#gave me the cold shoulder for the rest of the show and didn't respond when i said things | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

aphrogeneias · 6 months ago

Text

it's been seven hours and fifteen days —

pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader (soulmate!au)

summary: it's new years eve, and as the year comes to an end, so do a lot of other things.

word count: 3.5k

warnings: fluff and a lot of angst. brief sexual assault (by an unnamed patron). a little bit of violence. mention of a gun (as a joke, very quickly). a cliffhanger. stobin (platonic with a capital p) appreciation.

author's note: it's been a long time, but the show must go on. i hope you enjoy it! <3 also, please don't hate after you're done with this, 'kay? pinky promise.

series masterlist

Steve and Robin surprised you with a visit right before New Year’s Eve of 1991.

Surprised isn't the word, in fact. They had both been dropping hints about coming over to see you whenever you'd talk on the phone for a few weeks then, especially since Eddie came back to your life. You were trying to not worry them, to not bring up the subject too often, but they knew you better than you knew yourself.

In the same way Eddie once knew you too.

On the morning of the 30th, you were woken up by several insisting knocks on your apartment door. Those were unexpected in themselves, since no one used to visit you. Especially at that time of day, after a long Sunday night shift. Your roommate was out of town for the holidays, and even then, it wasn’t like there were people coming in and out of your home on Monday mornings.

Mornings were for sleeping in and recovering from the buzzing in your ears left by way too loud live music — Linda would always say you'd all end up deaf, but you couldn't think of a better way of eventually losing your hearing — and standing on your feet since the afternoon. However, that particular Monday morning was different than any other.

Stumbling out of bed, you inwardly cursed whoever was bothering you this early, when you'd just gotten to bed. From the other side of the door, you could hear two people arguing. “Stop knocking! You've already woken up the whole building!”, one of them said, in a frazzled whisper-shout. The other responded, in an almost bored tone, “And she might still be asleep.”

You'd never yanked the lock open that fast in your life.

Steve Harrington and Robin Buckley, with bags under their eyes and bags on the floor by their feet, stood on your doorstep. Their matching smiles staring right back at you.

“What are you doing here?” You gasped, launching yourself forward, involving both of them with your arms around their shoulders in an awkward group hug.

“We were long overdue for a road trip to see you.” Steve sounded tired as he squeezed you back.

“The old Beemer almost didn't make it.” Robin commented as you pulled away.

“I’d kill both of you for surprising me like this on my day off but I'm too happy to care right now.” You were already pulling their bags inside and closing the door, leading them in.

“Can we take a nap first? I'd rather be killed while I'm well rested.”

The cold, early morning sun shining through the window curtains made that sight even more surreal. Robin already lying on your couch, and Steve sitting himself on the floor in front of it, resting his head on the seat. You smiled through the sleepy fog that still lingered behind your eyes.

“That can be arranged.”

They slept through the morning and a little into the afternoon, which gave you time to sleep too.

After you were all awake and they'd settled their luggage in your room, showered and changed, it was time for an improvised breakfast for lunch with whatever you had in your fringe. Frozen waffles, scrambled eggs and plenty of coffee.

You sat around the small, square table in your kitchen while you listened to them talk about everything, everyone, you'd left behind. About running into your mom at Bradley’s Big Buy, about the kids going to college, — and how Robin hopes Dustin never follows any of Steve's advice, much to his chagrin — about Robin’s life in the city and Steve’s struggle to let go of the past.

Some things would never change, even when they did most drastically.

You didn't speak about yourself, content in just hearing them talk, basking in their warm presence. Until Robin asked, “What about Eddie, huh?”

“Yeah, what about Eddie?” Steve repeated, trying to act casually while he filled his mug with more coffee. It was never his strong suit.

You sat back in your chair, crossing your arms. “What about Eddie?”

“Can't we ask how he's doing? How are the two of you doing?” Robin mirrored your position, grinning at you.

“There's no two of us, nothing’s changed in that regard, before you ask.” You sighed, “And Eddie… Eddie is doing great. The band is doing great, they're getting good traction with the public, the bar has been more and more crowded each weekend. It's just a matter of time until they get a better offer as a resident band, or from a label. I'm happy for him, for them.” You quickly corrected yourself.

“What about you? Are you happy?”

You couldn't help but smile at Steve's question. “It's bittersweet, I think. I grew used to having him around again, some days it's like I haven't even left, but I know it's got an expiration date hanging over us all over again. It's good to have him while I can, you know? I try not to think too much about it.”

“No use in telling him, then?” Robin finally breached the subject, you knew that was where they were trying to get all along.

You shake your head. “No, there never was, really. It's what I told you guys five years ago and it hasn't changed. Eddie doesn't want a soulmate, even if it's…”

“Not even if it's you? I really doubt that.” Steve interjected.

“Especially if it's me. Especially now, after everything I did. It's not fair to him.”

They exchanged a look then, one of those looks Robin and Steve shared that no one but then could really tell what it meant. It was enviable, really, to be that understood by someone. You once knew what that was like.

Before either of them could say anything, something shifted at the table. Subtle, like a soft gust of air, but you knew the feeling. You knew it well, and when you looked down between the empty plate of waffles and your barely touched cup of coffee, sat something that wasn't there a moment ago.

A woven leather bracelet, with a simple silver clasp. It was slightly worn, clearly well loved. There was no question where it came from.

You picked it up, letting it hang from your pointer finger.

“Is that… his?” Steve broke the silence.

A tired sigh left your lips from deep within your chest. “Who else could it be from?”

One more for the box.

As seemed like a pattern that day, you got woken up again, this time by the phone ringing.

Robin was sleeping in your roommate’s bedroom — because what she doesn't won't hurt her — and Steve was dead asleep, snoring on your couch. He didn't budge as you picked up the bright blue receiver from where it hung from the wall.

“Hello?”

“Did I wake you up?”

Eddie's tone did not indicate he was even a bit remorseful — you could practically see the dimples forming around his lips stretched in a charming smirk, his body leaning against the telephone booth.

“You didn't call me to ask that.”

Little did he know you had a matching smile on your own lips.

“You’re right. Jus’ wanna hear your adorable, middle of the night voice.”

“Asshole.” You scoffed, and if your face felt a little hot, you tried to ignore it. “What's up?”

“You wanna go help me put up some posters over on the Strip? Linda said we need all the marketing we can get for New Year’s, and I could use some help.”

“And your dear bandmates can't help because…?”

“Didn't ask them. I'm asking you.”

“Why? Missed my pretty face that much? You saw me yesterday, man.”

“Jesus…” He sighed, overdramatic and loud, as you'd expect. “Just get your cute butt over here, I'm waiting at the next corner.”

You giggled, again, not being able to help yourself. “I knew it.”

Most days, you liked to tell yourself you shouldn't get too attached. Eddie would soon be leaving again, on a tour bus to brave the country — with how much people they'd been attracting to The Deuce, it was only a matter of time until one of them was a producer scouting for their label’s next big hit.

You told yourself that, if he didn't leave, then you would. You'd done it once, there was no harm in doing it again.

You realized you liked lying to yourself more than you were previously aware of.

Lying to yourself was what you did when you were crammed into the passenger seat of Jeff’s old car, less conspicuous than the beat-up behemoth Eddie calls a van, scouring the city for the best spot to tack some concert posters. The late night radio tune the background of your laughter, inside jokes returning like second nature, the red string tightening around your pinky finger.

It was what you did when he held your hand to make you walk the streets faster, trying to cover more ground through the night, the same way that he used to when you played together. When he asked you to sit on his shoulders to attach posters to places higher than either of you could reach, and his hands rested warm on your thighs. When you ended the night at the same diner you did every morning, sleepy eyes meeting over hot coffee mugs.

Closer each day, still pretending to be far.

Holidays were never a busy time at The Deuce, which meant that the crowd at that New Year's Eve party was something you'd never seen before.

Being one of the smaller, lesser known clubs at the Strip, your parties were always a bit more inconspicuous. Smaller bands, smaller crowds, a lot less trouble. For some reason — and you suspected it was due to the news of a certain frontman’s charisma spreading through the city like wildfire — everything you expected was turned upside down this year.

Tickets were sold out that afternoon, and the bouncer had manager to squeeze in a few more people waiting in line. All pretty girls, of course. You had drinks to sell, after all.

The beginning of the night went as smoothly as you could manage. You got in earlier than usual, as did the rest of the staff, and by the time people started rolling in, you barely had time to greet Robin and Steve, who promptly found a place to sit further from the stage.

It was funny, seeing all of your old friends under the same roof again, even if it was just for one night. The boys came from backstage to say hello for a moment, and it was almost like being back at The Hideout again, with those same old drunks, and much less history between all of you. If you closed your eyes, it was almost like being there again.

If you looked closely, though, the strained smiles and awkward small talk amidst your closest friends and Eddie told you everything would never be the same again, not even if you tried.

A new year, a new life. Wishes to make, though yours was always the same.

You tried to shake that feeling, though, and concentrate on work. On the buzzing, electric feeling in the air, on the loud chatter and the music the DJ was playing in the background, on the eminent excitement for midnight to come.

Your wish happened to come out of backstage again that evening right before the band came on, wrapping one arm around your shoulder while you carried an empty tray towards the bar.

Your heart raced as he leaned closer, voice lowered for your ears only. “Do you see that guy over there?”

He pointed at a man sitting by himself, close to the stage — as close as he could get without getting into the crowd that was already forming in front of it. He looked like a mixture of Kim Fowley and a Ken doll, nothing too out of the ordinary for the men you saw regularly here, but he was definitely not a regular.

“Who is that?” You whispered back at him as you placed the tray back on the counter. Eddie remained there, with his arm around you, his body learning against your side. You could tell how excited he was by the wild grin on his face.

“He's here for us. Linda called on some favors with an old friend who knows people, and… voi-fucking-lá. We have an in.”

“Good luck, then.” You smiled, turning to fully look at him. “You're gonna need it.”

You were not expecting it when he left a lingering kiss on your forehead before walking away.

If there was a strange feeling growing on the back of your throat, you tried your best to ignore it. It stayed there as you watched Corroded Coffin perform what you thought was their best night there, their music rising and rising the crowd until they broke like a wave, manic guitars and heavy drums working them for their own pleasure.

It stayed until the clock struck midnight, and Eddie threw a kiss at you from the stage, and you pretended to catch it in the air and place it in your heart. Somehow, that felt more intimate than the dozens of couples kissing all around you.

All hell broke loose after the band left the stage.

The DJ returned, where he would stay until the bar closed, and as everyone scattered around the bar, it was the usual pandemonium you were already used to, but with much more people. The bar was busy, which meant you were busy, but not too busy to sneak a shot or two with Steve and Robin, or watch the former flirt with Heather behind the bar.

Eddie and the boys were all around, talking to everybody. It felt nice to see them in their element, especially Eddie with his big gestures and loud personality — he was right at home, there. It felt even nicer when you managed to cross each other, his hands always finding a way to touch you, to let you know he was there.

As good nights, though, that one also had to come to an end.

It started to crumble when you had a full tray of beers, and a man bumped into you. You tripped, but didn't fall, thanks to all the practice you'd had. The man grabbed your waist, then, harshly. “Whoa, there! Falling for me already?”

“You wish. Let go.” You responded, curly, already trying to escape. It wasn't the first time you dealt with one of these types, and it wouldn't be the last. Keeping your cool was the best you could do in a situation like this.

“Not yet. Let me show you a good time, baby.”

“I said let me fucking go.” You gritted through your teeth. Some people around started to notice, and it wasn't long until they started staring. His hands started to lower on your hips, whining some you couldn't understand through slurred speech, until you felt someone push the man's shoulder.

“She said let go, man. You heard it the first time.”

“Not right now, pretty boy.” He pointed at Eddie, and you saw an opportunity to pull yourself away, and didn't resist stepping on his foot, hard.

“Asshole. Get the fuck out of here.”

The man’s face grew red with pain, and anger, no doubt. “Bitch!”

You heard Eddie let out a bitter laugh before his face was flying at the man’s face, who upon impact, lost balance and barrelled into you again, but with full force this time, sending the beers on your tray flying, glass shattering on the floor, and beer spilling onto you.

It was like being in the middle of a hurricane. Eddie fought the guy, who was already on the floor, as the boys came running to drag Eddie away. Robin, with Steve on her tow, pulled a startled you by the hand and away from there. Her and Heather lead you towards Linda’s office at the back, but all you wanted was to look back.

In your haste, you'd left the door unlocked.

The bathroom inside the small office room was cramped, but better than the ones outside. Robin had offered to come in with you, but you wanted to cool off alone. She waited outside as you attempted to clean yourself, your black top hanging from the sink as you wiped the drink off your chest with paper towels.

Your heart still beating fast in your eardrums, though the adrenaline was starting to wear off, made you tremble a bit, a cold shiver going through your body. You didn't know if it was relief that nothing worse happened, or if it was the phantom memory of Eddie’s hands gripping your body close to his.

You sighed, looking at your disheveled self in the blurry, dirty mirror.

The door handle rattled behind you, and you answered without looking. “I'll be right out, Rob.”

“Buckley is outside with Harrington and the bartender chick.” There's a slightly injured hand, free of the usual rings adorning it, holding the door a few inches open, and a face obscured by overgrown bangs. “Can I come in?”

Through your daze, you made yourself a reminder to trim Eddie’s hair when you could.

Sensing his hesitation, you smiled as best as you could through your reflection, feeling too vulnerable to look back. “Yeah. Of course.”

Quietly, — too quietly for Eddie — he came in and the door clicked closed behind him, but he didn't move, staying still with his back against it. You realized he was probably trying to make himself smaller, as to not scare you even further. Your heart grew warm while your body still shivered.

“Is everyone alright?”

When you turned, you noticed you were mirroring each other's positions. Trying to stay as far as possible in that tight space, arms pressed to yourselves, as the red string between you pulled and pulled and pulled, strained to the point of breaking.

It didn't, it wouldn't.

“Yeah, they kicked the guy out. Uh… I kicked the guy out, actually, and the guys helped, but yeah.” He chuckled nervously. You couldn't see them, but if you had to guess, the tips of his ears would be bright red. “Linda threatened him to never come back with that pistol she keeps under her desk, you should have seen it.”

You giggled despite yourself, “Man, how could I have missed that.”

“Are you alright?” Big brown eyes stared at you from across the small room and, as they always did, disarmed you completely.

“I'm alright.” You turned again, reaching to give your wet top a thorough squeeze before putting it on again. “Didn't get hurt, just got wet…”

You forced a laugh, but Eddie didn't return the sentiment. When you looked back again, he wasn't looking at you anymore.

He was crouching, picking something off the floor. The ceiling light wasn't on, just the yellow one over the mirror, and you struggled to see what it was until he straightened himself up, shuffling on his boots. The first thing you noticed on his right hand was a silver chain, and at the end of it, a red guitar pick. It must have fallen while you took your top off in a hurry.

You knew it like the back of your own hand. It was slightly chipped at the bottom, the scaly red slowly losing its former glossy finish, the faded Fender logo at the center of it.

You knew he knew it too.

“Where did you get this?”

A hand stretched between you, like a long corridor in a dream. Just within your line of sight, but unreachable. The necklace hung from it, limp, its silver chain glinting in the yellow light of the flickering lamp.

When you didn't answer, Eddie’s voice hardened. “I'm not gonna ask again.”

Your eyes were focused on the red guitar pick, not on his face. You swallowed hard, “I think you already know.”

“No, I don't.” He emphasizes it with your name, and it hurts you to hear it. The atmosphere changed completely, then. “I lost this years ago after a show in Indy, but you were already gone. Where did you get it?”

Eddie's voice trembled with something you only describe as betrayal. There was grief too, somewhere in there. Your shattered heart ached, but you couldn't find it in yourself to say something. Anything.

“What have you been hiding from me?” He had never sounded this quiet. It scared you.

“Nothing you don't already know.” You mumble, staring at the floor. “Like I said, I think you already know.”

Frustrated, he stomps his feet, but you don't flinch. “Goddamnit! Just tell me. Tell me. I want to hear it from you.”

“So, you do know?”

Narrowed eyes met in the middle. The red string tensed, and bent — does it break? Could it, ever? Sometimes you wished you could snap it. For his sake, not yours. But all it did was stretch impossibly tighter, like the fist that closed itself around your heart.

“I don't…” Eddie's eyes glistened in the dark, whiskey dark, swimming in murky waters. “I feel like I don't know you like I thought I did.”

You broke first, approaching the door with trembling legs, like a deer in headlights. The two of you stared at each other closely for what felt like more than just a mere moment, unsaid things hanging heavy in the air.

“Did you ever?”

It doesn't break, but bends, and bends, and bends.

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson angst

247 notes · View notes

kassiekole22 · 1 year ago

Text

Kind Gestures & Sweet Thank-Yous

Picture lightly edited by me.

Pairing: Syzoth X Fem!Reader Description: After an act of pure kindness, Syzoth shows his appreciation towards you in a way you would never expect... Warnings: Fluff!!! 💖 Word Count: 1k MasterList: 🖤 Kassie's Angels: @lorebite, @mornandil, @bihansthot, @katiralovely, @queenkhepri, @blackbunnymayw. (If you want to be added to the taglist, let me know in the comments! 🖤)

》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《

The seasons were changing — the leaves on the nice green trees were fading into beautiful crimsons and oranges, and the sun did little to warm up the day. Fall had always been my most favorite time of the year for these very reasons. I sat outside, cuddled up in my favorite hoodie, while enjoying the cool air. My allies discussed where we would go next, so I figured I had time to rest. Fighting was never something I wanted to do, but Lord Liu Kang made it very clear that I was a very important asset to ensuring their victory in upcoming battles. It was a hard pill to swallow when I was recurited, but one I was forced to accept.

I stayed in my spot and zoned out into my feelings of peace and happiness for a moment, until a sudden feeling of a nearby presence snapped me back to reality. Turning to see who was near me, my eyes met Syzoth — who didn't seem too happy at the moment.

"Hey," I greeted him kindly. He stood before me with a look of pure discomfort distorting his fine features. Curious as to why he seemed so down, I decided to ask, "Are you ok?"

"Y-Yeah," he responded in a raspy, breathy tone. It looked as if he was about to keel over from pain or some kind of sickness, and that's when I noticed just how badly he was shaking. "I-I'm just c-cold,"

"Ooooh," I chuckled while shaking my head as a small bit of relief came over me. I silently thanked god that it was nothing serious. "That explains why you are shaking like a damn leaf."

He gave me a look of embarrassment for a few seconds before huffing an awkward, breathy laugh. I let my eyes linger upon him for a moment — let them slowly roam his body as it occurred to me that it is very dangerous for any reptilian creature to be subjected to any cold temperature. And I knew that even if Syzoth was in his human form, he could still get extremely sick. Subconsciously, my fingers went to the zipper of my hoodie and I clasped the cold metal between my pads before pulling it downward.

Syzoth instantly took note of what I was doing, but it was clear that he couldn't grasp why I was doing it. He cocked his head slightly like a curious puppy as he stared at my lowering hand with a puzzled expression etched into his features.

"What are you doing?" He asked as I let the warm fabric slide off my shoulders and arms.

The cold did very little to cause me any discomfort, so I took the sudden chill nipping at my skin with a grain of salt. Without answering the man due to knowing how he would reject my idea if he knew my intentions, I approached Syzoth and swung the article of clothing over his broad shoulders for him to put on.

"I-I don't understand." The confusion in his voice was clear as water, but he still sunk his arms into the inviting holes of the hoodie before zipping it up tight.

"It's a man's hoodie, so I hope it fits. You're lucky I prefer bigger sweaters." I chuckled as an amused smile grew on my lips. Even then, he still stared at me with a look of pure confusion and wonder, so I figured I would elaborate for him. "You looked so cold. I know your kind is sensitive to lower temperatures and I don't want you to get sick, so I want you to borrow this. You need it more than I do right now."

His puzzled expression changed to one of shock and another emotion I couldn't quite place. I opened my mouth to speak, but before another word could leave my lips, Syzoth took a few steps towards me. We were merely inches apart and to my surprise, he leaned forward to gently press his forehead against my own. His eyes fell shut, and I became quite clueless as to what was going on until I noticed that a fond smile had formed on his lips.

Then it clicked in my mind: this was how Zaterrans showed their appreciation. Now that I had finally made sense of this odd situation, I let my eyes flutter shut and leaned into him as well. I could feel something come off of him, like a sensation that was radiating from his mind to mine. It felt… Wonderful.

Many minutes later, Syzoth and I separated and his green eyes opened up to meet mine once again. His hand slowly and carefully — as if he were trying not to scare me away — reached up to my face and he began gently caressing my cheek, tracing the skin with the rough pad of his thumb.

"You truly are too kind, sunflower." He murmured in a tone so soft that my heart skipped a beat, and I could feel my cheeks heating up due to the new name he gave me. "Thank you — your gesture is greatly appreciated."

With those words being spoken, Syzoth leaned forward again until his face was only an inch away from mine. I was expecting him to press his forehead against mine again, but instead, he placed his soft lips upon my own. I couldn't believe it — I couldn't believe that after all this time, he finally kissed me. I never realized just how much I had always wanted him to until that moment, and I hoped that he would continue to do so many times after this moment had passed.

After breaking away, he smiled down at me with warm eyes studying my features for a moment. And after putting his hood up over his head — which casted a shadow over the sudden rose tint that appeared on both of his cheeks — he turned and left me dazed and flustered in my spot. The kiss only lasted a matter of seconds, but it lingered within my heart forever.

》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《

#mortal kombat 1 #mk1 #mortal kombat reptile #mk reptile #reptile #reptile x reader #mortal kombat syzoth #mk syzoth #syzoth #syzoth x reader #KassieMortalKombatFanFics

828 notes · View notes

byunpum · 1 year ago

Text

Ghost girl | part 5 (final)

Pairing: Neteyam x Albino na'vi!fem x Sully family

Warning: All the characters are aged up 20’s, discrimination, mention of abuse, soft & crush moments.

Note: Hello!!! I hope you like this final part <3, Thank you sooo much for the support, stay tuned as I will be writing more works. I send you a virtual hug. And forgive me if there are some spelling mistakes, English is not my first language.

AVATAR MASTERLIST | Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5(final)

The silence that was being generated in the Sully hut was so notorious that you could hear every breath of all the people present. Jake had convinced your father and brother to calm down, and invited them to the hut. So they could all talk and get everything clear. Jake had to admit something, these na'vi were very intimidating. He had never seen na'vi so big, they were easily twice his size. They were taller and much stronger, he could see how their muscles were very defined. Even their posture and build were very intimidating. Jake took a quick glance at his sons, who were now adults. But they were no match for these men, even he himself felt sorry for them. He would be lying if he didn't say he felt a little scared.

On the other hand, you were next to neteyam and at your right side was neytiri. She was holding your son. Neytiri could tell how anxious and worried you felt. It was a mixture of happiness and sadness. You were playing with the fingers of your hands, with your head down. Avoiding the penetrating gaze of your father, who was sitting in front of you. You gave a few glances and then shifted your gaze. While your nervousness grew, your father's face never showed a sign of change. His face was serious, and cold. It seemed as if something was bothering him, his pupils drifting to the scene before him. His only daughter, the one in charge of the clan's lineage. Sitting in the middle of some omaticayas, who according to your father were quite savage and simple na'vi. He never thought that in his life, he would be sitting next to them. Let alone see his daughter so close to them.

"Well…" jake speaks, trying to break the awkward silence that had been made. "I want to thank you for the shelter and care you've given my daughter," your father says.

"It's been nothing…it's been a pleasure. Y/N has been like a gift for the whole family" says neytiri looking at you and giving you a warm smile. You give her hand a squeeze, and smile back.

This comment makes your father pucker his chest, his ears perked up in alertness. He knew his daughter could be a little loose and easy to manipulate. He laughs a little, and glances at his son. Who was quiet beside him. "I see you are all very comfortable" says your father, watching as his grandson is asleep in the arms of the omaticaya woman. While you are resting a little on neteyam's shoulder. He had been looking at the man, with the same look he had been looking at his family all this time.

"Yes… neytiri, jake… they have helped me and taken care of me and my son" you speak, emphasizing that last phrase 'my son'. You knew your father's intentions, and what he always cared about. Just before your father could respond, you hear a loud crack of thunder. The noise of the rain was loud, and the thunder got louder.

"Oh!!! There's a storm!" says kiri, getting up from the ground to check outside the hut. And yes, the rain was very heavy. You could see it through the camp entrance. The rain was heavy, and it sure had started to accumulate in some areas.

"I think you should spend the night here at camp," says Jake, glancing at your father for a moment. "No problem…we can walk calmly back to our clan" says your father, before your brother interrupts him.

"Dad..ahhh but our village is quite far away and it's dangerous, I" your brother stops talking, when your father gives him a hard look. He lowers his head, somewhat embarrassed. You quickly approach your brother, crawling a little to sit next to him and support his decision.

"Father I think my brother is right…why don't you stay in my hut" you speak, looking at your brother. You wanted to calm him down, he was very nice guy. "Do you have a hut here?" your father asks, you suddenly become very nervous. You try to answer, but you don't know how to answer.

"Yes…we made her a home for her and the baby to be more comfortable in the clan" says neytiri, now with a stronger tone. She was getting fed up with your father's snooty attitude. "That sounds good," says your brother, holding your hand. You pull a piece of his hair back behind his ear. You notice how he had some bruises on his face and arms. You knew that your father demanded supernatural workouts from your brother, almost pushing him to the limit.

"I didn't know you built safe homes here…I thought you lived in something like this…like on the ground or up in a tree, like monkeys" your father speaks, now looking at Jake. This comment makes neytiri raise her ears in alert, how dare he say something like that. "Yes… they are very safe" says jake, returning the man's gaze. Your father laughs a little, a sarcastic laugh. You get very nervous, you couldn't believe your father is acting like this in front of the people who saved your life. In front of…neteyam. You look down embarrassed by his behavior.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" says neytiri, sitting up straighter. Holding the baby on her chest. Showing her fangs a little. And yes, she had every right to demand. Your father was in front of the family of the leader of the omaticaya, he was being disrespectful to the family of toruk makto. You move closer to neytiri's side, taking her arm. As if you were begging her to calm down.

Something you had not told anyone about was the inappropriate image your clan had of the Omaticaya clan. Your clan had the idea that they were better than other clan, they felt superior in everything. As a na'vi apart from the other clans. Since your clan was more connected to eywa, your father believed that this made them superior to others, prohibiting contact with other clans. Of course, this did not go down well with you, who thought that his idea was foolish and that all na'vi had an equal and unique connection to eywa, that this did not make them better than anyone else. Also in your clan they talked and joked about the attitudes and customs of the Omaticaya clan, discriminating against them because of their blue skin tone. Their way of living and dressing. As if they were trash, as if the Omaticaya were something not to be mentioned. It hurt you to hear all this, you felt that the true purpose of your clan had been lost.

"We should go… you guys look tired" you speak as you get up from the ground. Approaching closer towards neytiri, quickly taking your baby from her arms. Leaving the woman confused, since you had come into their lives, you had never taken your baby from her like that. Dragging your brother with your free hand. Rushing out of the sully hut, you were so afraid that your father would start talking and let his true self out. Your father stands up, coldly says goodbye to the family and begins to follow you. Neteyam quickly gets up from the ground, and runs to you. Evading your father and brother, to now stand in front of you. Holding your shoulders, causing you to look him in the eyes.

"Y/n… are you okay?" asks neteyam softly, Bringing his face close to your ear so that only you could hear. You nod your head quickly giving a glance back, where your father was looking at you with a stern and annoyed look, causing you to turn away from neteyam. Leaving him alone in the middle of the square, watching as you continued to lead your father and brother back to your hut.

Neteyam entered the hut confused, and noticed that his family's face was the similar. Why had you left so quickly, why had you become so nervous. You had never looked like that before, this worried Neytiri, she knew that your sudden change of mood had to do with your father's behavior. He was a deployable man, or so Neytiri thought. She was already looking at Jake with a severe look on her face. Jake was silent, he wasn't going to lose his patience with people like this, but he still felt concern for you. He could tell you were excited to know they were alive…but you weren't thrilled to know they were coming for you.

"Will they take Y/N?" asks tuk, the girl had grown very fond of you these past few months. Neytiri hugs her, trying to comfort the girl. And not only tuk was suffering but the whole family.

"Calm down tuk…we can't choose for Y/N. That's her family and we have to understand." Neytiri speaks, watching as her little girl hugs her tighter.

They knew this was your decision, neytiri would not like you to leave. It was dangerous to return to your village, as the humans were going to continue attacking the area. But what worried her most was her son neteyam, who had not stopped watching from the entrance of the hut, the way to your hut. Neytiri could notice how neteyam had his tail curled up on his legs, his ears were stuck to his skull. And if she could see his eyes, she would swear he had a look of anguish. Her son had become very attached to Y/N and her son. She knew that neteyam had a crush on Y/N, and it hurt her to see him so troubled.

You rushed into your hut, a little annoyed and embarrassed. You held your son in one hand and the other held your brother's arm, as you dragged him with you into the hut. Your father walked calmly behind you, looking around the camp. It was a wet and filthy place, full of those humans and uneducated omaticayas. He didn't understand how his daughter had survived and tolerated all this. He slowly entered your hut, looking around in disgust.

"And this is your so-called home?" speaks your father, now looking all around. Your hut was cozy. You had a hammock for yourself and a smaller one for your baby in one corner of the hut. On one of the walls there was a window, adorned with your favorite flowers. Which Neteyam had picked for you. Your floor was covered with cloth woven by you, neytiri and kiri. Your father looked at something in particular, it was an arrow bow. It was hanging on the wall. He approaches and takes it in his hands.

"Father…you didn't have to say all those things!!!" you shout, you are a little upset. You watch as your father examines the bow he had taken from the wall. He ignores you and continues to examine the object.

"Since when do you have this kind of 'tool'?" your father asks, raising the bow in the air. Your brother looks at you curiously, the boy had been sitting on the floor since he arrived. To your good fortune, your brother was not like your father. You approach your father, and take the bow from him. Placing it back on its shelf on the wall. You sigh heavily, taking the woven net you used to use to place your baby on your chest. Placing it on your chest, as you continued to ignore your father.

"I'm talking to you Y/N!!! I want an answer" commands your father. You continue to adjust your baby, you didn't want to answer your father. "Neytiri made it for me…she is teaching me how to hunt" you speak, still not looking at him. You hear your father scoff, as if what you said was a joke.

You knew that for your father hunting was not allowed for you. He had another future for you, you were going to be the future seer of the clan. Your job was to be the woman who would carry the roots of your clan. Not a hunter, that was not appropriate for you. That was a different thing between clans, categories and job assignments were something common in your clan. While in the Omaticaya clan everyone did what they wanted, in your clan everyone had their tasks assigned to them, and they had to perform them strictly.

"I don't see what's funny… I feel comfortable here" you speak, while making eye contact with your father. Who was now looking at you with irritation. He had made you bolder since the last time he saw you. "Comfortable? Y/N you don't belong here" your father now moves closer to you, sinking you with his large stature. You lower your gaze feeling somewhat intimidated by your father's presence. You didn't have the courage to contradict your father, you never had and now even less.

"But dad…here I am sure, you can stay and get used to the new clan. Everyone here is friendly" you speak, giving your brother a glance. He looked somewhat excited about your proposal, in the camp where your father and brother had set up, with the survivors of your clan. It wasn't a very flat place, it was located below the mountains, near a river, the place was wet and full of rocks. They could barely find food, and the weather was horrible.

"Can we stay?" your brother answers, you sit down next to him. "Sure, I…" you begin to speak, but you see your father kneel down in front of the two of you.

"You guys are not staying anywhere, in the morning you will pack all your things. And we will leave with our clan" your father speaks, signaling you both with his hand. He had a face of authority, and looked angry. You two say nothing, and just nod your heads.

You didn't want to leave, after all this time you had grown comfortable in your new life. You had tried so hard to learn and become part of the clan. You were just beginning to charm in the clan, when your father wanted you back in the clan. You decide not to say anything, not daring to disobey your father. You get up from the floor, giving your father another look. "Let me prepare your beds" you speak, starting to walk towards a trunk where you had some hammocks. You used to have them there, kiri and tuk used to have sleepovers in your hut. You wipe away some tears, try to calm down a bit.

The night came quickly, you tried to offer food to your father but he refused, making a face of disgust. You were already reaching your limit of patience. He didn't want to accept anything, you had barely spoken to him all evening. On the other hand, your brother accepted the food you offered him with much emotion, he hadn't eaten well for days. At least he was grateful. Your father was so defensive, he even criticized your manner of dress, complaining that such omaticaya clothing was inappropriate. Talking to you about your future, and the future of your baby. While you just sat next to your brother, listening to all his talk.

It was 12:00 am when everyone finally went to bed, your father took the biggest hammock. You had set up another hammock for your brother, and a smaller one for yourself. While your baby slept peacefully in his own hammock. You could hardly close your eyes, you were anxious and sad. You knew that as soon as the sun came up, you would have to pack your things and leave with your father. And the most distressing thing was that you couldn't tell neteyam or the sully's anything. But you didn't want to do that…you wanted to stay here. You sat in the hammock, and looked around at everyone around you. It seemed everyone was sound asleep, so you got up. You wanted to clear your mind for a while, so you check on your baby one more time. You know your father may be strict, but he would never hurt his grandson. You walk carefully out of the hut.

The whole camp was silent, only a few humans could be seen sitting on the stairs of the metal structures they claimed to be their home. You walked carefully, taking a deep breath. You were approaching the sully hut, you hadn't seen them since you left quickly. Approaching carefully, you can see a figure outside the hut. When you finally get closer you can tell it was Neteyam, who was kneeling down and setting up some pots outside the hut. It was probably to get water in the morning. "Hello" you speak, in a soft voice.

This makes neteyam jump a little, turning quickly to see who it was. Noticing that it was you, you can see his whole body relax. "Oh…Y/N!!!" he sounds excited and relieved that you were here. And he really felt that way, he thought his family had said or done something that caused you to take your family out of their home. He gets up from the floor, wiping his hands on his thigh, he hears your laughter. "What's so funny?" neteyam looks up, as he sits up to raise his arms, stretching them in the air. Inviting you in for a hug. You hesitate a bit, but carefully approach. Wrapping your arms around his waist, you lay your head on his chest. As you feel neteyam's arms wrap around you in a warm hug.

"Are you all right? Everything okay?" asks Neteyam, as he continues to hug you. He can feel the sadness in your grip, as if it was the last time you could hug him. It felt nostalgic. "We can go for a walk for a while…it can be near here" you speak, raising your gaze on his chest. Neteyam lowers his gaze, giving you a smile. "Sure…I know a place you'll love" neteyam says, stroking your hair.

He pulls away from you, entangling his hand with yours. Guiding you around the camp, the camp was a pretty strange place, but you had never found it to be anything fun or amazing. You used to leave the camp to do things, but now you were watching as neteyam led you deeper into the cave. Rolling over some rocks, watching everything around you change. You could see how everything was getting darker, and the wildlife was lighting up around you. You were fascinated, letting go of Neteyam's hand and running off to play with some dragonflies that were flying around you. Neteyam stops for a moment, seeing how happy you were.

"This is beautiful" you speak, now approaching neteyam. "And that you still don't see anything, come we are close" neteyam takes your hand again, he started walking. While you continue to play with the things you meet on the way. After walking for a while. You pass between some curtains that you had learned were very common flowers in places where there was a lot of water. In the background you could hear the sound of the water crashing against the rocks, it was very beautiful.

When you went through the curtains of flowers, your eyes were illuminated by the sight in front of you. It was a cavern, where there was a small river of sorts. The cavern was adorned with luminous fauna, some luminous creatures. The water of the river was so crystal clear, you could see fish swimming underneath it, among the rocks. You couldn't believe what you were seeing, everything was so beautiful. Out of this world…well out of your world. In your village there was nothing like this, the snow did not allow nature to create such beautiful ecosystems. Sure you had seen beautiful things, but nothing like this. You run all over the place, looking at everything around you. Touching and playing with everything. You looked like a little girl, discovering something for the first time.

Neteyam let you enjoy this new experience, sitting on a rock next to the river. Leaning back on his hands, laughing to himself. You looked so serene and beautiful. You run in his direction, sitting down quickly as you stumble a bit. "Hey, watch out" says neteyam, holding your arm helping you sit up. You were so excited.

"How do you know about this place? It's amazing" you ask. "Well… lo'ak and spider discovered it, but I like to say that I kept it alive" says neteyam jokingly. He used to come here when he was feeling very stressed with the job of being his father's successor. After a long day, this was the best place to come and sit and meditate.

"I thought you would need a place where you could feel happy" says neteyam, seeing all your attention turn to him.

"Yes…I do" you speak, lowering your gaze to the floor. Trying to hide your sadness. "We could bring herwin here someday…I know he'd love all this" neteyam says, touching some luminous leaves touching his feet. It hurt you to know that you were about to leave a good father for your son.

"About that…" you feel your heart clench, you had to tell him you won't be around tomorrow. Your father had given an order, and you had no choice but to accept.

"About what?" neteyam steps closer in front of you, placing his hand on your chin making you look up. He could see how your cheeks were turning red, and your eyes watering. "I will return with my father and brother to our village" you speak.

"But…why? Are you safe here" neteyam tries to speak, he can be heard a little upset.

"I have to do it…it's the right thing to do. I would love to stay here, with your family and you…but I have a duty to do" you speak, as you began to feel your throat dry up from the pain. Tears were gathering on your face with more intensity.

"What duty? Y/N don't you have to go!!!" neteyam raises his voice a little, you could hear the desperation in his voice. Taking your hands in his, squeezing them a little. Just to get your attention, bringing them to his chest.

"You don't understand neteyam…he hates everyone here. He wants me to carry on the family lineage, he wants me to play my corresponding role in the clan" you cry, letting all your feelings come out. Neteyam wipes away some tears with his thumb. He takes your hands again with more strength.

"But what do you want?" your ears perk up at his question. "I want to stay here…I just want that" you speak, trying to control your breathing.

"Then stay" neteyam says, now moving closer now to be inches away from you. Nestling a few pieces of your hair behind your ear. "I don't…" you start to speak but neteyam interrupts you.

"Y/n, don't go… I promise you that my family will continue to take care of you and your baby. I will continue to take care of both of you, I promise you that you will not miss anything and that you will be fine. I want to be…" neteyam kept talking, immersed in his monologue. He was sure that he would convince you …. while you felt that now everything made sense.

At this moment you were living what you had seen in your visions a year ago. This is the famous vision, neteyam holding your hands on his chest. Lowering his face from time to time to pause and give you a kiss on the palm of your hand. Everything was so clear now, the whole place, the surrounding atmosphere was just as you had felt it at that moment. The only difference was that now you could see the man in front of you. Of course, eywa had warned you of this situation, she knew that all this was going to happen. And now it was your time to decide.

You quickly get up from the ground, letting go of neteyam's hands, leaving him sitting on the ground now more confused than before. You bend a little, placing your hands on either side of neteyam's back. Giving him a kiss on his forehead, you walk away towards the exit. "I have to go" you shout a little, as you run towards the curtain of flowers. Neteyam gets up from the floor. "But" the poor boy didn't understand anything.

"See you tomorrow at the camp entrance…very early!!!" you shout, running as fast as you can on your way to your hut. Meanwhile neteyam stood there still in his place, now he didn't know what was going on. He was going crazy. Meanwhile you were running as fast as you could, luckily you were very good at remembering routes, so you knew how to get out of that place. It was a while, until you saw the camp. And as it was beginning to light up by the sun's rays coming in from the entrance. It had been a couple of hours since you and neteyam had decided to walk.

And you get as fast as you can to your home. When you get there you notice that everyone is still asleep, it's still 3 hours before everyone has to get up. So you walk carefully to where your son was, taking him in your arms. You lay down with him in your hammock, anxiously waiting for the dawn to come faster.

You had something very clear, you had already decided. You were going to stay here, this was what eywa wanted for you. She had told you her purpose with you a long time ago and your place was here. You felt comfortable, happy and for the first time in your life. You wanted to be more than what your father wanted you to be. Smiling to yourself, you tried to rest. Even though you couldn't sleep, you knew that in a couple of hours you would have to face your father. But you were ready…you had made your decision.

Morning came quickly for your good fortune, you were still lying in bed. Until you begin to hear some voices of some na'vi starting to leave their homes to start the day. You get out of bed again, noticing how your brother had begun to stretch. "Good morning, sleep well?" you ask, seeing how your brother only responds with a yawn and a smile. As your brother got up, he was followed by your father. But unlike your brother, this one gets up quickly. Stretching and walking straight to the entrance of the hut. Examining the weather outside the large cave. "Good morning father" you speak. Your father turns around, and is surprised by your sudden change in mood.

"Good morning…are you ready?" your father speaks. "Yes…I just have to pick up a few things and I'm ready" you speak, trying to hide your plan. You were going to pack some things, you would follow his plan and just before you left the camp you would tell him that you didn't want to go back to the clan. You could tell him now, but you didn't want to make a drama in the village. Your father nods his head, turning to continue looking outside.

You packed some things, it was your old clothes. It was the old clothes you had come to the clan in. Holding your baby on your chest, adjusting it in the carry. You take a deep breath, preparing yourself for what was going to happen in a couple of minutes. You approach your father, touching his shoulder. He looks at you and smiles…he looked happy. And that makes your heart break into a thousand pieces, you were about to let go of the last thing you had left of your family. If only he could understand, that he couldn't control your life. You sigh and start to walk out of the hut.

The closer you got to the exit, you couldn't help but wonder if this was the best decision. After all they were your family, your real family. Will you be doing the right thing? "When we get to the village… I want you to meet a young warrior. Remember Ueyoä he will be a good mate," says your father, sounding happy and pleased with his words. While for you, it was a bucket of cold water…he was not going to change. He never has and never will. You just reply with an 'ok' and keep walking.

You approached the exit of the cave, your father went ahead…starting to go down the rocky slopes quickly. According to him, so that no one would notice they were gone and they wouldn't start asking unnecessary questions. While your brother was behind him, but still close to you. You had stood still at the edge of the exit. "I'm not going," you speak firmly.

Your father stops, and looks at you incredulously. What were you saying? He couldn't believe what was coming out of your mouth. "What?" he tries to sound calm, but the discomfort in his tone of voice was very noticeable.

"I will stay here in the omaticaya clan, that is what eywa wants and I will comply" your voice is firm, you were looking at the horizon, not making eye contact with the man. You knew that if you looked him in the eye, you would be intimidated and let him manipulate you as usual. Your father walks quickly towards you, he was annoyed. Closing his fingers tightly, you had never been scared by your father until now. Your brother tried to get in the middle, to calm your father down. But in futility, your father pushes him aside. And just as he was about to approach you and take your arm.

Someone stops him by placing their hand on his chest. Pushing him back a little, you had shifted your gaze to the side. Expecting the pain of the enlargement in your arm, but feeling nothing. You open your eyes to see neteyam. He was in front of you, creating a shield with his whole body. "Don't touch her," says neteyam, moving closer to you.

"You stay away from my daughter…and Y/N let's get out of here!!!" orders your father. He was agitated and angry. You could see how upset he was, his whole body attitude said so.

"No, I'm staying here. And I'm not going to explain it to you or anyone else." you raise your voice a little. Watching as your father started pacing back and forth, altered.

"Listen to me Y/N…if you stay here you will lose everything, you will lose your family. You won't be able to go back to your clan, you don't belong here. They will leave you alone, and there will be no one waiting for you out there. You will be left alone…YOU LISTEN TO ME ALONE!!!" your father shouts, showing all his fangs. Neteyam was holding your hand tightly, in order to support you. The screams were so loud that he had woken up your baby, causing him to cry out in fright. You were a bit shocked by his words, you didn't know what to say. Just as you were about to respond, you felt a hand wrap around you. Wrapping it around your chest, moving you backwards.

"She's not alone…she has this family" says neytiri, you turn to look back. Your eyes had just widened at the sight of her. Again she was there to save you, as if eywa herself had sent her to protect you. As if your mother herself had sent her. Holding you tightly over her. Now hugging you, moving further behind her. You can see the other members of the sully family approaching. Lo'ak and kiri…even jake. Who had already stepped forward and was standing next to his mate.

Your father grunts angrily, annoyed to see how these na'vi were protecting you. "You know what, do what you want…but then don't come back asking me to forgive you" says your father, turning to start his way back to his village. "Come on son!!!" shouts your father, yelling at your brother. He had been silent the whole time, he was in a state of shock. He never thought that you would reveal yourself to his father. You move a little away from neytiri, running to where your brother was. "You don't have to go…you can stay with me. You know how father is with you, he doesn't deserve you" you speak, while caressing your brother's cheek. Listening as your father screams and calls him back. "You know I love you very a lot sis… take care of yourself" says your brother, This scared one moves away from you, you could see how some tears were accumulating in his eyes. But he decides to follow your father.

You stand there, silently watching the two men walk away. You felt sad, but at the same time you felt that sense of freedom. Like a whole burden was lifted off your shoulders. "Hey" you turn around when you hear neteyam's voice. He had tapped you on the shoulder but you barely noticed. Watching as everyone had approached you, watching as neytiri wrapped you in a hug. Followed by the whole family. "You'll be fine…everything will be fine" jake says, pulling away from the hug. You smile at him, as you felt your baby calming down.

"Come here beautiful little ball" says neytiri taking the baby from your arms. You hand him to her, breathing calmly. "Why don't we go have breakfast, okay?" says Jake, as everyone starts walking to the hut. You turn once more into the distance, hoping that at least your brother had returned with you. "Hey…you coming?" speaks neteyam, taking your hand. You move closer, and lay your head on his arm, letting him guide you inside.

You help prepare breakfast with kiri, while lo'ak jokes with you. Neytiri was holding the baby in her lap, combing some pieces of his hair. Jake was next to her, chatting with her. Even tuk was next to you, lying on your back. This is what you wanted so badly… for so long. You felt so happy, comfortable and safe. As if you belonged here, as if this had always been your determined place. Kiri and lo'ak keep joking, while you get up from the floor. You go out to look for neteyam, since you had arrived at the family hut, he had not entered. You walk out, to find him staring off into the distance.

"Hey… what's wrong with you?" you ask, approaching him. Watching as he reaches out his hand, to take yours. Dragging you towards him, to hug you. Hugs had become habitual between the two of you…after all he said he was going to protect you. "I was just wondering if your brother would come…he looked unsure," says Neteyam. He can hear your sigh. "That's up to him…he knows he's always welcome here" you say, hugging neteyam tighter. "You're right" neteyam gives you a kiss on the crown of your head.

"And you, what are you thinking?" neteyam lowers his head, watching as you look up at him with a tender smile. "Did I ever tell you that we had already met in a vision?" you speak, seeing neteyam's ears perk up curiously, pouting his lips. You chuckle to yourself, lowering your gaze, burying your head on his chest. "I don't think so…but I'd like you to tell me the whole story," says Neteyam. Neteyam takes your chin in his hands, slowly moving closer to let his lips touch yours and ……

"Hey!!!! Get up!!!!" shouts your brother. You flutter your eyes open, sitting up in your bed made of some animal skins. Stroking your neck, you moan quietly for a moment, trying to get yourself together. "Hey…dad's been calling you for a while. I think you should go" says your brother, you look at him curiously, you seemed to have a dead look on your face. "What? Are you here?" you ask, touching your brother's face. Making a disgusted face, and pulling away from your touch.

"Did you have another vision again ah? What was it about this time?" the boy asks, as you watch a snowstorm fall outside the hut. It was all a vision, it had felt so real…so real. "This time it was…so real" you speak, almost stuttering. "mmm remember what mama says, that visions are completed in their own time, in eywa time" your brother says, working on the basket he was weaving.

You remain silent, for a moment. Something in you felt joy, because if that was the case. You knew you were going to be okay. But on the other hand, you knew you were going to lose so many important people in your life, for others to come along. "Are you okay?" your brother asks you, you reach over and give him a kiss on the forehead. "I'm going to miss you so much" your brother looks at you with confusion. "You're crazy!" he says, you just laugh. Lying back down on your bed, waiting for everything to happen.

Teyam babygurls: symptoms-of-moonlight , tru-blubelle, mashiromochi, ducks118, @butterfly-ibuki, @innercreationflower, @ok-boke, @lovelyygirl8, @sandaltoesocks, @he110hon, @inlovewithpandora, @sussybaka10, @mommyneytiri, @daughterofjakesully, @symptoms-of-moonlight @ilostmyaccounf @archer-fb @he110hon @kenzi-woycehoski @emery-333 @smoiesaustine @a--lyara-main-account, @im-in-a-pansexual-panik, @lelaleleb

469 notes · View notes

lost-in-fiction-like-ur-mom · 2 years ago

Text

Following you to the ends of the earth

BRANDON STARK X READER

Summary- Your time with Bran, Meera, and Hodor in the Three-Eyed Raven's cave. Unsaid feelings become said 🫶😩.

Part two right here!

A/N- This is my first writing piece ever! I am 100% open to constructive criticism! If there is any typos or mistakes pls lmk!!

Word count- 4,067

The cold of the cave had always left you unsteady. Even though you were finally out of the harsh snow and plundering winds, you couldn't help but feel a sense of unsafety in the dark rock that was now your shelter.

It had all happened so fast, following Bran, pledging to stay by his side through it all. It was a decision you little heart was determined to follow through on. All because of a small crush. You remember playing with Bran in your free time, a privilege of your mother being a handmaid to Catelyn Stark. But you weren't a child anymore, years had passed and your pledge turned into a duty, then an admiration for the boy.

His still body was leaning onto you, head falling back onto your shoulder. Though his legs to the right of your own. Brans weight was heavy against your chest but it was a feeling you wouldn't trade for anything.

Foggy eyes returned to you after what seemed like hours. With a gasp and a small shake in your arms, he came to. A Raven fluttering and exclaiming as the two men came out of the sight. Though it was only a few minutes, his time in the past always seemed longer to you.

His face expressed confusion, yet he still gave you a gentle smile. He turned to face the Old man, just after adjusting himself onto his side, out of your touch.

Him being in your arms during his visions started as an uncounsions act. You always wanted to be close to Brandon when he wasn’t fully with you. He worried you to no end and you wanted to be right there, holding him. Over the months of shyly inching closer to him while he was in a state of unconsciousness turned into you resting his head agaisnt your shoulder. Sometimes even leaning into your stomach, chest, or lap. Which was much to your enjoyment. Even if he didn't realize he leaned into your touch, it still warmed your heart.

He voiced his concern after a sharp breath,"You finally show me something I care about, and then you drag me away" His voice was emotional and yearnful. You chewed the inside of your cheek, waiting for the Three-Eyed Raven to respond.

"It is beautiful beneath the sea, but if you stay too long, you'll drown." The old man spoke in riddles. You never quite had the nag for understanding the man and his complex way of wording, although you knew that Bran would have explained them if you asked.

"I wasn't drowning, I was home!" The quiver in his voice left you saddened. He let out a puff of air as he reverted to his original position, off of his elbows and his back to your chest. Which was much more comfortable for him. You tried your best to comfort him as you squeezed his arm and swept some of his hair from his face, fondling a few of his locks. A pass-time you both enjoyed.

You never really had to ask, but the words flowed anywyas, "Where did you go this time?" A smile was on your face as you were curious for some details on his latest adventure.

His tone shifted into a lighter one, and you could feel some of the tension in his body release itself. "I saw Hodor." He said to you, then turned to the named man.

"Wylis?" He was only met with a "Hodor."

"I saw you as a boy." He then faced you, eyes staring deep. "His name was Wylis and he could talk, he was speaking normally." You questioned him for his own amusement, his smile growing. "Really? What happened, you saw him in your vision?" You were met with a small shrug of his shoulders, and you both looked to the person in question. Who only responded with his expected, "Hodor."

You changed the topic by starting with a sigh, "Meera's outside again, she's going to get sick... Nothing I say will bring her in." You contemplated even asking, but it was worth a shot. "You want to go see if you can change anything?'

He wouldn't even know where to start, but if you had asked him to pull down the moon and take out the stars out one by one, he would try his hardest.

A nod signaled his wilingness to you, and you called Hodor over. Hodor lifted Bran with ease, and you continued on. "Maybe tell her about Hodor- or Wylis- in your vision." He loved how you were always trying to make people feel better, even if it clashed with your true emotions and own thoughts. You always seemed to think of others before yourself.

The three of you made your way to the entrance of the cave, where Meera sat. All of a sudden you missed the dark alleys of the cave, It was much colder outside. You were already losing the feeling in your toes, as a result of not being properly clothed at the moment. A consequence of taking your wools off, which might have been to hold Bran better.

Hodor slowly lowered Bran to the fluffy snow beneath, this being routine for the two. You subconsciously sat down onto the snow as well. Maybe it was to be on the same level as everyone, or possbly to make yourself feel what Bran did. Whatever the reason, you helped him shuffle his legs straight, then you both turned to Meera.

After Jojen had died, it was as if you were talking to a hollowed out shell. A part of her was lost. Though, she found a wicked wave of comfort looking out into the mountains of ice. Her back was to the cave, including Hodor, Bran, and you.

"Meera, Its not safe out here. You shouldn't be outside the cave." Bran tried, unknowingly repeating what you had told the girl earlier.

"It's not safe anywhere." Meera responded, eyes locked on the snow infront of her.

Brandon looked at you before continuting and facing Meeras back, "I saw that Hodor wasn't always Hodor."

"His real name is Wylis. He could talk and he could fight, and-and then" His words stopped as the girl shifted to see the three of you.

"Meera, please tell us what we can do." You said, reaching a hand out to her. "I want to help you, truly, but you need to open up a little. We are here for you." You were met with silence and an unwavering look of stubbornness from her.

Bran broke the quiet, "The Three-Eyed Raven says there is a war coming."

With a scoff Meera spoke, "Yeah, and we are going to fight it in there?" You patted Bran on the forearm, he took it as his sign to leave you and her alone together. You always had a better time at connecting with Meera. She was like a sister to you, and you knew that she needed someone to be there for her.

Hodor clamored over at the request of the Stark, and lifted Bran to take him back inside the sheltered cave.

"He tries to understand, Meera, he really does." You defended.

"I know, but all I do is sit and watch his visions. I don't know how you do it, it all seems pointless. How do you not go mad, because I know I will if we keep at this." She revealed. As she spoke, you got up and sat down next to her, knees touching.

"I question that myself sometimes too." She gave a light smile, then back to melancholy. "We need you. Brandon, Hodor, and I can not do this without you. I heard that we will be leaving soon though... And frankly, I am terrified. Terrified that I might lose another one of the people I love most. You have to swear that you will talk to me Meera, please. We can work through this." All you wanted were for things to go back to the way they were before her brothers death. When the five of you would feel comfortable with each other. You wanted it so bad, even when you knew it was impossible.

You are met with a nod of her head, and seeing her face you recognized that she needed to be alone now. With a friendly nudge of her shoulder, you made your part and went back into the cave.

Another day brought Bran and the Three-Eyed Raven a new vision. From what you understood, they kept going into the past, seeing glimpses of what happened before Bran was born. Although you were confused on how this woud help the war, Bran insisted that with time it would be revealed. You were just happy that Brandon was getting training for his special sight.

Unlike his last vision, Bran wasn't in your arms. You were too busy helping Hodor untangle one of the strings in his coat. He tended to fiddle with them when he as anxious, and they got pretty messy.

You were interrupted by a much more violent and sharp gasp from Bran. Before you could ask on what had happened, he spoke.

"Why did you do that! Take me back, I want to go back!" he panted. You got up from your seat with Hodor, making your way over to the distressed boy.

Crouching down next to Bran, you started to reach out, but were interrupted.

"No." Was the simple answer given to Bran by the old man.

In an attept to convey the urgency to the Three-Eyed Raven, Bran pulled away from you. He struggled to pull himself up, but was untimately successful. Now facing the old man, holding himself up by his forearms and elbows. "He heard me!" Bran's voice was getting louder.

Contrary to him, the Three-Eyed Raven stood monotone, "Maybe. Or maybe he heard the wind." You did not know what was going on. You were starting to grow anxious at Bran's response to the situation.

"He. Heard. Me." Bran insisted.

"The past is already written, the ink is dry."

"Can someone please enlighten me to the sitution?" You questioned. Though, upsettingly met with no response. The two carried on with their quarrel, like you were not even there. If there was one thing you hated, it was being ignored by your own friends.

"What's in that tower?" Bran demanded an answer, shifting on his forearms, staring daggers into the Three-Eyed Raven. "I want to go back there."

"I have told you many times. Stay too long where you don't belong, and you will never return." A warning from the man.

"And why would I want to return!" You gave a barely auidble gasp at Bran's words. He couldn't possibly mean that he wanted to leave this world for the one in his visons? Could he?

"What, so I could just be a cripple again? So I can talk to an old man in a tree?" Bran stated fiercely. His words were true, he did want to leave this world.

"Brandon, what are you saying?" You wanted to hide away as soon as the words left your mouth, they were weak and revealed what you felt. Bran craned his neck to see you. He didn't look for long, as he turned back to the Three-eyed Raven when he spoke.

"Do you think I wanted to sit here for a thousand years? Watching the world from a distance, as the roots grew through me?"

"So why did you?" Bran tried to reason.

"I was waiting for you." Bran was irritated by this response. "I do not want to be like you." He said as-a-matter-of-factly.

With a laugh, the old man said "I don't blame you. You won't be here forever. You won't be an old man in a tree. But, before you do leave, you will learn."

"Learn what?"

"Everything."

With that being said, the Three-Eyed Raven dismissed Bran claiming he needed rest.

With all the bravery you could muster, you went over to Bran. "Can I speak now?" You angrily said.

"What is there to say?" He was angry as well, but not at you. Never at you.

You rubbed both hands down you face, "Help me understand. What could you have possibly seen that would make you want to leave us?"

"I can do so much more in my visions. I can walk! I feel things, I can do things. I mean something and I am not just a broken cripple." his voice raised at his last words.

"Can't you see, you have never been just a cripple to me. You are not just Bran the Broken. Are you so selfish that you would leave us without you? Brandon, I cannot live without you. Why do these visions claim you like an obsession? I thought we were in this together, that we work things out as a team. I am always on your side, but I do not take lightly to being ignored, you know this." You wanted to cry, to bawl your eyes out and to go back in time. To tell your little self that her heart would be torn. That the childhood crush was now complete and raw love for Brandon. But he would never feel the same. There was no point in wishing. It was a cruel trick your mind played.

He thought on his next words to say, but you had already made up your mind on the silent treatment. There wasn't many rooms to storm off to in a cave, but the many crevices of the stone would give you enough decisions.

You knew it was cruel to walk away from a man who physically couldn't follow, but you couldn't bare to see the look in his deep eyes. Oh, the eyes you loved so dearly. The eyes you could only wish to die looking into.

Night fell quickly, and Meera didn't even take notice to your swelled eyes, or the fact you were avoiding Bran. Not that you would have had a minute alone anyways. She was far too lost in her grief.

You tossed and turned on the cold, hard ground. Sleep escaped you. You found yourself not just thinking of Bran and your feelings to him, but also the future. Would Bran simply return as the new Three-Eyed Raven. Would he become the Three-Eyed Raven, what would happen to the old man? Were his poor siblings alive? Was your dearest old friend Sansa well?

It was hard to miss the heavy footsteps that shook you from your thoughts. You recognized them to be Hodors. He let a hand out to grasp your shoulder, thinking you were asleep.

"Whats wrong Hodor, did something happen?" "Hodor." His voice was even, he wasn't upset or in danger. This gave you little relief however, what else could he want.

You sat up, squinting at him. "Hodor."

Should you get up? Does he want food, was his coat tangled? No, he wouldn't wake you for something so small.

You stood up. His height over you was intimidating to anyone who didn't know him. But, you did know him. One of the most gentle souls.

He guided you to a section of the cave which was partially blocked off. With a hand to your back, he ushered you forward. You trusted him, going blindly to the closed off area.

Bran was sat against the cave walls, hands folded in his lap. Summer was curled up beside him, eyes slightly opening at the disturbance then shutting again. You wanted to turn around and run outside, maybe the Wights would get you before further embarrassment.

"Thank you Hodor." Bran dismissed the large man.

You were at a lost for words, bashully staring at the floor. After replaying the conversation in your head over and over again, you realized your feelings had got the best of you. You had overreacted.

"I am so sorry Bran, I spoke before I thought. I know you didn't mean what you said, I've just been a ball of anxiety and emotions. We can just forget what happened and move on, so you can grow with your powers." You mustered out, words losing strength. Still standing rigid in front of him, feet away.

He let you finish. Somehow he knew you needed to speak before listening. With a deep breath he began. "Please sit?"

You expected him to have a plain excuse, and leave it at that. Though things were never that easy with Bran. He gestured to the spot next to him.

Timidly, you moved to sit down. Careful to keep your distance and not touch him, you didn't understand why though.

He said your name in an exhale, looking off to the empty space that was now infront of him. He then turned to you.

Your heart was racing, there had never been a time like this. Any squarrel the two of you had was forgotten quickly and moved on the same day of. This was a bigger feat, and was much more than what Bran had let slip to the Three-Eyed Raven.

"I do not have the proper words to express... Here.. In this world I am just a cripple," You tried to stop his negative talk about himself, but was shushed. "I would give up many things to feel my legs again.. But it would not even be a consideration to leave you beind. I know without a shred of doubt I cannot live without you. But you- you don't need me." He admitted, picking at the wool of his coat sleeve.

"Bran, I do not care if you cannot walk or run." You insisted.

He knew you were telling the truth, but he also knew that there would be much you would miss out on if you stayed with him.

"Can I tell you something?"

"Anything, anything at all Bran."

"You mustn't tell a soul, it could ruin many lives." You were a bit worried, but urged him to go on.

"Of course not."

"I didn't fall." He waited to see your reaction, which was confused.

"The day when I had my accident, I did not fall. I was pushed. I was pushed by Jamie lannister."

"The Queens brother?" You scooted closer, your leg knowingly touching his. A hand dropping on to his own. Which he held.

"While climbing an abandoned tower, I saw him and his sister...Queen Cersei." You begged him to continue, what could they have possibly been doing to push Bran from the top of a tower.

"They were engaged in want I found out to be intimate relations." He had a sour look on his face.

You mouth fell open, "But, they are twins? The queen was married, and engaged in such acts?" you were baffled, and quickly understood why it was a touchy subject.

"Why would you let them get away with such an act. They left a permanent change on your life.."

He deeply inahaled, he possibly didn't know why he did it either. His posture changed as he prepared his next words. Pursing his lips before speaking.

"The last thing I remember was him sayng, 'The things I do for love.'" His mouth slightly ajar as he stared at you.

"Bran, I would do anything for you..." You tightly gripped his hand with your own.

He gave you a sorrow look. "You don't want me."

A sob threatened at your throat. How could he possibly think so lowly of himself. When you thought the world of him.

"Bran I love you. It would be a cruel joke to claim otherwise." You brought your free hand to cup one side of his cheek. Thumb moving up and down, a soothing method.

He loved you too, so much that he thought his heart might burst. That he could die in content just knowing you would have a happy life. A happy life where a husband could give you whatever you wanted. He thought you deserved piles of jewels, maids at your feet... children.

He changed his gaze to the floor, forcing your hand off his face. He prepared himself to use his last resort to turn you away. "I could not give you a child."

With a slight scoff, "That is years before us, how could you possibly know anways. How could you know for sure."

"Many Maesters had come to check my legs, each confirming a thing I didn't understand at the time. You need someone who can provide for you." His insecurities flowing out. You swear you saw a single tear flow down.

You couldn't imagine being with anyoe else "If it means being with you, then I do not want children. It would be the greatest honor to spend the rest of my life with you Brandon Stark." You continued.

"Please, Bran. I would live in misery if I knew I never had a chance with you, what can I do to be enough."

He jerked up, eyebrows frowning. "You are everything anyone could ask for. How could you say that, nothing else would make you more perfect."

"Then why don't you want me? I see past a cripple, I would scream it to the world that I love you. That you are much more than what people see with their ignorant eyes." You begged, pulling at his hands. "Prove to me that I am enough Bran." You finished.

"I would have wished to do this in a more proper way, to have planned better. But It would fill my days with an unspeakable and ultimate joy for you to be my bride one day, will you make such a pledge? To wed back in our home, in Winterfell one day?" He asked. Tightly holding your hand in his. Heart pounding and cheeks rosy. His eyes looking back and forth at you, searching for any sign of disgust or dismay. He feared this was all some kind of joke Meera and you decided to play.

You didn't respond at first, you leaned out to him, placing you head on his chest. You got comfortable in his arms, which had quickly invited you. He rubbed your back with one hand. The other resting on your shoulder.

You listened for his heartbeat, knowing it was quicker than normal, then you whispered, "Nothing would make me happier." you turned your head up, noses touching.

His brown eyes deeply filling your gaze. You didn't want anything else to ruin this moment.

You swallowed stiffly and brought your head up a smidge higher to brush your lips to his. He grabbed the back of your head and closed the gap, kissing you.

It wasn't like how you had read in stories. No, this was very different than you had ever imagined your first kiss being. This was Bran, warm and soulful. You swore you could never leave this moment.

The painful inexperience the two of you had was promiennt. Both slightly insecure, but nonetheless in love. You pulled back slightly to hold his face in your hands. He brought a hand up to wipe a tear you didn't know had fallen from your cheeks.

A laugh escaped your mouth, "I have wanted this forever. I had dreamed about this moment, Brandon" He looked silently, and responded by pulling you in for a hug.

"You are now my betrothed," He spoke as if you might have denied it. "I will love you till the day the gods take me from you, and I will stay true to only you." He ended with your name on his lips.

You giggled, looking up at him once more. Giving him a peck before nestling back into his fur coat.

From all the movement, Summer had awaken again. She came up to the two of you and tried to nuzzle inbetween. Though Bran had no intentions of letting you go. Summer gave each of you a long lick across your faces, like she knew what had just happened.

Now straddling the boy beneath you, you thought how on you were prepared to spend your whole life with Bran.

With Summer leaning against you, Bran and you fell asleep in eachothers arms. The troubles of the future could wait another day, and Bran would tell you every detail about his vision with his father tomorrow. But all he wanted now was to hold you.

A/n- TYSM for reading ily!

509 notes · View notes

darlingsfandom · 1 year ago

Note

omgg i saw the oppenheimer screening and it gave me the idea to request smut where cillian and reader go to the bathroom after he has been interviewed and hes obsessive and needy

you have good ideas!

"Darling!" Cillian leaned into your ear as you walked past him to sit down next to him in the soft movie theater chair.

"Yes my love?" You answered with a soft smile painted on your lips.

"I need ya... now!" His hand rested on your knee giving it a slight squeeze as he gave you pleading eyes.

"But baby, it's your movie screening!"

"I'm in the damn movie, I know what happens! Please darling?" His hand hiked up your dress a little before running his fingers on your inner thigh. Your breath hitched a little bit before you turned to actually see how much he was begging with his icy blue eyes.

"After the movie starts okay? Can you wait a few more minutes?" You placed your hand over his on your thigh as he squeezed it harshly. Cillian huffed a little bit before nodding and returned his focus to the screen in front of him. You laid your head on his shoulder and looped your arm around his. Both of you sat quietly until the lights finally went down. A few cheers and sounds of clapping filled the air before you lifted your head up to look around. Everyone was glued to the screen.

"Meet me in the hall in two minutes!" You whispered into his ear before giving it a little nibble. Cillian looked up at you as you excused yourself while bending down so you didn't block anyone's view. You straightened up once in the hallway. Luckily the halls were empty since everyone was sitting for the screening.

Your dress flowed down your body nicely and showed off the most innocent parts of your skin leaving little room for imagination which is why Cillian was so worked up.

"My gorgeous doll." His accent filled your ears as his arms snuck around your waist. You jumped a little at the sudden surprise contact before a small giggle left your lips. His hands traveled up your sides while his lips kissed along the back of your neck slowly making your knees feel weak.

"Cillian... not out here baby." Your words came out quietly as you pulled on his hands before taking him into the bathroom.

"Not a very sexy place darlin... but I'd fuck ya anywhere anytime." His lips attached to yours before you could say anything. Your arms wrapped around his neck as you stumbled backwards into an empty stall. He quickly locked it before reattaching his lips to yours. Your tongue pushed against his lips which Cillian allowed as your hands ran over his chest. The kissing got heavier with each second passing. His hands ran down your backside before gripping your ass making you whine into the kiss as he played with your ass. Your ears perked up at the sound of the zipper on your dress being unzipped.

"Looked so good on you baby, but I look better." Cillian kissed along your jaw as your dress hit the floor exposing your breasts to the cold air making your nipples harder. His mouth quickly found them as he kissed his way down to them. You gasped loudly. Cillian sucked softly on them before he got on his knees and wrapped his arms around your thighs.

"Cillian baby, I thought this was about you?" Your fingers trailed through his hair.

"Oh but baby , it still is silly girl!" Before you could respond you felt his fingers spreading your folds while slowly sticking his tongue inside of you.

"CILLIAN!" Your mouth hung open as he waisted no time in eating your pussy.

"That's it baby! Let everyone know who's eating yer pretty cunt!" He mumbled into you while you whimpered. Cillian loved eating you out, always drunk off your pussy when he did. Your hips took control as you mindlessly humped his face, Cillian didn't mind though. He loved it. Your whimpers grew louder as he dug his nails down your plushy thighs. He was a man starved.

"I can feel ya clenching my fingers baby. Give me your first orgasm honey." His fingers worked in and out of you as your hot skin rubbed against the cold stall door. Your head was swimming in thoughts that would make god himself blush. Your mouth hung open as moans filled up Cillians ears. His free hand moved to palm himself. He was lost in your pussy. Between his warm tongue and thick fingers working you over you cried out his name as the bubbling in your tummy bursted. He buried his face further into you to lap up your juices.

"Your... fuck... turn!" You slid down to your knees before Cillian picked you back up and pushed your back against the door.

"No no baby, love how ya suck me cock but I need yer pussy now!" Cillian fumbled with the buttons on his pants before shoving them down along with boxers. He sprung free with a sigh of relief making you blush and giggle in a good way. He gave you a smile before kissing you hard. Cillians hand rested next to your head as he used his hand to guide his cock inside of you. He grabbed your leg to wrap around his waist as he pushed deep inside of you.

"OH MY! FUCK!" Your eyes squeezed shut as a hiss left your lips.

"I know honey, it's okay!" Cillian ran his hand over your cheek with a smile on your lips. You finally relaxed when the sting of the stretch finally went away. Cillian waited until he seen that you were ready for him to move. "Good girl darlin." His lips attached to yours as he slowly thrusted into. He took it slow at first before he couldn't hold back anymore. He pounded hard into making the door you were gripping onto the best you could shake. Your fingers hung over the top of it as Cillian pressed his body into yours. His fingers gripped your chin with pressure making you look down at him and into his eyes as he thrusted faster into you.

"It's a good movie but... OH someone's getting it!" A voice came into the bathroom as Cillian thrusted upwards into you. His hand quickly went over your mouth so you wouldn't yell his name out loud. The last thing you two needed was the press running in here finding out what happened. "I guess I'll come back later!" You heard the deep chuckle and the door open again before it slammed shut. Your eyes darted back to Cillian who was staring you down as his thrusts were getting sloppy. You moaned against his hand as the familiar feeling in your gut boiled up again. Cillian removed his hand to place his lips in place instead as he squeezed on your hips.

"Take it baby! Gonna cum in yer pretty cunt!" He grunted loudly as his eyes stayed locked into yours as his jaw dropped and you felt him cum deep in you. Your own orgasm chased after his but as you went to close your eyes Cillian made you look into his eyes as you did. Your eyes watered a little as your knees buckled into his. "Dats a good girl yeah! My good girl!" He held you in your arms as your slumped into his arms. He kissed the top of your head before getting you cleaned up and dress back on your body.

"I love you." Cillian moved your hair back into place while looking into your eyes.

"I love you Cillian." You smiled up at him as you zipped up his pants and gave it a playful pat making him laugh before carefully sneaking back into the theater. The two of you had got away with it or so you had thought because soon as the lights came back on, the fresh love bites Cillian made were front and center along your neck as the lovely shade of lipstick you were wearing was smeared across Cillians lips. It was worth it.

#cillian murphy blurb #Cillian Murphy #Cillian Murphy smut #cillian murphy drabble #cillian murphy oppenheimer

118 notes · View notes

montammil · 6 months ago

Text

Forever Be Mine, part 4

Masterlist here!

CW: Yandere/creepy whumper, dubcon kissing(?), branding, manipulative behavior, tiiiiny bit nsfw

...

Sawyer leaned his head against Rowan's chest, giving in completely, too weak to move much at all anymore. Rowan carried him out of the basement and up the stairs to their bathroom. He set Sawyer down on the toilet seat and started filling up the tub with warm water. Once it was full enough, he picked him back up and placed him in the tub gently.

The water stung horribly against the wound on his side, making Sawyer's breath hitch in his throat. Rowan shushed him and grabbed a washcloth from the sink, wetting it and rubbing it over his body to clean him off.

"Don't worry, I'll bandage up your wound when we're done here," he assured him. "It'll heal up just fine, okay?"

Sawyer didn't respond, too exhausted to speak at the moment.

After wiping him down, Rowan reached into the water and began to soap up his skin and hair. He hummed softly while he worked, occasionally pausing to kiss his face or neck.

Sawyer didn't fight him anymore, just letting him do whatever he wanted and focusing on trying not to pass out, even if the thought was a little tempting.

When Rowan finished cleaning him off, he lifted him out of the tub and dried him with a fluffy towel. He laid Sawyer on his uninjured side on the bed and pressed a kiss over the burn mark on his skin.

"There we go," Rowan cooed as he rubbed aloe vera gel onto the wound. "Feels better now, doesn't it?"

Sawyer couldn't even respond, whimpering quietly when Rowan's fingers grazed over the tender area.

Rowan patted his back and moved away from him momentarily, only to return with gauze and medical tape. He applied the bandages to cover up the burn wound and held them down with a piece of tape on each end. After tying them securely in place, Rowan moved back towards Sawyer's face. He still smelled like blood, much to Sawyer's disgust. He traced along his jawline with one finger.

"Does it still hurt?" Rowan asked, stroking his cheek with a thumb. Sawyer nodded, unable to speak properly in his state. "I know," he sighed. "I hated having to punish you like that, but you gave me no choice."

He reached forward and pulled Sawyer closer to him, cradling him against his chest. Sawyer couldn't bring himself to fight back anymore. He just lay there limp and defeated, wishing he was anywhere but here.

He felt so humiliated by the situation he found himself in, by how much power Rowan held over him now. He couldn't even remember how many times Rowan had said "I love you" over the past few days, but it made him want to cry every time he heard it.

Tears rushed to his eyes as much as he so desperately tried to keep them down. Sawyer didn't want Rowan to see him like this, didn't want to give him the satisfaction of breaking him so easily. But at this point, he couldn't hold them back anymore.

"Hey," Rowan whispered soothingly. "Hey, no no no no..." He pulled the smaller man into his lap and held him close while he cried into his shoulder. "Don't cry, honey." He stroked his hair tenderly and rubbed his back in slow circles. "Everything's okay now."

Sawyer shook his head. Nothing was okay anymore, nothing would ever be okay again. He could still feel the skewer digging into his flesh, could still hear the gunshots as Rowan killed him in cold blood. Could still feel the knife tearing through his shirt. It hurt so fucking bad and all he wanted was to go home. He was so dissociated he didn't even realize he was still completely naked until Rowan slid a pair of underwear onto him.

Rowan guided him down onto his side and tucked them both into bed, spooning Sawyer from behind and resting his chin on top of his head.

"It broke my heart having to do that to you," he mumbled. "I hate hurting you. But I had to do it to show you I am serious about this."

"Wasn't killing that guy enough?" Sawyer croaked.

He tightened his grip, causing a flash of pain to course through Sawyer's injured side. "If I let him live, he would've ruined everything," Rowan choked out. "I can't lose you, Sawyer." He pressed a kiss into his hair. "I can't live without you."

Sawyer didn't reply this time. He didn't know what he could even say to that without risking further punishment or worse. So instead he stayed quiet, letting Rowan hold him close and whisper sweet nothings into his ear until he drifted off to sleep.

...

When Sawyer woke up the next morning, Rowan was already awake beside him. He had propped himself up on an elbow and was staring down at him.

Sawyer glanced around the room and noticed a plate of food on the nightstand next to them, along with some pills and a glass of water. He had no idea how long it had been since he last ate or drank anything, but at this point, he didn't care either way.

"Here," Rowan said quietly, grabbing the pills off the table and handing them to him. "Take these."

The shorter man stared at the two pills in his palm. "What are they?"

Rowan smiled at him sweetly, "Just antibiotics."

Sawyer eyed him suspiciously. He didn't trust him, but with the pain in his side and the memories that would now haunt him for the rest of his life, he was in no place to argue. He reluctantly swallowed the pills and chased them down with a sip of water.

Rowan pecked his cheek before getting out of bed and stretching out his arms above his head. He returned to Sawyer with a piece of toast slathered with strawberry jam along with hash browns. Sawyer took the plate and set it on his lap. He ate slowly and tried to avoid eye contact with Rowan while doing so, who seemed to be watching his every move as always.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Sawyer glanced up at him through narrowed eyes.

"I'm just not hungry right now." He gave him a smile, "I know it's silly, but I like watching you eat. I like watching you do anything." Sawyer shuddered internally and averted his gaze downwards, focusing on his food instead of Rowan's eyes boring into him.

Sawyer wished he had any fight in him, but he just didn't. Hell, he didn't even have any compliance in him, either. He was always so good at putting on a charming smile and making people adore him with ease.

Now though? He couldn't muster up enough energy to fake something as simple as a smile. Rowan would surely notice if he tried anything at all though. And given how his luck had been going lately, he wasn't about to risk being tortured again anytime soon.

The idea of being tortured again made Sawyer's stomach lurch, so he put the plate back on the nightstand, unable to stomach more food.

Rowan frowned but said nothing about it. Instead, he draped an arm over him and leaned his head against his. Sawyer expected him to be happy about his compliance, but all he felt from Rowan was disappointment.

"What are you thinking about?" Rowan ran his fingers through his hair.

Sawyer flinched away from the touch automatically. "Nothing," he mumbled.

Rowan sighed heavily, "You can't lie to me."

Well apparently, he very well could. Sawyer almost chuckled at that irony. "I'm sorry," he blurted out before Rowan could do anything rash. "I'm just tired." He avoided his gaze but could feel it burning into him regardless.

He turned Sawyer's face towards him with a finger on his jaw and studied his expression for a few moments. Sawyer wasn't sure what he saw there, but Rowan finally let go of him and stood off the bed with a huff. "Fine then," he grunted as he stormed out of the bedroom.

Sawyer rolled his eyes at the petty behavior he was exhibiting. He was still recovering from being tortured only a few hours prior, and Rowan was being an immature child about him not indulging him in conversation.

He wouldn't have believed any of this was happening a week ago if someone told him this would be his future. Things had gone from him being a confident single man with a stable career to being the victim of a deranged stalker in the blink of an eye.

There were so many things that Sawyer wished he could've done differently. Maybe if he had just paid more attention to his surroundings, he wouldn't be in this mess right now.

The guilt weighed in his stomach like a ton of bricks.

An hour or so passed by, and Sawyer was still bored out of his mind. He hadn't heard a sound from Rowan since he stormed off earlier and wondered where he had gone to sulk away his childishness.

Out of curiosity, he stood to his feet and grabbed a shirt that he assumed was laid out for him, draping down to his knees. He ventured out of the room, careful not to make a sound in case Rowan was still sulking somewhere nearby.

Since the door wasn't unlocked, it was easy to assume that Rowan was still in the house somewhere. The question now was, where?

He stepped down the stairs, holding onto the railing tightly as he descended. Sawyer paused when he heard music coming from the kitchen. He tip-toed forward and peeked inside to see Rowan leaning against the counter while reading a newspaper. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail again and his reading glasses were on.

"Hello," Rowan greeted him without looking up.

Sawyer froze. "Hi," he mumbled back, moving into the room. He looked at the stove where a teapot was whistling loudly. Rowan turned off the burner and poured two cups of tea before sliding one to Sawyer. "Thank you," he murmured and took a sip.

It was earl grey again, and he preferred it over the other options Rowan had provided him with, though it brought him no pleasure knowing he had drugged him with the same thing in the past.

Rowan stared at him expectantly and motioned towards an empty chair. Sawyer hesitated for a moment before sitting down across from him at the table. He watched as Rowan returned to reading his newspaper, flipping through each page every minute or so.

It was hard not to stare at Rowan. He normally was so talkative and touchy with Sawyer, but now he just acted like he wasn't there.

Not that Sawyer liked his bubbly attitude. It was the most annoying thing he ever had to face.

But it was unnerving seeing him acting so cold. It made Sawyer feel small and insignificant. Like he wasn't worth Rowan's time at all. And if his own obsessed kidnapper thought that, then what did the outside world think? Did anyone even care that he was gone?

"Are you mad at me?" Sawyer asked softly.

Rowan only responded with an unamused hum.

Sawyer shrunk in on himself and continued drinking his tea silently. He had no idea what kind of mood Rowan was in right now and didn't want to upset him even more. He'd just need to find a different way out, even if it meant playing the long game. He could do that if it meant getting out alive in one piece.

"I'm not mad at you," Rowan spoke up finally. "I'm just... disappointed." He closed his newspaper and folded it neatly, placing his reading glasses on top of it. "I thought after everything we've been through together, you'd appreciate all I've done for you. I've done nothing but love you with everything I have, but you just..." His voice cracked, "You just take me for granted."

Was this bastard seriously about to cry? The same bastard who kidnapped him?

"I don't mean to," Sawyer rasped. "I'm sorry." He clenched his jaw, fighting back the urge to say more than what he knew Rowan wanted to hear from him.

Rowan wasn't stupid enough to fall for the fake apologies a second time, though. "Really?" He glared at him. "You're sorry?" Sawyer remained silent. "Then prove it to me. Show me you're sorry. I'm done taking your word for it."

Sawyer hesitated. "What do you want me to do?"

He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Kiss me." Right before Sawyer could say 'hell no!' Rowan added, "If you do, I'll take you outside for fresh air today." Sawyer only scoffed. "...and I won't tie you up when we're sleeping."

Fresh air did sound nice. And Rowan wouldn't tie him up at night? That was an even bigger incentive than getting fresh air.

The thought of finally being free from the ropes around his limbs did sound nice too, even if he didn't trust that Rowan would keep his promise. But he wasn't in a position to be picky, and maybe gaining his approval a second time would benefit him more.

Sawyer took a deep breath before standing up and walking around the table to stand in front of Rowan. The taller man looked down at him expectantly, waiting for him to make a move.

He stood on his toes and pressed his lips against Rowan's cheek before pulling away.

Rowan tsked at him. "You call that a kiss?" Sawyer grumbled under his breath. "Kiss me properly."

He gulped down the knot in his throat and leaned forward, kissing him on the mouth this time. Rowan placed a hand on his waist, keeping him in place while his lips moved against his. Sawyer shuddered at the feeling of Rowan's tongue pressing into his mouth, making it difficult not to gag and pull away. But he forced himself to remain still and reciprocate until Rowan was satisfied enough.

After a few seconds, Rowan pulled away and smiled at him with half-lidded eyes. "That's more like it." He cupped Sawyer's cheek in his palm, rubbing his thumb across it gently. "See? You can be good."

Sawyer averted his gaze. "So are you going to let me out?"

"Of course, I'm a man of my word." He took Sawyer's hand in his own and stood up. "Let's get dressed."

Rowan led him upstairs to the bedroom and dug into the wardrobe for clothes. He pulled out a coat, turtleneck, and slacks, tossing them onto the bed for Sawyer to wear.

He changed without complaint, even if wearing Rowan's clothes made his skin crawl. Rowan smiled when he saw how Sawyer looked in his clothes and didn't say much, just dressing himself in a similar fashion.

He took Sawyer's hand and walked him downstairs, guiding him to the front door and unlocking it. Sawyer inhaled deeply, smelling the fresh air and feeling the breeze brush against his face.

It was freezing out, and the sun was hidden behind gray clouds above, threatening rain any minute.

Rowan grabbed an umbrella on his way out and Sawyer followed close behind as he locked up the cabin and led them down the pathway. The lake was quiet and empty save for a couple of birds flying overhead. Even though Sawyer wasn't particularly outdoorsy, the view was pretty damn gorgeous. He wished he could've come here under better circumstances.

They walked down the path in silence until they reached a gazebo by the water, surrounded by trees and shrubbery. Rowan sat down on one of the benches and patted the empty space next to him.

Sawyer glanced around uneasily but obeyed, taking a seat beside him. He pulled his jacket closer to himself and rubbed his arms to warm himself up.

Rowan noticed this and wrapped an arm around him, pulling him closer to his body heat. He cringed and leaned away, but Rowan held firm onto him and rubbed his arm affectionately.

"Are you enjoying your fresh air?" Rowan asked, squeezing him tighter.

"Yeah," he responded.

"Good." Rowan leaned over and kissed the top of his head. "I knew you would." Sawyer sighed and let Rowan hold him close without struggling or attempting to move away this time. He leaned his head against Rowan's shoulder and stared out over the water. "It's nice out here, isn't it?" Sawyer grunted in agreement. "Maybe next time, I'll take you out on the boat. I think that'd be romantic, don't you?"

Sawyer stiffened in his arms at the thought of being out on the water with nowhere to run to. But Rowan didn't seem to notice his reaction as he continued babbling on about how much fun they'd have together in the future.

The sky was darkening overhead and a few drops of rain began to fall, causing Rowan to perk up.

He stood up from the bench and opened up his umbrella. Sawyer followed suit and stood beside him, shivering slightly in the cold air as Rowan held up the umbrella for both of them.

They walked back towards the house, stopping every once in a while for Rowan to point out a bird or interesting plant that caught his eye.

By the time they arrived back inside, Sawyer felt exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. He excused himself to use the bathroom, needing a moment away from Rowan's constant attention.

He locked the door behind him and turned on the tap water, splashing his face with cool liquid. Sawyer glanced into the mirror and winced at his reflection.

His eyes were red from exhaustion and his skin was pale. Dark circles were beginning to form beneath his eyes, which looked even more dull than usual. It was hard to recognize himself like this.

There was a knock at the door, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Are you okay?" Rowan's voice was laced with worry.

"Yeah," Sawyer lied and wiped off his face with a towel. "Sorry." He unlocked the door and opened it to find Rowan standing there with concerned eyes. "Do you have to follow me everywhere I go?" Sawyer grumbled under his breath as he tried pushing past him.

Rowan stopped him in his tracks by placing a hand on his shoulder and gripping it tightly. "Yes," he hissed at him through gritted teeth, "because I need to make sure you don't run off again." Sawyer remained silent and allowed him to lead him back downstairs into the living room. "Sit down," Rowan demanded, pointing at the couch.

Sawyer plopped himself down on the soft cushions and crossed his arms over his chest. He watched Rowan saunter to the kitchen and come back with more bandages in his hand.

He sat down beside him and reached over to remove the old bandages that were starting to fall off.

This entire time Sawyer had been avoiding looking at them on purpose, but he was curious.

Rowan pulled up Sawyer's shirt and unwrapped the gauze around his waist, revealing a dark red burn mark that stretched across his lower abdomen.

At first, it was hard to tell what it said, but after a moment Sawyer realized that it spelled out 'R + S' inside a heart. He choked up at the sight of it and covered his mouth with a hand.

"What do you think?" Rowan asked hopefully as he grabbed ointment. "It looks nice, doesn't it?"

He couldn't respond. The horror was too overwhelming.

"Oh don't look at me like that," he chuckled, rubbing the salve onto his wound, "it'll heal perfectly fine, I promise." Sawyer didn't believe that at all, but there wasn't much he could do about it now. "I know it might not look pretty right now, but trust me, once it's healed up, it'll look amazing. We'll see each other's initials whenever we make love."

"We're never having sex," Sawyer muttered in disgust.

"You say that now..." He pressed a kiss over it, then applied a fresh set of bandages around Sawyer's torso. "I know you like dancing, so I bought a gramophone! I couldn't find the exact one you have, but it's still very nice."

Rowan removed a shellac record from its sleeve and placed it onto the gramophone.

A slow tune began playing, and he offered a hand to Sawyer, who hesitantly accepted it and stood up. Rowan wrapped an arm around his waist while Sawyer draped one on his shoulder, letting Rowan lead the dance.

He would have thought this was romantic if not for the fact that this was all an obsession from a psychopathic kidnapper.

"Do you know this song?" Rowan asked quietly while swaying them in rhythm to the music.

Sadly, Rowan thought, because now it was ruined for him. "...Sweetheart, We Need Eachother... by Jack Payne," he mumbled. "1930."

"I'm impressed you know the date!"

"I love music."

"I know." Rowan's hand slipped lower, resting on Sawyer's hip. "I've never been the biggest fan of jazz or swing, but now that I think of you every time I hear it, it's my favorite genre." He chuckled and shrugged. "Though to be fair, I think about you 24/7. Every single second of every day." Sawyer couldn't help but shiver in discomfort at that sentiment. "Do you think about me too?"

It was impossible not to, considering it was impossible for Rowan to give him space for more than five minutes at a time. "A little bit," he replied half-heartedly.

Rowan beamed at him and dipped him backward. "Good," he purred, planting a kiss on his lips. "I want you to always think about me. About us. Nothing else matters." Sawyer glared. "Oh, do I still need to bargain with you to get a kiss?"

"I guess that depends on what else you can bargain." He didn't mean for it to come across as playful banter, but from the smirk on Rowan's face, he failed at that.

"Hmm... what would you like?"

Freedom was out of the question, even if Sawyer felt tempted to say that just to piss him off. "A pack of cigarettes?" Rowan's smile faded into a scowl. "Okay, fine. Uh... my phone?" He heavily doubted it'd work, but it was worth trying anyway.

Much to his surprise, Rowan nodded. "But only under the condition that this means I can kiss you whenever I like without a fight. No matter what."

Sawyer hated nothing more than kissing this creep, but it was only kissing, and then he could get his phone back. "Fine." He watched Rowan take off the record and sit on the couch, patting his lap. Sawyer took a deep breath and sat on his lap. Rowan cupped his cheeks and leaned forward to connect their lips. Sawyer shuddered but returned the kiss.

Rowan was a horrible kisser, which Sawyer suspected was because he didn't have much experience. Or maybe he was just bad at everything ever. Sawyer honestly couldn't care less; he just wanted to get this over with as fast as possible.

Unfortunately, Rowan was in no hurry. His lips were sloppy and clumsy as he moved them against his own.

Sawyer attempted to mimic his movements and found that they did work better together that way. Rowan was moaning into his mouth and gasping in between kisses.

He yelped when Rowan flipped their positions so he was straddling him, holding him against the couch, and grabbing his thigh to wrap around his waist.

Sawyer panted for air when Rowan finally pulled away from him to catch his breath. The taller man was flushed red and looked absolutely wrecked already from a single make-out session.

"Holy shit," Rowan breathed heavily. He was looking at him as if he had hung the moon and stars.

The shorter man's stomach twisted when he realized how hard he was against his leg. "Can I have my phone now?"

Rowan blinked in confusion before remembering the deal they had made. He nodded and grabbed him by the hand, leading him outside, much to Sawyer's puzzlement.

They stopped in front of a winterberry bush. Rowan retrieved a shovel from a nearby shed and began digging through the dirt.

When he had uncovered an object wrapped in plastic, he placed the shovel on the ground and lifted the object out of the hole. "Here." Rowan handed it over to him with a grin. "Sorry for the wait."

Sawyer examined it for a moment and peeled off the plastic to reveal the phone. His hopeful expression turned into anger very quickly as he looked over the device. He groaned in annoyance when he saw it was completely shattered to pieces. "You asshole! What the fuck is this?" Sawyer raised his voice, holding up the broken phone.

"What are you talking about? It's your phone."

"It's completely shattered! I can't even turn it on!"

"Oh, well that's also because I removed the battery."

Sawyer clenched his jaw in frustration. "Why the fuck did you even bother giving me a broken phone?"

Rowan was frowning, but Sawyer could see the smug smile tempting to make its way to his face. "You told me you wanted your phone. If you wanted a working phone, you should've specified that."

He was an idiot for thinking Rowan would've kept his end of the bargain. "Just--fucking whatever." He opened his mouth to yell at him more, but Rowan shut him up with a peck on the lips. Sawyer growled but knew he couldn't do anything about it.

Rowan had won, again.

#rowan oc #sawyer oc #whump #yandere whumper #male whumpee #male whumper #creepy whumper #intimate whumper #tw noncon touching #noncon touching #whump fic

38 notes · View notes

devinescribe · 8 months ago

Text

Caught Up

Ch. 6 of “My Sunshine” [Treech x Reader]

You went through the rest of the funeral outside. You couldn't bear to be in there. It sickened you.

The hour came where all the mentors were rounded up and you all walked to the hall where you'd have the interviews.

"I can't believe she'd make us go interview them after Arachne's funeral," one girl whispered.

"I can't believe (Y/N) stayed all night," another mentioned.

You ignored them, leaning into Sejanus's side as you walked. His arm was over your shoulders.

"Where's Coryo?"

"Had to give the proposal to Dr. Gaul."

"Oh... so Clemensia is also with him."

Those where the only words spoken between the two of you on the way there.

"We must wait until all of the mentors are here," Dean Highbottom said, sighing heavily. "Snow is lucky he has an excuse to be out," he mumbled.

It was only a few minutes later that Coryo showed up out of breath.

"Where's Clemensia?"

"I don't know she didn't go with me I assumed she was feeling ill, after... the funeral," Coryo responded, his eyes not meeting yours. He was hiding something.

Dean Highbottom stared at him suspiciously but went past you, opening the doors.

You leaned against Sejanus as you walked in.

At first you noticed how all of the tributes were sat at individual tables. They sat on one side, and an empty chair in front of them. You assumed for the mentors. You eyes slowly went down noticing their hands were all on the table. All chained to the table in hand cuffs.

Your eyes widened and you looked towards Dean Highbottom with a questioning look. He looked away, taking a vial out of his pocket and telling you all to begin. He gave you two hours.

Sejanus helped you down the stairs, knowing that you were clumsy when shocked or angered. He walked you over to Treech's table, giving your shoulder a reassuring squeeze, and sitting at the next table over with Marcus.

You could see the anger in Treech's eyes. Cold. Dark. Furious. Like a terrible storm brewing in the distance.

You assumed it was from having his hands chained down. But you saw his eyes look next to you, following Sejanus and his hands. Was he... Jealous? No, that couldn't be it. Maybe he thought that Sej was part of the Capitol pricks who were scared of him? But you knew that you had introduced him.

"I'm sorry..." you whispered, grabbing his hands.

The chains jingled as he turned them over to hold onto yours as well.

"For what? You haven't done anything wrong. They're the ones scared of us. You stayed a whole night," he said, looking around.

You traced the scars and calluses on his hands smiling softly.

"Well... I know a lot about you. But I'm missing seven years of your life... we can take this 'interview' time to just catch up..." you suggested, looking up at him.

He nodded as you let go of his hands and began to ask questions.

"Alright... I know all of these... but here we go... so you got a special girl waitin' back home?" You giggled. A part of you yearned for him to say no.

"Well, my mama. But other than that... no. I don't really... talk to anyone," he said, a blush of embarrassment spreading over his face.

So what Lamina had said was true. You didn't doubt it but hearing him admit it was different.

"Alright... you're such a mamas boy~" you laughed, teasing him.

"Hey, am not," he pouted, blushing furiously.

You laughed, snorting loudly, making most people in the room turn to look at you. You had to hold your stomach in pain as tears began to fall from your eyes.

"It's not that funny stop it," he complained.

You finally caught your breath and smiled at him.

"I missed you. Hmm... anything other than the axe you can use?"

"Well... I guess I could try but... I'm most comfortable with it," he mumbled.

You talked the whole two hours, catching up about everything you had missed the past seven years.

"You know, I wrote letters almost everyday... letters I couldn't send," you admitted.

He looked up from his hands, a shocked look on his face.

"Really?... well... I did the same... and I kind of just wrote stuff for you in general," he said with a small smile.

Those brown eyes of his were going to be the death of you.

"Well... maybe I'll get to read them someday," you smiled. "I could bring you some of mine... if you want?" You whispered.

He nodded, the idea of reading years worth of letters from you making him giddy with excitements

"Alright. Times up. Let's go. Tomorrow morning we will head out to survey the arena. You will come up with strategies to keep you tribute alive. Tomorrow night are the interviews, so make sure you keep this information fresh," Dean Highbottom said, walking out.

You stayed in your seat until you felt Sejanus's hand on your shoulder. You frowned but stood up.

"Well... goodbye... I'll try to go visit you-"

"Maybe you should rest at home for a day," he interrupted. Once more his eyes clouded over with hate. Anger.

"But I-"

"Trust me, you'll need a break Sweetheart."

And with that you started to walk slowly out. Sejanus helped you up the stairs, and you minded to not step wrong in your heels.

You looked down at Treech with a sad look. Why was he upset with you? Had you gone to far with your teasing? He looked up at you, staring for a few seconds and bit his tongue.

Getting home, you sighed heavily, your back leaning against the door.

"Welcome home. Did you forget your way home?" You heard a voice call out.

"No, father. I had assignments for Dr. Gaul-"

"And is that why you were in the zoo cage with that filth? Why you danced with him? Kissed him? Hm? Holding hands? Sleeping together? An assignment?" He spat.

"Well we didn't kiss father... he just made it look like that for the cameras... And you forget where you came from we are part of that so called "filth"," you responded, fidgeting with your necklace.

"No. We are not a part of it. We haven't been. For years. I hoped that putting him in your hands would make you realize that," he said sternly.

You looked up. You had a feeling that's what he meant but you never thought he would go so far to hurt you.

You walked away to your room, closing and locking the door behind your room. You heard your father calling out for you. Your Ma didn't ever try to stop him. She was numb. Ever since you'd all moved away, she had lost her spark much like you. She stayed in her rocking chair, crocheting and staring blankly out the window.

You sat on your bed, and began to cry.

_-_-_-_

The peacekeepers pushed him into the enclosure once more and he had to grit his teeth and bear it. He had already caused enough trouble by protecting you the first day.

If it came to it, he'd do it again. A hundred more times.

He walked over to the corner and leaned back against the wall.

"Hey... um... you looked pretty upset with her today... something wrong?"

He looked up to Lamina. Had he looked upset with (Y/N)? He didn't mean to come off that way, but then again you didn't know of his jealousy.

Seeing that the boy on TV who was always next to you was your friend made him upset. It shouldn't have. But seeing his arm around you, the way he held your hand... the way you leaned into him. Just imagining it was enough for his face to contort into a scowl. Sejanus Plinth. Kind. Innocent. Gullible. Capitol.

He knew Sejanus didn't see himself as Capitol. He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.

"I ain't upset with her. It's not her fault," he said, a bitter tone behind it.

"You sure? Because your face right now when I mentioned her-"

"Lamina. Shut up."

"But why are you upset with her? I'm just worried-"

"Shut up."

"I'm just worried about you as your partner-"

"Do you not know what shut up means? I haven't talked to anyone about it for seven years. I haven't and won't talk about it to some girl who barely knows me," he hissed, his tone sharp and angry.

Lamina's face dropped, and she looked down.

"Good night."

But Treech couldn't sleep. He groaned, running his hands through his hair and pulling at it.

He heard whispering and looked up, seeing academy rouges.

In the dead of night, they were so noticeable... who was that? His sunshine was too smart to wear something like that out if she wanted to sneak in... and that blonde prick was also pretty smart.

Sweet, gullible, stupid Senjanus.

He scowled. He kept trying to talk to Marcus, but the boy would just ignore him.

Without thinking, he approached the boy.

Sejanus, stood up and smiled at him. He only scowled in return.

"It's nice to finally meet someone (Y/N) knew from seven... and someone she loves so much," the boy whispered.

"Yeah... it's nice to meet the boy I've seen besides her every time she was on TV," he responded, the same anger from before coming up.

The air was tense and awkward.

"Well... um... I don't know why I snuck in... I guess I just feel guilty... Marcus won't even talk to me," Sejanus sighed. "I hate these games. And if you guys could see that a lot of the other mentors feel a bit guilty... deep down somewhere."

"We don't need a Capitol prick to give us pity," he spat.

"I'm not... im not Capitol. I'm like (Y/N)."

How could he compare himself to his sunshine?

"Well, my sunshine obviously didn't fuck up like you did. How and why would your whole district hate you? If you were just a kid when you left?"

"Listen, I don't know what you're upset about but whatever it is, it isn't my fault-"

Treech scoffed.

"It's never your fault is it?"

Sejanus was shocked at his behavior. But took notice of the way he said 'my sunshine". Was he... jealous?

Sejanus laughed, "You're jealous? Yeah. I get it."

He looked up and blushed, embarrassed. Was he that see through?

"Yeah? What of it?"

"Listen, (Y/N) and I strictly platonic. We could never be more than friends. Plus, she's... not my type. I love her so much. As a friend," Sejanus smiled, explaining the situation.

He felt embarrassed. How could he have acted like that?

"I'm sorry... I uh... kind of made an ass of myself. I shouldn't have assumed-"

"Hey, it ok. You're in a stressful situation and you think the one thing that brings you comfort might get taken away? I get it... I have to leave... but between you and me... there’s two things you should know. Number one, she’s absolutely smitten with you, lover boy. Number two, if there was someone I would hate it would be Festus Creed.”

With those words he walked away, leaving him to his thoughts.

Who the hell was Festus Creed?

_-_-_-_

Festus Creed was a pain in your ass.

He had always hit on you as soon you reached the last four years of the Academy.

He’d make back handed comments:

“You’re pretty… you know for a district girl.”

He’d make inappropriate comments about you:

“I bet under that ‘good girl’ act she puts on, she’s truly just a slut. I could probably make her show that off.”

And was overall just… obsessed with you. His parents had tried to arrange a marriage between you and their son, but your father refused to arrange a marriage for you. You refused the offer multiple times.

Yes, Festus Creed was a pain in your ass indeed.

#treech tbosas #×reader #treech x reader #coriolanus snow #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #sejanus plinth #jealous boyyyy #ugh look at my favorite person go #poor Lamina :(#lamina tbosas

20 notes · View notes

ashrillvenheim · 10 months ago

Text

Awakening Past IS BACK!!

Chapter 16

Hope you like the come back chapter :3

pairing: Ashley Graham x Leon S Kennedy.

Content: (+18) romance, angst, gore, erotic/suggestive themes at some point, slow burn, violence, action, self-harm, death talk,

If you're a MINOR DON'T keep reading, thank you.

Archive of our own / WORK LIST / Awakening Past Masterlist

prev/next

The propellers whistled loudly. The vibration of the immense machine rumbled through the bodies within.

None spoke, none moved.

The night was deep and darkness seemed to creep over the bodies of those present.

Amber eyes gazed into the woods that passed at their feet. Dense and hidden. The mountains left nothing but the treetops visible and although most of those in that helicopter suspected nothing, she knew of the threats lurking in the undergrowth.

She brought her hand to her right shoulder, feeling a gentle tingle run across her scar and let out a long heavy sigh.

The buzzing was a vague sound in her memories, but over time the images became somewhat clearer, though not entirely.

What she did remember was the immense darkness she saw that day.

Her eyes were lost in the distance and her memories went back in time to that moment.

The day they left that place and she almost didn't make it.

She tightened her fingers on the end of the scar.

A man's prayers echoed in her ears even though no one was speaking, pleading with her not to fall asleep, not to close her eyes.

The first promises they made as she felt her body grow colder and colder.

A shock ran down her back making her stand subtly against the intrusive memories.

They happened so long ago... and she still felt so... lucid....

" Hey."

Her eyes widened at the sudden voice and she turned to the owner of it. Sapphire eyes met hers, looking deeply at her. It took her a few seconds to respond.

"Is something wrong?" She said into the mike on her hooves.

Leon adjusted his.

"I could ask you the same thing." His voice sounded serene, but he sensed a tinge of concern.

Ashley glanced fleetingly at the rest of the team for their reaction.

" Relax, it's just our line."

They both looked at each other and she took another few moments more before diverting her eyes back to the forest.

"I was... remembering the day they found us in that cove." she looked down at her hands slowly. "At how cold I felt and how little I got to hear you."

Leon lost himself in her words, seeing her in his arms again, pale and dying.

And that sweet smile she gave him when she told him she was glad to have met him.

When he held her unconscious not knowing if her heart had stopped or not.

He clasped his hands together. Not even in Raccoon City did he feel that terror. The fear of losing her, of her dying in his own arms.

The terror of having failed again.

" I understand." He whispered into the mike to look at her again. "Are you okay?"

A faint smile tugged at her lips.

"Yes. They let me know why I'm here, even if they're scary. I was scared."

"Me too."

Those two words made her turn to him, pinning her eyes on his figure, now sitting with her elbows resting on her knees.

Those words he only said when he was with her. Her emotions were not something that surfaced in any other context. And this time she wanted to support him as he did her.

" This time it's different." those blue eyes turned to her. " We are different. We are more prepared and have more knowledge." She raised her wrist to show him her bracelet with the aquamarine stone. " We are together."

Leon smiled and raised his hand to show hers of metal and scarlet stone.

"We are a team." He told her decisively.

"Hold on tight, we're going to start the descent."

The propellers whistled loudly and they approached a tiny clearing among the trees where they could make out, in the darkness, some tents and some figures with lanterns.

High up in the mountains the first rays of dawn began to emerge.

They quickly descended with all their equipment and the helicopter left the same way. Leon and Ashley closed their eyes to protect themselves from the dust and turned toward the makeshift camp.

There were barely half a dozen people as it was such a small and secret mission for most of the agents.

Depending on what was discovered there it would become a priority item or not.

Ashley and Leon approached each other unconsciously and walked toward the central campaign. They raised their hands to push aside the curtains at the entrance and both found a familiar man standing in front of them.

“Chris?” they said in unison.

Redfiel laughed at the synchronicity and stood up from the table where he was displaying a geographical map.

“ That was faster than I thought, you scared your father.” joked the dark-haired man, rounding the table and shaking their hands.

“What are you doing here?” Leon asked, putting his backpack on the floor.

“ I am one of those sent by the BSAA to collaborate in this mission with you.”

Ashley arched her eyebrows.

“ One?”

“ Someone needs to keep an eye on him so he doesn't get into trouble.”

The three of them turned toward the other entrance of the tent, meeting a woman with short brunette hair who looked at them with her bright sky eyes.

“Jill, you too?” Leon was happy to see her and took a step to shake her hand and then turn to Ashley. “ Ash, this is Jill, Chris's partner.”

Ashley reached over to take his hand decisively and smiled.

“ Jill Valentine, nice to meet you.”

“ Ashley Graham, likewise.”

The brunette arched an eyebrow.

“Graham? Don't tell me that-”

“ She's the president's daughter, yes.” Chris nodded, returning to the table with the map.

Jill looked at her partner puzzled.

“ You didn't tell me that little detail.”

Chris sighed.

“ I forgot.”

Valentine rested his hands on his hips in disbelief.

“You forgot to tell me that the daughter of the president of the United States was coming to this mission in Spain?”

Chris glanced at him with his brown eyes.

“ Yes.”

Jill froze and threw her head back with a sigh.

“ Really, sometimes I wonder how you survive on your own.”

“ I'm good at improvising.” Redfield mumbled.

“Yes, and then I have to remind you what days you have medical checkups.”

A soft chuckle made him turn to the blonde beside him who pointed to Leon.

“ I think that's what they've learned from each other. “

Leon gave her an indignant look.

“ I remember things.”

Ashley smirked at him.

“ Tell that to Victor and the meatballs.”

“ I'm gonna-”

“Now that we're up to date, how about making a plan?” Chris announced. Jill dropped her arms and walked toward him.

“ How you like to be in charge, Captain” she teased, patting him on the shoulder.

“ You're going to have to fight with Leon, because he loves to order others around.” Ashley teased him teasingly.

The two men rolled their eyes with a grunt causing Jill and Ashley to laugh hopelessly.

The four of them circled the table and looked at the map of the area. Leon and Ashley were quick to identify the lake and its surroundings, though that map showed a larger area than the one they found in an old crate in the village.

“What options do we have?” Leon's voice was soft as they rested their palms on the table. Chris pointed to one end of the map.

“ That whole area is the village where you were. Now it's been buried underground by large landslides.”

“What about the river where I dragged Leon out?” Ashley asked and Redfiel slid his finger to the opposite side of the map.

“ It seems that some earthquakes have caused landslides and displacements, so there are new areas that have rendered many previous routes unusable.” He paused, pointing to a line running horizontally across the area. “ Everything around here is stone walls and mountains. If we make a detour, maybe we can find something on the other side of the castle ruins.”

“This is the map we've managed to make with drones from the air, but we don't know what's in areas covered by the forest.” Jill pointed out the parts with less detailed descriptions of the terrain. “ We'll have to survey them on foot, there are no passable roads.”

Leon and Ashley watched quietly, remembering hidden paths and caves that could serve as a guide, but seeing how much the terrain had changed they would probably have to rediscover the area completely.

“ There should be entrances to the castle mines.” Leon proposed pointing to an area on the paper.

He saw Ashley's hand pass by him.

“These ones here will probably be collapsed, they are in the direction of the village, the landslide will have rendered them unusable.”

“ Hmm, you're right…” Leon whispered thoughtfully.

“ Maybe around the steep, rocky areas Chris said we can find something. Maybe new holes have opened up. “

“ Like the hole you went in.” Chris recalled and Ashley nodded.

“Yeah.”

“ The best option will be to take that detour then.” Jill confirmed and turned to the two newcomers. “You can go and change, Chris and I will take care of notifying the others.”

Leon and Ashley looked at each other and thanked Valentine for the gesture. They were directed to a smaller tent where they could set up their gear and left.

Jill watched the pair from a distance and looked at her partner.

“Will Ashley be okay? She's not trained like we are.”

Chris shrugged his shoulders with a sigh.

“ I don't know if she is or not, but she took Leon out when none of us could and it looks like Kennedy is calm, so he has to trust her. I believe in his judgment, her father wouldn't have let her come if she wasn't.”

Jill looked for a moment at the campaign where the two had disappeared.

“ Yes, you're right.” she paused in a more subdued tone. “ It's just that she looks so young... being here for her must be hard.”

Chris rested his broad hand on his partner's shoulder.

“ Those two went through hell here, but so did that little girl Claire found in Raccoon. She managed to get out of here with Leon and has returned of her own free will, I think we worry more than we should.”

“ Yeah, maybe you're right.” she whispered.

“ I'm always right.” Redfield laughed, patting her on the back. Jill rolled her eyes.

“ If you were, we wouldn't be here, with the ability you have to get into trouble....”

“ Well, Leon surpasses me by far.”

That statement was more alarm than relief to Jill.

“ Well, I hope your bad luck cancels each other out, because if it doesn't, we're in deep shit.”

They broke camp in the blink of an eye. Jill and Chris checked their weapons and turned to see Leon arrive. He was now kitted out for the mission, wearing his dark tactical pants over military boots, accompanied by an ash blue lycra T-shirt that had him rolled up to his elbows, showing off his strong arms with the bracelet on his wrist. He strapped the harness with the pistol and ammunition to his torso along with the knife at the side of his chest. He adjusted his fingerless gloves and checked his other weapon on his right thigh and the tools stored in a small pouch, secured to his other leg.

“ I still find it strange that you are here.” He smiled crossing his arms over his chest. Chris gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder.

“ Well, get used to it, pal, 'cause we're going to be here for a while.”

The three of them smiled and turned around when they heard the clink of a buckle. Leon couldn't help but feel his pulse quicken. He had seen her in casual, sporty clothes, but now... she was wearing a pair of mountain pants in different shades of moss green. The orange tank top fit her body like a glove, showing off her strong shoulders and part of the scar on her right side. She adjusted the climbing harness around her waist and thighs, from which hung a coiled rope and ice axe. She slung the bag over her shoulder with ease, even though it seemed to carry more stuff inside. She bent down to adjust her boots and finished pulling her hair back into a half ponytail.

“ I'm ready.” She reached the other three and Leon finally blinked.

Chris nodded and held out a harness with a gun. Ashley took a deep breath and took it to slip it over her shoulders and strap it across her chest. She pulled the gun out to check the magazine and unholster the chamber to put it back away, all with an all too natural ease.

“ I asked Dana to teach me" Leon recalled her words to him shortly after meeting again for the first time.

The handling seemed to surprise the other two from the BSAA, who looked at each other but said nothing.

“ Let's get moving.” Redfield announced as the sun was already peeking over the hills. Ashley pulled her backpack on tightly and brought her fingers to the bracelet on her wrist to pull it up to her bicep. She caught a glance at it and met Leon's eyes watching her. She gave him a broad smile and held out her fist for him to bump his knuckles with hers.

“Here we go.” said the agent, starting to walk with her at his side.

Everything had changed a lot.

They could barely make out what had once been busy roads among the brambles and undergrowth. They were moving slowly because of the steep, overgrown areas.

Chris had put Leon and Ashley in the lead, they being the ones best able to guide them, while he and Jill closed the peloton.

They jumped some rocks and Ashley sniffed the environment as the rest descended. There was no distinctive scent for now. She had nothing to track like when she came for Leon, who only had to follow the trail of his jacket. She may not have had any reference, but there were elements that both she and Leon managed to discern in nature. Shepherds' marks, unnaturally piled stones...but so far no subway entrances.

The hours were passing. Sweat trickled down their bodies like waterfalls and when the sun was high in the sky at noon, Chris ordered a break.

They stopped and drank water while they caught their breath. Leon saw Ashley sit down on an old log and followed her to join her.

“ What's on your mind?” he asked, holding out a canteen.

“ I'm just trying to remember where Krauser brought me.” she said looking at the map in her lap. Leon sat down next to her and slid his gaze over their options, though more attentive to her heartbeat.

She may have been physically more than ready, but he couldn't help but keep an eye on her at all times. She was strong and tough, but there were wounds that sometimes didn't quite close, or as William had told him at the time, there were wounds that one covered up before they could heal.

And he wanted to make sure Ashley's mind was stable. Or at least that it wasn't blocking her at a critical moment.

Ashley felt a deep gaze bore into her and she let out a soft laugh.

“ If you look at me that much you're going to wear me out.”

Leon blinked and his ears reddened. He cleared his throat, sitting upright in his trunk and looking down at the ground.

“ I'm sorry. “ he whispered scratching the back of his neck.

Ashley turned to him.

“Are you worried about something?”

Those blue eyes glanced at her and then sighed heavily.

“ I'm just worried that all this will stir up...hard traumas for you.”

Ashley seemed surprised by his words, but was touched by the agent's concern.

“ I'm fine, really. I'm not going to tell you that I'm euphoric about being here, or that all this doesn't make me uncomfortable. “She gave him a sweet smile.” So far nothing out of the ordinary, it's just that this place gives me the creeps.

“It's a little creepy, yes.”

“No, no, literally chills.”

Leon arched his eyebrows.

“ Is that normal?”

“ It used to happen to me when I went on expeditions with Narsson. I have...my scar skin is more sensitive, so sometimes I get chills.” He saw the man's worried expression. “It's just tingling Leon, nothing serious, okay?”

It took him a few seconds to respond.

“Okay.”

He pushed his leg against hers and this time it was Ashley who spoke in a whisper.

“ I could ask you the same thing. We were both here at the end of the day.”

Leon made sure his harnesses were still securely fastened.

“ All right, I'm more trained than you, remember?”

“ Yes, and you're human like me, remember?”

He looked at her dumbfounded and let out a soft chuckle in surrender. It was no use for him to try to prove that everything was okay. Ashley even knew the way he breathed. She couldn't be fooled.

“ If something gets the better of me I'll let you know, I just want you to let me know too, okay?”

Ashley nodded and Leon patted her leg, picking up the map from her lap.

“ Okay, let's see what we have here.” He pointed to the far left. “That's where I came from.” He climbed up the path. “And this is where I found you, around this area. Do you remember how you were brought here?

Ashley reminisced.

“ I think by helicopter over the mountains surrounding the castle, from the northeast.”

Leon marked their current location.

“We're here. Making the detour I think we can make it by tomorrow. Everything has changed so much that we are going slower than planned.”

“ Sergio usually says a phrase to me in these cases: Dress me slowly, I'm in a hurry.”

Leon looked at her without understanding a word.

“ Should it ring a bell? I'm not an expert in languages, sweetheart.” he joked teasingly.

“It means that in cases of urgency you should always keep calm, never rush.”

“Mmn, and Sergio usually follows it?”

“ Sometimes he's a little too calm.”

They laughed hopelessly and put the map away before hearing Chris's voice to resume their journey.

They started walking through the forest again as the sun's rays filtered through the branches. The rustling of the branches covered some whispers in the group.

“What is the president's daughter missing here?” a voice muttered to his companion.

“ What are you telling me, I heard that she's mad as a hatter.” muttered another.

“Yes, yes. I heard from some who were checking her quarantine that she lunged at the doctors like a rabid dog and they had to tie her up.”

“ They told me she was blown up by a grenade in the attack on her campus, she must have hit her head pretty hard to get back to where she was kidnapped.”

One chuckled.

“ I don't know if she's got a screw loose or two, but we'll agree she's got an impressive ass.” All three emitted sly chuckles. But not for everyone.

“Hey, you guys in the back, if there's something you think is so funny why don't you speed up and share it?”

The three of them tensed up violently, staring at the figure several meters away. Deep blue eyes were locked on them like knives.

“ It's nothing, sir.”

“ That's what I thought.” He grunted looking ahead and watching Ashley leap up onto the rock and survey his surroundings.

His eyes betrayed him and went down to those hopeless buttocks.

He slapped his brain.

"Focus, asshole."

This was going to be a long one...

The wind picked up shortly after, causing Leon to hear the hum of trees. He tried to sharpen his hearing to perceive something other than the leaves, when Ashley stopped abruptly raising her fist. Leon and Chris mimicked her and the latter stopped the group.

“ Leon.” A whisper, imperceptible to the rest, came from him. Without making a sound he walked until he reached her and passed the fallen log.

He was met with wide-eyed glares and a nervous face. Ashley lay crouched in front of something that was not good news.

Wolf tracks.

Leon had to take a closer look at them as his heart dropped to the floor, turning his eyes back to Ashley.

“ Tell me that's not what I think it is.”

Ashley stood up gently.

“ They smell, Leon, they're still around.”

The agent cursed under his breath. It was bad, very bad.

Colmillos.

“Are they close?” he asked alertly, drawing his gun.

Ashley sniffed deeply, now looking for a trace of those footprints.

Nothing.

“ They have to be far away, I can't sense anything.”

Leon heard Chris and there approaching.

“ This doesn't look good.” Kennedy said before Redfiel reached his side.

“ What's going on?” asked the dark-haired man.

Ashley also pulled out her gun.

“ We may have company.” she pointed to the tracks.

Chris looked at the trail and then looked at the two young ones.

“ Wolves?”

“ Infected by the parasite.” Ashley detailed, causing the captain to turn to her.

“Are you sure?”

“ The plagua has a distinctive scent, I'd love to be wrong.”

Jill looked at the trio.

“Scent?”

“ Ashley can track scents, that's how she found Leon in the mines.”

Valentine blinked in surprise, but didn't question it, after all, considering all the things they'd seen and experienced, Ashley having the scenting ability of a bloodhound didn't seem far-fetched.

“ Maybe it's an old trail and they are far away from here, for now let's follow the path to the cliffs.” Leon suggested, getting up. The other three nodded and returned with the group to set off with Chris announcing.

“ Keep an eye out for movement in the brush, there may be wolves in the area. Let's go.”

With adrenaline now starting to coursing through their veins, they set off on their way again.

Ashley sniffed every few moments, making sure there was no hint of the trail anywhere. Meanwhile, Leon, behind her, sharpened his ear to any strange movements. He knew if the Colmillos were approaching, Ashley would sense them much sooner, but he could be sure where they were coming from. His gloved hands held the gun firmly and unable to help himself his eyes slid to the woman in front of him. She was carrying her gun tightly and didn't seem to be shaking her pulse as she pointed it in some direction from time to time.

He felt satisfied with what he saw.

" Calm down Leon, she took on two armed men bigger than her with her bare hands and survived."

Armed, ready and in her full strength? Ashley's welfare would probably be the least of his problems.

They quickened their pace through the brambles as the temperature began to drop as the hours passed. Finally they reached the rockier ridges and lifted their gazes to the high stone walls.

“ This was definitely not here before.” sighed Leon throwing his head back to see the end of some peak.

“ We're farther than the mine we went to. All the ones in that area have been buried. “ Chris reported.”

“Maybe we'll get lucky over here.” Ashley tried to be positive as she started walking along the walls.

They walked cautiously, watching the edge of the forest, now somewhat more protected by the rocky walls on the other side. At least they knew that no one would come from that side.

Leon looked at the time and suddenly a pressure against his chest stopped him. He looked at Ashley's hand on his sternum and then at her, sensing the muscles in her neck too tense for his liking.

“Ashley?”

“ I smell them.”

Leon tensed violently.

“Are they far away?”

She took a few seconds to answer, scanning the air several times.

“ Yes, but... still.” She turned to Chris. “Where exactly are we?”

Redfield pulled out his radar and gave her his location.

“ Southeast of the ridge, it'll take us three more hours to get around it.”

Ashley looked at her watch and then at the sun that was beginning to skim the higher mountains.

They only had an hour more of daylight at most.

Leon and she looked at each other. By the time the sun set they would be done for.

“ We could make camp and build fires to keep them at bay, they don't tolerate fire.” Ashley broke off as Leon continued talking. “ We'll hold out until dawn, we have some explosives, maybe we can get....”

Ashley looked at the rock walls sliding her fingers across the bare stone. Firm and splinter free. She lifted her amber eyes to the hollows and steep areas, where ledges and crevices appeared.

She took a few steps back looking over the top and heard Leon call out to her.

“ Hey Ash, we can make a barricade come to-”

“ We're going across.”

Glances turned to her in silence, only to see her drop her backpack.

“What?” Chris was confused.

Ashley opened her gear and started pulling out buckles and ropes.

“ I'm going to climb the wall and we're going to climb up.”

One of Chris' soldiers seemed to lose his patience.

“ Hey blondie, it's cool that you wanted to come and be a hero, but we're the experts here, let the captain and the rest of us do our job.”

The violent snap of the ropes echoed and she tied them to the harness.

“ Look, handsome, I'm fine with you disagreeing with me, but for your information, those wolves are two miles away from us at best. As soon as the sun goes down they're going to come after us, so you've got two options, stay here and watch those hellhounds come to dismember you or get up that wall before they come.”

“They are wolves Graham, not sharks." said another of the soldiers.

Ashley pulled out the magnesium to cover her hands and strapped it to her harness. She patted the excess off and took a few steps back.

“ If you're so sure about that I invite you to stay with them to confirm it.” He set the timer on his watch and looked ahead. “ Just watch out for the blades that come out when they open in half.”

She sprinted off with all her might, caught the angle and leapt to ascend three meters vertically before grabbing the ledge with a grunt.

Leon ran out of air as he saw her leap from one wall to another. On impulse he walked to stand below her, unable to stop watching her.

She was right. They didn't know when they would be and if they got cornered there they might not live to tell the tale.

But climbing that wall...it was insane.

He heard a gasp and saw her hanging by her fingers, all the muscles in her arms and back drawn up with definition.

He was speechless and almost out of breath.

He followed her from the ground, watching her ascend in defiance of gravity.

" I feel like when I climb it's me, my body and a stone wall."

The clinking of buckles echoed through him, watching her swing before leaping into another crevasse. A few splinters parted and Leon quickly stepped aside.

He never would have imagined he would get to see this.

He watched her climb up and up that wall that none of them would have thought to climb.

None of them except Ashley.

And they were depending on her.

Leon took several steps back to see the stretch he had left and when he saw that there was still some way to go he felt his concern grow more intense.

“She's mad as a hatter, we're going to do fir-”

“Shut the fuck up or the wolves will be the least of your problems.” Leon snarled like an angry tiger, causing the soldier to shut his mouth and swallow his saliva.

He kept his eye on her. Ashley came to a ledge that allowed her to stand up and nail a safety there.

She didn't have time to put many so she had to be cautious with where she put her hands and feet.

One mistake and she was finished.

She stuck to the wall and glanced down, catching a glimpse of Leon's figure watching the. He waved a hand to show him it was okay and continued up.

Her muscles burned, but it was at that point that she knew she was capable of being up there for a very long time. A shiver ran up and down her back and she turned her head toward the farthest mountains, where the sun was beginning to set.

She took a deep breath.

She had to hurry.

It seemed she just had to break her personal best.

"You can do it Ash. Trust yourself."

A few howls made her blood run cold.

She looked at the horizon and stared at the mountains that no longer received sunlight.

Shit.

A gust shook her and the scent grew stronger.

They were awake.

She turned on the move. She wasn't on the move, but they probably would have come out of the hiding place where they shielded themselves from the light during the day by now.

" Come on, come on."

She had twenty minutes of light left.

Leon held the gun tightly and the hair on the back of his neck bristled when he heard the howls.

Everyone stood at attention. Kennedy looked up and saw Ashley's legs disappear over the top, making him unable to hold back a gasp of relief.

The worst forty minutes of his life.

“ Stay in position and wait for Kennedy's command, he'll tell us where they'll come from.”

Leon took a deep breath and turned to the horizon, where barely a third of the sun was yet to set.

“Watch out!”

The exclamation made him turn and see Ashley descending at full speed. She landed heavily and let go of her ropes.

“Are you all right?” Leon approached with concern.

Her breathing was ragged and he could see blood on her face, coming from her hands.

“ Yes” she gasped and then turned to the others. “ Okay, I'm going to start pulling you up. I need someone who can then pull from the top.”

There was a second of silence until a hand went up in the air.

“I can go if you want.” his voice was much softer.

Ashley turned to the man " they're not sharks" and pulled another harness from the bag. The soldier was unable to look her in the eye and just strapped on the harness.

Howls echoed through the mountains.

“ We have to hurry.” Graham muttered, tying the man to the rope. She tied the other end and jumped up and down to pull the ropes taut and lift the man. He exclaimed before making it to the wall and climbing up at full speed. Ashley pulled him up almost lying flat in the air, using the pulleys she had placed around a rock at the top.

It took no time at all and when the soldier announced he was ready he put the last harness on another.

Their hearts beat wildly as they climbed in one by one.

Cold sweat trickled down their backs.

The sun disappeared behind the slopes.

A shock ran down Ashley's back as she inhaled and all her instincts began to scream.

They were coming.

“ Leon, come on.” Ashley said as she received the empty harness from above.

Leon turned around perplexed.

“ I'm not going up until you go.” he frowned.

Ashley looked at him somberly.

“ Now is not the time to contradict me.” She held out the harness and Leon stared at her.

“ I'm here to ensure your safety.”

She wrinkled her brow.

“ And if you don't go up there is no safety to ensure.” She approached him with a hurried step and forced his legs into the holes. “ From up there you can warn us. You have a rifle, cover us.” she whispered.

“ Ashley, please, go fir-”

She pulled his belt so tightly that they were only inches apart.

“ Leon Kennedy, stop being stubborn for once in your life and listen to me.”

Even in that situation he couldn't help but scoff.

“ Do you know what you're asking me to do?”

Ashley tied the seeds of his waist tightly to the rope, clutching him to her.

“ To shut that pretty mouth of yours and get the fuck up.”

She pulled on the rope and Leon was left dangling to ascend at full speed. Ashley watched him from below and sniffed the air.

They were coming up at full speed.

“Come on, there's no time!” She took off her harness to put it on the remaining soldier. The "hey blondie" man hurried to put on the straps and climbed quickly.

Leon felt the chill run up and down him as he began to hear grunting.

“ Give me a rifle! “ he exclaimed to one of the soldiers. He ran to the edge and loaded the weapon with absurd speed. He used the infrared sight to see in the dark and his throat went dry.

Jesus Christ.

There were more than a dozen of them.

He rested one knee on the ground and the other he used to prop up his elbow. he took a deep breath and took aim.

Jill held the gun up as she thought she heard barking, feeling cold sweat slide down her back.

“ Come on Graham, get in.” Chris said, grabbing the harness they pulled.

“ Hold on, Ji-”

The first shot thundered.

On the scope one Of the figures fell and Leon took aim at the next, but the dogs began to zigzag.

" Fuck!"

Ashley tensed violently and looked up the slope they were coming down. She adjusted the harness to full speed gray and pulled hers on with a dry throat. A figure leaped through the trees with jaws gaping like a crocodile.

A bullet pierced his skull.

“ GET THE FUCK UP HERE!” Leon roared.

“ JILL!”

She turned to Chris after looking at that horrible animal for a second and without thinking she ran towards them.

“JILL!” shouted Ashley.

She turned to Chris after looking at that horrible animal for a second and without thinking she ran towards them.

"PULL!" yelled Ashley.

They were lifted into the air and Jill jumped up to grab Chris and Graham's hand.

Five wolves appeared like jaguars and leapt against the wall, ready to take one of Jill's legs with them.

She took aim with one hand and the bullet entered the animal's mouth and exited through the back of its neck, watching as it collapsed in convulsions.

The rest followed, clawing and trying to climb up the stone wall. Chris clutched it tightly and they reached the edge of the top with gasps.

The soldiers came to help and knelt on the ground catching their breath for a second.

The roars and howls of the fangs echoed in the darkness like nightmarish monsters.

Then the shrieks began.

Ashley's eyes contracted and every muscle tensed like wires.

Those shrieks...she'd recognize them anywhere.

Her hands shook, clutching at the stone and she managed to barely stand upright to peer over the cliff.

The plaguas on their backs danced with hysterical movements, emitting high-pitched screeches that had been burned into his mind. Her heart was racing and she had stopped feeling the chill of the night.

Leon helped Chris take off the harness and pick up the ropes when he saw Ashley peek out. The screams of the parasites echoed in the darkness, but he still managed to make out her labored breathing.

He frowned, looking at Chris's belt, from which hung a pair of grenades and blinkers.

“ I'll take one of these.”

Chris blinked and saw the man approach Ashley with one of the blinders in his hand.

She didn't move when she felt him next to her, but smelling his scent next to her was enough to ground her.

“ Go back to the fucking hell you came from.” He growled under his breath, removing the safety and dropping the projectile.

The man's broad hand covered Ashley's eyes for a second before the intense light shone into the darkness. For a few moments there were high-pitched screams and shrieks along with yelps and moans of pain.

Leon's fingers were warm on her face and helped keep her mind grounded.

Then there was silence.

Leon looked down, perceiving a pile of inert bodies, but through the trees he heard bitter snaps and grunts from those who had managed to escape.

He turned to Ashley, static beside him, his hand still covering her face. He gently moved his palm away from her eyes and the soft glow of the lanterns behind them drew her silhouette. Leon watched her silently, sensing her slightly calmer breathing, but still with his heart pounding. He parted his lips to call out to her when he saw her close her eyes and inhale deeply. Ashley raised her bloodied hands, opening and closing them a few times before his voice came back to her.

“ We made it in time.” she whispered in barely a whisper, but the man next to her clearly sensed it and laid a hand on her shoulder.

“ Thanks to you.”

Those intense amber eyes turned to him as if he had just said something unusual, as if he didn't believe it was really thanks to her.

But then she smiled.

She curved her lips shyly in a subtle gesture that reminded Leon of him, of the faint smiles he gave her when she was nervous or when she needed some support in the darkest of times.

This time the one smiling was her, encouraging him to keep going.

“ Looks like my hobby has come in handy.” she joked, turning to the group. -What do we do now?

Leon looked around.

“ I think we'd better spend the night in this elevated area, it's not a good idea to advance along these ledges in the dark.”

Ashley felt, agreeing with the agent's decision.

“ For the next time you want to break my belt, let's go somewhere more private, princess.”

Ashley's cheeks reddened violently and then she let out a tired chuckle. She knew that was Leon's way of coping with the tension. The flirting and bad jokes kept him grounded.

“ Are you flirting with me Mr. Kennedy?” she teased in a more relaxed whisper.

He noticed and his broad shoulders dropped hopelessly.

“ Take it as you wish, Miss Graham.”

“ Hey Ashley! Help us with your straps.” Chris's voice brought her out of her little cloud with Leon and after giving her one last smile .

As Leon had said, they decided to camp there. They set up small tents to keep out the cold and took turns sleeping and keeping watch. Jill and Chris took the first shift, sitting in front of the campfire.

The brunette looked at her companion for a few seconds and then sank her eyes into the hypnotizing flames.

“ Hey Chris, what happened to Leon and Ashley?”

The man gave her a glance.

“ Didn't you read the report?”

She sighed.

“ Of course I read it, I'm talking about the part they suffered.”

The captain took several seconds to answer.

“ Even I don't know exactly Jill, Leon... he hasn't told me much about it and most of it I don't know. I just know that they had the same shit that those wolves had in their bodies. Probably the smell and hearing ability they have came from that.”

“ Do you think their bodies mutated from the Plaga?”

“ I don't think so Jill, I know. I saw Ashley track Leon's scent over 3 miles into the mountain and carry him on her all the way back until we found them. You and I both know that doesn't come from training alone.”

Jill leaned back on her palms behind her looking up at the sky.

“ Yes.” she said simply and then let out a chuckle. “Honestly, the last thing I would have expected was to see the president's daughter climb a stone wall.”

Chris laughed, resting his arm on his knee.

“ Yeah, we'd better be careful, the last thing we need is to get in trouble with Mr. Graham.”

They both nodded with a soft laugh, letting the tension slowly dissipate.

He half-opened his blue eyes and focused on the hollow in front of him, where someone else was supposed to sleep.

But that person was not there.

He got up with a grunt, silence reigning in the camp. He stepped out of the tent and saw a figure sitting in front of the fire. he approached cautiously.

“Didn't I tell you to wake me when it was our turn?” His husky voice rattled the woman, who, though she had already smelled him approaching, was still altered by his deep voice.

“ Yes, I went ahead. I told Tom and Jerry I was relieving them.”

Leon glanced in the direction of the tent where the two soldiers who had taken Ashley's contrary just a couple of hours ago were resting.

“ You still could have woken me up.” He sat down next to her, pulling out his gun and making sure the chamber was moving correctly.

“ I felt bad for waking you up, you were calm.” she smiled, holding out a metal cup with a hot tea. Leon arched his eyebrows.

“ Where did you get these?”

“ They are mine.” she pointed to her backpack loaded with everything needed for climbing, survival and research. “ A mix I've been perfecting.”

Leon blew on the steaming drink and sipped gently.

It was... weird and he stared at the cup for a few seconds, trying to make out the flavors in his mouth.

“ You don't like it?”

Leon took another sip.

“ I don't dislike it, it's an... interesting mix.” he found himself drinking again, getting a taste for it as he continued to drink it.

Ashley smiled.

“ It's a blend of herbs with vitamins and minerals, for when we were outdoors or in the sun for a long time and keep up some energy.”

Leon stopped drinking some and rested his elbows on his crossed legs. They were silent for a few seconds, both of them staring into the flames, engrossed.

“ What do you think we'll find down there?” the man's whispery voice rocked Ashley. She took a sip from her bowl slowly.

“ I'm hoping for answers, at least to the questions we have now.”

“ We'll have to do a lot of digging.”

“ Good thing I have an ex-cop with me then.” She smiled playfully at him and raised her glass for Leon to clink with his.

“ I was just a rookie.” he laughed.

Ashley raised her index finger in attention.

“ I correct, detective rookie. Your specialty may be throwing punches, but you sure know how to use that little head of yours.”

Leon scoffed under his breath.

“ Wow, I'm glad to hear you see intelligence in me, you should tell Hunnigan, she always says I think with my muscles.”

They both let out soft chuckles and went back to staring into the flames.

“ For a moment I was back to running through the woods.” Ashley's voice deepened. “To when you had to hold my hand to keep me from falling and running faster.” she sighed heavily. “Like it was yesterday.”

Leon turned to her in concern.

“Did it block you?” he asked in an attempt to find out if she had suffered a shock.

“ No. I felt as if my body was screaming, as if my instincts were becoming more...visceral.”

“ Have you been afraid?”

“ Of course I was afraid, it's what made me want to climb that wall as soon as possible.”

And with that Leon seemed satisfied.

“ Good, that's good.”

Ashley turned to him.

“ Good?”

He nodded.

“ I'd rather have fear give you the reaction of wanting to find a way to survive than have it block you from moving.”

Ashley remembered. She went back to when her body stopped responding to her every time she saw some Ganado, as if her muscles froze.

This time she had felt fire coursing through her veins.

A broad hand closed around her thigh, lifting her eyes to stare at him.

“ You're doing well.”

She nodded with a shy smile and flushed cheeks.

“ Thank you.” she whispered back.

He gave her a pleasant squeeze and pulled his hand away.

Small steps, but sure. little by little.

The sky seemed to be on fire.

They jumped from one ridge to the other under the first rays of dawn. They climbed to the next peak and from there they could glimpse the highest towers of the castle ruins. A soldier or two could not help but comment on the immensity of the fortress.

Ashley peered over the edges to find the ideal place to descend. They stopped to look at the map and locate themselves once more. If Hunnigan was around this would be a lot easier, but for some reason the signal in that area was nil and they had no satellite access, so the old radios and talkies were the most reliable options.

“ Hey!" exclaimed someone suddenly calling the attention of the rest. “Come take a look at this!”

The group approached the soldier who was looking through binoculars in the distance. Jill picked up the gadget and looked in the direction the man pointed.

“ Another stone wall?” she looked confused at the find.

“ May I?” Leon asked and Jill yielded the spot.

The agent adjusted his focus and analyzed that stone wall.

“ It's a mine wall.” The news pleased the rest of the team. “It has vertical cracks that are too straight and too square, plus something like... giant stone stairs.”

“ Maybe in that area we can find an entrance.” Chris suggested. “It's next to the castle, in the area least affected by the landslides.”

Everyone nodded and the captain turned to Ashley.

“ Find us a way down Graham.”

“ Roger that.”

Leon watched her march towards more distant cliffs and watched for her to call out to them. While Ashley looked for a good way down, the team plotted the route on the map to get to the site. When they descended into the forest they could easily become disoriented, so better to take advantage now that they were on high ground.

Kennedy raised his head.

“She's found a spot.” He got up to go in the direction Ashley had disappeared, leaving the soldiers confused as they hadn't heard anything on the radio.

But they didn't question it. Not after Graham had saved their necks the night before.

The descent was much easier and it wasn't long before they reached the other side of the forest. Ashley finished packing everything up and slung her pack back over her shoulder. Even Chris was surprised at the stamina she was showing to have.

At one point Leon walked over to her and motioned for her to shake his hand. He looked at her palms that nine hours ago had been covered in blood and now adorned with reddened calluses.

Kennedy stood rapt for a few seconds and Ashley looked a little uneasy, but the man nodded and gave her hand a squeeze.

“They haven't infected.” He smiled at her and then walked on.

How... reassuring that simple gesture had been. Seeing her wounds almost closed and not seeming perturbed if not... happy.

She smiled inwardly and quickened her pace, making sure to pick up any strange smells.

“ From a distance it seemed smaller.” whistled one of the soldiers seeing the size of the mine wall.

“ Spread out and look for an entrance.” Chris ordered his team and Leon did the same with his.

Ashley sniffed around, looking for wetter soil or some indication that there was an open but shaded area. She tightened her grip on her weapon and walked cautiously.

She inhaled deeply and a strong smell of rusty iron came to her. She followed the trail around one side of the stone wall and joy filled her body.

“ Here's an entrance!” she exclaimed turning to the rest. They regrouped in front of the newly discovered entrance, which to their surprise was in better condition than they had imagined.

“ Well, let's settle down and prepare for the descent. Jill, Kennedy, Graham and I will go. You two will guard the north perimeter, you guys the west and you guys.” he pointed to the last two. “the east. Rotate to keep an eye on the south, but those dogs came in from the east so keep an eye on anything else.” He paused to look at the clock.

9 am.

“Well, with the sunlight you don't have to worry about the parasites showing up, but there may be other dangers, don't let your guard down.”

“ Yes, sir!”

Said and done. It didn't take them long to organize the weaponry they would take to the mine.

They equipped themselves with some extra protection and reloaded all the weapons before refilling the magazines and storing more ammunition.

Ashley secured her harness with the picked up Ice Axe and strapped one more ammo pouch to her thigh. Leon adjusted his gloves and looked at the chamber again, a simple habit he was already doing unconsciously.

“Everything ready?” Chris announced.

Jill nodded and next to her Leon and Ashley looked at each other.

“ Yes” replied the agent.

“ Well, you and Ashley will go first, you'll notice anything out of place first.”

They both nodded and took a deep breath. They went into the darkness of that grotto at the bottom of the earth, where perhaps they could find some answers that would shed light on their investigation.

He may have been the only one who heard the sound of the water slipping through the cracks in the walls. He followed the metal rails, illuminated by his and his companion's flashlight.

He heard everyone's breaths, controlled and tense.

Cold sweat trickled down his neck, dampening a few strands at the nape of his neck and clinging to his skin.

He exhaled with a pause, trying to slow his overflowing heart, or...was it Ashley's?

Her heart was thundering violently, almost to the point of seeming worrisome, but he heard her breathe in calmly, trying to calm herself even a little.

Chris was leaving marks on the walls for their way back.

All they needed was to get lost down there.

Ashley and Leon stopped at a junction and then took the path to the left. The rails were sunk into the ground and they disappeared. Their breaths and footsteps echoed, until Leon sensed that they did not reverberate in the same way in a specific area. He motioned for them to follow him and Ashley came up behind him with the gun at his side.

Then he caught a distinct scent

Rotten wood.

Leon took a step and something creaked under his weight.

His muscles suddenly tensed and he stretched an arm back, but the ground gave away beneath him.

“ LEON!”

Ashley grabbed his arm, but he dragged her down with him. They both fell and she managed to sink the ice axe into the stone, dragging and squeezing until it sank into a crack and stopped them in their tracks. She gasped at Leon's weight on a single arm hanging from her.

“ Leon! Ashley! Are you all right?!”

They tried to catch their breath before answering and it was Leon who spoke first.

“ Yes!” he looked at Ashley and then shone a light at her feet. He was relieved to see that it was solid ground and not a death trap.

“You can let me go.” he said to his companion now calmer.

She hesitated for a second and let their interlocking hands slide gently. The man fell a meter lower and brushed the dirt off him.

“ Wait for me, I'm going to see if I can climb up.” grunted Ashley ascending the small tunnel diagonally.

Leon stood there and waited until he saw a rope slide down and Chris and Jill climb down it and then Ashley returned. Graham mobilized the arm with which she had stopped Leon's fall in his tracks.

“ Are you all right?” he approached her with concern, but she smiled at him.

“ Yeah, just a sore feeling, it'll go away in a bit.”

Leon looked relieved and they all shone the light into the new cavern. This appeared to be a grotto rather than a mining tunnel, as if people had passed through here long ago.

Ashley approached the stone wall and chipped at it with the tip of her climbing pick. She watched the splinters fall and knelt down with the lantern on her neck.

Shells.

She unzipped her backpack and pulled out a couple of plastic jars into which she stuffed the splinters.

“What are you doing?” Jill asked next to her.

She closed the jars and put them away.

“ With this I'll be able to tell what period this layer belongs to with a carbon test.” she strapped her backpack back on. “ Let's move on.”

They walked through the grotto, the humidity becoming more intense and even suffocating. They descended further and further, and at one point they thought they had reached the gates of the underworld.

Then Ashley wrinkled her nose.

She stopped when she smelled the strange odor and scratched her nostrils. Leon noticed the gesture and turned to look at her, watching as she inhaled softly.

“This way.” she indicated, catching up with Leon.

They went on for a while until they came to a sort of... entrance.

There was an archway carved into the stone that led to a deep, dark path. Leon stopped Ashley by her wrist and shone his flashlight into the tunnel. He picked up a stone and threw it, causing it to bounce and echo. He analyzed the sound closely, even when none of the other three could perceive anything anymore.

The man nodded and they went deeper.

Ashley followed the strange scent, stopping every so often to check that the path was safe.

“These people... did all this?”

Ashley touched the shiny surface of the wall and sniffed it gently.

“ I think this pre-dates Ramon Salazar's dynasty, maybe it's from the time when his ancestors imprisoned the plaga here.”

“Maybe?” Jill asked, observing the small holes dug every few meters in the walls, like little windows where they put something at some point.

“ I can't say for sure, but... it might even predate the Middle Ages.”

“What are you basing that theory on?” Chris asked.

“ Those holes in the walls have black stains on the top area, it looks like soot from a flame. They probably put candles in there and judging by the faint smell in the hollows, they may have used animal fat or oil. Besides,” she added, descending the step. “the first Salazar was supposed to have banished the "demons" from this land, which implies that they were already here when they arrived. the question is, since when?”

Her last step echoed differently and the room widened.

It was a dead end.

Ashley frowned, catching that same smell, but it wasn't coming from that room.

There was something else in there they couldn't see.

“ Are we trapped?” Jill reached down with the gun and checked the place with the flashlight.

Ashley felt the bare stone following the trail. She moved through the cavern slowly, while Leon analyzed the marks on the floor.

That wasn't... Spanish. He didn't know much, but at least those words didn't sound like anything he'd studied.

Jill noticed what the agent was looking at and moved closer to zoom in on the illuminated area.

“ What is this?” Chris whispered in confusion.

“ I think it's... Latin.” Jill reported, trying to read what it said. “In tenebris et audi vocem ejus. O domine defendat nos de impius, servo animas.”

“ What the hell does that mean?” Chris mumbled.

“ In darkness we hear your voice, O Lord, protect us from the wicked, save our souls.” Ashley's voice translated the inscription. The three turned to her and Leon let out a surprised laugh.

“ And you know dead languages too?”

“ Current species and fossils are named in Latin. I don't know how to speak it, far from it, just interpret it.” he continued to feel the walls. “That means this place has been here at least since the Roman Empire. “his hand sank into a stone and there was a click on the other side.”

Leon heard water sliding somewhere and soon after the ground beneath their feet began to vibrate. Ashley took several steps back, feeling a grip on her waist for a second. She caught the scent of Leon above her, holding the gun up, and couldn't help but smile inwardly.

This man was simply too good. First her and then him.

They descended slowly, seeing the spiral marks on the walls, probably from a mechanism at the base that worked with weights.

The place was huge.

They saw water sliding down through several holes, filling what appeared to be the weights that made that platform descend. They could see galleries on its descent, carved into the bare stone, with primitive arches adorning the entrances.

Then the platform stopped. Ashley took a step forward to peer over the edge when she heard a thud and a hatch open.

It was as if her brain was hit with a sledgehammer.

The smell hit her in such a way that it made her gasp for air and stagger. Her eyes blurred and sparks flew deep inside her skull, causing her to see black dots in the air. She didn't hear the voices beside her, nor did she feel the stone against her legs as she fell to her knees. She clutched her head trying not to lose her balance with her vision spiraling at full speed. She clutched her throat trying to breathe again, but could only take small hysterical gasps.

She thought about the option of banging her head against the stone when the dots began to disperse and she had to hold back the retching by covering her mouth.

She looked to the back, on the other side of that stone bridge where a huge, dark doorway awaited, guarded by two huge torches. The fire moved in spirals and whispers emerged from that door like ghosts from the underworld. Grunts and gasps reached her in the tornado that was her head, dragging her to the bottom of the mouth of the underworld.

Another smell intruded, ceasing the crackling growls and softening the voices to a fade. The door receded and the flames disappeared along with the fireworks in her brain. It took several minutes for the ground to become still again and his eyes to be able to focus clearly once more.

A distant murmur reached her, growing sharper and sharper, until she managed to make out the voice beside her.

“Ash, for God's sake say something!”

She raised her amber irises to meet sapphire ones staring desperately at her. She couldn't answer, her throat still dry. She managed to gather some saliva to lubricate her vocal cords so she could speak.

“Wha...ha ha...ppened?” she managed to articulate, still a little dazed.

Hearing her voice again calmed Leon in an absurd way, making Leon sigh heavily.

“ That might as well ask you, what was that?”

Ashley blinked for a moment and looked back to the back of the bridge, where there was no longer a fire, or maybe there never had been. That huge doorway was barely a collapsed recess, with the door half-jammed and through which they could pass only one at a time.

That was where the smell came from.

“There was..." she gasped and accepted the drink of water Jill gave her. “There was a huge entrance, those columns,” she pointed to the back, “they had fire in them and…” she paused for a moment. “I heard...whispers...voices.”

“ Voices?” Leon arched his eyebrows. “I didn't hear anything.”

Ashley denied.

“ They were grunts and low squeaks, they didn't... sound human.”

The three veterans looked at each other and then at the woman kneeling in front of them.

Anyone would think that it had simply been her imagination, but that she had suffered these hallucinations and they had not, was something that had to be related to a smell.

“ Can you get up?” Leon said gently, grabbing her arm.

She nodded and stood up. The smell had already dissipated, but it was still there. She looked at the crack in the doorway feeling her survival instincts begin to surface. Suddenly warm hands wrapped around her face and Leon appeared in her field of vision terribly close.

“ Look into my eyes.” She felt his thumbs under her eyes, stretching the skin to get a good look at her corneas. “Now look up.” she obeyed. “Follow my finger.” She turned from side to side calmly and then up and down. “ Notice anything unusual?”

Ashley opened and closed her hands.

“ No, just a little headache, but it's going away,” she told him in a sincere tone. Leon held her for a few more seconds, making sure she didn't collapse again, and when he saw that she seemed to be stable he released her, though more slowly than he would have thought. He turned toward the bottom, shining a light on that mysterious entrance.

He might not have been amused, but it was the only way they had.

Ashley picked up her flashlight from the ground and gently patted Leon on the shoulder.

“ Shall we?” she whispered warmly. He looked at her doubtfully, still a little upset to see her slump like that.

It had scared him. A lot. But this was something she had agreed to do.

They went through the jammed wooden gate, passing through one at a time. On the other side stretched galleries between thick columns carved in stone, as if they were the bones of the earth itself and they walked through the veins. Water had seeped through some broken channel in the walls and trickled under their feet, echoing in the silent void.

It was as if time had stopped, as if down there space didn't work the same as it did on the surface.

The vulnerability of not having much visibility and relying on their senses was something that struck a chord with Graham. She was still thinking about what she had seen back there, had she inhaled some kind of hallucinogen, maybe that explained the whole door and the flaming columns, maybe she herself had imagined what that place had been like in the past and that gas had made it more real.

But then... What had those sounds been, those grunts?

She sighed, unable to come up with a single explanation, and picked up the clearest trace.

“This way.” the blonde pointed.

The smell was getting stronger and stronger. It might not be affecting her as it had before, but that didn't mean it was gone.

She was just getting a better understanding of what the smell was.

And she wasn't liking it at all.

“ These look like catacombs.” Jill whispered, shining a light up at the high ceiling.

Chris saw more inscriptions scattered across the walls.

“How long has this been here?”

Ashley paused to read some of the markings Chris had pointed out.

“ From what I know so far, the first Salazar arrived in the fifteenth century or so and the Romans came to the Iberian Peninsula in 200 or 300 BC. From then until the decline of the Romans in the fifth century AD, it could be any time. Without laboratory testing I can't know for sure.” Shefingertips slid across the words and she pulled a small analog camera out of her backpack to start taking pictures of all the Scriptures.

“ With that at least we know that at least the plagas have been around for ten centuries longer than we had anticipated.” Leon concluded, holding Ashley's flashlight so she could take the images.

Jill glanced at Graham.

“ Hey Ashley, how do you know so much about the Salazars? We have no information about them other than what Leon wrote down in his report.”

The blonde's hands stopped and her body fell into remembrance.

On that day she thought everything she saw was a hallucination.

In what Salazar did to her in that ritual.

Leon noticed the woman's cessation of movement and for a moment he couldn't help but be curious, for... there were things he never got to tell her, or not in detail.

Then her lips finally parted.

“ Ramon Salazar... had a long history session with me.”

Chris arched his eyebrows.

“Did he pull the board out of you or what?”

She took another second to answer.

“Let's just say, all I could do was listen, being tied to a stone table where the only thing keeping me sane was the voice of that son of a bitch talking about his heretical family and his delusions of grandeur.” she paused for another long pause and then raised the camera again. “It was either that or succumb to the parasite raping my insides trying to get to my brain.”

Leon's gaze remained static on her, on her words, on the darkness that held them. His blue eyes slid to the end of the exposed scar and he unconsciously clenched his fists, feeling that little demon appear at the back of his thoughts.

On the "if's", on how come he didn't get there sooner, on what made him so slow, what-.

“ Leon.” the firm voice snapped him out of it, silencing the devil. “those amber indexes glanced sideways at him to gently shake his head. ”Don't think.”

Chris and Jill watched, confused, the man in front of them at Ashley's words, as if he could read Kennedy's thoughts.

Leon let out a long sigh and tried to calm himself. He was right there was no use thinking about it now.

He had to focus.

Ashley switched the camera reel so she could finish photographing the entire room.

“ I see you come equipped.” Jill joked.

Ashley smiled and opened one of the pouches in her fanny pack, filled with camera film protected in plastic wrap. Jill was stunned and the one who scoffed was Chris.

“ I think she brought the whole warehouse with her.”

The four of them laughed trying to calm their growing nerves. Finally Ashley put the camera away and they continued on, ascending a small shaft with spiraling stairs.

Leon went first, aiming for whatever might come from above. Suddenly he stopped at the bottom steps, glancing down at his boots. He looked down at his soles and saw something stickier than water, something that gave off an unpleasant odor. He turned to Ashley who looked at the stained stone wrinkling her nose.

That was what she had been smelling all along.

Decomposition.

But it wasn't the normal smell of disintegrating organic matter, it was a different tinged aroma.

“Are you all right?” Leon asked in front of her.

“ Yes, keep going. We need to know where this is coming from.”

With his heart in his throat Leon ascended and reached the exit to the stairs. He passed the small threshold and the blood froze in his body.

Everything came back like a tornado. The rage, the pain, the hate, the exhaustion....

Fury and terror took hold of him again for a few moments when he saw the source of this filth.

“ My God…” Jill's voice was a mixture of disbelief and disgust.

Leon came back to earth and turned quickly to Ashley at his side. His eyes stared at that gigantic inert body. A hodgepodge of muscle and viscera where a huge crimson eye protruded split in half and oozing black fluid.

“What the fuck is that?”

Those blue eyes were once again riveted on the aberration in front of him.

He knew what it was.

He knew who that was.

“ It's Ramon Salazar.”

“ Let me hear your sweet cries Ashley, hee hee hee hee....”

Her throat stinged. It burned. It was bleeding.

She no longer had a voice to call for help, to call for Leon.

She could neither moan in pain nor sob in anguish.

She could only convulse in choked moans.

I wanted it to stop.

EVERYTHING.

She wanted someone to pierce her heart and end her suffering. That someone would take pity on her and let her sleep for once.

But no one came.

Like lava coursing through her insides, ascending into her mind, devouring her body mercilessly.

She was losing. She had to hold on to something... someone.

Blood gurgled from her mouth, threatening to drown her, but not quite succeeding to her misfortune.

Her eyes wept scarlet and her pupils burned, as if there were candles inside her brain heating the corneas from the inside.

She didn't know if her bones were broken or if it was the feeling of the parasite taking control of her body.

Please... make it stop.

“ I'm going to tell you a little story, Princess.” those cold hands touched her face, making her whimper, as if it burned. “listen carefully, because we're going to be together for a long time, little one…”

Now that scrawny, pale body was lying facing her, motionless. She remembered to breathe and took in air as if she had been holding her breath for hours.

But she did not move. She could only look at that torso fused with the flesh of the horrible creature.

She could only stare at that MONSTER.

The gun in her hand became more noticeable. Heavier.

Was this what was left of him, of the great Ramon Salazar?

Unconsciously she took a step forward and gingerly tapped one of the limbs.

So much grandeur and hubris...reduced to pulp and viscera.

She looked up at the rest of the body and her voice finally came out of her throat.

“Is this... what was hanging on the wall?”

Leon looked at her with a grim countenance, feeling the claws of his darkest memories clawing at his legs.

“ When I came in and you weren't there it merged with...that thing that produced plagas.”

Chris turned to Leon for a second.

“This thing is the thing that created the plagas?”

Ashley circled the body without taking her eyes off the pale dwarf.

His eyes white. Just like his flesh. Dry and putrid, devoid of blood or any life it might once have had.

She listened to Leon and Chris's conversation in the background.

“ From what I understood it sounded like that.” he paused thoughtfully. “ but it always seemed strange to me that it was so... unprotected, as if....”

Ashley continued to circle the body,arching her eyebrows at something she was beginning to see coming out of the torso. Leon's voice echoed behind her.

“ As if…”

Ashley's heart stopped.

“ As if it didn't actually PRODUCE the plagas.” she finished the sentence.

The three of them turned and saw her standing still in front of something that only she had vision of from that angle.

She turned to look at them and in her expression they could see uncertainty and... dread.

Leon frowned and approached cautiously, shining his light on the same spot as Ashley.

He stiffened when he saw what she'd discovered.

The creature's belly pouch filled with plagas.

Ashley swallowed saliva before approaching. Leon went to stop her, but she had already knelt down to pull out the knife.

Graham held her nose before plunging the blade into the slimy flesh and slicing it open. A horrible stench reached Leon who took a step back wrinkling his nose. She waited a few seconds before breathing again, holding back violent retching and an urge to vomit.

This was exactly the smell she had perceived earlier.

The bodies of the parasites slipped lifelessly into the liquid, totally inert. It seems that these were not like their fossilized cousins. They were smaller, much smaller, more... modern.

She reached into her backpack and pulled out a few more jars. She used the knife to cut the tissue and save some samples, then looked carefully at the bag.

None of them looked like young pests, they all looked the same, where were the eggs? where were the parasites not yet gestated? if that creature produced the plagas, inside it must have both reproductive organs, since the plagas themselves didn't seem to be able to reproduce, but mutate.

She had to know if those were all of them.

She took a breath, deeply disgusted, and bravely climbed onto the decomposing body.

“What are you doing?” Leon asked in alarm.

“ Move aside.” she warned before plunging the knife in and with both hands opening the bag from side to side.

The three veterans held their noses and quickly stepped back. The entire contents emptied out like a pool and Ashley's suspicions began to deepen.

Those were the pests she saw in that grotto. Dismembered and dismembered, but these had a strange feature she hadn't seen.

Shells.

She descended, holding her breath, and pushed one of the new specimens aside with her foot.

This one had been dead much longer. She couldn't remember any such plaga and began to put things together.

It didn't make sense that the creature would keep dead offspring in its body. In those cases the bodies either absorbed them or discarded them to make room for new specimens.

Unless...

She opened her eyes wide.

This thing didn't CREATE plagas, it STORED them.

Leon caught the gasp that came from her and raised his eyes to look at her.

“Ash?”

“You say this merged with Salazar?” In her voice he perceived a slight tinge of alarm.

“ Yes, why do you say that?”

Ashley's flashlight slid across all those bodies.

“ This thing... I don't think it was capable of producing anything.” she paused. “I think it MUTATED the plagas it already had.”

The three of them approached Ashley as she climbed down the body.

Chris frowned.

“If this thing was storing the parasite then what was producing them?”

Ashley adjusted her backpack and consumption carefully plunged the knife under the shell of one of the plagas to separate it from the body. It cut through the flesh with great ease, which fell away leaving only the shell. Ashley stuffed it into a bag and secured them in the backpack when another scent reached her.

She stood still and looked up at the ceiling, toward a large crack where Salazar's body would have fallen all the way down there.

“ We have to hurry.” She hurried to stow and tie her gear securely. “We have company.”

Leon still couldn't hear anything.

“ What are they?”

“The Colmillos, they must have found or dug some tunnel.”

Chris cursed under his breath.

“We're screwed, the platform before can only be ascended manually or with a water mill. And there's no water here.”

Leon made sure his gun was ready and the adrenaline started coursing through his body.

“ If those beasts managed to get here, that same path could lead us outside.”

It was a risky plan, but it was the only thing they had at the moment. Then Leon heard something else, which was neither growls nor the footsteps of those demon wolves. He turned cautiously and shone a light on the source, where he discovered, with disgust, some strange insects.

Those were...

“ Um... guys? we've got a problem.”

The other three turned and tensed at the sight of bugs eating the liquid that had come out of Ashley's opened bag. The worst part?

They were getting bigger by the second.

Ashley tensed and inhaled looking for the source of the fangs. She shone her light on the ceiling from all sides unable to see anything. she felt something wrap around her ankle and crushed a centipede the size of her leg.

If they already disgusted him, now it was worse.

Jill shone her light and with more light they could see a protrusion to the side.

“ There!” exclaimed the blonde, drawing the attention of the two men.

The insects shrieked, they didn't know whether in pain or madness. They writhed on themselves as their bodies crunched and deformed, turning them into monstrosities.

“ Come on!” Chris exclaimed, standing at the base of the wall to give everyone a leg up. Jill jumped first, Ashley followed and Leon was next.

Graham and Kennedy extended their hands towards Chris, who propelled himself up the wall to reach them and pulled him up with a grunt.

Chris dropped to his knees panting.

“ You've put on weight this time with Ashley eh, Leon?” grinned Chris teasingly.

Leon rolled his eyes and helped him up.

“ Fuck you Chris, you're the elephant here.” he snarled back.

The four watched and heard the insects squirming at the base, covering the ground as if they appeared out of nowhere. They saw some crawling up the walls at the bottom and their alarms went off.

“Let's get the hell out of here.” Jill said in the lead. Ashley followed her sniffing like a canine and Leon kept his eyes peeled for anything coming after them.

This tunnel was narrower and they had to go one at a time. The scent of Colmillos was still distant. With a little luck, maybe they would make it close to the exit before they encountered them.

That tunnel was not a crawlway. The walls looked as if water had flowed through it long ago.

They might have reached an old river, perhaps the one that joined the one she followed when she came for Leon.

The tunnel widened and they felt a little less claustrophobic. The path was still straight ahead and their hurried footsteps echoed loudly. Ashley turned to look at Leon, worried that this noise wasn't affecting him too much, and as if he could read her thoughts he simply smiled. That was enough to calm her and encourage her to keep going. The tunnel ended and they reached a wide area surrounding a central space. They ran along the path with the intention of continuing through the corridors they saw above. Ashley sniffed again and froze.

That wasn't where the smell was coming from.

The wall exploded beside her, hitting her with the violence of a rhinoceros and sending her flying through the air. She went through old wooden beams and crashed to the stone floor. She rolled to her feet and saw Jill also on the same platform as her.

“ JILL!!!AASHLEY!!!!” Chris shouted as the ground began to shake violently.

The ground began to sink under the impact, as if it was another one of those platforms .

And then her amber eyes met the crimson ones of that hellhound.

Those uneven crocodile teeth and serrated, drooling with its bifid tongue passing between the fangs.

She stood still staring at it, feeling the weight of the weapon in her hand. The beast watched her just the same, its throat emitting low growls as suddenly its head split open and razor-sharp limbs emerged from its split body. The plaga rippled through the air and stood watching her like a predator.

Her heart thundered in her ears. Her body burned like embers. Adrenaline coursed through her veins. Was she in shock? Was she blocked? Was her body having a panic response?

That's what Leon thought when he saw her standing motionless in front of the creature. Not moving a muscle, as if she couldn't and panicked.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, sh-"

The plaga lunged and Ashley dodged like lightning. The shot echoed like thunder and impacted in the Colmillo's mouth. The beast roared, but 5 more shots landed in its head before it collapsed. Ashley let out the pent-up air with a gasp and took a deep breath.

Only to have panic run through her body.

The platform began to lower further and she watched Leon and Chris search for a lever to stop it.

She caught a whiff and her more visceral instincts surfaced.

“ Jill climb up!” she exclaimed running towards her. Other Colmillos came out of the hole and Ashley raised the gun to fire without hesitation.

Jill dodged a wolf and ran for the wall.

“ What's the matter?” I hadn't understood why she had gotten so nervous.

“FUCKING CLIMB!!!!” she shouted, shooting at the dog and kicking it six feet away. She took off her backpack and threw it at Jill.

“ Come on!” she yelled, running towards her.

Jill shot and knocked down another wolf. Ashley gave her footing to climb onto a ledge. The ground was getting too low. Graham pushed herself up and grabbed Jill's hand.

“HOLD ON!” Leon shouted, jumping from walkway to walkway, still looking for a lever. He watched the two women flee from the wolves as one of them grabbed Ashley by the ankle and dragged her away.

Jill screamed his name and the trembling forced her to hold on so she wouldn't fall again. Leon felt his blood run cold.

Ashley raised the gun and pulled out the climbing ice axe.

“You won't eat me.” she growled like a dog.

Jill fired and another jumped at the blonde. The pike plunged into its head and the barrel went into its mouth to disintegrate it with bullets. Ashley rolled, dodging the pest and blocked an onslaught.

Then bugs and water began to appear around the edges of the platform.

She killed another Colmillo and Jill reached out her hand which Ashley grabbed.

Only to scream as huge jaws closed in on her side.

Leon exclaimed and pulled a wooden wall down.

God, the lever.

“CHRIS!!!” he called out to it and blanched at his protégé's scream.

The wolves and critters closed in on Ashley's feet. She fired point blank into the skull of the wolf that was biting her and blood stained her clothes.

It stung. It burned. FUCK. She shot another insect and shrieked as she felt claws dig into her thigh.

They were coming up, they were circling her.

She shot the wolf.

She shot another insect. The water began to rise.

Blood stained her whole.

Hers and theirs.

Jill tried to pull and shoot to get them to let go. Ashley climbed over the bodies. The men pulled the locked lever.

They bit into her arm.

She screamed. She fired and ran out of bullets.

She fumbled at her belt among the bodies ascending her.

Fuck. FUCK. FUCK

“ COME ON!!!” they roared lowering the lever.

Ashley reached for something in her bag.

There was a click.

A roar.

Ashley disappeared between the bodies.

Jill shouted her name.

A snap.

And it exploded.

The lever came down and Leon ran out of air.

NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO.

“ ASHLEY!!!”

39 notes · View notes