#chapter 14

[lokielly]

“plutarch seems genuinely happy, saying he's going to be able to edit the clips together into some fine propos. he sighs when he mentions the tools that were abolished and incapacitated in the past, ones deemed fated to destroy humanity because of their ability to replicate any scenario using any person. ‘and in mere seconds!’ he snaps his fingers to emphasize their speed. ‘i guess it was the right thing to do, given our natures. we almost wiped ourselves out even without them, so you can imagine. but oh, the possibilities!’”

WACK GENERATIVE AI AGAIN FOR ME, SUZANNE!

[violentdelightshavevioletends]

"You can't interfere!" Tynan shouts at Xaden.

"No, but I can narrate," Xaden retorts.

— Moments that made me get on board with Xaden

[orellazalonia]

Lingering Hope and Doubt

Summary: After slowly reintegrating into the compound, you begin to share quiet, meaningful moments with the rest of the team including Bucky. However, doubt creeps in as you start to wonder if his attention is only because she is no longer around. 

Word Count: 1.9k+

Main Masterlist | The One You Don’t See Masterlist

As time passed, the days didn’t feel so sharp anymore.

They weren’t exactly comfortable yet, but the air didn’t bite when you walked into a room now. People looked at you differently. Not in awe, or suspicion, or even pity.

They looked at you like you existed, like you were seen, like you mattered.

And the most surprising part?

You were starting to believe it.

It started small.

Bruce had gently roped you into reviewing logs from his portable monitoring systems. Wanda asked if you’d go on a walk with her when the air was too heavy in her head. Clint dropped by with bad snacks and worse jokes. He always left too fast, like staying longer would make it real.

But Bucky?

Bucky stayed.

Every day that week, he’d stopped by your door. No expectations. No plans. Sometimes with coffee, sometimes with a question, or sometimes with silence that didn’t feel like an absence.

You never told him no.

And by Thursday, you’d stopped waiting for him to knock. You were already waiting by the door when he arrived, and he never said anything about it, just gave a small nod and started walking.

You followed.

That morning, the two of you sat on the south-facing balcony just off the training floor, nursing tea neither of you particularly liked. The sunrise spilled amber light through the clouds, and for once, the compound felt still.

He didn’t ask you deep questions. You didn’t offer any revelations. It wasn’t like the old movies where damaged people stitched each other up in one grand moment.

You were just sitting. Together. Safe, quiet, and alive.

“I never liked this place much,” Bucky muttered after a long stretch of silence.

You glanced over at him. “The compound?”

He gave a small shrug. “It was always too clean. Too… polished. Never felt like it was meant for people like me.”

You gave a soft hum. “I used to think the same thing, like I was some uninvited guest waiting to get caught in someone else’s spotlight.”

He looked at you then. Not hard or apologetic, but the words that followed were full of sincerity.

“You never belonged in the shadows.”

Your heart beat too loud in your ears. You looked away.

“Neither did you,” You whispered.

The silence after that wasn’t awkward. It was weighted and full.

You finished your tea as he did too. Then, as he stood, he glanced back down at you.

“You doing anything tonight?”

You raised a brow. “Is that code for a mission or…?”

He cracked a small smile. “No. Just thought maybe you’d want to join the rest of us. It’s movie night. Clint picked something terrible, and I figured you should suffer with the rest of us.”

You smirked. “That’s the most compelling argument you’ve made so far.”

“So…?”

You nodded. “Yeah, alright.”

“Cool,” He said, stepping back. “See you then.”

And just like that, he was gone again. But the warmth stayed.

Not from the tea. Not from the sunrise. Just from the realization that for the first time in a long time, you were being invited to something.

Movie night was exactly what Bucky promised: a chaotic mess of over-salted popcorn, bad lighting, and Clint loudly quoting every line of the terrible action flick like it was Shakespeare.

You sat near the edge of the couch, half-curled into a blanket Wanda had tossed at you without comment. Bucky sat a few feet away, arms crossed, and trying not to smile at the absurd explosions on screen.

It wasn’t cozy yet, but it was safe.

And maybe that was more than enough.

In the mornings, you helped Bruce catalog long-forgotten samples from the lower labs. In the evenings, you found yourself eating in the kitchen instead of your room. Some nights you’d wander the halls late, listening to the low hum of the ventilation or the sound of distant laughter from the gym.

You saw Wanda, Clint, Steve, Sam, and occasionally Natasha, slipping through like a shadow and offering you a curt nod in greeting.

And Bucky was always steady, always there in small, quiet ways; making room for you. But sometime around the middle of the week, you noticed something.

She wasn’t there.

The woman Bucky had once cared for. The one who smiled with soft confidence and made you feel small without ever raising her voice.

You hadn’t seen her in the cafeteria or during debriefs. Not walking the halls or tending the plants she used to keep.

At first, you thought maybe it was coincidence. Maybe you were avoiding her without realizing it. Perhaps the compound was just big enough that two people could simply… miss each other.

But then three more days passed.

And still, nothing.

One afternoon, you passed by the comms room where she used to sit during rotation and found it empty. The glass teacup she always used was gone from its usual shelf in the lounge. The spare keycard hook on the access board read:

Status: Revoked

You stood in the hallway longer than you meant to, something unsettling turning over in your chest.

No announcement had been made. No debrief. No confrontation. No trial.

Just… absence. At least, to your information.

You didn’t bring attention to it yet, but your brain cataloged it all anyway.

She hadn’t been escorted out publicly. She hadn’t been arrested that you knew of. And yet… her clearance was pulled. Her name was off the board and somehow no one mentioned her.

It was as if she’d been quietly erased.

You didn’t know whether to feel relieved or unnerved.

The hum of the reinforced glass filled the stillness.

Below, two junior agents ran combat drills loud enough to fill the silence with the rhythmic slap of boots and the dull thud of padded hits. You stood at the edge of the wide viewing window, arms folded loosely, gaze drifting.

Sam joined you halfway through the second round.

“Thought I’d find you up here,” He said lightly, passing you a bottle of water. “Word on the floor is you’re the mysterious ‘coffee ghost’ who keeps vanishing before anyone can say hello.”

You offered a faint smile. “I’m easing back in. Stealth mode helps.”

He chuckled, leaning against the railing beside you. “You’re not the only one figuring things out again.”

The agents below reset their stance. Your fingers toyed with the plastic cap of the bottle.

Then you asked quietly, “Hey… do you know what happened to her?”

He blinked. “Her who?”

You hesitated. “The woman who used to be around a lot, close… to Bucky. Smart, kind of always knew what to say and smiled a lot. I think… I think she spoke to me once.”

Sam’s brows knit faintly. He didn’t answer at first.

Then: “Oh.”

That one word told you everything you needed to know.

“She’s gone?” You asked, even though you already knew.

“Yeah.” He exhaled slowly. “Sort of. Officially she’s… being held elsewhere. Off-site.”

“Elsewhere,” You repeated, voice flat.

He glanced at you. “It’s not really public info. But she’s not in the wind, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I wasn’t,” You lied.

He didn’t call you on it.

“She always seemed so…” You trailed off, trying to find the word. “Certain.”

Sam nodded. “Yeah. That was the mask.”

You looked over at him.

“She really got to you,” He said, not unkindly. “The way she talked, the way she knew things. But not everything she gave away was free or honest.”

“She only ever spoke to me once,” You said, frowning. “It wasn’t even much. Just… a passing moment, but it stuck.”

“Because she made you feel seen.”

You didn’t answer.

He glanced down at the agents below. “We all missed it.”

“She said she cared about him.”

Sam looked at you again. His eyes soft, but unreadable. “Maybe she did, but doesn’t mean she truly did… or cared about the rest of us.”

You turned back to the window, the weight of that sitting cold on your shoulders.

He didn’t push the conversation further. Just stood beside you as the drills wrapped up and the buzzer sounded.

Before leaving, he added quietly, “Some people… they know how to find the cracks in a place. But that doesn’t mean they’re trying to fix them.”

Then he left you alone again. And the silence left behind felt larger than ever.

After that conversation, you weren’t sleeping again.

Not for lack of trying, but your mind was filled with thoughts. Too many of them, too loud, too persistent. You’d hoped a trip to the gym would help tire them out, but after half an hour of half-hearted pacing on the treadmill, you gave up.

Now you sat on the upper balcony overlooking the empty floor, legs pulled up to your chest with your water bottle forgotten beside you.

Then you heard footsteps. You didn’t look up. You already knew who it was.

“Couldn’t sleep either?” Bucky’s voice was soft behind you.

You shrugged. “Something like that.”

He sat a few feet away like always, not too close, not too far. Familiar.

“I figured you’d be on mission rotation this week,” You said, staring out at the dark mats and deactivated equipment.

“Opted out.” A pause. “Didn’t feel right leaving.”

You hummed, unsure what to say to that. You could feel the edge of a question pricking your mind, but you didn’t let it out. Not yet.

He rested his arms on his knees. “You’ve been quiet lately.”

“I’m always quiet.”

He smirked faintly. “Yeah, but this week it’s the kind of quiet that echoes.”

You didn’t mean to ask. But the words tumbled out anyway, raw and too real.

“Would you still be around if she hadn’t disappeared?”

Silence.

You looked away, heart hammering suddenly in your chest. You hadn’t even planned to say it. It just came.

When he finally answered, his voice was slow, careful. “What do you mean?”

“I mean…” You swallowed hard. “You used to be close with her and now she’s gone. And suddenly you’re… here, talking to me, bringing me coffee, sitting with me at movie nights…”

You didn’t say caring. You weren’t sure you could handle the answer if you did.

Bucky didn’t answer right away either. The air and silence between you stretched for what felt like ages.

When he finally spoke, it wasn’t defensive. It was low and honest.

“I’m not here because she’s gone.”

You waited.

“I’m here because I should’ve been before,” He continued. “And I didn’t realize it until it was too late to fix what I missed.”

You clenched your jaw, voice quiet. “So I’m a guilt project.”

He turned his head toward you, eyebrows drawing together. “No. Don’t do that. Don’t put words in my mouth.”

You didn’t meet his eyes.

“I’m not trying to earn points,” He added. “I’m not here because I feel bad. I’m here because I see you now. And I want to.”

That made something twist in your chest: warm, aching, and uncertain.

“But would you have looked if she were still here?” You whispered.

He hesitated for a moment but he didn’t lie.

“I don’t know.”

The honesty hurt, but so would anything else.

You nodded slowly, biting the inside of your cheek. “That’s what I thought.”

He leaned back, looking at the ceiling now, sighing softly. “I don’t know what that says about me. But I know what it says about you.”

You looked over.

“That you were worth seeing the whole damn time.”

You didn’t answer, but your throat felt tight. And your hands were trembling just a little where they rested on your knees.

You weren’t sure if you believed him, but some part of you wanted to.

Taglist: @herejustforbuckybarnes @iyskgd @torntaltos @julesandgems @maesmayhem @w-h0re @pookalicious-hq @parkerslivia @whisperingwillowxox @stell404 @wingstoyourdreams @seventeen-x @mahimagi @viktor-enjoyer @vicmc624 @msbyjackal @winchestert101 @greatenthusiasttidalwave @avivarougestan @saoirses-things @itsmejen @saucysasha2035 @smokescreen1000 @poiscntree @therealh18 @vieenr0se @ravenswritingroom

[saffusthings]

second chances

mob boss! lando norris x reader

part fourteen: mask on, mask off

word count: 3.2k

warnings: none, i don't think

thirteen | fourteen | fifteen

He wasn’t used to this—this being whatever weird routine they were beginning to fall into. But he picked her up in the mornings, drove her home when it was late, and somewhere along the way, their silences began to fill themselves in.

At first, it was just the little things.

She always checked that the passenger seat was adjusted just right before sitting down. She liked to lean against the window, staring out at the passing streets as if she were lost in thought, even though he had no clue what went on in that head of hers.

He learned that she didn’t particularly like the news. If he had the radio on and a news segment started playing, she’d subtly shift, reaching for her bag for some book or assignment to busy herself with. It wasn’t all that obvious unless you were paying attention.

And Lando always paid attention.

Sometimes she’d come out of class looking exhausted but would perk up when she spotted his car. Sometimes, she’d say a quiet thank you after he dropped her off, even when it wasn’t necessary.

Other times, she would get into his car, sighing, and when he asked Rough day? she would just nod. But later, as they drove, she’d start talking. Not about anything particularly deep. Just… bits and pieces.

“Had a pop quiz today. My brain is fried.”

Or, “Someone spilled coffee all over the counter today. Took forever to clean up.”

Or, “It rained earlier, but I forgot my umbrella. That was fun.”

He never responded with much — just a nod, a comment, an occasional smirk. But the more she talked, the more familiar it became.

One evening, she pulled out a small book while he drove. Lando raised a brow.

“You really can read in the car?”

She glanced up. “Yeah. Why?”

“Doesn’t it make you sick?”

She blinked. “Um… no?”

Lando made a face. “That’s weird.”

She let out a small laugh, amused.”Why would reading make me sick?”

“Y’know, with all the spinnin’ n’ all that.” Lando looked over to find that she was staring at him like he had suddenly grown a second head.

Perhaps he could have phrased that better, but whatever. 

“You’re weird.”

He smirked, but it softened at the edges.

The next morning, he pulled up to the outside of her apartment, engine running as he texted her that he had arrived. The early morning fog was just beginning to dissipate, giving way instead to the first brushstrokes of warm light through layers of clouds. He scrolled mindlessly on his phone, replying to messages and checking on shipments until he finally clicked his phone off when she got into the car, rubbing her eyes sleepily. 

He tossed a protein bar onto her lap. She blinked down at it. “What’s this?”

“You never eat in the mornings.”

Her brows furrowed slightly, momentarily going still, before finally deciding it was safe, unwrapping it, and taking a bite.

Lando had no idea why that small victory felt satisfying.

The first time she gave him shit for his driving, he nearly kicked her out of the car.

“You don’t even drive!” he pointed out, incredulous.

She crossed her arms. “I don’t have to drive to know that cutting through that gap was reckless.”

“If there’s a gap, m’gonna go for it, of course. It was efficient. It was fine.” He had hoped for the words to come across as reassuring, but instead he just sounded exasperated. 

How was he getting criticized by someone who didn’t even know how to drive?

“It was stupid, is what it was.”

He gave her a flat look. “You do know who you’re talking to, right?”

“I don’t care if you’re some racing prodigy or Lightning McQueen himself,” she shot back, unimpressed. “I value my life, thank you very much. This whole thing was supposed to be about protecting my life, not endangering it, remember?”

Lando groaned dramatically, muttering something that best not be repeated under his breath as he pulled up to her place.

But when she got out, she hesitated, glancing back at him. She hated walking out on a bad note, and perhaps his driving wasn’t all that bad. It got her here on time, after all. Plus, with how much he probably spent on her in fuel money alone… she could probably afford to let this one slide.

Just this once.

“…Thanks for the ride,” she said, softer this time.

His fingers tapped against the wheel as he nodded in acknowledgement. He spared her the barest of glancing before looking right back ahead, as if he was already mentally mapping the route to his next destination.

Perhaps he could afford to not cut off another driver while he was speeding.

Not that I actually did anything wrong though.

He looked at her one final time as she stepped out, offering an expression that almost looked apologetic. Or maybe it was just the lighting.

“Get inside safe, yeah?”

She nodded, shutting the door behind her, and Lando sat there for a few extra seconds, drumming his fingers against the wheel before shaking his head to himself. He waited until he was sure he saw the light of her living room flick on, and then drove away into the glittering lights of Monte Carlo against the dark night sky.

The next time he saw a narrow gap he could probably slip through just in the nick of time, he decided against a risk like that, even if it appeared like it physically pained him to do so. When that got him stuck behind an elderly woman in what appeared to be an even older car, he decided that being a good samaritan was an entirely unsustainable lifestyle, and that perhaps he could save these rare moments of caution and goodwill for when he might have another passenger in his car.

What was happening to him?

Over time, they learned each other’s habits, molding to become complementary to each other as they learned to exist in this shared, confined, space.

Y/N liked to listen to music, but never played anything too loud.

Lando always adjusted his seat at least once before he began driving.

She fiddled with the strap of her bag when she was nervous.

He drummed his fingers against the wheel when he was deep in thought.

She had a tendency to drop random tidbits about her day, and Lando—surprisingly—listened.

“Did you know that sea otters hold hands while they sleep so they don’t drift apart?” she mentioned one evening.

Lando glanced at her. “Why do you know that?”

She shrugged. “I read it somewhere.”

A beat of silence. Then, “That’s kinda cute.”

She turned to him, smirking. “Aww. You have a soft side after all.”

Lando scoffed. “Shut up.”

She laughed.

Yeah. This was getting way too comfortable.

Lando wasn’t in the house as much anymore. He was still working of course, but he wasn’t around the way he used to be.

Max Fewtrell was the first to say something, leaning against the counter in the kitchen of Lando’s estate, sipping from a mug that definitely wasn’t his. “You notice he’s been out a lot?”

Carlos Sainz, sitting on one of the barstools, barely looked up from his phone. “He is always out a lot.”

“No, I mean—” Max gestured vaguely. “More than usual.”

Max Verstappen, who had been cleaning his gun with methodical precision, let out a quiet grunt. “Maybe you should mind your own business.”

Daniel Ricciardo grinned from where he was stretched out on the couch, arms crossed behind his head. “C’mon, Maxie, don’t act like you haven’t noticed. Something’s got him out and about more than usual.”

Fewtrell huffed, pointing at Daniel. “Exactly.” He turned back to Verstappen. “You’re telling me you haven’t clocked how often he’s dipping out? No meetings, no business, no us—just gone.”

Carlos finally set his phone down, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “Maybe he’s just got something going on.”

“Or someone,” Daniel drawled, smirking.

Max Verstappen snorted, shaking his head. “Lando doesn’t do someone. Not consistently, at least.”

“Maybe not,” Fewtrell mused. “But—”

Right on cue, the front door opened, and Lando walked in, car keys spinning around his finger. He looked the same as ever, expression calm, but they knew him. And they could tell—he was up to something.

Daniel pushed himself up onto his elbows. “Where have you been, boss?”

Lando gave him a slow look before tossing his keys onto the counter. “Why? You miss me?”

Daniel laughed. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

Fewtrell raised a brow. “Seriously, though. You’ve been out more than usual.”

Lando shrugged. “Just handling things, you know how it is”

Verstappen leaned back in his chair, scrutinizing him. “Anything we should know about?”

Lando’s gaze flicked to him. He could feel them all watching, waiting for something—an answer, an explanation.

He gave them nothing.

“If you needed to know,” he said smoothly, “I’d tell you.”

Carlos let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head. “Guess that’s that.”

Fewtrell wasn’t fully convinced, but he let it drop. For now.

Daniel smirked as Lando turned to leave. “If you are sneaking off to see someone, could you at least let me know so I can start placing bets?”

Lando flipped him off over his shoulder. The second he was gone, Fewtrell exhaled, shaking his head. “He’s definitely up to something.”

Verstappen hummed, leaning back, his gaze lingering on the door.

Whatever it was, they’d find out eventually.

The sun had already dipped below the horizon when Lando sat in the driver’s seat of his car, a rare moment of peace between the errands, the dealings, and everything else that had started crowding his head. She slid into the passenger seat, her bag slung across her lap, eyes a little more tired than usual. The weight of her upcoming midterms, work, and just the general stress of life had started showing in the shadows under her eyes.

He started the engine, glancing at her. They hadn’t said much in the last few minutes. The usual music wasn’t playing, and he didn’t feel like bothering with small talk, so instead, he reached for the radio dial.

“–And in local news, authorities are investigating the rise of The Reaper’s Circle, an organized criminal syndicate suspected of controlling various illicit activities across Monaco and beyond…”

Lando froze, his fingers hovering over the dial. He didn’t even need to hear more to know exactly where this was headed. The Reaper’s Circle. His circle. 

The sound of the anchor’s voice blurred as his mind flicked to the possible consequences of what she might think. He hadn’t told her—hadn’t come close to it—but this was the kind of news she might have heard. 

He glanced over at her. She was staring out the window, arms crossed over her chest, as if the news broadcast wasn’t even a thing, but he couldn’t shake the tightness in his chest. Was she already aware of Liam’s darker side? Did she know what the Reaper’s Circle stood for, what it was involved in? 

The world of crime, of shadowy deals, of the kind of life he had kept carefully hidden from her was now creeping into the conversation, into her thoughts.

“You, uh, hear about this?” he asked, trying to keep his voice as casual as possible. He knew he couldn’t sound too offhand about it either. He had to gauge her reaction, figure out what she thought of it. What she knew.

She shifted in her seat, but didn’t turn to face him. “Not really,” she said, her voice distant. “Just that it’s… some big, like, gang or something, right?” She didn’t sound as if she cared much. Or maybe she was just choosing not to care.

Lando bit back a sigh of relief, but that relief didn’t last long. She had heard the name, though, hadn’t she? And she was living here long enough to know what kind of reputation The Reaper’s Circle had, even amongst all rumors. People who weren't directly involved in the business rarely understood the nuances—the difference between what was just noise and what was truly dangerous.

The radio was still blaring on, the words seeping into the car like a slow leak.

“Authorities have not yet identified the leader of the Reaper’s Circle, but rumors suggest it's someone with deep ties in Monaco’s elite—someone like Lando Norris, who has been involved in several high-profile events in recent months…”

The reporter’s voice faded as Lando turned down the volume. The silence was suffocating now. He watched her out of the corner of his eye, but she seemed lost in thought. Her lips were pressed tight, and she stared ahead at the streetlights flickering by.

“Do you think they’re right?” she asked softly, almost like she didn’t care to know but felt compelled to ask anyway. Her gaze was still fixed out the window.

“What?” He feigned ignorance. “About who’s behind the Circle?”

“Yeah,” she said. “People talk, you know? That guy, Norris something… Lando? Yeah, Lando Norris – do you really think he’s done all those things they’re saying?”

He felt the pressure building in his chest again. She hadn’t asked him directly, but it felt like she was. It felt strange to hear her say his name like that – like that name, his name, somehow belonged with the likes of the scum of the earth. She didn’t know him as Lando, but she had to know about the rumors surrounding that name.

“I’m sure it’s all just talk,” he said, trying to shrug it off, but it came out more clipped than he intended. He didn’t want to lie to her, but he wasn’t about to tell her the truth, either. He wasn’t ready for that conversation. Not now.

She didn’t respond immediately, and they rode in silence for a few moments. He could almost hear the gearing turning in her head. It was strange how he could feel the shift in the air when she was thinking, when she was quietly piecing things together.

“Well,” she said finally, “if it’s just rumors, I don’t think it matters.”

Lando let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. But then she continued, her voice distant again, “But… I don’t know. It just sounds so… dirty.”

“Some of the stuff I hear,” she added, her voice quiet and thoughtful, “it’s like… it’s almost impossible to believe. But then again, I’ve lived here long enough to know that nothing is really what it seems.” She paused, glancing at him briefly. “It’s funny, though. People still want to get close to it, don’t they? Like, they want a piece of the power, even if it’s just being near it. You can feel the pull.”

Lando swallowed hard, his jaw tightening. He had to force himself to let the silence stretch, knowing that any words from him would be too much. He kept his voice level when he spoke.

“It's dangerous stuff, for sure,” he said softly, his tone soft but probing. "What do you think?"

She hesitated for a long moment, then finally spoke, her voice more quiet than usual.

"I think..." She trailed off, collecting her thoughts carefully before speaking again. " I think it’s... immoral, obviously." She paused, eyes still on the passing streets outside. "There’s a lot of people who get hurt, you know? It’s not just business. There are consequences for the things people do, especially when they’re..." She sighed, shaking her head slightly. "Well, when they’re involved in that kind of thing."

Lando stayed quiet, heart beating just a little faster now, but not because he was worried. More because he knew she was right, in a way. He knew how things worked—he knew the cost of everything.

But what was he supposed to say? That he was the one behind it all? That he was the one pulling the strings? He couldn’t. Not yet.

She nodded slowly, her eyes focused out the window, but he could see the contemplation in the set of her shoulders, the way her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag. She didn’t say anything for a long moment, and for a split second, he thought she might ask him if he was connected. If he was part of it.

But instead, she murmured, almost too quietly for him to hear, “I don’t know. I guess I can’t understand why anyone would choose that kind of life. It’s... dark. Full of lies and betrayal. It just can’t be worth it, right?”

Lando’s chest tightened. His heart beat faster than he wanted it to.

She wasn’t talking about him—she was talking about the Circle, about the darkness, about the world he moved in. But her words hit harder than he expected. And when she looked over at him, her gaze flickering with curiosity, he saw the same questions there. The same doubts.

He forced a smile. “Guess that’s why some people like living in the light.”

She offered him a small smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I suppose so.”

He wasn’t sure if she had connected the dots yet, but hearing her words stung nonetheless. He wanted to say something, to defend himself or explain. But the truth was, she didn’t really know him—not the full picture. And he wasn’t ready to let her.

“You don’t have to worry about it,” he said softly, glancing at her. “It’s nothing. They’re just trying to make something out of nothing.”

Plus, none of those idiots can hurt you when you’re with me anyway. 

She nodded absently. “I guess so.”

For the rest of the drive, Lando focused on the road, each streetlight flickering by like the fading fragments of the conversation they’d just had. But as he pulled into her neighborhood, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the gap between them had somehow widened—something had shifted, and he wasn’t sure if it was a crack in the foundation or just the weight of the world finally settling between them.

He parked the car and waited for her to step out.

“Thanks for the ride,” she said, her voice soft.

Was it quieter than usual?

“No problem,” he replied, his fingers gripping the wheel a little harder than necessary.

She didn’t look back at him as she walked toward her apartment, the soft click of her shoes echoing in the night. But he couldn’t help but wonder, just for a second, if she’d already made up her mind about him—about the things he’d done, the things she didn’t know.

Would she ever look at him the same way again?

The rest of his drive home was quiet, the radio continuing to hum in the background, the news segment forgotten, but the weight of it lingered. Lando couldn’t stop thinking about it—the fact that she didn’t know, couldn’t know, wouldn’t know the extent of his life, of the world he was part of. He had been so careful to keep it separate, so careful to hide the man behind the name. But for the first time, he wondered if it was enough.

And for the first time, Lando wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep pretending.

a/n: another chapter that felt a bit filler-ish to me. hopefully it wasn't too boring haha

also thank you for the asks and comments! each one literally has me jumping up and down with joy

[tinykuroshitsujipics]

[damn-stark]

Chapter 14 He lives in you

Chapter 14 of Tragedy at the Miller’s

A/N- Not in italics because it’s an entire chapter of flashbacks and I did not want to change every paragraph one by one on here!

Warning- FLUFF, ANGST, swearing, flashbacks, talks of death, spoilers for season 2, Remember this is a rewrite, not an AU, so the major stuff that happens in the show will happen here :)

Pairing- Joel Miller x daughter!reader (platonic of course :), OC x Fem!reader

Episode- 2x06

(If you want to be tagged let me know!)

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*4 YEARS AGO. WYOMING*

Looking over your shoulder has become second nature. It’s almost so natural, like breathing, but here and now you are carefree and careless.

That’s the two things you can be when you're with your dad past the gates of your security bubble that is Jackson. And yes, even then, Jackson isn’t always safe, but with your dad, here and now, you can soak in the sun and brush your fingers along the grass without fear.

“That’s startin’ to sound like somethin’,” you compliment Ellie as she misses just a couple of notes in the song that she’s strumming on the guitar your dad gifted her last year. Before, it would sort of hurt your ears to hear her play, but she’s tolerable now.

“Ugh,” Ellie groans. “I suck.”

You flash her a smile as you walk past her sitting on a log, and shrug. “We all start off somewhere. You’ll get better.”

Your dad turns away from the sight of the running creek just past the treeline and interjects. “You just need to build up your calluses, that’s all.”

You snort and make it to the treeline so you come to a standstill and wait for the other two.

“All right c’mon,” your dad tells Ellie.

“This it?” She asks with surprise.

“Yeah.”

“Oh, shit!” She exclaims before you hear her put her guitar away while you hear your dad's feet shift on the ground as he turns to catch up to you, knowing confidently, without needing to look back, that Ellie is right behind him.

“I’m gonna start guessing,” Ellie doesn’t fail to keep you and your dad entertained.

“You want to spoil your surprise now—”

“Go ahead,” you cut your dad off and let Ellie try because there’s no harm in that.

“Alright. Is it a bow and arrow?” Ellie shares her first guess, making him participate regardless of what he was starting to argue about.

“Nope.”

“Is it water guns?”

“Not quite.” You shake your head as you walk on the dirt path towards Ellie’s birthday surprise.

“Is it…a dinosaur?!” She hits the mark, but you try your hardest not to ruin the surprise before, so you avert your gaze by looking over at the tall grass to try and find any critter hidden inside.

“You’re not gonna guess,” your dad brushes her off perfectly.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait,” Ellie interjects, making you pull your eyes off the sights to watch her continue to hop on rocks. “Is it a lotta of kittens?”

You blink with confusion for a few seconds before you understand what she means. “You mean a litter?” You tease with a beaming smile.

“A litter of kittens?” She quotes unhesitantly. “Really?”

You shrug. “I don’t make the rules. And no.”

“Fuck. Is it a convertible?!” She blurts.

“The hell are you gonna do with a convertible?” Your dad remarks.

“Drive it?”

You scoff in amusement and follow your dad to a log that crosses the narrow creak.

“We cross here,” your dad points out, bringing Ellie to a stop too.

Albeit before she can cross the log she turns to look at you and your dad. “Okay, okay! Is it…my 6th-grade history teacher wanting to apologize for being a massive dick?”

You raise a brow and your dad retorts.

“What?”

Ellie sighs. “My friend and I would argue whenever he called the Fireflies terrorists,” she shares, making you and your dad share a teasing look—“we got…a lot of detention.”

“You know,” you add to her story. “You really need to stop letting people rile you up.”

“It’s hard when they’re dicks,” she quips, making you frown.

“Point still stands,” you counter seriously before you point to the next path. “Now come on.”

Ellie miraculously doesn't argue. She remains just as carefree and leads the way off the log, but stops before she can enter the next path.

“How do you even know where we are?” Ellie asks you and your dad. Either or since the surprise is from the both of you—well mostly your dad, but you helped him check it out after he found it on a map.

“I found it on patrol,” he lets her know as he walks past her to lead the way through the path.

You proceed to let Ellie pass first before you follow behind them and continue to admire even the smallest leaves on your path.

“You know, Jesse was 16 when he started going on patrols,” Ellie once again throws hints at her dire need to go out and quote, “do something of her life”. And you only encourage her because she really hates doing everything that needs to be done inside the gates.

“Is that right?” Your dad questions her and she nods.

“Don’t get me wrong. I love counting vegetables and shoveling sheep shit. I’m just saying. I think I could be more useful outside the wall.”

You smile with amusement as you’ve heard variations of this complaint thousands of times already.

“You’ll go on patrols eventually. You should enjoy being a kid for now,” your dad tries to assure her, but she argues.

“Oh, because childhood has been such a joy for me so far.”

“You’ve been 16 all of four hours,” you tell her. “Relax.”

“Besides, we’re not sending you out until you’re trained,” your dad interjects. “You’re gonna need somethin’ called patience.”

You scoff and Ellie continues pressing. “Jesse said he’d train me if you let him.”

There’s a second of silence before your dad looks at Ellie over his shoulder with a curious look. “Is there somethin’ going on between you two?”

You snort and Ellie retorts with amusement. “Excuse me?”

“You spend a lot of time together,” your dad explains and Ellie glances back at you with a knowing look that makes you both start to giggle, leaving your dad more curious.

“Is it funny?” He asks without a clue as to her sexuality. “I saw the way you look at him. I got a keen eye for these sorts of things.”

You begin to laugh harder and when he looks back you look at the bushes.

“Uh, I don’t think you do,” Ellie tells him.

“Alright, none of my business,” he leaves her be and still doesn’t seem to catch on. “But, uh, has anyone talked to you about the birds and the bees?”

You stop laughing and look at him with a serious look.

“Oh you mean dicks and vaginas?”

“Jesus,” your dad complains as he looks back at her disturbed.

“Well, first off, wrong girl. You’ll have to talk to your daughter about that. Considering she's always making out with her boyfriend.”

“Ellie,” you exclaim and she looks back with a teasing look whilst your dad looks away embarrassed.

“Second of all,” she says between laughs. “I promise you, I won’t get pregnant if you let me train for patrols. Deal?”

He peers back and mutters. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Okay, how much longer?” She then changes the subject impatiently and luckily for her, he pushes back some overgrown leaves hanging from their bushes and cures her impatience.

“We’re here.”

You grab onto your backpack straps and begin to grin giddily. You almost want to blurt the surprise, but you bite your tongue and try to keep your excitement hidden. Which only piles on to all the excitement you’ve felt ever since you came to check out the museum for the first time.

It’s a miracle you haven’t imploded or given it away because knowing what you have for her to see is like its own reward for you.

You can imagine her glee. Her beaming grin as she sees everything that she’s passionate about without worrying if there’s something in the shadows. It’s all for her.

Thus you linger back as she walks ahead after your dad's order, and you can’t help but grab your dad's arm and grin at him with glee before you both slowly walk after Ellie, catching her in complete awe of the giant dinosaur model right in front of her, towering serval feet in the sky as it’s modeled to the dinosaurs height.

“Oh, my god,” she muses with surprise. “It is a dinosaur!”

“Happy birthday,” you say softly before she turns to look at you and your dad with her mouth agape.

“You guys!” She exclaims.

“Like it?” He asks, but she doesn’t get to answer before she turns swiftly and runs to the dinosaur.

“Yeah. She likes it.”

You giggle at your dad's comment and slip away from him to take a few steps forward and watch her run around the dinosaur thinking she’s simply admiring all of it, but your smile drops when you see her at the dinosaur's tail before she starts climbing it.

“Hey,” you call out with growing worry. “Ellie. Careful. That thing is like a hundred years old! Ellie!” You shriek, but she has no sympathy for your worry.

“Ellie!” Your dad calls out after you but said girl gladly makes it to the top without a single hint of concern.

“Careful!” You warn her and put your hand out as if that would do anything if she did fall.

Nevertheless, when she finds her balance on the head of that dinosaur model, she throws her hands out and your excitement overtakes you again, causing you to smile as she proclaims with glee.

“I’m on a motherfucking dinosaur!” She chuckles and you grin at her before you look over at your dad and catch him completely in awe of the moment.

That alone is worth more than anything this world can offer.

After Sarah, smiles like those never appeared on his face again. You had almost forgotten how he looked like when he smiled, but thanks to Ellie, he smiles again and you remember that his eyes twinkle and the world becomes brighter when he does.

“Hey, there’s a museum!” Ellie points out to her next surprise.

“Yeah, I know!” Your dad shouts back. “If you don’t fall off the goddamn T-Rex we’ll take you there.”

And with that, Ellie lingers on top of that dinosaur a little longer, reminding your heart why it’s racing.

However, once she's done taking in the sights from on top of the dinosaur, she gives you and your dad some relief by safely touching ground again, letting you all continue toward the museum.

This time though, whereas Ellie let you both lead the way before, now, she charges forward, forcing you and your dad to keep up by jogging after her toward the museum.

“Jesus girl,” your dad complains to Ellie who’s running to the entrance.

“You said you already came so I assumed it’s safe,” she brushes off his complaint and grabs the door handle.

“Wait,” you call out after her, but your voice falls on deaf ears because she throws open the doors and reveals the other part of her surprise.

“Welcome,” you breathe out and race up the steps to reach the door, leaving your dad behind.

“What’s this?” Ellie asks as she grabs an information book from the stand you and your dad put at the entrance so she could easily find it.

“A book,” your dad teases nonchalantly, making Ellie turn and sigh before she opens it and starts skimming through the pages as she wanders inside.

You end up waiting for your dad to join you at the entrance before you walk in and make a beeline toward a hat hanging from a shelf.

“Look.” You call for their attention as you put on the bucket hat. “Am I Laura Dern in Jurassic Park or what?” You ask as you show off the outfit you intentionally picked out to be similar to the female character in the movie.

“Who?” Ellie quickly asks as she looks up from her book.

“Ellie Sattler? Jurassic Park?”

Ellie looks at your dad and your dad looks at you with a small smile. “She never wore a hat,” he remarks. “And from what I remember you were scared of that movie when you were a little girl.”

You roll your eyes and take your hat off in defeat. “I was a child, and I watched it again when I was older and I enjoyed it.” You counter and approach him to put the hat on him, making Ellie snort before she points and mocks him.

“You look like you’re on display now.”

You chuckle and your dad smirks. “Cause I look good init?”

You laugh harder and Ellie quips for you and her. “No, ‘cause you’re old.”

You and Ellie high five and your dad frowns so he shoots you both a disapproving look before he reaches for the hat.

“Ah, no. It’s my birthday and I say keep it on,” Ellie snaps at him and so your dad looks like he’s going to argue, but she presses her argument and he keeps it on.

From there on you and your dad follow Ellie along to each and every single display, listening with great curiosity and fascination as she shares facts about every dinosaur with great excitement.

Eventually, your dad shares that Sarah liked coming, albeit you were too young to remember a thing, and when you got older learning about dinosaurs was never a necessity or your personal interest, so you never took your time to learn. That's why this place is maybe not as fascinating as it is to Ellie, but oh, is it so beautiful and incredible.

Alas, eventually you start heading to her next surprise, but stop when you reach the head of the Brachiosaurus.

“Looks like a giraffe,” Ellie points out about the long-necked dinosaur.

“It does.” You agree with her and press your hands on the glass railing to admire the skull of such a beast. Meanwhile, your dad takes his bucket hat off and throws it on the dinosaur, managing to land it on top of its skull.

“Nice,” you praise his aim. “A hat on a dinosaur.”

“A hatosaur!” Ellie blurts, making you and your dad look at her with disapproval.

“Come on,” your dad waves you to follow him to the next room.

“What?” Ellie laughs as she doesn’t fall behind. “It’s funny. Plus it kind of looks like you, Joel. You’re both old and have big heads.

You break into a laugh and he shakes his head before he opens the door when he reaches them, bringing you to a stop so Ellie can lead the way while you and your dad follow her through a dark tunnel littered with small glowing stars.

“This is so cool,” Ellie muses as she flashes her light on the starry walls—“how long have you known about this place?” Ellie queries whilst you admire the starry tunnel as if it’s your first time too.

“A while,” your dad lets her know.

“Well, then what the fuck?” She remarks, so you answer for him.

“We wanted to save it for something special.”

“You see?” Your dad bounced off your response. “Patience.”

You roll your eyes with a smirk and Ellie retorts. “Oh, yeah. I’ve heard of that.”

“Answer me this, how much patience do you have?” You direct at your dad who is able to meet your gaze through the lights from your flashlight and the soft lights on the walls.

“Well, you two don’t make it easy,” he says without shame, making you smile.

“Huh,” Ellie expresses as she turns the corner.

When you round the corner yourself you remember the sun and the planet's display that fell to the back of your head through all your excitement, but now that you remember, you watch her giddly and stand back to let her go up to the display herself.

“It works?” Ellie asks with fascination as she spins a lever that makes the planets spin.

“Somebody must’ve greased it,” your dad says as you both slowly make your way toward the display.

Seconds later Ellie starts spinning the lever again, making the sun light up and the planets around it spin as if it was the real thing.

“Can you imagine being up there?” Ellie asks with wonder.

“Would you like to?” Your dad probes, hinting at her big surprise.

“Like to what?” She asks with the same soft voice.

“Go to space?” He asks as he breaks away from his spot and starts to lead the way to the shuttle display.

Ellie follows after him and you trail behind her still buzzing with the same excitement, wanting deep down to share the last surprise, but you keep biting your tongue.

Albeit she keeps making it hard when she drifts away from your dad to look at small models of rocket ships at the far side of the room.

“Hey, guys, guess what the first animal to space was?” Ellie throws her question at you and your dad, which you answer.

“A monkey! Named ham!” You share with too much confidence that you quickly regret when you see Ellie smirk smugly before she counters.

“Nope. In 1947 they sent fruit flies to test radiation exposure at high altitudes. They actually lived through it.”

You smile and walk to a spaceship model named Atlas. “If only you were this good at your math. We wouldn’t have any trouble.”

“Haha.”

“Fun fact,” you throw at her. “Astronauts need to know math to go to space. So…”

“So I'm gonna be the first astronaut to not need it.”

You feign a laugh and take out your camera to take a picture of the model.

“Oh look,” Ellie points out as she walks up behind you. “It's named after your friend. And Apollo has the same name as the Apollo program that sent the astronauts to the moon. Are they named after that?”

You shake your head and watch your dad come to your side to grab the model and offer it to you. “No,” you remind her. “They were named after Greek Gods because their dad taught ancient history at college, but he loved Ancient Greece the most.”

“No one is gonna tell you anythin’,” your dad says, turning into a bad influence.

“Right, but I’m not givin’ it to him. I’m keeping it,” you say as you keep the model close to you and then turn away to try and nudge Ellie toward her last surprise that you’re excited about the most.

You’re only not running around like her because you’ve been here and explored it with your dad when you were making sure it was clear, or else you’d be just as awestruck as her because just like her, it was your first time seeing something like this.

Even so, when she finds the shuttle you brought her to see in the first place, she comes to a slow stop to gawk and gasp with awe, making you feel your heart skip a beat, and making your eyes water when you catch your dad being so amazed by her awe and excitement.

“Is it real?” Ellie makes sure to ask.

“It’s real,” your dad assures her. “That one went up and back. Apollo 15, 1971.”

Ellie smiles softly before she walks toward the shuttle to feel the old metal under her fingertips, and then look through the little circle window on the door.

“Well open it,” your dad urges her, causing her to look back with surprise before she does as he suggests, making your dad put his backpack down to help her.

“You got it,” you whisper and watch her start to climb in, but you quickly stop her.

“Hey, wait! You’re gonna need a helmet if you’re goin’ up to space,” you tell her seriously and then point your eyes to all the displays carrying astronaut suits and helmets.

“You get your pick of the litter,” you let her know as you look at all the displays that you broke into beforehand so it’d be easier for her.

Ellie then takes in all her choices before she walks up to the displays and looks hard to not make a mistake. Once she comes up with her answer she runs up to a white suit and takes the helmet to put it on, and then looks over excitedly.

“How’s it smell in there?” Your dad asks.

“Like space…and dust,” she says.

“Well, good. Then, you’re ready.”

Ellie walks back to the shuttle and climbs in. You walk behind her but don’t climb after her. Your dad nudges you, but you quickly turn him down.

“It was your idea. Go. I’ll go in after,” you argue and he hesitates, but as you step away to lean against the wall, he climbs in the shuttle after Ellie and shuts the door after him to give Ellie the immersive experience.

You intend to keep watch and you are attentive while they’re both vulnerable inside the shuttle, but you can’t help yourself. You walk to the suit Ellie stole the helmet from and put on the suit.

Your dad is right, who's gonna say anything? Besides, it's too cool to just leave it here to rot away.

Nevertheless, eventually, when your dad and Ellie return from their trip from space you slowly walk over and catch your dad off guard with the suit.

“I think it’ll be useful for the theater,” you make an excuse before you climb in the shuttle next showing off your amazing suit. “I’m here reporting for…duty? Is that how that goes?”

Ellie giggles as she sees how you're dressed and then shrugs. “I assume they said whatever they wanted to. There’s no rule for what to say.”

“Good!”

“Oh, but make sure to look back at the camera. People are watching.”

You grin and look back pretending you’re being recorded and wave with a brighter grin, making your dad utterly confused but not question the moment. Instead, when you’re seated inside on the spot he was at, he closes the door behind you.

“Did ya like your present?” You ask knowing what your dad had for her.

“Of course,” Ellie whispers as she looks over with a soft smile which is not unlike her, but it’s rare to see her be so soft for so long—“do you wanna hear?”

You nod and she excitedly grabs her earphone and passes it to you so you can hear it while she grabs her Walkman and clicks play, making an audio recording of a launch continue speaking.

“You can keep the suit,” you talk over the audio. “I think it’ll be cool to have. People will just wear it out at the theater.”

Ellie shrugs. “Eh, I wouldn’t mind. It’ll just rot away if I keep it in my room. I’m sure you can come up with a cool space story too.”

“Is that a demand or a suggestion?”

Ellie smirks. “Demand? Make a cool gory story. With aliens and guns.”

You snort. “Aliens and guns. Okay, birthday girl, I’ll see what I can come up with. Which reminds me,” you pause and reach in a pocket to take out a pin you shoved in the suit's pocket before the suit could block access to your shorts pocket.

“Welcome to space, Captain Williams,” you say softly and open your fist to show off a cool space shuttle pin she can put on her backpack.

Ellie looks at you with surprise before she beams at you and takes the pin.

“Now, why don’t we take a picture?” You say and grab your camera to take a picture with Ellie whether she wants to or not.

Luckily, she doesn't protest so she doesn’t turn away or cover her face. She poses and the memory is preserved in a picture. When you get out of the shuttle you continue to take another picture with your dad now in it to capture him in the memory because one day, when you’re brittle and old, you’ll look back and remember the great day you had bringing Ellie to a place filled with the things she loves, and the way your dad was enamored by her awe, reminding you what she means to you every time you look at it.

Nevertheless, on you’re way out of the museum you come across another section of the museum, one you and your dad didn’t clear, but one Ellie is adamant about seeing, so you accompany her without your dad because rubble came crashing down in front of the door just moments after you walked in, keeping him out, and forcing him to look for another way in.

You should have waited for him to find a way in to keep exploring together, but Ellie is too impatient so you follow her inside the animal museum with your revolver in hand.

Now the animal museum is not as fascinating as the dinosaur and space museum. It’s quite creepy actually because the section you’re in is not brightened by any natural light that comes through the windows, so it’s quite dark, making the figure of the displayed animals startle you here and there.

However, there is one display of an elk surrounded by ravenous wolves that is basked in sunlight by the window overhead, and that picture, unlike the other ones, is captivating. It makes you feel sad and pity for the elk because there’s no way to escape its grim fate. Death is all around it, starving and salivating over a long-awaited meal.

“Stay strong buddy,” you tell it as if it can hear you before you snatch a picture of the grim display, expecting to show Ellie, but you don’t find her beside you anymore. Instead, she’s in the corner of the room looking at spray-painted words on the wall.

‘I killed for them,’ you read the words in your head, but don’t think much of it.

“How happy was this person?” Ellie comments before she walks off, making you follow her into another dark room that doesn’t capture your attention besides some more spray-painted words on the wall.

‘The 4 soldiers at the gate. The last one cried.’

“God,” you murmur as it actually makes you uncomfortable.

This time you lead the way out and into a different dark room. Words are once again spray-painted on the wall, but you ignore them and just make your way out without any protest from Ellie because it seems that she’s just as uncomfortable as you.

Albeit when you find the exit, instead of walking out to reunite with your dad as he’s thankfully outside the same doors, Ellie stays behind.

You look over and call her name to bring her out, but when you notice what stole her attention, you feel yourself grow stiff.

“So this is what all that writing was about,” Ellie mutters as she shines her light on a Firefly insignia that has ‘LIAR’ written under the Firefly.

“Come on,” your dad tries to bring her out as he walks back outside, but she stays put, and you stay behind her, watching her with growing discomfort and an ache in your heart as you remember what you’re hiding from her.

It’s just…seeing this and knowing that she wanted to be humanity's salvation, but got lied to and told that she wasn’t needed, must hurt beyond your comprehension. And knowing she could’ve helped this person from suffering must be like getting that wound reopened. And she shouldn’t have to feel that way.

She shouldn’t have to blame herself because it was…your dad who took that opportunity from her. He doomed humanity and took her hopes and dreams, and lied about it.

You want to tell her. You want her to know the truth.

Even if it’s her birthday you want her to know so she has some kind of peace of mind, but your dad walks to you and grabs your shoulder, drifting your attention to him and catching him pleading to you speechlessly.

You challenge his pleading gaze and pull away, but he begs now, leaving you no choice but to keep your promise.

——

*A YEAR AFTER*

The sound of happy strumming guitars fills the room, riddling you and your jamming partner with a certain unique joy and peace you only feel when you’re playing the guitar together. Not in a group. Just you and your Uncle Tommy.

It’s a pastime you love to do together because he taught you all you know about music. He got you to love it and appreciate every note.

You like to joke that you owe your musical talent to him and that It’s because of him that you get to play every instrument you know how to play.

He doesn’t deny it and likes to gloat about it.

Nonetheless, in the lodge away from Jackson, you continue to learn how to play a new song until the moment stomping footsteps interrupt the moment, making you and your uncle stop playing and wait with your hands in your guns.

Albeit when you realize that it’s not an Infected, but your dad instead, you calm down and pick up your guitars once again. Instead of picking up where you left, however, you and your uncle pass each other a confused glance as you see that your dad came in without saying hi. He just came in stomping and sat right down across from you without a word, just a very deep-set frown.

“Well, howdy to you too,” you snap at him, making him drag his eyes up and offer you a half-assed wave.

“Aren’t you meant to be on patrol?” Your uncle chimes in after your comment whilst you continue to share glances.

“Aren’t you supposed to be out here shootin’?” He counters, making you giggle, and making your uncle's face contort as he’s suddenly jabbed by your dad for no reason.

“Well,” you cut in and put your guitar between your legs. “We did, but then—”

“Someone said her hand got tired,” your uncle interjects as he looks at you with a teasing smile. “So we came here earlier than planned.”

You stretch back as you make sure to extend your fingers so that the diamond ring on your left ring finger has a moment to shine. “And I’m startin’ to get tired again. It’s heavy.”

Your uncle chuckles and you laugh with him.

“That’s so stupid,” he remarks teasingly and you giggle.

“You wouldn’t understand.”

He laughs harder and pushes you back gently, making you laugh harder along with him, forgetting your dad came here practically fuming for a moment until you catch him sulking.

“So,” you clear your throat. “What brought you here? If anything I thought you’d be with Ellie.”

“I was,” he grumbles and then suddenly leans forward with his eyebrows pinched. “I came back from patrol early to surprise her with cake, and,” he feigns a laugh. “Guess what I catch her doing?”

You and your uncle look at each other before your uncle probes. “What?”

“In her room with some girl,” your dad reveals, and actually lets you down with that revelation. You thought it’d be something bad.

“You did knock didn’t you?” You ask without any kind of shock or horror.

“Well,” he stammers. “Yes, but then I went in and told the girl off. How dare she be in Ellie’s room? And she was nineteen! And a girl!”

Your eyebrows slowly knit together at the way he sounded so angry and horrified that Ellie was caught with a girl.

“I just mean…Ellie completely spit on my rules. I’m not strict, but for her to-to be hidden in her room with…her,” he says with more anger.

“Well it happens,” your uncle tries to calm your dad down. “She’s seventeen now. Besides, it’s her house too.”

Your dad looks at your uncle offended and you just don’t understand why he’s making a fuss. “Help me understand why you’re upset?” You ask. “She didn’t expect you to get home early and Cat is her guest. She can have people over and you have no right to barge into her room.”

Your dad's pointed glare now snaps to you and he gets up to press you. “You knew about that girl? You knew Ellie was out there experiencing with girls?”

You scoff and shoot him a narrowed glare. “Yes, so? They’re not playing with guns, and what’s so wrong about her liking girls? What world do you live in?”

Your dad scoffs and mutters. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“No, but help me, Ellie is not your daughter. You might care about her but that still doesn’t make you her father,” you argue, making his anger falter and his pinched eyebrows slowly ease—“So you have no right to forbid her from having people in her room, and most of all, you have no reason in being at all judgemental about her preferences. Even if you were her dad, why would her sexuality matter as long as she’s safe and happy?”

“I think what Sunny is trying to say,” your uncle cuts in to try and settle the rising tension. “It’s not as bad as you’re making it out to be Joel. So she had a girl over, so what? She’s a teenager—”

“She was also smoking,” your dad interrupts as if that would make it suddenly worse, but your uncle just laughs.

“Yeah, and your daughter did shrooms one time,” your uncle shares, making your dad look at you with disbelief. “But besides that, to tell you the truth, she never gave me a hard time until we came to Jackson. Being rebellious comes with the age range.”

You draw out a deep breath and settle down whilst your dad sits back down but doesn’t untense.

“You just have to trust them and not barge into their rooms.”

“I never gave you a reason to barge into my room,” you tell your uncle with a soft smile. “Because one, we were always on the road until Jackson, and two, I just never did. But I bet you would’ve reacted the same if I gave you a reason.”

Your uncle nods without shame. “Yeah, that’s true. I admit that, so it’s good that you just blasted music behind your closed doors.”

You laugh softly and he looks as if he’s trying to recall those memories. When you look at your dad he looks like he’s been wounded as he hears what he missed because of what he did.

“Next time” you offer your dad. “Just stick to the plan you had before. Ellie is not a kid and she’s not brand new in Jackson. She has friends and plans. And…reconsider your thoughts about her dating girls…our world is already messed up…why should we carry that hatred in our hearts?”

Your dad drops his head and you sigh before you leave your seat and reach his side to pat his back. “Talk to her. If stuff like that disturbs you. Let her know. Just don’t forbid it…she’ll end up doing it behind your back and you’ll only be more upset. Be someone she can trust,” you say as a passing comment as you walk away to try and keep the fire alive.

——

*LATER*

More music blasts in the comfort of your home, but this time you’re not the one playing. You’re listening to your music collection while you finish dinner.

However, just like earlier, you’re interrupted. This time instead of heavy thudding footsteps it’s a pounding knock on your door that your friend Atlas answers.

“Oh, hey Ellie,” you hear and put the stuff down to run over to the CD player to lower the volume before you run to the front door.

“Ellie, hey,” you greet and that’s all she needs to stomp inside, past Atlas without their usual banter.

Just like your dad she makes herself inside and plops herself on a wooden chair around the dinner table.

“Well…I’m gonna be heading out now. Night!” Atlas says over his shoulder.

You smile at him and wave goodbye as you also send him off with the same thing. “Night, Atlas.”

You close the door behind your friend and make your way back to the kitchen to finish what’s left since you have a perfectly open view of the dinner table.

“Where was he going?” Ellie asks.

“His girlfriends I think. Or his dad's. I don’t know. He’s just leaving because he says it’s too crowded here now.”

Ellie scoffs and you don’t linger on the insignificant matter. Instead, you probe about the matter you know she’s here to rant about. “My dad went to the lodge in search of me and my uncle—”

“What did he say?” Ellie quickly snaps before you can finish. “Tell me.”

You sigh. “He was goin’ on about how he found you smoking in your room with a girl.”

You glance over and see Ellie shake her head before she abruptly stands from her chair to march over to you. “Did he tell you that he barged into my room and kicked Cat out? For what? Because he hates what I am?”

“No,” you quickly argue in his defense. “He does not. His frustration is not about you kissin’ girls, honey. I think he was just…overwhelmed. Not to excuse what he might’ve said or how y’know, went into your room, but I think it just hit him all at once and he didn’t think of how to react.”

Ellie scoffs and shakes her head as she walks away. “He gave me shit about my tattoo too, you know? Like if he has any right to tell me what to do. And I don’t hear him saying shit about your tattoos.”

“Well,” you try to assure her about that last matter. “When I saw him again I already had them for a while, so there’s nothing he could’ve said even if he wanted to.”

“Still! He's not…I’m not…” she trails off again and plops back in her seat.

“He doesn’t hate you, Ellie,” you reassure her and turn to face her. “Just give him time to calm down.”

“Yeah,” she whispers. “But after he calms down and comes to his senses then what? Keep hiding my friends to prevent a fight? My privacy was invaded. He had no right barging in like that and kicking Cat out. He…ruined my birthday.”

You frown and walk over to the table to take a chair and pull it in front of her. “You know…after me and my uncle got used to living in a house…I moved out. Before he and Maria started livin’ together.”

Ellie’s eyes flicker to you and you shrug softly.

“We didn’t get into an argument, but I knew I needed my own place. It was difficult at first, but…I had my space even if I shared a house with my friends. Maybe…that’s somethin’ you can do. Ask Jesse or Dina. Or you can even move here. With Mia living with her husband, and Atlas moving out soon, there’s gonna be rooms available.”

“Yeah,” she scoffs. “And share a house with you and your fiance? You’re gonna get married soon and you’ll kick me out to have babies or just…y’know?”

“Ellie,” you whisper. “We wouldn’t kick you out.”

She shakes her head without waiting to hear anything else. “Thanks, but no, I’d rather live outside.”

You roll your eyes at her dramatics. “Then,” you sigh. “Well, that’s not the point. The point is maybe…it’s time to move out…before things actually get bad.”

Ellie lowers her gaze and nods so you reach over and grab her arm to turn it and look at her tattoo. “It turned out very cool, and it covers what you wanted it to cover.”

Ellie smiles shyly now before she can’t help the excitement that gets to her. “Right?! Cat just needs to fill it in or whatever, and she’ll be done. It’ll look cooler then.”

You make sure not to actually touch her tattoo. Instead, you let your thumb hover over it as you admire the line work of the moth for a moment, thinking nothing of what it could mean or even wondering about it before you meet her gaze and just comfort her one more time. “He doesn’t hate you. He was just mad, okay? Give him time and if he doesn’t come to his senses I’ll talk to him.”

Ellie averts her gaze and nods gently, but doesn’t add anything on the matter so you pat her arm before you get up and return to the kitchen. “Want to eat? And a beer? My treat because it’s your birthday. We can watch a movie if you want, or play video games.”

“Oh! Yeah!” She exclaims and jumps from her seat. “That would actually be so cool! But let’s wait for Apollo. I promised to kick his ass in the game we were playing the other day!”

——

*2 YEARS LATER*

“Oh wow aren’t you a cute little Teddy Bear, my little Theo, with your cute little teddy bear eyes.” You giggle as you fawn over your baby strapped to your chest as you take a stroll to your Uncle’s house to not continue staying inside your house all fucking day.

“You know,” you talk to your wide-eyed 1-month-old baby. “You’re named after a character from my favorite book. I’ll let you figure it out when you get older. I don’t want to spoil it just yet.”

Baby Theo blinks because that’s pretty much all he can do. He can eat, sleep, and stare. Which you don’t actually mind, you love just watching him? And you get to do that a lot since you’re not on any task schedule at the moment.

“I didn’t give you the character's full name because it sounded a bit too old-timey, but I shortened it and also gave you his nickname,” you ramble on. “I'd ask if you like it, but you can’t have a say in it anymore, so I won’t waste my breath,” you say and look down at Theo, and get another blink, but this time you beam at him and kiss the top of his head before you pick up your pace to reach your Uncle Tommy’s house faster.

Albeit on your way there, you’re suddenly bombarded with dramatic commotion. “Whoa, whoa, baby. What are you doin’ out here?”

You sigh and turn around to come face to face with your dad looking like someone just hurt you, when in reality you’re just taking a stroll to your Uncle's house.

“It’s brisk out for you and Teddy. You should be restin’. Where’s Apollo? Why did he let you come out alone?”

You roll your eyes and first wave hi at Ellie before you find your dad's gaze and argue sweetly. “Well, first of all, Teddy is wrapped up nice and cozy, and two, it’s okay for us to take walks, and three, I let Apollo stay home and take some time for himself. He was up all night with the baby.”

Your dad immediately gasps and reacts with more concern. “Why? What was wrong?”

You smile at him and quickly assure him. “Nothin’ to worry about. He was just fussy because he didn’t want to sleep in his cradle. We’ve been bad at having him sleep alone, so now we’re paying for it.” You giggle and caress your baby’s head. “Anyway, are you goin’ on patrol? I wish I was goin’ on patrol with y'all.”

Your dad shakes his head. “No. We can make up for it later. You shouldn’t strainin’ yourself. Especially not on horseback.”

You pout and groan before Ellie interjects as she walks over to take a look at Theo. “You knew about my first patrol?”

You nod and then wrap your arm around her. “Happy birthday, Ellie. Your first patrol has been a long time comin’.”

She scoffs. “Tell me about it. You got my birthday present in there or what?” She asks as she peeks in Theo’s carrier.

You pull away and shrug. “Smell and maybe you’ll know.” You snort and nudge her, whilst she feigns a laugh and presses.

“Really? Is it?”

You shake your head. “Nope, you’ll have to wait for that. I told ya.”

“Damn.” She mutters. “It better be good.” She snaps at you. “You said it was gonna be good—”

“Ellie,” your dad scolds said girl, making her shrug nonchalantly.

“It’ll be the best one yet, so come to my house later,” you make sure to remind her.

“I wasn’t going to miss it.”

You scoff and turn to your dad with a pointed look in hopes he’ll get your message about the cake without needing to blurt out the reminder—“I’ll see you later, right?”

He hesitates and watches your face with confusion before he understands and nods without hesitation. “‘Course, and I’ll see you later too,” he says as he walks over to take a look at his grandson. “Well, good morning there cowboy.”

You smile down at your baby and catch him with his eyes locked on your dad so you smile wider. “Tell Ellie and your grandpa to be safe,” you tell your son, expecting nothing in return yet.

“Grandpa,” your dad muses before he cups the side of your head and presses a kiss on the top of your head. “Get somewhere warm. Rest.”

“Rest? I’ve already had my fill,” you grumble before you press a kiss on his cheek and wave at Ellie. “I’ll see you guys later. I’ll be with my uncle Tommy and Maria. Bye!” You throw at them before you continue walking in your direction and they depart to walk in theirs.

For most of the day moving forward, you spend it rather calmly with your Uncle Tommy and Maria. Eventually, after Apollo has had his fill of being home alone he joins you at your uncle’s house and you decide to have dinner with them so you start to prepare for a nice barbecue outside.

However, halfway through, you have to feed little Theo, so you find yourself inside with Apollo admiring the way your baby drinks his milk.

“You know,” you whisper as you admire Theo falling asleep drinking his milk. “I often hear women say they don’t want another kid right after they have their baby, but I wouldn’t mind if we had another right away. I mean…look how enchanting he is.”

Apollo chuckles as he pulls you against his side. “Well, all he does is eat, sleep, and soil his diaper.”

“So you’re saying it’s easy and you’ll be down to have another one too,” you completely disregard what he was intending to say.

“No,” he laughs, letting you feel his body shake as he has you pressed against him. “I’m saying that we haven’t experienced much besides that. We should wait until he’s older to plan on having another.”

You sigh and he quickly interjects.

“Not that I don’t want to have another baby with you, it’s just…you know, we’re first-time parents. We should focus solely on Theo for a little while longer.”

You nod. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. He’s just so beautiful,” you trail off into a whisper.

“Yeah. You did good,” Apollo praises you, making you huff and gently hit his chest with the back of your hand before you rebuttal.

“We did good.”

He hums and presses a kiss on the top of your head, making you smile giddily before you lay your head back against his shoulder and continue to watch Theo until he passes out and no longer eats.

After that, you manage to leave him sleeping on his own and return to join your Uncle and Maria outside.

However, when you do walk out, you see a visitor and notice a very morbid look on their faces.

“Uncle Tommy, Mama, what’s goin’ on?” You can’t help but ask, pulling everyone’s attention to you and Apollo.

“It’s…Eugene,” your uncle shares quietly. “He was out on patrol and got bit. Your dad is on his way back with his body.”

And just like that that grief strikes you and your husband, but your grief is nothing compared to Gail and your friend Mia’s grief that they were abruptly hit with and couldn’t even fight against because he was gone before they even knew it. All that was left was saying goodbye to his body and getting a clearer explanation. It wouldn’t get rid of their pain, but it would help them understand.

Thus, you and Apollo accompany your Uncle Tommy, Gail, and your friend Mia to the gate to meet up with your Dad and Ellie and see Eugene’s body.

“It's true,” Mia whispers and quickens her pace to fall on her knees beside Euguene, the man who saved her and treated her like his daughter.

You and Mia’s husband crouch at her sides to quietly comfort her as she processes the news.

“Uh,” your dad breaks the silence. “He was bit when we found him,” he says and you slowly lift your watery eyes up to look at him as he continues to give Gail and Mia an explanation.

“And, uh…well, he wanted to tell you both that he loved you.”

Mia looks up at your dad with tears streaming down her face and gasps softly in response.

“And uh, he wished he could say goodbye to you in person, but he didn’t wanna put you in danger.”

Mia’s eyebrows pinch together for a second as if having a hard time understanding before she gets up and continues to look distraught.

“No, no,” Gail cries quietly as your dad goes on.

“And he wasn’t scared. He,” your dad pauses and you realize that he’s saying all this awfully fast. He usually struggles with what to say because he’s troubled by the deaths of people he knows even if it’s not his fault.

“He was brave,” your dad proceeds to say. “And he ended it himself.”

Mia gasps and covers her mouth before she turns away, making her husband get up to embrace her whilst Gail sobs and goes to embrace your dad.

Surprisingly, your dad hugs her back without looking shocked by the gesture, which you find odd.

“That’s not what happened,” Ellie suddenly breaks her silence not so much later, making everyone’s attention snap to her.

“He begged to see you,” Ellie contradicts what your dad just said, making Mia step away from her husband to listen closely to the new revelation.

“He had time.”

You slowly stand to your given height and look at your dad with disbelief.

“Joel promised to take him to the both of you,” Ellie says as she looks between Gail and Mia—“He promised us both. And then, Joel shot him in the dead,” Ellie says softly with tears breaking out of her eyes and rolling down her cheeks.

“Oh god,” Mia whispers, snapping your attention to her and whispering her name with pity and guilt as if you had a part in it.

“Mia.”

Said woman looks at you in agony, and you can’t help but walk to her to try and comfort her. “Mia…I’m so sorry.”

Mia inhales shakily and reaches out for your hand, but before she can grab it the sudden sound of a slap interrupts your moment, making you both look in the sound's direction and see that Gail slapped your dad in response to Ellie exposing his lie.

“Get away,” Gail cries breathlessly. “Please. Get away from me, please.”

You look back at Mia and whisper once again in response to your dad's lie. “I’m sorry.”

Mia nods. “It wasn’t you,” she whispers, letting you squeeze her hand before she goes to Gail so they can finally embrace. All whilst in the back you hear Ellie direct her final words at your dad before she storms off.

“You swore.”

You watch Ellie storm off before you slowly drift your eyes to your dad and catch his regretful and troubled gaze. When you don’t look away he blinks and new emotions show, shame and regret. But not for lying. For the truth behind Ellie’s agony.

You would like to say you don’t know what Ellie was talking about, but the moment her last words came out of her mouth, it clicked. She knows…

Now, you’ve had time to process what your dad did. You’ve dealt with that and gotten over it, so you don’t go after Ellie in anger. You offer him a pitiful look before you go after Ellie to console her.

Albeit when you catch up to her you end up being confronted.

“Did you know? Did you know what Joel truly did in that hospital? Did you know he lied?” She immediately presses you with streams of tears rolling down the curve of her cheeks.

You don’t take long to answer to avoid sounding suspicious, but in that second that you take before you answer, you go through a war with yourself whether you want to say the truth or not. Again.

Only this time it’s different because she knows and is not asking for reassurance. She’s asking if she can trust you or forsake you like she just did your dad, and the answer should be yes. She deserves the truth now that it’s out in the open…

But…as you look into her sweet and vulnerable eyes, you don’t know if you can offer that to her. It’s not like telling her would change anything. She’ll only be more heartbroken and alone…

But she’s pleading. Begging with all her might and it makes you lean towards betraying your dad.

But what would it change? She’d only be in more pain and she doesn’t deserve that now that she needs you the most, so you choose to keep lying…because you love her.

“No,” you lie as you look her in the face before you close the gap between you to capture her in an embrace.

Rather than pulling away she welcomes your embrace and hugs you back to hide her face and cry on your shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” you whisper shakily and hug her tighter against you. “I’m so sorry.”

.

.

.

.

A/N- have you realized that we circle back to the way we started s2?

Tagged- @slut-f0r-u @star-wars-lover @maplecohen @givemylovetoall @itzagothamcitysiren @sammy-13 @beloved-reblogger @emiriia @rues-daya @sunfairyy @littleshadow17 @mcu-starwars @bigtuffswordboy @riaqiax @dheet @queenofthekill @joliettes @d4rno @hardbeingcasual @rana030 @pedropascalluvr41 @ahoyyharrington @beaniebeensbaby201 @maeneedsabreak @maelartasch @adristyles @daughterofthequeen @alastorhazbin @sunsumonner @khaylin27 @hypatia93 @hummusxx @v4mpyk1tten @1donoow @your-shifting-gurl @g4ns3y @izzzzy-the-amazing @aphr0d1teh @lovelyygirl8 @ivy-taylorsversion @mmkkzz @avitute @fuckmebobboys @kitdjarin1 @barnes70stark

[clovenoko]

"Thank you. You're so kind, Sebastian."

"Miss Elizabeth, Your strength is a truly a wonder worthy of admiration... for human standards, that is."

[manga-meow]

[onestepbackwards]

Love That Bites Pt. 14

This took. So long. I'm so sorry OTL But!!! It's done! I hope you all enjoy it! This chapter was suppose to be around 3000 words. It ended up being twice as long. Oops haha. I hope you all like this chapter though! Hopefully the next one won't take near as long (❁´◡`❁)

Summary: It was finally time for you to head home, but it seems Dracula wants to at least make sure you are healthy and safe before you go. A shame after you leave all your anxieties seem to hit you all at once...

CW: Anxiety attacks, slight mental breakdown, mentions of abusive relatives, brief mentions of injury, blossoming feelings

Word Count: 6384 Words!

Like this story? Please consider checking me out here! Likes, comments, and reblogs appreciated! (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)

Taglist: @sisterofsin29 @str4wbang3l @nikkilovemark @ms-bakugo-blog @kittenlover614 @simpytheshrimpy69 @midgetdemon17 @just-nother-dreamer @adrakeshoard @tilldeathripsusapart @thedeadlynights @pumpkinvampie @bethleeham @mshope16 @sixsixtwenty @haleypearce @rvautomatic @tinystarfishgalaxy @marshmelloe @maorizon @ursamajor17 @sapphicsfordracula @dame-sunflowers @sleepyendymion @starrlo0ver @onewiththebeanbag

The @ 's are acting funky, so please lemme know if they work, or if i forgot anyone! Tumblr is not wanting to work properly as i finish this >:(

First: Here

Last: Here

Next: Here

-----

You were beginning to wonder if your life was a party, and you were the piñata.

In the span of less than a literal week, you had your shit kicked in since you couldn’t just fight off your step family, and accidentally revived an ancient ‘evil’ vampire that was your family’s immortal enemy.

Said immortal enemy then has tended to your health, Death threatened you, and now you somehow, by some stroke of luck, have convinced Dracula not to destroy all of humanity.

It… confused you.

Perhaps this really was a dream? Maybe you were actually still bleeding out on the floor of the castle or your bedroom?

By all means, you expected to possibly be dead after Dracula mentioned wanting to talk. You were in a way, ready to accept such a fate.

But his willingness to hear you out, and perhaps try not to kill people threw you for a loop.

A big loop.

One that had you questioning a lot, if you were being honest with yourself.

Had it always been that easy? Or were you genuinely just a special case? He did say he found you in particular fascinating.

One of your hands came up to rub your face as you felt your cheeks warm at the thought.

…Why did you have to find that kinda hot? Whatever, that wasn’t the point-

To be fair, given that the situation leading up to this point had already been weird and unusual, presumably even by your family’s standards. You doubted any of them would have had picnics with Dracula’s statue and run to his castle while critically injured.

But… you honestly couldn’t believe it was real. Dracula actually agreed not to try to destroy humanity. Somewhat.

Of course, that was his word alone, but…

…When you shook his hand, you couldn’t help but feel as if you had made a deal with the devil itself.

It was as if a part of you had a feeling deep in your chest that he would abide by the terms you both set.

But if you were being honest with yourself… you didn’t know if you could believe this. That the fact you even got him to agree was real.

You spent so much time worrying about it. Even before you ever found his statue, you had nightmares and days worrying about how you would handle Dracula if you had to confront him.

Was it all some plot? Some plan to make it hurt after betraying you?

Those pesky thoughts lingered, but you found it hard to believe them. Despite how often they popped up in your head, it was easy to counter them.

After all, why keep the Belmont alive after being slain so many times?

There were multiple opportunities to hurt you, kill you, torture you. Hell, if he wanted you as a prisoner, he didn’t have to give you such a lavish guest room.

Perhaps it was the fact everything you had been raised to believe at this point was now being called into question? After all, with everything happening, it felt like your world was spinning at a thousand miles an hour.

A part of you was probably also in shock.

Sure, your life has been hell up to this point, but it had a normalcy to it. You could expect to deal with dumb shit at home, and to fight evil monsters that were some of the worst of their kind when you did get to hunt.

It wasn’t fun, but it was normal.

This though? All the things you had happening to you?

Not normal at all, and it was hard to think.

Or maybe a bit too easy to do so.

It was as if a flood of thoughts swam in your mind, yet it was hard to comprehend so many of them.

“...At least the bed is comfy.” you mumbled, staring into the ceiling as you tried to calm your nerves. You still hadn’t completely calmed down since Dracula had talked to you.

Dracula had left not too long ago after you reached a… stable compromise?

He had said something about needing to check on some things, and to prepare to tell everyone about the deal you both came to.

You wondered just how much chaos that would stir.

A part of you felt a bit guilty. No doubt Dracula would have a lot of anger to deal with from some of his servants and the like. Many were already on edge with you just staying here, so you imagined the news wouldn’t go down without some outcry.

It was no secret many followed Dracula for his power, but it was also a well known fact many followed him because they hated humans. Hated hunters.

Though you doubted any public outbursts would be tolerated. Dracula no doubt would handle everything. You hoped.

If you were being honest though, a small part of you wanted to see the reaction on some of his servant’s faces. You bet some of the jaw dropping looks would be one to remember for years to come.

Unfortunately, you probably wouldn’t even be here to witness it.

Even if by some miracle you managed to possibly hold off the destruction of the world, you still had to deal with your step family, after all. Jason was already making your step brothers inquire about you, which was never a good sign.

You were lucky they backed off this long, and would probably give you a little longer before growing too restless.

After all, you did give them a bit of an ass kicking. Even if it was at the cost of your own health and mental well being, it was a long time coming.

That, and you doubted you would get such an opportunity so soon in the future. Best enjoy it before heading back and become their punching bag once again.

At least you probably wouldn’t have to worry about them trying to jump you like that any time soon. The fact they seemed to almost intentionally try and fatally injure you… it settled uncomfortably in your core.

Given you were willing to actually defend yourself for once, perhaps they won’t attempt something stupid like that again.

Despite that, you didn’t want to get your hopes up, either. Even if you showed you wouldn’t take a beating to that degree without fighting back, that didn’t mean they wouldn’t get creative with it for a possible next time.

Still, that didn’t change the fact you still had to go home. Sooner rather than later.

But… you’d be back. Hopefully.

That was one of the conditions Dracula asked for. He wanted you to come back. He wanted to see you again.

You tried not to think too deep about it. Surely, it was both to help keep the compromise in place, and to learn more about the current century, and all he had missed?

A part of you though couldn’t help but… daydream about the idea of him just wanting to see you. For you.

He said he found you fascinating, after all. But again, a part of you didn’t want to think too hard about it.

For all you knew, his version of ‘fascinating’ was simply seeing you as some sort of entertaining bug or something. Should you become a pest, all he had to do was squish you with his shoe.

…You didn’t want to believe that either, though. Not with how those ruby red eyes looked at you when he first was freed. How he asked who had hurt you.

The very thought of that moment had your heart racing again.

“Am I really that emotionally starved?” you mumbled to yourself once again. That question had been popping in your mind the more you thought about it, and how just one man/vampire made you flustered like a teenager having a crush.

When was the last time anyone had looked you in the eyes while injured, and asked who had hurt you? Then took care of you?

You hated to admit it, but Dracula had charm that a lot of people didn’t have nowadays. Or at least from most people you have met up to this point.

No doubt he had to have had it in order to be considered the King of the Night. You don’t just get that without some sort of charisma, you’d think.

…A part of you was going to miss it. You really had to return home, which is why you were dreading sleep.

Tomorrow you would head home. You would be back here, of course. A part of the agreement, after all.

But you didn’t want to go, almost like a small child not wanting to go to school.

“Ugh.”

Your chest pinged with anxiety every time you closed your eyes. It was hard to even relax enough just to rest.

–

By the time you felt your phone buzzing with an alarm to wake you up, you had nothing to show for what you ‘slept’, except for a migraine and a brewing anxiety attack.

Eyes heavy, you sat up in bed. A bed you were very much going to miss.

Even now, as you shuffled out of bed towards your bag, you could already feel yourself yearning to stay. Like a child who felt unwell and wanted to skip school, except 20x worse.

Grabbing your bag, you quickly went through the stuff you had, making sure everything was still here.

You trusted Dracula just fine with your bag, but you didn’t trust any other entity in this castle to not try and pull a fast one on you.

As much as it felt like some sort of Looney Tunes plot, you weren’t gonna put it past some disgruntled monster or entity to put a stick of dynamite in your bag or something hoping to blow you up.

Thankfully, you didn’t have much on you to begin with, but it didn’t hurt to be sure.

Tossing your bag to the side, you ran a hand over your face, trying to soothe your head and anxieties.

However, you nearly jumped when you heard a specific knock on the door. That same one you had grown familiar with.

Just how had Dracula known you were awake? Was he just guessing, or did he know? Did the castle tell him?

…Or perhaps he heard you thumping around. That was also possible. You decided not to think too much on it at the moment.

“Come in.”

The doorknob turned, before the door was pushed open, revealing Dracula himself.

He entered your room, giving you a polite nod before closing the door behind him, and walking up to the bed. Much like before, he pulled a chair close and sat in front of you.

A part of you wondered if he was doing that to seem more on an equal level as you, though you didn’t dare ask or point it out.

Getting comfortable, Dracula’s eyes seemed to see through you as he settled. Those ruby red eyes practically pierced you, and he didn’t even have to say a word for you to feel a bit small.

Yet, his words next were so gentle.

“How are you feeling?”

Despite it all, a small smile appeared on your face at his question. Your eyes dropped, and you looked over to the side.

“I’ll live. Head kinda hurts, and I didn’t sleep too well. A me issue, don’t worry.”

A flicker of a frown appeared on his face, before his face cooled back to a more neutral look.

“I see. What about your wounds? Any irritation? Are the stitches still holding up?”

You tried to ignore the warm feeling bubbling in your chest again at his concern, despite how hard it seemed to persist.

“They are healing nicely. I only feel a dull ache now compared to the pain I was in a few days ago.”

It was true. You barely felt your wounds compared to how you felt when you arrived. Dracula had done a lot to help them heal, going farther than most people have for you.

Dracula though, looked over your body, his eyes lingering where your wounds lay.

“May I see? I would like to check on them myself.”

Blinking, you leaned back onto the bed slightly, not too surprised.

“Yeah, sure. Here-”

Immediately, he was up from his chair, gently hovering over you from a slight distance. Far enough away to still give you some personal space, yet close enough to check over you.

He was quick, yet still just as gentle. It didn’t take much for him to remove your bandages, and look over your healing injuries, making sure to look over them thoroughly.

You hoped he didn’t think anything of the goosebumps showing up on your skin whenever his hands or nails briefly brushed against your skin. Hopefully he would assume you were chilled from the air, or were reacting to how cool his own skin was.

Another part of you hoped that thinking didn’t seem too pathetic.

And in an even deeper part of your mind… a part of you wondered what he would do if he did think you liked his touch. That was a part of your mind you tried not to linger on too much while Dracula’s face was less than a foot away from your own.

Dracula hummed a bit as he checked over your worst injuries, as well as your head injury. You may not have known him long, but you could assume he seemed pleased with your progress.

Most of your wounds had mostly healed up into scabs, instead of raw and fresh ripped flesh. Something that no doubt would have taken at least two weeks on its own without the help of the few potions Dracula has been giving you.

It would still take some time for them to completely heal, but you were no longer at a huge risk of infection, or had to stay in bed to heal.

Truly, you owed Dracula a great debt. Another thing you were… feeling odd about.

Before you could dwell too much on it though, Dracula was carefully placing your bandages back on.

“Good. They are healing quickly. I’m pleased with your progress.”

You gave him a smile as he sat back down, trying not to soak in his words too much. You were happy he was happy with your healing! A totally normal thing to want and achieve!

While you were trying to mentally downplay the buzz in your head from his ‘praise’, Dracula’s eyes looked over to your bag, which sat innocently on the bed next to you.

“Ah, were you still planning on returning to your home today?” he suddenly asked, bringing you out of your thoughts.

Trying to keep your anxiety about the mere thought of your ‘home’ in check, you nodded.

“Yeah, if I am away too long, it could cause some issues. It’s best if I leave today.”

Dracula leaned against his hand, his other on thrumming against the arm of the chair. You wondered if that was something he did often.

“And you’ll return?”

You nodded quickly.

“Of course. We agreed on that, right? Though…” you began, your hands playing with your shirt, “...It may take me a few weeks to a month to come back, but I will be back.”

Giving you a look, Dracula’s expression turned almost teasing.

“I would hope so, I would hate to have to hunt you down myself, Little Belmont.”

His tone was clearly joking in nature, with his lips curling into a grin that showed off his fangs.

You chuckled a bit, rubbing the back of your neck. However, the way he said it had heat rushing to your face.

God, why did you like the sound of that? Why? Why did your brain like it so much? You swear there had to be a deity out there who found your suffering hilarious.

You didn’t think you would be finding so much stuff about yourself when you arrived here a few days ago. Apparently you had interesting tastes, and were into things you hadn’t even considered before now.

No doubt you would be unpacking a lot of that later, possibly in the middle of a mental breakdown. It was too soon to tell.

Coughing a bit to try and stop those thoughts, you looked back at Dracula.

“Regardless, I will try to be here next month. I should be healed by then too…” You spoke, mumbling that last bit. Dracula gave you an odd look, and you had a feeling he wasn’t too sure of that, just as you were.

Sighing, Dracula then stood up, and much to your surprise, held a hand out to you. You stared at it for a moment, before looking back at his face as he began to speak.

“Well, are you ready to leave? If so, I shall escort you out myself.”

Your eyes flickered to his hand, which was still outstretched to you. After a moment, you took it.

“Trying to get rid of me so soon?” you joked, ignoring how your smaller, warmer hand easily slid into his larger, cooler one.

Dracula’s lips twitched upward as his hand gently curled around your own.

“Maybe I am? Someone has to get rid of the ‘Scary Vampire Hunter’ apparently haunting my castle.”

His words were pure jest, and that had the small smile on your face widening as he gently pulled you up to your feet.

“Can you walk?” He then asked, still clearly worried over you leaving so soon. You managed to stand on your feet without too much issue, and looked back up at him.

“Eh, I’m still a bit sore, but I can walk. I’ll be fine.”

It still actually hurt quite a bit, but hey, you have had worse.

Dracula also didn’t seem very convinced, but at this point, who was he to argue with you when you wished to leave?

Regardless, you were still a bit surprised to see him offer an arm to you after you managed to gain your balance.

“May I?”

Seeing Dracula offer his arm to you did not help the blossoming feelings in your chest. Why did the man who was humanity’s greatest enemy have to be such a gentleman??

Your face was hot, and you prayed to whatever god was listening that your blush wasn’t too noticeable.

“S-Sure.” You spoke, mentally hitting yourself with a hammer for stuttering.

Slowly, you reached out, nearly hesitating as your hand neared his arm. Gathering your resolve, you gently wrapped your own arm around his own.

He wasn’t as cold as you expected, despite him wearing a long sleeved shirt. Though it was hard for you to think as you registered just how big he was as you felt his muscles underneath said shirt.

Then, you nearly jumped when your bag was suddenly hovering in front of your face. You had nearly forgotten it on the bed behind you. Carefully, you grabbed it with your free hand with a quiet ‘thank you’.

“It is no issue at all. Shall we?” He spoke, looking down at you.

Oh stars, how he made you feel small.

“Yes.”

With that, he gently walked to the door, opening it with a flick of his wrist, and leading you out into the hall.

His pace was most likely slow for himself, given you were positive his stride easily would outdo yours. However, Dracula took his time so you could easily keep up.

You found you didn’t particularly mind. If anything, it gave you the perfect opportunity to admire the decor of his castle.

Castlevania had been described in many different ways from the journals you had read. Some said horrifying and confusing, while others spoke of it as if it were gorgeous, yet almost fake feeling.

You found yourself mentally describing it as hauntingly beautiful.

Just the hall outside your room was nothing less than extravagant. Dark red curtains hung above the giant windows that seemed to lead to a courtyard, while painting after painting adorned the walls between each window.

Each painting was unfamiliar to you, but they still astounded you all the same.

Dracula noticed your awe, and his lips curled into a smile.

“The castle, being connected to me, usually inherits my tastes. Though I’ve noticed it has a fondness for decorating on its own, and even has preferences. For instance…”

He paused in front of one of the massive windows overlooking a garden.

“The gardens always look a bit different, but it is fond of giant fountains. Nearly every iteration has one without my interference, though it is pleasing to see.”

You tried not to giggle at that. The thought of a sentient castle being fond of giant fountains and having decoration preferences was so silly, yet given what you were looking at, was very possible.

Dracula and you didn’t linger long at the window, but after that, Dracula almost enthusiastically pointed out different decorations and what some of them meant to him.

It was little things, such as his tastes in candelabras, or the story behind every other painting. Apparently there were many immortals who dabbled in the arts.

You wouldn’t lie. Walking through his castle was very… surreal.

This was a place you were supposed to storm through. A place you were supposed to look at with disgust and revulsion.

Yet, you were fascinated, despite being on edge.

Only one of your ancestors remarked on the beauty the castle had. Juste, you think was his name.

Juste had written how the castle had a strange charm to it, among all the horrors he saw. Apparently he had an eye for detail and decor, and briefly wrote about how he had found it fascinating before destroying Dracula’s wraith, thus destroying the castle.

You could kind of see what he meant now that you were seeing it first hand, even if it was most likely incredibly different than when your ancestor had run through here.

It didn’t take as long as you thought to get to the entrance hall, which was covered with a lush red carpet, and filled with different displays and extravagant furniture.

A part of you wondered if this was what some castles were like hundreds of years ago, just with a more modern touch. Maybe he’d tell you one day?

After all, you agreed to come back. You’d hopefully have plenty of opportunities for questions.

One thing though you did notice walking through the entry hall, was the uptick of monsters.

There were suits of armor you passed, where you could sense enchantments on them, each standing at attention.

That, and maids were here and there, cleaning or tidying up. You could tell most weren’t human just by looking at them, but that was none of your concern. At least not at the moment, so long as they didn’t attack you.

They kept their distance, but you felt all their stares. Some looked at you curious, before averting their eyes. While others gave you cold smiles. You suppose you didn’t blame them.

Ignoring their looks, you felt your heart pound in your chest the closer you got to the massive door.

It looked different.

Instead of a worn down door that looked as if it had been left to rot, was a magnificent massive door that looked warm and taken care of.

And imposing. Very imposing.

Then again, that was most likely the point, even if you were looking at it from the inside. You could only wonder how it looked outside…

You didn’t have to wonder long. The moment you both approached the giant door, it opened completely on its own, as if the castle itself was opening the door for its master.

Despite having been around Dracula a little bit, his impressive feats of magic and mastery over the castle still seemed to awe you.

A part of you also wondered if he was doing that on purpose to show off. You wouldn’t be surprised with how he would occasionally look at you after doing something with magic.

Magic itself wasn’t new to you, but all that he could do? Especially when it wasn’t combat related? It was a bit impressive, you’d admit it.

As he walked you through the large doorway, you noticed the courtyard between the entrance and the gate had also changed. What was overgrown, wild shrubbery and trees was now a full garden. The plants seemed alive, but in a way that was almost… unreal.

He guided you through the courtyard, his arm still entwined with your own.

It didn’t take long before you were at the gate, and he came to a stop. Looking down at you, he posed a question that had your heart thrum in your chest.

“Is this fine, or do you require assistance to your cabin?”

His question caught you off guard slightly. You hadn’t anticipated him asking, nor had you thought that far.

“N-No, I’ll be alright. Thank you.”

A part of you really really wanted to say yes, so this moment lasted a while longer. So you didn’t have to say farewell.

But the rational part of you screamed no. Even if you somewhat trusted this man, were you ready to let him know about your cabin? How to approach it? What if you both were followed? Did you want anyone possibly seeing any weaknesses in your defenses?

No, the hunter in your brain won out. You couldn’t risk anyone finding your defenses, or rummaging through the one sanctuary you had.

You just hoped Dracula wouldn’t take it personally if he or one of his underlings investigated your cabin and exploded or something from one of the traps or wards.

Dracula meanwhile gave you a long look. If you didn’t know any better, you’d even say it was disappointment you saw in those ruby colored eyes of his. With a sigh, he gently let your arm go from his own, turning to face you properly.

“Very well. I shall await your inevitable return. Do not keep me waiting too long, Little Belmont.”

You already missed him. How?

Slowly, you nodded your head.

“Of course. Um…”

A part of you felt so awkward already.

“See you soon?”

Mentally, you were smacking your head against the wall. Did you really just tell the Lord of Darkness ‘see you soon’? You wanted to explode.

However, most of your embarrassment almost melted completely away when he gave you a small smile.

“Indeed. See you soon.”

You stared at him for a moment, you both seemingly unable to look away. It wasn’t until a rumble of thunder broke your gaze away, and you stared at the long walk at the edge of the lake you would have to trek.

With a sigh, you turned, and began to walk.

Already, you were regretting not taking him up on his offer. But it had to be done this way.

RIght?

Your heart was heavy in your chest as you pushed forward with every step. You couldn’t even muster up the courage to look back as you crossed the edge of the lake towards the forest.

At least, you couldn’t until you reached the edge of the clearing.

Already you were tired, but you couldn’t help but finally look back behind you. Back towards Dracula’s castle.

Your eyes widened when you did.

The castle, something that should have horrified you, was gorgeous surrounded by clouds and the forest. Its image even seemed to eerily reflect back at the lake despite the clouds above.

And Dracula remained in front of it, watching you.

It was hard to see from so far away, but you could just barely make out his cloak spiraling out behind him in the wind. He was watching you leave.

Was it to make sure you were really fine? Was it genuine concern? Why else would he watch over you while you left?

…Did he actually enjoy your company? Did he already miss it?

It took more effort than you would like to admit to swallow down the warmth bubbling in your chest.

How silly.

No need to get your hopes up. You hoped that at least a few days away from this place might clear your head. Surely that’ll make these confusing feelings go away. Right? Right?

You just hoped this wouldn’t mess up how you perceived your cabin… You already came to terms with your sanctuary being next to an empty castle. Now it is alive, and its king has an interest in you and your motivations.

With a sigh, and one last long look at the castle (and its owner out front), you turned back to the woods.

Each step back was heavy, and you felt as if you were in a daze. If it weren’t for the fact you had been bewitched before and knew how it felt, you would have wondered if you had been enthralled by some sort of spell.

At least you were self aware enough to walk back to your peaceful abode with caution.

You checked your traps as you went, watching your step as you did so. Thankfully, most were undisturbed except for one or two traps. Those you suspect were simply disturbed by animals rather than monsters looking for a meal.

Well, you at least hoped that was the case. You didn’t sense any paranormal residue of any sort, but that wasn’t a guarantee…

Still, you took enough time to go over most you came across, and as your cabin came into view, you checked around the building.

It was tiring, but quick with how your mind was still a buzz. At least nothing seemed out of place.

Just… a few blood stains from when you were here last and critically injured. Oops.

You sighed, debating if you should leave it as a problem for future you. Not like this place and your home were lacking in blood stains if you looked hard enough. What were a few more?

Still, you didn’t just want to leave it there, so you at least cleaned it up a little bit so you wouldn’t come back to a gross smell. Well, at least a worse smell, anyway. The blood didn’t do your cabin any favors, but hey, it could be worse.

You’d clean it properly and make it spotless when you came back. Eventually. Hopefully. Maybe.

Whatever.

It didn’t take long, but it was clear what you were doing. Trying to keep yourself distracted while in this fog. Trying to buy time before you head home. Buying time before the reality of everything that had happened hit you.

You didn’t get as much time as you would have liked.

Thankfully, since everything else in your cabin was untouched after a quick sweep, you didn’t take much longer to leave said cabin. Even if you wanted more time, it was a weight off your shoulders that you didn’t have to worry about anything being… tampered with.

All you had to do was toss your bag in your car, set your whip aside, and drive off.

Should you be driving while in such a state? No, but you didn’t exactly have the luxury of keeping your home waiting much longer.

The drive itself wasn’t long, or at least, it didn’t feel like it. With each mile, the clouds began to part, and the sun began to shine. It was almost insane how much reach the castle had in terms of weather.

Or was it Dracula’s influence? You wondered if he’d tell you if you asked next time you saw him.

Next time. Right.

Your grip on the wheel tightened, and you could feel your anxiety peaking as you drove further from the cabin. From the castle. Only to grow closer to your home.

…Would they all be there? Your step family?

Dread was already pooling in your gut as you imagined them waiting for you at home. Would they be extra pissed? Would they do something reckless?

With the shit they pulled last time… You weren’t so sure you would be safe. Even if you scared them a bit, you feared you only pissed them off more. If they were willing to fatally injure you so blatantly in ‘training’...

You feared what they might do since they didn’t succeed, and you couldn’t do a thing about it until they acted.

Sweat began to form on your temple as your heart uncomfortably began to beat faster. You felt ill. Felt like you were cornered by a pack of werewolves who were starved for a meal, and you weren’t even at your house yet.

Yet as your city came into view, you felt worse.

Would they scream at you? Yell at you? Call you worthless?

Or would Jason lash out, and finally attack you? You knew he had been holding himself back, but after last time…

What about your home? Was it in good condition? Or did they start destroying things? You wouldn’t be surprised if your room was destroyed.

Worse… would they kick you out?

You had no real legal standing if they kicked you out. All your family’s artifacts, weapons, and history… gone.

They would never give it back to you, or any of your living family members across the globe. No doubt they would simply will everything to themselves if anything happened to one of them.

Why did your mother leave everything to them?

It wasn’t fair.

You were beginning to feel even worse thinking about it.

Still, you forced yourself to swallow what felt like bile rising from your throat as you pulled onto your street outside of the city. Getting sick wouldn’t solve any of your problems, and would most likely make things worse.

But you could barely fight the rising panic as your family home came into view.

It was never so daunting and imposing before now. A place filled with light in your childhood now brought you nothing but terror and anxiety just looking at it as you drove closer.

As you pulled into your driveway though, you paused, and stopped your car.

No cars were outside.

No cars were outside.

No cars in the driveway or out front, and if you were lucky, not in the garage either. But at least your step brothers were gone.

The way your body practically sagged in relief. Even if somehow Jason was home, that was better than having to confront all three at the same time after getting back right away.

Taking a deep breath, you turned off the engine, and climbed out of the car. You only grabbed your bag, keeping anything else locked inside.

It took a few moments to gather your courage, before you slowly unlocked and opened the front door.

You waited a few moments, holding your breath as each tense moment passed.

Nothing.

It was dark, and you heard all the familiar creaks, but no footsteps. No sounds of a TV. No talking in the distance.

Carefully, you stepped inside, and quietly closed the door behind you.

There was still nothing.

Were you truly home alone?

A part of you wanted to relax, but the hunter in you stayed alert. With silent footsteps, you headed to the garage just to be safe. There was no one on the way there, and when you opened the garage door?

Nothing.

Closing it, you laid your back against the door, hand over your heart as you tried to calm down.

You were actually home alone for once.

Did they have a hunt? Need supplies and go shopping since you were gone?

Either way, it didn’t matter. You were home alone, and that was most important at the moment. You could let your guard down for a little while.

At least, until whenever they came home.

With a huge weight temporarily off your shoulders, you made your way to your room, a small plan in mind.

First, you needed to change clothes. You were thankful for the clothes Dracula had lent you, but… what you had on was a little dated. Even if you liked how the loose, puffy shirt looked on you, and the comfortable pants… No doubt there would be questions why you were wearing clothing that was popular in a different century.

Then you needed to shower, and write down some stuff you needed to do going forward. Maybe even get some sleep before anyone gets home…

Sitting down on your bed with a messy plan in mind, you reached into your bag to get your dirty clothes out for you to wash later.

As you rummaged through it, you froze when you felt something new inside it.

Thoughts ran through your mind as your blood ran cold. Have you been had? Did someone plant a bomb or a weapon in your bag? Did Dracula betray you?

Carefully, your hand grasped the cool object, before slowly pulling out of your bag.

You couldn’t help the small gasp that left your mouth when you pulled out a potion bottle.

“When…?”

Looking over the bottle, you noticed a tag attached to the cork, and gently held it still as you made out the intricate cursive on the note.

‘I figured you could use this. It should be enough to finish healing your wounds. I hope you put it to good use.

Sincerely,

~VDT.’

You didn’t notice you were beginning to cry, until your vision became blurry with hot tears.

“VDT…. Vlad… Dracula Țepeș…?” You asked out loud with a sniffle.

He didn’t betray you. At some point, he must have slipped this in your bag after his last visit as he escorted you out. How?

It was a silly question to ask, given the immense power he held… but…

You sniffled again, tears hitting your leg as everything slowly began to hit you at once.

Despite it all…

…Dracula went out of his way to heal you, and even made sure you had something for when you got home.

More tears began to form as you carefully cradled the small note to your chest.

Dracula at least cared about you, when no one else did.

That thought both thrilled and terrified you to the core.

…Because you were certain you cared for him back.

[erinwantstowrite]

i made myself sob while writing this one scene in chapter 14 so good luck y'all (when it comes out)

[bookishwords]

katniss cutting up the branch with the wasps nest is so tom and jerry of her

[wannabebardrambles]

’you better kill me first’ oh my fucking goddamn god i am so obsessed with JB. absolutely no one is this iconic. i love him SO MUCH he is so PROTECTIVE and LOVELY and WONDERFUL

[violentdelightshavevioletends]

"I'm used to functioning in pain, asshole. Are you?" — Violet Sorrengail, once again being a chronic illness queen & bringing it to a whole new light.

[dailymidford]

[chainsawmanpages]

Volume two, chapter fourteen, page two

[tinykuroshitsujipics]