#cause he can obviously see that whoever this man is John is very head over heels for him from his body language

[bronx-bomber87]

Good evening everyone and happy Tuesday :)

This ep is a fav of mine. I know there isn’t a ton of Chenford content. But the amount of goodies we get for both Tim and Lucy is so good. Its what I love about them they’re amazing together and separate. Obviously prefer them together but this is a fantastic separated ep. Not a ton of gifs so it'll be partially gifs mostly caps. Also this is a longer one since they BOTH have good SL's in this one.

2x07 Safety.

The cold open is adorable. Tim would hate that phrasing but it’s true. I love sports so I get that excitement and happiness when your team does well. Look how happy he is. When the Rams won the Super Bowl a little while back I thought I bet Tim is thrilled LOL He is happy till a high speed pursuit interrupts his game. He sees the car chase is by his house. So in natural Tim fashion he heads outside to deal with it.

He is sexy af in this scene. That badge around his neck as he calls dispatch and logs in some OT. Then climbs into his truck backs up to block the guy and dispatches of the chase quickly. Gets the guy out of the car and on the ground very fast. Once he’s done drives back into his driveway so he can finish watching the game. Classic. Love this man. So cute jumping up and down cause they won. Damn he cute.

Roll call is upon them and Grey’s initiative today is community policing. Angela is out because she’s taking care of a recovering Wesley. (She ends up taking a side gig protecting a turd and his diamonds) Nolan gets a gig at the hospital leaving Harper open. Grey pairs Jackson with Tim and Lucy with Harper.

Lucy looks nervous af as she looks back at Nyla. I get why she has only seen bits and pieces of Harper. Those pieces they’ve been intense. Reminds me of when Nolan was paired with Tim. Just a little bit of terror in her eyes. It’s such a good ep for them both though. Their scenes are why it’s one of my fav eps.

Grey says Tim/Jackson get the football community gig with the Rams and Lucy/Harper get the community council. Harper makes a crack about it being the 1950’s. The boys get football practice and the girls get the PTA meeting. Grey says fair enough. Only one way to settle this. Challenge Coins. They both have coins from impressive things they’ve done. Tim says he got his from the Chief personally. He’s so cute and proud. Harper being Harper tops him. Says that’s nice. Hers is from the Governor. Tim rolls his eyes haha

Whoever slides theirs across the table closest to the edge wins. Lucy is adorable and in wifey mode already with her phone. Ready to capture the moment for him. I love how he looks over at her first before propelling his. Also his little butt wiggle I can not. Her matching his body posture is fantastic. An exact mirror really so she doesn’t miss a thing. They cute. I love them. Tim loses but Harper doesn’t want football anyways. I swear she did it just to make a point with Grey and mess with Tim.

Poor Lucy bombs right off the bat with Harper. Asking her if she needs anything. Harper looks at her and says 'Officer...?' Lucy happily says Chen. Nyla is her charming self and tells her she’s not going to use her name. That today she’s Not Nolan. Lucy asks John if he has any tips to get on her good side. Nolan makes a crack that he’s not sure she has one LOL You’ll get there. I dare say Lucy and Harper end up closer than her and John ever were, but that is much farther down the road.

First off let’s enjoy how ecstatic Tim looks to be at football practice. He is in one of his happy places right now. The man is radiating joy. It’s so cute. They’re watching practice and see a kid named AJ. How he is easily the best kid on the field. The director says that’s not what matters. His grades were trash before this program. Now he’s on the honor roll. They wave him over. Tim “grills” AJ on his work ethic, drills. and such its adorable. Clearly in his element talking to this kid. (Their scenes in this episode are primo)

AJ’s mom shows up and pulls him over. Director tells them she was just released from prison. Been hard transition for them both. She was in for armed robbery with a serious heist crew. Cute little scene with Tim and Eric Weddle. Eric giving Tim crap for giving up football for the service. Jackson is geeking out next to him its pretty cute. Tim tells him not to make it weird when he bro hugs Eric Weddle LMFAO

Love them having another shot at a pair up. It goes much better this time. They see AJ and his mom fight and walk over. Ask if everything is ok... I mean clearly it’s not. She doesn't answer them. Instead she drags AJ away from practice. They can tell something is wrong they’re just not sure what yet.

Back at the station Lucy and Harper are prepping for their meeting. Nyla tells her to keep this short and simple. Don’t promise anybody anything. Just to tell them ‘We’re aware of the problem and have a task force on it.’ Lucy questions that a bit but Harper says they’ll love that buzzword. She has Lucy lead the meeting. Poor Lucy she is not in the least prepared to do this. At first it works Nyla’s line. Lucy tells first guy verbatim what she’s supposed to. He takes her at her word and sits down. Harper looks proud from the other side of the room.

Then things quickly go sideways for her rapidly. A woman tells her that her neighbor keeps feeding the squirrels. Lucy tries the line again and fails. She questions Lucy and says 'A squirrel task force?' I can't blame her haha The lady tells her she’s worried about her dogs cause squirrels attract coyotes. Lucy’s empathy kicks in and gets her in trouble with Nyla. Tells's her to give her the address of her neighbor. Then she is bombarded with tasks.

Tim and Jackson meet Aj and his mom at their home. Just to make sure everything is copacetic. They can quickly see that it is not. Tim asks AJ if everything is ok. Seeing if he can get to him. It’s obvious that she’s trying to leave town with him. Before they can delve into why she’s leaving the car gets fire bombed. Clearly a targeted attack. Tim and Jackson get them to safety before calling it in.

Jackson takes AJ's mom to the side for questioning and Tim checks in on AJ. I love this scene. Getting to see that soft side Lucy has brought out so much. She would be so happy to watch him with AJ. How well he bonds with him and tries to get him to open up. (wonder how he honed that skill in..) Tim starts off with tossing his football with him. He starts to build his rapport by telling him he’s talented. AJ replies says how his football is always with him. How much he loves to practice. Tim is soft in his reply says it sounds like him with how much he loves the sport. The dedication to get better.

We’re about to get some background on Tim and I love it. Tim tells him in some ways the game saved him. AJ's interest is piqued. He asks Tim how so? Tim tells AJ growing up in his house was a bit chaotic. (Oh how understated that is my love) If you don’t know his backstory already at this point you get a sense his childhood was turbulent.

He empathizes with this kid. Relates to him and it’s written all over their scenes. It’s such a good episode for him. AJ says he knows a little something about that. Tim continues on to build rapport with him. Lets AJ know how his father was testy. Tim never knew what was going to set him off. That football was the only place he felt like he had control. I just love getting this insight into him as a character. Piece by piece we get to see why Tim is the way he is.

This shows us why he needs control like he does. (I.e. always driving the shop and Lucy not doing so) The Tim tests are a product of this as well. His way of controlling his environment and training since he didn't have that growing up. He does everything for a reason. We’re all products of the environment we grew up in. It leaves marks on us whether we like it or not. I could go on and on about him. Very passionate about his character and what makes him tick. His growth. Eric portrays him so well I could go on and on about that too but I won’t haha

AJ agrees again with saying he too relates to that. Football is where he has most control as well. Tim continues on to let him know he gets it. Football taught him teamwork, discipline and it wasn’t just a game for him. (It makes sense why he enlisted. He got everything from the service he loved about football) AJ then asks what game they’re playing now? We connect then I rat on my mom? Tim instantly says 'I would never ask you to do that.' You can see the change in AJ. He knows Tim is being genuine. He just hands him his card. Tells him to call him if he needs anything.

We return to Lucy and Harper responding to one of the many complaints they got. ‘Vagrants in the sewers.’ Harper is none to pleased about it. Says they're going fishing in the arm pit of L.A. Lucy tries to do her optimism thing. Saying isn’t this what community policing should be? Helping like this? Nyla shuts it down and says no it’s what she tells her it should be. That Lucy doesn’t want to be good at those meetings. Lucy asks why? Harper crushes her a bit more by saying if the higher ups see that it'll be all they’ll ever let her do…

They make it deep into the sewer when they find couple meth tweakers. This scene is hard to watch for how beat down Lucy is in this scene. Not just physically but that self esteem Tim has been trying to build up crumbling a bit due to it. They get attacked and Lucy has Harper's back while she cuffs one of them. Lucy is attacked by the second tweaker and overtaken. Harper jumps in to save her. Lucy thanks her but Nyla is livid she had to do so. Tells her those community meetings are all she’s good for. (Too mean Nyla too mean)

It’s not the reaction I expected from Harper first time I watched it. Then rewatching like I have it’s what she needed. Little harsher than I would’ve liked, but needed for the message she ends up delivering. Lucy is upset while the guys get hauled away. Harper picks up on it and ask her if she has something on her mind? At first Lucy says no. Harper snarks back 'That's what I thought.' Lucy snaps and tells Nyla she is wrong about her. Harper isn’t convinced in the least.

Lucy fights back says she’s more than those meetings. Harper continues the harshness and replies she must be really good at paperwork.... Then she tacks on that she can’t fight. Lucy tells her she can she’s won a lot of fights. Harper says not this one. Lucy bites back he was huge. That it wasn't fair he was much bigger than her. Harper shoots her down again. Says she took him down and his buddy.

Harper is getting under Lucy’s skin and she knows it. Says Lucy wants to hit her. That she can see it in her eyes. Tells Lucy to hit her. Lucy bawks and can't believe she's asking her to do this. Nyla shoves her to rile her up. Tells her come at her like that tweaker came after her. Lucy is pissed enough and does and quickly fails. Lucy is on her ass in seconds. Now Nyla is brutal but her message at its core is sound. Tells Lucy to stay down and get used to that position. Being a woman in uniform is anything but fair. That contrary to belief she is not a 6’2 180 lb man.

Unfortunately this isn’t gif’ed it's too bad it's such a good scene. Harper goes on to tell her ‘Tim might be a good T.O. but he can’t teach her to fight like a girl.’ She's not wrong. Nyla continues on that they get a higher show of force especially from men. That when she’s alone against a desperate suspect and she’s between them and their freedom she can’t be thinking 'Oh my he’s bigger than me.'

Harper helps her up. Tells her if she’s going to survive the streets as a 5’6 woman and one of color no less, she better be willing to learn what these boys don’t know how to teach (one of the best lines of the scene) Harpers impact on Lucy is immense. It’s not kind at first because Nyla isn’t in that place yet. She is a wrecking ball emotionally. Not her softest approach but her message like I said is sound in its logic. Lucy needs to know things she had no idea she needed until today. Why her pairing up with Nyla benefits her so much. Doesn't feel like it right now but it really does.

Lucy tries to mend fences when they get back to station. It’s who she is. I would be same way. Tries to make a joke about the meeting. How she should've listened to Harper's way of it. She gets no reply then tries to ask about her challenge coin. Harper calls her on the chit chat. Lucy is then upfront and tells her she wants to learn the job the way Harper does it.

Lucy is smart and can see the logic of what Harper was telling her. Tim is great for her but he can’t teach her what Harper knows. Nyla sadly doesn’t take her olive branch. Tells her not to be like her. Lucy commends her career and all she’s done. Harper tells her wasn't worth what she lost. That she doesn’t even want to be her. Oh Nyla you broken soul.

AJ shows up to station using Tim’s card like he was hoping he would. Tells Tim and Jackson his mom left for an errand and never came back. He’s worried something has happened to her. Tim asks him to be straight with them. That he’s stressed he gets it but can’t help her if he doesn’t. He tells them she had been hounded lately by her ex-BF to help be a getaway driver. Said he would kill AJ if she didn’t. They start to get a search grid going for her. Tim is so sweet puts his hand on his shoulder tells him it’ll be ok. I love this.

Harper is jealous Tim and Jackson are squaring off against a heist crew. She asks Lucy what they’re doing at this house. Her reply is too funny. ‘Talk to neighbor about feeding squirrels…’ Harper tells her to stay in the shop. She goes to the door solo and talks to him. She notices his hand is messed up and is instantly suspicious. Harper returns and tells Lucy to run background check.

They look him up and Harper thinks it’s the UCLA bomber. Lucy tells her they’ll need DNA. Tries to call in a warrant and Harper says no. Just needs his trash. They don't need a warrant to do a lawful search of that. Lucy starts her redemption and says Harper will need a distraction then.

Lucy knocks on the door pretending to be someone informing people about drought resistant plants. (her first mini UC) Guy isn't interested but she is persistent. Asks if she can have some water to buy Harper more time. Harper accidentally tears the bag of garbage as she is leaving. He spots Nyla outside the window and arms the floor. We hear the pressure plates click in to place.

Leaving Lucy stuck inside with his armed floor. We hear Nyla call for her (uses her last name BTW. )Lucy warns Harper to get the bomb squad. Tells her the house is armed and he’s rigging a bomb. Then is a total bad ass. Uses those worn spots she notices on his hardwood floor as her map. She slowly navigates the floor to the back room where he’s rigging a big bomb.

After she stops him from arming the bomb she throws him out the window. Harper sees them exit. You know she just proved to Nyla how good she is under pressure. Also how smart she is. She got into the house no problem with her ruse, navigated her way out, and nabbed him before he set bomb off. Nyla asks if she’s gonna puke and she says no. Then does poor girl. All that adrenaline I can’t imagine.

Lucy catches Harper before she leaves. Tells her it was nice working with her today. Nyla is kind and says me too. We see that growth kicking in. Tells Lucy she was wrong to discourage her today. Tells her to goes as far as she wants in this job. That she can be a cop like her but to be better. Tells her she’s has what it takes ‘Not Nolan’ ha

Lucy doing what she does best calling people out. Tells Harper she heard her call her Chen back at the house. Says she knows Harper knows her name haha Harper respects it and she gets a smile out of Nyla. Even John hasn’t gotten that LOL Lucy asks her if she can ask her advice from time to time. She gets a much better response this time and says 'Sure just not all the time' haha She has a rep to protect hehe. So begins a beautiful friendship.

Tim can teach her a lot of what she needs to know truly he can. But he can not teach the wisdom Nyla ends up teaching her. How to handle herself as a female cop. Talia missed the mark so badly with Lucy on that. Nyla truly capitalizes on this moving forward. Harper is exactly what Lucy needed. A strong bad ass female role model she could lean on from time to time. She is apart of the development of the Confident BAMF Lucy that we have today. One of the reasons I adore her character so much. Why I love this ep a lot as well. So good.

Tim and Jackson save AJ’s mom from the heist that takes place. Angela luckily happened to be guarding the target as an off duty side gig. It was wrapped up nicely. They were able to keep AJ's mom from being charged since she was coerced. The ending is super sweet. Get to see Tim/Jackson playing with AJ. His mom watching on. Tim looks so happy and once again in his element. Bragging about how he was one of the top QBs in the state. Eric Weddle shows back up gives Tim crap. Says his interceptions were always perfect spirals ha

Ep ends super sweet Tim/AJ squaring off against Eric and Jackson. Lots of trash talking snd cuteness haha Perfect way to end the SL. Love this so for them individually so very much. Tim for showing his compassion and sharing his past with AJ. Lucy for growing and learning about herself as a cop. Harper becoming an ally for her is huge.

Fantastic episode. Thanks to all who continue to like/comment (love me some comments), and reblog. You are amazing and I appreciate you all.

~~~~~

Side notes-Non chenford

Not really much two main SLs were Tim and Lucy separately. So I will say I did like Nolan and the doctor. They had a good background and chemistry. Too bad they didn't work out.

Shall see you all in 2x08 :)

[colourfulwatson]

Wow. First time I hit the maximum number of tags. Sufficient to say I had some thoughts about this ahahaha, I couldn’t even get to the bit where they kissed :( but rest assured sherlock comes around and runs back to John packing his things (ever the soldier wanting to be ready in advance for everything) and tells him how wrong he is after he deduces John’s side of everything <3

I should have just written everything like this but I didn’t know it was going to be this detailed

John: I’ve been dropping him the most insanely obvious hints for like a year now. No response.

Sherlock: Wow. He sounds stupid.

John: But he's not. He's really smart actually. Just dense.

Sherlock: Maybe you need to be more obvious? Like, I don’t know… “Hey, I love you.”

John: I guess you’re right. Hey Sherlock, I love you.

Sherlock: See, Just say that.

John: Holy fucking shit.

Sherlock: If that flies over his head then, sorry John, but he's too dumb for you.

John: Sherlock.

[americancowgirl19]

Tommy’s Little Girl

Summary: You’re the most precious thing to Thomas Shelby. So, when a guy comes into your life he isn’t the most supportive.

Warnings: fluff, angst, cursing

Reader: Female Reader

Pairings: Tommy Shelby x Daughter!Reader, Reader x Male Character (H/n = His name, he can be whoever you want)

Word Count: 5,261

A/n: This was a request by an anon - Please can I request that Tommy Shelby’s daughter becomes engaged to a man behind his back and he refuses to acknowledge the engagement while the rest of the family do. After six months, just before the wedding, Tommy finally comes around to the idea... So, I added a few things to this request, I hope you still like it! I was just going to do the scene that the anon requested but I personally love writing who stories and backgrounds and shit so you get to see an entire life at Tommy’s daughter with the request included! Oh, and John doesn’t die cause fuck that.

Masterlist

You were the ultimate daddy’s girl. From the moment you were born you and your father were inseparable. The only thing that tore you apart was the war. You were barely two years old when he went off to serve his country.

When he left he entrusted Polly to look after you. Of course she treated you as if you were her own. She protected you as fiercely as she protected your father, uncles and aunt. Especially when your Aunt Kitty, Kitty Jurossi, showed up demanding that you were to go with her.

Kitty is your mother’s sister. She never approved of Greta being with Tommy. While Tommy taking care of Greta in her final days and loving her as he did was honorable, Kitty knew what kind of man he is. She knew what kind of family he had, what kind of business he partook in. She didn’t want you around them.

Polly always thought it was amusing how Kitty waited until Tommy was out of country to try and collect you. Kitty wrongfully assumed that Polly would just hand you over. Your mother’s sister was lucky she was able to return to her home with her life, especially when she tried to forcefully take you.

You remembered that day very vaguely. You don’t remember what happened but you remembered the yelling, someone grabbing you painfully and how scared you were. Your father had just left you for the longest time in your life and now this woman was trying to take you from the person you considered your mother.

The years without your father were long and unmemorable. When he finally returned home you were five going on six. You waited on the train platform with Polly, Ada and Finn. Polly kept a tight hold on you as the soldiers came off the train and went to their families.

You tried to find him but you were far too short and all of them were wearing the same uniform and cap. You jumped in your spot just itching to run into his arms. It didn’t matter that you didn’t really remember specific details of him. You remembered the feeling you had with him. You remembered being safe and happy with him. You remembered being sad and lonely without him. You’d rather be safe and happy than the other part.

“There they are!” Ada shouts. Your head darts to where she was pointing. When you spotted him not even Polly was able to hold you back.

You remember him shoving his way through the others to get to you. When you were close he dropped to his knees and pulled you into his arms. You clung to him.

Then, just like before he left, the two of you were inseparable once again. The only time you weren’t together was when you were sleeping (although on rough nights you often found your way in his bed) or when he had dangerous Peaky business.

You were the Shelby princess. You were untouchable. You didn’t figure out how much you could get away with until you were older. You could murder his best friend - not that you ever killed anyone - and the longest he’d stay mad at you would be a few hours, a day at most.

Anything you wanted was yours. You were spoiled but you were also kind and generous. You had bratty streaks but who didn’t? You may have been the light of your father’s life but you were John’s partner in crime. Whenever his own kids got too much or he wanted to pick on his brother’s you were the one he came too.

As much as he did truly enjoy spending time with you, John also knew that with you by his side he wouldn’t get into as much trouble as he would without you. All you had to do was give your pretty little smile and bat those eyelashes and Tommy was wrapped around your finger.

Even when your siblings came into the world you were number one. You didn’t exactly like Charlie, not Grace, at first. They stole your father’s attention, something you weren’t used to sharing. Eventually you warmed up to them.

You were sad when Grace died but not nearly to the extreme as your father. His heart break broke your own heart. You felt as if nothing you did eased his pain. In reality, you were the one person keeping him from completely spiraling. He spiraled but just being with you managed to slowly bring him back.

You were a little more welcoming toward Lizzie and then Ruby. By the time Ruby came around you adored Charlie. Ruby quickly wiggled her way into your heart. You became fiercely protective of them. You helped Lizzie with them when Tommy got too busy. When you needed a break you joined your father to the office and he would continue explaining what he did.

To you, life was perfect. You had everything you needed and everything you wanted. Tommy kept you in the business just enough to satisfy you but not enough to put you directly in danger. You didn’t understand a lot of the politics and drama within the family but to you it didn’t matter. You had your family, you had your fun, and life was great.

Then, as you were creeping up on your mid-twenties, you met the man you wanted to spend the rest of your life with. You were in the market with Lizzie, Polly, and Ruby. You had wandered a bit from the others. There was some jewelry you were looking at when he came over. 

He was tall, muscular, and extremely handsome. He had a boyish smile and a flirtatious personality. It didn’t take you long to also figure out that he was clumsy and adorable. You were instantly hooked.

You two talked (flirted) for longer than you thought. Before you knew it Polly, Lizzie and Ruby were rejoining you. Polly was weary of him but it was obvious that he quickly won Lizzie over.

Much to your displeasure, once the three of them showed up you were quickly whisked away from him. Polly had said it was time to go and not many people were brave enough to argue with her. 

Even on the way home you thought about him. You hoped that you would see him again but you figured it was unlikely.

Word got around about you meeting Mr. Handsome at the market. Your uncles teased you and Ada interrogated you. Your father was oddly quiet on the other hand. He didn’t want to talk about it, so he didn’t. He just hoped that your paths wouldn’t cross again.

Tommy knew you were getting older but that didn’t mean he liked it. He wanted you to stay his little girl for a while longer. He wished you were still small enough to ride on his shoulders and small enough for him to engulf you in his arms. But you were growing into a beautiful young lady. Whether he liked it or not other men were bound to recognize your beauty and seek you out. He had been lucky, for the most part, about your disinterest in dating, but it wasn’t going to last.

Most of the women your age were already married with at least one child. You were content by yourself. You were gaining responsibilities with the business and being your father’s personal helper. Even though you were content you wanted more. You wanted your own family to come home to with your own kids.

Fortunately, for Tommy, you wouldn’t see the boy from the market for quite some time. It had been so long you had forgotten about him. Until suddenly he showed back up.

The Shelby’s were having a night at the fights. You were enjoying yourself. You didn’t get dolled up often but when you did you went all out. You felt beautiful thus making you feel confident. On top of that, everyone knew exactly who you were which meant heads turned in your direction everywhere you went. You felt important, untouchable. 

You sat with your aunt Ada, Aunt Polly, and step mother Lizzie. The three of you were talking amongst yourselves while the boys hollered at the match in front of them. When the fighters changed out you happened to look up and there he was.

Ada had been talking to you but you suddenly stopped listening. He was bigger, more muscular, than you remember. He didn’t seem as clumsy anymore yet he was just as handsome. 

“Y/n,” Ada shouts over the crowd.

“Oh, will you look at that,” Lizzie states looking at who you were staring at.

“Who’s he?” Ada questions. Lizzie reminds her about the guy from the market you had met over a year prior. You continued to ignore them.

Right before the match started his eyes connected with yours. He obviously recognized you. He sent you the same boyish smile he had in the market causing a light blush to come to your cheeks. He bravely sent you a wink before focusing on the fight.

Your eyes remained glued on him with Tommy’s eyes started at you. He had noticed the interaction and didn’t like it in the slightest.

When the match ended, with his unfortunate loss, you excused yourself to the loo. You weren’t fooling anybody. Everyone who paid attention knew where you were going and Tommy had half a mind to stop you when something grabbed his attention. The split second his attention was off of you gave you the time you needed to disappear into the crowd.

“H/n,” You say, standing in the doorway of the locker room. You were slightly nervous - a lot nervous - but you weren’t 100% sober so that helped. His head snapped up at the sound of your voice.

“Y/n,” He says, turning away from his locker and toward you. “Shelby,” He adds. You hadn’t told him who you were. It was obvious he hadn’t known back then and you wanted to keep it that way.

“In the flesh,” You gave him a twirl. “You fought well tonight,”

“I lost,” He deadpanned but didn’t look all that bothered by it..

“Caught me attention,” You told him.

“Guess it wasn’t a complete loss then, aye?” He smirks. “How about you make me a winner tonight and agree to a date?” You blushed.

“I can do that,” You agreed.

From there your relationship blossomed. The two of you fell for each other quickly. He started showing up around the family more. Your uncles hazed him, Ada and Polly constantly interrogated him, and your father silently judged him. No matter how hard you or H/n tried, your father never came around.

H/n didn’t care about Tommy’s disapproval of him. He loved you with all his heart and nobody was going to keep you from him. He may be funny, charismatic and handsome but he knew he was selfish with a side of possessive. In his mind, you were his and he wasn’t letting you go. He would do anything to keep you and to keep you happy.

It honestly was no surprise that less than a year later the two of you were engaged. He had taken you out on a picnic under the stars on a beach. You had dinner, went swimming and had a fire in the sand. While stargazing he proposed with a beautiful ring. You didn’t hesitate to say yes.

The next day, as you two were makin breakfast, you asked how your father handled him asking for permission when H/n told you he never asked. It shocked you that H/n didn’t talk to Tommy first. You knew when it came to your father H/n was a little rebellious but this was different. Honestly, you were a bit upset he didn’t speak with Tommy first. 

It hadn’t even been twenty four hours since your engagement and the two of you were thrown into a fight. A minor one but a fight nonetheless. He didn’t see why it mattered seeing as the two of you were getting married with or without his permission. You argued that it wasn’t his permission you were looking for but your blessing. H/n didn’t understand just how close you and Tommy are but you wished he would at least respect it.

Eventually, he apologized when he finally noticed just how important Tommy’s approval meant to you. You promised H/n that you would marry him no matter what but keeping it from your father was not an option. H/n promised to talk to him.

A few days passed and then a week. H/n still didn’t talk to Tommy. You were fed up and decided to do it yourself. When you arrived at the Arrow House all you found were Lizzie and Ruby. 

Ruby instantly spotted the ring. You desperately wanted to talk to Tommy first but since you weren’t getting passed you sister not Lizzie you conceded.

“So, when did he pop the question?” Ruby asked.

“About two weeks ago,” You answered, a large smile on your face. “He asked me on the beach under the stars,” Ruby swooned but Lizzie didn’t seem to be paying attention anymore. You looked at her. You tensed noticing her looking behind you. Slowly, you turned around and saw your father standing there.

His eyes stare into your eyes and for the first time in your life you can’t figure out what he was thinking. He seemed emotionless but you couldn’t tell if the look in his eyes was anger or disappointment. His eyes glanced down at your hand, at your ring.

“Dad, I-” You didn’t get a chance to explain. He turned around and walked out of the house. You were shocked. He never did that to you. He always let you speak no matter what he was feeling. When you snapped out of it you quickly went after him but he was already in the car driving down the road. “Dad! Wait, please!” But he just keeps driving.

“He’ll come around,” Ruby tries to comfort but her words just go in one ear and right out the other.

For weeks your father avoided you like the plague. You walked into a room, he walked out. You tried to talk, he talked over you. You tried to get his attention, he ignored you. You tried for over a month before deciding to give him some space and focus on planning your wedding.

With the help of Ada, Ruby, Polly, and Esme you planned the wedding. Every day you got a step closer to the date. Every day you got more excited. Yet one thing continued to dampen your mood.

“Y/n, come in,” Esme greets, stepping aside to let you into her home.

“Is John here? I want to talk to him,” You say, fiddling with your fingers nervously. Esme smiles kindly and nods.

“Why don’t you have a seat and I’ll fetch him,” She suggests before disappearing into the house. You walk into the parlor. You smile and play with your cousins for a bit before John finally joins you.

“I wanted to ask you something,” You say after he shoos the kids away. He gives you his attention. You take in a deep breath as tears mist over your eyes. He looks more concerned by the second. “I was wondering if you... would walk me down the aisle,” John frowns his eyebrows.

“You want me?” He asks, shocked. “What about Tom-”

“He hasn’t spoken to me for months,” You snap, struggling to keep your tears from falling. “He can hardly look at me or stand to be in the same room. I think it’s safe to say he’s not coming,” You try to sound angry but curse silently when your voice grows more shaky. John sighs.

“Come here, sweetheart,” He opens his arms and you quickly close the distance between the two of you. He holds you tightly as you cry in his chest. “Tommy’s being a right arse at the moment, everyone knows that,” He mutters. “But nothing in the world is going to stop him from walking you down that aisle,”

“H/n being at the end of it might,” You mutter. John laughs quietly.

“Love, if Tommy really hated H/n, he would be dead by now,” John says truthfully. You see the logic in his statement but it hardly lifts your spirits. 

“The wedding is in two weeks,” You whisper. “He hasn’t budged yet,”

“I want you to do something for me,” John says, pulling back just enough to look at your face and wipe your tears. “I want you to think through your entire life and tell me a time where you didn’t get your way with Tommy,” John challenges. “I’m not even going to wait because it never bloody happened,” You smile a bit. “Now, this has been the longest you’ve had to wait for him to come around but trust me, he is incapable of not doing what you want,”

“Will you still be on standby?” You ask him. He smirks and kisses your forehead.

“Of course,” He whispers. “Bloody hell, has anyone said no to you before?” He asks, smirking as he steps away from you.

“What can I say? I’m everyone’s sweetheart,” You smile. John rolls his eyes and offers for you to stay for dinner, which you accept.

When you returned home you noticed H/n was home as well. You had moved out of Arrow house before the engagement, something your father strongly disagreed with.

When you walked inside, H/n was waiting up for you. You hadn’t meant to be home so late. It’s just when you’re with John and his kids they just make the time fly by. Luckily, H/n didn’t seem upset just tired.

“Come here,” He mutters, opening his arms. You smile and settle in his lap enjoying the feeling of his thick arms wrapped around your body. “Were you at Arrow House?” He asks.

“No, I went to see Uncle John,” You tell him. He hums curiously. “I wanted to ask if he’d walk me down the aisle,” You whisper. H/n holds you tighter.

“I’m sorry, Y/n,” He whispers to you. “I shouldn’t have proposed without asking for his blessing or at least mentioning it to him,”

“No, you shouldn’t have,” You grumbled before sighing. “But this is much more than that. Something else is bothering him,”

“You’re his precious girl, he’ll talk eventually,” He reassures you. You don’t respond, you simply cuddle deeper into his embrace.

A week passed. You had five days until your wedding. You woke up excited as you daydreamed about the day. However, your happiness didn’t last.

BRITIAN     AT    WAR    WITH    GERMANY

Your father and uncles had fought in the first war. The supposed ‘war to end all wars’. Now, only a short few years later there was another war. A war the next generation would fight. A war your H/n volunteered to join.

You were in the kitchen cleaning up. You were doing everything you could to keep buys. Britain was officially at war and you were terrified. You knew everything was going to change. Deep down you knew it would happen but it didn’t register until he was right in front of you.

“When do you leave?” You whisper, desperately trying to stay together as you look at H/n. He was in his uniform with papers in his hand.

“Thursday,” H/n hesitantly whispers. You close your eyes and hang your head. Not only was your soon-to-be husband going off to fight this war but he was leaving before your wedding. On top of that, you only had two more days with him.

“Why do you have to leave?” You whimpered. He doesn’t answer. He just closes the gap between the two of you and pulls you into a tight hug. He hugged you as if he could single handedly keep you from falling apart.

“I will come back to you, Y/n Shelby,” He states firmly. “Heaven nor hell will keep me from you, you have me word,”

“I love you,” You whisper, clinging to him. He pulls back just enough to tilt your head up to his lips. He doesn’t verbally respond but he tries to pour all his love and determination to return to you in the breathtaking kiss.

You cling to him for as long as you can but eventually have to let him go. While he didn’t leave until Thursday he had much to get done before then. He promised he would be back in a few hours but you didn’t want to be alone.

The first thing you did was go to Polly. You froze when you saw her drying her cheeks. Finn had volunteered as well. Together you both cried. 

Finn might have technically been your uncle but he was more of a brother. There was only a few years difference between the two of you. Polly had raised you both. You hated that you could possibly not only lose H/n but Finn as well.

Luckily Charlie was still too young to join but only for another year. You had no doubt that he would join up the first chance he got. He’s Tommy’s son. Neither of them were good at backing down.

When you left Polly you went to Arrow House. You were done. You were done with your father’s stubbornness. You were done with his silence and his judgmental stares. He could be mad about the wedding all he wanted but you needed him to come back to you.

“Did H/n..?” Lizzie’s voice dissipates. She didn’t want to finish the question and she didn’t have too. You just nod and accept her comforting hug. You’ve cried the majority of the day and knew you weren’t done yet. You knew the second you went face to face with Tommy you’d fall apart all over again.

“Where is he?” You ask.

“In his office,” Lizzie says knowing exactly who you were wanting. “Most likely on his second bottle by now,” You sighed, rubbing your face tiredly. “I’ll make some tea,” You send her a smile and a nod.

You don’t even bother to knock, you rarely did. There wasn’t a room you knew about that you weren’t welcome into. Inside you found your father slouched in his chair with a full glass in his hands. He doesn’t bother to look at you. You don’t even know if he registers your presence. 

“I don’t know what you’re so mad at me about,” You began. Your voice sounded strong and you hoped it stayed that way. “Yes, H/n asked me to marry him. No, I didn’t know at the time that he didn’t talk to you but get over it. You haven’t made his time in this family easy, no wonder he doesn’t want to talk to you. 

“When you found out you found out too soon. I was there to talk to you about it but Ruby and Lizzie saw me first. This wasn’t something I wanted to keep from you, I never meant to hurt you. I’m sorry,” You whisper. Hope fills you a bit when he glances at you in the corner of his eye. “I know something else is bothering you but I don’t know what it is and I need you to work it out some how because I need you, dad,” You whimper. 

He finally looks at you. 

“These last few months have been so hard without you and now H/n is going off to war, I’m not sure if I’m even going to get married, and you still won’t fucking talk to me!” You shouted but the tears in your eyes betrays your anger. “I’m scared out of my mind I’m going to lose H/n, that I’m going to lose Finn... That I already lost you,” A few tears fall down your face. “I’m sorry for whatever I did, please forgive me because I need you so fucking back,”

By the end you were close to sobbing and falling to you knees. You sobbed but you never fell. Tommy was out of his seat and was wrapping his arms around you before your knees could give away.

He leads you to the couch and sits down. You curl into his chest like you used to do when you were younger. He hums quietly and rocks you.

“You didn’t lose me, darling girl,” He whispers to you. “I’m so sorry for the way I’ve acted. I should have never treated you like I have. No, I don’t like H/n but not because of who he is but because he’s taking my little girl from me,” You tilt your head to look at him. “For nearly 26 years you have been the center of my world,” He whispers quietly. “Through everything, you have been the most important constant in my life. There were many times you were my only source of happiness, my only will to live,” He admits. “I’m terrified of what I’ll do without you,”

“You’ll never be without me,” You whisper to him. “I live ten minutes away and you’ll still see me daily whether H/n likes it or not,” Tommy smiles a bit. “And maybe when the war is over you’ll have more mini me’s running around,” Tommy scowls at the thought of the process of making children rather than the thought of the actual kids.

“You’re happy with him?” You nod. “You love him and he loves you?” You nod again. “Has he hurt you?” You shake your head. He sighs, slightly frustrated with the lack of reason to murder H/n. Not that he really needed a reason but he knew if he did he would hurt you. He’s already hurt you enough as it is. “Then you have my blessing,” You smile at him.

“He leaves before the wedding,” You whisper. He shrugs.

“So, move the wedding up,” He says nonchalantly. 

“How are we going to set everything up before Thursday?” You ask. He smirks.

“You don’t worry about a thing,” He kisses your forehead. “Let me call Ada, Pol, and Esme. They’ll help you get ready and I’ll worry about the rest,”

“You avoided this wedding the entire time, now you’re going to plan in within a few hours?” You ask.

“I’m Thomas Shelby,” He said as if it were the cure to all diseases. “Up you get,” He gently pushes you out of his lap. “No worrying,” He points at you before kissing your forehead again.

“Who’s going to want to celebrate at a time like this?” You ask before he leaves. He turns toward you and smiles softly.

“Right now is the perfect time to celebrate a moment like this,” Tommy tells you. You can see the honesty in his eyes and can tell he’s briefly reliving the past. You hate that his past is always haunting him and you pray that you’ll be able to help H/s if... when he comes back to you. “Relax, get ready, and I’ll see you in a few hours.”

It didn’t take long for Ada, Polly and Esme to show up. Polly had your dress and Ada had your accessories. The three of them with Lizzie and Ruby helped you get ready for the wedding.

As you got ready, Tommy went to your home where he found H/n just returning. It was obvious that he was surprised to see Tommy but he invited his future in-law inside nonetheless.

“I was a few years younger than you when I was shipped off to France,” Tommy explained to him. “When I returned I wasn’t the same. Nobody who goes through what we went through, what you will go through, returns the same,” Tommy warns. “Y/n was five or six when I got back. She helped give me a reason to keep waking up, to keep moving. When you come back, you’ll need someone that will be able to anchor you into the present. Don’t push people away, especially Y/n... She won’t let you,” Tommy advises with a soft smile as he thinks about you.

“I won’t,” H/s vows.

“You say that now but I promise it’ll be very tempting when you return,” Tommy says. Casually, Tommy walks closer. “Everyone that returns deals with the past differently. I won’t judge you for the drinks you’ll have or even the drugs you may take,” Tommy shrugs. “But if you come back and you turn violent again Y/n at any point. If you so much as hurt her one time, I will personally dig your grave and put you in it,” Tommy promises. “You will come back, you’ll deal with it however you can, and you’ll take care of Y/n and the family you’ll have. If you can’t do that, don’t marry her and walk away now.”

“I love you daughter. I want her happy and I’ll give my life to keep her safe,” H/s vows.

“Good,” Tommy nods. “That’s my little girl. Her happiness is everything to me. You give me one reason to kill you and I promise you and whatever god is out there that I will take that chance,”

“Understood,” H/n slowly nods.

“Good,” Tommy nods again. “Well, let’s get going, you’re getting married in a few hours,” Tommy says walking toward the door. He pulls out a cigarette and begins to light it.

“I am?” H/n calls out confused. Tommy just keeps walking and H/n jogs to catch up.

A few hours later, John and Arthur show up to collect the women.

“Your chariot awaits madam,” Arthur announces loudly. You couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear as he leads you to the car. John winks at you playfully.

“Told you he’d come around,” John teased.

“Should have cried in front of him sooner, that usually does the trick,” You joke back. John grins wider and kisses your head.

“Alright! Let’s get a move on, we’ve got a wedding to get too!” Arthur hollers. When you arrive where the rest of the gypsies and Peaky Blinders are, they cheer for your arrival.

Tommy greets you at the car looking handsome as ever.

“I hope I’m still allowed to walk you down,” He mutters helping you out of the car.

“Of course,” You smile leaning into him. He kisses your head and leads you toward the aisle. At the end you find H/s standing there looking breathtaking. “I’m scared,” You whisper.

“That’s alright,” He promises, slowly walking you toward your future husband. “There’s going to be moment where you’re scared but there will never be a moment where you’re alone,” He tells you. You tighten your arm around his. “These last few months will never happen again,” He vows. “I’ll be there anytime and every time you need me,”

“I know,” You whisper. 

When you reach the end, Tommy turns toward you. You smile up at him. He gently cups the side of your face.

“I love you,” He whispers, gently kissing your forehead. His lips linger as he remembers the day you were born, the day he left and came back from the war. He remembered every moment he shared with you. He hated that future memories would be shared with H/n but as long as you were there he wouldn’t mind.

“I love you too,” You whisper back, basking in the warmth and safety of his embrace for a moment longer. Tommy hesitantly steps back. You both share a smile before he hands you off to your soon-to-be husband.

[ttuesday]

How would the fellers react to overhearing their s/o talk about them to other camp members. I just know I would be gushing about them

Arthur

Arthur passes through camp with a hay bale over his shoulder, bringing it over to the horses when he hears his name. Stopping in his tracks, Arthur listens intently and soon realizes you’re talking to Mary-Beth about him.

He doesn’t mean to eavesdrop but he could feel a wave of anxiety wash over him as soon as he comprehends it’s you talking about him and Arthur slyly listens in. Panic fills him as Arthur assumes you’re complaining about him but the more he listens the more he understands you’re actually gushing over him.

Arthur can’t even begin to describe how loved he feels hearing how happy you are with him. His chest gets heavily and his cheeks become warm. He carries on with his task and afterwards when he notices you’re finished talking to Mary-Beth, he makes his way over to you and captures your lips in a kiss, mumbling that he’s a very lucky man to be with you.

Charles

Charles is busy tending to the horses when he overhears you. It takes him a while to register that you’re talking about him, feeling somewhat surprised at how much you are gushing and swooning over him. Charles knows you care about him but to hear you saying it to someone else is a honor to him.

He doesn’t stay there for too long, hastily moving away so you don’t think he’s purposely eavesdropping. Charles can’t stop smiling for the rest of the day, repeating your words of praise over and over in his head.

That evening, Charles comes clean and tells you he accidentally overheard some of your conversation. He’s relieved to see you’re not mad and tells you how much he loves and appreciates you too.

Dutch

Dutch knows exactly what he’s doing. Of course he’ll say he “accidentally” overheard you but Dutch has planned this out. He loves you and trusts you undoubtedly but he still wants to be absolutely certain you’re happy with him.

He listens in for about 5 minutes, analysing every word you say. If you allude to wanting to go anywhere or try anything then Dutch makes a quick note of it in his head, making sure to surprise you with it later in the week.

Dutch does eventually reveal that he’s there, acting as though he’s just strolling by when he hears his name. “Are my ears burning?” He chuckles, wrapping his arm around your waist as he gives you a knowing look.

Micah

Micah usually lurks around the outskirts of camp so it’s easy to not notice him leaning against a tree or wandering around by the wagons. When he hears you talking about him, he can feel his heart thumping in his chest, presuming you’re obviously talking about him cause you’re planning to break up with him.

Micah tends to jump straight to the worst case scenario so he’s preparing himself to fight with the other gang members, thinking they must be trying to convince you Micah’s not worth your time. But then he hears more.

Honestly Micah feels a little stupid for presuming the worse. A goofy smile forms on his face as he listens to you talk about him. As tempted as he is to reveal he’s there, he does like you enough not to embarrass you or fluster you in front of whoever you’re talking to. Instead he waits until you’re both alone, teasing you about it then. Yep, Micah won’t let this go for a longggggg time

John

Whenever John accidentally overhears people talking about him, 99% of the time they’re complaining about him. Whether they’re calling him lazy, immature, stupid or laughing cause he can’t swim, he’s kinda used to it now.

So John doesn’t hesitate, immediately butting into your conversation and ready to disagree with whatever complaint you’re making about him. “Hey my eyes ain’t dreamy, they’re brown” he interrupts. 

It’s only when John hears himself does he realize you were actually complimenting him. He gets flustered, stumbling over his words as he mutters an apology and thanks you for being so kind.

Javier

Javier stops the second he hears his name. At first Javier thought that maybe you were trying to call him over, not realizing that you're talking to someone else. But before he can disclose he's there, Javier comprehends the situation at hand. 

He's torn, feeling like he's invading your privacy by listening in but loving each word you're saying. Javier only stays there for a few seconds, listening closely as you finish your sentence before he starts to move again.

Javier acts as though he's just walking by now, making it obvious he’s there and so you call out to him. Once the other person has left, Javier asks if you were talking about him, kissing the side of your head. When you admit that you were but you weren't saying anything bad, Javier calls you cute, giving you a sly wink before going about his day.

Sean

Sean could feel his stomach drop when he hears you say his name. Normally when he overhears people talking about him, they're moaning about him (no, not in the good way) so he gets really nervous.

Sean knows he shouldn't listen in on your conversation but he's scared he has accidentally upset you so by listening in, Sean hopes he can make things right again.

The more he listens to you gush about him and talk about how happy he makes you, Sean can feel his heart become warm. Completely interrupting your conversation and exposing he’s been eavesdropping, Sean calls out to you and opens his arms for a hug, saying all the things he loves about you too.

Bill

Bill gets real worried real fast. His mind instantly thinks he's fucked up and the only reason you're talking about him is because he's pissed you off somehow. The colour practically drains from his face for a few moments.

He intentionally listens in, hoping that if he can learn what the issue is so then he can quickly resolve it. It takes him a few seconds to realize you're gushing about him, listing off all the little things he does to make you happy.

A small, relieved smile forms on his face and Bill walks off. He doesn't see the point in telling you he was there, if anything he's scared it might start an argument because he was 100% eavesdropping. It’s definitely the boost Bill needed and he makes sure to treat you like royalty for the rest of the night.

Trelawny

Trelawny’s behind the tents, picking some colourful flowers for you as a surprise. When he first hears your voice, he gets excited and hopes he can quickly pick a few more and give them to you now, oblivious to the words you’re saying.

When he eventually starts to pay attention to your conversation, Josiah’s jaw drops open. He knows you love him but to hear just how much you appreciate him truly makes him feel cherished.

He quickly makes you aware of his presence, saying how he didn't mean to listen in but that he does love to listen to you gush about him. Handing you the flowers, he gives you a peck on the lips and suggests you both go away for the night.

Hosea

Hosea’s brushing Silver Dollar's mane when he notices you talking to Arthur. He’s about to go over and greet you both when he hears you say his name. Without thinking, Hosea stops dead in his tracks and listens in.

Hosea is a little taken aback to hear his name, feeling a pit of worry begin in his stomach. He stands there for a few seconds, a concerned look on his face. He breaths a sigh of relief when he hears you praising him and not complaining about him.

Regaining his confidence, Hosea clears his throat and walks over. He apologises for interrupting your conversation and asks for a moment alone with you. As soon as Arthur walks off, Hosea kisses you sweetly, admitting to overhearing the lovely things you said about him.

[tbmaybank]

New To Town (6)

(Gif credit to whoever made it; I’m sorry I’m not sure who it was)

Warnings: mention of abuse; court case.

A/n: there will be one more part to this! I hope you all have enjoyed so far!

Part 5

——————————————————————————

The few weeks leading up to the trial were a blur. But now the day was basically here, court starts at 9am tomorrow morning. I’m currently sitting in lawyers office, as she tries to prepare me for when I’m called to the stand to give my statement.

“Now, the defense is going to try anything they can to rile you up. They’ll ask you questions to try to make you think it’s your fault, which it’s not. Are you prepared for that?” The lawyer asks.

“Yes, I think so.” I replied, wishing I didn’t have to do this. Which, I guess I technically don’t have too, but they told me that it does help the chances of a guilty verdict.

We spend the next hour going over my story, starting at the beginning of our relationship, and everything that led up to this incident. We run through possible questions I’ll be asked.

“This boyfriend of yours… JJ, correct?” I nod. “They are going to ask about him, I can almost guarantee that.” I kind of figured that. They were having him come to the stand too, since he’s the one who found us that day. “There was nothing going on with him before you left Scott, correct?”

“No, I didn’t meet him until after I moved out.”

“Good… good. They’d definitely try to use that as ammo.”

Eventually, we were finished for the day. As prepared as we can get, as she put it. She went to the door of her office, and told Sarah I was ready. Sarah has been helping out as much as she can, whenever JJ wasn’t able to, she was right there. I could never thank her enough. When you have a broken leg, and a broken arm, getting around becomes pretty tough. Can’t walk, obviously, and crutches are out of the question. So until I’m healed up, I’m in a wheelchair. That I can’t even work by myself, cause like I said; broken arm.

“How do you feel about tomorrow?” She asks once we’re in the car.

I shrug, “I think, that no matter what we say or do, he’s gonna get out of this.” This was the first time I’ve admitted this fear out loud.

Sarah nods slowly, understanding why I would think that. “It’s a fear of mine too, y/n. But I hope we’re wrong. He deserves to rot in there for what he did.”

We pull up to the Chateau, and John B comes over to help get me inside. He’s been letting me stay here since the incident, the stairs leading up to my apartment just being a major hassle.

“JJ should be here any minute,” he says. “How did it go today?”

“In the words of the lawyer, we’re ‘as prepared as we can be.’” I tell him as he helps me get situated on the couch. He nods in return, and then pulls out a blunt.

“Want something to ease your pain a little?” He asks, wiggling his eyebrows.

“God, yes.”

JJ gets there when we’re about halfway through smoking. “Hey baby.” He says, leaning down to kiss me. He takes the blunt from me and takes a couple hits. “You feel ready for tomorrow?” He asks as he sits down.

“I don’t wanna think about it. I just wanna enjoy tonight.”

And so we don’t talk about it. We spend the night laughing all together. While tomorrow didn’t completely leave any of our minds, we pushed it as far back as we could.

————————

*The Next Morning*

If I wasn’t stuck in this chair, I would be pacing the hallways at the courthouse right now. But I can’t. So instead I’m sitting here, tapping the food I can move repeatedly on the floor, trying to slow my breathing down. JJ takes my hand, giving it a small squeeze.

“Baby, it’s gonna be okay. You don’t even have to look at him in there. I’ll be sitting in the front row. Just look at me.” I nod, thanking him. “By the end of this, he’ll be in jail for a very long time.”

“J,” I say while sighing, “I really don’t think he’s going to be.”

He looks confused. “Why do you say that? He almost killed you, y/n. They’re not just gonna let him walk.”

“He’s loaded, J. You know people like him don’t ever actually get in trouble.”

He looks at me for a second, like he’s trying to find something to say.

“Y/n? We’re ready for you.” The lawyer interrupted before he could find the words to say.

JJ wheels me into the courtroom, and up to the stand. Thankfully they had one I could just wheel up too, and didn’t need to try to get into a different chair. He gives my hand another quick squeeze before going to sit. I’m trying hard not to let my gaze fall onto Scott. I can’t let him get into my head. Not again. Ever again.

I almost feel like I’m on auto pilot as I answer the questions thrown at me. Feels like I’m reading from a memorized script as I tell the story on how we got here. These are the questions from the prosecutors side though, these are the ones I rehearsed over and over with the lawyer. But when it comes time for the defense attorneys questions, I’m scared. I have no idea what they’re gonna ask me.

“Miss y/l/n, you said the defendant came into your apartment uninvited, correct?”

“Yes.”

“He tells us that you opened the door for him, though. Is this true.”

“I opened the door expecting my friend, not him.”

“He also states that you slapped him. Is this also true?”

I hesitate for a second for a second while answering this one, “y- yes. But-“

“And was hitting him something you did often before you left originally?”

“No. This was the first time.”

Why are they focusing so much on one slap, when I’m sitting here with broken bones? I think to myself. Eventually he does move onto a new subject. JJ.

“You told the defendant that you had a boyfriend. Was this a relationship that started while you were still living in the defendants home?”

“No.”

“But you did start this relationship up fairly quickly after leaving, correct?”

“About 2 months.”

“And the defendant, he just wanted you to come home, is that what he told you when he came to your house?”

“Yes, and I refused.”

“I see,” the lawyer says, turning to face the jury now. “I think it’s clear what happened. Our defendant here, never wanted to harm y/n. He wanted his fiancé, the woman he loved, to come home. And she chose a man she barely knew over him. This was, at most, a mistake made by a man with a broken heart.”

I turn to look at JJ after he says this. I can feel the anger rising up in me. It’s okay, he mouths to me. No. No it’s not okay.

“He didn’t love me.” I couldn’t stop myself from saying into the mic, getting the attention back from the attorney. “He loved controlling me. He took joy in making me feel pain, in every way he could. You don’t hurt someone, especially to the point of this,” gesturing to my casts, “if you love them. You don’t almost kill someone by beating them, if you love them.”

The lawyer smirks, and looks to the judge. “No further questions, your honor.”

JJ comes to wheel me back, and then it’s his turn to take the stand. Luckily they don’t hammer him as much. They ask him what happened, what exactly he saw when he when he walked in the apartment that day. What happened between him walking in and the cops arriving.

Eventually, they were done questioning him. The jury was sent to discuss a verdict. JJ brings me outside of the courthouse while we wait to be called back in to hear what they decide. The rest of the Pogues are waiting out there for us, and all of them give us hugs when we come out.

“I brought you guys some food, thought you might be hungry. Sarah said neither of you ate much this morning.” Kie says, handing us a bag of takeout from The Wreck.

“Thank you, Kie. You’re too sweet.” I say to her, taking the bag.

I start eating while JJ fills them in on everything that happened. I try to join in and act normal, but I just can’t. I just keep replaying what that lawyer said to the jury. Scott was not heartbroken. And he didn’t make a mistake. I just really hope I’m wrong, and he actually doesn’t get to walk.

After a little bit, the rest of the group goes back to the chateau to give me and JJ some time alone together.

“You know, even if he doesn’t go to jail we’re gonna keep you safe, right? You’ll still never see him again.” JJ says as he takes my hand in his.

I nod, “I know, I just don’t want him doing this to someone else.”

“I don’t either. I know you don’t feel confident about this but I do.”

I give him a smile. “You really are amazing, you know that?”

“Y/n? JJ?” We head, making us turn our heads, “it’s time.” Instantly my hands start getting shaky. JJ kisses the top of my head before wheeling me back in. We stay in the back of the room, and I say it’s because of my chair, but in reality I just don’t want him to be able to see me. I know I should be listening to what’s being said in the room right now, but I can’t focus. JJ has his arm draped around my shoulder, and I brought my hand up to grab his.

The man standing in the jury section finally grabs my attention as he says 4 little words.

“Guilty on all charges.”

[wheresmybuckyhoes]

Watch Me

Summary: You try to make your boyfriend Roger jealous because he tried to tell you what to wear but it goes slightly wrong

Pairing: Roger Taylor + female reader

Warnings: Swearing, cheating, drinking, angst, mentions of oral

Note from me: This is part one hence the warnings. The realllly smutty stuff will be in part 2, so please like and reblog to give me the boost I need to write part 2 xx

Your boyfriend, Roger, was being a pain in the arse as usual. Later this evening you were planning on attending one of Freddie’s grand after - show parties, so you had gone shopping with your bestie Christine (who happened to be dating Brian) for a dress to fit the occasion. You had settled on a beautiful black dress which barley reached below your bum and showed more than enough cleavage. You looked hot as fuck in it and coudn’t wait to make all the ladies jealous.

However, an hour or two before the party you ran into an obstacle or rather... into Roger. You had just put on the dress and fixed your hair and makeup when you heard the door to your hotel room open. ‘y/n I’m back!’ you heard Roger’s voice echo through the room as you put on your mascara, leaning in close to the bathroom mirror. ‘John told me to wear a suit but obviously I’m never gonna do that cause s’not my style and...’ his sentence came to a sudden hault as reached the doorway of the bathroom.

You saw his eyes narrow slightly as they looked you up and down, the gears in his brain clearly working very hard. ‘Y/n. What the fuck are you wearing?’ he asked while his icy blue eyes pinned you down. ‘I got the dress with Chrissy for the party. Do you like it?’ you said, giving him a spin so he could see the full veiw. You were very proud of yourself as you looked better than you ever had, and you’ve been waiting all week to show Roger. So when he said what came out of his mouth next, you were shocked.

‘You are not wearing that. Every man will have his hands all over you if they have half an eye. I won’t allow it’ announced Roger. You blinked a few times, speechless. ‘Are you fucking kidding me Taylor. I will wear whatever the fuck I want. No man will have his hands anywhere near me if they know I’m with you. But apparently you don’t fucking trust me enough, so you? So Taylor, guess I’m going to the party for someone else’s enjoyment.’ and with that you grabbed your purse and made your way to the door in a huff. ‘DONT YOU DARE Y/N’ Roger warned after you. ‘IM TAKING MY OWN TAXI SEE YOU THERE BITCH’ you screamed, flipping your beloved boyfriend off and slamming the door.

You arrived as the party was in full swing, knowing Roger would arrive soon after you. You decided to make the most of being alone for a bit. After greeting and congratulating Freddie, you made a swift exit towards the bar. It was only after 4 shots of vodka and strong buzz that you saw Roger walk in with his god awful sunglasses, looking around to find you. You hopped off the bar stool only to stumble. You felt a pair of strong mascular hands catch you by the waist and looked up to see a handsome stranger smirk at you, checking you out very obviosuly.

Meanwhile, Roger had given up trying to find you. He made his way to the sofa where his band mates always sat and pulled out his flask filled with whiskey. He sat down between John and Brian, draining the whole thing in a few minutes.

‘What’s the matter darling?’ Freddie asked as he swooped in, sitting opposite Roger on a vacant couch, nursing a glass of wine. ‘Yeah Rog you kinda look like you got kicked in the nuts’ Brian agreed, receiving a friendly nudge from John as he tried to hold in giggles and look serious. ‘Y/n wanted to wear this dress that basically left nothing to the imagination and obviosuly since she’s the sexiest girl to live I didn’t want men to be trying to hit on my girlfriend so I said she can’t wear it’ Roger sighed. Brian winced. ‘WHAT MAY. WHAT’ Roger raised his voice impatiently. ‘Well Rog you never tell your girl what she can and can’t wear. It sets them off. I bet she’s gonna make you go without sex now for a week. Or even a month.’ Brian went on to do a fake gasp. You could see the look on Roger’s face go from worried to pissed as he seemed to suddenly notice something. John saw his fists ball up and he raised an eyebrow as he followed his eyes to where Roger was looking. John’s jaw dropped when he saw what Roger was looking at. You were dancing with the man who had caught you early, grinding against him and letting him touch you anywhere he wanted. You secretly hoped Roger would see you, teaching him not to boss you around.

Brian turned his head as his eyes widened. ‘Oh fuck Rog’ Brian spluttered out, half laughing half feeling bad. ‘I swear to god I’m going to murder that man’ Roger said, removing his sunglasses, and balling up his fists so hard his knuckles had turned white. And then, the finale. The man kissed you. That was it for Roger. ‘Rog she’s probably just teasing don’t do something you’ll regre... ROGER’ Freddie called after him as he stood up and made his way to you.

You felt a tall presence behind you, but were too drunk to realize that amazing, woody smell was Roger as you kept kissing the stranger. Suddenly, you felt 2 hands pull you if the man and next moment the man was on the floor, clutching his bleeding nose and moaning from pain. Before you could turn around, you were lifting over someone’s shoulder and quickly taken upstairs as you giggled, head spinning.

It wasn’t until Roger threw you on a bed in the first bedroom he had found and locked the door that you realised it was him. ‘you kissed another man?!’ Roger said, weirdly quiet. ‘Maybeee’ you slurred, slowly dragging your hand up your thigh, lifting up the dress. ‘Jealous?’

Roger bit his lip and crawled on top of you, pinning your arms either side of you so you coudn’t move. ‘Now princess, you don’t do that. You can’t go around kissing whoever you like. So I’m going to have to punish you now so you will never do that again’ he whispered into your ear. ‘But I thought this dress was asking for it’ you whispered looking at his hair. He took hold of your chin, forcing you to look him in the eyes. ‘We will see you is asking for it when I’m done with you’ he said before his lips crashed into yours.

He began to undress you and kiss you everywhere except where you needed it the most. You whined as his legs skimmed your pussy, but he continued to kiss wherever he felt like it, placing your hand on his hard cock and groaning as you stoked him up and down. ‘Please Roger. Make me feel good’ you mumbled, biting down on his shoulder as he kissed your neck, but just below your sweet spot. ‘Oh, so now you want me to make you feel good?’ he asked biting your thighs aggressively, leaving marks. ‘Just like you were making that man feel good?’ He questioned. ‘Well baby, that’s not how it works. You want to make me jealous? Fine. But now you won’t get to cum until I let you, and that may be after I edge you until you are a whining little mess. So shut that pretty mouth on my cock so you can actually do something useful with it’. Your eyes widened in suprise, not expecting him to be this harsh. You were only trying to make him feel bad for trying to tell you what to wear. Well shit...

*If you guys want a part 2 please think about liking and reblogging ❤️*

[buckyswheezes]

Cruel Summer (Pt. 1/2)

Premise: Steve was 7, Bucky was 6, and you were 4 when you became family. And it was in the summer of your last year in high school when things started to change.

Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes / What doesn't kill me makes me want you more

author's note: First of all, this did not go the way I planned it to. Second, I was wrong; this isn't one-shot but a two-shot fic. Finally, I hope you guys like it. Again, @lokisblackwidow's post made me do this. Sorry if it's different from what you expected it to be.

warning: this fic contains cursing, sexual shit, and incest. Read at your own risk

It's been 15 years since your family moved to New York to start anew. The concrete jungle, skyscrapers, and bustling broadway shows were a stark contrast to California's tropical and easy-going nature. You were too young, though, to notice such things because you were just three years old at the time and mostly spent your time confused because you haven't seen your mom in a long time.

It's only been dad and your brother Steve for weeks now, and both didn't know how to tie your hair the way you like or read those bedtime stories you loved so much. Years later, you finally realized why -she died. The next thing you knew, you have a new mom and a new brother. It's been that way since.

"How's the college application going?" Steve's gruff voice came from the ongoing Facetime.

"I haven't had my breakfast. Can I please have my breakfast first?" You replied, annoyed. You didn't want to be reminded of that first thing in the morning. You slumped down on the seat beside your mom, and she handed you a cup of freshly brewed coffee. "Thanks, mom," You muttered.

Your dad sat on the other side of the table, flipping through the day's paper, and beside him sat Bucky, stuffing his face with bacon, completely ignoring the chaos around him. The empty seat beside him was where Steve sat (when he's home, that is, which was rare nowadays), but the tablet with his huge face plastered in it was placed on the space on the table, so it felt as if you were all still having breakfast together.

"Ooh, someone's grumpy."

"I'm gonna beat your ass when you get home." You threatened.

"Well, joke's on you 'cause I'm not."

"You're not?" Mom frowned.

Steve shifted to look at her. "I took a summer course this year, Biostats. It'll help with my thesis."

"You sure you're not just fonduing with Maryland girls in the summer?"

"Shut up, Buck. You're the playboy in the family, not me."

"Alright, boys!" Your mom chastised then turned to Steve again. "Well, you take care, and if you need anything, just give us a call."

"Will do."

Steve attended Johns Hopkins University -unarguably one of the best universities in America when it comes to Medicine. He'd always wanted to be a doctor, and even though he never said it, you knew it was because of your biological mom. He could've gotten into Harvard, but like you, Steve itched to get out of New York for a change of environment. It was only Bucky who didn't want to go anywhere, and so he attended NYU.

You love New York, no doubt about that. You grew up exploring its Burroughs, and the Central Park had been a staple in your formative years, but lately, you just wanted to get away from all of it. Recently, something changed, and you convinced yourself that it was because it's your last year in high school and you will be going to college soon.

But you knew there was something else. Well, maybe it was also because you turned 18 early this year, you're legal now, and with your going to college on the other side of the coast, you were excited to have a bit of freedom. CalArts was your first choice, being into Performing Arts and all that. Now, your parents weren't painfully strict, but being the youngest and only girl in the family, they couldn't help but be a little protective.

When Steve went to Baltimore two years ago, you were quite relieved. You get it; you're his only sister, but the way he used to hover around and scare away boys grated your nerves. You were just thankful that by sophomore year, he was gone. He'd passed on the mantle to Bucky, but he didn't really care -well, not as much as Steve did.

"Dad, don't forget you're picking me up later after school. I can't be late for my rehearsal." You reminded. Across the table, your old man's jaw dropped.

"I'm sorry, honey, was that today?"

"Uhh yeah, you forgot already?"

"Sorry, it slipped my mind, honey. How about you pick her up, Buck?" He turned to your step-brother.

"What?!" You shrieked in unison.

"I can't. I have stuff to do." He whined. You roll your eyes at his lame excuse.

"No, it's fine. I'll just ask Peter to come with me."

"Who's he, your new boyfriend?" Bucky spat.

You glared at him across the table. "No, he's not. I don't even have a boyfriend; you and Steve made sure of that." You downed the last of your coffee before shooting daggers at him once more. "Don't pick me up. Go do your stuff."

"Bucky…" It was mom's turn to speak.

"Fine!" He grumbled.

————

"Bye, Peter. See you around!" You stood up from the bench where you and your friend sat as soon as you saw Bucky drove up the school's entrance.

You don't know what your step-brother's problem was, but lately, he'd been nothing but irritable and annoyed, especially with your presence. You didn't wait for him to call you, so you jogged as quickly as you could across the schoolyard, silently climbing on the passenger seat as soon you reached where he pulled over.

You cast a wary glance at him; he didn't speak to you since you got on. He didn't even acknowledge your presence. His jaw was set, and he was intent on ignoring you, it seems, for the duration of the ride.

You and Bucky weren't always like this. You two were close; you played a lot when you were kids, you built forts, you wrestled, you chased each other with whatever gooey stuff you put your little hands on. Over the years, he became distant. You'd started to feel distant when Bucky and Steve entered junior high -you just couldn't relate to the stuff they talk about anymore. You're still very close with Steve, but with Bucky, he just drifted further away, especially when you entered high school. Bucky was only two years ahead, so you always saw him around during your freshman year. He was very popular, it seems. Senior girls used to befriend you in hopes of getting close to your step-brother.

You couldn't take it any more of his animosity, so you fully faced him, shifting in your seat. "Have I done something wrong, Buck?"

He looked at you incredulously for a second before turning his attention back on the road.

Annoyed at his lack of response, you hit his shoulder with your fist.

"What the hell y/n! I'm driving. Do you want us to die?!" He growled.

You retreated back to your seat, feeling remorseful for a second. Only for a second, then you burst out crying. "I hate you! I wish you're not my brother!"

You heard him chuckle, but he obviously wasn't amused. "Yeah, wish you weren't my sister too."

———

Bucky was in his last year in high school when he noticed it. He was waiting outside the school library because you said you needed to borrow a book before the two of you go home.

When Steve went off to college, he promised he'd look after you. He noticed firsthand how guys from all grade levels flock to you, hoping they'd catch your attention. Now, Bucky knew what these guys really want, and that's to get in your pants. Over his dead body would he allow that to transpire. So you two always walked home together.

He craned his neck to peek through the giant doors, wondering what's taking you long when he saw you chatting with a guy. His brows furrowed while his lips formed a thin, grim line.

Your smile reached your ears, your eyes glistened in obvious delight, and your cheeks flushed. Your shy gaze was directed at the guy in front of you.

Bucky frowns even more, when the guy ruffled your hair, a gesture that only he has the right to do (he believes). He felt a vein in his head pop in irritation. He felt like punching someone.

"Hey, Buck, let's go!" You chimed, pulling him out of his murderous thoughts.

"Who were you talking to?"

"Oh, that's Stephen. A junior in the dance club." You almost giggled.

"Huh." He scoffed.

The next time he noticed it happen was when he stayed around to watch your cheer dance rehearsals. Your skimpy cheerleader outfit didn't leave much to the imagination; that's why he decided to hover around, ready to pounce on whoever looked at you the funny.

Bucky looked away for a second to glance at his phone when screams filled the schoolyard. The next thing he knew, you were in the air -free-falling. He ran as fast as his feet could take him to catch you, his heart pounding in his ears. Fortunately, someone was there to catch you before you hit the ground.

You fell on top of the guy -Stephen. He gritted his teeth, half-annoyed, half-grateful at the piece of shit. He saw how you stayed on top of him for a few seconds more; furiously blushing. The moment he reached you, Bucky yanked you up and from the guy's body.

"You okay?" He fussed, searching your body for any sign of injury.

"I'm fine, Buck. Stephen caught me." You bit your lip as you shyly looked back at the guy. "Umm, thanks again."

"Yeah, thanks, man," Bucky grumbled, pulling you away from the group.

The way your body rested on another guy just didn't sit well with him. Once again, he felt like punching someone, and that someone is Stephen. He hated the way the guy was always around you. Bucky was sure what his motive was, and he'll never let him get it.

"I want ice cream." You muttered later that afternoon on your way home.

Bucky scoffed at your request. "What are you, five?"

You stopped walking and faced him, a pout on your lips. "Steve always buys me ice cream."

"Well, I'm not Steve."

"Please, I fell off someone's shoulder and almost hit my head. What if I died?"

"What has that got to do with ice cream?"

"I hate you. You're the worst brother, ever."

Bucky chuckled at your antics; he knew you didn't mean it. You just say that to get what you want because when you were kids, Steve and he used to compete for the Best Brother Award. "Fine." He conceded with a smile. He grabbed your grabbed, and you both ran to the nearest ice cream parlor, ordering one big bowl of banana split sundae and stuffing your faces.

Bucky's whole body tensed when your moans filled your ears. He didn't mind it back then, you were young and innocent, but now, Bucky couldn't ignore the sound spilling from your mouth. Sweat dripped down his nape.

This isn't right.

Your moans seem to ring louder in his ears. The way you licked your spoon clean was not helping his situation either. Bucky thinks about the thin line between sanity and insanity when the chocolate syrup trickled from your lips down to your chin until it reached the supple skin of your neck.

"I need to go to the bathroom." He muttered and hastily jolted from his seat, scrambling away from you. Bucky has a growing problem inside his pants, and he needs to take care of it.

Stop this, Bucky, you need to stop this! His mind chastised while his hands unbuckled his belt. You shouldn't feel this… this way towards her. He's your step-sister. It's wrong.

As soon as he reached his release, he made up his mind. He'll stay away from you; kinda impossible since you both live in the same house, but he'll try his best for both your sakes.

Bucky stopped waiting for you after school. He stopped watching your rehearsals. He stopped helping you with your Math home works and, much to your mom's surprise, he started watching evening dramas with her in the living room every night.

So to answer your question, the one you shot at him when he picked you up from school that day. Yes, you did something wrong.

You grew up. And it's been hard for him to see you as his step-sister ever since.

——————

The last day of school finally rolled in, and you intended to enjoy summer before you start college. What you didn't see coming, though, was being left alone with Bucky for one whole week because your parents are going on a cruise.

"Can't I come with you?" You pleaded, eyes wide as you hauled your mom's baggage into the back of the taxi.

"Sorry, honey. Promise, we'll be back as soon as we can." She replied before giving you a hug.

"Don't leave me here. Bucky's gonna bully me all week."

"He won't, right Bucky?" She raised a brow at him, who stood with his arms crossed, looking annoyed.

"Try not to destroy the house while we're away." Was their final reminder before they went on their way.

Bucky was the first one to get back inside the house. Dread ate up your insides; you two haven't spoken since the car ride. You decided once and for all to get things straight with him. So you marched inside about five minutes later.

Bucky heard you barge in his room, but he remained still -eyes closed and pretending to be asleep. He jolted up when you unceremoniously hit his stomach with a pillow.

"What the hell, y/n?!" He snarled, clearly pissed at your assault.

Your nose flared at his attitude. "What is your problem, James Barnes?" You growled in return.

"Am I the one with a problem here?"

"Oh, come on! You know what I mean!"

Bucky pushed past you; you trailed behind, following his figure towards the living room. He needed to get away from you, fast. It irked him that you wouldn't stay the fuck out of his way. You'd even come and gone into his room. Bucky couldn't take it; he'd go crazy.

"Why are you avoiding me? Bucky!… Bucky! Answer me, damn it!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, y/n. So, leave me alone." He was about to reach the door when you threw yourself in front of it, barring his way out. "Move."

"NO! You're not going anywhere until you tell me what's wrong." You crossed your arms, planting your feet firmly on the floor. You weren't gonna let this day end without knowing why Bucky acts the way he does. If it was something that you did, then you'd wholeheartedly make it right, but you'll never know if he keeps on brushing you off. So, here you are.

"Y/n, move." Bucky hissed menacingly."

"No, Bucky." You replied in the same manner.

After your brief glaring contest, Bucky finally looked away, sighing in defeat. "Fine. Something's not right, okay? But it's not you, it's… it's… me, so let me handle this myself."

You relaxed and took a step closer to him. "Can't you tell me? I might be able to help."

Bucky looked away. How could he possibly tell you that he's harboring un-brotherly feelings towards you -his step-sister. How could he possibly tell you that you turn him on, that he's having inappropriate thoughts about you for a year now? How could he possibly tell you that he might be falling in love with you?

All those times you spent together when Steve was gone. The times you intently and genuinely listened to his adolescent problems. The times you cheered for him when he played football in high school. You were his number one fan. You were so different from the others, and he hated how it made him look at you differently. He hated when you boys started coming into your life. He always believed that you had a special place in your heart for him, but now he feared that anyone might snatch that place from him. You were his best girl.

Bucky grimaced at his realization. He finally admitted to himself that he is, indeed, falling in love with you. He felt angry at himself. How could he let this happen? He thought he was in control of his emotions.

"Eventually, I'll tell you. But not now." He said softly, hoping you'd let him go.

But you were persistent. "No, Bucky. I want you to tell me now." You demanded.

"Y/n," He growled loudly this time. "Move out of my way!"

"I won't until you tell me."

"Move!"

"Just tell me!"

Bucky's resolve broke. The sirens in his mind went off, but he ignored them as he strode towards you intently. He smirked when your bravado faltered before vanishing completely when he pushed you against the door; your bodies pressed together, making sure you could feel the tent growing against his pants.

Your eyes widened in shock. "Wha-"

"You wanna know why? Huh," He asked through gritted teeth, his face hovered dangerously close to yours that you could feel the hot breath coming through his nose. Bucky didn't give you time to answer because he roughly crashed his lips towards yours. He wasted no time shoving his tongue inside your mouth.

Bucky could feel your hands against his chest, pushing him away. He could hear the muffled pleas of protest as he relentlessly assaulted your mouth. His lips left yours only to find themselves on your neck, sucking on your skin.

"Bu.. Bucky.. stop.. s-s-top." Tears cascaded down your cheeks, but you were frozen in spot, unable to wipe them away.

But Bucky ignored your appeal. He continued sucking your skin while his hands traveled your side, feeling you up. When he couldn't get enough of you, he bit the skin on your shoulder.

You yelped in pain. "Stop! Stop, get off me!"

Still, Bucky did not listen. Dissatisfied with his actions, he dragged and threw you towards the couch; he straddled over you, your hands pinned on the cushion. You squirmed beneath him, trying to escape his hold.

Bucky pulled your shirt up and found his lips back on your skin again; this time, he latched on your erect nipple and sucked as if his life depended on it. When he was done abusing both your buds, he moved to kiss your lips again, but your tear-stricken face met his eyes.

Bucky went stiff as a board, and you used that opportunity to push him, backing off as far as you can from him. Your loud sobs filled the house as you sank to a pool at your feet, hugging your knees to yourself.

You couldn't believe what your step-brother had done. Your mind couldn't begin to fathom his actions.

Bucky sat motionless, his horror-struck at his deed. He bit back the long line of profanities that ran inside his head as he stared dumbfounded at your crumpled figure.

A painful pang of guilt washed over him like a tidal wave. What had he done?

"Y/n.. I-I'm… I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He said and scrambled out of the house.

Bucky didn't come home for three days while you spent it in a daze.

Bucky kissed you; he put his tongue inside your mouth. He touched you in your private parts. He sucked on your nipple while you lay beneath him. He held you like a lover would.

But he was your brother; why would he do that?

The sound of the front door opening pulled you out from your thoughts. Your gaze met Bucky's; he had dark circles around his eyes, and you wondered briefly whose house he crashed when he didn't come home.

"Bucky…" You stood from the couch and approached him.

Bucky liked that about you. You were brave and face things head-on; you're not one to back down, just cause you were scared. But he doesn't think he could handle you right now, not after what he's done. He walked past you, intent on ignoring you.

"After what you did, I at least deserve to know the truth, don't you think?"

Your words hit home. You were right; you deserved at least that much. Sighing, he turned back and sat down on the couch.

"I know this is downright wrong, but I'm in love with you, y/n," Bucky confessed softly, and he heard your small gasp.

"But, we're… I'm your sister."

"step-sister," He corrected. "I can't help it. I love you more than a step-brother could love his step-sister. I love you as a woman y/n. I tried to stop it, but it was hard."

You deserved to know the truth no matter how disgusting, condemning, or how sinful it was.

"I am still trying." Bucky continued, and this time, he gave you a firm look. "And I need, need you to help me."

Your heart skipped a beat. "What do you want me to do, Buck?"

"Stay away from me."

You pulled back in shock. "But-"

"No buts!" He hissed. "Can't you see how hard this is for me? You think it's easy to stay away from you when I love you?" He pleaded. "After this, I want you to stay away, don't talk to me unless it's a life or death situation."

"Mom and dad will notice."

"Then don't make them notice." He got up and approached you, then reached for your hand, clasping them together. "Please, y/n, you have to."

With a heavy heart, you nodded. Bucky moved and gave you a quick peck on the forehead, and it felt like goodbye.

Weeks quickly flew by, fortunately for the both of you, your parents didn't notice a thing. You bickered like you used to during breakfast, but both of you knew that it was forced. When they weren't around, which was much since both of them worked, you barely talked to each other and were barely left alone in the house.

Bucky spent most of his time playing basketball -his new hobby to get his mind off you. He's always gone during weekends playing with his college friend Sam Wilson. You saw the guy once when Bucky invited him to dinner with your family. After that, Sam can frequently be seen in the house. Your parents were cool with it since Steve didn't come home for summer.

One afternoon, Sam was there again; you could hear their banter all the way up to your room. However, what really bothered you though was the presence of a woman -Sharon. She's Bucky and Sam's classmate in one of their class, and along with Sam, she started hanging out at your house.

You groaned, annoyed. You couldn't focus on the application essay you were supposed to write with that woman's shrill voice downstairs. You slammed your fist against your study table, intent on giving the three a piece of your mind. You stood up and marched downstairs, catching their attention.

Sharon sat between Sam and Bucky, and they were pretty occupied with a mobile game before you came.

"Can you guys keep it down? You're not the only people in the house."

"Oops, sorry, y/n." Sharon squeaked.

"We'll keep it down," Sam promised.

You just nodded before glaring at Bucky, who did not even acknowledge your presence. You grumbled something before storming back to your room, slamming the door close.

Sharon and Sam ended up having dinner with them again. With Sharon seated beside Bucky, again. Your mom told them to drop by again. And, Bucky walked Sharon home, again.

And you were getting tired of this. You wanted to help Bucky, but you can't just sit back and watch him replace you with someone else. No, you can't allow it. This has to stop.

You waited for Bucky to come home; you were in his room sitting on his bed with a determined look on your face.

As soon as Bucky stepped inside, he was shoved against the door, making it slam close. He winced at the pain on his back, but he was startled and shocked when he felt your lips connect with his in a searing kiss. His first instinct was to push you away, but his desire got the better of him. His eyes slipped close, and he kissed you back passionately.

Bucky's thoughts were in a haze as both your lips danced with each other. It didn't take long for him to invade the warmth of your mouth, fingers tangling themselves into your hair, while your hands curled around the front of his shirt, trapped between your heated bodies.

"Why," He moaned before pulling away.

Your ragged breaths filled the room; you looked at him with glistening eyes. "I don't care anymore, Bucky. I don't want to lose you. I don't want to be replaced by Sam or Sharon or anyone else." A tear escaped your eye, and it cascaded down your cheek.

Bucky leaned down and kissed it away, the salty taste lingering in his tongue.

"I want you back, Bucky."

Bucky felt a painful tug on his heart at the sight. He loves you, but he was also the one making you cry. He cannot bear the thought of hurting you. He caressed your cheek and gazed at you lovingly, longingly.

"You're making this hard for me, y/n. For the both of us."

You shook your head once more and pulled his face close to yours. "I don't care anymore, James Barnes. Love me any way you want, just don't… don't leave me again."

Bucky froze at your words. He pulled away then grasped both your shoulders. "Y/n, you don't know what you're saying."

"I do. I'm not a child anymore. I want how we used to be; if accepting your love could get things back to the way it was, I accept it.

Bucky shook his head. "No,…no y/n, nothing will ever be the same if you let me love you the way I want to."

Your face visibly fell at his words. Feeling hopeless, you asked. "Why?"

"Why?" Bucky asked back softly. "Because unlike then, I'll kiss you more like this…" He started and gave you a sensual kiss on the lips. "I'll hold your hand like this…" His hand went to yours, and he intertwined your fingers.

"We used to do that when we were kids."

Bucky just hummed in response. "And I'll pull you close to me like this…" He continued and did just as he said. He pulled you against his heated body and inhaled your scent. "And you'll always ignite that burning feeling inside me, y/n. So, unless you get used to these things, I will not let you do this."

"But we used to do some of those."

"It's going to be a lot different now."

"I don't care. I'm used to it. In fact, I miss it. Don't ever leave me again, Bucky, please. I love you so much."

Bucky's eyes widened in surprise. He could feel the rapid beating of your heart against his. He pulled you in once more for a passionate kiss.

"I love you too, y/n. You don't know how much you make me happy."

[high-functioning-lokipath]

SH - Sherlock & Greg Friendship - Prompt: How Greg and Sherlock First Met - Words: 1,637

A/N: Alrighty! So this written from Greg's POV. It's my personal headcannon of what Sherlock and Greg's first meeting might have been like. Please don't hate me if I got something wrong or if it's different than your ideas. Just my little thought. At the end of the story there is a little explanation of some of the references I made. See if you catch them 😜

I WILL ADD THIS: THERE IS DISCUSSION OF SUICIDAL THOUGHTS AND INTENT. HOWEVER, NO HARM COMES UPON ANYONE. PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU FEEL YOU WILL BE TRIGGERED.

"Goodnight, Inspector," Donavon said, as we walked out to our respective cars.

"Good night, Sally," I replied. "Have any plans tonight?"

"Oh, nothing much," She replied with a smile. Anderson walked out and headed to his car too though I noticed he winked and waved at Sally as he passed by. "See you tomorrow," She told me. I nodded and got in my car. As I started my engine I saw Philip run back to her and hand her what seemed to be a key. I shook my head and pulled away. I didn't want to pry into the personal lives of anyone on my team but I made a mental note to keep an eye on those two.

"Oh, I'm exhausted," I groaned to myself as I drove home. I'd just received my promotion to Detective Inspector and the first case we'd gotten has proven to be more difficult than we expected. Deciding that my already distant wife wouldn't care if I was home another 15 minutes later, I pulled over for a smoke. The Waterloo Bridge was just up ahead so I got out for a little walk. As I walked up into the bridge I took out my cigarette and was just about to light it when someone spoke up.

"Those things will kill you."

"Who said that?" I called out, immediately pocketing my lighter and lowering my cigarette. Instinctively, my hand hovered near my holster.

"Nobody of import to you, Detective Inspector. I was just making an observation." I was speechless for a moment, surprised that whoever was talking knew who I was. Or at least what I was. My blood ran cold, though, when I finally spotted the illusive speaker.

"What are you doing over there?" I asked, attempting to keep my voice steady. I couldn't yet see his features but I could tell he was young, tall, skinny and had a head full of curly hair. The first thing I noticed, though, was that he was standing on the wrong side of the walkway railing.

"My plan was to jump," He stated plainly. I was quiet for a moment, surprised that he'd so easily admit such a thing. "Surprised I said it?" He asked, looking at me finally. I nodded and he smiled sadly. "No reason to lie to you. You're a smart man. You wouldn't have reached DI otherwise."

"How do you know that anyways?" I asked, walking up next to him, however remaining on the correct side of the railing.

"It was quite obvious. Your haircut implies your employment is of the upper blue-collar class which narrows the field considerably. Considering your age you couldn't be higher than Detective Inspector but no lower than Detective Sergeant. If you were still at Constable you would have quit. Also it was obvious from the fact you went for your gun when I spoke up. You're considerably tired, even for this late hour, meaning you probably were one of the last out. Though tired your gait shows a measure of excitement, pride, if you will. It couldn't be caused by anything at home. You stopped for a smoke on your way home and didn't light up in your car meaning your wife dislikes the habit. One of the reasons she's going to be leaving you, by the way. You certainly aren't expecting children any time soon so that would leave your job. You're excited about something that happened recently at your job. You're obviously exhausted from the case you've been trying to crack so that leaves one option. Promotion. I'd say at the beginning of this past week."

"Wow," I gasped. "You're quite good at that!"

"You're not angry?" He asked slowly, staring at me in surprise.

"Not at all."

"I just told you your wife was leaving you."

"I knew that," I chuckled. "She's been hinting at the matter for weeks. I've been trying to fix things but, with my new promotion, she seems more determined than ever."

"I see," He said, looking off down the river again. "Most people get quite upset with me."

"Well, perhaps depending on the situation it might not be welcome but I don't see what's so bad about it. You know," I said with a grin. "With your ability you'd make a fine DI yourself."

"Tried. Couldn't pass the psych eval," He whispered. "What you call an ability, they call a disability." I stayed quiet, waiting to see if he'd go on. "Doctors diagnosed me with Asperger's and ADHD.”

“Well that certainly shouldn't stop you! Have you considered becoming a private investigator?” He wrinkled his nose at the suggestion.

“I’m not a fan of that title.”

“Private detective?” I tried. He shook his head again. “I’ll think of something,” I said determandly.

“Why would you care?”

“You seem like a nice kid, I-”

“I’m not a kid, I'm 25,” He interrupted, causing me to chuckle lightly.

"Alright," I said, holding up my hands. "Young man. You seem like a nice young man. I want to help you out."

"Why?" He asked again, sounding awfully much like a 2 year old. "I grew up in the countryside with my parents and my older brother. I never had any friends in school. I’ve always been like this. It didn’t get any better when I went to uni. Everyone just made fun of me. Once I graduated, I moved in with my brother in the city. I worked with him for a few years but,” He paused. "Let's just say that didn't go well. I tried to live on my own but I couldn't pay rent because I wasn't able to hold down a job. No one could put up with me. My brother would send me money here and there but he stopped after a while when he found out I had gotten involved in other things."

"Drugs?" The young man nodded slowly. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be somewhere else in his mind. "You know I could have you arrested for that," I commented.

"You wouldn't," He replied. He turned his head and looked straight at me, his eyes more intense than anyone else's I'd ever met. "Besides," He continued, looking away again. "I've stopped."

"For now," I said. "You'll stop until you don't have anything to do and then your mind will get too loud, too busy, too noisy and you'll try to quiet it again."

"How-"

"My cousin," I stated simply. "And also myself in a way. These 'help' me with my stress." I held up my package of cigarettes.

"May I see them?" He asked, holding out his hand. I nodded and handed them over. He looked them over carefully and then threw them into the river.

"Oi! Why'd you do that?" With a smirk and quickly hopped back over the railing onto the walkway.

"Try this," He said, rolling up his sleeve and showing me a patch on his arm. "When I have an especially bad day I'll go up to 3 patches. But one would probably be enough for you."

"Alright, I'll give it a try." He smiled abit haughtily. "But," I added, causing his expression to falter. "Only if you promise to give the private, personal, whatever you want to call it, detective work a try."

"After consulting with you, Inspector, I suppose I could attempt to give this idiotic world another try."

"That's it!" I exclaimed. "Consulting Detective! That's what you can call yourself!" He furrowed his brow in thought before smiling slightly.

"I think that just might work. But who would I consult for?"

"Well, you could set up a website so people can send in cases. Perhaps post something about how you do your deductions. It might take awhile for you to get enough customers so perhaps I can arrange for you to take a look at some old cold cases. What do you think of that?"

"I-" He paused, looking away in embarrassment. "Thank you, Inspector."

"You're welcome. And call me Greg, hm? Or Lestrade if Greg is too hard to remember," I joked.

"Alright," He paused. "Graham," He added with a smirk. I laughed loudly and clapped his shoulder.

"Well, I have the feeling this is going to be the start of something very special for you. Who knows where this will take you or who you'll meet!" He nodded, corners of his mouth turning up in a small smile. "Why don't you stop by my office tomorrow afternoon? I can get you some cold cases and who knows, maybe you'll even crack the case I'm working on now!"

"Thank you," He replied, suddenly sounding very nervous.

"Look, I know people are going to judge you for who you are and what you do. I wish I could change that. But keep your chin up. One day you'll look back and be surprised where it got you. Be confident in yourself. That'll help a lot."

"Like this?" He asked, standing straighter and giving off a well practiced authoritative glare.

"Something like that," I replied. "Here. Try this." I reached for his coat collar and turned it up. "Perfect. Now you look like a real professional." He nodded sharply, keeping up his vaguely disinterested air.

"I've done this before," He admitted. I smiled and nodded.

"Me too. I think you'll be just fine." I smiled at him, happy I was able to save a life tonight instead of investigate a death. "Do you need a ride home?" I offered.

"That would be helpful," He admitted.

"Alright, then, Mr.," I paused, chuckling lightly. "You know, I never got your name."

"Sherlock Holmes," He replied. I smiled and shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Sherlock." I paused for a moment, thinking. "Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

I UNDERSTOOD THAT REFERENCE: A GUIDE

The key - Anderson is giving Sally a key to his apartment since they are having an affair. Not exactly a direct reference. Just a thought lol

Those things will kill you - I thought making that the first thing Sherlock said to Greg would have explained all the more so why Greg was so happy to see him again when he came back.

Sherlock's diagnosis - In one of the episodes (can't remember which, too lazy to look it up lol) John says Sherlock has Asperger's. One of my best friends has Asperger's and I've had other friends with ADHD. As a non-professional, I would say Sherlock definitely acts in harmony with those two disorders.

The patches - Greg was showing Sherlock his own patches in the first episode. Thought that was cute.

Graham - I personally think Sherlock has always known Greg's name and it's just an inside joke lol

So, if you noticed anything else, let me know! Please leave a comment (or two lol) if you liked it!!!!

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Only The Beginning

Chapter 4: My Bad...

Alas, another filler chapter. The reader finally meets Dorian! The bickering and fluff is on point my friends and I hope I got enough tension in there for you. If not there will definitely be more in coming chapters!

Thank you to my lovely Beta Reader @toppysammy! 🥰

-H❤🖖

John’s grip is tight on your upper arm. Wincing slightly, you allow him to lead you over to his car. A handsome-looking android casually leans up against the passenger side door with his arms crossed. He looks at you curiously, obviously scanning you for ID; you give him a little smile when he doesn't come up with anything. John yanks open the backseat and shoves you in.

“Rude,” you mutter, straightening in your seat and pulling your messenger bag close. Looking into the bag, you check on the heavy drive that is nestled inside. It has a small crack but otherwise is undamaged. Sighing in relief, you blow a strand of hair out of your face. Both car doors open up in front and the two detectives get in, bickering. 

“Come on, John, you can’t be serious.” 

“You heard what they said; rogue android turned on the security team.” 

At that, you sink down in your seat feeling more guilty than before. John’s android partner rolls his electric blue eyes. “Security," he scoffs, "more like black market mercenaries. One of those men had a rap sheet longer than your attention span,” 

You choke on a laugh as John sputters and glares at the DRN; you had heard about this model, but it's a wholly different experience to meet one. John shoots you a hard look in the rearview mirror. 

“You wanna tell me what the fuck happened?” he barks, turning around in his seat so he can fully scowl at you. Clearing your throat, you think over your words carefully. To give yourself more time, you hold out a hand and introduce yourself to John’s partner. 

“I’m John's friend--” you glance at said man; he's losing patience. Grimacing, you amend, “I think…”

The android smiles kindly and takes your hand, “Dorian, John’s partner.” His deep and polite voice puts you at ease. 

Pulling your hand away, you look back at your angry best friend warily. You mull over what happened for a second before opening your mouth to explain, “Well, I figured out what happened to Julia Lawson, and it wasn’t suicide,” you jerk your head in the direction of the building. 

“The creepy death squad murdered her and staged it to look like a suicide. Which, by the way, was completely obvious; they did a horrible job. Whoever had the case was paid off to keep it clean-cut and closed."

Both men in the front seat looked shocked. “You mean you figured this out in, what, three hours?” John asks with a raised eyebrow. You simply shrug, “I have no red tape I have to constantly cut through. I talked to Julie's brother; he told me what I needed to know and I figured out the rest by using the internet. Breaking in was easy--” 

John cuts you off mid-sentence with a warning. He pinches the bridge of his nose, breathing out his frustration. Dorian looks at you like you're an entirely new species; fascination, amusement, and disquiet all flick across his face. Biting the inside of your cheek, you watch the two carefully. 

“Look, Julie stumbled upon something very big and I think you should know about it,” you offer, holding out your bag like an olive branch. John watches you closely for a moment before taking the bag and looking inside.

“A hard drive?” he asks skeptically, pulling it out and handing it over to Dorian to peruse. You shrug and gave a smirk, “I downloaded everything I needed on to that thing; Julie’s ‘suicide,' who ordered it, and the plans Julie overheard that caused her death in the first place.” 

Dorian plugs into the drive and the more information he obtains, the deeper his frown gets. “This is very...wrong,” he says with a wrinkle of his nose. 

You grimace, “Yeah, I forgot about that part; it’s also about Speartips. Horrible name for a private tech company by the way; it's the CEO getting down and dirty with underage interns and paying them extra to keep quiet.” 

Dorian stops looking through the drive and hands it back to John without a word. The android’s eyes are as hard as his partner's. John looks back to you, anger still in his gaze. Sighing, your shoulders slump. “If it’s any consolation, I didn’t mean to get caught by the mercs. The android was a new addition,” you defend quickly. 

“You threw him out a window,” John points out, losing patience with you. 

You throw up your hands, “HE started it! At least his body didn’t hit anyone."

John groans and shakes his head, “Pushing anybody off the fortieth-something floor is bad!” he scolds, starting the car. You scowl at John and cross your arms childishly, “Well, I didn’t like getting choked out. I panicked."

John winces at your words, his posture changing from tense and angry to sad and sympathetic. “I’m sorry, I know you wouldn’t have done any of that if you didn’t have to,” 

Dorian’s attention jumps back and forth between you and John, his eyes widening as he connects the dots. “You’re the one who--” he cuts himself off and looks at his human partner. 

John sighs heavily and taps his thumb against the steering wheel anxiously, “This is where the whole trusting me thing comes in.” He looks over at the DRN pleadingly. Dorian stares at John for a nano-second before nodding and keeping silent about the whole thing. He was no doubt currently wiping your presence from everything involving what just happened. From camera feeds to bystanders, taking pictures and selfies of the chaos. 

“I really am sorry,” you mumble, feeling guilty for more than just putting John in the position that he's now in. Your best friend looks at you in his rearview mirror. 

Pressing his lips into a thin line, his shoulders slump just a touch. “I know. You’ve been away from people--well, civilian people for a while. You have to be more subtle from now on, though, alright?” 

You grimace at John’s words but nod anyway, agreeing to what he's saying. This is his home after all. He built a life here; and here you were, wreaking havoc in that home like a maniac. 

“What now?” you say in a voice just slightly above a whisper. Dorian glances over at his partner, wondering the exact same thing. John purses his lips as he drives through the city. You can’t help your wry smile in response; he always makes that face when he is thinking hard about something. 

“We should get you settled into a place. I’ve been keeping an eye out and I got a message from a buddy of mine. There’s a little apartment right near where I live,” he says, handing his phone over to Dorian, who downloads the directions and information. 

“I guess you do want your bed back, huh?” you ask with a slight chuckle. John huffs and nods, “My couch is great and all, but it does get a bit uncomfortable after a while,” he mutters with a wrinkle of his nose. 

Dorian smirks, “That explains the changes to your sleeping pattern,” he muses, making John scowl. “How many damn times--” he hisses, pointing an accusatory finger at the android only to be cut off by your snort of laughter. 

John’s lips twitch upward at the sound, the tense atmosphere of the car lifting as the car crawls through city traffic. “So, Dorian, has John ever told you the story about how he became addicted to noodles?” 

You immediately have the DRN’s full attention; John sputters from the driver’s seat unsuccessfully, trying to shush you. 

“Well, you see, it all started when he and I traveled to China and we stumbled across this little mom-and-pop shop. The food there was to die for, what was it called…” you trail off, trying to picture the little restaurant in your mind. 

“Little Bo’s.” John supplies with a fond smile.

You snap your fingers, grinning from ear to ear, “Little Bo’s! Oh, my gosh, they had some damn good food, and the owner was so sweet; she tried her best to teach John how to use chopsticks.” 

Dorian chuckles, “He still can’t use them,” he whispers none-too-quietly. 

John shoots him an offended look, “I can too!” he yells indignantly. 

Dorian rolls his eyes. “Not very well.” he mutters, ignoring John’s slight pout. You giggle and gently squeeze John’s bicep. 

“Maybe when I get settled, I’ll make you dinner,” you offer sincerely. You yelp when John suddenly hits the brakes and looks back at you with wide eyes. 

“Seriously?” he asks with a grin. You snort and nod. Dorian looks bemused at the action and his jaw practically drops when John holds out his pinky for yours. Grinning, you seal the promise. 

“Just let me know what you wa--” 

“Chicken and dumplings," he answers immediately. 

You snicker at the quick response. “I should have known,” you sigh with a shake of your head. 

Dorian is at a loss for words; he tries multiple times to add something but he can’t. He’s never seen his partner this relaxed and happy before (despite today’s events) and it's odd. However, it's a good kind of odd. John deserves happiness and that’s what you seem to make him. 

Just friends, Dorian mentally scoffs, smiling to himself as you and John bicker about the best dishes you've made in the past. Something deep within Dorian’s circuits says that someday you’ll end up being so much more. The heated discussion becomes a bit louder and suddenly changes to whose fault it was in burning down a rental in Rio. 

Dorian sighs. Maybe not today, but someday, he thinks ruefully before verbally stepping in to divulge how John once ate a slug in hopes to not offend an old Japanese man. 

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[scaryscarecrows]

It’s Okay to Eat Fish, ‘Cause They Don’t Have Any Feelings

AN: Or, HOLY SHIT I’M SO STOKED FOR BATTINSON OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD--

Ahem. Potential early encounter/identity confirmation/whatever with Batman and Scarecrow. Title from Nirvana’s ‘Something In The Way’ (sound familiar?). Happy Halloween. Bruce is still new (obviously), and, as in Year One, is a bit of a ‘lucky amateur’. 

* * *

Bruce ignores everything Alfred has ever told him about ladies, their bedrooms, and being a gentleman when he slides open the bedroom window on the third-floor apartment.

It’s a mid-grade one; not in the middle of Crime Alley, but nowhere near the Diamond District. The elevator works, and the neighbors are quiet, but the security cameras don’t move and the motion lights are broken.

Good.

He’s not sure if he hopes Jonathan Crane is the Scarecrow killer or not. On one hand, that would be this case finished. On the other hand, Kitty Richardson had been so sure her boyfriend would never do such a thing. She’ll be devastated. Bruce will have to live with that.

But then again, he wants this case finished. He wants to catch this lunatic, whoever he-or she, he supposes-may be. The bodies are random; some homeless, some not, suggesting these are crimes of opportunity. But their faces…

Some of them have...harmed themselves, in some way. But all of them share the same expression of frozen terror. Their last moments were horrifying, and Bruce cannot let this continue.

The bedroom is sparse; a bed, two nightstands, and a bookshelf filled with worn spines ranging from Stephen King to Agatha Christie. Further investigation turns up a modest closet with shoes and clothes and a jewelry box. The bathroom is similarly uninteresting, the only really personal touches being a little dish with a man’s cufflinks in it.

Hm.

A noise in another room catches his attention and he moves silently into the hall. The lights are out in the living room, but not the kitchen, and he can just see a small shape reflected in the television screen. Richardson is home.

She wasn’t supposed to be home.

Bruce is not about to waste this opportunity.

She’s sitting on the counter, legs swinging a little, and clearly waiting for the electric kettle to finish. Richardson looks a little like a doll; bird boned and thin, with big, shiny brown eyes and red lips. She’s short, too, five feet at best.

Yes, she looks very much like a doll.

“What are you doing here?” She jumps off the counter, hand going for the acrylic knife block near the kettle. “How did you get in?”

“Where is Crane.”

“At work.” She scowls, but then the kettle chimes that it’s done and just like that, the scowl is gone. “Tea?”

“Tea.” Crane is likely at work; there’s only one mug on the counter. “Most people don’t offer me tea.”

“I’m British, Batman. We’re all trained to offer tea, in case the Queen comes by.” Her tone is serious but those shiny, shiny eyes are laughing at him. “Tea or no?”

“No.” His internal Alfred tsks disapprovingly. “Thank you.”

“Suit yourself.” Hot water goes into the mug and Bruce catches a hint of Earl Grey. “It’s not so bad that you’re here, really. I found something you might want to see.”

He steps out of the doorway. Richardson sets the stove timer, muttering about always forgetting she’s made tea, and goes into the darkened living room to turn on the lights.

The living room has four bookshelves, floor-to-ceiling ones on the north wall. The television takes up a wall of its own, and there’s two end tables near the couch. It takes Bruce a few seconds to pinpoint what seems off to him, but then it hits; no pictures. Not even a graduation photograph.

“I wasn’t looking, you know,” Richardson’s saying as she drags a small step stool out from between the bookshelves. “Not for anything silly. I was looking for my tea, which I’d left somewhere, when I saw a book I didn’t remember us having, and when I went to pull it out...where is...oh!”

Bruce doesn’t see what book she has, and it doesn’t really matter; the second-left shelf clicks and opens, leading into an unlit room. Richardson hops off the stool and goes inside, still chattering away.

“You wouldn’t believe what I found in here...come in, come in, it’s fine...Jonathan always thinks he can hide things from me. He never learns. But look! Look at this.” The lights are not on, and there is no apparent switch. But she’s gone straight to a table and picked up...a gift. A polka-dot wrapped gift with a bright red bow on top. “I don’t want anything for my birthday this year, I said. I don’t care, I said. And he does this to me! One of these days, I’ll really have to kill him for not listening.” Those red lips curve up in a bright smile. “Think I should open it?”

She knows.

“Where. Is. Crane.”

“I told you, he’s at work.”  She hops up on the table, swings her legs again, and suddenly leans over. The room is flooded with light. “He’ll be home soon.”

It’s a small room, a little bigger than his closet at home. The table in the middle has beakers and a handful of petri dishes on it, and there’s a small fridge on the far side. But what Bruce is interested in is the chair in the corner. It’s big, and there’s straps and handcuffs on it, and he can see bloodstains from here. There’s a little rolling cart next to it with empty bottles and what look like surgical instruments-are, that’s a scalpel, he can see it from this angle-on it.

Richardson’s fiddling with the bow, lower lip between her teeth.

“I can’t imagine what it would be…” She gives the box a shake. “You don’t suppose he really did have John Lee’s head taxidermied for me, do you?” She looks at him anxiously. “I was mostly joking when I said that…”

John Lee had been identified via fingerprints, as his head had been missing. The bloodwork had confirmed the presence of what the GCPD has been referring to as Fear Toxin.

“This isn’t a game,” he growls. “Tell me where he is.” 

“What would I even do with a head? Men.”

“I’m not. Asking. Again.”

She shrugs, gives the box another shake.

“Turn around.”

“I’m not joking.”

“Neither am I,” a voice rasps in his ear. Bruce whirls just as the lights go out. The living room lights are out now, too, but he can just make out the spindly form of Jonathan Crane, who has his arm out like a pointing, judgemental statue.

WHOOSH!

Don’t breathe.

It’s too late; the gas, white, bitter and thick, coats his tongue and throat and nostrils and stings his eyes. He coughs, trying to get it out (hoping to get it out) and Scarecrow laughs.

“Surprise!”

The shadows in the living room grow and crawl towards him, moaning and crying.

Not real. They’re not real.

“Who d’you think he is?” Richardson’s voice is distorted, simultaneously right in his ear and miles underwater.

“Let’s find out.”

No.

He kicks out at what is either a clawing, crying shadow or Scarecrow. It staggers back, cursing, and there’s a sudden, sharp pain in his knee. One of the shadows flings itself at him, wraps its arms around his waist.

“WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I DIED?”

“I.” Can’t be real, it can’t be real… “I’m sorry.”

“WHERE WERE YOU!”

The tall shadow comes at him again. Bruce elbows the hanger-on away and--window. The window. If he can get outside, the shadows won’t follow him.

“YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO COME!”

“MY SON DIED BECAUSE YOU WEREN’T THERE!”

CRA-ASH!

Glass knicks his face and clings to the suit, but the cold night air does wonders. He sticks the landing on the fire escape, but then he makes the mistake of looking up.

The shadows are following, climbing over each other in an attempt to get to him first. He can’t let them get to him. He’s not sure why, exactly, but he can’t let them get to him.

A car is speeding towards the apartment. If he can get on that, he’ll be safe, they can’t catch the car.

“FACE ME!”

“WHY DIDN’T YOU COME?”

They’re starting to fall. One of them just misses the fire escape and hits the pavement with a sickening splat!, but it gets back up almost immediately.

The car’s close enough. It has to be. He won’t be so lucky again.

“Where are you, Batman?”

He jumps.

THE END

[banditthewriter]

Letting Go - Tommy Shelby

Prompt: Request for Tommy ShelbyxReader, "the thing they hated the most was that they couldn't hate him at all" and someone rescues the other Prompter: @lucdarling​

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*gif not mine*

Enjoy!

*****

The incessant knocking on your door made you frown. As much as you wanted to ignore whoever it was in favor of the book in your hand, you knew it would be a bad idea. Whoever it was obviously had something important on their mind for them to bang on your door as if the devil himself was after them.

You moved through the living room and into the foyer. Then you finally opened the door and quieted the noise that had startled you from your reprieve. 

Had you thought the devil himself was after the person on your stoop? You had been mistaken. It seemed to be the devil himself on your stoop.

“Tommy Shelby, as I live and breathe,” you said with a sigh as you stared at the man half slumped against the wall next to your door. “What are you… are you bleeding?”

He looked down at himself and then back up at you.

“It’s not all mine. Can I come in?”

Ordinarily you would turn him away, let him face the consequences of whatever actions had brought this on. You had shut the door on him more than once in the time you’d been acquainted with the man.

However he had never come to you covered in blood before. With a sigh, you opened the door wider to let him in.

“Try not to bleed on the carpet. I’ll go fetch some towels. And maybe some first aid,” you added as an afterthought before you went to the back of your flat.

At least you lived alone. You’d hate to have to explain to anyone else why the head of the Peaky Blinders was in the foyer dripping blood on the entryway. Mostly because you weren’t sure why he was there.

With everything gathered, you pointed him in the direction of the kitchen and set off behind him.

“Do I want to know why this is how you decide to show up on my doorstep?”

“Thought flowers might have been a bit cliche,” he said with a grunt as he sat down in a chair. 

The look you leveled him with would have made a lesser man cower. But no one had ever accused Tommy of being a lesser man.

You set to work on making sure any of his injuries weren’t life threatening. As you knelt down beside the chair, you were reminded of the first time you’d done this for him. He’d come to you with blood dripping down his face, a manic look in his eyes. You had patched him up and sent him to bed to sleep it off.

Except you ended up in bed with him that night. And every night after that. 

That wasn’t going to happen this time.

“Wonder what the other guy looks like,” you said as you passed a cloth over his busted knuckles.

“I’m sure he’s still in the alley where I dumped him,” he admitted casually.

When you looked up at him to tell him off for that flippant remark, you found yourself staring up into those twin pools of ice that he called eyes. You’d always felt uncentered when he was around, but this was worse somehow. You cleared your throat and looked back down to his hand.

The hand that used to hold yours so gently. Or that he’d trace over the curve of your hip in bed, the covers discarded so the two of you could see each other. That hand had held you close, soothed you, brought you to heights of pleasure you’d only ever dreamed about.

It had also caused bloodshed and pain, had shook before it went through the wall of the flat you had lived in at the time. 

“As always, Tommy, pain and misery follows your very footsteps. It’s no wonder you haven’t ended up in a ditch yourself.”

His eyes felt like a physical presence on your face.

“I’ve been in worse places than a ditch.”

You passed a hand over your face, fingers pressed into your eye socket to relieve some pressure there. Had you had a headache before he showed up? Somehow you doubted it.

“I want you to leave,” you said as you stood up, a cloth dropping from your hand to the floor without a care. “You’re obviously not dying, I’ve stopped the bleeding. You’re in one piece so leave.”

He stared up at you for a long moment in which you tried to force yourself not to show him how hurt you were right then. How much you wanted to scream at him and beg him to just end it, to let you go.

Every time you thought you might be ready to get over him, he showed back up and dragged you right back in. You hated it. You hated him.

You hated how much you didn’t hate him.

He stood up slowly, his eyes never leaving yours. You thought he’d move around you to head to the door like you had told him, but he just stepped into your space. When you opened your mouth to repeat the demand that he leave, he wrapped his hand around the back of your neck and pulled you into a kiss.

It wasn’t demanding or harsh, not at all like the last kiss you shared with him. This was soft and gentle and every bit the type of kiss that made you fall in love with him the first time.

“Stop,” you whispered against his lips even as your hands clutched on his shoulders to draw him closer, “please don’t put me through this again.”

He pressed his forehead to yours, both of you forced to breathe heavy after that kiss. Then he pulled away and moved around you towards the door.

When you heard it shut behind him, you sank to your knees in the middle of your kitchen. There was specks of blood on the floor, a wash bowl with a bloody cloth on the edge of it. And then there was your lips which had been set on fire with the briefest touch from the man you wanted to hate.

You wanted to hate him, needed it, but you weren’t sure you’d ever be able to.

The reveal that Tommy had sought you out on purpose so that he could use your money and your connections for his own benefit had nearly killed you. You had watched the light drain from behind his eyes as the words were hurled at him, meant to hurt him the way he had hurt you. The only thing that you could do in retaliation is make sure he would never get his hands on the resources he needed.

Months passed and every time you started to get over him, he was there again. Usually the two of you just ran into each other in passing, at a restaurant or in the street. This was the first time he’d come to your home.

You wished he had just kept walking. You were pretty sure one of his guys lived a few doors down, he could have gone there. Why had he come to you?

Why had he kissed you?

Why couldn’t you let him go?

------

Tommy had told you that while he had originally sought you out to use you, he had fallen in love with you. He had demanded that you believe him, that you trust the man he had become, not the man he was. That was the night that he put his fist through the wall of your old flat. 

You told him to get out, to never come back. You might have even told him that he was dead to you.

His fist had gone through the wall and then you were alone. You spent the rest of the night packing a bag with the intention of leaving and never coming back.

But you did come back. Birmingham was in your blood and you refused to be run off from your home.

Part of you wanted to believe that Tommy had really loved you. You remembered the nights where you were curled up in bed and whispering your deepest secrets to one another. He told you about his fears and wants, about the nightmares that haunted him after the war, the weight of his family on his shoulders. You told him about your insecurities, the fear that you would never amount to more than your last name, the things you wanted to accomplish. 

It had to be real, at least part of it. You refused to believe that he could have faked it all for that long.

You walked through the streets of Small Heath with your head held high. If people knew why you were no longer with Tommy, no one seemed to treat you any differently. 

The Peaky Blinders all treated you with the same respect that they always did. Even John and Arthur still treated you like you were with their brother.

As angry as you were with Tommy, you still knew that he was the only one you could go to when you were in trouble. And you were definitely in trouble.

There might have been someone in the office but you didn’t wait. You pushed the door open the moment you were there, Tommy was at the desk. Whoever he was expecting, you could tell that he didn’t expect you to be the one to burst in. 

He said your name in that low voice of his and your knees almost buckled. Almost. You made your way over to his desk. Carefully you pulled the paper from your bag and passed it over to him. 

“What’s this?”

You didn’t say anything, just waited. After a beat of silence, he unfolded the paper. You knew the moment when he read the part that had you worried.

“Where did you find this?”

“On my kitchen table when I got home from the shops,” you said as you sat down in the chair across from him. “I guess they wanted me to know that they could get to me, that I wasn’t safe.” 

If they wanted to scare you, they had succeeded. Tommy folded the paper and put it on the desk. You almost reached out for it, but you kept your hands in your lap.

“Did you bring it here because you think it’s from me?”

You were surprised at that, but maybe you shouldn’t be. Hadn’t you told him that you didn’t know what he was capable of?

That was still true, but you knew he wasn’t capable of this.

“I brought it here because… I hoped you might help me. I know who it’s from and I know what they want. And as the letter says, I know that they’ll kill to get what they want.”

Tommy crossed over from his seat to where you were sitting. He reached out and wrapped his hand around yours. You could see the healed scrapes that you had bandaged a week before in your kitchen.

He had kissed you a week ago. Was it only a week ago?

“Tell me who it is and I’ll make sure they never harm you. You can hate me, but I will keep you safe.”

You felt as if you couldn’t breathe. Even through all of this, he was willing to kill for you. Even believing that you hated him, he would protect you.

You didn’t hesitate to give him the names of the men who were after you. You trusted Tommy to do what had to be done.

------

It had been decided that you would stay at Tommy’s place since obviously your flat was compromised. Polly had barely given you a look when Tommy had escorted you in and up to his room. Then he told you that he’d have it dealt with soon.

A few hours had passed and you spent those few hours looking around the room that you had spent so much time before. There were still photos of the two of you littered around his room. One of your dresses was draped over a chair, just like you had left it. Your mirror and some hair pins sat on the dresser like you’d be back any moment to get ready.

You were gone, but he hadn’t let you go. 

When Tommy came in, he looked as pristine as he had when he had left. No drop of blood, no ruffled hair. He made his way over to you as he explained that they were dealt with, they were gone, they would never hurt you, they were–

Your lips crashed against his while he spoke, your hands already pushing his jacket over his shoulders and onto the ground. His hands went to your hips, your arms, your back, into your hair. He needed you as much as you needed him.

After both of you were pleasured and spent, you propped yourself up on his chest. Those ice blue eyes bore into yours, a million silent questions running through them.

And you needed to answer as many as you could. You owed that to him.

“I never hated you,” you admitted as you traced a finger over the sun on his chest. “I wanted to, told myself that I did, but truthfully I was never able to hate you. I love you too much to be able to hate you.”

His eyes widened. You gave a nod and leaned in again, your lips finding his easily.

“You love me? Still?”

It was impossible, but you did. Maybe that was your cross to bear, the albatross around your neck. You would love this man no matter what he did.

“It’s like you said, I have to trust the man you’ve become, not the one you were. And the man you are? Well, you killed people just for threatening me. Even though I’ve been punishing you for months.”

He rolled the two of you over so that he could wrap himself around you.

“I’d kill anyone that so much as looked at you wrong. If you wanted me to,” he amended when he saw the faux stern look you gave him. Then seriously, “I fell in love with you as easily as breathing. In love, out of chances. And I will always keep you safe.”

You cupped his cheek and pulled him in for another kiss. You should mind that you had fallen for this man, but you didn’t mind the devil inside of him. His inner demons seemed to embrace you as one of theirs and you never wanted him to let go.

“You’re safe with me,” he promised against your lips.

And you were. Somehow you knew that you were safe with him.

X

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[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 259: Jakku General Hospital

Previously on BnHA: We chilled with Hawks and Twice, who filled us in on the various different facets of Pliff’s plan to fuck over the world. For starters there are like a dozen new bad guys who are each heading different Pliff regiments, just in case anyone forgot that this is a literal army we’re dealing with here. Hawks also reminded us of the fact that Twice can clone basically any one of the bad guys as many times as he wants now, so that’s a nicely terrifying thought to sit and mull over. We learned that once Tomura is done powering up, the villains intend to attack all over the country simultaneously and basically destroy society as we know it. Oh and also kill all the heroes of course. But I think we already knew that. Anyway, so the one bright side in all of this is that Twice naively let it slip to Hawks where Tomura was currently undergoing his Frankenstein procedure. And so the chapter ended with basically all of the heroes in Japan launching a surprise attack in the mountains of Kyoto, while the kids waited on standby to help with the evacuations. And I know that doesn’t sound very safe, but... well... shit.

Today on BnHA: A quiet morning in the Kyoto suburb of Jakku. All is peaceful -- or so it seems. Little does the elderly CEO of Jakku General Hospital (a stand-up citizen, philanthropist, and caretaker of orphans all across the country) know that lying in wait just outside his doors is a group of wicked and immoral HEROES ready to -- okay lol you know what, I can’t. Not sure what I was really going for there anyway. So! Meanwhile in the woods outside the ol’ villain hotel, a second group of heroes led by Edgeshot and featuring several child heroes in training, including KAMINARI WHO WAS LITERALLY JUST BORN YESTERDAY AND SHOULD BE AT HOME IN HIS NURSERY WATCHING PAW PATROL AND NOT OUT HERE IN THE WOODS WHERE HE IS IN TERRIBLE DANGER, is gathered and ready to attack the League’s main forces. So things kick off with Death Arms apprehending the traitorous Slidin’ Go, while elsewhere the heroes bust into Jakku General Hospital to capture Ujiko. Show of hands, who here thinks this is going to go smoothly? ...Yep. Yeah. That’s what I thought.

okay guys, before we get started I’m gonna answer a couple of relevant asks from last week. first:

I’m almost hesitant to talk about this, because I’m paranoid that Viz and co. could pounce on these sites again at any moment, and so I feel like this sort of thing is better left to private messages and discord servers. but I guess one little mention of it won’t hurt. so the site currently doing the scanlations is readheroacademia.com, which has been around for a while. and there are several other sites which also host the new chapters and have all of the old chapters archived as well. kissmanga is a big one which I know a lot of people use, but my personal favorite is readmha.com (idk, I just feel like its layout is... cleaner? if that makes any sense)

also do keep in mind that all of these sites are pretty ad-heavy, so I wouldn’t recommend visiting without a good adblocker at the ready (I generally use Chrome on both desktop and mobile, and have uBlock Origin and Disable HTML5 Autoplay enabled on my desktop browser). that being said, I’ve never had any issues myself

good question! I was actually thinking about doing a weekly follow-up post on Sundays after the official Viz translation comes out, but obviously I did not end up doing that last week lol. so now I’m thinking it might be easier for me to just post any subsequent thoughts/remarks in the following week’s chapter recap, since I’m already committed to doing those anyway and so it makes it harder to flake out

so that said, my one follow-up thought about chapter 258 is that the fan scanlation seems to have mistranslated that whole “AFO’s resurgence” part. in Viz’s version Hawks was instead saying that the PLF’s plans would “throw the world into chaos and enthrone Shigaraki atop the rubble.” and he then referred to Tomura as the second coming of All for One. sooooo, pretty much exactly the opposite of the other translation lol. this is a big blow to my continued effort to search for evidence that AFO is gonna come back and be the final villain, but I am still not deterred. we will continue to fight on until AFO either actually dies, or does come back like I keep predicting he will! please try to work with me a little better here, AFO

one other thing, instead of “New World Movement”, Viz used the same “Vanguard Action” regiment name that was used during the forest training camp arc. Caleb said that the wording (“kaibyaku koudou”) was exactly the same. so I’ll be using that too moving forward. I guess that means that Pliff is still on the menu though, pity

anyway so let’s get started now

so it’s a house... no, holy shit, wait, it’s the house!

THE NEW TODOROKI HOUSE OH MY GOD. ahhhhh lol what the fuck is this. Todofeels coming up to slap me in the face out of nowhere?! here I thought we were gonna just dive right into the Shigaraki raid and the resulting carnage

I’m... not really sure how I feel about this? like, right now I’m not trusting anything Horikoshi does lol. “quiet beginnings” you say? this is just a sneaky new way to bring me more pain. isn’t it

(ETA: I guess “quiet beginnings” also summarizes the other activities of this chapter pretty well. also is that Natsuo’s girlfriend??! at first I thought it was Rei, but those look like quirk-related ears? so Natsu then really is living his best college life huh.)

oh hey everyone it’s a brand new character!

(ETA: wait, is he actually quirkless? or is that just another LIE. you big LIAR.)

I’m so curious what the kanji is for this latest name. can’t wait for Caleb to enlighten us. I wonder if it’s “shi” as in “death”, just like with Tomura/AFO’s name. and no idea at all what “Maruta” means. basically I just want to know if there’s some pun or something, since yet again he’s obviously using a fake alias here

(ETA: so someone informed me in an anon ask that this is a reference to Unit 731, which was a Japanese unit that undertook lethal human experimentation during WWII. basically the people who conducted the experiments referred to their human subjects as “logs” to dehumanize them. and the Japanese word for log is, you guessed it, maruta. so that’s an extremely powerful and disturbing association for this name, and it’s obvious now why Horikoshi went with it.

that said, the anon said that some people were really upset by this name choice, and while I guess I can understand that, I also think that’s kind of the point, though? like, it’s supposed to be horrifying. anyone with a human conscience and any kind of empathy whatsoever should be horrified. and atrocities like that shouldn’t be forgotten, and I actually think that for someone born and raised and living in Japan like Horikoshi to be making a reference to this is fairly ballsy. because my understanding is that, like a lot of Japan’s other war crimes, it was more or less hushed up by the government afterwards, and isn’t really taught in schools or mentioned in history textbooks other than in passing. so while I can understand people maybe finding it disrespectful, I don’t think it was meant as such. it seems to me that if anything, Horikoshi wants people to look into it and be educated about it. and again, obviously he’s associating it here with easily the most reprehensible and morally sickening character in the entire series, which is fitting I think. anyway so those are my thoughts on that.)

anyway, guess what guys? looks like we’ve got ourselves another Star Wars reference! let’s just hope this particular Jakku doesn’t wind up as wrecked as its namesake when all’s said and done. it’s gonna be a loooooong day

you guys. Maruta is such a nice guy

he’s a philanthropist! and he runs orphanages all over the country! wow! what a great person!! and nursing homes as well, where residents presumably die on the regular (of old age and other natural causes no doubt), at which point they are presumably cremated, and I wonder who runs the cremation facilities? I’m sure whoever it is is definitely on the up-and-up

and “quirk-based community healthcare.” I wonder if they’re selective about who they treat based on what their quirks are. all the better to make sure people with particularly strong and/or unique quirks get the specialized treatment they need!

anyway. see, this is more like what I expected. some super dark shit, and finally some answers to a few long-established questions as well, but not without a price. that price being the churning feeling in my gut right now lol. oh man. well I just ate, so that might have something to do with it. but I tell ya, nothing makes you vaguely queasy like trying your best not to think about a massive conspiracy to kidnap and torture innocent children in the pursuit of ultimate power! so anyways I sure do hate this!

fffff like, really hate it. I HATE IT SO MUCH

[reluctantly goes ahead and slides AFO down one notch on my list of people I need to see die the most] well there it is. we have a new champion

so now we’re cutting to a hero briefing!

y’all is that THE SHERIFF. PLEASE. IT’S BEEN SO LONG. BUDDY I MISSED YA

so Nao says he had one of his guys go undercover to investigate, and they found that this hospital’s blueprints included a giant suspicious unlabeled place that nobody knows anything the fuck about

oh my god. you guys. forget Tomura, could that also be where they’re keeping the Noumus?? omg. omg omg omg. omgggggggggggg. omg

-- AHHHHHHHHHH

IF THE NEXT PANEL ISN’T JUST A CHORUS OF EVERYONE IN THE ROOM ALL SAYING “WHAT THE FUCK” SIMULTANEOUSLY, I’M GONNA DEMAND SOME ANSWERS, BECAUSE LET ME TELL YOU, HAVING ALREADY KNOWN ALL ABOUT POOR JOHN-KUN AND ALL THIS FUCKED UP SHIT MYSELF, I STILL AUDIBLY SWORE OUT LOUD. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? I’M GONNA DO IT AGAIN TOO, BECAUSE WHAT THE FUCK

come on, is Pixie Bob the only one of you here with normal human reactions or what?!

RIGHT?! YOU ALL ARE LOOKING AT A TINY MOUND OF FLESH WITH VEINY BULGING EYES JUST OGGLING BLANKLY OUT FROM ITS EXPOSED BRAINS. NOT TO MENTION IT’S GOT TWO OF WHAT VAGUELY RESEMBLE EARS, BUT WHAT I’M PRETTY SURE ARE ACTUALLY NOSES?? AND A SEVERED SPINAL CORD TAIL DANGLING OUT FROM BEHIND. ALL OF WHICH IS PLASTERED TOGETHER LIKE A LUMPY MOLD OF CLAY ATOP TWO CHILD-SIZED LEGS, which are wearing fucking sneakers, with fucking velcro and shit. fuck. fuck

lol Nao

oh yes, not difficult at all. I’m sure he’ll come along real quietly. hey, let me know how that one works out, okay

“we have the trauma of Hosu and Kamino still haunting us.” thanks for that reminder. gonna have another city to add to that list real soon aren’t we. preemptive r.i.p. Jakku

oh man you guys. can you feel this tension building up

interesting how he says “destiny.” I wonder if that’s the actual dialogue. at any rate this overconfidence is terrifying and I would really like for you all to stop jinxing shit my dudes

-- WHAT DID I JUST SAY

holy shit. please tell me this is a separate group from the Endeavor group we saw at the end of the last chapter

but that doesn’t make any sense though, because this group has Midnight and Kamui, two of their deadliest and most efficient capture specialists. not to mention Edgeshot the literal ninja who can break into anywhere. so this really should be the vanguard here based on what I’m seeing, but if that’s the case why are the eighteen-year-old Tamaki and the sixteen-year-old Toadette right there with them?? can we not, you guys. can we not

fucking shit. at least they’ve got Ms. Joke there too to back them up. if we actually get to see her quirk in action I can die happy. and so, presumably, will the villains

so the “hospital team” (is that the Endeavor team??) said they’re gonna eliminate the villains’ warping ability, which presumably means John-kun. do they even know it’s him that does it?? they don’t seem to actually know who Ujiko fucking is so I have my doubts?

on the bright side though, it seems like this Midnight team is actually going to be raiding the mansion, and won’t be involved in the hospital raid. but on the less bright side, the mansion is arguably almost as dangerous. :/ that’s where Twice is!! and probably most of the League! but at least they don’t have a dozen Noumus in the basement just waiting to be unleashed

god. people, if we don’t get moving on this action soon I am going to give myself a damn heart attack. this is way too much suspense for a chill Friday night

son of a bitch that guy behind Toadette is Honenuki, I just realized. what the fuck, U.A. ?? “hey kids! guess what! we’re going on a field trip!!” ...

-- NO!!!!!!

IT WILL NOT BE ALL RIGHT!! DON’T YOU LIE TO THEM!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!! Tamaki, fine, okay, he’s experienced, and arguably more powerful than half the people there. Toadette, she’s just a kid, but she also tried to kill Tokoyami back during the joint training arc and I’m still not sure how I feel about that so whatever! Honenuki is probably the most responsible person in this entire group so fine. Tokoyami needs to be there to have a lot of angst about Hawks

but Kaminari. Kaminari fucking Denki. no. no, sir. excuse the fuck out of me. how fucking dare you. he is a five-year-old boy in the body of a high-voltage adolescent. and he’s maybe, just maybe, more powerful than anyone else in this fucking group but that still doesn’t give you the right to put this little baby boy RIGHT ON THE FRONT FUCKING LINES!! holy shit! HIS BLOOD IS ON YOUR HANDS!! I DON’T LIKE ANY OF THIS

OH MY GOD

RIGHT?!?!? omg omg omg omg omg

he’s literally wailing “I miss class 1-A” so loudly that it’s echoing all the way through the forest. see now that’s why you DON’T TAKE KAMINARI WITH YOU ON YOUR SECRET STEALTH ATTACK MISSION!! would somebody please point me towards whoever’s fucking idea this was so that I can go kick their fucking ass please and thank you

and here are the rest of them oh my god

Momo, Mina, Jirou, and Kiri at the forefront. okay, fine. this, I do like

so Edgeshot says they’ve surrounded the villains on all sides. man, no wonder they’re so worried about their warping capabilities. this is basically their one chance to capture all the bad guys in one fell swoop. I guess it makes more sense why all their capture specialists are in Edgeshot’s group, then

now I’m starting to wonder exactly what task lies in store for the Wonder Trio’s group, though? because they said evacuation, but is that really all there is to it? it’s no secret that Bakugou, Deku, and Todoroki are the three strongest interns they have. so you’re really expecting me to believe that they put baby Denki there on the front lines and yet plan on keeping their heaviest hitters in reserve? Nao is there more to this plan that you’re not telling us

oh shit Endeavor wants to know where his adopted chicken son is at

it genuinely does warm my heart to see Endeavor worrying about Hawks. I’m glad Hawks has at least one person out there who actually gives a shit about him. even if that person is mister father of the year here. the plot thickens

I wonder if Enji would actually die to save Hawks, if it came to that. which I’m not saying it would. but we all know some fucking shit is about to go down so I’m just having these thoughts here okay!

Nao always looks so tired nowadays. man

so he clearly does know who Endeavor’s talking about, though. one of these days I’d like to get a clearer understanding of what exactly Naomasa’s rank is and how high he is in terms of clearance, because the idea that he’s actually privy to more information than the number one fucking hero is kind of bonkers to me, ngl. this guy is literally just a detective, right?? not even a commissioner or anything. and yet he’s involved in everything. I used to suspect that he might be the traitor lol, and while I’m pretty sure by now that’s not the case, I’m still curious as to exactly what his deal is. does he even have a quirk?? anyways

so now Endeavor is hmphing and stomping off, and meanwhile there are some closeups of Mic and Aizawa

is that a whistle. do you guys think Mic could literally kill a man with his voice. shit. why do I kind of want to see it happen

as for Endeavor, I wonder if he was the one who made sure that his son and his friends weren’t on the front lines with the rest of them. sometimes it’s good to have some influence in these things

looooooool as if on cue

well. that sure doesn’t sound like he intends to keep them out of harm’s way. does he really have that much faith in them??

serious question, why exactly are all of the heroes seemingly so confident that this is going to work? it scares me because it makes me feel like in spite of Hawk’s intel they still don’t have a clue what they’re truly up against

so now we’re cutting to some random street somewhere and WOULD YOU LOOK WHO IT FUCKING IS

Slidin’ Go Suck An Egg. oh how I hate this man

look at him

I hate his stupid face!

OH SHIT

TRAFFIC CONE MAN, ARE YOU FINALLY GOING TO REDEEM YOURSELF FOR NOT RESCUING KACCHAN ON THAT DAY TWO YEARS AGO BECAUSE YOU WERE AFRAID OF A LITTLE SLUDGE? BECAUSE I’M HERE FOR IT! IF YOU WANT TO JUST GO AHEAD AND SNAP HIS NECK, I WILL TURN THE OTHER WAY AND ACT LIKE I DIDN’T SEE, I PROMISE

wow, Burnin’s team really is just evacuating people

I mean they’re obviously going to run into a Noumu, and just like that they’ll be in more danger than anyone, but at least for now it really does seem like the minds behind this raid wanted to keep them relatively out of danger. so yeah, for now I’m gonna chalk that up to Endeavor’s influence that they’re here rather than in the forest with the rest of their class

and here comes the hospital team!

well that answers my question about Nao’s rank. so he’s not even a chief. that really is fucking ridiculous but whatever

and why do I feel like this poor undercover subordinate is mere seconds away from becoming the first casualty in what I think is about to become the most violently snafued situation we’ve seen in this manga to date. like this shit is going to make Kamino look like the fucking state fair. fuck

...

I really wish I could believe that he was about to go down and it really was going to be just that easy

HERE WE GO!!

(ETA: so then they do know that he’s the guy who made the Noumu? including the one that nearly took him out in Kyushu? and they’re still acting like this is going to be a walk in the park? ?? what??)

knock knock, who’s there, JUSTICE

YESSSSSSS

(ETA: sure hope Endeavor’s light here doesn’t go summoning any darkness. welp.)

YOU’RE UNDER ARREST FOR CRIMES OF BEING TOO HORRIBLE TO EVEN FUCKING CONTEMPLATE, LET ALONE JOKE ABOUT! YOU SON OF A BITCH, GET FUCKED

oh my god. we’re really just gonna end it like that. well I guess next chapter we can all play a fun game of “let’s all count the pages until everything goes horribly wrong.” won’t that be a laugh. 10 to 1 the Noumu really are in the secret room and they’re all gonna be set loose by next week’s cliffhanger. remind me to have “Into the Trap” by John Williams cued up and ready to go lol

[mercurygray]

I know the prompt comes from a romantic context, but could you do a platonic one for "You matter to me. More than anyone else." between any of your OCs. Just to get a better sense for the bffs in the girl gang.

Sorry this took so long, Nonnie! I really liked this prompt and I needed to sit on it for a while so I could figure out what I wanted to do with it. I’m really pleased with how this turned out, and I hope you are too.

Letters from home weren't always pleasant.

Requests for money, requests for prayers, the notice of fires, of sudden losses - of deaths. Try as they might, no family could keep the wider world out of their news from home. Time marched on - and humans were only human. There had already been one or two Dear John letters, girls who'd decided they'd have better luck with a different fellow, and they'd taken those in stride, curses muttered, ill will wished upon the sender, and their friends, male and female alike, reminding the man that he was a catch, a gem, a hell of a guy.

Back in Aldbourne, after Normandy, the mail was finally catching up with them, and Molly looked up from her own haul (a couple of letters from college friends and co-workers and a package from her parents) after Billie made a sound of disgust and stomped outside, taking whatever it was with her, the sound of crying shortly following.

Glances were exchanged. "Give her a minute," Ruth said, looking at the address on the package. "It's from her mother."

"Her brothers?" someone asked. (Billie had two, both in the navy.) Ruth shrugged.

"I'll go," Molly offered, setting aside her letters and heading outside to go find her friend.

Billie was in the Thinking Post, a log set back into the hedge in what served, somewhat, as the garden, an open bit of grass with a few tallish trees and the occasional wildflower. "Everything okay?" Molly asked, hands in her pockets.

"She sent me gloves." Billie threw the box at the ground, a pair of white visiting gloves emerging from their tissue paper. This sounded pretty par for the course for Billie's mother, who was very active in a number of social causes and (to hear Billie tell it) gave a wonderful afternoon tea. "None of the things I asked for - none of the things I needed. White fucking gloves."

As tragedies went, it seemed minor, but Molly had heard enough of Billie's letters from home to know this was one more straw on an already overladen camel. They had just invaded Fortress Europe - had fought, bled, and, in more than a few instances, died there - and Mrs. Mitchell was harping about gloves. "I'm sorry, Billie."

She sniffled. "I should be used to it. After two boys she wanted a china doll she could play dress-up with and she got me instead." She wiped her eyes - she'd obviously done a fair bit of crying over the letter, which was still in her hand. Molly almost didn't want to read it. "I just...keep fighting this battle with her," Billie went on.  "First it was good girls don't go to to college, and then it was good girls don't go to work, and then it was good girls don't join the army, and now it's..." Billie gestured, defeated with the letter, unable to even form the words. "I just can't win, can I? My own damn mother. It's like what I want doesn't matter - like I don't matter."

"Hey now." Billie looked up from her letter to see Molly was on her knees on the ground in front of her. "You matter to me," she said. "More than anyone else in this whole company. And there's no one else I'd trust more than you - white gloves or no. And you matter to a whole lot of people in there," she said, pointing back at the bunkhouse. "And I know that 'cause I just watched a bunch of 'em getting ready to punch whoever hurt you." That, at least, made Billie smile. "So let's sit a minute, and then go call off Perco before he hurts himself," she offered. Billie nodded, picking up the gloves and closing them back into their box, scooching over on the log so Molly could sit down, too. "You're a popular lady.,” she said, angling to get her friend to smile. “That Heffron kid looked like he was getting ready to get in, too, and he's only been here two weeks.” 

[wickedbarnes]

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not | John Wick x Reader

PROMPT: Hanahaki Disease AU! Reader realizes she's in love with John but John, on the other hand, can't reciprocate the feelings because he's still in love with Helen. And so, reader begins to cough blood red rose petals...

WARNING: Major angst. Blood. Get your tissues ready.

NOTE: This is my take on the fictional disease so please don't attack me if some of the concepts of it is wrong. I just did it so there would be more impact to the story. An explanation for my take on the Hanahaki will be provided down below at the end of the oneshot to avoid any confusions. Other than that, please enjoy!

--

If there was one thing you hated doing, it was breaking promises. And you rarely did it unless it was really necessary. But you hated it when you did. And this... this was a promise you swore you would never break. But here you were, staring down at your bloody palm, examining the rose petals that stuck to your skin.

A lone tear cascaded down your cheek as you wiped the blood from your lips.

It finally got to you. The disease. The same disease that had killed your beloved Mother. And you were sure it was the same one that was going to kill you.

You vividly remembered how your Mother would gush about how beautiful love was. How magical it is and how you'd feel as if you were floating when you experienced it. And in a way, she has a point. But not everything was easy.

Because along with love comes pain. The pain of a broken heart. And as you grew up you realized that love was only beautiful when it was reciprocated. When the person you love is in love with you as well. But like your mom, you weren't so lucky.

You had no one but John now. When your Mother died of the Hanahaki Disease, you swore- vowed, rather, that you would never fall in love. But that was, until John.

The moment you saw the man, you could tell just how miserable he seemed but there was something about him that just drew you in. He charmed women without even noticing it. And so you did the unthinkable and was bold enough to go ask him what drink he wanted and that it was on you.

You worked as a bartender in the Red Circle. And when you spotted John you had no idea what type of man he was and what type of world he lives in. But even after that, you didn't care. You still stuck with him.

And you didn't even plan on doing so. You just wanted to give the man something to look forward to. Something to give him a little boost. But when chaos broke and you were almost shot by Viggo's men, John was brave enough to catch the bullet himself before the rest of them ran out thinking they had finally killed the Baba Yaga.

That night, you couldn't just leave him there dying. You had insisted he goes to the hospital but he told you not to and instructed you to take him to the Continental. The hotel where you didn't even know housed assassins like him. You didn't know why but you had stayed with him the whole while he was being patched up despite the fact he kept telling you to leave because it would be dangerous.

But the stubborn person you are, you decided to stay. And the rest was history from there.

You felt it creep up on you. You could tell because you felt the same itch in your throat that didn't seem to go away ever since your feelings for John got stronger. But the moment you realized you were in love with him, fate had finally decided to give you a sign that the feelings you have for the man just wasn't mutual.

And in a way, you kind of understood why. The wedding band on John's finger was proof of that. It was the proof of his undying love for his late wife, Helen. Who were you to compete with that?

The whole situation caused you to let a laugh under your breath. How ironic. John Wick never intends on hurting you. And yet here he was, being the reason why you're ill today.

---

"Y/N, you need to rest, you've been coughing all day and you don't look too good. I can handle it from here." John tried to approach you but you instinctively moved away from him and sat down on the couch yourself. Your reaction took him aback but he quickly regained his composure and sat down next to you but made sure to give you some distance.

You were pretty sure the handkerchief you were coughing into was full of blood by now and you prayed no petal would fall off or it would only worry John even more. You suspected he knows about the disease as well.

Day by day, it was getting hard for you to breathe. You knew the plant inside your lungs was growing and every night you had battled and hoped it wouldn't be your last night. Even sleeping had come to terrify you. You were afraid you wouldn't wake up anymore.

"Y/N, are you alright? You're not telling me what's going on, I have to know so I can take care of you." John would say, concern written all over his face and your heart ached at the sight because you knew he only meant that as a friend.

"I'm fine, John, I'll be okay I told you it's just allergies." You sighed and stood up to get a glass of water when you felt the familiar itch on your throat creeping up again. But the moment you took a step forward, you leaned forward and began to heave as you wretched out blood along with rose petals on John's floor.

You somehow felt embarrassed but your body fell on the floor as you kept throwing up blood. John was almost sure he would've had a heart attack with what he saw. He immediately went over to you and rubbed your back, panic beginning to creep up in his body.

This was like when Helen was ill.

When you were finished throwing up, you opened your mouth to apologize but you found yourself going limp and passing out in John's arms.

John looked at the blood and rose petals that were smeared all over his floor. The realization hit him like a truck as his face began to go pale. He looked down at your unconscious body in horror.

"Y/N, what the hell..."

---

John couldn't even fathom looking at you like this. Pale and sickly looking. He hadn't noticed just how much you had lost weight and how horrible the bags under your eyes looked. You were always with him but he was too caught up in work that he barely had time to see how his friend was doing.

He knew about the Hanahaki disease. John remembered how someone in Ruska Roma died because of it. But he never expected you to get it.

The assassin pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned back against the uncomfortable plastic chair. Who the hell were you in love with? You had never mentioned anyone from work that caught your eye. Nor did you introduce anyone to John. The idea of someone being the root of all this caused him to clench his fists until his knuckles turned white.

Whoever it was that didn't love you back, John was sure he was going to get a piece of his damn mind.

John's thoughts were cut off when the doctor came in and greeted him with a polite smile. When he looked at Y/N's records, the doctor let out a sigh and John knew this wasn't a good sign.

"Does she have family?" The doctor, Dr. Mercer had asked to which John responded by shaking his head no.

"I'm the only one she has now." Dr. Mercer nodded.

"Mr. Wick, I'm gonna be honest. Miss Y/L/N is in critical condition. The amount of blood that she threw up was very alarming. I'm sure you're aware of the Hanahaki Disease?" John nodded solemnly at the question and never took his eyes off you.

"Well, the plant inside her lungs is growing more and more. And it won't be long until it fully suffocates her. Looking at her x-rays right here, you can see that the plant is almost corrupting her lungs fully." Dr. Mercer showed your x-ray scan to John to which he took carefully and it only made the situation even real.

Was he going to lose another important person in his life? He already lost Helen and Daisy. He only has Dog now. Could he really lose you, too?

"Is there a cure to this?"

"There is. But... both of them aren't as easy as they sound." John looked up at the doctor with a confused look causing Dr. Mercer to sigh.

"In order to cure the patient, the person she's in love with has to love her back. And I don't mean platonic love. I mean, real genuine love. If that doesn't work, then we can surgically remove the root of the plant from her lungs."

John perked up at the mention of surgical removal of the plant. Obviously, whoever this person is didn't love you enough to even cure you. John felt that option two was the only logical option left. Or else, you'd die.

"I think I'd like the plant to be surgically removed from her."

"Mr. Wick, I think the patient has to decide for that. Because even though it could cure her, it would erase everything she felt and remembered about the person. Once the operation is done and successful, that person never existed for her. And unfortunately, Y/N here would be stripped away of the ability to experience romantic love. The removal of the root will cause that as well."

John couldn't believe what he was hearing. Y/N won't experience romantic love anymore? He looked at your frail body and put a hand over his face. He'd heard Dr. Mercer excuse himself but all John could think of was how he was going to save you.

He doesn't want you to live up your life not knowing how it feels to be in love and be loved by the person you're in love with. But if you don't do anything about this, you'd be six feet underground and time was slowly running out.

John's thoughts abruptly stopped when he noticed you waking up from a deep sleep. You had been out of it for about fourteen hours.

You fluttered your eyes open and took in your surroundings. Your throat felt really dry and you could use a tall drink of water. Looking around, your eyes soon fell on John who stood up from his chair and smiled softly down at you.

Your heart fluttered at how beautiful he is. You almost mistook him for an angel.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" He asked softly and brushed away some of your hair away from your face. His touch sent shivers down your spine and in a way, it hurt for him to be here. He was so gentle and patient. Was he like that with Helen? Or was he even more loving when it came to her?

"Like death." You laughed softly as you averted your eyes to the glass of water that was sitting on the table beside your bed, "Can I get a drink, please?"

John immediately took the glass of water and helped you sit up from your bed so you could drink. You were dehydrated from the amount of blood you just threw up hours ago. John gently patted your head when he saw that you drank all of the water from the glass.

"Good girl." He'd praise you and your heart swelled at it but it made you cough a bit.

John sat back down on the plastic chair but brought it closer by your bed as he looked at you in the eye.

"Y/N, who did this to you?" He asked. It took you about a minute to figure out what he was on about. And then you remembered the disease. Your situation probably took a turn for the worse and you assumed what had happened earlier almost scared John to death.

"Y/N." John sighed. "You're one of my most trusted friend. The only friend I probably trust with my whole life, really. But you need to tell me what the fuck is going on. You're dying, honey, and someone is the cause of all this and it's frustrating that I don't know who it is."

It's you, you wanted to say but the words didn't come out the way you wanted them to. You didn't want to see the look on John's face when you laid out the truth. Even now, on the verge of death, you were afraid of what he'd think. You knew he has a lot on his plate and he's just getting the chance to finally grieve for Helen. You didn't want nor had the heart to tell him that he's the reason why you're dying.

"It's no one, John, he-" You pursed your lips and let out a breath as you looked down at your hands that were slightly stained with your own blood, "He went away he- he loves someone else and that's all you need to know."

John nodded and although he was frustrated you didn't tell him everything, you knew it was just because you didn't wanna dive back into the fact that this person didn't reciprocate the feelings you felt. So he understood.

"Y/N, Dr. Mercer gave me two options so you could be cured and he-"

"John, I can't be cured, he doesn't love me." You said firmly and it felt so different saying it in front of him like this when he has no idea it was him all along that you were in love with.

"I know, darling, I know." He grabbed your hand comfortingly and you almost hated him for acting like this when all along you knew it was just platonic. You were just a friend to him. Nothing more and nothing less.

"But then he told me about option two. Option two is that you can get the plant surgically removed from your lungs." You perked up at hearing this.

You never knew it could get surgically removed. Your mother never told you. So why didn't she do it?

"W-What? What do you mean I can get it surgically removed?" You asked as tears began to fill your eyes but John was patient enough to talk you through it.

"You can, it's possible. But it's not that easy, Y/N." He let out another sigh before looking up at your tear filled eyes, "When the operation is successful, all the memories you have of that person will be gone. Including your feelings for him. It was like he never existed. Apart from that, once the plant is removed from your body, you ability to experience romantic love wouldn't be there anymore."

Tears cascaded down your cheeks. Not because you wouldn't be able to fall in love again. But because the thought of forgetting John scared you so much. Were you going to remember him again? Can he reintroduce himself again to you? Or should you not go through with option two?

At that moment, you finally realized why your mother never had the plant inside her get removed. It was far more painful than anything else.

---

"I'm sorry for your loss, Jonathan." Winston would say as he poured a drink for the assassin and John just nodded at him in thanks.

"Some things are beyond our control." John replied as he took a big gulp of his drink. He needed it right now after all.

He just came back from the hospital and that was the first time in a while John had felt so overwhelmed. The hatred he had for himself just increased a ton.

You decided to go through with the operation after giving it a deep thought for a the whole day. John was happy. Although you weren't able to experience romantic love anymore, he assured you he'd be by your side every step of the way. Just like you had been for him.

But what came next almost made him collapse down to his knees.

Aurelio decided to pay you a little visit when your operation was done. He had found out about what had happened from John and you knew the man well enough that he could give you discounts whenever your car had problems.

When it was time for visitors, John felt ecstatic. You were alive. He wasn't losing someone important from him again. When they got inside the room, you had already woken up and had a nurse slowly help you sit up from your bed but the moment your eyes fell on John, he noticed the slight confusion written on your face.

"Y/N, God, I'm so happy the operation was successful." John smiled and tucked a piece of your hair and he noticed how your body stilled from the touch as you looked up at him with wide eyes.

Thhe reaction was weird but John brushed it off and thought that maybe, it was a side effect from the pain killers you'd been taking.

"Aurelio's here and brought you some stuff. You like those cookies from the bakery near his shop, right?" You found yourself nodding slowly at the man's question even though you had no idea who he is.

Who was he? And how does he know your name? How did he know you liked those chocolate chip cookies from that bakery near Aurelio's shop? It was starting to freak you out.

John took notice of your reaction and the nurse excused herself when she was finished checking your vitals. John put a finger underneath your chin to make you look up at him and in your eyes, he saw fear.

You never looked at him like that. Never. Not even once.

"Y/N, darling, what's wrong? Did I do something, why are you-"

"Who are you?" You asked, cutting him off and John looked at Aurelio to see if what he heard was right.

Aurelio looked at him and then back at you with shock written on his face.

"What? Y/N, it's me, John. Your friend, your best friend." John replied but you had no recollection of the man in front of you so you shook your head slowly.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so confused I don't know who you are." You apologized shyly and looked at Aurelio. "Aurelio, is he a friend of yours? I really don't remember him, I don't wanna seem so rude."

John stood there in his spot, completely frozen. You remember Aurelio but you had forgotten him. That could only mean one thing...

"Come on, Y/N, stop fooling around this isn't funny. Tell me you're just joking and you know who I am." John's voice was laced with desperation now and you took notice of how his eyes were starting to fill with tears and you had a sense he hated crying in front of people.

Why did you feel so guilty? As if you'd done something wrong?

You looked up at the man apologetically and shook your head at him. "I'm so sorry, John, I really don't know who you are. I believe I just met you. Aurelio would have introduced you to me back then but... I don't remember that he has."

John couldn't take it. Everything was so overwhelming. When he gruffly excused himself you watched as he hurriedly made his way out of your room and Aurelio followed soon after probably to chase after him.

You had no idea of who he was but you could never forget how heartbroken he seemed when he looked at you.

Did you know him before?

John, on the other hand, needed to get out of there and he ignored Aurelio's calls as he got into his car and sped down the road. He felt guilty for leaving you there all alone, probably so confused as to why you were there in the first place but he just needed to have his space.

And so here he was, sharing a drink with Winston.

"You weren't entirely fair with her as well, Jonathan. You couldn't blame her if she hadn't told you."

"I was grieving for my wife." John stated to which Winston replied with a hum.

"But you could've showed her you felt the same way. Maybe told her. Hanahaki disease is a complicated kind of illness. Y/N believed you were still in love with Helen. And maybe you still are. That's why she was on the verge of dying that day. But it could all have been cured if you two had just acted on your feelings right away. A lot of people die from that, you know."

John stayed silent and poured himself another drink.

He had moved on from Helen a year after the whole incident with Viggo and his son. If Helen was alive, she would've wanted John to live his life fully and that was the only way he could honor her. And he did, and that was thanks to you.

You were like a breath of fresh air and John was scared he might ruin the peace that you had in your life. And he kind of did in a way. But you were too stubborn to leave until he just couldn't handle the thought of you leaving.

Like you, it crept up on John and the familiar itch on his throat, as if he was about to cough kept popping out of nowhere. Especially when you were near him. And for a moment, he didn't want to believe he caught it. He couldn't be possibly catching feelings for you it was a dangerous game to play.

John believed everything he touched turns to ash and he wasn't turning you into one. You deserved far more better than that. And it'd be impossible for you to feel the same way about him, he's too damaged to be loved at this point. But it's true when they say that you can't help who you fall in love.

But today, today was different than the others. John placed the glass down and leaned back on his chair and soon leaned forward when he began to cough and cough and cough.

Winston looked at John with an unreadable expression on his face. As if he knew it was coming. Somehow, he felt bad for the man. He had lost his wife and the dog she gave to him. And in a way he lost you even though you were still perfectly alive.

And now the disease had caught up to him.

His hunch was right when he saw the blood on John's palm. John stared down at it and noticed that there were petals of your favorite flower sticking onto his hand along with his own blood.

The assassin stayed silent as he grabbed his handkerchief from his coat and wiped the bloody residue off his skin.

Winston poured the man another drink but this time, he didn't pour himself some. He knew John needed it more than he did.

"Are you going to remove it or not?"

John looked at Winston but the manager took it upon himself to get up from the chair and leave Jonathan alone in the rooftop to decide.

This was all a bad case of wrong timing and lack of courage, obviously. And John leaned back against the chair and pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt a tear slip down his cheek.

Was he ready to go? Or will he risk forgetting about you like you did to him?

John realized just how difficult this all was. He realized now that it hurt to have you forget about him completely. Like he was dead to you. But knowing you, you would've made the decision just so you could live for John's sake. He knew you decided to live even though it would be hard on the both of you.

Because in your mind, you probably chose to live and see John again even though you had forgotten about him rather than die and let him live this world all alone without you.

But would it be the same for John? Could he really forget about you? Or was it time for him to go and let you be free?

Either way, as he began to cough once again, he knew that he needed to think fast and decide.

Time is gold and he's slowly running out of that.

---

A/N: I know in some stories this is not how the Hanahaki disease works but this is my take on it. Reader almost died because she believed that John would never love her the way she did. When all along, John was slowly developing feelings for her and while he did, he also didn't believe she'd have feelings for him because he believes he's too damaged to be loved. To put it shortly, my understanding of the Hanahaki is that as long as the protagonist believes the enamoured doesn't love them back, they'll slowly die. But as long as the enamoured confesses to the protagonist, they'll be cured of the disease. And if that doesn't work, the plant can be surgically removed.

The disease caught up to John and the reader because they didn't act upon their feelings and confessed to each other right away. They both believed everything was platonic between them. As a result, they kept it to themselves until it slowly killed them. In other words, this is all a bad case of wrong timing and lack of courage to say what they really wanted to say to each other.

[fortheloveoffanfic]

The One That Stays

Keanu Reeves x Reader (A/n- the end is nigh folks. Just a few more chapters. A/n2- So sorry if this feels rushed.)

Chapter1  Chapter2  Chapter3  Chapter4  Chapter5  Chapter6  Chapter7  Chapter8 

Chapter 9- Aftermath

“I’ve always been the kind to contemplate But you like the kind that don’t hesitate.” -Steve Moakler, Hesitate

When Y/n got back to her apartment, the first thing she did was call Julie, who unfortunately, didn’t answer her phone. With a heavy sigh, she made her way to her bedroom, getting out of her dress, tossing it to the laundry hamper, narrowly missing. Rummaging through her dresser, Y/n finally pulled out a pair of comfortable shorts and an old college sweater with the letters UCLA printed in bold navy letters at the front. Her hair was still wet from the torrential downpour, but Y/n couldn’t be bothered to plug in the drier. In fact, after the events of earlier that morning, all she wanted to do was bury herself in a mountain of pillows.

Every time she blinked, she could see the hurt look at Keanu wore when she just exploded at his place, like a time bomb that had been just waiting to go off. It had all just happened so fast; him blurting out that he loved her, waiting for her to say something, anything and then those pictures from the restaurant and Keanu admitting that he knew that it was happening all along. How could he? 

Sniffing, Y/n finally realized that quiet tears had started trickling down her cheeks and as she plopped onto the sofa, her silent tears turned into body racking sobs. Possibly the best relationship of her life had just crumbled to nothingness. 

Beside her, on the sofa, her discarded cell buzzed, and thinking it was Julie getting back to her, Y/n grabbed up the device, only to be disappointed when she saw what it actually was. Bombarding her notifications were texts from old friends and relatives, all asking the same questions, though, in different fashions; “Why didn’t you tell us you were seeing someone?” “You’re dating Keanu Reeves?” “Is that really you in the pictures?”

Of course, attached to their invasive messages, were tabloid articles and social media posts, and without responding, she opened one of the articles, the headlines reading; John Wick Star Keanu Reeves Dotes on Mystery Woman on Valentine’s Day: Check Out the Lucky Lady’s 21 Carat Present! Sure enough, the picture just below the headline was a zoomed in shot of the pendent resting on her chest, next to it, a photo of them kissing just after he had put it on for her. Quickly, with blurred vision, Y/n skimmed the article, that was filled with mostly speculations about how long they had been together and where on earth he could have possibly met a woman that would prompt him to buy a $30,000 necklace for what appeared to be their first Valentine’s together. 

“Fuck,” Y/n breathed when she saw the estimated cost of it; it was almost as much as she got paid in a month. Which, arguably was a lot, but still. When Keanu had given it to her, he had said that expensiveness was subjective, which she eventually understood; to him the cost of something like that was barely a dent in his pocket and thus, being able to afford it was less than afterthought. But the writer seemed to have a different take on the issue, insinuating that Y/n had only gone out with him for his money and that she just wanted five minutes of fame. 

Before she could get to the end, Y/n heard her front door open and slam, not even bothering to get up to see who it was; there was only one person with a key, and she was very liberal in using it. “Have you read these bullshit articles?” Julie’s voice reached the living room before she could, but soon, she was plopping down on the spot next to Y/n, “I can’t believe these assholes, calling you a gold digger,” Julie scoffed, though when she realized that Y/n was still crying, she pulled her into a hug, “Hey, it’s gonna be okay. These things die down pretty quickly anyway.”

Y/n sniffled, “I know, it’s just....” she was so close to telling Julie what had happened earlier that morning, but Y/n didn’t think she was ready to talk about it, not until she had processed her feelings on her own.

“Just what honey?” Julie probed, passing one hand over Y/n’s tangled hair, while rubbing her back soothingly.

“Nothing,” Y/n shifted, pulling away and wiping her eyes hastily, “I don’t want to talk about it right now,” she determined, her tears slowing and her breaths evening.

Julie frowned, slumping her shoulders, “Are you sure? I shouldn’t have to tell you that you can talk to me about anything. Anything,” she took Y/n’s hand, “I’m here for you, always.”

“I know,” Y/n nodded, looking down at their joined hands, her brows knitting when she noticed something that wasn’t there before, “Is this.....what I think it is?” Y/n lifted Julies left hand closer to her face, examining the pink tinted, diamond. The ring, which sat comfortably on Julie’s left ring finger, was gorgeous; the largest, glittering stone set in a rose gold band, flanked by two smaller white diamonds, all no doubt, very real. 

Suddenly, Y/n was putting aside her own internal turmoil to squeeze some details out of her best friend, “This is an engagement ring!”

“It is!” Julie returned with the same vigor.

Y/n’s mouth hung open, reddened eyes wide, “You don’t even have a boyfriend!”

Laughing childishly, Julie shook her head, “But now I have a fiancée!” 

“Since when?”

Julie just shrugged, “Since about eighteen hours ago,” grabbing Y/n’s hands again, she scooted closer, “Don’t you want to know who he is?”

“Umm, obviously,” she chuckled, and when Julie hesitated, Y/n bounced a bit in her seat, “Come on Jules, tell me.”

“Okay, okay,” she beamed, “It’s Eric Riley. I know you two have never met, but I swear, you’ll love him, he’s such a sweetheart.”

“Jules, hun, isn't that the author you’re working with?” Y/n frowned, her brows furrowing. Julie had only known the man for a couple months, and now they were engaged? They hadn’t even been dating. Between the two, Julie had always been the one willing to take risks in the name of love, but an engagement and possibly marriage? That was a lot, even for her. She didn’t want to see her make a mistake that she might regret, but Y/n didn’t want to dwindle her excitement either. “Sweetie,” she continued, “You’ve only known him for two months, and he proposed last night?”

“I know what you’re thinking,” Julie countered, clearly about to try to convince Y/n of otherwise, “But we do love each other. And I know we haven’t been dating, but we have been going out a lot outside of work and I’ve never felt this way about someone,” Julie determined.

Stuttering, Y/n shook her head, standing and heading for the kitchen, deciding that a glass of wine might help her process the whole thing. Julie followed, close on her heels, eyeing Y/n through the corner of her eye as she got a couple glasses out of the cupboard. Wordlessly, Y/n poured them some and it was only after her first sip, did she speak again, “You can’t love someone you barely know Jules.”

Julie scoffed quietly, “Really,” she blinked quickly, as if trying to get rid of gathered tears, “Cause I loved my dad for sixteen fucking years and it turns out that I didn’t now him at all,”

Y/n’s jaw clenched and she involuntarily winced at the memory; when they were sixteen, Julie and her mom found out that her father had another family a couple states over and that his business trips were actually excuses to see them. By the time the news had spread to the rest of their community, he was gone, for good that time. Y/n had been at her friend's side, offering as much as she could and twelve years later, she knew Julie well enough to know that it still hurt like hell. Sighing, Y/n shook her head, “That’s not the same.”

“I know,” Julie agreed, “It’s not, but it means that you can know someone your entire life and still never really know them. Besides, I’ve learnt more about Eric in two months that I did about my dad in sixteen years, and it was enough to make me fall in love with him. Y/n/n,” Julie sighed, “So many people spend months, years even, going through the motions, never skipping a step, and in the end, they still end up with something they never wanted in the first place. And the way I see it; true, real love is already hard enough to come by, do you really think we should waste time putting it through all these tests? Why can’t we just feel the way we feel, for whoever we feel it for?”

Huffing, deep down, Y/n knew Julie was right, and glancing away, she couldn’t help it when her mind ran back to Keanu. Why couldn’t she just let herself feel the way she felt? If Y/n was being honest with herself, she was in love with Keanu, no doubt. Be she was also so scared of the fact; scared that it would make it easier for him to hurt her, scared that they were mistaking lust and infatuation for love, it wasn’t logical and the things she felt when they were together wasn’t something she could easily understand. What if things were going too fast for them to last? What if they were setting themselves up for heartbreak? There were so many ‘what ifs’. Taking another lengthily drag of her wine, Y/n began again, “Because-”

“Because it doesn’t make sense,” Julie finished before Y/n could, “You really want to wait around for something to make sense, and risk missing out on something beautiful?”

Tears pinched at Y/n’s eyes, but after a deep breath, she managed to quell her emotions before Julie could notice, her voice almost breaking when she finally admitted, “Maybe you’re right.” Forcing a smile, not wanting to further damper Julie’s moment with the ruins of her imploded relationship, Y/n pulled her into a tight hug, “Congratulations hun.”

Hugging her back just as tightly, Julie thanked her, “I’m so glad you could come around, my wedding would be a bore without my maid of honor.”

When they broke, Y/n and Julie still held each other’s arms, still smiling, Y/n added, “I hope he knows that if he breaks you’re heart, I’ll have to make him disappear.”

Giggling, Julie threw her blond head back, “Don’t worry, I told him. Oh!” She cooed, pulling Y/n into another hug, “I’m so happy!” She squealed, “And isn’t it amazing? We’ve both have these great guys, at the same time!”

Julie couldn’t see it, but Y/n’s fake smile faltered, and she wasn’t half as enthused as Julie when she meekly returned, “Yeah, yeah, I guess we have.”

Two Days Later Y/n sat in her car, the engine of her shiny off-white Range Rover idling. She was already ten minutes late for dinner with Julie and her new beau. Julie had offered to wait until Y/n had gotten home from work and was ready, so they could all go together, but she had declined. And because she had yet to tell her about Saturday afternoon’s incident, and probable break-up, when Julie had also asked if they could turn their introductory dinner into a double date, Y/n summed up some excuse about Keanu having a meeting with his manager.

The truth was that she actually hadn’t spoken to Keanu since that day. Though, Y/n would have liked to think that it was no fault of her own; she had called and texted, but he hadn’t been so inclined to respond. Of course, it stung, but considering that she was the one that walked out, she guessed that he deserved some time to work through it the way she was working through it.

That was what he needed right; time?

Then why did giving it to him feel like she was just making things worse?

Sighing, Y/n fished her cell out of her clutch, pulling up his number and hitting call. It rang, and rang, and rang, until his voicemail came up, and with a huff, Y/n didn’t bother with leaving a message and hung up.

Just as she turned the car off, her phone buzzed and with high hopes, Y/n quickly turned it over in her lap, only to let her shoulders slump when she saw that it was Julie, asking where she was. Hurriedly, Y/n let her know that she was on her way in, locking her car and jogging towards the entrance.

Inside, the hostess, a young woman dressed in black lead Y/n to Julie and Eric’s table just past the bar. “You’re here!” Julie clapped excitedly, standing, along with an attractive man, probably in his mid-thirties dressed in sensible khakis and a pale green sweater.

“I am,” Y/n giggled, pulling Julie into a short hug, “Sorry I’m late, I got caught up with some things at the office,” she lied smoothly. As they pulled away, Y/n offered her hand to Eric, “I’m Y/n.”

“Eric,” he returned with a warm smile, using his free hand to push up his glasses further onto the bridge of his nose, something that Y/n quickly registered as a nervous tick, “Pleasure to meet you, Julie talk about you, a lot,” he smiled, returning his hand to the small of Julie’s back as they all sat.

A waiter came, offering them wine, which everyone gratefully accepted and Y/n chortled quietly, “Funny, because I’ve barely heard a thing about you,” she teased, though Eric didn’t seem to find the humor in it and he started stuttering, obviously not sure if Y/n was trying to be mean or funny.

It was strange, Y/n thought; already, Eric didn’t really seem like Julie’s type; she usually went for the kind of guys that were so over-confident that they stole rooms by just walking in, the Adonis types with camera ready smiles and a body that was the product of six days a week spent at the gym; the personal trainers, wanna-be models, and if Y/n remembered correctly, there was even a pro-footballer somewhere in the mix. Of course she’d never call her best friend shallow, but Julie definitely had a type and if one wanted a word for said type, ‘jerk’ perfectly encapsulated it. 

But Eric was shaping up to be a pleasantly welcome change of pace; a little shy, bookish, looked at Julie with wide eyes filled with adoration and Y/n was willing to bet all her money that the most outlandish thing he had ever done was proposing to Julie after just two months of knowing her.

Rubbing his arm comfortingly, Julie offered Y/n a playfully scolding stare, interjecting; “What Y/n means is that we haven’t had enough time for me to tell her about you. But this is what tonight is about; my guy,” she pecked his cheek sweetly and he went red up to his ears, “And my gal,” Julie took Y/n’s hand across the table, “Getting to know each other.”

A couple hours later, just before they had called for the check, the three sat, comfortable chatter dominating the table. They had already gone through a bottle and a half of wine, though none of them seemed drunk in the least, but the alcohol did seem to break the ice; warming Y/n a little more to idea of their engagement and helping Eric open up a bit.

A brief break in to conversation when Eric handed over his credit card to the waiter saw Y/n leaning back into her seat, wine glass to her lips, eyeing the couple wistfully; Eric’s arm was draped over the back of Julie’s chair and her head was nestled comfortably in his side. If Keanu were there, Y/n knew that they might have looked just the same.

“What?” Julie knitted her brows, meeting Y/n gaze.

“Nothing,” Y/n shook her head, finishing off her drink, toying with the stem of her now empty glass. Emboldened, Y/n barely hesitated before adding, “You know Eric, when Julie told me you proposed, I was a little worried. But now that we’ve met, if someone is going to propose to my sister after two months,  I’m glad you were the one brave enough to do it.”

“What can I say?” Eric chuckled, glancing at Julie, “When you know you know, right? You just need to be willing to take that risk. Besides, Jules is worth any risk.”

As if forgetting that Y/n was there, the two fell into an episode of sweet kisses punctuated by soft giggles and whispered sweet nothings. With Eric’s earlier words and Julie’s little speech from Saturday still swirling around in her head, and seeing them so happy and in love, Y/n couldn’t help but miss Keanu more than ever.

It had only been two days, but still Y/n missed Keanu more than she missed past boyfriends that she had been away from for weeks. And yet there she was, calling phone calls and texts her best shot at reconciliation, just because she was too scared to march up to his house and offer him what she had been too frightened to before.

It had only been three weeks, Y/n didn’t know everything about Keanu, she probably never would, but she did know him enough to love him.

He was worth the risk.

And she had been waiting for something beautiful to make sense.

But what Y/n had only just realized was that the only thing that made sense about her relationship with Keanu was that she loved him. His laugh, the way it felt when they held hands, the warmth she felt down to her toes when they kissed, everything. Y/n loved Keanu, in the truest sense of the word.

She had to fix things.

Standing abruptly, Y/n grabbed up her purse from the table, startling both Julie and Eric. “I have to go,” she offered hurriedly, already searching for her car keys, “It was great to meet you Eric,” Y/n was already walking off, glancing back towards the table.

“But we wanted to tell-”

Y/n cut Julie off, “Uh, I’ll call you.....or something. But I really have to go.”

In no time, Y/n was out of the restaurant, in her car and backing out of the spot. Taking all the shortcuts she could think off, she even came close to crossing the speed limit. 

It didn’t take half as long as it would have via the usual route, and twenty minutes later, Y/n was parked on curb, in front of a familiar house. The same one she had left in a frenzy on Saturday, while the rain poured down on all of Los Angeles. 

With her heart in her throat, Y/n got out, shoving the door shut and making her way to the front door. Her breaths were ragged with anxiety and her palms were sweaty. Exhaling loudly, she pushed the little silver button; the automatic hum of the doorbell faint from the outside. Not long after, the front lights turned on, bathing her with a bright white warmth. And then, seconds later, the front door was pulled open, revealing Keanu, already in his pajamas; lounge pants and an old t-shirt, his hair messy and renewed hurt painting his handsome features at the sight of her.

Licking his lips, Y/n thought that Keanu looked as if he were contemplating shutting the door but couldn’t bring himself to do it. Swallowing tightly, she willed herself to speak, “Hey,” Y/n croaked and when he looked away without replying, she continued, “Can we talk?”

******

Tagging- @kindainlovewithkeanu​ @harrisongslimited​ @a-really-bi-girl​ @soarocks​ @baphometwolf666

[interstellarflare]

Loved You Dangerously - Thomas Shelby

-PART EIGHT-

Song: Dangerously - Charlie Puth (slowed)

Warnings: Violence, swearing.

Summary: I loved you dangerously, more than the air that I breathe. Knew we would crash at the speed that we were going, didn’t care if the explosion ruined me. Baby, I loved you dangerously, Mmmm, mmmm. I loved you dangerously.

An arranged marriage to one of London’s most notorious criminals isn’t something that you planned for. But when you so happen to be kidnapped by the one and only Thomas Shelby of the Peaky Blinders, your story takes a drastic turn full of lies, deception, and a love that you never thought possible.

Author’s Note: This is a series that is all my own. Events happening within will not directly correlate with the actual show. A tag list is open! The people who have been tagged have been tagged previously in my ‘Back to You’ Series.

The mansion grounds were extensively searched. Whoever had broken into my bedroom couldn’t have gotten far, given the size of the estate.

We all sat huddled in the large billiard room, Polly was at my side with her hand comfortingly resting on my shoulder. Arthur was outside, conducting the search with several other members of the Peaky Blinders, while John was searching the upstairs floors, which included my room. Thomas paced back and forth, with one hand in his coat pocket while the other was holding a small glass of whiskey.

“How the fuck did they get in!?” Thomas growled, abruptly turning to face Polly with a stoic expression on his face. The woman beside me sighed heavily, her grip on my shoulder tightening slightly. She said nothing, and instead allowed her nephew to continue to pace. My gaze never left the bullet that was placed on the edge of the small table before me. I knew what it meant. A typical bullet with my name on it. A sign of war between gangs. I was petrified. There was no telling what would happen now. “When I find out who broke into my home, I’m going to fucking kill them” Thomas growled, his jaw clenching in anger. I wanted to say something, anything, but my mind was blank. What could I say? Nothing. I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry. I wanted to do a numerous amount of things that all resulted in me breaking down completely.

The door to the billiards room suddenly swung open, revealing a seething Arthur and John who between them carried a man half beaten to a pulp. “We found the bastard hiding by the gates at the back of the estate” Arthur mused, grunting with effort as the two Shelby’s threw the man forward. The perpetrator landed on his hands and knees, the harsh thud echoing throughout the room. I froze, my eyes widening as I recognised the man behind the features. I didn’t know his name exactly, but he always did what Alfie asked him to do. Including following me around. He was skilled in death, a dangerous man who could have easily killed me if he had remained in my bedroom.

The room fell into an anxious silence, as Tommy stood before the man with a dangerous scowl. With the glass of whiskey still in his hand, he swirled the golden liquid before downing what remained. “You broke into my home...” he began, his voice low and authoritative, his eyes narrowing dangerously on the man before him “why?”.

The man chuckled darkly, his eyes moving from Thomas to land directly on my form. He smirked evilly, his blood-stained teeth glimmering in the orange light of the roaring fireplace. “I see you got Alfie’s little gift...” he croaked, swallowing thickly as a deep chuckle gurgled from the back of his throat. The blood in my body ran like a river of ice through my veins as I felt Polly’s hand tighten on my shoulder. I wouldn’t be intimidated by him, despite the trembling in my hands. I held his gaze, ignoring the uneasiness that grew in my chest. “You don’t get to look at her...” Thomas growled lowly, staring down at the man with a dangerous gaze. He ignored Thomas, and continued to stare towards me psychotically. “It won’t be long before that bullet finds its home, Miss L/n. Alfie will take your father’s fortune with or without you, you know-” “Stop” I spat angrily, feeling the bitter sting of tears forming in my eyes.

I stood to my feet, allowing Polly’s hand to fall from my shoulder as I moved towards the man on the floor. “Stand up” I ordered, somewhat enjoying the fear that crossed his beaten features. He struggled to stand, groaning with effort against the welts and bruises all over his body. His eyes narrowed on my form as his jaw clenched in a somewhat mocking and intimidating gesture. I felt several pairs of eyes watching me closely, the atmosphere in the billiard room suddenly becoming very intense. Without thinking, and with one swift movement, I swung my clenched fist, pain exploding through my hand as it made contact with the side of his face.

A choked laugh came from both Arthur and John as the man before me collapsed to the floor, whilst Polly sniggered into her closed fist. I briefly looked over my shoulder, my heartbeat suddenly increasing as I caught sight of Thomas staring at my form in complete awe. I stepped backward, shaking my hand to try and dull the pain shooting through my wrist while the man sprawled on the floor before me wiped a river of blood from his mouth. “You fucking bitch!” he cried, swaying on his feet as he surged towards me, arms out in a grabbing motion. I cried out as his hands took hold of my nightgown, pulling me toward him before pushing me against the billiard table. Pain shot through my spine as my back collided with the wooden edge. But as soon as he was there, he was hauled away from my person by a blur of dark grey.

It was Thomas, who had now pinned the man to the wall on the other side of the room. He was furious, his hair slightly disheveled from their mild scuffle. “You don’t fuckin’ touch her!” he shouted loudly, slamming his fist into the stomach of the man before him. Thomas hit him, again and again until I could see the knuckles of his fists bleed. I wasn’t certain if it was his blood, or of it was Alfie’s lackey’s, but I felt my stomach drop as Thomas allowed the man to fall the the floor, barely conscious, the only sound escaping him were loud pained groans. I suddenly felt cold as my eyes travelled to the floor, my cheeks turning a light pink as I noticed a large tear in my nightgown, the rip stopping just above the middle of my thigh.

I hadn’t noticed I was crying until Thomas’s eyes met my own. He was tired, out of breath, and panted heavily as he quickly turned his gaze towards his brothers. “Get rid of him...” he spoke lowly, motioning with his bloodied hand towards the barely moving man on the floor “everyone else, get out”. Doing as they were told, Arthur and John stepped forward, looping the unconscious man’s arms around their shoulders before carrying him out of the room, whilst Polly left wordlessly. She placed her hand on my shoulder once again before disappearing into the hall. I however, remained where I was. I watched as Thomas stalked past me towards the coffee table where I had been sat previously, picking up another crystal glass before pouring himself another glass of whiskey.

He downed the amber liquid in one swift swallow, poured himself another, and then did the same again. I held my wrist tightly, trying to ignore the dull pain that throbbed through my aching muscles as I sighed shakily. “I’m so sorry...” I managed to rasp lowly, pressing my lips into a thin line. I heard Thomas swallow another glass of whiskey, scoffing lightly with a small roll of his eyes. “You have nothing to be sorry for” Thomas mused dryly, anger still present on his features. His jaw was tight, his nostrils flaring slightly as he tried to calm himself down. He moved to the fireplace, placing his elbow on top of the mantle and leaning against it with a heavy sigh. “I’m the reason why he was here...” I spoke again, running my thumb over my now bruised knuckles “how are you not the slightest bit mad at me?”.

“Because...” Thomas snapped harshly, his tone causing me to jump “Alfie likes to play dirty, it’s what he does. He won’t do something that stupid again when he knows we will retaliate with something greater” “And what do you plan to do? In retaliation I mean. Even if you wanted to, you can’t just waltz up to him and demand that he leave me alone” I spoke quickly, my shoulders tensing timidly as Thomas chuckled darkly, shaking his head slowly. “You obviously have no idea what I am capable of, Y/n” he responded in a low tone, resting his glass on top of the mantle before making his way over to me. Wordlessly, he took my hand in his own, his blood-covered hands gently caressing my bruised knuckles. He swore under his breath, closing his eyes as he breathed deeply. In and out, he managed a small and quick sigh “I’ll admit, that was a good punch”.

I laughed, shrugging my shoulders awkwardly as I met his eyes with a dim smile “Well, I try my best” I responded, the two of us falling into a tension-filled silence. I knew he was still furious, his eyes were wild with a mixture of emotions; fury, worry, fear-

“Can I ask you a question?” Thomas suddenly spoke, the uneasiness of his tone catching me off guard. I nodded, not at all flinching as Thomas moved closer to my form. The leader of the Peaky Blinders hesitated, something that was uncharacteristic of him, I’m sure. Sighed somewhat shakily, his entire demeanour suddenly changing as he spoke. “What would you have done if it was me who asked for your hand, and not Alfie?”.

I was taken aback by his question, my eyes widening in complete shock. I didn’t know what to say as my cheeks flushed a bright red. My heart pounded heavily in my chest, as I tried to find an answer to his question. “Why do you ask?” I found myself replying, to which Thomas smiled faintly “Because a woman like you deserves someone better than him. If I had asked for you hand, what would you have said?” he asked again, tilting his head to the side in wait for my answer. I’ll admit, the Shelby’s had gone out of their way to keep me safe, especially Thomas. He had amended his brother’s problem, by offering me the chance to stay here within the walls of the Warwickshire Mansion, and had given me a second chance. He made sure I was well cared for, even going out of his way to visit me personally and talk for a while.

My heart fluttered in my chest as I spoke, swallowing thickly “I would have said yes”.

That was all he needed as Thomas quickly moved forward, dipping his head down to capture my lips with his own. I was left breathless, shocked by his sudden and bold movement. I felt myself begin to melt, my eyes fluttering closed as the kiss slowly intensified. Though passionate, it was sweet and sensitive, gentle and delicate. This was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. It was almost like Thomas was being careful, slowly exploring a new opportunity for the both of us. I felt different, happy. Happier than I had been in a long, long time.

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