probably fall asleep on the chair if he could. Crowe mumbled, “It’s not that amazing.” As soon as they got comfortable a loud ringing was heard as a lady rushed towards the five, “What’s this? I didn’t order extras.” Standing behind them with a clipboard in her hands and headset on.

Once it registered in Crowe’s mind what she meant, remembering what she learned earlier, she collected her things to leave the set.

“We live here, this is our pool.” Kendall and the others didn’t understand and continued to stay seated, chilling. The woman explained how they were using the set for a dog food commercial starring Lightning the TV Wonder Dog, taking a look at the dog who wore a silk robe waiting. Waving to Lightning and saying hi, “Adorable.” Crowe said, still seated and Lightning barking back to say hey.

“Strike the five.” Screaming into her headset and leaving, having workers take the teens away. Crowe was too slow in leaving as she, along with the rest of the boys, got picked up by the crew and carried into the lobby. “Let go.” Struggling against the grip the men had on her legs and arms, wanting to be dropped on the floor rather than feel like a sack of potatoes.

Getting dropped on the couches as they could care less if the five got hurt, with Crowe landing in the middle of Kendall and Logan. Carlos and James on the other one feeling just as frustrated, then acting calm again. Crowe stayed frustrated as she fixed her ponytail.

Kendall didn’t seem fazed by it, “Well, at least we can recharge in the stylish Palm Woods lobby.” Him and Logan each putting an arm next to Crowe’s shoulders as she crossed her arms, a frown forming on her face. “Ah, the five hockey players from Minnesota.” Entering the lobby was Mr. Bitters, who didn’t seem too pleased with the teens. “Not a hockey player.” Crowe getting mistaken for one again.

There was a pointer in his hand as he listed off the rules written on the white board, but emphasizing a single one. “No loitering in the lobby after 9:00 pm. Oh, look at the time. 9:01.” Not missing the single time difference.

Shooing them away and into the elevator, pressing the button and watching the doors close. They went up in silence, Logan looked at the shorter girl and saw her messing with the necklace. Crowe felt eyes on her and turned to see Logan, he flashed a grin at her and waited to see if she would return it. She wasn’t sure what he wanted, mimicking a small grin so he could stop staring at her. It worked as he turned away, her face reverting into one of just plain annoyance.

Crowe shuffled away from the group as they reached their separate apartments but failed as Carlos dragged her inside, his arm resting across her shoulder.

Unbeknownst to him, forcing Crowe to stay with the boys for longer than she wanted to. Sitting on the drab couch as two boys sat on each side of her, “Then there’s the gracious interior of our very own apartment 2-J.” Kendall defeatedly said about the lame decor of the place, mostly covered in the worst color someone could pick to live with and a space littered with awful upkeep.

“Just like 2-H” It wasn’t too different from Crowe’s apartment, only being smaller since it was only her living there.

She didn’t complain much since she was more than grateful of getting her own place thanks to Kelly, where Crowe was originally going to share a room with Katie. But after informing Kelly that she, or rather her dad, could pay for a separate apartment, Kelly changed the arrangements and made it so the girl could be alone and not pay out of pocket.

“This place is horrible.” Logan and Carlos said, jinxing them as the couch legs broke and crashed onto the floor. Making the five bump into each other and groan, tired of their place. Kendall shot up and headed to the door, the others following them except for Crowe who stayed in place. Logan was at the back and realized she wasn’t following, lightly grabbing her wrist and tugging her along to join the boys back down into the lobby. Crowe let Logan drag her to the elevator, not saying anything since she was drained from the day.

The boys were more than comfortable in hugging, touching her shoulders or resting their arms on her, even Katie rested her head on Crowe before. It was something she didn’t think co-workers did, being so friendly with one another. What did make sense was the boys since they grew up with each other for years, but they’ve only known her since working together so there wasn’t a reason to be this friendly. But she didn’t shy away from it either, liking the attention they gave her but would never dare to admit it.

Logan dropped her hand as they reached the front desk, Kendall ringing the bell even after Mr. Bitters came out of his office. “What? I’m busy.” Not bothering to finish the food in his mouth before speaking, annoyed at teens bothering him this late. “We’d like a nicer apartment, please.” Kendall asked nicely as Carlos backed him up, “How come everyone else gets one of those cool apartments?” Pointing to a way nicer, luxurious apartment where it didn’t look like it got thrown up on and better paint. “And ours is a big-time dump.” Crowe nodded, staying quiet.

“2-J, 2-H, a dump?” Spitting his half eaten food on Logan and Kendall. “If by ‘dump’, you mean ‘really cool’ .” Bringing the teens back up again for the second time to the apartment, turning into a tour guide as he showed them the wonders inside the place. “As you know, the Palm Woods is home of the future famous. Do you know how many showbiz legends have stayed in this very room?” Stopping in the middle of the room and turning to look at them.

Kendall gave a rebuttal, “Do you know how many stains and smells there are in this very room?” Mr. Bitters switched up his wording, “If you spill, it’s a stain. When Lindsay Lohan throws up chocolate milk, it’s history.” Fanning down to where a brown spot sat as it looked like no one bothered to clean or touch it since it was considered ‘history’.

Don’t think about it, don’t look at it.

Crowe found it disgusting, covering her mouth to not gag as Logan and Kendall felt the same as her and James and Carlos who found it interesting. “And this slight blemish, the result of a Shia Labeouf indoor soccer game.” Said ‘blemish’ was a hole as big as Bitters head and at the height of him, certainly not a small flaw someone could overlook.

The boys heard that and got excited to play soccer indoors, but Bitters quickly extinguished the thought and moved on to the tv. “And are you telling me, that you’re too good, for the tv enjoyed by Kanye West, when he was known around here as Lil’ Kanye West?”

He’s gone insane thinking those things are impressive. Rolling her eyes.

“Can we at least paint the place?” Kendall hoped. Crowe was hoping the same.

“No, cause your lease specifically states that there will be no painting..” Bitters rushed over to a framed picture of the Knights, “No hanging of personal pictures-” Taking it down and revealing a chunk of wall missing, causing Crowe to squeak out a laugh and face away from it. “I’ll allow this one.” Placing it back, “No construction of any kind. And there is no way I am putting five hockey-playing hooligans into one of my finer apartments.” Heading out of the room and Crowe not bothering to correct him anymore. Accepting the fact that she was now a hockey player.

“So installing an indoor swirly slide is completely out of the question?” Carlos questioned as if he could even possibly find a way to do that.

“This matter, like this door, is closed.” Slamming it shut as he was finished with the conversation. The picture falling from the sudden bang, “I’m surprised the pipe didn’t burst.” Once again, Carlos jinxing it to make it worse. “Pipe just burst.” James was defeated as was Kendall, “Yep. We need a new crib.”

Showering the five in water, Crowe jolting at the suddenness and clutching her necklace to not freak her out even more. Keeping her anger at bay. “Yeah right, like that’s just gonna fall from the sky.” Sarcasm coming from Logan.

Crowe had enough of tonight and left to her place, not bothering to say bye to the boys. The four didn’t stop her, understanding how annoyed she might be. Kendall was the only one who noticed her face and the grip she had on the necklace, worried if something they did made her upset. Brushing it aside for the night and put asking about it off for another day.

She went straight to the bathroom and took a look in her mirror, noticing her roots showing more than ever. Switching into a different set of clothes, she got to work on redying. Since it was only her roots, it didn’t take too long.

“Not bad.” Checking herself out, “Maybe I should paint my nails..” Nodding to herself and searching underneath the sink for the classic black nail polish. After finding it, she sat on the living room floor and turned the tv on to have background noise.

Landing on a movie that Katie told her about, Crowe was more into old time-y movies so she didn’t know about the current actors. But Katie didn’t have trouble catching her up with all the ‘hot’ celebs and the gossip surrounding them. It was entertaining watching Katie be shocked over Crowe not knowing much.

She blew on her nails to dry and headed to her room, grabbing her journal to write before going to bed.

‘I gotta keep believing that everything takes time’. Something, something, uhh.. ��If you’re staying or leaving, I’ll follow your lead’ I need something before that though, like, ‘you decide, it’s alright, I’ll I will be there’.

The next day Crowe yawned as she waited for the four outside the door, texting Kelly to let her know they’ll be on the way soon.

Ever since Kelly gave her the phone, she spent hours looking through everything she could. It was her first phone so it was all exciting for her. Crowe just had to be reminded to ask for Mrs. Knight’s number, so she wrote a note like usual. She even considered asking the boys for their numbers, but decided against it.

And it was like they knew she was thinking about them. Each of them looked to be in better spirits than yesterday as they were wondering what the day would entail, with her lacking the same excitement.

Arriving at Rocque Records Kelly redirected the five into a meeting room where Gustavo, Griffin, his team, and other workers were there waiting.

The boys went to one side of the table while Crowe joined Kelly and Gustavo. Taking a notepad and pen out of her bag and listening to the presenters up front.

“We call it, The Ultimate Teen Crib,” Showing off an overly decorated space with anything cool that a regular teen could think of, amazing the boys and Crowe. “Filled with amazing home electronics, arcade games-” Getting cut off by Carlos’ excitement, “A swirly slide!”

How in the world..? Glancing at Carlos like he jinxed the slide into existence.

“Cool, right?” Griffin was pleased with the boy's reaction. “Put a swirly slide in my office.” The man next to him leaving to do just that.

“Griffin, I don’t know what this is,” Gustavo motioned to the board. “But I need to work with the dogs on harmonies and songwriting today.” Upset at his boss.

“Change your plans. Our ancient Japanese founder, Mr. Fujizaki, wants to dump our music division.” Crowe scribbled down notes as he continued. “But your boys are going to change his mind.”

Kendall was skeptical, “And we get to live in there?”

“Yes.” Crowe was shocked for a brief second until he went on. “For two hours, while you shoot a promotional video surrounded by RCM/CBT/ Global Net/Sanyoid products,”

What is with the weird fucking name. Struggling to keep up with writing the incredibly long name.

“Which will show Fujizaki why our future rock stars are perfect for selling his blenders, plasma tvs, and missile defense systems.” Moving to the front and sitting down, “What was the last thing?” Crowe mumbled to herself, becoming curious with her boss’ way of thinking. “Oh, and do some interviews. You know, why they love to sing, why they wear that helmet,” motioning to Carlos of course, “And why they love RCM/CBT/ Global net/Sanyoid arcade games, industrial-strength playground slides, and the new XZ5 Micro Laptop. Look how tiny.” Showing off the compact product his assistant handed to him.

James slapped the table, “And we could all wear bandannas. It could be our thing. Bandannas.” Waving his hands as he said the last thing. Crowe chuckled, “No way.” As the boys agreed with her, displeased with James’ suggestion. He squinted in her direction across the table, making a sour face.

Gustavo grew tired of Griffin, “You can’t keep coming into my studio every day and interrupting my training sessions.” Griffin was quick to one up his worker, “Yes, I can. And do the interviews by the water. Fujizaki thinks water is lucky. It’s weird.”

Definitely weird. Referring to the man and the one saying it.

Kelly double checked with everything Griffin wanted, “But you want a performance in the teen hangout crib thing.” He confirmed her thinking and then pulled a fast one on the group, again. It’s like it was his favorite thing to do to his employee.

“And I need it in two days, or the music division will be gone. But have fun with it.” Leaving the stunned group without another word and an unguilty smile of what he’s done to them, just like he did the first time they came here.

Crowe was having a hard time wrapping her head around the situation but Kelly easily took over, “Ok, we’ll build the teenage crib here in Studio A. I’ll find a nice beach location for the interviews and put in some calls for a hot director.” Heading out to start and Crowe following her to help with anything but a gaping Gustavo stopped both of them in their tracks. “ I’m a hot director. And we’re doing everything here, because it’s easier, quicker, and cheaper. You, I want to show you where you’re gonna build this thing.” Taking the head of designing the crib with him, Kelly and Crowe going with them.

Before they got too far Kelly had Crowe stop, “I want you to watch the boys while we get everything ready.” Crowe sighed, “Do I have to?” Kelly gave her a smile, “Yes, you’re their assistant. I need you to make sure they don’t get into any trouble. Please, and I’ll text you when we need the boys over.” Kelly gave her shoulder a squeeze, knowing the boys would find a way of getting into a problem somehow.

Crowe nodded and went back to the four, seeing them grab the board of the hangout crib. They were already pushing their luck.

“What are you doing with that?” Eyeing them as she flipped her bag open, switching the notepad with the phone and putting it in her jacket pocket for easier access. “We just wanna take it back to our place and look at it.” Kendall answered for the group. “To just look at it and nothing else. Right ?” They all nodded and went ahead of her back to the apartment, following as she wasn’t convinced. And she had to make sure they didn’t do anything stupid, needing to stay with them.

Once they all got back, Kendall held up the board in place of their rundown apartment and looked between the two sights. “No. No way. It’s impossible.” Logan disagreed with the thought the others had, Crowe confused on what he was getting at until it clicked in her brain.

“A week ago, we were a hockey team in Minnesota.” Kendall handed off the board to Logan, seeing Crowe with a frown and trying to include her too. “And figure skater.” Straining like it was the worst thing he could possibly say.

What’s so wrong with that? And I don’t want to be included!

“And today we’re a band in LA. Anything is possible.” Talking to mostly the two negatives as Carlos and James were on his side from the beginning.

“No.” Crowe stated. “Ok, you have a point.” Looking baffled at Logan as he played along with their thinking. “But how are we gonna get all this on here?”

James brought up the bandanna idea again, “Take any color you want.” Crowe looked at him amused that he still tried to get the others to wear them. “We're not wearing bandanas in the video, ok?” Kendall shut his idea down. “You know what? You guys never support my risky fashion choices.” James got defensive towards the others. “Cause they’re bad fashion choices.” Crowe explained, James being shocked at her response and fought back. “And you know any better? You always wear jackets!”

“At least it’s better than your stupid ideas!” Shouting back.

“They are-” James began but got interrupted by Kendall. “Quiet!” Staring daggers back and forth between the two bickering teens. The two shutting up.

Refocusing the two on the mission at hand. “Now, the first step is getting the set designer to build the ultrateen crib here, and not Rocque Records.” Kendall crossed his arms and looked at the four for ideas. “Yeah, that’s simple. And how are we gonna do that?” Logan questioned as Crowe looked at him to stop egging the teen on. “Logan, are you forgetting the Palm Woods is home of the future famous?” Giving him an open ended question, knowing he would follow.

Each of them sprinted to the door but Crowe began to panic and shouted at them before they got out. “Wait!” Making the teens bump into each other and turn back to her. “I’m your assistant, and Kelly told me to not let you idiots do something that’ll cause trouble. And this, will cause more than trouble!” Putting a stop to the plan as quickly as she could before anything got too serious. There was a silent conversation between the four, nodding and shaking their heads like they were talking out loud. And she didn’t like that, it was like middle school all over again.

Kendall took the lead, “Oh come on, don’t you want a cool crib instead of this shitty one.”

“No.” Crowe was quick, “I’m fine with my shitty apartment.” standing her ground. Except that it was rocky and she was about to fall.

James nudged Kendall’s arm, “C’mon, she doesn’t know how to have fun. Let’s go without her.” He said it like she wasn’t in the room, but Kendall shushed him.

“So you want to keep living in the small place you have? With stains and holes in the wall? Bad smells included?” Kendall was buttering her up and she knew it, faltering in her opinion. “No.” Mumbled Crowe, not proud that she was going along with them.

I’m just keeping an eye on them. That’s what I’m supposed to do. So technically, I am doing my job.

Kendall took that as permission and grinned ear to ear as he led the group down into the lobby. Deciding to take the stairs instead, Crowe was told that it was quicker than the elevator but she didn’t think so.

Sprinting down to the lobby, Kendall flung his hands out to stop the four, “Wait for it.”

A hand swung in the air and slapped Kendall. “Trevor, I trusted you with my heart, my soul, my money.” A crying Camille, wearing a black tight fitting dress, shouted.

“Camille.” Kendall said, not fazed by the slap.

“What?” Breaking character and relaxing her face.

“We need to borrow your acting.” The four being in sync again with Crowe falling behind and adding. “Please?”

Camille shrugged her shoulders and agreed even though they haven’t given her any details, only that she needed a business suit. Before they all headed to the construction area where the designer was, they had to change her outfit. Camille dragged Crowe upstairs into her apartment to get the right clothes for the part, bringing Crowe into her room.

It was a decent size room, covered in posters, pictures and scripts overflowing on her desk. Crowe stood awkwardly by her door as Camille opened her closet, seeing a variety of different outfits from regular dresses to the outlandish astronaut costume. Shuffling clothes around, Crowe decided to speak, “You have a pretty room, it suits you.” Thinking about the lack of upkeep in her own apartment.

Camille whipped her head around, smiling brightly, “Thanks. Sit, it’ll take a minute.” Waving to Crowe to get comfortable, so she did and sat at the edge of her bed. Worried that she might accidentally mess something up. “And uh, thanks. For helping us. Well, mostly the guys, I guess.” Scanning the ground as Crowe was flustered, fiddling with the necklace.

“Of course, that’s what friends do.” Switching the dress to a business suit.

Crowe stuttered, “We, uh, we’re like. Us two, are like. I mean. We’re..Friends?” Thinking she heard wrong and didn’t want to embarrass herself.

But Camille was confident and made it sound obvious, “Duh, of course we are. Now how does this look?” Spinning to show off the look, waiting for an approval from the other girl. Crowe nodded, “You look good.” Finishing the look with high heels, “I know I do, now let’s go.” Exiting the room and joining the boys again.

On the way to the construction area, Kendall was giving Camille the rundown on what she needed to do, handing her a card and clipboard with mindless papers. James gave Crowe a confused look, “Why are you all smiley? You look creepy.” Wondering if something happened when the girls were upstairs. She softly shook her head. “Nothing. And shut up. You look like that and I don’t say anything.” brushing it off and going back into her own world.

That didn’t lessen his curiosity, instead it frustrated him more. James could easily read his friends when they didn’t directly tell him something, but he couldn’t pin down the girl and her odd mannerisms. He could also predict what they were going to say or do, they’ve been friends for so long that they’ve all adopted some of the same mannerisms from each other, blurring how or who it came from.

But from the day he met her at the auditions, everything she did contradicted what he thought of her. Like her going into acting even though she didn’t want to sing at a singing competition, opting to do songwriting for them. A ringing from Kendall’s phone brought him back to attention. James found her more frustrating than ever.

Kendall had answered and put the caller on hold, “Do your Griffin impression, now.” Giving the call over to Logan but refusing, stomping on his foot to comply.

“Hello? Uh-huh. Yes. Move that set to the Palm Woods, now. Ok, I need to touch my llama now. Bye.” Ending it with something that Griffin would more than likely say. The boys cheered as the plan was now set in motion.

“I owned them in there.” Camille patting herself on the back with Crowe agreeing.

“All you’ve done is set us up for big-time trouble.” Logan still not being happy with the plan.

“Oh, our little Logey, so pessimistic.” Kendall used a nickname for him, one that Crowe didn’t want to hear again. “So scared of everything.” Carlos teased him. “And so hot.” Camille blurted out, everyone looking at her and Crowe looking amused at her friend’s thoughts. Making a mental note to ask her about it later, maybe when they hang out together.

The idea of that excited her, hanging out and talking about boys. Well, it was more like talking about Camille’s crush since Crowe didn’t have one.

What do people do at sleepovers? I gotta find out later. This time making a real note.

Logan pushed what Camille said aside and went for Carlos, “And I’m not scared. I’m realistic, as in, what are you gonna tell your mom about the crew that’ll be invading your apartment tomorrow from 11:00 to 3:00?” Logan got him there as Kendall couldn’t come up with a good enough excuse. “And Crowe, what happened to being on my side?” Putting some blame on her for leaving him to fight for himself.

Crowe crossed her arms, “I still think this is going to blow up in our faces,” Kendall looked at her hurt and hand on his chest, thinking he fully convinced her on the crib. “ But, ” making sure that Kendall knew the rest. “Why not give them a chance? I wanna see how far you dorks can get before giving up.” The three were surprised at her explanation, ready to argue back as Camille laughed at them. “Plus, even if I wanted to, I couldn't stop you guys. You would just drag me along anyways.”

And I really need to keep track of everything, even though I wasn’t supposed to let you do this. Mentally sighing and hoping this’ll be over soon.

Logan understood her reasoning, there were times where he was pulled along with the rest dreading the punishment that followed suit. Feeling a bit comforted as he knew that she was still, in some way, against the idea just as much as he was.

The five waved bye to Camille in the elevator as they headed towards their apartment. “You wanna come in and have some lunch?” Kendall asked Crowe. “I have some work to do, sorry.” Getting her keys out. “It’s cool, maybe next time?” Kendall really wanted her over so Crowe shrugged and mumbled a maybe.

James eyed her suspiciously as this was the ‘millionth’ time she refused free food. Wondering if she’s hiding something.

Eyes were burning the back of her head, not checking to see who and closed her door. Flipping her small tv on, grabbing a small thing of crackers and eating half of them. Darkness overcoming her vision as she nodded off to sleep.

Jolting awake by sudden knocks on the door, slowly blinking to get rid of the tiredness in her eyes. Lazily walking to the door.

“Crowe.” Katie smirked.

“Katie.” Crowe said with a yawn.

“Come with me.” Pulling her arm out the door and riding the elevator down, Crowe had to ask what they were doing.

The younger girl had explained how they needed to ‘borrow’ a white board from Mr. Bitters.

“You mean steal,” Laughing at the choice of words Katie used, “Yeah, alright. Do I grab it and you distract Bitters, or..?” Trailing off to follow the youngers say in it. Katie nodded her head in agreement since she knew she was better at creating the distraction if they needed it.

Peeking behind plants, the two girls stalked the manager. Waiting for the moment he went into the office so Crowe could rush by and grab the board while Katie kept watch.

“Go, go, go.” Pushing Crowe into the crowd and sneaking towards the office. They had a harder time in just taking it as groups of people would enter and leave or just stay. This made it the perfect time for Crowe to use her acting skills, making herself seem like she worked there and was unsatisfied with the placement of the boards.

“Hmm, I think we need to redo this one. Don’t you think so?” Asking a random hotel guest, striking the woman with confusion as she nodded along and left.

It was light and easy to tuck under her arm, waving Katie along as they went back to the elevator.

They bursted out laughing, “Who were you talking to?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t wanna seem suspicious.” Crowe face palmed to cover the growing smile.

“So what exactly do you need it for?” The sleeve of her jacket erasing the previous words and making it clean, or as best as she could.

⟡

“First, you’re gonna need more future stars from the Palm Woods.” Katie slapped the board with a stick that Crowe didn’t know she had. Beginning the ‘meeting’, “I recommend the Jennifers for their lack of fear.” Crowe nodded along as she knew the three girls could handle themselves.

Crowe covered the next part. “Next, you’ll need cordless power tools, saw dust, cool code phrases,” Sneaking in the last part as Crowe always wanted to do it from all the shows and movies she’d watched. “And-”

Kendall paused the two, “Wait, Katie, Crowe.” Everyone looked at him, “Where did you guys get the whiteboard?”

Katie and Crowe shared a look, naturally keeping a straight face.

“Speaking of Bitters, you have to keep him in his cage all day.” Katie told the four boys. “But the key to this whole ultra 2-J makeover, is convincing Gustavo to shoot the interviews by the pool like that dog food commercial last night”

“Right. And Crowe, you can take the pictures.” Kendall stated more than suggesting it.

“What?” A small voice crack coming through.

But Kendall continued, either not hearing or just choosing to ignore her. “And once our teen dream remodeling is complete, he’ll have no time and no choice but to shoot our rock performance right here.” Shooting up in enthusiasm.

“And I get the first turn on the swirly slide.” Katie crossed her arms and stated it, not letting anyone else have a say in the matter.

“I get first turn on the swirly slide.” Carlos fought back.

The two beginning to argue, yelling louder than the other before Kendall stopped them. “You can go together.” Quieting another pair of bickering kids.

James was more than ready to start, pulling out different colored bandannas. Annoying Crowe and the three, “We’re not wearing bandannas.” Kendall eyed him. It was evident that he wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. And Crowe wanted to remove that word out of his vocabulary. James got defensive, “Bandannas are cool!” Storming off into another room to get away from the negative crowd.

“No they’re not .” Crowe whispered but James overheard her, “Quiet bird.” Stomping off as he passed the girl, Crowe did a double take when she heard the rude ‘nickname’. She let the first time slide as she thought she hadn’t heard him right but after having to spend more time with him, it was apparent that he thought less of her since he couldn’t be bothered in saying her name. Getting heated at it.

Seriously? Bird? That’s the weakest insult I’ve heard yet.

Crowe huffed at the overdramatic boy, not putting effort in fighting back and leaving as the other’s witnessed everything go down. Slamming the door shut without thinking twice. The rest looked at each other, a silent conversation went on as they wondered why the two couldn’t stand each other. Carlos and Logan didn’t think much of it, moving on from it.

But the Knight’s were opposite, looking at each other and going off to have a ‘secret meeting’ of their own. Kendall could understand Crowe in not liking James, but none of them knew James’ reason for not liking Crowe since they found her nice to be around.

“Has Crowe said anything to you about James?” Kendall sat on Katie’s bed while she paced around. “Hmm, nope. She only mentioned how you guys are idiots.” He gave a sarcastic laugh, “What did you guys talk about when you went over? There’s gotta be something.”

Katie shook her head. “We just talked about movies and shows. Well, I mostly did since she doesn’t know any recent stuff.” She stopped and looked at her brother, “I can go over there and just ask.” This time Kendall shook his head. “If she doesn’t want to tell us then it’s fine. I don’t want her to feel like she has to.”

She shrugged, “What about James? Are you gonna ask him?” taking a seat next to Kendall. He sighed. “Maybe.”

⟡

Crowe barely got a wink of sleep last night.

“You need to get closer, Crowe.” Kendall waved her forward.

Crowe was a good distance away from the band. And the pool. She knew that she was just being paranoid, but the drawing of blood from her tongue couldn’t lessen the feeling. “It’s like, perspective stuff.” Yelling back to him, inching the tiniest bit closer and crouching closer to the concrete floor. Mumbling to herself, “That’s a thing. Right? Yeah. That’s real. Maybe. Haha, I would know.” shaking but holding her hands steady enough to take some good pictures.

Crowe gave the printed pictures over to Kendall who led the five inside Rocque Records. Yelling was heard as they got closer, easily figuring out that it was Gustavo. Logan wanted to back out even more now, but Kendall pushed forward.

“Heel. Stay. Speak.” Gustavo treated the five like they were actual dogs, holding his hand up to command them. Crowe only thought he meant it in a figurative way, not literally.

The group wasn’t stunned by it one bit. “Crowe took some pictures of the pool at the Palm Woods, the greatest pool ever.” The four backed Kendall up in nodding along, with Crowe zoning out. “Very lucky water. It’s a great location for the interviews.” The stack of pictures were handed to Kelly, flipping through them and being impressed with the quality.

“Hot directors shoot there all the time.” Carlos mentioned, before shouting out, “Swirly slide!” James slapped the back of his head, reminding him to not mess up the plan.

Gustavo was less than pleased. “Oh, the dogs are directing my video now. Well, let me tell you how it works here. You are the dogs,” obviously pointing to the five. “And I am the trainer.” Pointing to himself. “Now sit.”

Not one of them listened.

“Don’t sit.” Trying to use reverse psychology.

The boys were immediate in sitting down, Kendall having to pull Crowe back onto the couch with them. Kendall gave her a worried glance, she hasn’t said anything since they were at the pool taking pictures. He knew the girl didn’t like to talk a lot but not be this quiet.

Gustavo was clearly frustrated at the five, with Kelly convincing him to change the location too. “This pool looks great. And it’s close enough that we could be back here by 3:00 to shoot the performance at the Ultrateen Hangout place.” Literally moving to the side of the teens.

“No, yeah! You do what I say, and I say no, no, no!” Stomping on the ground like he was having a tantrum about not getting his way. It caused the backdrop to collapse on the floor and for Crowe to snap back into reality. Loud crashing following suit as Gustavo turned to look at the mess “Hey, let’s do the interviews at the Palm Woods.” Defeated.

Mr. Bitters passed the band and Crowe, ecstatic from the check Kelly gave him. Katie popped up, “The bird is in the cage,” turning to Crowe, “Sorry.” Turning back, “And the Jennifers are in place.”

What? Looking at her.

“Ok team, remember your missions.” The band hopped off their chairs with Kendall listing off the roles they had. “James, you stall Gustavo. Carlos, Katie, and Camille, you head to Rocque Records and fake build the Ultrateen crib. While Logan, Crowe, and I install the swirly slide and all those other electronic goodies.” Everyone nodded in accordance.

Gustavo called James over, setting the plan in motion as everyone else scattered to the correct location. Kendall took the lead like usual, having the two negatives follow the positive.

Stashed away in one of the bushes in front of the hotel were three tree hats, not giving the two negative thinkers a choice in wearing it. Kendall then pulled out black paint from his back jean pocket and reached for Logan first, swiping it across his cheeks so they were matching. Doing the same to Crowe, who flinched at the sudden movement and felt the cold paint send a chill down her back.

“Was the eye black really necessary?” Logan questioned.

“No.” He replied with Crowe shrugging her shoulders, thinking it was a nice touch. Before the construction workers had the chance to enter the lobby, the three teens bolted inside getting stopped by brunette Jennifer.

“Just to be clear, we get to be in the video, which will be seen by a lot of people, right?” Double checking to see if they lied to her.

But Kendall reassured her, “Are you kidding? It’s gonna be seen in Japan .”

Brunette Jennifer looked to Crowe, wanting her reassurance as well. Trusting her more than the two boys. Surprised, Crowe nodded and hummed in agreement. Brunette Jennifer gave Crowe a smile and got into the role of a manager as the three went into hiding again. The set designer who was there at the meeting, was told by Jennifer to keep quiet so as to not disturb the other residents and showed the way to the elevators.

The set designer, not questioning it for a second, led her team upstairs and past the teens.

“I still say this is a bad idea.” Logan complained once again to Kendall, wanting to quit before anything got out of hand. Crowe wasn’t sure where she landed anymore. Wanting the boys to succeed and gain a new crib, and wanting them to quit, scared of the repercussions awaiting her.

Kendall placed a hand on his shoulder, “Hey, a life without risk is a life unlived, my friend. Now off the apartment 2-J.” He jolted into action, leaving the two behind sitting in uncertainty. “Do people really say that?” Crowe whispered to Logan. Having Kendall retrace his steps to grab the two and pull them along.

This would’ve been easier for Crowe if she wasn’t carrying around a heavy bag filled with various random items. It dragged her down on the flight up, putting pressure on one side of her shoulder more than the other. Wanting to even out the ache, she switched sides and had it lay against her left side with the strap on her right. Trying to be quiet as they moved.

Sneaking around each corner until they reached 2-J. Each of them pressed an ear up against the door. “So far, so good. Look, I told you guys there was nothing to worry about.” Kendall was still more than confident in this. It did seem like everything was going smoothly, so Crowe relaxed a bit as Logan did the same. Now all they had to do was wait until they finished building.

How long are they gonna take? I need a nap.

A word wasn’t spoken between the three as they stood around, but Crowe could feel a pair of eyes on her. Fiddling with the necklace to seem busy, even if it didn’t look like it.

Kendall had purposely made Crowe join him and Logan, wanting to find out the reason why she was acting so weird earlier and the day before. He found it harder to directly ask her what the problem was than asking his friends, unsure if the words would make it worse rather than helpful. But he didn’t get the chance to think any longer as a phone began to ring.

Logan lifted it to see the caller id, “It’s the set designer. I’m worried.” Freaking out which made Crowe start to panic. Kendall snatched the phone out of his hand, putting it to Logan’s ear so he could answer.

Crowe could faintly hear what was being said, the two boys pushing the phone back towards the other. Kendall had enough as he stomped on Logan’s foot again, forcing the fake Griffin voice out of him. “Hello?”

Kendall and Crowe leaned in closer, hearing the other end of the line. The set designer let ‘Griffin’ know that the ceiling was too low, having issues in continuing with construction. They wanted to burst through the ceiling to be able to fit everything planned inside the small apartment. Logan was completely panicking as he said they would be arrested if they allowed it to happen. The designer asked again as she wanted a clear answer, waiting for the go ahead.

It was obvious to Crowe that they had to end it here, hoping Kendall felt the same. It was a relief when Kendall seldomly shook his head, giving up. A part of her feeling sorry for the boy who tried so hard to make this come true.

“It was, fun for as long, as it lasted..? That’s a saying, right? Or maybe not. I think I only heard it once.” Crowe tried to lighten Kendall’s mood. And it worked for a quick second.

But maybe she should’ve paid attention to Logan. “Yes.” Logan said into the phone then promptly hung up. Shocking all three of them. Making Crowe panic all over again.

“You better be right about this taking risks thing.” Logan referred back to what Kendall said earlier, hoping he made the right decision.

An explosion and rumbling came after, possibly being heard throughout the whole hotel. Scaring the three and causing Logan to jump into Kendall’s arms while Crowe clutched the strap of her bag, squeezing it so hard her knuckles could turn white.

Logan leapt out of Kendall’s catch, the three of them hearing foot stomps coming closer. Crowe wasn’t sure if it was coming from inside the blown up apartment or out of it, only being confirmed by three girls yelling out “Code red, code red! Bitters is on his way.” Brunette Jennifer warned them. “What is going on up here?” The three Jennifers asked.

“Please tell me you guys are good at teen scream horror flicks.” Kendall wondered.

“They’re desperate.” Curly Jennifer stated, blonde Jennifer upped their deal, “We want talking parts in your next three videos. You do all our ironing for the next month. And we sing backup on your next track.” Crowe thought they were being a bit ridiculous in their requests, they were asking for a lot more than the boys could deliver.

“Done.” Logan agreed, surprising Crowe once again. Blonde Jennifer promptly asked for a bottle of ketchup, possibly going for a bloody look and covering themselves in it.

We don’t ha-

Out of thin air, Kendall held up two bottles and gave them to the actresses. The three being told to hide while they changed Bitters route. Kendall grabbed the two, dragging all of them inside a closet and waiting for the Jennifers acting skills. A blood curdling scream came from the girls and blamed the manager for the faulty installation of a fridge. Threatening to sue the hotel as they fled, with Bitters begging them not to and running after them.

The three popped their heads out, “They’re good.” The boys in sync. Crowe had to agree, thinking she should add some notes on how they were able to get into character so quickly.

With their job done, they headed to the elevator. Riding down Kendall thought out loud, “Ok, Bitters is gone, and we just have to keep Gustavo occupied for one more hour.” The excitement being heard clearly. And Logan had changed his attitude, “I can’t believe it. I think we’re actually gonna make it. I’m not even scared.”

Crowe was actually starting to believe it herself, wanting the boys to accomplish the goal of changing their crib into something that was actually livable. But she got reminded again that maybe she should tell the boys to stop jinxing themselves, as the elevator beeped and revealed a furious Bitters and Gustavo.

Screams came from the boys and a tight grip on her bag came from the girl again.

“Why are the Jennifers dripping ketchup all over my Palm Woods?” Bitters showed a fry dipped in ketchup to the teens.

Gustavo stole the fry from Bitters, “Dogs, interviews now!” Eating the fry and grabbing the collars of the boys, pulling them out of the elevator and along with him to outside. Crowe got out too, following the boys but looking back at the hotel manager who had a smug face and waved bye.

She didn’t have an idea on how to stop Bitters so she decided to go against following him upstairs, hoping Kendall could come up with an idea quickly. “Code red, code red.” Was the only thing Kendall could spit out to James, being pulled back by Gustavo.

James understood but was uncertain what he needed to do, looking to the girl for an answer.

“Bitters, he’s headed upstairs. You need to stop him.” Still clutching the strap and nervously pacing back and forth. Crowe didn’t think she was pacing for long, but once she turned to James to see if he had any clue in how to stop him, he was covered head to toe in bandannas. Shock was clear on her face as James didn’t say anything and just bolted inside to stop Bitters.

By that stupid getup it was obvious to Crowe that she needed to follow him and hope he didn’t do anything too dumb.

Flinging the stair entrance door open and climbing multiple flights of stairs, being out of breath from all the running she’s done in the past few minutes. “Ugh, I really, don’t like, stairs.” Huffing between words. Pushing the last door open and reaching James, catching the end of his sentence.

James laughed to himself, only just to realize the girl in front of him wheezing. He stood and stared at her, not saying anything. Crowe was able to steady her breathing, glancing around the hallway to notice it was only the two of them there. “Where’s Bitters? What did you do?”

“Uhhh,” James tried looking anywhere besides her face as she was eyeing him down. “Don’t worry, I dealt with him.” Waving it off. Crowe was about to question him further but a buzzing in her pocket stopped her. It was from Kelly. “We’re dead. Oh, we are so dead. I’m going to be fired.” Pacing back and forth and panicking, mumbling to herself to find a way out of this.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t planned. And now I’m going to be kicked out. Or worse…what am I going to do? I can’t go back. I don’t want to, I just-

Steady arms halted her in her steps, “Stop freaking out. You’re making me freak out!” Genuine concern in his voice at the girls’ worries. Only squeaks coming from Crowe before forcing out a coherent sentence. “I can’t do this!” losing her cool on James as he questioned again. “What is it?”

“Kelly,” flashing the phone in his face then back to her. “She’s asking if I know anything about the crib.”

“Don’t answer her.” James stated as he was starting to worry as well but faked being calm for Crowe. That was somewhat working on her.

“I have to! She’s technically my boss too. And I don’t want to get fired!” Her voice cracked at the end. Shaky hands lifted the phone, hovering her fingers over the buttons and hesitating to type out an explanation or excuse. Mumbling to figure something out but crossing each thing out.

Just then James’ phone buzzed, taking it out to check who it was. The warmth from her shoulders leaving, missing it just as quickly and wanting it back so she could stay sane somehow.

“Kendall. He wants to regroup downstairs.” He typed out a response and put it away, motioning for the girl to follow him to meet up with the others.

Steps echoed as the two went down, Crowe focused on the steps in front of her rather than focusing on the possible reactions of her bosses. Subconsciously chipping away at her nail polish and going back to mumbling.

James kept glancing back, wondering if he should say something to ease her mind. Worried since this was the first time she’s acted like this. Even if they didn’t know each other for long, this didn’t seem normal. Maybe for Logan though. Losing the chance to as they exited the stairway.

Crowe tilted her head up and noticed James’ odd appearance, gripping the back of his shirt and pulling him back. The sudden pull caused James to bump into Crowe and look back at her with confusion.

“You’re still wearing the bandannas.” Crowe whispered, afraid someone might be around the corner. It seemed like he forgot about it too, rushing to take off the purple garments. Crowe helped him, stuffing one or two in her bag to hide the evidence. James took the majority of them and stashed it in a potted plant next to him, waiting until everything calmed down before retrieving them.

She eyed him up and down, giving the boy a nod to show they were in the clear. They peaked around the corner, hoping to spot one of the guys and join them to avoid any more suspicion.

Kendall, Logan and Carlos were running in the lobby, bumping into each other before heading to the elevator. James and Crowe caught up to them, slipping inside just in time and the five riding the elevator up in anticipation.

“We are so done for.” Crowe thought aloud as the boys were jumping with excitement to see the new decked out crib.

Kendall had to reassure her for the final time. “We are not. Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.” But Crowe could only worry. She felt a tug inside her and pushed the thought aside, if the boys thought everything was going to work out, then she would have to think the same.

“I hope you’re right.” I really do.

A ding signaled that they reached the desired floor, the five rushing over to the opened apartment. All their eyes lit up at the sight of the bright colorful modern room, it was astonishing how only a few hours could change so much.

Crowe took a few steps inside, amazed that they were able to pull it off.

Carlos skipped over to her, “See, told ya it’ll be fine.” He gasped at the sight of the bright yellow swirly slide, running over with Katie to get to the top. Crowe laughed at his optimism, wondering how he fared in his part of the plan.

They, actually did it.

Still bewildered at the apartment. There was another tug, her mind telling her how cool it’ll be to live here. But she had to remind herself that it wasn’t for her, it was for the band. They had the nicely furnished place while she got stuck with the stains, a small speck of jealousy creeping up.

She would never dare to admit it though, deciding to bottle it up and throw it out to sea, where she wouldn’t swim to see it again. Where all the other ones went too. An idea came to mind.

Crowe watched the boys scatter, with her going to the swivel chair to write. Logan sat next to her and spun, laughing and getting dizzy. She took her journal out and looked for a page, a song she was working on already.

‘I can’t couldn’t tell you, why she felt that way’. Hmm, ‘she wants to go home, and?’ or maybe but, ‘nobody’s home’. Do I really want to go home?

Her mind was calming down from the antics she went through today, getting it all down on paper. Within a minute, Gustavo, Kelly, and the filming crew had flooded in, setting up the proper equipment to film the boys.

Katie and Carlos finally went down the swirly slide, Kendall was playing dome hockey while James jumped on the couch. Everyone was having a fun time, except for Gustavo of course. All he did was grunt, not processing any words while Kelly explained that they didn’t have time to move everything out. He was obviously frustrated with what the teens had done, but for now he had to deal with it.

“Light it and shoot it!” Yelling in Kendall’s face.

Gustavo had directed some of the construction crew to move some of the furniture around for the boys to dance, having the stylist work on their outfits. Crowe had to move away so as to not be in the shot, even if she was learning how to be an actress, today wouldn’t be the day for it. She awkwardly walked over to Kelly, unsure of how she felt with the situation. But thankfully Kelly didn’t give her a hard time, “The boys put you up to this, didn’t they?” Side eyeing Crowe with a slight smile.

“Hehe, kinda.” Shrugging, technically it was their idea but deep down Crowe wanted to do it too. It was a sweet adrenaline rush she didn’t know she had. If none of the guys had reassured her that they wouldn’t get fired, she still would’ve been a bumbling mess right now. Even though Crowe hadn’t known them for long, she found it quite embarrassing how she would go along with the crazy ideas.

It was like they would decide on what they wanted to do and they could easily change her mind, but she was completely fine with it if it meant spending time with them. Another idea struck her, rushing to fish her book out again to jot down more things.

Maybe something like, ‘changing my point of view, everyday something new’ uhhh, ‘anything to get next to you’..? That sounds more romantic than friendly.

She considered herself to be a hopeless romantic but never dated anyone before. It was kind of a waste of time in her mind, all of the different hobbies she did growing up filled that spot of interest. But if being a songwriter meant writing about love that she’s never experienced then she just had to find out, hoping that Camille had some answers and not the annoying boys.

Plus if some of her gigs included a love interest, then she had to figure out how couples interacted. But she didn’t have to worry about that now, it was future Crowe’s problems.

⟡

“Cut! Print!” Gustavo yelled, wrapping up the shoot. “And strike the set.”

Crowe jumped off her seat, from shock and because one of the crew members pushed her off to take it away. It was a jumble of construction and film crew going back and forth through the door, carrying heavy furniture and appliances.

The five were confused, “Where are they going with that?” Kendall yelled at the worker.

The set designer stated it matter of factly, “Back to the warehouse.” like she had no consideration for the teens and she probably didn’t, it was her job after all.

“The whole couch?” Kendall and James were the most upset at that, already missing the new couch.

Gustavo caught the five’s attention. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did you dogs think you were gonna get to keep this stuff?” Loudly laughing at their misfortune right in their faces. Carlos cried out for the swirly slide. “Oh, that’s really, really good.” Gustavo gladly continued as the five gathered near him, “The little dogs thought they outsmarted the big dog.” Finishing off with wild barking, the teens flinching back as Kelly had an unamused look on her face.

Everyone continued to put the old apartment back, “Not the color.” Crowe complained, her least favorite part of the place. They even replaced the hardwood back with the shaggy carpet, rubble, crumbs and all. Like it was meant to stay there and be a part of the apartment. Being pushed around as the workers placed the couch back accordingly, leaving the five teens to fall back on it. It probably wasn’t the best idea to sit down, if it fell once, it’ll fall twice as hard.

Tilting to the side and crashing hard, Crowe got squished between Carlos and James, upset that all their hard work went to waste just as quickly. But being reminded again that if something was going her way, it was bound to get her hopes up.

“But I do have to admit, we did get some pretty great stuff today.” Gustavo rubbed salt in the wound. “Let’s just hope Fujizaki thinks so tomorrow.” Leaving triumphantly as he won this round.

Kelly called Crowe over before they fully left, “I need you and the boys over at 9 tomorrow so we have time before the call.” Crowe nodded, but Kelly could tell there was something else on her mind. “What is it?” Crowe shook her head, “Nothing. I’ll make sure we’re there on time.” she didn’t want to explain her disappointment, Kelly was one of her bosses too and she didn’t want to get personal with her issues.

After that Kelly left the band and Crowe, the boys still lingered on the couch and weren’t making any efforts in moving. She took that as her sign to leave too, “Uh, I should head back.” Backing away. “I’ll be over here before 9 tomorrow. I was really hoping you guys could have kept the crib.” Awkwardly laughing at the situation and shutting the door behind her, going the next door over to her apartment.

Her apartment looked the same, nothing had changed and yet she wished something did. The only difference that she could see was some of her furniture had shifted due to the construction. She couldn’t bother moving it, instead going to her room to sleep.

But before she could, more inspiration struck her. So she pulled her journal out and went to the same page as before, one that she started back in Minnesota.

‘Her feelings she hides, she’s losing her mind’…’she can’t find her place, she’s lost inside’. That sounds so stupid, ugh.

Crowe groaned and slammed it shut, throwing it on the floor and covering herself with a blanket. Wanting to find sleep instead of whatever feelings she was writing about.

The next morning Crowe had to drag the tired boys out of the apartment and to Rocque Records. Each of their faces showed that they weren’t over the re-redo of the place, “Come one guys, at least act like you’re happy. Especially in front of Fujizaki, and then you can go back to moping around.” There wasn’t a way for them to get the crib back and she knew that, and there was nothing she could do to cheer them up.

Griffin, his team, Kelly and Gustavo were on one side, having Crowe join them and leave the boys on the other. It took a few minutes before the call was set up properly and in that time Gustavo hadn’t said a word to any of the dogs which was more worrying than him actually saying something.

Once the meeting started, they went right into showing the video Gustavo had shot yesterday. While it was playing, everyone whipped their heads back to Fujizaki who looked to be asleep. At least Crowe hoped so. It wasn’t until someone helped him back up that she let out the breath she was holding in.

Kendall’s interview came up and everyone stared at the old man for a reaction. Coughing was the only thing he did, which in Crowe’s mind was better than nothing. It was Carlos’ interview that had Crowe look back at the boy in disbelief, curious about the kind of things he’s up to for a rock being thrown at him and to just brush it off. In Logan’s, Crowe let out a small giggle at his comment about being a risk taker. Knowing that yesterday he was fully against taking risks.

But him talking about one of RMCA’s electronics, Fujizaki let out a single laugh and seemed proud of it.

The screen faded to black, waiting for the final say from him, everyone leaning in to hear.

“I like the boys.” Fujizaki said while coughing hunched over.

Everyone erupted in cheers, the boys gaining back the excitement for what they had done. Crowe let out a sigh of relief and Kelly high fived her. One of Fujizaki’s men rolled him out of view, ending the meeting. Some of Griffin's team left the room, but he stayed to give Gustavo his final word.

“I’ve never seen Fujizaki so excited.” Looking down at Gustavo.

That was excited?

“Frankly, I think it’s the first time I’ve seen him move.” Griffin planted his hand on Gustavo's shoulder. “You were a good boy today, Gustavo. Good boy.” Patting the top of his head like he was Griffin’s dog, leaving without another word. And leaving Crowe to wonder how Griffin got this weird and what was up with the ‘dogs’.

Gustavo walked up to the boys as Kendall wanted to calm him down before he yelled at them. “So we learned a lot here today, didn’t we?” Crowe snuck over to the boy’s side, knowing she was in as much trouble as they were. “You did some things. We did some things.” Joking around to avoid any harsh punishment.

“Ten hours of harmonies! And acting!” Yelling, not forgetting about their accomplice. “No breaks! Move out!” Pointing them in the direction of the studio. The boys dropped their heads and sauntered out without fighting back. Crowe followed after them, going her own way to her practice room.

Halfway through the ten hours of acting, her teacher allowed her to sneak out for a quick break even if Gustavo didn’t approve. It was easy to find them, she just had to listen close enough. Finding them in the recording booth, she cracked the door open enough for a small peek inside but not to reveal herself. They were trying their best to focus on singing even if their hearts weren’t in it. The sight made Crowe feel for the boy’s, she’s not the best at cheering anyone up but for them, she would try her best.

Leaving the boy’s alone to practice and back to her class.

What about baking? Or uhh, food? People like food. What else do they like? What do people normally like? Scrambling her mind and entering the room to continue.

Five more hours had passed and the teens were finally allowed to head back to the hotel. The boys’ heads drooped the same way it did hours earlier, having Crowe lead them back to the apartment herself so they wouldn’t bump into anything. When they got out of the elevator, the formation changed with her near the back. She was so close to entering her own apartment but was pulled back by Carlos, having her stay longer with them. Again.

The five wobbled inside, only stopping when they heard Katie say hi.

“Well, I love what you’ve done with the place.” Mrs. Knight was sitting on the brightly colored orange couch, complementing the new apartment.

Lifting their heads, the boys sprinted over to check every nook and crevice to make sure everything was back, while Crowe stood frozen in shock.

Gustavo and Kelly snuck up behind her, causing her to turn around and back up into the boys who turned to him in confusion.

“Uhh, good job today.” Gustavo didn’t sound pleased with admitting that.

“This is awesome.” Kendall was surprised at the producer.

What Gustavo said next caused even more confusion. “This is a bone.”

“Come again?” Logan wasn’t sure he heard correctly.

Gustavo struggled in acting like a decent person. “I realized today, sort of, that if you really want to train dogs properly, you need to throw them a treat now and then.” It had fully set in that Crowe and the band were his dogs, it wasn’t exactly a bad saying but it was something she had to get used to. She just wished he had more treats. “So enjoy your treat. You’re not getting any more.” A static face remained on him, not fully expressing his gratitude to them but still making a sort of effort.

After that, Kelly had explained that the shoot had caused a delay in their work schedule, wanting them at the studio even earlier than normal the next day. Crowe and Kendall would make sure they get there on time, Carlos promising that they wouldn’t have any more surprises for the two.

A banging could be heard from somewhere in the apartment and then a burst from the wall revealed a more than furious hotel manager covered in dust. “You’ve completely devastated this apartment.” Bitters complained.

“You locked him in a supply closet?” Logan and Crowe “That’s where he went?” were both mad at James’ action.

James looked between the two, defending himself in the most idiotic way, “No. Bandanna man did.” Holding up another purple bandanna. Crowe tried to rip it out of his hand but unfortunately he was taller, putting it just out of her reach.

“This is a total lease violation.” Bitters noticed the swirly slide, acting calm then reverting back to anger. “I want all of you out of here tomorrow!”

It wasn’t looking good for the teens, but thankfully Kelly stepped in and put his anger to rest. “What if I add another grand to your ‘making it happen’ fee? And another, for the one next door?” Kelly handed over two checks to the now pleased manager, wishing them a good day before leaving them alone.

The only thing Crowe was stuck on was the ‘next door’ part, wondering if it was what she thought it meant. The four boys rushed back to play dome hockey while Crowe went to question Kelly. “What do you mean, next door?”

Kelly had a smile on her face and motioned her head in the direction of a door. Katie followed her line of sight and went over to open it with Crowe behind her. Excited to show it off.

Turning it revealed it to be unlocked, noticing a lock on her side. It took Crowe a minute to realize that it was her apartment, that it was a connecting door to the guy’s apartment. Stepping inside with Katie to check out the new furnishings. She laughed to herself, excited to see what her room looked like as well.

The last thing Crowe heard from Gustavo before he left, was him yelling that he doesn’t like the dogs.

And it was pretty easy to determine who he was talking about.

“Did you know about this?” Crowe looked to Katie who was chilling on her new couch. It was a soft green colored couch with darker green pillows and throw blankets decorating the ends. The style was completely different than the one next door. Crowe’s was a darken tone but cozier feel, with most of the colors being shades of green, black, and a few pink's littered around. While theirs was a more modern colorful display and decorations.

“Yeah, I helped with some of the decorating.” Katie pointed to some plants that rested above the bookcase next to the tv and the flower printed rug. “Since you liked more old stuff, I thought it was a good choice. Mom made sure none of the guy workers went inside your room, it was only us.” Crowe felt her heart soften.

They did all this for me? The inside of her cheek being bitten again.

Crowe looked at her suspiciously, “You didn’t go through my stuff, right ?” Katie sat up defensively, “Of course not. I’m not that rude.” Crowe rolled her eyes, saying that she knew she wouldn’t do that. Taking a few steps into the kitchen and noticing her sticky notes were moved there. “Oh shit, that reminds me.”

Katie looked at her as Crowe placed her bag on the counter and took her phone out. “I’ll be back,” going to the connected doors instead of out in the hallway. “You can help me decorate more if you want when I get back.” Katie nodded and switched the tv on, flipping through the channels.

The boys were still jumping around from the excitement. With Mrs. Knight nowhere to be seen, Crowe went up to Kendall who was playing dome hockey with Carlos. “Hey, Kendall?” He turned around just when Carlos scored a point, leaving him frustrated at him for taking a cheap shot. “Sorry for interrupting your game.”

Kendall shrugged, not making it a big deal. “What’s up? You wanna play with us? We can have Logan be on Carlos’ team.” She shot that idea down, “I just wanted to know where your mom is, if she’s busy I can ask her another time.” He hummed, scanning the living room and not finding her either.

“Oh, I think she went to the bathroom. What did you need? I can help.” Kendall asked. “It’s cool, I can wait until she’s out.” And she didn’t have to wait long. “Mom, Crowe needs you.” Crowe could feel her cheeks heat up, turning around to face Mrs. Knight but thanking Kendall before walking over.

Mrs. Knight began to pull out dishes to start making dinner, “What is it dear? Is everything ok?” Crowe nodded, “Uhh, Kelly got me a phone so she can contact me easier. And I thought, maybe, you can have my number too.” Mrs. Knight’s smile was warm, making Crowe ramble. “In case like, you can’t get ahold of Kendall. Or one of the guys. Even Katie, sometimes. Like when they’re busy. Or, when their phone dies. I don’t know. If you want to check up on them.” She bit her tongue to stop rambling even more.

“Of course,” She pulled her phone out, Crowe doing the same. “Did you not have one before?” Crowe darted her eyes away and shook her head, embarrassed. She handed her phone to Mrs. Knight so she could put the numbers in. “I guess that means you don’t have your parents number, either?” Crowe said no again. “I’ll have to ask Kelly for it next time.” She was finishing up.

“What?” Crowe’s hands slightly shook, “Why do you need h-their number?” Mrs. Knight gave the phone back and resumed making dinner. “In case you get hurt or something. I need to let them know, and it’s safer that way.”

Yeah..no. Definitely not. I uh-wha- oh!

“I can ask Kelly,” She blurted out. “It’s easier that way. So, I can also have their number saved. Like you said, safer that way.” Mrs. Knight nodded, “That works for me. Just let me know when you can. Are you joining us for dinner this time?” Crowe thought about it then declined like usual, “I want to finish decorating, but thank you. And thank you, for also helping with my apartment.” Mrs. Knight said it was no problem, she was happy to help.

Before she went back, Mrs. Knight asked her to remind Katie to be back when dinner’s ready. Crowe nodded, glancing at the guys and going back to her place.

Katie was laughing at a movie while Crowe went to the fridge, taking the sticky note off and ripping it to pieces to throw away. She brought a box from her room out, opening it near the bookcase and started placing them. Katie got up to help, leaving the tv on for background noise. Crowe left that box for Katie as she grabbed another one, it contained most of her trinkets that she’s collected or was gifted over the years.

Most of the hour had the two girls finding places to put Crowe’s things or Katie asking about each thing she took out. There wasn’t a story to much of the items, only some of the books and supplies from one of her hobbies. She never went into much detail, only saying how it was passed down to her or the plain and simple, just bought.

Throughout the whole time, Katie was taking everything in and trying to get a better picture of Crowe. But nothing was coming up, she seemed normal enough. So she didn’t put any more effort in finding anything out that she didn’t want to tell.

That was until Crowe slammed a box closed that Katie was close to seeing inside. “Sorry,” Crowe picked up the box, “This is, kinda more personal. Private stuff. Only for my eyes. You know?” Swallowing her words and putting it back into her room, burying it deep in the back of her closet.

“My bad. I didn’t mean to snoop.” Katie stole a glance at the box, only noticing it being labeled with a number. Crowe waved it off, “That’s my fault. Sorry.” After that display, Katie made sure to relay the information to Kendall. She felt a tiny bit bad that she was going to tell her brother but it was his fault that she was curious too.

Before long, Mrs. Knight yelled for Katie to eat dinner. Katie waved her bye and left, Crowe saying that she’ll be able to finish herself.

“Now,” Crowe clicked her tongue, rummaging through one of her old journals. “I know I wrote it down. But where ? That’s the true question.” Quickly flipping the pages before landing on a heavily doodled covered page. “He better fucking answer.” Punching in the numbers and waiting.

Her phone rang five times before someone on the other end picked up.

⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡

#big time rush #btr #fanfic #logan mitchell #james diamond #kendall knight #katie knight #carlos garcia #calliope crowe

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tenebraevesper · 1 year ago

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Five Nights at Freddy's: Salvaged, Night 31: The Story's Not Over Yet

''There is a legend, a legend born long ago, about a wicked, a wicked man no one knows. Went and unraveled six innocent little souls. The souls found bodies, the bodies started to move. Some say they still walk, walk the halls staying from view. I got a secret, that I am here to tell you: 'That place is this very place, and all the stories are true'.''

– Bringing Us Home by TryHardNinja (Five Nights at Freddy's 4)

xXxXxXx

Springtrap sighed as he closed the book he had finally finished reading, Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban, and put it on the stack he left on the bed. He actually thought he'd only finish Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets for tonight, but after he was done with it, he grabbed the sequel, intending to just read the first chapter for a small preview. Instead, he somehow spent the entire night reading the whole book, getting quite immersed into the story. If anything, he understood why Sam told him that she got addicted to the books.

He was quite glad that Sam provided him with the books, as he felt that it wouldn't be a bad thing to think about something other than haunted animatronics or what Connor was up to. Not to mention, that kid didn't appear at all, so he was on his own this time, finally having the peace he desired for so long.

I should enjoy it while I still can. Springtrap glanced over to the bed, where the left the other books, and grabbed the fourth novel, Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire, taking a look at the cover and the summary on the back before opening it. Okay, this time it'll be just one chapter… Or maybe two. He sighed, closing the book. I'm probably not going to stop reading it, am I?

Chuckling to himself, he opened it again, continuing reading the first chapter and enjoying the quiet and calm night. Sam and Emma were both asleep and, while he did go out once to check on Sam, he decided to stay in his room until they woke up. Springtrap was quite sure that it wouldn't take much longer for the sun to rise and he was anxiously waiting for the daytime.

He wondered whether Sam had something in mind for today, even though he figured that after what they've been through the past few days, it would've been better to stay at home. Nevertheless, if she did come up with something, he knew he would probably agree to it. He did promise to keep her entertained and out of trouble, after all. His ears lowered as he thought about that promise.

The only problem is that those two things aren't often mutually exclusive, at least not in this case.

xXx

It was early in the morning when Springtrap finally heard someone walking downstairs. He was sure that it was Emma, as Sam would usually check on him. He wondered whether he should go talk to Emma, shuddering at the icy gaze she gave him when they returned home last night. It was more than clear that she was still angry at him for daring to even suggest that he could act as Sam's father. Nevertheless, he figured he should confront her again about the idea.

Taking a deep breath, he went downstairs, where Emma was preparing breakfast. He peeked into the kitchen, still reluctant about this confrontation, only for Emma notice him. He felt anxious when she glared at him, his ears lowered.

''Good morning, Afton,'' she said, her eyes narrowed. ''Are you just going to stand there and stare at me, or actually tell me whatever you have on your mind?''

''Um, I- Good morning, Emma,'' Springtrap said, startled, only to frown. ''Why would you even assume that there's something I want to tell you?''

''Well, let's see…'' Emma said, placing her hand on her hip and tilting her head. ''Yesterday, we had an argument, and considering the look you gave me once you returned, you still had that topic in mind. Not to mention, whenever you're bothered by something, you usually ask for Sam's advice; unless it is something that does involve her, but you're not ready to talk to her about it, then you come to me. So, what is it now, Afton?''

Springtrap stared at her.

''You know, it's sometimes scary just how good you are at figuring things out,'' he said. Emma just smirked. ''In any case, you're right. I did reflect on what you told me during our argument and I came to the conclusion that I shouldn't rush into making such decisions; at least not before I actually thought them through. Also, I understand that I still need to work on improving myself, and I know that it will be quite difficult.''

''Honestly, I'm surprised that you decided to admit that,'' Emma said. ''If you weren't a soul trapped inside an animatronic, I would've given you a cookie, or rather, a biscuit; if we're going to use British terms.''

Springtrap glared at her, fuming, with his eyes glowing purple.

''Emma, I'm pouring my heart out to you and you're just making fun of me,'' he said in an annoyed tone, then paused. ''On the other hand, I should've expected this considering whom I'm talking to.''

He then walked over to the table, sitting down and staring at it, still irritated. Emma sat across him, still holding the cup of coffee.

''Nevertheless, I actually expected you to protest,'' she said, with Springtrap looking up, giving her a confused look. ''You're quite attached to Sam, so I thought you'd actually argue back and try to convince me that it would work, or you would just proceed with it regardless of my opinion.''

''Why should I do that?''

''You seem to be the kind of person who'd do that,'' Emma replied.

''Maybe I am, but I care about Sam and considering you're her mother, it should be expected that I ask both of your opinions on the matter,'' Springtrap explained.

''I see…'' Emma muttered. ''While I am glad that you subverted my expectations, next time, you really should try to use your head before you do something. Aren't you supposed to be some kind of genius?''

''Only when it comes to robotics,'' Springtrap replied dryly. ''Social interactions aren't my forte, and I can't think straight when I panic.''

''You sure don't,'' Emma smiled knowingly, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at Springtrap. The latter was confused, wondering what she meant, only to realize a few seconds later what this was about and give Emma a look that was a mix of bewilderment and embarrassment, which quickly turned into annoyance.

''You really had to bring that up?!'' he asked, remembering the time he introduced himself to Emma. Emma shook her head.

''You're hopeless, Afton,'' she said. Springtrap groaned, leaning his head against the table, ears lowered.

''I regret everything I said,'' he muttered. Emma snorted, drawing Springtrap's ire.

''I have no doubts about that,'' she said as she walked over to the microwave, taking out the sandwich she left to be heated. ''Although, I have heard worse.''

''Like the guy you punched in the face?'' Springtrap asked, looking up. Emma frowned at the memory and sighed.

''If it makes you feel better, in comparison to him, you're rather pleasant, if awkward,'' she replied. Springtrap gave her a surprised look. Emma then grinned smugly. ''Of course, you can also be a complete idiot at times.''

Whatever joy or relief he briefly felt was completely washed away by that remark, despite the fact that he knew that it was completely justified. He was left glaring at Emma, who was nonchalantly eating her sandwich. After a few minutes, they heard Sam coming downstairs.

''Hey!'' she greeted them cheerfully, only to realize that's something wrong, as Emma looked quite satisfied, while Springtrap seemed to be exasperated. ''Did something happen?''

''Don't worry, we just had a little conversation,'' Emma replied.

''I guess that explains the current mood,'' Sam said, glancing at Springtrap as she gave him a sympathetic smile. She then went to the kitchen counter, taking out a bowl, milk and cereal.

''Anyways, what happened last night? Do you have any plans for today?'' Emma asked them. Sam and Springtrap exchanged glances.

''Well, we found a few strange animatronics at the Machinations Factory,'' Sam said. ''Springtrap dismantled them, though.''

''Why?'' Emma asked, looking at Springtrap.

''Trust me, you wouldn't have wanted any of those roaming around,'' he said, with Emma giving him a suspicious look. ''As for today, I'm not sure…''

''Actually, I wanted to stay at home and play video games on my laptop,'' Sam interrupted. Emma rose an eyebrow.

''Really? Nothing else?'' she asked suspiciously.

''Well, unless I get another idea later, no,'' Sam replied. Emma stared at her for a moment, but then shrugged.

''If you say so,'' she said.

Sam noticed Springtrap looking at her with a questioning look on her expression, with her briefly shaking her head. Springtrap, having realized what she meant, leaned against the chair, sighing.

You want to wait, right?

xXx

Something is wrong. Connor had put on his earpiece in an attempt to communicate with the animatronics, but they wouldn't respond. Is it broken?

He walked steadily towards his workshop, looking around for any signs of the Freddy and Bonnie animatronic. However, they were nowhere to be found. Feeling frustrated, he entered his workshop, only for his eyes to widen in shock when he saw the chaos inside the place.

The animatronics had been completely dismantled, the parts strewn across the floor. He had no idea what exactly happened to the animatronics, but by just looking at the room, he could tell that the damage was great and that he will spend a while fixing them.

''How did this happen?! Who-''

He paused as he realized that what he had been doing at the factory wasn't exactly a secret anymore and that there were two other people who knew what he was hiding. He wondered just how long they had been keeping an eye on him and looked around, as if searching for any hidden cameras.

Why are you so paranoid? You know this place better than anyone else. If there was something odd, you would've already found it.

The sting of paranoia he felt was suddenly replaced with a rush of astonishment. Since he doubted that the teen had any idea how to deal with the animatronics, that would meant that it was Afton who did this. Connor's eyes narrowed as he kicked lightly a piece of metal away, noticing that the damage might've been even worse than he had initially thought. The circuit boards were destroyed, along with the devices he made to control the animatronics easier. He had also noticed that some parts of the endoskeletons had been removed or damaged.

They can be replaced, though.

While Connor did lament the loss he suffered, he didn't feel angry about it. Instead, he saw it as a challenge.

They were imperfect, unfinished.

The animatronics he had created weren't just good enough, and Afton had shown that by easily dismantling them. Connor wasn't sure why Afton even showed up here, but he believed that, for some reason, he disapproved of the animatronics he saw. Maybe he saw the animatronics as insignificant in comparison to his own creations, or perhaps he was angry that Connor made twisted copies of the animatronics he used to worked with.

I need to make them better. They aren't good enough.

Connor didn't really care about what Afton's reason for destroying his creations was. He wasn't angry that they were dismantled, as he was still working on them and this showed just how much he still needed to do. All he knew is that he needed to perfect them, make them deadlier, while also letting them follow every command he would give. He needed answers and those animatronics would help him gain them. Nothing would stop him from getting what he felt that he rightfully deserved.

He then left the room, deciding to check the others just to see whether Afton had tampered with anything else, feeling a pit in his stomach when he stood in front of the room where he left Bran. He put his hand on the door knob, reluctant about opening it, only to hear a strange noise coming from inside.

What's going on?

As he opened the door, he saw a pair of red eyes glowing in the dark. Raven suddenly lunged at him, grabbing him by his neck and pinning him on the ground. Connor gasped for air, kicking Raven and trying to get the animatronic off him. However, Raven held him down, his eyes glowing. He looked furious.

''Krach- Krach-'' He attempted to talk, but let out only groaning sounds. Connor struggled, trying to free himself. He pressed the ear piece, hoping to control Raven, but nothing happened. Realizing that the device that controlled the animatronic was gone, he reached for the cables at Raven's neck. His fingers trembled feebly as he tried to turn the animatronic off, only to see black and red. He gritted his teeth, feeling his windpipe being crushed, only to suddenly get overwhelmed by the darkness, hearing only a distant laughter.

''Krach- Krach-''

xXx

Sam stretched, looking at the loading screen for Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban. She was currently half-way through the Carpe Retractum Challenge, and despite how many times she had already played the game, she always loved to play it again.

''Alohomora!'' Ron exclaimed as he unlocked a chest with the spell, gathering the goodies that fell out of it.

''You know, I thought that you might have a plan for today, as you always have one,'' Springtrap, who was sitting next to her on her bed, said. ''Although, I guess we cannot do much until Connor makes his move.''

''Yeah,'' Sam said, focusing on the video game. ''However, I am worried about what his next move will be.''

''You mean, aside from repairing the Drawkills?'' Springtrap said. ''He will try to find us, and I assume that he might even go to Freddy's, if he didn't already, in order to see whether I'm there.''

''Do you think that we should go to Ricky's to keep an eye on him?'' Sam asked, briefly glancing at Springtrap, before turning back to the video game, having managed to getting close to the end of the challenge.

''I think that it's time for a direct confrontation,'' Springtrap replied. ''Unless you have something else on mind…''

''No, you're right. We need to confront him,'' Sam said firmly, turning to him. ''Besides, isn't that what Connor wants as well? After all, he did search for you.''

''Now that you have mentioned it, I am also curious about what he actually wants from me,'' Springtrap said. ''I mean, while we did have a few theories, nothing is confirmed until we speak to him.''

''Exactly,'' Sam said, turning back to her video game. She was currently at the Bean Bonus Room stage, which was a timed challenge and required her focus.

Springtrap just observed her as she played the video game. Perhaps, someone would call it absurd that she was more focused on a video game considering the current situation, but given what they both went through, they needed some time off. Springtrap actually did feel better after having a peaceful night for once and he felt that Sam was using video games in a similar manner, easily disconnecting herself from the real world and immersing herself into a story inside the virtual reality.

''Say, Sam…''

''Yeah?'' Sam paused the game once the cutscene was over, going to the main menu.

''When I talked to Emma, she told me that, whenever you felt miserable and depressed, that you would lock yourself into your room and refuse to come out,'' Springtrap said, noticing the look of concern on Sam's expression. ''I was just wondering whether you used those video games as a way to escape reality.''

''Actually, I did,'' Sam said, looking at the main menu, which was playing a haunting orchestral piece followed by a choir. ''At least, when I played the games, I knew there wasn't anyone who would make me feel like I was a nobody.''

''But, you aren't a nobody,'' Springtrap replied. ''You're an amazing person who deserves much better.''

''If you mean the treatment I received from my bullies, then yes, I deserved better friends than them,'' Sam said, saving her current gameplay and quitting the game. ''However, if you believe that I'm still better off without you, then you're wrong.''

''At least you wouldn't have ended up hurt,'' Springtrap said, glancing at her scarred arm. Even though the scar she had was faint, it was still there and it was a constant remainder of how close she got to actually dying.

''Yeah, because I'd refuse to leave my room and continue lying to myself that everything's fine,'' Sam replied, a sly grin on her expression. ''Maybe I would've healed on my own, but your presence certainly did speed up the process.'' She then gave him a sympathetic smile. ''Although, I do understand why you're still convinced that what you're doing is wrong. After all, wanting to keep me happy must be the first selfless thing you had done in ages.''

''I guess you're right,'' Springtrap said, still feeling a little insecure. He noticed Sam looking at him, aware that she wanted to simply comfort him. Nevertheless, he knew that she was right. After all, everything he had done in the past was for his own selfish reasons and this experience was something completely different.

''We're not done with that issue, right?'' Sam asked, with Springtrap nodding timidly. She sighed, turning back to her laptop. ''Nevertheless, you know what I think about it, and rest assured, I'd be quite vocal if I had changed my mind.''

''There's no doubt about that,'' Springtrap said, a little amused as he thought about the times Sam yelled at him for something he had done or said that she disapproved of. Sam meanwhile typed something on her laptop, her eyes widening in surprise as she opened a website.

''Hey, look at this!'' she exclaimed. Springtrap looked at the monitor, a little stunned by what he saw. Sam was grinning, looking quite excited about the date displayed on the website.

''So, Freddy Fazbear's Pizza is supposed to open in a few days,'' he said, his eyes glowing in a very faint purple.

''I can't wait for that!'' Sam said in an enthusiastic tone. ''I've been waiting for ages for it to open; well, ever since a new location was announced after Henry's fake one burned to the ground.''

''What I'm more interested in is how Fazbear Entertainment will handle this location,'' Springtrap told her. ''They're not exactly competent, and I can only imagine that they'll find another way to ruin everyone's experience.''

''Well, I guess we'll have to wait and see how that will turn out. At least this location is genuine and not another trap,'' Sam said.

''Unless Henry find a way to burn that one down as well,'' Springtrap said in a deadpan tone.

''I don't think he would do that,'' Sam said, rising an eyebrow as she looked at Springtrap. ''Would he?''

''I wouldn't put it past him,'' Springtrap replied, remembering the cold gaze Henry gave him. ''Although, you and I both know that the only reason he did that was because of what I had done and because of the other haunted animatronics.''

''Not that it worked in the long run,'' Sam pointed out. Springtrap snorted, but then quickly went quiet.

''You know, I do hope that he won't interfere this time,'' he said. ''Technically, I'm the only haunted animatronic, and I'm not exactly keen on going on a murder spree. He doesn't really have a reason for doing that unless he considers just me being here a hazard.''

''Not that you aren't one,'' Sam said in a snarky tone. Springtrap's eyes glowed purple, this time a little stronger.

''True, although, it's not for the reasons he believes,'' he said, noticing Sam's questioning look. He tilted his head, looking at her curiously. ''You know well that I'm responsible for this horror story from start to finish. Even though I'm back, I'm not planning on continuing it, but there's still something I want to get done.''

''Do you mind telling me what that is?'' Sam asked, noticing Springtrap's eyes suddenly flaring up purple. He looked quite eager, like a kid who was promised a shiny new toy. Sam felt a little unnerved by his reaction.

''It's a surprise of mine,'' he said. ''Trust me, there's nothing to worry about.''

''Yet,'' Sam said flatly. Springtrap's ears lowered, with him looking a little crestfallen. He really hoped that Sam would trust him, but he understood why she remained wary. ''In any case, I wonder how people will react to the opening of Freddy's. While I'm excited, I don't believe that everyone else will feel the same, especially considering the reputation Freddy has.''

''I guess that their reaction remains to be seen. It has been more than 30 years, but some might still remembered what had happened. While those who had visited Freddy's when they were children might visit it out of pure nostalgia, I do believe that there would be people who'd refuse to visit the restaurant due to not only being aware of the murders that had occurred, but also because of the other accidents that happened, despite the fact that they were clearly preventable,'' Springtrap added the last part in a heavy tone.

''Like the Bite of '83,'' Sam noted in a quiet tone. Springtrap felt a pit in his stomach as a flash of a blood-covered Fredbear appeared in his vision, with the seemingly lifeless body of Sammy hanging out from it, his skull crushed. He nodded.

''Yes…'' he muttered.

''You know, perhaps it's Freddy's dark past what makes the place so appealing,'' Sam said, with Springtrap giving her a surprised look. ''Remember Fazbear's Fright? It was supposed to be a horror attraction based on the events that occurred more than 30 years ago, and I'm sure that people would've gotten interested. Being an urban explorer, I love visiting places that have some kind of story behind them, especially if something horrible happened. I mean, for example, I have seen a lot of videos on YouTube about people visiting and investigating haunted places. I believe that there's something in the human nature that draws us to such creepy stuff and makes us feel fascinated by those horror stories.''

''When you think about it, those who will visit Freddy's are probably people like you; teens and young adults who have heard of what happened at Freddy's in the past, but don't really understand the depths of the reasons of why the restaurant has such a dark reputation, and have decided to visit it out of pure curiosity. After all, we both know that Henry's restaurant had customers, despite its past,'' Springtrap said. ''There's also the possibility that they would get bored of Ricky's and want to see what the other animatronic location has to offer.''

''There are also the Five Nights at Freddy's video games,'' Sam said, glancing at her laptop. ''Even though they weren't up for too long, they probably had drawn attention, especially because Fazbear Entertainment was very vocal about discrediting this indie game developer, claiming how everything that occurred and was represented in the games was completely inaccurate and not true.''

''Speaking of which, I doubt that some random guy would've even been capable of making video games with such surprisingly accurate lore, unless he had access to the necessary documentation,'' Springtrap said, frowning. ''In short, these games shouldn't even exist, or at least not in the way they are depicted.''

''If that's so, there's always the possibility that he had some help, maybe even from those who are currently managing Fazbear Entertainment. After all, they had a long history of trying to cover everything up,'' Sam said. ''Not to mention, this might not only be a cover up in order to dismiss the events that happened at Freddy's as urban legends, but also an attempt to draw the attention of future patrons for the reasons I had already mentioned.''

''It makes sense,'' Springtrap said, his eyes glowing in a soft purple, as he added in a disdainful tone, ''Although, I would prefer if some of the things that had been brought up had stayed a secret,… like the entire bloody story of what had happened.''

''Well, the games are quite vague about the lore, and the only reason why I figured the story out is because I put a lot of time and effort into decoding everything,'' Sam said, understanding why he felt this way. ''In other words, I may be the only person alive who actually knows the complete truth behind the story.''

''That's undeniable,'' Springtrap said, with Sam nodding.

''You know, I do feel that some memories should be preserved, but I also want to create new ones. Nevertheless, depending on how the management handles this location, maybe it won't be so bad. I mean, I've been to Henry and Michael's location and it was an amazing experience. If it weren't for the fact that it was a trap, it probably would've become extremely successful,'' she said in a cheerful tone. ''Besides, I can't wait to see the animatronics again on the stage. After all, Freddy's, and obviously Ricky's, remain kind of unique as they're probably one of the few, if not the only restaurants who didn't throw out their animatronics and completely replaced them with animated mascots. Honestly, I'm so excited about finally visiting it!''

She then noticed Springtrap's thoughtful gaze. It looked as if he was reminiscing about something, but he didn't seem to be lost. There was something in his eyes, the same kind of caring look he showed whenever he wanted to cheer her up.

''William?''

''I have to admit, you remind me of Elizabeth, Sammy and Michael when I introduced them to Fredbear's Family Diner. They had shown the same kind of excitement you do now,'' he said in a sorrowful tone, lowering his head. ''Not to mention, when I had shown Circus Baby to Lizzy, she had told me how much she loved me and how she was happy about the animatronic I made just for her.''

''If you had the chance to change the past, you'd put your family above your own selfish desires, right?'' Sam asked him, with Springtrap nodding. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

''Still, they're gone, and the past cannot be changed,'' he said, looking at her. ''I have already come to terms with that, and besides, you're here now. I want to make your experience as enjoyable as possible.''

''Thanks,'' Sam replied. ''At least you won't have trouble staying at Freddy's, as a Bonnie character wouldn't be out of place there in comparison to Ricky's. They might get confused why Spring Bonnie is actually back, though, especially since he was decommissioned character.''

''I doubt they'll pay much attention to me even if they do actually realize that I'm not supposed to be there,'' Springtrap said. ''In any case, I'm here for your entertainment.''

''I know, but that also includes bringing up your past, something you aren't really comfortable talking about,'' Sam replied, with Springtrap giving her a troubled look. It was more than clear that he really wanted to move on from that. ''Nevertheless, I am really curious to see how this will work out and I do hope that there won't be another follow-up to this horror story. Even though you are here, the actual horror story did end when the previous location burned down to ashes. The current horror story is the one at Ricky's.''

''True, although I'm not really looking forward to how the part with Ricky's and Connor will end,'' Springtrap said. ''Considering what we've been through last night, it is safe to say that it might get even worse.''

''I guess you're right,'' Sam muttered, glancing at the monitor which showed the Freddy Fazbear's Pizza website. She smiled and turned to Springtrap. ''You know, we could visit Freddy's tonight. I'd like to see if they had finally brought the animatronics there.''

''Sure.'' Springtrap nodded, briefly glancing at the website. Even though he had been at the restaurant several times along with Sam, he still felt that things would be different once the location had finally opened. He then smiled, recalling the conversation with his old partner.

I'm sorry Henry, but nothing you say or do will deter me from continuing with what I had in mind. The story is not over yet.

xXx

His vision was blurry as he opened his eyes, with pain pulsing through his body. Something heavy was lying on him, and as he tried to move it, he realized it was a black bird-like animatronic.

Bran, what is wrong with you?

He managed to push away Raven, his vision slowly clearning. He blinked a few times, staring at the animatronic, completely stunned about what just had happened.

How is this possible?

Connor recalled his last moments before he blacked out, remembering how Raven had lunged at him, attempting to strangle him. To his luck, he had managed to disconnect the cables that kept the animatronic active, else he would've died at Raven's hands. He didn't know what shocked him more: the fact that Raven was able to walk, or the fact that he tried to kill him moments ago.

''You know, Bran, the attack was completely unprovoked,'' Connor told him in a bitter tone. ''I wanted to keep you here because I needed you. I needed your support, and I'm sure that this fate is much better than just being a disembodied spirit.''

The animatronic didn't react, with Connor being sure that Bran couldn't move his mechanical body unless it was active. However, he was quite happy that Bran was now capable of walking and interacting with him on a higher level than before, even though it was obvious that his old friend was still angry about his own death, despite the fact that Connor told him that he would get used to his new body.

''Still…'' Connor trailed off, acting on a hunch. He crouched next to Raven, removing the mask and looking at the endoskeleton's head. As he had suspected, the device that controlled the animatronic itself had been removed. He also checked the rest of the endoskeleton, noticing that some parts had been replaced. However, instead of feeling upset, Connor grinned. ''So, he is responsible for this? Of course; after all, he would know what to do.''

He stood up, feeling a rush of excitement and anticipation. He knew that he now had exactly what he wanted – Afton's attention. However, he still had figure out how to lure him out in order to talk to him in private, as something told him that Afton wasn't exactly interested in having a conversation with him. Considering what he had done, Connor could only assume that Afton saw him as someone inferior, someone who wasn't worth his time.

Then I have to prove that I'm his equal.

Connor knew that he would be spending another night here repairing and working on creations. Even after he had left them the last night, he knew that they were unfinished. The devices he used were still in the experimental stage and he had planned to improve them. Not only would they be stronger, faster, more independent and exceptionally deadly, but would also follow and execute every command he issued.

They will be perfect.

However, there was something missing and he felt that he could gain this last piece he needed from his conversation with Afton. He needed to show him that he shouldn't be underestimated. After all, weren't his own creations entitled to some kind of recognition for being not only intimidating, but also awe-inspiring? Connor hoped that, once they were complete, he would get the respect he deserved.

I will get my answers.

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myuselessartandstories · 4 months ago

Text

There's Lots To Learn

Chapter 4: One's Fight Can Spread Like Fire

(2,628 Words)

I take a short step back, panic slowly setting in. I try to keep my expression neutral, but I’m certain my pupils are slitted as I stare into the dark eyes of the Marrow in front of me. I spread my wings slightly and set my tail back, ready for him to attack. I freeze in place when he instead sighs and shakes his head, looking away from me again.

“You keep assuming I’m going to attack you. I should have known better than to think another Draconic would trust a Marrow.” He turns away, his tail giving a slight flick, brushing against the grass. “I owe you nothing for the prey. I saved you, so you helped me hunt. You can go back to your village, whether you truly do have one is none of my concern.”

I take a few moments as he begins to walk away. My heart continues to beat fast, and I take short breaths as I continue expecting him to turn around and attack me should I turn my back. I am too wary to do such a thing, though. Marrows are known to be conniving creatures, always ready to take advantage of any moment of weakness.

I stop at that thought, wings folding in as I realize he hadn’t tried to harm me at all since I first encountered him, and he didn’t seem as though he had any will to attack me at all. He only seemed interested in his prey. I shake my head, staring at the grass below my feet as my thoughts begin to spiral.

That can’t be right. He’s a Marrow. I can’t ever let my guard down around them. I know the stories of them attacking helpless Draconics for a quick meal. I’ve heard how they sneak up on others and rip out their wings without hesitation. That’s what he did to the Flels earlier, after all. Maybe he only killed them to get me to help with his hunt. But then why-

I pause, taking a long breath and letting out a sigh. Then, my head snaps up. I realize I had been staring at the ground too long. I’m surprised he hadn’t attacked me yet. I glance around, but don’t see him. I spin my head in short circles, trying to see if I can spot him at all, but all I see is the endless grass that surrounds me and the tops of some huts in the nearby village.

I stop moving my head for a moment, sniffing the air, trying to see if I could pick out any close, fresh scent from the Marrow. However, I don’t notice anything new nearby. His scent has been carried by the wind already, and, as far as I can tell, he himself isn’t nearby. However, I still take a few moments before I head towards the village. I don’t quite trust my smell enough to just believe a Marrow would leave such an easy target. However, as the Sun moves across the sky, I realize my fears are unfounded, and I begin towards the village nearby.

I eventually make it to the village unscathed and with no attack from the Marrow as the Sun continues its journey past the center of the sky. I still feel on edge from the Marrow before, but I try to ignore that feeling for right now. The Avians inhabiting the village watch me walk through, passing each hut without a glance towards them, all staring and keeping track of my every movement.

As I make it to the outskirts of the village, I notice a few huts that have been partially torn down, possibly raided for scraps of whatever food was stored in them. I stop and turn towards one of the torn huts, stepping inside the ruins. Despite the fact that I know I should continue on before one of the village Avians attacks me for overstaying my welcome, my curiosity takes over in the face of my fear, as it tends to do.

I notice bloodstains in some places as I look around, and many parts of the hut appear to be burned. I immediately think of the Flels that attacked me, and I figure that either they or Hell’s Angel caused all of this destruction. When I move one of the Neetah pelts aside with my tail to glance underneath, I stop short.

Laying underneath the damaged and tattered gray pelt is a charred body. A Presente body At least I hoped it was a Presenter body, given the fact it had no wings or tail. It could be older, and the Flels simply ripped out its wings and tail, but I truly hope that wasn’t what it was. I stare at the corpse, covered in black flame-scars, showing that this poor Avian didn’t die from wing removal, but from being burned alive.

Such a cruel way to go, I think. Without an Alpha Morpha present in Draconia, its soul cannot be passed on to the sky. And with its body burned to a crisp, its skin covered in flame-scars, it can’t be turned into Wrrap. It’s a waste of a life and a waste of a body. Not even a Neetah would eat an Avian covered in flame-scars.

I shift the pelt back over the body, hoping it would be found by the Guardian on the Grasslands, the Weetah, to come and take it. I might not know what the giant Neetah-like creature does with the useless bodies of flame-scarred Avians, but I hope that their bodies are used for something, even if we Draconics do not know what that is.

I jump when I hear a shuffle from a pelt on the ground behind me. I turn quickly, teeth bared and wings spread. I pause when I see another Avian, an Elder Caryn, it looks like. They limp forward, one of their wings hanging behind them. I feel pity rise into my chest as I watch them shuffle forward, claws barely coming off the ground as they step. The pity in my chest increases as I realize that this Avian could be free from the pain of living like they are, but without an Alpha Morpha, they have to suffer until they are killed.

They shuffle towards me, limping over the piles of scorched pelts. Despite having colorless hair and eyes, their wings are a bright red, showing that they still hold their ability to fly in some way. Once they reach me, they glance to the pelt on the ground that I had just replaced back over the body. “You are curious about our fallen Close Ones?” The Elder asks, eyeing me carefully.

I hesitate before nodding. An Elder as weak as this one wouldn’t be a threat, I tell myself, but it’s always good to remain cautious. “Were they attacked by Flels? Or a Marrow?” I ask. Those were the only two options I could think of. If there was another group to worry about wandering the Grasslands, the Weetah would surely be on the move looking for them. Having just the two species wandering around doesn’t bring much attention in a Guardian’s eyes, it seems.

The Elder nods, not seeming to be surprised by my question. Their gray eyes shift around, as if they can’t seem to focus on anything, as they take a moment to remember. “A group of Flels. Two Flels, really. They came to our village looking for a Tellian, a Neither Flamingo, specifically.” The Elder’s eyes finally settle on me. “Would you be the one they were searching for?”

I take a step back, ready to take off in the event of a surprise attack the village had decided to launch against me, should they have chosen to do such a thing. It wouldn’t surprise me that the Flels went around attacking and killing Avians in search of me. I managed to evade them for a while, but I never went to a village. It seems avoiding my fellow Avians was the smart thing to do.

“We have no wish to do as Flels say, so worry not. Even if you were in our village, we would have hidden you.” The Elder lets out a series of loud coughs, their wings bristling with each one as if the coughs put them through intense pain. “Flels are beings we wish to not submit to. A Marrow, however….” The Elder pauses, eyes ceasing their shifting for a moment. “We would have handed you over to a Marrow.”

I sigh. I was expecting such an answer. Flels may burn you alive, but they’re known for quick deaths otherwise. Marrows, however, are known to torture their prey, pulling out their bones and drinking the bone marrow in front of their food. Even the bravest Fenan avoids fights with Marrows.

I suddenly stand straight, realizing something. That Marrow from before hadn’t tortured the Neetah we caught. In fact, it had been a clean kill. I shift away from that though quickly, realizing I shouldn't be thinking too hard about the ways of a Marrow. It could be that Marrows only torture Draconics they take as prey, or maybe that specific Marrow was just a strange one. I barely nod to myself, accepting that as a logical answer. He was banished from the Bonelands, so he was probably an outcast of his species.

I nod towards the Elder, realizing I had been silent for far too long. “Yes, those Flels were after me. I survived, and they shouldn’t be looking for me anymore. I wish that my fight hadn’t involved your village, though.” I look towards the pelt-covered body once more. “It’s a shame they were burned alive. A greater shame that they were killed in a time with no Alpha Morpha.”

The Elder nods in agreement. “Yes. We have all grieved, but there’s nothing left to do except leave it to the Weetah.” I nod, then pause as a thought comes to me. This attack happened before the Flels found me. That happened a few Suns ago. Usually, the Weetah would have cleaned this up by now. Along with the fact that there’s a group of Flels, with the Flel leader included, and a lone Marrow wandering around with seemingly nothing chasing them, something was definitely wrong.

I keep this thought to myself, though. This Elder has already suffered enough, and adding questions to grief is a pain that leads to wrongful anger and suffering. I extend my right hand to the Elder and bow my head. “It is time I leave your village then. I hope that Death is merciful and Life is kind to your village.” The Elder bows their head as well, showing their right hand. “And may Death not claim you yet and Life watch your journey.”

I nod, then spread my wings, flapping them a few times for lift. I take one last glance around the hut, then fly up, flapping my wings harder to get me enough lift to make it up to the sky. I’ve been avoiding taking off as I’m very slow at doing so, and I’ve had a constant fear of being attacked lately. Being able to fly again is a nice feeling, and being so high up lets me watch the ground below me as I soar on the winds.

I fly for a while, watching as the Sun moves across the sky before changing into the Moon, the warm Sun-glow slowly shifting into the soft Moon-glow as it begins across the sky opposite of the way the Sun had been going. As I glance around, I see only empty grass. I realize quickly that I am in an empty part of the Grasslands, likely farther from the Grasslandian School than is safe for any Avian. It would be difficult to find my way back without any villages to ask for help, and being so far out would mean less prey for if I got hungry.

I sigh and decide to land. If I am so far away from the Grasslandian School that there are no villages around, then the chance of being attacked by a Neetah is slim. They like to prowl where the Avians live, so being this far out would lead to starvation. Of course, that’s if I’m far enough away, that is.

I lay down on the soft grass, the constant breeze making the blades brush against my sides. I fan my wings out beneath me, stretching out to make the most of my endless nest. I sigh, wondering if I’d find my way back or be forced to wander the emptiness of the Grasslands until I starved.

As I’m closing my eyes to sleep for the first time in a few Suns, I hear a rustle nearby. I push myself up, crouching in the grass, glancing around for any movement. I can’t tell if an Avian or a Neetah made the sound. Or perhaps it was a Nirvich who made the sound. That would be a ridiculous thought, usually, but given the fact that a group of Flels and a Marrow had been roaming around for an unknown amount of time, I wouldn’t rule it out.

I turn as I hear a rustle behind me, barely seeing a hand rushing towards me in the Moon-glow, claws ready to kill. I jump back, steadying myself on my legs. I can’t see who’s attacking me, but at least I know it’s a Draconic. I rush forward, slamming into them, knocking them to the ground. I dig my claws into their arms, rolling them over then sitting on top of them. I grab their wings and pull back on them hard, feeling them go taut under my grip. They let out a shriek as I press them into the grass, their body trembling, trying to loosen the tightness of their wings any way they can.

“Name and species! Now!” I command, trying to use my most threatening voice. I pull their wings again, and they respond with another shriek. I wait, their wings held in the air. They don’t respond. I growl, then ask again. “Name! And! Species!” I emphasize each word with a tug to their wings, and each tug gets a shriek in response.

I feel their tail curl around my legs, but before I can move my leg away, their tail tugs hard and throws me off of them. I land on my back, spreading my wings so I don’t hurt them as I land. I stand quickly, looking towards where I had my attacker on the ground, ready to see them standing and ready to attack with their wings stretched out behind them

What I actually see, however, is something entirely different. My attacker remains on the ground, no longer shaking. Rock has come up where their head is, pulling their head off and leaving their body on the ground. Blood drips down the spiked rock, pooling onto the ground. I would still be prepared to fight, ready for when their head rejoins their body to regenerate, but I know the fight is already done.

Standing above them is another Draconic, one I can finally make out in the Moon-glow. His black eyes make it hard to know where he’s looking, but I have a feeling he’s looking at me. He tilts his head, some sort of expression crossing over his face. His tail lashes behind him, cutting through the grass sharply. He steps forward, stretching out his wings, staring down at me. I would growl and bare my fangs in any other situation, but all I can do is stand there, frozen in fear as the Marrow steps closer, his bone whip in hand.

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

Editing is taking longer than I thought it would, but I'm hoping I can get chapters out quicker.

For now, I'm just trying to develop the story and the world until we can get to a major plot point, which is coming soon.

I hope.

However I am going to take a couple days off of writing because I'm barely getting 5 hours of sleep with everything I'm doing so I'm taking some break days on some stuff.

#story #bad story #my story #The Sky of No Stars #There's Lots To Learn #chapter 4 #One's Fight Can Spread Like Fire #book 1

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jimbleswrites · 2 years ago

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Nora, The Sole Survivor

Chapter 2: Rude Awakening

I woke up, to a dark hallway. The tiny glass panel was fogged up, with frost hanging on the edges. The lights outside flickered, the fluorescent hum kicking on and off in time.

“This one here.” A person in a white hazard suit was pointing to Nate’s pod. I groggily moaned and put a hand up to the window.

“Open it.” A new voice, gruff and harsh, commanded. A bald man wearing a wrinkled black shirt with metal armor walked into view. The person in the suit nodded and started to operate the pod, with it hissing as it opened.

Nate was still holding Shaun, as he tried to step out. “Is it over? Are we ready to continue?” He was stopped by the person in the suit.

“Almost, just give me the baby and we’ll get you ready.” They tried to take Shaun, only for Nate to hold him tighter.

“No, I’ll hold him, just let me get my balance.” Nate tried again to step out again, only the man to roughly push him back in.

“Give us the boy.” It was now clear this was not what was supposed to be happening. These people were kidnappers! I banged on the doors, trying to break it down to no avail. Nate was holding Shaun close, trying to protect him, as the person in the suit tried to grab him. He was still groggy from the pod, and could barely stand. I heard a click as I looked back at the man. He was now loading a revolver. “Give us the boy now.” He pointed the gun at Nate who continued to struggle.

“I’m not giving up Shaun!” Nate tried to break away, only to be met by the barrel of the gun. In an instant, the man fired and blew Nate’s head off. I screamed as pieces of gore fell around the floor. Shaun was crying now, with the person in the suit taking Shaun from his cold dead hands as the body slumped back into his pod. I was yelling, banging on the door, just pure rage as the man turned to me. He came right up to the window, his scars and worn skin burned into my mind.

“At least we still have the backup.” He stated, in the same tone one would use when looking in the fridge for something. Bored. Nonchalant. He pushed some buttons on my panel and I heard a familiar hiss. They were going to put me back to sleep. The same mechanical voice began its countdown.

“5”

Air began hissing around me.

“4”

Nate’s body was limp in his pod. The people walked away with Shaun.

“3”

I screamed at the people outside, no words, just rageful cries.

“2”

I felt the world grow colder. I tried to fight it but it was too strong.

“1”

I grew faint and lost consciousness.

***

I woke up to a blaring siren. My pod was opening before I was fully aware, and I fell face first onto the floor. The pain was numb, like my body wasn’t properly registering the impact. I tried to move but I felt stiff. I felt a warmth coming back, and next there was a stinging sensation. Pins and needles shot up my arms, finally catching up to the fall. I managed to stand, leaning heavily against the pod. I had the scariest dream, but surely that was due to all the stress. I looked over to Nate’s pod, and a frozen corpse was sitting there.

It wasn’t a dream.

I scrambled over to the pod, slamming my hands against the controls. It opened, with the body falling forward like I did. Unlike me, it shattered, scattering various pieces of my husband across the floor. A hand slid over to me, with his ring still on his finger. I slumped down, losing feeling in my legs as I kneeled there, staring at the shattered remains of my husband. It was all real. The nukes. The Vault. The kidnappers. I was simultaneously overwhelmed, thinking about everything, and also still, unable to move or process anything. The sirens blared overhead for who knows how long, as I just sat there. After some time, I came to a conclusion. I couldn’t stay here. Even if I opened the vault doors and died, I couldn’t stay here.

I carefully took the ring from Nate’s hand. “I’m so sorry.” I said aloud. “I know that we argued a lot recently, but I did love you. I should have said it more.” I put the ring into my pocket. “I don’t know what’s out there, but I promise, if there is any chance to find Shaun or whoever did this, I will do it. No matter what it takes.” I finally stood up, and turned to the hallway. This was the first time I had actually looked around. The vault was dusty, with some wires and tubes in the ceiling loose. It felt abandoned, like the people had been gone for years. But we couldn’t have been in the pods for that long? I stepped along the path, looking at the other pods. Some had frozen bodies, others were empty. Were we attacked after the vault closed?

I reached the end of the hall, and the door was sealed shut. I tried the button, only to hear a beep. “This door is not functioning, please contact a Vault-Tec engineer.” A robotic voice chimed. I guess I would have to look for another way. Or maybe someone else would be ok. I found another door, leading deeper into the vault. I walked past similar broken wiring and dusty halls for a while until I found an office. I looked in to see a skeleton, sitting on the chair. I should have been more surprised but it seemed like I didn’t feel much of anything. The desk it was sitting at had a terminal with power, so I decided to see if it had any info. I gently pushed the skeleton’s chair out of the way, and opened the first file, labeled Vault 111 Security Instructions.

CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL

SECURITY EYES ONLY | VIOLATION VTP-01011

Vault 111 is designed to test the long-term effects of suspended animation on unaware, human subjects. Security staff are responsible for maintaining installation integrity and monitoring science staff activity. Under no circumstances are staff allowed to deviate from assigned duties. Insubordination or interference with vault operations are capital offenses. Security staff are authorized to use lethal force.

I was confused. Suspended animation? Lethal force? Did Nate talk about this with the salesman? I opened the next file, labeled Resident Admittance.

Upon Activation Notice from Vault-Tec, all personnel are required to report to the Entry Area and assist with admittance of Vault Residents. Security Personnel will maintain order and ensure that no personnel or residents attempt to evacuate the Vault. Research staff will be responsible for resident intake and escort each to the designated cryogenic pod. Residents not accounted for in the manifest should be asked to step aside and detained forcefully by security if necessary. Once all residents have been sealed into their preservation chambers, dispose of any detainees. Vault entryway must remain sealed under any circumstances.

I gasped. We were frozen for some time. This wasn’t a shelter, it was a lab, and we were the rats. I had no idea how long I had been suspended, and the terminal didn’t have a date listed on it. I looked back to the skeleton. Clearly something had happened, otherwise the staff would still be around.

I heard a noise from the next room suddenly. I was scared, unsure if this would be a worker, an attacker, or some other thing I couldn't predict. I saw a baton on the desk, and picked it up. I turned the corner to see a huge cockroach scuttling in a mess hall. It was probably the size of a small dog, and it chirped as it moved between other skeletons on the floor. I tried to move back into the office only to accidentally hit a box lying on the floor. The roach spun in my direction, and leapt at me, its wings fluttering as it crossed the hall incredibly quickly. I screamed and swung my baton, like a baseball bat. I struck it square in the center, cracking its shell. The roach squealed, then went limp on the floor.

“Giant roaches?” I wheezed. I looked around for more, but the room seemed empty now. I looked at the roach closer, and it looked similar to the roaches I knew, but larger. Maybe the radiation mutated some animals? I looked around the mess hall, only to see more skeletons. Some had lab coats, others had helmets. I continued through the vault, with a few more roaches trying to attack. I managed to beat the roaches with my baton, but my baton was bent out of shape now. I eventually found myself in the overseer’s office, where I found another terminal. Hoping to find some more information on how to leave, I opened up the personal logs of the overseer.

There's been no All-Clear Signal yet, even though we're nearing the end of the 180 day Mandatory Shelter Period. Supplies were never intended to last much more than that, and despite my best efforts, people are beginning to question what we're doing down here. If people think we can just leave when the 180 days are up, they're insane. The radioactive exposure would still be potent enough to fry everyone if the Vault seals are breached that early. The whole point of the All-Clear was to receive additional instructions from the main office. I don't know what to do. I can't open the Vault. I can't expect our supplies to last forever. I just have to keep everything under control until the All-Clear…

180 days? I guess I had been frozen for a few months. But that didn’t explain those murderers taking Shaun or all the skeletons. I kept reading.

A faction led by the security personnel have turned on me, demanding they be allowed to leave the Vault. Idiots. I will not open the door to be irradiated to death out there. I'm consolidating the remaining supplies, putting the staff on lockdown. We're going to have to start prioritizing who deserves what little food we have left. I've been too damn generous with the rations. If people don't like it, well, that's fewer mouths to feed…

So that explains the skeletons. But why would they kidnap Shaun then? I guess they forced themselves out. I found a command for the evacuation tunnel, and opened the tunnel. I also found a pistol and some ammo in a skeleton in the office chair. I recognized it as a 10mm pistol. Nate had one just like it.

Nate. My emotions hit me again. I distracted myself with fighting roaches and searching for an exit, but now I was suddenly reminded of dates on the gun range with him. I teared up, crying over this pistol. I gave myself a minute to cry, but knew I had to leave eventually. Part of me wanted to stay here, giving up and starving to death. But if Shaun was out there, I needed to find him. I walked through the tunnel, eventually finding myself back in the main room. There was another roach in a lab coat skeleton, and I leveled my pistol at it. I took a shot, and missed, instead shattering the skull of the body it was hiding in. The roach spun around, and I managed to land my second shot.

I walked over to the main door, only to find the bridge was retracted and the large gear-shaped door was sealed. There was a panel to the controls, but there was no keyboard, just ports for pip-boy hook-ups. I looked around for another panel or something, only to have something glint from the skeleton nearby. I pulled back the lab coat covering it to see a Pip-boy still on its wrist. I picked it up, with the bones falling out of the inside. I pressed the button to see it still had power, with text flashing on screen. I secured it to my left arm as it woke up. I never had a pip-boy before, but it seemed simple enough. There were a few dials for radio and screen changes, and a wire connected to the outside. I walked back to the panel, unhooking the jack and plugging it into the panel. The screen showed a little man giving a thumbs up, saying the door was ready for open sequence. I pushed the button to continue, and more alarms began to blare. A large mechanism lowered from the ceiling, hooking into the large door and spinning it away. The bridge extended out, and I unhooked my pip-boy. I walked over to the bridge, crossing to the large elevator I came in on. I saw the button next to it, labeled ASCENT. I hovered my hand over it, frozen. This was my last chance to stay. Part of me wanted to just go back, give up. I hit the button, and stepped up to the platform. I was terrified of what was on the surface, but I had a goal to focus on. Find Shaun, and find the people that killed my husband. The platform groaned as it moved, raising me up. “Time for my new life…” I muttered as the darkness swept over me.

#fallout 4 #writing #fanfic

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dalleyan · 2 years ago

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Elfwine Chronicles (new LoTR stories, Blessings, ch 2 posted, 3-29-23)

Events in their lives cause the relationship between Theomund and Fele to change and develop. (Drama, Angst, Romance, Family) (4 chapter story)

Chapter 2

The smell of smoke was strong on the morning breeze, but Eothain reported that the fires were completely out and no longer a danger. It was a somber mood among the group assembled for breakfast in the Golden Hall later that morning. Once the meal was eaten, Theomund led the men back to the site to salvage anything they could. Lothiriel had protested his going on Fele’s behalf, but he had insisted that he did not want them to suffer the trauma of looking upon their ruined home just yet.

Even so, the sight of the charred cottage was almost more than he himself could bear. Why did this have to happen to those who were so undeserving? Likely they would now end up back in the boarding house, with even fewer possessions than they had before.

The last of the cottages that he and Freawine were renovating was almost ready, so at least one of the families could move in there. He did not like the thought of the other two being without a home, and he knew Fele would consider herself lowest on the list of those who should receive aid, but he would not stand idly by and let either suffer further. It would draw down his resources considerably, but he would focus his attention on clearing away the debris and rebuilding the cottages as quickly as possible.

Renward’s voice broke through his reverie. “Theomund, do you need assistance?”

He smiled at his aide, appreciating the thoughtfulness that had brought him to the scene this morning. He might have expected the man to know he would be here, and to offer his help. “Thank you, Renward. Let us see if there is anything to be saved.” Slowly they began a meticulous currying of the ruins.

As most of the furnishings were of wood, virtually everything had been damaged. Some of the furniture had only been partially burned, and he thought he could replace a leg or back of a chair fairly easily. The table was too far gone and even though the wardrobe and chest were not destroyed, the clothing was so full of smoke he could not bring himself to want Fele’s family to wear a constant reminder of this tragedy. He would see that they got fresh clothing to wear instead.

A moment later, Renward handed him something, and he smiled as he looked down to discover Eledher’s toy horse – the one the boy had shown him when they first met. He had later learned that Frideswide’s husband had made it for him. He was glad it had survived. He dropped it in the pile of items they had collected and continued the search. When at last they had found all they thought untainted, they gathered it up and took it to the shop. He would clean and repair what he could before returning it to Fele.

Dispiritedly, he said his farewells to Renward, leaving him to deal with any customers that came in that day for Theomund or Fele, and made his way back up the hill.

Arriving in the Golden Hall, his heart was cheered by the sight that greeted him. Dariel and Theodwyn were in the midst of the refugee families, sorting through piles of gathered clothing and seeing that everyone had at least one change of clothes. Not surprisingly, Fele hung back from the group somewhat, reluctant to take part in the charity.

Stepping into the fray, Theomund reached for a dress he recognized as having belonged to his sister. Though Theodwyn was taller than Fele, they were shaped similarly, and he held it out to Fele. “This will need hemming before it will fit you, but it will look wonderful with your hair,” he told her softly.

A tear trickled down her cheek as she reached for the dress with both reluctance and embarrassment. “Thank you.”

Unable to stay his hand, he stroked her head comfortingly. “Do not weep, Fele. It will be all right. I salvaged a few things, and I will help you get whatever else you need. I will not allow...” His voice trailed off. He had been dangerously close to admitting his feelings, and he wasn’t at all sure that was what she needed to hear just now.

Once the clothing was finally allotted, Lothiriel spoke to the group. “You are welcome to stay here for as long as it takes you to make other arrangements. I do hope you will let me know if you require anything. This is Durucwen, the head housekeeper. She will assist you in any way necessary. Do not hesitate to call on her as well.”

continue reading on AO3:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46008532/chapters/116068618

#Eomer #Lothiriel #Lord of the Rings #Elfwine Chronicles #LOTR #Elfwine #Theomund #Fele #original characters

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omaticwriting · 2 years ago

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Grand Anomaly: New Beginnings [Chapter 4-of fears and senses]

Two weeks had passed since Eliana joined Daniel and his friends. Everyone decided to stay until Daniel had fully recovered before going onward again, and in that time everyone got to know each other more slowly as each day of the new world around them passes.

Nicolas was reserved, responsible, and observant as ever, keeping an eye on their current camp to make sure things don't go wrong, especially with Eliana and Orbos, each having their reasons as to why. Orbos is an important source of information while Eliana was more so her special need to drink blood, making the group learn how to trap animals for her to drink but at least it's not too bad not to mention him being the cook of the camp as someone has to do it, even if it's essentially just him simply reheating packed food or simply skewering meat over the fire.

Selene and orbos took the role of helping Daniel recover, the loss of blood weakened him greatly but he was glad to have them around along with Eliana who spent time with all three of them whenever she could, she looked a lot happier since they all first found her and all three hoped that it'll stay that way. However the three took the task of being the brains of the camp, with Selene being prepared for many situations, Orbos's vast data and knowledge, not to mention vowing to be a translator for both Eliana and the group to understand each other, and Daniel's curiosity and eagerness to learn they helped make good decisions and learned quite a lot from each other.

Willa had mostly done the tasks outside of camp as she spent her time making, setting, and checking traps, at times during her shit she spooks animals out of burrows and into her traps, which she enjoyed every moment of it. Granted, it was messy and everyone else was doing other important tasks, but that was the fun bit of it.

Now everyone was packing up and getting ready to move on and find orbos's friend. And Daniel now fully recovered, found a newfound sense of optimism, and was ready to continue the adventure. "Alright, I just finished packing, is everyone else ready?" Daniel asked, seeing the group collectively nod; they began to set out north.

...

As they walked down the path, Daniel had many thoughts in his mind, seeing Eliana walking behind him, holding a large canister containing blood, and watching her sip from it on occasion, he couldn't help but protect her much like when his stepbrother did when he was around, except he was the older brother now, bringing a faint smile to grow. But those thoughts would soon be brought to a halt as the scenery changed.

The Forest looked more pristine compared to the surrounding forests, the suns rays were a bright gilded yellow compared to the traditional whitish-yellow they normally see, the greenery was a shimmering emerald green as if the rain had recently passed and the ever peaceful dog of birds and crisp breeze filled everyone's ears, everything was as if they stumbled upon a wonderland but nothing was as it seemed, especially when it came to Nicolas and orbos. orbos knows what exactly is happening thanks to the knowledge he possesses despite his senses tricking him, while Nicolas can only have a faint clue as to what the place truly is. He smelt ash and smoke, his ears hear crackling but not how leaves sound in the wind but rather embers burning away wood, and a faint heat as if he's standing by an open flame and yet his eyes can only see the Forest in front of him.

"We should go around, this place doesn't feel right," he said, with Orbos agreeing, "Nicolas is right, we should leave and go around this place at once," he said with concern in his voice but before he could truly explain the dangers an unfamiliar voice cut him off "hello!" It sounded loud and cheerful, the group looked over to the person who called out.

Their hair was blond but looked rather ambiguous much like everything else about them but they could tell they looked like a farmer of sorts, though Nicolas can see the glassy look in their blueish eyes, for now, he'll look past it and keep his guard up.

"Hello there, I wasn't expecting to meet anyone, especially out here" they spoke, a grins lowly forming, it felt offsetting but at the same time natural "OH! Where are my manners? I'm Soleil it is nice to meet you all" he gave his hand out as Daniel awkwardly shook it and was rather surprised by the amount of energy Soleil had despite their rigid movements.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Daniel, and these are my friends Selene, Willa, Nicolas, orbos, and Eliana," he said as everyone waved, Nicolas more hesitant compared to the rest, eyeing the person up and down, hidden behind his goggles not exactly trusting the person in front of him.

"What lovely names you all have" they gave the group a wide cheerful yet off-putting grin "where are all of you going?" They asked, seeing how everyone had large bags full of items, surely they were heading somewhere or so they believed. "What's it to you? "Willa probed, a brow lifting ever so slightly as this was now getting suspicious "oh, I assumed, seeing you're all carrying such heavy baggage on you" they pointed to all the bags they had, lowering Willa's guard by a bit.

"Oh! Maybe you could stay with me today, you all seemed tired, you need rest, comfort, maybe even a proper meal" they recommend and it seemed rather persuasive. Everyone was tired and they do miss sleeping on a bed "that would be nice but we-"Selene attempted to interject only to be uncomfortably shushed by Soleil "I insist, it's been so long since I had guests, and I am quite lonely" they spoke with a solemn tone turning their face away from the kids somewhat mimicking a frown behind the group's backs.

Daniel felt some twinge of sympathy for the person in front of him, looking at his friends they had similar expressions to his albeit mixed, whilst Nicolas and orbos didn't share the sentiment.

"I guess we could..." Daniel spoke, unsure filling his voice however Soleil looked ecstatic as he turned to Daniel with the same unsettling smile "great! You don't know how much this means to me" they exclaimed, guiding the group into the forest, much to everyone's delight through a soft bed would be nice. camping is nice but a soft bed and a freshly cooked meal were something everyone missed.

"So tell me about yourselves?" they inquired to an almost unsettling degree, Daniel being the first to speak up "I like to watch my dad draw illustrations of buildings," he said before Willa blew a loud raspberry, somewhat disturbing the peace a bit "boooooring!"She exclaimed, causing some confusion for Daniel and his loyal companion who was taking a liking to Eliana who did so in return, and as much as she wanted to join the conversation, only air left her mouth still unable to speak making the young child frown in dissatisfaction, at least Alpine cuddled up with her to make her feel better.

"How is that boring?" He argued, Willa sighed before explaining with an albeit blunt tone "well, watching people draw buildings is boring" Daniel took some offense though he had a feeling it wasn't her intention to, keeping to himself regarding it for now "and what do you want to do then?" he asked, "dunno, gardening is a good one" she shrugged, gaining some odd looks outside of Selene who knew her more compared to everyone else.

"I thought you'd be more into sports or rolling in the mud" Nicolas commented "well now you know" she spoke, a small chuckle and subtle eye movement didn't escape his gaze before watching her smirking as they walked through the beaten path, Soleil looked to Selene who seemed rather focused on other aspects "hey orbos, you were saying something important earlier what was it?" She asked, causing Orbos to snap out of his suspension as he glanced at Selene, maybe this time he won't be interrupted.

"This place was once home to a thriving village before something happened, local sourean knights came to investigate but only found the village and its people burning, leaving no survivors " he explained, his tone more solemn and worried, causing the rest of the group to worry "oh, mind the mekani-sprite, it is true however I can assure you that this happened years before arriving here...granted somethings remain, and are quite annoying, not to mention there are rumors someone has survived" they reassured before seeing the very thing the village left behind.

They were a shadow with only their vague shape of a person being the only thing that they could tell along with large glowing pupil-less eyes that stared ever outward if one were to look at them and white markings scattered around their body. Luckily it didn't seem all too interested in the group more so looking at a stone it merely picked up on the ground.

"Shoo!, shoo! Go away!" Soleil cried out, causing the shadowy figure to look at them, it didn't speak out, merely giving Soleil an annoyed glance before walking away "the nerve of some lost's" they groaned in distaste.

"I'm sorry but what's a lost?" Daniel inquired, his eyes gazing curiously at the now leaving figure, alpine being more on edge, and did all he could to keep his owner and his new friends out of harm's way. "Wayward spirits, they're the ghosts of beings who never had proper rest or were chosen by the star goddess Danica, left to wander until a reaper or a guide returns them to the earth or stars or they regain their memories and become a found" they explained, noticing the sympathy on the young lad they reassured "don't feel bad for them, they don't remember their lives before being alive, and helping them remember won't truly help unless you can find remember " they finished before showing their unnerving grin once more "come along now, we must make a move on" and thus they walked onward, as in the distance a small cozy cobblestone cottage with a red and yellow field of flowers laid on the front yard, with small round windows and a well maintained smoothened Carmel oak porch, a few cattle grazing in the distance. "This way now, we can continue our conversation inside" they gestured as they opened the door for them, watching with a plastered grin as one by one walked inside.

Inside the cottage seemed rather homely, its walls lined with yellows and oranges, decorations from photos to paintings lined the walls, each having something related to fire with a grand fireplace at the center of it all, lighting the peaceful home.

"Now I hope you don't mind, I haven't had the chance to clean," they said, fearing the place would be a mess for them. Luckily much to their relief none mind, although Nicolas and orbos still had their suspicion maybe it was for the best.

"This is a nice home you have" Soleil, grinned at Daniel's compliments before letting the children explore the cottage interior. For now, until dinner in which they began preparing as fragrant herbs and spices filled the small cottage.

Nicolas couldn't help but scoff and gag -too strong- he thought, even if his senses weren't as sensitive as it was before the anomaly, his life before much so being the cook of the camp as well sure affected his way of how perceiving food works, especially given how he used to eat largely bland foods before now which felt a blessing and a curse to his not so sensitive senses.

"Hey Soleil, what's the grub?" Willa yelled from one of the guest's rooms, clearly being able to smell the food from where she stood. It didn't take long for her to get a reply with an ever-cheerful tone "nothing too special, just a simple stew, it should be ready in an hour"

Eliana looked at the décor and the fireplace of the cottage with agitation, the place reminded her too much of the fires that the villagers did to her village, her breath grew more intense as the very air around her felt thin and yet slowly crushing her lungs as she began to whimper as the room began to spin in her mind. Everything became a blur to her, voices became murmurs; it was simply too much to bear before losing consciousness as her senses paralyzed her with fear and overstimulation. Meanwhile, Soleil grinned madly, despite not seeing it they felt it and it brought a sweet taste in his mouth, a mere taste as to what's to come and they have to restrain themselves till then.

Daniel panicked at the sight, being the only one nearby was a very stressful situation, especially with this being a first-time thing "Eliana! Can you hear me? Eliana!" He cried out hoping to get some semblance of a reply or At Least someone heard him and that his friend or Soleil would help but a reply was not given. Daniel struggled to figure out how to calm Eliana down and help her understand as without orbos he couldn't communicate with her but realized Alpine kept her calm. Maybe that can work "elii, I want you to focus on Alpine" he whispered. Not wanting to cause more problems or so he hoped as Alpine lay near Eliana with Daniel gently placing her hand on his fur.

Eliana silently screamed in her mind, the memories of the fires, the people who screamed and called her and her people monsters, and the screams when they were struck, it all came flooding out, her memories burning into her mind like she was back there again, but there was always a faint voice and the sudden feeling of warm fur broke her out, slowly at first but soon her breathing calmed as she noticed the soft cushions on her back and the warm fur of Alpine next to her.

She grunted as she looked at Daniel, his words sounded like unintelligible gargling but at least his face showed concern, allowing her to understand she must have worried him, forcing a smile to let him know she was alright.

Not long after, Orbos and the rest of the crew arrived. Each had a worried expression as they all heard Daniel's distressed call "did something happen?!, are you two alright?"Orbos asked first, clearly worried about the two as Daniel began explaining what happened before their arrival.

"That sounds like a panic attack," Nicolas commented before continuing. "It's hard to explain but essentially it happens when people are under too much stress or something that triggers a bad memory" he explained best he could give as he had a similar experience with things like these.

Daniel nodded, he was a little glad that someone had some experience though he realized Soleil wasn't present but shrugged it off as they might be busy cooking, speaking of which the rich smell of food filled the air and not long a shout from Soleil that supper was ready-made him hungry, though he didn't wish to leave Eliana yet, in case it happens again "hey, Daniel you coming, foods ready" Willa pestered. Snapping Daniel out of his thoughts before answering "I think I'll stay with Eliana".

Willa lifted her brow at that, but soon came to understand why after a glance at Eliana "All alright, I'll see you soon then!" She exclaimed before flying off to the dining hall, Nicolas not too far behind her albeit at a walking pace. Selene, however, looked at Daniel then at Eliana, concern filled her face "I'll be sure to bring some food for both of you" "thanks" was Daniel's only reply. Enjoying the sentiment as he kept an eye on Eliana, clinging onto Daniel and alpine to help anchor herself away from her bad memories, leaving Selene to walk away to join the rest.

"Ah, glad to see all of you," Soleil said. Awaiting at the table, his smile is somewhat more plastered and impatient, at least for Nicolas," hm, Daniel, Eliana, and Alpine won't be attending with us?" They questioned as Selene confirmed his question with a nod "no matter, let's eat" they said with joy as the others sat down, bowls at the ready.

Dinner remained awkwardly quiet as silence filled the table. Willa wanted to speak her mind but the feeling of Soleil made her do otherwise, it just felt unsettling as the seconds went by. She wished she could be in the room Daniel and Eliana were in, at least they didn't have to deal with the crushing anxiety that was happening here.

"You're all oddly quiet," Soleil spoke. Finally breaking the silence, their face forming a frown, now aware of tension in the room they might as well send them all to bed, they waited long enough anyway, however, they noticed Selene helping herself to more of the stew with three bowls in a tray, perhaps that would be for the remaining children in the bedrooms they reasoned, they didn't stop her, the rest needed food anyway however now would be a good time to set plans into motion. With a fluid motion, Soleil stood up and announced to everyone currently present at the table. All the familiar plastered smile on his face that Nicolas now detests "you're all excused, bedrooms area cross the hall"

One by one everyone slowly left the table, Soleil grinned devilishly as they watched them leave, now it's time for their plan to begin. Meanwhile, everyone returned to Daniel who was doing the best he could to be comfortable, as Alpine lay on his chest whilst Eliana clung to both. "So how was dinner for you?" he asked, he so far seemed a little peaceful despite Alpine eating messily of his meal, the floor surrounding the stew bowl was an example of it. "It was bloody tense" Willa exclaimed, her voice seeming a little tense before continuing "Soleil was very tense, you guys think they're up to something?" she questioned no one in particular, which quite shocked her when Orbos and Nicolas exclaimed "YES!" in unison "they've been suspicious to me since the beginning, why hasn't anyone noticed?!" he spoke in frustration. Taking a deep breath he collected himself before continuing "sorry, but this person is bad news we have to-" he stopped, his eyes changed to that of fear "we need to get out of here" he didn't give anyone time to ask as he rushed everyone to the room's exit.

Both His and Orbos' fears and suspicions were given truth as the doorknob felt searing hot as the sound of crackling flame could be heard from the other side. Everyone became tense, Eliana more so as the trauma remained fresh in her mind clinging onto Daniel in hopes this was another dream she could wake from. "I'm sorry for this, it isn't personal" Soleil spoke behind the door, their voice drowned by it, and the fire and smoke which slowly leaked into the room, despite their face being hidden they can tell their smiling, more devilish and dark by their true nature as they continued "but someone has to feed and your bodies and souls would make good fuel for the pyre" they finished as they left, a laugh becoming more distant as the group looked at each other.

Selene quickly scans the room for an exit but the only exit is the only thing keeping the fire out as its black hands claw the door from the small space it can reach before rising towards the ceiling. -Black hands?! That isn't how smoke should work, come on Selene think! there has to be an exit- she thought before coming up with an idea "Willa I need you to phase through the walls, see if there's an exit" she said with urgency, Willa nodded as she put her trust in her friend and with a green glow covering her body poked her head through the walls. "Daniel, I need you to barricade the door, we need more time" Daniel wasn't sure but nodded regardless, holding onto Eliana a radiant grey glow traced his boy as the door was concealed with stone.

While the three continued with their plan, Orbos and Nicolas stood there, a plan hatched without a word spoken, it would be cut short by Willa however "this wall leads outside!" she exclaimed, gesturing to the wall on the opposite side of the door. Selene smiles, gesturing for everyone to stand back, taking a strong stance, her body glowed a powerful blue before tightening her hand into a fist and colliding it into the wall, punching a gaping hole for everyone to escape. running as fast as they all could.

Once outside everyone took the time to recuperate. The cottage is still burning in the distance "okay, what just happened?!" Willa yelled. concern, confusion, and fear on her face. thoughts raced through everyone's mind as to why Soleil did all that but whatever the case they needed to leave and hope Soleil didn't follow. But all thoughts come to a stop as Soleil emerged from the distance, their face showing disappointment as flames ignite the dry grass with every step they took -when was the grass dry?- Nicolas thought before entering the grass was wet and lush, perhaps the fire had something to do with it, but that's for the backburner for now.

"Oh, so it seems you escaped," they spoke with disappointment before giving their signature grin to the group, now more sadistic as they continued "no matter, you won't escape anyway" they raised their hand, and fire erupted around them, the smoke becoming mangled dark claws that grew with every second, Nicolas looked between Soleil and the rest of the group, trying to think of a plan, an idea, anything to buy them enough time to escape, but soon, the only option left presenting itself.

"Everyone, listen carefully," He told the group. His voice was solemn as his gaze never left Soleil which caused some concern, but it got their attention. "I need you all to run while Soleil is busy with me, I'll try to return to you as soon as I can '' he lied on the last, doubting he could, but, anything to help keep their hopes up helps. "oh, no you're not going to play hero, we stick together" Willa argued only to have Nicolas to argue in return "it's better if they take one of us instead of all of us" he narrowed his eyes as Willa tried to argue only to fall short "you better keep your promise or so help me I'll drag you back to earth so I can beat you myself!" Nicolas gave a small smile at the threat as Willa playfully jabbed his shoulder "I'll try" he answered, watching them run to safer ground as an irradiating heat approached Nicolas's back as Soleil stood behind him, he felt the smoke like claws trying to claw its way into his nose, trying to get past the facemask that protected him which seemed quite effective in buying him time.

"Isn't this quite the surprise" Soleil spoke seeing Nicolas by his lonesome? Their face showed disappointment but they couldn't have gone far -disappointing, but he will do- they thought before a swift claw of smoke plunged into his chest, not fully piercing his organs but enough to make him bleed slowly, dragging him back to the cottage with slow and methodical torture.

Nicolas held his breath, the smoke entering into the wounds made every breath like fire, it was hard anyway as his blood flooded into his wounds from his chest -okay, how do I get out of this?- his mind could quickly muster. he knew had nothing but burrowed time and it wouldn't be long before his demise but he had faith knowing his friends would escape...and yet his family had faith in him to come home, much so his friends.

His train of thought would be snapped by Soliel's scream their back burnt revealing a single black dot that pierced through their clothes and skin. the claw began to fade, bringing relief as the wounds closed. Standing up he looked at Soleil with quiet but mighty resolve as he stared on with determination.

"HOW DA-" they erupted into anger. pillars of flames as tall as skyscrapers erupted from their rage, only to be replaced by divine fear, Nicolas stared at him with a confused expression while eyes of lavender stared on and judged them for every action, burning away slowly at their soul before closing, a true sight of divine intervention.

it didn't take Soleil to realize Nicolas has a natural affinity for healing magic, though it is useful but will simply end in a stalemate between them until one tires which seemed rather tedious in their opinion. more so the mark of gods on them alongside their divine intervention. So with a sigh, they spoke, knowing the very gods watched their next action "I suppose we could form a deal, given our circumstances" Nicolas was dumbfounded, why would they strike a deal after trying to kill them.

"It's simple," they continued. "I will provide you and your friend's safe passage, in return, you shake my hand." Nicolas couldn't help but narrow his eyes at the offer, especially when he saw them lend their hand out "what's the catch?" He spoke with distaste before seeing them grin with no sense of disappointment surprisingly.

"Smart child, however, you're in no position to bargain" they spoke with a sadistic grin as Nicolas stares on with contempt but what choice did he have?

"Fine..." he spat out with a sigh. Reluctance and spite coursed throughout every letter he spoke as he grasped Soleil's hand. Soleil devilishly grinned as both their hands burned in an inferno as claws of smoke dug their claws into both parties' flesh as the flame haphazardly cauterized the wounds that went for mere seconds but Nicolas, the sheer agony went on for hours as his eyes glowed from a bold earthen brown to a divine mixture of oranges and yellows but soon became a potent holy lavender much like his eye color, "you're all free, now get out before I find you next moon" being Soleil's last words to Nicolas as they fell to oblivion.

"...s.......olas!......Nicolas!" Nicolas' eyes shot open as he felt a firm punch to his gut, groaning as he stared at everyone, Willa being the one who punched him as she hovered on top of him, a glowing green outline that traces the shape of her body much like her eye...has that always happened when used their powers? Maybe no one noticed till now.

"Why are you here?" He asked, brushing the dirt off him, his voice sounding more blank than it's supposed to, probably just tired. Taking a look around the once-pristine forest now a brown and black barren plain from years of endless desolation, only hidden by the simplest of illusion magic. "After the whole running thing, the sun came up and the whole place just became barren" she answered "had to come to get you after you didn't arrive when the sun rose

"Oh, I see...we should get going then yeah?" He said now standing up, Willa nodding as they both walked away from the desolate ground.

"By the way, what happened between you and Soleil?" Willa asked, causing him to blankly look at her, it felt very off-putting as It went on before Nicolas checked his hand, the one used to shake their hand, now devoid of burns and scars but...his eyes subtly widen as a single small symbol of an eye on his palm. It suddenly opened and stared back before Nicolas quickly closed it as he put it in his hoodie pocket "well...?" Willa pressed on before Nicolas snapped out from his quiet trance

"It's a long story, maybe another time" he reassured, causing Willa to sigh in Disappointment and annoyance but at least understood as they rejoined the others but Nicolas couldn't help but wonder if he could get used to it and that oddly scared him.

#grand anomaly #writing

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crikeygatormate · 3 years ago

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I Will Always Return (Pt.3)

Summary: You were the daughter of the mayor of Wrywood back when the wild west was more than just a movie genre. Your father was a sly politician who managed to find himself stuck between a rock and a hard place with a large crime group that resided in the city and the west’s most notorious group of outlaws. Somehow you find yourself stuck in the middle.

Warnings: PLEASE READ!! This chapter is much darker, so please be cautious, gun violence, death, graphic description of someone dying by a gunshot, dark themes, mentioned loss of family, implied violent father, typos (if I missed any please let me know!)

This chapter was really fun to write :) I'm also so happy about all the feedback I've been getting, it makes me happy to know y'all like my take on western bkg! Also, Keigo’s family is not canon btw just a heads up, same with Bkg and Kiri! This is a bit angsty lol I like angst makes me sad in a good way lmao

Word count: 9k ish???

Part 4!

Part Three

Bakugou and you rode up the mountain for the remainder of the night. Granted, you both were expecting to be followed, but at least you were far enough up now that he could come up with a better plan.

“Should we just go to the town you were heading to anyways?” you asked, shivering a bit as the cool breeze from the top of the mountain seemed to cut through your cotton shirt.

Bakugou shook his head, “no, don’t wanna bring them back to the others. We’ll lose ‘em.” He looked back at you, narrowing his eyes. He had a plan, but he wasn’t sure if you were ready for something so daunting.

“How are we going to lose them then?” you asked, leaning forward in your saddle as your horse trotted up a steep slope.

“Well, they can’t come after us if they don’t have horses right?” Bakugou said, watching you closely for a reaction.

You stiffened in your saddle. The thought of killing anything was totally adverse to you, let alone a horse. “I don’t know if I can do that,” you said honestly.

Bakugou sighed, “yeah I figured as much.” He looked back at you over his shoulder again, “you’ll have to join us down in the mud sometime soon, you know that right?”

You nodded, looking away from him and out into the span of evergreen trees, “I know.”

Bakugou huffed, “good, cause there's no gettin around it.”

You frowned, glancing back at him. How was he able to be so cold, so devoid of emotions when it came to taking something’s life? You wondered what made him like this? How weathered down he had to get before being able to fire his weapon at someone without blinking an eye.

There was a burning question in your mind that you wanted to ask him. You knew better now, he had already told you his past was a touchy subject, but none the less you wanted to know more.

More importantly, you wanted to know where Keigo fell into Bakugou’s story? The blonde soldier was so confident in his story and so bitter towards Bakugou. It was obvious to you that they did know each other.

“Awful quiet back there,” Bakugou’s timber voice cut through your thoughts.

You looked back at Bakugou, he wasn’t looking at you but you could tell he was frowning. “Just thinking,” you responded, watching him roll his shoulders. Morning light silhouetted his figure and illuminated his horse's tail swishing a few stray flies away.

“Got somethin’ to say?” he asked, now sparring you a quick glance. His vermillion eyes almost glowing from beneath his hat.

You furrowed your brows, a little taken back with his softer tone and word choice. Before he would have said something smart, like what crawled up your pants or something like that. “Well,” you began, wetting your lips with your tongue as you rode up next to him, “I’m curious about somethin’.”

“And what would that be, princess?” Bakugou drawled. He looked tired, dark circles were heavy under his eyes.

“I was, well, don’t get mad at me for asking,” you quickly said before continuing, “I was wondering what happened between you and Keigo? You do know him, right?” you asked. Your heart was racing in your chest as you waited for him to yell at you or flip you the bird, but to your surprise all he did was sigh.

“I guess since you’re ridin’ with me now, you oughta know,” he said, his shoulders beginning to bunch up due to him growing more uncomfortable.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” you said quickly.

Bakugou shook his head, “it’s fine, you should know. We’ll be fightin’ with ‘em pretty soon.” He let out another tired sigh before speaking, “I did grow up with Keigo. Kirishima did too. All three of us were neighbors in a sense. Kirishima’s family and my family lived on the land Keigo’s family owned. We helped them push cattle, break horses, maintain the ranch, so we could live there for free. When the three of us were all young we played together, learned how to rope, hunt, and tend the cattle.

It was a good deal, really. Both our families were dirt poor and Keigo’s dad was a generous guy. He was always tryna help out, take the less fortunate under his wing. Growin’ up there was easy, simple, we never went hungry, never got cold. That all changed when Kiego’s dad passed. He had caught a fever and passed almost instantly. Keigo was eighteen at the time and took over the household. Practically destroyed his father's legacy in a matter of weeks.

Keigo, well, he was always a little different. A little brasher, he liked to see things suffer. Caught him kickin’ the shit out of my herdin’ dog one summer, he paid for that. It got worse the older he got, and Kirishima and I began to avoid him, which he didn’t like.”

You listened intently, growing more horrified as Bakugou continued to talk about how violent Keigo was.

“Then one year a really bad winter came, I was fifteen, Kirishima was fourteen. Food was practically non-existent and our families were starvin’. Keigo didn’t offer any help, so Kirishima and I went hunting for a few days. When we came back, our families had passed. Keigo told us a fever had taken them, and I believed it. Blamed myself for leaving in the first place, and taking Kirishima with me.

Soon, the three of us were recruited to be a part of the military, and I wanted to be number one. It became an obsession of mine, I wanted to prove that even after letting my family down, I could still be good. That’s where I met dumbass Deku too.”

“The sheriff right?” you asked, unconsciously leaning closer to him as you listened to him talk. You liked to hear him talk, his voice was deep and strong with a rough undertone, but it was somewhat comforting to listen to.

Bakugou nodded, “yeah, that’s him. As much as I hate to admit it, Deku is a good friend of mine now. Definitely wasn’t when I first met the brat, he was thin as a pole and cried almost daily.” Bakugou snorted, lost in his memories before he continued, “anyway, I stayed with the military for four years, up till I was around nineteen, or close to it. Was real close to getting promoted past a grunt.”

You rose a brow as he trailed off, looking ahead of you both. He seemed conflicted to continue talking, “you don’t have to finish, I can tell Keigo’s just spreading dirt on your name from what you told me.”

Bakugou nodded, not sparring you a glance, “yeah, okay.”

You felt a wave of guilt roll over you as you watched his upper lip twitch up into a sneer. He looked disturbed, and you realized you probably should have never asked him something so personal. “Are you okay?” you asked gently, hoping he wouldn’t snap at you in defense.

“‘M fine,” he muttered, his vermillion gaze cutting over to you. He took a short breath before pushing his emotions away. “So what about you?”

Your eyes widened, he wanted to know about you? You could imagine your sister grinning at you like a maniac at the thought of you ever getting giddy over a man wanting to know more about you. You cleared your throat, “oh, I don’t think my story is really interesting,” you said, turning your face away from him so he wouldn’t see how flustered you were.

“Hah, that’s bullshit, obviously someone as prissy as you wantin’ to turn away from a life of comfort to ride with criminals is more than interesting.”

You shrugged, peaking back at him before looking down at your horse's red mane. “Well, okay, I guess it’s only fair if I return the favor and I'm not prissy."

Bakugou snorted, shaking his head as he listened.

“As the mayor's daughter, I did grow up in a nice place, never needed anything,” you began, hating how snooty you sounded, “I was taught to sew, cook, bake, clean, all that stuff, and it’s great to know, and admittedly fun sometimes. But, it was all in preparation to be married off to some man. I think my father started bringing suitors home when I was fourteen? It always went pretty badly.

I mean you saw what happened with Monoma, that’s pretty much what happened with everyone else. I told them off, and they thankfully turned tail pretty fast. No one wants a wife that’s gonna cuss ‘em out, right?” You said with a small grin, glancing at Bakugou whose lips were twitching up into a small smile.

“You do have the mouth of a sailor,” he said.

You snorted, “it’s come in handy over the years, but really I spent most of my time outside. Back home I have a huge garden, it’s taken forever to get so big, but I’m proud of it. I’d also spend most of my days at my neighbors. He’s this old rancher, Gran. He hates my guts, but after years of begging him to let me ride, he’s grown to appreciate my help with his cows. That’s pretty much it.”

“That’s it?” Bakugou asked, shaking his head, “what about your piece of shit father? You left that part out.”

You stiffened at his words, of course, you didn’t want to bring that up. But he was honest with you, so you might as well be honest with him. “Right, my dad. He was suffocating. Probably the most two-faced person I know. He was great when I was young, but as I got older I guess I began to see him for who he really was, which wasn’t pleasant.

He’d get so angry sometimes, and there were plenty of times I thought of running away, but I couldn’t leave my sisters. They were too timid and they needed someone to stand up for them, so I did. I would do it again too. As mayor, he had this persona he showed to the public but behind doors, he was terrible.

Honestly, it was really terrible of me to stay for so long, but being a woman is hard. I can’t own land, can’t open a bank account, I can’t do anything without a husband. But I’d rather suffer at home than be married off to some stranger.” You explained as you fiddled with your horse's mane again.

“I think, when you showed up that night, it felt like a prayer had been answered,” you admitted, continuing to look down at your hands, “I’m not sure what would have happened if my dad found out I told off Monoma like that.”

“Well, you don’t ever have to worry about any of that shit when you’re with us,” Bakugou said. “Mina came from a similar situation, and she’s just as free as me. You are now too.”

You looked at Bakugou, and gave him a lopsided smile, “thank you.”

He held your gaze a moment before nodding as he rode up ahead of you again, “gotta get goin’ more, we’ve got to stop soon to let the horses rest.”

—---------

The sun was starting to begin its descent from afternoon into the evening by the time you stopped riding. You kept your tack on your horses, but loosened their girths and unclipped one side of the horse's bits so they could drink and eat. It was clear that you had to be ready to quickly escape if need be.

Granted Bakugou was not planning on escaping. He told you earlier that you needed to be ready, and he was holding true to that.

You looked at the pistol in your hand. It was heavy. It was always heavy, and to you, the weight of it would never grow lighter. Over the past few days, you had practiced a lot with it. You had grown to respect the weapon, but you hoped you’d never have to use it.

“Here’s the plan,” Bakugou said as he walked back into your little makeshift camp, “I’m gonna come at them from one side and you will go in from the other. Chances are they won’t hurt you, so you can take a few horses out easy, I’ll handle the rest.”

“I’m not sure-”

“You have to be sure,” Bakugou snapped, his eyes flashing with mild irritation. “You’ve seen how these men work, they don’t mess around. They want me dead.”

Adrenaline instantly spiked inside of you, making your stomach and heart jolt. They did want him dead. You couldn’t have that happen. You wouldn’t have that happen. So you nodded, swallowing the lump in your throat.

“Good,” Bakugou said and clapped you hard on the shoulder with his good hand, “I’m countin’ on you princess.”

You gulped as you stared up at him, he was counting on you. So you had to follow through. You weren’t going to let him down. You couldn’t. He squeezed your shoulder roughly, making you hiss as you moved to get away but he held you in place.

“Wanna see that same spirit you had when you were runnin’ away from me yeah?” he added, before removing his hand from your shoulder to go and get his horse ready.

Spirit.

Right, in such a short time your fiery spirit had been tame. Still strong, but content you suppose. You stood up and rolled your shoulders, you could do this. You had to. So you got your horse ready and then followed Bakugou back down the mountain.

According to him, the convoy would be tracking yours and his horses' hoofprints, so if you traveled down parallel to your tracks you would eventually run into them. The plan was once you both encountered them, you would split and you were to shoot as well as you could into the group and then book it back up to camp before dark.

It seemed like a good plan, but you felt wildly unprepared. Which was valid, you were.

You kept a sharp eye out for any familiar figures and after a good hour of riding, you heard some chatter. They were close. In fact, you could see some flashes of horse flanks through the trees.

Bakugou clicked his tongue and gave you a half smile before silently separating from you to go to his side of the convoy.

Your heart was thumping against your ribcage as you got closer and closer to the convoy. You could see them better now. Colonel Aizawa was in the back talking to a soldier with black hair. Lieutenant Endeavor was up front with Keigo, and a few others were staggered in the middle.

A loud whistle cut through the pine trees and you knew that was your cue. You let out a quick breath before all hell broke loose.

You yanked out your pistol and shot off into the group six times. You used all your bullets which was your first mistake, but you weren’t thinking too clearly. Someone shouted and you heard the heartbreaking sound of an animal dying.

You let out a hiss of anger, mostly at yourself, as you turned your horse around and spurred him on. There were more pops from pistols shooting off and a few more shouts before you heard the unmistakable sound of hooves pounding behind you.

With a panicked gasp, you turned around to see that it was Keigo who was riding after you. His grey horse was splattered with blood and he was grinning at you.

“Playin’ outlaw, huh?” he shouted as he yanked his pistol out and aimed it towards you.

Your eyes widened and without much thought, you quickly dismounted your horse while he was still moving. It was risky, but it would be terrible if Keigo killed your horse. Well, he wasn’t even yours, but you couldn’t bear the thought of anything else dying because of you.

You hit the ground with a grunt, rolling for a moment before you caught yourself and instantly looked up to see that your horse had got away. You let out a sigh of relief and moved to run away but you were promptly knocked over by a fist hitting you in the temple

“Shit,” you hissed, landing back against the forest floor, pine needles poking up into your clothes. You blinked hard as black spots swam in your vision. Then, a hand wrapped around your throat and yanked you up.

“I can’t tell if your just stupid or seriously fucked in the head to be runnin’ with Bakugou,” Keigo spat.

You clawed at his hand as he grinned at you, blood was steadily dripping down the side of his face, which made you wonder if he got grazed by a bullet.

“What made you even think that was a good idea? You know how easy your life could have been if you had just come back with us?” Keigo asked, tilting his head.

You garbled out a ‘fuck off,” before spitting into his face.

Keigo laughed, wiping your spit off his cheek as he slammed you back into the ground. “You know, if your family wasn’t paying us so much money, I would just shoot you dead right here.”

You stiffened, eyes wide as you watched Keigo pull out his pistol again. With slow shaky hands you brought your hand down to your waistband, your pistol was still there you could pull it out, you would have to, or he would hurt you.

With bated breath, you yanked the pistol out and pointed it at Keigo making him quickly release your neck as you pulled the trigger. Both of your eyes were trained on his face as you held the pistol out, but to your horror, it only clicked.

You were out of bullets.

“Well, I guess you are just stupid,” Keigo mocked as he pointed his pistol at you. “You know, maybe you fell off your horse. Got hurt during this little fight, right?”

You scrambled back, fear freezing your limbs as Keigo walked towards you, glaring down at you. “You wouldn’t, no one would believe you.”

“You really think that? I’ve got away with it before, who says I can’t get away with it again. Plus, who wouldn’t believe a silly girl like you falling off her horse and dying? It’s a believable story.”

Dread washed over you from his words. He’s done this before? Immediately you thought of Bakugou and Kirishima. Did Keigo do this to them? Was this the part of Bakugou’s story that he left out?

Keigo held out his pistol, lining it up with your forehead, but before he could shoot, the black haired soldier you saw earlier burst through the undergrowth.

“Keigo! We’re retreating, we’ve lost three horses and Bakugou shot Endeavor-” he paused, his red eyes cutting between you and Keigo. “What’s going on here?”

You gulped, your gaze cutting between both men. The tension in the air was thick and for a moment you felt like everything you’ve ever known was resting on the edge of the blade.

“Tokoyami, you really have a knack for showing up at the wrong time,” Keigo said with a sigh, and then without blinking an eye, he shot his comrade right in the chest.

You screamed as Tokoyami crumpled to the forest floor with a grunt.

Keigo sighed, “shame, I liked him, and you,” he paused to smile, “well you’ve just become a murderer. The post will eat that up, yeah? Guess you live to see another day,” he concluded and left without sparing you a glance.

You rushed over to Tokoyami, a complete stranger, but a familiar face. With shaking hands you rolled him over, trying not to look at the thick streams of blood gushing from his bullet wound. “I’m sorry,” you croaked as you looked into his red eyes.

Tokoyami wasn’t able to talk, but he didn’t stop looking at you until his last breath. You held his hand the whole time, crying over this man who had unknowingly given his life to save yours.

You weren’t sure how long you sat kneeled by him, but it was dark by the time Bakugou found you. It was cold too, your nose was running and the wind was starting to pick up. You weren’t even able to hear him talk until he was shaking you.

“Hey!” Bakugou shouted before reaching down to grip your cheeks between his fingers and turn your head towards him, “the hell is wrong-” he paused. He didn’t notice what you were kneeling by, who you were kneeling by.

You sniffled, tears rolling down your cheeks and over his fingers as you cried. “H-he shot him.”

Bakugou’s expression soured. He was well aware of who you were talking about. “C’mon,” he urged, dropping his hand from your face to grab at the collar of your shirt.

“Wait!” you scrambled, pulling back from his hold on you, “we can’t leave him here!”

“He’s fine, we have to go,” Bakugou growled as he yanked you up to your feet. He refused to look at the body on the ground as he practically dragged you away, trying to block out your cries and whimpers.

You soon found yourself back at camp, sitting in front of a fire. Your horse was tied. A little cut up, but good. Alive. Your hands shook as you looked at the food Bakugou had warming over the fire. He had already eaten long ago. In your still shocked state, time was moving too fast and too slow all at once.

“You gotta eat,” Bakugou said sternly.

“M’ not hungry,” you replied hoarsely.

Bakugou sighed heavily, “it wasn’t your fault.”

“It was supposed to be me, not him,” you said, your voice was small.

“Cut that shit out, part of you has to be relieved that it was him instead of you,” Bakugou said, his voice harsh.

You looked up at him through narrowed eyes, “can’t you let me grieve-”

“You didn’t even know him,” Bakugou interrupted.

“Doesn’t matter if I did or not, he was murdered by that psycho,” you hissed, furiously wiping away a few stray tears.

“Yeah well now that Keigo’s got his eye on ya, that’ll happen again. So you better get used to it. Like I said, it’s better that the grunt died instead of you,” Bakugou explained as he crossed one ankle over the other.

You grit your teeth, hot anger rolling in your tummy as you stared him down. Whatever soft feelings you were beginning to harbor for him seemed to evaporate instantly. “I’m leavin’” you spat as you stood up and turned on your heel to stomp through the woods to who knows where.

“The hell?” Bakugou shouted after you, “the fuck is your problem!”

You bristled, irritated at his voice as you shouldered your way through the bushes. He was insufferable, cold, and certainly desensitized to death. How he could have no empathy or emotion was beyond you.

Maybe you bit off more than you could chew. Maybe you should have just left when you could and gone home. Suffered in your own little enclosed world, where things were out of your control, but at least they weren’t spiraling.

You were spiraling, in fact, the world really did seem to be spinning. The dark forest seemed to warp as you leaned heavily against a dead tree. Your temple was throbbing with the beat of your heart and you suddenly became aware of the memory of Keigo hitting you on the side of the head.

A soft whine escaped your lips as you slid down the side of the tree, the old bark cutting into your skin through your shirt. The last time you felt this bad was when you were thrown from Gran’s old ranch horse and had to stay holed up in your room for a few days.

You lifted your head a little at the sound of boots stomping towards you and you sighed, feeling too bad to snap at Bakugou.

“What makes you think you can run off, huh?” Bakugou said angrily as he squatted down in front of you, “look I know you’re hurtin’, but you gotta brush this off. It wasn’t your fault.”

You looked at him, while breathing heavily through your nose. The vertigo you were experiencing was making it hard to even comprehend what he was saying, but deep down you knew he was right about you letting it go. “He said,” you began, your mouth drying, “he said he was gonna tell the post I murdered Tokoyami.”

“Well shit,” Bakugou grumbled, “how no one has picked up on this guy's lies is astonishing.”

You nodded, shutting your eyes as a wave of nausea rolled over you.

Bakugou clicked his tongue, he had almost gotten Keigo today. He just had grazed the side of his head, not enough to take out the fucker, but enough to make ‘em mad enough to act out. Which was something he did not want to deal with again. “Look, no one’s gonna believe that shit-” he paused as you groaned. “The hell are you groaning about?”

“He got me-”

“Why the hell didn’t you say anything?” Bakugou interrupted, immediately grabbing at your clothes, his red eyes wide as he felt around for any blood.

You hissed, “no my head, I almost shot him but I ran out of bullets, then he hit me,” you explained quietly.

“Told you to never have an empty pistol,” Bakugou chastised as he let his hands drop from your sides. “Can you stand? Need to get a better look.”

You attempted to stand but you immediately fell back down, your legs were weak from the nausea. “No,” you croaked.

“Alright,” Bakugou sighed, “don’t kick me this time,” he added as he easily picked you up. He kept a hand firm under your thighs and the other supported your side as you slumped against him.

Your eyelids were heavy as you pressed your cheek against Bakugou’s chest. The starch of his shirt was itchy against your skin, but it was better than the tree. Had you not been feeling so bad, you probably would have been a stuttering mess. No one has ever held you like this, not that you had ever willingly let someone.

“Keep your eyes open,” Bakugou said from above you as he stepped over a fallen log.

You huffed, feeling another wave of nausea roll over you. You were tired. It has been about twenty-four hours now since you last slept. Bakugou set you down against the log he was leaning on earlier and you felt your eyelids flutter close. If you could sleep for just a little bit, you’d probably feel better. But a light slap on your cheek had your eyes flying back open, and you glared up at Bakugou, “that hurt.”

“No it didn’t,” Bakugou said gruffly as he sat down next to you. “Quit lookin’ at me and turn your head.”

You exhaled heavily through your nose as you looked away from him and let out a yelp when he prodded his fingers against your temple. “Ouch!”

“Quit squirmin’,” Bakugou muttered, narrowing his eyes as he pushed some of your hair back to look at your wound. He sighed after a while and removed his hand, “he got you pretty good, surprised that you didn’t pass out. Gonna have to stay here for a few more days, you’ll need to sleep it off.”

You nodded, shuffling back against the log as you went to close your eyes. Sleeping it off didn’t sound too bad, “alright.”

“But not yet,” Bakugou quickly interjected, “you have to stay awake till morning at least.”

You folded your hands over your stomach as you slid your gaze to him. “And why would I need to do that?”

“Cause ya’ might not wake up,” Bakugou replied nonchalantly as he grabbed a piece of jerky from his bag and took a bite.

Your eyes widened in mild horror. “Huh? I might not wake up?”

Bakugou nodded as he put his good hand behind his head, “yeah when I was in the military this one guy got clocked over the head with the butt of a pistol. Medic told him to stay awake for the remainder of the day, he didn’t listen and that was the last we saw of ‘em.”

You furrowed your brows horrified that Bakugou was even telling you this. “So I’m gonna die?”

He snorted, “no, I never said that-”

“But you implied it,” you interrupted, voice shrill.

Bakugou looked at you through narrowed eyes as he took another bite of his jerky, “you’re not gonna die. Just stay awake.”

“What if I fall asleep?” you asked, sitting up a little bit.

“You’ll be fine, and I don’t think you’ll be able to sleep now,” he replied, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

You frowned at him. Was he just trying to make you scared so you’d stay awake? “You’re despicable, you know that?” you huffed as you folded your hands over your stomach again.

Bakugou shrugged, returning his gaze to the fire, “whatever.”

“Well, now that I know you’re bluffin’ I’m going to sleep,” you muttered and promptly turned away from him to lay on your side.

“I wasn’t bluffin’,” Bakugou replied as he roughly yanked you back on your back. “You do need to stay awake.”

You let out an exasperated sigh, “fine, I’ll stay awake.” You grumbled something under your breath before a shiver wracked your form. You were pretty high up in the mountain now so it was much colder now.

The pine needles lightly rattled against one another as a gust of cold wind cut through the woods. It smelled like winter so far up in the mountains. In fact, you were curious if it would snow instead of rain. You liked the snow, but not when you only had a shirt and a pair of jeans. “It’s cold,” you said aloud, mostly to yourself.

Bakugou hummed, glancing up at the sky. It was cold, he had seen some birds flying down the mountain earlier, so he figured you’d both be running into some snow soon. Which he for once, wasn’t prepared for, but it’s not like he had planned to be on this mountain for so long. He looked back down at you, the last thing he needed was you or him getting sick on top of you both being injured.

You sniffled as you continued to stare into the fire. Your thoughts briefly wandered back to your sisters at home. What would they think when they heard the rumors that Keigo was about to spread. Surely they wouldn’t believe it.

Your father, however, was a loose cannon. There was no telling what he was gonna do once he heard the apparent news of you murdering a soldier. You huffed, you could expect the worst from him.

There was some shuffling next to you and you glanced over to see that Bakugou was yanking his blanket out with his good hand before he practically threw it at you. You recoiled and pulled the thick fabric from your face, “what’s this for?”

“Just use it, can’t have you gettin’ sick too. I want off this fuckin’ mountain,” Bakugou grunted as he tipped his cowboy hat down over his eyes.

“But you’ll get cold too,” you said, your voice small as you spread the blanket out. It was warm and smelled like leather and some of the medicinal herbs he had stuffed in his bag. It wasn’t a bad smell, you found it sort of comforting because it smelled like him.

“No, I won’t,” Bakugou grumbled.

“Your nose is pink,” you pointed out.

“It’s always like that,” he argued.

“No it’s not,” you shot back, shaking your head slightly. You weren’t even sure why you were arguing with him. You should just roll over and try to ignore him. He’s been an ass anyway, right?

Bakugou yanked his hat back from over his eyes and shot you a nasty glare before roughly scooting himself closer to you and tearing the corner of his blanket from your hands. He yanked the green wool over his lap while muttering something under his breath before leaning back against the log and pulling his hat over his eyes once more. “Is that fuckin’ better, princess?” he snapped as he folded his arms over his chest.

Your face was practically as hot as the fire in front of you. “Yeah, that’s better,” you replied, your voice wavering a bit. He was so close now, his shoulder and thigh were now pressed against yours. He was warm too, much warmer than the blanket he had given you. You gulped, there was that stupid feeling fluttering in your chest, which made you squirm.

“If you keep squirmin’ I’m moving,” Bakugu said roughly.

You stilled, glancing up at him from next to you. His breaths started to even out and before you knew it he had fallen asleep. It was almost shocking to you that he was letting himself fall asleep while being so close to you.

Did that mean he was comfortable around you?

Obviously, he was. You have been with him for a while now practically attached at the hip. He’s probably the only person besides your sisters who knows so much about you. You let out a sigh, fighting off sleep. There were so many new emotions you were facing, and they were hard to unpack.

You let out another soft sigh before leaning back against the log and looking up at the sky. Your eyelids were so heavy and for a brief moment, you shut them.

—--

“Get off me, you little leech,” Bakugou’s gruff voice sounded far away in your mind. The heavy blanket of sleep was still weighing you down, not giving you the opportunity to open your eyes.

“Damn it, get it off!”

You blinked feeling strong hands trying to pry yours off of something. The world looked fuzzy for a moment before you realized you had yourself completely wrapped around a body.

Your arms were tight around Bakugou’s waist and you had one leg curled around his. All at once you jolted and became hyper-aware of him yanking your arms off of his waist.

Within the next second, you had scrambled away from him uttering a million apologies as you tried to calm your erratic heartbeat.

“Whatever, just don’t do it again,” Bakugou snapped, quickly turning away from you.

You cringed at yourself. How that even happened was beyond you but you didn’t miss how the tips of his ears were bright red with blush. At least that made you feel a little better not being the only one embarrassed.

“I’ll be back” Bakugou announced suddenly, his voice cracking a little as he stood up. He then stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

“Okay, sorry again, I guess I was cold still,” you said, trying to come up with an explanation for why you practically spooned him.

Bakugou huffed, his back was still to you. “First thing we’re doing once we get to town is gettin you your own blanket.”

Your cheeks warmed, you were so embarrassed you didn’t even want to respond to him.

Bakugou wasn’t even planning on waiting for your response anyway as he was already quickly walking away from you. His shoulders were just about bunched up to his ears as he disappeared into the undergrowth.

You rubbed your eyes, wishing the earth would swallow you whole. Perhaps you should go after him and apologize again? But the pounding in your head became apparent again causing you to rethink getting up.

You grumbled, feeling guilt gnaw at you even more and with a sigh you stood up, swaying a bit as you found your footing. Maybe you could go back by the river to wash off again. It was cold, but it would be nice to be clean again.

The world blurred for a moment as you took a step and then another one. Before you knew it you were out of camp and walking through the pine forest. It never occurred to you how dense the woods were the further up the mountain you traveled.

The trees were massive too, they stretched about thirty feet into the sky and their trunks were so large you could easily hide behind one and no one would be able to see you.

Your thoughts then turned back to Tokoyami.

The last thing he ever saw was this forest, these trees, and you. A knot formed in your stomach thinking back on his final moments. A life that was cut too short all because you didn't keep track of how many bullets you had left.

You sighed, remembering how cold Keigo was as he shot his comrade without blinking an eye. It was disturbing that he’s done something like that before.

To Bakugou and Kirishima.

The thought of whatever Keigo had done to them was almost too much to even think about. So instead you turned your thoughts back to the forest around you.

You started to notice that there was an abundance of berry bushes around. From what you could see there were a few raspberry and blackberry bushes close by. Which you took advantage of, you snatched a few off their branch and continued searching for Bakugou while snacking.

“Bakugou?” You said aloud in between bites. He couldn’t have gone far. Maybe you should have just stayed at camp.

You pushed past some branches that led you to the river and you stopped instantly. The raspberry that you were about to chew instantly got sucked down your throat as you sharply inhaled making you double over coughing.

Bakugou promptly turned around to see you hacking up a lung and he did a double-take. You followed him all the way out here? “The fuck are you doing here!” He shouted, cheeks flaming.

You slapped your hands over your eyes, not even able to form a coherent sentence. All you could do was stutter out some words and blindly try to turn around.

Apparently, he had left to go bathe, which was valid. He didn’t have to tell you that. Now you really wished the earth would swallow you whole.

“I’m sorry!”

“Sorry, my ass!” Bakugou said back, his voice cracking again as he stomped into the water.

“I really am!” You said again and then proceeded to blindly, turn back around and scramble back to camp. Blood was pounding in your ears as you booked it back to camp as fast as you could without falling over.

How you could mess up badly was beyond you, but twice in one day? That had to be a new record. Once you finally reached camp you promptly laid back down and shut your eyes, hoping that you would fall asleep before he got back.

But you couldn’t. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t fall asleep. You were surely tired enough, but the butterflies in your tummy were acting all weird.

Granted you didn't know much but you knew whatever feelings Bakugou was stirring up in you, they were bad. And they only seemed to be getting stronger.

You were so caught up trying to squirm away from your butterflies you didn’t even notice him walking back to camp. Or see that he hesitated by the tree line, trying to cool his cheeks with the back of his hands.

He cleared his throat, making you jolt from under the blanket.

You didn’t dare look at him. Just seeing him would bring that image of him back into the forefront of your mind. You gulped, he was a big guy, you knew that. Obviously, you knew that you saw him shirtless before, but this time… you shook your head, trying to not let your mind wander.

“So,” Bakugou coughed lightly, “your head still hurtin’?”

You exhaled sharply before turning over and looking up at him. He was sitting weird, and far away from you. Which made you feel like a total idiot. Now he was clearly uncomfortable with you. Did you just ruin the barely budding relationship you had with him because you walked in on him naked?

You sighed, probably.

“It’s better,” you replied, letting your gaze drop from his.

“That’s good, we should probably get goin’ then. Wanna get down the mountain before it snows,” he said. He then stood up, shooting you one more passive look before going to tack up his horse.

—-----------

The ride down the mountain was tense. There was a new sort of tension between you two that you couldn’t put your finger on. Bakugou kept his conversations with you short and sweet, well sweet was an understatement. He had turned back to being brash towards you again.

Which was better than nothing at all, you supposed.

When you finally reached the town after four more days of riding, you had never been so happy to see buildings in your life. The little town was small with only a courthouse, the sheriff's office, and a large market where some of the locals sold their goods.

Your horse whinnied as you came to a stop outside of the sheriff's office and you squinted at Bakugou, watching him dismount his horse. “Why are we stopping here?”

Bakugou looked up at you and shook his head, “just wait here, okay?”

You furrowed your brows as you watched him tie his horse and then walk into the sheriff's office. You only waited a few minutes before he was walking back out, this time there was someone behind him. This must be Deku.

Deku was tall, just a little taller than Bakugou and he had the greenest hair you’ve ever seen. It reminded you of the color of the evergreen trees you saw up in the mountain. He had a smattering of freckles across his face and a broad smile. It was almost shocking to see someone who looked so friendly with Bakugou.

“Y/n,” Bakugou began, “this is Deku, you’ll be stayin’ with him for a while.”

It was then your little world you had built with Bakugou shattered. Your voice caught in your throat before speaking, “why am I stayin’ with him? I thought that was only when I was your hostage still?”

Bakugou bristled, he looked irritated with the question you asked. He knew you were gonna ask it, but it still bugged him when you did. “I got some things to sort out with the rest of the group. You’ll be safer here.”

“But I-”

“No, you’re stayin’ here,” Bakugou growled, “I’ll be back in a few days. Don’t do anything reckless.”

Before you could even speak he had already untied his horse, got on, and promptly rode off as fast as he could, leaving you and Deku in a cloud of dust.

Hurt bloomed in your chest as you watched Bakugou’s figure grow smaller in the distance. Did he not trust you anymore? Maybe you really did screw up. But then you remembered how much your personality has seemed to have changed for him. You were not even acting like yourself recently. Maybe this break was good.

You huffed and looked towards Deku who was shielding his face from the sun. “So, where should I tie my horse?” you asked the sheriff.

“Oh,” Deku replied a little caught off guard, “here, we can take him to my place. I’m done for the day.”

You watched Deku lock up his office before getting up on a large buckskin mare next to you. He did seem nice, and from what you could tell so far he was the exact opposite of Bakugou.

“So, Kacchan told me a bit about you, you’ve got an interesting story,” Deku said as he led you down the main street of the town.

You blinked, “he did?”

Deku nodded, “yeah, I gotta say I’m a little surprised you’ve put with him for so long, Kacchan is about as prickly as a porcupine.”

You laughed, “he is a little prickly, but overall he’s been nice.”

Deku looked back at you and raised an eyebrow, “nice?”

You nodded, “yeah, he’s been attentive I guess. He did most of the hunting for the both of us, he gave me his blanket, taught me how to shoot. I mean I was surprised too, I heard from the post that Bakugou was pretty much the most dangerous outlaw around.”

Deku hummed, “interesting.”

You rode up next to the sheriff, “how so?”

Deku shrugged, “never heard of him doin’ anything like that for anyone besides Kirishima.”

Your cheeks warmed, but you shook your head, “I think he just feels sorry for me. I keep messing up around him,” you admitted.

“Right,” Deku replied before he stopped in front of a large barn. “You can put your horse in the empty stall and your things in the tack room. I’ll be back in the house. Feel free to use anything.”

You nodded, deciding to keep silent as you got off your horse and led him towards the empty stall before untacking him. You ran your hand down your horse's flank, he was soft and steady. He was probably the most consistent part of your life right now.

You finished brushing him off and getting the tangles out of his tail and mane before tossing some of Deku’s hay into his stall. You gave him one last pat and then headed towards Deku's house.

Deku had a nice house. It was small, probably had about two bedrooms, and was painted yellow. He had a few vegetables in a garden close by and a chicken coop around the back. As you walked closer to the front door, a large white dog bounded up to you, panting as you bent down to pet him.

After a few small pats, Deku’s dog wandered off back to the coop to watch over the chickens. You then walked into Deku’s house and to your surprise, he was cooking something.

“Oh hey, you’re back, I hope you’re okay with steak and potatoes?” he asked, looking back at you over his shoulder. He was wearing an ivory shirt that he had rolled back past his elbows paired with an apron?

“That’s fine, thank you,” you replied, and then glanced around the interior of his home. It was sparsely decorated, but it was comfy.

“Your room is off to the left, there’s a tub in there. I already filled it up for you,” he said, giving you a warm smile before returning to his cooking.

Your eyes widened, he did that for you? “Thank you, Deku, really.”

Deku laughed, “of course, and you can call me Izuku.”

Izuku? You furrowed your brow, why did Bakugou call Izuku, Deku? You shrugged and then headed to the bathroom.

———

After you had bathed and ate you told Izuku that you were going to head to bed. It would be good for you to rest after such a long time on the road, to which he thankfully agreed.

He was kind enough to give you an extra set of clothes and a large shirt to sleep in, which you were thankful for too.

You should have felt relieved to be in a warm house with a full belly, but you found that you missed being outside and sleeping under the stars. You missed the crackle of the fire and the smell of smoke.

But most importantly you missed him.

To even acknowledge that you were attached to Bakugou in any way would have made the old you turn up your nose in disgust. How could you ever miss the company of a man? A man as brute and brash as Balugou?

But you did. You missed him and a small part of you hoped that he might be missing you too.

#iwar #Bakugou x reader #character.death #.violence #.gun mention and violence #tw.character death #tw. gun mention #tw. violence #outlaw!bakugou

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fandomlit · 4 years ago

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neutral, chap. 4 (dream smp x reader)

series summary (in game!au) when an exiled tommy finally rebels against a manipulative dream, he finds safety in neutral territory, a place owned and guarded by you. staying in your safe haven opens up the younger one’s eyes to your way of life, while also revealing your deeper past before neutral; a past that involved a war for your love.

chapter summary after waking from a taunting nightmare, tommy expels some late night energy on some wandering mobs. you give him another lesson about taking care of himself, even when working hard, and tommy asks if you’ll teach him archery, which, of course, doesn’t go without entertainment.

warnings nightmares, mob killing

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gif cred belongs to @halcyoncraft

he was running again. he didn’t know where or from what, but his legs carried him far and strongly, weaving him through trees and grass and other obstacles along the way. he didn’t know how in danger he was, but he wasn’t going to stop and find out.

then he tripped.

when he flipped onto his back, it was that goddamn mask staring down at him, the lips just under it laughing, “you’re so weak, tommy! did you do anything while you were in neutral?” then his axe came down and tommy braced himself for the pain and release of death.

he woke up instead.

sweating under his covers, tommy sucked in a harsh breath as he sat up. he threw the soft cotton off of him, running a warm hand down his face. it was just a dream; he was safe in neutral.

looking out of the window next to him, he saw the moon still high in the sky, casting a cool light into his bedroom. dream’s words rang through his head like a bell, and he rubbed at his temples with a sigh. was he actually getting weak? was relaxing such a bad thing? at the very least, some part of him must have thought so to conjure a nightmare like that..

with another sigh, tommy lifted himself out of bed and flipped open the ender chest. he drew out his sword before heading to the main floor of the house.

when he reached the bottom of the stairs, a voice called out to him, “tommy?” his heart nearly stopped for a moment, before peeking into the kitchen and realizing it was just y/n. she sat in candlelight, writing in a small journal with a slice of half-eaten pumpkin pie next to her. “are you alright?”

“yeah,” he breathed, his voice still heavy with sleep. “just gonna go kill some mobs.”

she nodded. she looked tired, and a part of tommy felt bad knowing that she was most definitely going to wait for him to return. “okay. have at it, kid.”

he nodded, turning to leave the kitchen. before he did so, he pursed his lips and looked over his shoulder to y/n. “you should go to bed.”

she gave him a smile, scribbling something down in the small journal. “i will, tommy. just gotta finish this up..” his natural curiosity was drawn to the small book, and he almost asked y/n what she was writing. but then dream’s voice rang through his mind again, and tommy silently headed for the doors of the house.

the night air was refreshing on his warm skin, cool and still as the moon illuminated the frontal beauty of neutral territory. he took a deep, calming breath of that crisp air before focusing on the task at hand: proving to himself that dream was wrong. that dream is always wrong.

after about twenty zombies, ten spiders, countless creepers, and a few endermen, tommy finally felt the burn in his arms become nearly too much to bear. he panted as he struck down one last spider, turning and finally deciding to return back to the comfort of y/n’s home.

he sheathed his sword when he finally entered the house, going straight to the kitchen to see that y/n was still awake and writing in her small journal.

“ready to go to bed?” he asked gruffly.

she looked up slowly before nodding, placing her quill down and capping her ink. “any trouble out there?”

“no,” he spoke, shaking his head. “wrote everything you needed to?” y/n blew out her candle and went to join the boy in the doorway to the kitchen.

“as much as i could, anyway,” she shrugged, smiling lazily as they began to walk toward the stairs. “what was your nightmare about?”

tommy was slightly startled, but a little too tired to react drastically to y/n’s deduction. “how’d you know i had a nightmare?”

“i’ve had them before,” she said simply. “and it seemed natural that you’d expel some energy onto mobs after such a thing.”

“you’re smart,” tommy credited.

“thank you,” y/n yawned.

they continued to climb the stairs in silence as tommy considered his words. “i was being hunted by dream again, but this time you weren’t there to save me. he called me weak and killed me.”

“so you wanted to prove to yourself that despite allowing yourself peace, you didn’t have to sacrifice your strength to get there,” y/n summed.

the boy half-smiled. she was spot on, as always. “exactly,” tommy breathed.

y/n was silent for a moment as she thought. they stopped at the hallway to tommy’s room and it then occurred to tommy’s tired mind that her room was downstairs; she was walking with him because she cared about him.

“honestly, tommy, if this is a real concern for you, then there is no harm in taking time out of your day to work out and train,” y/n spoke. “but the most important thing is to recognize when enough is enough, and when enough becomes too much. you’ve allowed yourself peace and care for the last two weeks, and achieving such a state doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice fighting or training; it just means that you need to be more aware and in tune with yourself as you’re doing it.” tommy nodded.

“don’t overwork yourself, is the summary here,” she said, picking a cobweb off of his shirt. “let yourself do the things you want, but make sure it’s not wearing you down. that’s taking care of yourself.”

“alright,” tommy spoke quietly. “thank you, y/n.”

“of course, kid,” she smiled. “get some sleep, alright? if you have another nightmare you’re free to bother me.” tommy nodded again. “good night, tommy.”

“good night, y/n,” he yawned as she turned to head down to her room. he made sure he heard her door shut before finally heading to his own room.

...

“can you teach me archery?” tommy questioned the next morning at breakfast. it was a question that had bugged him since y/n had first revealed her skills just a few days prior, and since he was going to start training, he figured that might be a good place to start.

“sure,” she chuckled as she scooped some more fruit onto his nearly half-eaten plate of french toast.

“why the laugh?” he questioned through a mouthful of berries.

she shrugged to herself. “your curiosity is showing.”

“i’ve been wondering about it since you took out the mob,” tommy admitted. “if i want to get stronger.. i think this is a good way to.”

“perfecting a skill is the perfect way to get stronger,” y/n voiced. “of course i’ll teach you, kid.” she smiled and he turned back to his breakfast with his own grin. “finish up your food and meet me in the basement; we gotta get you a bow first.”

tommy hadn’t been in the basement of the house yet. he opened the heavy, dusty trapdoor and assumed y/n didn’t go down their often either. he slid down the ladder easily and was immediately hit with heat.

y/n had a welding station upstairs in her shop area, but the basement had a more broad and intense version of that area. several anvils, all cracked and rusted and adorned with different materials were scattered in a sort of pattern amongst the space, a fire burning high in a fireplace at the far side of the room. seeing no sign of y/n, tommy moved to the room to his left.

the next room held a large nether portal, as well as a small farm for netherwart. the dark room felt empty to him, and he had to remind himself that he was in fact in y/n’s house still. he remembered she had said that she didn’t like going to the nether.

“i’m in here, tommy!” she called out. he took another left into a small storage room, where y/n was rustling through a chest. “how tall are you, kid?”

“6’1”,” he answered.

y/n smiled. “you’re a lot taller than i’ll ever be.” she took out a pretty oak bow, slightly scratched and obviously old. “you’ll have to use this for now, until i can make you one that’s your size.” he took the bow from her hands, shrugging.

“it’s fine.”

“good,” she hummed, still shuffling through the chest as tommy took the time to look around the small room.

“what’re the dispensers for?” tommy asked, staring at the wall that held the three stone tools.

“im nothing if not prepared, tommy,” y/n spoke as she took out a quiver and began to fill it with arrows for him. “in case of emergency, those dispensers will set off flares to let others know that im in trouble or that neutral is in danger.”

tommy nodded, still looking at the obviously unused dispensers. “smart.”

“i hope so,” she sighed, handing him the quiver of arrows. he strapped it around himself as she continued, “let’s just hope i never have to use them, yeah?”

“yeah,” he chuckled. she gave him a smile, hoisting her bow higher in her grip.

“you ready to shoot some things?”

...

“relax your shoulders,” y/n reminded. tommy did so, his fingers still white with effort against the taut string of the bow. “don’t pull so hard, tommy. you’re shaking.” he sighed as he let the string and arrow go limp, lowering his bow as y/n approached him closer.

it was his second day of archery training, and he was still missing nearly every target. y/n was a calm and collected teacher, offering him advice that was pointed directly for him and reassured him that there was no rush in the learning process. but after missing fifteen or so shots in a row, tommy was getting frustrated.

and it didn’t help with sapnap and george staring at him through the kitchen windows.

“doin’ great, kid,” sapnap encouraged weakly, taking a drink of the lemonade y/n had lovingly prepared for the boys. just watching the older man sip made tommy’s mouth dry, but he was determined to make five shots in a row before taking a break.

tommy glared at the man before turning his gaze back to his mentor. “ignore him, tommy,” y/n spoke gently. “nick couldn’t hit a target if it was three paces away.”

“that’s a lie!”

“im kidding,” y/n laughed, placing a hand on tommy’s shoulder and turning him away from the distraction that was sapnap. “but seriously, there’s almost always going to be someone watching when you shoot. the more you can tune them out, the better. just focus on your aim--and make sure your grip is looser. you’re gonna snap that string in no time otherwise.”

“loose grip, focus on aim,” tommy breathed and she patted his shoulder as he turned back to the target ahead of him. he hoisted the bow up slowly and pulled the string back just enough that it wasn’t fully taut. he made sure his aim was a little higher than his target, and released the whizzing arrow. the arrow pierced just outside of the center ring.

“perfect,” y/n smiled. “now, do it again.” and he did, taking another deep breath and allowing himself to focus in on the feel of the rough wood on his fingertips, and the tight string he was pulling. the arrow hit just beside his last. she nodded encouragingly. “keep going.”

tommy could feel his heart start to thump in his chest from the excitement of his accurate aim. he took another calming breath and watched as the arrow lodged closer to the center.

“great aim,” she complimented and he grinned as he pulled another one back, trying to contain his shaking as he aimed. the arrow shot lower than his previous, but on the target nonetheless. “still a good shot. one more?”

“yeah,” tommy nodded, licking his dry lips as he retrieved another arrow from his quiver. heart still thumping with utter excitement and pride at y/n complimentary words, he quickly released the arrow and his smile dropped as the arrow lodged into the ground before the target.

“hey, that’s fine!” y/n assured as tommy groaned and dropped his head. “four in a row is an amazing improvement, tommy. you should take a break and reward yourself.”

tommy sighed, looking to the shameful arrow. “yeah. alright.” he dropped the bow to the ground along with his quiver. he looked to his slightly splintered fingers. “im gonna go.. wash up.”

“alright,” y/n smiled as tommy scampered away. she entered into the open kitchen, smiling at her guests. “you boys doing alright?”

they nodded. “when did you take up parenting, y/n?” george giggled. she rolled her eyes as she went to pour her and tommy their own glasses of lemonade. “no, seriously! you care for that kid a lot, it-it’s not a bad thing!”

she sighed, leaning against her counter as she sipped at her lemonade. “i know you two haven’t always agreed with him in the past, but i think tommy’s a good kid. i like his ethic, and i think he has a lot of potential. but that being said..” she shook her head. “he’s so young.” the boys nodded. “he’s been thrown into such a life of chaos and destruction, and im not saying he’s at all innocent, but.. i think it’s good for him to learn that there’s more to this world than just war and enemies. there’s...”

“neutral,” sapnap finished for her. she let out a laugh.

“yeah, neutral,” she agreed, tapping her fingers against her cold glass. “but, yeah, if teaching him peace and self care is motherly of me..” she shrugged. “then i guess im alright with being a parent.”

“that’s sweet,” sapnap nodded. “i hate it.” the three of them laughed, y/n laying a light slap on the man’s arm before tommy’s voice called out to her.

“y/n! can i have some help?”

“im coming!” she called back, setting down her glass of lemonade.

“go help your poor son,” george teased, resting his head in his hand as he gazed at y/n amusedly. she rolled her eyes.

“behave, you two,” she laughed before leaving the kitchen.

there was a moment of silence before george spoke, “i do think it’s quite sweet how y/n’s taken tommy in. i think it’s good for both of them.”

“you say that now,” sapnap sighed, leaning back in his chair. “but just wait until tommy’s back to feeling 100% and y/n’s going around saying “pog” all the time.”

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btswrckd · 4 years ago

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War of Hearts II

Mafia Boss!Taehyung x Fem!Reader

Summary: Being in an arranged marriage with Kim Taehyung does not mean you have to be civil. Or make his life easy.

Warnings: mentions of violence, mentions o weapons, mentions of blood, slight angst, next chapter will be smut

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Taehyung isn’t sure how you can sleep through the night after the little stunt you’d pulled, but he finds himself tossing and turning through most of it. When he does finally manage to fall asleep at the fun hour of 3 o’clock in the damn morning, he’s woken an hour later by the dipping of the bed from your side. “Going somewhere, princess?”

“I have to pee,” you snap, “or will you be holding my hand to the bathroom as well?”

“Is that an invitation?” He grins, tucking one arm behind his head. Huh. Maybe you aren’t as well rested as he thinks. Maybe you’d spent the night just as frustrated. At least he isn’t alone in that.

“Shut up, Tae.” You stomp across the room and slam the bathroom door behind you. You can hear him laughing from the other side and silently contemplate shoving him off the bed when you return. You hadn’t slept, body anticipating his touch every time he moved but it never came and then you’d deflate in disappointment. You don’t know what time he plans on starting his day and hope it’s soon because you need space. You need room to think back on last night and figure out where the hell your sudden boldness came from. Where had you gotten the idea to touch him from? You were pretty bitter about the incident in the living room, sure, but to play a dangerous game like that? 6 months ago, you wouldn’t even dream of it. Now you’re panicking in the privacy of your personal bathroom because what, you actually want to sleep with your husband? You’re fairly sure you won’t be the first woman having sex with her own husband, but still, it was Taehyung. Tae. The chubby cheeked little kid who’d been your partner in crime at boring dinner parties that both yours and his parents attended. What kind of audacity did he have becoming so fucking attractive? Who allowed this?

“Are you going to actually use the restroom?” Taehyung’s voice startles you as he leans against the doorway. “Or can I brush my teeth?”

You didn’t hear him open the door. You hadn’t even locked it like you usually do. You’d forgotten and that irritates you. It means you’re letting your guard down when you can’t afford to. Not today of all days. You look at him, see the hunger swirling in his eyes, and your stomach drops because it’s been a very long time since any man has looked at you like that. “What time is it?”

“4:30,” he responds with a sigh, rolling his neck to release the tension that built overnight. “Why are you up so early, princess?”

“Why are you?” you fire back quickly and see him grin. He’s always known that you have a habit of deflecting when you can’t answer a question or explain yourself. His eyes drift down to the purple bruises around your neck, a lasting result from his mouth yesterday, and he smirks. You step back when he pushes off the door jamb and stalks forward, lightly gripping your chin.

“I wasn’t able to sleep,” he answers your question, “because my wife likes to play games and leave me with the worst case of blue balls I’ve ever had.” He watches your breath hitch and his smirk grows wider. “Then she runs into the bathroom and forgets to lock the door after winning said game from last night. As if I won’t come in, bend her over the sink, and play my own little game.”

“Just brush your teeth, Taehyung!” you squeak, shoving at his chest and rushing out of the bathroom before your mouth has a chance to ignore your brain, and most likely ask what kind of game he’s talking about. You throw yourself on the bed and burrow beneath the blankets in hopes of disappearing.

Taehyung doesn’t actually brush his teeth. He didn’t really need to. It was the only excuse he had for checking up on you after 30 minutes of silence. He does, however, splash cold water on his face to cool the heat spreading through his body. Last night is still very fresh in his mind and just being near you sets him off. He makes his way back to bed, falling onto the mattress and praying he’ll get a few more hours of sleep.

You peek out from underneath the blankets when he sighs, burying his face into a pillow. His nose scrunches up in discomfort. You know that it’s because he can’t fall asleep, can’t stop thinking about last night, despite having to be up soon to do...whatever the hell he does. Truthfully, you won’t be falling asleep either, even though you really need to if you’re going to pull off what you have planned for the day. Scooting closer, you see his eyes drift open in silent question, but you dip beneath the weight of his arm and tuck your head to his chest. His breathing stops for a moment before his hold tightens and he shifts onto his side, nuzzling his face into your hair. It’s this way, snuggled up to Taehyung, that you finally fall asleep to the sound of his steady heartbeat.

The shrill ringing of the alarm clock has you jumping in Taehyung’s embrace. You swear you had just shut your eyes before the screeching woke you, but looking at the time, you see that it had actually been 4 hours later. Taehyung blindly reaches for the clock, pressing random buttons until it finally quiets down and wrapping his arm around your waist once more. The shuffling of feet outside the bedroom door alerts him to Jungkook’s presence and the hushed tones of someone asking how he’s still alive alerts him to Jimin’s company as well. Right. He’d forgotten that they’d be taking you on another book haul after he’d ruined the one from yesterday.

At first, he had shut down the idea entirely when Seokjin texted him after his shower. Seokjin insisted that you be out of the house by the afternoon and Taehyung insisted on tearing his head off if he kept on with that nonsense. But Seokjin had just gotten a call from Namjoon and Hoseok that they were on their way back, and that they’d contacted Cecil for a meeting. To which Taehyung responded by reiterating that you needed to stay in the house until it was dealt with. He doesn’t remember how Seokjin had convinced him to let you go, but he had, and now he’s supposed to wake you up to get ready when he doesn’t want to.

“Princess,” his voice is groggy and barely audible, but you stir nonetheless. “Jungkookie and Jimin are going to take you somewhere today.”

“Where?” you mumble into his chest, brushing the tip of your nose beneath his chin.

“It’s a surprise.”

“I don’t like surprises.” You shift against him, tossing one leg over his hip.

“This one you will.” He smiles against your hair and presses a kiss to the top of your head. “It’s not like you to deny going out.”

“When I have more energy to burn, I like going out.” You don’t know why, but you’re working your mouth against the skin of his neck, teeth playfully nipping at him. “Not when I’m running on 4 hours of sleep.”

“Even if it means getting to pick out a new book?” He teases, and you’re up in a flash, stumbling to the bathroom to get ready. Your love for books and knowledge rivals Namjoon’s and between the two of you, Taehyung isn’t sure how there’s not a daily debate on whatever topic either of you bring up. Yesterday, when you’d rifled through half the shelves at the store, you resembled a kid in a candy store.

“Boss.” Jimin knocks on the door as Taehyung gets out of bed to answer it. He grins at Taehyung when he sees the look on his face. “Morning, boss. How’d you sleep?”

“Don’t let her out of your sight,” Taehyung snaps at him in return, yet Jimin merely laughs. “I don’t care if she brings home the whole fucking store, as long as she makes it home, am I understood?”

“Yes, sir.” Jimin nods, side eyeing one upset looking Jeon Jungkook and gesturing to him. “If it makes you feel any better, Taehyung, you’re not the only one who thinks she should stay in.”

“Are you saying she should be out and about with everything that’s going on?”

“I’m saying that despite whatever progress you’ve made as a couple,” Jimin clarifies, “if she continues to feel suffocated, she’ll lose her mind. You’ve seen it happen.”

Taehyung opens his mouth to argue with him when you duck beneath his arm, fresh faced and dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt, a jacket hanging over your arm, and the backpack you’re sure to fill with books. You step up next to Jungkook, nudging his side with your elbow and not so subtly tilting your head Taehyung’s way.

Jungkook looks like he’d rather vomit than say whatever is lingering on his tongue, but you pin him with a look that says he’d better spit it out. “Yesterday,” he clears his throat and looks to his feet as he addresses Taehyung, “I was out of line, boss.”

Jimin reels back in shock, Taehyung following his lead. Jungkook is still young and while he makes for a great marksman and an even better fighter, his mindset can be hard to crack through. Though he’d never been defiant against Taehyung, he could still be stubborn in his ways and would sooner chew off his own arm than admit he was wrong. So, this is what you were up to last night. Taehyung had known you’d been texting Jungkook, he just didn’t know what about and had honestly forgotten all about it until now.

You give Jungkook another hard nudge and when he shakes his head, you stomp on the top of his foot. Both Jimin and Taehyung raise their brows at the way you dig your heel in until Jungkook finally caves and lifts his foot to get you off.

“Arlight!” Jungkook hisses in pain and resists the urge to kick off his shoe to see if you’d broken any bones. “I shouldn’t have overstepped and it won’t happen again.”

“Let’s go,” you announce with satisfaction and shoulder past Jungkook, who limps after your retreating figure.

Jimin waits until you’re both out of sight to throw his head back and roar with laughter, nearly toppling over as he wheezes. “Sh-She really made him apologize. She got the most stubborn person on the planet to say he’s sorry. Oh, my God, I really think she’s my new favorite person.”

“She most likely did it for his benefit more than mine.” Taehyung is still unable to fully process what just happened. “Losing Jungkookie as her bodyguard would devastate her.”

“Even so,” Jimin gasps as he tries to catch his breath, “she still got him to admit he was wrong. That was gold. I should have recorded it.”

“Yoongi probably already did.”

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

Namjoon and Hoseok arrive back at the house not long after you leave, refusing to believe Yoongi’s tale of Jungkook’s apology.

“No way.” Hoseok shakes his head. “Jungkook would rather shoot himself in the foot than admit he was wrong.”

“Hobi’s right,” Namjoon agrees with a nod. He’s sitting in the chair next to Yoongi’s in the security room while Taehyung and Seokjin prepare for Cecil’s visit. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“Then I suppose it’s a good thing I got it on camera.” Yoongi snickers, pulling up the feed from this morning and pressing play.

Namjoon and Hoseok simultaneously wince when you shove your foot into Jungkook’s and put a good amount of pressure on it for some time. They listen to Jungkook apologize without really using the words ‘I’m sorry’, but it seems to be good enough for you. It’s when he limps after you that Namjoon and Hoseok share an amused look before bursting into laughter.

“Jimin is so lucky he was there.” Hoseok wipes at an invisible tear as Seokjin steps into the room with a questioning look.

“Do you 3 mind getting your asses in gear and getting the hell out here?” Seokjin scolds them. “Cecil just pulled through the gate.”

Namjoon, Hoseok, and Yoongi right themselves before following Seokjin to the living room where Taehyung is already waiting. They move to stand behind him just as Cecil strolls in through the foyer. All but Taehyung sneer at him and the two men at his side.

Cecil is an old, sweaty, greasy excuse of a man that couldn’t be more than 5’5. He’s balding, though he attempts to cover it up with a toupee, his stomach hangs over the waistline of his pants, and he smiles with crooked and yellow teeth. Even his appearance could be looked past if he wasn’t such a piece of shit person. Before Mr. Kim had gotten involved, Cecil had dabbled in human trafficking, mostly targeting women and girls 13 and older. When Mr. Kim had begun building his empire, Cecil was desperate to work underneath him, but Mr. Kim had demolished the trafficking ring Cecil had run in response. Cecil had exploded and accused Mr. Kim of being a hypocrite when Mr. Kim himself had dealt in drugs and assassinations. Mr. Kim admitted to being an awful person, but neither he nor anyone wishing to work with him would ever deal in people. Needless to say, Cecil had never gained Mr. Kim’s trust and very few people chose to work with Cecil anymore. Everything about this poor excuse of a man is nauseating.

“Kim,” Cecil greets with a sneer of his own, “you’re very much like your father, aren’t you? Sticking your nose in my business where it doesn’t belong.”

“Your business with the Seong family is my business, Cecil.” Taehyung peers at the two men flanking either side of Cecil. “What do you want from them?”

“Who says I want anything?” Cecil taunts. “I saw a pretty face and wanted it for my collection. I wasn’t aware she was a Seong girl.”

“And my wife,” Taehyung informs through clenched teeth. “You were aware that this is my home, and that she lives here, so why the fuck are you really circling around here, you greasy son of a bitch?”

“I knew this was your home when my boys scoped it out.” Cecil nods, observing the living room carefully. “I just thought the Seong brothers put her under your protection. I had no idea she was your new whore.”

Fire flashes in Taehyung’s eyes, nostrils flaring, as he steps in Cecil’s direction. “My original plan was to find out what you wanted and be done with you. Now the only way you’ll be leaving here is in pieces.”

Namjoon and Hoseok advance on the two men Cecil has with them. The men fight, but they’re no match for Namjoon and Hoseok, going down quite easily. Seokjin and Yoongi draw their guns quickly, both cocking back the firing pin as Cecil panics.

“I’m not the one that’s after her!” Cecil admits, hands raised in surrender. “I don’t know who is!”

“Don’t fuck with me, Cecil.” Taehyung raises a hand to stop Seokjin and Yoongi from pulling the trigger.

“I’m not!” Cecil insists. “It’s like this, okay? I’m sitting in my office one day, giving over some books for a new product I want to move when I get a call from a number that’s untraceable. They tell me to look into the Seong family, that there’s only one living girl left, and they want to get their hands on her. They tell me I’m the only one who can get it done, and they wired $1 million into my account as payment, but by the time I got to the Seong brothers, the girl was gone. She’d been moved and I told them that the next time they called. They were the ones who told me where to find her, they were the ones who set up the plan to trick your cameras, I just had the perfect lackey, that’s all.”

“What else do they want from her?” Yoongi is the one to ask, hand shaking with rage at the thought of someone getting to you.

“They didn’t say. Just that they wanted her.”

“Boss.” Namjoon looks panicked, and Taehyung is about to ask why when the sound of the front door opening hits his ears.

“Fuck,” Taehyung hisses, swiftly barreling into the foyer. He relaxes when he finds that his father is the one coming through the door. “Dad, you should have called.”

“I did.” Mr. Kim pats his son’s shoulder. “Y/N said she was out and that you’d be busy at home.”

“Why did you call Y/N?”

“Because she’s my daughter-in-law,” Mr. Kim states as if that should have been enough of an explanation, “whom I happen to adore very much, so if you’re done lecturing me, then shall we proceed?”

Taehyung guides his father back to Cecil and his unconscious men, nodding his head at Namjoon when he’s met with a questioning raise of Namjoon��s eyebrow.

“Mr. Kim.” Hoseok beams at Taehyung’s father as he looms over one of two beaten men.

“Always a pleasure, Hoseok.” Mr. Kim returns his smile fondly before turning his attention to Cecil. “I’m not at all surprised that you’re behind this, Cecil. I am, however, surprised that you were stupid enough to believe you could get away with it.”

“My men are expecting me back soon,” Cecil informs the room and is less than enthused to find that Mr. Kim’s smile has not faltered. “If I’m not back, they have orders to swarm this place and swoop down on your girl, Kim.”

“Of course.” Mr. Kim nods at his declaration in the same way a mother would do to a child that’s spouting a lie. “I believe you, Cecil, I truly do. Unfortunately for you, there are no men left to wait for you.”

“What have you done?”

“It’s been brought to my attention that perhaps I’ve been too lenient with you and that I’ve killed men for far less than you’ve done. I plan on fixing that, starting with the complete eradication of your entire syndicate. Well, what’s left of it, anyways.”

“This is your son’s mess,” Cecil bellows, feeling his knees shake at the new information being given to him. If what Mr. Kim said rings true, then he won’t be able to rebuild. He’d already been hanging by a thread as is. “But here you are to clean it up for him while he runs around playing ‘boss’. Pathetic.”

“This isn’t a mess,” Mr. Kim corrects him with a dangerously straight face. “Nor is it something for my son to handle on his own when it affects the entire family. This is us coming to a solution for a problem that will soon cease to exist.”

Hoseok and Namjoon rush to Cecil with a wave of Mr. Kim’s hand, gripping him by the shoulders and dragging him back through the front door to Mr. Kim’s waiting car. They wrestle him into the back seat where two of Mr. Kim’s men sit patiently.

“You’re sure all of his men are dead?” Taehyung asks his father.

“Every single one,” he assures. “We’ll handle Cecil from here. It’ll get bloody and your mother’s used to seeing it on my hands. Y/N hasn’t had to clean you up after a job yet, I’d like to help you keep it that way.”

“Cleaning him up isn’t exactly what she’d do,” Hoseok jokes upon his return to the living room. “More like make him sleep on the couch.”

Taehyung rolls his eyes while his father and Hoseok share a laugh. He doesn’t argue against Hoseok’s joke because it’s true. Though it would be more from being pissed off that he’d get into a fight in the first place than it would out of concern for staining an expensive set of sheets. When his phone rings, he barely hears it over the ruckus that is his father and idiot friend, but he fishes it from his pocket when he finally does hear it. “Jungkook.”

“She’s gone,” Jungkook is panting from having run around the entire bookstore and then around the entire neighborhood.

“What the fuck do you mean gone?!” Taehyung’s voice booms so loud that Seokjin and Yoongi drop the two men they’d been working on disposing of. “Where?! How?!”

“She went to the restroom, but never came out.” Jungkook can feel his chest tightening with each passing minute. He needs to find you. Not just for the sake of his own life. For the desperate need to make sure you’re still alive yourself. “We took all the precautions. No one was in there when she went in. We kept watch, boss, I swear on my life. She just never came out.”

Yoongi doesn’t need to be told to hop onto his tablet and tap into your phone. His fingers are already racing across the screen when Taehyung turns to him. Mr. Kim is rushing out with his own phone to his ear, barking orders to search the entire city, shut it completely down if need be. Namjoon, Hoseok, and Seokjin feel helpless when all they can do is wait for Taehyung’s command. They could attempt to hack your phone, but that’s what Yoongi’s for, and if he can’t find you then they for damn sure won’t be able to.

Taehyung is running through every possibility in his head and finds nothing to clue him in as to where you could be. Yoongi’s frantic ‘I found her!’ has everyone gathering around him, Taehyung’s nostrils flaring at the location on the screen. He still has Jungkook on the phone, informing him that, “We know where she is, Jungkook, calm yourself now. Get Jimin and meet me back at the house as fast as you can. We’re going to pick her up.”

“You want us to ride with you?” Namjoon asks, the concern in his eyes quickly morphing into anger. If anything had happened to you…

“No,” Taehyung sighs as he hangs up the phone. “I want Yoongi and Hoseok to go talk to the Ahn brothers. They have eyes and ears everywhere. I’m sure they can give us some answers.”

“I’d rather go with you,” Hoseok chimes in. “Y/N has a tendency to listen more when I’m there.”

“Everyone has a tendency to listen more when you’re around, Hoseok,” Seokjin points out.

“Which is exactly why you’re going with Yoongi to the Ahn brothers.” Taehyung begins dialing his father’s number into his phone, hoping to stop him before his men turn over the entire city.

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

It’s the second month of your marriage when you finally get your phone and laptop back. You comb through both of them to make sure they still work the way they’re supposed to. Yoongi had promised that he didn’t delete or alter anything and you’d snorted in denial. Taehyung had taken them for a reason and if Yoongi was the one returning them, then they’d both definitely been tampered with. You were holed up in your room for hours, answering emails and text messages, scrolling through Instagram and Facebook to catch up on your friends’ lives, editing pictures that you’d promised Soyoung weeks ago, and called the HR department of your job to confirm if you even still had one. They had seemed confused by your questions and had let you ramble on like an idiot before informing you that the leave of absence paperwork you’d submitted had been approved, and they were looking forward to whenever you were ready to return. It was after the phone call that you realized Taehyung had been the one to submit LOA papers on your behalf. That sneaky little son of a---.

“Y/N?” The tapping of Jungkook’s fingers on your door startles you. “Dinner’s ready. You haven’t eaten all day. If anything’s gone wrong with your phone or laptop, Yoongi will fix it. So, please come out and eat something.”

Your heart melts at his tone, looking to the bedside alarm clock to find that it was nearing 9 o’clock in the evening. Resisting the urge to face palm, you scramble out of bed and race for the door, throwing it open. “I’m sorry, Jungkook, I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“Is everything okay?” He steps back to give you space to move, shutting the door behind you and following along to the dining room. “Is there a problem with your stuff?”

“No, no,” you sigh, shaking your head and running a hand through your already messy hair. “I just lost track of time catching up on some things. I didn’t realize how late it was.”

“Didn’t you get hungry at all?”

“Not when I get busy doing things,” you explain and laugh at the expression on his face, a memory coming to mind. “Namjoon gave me that same look the other day when I was reading a book I borrowed from him. I guess I hadn’t been out of my room all day and missed lunch and dinner, so he came looking for me. I told him that when I was a kid, my mom used to lose her head when she couldn’t find me. At the time, I didn’t fully understand how dangerous it was to wander off by myself. Anyways, her and my dad would tear the house apart looking for me. Turns out, I’d ended up being curled underneath my bed with a book in my hands. The second I learned how to read, I never stopped. It drove my parents nuts because I would become so engrossed in a book that I wouldn’t pay attention to the world around me. They complained that I needed real friends, not imaginary ones, and set up playdates with their friends’ kids. I didn’t have the heart to tell them that I actually had made friends, through the equal admiration and love for a specific book.”

“You must miss them,” he notes and winces at the sheer stupidity of it. Of course you miss them. “I’m sorry. That was a dumb thing to say.”

“No,” you smile at him. “I miss them very much. I was 14 when they died, so they didn’t get to see me grow into adulthood. Some days it’s a little harder than others.”

“I’m sure they would have been very proud.”

“Not if they knew what a huge nerd I stayed,” you joke and earn yourself one of his rare bunny smiles, teeth, dimples, and all. “They never met any of the friends I still have now. Soyoung, Yunhee, and Bora are the same girls who’ve stuck by me for so long. Soyoung was actually the girl I met who loved the same book she’d caught me reading like a loner during recess one day.” You laugh fondly as you recall the start of your friendships. “Or attempting to read, I should say. A few annoying boys from our class had taken the book from my hands and played a little game of keep away. Soyoung saw them, came over, knocked the biggest one to the ground, and challenged the rest of them to a fight. They ran away and Soyoung spent the rest of the time sitting with me to make sure they didn’t come back.”

Jungkook isn’t sure what he’s done to deserve the retelling of a happy memory, but he doesn’t stop you from talking, even when he finally steps into the dining room where Taehyung is already waiting. When he sees Taehyung, he attempts to interrupt your story, though he doesn’t as Taehyung shakes his head with a slight smile on his lips.

“That was the first time I knew what protection was,” you continue while staring off into space, not yet noticing Taehyung standing from the table. “Sure, my parents had their own version of it, but having their security guards around wasn’t the same as having someone around that actually listened to you.”

“Princess.” Taehyung almost laughs at how high you jump in place. “Are you ready to eat something?”

With your trip down memory lane on hold, you walk past him to sit at the table. You think maybe you shared a little too much with Jungkook. For two solid months, you’d managed to hold off giving up your friends’ names, even when Taehyung had offered to have them brought over to stave off your boredom. Nothing had ever sounded so tempting and had you said yes, it would have undoubtedly been an amazing day. Still, you can’t risk their lives for your own selfishness. You look down to the plate filled with carbonara, your favorite, and bite back a smile because you know it was Taehyung’s idea to have it served. You’re not willing to give him the satisfaction of seeing you smile when he had held your phone and laptop hostage for two months.

Taehyung sits beside you as Jungkook stands just a few feet away and Jimin comes in to stand at the other exit. He sees your eyes squint with suspicion and almost tells you that he’s expecting a guest. Instead he taps gently on the table to get your attention. “Is there a specific reason you didn’t eat anything today? Or so much as leave your room?”

You give him a sideways glance, jamming the fork left for you in the pasta. “You had my phone and laptop for the last two months, Taehyung, things piled up.”

“And catching up was more important than eating or seeing the sun?”

“I wasn’t hungry and I prefer the moon to the sun anyways, so yes, catching up was more important.” Only half of that is true and just barely. It’s not that you weren’t hungry at all, it’s that you didn’t notice you were hungry until Jungkook had come to fetch you.

Taehyung rests his elbows on the table, rubbing at his temples and hearing Jimin snicker in the corner of the room. “Princess---.”

Suddenly you lean in close, propping your chin in the palm of your hand and hoping neither Jimin nor Jungkook can hear the next words about to come out of your mouth. Your gaze drops to Taehyung’s lips and then flickers back to the intensity of his eyes, the corners of your mouth tilting up. “Will you fuck me, Tae?”

Taahyung chokes on his own spit as you sit back, satisfied at having rattled him. He’s 100% sure you’re not serious and it’s payback for what he pulled the day he took your computer and phone. Lifting a hand to his mouth, he clears his throat and peers at Jungkook, then Jimin, who hadn’t heard what you said but laughed at Taehyung’s expense all the same. When his eyes land back on you, they’re met with a cat-like grin on your lips, your teeth biting down on the steel fork as you shove pasta into your mouth.

“Cute,” he comments dryly. He’s not completely unamused but he won’t be cracking a smile soon either. You had called him ‘Tae’, a nickname reserved solely for you to use when you’d gifted it to him as children. As a kid, it melted his heart when you would call out his nickname and he would do anything you asked. Now, it brings on an entirely different reaction and he’s adjusting the way he sits, and he knows you know why he’s squirming in his seat.

“Something wrong, Taehyung?” You pretend to be worried, hearing Jimin take a step in the direction of the table in case something was wrong with Taehyung. “You look uncomfortable.”

“I know you’re fucking with me,” he rasps through grit teeth and Jimin freezes in place. “But on the off chance that you’re not, the answer is ‘yes’, princess, I will fuck you tonight. I’m so glad you asked.”

Jungkook lets out an awkward cough as a deep blush creeps up your neck. He looks over at Jimin, the older man nearly doubled over in glee with a hand covering his mouth. He thinks he should step in and give you an excuse to flee, but truthfully, you really should have known better.

“You get on my fucking nerves, Kim Taehyung,” you hiss and hear Jungkook hiccup at the bold way you speak to Taehyung. With a quick glance, you can see his eyes go wide and jaw drop before he looks at Taehyung in a panic.

“Relax, Jungkookie,” Taehyung chuckles darkly, completely abandoning his food in favor of reaching out to grip the back of your neck to pull you close. “I’ve killed for less, you know.”

“Then by all means,” you challenge, have no qualms about matching his glare, “kill me, Taehyung.”

“How charming,” someone quips from the dining room entrance and you snap your head up to look for the unfamiliar voice.

“Hoseok,” Taehyung leans back in his chair and lets you stew in panic for a minute. “You finished your assignment early. You’re not due back for another few weeks.”

“I got impatient.” Hoseok shrugs in response, eyes darting to you. “Ah, so you’re Y/N. I have to say, you’re much prettier than Taehyung gives you credit for.”

“Is that so?” You manage to relax at the familiarity between your husband and this new stranger.

“He really doesn’t do you justice,” Hoseok teases, watching Taehyung tense. “Relax, boss, I’m not going to steal your wife. Though if she happens to fall for my charm then it’s really not my fault.”

Taehyung hears you bite down on a laugh and rolls his tongue against his cheek in irritation. With your attention still on Hoseok, he takes the opportunity to invade your space by leaning in close.“Finish your food, princess, and then go to bed.”

“I’m not a kid, you know.” You turn to him, breath hitching at his proximity. Moments ago, you’d been too pissed to care how close he was, not to mention how mad he was himself. But his face had softened in the last few minutes, now looking at you as he always did.

“I’ll make you a deal,” Taehyung offers, hand coming up to twist your hair in his fingers. “You finish your dinner and I’ll give you anything you want. Sound fair?”

“I want to go back to work.”

Taehyung sighs and leans back in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Anything but that, Y/N.”

“That counts as anything, Taehyung,” you argue through clenched teeth. “You don’t get to change the rules because you don’t like what I’ve asked for.”

“It’s not safe for you to go back to work right now.”

“Then I’ll take Jungkook with me.” You’re not opposed to begging, not if it gets you back to work. “My cousins used to have men watch over me at my job all the time. As paranoid as Joongki is, he still let me go to work, that’s a testament to how uneventful that place is.”

“The answer is ‘no’.” Taehyung’s voice is firm as he sets his jaw. There are many things he’d be willing to bend on. You leaving the house is not one of them. “Don’t pout at me like a child or like I’ve kicked your puppy. You asked, I answered, and now you deal with that, am I clear?”

“Are you, really?” You push away from the table with so much force that the chair nearly falls backwards in the process. “Or are you going to change your mind when it suits you?”

Jungkook moves behind you quickly should Taehyung decide he’s had enough of your attitude and goes back on his promise to never harm you. He isn’t allowed to stop whatever Taehyung may do, but he is allowed to stop it from going too far.

“Sometimes I think you forget how hard I can push back.” You glare down at your husband. “And how painful that can get for whoever I feel like putting in their place.”

Hoseok lets out a whistle of appreciation after you storm out of the dining room with Jungkook hot on your heels. He looks at Taehyung, chuckles at his tired state, and sits at the table while Jimin decides to join them. “She’s a handful, Taehyung. Are you sure that’s what you want?”

“She’s not a handful,” Taehyung counters lamely because what Hoseok just saw definitely seemed like a handful. “Y/N’s lived like this her entire life and, unlike most of us, doesn’t embrace it.”

“Certainly sounds like she does.” Hoseok plucks the glass of water from where you previously sat and takes a sip. “Or does she only talk like that when she’s throwing a fit?”

“Believe me when I say if she plans on putting someone in their place,” Jimin finally speaks up, “she’s going to do it brutally. You’ll feel pretty stupid afterwards, too, so you should do what you can to avoid arguing with her, Hobi.”

Hoseok snorts. He won’t be intimidated by some girl who thinks she can handle the cruelties of this life just because she’s grown up around it. So has he, but he’s never been arrogant enough to throw out an attitude like that, especially not to a fucking boss of all people. Maybe if Taehyung wasn’t so whipped, he’d teach you what respect is.

“I’m serious, Hoseok.” Jimin is no longer smiling when Hoseok turns back to him. He recognizes the look in Hoseok’s eyes and doesn’t like it. If Taehyung, the one who actually gets a say in how you’re treated, says to never lay a hand on you no matter the circumstance, then all of the boys are to keep their damn hands off. His friend is far from abusive, Hoseok simply respects the chain of command with more passion than anybody. If something threatens that, then he’ll do what’s necessary to protect it. “If you can’t handle Y/N’s attitude, then you stay the hell away from her.”

Hoseok watches Jimin march out of the dining room, rolling his tongue against the inside of his cheek before facing Taehyung. “First Jungkookie looks ready to throw himself between you and her in the middle of a fight, and now Jimin thinks he can just go around threatening anybody. That girl’s power trip must be contagious.”

“We’ve been friends for a long time, Hoseok.” Taehyung curls his hand into a fist on the table and notices Hoseok’s eyes dart to the action. “But if you can’t respect Y/N, then I’ll toss you right back where I found you, rotting in the gutter.”

Hoseok looks down at the table and smiles, not at all bothered by Taehyung’s threat. “She reminds me of your mom. Y/N’s so much like her that I flashed back to the Christmas of our senior year in high school. Remember that?” He doesn’t wait for Taehyung to answer before he continues. “Your father had promised that year’s Christmas to be a work free one, but when she’d caught him on the phone, dealing with another shipment, she lost her mind. She screamed at him, hit him, threatened to disappear from his life if he didn’t get his shit together.”

Taehyung laughs at the memory. “Everyone had been home that Christmas. My grandparents, my aunts, and uncles. They all watched my big bad father get chewed out by a woman who could barely reach his shoulders. They likened it to a pitbull being afraid of a chihuahua. I think that’s why my mother loves Y/N so much, because she doesn’t take anyone’s shit.”

“So she has momma Kim’s seal of approval, huh?”

“The only girl who ever has.”

“You did bring some pretty mean trainwrecks through her house.” Hoseok teases him, though his smile drops as he becomes serious once again. “I know Jimin thinks I’ll hurt Y/N if I think she’s overstepped, but I won’t. If anything, I look forward to watching you cowering under the hateful gaze of your wife. It’ll be the most entertaining thing that’s happened in a long time.”

“All of the boys are excited to watch that happen.” Taehyung shakes his head.

“Are you going to let her go back to work?” Hoseok tilts his head in question. “It won’t be too bad if Jungkook’s with her. Maybe she’ll even let Jimin tag along.”

“I can’t take that chance right now. Joongki might have let her work, but there weren’t any threats against them at the time. Now someone’s after the Seong brothers and if they can use Y/N to do it, they will.”

“This is the Y/N you’ve been obsessed with since you were a kid, isn’t it?”

“I wasn’t obsessed,” Taehyung insists. “At least not in a creepy way.”

“She’s married to you,” Hoseok points out. “The girl you’ve been hopelessly pining after since you were a teenager is now your wife. Tell me that doesn’t sound like a creepy stalker.”

“Shut up, Hobi.”

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

Standing across from Taehyung in the break room of your workplace, you grip the strap of your backpack tight and clench your teeth. You should have known better. Honestly, you almost didn’t run off because you knew he’d come chasing you down eventually. Even more honestly, if you didn’t actually want him to know where you were then leaving your phone somewhere miles off would have been the best idea. You’re aware of the ‘discreet’ tracking app that Yoongi had installed on the phone, hiding it amongst the music files as if you hadn’t memorized each and every one.

Coworkers gather around to watch the spectacle Taehyung has created. Some have the decency to pretend they’re not being nosy while others whisper to each other about the handsome stranger you’re facing off with. Most women are trying their hardest to catch his eye, but his focus is solely on you. It drives the women nuts and you almost smile at the thought until Jimin and Jungkook flank Taehyung on either side.

You almost flinch at the look of betrayal on Jungkook’s face. He was in charge of you, of your whereabouts and needs, and you ran from him. You’d snuck off from right under his nose and sent him into a panic, leaving him with no other option than to dial Taehyung. His anxiety subsided when Taehyung calmly explained that he was sure of where’d you be, thus leading them to this moment. You want to explain, to tell him that deceiving him was one of the hardest decisions you’ve made in a long time. There’s relief in his eyes, obviously, but there’s also anger and pain. “Jungkookie, I---.”

“Y/N?” Your friend and ex-boyfriend, Seojun, questions as he enters the break room. He scans over Taehyung, Jungkook, and Jimin, sensing the anger rolling off of you in waves. He steps in your direction to make sure you’re alright. Being broken up doesn’t mean he can’t still care about you. When your eyes cut to him, he catches you wince before the deep bass of Taehyung’s voice recaptures your attention.

“Princess,” Taehyung grits out in irritation when your attention shifts elsewhere. A smirk lights up his features when your eyes dart between him and the man who’d just called your name, panic crossing your features. You don’t want him to know who this is and that’s something he can use to his advantage. “You could have easily avoided my being here if you hadn’t snuck away from Jungkook. You really hurt his feelings, sweetheart. Look at him, he’s heartbroken.”

“Shattered into a million pieces, boss,” Jungkook deadpans, earning himself a spiteful glare. Tilting his chin and raising a brow, he silently questions why you’re the one who’s angry when he’d been running around like a chicken with his head cut off for the past two hours.

“Something of his will be broken soon, but I can assure you it won’t be his heart,” you snap, making Taehyung grin his rare boxy smile that you’d possibly return on any other day. Now though, now you want to slap the smile off his annoyingly handsome face. You see Jimin take a cautious step away from Jungkook in hopes of protecting himself and admittedly, it almost makes you giggle. Jimin always knows how to make you laugh even on the darkest of days, yet as he stands at Taehyung’s side, you know who he’ll always remain loyal to.

Taehyung’s heavy sigh slices the tense air and he’s in front of you in a matter of seconds, tucking a stray hair behind your ear. He can see the internal struggle you have to not recoil at his touch or slap his hand away. Maintaining a public image is something drilled into someone as soon as they step into the mafia life, but he figured you’d be angry enough to not care in front of your coworkers, and expecting you to blow up at him. When you don’t, he suspects it has something to do with the women who haven’t stopped ogling him since he first walked in. “Interesting,” he voices aloud and you jump at the way his fingers slide along the length of your jaw before he tucks his thumb, tilting your chin upward.

Your breath catches in your throat as he steps closer, bridging the gap between you two. It takes everything in you to not bite the thumb currently skimming across your bottom lip. The last time you’d done that, Taehyung had taken it upon himself to return the favor by biting down on the pulse point of your neck. You don’t need a repeat of that incident in front of your coworkers. A sigh escapes you when he wraps his free arm around your waist and nuzzles his face in your hair.

“You don’t want me,” Taehyung whispers in your ear, playfully nipping at it, “but you don’t want them to have me either, do you, princess?”

You grit your teeth, dropping your forehead to his chest, and using your hair as a curtain to hide your mouth. “I don’t care if they want you, Kim Taehyung. You could take any of them home right now if you wanted to and I wouldn’t give a damn.”

“Don’t tempt me, Y/N,” he growls low and it’s then that you realize how angry he truly is. Taehyung doesn’t use your real name with the exception of introductions during a dinner party, charity event, and when you get too stubborn in your ways. “If you want me to take a girl home and fuck her brains out while you sit and stew in your own denial, then I will.”

You stiffen in his arms, the mere thought making you nauseous. You know damn well how eager any one of these girls would be to jump in bed with him. Suddenly, a certain presence looms over the room, something dark makes the place feel smaller than it already is. “Seojun,” you breathe with realization. It’s him, his stare nearly burning a hole into the side of your face as his jealousy blankets the room.

Taehyung grits his teeth, hand sliding up to tighten at the nape of your neck and knotting the hair there. His fingers twitch against your scalp as he’s about to move away to face whoever the hell Seojun is. His grip loosens and fear strikes the air before you’re looping your arms through his to lock together at his back. The embrace is seemingly romantic to everyone else, but he knows that it’s to keep him in place.

He sighs once more and skims his fingers down to massage the tension in your neck, lips brushing against your cheek as he pretends to ignore what you’ve just said. “Can I kiss you, princess? And then every girl in here will know who I belong to. Sound good to you, baby?”

You’re on the tips of your toes, gripping the back of his neck, and tugging him down into a kiss as soon as he finishes the question. The hand in your hair tugs on it gently, silently asking for you to open up to him, but you’re already pulling away before it goes too far. Public affection is never something you could bring yourself to like but Taehyung makes it a little more tolerable. Even so, this was still your place of work and it requires a level of professionalism that you’re one more kiss away from throwing out the window.

Taehyung grins against your mouth as your chest heaves and he straightens up to take the backpack hanging from your shoulder. He tosses the bag to Jimin, who immediately digs through it in search of your work vest. With Cecil’s men dead and Jungkook on a new level of awareness after your disappearing act, enough of the threats to the Seong family have been eliminated for you to work peacefully. You’re not entirely out of the woods just yet, there’s still the matter of finding who paid Cecil, but he’s already spoken with your boss about Jungkook hanging around and keeping an eye on you. He’ll send Jimin down to help after the house has been cleaned up.

Jimin produces your vest and tosses it to Taehyung after swiping the name badge clipped on the fabric. He hands Jungkook the backpack to rifle through the contents, catching a quick peek of your puzzle book. Such a nerd, he thinks as a fond smile spreads across his face.

“I could murder her,” Jungkook mumbles from beside Jimin. “Scaring the shit out of us like that. Almost getting us killed because Taehyung was so pissed.”

“You have to admit that her determination is admirable,” Jimin jokes, nudging Jungkook with his elbow. “Come on, Jungkookie, don’t stay upset with her for too long. You saw the look on her face when we came in. She didn’t like sneaking away from us, but did we give her any other choice? No. So stop pouting and hold down the fort until I get back.”

Jungkook snorts in response. He’s still pissed off at himself for letting you slip through his fingers like that. Jimin only chuckles under his breath and Jungkook is left rolling his eyes. He catches the sight of Seojun in the process, the man’s mouth parted with confusion and brows pinched together in anger. Jungkook looks Seojun over and notes the way his eyes never leave you and Taehyung. Elbowing Jimin to get his attention, he gestures to Seojun, and Jimin clocks the way Seojun’s fists curl at his sides.

Taehyung is too busy swinging the vest around your shoulders to pay any more attention to Seojun. Pulling the zipper up to secure your vest, he tugs you a step closer and fiddles with the pull tab while pressing his forehead to yours. “You can stay, sweetheart.”

“I can?” You break out into a smile before you can stop yourself, pulling back to see his face. If he’s pulling a cruel joke, you’ll kill him. You will 1,000% murder your husband on the spot. But no, he’s not teasing you. “Seriously?”

“Under the condition that Jungkookie stays with you,” Taehyung clarifies, setting his jaw. When you bite your bottom lip in attempt to stop your smile, he tests your giddiness by leaning in for another quick kiss that you happily return. “Jimin will be back in about an hour to help him keep watch. So don’t try to run away from either of them.”

“I promise!” You throw your arms around his shoulders and squeeze him close. To a normal couple, being told that one actually has permission to do their job would be cause for concern. So it was understandably confusing for your coworkers when you practically vibrated with excitement at being allowed to work, of all things.

Taehyung presses another kiss to your lips, holding it just a bit longer than the previous two and smiles as you laugh against him. He’s surprised to find that he can easily slip his tongue past your parted lips, and that you eagerly accept him. When he finally pulls away, you’re looking at him like he just gave you the world, and it dawns on him that this, this is all you asked for. The freedom to make your own choices and keep at least a little bit of your previous life didn’t seem like an option with your cousins and now he was doing the same thing they had. He’s keeping you from enjoying the little things like the job you didn’t necessarily have to keep anymore.

“Thank you, thank you! I’ll see you at home, bye!” You rush past your husband, quickly snatching the name badge Jimin was holding out, and dancing in place as you swipe it through the time clock. Jungkook is basically sprinting after you in an effort to keep up with your newfound energy.

Jimin steps up beside his friend as Taehyung tries to compose himself by shoving one hand in his pocket and clearing his throat. He rolls his eyes as Taehyung uses his thumb to swipe away the chapstick you’d left behind on his lips. “You look like a kid in a candy store, you weirdo.”

“She called it home.”

“Yeah, for now,” Jimin snorts and it’s Taehyung’s turn to roll his eyes. “I give it two days before you fuck up something else.”

“Thanks for the support, asshole.”

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

You don’t explore much of the house until about the 4th month into the marriage. You've seen most of the first floor and so far, Namjoon’s miniature library is your favorite place. The second floor consists of the guys’ rooms and you find it odd that Taehyung would have them sleep an entire floor away from you. They’re meant to protect you should anything go wrong, so why?

“Find what you’re looking for, Mrs. Kim?”

You jump and whirl around to face Hoseok, your heart nearly beating out of your chest. “Jesus, Hobi. You scared the hell out of me.”

“Sorry,” he laughs, though he doesn’t seem very apologetic at all. He’s drenched in sweat, hair is matted to his forehead, and he’s unraveling tape from his knuckles.

“You were boxing,” you point out with admiration. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”

“No, I was done anyways.” He waves his hand dismissively, but notes the way your lips part in curiosity. “Do you want to try?”

“I didn’t know Taehyung had a gym in the house.” You immediately change the subject. Yes, you want to box. Not exactly ‘try’ because you have enough training to defend yourself. This newfound knowledge of a home gym has you excited. The idea of being able to let out your frustrations on a punching bag is thrilling.

“Jungkook requested it before the house was built.”

“Kook did?” You reel back in surprise. If Jungkook was around before this house was built then… “How old is this place?”

“A few years, I believe.” Hoseok finishes unwrapping his hands and crumples up the used tape. “Taehyung had it built for you when he found out your cousin wanted to merge the families.”

“Right.” You clench your jaw. You often forget how long this plan was in the making before judgement day. Or your ‘wedding’, as some would call it. Still, that Taehyung would go through such effort to build a home just for you, almost brings a smile to your face. Shaking the thought from your head, you take the tape from Hoseok’s hands to keep your own occupied. The itch to pick at your cuticles is clawing its way to the surface and you need to stop it before it takes over. “It’s flattering, I know that, but it’s also a reminder of the life I didn’t intend on having.”

“A safe one?” Hoseok quirks one of his brows, watching you fiddle with the used tape and catching the tiny scabs on your cuticles.

“A different one,” you say as the ball of tape is tossed back and forth between your hands. “One where I didn’t feel like a prisoner.”

“What happened?” He quickly snatches one of your hands and the tape falls to the floor. There’s a hint of dried blood on the cuticles of your nails and the skin around the pads of your fingers look to be gnawed on. “How long have you been doing this?”

You try to pull your hand back but it’s useless when it comes to escaping Hoseok. You learned this after spending a month with him as your bodyguard instead of Jungkook, when Taehyung had insisted you build a friendship with Hoseok before the rest of the guys. You had asked why and it had become clear after Hoseok was the one to track you down in a matter of minutes during your first attempt to run away.

“Hobi,” you grunt, twisting your wrist out and away from his hold with ease, instead wrapping your own fingers around his wrist to shove him away and he stumbles back. You laugh at the shock on his face. “Sometimes when I get too nervous or antsy, I chew on my fingers. It’s not very ladylike, is it? I didn’t do it for awhile after my teen years, but recently---.”

“How did you do that?” He interrupts your explanation. “Get out of my grip like that?”

Of course, he knows how you did it. His question is more about who trained you to do it, who taught you to defend yourself, and who taught you to fight. It’s the first time he’s seeing anything like it from you and he’s sure that Taehyung and Jungkook, or any of the guys for that matter, have no clue you can do it either.

You shoot him a teasing smile and pick the tape up from the floor. “My grandfather always wanted to make sure I could do at least the bare minimum if I was attacked. So, he had some of his men teach me to fight alongside Joongki and Jeonghan. I’m sure I’m nowhere near any of your guys’ levels, but I like to think I could hold my own against you if need be.”

“You’re really something else, aren’t you?” Hoseok questions with awe. He doesn’t mean it in an offensive way and he’s glad you realize that as your shoulders tremble with more laughter. “Taehyung always said you were amazing, but I thought it was because he’s so in love with you. Not because you’re a genuinely amazing person.”

You pale at the words ‘in love’ because although you’ve always known about Taehyung’s affections, you’ve never known how deep they truly run. Up to this point, you thought his feelings were more infatuation and lust than anything else.

“Enjoying your little tour, princess?” Taehyung comes from around the corner, leaning against the wall.

“You’re back.” You resist the urge to go to him. The space he’d given you when you first moved in was welcomed, and then you’d gone and given him a reason to revoke that privilege by trying to run away. After spending time together now that he’d been sleeping in the same room, that you had come to learn was actually the master bedroom and he’d been gentleman enough to leave it to only you, you found that you would actually miss him when he was out. There are nights when you sidle up to him as soon as he steps in the door, and you know he’s aware of how dependent you’ve become on his presence because Jimin did you the not so kind favor of pointing it out.

“I’m home,” Taehyung confirms, the ends of his lips almost tugging up into a smile. The way you basically wait for him to come home every day tugs at his heart. He didn’t think it would only take a few months for you to warm up to him, slowly, but definitely surely. He’d calculated that it would take you at least a year to want to be around him. Maybe two, maybe even ten given how stubborn you are. “Finally found your way upstairs, huh?”

“I was bored.”

“I know.” He pushes off the wall and comes to take the tape from your hands. He finally looks at Hoseok and nods. “Did Hoseok teach you anything?”

“Apparently there’s no need,” Hoseok explains while crossing his arms. “Did you know that she can fight? Not that sissy slap fight that some people do. I mean, real fighting, Taehyung.”

“You’re exaggerating, Hobi.” You roll your eyes and try to snatch the tape back from Taehyung, but he’s quick to pull it out of your reach. “You make it sound like we just went a full round of sparring. I was just able to get out of your hold, that’s all.”

“That’s the most important part,” Hoseok says as you and Taehyung begin a playful game of keep away. He’s sure you don’t notice the grin on your own face when you jump for the piece of trash in Taehyung’s hand. “Even if you can’t actually fight, being able to get away and run as fast as you can is the deciding factor in whether you live or die.”

You’re not listening anymore. It’s not to be rude or simply because you’ve heard it already. It’s because you’re trying to pry the tape away from your husband and you don’t even know why. Perhaps because you had it first? It’s childish thinking, you know it, but it’s what makes this part so fun. You make one final lunge for the used tape and Taehyung grabs your wrist, not prepared for you to counter it so quickly. Clamping down on his wrist with your free hand, you pry it away from your own and duck. You twist around, never letting up on his wrist, and pin his arm gently behind his back. A triumphant grin breaks out on your lips, but it’s short lived.

Taehyung spins around on his heel and is able to quickly back you against the wall. His fingers are already curling around your forearm to press against the plaster. He feels the push of your other hand to his chest and he’s shoved away with more force than expected. His chest rises and falls rapidly, winded from the surprising amount of energy this small little tussle took from him. You don’t rush to him like he thinks you will, instead clutching something in your hand that you open to reveal the balled up tape.

“Whoa,” Hoseok whispers, having been present the entire time rather than giving the two of you privacy like the other guys usually do. He was simply too curious to see how this would pan out. He’s going to say something, not entirely sure what words to use, when he looks back at Taehyung to find an all too familiar look on his face.

Taehyung’s pupils are blown wide as he drinks you in. From the cat-like curve of your lips, to the useless tape balled up in your palm, and down to the heaving of your chest. He’s always been an adrenaline junkie, he knows that, but never had a scuffle turned him on. The fact that you’re his wife and not some bulky, sweat drenched man definitely contributes.

“Well,” Hoseok chimes in uncomfortably, “I’m going to go anywhere that’s not here. You guys have fun.”

You don’t even realize Hoseok is still there until he breezes past you to make himself scarce, watching him disappear from the hallway. When you look back at Taehyung, he’s already in front of you and running the back of his knuckles across your cheek. The affectionate touch makes you blush, heat spreading across your entire body as he leans in so close that his nose bumps yours.

“Will you welcome me home, princess?” he rasps against your lips and it snaps you out of your own thoughts.

“Your home, Tae,” you whisper back and bump his nose gently, “not mine.”

“You are my home, Y/N.” His lips brush yours with every whisper before he fully presses against your mouth. A tiny kiss that somehow leaves you wanting much, much more. But then he’s pulling away and kissing your cheek next. “I know you hate being here, and the idea makes you want to puke, but this is your home. Always.”

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Later, when you basically skip into the living room with a very tired looking Jungkook and Jimin, Taehyung is surprised when you plop next to him on the couch. You’re equally as exhausted as the guys, but it’s a good kind of tired, like you’ve accomplished something.

“What did you do to Jungkookie, princess?” Taehyung plays with the locks of your hair. He looks to his youngest member and almost laughs at the way Jungkook’s shoulders are slumped forward, his hair is matted with sweat, and like he’s on the verge of passing out.

Jimin is standing next to him looking pristine as ever, a smirk lifting the corner of his mouth at Jungkook’s state.

“I didn’t do anything to him.” You roll your eyes and laugh. “He was just having a hard time keeping up, that’s all.”

“Retail workers are animals!” Jungkook bellows, throwing his arms out in frustration. “And the customers who shop there are even worse! Who raised these people, savages?!”

“Kook, you’re in a gang!” You look at him like he’s grown two heads.

“Yeah well, nobody I’ve ever pointed a gun at has yelled at me for giving them the wrong color sweater, alright?” Jungkook runs his hand down his face before rubbing his tired eyes. “I need a nap.”

Taehyung chuckles as Jungkook stalks upstairs to his bedroom. His shift is over now that you’re home anyways, so the least Taehyung can do is let the poor kid sleep.

Jimin bids the two of you goodnight, making his way to the staircase and quickly following after Jungkook.

“I think Kook’s traumatized.” You turn your head to Taehyung just as he leans in and brushes his nose against yours.

“We should probably get him an emotional support animal,” he jokes, pressing a kiss to your cheek. “Did you have a good day, sweetheart?”

You tilt your chin up as his mouth travels lower, leaving open mouthed kisses down the column of your throat. Nodding in response to his question, you ask, “did you?”

“It’s boring in the house without someone to argue with,” his tongue snakes out lick at your skin before he’s pulling on it with his teeth.

“I’m sure Yoongi could have kept you entertained if you pushed his buttons enough.”

Taehyung knows that his being able to touch you within reason is basically a reward for granting you basic human rights. He didn’t like to think of it as keeping you a prisoner in your own home, but he knows there’s no other way to describe being locked inside almost 24 hours a day. He wanted to think you were finally understanding the rules and would stop fighting him. That wasn’t the case, he sees that now, because he practically falls to his knees every time you allow him to touch or kiss you. Little by little, you’re breaking his resolve with how defiant you can be, and then turning him to mush when he apologizes for making you feel a certain way. You’re practically training him like one would a new puppy.

“Tae,” your moan breaks his train of thought, and he pulls away to find that at some point he’d leaned you flat on your back. His hand had dipped into the waistband of your jeans and he was quick to pull back in case you were uncomfortable. You giggle and sit up to cup his jaw, giving him one more kiss before retreating to the bedroom.

“She’s happy,” Yoongi observes as he steps into the living room. “What did you do to deserve that?”

“Why doesn’t anybody in this house ever take my side?” Taehyung readjusts the way he sits on the couch. He beckons Yoongi closer and takes the tablet from his outstretched hand.

“Because it’s easier to take Y/N’s side.” Yoongi smirks. “It’s certainly more entertaining.”

“This Seojun guy,” Taehyung swipes through photos of your ex, most of which consisted of you by Seojun’s side or tucked underneath his arm. “Who is he?”

“A nobody, really.” Yoongi throws himself on the couch next to Taehyung. “Just some guy who was lucky enough to be hired fresh out of high school. He’s been with the company for 7 years now. He and Y/N dated for about a year before breaking up. Jimin asked around and found out that Seojun didn’t like how secretive Y/N was when it came to her family. So he broke up with her.”

“She didn’t look too happy when I showed up today.” Taehyung grips the tablet tighter when a picture pops up of you and Seojun from his instagram. You’re in a bed with Seojun’s arms wrapped tight around your waist and his face tucked in the crook of your neck.

“She never looks happy to see you,” Yoongi counters and earns himself a sneer.

“I’m saying she didn’t want me to know who this guy was, smartass.” Taehyung tosses the tablet back to Yoongi. He runs a hand through his hair and moves for the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water. “Did you get anywhere with the Ahn brothers?”

Yoongi pulls up more images on his tablet and hands it to Taehyung. “The Choi family isn’t happy with Joongki and Jeonghan. It seems your family wasn’t the only one hoping to merge with the Seong’s.”

Taehyung stiffens as he swipes through photo after photo of you with Joongki’s men, but there was someone else trailing you. They weren’t close enough for you to think anything of it, and maybe your cousins hadn’t pieced it together yet either, but Taehyung knows this man, and he clenches his jaw. “Meaning?”

“Mr. Choi had been trying for months to convince Joongki to hand off Y/N to his oldest son, Hyunwoo, and he almost did before your father stepped in and told him the truth about the Choi family.” Yoongi leans against the kitchen counter and drops his voice to a whisper as the opening of a door echoes down the hallway. “Joongki didn’t want to scare Y/N or his brother, so he didn’t tell them why he was so quick to go to your father. Neither of the Seong brothers are the actual target. Y/N is.”

“What about me?” you pipe up, stepping into the kitchen while running a towel through your damp hair. You grab the glass full of water and take a few sips, eyeing Yoongi and Taehyung suspiciously. “What are you two up to?”

“Taehyung was curious about your friend Seojun,” Yoongi is quick to throw his boss underneath the bus, crossing his arms and tsking at Taehyung. “Jealousy is not a good color on you.”

“Sometimes I think you really forget what I’m capable of, Min Yoongi.” Taehyung pushes Yoongi out of the kitchen with a hiss. “Don’t think I won’t get you back for this, you son of a bitch.”

You hoist yourself onto the counter, running your hand through the tangled mess of clean hair. It should probably piss you off that Taehyung had Yoongi dig up information on Seojun, but your ex isn’t exactly your favorite person. After he’d broken up with you, he had made it pretty clear that unless you fessed up about your family, he wouldn’t be coming back any time soon. Six months after that, he’d heard about your marriage but was yet to know who your husband was. Protecting him from Taehyung earlier was more out of instinct than anything else. Taehyung just doesn’t have to know that part.

“You don’t like Seojun.” You swing your legs back and forth gently as Taehyung makes his way back into the kitchen.

“I don’t like any man that’s touched you before me.” He takes the cup back and downs the rest of the water. “I imagine you wouldn’t like meeting the women I’ve been with either.”

“Your one night stands aren’t comparable to the relationships I’ve had.” You glare at him with the hope that the side of his face will catch on fire. “Your women were just placeholders in your bed. They were there to warm it, not to become a permanent fixture in your life.”

“And you were planning on being a permanent fixture in Seojun’s life?” Taehyung turns to meet your glare with a sneer of his own. “Were you going to marry that pathetic little nobody, share a mediocre life, and live in comfort rather than luxury?”

“Your definition of luxury is burying someone in the most expensive gifts and then leaving them to their own vices.” You jump off the counter with a huff, snatching the towel you’d set down. “Maybe the women you’ve slept with could live with that, but I can’t. Seojun may not have millions of dollars to throw at anyone he wants, but he makes due with what he does have. And unlike you, his father wouldn’t have to step in to get me to marry him.”

Taehyung braces his hands against the counter as you saunter off, his shoulders tense and chest heaving with anger. He hears the slamming of the bedroom door and he bangs his fist against the counter before he’s storming down the hall after you. When he reaches the door, he’s even more pissed to find that you’ve locked it, and he’s seconds away from tearing it off its hinges when a piercing whistle catches his attention.

Jimin is standing at the end of the hallway, leaning against the wall and swinging a key ring around his finger. “Man, I really should have bet a few hours before you fucked things up instead of betting two days. I can’t wait to see how your wife reacts to you lying about having only one key to the master bedroom.”

Taehyung snatches the key from Jimin and growls out, “if you don’t want to be the next person I murder, then I suggest you walk away, Park.”

Jimin only shakes his head with a laugh, raising his hands in surrender and doing as he’s been told. It wasn’t the first time Taehyung threatened him and it certainly won’t be the last. He makes it back to his room in one piece where he finds the rest of the guys waiting. He grins as he looks around and says, “I think Y/N is my new hero. Nobody’s been able to piss off Taehyung like that in a long time.”

“She’s ballsy, I’ll give her that.” Yoongi looks up from the laptop he’d been typing away on.

“She’d make one hell of a leader,” Seokjin chimes in and Yoongi chuckles low in his throat.

“You’re lucky if Taehyung doesn’t have you tossed in a river with weights tied around your ankles for starting that fight,” Namjoon scolds Yoongi and gestures them closer to see what he’d been working on. “The Choi family is gaining quite the reputation for all the shit Hyunwoo keeps pulling. We’re talking gambling debts, jail time for street brawls, even a few women accusing him of sexual assault. I mean, this guy is close to costing Mr. Choi his whole empire. Nobody wants to work with them, even their supply is suffering. They’ll be left with nothing soon.”

“Choi wants to use Seong’s climbing reputation to save his own ass.” Jimin skims his eyes down the screen of Hyunwoo’s rap sheet.

“It goes a little deeper than that,” Namjoon frowns as Yoongi pulls up a different tab. “Hyunwoo went to high school with Y/N, had the biggest crush on her, but she always rejected him. I talked to her friends and they said that Hyunwoo couldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Whenever Y/N snubbed him, he’d corner one of them and threaten their lives if they didn’t try to talk Y/N into dating him. He was obsessed with her, still is. So I’m guessing he promised Choi that he’d clean up his act if he got Y/N.”

“Choi must have pursued Joongki for a long time.” Jungkook stretches his arms above his head until his back finally pops. He rolls his shoulders next as if preparing himself for a fight. If they go to Taehyung right now then they’d certainly be gearing up for one.

“He was close, too.” Yoongi curls his hands into fists at the thought of where you’d be now if Mr. Kim hadn’t stepped in. “Joongki almost agreed to the marriage because he was under the impression that Choi still had a good following.”

“So what happened?”

“Mr. Kim happened,” Yoongi explains, letting out a slow breath. “Nobody’s loyal to Choi anymore. Some of his men branched off and told other bosses what the plan was for the Seong family. Luckily, one of them came to Mr. Kim and he was able to get to Joongki before anything became final.”

“Does Y/N know any of this?” Jungkook questions while looking back and forth between Yoongi and Namjoon. When both men shake their heads, he scoffs. “Don’t you think she should? She’d probably be more inclined to fucking listen to us if she knew what was really happening.”

“Or she’d run away and disappear off the map.” Seokjin offers an alternative. He knows you well enough by now and if you knew how much danger you were truly in, then there’s no doubt in his mind that you’d leave. “We can’t take that chance, Kook. She’s our family now and we take care of family. So we’ll deal with Choi soon and be done with it.”

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

“I’m not really sure what you think you’re doing,” you interrupt whatever Hyunwoo is doing at your locker and he whirls around to find you a few feet away, “but it’s not going to happen, Choi. Move on.”

He steps away from your locker, giving you space to open it and shove your books inside. He gives you a greasy smile and leans against the locker next to yours. “You always say ‘never’ Y/N, but I’m pretty sure I can change your mind if you let me.”

“The only way I’m going to give you a chance is if you let me push you off a cliff.” You slam the locker closed just as your friends approach. “What’s your deal, Hyunwoo? Why don’t you get it by now? I don’t want anything to do with you.”

“Most girls would kill to be by my side,” Hyunwoo slaps an open palm on the lockers, rattling them enough to make your friends jump, but you stand strong.

“Then you don’t really need me, do you?” You turn to walk away with your friends only to have him clap his hand on your shoulder, and you’re shoved against the lockers. You wince at the impact, the combination locks dig into your spine, and Bona runs off to find help.

“I don’t need your permission to have you, you know?” Hyunwoo hisses in your face, his forearm rests gently on your collar bone, not heavy enough to cut off your air supply, yet. “My father will give me anything I ask for and if that’s you, then you don’t get a choice anymore. I suggest you come willingly while I’m still asking nicely.”

“There’s not a fucking thing nice about you, Hyunwoo,” you sneer and stomp on his foot, digging your heel into the top of it. It’s enough for him to release his grip as he jumps back in pain, and you’re already cocking your arm back to land a solid punch across his jaw when Bona comes rushing back with Jeonghan in tow.

Jeonghan moves for Hyunwoo but you step in front of your cousin before he does anything to get himself in trouble. He stiffens as Hyunwoo straightens up and uses the back of his hand to wipe away the blood dripping from his mouth. Gripping your arm, he gets ready to pull you behind him if Hyunwoo gets any closer.

You shrug Jeonghan off and take a step toward Hyunwoo. “Your daddy may baby the shit out of you, but make no mistake, Hyunwoo, you’re a trash human being. If you keep this up, you’ll run your father’s reputation into the ground and then where will you be? Certainly daddy won’t keep you around if you’re useless.”

Hyunwoo is seething, and if steam could come out of his ears, you’re pretty sure it would. He lifts his hands to grab you once more, but a teacher’s voice stops him. His eyeline is blocked by Mr. Lee, a math teacher that won’t have a job tomorrow if Hyunwoo can help it.

Mr. Lee directs both you and Hyunwoo to the principal’s office, stopping every so often to ask why Jeonghan is following behind him. He gets a mere shrug in response and he sighs, letting your cousin do as he pleases. He sits you in a chair far away from Hyunwoo before entering the principal’s office and explaining the situation.

Jeonghan stays plastered to your side, concern written all over his face as you goad Hyunwoo from across the room. You certainly had grandmother’s temper and, not for the first time that day, Jeonghan wishes you were a little less fierce. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Hyunwoo sneer at you, bloody gums and all. You tilt your head mockingly in response, leaving Jeonghan to nearly facepalm. The only thing that stops him from slapping his own forehead is the rapid footsteps of Joongki, grandfather, and one of grandfather’s men.

Mr. Choi and his right hand man come barreling in next. They blink in surprise at Hyunwoo’s busted lip and your completely unruffled response to him. Mr. Choi is about to ask what exactly is going on when the principal steps out and calls everyone into his office.

“Mr. Choi, Mr. Seong, thank you for coming down.” Principal Chang settles in the chair behind his desk, swiping the glasses from his face to rub at his temples. “Seong Y/N, I wish I could say it’s a surprise to have you here, but it’s really not, is it?”

“Y/N,” your grandfather sighs tiredly in the cramped space, “what have you done now?”

“Nothing that wasn’t prompted,” you defend yourself wholeheartedly.

“You assaulted Hyunwoo, did you not?” Principal Chang looks at the bruise forming on Hyunwoo’s jawline. He wouldn’t voice out loud how impressed he was given that Hyunwoo is twice your size. Unfortunately, his actions speak for him as he nods his admiration for you.

“I didn’t assault Hyunwoo, I defended myself when he nearly choked me to death.”

At this, Joongki snaps his head up to look at the boy in the other chair, rage building underneath the surface. “He did what?”

Mr. Choi lays one hand on Hyunwoo’s shoulder and uses his other to grip his son’s chin. “Look at this. My son is the one bloodied and bruised, and you mean to tell me that you’re the victim in this?”

“Your son doesn’t understand the kindergarten concept of keeping his hands to himself.” You grip the sides of your chair and lean forward to taunt Hyunwoo. “I was simply reminding him of what happens when he doesn’t respect someone else’s boundaries.”

Your grandfather grips your shoulder and hauls you back into the seat. “Stop it.”

“Maybe if you weren’t such an uptight bitch, then I wouldn’t bother you.” Hyunwoo fires back and tries to get in your face as you did him.

Daeseong, your grandfather’s most trusted man, steps in front of you and effectively cuts off any access Hyunwoo might have had. He stares down at the kid with a quirked brow until Hyunwoo seemingly shrinks in his seat. “You’ll refrain from using such language when it comes to Ms. Seong.”

Mr. Choi sputters at the blatant way his son is being intimidated and looks to Principal Chang for some kind of interference. “This girl damages my son’s face and her bodyguard has the audacity to try and scare him. Yet you want me to believe she’s done nothing wrong?”

“Believe what you will, Mr. Choi,” your grandfather’s voice holds the kind of authority that grown men usually cower at, “but given how your son just spoke to my granddaughter, I think it’s quite clear who the antagonist here is. Admittedly, it’s my fault she’s so headstrong. You see, Mr. Choi, my family doesn’t believe in ‘when you’re dead, lie down’, so my granddaughter obviously found it necessary to correct your son’s behavior.”

“You’re aware of who I am, Seong,” Mr. Choi seethes, attempting to be just as vicious. “I suggest you get that delinquent under control before I have to.”

“You’re also aware of who I am, Choi, so I suggest you watch your tone and be careful of who you threaten. Whatever happened here today is just a glimpse of what my granddaughter can do, and unless you want to find out what more there is, then you’ll get your poor excuse for a son under control before I have to.”

Your grandfather is bluffing and it really takes every muscle in your body to keep from reacting. The strength behind your punch is literally all you have, though after today, you’re sure you’re about to get some new self defense lessons. You’d throw your head back and groan if it didn’t give away his obvious lie. Thankfully, Principal Chang’s dismissal of everyone from his office so he can ‘think on your punishment’ saves you from embarrassing your grandfather any further.

Mr. Choi stops you from getting too far by gripping your arm, quickly letting it go as Daeseong latches onto his wrist in return. “You must think you’re so precious, don’t you, little girl?”

“No.” You don’t flinch away from him and you can tell he hates it. “I just know what it means to be a decent person. You’ve taught your son that the world would fall to his feet if he so much as commands it, but he is neither king nor god, Mr. Choi. Hyunwoo doesn’t get to demand the world only to throw a fit when he ultimately breaks it, and then you come in to clean up his mess. The longer you let him believe he’s untouchable, the more likely he is to fall harder than anyone else.”

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

Taehyung watches you stomp around the room, pacing back and forth while tugging at your hair because he’d lied about there being one and only one goddamn key to the master bedroom. Tomorrow he plans to do away with the door completely if you so much as think about locking the fucking thing again. He’s sitting on the bed, dressed in sweats and a plain t-shirt, waiting for your tantrum to be over. “Are you done, princess?”

“No, I’m not fucking done!” you screech, picking up the nearest object and hurling it his way. Another frustrated scream bubbles from your throat as he easily catches the bottle of perfume headed towards his skull. “You asshole! You said there was one, one fucking key to this room, Taehyung, and you lied to me!”

“This isn’t about the key, Y/N, you and I both know that.”

“It’s certainly not about the array of women you’ve paraded through here!” You pick up a bottle of lotion, your favorite to be exact, and launch it at him. When he skillfully dodges it, you begin picking up anything and everything that isn’t nailed down and try your damndest to cause him some kind of damage.

“I’m not bitching about Seojun, am I?!” Taehyung counters and peers around for any more loose objects. “I’m not throwing the disaster of that relationship in your face!”

“It wasn’t a disaster!” Your chest is heaving from exertion and you’re sure that if your pulse raced any faster, you’d have a heart attack. “Seojun was the best thing that happened to me and my cousins ruined that! This life ruined it! And yes, Taehyung, if Joongki hadn’t pimped me out to you then I would have absolutely married Seojun. We’d get married, leave this godforsaken city, have some kids, and live happily ever after.”

Taehyung knows you’re trying to get under skin, knows you’re trying to work him up so you’d have an excuse for your cousins to pull you from his home. Truthfully, your words do hurt, they pierce his heart and piss him off at the same time. Joongki didn’t pimp you out to the Kim family, and he for damn sure wouldn’t have let you marry Seojun and take off. The idea of you having kids with your ex-boyfriend makes Taehyung’s blood boil. The mere idea of Seojun putting his hands anywhere on your person is enough to have your husband close to pulling out his phone and calling for a hit on the poor guy.

You can see the gears shifting in Taehyung’s head, the cold calculation of whatever he’s about to do, and you know that if you didn’t diffuse the situation soon, you’d cost Seojun his life. “Stop it, Taehyung. You don’t get to be an asshole about Seojun and then get mad at me for calling you out on it. You for damn sure don’t get to be pissed that I wanted some space after you were the one who lost your shit over nothing.”

“It wasn’t nothing,” he growls low in his chest and shuffles up the bed to get comfortable. “It was that you felt like you had to protect him in the first place. You really think I’m some kind of monster that would have him killed because he dated you? Far from it, princess. I’m glad you were happy, but he’s not part of your life anymore. You’re my wife, mine, so you’ll forgive me if I get a little testy when you brag about some other man giving you a better life than I can. Especially when you haven’t even given me the fucking chance.”

“Hauling me into this house and then locking me in is not a better life, Taehyung. It’s barely even a life at all. You can say it’s for my own safety, I’ve heard it a thousand times before, but I know that it’s more about your pride than anything else. That the great Kim Taehyung has what someone else wants and no one can get to it.”

“You think if this was about my pride that I’d keep you locked away? There is nothing more that I want than to show you off to the world, Y/N. To show whoever wants you that you’re protected and safe from them, not because they can’t have you. My pride stems from the fact that I have one of the strongest women by my side who isn’t afraid to put me in my place. Not everyone finds that in this life, so yes, I’m proud to have you and no, I will not apologize for whatever kind of blow your ego takes because you can’t stand to be wrong.”

You walk up to the bed, and for a second Taehyung heaves a sigh of relief that the fight is finally over, but you simply strip the mattress of its sheets and turn to leave the room.

He’s on his feet, striding across the room and boxing you in against the door before you can yank it open. “And just where the fuck do you think you’re going?”

Whirling around to face him, you hiss, “I’d sooner sleep under a bridge than in the same bed as you right now, Kim Taehyung.”

“That can be arranged if you want it, princess.” Taehyung is done. He’s jealous, he’s pissed, and he’s exhausted, so if you want to throw out empty threats then he’ll match you vicious word for vicious word.

“Then do it,” you challenge quickly. If he wants to toss you out because you fought him so hard then that’s all the opportunity you need to disappear.

His hand comes up to slap the door, landing dangerously close to your cheek, but you aren’t afraid of him or his outburst. He curls his lip up in a sneer before he bites down on his bottom lip and takes in a deep breath to compose himself. “We can fight, we can yell and scream at each other all you want, but at the end of the day this is the bed we’ll be sleeping in. You and I, because it’s ours and I’ll be damned if you curl up elsewhere, understand?”

You swallow the lump in your throat when he presses his forehead to yours because damn it, you’re supposed to be mad at him, not craving his stupid touch. You understand perfectly well, but he doesn’t need to know that, nor does he deserve a verbal response. Shouldering past him, you spin around and hold your hand out. “I want the key. Both of them.”

“There’s two for a reason, sweetheart.” Taehyung explains, turning to lean his back against the door and crossing his arms. “If you lock yourself in here and something happens, either me or one of the guys needs to be able to get in here. In fact, for that reason, I think I’ll be giving one of the keys to the boys and keeping the original copy for myself.”

Your fingers curl against your palm and you clench your teeth. “If I could, I’d drown you, Kim.”

“I know that you’re perfectly capable of it,” he smirks and crosses the room to the bed, “yet I’m not afraid to sleep in the bed as you.”

You try to crawl onto the bed next to him, but unlike most nights, he’s chosen to occupy your usual side of the bed. You huff and try to shove him over. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Sleeping.” He pretends to yawn and bury himself into the mattress.

“I sleep on this side, Taehyung, you know that.”

“Not tonight, princess.” He smirks and closes his eyes, knowing how much you hated sleeping with your back against the wall. The bed was pressed into a corner of the very large room simply because after he moved into the room, he’d keep you pinned between him and the wall so you couldn’t run off in the middle of the night. After a few weeks, you’d complained about feeling claustrophobic and he’d relented, granting you the open side of the bed.

“I won’t do this crap again, Taehyung,” you warn with your hands on your hips after giving up on trying to move him. “Move over.”

Taehyung doesn’t say anything, instead tucking his arms behind his head and crossing his legs at the ankles to make himself comfortable. The bed dips unexpectedly and his eyes shoot open to find you swinging one leg over his frame as you settle yourself in his lap. He wastes no time in gripping your hips to keep you from falling if you lose your balance. “What are you doing?”

“You didn’t move.” You shrug your shoulders, sitting your full weight on his crotch and bunching your hair up to pull into a bun. “The only way for me to get to that side is to climb over you.”

He isn’t paying attention anymore, his hands grip you with a bruising force as your chest juts out with the way you pull your hair up. Your hips circle ever so slightly and he hisses through clenched teeth. This is payback, he realizes, and doesn’t have time to react before you’re rolling off and throwing the blankets over your body.

You hear him grumble something under his breath, but can’t tell what exactly it is. He’s angry, but it doesn’t stop him from turning on his side and snaking his arms around your waist. You nearly lose your breath when he harshly tugs your back to his chest so you push back against him in retaliation.

“You’re being a child,” he growls into your ear, “and if you plan on pushing against me all night, then you should also plan on not sleeping.”

You turn in his hold, coming face to face and bumping your nose against his. “You’re the one being a child, Taehyung. Not that you need to know, or even deserve it, but Seojun isn’t someone to be concerned about. I may not like that we’re married, but I’m not going to go out and violate the sanctity of our marriage either.”

You duck your head and nuzzle it beneath his chin before he can see the blush forming on your cheeks as you whisper, “I’m yours, Tae, no one else’s.”

He freezes and knows that if you hadn’t been embarrassed about admitting as much, then he would kiss you until you both struggled for breath. Your lashes flutter against his neck and he pulls you closer, burying his face in your hair and placing a kiss to your head.

#kim taehyhyung fic #kim taehyung smut #war of hearts fic #bts mafia au #bts smut #bts mafia smut

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