#caught me startin to scroll

[cinna-stars]

Worth Waiting For

Uhh, okay, this is my first ever fanfic! I might continue it based on the reception, but it was a few thoughts I had in my head that I wanted down on paper. 

18+! Some sexual themes and content throughout, however for those experienced smut readers, this is some mild sauce, not very much spice.

I have to credit @cyancherub for making me think about Kiri smelling like cinnamon, the thought hasn’t left my brain.

Kirishima x Fem!reader 

A cool breeze whispers through the slightly ajar window of your dorm room. The sun set a little while ago; studying always seems to eat up most of your free time, so this wasn’t exactly a surprise. You lean back in your desk chair, arms up, and stretch your muscles into a big yawn. The sudden contracting muscles have your stomach gurgling. It’s definitely time to take a break, so you close your textbook and stand up from your desk. I wonder if there’s any of those expensive sounding potato chips that Momo bought back from her trip abroad left over? The thought makes you salivate as you begin towards your door. You glance to the mirror in the corner and look at your own reflection: hair pulled into a loose, messy bun, torso swallowed up by an old band shirt Denki gave you (after a conversation initiated by Mineta on what you liked to wear to bed) and bare legs sticking out from the hem. Shouldn’t be a problem, as long as Iida isn’t feeling like a stick in the mud this evening. You open your door and begin creeping your way to the kitchen, hoping to keep noise levels to a minimum as to not disturb anyone who might be sleeping already.

Your ears perk up when you hear conversation coming from the communal area.

��On a scale from 1-10, with ten being the most boring, you have exceeded my expectations and we’ve hit an 11.”

“Shut up dude, it’s an absolute cinematic masterpiece. This is why you don’t have the remote- we’d be watching Care Bears or some shit.”

You approach the seating area to see Bakugou, Kirishima, Sero and Denki. The latter two arguing over what to watch. Bakugou looks like he’s about to blow a fuse, so Kirishima chimes in,

“Hahah, okay guys, why don’t we just watch a horror movie, like Scream or something? It’s an easy watch.”

“Sounds like a good idea as long as Kaminari doesn’t shit himself.” Sero tries to start again, but this is perfect timing for you to interject.

“Sero, I’m sorry, last time I checked, you’re the one who had to ‘leave suddenly’ when we watched Halloween.” A smirk appears on your face from ear to ear as all four boys turn their head your direction. You notice an empty spot next to Kiri and take the opportunity to sit, careful not to flash anyone.

“Hey Y/N don’t be startin’ on me. I have plenty of stories about you that we could share you know? What about the Jaegerbomb incident?” Sero matched your grin, and you feign shock by slapping your hand to your heart.

“You’re breaking my heart, Hanta. Are you the only ones up?”

“Yeah Iida sort of ‘encouraged’ everyone to go to bed early because of the test tomorrow, but” Denki motions in Bakugou’s direction “the angry Pomeranian barked and he gave up with us.” Bakugou snaps his head up from his phone to stare Denki down, but realizing he’s just proving his point, sighs and goes back to scrolling on his phone.

“You okay Baku-babe?” he grunts and flips you off, but you could see the corner of his lip turn up in a weak smile at the affectionate nickname. You knew he meant well, especially after the time you had spent together over the last summer with the guys; he just had a defensive temperament.

“You wanna join us, y/n?” Kiri propositions with a wide grin. His hair was still styled into sharp points from classes today, contrasting with his relaxed clothing choice of a t-shirt, shorts and crocs. He’d also made the addition of a white bandana around his forehead. As usual, he was looking incredible.

After the time spent together as a group over the break, it was great to get to know everyone better. As Sero’s oldest friend, it was always easier to stick by him, which had ended up in your favour by meeting these clowns. You’d slowly got closer to the other three boys too, but there was something about Kirishima you couldn’t shake.

The way you felt when you were left together alone in the same room at a party, or when the other guys ended up flaking so you spent the night together at his place, there was always a feeling of excitement, in more ways than one.

You’ve never been very good at flirting and you just seem to come across as an anxious mess, but Kiri was pretty much just as bad. Meaning neither of you ever made a move. Just awkward giggles and eye contact that lasted just a little bit too long for friends.

“I actually came to steal some of Momo’s fancy chips but yeah, let me get a snack and I’ll be ready. You guys want anything?” You get up off the couch and start your way to the kitchen.

“BEER. BEER. BEER.” Denki chants, making you giggle.

“Oh I’ll come and help you carry them!” Kiri jumps up to follow behind you. You can hear Sero make a ‘wha-PISH’ whipping sound which makes Denki burst out with laughter. In their defense, it was painfully obvious you were both pining for each other.

The kitchen isn’t far but it is out of earshot of the sitting area. You open the cupboard in the corner to find Momo’s chip bag, left sat there completely empty. “Oh come ON” you sigh, picking up the bag and placing it in the trash.

“No chips left? Don’t worry I got you covered.” Kiri stretches to the gap between the top of the cupboard and the ceiling, feeling about with his hand. Your eyes fixate on the skin that is now showing just above the waistband of his shorts. You slowly move your view up the side of his torso, his shirt draping over his body in all the right places, and then to his face, one eye closed and tongue sticking out in concentration. He totally caught you checking him out and now you’re both stood there blushing like idiots. He finally located the bag he was looking for and brings his hands back down, showing off the slightly dusty bag of unopened chips.

“These are your favourites, right?” You stand in bewilderment looking at the bag and nod. “There are many bonuses to being one of the tallest in this dorm” he grins. He even remembered your favourite chips? You can’t help but smile back.

“Thank you so much. Oh let me get the beers!” you walk over to the fridge and open it up, bending over to search for the well hidden cans. You know your ass is on show, and you’re doing everything you can to make it the best view. Arching your back slightly, barely moving your hips from side to side, putting on a full show without being too obvious. “Ah I found them!” You gather them into your arms, the cold metal against your skin sending shivers up your spine and making your nipples protrude from the thin material of your shirt. You stand back up and close the fridge, turning around to a very red in the face Kirishima. You send a sweet smile his way.

“Do you mind taking a couple they’re coldddd” you whine. He composes himself and grabs the first can he can see looking ready to fall. He then proceeds to take another, slowly exposing more of your chest and your hardened nipples. You notice his eyes dart to them and then back on the beers. Are you two really going to carry on like this? Acting like the sexual tension couldn’t be cut with a knife? His wandering eyes now have you blushing and you’re quick to fill the hanging silence. “Should we really be drinking when we have a test tomorrow? I’m no NARC but you know what Denki can get like. He’ll wake up the whole house.”

“It’ll be fine. The only ones that know where the rest of the stash is are you and me. As long as you can keep a secret, we’re Gucci” he winks.

“Did you… really just use the term ‘Gucci’? like completely unironically?” You laugh, nudging his side.

“Shut upppp y/n. Come on let’s get back to them before Bakugo kills Dumb and Dumber.”

 “Hoes and bros we come bearing beverages!” You walk in and pass out the three beers you held to the boys, Kiri slowly following with the chips and the last two drinks.

“Wait, who are the hoes?..... oh.” Kaminari has a moment of self-realization and stares at the beer in his hand.

“Denki don’t listen to her, she is the last one to be calling anyone a hoe” Sero hits you with another of what will be many insults of the night.

“Uhhhh says the guys who has a body count tally on his wall. If you ever get with Mina you’re going to need to take a trip to Home Depot to paint over those you know?” You counter.

“Can we watch the damn film already?! Could’ve watched half the fucking thing by now.” Bakugou finally lets off some of the pent up steam. Both you and Denki lift your arms up to your forehead in a salute. “Yes sir!”

Grabbing a blanket, you and Kiri get back into your original seats next to each other on the sofa furthest away from the TV. Sero is on the chair to Kiri’s right, sprawled over it in the most boyish way possible, legs stretched wide and arms hanging over the back. Denki and Bakugo share the sofa to your left, Bakugou reserved to the spot at the very end, finally turning his phone off, while Denki almost mimics Sero’s positioning, but one hand is wrapped around his beer chugging it a bit too fast. Sero presses play as you sit back into the sofa. Kiri’s arm is already draped over the back of the headrest, and it’s only a matter of time until his arm drapes around your shoulder and you lean into him.

You’re about ten minutes into the movie when he starts to move his fingers in little circles on your upper arm. If anyone saw you right now, they’d assume you two were together. The months you’ve both spent flirting and teasing, the light touches and the lingering cuddles. This is becoming unbearable for you, its overwhelming. How haven’t you kissed yet? You weren’t really a ‘hoe’ as Sero said, but you certainly weren’t inexperienced and have never had this trouble before, so what was stopping you now? If things continued like this, you were going to explode.

You look up at Kiri, admiring the contours of his face against the light of the TV. The way his eyebrows slightly furrow, and the way he’s chewing his bottom lip between his teeth in concentration. You inhale the mild aroma of cinnamon, which is a scent that follows him around everywhere. You’re certain he’s aware you are staring, by the light blush reforming on his cheeks, but he allows you to for just a little longer. Right up until Denki yelps aloud from a minor jump scare in the film, causing you to jolt yourself and grab onto Kiri’s shirt.

“Don’t tell me you’re scared?” he asks, voice low and husky. “Don’t worry, I got you.” He lifts his free arm and tucks a loose strand of hair behind your ear.

“I-I wasn’t scared. Denki made me jump” you pout.

“Aww, even worse haha” he chuckles, the vibrations flow through your body, straight to your core, making you instantly wet. If he ever really knew the affect he had, you might just die from embarrassment. You release his shirt and return your head to his shoulder; however, his hand has maneuvered itself away from your upper arm and is now placed on your hip. The large amount of warmth is slowly followed by a very light squeeze of reassurance, and you’ve never been more aware that you aren’t wearing any shorts.

His breathing has now quickened, and his hand feels like it might even be shaking a little bit. He was so nervous, which makes him even more endearing. A wave of adrenaline rushed through you as you lift your hand to rest atop of his, to give him the assurance that it is absolutely okay to have his hand there.

About three quarters of the way into the film, all drinks have been consumed, chips have been eaten, Sero pauses and gets up for a pee break. “Couldn’t your bladder have waited? There isn’t that much longer left Se-bro” Kiri teases

“Ei, I don’t think I know anyone who could wait as long as you have” he leans down and darts his eyes between the two of you. You glare with intent to BURN. You thought too long for a comeback and unfortunately, he’s already happily waltzing off to the bathroom.

Kiri turns to you with a smile and lowers his voice. “Did nobody tell tape face that anything worth having is worth waiting for?” and you swear in that moment an entire flutter of butterflies were trying to escape you. That’s the most direct he’s ever been and it’s not something easy to ignore.

“I know you both have hidden the beer and I take personal offense.” Denki bellows. “I bet it’s on top of the cupboard where Kiri keeps all the good stuff” and he gets up and skips off to the kitchen, fully convinced he’s going to find what he’s looking for.

“I’m going to bed. Gotta be up early and you extras are pissing me off.” Bakugou gets up and stretches. “Love you, Bakubro! Mwah!” both you and Kiri heckle him with air kisses and you are met with yet another middle finger as he strolls off to his dorm room, that small smirk still present.

There’s that feeling coming back again. The way you feel whenever you’re alone with Kirishima. But this is the most compromised you’ve been: you’re basically half naked, he’s got his hand on your hip and he just dropped an absolute bomb of a line thanks to Sero. You can’t help yourself and before you truly think it through,

“Ei, I think I’m done waiting.” You lift your head off his shoulder, faces only a few inches apart. You can feel both your heart rates quicken in sync and your bodies getting hotter. He raises his hand and takes your chin in his hand, urging your lips forward onto his. The anticipated contact sends electricity through your body and the kiss deepens quickly, his tongue licks your lower lip asking for entrance and you accept immediately, releasing a soft moan from the motion.

You twist your body round so that you’re straddling his thigh, his wandering hand had slipped under the fabric of your shirt in the same place, playing with the fabric of your underwear. Your hands find their way to the back of his head, pushing him further into your mouth. You both are getting sloppy as lust takes over and you find your hips involuntarily grinding on his thigh. He breaks away from the kiss, pulling at your lower lip and working his way down your jaw to your neck, nipping and sucking lightly, causing louder moans to escape you.

“So- fucking long- I’ve waited- to touch you like this” he groans out between kisses and bites, sure to leave a mark. “Sound so pretty”

“Ah- me too, I- fuck” the stimulation from his voice and touch is almost overwhelming, but clarity sets in quicker than you’d like it too. “Sero will- ah- be back any second” and you release your grip on his hair. He’s really trying to pout at you, but he can’t help let his goofy smile beam through. You stare at each other for a few seconds, both absolutely beaming with happiness. He lets out an almighty sigh,

“Uggggh, you’re right. Hey, what are you doing after this?” he asks as you settle back down next to him, making you chuckle.

“Well I was planning on going back to my dorm and sleeping. Unless you have a better offer?” you beam.

“Well…” his grin gets wider, “you know there’s a sequel to Scream, yknow? Think you might wanna… what’s it called..”

“Scream 2.”

“I can make you scream, too. Sure”  and you erupt into laughter together, from his disgustingly awful pun.

Sero approaches from the corridor “Well you two sure can clear a room.”

“I’d blame it on Kiri’s terrible puns, but Bakubabe went to bed and Electabuzz is currently trying to find the rest of the beer but- oh there you are” Denki walks in, with a pout on his face, and flops back on the couch in disappointment.

“Denks, how about we throw a little party tomorrow after the test. We’ll let you in on where the secret stash is, too.” You offer, his expression immediately switching to that of delight.

Even though there was only a half hour left of the movie, it felt like hours until the end credits started rolling. Denki had managed to fall asleep and was snoring at full velocity, and the only person left paying full attention was Sero, as you couldn’t stop your brain from wandering from anticipation.

He shut the TV off and you tasked yourself with waking up Denki while Kiri cleaned up the empty beer bottles.

“Kami, come on sweetie, you need to go to bed.” You nudge him slightly causing him to stir. Sero walks over, and gives him a hard slap on the ass

‘WAKE UP ASSHOLE! Iida will kill you if you sleep on the couch”

“…I- sleep- your mom-..” he sits up and rubs his eyes

“Don’t be so rough Sero, he’s so sleepy look at hiiiimm” You say, admiring how cute he looked in such tired state. Kaminari finally gets up and all four of you head to the lift… shit.

You are Denki are on the 3rd floor, Kiri is on the 4th and Sero is on the 5th… how are you going to get to Kiri’s room without being suspicious?

A/N: Thank you if you read this in full! Please let me know what you think and if you’d be wanting to read the next part (which would include a lot more spice!)

[smediumsmeatbae]

Done With Nice Guys

PAIRING: Frank Adler x Reader  WORDS: 1964 SUMMARY: You're just trying to get some respite from a terrible day when a dude wont leave you alone.  WARNINGS: angst, mentions of injury, swearing, drinking, fluff at the end A/N: This is another submission for the #shamelesshoesforchris challenge by @navybrat817 and @stargazingfangirl18. I seriously cannot stop writing these. 😀 I used the prompts: White knight moment with the quote “We’re not done yet” I want to shout out @what-is-your-plan-today for being so kind and letting me play with her characters a bit at the end of this piece. She wrote an amazing series called Riding High that features Frank Adler and is currently continuing that series with Riding On. You guys might get to see the below story through Frank’s eyes later on… 👀👀👀 Please do not repost this anywhere else without my permission  Likes are amazing. Comments and reblogs are better.  Tags will be in the reblog. Enjoy!

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Ferg’s. The local watering hole of St. Petersburg. It lent itself to a certain type of atmosphere on a Friday night. A relaxing spot; it was a place where people could grab a beer, watch the game, play some pool, maybe throw some darts as well. It wasn't pretentious and flashy, as most new bars were. It was cool in it's own way when it didn't try to be anything else other than a dive bar by the beach. And while you didn't spend a lot of time in the establishment, much more preferring the comforts of home, you did tend to end up there when you'd had a particularly bad day. This was one such kind of day. 

You sat at the bar near the far end where it was less crowded as you took a sip from your drink and surveyed the people surrounding you. You wanted to be alone that night, just process the day, and decompress. Maybe figure out if giving two weeks at your hell hole job was worth it. Rolling your neck to get out the cricks, you shuffled for your phone in your bag. You shot off a couple of texts to sympathetic work friends and started scrolling the internet. There were a couple of news articles that had caught your attention at lunch and now you actually had time to read them thoroughly. 

You hadn't noticed the banging of chairs, and the barks of laughs that were coming from the other side of the bar just a little too loudly. It was all white noise as you read through the news articles. You perked up your head for a second and looked around to a group of guys seeming to shuffle out to the patio. They looked to be in their early 20’s and probably from the community college down the way. Well at least they appeared to be leaving. You settled back towards your article, almost finished reading it. You didn’t see that not all the guys had gone out towards the patio and that he had noticed you.

“Hey. Hey, baby. Lemme get you a drink.” You heard a slightly slurred speech seeming to be coming your direction. "Hey, sweetheart!"

Internally groaning, you hoped that the advance wasn’t actually aimed at you. Your anxiety was already beginning to spike. You tried to look away from the noise, hoping to avoid them, but the only thing next to you was the wall. You made it your mission to make it the most interesting wall you had ever stared at. No such luck though, as a broad hand plopped on your shoulder and you felt him sit down at the bar stool next to you.  

“What’re you doing sittin’ all by yourself?” 

You could smell the cheap beer and cigarettes practically rolling off of him as he leaned towards you and you were able to get a good look at him. He would have been a reasonably attractive guy, had he not been on his way to being trashed. He had a muscular build and a strong jawline. Dirty blonde hair sat atop his head which was messy, but you weren't sure if that was because of hair gel or because of the alcohol. He had chocolate brown eyes that had a bloodshot hue to them. His face looked like it hadn't been shaved that day and had a slight fuzziness to it. You looked down at his hand that was still sitting on top of your shoulder and you were getting increasingly uncomfortable by the second. He stroked your shoulder lazily with the pad of his thumb, getting himself too comfortable around you. 

“I just like sitting by myself." You answered as calmly as possible. "Thank you for the offer, but I had a long day and just…” “Sweetheart, I just wanna get you a drink, get to know you. Don’t be like that.” “I don’t even…"  “Dave!” He called over to the bartender. “Get me another beer and whatever the pretty lady was having.” “No, don’t get mine.” You called out, a small, irritating tinge beginning to form in your words; tightness beginning to form in your chest. “Hey” The guy scoffed. “Just chill out, it’s one drink. You’d look so much cuter if you took the stick out.” “Excuse me?” You looked at him incredulously. “You interrupted me, you drunk ass.”  “Why are you being such a bitch?” Anger now lacing his words. He turned around to look at Dave and asked him to add that drink after all. 

Well, this guy was really checking off all the boxes on the Nice Guy™ checklist. You were starting to get scared and discreetly grabbed your bag. You hated confrontation; loathed it, in fact. The introvert that you were made you that way and you hoped that you could get yourself out of the situation as quickly as possible while he wasn’t looking. Bag in hand, you went to go past his chair so you could get to the outside, to your car, to freedom, but he snatched your upper arm before you could make it past him. For someone so drunk, he sure had quick reflexes still. You yelped out and winced, gritting your teeth from the sting. 

“We’re not done yet.” His eyes were blazing fire and black, looking at you now with a sneer on his face. 

You swallowed down hard, trying to get rid of the dryness in your mouth, and struggled to pull your arm away. Terror, real terror ran through your veins.  You were picturing yourself ending up on the eleven o’clock news, murdered by an asshole with a cheap beer problem. 

“Yes you are.” You heard a male voice beside you. “Let the lady go, man.”

You looked over to see who your would-be-protector was. You weren’t sure why but it was someone who looked vaguely familiar. You had probably seen him at Ferg’s at some point with friends... Maybe playing pool? You couldn't quite place a name with a face. Unlike the stumbling guy clutching onto your arm as if it was a life force, his stance was steady, unmoving. His body language read the surety of his actions- shoulders tense, eyes focused. His eyes were clear crystal blue and brown brows were furrowed. 

“Mind your business, dick head.” He snapped back. 

“It became my business when the whole bar could hear your conversation.” The man retorted, not losing his cool. “Let her go. Now.” 

Reluctantly, the guy did loosen his grip so that you could remove your arm from his hand and that left you to get out of the way. You wanted to make a break for it, but your conscience told you to make sure the guy who had stood up for you made it out ok. So you went to the opposite side of the bar, nearest the behemoth that was Dave. With you out of his sight, that left his attention turned to the man who had confronted him. The drunk began to stand up, albeit a bit wobbly at first, from his chair. Was he really going to try to stand up to this guy? Yes, the inebriated man was built, he probably had a good 20 pounds on the other one, but your would-be savior had a solidity about him. He looked like he worked hard with his hands for a living. His arms and chest were well covered by taught muscle. 

“What are you, some kinda knight in shining armor?” He snorted. “Fuck you, man!”

Before your protector had time for a rebuttal, the offender made a run for him. Your eyes went wide with paralyzing fear as you looked on. Someone let out a scream. You weren't sure if it was you or another person in the bar. Luckily, soberness was on your hero's side and he easily sidestepped the intruder. Not being able to stop, drunkie smacked into a chair, catching his head on the adjacent tabletop. He groaned out in pain as he held his head on the ground. 

“Jeff! What the hell is going on?” His friends finally came back in from outside of the patio. 

At first, you feared there was gonna be more trouble as they helped their friend to his feet but Dave, the bartender, was quick to jump in. 

“Get him outta here! Your friend is drunk and startin' fights in my bar. Get the fuck out before I call the cops.”

The guys were fast to act, quickly shuffling ‘Jeff’ out and cursing at him for ruining their night. He was going to have quite the headache tomorrow; nursing a hangover and a nasty bump on the head. You didn’t envy him one bit. Your body was shaking from all the adrenaline pumping through you, something you failed to notice a moment ago. Now that everything had slowed down, you were feeling the effects. You sat down on a chair, folding your arms to your stomach. 

“Hey, you okay?” Those ocean blue eyes were now looking at you and you found kindness and worry in them. 

“Yeah, thanks to you. Thank you for helping me. You’re like my hero.”  You let out a nervous laugh as a pink blush settled on your cheeks.

“You’re welcome but I was just doing what any person would do.” He smiled at you, looking slightly embarrassed at the compliment. “My name is Frank, by the way. You want some water?”

You told him your name and nodded for the water. He looked over at Dave who provided you with the drink. Sipping slowly on the water, it calmed your nerves and cooled your body down. Maybe it was the adrenaline still coursing through your veins, maybe it was that he was standing there being so chivalrous, so perfect, so... hot. You had to ask him out, right? You sat down your drink and cleared your throat, looking back up at Frank.

“So, Frank. Is there any way I could thank you for your bravery? Maybe treat you to a coffee sometime?” 

You reached forward and put your hand on top of his forearm gently, searching to see if maybe he felt the same. He bristled under your touch and moved his arm quickly away from you, a cough rising from his chest. 

“I… uh, thank you for the offer, but not sure my fiancée would appreciate that.” “Oh, god. I’m sorry.” A crimson blush flushed your cheeks as you pulled your hand quickly away as well.   “Frank!” A voice called out. You looked to see a long auburn and blonde haired woman walking towards him with a worried expression on her face. “Are you okay?” “Yeah Lissy, I’m fine.” Frank wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to him, kissing her temple lightly. 

Of course he was engaged. How could a guy who looked like that and who acted like that, not already be taken? You shook your head and smiled, taking your water back up and drinking it down. Frank turned to you and introduced you to Fliss, his fiancee, breaking you from your thoughts. You smiled cordially and shook her hand. You couldn't help but notice how cute they were together.

"Well, I think I've had enough 'fun' for the night." You laughed dryly. "I'm gonna head out. Thank you again, Frank. It was nice meeting you Fliss. You've got quite a guy." 

You didn't miss the pink that was on Franks cheeks as Fliss nodded, agreeing with you. 

The breeze coming off the water felt nice on your skin as you walked toward your car. You would never forget Frank and the way he saved you. Maybe one day you'd be lucky enough to have a guy like him.

[snarkwriteswrasslin]

FFT: I Wrote Myself Back in the Narrative

AHHH. First of all, without YOU, bb.. This idea would’ve never really full on clicked like it has. So.. Thank you so so so much and ILY. Second. This is written first person, split between our mystery guy from part 1 and the female’s pov as they... continue to deal with things. I triiiied things here. 

It’s still angsty as hell, smh. It’s gonna be angsty as hell for a hot minute. Idek if I can promise that it’ll end on a good note. Because now there are two more parts to this. Thank you again, so so much because you heavily inspired me and without the input you gave, ugh. I would’ve fucked this up so bad.

Warnings: Angst. So much angst. Or my /attempt/ at angst. Maybe the next part will be happier, who knows. Are we ready to find out who this man in part 1 was? I have a feeling ya’ll are gonna murder me. OH OH... This whole part of everything takes place over the course of a few weeks in between each section. If that makes sense.

Tag Squad:

@kyleoreillysknee

@rampagewriting

@writertoo18

@thatnerdwriter

@wrestlingismyguiltypleasure

@chasingeverybreakingwave

@unabashedwrestlefics

@adampage

@cabotcoves

@dietwrestling

@heelsamizayn

@missjenniferb

@cowboyshit

[ tag list ] [ masterlist ] [ about ] [ part 1 ] 

A D A M

“You did the right thing, man. I told ya, you were rushing headfirst into something. You were sparing her, man. We both know where it was heading. Now I know you’ve been missin her lately, but you gotta stay the course… Trust me.” Matt’s voice broke through my thoughts and I forced myself to at least shrug my shoulders and pretend to be listening to him going on and on and on.

It’s nights like tonight I really wish the guy would shut the hell up sometimes. It’s like he thinks it’s his place to tell me exactly what to do. Or when I’m doin’ something and he thinks I ought to be doing it different.

“Matt, man.. C’mon, knock it off. He’s hurting right now.” That was Nick. Probably the only real voice of reason at the moment. I could feel him glare at Matty over my head and I didn’t bother looking up from the lukewarm beer sitting in front of me. Instead, I raised the glass to my lips and did my level best to ignore both. I told them I’d be fine coming out by myself tonight, whether I wanted them tagging along or not, here they were.

In my ear, like usual.

“I’m fine.” the words left my mouth in a harsh tone, the dull ache in my teeth makin me realize just how tight I was clenching my jaw right now. I rubbed my face and tried to get some relief as I looked around the bar.

Beside me on either side, they kept at it, almost as if I hadn’t said a word. Arguin over whether Matt was pushin too hard.

“Besides, man.. When I saw her last week, she looked totally fine.” Matt shrugged, smirking just a little. “In a little bit of a hurry, but she seemed like it didn’t bother her at all. I think she even said something about a date, I don’t know, man. But it’s like I said… You did the right thing. It wasn’t working, so you ended things before someone got hurt and things got real messy.” 

Every part of me tensed up when Matt said he’d seen her and my head snapped around as I looked at him, trying not to lose my temper. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me… Matt was entirely too adamant about me staying away.

And we all know how he is when he wants something. 

,, you’re the one who let her go. Did you think she’d just sit around waitin?” the thought came and man was I bitter about it. 

“You look mad, Adam.”

“Well I’m not thrilled right now, Matt.” the words came out before I could stop them. And when they did, I realized just how much the thought of Matt Jackson anywhere near her really bothered me. How much it had all along. Because he thinks I’m stupid but I knew every single time he flirted with her. I know he’s the one who told her about my last relationship and how messed up I was when it ended.

How my ex was the love of my life, to quote him. While true, I didn’t want or need him speaking for me and telling her that. I didn’t ask him to butt in.

,, you never do, to be honest.” 

My hand curled around the bottle sitting in front of me and I shotgunned it. If I didn’t so something, I was going to wind up havin it out with Matt Jackson once and for all. Not that it hasn’t been a long time comin.. Between him and Kenny, as of late, I’m startin to lose my damn mind.

I stay angry.

They’re supposed to be my best friends, damn it. I don’t wanna hate my best friends. I try not to. I do everything but bend over backwards to avoid rocking the boat. But Matt seein her and just throwing it up in conversation just now, with that fucking smirk. Like he’s trying to rub it in. I’m dangerously close to no longer caring.

I had to get outta there. Away from the two of them. I needed to be alone. I needed to think. To have time to hurt and feel like I was free to do it. 

“Where are you going, huh? We’ve got food coming, man. C’mon. Stay out with us. You can’t keep going to your room and hiding.” Nick was trying desperately to keep the peace but honestly, I didn’t want to. I snatched up the remainder of the six pack I bought from the bartender earlier in the night, slammed badly wadded money down on the counter and I stood, shoving the stool back beneath the bar.

Nick caught up to me outside the bar, reaching out for my arm, trying to stop me, but I shoved his hand off. 

“Can’t either of ya take a damn hint? I don’t wanna talk about how I did the right thing. I don’t wanna hear about Matt runnin into her. I just wanna go five goddamn minutes without feelin, okay? Can either of ya just let me have that?”

Nick flinched and I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Nick’s done nothin to me. Not like his brother and Kenny, always in my ear, always tryin to make me fall back in line and ignore my own gut. Or my own desires.

“Sorry, Nick. Look. I appreciate what you’re tryin to do but I ain’t exactly in the mood tonight, man. And I might not be in the mood for a while. And ya’ll have to be okay with that. Stop trying to make me snap out of it.”

“This is because Matt pulled that shit in there, right? I’ll talk to him later. Just take your time, man.” Nick managed a smile and I nodded, agreeing.

After he went back inside the bar to finish whatever food they ordered while watching the tail end of the game they’d dragged me out to watch with them tonight, I called an Uber and as I waited, I found myself doing it yet again.

Hovering over ❤ in my contacts, I was torn between finally doing it, finally deleting the last trace of her I had, from my life and just hitting call, just to see if she’d answer. Frustration made me shove the phone back into the pocket of my jeans without doing either and I went back to leaning up against the wall of the sports bar as I finished the open beer in my hand. I took the last sip, feeling the warmth slide down my throat and settle in my stomach, grimacing at the hangover already in progress. The Uber I’d called for pulled to a stop beside me and I got in, giving directions to the hotel and going silent after.

All the way across town and back to the hotel, I couldn’t stop thinking about that last night I saw her. Or the way it hurt like hell when Matt told me she seemed fine. 

,, do you really want it to hurt her, though?”

I didn’t, but I couldn’t deny that maybe a part of me wanted her to miss me just a little. To hear Matt tell it, she’s fine and dandy. And this lead me to circle right back to how calmly she handled the whole thing that night.

And those doubts crept right back in again.

Maybe the guys were right. Maybe I did the right thing.

,, and Matt having a thing for flirting with her when you were together, right under your nose at that, that has absolutely nothing to do with why he thought it was a good idea.” 

All I could honestly do was just sit in the backseat of the Uber and knock ‘em back, one behind the other. Anything else is out of the question right now. I am not goin’ down this road while I’m drunk and missin her.

If I did go down any road as far as all this is concerned, I wanna be one hundred percent sure I feel what I feel. I need to think. I need time outta the situation, without people in my ear.

This is something I have to do on my own.

VERONICA

Like most other nights, I tossed and turned on the king sized bed before finally calling it and getting up, grumbling to myself as I made my way down the hallway and into my kitchen. I started myself a pot of coffee and as I did that, I found myself scrolling Instagram.

Naturally, I found myself doing it, even though I unfollowed him on literally everything after things ended between us because it just hurt too damn much.

It’s been almost 5 months now and it still hurts. The pain still cuts like a knife when I actually give myself a little time to let it linger.

Kind of why I’ve thrown myself into work. I even made a Tinder profile, even though I’m absolutely loathe to use the damn thing.

Before I realized what I’d done, I’d typed his instagram handle into the search bar and I found myself scrolling his timeline while I sipped a steamy mug of coffee. “At least he looks okay.” I muttered to myself, shattering the heavy silence around me.

Despite myself, I wound up spending entirely too much time watching one of his random post match videos. Fingertip against the screen. It hurt so goddamn much and yet, it had to happen because all I could think about was how much he loved someone else and just kind of… settled for me.

Running into his friend Matt earlier this week hadn’t helped all this recent re-stirring. Because even now, actively not trying to think back and hurt and miss Adam knowing what happened between us was for the best… I kept going back to Matt reassuring me that Adam was perfectly fine and that he hadn’t been bothered by breaking up with me at all. And I kept getting more and more bitter over it.

When I felt a tear trek down my cheek, I tossed the phone onto the counter and scowled at my reflection in the microwave. 

I told myself I was not settling for being silver. I wanna be someone’s gold.

,, but he made it so fucking easy to fall hard and fast. Get so wrapped up in him that for a little while, you didn’t think about that.” I blatantly shoved the thought down as soon as it crossed my mind and with a sigh, I sat the cup of coffee in the sink half drank.

I’ve got work. Other things to focus on. And I’m trying to look at the bright side here. One day, I’ll be someone’s gold.

VERONICA

→ You know you’re coming out with us tonight, right girl?

I got the text at 4:30, just as I walked out of the building I work in and stopped to dig around in my purse for my car keys. Once I read it, I laughed to myself and managed a smile. Normally, I’d have begged off. It’s what I’ve been doing a lot since things ended between Adam and I.

But I remembered what Matt told me two weeks ago when I bumped into him. Adam hasn’t wasted a single second caught up in what might have been. Why should I?

← Sure. 8, right? The usual spot?

→ Holy shit, is this a Christmas miracle coming early? You’re finally going to take a break from being Little Ms. Moneymaker?

I laughed to myself and opened the door to my car, getting in. As soon as I had, I dialed Marti’s  number.

“Little Ms. Moneymaker, my ass. I’d like to see one shred of this money you think I’m making.” I responded to her last text seconds before, she hadn’t even said hello yet.

Marti laughed.

I turned into traffic, promptly getting stuck at a long red. “Fuck me alive.. It had to be the longest light in town.” I grumbled to myself, listening to Marti telling me about a soccer player she met at our usual bar a few weeks ago and how he’s supposed to be back from the road tonight and meeting her.

“Oh? Well, guess who made a Tinder and hasn’t bothered looking at it since.”

“You.. Wait…” Marti was laughing, I know she didn’t believe me, “You made a Tinder.”

“Yes.” I almost wanted to laugh at myself, shaking my head as I admitted it. 

“Well? Have you met anybody?” she grilled.

“I made the profile and haven’t bothered looking at it since.” I admitted sheepishly, foot on the gas as the light changed from red to green. 

“That’s it. Tonight, so help me. You’re swiping right on at least one guy.”

“Teenie..”

“Don’t Teenie me. This is happening. Not to mention, I have to see if you actually made your profile worth looking at twice. Especially if you want hookups. And trust me girl, you need a hookup.”

“Like I need a goddamn hole in my head.” I snorted in laughter as I pulled my car to a stop at the curb in front of my house. “But fine.. Since you insist. You can look over my Tinder profile and see if it looks like I’m worth risking a swipe on.”

“You are, don’t say that. You just… try to hide the real you under all that boring shit.”

I bit my lip as I let her words sink in.

Maybe she had a point. I hadn’t truly let Adam in until I thought it was safe to do so and look how that one turned out. I sighed quietly, nodding to myself as I shut the door to my car with my hip. “Okay. Hint taken. But maybe I need to change all that.”

“So maybe you’ll pull the stick out of your ass tonight and have just a little fun? You know I hate seeing you hurting like this.”

“It doesn’t hurt. It was for the best… That whole thing ended.”

As much as I hate admitting it, given what Matt told me when we ran into each other, things ending with Adam and I had to be the right choice.

,, but what if you’re totally wrong?”

ADAM

I’m not even sure what possessed me to look her up when we got a little break between shows and the road. I don’t know what the hell I thought it’d accomplish, casually bumpin into her again, other than ripping the band-aid off a healing wound.

But here I was. Standing in the parking lot of her office building. Hidden out of sight, of course. Not that I was going to stay hidden. No, I’d come all this way to do exactly one thing… To fix the mess I now know full well I made that night.

I’ve had time out of it all and I realized one thing.

Somewhere in everything, I really had fallen for her. Hard.

I just had to hope it wasn’t too late. But prepare myself because lately, my luck’s been absolute shit.

My breath caught in my throat as I watched her walking out. I bit my lip, eyes roaming slowly, just taking her in. Because I hadn’t done that nearly enough when she was mine. I was an idiot.

Seeing her again felt like a suckerpunch to the stomach. The wind got knocked right out of me. I stood there, trying to will myself to step out. To say or do anything. Even if it was simple as a hey.

She walked right past me, towards her Camaro a few rows back and she leaned against the Camaro, laughing and talking. I had to get closer but at the same time, I knew that all I was doing was torturing myself, especially if I came all this way and said nothing.

I watched her smile light up the world around me as a car pulled to a stop next to her car. The guy got out and she smiled even brighter, her cheeks tinting pink, her eyes lighting up, the streetlight above bathing her in a cool white glow as the sun sank lower.

The guy didn’t strike me as her type. Dark haired, wearin a suit. He held out a bouquet of roses and my stomach sank to the ground. I raised a hand, tugging at my hair as it hit me.

Everything I realized recently was too little, too late.

I turned and started to walk away, I think I wandered about two blocks before I stopped at a little bar and went in, ordering myself a few rounds. Almost the instant my ass met stool, my cell phone was buzzing in my pocket. I rolled my eyes when I realized that it was Kenny calling.

Kenny who suggested I come here. Seeing her might prove things one way or another. I shouldn’t have fucking listened to him, but naturally.. He insisted, so I finally gave in to get him off my ass.

“Well?”

“I think it’s really over, man. I saw her, alright. And she’s happy. Too happy to do what I came to do.”

“So you’re good now. You can let this go. You can stop all this pushing you’ve been doing lately?”

“Oh, I’m not stoppin that. We all know I deserve a shot. I just know better than to mess up her happiness. I love her too much for that.”

“Damn it, Adam, we’ve all went over this with you. Your time is coming. Just not right now. Besides, “ Kenny paused, taking a few deep breaths. I could feel his annoyance over the conversation through the phone.

That’s not a surprise. Lately, I’ve started to see that unless it’s about them? They’re not interested. And maybe I’m tired of letting everybody else dictate what direction I take. Hell, that’s the whole reason I ended things with her to begin with. 

I let my insecurities get in the way. Kept thinking one day she’d leave too.

Now I just want her back.

So if I can’t have her back? I’m at least going to do something about everything else I want that stays just outside my grasp.

“Besides what, huh?” I snapped, chewing on a toothpick I’d taken from the little dispenser full sitting in front of me, scowling at the phone in my hands.

“You’re not in your best form right now, buddy and you haven’t been in weeks.”

I hung up before he could say anything else.

And as I sat there, nursing round after round, I found myself doing it for the millionth time… Going to her instagram and going through every single thing she’s posted. Hovering over her name in my contacts list and nearly calling five, six, almost seven times before I finally sighed and made myself delete her number.

I really fucked it up this time.

And honestly? Knowing that hurts more than the end ever did in the first place...

[waywardaardvark79]

Check Yes or No Part 12: So, That’s It?

Summary: You've been best friends with Dean Winchester since childhood. When you finally realize what's been in front of you this entire time will secrets threaten to destroy what you have before it really even begins.

Pairing: Dean x reader

Warnings: language, smut, angst

                                             3 months later

        Things were starting to get back to normal for you and Dean. Your friendship was basically back to how it had always been between the two of you. Dean had spent the last three months couch surfing between your couch and some of the guys at the garage. Lisa was still holed up in his house, the only contact he would have with her was taking her back and forth to doctor appointments. Lisa was still a sore subject for you, and both of you generally avoided talking about her. You knew he took her to appointments, and kept the fridge stocked for her, but she was a subject you both avoided like the plague. Although, if you were honest with yourself, you knew you were going to have to sit down and talk about it sooner or later. She was 6 months along, and you didn't really have much time left. 

          You walked through the door of your apartment later than usual, to see Dean sitting on the couch, his feet propped on the coffee table. He turned when you closed the door, "Hey, you're late." he said.

 "Benny stopped by the shop. I got distracted talking to him, and then I still had to clean up." you said.

"Want to just do pizza tonight?" asked Dean.

 "Benny wanted to know if we wanted to come by Jack's later. He's going with Andrea." you said as you grabbed a beer from the fridge.

 "Like a date?" asked Dean as he wiggled his eyebrows at you. 

"No, like two friends going to have drinks with two other friends." you said.

 "But Benny and Andrea aren't friends. Kinda sounds like a double date to me." Dean argued. 

"They are OUR friends though." you retorted.  

You stood there for a moment desperately trying to think of something to change the subject. You tried to steer clear of the you two dating again conversations. You had just started to get back into a good place in your friendship, and you weren't sure you were ready to take on anything more, especially not with the whole Lisa situation still unresolved. 

There it was. There was your out. "Lisa's appointment go ok?" you asked. Your question startled Dean. You never really asked any questions about her, and he quickly caught on to what you were up to.

 "Fine." he said as he walked into the kitchen, and grabbed a beer. 

You quickly downed the rest of yours, "Gonna go grab a shower before we go." you said as you quickly side stepped him.

 He watched as you hurried down the hall to the bathroom, the idea he had been toying with for a couple of weeks popping into his head. "Worth a shot." he said to himself as grabbed his keys and headed out the front door. 

         You took your time in the shower, letting the hot water attempt to wash away your stresses. Dean had started to casually mention taking you out on a date here and there over the last two weeks. You usually managed to brush it off quite easily by steering the conversation in another direction. 

You knew he knew what you were doing, and you were afraid that you wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. Part of you wanted to say fuck it and just go with it, but the other, more sensible part of you warned that things were only going to get more complicated, and it wasn't something you wanted to be in the middle of. You turned the shower off and stepped out, thinking to yourself that your life resembled something that you would see on a trashy afternoon talk show. You could imagine the headline scrolling across the bottom of the television, My boyfriend got his crazy ex pregnant, and I'm still in love with him. You shook the thought from your mind and headed to your room to get dressed. 

         You got ready, pulling on a pair of jeans and a tank top, slightly regretting agreeing to go anywhere after seeing just how comfortable your pajamas looked. You put on a little make up, pulled your hair up into a messy bun, and went to see if Dean was ready yet. You walked into the living room, not seeing him on the couch, and called out for him, "De, you ready to go?" Silence. His boots weren't by the door and his keys were gone from the counter. You shrugged your shoulders, "Guess he didn't want to go." you said aloud to your empty apartment. You grabbed your keys and phone, just about to walk out the door, when you noticed a new message.

                       You sighed, and sat down on the couch to wait for him. 

           You were mindlessly scrolling through your phone when you heard a knock at your door. You stood up, shoved your phone into your back pocket, and went to the door. You flung it open to see Dean standing there. "About time. We're gonna be late." you said and started to head back for your keys. 

Dean cleared his throat, stopping you in your tracks. You turned back to face him, about to ask him what his deal was, when you really took him in. He had changed. He was wearing dark jeans, a black t-shirt, with your favorite black and red flannel thrown over it. He stood staring at you with his hands behind his back. "Dude, what are you doing? We gotta go." you said.

 "Just c'mere a minute." he  said, seemingly glued to his spot. 

You sighed and walked to the spot directly in front of him. "You're being weird. At least come in and close the door." you said. He brought his hands around from his back and handed you a red balloon. "Ummm....thanks?" you squeaked out.

 "Turn it over." he  said, nervously bouncing on the balls of his feet. 

You turned the balloon over in your hands, and honestly were confused at what you were looking at. You cocked your head to the side and continued to study what was in front of you. It was a hand drawn, badly hand drawn, blob. You squinted your eyes at it and held it closer to your face. Ok, it definitely had a face, or at least what you thought was a face. You looked back to Dean, his hopeful expression throwing you off, "Uh.....thank you?" you replied, your voice a little higher at the end. 

"Don't you get it?" he asked. 

You looked at the black Sharpie smudged object staring you in the face, and were completely blank, "I, uh, I got nothing, De." 

His face fell for a moment, "It's a bear." he  sheepishly said.

 You held the balloon away from your face and if you squinted just right you could sort of make it out. "Ok..... you, uh, feeling alright?" you asked. 

Dean hung his head, "It's a bear balloon. I couldn't find one like when we were kids, so I improvised, and obviously failed." he  nervously laughed out. 

Recognition immediately hit you, and you felt guilty for not realizing what it was, "Oh!!! I see it now!" you lied. "I must have smudged it when I had it turned the wrong way."

 A smile quickly spread over his face, "I couldn't find one, so I just drew one on. If I had more time it would have been better." he  said.

 "I think it's cute." you  said as you turned and placed the balloon on the little table by the door. "Thank you. You ready to go?" you asked reaching for the knob to close the door. 

"Trail period!!" Dean blurted out. He watched as a look  of confusion fell over your face and cursed himself for not being more smooth. He was just so nervous. 

"What?" you asked. 

"A trial period. I wanted to know if you wanted to do a trial period." he  said.

 "I'm gonna need a little more to go on." you  said as you leaned against the door frame.

 "A trial period for me and you. Nothing serious or concrete, just a test. If you aren't happy with your subscription you can cancel at anytime." he rambled out. 

The corner of your mouth turned up, "I don't know, De." you said. You watched as the rejection hit him, your heart breaking a little. "I can cancel anytime?" you asked. 

He furiously nodded his head, "Anytime." 

You didn't say anything as you started out the door, Dean slowly backing out of the way. You closed the door, locked it, and started down the hallway, "Come on. Your trial period has started." you called over your shoulder. 

Dean smiled brightly and quickly caught up to you, "I have a feeling this is a subscription that you are gonna want to renew." he said. 

You laughed, and grabbed his hand, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves." 

          Dean drove, and you were soon pulling into the parking lot of Jack's. You started to reach for the door handle to get out, "Uh, uh. Wait." said Dean as he got out and hurried around the front of the car to open your door for you. 

"Pulling out all the stops, huh?" you asked as you climbed out. 

"It's a trial period. I gotta sell it." he said. 

You giggled, "You are such a nerd." 

He flung his arm over your shoulders and pulled you into his side, "Your nerd, though." he said. 

You simply shook your head and walked inside, quickly spotting Benny and Andrea in one of the back booths. "I'll grab us a drink." said Dean as he pulled his arm from you and headed to the bar. 

You walked over to the booth, Benny laughing at something Andrea was saying. He had taken your advice and called her, and the rest was history. You smiled to yourself, happy to see Benny as happy as he was. Andrea was good for him, and you were so glad that he found someone. He definitely deserved it. "There you are." he said as you slid into the booth. "Was startin' to think you weren't gonna make it." 

You gestured toward the bar, "Had to wait on, De." you said. 

Benny raised his eyebrow at you, silently asking if you were ok. It was a gesture you had become familiar with ever since you told him that you and Dean were going to attempt to get back on good terms.

 "It's fine." you said. 

You chatted back and forth with Andrea and Benny. Andrea was in the middle of a funny story about her and Benny's first date when Dean slid into the booth next to you. He placed a whiskey and a beer in front of you. "Tryin' to get me drunk?" you asked. 

He draped his arm around you, "I wouldn't dream of it." he said with a smirk.

 You took your shot of whiskey and leaned into his side. Benny was watching the two of you closely, and Andrea was looking on in confusion. "Wait....are you two....Benny said you were just friends." she rambled.

 "It's complicated."

 "We're on a trial period." you and Dean said at the same time, your statements crashing into each other, doing nothing to clear up the confusion. 

Dean stepped in, "It's a little complicated, but we are slowly testing things out." he said.

 Andrea nodded, "I think you make a cute couple." 

You smiled politely, and Dean turned to you and raised his eyebrow, silently telling you his trial period was a good idea. 

The conversation flowed easily between the four of you. You threw back a few more drinks, and took turns  telling stories about growing up with each other, probably embarrassing Benny more than you should have. You were laughing, and having a great time, actually glad that you had decided to give Dean a chance when his phone rang. You felt him tense when he looked to see who it was. He stalled for a moment before answering, "Hello." he said. You didn't have to hear the other side of the conversation to know who it was. "Are you sure?" "No, no. I'll be right there." he quickly said.

 He turned to you and started to explain himself when you cut in, "Go. It's fine." 

He looked at you for a moment, "Want me to run you home first?" he asked. 

Benny jumped in, "We'll take her home." 

Dean nodded his thanks, leaned down to place a kiss on your head, and whispered, "I'm sorry." 

You waved him off, "It's fine. I'll see ya later." Dean hesitated to leave, "Go." you said. Dean sighed, and turned to walk out of the bar. You watched him leave and turned back for your drink. 

"Everything ok?" Andrea asked. 

"Probably something with Lisa and the baby." you said before taking another drink. Andrea looked to Benny for an explanation, but he just shook his head. "See, complicated." you said before downing the rest of your drink. 

        Benny and Andrea dropped you back at your apartment shortly after Dean left. The awkward atmosphere putting a damper on things. You changed into your pajamas and curled up on the couch, deciding to stay up and wait to hear from Dean to make sure everything was ok. 

You must have fallen asleep because the next thing you knew Dean was shaking your shoulder, "Hey sweetheart, go get in bed." 

You slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep from your eyes, "Time is it?" you rasped out, your voice still heavy with sleep. 

"12:30." replied Dean.

 "Everything ok?" you asked , trying to focus on him. 

You pulled your knees to your chest to give him room to sit down, "Yeah, everything is fine. Lisa got scared because she couldn't feel her moving and wanted to go in to make sure everything was ok. Everything is fine though." he said as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

 "Her. It's a girl." you rasped out. 

His head quickly popped up, "Sorry. I know you don't want to know anything, just kinda slipped out. "he said. 

"I never said that." you said.

 "I know you don't like talking about it." said Dean. 

"I mean, it makes me a little uncomfortable, but I don't want you to feel like you can't talk to me about it, if you need to."

 He patted your knee, "Everything is fine." he said. 

You were silent for a moment, "You should probably be there." you whispered, guilt suddenly overwhelming you. "Y/N, it's fine. She must have just been asleep in there. They had her lay on her side for awhile, and then did an ultrasound. She started moving like crazy." he said a small smile gracing his face. 

His words didn't do anything to reassure you, and the smile made you feel even worse. He shouldn't be here with you. He should be with Lisa and the baby. His voice broke you from your thoughts, "Come on. Let's go to bed." You let him pull you from the couch, and to your bedroom. You settled yourself in bed, and felt him climb in next to you. You didn't say anything when he told you goodnight, the guilt of him being there with you the only thing you could focus on at the moment.

         The next week flew by, and Dean noticed that you seemed off. You were distancing yourself from him, and he hated it. He watched as you quietly sipped your coffee before work, "When we get done today you want to go out and grab some dinner. I kinda owe you a trail date." he said trying to sound nonchalant.

 "I might have to stay kind of late tonight. I got some new recipes I wanted to try out." you said.

 "Need a taste tester? I could come by after work." he said.  

You gave him a barely there smile, "I'm gonna be really busy."

 You watched his face  fall, and only felt worse. "I'll grab us something for dinner then, so you don't have to worry about it."  he said.

You got up and placed your coffee mug in the sink. "Thanks." you said as you grabbed your purse and keys. You kept a wide berth between the two of you as you headed toward the door. "See ya later." you said, not looking back, and quickly closing the door behind you. You hated doing this, but it was for the best, at least that's what you kept telling yourself. 

     The shop was slow, the hours going by even slower. It was an hour to close, and you told Charlie to go ahead and go home. You could handle the rest of the time, and clean up. 

You sat behind the counter, your chin resting in your hand, when the bell chimed and Benny walked in. "Not as busy as I thought you'd be." he said. You didn't reply. "Dean said you were working late."

 "I had some new recipes I wanted to try." you lied. 

You watched as Benny looked over everything in the display case, "Hey, you think you could fit me in for a service at the end of the week?" you asked. 

Benny looked up at you, "Yeah, I'll tell Dean to save a spot for you." 

"Anyway, you could just do it, after close maybe?" you hesitantly asked. 

You had Benny's full attention, and he sighed, "What's going through that head of yours, sugar?" 

You looked down at your hand, suddenly extremely interested in your nails. Benny walked up to the counter, placed his finger under your chin, and lifted it so you were looking at him. He noticed the tears welling up in your eyes, and looked at you with concern, "Come on sugar, tell me what's goin' on."

 You raised your hand and quickly wiped at your eyes, "I'm leaving." you stated as calmly as you could. 

"Leavin'?" Benny asked. 

You gestured for Benny to take a seat, and made two coffees before joining him. "It's the right thing to do." you said.

 "I'm gonna need you to back up some, and tell me what you mean." he said. 

"You promise you won't tell him anything?" you asked. 

Benny studied you for a moment, torn between wanting to hear you out and possibly change your mind, or not being able to and having to lie to his friend. "Promise." he said. 

"When Dean got home that night, you know after leaving the bar, he told me that Lisa thought that something was wrong with the baby, and he took her into the hospital." 

Benny cut in, "Yeah, he said everything was fine though." 

You nodded, "I know, but then it hit me. He shouldn't have been there with me. He should have been in his own home with......her and the baby. I mean, what if something went wrong, and he wasn't there because he was with me?" You looked to Benny for a reply.

 "But everything was fine, and you know he doesn't want to be with her. He can still be there for the baby and not be with her." he said.

 "I know, but part of me thinks that if I wasn't here, he would be there. I'm in the way." 

Benny sighed, "You know the kid might not even be his." 

"But what if it is?" you asked. 

"You leavin' isn't gonna change anything." he said. 

"If I'm out of the picture they can be a family. He can put his focus on them instead of worrying about me." you said.

 "Sugar, Dean's gonna worry about you whether you are here or not." Benny said. 

"Maybe at first, but then he'll move on." you argued. 

Benny ran a hand down his face, "What's got you thinkin' like this?" he asked. 

"She came in here a couple of days after he had to take her to the hospital. She said they wanted to do weekly appointments for a little while just to keep a check on things, and she wanted me to tell Dean when the next appointment was. She gave me this little appointment card, and then said that she hoped I was happy keeping him from his daughter and her when they needed him. I know, God Benny, I know that she was saying it out of spite to be a fuckin' bitch, but it just got under my skin. I was already feeling guilty as shit and that was like the final nail in the coffin. So, I just....I got to go. It's what's best for everyone." you said. 

You watched as Benny looked down at the table and shook his head, "Nothin' I say is gonna change your mind is it?" 

You smiled sadly at him, "No." you said. 

"Where ya goin'?" he asked still not looking at you.

 "Ashley said she has a spare room I could use." 

He looked up at you, "What's gonna happen to this place?" 

"Charlie is gonna handle things for now. She's got Dawn and maybe Mary to help out. Plus I left her some of the applications of people I thought would be good if she needed more help." you said. 

Benny had a hard time taking in everything you were dumping on him. You reached across the table and grabbed his hand, "It's not forever Benny, it's just for....well, it's not forever." 

Benny gave you a tight lipped smile, "So, you aren't going to tell him? You're just gonna take off?" he asked. 

You sighed, "I wrote a letter."

 "A letter? Come on, Y/N. The guy deserves more than that." said Benny. 

"Don't you think I know that? I can't do it. I can't tell him face to face, and he can't know because he will talk me out of it, and I have to do this." you argued.

 Benny didn't say anything as he stood up and walked to the door. He turned to face you before leaving, "Friday after close good for you?" he asked.

 You nodded, "Thank you." you said as he walked out the door. You took your time cleaning up, and headed home to say goodbye the best way you knew how.

          You walked into your apartment and quietly closed the door. Dean poked his head out of the kitchen, "I just ate, but I can heat you some up if you want." he said. 

You didn't say anything, too afraid that your voice would betray you, and closed the distance so that you were in front of him. "You ok?" he asked with a look of worry. You didn't say anything as you grabbed his hand and led him down the hall to your bedroom. You didn't say anything as you pulled him into your bedroom and closed the door behind you. You didn't say anything as you closed the gap between the two of you and gently pressed your lips to his. 

He pushed you back enough to look at you, "Are you ok? Is something wrong?" he asked so sincere that you almost had second thoughts. 

"No, just be with me." you whispered. 

He lifted your chin so you were looking directly into his eyes, "I'm always gonna be with you. You don't have anything to worry about. You know that right?" he asked. 

Your breath hitched in your throat and you quickly pressed your lips to his, afraid of what would come out of your mouth if you didn't.  You deepened the kiss and started to walk him backward towards the bed. When the back of his legs made contact he broke the kiss, "Are you sure you wanna do this? We don't have to." he said.

 You ran your hands down his chest and grasped the bottom of his t-shirt, and slowly pulled it over his head. "I want you." you said as you pulled your own shirt over your head.

 You kept your eyes on him as you as shimmied out of your jeans, and unclasped your bra, letting it fall to the floor. You hooked your thumbs into your panties and slowly slid them down your legs. He took a step towards you, and you ran your fingertips down his chest and stomach, coming to a stop at the button of his jeans.

 You popped the button and tugged them down, Dean quickly stepping out of them. You crawled into bed, Dean following after you quickly slotting himself perfectly between your legs. You placed your hands on the side of his face, pulled him to you, and kissed him as though your life depended on it. You let your hands trail from his face and touched everything that was in reach, memorizing the planes of his body and how perfectly he fit with you. 

You felt him line himself up with you and gasped as he slowly inched inside. He stilled once his body was flush with yours and buried his face in the crook of your neck, "You feel so perfect, baby." he said. He kept a slow, steady pace as he slowly built the both of you up, inching towards your end. 

You pulled his face back to yours and kissed him, pouring everything you had into it. You held him there, fighting against your need for air, desperate to keep kissing him. You felt yourself clench around him, and you moaned into his mouth. Dean following you over the edge a few moments later. 

He pulled back a little to look at you, and tucked a sweaty strand of hair behind your ear, "I love you so much." he said. 

You kissed him one more time and whispered against his lips, "I love you too." 

He slowly rolled off of you and laid on his back, pulling you onto his chest. He kissed the top of your head, and before long you heard his soft snores as you focused on the even rise and fall of his chest. Sleep never found you that night, you were too busy trying to memorize every detail of the man sleeping next to you. 

         Friday arrived before you knew it, and you tried your best to not clue Dean into anything that was coming. You kissed him goodbye as he left for work, telling him that you didn't have to go in until later. As soon as he was gone you packed a few bags with everything you thought you would need and placed the letter you had written for him on the kitchen counter. You went to work, most of the day spent making sure Charlie knew everything she needed to know. 

The end of the day quickly arrived, and you called Benny to ask if he was ready for you. He told you that everyone had left, and for you to come on by whenever you were ready. You said one final goodbye to Charlie, thanked her for everything she was doing, and told her to call if she needed anything. You took one final look around the shop, and walked out the door. 

       You pulled your car into the garage, and Benny silently got to work. You sat down in one of the chairs along the side of the wall and watched him. He finally closed your hood, and gave it a tap, "Good to go." he said as he pulled a rag from his back pocket and wiped his hands. 

You stood up and walked over to him, "I really appreciate this." you said.

 "You really gonna do this? I can't talk you out of it?" he asked.

 You placed your hand on his shoulder and gently squeezed, "I got to. He'll be fine, right?" you asked, your words wavering a little. 

"Who'll be fine?" a familiar voice asked. 

You and Benny both quickly turned around to see Dean standing in the doorway. "Forgot my phone." he said as he started to walk towards you. 

He looked over your shoulder at your car and the bags in the backseat, and stopped in his tracks. "Will who be fine?" he asked again.

 "Dean..." you started but were quickly interrupted, "Are you leaving?" he asked, his voice filled with hurt.

 "Dean." you said.

 "No, answer the question Y/N. Are you fucking leaving?" he asked a little more volume to his voice.

 You looked over at Benny and he quickly turned to head to his office. Once he was inside you looked over at Dean, "Yes." you said.

 He recoiled at your answer. "What?" he asked.

 You steeled your shoulders, "I'm leaving, Dean." you said trying your best to prepare yourself for the fight to come. 

"Why? Wait, were you just gonna fucking take off without even telling me?" he asked.

 "This was the best way for this to happen." you said.

 He scoffed, "Really Y/N? See, I seem to remember you rippin' me a fuckin' new one not too long ago for not telling you something, and you were just going to up and fucking take off with not so much as a word. A little hypocritical don't ya think?" he asked trying to keep his voice under control.

 "You would have tried to talk me out of it." you said.

 "Yeah, because it doesn't make any fucking sense. I mean, you slept with me a couple days ago, said you loved me and wanted to be with me, and now you are just leaving? Why don't you fill me in on what I'm missing?" 

You ran your hands through your hair, "If I'm not here you can be where you are needed with Lisa and the baby." 

"What?" he asked. 

“If I'm not here you can be with them." you said. 

"How many times do I have to tell you that I don't want to be with her?" he asked. 

"Maybe you need to be." you said. 

He shook his head, "Are you hearing yourself right now? All you've done is tell me to be careful of her, and now you are pushing me into her arms. Did I miss something?" he asked. 

"I just think you need to be there and not caught up with me." you said.

 "Did she fuckin' say something to you?" he asked. 

You shook your head no. He started to pace back and forth, trying to keep his temper in check, but quickly losing the battle, "So, instead of talking to me you were just gonna take off without a word, and just hope that I would be ok?" he asked, not giving you time to reply before he started again. "You know what, that's fucking bullshit. You like to say that you'll always have my back and you'll always be here. Forever, wasn't it? But you want to turn fuckin' tail and run? You know, maybe you should. Maybe you should just fucking go. I mean, you don't want to be here. You don't want me, so just go." he said. 

You took a step toward him, "I do want to be here. I want to be here so fucking bad, and I want you. I want you so bad it hurts, but they NEED you." you said.

 He fixed his gaze on you, "But see, you don't want to be here because you are leaving. Remember? You're leaving when I NEED you, but I guess that doesn't matter. You know, maybe you're right. Maybe I should go be with someone that actually WANTS me." he yelled.

 His words stung, and you felt the tears start to fall. "Oh, no. You don't get to cry. You wanted this right? I hope you're fuckin' happy." he said, his words dripping with venom. 

"I'm so sorry, De. I'm just trying to do what's best." you said.

 "Yeah, save it. Have a nice fuckin' life." he said as he quickly turned around and stormed out the door. 

You didn't know how long you stood there just staring at the door. You heard Benny walk back in and turned to face him, tears streaming down your cheeks. He quickly pulled you into his arms and the dam broke. You stood there sobbing into his chest as he rocked you back and forth. "I'm so sorry, sugar." he said.

 You don't know how long you stood there, but soon your sobs turned to muffled hiccups, and you pulled back from him. "I think I'm gonna go home tonight. I don't really feel like driving, but I'll stop by tomorrow before I go." you said, no emotion left in your voice. Benny started to say something, but you just patted his chest, "I'll see ya tomorrow, Benny." You turned, climbed into your car, and backed out of the garage. You put yourself on autopilot and drove back home.

            Your apartment was empty when you arrived. Dean having cleared out all of his things, the letter you left him on the counter untouched. You grabbed it and tossed it into the trash, and walked to your bedroom. You looked at the box at the end of the bed. You had packed every note, letter, picture, and trinket that Dean had ever given you in that box. It was full of your entire lives together. You sat down on the bed, and grabbed a new piece of paper from the nightstand, and wrote Dean a new letter, you were never really sure he would read, and placed it into the box. You climbed into bed, the sheets still smelling of Dean, and tried to force yourself to sleep.

         You woke the next morning, and quickly decided to get on the road. You grabbed the box, walked out of your apartment, and locked the door behind you. You drove to the garage and almost thought against going on in when you saw the impala parked out front. You took a deep breath, and climbed out of the car and headed toward the door. 

Dean wouldn't look at you. In fact, he acted as if you didn't exist. You didn't try to say anything to him as you went and knocked on the door of Benny's office. You opened the door, "Just coming to say bye." you said. 

He stood up from his desk and walked over to you. He looked you up and down before pulling you into his arms, "I'm gonna miss you." he said.

 "Me too." you said as you wrapped your arms around him.

 You quickly pulled back, "If I don't leave now I'm scared I never will." you said. You dug your hand into your pocket and pulled out a key. "It's the key to my place. Maybe just pop in and keep an eye on things for me?" you asked as you held the key out to him. 

He took it from you and tucked it into the pocket of his shirt, "Sure thing, sugar." You gave him one last hug, hanging on a little longer this time, before turning to walk out the door.

 "Promise me you'll call." he said before you left. 

"Promise." you said trying to keep your tears at bay. You walked out of the garage, allowing yourself one quick glance at Dean, who completely ignored you, and you headed to your car. You had one more stop to make before you left. 

        You pulled up in front of the scrap yard and cut your engine. You sat there for a moment before grabbing the box from the passenger seat, and getting out. You made your way to the old truck that you and Dean had adopted as your spot, and sat the box in the seat. You didn't know if he would ever find it, but this was where important things were kept, and that box held the most important things in the world to you. You allowed yourself one final look at the old truck before quickly turning on your heel and heading back to your car. You kept the tears in as you drove out of Lawrence, but as you looked into the rearview mirror and saw the town, and the one person you wanted more than anything fading from view, you let the tears falls, and prayed that you were making the right call.

[kerfufflewatch]

This got . . . stupidly long. Like 1900 words long. Every time I do prompts, they get longer. One day I’ll be writing novels again. 

Anyway.

----

63.) Routine Kisses Where The Other Person Presents Their Cheek/Forehead For The Hello/Goodbye Kiss Without Even Looking Up From What They’re Doing + 64.) Being Unable To Open Their Eyes For A Few Moments Afterward

Gripping the edge of the sleek marble countertop, Hanzo sucks in a deep breath, lets it out slowly, and levels a glare at his reflection in the mirror.

His reflection glowers back: his already-stern eyebrows drawn over his eyes, mouth turned down into a deep frown, the very antithesis of the happy fiancé he is supposed to be. Stop being pathetic, he instructs his mirrored counterpart, and himself. It does nothing to ease the ache in his chest and he slumps, defeated, over the sink.

Just outside the door and some thirty feet back is McCree. Hanzo had left him lounging in the hotel bar in their little corner table, nursing a bourbon and browsing an article on his phone. Ostensibly, they were waiting for their target to show so they can plant a bug and leave, but Hanzo had had to dismiss himself when his chest began to ache.

Three days of this. Three days of pretending to be engaged, which in turn meant three days of false affection, constant proximity, ridiculous pet names, and pretending to be irritated to cover how much he is actually pleased by it all.

Undercover fiances. What an absolute joke of a cover. In what way, truly, was this any more effective than simply arriving at the event as companions? What purpose did it serve to spend three days pretending McCree is his husband-to-be except to torture him? Perhaps this was some form of punishment for his past sins, a subtle method employed by a secretly bitter Winston to punish him for his past crimes against Genji.

Except Winston didn’t have a cruel bone in his body, nor half the social awareness required to even be aware of Hanzo’s predicament in the first place, and this hotel was such a popular honeymoon destination resort that it would simply raise fewer eyebrows for a couple to spend the night than a pair of men in a platonic friendship.

Hanzo sighs deeply. It is no one’s fault but his own that he has ended up here. Pining for someone he does not deserve, failing to quash those feelings when they first arose months ago, failing to put even the barest of distance between himself and his interactions with McCree--those were his mistakes alone, as are the consequences.

He takes another deep breath and tries to school his features into something that isn’t the absolute pinnacle of misery. He ends up with something approaching neutral. It will have to do.

He exits the bathroom, returning to the ridiculously sleek, gilded hotel lounge. McCree is just where he left him, idly scrolling through a news article on his phone. He looks up as Hanzo resumes his seat and smiles warmly, as though as though Hanzo’s return has truly brought him joy.

“Welcome back, sweetness,” he says. He reaches his hand across the table, palm-up, and Hanzo doesn’t think twice before taking it. These simple displays of affection had been an adjustment at first, but now he craves them like nothing else. “Everything alright? You were gone for a few.”

“Of course,” Hanzo replies smoothly.

That smile again, as though Hanzo has done something worthy of it. McCree returns to his article. “You didn’t miss much,” he says. “Startin’ to think this might have been a bust.”

“I am inclined to agree.” Hanzo downs the remains of his vodka tonic, watery with the ice that melted while he had a minor breakdown in the bathroom. “But we still have some time here. It would be a shame to waste it entirely.”

“That’s true.” McCree’s thumb strokes mindlessly over the backs of Hanzo’s knuckles. Something in Hanzo’s chest squeezes, too tight, and he gets to his feet.

“I am going to go for a walk,” Hanzo announces, a simple code for I am going to go scout out the area.

“Alright. You need any company?” McCree’s gaze barely flicks up from his phone. He may genuinely be engrossed in his article, but Hanzo knows better than to believe McCree is any less aware of his surroundings.

Yes, Hanzo thinks immediately, unable to shake the disgustingly romantic notion of walking along the piers with McCree at his side.

“No,” he says aloud. “I will not be long.” He trails his hand across McCree’s shoulders as he passes. “I will meet you back in our room soon.”

“Alright.” Then McCree does something odd: he tips his face up a bit, toward Hanzo but with his eyes still glued to his phone, and pauses as though he is waiting for something.

And Hanzo does something odd, too, in that even though he recognizes that something is not quite right, he still dips down and presses a dry kiss to McCree’s forehead before he departs.

He gets a few steps away from the table before he fully realizes what he has just done, and it takes every ounce of self-control not to break stride. He can feel McCree’s gaze burning between his shoulders as he walks away and he fights not to look back, afraid of what he will see on McCree's face if he turns back.

In spite of everything they have had to do these past few days, no form of kissing had been a part of it, and Hanzo had just broken that so easily that they might as well not have been faking at all.

His lips tingle faintly with the memory of the warmth of McCree’s skin. Hanzo walks faster once he gets through the front doors, taking long strides down the sidewalk and around dozens of other tourists to put distance between himself and his mistakes.

--

Surprisingly, the mission wraps up later that evening, the bug successfully planted and transferring valuable information back to Athena to be combed through later. Hanzo and McCree elect to stay the last night, rounding out their week and taking advantage of one night to relax.

The first part of the day passes quickly with the tension of their work, but once the dust settles and they retire to their suite for the night, Hanzo starts to feel nervous. Their suite is not small by any means, but now it feels constricting, trapping him with nowhere to hide with the weight of his stupid kiss hanging overhead. He can feel McCree’s eyes on him as they move about the space in their nighttime rituals.

“What?” he finally snaps after the fourth time he has caught McCree staring, only for McCree to look away and pretend to be doing anything but.

McCree winces, caught out, but he doesn’t try to make an excuse this time. He finishes folding a t-shirt and sets it on top of his duffel bag, considering it for such a long moment that Hanzo wonders if he managed to forget he was asked a question.

“I was thinking,” he says finally. “Or, well, wondering about something.”

The air evaporates from Hanzo’s lungs. He turns away to the wide desk on his side of the room, pretending to be invested in his tablet. “And that requires staring at me?”

“Maybe doesn’t require it, but . . .” He trails off, wrestling with some internal dilemma, then asks, “Did you mean to kiss me earlier today?”

And there it is. Hanzo bites back a sigh, taps at a random app on his tablet to maintain the air of nonchalance. “It was part of our cover,” he says simply.

“Okay. ‘Cept that hadn’t really been a part of it, until then.”

It strikes Hanzo then just how ridiculous this conversation is. “I do not know what else to say,” he says coolly. “We have a cover to maintain. I maintained it as we have the last several days. I do not see what difference it makes.”

“Three reasons.” Hanzo finally looks back, curious in spite of himself. McCree meets his eye  “One,” he says, “as I just said, kissing wasn’t a part of the deal unless it was some sort of emergency. Between that and you disappearing for ten minutes beforehand, it makes me wonder.”

“That was dif--”

“Two, I’ve run a couple covers like this before, and sometimes when you do it for more than a day or two, someone gets a little more invested than they mean. Feelings can run a little high, even if it doesn’t mean much, and it can be awkward later. So if that’s what’s happening, I’d like to know so we can sort it out now rather than later. And three . . .”

McCree suddenly finds his folded t-shirt very interesting again. He picks idly at the fabric, takes a deep breath, and says, “Three, I may have been enjoying this whole thing a lot more than I should be, and not because I only just now got invested, so I wouldn’t mind it if that were the case for you, too.”

Hanzo feels his jaw drop slightly with surprise. He is unsure whether to be relieved or alarmed or some combination of the two. McCree still doesn’t look at him, fiddling with the shirt, his shoulders slowly drawing up until they nearly reach his ears.

Hanzo swallows. He takes a few steps closer to the bed and licks his lips. “And if I said that were true?” he asks.

McCree’s head snaps up. He searches Hanzo’s face for something, perhaps some hint that he may be lying. A tentative smile pulls up one corner of his mouth. “In that case,” he says slowly, “I’d say there’s a lot to talk about, but for now I wouldn’t mind you doin’ it again.”

Hanzo closes the gap between them, putting himself in McCree’s space. He takes the stupid t-shirt out of his hands and sets it aside on the bed. McCree lets him, his eyes never leaving Hanzo’s, waiting. Hanzo’s heart beats against his ribs, not with nerves but anticipation.

He thinks of McCree secretly wanting this just as much as he has--wanting a dozen things that were off-limits, quietly aching with an affection he felt he had to hide, unaware just as Hanzo was of the truth of the matter.  

He reaches up, wrapping his hand around the back of McCree’s neck, and he barely has to guide him down into a proper kiss.

It’s not quite perfect, contrary to Hanzo’s childish daydreaming about how it might be. It’s a little awkward and stilted, two men who haven’t been with another in years feeling out each other. But it’s soft and sincere, and the second one is better, and the third one better still.

By the time they break, McCree’s hands have found their way to Hanzo’s hips, and Hanzo’s fingers are threaded through McCree’s hair. Hanzo opens his mouth to speak, but is surprised that McCree seems to be stuck in a brief stasis, his eyes still closed even after the kiss ends. Hanzo has a couple of seconds to take in the faint flush on McCree’s tan cheeks, the dusty brown of his lashes, and even a few faint, barely-there freckles scattered across the tops of his cheeks before McCree’s eyes flutter open and meet his again.

Hanzo forgets what he meant to say. McCree grins wryly and says, “Now think how good our actin’ would have been if we’d figured this out at the start.”

Hanzo laughs softly. “We still have to leave undetected in the morning,” he points out. “I am sure we will have plenty of chances to convince any non-believers of our relationship.”

“That’s true.” McCree tugs him closer, pulls them together chest to chest. “Hope you don’t mind, but I plan to take every last opportunity to show ‘em.”

[youtuberswithalex]

PRVL, Vol 2, Ch. 11: From Dark Shadows

Summary: It’s been four jam-packed days since Team PRVL’s job shadowing mission began. The exhaustion from the endless fighting is starting to get to them-- and when the stakes are suddenly skyrocketing, it may cost them more than their grades. 

Word Count: 5,432

Warnings: Grimm death, body horror (for Grimm?), fighting, near drowning, violence, vomiting

Tag list:

PRVL Tag List: @faithfulcat111​​ @haikyuupaladin​​ @virge-of-death​​ @nose-to-meet-you​​ @themysteriousinternetentity​​ @will-iswriting-again​​ @capripian-light-of-my-derse​​

General Tag List: @faacethefacts​ @alix-the-skeleton​ @iris-sanders-athena​ @kanejandkruge​ @barclays-sides-archive​ @louvrejpeg​ @pandagirl0730​ @aroundtheriverssbend​ @faithfulcat111​ @nose-to-meet-you​ @hanramz-the-fander​ @haikyuupaladin​ @virge-of-death​ @areyousirius-noheisdead​  @fanofyoutubeandmore​ @echomist13​ @unikornavenger

Behind the Scenes (To Be Added) Table of Contents: Desktop/Mobile First - Previous - Next 

---

“Patton, are you kidding me?!”

Patton flinched, just barely throwing his shield up in time to block the Death Stalker’s pincers from his face. He grunted as he pushed against the force; behind him, he heard someone growl and fire a few shots. A blur shot overhead a moment later, and the Grimm screeched and collapsed onto the forest floor.

Lowering his weapon, Patton turned away from Virgil before his glare could reach him. “I—Sorry.”

“You can’t just injure the Grimm and hope for the best!” Virgil snapped. He whirled around and shoved his pole into a Beowolf’s chest. “Just kill them!”

Roman let out a yell as he sliced through a Nevermore’s wings. “Virgil’s right, Padre! You can’t just leave the job unfinished!”

“What does it matter if they can’t hurt anyone?!” Patton shot back. “Death Stalkers are harmless without their stinger!”

“That is incredibly inaccurate,” Logan pointed out. “You saw it yourself; its pincers are just as dangerous.”

“And we’re not just talking about that stupid Death Stalker!” Virgil added. “It’s—”

“On your left!”

Virgil leapt out of the way just as a Boarbatusk dashed by; Roman flipped and dove, kicking it onto its back. Logan turned and fired a few shots into its stomach before throwing his weapon back into book form and whipping it at a Beowolf.

Patton bit down on his lip and let out a whimper. He turned and threw his shield, making a point to avoid eye contact with his teammates.

Before they knew it, the only thing left in the area was smoke and the foul stench of sulfur. There was a long moment of silence as the students caught their breath. Their backs were to each other; all eyes scanned the area for any remaining monsters.

When Virgil let out a growl, Patton couldn’t help but wince.

“I’m sorry.”

The words came out in a rush and against his will. He squeezed his eyes shut. Behind him, he heard boots scrape against the dirt.

“You know that people, like, die when we don’t do our jobs, right?” Virgil snapped. “Innocent people?”

“Virgil, stop. You’re only going to attract more Grimm,” Logan said.

“He’s right, though,” Roman huffed. “Patton, you can’t keep doing this! Someone is going to be seriously hurt if you don’t learn how to kill Grimm!”

“I said I was sorry—”

“Sorry isn’t good enough, Patton!”

The air fell still as Virgil’s scream rang in their ears. Patton clutched his shield until his knuckles turned white. His heart thundered in his chest.

A sigh from Logan broke the silence. “The best way to apologize is to alter one’s actions to better ensure that the same mistake will not repeat itself. As I said before, this is not the time or place to be discussing this, but they do have a point.”

Patton swallowed thickly, his neck aching as he stiffly stared at the ground. Their eyes bored into his back. It stung like a too-gentle touch, a tight grip with the wrong motivations, and it had his muscles freezing up and locking him in place.

With an immense effort, he lifted his lead tongue and pulled his mouth open. “I don’t want to hurt anyone,” he said.

“Neither do we. That’s exactly why we must kill the Grimm,” Roman stated. “If someone is harmed when it’s our job to protect them, then that is on our heads.”

“Yeah, and it’s not like they’re going to feel anything. They’re monsters. They don’t have a soul, that’s why they don’t have aura,” Virgil added. “You had to have learned that in your stupid public school, right?”

“Oh, please, Sanctum Academy is hardly any better,” Roman snapped.

“Excuse me?!”

As the two broke out into an argument, Patton sucked in a deep breath and hesitantly turned to face his team. Roman and Virgil were practically nose to nose as they shouted, each gripping their weapons in their trembling fists. Logan stood a few feet away; he faced the forest, but his eyes were screwed shut, and he pinched the bridge of his nose.

The bags under all of their eyes could nearly be mistaken for simple shadows in the evening light. Patton let out a shaky sigh and wrapped his arms around himself.

“Um… Guys? I-I think it might be time to head back,” he said. “I’m sure Dr. Picani and Elliot are wondering what’s taking us so long. We shouldn’t keep them waiting.”

Logan dropped his hands against his thighs. “Patton is right. We were only supposed to come out here to fight that Nevermore; we don’t need to delay dinner any longer by attracting another array of Grimm.”

“We wouldn’t have had that attack in the first place if Roman hadn’t been such a showoff.”

Roman growled and glared at Virgil. “Oh, I swear…”

Before another word could be said, Logan turned on his heel and threw his hands in the air, walking off into the trees. “Please stop arguing. It is getting incredibly annoying.”

“Right, because you’re the expert…”

Patton stayed still, watching as Roman and Virgil followed after him in a tense silence. He waited until they were almost out of sight before he slowly turned his head to look at the area around him.

The last of the Grimm were almost gone. His eyes met the dim red of a Boarbatusk’s gaze before it dissolved into smoke.

His gut twisted.

Quietly, he let out a shaky breath and hurried after his team.

---

“Ohhh, gods.”

Roman flopped face first onto the mattresses, his sword hitting the wooden floor with a loud clatter. He groaned into the blankets as his wings drooped at his sides.

In the kitchen doorway, Dr. Picani poked his head around. “There you are!” he laughed. “Boy, we were startin’ to wonder what happened to ya! Did everything go alright?”

“Yeah, if by ‘alright’ you mean getting attacked by an extra fifteen or so Grimm, it went perfectly,” Virgil grumbled. He plunked down next to Roman, narrowly avoiding his hair; Roman simply grunted as the mattress settled.

“Oh, great gumdrops. No wonder you all look so exhausted,” he replied.

Logan nodded, gently placing his book next to his bag. “It has been a long three days. I would be more surprised if we weren’t feeling the effects by now.”

“At least it’s your last night!” Elliot hollered, their voice nearly drowned out when the microwave began to beep. “You get to go home and sleep as much as you want tomorrow! That’s gotta be a relief, right?”

The three were silent for a beat. Hesitantly, they all lifted their heads and shot a glance at each other.

“Uh… Right,” Virgil muttered. “A relief.”

Dr. Picani beamed, putting his hands on his hips. “Aw, and you all should be so proud of yourselves. You’ve been doing great!” He threw them a thumbs up before slipping back out of sight. “Dinner will be ready in a little bit, so why don’t you kids rest up while you’ve got the chance?”

With that, the group was left on their own again. Not a word was spoken for a long few moments, until Logan rummaged through his bag and pulled out a textbook. He climbed to his feet and adjusted his glasses, turning and walking out to the back porch.

The front door finally creaked shut as Patton sullenly hovered just in front of it. He placed his shield down and glanced up at Roman and Virgil; his gaze snapped away nearly immediately after making eye contact. As quietly as he could, he pulled off his shoes and tiptoed into the kitchen.

“Do you need any help?”

Roman let out a long sigh. He pulled his arms up to rest his chin and looked up at Virgil. “Do you feel as guilty as I do about having to leave so soon?” he softly asked.

Virgil pulled his knees up to his chest, nodding slowly. “I’d feel a lot better about it if we could at least stay long enough for another Hunter or something to make it here,” he whispered. “Or if we’d figured out what the hell is causing all this.”

“As would I. I…” Shutting his eyes, he let his shoulders fall as he turned his face away. “…I’ve always looked forward to being a licensed Huntsman, but only ever for the fame, or the fortune, or…” He sighed. “…Or the respect and attention I would gain. Growing up as a faunus and the youngest of a line of successful Hunters, it’s honestly rather hard to get either of those.”

Virgil snorted. “Well, that explains a lot.”

Roman ignored him. “But right now, I… I don’t want my license for any of that. I don’t care about any of that. All that I want is to ensure the safety of these people.”

He opened his eyes and glanced out of the window, scanning the dark, starry sky for any glowing red splotches. He thought of the little girl from a few days ago, wondered how she was doing, if she was safe, what would have happened to her if they hadn’t have been there that first day. A breath rushed out of him, and he swallowed thickly.

“I’m frightened for them,” he breathed.

Virgil’s stomach flipped. He looked back at Roman, but his gaze was still glued outside; he studied his face for a long moment before he sighed and turned away.

“…Yeah. I get it,” he said. “But… they made it this long without us. I’m sure they can hold their own until a Hunter gets here.”

Finally turning away, Roman looked up at him. “Do you think so?”

No. “Of course.”

Roman nodded and rolled onto his side; his eyes drifted to the four scrolls laying by the outlet on the wall. “If we had any signal, I’d have half a mind to call my parents.”

Virgil was quiet for a long moment. “Yeah,” he whispered. “Yeah, me too.”

The porch door slammed open.

“There’s a Beowolf outside!”

“What?!”

“It’s in the village?!”

“Ugh, we just got back!”

Logan sprinted to his bag, snatching up Malgre Myosotis and moving towards the door. “It’s at the end of the street, heading in. We don’t have much time.”

As the other three rushed to their weapons, Dr. Picani hurried into sight. “Do you need me to come along?”

“It isn’t very big; I’m sure we can handle it on our own,” Logan replied, “We just need to go now.”

“What if there are more? Didn’t you guys just run into a pack or something?” Elliot asked as they leaned over the counter.

Virgil and Roman sprinted out of the door, and Logan shook his head. “I didn’t see any others. We should be fine.”

Dr. Picani hummed and crossed his arms. “Well, if you’re sure… But if you kids aren’t back soon, I reserve my right to come find you. That was the deal when you asked to fight these things alone, remember?”

Logan nodded; as soon as Patton dashed past, he shut the door behind them and hurried to follow.

---

The moment the Beowolf was in sight, Virgil grabbed Sangria Salvia with both hands and raised it above his head; out of the corner of his eye, he saw Roman launch into the air and draw his sword. He dove and spun, blade held in front of him, but just before it made contact, the Grimm jumped back, and Roman crashed into the ground. He somersaulted and skidded, placing a hand on the ground, just as Virgil leapt forward and swung his pole. It swiped its paw and smacked the attack out of the way.

Logan’s book came flying in and wrapped around its torso, pinning its arms to its side as he yanked and launched himself in to kick it square in the chest and knock it to the ground. It rolled, taking Logan with it, until it was back on its feet. Logan managed to land on his own just behind it before turning and tightening the strap. The Beowolf tried to move towards the others; when it couldn’t, it let out a massive roar and yanked.

Virgil and Roman made eye contact and nodded. Each grabbed their weapon and held it out, launching themselves at the Beowolf’s feet; the passed each other as they stabbed the opposite foot into the ground.

At this moment, Patton came sprinting up, skidding to a stop as soon as he was close enough. He lifted his shield and aimed the barrels of the guns at its head.

Virgil watched as they made eye contact.

His lungs seized when Patton’s eyes widened.

At the last second, he aimed further down and fired a few rounds. The Beowolf roared and reared back as the bullets hit its chest; it only struggled harder at the pain. Patton let out a whimper and stumbled back a step or two.

“For the gods’ sake, Patton!”

Virgil snapped his head in time to watch Roman rip his sword out of the ground. He spun around and crouched just underneath it before lifting his wings and beating them down hard. His sword ripped through its torso and head, barely missing Logan’s weapon, as he launched into the air.

The Beowolf didn’t even have time to let out a final scream before it dissolved into smoke.

Roman dropped to the ground, nearly standing in its remains as he shut his eyes and let out a slow, shaking breath. He cast a glance back to Patton, who curled in on himself and slightly lifted his shield; turning back away, Roman rolled his eyes and sheathed his sword.

Virgil shot Patton a quick glance, too, before he could stop himself. He turned away before the disappointment could show on his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Logan doing the same, shaking his head.

Before he could see Patton’s reaction, Virgil turned his back to the scene. He stared up at the shattered moon for a long moment before slowly letting his gaze fall back down to the warehouse.

He froze.

The flash of red in the window ducked out of sight as soon as it appeared.

Cursing under his breath, Virgil snapped his pole in half and started to run. “There’s another in the warehouse!”

Behind him, he could hear the clacking of weapons and the pounding of footsteps. That was all the permission he needed to break into a sprint.

Virgil practically kicked the door down as soon as he was near enough, pausing only to hit the lights and scan the rows and rows of boxes and crates. Footsteps echoed from the far back of the room; he raised his gun and crept towards it. The others sprinted in behind him, but he quickly held up a hand and motioned for them to stay quiet.

He held his breath as he pressed on. Whatever Grimm was in the back had stopped moving, so he was relying solely on a gut feeling now. The window where he’d seen it wasn’t too far back; it couldn’t be far now. Just a couple more steps…

Pressing his back against a crate, he peered around the corner. He gripped his gun tight in his hands. There it was, just a sliver of that red he saw! He leaned forward just a bit more, and—

Virgil gasped.

The blonde woman whipped around, yanking the gun from her holster. He ducked out of sight just before she saw him, but he didn’t waste any time in bolting, nor did he bother with staying quiet this time.

As soon as he saw the others, he frantically waved them towards the exit.

“Get out, get out, go, go, go!” he hissed.

“What? What for?!” Roman whispered back.

A bullet whizzed past Virgil’s head; he yelped out a curse and whirled around, snapping his gun towards where the woman now stood at the end of the row. Behind him, he heard Patton gasp.

“It’s her!”

“What?” Logan asked. “Who is she?!”

Virgil fired a few shots before turning and shooting a frantic glare at him. “Don’t worry about it, just get the hell out of here!” he yelled.

Logan ignored the order, switching his book into pistol form before firing a few rounds at the woman. “Preposterous! If she’s a threat, we need to detain her!”

“Not we, Logan, you! You need to run!”

“Virgil, what in the world is going on?!” Roman yelped.

Before anything else could happen, the woman dashed forward and leapt towards Logan; Virgil tackled him to the ground just before she could grab him. He scrambled to his feet and snapped Sangria Salvia to its full length, standing protectively over him.

“Leave him alone!”

“’Fraid I can’t do that, son,” she drawled. “I’d suggest you step out of the way.”

Virgil grit his teeth. “I’m not letting you take him!”

“Virgil,” Logan said, “Explain what is happening.”

“Later! Just run!”

“I will not.”

Virgil whirled around to glare at him; before he could say anything, a rope whipped over his head and wrapped around Logan’s torso, pinning his arms to his sides. The woman yanked him towards her, and Virgil let out a yell.

He dashed over to Roman, snatched the sword out of his sheath, and dove, slicing the rope clean. The woman stumbled at the sudden lack of tension, and he used the opportunity to throw the sword to the side and launch his pole at her chest. She caught it just as her back hit a crate and held it in one hand as she whipped her gun out and fired. Virgil ducked and swung his foot at her; she easily caught it and used the momentum to throw him across the room. He smashed into the floor with a pained cry, but he did his best to roll to his feet regardless.

Roman let out a battle cry and leapt into the air, soaring towards the woman with a fist extended; she held up her free hand and grabbed it, pulling him up and over her head. Roman spun and swung down and kicked her in the back, but she did a somersault and slid across the concrete, stopping next to Patton. He reared back and swung his shield, but she sprinted forward before contact could be made, leaving him spinning uncontrollably for a moment. His cloak caught under his foot, and he toppled over.

Punches and punches echoed through the room as the woman and Roman engaged in rapid hand-to-hand combat; gradually, she was pushing him further and further back into the room, closer to Virgil with each step.

Virgil, however, was paying little attention. His eyes whipped around, scanning every little detail.

“Logan!” he cried.

As if on cue, there was another battle cry, and he snapped his head up to see Logan diving down from the top of one of the huge shelves. He whipped his book towards the woman, his grip tight on the strap, and Virgil’s fist clenched in preparation for a victory cheer that never came.

She grabbed the book without missing a beat.

The woman kicked Roman in the chest and yanked Logan to her, spinning him just enough to wrap him tight in his own weapon. Whipping her pistol out, she pointed it at Virgil.

Everyone froze.

As she panted, the woman narrowed her eyes at them all. “I suggest you all stay right where you are,” she growled. “This boy is coming with me.”

“Oh, like hell he—!”

She fired three shots at Roman’s feet, and he leapt back.

Virgil’s heart thundered in his chest as silence fell across the room again. His breathing began to pick up as his brain started to fly through his thoughts, there had to be something, something left to do, he couldn’t let her leave with him, this couldn’t be happening, this couldn’t be happening, there had to be something he was missing, something he wasn’t seeing, something—

That’s it!

“Patton, hit the lights!”

Immediately, Patton whirled around and smashed his shield into the light switch, encasing them all in darkness. Gunshots fired, and bullets whizzed by Virgil’s ears, but he leapt away unharmed. He started to run towards the moonlight streaming through the window, if only just to see what was closest to him.

He spared a glance outside. His stomach churned when he saw a drop straight to the ocean.

Swallowing thickly, he turned back to the darkness.

“Patton, Roman, go!” he screamed. “She can’t see you!”

“Patton, throw me my sword!”

Metal scraped against concrete, and then something whizzed through the air; Roman let out a battle cry before a sickening thwack! sounded. Logan let out a yelp, and something heavy hit the floor. Footsteps sprinted over to it as more punches sounded.

“Are you alright?!”

“I’m fine. Where are you?”

“I’m here.”

The woman let out a grunt before there was another crash to the floor. Gunfire sounded, and in the brief flashes of light, Virgil could see as she dodged the ice dust encasing the floor. Her boots clacked, and then she let out a scream.

Metal clattered to the ground as Roman yelped.

Virgil jumped when they appeared in the moonlight right in front of him.

They plowed into him. The window shattered as soon as they made contact.

Down they fell.

---

“No!” Patton screamed.

Logan whirled around, his grip tight on his book. “What happened, what was that glass?!”

Giving Logan’s hand one last squeeze, Patton sprinted towards the window; the woman turned and lifted her pistol, and he skidded to a stop. Her eyes flicked around, and his heart skipped a beat every time they passed over him.

Outside, he heard Roman and Virgil yelling. The blood was roaring too loudly in his ears to understand them.

His fists combusted.

Letting out a scream, Patton hurled his shield at her stomach, knocking her back a step; it flipped back into his hands just in time for him to block the bullets she shot at him. He dove back behind the shelf and looked at Logan.

“They fell out of the window,” he stated. “I couldn’t get close enough to see if they’re alright!”

Bullets whizzed by, and Patton scrambled to cover Logan; he shoved him forward and around to the next aisle of crates. He grabbed onto his shoulders and, despite knowing he couldn’t see anything, looked him dead in the eye.

“Logan, what is happening?!” he hissed. “Why is she trying to take you?!”

Logan was silent. His mouth hung open, and his eyes flicked around in thought as his brow furrowed. Patton could feel him go stiff beneath his fingers.

“I…”

Movement caught Patton’s eye before Logan could say anything else, and he shoved him away just as the woman drove her foot into the floor between them. She swung a punch, and Patton threw up his shield, the resulting clang causing him to stumble and cover his ears. As she threw a kick, Patton forced himself to recover and slide under. He grabbed Logan by the wrist and dragged him past the broken glass and gunshots.

---

“No, no, no, no, no—!”

Just as Virgil was about to hit the water, a hand grabbed the edge of his chest plate and suspended him in the air; the wind rushed out of him, and it took him a second to remember to breathe. After a beat, he was thrown into the air, only for a pair of arms to catch him under his armpits.

“Are you alright?!” Roman asked.

Virgil snapped his gaze up to the warehouse; gunshots echoed through the broken window, sending a sharp pain through his chest. He squirmed, trying to get a better grip on his pole.

“I-I’m fine! We gotta get back in there!” he exclaimed.

For a long beat, Roman stared down at him; his breaths came in heavy, and his mouth was parted. He looked at the warehouse for an agonizingly long time, keeping completely still as they hovered above the waves.

Virgil shot a glare. “What are you waiting for?! We gotta go! Logan’s in trouble and we—”

“I’m sorry!”

He paused. “What?”

Roman’s eyes squeezed shut. “I’m… I’m sorry, Virgil. I’m sorry I made you be the villain, I’m sorry I didn’t apologize sooner, I’m sorry that I’m keeping us from doing our jobs right now but Virgil, I-I’m scared!”

“Roman—”

“I don’t know what that woman wants from Logan, but she—she’s— I can’t beat her! Not by myself!”

“Then get us up there so Patton and Logan don’t have to try and—”

“Virgil, you have to use your semblance! Please!”

Tears dripped into Virgil’s hair, and he snapped his head up. Roman let out a sob; they dropped a little closer to the water.

“Please,” he whimpered, “Please, Virgil, you’re not a villain, I’m sorry, please…”

Virgil opened his mouth to respond, but no sound would form. All he could do was stare hopelessly up at his teammate. When Roman opened his eyes, the desperation and fear behind them made his chest seize.

A black and white tentacle shot out of the ocean.

Roman let out a scream as it wrapped around his legs and yanked him into the water.

---

Patton and Logan skidded across the floor as bullets hit the crates behind them. As soon as the gunfire stopped, Logan scrambled to climb to his feet; Patton grabbed his wrist and held him down.

“We have to get out of here,” he whispered.

Logan glared. “I am not running away. Not when Roman and Virgil are out there and possibly need help. What if she goes after them when we’re gone?”

“Logan, she’s after you! She doesn’t care about them!” Patton shot back.

More bullets hit the wall next to them; Patton threw up his shield and stared Logan down.

“We have to leave.”

“I will not!”

“Logan!”

Footsteps drew near. Patton looked up at the woman, pressing himself further into him in an attempt to shield him from any harm.

“Logan, please!”

“Hey!”

Everyone snapped their heads towards the door.

Standing in the moonlight, a man stood, his coat flapping in the wind. His fists were clenched, and his shoulders squared. He started to walk towards the group, hand reaching up into his breast pocket.

A pen clicked.

With a brilliant zap, a bright, blue beam of light revealed Dr. Picani’s glowering face. His teeth were bared as he stormed towards the woman; when he was only a couple of feet away, he lifted his arm, revealing the tiny, orange weapon in his hand.

“Leave my students alone,” he growled.

The woman’s eyes narrowed. She whipped her gun towards him and fired a few shots, and he dove out of the way; he skidded across the floor before leaping towards her and swinging his bright sword. She dodged, and the concrete exploded into ice.

Dr. Picani threw himself in front of Patton and Logan. “Alright, boys, show’s over. It’s time for you to leave.”

“With all due respect, Dr. Picani, I am not—”

“Yes, you are.”

He flicked his wrist, and a pink shield formed on his arm just as the woman fired her gun; he threw it up just in time to deflect the bullets.

“Find Virgil and Roman and get back to Elliot’s house,” he ordered. “Tell them what’s going on. They can call you an airship back to Beacon and keep you safe until it gets here. I’ll hold her off while you go.”

Patton’s eyes widened. “But—”

“Now!”

Patton and Logan glanced at each other, eyes wide and breathing heavy. Patton’s mouth snapped shut. His shield began to grow cold as his shoulders trembled.

Hesitantly, Logan grabbed his hand and pulled them towards the door. The sounds of explosions and bullets chased after them.

---

Virgil’s breaths came in whooping gasps the moment he surfaced. He coughed and hacked, doing his best to keep a grip on his pole as he frantically whipped around.

“Roman!” he screamed. “Roman!”

Silence. He cursed under his breath before turning his search to the water.

Ice filled his chest when he saw big, glowing red eyes slowly sinking away. Bubbles rose to the surface just above it; a whimper ripped out of his throat before he could stop it.

“No, no, no, please, no…!”

Sucking in one last deep breath, Virgil dove into the dark, freezing waters around him.

In the distance, Virgil caught sight of Roman struggling to break free from the tentacle around his legs. His wings flapped and his cheeks puffed, but it wasn’t working; when he caught sight of Virgil, he let out a muffled yell and reached for him.

Virgil swam as fast as he could towards him, but the Grimm noticed him almost immediately and swiped its tentacles at him. He zigzagged up and down, left and right, any way he could to get around them, trying to get anywhere closer to him.

Roman was just inches out of his grip, he could reach him if he tried, he just had to get a little further…

A tentacle hit him in the stomach. The air rushed out of him as he was flung back towards the surface.

Virgil coughed and hacked the moment he surfaced for just a minute or two before he went back under.

He could barely see the Grimm at this point, but he wasn’t going to give up. He couldn’t give up.

Until he was about to drown, Virgil refused to resurface. His lungs ached like hell. He went back under again.

And again.

And again.

---

“There he is!”

Patton took off sprinting when he spotted Virgil swimming towards the beach, and from the sounds of it, Logan wasn’t far behind. They both dropped their weapons as they drew near the water; when they saw how sluggish Virgil’s movements were, they were quick to grab hold of him and help him to the ground. He weakly coughed as he struggled to hold himself up on his hands and knees.

“What happened?” Logan said. “Are you alright?”

Virgil shook his head. He heaved. Salt water hit the sand. Logan snapped his head up towards Patton.

“Lay him down,” he ordered. “Get him on his side.”

The two moved to grab his shoulders, but he resisted, shaking his head as he weakly swatted them away. He coughed again before sucking in a breath as best as he could.

“Roman,” he croaked.

They froze.

Patton snatched his shield and ran to the water, going in as deep as his knees as he searched the waves for their fourth.

“Virgil, what happened to him? Where is he?” Logan asked.

“Is he okay?” Patton yelled over his shoulder.

He looked back just as Virgil shook his head. After heaving and coughing a couple more times, another weak response sounded.

“C-Cephalo.”

Eyes widening, Logan looked at Patton in horror; his brow furrowed as he looked back.

“A what?” he said.

Logan slowly looked away. “It’s… a type of Grimm,” he informed. “It lives in deep waters. They’re rare, but the ones that have been found are incredibly dangerous. From what I understand, it usually takes two or three Hunters to take just one of them down…”

“I t-tried,” Virgil choked. “I tried.”

His fist hit the ground just before he collapsed to his side. Logan put a hand on his back and shut his eyes. And Patton…

Patton slowly looked to the water.

His hands began to shake as ice ran through his veins. He felt his throat close up. Thoughts began to race through his head, a whirlwind of panic and terror and potential grief, potential relief, potential to be forced home, never to be allowed to go back to Beacon, to PRVL, to safety and comfort—

…Potential to watch a friend die and have it be on his head.

He squeezed his eyes shut.

“…You said they live in deep waters?”

Behind him, Logan let out a trembling breath. “Yes.”

He was quiet for a long moment, and then he opened his eyes. Terrified tears dripped down his cheeks as he lifted his hands to his collar.

If this was how he lost his freedom… It would be worth it.

With one last deep breath, Patton undid the clasp. The wind on his neck sent chills down his spine.

Moonlight glinted off of the scales as he dove into the water.

[underachievement]

Forgot About Thom

Thom Merrilin - Forgot About Thom (f/ Mat Cauthon)

[Thom] Y'all know me Still the same ol' T But I been low key Hated on by Red Ajah Wit most fleas Weevils and smoked meats No egg and no cheese No boats, no trained warhorse, no army Mad at me, 'cause I can finally afford To provide my friends wit much glee Got a cloak wit embroidery and it's all full of knives So I can save other people's lives Rackin' up in the Great Game in back of my head like trophies Ya'll think I'ma let my harp rust I'll bust nuts You better string that thing with cat-gut Who you think taught you the dice rolls Who you think brought you the nobles The well-breds, Lord Teds, and Damodreds, Battle Lords Diademéd And a group that said muthafuck the shaved heads Gave you a scroll full of ballads To sing when you stroll through in your hood And when your Daes Dae'mar wasn't doin too good Who's the bard that they told you to go see Ya'll better listen up closely All you royals that said that I turned dark Or I lost spark Ya'll are the reason that Thom ain't been getting no sleep So burn ya'll, all of ya'll If ya'll don't like me, duel me Ya'll are gonna keep fuckin around wit me And turn me back to the young me

[Mat] Nowadays everybody wanna talk like they got something to say But nothin comes out when they move they lips Just a buncha gibberish And Mera'din act like they forgot about Thom

[repeat above refrain]

So what do you say to somebody you hate Or anyone tryna bring Myrdraal your way Wanna resolve things in a bloodier way Just study the tale of his D-E-N-A.

One day I was walkin by Wit an ashandarei When I caught a guy Givin me an awkward eye And stabbed him off in the stableyard Wit his own damn knife I don't give a fuck if it's dark or not I'm luckier 'n me tryna win a war But I'm drunk as fuck Livin' off of the Dark One's luck in ta'veren lore Poppin out wit two Dark One's Eyes, tryna shrug it off Burn you too, man, call the guards I'ma kill you and them loud ass muthafuckin barking dogs And when the guards came through Me and Thom stood next to four dead corpses Wit a bag full of 'works and a handful of torches And still got their horses So from here on out it's the Dashing Two Startin' today and tomorrows the new And I'm still lucky enough To beat Whitecloaks and the Seanchan too

Mat Cauthon There's a name for you to work your mouth on On a dusty trail In a foreign land Wit my boyz Red Hand 'Til Tarman Gai'don

Settin' bolts loose on The armies of the damn Seanchan There's no way that we can press through, hon It's ok, go with him Tuon

[refrain x2]

[Thom] If it was up to me Aes Sedai would stop comin up to me Wit your hands out lookin up to me Like you want somethin free When my poor nephew was out you wasn't helpin me But now that I got better company Everybody wanna come to me Like it was some disease But you won't get a note from me Cause I'm from the streets of Caemlyn

I told em all All them little nobles Who you think helped mold 'em all Now you wanna run around and talk about knives Like I ain't got none What you think I dropped 'em all Cause I palm 'em off Now all I get is hate mail all day sayin Thom fell off What, 'cause I been in control Wit a quill and a scroll Tryna get this damn Dragon off? I ain't havin that This is the Third Age of Aftermath It ain't gonna be nothin after that So give me one more Final Stand and burn rap You can have it back

So where's all the real dirty work It's like a swamp in here, Haddon Mirk But all you baseborn jerks Knew that I was strapped wit dirks When you were working out how to smirk

[Mat: refrain x3]