#didn't expect things to get chaotic as soon as I returned

[ryoshudoodles]

122° Day of waiting for Canto 9

Sorry, today's looks a bit meh. I just drew the first cool looking reference pose I saw.

[arachniee]

ᡣ𐭩 •｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅ “I’m Their Cure!”

༘✿ Synopsis: Unfortunately, you’ve fallen ill. You didn't tell your lover as you didn’t want to be a burden, so you decided to just let your friend take care of you. And trust me, your boyfriend was NOT having it.

༘✿ Notes: this has been in my drafts long before i created my other series. I needed to get the dust off this and post it lol. This is just purely chaotic fluff that may or may not have grammatical errors. Characters; Lucifer, Vox, and Adam.

‧₊˚✩彡 Lucifer M.

Let’s be honest, this man would have NO idea until you’re coughing up your lungs. It’s either he’s really fucking dense, or you’re just that good with hiding your sickness. He’d literally think that everything was normal until the day he didn’t see you at the hotel at all.

He’s asking everyone his eyes land on, asking them if they knew where you were. Most would just shrug and say no (lies), but just as when he was about to lose hope, his daughter saved the day by telling him.

You were at your friend's apartment?? Why?? That was genuinely the first thing that came to his mind. As he knocked on the (hopefully) right apartment door, he was conflicted when he saw a man with just a t-shirt on with a wet towel in his hands.

His mind went in all directions except the right one. His mind filled up with (horrifying) negative thoughts as he stuttered and asked if you were inside. And when the man in front of him said yes, he was instantly red.

He literally started attacking your poor friend with his much smaller frame, accusing him of doing things to you. The commotion was so loud that you heard the cat fight from your room, thus urging you to sluggishly make your way to them.

You immediately pulled Lucifer away from your friend, who surprisingly didn't have much scratches, as the little man in your hold visibly brightened upon seeing you. But his gaze soured just as quick as he glanced back at your friend.

“Leave.” He’d order, still fuming (adorably). “But this is my apartme–” And in the end, you managed to convince your friend to leave for a few hours. Apologizing to him as you tried to calm your lover down.

After the whole fiasco has died down, it was your turn to glare at Lucifer, who in return, chuckled nervously. Though, he'd try to defend himself, saying things like “who knows what he could have done to you if I didn't arrive on time?”

Once you explain everything to him, that feeling of uneasiness turns into guilt. He feels stupid. First, he didn't know that you were sick, second, he was so stupid that he wasn't able to take care of you properly (even though you didn't want him to know).

Despite your sickness, he's clinging onto you, mumbling sorry’s. He doesn't care if he gets sick in the process, he WILL take care of you now. You will go back to the hotel and stay in bed. You will not lift a single finger at all. You will be treated like royalty (which you practically are, at this point) and he’d be doing all the work for you.

Hungry? He's got a snickers. Thirsty? Here, have some apple juice. Having trouble sleeping? He's literally right beside you on your bed, snuggling close.

In the end, after you got better, it was his turn to get sick. And he's expecting you to reciprocate what he did when you were sick! (He just wants to be pampered and babied by you.)

‧₊˚✩彡 Vox.

Look, he’s a busy man. So hiding the fact that you were sick would be a piece of cake since you don’t meet that often, even if he desperately wanted to. But he does notice once you finally spend time together after a few days. He watched as you coughed and struggled to do things you’d usually do with ease.

He’d be very concerned about your wellbeing, despite not wanting to admit it, at least not so soon. Since he always has to be somewhere doing something, he’d get his most trusted employee to bring you stuff. Flowers to make you feel better? Right at your doorstep. A new, comfier blanket? Already on your bed, neatly folded. And of course, he never forgets the medicine.

He thought that sending gifts and stuff was enough for you (it was), but he was (not) wrong. At least that’s what he first thought during his visit when he finally had time. His eye twitched in irritation as he watched one of your ‘friends’ help you eat the soup, their hands carefully bringing the spoon to your lips.

He’d cough comically loud to try and get your attention. Come on, he’s literally standing in your doorway and yet you’re pretending as if it’s only you and your friend in the room. Once you finally notice his presence, you’d thank your friend before asking Vox why he was visiting you since you knew he was busy.

He refused to speak on that matter until your ‘friend’ left. Your friend understood (thankfully, Vox thought) and left, telling you to call them if you ever needed anything. Your lover would mock your friend behind their back by saying “ ‘cAlL mE iF yOu nEeD AnYthiNg’, bitch, who do they think they are? I can take better care of you by myself than they ever could.”

He’d instantly ask you tons of questions, why didn’t you tell him you were sick? Oh, you didn’t want to be a burden? Bullshit. He is not accepting that lame excuse. Unconsciously, he’d be pouting, and of course, it isn’t a matter of time until he throws a tantrum.

It took almost exactly 2 minutes before Vox was making a scene, dramatically conveying his hurt that you preferred some other bitch’s care than his. Isn’t he enough for you? He’d be making comments about how your sickness might have affected your brain and your taste. Not just in food, but in people.

What? You prefer some cheap fucker’s company during the time you’re vulnerable more than his? No, we are not going to talk about how he’s busy most of the time. And we are also not going to talk about how he literally threw a tantrum just to visit you.

He’d still be pretty cranky about everything, it’ll take quite the effort for him to consider forgiving you. No, kisses, hugs, and all of your attention when you’re better isn’t enough. He wants, no, he needs everything you have to and can offer.

‧₊˚✩彡 Adam.

At first, he doesn’t catch on that you’ve been more sluggish lately. He would complain about how you might not be doing your job properly, though it’s just a facade of his growing concern. But when you brush him off, saying that it’s nothing, then he’d reluctantly disregard the topic.

Once he finally realizes that you didn’t go to work (where he visits you quite often, well, more like everyday), he’d ask almost everyone that he encounters. Lute (who is tired of his bullshit)? Emily? Sera? Everyone will be questioned about you.

When someone finally gives in to his pestering and tells him that you were resting in your home, he’s sprinting there faster than the speed of light. He’d literally be banging on the door, screaming at the top of his lungs for you to let him in.

You’d groan and cover your ears with a pillow as your beautiful friend, Molly, laughed beside you. She sat upright as you tossed around trying to drown out Adam’s yelling. After realizing that he wasn’t leaving or stopping any time soon, Molly eventually asked if you really didn’t want her to open the door. You’d groan even louder, to which she’d chuckle at.

She was so sweet, cooking for you and making sure you drank your medicine. As she grabbed the empty bowl on the coffee table, she smiled as you finally gave her the green light to open the door for Adam.

She always found the two of you cute, the most adorable couple ever! And as soon as she opened the door, Adam zoomed past her, ignoring her presence completely. Once you finally come into his sight, he’d be scolding you about not telling him that you were sick, did you honestly think he wouldn’t be able to help? Don’t underestimate him, damnit!

He’d only ever acknowledge Molly’s presence as soon as she came into the room with medicine in her hands. To say that he’d be pissed was an understatement. He was (cutely) fuming, not only did you not tell him FIRST, but you also have someone else taking care of you?

Jealousy brewed more in the pit of his stomach as he watched you thank Molly and drink the medicine with a smile. Psshh, she just gave you pills! What’s so special about that? If you wanted medicine, you could’ve just fucking asked him and he would’ve given you a whole dozen of boxes!

The whole time Molly was there with the two of you, he’d literally comment (complain) on everything she does, whether it was to help you or not, her every action will be judged by him.

Though he still tries to help, asking you if you want a drink or a snack, making sure you’re not uncomfortable and other stuff. Don’t get him wrong, he’s still pretty fuzzy about everything. And he’d make his feelings known after your friend has (finally) left.

He’d immediately bombard you with questions that you would rather not answer. He’s being a dick, yes, but that’s because you acted like one first! Why would you not wanna tell him? He’s your lover! Do you not love him anymore?

You’d need to make it up to him because explaining that you just didn’t want to be a burden to him is not enough of an explanation, apparently. He’d make you promise that you’d give him ALL of your attention and time next time, and by ‘next time’, he meant when you’re not sick. Because he ain’t coming any closer than 5 meters with you. Get better first!

[sweetieviktor]

viktor x lab partner! reader (headcanons + tiny scenarios)

summary: working with viktor and jayce is all fun until you start wishing your lab partner was well.. your partner.

content warning: minor spoilers about season 1, arc 2 and fluff!!

author notes: im sorry for the waiting!! life has been chaotic and im pretty busy doing things but i've managed to finally write down this adorable request yeey! hope you like it :D

» working with the hextech genius and piltover’s golden boy surely wasn't an easy job. high expectations, sleepless nights, doing experiments and calculations all day...

» at first, it was difficult to blend in as part of the group. jayce and viktor had been good friends for a long time now, and being added as a scientist alongside them in their own lab seemed like something experimental, almost incorrect.

» but things soon started to fall into place. and just like two plus one is equal to three, in the late hours was the time you all could be more free, more like your true selves. maybe it was the sleep deprivation, but it finally felt like there was a little place for you after all.

» whenever you needed to breathe a bit of fresh air and they were too focused on some research, you would go out and get them lunch on your way back. when you return to the lab, jayce would welcome you with a side hug and such a big smile that it could possibly blind you, while viktor would thank you with a little nod and a ghost of a smile on his lips.

» on these lunch breaks, it was common for you to talk about anything and everything that came to your minds at the moment. the hextec, politics and the council, how chaotic or abnormally normal life has been, literally whatever.

“i swear, i can't stand councilor hoskel anymore! why does he never listen to me but when mel says the same thing, then he is all ears?” jayce said while running fingers through his hair, smothering the mess to it place again.

“maybe because you can't verbalize things as good as her?” viktor suggested, tilting his head to the side, taking a bite of the cookies you've got for them earlier. “eeh, i mean, she works at the council for quite a time, right? you're still new to it.”

it was true, of course, but there was one thing they didn't consider yet. “or maybe you just ain't a woman!”

“surely a smart remark, i must say.”

“NO!”

» of course there were times where you could be more relaxed, but almost everyday was the same: calculation, experiment, malfunction and all again. it was frustrating, but worth it. after all the failed prototypes and explosions (so many explosions), now it is finally working.

» also, going on all nighters is a common occurrence (but jayce can't work through the night, because in the day time he needs to attend on the council and can't be late, so the boy needs to sleep early) and when this happens, you often go get you and viktor a mug full of coffee and then continue working on whatever you've been up to.

» oh, and the hexcore. magic and science at once. runes and mathematics all together, the almost impossible and so ethereal dream.

» to be able to study it this close was one of the best things that happened to you, to see, understand and manipulate hextech was incredible. the soft blue light it casted on the lab walls was beautiful, but to see it shine against viktor's skin was a delightful sight.

» his disheveled hair, dark circles, cheek bones. all of the shadows in the right places. the shining amber eyes, his nose and, oh, janna, his mole, the one just above his lip. it drives you insane. like it was luring you into locking your lips on his.

“why are you looking?” he asked, still focusing on the source of the light in front of him, molding its runes, the core moving along it. “studying?”

“yes, yes!” your tone more high pitched than you intended to. shit. “just studying the... hexcore.” you tried to remain your voice at a normal level again, inhaling and exhaling to calm down.

pulling his goggles up, he let his head fall back, laughing, “i'm just messing with you,” he looked at you from between half closed lashes, smirking, “good to know you like to study this.”

» the stealing glances, the absolutely profissional soft touches, the desire for something more, something you couldn't quite have. godness, if you could use hextech to solve your love equation, you would. maybe it would be easier to focus on work with a little magic.

» but it was so hard to focus while he kept looking at you like this, calling your name so sweetly, brushing his fingers on yours whenever you handed him something. you were head over heels for him but why does it seemed so hard to just tell him how you felt?

» again, this love equation was a confusing one, but you wished that the cup of sweet milk you left alongside a little sticky-note saying “you + me = date?” for him to find on his workplace was enough to be called a confession.

» now, you were almost ready to head home, but first you needed to look for jayce and update him about the research you've been working on lately.

» and after doing so, you headed towards the academy's lockers, unlocking yours, sending the same sticky-note you left on the lab flying to the pale ground. when you picked it up, you noticed some words written just below yours. “this is an easy one! the answer is yes. so... at the coffee shop near the academy, at 4pm? – v.”

[fanficimagery]

The Lost Girl

You just wanted to travel and forget all about the drama you left behind. You didn't expect to fall in with four boys who would become another family. Maybe more.

[Part Three of Three]

Author's Note: Y'all remember Elena's dress when she went to the party at the Mikaelson's? I think it was black and gold? Well anyway, that's what YN's dress is gonna be like except it's black and maroon. I'm totally unoriginal lol. The fight is totally anti-climatic and the end just… ends. I was so ready to end this. I'm sorry.

Words: 7.2K

The only good thing about your upcoming party is that Rebekah's completely taken over all the planning. She's recruited Elijah since he's the easiest to talk to between her brothers, leaving Klaus at the mansion with you and the boys. David and Dwayne love to hear about the history Klaus has seen, whereas Paul and Marko love hearing about all things chaotic and bloody.

You're all lounging around the sitting area as Klaus fills in your friends on the drama he caused when he first waltzed in Mystic Falls from his point of view when the front door opens and closes.

"YN. Gilbert."

"Uh oh. Someone's in trouble." Marko giggles.

You flip him off and then turn towards the archway where yet another blonde marches through. "Hello to you too, Caroline. It's rude not to knock, you know?"

She huffs. "Oh shut up. We've all tried ki-" She immediately shuts up herself, taking stock of the new faces in the room. But she's Caroline Forbes, so she rolls with it, easily lying. "We've all tried sabotaging each other multiple times. There's no need to knock between friends."

You and Klaus both smirk, but don't call her out on it.

"Whatever," she grumbles. "I just came over to demand why you didn't tell me you were planning a party?! You know I love planning parties."

"I don't even want this party, Care, but Paul and Marko are all about seeing what type of parties I had to attend when I was younger."

At her pout and look of indifference between your friends, you quickly introduce them to each other. All the boys politely greet her and she them, and it hardly takes her a moment to deduce who your boyfriend is.

"So you're the boyfriend?" Her eyes narrow at Dwayne. "Figures."

"What's that supposed to mean?" You ask.

"It means you have a type. Dark hair, broody looking…"

Klaus chuckles. "She's not wrong, love."

"You're both annoying," you deadpan. Then glancing back at Caroline, you ask, "Is that all you came over for? To demand why you're not part of the party planning committee?"

"Yes. And to see if you already have a dress all picked out."

"I do. Rebekah had a bunch of dresses delivered and I chose one. You want to see what's left on the rack?"

"Yes, please! I hate shopping last minute."

You grin and walk over to Caroline, hooking your arm with hers. "Let's go upstairs then." Looking at Klaus and the boys, you wink. "If there's trouble you want to get into before Elijah comes home, now is the time to do it. Caroline and I are long overdue for some girl talk."

"You heard her, boys, let's go." Klaus downs the rest of his drink before settling the tumbler aside and then standing up. Marko and Paul cheer, shoving at each other as Dwayne and David casually climb to their feet.

Everyone except Dwayne makes their way out and then he walks up to you. "Need anything?"

"No, I'm good, but thanks." He nods before leaning in to kiss your forehead, cheek, and finally your lips.

You're laughing as you shove him away, eyes twinkling. He returns your smile before nodding at Caroline and turning to go catch up with his brothers and Klaus.

As soon as he's out of earshot, Caroline gushes, "Oh my god, that was so adorable! Where did you even find him?!"

"In his hometown." You chuckle and then lead her towards the stairs so you can show her the dresses in your room. "I actually met Paul and Marko first, but when I met Dwayne.. it was like love at first sight." You smile as you remember meeting the dark haired vampire for the first time. "We kind of tortured everyone else with the 'will they or won't they' schtick, so it became public knowledge that we were both off limits."

"What changed?"

Getting bit by a werewolf, you mentally admit, but can't say that out loud. Not yet. So instead, you choose something that's easily believable because the scenario really did happen. "After missing a day of hanging out with them, some girls decided to move in. When I decided to surprise them one night, one girl was standing too close to Dwayne, so I walked right up to him and kissed him."

"You didn't!?"

"I did." You laugh. "And then Elijah and Klaus visited, informing me that Elena was getting impatient that I hadn't come back to Mystic Falls to make sure I was really okay."

"Oh so you'll let Klaus know where you now live, but not us?"

When you glance at Caroline, you notice she's not truly upset about it. "Yes because Klaus won't drag me back to Mystic Falls the moment something inconveniences Elena's life."

Your friend winces, but doesn't refute your words.

In your room, you walk to your closet while Caroline walks to the rack of dresses that's in the opposite corner. You grab the dress bag, pull it out and unzip it to show your friend. "Anyway, this is what I'm wearing." The strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline is maroon with a fitted bodice covered in black beads and black ribbons right beneath your bust. The skirt slightly flares out with an overlay of black tulle so the maroon still peeks out.

Caroline sighs. "This is so pretty. Is your boyfriend matching?"

You laugh as you zip the bag back up and put it away. "I'm pretty sure Elijah will get him a matching pocket square or something."

"So he's got Elijah's stamp of approval?"

"I think so."

"Sounds serious." She turns back to the rack, moving aside dress after dress. "Is he the reason you're staying where you're staying?"

"No. I was already planning on staying there. Dwayne was a surprise, but a welcomed one."

Caroline glances at you. "Ohhh, you're in deep. Look at that smile."

You purse your lips, having been smiling without knowing you were smiling. But seeing as she's already seen it, you give up and laugh. "Ugh, this is gonna sound stupid, but remember when I said seeing Dwayne was like love at first sight? Do you believe in that?"

Your friend freezes and then fully turns to face you. "Spill. Now."

You groan again and head over to your bed, dropping down on the edge. "When I first met Dwayne, it was no shock that I instantly found him attractive. What was a shock, however, is how jealous and protective I am of him. We haven't even known each that long to warrant such loyalty, but when Damon threatened Dwayne… Caroline, I saw red. I wanted to rip Damon's heart out right then and there."

"Hmm. That is weird. You've never been one to get worked up over a guy. You usually just shrug it off and move on."

"I know!"

"And how does Dwayne feel?"

"I'm assuming the same. Damon pinned me to the wall by my throat and Dwayne saw, and he was visibly shaking. I could see it took everything in him to hold himself back and then when I got back to the table, his hand gripped my thigh and didn't move until we stood up to leave."

"How insane would it be if it turned out that soulmates were real?" You laugh. "I'm serious! Ugh, you're so lucky. I wish I had someone who looked at me the way Dwayne looks at you."

"You do have someone who looks at you like that, but you refuse to entertain him because you're afraid of what everyone else will think."

Caroline frowns. "He hurt us. A lot."

"So did Damon, but that didn't stop Elena from jumping on his dick."

The blonde vampire grimaces. "I rather not think about that."

"Mhmm."

"Now will you help me choose a dress?"

Without even glancing at the rack, you say, "Go with the blue one that looks like mine, but has off the shoulder straps. You always look good in blue."

The day before your party, Rebekah had the ballroom completely transformed. You had happily stayed out of her way, listening to her bark orders from the comfort of your room. Dwayne and David took refuge with you, purposely not saying a word to their brothers as they wandered downstairs and got roped into lending a helping hand. And with Rebekah barking orders, Paul and Marko stayed in line.

Then the morning of your party, Rebekah had even taken it upon herself to have a buffet of breakfast ready for everyone. Marko practically salivated at the sight of the food, mentioning that they'd never eaten like kings and queens before. David then reminded him that they never had the appetite for human food quite like they have now after wrapping the bracelets around their wrists, and Marko conceded while stuffing his face with sausage and eggs.

You don't get to rest long after eating, Rebekah whisking you away to bathe and pamper before getting ready for the night. You end up in a bath with so many essential oils and salts that you nearly doze off, but Dwayne enters the bathroom and decides he wants to wash your hair.

Rebekah enters the bathroom when she hears you groan, only to huff and cross her arms over her chest. "Why are you two disgustingly adorable? Stop it right now."

With your head tilted back and Dwayne's fingers scratching against your scalp, you grin. "Shut up. If our positions were switched, you'd be smug as hell right now. Let me enjoy this."

"I'm honestly surprised he's not in there with you."

"And have your brothers glare at me throughout the party?" Dwayne asks. "No thanks."

"Fair." Rebekah continues to watch you with a fond smile on her face. "Well when you get out, Dwayne can help David wrangle his other brothers while you and I get ready in my room."

"Okay."

Dwayne finishes washing your hair before you stand, uncaring that your body is bare beneath the suds. He watches as you scrub your body down in the shower before grabbing a towel and handing it to you. Then after wringing out your hair and drying your body, you use the towel to wrap around your hair before taking the offered robe to drape around your body.

"Thank you." You reach up on the tips of your toes, giving him a chaste kiss. "Now it's your turn. I'll be with Rebekah and most likely won't see you until the start of the party."

"Mmm. Have fun." Dwayne kisses you once more and then pats you on the butt as you walk on by.

You're still smiling as you enter Rebekah's room, laughing when she's waiting for you with a champagne glass nearly filled to the brim. "Happy birthday, darling."

"Thank you, Rebekah." You accept the glass, clink it against the one she produces herself, and then proceed to down it in one go. "Now can I nap?"

"No."

You groan as Rebekah leads you to her vanity, making you sit.

. .

. .

Rebekah starts on your hair first, making sure to detangle it and then spritz various hair products into it. She leaves out a couple of strands on either side of your head to frame your face and then loosely braids the rest of it to hang over your left shoulder. She sprays your hair again to make sure the hairdo holds, and then gets started on your makeup.

The make-up is kept mostly natural and nude, the only color being a hint of blush on your cheekbones, smokey black eyeshadow, and black eyeliner. Throughout the entire time, your phone was dinging with text messages from your family and friends, and you took the time to thank each of them.

Taking a break, Rebekah has sandwiches and fruit delivered to the room via Elijah, and it isn't long until Klaus shows up with presents with the rest of the boys trailing him. The Mikaelson's give you jewelry and money, a proper camera to capture the sights you see, and a brand-new laptop to edit and post the photos. You thank them profusely and even assure Dwayne, David, Paul, and Marko that you hadn't been expecting gifts from them so they can stop with the guilty expressions.

Then after kicking out the men from the room, you get started on Rebekah's hair and make-up. With her instruction, you get everything done pretty well.

When the time comes to finally step into your dress, you shamelessly drop your robe and step into a pair of panties. Rebekah holds your dress low for you and you step into it while she slides it up your body. Then after arranging your breasts to fill the cups, Rebekah zips you up.

Rebekah can only smile as she helps you don your newest necklace and bracelet, and then quickly dresses herself in a dress similar to yours, except the colors are black and gold. Plus, she dons a pair of black satin gloves as well.

"Well don't you two look beautiful."

You turn around to find Dwayne decked out in a suit with a maroon pocket square to match you. He has a few thin braids on one side of his head, only for all of his hair to be tied back in a stylish messy man-bun. "Holy shit." You look him up and down, licking and biting your bottom lip as you try to reign in your spiraling thoughts.

"Down girl," Rebekah muses, patting your shoulder. "It sounds like your guests are starting to arrive, so there's no use in messing up all the hard work I've done."

"Yeah, yeah. Get out." Rebekah laughs as you shoo her out of her own room, bidding Dwayne good luck as she passes him. He steps further into the room, and you readily accept him as he goes toe to toe with you. You lean up and kiss him. "You look handsome."

"It's all thanks to Elijah and Klaus. They really know how to style the riffraff."

You chuckle and kiss him once more. "So, how's it looking down there?"

"Marko and Paul are regretting the fancy suits, but David's keeping them well in line. And Klaus has already plied us with several blood bags each so we're not feeling peckish around your guests."

You sigh. "I think I should have indulged in a little blood myself. I have a feeling I'm going to need it."

"Come on. It won't be that bad."

"Famous last words."

Dwayne smirks. "Let's go greet your guests."

Looping your arm around Dwayne's, you rely on him to get down the grand staircase. And by the time you make it to the main floor, Caroline is arriving on the arm of her mother.

"Caroline! Sheriff Forbes!" You greet them with smiles and kisses to the cheek. "I'm happy you two could make it."

"Likewise." Sheriff Forbes smiles before warily glancing around. "When I got the invitation, I wasn't aware if the party was legit or if the Mikaelson's were up to no good again."

"I can see why you would think that," you say. "But when it comes to me, the Mikaelson's are family."

"But Elena-"

"Mom." Caroline politely nudges her, shaking her head.

Sheriff Forbes closes her mouth and takes a breath. Then smiling sadly, she says, "You never forgave her for the… attack on you and Caroline," she says while glancing at Dwayne.

"Oh. I'm sorry!" You say. "Liz, this is Dwayne. My boyfriend." Sheriff Forbes and Dwayne smile at one another, shaking hands. "And I forgave my sister for that a long time ago," you assure her. "What I don't care for is the way she and Damon treat me or my friends whenever something doesn't go to their liking. They don't take others' feelings into consideration."

Sheriff Forbes smiles tightly, nodding. "Fair enough."

"Well, happy birthday!" Caroline chirps. "Now point us to the food so we can get out of your hair."

Laughing, you're about to tell Caroline where she and her mother can find the food when you spot Bonnie and your brother coming up behind them. "Uh, Dwayne will show you," you tell her. "He's gotta check on his brothers anyway and make sure Klaus isn't getting them in trouble."

And without missing a beat, Dwayne detaches himself from you and offers his arm to Liz as he dips his head in politeness. "Ladies, if you'll follow me."

Dwayne ends up with a Forbes woman on each arm and you smile as he leads them towards the food. Then turning back towards the door, your smile widens as you accept a hug from Bonnie. "Hey! Long time no see." Bonnie is stunning in her own black and silver dress, and Jeremy surprisingly fills out his suit. Then again, he's been rather buff ever since he became a hunter. "Jer, you're looking muscular. Kill anything lately?"

"Ha. Ha," he deadpans while hugging you. "And you look good as well. I didn't expect…"

"Yeah, yeah. You didn't expect me to be alive and thriving just because of the Mikaelson's and blah, blah, blah." Both Bonnie and Jeremy chuckle, and you nudge them towards the party.

More people show up- Tyler, Elena, Damon, Enzo, Alaric plus his date, and several other locals that you hadn't seen for a while. You greet each and every one, thanking them for showing up and wishing them a good time.

Rebekah pulls you away from the door when it seems like no one else is showing up, leading you towards the bottom of the staircase where her brothers are waiting. Both Mikaelson men smile as you approach, but Rebekah leads you a few steps further up the staircase before telling you to stay put before joining her brothers.

You're confused, but no one says anything. Dwayne and his brothers are lined up just across from the Mikaelson's, each of them holding a champagne flute. Elijah, being the more diplomatic Mikaelson, calls for everyone's attention. And as a crowd gathers, you're not very surprised when the hired help walks around with platters full of champagne flutes to pass out to everyone.

"Thank you, everyone, for attending on such short notice," Elijah says as the gathered guests fall quiet. "Miss Gilbert has been off traveling the world and seeing everything this life has to offer, so we weren't sure she would be back in time for her birthday. Luckily for us, she decided to visit with some new friends of hers."

Paul whoops and you shake your head at him, grinning.

"So let us raise our glasses," everyone follows Elijah's lead as he raises his glass in a toast, "and wish Miss Gilbert a very happy birthday and safe travels when she no doubt leaves us all behind again." Elijah, Klaus, and Rebekah turn, grinning. "Happy birthday, sweetheart."

"Happy birthday!" The crowd then cheers.

You smile bashfully, nodding your thanks to those whose gazes you catch before walking down the stairs. Rebekah hugs you whereas her brothers kiss each of your cheeks, and then Dwayne takes hold of your arm while leading you to the main room.

Immediately, the humming and clapping of Hozier's Work Song fills the air, and Dwayne leads you to the center of the room before turning to face you. As he takes a step back and then bows at the waist, your eyes light up. "You dance?"

"Obviously. Don't you?" As you grab the skirt of your dress and curtsey, you can't help but laugh. "And besides, the birthday girl has to open her own party with the first dance."

"I'm pretty sure that's not a thing, but I'll take it." You and Dwayne step forward and then back, close to touching but not. He raises his hands, palms out, and you laugh some more as you hold your own palms just an inch from his as you walk in a circle. "Who told you about this dance?"

"Rebekah might have mentioned something about a pageant this little town holds and the dances forced upon you."

Dwayne then takes you in his arms and the two of you sway back and forth before he's gently pushing you out and then bringing you in on a twirl. The smile never leaves your face, not even when you can hear his brothers ribbing him.

Halfway through the dance, others join you. Dwayne's dancing skills make him that much more attractive to you and you let him know when you can't keep your lips to yourself.

The party goes on and you make your rounds while on Dwayne's arm. You introduce him to everyone you know, talk about the places you've been with some curious individuals, but refrain from mentioning where you met Dwayne in case others were listening in.

You eat and drink and dance some more, and all in all it's a good time.

Until it isn't.

Elena hadn't said much to you other than wish you a happy birthday, so you're resigned to hearing her out when she asks for a moment of your time when the party starts winding down.

She leads you to an empty room just down the hall and turns to face you with a frown. "So, you're leaving again?"

"What?"

"Elijah's speech. He said you were going to travel again."

"Oh. Maybe." You shrug. "I still need to find a house and set down roots before I start taking trips again."

"Your house is here!" She says, hurt lacing her tone. "Why are you so dead set on getting away from me?"

"Elena," you say softly. "I love you. I do! But I can't be here anymore. I'm so over the drama where you somehow manage to be ground zero for it all. I'm tired of being hounded by Damon for not jumping when he says jump and I'm just- I'm over it. You have your life and I have mine. You don't have to like it, but you will accept it."

Done with the conversation, you turn to rejoin the party, only for your sister's words to make you freeze. "Jenna would be so upset to see you so chummy with her murderer."

There's a gasp from the door and you realize the others have followed. Bonnie, Caroline, Damon, Stefan, Alaric, Dwayne, David, Paul, Marko, Rebekah, Klaus, and Elijah have all entered the room and you have no idea how you and Elena didn't sense the big group sooner.

The group from Mystic Falls knew how close you were to Jenna and how hurt you were over Klaus killing her, but they didn't know about Klaus' apology months later when you started having dinners with Elijah. It wasn't an easy apology to accept, but he promised to make it up to you for as long as you lived.

But not wanting to get into all that, you look at your sister and swing even lower than her. "Yeah? Well mom and dad would be even more upset to see you fucking your best friend's rapist." Elena gapes and her eyes fill with tears, and you roll your eyes. "Come now, Elena. Don't start the waterworks now. You wanna be Katherine 2.0, then be Katherine 2.0. If you're gonna be a bitch, then own it."

Your back suddenly hits the wall and you have a face full of an enraged vampire. "All right. That's enough."

"Damon!" Bonnie yells.

"What the fuck was that?" You hear Marko murmur, biting back a smirk at the fact that they're still playing human.

"That was a low blow, YN," Damon says, tightening his grip around your throat.

"Careful, Damon, your lap dog is showing," you muse. "This is between me and my sister."

"Yeah? Well, it becomes my business when you make her cry."

"Oh, how noble." You huff. "Now kindly take your hand off of me and leave. You're no longer welcomed here."

You hear a bit of a scuffle and look over Damon's shoulder to see David holding Dwayne back by the arm. You can see the rage in his eyes even as he attempts to keep his cool, and subtly shake your head.

Damon glances over his shoulder as well to see who you're looking at and turns back to face you with a smirk. "You're so quick to drop everyone in Mystic Falls, let's see if your newfound family will stick around after they find out that you're a monster."

Your expression hardens. "Damon, do-"

CRACK!

Damon has all of half a second of smug satisfaction as he watches your body collapse lifelessly to the floor before a heart stopping roar practically shakes the walls of the room. He whirls around, eyes wide, and braces himself for the truly monstrous individual advancing on him.

Dwayne's features have shifted, his features more sharpened and defined. His eyes are now yellow and red, and his fangs and claws have elongated in his rage. He grabs a stunned Damon by the shoulders before savagely sinking his fangs into Damon's neck and pulling free a chunk of flesh.

As Damon gurgles on his blood and Elena shrieks in horror, Stefan speeds at Dwayne to pull him off. Only then do David, Paul, and Marko fly at him and throw him across the room before making a wall in front of YN's body. Dwayne continues to attack Damon, snapping each and every bone in his body that he can to prevent the raven-haired vampire from fighting back.

Elena tries to intervene when it appears Damon can't defend himself, but Rebekah catches her by the arm. "Stay out of it. Damon made his bed, now it's time for him to lie in it."

Alaric pulls free a wooden stake to help his friend, but all it takes is Klaus tutting in his direction to give the history teacher pause.

Then having heard enough snarling and snapping bones, Elijah approaches Dwayne cautiously. "That's enough, Dwayne. I believe Mr. Salvatore has learned his lesson." Panting and heaving, Dwayne snarls one last time before kicking Damon so hard in the ribs that he sends him sliding across the floor towards his panicked brother. Dwayne then turns and his brothers part so he can make a beeline to YN's body. As he does, he sits on the floor to cradle her lifeless body in his arms. "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why you should never touch a vampire's mate," Elijah says.

Everyone seems surprised, but it's Caroline who steps forward with a frown. "Mate? And vampire?" She asks incredulously. "What is going on, Elijah?"

"Dwayne, David, Marko, and Paul are vampires," he tells the room, ignoring Elena's whimpers as she tries to offer aid to Damon. "A different species, obviously, but vampires nonetheless. When Niklaus and I noticed some differences, I decided to do a little research after learning of how quickly Dwayne and YN became attached."

"And your research proved that our kind has mates?" Paul wonders. At Elijah's nod, he beams. "Fuck yeah! We totally called it after YN got bit by that werewolf."

"What werewolf?" Caroline's eyes widen in alarm.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. It's all been taken care of," Klaus assures her. Caroline huffs at him, but all it does is make him smirk.

"That's nice and all, but can I have a little help?" Elena grouses. "Damon's really hurt."

"Oh boo hoo," Rebekah deadpans. No one makes a move to help Elena except for Stefan and Alaric.

The three of them are doing their best to tend to Damon when Enzo enters the room. He takes a look at the Lost Boys before taking a look at his injured friend and then glances at the Mikaelson's. When his gaze finally lands on Caroline, he sighs. "I always miss the fun. What happened this time?"

"Damon's a bloody idiot, is what this is," Rebekah says instead. "He snapped a vampire mate's neck and said vampire didn't take too kindly to that."

Enzo shrugs. "Fair enough. Now if you're all done in here, some of the humans heard the ruckus. Jeremy and I have been doing damage control, but some of these locals are too nosy for their own good."

"Thank you, Mr. St. John. My sister and I will take it from here." Elijah beckons Rebekah to join him and she grumbles about missing all the fun.

Enzo, now too invested to see any more drama go down, walks over to stand next to Caroline and Bonnie.

"So, you four are vampires?" Bonnie wonders when no one says anything. "How come we didn't know?"

"Because YN wanted it that way," David says.

"And you just do what she says? How long have you even known her?"

"Long enough," you grumble. Immediately you feel yourself being squeezed and you groan as your eyes flutter open. You're staring up at the ceiling and you realize you're on the floor. "Dwayne?" The head tucked into the side of your aching neck lifts, and you smile at the vampiric face of your boyfriend. Reaching up, you tap on the tip of one of his fangs. "You can put these away now. I'm fine."

"He snapped your neck," he grumbles.

"Is he dead?"

"No."

"Pity."

"YN!"

"What?" You whine. You attempt to sit up, letting Dwayne help you. Then glancing over at your sister, you have no fucks left to give her. "He snapped my neck. The way I see it, if he's still breathing, he got off easy."

"You could have told us your friends were different vampires."

"But then Damon wouldn't have gotten his ass kicked." Then glancing at those standing, you ask, "Did anyone record it?" Everyone with the exception of Stefan, Elena, Damon, and Alaric find your question funny. Dwayne stands and helps you to your feet, and you stretch a little with a groan. "But now you all see why I left, right? I refuse to live a life that Damon wants to control."

"But you'll live a life that the Mikaelson's control?" Elena huffs.

You stare at her, shaking your head. "When are you going to get over your hate for them? You all refuse to forgive the Mikaelson's, yet Damon somehow gets a free pass?" You ask.

"Damon didn't kill Jenna!"

"No, but he did kill the love of Enzo's life and then left Enzo to burn alive," you say. Then looking at Stefan, you say, "He killed Lexi. He's killed Ric, Jeremy, and even me a few times." Looking at Bonnie, you add, "He threatened Grams into using too much magic that led to her death and let's not forget everything he put Caroline through. So why the hell is Damon forgiven for all of that, but yet you're so appalled when I associate with Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah?"

No one has anything to say, and Elena can't even look at you. She's too busy making sure Damon is healing properly.

"She has a point," Enzo says, breaking the silence.

Glancing at him, you offer him a smile before looking at each of your friends. "I'm tired, hungry, and pissed off now, so the party's officially over. Don't let the door hit you on the way out."

As you walk off, Dwayne takes hold of your hand. "Go up to the room. I'll grab some blood bags and liquor from the kitchen."

"Thank you." You squeeze his hand before letting go, grabbing the skirt of your dress and lifting it just a little so you can walk up the stairs without tripping.

. .

. .

In the comfort and safety of your room, you strip out of your dress and run yourself a hot shower. The first thing you do is wash all the hair products out of your hair before scrubbing your face free of makeup, and then wash your body before standing under the rainfall of water. You sigh, reaching a hand up to rub at your sore neck.

The sound of the shower drowns out the outside noise, so you startle a little when you feel a hand land on your shoulder. Uncaring of your nudity, you turn around and are met with an equally nude Dwayne. He hands you a blood bag that's a little warm to the touch and you don't waste a moment. You grab the bag and immediately bring it up to your mouth, letting your fangs pierce the bag.

As you suck down your meal, you let Dwayne lead you a few steps back so he's standing under the rainfall of water as well. His hands gently cup your face, thumbs brushing the veins beneath your eyes that have slithered to the surface. Your eyes flutter open and you drop the bag when you're done with it.

Dwayne then leans down so his forehead is resting against yours, and his hands move down so his fingers gently probe around your neck. "I wanted to kill him," he quietly admits. "It took all my self-control to not rip his head from his body."

You huff a laugh as you wrap your arms around his waist. "As much as I wish you would have, it's best that you didn't. If anything happened to poor Damon, Elena and Stefan probably would have hounded us until the end of times."

"Then they would have met the same fate. You were dead at the time, but apparently we're mates and our instincts to protect each other are insane."

"Excuse me?" You pull back a bit, staring at Dwayne in disbelief. "Mates actually exist?"

"For my kind, yes. It's why I knew something was off that first day we were here and Damon had you pinned to the wall. It's also why I flew into a rage when he snapped your neck."

Mouth agape, you shut it with an audible click. A moment later, you shrug. "Well, that explains the rage I felt when Damon threatened your life. Normally I'd have laughed a threat like that off, but I got severely pissed off."

Dwayne chuckles. "This is going to be fun."

"For you, maybe. Protective instincts aren't the only instincts that rears its ugly head thanks to our apparent bond."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm possessive, dear mate." You smile up at him. "I noticed it the last time that one female tried gaining your attention, but it wasn't too bad of an urge to rip her head off. If she had touched you, however, I'm pretty sure it would have been game over for her." Dwayne slowly smirks and you slowly raise your arms so they're wrapped around his neck, and you hop up as you wrap your legs around his waist. "Now are you going to fuck your mate or just stand here under the water?"

"I wasn't sure you were up for anything after having your neck snapped," he says while reaching below you and grabbing hard length to notch at your entrance.

"For you? I'm always up for something." You slowly lower yourself on Dwayne's cock, head tilting back as your mouth opens in a silent moan. He grunts when you're fully seated and when you meet his smoldering gaze, you clench around him and cause him to grunt. "Now come on. Make me scream and embarrass my sister who is no doubt still trying to play victim downstairs."

Smirking, Dwayne places one hand on your ass as he walks over to the wall and then places his other hand on the wall for a bit of balance. "Hang on…"

Dwayne pulls out nearly all the way, and then a moment later he thrust back in. Hard. You moan, fingernails digging into the flesh of his shoulders, and then beam brightly at him. "Again."

The following morning, you have absolutely no shame when you and Dwayne enter the kitchen together. Everyone, with the exception of Elijah and Klaus, are all smirking at you.

"Well, well," Rebekah muses. "Look at you. I'm surprised you're not walking funny."

Paul and Marko immediately laugh, and Klaus looks quite appalled.

"Rebekah, please, can you not?" Elijah asks, already exasperated with where the morning conversation is clearly headed.

"Oh hush. We're all adults here."

You chuckle as you head towards the refrigerator, pulling out a pitcher of orange juice to pour yourself a glass. "Who all got an earful besides those in this room?"

"Well Damon thinks you were faking it."

"Of course." Your eyes roll.

"Stefan looked like he had sucked on a sour lemon, Elena turned beet red as if she was some prude, and Caroline and Enzo couldn't help but be impressed."

You chuckle some more as you sip your juice and then make your way to the table where Dwayne is already seated. You help yourself to a few slices of bacon and pay no mind to Dwayne's brothers who are patiently waiting to tease you. Unfortunately for them, you're not bothered by it at all.

"So will you be leaving this afternoon?" Klaus asks in order to break the silence.

"Yes." When you glance at Rebekah, you smile at her pout. "But you guys will always be welcomed in Santa Carla and I'll do my best to visit every other month."

"You better."

"What about these bracelets?" Marko asks. "Are we supposed to give them back once we're back in Santa Carla or…?"

"The bracelets are a gift," Elijah says smoothly. "And as a token of our appreciation for being on your best behavior and abiding by the rules we set out, we will pay for a trip for all of you to wherever you want."

"We appreciate that," David says, "but we need to settle our claim on Santa Carla before we can take off again. And speaking of Santa Carla, how is our home?" He then asks Klaus.

Klaus shrugs. "My hybrids have dispatched a werewolf pack looking to make camp in your woods. Your territory is as you left it- dirty and nearly uninhabitable."

"Klaus." You shake your head in amusement at him. "I've made my decision."

"I'm well aware."

"Then don't be a dick."

"I said nearly." You chuckle as he smirks. "Now let us have a nice breakfast before you and your friends start to pack. The jet is being fueled as we speak."

. .

. .

After a very talkative breakfast and barely half an hour of packing, you and the boys are on a private jet back to Santa Carla. You had immediately made a beeline for the singular bedroom at the back of the jet to go back to sleep, and Dwayne joined you for about an hour before rejoining his brothers.

You join them sometime later, taking the time to sip a drink as you listen to the boys brainstorm the perfect location for the trip you're all going to take once David's confident enough with his grasp on Santa Carla.

And it's only once you've stepped foot back in Santa Carla does your phone ping with a text message from Klaus. It's directions to a location and instructions to call him when you get there.

"What do you think it is?" Dwayne asks as he reads the message himself.

"I have no idea, but it's Klaus, so anything is possible."

You can see Paul and Marko are anxious to get back to their cave, but David wants everyone to stick together. So, after procuring- er, compelling- a car, you drive to the location Klaus had sent you.

Pulling up to the location that's still in Santa Carla, you're not surprised at its remote location, but you are surprised with the steel gate blocking a driveway and the steel fence that wraps all around the property. Off in the distance, up on a hill, there's quite the house sitting there.

"What the hell is this?" Paul asks, leaning forward between the seats.

"I have no idea." You pull out your phone and dial Klaus' number, still staring at the house in awe while holding the phone to your ear. When the line clicks over, you immediately ask, "What did you do?"

"Welcome home, love. The code to the gate is your birthday." You glance at the small box just outside the driver's side window and punch in the code. When the little red light turns green, the gates start to open. "Since there was no way you were going to leave Santa Carla, I figured that you could at least live in a proper home rather than that dark, dank cave your boys are apparently so fond of. Honestly, they needed to get out of there as well."

"Klaus… this is a lot," you utter in awe. You drive all the way up to the front steps and everyone hurriedly vacates the car to take a look around. "I can never repay something like this."

"Family doesn't repay family back. At least not ours."

"Klaus."

"I'm serious. It's done. Now since you're all vampires, I had a witch spell the house for you."

"How so?"

"No guest, whether they're supernatural or not, can enter your home without your permission. There was a little blood magic involved, so you'll have to invite your mate and friends in."

You walk up to the front door and enter the house with ease, smirking at Marko when he tries to enter behind you but can't. You quickly invite all four boys in and then turn to stare at the lavish home. "Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, truly… thank you."

"Think nothing of it. But if you truly want to repay me back, you can take Rebekah on your next trip. She truly is aggravating."

You laugh and nod before saying, "Yes. Of course. Anything."

"Mhm. Well, I'll let you and the boys get acquainted with your new home. Have fun. Don't murder too many people."

"We'll try." You end the call with Klaus and only then does the sound of Paul and Marko's excitement reach your ears. You feel pressure at your elbow and find Dwayne standing there, looking down on you. "It's ours."

"What?"

"It's ours. Klaus obviously didn't like the living conditions of the cave, so he bought us a house."

"Well… shit." You snort at his utterance. "It's been a long time since any of us have lived in a proper home."

"Hey! If this is our house, do we get to call dibs on a room?" You hear Paul shout from somewhere deep in the house.

"Dwayne and I get the master!" You shout back. "It's a free for all for the rest of you."

All of a sudden you hear footsteps pounding on the hardwood floor, followed by grunting and whining, and protests of David being unfair.

Smiling, you turn back towards Dwayne and grin. "So, I guess this is home?"

"Do you want it to be?"

You shrug. "Home is wherever you are. If you want to go back to the cave, then let's go back. But if you want to stay here, then we'll stay here."

Dwayne flashes you one of his rare smiles as he reaches for you, and tugs you close. "Well, I wouldn't want to piss off the big bad hybrid by taking his precious baby sister back to the dark, dank cave."

You laugh and quickly lean up on the tips of your toes, pressing your lips to his in a chaste kiss. "Then we'll stay." You kiss him again. "Now come on. Let's go break in our new bed."

[whiskeyghoul]

8 || She blinded me with science || [Spencer Reid x Goth!Reader]

First part, previous part, next part

A/N: Oh we are so back. This is mostly just angst, including the return of Tommy. Not a lot of Spencer in this one but the next one is going to be from his perspective. I really needed just a little angst in this fic again. I hope to be writing part 9 soon since I am in a bit of a writers block for this fanfic. But then again I really love writing for it too.

WC: 3,1 K

Tags: Spencer Reid, kidnapping, toxic exes, not proof read, we die like men, angst, hurt comfort but the comfort comes later.

Warnings: Kidnapping, mental instability, stalking, drugging

Your POV

You had watched Spencer leave into a room, a sigh leaving your lips as he closed the door behind him. Returning to the lab to finish your work felt a little tiresome. You wanted to spend more time with Spencer. Time that was so rudely cut short with a case. It was to be expected, but that didn't mean you had to like it. So, begrudgingly, you made your way to the lab. Getting in to wait for another process to finish, while polishing off the final remnants of your sandwich. Looking around the desk you saw the different reports that needed organizing. It was messy, and chaotic. Sometimes you would lose a document for a few moments before panicking and frantically looking through all the papers you had. That had to change. Now was as good a time as any.

While organizing your papers alphabetically your eyes landed on Spencer's purple scarf slung over the back of the desk chair. Running a hand over the fabric. It was soft, incredibly so even. A few worn edges added character, showing how well loved the scarf had been over the years. Picking it up you put it up to your nose, inhaling the warm scent that was so completely Spencer. It was a comforting scent. The smell of sweet coffee, cologne, and that signature scent of his apartment you had smelled while you were there. Feeling a little creepy about smelling his clothes you quickly put it down after folding it into a small bundle. Placing it on the edge of your desk to not forget.

Going back to your desk you noticed something was just a little off. You remember that the coffee cup from that morning was missing. It wasn’t unusual for garbage to be removed by cleaning staff. Just not usually during your shift. Oftentimes they would come in at the end of the day, when you would have put all dangerous substances away so no one would accidentally spill anything. There were measures in place to keep everyone safe. So why was your cup missing?

No. There was no need to be skeptical about something as simple as this. You must have thrown it away subconsciously before you left to get lunch. That was the logical explanation to this. So you shook off the uncomfortable feeling. There was no more reason to be suspicious of the small things. You were a bit scatterbrained at times, so it was only normal for you to forget something as small as this. Especially since your mind had been on Spencer for most of the day. Having made up had left you on cloud nine. When he had come in that morning it just made you realize how sweet he is, how forgiving of your flaws that you were so critical of. You never expected him to forgive you when you had hurt him quite badly. So it was like a dream that he did. And that had left you just a little preoccupied. Misplacing or misremembering something wasn’t that far of a stretch. 

The beep of the analyser got your attention. Walking over you hit the printer button, out came a print out of all the chemical components detected in the white powder. Giving it a quick once over to have a look at the majority of substance, it was always tainted along the way. Sometimes by the general use and existence of the material, sometimes by the less than careful collection of whatever they wanted to be analyzed. Taking a look it seemed to have been ecstasy, tainted by a few wayward chemicals. Nothing that would cause death but still, it could lead to a possible suspect. Moving back to the desk you looked around for the designated case folder.

It wasn’t there. You looked between the ones you just moved. Maybe you left it between the older files. Alphabetical order was the easiest after all. Managing to do it nearly on autopilot you might have just stacked it in the finished pile. So, you picked them up, thumbing through the different manilla folders starting with the same letter. Nope… must have looked over it. You tried again, making sure that you saw each and every single one. Still, it wasn’t there. Okay, maybe you did leave it in the pile on your desk. Your pulse quickened as you looked through the files but still, not the one you needed. The cleaners know not to take these. This is when you started to panic just a little. Moving between your desk and other tables in the lab, checking every file cabinet in there for the one you needed. Still there was no sign of it. Fuck.

Your phone rang. Snapping your head up you scrambled from a pile of files you had been rummaging through. Spencer’s caller ID lit up the screen. Picking up you quickly pinned the phone between your cheek and shoulder, “Hey, pretty boy, what’s up?” you asked, a little breathless, while going back to the papers to try and find what you were looking for. “Hey. We just got to the local station and I wanted to call. I felt bad about having to leave without really saying goodbye.” You noted how Spencer’s voice sounded a little hushed, how the background noise was muffled. “That’s okay. I am glad you called though. I like hearing your voice.” You said while continuously shuffling papers. “Are you busy? I could call back another time.” He asked, probably hearing the papers. “No, no!” You said before readjusting the phone to your other ear. “I just.. I lost the file I was working on. I must have misplaced it so I am a bit stressed looking for it.” Admitting to your fault. “Oh, I would have helped if I could.” Spencer said before you heard Morgan’s voice in the back, calling out to Spencer jokingly. “It’s okay, hearing your voice makes me feel a bit better.” You responded with a hint of shyness. It was easier to admit these things over the phone than to his face. 

“I really wanted to hear from you too.” Spencer said before a whispered, “Morgan! stop!” Which made you laugh. “How does the case look? Will it be a long one?” You asked, trying to keep the conversation going, hoping to hear him speak more. His voice eases any worry in your mind. Like a placating balm to smooth over any uncomfortability. “Actually, it seems like it might be easier than expected. Though I don’t want to jinx it and then have to be stuck here for the foreseeable future.” he answered. “Better knock on wood then.” You added to his sentence, really hoping he would be back sooner rather than later. “I will, once I get to the desk. I really have to go though, because Morgan is being annoying.” he said, a bit remorseful. “I’ll text you soon. Maybe call later tonight?” You asked and heard a mh-hm from the other side of the line. “Okay.. Bye, talk to you soon.” “Bye.”

When you hung up it really settled in you weren’t going to find this file you were looking for. Which meant there would be a ton more paperwork, a new file, which meant over time. So you made your way down to whoever could help you with this file, explaining the situation you got a new version along with an entire packet of paperwork to fill in to ‘officially’ request a copy of the file. Getting back to the lab you sat down, ready to start the tedious task of correctly filling in everything.

It was late when you finished. Almost dark outside the clock indicating it was 7:30 p.m. At least your paperwork was finished. With a sigh you closed it. Stretching back your arms with a groan. Sitting hunched never did wonders for your body. A growl from your stomach signaled it was really time to get going. As you packed your bag you thought about the leftover pasta bolognese you had in your fridge, just how good it sounded right about now. With the paperwork in hand you left the lab, locking up behind you and heading down. Spencer´s purple scarf was loosely wrapped around your neck. Leaving the filled in forms in the designated inbox of the higherup who needed to officially grant your request. Everything was always so bureaucratic. You texted Spencer you were finally leaving Quantico, getting a ‘But isn’t it almost 8?’ back from him. You chuckled, ‘Couldn’t find the file I talked about, so had to get a replacement, you know how much paperwork that takes.’ you texted back nuzzling your nose into the soft fabric of his scarf. Inhaling the smell, feeling a little better with it around you, like he was there to joke about the file, say it was okay.

Saying goodbye to the security guard before you headed to the parking garage, your car was one of 5 left on the floor. When you got in and turned the key in the ignition it ticked but never caught on. You sighed, of fucking course this was to happen now. You already had a stressful day, this was just the cherry on top. You slammed your hands against the wheel quickly before taking the key out, popping the hood, and stepping out. You opened the hood, seeing your car battery disconnected, your heart sank. This is weird.

Panic rose like bile in your throat. Your heartbeat raced as your hands trembled. Everything inside of you told you to run. Yet your feet were nailed in place. Rooted to the ground, unable to move. Not wanting to look up in case something, or someone was close by. From the corner of your eye, however, you saw movement. A black clad figure moving closer. You gripped the strap of your bag, a trembling hand moving into the pocket of your jacket. Taking the key in a firm grip, in case of emergency it could be used as a weapon. But it was of no use, when the figure got close you turned with the key in hand. Raising your right hand to hit the figure, to embed the tip of your key into any soft tissue you could reach, but your wrist was caught in a quick movement. Your eyes widened as you recognized the face that stood in front of you.

Tommy.

You gasped his name out while trying to wring your hand out of his grip. “I’m sorry.” He managed to say before you felt a pinch in your left arm. Confusion, panic, fear, those emotions washed over you as you realized what just happened. He had drugged you. You could feel the way your arm grew heavy, along with your breathing labored. Trying not to panic because that would just make everything work faster. You still struggled against his hold but he had you pinned against your car. There was nowhere to run to. You just prayed the security cameras were picking up what was happening. Tommy wasn't that smart to shut down the cameras too, you hoped. “You’re not sorry.” your voice sounds slurred. It became more difficult to keep your eyes open, to keep standing straight. “I just can’t lose you.” He almost sounded apologetic as his arm moved to keep you upright. “Fuck you.” Was the last thing you managed before your eyes betrayed you. Darkness took over, and your body went limp in the arms of your worst enemy. 

Blinking rapidly didn’t seem to do anything. Vision still black you felt your hands were tied behind your back. There was a sore spot on the left one. The way you had been sat had your head tilted forward and your neck was now incredibly stiff. You were on a chair for sure. Blindfolded and tied up. You tried to stay calm, to not let your emotions take over. But your heartbeat was fast, loud in your ears, it made it hard to focus. You didn’t know how long it had been but it must have been some time. Your phone was no longer in your pocket, at least you didn’t feel it. The scarf around your neck was gone, Spencer’s scarf. Panic over took you again. Breathing picking up in short, quick bursts. “Don’t panic, please. You always overreacted.” Tommy’s voice sounded out. Your head shot up, craning around, trying to locate where he was. “Me? Overreacting? Tommy, you kidnapped me!” You said exasperated, while your hands were straining against the rope that had your wrist stuck to the chair. “Well you wouldn’t have come with me if I asked.” You groaned at that answer, clearly your wishes to never see him again weren’t clear enough of a hint. “Because you hurt me! I never wanted to see you again.” You raised your voice, trying to not yell but you were frustrated, scared, panicked.

“Just… ugh! You aren’t even listening to what I want to say!” Tommy sounded frustrated. Suddenly his hands grabbed your shoulders, he had been closer than you thought. His grip an iron vice as your body stiffened. Breath caught in your throat. “Okay. Okay. I’m listening. That’s what you wanted, right? So say what you need to say.” You said, trying to calm down. Logically you knew you shouldn’t be indulging him. But you knew that egging him on would make things worse. He was explosive, angry, that’s what happened every time. “Right. I need you to listen. Because, I have been thinking.” Tommy started, his hands still holding onto your shoulders. You could feel the breath on your skin, it was humid. Like a wolf looming over its prey, panting out to finally have caught dinner. “I think. You shouldn’t be with that guy. He is a twig, I could be so much better. We could work things out if you gave me a try. You are going to give it a try.” He sounded almost out of breath as he spoke. As he tried to get his thoughts in order. “I have given it a try, but it didn't work. Tommy, you haven’t changed. At all. So why would it work now?” You answered, it wasn’t what he wanted to hear but it was important for him to hear it. Your emotions flipping like a switch, wanting to placate him and then wanting to tell the truth, to egg him on. The heartbeat under your skin felt like a drum against your ribs. Hammering a constant rhythm of anxiety. “No, I have changed. You just didn’t give me a chance to show it. Going on and on about how I have been stalking you. I haven’t! I have changed and you are going to let me show it to you.” His grip tightened before he let go. You could hear his feet, pacing around, probably with his hands in his hair. Like he did when he was frustrated with you. He always did.

“You can’t keep me here. The FBI will come looking when I don’t show up tomorrow.” You strained your wrists, trying to feel if there was a knot you could loosen. But it felt like zip tie cuffs. Plasticy, hard and digging painfully. “You called in sick with a really bad stomach bug. It will take at least a week.” He swallowed after his answer, walking a few steps away to rummage through something. With the blind fold on you could see a little strip of light as you looked down, though it was relatively dark probably due there being no windows. No he wouldn’t be stupid enough to keep you somewhere with windows. It would be too big a risk, and he did not seem like he wanted to lose you. In your mind you hoped he hadn’t texted Spencer, hoping that he’d try to call you later tonight like you had agreed upon. If you didn’t answer he would probably figure something was wrong. If he did text him something you prayed it was so out of character that it wouldn’t go unnoticed.

“Right… and after that week?” You asked, hoping to keep him talking, keeping him talking would keep him from hurting you. That seemed most logical at least. “You will see how good I am to you. You won’t want to leave anymore.” Tommy said, “And if you don’t I’ll just tell them a family member died, request a leave of absence.” He continued and the rummaging stopped. Your heart dropped, not knowing what to expect at that moment. It could be something to hurt you with, something to shut you up, no matter what you did there was going to be something. More footsteps. It kept your heart rate up that was for sure. Something clamped around your ankle, cold, metal. Thick and heavy, the weight pressed down on your foot. “You can move around like this. Can’t make you love me again when you’re stuck to a chair.” He almost chuckled at that. The sound made your stomach feel heavy. Like he didn’t seem to care about your wellbeing. Blood running cold at that. Like a polar stream running through your body. “Move around?” Your voice sounded strained. Throat closed and breathing tight.

He stepped around you, you could feel the air shift as he moved. Stepping to the back his hands were on your wrists. “Yes. You have to promise you won’t try to hurt me. Otherwise you’re right back in this chair again.” Now that was something you didn’t want. Being stuck in place, physically unable to move, it was the worst choice. When released at least you could move around. Get a feel of the place. Find a way out. “Right… I promise.” You said it slowly, deliberately. Each word out of your mouth needs to be thought out from now. Using words to placate. Fight, flight, freeze or fawn. And with Tommy, fawn seemed to be your best option. Keeping him friendly would give you time. 

Your hands were released from their cuffs, the blind fold removed from your eyes. Blinking rapidly to adjust to the dim light of the room. You were sitting in a wooden chair, you had figured as much. There were no windows, 2 doors, one on your left and one right in front of you. The carpet on the floor was a weird  green color that looked like it had been stained one too many times by something unknown. There was a small living room area, two couches with a coffee table. A kitchenette on the opposite wall. Turning your head you saw a dining room table. It was like you were in a weirdly small studio apartment. Everything was there to live. You glanced down, your right leg sporting a metal cuff, a chain going off to the wall. “Welcome home.” Tommy said it almost triumphantly, proud of his work.

It hit you like a ton of bricks. Tommy was going to keep you here as a forced housewife. And you just prayed Spencer would realize what was going on quickly.

Tags:

@luvkatryna @emma-e-a @littlemadamred @cultish-corner @styleiconsize0 @sarai-ibn-la-ahad @depressedbutartsy @mikariell95 @jasf444

@tootsiefootsie @ill-be-okay-soon-enough @sammy-4103 @thedevioussmirk @pleasantwitchgarden @khxna   @suckstobrlaurie @mega-kittyglitter-1 @superlegend216 @seninjakitey

[adriswrld]

His Dangerous Wife » LA Knight

plot: la knight's wife comes to even the odds against the judgement day

pairings: wrestler! reader x la knight

warnings: none tbh just fluff

a/n: there isn't enough la knight stuff on here and that makes me sad :(( wrestling last name is kingley bc i love it

It was quite chaotic backstage, making it almost impossible for Y/N to locate her husband. But she found him after a few minutes of searching. He stood with John Cena who was also his tag partner for Fastlane. Y/N didn't have a match, seeing as she was literally returning from an ankle injury that happened at SummerSlam when she lost her championship to Iyo Sky. Y/N Kingley was a crowd favorite, as was her husband LA Knight, but not many people knew they were married, or even together. They lived a very private life so it made sense.

Tonight, she was set to return to help her husband even the odds against the Judgement Day which sparked a future fued between herself and Rhea Ripley. Though LA Knight didn't know of this. "Darling, do you know where Izzy is? I can't find her." Y/N asks, grabbing his attention. Izzy was her best friend, the woman also known as Azalea Evans, the younger sister of Chris Evans and one of the best women's wrestlers. She was also engaged to Rhea Ripley. He furrowed his brows, shaking his head, "Nah, but she should be somewhere around here. Probably with Rhea."

"I think I seen her talking to Cody in catering earlier," John adds. Y/N smiled gratefully, "Thank you. I will see you two later, alright? Good luck with the match darling." She pressed a quick peck on his cheek before quickly making her way towards catering, finding Azalea indeed with Cody. Y/N took a seat at their table, "one thing I do not miss about being back is getting lost backstage all the time." Azalea chuckles at her complaint, "honestly, I'm pretty much used to it."

"You would think because I've been wrestling for 20 years that I would be used to this, but I am definitely not." Y/N mumbled, picking up a brownie from Izzy's plate. Izzy chuckled before glancing at the television where LA Knight's match with Jimmy Uso was coming up. Cody cleared his throat, "so, how do we feel about Jade signing with WWE?" Izzy and Y/N were former AEW wrestlers so they knew Jade quite well. Though they had actually never faced Jade yet. They knew how she felt with all the top tier treatment because that's how they were treated when signing with AEW having been originally WWE stars.

"I'm really excited about it actually. I'm super happy for her. I can't wait to face her." Y/N said, she was always happy for any of the wrestlers who got signed to other companies. Izzy nods in agreement, "Me too. She actually called me after she signed so I'm really excited for her. We're supposed to train together soon." Cody nods with a smile, "I feel the same way. I'm excited to see what she can do here."

"His match is starting so we should head to the gorilla." Izzy stood up, the three of them left towards the gorilla where the Judgement Day and Jey Uso were at. Izzy was quick to greet Rhea whilst Y/N was watching the monitors. LA Knight obviously wins, but then Judgement Day comes out, standing on the ring apron, leaving Knight and Cena outnumbered. Jey Uso was the first to come out, sliding in the ring though they were still very outnumbered. Cody's music hit, he was quick to come out.

Rhea jumps on the apron next to her boys, signaling that they weren't gonna back down. That's when Y/N's music hit. The crowd went crazy, obviously not expecting her to show up at all, let alone for a situation such as this. "It's Y/N Kingley! She's back! What a surprise!" Michael Cole' expressed. Y/N strutted out, Rhea's face dropped at the sight of her. Meanwhile, her husband was in disbelief, a small grin tugged at the corner of his lips. "Rhea is in disbelief! Y/N has expressed her frustration with the Judgement Days attempts to recruit her best friend Azalea Evans!" Corey Graves explains.

"That and the fact that the Judgement Day is targeting her husband LA Knight," Cole points out. "Her husband?! She's married?!" Cody Rhodes and John Cena sat on the middle rope for Y/N to step through, the Judgement Day seemingly conflicted now. She walks past her shocked husband to come face to face with Rhea, a grin on her lips. "Still wanna fight?"

The boys behind her grin as Rhea makes the guys stand down, claiming it wasn't worth it. Paul Heyman takes Solo's hand, signaling him to fall back. Unfortunately for them, Y/N wasn't a patient person. She threw the first hand, knocking Rhea off the apron, the boys are quick to join in the brawl. She grinned, leaning against the rope as Cody and Jey Uso both do separate dives out the ring, knocking down the Judgement Day and Jimmy.

Rhea drags Y/N out of the ring, going back in forth with her as Solo stepped in the ring with John. Y/N was quick to fight off Rhea, throwing her into Dom as LA Knight took care of Solo. LA hits JD with a BFT, then Jey hits him with a super kick before Cena performs a five knuckle shuffle. Y/N slides in the ring as Cena continues to perform an AA on JD. Cody whips off his belt throwing it into the crowd before hitting JD with a crossrhodes.

The boys turn to her, basically offering up JD if she wanted a go at him. She laughs, shaking her head but they insisted. "Come on! It can't hurt! Well not for you at least." Cody says. Y/N chuckled, giving in the crowd cheers. LA Knight offers his hand, she takes it, using it to jump off the rope and perform a clean moonsault onto JD. "And a perfectly done moonsault from Kingley!"

"Yeahh!" LA Knight cheered, taking her hand and pulling his wife up. "That was fun!" She cheered wistfully, high fiving Jey, Cody, and Cena as LA Knight kept a hand on her waist. The crowd cheered as Cody raised Y/N's hand proudly, "Our wonderful savior!"

LA pulled her closer so she could hear better, "You didn't tell me you were coming out." Y/N chuckled, "cause it was a surprise darling. Did it surprise you love?" He laughs lightly, nodding like it was obvious, and it was. "Surprised me so much I could kiss you right about now." He jokes, also being partially serious because he really wished he could kiss her.

She shrugged lightly, "you can kiss me, I don't mi-" she was cut off by his lips pressed against hers and very loud cheering from the fans. He didn't waste a second kissing her, not caring about the thousands of fans watching. She chuckles softly pulling away, quick to remind him that they were still in public. "Come on, let's close up." Y/N climbs the top rope, doing her normal taunt as LA Knight, Jey Uso, Cody, and Cena all followed behind her.

Shaun was quick to drag her into the locker room the second the show was over. Not even giving her a chance to talk as he showered her with kisses. "Shouldn't we go to the hotel first?" She chuckles, pulling away. "What? Scared of a little locker room sex, doll?" He teased, rubbing her sides as he held back to urge to tear her clothes off.

Y/N sucked in a breath, "fuck, you know what that name does to me." He smirked, pressing a kiss to her neck as she pushed him towards the showers. "I should save your ass more often if this is the reward I get in return."

"Yeah."

[aloneinthehellfire]

Chapter Six: Prophetic Girl

The Pariahs That Saved The World

Word Count: 3.1k

Warnings: canon-events (demobats), some fluffy bits in this one, vecna's curse, not proof-read

[A/N: Oh my goodness, the procrastinator has returned- Whew, thank you all for your patience! I finally found some time to finish the next chapter; I really didn't want to rush anything so just know this one was created with every ounce of love <3)

Prophetic Girl

You don’t know why you dived into the water with the others.

You weren’t a particularly strong swimmer, nor did you have a heroic nature urging you to help save a friend.

The look Robin gave you as her best friend was dragged under the water was probably the culprit, ripping open your heart with her absolute terror.

That was the scariest part of it all. The emotional discipline you had forced upon yourself over the past year could be shattered in seconds from just one look, reigniting a feeling you thought was lost forever. And god dammit, you would do anything to make sure that feeling never got away from you again.

“Steve!” Robin screams as you pull yourself out of the gate, wiping the water from your face.

The Upside Down. It wasn’t like you expected it to be. You know they had described it as a reflection of Hawkins, a darker universe than the one you resided in, yet part of you always assumed there’d be something strangely beautiful about this place. But you were here now, rushing to the others to help them fight off the local bats, looking around with nothing but disgust on your face.

Perhaps you couldn’t find the beauty in everything after all.

You barely reached the others before Eddie was shouting behind you. Duck? In the last second, you mange to crouch to the ground and avoid something with claws flying over your head, screeching into the dark sky. You blink. Was that a…

“Bats!” Eddie exasperates, grabbing an oar from the ground and charging full speed at the one swinging back for a second time.

It was a chaotic blur of stress and adrenaline, somehow batting away small razor sharp teeth and wrestling against their surprisingly slimy bodies. You had managed to pull one from Nancy’s back and drive your boot down on its head before Robin pulled you away from an attack, Eddie’s oar quick to slam it to the ground.

Steve was bitten pretty badly, the first thing you observed as he spat out the head of a bat, panting. You thought Eddie was about to explode from excitement, looking at you with wide eyes and suppressing a smile. How he managed to find joy even in hell, you would never know.

“You okay?” Robin’s hand shook as she places both hands on her best friend’s shoulders, worried eyes searching his. He lets out a breathy laugh and nods, her body practically depleting in relief.

“You’re sure?” Nancy prompts, and he examines himself closer, still nodding. “Took about a pound of flesh but, uh, other than that… never better.”

You let out a sigh and wipe your brow, watching as Robin crouches beside you to shine a light on a bat corpse.

“Uh, do you guys think these bats have, like, rabies?” Robin questions, looking up at you with a frown.

“What?” Steve gapes, and you suck in your lips.

“It’s just that rabies are, like, my number one greatest fear.” She explains, standing back up, “And I think we should get you to a doctor really soon because once symptoms set in, it’s too late. You’re already dead.”

Both Steve and Nancy look at her in exasperation, their features clearly telling that they didn’t appreciate Robin’s spiralling input. You start to smirk.

“Or you’ll become a vampire.” You offer with a grin and he mockingly nods his head.

“We need to get you patched up.” Nancy states, looking dishevelled from the fight, looking around, “Maybe we can-”

The trail of thoughts were lost as you all watch another group of bats fly down to where the gate rested, tearing at it. You squint your eyes, focusing. What were they doing?

“Uh, guys?” Eddie interrupts, and you turn to see him staring at the sky, your eyes widening. “I think we need to get out of here.”

“Nah, there’s not that many, we can take ‘em.” Steve breathes out, wincing when you lightly tap him. But it draws everyone else’s focus up to the sight that had you and Eddie stood in fear.

As your eyes fixate on the litter of shapes between the warm clashes of red and blue, you quickly start to nod, grabbing Eddie by the shirt and pulling him into a run as you all silently agree to a fast escape.

“The trees!” You yell, pointing to your left and you all head for the treeline, ducking for cover just as the bats attempt to swoop down, blocked by the thick expanse of wood.

You all manage to huddle under the flipped version of Skull Rock, panting as the bats fly past with no prey in their sight.

“That… was more cardio than I paid for.” Robin gasps and you collapse against a rock, catching your breath.

Nancy was quick to start patching Steve up despite his polite objections. You even raised an impressed eyebrow when she rips off the hem of her shirt to substitute bandages with fabric, sharing a look of awe with Eddie.

Out the corner of your eye, you see Robin trying to calm Steve down in a way that would have you smiling. But Steve didn’t look to be in the smiling nature.

Calmly, you place a hand on her shoulder and gently guide her away, the girl giving you a smile.

Instead of berating her best friend with a million facts and questions that would probably stress him out, she took a seat on the ground opposite you, her smile noticeably less bright when Eddie plops directly beside you, groaning.

“So… anyone got a blunt?”

“Jesus Christ.” You groan with a smirk, eyeing him with amusement. “You seriously think now is a good time to be getting high?”

“I personally think this is the best time to get high.” He says with confidence, stretching out his legs.

“You’re an idiot.” You say, adoration in your voice that made Robin’s skin crawl.

“Ouch.” He mockingly holds his hand to his heart, “I wasn’t treated this way when you needed a smoke after you rear-ended Mrs Click’s car-”

“Shut up!” You hiss with laughter, gently shoving him away from you and he chuckles, shoving back.

As she watched the two of you tease one another with an ease that made her queasy, Robin’s brows furrowed. You were both much closer than she had hoped for.

“Why did you guys break up?”

The quiet laughter broke into silence, inquisitive eyes suddenly set on hers. She feels her ears burn, quickly swooping her hair forward to conceal them.

“Thank you for asking.” Eddie claps his hands like it was an interview and you roll your eyes, immediately easing the tension. “Well, you see, we were like, what? 15? 15. It was cute, very short, and we realised we were better friends. Right?”

“That’s about it.” You shrug, smiling. Your eyes land on hers with a lightness to them that made her heart swoon.

“So why did you even get together in the first place?” She frowns, face dropping when his eyebrows shoot up. “Oh, god, that sounded meaner than it did in my head.”

“We hadn’t really tried the friend part yet.” You chuckle, and Eddie hums.

“Too blinded by our mutual hatred for King Steve and his merry band of idiots.”

“So you could say Steve brought us closer together.” You quip and Robin suppresses a laugh.

“One of you say my name?” Steve suddenly asks and you all fall into laughter, ignoring the boy’s curious frown.

After a while, Eddie shakes his head and jumps up to stalk over to a fallen tree trunk, inspecting it.

“He’s pretty cool.” Robin sighs, watching him step up onto the wood and survey the land like an explorer.

“Yeah.” You look over your shoulder with a smile, something like sadness flickering across your face for just a fleeting moment. If Robin didn’t find herself completely captivated with every movement you made, she would have missed it completely. Was it… regret? Did you regret the break up? Did you want him back-

“So, uh…” Eddie’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts as you all turn to where he stood at the tip of the tree trunk. “This place is like Hawkins, but with monsters and nasty shit?”

“Pretty much.” Nancy responds, grunting a little as she attempts to shift some of Steve’s weight onto her. “Wait, watch out for the vines. It’s all a hive mind.”

“It’s all a what?”

“All the creepy crawlies around here, dude. They’re like, one or something.” Steve tries to explain, wincing as he brushes his hand over the bandages.

“I repeat, it’s all a what?” Eddie frowns and you stand up, grimacing.

“Uh, step on a vine, you step on literally everything else at the same time and then, well, evil wizard comes to snap our bones.” You shrug, his mouth parted in shock as he nods slowly in recognition.

“Shit.” He simply says, starting his descent.

“But everything from our world is still here, right? Except people, obviously?” Robin appears beside you, her arm brushing against yours.

“As far as I understand it, yeah.” Nancy nods and you can practically hear the cogs turning in Robin’s mind, humming with excitement.

“So, theoretically, we could go to the police station and steal guns and grenades and whatever we need to blow up those bat things that are guarding the gate.” She suggests and you vigorously nod along to her idea, loving where her mind was at.

“I highly doubt the Hawkins PD has grenades, Robin. But guns, yeah, sure.” Steve rolls his eyes and you hum.

“I don’t know, I definitely think Hopper would stash grenades somewhere.” You say and Nancy tilts her head in acknowledgement, silently agreeing.

“Well, we don’t have to go all the way downtown for guns.” Nancy says and you raise your eyebrow. “I have guns. In my bedroom.”

“You,” Eddie jumps down with surprise, brows furrowed. “Nancy Wheeler, have guns, plural, in your bedroom?”

“Full of surprises, isn’t she?” Robin grins.

Eddie doesn’t look convinced.

“Be a sceptic, but I watched her shoot at a demogorgon that was emerging from the ceiling.” You snort, crossing your arms. “And I gotta tell ya, Nancy owning guns is the least surprising thing in that sentence.”

“A Russian Makarov and a revolver.” Nancy confirms.

“Yeah, you almost shot me with that one.” Steve comments, getting closer.

Nancy starts to smile, turning her head to him. “You almost deserved it.”

They share a look and you twist your face. “Gag me with a spoon.”

“I got it.” Eddie says, slipping off his denim vest and launching it at Steve, the boy barely catching it before it hit his face. “For your modesty, dude.”

You almost laughed at his face until the ground violently shook beneath you, throwing you off balance and sending you crashing into Robin. She tried her best to catch you, but she was already falling to the ground, your body laying on top of her and you both squeezed your eyes shut until the earthquake stopped.

“What… the hell… was that?” You pant, turning your head to see Robin’s wide eyes staring back at you. For a second, you couldn’t peel your eyes away, closer than you ever would have imagined.

The moment was short-lived, a chorus of snarls and screeches echoing through the woods like an omen.

“Yeah, so guns seem like a pretty good idea to me.” Eddie gasps.

“Yeah me too.”

“Me three.”

You and Robin both reply as you peel away from eachother, avoiding eye contact like neither of you had any kind of self-restraint.

It was impossible not to notice a particular pair of eyes on you as your own stayed glued to the ground, unfamiliar with the Upside Down and its tricks. For anyone to be watched would be somewhat discomforting, but not in this particular instance. Because, for as long as you can remember now, anytime she’s looked away, your eyes have been returning the favour.

“Did you wanna say something?”

You finally break the silent streak occurring between you and Robin, her sheepish smile brightening her face once she realises she’s been caught.

“I, uh…” She fumbles around for an excuse, letting out a low whistle. “Was just making sure you’re okay. That’s all. Nothing weird.”

“Why do you keep asking me that?” You laugh, catching her eyes and she almost melts. “Do I not look okay?”

“You look amazing.” Robin shakes her head, blinking when she realises what she just said. “Uh, I didn’t mean that. Not that you don’t look amazing, you do, even after all of that. Not in a weird- what I meant to say was I don’t think you aren’t okay, I was just…”

She lets out a groan and you laugh again.

“I’ve just dragged you into this and I can’t help thinking it will be my fault if you aren’t okay.”

“Robin.” You carefully step over a vine, clearing your throat. “Before you showed up at my door, I was already deciding that I was going to help.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” You bite your lip, shrugging. “The, uh, the first time Nancy asked me to help, I wasn’t thinking straight. I just wasn’t in the mood to try and save a town that I hated. It was… complicated.”

“What changed your mind?”

“My gran.” You smile, albeit sadly. “I suddenly realised that I’ve lost too many people here. Even if… even if I don’t belong here, the people living in this town don’t deserve to die. I can’t just leave when people I care about are in danger.”

“So my whole speech was just for nothing?”

“Not for nothing.” You shake your head, suddenly sending her a smirk. “It was very entertaining.”

“Shut up.” Robin giggles, nudging your arm playfully.

As she does, her joy momentarily distracts her from her own very important mission: do not trip.

It almost cost her, glancing down at the last second to come to a screeching halt, the toes of her boots a fraction away from brushing the side of a vine. Her sudden stop itself threw her off balance, and she felt herself falling back.

Until your hands reached out and caught hers, pulling her closer to you before she fell victim to gravity completely.

“Thanks.” She says breathlessly, and you can only nod, looking down to where your fingers interlocked hers.

Clearing your throat, you take your hands back and offer a smile, ignoring the sickly sweet feeling of your heartbeat drumming a little faster than it had been before your hands found someone’s to hold.

“Gotta be careful.” You whisper, returning your eyes to the path and moving towards Nancy’s silhouette up ahead. Robin stood there for a moment longer, biting her lip.

She was just torturing herself now. Either she said something, prayed for some kind of miracle, or she moved on. There was no point living in this romance limbo when there were more important things to worry about.

Her feet were tired by the time you reach the Wheeler house, shifting in her shoes as Steve takes the flashlight from her and clicks it on, the door creaking beneath his push.

The interior reflected its exterior, dark and covered head to toe with vines that made her grimace at the sight.

“Might be time to get a maid, Wheeler.” Robin jokes, almost jumping when she hears you shut the door.

“Sorry.” You mouth, walking into the space. “Wow. Love the décor.”

“Come on,” Nancy tilts her head to the staircase, “I don’t want to stay here longer than we have to.”

She starts bounding up the steps, and Robin gives you a shrug before she and Eddie start to follow up, your own footsteps behind Steve’s. Except, for some reason, he stops.

“Hello?” You crane your neck around to where he’s shining the flashlight at nothing. “Earth to Steve?”

“Shhh.” He whispers, holding a finger to his lips. You frown. “I hear something.”

“Oh god.” Your shoulders slump. “You’re not hallucinating, are you? Because I can’t be the one to tell Robin the rabies got you.”

“Just… shut up.” He says, slipping past you and moving to the corner. “It’s him.”

Any sarcastic quips you had rattling around your brain were pushed away, fear flooding your body. “Vecna?”

“What? No, no.” He shakes his head, holding his finger in the air. “Henderson.”

“Hend-” You stop, tilting your head. “You can hear Dustin?”

“Just…” He sighs and waltz over to you, placing a hand on your back and moving you to where he was previously stood.

“Oh, hey, Y/n, come over here.” You mumble as you shrug his hand off of you. “What am I-”

“Just listen.” He says and you sigh, shutting your mouth and entertaining the idea.

For a moment, nothing.

And then the voice whispers around you, muffled, and most definitely Dustin’s.

“Holy shit.” You breathe out and Steve nods furiously. “Holy shit.”

“Dustin!” He starts to shout and you join him, the both of you shouting around the space. “Dustin!”

Once they hear your yelling, the other three are running down the stairs, Robin’s heart beating fast, assuming that the minute she left you had been attacked and there would be no way to-

“What the…” Eddie mutters and she widens her eyes in disbelief.

“Dustin! Hello?!”

The two of you are yelling at the walls and ceilings, making her blink.

“Maybe he really does have rabies.” She comments and Eddie frowns.

“Is it contagious?” He asks and she tilts her head, still fixated on the shouting frenzy.

“Only if he bit her.”

“Hello?” Dustin?!”

“Guys, what are you doing?” Nancy interrupts your next cry for the young boy and you turn to them, breathing heavy.

“We heard Dustin.” You breathlessly explain and Steve nods behind you, still shouting.

“He's here. Henderson. That little shit, he's here. He's like... He's in the walls or something. Just listen.” Steve grins at them before walking away, continuing his call. “Dustin!”

“Uh…” You stare as he spins around in a circle. “He might look crazy, but I promise he’s right. Listen.”

You watch the realisation fall over their faces, making you smile.

They fan out, calling out his name and following in Steve’s lead, trying to communicate with the boy on the other side.

As you go to join them, you catch something out of the corner of your eye, reflecting on the glass of the window. You can still hear Dustin’s voice droning in and out, like a radio that hadn’t been sent to the right frequency. But it didn’t sound the same as before. Something was different.

Your refection was blurry, making you squint. Goosebumps started to trail across your skin, making you shiver. It wasn’t your reflection.

Robin was the only to see how you blinked into a state of paralysis, immediately calling out for help as she rushes over to you.

It seemed like Vecna had something else to say.

Chapter Seven: We Are The Pariahs

taglist: @kryztalglear . @learninglinesintherainn . @officerrrfriendly . @a-simpfortessa-lesbriean . @spacedoutdaydreamer . @endurexxsurvive . @em16cor . @gray-cheese . @chaosofmanyfandoms . @kitdjarin1 . @some-day--some-how . @cultish-corner . @marirxse .

[corrodedseraphine]

perfectly wrong | #1 I wish you hadn't saved me

pairing: steve harrington x fem!reader

chapter summary: When you all get together to say goodbye to Corroded Coffin before going on tour, the evening ends with a standard argument between you and Steve. The next day, under the influence of a massive hangover, he wonders if he might have overreacted, when he gets called to help with a patient. From a conversation between a doctor and another nurse, he learns that the person who showed up is in a very difficult situation. He was definitely not ready for who he finds there.

TW: mentions of pregnancy, domestic violence, blood, wounds and bruises, let me know if I forgot about something!

The story is also avaliable on ao3

masterlist | steve harrington masterlist | general masterlist

@phantypurple thank you so much for helping me with this whole "enemies" thing, I am new in it and your support really helped me ❤

Before we start!I don't have much knowledge about pregnancy, being a nurse etc, which doesn't change the fact that I will try to do research and write everything in the best way possible, I hope you will forgive me!

In the beginning, everything may seem quite chaotic, I do not hide it and I realize that after reading the first chapter you will be a bit confused and many questions will appear, but with each chapter I will try to develop it and clear up doubts.

Your opinion, feedback, questions or ideas are always welcome! If there is something what would you like to see in the story feel free to tell me about it in comments or in my inbox which is always open for you guys! Thank you so much for reading!

As soon as you crossed the threshold of The Hideout Robin immediately shouted your name. You cut through the crowd of people and with a smile on your lips made your way to your friends. Today was Corroded Coffin's first concert after the "earthquake." When Eddie finally recovered from everything that had happened he couldn't wait m until he returned to the stage. At first everyone thought that after what he experienced in the Upside Down he wouldn't be able to look at a guitar again, but he surprised you all. All the experiences inspired him to write many of the songs that, with the help of the government, will make up the band's first album. So this was the first and last concert for the guys before they set out to follow their dreams. You as good friends couldn't miss it.

"Am I late?" you asked, sitting down between Robin and Argyle. 

"No, they are just getting ready to go on stage. I'm glad you're here." your friend said. 

"I know, Ro. I'm sorry." You said grabbing her hand with a gentle expression on your face. Since your private life had turned everything around you had kept your encounters with other people to a minimum. You isolated yourself completely, however, you couldn't miss today's concert, you knew it was too important to just not come. 

"And who my beautiful eyes see!" Steve shouted and with a loud clang he set down his beer bottle. This was definitely not his first. "Look who has kindly decided to show up!"

"I really don't have the energy for your drama, Steve." You sighed rolling your eyes. 

"Woah! So you know my name?" he fiercely rambled on. 

This is what it looked like. Your relationship with Steve was...complicated. No one expected you to end up at a stage where you couldn't stand each other in the same room. The sarcastic comments from his mouth were something quite gentle anyway. Normally you wouldn't have let it go however today you really didn't have the strength to do so, so you just ignored him and didn't answer anything.

The concert was going nicely, one could say too nicely, considering that for over an hour you didn't hear a single offensive word in your direction, and you really enjoyed your first meeting with friends in a long time. Unfortunately, it was the lull before the storm. 

Steve definitely needed to de-stress, from what Robin told you he had failed a pretty important exam, so he decided to drown his sorrows in alcohol. Beer after beer he became more and more fussy and irritated. He was like a walking time bomb that went off when you refused Eddie's proposed drink. 

"Now aren't we worthy of you having a drink with us?" he mischievously snorted with laughter. 

"Steve, I really don't have the strength to deal with you tonight." 

"And that's not the case? It seems that instead of having a drink with the people you claim to be your friends you prefer the company of your boyfriend and his pile of alcoholics. Did you start doing drugs with them, too?" he leaned back on his elbows. You knew he wouldn't let go, wouldn't let go until the two of you started arguing and he would pour out all his frustration that way. You could feel your blood boiling inside you and you were feeling breathless. "What? You won't say anything? You always have too much to say." He grinned feeling that he had the upper hand over you.

"Do I look like I want to debate with you?" You snapped. 

"I don't know, through that ton of makeup it's hard to read what your real expression is." 

"Steve!" Robin interrupted you. "Control yourself!"

"You're still defending her?!" He got what he wanted. He got his five minutes. "For the last two weeks she does nothing but ignore you, and then I'm the one who has to hear about how much you miss her! You consider her your friend and she just doesn't give a shit about you! All of you!" 

"It's not true!" you wanted to defend yourself. In truth you really wanted to, but you knew that from their point of view it really all looked like that. 

"Yes? Then what was more important than meeting your friend, what was more important than being there for her when she needed you when Vicky broke her heart?" He knew he was in control and it made him happy. Unhealthy pleasure derived from your embarrassment and confusion. 

"What? Robin, why-" you were shocked. You had no idea. 

"Are you going to ask now why she didn't tell you? Let me explain." He didn't waste a moment to crush you into the ground even more. He was giving you needle after the needle. "She wanted to tell you, but of course you didn't have time for her. I don't even know which hopeless excuse on your part it was then why you supposedly couldn't meet. But no problem, you can rehabilitate yourself and tell the truth now." He crossed his arms over his chest and stuck his satisfied gaze into you. You opened your mouth to say something but quickly closed it and pressed your lips into a thin line. He was right, you yourself no longer remembered which excuse you used then. You were already lost in them, but the truth would not pass your throat for anything in the world. Not when all eyes were on the two of you. Not when Steve humiliated you without considering how many people were around. "That's what I thought. What about Max and El? Did you forget about them too? Do you know that since you stopped helping El with her lessons she barely manages to pass? Do you think you are better than them? You don't deserve any of them. No one!" 

You couldn't stay standing there any longer. Feeling tears coming to your eyes without saying a word, you began to push through the crowd to the exit. You had no idea about Robin, you had no idea about El, you had no idea about anything. Locked in your own tragedy, you also cut yourself off from those who could always count on you and left them without the support they had become so accustomed to. He was right. You hated him for the way he treated you, but you hated yourself even more for the fact that everything he said was the cruel and painful truth. Moreover, by leaving you gave him another reason for which he could haunt you. You didn't stay to say goodbye to Eddie and the rest of the boys before they left. They would only be back in three months, and by then nothing would be the same.

You walked ahead wiping away tears. No matter how much you wanted you couldn't go back there. You weren't able to. Life was crashing down on your head, and his comments and reminders of what a hopeless person you were made you feel even worse. You wanted to disappear. To sink into the ground, to run away somewhere where your problems wouldn't reach you, but this couldn't happen. You were grounded here. Ironically, you would rather be grounded in the Upside Down now than be in your current situation. 

When you arrived at the house you tried to enter as quietly as you could. In your spirit you prayed that your boyfriend, Travis, would already be asleep and not wake up. Unfortunately, fate decided to test your strength once again. Inside you found him sitting in front of the TV and an almost empty bottle of vodka standing on the coffee table. 

"Where the hell have you been?!" he asked as soon as he heard your footsteps in the hallway. At that moment you already knew that a very long night was ahead of you. 

Drinking so much alcohol the day before the morning shift was not a wise idea. Feeling dehydrated and drained of life, he sat in an uncomfortable chair with a face hidden in his hands and a nasty headache. He had just taken a painkiller, so it will have to be a long while before it takes effect. In addition, he couldn't stop thinking about yesterday's events. You never gave up when it came to arguing. Everything always ended in a shouting match. You were never so...quiet? Confused? Lost? You never showed your feelings either. Certainly not in front of him. Nor have you ever walked away with tears in your eyes. Did he exaggerate this time? Guilt slowly crept into his head.

"Tough night?" he heard from behind him. It was Judy, one of the senior nurses who had not run away from Hawkins after everything. She was also one of the better ones who saw him as more than just the Harringtons' son. She treated him like a normal trainee, for which he was grateful.

"Mhmmm." he muttered, still not opening his eyes. "We were saying goodbye to Eddie before going on tour," he said.

"I can't believe he finally made it. Do you think I'll be able to brag about how I changed his bandages?" she laughed quietly while making herself some coffee.

"I'm sure he'll write a song about it." he replied with a joke and fell silent. The silence between them was broken by the doctor's entrance into the room.

"She's here again." she sighed heavily. "Another 'fall'."

"Are you sure we can't report this anywhere?" Judy pinched the tip of her nose and furrowed her brow. This person's condition must have really worried her.

"If we report domestic violence and she denies everything the police won't do anything anyway,"

"She is pregnant, Linda. This is a very serious case." 

"The only thing we can do at this point is to talk some sense into her and try to persuade her to agree to help."

"She's as stubborn as a mule, and I doubt she'll agree,"

"Sooner or later it will come to her that she will have a child and it is its safety that should be the most important thing for her. For this moment we have to go, Steve you will take care of sewing up the wound, and you Judy will help me with the gynecological examination."

"Come on boy..." the nurse sighed patting him on the back. 

He walked sluggishly along the corridor contemplating the women's conversation. How scared must this girl have been that she didn't run away from this deviant? Did she really have no one to help her? 

Entering the room, he was not ready for the sight that awaited him there. In the sterile white room, you sat in a chair staring at the floor, pressing a towel to your shoulder. A towel that was soaked with blood. When you raised your eyes and noticed him you froze. Steve also turned pale with surprise and horror at your condition. You were the girl they were talking about. The truth seemed too horrible to believe right away. There was a nasty bruise on your face, and when you moved the towel away from your arm an elongated wound appeared, from which blood would not stop pouring.

"What happened to you dear child?" Judy asked, looking at you with compassion in her eyes. Although you were no longer such a child, legally in every aspect you were already an adult. You quickly tore your gaze away from Steve and looked at the older nurse.

"I- I fell over. I fell on a glass bottle and a piece of it stuck in my shoulder...the blood won't stop flowing, when I fell I also hit my stomach, it hurts a lot, I was scared that..." you said quietly, ashamed looking at a single point on the floor. You knew that neither the doctor nor the nurse believed you. You also knew that, as if on a platter, you had given another reason from which Steve could create another level of your personal hell. He, however, was still looking on in disbelief at what was happening. The whole situation seemed to him as if it was made up. It was impossible that it was really you, that you were sitting completely defenseless as a victim of domestic violence. A pregnant victim of domestic violence. Holy shit, he was getting weak. It wasn't possible that after all you'd been through in the Upside Down, life was putting more hurdles in your way. You were fighting monsters from another dimension and you couldn't deal with your boyfriend? He didn't understand anything anymore.

"Steve take care of the wound. Make sure there's no more glass there, clean it up and apply stitches. We'll be back in a minute to do the rest of the examination." Dr. Linda ordered and together she and Judy went to get the equipment needed.

Not knowing how to behave, he simply began to prepare everything and sat very close to you. He took a deep breath. A very uncomfortable silence fell between you and the atmosphere was tense. After putting on his gloves, he gently grabbed your hand with both hands to take a closer look at the wound. Your inhalation stopped midway and your body stiffened all over. 

"Do you need some anesthetic? It might hurt." He said in a nervous voice and corrected his glasses. 

"I can handle it." you muttered.

"Are you sure? It really can-" 

"I'm sure, Harrington." You growled interrupting him and turned your head toward the window, and he silently began to dispose of the glass shards. 

Your hissing in pain did not escape his attention. To make matters worse, he also noticed the single tears that flew down your cheeks. As he was putting the stitches in place memories of last night began to fly through his head. Everything he said in your direction. Every word went straight to the heart of the problem. Glancing at your face every now and then, he could feel it getting fainter as he stopped at the purple area under your eye. Now he knew why you were wearing so much makeup. He knew what you wanted to hide and that scared him even more. He now understood why you refused to have a drink. Everything seemed so obvious now. Why didn't you tell anyone about this? He thought of the evening when Robin cried her eyes out because of Vicky. He was furious with you for not even being there for her at such a time. He was furious that you left her alone, but now he knew. He knew why, he knew the reason you canceled all your meetings. You didn't want anyone to know about what was going on. But now he knew now. This realization became a burden he didn't know how to lift.

"Y/n, listen...I- I want to apologize for yesterday. I was an asshole, I shouldn't have said all that." he said quietly. Shocked, you looked at him. He had said many awful things about you but never apologized for it. After a moment, though, surprise turned into a stony face. 

"I don't need your sympathy or pity." you replied dryly. "You don't need to lie about being sorry, I know that's not true."

"Y/n..." normally he would have already started to get irritated that you wouldn't accept an apology causing another argument, but now he didn't feel an ounce of anger at you. He himself didn't know exactly what he felt. 

"You weren't supposed to find out about all this. Believe me, if I didn't have to I wouldn't be sitting here right now, sitting here with you is much worse." He was already used to these kinds of words coming from your mouth, but never in his life had it been accompanied by tears, and he knew it must have meant you were on edge. "But there is one thing we agree on." You looked him straight in the eye. "I wish you hadn't saved me that night too." you were too tired. You had survived one hell only to immediately land in another. After a sleepless night and a morning full of screaming, you no longer had the strength to keep up the mask that everything was fine and you were handling it. Your life was one big mess and this was just the beginning. 

"No, y/n-" before he could say anything further the women came back into the room. He knew what they were talking about. He remembered perfectly the moment when he said those words, and to this day he regretted it. No matter how bad the relationship between the two of you looked, he knew it was too much.

"How's the arm?" the Doctor asked when they returned to the room.

He coughed before speaking. "I took out the remaining shards of glass and cleaned it carefully. Just two more stitches and everything will be ready." 

"Well done." She praised him by sending him a warm smile, and then turned to you. "You mentioned very severe abdominal pains, I'd like you to lie down now. We'll run some tests to make sure the baby is okay." 

To make sure the baby is okay. Baby. You were pregnant. You were pregnant and a victim of domestic violence. I wish you hadn't saved me that night too. Your words gained more and more frightening meaning making his heart sinking. 

While the examinations were being carried out he took care of cleaning up the position after sewing up your hand. This did not take long. Dr. Linda reassured you by saying that everything was fine, but pointed out that you should try to avoid stressful situations. What did that even mean? Your life now was one big stressful situation, how the hell were you supposed to avoid it? 

"Now listen to me carefully." she looked at you. "If you ever decide to talk to someone about your "falls", remember that you are safe here and we can help you. You just have to let us do it. We'll take care of you and the baby, okay?" 

You just nodded your head. You couldn't do that. You couldn't get away from him no matter how much you wanted to. "Let me walk you out." You quickly got up and followed the doctor.

Before leaving you looked at Steve one last time. He wanted to say something, anything that would erase all of yesterday's words, but it was impossible. With a broken expression on his face, he could only watch the door close behind you and think about the fact that you were on your way home, where your abuser was waiting for you. He involuntarily clenched his fists at the very thought that Travis might once again lay a hand on you. He was filled with emotions he couldn't recognize. 

"You know this girl, don't you?" Judy asked with a sigh. Steve just nodded affirmatively. "You're a good guy, Steve. It's good that she has a friend like you." Her words were like a strong punch.

Oh Judy, if only you knew...

taglist (guys thank you so much for wanting to be in the taglist before the story even started! I really hope you won't be too dissapointed!): @i-me-mine @phantypurple @sheisjoeschateau @hollandweather

[thestarfishinjootsoffice]

Jason with a child reader who loves swimming,mud,anything to do with water and a mess💀Like he could be looking out a window and thinking"Oh it's about to rain.."

And the reader,as soon as they see rain start falling they shout and scream to go outside and play in the rain and jump in mud puddles

Or like-one day the reader goes to the docks with Jason and he's just watching the reader with the most intense stare,but-reader-reader just does this tiny little jump into the water and goes under the water and Jason absolutely FREAKS until they come back up and swim up to the dock and look at him with the biggest smile lmao

Insert jason having a mental heart attack because WATER=BAD/DEATH

Last post before I suffer the consequences of having to go to school and return at 3 pm.

So reckless!

Jason voorhees x child! reader (pla)

It's absolutely hell for Jason. I mean come on what do you think will happen when a person who's scared of water/drowning meets another who loves water.

Jason hated the rain for two reasons. One, it was like being drowned and two it reminds him of drowning, especially heavy rain. So he's aging a shit ton every time you run to it.

*scared about reader being in the rain noises*

*happy child reader in the rain noises*

Sometimes you scream while playing and it freaks him out every time,

——––——______——––——______——––——

Jason put on his jacket and prepared for hunting for today's feast. He sure as hell doesn't know how to cook but his mom's there... Spiritually. You wanted to go too which he didn't object to. Everything was sailing smoothly but then one droplet hit his head... And then another one and another until it was now full on raining on both of y'alls heads.

He freezed and rushed inside, thinking you followed him too until he looked back and was horrified at the sight of you running and jumping around in the rain. And then you shouted and that's when he bolted back to drag you inside the house. he looked all around you, expecting some kind of injury but there were none.

"I was having fun dad, why did you bring me inside!"

Then Jason didn't understand why you screamed, and considering his lack of verbal communication he wasn't able to get his answer and question.

And then you immediately ran to the rain again and when you screamed a second time Jason understood why. And then you had the audacity to jump in a muddy puddle and trip and make a mess out fo yourself, still laughing in the process. Oh boy this was about to be one hell of a day.

Though trying to catch you was a bit of a challenge, he couldn't completely disagree that he didn't have quite a bit of fun while out in the rain with you. But he wanted you inside immediately regardless.

——––——______——––——______——––——

Or that one time you almost scared him to death again when you jumped into the lake.

——––——______——––——______——––——

Despite his muted protests, he just couldn't directly say no to your face when you wanted to play around the docks. And he made sure to watch over you with the most intense look on his eyes ever.

He doesn't get why water was so fun for you. I mean he can name a million fun things you could do that doesn't involve water. He wonders how he ended up with such a chaotic child such as this. Not that he wants to switch though.

But he doesn't need to focus about that right now. What he needs to focus on is you and the dangerously small distance between you and the lake.

He was fighting the urge to run over and put you away from the docks whenever you crouched down to look at the water and for ONE second did he look away.

He looked away and heard the blood draining sound of a big splash and he whipped his head to where you were so fast and started rolling on the ground and continously shitting himself when he saw you fell into the water for a second then ran his ass to where you fell to pull you back up but froze and frantically looked for you with his eyes.

He was about to cry so hard until he saw your head pop out from under the water and swim up to him, he was in shock so he just stared at you getting out of the water and climb up the docks and smiled at him as if you didn't almost just die. (what he thinks)

He never wanted to bring you anywhere near that area again. Ever. He almost died a second time of a heart attack, he thought you fucking died and exploded.

——––——______——––——______——––——

It's an overall stressful job and life for Jason but aren't all parent's life. Yeah sure what you do is like dancing on thin ice but he wouldn't ever trade you for the world. He means it.

Omg this is so out of my writing style and idk and this was too short, but like I hope you liked it bro 😔💪

[lykomeraki]

Teen Wolf: The Movie

ok, I just finished the Teen Wolf movie. My expectations weren't high, but boy was it bad.

the three redeemable parts of it were:

Eli Hale

Coach Finstock (cause he's just awesome, and the definition of chaotic good)

Allison returning (I missed her, but they also could have done it better)

Aside from that, it was just poorly done. bad writing, bad effects, and everything seemed over exaggerated. Aside from a few points, the overall story just didn't make sense, and there were too many things that changed over the last 15 years that weren't properly explained. New relationships, breakups, why they decided to keep the jar containing the Nogitsune in a restaurant rather than the Hale vault. things like that. Also Harris made no sense whatsoever.

Also they just really needed Stiles and Kira, even Ethan. I get that Allison was killed by the Nogitsune, but Stiles and Kira were the key parts of that storyline. and Aiden was killed by the Nogitsune, so he definitely had a larger stake in this fight then Jackson, Liam, or Hikari. However I totally respect the actors' decisions to stay out.

There were a few gems in there and a couple of cool shots that'll be fun to draw though

I'll leave it here, mostly because if I go any further down this rabbit hole this post will be 10 feet long :)

Sheesh, it seems that whenever I'm writing on Tumblr it's to complain about a tv show or movie. I'll post some art or something soon

[thequietkid-moonie]

I'm glad you remembered them lol. I think the idea of ​​something like being their disciples is cool. there are so many options that can be worked on. reader could be a servant of Buddha and it's over Following him and when he became a God the reader may have been left under the care of others 3. There are so many possibilities that my head spins. I'll leave that part up to you, hope it's not too difficult, I just need some content with them ×_×

Hanging out with the sages

[ PLATONIC HEADCANONS ] [ Buddha, Jesus, Socrates & Confucious ]

[ Records of Ragnarok /Shuumatsu no Valkyrie ]

It was so fun to think, thanks for you request! I did my best to write it and I hope you like it

Also, feel free to request more of them if you like! Maybe in another scenario

You met Buddha when you were young, when he still was a prince, you were there when he decided to leave everything behind and you decided to follow him, becoming one of his first disciples

You practically grow up by his side, learning a lot of things from him, and even he grow having a great affection for you (as an older brother)

After a long time he get the title of a sage, soon you have the oportunity to meet the others

Buddha ended up having troubles to attent so he decided to leave you under their care (even if you didn't need it, he will do it just to annoy you)

They, at least at first, tried to act cool and colected in front of you, just like you'll expect for a sage, but soon you'll realice that things aren't like it seem

You'll see the pretty caotic group they are, of those who when together share a single neuron

Sometimes they still try to act as the sages they are, teaching you something important and making you reflect on it

If your more the quiet and responsible type you somehow balances their chaotic energy, keeping them in the limits of disaster, and even scold them (not like that will stop them)

But in case your more the energetic type then all of you will have a lot of fun, but will cause a lot of trouble too

They usually fight for the silliest things, like who will eat the last piece of whatever you're eating, who will be the victim voluntary to try your next idea, or even blaming each other when something goes wrong. Confucious is the one whos always cheering for fight, even when he's involved. Most of the time you have to be the mediator in the fights, except when you are the one whos fighting

When things get out of their hands Confucious is the first to react, just because he panics. Jesus always try to keep a calm expresion, even if he's visibly panicing, and that always frustrate Confucious. Most of the time is Socrates or you who come with a plan to resolve the problem (becouse the other two are fighting)

When Buddha return to see how you were doing, what he sees it was all of you in a big trouble (like almost burning your own house), and, to be honest, he didn't know what to do, if laugh or scold all of you (at the end he do both)

Buddha said to you that he wanted to get you away from that caos, but the reality was that he's as caotic as the other three

Sometimes the posibility of you having a favorite bring a rivality between them and a little fight to be your favorite, and when Buddha gets involve too he will brag about how you two know each other even before they meet you

Then, the Ragnarok came and the 4 of you sit all together, at first you were quiet and even saying comments too philosophical, but soon you just let yourself be carried away by the excitement of the fight and start acting like the caos you are. This surprise the humans around you, but after some fights they get used to!

The announcement of Buddha fighting for the humans truly surprise you, but you couldn't expect less from him

[yuraslefttoe]

hey, it's me again! I came to pester you with questions!! *there should be a scary laugh, but it sounds more like mean giggles*

(by the way, I’m thinking about sending you such long texts with questions (because I have a lot of them!!) once one or two weeks, if you don’t mind. . . . . . .you don't mind..??? (god, I hope you don’t get tired of me..!) I'm so sorry, please, I'm just very interested!! *qwq*)

ok, let's start with the sweetest part, prelude. ACTUALLY, I DIDN'T EXPECT THAT YOU REPLY SO QUICKLY, GOD, NOT PASSED A FEW HOURS!!!!!! I THOUGHT YOU HAD TOO MANY QUESTIONS SO I DID NOT EXPECT A SO SOON REPLY!!

I’ll remind you once again how much I adore your work (after all, you deserve it!!), and I’ll also say that I specifically shouldn’t talk about posts tagged with the  adm, because I’ve read your tumblr and twitter in its entirety several times, I even have a separate album in my gallery with answers that particularly interested me, there are several hundred screenshots there and I don’t regret anything! (sorry if my hyperfixation may be intimidating!!)

*=^._.^= ∫*

and now the questions!!!! 

1. my wife doesn’t have a tumblr, but her suggestion interested me and can be seen in the first two screenshots(the translation sounds like: “after the release of “red hour” I have an assumption that andrey is more... athletic than misha. either this is because of ferry’s drawing style, or he really has such wide shoulders")so now we are interested to know about the physique of your characters!! maybe some of them are thin, or vice versa, a little overweight. and what about physical training? did you have any headcanons for this??? ( by the way, when I ask about “characters” I mean not only misha and andrey, but also europe and maya, because they are also worthy of attention <зз) 

2. what about the abbreviation "dyusha" for andrey? in russian it is... not used very often, but still, it sounds very cute. so it would be interesting to know how you would feel about this? 3. I also want to hear about the names of the characters!! how did you choose them? I mean........ how did it happen that from ☺europa☺ you switched to 👹MiKhAiL👹?? (I'M SO SORRY, BUT MISHA'S FULL NAME SOUNDS SOMETHING THREATENING. MY UNCLE'S DOG HAS THE SAME NAME EHE- *ᕕ(ಥ▽ಥ)ᕗ*) 

4. and lastly, let's return to my wife for another moment. she suggested that andrey was now also in a time loop. what do you say about that? and also in enigma, she noticed that misha seemed to be addressing the second person in the lines: "and if you wanted to be anything more than just free" and "you’ve seen a hundred lies I see that all the time". is this second person a viewer? or maybe one of the previously mentioned characters??

the last photo, by the way, is one of the sketches that I found so far in my gallery! ^^ 

initially it was planned to attach two sketches, but andrey turned out TOO bad, I’m ashamed to show him. someday I'll redraw it into something normal.... maybe. but! I really like the pic with misha and the wolf(I hope this is the wolf you were talking about lol. google didn’t show me anything else, and I’ve never been to ikea myself, ehe...) 

(and I don’t want to post all this yet, because running a tumblr was certainly not part of my plans, haha)) I registered here solely to read your blog, and not to maintain my own) 

sorry again for possible illiteracy, and also for the chaotic nature of my thoughts, haha, I don’t know how to adequately express them in english.. and also, I’m really REALLY apologize that the text was too long, next time I’ll try to be shorter...

okay im gonna try and answer everything here in a coherent way so sorry if nothing makes sense

im just fine with lotes of questions :) answering asks and responding to comments is one of my favorite things ever and i brings a verry big smile to my face

on andrei: i consider him to be a skinny little gut but not exactly unathletic, and in addition i think he would have basic combat training and probably be good with firearms. misha is probably a very average bodytype, nothing special, not particularly athletic.

i do not speak russian (though ferry has recently encouraged me to learn so maybe in like four years ill be able to form a sentence) so i dont know anything about the short forms so you can do whatever you want. if you coin it and peoples tart calling him that i will not stop it from happening

i do not name my characters, i usually let me friends name them (i think that the only one i named was europa and his partner). going forward maybe ill try to make it more cohesive

the time loop idea im seeing thrown around alot is really cool and while i havent particularly wrote any of my songs about that in general i see it fitting into the loose narrative i have going on. also in enigma misha is definitely talking to andrei whenever he says the word "you" but it could also be to the listener because the entire theme of enigma is 4th wall breaking and meta shenanigans like that

that sketch is SO CUTE oh my god

[your-local-grubdog]

Together In The Storm: Chapter 3! Marigold

Chapter summary: While Olimar heals up, the Koppaites return home... Troublesome Pikmin in tow

AO3 link (recommended)

Sorry about the weird formating on the Tumblr version, guys. It's been very difficult for me to post the chapters here as of late, so there's a chance that I might go back to posting just update notices here and only post the actual chapters to AO3.

///

Things were fairly chaotic when the three heroes returned to Koppai.

It was to be expected, of course, but still produced a few odd sights. The take off center was overflowing with people, some not even wearing proper surface gear, desperately trying to get the loads of seeds off the Drake and into the nearby city as quickly as possible. From there, the seeds would be transported to a few different cities, each with their own greenhouses. The greenhouses of Koppai had always been huge, a fact that proved very fortunate given the size of the fruits they had collected. Alph, Brittany, and Charlie did their best to weave through the crowd and get to their lockers for some personal belongings, then they dove straight back into the massive sea of bodies. Once the crew made it through the crowds of rushed and desperate people and into the city below, they were bombarded by reporters and journalists from damn near every news outlet.

That's when Koppai first saw the little pikmin, riding on Charlie's shoulders far above the chaos.

People were fascinated by it, of course, and immediate questions were asked about it. It wasn't long before they were shepherded away from the heroes. When finally taken to a government building of some sort where they could sit and answer people's questions, the first thing asked was "What is that yellow thing?"

"A pikmin." Charlie answered. It was sitting on the table in front of him, pressed against his chest as it looked around the room. It seemed a little overwhelmed, and Charlie tried to soothe it best he could, but there was nowhere else to go with it. "Really, they saved Koppai this time around."

"A pikmin? So there's more?"

"An entire species!" Alph continued for him. "We were able to help each other. They helped us gather fruit, we helped them gather resources, and we protected each other. Without them, we would have never succeeded."

"Why is one here, and not back on PNF-404?"

"Oh Stars, we'd like to know as well." Brittany laid her head on her hands as she spoke, earning a chuckle from the crowd. "Little thing snuck on the ship just before takeoff. We don't know why it decided to. The plan right now is to take it home after things have settled down here."

"Why didn't you take it home right away?"

"Many, many reasons." Charlie answered again. "Including that we had to get these seeds back here as soon as possible. As for the other reasons, I think it best if you let us tell you everything that's happened first. Would make it easier to follow, instead of jumping all over the place. No questions 'till the end, please, write down what you wanna know."

And so, the three began to share roughly everything that had happened on the planet. Alph began the tale, trading it off to Brittany, and then Charlie, each taking turns explaining the wonders, trials, and horrors of PNF-404. Some things they chose not to explain, never mentioning the food theft or details about what they had dubbed the Plasm Wraith. It just seemed to be too much to tell them about the ghastly monster that damn near killed a man for no discernible reason. Nor did they want people harassing Olimar about it. His mental state was completely shot by the time they had rescued him, forcing him to relive all of that was the last thing they wanted. All they could do was hope that the descriptions of the other frightening beasts - including the one that had eaten Charlie - would be enough to keep people away.

To their surprise, people seemed interested in Olimar. They hadn't mentioned much - "He had a run in with a creature, we never could get a good look at it." Alph had explained, the lie being something they agreed on beforehand. Louie was also let in on it, to pass onto Olimar when he was home. "We saved him from it, and it turned out he had our drive key! He gave it back, of course, but we also found out that the data files we were collecting were his work."

"So he has extensive notes on the lifeforms of PNF-404?"

"That's correct." Brittany had taken over now. "He'd been to the planet before, it turns out, and kept a large log of information on it. We didn't get to see much, of course, but he did say he has more beyond the files we got. And what we did get helped us so much, we would have taken much longer without him." Or they may have died. Death was a very real possibility. Or far more pikmin could have died. They weren’t exactly enthused about the idea of sharing those points, though, so they’d stay quiet. At least for now.

Soon the reporters we're muttering to their other crew members. Eventually, one asked "Do you think he'd ever be up to answering more questions for us, about the life forms of PNF-404?"

"We'd have to ask him." Alph replied. "But it certainly won't be any time soon, if at all."

"Of course, of course."

Charlie then looked down at the Pikmin, who had begun to cling to him desperately and hide its face against his chest. Frowning, he held it closer. "I'm sorry, but I'll have to leave early. The Pikmin is getting overwhelmed…"

"Actually," Alph began "This would be a good place to stop. It's been a long few weeks, and I'd like to rest."

"Same." Brittany leaned back in her chair a bit.

"Alright. We're done for now then."

A few news reporters tried to get one last question in but the crew simply ignored them. They headed away from the crowd and into a quiet room to sit and take a breather. The pikmin was already calming down, though it still stayed latched onto Charlie.

"If you don't mind," Charlie began, "I know you two don't live in this city. But I do. Would it - would it be alright to ask for your help getting the pikmin settled in? You can stay at my place until you have a chance to get yourselves home."

"Of course, Captain." Alph offered him a kind smile. "Plus I appreciate it…. I think I'm the furthest from you guys?"

Brittany shrugged. "I'm from Cho, east of here. There's one more cenote between this one and Cho."

"Then yes, I am much further away." Alph sighed. "I'm from Aether."

"Ah, of course you are." Charlie couldn't help but tease. "Must've been convenient then, having Aether Aerospace University right there."

"Convenient, sure. But like, that university is awful. Yeah it's prestigious and like the best of the best or whatever, but they wear down both students and professors."

"Sounds about right." Brittany groaned. "Aran University was similar."

Charlie paused then, unsure of what to say. He was a military captain, having been stuck in Koppai's Space Force since he was eighteen, and never went to university like the other two. So he just nodded along, hoping it didn't bother his crew.

"Anyways, yeah, I'd be happy to help too." Brittany sighed. "Gotta make sure the little pik-pik is okay."

Charlie chuckled a bit as he stroked the pikmin's stem. "Thank you so much. I'll buy our lift tickets, then, and we'll head to my place."

It took the trio a few days to get everything set up for the little pikmin.

First was pikmin-proofing the house, a task that was much easier said than done. They weren't entirely sure what kind of trouble it'd try to get into either, which didn't exactly help with figuring out what to do. They put baby caps over unused outlets and protective covers over plugs. They weren't sure if the yellow pikmin would try and mess with them, but better safe than sorry. Fragiles were secured into safe areas, and anything potentially dangerous was hidden away. They also made sure to stock up on anything they thought the pikmin could "eat", which meant anything that was liquid or close to the consistency of nectar. Fruit juice, mashed fruit sauce, smoothies, sweetened sap, soup, they even found that the pikmin could eat some kinds of baby food. Really, if it was soft and mushy, the strange little plant critter was able to absorb it. Though things thicker than nectar usually took it longer to "eat".

They got it a few cheap toys to play with, a mix of cat toys and children's toys, just to see what it'd like. It liked the plastic ball with a bell inside it the most, followed by a few small dolls it liked to cuddle. They let it build its own nest in Charlie's room, using a few spare pillows and blankets they had found.

It also took both the pikmin and Charlie's pet duck, Elizabeth, to get used to each other. Charlie was honestly a little afraid that the pikmin's high prey drive would get to it and that it'd chase poor Elizabeth around, but that worry was thankfully unneeded. Eventually, they seemed to get comfortable around each other. Lizzy even let the little one pet her!

And yet still, when they weren't working on the pikmin's needs, they were being called into various offices to accept awards and answering interview questions and getting various other official stuff done. The pikmin usually had to come with them, as they had no one to watch it just yet. They expected it to cause trouble but really it usually just seemed shy and overwhelmed, hiding its face against Charlie's chest as he carried it.

Needless to say, they were exhausted after all of that. Brittany announced she was going to take a subway to her home city, check in on her aunt and then "Sleep for like five days straight in my own bed". She almost refused the money Charlie offered her to get back home, only accepting the fare she'd need for the lift from Charlie's house to the subway due to his insistence.

"You're not the only one who'll have way too much money, Captain." Alph had pointed out. "All three of us are set for life after this one mission."

"You guys still have to work, though. "For you guys, it's expanded work paychecks. For me, it's free money. So please, at least let me help you."

"I'll think about it." Had been Alph's teasing remark.

Charlie had been unable to convince Alph to let him pay for his lift fare. He only stopped trying when Alph admitted he wasn't going home just yet.

"I know you have a pikmin and Brittany has work, so I don't expect either of you to come, but I'll be visiting Captain Olimar on Hocotate, then make my way back to Aether."

That made Charlie's ears wiggle in surprise. "Really? You don't wanna rest with your family first?"

"Well…" Alph paused for a moment before sighing. "I don't think I can rest easy 'till I check in on him again."

"Oh…" Well, now he felt like an asshole. He hadn't thought much about how Olimar was doing beyond that he needed to be left alone and not harassed by the media. "Tell him I said hi." He managed in a rather weak voice.

"Of course, Captain."

Life with the little pikmin proved… interesting, to say the least. Often, Charlie found himself needing to play with it using various toys in order to keep it calm - something he had expected based on Olimar's advice. He also found that covering the outlets and plugs was a good idea, as it did try to mess with them. Thankfully, it quickly gave up on that front. It did rather enjoy climbing up to high places to survey over Charlie's house, though those high places were usually shelves that the captain didn't exactly want the pikmin on. He ended up giving the little one its own shelves specifically for climbing on, which proved to help with that a lot.

He was surprised to see that it seemed fascinated with the TV. He eventually put on some kids' show for it to watch, which did seem to keep it entertained. He wasn't sure how much the little pikmin understood, though he did catch a few rare moments of a visual joke happening on screen and the pikmin laughing in response. It also liked to draw, something he found out after deciding to give it some cheap crayons and paper. It only drew pikmin, unsurprisingly. He wondered if it missed home… ah, but it'd still be a while before he'd have the opportunity to take it back. In the meantime, he decided to keep the cute little drawings on his fridge.

The pikmin never seemed sick, weak, or drained while in his care. So the bright UVB lights that lit up Koppai's underground cities were certainly enough to keep it energized, at least in combination with regular meals. It did, however, eventually grow restless. It'd sit and stare out of Charlie's windows and pace around the door. Which left the captain with a hard decision. He'd love to take the little pikmin out, but he was terrified of it wandering away from him. Pikmin usually stayed by their leaders' sides, but they could get distracted and wander away - something that had gotten far too many pikmin killed on PNF-404. Nor did he think it'd be happy with being carried all of the time. He eventually asked his mother for advice. At first he wasn't sure about her idea, but she seemed confident in it. "It certainly worked for you when you were a toddler." She had teased. So, he decided to give it a shot.

"Pikmin?" Charlie called out, box in hand. The little one had learned to respond to it, running to him when he called out for it. He then showed it the box. "This just arrived in the mail today. It's for you."

The pikmin tilted his head at first, then seemed excited. It had come to understand what "this is for you" meant thanks to its shelves, bed, toys, crayons… Charlie had made a point to introduce those items by explaining they were for the pikmin, and it clearly paid off. Teaching it what mail was would be a whole other ordeal.

One I won't need to go through. Charlie reminded himself. Because I'll eventually take it home. He opened the box up and pulled out a little harness with a cute duck-shaped backpack attached. Apparently, when he was a toddler and young child, he had a habit of being distracted by something and just wandering away from his mother without really thinking about it. With no one else to really keep an eye on him for her, her only choice was to get him a child harness and lead. It felt a little embarrassing to get one for the pikmin, but he was so deathly afraid of it getting hurt and he knew it wouldn't put up with being carried for so long. A stroller felt even sillier to him, and he knew the pikmin would detest something like that. So until it learned to stick close to him or he figured something else out, the poor pik would just have to put up with it. At the very least, he got something that looked comfortable and cute. The backpack also meant it could bring home whatever little things it ended up collecting.

"See? For you!"

The pikmin quickly became confused again.

Charlie sighed and urged the pikmin closer. It did so, then whined a bit as the captain put the harness on it. It grumbled as it poked at it, but thankfully it didn't try to take it off. It did, however, level him with an unamused glare.

"To stay safe." Charlie explained, hoping it'd understand him. It didn't seem so. He sighed and brushed the pikmin's stem back, causing it to let out a happy coo. He then grabbed hold of the lead and stood up. "Ready to head out, then?"

The pikmin still didn't understand, but seemed intrigued. It quickly stood beside him, staring up at him as he grabbed his keys and wallet. As he opened the door, it finally figured out what was going on. At that same moment, Charlie realized that the child harness was a good idea, as the pikmin attempted to dart away when presented with a chance for escape. It whined when it reached the end of its lead, though from annoyance rather than pain. Charlie just sighed as he locked the door up, watching the pikmin finally get a good look around Koppai's caverns.

Charlie's house was made of stone, and built into a wall of the cavern. It was slightly higher up than most of the houses, providing him an extra bit of privacy - though his house was harder (or more accurately, expensive) to keep cool as a result. There was a soft blanket of moss over most things, though there was a dirt path leading up to the house. A tiny fenced-in moss yard was at the front of his house, complete with a small pond for Elizabeth where she happily swam. Koppaite ducks were actually flightless birds (as were all of the very few species of bird on Koppai, actually), so she was fine to be outside while he was gone. She had plenty of amenities to keep her comfortable there as well, and he'd let her in when he got home.

"C'mere, pikmin." Charlie called. He lifted up just long enough to show it what was beyond the fence. The pikmin gasped a bit and leaned into Charlie more. The cavern was a large cenote which tunneld deep into the ground. The water at its base was crystal clear, being the city's primary water source. Various buildings were built into the walls, countless paths and lifts twisting all around to allow for easy travel across the cave. The sun shone through a hole on the surface, hot as it beat down into the cavern below. In a few of the more cavernous parts, where no sun got through, large UVB lights were installed to both help them see and to help the plants grow.

"Pretty, huh?" Charlie asked, knowing he wouldn't get a response. "This is my home."

The pikmin simply cooed a bit.

Charlie laughed and began to head for the yard's gate. "C'mon, lil' one, I have something to show you."

It had taken them quite a bit of time and much travel to get where they were headed, mostly because Charlie opted to take lesser traveled paths to ensure the pikmin's privacy. It ran all around him, jumping and climbing and generally just being a pikmin as they walked, often finding shiny things on the path which it wished to collect. Charlie helped it put those in its backpack. A few times they'd have to ride a lift, which the pikmin seemed a little spooked by. It probably wasn't used to something like this. Few others would be in the cab, something Charlie was so grateful for.

Eventually, they arrived at a small park. Not many people went there, but Charlie adored the place. The sun couldn't reach here at all, and the UVB lights were kept dim. Instead, it was all lit up by a few different species of bioluminescent plants. A very common sight on Koppai, actually, some of these plants were even considered weeds. But to the pikmin, it must have seemed magical. It let out a small gasp, running around with wide eyes. Charlie couldn't help but chuckle as he watched it dart to and fro. Certainly, something so alien to the little one would satisfy its need to explore just long enough until he could get it home…

The thought made him pause for a bit. Why, he wasn't sure.

He followed the pikmin, allowing it to take the lead. It would regularly turn back to him and squeak excitedly about something. He wondered what it was trying to say and desperately wished he understood it. Oh well.

After a little while they came to a bench to stop and rest. Well, Charlie rested. The pikmin was still exploring the best it could within its limited range, now on the ground looking for more things to take home. Occasionally, it would return to Charlie for him to put the trinkets it found into its bag. Usually they were just weird rocks. One was a seed, a few were lost rings and stray coins. But eventually, the pikmin came back with a very peculiar looking pebble.

"Heh, it's shaped like a rubber duck." Charlie laughed a bit. "That's very cute. Alright, let's get it in your bag." But when he reached for the bag the pikmin stepped away and shook its head.

"... You don't want it?"

It pointed at him in response. "Nu mo."

Charlie paused for a moment. "Huh?"

The pikmin groaned. It lifted up another pebble, pointing to it and then itself. The little one then pointed at the rock Charlie still had and then at Charlie.

"... For me?"

He was surprised to see the pikmin nod so eagerly.

The captain smiled widely as he held his arms out for it. The pikmin squeaked and eagerly jumped up, snuggling against him. Charlie chuckled and rubbed its back. Oh, such a sweet little thing. He couldn't lie, he adored the little trouble maker. He hadn't had it for long, and yet he felt so attached. Stars above, he'd miss it so much when he had to bring it back.

As his heart sank with the thought of that, he finally realized something.

He… didn't want to bring it back to PNF-404.

"What do you mean, you want to keep it here?"

Charlie just shrugged, the little pikmin sleeping in his arms. "I just… I dunno, I wanna keep caring for it, I guess."

Brittany crossed her arms as she groaned. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"No. That's why I called you over." Charlie leaned back into the couch a bit. "I got rather attached to it over these past few days. But if it's better off back home… I want to care for it, which means doin' what's best, you know?"

Brittany finally relaxed then, arms falling to her sides. "I'm not sure, then. On one hand, PNF-404 is its home, where the other pikmin are. On the other hand, that planet is so dangerous…" She wouldn't say it out loud for the sake of both of them, but he knew what she was talking about. How many pikmin they lost just trying to get by there.

"And it chose to sneak on our ship." Charlie teased, though he wasn't sure if getting to Koppai was its end goal. If it wanted to be here.

"In a way, yeah… I don't know either, Charlie. I'm sorry. Does it seem happy here?"

"Well, I'm very biased on that front." He admitted. "But it does seem happy. I've seen it laugh at the cartoons I put on for it. It drew a lot of drawings." Mainly of pikmin… "And it gave me a duck shaped rock when I took it to the glowing garden the other day."

Brittany paused for a moment, ears wiggling and eyes wide. Then she suddenly burst into a fit of giggles. "Oh Stars, captain, you are treating it just like it's your kid!"

Said pikmin began to squirm in its sleep, and Brittany tried to quiet down for it.

Charlie sighed as he looked down at the little yellow pikmin. "Yeah, I guess so…" his ears leaned back a bit.

Brittany then frowned as she looked over to the captain. "Listen, I really can't say what is or isn't best for the pikmin. It is safer here, and happy here, but there's just too much we don't know. Nor are there other pikmin here - though it may be able to befriend some kids… point is, I don't know. But I do know that, if you decide to keep it, I'll at least help out."

He looked over at her, a sad smile on his face. "Really?"

She nodded.

He looked down at the little sleeping pikmin. "I think… I'll keep it for a little while longer. And bring it home if we suspect something is wrong, or if it clearly wants to. I'll have to see about taking it to playgrounds once I can trust it to not wander off, because it should at least get that."

"Yeah… yeah, that sounds good."

The two stayed quiet for a few moments. Then, Charlie asked "Would naming it be a bad idea? I feel bad for calling it just "pikmin" all the time."

Brittany didn't answer for a few moments. "I mean, it probably is, if you have to bring it home. But… I get you."

Charlie huffed, holding the pikmin closer. It whined in its sleep, but never woke up.

Several more moments of silence passed, when Brittany suddenly just said "Marigold."

"Huh?"

"Marigold. It's a flower grown on many other planets, not native to Koppai. Very pretty orange and yellow colors. I… I think it's a good name, too."

Charlie looked back down at the yellow pikmin. He sighed and smiled, gently rubbing the base of its stem. "Yeah, Marigold. I like it."

[princesspaprika16]

Just a small Batfam fic I wrote

Mornings in the Wayne Manor is always chaotic. I mean what can you expect from a bunch of kids who assists the Batman. Poor Alfred had to take the responsibility of making the kids breakfast and Bruce wasn't there. Cassandra was peacefully sipping her morning coffee as Stephanie came in.

Cass : Good morning Steph

Stephanie : Morning Cass. Have you seen Tim?

Cass : Uhh I think he's down in the batcave.

Without evening responding, Stephanie ran down to the cave and there he was. Timothy Drake Wayne and in his pocket was...

Stephanie : You little red son of a Robin! Give me back my gameboy.

Tim turned around and smirked.

Tim : Oh you want that? Then take it from me.

Stephanie : You shit

Stephanie jumped on Tim, tackling him to the ground. Both were flaying there arms as they tried to grab hold of the gameboy when Dick came in and shook his head like a disappointed dad.

Dick : What are two doing? Can you atleast act your age?

Both of them got up and looked at Dick with amusement.

Tim : Look who's talking. Just because now you're an adult you're going to boss around us?

Stephanie : You've turned old Dick. You don't have the youth anymore.

Dick : Whaaat? I'm still young.

Stephanie : Really?

She looked at Tim and smirked and both of them pounced on Dick.

A While Later.....

Alfred looked at the three with disappointment.

Alfred : Look at you three. Master Dick, I didn't expect this from you.

Dick hung his head down. All their clothes were torn and hairs were messy. Alfred sighed.

Alfred : Go and change. Master Bruce and Miss Kyle would be returning soon.

After getting changed, all of them sat together in the living room.

Dick : Ahh it feels like so long since we have seen Bruce.

Cassandra : They were only on their honeymoon Dick, it's not like they are gone forever. They are gonna be back any moment.

Damien grunted.

Damien : I still can't believe father married that criminal.

Jason : Hey that's not a nice thing to say.

As they were talking, a black Mercedes pulled up. Alfred went and opened the door. In came Bruce Wayne. The Batman and with him was the notorious criminal, Catwoman. Selina Kyle. The newly married couple had returned from their three weeks Long honeymoon from the tropical Mauritius and the slight tan on both of them was proof of that. Seeing them, the kids ran to them. The girls hugged Selina and Dick and Tim hugged Bruce. Only Jason and Damian stood still.

Damian : Good to see you back, father.

Bruce smiled.

Bruce : Good to see you again too, son.

Tim : Did you bring us any souvenirs?

Jason : They were on their honeymoon why would they bring us any souvenirs?

Bruce : Actually Selina did bring you guys something.

Selina : Ya there was this superhero store back there so I brought guys some stuff. It's in the black bag.

Before she could even finish, the kids made a run for the bag and almost ripped open whatever was was there. Dick took a Superman hoodie, Jason had a Wonder Woman trousers, Tim had a Spider-Man plushie, Stephanie had a Green Arrow sippy cup, Cassandra had a Flash t shirt and Damian had a..... Sword (that wasn't any merch, it was just there for him).

Bruce : You didn't bring any Batman stuff?

Selina : Nope. They already have plenty of those.

Bruce's face went grim.

Selina : Oh stop brooding.

She went to Alfred.

Selina :Here I brought you some muffins but they are from the airport.

Alfred : Thank you Ms. Kyle, oh I'm sorry Mrs. Wayne.

Selina : Call me Kyle. I like the sound of it.

Alfred smiled.

The Batfamily was back together again and more trouble was going to ensue.

[snowy-miko]

[Oneshot] Cursed Love

Characters: Stacy (OC) x Alfons (ikevil) Rating: M Length: 2886 words Warning: mention of drugs, rape, assalt and murder Arthor's note: This is and half-ass attempt in translation, I just ran everything through GG translate and fixed it up a bit for a smoother delivery. Please pardon TvT

Original version in Vietnamese

What is love? Why does it drive people crazy? Honestly, she doesn't know anymore, she only knows that she will be haunted by it for the rest of her life, by a love that is as unattainable as a fantasy.

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“She’s holding something, run!”

The children ran frantically, leaving behind a pink-haired girl standing in front of her house, in her hand was the family frying pan, a self-defense "shield" that she had chosen to fend off those malicious pebbles. Realizing that none of them dared to come back, her anger began to subside, at which point she lightly snorted and then quietly returned to the house. Those boys are truly stupid, even if they throw it again, she will not cry.

Since the day her father became seriously ill and passed away, Stacy's life has changed somewhat. Her mother's work seemed to get even busier, her sister rarely had free time because she had to focus on studying, so having to stay home alone became a normal thing to her. She understood that her family was facing difficulties, so she told herself to become strong. She began to learn to be independent, reminding herself to think of others and absolutely, there would be no crying. Only children would cry so easily.

But in the end, there is a limitation to how strong an eight-year-old child could be, and instead there was only a growing feeling of loneliness.

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“Wow, the bride is really pretty. He is truly blessed.”

She heard the adults whispering to each other, her eyes once again turned to the slender back of the girl striding down the aisle. Ah, so that's what it was, that's exactly what their relationship was like.

Lucas is a young artist, he just moved near her house about half a year ago. She remembered the times when she came home from school and saw him sitting in the front yard drawing, remembered the way he waved to her with a smile like sunshine, and remembered the way he proudly showed off the painting he had just finished. One time, he even noticed and complimented her hairpin that day, saying how cute it was. She wasn’t sure if it was sincere or not, but it still made her feel very happy. It's probably been a long time since someone could make her smile like that.

Yet today, when she looked at him happily standing next to his bride, she just felt numb inside. There's something heavy in her chest, a choking feeling that just won't go away. She should have been happy that a good person like him was able to find the love of his life. She should have done that, instead of wondering if this was what heartbreak feel like.

Could this be love? But how was that possible? She was only fourteen after all.

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“Didn't I already tell you? I don't like you anymore."

Frustratingly talking to the boy walking next to her, Stacy could only wish if there was a switch to turn off all the sounds out there. She really didn't expect the result to turn out to be this troublesome.

Sixteen years old, what a beautiful age when the first vibrations of love begin to form at schools. She thought that she should be like that too, that her unrequited love with Lucas should come to an end already. So she started taking interest in a classmate, who coincidentally also had feelings for her. This was quickly discovered by their friends, and the two soon became a couple. At that time, she thought that finally, her life would be normal just like others.

Not long after, she realized that she was wrong. Perhaps influenced by novels, she unconsciously expected a romantic love story between the two. But she forgot that a teenage boy wouldn’t have experience in love, and couldn’t deeply understand her somewhat chaotic feelings. She couldn't trust to open her heart to that person, and she couldn't even try to work it out for this love was fleeting and pretentious. If she already realized that this was not love, then what reason does she have to stay?

So she, the one who confessed her feeling first, ended up also being the cold-hearted one and took the initiative to say goodbye.

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“I guess he finally gave up.”

Checking the recent mails, she suddenly realized that she no longer saw the name Flynn Hammond anywhere. Maybe there was a bit of regrets, but this would be better for the both of them.

After the love affair of her school days ended, that annoying love came back to harass her in a new form. Flynn noticed that she has stopped going to class so he tried to contact her, but in the end he only received the answer that she no longer felt suitable for studying. She couldn't say that she seemed to have gone crazy, that she had been cursed with some kind of strange power. Yet he still understood her suffering, he never dug too deep, and at the same time only shared trivial stories about himself to relieve her of pressure. Perhaps thanks to that, the chaos inside her was able to calm down somewhat.

Then whatever happens will happen. He confessed that he had secretly liked her for a long time. But at that time she didn't want to repeat the same mistake, so the only thing she could do was to refuse. After that, he had mostly stopped coming to see her, only occasional letter deliveries are what’s left. Countless times she asked herself about this unnamed relationship, whether or not she should give him and herself a chance. It's just a pity that by the time she started thinking about choosing courage, he was no longer here. It turned out that his patience could only last for five years.

Maybe, she just doesn't deserve to be with such good people.

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“Mr. Hood, please…!”

“Stop resisting Stacy, I've been waiting for this day for a long time.”

With her hands pinned to the bed, suddenly all she could do was to suppress her moans when the Baron kissed her neck. She knew that this was wrong, and knew that she should resist, but still her body kept shaking with excitement every time she was touched. There was no way just a little alcohol could make her become like that.

Alexander Hood is a young Baron who just received his title after his father unfortunately passed away. He has a handsome and knowledgeable appearance, and a gentle voice that knows how to say sweet words that make many girls fall in love. Perhaps that's why, even after being drugged and raped, she still foolishly believed that he did it because he really had feelings for her. Besides believing in that fake love, what else can she do to protect herself?

She thought life couldn't get any more miserable, but in just a few months, he had officially got himself a prestigious noble wife. Still he used the excuse of political marriage to continue to have sex with her. When the affair was discovered, he did not hesitate to accuse her of seducing him, opening up a hellish period of time for the poor girl. Instead of getting her fired, the lady of the house forced her to be her personal maid and then freely tortured her, making her bow her head and apologize every day over trivial matters. The climax was when she was humiliated right in front of him, but the treacherous man indifferently ignored her, even acting like she didn't exist. That night, she secretly met him and begged, hoping that at least he still had some humanity left to free her from this place.

“Do you still think you have a chance with me? A slutty maid like you is just a whore that I can still get without having to spend any money.”

He is, perhaps, a demon. She wanted to kill him right then and there, but in the end she could only let him brutally beat her up then left her in the warehouse like a piece of trash with no value. She didn't know how long she had been crying, she only knew that when she woke up, she was no longer herself. With anger burning in her chest, she sneaked into his room when everyone was asleep, used each stab of the cold knife as a farewell, and made him die in silence right next to his equally cruel wife.

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Crown is a secret organization operating under the authority of Queen Victoria, which gathers people with fairy curses. The first time she learned about it, Stacy finally understood why her life was so gloomy. At this moment everything seemed to get back to where it belonged, and so she quietly accepted her fate without a single word of complaint.

The curse makes her unable to stop pursuing love, it was so haunting that when Alfons offered a convenient illusion, she immediately indulged in it without any resistance.

“Because I have been taught well, so I, too, can love you plenty.”

Standing in front of "the person she loves", she did not hesitate to express her thoughts. She knew that what Alexander taught her was filthy, but if it could make him happy then she would be more than willing to do it. At that time, she just wanted to love him with all her heart, mind and body, which was a bit unexpected for Alfons. He originally just wanted to use some entertainment to comfort her, didn’t think that he would accidentally learn about how she had been hurt. It's so sad that she, who was once manipulated and treated like a sex toy, still desires love this much.

Then when she finally woke up, she could only resign herself to saying that she was too used to being taken advantage of.

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“I just want to say that there are a lot of carnivores around here. If you keep being so cute, you might get gobbled up.”

“You shameless man”

Hearing her say that, Alfons just laughed loudly and sat down at the dining table, pretending not to see the hateful look she was sending his way. Surely the person who teased her the most here was Roger, but when it came to him, it was ten times more than that. It's true that you can't judge a book by its cover.

After a few months, her life at Crown gradually stabilized, and thanks to everyone, she could once again feel a new source of life sprouting in her heart. Most of the time everyone was very nice to her, even Roger was able to give appropriate instructions during practice. But it wasn't Will's gentle guidance, nor Liam's extreme kindness, what she remembered most was the reclusive kindness that Alfons had brought. He harassed her but never let her take the blame. He pretended not to care but only when it’s appropriate that he would show up. Not to mention the fact that he always helped Liam satisfy his curiosity, kept an eye on Elbert and kept him company over the years. Looking at those actions, she could hardly believe that he did everything simply for his own convenience.

Then just like that, unconsciously, she tried searching for the image of her imaginary lover that night in him.

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"Get out"

“Fine then, if I'm not welcomed like that then please pardon me. Remember to rest well, and since your eyes are still not healed, don't cry alright?"

Alfons closed the door behind him, just in time to avoid the pillow she aimed at him. With those words he just said, he knew she would be angry. But to prevent her, and himself, from falling deeper, that was the only way.

It's been a few months since Stacy realized she has feelings for him. She tried to keep her distance and didn't think about pursuing him, all because she was afraid that she would lose the preciousness of the present. She knew there was no point in denying it, but moving forward didn't seem like an available option. All of her relationships so far have not had a happy ending, and he himself carries his own curse, so it's impossible to say whether this will be an exception. Perhaps that's why Elbert said Alfons hates being anyone's special person.

But then all her efforts were ruined by him. He was clearly not an idiot to not notice about her feelings, yet he gave her hope over and over again. Why must he have cared for her like that? Why didn't he wait until tomorrow to meet at the breakfast table instead of visiting her in her room? He had the audacity to bother her, then when asked about it, he continued to deem her an idiot and avoided the question. If that's the case, she would rather he didn't show up at all.

Never had she ever hated his kindness like she did right this moment.

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"What's wrong? Wouldn't it be better for you if I died?”

“I said stop it!”

She raised her voice, feeling like her heart was starting to bleed again. She came here, worried about his injuries, yet he stubbornly continued this cruel joke of his. If something happened to him, how could she sit still?

"You've already heard about my fate, I'm afraid if you persist, it'll be in vain."

“Then think whatever you want! Because I won't give up on staying true to my own feelings."

Faced with that sarcastic smile, her chest would only burn hotter. He's such a bastard, a shameless, horrible, degenerated nightmare of a man. But it was also him who used that rotten image to save her, to say that because there were bastards like him, she didn't need to feel ashamed of herself. Because of him, she was able to accept and love herself, so there was no way she could easily give up on this love, no matter how evil and cruel he was.

Her curse has turned love into an obsession, the more she can't have it, the more she can't let go. And thanks to it, she now understands what it means to hate out of love.

If fate has planned for it to be like that, why not just live and die with this cursed love for once?

“If you want to die that much, then I will make sure you would die by my hands.”

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Early in the morning, Stacy suddenly heard the door to her room open. Even without turning around, she could guess who the culprit was. Maybe it was because last time she took advantage of him going out at night to sneak into his room, so today he decided to take revenge on her. After waiting for a while, she finally felt the edge of the blanket being pulled up and a familiar warmth began to embrace her.

“Welcome home, Al”

“Good morning, my sweet kitten”

True to her name, she snuggled close to his chest like a cat asking to be petted, this time only smelling the faint scent of alcohol somewhere. He also gently stroked her hair, as if trying to lull her to sleep.

“Do you remember the day you threatened to kill me?”

“…? Why would you bring that up?” She looked up at him but again couldn't read the truth behind those eyes.

“Isn't it very convenient for us like this? Sooner or later, I will die at your hands, and then you will forget everything about me, then there will be no need to suffer anymore."

He smiled with amusement, but she knew it was just a cover to hide the painful feelings inside. Fate arranged for him to die without being remembered by anyone, and she would have to kill her love if she did not want to have her life taken away by that love. There had never been any records of people being able to escape the fate of the curse, but she knew everyone had a small hope that they would be an exception. What if what one needs to lift a curse isn't a miracle?

“There is still the opposite case. Furthermore, I can hold my grudge for a long time. If you dare to leave me behind, I will definitely remember it.”

“Aha! She's really so positive that she's stupid."

"I don’t mind being stupid, as long as I have you"

After saying that, she hugged him again, refusing to accept any criticism. She herself couldn't say she wasn't scared, but right now it was still too early to give up. If fate is inherently unfair, then she will find a way to cheat. After all, she no longer fits the image of a holy angel, so why should she worry about being obediently resigned like before?

Then at that moment, she suddenly felt his arms tighten, along with a sigh in her ear.

…

“If you say so, then I have no choice. Go crazy for me as much as possible, and regret it until you die for me."

- End -

[casspurrjoybell-30]

Bonding with the Enemy - Chapter 19

*Warning Adult Content*

Doing Better

Jasper did not return for the rest of the night, allowing Darren to have the room all to himself.

That didn't comfort him too much though since he constantly expected the Alpha to return, thus causing him to toss and turn whenever he did try to sleep.

By the time morning arrived, his hair was a tangled mess.

Just as he wondered where he last left his comb, he sat up to find Liam in the room, watching him.

A small yelp escaped Darren as soon as he noticed the ominous figure.

"Uh...Good Morning?"

"I couldn't help but notice..." the Alpha began, ignoring the rogue's greeting.

"That ever since you arrived, things have gotten rather...Chaotic."

"I can't help that," Darren shrugged nervously.

'How long had he been standing there?'

"I'm mainly concerned with the fact that my protege' has started to question me. Yesterday he argued with me right in my own office and this morning I found him sleeping on the couch despite my orders to keep you under surveillance"

Darren frowned.

"Sounds like he's becoming a true Alpha then if he won't even listen to you anymore."

The man frowned and a burst of Alpha Presence filled the room, boring down on the little rogue.

Darren's Collar began vibrating violently.

Suddenly, it felt like the protective device was choking him and Darren's hand flew to his neck to loosen it.

"I think it's about time you learn some proper respect. I'll be getting rid of that collar for starters..."

Liam reached towards Darren and the rogue backed away in panic.

Just as the Alpha was within reach, another hand grabbed his.

Jasper stood between the two instantly as he scowled towards Liam.

"Keep your hands off of him."

"You dare interfere?" Liam countered, his arm still outstretched.

Jasper looked him square in the eye and yanked the other Alpha's hand away from Darren.

"Yes."

Liam did not look too happy about his protege's interference, but he backed down none the less.

"We will discuss this later," was all he said as he turned and left the room.

There was a heavy silence after Liam left and Jasper took a moment to look Darren over.

He eyed the rogue's rebellious hair and disheveled night clothes.

As his eyes wandered lower, a blush graced his cheeks and he faced away.

"You okay?" he mumbled.

Darren was utterly confused at the mans reaction but grateful that he hadn't allowed Liam to remove the collar.

While it was true that it was blocking the mate bond, it was also helping him deal with all the Alpha crap he had to endure each day.

Without it, he'd probably be fainting around those two on a regular basis.

"Yeah," Darren replied as he got off the bed, somewhat shakily and dug through is bags for a change of clothes.

"Okay, I'll see you downstairs," Jasper replied awkwardly and went to leave the room.

"Let me know if he keeps bothering you."

Darren quirked an eyebrow.

"Sure."

As he changed, he thought over their interaction.

It felt odd having his old bully defending him.

Before, the only people he ever expected something like that from were his parents but of course they dashed his childhood illusion when they proved too submissive to ever do anything that might upset their almighty leader.

When they failed to care for him, Darren had developed the expectation that no one would.

Maybe the guy was only doing it to make himself feel better?

Making his way downstairs, he found Jasper speaking with Gerrit.

The Alpha's son then handed over a folder and patted his shoulder.

"You're doing the right thing," Gerrit was saying.

Jasper eyed the folder in his hands.

"Yeah, I think so too."

"And what would that be?" Darren asked, his interest peaked.

The two turned towards the rogue as he entered the dining room.

Liam was not present and it looked like Mary was just setting out some food.

Jasper hesitated before explaining.

"I changed my schedule for today. Instead of following up on my usual route, I'm..." he glanced towards Gerrit who gave him an encouraging smile.

"I'm going to look for all the people I picked on and talk to them."

"Oh..." Darren didn't know what to think of that.

The amount of effort he was putting in after realizing how much of an ass he was really surprised him.

Jasper honestly didn't seem like the type to do something like that.

"Wait..." the rogue suddenly thought of something.

"You're not just doing this so you can find your mate, are you?"

It didn't seem like Gerrit had considered that and his eyes flew to to Jasper for answers.

The Alpha sighed dramatically.

"No, I'm not. I mean, yeah I'm curious about who she is and I'd like to apologize for whatever I did if I'm ever given the chance but no. I'm not doing this just for her. If I'm going to be a better Alpha than Liam, then I need to own up to my mistakes, starting with fixing things with the people I hurt."

"Damn man," Gerrit whistled.

"That's the first time I ever heard you consider being BETTER than Liam."

He then turned to Darren with a grin.

"It seems like you've been quite a positive influence on our future Alpha."

Darren was caught off guard by the compliment and he turned away to hide his embarrassment.

"It's just common sense," Gerrit slapped Jasper on the shoulder.

"Maybe, maybe not. All I know is that this guy has always been too stubborn to think of anything other than impressing my dad. Then you come to town and suddenly he's thinking for himself."

"Thanks a lot," Jasper rolled his eyes.

"I just want to do the right thing."

"Well, it shouldn't be that hard," Darren jabbed in an attempt to keep his cool.

"If you're legit about feeling bad, you're off to a good start. Just one thing though...What about the investigation?"

"We have to wait for the lab to come back with results on the fingerprints," Jasper explained as he made his way to the front door.

"You're not having breakfast?" Gerrit asked.

"We're eating out," the Alpha motioned for Darren to follow.

Darren tagged along obediently, knowing that they were both avoiding Liam at this point.

"Pancakes?"

"What?"

"I was asking if you want pancakes?" Jasper explained.

"There's a place I know that has the best breakfast menu."

"Sure?" Darren agreed halfheartedly.

They soon pulled into an old cafe' and were seated immediately once the owner recognized Jasper.

The waitress then took their orders and sped off to the kitchen.

Darren tapped his spoon against the table as they waited.

He stared out the front window, which was located three tables away, hoping to spot a spirit.

He had thought that hanging around Jasper would improve his odds by now.

"So...What sort of things do you do for fun?" Jasper asked out of the blue.

Darren snapped his head around and stared him down suspiciously.

"Why would you want to know?"

The young Alpha shrugged as a waiter placed a small jug of coffee and two cups on the table.

"I just realized we don't really know much about each other."

"There's a reason for that," Darren retorted.

"In case you forgot."

"I know but I thought maybe we could try getting to know each other better since we're working together. Not that we have to, I understand if you don't want that. I just thought I'd ask."

Darren tilted his head and considered his offer.

While there was no excuse for anything that this man had done to him before, it was clear that he was trying to make an effort to fix things.

Furthermore, he was doing it without hesitation.

As much as the rogue hated his former bully, if Jasper turned a new leaf then wouldn't it be better for the whole pack?

He thought of all the future kids who would be picked on and ignored because of their erroneous pack mentality.

If Liam had ever bothered valuing his fellow pack members and listened when Darren came to him, then the rogue could have gotten his issues with Jasper sorted years ago.

So if Jasper were to become a better Alpha, then that would mean that things could change for the entire pack and no one would have to put up with what Darren had.

Eventually the rogue agreed, much to Jasper's relief.

"I like to draw."

Jasper looked surprised.

"You? Really?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's just that, well you work construction and you don't seem like the sort of person who is into art. You look more like a...I don't know, someone who's more into video games?"

"I play games too," Darren replied.

"I prefer the Zelda games but I don't play a lot. And I don't draw a lot either since art supplies are expensive. I just doodle when I'm bored."

"Do you have anything with you?"

Darren rolled his eyes.

"I came here to help find missing kids, not enter an art exhibit. So no, I don't have anything with me to show you."

"Not even pictures on your phone?"

"No."

Darren was relieved when the waitress arrived with their breakfast, interrupting the conversation.

For the most part, they stopped talking while they ate.

Darren, having eaten faster, finished his plate first and pulled out his phone to check the local news.

He also shot his uncle a text to let him know he was doing fine.

Then something caught his attention from the corner of his eye.

Looking back towards the front window, he saw a small toddler walking down the sidewalk all by herself.

There were a few other people walking around her but none of them appeared to notice the little girl.

She seemed lost and confused as she glanced around, wide eyed.

"Hey, you see that?" Darren asked Jasper, concerned.

"It looks like someone lost their kid."

Jasper glanced out the window and squinted before shaking his head.

"I don't see anything."

"She's right there," Darren pointed as the girl stumbled and fell to her knees.

The girl was tough though and stood back up without crying.

Then she began heading towards the street.

"Dude," the rogue shot out of his seat.

"Why is no one stopping her."

Jasper stood with him.

"Calm down. What are you talking about? I don't see any kid out there."

Darren glanced between the Alpha and the little girl, considering the fact that it might be a ghost but that was impossible, mostly because she was neither transparent nor the usual greyish tones that ghosts took on.

In all his life he had never experienced a ghost who looked so much like the living.

He watched as she stumbled off the curve and into the street.

He couldn't just watch anymore.

Bursting out of the cafe', he ran towards the little girl and reached out to grab her.

The child glanced at him wide eyed as a car turned the corner and came barreling at her.

Desperately, Darren dashed for her and just as he was within reach, he fell right through the child as she vanished into thin air.

A blast of cold air was all he felt before scraping his hands against the pavement.

"Hey," Jasper called, chasing after him and kneeling down to check on the errant rogue.

"What the hell was that?"

"It was a ghost..." Darren stated in disbelief, then turned towards Jasper.

"That little girl... was a ghost."