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amydancepants-peralta · 4 years ago

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The 5 times Jake & Amy tried to get some ‘alone time’ during the holidays (and the 1 time they’re successful)

Here is my entry into the @b99fandomevents Summer 2020 Challenge, for @peraltasames 💗 also available on ao3, as it is a little long ☺️

(For those of you playing at home, only part 2 is NSFW 🙊)

Part 1:

(where it all begins)

Attempt number 1: The Santiago Family Holiday House

“Thought I might find you here.”

Lifting her head up from its resting place in the crook of her arm, Amy doesn’t even try to suppress the smile that began to creep onto her face the moment she’d picked up on Jake’s voice.

She cocks her head to the side as he falters mid-step, an obvious blush creeping onto his cheeks as he lifts his hands, raising two bottles in mock surrender. “I mean, obviously I didn’t know that you’d be out here … I’ve never been here before and that’s giving off some real Creepy New Boyfriend vibes. You know what, I’m just going to reset and start again.” Digging one sneakered heel into the landing, he does a quick full body turn before Amy can give any type of reassurance; blinking quickly when their eyes meet again to indicate a Full Reset. “Hey, Ames! Your brother mentioned that you might be out here, so I thought I’d do something completely non-stalkery and bring you a drink.”

Chuckling, Amy reaches out for one of the offered bottles, riding that still new high that comes from hearing Jake Peralta refer to himself as her boyfriend. “Thanks, babe.”

It’s Jake’s turn to grin right back, clearly enjoying her use of their favourite new term for each other; a colloquial word that still seemed kinda new - given it’s only been four months since they got together - yet somehow fits so well it’s almost a little strange to remember a time when they couldn’t refer to each other as such. There’s a shared giddiness that floats between them as they clink bottles and take a sip, and her cheeks kinda hurt from smiling this much, but Amy really doesn’t care.

Gesturing at the expanse of the relatively simple deck, Jake takes in the wooden panelling of the exterior walls before turning his attention back to his girlfriend. “So … this is your little secret hideout, I hear?”

Nodding, Amy returns to her earlier position leaning against the high railing in front of her, letting out a soft yeah as her free hand runs along the timber paling.

Built by her grandfather as a home away from the city several decades ago, the Santiago Lake House has long been considered a place of refuge for the family. With six of her brothers, two uncles and her father Victor on the force, common holidays were rarely guaranteed off; and so this year they had elected a non-particular weekend in June as their opportunity for all to come together. Save for a last-minute issue at Victor’s precinct pulling him away from the festivities, all eight Santiago siblings (and their mother Camila) had arrived earlier today for a well overdue holiday.

While the majority of her family often preferred to gather around the oversized back deck, from a young age Amy had gravitated towards the more intimate side balcony that overlooked the water. Stretching out from the family room situated on the second floor, the surrounding tree tops lent a sense of privacy the back deck couldn’t completely offer; and on the evenings when things began to feel a little too loud, Amy would often come up here to decompress, watching the night slip by as the moon silvered the lake before her.

Taking a sip of his beer, Jake moves to stand next to Amy, resting his weight against the banister as he drinks in the view. “I really like it.” A small army of goosebumps appear on Amy’s skin, despite the dusk’s only slightly fading heat, as his arm brushes against her skin. “Perfectly compact, with a great view.” She can sense him grin, shoulder nudging against hers. “Feels like you.”

Amy feels her cheeks heat up as a blush washes over her, grateful that the relative darkness of the almost night sky would be able to hide her reaction. Jake was the very first boyfriend she’d ever brought to the lake house - a fact that Manny had announced very loudly in the middle of the private tour she had been giving earlier - and the look of elation and pride that had taken over Jake’s features at the discovery has remained fresh in her mind for the past few hours.

(It had never been an overly deliberate action, to keep previous boyfriends away from the lake house, but the thought of Jake joining in, within a minute of the date being set, had been so automatic that Amy is only now realising that the concept of being here without him had seemed completely illogical.)

A melody played from Luis’ acoustic guitar is carried up to the two of them by a sudden breeze, cutting through the tops of the surrounding pine, and Amy lets out a small shiver: forever and always susceptible to the cold, regardless of the lingering summer heat. Without missing a beat; Jake moves to stand behind her - covering her back with his front with the instinct of not only a gentleman, but a man who is very quickly taking complete hold of her heart.

His arms come to rest besides hers along the edge of the bannister, and quietly Amy hopes that he cannot feel the rapid pounding of her heart through her jacket. It felt a little ridiculous to act this way, like some kind of lovesick teenager drawing hearts all over her notebook, but dating Jake for the past four months doesn’t seem to have taken the edge off the way his presence made her feel.

“So …. Tell me about David.”

As hard as she tries to avoid it, Amy feels her shoulders tense up - the urge to let out an exaggerated UGH almost too strong to resist. She’d only touched on David’s presence briefly on the drive up to the lake house, and despite her own personal reservations, she supposed it was sort of fair that Jake might have a few questions. Letting out a calming breath, Amy gives herself a quick reminder to keep her responding tone light. “What would you like to know?”

“Uhh … well, look - the way his photo is displayed on that mantel in the formal lounge, and the clear adoration in your mother’s voice whenever his name came up made me wonder if he was on some super secret mission to Mars or something.” Shaking his head, Jake knocks the lip of the beer bottle against his forehead. “I honestly spent the first twenty minutes of polite chatter frantically rewinding all of our conversations over the last few years in my head, trying to remember you ever bringing up something like that. Thank god he walked in when he did, or I’m sure I would’ve ended up saying something really stupid.”

Knowing that Jake can’t necessarily see her (okay, perhaps childish) reaction, Amy rolls her eyes at the mention of Camila’s unfiltered reverence when it comes to David. “Yeah, he’s basically the ‘Do No Wrong’ guy … The Golden Child, as Julian and I like to call him. It’s kinda always been like that, ever since he came home from first grade with a report card filled with gold star stickers and praise from literally every teacher he’d ever been in contact with.”

Swallowing his last swig of beer, Jake scoffs into the night sky. “Gold stars are cool, I guess. But any fool knows that the scratch-n-sniff stickers are where it’s really at.”

“Obviously. Strawberry, the clear winner.”

His free hand landing on her forearm, Jake squeezes gently. “I’d always been partial to grape, but strawberry just reminds me of that chapstick you use before bed now, and I am a big fan of those strawberry kisses to start my morning.”

Craning her head to the side slightly, Amy flashes Jake a grin before meeting him halfway for a soft kiss. She, too, had become a big fan of morning kisses … and afternoon kisses, night kisses … basically any time she got to feel the pressure of Jake’s lips against her own was a winner in her book - and she knows she’s being a little ridiculous but she also really, really likes him. Remembering their previous conversation as she pulls away, Amy shakes her head slightly before looking out onto the lake again.

“It’s worse at home, if I’m being honest - it’s basically the same shrine on the mantel, only at home we have a piano in the living room as well. So … how well you’re doing at school or work or whatever, determines your position either on the piano or the wall of shame above the staircase.”

“I mean … I’m sure it’s not meant to feel like a wall of shame, babe.”

Amy nods, letting out a quick I want to believe you laugh. “Tell that to Tony. One semester, he wasn’t focusing as much as normal, and his grade dropped by a whole level. Two days after he came home with the results, Mama conveniently decided to do a redesign of the living room - one that just so happened to include the shuffling of Tony’s school portrait from next to mine on the piano, to sitting at the bottom of the staircase.”

Taking a long sip of Cristal, Amy pauses to take stock of the conversation. It felt slightly traitorous to be talking to Jake about the hierarchy that - prior to this evening - she’d only ever discussed with her brothers (minus one). There’s never been a question over whether their mother loved them dearly - an abundance of love was palpable between the walls of both their family home and the holiday house - but it was also impossible to deny that the shadow of David’s successes, paired with Camila’s obvious praise, had loomed over Amy’s shoulders during her many late night study sessions.

This wasn’t the first time talking to Jake had led to Amy admitting more than she would to most - he had that (at times, irritating) ability to sneak past her guard long before they’d been anything more than colleagues. But one of her most favourite details of their new relationship, aside from the why-did-we-wait-so-long-for-this sex, was the amount of nights they would stay up just … talking. They’d learnt more about each other in the past four months than the last two years combined, and still she craves more. Shaking her now empty bottle, Amy stoops to place it on the ground beside her before straightening, sighing in contentment as Jake’s shoulders rest against hers once again.

“Eventually, Tony’s photo found its way back to the piano .. but the message was pretty clear.” Letting out a rueful laugh, she shakes her head slightly. “It’s no secret that I love a bit of friendly competition. But … it’d be kinda nice if the rungs of the ladder weren’t always so far away from each other.”

At the feeling of Jake’s lips pressing into her hair Amy lets out one last sigh, surprising herself with just how lighter her shoulders seem to feel. A silence stretches between them as Jake drains the last of his beer, and just when she’s about to change the subject completely, he speaks.

“So. There’s a little known fact about me, that you should probably be made aware of now that we’re all smooshing booties offical stylez and whatever.”

Her lips curl up at the term. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yup. Obviously you’re already aware of my titles as Greatest Detective Ever, Badass MC, Amazing Lover, Fierce Defender of Good from Evil ..”

“Oh god, is this list ever going to end?”

“… Master dunker at B-ball, unofficially official taste tester of any and all sour candies … but! What you might not know is that I am also a crazy good Hype Man. Like .. the best. All the others can just go home coz I kick the most butt at hyping things up and that’s just the facts.”

Turning her head slightly towards Jake, Amy glances up at her boyfriend from the corner of her eyes. “I feel like there was a point you were making, here?”

Depositing his empty bottle along the far edge of the banister, Jake’s hands return to weave their fingers through both of Amy’s, staying close as she watches him take a heavy swallow. Sensing that something important was about to be said, and that Jake may not be at the Locked Eyes Grand Gesture stage just yet, she trains her gaze towards the lake and waits.

“What I’m saying, Ames, is that I am officially signing up to be your hype man. I will literally have zero hesitation in pointing out your awesomeness to anybody that doesn’t immediately see it, and I just ..” Pausing for a moment, he shuffles closer to her back, squeezing their gripped fingers tightly, and she takes no hesitation in squeezing right back. “You need to know that … no matter what happens. I’m always going to be there, cheering you on.”

The unspoken definition of the no matter what happens hangs between them, the mere mention of anything but the two of them staying together sounding both unwelcome and impossible, and Amy nods against his chest.

“I just …. They could rewire the stars with your accolades, Ames. The fact that it goes over anybody’s head baffles me, let alone somewhere like here.”

She nods again, temporarily unable to speak as unexpected tears begin to threaten their escape. There were an abundance of reports and awards that spoke of her achievements, and logically she knew that any task that she set her mind to could be mastered with relative ease.

But to know that Jake not only noticed her triumphs, but wanted to actually (and, perhaps literally) shout them from the rooftops, meant more to Amy than she could have anticipated.

He presses another kiss to her hair, and she holds onto him tightly. There’s so much familiarity surrounding her right now - from the scratch of the logwood bannisters; the filtered laughter of her brothers and their extended families, to the slightly acrid smell of burnt marshmallows as Luis once again fails to make a decent s’more.

Jake’s cologne with it’s spicy notes, and the overall sense of warmth he exudes, should feel foreign amongst it all … but standing here on the balcony with his arms stretched out comfortably on top of her own, Amy cannot deny that it feels less like an intrusion, and more like the final piece of life’s puzzle locking into place.

Her voice cuts through the night, tone soft as she rests her head briefly against Jake’s shoulder. “I’m really glad you’re here, Jake.”

The bridge of Jake’s nose brushes her temple as he dips his head lower, pressing a kiss against her cheekbone, and her heart skips at the simple intimacy of it all. “Me too, Ames.”

His fingers, still interlaced with hers, tighten as he pulls their arms closer to her middle; holding the two of them in a tight embrace as his continues a trail of kisses, letting out a quiet sigh as he follows her jawline. It’s as his teeth begin to graze the outside edge of her earlobe - a guaranteed winning choice - that he begins to whisper, the warmth of his breath sending shivers down her spine. “So if I’m officially the first boyfriend you’ve brought here … does that mean there’s a bed somewhere that needs breaking in?”

Grinning, Amy turns in his embrace, releasing her grip on his hands so that she can throw her arms around her boyfriend’s neck and nod. He gives her a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows, absorbing her laughter with a slightly longer kiss as his arms wrap around her lower body, and it only takes a moment when he pulls away and looks down at her - but in a moment, she knows.

It’s a combination of things - a curated list of all of her favourite details about him coming together on a hazy June evening: the softness of his touch every time he was near; the warmth of his breath when it ghosted over her skin, the way he made her feel like she was the only person in the world that he could ever want to kiss. She knows that it’s still technically early days, but as his fingers tip gently underneath her chin and draw her closer for the kind of kiss one doesn’t forget easily, Amy knows for sure that she is most definitely falling in love with Jake Peralta.

It’s the kind of thought - the kind of kiss - that distracts even the most focused of people, and for that reason alone Amy doesn’t hear the heavy thud of Manny’s boots bounding up the staircase until it’s accompanied by his loud Busted! tone.

“Okay amantes - time to come and at least pretend to be sociable with the family, yah?”

Amy’s lips pull away from Jake’s with a smack, swivelling her head towards her brother as she fixes him with a glare. “We’re here for an entire weekend, Manny. Plenty of time for family stuff.”

That frustratingly mischievous glint appears in her brother’s eyes - a sure sign of danger ahead - and Amy pulls away slightly from Jake. “Ah-huh. No biggie, Ma’s just been asking about your new boyfriend Jake, and is wondering where you’d gotten to … I’ll just tell her you’re both up here exploring the backs of each other’s throats, if that’s cool?”

Grabbing her wrist quickly, Jake yelps out a quick “Nope!”, gently pulling Amy towards the staircase. “We were actually just talking about how we should go down and join the crowd, weren’t we Ames?”

Manny makes little to no effort to conceal his laughter as Amy’s response is a continuation of her glare, and he half-turns towards Jake as all three begin their descent towards the back deck. “FYI, my bedroom is right next to yours, and I sleep real light … wouldn’t want to have to tell Mama about the things that go bump in the night, hey hermana?”

“You’ll get yours, manito.” Amy mumbles, linking hands with Jake as they move further away from their private oasis.

There was a very good chance that this was Manny’s version of revenge (she may or may not have stumbled on her brother & his boyfriend last year, something she still swears to have been an accident) but now she’s both turned on and frustrated; knowing that as long as Manny has anything to do with it, there will be No Sex for her and Jake at the lake house.

Truly, she couldn’t think of a worse way to begin a holiday.

(… is that a red light blinking?)

Attempt number 2: Santa Barbara

Jake’s eyebrows lift in surprise as the strength of Amy’s shove forces him into the couch cushions below, body barely settling against the base before she begins scrambling onto his lap.

Responding to his shock with a satisfied grin, Amy rests her hands on either side of his face to pull him in for a kiss, catching his soft moans and joining them with her own as it deepens.

It isn’t until she’s begun to graze her teeth against the base of his neck that she catches her breath, whispering as her body begins to grind down against his - “I’m totally blaming you for this, by the way.”

“I’m not sure what I’m taking the blame for, but as long as you keep kissing me like that I’m pretty much going to admit to anything.”

She laughs, sinking her teeth gently into his shoulder and leaving a kiss in their wake. “You and your hands, stroking up and down my back all night while I was trying to be the attentive and supportive sister. It was driving me crazy, you don’t know how close I came to dragging you into the coat closet.”

The two of them had flown to Santa Barbara for a long weekend to show their support for Amy’s closest (aka: secretly favourite) brother, Miguel. As the only Santiago child not to join the NYPD, Miguel had instead chosen to become a specialist in the medical field, relocating to follow a promotion in California. This evening he was receiving an award from his peers at a gala uptown, and both Jake and Amy had jumped at the chance to attend - if for no other reason than a chance to get away, after months of double shifts and leads that had taken them absolutely nowhere.

Amy had chosen a new dress for the occasion - black material that shimmered in just the right way, with a low-scoop back to avoid the unbearable summer heat. Paired with her signature studs and heels high enough to do some serious damage if provoked, she’d felt like a million dollars walking into the gala on Jake’s arm - and had smiled ever so proudly as Miguel received his award.

The rest of the night, however, has become a vague memory … because all she can remember feeling - all she can remember even thinking about - was the way Jake’s fingers felt as they feathered against her exposed skin. With his arm draped over her chair he’d been given the perfect amount of leeway throughout the ceremony, and the non-sensical patterns of unconscious action on her boyfriend’s end had sent a parade of tingles all over her body with every lap.

Safe to say, once all the awards have been presented and they’d had the chance to congratulate Miguel once again, Amy had slammed down her fourth drink and found a convenient reason for her and Jake to leave. Immediately.

“To be fair Ames, you do look amazing tonight,” Jake mumbled in-between kisses, running his hand over the expanse of her back to demonstrate his appreciation. “Honestly, I’m blaming the dress for making my already hot girlfriend Super Mega Hot.”

She rewards his sweet declaration with a heated kiss, hands making quick work of his tie - loosening the knot with practised ease (she does, after all, fasten and loosen his work tie most days) and casting the fabric aside as she begins to tackle his buttons.

A beachside mansion, owned by a friend of Roger’s, had been offered to be their accommodation for the weekend - an olive branch of sorts towards Jake that he’d begrudgingly accepted (the notion of his parents dating each other, something he was slowly coming to terms with). Their delayed flight this afternoon had meant that Jake and Amy barely had time to dump their bags before getting changed and leaving again, but the floor-to-ceiling windows and expansive layout she’d picked up on their way out the door already suggested a very comfortable few days ahead.

It is, in fact, only as Jake drops a quick kiss to her lips, suggesting they move things into the bedroom, that Amy stands and actually takes stock of her surroundings (a combination of four drinks and an irresistible partner can clearly only lead to a distracted mind).

Tugging onto her boyfriend’s hand as he continues leading her towards the hallway, Amy lets out a quiet wait a minute - and it’s just enough to pique Jake’s interest, turning to see what it is that’s caught Amy’s attention.

“Ames?”

Raising her finger in a curious point, Amy surveys the room. “Cameras.” At Jake’s silence, she points them out as she slowly circumnavigates the room. “One, two .. I count four altogether. Four cameras, three of them video. Trained to face the furniture, and not the beach.”

Hands on hips, Jake moves further into the centre of the room, frowning. “Yeah, that is a little weird.”

Her eyebrows knit together as she walks towards the bookshelf next to the tv unit, inspecting a container that managed to catch her eye. “Jake, there are like five different handcuffs in here. All of them furry.” Turning her head, she begins to read a few of the labels attached on a row of VHS tapes. Genna and Nicolai … Matt and Lennon … “Cockpit Larry and the Mile High Stewardi?” Swivelling quickly, Amy turns to gasp at Jake. “Babe … what sort of place has your father organised for us?”

Running his hand along the back of his neck, Jake shakes his head quickly. “Let’s not panic just yet, Ames. This could all just be a series of coincidences that when put together seem really weird, but actually aren’t. It .. looks like a normal house - except for all the cameras that seem to be directed towards the couch we were definitely just making out on, maybe a few sex tapes and what, in hindsight, might definitely be release papers waiting for us on the kitchen bench.”

“There’s what, where?”

“In fact, I bet if I lift the lid off of this bowl thing, we’ll find some delicious candy or potpourri or something … and it’s lube. Many, many bottles of lube. Hey, we’ve got the same flavour!”

Amy’s eyes widen, her face paling significantly as she feels her stomach drop to her feet. “Oh god, this is a sex dungeon isn’t it?”

“If not, it’s the background of at least a few porn videos.” Gripping the base of his hair in frustration, Jake lifts his head to curse at the ceiling. “I should’ve known Roger wouldn’t know anybody with a normal house!”

Sensing the panic build up inside of her, Amy scours the room for her purse and heels, both of which had been discarded near the entryway mid-makeout. The arousal that had been coursing through her mere minutes ago has all but disappeared, replaced by the overwhelming urge to take a shower. She was all for porn, just as long as she wasn’t the star of it (one simply doesn’t find NYPD’s youngest female captain on RedTube) - and this house was the kind of place that, under a black light, would resemble a Jackson Pollock. “Jake, we need to leave. We almost had sex in here!”

“Almost being the keyword, Ames. Unless … ”

“Jake!”

“Coming, my love! Title of the sex tape that we definitely didn’t make here!”

(i’m sensing a pattern here …)

Attempt Number 3: The Beach House

“Jake! Jake’s girlfriend! I just pulled Charles’s ear away from your bedroom door, thought you might wanna know!”

Startled, Jake lifts his head up so quickly it hurts his neck a little, both confused and irritated that his earlier activity of planting a series of kisses along Amy’s bare torso has been so rudely interrupted. “Wait, was that …?”

Raising her head off of the pillow, Amy meets his startled gaze with her own. “Did she just - ”

Their suspicions (and, in all honesty - their worst fears) were confirmed a mere second later as another voice booms through their (thankfully, locked) bedroom door.

“I’ve had a very stressful week, Gina! What better way to lull myself into a restful sleep than by listening to the sweet lovemaking of America’s Dream Couple?”

“Oh my god, BOYLE!”

Jake’s knees slide against the sheets as he sits up, lending a hand to Amy as she follows suit. He lets out a defeated sigh as she pushes the hem of her shirt downwards again, leaning forward to grip his arm as he calls through the door - “Boundaries, Charles! … Thank you, Gina!”

“It’s a virtual feast for the ears, you guys! Very soothing, to bear audio witness to the actualisation of love beyond a doorway. It’s only weird if we make it weird.”

“It’s weird and creepy and not okay, Boyle!” Squeezing his eyes shut, Jake cringes at the sheer notion of it. Using his best nope voice, he continues. “Good night!”

From their position on the bed, Jake and Amy hear the faint sound of Gina muttering come on, you weirdo; and they wait in careful silence, sharing flustered looks.

The entire squad had all met up at Boyle’s ex-wife’s beach house this weekend, eager to continue the yearly tradition now that Holt and Jake had finally returned from Florida a month prior. After a day of fun and frivolity (the two of them perhaps being a little unsubtle as they openly checked each other out in their swimwear); the happily reunited couple had snuck away as the evening’s drinks began to die down for a little … alone time.

It had been Jake’s version of paradise, with Amy’s skin still feeling warm and sun kissed as his hands roamed her gorgeous body, and with a schedule of Absolutely Nothing planned for the following day, he intended to keep things going well into the early hours.

That is, of course, until Charles (and Gina, but … mainly Charles) had put a total stop to it.

Amy’s hand squeezes Jake’s bicep, casting a wary glance towards the door before softly speaking. “Wow, that was close.”

“Yeah. I never thought I would say this in relation to sex, but … thank god for Gina.”

“I don’t even want to imagine the alternative.”

Shaking his head, Jake swears under his breath. “You know what this is, right?”

“Charles forgetting basic social normalities, and grossly overstepping the line?”

“No. I mean, yes - that, too. But I think the main culprit here is the curse.”

“The curse?”

“The No Nookie Curse. Tell me you’ve noticed it Ames, it can’t just be me.”

Cocking her head to the side, Amy tests out the term. “The No Nookie Curse?”

Scooting closer to his girlfriend, Jake rests his palms against Amy’s thighs with the practiced comfort of someone who knows her body better than his own. “Every single time we tried to initiate sexy times when we’re on holiday, something happens to interrupt us. I’m telling you, we’re cursed.” He grimaces, rolling his eyes. “Which is probably because I didn’t forward that email on to seven of my closest friends back in 2013, but I was busy that day and - ”

“Jake. There’s no way we’re cursed. We had sex on our last holiday … didn’t we?”

“Do you mean that weekend at Dave’s cool beachfront mansion, that was also definitely used for porn films?”

“Oh right, the sex den. Okay, but that’s a one-off. We’ve been on plenty of holidays prior to that.”

“Like the lake house, where we were both so paranoid that Mama Santiago would find out what we were doing that we barely moved each evening?”

“Yeah, when you add it up like that it really doesn’t sound great.”

“I mean … there was lots of sex on the cruise once Doug Judy disappeared. Good sex, too - not that we ever have bad sex. But that was really good, life-affirming, post-declarations-of-love sex, that I’m completely certain we were able to have because we were in international waters, and therefore outside the curses’s jurisdiction.”

Covering Jake’s hands with her own, Amy squeezes gently at the mention of their cruise holiday and leans in for a chaste kiss. “I’m pretty sure curse’s don’t have jurisdictions, babe.”

“How can you be so sure, Ames? All I know is, whenever we’re on holiday and we try to get the good kind of naked, something always comes along and stops us. And it really is a travesty, because you always get this crazy sexy vacation glow about you that just makes me want to cover your body in kisses, and yet somehow it just never seems to happen.”

“Wow, you’ve really thought a lot about this, huh?”

“Lets just say it’s been eating away at me for a while now.”

A lewd joke dies on Amy’s lips as she looks over at her boyfriend, taking in the obvious frustration in his face and realising how seriously he was taking the issue. “Babe, I promise. There is no such thing as a curse.” Planting her hand on the other side of the bed, she lifts herself up, straddling his lap as he moves quickly to tent his legs behind her. “And I am going to prove it to you - right here, right now.”

His hands land on Amy’s waist, holding her steady as she scrapes the edge of her teeth against his curve of his neck, carding her fingers through his shorter hair while her body slowly gyrates on his lap. “God I love you, Ames.”

“Mmm.” Amy takes in a deep breath, relishing the scent of the man she’d missed for so long, sighing when his hands reach down to squeeze her butt. “I love you too, Jake.”

The curse, the previous interruption … pretty much any kind of detail other than his name was disappearing from Jake’s mind with every press of Amy's warm lips against his skin, and he lets out a soft moan, gripping her body tighter as his hands begin to wander to her front.

THUD.

“OW! Rosa!”

“What the hell, Boyle! I know Gina just pulled you away from here!”

Their kissing coming to an abrupt stop, Amy groans, tucking her head into the juncture of Jake’s neck and shoulder. “Oh my god, again?!”

Squeezing his eyes tightly shut, Jake falls back onto the mattress, taking Amy with him and curling both arms around her protectively. They listen as Charles and Rosa squabble in the hallway outside, choosing not to acknowledge the horror of it all this time around. With a defeated grumble, Amy reaches for the comforter, covering them both up before returning to her safe place (i.e., Jake’s shoulder).

“What was that you were saying, about curses not existing?”

(okay, now the universe is just messing with us)

Attempt Number 4: Team Building in Deer River

It’s Jake’s absent-minded humming of his current favourite song that puts a tranquil smile on Amy’s face on their return to the campsite, keeping her grip around his waist tight as the leaves crunch loudly beneath their feet.

Together with the squad, they had spent the day attending a team building event in Deer River - a state forest just far enough from the city that camping overnight had been the safest option.

After a full day of trust falls, puzzle solving and a group scavenger hunt, the couple had strategically erected their tent further away from the rest of their team, hoping to afford a little bit of privacy (and perhaps, a safe enough distance from Charles). Following Jake’s exoneration, and the brand new addition of a shiny ring on Amy’s finger, a night away underneath the stars was exactly what they needed; and once everything was set up the two of them had wandered off into the woods for some time to themselves.

(Aka: totally disappearing into the surrounding trees and starting a makeout session that lasted longer than either had anticipated.)

(So much so, that the sun had almost completely set by the time they pulled away from each other, hastily returning each of their clothing to a suitable state before heading back.)

Intent on proving that the No Nookie Curse was only an amalgamation of Jake’s paranoid thoughts, Amy was determined to get back to the campsite and settle themselves into bed before anyone or anything could interrupt them. Her plan involved waiting out the rest of the squad’s bedtime routines, before demonstrating to the love of her life that vacation sex was not only a) possible, it was also b) definitely happening.

Whistling the last few bars of his song, Jake tightens his arm around Amy’s shoulder as a strong wind runs through the surrounding greenery - the fifth gust since they started walking back, all of them gaining in strength - already regretting not grabbing her scarf from their luggage earlier.

“Just throwing it out there, babe? Still on Team Outdoor Sex. Sex in the woods sounds hella cool. Daytime sex, though. Now that the sun has clocked out, and the wind has clocked in, it’s actually kinda really cold.”

“Daytime outdoor sex does sound cool, if you disregard the bugs that will crawl all over you, the ticks that will suck on your blood and potentially give you Lyme disease … the bears that could come along at any second and attack us …”

“Really ramping up on the sexy talk there, Ames.”

Rolling her eyes, Amy squeezes Jake’s hand, linking their fingers together. “All of these are things that would interrupt us, and while I’m still not saying that curses exist, I do think we should try to avoid any temptation for things to go wrong.”

“You’ve put a binder together about this, haven’t you?”

“Not a binder per se, but I’ve definitely done a decent amount of research.” Stopping just shy of the clearing, Amy turns to face her fiancé, wrapping her arms around his waist. “After all, this is the first time we’ve been able to get away since getting engaged. A night away is just what we need, and I’m not letting a thing stop us from taking full advantage of this opportunity.”

Pushing herself up onto her tippy-toes, Amy pecks a quick kiss onto Jake’s lips, satisfyingly noticing their still swollen state from earlier activities. “Besides, if the wind stays like this, I’m going to need something to help keep me warm, Peralta.”

“I’m sure I could think of something,” he mumbles in reply, leaning in for another chaste kiss and groaning when Amy pulls away, grabbing his hand and leading him back towards the camping ground.

Quickly reverting back to their previous positioning - hand over shoulder, arm wrapped around waist - Amy is giggling at something that Jake has just whispered in her ear when Holt comes into sight, raising her free hand in a silent wave as they near him.

“Peralta. Santiago. I’m thankful to have ended up on the same path as the two of you, as it was exactly your presence that I was seeking.”

Pushing a stray lock of hair out of her eye line, Amy nods. “Jake and I went for a walk and must have lost track of the time, sir.” From beside her, Jake subtly nudges his hip into her own, and she resists the urge to elbow him in the ribs. “What did you need us for? Do you need a hand with your tent?”

Wincing, Holt shakes his head slowly. “Ahh, no. Unfortunately, it would appear that your tent was not as securely fastened to the camping ground as previously suggested.”

Amy feels Jake’s hand slide down her back as it falls away - much like their hopes for the rest of the evening would soon do - and she looks over at her superior, confused. “Captain?”

Turning, Holt points through the clearing towards the river, where in the fading light Amy and Jake can faintly make out the tip of their tent as it floats further away from solid ground.

Oh.

“The trouble with openings such as this, is that the prevailing weather meets very little resistance - and so as the wind has grown stronger we have all had to readjust our footings in regards to our own domiciles. Regrettably, such distractions meant that the rapidly loosening fixtures on your tent went unnoticed by the squad. Your lodging managed to catch the wind and set itself adrift on the water before anybody had a chance to attempt recovery.”

Running a hand down his face, Jake lets out a frustrated groan. “Looks like we’re roughing it in the dirt tonight, babe.”

“Weren’t our sleeping bags in the tent as well?” Amy responds, her face falling as Jake nods slowly.

Holt raises his hand, clearly intending to stop the couple from spiralling into total hopelessness. “Fortunately, Kevin and I recently purchased a two room tent that has the ability to sleep ten people, which provides plenty of room for the two of us and Cheddar. Provided you have an adequate amount of your allergy medication with you, Santiago, we can relocate him to our side of the canvas and offer you shelter for the evening. Perhaps in the morning, we will be able to organise a retrieval of your now absent tent.”

Resting his hand on the small of Amy’s back, Jake nods once again. “There’s a spare packet in our bags, which thankfully are still in the common area.”

“Very well. Follow me, then. Kevin has already begun making provisions for your stay, and I’m sure your earlier activities have left you eager for rest.”

Thankful, but also more than a little bit crushed that their plans had fallen apart so swiftly, Jake and Amy follow their captain through the campsite with fallen shoulders.

Jake waits until Holt has passed through the mesh lining into their other ‘room’ before muttering low enough for only Amy’s ears to pick up - “The No Nookie Curse strikes again.”

And truthfully, Amy cannot come up with a single rebuttal - choosing instead to cup her fiancé’s face, and offer a soft kiss in commiseration. Perhaps curses were real, after all.

(seriously, how do those guys do it?)

Attempt Number 5: Romance on the beach

“I’m telling you, Ames. There has to be a secret propellor or something under there. There just has to be. I literally cannot think of any other way.”

Her shoulders shaking from all the laughter, Amy reaches out to rest her arms on either side of her husband’s neck and breaks her chuckle for a kiss. “I know, babe. You’re totally right.”

“I just … how else do they do it?”

Shaking her head, Amy breaks out into another round of laughter, keeping her grip tight so that Jake knows it isn’t directed at him (but rather, the situation at hand).

The Hamptons was their address for the next three days, the location of choice for Tony and his partner Luella’s upcoming wedding. In true Peraltiago Vacation style, emergency renovations to the widespread home that all Santiago siblings were staying in had meant that they were short one room, and Jake and Amy had been the lucky couple to be allocated the sofa bed in the living room as their place of rest.

(A fact that, once broken to them, had led to Jake coughing the word Cursed! under his breath, and in all honesty - this time Amy knew he was absolutely right.)

Fresh from their honeymoon (which, once their captain had left them in peace, had involved a lot of sex … amazingly mind-blowing, sometimes costumed sex - which only served to prove that the international waters clause of the curse still held strong), both of them had entered holiday mode with a renewed vigour to finally set things straight.

Having a sunken living room, with a wraparound balcony looking down at them from above for a bedroom, led to Jake thinking creatively - pulling Amy towards the beach on the first evening, lifting her into his arms and running both of them straight into the ocean.

It was the stuff of fantasies: floating in the water with the one you heart adored, holding onto each other tightly as you make love, the waves lapping around you and the world disappearing for just a little while. The kind of scene that every person has seen in a movie, or read in a book, and one that the newlyweds had actually intended to try on their honeymoon before realising that the beaches surrounding their hotel were rarely secluded enough for such activities.

The reality, however, was vastly different - with the two quickly realising that the art of treading water, while clinging to each other and trying desperately not to drown, did not a sexy tryst make.

It was mid-kiss that Jake finally broke away, sputtering out “Are the guys in all the movies secretly dolphins or something?”, all the while pushing frantic strokes through the water in an effort to stay afloat; causing Amy to burst into laughter - tears streaking down your face, ribs sore from all the shaking kind of laughter - clinging to her husband like a koala as he slowly walked them back towards the shore.

Joining Amy in her mirth, Jake leads her over to the towels that he’d dumped on the sand earlier, spreading them out haphazardly and pulling his wife down to meet him. “Okay, so now we know. Sex in the water = not as easy as it looks.”

Thankful to have chosen a dress for their intended walk on the beach, Amy lifts the wet fabric from her thigh, squeezing out a small fountain of water as she gives Jake a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry, babe. It was definitely worth a shot - and bonus points for spontaneity. Very hot.”

Jake’s hand comes to rest on her bared thigh, stroking her skin gently before leaning in for a kiss. “It’s easy to find reasons for spontaneous sex, when you have a wife as hot as I do.”

“Mmm,” Amy moans into his mouth, abandoning the skirt and letting it fall back down with a splat. The sand beneath the towel shifts as she digs her knees in; scrambling closer to Jake to deepen the kiss, knowing all too well that her horniness level was still sitting low on simmer.

She breaks the kiss to nibble on Jake’s earlobe as his hand slides further up the dress, fingertips sliding over her butt, and Amy climbs onto his lap, lifting her hips slightly in silent invitation. Her underwear slides down a moment later, lifting her knees and then her ankles until they’re being tucked into Jake’s pocket, and she takes advantage of the freedom by grinding down on his growing erection.

Despite the cool sea water still dripping down her skin, Jake’s hands feel warm as he moves to caress her once more, palm digging into her derriere as he pulls her in for a heavy kiss, and suddenly Amy thinks she’s beginning to understand all the reasons why ‘sex on the beach’ is such a popular term.

Jake’s fingers caress her folds shortly after, dipping one finger in before following with another, and it's everything Amy has been craving for, her husband’s lips leaving a trail of kisses along her jawline while she writhes on his lap.

It’s only as his hand pulls away, and her hips continue to sway closer to Jake’s body, that a whole other sensation begins to form. Yanking her mouth away from the hickey she’d been creating on Jake’s neck, Amy presses a hand to his chest and whispers - “Jake! The sand.”

“Mmm, yeah. All soft and warm, it’s kinda hot.”

Shaking her head, Amy rears back further, only to let out a sharp cry. “No, Jake! I think the sand has gotten into … places.”

He blinks, shaking himself out of his makeout stupor. “Wait. Ames, are you okay?”

“My vagina is on fire, babe.”

Scrambling upwards, Jake reaches out to help Amy stand, wincing at her obvious discomfort. “Do you want to go back into the water?”

Amy shakes her head quickly. “I need a shower, pronto. Oh god, I can feel all the little grains scraping.”

“Oh no, it would have been on my hands, and then I … I’m so sorry, Ames.” Turning, Jake presents his back to her, bending lower. “Here, jump up and I’ll carry you back to the house and straight into the shower. I’m so sorry, babe."

His hands dig into her lower thigh as Amy rests her upper body against her husband’s back, pressing her forehead into his shoulder blade and letting out a groan. “Okay universe, we get it! The No Nookie curse is real!”

“It’s real and it sucks!” Jake’s voice comes out in a huff as he rushes through the sand, grateful that they hadn’t strayed too far from the house.

“Ugh, why have people named a drink after this?!”

Part 2:

(and the 1 time they’re successful)

(I'm definitely seeing stars)

Jake’s grip on his wife’s hand holds strong as he leads her up to the highest point of the house, pausing at the base of the final set of stairs and gesturing for her to take the lead. Amy gives him a curious look as she passes him, clearly intrigued, and he whispers a compliment directed at her butt (always a favourite) as they both begin their ascent.

Holt and Kevin’s vow renewal ceremony was (finally!) taking place this coming weekend, and the squad - plus partners and children alike - had all convened earlier today at their allocated accommodation in the Berkshires.

The house - like many in the surrounding neighbourhood - was larger than the precinct and all of their homes combined; stretching out into various wings and drawing the eye upward with it’s high ceilings and exposed stonework. This time, Jake and Amy had gone to great lengths to ensure they were allocated their own room towards the opposite end of the home, large enough to accommodate a now eight months old Mac while also ensuring a modicum of privacy - a concept dearly treasured, after so many disastrous attempts.

Exhausted after a full day of sticking to a rigid schedule of rehearsals and preparations alike, Jake had waited until they’d been able to lull their son to sleep in his travel cot before luring Amy into the hallway with the promise of a surprise; and he’s not entirely sure if it his proposal to her several years ago that finally got Amy on board with his surprises, or if it was just indicative of the trust he’d been able to earn - but either way, she follows eagerly with an excited grin.

He hears the excited gasp that escapes her mouth as the door at the top swings open, the full extent of his plan coming to fruition as Amy moves further into the landing and turns to him with eyes that sparkled. “Jake … this is amazing!”

Tucking both hands into his pockets, Jake puts on his best humble brag face as he joins his wife in the centre of the alcove. “So I did a little research on this place before we got here, and as it turns out the owner/builder was a massive fan of stargazing.” Nodding towards the low set walls that wrapped around the base, he turns to Amy with a proud grin. “They’d built this landing solely for that purpose. And tonight, it is our little hideaway.”

Amy’s eyes soften as she takes in the surrounding tea light candles, the blow-up mattress covered in blankets and pillows in the middle of it all, and the bottle of wine still chilling in a bucket of ice to the side. “Wow, babe. You really pulled out all the stops on this one.”

“One could say .. a whole binders worth of preparation.”

Her head swivels towards him, and he grins triumphantly. “You made a binder for this?”

“You haven’t even heard the best part. The door we just went through is the only way in or out, and I have the key right here in my pocket. Rosa has stepped in to keep an eye on Mac, and has promised that she will only call if it’s an emergency. She also seems to have figured out what we are doing up here, and appears to be equal parts impressed and disgusted.”

Amy nods, moving closer and resting her hands on either side of Jake’s neck.

“Holt and Kevin are off with Laverne, Charles and Genevieve have taken Nikolaj camping half an hour away, and Terry and Sharon are exhausted from chasing after their kids all day. Hitchcock and Scully had both an apple pie and a cake after dinner, so I can only assume that they’ve slipped into some sort of post-sugar high coma.” Leaning in to press a soft kiss at the edge of Amy’s lips, Jake pulls away with a grin. “What I’m saying, my darling, is that there is almost no chance of us getting interrupted.”

Moving closer still, Amy wraps both arms around Jake’s neck, carding her fingers through his slightly overgrown curls as she draws him in for a heart-pounding kiss. “Looks like we’re kicking a certain curse’s butt tonight.”

Nodding, Jake initiates another kiss, waiting until he feels Amy melt completely in his arms before grazing his lips along the edge of her cheek, peppering tiny kisses in their wake. “While I am definitely looking forward to breaking the curse, this is mainly just me wanting you to feel good, babe.”

“Mmm. I’d say you’re on the right track.”

His teeth scrape lightly against her earlobe as he lets out a soft laugh, pulling their bodies closer together. “You work so hard, Ames .. and you do so much for Mac and I. You deserve to have a holiday, and really relax.” Continuing the path paved earlier, Jake reaches the juncture of her neck and swipes his tongue against her warm skin. “Let me make you feel good, babe.”

Amy lets out a moan, Jake’s hands wandering down the front of her jeans, cupping her centre through the fabric and rubbing with a slow rhythm; and he pulls away with a sly grin.

“There is one tiny detail that we need to take into consideration, actually.” Raising one hand, Jake gestures towards the open design of the landing. “Out here it’s just you, me and the stars … and sound travels like crazy.” He drops a tender kiss to her lips, leaving the intimation of both his and hers tendency to get a little loud during sex unspoken. “In fact, you could even say it’s - ” leaning in, he flips into his Best Sexy Tone - “omnidirectional.”

“Oh, mama …”

“We’re going to have to try really hard to stay quiet, babe.” Tightening his grip around her waist, Jake lowers his body slightly and Amy picks up on the queue, wrapping her legs around her husband as he moves them towards the blankets. He lowers her carefully, shaking his head in wonder as she gazes back up at him: looking like some kind of heavenly creation amongst the mixture of candlelight and stars. “I’m so in love with you, Amy Santiago.”

A soft blush creeps onto her cheeks, and Amy crooks her finger in a silent request for her husband’s presence, sinking her teeth into her lower lip as he covers her body with his own. “I love you too, Jake.”

Her hips tilt marginally upwards, rubbing her body against the fabric of Jake’s own jeans as she reaches for his fly, making quick work of the barriers as her hand slides inside to grip his rapidly growing erection. Quick to follow suit, Jake pulls away from their embrace only to tug both his and Amy’s jeans off completely, casting both of their tops and underwear aside haphazardly and mentally congratulating his earlier decision to use battery-powered candles over real ones. Setting fire to the highest point of a house is a great way to kill a mood - and ruin a wedding - and there wasn’t a single way that he was going to let the two of them be interrupted tonight.

His erection rubs against Amy’s naked thigh as he covers her body once again, sweeping his hand over her curves as his hand heads directly to her centre. He covers her mouth with his own while his fingers begin to explore, taking in the moisture they find and gently massaging just the way Amy loves. Her hips sway beneath Jake’s torso, working with his deft touch as her hand moves to circle his cock, squeezing and pumping slowly … a familiar move that only made Jake last a full two minutes the last time she tried it.

The two of them are straight-up moaning by now, rotating between messy kisses and heated breaths against shoulders and necks as they both work each other up with expert precision. Contorting his back, Jake moves to sink his teeth into the edge of Amy’s right breast, desperate for a taste of her arousal but knowing all too well that if he moves too far away from her mouth, his wife will begin to really cry out, and the risk of exposure was just too great.

Instead, he slides back up to press his lips against hers, the desire obvious as his bare crotch ruts against her own. Amy’s responding moan is stuttered, her attempts to keep everything quiet obvious, and he grins.

“You’re doing so well at staying quiet, Ames … god you’re so sexy.” Tongue sweeping against hers, absorbing the moans that were gaining in intensity, Jake’s thumb rubs persistently at her clit, matching the tempo of her rotating wrist as they push each other closer and closer to the edge.

“Oh god Jake … fuck me. Fuck me now, fuck me hard.”

Looping his elbow under one of her knees, Jake moves into position and enters Amy in a single thrust, feeling momentarily breathless as the warmth of her surrounds him completely. Her other leg swings around to rest on his butt, holding him close as he pulls out and slams back in again, and truly, this has to be the closest thing to heaven.

Pressing one hand into the base of the landing, Jake pushes down for leverage as he returns his right hand to Amy’s clit - resuming the circled patterns he’d initiated earlier - and Amy sinks her teeth into Jake’s shoulder as she comes with a muffled shout. The feeling of her walls pulsing around his cock makes him descend into a state of almost madness, increasing the intensity of his thrusts until it’s all just pure instinct, chasing the euphoric high but nowhere near ready for any of this to end.

Slipping her other leg from his grip, Amy digs her fingers into Jake’s shoulders as she rolls him onto his back, keeping their hips joined as much as possible to avoid any chance of disruption. Her body is slick with sweat as she rises above him, planting her hands on his chest and looking down at her husband with a flushed and satisfied grin, rising and falling as she takes over Jake’s steady pace.

“This is the best idea you’ve ever had,” she whispers, leaning down to circle her tongue over his nipples, sucking a love bite into his pec as she goes. “Fuck, this feels so good.” Rising again, Amy leans back until her hair is trailing down her spine, and the sight in front of him nearly pushes Jake over the edge completely.

She looked so incredible like this, bare and open and clearly just letting her body take over as she swivels her hips into his thrusts, his cock glistening with her arousal as she slides up and down. Jake has known, for a long time now, that there is nobody in the world that could ever be as beautiful as Amy Santiago, and tonight only serves to solidify his belief.

There’s a bit more of a curve to her skin now, a soft swell to her belly that stands as proof of the their amazing son; and he knows that at times she feels self-conscious of the changes she cannot control, but he fell in love with Amy for a million reasons, and her body was only one of them. His body has changed as well, after all; and probably will again over the course of the next fifty years, and there is nothing that will ever change the way they feel about each other.

He tents his legs to a low degree behind her, offering support as his hands begin to cover every expanse of her body, thumbing the inverted arch of her breasts with reverence as they bounce against their joint movements. Jake's not sure if he’ll ever win the lottery, but it’s clear that he’s already reached the jackpot right here in this moment, watching Amy hurtle ever closer to another orgasm.

It’s the faltered breaths and the occasional stilling of her hips that tells Jake that his wife is nearly there, and with gentle coaxing she falls forward again, mashing her lips against his as their chests press together. Knowing that this is an angle that both of them enjoy, Jake digs his fingers into Amy’s butt as he lifts his hips off the ground, hammering into Amy as the steady motion presses her clit against his pelvis, whispering her name over and over as her fingers grip his hair by the roots. Her body begins to shake, followed by a whisper of babe I’m close, and Jake pushes his body a degree or two higher.

There’s a sharp sting against his skin as Amy comes, her mouth clamped over the edge of his shoulder as the need to scream is just too powerful, the vibrations of her moans reverberating into his intoxicated mind. The sheer mixture of pleasure and pain is all Jake needs to let go completely, pouring himself inside his wife as calls out her name without suppression, and Amy’s hand clamps quickly over his mouth before the sound of his climax can travel too far.

It takes a long while for either Jake or Amy to be able to speak, their bodies a jumble mess as they struggle to catch their breath, the silence only broken as Amy cranes her neck back towards the sky and gasps - “Wow, you really can see so many stars from here!”

From beside her Jake nods, still partially in a state of seeing stars of his own as his heart begins to return to a normal pace. He lets out a gradual sigh as Amy shifts closer to him, curling her arm around his waist and tucking her head into his shoulder.

Wrapping his left arm around her naked body (he’s not sure there’ll ever be a time when he will ever have enough of it), Jake raises his right hand for a high five. “We did it, Ames. We broke the curse.”

Amy’s responding laugh is loud, and probably carried over the grounds, but Jake doesn’t care at all anymore, and she meets his hand with a triumphant slap. “Yeah we did! Suck it, universe!”

His grip grows tighter, seizing the blanket with the tips of his fingers and sliding it over their skin before his wife has a chance to feel the coolness of the night’s sky. He knows that they should probably head downstairs soon, sneak back into their bedroom and relieve Aunty Roro of her babysitting duties, but the afterglow of this moment feels too sweet to give away - Mac has been sleeping through the night for a solid two months now, and he knows that if anything had gone wrong they’d have known well before now.

Amy’s lips ghost against his bicep as she lets her eyelids flutter close for a moment (a post-sex power nap often needed, rarely lasting longer than thirty minutes), and Jake smiles at the sight, letting her nestle in to his embrace as he gazes through the glass ceiling above them to watch the stars.

He already knows that he won’t be able to find anything brighter than their future up there in the darkness, but for now, he’s content to watch the world pass them by for just a little bit longer.

#I hope you like this!#best of both worlds with the smut and fluff again #b99fandomevents #b99 summer 2020 fic exchange #my writing #Peraltiago smut #Peraltiago fluff #b99fic #b99 fic

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def-initely-soul · 4 years ago

Note

Can I get some Jaebum, in a creepy setting with the prompt “I’m calling it. We are lost in the woods.”? If I can't..well...we both know I can. ☺️❤️ Oh and make it 80s themed.

damn right you can! (i mean come on, really, did you think I was gonna say no?)

pairing: jaebum from got7 x reader (f.)

prompts: “I’m calling it. We are lost in the woods.”

genre: supernatural au; witch au; 80s au; horrorish

warnings: mention of pregnancy gone wrong

words: 5.7k (what is wrong with me, these are supposed to be drabbles...)

“I’m calling it. We are lost in the woods.”

Jaebum sighs out loud, already regretting having Jinyoung tag along with him in the first place. He knew his more logic-driven friend wouldn’t have supported this outing and yet he couldn’t leave him out of this. Not when Jackson himself had tagged along as well.

“We’re not lost in the woods okay? I know where we’re going...” Jaebum repeats for what feels like the hundredth time tonight as his flashlight flickers for a second. With a curse, he shakes the thing before the light flickers back on. He can swear he just replaced the batteries in this thing.

“Are you sure? Because all I’m seeing are trees, not some bitchin’ witchin’ house in the woods,” Jinyoung retorts and Jaebum rolls his eyes even if he keeps moving forward.

The reason the three of them are out tonight and not on Mark’s rad Halloween party is that they’re out on a search for their town’s own resident witch. It’s rumoured that once upon a time a witch lived in those woods, granting wishes to children that were brave enough to befriend her. Jaebum supposes it’s more of a cautionary tale about judging someone before you meet them than an actual event.

Still he has to try.

“Oh that sounds gnarly, try saying it quick. Bitchin’ witchin’, bitchin’ witchin’, bitchin’ witchin’...” Jackson interrupts from next to Jaebum, repeating the mantra with a level of concentration Jaebum hasn’t seen him use ever. Not even for math class.

“Yeah, Jackson that’s great but it would be even greater if we weren’t lost in the middle of the woods, searching for a witch that might not be even real! I mean she was here, what? 300 years ago or so?” Jinyoung is relentless in trying to get them to return back home. Jaebum doesn’t answer him and keeps moving forward, his boot crunching the dead leaves on the ground as the sun finally disappears behind the mountains.

Jackson chuckles nervously. “Ugh, take a chill pill dude, Jae said he had a reason to look for her, so we’re here to support him,” he replies calmly and that seems to shut Jinyoung up. The three friends keep walking in silence, Jaebum a few steps ahead as he clutches on the book that has any information regarding the witch.

She first started granting wishes around the 1600s, the then-village having a small period of tranquillity as everyone had their wishes fulfilled and the witch got almost everything she needed for free in return. But then a kid disappeared. A young girl at the age of 18, like Jaebum’s age now, leaving no trace of her behind. No letter, no nothing. They couldn’t find anything and everyone immediately suspected the witch.

They burned her at the stake and she, feeling wronged, threatened the town with her upcoming return to steal all their children until the town went down in ruins.

Of course, that never happened and the only thing that’s left of that bedtime story is this book, reciting the legend and a small poem that’s supposed to help someone find their way to her lair.

Beneath the barren willow tree Eternal maiden of the light shall be The ticking clock appoints to three Three of service and so would be But beware the fickle call of darkness Its binds are full of lies and harshness Black and green won't lie to you Protect that which appeals for you

Most of it doesn’t make any sense but Jaebum at least can tell that he’s supposed to find a barren willow tree.

“Can you at least tell us why we’re going there? What are you gonna ask for if we find her?” Jinyoung tries again, this time much calmer and understanding. And yet Jaebum doesn’t respond.

Jackson sensing Jaebum’s hesitation jumps in to answer the question himself. “Well, I don’t know about you dinguses, but I’m gonna wish for Ana saying yes to one date!” he says, eyes staring ahead dazedly with a lovesick smile and Jaebum drowns a chuckle.

“Isn’t this like, kinda forcing her to go out with you though?” Jinyoung claims and Jackson groans.

“No, I mean I sure hope it’s not! I won’t ask for her to date me, I’m just asking for an opportunity to show her what an amazing boyfriend I’ll be!” Jackson claims and Jinyoung rolls his eyes even though a smile is etched on his features.

“I really doubt you need that man...” he admits and Jaebum agrees. It’s been really fun watching Jackson make a fool out of himself trying to impress her (he even tried moonwalking), but it would be even more fun if he actually didn’t impress her.

The girl is hella mad about him and the only person who can’t tell is Jackson.

Jackson smiles at Jinyoung’s words. “You really think so? I can’t wait to meet her tonight at the party! Wait till she sees my Luke Skywalker costume,” he says, taking out his fake lightsaber to swoosh in the air.

“Hm, but if she’s dressed like last year you won’t match...” Jaebum observes and Jackson lets out a heavy, dreamy sigh.

“Ah, yeah... The Madonna costume...” he says in a lovesick daze and Jinyoung rolls his eyes. Last year Ana went as Madonna for Halloween giving both Jackson and her mother a heart attack. Although it’s safe to say those reactions differed significantly.

Jaebum laughs but at least he’s glad for the distraction. He doesn’t have to answer Jinyoung’s question for now and he’s sure if Jinyoung knew Jaebum was actually searching for his dad like this, he’d be against it.

Jaebum’s dad left them when he was a kid. One day he was there and one day he wasn’t. No one knew where he went and Jaebum’s mother was inconsolable at first. Jaebum was barely 7 and his sister was barely 3. She didn’t remember him but Jaebum knew him long enough to miss him every day. And to wonder why.

“Anywho, what are you gonna wish for, Jinyoung?” Jackson asks as they keep walking deeper into the woods, the last lights of civilization far behind them as the air turns crisp and sharp.

Jinyoung shrugs before turning his head away as if embarrassed. “Nothing. I’m just here cause Jaebum asked us...” he admits and Jaebum finally turns to look at him. It’s not normal for Jinyoung to say such a thing. Normally he’d cringe, shoving anyone that even attempted a hug, not the type to admit to such feelings. Jaebum knows it’s a big deal so he smiles thankfully at his best friend.

Jackson whistles in mockery before playfully jabbing Jinyoung with his elbow. “Oh, is the ice king finally admitting he’s soft for his besties?” he says, well-intended and as Jinyoung shoves him away and tells him to piss off, he can’t help but smile as well.

The three of them have been best friends since diapers. Jaebum figures it’d be a cold day in hell if they ever got separated.

But as Jaebum ponders on that, his eyes catch what he’s been trying to locate on these woods. A barren willow tree.

His feet stop as a sudden stillness fills the air. The trees stand still, air no longer breezing in between the leaves, whatever woodland creatures that might have wandered around these parts long gone as the three friends stand beneath the tree.

It’s enormous, its branches spreading through the forest like veins, empty and dwindled, as the last few leaves fall to join the rest of their brothers on the ground. The silence unfurls, the only sound the sound of their breathing, as their chests heave with something. Something that makes the skin on their necks crawl and goosebumps to cover their hands.

Jaebum swallows the nerves crawling up his throat as he takes a step forward. His eyes, unwilling at first, follow down the trunk of the tree to see what lies beneath it. Just like the poem said.

But all he sees is a massive rock, empty and hollow on the inside as vines and moss cover the cold exterior.

His eyebrows furrow before diving back into the book. It’s supposed to be here.

Jinyoung lets out a shaky breath before shaking the feeling of uneasiness out of his head. “See, there’s nothing here. It’s just a hollow cave with barely enough space to fit a bear. We should go,” he comments carefully. But Jaebum ignores him in favour of the book.

“It’s supposed to be here, why isn’t it here?” Jaebum says frantically, as Jinyoung and Jackson exchange a look. Jackson moves forward, carefully placing a hand on Jaebum’s shoulder. “We can try next year, dude...”

Jaebum huffs in confusion. He can’t spend another year wondering. He can’t.

“Come on, let’s get to the party...” Jinyoung adds on and Jaebum can’t find any more strength to fight back, so he turns his back on the cave.

Until a sound emerges from its depths.

Jaebum turns to look back immediately, eyes traveling inside the cave in search for whatever made that sound. The darkness inside of it doesn’t help him much. Instead, it’s humid, eerie and somewhat enchanting. As if calling him to dive in. As if drawing him into that pure black that seems to have no way out.

Jinyoung heard the sound too. “What in the hell was that?” his eyes are wide in fear as Jackson takes a step back.

“Man, this is totally not tubular...” Jackson exclaims, diving into his fanny pack to get out his own flashlight as well. Both him and Jaebum redirect the light to lighten the inside of the cave but it seems to not work.

Then the sound reappears. But it’s more distinct. It’s high, yet soft and it sounds a lot like...

Meowing.

Wait. Meowing?

And just as Jaebum has that thought, a little black creature emerges from the cave, the culprit behind the sound and it stands before the three boys, staring at them curiously with it’s big, green eyes.

A cat.

Jinyoung sighs in relief and Jackson begins chuckling as soon as he sees the tiny animal staring at the three of them. “Jesus, man, I thought you were a bear or something...’

“Yeah, that’s what we all thought...” Jinyoung agrees quickly as Jaebum kneels down to look at the cat. For an animal living in the woods and having to fend for itself, it doesn’t look very wary of humans. The cat tilts its head as it looks back at Jaebum and he’s not crazy but he can swear the cat seems to look at him as if expecting him to talk.

So he does.

“We’re here for the witch...?” he begins confidently but the statement comes out more as a question as he realizes what he’s doing. He’s talking to a cat. He’s never gonna live this down.

But as he’s ready to get up and urge his friends to leave, the cat nods. It nods as if understanding Jaebum and then it nudges his hand. There’s a name tag around its neck but before Jaebum gets to read it the cat turns to look inside the cave. As if motioning for him to follow it.

Jaebum sucks in a breath. He was right. She was here. And as he stares more into the animal’s eyes he swears they glint with something else, something more aware.

Something more human.

“I’m dreaming. I’m definitely dreaming,” Jinyoung says with wide eyes as Jaebum waves at them to follow him. Jackson simply stares in awe as the inside of the cave illuminates by a warm, orange light. It reveals a much bigger space than before, the formation elongates into a corridor and as the three friends follow the cat inside the cave, they slowly notice the walls transforming. They grow tall, the humidity in the air dissipating as the vines and moss disappear from the walls and the rock turns to woods. The ground bellow them softly gives way for wood and floor and just as suddenly as they were in the cave, they’re now inside a small wooden cottage.

They turn to look behind them but the corridor has disappeared. There are only walls and a door behind them and the friends turn to look at each other in awe.

The house they’re into is small. Wooden floors creak at their steps and the smell of incense and sage fills their nostrils. There’s a table in front of them, big and high like an examining table but it’s full with small trinkets, branches of several plants and every kind of things Jaebum would expect to see on that movie his mother keeps watching, The Witches of Eastwick.

There’s also a fireplace behind the table, small enough to fit a cauldron that’s currently bubbling with something inside. If Jaebum is honest, he doesn’t want to know what’s in it.

The cat meows again, drawing the three boys’ attention to it. It sits on its rear legs next to the only armchair of the house, staring at them in wait. Jaebum can’t figure out what the cat is waiting from them, but for some reason, he can’t shake the feeling that the feline wants to tell him something. But cats can’t talk.

“Oh, I see my darling cat brought in some visitors!” comes a wrinkly but soft voice hiding in the shadows and at once all three of them turn towards the sound of the voice. They see an old woman walk forward. She’s small in size, Jaebum thinks, almost like a child, a shawl is spread around her shoulders like a blanket and her white hair graces her head like a cotton cloud. She seems to be limping, carefully walking forward with a cane in one hand as the other hides beneath her clothes.

Jaebum thinks she doesn’t look at all like a witch. At least not like what he imagined a witch would look like. She looks like someone’s grandma.

She smiles at the three men before a cracking sound comes from her bones. “Oh, would anyone of you boys be a dear and help an old woman to her armchair?” she calls calmly. Sweetly as if talking to her grandson and Jackson is immediately moving.

“Yes, ma’am, of course...” he replies, lending her his hand to support herself and she smiles thankfully at him.

“Oh my, what a young gentleman you are...” she keens as Jackson safely helps her to her armchair and as she sits down, Jaebum observes as the cat slowly walks away to stand in front of the warmth of the fireplace.

The woman, seeing Jaebum wondering stare rushes to explain. “She never was a particularly loving cat that one. I’m just happy she’s safe and warm here...” she comments gently, waving her hand dismissively in the air. At once a cup of liquid appears in the air and the woman reaches her hand a bit forward to catch it. The three boys look at her in astonishment, not quite sure if what they’ve witnessed is real but none seems to know what to say.

The woman (or, Jaebum thinks, the witch) notices their stares just as she takes a sip. “Oh, I’m awfully sorry, do you want some tea as well?” she asks with a welcoming smile and that seems to wake everyone up.

“Uhm, no, madam, thank you,” Jinyoung replies before he gulps, still too awed to say anything else. He’s still trying to process everything.

The woman shrugs before taking another sip. “Sit,” she says, almost commanding and suddenly all three of them found themselves being seated on three wooden chairs. “I assume you three fine young gentlemen are here for the wishes?” she asks ingeniously, looking at the friends from above her tea. The steam of the beverage rises above the cup, towards her hair, giving her an otherworldly aura as if her white hair keeps moving along with the wind.

“How do you know that madam?” Jaebum questions suspiciously but the woman only chuckles at his naivety.

“Oh, please, why else would you be here?” she observes cleverly and Jaebum swallows his words because, well, she’s right.

He doesn’t know what else to say though. This is something he’s been thinking for the past few months, finding the witch and using the wish to find out about his father. But now the words won’t come out. They get stuck in his throat, suddenly this all expedition feels wrong and he can’t shake the feeling of uneasiness prickling at his bones.

“So which one of you will go first?” the woman asks sweetly.

When none of them answers, Jackson decides to speak up. “I guess that’s me,” he chuckles before dragging his chair forward to get closer to the woman. “There’s this girl from my high school and I was wondering...”

But Jaebum misses the rest of the conversation when he feels something against his leg. He looks down curiously to see the cat rubbing softly against his leg. Once again her eyes meet his and he’s certain that those aren’t just normal cat eyes. There’s something off about that cat, something telling him it isn’t just a simple cat.

Then with a graceful jump, she ends up on his lap, paws pressing against his legs as if preparing her bed. Then she curls upon him, her big, green eyes staring back at him, through him and he can’t tell if he’s losing his mind or not but it seems like the cat is trying to tell him something.

The woman’s shrill chuckle shakes Jaebum out of his thoughts as he finds the woman staring at the cat on his lap with an indecipherable look in her eyes.

“Seems she likes you...” she comments mysteriously, eyes boring holes through the cat that shifts uncomfortably on Jaebum’s legs. Jaebum senses an air of animosity towards the animal and when his eyes find the woman’s, he’s sure it’s not just his imagination.

“Seems like it, yeah,” he responds with a steady voice and a level gaze at the witch. She seems to be taken aback at his reply but she’s quick to replace her shocked expression with a calm, saccharine one.

Then she returns her attention back to Jackson’s wish and the cat seems to relax once more. Jaebum’s gaze falls to the animal on his lap once more, and once again she looks back. He can’t shake the feeling that...

That her eyes are human.

The cat nudges her head against his palm as if wanting to be petted and Jaebum would have done exactly that if he didn’t take notice of the name tag on the cat’s neck. His fingers reach for the metallic pendant, eyes wary, for some reason not wanting the witch to realise what he’s doing. But she seems too engrossed in Jackson’s story as he drags it out.

So with a bated breath, Jaebum turns around the pendant.

Y/N, it reads.

Confusion engulfs him. Where has he seen that name before?

After a few seconds, it hits him.

It’s the name of the girl that disappeared all these years ago.

His eyes widen and he gasps.

The sound gathers the witch’s attention on him again. “What’s wrong, dear?” she asks carefully but Jaebum can see the calculating glint in her eyes. The cat meows softly on his lap, in a warning.

“I, uh, nothing, nothing, I just...” he gulps, struggling to find something to appease the witch without raising her suspicions. “Ah, the cat, she accidentally scratched me...” he responds swiftly, hoping that’ll be enough.

The witch looks at him suspiciously but doesn’t say anything else on the matter. “And you?”

Jaebum’s eyebrows scrunch in confusion. “I’m sorry?”

The witch smiles. “What’s your wish?”

Jaebum freezes. He knows what his wish is. He knows what he came here for and yet his eyes fall back into the cat. Or rather, you. The girl that disappeared all those years ago at the age of 18, at his age and suddenly none of it feels right.

He doesn’t know what to wish for.

“I, uhm...” he begins unsure, but then his eyes rest on the space above the fireplace. Where a brown, leather book stands and immediately he remembers a passage from the book currently hiding in his bag.

There’s a book rumoured to exist. A book that contains numerous spells the witch uses but also the spell to rid the witch of her powers so she can no longer hurt anyone. A book bound in leather and spells, containing such evil and darkness within but also the salvation for anyone under the witch’s influence. The book’s never been found.

Jaebum bets his walkman that’s said book.

He quickly returns his stare at the cat, for if he wants to be successful he must show no sign of interest in the book.

“I want the cat,” he finally replies, raising his proud stare to look at the witch. Jackson and Jinyoung look at Jaebum as if he’s gone mad and yet the witch’s expression hasn’t changed. She stares stoically at Jaebum, face not at all revealing any of her thoughts and yet there’s a storm brewing in her grey eyes that glint almost silver.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” she finally replies. But her voice is different. It’s low, grave and threatening almost like a growl and Jaebum can feel prickles of fear on his skin.

Yet he perseveres.

“Why not?” he raises his chin up defiantly and he can see the old woman fuming. Good, that means it’s working.

“Because!” she yells suddenly, losing her composure for a second. But then she schools her face back into that sweet expression, that one that now seems to Jaebum sickeningly sweet.

“Because she’s my only companion here. It can be very, very lonely being alone in the woods. I’m sure you wouldn’t wish that for anyone, now would you?” she stares intensely at him and Jaebum can understand that it’s a threat.

So he sighs heavily as if he’s disappointed. “I guess you’re right madam. But I really liked this one...” he complains, waiting for the witch’s reaction.

The woman sighs. “I can’t give you the cat, but I can give you anything else you ask for...” she makes a promise, hoping the promise of something grander will draw him away from the cat but what she doesn’t know is that Jaebum wants exactly that.

“Anything...?” he asks innocently and once it seems like he got the bait the witch smiles victoriously.

“Anything! A witch’s promise is a deal! I will give you anything you ask of me, this I swear!” she proclaims and at once a slight breeze flies through the room even if all the windows and doors are sealed. It’s her magic, taking effect once her promise was out in the wind and now she really has to do anything he asks of her.

And that’s exactly what he wants.

He points to the book. “I want that.”

Once her gaze falls to the item, her face pales. The once sweet smile is wiped off her face, instead a scowl appearing in its place. Her hair begins moving once again as if enchanted and she stands up from her armchair, not needing anyone’s help anymore.

The three boys look at her in horror as her figure elongates and her skin darkens, bones and limbs growing longer and slimmer, resembling branches of a tree. Her fingernails grow, darkening as her fingers crack and turn in weird angles and her feet drag across the floor, the sound like nails on a chalkboard. Her shawl falls off to the floor forgotten, and the white in her eyes disappears completely, now being an electric silver as if seeing lightning. Her face pulls down as if someone is dragging the skin down but her movements don’t stop.

The boys hiss, covering their ears as the cat begins yowling at the witch, ears drown back as her back hunches in alarm but the witch pays them no mind. Her long, bony fingers wrap around the book and she slowly turns around towards Jaebum. Then she moves again forwards as if she’s floating on the air and with heavy movements, she passes Jaebum the book.

Jaebum watches the exchange in alarm, a wicked grin covering the witch’s face from ear to ear, abnormally stretched and revealing the insides of her rotten mouth.

“I’m only giving this to you boy because I have to. You can use it for only one spell and if I find out that you tried to steal it from me, or use it to harm me and my way of living, there won’t be any of you left to tell the story...” her voice is low and deadly, like a whisper as it makes the fine hair on Jaebum arms rise. He swallows nervously, accepting the book with a nod of his head.

“Thank you, madam, I promise I’ll return the book as soon as I use my spell, this I promise!” he repeats the incantation the witch have said before, not because it will take effect, after all, there’s no magic in him, but because he hopes it shows a level of respect towards the witch in front of him.

The witch looks at him for a second, still looming over him in all her wickedness and then she’s back to how she was before; a charming old lady needing some company.

The three boys blink in surprise at the sudden transition but before they get to say anything else, the air around them feels like it’s shrinking and them with it. Like someone is sucking away the contents of the room at the other end, from where they came from. The cat jumps off him, staring at him one last time as Jaebum feels something pulling him backwards and the last thing they see before being dropped out of the cave is the witch’s evil smile.

Suddenly the three of them are outside in the woods again, in front of the cave that now seems normal once more. Jaebum shakes off the leaves from him before he opens up the book and begins searching frantically.

“Jaebum what in the world are you doing?!” Jinyoung yells once he’s up again, approaching him with enraged steps as Jaebum reads quickly page after page.

Jackson is quick to agree with Jinyoung. “Yeah, man what the hell was that? Did you really want a cat from the witch? We could get you one from the mall!”

“Can you just stop talking for a second, I need to find the spell...” he mumbles, irritated by his friends’ interference but they don’t seem too keen on listening to him.

“No, we can’t until you explain to us what in the fudge was that!” Jinyoung insists, voice strict and commanding and Jaebum takes a breath.

“The cat was not a cat, she’s a girl that disappeared when the witch was still alive and this book contains the spell that strips the witch of her magic and I have to find it before she realizes what I’m about to do!” Jaebum grits through his teeth as he turns page after page, searching for the correct spell.

Jinyoung’s left staring at him speechless and at least he’s not bothering anymore as he searches for the spell.

Jackson is the first to react. “Wait, Jaebum, are you sure? How could you tell, I mean, come on, that cat couldn’t be a human-”

“Yeah and at the beginning of this trip you didn’t believe we’d find the witch but look at us now,” he replies swiftly as his eyes run down the pages until-.

He found it.

I seek to rid someone of power I seek to find the truth behind I seek to burn the evil cower The undeserving to unbind

And he begins chanting it out loud. From what he knows he must certainly recount it at least three times before it takes effect.

Jinyoung and Jackson stare at him in shock, not quite sure what to do but as Jaebum begins chanting for the third time, the cave starts to shake.

He stops only for a second before he begins chanting again. A wind picks up between the trees, howling and whistling in anger as the branches dive down to search for the one recounting the spell. But Jaebum doesn’t deter, he chants louder and louder, the wind now almost taking the book out of his hands but he knows the spell by heart by now.

He chants and chants and the cave doesn’t stop shaking and then a shrill screams echoes through its depths, sharp and horrifying and blood curdling before a black shadow comes rushing through from inside the cave. The scream gets louder as the shadow approaches and once it’s out it dissipates with a loud bang, finally disappearing through the air and the scream fades away.

The cave stops shaking and the wind stops.

And then as Jaebum stares at his hands the book turns to dust and disappears as well.

His two friends are left staring at him in shock. They don’t know what to do or say and honestly Jaebum doesn’t either.

But then a cough sounds from inside the cave. A female one.

Jaebum turns his head towards the hollow only to see a young girl, you, walking out. You cough into your hand as the smoke around you dissipates, your long hair unruly and messy, dressed in a white blouse, a black-laced vest and a brown peasant skirt.

You are the girl that disappeared hundreds of years ago and yet you’re still alive.

Jaebum is frozen in his spot, staring at you and too afraid to move. For some reason, fearing that if he’d move you’d disappear.

Only when you stumble on a tree root, he jolts back to awareness and rushes to help you.

He grabs you by the arm to stabilize you as you seem to not have found your footing just yet.

“Are you okay?” he asks quickly, not knowing you one bit but wanting to make sure you’re alright.

You turn to look at him and once your eyes meet, he knows it was you. That it wasn’t all just in his head.

You nod your head, tears prickling at your eyes from the smoke. “Yes, I think I am...” comes out your rough voice, probably from not speaking for 300 years. Then you turn to look at Jinyoung and Jackson, admittedly a bit bewildered by their clothing but you’re well aware that it’s been hundreds of years since your time and things were bound to change.

You swallow nervously, your throat closing up. “Thank you...” you say softly, “for saving me...” you add as you turn to look at the man holding you up. Truth is he’s quite handsome, sending a reddening blush to your cheeks but you chastise yourself. You shouldn’t feel that way for a strange man. Maybe he’s betrothed and that would be improper.

Jaebum swallows the nervousness that arises in him when he meets your eyes. “No problem... Y/N, right?” he asks just to make sure.

You nod at him as you softly remove your hand from his, now that you feel like you can walk again. “And you are?”

Jaebum face falls just a bit but he’s quick to hide it. “I’m Jaebum, and this is Jinyoung and Jackson,” he responds instead, pointing at his friends.

You turn around to greet them when the one called Jinyoung steps in front of you with wide eyes. You gasp, taking you by surprise and you take a step back, suddenly too overwhelmed with the man’s proximity.

“Are you really the girl that disappeared?” he asks in wonderment and you realize that he doesn’t seem hostile. Only curious.

“Yes. I realized that around the time the witch started granting people’s wishes, a lot of women from my village started losing their unborn children. Once I realized it was the witch’s fault, she turned me into a cat and I could never leave her sight,” you reply softly, eyes downcast as you barely remember pieces of your previous life.

“Until we came along...” says the other boy named Jackson with a boyish grin in an attempt to cheer you up and, indeed, it draws a smile on your lips as you agree with him.

The other boy, Jaebum, coughs into his hands and you turn to look at him curiously. “So, uhm... Do you have a place to stay?” he says but he quickly slaps himself in the forehead.

Of course she doesn’t you airhead!

Your eyes widen with the realization, that no, you do not. How are you supposed to survive in a place that you don’t know anyone and in a time that’s not your own?

“You can stay with one of us! I’m sure our parents won’t mind!” Jackson rushes to say, a helpful smile on his lips and you look at him bewildered.

“Oh, no, I couldn’t ask that of you, you already did so much...” you reply, feeling overwhelmed by their offer.

“It’s no problem, really! And we can teach you all you need to know about this time so you’ll adjust!” Jinyoung adds on and the truth is it doesn’t sound like such a bad idea.

“Of course we understand if you feel uncomfortable with that...” Jaebum is quick to say, obviously the only one that realized you might be wary of the idea because they’re all men.

The other two guys exclaim in realization as they agree.

“Well, in that case, I think you’d be better off living with Jaebum. He has a little sister and his mother would probably beat up anyone that tried to hurt you...”Jinyoung chuckles at his joke but Jaebum only seems to fluster with the attention.

“It’s true...” he admits nervously, “My mother is kind of a tough cookie...”

But when he sees your face of confusion he rushes to explain. “It means she’s strong. And she always takes care of us,” he admits out loud and seeing your eyes twinkle in wonderment he realizes it was the right thing to say.

You ponder on it for a second before you turn to them again. Ready for your answer.

“It would be lovely if I could stay for a few nights until I get my bearings. If your mother agrees of course...” you conclude with a shy smile and Jaebum feels himself smile as well.

“I’m sure she won’t mind,” he replies, for once certain he made the right choice.

#kwritersworldnet #jaebum #got7 #got7 jaebum #jaebum fanfic #got7 fanfic #jaebum drabble #got7 drabble #jaebum supernatural #got7 supernatural #jinyoung #jackson #witch au #jaebum witch au #got7 witch au #halloween themed #jaebum halloween themed #got7 halloween themed #halloween requests

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allyvampirelass29 · 4 years ago

Text

Good Wives Don’t Play With Knives

A NOS4A2 Fanfiction By: Allyssa J. Watkins

"Right where I left you....... My, what a pretty window display......."

Ally trembled with the intoxicating chill of Charlie's voice, feeling her heart quicken, having been kept from him, starved of his touch now for three full days, and she could think of no crueler punishment, whirling around, moving to rush to him, when she remembered them....... and stopped dead, hanging her crown of crestfallen curls.

"Oh come now......." Charlie smirked, moving smoothly toward her, his dark brow raised rakish, as he took her hand in his, caressing it, before bringing her delicate wrist teasingly to his lips. "Why so glum, Sugar Plum? They're not even real......"

Ally felt the tremor in her body, and Charlie watched such pleasing effect, as the hope rose in her eyes, pressing his somber lips to her wrist, coaxing the ghostly white cuffs and hanging chains forth with a blue glow, their veil of invisibility falling silkily away. He felt her breath escape, with the released click against his lips, freeing one wrist, and then the next with his tender, generous kiss, waving away the airy chains soundlessly, the tension building, as she now stood before him unbound.

"Charlie, you don't have to do this, bind my wrists, take prisoner your queen, I told you, it's altogether unnecessary........" She pleaded in heartbroken desperation, and when he was sure she wasn't going to run, he edged closer, coming up behind her, drawing back the ribbons of silken curls from her pale neck, turning his nose into the delicate, snow white skin, breathing deep, inhaling her peppermint, vanilla scent.

She relaxed in his hold as he spoke, drinking in the feel of him, for which, three days in captivity had created a powerful, unquenchable thirst. "You must understand, My Dove, certain....... precautions must be taken....... You've already flown your cage once, and have gotten into a mess of trouble, I can't have that happen again, even if I must....... clip your wings." Charlie's long, shiny nails drifted through the ringlets he had gathered, before tightening around them possessively, with a gentle tug, pulling her back up against him.

"You needn't clip a dove's wings that has nowhere else to fly, My Love....... You won. We made a deal...... I gave myself up, came home with you, and exchanged my freedom........ for hers. I will honour these terms...... without...... restraint."

"Ah ah," Charlie scolded, wagging his finger, his guard still up, his senses heightened, suspecting fickle female trickery. "I said I'd let her go...... for now........ meaning, I would not shoot her at that precise moment, but I assure you........ like yourself, Victoria McQueen will never be rid of me." He scoffed, part of him wishing he'd just shot her, ripped a sucking hole through her chest with her own shotgun, instead of letting his vixen trick him out of it, yet again. You clever temptress. You knew exactly how to stay my hand.

"I haven't won until that BITCH is dead. Alas, this is far from over. Your sacrifice, as selfless as it seemed....... was for NOTHING." He snarled against her skin, his breath hot, and she froze, her voice a tremulous whisper.

"Nothing? Soft, Charles, if it deterred you, even for a moment from the murder that seeks to blacken your soul, than it was well worth it."

He furrowed his black brow, releasing her gathered curls in a flash of shine, whirling her around, staring intensely into her sincere green eyes. "Do not WASTE your time on this fool's errand, Wife......... What you seek to save, has long been lost."

"Oh Charles-" Ally's voice broke, resting her forehead against his, sensing a sadness in this profession, that he'd failed to veil in his anger. He allowed her advance, tentatively brushing the wisps of curls from her own forehead, whisking his nails across it, and trailing them down her cheek, leaving one to rest under her chin. Three days........ What she didn't know, was that it had been far more punishing on him than it could have possibly been on her. What are we going to do about that? Most distressing.......

"Don't leave me, again, Charles, please........" she pleaded, squeezing her anguished eyes shut, fighting the tremble in her lower lip.

"I won't........" He whispered back sweetly, lowering his head to brush his lips faintly against hers. "I promise........ As long as you BEHAVE....... and be My Good Wife."

"I've learned my lesson," She whispered back sweetly, her green meadow eyes fluttering back open, and he felt the pull of her lips, drawing him deeper, but he did not relent, even while he couldn't stop himself from smiling. "Have you now.......? And I was so looking forward to your further punishment."

She giggled, happy, carefree, the music of her laugh, sounding just like it used to, rising like a siren's song, and he could resist it no longer, taking her lips deeply, like a starving man, wild and ravenous, pulling her into him, squeezing his arms tight around her shoulders, trapping her more cleverly than even his ingenious disappearing chains could manage.

She kissed him back, just as hungered, one hand clutching his coifed raven hair, the other smoothing his strong chest beneath his chauffer's coat, tears pricking her eyes, much preferring this hold to the conjured manacles, happily captured in her lover's arms, and whether for good or for harm, she cared not. I need you, Charles Manx. Do what you will with me........ just do not banish me from the dark paradise of your eyes, it is too much........ I won't survive it.

She fell away from his lips, breathless, once the kiss drew to its climatic close, and he smiled adoringly down at her, as she lent forward to hide her blush, fumbling with her drooping white silk stocking, wearing the grin of a lovesick woman.

"I have a treat for you, Wife, one I think will do us both some wonderous good......"

The flushed bliss cooled on her cheek, as she stared back at him, her lush eyes robbed of their mirth, flickering warily. "What kind of treat, Charles?"

Charlie's own black eyes danced, as he snapped up her hand, and spun her slowly around, taking all of her in, a poised figure atop a music box, the circles around her eyes even darker, her cheeks sunken in from the fretful neglect, and she looked all the lovelier for it. "We're going out tonight, My Sweet...... How else am I to show off my beguiling young bride?"

He smiled, perfectly charming, but there was something about the curve of his lip, that hinted at wickedness. "Charlie........ What deception is this? Where are you taking me? For what purpose? I cannot believe this outing is anything innocent. I sense a trick in your treat........"

His handsome smile twisted up into a haughty smirk. "My, my, Mrs. Allyssa Manx, you are rather getting to know your husband's wicked whims frightfully well...... I'm impressed. There was a time....... not too long passed, where you would have followed me anywhere, without question." His fierce eyes intensified. "Look who's learning......."

"Where are you taking me, Charles, please, be honest, do you mean to rid yourself of me this very night?"

Charles frowned, his amusement falling heavily away, as he watched the tears glisten in her pretty eyes, blood practically drawn by the sharp edge of fear in her voice, and he tutted remorseful.

"You Poor Thing....... What HAVE I done to you? Wounded your trust, stoked your suspicion enough to make you think I could just discard you now, unwanted?" He paused, his expression grave, stroking the top of her curls, letting his affection bleed through his fingertips. What kind of unfeeling, heartless heathen, do you take your husband for? Did I not just risk losing my war with Victoria, let her live, miss my perfectly good shot, just to get you back? Why then, now that I've got my nails sunk pleasantly into your heart, would I ever WANT rid of you?"

Ally shivered with the ferocity in his whisper, feeling his snapped together nails pressing gently into the center of her chest, and he watched transfixed as her loosened laces shuddered, still undone from their last little interlude.

"You did, Charles....... For once, I meant more to you, than killing her, and I am so proud of you!!!! But despite my being the spoils of our latest skirmish, I cannot help but taste the nefarious intent in this abrupt late night venture. I fear this is you....... furthering my punishment."

He exhaled in a caught sigh, and then smirked knowingly, his eyes alight with mischief, leaning in closer. "A woman's intuition is a dangerous thing........ You are right, My Joy....... In part. There is nothing innocent, nothing good, nothing pure about where I am taking you this eve, although I do intend, very much so, to show you off to those I cannot call my friends......." He chuckled, amused by his own dark wit. "I need to see a rather dear acquaintance, shall we say, of mine, and as I cannot leave you alone unattended in my absence, even aided by your new....... accessories, without inviting Victoria to join you in ravaging my inscape at will, You are coming with me, I regret to say....... willingly or not."

Ally bit her lip nervously, rubbing her wrists, already feeling the force hold of those ghastly floating cuffs. "I see........ Your honesty has sated my distrust, and puts me oddly at ease. I shall willingly go with you, Charles, to visit your friend, and your...... unsavory associates. While so perilous a description of this place gives me pause, I am still your wife, and I would rather be with you, even in the midst of all manner of ne'er do wells, than be without you for even a moment longer."

Charles smiled fondly, taking her dainty hand, bowing his head genteel, to kiss the back of it, his brow softened. "What a good wife, I have, braving ne'er do wells, so boldly, just to be in my company." He smirked teasingly, tucking a curl behind her ear. "I will admit, taking you there, to this nefarious nexus of darker creative thought, would have been a thought to perish, but I see no way around it. Don't worry. No ne'er do well shall lay a hand on you, save myself."

Ally cracked a shy smile, as Charles winked at her something wicked, tossing her a fluttering blue summer dress, with white hydrangea flowers on it.

"Do hurry and change, My Beauty, Old Honest Abe has enough of a vulgar mind already, he needn't be inspired by the teasing curves of that nightdress. I'd rather die than let him so much as glimpse you in it. Such a sight should be for your husband's eyes only.

Ally blushed, and Charles found the slight burn in her cheeks much too arousing. Not trying hard enough to quell it, the fire inside his mind burst with the licking flames of other intimate imaginings of her, that he had yet to behold, a nakedness sacred to man and wife. Patience......... The time will come, when I will know every blinding white inch of that skin, kissing where the sun itself could not, and there will exist no part of you that can hide from me.

He shook off the heat and the haze, even as he touched the white hot flame in his mind, burning his fingers on her curves, clearing his throat, straightening his blood red cravat. She could be such a lingering distraction. We really need to get out of this room, Mrs. Manx. Before I become prisoner here, chained by your temptation.

Of course....... The thought had occurred to him that she might try to escape, by way of The Night Road, but if she did, both he, and The Wraith would be ready for it.

Ally waited for him to leave, watching the door with fixed eyes, after he'd slipped behind it with a blown kiss, and she wriggled out of her nightgown, standing now in just her underthings. Once she was sure she was alone, her heart pattering erratic, she reached behind her, up the back of her corset to pull out the mobile device she had secretly stowed away, clicking it on with careful fingers.

"Hey, Jane Austen, you gonna answer, or should I have just sent this longhand?"

Ally smiled at the gleaming screen, shooting a glance to the door, before she tapped out her response.

"Hello to you too, Hell on Wheels!!! It would seem My Doting Husband is rather desperate for a night out. Would you mind terribly keeping an eye on the children while we're both carousing?"

Ally took a quick breath, hoping and praying Vic would get the text in time, as she slipped into the shorter, ruffled, sky blue print, the gauzy material floating over her corset, and she selected a gold butterfly necklace from the vanity to wear as well. The prettier she looked, the more Charles would want to show her off, the longer he would stay out, and the less concerned he would be with the goings-on at home.

The enthused ding of the device was enough to make her hop, and she read Vic's response, laying the phone down, as she pinned up a select few of her curls.

"Damn, he better be taking you somewhere nice, y'know, after you sacrificed your eternal freedom and all. Still pissed at you for that, by the way........ Sure, I'll see to the little monsters. Now's as good a time as any to see if they can play nice. Stay safe, Jane."

Ally hastily clicked off the phone, and debated whether or not she should take it with her. Ah yes, so my desirous husband's wandering hands can find it on my person in the midst of an electric caress? Not to mention....... being in the thick of so much dark creative energy was sure to affect the cellular device, set it off, and give her away. She sighed, carefully folding up her nightdress, sending one more quick message, before reluctantly concealing the mobile within the folds of it, hurriedly stashing it away in a drawer.

"Will do, Wheels. You'll find the key in the window......."

Then, with guilty green eyes, she reached into the back of her white silk stocking, untying the taut lacing, her fingers shaking, as she withdrew that loathsome black pen, author of all heinous evil, that she'd stolen off Charlie during their ravenous and amorous kiss, reached right into the red silk lining of his waistcoat, while he was otherwise engaged. She swallowed hard, and then tucked her knife into the crevice between the window pane, and the ledge, undoing the lock. All Vic had to do was open it....... and the hellish pen would be hers. With any luck, it would protect her from the vampire children the same way it had protected their new mother.

"I'm sorry, Charlie," She whispered tearfully aloud, her heart aching. Stealing back what was hers, yes, but taking anything from him felt utterly despicable. "I'm so sorry, My Love, but I'm doing this for us!!! You'll see......... I'm still your Good Wife, even if I play with knives. Forgive me......... Mister Manx."

#charlie manx #charlie manx x oc #nos4a2 #vic mcqueen #christmasland #paranormal romance #paradise for the lost

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thisdiscontentedwinter · 6 years ago

Text

Bad Blood - Chapter 16

You can read it on AO3 or find the Tumblr Chapter Index here.

____________

The Argents will strike soon. Peter knows it in his blood, and says as much to John Stilinski when he coincidentally finds himself back at his house the next day. Well, it’s not so much a coincidence as the fact that Laura got tired of his pacing and growled at him to get the hell out of the loft for a while.

“They won’t,” John tells him, shoving a microwave meal across his kitchen table for Peter, and stabbing his own with a fork before setting it in the oven. His uniform shirt is unbuttoned, showing of his plain undershirt. He’s wearing socks but no boots. Peter might have knocked on his back door the moment he heard the key turn in the front. “That’s not how they operate. They don’t have the measure of you yet. For all they know you’ve spent the last six years rebuilding your pack. For all they know there could be dozens of you by now, and the Argents aren’t suicidal.”

Peter arches his brows. “And when they realise there’s only three of us?”

John shrugs. “When they realise that, then you’re in serious trouble.”

Peter growls under his breath and reaches for his fork. He can’t say this is his idea of a lunch date with a good-looking man. He can’t say anything, actually, because to draw attention to the fact that they’re eating dinner together will only highlight how fucking weird this situation is, and then Peter might not get the chance to enjoy it. If he’s going to die, and the chances are certainly high, then why not indulge in a few moments like this one? Moments where another man knows exactly who he is, and doesn’t fear him because of it. Moments where they occasionally stop talking about Argents and blood and war, and Peter thinks that he might actually like John Stilinski’s company. Crazy thoughts for crazy times.

The plate in the microwave rattles as John’s dinner cooks.

“They only went after Scott because he was on their territory,” John says. “He was at Chris’s house. They thought it was an attack, not…” He frowns and shakes his head.

“Not a lovesick kid with a crush,” Peter finishes for him.

“Yeah, not a lovesick kid with a crush.” John exhales slowly. “At the moment they’re still trying to gather intelligence. They’re trying to figure out your strength and, more importantly, your location. You should move, by the way, until this is done. Don’t sleep in the same place twice. Routine is your enemy.”

“You try telling the alpha she should leave her territory,” Peter mutters, digging into whatever godawful excuse for food this is.

“I’m not saying you should tell her to leave her territory.” John gets his own dinner out of the microwave. He peels the plastic off, tosses it into the kitchen sink, and then sits down across from Peter. “I’m saying you should be more mobile within your territory for the time being.”

Peter stabs at something that might be a bean. “You really think they won’t come for us straight away?”

“I know they won’t,” John says.

Peter raises his eyebrows. “It’s difficult to trust someone who thinks this is food.”

“Fuck you,” John says, the skin around his eyes crinkling as he fights a smile. “It’s free food for you. Look, I was a hunter. Despite what you think, there are rules. At the moment the Argents are biding their time because they’re trying to gather intel. They’re also trying to force you into making a mistake. If you panic and attack first, that gives them all the justification they need.”

“Well, I’m not panicking,” Peter says, “but I amgoing to attack them before they get another chance at us.”

“Which is fine,” John says. “As long as you don’t leave any of them standing.”

“That’s the plan.”

John holds his gaze. “Apart from Stiles.”

“That’s also the plan.” Peter shrugs. “Also, not an Argent.”

John relaxes his posture a little at that. “Meanwhile though, the council expects due diligence from the Argents. They’re expecting a report into all the crimes of the Hale pack. The council wants evidence that the Argents are following the code. That means they can’t just come in and sweep a pack away over the course of a weekend, you know? They have to make it look like they’ve been here long enough to have completed an actual investigation.”

Peter huffs out a breath.

John’s brow creases. “What?”

“So cavalier,” Peter muses, “about killing innocents.”

“I told you, I never questioned anything until Claudia,” John says. “Until she told me everything she’d heard about hunters. As far as I knew, Chris and I weren’t killing innocents—we were killing the things that killed innocents. As far as I knew, when the heads of the hunter families said there was just cause, then there was just cause.”

“And Claudia changed your mind on that?”

John is silent for a moment before he answers. “Claudia made me see that I wasn’t being told the full story. She made me realise that trusting in the process is a fool’s game when the process is easily corrupted by people who will lie. But it was the attack on your family that really opened my eyes. I’d lived here for a decade by then, Peter. I knew the Hales hadn’t harmed anyone in that time, but I’m betting there’s a report to the council signed by Gerard Argent that says differently.”

Council politics and corruption. Peter wonders if Deaton’s trust in Araya Calavera is misplaced. Can they really expect any hunter to speak for them? That, he supposes, is a problem for future Peter, if future Peter is still breathing. And, if he’s not, then at least he doesn’t have to eat anymore microwave dinners.

He picks out another possible-bean. “Have you approached your inside man yet?”

“Not yet,” John says.

“You lied, of course,” Peter says,” about needing one to get to Kate and Gerard.”

John doesn’t even have the decency to look ashamed. “We don’t not need one.”

“You want Stiles out of the way before we attack,” Peter says. “That’s what you want Chris for. He gets Stiles out of the way, and we’re free to go after Kate and Gerard.”

It makes sense, Peter supposes. John can’t remove Stiles from danger, and neither can Peter. If they tried, Stiles would only dig his heels in deeper. But if the boy was following the orders of an Argent? And if those orders just happened to have him out of the way at just the right time? That might just be the smartest and the safest way to remove Stiles from hard. From harm, and from being in a position where he can harm others.

He hums thoughtfully.

John pauses with his fork held halfway to his mouth. “Does that work for you?”

Peter tilts his head. “That depends. I have questions.”

“Of course you do.”

“I’m mostly curious as to if you’re still going to help us if your son’s no longer in the equation.”

“Are you fucking joking?” John sets his fork down. His expression hardens. “They stole my son from me. I want him safe, and I want him back, but I also want to make them pay. Do you need me to be any clearer than that?”

“No,” Peter says, his wolf stirring. “You want revenge. I understand that perfectly.”

***

There’s a corner of Beacon Hills that is crying out for gentrification. It’s old warehouses, mostly relics from the heyday of the lumber industry. It doesn’t take much for a werewolf to sniff out the places that haven’t been touched in years. Peter unrolls his sleeping bag and tries not to notice the sheer amount of dust he disturbs. Dust, and rat droppings, and-for some reason—feathers.

Laura perches on her backpack and unwraps a chocolate bar.

“You brought chocolate?” Derek asks archly from where he’s lurking by the grimy window.

“You’re just jealous,” Laura says with a grin.

Derek snorts. “Did you pack your hair dryer too, princess?”

Laura flips him the bird, and pointedly eats a square of chocolate.

There’s a strange sort of fragility in their levity, Peter thinks. Look at it too closely and it would shatter into a million pieces. They’ve lost a beta, they’re being hunted, and they’re currently holed up in a warehouse full of rat shit. If they want to bicker like two ordinary siblings on an ordinary day, Peter won’t stop them.

He pulls his phone out of his pocket and checks the time. It’s not quite eight at night, so he makes the call. It only rings for a moment before it’s answered.

“Uncle Peter?” Matty asks.

“Hello, pup,” Peter says, forcing a smile into his tone. “It’s not past your bedtime, is it?”

“No,” Matty says. “We had dinner and we’re watching a movie before bed.”

“Oh, that sounds like fun.” Peter closes his eyes briefly, and wishes he could hold Matty, scent him. It’s a physical ache in his chest. “What movie is it?”

“I miss you, Uncle Peter!” Matty says, sounding close to tears. “And Laura and Derek! When can I come home?”

Behind him, Peter’s aware that Derek and Laura have fallen into silence.

“Soon, pup,” he promises. Lies, maybe. “Very soon. I miss you too. Who else helps me keep your sister and bother in line, hmm?”

“Uncle Peter!” Matty exclaims, outraged. “Laura is the alpha! She’s in charge!”

“Hmm,” Peter says. “I thought that was just what we let her think?”

Matty giggles, and Peter smiles at having diverted him from his upset. After that it’s easy enough to prompt him into talking about his day, and how he played by the lake, and how he’s helping Asami build a diorama. Peter asks all the right questions and makes all the right interested noises and, if he keeps his eyes closed, he can pretend that Matty is right here with him now.

***

“Do you trust him?” Laura asks later, her voice quiet as she and Peter stare out the grimy window into the street below.

Peter watches as a police cruiser crawls slowly down the street, and wonders if it’s John.

“Yes,” he says at last. “Do you think I’m crazy?”

Laura’s brow creases. “I don’t like being told to wait. By him especially.”

And there’s the rub, Peter thinks. A werewolf’s instincts, an alpha’s particularly, push towards action first. But John is telling them that would be a mistake, and that they need to wait. But John is also Janusz Stilinski, and Peter can more than understand Laura’s mistrust.

“He wants Stiles out of the way before we attack,” Peter says. He glances over to where Derek is watching them. “I don’t think that’s unreasonable.”

“It’s not unreasonable,” Laura says, “but it’s a variable. The sheriff is a variable, and he’s introducing even more variables. He’s asking us to compromise on our timetable, and he’s asking us to trust that he can bring Chris Argent in. We don’t have control over this situation, Peter, and that makes it dangerous.” She swallows. “It scaresme.”

“I know, Lulu,” he says. “It scares me too, but I don’t think we have a better option.”

Laura nods, and reaches out and squeezes his hand.

Peter looks over to Derek. “Get over here, pup.”

Derek rolls his eyes, but comes to join them by the window. Peter reaches up with his free hand and curls his fingers around the back of Derek’s neck. He wants to offer them reassurances that everything will turn out for the best, and make a million promises that they’ll all survive this and be safe and happy at last, but Laura and Derek aren’t Matty. They know exactly what promises of safety are worth.

And so Peter says nothing, and together they watch the street below and wait for the night to end.

#my fics #bad blood #sterek #steter senior #discontentedwinter

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allyvampirelass29 · 4 years ago

Text

To Love is To Hate

A NOS4A2 Fanfiction By: Allyssa J. Watkins

"Allyssa Manx...… Get in the car."

Charlie flung open the passenger door of the Wraith, his eyes like stoked embers, black, smoking coals, his voice as threatening as a blade's edge raised against his wife, and he arched an eyebrow, just daring her to defy him further.

"Charlie, no, please- Don't-" Ally begged, taking a terrified step back into the falling snow on the road, the flurried wind whipping her white nightgown around her legs that were red with cold. "I'm- I'm so sorry!!!! Please..... Forgive me!!!" She called out, trembling, the tears streaming down her frozen cheek.

"Oh you're sorry?" He shot back cruelly, his gloved fingers gripping the edge of the car door. "To which of her heinous sins, does this fallen angel confess? The Seduction, The Theft, or The Betrayal, itself?"

"Charles-"

"She seeks absolution, she cries out for mercy, and yet even in pursuit of her penance, cannot do what I have asked. I said..... GET IN MY CAR." Charlie demanded in a low growl, furiously throwing his other arm out gesturing her inside.

Ally felt her heart tremble, collapsing to her knees, deathly afraid of that wild fury that flashed in her lover's eyes, and she sobbed harder. "Please, don't hurt me."

"Hurt you? Hurt YOU?" He snickered cruelly, slowly dofting his chauffer's hat in her direction, with a mock bow. "What a performance, My Dear, Sweet Wife, when YOU have hurt ME something profound, with a deception most vile, playing the blushing bride, when all along you were the black widow!!!"

"No!" She screamed, shaking her head, fingers trembling.

"How CAN you deny it!?" Charlie snarled, balling his royal blue, flat-topped hat up in his gloved fists, before letting it fall from his fingers. "You LIED to me, you STOLE from me, you TRICKED me, aligning yourself with our mutual enemy, that vicious WRETCH Vic McQueen!!!!! Oh don't tell me...…. This was your plan all the time, wasn't it? From the beginning, you made play of love when you felt NOTHING!!!!"

Ally cried harder, sobbing from her fallen place in the snow, her dark hair falling in her eyes, as she cast her head down, ashamed. "How can you think that, Charles? How can you profane something as pure, as powerful and mad passionate as our love? The love fate decreed between us, authored in the stars before ever we existed!?"

"Pure!? This- This love is a poison, slowly killing me with its kiss of death, that I happily, foolishly, take from your lips. The draught drank, and I am done for, because even still I see you, I look at you, and I want you, My Murderess, even as you enact my demise, even as you have no love in your heart, for mine that dies with each breath for you!!!!"

"See, that's the kicker, you piece of SHIT, ain't nobody ever loved your sorry ass more than this girl, right here!!!!"

"Vic, NO!!!!" Ally cried, scrambling to her feet.

Charlie recoiled with the laughing sound of Vic McQueen's voice, and then froze cold as the blast shattered the Wraith's rear window.

"VIC, NOOOOOOOO!!!!! STOP!!!!!" Ally screamed out, stunned, horrified as Vic McQueen appeared with a vengeance on the snow covered road, her shotgun still aimed, and she discharged the empty shell, with a threatening click.

"Heya Charlie. You miss me?"

"VIC...…." Charlie was so livid he spat her name in a seethe, his teeth digging into his lip, making a pretense of perfect control, of haughty indifference, but all he wanted to do was make that girl BLEED. "How nice of you to join our nasty little marital spat, you of COURSE being the noxious weed in our Eden, you homewrecking, conspiring, hateful BITCH!!!"

"Yeah, what can I say, it sounded like a BLAST!!!" Charlie bristled as Vic pulled the trigger again, snow and gravel exploding just inches from his boots. "I may be a bitch, Charlie, but I'm the bitch with the shotgun, and if you don't want me to blast you to hell, you're going to let Harlequin Novel go, right freaking now."

"Vic, WAIT!!!!" Ally pleaded, looking faint.

"You DARE attempt to force my hand, Victoria!? Ally isn't going ANYWHERE. Not with you. She's not your friend. You may think you have bested me, turned her against me, created in my beloved, a backstabber, your own advantageous ally, but I am not the only one she has fooled. Isn't that right, Mrs. Manx?"

"Vic this WASN'T the plan!!!!" Ally pleaded, not sure which of them to shield from the other.

Charlie watched Vic's finger fidget on the trigger, knowing that his words had struck a chord, and all was as he'd suspected.

"Ally, GO, get the HELL out of here. I know this isn't how you wanted it, but it was never gonna end with that frickin' creepy bastard alive, and you KNOW it!!!"

"NO!!!!! You promised, Vic, you PROMISED!!!!" Ally pleaded with angry tears, feeling for the pen in her sleeve, and finding it was not there.

"You're free, ain't ya!?" Vic hissed, but Charlie could see she was distracted, and he waited carefully for his moment, all he needed was for her to look away, even once...….

"I don't want it, not like this!!! We had a DEAL, Vic!!! Dismantle this Nightmare World piece by piece, tear it asunder from his mind, but HE LIVES!!!! He stays mine!!!!"

That's it, My Dove, rage in a riotous display, distract her, divide her focus, yes....…." Charlie's mind coaxed, Ally seeming to obey, and with both of his obsessions turning on the other, neither noticed Charlie slowly ease himself down, and retrieve the pistol from his boot.

"Yeah, well, I'm changin' the deal, okay? You wanted outta here, I'm gettin' you out, along with the kids, whatever it takes!!! I'm not going to spare this sicko, just because you're lovesick over him, and have this crazed delusion of still getting your ever after once we've burnt his Christmas Hell to the ground!!!!"

Vic dropped the shotgun, with an anguished string of curses, and Ally let out another stunned scream, clapping her hand to her mouth, as the bullet grazed Vic's shoulder, staining her blue plaid button-up red with blood.

"CHARLIE NOOOOO!!!!!"

"If you girls are quite finished, I would like to save you both the trouble, and end this doomed partnership, as of, how did you say it, right freaking now? I can't have you both playing too nice, now, can I?"

Charlie smirked, pistol raised, his gloved finger drawing back the hammer once more, to shoot Vic in the chest, and end it, once and for all.

"Vic McQueen...…. I hereby exile you from Christmasland, and life itself. Burn in hell," Charlie simpered maliciously, and right when he was about to send her there, his beautiful brunette hurled herself in the line of fire, waving frantically.

"Charlie, NO, DON'T shoot!"

"Ally...…. Get OUT of my way." He rasped, watching Vic groan, holding her shoulder, and eye the felled shotgun.

"Charlie! Charlie, wait! Hold on!" Ally drew closer to him, and he felt himself hesitate.

"NO! My Darling, do not you see what she has done to us!? The lies she has infected you with, to twist you, even YOU, my pure, my innocent, my perfect beauty into something dark, something dangerous, raise you as weapon against your own true love!?! Who stands the true monster here!?"

"Still YOU, Jerkoff!!!"

Vic rushed for the shotgun, but Ally was closer, and quicker than Vic in her wounded state, and snatched it up to Charlie's rollicking delight.

"Good Girl!!!! My Clever Bride!!! Oh Ally, all is forgiven...…. If you shoot Victoria McQueen."

Ally looked at him greatly distressed, as Vic glowered over her shoulder, just daring either of them to try it.

"Charles! You dismay me! Do you think me capable of such evils as to take a life!? You accuse Victoria of transforming me into something deadly, but have you not done me this same turn, My Love?"

"Damn, she's got ya there, Manx!" Vic snorted, still holding her shoulder, blood squeezing through her fingers.

Charlie growled, pistol still aimed, his finger poised, but Ally clinging to the shotgun, was enough to give him pause.

"I'll go with you, Charlie, I'll get in the car, I'll never leave you again, I'll do anything you want, BE anything you want, just let her walk away from this! Don't be the soulless monster she thinks you are!!!!"

"Ally, HAVE you freaking LOST it!?" Vic yelled out, incredulous, her breath shallow, trying to determine if she could tackle Northanger Abbey down, before Manx got off a shot.

Charlie cocked his silky, raven head to the side, his pistol still cocked as well, one eye narrowed, everything in him screaming to release the bullet, and author Vic McQueen's long fought for demise, and yet he knew that once he'd done so, that sweet, darling, fragile creature that he'd come to love so much, the broken doll that he'd made a queen, would be lost to him for all of his eternity.

"On the contrary, Vic, I think Miss Ally has finally found it...……."

"Ally don't do this...… You're better than this, better than him, you just broke free, don't let him pull ya back in. Run. You don't have to watch me kill your Nightmare Man, all you have to do is RUN!!! Whatever happens after...…. it ain't your fault."

"Charlie...…. Can I come home?" Ally's whole body shook, still gripping the shotgun, her tears falling, and Charlie gritted his teeth, hating his answer."

"Yes, My Darling, I accept. Get in the car, and I won't kill her...….. not today, anyway."

"You can't!!! You delusional, ridiculous, damned crazy chick!!!"

Ally started towards Charlie, and then stopped, noticing the pistol was still pointed at Vic's chest.

"Charlie, please, put down the pistol, and I will come to you. We can go home, be as we were, and make play this ugliness, my own treachery included, did not transpire."

"You do love me, don't you?" He managed in a rasp, his thick brow quizzical, slowly lowering his gun, pushing the hammer forward, expertly uncocking it, pocketing it in his dark blue chauffeur's coat as she drew nearer. "Why else sacrifice yourself for my soul, give back the life you have risked so much to free from my grasp? It wasn't all a lie...…. was it?"

"It was none of it, a lie, Charles!" Ally insisted in heartsick, desperation, and he beckoned her forward, the aching truth evident in her soft, glimmering eyes. "I Love You, Charles T. Manx, and I surrender myself to your hands whether they mean for me affection or infliction. How gladly would I sacrifice my own freedom, if it meant the redemption of your once beautiful soul!!!!"

"GOD, shut-up already, you both make me sick," Vic muttered. You ditzy, doe-eyed STUPID girl, go ahead, run right back to the cat's claws, and see if I give a DAMN!!!! I'm DONE playin' hero to the doomed damsel that's so damned in love with her distress!!! Never shoulda teamed up with you, Ally, I see it now, you're WEAK and you WANT him to MESS you up, so fine. I give. I hope he makes you as miserable as he makes me!!!!"

"Now, now, don't fret on that account, Victoria. Misery is a privilege I reserve only for you, it's something sacred between us."

Charlie laughed with vicious mirth, tempted to seize Ally and wrest the shotgun from her hands, the moment she was close enough, yet for some ridiculous, inexplicable reason, he wanted to trust her. Trust that she was done scheming against him with Vic, and that she wouldn't blow a hole in his chest, point blank, instead of getting into the car.

She hurried to him, her loose, luxurious curls catching in the wintry wind, and he froze, warily, as she knelt down to pick up his fallen chauffeur's cap from the road, leaving the shotgun in its place. She lovingly placed it atop his rich black waves, returning the crown to her king, and he kicked the shotgun away, as she did so, still not trusting that she meant to come of her own conscious volition.

Door still open, he helped her into the passenger's side seat, and delicately kissed his queen's frigid cheek, before shutting the door tight. The second she was tucked away, safely inside, he shot a glance back to the road, still tempted to send a bullet screaming through Vic's beating heart. She was gone...... He'd had his chance to end this, to prove victor over Meddlesome Victoria, at last. He'd wasted it. Wasted it like a fool on love. But as he watched his recaptured dove settle back in the seat, knowing she'd not fly free of her cage ever again, he smiled smugly to himself with the revelation he'd made the better trade.

His eyes moved back to the spot where she'd stood, imagining the way the bullet had scraped across her shoulder, the blood staining her shirt red.

"Until next time, Victoria...….. I have taken back my love, and soon, very soon, you vexing vixen, I shall have you as my vengeance. Who says a man cannot have his wife, and play with his hate too? I'm not finished with either of you yet...… To love one is to hate the other, and oh what fun...… to see you both become loved and hated by me.

#nos4a2 #charlie manx #charlie manx x oc #vic mcqueen #christmasland #the wraith #paranormal romance #paradise for the lost

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