#certain someone keeps bringing up my interests to bait me into conversation and had the audacity to imply sonic isn’t good with geography

[un-pearable]

where’s the post about sonic having an uncanny sense of direction bc of his sheer love of exploration and nature

[themaribatpit]

Jasonette July Day 4: Game On

Written by: The Maribat Pit  @jasonette-july-event  Prompt: Game On Rated: T (for sexual references, mostly references to things that happened in the comics.  You have been warned.) “I can’t just go spilling my protégé’s secrets. I can barely send her out into the mean streets on her own.” she said with a coy show of innocence that she wasn’t even trying to make believable.

 “I’m not asking for her identity, all that concerns me is why you decided to take her in.” Batman explained.

 “She was in trouble, I was in the neighbourhood and I gave her a helping hand,” she explained. “That special claw of hers comes in handy, and besides we all know how you feel about magic users Bruce.” She wasn’t wrong about that.  Batman could never trust Constantine further than he could throw him. He could only bring himself to turn to Zatanna when he really needed her help.  Shazam was an exception, seeing as the limits of his magic were clear and simple enough to understand.  That didn’t make him any less formidable, but it didn’t make him quite as unpredictable.  He was, at the end of the day, a detective who was trained to think rationally and logically in order to get to the bottom of a situation.  Magic was the ultimate wild card, and the sooner he figured out this girl’s abilities, the better.  “You’ll be pleased to know she’s not a completely hopeless case, she’s been helpful but she doesn’t get quite the same thrill out of thievery.” Catwoman remarked, “but it’s been lovely having her around, and I’m not about to just hand her over to you”.

 “Then what would you have me do?” he asked, “I’m concerned your rivals might be a little less forgiving.”

 “Is that so? You don’t think she’s strong enough to save herself?”  Catwoman smiled, it was nice to know that he cared, just a little. “Besides, she’s already had years of experience under her belt, maybe you’re just jealous you didn’t find her first.” She taunted playfully. Goodness knows he was in no position to talk when it came to taking people under his wing.  “Tell you what, how about we have a friendly little wager?” Bruce saw her eyes light up at the thought, but he was undeniably curious about what she had in mind.

 “What do you propose?” he asked.

 “A fun little game, your boys against my little foundling. If any of them can take her down, then you can welcome her into your family with open arms” she explained.

 “How do I know she won’t just kill them?” Batman asked, it wouldn’t be the first time Bruce had to try and steer someone away from any homicidal tendencies.

 “She’s a lot of things, but let’s just say killing wasn’t really an option for her back in the day.” she explained, “She’ll fall in line with your ‘no killing’ rule quite nicely. Think about it, your sons versus my little girl.”  Her claws skated across Batman’s shoulders as he pondered this.

 “Anything else?” Batman asked, he had to know exactly what they were walking into.

 “Your boys can bring a second to their little duels, but only one.  No need to have the Titans ganging up on her.” she explained.  She left out the part about her protégé having other tricks up her sleeve.  With the power she had, they would be lucky to get a single scratch on her.

 “So be it then.” Bruce said, it would be an opportunity to see how this girl measured up against the boys he had trained. At that moment Catwoman decided it was game on.

 Marinette had just come home from her classes at Gotham University, and she was looking forward to a quiet night working on some designs that were due a few weeks.   A text message from Catwoman brought her plans to a grinding halt:

 “Mari dear, made a little wager with Batman.  You beat his four sons in a fight, and you get to stay with me.  If you lose however, he gets to take you under his wing (in every sense of the word).  They’ll be on the lookout for Lady Noire in the next few days, but I never said anything about only using her to win.”

 Marinette was really starting to regret being saved by Catwoman. That night, she was outnumbered by some muggers who thought she would be an easy target.  She was trying to find an opening, to make a break for it, maybe find somewhere to hide and transform if she really must.  Suddenly she heard a voice grab their attention, “I’ve always loved big strong men who aren’t afraid to show it with someone half their size.” she purred.  While they were distracted, Marinette decided to call on Plagg for some help.   She always loved how the Lady Noire suit made her movements feel lighter, plus the night vision and Cataclysm were useful too. Unfortunately for her, it meant that Catwoman saw her in action and decided to take an interest in her from that day forth.  Sure, she was a cunning thief and there was little that Marinette could do to stop her. At the same time, Marinette was a young woman in a city that was the polar opposite of what she knew in Paris. She couldn’t deny that there was something comforting about having someone in this city looking out for her. Especially since her parents were in Paris, and Master Fu was no longer around to help her.  She took the Miraculous with her to Gotham City, but none of the other wielders came with her.  She was still their guardian after all, but she had to be more careful about using them.  She wasn’t about to single handedly take on superpowered crime lords with their armies of henchmen. She had to be a lot more careful with her powers since other people could get hurt.  Besides, they already had a small group of vigilantes keeping the city safe, they didn’t need her.

 Marinette reread the text message over and over again.  she was about to see what these vigilantes were made of, though it was just as accurate to say it was the other way around.  She opened the box, carefully choosing which ones she could use in a fight.  She usually used Lady Noire when she was with Catwoman, but by the sound of it she was counting on her to use all of her tricks to win.

 Damian never fully understood his father’s attachment to Catwoman, but this was a challenge he could not refuse.  They were told to keep an eye out for this “Lady Noire” character while they were out on patrol.  Oracle had agreed to referee this ordeal, Damian was absolutely certain he was going to be the one to bring her in.  They were allowed to bring a second, but Damian didn’t think it would be necessary. From what they were told she was a smaller Catwoman, though they were told to exercise caution because of her destructive abilities.  The last person Damian had expected to find was a girl in a red and black body suit, who looked nothing like the girl with long hair and green eyes that Batman had described.  Still, there was something odd about the girl and Damian moved in closer to investigate.

 Catwoman had given Marinette a vague rundown of who her opponents were.  There was Nightwing, the eldest of the four boys and a trained acrobat. The second eldest was the infamous Red Hood, Marinette had heard rumours about him and she had no way of knowing if the Kwamis could guard her against someone who uses firearms.  The third was Red Robin, Catwoman advised using clever strategy if she was going to get the upper hand on this one.  Finally, there was the current Robin, the son of Batman and Talia Al Ghul, the youngest of the boys who was trained by assassins before Batman took him in.

 She took the Ladybug earrings with her, seeing as they were more versatile for the occasion.  In addition to the earrings, she wore the Longg’s choker around her neck.  Master Fu had often cautioned against using fusions, considering how draining they were on her body.  Her new mentor advised her to use every tool she could in her arsenal, because they certainly would.  On most nights she noticed a small, hooded figure passing through her neighbourhood from time to time. She decided to see which of these boys would be her first opponent.  

 While she was standing on that rooftop, she heard a few footsteps behind her.  It was raining but through the mist and the rain she could see a small, shadowy figure watching her closely.  It made sense, she was dressed in bright colours and standing on a rooftop in the pouring rain.  She practically had a sign on her head that said “come and get me”, which in some way was part of her plan.  The question was, whether or not her first opponent would take the bait.  “I know you’re there little one, so are you going to stay there or come over and say hello?” she asked, Marinette tried to sound cheerful but she ended up sounding silly instead.  She tried to hide the burning embarrassment she felt at how silly that sounded. The boy could probably sense it too, because she turned around and saw him narrowing his eyes at her suspiciously.

 He leapt from his perch and landed behind her with a thud and splatter of rain water.  He was no taller than Marinette and he wore a red and green outfit, with a black hooded cape and a green domino mask. The red and green outfit had a golden yellow “R” on his chest, and she also noticed a sword that was sheathed at his side.  Marinette had to suspect this boy was the youngest out of the boys, Robin.   The two of them stood in silence for a long moment, she figured that someone who was formerly trained by assassins would be a little more hostile.  Then again, he was probably expecting someone else entirely.  “Aren’t you a little young to be out patrolling by yourself, little one?” she asked, trying to make some kind of conversation with the boy. She wasn’t in any position to say anything about this, considering she had been protecting Paris since she was 13.

 “What’s it to you?” He scoffed, “we’re looking for someone named Lady Noire, and you clearly wanted to attract someone’s attention by standing on a rooftop in that costume”.

 “Robin, can you not be a brat for like, five minutes?” Red Robin groaned into his comm, but Damian didn’t listen.

 “You can either state your business or stop wasting my time” he snapped, as Marinette chuckled.

 “So, you’re planning on challenging Lady Noire.  Tell me, what do you really know about her?” she asked him.

 “Only that father and that woman have taken an interest in her, and I intend to prove to both of them that she is nothing special.” he growled, “so unless you know something about her, stay out of my way”.

 “You seem certain, for someone who has never once faced her” she said with a smile.

 “I was trained by the best, I will not lose to someone who is little more than a foundling.” he was reaching for his sword at that moment.  Red Robin and Nightwing rolled their eyes at that comment as they listened in. They knew they had all bested their youngest brother at some point or other, despite being “foundlings”.

 “It would have been easy too just to hide from you and your brothers, but I’m going to enjoy taking you down a peg.” She braced herself for her first fight of the challenge.   She really could have, but sadly she had very little patience for people who thought they were better than everyone else.

 “I won’t lose to you Lady Noire, or whoever you are”, he growled as he drew his sword and pointed it at her.

 “Tikki, Longg, unify!” she called out, and a flash of red and gold light stunned Robin for a moment. The red and black bodysuit now had gold accents and a symbol on her chest.  The symbol was a lighting bolt, a wave and a gust of wind all swirling together.

 “What did you do?!” Red Robin yelled into his comm, “I swear if she kills us all just because you couldn’t control yourself…”

 Robin looked up to see that she had a yo-yo in one hand and the other reached behind her to draw a sword.  

 “And by the way, it’s Dragon Bug to you”, she swung her yo-yo with one hand and Robin ducked to dodge it. After dodging it, he charged at Dragon Bug, katana in hand.  She blocked his attack with her sword before kicking him back with her foot.  Dragon Bug pulled back her yo-yo and charged at him with her sword, when he blocked her, he spun around and kicked her legs out from under her.  As Dragon Bug fell to the floor, she raised her sword and yelled “Water Dragon!”.  There was more than enough to create a barrier that pushed Robin back before he could strike again.  Robin was knocked back against the wall, and she took out her yo-yo to make an escape to the streets below.

 This Lady Noire, Dragon Bug, whoever she was, had insulted his honor.  To him, that just simply would not stand. His father said that he wanted her alive, but he could barely get a scratch on her.  He got up quickly and used his grappling hook to swing after her. She was waiting for him, with her hair blowing in the wind, and a smile that Damian wanted to wipe off her face. He charged at her once more, this time sliding on the floor at the last moment and hoping to take a swipe at her leg. Once again, she managed to turn and block his katana. The pair of them traded blow after blow after blow, but he could only land a few scratches on her.  Marinette could use Lightning Dragon and shock the boy, to bring this to a swift end.  However, with all the water that was around them, she might end up killing the boy instead. Before she could try anything else with that sword, he blocked it and sent it flying off to the side. Marinette watched as her sword flew out of her hands before clattering on the ground next to them.

 Marinette had to admit that this kid was good and that the fusion was starting to drain her a little. She had to act fast as she dodged another incoming strike. She leapt backwards to dodge it but the boy took out a grappling hook, he gave it a few good spins before flinging it forward and catching her foot.  He pulled the wire taut and sent her crashing to the ground, hard.  “You may have your tricks, Dragon Bug, but I have skill, I have training, and now I have defeated you.” he called out as he tugged at the wire, pulling her towards him.

 “That may be true, but there’s something you should know…” she groaned as she propped herself up on her elbows, he stopped for a moment as he waited for her to tell him exactly what that was. Marinette reached for her yo-yo, she needed to finish this and safe her strength, “…you’re not the only one who’s had training.” she told him. Dragon Bug quickly spun her yo-yo and swung it at Robin, this time wrapping the wire around him and pulling the string tight.  He tried to free himself using his katana, while Dragon Bug unwrapped the wire around her foot.  As she stood up she said, “another one of my ‘magic tricks’” as she ran to retrieve her own sword.  She sheathed the sword and looked back to find a hog-tied Robin, desperately trying to cut the cord and free himself.  She wanted to enjoy this moment for just a little longer, there was always something so satisfying in moments like these.  She took a moment to send a quick message to Catwoman:

 “Dragon Bug: 1, Robin: 0” before sending her a selfie, with Robin tied up in the background.

 She glanced back at Robin who was now just scowling at her.  “You fought valiantly little one, but sadly you are not my only opponent” she told him as she unwound the string around him. When she had her yo-yo back, she flung it towards a street lamp and swung forward, lifting her up off the ground. There was one thing Damian was certain of, there was no way his brothers were going to let him live this down. With a good tug of her yo-yo, freed Damian, spinning him around in the process.

 Meanwhile, Jason and Roy were on a road trip back to Gotham, the two of them had just taken care of a Drug Lord in Starling City.  Jason’s phone buzzed with some news from Dick, something about how they had all been embroiled in a bet to take down Selina’s new protégé.  If any of them win, she has to join the Bat family, and if they all lose then she keeps working with Selina.  He could not bring himself to care, it was 50/50 on whether or not this girl was tolerable or if she was going to annoy him like the rest. Roy glanced over at him before turning his attention back to the road, “you look like you’re desperately searching for a fuck to give” he commented.

 “Just some dumb bet Bruce made,” Jason shut off his phone before reclining back in his chair.

 “That’s not like Bruce, usually making dumb bets was something you guys did” Roy wracked his brain trying to imagine the stoic and serious Batman making a dumb bet.

 “Something about Catwoman and her little sidekick.” he drawled, “If Dick, Me, Replacement or Demon Spawn take her down, she becomes Batman’s little sidekick.  Like he doesn’t have enough of those running around”.

 “Ah, I’m guessing you don’t want to fight her when we make it back to Gotham City?” Roy asked, “wouldn’t it be hilarious if you taught her how to win against your brothers?”

 Jason gave a half-hearted chuckle, moments later his phone buzzed with more messages.  He was really looking forward to this little power nap, but he checked to make sure no one desperately needed his help.

 He sees the picture that she took with Damian tied up in the background.  Babs, Steph and Cass had watched the whole thing, with popcorn. While Tim had made that photo the new wallpaper on the Belfry’s computer.

 “Well, says here she literally wiped the floor with Demon Spawn, before swinging away on a yo-yo.” he said and they both laughed “now I’m just mad I won’t get to buy the girl a few drinks”.

 “I mean either way, I’m sure you’ll get your chance if you’re both in Gotham City.  I’m just sad that I’ll have to be your third wheel.” Roy said wistfully.

 “Roy, I had to listen to you and Kory in the next room,” Jason recalled, “you have no room to complain about third wheeling.”

 “Awh was little Jaybird jealous?” Roy joked.

 “Hey you’re the one who assumed that we banged in the first place,” he said “all I said was I was with her, and you decided to interpret that however you wanted”.

 “Well, it doesn’t matter anyway because she ran off to Miami to work through some things, and we’re just over here thinking about the good old days,” Roy said.  The two of them continued to drive in silence and Jason leaned back, trying to get some sleep before facing whatever chaos was waiting to greet them in Gotham City.

  Tim has researched all he could on this mysterious Lady Noire, yet there are several reported sightings of different vigilantes all with the same height and build. Lady Noire, Ladybug, Dragon bug. Tim compiled all known sightings onto his corkboard to get a clear picture of who this person is.

The fight between Dragon Bug and Damian provided him with crucial information on how he could counter Dragon Bug. Tim then donned his Red Robin costume and began patrol of Gotham City. Gliding across he spotted an usual sight, a costumed person standing on a rooftop. It had to be the one Batman told him about, the person he was to fight because of the bet.

Tim landed on a nearby rooftop to reconfirm the target. "Same height and build, but this costume is different." Tim sighed, he had noticed that each costume had its own power and abilities, and made detailed notes on each. Codename: Polka-dot had the power to summon an unknown household object. Codename: Catwoman II used an indestructible staff and the power of disintegration, Codename: Drake used a sword and came with the power of hydrokinesis.

However, he had no intel regarding this new costume. He decided to press his luck and use stealth to take her down. He leaped off the roof and began gliding towards her with a kick.

To his surprise, his target shrank at the last second, he glided through and smashed into a skylight, landing inside an abandoned building.

Multimouse followed suit and jumped in through the broken skylight. Landing right at the centre of the room, she simply stood there arms akimbo looking at him. Red Robin threw a smoke bomb, grappling to the rafters. Multimouse did not pursue, no sense of panic she simply walked to a wooden crate and sat on it.

Red Robin, took the opportunity to launch himself off and glided towards Multimouse with a kick. He was shocked to see her suddenly turn around as if she knew he was there the entire time, with perfect timing she grabbed and judo flipped Red Robin through the wooden crate. Wiping her hands in a dramatic manner, Multimouse walked to the centre of the room and crossed her arms. Red Robin crushed a smoke bomb with his hand, obscuring the area and diving towards an underground vent.

He began to wonder how she was able to counter him so effectively. "The power of foresight? 360 degrees x-ray vision? No it can't be." Red Robin thought to himself. While crawling in the vents to a position behind Multimouse, he berated himself for pressing his luck without any information on Multimouse. He peeked his head out of the vent, Multimouse had not moved, she continued to stare at Red Robin's previous location. Taking another chance, Red Robin jumped out of the underground vent ready for a takedown.

Again as if she was a clairvoyant she countered him perfectly, spinning on the spot and delivering a crushing kick to Red Robin’s midsection. Sending him flying across the room, he took out his staff and slowly got up, using the staff as if it was a cane. He stood on shaky legs, in disbelief.

He then begins to notice something unusual hanging on the hem of his cape. His eyes widen as he takes a closer look. A miniature clone of Multimouse was hanging on, his eyes snapped up to the rafters and then the vents. There were several miniature clones all over the building, all about the size of a small insect.

Red Robin's jaw dropped as he had this epiphany. Seeing her cue, Multimouse shrank down and spawned a horde of miniature clones. Millions of clones rush towards Red Robin, he begins swinging his staff, stomping on any clones on the ground, flailing his arms like a madman. The horde bellows a collective “Surrender,” Red Robins defiantly continues to fight.

Soon the swarm begins to cover Red Robin all the way up to his neck, his body unable to move. The Multimouse arms pulls off the cowl and begins pulling all of Red Robin’s hair. Red Robin, facing the agony of Multimouse waxing his head. “Ok, ok I give up.” he cried. As he finished his plea, the swarm dissipated and reforms to the singular human sized Multimouse. Red Robin is then left kneeling and staring at the strands of his own hair left on the floor.

Multimouse, seizing the opportunity to obtain a trophy of her efforts, takes a selfie with a poor, disheveled Red Robin in the background.

  Marinette was really starting to feel the effects of using different Miraculous for two nights straight. Dragon Bug was draining enough, but she had to use Multimouse to take on Red Robin.  That left Nightwing and The Red Hood, and she was starting to wonder what was the point of this game.  She felt like she was just fighting to win, fighting so that the person who took care of her when she first arrived in Gotham could prove a point.  If she won, then she would stay under Catwoman’s protection, and the Miraculous would be protected with her.  Though she was lucky that the Miraculous themselves didn’t look valuable enough to pique her interest.  If she lost to one of them, she would be under Batman’s protection instead.  She would become a part of the group of vigilantes who operate in the city, and she didn’t know how she felt about that either. How would she feel about seemingly being the only magic user among them?  How would he feel about her being a magic user?  She hadn’t even met the guy, all she knew was that he took an interest in her dealings with Catwoman.  Maybe she would encounter the Red Hood and he would make the choice for her by putting her out of her misery.  She decided to settle this fight once and for all as Ladybug, maybe then someone would give her some answers.  

 She got a text message from Catwoman, telling her to meet her on a rooftop that had gargoyles glaring down at the streets below.  Maybe she had information on where her next fight would be, she didn’t say.  By the time she got there, she saw two people eating fast food next to the gargoyles.  The first was a redhead in red armor, and the second was…

 “Get your own brooding spot, this one’s taken!” He yelled. Marinette looked up to see the other guy had a red domino mask, and in addition to being dressed in Kevlar and leather, had a red bat symbol on his chest.

 Marinette spun her yo-yo, getting ready for a fight. The redhead continued eating, while his dark-haired companion gave her a swift once over.

 “So, you’re the girl who took down Robin and Red Robin?” he asked, as if struggling to believe it.  

 “And you are?” she asked, when he put on the red helmet that was in his hand, it suddenly became clear.

 “So, looking for me?” he asked, “Or are you on your way to fight the original boy wonder?”

 “Honestly, I’ll take my chances with you.” Marinette said as she launched her yo-yo at his companion and wrapped the cord around him.

 “Wait, wait, wait why me?” the redhead cried,  then she threw him and sent him crashing into the Red Hood.  The pair of them slammed into a nearby wall before she released the redhead.  She unwound the cord and was getting ready to strike again.

 Underneath the sprawled out pile of bodies, Red Hood grunted “Arsenal, get your ass off of my face or else…” Arsenal got up before he could finish his threat and they both stood up.

 “So who checked ‘Fights with Toys’ off their bingo card?” Arsenal joked.

 “Is that the best you can do?” Red Hood taunted. He came at her with a knife in hand, when she leapt in the air and wrapped her yo-yo cord around his arm.  She launched herself at him, landing an aerial kick on his helmet. Red Hood grabbed her by the foot and flipped her over, sending her crashing to the ground.

“If you came here to fight me that’s one thing, not many people get to say they took on someone with a yo-yo and lived, unless you’re Toyman.” he said, as he lifted her up off the ground.  “If you think this is what it takes to face Nightwing, then you have no idea who you’re dealing with.”

 Ladybug took a few steps back after he helped her get to her feet, “so are you going to fight me instead?”

 “Pixie, take it from me, it’s really not all it’s cracked up to be.  As fun as it’s been watching you kick my brother’s asses, they are nothing compared to Nightwing.” he explained as he took off his helmet and set it down next to him.

 “What do you know about Nightwing?” she asked, still understandably guarded about the situation.

 “Oh what don’t I know, he’s basically Batman’s heir.” he told her “I’m just one of the spares, and that’s on a good day when I managed to not die.”

 Dick had made it clear days ago that he wasn’t going to fight her, he already put his foot down at how silly this whole thing was.  Jason, however, decided to have a little fun. “Honestly, you might as well just walk right into the batcave and challenge Batman yourself.” he told her, “I mean you won’t die, that’s kinda his whole deal, but you’ll be eating through a straw for the rest of your life.”

Jason, enjoying the anxiety bubble in the young woman, and he decided to crank it up to eleven.

“Nightwing is equal if not better than Batman in every way, he once took up the mantle of Batman when he was injured. Not only that, he broke Bane’s back.  He lifted a 7ft tall 500lb big guy, snapped his spine over his knee as if it was nothing.”  Jason moves his arms, mimicking the motion of breaking something over his knee. Ladybug began to sweat even more, struggling to imagine the powerhouse of a man to even accomplish such a feat.

Jason’s grin widens, “not only that, he fought a giant mutated bat the size of a man. He wrestled Man-Bat, putting him in a full nelson and smashing its face into solid concrete” Ladybug cringes at the thought of feeling the full force of having your face slammed into concrete. Jason gets ready for the coup de grace. “In fact, when he was 10 years old, he watched his parents get murdered by mobster Tony Zucco in front of his own eyes. After being taken under Batman’s wing, he went out for revenge. He chased after Tony for hours and cornered him in Crime Alley.

Tony died that night when Nightwent went after him, the official cause was a heart attack.”

Jason stops talking to look around him, as if he was paranoid and there were eyes all around him. He walks up to Ladybug and whispers to her ear “but between you and me, it wasn’t.”

 He turns to Roy, “but if she’s gonna try and take him on after all that, then we might as well pull up some chairs and watch.” he said, giving Roy a knowing look.

 “Oh yeah, I mean he’s no match for a cute girl and her yo-yo.” Roy joked.

 “Come on, he’s probably waiting on top of the Iceberg Lounge, and he doesn’t like to be kept waiting” he declared, Ladybug followed as the three of them made their way to the Iceberg Lounge. She felt her legs shaking, but it’s fine, she would at least live to tell the tale...right?

Nightwing stood on the roof of the Iceberg Lounge, carefully watching the whereabouts of the people going in and out of the area.  He heard footsteps and looked up to see three figures landing on the rooftop in front of him. He looked up to see Red Hood, Arsenal and a short girl who looked to be in her late teens, maybe early 20s.  He looked between them, then back at the girl who was spinning a red yo-yo with black polka dots.

Nightwing waved to them, figuring she would be the short girl mentioned in the bet between Batman and Catwoman. As he noticed the three, the short girl visibly frightened as he walked towards them.

 Nightwing sighed “what did you tell her?” he asked, he had better things to than get involved in Batman’s dumb little bet.  The outcome would have been someone joining the Bat family by force, even he had put his foot down by that point.  

 “I mean, nothing that wasn’t true.” Red Hood told him, “she might as well know who she’s dealing with.”

 “Right, and you probably told her you are just a soft teddy bear compared to me.” Nightwing remarked sarcastically, “was it to keep her from beating the stuffing out of you?”. At that point Ladybug was visibly confused, so Nightwing looked over at her “so how did you get dragged into this? Got sick of having to share a litter box?”

 Ladybug eyes Nightwing cautiously, thinking his joking mannerisms are an elaborate ruse to lower her guard. “What, don’t tell my Catwoman’s got your tongue?” Nightwing jokes with a large grin. Ladybug begins to slowly walk back, confused at how expectations did not match reality.

Nightwing points his thumb at Ladybug and talks to Red Hood, “Alright what did you tell her about me?” Red Hood raises his arms innocently “Like I said, nothing that wasn’t true.”

Nightwing raises his eyebrow at Red Hood and crosses his arms. “Alright I told her how you took down Bane and Man-Bat by yourself” Red Hood admits. “And?” Nightwing begins tapping his foot. “I may have, insinuated that you may or may not have had something to do with Tony Zucco's heart attack”

Nightwing facepalms, “well so much for first impressions, let's start over shall we?”

 Nightwing reaches his hand out to Ladybug, “Name’s Richard but everyone calls me Dick”

Marinette tentatively reaches out to shake his hand, “I know you aren’t enthusiastic about this bet, neither am I. I don’t want to knock your spots off, so how about I lie on the ground, you take a picture for Catwoman and you fly off into the sunset”

 “Where would I go?” she asked,

 “She could come with us.” Red Hood suggested, “nothing would annoy Batman more.”

 “Right, and next she’ll start asking me if I actually hypnotize people with my ass.” Nightwing said as he raised an eyebrow at him.  “Think Catwoman would let you take her?”

 “We already asked, someone has to look after this pipsqueak while she’s doing what she does best, alone”, Red Hood explained.

 Ladybug felt herself calming down a lot more at that moment.  She came to this city not really knowing anyone, feeling like there was no one else looking out for her.  Now, for the first time in a long time, she felt like she was going to be in good hands.

 Bonus 1:

Roy: So, should we call ourselves “Red Arse Bug” or “Lady Red Arse”?

Jason: Do you want me to throw you off this roof?

 Bonus 2:

Ladybug: So you all had to wear red, yellow and green?

Red Hood: Yup.

Ladybug: What was it like?

Red Hood: I did my time in the pixie boots, Pixie.  Doesn’t mean I like to talk about it.

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers DARK FATE ー Reiji Maniac [Prologue]

ー The scene starts on the balcony of Banmaden

Shin: ーー Nii-san.

Carla: How is Ayato doing?

Shin: Still in a deep slumber per usual. Whether you stomp or kick him, he gives no reaction whatsoever. Almost like a corpse. 

Can’t we just kill him already?

Carla: Stop. We need him to lure out that woman. If you dare harm him, you will be punished. (1)

Shin: ...Ugh.

Why are we prolonging the process by relying on a hostage?

Whatever. I’m going straight to those Vampires’ castle and demand they hand over the woman!

Carla: No need to rush.

Shin: But...!

Carla: Shin, this is like a game of chess.

Shin: Eh...?

Carla: One must not focus solely on taking down the pieces right in front of them.

If you act hastily, unnecessary sacrifices will be made.

Shin: ...I get what you’re trying to say, but why are you being so careful?

Carla: ...Sakamaki Reiji.

Shin: Eh...?

Carla: The Vampire who was by her side ーー It appeared to me that he was rather sharp of an individual.

He will most likely come to us himself. Then the game will begin.

ー The scene shifts to the bedroom of Richter’s manor

Reiji: ...

*Thud*

Reiji: ...Phew.

( All necessary preparations have been made. Which leaves ーー )

Yui: ...

Reiji: Fufu, she is sound asleep.

( I should go while I have the chance. It pains me to leave without a single word, but I simply cannot keep on bringing her in more danger. )

( Furthermore, if my prediction is on point, this is the best move. )

Yui: ...

ー He leans in

Reiji: I’ll get going. ...Nn.

*Smooch*

ー Reiji leaves the room

*TIMESKIP*

Yui: ーー Nn...

*Rustle rustle*

Yui: Huh...? Reiji-san...?

( Reiji-san’s gone. Why...? )

*Rustle*

Yui: ...? This isーー

*Flip*

Yui: ...!

( This is a letter from Reiji-san! )

ー A flashback ensues

Reiji: ーー Please forgive me for leaving you behind.

I will now head towards the Founders’ quarters to retrieve Ayato. I am fairly certain I have pinpointed their whereabouts. 

Please try and behave until I return.

Furthermore, be careful of Richter. Do not trust him under any circumstances.

Until we meet again. I love you, Yui.

ー The flashback ends

Yui: ...Reiji-san...

( I’m sure he went by himself because he doesn’t want to bring me into danger. )

( He said his senses are currently numbed by the Lunar Eclipse so I wonder if he’ll be okay? )

( Knowing Reiji-san, I doubt he has asked any of his brothers for help. )

( However, I might just have to rely on them. )

( I wonder if there isn’t some way for me to contact the Sakamaki castle? )

( ...However, if I act of my own accord, I might end up troubling Reiji-san again... )

*Knock knock*

Yui: ...!

???: I’m coming in.

Yui: Richter-san...

Richter: I made some tea. Would you like to enjoy a cup together?

Yui: Eh...?

( What should I do...? )

( He’s being so kind to offer, but I should probably... )

Yui: Sorry. I’ll pass for now.

Richter: ...I see.

ー Richter leaves again

Yui: ( ...Did I do the wrong thing? )

ー The scene shifts to the outside of Banmaden

Carla: ーー So you have come?

Reiji: Good evening, First Blood gentlemen. 

I am flattered by the warm welcome. (2)

( As expected, they predicted that I would come by myself. )

( This is where the real game begins... )

ー The scene shifts to the reception hall

Carla: ーー Let me hear what you have to say.

Reiji: Well then, let me not waste any time...I have come to retrieve my younger brother. Would you be so kind to return him to me?

Shin: We won’t give him back for free. I’m sure someone as clever as yourself has figured out as much?

Reiji: I cannot hand over Yui. However, I will gladly accept any other request.

Carla: Hmph. ...So that is your approach.

Shin: Are you messing with us!? What else would we even want!?

Carla: Very well.

Shin: Nii-san...!?

Carla: It might be difficult to overwhelm him in one move. In which case, he shall get rid of the other pieces in the way first, before snatching the Queen.

Reiji: Oh dear. Do you enjoy chess? I have a feeling the two of us would get along splendidly

Carla: I have no intention of getting along with you. (3)

Reiji: Now that is truly unfortunate. Personally, I would have loved to sit down with you for a nice chat.

For example...Regarding your ‘plans’, perhaps?

Shin: You little...!

Carla: Shin.

Shin: ...Ugh.

Carla: Reiji, was it?

Your objective is to retrieve your younger brother. Therefore, I would assume that talking about anything else would be a simple waste of time.

Reiji: Good point. My sincere apologies.

( I suppose he will not take my bait that easily... )

( There must be some sort of reason as to why they are after Yui. Especially since her blood is known to be special. )

( I do not know whether they have a concrete plan in mind but if only I could get a better grasp on their goal and ulterior motive... )

Carla: You said you would agree with any other request, no?

Reiji: I am a man of my word after all.

Carla: In that case, become my subordinate.

Shin: Wha...What are you saying, Nii-san!?

Reiji: ( I see. So that is the move he has chosen to make. Carla...I cannot underestimate this man. )

Very well. However, I will not let you have Yui regardless.

Carla: I do not mind.

Shin: You’re trusting this guy!? He might simply pretend to vow loyalty to then try and stab a knife in your back!?

Or rather, that’s obviously his intention!

Reiji: I suppose I cannot blame you for not trusting me. In that caseーー

Shin: ...!

Carla: You bowed down, huh...? However, that is not sufficient.

Grab my hand and press it against your forehead.

Reiji: Understood, my Lord.

Shin: ...Tsk.

Reiji: Please call me at once if you need something. I will be on call until then.

Carla: Very well.

Shin. Bring out Ayato.

Shin: ...Fine.

ー Shin walks away

Reiji: ( ...This concludes game one. Under no circumstances will I let you grab the Queen, First Blood. )

( Furthermore, I will be the last one standing. )

*TIMESKIP*

Reiji: ーー Well then, I shall take my leave now.

My sincere gratitude for returning Ayato.

ー Reiji leaves

Shin: ...Nii-san, why did you do that!? Why would you make him your underling? 

Carla: I simply moved one pawn to obtain the Queen.

Shin: I don’t understand. Why would someone as powerful as yourself bother going through the extra trouble?

Carla: Raw power will only get you so far. While it may be necessary to take the offensive at times, you cannot win the game solely with strength.

Perhaps you should deepen your knowledge on chess a little more.

Shin: ...Roger.

ー The scene shifts to the living room of Richter’s manor

Yui: ...?

Richter: ...

Yui: ( I wonder what’s wrong with Richter-san? He seems to be sulking while sitting on the staircase. )

Richter: ...Oh, it’s you. Is something wrong?

Yui: I figured I would grab myself a glass of water...

Richter: I see...

Yui: ( I wonder why he seems down? Is he feeling under the weather, perhaps? )

( I know I have to take Reiji-san’s words to heart, but a little chat wouldn’t hurt, I suppose... )

Uhm, Richter-san? Is something the matter?

Richter: No...I just ended up remembering Cordelia.

She is no longer with us.

I will never be able to see her again, no matter how badly I want to...

Yui: Richter-san...

( Reiji-san called him a fool, but when I see him like this... )

ー Reiji enters the room

Reiji: Oh my, both of you are together it seems.

Yui: Reiji-san...!

Richter: Why are you carrying Ayato in your arms?

Reiji: I will fill you in on the details later. I would like to bring him to a room now.

Let us go, Yui.

Yui: Y-Yes...

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to the bedroom

Reiji: ...Phew. I suppose this means we will have one less thing to worry about.

Yui: ...I was worried since you suddenly disappeared, you know?

Reiji: I left you a note, did I not?

Yui: You did but...You were going up against Founders, right?

Besides, the Eclipse is still ongoing, so I was worried whether you’d be okay all by yourself...

Reiji: I see. Thank you very much. However, as you can see, I am unscathed.

Furthermore, I was able to safely retrieve Ayato.

Yui: That’s true, but still...

( I’m genuinely relieved both of them made it back safely, yet... )

( I still wish he would stop acting by himself... )

However, how did you come to an agreement with Carla-san and his brother?

Reiji: Do you wish to know? In that case, please let me suck your blood. To the point where you will feel lightheaded and collapse.

Yui: Eeh!?

Reiji: Fufu, that was a joke.

Yui: ( I feel as if he just skillfully dodged my question... )

( Did he do something which has to remain a secret...? )

Reiji: Well then, what to do next...?

Yui: Aren’t we going to the pharmaceutical facility?

Reiji: No, we will stay here for a while and evaluate the situation.

I do not feel satisfied simply grabbing a few pieces. Now that we have come this far, we might as well aim for victory.

Yui: ( ...Knowing Reiji-san, I’m sure he’s got plenty of ideas running through his head again but... )

( I honestly have no idea what he’s thinking... )

( I wish he wouldn’t do anything dangerous... )

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー 

Translation notes 

(1) 断罪する or ‘danzai suru’ can imply both ‘to convict (for crime)’ in general or refer to beheading. I don’t know if Carla would go as far as to behead his own brother, hence why I went with the more neutral ‘punish’. 

(2) Literally he says he feels flattered since they went out of their way to come and greet him outside.

(3) In Japanese, the expression 話が合いそう or ‘hanashi ga aisou’ is used, which more specifically focuses on getting along in terms of having a conversation with each other, since you would both be interested in the same topic. However, in English I decided to translate it as ‘to get along’, so I had to adapt Carla’s phrase a little. A more literal translation would be ‘I have nothing to tell you’ or ‘I have nothing I want to talk about with you’.

→  LIKE MY TRANSLATIONS? SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI!

<- [ Dark Epilogue ] [ Maniac 01 ] ->

[mage-ellie]

Akechi x Reader: Soulmate AU- Mirror Reflection Part 2

AN: I wasn't sure if I wanted to do a second part at first, but when I woke up today and reread my writing, I realized just how sad and angsty it was, so here's part two hfaskjfhdk. He deserves love ;; Fluff fluff fluff fluff fluffl fufflf ulfulfulfu ulffflf fulllfu flluff

Part 1: Click me!

Original post: Click me!

Prompt suggestion page: Click me!

As you entered Shujin, your egg shaped Principal came bouncing down the stairs, eyes searching the first floor for who knows what. Although, you quickly learned what he was looking for when his eyes landed on you. Without any hesitation, he trotted up to you with a bright smile on his face.

"Good morning L/N-san. As you know, the second years will be going on a field trip to a TV station today. Sadly, one of the second year homeroom teachers fell ill and won't be making it today, so we're short one chaperone. Would you perhaps be interested in attending in her place?" He asked you, not bothering to hide how desperate he was for your answer. His eyes were twitching and his smile looked visibly strained. 

"Oh. Uh. Sure." You said, confused on why he asked you and not the student council president. 

"Fantastic! Please, head to room 2-D where you'll meet up with Kawakami-san. Thank you." He chirped, then turned and wobbled away. You just stared at him as the information just given to you sunk into your mind. You wouldn't be complaining though. You were pretty sure that your math teacher had a pop quiz planned for today, so you were happy to skip it. 

Once the bell rang you headed towards the classroom you were told to go to, and joined the second year students on their field trip.

As you walked through the halls of the TV station along with Ms. Kawakami, your stomach was doing summersaults. You couldn't figure out exactly what was making you so nervous, but something about the excited buzz in the air was making butterflies flutter in your stomach. You thought that it might just be because you forgot to eat breakfast this morning, or because you had to deal with a bunch of rambunctious teenagers.

Finally, you were able to take a seat in the audience of a popular talk show while they were on break along with some of the other Shujin students. You were situated in the second row, squished in between two girls. After the co-hosts chatted a bit, they both stood up and looked at the audience.

"Mr. Akechi's coming on!" The male host said, making your heart stop. You nearly choked on your saliva as you stared at the man who had announced that your one and only soulmate was going to be joining them. The loud screaming of his fangirls rang in your ears as he walked onto the stage and sat on the other couch. You could hear them wondering if he had a soulmate yet, and if his soulmate was someone in the audience. They weren't wrong about the second part. He did have a soulmate, and you were sitting right in front of him.

The detectives eyes swept across the audience for a moment, then went back to looking at the hosts. You weren't sure if he had seen you or not. If he had, he was doing an incredible job of hiding any emotions he was feeling.

The hosts started the show and talked with Goro about the Phantom Thieves. You weren't really paying attention, the sound of your heart beating in your ears was drowning out most of the conversations. Of course, the topic soon flipped to his soulmate, earning excited squeals from the audience.

"Please tell us Akechi-kun. Have you met your soulmate yet?" The male host asked, causing the audience to go completely silent as they waited with baited breath for his response.

"Sadly, I have not, but I'm sure she's out there somewhere." He hummed, smiling bashfully at the camera. His mildly vague answer only left you more confused about whether he had seen you or not. You wondered why he didn't explicitly say that he's already seen you in his mirror.

"Who knows!" Chirped the female host. "Perhaps she's in this audience right now." She finished, making the girls around you squeal. You had to cover your ears, fearing that your eardrums would start to bleed if you didn't.

Once the show came to an end, most of the audience stayed behind in an attempt to talk to the amazing detective. You weren't really sure what to do with yourself. On one hand, you wanted to stay and attempt to talk to him as well, but on the other, you wanted to talk to him in private.

After doing some quick thinking, you decided to head to the restrooms and try to talk to him later. He wouldn't be leaving the building immediately, right? 

You wandered through the winding halls for way too long before you finally found the restrooms. This place was a maze, and you were worried that you'd be lost in it forever. When you had finished, you washed your face quickly, then left the room, only to hear a couple of voices chatting just down the hall, which made relief run through your veins. You'd be able to ask for directions.

As you came around the corner, you found a certain popular young man talking with the male co-host. His back was turned to you, keeping him from seeing you. The co-host was the first one to notice you.

"Hello there. Are you lost?" He asked you, but you couldn't bring yourself to respond. Your heart was racing and it felt like your mouth had gone dry. Goro turned his head to look at who the man was talking to, only to freeze. His eyes widened and he sucked in a quick breath as shock visibly colored his face. Neither of you spoke as you gazed into each others eyes.

Finally, your mind began working again.

"Hi Goro." You said gently, giving him a soft, shaky smile. Your voice trembled and tears quickly sprung to your eyes as the realization that you actually got to meet your soulmate sunk into your mind.

The co-host seemed to be able to read the room because he chuckled quietly, then turned and walked away.

Goro didn't say anything, he just slowly approached you and held his hand out in front of him, just like you did last night. You lifted your hand and pressed it against the junior detectives. 

The young mans hand shook as his mind slowly accepted the fact that you were here right now. He carefully entwined his fingers between yours before he quickly turned his head, looking around to make sure that no one saw you, then he pulled you and dragged you down the hallway. Before you could say any more, Goro had pulled you into a janitors closet and locked the door behind you, pinning you against the door between his arms.

He leaned down and rested his head against your left shoulder as he took deep, ragged breaths, like he was trying to keep himself from crying. 

You reached up and placed your right hand on the back of his head, threading your fingers through his soft, fluffy hair. Goro's hands dropped to your hips, squeezing your sides with an iron grip.

"I'm so happy to finally meet you." You breathed as you nuzzled your face against his head, unable to hold back your tears any longer. With your other arm, you reached up and wrapped it around his neck as tears began sliding down your cheeks.

Goro leaned his entire weight onto you, forcing you to slide to the ground. He slipped his arms around your body and pulled you close to him, making you straddle his lap as he clung to you with a force you've never felt before.

"I have to admit..." He began, voice lower than you've ever heard it. "I didn't think I'd ever get the chance to meet you." Goro continued, somehow managing to hold you tighter. You could feel him grab handfuls of your Shujin uniform. "I'm happy to finally meet you as well, Y/N." He finished, saying your first name out loud.

Goosebumps erupted on your arms and legs as he said your name. You couldn't stop the whimper that escaped your lips as you curled your body around his, reveling in the warmth you've been dreaming of for years.

You slowly ran your left hand up and down his back, taking note of the subtle shivers that ran down his spine from your touches. Goro just buried his face in your neck and hair, silently taking in the moment.

"Goro?" You sniffled, earning a hum in response. "I love you." You told him, sliding your fingers up his neck and through his chestnut locks. The shiver that wracked his body after you said that was far more powerful than the last few.

"Really?" He asked, now trembling uncontrollably.

"Really." You said, feeling one of the detectives hands move up to in between your shoulder blades.

"I love you too." He croaked, nearly squeezing the breath from your lungs. Tears continued to flow down your cheeks as you both clung to each other like your life depended on it.

After who knows how long you've both been sitting in a closet holding each other, Goro pulled away a bit to look at you. He brought one of his hands up and gently rested it against your cheek, rubbing away the stray tear the fell down your cheek. 

You pulled his hand away from your face, earning a confused look from your soulmate before he realized what you were doing. You carefully pulled his glove off his hand, then placed it back on your cheek, leaning into his soft, warm skin.

Goro's lips twitched as you locked your hand around his wrist, not letting him pull away. A breathy chuckle left his lips as you closed your eyes and nuzzled your face into his palm. His thumb gently caressed your cheek bone.

"You came to watch my interview?" He asked out of the blue, making you open your eyes a bit.

"To be completely honest, I only came because one of the homeroom teachers couldn't make it and the Shujin Principal didn't have a backup chaperone. It was a stroke of pure luck." You admitted, giving him a bashful smile. He laughed softly as he leaned in and rested his forehead against yours, closing his eyes.

"It truly was." He hummed, breath fanning across your lips. He was so close.

"Did you really not see me in the audience?" You asked him, figuring it was your turn to ask a question out of the blue. The hand that was still around your waist held you tighter.

"I saw you, but I couldn't be sure. My mind occasionally plays tricks on me, leaving me to believe that I saw you, when I really didn't." He explained, voice nothing but a whisper.

"Well, I'm here now." You told him, pressing your nose to his.

"You're really here." He murmured, tilting his head a bit, lips brushing against yours as he spoke. You held his wrist tighter as you tilted your head as well, heart pounding in your chest as you closed your eyes.

Slowly, Goro leaned in and pressed his lips to yours, pressing you harder into the door as he pushed himself into you. Your lips melded with his perfectly, just like you hoped they would. You ran your thumb against the back of his hand and grabbed a fist full of his coat as a bright warmth spread through your body. It started at your lips, then moved down your cheeks and neck, swelling for a moment in your chest before it continued its journey down your stomach and legs, then settled at your feet.

You felt lighter than air as his lips began moving against yours, as if he wasn't fully sure what to do. You had no idea what you were doing either, so your first few kisses were sloppy, obvious that you were both nervous and inexperienced. After a bit, you figured out a rhythm that worked. You both sucked on each others lips with each kiss, desperately trying to make up for lost time. 

Finally, you had to pull away due to your lungs burning. You sucked in a deep breath, earning a chuckle from the detective.

"Sorry." Goro laughed as you continued to take deep breaths. You just leaned in and pressed your lips against Goro's one more time.

"I love you Goro." You responded, watching as his lips tilted upwards towards his eyes. Your heart always melted when you got to see a genuine smile from him.

"I love you too Y/N." He hummed, making you smile back at him. He pressed one final kiss to your lips before he pulled away completely and helped you stand up. "I don't know about you, but I could go for some lunch right about now." He said as he entwined his fingers with yours.

"Lunch sounds great." You giggled, squeezing his hand before you unlocked the door and walked with the detective out of the building, hand in hand, for everyone to see.

[nothisis-ridiculous]

Duplicity

An AU where Kaidan joins Cerberus for the events of ME2.

Chapter Eight: Visitors

"You could have changed first," Mary's eyes flickered to the man, "it would have made a better impression."

This was the Commander on her best behavior, attempting not to scorn the man she once loved. The man that had carried her broken body from the field and into safety. The man that blushed and rubbed at his forehead under her scrutiny, unconsciously buying himself further slack with a motion that brought her back to the old days. She thought reaching him was impossible then; now it was somewhere between impossible and a nightmare. The dissonance firing off in her skull was astounding, painful.

"I was worried about," he choked out, in the husky tone that made her heart flutter, " you."

"We should worry more about ourselves- really, Kaidan? Mouthing off to the Illusive Man?"

Honestly, she was proud of him. Other than the one time he killed a superior, he was quite mellow toward most authority figures. The point value tripled because it was toward the Cerberus ring leader. His hand rubbed the back of his neck, fiddling a while before he would answer.

"Commander, the writing's on the wall here- he sent you... us into a trap. It was negligent at best, he could have easily told us. Given us a chance to prepare-"

"Leave that sort of thing to the three billion dollar asset."

"Four billion," Kaidan smirked, "that also happens to have a death wish."

Mary's eyes fluttered away, losing her will to act brave. Her heart was allowed to fear for another, "maybe I was aiming for you."

His dark eyebrow raised.

"Besides, I can at least try to end my life in the way I see fit."

It was a harsh kickback from the moment of vulnerability. It was too easy for her to return to a level of comfort with Kaidan; why wouldn't it be easy? They had spent nearly a year together more than enough time to grow close, to learn all the ticks and what they meant. Plus, she was bitter. Angry, he had a part in bringing her back to this fucked reality. One where she was shackled to Cerberus. Where her autonomy was a fading illusion, Mary was trapped, and rattling at the bars wasn't enough. Whether it was the nuclear option or falling into submission wasn't entirely clear, both paths still fought.

His other eyebrow joined, creasing toward the center. Reflexively frowning at Shepard's insinuation, a hand returning to massage at his temple, he had no defense. Nothing that would change her mind anyway. He loved her; that was obvious. He couldn't stand to lose her, but he had already told her that. It was in the galaxy's best interest to have her around and kicking Reaper ass, in that there was no doubt. Mumbling and fumbling over words wouldn't budge the Commander. There was no reason even to attempt such a thing.

"I won't apologize for bringing you back."

"What about working for Cerberus?" Mary spat.

Kaidan barked, the aggressive tone an accidental exhaling of emotion, "did Chakwas or Joker get this lecture too? Or is it just me?"

"Does it matter?"

"So Joker gets a warm welcome, you end up drunk with Chakwas, and I end up dodging crates? How is that fair?" he questioned with folded arms.

"They didn't see what they did first hand," she reeled, "they... you... didn't... you knew they killed my unit. You met Toombs."

"And hearing about it wasn't enough?"

Mary's throat bobbed, "it's different."

"Don't BS me, Commander," he retorted sternly, "we're way past that."

"I expected better of you."

"Why? Why just me?"

"You're a good man, Kaidan. I don't like being wrong," Mary went cold, folding her arms over herself, "I don't like thinking I misjudged you."

"Let me get this right...because of our relationship, you expect me to live up to a lofty standard?"

"Hardly lofty. Terrorist organization hardly seems your style," Mary's eyes barbed him with daggers.

"Yet you stick with them."

"What choice do I have? Can I just leave? They've brought in everyone I care about, the Illusive Man has already proved he doesn't mind using anyone connected to me as bait," she looked away, "I'm trapped here."

Kaidan lowered his arms, daring to close a portion of the distance between them. He wanted to assure her, to assuage Mary that she was not the only one caged. It wasn't the time, "I felt the same way when the Council... the Alliance threw me aside. Knowing the Reapers are coming is terrible stuff. Instead of waiting around, I did something."

"You went too far, Kaidan."

"The same could have been said when we mutinied."

"We didn't experiment on people."

"Yeah, Cerberus has a lot to answer for," Kaidan retreated.

Mary didn't answer, watching him coldly. He was sure if she could move from that bed she would have decked him hard on the way out. But she was stuck- tied to the bed by medical tape. She seemed in fine condition to anyone else, but he could see the subtle wince when her breath drew too deep, or her volume grew too loud. Kaidan knew Mary better than anyone.

"What am I supposed to say, Mary? Surviving tore me apart. You, you already know what happened at first, but I had the chance to do something. To fight against what I knew was about to happen," Kaidan stepped forward, "maybe we'll never be what we were. But don't judge me, and let me help. I know how this looks-"

The biotic finally dared to meet her gaze- just in time to watch the tears spring from her eyes," just stop," Mary pleaded, looking at anything else that could distance her, "it may have been two years for you, I get it. You've mourned me. It's only been a few weeks, I felt myself die... just to wake up, and everything is... different. I'm still not sure if I'm in hell or not. Cerberus wasn't even a place I'd be in my nightmare."

Mary's bright eyes suddenly caught him, "and you're with them."

Kaidan moved forward, a hand extended as the Commander curled into herself, pulling up the blanket in vain, hoping it would hide her. Sheild her from the vulnerability she was not willingly presenting. It leaked, and it was unfair of him to take advantage of her. In a previous time her guard would have dropped; now she fought to keep it up—only a part of her struggle to keep sane in this new life. His hovering arm dropped, retreating several paces to force himself to stop.

"I didn't want to believe it," Kaidan stalled, looking at his feet, "but I've been thinking, realized that some of these people are good people. Maybe misguided, but... good."

Mary nodded, keeping her head turned away from him.

"Look, I didn't come here to lecture you," Kaidan sent over a dossier from his omnitool, "I brought some good news. If pulling in someone else we know into this mess is good news."

She shook her arm free of the blanket, the orange illumination of her face revealing a subtle shift in her state. The corner of her lip pulling up after the initial pass of regret filtered over her face, at least the tears he should do nothing about slowed to a trickle.

"There are more dossiers, but I knew this one would be most the important."

"Send them over."

Mary scanned the other two, far more passive in her reading of the other potential members of her crew. This was his cue to leave, so he moved to do just that.

"Just be more careful next time," Mary murmured, following his path out of the medical bay.

Kaidan paused, nodding before ducking out of sight.

~~~

"Thanks Shepard, I will," Liara smiled warmly.

"I'll talk to you later, Li Li," Mary stood, acknowledging Miranda's sideways look with a lop-sided smile. Trotting down the stairs from the administrator's office.

"Jealous, Lawson?"

"No, I-" Miranda smiled nervously, "you aren't going to let this go, are you?"

"Not until I find the perfect nickname."

"Oh god," Miranda muttered, massaging her temples, "Miri and nothing else will be acceptable."

"Really?" Mary prodded but gently offering concern rather than utter mirth.

"Is it not embarrassing enough?"

The Commander grinned smugly, "no, it's just-"

"Just what?" Miranda blew with hands moving to her perfect hips.

Mary didn't avoid the conversation out of pettiness- Joker's voice drowned out the moment, pulling away from the lightness of her mood.

"Shepard, we, uh, have a visitor? Some Kai Leng he claims to be Cerberus."

"You let him on the ship?"

"Let is not the word I'd use."

"And everything was going so well," Garrus quipped, the quicker of her companions to read the shift of Shepard's energy.

"Mr. Moreau is correct, Mr. Leng is here on the Illusive Man's orders," EDI pipped in, "I had to let him in."

"You better hurry; he already pissed off Tali."

"I'm on my way, Joker."

"A stowaway problem, Shepard?" Garrus asked with a cock of his head.

"Miri," it was too grave for a lighthearted nickname, "do you know a Kai Leng?"

"That bastard."

Mary cocked her head, her smile fading into a frown, "Miranda?"

"This isn't good news, Shepard. He's the Illusive Man's personal pet," she spat.

"Threat level?"

"Ten."

Mary picked up her pace to the Normandy, ignoring the sideways glances and concerned looks she received. The doors to the ship were open for her, and an over-the-shoulder call from Joker directed the party to the shuttle bay. The elevator felt like it took centuries, and neither of her companions wanted to say a word. Not even a half ignored news clip to pass the time. Leaving her to claw at her vambrace, annoyed to be tramping through her ship in unclean armour. It was a minor detail, but she hated bringing unnecessary germs onto the belly of her ship. She had a quarian to consider.

As if that was her greatest worry at the moment.

Mary stormed into the cargo bay, surprised to find three figures, and notably the lack of a certain Quarian. The krogan presence was less of a surprise, if there was a fight Grunt would find it. With his space overlooking the bay, he didn't have to pry, and furthermore, Jack's latest biotic blast wasn't easily ignored.

"If you think I'm letting you take me now," Jack heaved, dodging a projectile and returning a side-stepped shockwave, "you're fucking wrong!"

"Jack!" Mary screamed, breaking the biotic's concentration, and then her head swiveled to the stranger, "you must be Kai Leng."

"Shepard," the dark-haired stranger drawled, sending an instinctive shiver down her spine.

She wouldn't be intimidated, ignoring the gnawing sense this man would as quickly kill her as he would shake her hand, but it couldn't stop the protect folding of her arms over her chest, "why are you tormenting my crew?"

"Lawson," he continued, the smug smile leaving as he examined the turian, "and this must be the one known as Archangel."

Mary stepped in to partially block his view of Garrus. She knew that look.

The mixed heritage man extended out his hand- Mary had never wanted to do anything less, but this was a power move. Declining would give him the literal and figurative upper hand. Fuck, his grip was tight, overbearing.

"I was sent here to help; after all, the fate of humanity is resting on your shoulders," Shepard felt the omitted words from his saccharine tone.

"I don't need the kind of help that torments my crew."

"I corrected your blatant disregard for Cerberus' confidentiality."

A chuckle escaped Garrus's airway, on inspection, Miri sported a fleeting smirk. Spurring Mary on to laugh in his face, "yeah, from stolen Alliance and Turian designs."

"This wasn't part of the deal, Shepard," Jack butted in.

"You'll get those files back."

"Will you?"

"You'll learn soon enough that Shepard gets her way, Leng."

Kai Leng took his turn to chortle, "so quick to betray Cerberus, Miss Lawson?"

Miranda exhaled slowly, "what's the harm in a few classified files," her tone almost defeated. Mary and Jack meeting each other with a curious look.

"I'm sure you can find your way to temporary quarters?" Mary returned her attention to the stranger, "The Illusive Man and I need to have a chat in the meantime."

[bittykimmy13]

The Clandestine Queen (GT Story)

Premise: A trinket no taller than the pieces on a chessboard takes a champion player by surprise.

Another trinket short that is comparatively tamer than others, but intense in its own way ;) I binged The Queen's Gambit, and it inspired me to write a GT story involving chess. I had a lot of fun writing this one! Enjoy! :D

Warning: mentions of dehumanization The print / trinket universe belongs to me and the lovely @little-miss-maggie​ / @marydublin5​ <3

(( Read more about the print and trinket universe here! ))

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The wheels rolled smoothly along the carpet. She sat on her knees in a prim posture, her hands on her lap and her back straight. The glass walls around her were so polished, she could almost forget she was trapped. The steaming room-sized meal on the plate beside her kept her from forgetting entirely, though. With each door the waiter wheeled the cart past, she braced herself. He didn’t come to a stop until the last door on the right—room 3218. A luxury suite.

The waiter knocked. “Room service!”

Footsteps thudded on the other side. The door swung open to reveal a man with dark hair, dark clothing, and an even darker look on his face. How curious for someone to look so inconvenienced by the arrival of a gourmet meal they ordered.

“Good evening, sir,” the waiter said.

“Make it quick,” the man muttered, stepping back to allow the cart to pass through the door.

This gave her a full view of the suite. The first and only thing she noticed was the chessboard set up by the window, illuminated by a single lamp and the moonlight glowing through the panes. This man was here for the tournament. No wonder he looked so irked by the interruption.

Her eyes went glassy. Trinkets were supposed to be anonymous once they went through the facility, stripped of their past identities before they were sent out to whatever random bar, hotel, brothel, or business they were assigned. Since the beginning of the tournament that week, she had no doubt that her placement at this hotel was intentional, designed to taunt and torture her until she drew her last breath.

Tearing her eyes away from the chessboard, she looked up at the man as he spoke. She wondered if she had met him at some point, in her other life. He didn’t look familiar.

“I did not ask for a trinket,” the man said, barely looking at her. He had an accent that suggested Spanish or Portuguese as a first language. An international player.

“She’s complimentary, sir,” the waiter said. “A token of congratulations for your victories today.”

The man didn’t blink. “I don’t want her.”

“Would you like me to bring one that suits your preference?”

He sneered. “I am not interested in spending my night with a felon.”

The waiter cleared his throat. “Well, you can simply leave her in the case. Should you change your mind, your room key has a sensor to open it. Please ensure you place her back inside and shut it properly before leaving the room or setting the tray outside. Though, I can assure you our trinkets are well-behaved.”

The guests were less so. Twice now, she had been sampled by other people on the way to their rooms after she’d been sloppily left on the tray outside the door.

“Fine.” The man whisked the tray off the cart before the waiter could, setting it on the coffee table in front of a lounger. All the while, she held perfectly still and kept her eyes trained up at him, trying to figure out if she’d met him before.

“Have a lovely night, Mr. Soto,” the waiter said with a nod, pulling the cart out of the room. “And best of luck tomorrow.”

Soto. The name made her jaw clenched. Andres Soto. A 30-year-old champion from Argentina, visiting the U.S. for the first time. There was no way they could have met before, but they certainly would have crossed paths at some point, had things turned out differently.

She continued to stare at him as he grabbed the plate of food from beside her and took it over to the chess table, ignoring her entirely. Just when she thought that was the end of that, Andres returned to the tray.

Fear. She couldn’t stop it from coming, but she had long since learned what to do when it showed up. Even before she was a trinket. Imagine your spine turning to steel, Kate would tell her. And look your opponent in the eye.

She wet her lips and willed her spine to turn to steel, certain that he did intend on toying with her despite his disgust toward her. However, when his rattling steps paused in front of the coffee table, he merely reached down to grab the glass of red wine across the tray from her.

Again, he made it clear that she was beneath his notice.

“Is that a chessboard?” she blurted before he could walk away.

He turned back, his dark eyes locking on her. What a stupid thing to say. Why would she draw his attention when everything was in her favor? A night of being ignored was a blessing she could not have dreamed of, and here she was throwing it away. She could be like the poor trinkets that had been gathered downstairs in the dining hall, being used as game pieces by drunken tournament losers.

“Obvio,” Andres said simply, starting toward his board again.

“May I see?”

Another pause. Frustration mounted in his stance. He walked back to the coffee table with heavier steps. He loomed over her and stared down. She couldn’t be sure if he was purposely trying to intimidate her, or if it was a side-effect of him trying to figure her out. Chess players had a particular look about them, the way they tried to analyze the person before them. Which meant he viewed her at least somewhat like a person. Fascinating.

“I’m studying,” he growled out. Intimidation. No doubt. “I have no time to entertain you.”

“I’m not asking for entertainment,” she said. “Only to see the board.”

“You are bothersome.” He filled more of her vision as he bent down to pick up the tray. He started for the door. “Shall I toss you into the next room? Perhaps they will enjoy you more.”

“I want to play,” she informed him calmly. But on the inside, her heart felt like it was ripping to bloody pieces with each step that carried her away from the chessboard. She needed to see it.

Andres stopped in his tracks, making her waver in her seat only slightly. “You?” he asked skeptically.

“Me.” She shrugged and cocked her head at him. “Or I can help you study. You’re replaying today’s games, aren’t you? That’s what I’d be doing. I didn’t like it when they brought me trinkets, either.”

He lifted the tray higher and narrowed his eyes at her, his stare on the tipping point between intrigue and dangerous aggravation. “Who are you?”

“I’ve been told that my name is Queenie.”

He didn’t take the bait and ask for her real name. Some pathetic and silly part of her wanted to tell him herself without prompting. A talented player like him would recognize her name—for better or for worse. But she kept her mouth shut. For all she knew, he’d go on a power trip knowing he had a former chess champion at his mercy.

Setting the tray down, he swept up the case and carried it over to the chess table. He used the sensor on his room key to open the door for her. She stood slowly to accommodate the soreness of her knees, then stepped out onto the table. She admired the board with a fluttering heart, hiding a smile. It was a fancy one—the squares lit up where the pieces were put. Half the pieces were set aside, while the ones on the board were in active play.

Andres took a seat and picked at his food with a fork. “Here you see the twenty-second move from my last match this afternoon,” he told her. “I was black. It was her turn.”

Folding her hands behind her back, she strolled around the outside of the board, weaving around discarded pieces. She tried hard not to think about the fact that the king and queen were taller than her.

“You know,” she said. “There’s an app that can sync with this board. It allows you to record the moves of your previous games. It sets up the pieces for you, turn by turn.”

He scoffed. “You think I am not aware? I find that doing it the old-fashioned way is better. Keeps the mind sharp.”

“I agree.” She examined the placement of the pieces on the board and felt a tingle of familiar exhilaration, able to see different avenues of victory for Andres. He had his opponent cornered by this point. “How many moves left until you beat her?”

“Six, counting her next one.”

“Hm. You could have done it in three.”

He raised his eyebrows, more surprised by her impudence than annoyed. “Imposible,” he murmured in his mother tongue as he eyed the board to find what she meant. Then he shook his head. “I don’t see it.”

She gestured at the board. “May I?”

Waving his hand dismissively, he sat back and took a sip of wine. Against all odds, she was not garnishing a drink or plate tonight. For that moment, she was in the past—simply having a conversation with a rival, trying to outdo one another and pick each other’s brains. The illusion was lost when she had to actually climb onto the board. The squares lit up beneath her feet as she stepped on them.

“Let me guess,” she said. “She moved the bishop here?” The piece was only slightly shorter than her. Pushing it in a diagonal line, she gave Andres an expectant look.

“Good guess.”

Tapping her chin, she turned slowly to examine the slightly altered layout. In her mind’s eye, she could see the pieces moving and track the placement of each turn that created the five remaining moves leading to Andres’ victory. Without having to ask, she knew precisely what he and his opponent had done.

“May I show you how you could have put her away quicker?”

“Do it.” Andres watched in silence as she moved a black piece, then white, then black again.

“Checkmate,” she announced, planting one hand on her hip.

Andres set the wine glass down so hard, she thought it would shatter. He dropped his elbows on the table, rattling the board beneath her feet. Steepling his fingers, he scoured the board with his eyes and muttered to himself. Finally, his eyebrows quirked up again when he looked at her.

“Insightful. I will study this strategy.” He did not thank her, but then again, players rarely did under normal circumstances. She did sense a begrudging sense of gratitude lurking somewhere underneath, particularly when he spoke up again. “Let’s play.”

Not an offer. Not a suggestion. An order.

“I am yours tonight,” she told him just to see the faint disgust on his face at the reminder that he was spending the night with a felon.

Piss off your opponent when you can, Kate would say. Makes ‘em more likely to fuck up. Oh, and if you manage to stay classy while pissing 'em off? Honey, you're golden.

He gave her no time to move out of the way as he began to arrange the pieces into their starting positions. She was forced to stay in the middle of the board, lest he bump her with his quick movements. Although she tried to appear as calm as ever, there was a tightness to her mouth as his hands flew over her, fingers and chess pieces narrowly missing her head. Months ago, she arranged boards just as effortlessly. Now she needed both arms to move a single piece.

“Black or white?” she asked when he was finished.

“Your choice.” He plucked up a black and white pawn, one in each hand. His hands vanished under the table as he shuffled the two pieces out of her sight. Then he held his closed fists in front of her. She shuffled two steps back; he moved so quickly, she couldn’t be sure he would stop. “Choose,” he said when she stayed frozen for all of two seconds.

She pointed to his right hand, and he opened it to reveal the black piece. He placed it in front of her, and she slid it over to its spot.

And then the game began.

Andres made the first move, nudging a pawn from its place on the front line. The surreality of the situation almost left her breathless. It had been so long since she played, but all at once she felt herself fall back without a second thought, as if she hadn’t missed a single day. She was able to move the pieces on her own, up until she wanted to move a knight that was still nestled among the other pieces with no clear pathway out.

Just as she was considering carrying it around the outside of the board, a massive hand filled her vision. She flinched to the edge of the board and nearly fell off, staring up at Andres with wide eyes and a clenched jaw. He picked up the knight and weighed it in his hand.

“Where do you need it?” he asked matter-of-factly.

“F6,” she croaked.

The spike of fright did not derail the strategies that unfolded in her mind. The game went on. When she began taking some of his pieces, he did not hesitate to help her out, setting them aside without waiting for her to struggle or ask. He was just as focused as her, eager to keep the game flowing—all the more so as the game entered its thirtieth move.

She paced up and down the edge of the board, rubbing the back of her neck thoughtfully. He was good. But she knew she was better. The problem was a stark disadvantage with her size.

“I need to see the whole board,” she realized aloud. “It’s frustrating to gauge it like this.”

Laser-focused on her plight, she didn’t see Andres’ hand coming. In the forty-five minutes they had been playing, she had gotten used to him plucking up pieces and avoiding her. A fresh thrill of fear closed around her heart as his fingers pinched her waist and swept her up. She gave a choked cry, her hands digging into the sides of his fingers as her legs dangled over empty air. She was perfectly accustomed to being held like this, but amid the game, she had forgotten the reality of her life.

“You said you wanted to see the board,” he said to her reaction, and she was surprised to hear the slightest note of apology.

She looked across at his face, the way his eyebrows were furrowed in faint concern. Wetting her lips, she swallowed hard and focused down at the board. Her breathing calmed as her world began to make sense again. She could see several pathways to victory for both of them—which meant she knew exactly how to thwart him.

“Thank you,” she said when she was done, squirming slightly in his pinched grip. He put her back down with more care than he did the pieces.

Three moves later, doubt began to creep in. Not doubt that she could beat him—doubt if she should. He was a champion. She used to be. Now she was nothing but a trinket—even less important than a pawn on a chessboard. Even if she was superior in commanding the game, he held all the power over her the moment it was over.

If he was a sore loser, he could quite literally kill her.

Pursing her lips, she analyzed the board and spotted a trap he was obviously setting up for her by using his last rook and bishop. A lesser player would fall for it easily. She took the bait, pretending to be sure of herself.

“Check,” he said upon his next move.

She moved her queen, protecting her king while sealing her doom. “Right back at you.”

A little smirk lifted the corner of his mouth. He took out her queen. “And that’s checkmate.”

Sighing, she tipped her king over with both hands. It clattered and rolled a short distance. “Guess I’m out of practice,” she said.

His accursed hand moved for her again, and for a second, she thought she had thrown the game for nothing. He was going to torment her anyway. A part of her was royally ticked off—she should have let herself beat his ass if things were going to end up like this anyway. But his hand stopped just short of her, finger extended.

“Good game,” he said. “Tough game.”

She released her caught breath, looking from his finger to his face and back again. She pressed her hand to his fingertip. “Tough game,” she agreed.

“It went on longer than any of the others I played this week.” He examined her once again. It was more overwhelming when he looked at her with a multitude of things other than disgust and detached interest. “Chess is clearly close to your heart. A shame this happened to you.” He gestured vaguely at her miniature stature.

She shrugged. “Chess saved my life. And then ended it.”

He nodded as if he had any clue what she meant by that. In a way, she supposed all serious players at least understood the first half.

Andres’ hands flew around her again as he began picking up pieces and setting them back into their starting positions. “Again?” he asked. And this time it was undoubtedly an offer.

She eyed the squares on the board, the white team forming in front of her in a whirlwind. There would never be another opportunity like this again. Despite all odds, she had returned to her haven of sixty-four squares. A distraction from the real world, just for tonight.

“Again,” she said, smiling for the first time at him.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

The next night, she couldn’t decide if she was surprised to be requested back in the same room. She did not allow herself to win the night before. It was enough just to come close and know she could decimate Andres’ strategies if she wanted to. Perhaps he wanted another night of analyzing his games of the day.

One night of bliss was lucky. Two was unheard of.

Andres wasn’t any friendlier with the waiter tonight, and strangely, the moment the door shut, his hardened expression didn’t become any less guarded with her. He set the tray down and lifted the glass case before his eyes. Maybe he always needed time to thaw out.

“Congratulations,” she said, noting the gold trophy by the window. “You should be out celebrating.”

“I’m not the celebrating kind.”

She snorted. “I never would have guessed.”

The slightest smile touched his lips—obviously involuntary. His eyes did not move from her, seeking something. “When I finished my opponents early today, it gave me the time to think. And the time to replay our games from last night. You see, something was bothering me.”

Goosebumps rose along her arms, but she said nothing and kept her expression neutral.

“Anyone who plays an entire match like that would not fall for those endgame strategies so easily. Certainly not five times in a row.” He brought her closer to his face. There was nowhere to hide. He knew. He knew everything. “You threw the games. All of them.”

She played dumb. “A smart man like you should understand why a trinket in my position would do that.”

Scoffing, he reached into his pocket to pull out his room key. He opened the case, and rather than reach inside to grab her, he tilted it and made her slide out onto his palm. She couldn’t breathe for a second, scrambling to sit up and redeem what little dignity she could. Her heart thundered like a galloping horse as he carried her over to the chess table and gruffly dropped her on the middle of the board. When he took a seat, he leaned down and propped his chin on the backs of his fingers, putting himself nearly at eye level with her.

“I studied your moves,” he went on. “I researched female players with the same playing style.”

He knew.

Shuddering, she started to back away.

“I found someone who matched,” he said. “And she vanished from the chess world four months ago.”

“Andres…”

He straightened, touching the top of the queen piece on his side with his fingertip, toying with it. “Lorelei Weaver. The night after you came in second in the U.S. Championship, you were arrested for first-degree murder.

Her voice started to rise. "You don't understand—"

"You pushed the champion, Kate Miller, in front of a subway train in New York.”

“She was my friend!” she shrieked. “You don’t know shit! I was framed!”

He cocked his head. “Sentenced to be a trinket.”

She collapsed onto her knees and covered her face, shoulders wracking with sobs. She had not cried since she was human. For a moment, she was gone. All she could hear was the roar of the train. The screaming. Her own screaming. It echoed so loudly in her ears, she was surprised she wasn’t doing it in front of Andres. He said nothing, merely observed her as she cried herself out and gathered her bearings again.

“Louis Mclean came in third,” she went on in a thin voice, dropping her hands to her knees. “I humiliated him in the semi-finals. I beat him in less than ten moves because he was cocky. Just like that, in ten moves, all of his training was shot down and meaningless.” She swallowed hard, feeling tears brim up again. “Then Kate beat me. Oh, I was pissed. But she was my friend. And Mclean wasn’t done playing.”

She sniffled, flinching when Andres’ hand appeared beside her. He touched her shoulder with his fingertip, his expression unreadable as he regarded her.

“Go on,” he said.

“One, he invited us out to eat the next night. Two, he made sure we were standing in a blind spot while we waited for the subway. Three, he pushed her. Four, he jumped back while I tried to catch her. Five, he screamed that I killed her. In half the number of moves it took me to put him away in the semi-finals, he eliminated us both. Six moves, if you count him puking when he looked down at Kate’s blood on his clothes.”

Her words hung in the air like falling snow, until it settled.

Andres did not speak for a full minute. Then he gave a slow nod. “I see.”

She wiped her eyes. “You believe me?”

“Whether I believe you makes no difference, does it? That game is over.” He folded his arms on the table in front of the board, looking down the bridge of his nose at her. “But I vowed not to leave this place until I beat every worthy competitor. It would be an honor to play you again, Lorelei Weaver. And this time, don’t you dare go easy on me.”

She stood slowly, her body and mind still deciding whether to fall apart or put itself back together. Then she straightened her back, turned her spine to steel, and looked up to meet her opponent’s eyes.

“Black or white?”

[navigatrixnarrations]

Prequel: A Matter of Some Urgency

A possible prequel to @whenimaunicorn’s ongoing and amazing Heart of Admiration series, as inspired with conversations with her and a line from Luke Arnold’s Black Sails AU short in The Sunder City Spectacular.

Word count: 1527

Warnings: They’re pirates. They curse a lot.

Charles Vane notices her entrance. It would have been difficult not to. It's not rare to see women in the tavern, but they are typically working there in some capacity. They do not typically wear a pistol at the waist of their rather fitted sea coat, nor walk with the rolling gait of an experienced sailor, nor carry a navigator's backstaff. Her eyes fall on him, and Vane finds his own eyes following the almost arrogant swing of her hips as she approaches his table in an alcove at the rear of the room.

"Captain Vane?" Her voice is slightly husky, educated but not posh, not snooty.

He nods, and she continues. "I'm quartermaster of the Starling. I believe you're expecting me." When DeGroot told Vane that the quartermaster of a recently-arrived crew was seeking a word with him about a matter of some urgency, the bloody man had failed to mention that said quartermaster was a woman, and a damned comely one at that.

She removes the pistol and long knife from her belt and places them on the table in front of him, a sign that she has come in peace. He gestures for her to sit across from him and signals the barmaid to bring her a drink then gives her a hard look from beneath his brow. "What's this about?”

"A certain item of yours has come into my possession. I'm here to return it to you." She hands him a burlap sack containing his black. She had been appalled when a couple of the more rambunctious members of her crew came back to camp having stolen it from the Ranger. It wouldn't do for them, new to Nassau, to start their time here by making an enemy of the most notoriously violent captain on the island.

Vane looks inside the sack, not wanting to remove the flag and thus show anyone in the tavern that it had been stolen. Instead, he runs his hands over its fabric, ensuring that it's no worse for wear than it had been before it was stolen. Having satisfied himself that it hadn't been vandalized and noting that it had been folded with care, he turns that heavy gaze back to her. "What do they call you, quartermaster of the Starling?"

She meets his piercing stare with her own, unflinching. "They probably call me a lot of things when I can't hear them." Furious though he is that anyone had the fucking gall to not only steal from him but steal the very symbol of his hard-earned reputation at that, Vane has to force himself not to smile at her quip. She holds out a graceful, callused hand for a shake. "Hope Wickham."

"Why did your captain send you, Miss Wickham, instead of approaching me himself?"

She frowns, but doesn't rise to the bait. "He didn't send me," she says coolly. "He has no idea any of this happened. I'm meeting with you of my own accord and in my own capacity to try to protect my crew."

Vane takes a long pull on his ale, waiting for her to explain.

“I may be new to Nassau, but I'm by no means new to the account. Captain Fisher and the rest of the crew are used to doing things a certain way, and don't yet understand that Nassau has rather different understandings of acceptable behavior for those under the black than does Tortuga. On Tortuga, this would be seen as a prank by a new crew seeking to position itself and a score easily settled without much bloodshed. Unlike them, I know that is not the way of things here."

Vane narrows his eyes. "How do you know how we do things here?" And how, he wonders, did such a lovely little thing become a pirate in the first place? For her crew to have elected her quartermaster, she must be formidable…

"I apprenticed with Mr. DeGroot. We stay in touch." The corners of her mouth turn up in a wry smile, eyes alight in amusement at the absurdity of the situation. "I realize that he is nobody's first, second, or tenth choice for a tutor in etiquette, but," she gestures broadly, "we live in a world of wonders."

Vane finds himself smiling back at her, ever so slightly, struck as much by her candor and wit as by her appearance. "So you're a trained navigator, then?"

"I am."

Well. This is interesting indeed. But he can't let himself be distracted from the purpose of this meeting. The smile drops from his face, which returns to its customary scowl, and he hunches forward enough to give the impression of looming over her without getting up. "Members of your crew snuck onto my ship, stole my black, and they did it so badly that someone saw them getting away. So let me tell you what happens next.”

Hope doesn't quail from his ferocious growl, from his coiled posture that makes him appear to be a predator about to pounce. She meets his icy glare directly. "Who saw them?"

"My quartermaster and his matelotage." Did she just…did she just ignore his directive, his implied threats?

She tilts her head, considering. "Anyone else?"

Vane grunts and leans back in his chair. "No."

Hope nods to herself. "Can you trust their discretion?"

“With my life." Oh, he sees where she's taking this line of questioning. Barristers would do well to learn from her technique. "You're going to ask who else on my crew knows it was gone."

She shrugs as if to say you caught me. "Well, who else does?"

"Only them." She opens her mouth to speak but he cuts her off. "Regardless, you know I cannot let your crew's insult go unanswered. I’ve a reputation to maintain, a captaincy I do not intend to lose."

"Nor do I expect you to. However, by returning your black undamaged, along with compensation for the," she pauses and bites her lip, considering her next words, "inconvenience you've been put through by this unfortunate breach of propriety, I trust this need not be a killing offense." She takes a bulging coin purse from her coat pocket and pushes it across the table to him.

Vane opens it and quirks a scarred brow at the amount of coin within. "Is this from the Starling's collective savings?"

"No. It's my personal share from our last prize." Earners, then, and sure to be rivals of the Ranger. He had seen Captain Fisher at the warehouse a couple of times, and he couldn't say the man had impressed him. Perhaps their last prize was simply luck. How the fuck had Fisher convinced a woman like Hope -- like Miss Wickham, he mentally corrects himself -- to join his crew? One of the world’s wonders, he supposes.

He places both hands on the table and leans forward abruptly. Hope's large eyes widen slightly, not in alarm, Vane notes with approval, but in assessing the threat. His voice drops to a near-whisper. "My turn to ask the questions. Who else knows that your crew had my black?"

She leans forward as well, close enough that Vane catches the scent of the jasmine oil in her hair. "As far as I know, nobody." Her voice is equally low, matter-of-fact. "My crew hasn't bragged, because they didn't get a chance to parade your colors on the beach. I made certain of that. And they won't now, not after I've relieved them of it. The ones who took your black are young and foolish. I've revoked their shore privileges for the time being, until they can show they won’t be shitheads to other crews if they come into town."

Vane knows something about being young and foolish and making a mistake. Sometimes one's youthful foolishness isn't so easily atoned for, some damages can't be repaired…

"They know you're returning it to me?"

Most people would have been unable to meet his heavy gaze for this long. "Yes. If they don't like it, they can elect a new quartermaster. However, they agreed when I explained my reasoning as to why keeping it would not be in their best interests."

"And DeGroot. Does he know why you asked him to arrange a meeting?

"He didn't ask. I didn't tell." She gives a short laugh, eyes shining with mischief. “I let him think I'm here to ask you for a job, just to irritate him."

It would be so easy to accept her money then wreak bloody havoc in the Starling's camp as a warning, but Vane finds himself reluctant to end the meeting. It was masterful, the way she'd gotten to the core of the issue, convinced him of their common interest, and dissuaded him from violence, and it was brave of her to approach him alone. A man couldn't help admiring her for that. And a trained navigator, to boot -- she'd be an asset to any crew. Perhaps he would have to make her an offer at some point…

He pushes the purse back across the table to Hope. "Keep it. Buy the next round and we'll call it square."

[alj4890]

Delicate

(Olivia Nevarkis x Ethan Ramsey) in a Choices The Royal Romance/Open Heart Crossover crack series.

Song Inspiration: Delicate

A/N This series will focus more on the relationships Olivia has with both friends and potential love interests. Since I was never a med student, I won’t try to write too many medical situations, LOL. The reason Olivia goes to Boston is more of a McGuffin of sorts. I needed a reason to have her truly see what it is she wants in her life. 

Masterlist

Prologue

The bar was not as crowded as Olivia expected. Pausing in the doorway to allow her eyes to adjust to the low light, she searched the few lingering patrons for the one who had invited her.

Nothing had surprised her more than receiving the invitation.

Well, maybe not more than another invitation she had once received.

And yet...this was different. So completely different.

Stepping up to the bar, she took a steadying breath, irritated that she had allowed herself to hope that this might be the right time to have her old dream again.

Was it so foolish to want to be married and have a family? Everyone else was expected to. Why not her? She would need an heir for Lythikos after all.

Maybe she could be the Nevarkis that actually had children because she wants to be a mother. Not for Cordonia. Not for the duchy. Just, have someone all her own. Someone who she could love without worry of it not being reciprocated.

"What can I get for you?" The bartender asked.

She blinked and refocused.

"I'll have a whiskey sour."

Grimacing at ordering something tied to too many memories, she quickly spoke up.

"Wait! I'll have a glass of Merlot."

"I thought you might be a red wine person."

Olivia turned around and tilted her head back.

Ethan smiled at her. "I was hoping you would take me up on meeting here."

"You said there was something important we needed to discuss." She steeled herself for disappointment. "You haven't changed your mind about the research hospital, have you?"

Ethan set his glass down. "Another scotch, please, Reggie."

"You got it." Reggie handed Olivia her wine glass while reaching for the bottle Ethan preferred.

"Top shelf." She muttered, recognizing the label.

"Pretentious, isn't it?" Ethan teased.

A ghost of a smile appeared on her lips. "Surprisingly, it isn't. It shows you have taste."

Ethan took his glass back and told Reggie to put both their drinks on his tab.

"Let's find somewhere to sit."

Olivia followed him out the backdoor to a lighted patio.

They were completely alone.

"There usually isn't anyone out here on a Wednesday night." Ethan explained.

They sat down near a fire pit and waited for the other to bring up what was needed to be discussed.

Olivia silently studied Ethan in the glow of the firelight. His features appeared harsh with the shadows. His eyes seemed to glow when they briefly cut her way.

He cradled his glass between his hands while staring at its contents.

Never one for putting off the inevitable, Olivia shifted in her chair. "What is it?"

His blue eyes raised to hers. "It isn't anything to do with the hospital."

She relaxed somewhat. "Good. I was worried you weren't coming to Cordonia."

"It does involve that." He admitted.

"I don't understand."

"Liv, I am attracted to you." Ethan responded.

She stilled. "Attracted? In what way?"

"In every way."

"Is this your roundabout way of telling me you want me but will do nothing about it?" Olivia's eyes narrowed. "Because I have had those conversations in the past."

"I intend to act on it." Ethan set his glass down.

"You intend to..." Her eyes widened. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that given my history and from what you have shared of yours," he ran a hand through his hair, "I think I should be up front about it." He reached for one of her hands. "I'm not going to take a chance and sit on the sidelines just to watch some bolder man steal you away."

Olivia's lips parted.

Ethan wants me. He admitted it. To me.

"Since I plan on starting out as I intend to go, all with blunt honesty so there is no misunderstanding," he rubbed his thumb across her knuckles, "I would like to take you to dinner tomorrow night." His eyes held hers. "I'm asking you out on a date."

He's nothing like Drake, she thought.

"I," Olivia licked her dry lips, trying to calm her excited thoughts so that she could answer. She couldn't recall when a man had ever asked her for a date.

This would be her first real date.

"I would love to." She felt her lips curving at Ethan's smile flahsing. "What time should I expect you?"

"Seven." He stood up and tugged her out of her seat.

One hand settled on her cheek while the other still held her hand.

His eyes drifted across her face, taking in the delicate features that made one surprised at the immense strength they hid at first glance.

Olivia waited with baited breath at whether or not he would kiss her.

She closed her eyes as his lips pressed an achingly tender kiss to her cheek.

"Let's get you home." Ethan murmured. He couldn't help the smile that seemed determined to remain on his face. "I can't wait for tomorrow night."

"Neither can I." She smiled back, thankful no one was around to see her like this.

After bidding her a goodnight at her door with another sweet kiss to her cheek, Olivia quickly changed and got into bed.

Once she had thought through how tomorrow night might go, her mind decided to dredge up the past.

**************

The Royal Palace, Cordonia, six months ago...

"...and then I plan to have Morgana and Merlin..."

Olivia tuned out Penelope's conversation. The effort to keep a pretended interest wasn't worth it. She began to scan the crowd for anything more interesting.

She had begun to tire of the endless round of balls and dinners. If it wasn't for her affection for Liam and Riley, she would have made up an excuse that she was needed in Lythikos.

Well, that, and a certain someone was swaying her into staying in the capital.

"Olivia?"

"Hmm?"

Kiara and Penelope both had expectant expressions on their faces.

"What do you think?" Penelope asked again.

"Oh, that is..." She took a gulp of her drink, "that is...something to think about."

"It really is!" Penelope exclaimed. "I've spent weeks trying to decide on..."

Olivia zoned out again.

Feeling the hairs raise on the back of her neck, she turned toward the source.

Her green eyes clashed with a pair of hooded brown.

A barely perceptible tilt of Drake's head had her excusing herself from the people she wasn't listening to.

Winding her way toward the the doors that opened to the back courtyard, she silently thanked her past unfriendly self for helping her avoid being called into more conversations.

Within a minute or two, she was outside breathing in the balmy sea breeze of the capital.

Another few minutes went by before a familiar hand encircled her waist, guiding her deeper into the shadows.

Without a word spoken, Drake pressed his lips to hers.

Normally, she would participate, taking pleasure from pushing him into a wild frenzy of clothes being ripped off.

But tonight...she wasn't sure this was what she wanted.

Olivia wanted more. Not more of the same. Something different. Something evolving. Passion intertwined with more heartfelt emotions. Or something that caused a new kind of passion.

She hated this uncertainty that had plagued her recently. The sneaking around she and Drake had been doing for close to a year was beginning to annoy her.

Olivia had started to yearn for what her friends had.

Liam and Riley were happily married with plans to begin their family.

Hana and Rashad had announced their engagement.

 Amanda had spent the last few years dividing her life with living in both Hollywood and Cordonia with her husband.

Even Maxwell had begun a serious relationship recently with a New York artist.

Olivia felt like she was the only one not moving forward. Shouldn't she have something other than an annulled marriage to show for her years of social seasons?

Shouldn't Drake make a stand? Demand that they take their relationship to a more personal level rather than remaining illicit lovers?

Hadn't she overheard Riley saying that Drake wanted a simple life with a family of his own?

Couldn't he have that with me?

She placed her hands on his chest and pushed him away.

"What's wrong?" Drake whispered.

"I want--nothing really--I was hoping..." She trailed off, suddenly feeling very self conscious about what she was about to do.

"Hoping for what?" He asked.

"Hoping you would tell me what this is?" Olivia replied. She gestured between them. "Is this going anywhere?"

He grinned as he placed a heated kiss to her neck. "It could go to my room."

She jerked away. "I don't mean that."

His eyes narrowed at her tone. "Then what do you mean?"

"Us!" She snapped. "Are we doing this to move into something more," she hesitated, irritated at herself for even doing so, "permanent?"

"Permanent?" He repeated. "I thought we were letting off some steam." He rubbed the back of his neck as he took a step away from her.

That simple action spoke volumes to Olivia.

He won't look me in the eye much less remain near. I'm nothing to him but a distraction, one he wants to keep hidden.

"This," her lip curled in disgust, "thing we have is over."

Drake tried to stop her when she shoved past him. "Come on Liv." He grasped her upper arm. "Are you seriously wanting us to date? How would that even work? You barely act like you can stand my presence. Who would believe we--"

She wrenched her arm free. Trying to avoid having to reveal how much his rejection hurt, she muttered to forget what she had said.

"I don't want anything from you." She replied in an emotionless tone.

"Liv," he tried to cajole her back into his embrace. "You know we work better in secret. Putting a label on what we have is only going to cause problems."

"We don't have anything worth mentioning." Without bothering to see his reaction to that, she walked away without a second glance.

***************

It had taken a couple more times of ignoring Drake's subtle hints to meet somewhere before he finally caught on that it was truly over.

One night he caught her alone in the palace library.

"We need to talk."

She simply turned a page in a medical journal she had been reading.

"Olivia!" He snapped.

Her eyes flickered up to his.

He stared at her, willing her silently to speak. Hoping she would explain why she decided to upend something good between them.

She gestured toward a chair across from her.

Drake felt a slight uneasiness at how casual she was behaving. The Olivia he knew was passionate in everything. Even her calmness held hints of restrained energy thrumming within her body.

This...this was new.

"I'm planning on proposing we build a research hospital in Cordonia, preferably close or in Lythikos." She announced.

"You're--what--that isn't what I wanted to talk about." He stuttered.

She chose to ignore that. "We need something to help combat the overflowing in the capital's hospital." She rested her chin on her fist as she stared off in the distance. "I know Lythikos’s weather isn't ideal for most, but the valley below Cordonia's Alps has more seasonal temperatures."

He blinked. "Liv, I think we should talk about our--"

"I talked to Liam about it. He suggested I propose it to the council tomorrow." She refocused on him. "I already have a few doctors in mind to run it."

Drake's brow furrowed. He didn't understand why she wouldn't hear him out.

Swallowing uncomfortably, he nodded toward her journal. "Who're the doctors?"

"There have been numerous articles written about the diagnostic team at Edenbrook Hospital in Boston." She pushed the journal towards him, pointing out a picture of a group of doctors. "And it just so happens that the hospital is going under due to budget cuts."

She lifted her eyes to truly look at Drake. He seemed to handle her decision to not discuss anything personal with him well...which was just what she wanted.

Especially since he doesn't want me except as an easy, occasional hookup.

She was determined to move on. If she couldn't do so with her hope for a family of her own, then she would in repairing her reputation. The name Nevarkis would stand for something honorable again.

This hospital would be her new passion project. A place where people could go when they had no answer to the illnesses they suffered with. A legacy she could proudly leave for the children she hoped one day to have.

A way to use her years of study to benefit her country.

All those classes in trauma care would finally pay off.

"I can't see anyone voting against this." Drake said. His eyes met Olivia's.

Unable to breach the wall she had erected between them, he reached for her hand.

She pulled it out of reach.

His head dropped. "Why won't you let us talk about this?"

"Because we said all that could be said." She replied with a shrug. "You don't want what I do."

"I could try." He muttered.

"Try?!" She hissed. "If a person has to try, then they don't want it." She snatched up the journal and got up. "If the council agrees tomorrow, then I am going to go to Boston to persuade Dr. Ramsey and Dr. Banerji."

"How long will you be gone?" Drake asked.

"As long as it takes." She averted her eyes. 

“Were you going to tell me you were leaving or were you just going to disappear?” He tried to reach for her hand. “Liv, what about us?”

She pulled it away again before he could touch her.

"Time apart will show you that your initial response to my," she grimaced, "prodding was right. There is no us."

"Liv, you're wr--" he shut his mouth when she turned on her heel and left the room.

*************

A few weeks later...

"I'm sending Rashad with you." Liam explained. "Amanda is already in America with Thomas and has agreed to meet you both in Boston for the initial meeting with Dr. Banerji."

"No one else?" Olivia asked, hoping that he wouldn't add anyone from the Council with to go along too.

"No. Rashad has a meeting at Sloan Industries next week and has agreed to stop for a few days in Boston to help gather the financial aspect for us. Amanda will come and go as often as you need her." Liam smiled warmly at her. "But since this is your project, I think you should be there for as long as you need to."

She bowed her head in thanks. For once, she would have a chance to turn everyone's attention away from her aunt's and parents' traitorous actions and prove that a Nevarkis could do some good in this world.

Her dream to have a research hospital with some of the greatest minds in medicine working towards saving people had been one that had sparked to life the moment she decided to finish her degree in nursing.

Finding out that Dr. Banerji had a history of sorts with Cordonia helped ease the way for her and the others to present their offer.

He and whoever else they could entice would be given not only a chance to build a hospital from the ground up, but to also run it as they saw fit. With Cordonia’s generous coffers supplying the funding, its people and those in the surrounding countries would benefit greatly.

And she would finally have something new and honorable to be known for.

"When do you plan on leaving?" Liam asked.

"Within the next few days." She gathered her notes and slipped them back into her briefcase. "I've asked Hana to look after Lythikos for me."

Liam's eyebrows lifted. "You did?"

"I've come to see that she has a spine of steel hidden under that pink ruffled dress." A smirk settled on her lips. "A person has to have one to deal with the people of my duchy."

He chuckled, nodding in agreement. "True. There's no one else I would trust more to step into your shoes while you’re away."

"If that's everything, I will retrieve Hana and head home to finish packing." She rose from her seat, a softer smile forming as she held her hand out. "I won't let you and Riley down."

Liam pulled her into a hug. "You never do."

**************

Edenbrook Hospital, Boston...

“You wanted to see me.” Ethan paused in the doorway.

Naveen looked up from the initial proposal he had been sent. “Yes. Shut the door and sit down.”

Ethan quirked an eyebrow but did as requested.

“As you are aware, all of our attempts to save Edenbrook have failed.” Naveen began. “There is a lot of uncertainty about everyone’s future.”

“If you think I know the answer to our problem, you’re wrong.” Ethan clasped his hands loosely and leaned forward. “I’m fresh out of ideas.”

“What would you say to forming our own hospital?”

A wry grin formed on Ethan’s lips. “You have about one hundred and fifty million saved up that I don’t know about?”

Naveen chuckled. “No. But I was given an offer.”

“What are you talking about?” Ethan sat up. 

“Shortly after graduating medical school, I was offered a fellowship of sorts in Cordonia.” He handed the letter to Ethan. “And it seems that my reputation along with yours has caught their attention.”

Ethan scanned the proposal. “They’re sending a representative?”

“Yes.” Naveen folded his arms on his desk. “They’re serious. I’ve already received a personal phone call from the king of Cordonia.” He smiled. “From what I was told, you and I would help them create a research hospital.”

“Us?” Ethan narrowed his eyes. “Sounds too good to be true.”

“That’s why we must question those they send to talk to us.” Naveen glanced down at the proposal. “But from what I have gathered, we would be choosing everything. Our staff. Layout of the building. The latest equipment.”

“Definitely too good to be true.” Ethan reclined back in his chair. “Even if we did say yes, you’re talking about us moving to a different country. Permanently, it sounds like.” His brow furrowed. “What would we be doing while it is under construction?”

“I guess we will find out tomorrow.” Naveen’s optimism couldn’t be diminished. Our meeting with them will be at noon.” He motioned for Ethan to leave. “Get some rest. I’ll expect you to find out what they are really asking of us.”

“I suppose there are worst things to sit through during lunch.” Ethan paused at the door. “Would you really want to move somewhere new and start over?”

Naveen slowly nodded. “After nearly dying last year, I already feel like I was given a new lease on life.” He met Ethan’s steady gaze. “Why not go to a beautiful country to begin it?”

"You know, Naveen? I don't think I would mind a fresh start either." The younger doctor smiled at his mentor. "Don't worry. I'll ask the hard questions for you."

"Good. Oh and Ethan?"

"Yes?"

"This stays between us until we find out what this proposal entails." Naveen put the letter in his briefcase. "I don't want to get anyone's hopes up."

Ethan nodded. "See you tomorrow."

***************

Later that evening, Ethan thought about the years he had spent in Boston. The heartaches he had suffered. The patients he had lost. The work that sometimes seemed to be in vain as he battled against the mysteries of medicine.

He gazed out of his window at the city.

Could I leave? See what else is out there? Perhaps find...

He stopped himself from that last thought. The last thing he needed was a complication like love.

His mind turned toward a certain medical intern who he could have possibly had something special.

But his keeping her at arm's length had ended up pushing her into the arms of a certain surgeon.

Bryce had not hesitated in making Casey his.

They are perfect together, Ethan thought. Which clearly shows I made the right decision.

Still, it does make one a bit envious.

He stood up and stretched. Tired from his long day and now these thoughts, he went to bed.

"There's nothing I can do about any of it." He muttered in the darkness. "Tomorrow might point me toward the direction I should take my life."

Ethan couldn't help but wonder if he had caught Naveen's optimistic outlook. The only thing he did know was that he had a nervous type of anticipation thrumming through his body. It had a hopeful tinge to it as he thought about the luncheon tomorrow.

It was that same feeling he had once had when he first became an intern at Edenbrook.

[dontasktheradiodemon]

Snuit

Sir Pentious/Telly (@usedhearts) has a fancy black-and-yellow suit.

Alastor wants a fancy black-and-yellow suit.

Alastor

How does one gracefully segue into a topic with one's partner? Alastor doesn't know how other people do it; but the way *he* does it is by hovering nearby until Telly appears to have reached a pause in his work, and then immediately draping himself across Telly's coils. "So I saw my alternate last weekend!" Super smooth.

Telly

He'd grown used to this sort of thing-- when Alastor wanted attention, he certainly got it. But Telly smiled all the while, setting aside the set of tweezers he'd been using for some delicate work on his latest project. He leaned down to give Alastor a kiss before speaking.

"Which one, love? You have quite a number."

Alastor

And the fact that he waited at all was how he showed his love.

Smooch! "The one who—well." A self-conscious *ahem.* "The one from the same universe as your alternate that you had that tiff with."

Telly

"Oh!" Telly's brain and face took a few moments to catch up with his ears. His face scrunched briefly, before he smoothed it with a sigh. "Oh, yes. Terrible bother, all that between us two, but I suppose I'm far more grating and less gracious than you are-- in general, that is. Not all Pentiouses are created equal."

He primped a bit, stroking his hood. "So, what's this about your alternate?"

Alastor

"Oh, don't be silly! I'm *incredibly* grating! I just save up all my charm for you." A wink.

He sat up and wrapped an arm around Telly's shoulders. "And wouldn't you know it, after your alternate gave you such a hard time about working with me, *he* went and hired *my* alternate to assist with his security! Can you believe that!" (It was, of course, a far more complicated issue than that—but it didn't hurt to simplify it in a way that gave Telly something to feel smug about as Alastor meandered toward his *real* topic.)

Telly

And feel smug he did! Telly immediately puffed up a big more, his hood flaring a bit in pleasure. "Oh did he now? Well, well, looks like the sock is on the other tail!"

He let out a hissing laugh.

Alastor

"It certainly *is*! Now, don't you go taunting your alternate about it, because he'll figure out how it got back to you and then *I'll* be the one he's sore at." A huff. "But yes! My other's on the staff now! And he's got a spiffy new matching uniform to go with it, complete with everything from top hat to cuff links!"

Telly

"Don't worry, darling, I have no intentions of speaking with Ruddy about anything unless he deigns to speak to me first. And perhaps not even then!" He chuckled, giving Alastor another kiss.

"But a suit! How nice? What's it made of, do you know?"

Alastor

"Heck if I know! My alternate spent more time talking about this little radio lapel pin he got with it—I don't know what he needs it for, *I* get radio in my head—but it's something quality, that's sure enough! This is no cheap polyester off-the-rack suit!"

And now, with the bait laid... "Telly—my darling, my beloved, light of my afterlife..." He lay his head on Telly's shoulder and blinked up at him with big, endearing, doe-like eyes. "When are *you* going to officially hire me and give me a matching uniform?" LOOK at that darling smile. He's *definitely not* trying not to laugh, can't you see how serious he is.

Telly

Telly blinked. And then a quizzical look came over his face as he tilted his head, thinking. And _then_ a sly smile appeared and his eyes narrowed a bit.

"So, does this mean you're done looking for better snake employment offers? I know you spoke in the past about taking a job with another me, but bringing back things to help me-- but since we're all up on our feet, and tails, over here now, well, I can't blame you for seeking gainful employ!"

His fingers stroked his chin. "Though, I'm certain you're already my number two-- there aren't many that I would specially design controls for the airship for, you know, my love."

Alastor

A surprised look. "Telly, I've never been *looking* for better employment offers. That's an emergency contingency plan at best, not a *goal.* What I want is to be with you."

Ah yes—he was getting good at piloting, if he did say so himself. It was fun. "Sure, we all know I'm your de facto number two; but there's a big gap between de facto and official! Here's the thing: with all the cooking and homemaking I've been doing around here lately, I'm starting to feel a little like a housewife. And you know the saying, *behind every great man there's a great woman*—but in every history book, whose name is listed next after the president's? The vice president, or the first lady?" He smiled wanly.

"Now, I may not have any high political ambitions myself—but I *do* want to get *credit* for what I do. And people look at your contributions differently depending on whether you're helping someone because you're part of his organization, or because you're part of his household. I intend to be part of the organization. *Officially.*"

Telly

Telly tilted his head, listening as Alastor spoke, a soft thrum in his chest. He nodded and stroked his chin again.

"I see you're point, darling. But you want, what? Just a suit like the Egg Bois have? Or were you thinking of something more special than that?" He hummed, squinting a bit.

"You do know you'd literally only be able to wear it around the airship, since the public at large doesn't know about us, yes? It would be hard for you to explain to anyone at your hotel about it."

Alastor

"I was thinking more like a suit like *you* have, plus pants—but sure, you could put it that way!"

He sighed melodramatically. "Oh, I know. And it just kills me!" And it was why, in his heart, he wasn't really expecting anything to come from this conversation but a bunch of moaning and sighing. Not for several years, at any rate. Decades, maybe. Potentially centuries. He gave Telly a morose look. "Well... it'll be nice when I *can*, won't it?"

Telly

"It would! It would indeed." He laughed, and kissed him. "Perhaps sometime in the future-- truth be told, I'd like it if only I got to see you in it. Would make it feel special." He winked.

Alastor

"Oh, *I* see. Getting to see the Radio Demon dressed up in your personal colors, as a private little show, only for you—something like that?" He winked back. "Well, I *do* like making you feel special."

Telly

Telly purred and leaned close to flick his tongue against Alastor's cheek. "Exactly. You being dressed up all for me....what a thing."

He chuckled. "Hmm, I've been meaning to find a new tailor anyway-- I think something could be whipped up."

Alastor

Alastor tilted his head into the flicking and slid his free arm around Telly's waist to rub his back. *His* special snake. All his.

"Really?" His eyes brightened. "*Could* you? I realize it's not really going to make a difference until we can go public, but..."

Telly

"Yes, I think so. I could just say I've got a special Egg Boi to give it to." He threw a smarmy smirk at Alastor.

"I'll have to double check your measurements, but other than that, well, shouldn't be too hard."

Alastor

"Pff! A remarkably tall and willowy egg!" He laughed. "Well—sure! Why not?!"

Telly

"It's not like they'd care to check!" Telly laughed, too. "Alright, do you have a measuring tape? I can get down the measurements and then I'll visit the tailor soon."

Alastor

"Sure! Right..." He rummaged around in his pockets. "Here!" He'd been using the thing religiously lately, taking down dozens of measurements in his den as he tried to get his new altar organized.

Telly

Telly took the tape and then scrounged around for a spare notebook that wasn't already filled with calculations and designs. He poked Alastor's back to make sure he was standing straight and began to take down his measurements.

"I think you'll look darling in black and yellow..."

Alastor

Up he goes straight and tall as possible—he's been measured before, he knows the drill. "I hope so! We're going to be in trouble if I look bad in it, aren't we?" He grinned crookedly, "But then I look pretty good next to *you,* don't I?"

Telly

Telly pecked Alastor's cheek as he rounded him, taking the length of his arm. "That you do. Very good, in fact."

He laughed softly. "I can't wait to see the faces of Vox and those other overlords when they see you on my arm in my colors."

Alastor

"Oh, won't that be the day! The horror in their eyes when they realize just how *dangerous* we are together!" Resisting the urge to make grand gestures long enough for Telly to measure his arm was harder than he'd expected. "And the fact that they all underestimate you right now, *oh,* that's just going to make it even *more* delicious when they register that *I'm* in *your* colors, not the other way around."

Telly

Telly measured his other arm and then from fingertip to fingertip, before going down for the legs.

"Mm, yes, it will be deliciously vile of us. I want to see Vox blue screen and cease to function." He hissed, laughing.

Alastor

"I'd be happy to see him cease to function in *any* context," Alastor said wistfully. "What do you think happens to his big tech monopoly when he goes down? Is it strong enough to keep trundling on without him or are the shareholders going to start dismembering it and cannibalizing their holdings?"

Telly

"I would guess the latter, honestly-- Vox is what's holding all of that together, certainly. Without him, it's bound to fall. I could see Valentino and Velvet descending into the chaos and picking up the most scraps but, well...."

He shrugged, taking the inseam. "Once Vox is gone, the debris will be easy enough to sweep away." Telly smirked.

Alastor

"Valentino, I could see—he's already got a multimedia empire, it can't be too hard for him to diversify. Velvet... I don't know. I always got the impression she's more of an entertainer than a manager, but I hardly know, really."

Ooh, uncomfy. He looked up while Telly took his inseam. "One hopes! Maybe they'll start putting something *interesting* on television again."

Telly

"Heh! Perhaps you could diversify-- get your own show! I could see you doing well as a late night talk show host." Telly scribbled down the last of the measurements and straightened up, kissing Alastor's cheek.

"All done!"

Alastor

"Ha! Do they do any talk shows with invisible hosts? Cameras and I don't get along." His smile wilted a bit. "... I guess that *would* be the easiest way to get on air over here, wouldn't it?"

He slid his arm back around Telly's waist. *His* snake again.

Telly

"You could be the first!" Telly wrapped his arm around Alastor's shoulders, smiling at him.

"It's just an idea-- who knows what will happen in the long run? Maybe you could help bring back radio instead. I know Leclerq's apprentice is doing some to help that along."

Alastor

He gave Telly a pointed look. "And you don't think Leclerq would have something to say about his own doppelgänger attempting to *directly* encroach on his domain? While working for one of his worst enemies, at that?"

Telly

"I don't know! I haven't seen or heard much from or about him in a good long while, and I prefer it that way." He sniffed haughtily. "When we take down Vox, the landscape of Hell will be much changed, so who's to say what will happen!"

Alastor

Alastor grimaced. Somehow, he doubted his alternate had stopped caring just because he was spending less time in Hell. "If it was *me*—if I discovered that one of my alternates was secretly in bed with, say, V#x, and he started trying to broadcast on *my* airwaves—I would shred him to ribbons and leave his entrails draped over the gates of Hell as a warning to other Radio Demons."

Telly

Telly frowned, and turned to face Alastor, cupping his cheek. "Well, then, you'll just not do that last bit then. We'll figure something out, it's all just hypotheticals."

Alastor

"Yes. Right." He sighed. "Of course." It weighed on him, though, every time he thought of it. But there was nothing to be done about it now. They'd figure something out.

He offered a thin smile. "Well. In the meantime, I get a suit, right?" He leaned forward to peck Telly's lips.

Telly

Telly smiled back, his thumb stroking Alastor's cheek. "Yes, you get a suit." He accepted the kiss and wrapped his tail around Alastor's legs.

"Now, was there anything else, or is it time for a snack? I'm feeling peckish."

Alastor

Alastor glanced down, brows raised. "I would *love* to go get a snack... but it seems I'm a little tied up."

Telly

Telly purred, giving Alastor's legs a squeeze before loosening his coils. "I sssupossse I can free you....jusssst thisss oncccce." He hissed, winking.

Alastor

"Ooh. Keep hissing at me like that and maybe I won't *want* you to free me." He stepped free of Telly's coils and took his hand. "I'll have to offer you only the *finest* of snacks in return for your mercy. Shall we?"

Telly

"Yesss, only the finessst." Telly grinned, raising Alastor's hand to kiss it before nodding. "Let'ss go, darling."

[silver-wield]

I dont understand why aerith only abused cloud and not the other characters, whats her motive? have you ever been abused or at least know someone who was? can you also tell me more about aerith’s character? she’s the one i know the least so i would appreciate the enlightenment

Following on from this

Did I say Aerith was abusive or that her actions were? Because Aerith's not an abusive character, but she does things that harm others because of certain reasons. Also, some of my earlier comments about chapter 8 and Aerith's behaviour are before I learned more about her pov motivation, so it's only taken from Cloud's pov. Which I have no regrets about. I prefer Cloud over Aerith.

Cloud just got the brunt of things because he spent longer with her. The way Aerith assumes she knows everyone and that her way is best does harm others because it shows she doesn't respect their opinions or value them as individuals who behave differently to how she expects. She doesn't really know everyone, she just thinks she does because she knows info she shouldn't. But, vague information from the lifestream or wherever she got it doesn't form a complete picture. It also doesn't replace actual relationship development. She's trying to run before she can crawl.

From Aerith's pov, she's doing good. She's not intentionally abusive to people. She's poorly socialised, bossy and been treated as special since she was a child. She's got no frame of reference in how to have healthy relationships with people. She had no friends as a kid and none later. Kyrie was a bad influence on her and not a true friend. She's never had a true friend and only Zack loved her besides her moms. Her dad died when she was a baby, so she doesn't remember him. She's basically a spoiled child expecting to get what she wants and then can't accept the truth when it doesn't match her expectations.

From the others povs she's withholding vital information, treating them like they can't do things without her input and acting like she's the leader, despite just meeting everyone. Since what she's asking them to help with is saving the planet and Avalanche are self proclaimed protectors, and Cloud and Tifa are Sephiroth's enemies they won't refuse. Red agrees because his race are more attuned to the planet anyway. It's part of who he is to help protect it.

It's a matter of emotional maturity. Tifa has the most of the younger characters and currently, Aerith wavers between her OG immaturity and her meta knowledge which gives her unearned wisdom, but she doesn't know how to apply that wisdom, so just comes off bossy.

Cloud doesn't know how to deal with conflict except to beat it senseless and doesn't know how to deal with women, except to be a passive dummy when most of them manhandle him. He also doesn't want anything to do with any woman romantically except Tifa, which is why he's always touching her and flirting.

Cloud knows that Tifa reacts badly when people she cares about are in danger, so he's trying to keep her calm. Since Aerith interrupts immediately after this we don't know what the conclusion of this would be if Cloud was allowed to continue speaking. Most likely, he'd suggest getting back to sector 7, too, because he already agreed with her they need to go when he woke her up before the Abzu battle. Tifa respects Cloud's opinion and military background, so that's why she's asking his advice.

By jumping in and alarming Tifa, Aerith has actually caused harm because it's put her in an anxious state, which we see escalating throughout the sewers.

Cloud kept Tifa calm and focused. Aerith has done the opposite. Because she thinks she knows best.

Having put Tifa in a more anxious state than she was earlier, Aerith now withholds information, which breaks trust between them.

This harms Tifa. She now has to worry about Aerith's true motives as well as sector 7. Tifa avoids confronting her suspicions because she's non-confrontational by nature. And Aerith could be innocent and Tifa's imagining everything.

It's not a healthy state of mind Aerith's encouraged.

Aerith has observed how Tifa is with Cloud and deliberately baits her, which causes harm to Tifa.

Aerith's motives aren't the focus here and I've explained from her pov she's helping, but from Tifa's pov, this girl she just met is trying to take the guy she's liked since she was 13.

The look on Aerith's face is playful, but Tifa's isn't. She looks unhappy. With Aerith. She thought they were becoming friends and then Aerith does this.

And as I said, it's worth noting this is different to the JP scene where Tifa is just worried and Aerith's teasing her to try and improve her mood. So, this scene was deliberately played up to highlight a negative behaviour from Aerith and provoke Tifa.

Aerith never explains why Barret can't do things. She just orders everyone around and expects them to listen, but she doesn't listen to them.

Even when asked, she doesn't say anything, and this is harming the entire party. Just because we know the plot doesn't make what she's doing okay. She knows about Sephiroth and doesn't warn anyone beforehand. So, later when Cloud and Tifa see him in the drum, they're not prepared.

This adds to everyone's suspicion about Aerith.

Suspicious Aerith

Suspicious Aerith 2

See, the thing is, if someone is suspicious then you can't trust them. And trust is a big factor in relationships. By making herself untrustworthy by lying and acting in a suspicious way, Aerith isn't fulfilling one of the basic cornerstones of a good relationship.

Four cornerstones of a strong relationship: Tifa

Four cornerstones of a strong relationship: Cloud

Respect

Aerith shows she doesn't respect Tifa's opinion about Cloud and dismisses her valid concerns. She redirects to ask about her instead, which Tifa brushes off. The girls don't have a lot of conversation in the drum, which shows they're not that close or that Tifa doesn't trust her enough to chat after the sewers. Tifa has chosen to remain focused.

From Aerith's pov, ignoring Cloud shows she's not interested in him, but Tifa is and is worried and wanted reassurance, which Aerith didn't provide.

Honesty

During their first interaction, Aerith lies to Cloud several times, and keeps lying throughout the game, either by omission or outright lying.

Aerith lies about knowing the Turks, while knowing how dangerous they are.

A person who lies isn't someone who can be trusted. This is why Cloud and Tifa are suspicious of Aerith, even up to the end battle where Sephiroth speaks from behind Aerith and Cloud gives her a suspicious look. Because Aerith's own behaviour combines with Sephiroth's motives. If Aerith hadn't made herself suspicious then Sephiroth wouldn't be as effective here.

Trust

Cloud shakes his head here. He knows Aerith doesn't trust them because she keeps lying. See how things connect? Aerith lies, it makes her untrustworthy and affects people's relationships with her in a negative way.

Cloud agrees to go fetch Aerith because he knows what Shinra are like, isn't an asshole, feels obligated and Elmyra literally orders him to "bring her back to me" after he gets permission to go. Which is why it's listed as operation: save Aerith in the story summary.

Friendship

And as for friendship, well both Barret and Tifa call Aerith "our friend" but Cloud says "a friend" to mayor Domino and then later when he says "our friend" to the guy outside the battle sim, all of them are framed. But, when he said "a friend" to mayor Domino only Cloud was framed. This suggests that to Cloud Aerith isn't a friend.

So, Aerith fails to satisfy the basic cornerstones of a good relationship with others. That's not saying she's a bad person or has bad motives, but currently she's not in good standing.

As for her behaviour in sector 5 with Cloud, from her pov, her actions weren't bad either.

The protagonist Cloud, who played the hero like Zack, is the unforgettable protagonist of FFVII. The beginning of the story, he seems cool, but in reality he is not good with communication and feels less than he is. “I wanted to be in SOLIDER, but I couldn’t.” Because he wanted to hide himself (because of Zack's death and the Nibelheim incident), the Jenova cells that were planted in him in Nibelheim formed a personality that were based on Zack’s memories. In CC, Cloud was weak but he was influenced by Zack. In the beginning of the story, Cloud takes on the title of “Zack”. Aerith was shocked when she meets Cloud due to him mirroring Zack in behavior.

That's a rough translation, but the fact is Aerith saw Zack in Cloud from their first meeting and that's why she chased after him in chapter 2. This is the CC ultimania, BTW, and it's getting a reprint, so the info in it is canon to Remake because the devs advised players to read more compilation materials. This is one of them.

Her motives aren't bad, but we can't only see things from her pov. Other people matter too. Cloud wasn't happy with her throughout chapter 8 because of her behaviour. Her motives don't factor into his feelings because she never reveals why she's doing it. Even if she did explain, it doesn't excuse her ignoring how Cloud feels.

Because Aerith is using Cloud as a prop for Zack it does harm her relationship with him and others. In the chapter 9 Corneo's dungeon conversation we can see Tifa notices Cloud isn't happy with Aerith suggesting they stay and get info out of Corneo. His reaction colors her opinion of Aerith later when he wakes her in the sewers. That's why she asks how he knows her because he doesn't seem to be acting like they're friends as Aerith claimed.

And Aerith isn't treating Cloud like he's Cloud through a lot of chapter 8 and 9 and only pulls back when they meet up with Tifa.

So much zerith

And by deluding herself, Aerith gets to be with Zack again, which she alludes to in her resolution when she says she's grateful to Cloud and he made her more happy than he knows. Because she got to pretend she spent one more day with Zack. But, then she shatters her own delusion by telling Cloud that any potential feelings he might have in the future are fake. Because Cloud's persona is fake. He's not Zack.

In the OG, Aerith's GS date alludes to Cloud's fake persona too, but she says she wants to meet the real him. She doesn't say that here. She ignores Cloud again, and by doing so answers his question in that he doesn't get a say because she's not listening to him. Because she doesn't care.

And when the party reaches her in chapter 16, it's even more clear that Aerith has set aside her delusions in favour of building better relationships with the other characters. She's more invested in Red, Tifa and Barret than she is Cloud.

However, it's an uphill struggle with Tifa because of the previous behaviour she exhibited.

See how things circle back? Aerith made herself suspicious, Tifa loses trust in her and that affects their relationship later so that Tifa is less likely to confide in her. She's being Tifa Lockhart. And we know Tifa can open up with those she really trusts because she does with Cloud. Because they have a strong set of cornerstones to their relationship.

So, from Aerith's pov, it's not abuse because she has some very good reasons for treating Cloud and others the way she does. She's aware of some future events and knows about Sephiroth and she also deluded herself into thinking Cloud was Zack.

But, because they don't know her motives it does actually harm the relationships between her and them. Even Red seems to mistrust her because he knows some of what she was up to with the whispers, as stated during the opening of chapter 17 where he explains the whispers purpose and looks right at Aerith when he mentions people tampering with fate.

But, this is what character development is for. Aerith needs to grow as a person and not just in power. So, I expect a lot of her more childish traits like being overly bossy and not having any listening skills will be addressed in future parts.

[princegabriel]

@lilyistryingherbest requested Chained to a Bed with someone on the Carte Blanche or Damien. Of course, I picked Juno “Listen, when you get tied up as often as I do” Steel. Thank you for the prompt! @badthingshappenbingo 

Snare

by princegabriel/ FaintlyMacabre

Rated: M

Characters: Juno Steel, Peter Nureyev, Jet Sikuliaq, Vespa Ilkay, Rita, Original character

Summary: If, for whatever reason, you were to ask Juno Steel, he would tell you that no, seduction was not his wheelhouse. If he were feeling chatty, he'd probably tell you, without much exaggeration, that back on Mars, a night out had an even chance of ending in a bar fight as in a hookup. He was abrasive, and brash, and naturally unpleasant. 

But under certain circumstances, he can give it a shot. It just may not go as planned.

CW: This one’s kind of a doozy. (Under the cut)

Dubious consent—I'd describe it as uninformed consent on the part of one character, and unenthusiastic consent on the part of the other. Both are deciding to do what they're doing under their own steam, but for sketchy reasons. Also, as part of the plan, Juno drugs the antagonist to knock him out so he'll be out of the way for their heist. I didn't write sexual assault, but Juno experiences a loss of control that he definitely does not want to be experiencing, and panics as a result. The feeling/themes are similar, so if that's a no-go, totally get it, turn back now, take care of yourself! Also, alcohol, references to murder, and canon-typical quippy tone (may be jarring to some readers, given the subject matter).

---

If, for whatever reason, you were to ask me, I’d tell you that no, I’m not exactly a natural seductress. (Also, never ask me that. It’d be weird.) I’m not the type of lady who can charm my way into someone’s bed or even their good graces. I’ve got just enough charisma to be annoying.

Again, don’t ask me. But you know who maybe should have?

Buddy Aurinko.

Maybe if she had, I wouldn’t be lying here, chained to a bed in an unexpectedly swanky hotel room, but really, it wouldn't be fair to put all the blame on Buddy. Let me start at the beginning. My name’s Juno Steel. I was a private eye, who was a cop, who became a thief, and if most of the people I left behind in Hyperion City could see where my life has taken me, they wouldn’t bat an eye. Or if they did, the eye they batted would be mine.

Our crew's on a "relocation" mission to a little satellite hotel orbiting Pluto. The creep who runs this place is kind of a hoarder, and his is the kind of hotel where dreams (and, according to rumor, the occasional interspace traveler) go to die. The job was basically show up, rob a terrible person, get out of dodge. There was just one thing I didn’t like about this plan.

“Remind me why I’m doing this again?” I leaned back against the high top table, holding a drink like a lifeline in one hand and fighting the urge to push away the hair covering my eyepatch with the other.

“It’s because you’re so incredibly charming, love.” I jumped a little. That wasn’t the voice I’d expected to hear.

“Ransom?” I hissed. “Where’s Buddy?”

“Not happy to hear my voice, Juno?” The question was all tease and no hurt. “The captain thought I could use some practice working behind the scenes.”

Well, I knew what that meant. “So, you got bored?”

“When I have you to worry about?” Nureyev quipped. “You’ll forgive me my caution; you do have such a talent for getting into trouble.”

“Which brings me back around to my question.”

“You are playing this role because both Buddy and Ransom are wanted by the Plutonian government, and because the rest of us are unsuited to this kind of undercover work.”

“Big Guy! When did you connect to this line?” I'd nearly choked on my drink when Jet’s voice had rumbled into my head.

“I have been connected this whole time, since I dropped you off.”

“And you didn’t think to say anything?”

“There was nothing to say,” Jet said. “Talking would only have been a distraction.”

“You must admit, you do fit the profile of our mark’s usual type,” Nureyev said. I didn’t have to admit any such thing, but I knew. Osric Salazar, multi-millionaire, hotelier and general misanthropist, liked his partners more rough than refined, more sour than sweet; in the slinky dress that showed off a fair number of my scars and holding a double shot of whiskey that was threatening to vanish into thin air, I fit the type pretty neatly. It was maybe the only thing I’d ever fit into neatly in my life.

“Yeah, yeah, the role was made for me,” I said over the glass. “The part I’m not thrilled about is where I’m the bait.”

“'Bait' is such a strong word, dear,” Nureyev said. “This is really more of a honeypot job.” His voice sounded neutral, but carefully so. To anyone else, I'm sure he would have sounded genuinely calm, but there was something in his diction that made me think he was less assured than he let on.

“Well, either way, I’m pretty much just a piece of meat on a string—”

“The target is approaching on your three o’clock,” Jet cut in. “Do not turn quickly; it appears he is trying to stay in your blind spot.”

I made myself sip at the drink and lean on the table as though I wasn’t about to be ambushed.

“Don’t believe I’ve seen you around here before.” The voice was like honey over coffee grounds, and I probably would have liked it if it hadn’t belonged to the owner of this... fine establishment. The Renegade’s Arms was just far enough from everywhere that people only went there when they had nowhere else to be and just enough of a dive that it wasn’t frequented by anyone rich or flashy enough for people to make a fuss if they vanished.

“There’s a first time for everything,” I said, refusing to turn and look.

“Let’s hope there’s a second one, too.” Salazar walked around the table and into my field of vision, but… a little higher. He was a wall of a person, reminding me of Pilot Pereyra, who’d used their intimidating size and demeanor to cow every would-be opponent into submission for years as mayor. I hoped it would be easier to exploit Salazar’s weakness than it had Pereyra’s; that walk in the desert had been no walk in the park.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” I said, and ignored the rise of Salazar’s eyebrows as I knocked the rest of my drink back. “You gonna buy a lady a drink?”

“Oh, sugar, it’s on the house.” I tried not to flinch at the hand that Salazar planted on my back, which steered me the short distance to the bar. “Another?”

“Whiskey, neat,” I said, setting the empty glass down on the bar.

“Make it a double,” Salazar told the bartender. “Top shelf.” The bartender nodded and once again, all the bastard’s attention was on me. Great.

“So, what’s a pretty lady like you doing in a place like mine?” Salazar purred. The sound sent chills down my spine, but definitely not in the way Salazar intended. Well, probably.

“Currently, getting drunk for free,” I said. “So, thanks for that.”

“I’d take it as a personal offense to find out that a gorgeous creature like you would ever have to buy his own drinks.”

“If you wait there, I can give you a whole list of people I know who’ve personally offended you,” I said.

“Gorgeous and funny,” Salazar said, looking me up and down in a way that made me want to wash with sandpaper.

I did the next best thing and downed my drink. “Thirsty, too.” Salazar raised a hand and gestured to the bartender, who got me another. “So this is your place?”

“I haven’t exactly made it a secret,” he said, looming closer.

“I hear people do small talk,” I said, “you know, early in their acquaintance.”

“So you’re sticking around?” Salazar said. He was even closer now, and he smelled aggressively like mint and aftershave. It wasn’t terrible, and everything was going according to plan, but knowing who this person was, I felt kind of queasy about it. In my earpiece, barely audible, Nureyev huffed out a short, sharp breath.

“Not like I got anywhere else to go.” I looked down into my drink while I said it, trying to look like like I wasn't angling for anything more than a bed for the night and someone to help me keep it warm.

“I wish I were sorry to hear that,” he said, practically in my ear. “But really, the way I see it? Whoever you’re running from, their loss is my gain.”

I turned to look at him again and all I saw was teeth. I couldn’t help but recall the first time I’d seen Nureyev, when he was just Rex Glass to me, and the smile that looked like he could rip me apart, easy and natural as breathing. This was different. Salazar’s teeth were big and blunt, like tombstones; it would take him some work to tear into you and he’d enjoy it.

Hopefully he’d take my focus on his mouth as interest rather than self-preservation.

I’d told Buddy I was all right to kiss a mark if the job demanded it, and I was. I’d told her I was all right to do more than that if I knew about the possibility beforehand, though hopefully in this case the neurotoxin-laden lipstick I was wearing would do its job before that became an option. Nureyev and I had talked about it—we were both coming at this with our separate and collective baggage, but honestly, I’d thought it would be a harder conversation to have. We decided that if it was the best plan we had and if whoever was on the job was comfortable, it was all aboveboard.

When Salazar pushed the door to his apartment closed and then pushed me up against it to kiss me, though, I couldn’t think of anything but Nureyev on the other side of my earpiece. If he was still there. I definitely wouldn’t blame him if he’d decided to hand it off to someone else.

Salazar kissed like he was fighting, and I grabbed the collar of his shirt so I’d be ready if it swung in that direction. One of his hands slid up my thigh, taking the hem of the dress with it. I stopped him when he got to my hip.

“Not,” I said against his mouth, “doing this against the door.” At the very least, the farther into his apartment we went, the longer he’d be distracted. And it gave the lipstick a few extra seconds to work. Salazar was a big guy, it might take a bit.

The bed was in the next room. It was big, covered in a rich-looking comforter and sheets that probably had some kind of thread count, with a huge ornate headboard, from which hung a—Jesus Christ. He had a pair of cuffs threaded through it. I was starting to rethink the door.

I didn’t get a real good look at it after that because Salazar spun me around and walked me back until my knees hit the edge of the bed. He climbed over me, biting and sucking at my neck, and I had a moment to just hope this lipstick was as unlikely to re-transfer as Buddy said it was, before I felt his teeth moving up to my ear. The ear with the earpiece. The earpiece I was using to stay in contact with my fellow crewmembers for the purpose of robbing the person who was currently getting real familiar with my earlobe.

“Hey, uh, no,” I said, like a professional, “my earring—”

“Oh,” he said, pulling back, and I tried not to sigh with relief. “Let me get that for you.” And he fucking took it off. The only positive side to the situation was that it really was a gorgeous ear cuff with a hidden wireless transmitter and he didn’t seem to suspect. He put it on the bedside table and picked up where he left off. And I thought, “Maybe it’ll be fine, maybe they won’t need to contact me for a while, maybe they get what they need and I sneak out while he’s unconscious and that’s that, job well—” A siren cut off the “done.”

Salazar sighed, hot on my neck. “I hate to leave you here, gorgeous—”

“Then don’t,” I said.

He shook his head. “Nothing else for it.”

“Uh, hey, but wait,” I said. “If the fire alarm’s going off, shouldn’t I be getting out of here too?”

“It’s not the fire alarm,” he said, getting up and smoothing out his clothes. “It’s the burglar alarm.”

Yeah, I’d been afraid of that. “Okay, well, if there are dangerous burglars around, maybe I don’t want to be a sitting duck.”

“Oh, if that’s what you’re worried about, darlin’, don’t be.” He came back and I thought for a second that it had worked, turned out I was pretty good at distractions after all. He took my hands and kissed me, and yeah, I actually felt kind of smug about my performance right up until the cuffs closed around my wrists.

“What,” I said.

“Didn’t want to bring these into play so soon, but we adapt, don’t we, sugar?” he said, with a fucking wink. “I can’t have you running off before I get back. Don’t worry, I’ll lock you up safe as houses.” I wished a house would fall on him.

He took a handgun out of a drawer, waved at me without looking back, and then he was gone. I heard the click of two locks, and that was the last I saw of Salazar.

So now you’re all caught up.

I wait a few seconds before turning my head in the direction of my removed earpiece and saying, “Hey, he cuffed me to the bed, get me out of here.” I have no way of knowing if anyone is responding, or even if they can hear me at all. All I have is this dress, a pair of stupid strappy heels (what is it with Buddy and putting me in six-inch heels?), and zero arm mobility. Well, not quite zero. I look up at the headboard. It isn’t metal, at least, but it doesn’t look cheap either. It’s either wood or painted to look like it, and if it is paint, it's been expertly applied, which points to good quality. If Nureyev were here, he’d have a lockpick in his sleeve or metal-tipped nails or something useful, but he’s not, so I pull myself up to sit against the headboard and start scraping the chain against the back of it to try to wear through.

“That alarm’s still going,” I say through gritted teeth as I try to saw through the headboard. I hope they can hear me, but even if they can’t, it helps to think they might. “Means Salazar's probably knocked out, definitely hasn’t resolved the situation, so I guess you’re still holding your own. In case you’re done before I get out of these, I’m in Salazar’s quarters, the door past the stairs, in the second room. Two locks on the door.” The cuffs are chafing my wrists, but I just clench my fists and try to go faster. “God I hope you get here soon, this is the least efficient way to get out of this but it’s all I’ve got.” The alarm shuts off and instinctively, I stop moving. It’s too quiet to move.

“Damn it, whoever’s listening, say something!” I hiss. I’m getting uncomfortably close to panic. “Yell, come on, just say something!” I feel trapped in these shoes and this dress and these fucking handcuffs and so I start moving again, pulling the chain forward like I could break clean through the damn headboard. It doesn’t work, just like I know it won’t, but I can’t do anything else. I can’t do anything. I can’t do this. I can’t do this.

In the quiet, I hear the locks click and I freeze again. If it’s Salazar… he might suspect I’m part of this. Is he coming back to kill me? I get my legs over the side of the bed just for solid ground underneath me, the smallest illusion of control. It puts my arms at an even more uncomfortable angle, but they were never going to do me any good here anyway.

I can’t hear footsteps, and I don't know what the hell that means. I feel myself start to spiral again until I see Vespa in the doorway with a duffel bag.

“Oh, thank god.” Should have known—of course the assassin’s not going to make a sound. I’m sure I’d feel weirder about her seeing me like this if I weren’t so relieved.

“Where’s the key?” she says, looking right, left, up, right again, checking for… security cameras, maybe?

“I don’t know!” I say. I feel like my body hasn’t caught up to my brain, which hasn’t caught up to my mouth. Adrenaline is still rushing through me—it couldn’t shut itself off the instant I knew I was saved, but I’ve apparently started to autopilot into our usual dynamic. “He didn’t exactly give me a tour. ‘Hey, just to be on the safe side, here’s the key to the cuffs I just surprised you with, also I’m definitely not going to murder you—’”

“Shut up, Steel,” she mutters. She’s already got the drawer of the little side table open and there’s the key. I guess it’s not something he really has to hide. In a second, my wrists are free. “Come on, Sikuliaq’s got the car running.”

I grab the ear cuff and slide it back into place while we get out of there.

“Mistah Steel oh my god please don’t be dead or hurt, say something please,” Rita’s sobbing into my ear.

“Let's go, Steel," Vespa whispers over her shoulder. I nod and let my eye focus on the green shock of her hair to follow her out as I turn my attention back to Rita before I worry her into an early grave.

“Rita,” I say, “Rita, I’m okay. I’m out. Vespa got me.”

“Boss?” she says, sniffling. “That you?”

“It’s me,” I say. “I’m sorry I worried you.”

“Only I could hear you and I was trying to tell you Mistah Jet and Miss Vespa were on their way and you didn’t answer and you sounded so scared—”

Yeah, I don’t want to think about that right now. “I’m okay. We’re headed back to you.” Vespa's taking us out the fire exit, in the opposite direction of the guest area, and there's Jet, just like she said. We get in the backseat and drive away into the night as the last of my adrenaline gives up the ghost and I let the now-familiar smell of the car ground me.

I'm okay. I'm going home.

[farmerlan]

Farmer Lan’s Rewatch Guide to The Untamed - Episode 2

SPOILER CAUTION APPLIES.

Alright buds we are going to get right into it - no time to waste!

[WWX hangs out by a river/well with XPG (Little Apple aka Xiao Ping Guo aka XPG from now on), cultivator scene with the demon compass argument happens (cute), A-Yan gives WWX an apple and she’s clearly not mentally all there, mountain top A-Yan dance scene with her mom disclosing her tragic story and father’s death to WWX.]

Differences from the novel:

There’s some minor choronological and setting differences between here and Chapter 6. A-Yan was not the person who gave WWX the apple, it was a random girl. There were two separate scenes with cultivators trying to use the compass in the novel, but it was condensed into one in the drama.

WWX bumps into A-Yan in the town at the foot of DFS and hears of her story from townspeople. A-Yan’s story is essentially the same in both versions, but the novel also includes an additional story about how a slovenly/good-for-nothing oaf became seemingly wealthy and suddenly wanted to get married and settle down, except he died on the night of the wedding. This would later be used by WWX to further support his narrative of what’s behind the ‘soulless people’ cases when he explains it to the Gusu disciples.

[Cut to WWX in a forest, A WILD JIN LING APPEARS! Man, I forgot what a little shit he was when he first arrived <3. WWX and JL runs into each other, except JL thinks he is MXY, banter ensues, WWX traps JL with his paper man and drops that awful YOUR MOM line to JL.

Banter continues until JC brings his posse and incredibly sharp jawline to the scene. Seriously, damn. Things are about to get physical before LWJ arrives. Shade is thrown between JC and Gusu & Co., JC literally looks like he is in pain and why oh why does nothing ever work out for him as his subordinate reports that all the spirit nets have been destroyed. JC decides against picking a fight and tells JL he better BRING HIS A GAME TO THE HUNT before dismissing him. LWJ dismisses the rest of the disciples and walks away, leaving WWX alone. Cut to WWX remembering JC + JYL by the river and then he overhears JL’s true parentage and feels baaaaaaad man.]

In the novel, there is further discussion of the LLJ sect and especially JGS in Chapter 7. Seeing JL’s reaction to him as MXY, WWX then correctly deduces that MXY is actually the illegitimate son of none other than JGS, who was known for his philandering ways.

It was also clarified in the novel that locked within the ‘paper man’ WWX sic-ed on JL was the ghost of a man who had died from gluttony, hence why JL could not get up. He was basically being sat on by a really fat man.

A bigger deal is made in the novel of how LWJ is someone who “appears where there is trouble” – JL says this to him in a sarcastic way, but it’s a common theme that runs throughout the novel, that although he can be considered an extremely prominent figure, he takes the time to help or show up no matter how ‘low level’ the situation is. It’s a sign of his strong moral character that nothing is too beneath his attention.

The situation of the night hunt itself is also explained a little bit more in detail – JL is turning sixteen this year, and this night hunt at DFS is basically a debutante ball for him as you have to be past a certain age to participate in hunts. So, in order to make sure he claims the top prize, JC made sure to come with him and also set up the spirit nets. Aww, they ruined his present!

Fun fact: JC very nearly came to blows with LWJ in the novel but chose not to do so because a) he had to consider sect relations between Gusu and Yunmeng and b) he wasn’t sure he would win since they’ve never fought before. HA.

[Gusu disciples run into old man grave caretaker, these are Wen graves! He asks them to go visit the Tiannu Temple and they move on before he can tell them that the goddess statue moooves. Spoopy. WWX also happens upon the Wen graves. Scene between him and WQ and he realizes it’s the statue stirring shit and JL is about to step in the shit that has been stirred.

Scene in the temple with Gusu disciples and JL, shit starts going down, WWX and Gusu disciples gather outside. Gusu disciples realize they ran out of flares and WWX is all like haha prepare to be punished! WWX clarifies the difference between soul-eaters and the goddess status, links it to the ongoing issues with A-Yan. LJY calls him out – he’s only pretending to be CRAZY! ]

There’s no old grave caretaker in the novel and there’s no Wen graves scene. There are ancient tombs around the area that the Gusu disciples explored, but it was only mentioned in passing as part of the larger conversation around what exactly was plaguing the mountain. What happens in the novel is – WWX encounters a spirit dressed in fancy burial clothes, realizes something is wrong because that kind of spirit (the spirit of a corpse) should not be on DFS, puts two and two together and goes off to find JL.

The scenario of WWX explaining what exactly ‘it’ is to the Gusu disciples closely follows that of the novel, except he also adds the explanation around the slovenly oaf’s story. Basically, oaf prays to the goddess statue to be wealthy, the goddess granted him his wish but took away his soul on the night of the marriage. Hence why WWX encountered the wealthy corpse spirit - essentially the goddess split open his grave and gave the oaf the funeral/afterlife offerings that were buried within it, displacing the spirit in the process.

 Also the goddess statue ate some humans in the novel but this was probably too graphic for the drama lol.

[JL shows up with the statue hot on his heels, WWX is like but wait we sealed the statue off before! WWX then builds and plays a makeshift bamboo flute. LJY changes his mind – MXY is still crazy after all, and on top of that he’s also a garbage flute player, ha. WN shows up and WWX is all ???, illusion is revealed, WWX posits whoever did this wanted lure out WN, a mysterious man in black scuttles off in the background.

Men rush WN, WN is like, uhm, y’all ain’t shit. WWX then plays WangXian to suppress WN’s rage, draws him towards himself and then we have THE REUNION – eyes meet, lovey-dovey wrist-gripping scene ensues.]

Interestingly, the drama shows JL being thrown to the ground and trying to scurry away/flinching as the statue advanced on him. In the novel, he actually stood right within reach and thought, “If I can’t kill her right here and now, I’ll die – but so what?!” Basically, he was 100% ready to kill the statue or die trying before WN showed up.

In the drama, we weren’t specifically clued in to the fact that WN is currently unconscious due to the nails in his head. In the novel, WWX realizes this instantly because Wen Ning was not capable of sentient thought and had to rely on WWX’s orders.

The drama hints that the whole thing was staged by the mysterious man in black caught scampering away – in the novel, this is not the case. There was no other person ‘operating behind the scenes’, this whole incident with the statue was not an illusion.

The reunion scene is as it happens in the novel, gripping of wrists and all. Ha. I love you directors.

[WWX is outed as the person who summoned WN and JC is like well well well, Shady’s back. LWJ tries to protect WWX, WWX tries to run away but gets whipped and decides to play crazy as JC wonders why Zidian didn’t work.

WWX appears to faint and wishes to go back to the time to 16 years ago, when he was at Lotus Pier and we start our flashback arc. Cute scene where he gets a sugar rabbit (HA I see you) for JYL. They decide to rest in a tavern. JC bickers with WWX and grouses that JYL and JFM always defends him and is reminded that being free-spirited is considered a virtue by the YMJ sect.]

The confrontation between JC, WWX and LWJ follows the novel partly (the whipping, the face-off between JC and LWJ), but the novel goes into more detail.

For one, LJY is like, ‘wait didn’t YOU kill WWX? Why are you saying he’s back?’ to JC in the drama. In the novel, no one claims that JC was the one who killed WWX in the novel – only that he was present at the battle at Nightless City along with the Yunmeng Jiang sect.

Also, in the novel, someone in JC’s sect basically tells says that there’s no way MXY is WWX because WWX would have chosen someone cooler. WWX was flirtatious with girls and a good-looking dude and MXY is a gay lunatic riding a donkey. And also, his flute skills are so, so subpar compared to WWX. Ha. WWX secretly grouses that he would kneel to anyone who’s able to play a nice melody on a dollar-store flute after not having practiced for 13 years. Touché.

In an attempt to get both JC and LWJ off his case, WWX tries to disgust the both of them by going, “JC is NOT my type but you know who is my type? LWJ uwu he’s so attractive” but it totally fails because LWJ does not take the bait. Instead, he says “Well then, I’m taking this man back to the Lan sect with me.” And that’s the end of Chapter 10. See comments on the flashback/timeskip in the summary section below.

The last conversation JC and JYL shares is very interesting. It’s not in the novel, but it really plays into the narrative that “WWX embodies more of Yunmeng Jiang’s values than JC even though he is not a Jiang”, which is also a theme in the novel and kind of a sticking point for JC obviously. One can say that JC takes after his mom, and WWX takes more after JFM.

Overall Thoughts

This is where the divergence from the novel plot line begins to get a little more serious. The novel employs a series of flashbacks scattered throughout the book whereas the drama is essentially one long flashback from Episode 2 through Episode 33. It obviously makes more narrative sense to arrange it that way in a drama series in order to make it less confusing, especially since they’re using the same actors for past and present WWX/LWJ, but just keep that in mind.

With that said, I will stop at Chapter 10 for the purpose of comparing it to Episode 2. Chapter 11 and 12 have essentially both been removed from the drama besides for the cold springs scene, which was also modified. I will discuss these two chapters when we get to Episode 33 (wow, will we ever get there??). Episode 3 picks up at Chapter 13, which is the beginning of the Gusu arc. Chapters will start jumping around (in the novel, the Gusu arc is only Chapters 13-18, and then the Wen Sect/Tortoise of Slaughter is a separate flashback from Chapters 51-59)  so I am going to try my best to match them up lol.

Ending the summary on another cute note, in the novel LWJ’s presence is often described as being accompanied by the light scent of sandalwood, which is what WWX smelled before bumping into him in the novel.

[draqcnheartstrinq]

Hate That I Want You (Part 2)

Sirius Black x Pure-blood!Slytherin!Reader

Summary: At first it’s hate, then it’s confusion. It grows into a healthy amount of curiosity until it turns into hate once more. But not towards each other, more towards the idea of wanting what you’ve tried to avoid all your life.

Words: 3.3k

Note: This series is a little experiment, let me know if you like it because I’ve got no clue if this is anything good or not XD

HTIWY Masterpost | Part 3

It was a surprisingly hot day at the Hogwarts Grounds as it was mid-October. Usually the sky was covered in grey and a cold wind had everyone shivering every once in a while, but not today.

The birds chirped from the trees, the grass held a beautiful green colour and the water from the lake reflected the bright sun. That’s why the four Gryffindor boys sat outside along with a few other friends like Lily, Marleen, Frank, Mary and Alice.

Nice talk and mindless chattering filled the hot hair. They spoke about everything and at the same time nothing but it didn’t take away from the fun they always seemed to have with each other. Every now and then someone started a new story and not long after everyone else joined in. It was that typical kind of moment every friend group had to have in a while, but only these few friends knew how to do it the absolute right way.

James was leading the conversation at the moment, like he did so many times, and Sirius barked out a laugh at almost every single joke.

The angry word-exchange between Sirius and Frank, from last week, was almost forgotten about, they just both desperately avoided the dangerous topic called ‘you’. It had been easy so far, both weren’t in the mood for another pointless argument, being just as stubborn as the other.

Frank was a nice guy but when he was certain of his point he didn’t back down. Sirius on the other hand was much more hot-headed and didn’t even consider understanding someone else’s view. It was a bad habit, both of the boys knew that, but neither of them changed anything about it. So yes, the argument would be very pointless.

“Lily, tell me please, what’s your favourite candy from Honeydukes?” James suddenly asked after some silence.

“You’ve asked me this about five times this week, James.”

“I’m sorry, forgive me for being so forgetful.”

Marleen liked to joke about the lovebirds and so had to have her say too. “You going to go buy some for her? Trying to ask her out again?”

“Maybe I am”, James said, staring in Lily’s eyes and winking towards her.

“I think I just puked a little”, Sirius interrupted in his very typical way.

“Oh Padfoot, you’re just jealous James isn’t asking you out!”

Everyone laughed, even Sirius himself chuckled along but pretended to roll his eyes at Remus’ statement anyways.

After a lighthearted back and forth between the both of them Frank lost interest in the bickering and let his eyes wander over the grounds. First years were enjoying the games they played, like typical eleven year olds do. It made him think back to the days they were still excited about all the new magic they learned and the essays they had to make. Now, in their seventh and last year, they couldn’t be more happy when they finally had a free hour.

His eyes scanned a bit further towards the lake where he swore he saw some fins splashing above surface every now and then. The water looked beautiful, shimmering and even inviting. Some third and fourth years seemed to think the same as they took off their shoes and paddled their feet through the waves.

Finally Frank’s eyes landed on a girl’s figure. She was sat against the trunk of a tree near the lake, clutching a letter in her hands. Squinting his eyes and taking a better look at the girl he could finally recognise her features.

You were staring at the letter in your hands, reading every word with utter most carefulness. A tiny sad smile planted itself on your lips and just like James’ laugh, your smile was contagious.

But just as quick as the smile came it disappeared again. A frown and a dip in your eyebrows appeared instead.

He had only been staring for merely ten seconds when others started to notice Franks’ silence and obvious interest in something else than the conversation. Alice followed his eyes, finding you sitting there with a very undecipherable expression resting on your face.

She looked back at Frank, he looked at her and they gave each other a short nod in understanding. Frank wasn’t going to go up to you and ask what was wrong, full well knowing that if he did Sirius would be on his back in no time. So Alice was going to take the blow this time. Still they hoped no one else would notice, at least not Sirius.

She whispered something to Marlene, stood up and made her way in your direction.

Of course nothing ever went like it was supposed to.

“Alice, where are you going?” Peter spoke up for everyone to hear.

She abruptly halted her steps, cringing at what she knew was about to unfold before turning towards the group. Frank sighed, a little less subtle than he intended it to be.

“Aren’t you feeling well?” James asked, not having a clue about what was going on.

“No, James, I’m fine there’s just someone else who I think would appreciate a little company right now…”

“We love your company too, though! Why leave?”

“James, this really isn’t the time to-”

At this point both Lily and Marlene understood the situation, call it girl’s intuition, and knew how bad this could turn out. They looked at Alice, for a split second at Frank and then they both went on their mission ‘distract Sirius as best as possible’.

“Lily and I missed Potions class yesterday!”

“Yes! We did! Could somebody tell us what we missed? Like, every possible detail!”

Taking the bait both Sirius and Remus started to explain and this was Alice’s chance to keep on walking, possibly a little faster than she had before. A relieved smile appeared on her lips, the same for Frank who was still seated in the circle.

You, reading the letter clutched in your hands over and over, had no clue of what was going on so when Alice sat herself beside you, you jumped at the movement.

“Oh Merlin, Alice, you scared the living daylights out of me!” No matter how hard the shock, you couldn’t help but laugh at her faux innocent look.

“Sorry for that”, she giggles in response, “I was just wanting to check up on you. Something bothering you?” She nods at the letter still between your fingers and lays a hand on your forearm.

“No, it’s stupid honestly. I’ll be fine.”

“It’s not stupid if it leaves that look on your face!”

“What look on my face?” you laugh.

“The ‘I feel like my world is about to shatter but I have to stay positive” kind of look. I’ve seen you use that face quite a lot recently and it worries me, (Y/N). So, come on, tell me what’s happening.”

You sigh, knowing that she won’t let it go. But you’re thankful at the same time. You’ve been wanting to talk to somebody about it, not knowing if things would get better or if they wouldn’t and Alice was ready to listen. To be quite honest, she was always ready to listen if it meant helping you. She was nice, she is nice, she’ll always be nice and even though you didn’t know her as well as you would like to she was still there when needed.

You silently thanked her before starting your story.

“It’s about my grandma…”

“The one you hate or the one you really really like?”

You laugh again: “The one I really really like.”

You both have a little giggle before continuing.

“You know she’s the only family member that understands me, the only one that shares my opinion of how wrong our family treats Muggleborns and just non-Pure-bloods in general. She sends me one letter every week and tells me how she’s holding up, she asks me if I feel okay and if my grades are good and she’s just wonderful like that.”

You look down at the letter holding her handwriting. The punctuation is on point and the language is maybe a tad old-fashioned but that’s how she does it and it brings joy to your days. But this letter contained some bad news.

“Go on, darling.”

“She writes to me that she has fallen ill, badly. She’s in St. Mungo’s Hospital right now and they’re treating her well but… They won’t be able to keep helping her.”

“How come?”

“She doesn’t have the money. And with my family not supporting her because of the opinions she chooses to be loyal to, they won’t be sending her any money either. I wanted to help her, send some money her way myself but I don’t have that kind of money and asking my parents for extra would just make them suspicious, possibly making them stop giving me anything altogether.

They know how much I love her and how much I share her views, they already don’t like me as is. So crossing them like that would be a major mistake.”

Finally looking up from the letter you could see the anger on Alice’s face. She didn’t like the way your family handled things one bit, even almost abandoning their only child just because of different opinions made her boil with rage.

She shook her head, trying to calm herself and comfort you.

“I’m so very sorry to hear that kind of stupidity. It’s so unfair, for your grandma and for you. If there’s anything I can do then please, don’t hesitate to ask!”

“You’ve listened, that’s already so much, thank you Alice.”

“Of course, (Y/N)”, she takes you in for a tight hug and comforting whispered words, “You’re always welcome.”

She smiles at you, now holding you at arm's length before you speak again.

“I should go and write back to grandma, she’ll appreciate that.”

You both stand up, hugging one last time and parting ways after she tells you to take it slow and find her or Frank whenever you need.

You thank her one more time and get on your way.

When Alice makes it back to the group a scowl is plastered on her normally soft features and Sirius can’t help but notice.

“Everything alright, Alice? Didn’t that friend want your company after a-” But Sirius’ smirk gets wiped off his face as soon as he sees the direction Alice came from and the person who was running the opposite direction.

You… Out of all people Alice could have been talking to, it was you. And above all, you had made sure Alice was in a bad mood. Beautiful, cheerful Alice now held the biggest frown on her face. Because of you!

Why did it always have to be you…

“Alice, what did she do to you?” Sirius growled. Everyone's eyes turned to Alice, Frank mumbled something under his breath and Alice herself just got more and more angry with the situation.

“She did absolutely nothing, for once let her be!”

“If she’s bringing my friends in such a fowl mood then no, I’m not going to ‘let her be’.”

By this point everyone could basically see flames burning in Sirius’ pupils. Both James and Remus tried calming him down but to no avail.

Alice went to pull Marlene, Mary and Lily up, pulling them towards the castle and leaving the boys with a threatening silence. After a few seconds Frank stood up too, staring Sirius down and shaking his head.

“Why can’t you just understand she’s not who you think she is.”

“Oh, Frank, just leave already. I already know on which side of the argument you stand, no point in having a fit about it.”

The boy left the Marauders to sulk, not wanting to participate in most probably talking smack about you. He didn’t understand how James, Remus and Peter could be putting up with Sirius’ bias but then again…

They were his best friends and best friends don’t leave you for something as simple as a prejudice. They were there to help you out of a wrong opinion, a wrong mindset…

They had been trying for so long, yet Sirius couldn’t cooperate.

Not when it was all about you.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Nearly a week after receiving your grandma’s letter and sharing it with Alice, you sat next to her and Lily in potions class. The Slytherins had potions with the Gryffindors often, probably at least twice every week, and while you enjoyed the girls’ company you couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable every time.

It was like you were being watched, like people were tense around you more than they usually were. Gryffindors whispered at each other, Slytherins glanced at you as if you were a secret they couldn’t share…

It felt weird every time, but today was the worst it had ever been.

Concentrating on the potion in front of you was hard when you felt the back of your head burn with eyes boring into it. So far you had persuaded yourself not to look around and find the source... But you could only handle so much.

A quick look wouldn’t be out of place, right?

So you turned, carefully but not slowly, and found the Marauders sitting behind you discussing the ingredients of the potion in front of them.

Only, there was one of them not engaging in the conversation… And you met two grey stormy orbs.

You almost didn’t recognize his eyes at first, because for once they didn’t look at you with pure hatred and anger. They stared you down, trying to get through to you, trying to figure you out. Finally trying to understand you, in a way.

When a few seconds of the both of you locking eyes passed, he averted his attention back to the task at hand and his friends who were still discussing their next steps. You did the same, confused and perplexed.

Noticing the interaction, both Lily and Alice smiled at each other.

Maybe there was hope.

Maybe they finally got him to listen.

*~*~*~*~*~*

But the hope was short lived.

The hour of potions class was over, everyone left the room and spilled into the hallways and no one cared to give you a second glance.

You were used to it, full well knowing that most of the people were too scared to even raise a finger at you and if they weren’t, they usually agreed with your family’s views but not with yours.

Alice and Lily were nice enough to say goodbye, but that was it. Probably the most interaction you had gotten the whole day,  except from that one third year asking you for the eggs this morning.

As everyone left, you felt his eyes again somewhere on the right of the hallway. How weird that you could just sense his stare by now, but after several years of practice you didn’t really expect it to be any different.

Sirius was leaning against a pillar, this time holding the angry look again instead of the ‘I’m actually trying to understand at least something about you’ look. Of course, no surprise there.

You had to be honest, in that single moment you felt intimidated and maybe even a little afraid of what was about to unfold. Thinking back to the marks on your wrist didn’t help with that.

As he strode over to you with determination, you tried to escape his attention by just keeping on walking. But once again, luck wasn’t on your side.

He grabbed you by the arm, tugging your body back to face him. What you noticed, though, was that his grip was softer than expected, almost gentle.

Sirius’ eyes searched yours for a while, still looking angry but not feeling angry as his fingers slowly let go of your arm. Such a contrast from last time he cornered you in the corridor.

“(Y/L/N).”

“Black.”

Funny how both your surnames were something you both hated just as much.

It stayed silent for a few never-ending seconds. Nobody was there to save you or drag Sirius away which made you more nervous with every heartbeat. By this point you could swear you were about to get a heart attack.

“Sorry.”

Wait what? What had just come out of his mouth?

“What did you just say to me?”

He reached up to his face, holding it and heaving a sigh. This was painful for him, more than painful even, but after a little thinking he realised an apology was at its place.

“Don’t make me repeat it, hearing it once is all you’re getting!” he mumbled under his breath.

You were absolutely dumbfounded. Your mouth stood agape, your eyes opened wide, your eyebrows shot up and the thoughts in your mind were going at full speed. What had happened since that day in the corridor where he imprinted his fingernails into your skin, all out of pure anger?

“W-why, if I may ask?”

“Look, (Y/L/N), don’t think that we’re best buds all of a sudden, okay? I still don’t like you, I still don’t agree with what you stand for but if Alice goes out of her way to be friendly with you and defend you against me then I think, maybe, I should attempt to at least tolerate your presence.”

A pang of relief shot through you, but right after there was a wave of hurt.

‘Don’t agree with what you stand for’.

Those words cut deeper than his nails had through your skin. You always knew people thought of you as the pure-blood who hates everything and everyone ‘non-pure’, you knew people had an opinion ready even when they didn’t know sh*t.

But it hurt to actually hear it. It hurt when others talked about you as if they understood what was going on.

“You honestly still believe I stand for what my family stands for?” It wasn’t a question, you already knew the answer.

“Your name speaks for itself, doesn’t it?” He said that as if it was a simple equation. You, plus your surname, equals definite evil.

“Does your surname speak for you?” The anger made your voice tremble, your index-finger pointed right into his chest.

“Does your family’s actions reflect on you? Have you ever considered I could be in the same bloody situation as you are, or is the hate towards Slytherins just so damn huge it doesn’t even matter what my opinions are? You’re just going to keep accusing me of sh*t I’ve never done, or better, never even said!”

“So, you’re just going to deny you share the same views as your family?”

“I never shared their love for our bloodstatus let alone my whole opinion on who’s worthy and who is not! It may be a surprise to you, Black”, you made sure to spit out his surname as if it was a pawn on a chessboard, “but I consider someone worthy as soon as they step foot in this world, from there on it’s up to themselves if they deserve to walk among the others or not.”

Sirius went dead silent. He fixated on you, his chest went up and down with every breath, you could almost see the gears turning inside his head.

“Well, if you don’t agree with them then why do you still go along with your parents’ antics?”

“Some people don’t wish to be disowned and thrown on the streets, Sirius! Of all people I would think you would be the most understanding of that!”

The silence grew thick as Sirius stared you down with a certain confusion glued on his features, but you didn’t miss the hint of recognition shimmering through them for just a second.

“Now, if you could let me get on my way, I need to get to Mr. Flitwick.”

You stepped around him as he didn’t move from his position. He just followed you with his eyes, leaving him standing alone in the abandoned hallway.

Leaving him with more than a few things to be thinking about. Leaving him to think about you.

TAGLIST:

@iamthepenguinwhosearseisonfire @wangmangagavroche @songforhema @fortisfiliae @ronnieissupermegafoxyawesomehot @katies-imagines @the-apple-princess @youlook-likehell @oliviaharddyy @slytherpuffgal @supermassiveblackhope @evolutionofkatep @this-silent-area @madmaiden2890  @simply-hamilton @remusandsiriusxreader

[lia-jones]

Growing Stronger - Chapter Fifteen - The Perfect Trap

“Victor wants to do what ?! Wait a minute.” I could barely believe my own ears, dropping the pile of documents and the coffee cup I was holding on my office desk. “Say it again, Terry.” I asked as I sat down.

“He wants to be discharged. Says he will sign the papers to leave. He actually wanted to leave today, but the doctor managed to convince him to stay until tomorrow, saying he had exams he needed to run.” Terry let out a frustrated sigh. “Could you please talk him out of it? He might listen to you.”

It was my turn to sigh. Victor was incredibly stubborn. I had a better chance of making a pig fly.

“I honestly don’t think I can help, Terry. It’s Victor we are talking about. When he gets something in that thick head of his--”

“It’s hard to convince him otherwise, I know. But you could at least try to get him to hire a nurse. He refused to. He is still not fully recovered.”

It seemed like I had my work cut out for me. I needed to get to Victor in a very good mood, use some hard logic with him, and maybe pull a little at his heartstrings. And even so, odds were against me.

To make matters even worse, the conditions I was working with weren’t anywhere near what I would need to persuade him. Victor was in a nasty mood most of the time, practically climbing the walls with boredom, eager to get back to work and get in on the action again. Terry gave him his laptop, hoping it would keep him somewhat busy, but it only made him more anxious to return to LFG. He also had been refusing to take painkillers since he had woken up, claiming they made his brain foggy, and thus,  he was in a lot of pain. And to add insult to injury, he had people around him coddling him. I could tell he was tired of it. Even when we dated, it was very clear he needed his alone time once in a while, maybe a little more than the ordinary person. At the hospital with me, his aunt, and the nurses flitting around him all the time, he was unable to find solace, and it was starting to drive him crazy. All these things made Victor insufferable and moody, and, for the time being, there wasn’t a lot that could be done to improve his mood and make him more receptive to new ideas.

That didn’t mean I wouldn’t try, though. I convinced his aunt to leave at 2 pm, and give him an hour alone until I got to the hospital at 3. One hour wasn’t enough for him to overload with work, but maybe if he recharged for a bit, I would find him in a better mood. I went home after lunch and baked him his favorite peanut butter cookies, which I had already been planning to do since he woke up. Hopefully, that would also make him happier.

I had a plan. It wasn’t a perfect plan, but it was a plan, nonetheless. I knocked on his bedroom door, but got no response. I slowly crept in, careful not to wake him up in case he was sleeping. He was lying down, very quiet, his eyes closed. However, when you sleep with someone for quite some time, you tend to pick on some cues, so it was evident to me that he was not sleeping, but avoiding me. Not in a good mood then.  

“Victor?” I whispered. No response. “Giving me the silent treatment, are you?” Still no answer. “I can tell you’re not sleeping, you know. You snore when you sleep on your back.” I teased.

“I do not.” He refuted, opening one eye.

I smiled mischievously at him, having caught him in his lie. He scoffed at me.

“I was trying to sleep when a certain someone came and interrupted my rest.” He complained.

“Oh, I’m sorry, then.” I pretended to believe his lie. “I actually needed your help with something, but I can come back later.” I started gathering my things, hoping he would take the bait. “I even brought cookies to reward you for your trouble.”

“What do you need my help with?” He asked, his eyes wide open now, watching me.

“Nothing important.” I shrugged. “You need to rest, I’ll come back later.” I tried to sound casual, knowing he was falling into my trap.

“I’m already up, you can tell me what it is.” He elevated the head of his bed to sit up, clearly interested. “What is it?”

I refrained from smiling. Gotcha.

“Well, remember when you said I needed an assistant? I have all these resumes, but really need some help deciding who I should interview. I’ve never had an assistant before.”

I could swear I saw Victor’s eyes twinkle briefly, his expression becoming focused. There was nothing that Victor loved more than being useful, especially if it was for someone close to him; one of the traits I admired in him the most. He seemed standoffish to most people, but he was actually extremely giving. I handed him the pile of resumes I had in my briefcase. He gave me a mocking, dismissive look.

“Did you bring coffee with those cookies?”

“I didn’t.” I palmed my forehead playfully. “Let me correct my mistake.”

I went down to the cafeteria to get us coffee. When I returned, Victor looked perfectly happy, a determined look in his eyes, organizing the resumes into piles. He took the coffee from my hand and nibbled on a cookie from the box in the table beside him, while he explained his method.

“I divided them into three piles. The best candidates are in this pile, these are the ‘Maybe’...” He pointed at the piles in front of him.

“The ‘Hell no’ pile?” I joked, pointing at the pile in front of me, that he hadn’t mentioned yet.

“I was going to say ‘Unfit’, but that works too.” Victor smirked at me. “You can put that one away, we won’t be needing it.”

“Are the cookies to your liking, Mr. Lee?” I asked.

“Acceptable.” Victor bit another cookie, trying to hide his smile.

“I didn’t have the time to make them in your favorite shape, I apologize for that.” I smiled, teasing him. He coughed slightly, the memory of the bachelorette party still very present in his mind.

“Shut up.” He said, swallowing the piece of cookie he had in his mouth. “I still haven’t fully recovered from that.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at his uneasiness. For someone so poised and collected, he was too easy to tease sometimes.

“Do you really need my help or are you here just to ridicule the injured?” He pretended to be offended.

“You are right, I’m sorry.” I picked up a resume from the ‘Maybe’ pile. “Ok, this one clearly belongs to the ‘Hell no’ pile.” Victor snatched the paper from my hands, reading it.

“Why? She has experience, speaks other languages. Not as experienced as the other, but not a bad choice either.”

“She’s wearing a cat sweater! In her resume! If I’m not careful, I’ll end up having a cat shrine in my office.” I joked.

“So? Tell her you’re allergic to cat pictures.” He joked back, making both of us laugh. “I’ll admit it’s a poor fashion choice, but she has the skills. She belongs in the ‘Maybe’ pile.” Victor put the resume back in its original place, not before I got another resume from that pile.

“And this guy! Look at his eyes. He has the eyes of someone that will kill you in your sleep.” I didn’t really mean it, but it was too fun to tease Victor.

“Don’t sleep on the job then. Are you taking this seriously? Don’t make me waste my time.” He scolded, but I could see he was having fun too.

We went together through the piles, leaving me with five candidates to interview, and two replacements. I was putting away the resumes in my briefcase when I decided to bring the subject up.

“So, your aunt tells me you want to discharge yourself tomorrow.”

Victor gave me a dirty look.

“Is that why you’re here?” He scoffed, his bad mood returning in a blink of an eye.

“No. I came to see you and I could use your help. I’m just commenting, that’s all.” I felt bad for lying, but it wasn’t a complete lie. I would’ve done those things, eventually, if his aunt hadn’t called. “But now that we are talking about it, don’t you think it’s a bit premature? I know the situation isn’t ideal, I know you well enough to imagine why you can’t stand it, but wouldn’t it be wise to wait until you have recovered a little bit more?”

“You’re not just commenting, you are trying to convince me into changing my mind. Don’t think I can’t see right through you.” Victor spat, clearly finished with the subject.

“Look, I just want to make sure that you are considering all the factors at stake here. You can barely walk, you still have trouble moving your arm. How are you going to cook for yourself, or even get a shower? Who will be with you if the pain gets worse?”

“Do you think I’m incapable of taking care of myself?” His tone showed a hint of annoyance and anger. I had taken a wrong turn in this conversation.

“I know you are perfectly capable, when you are healthy.” I looked at him with earnest eyes. “Either way, if you decide that is what you need to do, you won’t hear from me ever again. But you have to admit there are risks. What if you slip on the shower and get injured? Better to be in the hospital for three additional days than end up having to stay fifteen more due to a fall. If you really want to do this, at least hire a nurse.” I urged.

“To help me shower?” Victor raised an eyebrow at me. “Do you really see that happening?”

“Why, you didn’t like the sponge baths here?” I bantered, trying to lighten the mood.

“Would you like a sponge bath yourself? I can call you a nurse.” He bantered back, his face serious.

“Would the nurse be a hot male? Maybe I wouldn’t mind.” I playfully wiggled my eyebrows at him.

Victor looked away, giving me a frustrated scoff.

“Ok, let’s drop the subject. Just think about it, ok?” My tone was soft. “I just want you to be safe.”

His expression softened.

“I’ll take your words into consideration, though I can’t promise I will agree.”

Being here with Victor, having coffee and cookies, even in a hospital room, reminded me of past happy moments. It didn’t matter if we were together or apart, our relationship status did not change the companionship we had developed during the time we were friends and lovers. I felt completely at home with him, and I was perfectly aware he felt the same way too. Victor had a side of him he didn’t show to just anybody, but made easily available to me. And it was so familiar to me now that I could hardly remember the aloofness and severity in him, that made me dislike him at first.

We were talking and sipping our coffee, when suddenly his aunt erupted into the room.

“I got the answer to all our problems! The perfect solution.”

“If you are trying to deter me from leaving, let me tell you in advance it’s pointless.” Victor warned.

“No, not at all!” She was almost panting with excitement. “You get to go home, and you won’t be at risk.”

“Let’s hear that miraculous idea then.” Victor furrowed his eyebrows, still unconvinced. “What do you have in mind?”

“Well, to be honest, it’s not actually my idea.” She sat, gesticulating while she talked. “I went to LFG to hand them those documents you signed, and your assistant’s wife came to ask how you were. The subject of you wanting to leave came up, and she offered a very reasonable solution.”

Diane offered the solution? This couldn’t be good.

“Which is?” Victor’s impatience was undeniable now. Even I was starting to get annoyed at how long Terry was taking to get to the point.

“Well, you want to go home but you need someone to be with you right?” Terry started.

“I don’t need-” Victor tried to argue, but his aunt wouldn’t let him.

“You do! You can barely walk! But you don’t want a stranger in your house, understandably. So we ask someone with whom you feel at ease, who knows you well, and, most importantly, who endures your moods.” She glared at him during this last part, and I stifled a laugh.

“And where can we find such a saint?” Victor’s tone was dripping annoyance at this point.

“Right beside you.” Terry said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Andrea could go. You would do that, wouldn’t you, sweetie?”

I froze at her question. Instinctively, I looked at Victor and found him looking at me, apparently trying to read my expression. And for what seemed like an eternity, neither of us was capable of uttering a single word.

[mcmasonatdalton]

you can tell me {mcsnickers}

CHARACTERS: Mason McCarthy and @duvaldomnick​

SUMMARY: After baiting for attention with a skimpy photo on the internet, Nick orders Mason to his room thinking he just scheduled just a regular, casual dick appointment and they’re both surprised when based on their conversation, sex isn’t on the menu. {Quick recap on their relationship so far: Nick and Mason were fuck buddies for a long while before Dalton, for the purpose of venting their D/s needs. There is a trusted connection built there and when they are in scenes they talk about belonging to each other because it’s what makes them feel good while they’re in Sub and Dom head spaces with each other, but they haven’t had any kind of conversation like that outside of scene talk. They have never been exclusive, even if they sound like it.}  tw because this gets into Mason talking about sexual D/s based abuse

NICK: ((When Mason arrived this morning)) Get your ass in here. On your knees.

MASON: Yes'Sir. Sounds like someone's in trouble.

NICK: Good boy. Well, it is now 5 in the morning, and you've already admitted to baiting me, to sate your needs...Tell me, what could those possibly be at this hour? Tell me Mason, how are you feeling?

MASON: Lucky me, we're both awake, huh?

I need you, Sir. I feel like after all the work I've been doing, I want it to be time for me. I want you. I want your attention. I want you to touch me. I want to be here.

NICK: Good boy, Bunny. You answered perfectly. I'll give you what you want, and what you need. You have been working so hard, haven't you? You're right, you deserve a break. Good thing it's Saturday morning, hmm? Tell you what, Mason. All those plans you had for this weekend. Cancel them. Then, hands in front of you, wrists together.

MASON: Yes, Sir. May I turn my phone of or hand it to you for after that for the weekend? Because I know I'll get texts from people, telling me I shouldn't cancel. I know I can and I trust you, I want to be here, but I don't want.. that. Done.

NICK: Good boy, Bunny. I know it's hard for you not to argue with me on this. I see you, trusting me. I've got you. Yes, I'll take your phone, until I release you. I'll put it on silent, but I won't turn it off in case of an emergency. I won't let anything else touch you. There we go. I'm going to bind your wrists. I'll have you kneel, head bowed, for two minutes while you settle that anxiety over the texts you just sent. After that, I'll give you your rules for the weekend. Let me know when you're ready, and if you need more than two minutes.

MASON: You know me so well, Sir.... I hope you don't wonder why I'd come to you. Why I need you. I'll be quiet now, Sir.

NICK: Of course I do, Mase. I do pay attention to things, when I'm inclined to do so. Shhhhhhh. I'm here, babe. Right here. Take all you need, I've got plenty to give. You don't have to be quiet, Bunny. I don't like how that sounded. Where are you?

MASON: I know you do. I know you. I pay attention too. I'm sorry. I think it's just the difference between having someone to tell me at all times whether I was doing well or not and vividly instructing me on how to fix it if I wasn't doing well enough to being so independent. I'm feeling very unsteady.. just.. I don't know.. unsure.

NICK: I can bet you do, but that's a conversation for another day. I can't imagine how hard that must be, Bunny. I know you're struggling. But it's okay, there's nothing wrong with that. You're doing a whole new thing, one I'm proud of you for. And you're doing it so well. But, part of my job is making sure I'm honest with you. And while we're not....Another responsibility I take very seriously is the one that says a Dominant involved in any way with a Submissive is partially responsible for them and their mental state. Unless you've been spending time with anyone else, recently, that's me. I see you, working your ass off, and I have to wonder when you find the time to sleep, eat, or even breathe. Thank you for sharing with me, Bunny. Thank you for communicating. We'll fix this, I'll fix this. If you feel unsteady, Mase, hold onto me. Trust me to carry you, to not let you fall. Because I will carry you, and I won't let you fall. Breathe for me. Anything else you need to say before I give your rules?

MASON: Sir... I appreciate you so much. I'm not spending time with anyone else, no. A few people showed interest in me sexually when I first showed up but they all disappeared when I didn't have the time to hand them my ass immediately. I know.. you're not the relationship type and I'm too busy to really, honestly commit myself to someone else but I want you to know that I'm not out with other people. And it doesn't matter if you are. I know you. I know you appreciate me. I don't... really have time. You're right. I've never had time but now I've added carving out a spot for myself here to everything. It is a lot. But I'm like, totes capable. You call me Bunny for a reason, Sir. I trust you. I know you will, I am leaning on you. I know you will carry me and keep me safe. I'm okay. I'm ready to hear my rules, Sir.

NICK: There's my good boy; I'm proud of you, Mase. Those were all big admissions, and I see that. I won't let any of it go overlooked. They did, did they? That's perfectly fine, it's only because they don't know you like I do. They don't know how special you are. What a good boy you are. We understand each other, and our positions. Though, I won't lie and say I don't like knowing that. In a way. What I'm hearing you say, Mase, is that you're struggling to maintain a healthy schedule for yourself, now that you feel you don't have anyone to give you that added direction. And that's alright, too. That doesn't make you any less capable, or any less perfect. I see that, and I'll remind you of that. But what I won't have, Mason, is you panicking about telling me you might need some help, and making up for that by forcing yourself to remind me, and your own self, that you can handle it. You came to me for a reason, Bunny. Good, keep leaning. Let it all out, let it all go. I've got you. Very good. Alright. Stand up, and come sit in my lap. I want to hold you while we go over these. Rule 1 you already know- no plans outside of me, us, and this suite. No phone. No outside influences. No distractions. The world does not exist beyond these walls, unless and until I say otherwise. Rule 2. You will give yourself over to me, completely- as far as you're comfortable with. This will be a TPE weekend. Rule 3. Your hands will remain bound most of the time. The binding is loose, so you're able to move around comfortably when you need. I will remove it in certain instances as well. This means I will feed you, dress you, and bathe you. This also means you'll need to make certain you're being as vocal as possible about your feelings and needs. I'll need to know every detail, to keep you as safe and well taken care of as possible. Can you these things for me, Bunny?

MASON:Always your good boy, Sir. Thank you. You're right, I did come to you for a reason. I know you. I knew what you would say. I'll do as you say, Sir. I always do. Yes, Sir. I think your lap might be my favorite place, do you know that? Yes, yes, and yes. Sir. I can do all of that. I like that too. Thank you. I feel better already, I know that everything will be good. We're chill. This is good. I'm good. You're good. You're so sweet to me, Nick...

NICK: Say that again, Bunny. Say it again for me. Say it until you remember it. Until it comes as easily as my name rolling off your tongue. You are my good boy. No need to thank me. Alright. So, next time, what are we going to do as soon as we start feeling this way? You always do. Is it? Good boy. If anything else comes up, I'll let you know. Good, I'd hoped you would. It will be. I'll take care of you, my boy. Shhh. This isn't about me, babe. Now, I want you to tell me what time you went to bed last night, and what time you woke up this morning. I also want to know everything you've done today, and I want to know what you've eaten. Stay here, in my arms, while you tell me. I'm not judging, but I need to know what to focus on with you right now.  You're safe, Bunny. I'm listening.

MASON: Always your good boy, Sir. You have... no idea how good that sounds to me. I could say next time I'll post another skimpy pic at 5am, but I think you want me to learn a better way to get what I want and need from you. I could message you instead, Sir. Just..  tell you. I trust you. I still want you to know that I appreciate you, that I see you. Babe. I went to bed at 5:30am after joining Hunter at the pool for laps and I was up for cheerleading practice at 7am. I laid down a few times during the day, but not to sleep, I had other things to do. I drank a Monster before and after practice, then hit the gym for my own workout and run, Sir. I left campus for a little while to check in with Madison and my parents, and there's a guy- one of my parent's friends- that needed a few things from me. I wasn't done with all of that until the pm hours, and I had some granola on yogurt with Madison and she sent me off with some protein bars. I had a photoshoot and interview about the volunteer work I'm doing here at Dalton and then I came back on campus. I helped the janitors out a little bit-- I walked by and one of them was having trouble on his own, Sir. I got stopped a few times on my way back to my place. Not that anyone stopped me, but I stopped myself because people needed help in little ways like that. Then it was time for cheer again, so I ate one of the protein bars and led the team, followed by the gym again. I had paperwork to do to get myself settled here with administration and before I knew it, it was time to head out for that swim and when I got back to my place... well, here we are. You know the rest.

NICK: Yeah? Well, we can talk about that just a little later on. I'll remember it, and I'll bring it back up. You're exactly right, I do want you to know you don't have to degrade yourself like that to catch my attention. Whether I act it or not, you already have it. There we go. Message me, I'll make sure you're taken care of. Thank you, Mase. You're sweet, babe. Thank you for being honest with me, Bunny. So, let's walk through this a little more. I'm still here, I'm still listening, and I've still got you. You got an hour and a half of sleep last night, is what I'm hearing. Why? How long were your practices? How did your visit home go? I don't want to pry, but it's important for me to know exactly what type of physical exertion you've had today. Are you comfortable telling me what you did for your parents' friend? Did you drink any water today at all? You're so very helpful, Mase. You're a beautiful person. Your want to help is incredible, but I'm going to work with you on better recognizing when you have that kind of energy to give others, okay? How long were you in the gym? How many miles did you run? How many laps did you swim?

MASON: Yes, Sir. I know you will, you're good at that; remembering. You.. Sir.. I'll keep that in mind. I know you will, you always have. You know.. I don't let anyone else call me that... Yes, Sir. An hour and a half was all of the time I had to spare. I had so much to do yesterday that I didn't make it back until about 5am, and Hunter had talked about being out in the pool around that time and had asked/offered for me to join him; more or less. I don't do it every morning, but sometimes. Morning practice is more of a workout, we go for two hours. Evening practice is more like a rehearsal. We warm up and then work on routines. That went for three hours today. Going home went well, actually. My parents are pleased with the addition of Dalton to my schedule. Madison is still not happy that I moved out, but I'm sure I'll break through to her. She was pissy because she knew I was busy with that Dom-- not that she knew who it was, but she knew I left home to go there. Don't worry about prying, Sir. My answers are yours, that's part of the point here. He needed some help getting his house together while his friends were over, he just wanted to show off. Things got kind of physical too. I had water, yeah. I carry a bottle with me. Yes, Sir. I trust you. Of course. I spent an hour and a half in the gym, and I ran two miles with the team. Hunter is a boss, like... I don't know if you've noticed but damn. We raced on five laps a few times.

NICK: Good boy. Hold onto that for me, too. I mean it, Mase. I don't ever want you thinking that you need to offer someone ass in an attempt to get them to care about you. You don't? Good boy, thank you for being honest with me. I'm sorry that your sister is unhappy. But, I don't want you to let that hinder your progress. You're doing just fine, Mase. Thank you for saying that, Bunny. Good boy. Why haven't you told your sister who he is? Interesting. Things got physical? While his friends were there? Talk to me, Bunny. A refillable bottle? Good boy, keep trusting me. Oh, my busy bee. How are you feeling, Mase?

MASON: I will, Sir. Nick. You.. I.. I don't, no. That's for you. It's special to me. Yes, Sir. Of course. You need my honesty, I totes get it. I'm sorry too, but it's okay. She'll get over it. She will. She's just worried about me doing my best. I haven't told her because it would be weird, I think. He's a friend of our parents so like... he's supes old. To me, at least. ...Yeah. A refillable bottle, yes. I will, of course. I always trust you. Yours. I'm tired, but awake. I'm not sure if I've done enough, I had some things left to do. But at the same time, you've been calling me good and I could sit here all night. I feel better than I did before I got here, Sir. Because of you.

NICK: Mine. I like that. Good boy, you always understand. You're a smart boy, too. That's a good way to look at it. Such a kind perspective, Mase. Have you told anyone other than me, Bunny? Can we talk a little more about that, babe? Are you comfortable with that? Very good, I'm proud of you for making sure you're drinking water. I see that, you know. You, calling yourself mine. I'm not mad. You've done more than enough today, Mason. That's final. The rest can wait. Look at me, Bunny. Focus on my eyes. Give me your hand. The world will not stop turning if you take a break, if you lighten your load. I've called you good because you are good- so, so fucking good. We can do that, if you want to. I'll hold you all day, no matter what. Good, you'll feel even better than this before the day is over. I've got you Mason. I'm right here.

MASON: And you didn't even have to ask for it. Thank you, I try to. I'm glad you think so. No, I haven't. We can, yeah. There isn't really much I'd ever say no to you for. I'm comfortable with you. Mmmm.

Thank you. Yeah? What of it? Not mad is good. Yes, Sir. I trust you on that. And I won't be doing anything except what you tell me to do until Monday. Gladly. Yes, Sir. I see you, I feel you. I.. it's hard for me, but I trust you. I don't want to lose everything I've worked so hard for or disappoint anyone. Thank you, Sir. You're so sweet, I'll get spoiled you know. Maybe I already am. You're perfect. Thank you.

NICK: I didn't. I know that, you make this so easy. You haven't for the same reason? Good to know, but I'm still going to ask. Your comfort is my priority, Bunny. So, let's talk about it. What do you mean when you say things got physical? Nothing of it, it's just not something....I hear, every day. I'll make sure you won't be. Very good. I know it's hard for you, babe. But when things are hard, that only means you're growing. It isn't always pretty or easy, but it's needed. And I'm right here, to walk you through it. What makes you think that could ever possibly be true? What's got you anxious about something like that happening? Good, maybe I want you spoiled. Not nearly. Me? Not even close Bunny. You know that better than anyone. Don't thank me for that.

MASON: Easy is good. Mostly, yeah. He asked me not to talk to people about him. You're not people though, you're Nick. Like I mentioned before, I think he just wanted to show off. He tested me, making it harder for me to do the cleaning. ..I don't want to tell you that he came but I don't want to keep that from you either, Sir. We didn't fuck though. Do you like it? Do you want to hear it every day? I know you will, Sir. This is what I mean by perfect, you know just what to say to me. To do for me. You know me. You get me. Why wouldn't it be true? There are plenty of other people that would love to take my place. Even just my spot at Dalton is hotter than I thought. I don't know, I just have high expectations of myself and sometimes I get really anxious. Just maybe?

That wasn't your fault.

NICK: With you? It is. He did? That's...Interesting. You're right Bunny. You can tell me anything. In front of his friends, huh? And let me guess- they were all Dominants, too? It's okay, Mase. You can tell me anything, remember? We can talk about that later, babe. Let's keep the focus on you right now, hmmm? You're such a gorgeous focal point. It's basic, Mason. Being a decent human being doesn't deserve to be called perfection. You matter. You matter to the world, and you matter to me. Because, no matter how many hours you work a day, Mase, there will never be anything close to a replacement for you. You are incredibly utterly unique, in every sense of the word. You are a force to be reckoned with, and no one else is even close to capable of doing what you do. What do you mean by that, Mase? I know you do, I see you. That's something I want to work on, too. When you're ready. I don't want you to be anxious around me. Consider this your safe space, my boy. What, did you want to hear definitely? It's the truth. You give me too much credit, Bunny. But I promise...Nothing like that will ever happen again.

MASON: It is. You're right, yeah. I know I can, which is why I do. Stubborn. Yes, Sir. Nick...

NICK: ...How long has this been going on, Mason. Good. Keep it up. I am, yes. Yes, Mase? Use your pretty words, baby.

MASON: I've been helping him out for a couple of years, but it's been about a year since it first started to get like this. You make me feel a lot of things, Sir. If I use my pretty words I'm liable to make a fool out of myself.

NICK: Thank you for sharing with me, Bunny. You're a good boy, did you know? I need to make sure you know that. You couldn't possibly. I want to hear it all, Mase. Now, I want you to wrap those gorgeous legs around my waist. I'm going to carry you to the bedroom, and I'm going to hold you until food arrives. I'll strip you, too.

MASON: Of course, Sir. You don't have to thank me. I want to be honest with you. I'm glad you think so. Yes, Sir. Legs wrapped. Gladly. This sounds exciting, I can't wait.

NICK: I do, Mason. I know that was big. I'm so proud of you, babe. Good boy. I want you excited, in the best ways. Just relax, let someone take care of you for once. Here we go. I'll undo those bindings once I lay you down. While I'm stripping you, I'll kiss every inch of your beautiful body.

MASON: You make me feel proud too, Sir. My big, strong hero. I'll let you take care of me. That sounds nice. For me and for you too; you know what they say about cheerleaders. You know how addicted I am to your lips and your kisses. I even stole one without an order, which I'm just now realizing. I just wanted it really badly.

[littlemeowmeowschimmy]

Dominance[Jungkook x Reader]

credit: littlemeowmeowschimmy

Requests opened // m.list

Genre: Smut

Warnings: Anal (male) 

WC: 2k

Summary:  My blood sweat and tears, My last dance, take it all away My blood sweat and tears, My cold breath, take it all away

A/N: Actual conversation with @btsqualityy Me: How pissed off would you be if I wrote a smut based off of bst with jk? Her: I’d murder you Me: I’m doing it 

So here we are :) enjoy 

“I know that it’s all yours, this is a spell that’ll punish me.” 

“You don’t think a woman can take charge?” You argued, popping your hip out and crossing your arms. Jungkook turns himself to face you, his eyes dark and filled with lust. He decided to sign a simple contract with you, in hopes that you would help him with a few things. Jungkook’s life has been crazy lately, and he needed your hacking skills to help him. 

Because you knew if you did this with him, it would mean certain death. Or at least it would mean that you would land yourself in jail for helping your friend get out a really sticky situation. Jungkook scoffs, turning himself back around and waving you off like nothing even mattered. This sparked anger in your being as you shouted after him. 

“That’s so utterly sexiest of you!” Jungkook stopping at the curse as he turns around. 

“Exactly why I didn’t want to tell you. Because you jumped to a conclusion without me explaining.” 

“Well maybe if you wouldn’t have scoffed at me then I wouldn’t have come to that conclusion.” Pausing, Jungkook pops out a hip and crosses his arms now. Precisely the same way you had done not to long ago. He then brings one hand up to push some of his bangs out of his hair, his chocolate eyes burning. You did a double-take at his body. 

He wore tight jeans today, his boner certainly popping out. His shirt was unbuttoned, and the sleeves rolled up. Jesus, he looked like some guy from a random sex movie. Just by how his tan skin complimented the white and his expression was hot and bothered. 

“Alright then.” you murmured without giving him a second thought. Taking this into your own hands, you walked straight up to him. Considering that you were much smaller than him, it seemed like he was taking this as some kind of joke. Just by how there was little amusement in his eye as you stood right in front of him. That cocky grin was planted on his face, and you wanted so badly to wipe it off of him. 

Your eyes turned into slits as you placed your hands firmly on your hips. You weren’t going to allow him to think about such things. Oh no, instead you were going to give him a taste of his own medicine. “You’re in my house, Kook.” you start with gritted teeth. 

“Yeah, and what are you going to do about it?” amusement laced his words. “Punish me?” 

»»————-　★　————-««

It doesn’t matter if it hurts. Tie me up so I can’t escape 

You wrapped your fingers around his wrists, pinning them to his sides. Well, it was more of you on his back with one hand holding his wrist and your knee pinning his arm to the soft silk sheets. You grabbed a pair of handcuffs swiftly, grabbing the one wrist and then shifting yourself. 

“Just because you basically kicked me onto your bed doesn’t simply mean that -” Jungkook starts but pauses when you smacked his ass somewhat hard. A small tingling sensation in your palm as you assumed that he was gritting his teeth. Jungkook wiggled under your grasp; however you sat down on him just a little harder. 

Making sure that he wouldn’t be moving too much. You knew how strong he was, and with that knowledge, you weren’t going to allow him to take advantage of you. Not when you were trying to prove a point to him. With that being mentioned, you shifted your gaze upon the back of his head. Your fingers starting to smooth away some of the long strands, humming just a little as you do so. 

“What was that, Kook?” You antagonized. “Where you trying to say something before I smacked you?” pushing him further as your hand hovered over his ass. Jungkook growls low in his throat, his fists clutching as he didn’t like where this was going. In his response, he puffed out some air, then tilted his head to the side. You smirked in response, though you knew he wasn’t going to see it. 

Without notice, you smacked his ass again. Grinning at every low grunt he gave. In just a few moments, you could tell that Jungkook was suppressing a low moan. Why? Because he gritted his teeth and turned his head away. Plus, his knuckles turned bright white as you saw him struggling to fight his urges. 

“Oh?” You purred smoothing your hand against his boxers. In the process of kicking Jungkook to the bed, you had ordered him to take off his jeans and shirt. When he challenged you, of course, you took the bait. Ripping his shirt off and tearing away at the jeans. Jungkook was highly impressed, but he couldn’t keep his smug expression on his lips. Why? Because he landed in the position, he currently was in. 

“Is someone enjoying themselves?” 

“No!” Jungkook grits nails digging into his skin. Cocking an eyebrow, you shift yourself off of him. Then proceeding to lower your head just to his ear and start to whisper. 

As you did, your hand moves in his fabric. Smoothing the flat of your palm against his skin as he twitches. “It would be so much easier if you would stop being so stubborn,” you whisper poking your tongue out and licking the shell of his ear. 

“As if I would give in to you,” Jungkook pants. His body was already giving in as you could tell he was backing his hips into your hand. You cocked an eyebrow, noticing this and chuckled. The warmth of your laughter, sending shivers down his spine. 

“What is it with men and their ego?” You pondered your hand moving lower on him. So much so that he quickly turned his head and glanced up at you. His eyes widen as he felt your index finger circle around the edge of his entrance. His cheeks were flushed bright, and the darkness that was in his eye earlier was completely gone. 

“I could give you so much pleasure,” you started pressing just a little. “That you would be begging for me.” you finish reaching to your right to grab the small bottle of lube. There, you opened it, removing your hand swiftly, then finally returning it. You watched as Jungkook lowered his head, and his breathing started to become labored further. 

“I will never -” he pauses gasping as you slowly pushed your finger inside. With your other hand, you pushed down his boxers slightly, just to make it easier for you. 

“Never what Kook?” you empathizing the “k” at the end of his name. You saw as he was trying his hardest to keep his “wall” up, but you knew that it was eventually going to fall. You probed your finger further, watching as his teeth sunk into his lower lip. Curling your finger upwards, you started to move at such a slow pace, it drove Jungkook nuts. 

It didn’t help that he was lying now on his boner, making this so much more uncomfortable. When you didn’t get a response from him, you probed another finger in. Stretching him further as he then groans in response. It wasn’t the response you wanted from him, but it was enough to satisfy you. 

Both your fingers curling upwards now as you tried to find that right bundle. You wanted to see how easy it would take to have him shutter against you. It wasn’t like you hadn’t done this before. You knew your way around a man’s body, especially their ass. You had never proven yourself to another man since they had always submitted to you. 

It’s why you and Jungkook always got into fights. You two were both dominate in everything. If you got into a serious relationship with him, the bedroom would be complete hell. You liked being in charge and seeing men dissolve at your every beck and call. Proving this to Jungkook would be difficult, but it didn’t mean that you couldn’t have fun along the way. 

“Fuck Y/n,” he drags, resting his cheek on the sheets. “Can’t you go any faster?” this sparked your interest as you once again leaned in. 

“I thought you said you wouldn’t beg.” you murmured grabbing the lube once again and putting more on your fingers. This time, you slowly stretched his ass further, probing the third finger inside. Jungkook groans again, his body shifting because he couldn’t take the growing arousal he had. He needed to release, and since he wasn’t getting any kind of friction between his legs, he had to give into you. 

When he didn’t answer yet again, you sighed heavily. After a few pumps, you removed your fingers and shifted yourself up off the bed. Jungkook snaps his head upwards, watching you until he couldn’t see you. Swiftly, he flops himself over, his boner springing upwards. He sighs since he wasn’t putting any more pressure on it, but it didn’t change much of anything. 

Using his elbows, Jungkook props himself up to look at you. You moved into your connecting bathroom to wash the lube from your fingers. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” he groans, flopping himself back on the sheets. When you heard his distress, you couldn’t hide your smile. 

“I don’t think I’m going to allow you to cum today.” 

“What?” his response short and quick. You gave a small laugh, turning your head to now gaze upon him. This was the first time you saw your friend almost entirely naked. Your eyes widened at his hard twitching length, mouth starting to water. 

Your tongue poked out as you licked your lips. You were eyeing him like a hawk ready to pounce on your prey. It was tempting enough to give in, but then again, you didn’t want to break your composure. You were trying to have this under control, not have him take it right under your nose. 

“You heard me,” you answered your voice cracking. Jungkook took this instantly and shifted himself up now. He uses his core muscles to help him up, then proceeds to balance himself. You were shocked, but not completely. Once again, you knew how much of a beast he was when it came to strength. 

“Are someone’s walls breaking at the sight of my cock?” he mentions moving himself up to stand straight. You lean yourself against the doorframe, eyes moving back and forth between his manhood and his eyes. 

“Whoever said that?” You answered drawling out your answer, arms crossing. That smug look came across his features again, and by god, you wanted to smack him. You tried to whip it off and make him beg for you to make him cum. You wanted him to get down on his knees in front of you like a little child. Fuck, you tried to do so much that your body was responding to such dirty thoughts. 

“Matter of fact,” you answered, pushing yourself off the frame. You move inwards, fisting the fabric in between your hands. With one swift movement, you take your baggy shirt off and toss it to the side. Then, you reach back to unclip your bra and stand in front of him now almost entirely naked. 

His eyes moved back and forth from your breast. You could see that his length was dripping precum and twitching at sight. “I think we’re even now,” you answered in a whisper. His head nodding as he ultimately agreed with you. Jungkook took his lower lip in his mouth again, gazing over your body hungrily. There were no words spoken between the two of you since each one was thinking of how they could destroy the other. 

Fuck how where you going to get out of this?