#cute is what we aim for gif hunt

[blueberrypancakesworld]

An acidic gentle embrace

Xenomorph x fem!reader

warning : mention of dead, fluff/comfort (as far as this goes with the xenomorph and the film in general), wounds, no use of y/n, the xenomorph is very ooc probably but for a little cute monster you have to sacrifice something

Summary : A short trip it would have been, or so they had thought when they boarded the spaceship just a few minutes ago…and now it was apparently just the four of them on the run from a monster that was out to kill them, or caring?

info : Omg it has stuck with me since i watched the film with a friend anyway have fun with this little something and i was Inspired from THIS post check it out and the blog from @spicybunni :)

ps : The gif is really everything from @crybabyryo

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Death nothing but death would await them if they stayed here even a few moments longer. She knew that, Rain knew that and Andy knew that, they knew it from the moment they heard the hissing, the scratching of the black claws and the watery slime that spread across the floor as the mouths reached for them and the acid threatened to dissolve them.

It wasn't a hunt, it was a death sentence when both sides knew that only the lift that stood between them would mean freedom, the ship would turn on and all they had to do was get back to the hangar…while they had to deal with gravity and non-gravity.

Every time the sirens sounded they heard Rain's calls and the weight that came over them seemed to pull them off the ladder, the pull they needed to get closer and faster threatened to pull them straight back into the arms of this being, this acid-bearing being or Xenomorph as Bishop had told them before all hell broke loose.

,,Just a few more metres! Kay's got the ship ready, we can do this!" Rain shouted from above her as she flung her friend a few metres above her to Andy with a sweep of her arm as gravity was switched off, but now this creature was on her tail and maybe it was space, maybe it was her rapid heartbeat or the pain coursing through her body as she felt herself becoming more and more resigned to the fact that she might not get out of here.

It might be okay if she could carve out time for her friends for her family that she never really had except for the last few hours when they all got closer somehow, ,,Just keep going up, don't worry!" she heard her voice reply back almost automatically, the look she cast upwards telling her that Andy's silent backward glance understood, a no need for understanding when they both knew she wasn't going to make it.

Climbing further feeling the weight of the gun on her back she knew it was the last chance and it was okay so it was the right thing to do, ,,Andy! My weapon….now!" she shouted as she hauled it off her back, caught on the ladder and with another shrill sound the gravity switched off again and with a reasonably well-timed throw the android took her weapon out of the air moments later.

She heard Rain's scream and heard Andy's thanks, but her friend's screams soon joined the creature's hiss and she looked down to see the waves coming closer, ,,Come on! You beasts, here I am!" she screamed at the black creature that slithered towards her and she grabbed the small handgun and fired, knowing that she only had this moment, that her last look up showed her that it had worked, that she could at least buy her friends some time.

But the shots all missed, whether it was her trembling hands or her giving up she didn't know, what she did know was that she aimed her last shot at the ladder as gravity threatened to kick in again, ,,Come on make it quick" she hissed and for a moment she flew around the shaft until with another shrill sound gravity kicked in again and she fell with a scream.

She heard the metallic clang as the ladder scraped to the floor and walls, shattering and soon they would land, probably with a broken neck or worse alive for these creatures.

Closing her eyes just waiting for the moment she heard the hissing screeches of the aliens that seemed to be around her, she braced herself for pain for the end...as the air was forced out of her lungs and she felt the weight of gravity bearing down on her…but pain she did not feel.

Yelping as her hands touched something hard, something that had wrapped itself around her waist and had no intention of letting go, she looked directly into the face of the creature.

It just looked at her with its sharp teeth, a superior smile if you could call it that as she felt the firm tail continue to wrap around her, wrapping around her hips, supporting her legs and resting the spike on her shoulders, she was exactly where it wanted her to be.

The dangerously spiky tail was hard chitin-like and yet it handled its spike with care as the black creature slowly pulled her towards it, she heard her whimper the fear go through her as she just let this simple movement happen, ,,Stay-Stay away" escaped her lips as her hands clawed at its tail which the Xenomorph didn't even seem to notice.

The power in the tail, the power this creature had to kill her, it had used to lift her up with almost a demonstration of what it could do. Showed what it could do to her and still decided to gently hold her as if it owned her and she had no choice.

Instead, she tried to push away as it ran one of its claws over her arm as if it were trying to feel her, ,,Not-please…can-can you understand me?" she dared to ask, wincing as the sharp claws ran over the cut on her arm and the creature let out an almost silent hiss as it looked at the red blood that didn't resemble its own.

As two worlds clashed unequally, a human woman fragile fleshy helplessly wrapped by the perfect creature without feelings seemed not to care about her emotions.

This tongue other than its tail other was so grotesque that it did not match the long enveloping almost protective something, it did not give itself to her words and yet she continued to hold the movements of the muscles or whatever it was that pressed tensely against her body in the pointed tail.

It wouldn't let her go and she realised as if they both knew she could do nothing against the alien and despite the fact that she was inferior to this thing, it still chose to be gentle.

She held her bloodied hand out to the creature, trembling slightly, and saw that it seemed to be sniffing as if it was trying to gather information, ,,This is-is blood in me, you see-see," she said seemed to choke on her stammering voice, aware of the overall irony of the situation and yet seemingly more certain that it would not kill her immediately, not knowing if it understood, instead whimpering in fear as she saw the tongue-like thing.

She couldn't tell if it wanted her blood as she was still waiting for her death to come, if not through the creature then through the wounds and if they weren't fast enough then through the universe which would swallow them all up it was all a big joke from the start and an escape from here would have been too good.

Swore to herself that it would rip her hand to shreds, throwing her to the ground dead…but no instead it seemed to taste her blood the mix of overly watery saliva covering her hand unpleasant but not harmful as the xenomorph used its claw to gently pat her on the head trying to soothe her.

But it was more like someone was almost hitting her on the head it was so strong, ,,Thanks" she just said, and gasped at it as another rumble and beep went through the spaceship in all this she had almost forgotten what was happening around her and the creature seemed to have forgotten too as it hissed and pulled her closer but still not killing her.

She didn't know what it wanted and screamed in fear again as the alien moved quickly on all fours and began to crawl around, pulling her with it but not once did she hit the floor or the walls in the opposite direction, the Xenomorph was careful not to hurt her.

She was sure that she might be fed to the others or would be used as a tool as a cocoon imaginations that threatened to bring tears to her eyes as she disappeared into the shafts with the Xenomorph.

But even though it was a little narrow she found herself metres deep in like a shrouded room in which to her great shock she saw these crawling little creatures she had seen what these monsters could do to her, to her body and insides.

She scratched and clawed at the tail trying to get away wishing she had her weapon back as she saw one of the little creatures jump towards her but a scream from her ‘saviour’ and a knock away the xenomorph protected her and slowly plopped her down in the middle of this nest on something soft that looked like an old blanket or something.

Before she could even move away, however, the tail wrapped itself around her again and the Xenomorph placed itself next to her, seeming to lie down, ,,Thank you…thank you for saving me," she said, carefully placing her hand on the creature's head, which hissed quietly and tried to relax.

As the other creatures snuggled up to her body, probably enjoying her warmth, perhaps these complex, deadly creatures could feel something after all, the incidental thought occurred to her.

Even though she was surrounded by death everywhere, the Xenomorph that was with her seemed to be looking for something like maybe comfort in the face of impending death and maybe it wasn't so bad, maybe it was just that in the end as she cuddled up to the creature lightly she realised that it was all right after all instead of dying alone.

So it was that by the end the creatures were almost cuddling up to the two of them as the spaceship came closer and closer to the metreoites and in the end they were all peacefully together for the first time in a common death.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

@an-absolute-waste-of-space , @bonkbunn , @uscss-prometheus

[odetodilfs]

Hey there ! Hope you’re doing well :)

I’d love to request a Joel Miller X Male Reader fic 🙏🏻

The absolute chokehold Both Pedro and Joel has on me is just- too much to handle without some good fics and yours are absolutely incredible.

I’d love a smut piece where Joel covers the reader in hickeys and love bites?

For a plot maybe some established relationship. Reader has been teasing Joel all day on their mission, trying to fluster Joel and just in general being a menace, but in a fun way. When they finally get home and reader doesn’t stop the sly remarks and sensual yet brief touches Joel loses it and suddenly reader is in way over his head.

(Feel free to change anything plot related, just wanted to give you something to work with ~)

Thank youuu

- 🐜

Pretty Please, baby

Thanks for the request anon! It was awesome to write it, here it is, I kept most of the plot btw.

Pairing: Joel Miller x m! reader

Warnings: Pain kink (love bites/hickeys), teasing and slight overstimulation.

You woke up in Joel’s arms, and… oh no, you were horny, and usually that feeling never stopped until Joel fucked it out of you, goddamn, he literally had morning wood, you could feel it against your leg, you started kissing his neck, testing if he woke up, and sure enough, he did, “Hmm, good morning my beautiful boyfriend” he said, yawning and smiling at you, you and Ellie had been his world since the apocalypse started, “Hey there my love, sleep well?” you asked, 

“Very well, in fact” he stated, “What are we gonna do today?” you asked him, in hopes he’d say nothing so he could fuck your brains out, “Get food” he said to your disappointment, “Ugh, fine” you whined. As soon as you went out, you noticed Joel had changed pants, they were a little tighter than his other pair and made his ass stick out even more, this was not helping the situation, but you promised yourself to tease him throughout the day, “Mmmm- who said you could go out showing such a cute ass around” you said into his ear as you hugged him from behind and squeezed his ass, “No one, but it’s hunting time” he said, goddamn he looked hot aiming the gun. You decided to try again, this time going towards him and lightly biting his ear, “Hey, stop it now, I can’t aim” “Such a shame” you said sarcastically, “Whatever, go and pick some berries too please” “Ugh fine” you couldn’t ever disobey Joel, so you went and started to pick them from the forest, by the time 3 hours had gone by, both you and Joel had finished gathering food, “Hey there baby” he said as he sweetly kissed you on the lips, but your horny ass tried to make it last longer, but you couldn’t because he pulled away and gave you a look.

As you walked back to where you were staying, he held out his hand to you, inviting you to hold his hand, you’d not grown fully used to holding another man’s hand, even if there was no one to judge anymore, there probably would always feel like there would be. You once again went to Joel’s face and kissed him sweetly, but with a hint of horniness in it, as you started to slide your hand down his pants, “Hey, let’s get home, okay?” he said, pulling apart, why did he not want sex? He looked so sexy today, he always did in general. 

When you finally got back, Ellie greeted you and went back to her own things as you and Joel flopped tiredly on the bed, but you were willing to try and get him to fuck you one last time before going to sleep, so you cuddled into his chest and lightly sucked on his neck, leaving a hickey, that was it for Joel, he’d grown tired of your teasing all day long.

“Mmmh-” he moaned as you marked him, “Like that baby?” you asked teasingly “Yeah, fuckin love it” he said, “but I’d love it more if I did it to you” 

“Oh- Joel-” “You’ve been very naughty, teasing me all day long, about time you pay” he said into your ear, and flipped you on your back and started leaving hickeys all over your chest, goddamn could this man give you pleasure and pain, “Mmm- Joel- want you inside me-” you begged, “How bad baby?” he kept teasing 

“Very badly” you moaned, 

“Tell me exactly what you want me to do to you” he ordered, “I want you to own me- leave your marks on me- kiss me as you fuck me hard and breed me and make me yours” you begged, 

“Now that’s what I like to hear” he smirked as he lubed up his dick and starting to push it inside you, he fucked you so good and his dick was so big it felt like a first time every single time. He sucked at the skin in your neck again, the delicious feeling of the pain was making you crazy as his dick touched your spot with every single thrust, “Oh Joel-” you said as he started jerking you off, the pleasure making you writhe and moan, this activated something primal inside Joel, now he didn’t just want to claim you, he needed to claim you and he was going to do it no matter what, “Oh fuck- it feels so good!! mghh- ah!” you moaned, “Don’t give what you can’t take baby” he whispered affectionately but teasingly in your ear, as he sucked many more times on your skin, you were sure as hell going to be aching and full of marks tomorrow, but you didn’t care, these were Joel’s marks on you, the way that he would drive appeal away from anyone that wanted you, and you were happy with that.

“Getting close- where do you want it” he asked, “In my ass baby, I want your load in my ass!” you gasped as he was thrusting into you harder than he ever had, “Oh fuck- I’m cumming!!” you moaned as white blobs of cum spurted all over your stomach, Joel still jerking you off as the pleasure of the overstimulation turned into pain. Finally, Joel tensed and bit hard at your neck, causing you to scream loudly as he emptied himself into you, now you were his, “Holy shit- that was amazing darling” he said, “It was… oh my god- thank you” you smiled 

“Love you” he kissed you “come here baby, want you in my arms” 

“I love you too Joel” you smiled as you said that, “Hope this calmed you down” “It did, thanks for asking” you said, snuggling into his chest, his scent felt like home, he was your home.

[zzthekaiju]

Best of the Reptiles in Media - 02 - Heart

Here we are again taking a look at some of my favorite scaly heroes. And this time, we go to the realm of animation. That golden frontier where anything is possible.

A lot of people have asked me what my favorite animated film is. And ever since 2016, I've had the definitive answer. It's a film from Japan staring who might be one of my favorite animated protagonists of all time. One that I wish was recognized by way more people than just the cult following his movie got.

You could say that this character...has a special place in my Heart.

And yes, that is his name. You'll learn to appreciate it.

Omae Umasou da na (You are Umasou) (2010) is an anime adaptation of a series of children's books revolving around a belligerent Tyrannosaurus Rex who ends up adopting a baby Ankylosaurus, with all the mishaps that implies. I'll admit, when I heard about this film for the first time, I wasn't sure what to think. Surely, this free film uploaded to Youtube wouldn't possibly--

It proceeded to rewrite my brain chemistry forever. It really is a great film. It's beautiful to look at, the animation is really action-packed and cute at the same time, it's got a gripping story (which I'll get into), and above all, it's main character is a martial arts-practicing Godzilla-looking T-Rex who engages in interspecies adoption. WHAT MORE COULD I HAVE ASKED FOR?!

But enough beating around the bush, why is Heart so compelling to me?

Let's start with an introduction. Heart is a Tyrannosaurus Rex from a prehistoric world whose lost egg winds up found and adopted by a kindly Maiasaura. Unfortunately, a carefree life of fun and peace with his mom and half-brother Light is brought to an end when he discovers his true nature as a "Big Jaw" (as in, carnivore). After running away out of fear of what he might do to his family, he grows up hardening both his soul and his combat skills so that he may survive the unforgiving badlands outside of the forest he grew up in (complete with training montage).

Then, as if life wasn't done throwing him curve balls, Heart is imprinted upon by a little baby Ankylosaurus he was just about to eat (complete with calling him the Japanese word for delicious, hence the name). Soon, Heart is caught between going with his true nature or taking a few cues from his own adoptive mother...

Design-wise, Heart isn't winning any accuracy contests, but then again, no creature here is. And it hardly matters, either. This dino manages to find a great balance between looking like the kind of character I'd want a plushie of (seriously, why haven't we gotten on to that) and one that conveys great ferocity and coolness. A major part of how that's conveyed is his expressions. This guy is a GOLDMINE of reaction faces for almost every occasion. So much so that, long ago on my Instagram page, I posted a compilation of faces that either cracked me up or just showed his facial range in general.

What's your favorite? Let me know in the notes/reblogs!

Anyway, then there's when he fights. And MAN, does it go hard! Heart doesn't exactly wear kiddie gloves when he's put in a combat situation, utilizing heavy kicks and deceptive agility as his opponents barely keep pace. We see him go up against sauropods and other Big Jaws, and really, I just need to show you these GIFs to sum up what it's like.

But that's not where Heart truly shines. It's his role in the narrative. You see, in most dino media aimed towards younger audiences, the big mean carnivore is the villain. This was most prevalent in works like The Land Before Time with Sharptooth, and the Carnotaurs from Disney's Dinosaur (both of which were the stuff of nightmares for little dino nerds like me). Not that this is necessarily a bad thing. Giant theropod dinosaurs are indeed scary, so of course they make for good villains. But then you consider that most of these predators aren't hunting our adorable plant-munching protags because they're evil. It's just in their nature as predators. What are they gonna do? Go vegan?

And that's the troublesome crossroads Heart finds himself at. You could say this film offers a deconstruction of the "vicious meat-eating dinosaur" archetype. The Anti-Sharptooth, if you will. We're obviously meant to root for him because he's the protagonist and an altogether pleasant guy, but at the same time, both herbivore and carnivore are fully-sapient beings here, and Heart must feed.

The film does NOT restrain from showing him hunt down his prey, but it has the intelligence to show that this is not malice or even pleasure, it's simple survival instinct. He is a huge shade of grey in what would otherwise be a very black-and-white scenario in any other film. And it gets even harder for Heart when Umasou enters the picture.

For the record, almost all of Heart and Umasou's interactions are the definition of adorable. Little Umasou is such a little ball of sunshine both inside and out, and poor Heart just doesn't have the...well, heart...to either eat or abandon him. Seeing his exasperation while keeping him safe while also training him in the ways of fighting like an anime protagonist (complete with training montage) is all kinds of endearing and a testament to Heart's strength of character. Of course, it leads to the inevitable point where he has to let him go...but unlike the source material, it doesn't take. Umasou knows that he and his adoptive dad are as different as can be, but he doesn't care. He's his family, and vice versa, something Heart comes to accept whole-heartedly (I did it again, didn't I).

And with that, the ending to this amazing nature vs. nurture story is very bittersweet, starting with Heart and Umasou reuniting with the former's mom.

Actually, before I keep going, I just want you to know that this scene in which they finally see each other again made me go from "wow, great movie, ten out of ten" to "I NEED TO TALK TO MY MOM!!!" in less than a minute. Seriously, if you're looking to strengthen your maternal bonds, watch this movie and watch the magic happen.

Aaaaanyway, after a heated battle between Heart and the one implied to be his real dad, the truth remains that he can't stay. He's resigned himself to a life as an outcast, never being compatible with his parent and brother's kind while at the same time being shunned by his fellow Big Jaw for adopting food. Nevertheless, he leaves in high spirits, having mended what had for the longest time been a broken bond. That, and he doesn't have to be a straggler alone, anyhow.

Really, Heart is everything I love about a lot of protags in one big package. He's a reptile (a dinosaur no less), he's a badass, he's a nice guy, he rages against what he is in order to be WHO he wants to be, and he's undoubtedly dad of the year. I hope more people come to recognize and appreciate him as much as I do.

Also, he's heavily implied to be in a steady relationship with an adorable Elasmosaurus, so he's got that "interspecies romance" trope possibly going for him too! C'mon, fellow You are Umasou fans old and hopefully new, you can't tell me you don't see it too!

[redheadspark]

hey could i request #31 with jack russell? would love to see what you write 🫶

A/N - This is beyond perfect for Jack! Thanks for requesting, my friend!

Equal

Summary - Jack never thought he would have a partner in his monster hunting, let alone in his personal life.

Warnings - This is just cute fluff for Jack!

Jack fell back and slammed the back of his head on the ground, the monster not too far away roaring in victory thinking it got the best of Jack. Although winded and slightly dizzy, Jack took in a long breath and got back on his feet again. Reaching for a dagger that was in his lower back pocket, he had it out at the ready as the monster was now rearing up to attack him again. Of course, Jack was ready to take some of the blow, merely because this monster was a bit stronger and had more girth and muscle in the arms and legs.

But it was shot in the back, grunting and falling it knees. Jack looked to see you, his wife and monster hunter partner of the last 5 years, wielding a shotgun in your hand and aiming at the monster's back.

"Jack, you seriously need to upgrade some blades," You said in a hum as you placed your shotgun down and gave your husband a knowing gaze, "They're very old school,"

"Who says old school is bad?" Jack asked in a challenging tone as he gripped the handles off his blades, "I refer a blade over a gun anyways, you know that. Guns are more violent,"

"They may be violent but they get the job done quicker, my dear," You hummed in a reply. Before Jack could even rebuttal again, the monster got up and whirled around to face you, screaming at your face and towering over you. The monster had a good few feet on you, though you stood your ground and you were about to aim right between his eyes.

Yet he fell down dead before you could shoot, and two daggers were in his backside.

"What were you saying about daggers, my love?" Jack asked in a coy manner, though you just gave him a playful glare in return.

"Jack, I'll get you a shotgun for your birthday coming up,"

"I'm telling you, Amor, I'm perfectly fine with a blade or two in my arsenal. You've been trying to get me to use a shotgun for years!"

"And yet you have nearly died a handful of times because of those blades. At least have pity on me and get a pistol at least,"

"Gah, fine! Only for you, Amor,"

You grinned as he snuck in a kiss on your cheek while the kettle started to hiss. You took the heat off and then grabbed the two mugs while Jack got the tea bags ready, soft music was playing in the background on the radio as the cool spring night was upon you in your little apartment home.

It was such a unique situation for you and Jack, being married for several years and being partners in the monster-hunting business. But it worked, Jack wanted it to work very well since you loved each other far too much to let the other go. Compromises were made, negotiations had to be made, but in the end, it worked out for the best.

You were more prone to be the navigator and the tech-savvy hunter, whereas Jack was more prone to being in the field and elbow-deep in the actual hunting. Though you were fine going into the field when it needed to happen, you would prefer to be in the background.

However, when it comes to Jack, you would do anything for him to keep him alive.

"How about some Honey Lemond Ginger tonight?" Jakc asked you as he got the tea bags ready from the cupboard, "Early gray won't cut it after that ordeal dealing with our client,"

"He was a dick, asking for less than what we agreed," You hummed as Jack got the bags in the mugs and then poured the hot water over them both, "I think we need to blacklist him to the others in our network for a least a few months, let them all know what kind of client he is,"

"Let's not go that low," Jack advised you as he gave you your cup of tea, "And as I remember, we have a bit of a break between clients now. A few weeks off, what should we do then?"

"Hmm," You said to yourself, Jack wrapped an arm around your shoulder to lead you to the little couch in the living room. It didn't happen a lot, having some weeks off between clients and appointments. Although you and Jack were now becoming one of those hermit couples that would prefer to be in your apartment every night and not out and about like normal people, you still wanted to make time together. Some of those times you went camping, other times you would have a small getaway at an Airbnb.

"I heard the beach is very nice this time of year, out in California," You explained as you two were snuggling together on the couch, "You would look good with some sun on your skin, my love,"

"Are you calling me pale?" Jack asked in a mocked hurt tone, hearing you giggle as he poked your side, "I happen to like to keep my skin perfectly toned and an even color,"

"Sure," You joked, "Although the thought of you wearing a speedo is quite intriguing and so tempting,"

"Amor, I can wear something like that for you in the privacy of our own bedroom," Jack teased as you laughed, "But I do think the beach is a good idea. I like the idea of strolling along the shore with you, seeing the sun in your hair and in your eyes."

You blushed as he kissed your cheek, lacing your fingers together. Jack was still a kind-hearted man, even past the trauma he endured and faced, the lycanthropy that would be with him for the rest of his life, and the monster-hunting career that would take a toll on him every once in a while, there was still good in him and still love in him.

You two helped each other and leveled each other out in those rougher times, and it was just how you wanted it to be.

"Let's go to the beach then," You decided, Jack taking a long sip from his tea as you rested your head on his shoulder. You could picture it already, the cooling wind and the setting sun over the ocean waves and the inviting sand under your toes.

Jack could picture it too.

The End

[manic-nova]

Returning The Favor: Tartaglia x Fem Reader

Summary: You go on a mission with Childe to return the favor on your long list of I-owe-you’s indebted to him. When things begin to go south, he has alternatives in mind.

Word Count: 8,703 words

Characters Featured: Tartaglia, Fem Reader

TWs: NSFW THEMES MINORS DO NOT INTERACT, themes of blackmail, blood, knives, death threats, nonconsensual touching and holding (not in a sexual context).

Part 1 of 2.

*Pls, he’s so sexy 🥵🥵

You had become rather infamous in Liyue as of recent. The foreigner who took any job (for the right price). You were endowed with talents by the gods that made you an expert at stealth and hunting. They would get you wrapped up in many lucrative and taboo jobs. For this reason, you had many friends in high places, and lots of enemies everywhere else. However, there was one particular organization that continued to get in the way of your work: the Fatui. The wishes of the Tsaritsa seemed to contradict the requests of your clients more and more these days. You had questioned if crossing an Archon was really a great choice in retrospect, but you were also not about to pass up 3 million mora. That money was as good as yours.

At dusk, in the bustling streets of Liyue Harbor, you sat atop a rooftop draped in black with keen eyes, watching the people come and go from Northland Bank. The target was set to arrive within the hour, all there was left to do was wait to strike. The man showed up in a grey suit and a fedora that covered his face, but you knew it was him. He was wearing the pure gold watch encrusted with Noctolucus Jade you were told to keep an eye out for. Rookie mistake to leave something like that so visible if you were attempting to hide your identity. You pulled the string on the bow you had been clutching and carefully aimed at the target. One shot. One kill. That’s how you had always done it, and you didn’t miss. You watched closely for the moment of a clear shot, being sure not to catch a civilian in the crossfire, and went the viewpoint finally opened up-

“I thought I told you to stop trying to kill my associates.”

Childe, also known as Tartaglia of the Fatui Harbingers, was here in perfect time to foil your plans… once again.

You let out a deep sigh of disappointment, Childe’s blades were already right at your neck, and the target was gone. You dropped your bow and threw your hands up reluctantly in surrender.

“Oh, how I wonder how many times we’ll do this little routine until you finally learn your lesson,” The harbinger teased with hints in his voice of impatience has he firmly grabbed you by the chin and forced your eyes to meet his.

“Each and every time we do this I consider dropping all of my other jobs simply so I can collect the bounty that’s over your head, Childe.” You replied in annoyance.

“Aww, you think you can kill me when you can’t even sneak past me,” he cooed, removing the blade from your neck and his grip on your face. “How cute.”

“Alright, Childe. What do you want?”

“What I want is for you to stop trying to murder my clients, but I suppose such foolish hopes are a lost cause,” he explained. “You know, the second you get caught is the second I may very well have to kill you.”

“And yet, here I am,” you asserted. “Can’t get rid of me that easily. Of course, you could always rat me out to your Fatui colleagues, then I’d probably be toast.”

“Oh, darling, why would I do that? You keep me on my toes.”

“Childe…”

“Right, right…” he murmured. “Back to business. Once again, I will conveniently forget to report this incident to the Tsaritsa, and in exchange…”

“I owe you one…” you declared in utter defeat.

The conversation had always ended with a vague assertion of an IOU. It must’ve been the 6th or 7th time Childe spared your life, and each time he’d say he’d cash in that favor next time just to put it off again. You had your doubts that Childe would ever take you up at this point, and yet you also feared that he was letting the debt collect on purpose. That thought always left you with a tinge of paranoia when you and the harbinger parted ways, and you expected to leave tonight under the same circumstances.

“Actually, I think I’ll use those favors, if you don’t mind.” He let of a slight chuckle followed by a warm, closed-eyed smile.

“Oh?” You answered him skeptically. “Well, what exactly is it you need?”

Tartaglia’s eyes quickly darted around the area suspiciously. This lasted for many seconds before he turned back to you and began to brief you about an assignment of his.

“He works for a ship manufacturing company that borrowed a large amount of lumber from Shneznaya many months ago, and the Tsaritsa is desperately awaiting reimbursement, as well as the interest owed. I’m supposed to be at Wangshu Inn in a couple hours to collect.”

“And where exactly do I fit in here?” You asked.

“Well… he owes a considerable amount of mora to which there is no room for negotiation, and I suspect he might get a little aggressive when he realizes that we are no longer kindly asking for the amount owed. If he attempts to attack me, I cannot defend myself, not because I am not capable, but because it would look very bad for I, a Fatui Harbinger, to attack a visionless, well known business man. I, and the rest of the members of the Fatui, are on thin ice with the people of Liyue as it stands.”

“Ahh yes. How could anyone forget about you summoning an ancient god that nearly destroyed the whole harbor? What a model citizen you are,” you jabbed at him.

“I told you, I had my reasons,” Childe insisted, whining in defense.

You rolled your eyes in utter impatience. “Yes, you have indeed explained to me how you tried to draw out Rex Lapis, because you thought he faked his death, even though he was in fact actually dead.”

“But he’s- ugh, nevermind,” he conceded. “The point is, I need you specifically because you’re not a member of the Fatui. If he lashes out and you attack him, people will believe it was just an assassination attempt and the Fatui had nothing to do with it.”

“Ya, but the only way they’d be able to confirm that is if I got caught. You’re not betting on me being captured, are you?”

“Now why would I do that? Admittedly, it would be preferable if you were at least seen, but the likelihood of you being caught… remind me again who the only person to ever catch you in the act has been.”

You let out a deep and reluctant sigh. “You, Childe.”

“That’s right,” he asserted proudly. “Certainly no Millelith guard at the Wangshu Inn could even dream of having skills like mine, so you have nothing to worry about.”

“Is that so?” You asked, glaring at him skeptically.

He smiled. “Of course it is! Besides, if we get there early, I’ll treat you to dinner. Free food!”

You continued to glare at the brightly smiling boy. “Anything I want?”

“Anything at all,” he insisted.

Your body tensed and your eyes felt like they’d rolled all the way into the back of your head. Spending your whole night on a mission with Tartaglia was the last thing you wanted to do, but if this was all it took for you to finally be free from the clutches of the debt you owed him, then truly it would be worth it in your book. “Fine,” you said reluctantly, “let’s hurry up and head out!”

“Yes ma’am!” He answered back enthusiastically.

The two of you immediately left Liyue Harbor, passed the Golden House, and set your sights on Wangshu Inn. Childe didn’t even need the map. He knew the directions perfectly and even had some clever shortcuts. You two were making excellent time.

Up in the distance of the dirt path you had been following, you saw Wangshu Inn towering above the surrounding land.

“Well, looks like we’ve arrived. Time to devise our plan b,” Childe instructed. “Wangshu Inn is a place of high traffic but low security. For now, you’re fine, but when he arrives it’s imperative you stay out of sight.”

“Yes, I understand that, Childe, you don’t need to dumb it down for me.”

“Good, cause of this goes south it’ll be a whole lotta wasted time on your part.” He asserted. “We should scout the meeting location for a vantage point that you can use, then we can flesh out a strategy over dinner.”

“Sounds, good to me.” You agreed reluctantly.

You and Childe ventured to the top of Wangshu Inn and took a detailed account of the area, looking for a point where you could see everything but no one could see you. You both agreed that the roof was the best and only option, closer than you would prefer, but beggars can’t be choosers, and with that settled you headed back to the ground floor for some food.

Childe pulled out a chair for you at a table far away from the others, then took a seat of his own soon after. The waitress walked over to the table, and smiled. “Hi there! Welcome to Wangshu Inn! How are you two enjoying yourselves tonight?” She asked with a suffocating perkiness.

Childe smiled back at the waitress, his eyes squinting and teeth wide. “We’re doing just fine, thank you,” he replied gentlemanly.

“Wonderful,” the waitress beamed. “So, what will the lovely couple be having for dinner this evening?”

You nearly spit out the Osmanthus Wine you had been sipping on out of pure shock. You instinctually went to correct her. “Oh, we’re not-“

“We’ll have today’s special,” Childe answered the lady, completely washing over your own words.

“We actually have two specials tonight. Which one were you wanting?”

“We’ll take both,” he replied, handing the waitress our menus before I could make any objections.

“Right away, sir.”

The waitress scurried off to tell the chef, and you turned to Childe much less than pleased.

“What’s wrong?” He asked completely nonchalantly. “Oh don’t tell me you’re upset because I let that waitress think we’re dating.”

“I wouldn't say I’m… upset exactly.”

“You seemed quite shocked at the notion. Why? Couldn’t see yourself with someone as handsome and successful as me?” He teased.

“Ha! Handsome? Debatable. Successful? Only at screwing things up,” you gave his shoulder a light punch.

“You don’t think I’m handsome?”

“I think you’re arrogance makes you quite unattractive,” you told him.

Did you find him attractive? Of course. You weren’t blind, but you had no intention of giving him the satisfaction of knowing.

“Well, that’s quite unfortunate. I’ve always thought you were rather stunning myself,” he exclaimed.

You felt a tiny of redness come to your cheeks. The table fell silent and you tried to slow the accelerating pace of your heart before things got awkward.

“I- excuse me, I’m going to find a restroom before our food gets here,” you told him, and you quickly stood up from your seat.

“Oh, of course,” Childe answered back, face dying down into a duller stare. “Don’t take too long. We are on a schedule after all.”

“Ya, I got it,” you told him, rushing away from the table. You went back into the Inn and into the women’s restroom. You doused your face in a handful of water and tried to clear your thoughts. There was a mission at hand, and you didn’t have time for this foolishness, and yet, no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t erase Tartaglia’s earnest smile from your mind as he called you stunning.

You couldn’t stand Tartaglia. He was arrogant and scheming and an awful tease. It drove you mad with anger, but you couldn’t deny the kind of butterflies that grew in your stomach every time you and Childe engaged in your usual back and forth banter. It was irritating and yet enthralling, like a song on repeat you couldn’t get out of your head. You prayed to the archons every time you wouldn’t see him again, and yet fate of your subconscious or some other unknown force brought you back every time, because he made you burn with rage and glow with desire at the same time. You couldn’t stand Tartaglia, because he set you on fire in so many different ways.

You mustered up the composure to leave the bathroom and head back to the table. As you left, there was a shady looking man approaching the check in counter. Something about him was giving you bad vibes, but you moved closer to investigate. As you approached, you felt a pair of aggressive hands pull you into the darkness under a staircase, covering your mouth and holding you tightly as to keep you from squirming. You tried to wriggle yourself free from their grasp, but they wouldn’t budge.

“Shh! Shh… if he sees either one of us here right now the mission is over, so try to stay calm,” the figure whispered into your ear.

He slowly removed his hand from your mouth and you too a deep and calming breath to get over the scare. “Childe?”

“Who else?”

His hands were still wrapped tightly around you, keeping both you and him within the small area of shadowing under the staircase. Childe was extremely quiet, a sign he was in deep focus, listening for when the client would leave. You, however, were having a hard time focusing on anything but the feeling of his hands on you and his body pressed against yours. It felt safe, like you could melt into him and stay there forever.

“Try to calm yourself. Slow your heartbeat. That’ll definitely- oh. You’re heart rate went down. That’s weird. You seemed really startled before.”

“Actually, I think my heart just straight up stopped.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

“Nothing!”

Childe’s hand reflexively moved back to your mouth. “Shh! You’re gonna get us caught.”

“Mhfmmrrffm.”

“Stop. Talking.”

Your head hung low in the embarrassment of your highly unprofessional mistake, and you reluctantly nodded your head in agreement, and Childe released his hand from your mouth once again. You gave up struggling and Childe seemed to engulf your whole body in his tall frame. Your mind went blank and all you could remember was the feeling of his skin, warmth radiating off it, and making your body temperature rise under the stuffy staircase.

Childe leaned his face closer toward yours, and the hand that held your face was now wrapped around your chest. "You doing okay, comrade?" he whispered gently.

His breath sent a cold chill down your spine. "I'm fine," you answered, staring blankly in front of you. You were dead still. The heat between your bodies felt like it would combust at any second, or maybe it was just your imagination. His hands wrapped in leather grasping your body for dear life, his ginger hair brushing against your skin, his broad chest pressing on your back... It felt like a dream, a hallucination even. It felt like you'd blink and he'd be gone.

A pair of loud footsteps trampling above you prompted Childe to pull you in even closer. The bulge of his pants was right up against your ass, and this time you grabbed Childe's hand and forcefully pressed it back against your mouth to suppress the moan attempting to escape your lips. He simultaneously buried his face into the back of your head and you felt the vibrations of his voice pass through you. The footsteps grew distant and then finally disappeared. Childe's hands released their grip on you and you went tumbling to the ground, and he immediately followed. You were both panting, a combination of the heat under the stairs passing through both your bodies, the nervousness and fear of being caught, and the rising tension between the two of you. Your eyes briefly met while you still tried to catch your breath then immediately darted away from each other.

Childe was the first to pull himself together. "I- uh- apologize for startling you. I saw the guy enter the building and I knew you two would cross paths if I didn't intervene, so naturally, I-"

"I get it," you responded, still averting your eyes from his gaze. "I'm sorry I almost got us caught."

"Oh, no worries," he assured you. "We're still in the clear for now, that's what matters."

With that, Childe pulled himself off the ground and offered you a hand to do the same. His eyes were also still avoiding your own, but you took his hand regardless, and he yanked you off the ground, slamming you right into his chest. You immediately pulled yourself away, and Childe's normally confident facade seemed to completely crumble before you.

"My sincerest apologies! I should've been more careful-"

"Ahh, no! Forget about it..." you quickly stopped the blushing and stuttering mess Childe had become that was only fueling your own nerves. You shook your head ferociously, trying to shake away your intrusive thoughts. “Alright, we don’t have time to mess around. We need to get out of sight before he has a chance to come back around.”

Childe took his hand to his forehead and let out a large sign. He seemed excessively stressed and a little angry as well. “You’re right,” he answered back. “I already reserved a room before I came here. We should hide there and take the remaining time we have to take into account the new factors and adjust our plan.” He had already grabbed onto your wrist and was pulling you with him.

“That sounds like- wait… did you seriously reserve us a room?” You asked suspiciously. “We’re you expecting something to happen?”

Childe stopped and looked back at you in the corner of his eyes. He let out a small chuckle that eventually grew into a devious laughter.

“I- what’s so funny?” You questioned, yanking your hand away and defensively pulling back from him. “Childe, you’re making a scene, so you may as well spit it out already!” You chastised hun, taking your now free hand and slapping it across his shoulder in reprimand.

He kept laughing, his eyes lighting up and his cheeks glowing with a rosy tint. “Do you not hear yourself??” He questioned back,

You glared at him, confused and offended. You couldn’t even figure out what he was trying to get you to say and it left you stumbling over your own tongue, mind spinning in a daze. “What am I missing here?”

The laughter finally began to die down and the Childe that was so thoroughly stressed a moment ago seemed elated, which made you slightly uneasy. “Honey, I got that room for myself,” he affirmed. “You came up with us all on your own.” He teasingly placed the hand that was holding yours on your cheek and stepped closer to you, your faces becoming mere inches apart. “Now tell me, were you expecting something to happen?”

Silence fell over both of you. Your heart sank into your stomach and a feeling of stupidity and humiliation ran over you like a truck. “Let’s just… get to the room before we have a chance to run into that guy again.”

“If you’re so eager…”

“Childe.”

“Ya, ya. It’s right over here.”

A few doors down from where you were standing, Childe inserted a key and opened the door, motioning for you to come inside. You reluctantly entered the room. If was elegant but lacking in character, pristine but lifeless. You took a seat at the chair in the corner, and Childe leaped and flounced onto the bed in the center like a… well, a child. He flipped himself over onto his back, resting his head onto his hands in a lazy position and crossing his legs over one another. He watched the ceiling fan above him meticulously, watching it go round and round again. You realized while he was staring into space you had been staring at him, and quickly redirected your sight to a painting above the bed that you didn’t particularly care for, but it was something to keep your mind occupied.

Childe sighed loudly. “He’s definitely up to something,” he spoke bluntly.

You perplexed. “What makes you think that?”

“A few small details,” he answered. “First off, I’d understand if he showed up a couple minutes early, even an hour, but, we’ve still got two hours until we meet so why is he already here?”

“I mean, ya, it’s a little weird, but there are plenty of logical explanations for it, that alone isn’t a reason for suspicion.”

“That is true, but… I’m also concerned about what was on him.”

“What do you mean? There wasn’t anything on him,” you further perplexed.

Childe stood back up from the bed and placed his hand on the back wall. “Exactly,” he said, his tone growing frustrated once again. “If he didn’t have anything on him, where the hell is the money? And if he wasn’t going to give the money, why the hell did he show up in the first place?!”

Childe drew his hand into a fist and forced it into the wall in front of him, sending a loud banging noise throughout the room. You got up from your chair and gently placed your hand on his shoulder. “Childe, I know this is stressful, but we need to pull together and take into account the new possibilities. Let’s just sit down and talk this out.”

He took a deep breath and let the anger wash away from his expression. He took your hand, removed it from his shoulder, and began to move towards the door. “I’m going out to do some reconnaissance. You should get some rest while I’m gone.”

You took his hand back and quickly stopped him in his tracks. “I’m sorry, weren’t you the one who was just saying we needed to stay out of sight, and now you’re going out?”

“I will stay out of sight,” he asserted.

“Well then I’m going with you-“

“No,” he interrupted. “If I get spotted I can talk my way out of it. If he sees you, it’s all over. Your reputation precedes you enough to ensure that.”

“I- Childe…”

“I’ll be back in an hour to relay the intel I’ve gathered to you, then we’ll commence the plan.”

You grew silent as you could see there was nothing you could say or do to get him to stay. His mind was set. There was something he felt he had to do, and you nor anyone else would stop him. You released his hand and watched as he left the room. You watched him fidget with the knob as he locked the door behind him, trapping you inside. That was the least of your concerns. You were more worried about the risk Childe was making by traversing the area before the meetup time. Childe was indeed a smooth talker, but one slip up and the plan was in shambles, and the debt you owed him would only continue to grow.

You took a look at the bed and remembered his suggestion for you to get some rest. Your hand ran across the sheets he had lain across minutes ago. You could still feel the warmth of his body as you laid onto the bed and let the covers envelope you with his scent. He smelt like citrus and the ocean. Childe… his name and face ran through your mind like a record on repeat. You needed to stop thinking about him for two seconds, but you just couldn’t bring yourself to, and soon your mind became numb again, drunk of the memory of his touch. You took one of the spare pillows and buried your face into it, wishing you could expel these thoughts, but instead you became drowsy and drifted into sleep.

From Childe’s perspective…

Childe sat atop the roof of Wangshu Inn and watched as the stars made their grand appearances in the sky, one by one, trying to clear his head. What was always intended to be a straightforward mission has grown more and more complicated over the hours, and Childe couldn’t help but be struck with an ominous feeling. Something was bound to go terribly wrong. He could feel it. You and him had already narrowly avoided failure once tonight, he certainly had his doubts that you’d be able to pull that off again. Still, he was thankful you both skated by the first time around.

He could still feel it, the feeling of you in his arms, the way you sank into him so trustingly. He could remember the faint scent of silk flowers on your hair and the soft texture of your skin. Everything was so tense in that moment and yet his mind had never been more clear, that is until you began to become far too… distracting. It undoubtably took everything in him to maintain a sense of professionalism in that moment. Such things are normally not a concern for him, but on a mission, he knew it was best for both of you this way.

He began to wonder if he had pushed your own boundaries a little too hard at dinner, noting the way you hastened away from the table. Maybe his comment about finding you beautiful could’ve best been left for after the mission, but he simply couldn’t help himself. He’s a natural tease after all, and dinner at sunset was undeniably romantic. Besides, you were so cute flustered, and he found himself with the irresistible urge to flatter you further. It was quite unfortunate that your alone time got cut short. Maybe he could get you to stick around after the mission, and maybe then, just maybe, he could get you flustered all over again.

Childe couldn’t seem to make up his mind on whether or not his choice to bring you along with him on the mission was a wise choice or one that was ultimately turning out to be a hinderance. After all, he sat atop the Wangshu Inn where he should’ve been considering his plan for the mission and instead found himself trying to decipher the inter workings of your mind. There was a lot of things about you he couldn’t make his mind up about, like whether or not the rushing feeling he got around you was the result of a desire for battle and rivalry or the thrill that came with chasing hopelessly after a romantic interest. He knew it was one of those two reasons he continued to spare your life, but which of the two he couldn’t decide. Which ideal did the fixation of his heart arise from: love or war? Did he want to face you in glorious combat or find you peacefully in his arms?

This mission… was going to be a lot harder than he thought.

Back to your perspective…

When you woke up, Childe was sitting on the edge of the bed looking out the window when he noticed you started to move.

“Dream of anything worth noting?”

“Uhh… not really. I don’t think so,” you answered with a yawn.

“Oh really? Is that why you’re straddling that pillow between your legs? You know, come to think of it, I think that’s the one I was using earlier…”

Your eyes immediately shot down to between your legs, and sure enough, there was a pillow you had seemed to place right there in your sleep. Your face grew red, and you took the pillow and chunked it right at Childe’s face. “In your dreams, dumbass.”

He caught the pillow one handed. “Nope. In yours actually. Just know next time if you want me to stay with you all you gotta do is ask.”

“Are you forgetting that the goal at the end of this is for there not to be a next time?” You chewed him out. “I’m here to return the favor for you, that’s it. So let’s talk mission.”

He took a deep breath and stood up from the table, his smile fading into a blank and serious expression. “Upon further looking into the matter, I believe I have a more clear idea of how this ordeal will likely play out. I went and asked the front desk if they were holding any belongings of his for safekeeping since we didn’t see anything. I made sure to pay them hush money as well, but sure enough, nothing. I don’t think this guy brought the money at all, so either he’s holding it some place off sight, or…”

“Or this is about to get confrontational.”

“Exactly,” Childe acknowledged.

“So… what’s the plan now?”

“I have one adjustment,” he declared. “If he does in fact outright refuse to pay, I want you to send a warning shot, and we’ll see what lengths we’ll need to take from there.”

“Seriously?! I thought the whole point of bringing me along was for me to make my own moves without them being associated with you.”

“It was, but that’s not going to cut it anymore. He needs to know we’re willing to take the force necessary to get our way, but I’m still in no position to be making moves of my own out in the open, so your purpose for being here still stands. Besides, we don’t have time to think it over any longer. We need to get set up. It’s now or never.”

You took a deep breath and braced yourself for the hard part. Despite the minor distractions and changing details, you and Childe had devised a thorough plan, and you were now at the point of no return. This was the business in which you dedicated your life to, where one minor mistake could have fatal consequences.

You left the room alone and shut the door firmly behind you, making sure to be aware of your surroundings. The first step was to get away from that room and Childe. The second was to make your way to the rooftop without drawing suspicion, a simple enough task most of the way. Smile and wave at staff, go and “watch the stars from the best view”, slip into the shadows of the night and onto your vantage point, retrieve the bow you stashed their earlier when you were scouting the location. From here it was like deja vu, muscle memory. You were right back where you had started that night, bow in hand, waiting, watching, listening, a routine you had revisited hundreds of times before.

You heard a set of footsteps approach the meeting spot and peered over to find the man you saw earlier walking toward the balcony railing. He was, once again, suspiciously empty handed, but also surprisingly calm, which made you uneasy. Something about his self assured demeanor in the moment was telling you he was up to something. You started trying to analyze your larger surroundings, looking for potential tools or buddies he might’ve invited to take along, but despite your keen eyes and ears, everything else seemed completely normal to you.

About ten minutes later, a second set of footsteps indicated Childe’s presence. The plan was now fully in motion. There was no longer time to divide your attention looking for something that may not have been there. All you could do was watch and wait for Childe’s queue to take the shot.

“Hello there, kind sir. We meet again.” Childe addressed the man, a smile plastered on his face you knew all too well was grossly in genuine. “How we’re your travels? Am I to assume smooth sailing since you stand before me in one piece?”

“You’re as eloquent as ever with introductions. Certainly “Tartaglia” could not be more ill fitting alias for someone like you, kid.”

The man’s voice was comparatively more mature than the harbinger’s, but it held the same stylistic flair and boastfulness as Childe’s speech patterns. Right from the first sentence, he’s well spoken, like a seasoned business man, matching the energy of his associate to the tee without even skipping a beat. Often, you can tell a lot about a persons character by the way they speak.

“My voyage here was okay, I’d say, aside from when we got near the Inazuman border. No avoiding that though.”

“Well, I’m glad you could make it,” Tartaglia addresssed the man.

“I very much agree…” the man confirmed. “It seems we have quite a bit to discuss.”

Tartaglia let off a slight chuckle, flashing that signature smile of his. “Why, yes. Yes, we do,” Childe continued. “I’m sure it would be advantageous to both of us to get to the business at hand. So with that said, will you be wanting the official record of fees owed to the Tsaritsa?”

“Why, yes, that would be just convenient.” He told Childe agreeably.

“Well then…” Childe began to fumble with the folder that was stuffed in the back of his waistband, opening it up and pulling out a neat slip of paper which he handed to the man. “Her majesty, the Tsaritsa, has kindly taken the initiative of putting together a list itemizing the amount owed dating back to the first month in which you entered the contract. By all means, feel free to review everything and make sure our information is correct. We strive to be thorough with these kinds of things.”

The man took the paper from his hand and took a brief once over of it, unfazed as when he arrived. Childe was watching the man closely as he scanned over the document, but he seemed to be more attentive to him than the man was to the bill. After a brief moment, he looked back up from the paper and at Childe once again.

“So, are there any questions regarding the charges listed? Does everything look correct to you?” Childe asked.

The man smiled. “Why, yes. It seems just fine to me.”

The visible tension in Childe’s back and neck muscles seemed to loosen a bit. “Fantastic. Since we are in agreement about the amount owed, I must ask, how will you be paying?”

The business man’s slight smile began to grow into an eery wide grin. “I think I’ll pass on that part.”

A sense of incoming danger washed over your body and unease seemed to seep into your bones. This was an outcome you half expected, and yet the look on his face and tone of his voice were telling you something was extremely off here.

“I beg your pardon, sir,” Childe responded, the tension rising back up his spine and his voice struggling to keep composure.

“I believe you heard me loud and clear, kid,” the man replied.

Childe took a deep and shaky breath before taking an assertive step forward toward the man. “Sir, I’m not sure what kind of impression you were put under before coming here, but let me be abundantly clear. Given the amount owed and the time in when it has been owed, this is no longer negotiable. The Fatui would hate to have to go to extreme measures.”

The man stood his ground before the harbinger and looked him dead in the eyes. “You’re so full of shit, Tartaglia,” he grimaced. “You know, I really thought more highly of you, but I just can’t believe you brought a friend along so that they could do the dirty work for you.”

Your body jerked in shock at the mans statement. Did he really find you out, or was he just bluffing? Regardless, the nerves in your body continued to swell and stomach was began to feel like it was twisting into knots.

“Alright, missy, come on and show yourself!” The man called out to the open.

You stood frozen in place, unsure what move to make other than no movement at all. He knew, he knew all along, and somehow at some point you let him find out. You hadn’t messed up a mission this badly since your early days, and you weren’t prepared to make backup plans for these kinds of occurrences, but at the very least, you knew that if he was asking you to come out, he didn’t know where you were out there, only that you were out there, and that was your last and final advantage. Childe had little to say as well. All he could do was act oblivious to the accusations that this man was making and hope for the best, but he persisted onward. You saw a flash of light come from his pocket, reflecting the lanterns of the Wangshu Inn, and instinct knew exactly what the illusive object was.

“Fine, then. If you, Tartaglia, are the only one up here…” a swift motion of his hand had the shining object right up against Childe’s neck in a heartbeat, “then I guess I should have no problem taking you out of the picture!”

It was a finely sharpened switchblade which had already broken skin and was letting a small stream of blood from Childe’s neck. It was a bluff, certainly. Killing Childe would only make the forces of the Fatui go after him that much harder, but… Childe was defenseless to do anything about it himself in fear of drawing attention, and there he stood continuing to draw blood. He was in physical pain. Something was so incredibly wrong, and then you saw the red glow of the knife and the matching glow of the pocket in which it came. From there, you put two and two together. The visionless man in question had in fact managed to attain a vision, a pyro one, and he was using his new power to burn into the Harbinger’s skin.

The overconfident and self assured attitude that had been making you uneasy this whole time suddenly made much more sense. Visions gave people the power to become new people and have power over other people. This man knew that if he played his cards right he could walk free of the reins of the Fatui with this new power, and we were playing right into his hands.

The mans wrist made the slightest twitch, indicating that he was prepared to follow through with what he started, and you had seen enough. You stepped into the lantern light, aimed and armed, and the man quickly turned Childe to face you.

Childe’s discomfort continued to grow and become more apparent as you tried to aim a clear shot at the man, but he continued to move Childe around as a human shield, the constant squirming forcing the shallow wound on his skin to widen as they moved synchronously.

“This is between you and me now. I have nothing to do with him, now let him go,” you seethed, teeth clenched in an attempt to suppress your growing nerves.

The man scoffed, his grip on the harbinger unshaken. "Nothing to do with him? Don't make me laugh. You outed yourself as his co-conspirator the second you showed your face here-"

"You're wrong," you intervened, furious at his self-assuredness. "I received a tip that you would be meeting with a Fatui Harbinger to discuss business negotiations tonight and followed him here. He's no more than a bystander in my own business endeavor. I prefer not to let other people get caught in the crossfire of my business, therefore I suggest you to release him. Would you rather face me or the entire Fatui?"

A devious smile began to grow across his face, and soon maniacal laughter ensued. An uneasy feeling seemed to coat your entire body, it shaking under the pressure of his neurotic staring. With every small movement he made, like so much as a twitching of his brow, it became more and more obvious that something was so incredibly wrong here. But what was it?

"Oh, how low you must think of me to think I'd be so foolish as to not consider that before hand," he pestered. "I could never be so naive, but you... you're my perfect alibi."

His wild eyes darted over to the Millileth guards who had been in the near distance, watching closely as the events unfolded, arms crossed and shoulders lazily relaxed, and things suddenly began to make a whole lot more since.

"You... you payed them off," you seethed, anger mixed with anxiety whirling inside of you.

His scaly grin stretched maniacally across his face. "Why of course," he boasted. "I used every penny I had saved up to pay the Tsaritsa before you Fatui assholes tried to rob me!"

"You bastard!" Childe exacerbated.

His only response to the harbinger was the subtle but effective twisting of the knife, forcing a subdued cry from his lips.

"Now... let me tell you how this is gonna end. You could make the smart choice, drop your weapon, and let me leave and never have to lay eyes on a disgusting Fatui member again, or our lovely friends from the Millileth are gonna have to go to Northland Bank and tell the Fatui about how one of their prized diplomats was brutally murdered by an infamous bow wielding assassin from Liyue Harbor."

"You wouldn't dare-"

"Try me," he challenged. "Whether he dies by my hands or yours, if you try to shoot me that's exactly how this'll end. So now I ask you... would you rather deal with me or the Fatui?"

You winced. You and Childe both were being played like cards, manipulated like puppets, a Fatui Harbinger and a veteran assassin brought to their knees by a common business man. It was a cat and mouse game, except you and Childe had been on this chase thinking he was the mouse. It riddled you with shame, fear, rage...

Your hands were shaking. You hadn't had problems with shaky hands when your bow was in your clutches in many years. You gripped the weapon firmer to attempt to quell the vibration to no avail. Never on a mission had you been such a mess.

Childe looked up at you in pain, his high levels of shame matching your own. He let out an intense breath of frustration. "Take the shot," he said.

You felt your stomach drop as he stared you down with cold blue eyes, demanding and serious.

"Childe, if I-"

"Take the shot, y/n..."

"But if I hit you-"

"I said take the shot!" The harbinger thundered. "There's no time to hesitate on this, you have to take him out!"

"I- stop talking down on me!" You grumbled back, hesitantly pulling back in the string of your bow, desperately realigning your aim away from Childe's head over and over again. Shaking and heavy breathing seemed to nearly take over as you watched Childe open his wound further as he struggled to try and pull away far enough to give you an opening. His eyes darted around at your unsteady arrow. You braced yourself to take the shot, wishing you had the time to get on your knees and pray for the gods blessings. No god was coming to your aid now though, and so you mustered what composure you had left to steady your bow and align your aim. You pulled all the way back on the bow, a deep breath in as you prepared for the release, and as you finally began to let go, you watched the arrow glide past both of their heads. Close. Too close.

He loosened his grip in the shock for only a second, but it was enough. You came barreling across the balcony toward the man, Childe falling to the ground like a ragdoll as you gripped your one hand across the man's neck, the other with a spare arrow readily at his heart. He chuckled in your grasp with a disgusting smirk. You wanted to kill him there and now, for your pride and the pain he made you witness your traveling companion feel before your very eyes, but you looked him dead in the eyes and said: "If I ever see your face again, I'll make sure it'll be the last time anyone does."

He paid no mind to his position, offering a simple nod before you removed your hands from him and he began to leisurely walk away, watched carefully and soon followed by guards he had paid off.

You turned to Childe, eyes teary with fear and concern, but Childe had already gotten back off the ground, hunched over in a mixture of pain and exhaustion.

"Childe, you shouldn't-"

"Why didn't you take the shot?" He questioned, eyes facing the ground in shame.

You perplexed before him. "I... I could've killed you. What else could I have done?"

"Oh really," he speculated, his tone leaning on deviance. "I didn't think you valued my life all that much."

"Childe... we have our differences, but I-"

The harbinger finally lifted his head away from his chest, stampeding toward you in a heavy footed rampage, eyes lit up in a fierce stare. You began to stumble back, nearly tripping over your own two feet, but he caught you firmly in his hands, gripping your shoulders and pushing you up against the walls of the Wangshu Inn. "Are you an idiot?!" He screamed, "Why? What happened to wanting to get rid of me, huh?! Either you took the shot and landed him and you no longer have to worry about owing me, or you hit me and never have to deal with me again, so why?!"

"Childe, let go of me!" You squelched, struggling to break free. "What's wrong with you! Did you want me to kill you?!"

"I want to know why you spared me! There's gotta be a reason, and I won't let you go until you tell me. Why'd you do it? What's your motive?!"

"Why?!" You exacerbated, "Why?! Because, Childe, I came here so that I could finally leave you behind, but if you died by my hands... I would've never been able to forget you!" You answered, shoving him off you in a rush of adrenaline.

Childe stumbled away from you, the intensity in his eyes quickly dwindling. He looked so conflicted and ashamed, silence overcoming him. Disappointment was written all over him and you felt yourself shrivel under his gaze.

"I... I shouldn't have said that," you quickly backtracked, resisting the temptation to bury yourself in the wall in your embarrassment. "You know what? You should just forget I even said anything. It was stupid, and I wasn't thinking..."

His eyes seemed to grow tired as he walked back toward you. You felt fearful of what he might do, but continued to stutter defensively.

"Childe, seriously. I wouldn't put too much thought into it, I just... don't like playing dirty like that. Besides, I don't want to deal with the Tsaritsa or the other harbingers, so please just..."

"Shut up," he told you, his hand hanging over you as he leaned his body weight against the wall above you.

"I... please don't kill me."

"I said shut up," he repeated monotonously.

And silence fell over you instantly, nerves overcoming you as Childe's face seemed to hunch over yours. Your heartbeat began to accelerate as you felt his sturdy hands cup your face and bring your lips closer to his, and suddenly, you weren't afraid anymore.

It all happened so fast. As his lips pressed up against yours all fear seemed to disappear. You were safe. Nothing else mattered as your lips intertwined with his, as his passion seemed to flow into you with every perfectly timed movement, every fervorous exchange of devotion.

"Don't forget me," he pleaded in between kisses. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

"I'm okay with that," You told him back sincerely.

He pulled away from you, his neck wound on full display in front of you as it finally began to stop dripping blood.

"Childe, we should clean up your wound," You told him, heavily concerned.

"It's fine," he said, covering the wound with his hand almost shyly.

"It's not," you protested, pulling out a handkerchief you had been holding onto in one of your belt pockets. "We failed the mission. This is the least I can do. I still owe you, you know." You took the handkerchief and began to dab away the blood around the wound, paying little focus to Childe's wandering hand on your hip.

"I... I can think of other ways that you can pay me," the harbinger spoke, his voice weighted in heavy, nervous breaths.

You eyes met his once again, the redness of his cheeks and the slight sparkle in his eye extremely noticeable. You dropped the handkerchief to the ground, your hands immediately moving to your face to hide the heat that was glowing on your skin. "I- are you- how could you just-" You struggled to form proper sentences, the butterflies in your stomach flourishing as you noticed the sensual figure eights his thumb was drawing out on your lower back.

He let out a slight chuckle at your nervous habits. "You've been holding all that back all day, haven't you?" He teased.

"Childe!" You whined, having little composure left to deny him.

"Oh come on," he said, "The way you rushed off at dinner the second I gave you a compliment... how you kept zoning out when we were hiding under the stairs. Was I not supposed to notice those things?" Childe removed his hand from your waist, and began walking himself over to the balcony railing. You couldn't help but float close behind him as he did. "If I'm being honest... it wasn't really hard for me to notice such things, because I'm always looking for them when I'm around you. It's every time I find you in my arms, whether I'm chasing you down on Fatui business or keeping you hostage underneath a staircase, in whatever bizarre context get us there... it just feels-"

"It feels right," you answered, a sort of calm arising from the mutual understanding.

He smiled, eyes glistening under the stars. "Ya," the harbinger confirmed. "But you... you've always been so hard to read. I just had to figure out how to get you to show your true colors to me. Turns out all I had to do was get you alone, and your body told me everything I needed to know."

"My body?" You questioned. "Oh, give me a break. What exactly is it that you think my body told you?"

Childe's gentle smile seemed to morph itself into an insidious smirk. Walked himself back around you, sending chills throughout your nerves as he pressed his whole body against your back, his hands worming their way down your abdomen and wrapping around you like a snake. He brought his lips down to your ear and whispered softly but self-assuredly, "It tells me that you wanna fuck me so bad it's been driving you crazy."

Your mind felt like it was one wrong movement away from short-circuiting as Childe continued to work his hands further down your body.

"You know, you can be super annoying when you get all cocky like this," you scoffed at the boy.

He chuckled lightly. "Oh? Am I getting on your nerves now?" He asked. "Well, I supposed you can look at it this way. If you let me have just one night to do what I want with you, I'll forget about all those favors you owe me afterwards, and you won't ever have to see me again. However... if you decide you wanna see me again after all, I won't stop you. That I can promise you. So either way, from your end, it's a win win," he declared.

"You'd really accept never getting to see me again just like that?" You asked him skeptically.

"Oh, I'm not worried about that," he told you.

"And why is that?"

You felt Childe's hands begin to fidget with the mechanism of your belt. "Because," he said. "I'm gonna make you feel so good tonight, princess, you'll be begging to see me again. How does that sound?"

End of Part One

A/N: Part two is already in the works. I've simply decided to split it up into two parts because the main story line was already longer than usual, and the spicy bits... well, a lot happens. I will be sure to tag it in this post as soon as it is up, but for now, this is just part one of "Returning The Favor" to be followed by part two, which is currently titled "Six Rounds of Karma". If that doesn't make it obvious why these need to be two separate parts, I don't know what will. I appreciate all of those who read this all the way to the end, and I thank you for your patience as I work on the second part.

[imtooscaredforthis]

Fixation

Chapter Ten: Aftermath

Mentions of: Anxiety, injuries, blood, guns, Jed being horny as hell, etc.

Tags: @froegis

For the next couple of nights, you could barely sleep. All the rules, all the safety you had was stripped away, torn from your very hands, taken by Ghostface. He took everything, including your last resort.

Your shotgun. It was a big part of your life. You had been using it ever since you were little while working on the ranch. Your father always wanted a son, but instead, he got you and your sister. While your sister went down her own path, you spent a lot of time with your father, working on the ranch, and even going out hunting. He had taught you everything with that gun, shooting, aiming, hitting near and far target, it was one of the few good things about your relationship with him.

And now, it was all gone, thanks to him. God, you hated him. You don’t know why you wasted all those years of your life studying him. Of course things would end like this. You knew it would happen, and yet you still moved here. Sometimes you just ask yourself how. How could you make such a stupid mistake? How could you waste almost seven years of your life on this?

It was still bothering you that he was keeping you alive. What more did he want? How much more of you could he toy with? He already scared the shit out of you, already crushed all the hope and confidence you had, what more could he do?

It kept you up at night, but you knew that you shouldn’t be focusing on that. Right now, you have to get back to work. You grabbed your clothes, eyeing your lingerie-clad body in the mirror.

Your arm and leg was bandaged up from the past stab wounds, your back bruised from slamming into the counter. With a shaky breath, you slipped on a shirt, and some pants, doing your best to cover up your injuries.

You weren’t ready for this, but you knew you had to go. You had to prove to Ghostface that you weren’t standing down, that you weren’t afraid of him. That you wouldn’t let him win. No matter how much of a lie that was.

And now here you were, sitting at your desk, biting your nails and bouncing your knee nervously. You could barely focus, and the last thing you wanted to write about was Ghostface, no matter how much he was plaguing your mind. You really needed a distraction, and this wasn’t it.

Jed watched you from his office, Danny leaning back in his seat with a grin. You were so scared, so shaken up, and yet you were still here, working, just for him. He knew it was supposed to be some sign of defiance, but he didn’t care. You just looked too cute.

Getting up from his chair, Jed left his office and walked over to you, standing by your desk. “(Y/n), can we talk?”

“Sure.” You got up from the clump, walking over to his workspace. You prayed you weren’t in trouble. You knew you didn’t have the best focus currently, and you had barely gotten anything done.

“Is everything okay? You seem very anxious, and I’ve noticed you’ve been sort of distracted and-“ He paused when he put a hand on your shoulder.

Good god, you were trembling. That’s so fucking hot. It took everything in him to not become who he truly was and take you right then and there.

“Jed? Hello, Jed?” You asked, snapping him out of his little trance. “You’ve been staring at me for a while and you haven’t said anything. You almost scared me for a moment there.”

But the reveal would have to wait. He had a lot more things he wanted to do with you first. A lot more games he wanted to play. “I’m sorry, it’s just- you’re shaking. You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine, I drank too much coffee I guess. I had to pull another all-nighter for school.” You said, and he didn’t believe a single word of it.

“But your arm, it’s bleeding. (Y/n), what happened? Was it- was it Ghostface?” He lowered his voice, grabbing your forearm softly and making you wince. While Danny did his best not to grin, you looked at your bandage, seeing that some of the blood was beginning to seep through again.

You used to be so strong, so brave, and now you were scared and cute. Like a little mouse. His little mouse. Adorable.

“No, it’s not! I told you, he lost interest in me. I just burned myself okay?” You snapped at him.

You didn’t mean to do it, but you knew if you told Jed about what happened, he would get involved too. Then you would be putting his life in danger as well, and that’s the last thing you wanted. So you knew keeping him in the dark was the best thing to do.

“Fine, I’m sorry I asked.” He mumbled, letting your arm go and turning away.

“No, Jed- wait!” You tried stopping him, but he had already left, leaving you alone in his office. You smacked your head, groaning to yourself. “Fuck, what am I going to do?”

--

After changing your bandages and calming yourself down, you sat back at your desk, doing all you could, and getting back to work. Unfortunately, your concentration was short-lived, thanks to the bitch of a secretary standing at your desk.

Sighing, you finished typing your last thought, looking up from your computer. “May I help you?”

“Yes, you can. What were you and Jed talking about?” She questioned, and was she always this nosy and controlling with Jed’s business?

“Um, that was a personal conversation. Why do you need to know?” You retorted, and you were already dealing with enough, you didn’t want to handle her too.

“Because I'm Jed’s secretary. I need to know if some sort of meeting went on to take notes.” That was complete bullshit.

“Jessica, you’re not Jed’s secretary. You’re Vincent’s. So why don’t you mind your business and do what you do best? Sit at that desk and look pretty?” Annie cut in, and you gave her a thankful smile.

“Well, at least I’m not- some- some- office slut!” She snapped, turning off and walking away. Annie just rolled her eyes, flipping the woman off while her back was turned.

You got back to work, thinking back to what Ghostface. If only you knew what he had in store for you.

[submissivekillers]

Yo yo yoooi! Can I please have a lost boys x vamp reader who’s like the very first vampire to be born and she comes and meets the boys cause she’s traveling across the world to visit all her “children” - so basically ancient ass vamp reader who looks 20 something meets the lost boys cause she’s meeting the rest of her kind

like what i do? support me on kofi

ngl i basically pictured reader as a pre-milfication lady d while writing this jhgfdsa. brainrot!! also mild max slander

length: 2.2k

If there is one rule you’ve managed to learn over the long years of your existence, it is this: humans will take any opportunity to make fools of themselves. 

Santa Carla is no exception.

Even in the early morning before the hordes of hormone-addled humans descended on the beach, the air had been heavy with smoke and blood and sex, so strong it almost overpowered the scent of the sea even when you'd peeled off your sandals to wade in. In its own way, it's exhilarating; the anticipation had your old blood stirring, your excitement mounting as the sun dipped low and the crowds swelled. From the window of your little motel room, you'd had a wonderful view of the flood of humans that spilled onto the boardwalk, the vast majority of them young and already inebriated to some degree. Ripe for the picking.  

It's not humans that you're hunting for tonight, though. At least, not yet.  

At a leisurely pace, you wander the boardwalk, taking your time to enjoy the local color. You indulge in a vivid blue cloud of cotton candy, try a couple rides, win yourself a stuffed whale after breaking a few bottles and promptly gift it to the first kid you see. A belligerent twenty-something who stinks of beer tugs at the hem of your white dress as it swishes around your thighs and you break his wrist without a second thought, disappearing into the crowd long before his scream of pain is lost in the echo of blaring music and shrieks of sugar-fueled glee. 

You're in line behind a gaggle of chattering teens at an ice cream stand when your nerves prickle, feeling the weight of eyes on the back of your neck. Without turning, you inhale, nose wrinkling as the acrid smell of old blood fills your nose. They absolutely reek of the stuff - it's so strong that you're a little surprised even the humans aren't picking up on it. But then again, maybe they just can't pick it out under the layers of weed and exhaust smoke.

The teens disperse, laden with several precarious cones of ice cream, and the bored woman behind the counter waves you up. You open your mouth, but there's an arm around your waist before you can say a word, a cool body pressed against your side. A ringed hand slaps a crumpled five-dollar bill on the counter, mismatched bracelets jingling with the motion. 

"We got the lady's order tonight, Peggy," comes a voice from your other side. You glance over the top of your glasses (cheap, heart-shaped things rimmed in vivid pink, scavenged from last night's meal) and meet the gaze of a cherubic blond, his pale blue eyes calculating as he worries his thumbnail between his teeth.  

The arm around your waist squeezes tighter. You turn your head, tilting your chin slightly so you can lock eyes with another pair of baby blues. They sparkle at you mischievously as your fellow vampire, bends to whisper in your ear, teased blond mane tickling your nose. "What can I get for you, baby girl?" 

You make a show of considering your options, pouting faintly as you prop a hand under your chin. You slip your other hand around his waist, idly toying with the mesh of his ridiculous fishnet top and grinning when he shivers at the scrape of your painted nails. "Chocolate shake, I think," you murmur, looking up at him through your lashes. "Are you getting anything?"

Rocker boy shakes his head, tips you an exaggerated wink as he shoves the fiver towards the increasingly petrified-looking cashier. "Nah, all yours tonight."

"Sweet of you," you chirp, popping up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. He beams at you sunnily, shooting an excited glance at the cherub over the top of your head.

Peggy pushes your shake over the counter, lid only half-on in her haste to get the three of you away from her little stand. You manage to flash her a smile (aiming for sympathetic, but perhaps landing closer to smug) before you're pulled away, happily taking a sip of your drink as the cherub comes to walk at your side, trapping you between their bodies. You address the rocker first, catching the way his eyes dart down to catch you licking the ice cream from your lips. "You got a name?" 

"You can call me Paul, baby," he purrs, then wiggles his brows at you suggestively. "Or daddy, if ya want." 

You snort around the straw of your shake, unable to resist the grin that tugs at the corners of your mouth. It's definitely one of the more low-effort pickup lines you've ever heard, but something about him - the goofy little eyebrow waggle, the answering grin when you laugh at him like he knows exactly how ridiculous he is, his overall puppyish manner - manages to push it over the line from sleazy to charming. "You should be so lucky."

"I'd be the luckiest man in the world, I think," he flashing you a smile that's slower, more seductive than his cheesy grin - the kind of smile that would make any pretty young human a little more willing to spread their thighs. 

It's perhaps more effective on you than you care to admit, but you ignore the lazy heat that curls down your spine, turning to bat your eyes at the cherub. "How 'bout you, handsome?" 

"Marko," he says shortly. His face is young, but he's definitely the older one here - you can always tell by the eyes. "And you're on our turf."

"What, a girl can't take a little vacation in peace? I thought this was a free country," you huff in mock indignance.

Marko narrows his eyes at you. "Free country, maybe. Not free hunting grounds." He gnaws his thumbnail again, scanning you like he's trying to judge a threat - though it seems he can't help lingering for a long moment on the bare skin of your thighs. "Mind coming with us? David wants to meet you." 

David. The name is familiar - Max's first, if you recall. From what you'd heard, he could be quite a territorial creature. 

Paul, perhaps mistaking your thoughtfulness for unease, squeezes your shoulder reassuringly. "Hey, you're not in trouble. We just wanna make sure you're cool, you know?" His thumb draws steady circles over the arch of your shoulder blade. "This is our turf, but if you're not gonna cause any trouble, you'll be okay." 

The expression on Marko's face makes you doubt Paul's optimism, but you play along, curling a hand around his bicep and leaning in. "But what if I like causing trouble?" 

Paul grants you another sunny grin. "Then you can cause trouble with us," he murmurs against the shell of your ear. "I bet we could show you a good time." 

Marko clears his throat, distracting you from your flirting, and you're suddenly aware of the scent of blood grown stronger - along with the pungent smell of motor oil. Looking ahead, you see a group of bikes before you, two more vampires leaning against their respective rides. 

Both handsome, and you can tell they're both strong - but it's clear from a glance which one is the leader. 

"Thanks for fetching our guest," the blond - David, you know instinctively - rumbles, his voice a warm, sardonic purr. He looks you up and down, the weight of his eyes like a physical thing. "Welcome to Santa Carla."

"Do you give all visitors a personal welcome?"

"Only the interesting ones." He smiles at you, the edge of a fang glinting in the light. "Come with us. There's someone you should meet." 

You lift a brow. "Oh? And here I figured you were the one in charge around here?" 

"I am, don't get it twisted," he shoots back lazily, pulling a battered pack of cigarettes from inside his duster. "But our sire wants to meet you." 

"Ah, so you're the lead enforcer," you muse, nodding. David gives you a look caught between exasperation and amusement and takes point as you're herded after him. "And you?" You chirp, turning to the dark-haired boy who walks behind you. 

He blinks languidly at you. "...Dwayne." 

Strong and silent. You can appreciate that in a man. 

You're lead to a video shop in the center of the boardwalk, fielding Paul's flirting, Marko's questions, and Dwayne's cautious stare as you go. David walks slightly ahead of the rest of you, puffing on a cigarette and occasionally glancing at you out of the corner of his eye.

As you approach the door you hear Dwayne sniff, his rumble of "Maria's not here yet," barely audible even to your heightened senses. 

"Good," David murmurs, pulling open the door with a merry chime of the little bell. He bows his head, making a sweeping gesture to usher you by. "After you."

Drifting inside, you're assaulted by flickering screens and lurid posters, a storm of color and noise. You run a fingertip down the spine of a videotape, but a whimper draws your attention. Bending at the waist, you catch sight of Max's hound hiding under a desk, watching you with ears pinned flat to his skull. 

Shame, really. You found him rather cute, but the beast had always been terrified of you. 

A familiar scent reaches your nose, and a familiar face follows soon after - though he's changed significantly since the last time you saw him. The trappings of the modern world suit him well, you have to admit; the thick glasses lend a sort of non-threatening charm to his face, which you suppose is the point.

"Thorn, what's gotten into"—he stops so quickly his shoes squeal against the floor, the friendly shopkeeper guise dropping in the space of a blink—You." 

"Maxie." You greet, inclining your head. "You look... alive. In a manner of speaking, of course." 

He steps between you and the hound, hands curled into tense fists at his sides. "What are you doing here?" 

"Just sightseeing, really," you say soothingly, holding up your hands in surrender. "Figured the time was ripe to catch up with the world, see how all my little birds are doing. Carmilla sends her love, by the way." 

"This is my territory," Max hisses through his teeth, eyes bleeding yellow. "You know you can't be here without prior notice, it's law—" 

You sigh through your nose and snap your fingers. "Maximillian, kneel."

He falls to his knees hard enough that the tile cracks under his weight. You step closer, lifting his chin to meet his furious glare; he visibly strains against your order, a vein pulsing in his temple. You have no doubt that he would tear your throat out if given the chance.

But you've been alive entirely too long to let a little upstart like Max get the better of you.  

"I'm not here to cause trouble," you say, calmly, but firm. "But I made the laws, Max. You would do well not to forget that." 

He bares his teeth at you, face fully transformed to reveal the beast within. You look at him impassively for a moment, then sigh, turning on your heel and edging past a stunned Dwayne. "I'll meet you outside, boys."  

You push through the door with more force than strictly necessary, the tinkle of the bell almost mocking your dampened mood. Disappointing. Max had always clashed with you, even if he lacked the nerve to do anything about it. You'd hoped that a few hundred years apart might have cooled his animosity towards you, but clearly that was too much to hope for. 

You suck on your straw, making a face at the airy rattle you get instead of ice cream. All out of milkshake, and still so thirsty.  

The bell jingles again, heralding the approach of Max's coven. "I apologize for not warning you," you say before any of them can speak, twirling your empty cup. "I did have a feeling Max would react badly to seeing me. He's always been a bit of a cunt when things don't go his way." 

"How old are you?" Marko blurts. 

"Don't you know it's rude to ask a lady's age?" You tut, waving a finger in mock-indignation. "Really. No manners at all."

David steps forward, eyes glittering in the neon lights. "You turned Max." 

"No," you say, smiling to show off the long, curving points of your canines. "But I turned his sire. And I turned the sire before her, too." 

Glances are exchanged. Dwayne and David hold each other's gaze for a long moment, then Dwayne breaks away to glance at Marko, murmuring something just quietly enough that you don't catch it. Paul smiles, curious and admiring, and when David looks back at you there's a cautious interest written in the lines of his face. 

"Tell you what," you purr, looping your arms around David's neck. His gloved hands come to rest on your hips, leather creaking as he idly kneads the flesh hidden beneath soft cotton. "My throat's feeling a little dry. Why don't you boys take me for a drink, and then I’ll answer a few questions."

[lacontroller1991]

You’re Safe (Platonic!Daryl Dixon x Platonic!Reader)

Anon Request: hi! If you’re not super busy, can you do a platonic twd imagine where the reader (15/16yo) is living alone in the woods and often sneaks into Alexandria to steal supplies, one day she gets caught and rick and the others take her in?

Anon Request: I’m not who requested reader sneaking into Alexandria but I'm excited for it! If you’re still taking requests I’m a sucker for anything father figure Daryl or the group taking in the reader, I just think that relationship is so cute and wholesome to read.

A/N: I am going to combine these two requests into one as they both follow the same narrative if that's alright.

Warnings: mention of rape

Walking. Walking is all that you do. Ever since your parents died a year ago, you kept on walking in hopes to find something or someone to rely on for a while and not yourself. So when you first came across Alexandria, you were skeptical. It looked too nice and too pristine for being in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. 

Walking around the outskirts of the town, you looked at the fences for any weak points in which you could exploit and possibly take some food or supplies. You had decided to wait for night to take over before nudging a small enough space to wiggle your small body into. You cautiously looked around the town, scoping out where most people would go for food and weapons. After noticing them going into a townhouse, you ran along the railing and hid below the staircase while the members of the community walked down the steps.

After waiting a couple of more minutes, you peered out from below the steps to look around. Once noticing it was clear, you crawled out and into the open air before tiptoeing up the steps and entering the building. Looking around, your eyes widened when you noticed all of the guns and ammo, and even more important all of the food. Searching through the rows of food, you started to shove cans of everything into your bag, making sure to take just enough to keep you going and hopefully enough that no one will notice anything missing.

You went every week like clockwork, always making sure that no one was around when you sneaked into the cabinets and out of the community, however, today you weren’t so lucky. You made your way to the small opening you had created a while ago and peered through the hole to make sure no one was around. Laying on your stomach, you began to crawl underneath the metal to the other side only to be stopped when you felt the barrel of a gun pressed against your forehead. 

“Get up,” a young masculine voice spoke as you looked up. Standing above you was a boy around your age wearing a hat and sporting an eye patch. He had his gun trained on your forehead as you raised your hands up. Putting away the gun back in its holster, the boy grabbed your arms and tied some rope around your wrists.

“I don’t mean no harm. Let me go,” you begged as he scoffed and glared at you before shoving you toward the street and leading you to a house. Guiding you up the steps, he opened the door before shoving you in, causing you to stumble across the door frame and into a room of many people, all eyeing you.

“Found the person who’s been sneaking in,” the boy spoke as a man with a beard and curly hair walked toward the two of you.

“Carl, I told you not to go out at night,” the man spoke as the boy behind you stood still but lowered his head.

“I know, I just wanted to know who was stealing the food,” he replied to whom you assumed was his father the way the two stood in front of each other. The man sighed before turning his attention to you.

“Who are you and why have you been stealing our supplies?”

“I’m nobody. I need food, which is not easy to come by out there,” you spoke in an aggressive tone, asserting the fact that you weren’t intimidated by the group.

“Who are you?”

“What? Are you guys with the Saviors? Do you want me to say ‘I’m Negan’? Not gonna happen,” you spat out as the man standing in front of you as well as the rest of the group looked at you in surprise.

“With the Saviors? We’re in a war with them.” Carl spoke as you whipped your head around to him and raised an eyebrow.

“You know Negan?” Another man with shaggy hair asked, eyeing you with slight pity, trying to imagine why a teen would know Negan and his group.

“Know Negan? That bastard? His men raped my mom in front of my dad and then killed the both of them in front of me. He just sat and watched,” you whispered, trying to suppress your emotions as the group looked at you sympathetically, “look, I’m sorry I stole from you guys. I really am. Can you guys just let me go, I won’t come back.” You spoke as the man with the beard looked at the guy with shaggy hair.

“What if you stayed here?” He asked gently while the other man untied the knot around your wrists, freeing you.

“That’s awfully generous, but I don’t know you guys. You could be with them,” you stated as the man with the beard looked at his son who shrugged his shoulders.

“We’re not with them. You’re welcome to stay with us,” the man stated as you looked around the room skeptically and made eye contact with the guy who had shaggy hair who simply nodded at you, giving you reassurance despite you still not knowing who he was.

“I don’t know you guys.”

“I’m Rick Grimes. You already met Carl, my son. This is Daryl,” he motioned to the man who had shaggy hair and who had nodded at you, “this is Aaron, Rosita, Tara, and Michonne,” he finished after pointing everyone out that was in the room, “what’s your name?” He asked softly as you looked down at your dirtied pants that were dotted with blood stains and mud.

“(Y/N) (Y/L/N),” you replied, looking up at Rick who gave a small smile and nodded.

“You’re more than welcome to stay here,” he offered as Daryl stepped forward. “She can stay with me, I have extra room,” Daryl stated, shocking the group.

“Why don’t we get you settled in. Get you a shower,” Michonne mentioned, causing your head to shoot up.

“You guys have showers here?” The group chuckled and smiled, nodding their heads as you looked to Rick.

“I might stay after all.”

It had been two months since you had moved into Alexandria. You and Daryl had gotten close, him taking a more fatherly approach to you, knowing what it’s like loosing family. You walked by his side in silence as the two of you wondered around the forest, hunting for some food, a past time that you have taken up recently.

“You know, my first boyfriend hunted. Though it was more for sport,” you reminisced, frowning at the thought of killing all of those ducks for game and not meals.

“You’re what? 16? Ya had a boyfriend?” He asked in confusion as your lips curled into a small smile, keeping the bow in your hand taut.

“Yeah, the only one though, kinda hard to keep a relationship when he’s a walker,” you chuckled bitterly as Daryl quirked an eyebrow up at you.

“Ya happy ‘bout that or sum’?” He asked, sweeping over the trees and trying to find squirrels. 

“Yeah, just because he was a boyfriend, don’t mean he was a good one. Glad he got bit.”

“Damn girl, remind me not to get on ya bad side.”

“Dully noted,” you whispered, taking aim at the tree, releasing your arrow and stabbing a squirrel. 

“You’re getting better.”

“You taught me,” you replied as his lips turned up in a slight smile and shook it off.

“It ain’t nothin’,” he muttered as you rolled your eyes.

“Daryl, you’re the closest thing that I have to a father now, if you haven’t taken me under your wing, I don't know what I would have done.”

“Rick woulda taken ya in.” 

“Yeah, I know, but he already has Carl and Judith to take care of, it wouldn’t make sense to add another person to that mix,” you spoke, not noticing how he stood still and fell behind you.

“Would ya rather of had him take ya in?” Daryl asked through clenched teeth, trying to not let the hurt show.

“Of course not, I already told you. You’re the closest thing I have to a father and I owe my life to you for taking me in,” you responded, turning around and hugging him around his waist, waiting for him to hesitantly wrap his arms back around you.

“You’re welcome.”

A/N: This was so longgggggg. Hope you guys enjoy!

[petri808]

I3+Bakudeku mutual pining idiots Actor AU @miss-lorali request. I’m an idiot cause my idea is gonna be waaaay longer then I was aiming for lol.

“Okay,” the hiring director motioned for the pair to move closer. “Mr. Midoriya, remember you’re a scientist and Bakugou’s character is here to take you to safety. But you don’t understand why just yet. So, if you are ready, please begin the reading.”

Katsuki gesturing wildly, “pack it up quick nerd, we gotta get out of here before DAV gets here!”

Izuku pretending to complete a file download. He slammed his fist on the imaginary desk. “I can’t make the computer move faster! I don’t even understand what the hell is going on!”

Katsuki, “you’re science experiments aren’t important, we—”

Izuku straightened out, walked over and placed a finger on the larger man’s chest, running it slowly down from his collarbone to his pecs, while lowering his tone and narrowing his eyes. “Oh,” his brow raised, “and what would a grunt like you know about science?”

Katsuki slapped his hand away in annoyance, though a light flush arose on his tinged cheeks. “F-Fuck off!” He gritted back. “Just hurry the fuck up!”

“Yeah, yeah...” Izuku went back to the imaginary desk and pretended to type something. “30 seconds, fast enough for you? Probably like your bedroom speed,” he mumbled the last portion.

“What?!”

“And cut!” The hiring director yelled. “That was perfect!! Midoriya you’re hired!”

“Oh hell no!” Katsuki screamed at the director. “He added lines at the end! How is that okay?!”

“Because,” the woman countered. “It was still perfectly in character, and you know very well that the Director allows actors to ad lib if it fits the scene.”

Katsuki crossed his arms, “I refuse to work with him.”

“You’ve already signed the contract,” her brow perked up, “and may I remind you of the penalty if you quit now?”

“Find someone else!”

“No. The chemistry between you two came through perfectly on camera. It’s done. He’s it. End of discussion.” The woman then ignored the raging blonde and turned to Izuku. “I’ll let your agent know so we can sign the contracts, and I’ll have the full script sent to their office by end of day along with the filming schedule. You did a great job today holding your own and not getting lost next to Bakugou. I’m glad to have you on board with this project.”

“Thank you so much, Ms. Ashido. I was quite excited when I heard about the project and look forward to being part of the team.”

“Kiss ass,” Katsuki sneered. “You’re in. No need for simpering.”

But Izuku played it cool. He wasn’t about to play into the leads temper tantrum. “You might be top as an action star, but I have my own credit successes. So, stop treating me like the hired help, or I’ll make you scream in another way.”

Katsuki’s eyes flashed wide and mouth hung agape. It’s been a long time since anyone’s stood up to him and this smaller, green-haired, freckle-faced mouse just grew a set of balls to rival his own. “H-how dare you?!”

“I dare,” Izuku grinned brightly. “See ya later Kacchan!” He waved as he walked away.

Ms. Ashido giggled. “Oooo, this is gonna be so good! I must say I’d chalked him up as iffy, but he really proved me wrong.”

“Little shit is already giving me a nickname? Who the fuck does he think he is?!”

“Your new co-star.” She patted his chest twice and walked away with a smirk.

“Fuck!” What did he just get himself into?!

That afternoon, Katsuki left the studio in a total huff. And to think, he’d gone in excited to be working with Izuku Midoriya. Their movie credits ran in different circles, but he knew exactly who the man was. Izuku was from all he’d seen a great actor, and the perfect person to play his opposite. The guy looked like a handsome office worker, lean but built well, smaller then himself, and would fit snuggly against his chest in a romantic scene. In fact, it was after one of Izuku’s very first movies as a lead that a crush bloomed for the man. He had expected a quieter guy, but oh, boy! Had he been blindsided! And if that didn’t just turn him on even more!

Hence the dilemma he now found himself in. He’d have to act side by side with a man he was extremely attracted to, but only pretended to be. Katsuki was certain that Izuku’s attitude during the read was the same as his�� pretending. Because that’s how you sell a movie. If the audience buys into what you’re selling, box office sales will go up. It’s not supposed to be real emotions. Heaven help him this just might kill him!

At home, he read through the script again noting the section that would be his hardest to overcome. The love scenes. No full nudity, not even close, but there is a section near the end where in a moment of pent up emotions, and the exhilarating rush of emotions, they end up lip-locked. Granted, the more realistic it is, the better, but Katsuki felt the nerves kicking in just thinking about it. He could only pray that in the real moment, and energies are heightened, he simply runs on instinct and acting prowess.

‘Come on, dumbass! It’s not your first kiss scene!’ Katsuki growled to himself in the safety of his own home. “Stupid!” He was making himself all flustered like some virginal teenager about to kiss his first crush! Fuck that! He wasn’t about to show Izuku any weakness! The last thing he wanted was for the man to figure out he was really just an overgrown pining fool behind a mask of anger. He didn’t even know which way the man swung because Izuku kept his life private, very private. A miracle in their world of paparazzi. It meant two things, Izuku really was good at hiding, or simply wasn’t seeing anyone for them to catch. Either way, Katsuki couldn’t figure out what he desperately wanted to know. Did he have a chance?

A month later, Katsuki and Izuku found themselves on location in Europe where most of the scenes would be filmed. The premise of the movie is of a top-tier scientist in the field of chemicals played by Izuku, who is to be kidnapped. But because MI6 caught wind of the plan, they sent in one of their agents played by Katsuki to get Izuku to safety. They barely make it out of the lab in time and now they’re on the run, being hunted by a group called the DAV who want Izuku to create chemical weapons for them. Katsuki needed to somehow get Izuku safely from his home in France, back to England where the MI6 brass waited to secret him into permanent hiding.

“Stop, stop, stop!” Izuku screamed and yanked Katsuki to halt. The moment they stop moving, he collapsed onto his knees, clutching his chest trying to catch his breath from all the running. “W-what is going on?!”

“Look,” Katsuki tried to yank the man back to his feet, but Izuku slumped and played a dead weight. “Damn it, we gotta get out of here before someone sees us!”

“No! I-I can’t keep running like this! I’m not exactly athletic! Now, tell me what the hell is going on!”

Katsuki growled and ignored Izuku’s pleas. He grabbed him instead and dead lifted him up, hoisting the man onto his shoulder in a fireman carry. Izuku bucked, but Katsuki literally slapped his ass to behave. “Just shut up for now,” he snapped and took off running down the alleyway. “I’ll explain everything when I get us somewhere safe!”

“If I’m the victim, shouldn’t you be nicer to me?!” Izuku retorted.

“I’ll be nicer if you stop causing me a headache!”

As soon as they exit the alley, Katsuki quickly surveyed his options. The bad guys blew up his car, so he needed transportation. He saw a man exiting a vehicle and rushed over, pulling a gun on them.

“Gimme the keys,” he aimed at the man’s head, to which they immediately complied. “Now scram!”

Katsuki put Izuku back on his feet. “Get in!”

“Where are we go—”

“Just get in the fucking car!”

Once Izuku is inside the passenger side, Katsuki got into the drivers and hightailed it out of there, heading towards the outskirts of town.

“Trailing car... And cut! Perfect!” The director called out. “Thirty minute break to reset for the next scene.”

“Kacchan, wanna get some lunch with me?” Izuku asked as they stepped out of the car.

“No,” Katsuki replied and quickly walked away, leaving his co-actor standing there with a sad, pouting look on his face.

‘Don’t turn around!’ He screamed at himself. Just co-workers, he reminded. Don’t get too close to that cute... freckled... “Fuck!” Katsuki screamed the moment he slammed his trailer door behind him and fell back against it. ‘Why’d I slap his ass!’ He groaned and ran a hand down his face. It wasn’t in the script and apparently the director didn’t mind it. ‘You did it cause you wanted to...’ his conscience chimed back. “Fuck you.” That’s not true...

A few minutes later there was a knock at his door. “Go away!” Katsuki snapped, he didn’t want to be bothered. Then a second knock, and a shuffling sound. “Go the fuc—” He whipped the door open to find no one standing there. “What the?” That’s when his looked down and saw a wrapped sandwich and a piece of paper tucked under it. Katsuki picked it up and closed door, opening up the sandwich to eat it. He was hungry, just didn’t want to take Izuku up on his offer. As he ate he opened the note:

I just wanna be friends :) that was a taxing scene, so you must be hungry. See you back on set. -I

It had been Izuku.

“Tch.” Katsuki bit down on the sandwich. ‘Didn’t have the balls to stick around though.’ But despite his grumping, he couldn’t help the light blush filtering onto his cheeks and warmth filling his body. Izuku was just too damn nice.

Filming an action movie was a lot more taxing then the consumers might realize. Thankfully, stunt doubles did the hardest scenes for the pair, but close ups and cardio elements were all them, and to see Izuku keeping up with him left Katsuki pleasantly surprised. Too pleasant. Moments in close confines, of him holding or dragging the man around left his libido in agony by end of day only to be relieved by a hand it didn’t want. Almost four months of agony had left Katsuki’s mind a buzz, trapped in a cycle of false realities and wishful thinking.

It was the last day of filming, and the scene Katsuki had dreaded had finally arrived. So much so, that he’d convinced the producer to hold off on filming it till the very end despite it taking place two-thirds of the way through the movie itself. Screw it, they can edit and splice it in. For a lot of actors, the intimately romantic parts were the hardest to accomplish, because conveying such raw emotions and making it believably real for the audience took great finesse.

They were holed up for the night in a small run down inn Katsuki managed to find after crossing the French border into Belgium. They were both exhausted, Izuku’s character more so, unused to such physical demands. DAV always managed to catch up to them within a day or two, so it left them little time to breathe, and Izuku was at his breaking point.

The smaller male pounded on Katsuki’s chest while tears streamed down his face. “I can’t keep doing this! Why can’t they just leave me alone?!”

Katsuki grabbed Izuku’s flailing arms gently to stop him. “I don’t know why.” He pulled the man towards the bed to sit down, taking a place beside him as he did his best to console. “But I promise I’ll keep you safe. We’ll get to safety soon and it will all be over with.”

Izuku sobbed harder, burying his face in Katsuki’s shoulder. His fingers gripped tightly to the man’s torn shirt. “You can’t promise me that,” he mumbled. “I’ve caused you so much trouble, maybe it’s best if I gave myself up to them.”

Katsuki pushed the man back and forced Izuku to look up at him. “Don’t you do that! Don’t you dare! You think I’m gonna just let them take you?!” His voice cracked as he channeled real emotions of the fear of losing this man. “You... I’m not letting them take you away from me Hitomu!”

Izuku looked up when he heard the pain behind Katsuki’s words to find tears pooling and clouded ruby red eyes. He held the man’s gaze for several seconds, staring, lip quivering. “I don’t want to leave you either, Takeo.” Izuku’s fingers slowly uncurl, smoothing out and lowering to Katsuki’s firm abdomen where it came to rest just above the waistline and pressed in firmly. “I feel safe with you.”

Katsuki’s breathing slowed as his eyes widened. Shit! He’s not ready for this scene! He thought he was, oh how he wanted to just rush in and steal Izuku’s lips! But his mind froze as glistening emerald eyes held it hostage. What was his lines? Are there any lines? Fuck! He couldn’t think straight!

“Cut!” The director yelled. “Bakugou, what’s the problem? You hold the gaze for a second then kiss him. Do you need a break?”

This was the first time since making it big that Katsuki’s messed up a scene like this. He took a moment to snap out of his trance, then yelled back. “No! Let’s just get this over with.”

“Alright. Places people, let’s take it from the last line Midoriya. Action!”

Izuku repeated the last line, “I feel safe with you,” adding a deeper grip to the waist band of Katsuki’s pants.

Katsuki’s eyes lower, half-lidded as he reached out and caressed Izuku’s face gently, cupping the man’s cheek before leaning in and landing a solid kiss. His mind was barely holding it together to keep his actions gentle.

Izuku reacted accordingly, once again his fingers gripping to the fabric of Katsuki’s clothes as the kiss was deepened considerably.

Katsuki’s hand trailed up and behind, tangling into his co-actors green curls. He let go of any control and lost himself in their embrace, in the feel of Izuku’s supple lips against his own. In that moment, they were no longer filming a movie scene, but transported into the blonde’s fantasy, of so much more that he’d love to do this man’s body. His eyes rolled back and fluttered as Izuku trailed heated kisses down to the nape of his neck, pressing firm nibbles and light mewling whines.

“Kacchan...” Izuku huskily whispered too low for the microphone to pick up.

But Katsuki heard it loud and clear, and he responded with a rumbling groan that went straight to his groin. Izuku had used his nickname... Not the characters name! His nickname! And damn did it sound sweet to his ears! Katsuki’s too far gone and doesn’t stop the decent, even as the smaller male applied pressure, allowing Izuku to guide them deeper onto the bed. Hands followed curves and groped flesh as they moved under the confines of shirts in the makings of a sex scene. Izuku truly felt wonderful against him, moving in time with his movements like a perfect dance. It was only once on his back, with their bodies semi-entwined, that the director finally yelled cut, and Katsuki’s fantasy came to a screeching halt.

“Brilliant work guys!” The director congratulated his two stars as they made their way off the bed. “I think we can call it a wrap!”

Applause rang out on the set as everyone was high-fiving or shaking hands, patting the two men on the back and adding to the job well done message. Izuku was blushed and beaming, but Katsuki still flustered from the scene, ignored the jovial repartee and beelined it to his trailer for some privacy. It was a miracle no one noticed the slight pitch in his pants, because now he was fucking horny! If the director hadn’t stopped them, who knows how far things would have gone. The sound of Izuku’s voice whispering his name continued to repeat in Katsuki’s mind like a siren, but he couldn’t give into it.

“This was just acting!” Katsuki screamed in the safety of his trailer as he punched the wall as hard as he could. It’s a fantasy! A goddamn fantasy world! And it’s over! “Stop thinking about him!” At that moment, there’s a knock on his trailer door followed by his name being called out.

“Kacchan? What was that loud bang?”

Fuck! It was Izuku again!

“Kacchan?” More determined pounding on the doror. “Kacchan, c-can we talk, please, I need to talk to you.”

“I’m fine, go away!”

“I’m not going away, we need to talk about what just happened!”

Katsuki growled and slammed the door wide open, ignoring the throb of his hand. “No, we don’t! It was just a scene Izuku!” But after shouting his piece-of-mind, he’s taken slightly aback at the teary-eyed man who looked like he was on the verge of crying.

“It wasn’t just a scene for me, Kacchan.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Katsuki questioned, though again his whispered nickname sprang back to the forefront. Had Izuku said it on purpose?!

“Did you feel nothing between us?” Izuku’s lip quivered as he spoke. “Was the passion that came out on set just acting?” His voice cracked. “If you say yes, I-I’ll leave you alone. It’s just— I took this job because... I like you, Kacchan. I’ve liked you for a long time and thought maybe... but— that’s okay, just forget it,” he turned to walk away unwilling to take the rejection face-forward. “Thank you for the opportunity to work with you.”

Katsuki stood in his spot completely stunned by the confession. But the further Izuku moved away from his trailer, he quickly realized he was about to lose the very thing he’d come to desire. He raced after the man and grabbed him by the shoulder, spinning him around, and slammed his lips into the stunned Izuku. It was filled with an even more heightened passion then before, now that there was no audience watching them. He nibbled at the man’s bottom lip, eliciting a groan, while Izuku’s hands grabbed desperately onto his shirt, holding tight.

“Fucking nerd,” Katsuki mumbled with a smile while threading his fingers through Izuku’s hair. “How could I not want you too after you’d riled me up since the day we met.”

Izuku blushed in embarrassment. “S-sorry for coming on so strong. I just got in my head that I needed to look cool and not a pining mess. I really wanted to work with you.”

“Tch, I guess I can’t really talk, because I acted like an asshole, so I didn’t look like a pining idiot.” Katsuki laughed. “Guess we’re both pining idiots.” He kissed Izuku again and lowered his voice to a sultry tone. “Wanna finish what we started?”

Izuku giggled as his hands tugged at the man’s waistband. “Most definitely.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Silly Bonus: from a chat with a friend lol

As they start to walk back towards Katsuki’s trailer, Izuku takes hold of the man’s hand. But now that the adrenaline had worn off, Katsuki immediately flinched from the pain. Izuku stopped and lifted it up for inspection, seeing the slight swell of the man’s knuckles and drying blood. “Oh my goodness, Kacchan was that noise from you punching the wall?”

“What? No!” He pulled his hand back and hid it behind his back.

“You’re bleeding, we should get the medics.”

“I’m fine, it’s fine, it’s just ketchup.”

“Ketchup?” Izuku’s brow raised. “Really?”

“Really.”

Izuku:

[intoanothermind]

Beauty Queen - Chapter 10

B E A U T Y   Q U E E N

Synopsis: You are the Ice Princess of Narnia during the Long Winter. Your sister Jadis, the White Witch, hates that you’re always helping Narnians escape prision. She decides to hunt you down and you have to run away from the palace. What happens when you find the four humans lost in Narnia?

- Edmund Pevensie x reader

Masterlist

<Chapter 9 | Chapter 11>

(There’s probably a lot of errors, but I just translated real quick because there’s been ages since I updated.)

—-

C H A P T E R   T E N

They walked through the snow that lazily melted. Their footprints showed the path they passed through towards the frozen river. Of course, no one could erase the footprints so the maximum they could do was to speed up the pace so they wouldn't get caught.

“Come on, humans! While we are young!’ yelled Mr. Beaver, who went ahead to show them the way.

“If he rushes us again...” Peter said, bending so Lucy could jump on his back. “I'll make him into a very cute hat.”

Susan let out a quiet laugh.

“Quick! Come on!” cried the Beaver, a few meters in front of others.

“He's getting bossy!” said Lucy.

“No!” cried Mrs. Beaver. ”Look behind you! It's her!”

They looked and saw a few meters away, a carriage that glided easily through the snow. Lucy jumped off Peter's back and they all ran.

“Run!” cried Mr. Beaver.

They heard the reindeer hooves getting closer and closer and knew it wasn’t a good thing. They ran across the snowy field and came to the edge of a forest, where they spotted a small cave between the roots of a tree. They saw the snow fall slightly to his feet only when they saw a big fat shadow walk close to the rock where they were hidden behind. They could see the person's shadow reflected in a snowy dune in front of them. They saw the shadow moving away, almost giving up.

They looked at the dune curiously while the beaver sniffed the air in a desperate manner.

“It seems...” whispered Lucy. “That it’s gone.”

“I better go see it.” said Peter, about to come out of hiding.

“You will not serve Narnia dead.” said the Beaver, turning to the opening.

“And neither do you, old man.” said Mrs. Beaver.

“Thank you darling.”

That being said, the Beaver got out of hide, sniffing and crawling to find out if they were gone or not. There were moments of tension between those present. Suddenly, the beaver appears on the edge of the rock, causing Lucy to cry out.

“Get out! Get out!” said the Beaver. “I hope you’ve been nice, because you have a visitor!” And then left.

They came out of hiding, a little afraid. In front of them was a fat man with a white beard. He wore a wine red cloak over ordinary red.

The man laughed.

“Merry Christmas, sir.” said Lucy, approaching.

“For sure, Lucy.” He said, his voice hoarse. “Ever since you arrived.”

“ Look, I can take a lot of things since I arrived...” Susan said to Peter. “But this!”

“We thought you were the Witch!” interrupted Peter, addressing the man.

“I'm sorry, sorry for the bad way, but I must say that I've been driving one of these for longer than the Witch.” He said, referring to the carriage.

“I thought there was no Christmas in Narnia.” said Susan, also approaching him.

“No.” the man replied. “Not for a long time. But the hope you have brought, Your Majesties... it begins to weaken the Witch' power. However, I dare say you might need these.”

He turned and took a big red bag from the sled .

“Gifts!” said Lucy, excited.

The man opened the bag, revealing boxes, teddy bears and many other things. He took out a small dagger sheath and a flask with a dark liquid.

“The juice of the fire flower.” he said, showing them the vial. “A single drop heals any wound.”

He handed the vial carefully to Lucy, who studied it carefully.

“Although I hope you never use it...” he said, handing her the red scabbard that contained a small dagger.

“Thank you, sir, but...” said Lucy. “I wouldn't be able to not be afraid.”

“I bet you would.” he replied. “But battles are ugly fights.”

Lucy nodded and walked away. The man picked up a basket of arrows with an ornate bow.

“Susan.” and called her and Susan approached. “Trust this bow. It will almost never go wrong.”

Susan took the bow.

“But didn't you say that battles are ugly fights?” she asked.

He laughed.

“Although I have no trouble expressing myself...” he said, showing her a small white trumpet. “blow this, and wherever you are the help will come.”

“Thanks.” she said.

The man turned and took a sheath from a large sword.

“Peter.”

The boy approached, afraid.

“The time to use this may be close.” said the man, handing him a sword and a shield.

Peter drew his sword and they all could see that there was something written on the blade.

“Thank you sir.” said Peter analysing it.

“They're guns, not toys. Use it well and wisely. Now I need to go. Winter is the almost at the end...” he said, turning to the big bag into the sleigh. “and everything accumulates when you disappear for a hundred years.”

He turned to everyone and said, before getting on the sled.

“Long live Aslam! And Merry Christmas!”

And he was gone, while everyone shouted different farewells.

“I said he was real!” said Lucy, turning to Susan.

“He said that winter...” said Pedro. “it's almost over.” and turned concerned to the girls and the beavers. “Didn't you notice?!”

When the girls looked at him confused, he continued.

“No more ice.”

~ * ~

Y/N ran like never before. She heard the howling of the wolves behind her. She could almost be sure that they would surround her from the front too, but didn't have much time left. She could try a spell, but that would only slow them down a bit. She could fight, but there were too many and they would surely defeat her. She needed a more complete plan. Then, while running through the forest, trying to lose them, she finally looked at the trees. Of course! The trees! She could hide in the trees for a while, until she was sure the wolves were far away.

Then, without warning, she brought up an extensive wall of ice in the snow between her and the wolves. And while they were thinking about how to overcome the obstacle, she quickly climbed a tree, a little further away. She used a spell to hide her scent and make it seem like she continued running. When the wolves came around the ice wall, they moved on without noticing Y/N's location. When she was sure that the howls were gone in the distance, she descended from the tree and continued her walk towards the frozen river. She knew that there would be the best way to go towards the Stone Table. She just didn't think she would see a shocking scene before that.

Several meters ahead of her, near the frozen waterfall, was the three Pevensie with the beavers, surrounded by the wolves that chased her on both sides. And their voices were propagated to her.

“Go while you can.” said the wolf, approaching them and forcing them to join closer to the liquid water. “and your sister goes with you.”

“Stop, Peter!” shouted Susan above the noise of the ice breaking. “Better do what he says!”

“Smart girl.” said the wolf.

“Don't believe him!” shouted the beaver, struggling. “Kill him! Kill him now!”

Y/N looked around uneasily. She knew that Maugrin was lying, but wouldn’t be able to reach them time. She would be caught by the wolves before that. But she needed to do something to help them. Next to her there wasn’t much she could use, but then she returned her gaze to the discussion the just a few meters away from the frozen waterfall. The waterfall!

“Oh, please, that war isn’t yours!” Said the wolf, getting closer. “My queen just wants the good of your family and they disappear.”

“Look, just because a man in red handed you a sword, you can’t pretend you’re a hero!” Susana said. “Put it down!”

“No , Peter!” cried the beaver. “Narnia needs you! Kill him while you still have a chance!”

Y/N quickly gathered the snow that was on the banks of the river and transformed it into an bow of ice. She also made some arrows of ice and aimed right at the waterfall, at its weakest point. Ice and snow were her specialty, so even from afar, she could make out the weakest part that had been frozen. She lauched five arrows in that point, which went unnoticed by all.

“How will it be, Son of Adam?” asked the wolf, near Peter's sword. “I won’t wait forever. Neither will the river!”

Y/N threw her bow and arrow in the floor, and it quickly returned to snow. She concentrated on the crack she had made in the waterfall. Melting the ice was far more difficult than forming it, but she always did it anyway. This time, however, instead of helping, the adrenaline was holding her back. Then she gave up trying to melt the ice, she needed to think about something else. And fast.

Lucy looked at the waterfall. It was collapsing.

“Oh no!” She murmured to herself and then shouted. “Peter!”

Y/N then had an idea. She stared at the frozen waterfall, that was starting to crack, and the extended her hands in front of her.

Peter looked desperately for the next safe thing to do.

“Hold on to me!” He shouted.

With a sudden movement, Y/N pulled her arms away, and the waterfall came down.

[writtenfan]

Party Consequences...Aftermath of Another Gabriel Party.

Part 2: “Unneeded Stress and Make-out Sesh”

Warning: Some intense lip action...both talking wise and other, brotherly fighting and jumpscares~ 18+ <3

LuciferxFemReader

You stop in your tracks outside the door, you raise your swimsuit to your face, and roll your eyes. Bathroom, you need to change in the bathroom. You turn back to the door. Although you were no longer dizzy, your whole body still thinks it is way too early to be up. You turn the handle and open the door.

Lucifer is standing in front of the door. Arms at his sides with a smug smile. You jump and turn away from him, pressing your forehead head against the open door repeatedly, cursing under your breath.

He lets out a sweet sighing laugh and leans his shoulder against the door, and starts playing with your hair.

“You are so cute in those few seconds of terror.” You turn to face him, and he stops playing with your hair and instead fumbles around with the collar of your shirt, focused on this action. “Just like a little deer in headlights ...oh, I could just hunt ya for sport and place you on my mantle!”

You steadily put your hands over his, rubbing your fingers across his knuckles. He looks up at you, the swimsuit in your hand presses against his chest as he leaned in closer to you.

You tell him that makes you uncomfortable you don’t want him to keep scaring you just because he finds it “cute.”

He stares down at you and drops his smile, glancing down your body next at your eyes, his eyebrows chewing on the inside of his cheek. He gives you a lingering wink as he slides his hands to the sides of your shoulders and squeezes you gingerly. 

“Yeah, bad word choice. Bad joking. Wish I had a autocorrect sometimes! Ha, I’ll tone it down and think about what I say before I say it. But, I can’t help it if I’m astonishing, that's part of the packaged Lucifer deal...” The lines under his eyes move up as he squints his eyes in a smile.

 Your eyes flicker for a second at Gabriel who you caught flipping off the back of Lucifer’s head as he walked to the other side of the room. Still in a speedo. 

You crack a smile, and Lucifer raises an eyebrow but he shakes it off.  “But I’m glad you came back, I thought you had a sensory overload and decided to leave without me...” His voice is pleasant to your ears. 

You tell him that you are going to get changed for the pool and that he should join you. You wait for him to let you go. But he remains looking down at you with a smug look. He takes a quick look at the bathing suit in your hands. It was a black one-piece, but one side had a hole that was mean to expose the side of your midsection. He slides a hand off your shoulder and pinches the swimsuit with his fingers, getting a better look at it, gently tugging at it.“Mind if I see?” You could tell this wasn’t really a question

You let go reluctantly and watch as he takes his other hand off your shoulder and holds the swimsuit up to his face as he turns, his side facing you.

“Ok, tasteful but kinda restrictive, right? I mean, if my brother wasn’t here, I would say lets Adam and Eve it….” He focuses his eyes on you, looking for your reaction and smiling as your start blushing.

You tell him to "cool it hot stuff".

“Of course, good point, I’m a way sexier Adam and Eve have nothing on you and this is a villa instead of a bountiful garden...but hey! We can still pull it off." He twirls the swimsuit in his hand. "I know I'd love to tempt you into more than just eating a piece of the forbidden fruit".  

Gabriel lets out a groan and you blush and look behind Lucifer's shoulder. Gabriel turns on the TV and turns up the volume. His arm relaxed on the back of the couch as he flips through channels with purpose. Lucifer clears his throat, your attention is pulled back to him and you blush even harder.

"As I was saying, love the black and the peek-a-boo, look what I have hole...” He looks at the hole and turns back to you, presses the suit against his chest, shimmying his shoulders as he rocked up onto the toes of his shoes. 

“So, come on, as you said, let's get changed!” He finger-guns you then places a hand against your back.

“What?!” Your face grows hot as he takes a hand and pushes you towards the bathroom door. You told him you did not mean for him to join you in the bathroom. “Nonsense. Bathroom buddy!” his voice in high spirits. 

"I have to powder my nose too, so might as well hang girlfriiiiend." 

You glance over at Gabriel, then around the room as your hook your hands on the wall, preventing him from pulling you in as you can't help but awkwardly laugh, feeling bad for Gabriel. You hear the bathroom door open behind you and feel Lucifer's chest against your back as he wraps his arms around your waist trying to pull you into the bathroom. You tell him to hold up, stuttering as you pull against him. You notice that two people are gone and you feel butterflies in your stomach as you expect the worst.

 You ask Gabriel where Baraquel and Lamech with a forced calm quiver of your voice. Lucifer lets out a soft, "Forget about them... let's get naked." Which you try your best not to react to.

Gabriel doesn't look at you, his face stern. Well, he's obviously mad at something Lucifer must have said to him. Great. 

You watch as he swats the air in your direction, “Don’t worry your little Luci didn’t murder them…” Lucifer’s hands stopped pulling at you as he looks around the corner at Gabriel. 

“Don’t like how you assume I’d be the one to snap Gabriel…Ive been very good in not doing that, as of late if you haven’t noticed!” Lucifer retaliated, in a childish tone.

Gabriel grunts back and doesn’t acknowledge his brother's comment with words. You feel Lucifer lean down to your ear “He’s just jelly about you and me." He uses his hands to point to you and him and nods his head. "Stable relationship and all …” he whispers snootily and soon after straightens up and continues to hug you against his chest.

Gabriel turned the channel. “I sent them out to get some food.” He points to you, turning his head to look at you, and only you. He gives you a big forced smile as you feel the anger behind that was aimed towards his brother.

You're the only one that needs to eat around here so, I Being considerate about your basic human necessities..."

He glances up at his brother with a frown. "...sent Baraquel to wait outside an IHOP until it opens. While Lucifer here sent Lamech off with a mystery shopping list!" He taps his fingers against the back of the couch. "Of probably little to no use or value, to you." He says saucily and turns back to the TV playing around with the remote.  He only does this for a second before pointing towards the Tv as if talking to you. “Not sure when his little demon will be back! Good riddance! Less Hellspawn the better!” He declares with a single irritated laugh.

Lucifer lets go of you and slides to your side,  you stop him from going further by placing a hand in front of his torso. He glances down at your hand but is focused on striking back his brother's words. 

“F.Y.I, I told them to get stuff for (y/n) my little brother...clothes, one of those drinks I know she likes from (Jamba Juice/Starbucks/ Insert drink place here) so don't make me look like the uncaring guy!"  He mirthfully growled, ready to bite back and return the attitude.

 "I would actually prefer you would leave all that caring for stuff to me. Gabriel as I can more than handle, the basic eat, drink, sleep care kay?” 

“As I keep feeling like I have to remind you, she’s mine.” This hung in the air. Making you feel a mixture of discomfort and pleasure. 

“Even last night, when you kept being all up on her..all close and personal. Don’t think I didn’t remember, guess why you were the one who woke up laying flat on your face under the table.” He presses his fingers together and drops his smile.

“Had to take a nighty night after getting socked by brother karma.”

And I’m reaching my tolerating limit so...It would just be SO GREAT! If you'd stop being so snippy about me and my abilities to care for her! Unless you want to...” he tilts his head. “Settle things.”

You tell Lucifer to stop and Gabriel to calm down mentioning that they are making you seem like a (pet/Tamagotchi/sim). 

"Your right (Y/N) he is. But thats who your involving yourself with!" Gabriel chides making you feel offended.

Lucifer chuckles through his teeth and clenches his fist towards his brother “Just give me the word babe. I’ll knock him out for good.” He waits for your response eagerly. 

You say no as you look at Gabriel’s angry face aimed towards the television.

Lucifer says as he turns to you and gives your temple a quick kiss. “Fine.” His breath sending a chill against spot even though it was warm. 

Lucifer presses you against him again. “Bathroom’s off limits~” he sings to his brother as he forces you to walk backward with him into the spacious white bathroom. But didn’t turn on the lights. You hold onto his fingers against your stomach as he slides you into the darkness. Feeling the cold tile against your feet. “Enough of that pathetic jealous bachelor energy…” he jeers.

You tell him that if he keeps arguing with his brother, you might as well leave.

The door, still open, allows you to see a bit of the bathroom layout around you. Lucifer lets go of you and seems to vanish into the darkness of the bathroom.

“Oh, I promise, no more fighting...”  his lulling voice echos from an unknown location. Then it's silent.

You hear Lucifer’s voice from the main room, but it was muffled from the television. But Gabriel’s response was loud and clear as they let out a loud sigh and walked towards the bathroom door. You casually sit on the sink and try to avoid his eyes as he continues past the door and exits the room. "Don't mess up the bathroom." He grunts shutting the door hard behind him.

The door starts to creak shut on its own. You shout that he better not try to scare you as you hop off the sink and rush to the door as it shut and locked itself, leaving you in darkness as you fumbled your hands to the doorknob.

You felt like you weren’t the only one in the bathroom anymore.

You close your eyes and feel a cold chill at your side and the tapping of shoes as they get closer behind you, stopping at your side. You call out Lucifer’s name feeling apprehensive, yet you refuse to look behind you. You hear a click sound and look down at the floor, seeing his shoes in a now illuminated bathroom. You trail your eyes up to his body. His other hand clenching and unclenching as he grinned at you, his head leaning back. His finger tapping on the light switch as he gazes down at you running his tongue on his lower lip. “What can I say...I’m dramatic.” he shrugs his shoulders and smiles.

You furrow your eyebrows with an angry grin as he slid his hand down the wall and pushed himself off. Winking at you as he turned away and walked to the middle of the bathroom. “Wow, look at that handsome guy…” He admires himself in the mirror and rubs his jaw, striking a few poses and flexing his arms. He then walks to the sink counter and gestures at you, looking at you through his reflection intensely. You raise an eyebrow and scoff at him. He swivels to face you while mocking your expression, then proceeds to walk up to you and gently presses a hand on your abdomen, guiding you back against the door. “Fine, I’ll come to you then.” His hand press against the door, right at the side of your face.

“Gabriels going to take a dip in the pool while we...undress...so we have some space to...” His voice trails off as he starts stroking your hair.

Your eyes flicker to his lips, all the negative emotions you felt after hearing the brothers fight melted away. 

“...Enjoy each other's company.” He leans forward and tilts his head to the side. Pressing his warmed up lips against yours. 

You part your lips, and he doesn’t hesitate to slide his tongue into your mouth. You taste the faint bitterness of alcohol on his tongue as he continues to give you the most passionate french kiss you've ever experienced. Your tongue a slave to the whims of his. You taste the faint bitterness of alcohol in his mouth.

His stubble tickles your face. Your eyes are unable to open as your overwhelmed by the sudden display of passion. You feel his finger slide underneath your chin, tilting your head up as he longingly shifts the angle of his kiss. He presses his whole forearm against the door and sandwiches you between him and it.

He slides his hand down the side of your neck, and you stand on your tippy-toes as he pulls away, teasing you.  You feel his body press against yours, and his mouth returns back to yours.  The muscles of his chest and midsection soft enough so that it almost molded with your body, and it felt so warm against you. His waist, his pelvis, everything fits so perfectly with yours.

He was no Sam in height,  but he still towered over you in this position. His arms muscular nonetheless...you felt trapped, and this gave you a buzz. He won't let your lips go. As you tried to break away every now and then, he would follow and make you silent, with a dominant eagerness. You could feel with each movement of his body that he was getting more and more reckless. Something you often had to balance when you two were intimate, for your own sake. You don't want him to have to heal your broken pelvis again...ever since then. You realized the effect you have on him, and how powerful you often forget he is. But you asked for him harder, and he sure gave it to you.

You turn your head and try to look into his eyes. He looks into yours for only a second before he presses his lips behind your left ear, kissing down the side of your neck. Doing whatever he could to trail his lips down the path to your collarbone. You toss your swimsuit near the sink and wrap your arms around his neck, caught in the ecstasy. You ran your fingers across the back of his head, into his hair. You feel his hands slide down your side, and he leans down. One swift movement, he hoists you up by your thighs and presses himself between your legs as he slides you up against the door. It rocks, and the lock clatters as it shifts in creaks as he continues to kiss your neck. Every tickling kiss he gave you sent a chill down your body. It was a warm chill, and the hairs on his face made this even harder to resist. You say his name softly, and this makes him press himself harder onto you, his midsection between your legs.  

You let out a soft moan as he opens his mouth and slides the tip of his tongue briefly up your neck. You press your head back against the door, and he pulls back to stare at you, unforgivingly close. “You always taste so good…” he mutters sucking in his lower lip and bites gently onto it, letting slide out slowly. You wrap your legs around his waist, and he glances behind him and back to you with a smile. His blue eyes traveling across your face as he lets out a sigh,   “When I’m with you like this...I’m always reminded that I’m completely curve-balling my values. ” The leans his head back and continues to look at you, at your nose, mouth, head. “I sometimes wish I hadn’t fallen in love with you…” he says in an earnest tone. This confuses you and makes you feel...not that great.

You ask him why he would say that. 

He takes his hands from under your thighs, and you tighten your legs around him more, but he’s pressing you up against the door, and so you slide up. He scratches the side of his jaw and slides his other hand against your waist, pulling you from the door and walking with ease over to the sink, setting you down on the countertop. You unhook your legs and watch him as he starts to pace.

“Because, if I had not.  I could just easily have killed you and felt nothing…just like Jack’s mother...maybe one day go for a redo and make you the second baby incubator.” 

He says this so matter of factly as if it shouldn’t make you feel alarmed. 

 “Now, I just can't...I have to actually live with the fact that I love a human...and I’m just saying his because its true, I’m probably too much for you to handle.” 

He stops pacing and walks back up to you, a sad looking grin on his face as he  places his hand on top of our head and rubs your forehead with his thumb. 

“Right now, I know you're scared...I can feel it…” he chuckles tilting his head to the side smiling.

Why is he smiling? 

Your heartbeat quickens...you look into his face and feel once again how much different he is from you. How he doesn’t feel the same way as you do or view the world the same. “But you still love me...despite my slip up and little quirks…” his smile lowers. “Right?”

Your feeling the pressure every second your silence is another second he clenches and unclenches his jaw. You tell him that you care about him, but not when he lets his emotions overwhelm him, and that needs to calm down. He scrunches up his face tapping his fingers against t the counter, as if unhappy with your reply. You tell him he’s making you feel uncomfortable, and that if he cares about you as well. He’ll take a moment to think about how you feel hearing him say all this to you. 

He rolls back his shoulders and steps away from you, turning his back to you. You both have moments like this way too often for your liking. But he’s getting better at understanding you and allowing himself to be less...demanding...for the answer he wants to hear, less god syndrome and more compromising. 

“Ok, I'm sorry. Hey, I have to admit Gabriel got into my head.” He says with a musical tone as he pivots back to you. “He probably wanted me to feel doubtful and make me mess this up…" he gestures between you both. "Make I feel like you would...leave me... because I apparently shouldn't have a single person who's on my side! Knowing this-”

“ -I still need to hear you say the words...that you won't.” He gestures in the air and forces a laugh. “ I just need to hear it or I can’t and won't calm down and I'll go bash Gabriel's head in just to feel better. Ok, so please?“

You look at him with sad eyes and smile. You tell him that you won't leave him. He opens his mouth, but you silence him by continuing to speak. You say as long as he continues to care about you, your free will, and what you consider important. You won't leave his side. 

He rolls back his shoulders and lets out a nervous laugh shaking his head. 

“Ok. Yes, you and only you. Your all I care about anyway, so its done. I promise.” He starts biting his thumb and glances at the door. “I've obviously rattled you a bit so let me just...give you some space.” He heads towards the door, and you see his face snap into an emotionless stare at the door.

You say his name clearly, and his face switches back to a smile as he turns to you. You tell him to stay here and help you get dressed. Knowing him too well, and that he would probably do something stupid to Gabriel that would ruin this whole experience.

So he watches you undress and helps you put on the bathing suit. His hands, being slow with each tug and pull and you. Watch that shirt of his come off, and him only in his boxers...then nothing and then suddenly. Some very nice, pink swim shorts with pink glitter on the rear that read “Eat me”.

Damn, he really knew how to throw you around emotionally.

[waiting-for-motivation]

blood in the snow

summary: While looking for shelter from a snow storm the Mandalorian meets an old friend. Like usually problems follow the bounty hunter. And never forgotten feelings tear the warrior apart until he finally makes the right decision.

pairings: Din Djarin x Reader

warnings: angsty, sad stuff, death, blood, tooth rotting fluff in the end

words: 3268

a/n: I‘m kind of proud of this fic so I would really like to hear your opinion about it! Stay save everybody!

I wrote a fic you can read as the second part: no responsibilities

MASTERLIST REQUEST RULES

Smoke rises from the chimney and gets lost in the snow storm. The fire inside the little hut shines through the windows.

A man with a beskar armor approaches the hut, hoping the owner will permit him shelter. He presses a bundle to his chest. His dark boots disappear in the deep snow with every step he takes.

Arriving at the hut the Mandalorian raises his gloved fist to knock. For some time the only sound reaching his ears is the howling of the wind. Then the door opens and a familiar face stares at him. To his surprise the person is aiming a blaster at his helmet.

„(Y/n)?“, the Mandalorian asks and can‘t believe his own eyes. The girl doesn‘t lower her weapon. Instead, she starts closing her door again because she remembers what Din Djarin said to her the last time they saw each other. She remembers everything.

Luckily, the Mandalorian can push his boot between door and frame. (Y/n) stares at him with an annoyed expression.

„What do you want, D-... Mandalorian?“, she asks and it almost sounds like she wanted to use his real name. At the last moment she remembers the promise she made years ago. Never again will his real name leave her mouth. Because it‘s cursed in her eyes.

The armed man shows (Y/n) the bundle. A green baby with huge ears is blinking tiredly at the girl. He must be freezing.

With a sigh (Y/n) opens the door far enough for the Mandalorian and his cute child to slip into the hut. Warmth surrounds the half frozen bodies immediately.

Their host walks through the small living room and in a back room where she usually sleeps. (Y/n) returns with a few blankets and a pillow.

„You can sleep on the couch. Well, if you sleep.“ Without looking at Din, she puts the blankets on the couch. „The kid can sleep on the arm chair. I hope it‘s soft enough“, (Y/n) adds a little less harsh.

The girl turns to her makeshift kitchen and collects some food as well as tea. Turning back to her two guests she realizes that they are still standing by the door. Her (e/c) eyes stare at the Mandalorians helmet with some kind of hatred. Where now lays hate in her heart was once love.

„It‘s for the child. Not for you“, she says and refers to the food and tea. (Y/n) wants to go back to her small back room but a hand grabs her wrist. The Mandalorian has put the baby down and is now staring at the female. Well, only he knows where he is looking at because the helmet hides his whole face. And every feeling he ever showed.

„I didn‘t know you lived here. I promise. The reason why I‘m here is the child. I‘m looking for his home“, Din explains. (Y/n) smiles false and with contempt in her eyes.

„Don’t touch me. You already told me everything.“ And this doesn‘t only include his explanation moments ago. (Y/n) tears her wrist from his grip and goes to her bedroom. The door closes with a loud thud.

Din sighs and looks at his child. His ears are hanging low, almost as if he can feel his fathers pain.

The Mandalorian lays the child on the soft arm chair and covers him with the thickest blanket, handing him the cup of tea. After he finished the warm drink, the child falls asleep quickly. Then Din lays down on the couch, not taking of his helmet and stares at the ceiling. He can‘t sleep, not because he is uncomfortable, no the reason is (Y/n).

In the other room the girl suffers from the same problem.

A broken heart.

The razor crest is flying through space. But neither do stars nor moons matter to the two humans inside the space ship.

A girl is laying on the small bed, unconscious. Lots of injuries cover her body. The man kneeling next to her can‘t think straight. It was his fault (Y/n) got hurt. They were on a bounty hunt together and the Mandalorian noticed too late that they were running right into a trap.

Carefully, (Y/n) opens her eyes and groans because of the pain. One of her hands touches the bandage around her middle. Din stands up and takes her hand in his gloved ones.

„Don‘t move. You are badly injured“, he says and watches the girl close her eyes again.

„I feel like a blurrg swallowed me and spit me out“, (Y/n) states and smiles because laughing would cause too much pain.

The Mandalorian kneels on the floor again and sighs deeply. This accident made him realize something. He doesn‘t want to live without (Y/n) anymore. He can‘t.

„It wasn‘t your fault. I wasn‘t paying attention“, (Y/n) whispers, opens her eyes and applies some pressure on Dins hand.

And even though the Mandalorian told her not to do it, (Y/n) sits up. Now she is on helmet level with him. Hesitantly, she leans her forehead against the cold metal of the helmet. Her (e/c) eyes close once again.

For a moment the only sound in the razor crest is the buzzing of machines. The two of them even stop breathing for a few seconds.

„Din.“

„(Y/n).“

They laugh. The girl opens her eyes and stares at the emotionless face of the helmet. Her lips meet the cold metal.

„I won‘t let anyone or anything hurt you“, Din says and makes (Y/n) smile. „I love you.“

After a restless night (Y/n) leaves her bed and puts on some warm clothes. She rubs her eyes, trying to wake herself up but it doesn’t really work. As silent as possible she enters the kitchen and living room. Her eyes wander to her two guests. The child is fast asleep on the couch while Din Djarin is lying on the couch with his helmet. (Y/n) can’t be sure if he is asleep or awake but what would it change? Nothing.

Taking a huge sip from cold water, (Y/n) starts feeling a little more awake but the water can’t cure her pain. She is still thinking about why the Mandalorian appeared at her door step last night. It must be destiny. Well, then fuck destiny.

(Y/n) walks though the whole room, opening the front door only to be meet with a cold wind and a pile of snow falling on her wooden floor. Preferably the girl wants to curse, but she doesn’t want to wake up her guests, so her mouth stays shut.

The whole region is covered in snow. But that’s not what worries (Y/n). The planet she stays on is famous for its snow storms. What worries the girl is her dog. Well, to be precise: the lack of her dog.

“What are you looking for?”, the Mandalorian asks and tears the girl from her thoughts, scaring her for a moment too. (Y/n) looks from the snow covered area to the armed man behind her.

“Definitely not your ugly ass”, (Y/n) growls and takes a step forward, her boots disappearing in the deep snow. Without thinking further about leaving the Mandalorian and his child in her hut, the girl walks further until she hears heavy steps behind her. The Mandalorian catches up with her.

“Where are you going?”, he asks but gets no answer till he reaches a hand out to hold the girl back. Quickly, (Y/n) takes a huge step away from him and stares with an angrily at the man. She realizes he must have run back into the hut to get his child because it’s resting in his arms.

“Dog is gone which means I’m going to get him. Now leave me alone, asshole”, the girl says harshly. She continues to walk, passing the edge of the next forest. Dog loves this forest. He loves to chase the black rabbits. He loves to play in the snow and can’t stop himself from liking every icicle he sees. Dog is the perfect companion for (Y/n).

“Wait, you named your dog Dog?”, the Mandalorian asks confused but still follows the girl. The last thing he wants is to lose her again and never have apologized as well as explained his actions of the past.

The three of them sneak through the forest. The only sound filling the air is the crackling of the snow under their boots. Unfortunately, there are no traces they can follow. They disappeared long ago under the snow just like the green grass.

Suddenly, the color red shines in the snow. At first only in small drops, then bigger puddles. But those turn into a huge area full of red snow. Directly in front of the razor crest.

(Y/n) lets her eyes wander from the huge spot of blood to the source of it. Her beloved wolf is hanging from the wing of the space ship - hung on his tail. His black fur seems to lost its color and his eyes stare back at her. His paws almost touch the snow under him, that‘s how huge he is.

Even though (Y/n) called him Dog doesn‘t mean he is one. To be honest he some kind of mutant wolf but that did never stop him from loving the girl. And it never did reduced (Y/n)s love towards him.

Instead of feeling sad at this moment, pure rage fills (Y/n)s body. Because she knows who is responsible for Dogs death.

“You little shit”, she screams as she throws a knife at the Mandalorians chest, which bounces off his beskar armor. The man raises his one hand, holding with the other his child. Only now (Y/n) realizes she could have hurt the little baby. Some kind of regret rises insider her head.

Before the Mandalorian can say anything to his defense, a dozen blaster point at their heads. Bounty hunters followed the Mandalorian as well as the child. Of course they did.

“We finally found you, Mando”, a blond man says and walks towards (Y/n). His fingers caress her cheek until they meet her neck. The girl clenches her hands into fists and would love to punch this idiot in the face. But that would mean her inevitable death.

“Give us the child, and we might be friendly to your little girlfriend”, the man says and grins at (Y/n), showing his ugly yellow teeth.

In contrary to her expectations, the Mandalorian hands the child to a bounty hunter. But the next moment he points his blasters at someone, shoots and starts a fight.

Quickly, (Y/n) runs to the one who is holding the baby and kills him with a blaster she found in the red snow. She presses the child to her chest and hopes for the Mandalorian to win this fight. Unfortunately, more bounty hunters jump from the trees and only seconds after their feet touch the ground, Din is laying in the bloody snow with a blaster to his helmet.

“That was your last fight, Mando”, the leader of the group says and wants to pull the trigger but (Y/n)s pleads stop him.

“Please. Don’t kill him. I will go with you. I have the child. Just leave him here. He will die in the next snow storm, I promise”, (Y/n) says with shiny eyes. The group of men looks at her. After some time the leader nods and takes his blaster out of Dins sight.

Slowly, (Y/n) walks to the men. One of them wraps an arm around her and presses her body to his filthy one. For one moment the female closes her eyes, trying to control her fear, anger and sadness.

“Oh, I promise you, Mando. I will do things to her you weren’t even able to think of. She will scream my name tonight”, the leader says, kneeling next to the Mandalorian. A grin decorating his disgusting face.

“But I can’t keep your promise, little one”, he says and looks back at (Y/n). Of course, he wouldn’t leave the most wanted Mandalorian in the whole universe alive. “I will kill you, Mando. What do you think, men? Should I take off his helmet?”

They were lying on the small and slightly uncomfortable cot in the razor crest, pressing their bodies together. Their arms as well as legs were entangled. (Y/n)s head was resting on Dins chest without his armor on.

The room was filled with silence but both of their heads were full of thoughts. While (Y/n) was trying to figure out what to talk about, the Mandalorian has other thoughts. He was looking for the right words to tell his girl he wants to leave the guild. That he wants to take off his helmet just for her. So that they can start a new life on a beautiful planet. So that he can love her properly.

(Y/n) sighed and cuddled the man she loved harder, wrapping her arms so tight around him it was almost difficult for him to breathe.

Till today, he doesn’t know why but at this moment something changed his thoughts completely. It was definitely not the lack of love towards (Y/n). Maybe it was the human touch and warmth he was still not used to. Maybe it was the peace of the moment. But he felt angry and quickly left the cot as well as (Y/n).

How dare someone have such an effect on him that he wants to give up everything?

(Y/n) looked at him with worry as he put on his armor again. He went straight to the cockpit to fly the razor crest to the next planet and leave (Y/n) there.

The moment the door opened (Y/n) was confused because that was definitely not the planet they were heading to.

“You stay here”, the Mandalorian said and pushed the girl out of the space ship. (Y/n) raised her eyebrows in confusion when he gave her a backpack full of food and cloths. Everything she ever owned was inside this backpack.

“What do you mean?” The Mandalorian turned his back to her and wanted to close the door again. Without an explanation. “Din?” He turns his helmet back to (Y/n).

“I don’t love you”, he said and with those words he disappeared out of (Y/n)s life. Without an explanation.

Everything happens so suddenly, (Y/n) has problems following the movement of the animals. The first one ending up dead is the man holding the girl to his chest. Because he doesn’t let got of her, (Y/n) falls in the snow too.

The huge black, brown and white wolves tear the bounty hunters to pieces. When one of them walks to the armed Mandalorian he raises his hand to protect himself with his fire thrower.

“No. He is a friend”, (Y/n) says while standing up and walks him, protecting him with her body. The black wolf stares at her with his huge eyes, then howls and the pack disappears behind the trees. They were Dogs friends.

(Y/n) takes a deep breath and without minding Dins groaning while he stands up, she walks inside the razor crest to lay the child on the cot. Memories fill her mind when seeing the makeshift bed which lets tears well up in her eyes. Before the Mandalorian can walk in on her crying, the girl wipes them away and walks out of the ship the moment Din wants to enter it. Her plan was to walk away without exchanging another word with him, but he holds her back.

“(Y/n), please. We need to talk”, the man says, tightening his grip on her wrist because he fears she might run away.

“I have nothing to say, Mando”, (Y/n) spits and after staring in his eyes with supposedly anger which is actually fear, she turns to the forest. But the Mandalorian doesn’t let her go. Not without an explanation.

“But I have to tell you so much. Listen and then you can choose between staying here with me or leaving.” (Y/n) turns back to the Mandalorian and nods. “I never wanted to hurt you.”

“But you did”, (Y/n) says with a broken voice.

“I know. I know that because it hurt me too to leave you on this planet, knowing I might never see you again. It broke me. It broke my heart to see you standing there in the middle of a forest, all alone. But I thought I had to do this. You don’t know but that day I thought about starting a life with you, (Y/n). I was ready to take off my helmet for you. But then I realized I couldn’t give up my way of life for one person.”

“Then it’s all cleared up. You don’t want me in your life because I endanger your religion. I understand”, (Y/n) says, rips her wrist from Dins grip and walks away from him. Not looking back.

“(Y/n)”, he says her name once, twice, even a third time, but she stops not until she hears steps in the snow. With a sigh the girl turns around and what awaits her there is taking her breath away.

The Mandalorian is standing in front of his beloved ship without his helmet. His face is covered in scars and some fresh scratches. His brown hair sticks to his head because the helmet simply doesn’t give much room for it. His almost innocent looking brown eyes stare at (Y/n) - with love.

“Din, no”, the girl whispers because she can’t think about the right words to say in this situation. Din Djarin just did what she least expected him to do. He gave up everything for her, so that they can be together. “No”, she says again but nevertheless the brown-haired man comes closer.

In her eyes he is perfect, even though his hair is greasy and he could use some shaving. He is gorgeous, so gorgeous.

“You have to put it back on”, (Y/n) says and points with a shaking hand to the helmet which lays in the red snow.

“It’s too late for my creed but it’s not too late for the two of us”, Din says and takes one last step so that he stands directly in front of (Y/n), only a few inches parting them. Tears well up in (Y/n) eyes because she can’t believe Din did this for her.

Unsure the Mandalorian grabs her waist and pulls her closer to his body. Oh, how he missed this feeling of her warmth next to his. His brown eyes meet hers. A small smile appears on his lips and makes his mustache rise.

“I love you so much, (Y/n)”, he says but his eyes are the proof. Din looks at (Y/n) as if she is the only one in this whole universe, as if she is his universe. He lets his hands wander from her waist to her face, grabbing it gently.

“I love you too, Din, but you have to put your hel-”, (Y/n) starts but gets interrupted by the Mandalorians soft lips. Butterflies fill her stomach and let the girl feel something she never felt before. Their lips move delicately.

But the kiss stops as fast as it started because both aren’t used to this. It’s their first kiss. For Din even the first kiss of his life.

Tears stream over (Y/n)s cheeks and wet Dins fingers which are still caressing his lovers beautiful face. With his thumb he wipes the tears away but others follows - tears of happiness.

Din places a kiss on (Y/n)s forehead and takes one of her hands, pulling her to the razor crest and the rest of their lives.

[babi-correia]

The Hunt

Words: 3527 Pairing: Sean Roman x Reader Warnings: Some violence and violent situations

From Anon: Hi there, I was wondering if you could write for Sean Roman from Chicago PD. I love him and I think he's hot but can't find anything written for him. Something along the lines of the reader being a detective in Intelligence and Roman a patrol officer and the reader being very flirty with him, sitting on his lap, giving him hugs, touching his arm everytime she walks past him in the precinct, etc and he just loves the attention from her. Thank you x

I altered it a bit but here you go!

When Hank Voight contacted you about joining Intelligence, you never thought it would be this interesting; especially when Atwater moved up, and a new officer took his place as Burgess's partner. 

You set your sights on him the first day he sets foot in the precinct: you're chatting with Trudy, catching up about whatever gossip currently runs downstairs.

"You know, deep down I'm proud of Atwater," She whispers to you, refusing to let anyone know she isn't the ice queen she so expertly pretends to be. "But I'm also sad for Burgess. She's a good officer, but she has a heart of gold; as much as she wants to make it to Intelligence, it would break her."

"Atwater moved up, does she have a new partner yet?" You ask, genuinely curious as she strolls in. You raise your hand to her. "Hi, Burgess! I might need your help later."

"You got it, Detective." She says, walking backward into the locker room.

"New guy is supposed to come in today." Platt mutters as soon as Burgess leaves her line of sight, looking at the door. "He's late already."

As if on cue, a blond man rushes into the precinct. 

"I-I'm sorry I'm late Seargent, I'm just going to change quickly." He says, scrambling to the locker rooms. 

You and Platt exchange a look, a smirk plastered on your face. She chuckles, knowing you set your marks on the new officer.

"Already?" She whispers, her eyes glinting mischievously. 

"What can I say, I'm effective like that. Call me down when they decide it's time for their shift to start." You say, turning around and going up the stairs. 

You sit at your desk, smirk still plastered on your face. Erin notices your expression and comes over, curiousness plastered on her face. 

"Detective (Y/N) (Y/L/N), what are you plotting?" She asks as she sits on the corner of your desk, the sassy tone on her raspy voice making your smirk widen further.

"Oh, my dear Detective Erin Lindsay, we seem to have acquired a fine piece of eye candy, and I'm planning on having my fair share of fun with him." You respond, making her laugh.

"What's the lucky bastard's name?"

"Well, I don't know that yet, but I'm about to." As if on cue, your desk phone rings. "Well, I'm off on a hunt, my dearest friend."

You grab your jacket from the chair and mockingly salute Erin as you trot down the stairs, the small heel of your shoes clicking against the marble. Looking down on yourself, you consider that you may have overdressed today: a blue sleeveless blouse, black pegged pants, and simple, small heeled pumps. 

You snap out of your self-judgment as you hear bickering at the front desk. You see Trudy, her arms crossed as she judgingly stares at the two officers on the other side of the desk, not amused by their banter in the slightest. Her gaze averts to you, some hope glinting in her eyes, expecting you to break up whatever that could be before she had to slam their faces on the counter.

"Hey!" You call out, earning a thankful look from Trudy and confused looks from the two officers and just about anyone in the lobby. "Burgess and Boytoy, grab the keys to a squad car and quit whatever it is you were bickering about." 

They nod as Trudy hands them a set of keys, her unamused expression never leaving her face as she beckons the two officers closer.

"If you ever set up another circus like that in my lobby, I'll have you passing parking tickets until I forget about it." She threatens, making you chuckle. "And not even my favorite detective over there will be able to save your asses."

You trudge the space between you and the two officers, leaning against the counter as you size the new guy up. Satisfied with what you're looking at, you reach out your hand towards him.

"You sure look like the kind of trouble I'd like to be in." You say, noticing how the man's ears turn slightly red and how both Burgess and Trudy try to smother their laugh at his perplexed expression as he gingerly reaches his hand out, giving it a firm shake. "I'm Detective (Y/N) (Y/L/N), upstairs with the bad guys in Intelligence."

"Sean Roman, patrol officer." He manages, making you smirk.

"I believe the blue uniform gave it away, darling." You say, turning to Burgess. "Is he being a pain in your ass already?" 

"Nothing I can't handle." She mutters proudly, making you turn back to him with a sickeningly sweet smile plastered on your face. You can see Trudy looking as she pretends to do something else.

"You see, Sean, I can call you Sean right?" You ask rhetorically, continuing your speech before he even has an opportunity to reply. "Sean, I happen to like Burgess very, very much, and I'm not the only one around this precinct to feel like that. If you keep that attitude up, I might have to become the pain in your ass, and not in a pleasurable way. Capisce?"

You turn on your heels, not waiting for a reply as you walk towards the door with Burgess hot on your trail.

"Take the cruiser and meet me at Buckingham Fountain, I'm meeting a CI there." You say to Burgess, patting her shoulder. 

You get in your car and make the short drive there, parking your car and getting out, checking your gun as you wait for the two officers to turn off their car as they park next to yours. 

"This looks too exposed for a meet-up with a CI." Sean says, exiting the car. You raise your finger and put it to your lips. 

"Don't say anything, you're cute, you're gonna mess it up." You say, shushing him. Burgess laughs and you turn around. "I'm going to sit on that bench over there, wander around but stay close."

They nod and start walking around as you go and sit on a bench, waiting for your CI to grace you with his presence. 

A few minutes later he sits by your side, rubbing his hands up and down his pants. 

"You better have something I'll benefit from, Fred." You say, not even making eye-contact with him. "So far, every intel you've given me has been complete and utter rubbish. You have this chance to redeem yourself, or I'm cutting you loose." 

"What!?" He raises his voice a little too much and you glare at him, making him quiet down. "You can't do that to me!" 

"I can, and I will, unless you give me something good." You say, crossing your legs. "I wouldn't keep me waiting too long."

"There's something weird going on at some storage warehouse down at West Ohio Street." Fred mumbles. "I think I heard something about a gun shipment." 

"You think or you did?" You snap, glaring at him. "Your payment and safety depends on your answer to that question." 

You can see the two officers from the corner of your eye, each with a coffee cup and a donut on hand, seemingly on a break but paying close attention to what you're doing. 

"Take me in." Your CI mumbles. 

"Excuse me?" You do a double-take, raising a brow at the man in front of you.

"Arrest me. Then you can go and raid the warehouse, but arrest me first. I'll be safer in lock-up." 

You just stare at him for a while, unable to believe what you just heard. 

"Fred, you became my CI to avoid jail, and now you're asking me to arrest you? After all the trouble I went through to keep you out?"

"It's bad enough for me to want to be arrested, if that gives you any indication of how they can fuck me up for speaking." 

"How big of an operation are we talking here?" You ask, resting your elbows on your knees and your face on your hands. 

You see a suspicious-looking man in a hoodie coming in your direction from the other side of the park and your hand darts for your gun as you see the man reach into his pocket. He brings out a gun and point it in your general direction, making you get up and point your gun at him, hearing the screams of the passerby's as they realize what's happening. 

"Chicago PD, drop your gun or I will drop you." You snarl, inching closer to the man. You see him tremble, his gun aimed at your CI. "Odds are I shoot you before you get to shoot him." 

You stand your ground, gun expertly aimed at the unknown man, until you feel the cold end of a barrel against your head. 

"Drop your weapon!" You hear Burgess call out, both her and Sean with their guns trained on whoever's behind you. "Drop your weapon!"

You can hear the frantic laugh behind you and you roll your eyes.

"Fred, put the goddamn gun down before I get angry." You say, your voice eerily cool. "I will shoot this unlucky bastard, and the two officers will shoot you before either of you get a chance at getting close to pulling those triggers."

The man in front of you turns the safety off and cocks his gun, prompting you to do the same as you stare him off. The second you see his finger start to move, you throw yourself into the floor and roll away, shooting a couple of rounds into the hooded man as he mistakingly shoots Fred before getting hit. Both men crumble into the floor and you move quickly, kicking their guns away. You know the man you shot was dead before he hit the ground, but you check for a pulse anyway, feeling nothing. 

"He's still alive, (Y/L/N)." Burgess calls to you, making you turn around. "Are you ok? You look a little pale."

"I'm fine, just wasn't expecting a double-crossing like that." You sigh, looking down at Fred. "Dumbass choices lead to dumbass consequences, Fred. You're going to jail for the rest of your miserable little life."

You swipe your hands through your face, trying to make sense of what happened as the paramedics rush to aid the men on the floor. A sudden hand on your shoulder makes you jolt, and you turn around to see Sean.

"Are you really ok?" He asks, his blue eyes attempting to assess your mind and soul. You throw him a disarming smile, a sultry expression making its' appearance on your face.

"I am, but I can think of a few ways I could be better." You say, throwing him a wink and catching him off guard. You turn around and saunter to your car, needing the comfort of your desk and a cup of shitty coffee.

--

"Is she always like that?" Sean inquiries Burgess as they both make it back to the precinct. 

"Who? Like what?" She asks, giving Trudy the car keys as she puts her radio back on the shelf. 

"The detective, with all the seduction shebang." He continues, mimicking her actions.

"Oh, (Y/L/N). It depends, I guess." Burgess shrugs before looking behind him, her eyebrows shooting up. "Oh wow." 

Sean turns around to find you in the middle of the lobby, doing a twirl with the help of none other than detective Jay Halstead. Your hair is loose and the red dress you're wearing clings to all the right places. Jay's tie matches your dress, he too sharply dressed in a black suit and black shirt, the only splash of color being his tie. 

"You two look just like two kids heading off to prom." Trudy remarks, noticing the two officers and giving you a subtle nudge in their direction. 

"We're two kids heading off to arrest a drug baron, it's not too different." You remark, flashing Trudy a dazzling smile. 

"Roman, you're drooling." Burgess warns in a whisper, elbowing his ribs. He quickly regains his composure, a pang of jealousy shooting through him and leaving him even more confused than he was. 

"What do you think, officers?" You ask, coming closer to them and twirling again, doing a little bow at the end. "Do I look like an up and coming black widow baroness?" 

"You look stunning, wow." Burgess gushes, giving you a huge smile and noticing how Sean seems distracted. "And I think Roman's silence is a statement itself, he's in too much of a daze to reply."

The mention of his name makes him snap back from whatever thoughts were running through his mind and you smile, leaning close to him. 

"Like what you see, pretty boy?" You whisper for only him to hear, your hand resting on his upper arm. "You don't have to be jealous of Jay... at least for now. You know what they say about guys with blue eyes, don't you Officer Roman?" He shakes his head, unable to form words. Your hand on his arm, your proximity, the smell of your perfume invading his nose, it's all leaving him in a pleasant hypnosis as he hears you whisper into his ear. "They say that you're knowledgable. Say, what would be your area of expertise?" 

You give him a hearty chuckle as he freezes and his ears turn red, moving away and snaking your arm around Jay's as you move to the exit, the car waiting out front. 

He just watches you leave, too stunned to say or do anything until Burgess snaps her fingers in front of his face. 

"Sorry, yeah, no, I need a cold shower." He rushed, walking past her briskly and into the locker rooms. Burgess and Trudy trade a look, Burgess coming up to the desk. 

"Twenty in her having him wrapped around her finger in a couple of weeks." The officer says, laying a crumpled twenty on the counter. 

"Fifty in her having him on her bed by the end of the week." Trudy counters, smirk on her face as she puts a fifty over Burgess's twenty.

--

"What do you have there, Burgess?" Trudy calls out, seeing the officer slithering towards the Intelligence door stop dead in her tracks. 

"Coffee for detective (Y/L/N). We happened to go by a coffee shop she loves and I got her a cup." Burgess explains. "Can you open the door, please?"

Trudy smirks, the smugness in her face partially concerning Burgess. 

"I need you for something here, Burgess." The Sargent says, beckoning her to come closer as Sean walks through the door. "Officer Roman there will take the coffee to (Y/N)."

Burgess's eyes go wide as she rushes to the counter, setting the coffee on top of it.

"You can't intervene, Sarge!" She hisses, watching as Trudy laughs.

"Watch me." Trudy whispers to her. "Roman, the coffee is getting cold."

The two of them watch as the man takes the coffee and makes his way towards the stairs, the smirk never leaving Trudy's face. 

You're leaning against your desk, your gaze fixed on the whiteboard with your current case as you fiddle with a pen, barely registering the footsteps coming up the stairs. 

"Uhm, Detective (Y/L/N)?" You hear the familiar voice call out, prompting you to turn around. Lo and behold, there stands Sean, with a coffee cup in hand. Your eyes go wide as you inspect the cup further.

"Is that coffee from that shop by the river?" You ask, eager for a good caffeine fix other than the crappy coffee from the break room. He nods, handing you the cup, which you take eagerly before bouncing around. "I got decent caffeine, at last!"

You notice the blond man still looking at you, and you raise him a brow. 

"Can I help you with anything, Officer Roman?" You ask, leaning back against your desk and brushing your shoulder on his. "Are you checking me out again? Not that I mind, of course."

You smirk as you notice the pink tinge coming up his ears and neck as he sputters for an answer. 

"No, I was going already, have a great day." He stumbles over his words as he backpedals out of the bullpen, leaving you and Erin to trade a look before laughing. 

"I hear there's a bet going on downstairs." Ruzek teases, making you raise a brow. "Particularly on how long it will take you to break him with all that teasing and flirting, (Y/N)."

"Can't a girl have fun?" You ask, taking another sip from your coffee. "But it won't take long. He always gets flustered, and he doesn't seem to get used to it. Must have a lot of pent up sexual frustration."

You wiggle your brows at the last part, making Ruzek choke on his coffee and Erin burst out laughing. 

"You do you (Y/N), I'll support you." Ruzek says, raising his hands in defeat. You grin at him, straightening your shoulders as you see Voight rush inside, followed by Jay and Atwater. 

"We got a lead on the gang war." He barks out. "Someone called in about a bunch of men going towards an empty field, looking suspicious. Officers are meeting us on the scene."

You grab your jacket, thanking your past self for deciding on comfortable sneakers today as you rush downstairs and into your car, Atwater hopping into the passenger's seat. 

Arriving near the field, you park your car behind a tree and exit, locking it as soon as Atwater also gets out. You unlock and open the trunk, pulling your vest out and putting it on as you hear tires skid to a halt behind you. You secure the last strap and grab your assault rifle, hooking the strap around your shoulders before you turn around, finding Burgess and Roman exiting their patrol car. 

"Are you stalking me, Sean?" You say, leaning against your car with one hand propped on the rifle. "You can stop playing hard to get with all the silence you give me, I can be better at it if I want; luckily for you tho, I don't." 

You pat his arm as you pass by him, shooting him a wink as you go towards Voight, deciding what your angle would be. 

All of you move stealthily, heading towards the barn on the other side of the empty field, getting ready to breach as you get closer and closer. 

You take lead on one door, keeping Atwater, Burgess, Sean, and Jay with you, as Voight, Antonio, Al, Erin, and Ruzek head to the other door. 

"Ready?" You whisper into your radio, ready to kick the door down. Once you get confirmation from the other group you charge, the door slamming open. "CHICAGO PD!" 

You take cover behind a beam as the men inside start shooting at you, watching as the rest of your group stalks in before they take cover behind stalls and abandoned boxes. 

You pull the two officers into your place, shooting a few rounds into the men as you move forward, taking a round to the vest that takes the air out of your lungs. You feel a hand on the back of your vest pulling you backward and you stumble, falling on your ass. 

"Hey, you ok?" Jay asks, feeling around the vest for any signs of blood as Atwater, Burgess, Sean, and the other group work on subduing the criminals. 

"I'm fine, it hit the vest and winded me, but I'm fine." You use Jay as leverage to get back up, watching as the remaining criminals are hauled off in cuffs. You take off the vest, raising your shirt to see a red spot on your ribs. 

"That doesn’t look good." You hear Sean's voice beside you, making you raise a hand to your chest.

"Ouch, and here I was thinking you were being wowed by my wonderful flirting tactics and actually starting to feel attracted to me." You say, making a hurt face and watching as he scrambles for an adequate reply. "I'm joking, Sean, chill. You're a total blond fluff ball."

"Well..." He says, his arm brushing against yours. "You do know you don't have to get shot at just to get my attention, right?"

You laugh, doubling over as the action sends a spark of pain through your whole abdomen. You feel his arm around your waist, holding you up as your knees threaten to give out. 

"Anything goes to have your hands on me, huh?" You rasp, straightening yourself up slightly, looking at him through your lashes. 

"I'm beginning to think that you are trying to get me in your bed." He says, raising his brows at you.

"At last, he caught up." You declare dramatically, feeling his arm around your waist pull you flush against him, your noses almost touching. "Well, hello there."

His cologne pleasantly fills your nose, partially distracting you from the pain on your ribs, and the two of you lock eyes for a moment before you lean up and close the space between you with a kiss. 

“Platt won the bet.” You hear Burgess mutter. “There go my 20 dollars.”

[guardianofjunmyeon]

Finding Atlantis (part 8)

Genre: Action/Adventure, Enemies to Lovers, PirateAU

Description:    20 years ago the seas became angry. Unruly and unkind to any sailor,   to  any ship that dared venture too far out in her waters. Many a man   has  heard the tales of Atlantis, the lost city, the key the ocean. But   fewer  men know the tale of it’s missing child. The key to the ocean,   the key  to Atlantis but a lost little one. The power one would hold   should they  find this child would be nearly that of Poseidon himself.   Thus, the hunt  began.    

A/N: WARNING: angry sex and denial of feelings uwu

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18

The sun searing your skin wakes you. It’s too bright, and too hot, and your body feels stiff and aches and –fuck- your throat is dry.

You moan pathetically but keep your eyes closed as your mind struggles to fully awaken. The pain in your rib is still there, and you curse yourself for falling asleep in a careless position.

Your head throbs dully and your mouth feels…

Fucking gross.

You crack open an eye and your headache immediately intensifies.

“Fuck.” You sit up and crack your neck. The fire is dead, burned out entirely. Baekhyun lies at your side, mouth open and saliva seeping into the cloth you’d laid down the day before.

You frown as you notice how closely the two of you slept. His leg thrown over your thigh and the rest of him is barely any farther away. You sigh.

You search the horizon for any signs of life –for any signs of your ship.

Nothing.

Still stranded. Still tired. Still thirsty.

A quick scan of your camp and you find a jug of water Baekhyun had brought over. An idea strikes you. You gingerly push Baekhyun’s leg off of your own and watch him twitch and whimper in his sleep.

Cute.

Standing up doesn’t require as much effort as it did yesterday. The good thing about this line of work, you heal faster.

Or maybe your pain tolerance is just higher.

Dragging your bare feet in the sand, you walk over to where you’d left your boots, your gun, and the compass.

“What you want most in this world, huh?” you rasp out as you pick up the compass. Right about now, the thing you want most is water. Drinking water. “Let see if this thing really works.”

You open up the device and watch the arrow slowly shift from side to side before it finally settles. You let out an impressed exhale as it points towards the jug of water on the other end of the camp. You follow the compass’s direction, strangely impressed, beyond where Baekhyun is sleeping and on further.

Then it turns around.

You freeze in your spot.

You walk forward and it continues pointing in the opposite direction. You look over your shoulder to follow the direction of the arrow with your eyes and then close them uneasily. Maybe it got turned around. You follow it, and walk passed Baekhyun’s sleeping form. You nearly sigh in relief when it continues to point beyond him.

And then it turns around again.

“No way.”

No matter where on the beach you find yourself walking, it always ends up pointing back to the same spot.

To Baekhyun.

You finally decide to walk up to him –the compass right above him- and want to laugh in disbelief. It spins slowly, almost happily, in circles. You scowl and toss it in the sand by the extinguished fire.

“It has to be broken,” you reason. He must be wearing something that messing with the polarity of it. He’s doing something to fuck it up.

You trod angrily over to the jug of water and chug it as if you’ll never be able to drink it again. It soothes your throat only slightly, and you still feel gross all over from the hangover.

You sit down forcefully, wanting to aggravate your injury.

Why would it point to him? The two of you have only recently gotten past the archenemy phase. You’re friends… friendsly… acquaintances…

Maybe he’s lying on something important to you and you should try it again once he’s moved.

You stare at him as if it’s his fault for this happening. It is. He twitches and whimpers some more in his sleep.

Something in your chests flutters grossly.

Firewood.

You’ll go collect firewood.

Venturing as far into the woods as you can without losing your way; you pick up wood that could be used to make a new fire.

You definitely do not think about that compass or Baekhyun.

If it takes you a few hours longer than realistically needed just to collect wood, you don’t care.

When you emerge from the trees you notice that Baekhyun is awake and gone from his spot by the fire. You drop your armful of wood to watch him cast a line out to sea instead. When the fuck did he find a fishing rod?

After some debating, you walk over to his side.

There’s a handful of fish already piled behind him. You watch the waves lap at your bare toes.

“You left earlier,” he states.

“I wanted to get some more firewood.”

“Oh.”

Silence.

“I uh, I see that you caught some fish?”

A nod. “I figured we’d get hungry soon.”

You nod back. You feel heat creeping up your neck. Why is this so uncomfortable?

“Sorry for falling asleep during my watch…I was more tired than I thought,” he flushes.

“It’s okay. Nothing happened to us. It was a long day. I understand.”

He reels in the line and sticks the rod in the sand. You look back down at the fish he’d caught in your absence. “Should we uh…eat?”

“Yeah, food sounds great,” he sounds almost relieved at the escape from conversation, and hurriedly reaches down to grab all of the fish before you can even begin to bend down.

He stumbles a bit in the sand and you watch his ears flame red in embarrassment.

“I just think it’s obvious”

You shake off Jongin’s words and follow after the man you’ve maybe started to see in a new light.

You hand Baekhyun matches as he nurses a new fire to life, and you try to expel the feeling of feeling useless. Of feeling babied. You aren’t accustomed to this.

Once the fire is started, you make quick work of cutting open and gutting your fish. The thought of eating makes your stomach growl angrily. You risk a glance in Baekhyun’s direction to find him staring at the fish in his hand, knife raised, but not making any move to start cutting it open.

“You okay?” you ask hesitantly.

He blinks up at you and grimaces at the intestines at your side. “Yeah I’m fine, I just…”

He doesn’t like dealing with guts. He doesn’t have to say it. You can read him clearly.

You sigh. “Hand it over.” You hold out your gutted fish. “You cook, and I’ll gut. Sound good?” He sags in relief and takes the fish from your hand, replacing it with his own.

You work dutifully as a team. You cut them open and remove the intestines –the bones too if you’re feeling generous; you hand them to Baekhyun; Baekhyun cooks them over the fire. Working together, the process moves quickly. You eat in a comfortable silence once it’s all done.

The sun lowers in the sky, and another look at the pitiful pile of wood that you carried over is all it takes to realize you’ll both be fucked if you have to last through the night with it.

“I should go find some more wood before it gets too dark out,” Baekhyun voices your thoughts. He stands up and dusts off his pants.

You move to stand up as well. “I’ll go with you-”

“No, you already went earlier. And you’re still injured, just…just wait here.”

“Baekhyun…this is not the worst injury that I’ve faced. I can go with you to get some fucking firewood-”

“You just don't know how to fucking follow directions do you-”

“Fuck you!” You push up on your feet with determination and refuse to show a single sign that your body is protesting with every movement –because you have a point to prove. He’s been taking care of nearly everything without complaint and you don’t know why but it’s pissing you off.

The way he’s acting all of a sudden is pissing you off.

You meet his eyes in a glare that doesn’t hold as much heat as you want it to and break it off before he can watch you cringe in pain. You stomp off in the direction of the trees and don’t stop to catch him following you with his eyes.

Driven purely by dumb pride, you start to collect as much wood as you can before the sun disappears and you can no longer see in front of yourself. A part of you knows that snapping like that was uncalled for (especially with the shift in you and Baekhyun’s relationship), but a larger part of you is afraid of what it would mean if you and him were to suddenly…get along.

What would it mean if you enjoyed talking to him? If you wanted to be around him for more than just the bouts of sex you had in the past? What would happen if you allowed yourself to just…like him?

He’s been too nice.

You’ve been too nice.

This isn’t the lifestyle for childish stomach flips and blushes at kind words.

You’re both killers. You’re killers and you’re pirates and you’re cutthroat and two days on an island isn’t going to change that.

Even if you’d like to pretend for just a while that it does.

The sun meets the horizon and the sky is painted in rainbows. Taking that as your sign to return to camp, you walk back with slow steps.

Your head is confused.

Or maybe it’s your heart.

Baekhyun has already returned by the time you’re back. The last flare is in his hand. You watch him light it and aim it high in the air. Red explodes above him –falls around him in a shower of color that makes him look unreal.

You feel sick to your stomach.

Silence consumes you as you both sit on opposite sides of the fire, the last of the wood you’d gathered that morning burning away quickly.

You grab a container of watered down beer and try to distract yourself from wandering thoughts.

Baekhyun fiddles with something from his spot. Initially, you plan on ignoring him, but the pensive look on his face sparks your interest. You squint and crane your neck to get a better view of what has him so lost in thought.

The compass.

“Have you tried it?”

Baekhyun looks up at your voice.

You try again. “The compass, have you tried it?”

He shakes his head. “Don’t know what I want.”

“Scared to find out?” His lips set in a line at your question. His gaze fixes on yours.

“Have you tried it?” You feel your heart beat race at the question being turned on you. At the fear of being caught. He wouldn’t let you live it down if he knew. You could try to explain all you wanted but he would always hold it over you.

But he doesn’t know that it pointed to him. He can’t know that. “Yeah, it spun around like crazy. I think it’s broken,” you lie easily.

His eyebrows furrow at your answer. You swallow the lump in your throat and break eye contact to focus on the compass in his hands. It opens; you glance at his expression to catch him frowning. The compass closes with a clack. He opens it again.

“Damn thing is broken,” is all he says.

You feel your stomach in your throat when you scramble to your feet and say, “Let me see. Where did it point?”

The panic that flashes in his eyes is clear as day. He tosses the compass off to the side carelessly, before you can get close enough to see for yourself.

“Told you I don’t know what I want. Neither does it,” he grumbles with finality.

You glare at him. He glares at the fire.

You’re both lying.

You pick the compass back up and open it, only to watch it slowly start leaning in his direction once again. You close it with a snap.

Neither of you is willing to call the other out on it.

You hold back a groan and walk back over to your spot. You sit down with a moan of pain and a whispered curse under your breath. Baekhyun looks up and then away. You pretend that you don’t notice.

A swig of beer and you exhale. Things were so much easier between you when all you wanted to do was kill each other.

What do you want now?

“Why do you wear the eye patch?” He brushed you off the last time you asked, and your own curiosity is getting the best of you. It’s not as though you’re asking to pull the conversation away from dangerous territory –not at all. “Your eye is fine. Why wear the eye patch?”

He shrugs. “It’s sexy.”

You chuck the beer at his head. He laughs –more relaxed. The earlier tension dissipates.

“I’m serious! It started out like that. I tried it out because I look sexy as fuck, and then people started making up crazy stories for how I’d lost it. I liked hearing what people had to say. My fighting didn’t really change because of it, so I just…kept it on. Captain Byun Baekhyun, the sexy pirate who can fight with one eye closed.” He smiles proudly and you snort.

He drinks what’s left in the container you pitched at his head.

“You should keep it off…more often. You’ve got nice eyes. I’m sure you would get just as much attention when people can see them both.” You roll your eyes at yourself and focus on the fire in front of you. He blinks, taken aback.

Neither of you dare try to pick the conversation back up.

~~~

It’s in the middle of the night when you see lights on the water. Clearly that of a ship in the distance. Baekhyun has fallen asleep at your side. Drank himself to bed hours ago.

You can’t make out the ship, but you notice the dark sails immediately. You shake Baekhyun awake.

“I think they found us!” you tell him excitedly.

He yawns, “Finally.”

Extinguishing the fire, climbing into the lifeboat, and rowing out to the ship sitting in the water feels like the first full breath of fresh air you’ve taken since the storm began all those days ago. Baekhyun rows and you squint in the darkness to make sure that the ship is in fact yours, and not a random vessel that found you both and is here to arrest you, kill you, or both.

The closer you get, the more familiar it looks, and the dark sails are like a safety blanket you didn’t realize you can’t live without.

The sails feel like home.

You scale the ship first and only grunt once at the smarting in your rib. A hand extends to help you the rest of the way on deck. The faces of your crew greet you. Worried. Relieved. You feel your own emotions mirroring that shown in their expressions.

Belatedly, you remember Baekhyun climbing up behind you. You turn around to hold out your hand; giving him something to grab so he can be pulled fully aboard. When he climbs up, and the two of you are face to face, nearly breathing each other’s air, he lets go of your hand.

You clench and unclench your fist unconsciously.

At the sight of you both, alive, you’re finally swarmed by the waiting bodies.

“You’re alive!”

“He has two eyes?”

“Oh thank the Gods I thought you’d both been lost to the sea.”

Yixing and Jongin examine you both, twice over. You let them do their checks, and Yixing gives you a disapproving frown when you flinch at his hand on your injured rib.

You don’t get a chance to respond to him when arms wrap around you and you have to bite back a grunt instead. The hold on your middle is tight. It takes a full five seconds for you register that it’s Junmyeon; you sag in his arms as soon as realization hits. This is home. “You idiot. I thought I’d lost you.”

You hear the raw worry in his voice. Clenching his shirt in your fingers, you return the embrace. “I’m okay. I’m here. I’m safe,” you assure him. And you are. Everything worked out fine (thankfully) and you try to stave off the feeling of guilt. He watched Baekhyun get swept away and then you were lost immediately after. Junmyeon has a soft heart, always has. You feel like shit for causing him stress like this.

He pulls away only to put both his hands on your cheeks and look over your face. You smile tiredly. The exhaustion of everything is starting to hit you full force now that you can really let your guard down.

His eyes glance at your side and a small smile finds its way on his lips. “I’m surprised you didn’t kill each other.”

“He’s on my crew. You know how I am about my crewman,” you respond.

His hands drop from your face, and you risk a glance behind you. Baekhyun is facing similar treatment and seems preoccupied trying to convince a crying Sehun that he a) isn’t dying and b) didn’t grow an eye overnight.

When you turn back to Junmyeon, he has on a shit-eating grin.

You frown. “Don’t look at me like that. I nearly died a few days ago,” you warn. His smile doesn’t lessen. Lacking the energy to fight, you try to change the conversation. “How is that song coming along? You done any soul searching in my absence?”

Something akin to excitement flashes across his face. “It’s louder now; more clear. I think I can use it better to get us through the next trials. It’s been trying to help us avoid the worst of it. I realized when it suddenly started screaming as soon you both fell overboard.” The light in his eyes dims a bit. “Are you okay after that?”

“I think my rib is fractured, but it’s nothing serious. We’re both fine for the most part.”

“I didn’t ask about Byun-”

“Junmyeon don’t test me right now-”

He laughs loudly. His entire face scrunches up in joy, and even if you wanted to be mad at him…you can’t. His arm comes to rest over your shoulders. “You need some rest before we head to Isla de Sirena –both of you.” His voice raises enough to catch Baekhyun’s attention as well. The two of you share a look. Something unspoken about your time on the island passes between you.

We won’t speak of it.

He cuts the shared glance short and walks off towards the crew cabins, hands in his pockets.

Before you can stalk off to your quarters, or more reasonably, the infirmary, Jongin blocks your path.

He examines you seriously. “Did something happen between you and Captain?”

“No. Nothing happened,” you respond shortly. “Things are the same as always.”

If he catches you looking towards the crew cabins again…he doesn't mention it.

You let Yixing guide you to the infirmary with soft words and scolds about being careless with a fracture like the one he fears you may have. You let him poke and prod you while Jongin goes off to check on Baekhyun.

“Does it hurt when I touch here?”

“No.”

“What about here?”

“…no but it’s a bit tender.”

“Okay. How about here-”

“Fuuuckkkkkkk.”

“Alright I will take that as a yes.” Yixing scribbles something down on a parchment he keeps to keep track of injuries on the ship. You grind your teeth together to keep from making more noises of pain. “Yeah it seems like your lower rib experienced a fracture, but it’s not severe. Your breathing isn’t affected and you experience most of your discomfort when you move. I'll get something cold for you to put on the affected area.” He looks thoughtfully at the swelling at your side. “Other than that and recommending that you rest, practice taking deep breaths, and coughing to keep your airways clear, I’ve got nothing else for you.”

“Great.”

“And no drinking until you’ve healed.”

“WHAT?!”

Yixing almost looks smug. “You heard me Captain. Alcohol will only hinder your healing process. I’m putting a ban on you from the liquor storage until further notice.”

You open your mouth to argue, but the serious look in his eyes is enough to get you to close your mouth.

“I’m going to talk to Jongin about your condition and see if he has any suggestions or concerns. He has a bit more experience than I do in this area. He’s actually trained on internal injuries,” Yixing sighs to himself. “You should probably eat something and then head to bed until tomorrow. There’s no rush to continue the mission so soon. Rest up and get your strength back.” He pats the top of your head affectionately and walks out of the room leaving you with your thoughts.

That night you lie in bed with a weight on you that you can’t figure out. You’re happy to be back, more than anything.

But why is there a part of you that still wishes you were back on that island?

What happened there; stays there. You have to remember that. You were both in survival mode, that’s all. You only had each other so you leaned on each other in a moment of need.

Things will go back to the way they were as soon as you settle back into your routine. That’s for the best.

You can forget about worried looks and bright laughs from the man you only expect smirks and cold chuckles of. You can forget about falling asleep giggling by the fire together because you’ll go back to screaming at any given moment. You can forget about staring at each other in silence just taking in the others’ features, for harsh wordless sex in Arae motel rooms.

You try to reassure yourself that things will go back to normal.

But for some reason, the idea of things going back the way they were, settles bitter in your heart.

You pull your blanket over your head and force yourself to go to sleep. You don’t like where your head is at.

~~~

It takes a full week of rest and a bunch of begging before you can convince some of your crew to have a meeting about the next trial. You understand that you’re still healing but you feel leagues better than you did originally, and you are antsy to get things back to normal.

If the ship can’t sail to Isla de Sirena, then the least you all can do is discuss it.

You aren’t familiar with the island, nor are you familiar with the maidens that are rumored to inhabit it. You keep most of your dealings away from the general area of the island. It’s not rumored to be dangerous for nothing.

And when you were a child, you saw one of the monsters a ship brought back to your port, so you know that this area is littered with dangers. You know that beastly things hide below the blue waters.

It had been dead for a long time, the body of the monster you saw as a child. It’s body rancid and decomposing by the second, but it was…impressive. It was nearly a third the size of the ship, and the crewmen were so proud of their kill that they brought it for the people at home to marvel over.

And oh did everyone marvel. Eyes wide and ears tuned into their every word as they spun tails of how they were attacked and nearly lost half of their crew to the beast. You can remember staring into the glassy eyes of the monster and seeing your own reflection in them. And you didn't feel fear, but instead a sense of wonder.

This is what the secrets of the ocean looked like.

You were pulled home by your mother not long after. She didn’t like you hanging around the sailors and pirates who only docked to boast of their travels and treasures.

At least you’d have halfway made her proud –you think.

Sitting on your bed with your legs folded under you, you wait impatiently for the meeting you’d called to start. The ship has been sitting here for days, it’s not as though anyone is doing anything. With the ship still, the crew is basically on an unofficial vacation.

You finished lunch half an hour ago and now you’re just waiting on everyone else.

Chanyeol is the first one to knock on your door and you don’t even get the chance to say ‘come in’ before he is already walking into the room.

He smiles brightly and sits at your meeting table, eyes wandering around the room curiously before landing on your blank gaze.

“How’s the rib?”

You manage enough of a glare at the question that he shuts up and goes back to looking around the room, for a distraction now you assume.

Baekhyun comes in second, no knock, no words to announce himself. He sits at the table with Chanyeol without a single glance your way. Your eye twitches in annoyance.

Things since you got back on the ship between the two of you have been weird. You aren’t sure why exactly, but because you haven’t resumed fighting like usual, a tension just sits over you both.

It’s gotten to a point where you’ve actively tried to talk to him to figure out what the fuck happened all of a sudden. Fighting, you expected. Being friends, something like you were on the island, you might have welcomed. But you did not expect…this. A silent treatment????

He’s giving you the equivalent of an adult silent treatment, and it’s driving you apeshit. You aren’t sure what caused it. What was the reason? But it doesn’t matter because you know one thing.

If he wants to act childish, then you can act absolutely infantile.

“Are you sure nothing happened on the island?” you hear Chanyeol murmur to Baekhyun from across the room. You would roll your eyes at the poor excuse of a whisper, if you could be bothered to react.

“No,” comes back Baekhyun’s simple reply. “We’re just tired of fighting nonstop after spending those days fucking trapped together. Even I need time to recover after two days of torture.”

At this you do roll your eyes, and you swing your legs out of your bed to put your boots on before Junmyeon and Minseok can join you.

Idiot.

Bastard.

You spare the compass on your nightstand a glance and scowl at it before you stand, and stomp over to the table.

You slam your hand down on the table and give them both a look that could kill. “Do not test me today. I’m not in the mood, and I’m feeling a bit bloodthirsty after days not moving around. Let’s keep this meeting easy and quick.”

The door sounds with a knock again.

“We’re here,” you call. You lean back away from the table, frown set in place.

The door opens and Minseok and Junmyeon walk in together. Junmyeon gives you a small smile and Minseok offers a nod.

“Since we’re all here, let’s get started shall we?”

While your men have a seat, you walk over to a stack of your treasured papers. You struggle to find the map given to you by Irene and a parchment so that you can jot down anything that seems of import during this discussion. When you turn around, they’re all engaged in easy conversation and they’ve all comfortably found seats around the table.

The only one left is at Junmyeon’s left.

And Baekhyun’s right.

You feel your face twitch ever so slightly as you make your way back over with your treasures and set them on the table. Ignoring the man on your left, you turn to everyone else.

“I know that we have a few people here with experiences with Isla de Sirena and knowledge of sirens in general. I for one, have no fucking god damned clue what to expect, and would like to take this time for us all to get on the same page.” You slide the map farther into the center. “So what the fuck makes these bitches so scary?”

“Their song, that’s what,” Chanyeol supplies easily. As if it’s obvious.

You close your eyes to hold in your frustration. “I got that. But why? How?”

Minseok leans forward and looks at the map with his powerful eyebrows quirked in interest. “It’s what makes them able to disguise themselves. The song is so powerful that it has the ability to alter your other senses.”

“You smell what they want you to smell, you see what they want you to see. If they’re strong enough, they can even make you feel things that aren’t actually there,” Baekhyun adds on. You don’t look his way.

“Do you think they could shift into members of the crew?” you whisper to Junmyeon. He shrugs. You turn the question to Chanyeol. “Is there a pattern to how they disguise themselves? Sehun said that they can turn into whatever you find most beautiful; can they change into normal people? How does that work?”

Chanyeol shakes his head. “That’s what makes them so dangerous. As a first line of defense they can appear as whatever they think will lower your guard. It puts you in a kind of haze, makes you want to trust them. If that doesn’t work and you’re expecting it, they could switch into people they see. In theory, if they could get aboard, they could turn into anyone on the crew.”

“So what the fuck do they want? Why go through all of this?”

Baekhyun answers again, “They’re monsters. They don’t have a motive. Just want to kill and cause chaos.”

Junmyeon leans over to whisper in your ear, “Not the sexy songstresses you were expecting huh?”

“I mean they still sound kind of sexy. Chaos is kinda hot,” you laugh out softly.

His face scrunches up in a silent laugh and you hear someone clear their throat. You and Junmyeon break up from your childish whispering to catch Baekhyun shooting daggers at you both, Chanyeol looking on, a bit mushy, like he just caught two school kids with crushes on each other flirting poorly, and Minseok just looks flat out amused.

“Are you two done?” Baekhyun bites out.

“Sorry!” Junmyeon apologies, flushes a bit, but you catch a hint of triumph in his face that he tries to hide with embarrassment. What the fuck. “So we just have to find a way to block out their song, keep them from getting aboard, and kill them right?”

“It’s not that easy dumbass.”

“Baekhyun!”

“Whatever.” Baekhyun defiantly crosses his arms over his chest. Junmyeon on your other side looks a bit too pleased with himself for your liking. Suddenly this meeting is wearing on your nerves. You pinch the bridge of your nose and look at Minseok for help. He shrugs, a small smile twitching at his lips.

Chanyeol looks back and forth between everyone at the table, and presses on. “It’s more of a willpower thing. You need to be mentally strong. You can’t just block it out, unless you’ve got something that can completely cancel out all the sounds in the world.”

“Willpower? We should make sure to lock Sehun below deck then,” Junmyeon murmurs to you.

This time you can’t hold back a short laugh.

“Uhh…well, I think this meeting has gone splendidly,” Minseok says with a smile too mischievous to mean anything good. “We should do this again sometime.”

“We should head out tomorrow,” you start. Energized at the thought of being back up and moving again. This fracture ruined your life over the last few days. “Let’s rest up tonight and get this mission back on the road. That good with everyone?” you ask the table.

“Yeah.”

“Ay Captain.”

“Baekhyun?” Junmyeon asks with an innocent smile. “That work for you?”

The glare Junmyeon gets in return is as if he personally murdered Baekhyun’s family. It’s overkill. It’s annoying. You punch Baekhyun in the arm, hard.

“Ouch!”

“You didn’t answer the question jackass.”

“Whatever,” he rolls his eyes. You want to kill him.

“You are so fucking childish-” you whisper murderously.

“Junmyeon, Chanyeol, can I talk to you both in the armory? I need your eyes to check our weapons before we reach the island.” Minseok stands and grabs the back of Chanyeol’s neck to drag him out of his seat. You don’t miss the secretive smirks your first mate and gunner share as they glide out of the room, dragging Chanyeol along.

Not seeing any point in staying at the table, you stand up and look down at Baekhyun. “You’re dismissed. Get lost.”

He laughs sourly and stands up abruptly, his chair scraping harshly against the floor as he walks over to your open door. He pauses and you feel the last of your patience run out once he shuts the door and turns around, a scowl set on his face.

“What the hell are you waiting for?” you growl out, but the question doesn’t hold nearly as much venom as it did in the past.

Pathetic.

He stomps over to you and you figure it’s about time that the two of you go back to shouting profanities in each other’s faces until you’re red and out of breath and reaching for your weapons. His behavior these last few days has been uncalled for. From ignoring you, to being a dick to Junmyeon, to…to just fucking existing.

God you hate him.

You hate him so fucking much.

The toes of his shoes are against yours when he stops, chest heaving in angry breaths. You can feel your own blood boiling. You hate him. You hate him. You hate each other.

“What the hell are you waiting f-”

And then his mouth is on yours.

~~~

Like magnets of opposite polarities, you always come back to one another.

Neither of you know when you became each other’s most frequent fuck, but somewhere along the way it became your reality. You’ll fuck others, kiss others, date others, but you always come back.

Always.

You both do.

When hate is there to overshadow any other feeling, it’s easy to pretend it’s all just lust, all just comfort in bodies.

But for how long was it not just that? How long was hate a crutch that you could lean on when other feelings started to emerge? How long did you cower behind hate?

You don’t want to think on it, not right now. And neither does he. You’re both riled up and feeling something so potent bubbling under your skin. Something that neither of you are willing to touch with a 10-foot pole. No desire to unmask it.

Not yet.

Not now.

“I hate you so fucking much,” you murmur against his lips as you hastily untie the strings on his shirt, fingers itching to touch skin. To feel his skin beneath your fingertips. Skin burning with life. With fire. With passion.

“I know,” he breathes out. Mind jumbled as long fingers pull your shirt off your body in a rush. “I know you do.”

Your chest hurts. It hurts to breathe. Hurts to lie so easily knowing now that it’s a lie. It’s a lie. You’re both still lying.

His hand burns from the small of your naked back, all the way to your ass where he squeezes, pulls you closer. You moan and he swallows it, tongue swiping easily into your mouth, and you can’t think.

You just feel too hot. Too many clothes. You aren’t close enough. You feel desperate. So desperate that you can almost feel tears springing to your eyes.

“Fuck me,” you pant. His mouth moves to your neck and sucks eagerly at skin. You grab his hair and allow him to place bites, licks, open-mouthed kisses as he grinds against you. Your legs wobble, but you hold onto him like a lifeline. You reach a hand into his pants and he gasps into your neck as you stroke him to full hardness. It’s too much.

It’s not enough.

You pull his head away from your neck to look him in his eyes, blown wide with desire and you’re sure your own are a mirror image. “I want you to fuck me Baekhyun. Right now,” you growl out.

The hunger in his eyes makes your heart race, makes your body react, makes you want all of him. Whatever he’s willing to give.

You trip, stumble, collapse onto your bed in a mess of limbs and laughs. You both shuck off the rest of your clothes and finally, finally you feel nothing but skin against your own.

You feel pathetic, so needy, so desperate, and you’re begging. You’re begging for him to push himself inside of you.

You can’t help it.

It’s not like he doesn’t like it. He fucking loves the sound of you desperately chanting his name. Losing your sense and falling victim to raw desire. The words fall from your lips like worship, like a prayer said for only him.

Right there.

Faster, faster.

Oh fuck, Baekhyun.

Please. Please. Please.

He gets drunk off the sound of it. Off the moans, off the sounds of skin meeting skin, off the feeling of you coming undone around him.

He can feel his own end nearing and his own desperation picks up. Hips picking up pace, breaths coming out harder.

And you thread your fingers in his hair and pull him down into a kiss. Slower, deeper than the others before. “Come on Baekhyunnie, come on,” you whisper against his lips, eyes locking on his.

And he loses himself.

Shaking, hips stuttering, cock pulsing inside of you. You watch him, enrapt by the sight and he closes his eyes. The energy leaves him and he presses his face in the crook of your neck and lies on top of you. Gathering his senses. Gathering his breath.

You stroke his hair and back while his breath puffs against your neck. He shifts so that his weight isn’t fully on you, but enough is that he can continue to blanket you in his warmth and let you continue to play with his hair like this.

It’s intimate.

Scarily so.

It’s at this moment that the both of you accept that there’s no going back after this.

Something’s changed.

You don’t hate each other. No not at all.

Not one little bit.

Maybe you never really did.

[siremasterlawrence]

Painting Victor Sazz’s.

Oh! Victor Sazzs I thought watching him stroll back in to my club.

He was out of my control clearly his mind may be insane, but he is stall a sigh to behold.

Victor flips his mini knife set up and down in the palm of him hands.

“Leave my Master alone.” Roman exploding with anger shouts, he pulls out a gun.

Aiming it at Victor who ballsy as ever stares him down till he was close enough.

The barrel of the gun faced his way bringing out his fear.

“Very cleaver Victor to try getting him to react.” I say to him.

“It can’t work he is broken.” My voices booms all over.

The Guard’s tackle him landing on top of him like hammer on assault mode.

—————————————————————

“Victor, Victor Where Are You?” I echo through the hallway’s of the club.

The monstrosity that was Victor Sazz’s looks a sight running in fear.

I follow him way begin him letting the outcast of my shadow play the villain.

My shadows grows larger overtaking him in a few seconds.

A large sound can be heard due to Victor trips on his own foot.

Staggering to go get up and go he screams on my advancement towards him.

“I never had much use for friends, family, love of assignments.” I tell him.

“Nobody cares you sick fuck.” Ha words hit me hard like my heart was cut.

I slap him across the face channeling all of my power through him.

—————————————————————-

A smile peels over his face giving in to the deep evil within.

I was merely a conduit for a twelfth of power laying high above us.

My body a mere container but how I use it is everything.

“I will serve you.” Victor says rising to his feet.

He kisses my hand out of respect stoking a fit with Roman.

The nights ascension was a spectacular form I have nerve seen before.

Hazy purple like sky appears in the clouds so do my troops bust into Gotham.

The city lights were dim, the streets empty and the gallery is free.

Gotham never knew what hit him, mobsters dying, and the criminal underworld.

—————————————————————

Victor Sazz’s takes the opportunity to lie to his ex-boss.

He inform’s him I want the underworld brought together.

He supplies him with fire power, assortment of assault weapons.

Victor smiles entering my private office taking his shirt off.

“My lord I will mark my body more.” He tells me.

He turns the music on for me doing a sexy dance routine.

The drinks keep flowing starting with my own private office party.

“Drinks, uniform, foods, sex, music drugs, and my empire.” I say out loud.

“What could be better?” I hear his voice asking me.

—————————————————————-

My club was pumping with loud music, and very high profile criminal clientele

My dancers were energetic as ever pleasing my goers.

My body shivers with excitement knowing after tonight nothing will ever the same.

My troops along with former crime lord Roman Sionis take over Gotham.

Victor was becoming quite attached to me in a albeit cute way.

He follows me around with the dopey face, an ugly half smile.

I grab his ass leading him back to my officer for a private talk.

“How close were you with Roman?” I question him not really caring.

He moves forward kissing him with those skill lips, ugly ass gold teeth, and half smirk.

————————————————————-

I pick up his gun from my desk, smiling as I hand it to him.

His smile grows wider with anticipation as he inspects it.

He inhales the smell knowing it’s never lots it smells.

“Happy Hunting.” I say to him as he calls the limo driver.

“Time to kill some bitches.” He yells on his way out.

We high laugh so hard we roll off the table.

“Well look who the cat drags in.” Roman states

One kick an every leader in Gotham feel to their knees.

Victor an his team lose it killing all of them send.

————————————————————

[soobrat]

ᴋʀʏᴘᴛᴏɴɪᴛᴇ || Bang Chan & Jeong Yunho

masterlist chapter two

𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕤𝕥,

★ 𝔹𝕖 𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕪 ★:

death of a loved one

grief

discretion is advised

a  m o n t h  a g o

"Gyuri, what who was that?" Heejin peered over Gyuri's shoulder at her phone.

"I-It was Yunho. It's nothing, don't worry about it.

Heejin rested her hands on her hips with a huff.

"Yeah right, I can hear it in your voice. What happened."

Gyuri went pale. Heejin was an adult now. She should know about these things, right? She was definitely not going to tell her that.

"They... they found a body in the park."

• a day later •

Chan peered over at Yunho who was fidgeting with his hands on the locker room bench. His eyes were trained on seemingly nothing.

"I'm sorry that you had to witness something like that so early in your career."

"That... her life was just starting man! How could someone kill someone so young?! I heard she was accepted into an ivy league school." His eyes were wide, his mind was putting all of the pieces together for the first time.

"God- I don't want to think about this right now." He hands flew to his head, clutching his chocolate locks. He clenched his eyes shut. Chan paced towards him and rested his hand on his shoulder.

"You shouldn't, so maybe stop. It'll make your job a thousand times easier." He patted his shoulder twice before walking towards the exit.

"You're making it sound so easy."

"I told you to prepare yourself for this job, didn't I?" Chan turned to look at Yunho, his elder brother mode turned on. Yunho pushes himself up from his seat.

"But weren't you also the person who told me heinous crimes like that haven't happened around here for almost two decades? And not to worry too much about it? So sorry for being shocked and trying to vent." Yunho plopped back down onto the bench, pulling his uniform shirt fully on.

Chan decided to leave it there. Mostly because he didn't have any rebuttals for that. He wouldn't admit that, though.

"Before I leave, how did Gyuri react? I didn't see her yesterday."

"Great. Another thing I'm stressing about. She completely freaked out. The girl who died reminded her too much of Heejin. It's been really hard because Heejin just turned 18 so she wants her freedom but then that happened. Gyuri is hovering over her constantly and Heejin hates it."

Chan sat there for a moment. That's really unlike Gyuri. Maybe he'd check up on her.

"Just a heads up, I'm dropping by tomorrow."

• tomorrow •

"I'm running a little late but you wanna come with, mom?" Chan buttoned up his shirt as he asked.

"No I'm fine honey-" She was interrupted by her phone ringing.

"Oh look! That's Yunho now!" She picked the phone up eagerly.

"Yunho! H- wait, slow down. Yeah he's right here. What's wrong? Yunho... honey are you crying?"

Chan watched in confusion as his mother's clamped over her mouth.

"Oh god no, please no." Her voice quivered as she dropped the phone.

"My baby! Not my baby!" She slid off the couch, sobbing into her hand.

p r e s e n t  d a y

The houses in the town were so damn cute to you. All quaint and small. Chan's was a bit fancier and bigger, being a hotshot policeman and all.

"Out with it. You're here for something, what is it?"

"My papa's hat. He dropped it at the crime scene like an idiot. He takes a break for a couple years and makes a rookie mistake, what a dumbass. His DNA is all over it. You're gonna help me find it."

"Why me?" Chan looked annoyed, not threatened or frightened in the slightest. This in turn made you annoyed.

"You're real brave, huh detective? Didn't girly tell you about the things I'm capable of?"

"Stop dancing around the subject and answer my question!"

"The answer to your question is the same reason you shouldn't be so smug. You're very valuable to not only your police people but everyone around here. We get you, we get everyone. Also, you've got the most to lose. Just how many people in this neighborhood alone are you close to? Family? Childhood friends?"

Chan couldn't lie, he was feeling a bit more cautious. He couldn't feel scared by you, though. He just felt revolted and a strong hatred for you. The things you've done are unspeakable, and one of the people were close to him. Chan laughed before whipping out his gun.

"You're just as much of a dumbass as your "papa". You follow a policeman into his home and threaten him?" He cocks the pistol, eyes boring into the female.

"Go ahead! Shoot me! Just know if you miss you'll regret it. It'll be messy just like the other two."

Chan was angry but hesitant. He was confident in his aim, but he didn't know how good you were at dodging. Plus you were a good distance away. The noise would rile up the neighborhood. His boss had told him time and time again about how the last thing he wanted was to worry the citizens. That's why he didn't release the eyewitness report (against everyone else's opinion).

So when you reached for your purse, he didn't shoot.

"Look, I have a gun too."

Chan tensed up, keeping his gun aimed at you.

"Don't worry pretty boy," you place the gun on the ground and slide it towards him with your foot.

"No funny business, I swear. I'm not here to do any harm. Just get me the hat and I'll be on my way."

Chan didn't believe you for one second. For now, however, the best thing to do would be to lower the gun. So he did.

His ear began to ring, everything seemed to be going in slow motion as he set the gun on the table. He felt like he made a mistake. Did you best him? Did he let his guard down too easily? He thought so.

He raised the gun back up at you.

"Put both your hands in the air and walk towards me slowly."

You stood there shocked for a brief moment. Your expression melted into a sly grin as you raised up your hands. You did as he said, planting yourself firmly three feet away from him. He rustled through your bag to discover a dart gun and hunting knife.

"Is hunting a crime?" You smirked.

He almost replied with "hunting humans is" but then it reminded him who exactly he was dealing with. The crime scenes flooded back into his mind and he grimaced.

"Come on, nothing? I think that was pretty funny-"

"What was the tranquilizer gun for?" He asked, setting down the knife to pick up the gun. He looked down at it in his hands, turning it, inspecting the weapon.

"...I thought it'd be obvious. You were meant to be in my trunk by tonight, unconscious obviously. I was really betting on your cop-like good will to come through and trust me. They train you better than I thought.”

Rage flooded through Chan's veins as he thought about how cruel and disgusting you were. You noticed how he looked at you.

The proximity was perfect now.

"It's not lethal, geez-"

-Was he needed to hear before pointing the tranquilizer gun at you.

"You don't want to do that."

Chan hated to admit that he enjoyed the panicked look on your face.

"How does it feel, being prey now?"

You didn't get a chance to respond before he pulled the trigger. The dart punctured your neck. You grab the dart and remove it but it's too late. Your legs are weak, vision doubled. You try to get close to Chan but he just backs away, giving you the room you need to fall to the ground.

It was painfully obvious Yunho was concerned.

"Yunho, you're looking at me like that again." Gyuri chuckled, eyes crinkling. She picked at the food on her olive-colored ceramic plate. She didn't want to look at him.

"I don't believe that you're okay. This act you're putting up is only making me and everyone around us worried."

Gyuri looked up at him, he hadn't touched his food either. The yellow light omitting from the aged glass chandelier washed out Yunho's complexion. It made his disapproving look even harder to look at.

"Look, it's been a month now. I love Heejin with all my being-" Gyuri started to get choked up. She tilted her head back, trying to blink her tears away. The tears ended up streaming down her cheeks anyway. She quickly wiped them away before resuming,

"but I'm pretty she nor anyone else would want anyone to dwell on this. I don't like the way my heart aches when I do. Being happy is just so much easier than feeling that way. Why can't you just accept that?"

"Because you're not actually happy. Gyuri, this is not going to be easy. It's going to be a painful, long, excruciating experience." Yunho looked Gyuri dead in her eyes as he attempted to rip off the bandaid.

Gyuri couldn't contain it anymore. She began sobbing uncontrollably.

"Why? I didn't want to think about that goddammit!" She banged her fists on the table, shaking both their plates.

"I feel like I'm gonna die without her! It hurts so bad and I just want it to end!" Gyuri broke down, hiccuping and clenching her fists tightly. Yunho stood from his seat and kneeled next to Gyuri. He rested his hands on her fists.

"It will end on its own. I want you to know that I'll be right there with you every step of the way. We'll get through this together."

Gyuri engulfed him in her arms, sobbing into his shoulder. Yunho held her back tenderly.

He stayed there with her for what felt like an eternity. He didn't feel troubled in anyway, in fact he felt empowered that he had the ability to help her through this.

Her sobs dissipated into lone hiccups here and there.

"Come on. Let's call it a night, baby." He rubbed circles into her back.