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nyxravessnow · 4 years ago

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Rambly Patalliro stage review

Stage Patalliro 2021 Foggy London Airport Arc Review

Today I finally managed to see the delays of the first and last day of the new 2021 Patalliro stage.

Overall, I will rate this show as a 9 out of 10.

I don't know if I'm giddy just because I watched the show today and have been really looking forward to it, and especially since I didn't enjoy the last 2.5D show I was looking forward to I might be projecting a bit onto this show. But I did enjoy every second of this show and can’t wait to buy the dvd.

While there were things, I was very nervous about for this show, I was also very excited as a lot of actors I really love are in the show.

I just wanna say anything I say about negative fan reaction is of course not most fans. Most fans stayed quiet and just did what they wanted, I’m just talking about a few fans whose comments I have seen floating about.

I was very nervous about the hostility to the new cast which I felt was unwarranted. Obviously, this wasn’t from most fans but was just from a very small amount of them. Hostility to the company and how they handled the graduation of the previous cost and the handling of the bringing in of the new cast is completely justified. However, this new cast is full of people who truly love the show and were very excited to be in it and no one had seen them on stage as those characters and so I feel like hostility towards them was undue.

The main reason this made me nervous was that I was worried if the show was bad the director and the company would not be the ones blamed but the actors who merely were doing their best in roles they were cast in.

I am so glad to say that I believe the show was fantastic. I believe that they lived up to the legacy of the previous cast and have started a good new tradition for their next shows and any cast that follows them.

One thing that really shocked me but also spoke to me about how this show most likely wouldn’t have happened without a new cast, was Kato Ryo Crying out of happiness on the final day of the show. Kato Ryo is known for never breaking character and not breaking down on stage which shows how much this show means to him. He was truly happy to be on the stage performing as Patalliro again, and it did seem as if he had also bonded to this new cast as Dai instantly went to give him a hug which he returned. He spoke about how it was amazing they could make it to the final performance as he didn’t think they’d even make it to a first one. I believe it is not too far-fetched to say that he might be referring to the fact that Nelke and the 2.5d association mostly likely said that they would not continue the show with Tsune onboard. As before Kato Ryo said he would only continue the show if the cast didn’t change and that seemed like a serious change.

I have seen comments that Maaya-sensei didn’t like the new cast and that he was completely unaware of the change in casting which I would be very surprised by. 2.5d shows have to sign off for new shows with the creator of the original and also you could see that Maaya-sensei’s family had bonded the new cast greatly. Giving the show a standing ovation and kept waving to the cast on the final night.

I know the re cast is a very difficult topic for people who likes the old cast and don't want to see a new cost, for people who liked the old cast and are willing to see the new cast, for people who didn't see much of the old cast but excited for the new cast or for people who like the new actors coming in and so getting into Patalliro for the first time.

I believe that as long as you are not attacking anyone your thoughts and feelings are completely valid and if you only liked the show for the previous cast then you have every right to just ignore the new shows and just watch the three amazing instalments from the old cast. You are valid and I hope you have a lovely day/week and hope that this awful situation (covid and the such) isn’t being too bad to you.

In my opinion if this show was the result of the recast, and that if it hadn't happened we wouldn't have gotten another show, then I'm very glad it happened because I think this show was excellent and another fantastic instalment under the name of Patalliro stage. Under the cut I will include a spoilered review of the stage but before then I just wanted to say some of my basic thoughts for anyone who doesn't want to be spoiled for what is in the show.

Acting: All the acting was fantastic. There wasn't a single actor who I wasn't entranced by and I was enthralled and engaged the entire show. I think every actor performed their roles perfectly and to the best of their abilities.

Singing: Obviously the big stand out for singing in this show was the transgender actress Nakamura Ataru as she was hired for her singing voice, her being a professional singer. However, I think everybody performed extremely well. I continue to be a little frustrated with the use of recorded singing for everybody except for Ataru, as I believe the music they have on it is too loud and it makes it harder to hear a lot of the singers and I also feel it's not necessary to record the songs as all of them are professional actors who can definitely sing on stage. That being said, I fell in love with every single song in the show and thought they were all amazing.

Directing: I think a lot of very very wise decisions were made about this show. I was worried this show would either reflect too much on the previous cast or just not mention them at all and pretend it didn't happen. Luckily the stage did neither. I will get into more specifics and my spoiler review, but I think they handled it very well with having stuff for new fans, old fans and fans who would be irritated by seeing knew actors continue on jokes that previous actors started. In regards to other sides of the directing, I believe it was same as always, very good for the type of show it is. The comedy was very good but due to only having seen two shows I can't say how much was the directing and how much were the actors just being funny, because this is a very funny cast.

Casting: I believe every actor in this stage was perfect for their roles. This may be a controversial opinion but after seeing Dai and Yuuya act opposite each other I am very glad that Sana wasn’t brought back. They couldn't continue to have Tsune in the show as 2.5D does not have the kind of reputation yet where they can have an actor who has committed crimes in their shows and back him for if he ever did something again then it could do a lot of damage to the industry. Nelke and the 2.5d association are companies and in order to keep putting on shows and paying actors and all the staff they need money. And to have money, they need a clean reputation, at least while it’s still relatively low in popularity. I do not wish Tsune ill at all, I think he is an excellent actor, and I really hope that he does continue acting but I completely understand why he was not cast in this show again and why that led to a recast of most of the cast. I think that Sana was excellent as Maraich in every way he embodied the character. But having been in quite a few previous shows together Yuuya and Dai already had excellent chemistry, and I think it would have been quite odd to see Sana as Maraich acting opposite a different Bancoran. I can't imagine any actor having better chemistry with Dai’s Maraich than Yuuya’s Bancoran and visa versa. And I really hope that with the end of lockdown and quarantine, and everything calming down a lot in terms of physical contact on stages they will be able to show the bond between their Maraich and Bancoran even more. (They didn’t actually kiss, converse to what I’ve seen some people reporting about how Nelke wanted to pretend everything was fine by making them kiss.)

Well enough on them, the Tamanegi. I think all of them were completely perfect for their roles and they all handled it with enough seriousness to make the comedy different enough from the past cast and therefore make it their own but also for it to actually be funny. I cannot wait to see this group in more shows together and see how much funnier they can become. My only slight complaint, and it is very slight, is that one of the Tamanegi is 19 years old, therefore underage, and it made me slightly uncomfortable when he took his shirt off. as I am now an adult watching the show. Having not been an adult when I watched the previous two, I do rather approach it with different eyes and that was something that I wasn't very comfortable with but I do understand that everybody isn't me and it would have been a bit strange if only one of them didn't take their top off.

Other cast members included Damian, the Maaya man and Ataru the ‘singing princess’. Again, all three of them were amazing, I was especially impressed with Shouta as Damien as I believe he carriage the emotion that came with that role excellently. Knowing what kind of personality Shouta has off stage, it still makes it slightly weird for me to see him playing less-good characters but I cannot fault his acting. I will cover the other two cast members in my spoiler review.

Anything else: I think the staging was excellent, prop work was very good and they obviously worked very hard on this show.

That will do it for my spoiler free review underneath I will get into a lot more detail on things that I liked, disliked or just wanted to comment on.

If you're stopping reading here thank you very much for reading and I really recommend if you weren't sure about this cast and weren’t sure how much they'd put into these roles and how much they would love them I can assure you that these roles have been trusted to people who really love this show and are working very hard. If you are considering getting the DVD but aren’t sure, I really recommend that you do get it if you like Patalliro and don’t just want to see only the old cast.

If you have any more specific questions about the show, I will be happy to answer them so just drop me an ask.

Spoilers under cut (Warning, it is very long)

God, where to even begin. This show was so good. They combined old stage Patalliro, with new directing, a new cast, and a really interesting arc. I'm going to separate my review into story, acting, singing/songs and directing, as well as mentioning some extra stuff that I might think of at the end.

I will illustrate bits I’m saying with pics but pics cannot do this show justice. And I’ve bolded where I begin each section so it’s more easy to find.

So first, the story. As someone who doesn't know the exact intricacies of this arc, I do know roughly what happens I just couldn't remember all the specifics, I think the show was set out in a very non confusing way compared to other Patalliro content. They did make the story a lot more linear and wasn’t showing stuff that happened at the same time as other things too much which can sometimes hurt my brain. Even with all the flashbacks and flashforwards I felt it was really easy to keep track of what was happening when. The story had a very clear and defined beginning, middle and end, and I just thought it was very well done.

Acting, with occasional dips into directing and story when appropriate. As I said before the acting was amazing. I had chills, the entire scene with Damien, Maraich and Bancoran. I think they balanced the comedy and tension very well and didn’t try to undercut all the serious scenes with comedy which is my main complaint with a lot of gag manga/anime/stages. Except during Maraich’s more emotional song where one of the Tamanegi was still wearing bdsm gear which I thought was a bit hmmm. I’m not rly gonna cover Kato Ryo bc he just is Patalliro at this point.

Maraich and Bancoran, despite having very few scenes actually talking to each other, had undeniable chemistry. Dai and Yuuya, sold me on them being a couple immediately with the way they looked at each other and how they held each other. Their final scene before the end together where Maraich lay in a hospital bed and Bancoran was clutching his hand gave me so many emotions (First night he held his hand and final night he kissed him). I was 100% sold on how much they cared about each other, even if they might fight a lot in the end no one will ever love the other more than they do, and I think that that is what makes this couple so special. They have a true unconditional love for each other and they would, quite literally in Maraich’s case, throw themselves on a bomb for the other one.

Bancoran. I think Yuuya played Bancoran so well. You could see the character maturing before your eyes as we moved from 15 years previously to 12 years previously, to 10 and onwards until the normal time. And you could see the vulnerability he had with Damien and how that was still there but how he truly loved Maraich and that the vulnerability he has with Maraich is different. While Damien didn’t tend to let his guard down around Bancoran, his relationship with Maraich is a lot more give and take and I think he played all of that expertly. I know how much Bancoran cares about Maraich is a lot more vague in the original but I think that was partly as a product of its time and they somewhat had to make some humour out of these two men being in a relationship without flat out making fun of that aspect. So, I am very happy that the stage lets these character’s be in love and despite everything, truly show that they care about each other. Also, he did make me cry a few times when he saw Damien broken, Maraich with Damien as his heart broke seeing that happen to the man he loved but also breaking for the trust he put in a man he had once loved as well in the final scenes where he has clearly decided to kill Damien but is still holding onto a feint hope that maybe, he is not completely lost.

Mariach. Wow, just wow. He was not super present in the beginning, but he was the standout in the show in my opinion. His Maraich was so so different to Sana-chan’s Maraich and yet he was absolutely true to Maraich. He approached Mariach from a very different angle and I am so glad we are lucky enough to get both of them playing Maraich. He seems a lot more mature, like he has definitely been with Bancoran longer. He gives him more trust and isn’t as quick to be jealous as well as very quickly understanding Damien and how important he is to Bancoran, asking Patalliro not to tell him anything until they were sure which is different to how he acted about Bjorn/Andersen in the last show, they are different situations but I do think it represents character growth. He was a lot more aggressive in his fighting and anger though, as shown by his heavy metal solo as opposed to the softer ones of Sana’s. Despite all that he still was clearly in love with Bancoran and still showed his cute side. As well as expressing more deeply about his love for Bancoran with one of the Tamanegi but more on that in the Tamanegi’s bit. The scene with Damien was done so well by everyone involved. They clearly condemned Damien’s actions, showed how disgusting what he did was and created incredible pathos for Maraich while also showing Maraich somewhat unaware of what had happened and during the sex scene with Maraich and Damien, Dai showed Maraich’s desperation to hold on Bancoran and love Bancoran, so well, and it broke my heart.

Damien. I don’t remember too much of Damien from the original but Shouta played him excellently. He showed the progression of this man who loved Bancoran to a man who was willing to throw him away and murder him so well and it was believable despite not seeing almost anything except his interactions with Bancoran or Bancoran/Maraich’s feelings about him. When he held Bancoran at the end, asking why he was fighting so much and why he wanted Damien to kill him, despite Damien obviously being the villain you couldn’t help but feel sympathy for this man despite everything he’d done. (Also I think there is meant to be a parallel between him holding Maraich and him holding Bancoran)

The Maaya man. I thought the actor himself was very good, but I am a bit confused about why he was in the stage. All the Tamanegi played multiple roles, changing costume, and there is only one of him, so I am not too sure what the benefit from having a single Maaya man was but it’s a very small complaint and mainly about logistics rather than show quality. Especially as it certainly didn’t take away anything from the show having him there.

Nakamura Ataru – The singing Princess. Oh. My. Lord. Her voice was phenomenal, and she was gorgeous in every single outfit she was in, reaffirming to me that I am very pan (Not just attracted to the men in the play but also this gorgeous woman. I am not saying I am pan because she is trans). What was a surprise to me is that she was genuinely really funny. In the scenes where she was meant to be funny, I laughed a lot and she definitely has expert comedic timing.

The Tamanegi. I am going to separate a few of them who were reasonably important and group the rest in together.

So, the ones who did not play major roles in the show were: Emoto Koki, Ookubo Tatsuki, Sagawa Daiki and Hoshi Gouki. They were all very good, played their parts well and I don’t think they could have done better. It was very interesting to see Koki in a bdsm outfit but besides that there wasn’t anything super memorable about these actors’ parts.

Harashina Motohisa. Motohisa played the Black Tamanegi and served as somewhat of a leader for the Tamanegi in their scenes. Given that he was the only 2nd season Tenimyu actor in the cast and was the first name in the list of Tamanegi this was pretty much the role I expected him to play. He was very good, and his high voice was super adorable to hear after not hearing it much from his roles.

Okuda Yumeto. It was very surprising for me to see that Yumeto was the Tamanegi who travelled back into the past with Patalliro to see Bancoran’s past. Not only is he the youngest of the Tamanegi but he was also last on the list of Tamanegi names, I might be putting too much onto that list, but I did think it was gonna be kinda going from highest ranked to lowest and from most importance in the show to lowest. I was kinda right and wrong about that as the four most important were the two first names and two of the three last names. He did get to sing a little in the Bancoran and Damien jazz sex song, more on that later, and I thought what he did was good.

Nakata Ryouta. (Yes I am saving Tsukasa for last bc I love him). Out of the four he had the smallest role but still had a solo bit in their trio song (trio is the name for a song where 3 people harmonise and have solo bits if you didn’t know, bc lol I didn’t) and was somewhat important to Maraich. I thought he was very good despite it being his first stage show and he had a lovely voice. He and Tsukasa made such a cute couple.

Taguchi Tsukasa. Warning, he is my favourite actor, and I am extremely biased. He was the best actor in the show, no question.

Joking, he didn’t have too much to do so obviously he didn’t shine more than Dai-chan, Yuuya or Shouta for example. He had two scenes with Maraich and while he didn’t do much in the stage overall it was clear how much of an impact his character, Tamanegi no.35, made on Maraich. He confessed to Maraich his love for his fellow Tamanegi, no.19, and spoke of their love and how special they were to each other which was never ridiculed or made fun of but was an exceedingly human moment and as a lgbt person it really touched me. He saw the love Maraich had for Bancoran and he and 19 did everything they could to help him. Without them, Bancoran and maybe Maraich as well, would most likely be dead as they picked Maraich up and brought him to Bancoran as well as getting Plasma X’s armour to protect him. Maraich, so far in the stages, hasn’t really had a friend. He always has just had Patalliro, shown by Patalliro being called in the 2nd stage to help them with their argument despite Maraich not liking Patalliro that much and this Tamanegi offered help to Maraich without judgement, just empathy, and I thought that was really special. I know, due to the nature of this being based on a gag manga and knowing Patalliro, that in the next stage they will likely not get another scene together but I can hope as their second scene with 19, 35 and Maraich might be my favourite scene in all of Patalliro content.

I know Tsukasa is a massive Patalliro fan, in a live he said he went to the previous show between 4-6 times and I have rarely seen him smile as much as he did in the finale of this show. It obviously meant so much to him to be in a show he loved and I’m incredibly happy for him.

Singing/songs.

There were 9/11 songs in this show. (9 if you don’t count Cock robin and Foggy London Airport which Ataru only sang a little of on stage but is an album exclusive)

These were:

1. Wow Patalliro

2. I can’t see your

3. Maybe we could meet again? – Mata Aeru Kashira

4. Foggy London Airport

5. Sexy dudes!

6. To leak out – Moreru

7. Kiss me Bancoran

8. Cock Robin

9. Don’t overlook me – Misugosenai

10. My special person - Tokubetsu na hito

11. Forever Patalliro ~ Grand Finale

1. Wow Patalliro

This opening song was such a bop and I don’t think I will ever get it out of my head. It was very different to the previous first songs, much higher tempo and energy which I think was interesting as this show felt slower than the previous two shows which I thought was interesting. Shouta, Damien’s actor, was having so much fun dancing around in the bg and it was adorable.

2. I can’t see your

God Ataru’s voice. Her voice was gorgeous in this song. This was my favourite of the 3/4 songs she sang and this is from a person who doesn’t usually like ballads. The contrast between the fast pace of the first song and the slow pace of the 2nd song was so well done. And it was such a good song to have the cast list play during as kinda a more formal opening as the first scene doesn’t do much except to show that Bancoran is acting strange and so isn’t super related to the rest of the stage.

3. Maybe we could meet again? – Mata Aeru Kashira

I love the club singer vibe of this song and Maraich was so cute with Ban clapping along in the back. It was a nice soft scene before all the angst and trauma in the rest of the scene and it was really nice to see them on a date together.

4. Foggy London Airport

Don’t have many thoughts as I didn’t really hear much of this song, about 2 lines, but I’m sure it’s amazing if Ataru is singing it.

5. Sexy dudes!

I love all the Tamanegi songs so much and I rly liked how different this one sounded, much like all the songs in this show, I like how the Tamanegi are built up in this song to seem so good then they having the dumbest dance ever, it was amazing and the final day with all of them stripping killed me. Of laughter bc of Daiki wearing a shirt that made it seem like he had abs and of other things bc of Tsukasa stripping. (I think Daiki might not have been comfortable showing his fully chest so I’m glad they allowed him to just wear a pretend ab shirt)

6. To leak out – Moreru

I never imagined a sex scene in Patalliro would be shown by a woman dressed like a bush singing a jazz song as screens showed the characters sex faces as they were on a spinning bed or doing poses but here we are. The song itself was very good and I think it worked weirdly well representing what happened.

7. Kiss me Bancoran

God all the songs in this stage were just so good. Another absolute banger. Yuuya’s voice as Bancoran is divine and the choreography and everything work so well for this song. I also think he looks super pretty in his past Ban outfit and love that the song was done in that.

8. Cock Robin

Pretty much as normal. Maraich’s little leg lift is so cute

9. Don’t overlook me – Misugosenai

This was not what I expected from a Maraich solo in any way shape or form. But it works so well?? Maraich screaming into the mic as Bancoran plays the guitar and the Tamanegi do back up dance is just phenomenal, Dai’s voice works for the song so well and him pretending to be Damien and Bancoran and impersonating their voices as they had sex was hilarious, omg. This song was the song we didn’t want but we needed so much. By far and away my fav song in the show. I have listened to it so many times already and I am never gonna get bored of it.

10. My special person - Tokubetsu na hito

A trio song between Maraich, 19 and 35 about what you do when with the person you love the most and what you would do for the one you love the most, with the other Tamanegi as back up singers. Despite looking a bit silly with Koki in his bdsm gear in the bg, the emotion was there, and the three actors are such good singers. /not at all biased. Honestly, I died when I heard Tsukasa start to sing. I didn’t expect him to get a solo bit in this show and I was so happy that he did.

11. Forever Patalliro ~ Grand Finale

I rly like the new ending song. It’s upbeat and fast like the first song and has a different feel to the previous cast. I’m kinda glad that the final bit with the circle head things that look like the headframes from the manga was the only song they kept. They’re showing that they are moving on from the previous cast without erasing what they did.

Overall, I think this show has my favourite soundtrack. In the past two shows and the film there were a couple songs I didn’t love but in this one I loved all the songs!

Directing

Like I said before I think there were a lot of good calls in the direction. They had I think two or three references to Stardust, I think this was to partly reassure fans that they weren’t completely resetting the world and that this was a continuation and from what I remember maybe four or five recurring things.

1. Patalliro at the start being asked who he is, this definitely makes sense tho and I’m super glad they didn’t change it

2. Maraich’s legs shaking when Ban looked at him with his beam. I kinda liked though how they even changed the beam for Yuuya. Tsune’s was a contant beam whereas Yuuya’s beam is more short bursts. (in terms out sound and the projection of the beam light)

3. Patalliro recreating the most tragic scene from the play again at the end. I was a little unsure about them keeping this at first as it felt like a joke of the old cast but it was mainly something Kato Ryo did and he is still here to continue his joke so it makes sense to keep it. Also, in the finale he gave Damien. Maraich and Bancoran characters from tv to impersonate while doing their lines which made the scene very funny.

4. The final bit after the finale song with the head frames but I think it would be weird to remove this song in retrospect bc it is the song that mainly relates back to the manga. Also, they did change what the head boarders look like.

5. And obviously the two mangaka that are referenced in all the stages are still there bc that is something that came from the original. (Micchan sensei and the shojo mangaka one)

Except for that stuff, from what I can remember, mostly everything was new jokes which I rly liked. That they’re making new stuff for the new cast.

That’s it!

I still have so many other thoughts but the best thing I can say at this point is pls watch the stage! It is just as faithful as it was with the original cast and the quality has not dipped at all.

Thank you for reading my rly rambly thoughts and I’m sorry it trailed off at the end, it is quite late now.

I hope it inspired you to look into getting a DVD or CD or supporting the stage in some other way.

Have a good day/week/month/year/life!

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gottawriteanegoortwo · 3 years ago

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WKM Role Swap: The Story Splits

Prologue

With our attention on the day after the fateful poker night, we return to the story just as it splits from the one we are familiar with. Some of it may sound familiar, but don't be fooled. Change is in the air as the Colonel misses his cue...

We also neglected to attach the AO3 link, should you prefer to read it on that platform. Consider that remedied now.

Realising that nothing would happen unless someone took initiative, Celine led the group from the scene of the crime to the dining room. The guests took their places at the large, round table as Celine took a moment to calm her frustrations with the immaturity facing her. With such a serious issue at hand, she couldn’t understand how some of them were so careless about it.

“Look, Mark’s death is a terrible thing indeed. But I fear that there are forces much darker than anything we’ve seen here today. I’m well versed in the arcane arts, but if you,” she gestured at the group, “untrained and uninitiated, can summon lightning with a mere word, we’re all in far graver danger than anything we could ever hope to face alone. We’re gonna have to work together if we’re gonna survive this.”

“Celine… What are you proposing?” Damien’s voice was tinged with worry, and the Attorney flashed him a look of concern as they put a supportive hand on his arm.

“We need to speak with Mark.”

“I knew it!” Chef slammed his hands on the table. “He’s a flesh-eating zombie!”

“No -”

“Well, maybe one of those smart zombies,” William helpfully suggested, “homeo sapio zombifus!”

“No, no!” Celine snapped, catching the attention of the two men. “I need to commune with the dead.” Silence briefly fell on the table. William was bemused. The Attorney tilted their head in confusion. Damien looked away. Benjamin and Chef exchanged light shrugs.

“That… Doesn’t sound like a good idea,” spoke Abe, the voice of reason. Celine rolled her eyes.

“Well, it’s a good thing I don’t need your permission. But YOU.” Her sharp tone drew everyone’s attention to the Attorney. “You’ve been awfully quiet through this whole thing.” At once, the atmosphere of the room grew heavy, as though Celine had granted some of the guests the ability to see the Attorney in a completely different light.

“With those beady little eyes…” snarled the Chef.

“And wearing THOSE rags?” Benjamin tutted.

Abe looked conflicted as he said, “maybe I shouldn’t have trusted someone so goddamn gorgeous.”

The Attorney's head turned to William, waiting for whatever belittling statement he wanted to make. There was a brief pause as he belatedly realised they were looking at him with resignation. He had been dismissive of them in the morning, it would likely shine through now.

"I - I'll pass," William lifted his hand a fraction to dismiss the moment. In doing so, Damien's shuffling caught his eye on the other side of the Attorney. This confrontation toward his university friend was making Damien uncomfortable, but he was in no position to try and object once Celine set her mind on something. Not only that, William could see exhaustion weighing his friend down. William knew it was his fault, but he couldn't tell them. No one would believe it was an accident.

"- stand for it!" The Detective jumping to his feet and slamming the table threw William back into the present moment. A few seconds passed in complete silence, like actors knowing a line was missed and not knowing if they should continue or not. Celine was the first to recover as she dismissed the Detective's worries by giving the offer to stand outside.

Like a student frantically trying to figure out what they missed while zoned out in class, William glanced around as he put the pieces together. The Attorney had agreed to help Celine in trying to talk to the dead. The Detective objected. It was a matter that likely went against Damien’s own opinions on the matter, but he said nothing.

You see, William did trust Celine with all his heart… But he would quickly say the same for Damien. The younger twin had an innate talent for finding ‘good’ people, ones with kind hearts. From what William had seen throughout the day, the Attorney was no different. Why sit back and let them be involved in something reckless when the thought worried Damien?

In the moments of William’s internal dilemma, Damien had chased after Celine to try and talk sense into her. The movements were too quick for a man worn out from the day’s stresses. Every time he stopped during the argument, Damien leaned more on his cane or on the stair’s bannister to lessen the risk of his good leg buckling. But as the Attorney began climbing the stairs after the siblings, they felt a firm tug on their wrist that yanked them back a step. They turned in time to witness William quickly pulling his hand away to show he meant no harm.

"Can I have a quick word before you follow?" The Attorney glanced up toward the bickering twins before nodding. "I know you agreed to help Celine, but I think Damien needs your assistance more right now. Did you see the way he moved out of his chair? He's relying more on the cane. If left unsupervised, he’s going to collapse. I swear, it’s been years since the war and he still lacks the basic ability to take care of himself and accept his limits." The Attorney’s concentration faltered as their gaze drifted upward to the frail Mayor. "All this stress has exhausted him. He needs to go lie down, and you're the only one he'll listen to." The Attorney gestured to William, suggesting that he could complete that task instead. "You heard our last conversation. I know he's still angry at me. He wouldn't want to talk to me… He needs a friendly face right now that will keep him calm. I can handle Celine in your stead. She doesn’t scare me." The Attorney tried to point out that Damien wanted to talk to William. Reconciliation was necessary, but he had to avert the immediate danger first. William put a hand over his heart and bowed his head. "I will talk to him after he rests for a while. I promise." While not ideal, it was enough for the Attorney and the Colonel to switch places.

The twins' argument screeched to a halt when they noticed William ascending the stairs with the Attorney hot on his heels.

"What are you doing?" Celine turned on the Colonel. "You aren't supposed to be here."

"I'm helping you with your ghosty-whatevers," responded William calmly, raising the brim of his hat to properly look at Celine, "and it's either me or no one." He kept his expression neutral, making it known that his decision would not be swayed. Damien was taken aback, throwing a confused look to the Attorney. They flashed a supportive smile as they moved a little closer to William. A subtle action that gave a clear message to Damien: "it's okay. We're on the same side". It was a reassurance that had him take a step back and let William pass. All Celine could do was let out a sound of exclamation as William marched past them toward Celine's personal study.

"Just be careful!" Damien called after them. William spun around to grin at Damien while Celine opened the door. To his delight, the Attorney was at Damien’s side. They gave William a thumbs up, and he nodded his head in gratitude.

Next Chapter.

#who killed markiplier #writersofmark #william j barnum #mayor damien #celine the seer #abe the detective #wkm role swap #fanfiction

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smooshjames · 4 years ago

Text

Promise?

smash bros, gay panic, and spicy cheese jell-o salad: the story of two women in love

word count: 4.4k

a/n: first courtney work and i gotta say, i’m extremely proud of this one. i hope i did the request justice! as always, here’s a link to my ko-fi if you want / are able to donate, which is, of course, never an obligation. whether you support me with your money or just with your eyes, i’m so grateful that you take the time to read my work, and i hope you enjoy!

warnings: some mild angst, mostly just gay panic and fluff, exceedingly dramatic descriptions of super smash bros gameplay

request: here

The first time you appeared as a guest on Smosh, they had you film a Try Not To Laugh. When that went over well with the fans, they invited you back for another. Then you appeared on a SmoshCast, and then an Eat It or Yeet It. And on it went. You became a staple to the community. You loved Smosh, though you declined to work there full time (you had enough of your own independent creative pursuits without adding on a full-time job, no matter how wonderful that full-time job might be).

But more than just the larger following and the fond memories that Smosh had gotten you, you also found quite a few good friends. You spent time with the Squad constantly, always going out to lunch or coffee, getting invited to dinner parties and other random hangouts, playing video games with Damien or talking with Sarah well into the night. Despite not officially working at Smosh, you had been accepted into the family, and you had come to consider the cast and crew as some of your closest friends.

All this to say that when Ian reached out to ask if you wanted to participate in a video for Smosh Games, you said yes without a second thought. It was a pretty casual video, just everyone sitting around and playing Smash Bros. There were two twists, one tamer than the other. The first was that everyone had to choose random characters, which was to prevent people who played the game a lot from picking their mains; it would provide some interest as people struggled to learn the mechanics of characters they didn’t usually play. The second twist was that at the end of each round, whoever won got to choose a punishment for whoever lost (losing, in this instance, defined as being the first person out). You settled on the familiar red couch with Courtney next to you and Shayne to her right. Damien, Keith, Noah, Matt, and Sarah settled in chairs around and behind you.

Shayne introduced the video and the rules, explained a few of the punishments that the winner would get to choose from (and that the loser would have to endure), and then the game began. Everyone hit the randomize button. Various groans of annoyance and/or cheers of pleasant surprise went up around you. Matt lucked out with Bowser, Shayne got Isabelle, Keith got Lucario. You had Villager, which you felt pretty neutral about.

Immediately, you set your sights on Courtney. Of everyone at Smosh, you were by far closest to her. The two of you had hit it off instantly and become fast friends. Though, much to your excitement and frustration, it sometimes seemed like she wanted it to be something more. The two of you were constantly flirting back and forth, veiled as teasing or just Friendly Complimenting. There was one incident that would be seared into your brain until the day you died: the time she had gotten a little too drunk at a party and leaned in to kiss you fully on the lips, but you’d been interrupted by Shayne before she could. You had fallen asleep in the same bed multiple times, for multiple reasons: the time she had called you after a bad breakup and you held her while she cried; the time you called her after a bad breakup; the time you’d been too drunk to make it home, so she’d invited you to stay the night at her place but neither of you wanted to make the other sleep on the couch so you just both slept on the bed. All things that could be explained away as close friendship (except maybe the almost kiss, but that was explained away with alcohol; you were pretty sure she didn’t even remember it). It wasn’t like you weren’t physical with your other friends. You’d cuddled with Sarah and held Shayne’s hand. But all that stuff felt way different when you did it with Courtney. With Courtney, it felt consequential, important.

Even now, having her next to you on the couch had your heart pounding in your chest. The couch was small (more a loveseat than anything), so her leg was pressed against yours from ankle to hip. Your arm kept brushing against hers as you played. You could smell the occasional whiff of her perfume.

You were in full, unadulterated gay panic.

But you also had a game to win. You weren’t a sore loser under normal circumstances, but one of the punishments involved drinking straight mayonnaise and you were not about to endure that. You knew you just had to outlast someone else, and you figured you could tease Courtney in the process. You went after her every opportunity you got, managing to knock her off twice.

The first round came to a close. Damien won and Noah lost. Damien chose to tweet something on Noah’s account, which Noah wasn’t allowed to delete or address; he just had to leave it up to let people speculate about it until the video came out. Damien strung together a bunch of non sequiturs that made exactly no sense, the group laughed, and the next round began.

In the second round, you went after Courtney yet again. It was fun to antagonize her; being as expressive as she was, she couldn’t keep a poker face, and she kept yelling unintelligible threats at you as her character plummeted off the side of the stage. As you laughed gleefully at her annoyance, you flashed back to the time in third grade when one of the boys wouldn’t stop pulling your hair on the playground. When you’d complained to your mother, she told you that he probably had a crush on you and didn’t know how to deal with it (she’d also told you to stand up for yourself, which led to you kicking the kid where the sun doesn't shine, which was a very interesting meeting between you, your teacher, and your mother; but that’s a story for another day).

Point being, you realized now how that kid had felt.

Once again, at the end of round two, you didn’t win or lose. You were perfectly content to run in the middle of the pack. In fact, until the last round, you were actively trying not to win. Your strategy for this game was going unnoticed. If you won too much, everyone would start to target you; if you lost too much, you’d have to deal with punishments.

By round three, you and Courtney were in a complete, unspoken war. The two of you ignored the other players as much as you possibly could, choosing instead to constantly pursue each other. She got a few hits in on you, but you were too good; months of playing with Damien and Shayne had prepared you for this moment. You knocked her off once, twice, three times. Your trash talk was louder and more constant than anyone else’s. Even Damien and Shayne weren’t ribbing each other as much as you and Courtney.

Round four went similarly. You knocked her off once, and then again. As her character fell into the abyss, she looked like she was sincerely considering putting her controller through the television screen.

God, you were in love with her.

“Y/N!” she said. You’d never heard such visceral exasperation. You went after her once again.

“What’s up?” you asked, voice light and breezy. It was a joke you’d picked up from Damien. You forced her character off the screen and she shouted so loud you were pretty sure passersby might’ve thought she was getting murdered.

“Quit it or I’ll bite!” she yelled. Shayne started laughing so hard that Noah managed to knock him off the stage while he was distracted.

Maybe it was the sheer adrenaline you felt as you turned to fight Keith, maybe it was the fact that you were so utterly love drunk, maybe you just weren’t really paying attention to what you were saying, maybe you were desperate for the last word. You weren’t sure why you said what you said next, but you sure as hell said it, and the room sure as hell went quiet when you did.

“Promise?”

There was a second, two seconds, three, of silence as everyone processed what you’d said. And then the room erupted in laughter and cheers. Meanwhile, on the screen, Keith beat you, and then Shayne beat him, and then Matt forced Shayne off the edge of the stage and was declared the winner of round four.

Sarah had lost, and as Matt doled out her punishment (drinking mayo, the one you’d been so staunchly against), you snuck a glance at Courtney. She was completely occupied with cheering Sarah on; she barely even noticed you looking at her. She didn’t seem particularly upset by what you’d said. In fact, she didn’t seem upset at all. It looked like she had just shrugged it off as a joke, which both relieved and disappointed you.

On the one hand, it was good that she hadn’t realized the deeper meaning behind your words — or, well. Word. Singular. If she had realized just how serious you were, your friendship might have gotten weird or awkward. You figured she didn’t like you back; if she had, she would’ve asked you out by now. You knew that Courtney wasn’t the type to stop being friends with someone just because of a crush, but you didn’t want her to think that your friendship with her had ulterior motives or anything like that.

On the other hand, you sort of wished she had taken it seriously. After all, she flirted back with you, and she initiated physical contact more often than you did. There had also been the infamous Almost Kiss Incident of 2019. It seemed like maybe, just maybe, there was something there. As much as you tried to rationalize it away, you couldn’t ignore the lingering touches, the tenderness she seemed to save for you and only you, the double entendres that came with a joking eyebrow waggle but a serious heat in her gaze. Maybe you needed to take the initiative.

So went the paradox you’d found yourself stuck inside of. It seemed like you had a good shot if you made the first move, but it might get weird if you were reading the signs wrong, which meant you did nothing, and maybe she took that as a signal that you weren’t interested, which meant she did nothing, which you took as a signal that she wasn’t interested, rinse and repeat.

Feelings were a complicated web and you were very close to throwing in the towel completely. Maybe you could fast forward to the inevitable spinster-slash-cat-lady days which seemed to be your destiny.

You forced yourself to stop thinking about it. Round five was starting, and round five had the biggest punishment of all, which meant you were really screwed if you lost. Plus, whenever you let yourself overanalyze your relationship with Courtney, you ended up with a migraine and exactly no progress on your game plan.

“Y/N,” she said as the round began, “let’s call a truce until it’s just us. And then we can settle this one on one.”

“Hm,” you said, pretending to think about it even as you turned away from her and started attacking Noah. “Tempting. But it sounds a little bit like you’re just trying to get me off your ass for a while since I’m so much better at Smash Bros than you.”

You heard someone (probably Damien) let out a low “oooo” from somewhere behind you. You were barely conscious of your surroundings. Your world had narrowed to the screen in front of you and the feeling of Courtney’s thigh pressed warmly against yours.

“No,” she said. She was fending off Shayne and Damien simultaneously, which was actually really impressive. Courtney was a good Smash player when you weren’t beating the shit out of her. You made a mental note to tease her about that later. “I just want to settle this without distraction. Then we’ll see who the better Smash player really is — damn it!” Shayne had gotten the better of her and knocked her off the stage.

“I’ll call a truce with you on one condition. If we both survive to the end of the game, whoever loses has to take the punishment.”

She considered. These were technically not the rules of the challenge: in the last four rounds, it had been that whoever died first had to take the punishment, rather than whoever died second-to-last. But you wanted to up the stakes, and hey, no one could say you didn’t know good television.

“Fine,” she said. Everyone else murmured their assent; it was better for them, anyway, since it basically guaranteed they wouldn’t have to take the punishment.

And it was settled. The two of you stayed away from each other. The game went on. After a few minutes, as you forced Keith off the edge for the third time, you realized that you and Courtney were the only two left. There was silence for a moment as you sized each other up in real life, both of your characters frozen in their respective places on the screen. All your friends were holding their breath.

You held your hand out to Courtney. “May the best woman win,” you said, and you meant it. She took your hand and shook it firmly, and you felt like the bones in your arm were melting as she did it. Even that simple touch was enough to have your heart pounding. Every nerve in your hand stood at attention. And as you pulled away, the feeling lingered like an electric shock.

The next few minutes were fraught with tension. You’d never fought harder in a Smash Bros game in your life. Courtney was fighting with a vengeance, and she was so good that you wondered for a moment if she’d been letting you win earlier. All of your trash talk ceased as the two of you focused on the game with the intensity of people whose lives were actually at stake. Your friends were forced to provide commentary as you and Courtney played silently, utterly focused, but you were barely hearing them. At one point, you felt Damien rubbing your shoulders and you were distantly aware of Shayne doing the same to Courtney, both of them talking in your ears like trainers at a boxing match. Matt was doing his best sports announcer imitation.

She killed you. You killed her. She killed you. The two of you were each down to one life. The playing field was completely even. Your fingers flew across your controller. You had broken an actual sweat.

And then, the unthinkable: Courtney, the underdog, forced you off the edge of the stage. The room erupted. Everyone was screaming, yourself included. It was absolute madness. Shayne grabbed Courtney’s wrist and held her hand in the air like the ref at the end of a match. Sarah and Matt were jumping around behind the couch. You were yelling things that even you couldn’t make sense of. Keith and Noah were scream-laughing and leaning on each other for support.

It took a solid couple minutes for everyone to settle down, and then it was time for your punishment, which had been kept a strict secret until this moment. Courtney didn’t get to choose anything. All anyone knew was that it was the worst of them all. Your heart was thundering from adrenaline and anticipation.

You knew you were in for a treat (in the worst possible sense of the word) when Garrett entered the room with a silver platter. You had a flashback to the ghost pepper pasta you’d been forced to eat on Eat It or Yeet It. Your heart dipped.

“No…” you said, more to yourself than anything. Everyone waited with bated breath as Garrett walked in and set the platter on the coffee table before you. You took a deep breath. You looked at the camera. “Well,” you said, “if this is what kills me, it’s been real.”

You uncovered the platter. It was a Jell-O salad, that much was clear. The smell had your stomach churning. It was indescribable, but if you had to try, you’d describe it as boys’ locker room with a side of wasabi. You picked up the fork and poked at it a little. You were pretty sure you heard Courtney gag as the smell hit her.

“Do I get a puke bucket?” you asked. You were actually kind of terrified for your digestive tract. A crew member walked out of the room and came back a few minutes later with the Eat It or Yeet It bucket. Fitting.

You got as much of the Jell-O salad onto your fork as you could and, with the bucket firmly in hand, put the bite in your mouth. You gagged, but persevered. Somehow, it tasted better than it smelled. That’s not to say it tasted good (it didn’t), just that the dirty sock smell got buried under the wasabi/ghost pepper/whatever spicy bullshit Garrett had found this week.

You swallowed, grimacing all the while, and opened your mouth for the cameras to see. Everyone clapped, you felt Keith put a hand on your shoulder, and Courtney began doing the outro for the video. She asked where the fans could find you. You plugged your Twitter and YouTube as usual. Someone brought you bread so you could drown out the spice in your mouth.

The cameras cut and you stood up, eager to stretch your legs after sitting on the couch for so long. “That was fun,” you said. Everyone agreed. Courtney stood up, nodded, and then made her way out of the room. Your heart dropped. You couldn’t help thinking it had something to do with you. Maybe she had been freaked out by your comment but just didn’t show it while you were recording. Maybe you’d hurt her feelings by singling her out throughout the game. Maybe the smell of your Jell-O salad had been so bad she needed a bathroom.

As you watched her go, Shayne sidled up next to you. “‘Promise?’” he asked in his best imitation of you, shit-eating grin on his face. You turned and slapped him on the arm.

Shayne knew about your crush. You’d been forced to tell him after he caught you in the middle of the Almost Kiss Incident. You had tried to play it off, say she was just drunk, say it didn’t mean anything to you, but Shayne was smart. He saw right through you. You had confessed your feelings. He’d been doing his best to help the two of you ever since, but he absolutely refused to tell you what he knew about how she felt; if she reciprocated your feelings and Shayne knew about it, he wasn’t letting you in on the secret. He insisted that it wasn’t his place to tell you one way or the other, which you respected as an adult and as his friend, but despised as someone stuck in romantic limbo.

“Shut up,” you muttered. You glanced back toward the door where Courtney had exited. “Did she seem upset to you?”

Shayne just shrugged. “Don’t know,” he said. And then he nudged your arm with his elbow and nodded pointedly toward the door. “I’m sure she’d tell you if you asked. You’re pretty much her best friend.”

“I don’t know…” you said. “What if it’s because of me?”

“Then she’ll tell you and you’ll talk it out like the grown women that you are.”

You bit your lip, debating. You knew he was right (Shayne, when he dropped all the bravado and the Comedy Man act, was seldom wrong).

“Go, Y/N,” he said.

You squared your shoulders and left the soundstage in search of Courtney.

You found her sifting through costumes on the Try Not to Laugh set. You knew that she came here sometimes to think of new bits and clear her head, so finding her now didn’t come as a surprise. You closed the door behind you and then knocked on it quietly to let her know you were there. She jumped, but relaxed when she realized it was you.

“Hey,” you said. Being alone with her had the butterflies in your stomach going haywire. “You ran off kinda fast after we wrapped the video. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

She nodded and turned back to the costume rack. Her hands were shaking slightly, that much you saw from your position by the door. You wanted to hug her, but given the events of the day, you weren’t sure if it was a good idea. You waited for her to say or do something; you decided you would let her lead.

Finally, she took in a sharp breath and turned to you. There was something utterly indescribable in her eyes, but whatever it was sent you overboard. You felt like you’d been launched into space without a helmet, screaming inaudibly, head about to explode from the pressure. The look on her face almost made your knees buckle; you had to grab the doorknob behind you to stay upright.

“Are we…” she stopped, took another breath, and started again. “Am I fucking insane for thinking that whatever we are, we’re more than friends? Because I keep getting it in my head that you look at me a little too fondly to just chalk it up to friendship. But every time I flirt or hold your hand or anything you just… you don’t seem into it like that. And I mean, even when I tried to kiss you — with the help of a little alcohol — it seemed like you were leaning away. But maybe I was just drunk. But after today, I mean… God! ‘Promise,’ Y/N, really? How the fuck am I supposed to take that? And the whole time we’re playing I’ve got your fucking leg up against mine distracting me.” She took a break to gulp in some air, but she was nowhere near finished, and you wouldn’t know what to say even if she was. “And no one else is willing to fucking help me! I know Shayne knows something but every time I ask he plays the It’s Not My Place card. Well what the fuck am I supposed to do with that! But it seems like you don’t want me, so I haven’t said anything because I don’t want to ruin what little of you I do have, so I just sit around feeling like I’m going into cardiac fucking arrest every time you’re near me but not being able to do anything about it!”

By the time she was finished, her shoulders were practically heaving with the effort. She looked close to tears. She was looking at you pleadingly now, terrified of what you might say.

Two equally inane realizations hit you in rapid succession. First, Shayne did know, the little shit; you were going to have words with him as soon as you were done here. Second, Courtney remembered the Almost Kiss Incident. You had assumed that she’d been so drunk she wouldn’t remember. That was part of the reason you’d leaned away; you weren’t sure if it was fueled by her actual desire to kiss you or just an alcohol-addled mistake, and you didn’t want to risk it being the latter.

Far more importantly, you realized how much time you’d both wasted on the same fear. Both of you walking on eggshells, afraid to say something because it seemed like the other didn’t feel the same way. The force of how monumentally idiotic you’d been knocked the air out of your lungs.

You debated how to go about resolving this. You knew one way or the other, you’d walk out of the room with a date scheduled. You considered just kissing her then and there; it would certainly convey all the words spiraling through your head. It would also be the romance movie thing to do. But you sort of felt like if you tried to walk you might pass out immediately. The doorknob was the only thing grounding you in reality.

“We’re both dumb as hell,” you said, finally. Not the most eloquent response to a declaration of love. She furrowed her brow. You hurried to elaborate, worried she would take it the wrong way. “I mean it’s been at least a year of both of us overanalyzing every time we so much as breathe in each other’s direction, and we’re just now confessing our mutual love. Kind of pathetic, if you think about it.”

Courtney laughed as she realized what you were saying. She made her way over to you, swearing as she almost tripped over the costume rack, and wrapped you in a massive hug. You buried your face in her neck, happy to finally have confirmation of the things you’d suspected for literal years.

You had a lot of time to make up for.

You pulled apart, though neither of you went very far. You were still in each other’s personal space, and it was taking a lot of brain power for you to speak coherent sentences when she was very much within kissing distance.

“How’s Saturday for you? Would dinner work?” you asked.

She grinned and nodded, and there was a moment where neither of you said anything, either too happy or too dumbfounded to speak.

“I’d like to kiss you now,” she said. “I know that’s not proper date etiquette, but I think we’ve wasted plenty of time.”

“Courtney, we’re far beyond first date,” you said. “If you leave this room without kissing me I’ll be so wounded, I don’t know if I’d be able to go on.”

She rolled her eyes at you but leaned in to kiss you anyway. It was perfect, everything you’d ever dreamed of and more. One of her hands was on your cheek, the other on your waist. When she pulled away, she made a face, and your heart plummeted.

“What?” you said, trying to keep your voice light despite your fear that she was disappointed with something. “Not good enough for you?”

“No, not at all. It was perfect except for one thing,” she replied.

You quirked a brow.

“You taste like spicy cheese Jell-O salad.”

#courtney miller x reader #courtney miller #shayne topp #damien haas #matt raub #sarah whittle #keith leak jr #noah grossman #smosh #eliza.txt #inspired by my very real desire to play smash bros with the squad

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hollowempire · 5 years ago

Text

Troubles || Actor Mark x Reader

Request: none

Summary: Mark gets into a bad state and reader gets scared. It becomes a game of hide and seek.

Word count: 1,327

The Manor was quiet. Not a sound in the house, as almost nothing stirred. This might’ve been expected as there were only two occupants, but they were quite often pretty noisy. So the silence was unusual. Something different had happened that day.

This really only lasted a few minutes, maybe not even that. It started the moment black goo started falling from Mark’s eyes, mouth, and nose. Y/n immediately stopped what they were doing upon seeing this. Then him dropping to his knees, the open wounds covering his chest bleeding. They couldn’t take it. They just booked it, running out of the living room, up the stairs, and into the nearest room.

It was one they had never entered before, and it seemed Mark hadn’t been inside in forever. Dust covered every surface, everything was messy. Sheets strewn about, photographs knocked off a shelf, a table covered in all sorts of things. Y/n was just about to approach a photograph they saw on the ground before a booming voice rang out through the whole manor, seemingly placing Mark everywhere at once. Panicking, y/n dashed into the closet and closed the door, leaving just a small crack so they could look through if need be.

It was rather small, strange considering the size of the house, but there wasn’t much in it anyway. Just a few old suits and robes that were weirdly clean. Several suits that were the only things in the room that had been touched recently.

“I know you’re around here somewhere, kitten. Come out, i just want to talk!” he called in a sing songy voice. This time it was more distant. Y/n was safe for now.

Mark’s voice continued to sound in the manor with mocking taunts, until they went farther than that. He began to grow desperate, frantic. He sounded genuinely upset.

“Where did you go? Why did run?” he was getting closer. There was sadness in his voice. “Why are you leaving me, kitten? You’re just like Celine!” his voice broke at the last part, yet it was also the loudest. He was outside the door.

He changed again. Y/n could practically hear the smirk the smirk in his voice. “Oh, kitten... hiding in my old room? That’s just cruel.” he states, his tone teasing again, yet still serious. He pushed the door open, the squeak of it filling the room. He steps in as he speaks again, walking very slowly. It’s threatening even if he’s hardly doing anything. “So many memories, and you’ve decided to remind me. Decided to become a repeat of the past, even.”

All this time, y/n was glued to the closet door, eye peeking through the small bit of space between the door frame and the actual door. From what y/n could see, which wasn’t much considering the room was dimmed due to the blinds being closed, he was completely covering. His robe was soaked through, both black and red covering various areas of his body. Yet he still carried himself like he was the greatest in the world. Like he could do anything.

Then he was standing right next to the closet door. “Come out from wherever you are. Don’t be like them, don’t hurt me like they did!” he said. His hand was on the handle, he was about to pull it open, when he suddenly froze. Something had caught his eye.

Y/n had to hold back a sigh of relief as they watched him walk away and toward an object off to the side, right by the bed. The baby crib. Y/n watched as he placed his hands on it, leaning forward and taking in a shaky breath.

“I had everything, you know... and everyone just ruined it.” another one of his tangents. Y/n had heard these many times before, but this one was more emotionally charged. There was more meaning in it. “Celine cheated. William was the one she cheated with. Damien knew and didn’t tell me because he thought I deserved it. I shouldn’t be suffering! I haven’t done anything to bring this upon myself, I’m too good!” he exclaimed.

Mark stopped suddenly. He had caught sight of the photo on the ground, and the several others littering the table. Y/n took this opportunity when he was distracted to try and get out of the room unnoticed by Mark.

“Oh, when times were good. Just our nice little group of very close friends. We used to all like each other, we used to not hurt each other. I thought I had found happiness again, that I’d have a good life, but it seems my little kitten is trying to run away!” he shouted, turning suddenly and catching y/n in the act of trying to sneak off. “You’re not leaving. It can’t be like last time.”

Y/n gulped and slowly backed away from the door that they had only just opened, flinching as it shut behind them.

“Tell me the problem.” he said, slowly walking towards y/n. His voice was falling back to the broken one from before. “What have I done wrong?”

They gasped as he reached a hand out to them. It was completely covered in blood and goo. He didn’t seem to realize, or at least recognize the problem with it.

“Love me, I deserve it.” he stated, still walking towards them. He was trying to keep his composure, but tears wear already starting to fall. He was breaking down.

Y/n didn’t know what to do, but their movements were automatic. They held out their arms without even thinking and Mark immediately fell into them, clinging onto them like his life depended on it. He full on sobbed into their shoulder.

Somehow, they found that they weren’t fazed by being covered in what he was. Comforting him was more important at that moment. They felt bad for running, and either way he was still in an awful state. They wanted to help him.

He was muttering quietly, his hold on y/n getting tighter to the point where it hurt. It wasn’t enough to do any actual damage, but being stuck there with an already slimy man was hardly comfortable. Still, they stuck it out. For mark.

“Please don’t leave me, not like Celine did. I’ll do anything. I just want you here. I love you.” This, among others things, was what Mark repeated over into her ear, hoping to get her to stay. He didn’t realize she had never planned to leave.

It was rather bizarre to see Mark go through so many mood shifts in such a sort amount of time. Or was it short? Y/n didn’t know how long they were in that closet. It’s could’ve been minutes, could’ve been hours. He still had never been like that.

“Mark...?” they asked softly as they held him. He shook in their arms, a total opposite of the man that was just walking around the room and seemingly ready to hurt someone. He was just broken and in need of support. Someone that loved him.

More repeats of “promise you’ll never leave me” are heard over and over as y/n gently runs a comforting hand up and down his back, responding each time with “I promise I’ll never go, I love you”.

Though he was clearly not all there. Even so, y/n’s constant reassurances were evidently getting through to him. He was calming down. His initially painful grip on them loosened, but he still didn’t let go. He likely wouldn’t for a while, so y/n slowly sunk down to the floor and just held him there as he continued to cry.

Mark eventually calmed down. Y/n could tell he had by the way he slowly looked up at them with an apologetic look and muttered out a small “I’m sorry”.

“It’s okay, Mark.” they whisper, petting their hair. They pressed light kisses to the side of his head.

They knew what was happening now. Next time would be better.

#actor mark x reader #actor!mark x reader #actor mark #actor!mark #wkm #who killed markiplier #adwm #a date with markiplier

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dameronology · 4 years ago

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rockstar {s.r x reader} - 3

you and steve rogers are famous for two extremely different reasons - you’re a famous rockstar, and he’s a superhero. your main personality trait is sarcasm and he’s a squeaky clean super-soldier. it takes him exactly one night to fall in love with you. what could possibly go wrong?

summary: you and steve officially introduce your friends to each other & you also have to start dealing with inevitable public interest in your relationship

part 1/part 2

also ft. bucky barnes + sam wilson, and some more damian/alex content. they are important to the story line but pls let me know what you think of them + if you’d like to see more/less of them`<3

warnings: language

‘Is he good in bed?’

‘Do his abs feel real?’

‘Did the super soldier serum work on his-’

‘- I am not answering those questions!’ You snapped, nostrils flaring as you jabbed your finger towards your bandmates.

The three of you were stood outside your usual bar, sheltering under an old awning in the smoking area to shield yourselves from the rain. It was coming down heavy now, covering the whole of New York in a bubble of wet humidity as evening began to settle across the grey sky of the city. The bar was your usual hangout; a small hole-in-the-wall pub in a desolate part of Midtown; the beer was stale but the company was good.

You were anxiously waiting for Steve to arrive with Bucky and Sam. Naturally, you felt nervous about formally introducing your respective group of friends - it marked the pair of you becoming official official. Plus, your two best friends were capable of acting like a pair of clowns when they were excited, and they’d barely shut up about meeting the two heroes the entire day.

‘Hey, doll.’ You felt a pair of warm, familiar arms wrap around you. You hadn’t even notice Steve’s cab pull up.

The super soldier pressed a kiss to your lips, and you naturally responded to his touch. You knew that there were people around you who could have seen, but you were beyond the point of caring. You were on a relationship high; the pair of you had gone official and you were introducing your friends to each other. What did it matter who saw?

‘You remember these oafs from yesterday morning,’ you pulled back from Steve’s embrace, ushering your bandmates over.

‘Steven,’ Alex greeted him.

‘I didn’t recognise you with a shirt.’ Damian added.

Rolling your eyes, you turned your attention to Sam and Bucky. They were shyly stood behind Steve, almost like two small children. Ironically, Damien and Alex had been over-excited about meeting them.

If only they knew.

‘It’s good to see you guys again.’ You pulled them both into a hug. ‘I’m just gonna get it out the way - Alex and Damian are super excited about meeting you, so there’s no need to be shy.’

‘Us?’ Bucky’s jaw dropped. ‘You were excited about meeting us?’

‘And you were excited about meeting us?’ Alex’s tone was just as accusatory.

You intertwined your hand with Steve’s, dragging him inside the bar. The smell of stale beer and old tobacco initially made him draw back, but the air was warm and the atmosphere welcoming. The pub was filled with plush, red booths and the carpet looked like it was straight out of a nineteen-eighties adult film.

‘So, why this place?’ Sam asked, eyes darting between the ugly floor and aged decor.

‘There aren’t many places in New York that one of the world’s biggest bands and half of the Avengers can hang out.’ Steve replied. He was leant against the bar beside you, arm tightly around your waist.

‘Everyone in here is either too drunk to care or too old to know who any of us are.’ Damian added. ‘But now I think of it, we could have just hung out at Y/N’s.’

‘Yeah, but that would involve having to tidy up.’ The super soldier muttered under his breath. You elbowed him in the ribs, pouting.

After getting your drinks, you moved to a booth at the back of the bar. You and Steve were sat on the outside; he had his arm slewn across your shoulders, holding your hand in his. That was sort of your natural position now - it was the way you sat when you on the sofa in your apartment, and the way you dozed off at night.

It was odd to see your friends interacting so easily. Damian and Bucky were chortling about something, whilst Sam was grilling Alex with questions about your upcoming album. The fact that they’d initially been starstruck by each other had definitely helped to break the ice, and it wasn’t long before you were all lost in conversation.

‘So, you know that song from your first album?’ Bucky tapped your hand across the table to get your attention. ‘The one titled You Suck, You Bastard?’

You groaned. ‘Yeah?’

‘Who was it about?’

‘My high school boyfriend.’ You buried your head in Steve’s shoulder, trying to ignore the heat in your cheeks. ‘He might have fucked my best friend but the royalties from that song paid for my first car.’

‘Our Y/N is a bad-ass.’ Damian ruffled your hair. ‘And that should be a warning to you, Rogers.’

‘Definitely,’ Alex chimed in. ‘You hurt her, and you’ll have us to answer too.’

‘Alex is asthmatic as fuck and Damian has the structural integrity of a piece of spaghetti.’ You casually commented, taking a sip of your beer. ‘So really, you have nothing to worry about.’

The six of you continued to chat as the evening passed; Sam and Bucky had many questions about your music and stories from touring, whilst Alex and Damian were asking for 411 on superhero life. You and Steve, however, were engrossed in your own little bubble, simply watching them chat and laugh as you absent-mindedly worked your hands across each other.

Steve’s fingers were gently tracing the lines of the tattoos on your bare arms, warm hands working from your shoulders and down to your wrists. You, meanwhile, were occasionally playing with his fingers or nuzzling your head into his shoulder, barely even thinking about it. That was one thing you’d never get over: your bodies just kind of fitted together, like two pieces of a puzzle.

‘You okay, sweetheart?’ He murmured quietly into his ear.

You glanced at the group of people around you. It wasn’t something you’d ever imagined happening, but the energy between you felt right. Between Sam’s seriousness and Alex’s terrible jokes, and Damian’s constant questions and Bucky’s interest in your music, they could all bounce off of each other. It was like a group of old friends hanging out.

‘Never been better.’ You smiled.

The following morning, you woke up underneath Steve. His legs were tangled between yours and the sheets, strong arms holding you to his chest as he quietly slept. His hair was sticking up in a thousand different directions, and you couldn’t help but pull a face at the large purple mark on his neck. Neither of you had been drunk the night before, but the intake of alcohol had certainly made you friskier than usual.

‘Mornin’, gorgeous,’ He pressed a kiss to your shoulder, barely bothering to open his eyes. He let go of you, rolling over to bury his head in the pillow on the other side of the bed.

‘Coffee?’ You asked, gently running a hand through his blonde tufts.

‘Coffee.’

Pulling his shirt over your torso, you fumbled around for a pair of leggings. You rubbed your eyes as you headed out into the living room, sliding open your bedroom door. The early morning light was streaming through the windows, washing the room in a dull, yellow glow. In addition to the blinding lustre, there was also a six-foot musician in your kitchen, preparing three mugs of coffee.

That was when you remembered that Damian had stayed over at yours. He often ended up crashing on your sofa, especially if he was having problems with his boyfriend - which was always (but it made for some good song writing material). He had his phone in one hand and a spoon in the other, and he was too engrossed in the device to notice your presence, so you cleared your throat.

‘Y/N!’ He jumped at the sound. ‘You’re trending!’

‘What is it this time?’ You snorted, reaching into the fridge for a carton of milk. ‘Last time it was because I accidentally trod on Harrison Ford’s foot at a red carpet event.’

‘It’s a bit more serious than that.’ Damian bit his lip. ‘Pictures of you and Steve have been all over Twitter.’

You let out a groan, head dropping into your hands. You knew it was bound to happen - you were both figures of public interest, and all of your previous relationships had been under the microscope of every gossip column in the city. Still, this was relationship wasn’t like your other ones. It was so much closer to your heart, and so much more personal. It had taken enough for you to tell your two best friends about it, let alone the entire world.

‘Perez fucking Hilton.’ You muttered under your breath, scrolling through an article titled Beauty and the Beast. ‘Why am I the beast? Have they seen Steve’s arms?’

‘I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.’ Damian took the phone from your hands, pulling you into a tight hug. ‘People love you, and they love Captain America.’

‘Yeah, but probably not together!’ You grumbled. ‘It’s like...the most random pairing ever.’

‘So? When have you ever cared what people think?’ He reasoned. ‘Trust me, Y/N, you and Steve are good together. I’ve seen you with people before but not like this.’

‘I better go tell him.’ You pulled from his embrace. ‘Thanks for making the coffee.’

‘Anytime, sweetheart.’ He pressed a kiss to your temple, before handing you the drinks and pushing you in the direction of the bedroom.

You were more worried about what Steve was going to think. You’d dealt with public relationships before, but he hadn’t. He had no clue what it was like to live under the intense watch of modern day social media. It wasn’t something you’d considered when you’d got involved - you’d been so entranced by him that you hadn’t stopped to think about the consequences.

Still, that wasn’t going to stop you. You’d made it this far, and you were happy. Whatever obstacles it was going to create, you felt confident in overcoming them.

‘I have news,’ you announced, dropping back into bed next to Steve.

He sat up, looking momentarily adorable as he rubbed his eyes. Pressing a kiss to your cheek, Steve took the mug from your hand, frowning at your worried expression. You were chewing at your lip ring, something he knew you did whenever you were anxious.

‘What’s up, sweetheart?’ He asked gently, softly rubbing your shoulder. ‘Talk to me.’

‘They know, Steve.’

‘Who knows?’

‘The internet!’ You replied. ‘Someone saw us at the bar yesterday, and it’s gone viral.’

‘Oh.’ Steve’s brow furrowed, and he thought for a moment. He reached for the bedside table, grabbing his phone. He scrolled for a minute, examining some of the tweets and articles. ‘Yeah, they definitely know.’

‘I’m sorry.’ You flopped back into the pillow. ‘I know this probably isn’t what you wanted-’

‘- hey, baby, stop.’ He grabbed you by the waist, softly pulling you into his lap. He gently brushed his lips against yours, pushing a few strands of hair out your face. ‘You are the thing I want, and I’ll stick by that whatever crap is thrown our way.’

You paused for a minute, holding his gaze. ‘Does that mean I can post you on my Instagram?’

{taglist: @sp2900 @whenpugzfly}

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nightwingshero · 4 years ago

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relationships + blair!

Thank you, love!

1. Do they have any friends? Would they consider anyone to be their best friend?

Oh, absolutely. Blair has a ton of friends, it’s hard to not be friends with her...for the most part. Some people you just can’t get along with, no matter how hard you try. As for a best friend, that’s hard because there are a few she’s super close with. I would say it would either be Sara, Tori, Felicity, Caitlin, or Cisco. Barry and Iris are more close friends of hers too, but those are the big ones. Blair loves her fellow nerds, you know? And she’s known Tori since high school, they go pretty far back. She has a special bond with each of them, even Ray and Mick. Girl has a decent-sized circle around her.

2. What’s their friend group like? What role do they play in it?

It’s honestly a mixture, but most of them are nerds. Her and Sara are close, mostly because they’ve fought together in Star City and developed a bond when Laurel and Felicity introduced them. It’s mostly something familiar and they’ve built a mutual respect, and the loss of Laurel hit them hard and brought them even closer with understanding. Cisco, Caitlin, and her worked together before the Particle Accelerator exploded. It’s a lasting friendship, though, which is why she feels so comfortable going to them to help her with her powers. As her canon progresses, more and more people get added to that circle: Ray, Oliver, Felicity, Lisa Snart...honestly, she’s just a friendly person. She plays a very supportive role within the group, someone who has a balance of logical reasoning and emotional understanding/empathy. Blair is a problem solver, too, whether it’s something she needs to help when it comes to the field (fighting bad guys and such) or just offering advice.

3. What’s their love life like? Do they have any kids?

Blair’s love life is...complicated, to say the least (listen, I tried to make it simple, and she wasn’t having it. This is her fault. I wanted her shipped with Oliver Queen or Ray Palmer...these things didn’t happen). Her first serious relationship was with Carmen, who she met in college, and they ended up becoming engaged. When Blair went into a coma, Carmen eventually left and moved on because she didn’t really know if Blair was going to wake up or not. After that, Blair had a fling or two, dating here and there, but nothing serious and it didn’t happen often because she’s definitely someone who throws herself into her research, and she was helping Ray build his A.T.O.M. suit. Her main love interest is Leonard Snart, though. It’s a slow build up...because you know...he’s a criminal. But they grow close after she helps save his sister, he helps Barry at Christmas with the Trickster and Weather Wizard, and even more when she joins the Legends. They talk about a future for them after taking down Vandal Savage, but that kind of goes out of the window when Leonard sacrifices himself (he really gets time scattered...like I said...complicated), and it’s the first time they kiss and she tells him she loves him. After being brainwashed by bad guys and used against the team, Leonard is brought back and they get together once his memories return. They eventually have a daughter together, Leonard giving up the crime life (for the most part at least. Barry and Team Flash are lenient) as they settle down.

4. Who do they look up to? Who do they trust?

Blair trusts her friends and team. The one person I don’t think she ever fully trusts is Rip Hunter, especially with the shit he pulls when she joins and sees how he leads. It gets worse, and she has a hard time dealing with it, it’s a terrible first impression that absolutely lasts. She looks up to Wells (Earth-2, even if they disagree from time to time), her father, and Martin Stein. Most of them are mentors to her, people that have always guided her. Martin is someone she looked up to and someone she eventually works alongside often when joining the Legends. He’s like a second father to her, and she often helps him with his relationship with his daughter, Lily.

5. Who do they hate? Do they have any enemies?

Blair doesn’t hate easily or lightly. Malcolm Merlyn, Damien Dahrk, Eobard Thawn, and Zoom are the main ones she can’t stand. Lewis Snart lowkey makes that list once she learns what he did to his children, and how he put a bomb in his own daughter to control Leonard. Rip Hunter is someone that makes her bad list, even if he was their captain at one point and is someone that the Legends work with. She doesn’t forget what he did when they were going after Vandal Savage, and she can’t bring herself to fully trust him, even if Sara and the rest of the Legends do.

6. Do they have any pets?

She does! Blair has an orange cat named Sol and a moonstone cornsnake named Luna. She loves her cat and just...loves reptiles. Felicity takes care of them when she’s away, especially when she goes on the Waverider.

7. Are they good with kids? Animals?

Absolutely! Blair loves animals, she gets excited when she sees dogs and cats, or any other pet she’s introduced to. As for kids, she is for sure. She’ll babysit for Lyla and Diggle when they need it, and she’ll do tours at Palmer Technologies on career day and S.T.A.R Labs when H.R. Wells opens the lab as a museum. She’s even done things at the planetarium when needed. Her mother is a teacher, so being around kids is something she’s used to. She’s a lot of fun, honestly. But it surprises no one that Blair is so good with kids, she’s just that kind of person.

#oc: blair chambers #my ocs #asks #arrowverse

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ofarson · 4 years ago

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@royalreef sent : [ panic ] / word prompts !

panic : for your muse to grab mine’s arm or get behind them in a moment of danger.

danger was a common occurrence for monsters like damien, of which nothing deterred him from the sheer thrill of it -- he welcomes danger like a second home. every threat he faces, he does so with pointed grins and sharpened wit, lethal and deadly, burning up like a fire out of control. the fire he fuels are consequently fanned to wreak more havoc. but this is the kind of violence and danger one expects to find damien in ; after all, he so often causes it without real reason.

often, this would mean others would get hurt ; sometimes they’d be fellow classmates, randoms he’s run into on the streets, or even his group of misfits that he calls friends. the path he forges in anger or excitement will always be as dangerous as the danger he so often finds himself in.

that being said, the situation he finds himself in is a different one ; he hasn’t caused it, but it’s put someone he cares about in danger. the threat against miranda’s life is a serious one and should be treated that way. merkingdom politics were often this way. (not so different to hell politics, he considers briefly, knowing the shit his dads have to deal with while their only son wreaks havoc elsewhere.)

he feels her arms grip onto his left and his body freezes for a split second, yellow eyes turning their gaze to her, brows raised and mouth slightly agape, words on the tip of his tongue. he sees the look on her face -- the concern and, is that fear ? -- and the string of words he had ready to say dissipate. this is a threat towards her. there’s one thing he can do.

his tail wraps around her waist, gently pulling her closer and behind him.

“ stay behind me. i’ll take care of these motherfuckers. ”

damien thrives in the face of danger. the grin he shares to those who dare try to get past him just to get to miranda is enough evidence of this, the knife he has on him ready to taste first blood if they get close and sparks of flame ready to burn the entire place down in a heartbeat. the contact between him and miranda is all but forgotten as he steps forward to tear apart this new adversary.

and that’s the part that most don’t know about ;

damien can fight to protect his friends. he’d willingly fight to protect his friends. (he’s just a little too clever at hiding it, calling it a chance to add to his murder quota.)

#royalreef #🔥 is that all you got? / inq.#🔥 i do what i fuckin’ want! / ic.#long post /#/ sorta #/ but uhhhh YEA #/ d.ames vc: hey watch this

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iliketoreadstuf · 5 years ago

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newbie (spencer reidxOC!) part 2

a/n: i’m just going to post everything i have written rn which is a lot so hopefully none of y’all get mad at me for spamming the tag bahaha

warnings: sexual assault mention, violence and injury

part one

chapter two:

Delaney woke with puffy eyes to her alarm at her bedside table. Shooting up from her sleeping position, she turned the loud alarm off and slipped out of the covers. She dug through her duffel bag to find her toiletries and she got in the shower, washing her hair and body with her soaps she brought from home.

She inhaled the relaxing scents of her floral soaps and stepped out when she was satisfied. Delaney looked in the mirror to find that her eyes were still slightly puffy and bloodshot. God, she looked like shit. Hurriedly, she combed and dried her hair, curling the ends. She put on minimal makeup, but enough to cover her heavy eyes.

Delaney stepped into a periwinkle pencil skirt and a fuzzy white sweater. She slipped into white heels and tied her hair back with a ribbon. Feeling like herself again, she let out a determined sigh and packed her things in her bag. Right as she was getting ready to leave, she heard a knock on her door. She opened it and found Spencer standing there.

He gave her a nervous smile and held out a travel cup. It smelled like coffee, which made Delaney smile. He had on a brown sweater with a burgundy tie and a white button-up. His hair was endearingly messy and curly and his eyes were bleary with sleep. She took the cup and closed her door behind her.

“Hey, thank you.” She smiled at him, taking a sip.

“Y-yeah. Of course.” He replied, twiddling with his fingers nervously.

“Reid, I’m sorry about last night. I wasn’t in a good state of mind and it was sweet of you to come to check on me. I-I’m not used to people, um, caring enough to check on me. So, thank you.” Delaney said, looking deep into his hazel eyes.

Spencer didn’t even process what was happening until Delaney’s arms were around his middle and her head was resting on his chest. She smelled like flowers and seemed to fit so perfectly against him. He wrapped his arms around her and set his chin on top of her head. He waited for her to let go of him first. She didn’t for at least a minute.

When Delaney pulled away, she had a small smile on her face as she wrapped her arm around his. Spencer was a good guy. She didn’t want to push him away as she did to a lot of people. Like she had the night before.

“You’re a good friend.” She smiled up at him, pulling him towards the elevators.

Spencer just let her pull him with a dazed expression. He wanted to ask her about the night before but decided that she should be the one to tell him. They stood in silence as they rode down to the lobby.

“So, what are we going to be doing today? Figuring out a geographical profile? I can help you with that.” Delaney said, her demeanor changing as she shifted into work mode.

“Yeah, Hotch will probably have us working on the geographical profile and everyone else will be trying to figure out the unsub’s identity,” Spencer said as the elevator door opened.

Delaney let go of his arm and walked over to the gathered members of their team. She looked back and gestures for Spencer to come faster. He grinned and picked up his pace, standing beside her as Hotch came over to the group.

“Okay, everyone. We’re all going to the station now. Wilmer, Reid, I want you two working on the geographical profile. Morgan, Rossi, I want you two to check out the other bars the victims were found at, maybe try to get some more information on the unsub. Prentiss, JJ, and I will interview the families of the victims. Everyone clear on their assignments?” Hotch said, looking around at the group.

Everyone nodded and piled into the SUV’s. Delaney was squished between Prentiss and Spencer, Hotch and Rossi in the front.

“How was your night, Wilmer?” Emily asked from beside her.

“Pretty good. I was exhausted and fell asleep quickly. How was yours?” Delaney asked her politely.

“Oh, you know. JJ snores and was up talking to Henry until midnight. The usual.” Emily grinned playfully.

Delaney realized that everyone else probably had a roommate. Delaney was simultaneously glad that she didn’t have one but sad that she didn’t have one. She looked over at Spencer curiously.

“Who are you rooming with, Reid?” She asked curiously.

“Morgan.” He said, shrugging his shoulders lightly.

“Oh, that must be fun. Does Morgan snore, too?” Delaney asked with a smile.

“From past experience of rooming with Morgan, yes, Wilmer, he does snore,” Rossi said from the passenger seat.

Delaney laughed lightheartedly. Spencer looked over at her with a wide grin on his face. Her laugh was extremely contagious and, soon enough, everyone in the car was laughing at Morgan’s expense. Spencer enjoyed how easily Delaney seemed to be fitting in with the team. Even Hotch was cracking a smile as Delaney laughed.

“So, how are you enjoying your first case, Wilmer?” Emily asked once their laughter died down.

“I like it. I’m excited to get to work with the genius today in his element.” Delaney bumped her shoulder into Spencer’s.

Spencer just rolled his eyes as his cheeks turned pink. Prentiss didn’t miss his reaction to Delaney. She met eyes with him over Delaney’s head and smirked knowingly at him. His eyes widened as he shook his head at her. She stifled a laugh and put her hands up, vowing not to say anything to embarrass him. Rossi met her eyes in the rearview mirror, both of them looking amused.

They got to the station and split up, Spencer and Delaney spreading out a map on their evidence board while the rest of the team went their separate ways. Delaney stepped out of her heels as the two of them started working on the logistics of the map. She marked where each girl was found and the two of them examined it. Spencer’s mind seemed to be running a mile a minute, looking between the markings.

Delaney was doing the same and both of them seemed to come to the same conclusion at the same time. The unsub was making his way around Atlanta in a circular shape. Delaney went to the map and circled the area that he was avoiding. He had a clear comfort zone and there were only a few bars he had left to hit before he completed the circle.

“He’s got to live in this area and if we’re right, he’s going to hit this bar next,” Delaney said, pointing at a mark on the map with her marker.

“Yeah, let’s call Hotch and see if they’ve found anything on the unsub’s identity,” Spencer said, already pulling his phone out and dialing the number.

Hotch picked up and informed them that they caught the unsub on one of the cameras in the bar. Hotch had sent the video to Garcia, who was soon talking to them through a group call. Garcia informed them that the man in the footage’s name was Damien Reynolds, who was a 27-year-old man who had a past girlfriend that he was engaged to but eventually broke up with him due to his violent behavior towards her. She’d been recently married a month ago to another man and moved away.

“She got married right around the time the killings started,” Delaney said, the case slowly starting to come together.

“And based on the geographical profile Wilmer and I came up with, this is the bar he’s going to be hitting next,” Spencer said, pointing to the spot on the map to Garcia on the screen.

“Ah, yes, pretty boy, and his address is directly in the center of the kill zone,” Garcia said, sending them the address.

“We’ll come back to the station now and discuss everything we’ve found. Good work everyone.” Hotch said and hung up.

Spencer and Delaney high-fived each other with big grins. They held onto each other’s hands for a beat too long and quickly let each other go. Both of them had flushed cheeks and Delaney cleared her throat with a small smile.

“I’m gonna go get some more coffee. You want some?” She asked him, slipping her shoes back on.

“Yeah, thank you,” Spencer said, still trying to control his flustered state.

“Wait, let me guess how you take it. Hmm, what would a genius drink with his coffee? Black? No, five tablespoons of sugar?” Delaney asked, a teasing smile coming over her face.

“Just two tablespoons, please.” He said, unable to keep a straight face.

“Sure thing, doctor.” She winked and walked out of the room.

She walked over to the coffee machine and poured two cups, obliging Spencer’s request of two tablespoons to his and adding four tablespoons to hers and a splash of creamer. She didn’t like coffee all that much if she was honest, but she needed the energy. As she was stirring hers, an officer came over to her. He was probably in his 20’s, blonde hair and blue eyes. He looked like a Ken doll. He gave her a charming smile as he leaned against the counter.

“Hey, I’m Will. Delaney, right? You’re with the BAU.” The officer said, seemingly already knowing her.

“Uh, yeah. Agent Wilmer.” She said with a polite smile, holding her hand out for him to shake.

“You don’t seem old enough to be in the FBI. Tell me, Wilmer, how old are you?” He asked, holding her hand and pulling her a little closer.

She widened her eyes and gently pulled her hand away from him. This guy obviously didn’t see a lot of young women at his work, considering that most of their department were men.

“All you need to know is that I’m old enough to be in the BAU and the FBI. It was nice meeting you, Will.” She said, stepping away from him.

“Hey, do you guys ever get a break? Usually, after work, my buddies and I go out for a drink. Maybe you’d like to join us?” He asked, stepping closer to her again.

Delaney raised an unamused eyebrow at him. He didn’t seriously think she would consider going out for a drink with him and his friends, right? She had just got here and had serious work to do.

“No, I’m sorry. Unfortunately, there are women being murdered right now and my team is working hard to figure out who’s doing it. I don’t have time to get a drink.” She said sharply, grabbing the coffees and walking away from him.

She heard other officers snickering at their friend, obviously amused by her rejection. Delaney’s cheeks were flushed with frustration as she walked back into the conference room and shut the door a little too forcefully. Spencer seemed to have been watching the whole time and raised his eyebrows when she set down the coffees with a sigh.

“You okay? I saw that officer come up to you.” Spencer said, his eyes dark with seriousness.

“Men think they have the right to come up and ask women on dates whenever they please. I’ve never spoken a word to that guy and yet he thought I would just say yes to getting drinks with him and his pig friends.” Delaney said, looking down at her hands and angrily picking her nails.

“Hey, stop that. Just ignore them, alright? Considering the work we’ve accomplished today, we should only be here another day or two.” Spencer said, grabbing her hands to stop her from picking at her skin.

Delaney sighed and looked up at him. His eyes were so comforting as she stared into them that she believed anything he said. She slowly nodded and picked up her coffee. He let go of her hands and looked out the window at that cop. He was watching them in the conference room and Spencer glared harshly at him. The cop quickly looked away and seemingly got back to work.

The team got there shortly after that and they all discussed the possibilities of where and when the unsub would strike. They went over all the facts for hours until it started getting dark out. Garcia sent a picture of Damien’s ex-girlfriend, and sure enough, she was small and blonde. As all of them sat at the round table, Hotch and Rossi were talking quietly together.

Hotch cleared his throat and looked at Delaney. She shifted in her seat as her eyes widened slightly.

“Rossi and I came up with a plan that involves you, Wilmer.” He said hesitantly, obviously worried about Delaney’s reaction.

“Okay?” She asked uneasily, having a feeling of where this was going.

“We want you to be bait for the unsub tonight. You will be wired and we’ll have eyes on you the whole time. We wouldn’t ask you to do this if it wasn’t important.” Hotch said.

“Woah, woah. You want her to lure in the unsub?” Spencer asked incredulously. “It’s her first case!”

“Yes, but she’ll be completely safe. She will never be alone and it could be a good chance for us to catch him.” Rossi said.

“I’ll do it,” Delaney said before anyone could protest it further.

“What? Delaney—” Spencer protested.

She gave him a look and he shut his mouth. Prentiss and JJ looked at each other with wide eyes, matching grins spreading across their faces. No one had shut him up like that before. The girls were amused and pretty impressed by Delaney’s ability.

“Okay, we need to start getting you ready. Reid, you and Wilmer have the bar you think the unsub will hit next, right?” Hotch asked while waving Delaney over.

Spencer nodded and Delaney stood from her seat and walked over to Hotch. He had one of his very serious expressions, his eyebrows drawn together.

“You don’t have to do this. I know you want to prove yourself to us but you don’t have to if you don’t feel comfortable.”

“I want to do this. If I can help us catch the unsub, why wouldn’t I do it?” Delaney said.

Hotch gave her a small grin and patted her shoulder.

“Do you have clothes that you could wear to the bar tonight? The unsub obviously likes girls who are dressed very feminine, so if you have a dress or something that would be best.”

“Yes, I can do that. Give me 20 minutes at the hotel and I’ll be ready to go.” Delaney said with determination.

“Alright, I’ll have JJ come with you and help you at the hotel,” Hotch said, waving JJ over to them.

JJ listened to Hotch’s orders and they were soon driving back to the hotel. JJ and Delaney walked into her room as she kicked her shoes off and JJ helped her look through her clothes. Rifling through her bag, JJ pulled out a tight black dress Delaney had brought in case the team went out to dinner. She always brought outfits for every occasion, she had a bad habit of overpacking. Delaney slipped it on, untangling the spaghetti straps, and pulling it down. It was shorter than something she’d usually wear at work and she felt slightly exposed in it. She slipped her feet into black heels with straps and put on some hoop earrings. Delaney quickly parted her hair down the middle and JJ helped her ruffle it around and spray it with some hairspray.

Delaney pulled out her makeup bag and leaned close to the mirror, applying smoky black eyeliner and more mascara and blush. She put on red lipstick and deemed herself ready. With a quick spritz of perfume, she packed her things back in her bag and walked back out. JJ was waiting on her bed and smiled at her as she walked out.

“Damien’s not going to be able to resist you.” She said with a sly smile.

“Thanks, JJ,” Delaney said with a smile.

The girls got in the car and made their way back to the station. As they drove, Delaney felt a question rising in her. She looked over at JJ and couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Hey, JJ?” She asked quietly.

JJ looked over at her with questioning eyes.

“Do you… ever get hit on by men? Like men working with you?” She asked hesitantly.

“All the time,” JJ said with a smile.

“How do you deal with it? I mean, a police officer came over to me today and just asked me to have a drink with him tonight. Just like that.” Delaney said, still frustrated by her encounter from earlier that day.

“Delaney, you’re young and beautiful and smarter than all of those men in the police station. They’re all going to be trying to get under your skin as long as you’re here. I’ve had to deal with it my whole career and the easiest thing you can do is just beat them at their own game. Use your intelligence and your beauty to put them in their place.” JJ said, glancing over at Delaney.

Delaney nodded and thought over her words. Just put them in their place.

“Okay. Thanks, JJ.” She said as they pulled into the police station.

“Anytime, kid.” She patted Delaney’s head and they got out of the car.

The girls made their way inside and Delaney immediately saw Will sitting at his desk. His mouth fell open when he saw her and she waved at him with a smirk. Most of the police officers followed her with their eyes and she tried to hold back a smile. Hotch had told her to look ready so she had to pull all the stops.

When they walked back into the conference room, the conversation stopped. Delaney nervously walked over to the table after JJ. She locked eyes with Spencer, who blushed and looked down.

“Too much?” She said with a smile.

“Damn, girl, you look good.” Morgan whistled with a smirk on his face.

Delaney smirked back and felt confidence surge in her chest. Some of the officers came over to see what was going on and why Delaney was dressed like that.

“Here, get yourself wired and we’ll get ready to leave. Spencer, you have the bar?” Hotch said, handing Delaney her wire.

“Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. He’s heading across the city in a circle, hitting every bar he comes across. If we’re right, he’ll be going to this one next.” Spencer pointed to a dot on his map that everyone looked at.

“Okay, everyone knows what to do. Delaney, I’ll have Reid brief you on what you need to do.” Hotch said, walking over to the officers gathered around.

Delaney walked over to Spencer, who was avoiding eye contact with her. She found it quite endearing as she sat next to him. He was fumbling with his tie as she wired herself.

“Okay, so you’re going to just act natural and sit at the bar for most of the night. Maybe get up and walk around but keep yourself visible to most people. We want the unsub to notice you and try to lure you out of the bar. You’ll need to keep us updated. I’ll be inside and most people will be outside waiting for you two to come out.” Spencer explained.

Delaney nodded and finished getting wired. She grabbed her phone and wallet, looking around at everyone. Her heart was beating quickly in her chest. If things went as planned tonight, she would be staring down a serial killer in a few hours. Possibly flirting with one.

“Ready?” Spencer asked, noticing her go off in her head.

“Yes. Ready as I’ll ever be.” Delaney said, forcing a smile on her face.

She walked out of the conference room with Emily and JJ, the officers still gawking at her as they passed. JJ gave her a look and winked, making Delaney smile. She just looked away from the officers and got in the car. Hotch and Rossi were in the front of the car as Delaney and Spencer slid in the backseat. She twiddled her fingers as they made their way to the bar. It was already dark out when they arrived and the bar was crowded.

“Okay, Wilmer, you’re going to tell the unsub that your name is Carly Harris. You’re 23 and you work as a secretary. Keep him talking for as long as possible. Remember that he’s young with dark brown hair. He’ll be charismatic and flirty.” Hotch prepped her.

“Got it.” Delaney nodded.

“Good luck, kid. You can do this.” Rossi smiled as Delaney got out of the car.

She just nodded and made her way into the bar, quickly showing her ID to the bouncer and walking in. Immediately she looked around for the unsub. No one caught her attention so she went up to the bar and sat down. She ordered a glass of wine reluctantly. She didn’t like alcohol very much and was pretty sensitive to its effects. She took small sips as she slowly looked around, trying not to look too interested.

Every once in a while she’d update the team through her wire, saying that she didn’t see anyone suspicious.

She spotted Spencer standing in a corner. He was watching her like a hawk and she hid her smile with her glass. She was too busy thinking about Spencer that she barely noticed a man come sit beside her. It was Damien Reynolds. She whispered in her wire that he was there. Hotch told her to act natural.

“Hello there.” He said with a smooth voice.

Delaney looked over at him. He had dark brown hair and a wide grin. Her heart started pounding in her chest as he looked over her body.

“Hello.” She said with a sultry smile.

“What’s your name, pretty thing?” He asked, leaning closer to her.

“Carly. What’s yours?” She allowed him to get closer and forced her body to face his.

“Damien. Damien Reynolds. It’s very nice to meet you, Carly.” He said, holding his hand out to her.

“You too, Mr. Reynolds.” She shook it with a smirk, knowing that the team would be on high alert right at that moment.

“Are you here with anyone, Carly?” He asked, not letting go of her hand.

“No.” She sighed and pretended to look devastated with a pout. “I’m all alone tonight.”

“Do you want to change that?” He asked with a glint in his eye.

“What did you have in mind?” Delaney asked eagerly, leaning forward on her elbows to get closer to him.

“Come with me.” He pulled her hand a little too forcefully, but she ignored it.

Her heart was pounding. Hotch said something in her ear as Damien pulled her somewhere in the bar.

“Wilmer, where is he taking you?” Hotch asked urgently in her ear.

“I’m not sure,” Delaney whispered.

Damien looked back at her curiously, wondering what she’d said. She just smiled sweetly, trying to hide her fear. He wasn’t taking her outside as he had with his previous victims. She quickly realized it was a storage closet.

“A storage closet?” She pretended to ask Damien but was really informing her team where she was.

Damien hummed in reply as he shut them in and locked the door. Delaney tried to control her breathing as he turned to her with animalistic eyes. He backed her up against a wall and started kissing down her neck. Delaney was trying to control her panicked breaths. Damien grabbed her waist and started kissing her lips. She forced herself to kiss him back when she felt one of his hands leaving her waist and coming behind his back.

Her breath was coming quickly as she was having flashbacks to that party. She saw the glint of a knife and quickly kicked her knee out to hit his groin. He doubled over with a groan and she punched out at his nose, blood quickly pouring out of it as he seethed at her.

“You bitch!” He screamed, lunging at her and hitting her over the head with the back of the knife.

Delaney cried out as she fell. He kicked her in the ribs and she groaned again. Hotch was practically yelling in her ear but she couldn’t see anything as Damien kicked her again and brought his knife up. He slashed at her arm, drawing a deep cut. She managed to scrape her nails across his arm, drawing blood and grabbing at his knife. She grabbed it and slashed all the way across his stomach. Delaney’s vision was blurring as she heard the door being kicked open. Damien’s eyes went feral when he saw FBI vests. He looked over at the window in the closet and opened it, climbing out right as Morgan and Hotch came in. His knife was still in Delaney’s hand, his blood dripping off the blade.

Morgan ran to the window and tried to shoot, but Damien was already gone. Delaney cried out in pain and Spencer came in, looking down at her with wide eyes. He quickly leaned down and helped her up, wrapping her uninjured arm around his shoulders. Delaney whimpered quietly and he looked down at her with panicked eyes.

“He got away!” Morgan said angrily.

Spencer wasn’t even paying attention to what happened with the unsub. He was looking down as Delaney seemed to be gaining strength. She let go of Spencer and rushed out of the closet, her breath moving too fast for her to properly breathe. She vaguely heard Spencer yelling at Hotch and Hotch responding.

“We need medical here now,” Hotch said urgently in his wire, his voice ringing through Delaney’s ear.

She’d made it outside and tried to control her breathing. Too much was happening. Memories were consuming her brain as she leaned against the building, sliding down in a crouched position. She didn’t even process the pain in her ribs or the blood sliding down her arm. All she could do was bury her face in her knees and try to get rid of her memories. As she sat there, she felt a hand rest on her back.

She looked up in surprise and found Spencer staring at her with worried eyes. She felt her tears slipping down her cheeks and his fingers slowly wiped them away. Delaney wasn’t sure what to do, she hadn’t had anyone do this to her before. His touch was so light and tender that it made her heart contract.

“Delaney, the ambulance is here. Can you stand so we can get you taken care of? Please?” He asked with a gentle voice.

She nodded, Spencer grabbing her hands to help her up from her crouched position. Delaney let him lead her towards the back of the ambulance where some doctors waited for her. They had her sit down as they examined her and wrapped her arm tightly in gauze. After examining her, they said she’d need to come in to get stitches and meds for her bruised ribs.

“Can’t I just take some Tylenol and get more gauze for this?” Delaney asked, not wanting to go to the hospital and stay there alone.

“Wilmer, you have a huge cut down your arm and a possible concussion. You need to go to the hospital.” Hotch said sternly.

“But we were so close. I-I want to help you get him.” Delaney said desperately.

“Kid, you’ve more than proven yourself to us. It’ll be easy now. You cut a gash through his stomach and probably broke his nose. He’s not going to get very far.” Rossi said, petting her head gently. “Do you want one of us to stay with you?”

“No, you should all be out there trying to get him. I-I’ll be fine.” She said, forcing a reassuring smile on her face.

“No way. I’ll stay with her. Everyone else should go search for Reynolds.” Spencer said, giving Delaney a look that meant she didn’t have a choice.

“Alright, thank you, Reid. Call us with updates.” Hotch said, then turned to Delaney. “You kicked his ass. Good work, Wilmer.”

Delaney tried not to beam but nodded her head at him. He squeezed her shoulder gently and walked away with Rossi. JJ and Emily came over to check that she was okay and then quickly hugged her as she was put on a gurney in the back of the ambulance. Spencer followed her and sat next to her, gently taking her hand.

“You didn’t have to come with me, Spencer. I’ll be okay.” Delaney said, feeling extremely tired as she lay on the gurney.

“Yeah, right. Be as stubborn as you want, but there was no way I was going to leave you. You don’t need to tell me whatever it is that’s been bugging you, but I do know that the unsub triggered it tonight. And I’m not leaving you alone when you’re in that state.” Spencer said sternly, looking her directly in the eyes.

Delaney gave him a soft smile, her eyelids suddenly heavy. The doctor put an IV in her arm and it felt cold as fluids pumped through her.

“You’re… a good guy, genius.” She mumbled as her eyes shut.

She faintly heard Spencer chuckle before she passed out.

#spencer reid #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid x oc #spencer reid fanfiction #criminal minds #derek morgan #jennifer jareau #emily prentiss

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evoedbd · 5 years ago

Text

Queer Advice

Summer - Emily Collins is terrified that Dracula's Brides will need a virgin sacrifice, and she knows exactly who that person would be. Havenfalls finest are LESS than helpful with their brilliant plan to protect their virgin huntress. ((Meshed in Mac having a version of her MC, because she’s the only character who truly NEEDS her MC to reach her full potential.)) *******

“Alright. This is serious business. We’ve found out more of Dracula’s plan and i- SERIOUSLY?” Emily started out seriously, striding into the closed bowling alley with purpose. Once the door swung shut, however, the party lights revealed something that nearly made Emily blow a gasket. A cuddle pile! An honest to whatever god may exist cuddle pile! During what was meant to be a meeting to save lives. Not just A life, but multiple. On a potentially world dominating scale. This was serious business and yet four bodies remained tangled together; a series of semi naked limbs and plaid that became indistinguishable from each other.

Mackenzie Hunt was the easiest to distinguish amidst the chaos. The Alpha was an absolute beast of a woman, in no uncertain terms. A copper skinned goddess standing at 5.11ft high, with muscles that appeared to be forged from literal copper by an artist of ancient times. Forest green eyes kept careful watch over the bowling alley, even though the gentle smile on her lips betrayed her affection for the others. Her duty as pack leader and town sheriff seemed to weigh her brows down ever so slightly, a fact emphasised by lighter hair against darker skin. Her short, choppy hair was ruffled, suggesting she had been running a little earlier. Or perhaps fingers had been running through her hair, like she now ran her own fingers through Aisha’s chocolate dust locks. Just as Atlas allegedly held the world, Mac supported the tangled individuals on her lap. Even then, she positioned herself so that she could break away and spring up at the first sign of trouble.

Aisha Collins appeared content enough with her head resting on the arm of the couch. Aisha looked so similar to Emily one might mistake them for twins, with their high angled jaws and blazing blue eyes. Aisha had grown into her grace, keeping her head held a little higher than Emily, which made her features seem finer. Her sharp edges were softened, as if the world around her was constantly caressing them into tranquillity. The cargo pants she wore hid her lanky legs, even as they tangled with another pair of fine legs clad in designer jeans.

Annabelle Shepard lay facing the other direction; legs tangled through Aisha’s. Her chest rose and fell with the gentle contentment of peaceful slumber. It was easy to forget how fierce the young woman could be when one looked at her soft face. From gentle curves to large, expressive eyes, Annabelle was disarming. When awake, her cheer was almost infectious, yet she held a certain bite to her. An unnameable quality that exposed the truth of the hardships she had faced. That made you respect her without even knowing her. Her lithe arms remained folded against her chest. As always, her arms were covered by long sleeves with buttoned cuffs. The few times Emily had seen Annabelle’s bare arms, she had been greeted with thick, unsightly scars. They were vicious and deep, as if she had been savagely attacked by a rabid animal.

Damien Ryder took the weight of the cuddle pile. He supported Annabelle’s sleeping form, with his nose tucked into her hair. His arms wrapped around Anabelle, with one of his hands holding Aisha’s legs. The tussles of his signature jacket tickled over plaid and denim, offering something for Aisha to twist around her fingers in her half-conscious state. Looking at Damien, the most striking thing about him was the pain. It darkened his ginger ale brown eyes; dragged on his broody brows. Even in a relaxed setting, his squared jaw seemed hardened and his lips downturned. That along with his shoulder length fawn hair gave Emily the impressions of a western outlaw. All that was missing was the twig of barley for him to chew on.

“Pack thing.” Aisha sleepily explained, waving her free hand in a dismissive manner. It seemed as if she believed that nobody would understand it, so she did not bother explaining. There was a gentle cheekiness to her tone; a happiness which Emily couldn’t bring herself to attack. It was with a long-suffering sigh she directed her attention towards the literal devil in the room.

“You just want time off work.” JD accused, a smirk touching their lips as they leaned back against the bar. Jordan Davies was the epitome of teenage angst turned into professional anarchy. Lanky and long, JD was only a smidgen taller than Emily, yet appeared to be half the weight. Beneath the biker’s leather jacket and baggy red singlet, Emily was positive she’d find nothing but a ribcage. That leanness was matched in JD’s youthful face. Mischief twinkled in ember coloured eyes, as always. Nobody could look at JD’s troublemaker getup; numerous piercings, and flame orange hair without feeling as sinful as if they were sneaking out after curfew. Something about the Jersey Devil invited chaos and trouble of the best kind. The kind where you’d wake up hungover, married to a goat and wondering where your trousers were.

“It would mean you’d have to actually do your job, Jordan.” Razi commented, an amused smile forming beneath his elegantly groomed facial hair. Razi was a picture, with only one stylish lock out of place. With his broad, defined features and luscious dark hair bound into ponytail, it was amazing he settled for a bowling alley in a backwater town. Mythical blue eyes shone; sapphires gleaming against his bronzed skin. As usual, the hunky Djinn wore a silken button up shirt, with the sleeves folded up to his elbows and dark suspenders. The half-popped buttons showed off his defined chest, along with the many hairs curling across his skin. When the light caught those hairs the right way, Razi appeared to glow, adding to his calm mystique. This, along with his dazzling smile, was truly what made Emily think the only way to describe Razi was “An exotic gentleman.” ... yet Razi’s sister called him the ugly duckling. If that was true, Emily doubted the world was ready for the Nassar family.

“Come on, Razi. Hikari has that locked down.” Aisha called teasingly, her lips peeling into a troublemaker’s grin to match JD’s. Emily could only wince in sympathy as she looked over to the poor demon, who was struggling to rearrange the bowling balls without breaking them.

Hikari barely passed for human, being half Fae and half, well, Satan. Her soft, youthful features were only hardened by the copious amount of eyeliner surrounding her neon pink eyes. Darkness was a theme for Hikari, with her full, blackened lips and tiny black horns which sprouted from her coloured hair. Her long hair was perhaps the most colourful thing about her, fading from pink to purple the lower one went from her scalp. Two tiny buns sat on top of her head, little spirals of colour that were almost disarming... almost. Nothing could disarm Hikari’s attitude or sharp tongue.

“Look! This is serious! I was doing my homework on potential rituals which the Brides may preform to resurrect Dracula and it turns out that, aside from me, they may ne-“

“Wait... don’t tell me. A virgin sacrifice.” Aisha snipped in, appearing awfully amused when she spoke. When the entire group remained silent, powerful blue eyes widened in absolute alarm.

“Seriously? I thought that was bogus... talk about cliché.”

“Well, Van tried to correct things apparently, but nobody took him very seriously. If he were around, Vanessa is convinced he’d have a lot to say about the current state of things.” Emily informed, her own brows pinching as she went to speak again.

“Of all the things to get right, eh?” JD laughed, only to grow silent at the look on their friend’s face. For all JD’s chaos, they knew when someone was hurting, and they knew when their common brand of humour wasn’t going to add to the situation.

“Not any virgin. The closer to the intended, the better. We already know I’m the intended, with that kidnapping proposal and me being the only human Collin’s woman in town. The virgin sacrifice, well I think I know who that is. I assume it can’t be any of you. Or Diego. I already know it can’t be Grace-“

“Definitely not Grace. We can both confidently confirm that.” Aisha agreed, causing both her and Emily’s faces to flush furiously. Grace’s prom night had not ended with her date dropping her off, rather with Emily and Aisha chasing a teenage boy out of her room with a mixing spoon and a coffee mug. It was an uncomfortable enough moment that all the Collins women did their best to avoid discussing it, yet none of them could ever bleach it from mind. Aisha had seriously considered trying it once she became a wolf. Thankfully, Mac had convinced her not to test out her new powers. JD also refused to erase the memory, finding it too hilarious to see Emily and Aisha squirming.

“I don’t get along with any other family members. Don’t have any friends outside of Havenfall. The only other person I am close to is Vanessa. What do I do? She’s already in the crosshairs, if they catch onto this...” Emily appeared to dissolve into panic, her brows contorting. All the way from her shoulders to her hands appeared to vibrate, blurring subtly due to her trembling.

“If you don’t want her to be the virgin sacrifice, just have her lose it.” JD suggested rather casually before they took a swig of their drink. Emily could only gape, her eyes almost bulging out of their sockets as she did her best impression of a guppy fish. Mouth agape, lips flapping as she tried to find the words.

“Wow. Just wow. Is sex literally the only solution you can offer, JD?” Emily demanded, almost on autopilot. She was in shock. The idea was ludicrous! Insane! Utterly bonkers! She couldn’t just go up and offer to sleep with Vanessa! The huntress was already so shy about most interactions, given that she had never even had friends, let alone a boyfriend or girlfriend. If a compliment left her utterly flustered, and proximity took her breath away, then what would suggesting making love do? No, it wouldn’t be making love. Vanessa couldn’t be in love with her. It’d be sex. A physical convenience. It’d rob the hopeless romantic Vanessa of her first experience with love if she agreed to it.

“I’m just saying. A good shag would solve several problems for her.” JD pointed out, once more grinning like a cat who had gotten the cream via nefarious methods. Emily was ready to burst. To smack the demon over the head with a bowling ball. Better yet, ask Hikari to do it. The Scene Demon would probably love to dish out some payback to JD.

“And who would you suggest we get her into bed with? You? Diego? Razi?” Emily demanded harshly, bringing a hand up to pinch at the of her nose. Her thumb rubbed over the small scar beneath her glasses, which bounced over her knuckles as Emily attempted to purge the images from her mind by rubbing at her eyes. Picturing Vanessa with JD did not bring images of love, only an image of the Huntress kicking a demon’s flaming backside out of her van. For Diego, she could only picture a holy sword shooting out the van to decapitate the vampire, or a stake plunged into his heart. Hardly romantic. Razi... might at least be allowed to speak, but he’d wind up with the door slammed in his face.

Emily was so caught up in her musings that she missed the look shared between Aisha and Mac, yet she did not miss the words her cousin spoke.

“Actually... you’re the best candidate.”

“What? Why me?” She almost shrieked, feeling as if she’d been sucker punched in the gut. Was it because Vanessa was her bodyguard? Did they just assume that it’d be acceptable? Was this how boys felt when paired with their female friends? Pressure? A touch of violation? Great. First it was a girl and boy couldn’t be friends, now it was automatically that if two women were close, they had to be lesbians. Would the clichés and stereotypes ever truly die?

“You’re the only single human woman here.” Mac pointed out. Ok. Emily could concede to that logic.

“Huge flaw in that, guys. You’re all just assuming Vanessa is gay!” Emily stated the obvious. Instantly, she was met with various looks of amusement and pity, all of which made her brows feel heavy and her lips ache with the urge to tip into a scowl. Honestly, for a group of outcasts and Queers, their lack of consideration was astonishing.

“Or kinky. Come on. The leather? The whip?” JD unhelpfully added, miming a whip with their left hand when Emily fixed her glare upon them. The human felt her brow twitch even as she opened her mouth to snap back at the overly satisfied demon. Before she could even utter a single sound, a snort from her cousin cut her off.

“It’s true. No Straight woman would wear that much leather.” Aisha added, smoothing out the moment with logic.

“That’s a value judgement!” Emily scolded on instinct. A rather calm, deadpan stare was the only response. It only got worse as Emily felt her cheeks flush a brilliant cherry tomato. A flush which she was convinced spread to her collar given her spike in body temperature. She wasn’t stupid enough to blame it on the room heating up, not when she was the only one suffering. Okay, so maybe Aisha had a point... slash the maybe. Emily had to concede. She’d never met a woman who kept her nails short and wore so much leather who wasn’t somewhat inclined towards women. Thinking back over their interactions, Emily remembered when she had raised the question about dating history. Boyfriends? Girlfriends? Vanessa had stated explicitly she had no time for girlfriends... ok. So that had to be a hint, right? Vanessa had been so flustered even saying it. As if she expected backlash. So maybe she was a little bit gay? A little. But that was only one half of the sexuality equation.

“She stares at your ass when you walk away. Seriously, she wants a piece. The biggest piece. I can see the gay from across the bowling alley.” Hikari’s voice rung out, drawing Emily’s focus to the approaching Fae daughter of Satan. Hikari had a look of utter condescending disbelief on her face, as if she was utterly flabbergasted that Emily could be so stupid. The intensity of that look sure made Emily feel more foolish than she had ever felt in her entire life, even if she was unsure why.

“She looks at you like you’re chocolate cake, but she forgot to bring a spoon to eat you with.” Razi continued Hikari’s logic in a much gentler fashion.

“Are we forgetting the little issue my last partner had? It’s called a penis!” Emily strained the word “little” with her voice and her fingers, thumb and forefinger held apart to depict the size.

Mark had started out a wonderful partner. A caring man who was decent looking. He had a good job, solid family and had been involved with his church. Early on, Emily had thought he could be the one. Or rather, the best she would ever land with her background. When she had brought him to the bowling alley to meet her friends, however, things had gone south. Fast. Mark had torched his pristine image within minutes by his relentless attack on JD’s lifestyle. Mark exposed a traditionalist streak; which Emily couldn’t overcome. At the time, she hadn’t understood why everyone found Mark’s shouts that JD was going to hell so funny. She’d been busy dumping the tool.

“Ahha! So you admit it was small.” JD cheered, leaping on the chance to have another dig at Mark. The Demon’s grin was victorious; so full of malicious glee that Emily couldn’t even bring herself to defend her ex. Not that she would ever feel inclined to.

“So not the point.” Emily groaned, dropping her face into her hands. Maybe if she pinched the bridge of her nose hard enough, she could repel the building shitstorm which was her massive headache.

“Does it matter?” Hikari demanded in an almost aggressive manner. Shocked, Emily removed her hand and stared at the Fae daughter of Satan. The Faemon appeared impassioned, her neon pink eyes blazing with such intensity it could be compared to a blast of heat straight to Emily’s face. As if she’d stepped from an air-conditioned building into 116 degrees.

“Like, seriously. Who cares if you’ve only been with men in the past, they ain’t the shit.” The Faemon continued, earning an almost amused snort from Emily. JD smirked, Razi coughed. An actual laugh came from Aisha, whilst the rumble of a chuckle echoed softly from Mac.

Emily had always known she found both men and women attractive, yet no woman had ever fit the bill of Girlfriend material. Usually because they were straight. Men had always been easier when it came to dating, thus Emily had learned how to handle her foolish crushes and attraction to men. Women not so much. They still left her tongue tied, overwhelmed her thoughts when she found one she deemed attractive. She still couldn’t flirt in any capacity, and she absolutely could not contain her thirst.

“If you actually connect with Vanessa, go for it. She’s cute, she’s single as fuck and into you. Are you seriously telling me a vagina is getting in the way?” The Fae continued, driving her words home with several firm pokes to Emily’s shoulder. The human could only blink. Hikari had an excellent point.

Vanessa was gorgeous. There was no getting around that. All lithe muscle in a highly feminine frame. Dark hair spilling down her back; hair which seemed to absorb the light in a lilac black cascade. Breathtaking violet eyes, which shone with every single emotion Vanessa ever felt. Yes, Vanessa was physically stunning, yet there was more beauty to her than just her appearance.

Vanessa was just so earnest. Everything about her was so sincere and true that is knocked Emily off her feet. Vanessa’s bravery; her capacity to make Emily believe in the impossible with her blistering passion and steadfast loyalty. It was inexplicable. Emily was forever awed by Vanessa as a Huntress, as well as a person. Whilst Vanessa’s heroism was undeniable, so was the woman beneath the legend. The tender concern in Vanessa’s eyes was almost blanketing; a warm comfort in the night. Vanessa’s genuine smiles transformed Emily’s heart into a prism of light, reflecting the warm glow of happiness throughout her entire chest. Watching Vanessa’s wonder as she was exposed to new things was addictive. To Emily, it felt like watching a whole new world birthed from nothingness. The gentle warmth and pride Emily was a constant undertone for her excitement to engage Vanessa. To learn more. Every scrap of information given by Vanessa was a treasure; a clue leading Emily deeper into a labyrinth. The journey alone was worth more than any treasure. Each moment a glistening point of connection that Emily felt content to exist in. Vanessa’s laughter... melodic. An angel’s song. The sound alone made the world fade away and infused Emily with a sense of unequalled joy. Such a pure, sincere sound as a happy Vanessa gave Emily’s heart wings.

“They sell solutions for that.”

And with Aisha’s comment, Emily’s joy came crashing down. She plummeted, feathers falling from her metaphoric wings with every flap of logic and confusion tangling around her. One moment there was an argument that just because Vanessa was a woman it didn’t mean Emily couldn’t like her, or even, lord forbid, LOVE her. Then, the next moment Aisha was starting to talk about changing Vanessa? It was in jest, clearly, yet that didn’t stop the violent impulse to shout surging within Emily’s veins. Vanessa was PERFECT the way she was. Why would Emily need a silicone attachment to try to deceive her when... Ok, so maybe she was completely into Vanessa. But with angels song and happiness, why would Emily want to ever leave? Or violate that trust?

“I wouldn’t tolerate the townsfolk bothering you two, you have my word.” Mac chimed in, noticing the increasing furrow in Emily’s brow. That was enough to break Emily out of her outrage. Mackenzie was being sincere. Worrying for Emily as if she were one of the pack. That was enough to draw a soft smile to her lips, a gesture of gratitude to the Sheriff.

“Seriously. Humans are so hung up on this shit.” Hikari huffed in annoyance, pausing to blow on her bubble-gum. The bubble grew for a second, then the pronounced pop rung through the silent air. A gunshot before Hikari delivered her perfected opinion on humanity.

“Losers.”

“Gods, are all supernaturals Queer?” Emily didn’t even realise her question had been out loud before she noticed the group pause.

Razi appeared to have been stuck by lightning. His utter shock at the question was reflected by his parted lips when he went to speak. Instead, no words escaped, and his elegant jaw snapped shut. Hikari simply resumed blowing bubbles, evidently indifferent to the question. JD let forth a bark of surprised laughter, followed by a series of eyebrow wiggles at their shocked boss. The Djinn took it in good humour, simply sighing. Meanwhile, Mac and Aisha shared a knowing look; a secret amongst the pack perhaps. Annabelle appeared rather amused as she cast her sight on Damien, who coughed subtly when faced with the weight of his pack’s stare.

“Most are open. Even the ones in typical relationships.” He strategically answered, his eyes lingering anywhere save the almost smug grins of his pack.

“Its a small community, we don’t judge.” JD chipped in. If the devil was burdened by the focused attention of the room, they didn’t show it as they leaned against the bar. In response to the silence which followed, they gave an all too casual shrug. That irritating silence was broken by Emily, who let out an unspeakably pained groan as her head to fall forwards into her waiting hands with a rather pronounced thud.

“This conversation has veered so far off track it’s stuck in the gutter.” Emily’s voice was muffled by the palms of her clammy hands, which were shielding her face. In another universe, the one flashing behind her closed eyes, this conversation had not taken such a turn. They had remained logical and avoided all embarrassment as they came up with the perfect plan to protect Vanessa. There wouldn’t be a literal pile of attractive Supernaturals snuggling on the beaten down old couch. No devilish devils or sexy, well dressed Djinns making jokes. This wouldn’t have dissolved into a discussion about sexuality... and Emily’s temples wouldn’t be throbbing in time with her marching band for a heart.

“I get it, this topic is uncomfortable. That doesn’t change the fact it would reduce Vanessa’s eligibility to practically zero.”

Whether Aisha was genuinely trying to help, or was teasing was uncertain. Her deep eyes held the gentle understanding of a mother; matured and nurturing with a underlying protectiveness that was enough to knock an elephant off track. However, the subtle tilt of her lips betrayed amusement. Restraint. The entire wolf pack seemed to somehow snuggle closer together.

“Look, I’m not about to go up to my friend and be like Hey, so you’re a virgin. Let’s change that so Dracula won’t sacrifice you. That is so tacky, even a porn film would reject that script!” Emily practically exploded, turning to make endless gestures to emphasise her points. Hands and hips became a second language, crudely mimicking out points in a manner equally as explosive as her booming voice. Honestly, the AUDACITY of these people! If Emily had cared a little less or was just a little braver, she’d have already bitch slapped all of them.

She paused, taking a moment to breathe. Deep breaths. In through her nose. Out through her mouth. Her thumb sought out the small scar across the bridge of her nose when she pinched it, almost as if the gesture could contain the storm about to explode from within her.

“She deserves someone she wants to share her life with, not just some convenient exchange.” Emily concluded, pouring every ounce of sincerity into her words. It was true. Vanessa was a romantic, behind everything. For such a vulnerable thing as physical intimacy, Emily wanted Vanessa to have the dream. The perfect first time. Candles and romance with the person she was in love with. The person she wanted to spend eternity with. Emily couldn’t even imagine a world where she took that away from Vanessa. A world where duty claimed the last piece of Vanessa; the piece only protected by lack of time. It was Vanessa’s ONE true freedom. The only part of her life that the Order hadn’t dictated or infected. How could anybody ask Emily to take that away from Vanessa? How could they even THINK it?

“It’s clear you care about her. That must count for something.” Mac’s gentle tones drew Emily out of her internal raging. When Emily turned her gaze to the Alpha Werewolf, she met kind forest green eyes. Mackenzie Hunt understood, at least enough to sympathise with the Collins girl. Mac bore the weight of her power so well that it was all too easy to forget Mac was only a couple of years older than Emily. As far as werewolves went, Mackenzie Hunt was a young Alpha. Barely more than a pup. Yet, she saw Emily’s struggle. Even without a word of it, she offered her full support. Her approval. Even without being a wolf, Emily could feel the power in it. The warmth that emanated from the Alpha’s care.

“Yeah. A better time.” JD added in a remarkably sincere tone. For a split second, Emily almost believed it. Then, the devil’s lips curled. Moment ruined.

“I’m not listening. La La La.” Emily announced, lifting her hands in a weak effort to cover her ears. Still, she couldn’t help letting her mind wander. What if they didn’t have a choice? Would Vanessa be willing to accept her? Could she even live up to even a single dream or fantasy Vanessa had? Vanessa’s lavender tinged grey eyes were so expressive. Would those purples tinges darken to black with lust? Could Emily hold her gaze, or would Vanessa’s gaze devour her soul? How would Vanessa’s soft skin feel beneath her lips? Would hardened abs twitch underneath loving a kiss? Would Vanessa even want that? Could she have the patience to allow Emily to truly make her feel divine with gentle explorations and sincerely sweetened words? Or would she be inclined to take the reins? How would those battle forged hands explore if given freedom to do so? What would she want? Maybe the whip...

“You’re blushing.” Aisha’s amused tones dragged Emily’s mind from such a salacious place. She had to get out of the bowling alley, before things became even more awkward. Before she started imagining things more explicitly. She lowered her hand to her pocket, wiping clammy palms against the coarse material before she pulled out her phone. A lifeline to save her from humiliation.

“Oh look, I got a text! Gotta go!” She stumbled over her blatant lie in a rush to get the words out. Her phone had not chimed. Without waiting, she broke into a brisk walk towards the door.

“To ensure Helsing’s safety!” Came a quip from behind her. Emily didn’t hesitate in raising her middle finger over her shoulder, shouting out to the chorus of laughter chasing her into the streets.

“LA. LA. FUCKING. LA.”

#lovestruck #Vanessa Helsing #havenfall is for lovers #vanessa x mc #supernaturaldisasters #Everyone is a little gay #fluff and humor

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kaitycole · 5 years ago

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A Royal Mess (Part 14)

Summary: A lot of shit goes down.

Word Count:1742

Rating: PG-13??

Author Note: I think I’m going to do that thing I hate that writers do and give this a quick ending. BUT then I will branch out into each storyline for a few parts so you can see how the conclusion happened and where they are now. This story kinda took on a life of it’s own and if I’m getting lost, I know some of you are as well. This way I actually finish the series and everyone gets less confused lol

Tag List: @chiarace @grimalkjn @jyreusser85 @hopefulmoonobject @enmchoices @indiacater @captain-kingliamsqueen @katurrade @darley1101 @zilch3 @sleeplessescapades @bobasheebaby @mrsdrakewalkerblog @lynn1214 @umccall71 @drakelover78 @thequeenchoices @stopforamoment @lauradowning29 @lodberg

Madeleine is sitting on the Oludeniz Beach in Turkey. The white sand is soft under her long beach towel that she’s sitting on under an umbrella. Beach or no beach, her skin was too fair for direct sunlight.

Breathing in the salty air, she feels free. She’s not here for some political event or a social call, she was here simply because she made the arrangements and wanted to go.

I could get used to this calling my own shots thing. She grins as she watches a group of men play volleyball. Skins vs skins, the best way.

Glancing around the beach, she sees the employees dressed in khaki shorts and various colored polos depending on which company they worked for. Oludeniz Beach is considered one of the best places to paraglide which means lots of businesses have a spot in the area.

I wonder what my father would think of the Countess of Fydelia jumping off a cliff that’s up to 6,000 feet above sea level? Couldn’t imagine he’d be happy about it…I think I’ll give it a try!

She jumps up to her feet, glancing down at her stuff, there’s nothing she couldn’t replace so she leaves it all there. Quickly, she sprints over to the line of people waiting their turn.

Her life was never really adventurous, family dictating every move and decision in her life and the only adventure she ever experienced was when Leo was involved. She shakes her head, she left all that behind, she left him behind, she couldn’t afford to go back there. Couldn’t afford to keep being that girl.

Before she knows it, she’s next in line and when she looks up, her eyes meet a man who takes her breath away.

“Would you like an instructor or you flying solo?” He asks, his blue eyes sparkling, his long hair pulled up in a bun.

Usually not a fan of long hair on a male, but I’ll make an exception. His blue eyes remind me of Leo’s. She sighs, you can’t do this to yourself, Madeleine. Forget him.

“Solo, unless the instructor is you,” she bats her green eyes at him.

“I think I can arrange that,” his tone is flirtatious and he doesn’t try to hide it. Smirking, he walks over to the other instructor. After a few exchanges, he walks back towards her, smiling as he hands her the gear for her to put on.

“Ready for an adventure?” He says in a low tone, his lips gently brushing against her ear.

A shiver shoots down her spine, “Of course!”

* *

“What the f--,” Leo catches himself, remembering that Asher and Noah are playing on the office floor. Well, Noah is playing, Asher is laying there, probably wanting Noah to get out of his face. He slams the magazine upside down on the desk causing Noah to glance up at him.

“Daddy, you okay?”

“Yeah, buddy,” he winks causing Noah to return to bothering Asher.

Calming down, he flips it back over, reading the front cover headline for the millionth time: Countess of Fydelia’s new tailwind relationship! For more go to page 40.” He had no desire to learn more about it, but before he knows it, he has flipped to page 40.

The array of photos span over page 40 and 41, there’s more images than texts. Apparently the two have been seen together several times for the last week which has the press talking, especially since the divorce has been announced.

He huffs, feeling as though he’s wasted time and resources looking for her, trying to make things right with her when clearly their future was the least of her concerns. His eyes linger on his least favorite picture of Madi and this boy toy.

The two are standing in the water, a decent distance form shore. Her back is to the camera, her bare back which causes anger to rise in Leo. Her head is tossed back, laughing while the mystery man is holding her to shield any camera from catching a glimpse of anything she wouldn’t want the press to post.

How could she be so careless? Topless at a beach with some stranger!?! He shakes his head, standing, before finally dropping the tabloid in the trash. He’s pacing the room, the rage starting to boil before he punches a hole in the wall. It isn’t until Asher starts screaming, that Leo realizes he’s pulling his hand from the hole, drywall pieces falling out.

“Daddy stop!” Noah’s voice filled with fear as Liam, Katie and Bastien all run into the room.

“What in the world!” Katie shouts, picking up Asher as Noah runs and wraps himself around her leg.

“I…I’m sorry,” he says defeatedly to Noah before he lets himself slide down the wall as Liam brushes Katie and Bastien out of the room.

“This have anything to do with the two-page spread of Madeleine in Turkey?” Liam says sympathetically.

“Am I that transparent?” He chuckles, “I’m no good to anyone anymore.”

Liam gives his brother a confused look.

“Katie went to Damien when I let her down, Madeleine runs off to Turkey and my own son is scared of me now. What good I am?” He looks down at his hand, bruised and cut up, realizing that’s exactly how he feels on the inside too.

* *

The early morning sun is beaming on his face, causing him to groan as he stirs out of sleep. His head is pounding from the hangover that he’s had for days. Well since the royal family was seen which included Katie and Asher standing with Leo and the twins.

When he left, he wasn’t sure he was ready. Wasn’t sure he could stand the scrutiny of the press for being the one who destroyed a somewhat royal marriage. But that all changed when he saw Leo holding his son with an arm wrapped around Katie.

That had to be for the press, right? Leo made it clear before they were done. Or were they? Where did things stand with everything that had been happening as of late?

Damien lets out a sigh before placing his head in his hands. He feels a stir on the bed beside him which for the life of him, he doesn’t remember who it is.

“Morning, love.” The feminine voice says as he feels arms wrap around his torso and lips press against his bare shoulder.

“Oh. Still here?”

“That’s no way to be,” the woman places tiny kisses across the top of his back, her hands start to slide down his sides before stopping at his waist. He pushes himself back further on the bed as she straddles him.

Moments later, the blonde leaves the hotel door, quick, fast and unsatisfied. Damien shrugs, his mind never wonders far from Katie. He wants to go back, to pick up where he left, but he just isn’t sure that he can.

What if I end up leaving again? I did just what Leo did that started all of this. You’re such an idiot Damien.

Shaking his head, he grabs his suitcase, shoving everything he can in it before rushing out the door, throwing caution to the wind.

* *

Katie wanders around the palace. Even after the years she’s been with Leo, she’s still finding out just how big the palace really is. She’s walking around the ballroom with a folder in her hand, trying desperately to figure out how to talk to Leo. She eventually walks into the dining hall, hoping maybe she’d gain some courage the more she paced.

Liam and Riley are currently in Auvernal, discussing marriage deals for Princess Eleanor, which means the palace is full of tension, leaving just Katie and Leo there alone.

“Katie.” He says, not lifting is eyes from the papers he’s scanning through.

“Leo. We need to talk.”

“Do we?”

He’s sitting at the head of the dining table, absentmindedly thumbing through the files he has in front of him. If he’s honest, he had already looked through them, but he’s just hoping that it will cause her to leave him alone.

“Leo. Please.” She stresses the ‘ease’.

He puts the papers down, noticing that she’s holding a folder of her own, “What’s that?”

She tosses the folder on the table towards him, she watches as he opens it.

“Adoption papers?” He takes a sip of his coffee, contemplating his response, “Are the twins not mine either?”

“Very funny. It’s for Asher.”

“You want me to adopt Asher? What about his father? I doubt he’d be okay with this.”

“I haven’t heard from his father in weeks. Who’s to say that you aren’t his father?”

Leo bites his tongue and settles for giving her an unamused looked, “He hasn’t reached out but that hasn’t stopped you from wanting him to.”

“We never did a DNA test; can’t you just pretend you never found out about that night?”

“I don’t think that’s possible.”

“Oh. Why not?” She puts her hand on her hip, “it’s not like Madeleine is going to pick you.”

“That may be, but I still have these.” He slides the folder he’s been skimming through towards her.

Opening it, her entire demeanor falls along with her jaw, “You…you can’t be serious.”

“Oh, love, but I am.” He winks at her as he walks passed her, exiting the room.

She looks down at the papers once more: Petition for Divorce.

Flipping through them, she notices there’s two stacks of paperwork.

The breath is knocked out of her when she reads the headline of the second stack: Petition to Modify Custody.

* *

He stands at the main palace gate, not sure if he’d be able to make it any further. Everything he owned was in the old and busted up suitcase in his hand while his head was somewhere within the palace walls.

Pulling out his phone, he dials the only number he’s ever memorized.

“Hello?” The voice that answers speaks timidly, as if they are worried this is just some dream.

“It’s me. Well of course you already knew that. Uh…uhm…I’m here.”

“Here?” There’s an urgency in their voice now.

“Here.”

The line on the other end dies and so does the small amount of hope he had when he showed up. He turns around, trying to decide what’s left for him now that he’s destroyed the very thing that he wanted.

#the royal romance #choices #trr au fanfic #a royal mess

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raleigh-ocean · 5 years ago

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let me in (my love is calling out for you) | audrey tindall x danielle bishop

summary: Audrey wanted to live a normal life and she thought she was in the right path to it, however, when she discovers that she’s in some kind of probation by Danielle’s daughter...well, her bits of courage just fell to the floor like broken pieces of china. In her try to handle it on her own for once, trying to maybe square up to all her fears, she fell again to the endless pit that were her insecurities. And, without knowing, she drags Danielle with her too.

words: 10,375

n/a: first of all, I want to thank @shineestark for being the absolute sweetheart always and let me talk her ear off each brainstorm I have. If she wasn’t there, I would’ve probably ended up deleting my blog. And second, well, this was a total mess...but I wanted to give that sensation. Not everything is nice, not everything gets a good resolution, and even when it seems it does...well, it doesn’t. The thing is...I want you all to know this is one of the first approaches I do to AudreyDanielle’s relationship, and they are troubled for sure, so take it with a bit of love, okay? They for sure are trying to be better.

Upon opening her eyes, Audrey only curled better in herself, grabbing better the quilt against her and indulging in the soft lemon, warmth and sleep scent.

The bed felt twice bigger than usual and she had a while without feeling so small, frowning slightly to the thought, but her eyes went to find her phone first thing and checked if she had a message. It only passed three more hours since Danielle had left for work, her daughter following behind like everyday, but her scent was still lingering everywhere. Comforting, without doubt, but it also awoke the little bug she had everyday messing up in her stomach.

It wasn’t a good bug, it didn’t make her want to stay put and enjoy her girlfriend’s home for a while longer; it was a bad one and it was making her want to flee.

With care, Audrey started to finally move, pointing where Danielle had folded her clothes from yesterday and when she got them, her eyes landed in one of her girlfriend’s yarn sweaters. Will she mind? She asked herself for a second, the soft sweater in her hands...and then decided she probably won’t.

The bug was placated again when she made her way downstairs, one of her hands tugging at the too long sleeve from the sweater and bring it up to her nose. This one had Danielle’s perfume all over, almost spent from a whole day wearing it, but enough for Audrey to finally crack the second smile of the day. The first one had been when Danielle had kissed her before leaving and told her she was pretty much free to stay around, the memory fresh while she got breakfast, and Audrey truly wanted to do so...but something in her told her to just leave.

How much would she want to forget what she saw or to rewind in that moment, everything displaying in her head while looking around the empty house from the open kitchen.

Danielle had been getting the dishwasher charged while Audrey got out from the master bedroom, freshly showered, and upon hearing her in the upper floor she had asked her if she could see if Damien got any glasses or maybe a bowl in her room, so she could get it all in one charge. Audrey had only hummed a ‘on my way’ absentmindedly and went to retrieve it. The door was ajar and she knocked, however Damien wasn’t there and she could hear her in the bathroom, and Audrey had already gained her trust enough to just jump in and out of the teenager’s room without much trouble.

The place was a mess that probably was gonna get fixed as soon Damien’s mother noticed, but Audrey navigated quickly through it to find what she was asked for. She found a couple cups over the desk and a small plate, which upon retrieving it made Audrey fix her eyes in the open notebook there. She asked herself what would Damien was studying and took a quick glance...just to find it wasn’t a school notebook.

There were scores here and there, all over both open pages, and in between the tight and messy handwriting, she caught her name.

Oh, she really should had got out from there in that second, but the only thing Audrey did was to take the notebook in her hands and went through the pages. Most of them were dated and she went as far as around five months ago, when Danielle and her started to date formally. And...well, as much as she could see over the throbbing pain that was getting its way to behind her eyes, Damien took her sweet time to keep a record of things she had said to her.

However, it was when she got around the first month pages that she saw it. And it made her so sick to her stomach that she dropped the notebook over the desk as if it was on fire, not minding anymore about that and getting out of the room with the cups and the plate.

She was lucky Danielle was getting something from her car when she made her way to the kitchen, because it took her a few minutes to recompose herself enough to pass her nervous demeanor as ‘I finished it from loading it, but this dishwasher have too many buttons and...well, I was waiting for you’ when Danielle finally came back with her briefcase in hands and asking why Audrey looked a bit off.

Closing her eyes, she tried to focus in how Danielle had kissed her sweetly against the counter instead of how her daughter had wrote a diary’s entry in which read ‘last husband died? -10.’ in red and black marker.

Audrey’s heart skipped a beat painfully, making her open her eyes again and start to clean the countertop from anything that could be a potential bother in the next hours. Sighing deeply, she fished her phone out of her back pocket to check any unread message since she usually put her phone in night mode when she was staying over with at Danielle’s. Getting a bit comfortable on the couch, she tapped at the screen to discover a few texts from three different chats and still feeling a bit miserable, she decided to went for the big ‘family’ group chat to see in which madness they spiraled in barely a quarter of the day.

Turning on the television to have some background noise, Audrey read how Danna had managed to...bake? or more like build an impressive cake for some client that order it for a birthday lunch or something, having Ally laughing and joking that she had two breakdowns over the chocolate in six hours while Dahlia asked for the recipe and Shelby half begged to not give it to her. Danielle was nowhere to be sean in the group chat, but Dara sent some pertinent stickers here and there and Billie joked about how now her wife was making puppy eyes at her to go buy chocolate cake.

She couldn’t help to giggle, quoting the picture with a ‘amazing yeah, but I don’t see any strbers there’ and quickly changed the chat for Danielle’s, who had sent her picture of her desk already loaded with folders - which Audrey had the feeling were there since a couple days ago - and her arm in scene to show a middle finger up to said folders around the time she arrived there; another one not long ago of her with a face that totally said ‘i’m gonna kill a bitch’ while she was pushing her glasses over her head; and then a text reminding Audrey she had left coffee made for her, cup and blue heart emoji at the end. She sent her some replies, a ‘you are a blessing’ to the coffee one and some laughs at the pics while asking how was it going and if she needed to go get her from jail for throwing someone out of the window.

Knowing she wouldn’t get a reply until later, taking in count her last connection was a hour and a half ago, she got then to Billie’s chat finally, which had more messages. While she was navigating through them, mostly Billie telling her about her last three hectic days at work, Danna replied with a big ‘WELL, IF SOME PEOPLE PAYED A VISIT THERE WOULD BE’ and a cake emoji. Audrey knew soon Danielle would reply to her sister, twin sense warning her of the bickering even without looking at her phone, so she kept reading Billie with a soft smile on her lips because it felt good to have her texting back again.

When she got to the last text, the one that was asking her about how was she, she couldn’t get to reply because a sudden ring echoed through the living room, startling her. She blinked, confused, and then her eyes landed in the phone...because of course, Danielle still had landline.

Was it maybe one of those telemarketing people? For half a second, she considered not to pick up, but maybe was something important. Or maybe was Danielle herself, who knows? Audrey missed how the screen of her cellphone lighted up with a notification from her girlfriend, but she already got the phone in hand.

“Hello?” her voice was firm, and then a tentative voice came out of the other side of the line. “Good morning, may I speak with miss Bishop? I’m her daughter’s high school principal,” that closed Audrey’s throat immediately, but she managed to reply. “She’s not at home at the moment, but I’m...her partner, did something happen? Can I help you?” and there was this tight sensation in her stomach, so tight but at the same time comforting saying out loud who she was, that her focus went directly to Damien and wonder if something may have happened. “Actually, her daughter has gotten into a fight with another girl and we needed her to come and…”

And Audrey’s mind started to work in another different timeline.

She never thought she would get to the point in which she received a call like that. Audrey gave totally up thinking about herself as a mother, but when she started dating with Danielle it came with finding her place in a closer situation. As she took her bag, throwing her phone in and her wallet with the rest of her stuff, she tried to push aside whatever displeasure she had at the moment because this was serious and she needed to get there as soon as possible.

It took her a few minutes more to find a place to park, but once she was out of the car something heavy fell over her shoulders. Should she call Danielle? Or should she handle this first and then call her? Audrey didn't know how to proceed but she got herself into this mess because she still cared about Damien's wellbeing as much as she was upset with her, so she was going to try and fix it. It was weird being in a high school but she tried to walk with the confidence of one of her old theatre roles, swifting into a different persona so she could handle this with cold mind.

When she finally got to the principal's office, the first thing Audrey noticed was a pretty beaten up Damien, lower lip split and incoming matching bruise to her cheek along some scraps here and there. Her heart shrinked to her chest and when Damien noticed she was there, something in her light brown eyes lighted but she didn't move. The other girl was there too, with which Audrey supposed were her parents looked at her not really nice, but it only made her place better behind Damien and put a comforting hand in her shoulder so at least she knew she was there.

And the second the principal started to explain the situation at hand, Audrey felt how her facade started to melt with who she really was.

Of course, when the man explained briefly what had happened, he asked both of them to explain themselves better and the other child started to give her part with as many points as she could to clearly save her own ass. Damien, broody and skippy, refused to say much more than the obvious and Audrey knew there was something more behind that attitude. So she took to her hands defending her...defending Danielle's child as if she was defending her girlfriend.

Which impressed Damien to see her mother's partner braver than the usual.

By the time they got to the car, finally safe and sound, two weeks of suspension against nothing had become one week to each and a insane load of work to do, which was middle ground if you put it by how far worse was going to be. Audrey felt exhausted, more than she wanted to admit, but after counting three she was buckling herself and pulling over to get back to the house. She didn't even bring herself to check her phone, because she felt very tempted to go and call her girlfriend to inform her.

But for some reason, she didn't, and Audrey wanted to give Damien the benefit of the doubt.

"Did you tell mamon about this…?" Damien spoke so low that Audrey was glad she didn't put music, because she may had missed it.

"No, I do not, because you are going to tell her yourself," Audrey knew she would have to do some technical remarks to Danielle, but the folder that both were trying to ignore had everything inside for the actual mother to know. "Damien, what were you thinking? What really happened?"

And somehow, her voice didn't rise a bit. Audrey was so drained in that moment, emotionally talking, that she couldn't bring herself to be an ounce mad. Damien didn't even turn around, her eyes fixed in whatever she was doing in her phone and then it was when annoyance hit her, a tad enough to snap into a more loud 'hey'.

"I know I'm not you mother but I'm trying to save your ass here, buddy," she kept driving, furrowed frown as she made a right because a tiny voice in her head reminded her there really wasn’t any food at Danielle’s house. "It takes more than a notebook to make people go for a full fight, you know? I'm not stupid."

Damien looked at Audrey then, upon hearing those exact words, and something clicked there in her brain for a second. But the blonde woman didn’t notice the sudden panic in the teen’s face, not because she was asking to explain herself but because the weird passing anxiety she had been feeling for three weeks finally settled. Audrey glanced at her from the corner of her eye and sighed deeply when Damien didn’t say a word again, pulling over in the supermarket parking lot.

Great, another nail to her coffin.

When Damien didn’t move, Audrey knocked in the glass to get her attention. Danielle was used to let her do whatever she wanted in those daily situations, but Audrey was already riled with anxiety and the last thing she wanted was to leave Damien unattended in the car after what happened. The girl moved, in automatic, to follow Audrey closely and still without a word, while they started to travel across the different aisles. Both were moving together, making quite the pair, but never got to talk during all the time Audrey spent picking stuff to get something in their bellies once at home.

Audrey gave up on trying to get the truth out of Damien, so she only interacted with her with banal stuff that was left unresponded because the girl was too in her head, still brooding, to pay attention aside from the basic motor skills. That didn't help to ease Audrey skyrocketing anxiety, it was making it worse indeed, because each second passed proved to her that all the things she was anxious for were true.

Damien, in her side of things, decided to keep it together as much as possible. She was good at following orders, following whatever was needed of her. But she couldn't bring herself to answer Audrey, because every time she looked at her the only thing in her head was that she should talk about the diary with her.

She knew right off the bat Audrey knew about it, the second she came back to the room and asked aloud to her mother if she had been in her room in fact.

Damien had been putting some thoughts on her diary and when she went to write again, it wasn't in the page she left it open. Danielle had said no at that time, but told her daughter that Audrey had been to retrieve some cups - which led to a five minutes reminder of why she should get dirty dishes down once she was done with them. But deep inside her, really deep, she knew Audrey knew.

Why would she started coming to the house less and less often if not? Coming late at night and be gone before breakfast the times she passed by? Not talking with Damien anymore about her worries about her mom or about some of her other worries? Danielle stopping by Audrey's loft in her way home from work more often?

She totally knew about the diary, without doubt.

The worst of it all was having her mother asking her if maybe Audrey had said something to her, because she knew Damien and Audrey talked more since they spent more time alone together. She had to play dumb, afraid of what her reaction would be if she knew how she had a full log of having her girlfriend in probation, shrugging and overall just exchanging looks with her mother when she noticed Audrey pulling away. And then how Danielle had called everyone in their shared social circle in case someone knew something, if maybe Audrey had talked to them.

She even overheard her mother asking Audrey directly, once Damien got up to the bathroom, because they were in the couch, cuddling and watching television before going to bed. And Danielle didn't get any response aside of 'I've been a bit busy and tired, that's all Dani.' and a kiss.

Damien's growing guilt got worse as soon as she caught a glimpse of Audrey's tired expression while she was paying the groceries.

The trip back home was a silent one and once they were there, she kept following Audrey's soft instructions while getting late lunch ready. At least she got her to stop talking altogether aside of the basics, so her guilt steadied enough to keep down the food. But for Audrey didn't seem the case, as much as she could see, because she barely touched her plate.

"I'll be out of your hair as soon as your mother comes home," Audrey said when Damien started to clear the table. "So you two can talk in private without me being around."

It felt like a well deserved stab for a fifteen years old girl, one that actually decided to call home on purpose, instead to her mother, full knowing the short haired blonde was going to be there. There was something in Audrey's words that made her stomach churn annoyingly and with the remains of the rage she felt at school hours ago. And the next thing she knew, it was her mumbling surely loud enough 'yeah, that's better than having you here watching like you always do'.

Damien was too focused in forgetting her own discomfort, washing the dishes, to see the broken expression Audrey got upon hearing her. But her own tears got to her eyes, having to blink and rub her eyes to keep them at bay, feeling like the biggest hypocrite on Earth right in that moment.

And with all of that, Damien set off to her room afterwards, leaving Audrey to herself. Which probably was the best for the adult, because the only thing the teen did once locked in her room was to cry and cry out of guilt, out of rage, out of anxiety, out of ‘why did I have to punch Vera Cobbers’ and ‘why I can’t go back in time’. Curled in her bed, Damien tried to forget what was going to come inevitably, but as two painful hours passed...she knew her time was coming to an end.

Getting up, Damien went directly to where the diary was hidden and took it with trembling hands. What if she came clear with Audrey first and then when her mother arrived...well, let the rest of the problem blow up? The only thought of telling the blonde downstairs pushed her tears harder out of her eyes.

And then, she overheard a car outside the house and her time was up. Damien went out of her room at the sound of the car turning off, just in time to catch Audrey getting her stuff back in her bag and standing up from the couch. She didn’t move further than the rail, feeling herself stuck there as a silent spectator, but she could see the whole living room and the kitchen from where she stood.

When Danielle make it into view, her blazer and briefcase hanging from her arm, glasses still on, the guilt came to her harder than before. Her mother threw her stuff, a very unlike move coming from her, in the loveseat and, with her face lit with happiness, circled Audrey with her arms and lifted her in the air while giving her a big kiss. She couldn’t picture her mother being that happy to come home even if she tried to, but there she was, not letting go of Audrey.

“Oh god, today was awful,” Danielle’s voice was a bit muffled, her face now hidden in Audrey’s neck while Audrey hugged her by the shoulders. “I thought I was going nuts...but having you here made it definitely worth.”

Damien started to move then, slowly going downstairs and trying not make a single sound while Danielle fixed Audrey’s hair with love, giving her a soft peck to her lips.

Then, Audrey saw Damien over Danielle’s shoulder, and all her effort to keep it together started to crumble right away. She felt the need to break the hug, now lose and soft because Danielle was just indulging in her presence after pushing her glasses up in her head, and doing so was really easy when Audrey put a hand to Danielle’s cheek and kissed her sweetly and light.

“Well, now you are home...” she chuckled a bit, catching the soft smirk in her girlfriend’s lips. “...but I have to go darling, I was just waiting for you to come home so I could welcome you.”

Seeing the soft smirk disappear as fast as it came, rushed the terrible feeling already growing and about to overflow in Audrey. Danielle took off her glasses, pulling back her hair with her hand and then putting them back, making her illegally handsome. She took her hand, lacing fingers, and looked at her with the worry again filling her eyes.

“C’mon chère,” Danielle swinged their laced hands and tugged a bit. “Stay? Please, we barely spend time together these days, is because we always have take out? I promise I’ll try and and and...cook something, whatever, even if we have to dinner at ten.”

Even with the joke laced, Audrey could hear the hurt and light panic in Danielle’s voice. But she needed to go before Damien started hating her more, and she totally didn’t want anything to do with why she had to get her from high school hours ago, enough she had done for the girl and was thrown to her face like it meant nothing.

“Take out is just fine, it’s just that I really have to go,” Damien was already a couple meters away and Danielle seemed to sense her finally. “I promise to call you later, okay? We’ll plan something for the weekend and...”

Then Audrey saw Damien start to cry, the words getting stuck in her throat right away, and her flight response ringed through her body like it was an earthquake alarm going off. The girl sprinted towards her mother and Danielle got no time to catch her daughter in her arms, her mother’s senses coming up immediately. Audrey managed to hear, between sobs, how Damien was speaking in french really fast and Danielle’s expression darkened with worry and confusion a second later.

“What? Dada, slower, what are you talking about? What diary?” if Audrey heard sweetness in Danielle’s tone, now it was all gone. “Why are you crying? Look at m-” and the second Damien looked up, incoming bruise to her cheek and split lower lip, Danielle got pale.

It was then when Audrey stopped from hearing something at all, mumbling a quick ‘I’ll leave you two alone’ before getting the fuck out of the house. If Danielle called for her, she didn’t hear it, because her anxiety was unbearable by the time she got in her own car and drove off in the verge of the attack.

She needed to get home, now.

Unaware of her best friend’s whereabouts for the whole day, Billie worried.

Obviously she would worry, Audrey was always excited and chatty when Billie texted her after days of work away, already planning when they would meet up the second the medium got all the stress out of her system. But Audrey had left her on read, maybe she was busy today, and then she got busy with laundry and cleaning the kitchen because Dara had asked her before having to rush out of the house because of work.

To the time Dara came back, Billie was fast asleep in their bed because jet-lag kicked her like a bitch, and then she didn’t have time to think about Audrey a bit more because upon opening her eyes, her now wife was fresh out of the shower only covered with her flowery silk robe, hair wrapped in a towel and phone in hand. Billie couldn’t keep herself from catching Dara by her middle, making her cutely yelp, to get her in her lap to finally enjoy what she missed for those too fucking long shooting days.

Billie’s phone was in the kitchen counter, so none of them hear it when it started to ring, but when Dara’s phone started to vibrate somewhere in the bed, lost between sheets and their bodies, and Billie started to try reach for it while kissing and devouring each other.

“Annie, your pho-Oh fuck, biting? M-move your leg,” Billie laugh ringed when Dara, under her, started to give her actual love bites while moving her leg as she was asked to. Blindly, Billie took advantage of that to make Dara circle her waist with said leg and then her hand felt the bed in search for the phone. “That’s so, so...you are going to be the death of me, I swear,” Billie finally got the device, eyes closed because now Dara was sucking on her pulse point, but picking up the same. “G-good evening, miss Lynch can’t come on the p-phone right n-”

It was then when Billie heard Audrey panicked voice coming out of the speaker in such shocking way that it made her freeze on the spot and open her eyes, alert in a matter of seconds.

“Audrey, hey, Audrey listen to me,” and then Dara was alert too, confused look in her eyes and hands resting in Billie’s hips. “Breathe in, breathe out. Can you make it upstairs? Pumpkin, hey, it’s okay, it’s okay,” then Billie was off her wife in a beat, rolling in bed to go to her side and start putting the nearest shoes she had. She turned around to look at Dara and she was just getting dressed at light speed, already a leg in some sweatpants. “I’ll be there in…” Dara, serious face on, whispered ‘ten’ before pulling a shirt over her bare torso and the same flowery robe on top. “Ten minutes; if you can’t get home, sit in the stairs and wait there, okay? Okay,” Billie felt out of air, head spinning with the alarm and the last bits of arousal hanging to her lungs, but she started to move behind Dara towards the door the same. “Sweetheart, everything is going to be okay, I’m on my way.”

The only thing she got clear was that Audrey was having a panic attack and that Dara was driving too fast for someone wearing slippers. But she didn’t care about anything in else in that moment, pulling her hair into a ponytail and then holding Dara’s purse along their phones to keep her hands occupied. She felt a tingly sensation against the skin she hadn’t covered, as if something was trying to get into her, but Billie closed her eyes and pushed against it before looking at how composed was her wife while driving.

Without make-up on, Dara looked younger, yes, but more tired, worry lines in her soft sweet face. When was the last time she had looked like that? Was she sleeping well those days? What was worrying her?

But all those questions were pushed back when they pulled over in front of Audrey’s building and practically ran with their friend in mind. Billie was the first one to arrive, taking in count Dara was hobbling behind her, without her cane to support her fully she couldn’t run or walk without feeling unsteady with every step. By the time Dara got to the loft, Billie had Audrey wrapped in her arms, both sitting in the floor while the oldest of them was caressing the other’s back to calm her down. The medium was listening to the broken and confusing mess that was Audrey in that moment, and in between she was starting to make sense out of it.

It wasn’t good that Audrey was feeling again like that, like she was a waste of space and time. Like she had the weight of the whole world on her shoulders and as if the whole world was watching her about to drop it all, make a mess and laugh at her.

“...Billie?” and her sobs were so heartbreaking that twisted something inside Billie, who was pressing soft kisses to Audrey’s head taking advantage that she was now hiding in her neck and had Dara kneeling by them, brushing with care Audrey’s short hair out of her face. “D-did Rory died b-because of m-me…?”

The couple shared a surprised look and then they both felt something in the back of their neck, pocking at them for attention. From where was that coming from? Not the sensation, but Audrey’s question, which left them speechless for a minute.

“Wh-Audrey, no,” something in Billie flared up, something long buried after four years, and she made Audrey look at her in the eyes. “Absolutely no, Rory didn’t die because of you. I watched those tapes with you, I was there when they made you go through the stupid tapes and it totally wasn’t your fault in any possible way.” And Billie wanted to say ‘and I heard him saying it, from the good side, so it could reach to you better’ too so bad, but refrained herself.

“You weren’t at fault, Drey, you totally weren’t,” Dara mumbled that, pressing a kiss behind Audrey’s ear sweetly to ease her more, her arms wrapping both blondes in a hug. “What made you think about that again…? Did someone said something to you? A weirdo on the internet?"

From all the things Billie thought that could’ve trigger such deep and dark part of Audrey, she totally didn’t expect that at all.

The second Audrey started to explain what had been happening the last three weeks, how she had been trying to deal with everything in her own, to be brave and try to handle things as if she could overcome them alone...well, it made Billie's brain to stop working. Not only she couldn't wrap her head around Audrey's behaviour, she couldn't wrap her head at how Danielle was so blind to not see something was going on right under her nose. And what had happened during the day? Well, that was another thing to the pile of problems. And the diary? Oh God help her, that put the cherry on top of it all.

A cherry full of her own rage, waiting for her to take it and unleash its power.

When they managed to calm the actress down enough, sitting her in the couch and lighting up a cigarette for her - Dara took the package from the car before running behind her wife and was the one putting it between her lips to give it back to Audrey already lit -, Billie tried to calm down too, lighting another cigarette for herself.

"Let's calm down first and then we'll see what to do about this, okay?" Dara pressed her fingers to the back of her neck. "I'm sure there have to be a full explanation for this."

But it wasn't the nicotine what was helping her relax, it was that tickling sensation in her skin again. Her eyes went to Dara, trying to wrap Audrey in a blanket because she was trembling, and she knew it was her presence what was really helping ease the knot in her head. And maybe that was what actually made Billie finally snap.

"No Dara, stop."

"Stop what?" Audrey looked at Billie and then at Dara, who was frowning with confusion. And she was pretty sure the tallest woman was confused more about hearing her first name than the order.

"This, whatever you are doing right now," Billie pushed again against the sensation, her rage growing, and Dara stood up in front of her, arms crossed under her chest and reminding Billie what she was not wearing under. "I know they are your family, and that you will defend them always, but this got to another level. What your niece did was plainly mean and stupid, and sorry, but the last thing Audrey needs right now is being reminded of all this." then Billie pointed with her hand to Audrey, trying to wipe her face with her sweater's sleeve. "Look at what happened! Audrey worked hard to get some kind of normalcy and now it was thrown out of the window."

Dara couldn't say a word to that. She didn't have enough strength to bring herself to reply, so she only let Billie calm down after getting that out of her system. Her leg was cramping as they were speaking, strained from the sudden movement plus the whole day walking here and there at work, and she needed to take a seat but she didn't want to seat in the couch, where Billie was now comforting Audrey.

She had listened through the whole problem, trying to keep her cool and think for a solution instead of pointing fingers, and unfortunately everyone was at fault in some way... except maybe Danielle.

Danielle that, for sure, the worst thing she did in this scenario was to not keep pushing for some kind of response to why her girlfriend was acting weirdly.

Of course Damien was...stupid for writing a full log about her mother's girlfriend, it was such a teenager thing to do? But that didn't take the fault away at all, because she was plainly cruel...and well, Audrey only showed her niece that she could trust in her and that she wanted the best for Danielle.

But also Audrey should have told Danielle what was going on instead of bottling it up. It was meant to explode, sooner or later, and maybe Dara could blame it to the new of their relationship but that miscommunication wasn't a mere 'oops, I forgot the oven on'. Dara knew from where Audrey was coming from, all the trauma and the dark thoughts and the days of not seeing an end to her depression, because she had been there by her side, however that didn't give her a free pass to do as she pleased.

And Billie...well, how could she tell her wife all of that without having her at her neck? She knew how protective Billie was of Audrey, it was one of her weak spots, so even if she helped in the 'get Danielle and Audrey together' intervention plan, it was obvious which side was she gonna get in when problems happened.

"Call her," Billie's sudden strong voice brought Dara back to Earth, who was brushing her still a bit wet hair back with both hands. "Call your cousin right now."

"Honey, I don't think…"

"You don't think what, that she can't handle being told to put her kid in place!?" and there was this edge in Billie's voice that Dara didn't like at all, the snarky tone. Sometimes you didn't need to be screaming on top of your lungs to make others to recoil and feel bad. "Put her on speaker, I'm done with this foolery."

Sighing deeply, Dara walked towards where Billie had left their stuff. It strained her more, hiding the discomfort of not having her cane with her, and once she got her phone in her hands she made the few steps to the couch slower. She gave up already in trying to make Billie be rational for once, so if she wanted to face a probably enraged Danielle...well, she was on her own.

After a few tones, Danielle's voice came out. Her own tone was thick and with an accent mixed deeply in her words. Dara herself knew when someone was switching languages, used to that after years and years.

"Dal, can I call you later?" Dara felt the tiredness in her cousin's voice, laced with something more. She caught Audrey looking up at her, the hurt in her eyes."This isn't really a good time."

"Of course it is!" Billie snatched the phone from Dara's hand and frowned, gripping it tightly. "Listen here, you better give your kid an earful or I'll d-"

Dara didn't expect, not even in a hundred years, for someone to be able to cut Billie's speech in such violent manner. If Audrey had recovered some color in the last minutes, she lost it upon listening to Danielle's enraged voice.

"What do you think I'm doing, Howard!?" Dara even held her next breathing. "For fuck's sake, don't ever tell me what I have to do or not, because I do know it very well," they three could hear how Danielle took a deep breath before keep on speaking. "I know you are with her, so please, take care of Audrey. I'll be there as soon as possible."

Dara didn't expect either to hear someone hanging up on Billie.

Thick tears started to run down Audrey's cheeks again and then Billie left Dara's phone in the coffee table, taking her friend's hand in her free one to reassure her that everything would be alright. For Dara, it only meant that she wanted to get herself busy with whatever so she didn't have to think in this mess that was giving her a headache already.

So she decided to make some tea, full knowing they would need it. Her mother always said tea was the best choice to calm people's nerves. So she got for herself that task, not wanting to face her friend nor her wife in that moment. Dara took her time to put the kettle - because Audrey of course had one, could she get more british? - in the stove and search for some tea bags - fuck it, she was going full fake posh, water heated with a kettle but teabags to accompany.

When she was done with that, Audrey and Billie had moved to the balcony to smoke, so she only left their cups in the counter and got herself a corner of the kitchen to silently sip to her own cup.

Was she selfish for wanting to have a day in peace? The only thing she had wanted from the second Billie got home from filming around midday was to spend the day the two of them alone. But not only she had to go in her day off to work anyway, but all this had happened.

Now the least thing she wanted was to go back to what was interrupted. That was a missed chance already, and well, to be completely honest, it wasn't like Billie was going to sleep that night in their bed. If she wanted to be irrational and mean when the only thing Dara wanted was to calm things down, well, the couch was welcoming her already.

She couldn't even bring herself to look at Billie once they were inside again, no more tears in sight and their teas mild at this point. Dara had served herself her second cup of tea by the time the front door opened, her eyes immediately going there while she saw Billie standing up from the couch again.

"Dani," Dara wanted to go hug her cousin, getting herself one of those awkward side hugs the woman gave, but she stayed where she was when her eyes went to her niece, seeing how bad the high school fight actually got. "Oh wow, I hope the oth-"

She cut herself from keep talking when Danielle raised her hand, to stop her from finish what she was saying. Now that she could actually look at her, Dani didn't even got time to change clothes and, wearing heels, she was even taller and scarier with her work looks, her face not showing much emotion but her eyes had a troubled glint, all hidden behind her glasses. Then she looked at her daughter, barely a glance, and then Damien stepped forward to talk to Audrey, as if she knew what she had to do the moment they put a foot in the apartment.

"I'm sorry Audrey," Damien's voice was clear, a bit congested because of the crying - her puffy red eyes giving it away -, but clear enough for all of them to hear it. "I...I didn't have to do that and I had to talk to you about it, but I was a coward. I had to tell mamon what was happening to you," she sniffed a bit and Audrey was looking up to her, tired expression in her face. "I was an asshole. You only wanted to be nice…" then Damien looked briefly to Danielle, who was crossing her arms under her chest. "Thank you, for picking me up from school and help me there...I may have suspension for a week, but boss grounded me to eternity...” And her tiny giggle managed to ease the tension in the living room somehow, ever so soft. “...do you hate me now…?”

“Ah...no, I don’t hate you Damien,” Dara saw how Audrey stood up so she could talk to Damien better, her hands trying to find somewhere to land...somewhere that was Damien’s shoulders. “But I’m upset with you, because...well, I was only trying to get on well with you, I’m not your enemy. And things you wrote there...well, were actually true...for me, at least, in my head.”

“Okay,” her voice so tiny, Dara knew her niece was about to cry again and that for sure would make Audrey cry. Billie only seemed about to pop a vessel and Danielle shifted in her spot. Her own throbbing headache starting to get annoying. “I k-know...even when you make me try those green smoothies. That’s kinda evil though.”

That earned a tired laugh from Audrey but then she just leant to hug Damien, who clinged to her as if her life depended on it. Dara couldn’t hear what her niece mumbled to her friend, making her to look at Danielle for a second before whispering what could be ‘I won’t darling, don’t worry’ and letting go of the hug. And Dara thought that was the best time to finally made their leave.

“Why don’t you stay at home with us tonight, dear?” Her voice went out calm in spite of feeling how her head was about to crack in two and Danielle finally looked at her, nodding and giving her permission right away. “I think it’s for the best, I promise I will totally not order italian and make you eat bland spaguetti with tuna, which I’m the best at cooking it.” She chuckled when Damien put a disgusted face before looking between the other three women. “You three do your thing.”

Dara hid how bad was actually her limp right in that moment by flickering her fingers, making Damien go with her and use her as support. It was then when Billie reacted, her attention finally drifting from Audrey to her wife again while she was taking Danielle’s car and house keys from her hand. Billie’s keys were in the counter, where she had left them when they arrived, and Damien took her purse for her. Dara knew for a fact Billie was staying.

She was done with this for today.

Now the plan in her head drifted to take Damien to her house to take a change of clothes and then drive to their apartment with Danielle’s car. She was about to leave when she heard someone walking towards her and then Billie was taking her hand in hers. They were away from Audrey and Danielle’s eyes, thanks to the entrance wall, and Dara gestured Damien to go ahead and wait in the car.

“Annie,” it warmed Dara’s heart to hear Billie call her like that again, with a more relaxed tone. She raised then her hand to press it to Dara’s cheek and then she pressed a kiss to her lips, tiny and warm. “I’m sorry...for yelling at you, I lost my temper there.”

“Oh, I know you’re sorry Bills,” Dara smiled tiredly to Billie and then went to caress her cheek, giving her a couple pats before kissing her in the corner of her lips and turning around to leave. “Still, the couch will be waiting for you tonight.”

When Danielle heard the front door closing, the weight in her shoulders eased a bit. Her eyes went to Audrey, trying to find the right words to say to her. She wanted to do this right, she wanted Audrey to see she could trust in her with whatever instead of bottling things up. What Damien wrote in that...notebook, was still very much wrong and not only she betrayed Audrey’s trust but Danielle felt the betrayal too coming from too many directions.

Since when her daughter started to hide things from her? Since when her girlfriend decided to hide this from her?

But there she was, getting a scold? from the only person in this world she didn’t want to have there. Billie had came back to the living room, her face totally giving away all the pent up anger she had been holding, and then started the biggest rant against her. Everything she was saying, Danielle could see it; her worry for Audrey, to not let something bad happen to her again...everything Danielle also wanted.

The day she had entered into this relationship, she knew it wasn’t going to be easy mostly because Audrey and her had this enormous bag in their backs. And she understood when things got rough, understood that both needed time to get back on their tracks, but somewhere along all of this...she felt that she got lost.

Audrey, in that exact moment, couldn’t take her eyes off her girlfriend. Billie was going full rant without getting any reply, but Audrey could see how Danielle was tightening her fists each second passing and then...it was like someone turned up the volume.

“...so tell me, Bishop, what are you going to do now, mhm?” Billie’s neck was red and her eyes full of something Audrey didn’t see before. “Stand there in silence while she’s suffering?”

There was a change in Danielle, enough to make her look at Audrey before facing the other blonde. She wasn’t going to lie and say she wasn’t afraid of what her girlfriend was going to say next, indeed, Audrey was pretty much afraid of her opinion. Danielle was always the one taking the realistic side of things, to have twenty plans before the situations collided, to hold everything inside because she was used to being in charge, and also to be the part bringing everyone back to Earth if they started to wander too much.

But who was strong enough to bring Danielle back when she was the one wandering too much?

“I wouldn’t be here if I was going to do that,” her voice wasn’t even wavering, steady and in control, which made it even scarier. “I wouldn’t have put my kid in place the second everything was thrown at me; I wouldn’t have put Audrey, our relationship, over everything else.” Her hand finally moved from being a fist and gestured toward her. “I put everything I have in me to make us work, that’s why I’m here to fix this and overcome it together...because I fucking care about Audrey and, flash news, about us.”

The emphasis in ‘together’ was hard enough to make Billie flinch, but she didn’t recoil a bit. However, it was time for Audrey to actually do what she failed in: trying to fix things on her own. She shook her head for a moment, closed her eyes and put both hands covering her face. The softest ‘god, I just want to be normal like before…’ before gathering all her thoughts left her lips and she didn’t notice how it affected to the other two women. But she now had her thoughts sorted out enough to finally do something with them.

“I wanted to handle this by myself, be brave and stop hiding behind everyone,” Billie looked away upon hearing those words. “I thought I was doing it but...well, it seems it wasn’t like that.”

“You’re the bravest here already Audrey, but all I want is for you to know you can rely on me to handle things. Not alone, but hand in hand. If I have to put out relationship over everything else right now, I’m going to do it and show you that I care.”

That burnt anything Audrey was about to say, the edge in Danielle’s voice taking her by surprise because she knew she was being completely serious here. It shocked her to hear something like that coming from Danielle’s mouth, and Billie seemed to notice because Audrey saw her getting close to check on her. Danielle sighed deeply then when no response came from her girlfriend, and then put up her hands and then together.

“Look, I can leave and come back tomorrow if you need space,” oh, Audrey’s fear started to go up, because she didn’t want Danielle to go. “But I couldn’t let you go without hearing that...that I love you, more than you think and of course over anything that will come our way.” She was being sincere, her eyes always locked with Audrey’s. “Just tell me what you want me to do right now.”

It wasn’t fair not how things worked, Audrey didn’t want Danielle to put their relationship over everything else, she only wanted to be able to be together without having to fall into the pit of insecurities she still had inside. Audrey felt herself soften, letting go of Billie’s hand to hold herself better. Hearing those three sweet words coming from Danielle’s lips was a total blessing, something good for a change.

“I don’t want you to go, I want you to stay and be able to talk...the two of us alone,” then her eyes went to Billie, still by her side and waiting for her to tell her what to do too, knowing her time there was about to end for the day. “And I need another cigarette, for sure, but all I want is to go to bed knowing we’ll be able to have lunch tomorrow like we always do,” then her eyes went to look first to Danielle and then to Billie. “Am I clear?”

Audrey saw how Billie was looking at her and then...she nodded. Danielle did the same, refusing to look anywhere but where they were standing, with something darkening her features. Sometimes the problem with her was that she was too hard to crack, to understand and know what was she feeling...but Audrey was hoping to fix that soon.

“Fine,” it was her turn to sigh painfully deep, walking to get the pack of cigarettes from the coffee table. “Then everything is settled.”

The only thing Billie did was to follow Audrey to the balcony and sharing another cigarette, while finally calming down.

Danielle took advantage of that to slip away to the bathroom, not being able to hold everything anymore. Once she had the door closed behind her back, the facade cracked and fell enough for her to slide down the door and cover her face with both hands.

For sure she couldn’t cry, she couldn’t since several months ago, but letting out those ragged breathings do help to calm herself down. She wanted to blame everything to someone, but the face that lit up in the crowd as the culprit was only hers. Her own fears rising like this giant tsunami waiting for her weakest and most down time to strike, Danielle closed her eyes to blind herself and not see the incoming doom.

Taking deep breaths always worked, she told herself, so that’s what she did. Danielle took off her heels after too many hours with them on, focusing in calming herself and standing up again. Taking off her glasses, pushing them up to her head once again, she opened the tap counting how many deep breaths it took her to do the task. Once her hands were clean, she looked at her reflection and started to push everything back in.

Pushing her own fear of failure, of not being enough, of not being able to be supportive as Billie was of Audrey, of not being strong enough. And when she looked again in the mirror, all of that was gone and her usual tired expression looked back at her.

When she managed to get out of the bathroom, it surprised Danielle to be face by Billie, finishing off her cigarette there. She prayed that the blonde didn’t notice her breakdown, quietly waiting in case she had something to say. She wasn’t going to say anything, mostly because usually Danielle didn’t know how to talk with her cousin’s wife, and most of the time was the other woman to start the conversation.

“I left my pack by the microwave, in case she needs another,” Billie raised her own cigarette to put some more emphasis to it and then she got silent for a few seconds more. “Look...I like you, Danielle, I truly do. But I can’t help to worry about Audrey, because I saw what she has gone through and I want her to be happy.” And Danielle could understand that for sure, she was the last one to arrive in this and she knew only the tip of the iceberg. Billie sighed then, seeing that Danielle wasn’t going to say anything, to put her last words to this. “When we got here, Audrey asked me if Rory died because of her. Annie and I told her it wasn’t like that, obviously, but...I think it’s important that you know. She’s still very sensitive of that after four years.”

And then, in the most unexpected move that day, Billie hugged her. It was awkward, oh god, so damn awkward because both were the type of not giving hugs but Danielle tried to circle her, patting her back even.

“Take care of her, Canada,” Billie sighed then and looked at Danielle with somewhat a pained expression. “One more thing...do you think I’m fucked? How much?”

“I don’t think, I know you are,” and that made Billie chuckle, the tension between them easing a bit. “How much depends in what you did, my cousin doesn’t like being yelled at...so as her lawyer, I’m betting for three days couch arrest sentence, if not more.”

With that, Billie was gone, but Danielle couldn’t help but stay there for a few seconds more, indulging in the brief joking moment to get some strength to face Audrey on her own. The corridor seemed longer than it was that day, and when she finally got to the living room Audrey was with her back facing Danielle, both hands in the counter and head hanging a bit.

Danielle knew sometimes they had to sacrifice for each other, and this time it was hers to do so.

So she went to hug the woman she loved, taking her by surprise, but not letting her go. Danielle closed her eyes, feeling better just by holding Audrey between her arms, and then she finally talked.

“I’m sorry, I love you,” she had too much time without feeling herself be vulnerable but there she was. Too many ‘I love you’s was more of a Danna or Dara thing to do, but she had to reach Audrey and make her see that it was the new reality. “I’ve been so worried with work that I couldn’t keep up with you two, I should have asked more, worried more about you and Damien; and I know is not excuse, but...I’m sorry Drey, I really am. It’s my fault.”

Feeling how Audrey was turning around in her arms, Danielle let her do as she pleased and then she was facing her. Audrey took her hands in hers, squeezing them with care and giving her a kiss to her knuckles.

“You didn’t do anything wrong love,” there was something in Audrey’s voice she couldn’t pick. “I...I was the one pulling away, I should have been braver and tell you,” Danielle could feel how her hands were cold and trembling a bit. “I love you too, Dani, a whole lot indeed...it’s just that I wanted to prove I wasn’t a bother to you.”

“Not in a million years, not even if you tried,” Danielle let out a soft laugh and then look down for a second, gathering her next words. “I...I want you to feel at home with me, because I feel at home with you, and I know it’s hard to tell things, heck that I know that pretty well...but I need you to tell me when something is wrong so we can fix it, so I can fix it…” a light new squeeze to her hands. “From now on...will you tell me? Please?”

Audrey bit her lip, lacing their fingers together to hold Danielle’s hands better. She knew well when people was taking their time to get a proper answer, her job was actually taking in consideration when and how people did that before tracing a new plan of action. Danielle was almost expecting Audrey to give her a white lie...but it wasn’t the case.

“Okay...okay. I’m not sure if I’ll always be able to, however,” there was sincerity in showing in Audrey’s whole demeanour. She was being truthful with what she was saying. “But I’ll try.”

That was enough for Danielle, because sometimes coming from her would be like that until she was able to let her own fears go. Audrey nodded then and she let go of Dani’s hands to go and hug her, finally indulging in the warmth she craved and loved, hiding her face in the hollow of Dani’s neck with her eyes closed. And having her like that, made Danielle feel full again, soothing the overwhelming uneasiness that was shaking her whole.

“You know? I already feel at home with you, you don’t need to stress much about that...”

How can a single whisper make someone so happy? That was what Danielle thought upon hearing that coming from Audrey, wrapping her more tightly in her arms and giving her all the kisses she wanted to give her during all day. She didn’t care anymore about their problems, at least for the rest of the day, and for those hours she tried not to think much.

Obviously Danielle called Dara to check on Damien, because as much as she was upset herself with what she did, she still loved her daughter very much and that wouldn’t change for nothing in the world. She had to figure out how to balance everything and let her know that she was still there for her, which Danielle made it very clear when she had known all the chaos that had ensued.

But for that night...well, Danielle tried to get some fresh air.

Audrey didn’t bring up the whole thing the rest of the night, they focused in enjoying each other company. Which was nice, because Danielle didn’t want to keep thinking about it. They laughed when their dinner burnt and had to order pizza, they kissed and watched television for a while; and when it was actually time for them to go to bed...well, Audrey realized something.

“Dani, did you bring a change of clothes?”

“Ahm…” the woman blinked for a few seconds in confusion, caught off guard. “Well, you have my sweater if that counts as a change of clothes.”

And that made Audrey start to laugh, genuine and pure laugh, because that was something unlike Danielle. To not have something planned, to just go with the flow, and when Audrey had to search for some sweatpants for her to change, well, more laughs were there.

There was something charming in how Audrey’s sweatpants did fit Danielle, but the length was hilarious. For once she felt good lending her girlfriend some clothes, and she felt even better when Danielle got in bed by her side and opened her arms to cuddle her.

For sure that was something to celebrate, but Audrey knew all the effort Danielle was doing to make her feel loved and comfortable. So the only thing she did was to go get cuddled, giving kisses as little ‘thank you’s and basically let herself start to be loved again.

But there was a little something bugging her, a little something that was the real culprit of this whole mess they had to face.

“Danielle…?” Dani was half asleep already, but hummed in response to let Audrey know she was listening. “What happened to the diary?”

It took a few seconds for Danielle to reply, the memory of having the notebook in her hands. Notebook that she didn’t dare to open and decided destroy with the paper shredder right away. If she had to know something, she wanted Audrey to tell her because she trusted in her.

“It’s gone Drey. Don’t care about that anymore.”

#audrey tindall x original character #danielle bishop #audrey tindall #ahs roanoke #ahs murder house #ahs cult

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geminiamethyst · 5 years ago

Text

The Phoenix. Chapter 4: Still Fighting.

Kyun winced a little as he felt light pressure on his wrists. It wasn’t enough to hurt him, but it was enough to figure out what was going on. Shin was getting hurt again. It took all his strength to not literally punch a wall. Instead he was just pacing and trying to think of ways he could hurt the man as punishment for hurting Shin. Mumrik had accidentally fallen asleep from where he was still sitting, his head leaning on the wall, tilting a little to the side. He had been so silent that no one knew how long he had been asleep for. Neither Kyun nor Ken had the heart to wake him up. After a day like today, he had been emotionally drained and no one could blame him for falling asleep. Ken sat down on the cot again, briefly looking over his flute to make sure it wasn’t damaged during the whole ordeal. He looked up at Kyun pacing and started to feel a little annoyed.

“Kyun?” He said, partially trying to be quiet as to not disturb the sleeping Snufkin. Kyun stopped pacing and looked at him. “I hate to sound fussy or anything but can you please stop pacing? You’ll make yourself dizzy.”

“Sorry. I’m just trying to restrain myself from breaking my hand on the wall.” Kyun sighed leaning against the cell wall.

“Let me guess. Shin’s been hurt?” Ken asked, pulling his fringe from his eyes.

“Yeah! And I swear that if anything else has happened to him-“ Kyun sneered, his voice suddenly rising a little.

“Sh! Keep your voice down!” Ken hissed, gesturing at Mumrik. Kyun looked down at him, seeing him shift a little but didn’t wake up. Kyun was honestly quite surprised that anyone would fall asleep whilst under these circumstances. He couldn’t blame Mumrik falling asleep though. This day has been rough for everyone.

“Sorry. I just really want to punch that guy and show him a thing or two.” He said, dropping his voice to a more quiet volume.

“I get it! Believe me, I do. If I were in your position, I’d probably do the same thing.” Ken agreed. He slipped his flute back into his coat. “But trust me Kyun, this might be more serious than we know. One slip is all it takes and it might not just be this maniac that we have to worry about.” Kyun breathes in through his nose deeply and let it all out in one slow breath through his mouth. He looked up and his eyes narrowed at the vent. There was no word from Snuf since he had entered the vent. At first he barely had much of a reason to worry too much. However, considering it was now dark, he had started to become more worried. Not just for Shin but, admittedly, for Snuf as well. If he had been caught, there goes their only chance of escaping. Yes, it had worked once before, but that was because Snuf hadn’t been captured with the others when Gnos locked them up. This meant that he was able sneak in without anyone knowing that he was missing from his cell, because he was never locked up in the first place. The guards will notice the missing Snufkin soon, and that will increase the chance that he may be caught.

“How long does it take for one Snufkin to find a blasted key anyway?” Kyun asked, his shoulders tensing up. Ken looked up at the vent, concern crossing his face just as well as Kyun’s. “You don’t think Snuf ran into some trouble do you?”

“I doubt it. We might have heard something. We need to give him more time.” Ken muttered.

“I hate to say it, but time might not be enough.” Kyun said, his fists clenching so much that his fingernails almost broke the skin on his palm. The door suddenly sounded like it was being unlocked. Mumrik jolted awake in so much surprise that he thought he would hit the ceiling. He straightened his hat a little just as Shin was pushed through the door. And he looked like he was going to break down. His eyes were wide and his face looked pale. His form was shaking, whether it was from adrenaline or shock no one could tell. It was quite scary to look at him, to see him like this.

“Shin? Are you okay?” Kyun asked as he slowly approached Shin. Mumrik stumbled a little as he got to his feet, as his legs had fallen asleep after sitting and falling asleep in the same position for a long time.

“I’m fine.” Shin breathed, trying to regain some composure and self control of his emotions.

“Shin, don’t lie to me. What did he do to you?” Kyun frowned, seeing the way Shin was tenderly rubbing his wrists. Shin slowly pulled back a sleeve to show a slowly forming bruise.

“I’m not lying. He didn’t do anything other than this. I promise.” He sighed, covering his injury again. Kyun was getting ready to shout at Shin but instead he held his tongue. He wrapped his arms around him and Shin gratefully returned it. Kyun couldn’t believe how much Shin was trembling as he held him. It was scary.

“Shin, I hate to ask right now but, what did he tell you?” Ken asked slowly. Shin reluctantly let go of Kyun.

“He’s mad. He’s gone absolutely mad.” He laughed a little, to try to relieve himself a little. However, the laugh was forced and it didn’t make him feel any better. His voice also sounded like it was ready to break at any second. It broke Kyun’s heart hearing it. It should never sound right for it to be heard like that.

“Shin, we need to know everything he has said to you. What he wants, what he knows about your parents, everything.” Kyun said quietly, squeezing Shin’s hand. At that, Shin stopped shaking, standing firmer than a brick. His eyes had suddenly become more sharp and his skin looked less pale. He squeezed Kyun’s hand gently. He took a long and deep breath, exhaling slowly.

“Okay.” He whispered, his voice quiet but strong at the same time. Everyone turned their attention span beyond the limits, ready to listen to even the smallest detail that Shin had to offer.

———————————————————————————

As the night started to wear on, Shin had told them everything that Damien had said. He told them about the Organisation; what they wanted; his parents’ connection to them; Dr Gnos’s connection to them and how the Phoenix played into this. By this time the sky had gone completely dark. Stars doted the sky, winking down at the Snufkins in the cell. The moon was large and full. The pale white moonlight flooded though the window, becoming the only source of light. The light that casted over the Snufkins, almost made them look like ghosts. Crickets could be faintly heard in the distance, accompanied by the hooting of an owl. The sounds of nature seems so close but so painfully far. It was torture to the group. Snufkins don’t belong inside stone walls.

No one questioned Shin, nor did they interrupt him. They listened carefully as Shin told his story. He didn’t stutter or pause once. At times he clenched his fists, as if he was still trying to deny that some of the things that Damien had said maybe true. He still didn’t believe that his parents were with the Organisation. He didn’t want to believe it. However the voice of reason kept telling him otherwise. In a way, it all made sense that way. It would explain why Damien and possibly Gnos and everyone else in the Organisation knew them. It was just hard to accept that fact. And even though he didn’t want to admit it, the more he denied it more seems to be harder to think of it as a lie.

“So, correct me if I get this wrong: Damien is not working alone and they want the Phoenix; Gnos was working with this “Organisation” or whatever, but left because he wanted the Phoenix all to himself; your parents used to work with them as well, until they found out what this group was planning; your parents were also the last to see the Phoenix and hid it somewhere and everyone is after you of all people because they seem to think that you know where it is.” Ken listed, crossing his arms as he said this.

“Pretty much. But I swear that I don’t know anything about it.” Shin sighed,starting to get defensive should no one believe him.

“We believe you.” Mumrik calmly said, wanting to try to avoid another argument in the group. Kyun however could tell something was wrong. Shin was looking scared when he was brought back. And it’s rare to see him scared. Kyun can’t even remember one time that he was. There is no way that Damien just telling Shin all this information could’ve made him scared. Confused maybe. Upset or angry? It’s possible. But scared? That doesn’t fit right.

“There’s something else, isn’t there? Something you’re not telling us.” Kyun accused, a frown forming on his face. Shin looked away from him. “Shin, do I have to remind you of our promise again? No-“

“-more secrets, I know.” Shin sighed. “He said that if I don’t give him what he wants by dawn, he’ll kill you.” Kyun’s eyes widened a little before he started looking at the ground. As much as he didn’t want to admit it out loud, he was now starting to get a little scared. At least it made a bit more sense as to why Shin didn’t act like himself earlier.

“He wouldn’t really do that, would he?” Mumrik asked, his voice involuntarily shaking a little. He cursed at himself in his head but it wouldn’t do a lot of good anyway.

“He’s serious about it, Mumrik.” Shin sighed, rubbing his bruised wrists.

“Yeah. Well, let him try. I’m not scared of him.” Kyun scoffed, his brow furrowing in frustration.

“Kyun, this isn’t a game.” Shin snapped, looking at Kyun.

“I know. Which why I’m not going down without a fight. And you shouldn’t either. You ran for as long as you did from Gnos. And even after you were caught by him, you were still looking out for me, and resisting him. If that isn’t fighting, I don’t know what is.” Kyun said, looking at Shin in the eye. The air seemed to become tense again as they were both daring each other to break first. Eventually, Shin did. He rubbed his eyes, giving Kyun an indication that his boyfriend was becoming exhausted. “You look tired. Did you get any sleep last night?”

“Not much. After that nightmare-“ Shin sighed, trying to suppress a yawn. He was cut off when Kyun suddenly but gently forced him to lie down, his head resting on his legs. “Kyun! What-“

“Will you just go to sleep already?” Kyun smiled, feeling a little smug. He had slipped the hat off of Shin’s head and started to run his fingers through his hair. Shin was about to protest, but his eyes started to droop and he felt like his muscles were becoming loose for the first time today.

“I hate you.” He muttered sleepily.

“No, you don’t. I know you too well. Now get some sleep, you’re gonna need all the energy you can get for fighting tomorrow.” Kyun smiled. Shin didn’t reply. His eyes were completely shut and his face was relaxed, almost child like. He breathed slowly in a rhythm. He shifted a little to make himself more comfortable. This gave Kyun comfort for the night. It let him know that Shin was there. That was all that he needed.

“How are you not scared?” Mumrik asked as he sat down.

“Who says I’m not? I might be putting on a brave face, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not scared. But it also doesn’t mean that I’m giving up either.” Kyun said quietly. A flash of worry showed that he truly was scared about what was to come. He looked down at Shin and stroked his hair once again gently. “I’ve got to keep fighting. I promised myself that I wouldn’t let anything happen to Shin. And there is no way in hell that I’m gonna break it.”

“If this guy is going to kill you, Kyun-“ Ken spoke up, leaning against the wall.

“Let him try. I’m not gonna make this easy for him.” Kyun scoffed, not taking his eyes off of Shin. He didn’t want to show it anymore than he was admitting it but he started to become more worried about what was going to possibly happen the next day. He wanted to avoid talking about it as much as he could for now. “You guys should get some sleep too. I’ve got a feeling you might need it.” In silent agreement, Ken sat down opposite the couple and Mumrik laid down, curling up almost like a cat. His head rested on his arms and he slowly closed his eyes, once again becoming dead to the world. Ken watched the vent briefly, half hoping that Snuf would jump down from it to finally get them out. However, he looks once again towards Kyun, ignoring that likely hope.

“Kyun, you need to be careful tomorrow. If Shin was serious about this Damien wanting to kill you, you’ll need to fight like hell.” He said, quietly.

“I know. Just don’t worry about me unless you and Mumrik are dragged into it too.” Kyun sighed, looking up finally. “Tell me the truth: do you believe in miracles?”

“I go back and forth. I mean, half the time I would like to believe in them.” Ken sighed, taking his hat off and pulled his hair back from his eyes.

“But you don’t?” Kyun asked, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

“I suppose not. But let me tell you this. If we need a miracle, it would be nice get one right now.” Ken shrugged, his eyes becoming half lidded. Kyun silently nodded before looking down at Shin. He yawned quietly as he intently listened to Shin’s relaxed breathing. At least his words had gotten to Shin for now. He might need to do it again, but so long as he knew that Shin wasn’t going to give up without a fight, he knows that it’ll be good enough for him. With that in mind, he unwillingly went into a restless sleep, hopelessly praying that it was all a bad dream and he would wake up in his tent by morning.

———————————————————————————

Before the sun rose, Shin found himself waking up. His body was stiff and sore. Normally it wouldn’t be like this, but when he saw Ken sitting opposite him, knees brought up to his chest, his head bowed, sleeping soundly, he remembered everything from the day before. His black eye felt less swollen, his eye opened a little more, and his wrists were a dark shade of purple. Without remembering that he was using Kyun as a pillow the night before, he sat up. Kyun jostled himself awake sharply.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” Shin whispered, noticing how soundly both Mumrik and Ken continued to sleep and didn’t want to disturb them.

“It’s okay. I’m just glad a Hunter wasn��t in here trying to take you from me.” Kyun muttered, rubbing some sleep out of his eye. He stretched almost dramatically. He groaned as the muscles in his body awkward for him to move, being too used to being in the sitting position that he slept in. He grabbed Shin’s hat and passed it to him.

“It’ll happen anyway.” Shin thought out loud as he brushed his fringe back from his face.

“Not on my watch.” Kyun argued, trying not to shout. Shin ignored that remark. As he slipped his hat back on he stood up. He quietly groaned as his stiff muscles protested his movements. He looks up towards the window. The sky was a mixture between midnight blue and a shade of peach orange. The last of the stars from the night were slowly fading away in response to the sun rising. Birds were already awake, greeting the dawn with the morning melodies that they had saved for this moment. To Shin, the world was unfair that it should go on while he and the others were trapped inside. Although he didn’t want to admit it, he felt an uncomfortable feeling of anxiety. Snuf should’ve been back by now at least to get them out. He hadn’t heard of him running into trouble but he couldn’t be sure on that yet. For all he knows, Damien might have changed his mind over night and might use Snuf as leverage instead of Kyun. He still can’t be sure of that.

“Kyun, I want you to promise me something.” Shin said, his voice becoming more serious Kyun could ever thought it could be. “No matter what happens, when you see an opening, run. Get out as far and as fast as you can.”

“What?! There’s no way that I’m promising that!” Kyun exclaimed, standing up.

“I don’t want to lose you. Just promise me okay?!” Shin begged, trying to keep his voice from rising.

“No! Shin, I’m not leaving here without you! Like I’ve said before, I’ve almost lost you once. I promised myself to protect you after what happened with Gnos!” Kyun protested, shaking his head in disbelief.

“I CAN’T LOSE YOU TOO!” Shin yelled, grabbing Kyun by the shoulders. His raised voice startled the two sleeping Snufkins awake, but he took no notice. “You didn’t see me after you fell off that cliff! You didn’t know how much it hurt when I had found you dead! It felt like I’d lost my family all over again! I don’t ever want to go through that again! So promise me that you’ll get out when you get the chance! PROMISE ME!” Just as his desperate cry was sounded, his voice echoed, not just in the cell, but down the corridor it seemed as well.

“Ow! You’re hurting me!” Kyun hissed in pain as Shin unknowingly tightened his grip on his shoulders. Shin immediately let go, regretting on losing it like that. Kyun rubbed his shoulders carefully, a part of him wondering if he’d get bruising from the rough handling.

“Kyun-“ Shin tried to apologise. He was stopped when Kyun suddenly raised a finger to his lips, making him shut up.

“Look, like it or not, I do understand where you are coming from. I went through that too when you got turned to stone. I’m not leaving you here, no matter what. I’m not making that stupid promise, because I know that I’d break it in a heartbeat.” Kyun said, his shoulders slowly starting to tense up. He slowly removed his finger and Shin stayed silent.

“Well, this is quite a rude awakening, isn’t it?” Ken remarked, glancing at Mumrik.

“Not helping!” Kyun barked, his head whipping around to him. Ken only held up his hands defensively, trying to get himself out of the grave he suddenly dug for himself.

“How are you guys feeling?” Mumrik asked, rubbing his eyes, trying to avoid an argument.

“I think I speak for all of us when I say that we’re hungry, thirsty and itching to get out of here.” Kyun sighed. He suddenly glanced up at the vent. Without warning he cupped his hands around his mouth and started to bellow up into it. “HEY! SNUF! WHAT’S TAKING SO LONG?!” Shin suddenly slapped his hand on Kyun’s mouth, silencing him effectively.

“Kyun! Sh! Do you want the Hunters to hear you?!” He hissed. Kyun grumbled incoherently before shoving Shin’s hands off of him.

“Kyun’s right. Snuf is taking too long.” Ken muttered.

“He probably just can’t get the key at the moment. The Hunters seem to keep them on each other at all times. I wouldn’t be too surprised if he had to steal one from a guard that was sleeping last night.” Mumrik said, glancing up at the vent.

“He’d better hurry up. Time’s running out and I doubt that we can stall Damien and the Hunters for any extra time.” Ken murmured as if he was talking to himself. A daunting silence draped over the occupants in the cell. They tried not to think about what might happen but it was beyond impossible to ignore. Kyun looked over at Shin. Even though Shin looked like he was okay, not worried about today, Kyun could see that it was nothing more than a useless mask. He could see the dread clouding his eyes. Kyun scowled at Damien internally but he put it aside when he wrapped his arms around the taller Snufkin. Like before, Shin gratefully accepted it. Kyun wasn’t sure if it was in his head, but he thought that Shin was holding him closer and tighter than the many times before. A part of him wondered if Shin was scared that this would be the last time they’d get to hold each other like this. The other part thought that it was Shin’s silent way of telling him that everything was going to be alright. It was confusing. And scary.

Shin held Kyun tight, almost afraid that if he let go, Kyun would become nothing more than a pile of dust. Even though Kyun was talking tough, he knew it was just his own way of hiding the fact that he was worried and scared. He looked down at the others, wondering how they were handling this. Ken looked almost like an emotionless doll or a statue. Hiss face was blank and his stance seemed to be relaxed. However his turquoise coloured eyes were giving away that he was thinking, calculating. Shin wasn’t sure if he was planning an escape or planning on how they could possibly stall for time when the Hunters came. Mumrik seemed to be the opposite. He was picking at a loose thread on his sleeve. His body seemed to be tensed up and Shin could’ve sworn that his hand was shaking a little. His eyes were a little wide, almost scared. The way he was behaving almost made him seem like a frightened child. Shin looked up towards the window. It took everything he had not to shake. The sky was now becoming pale blue, making him wonder how long he had been holding Kyun like this. It almost made him feel like he was locked inside a photograph. And, almost shamefully, he wished that he was. He didn’t want to go through with this. If anyone had given a choice he’d rather be traveling with Kyun, going fishing, playing his guitar and not having to worry about anything like this. He didn’t want this, nor did he ever want to experience this again.

The familiar sound of footsteps trampled down the corridor towards the cell. Like before, Kyun instinctively tightened his hold on Shin. Shin responded by rubbing his back in a soothing, circular motion. He turned towards the door just as it was being unlocked. Ken got up so quick that one would think he was given a shock by a Hattifattener. Mumrik stood up slowly, staggering a little as his legs felt like they had fallen asleep. Hunters stood at the door. All of them looked bothered and upset. Seems like they hadn’t been given their reward money yet.

“Come on you two.” A Hunter said, pointing a large, dirty finger at the couple.

“Hang on a minute. If you don’t mind in me asking, what do you think you’re going to get out of this? Because it seems to me that all you’re doing is waste time. Bet the boss hasn’t paid you yet, has he?” Ken spoke up, standing next to Kyun and Shin, arms crossed in a defensive position.

“Shut it!” The Hunter spat, glaring down at the Snufkin.

“If you all had half a brain cell left, you should have known that all the boss was doing, was lying to your gullible faces.” Ken mocked, not looking intimidated at all.

“Um...Ken, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Mumrik spoke up meekly, but his voice fell upon deaf ears.

“All I see in front of me are cowards that just want money. How much more pathetic can you be?” Ken continued to grill. The Hunter suddenly struck him in the face. His head snapped to the side, knocking his hat off of his head. His hair masked his face. His body remained standing when he should have been knocked to the ground. He didn’t make a sound as he was injured, not even a gasp. Mumrik jumped a little, not expecting it. Kyun and Shin stood, unbelievably, still but they did look surprised themselves. Even the Hunter looked quite shocked. That punch should’ve knocked the Snufkin to the ground. How was he still standing? Ken sniffed a little but turned his head to look at the brute. He brushed his hair back from his face. His cheek was bright red, showing how hard he was hit. His face was emotionless like a doll’s.

“That it? I can do it to myself worse than that.” He mocked again. The Hunter shook off his shock and was about to strike again.

“Enough! We’re wasting time!” Another Hunter shouted. The thugs started to roughly push the couple out of the cell. Kyun looked over at Ken and mouthed “thanks for trying” as he was shoved. He had a feeling that Ken was trying to start something to either stall for some extra time or give everyone else a way to escape. Not that it probably would’ve done any good as they would be caught immediately. The door slammed shut with an echoing bang and was locked right away. Ken rubbed his sore cheek, ignoring the pain.

“Are you okay?” Mumrik asked, stepping forward.

“I’m fine. Like I’ve said, I’ve been hit worse than that.” Ken shrugged, not thinking carefully about his words.

“What do you-“ Mumrik tried to ask again but the blonde raised a hand, making him stop his question.

“Look, I appreciate the concern but you’re wasting it on me.” Ken sighed, becoming hunched up. Mumrik opened his mouth but let the matter drop. He had a feeling that Ken wasn’t willing to talk about this, no matter how much he asked. Ken was just as equally silent. Even though he made it seem like he wasn’t in pain, but a small voice inside him was screaming about much it truly hurt.

———————————————————————————

“You okay?” Asked Kyun, looking up at Shin as they were escorted down the corridor. He ignored the glares that were drilled into the back of his and Shin’s heads.

“If I said yes, would you believe me?” Shin asked, glancing at him.

“Probably not.” Kyun shrugged rather recklessly.

“Then, no. I don’t feel okay.” Shin sighed, looking ahead. Kyun gave him a look of sympathy and held his hand. He squeezed it a little and he felt Shin squeeze back, letting him know that he appreciated the concern and support. However, both Snufkins knew that it was going to take a lot more than support such as this to get out of the hole that had been dug for them. They both felt like they had closed their eyes for several moments as those dreaded doors came rather suddenly in front of them. One of the Hunters that took Shin to Damien last night actually remembered his manners and knocked on the doors. Damien’s muffled voice called out, telling them to come inside the room.

As soon as the doors had opened, the smell of coffee and the sausages, bacon and eggs from breakfast had hit the couple. They could feel their mouth watering a little and their stomachs rumbling quietly as they were once again reminded that they had nothing to eat at all since they were prisoners here. Damien stood by the fireplace, black and frail logs left in there from the night before. If you could look closely enough, you would be able to see the melted remains of the wine glass that Shin had knocked in there, glittering like jewels in the morning sun. The man had a China cup that was presumably full of coffee in his hands. As soon as he saw who had entered, he placed the cup down on a small plate on the table. Kyun was tempted to sprint and attach him where he stood but he kept his feet planted to the ground. A few more Hunters were in the room, making sure that either the Snufkins wouldn’t do anything reckless like what Kyun had been think, or to keep them from attempting to escape.

“Shin, good morning. I trust you’ve had a decent sleep.” Damien smiled that smile Shin would now class as evil. After the events of the day before, the smile had lost all of its charm. Shin didn’t say anything as Kyun glared daggers at the man. If looks could kill, Damien would be dead on the spot. The man glanced over at Kyun. “That’s your boyfriend? Not much of a looker, is he?”

“He’s good enough for me.” Shin shrugged, trying to not take the remark as an insult. Damien only shrugged carelessly and strides over to the two Snufkins.

“Love is such a complicated thing. Wouldn’t you agree?” He smirked. He suddenly tilted Shin’s chin up a little. “So, about last night, I trust that you’ve had a good long think about my offer.” Kyun suddenly reached out and smacked Damien’s hand away from Shin. Damien looked at him in surprise. “Well, he’s quite the fighter isn’t he?”

“I’ll take you on one hand tied behind my back if I have to.” Kyun sneered, his fists curling up hard, his knuckles quietly cracking. Damien chuckled in amusement, as if he believed that NOTHING could hurt him at that moment, not even a splinter.

“Kyun, shut up.” Shin hissed, wanting to avoid him getting hurt. He didn’t know if it would do any good but it was worth trying. Kyun shot a glance at him but held his tongue. Shin internally sighed in relief as he turned to Damien. “Look. My answer is still the same as last night. I don’t know anything about the Phoenix other than fairy tales that my parents told me. All this time and effort that you’ve put in this, has mounted to nothing.” Damien’s smug looking grin dropped. His face turned into a pout that almost represented a child who was about to have a tantrum. Shin instinctively put his arm out in front of Kyun to act as a barrier.

“You know Shin, I really hate liars. They make me want to literally throw up.” Damien said, eerily calm. Shin suppressed a shudder. The man suddenly snapped his fingers. Before either Snufkin could react, the Hunters grabbed at them. As they dragged Kyun away from him, they forced Shin down to his knees. He tried to push back but he didn’t have the strength. Kyun was in similiar position. He thrashed about and kicked as hard as he could.

“So, I would think about your next words and actions very carefully.” Damien said calmly as he reached inside his jacket. Shin watched carefully as he pulled out a long silver dagger, the hilt studded with tiny rubies. Kyun increased his struggling. He head butted one Hunter and stamped hard on the the foot of the other. Hearing the yelping, Damien turned around. He wasn’t expecting Kyun to take a swing at him, nor did he expect to be hit until something hard and fast strike his face. He stumbled a little, dropping the dagger.

“See how you like getting hit, huh?” Kyun shouted, his fists shaking from the adrenaline. Damien snarled, almost like an animal, as his fist curled up hard. It slammed into Kyun’s stomach before he could register it. Kyun groaned and doubled over, coughing a little in response to the hit. Hunters grabbed him again and forced him to his knees.

“Quite the stubborn one, isn’t he? I was warned that he was a fighter. I clearly underestimated him. Oh well...” Damien winced as he rubbed his jaw. Shin was honestly quite surprised that Kyun didn’t break it, the man would’ve had it coming. Damien turned to Shin. “Where were we? Oh yes. I thought I made it quite clear last night, Shin, about the consequences. It’s plain to see that you haven’t listened. I want the Phoenix. You’re going to give it to me, or you’ll have another death riding on your shoulders.”

“I don’t know anything! If I did I would’ve said so last night!” Shin protested, his heart hammering in his chest.

“I warned you and my patience is running thin.” Damien sneered as he recovered his dagger. Shin didn’t take his eyes off of it. “Last chance Shin.” Shin glanced at Kyun. Even though he was putting on a brave face, Shin could tell he was scared. He tore his gaze to the ground. Damien raised an eyebrow and turned to Kyun. “Looks like he doesn’t love you after all.” Damien raised the dagger and took aim. Kyun’s eyes widened briefly before he shut them, bracing himself.

“Wait!” Shin suddenly shouted. All eyes turned to him. He looked down a little, trying to not feel intimidated by this. “My...my old house, there is a glade just south of it. My parents once told me that there was something hidden at an old oak tree there. I think that’s where the Phoenix is, or maybe a clue as to its location. That’s all I know.” It was a lie. He didn’t know if it would be convincing enough but he had to try something. He didn’t want to lose Kyun so desperately, that he would lie to try to protect him. Kyun looked at him in almost disbelief. He could tell that Shin was lying through his teeth. He didn’t say anything. He knows that if he did, Damien would see through the bluff. As Damien stood still for a few moments, it seemed that Shin’s lie worked. However, Damien suddenly reached out and grabbed Shin by the chin. Shin bit back a grunt as he was forced to look up at Damien’s enraged face.

“Get your paws off of him!” Kyun shouted, pulling as hard as he could to get the several rough hands off of him.

“Do you think I’m an idiot? Did you forget what I told you last night?” asked Damien rhetorically, ignoring the struggling Snufkin. “The Organisation planted a mole in your parents’ rebel party. They saw where they hid it. I know where the Phoenix is.”

“So what do you need me for?! Just go get it yourself!” Shin challenged. He didn’t want to show it desperately, but he felt something boil up inside him. It felt like anger, rage even, but at he same time it didn’t. He couldn’t explain what it was. But he tired to ignore it, focusing only on trying to keep Kyun safe.

“You really must think I’m stupid. Only you can give it to me, Shin!” Damien spat, a vein starting to form in his forehead. He let go of Shin and turned to Kyun. “I tire of this. An example must be made. I honestly didn’t want to do this, but you’ve left me no choice, Shin.”

“No! Wait!” Protested Shin, pulling this way and that to break away from the Hunters. He could feel that thing building up inside of him even more. It was like a volcano building up, getting ready to erupt. It felt almost awful, but at the same time, Shin was allowing it to happen. He could feel a heat burning through his entire body, something that he had never felt before.

“Don’t you dare touch me!” Kyun yelled, his struggling had increased.

“You’ve had this coming, Shin. Say goodbye!” Damien shouted, raising the dagger once again. The blade reflected the sun, almost blinding everyone but him in the room. Damien eyed at Kyun’s chest, aiming the dagger to hit his heart. He braced himself, getting ready to strike.

“LEAVE HIM ALONE!” Shin roared, rage being made crystal clear in his voice. The volcano inside him erupted immediately. What he had felt building up was finally free. Suddenly there was a bright flash. And then...

Nothing...

Chapter 1: Still Running (click HERE)

Chapter 2: The Burning Truth (click HERE)

Chapter 3: Secrets and Threats (click HERE)

Chapter 5: click HERE

#kyun #shin #mumrik #ken #snuf #the phoenix #what happened #what’s going to happen #is what you should be asking #oc #damien

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